MarginaliaTiberius.
Caligula.
Claudius
Domicius
Nero.
Galba.
Ottho.
Vitellius.
Titus.
Domitiā.
Cōmodus.wise Commodus was murdred of Narcissus. MarginaliaPertinax.
Iulianus.
Seuerus.
Geta.
Baßianus.
Macrinus.
Diadumenus.The like end was of Pertinax and Iulianus. Moreouer after that Seuerus was slayne here in England and lyeth at Yorke. Did not his son Bassianus slay hys brother Geta, and he after slayne of Martialis? Marcinus with his sonne Diadumenus, were both slayne of their own soldiours. MarginaliaHeliogabalus.
Alexāder Seuerus.After whome Heliogabalus that monstrous belypanch, was of hys owne people slayne, and drawen throughe the Citye, and cast in Tiber. Alexander Seuerus, that worthy and learned Emperour, which sayd he would not feede his seruaunts doyng nothyng, with the bowels of the common wealth, although in life and vertues, was much vnlike other Emperors, yet proued the like end, being slayne at Mentze with his godly mother Māmea by Maximinus, whome the Emperour before of a muletour had aduaunsed to greate dygnityes. MarginaliaMaximinus.
Maximus.
Balbinus.
Gordianus
Philippus.
Decius.
Gallus & Volusianus.
Æmilianus.
Valerianus, & Galienus.The which Maximinus also after thre yeares was slayn himselfe of his soldiers. What should I speake of Maximus, and Balbinus, in like sorte both slayne in Rome? Of Gordian slayne by Philippe: of Philippe, the fyrste christened Emperour, slayne or rather Martired for the same cause: of wicked Decius, of Decius drowned & his sonne slayne, the same time in battaile? Of Gallus and Volucianus hys sonne, Emperours after Decius, both slayne by conspiracie: of Amilianus, who rose agaynste them both in war, and within three monthes after was slayne himselfe: Next to Amilianus succeeded Valerianus, and Galienus hys sonne, of whome Valerianus (who was a persecutor of the christians) was taken prisoner of the Persians, and there made a ridyng foole of Sapores their king, whoe vsed hym for a stoole to leape vp vppon hys horse, whyle his sonne Galienus sleepyng at Rome, either would not or could not once profer to reuenge his fathers ignomie. For after the takynge of Valerian, so many emperours rose vp, as were prouinces in the Romane monarche: At length Galienus also was killed by Aureolus, which warred against him. MarginaliaAurelianus.
Tacitus.
Florinus.
Probus.
Carus.It wer to long here to speake of Aurelianus an other persecutor, slaine of his secretary: Of Tacitus, & Florinus hys brother, of whom the first reigned sixe monthes, and was slayne at Pontus, the other reigned two monthes, & was murdred at Tarsis. Of Probus, who although a good ciuil Emperor, yet was he destroied by his soldiers: After whom Carus the next Emperour was slayne by lyghtning. MarginaliaDioclesianus.
Maximinianus.
Galerius.
Maximinus.
Maxātius.
Licinius.Next to Carus folowed the impious and wicked persecutor Dioclesian, with hys felowes Maximian, Gelarius, Maximinus, Maxentius, & Licinius, vnder whom all at one time (during the lyfe of Dioclecian) the greatest & most greuous persecution was moued against the Christians. x. yeares together. Of which Diocletian and Maximinian deposed themselues from þ^e Empire. Galerius þ^e chiefest minister of þ^e persecutiō, after his terrible persecutions, fel into a wonderful sicknes, hauing such a sore rysen in the neather parte of hys bely, which consumed hys priuye members, and so dyd swarme with wormes, that beinge not curable, neither by surgery nor phisike, he confessed, that it happened for hys cruelty towarde the Christians, and so called, in his proclamations against them. Notwithstanding he not able to susteine (as some say) the stench of hys sore, slewe himself. Maximinus in his warre being tormented with paine in his guttes, there died. Maxentius was vanquished by Constantine and drowned in Tiber. Licinius likewyse being ouercome by the sayde Constantine the great, was deposed from hys Empyre, and afterwarde slaine of his souldiours. But on the other side, after the time of Constantine, when as the fayth of Christ was receaued into the imperiall seate, we reade of no Emperour after the like sorte destroyed or molested, excepte it were Iulianus, or Basilius which expelled one Zeno, & was afterward expelled himselfe: or Valende, besides these we read of no Emperour to come to ruine, as the other before mentioned. Ex lib. Hist. tripart.

And thus haue ye in a briefe summe collected out of the Chronicles, the vnquiet & miserable state of the Emperours of Rome, vntil the time of Christiā Constātine, w^t the examples no lesse terrible than manifest, of Gods seuere justice vpō them, for theyr contēptuous refusing & persecuting the fayth and name of Christ theyr Lord.

Moreouer in much like sort and condicion, if leisure of time or hast of matter woulde suffer me a little to digres vnto more lower times, & to come more nere home: the like examples I could also inferre of this our countrey of England, cōcerning the terrible plagues of god against the churlish and vnthankfull refusinge or abusing the benefit of his truth. MarginaliaBritans
Gildas.First we read how that god stirred vp Gildas to preach to the old Brittaines, and to exhorte them vnto repentance, and amendement of life, & afore to warn thē of plagues to come, if they repented not. What auayled it? Gildas was laughed to scorne & takē for a false prophet, and a malicious preacher. The Britaines with lusty courages, whorish faces, & vnrepētant hartes, went forth to sin, & to offend the Lord their God. What folowed? God sent in their enemies on euery side, and destroied them, & gaue the land to other nations. Not many yeres past, god seying idolatry, supersticion, hipocrisy, and wicked liuing vsed in this realm, raysed vp that godlye learned man Iohn Wickliefe, to preach vnto our fathers repentance, & to exhort them to amende their liues, to forsake their papistry & idolatrie, their hipocrisy, supersticion, and to walk in the feare of God, his exhortations were not regarded. He with his sermons was despised. MarginaliaWicklife & hys bookes condēned & brent for an heretike after his death.His bokes and he himselfe after his death were brente, what followed? they slew their right king, and set vp three wrong kinges on a row, vnder whome all the noble bloud was slaine vp, and halfe the commons therto, what in Fraunce, and with theire own sword in fighting among thēselues for the crown, and the cities and townes decayed, and the lād brought halfe to a wildernes, in respect of that it was before. O extreme plagues of Gods vengaunce. Since þ^e time euen of late yeares, god once againe hauing pity of this realme of Englād raised vp his prophets namely William Tindall, Thomas Bilney, Iohn Frithe, Doctour Barnes, Ierome Garret, Antony Parson, with diuers other, which both with their writinges, & sermons earnestly labored to call vs vnto repentance, that by thys meanes the fierce wrath of god might be turned away from vs. But how were they entreated? how wer theire paynefnl labors regarded? they themselues were condēned and brent as heretikes, and theire bookes condemned and brent as hereticall. The tyme shall come saith Christ, þ^t whosoeuer killeth you, wil thinke that he doth God hie good seruice. MarginaliaIohn. 16.Whether any thing since þ^t time hath so chaunced this realm worthy þ^e name of a plage, let þ^e godly wise iudge. If god hath deferred his punishment, or forgeuen vs these our wicked dedes, as I trust he hath, let vs not therfore be proud and hie minded, but most humbly thank him for his tender mercies, and be ware of þ^e like vngodly ēterprises hereafter. Nether is it here any nede to speke of these our lower & latter times, which haue ben in K. Henry, & K. Edvvards daies: seing þ^e memorie thereof is yet freshe, and can not bee forgotten. But let this passe, of this I am sure, that God yet once againe is come on visitatiō to this church of England, yea and that more louingly and beneficially then euer he did afore. MarginaliaGods benefites toward England.For in this his visitation he hath addressed many abuses, & clensed his churche of much vngodlines & supersticion, & made it a glorious church, if it be compared to the olde forme & state. And nowe how grateful receiuers we be, with what hart, study and reuerence we embrace that which he hath geuen, MarginaliaA caueat for England.that I refer either to them, that see our fruits, or to the sequel, which peraduenture will declare. But this by the waye of digressiō. Now to regresse again to the state of þ^e first former times, it remaineth, that as I haue set forth the