law, by the whych they were commaunded to abstayne not onely from al mens blood, but also from the bloude of al common beastes. And therfore that lawe seemeth by the holy ghost to be geuen, and also to the same ende continued in the church, so long as the cause, that is the persecutions of the Heathen Gentiles continued. Besides these we reade of no other ceremonies or rites, whiche the Apostles greatelye regarded, but left suche thinges free to the liberty of Christians, euerye man to vse therin his own discretion, for the vsing or not vsing therof. Wherupon, as concerning al the ceremonial obseruations of dayes, tymes, places, meates, drinkes, vestures, and such other, of all these thynges neither was the diuersity among men greatlye noted, nor anye vniformitie greately required. MarginaliaEx Euseb. lib 5. ca. 26.
The doctrine of christian liberty in outward vsages.In so much that Irene⁹ writing to Victor of the tradition of daies and of fastings, and of the diuersitie of these thinges then vsed amonge the primitiue fathers, sayth: Nihilo tamen minus omnes illi pacem inter se retinuerunt, et retinemus etiamnū, et ieiunii disonantia, fidei concordiam commendat. &c. that is: Notwithstanding al thys varietie, al they kept peace among them selues, and yet we keepe it styll, and thys difference of fasting among vs, commendeth more the concorde of faith. And so long did the doctrine of Christian libertie remayne whole and sounde in the churche tyl the tyme of Victor, which was about the year of our Lord. 200. Although the diuersitie of these vsages began something before also in the dayes of Pius and Anicetus, about the yeare of our Lord. 163. to be misliked: yet restraynt hereof was not so muche vrged before, as in the time of Victor. And yet neither did the violence of Victor take such place, but that the doctrine of Christian libertie was defended and mayntained by meanes of Ireneus and other, and so continued in the church tyll after the councel of Nice. And thus muche concerning the doctrine of christian libertye of the difference of rites and ceremonies.

Now to returne to Victor agayne, to shew what diuersity ther was in obseruing the day of Easter, & how it cam, thus is the story: First, in þ^e time of Pius & Anicetus, an. 163. the question of Easter day began first to be moued, at what time Pius by the reuelation of Hermes, decreed the obseruation of that daye to be chaunged from the wonted maner of the. 14. day of the mone in the first moneth, vnto the next Sunday after. MarginaliaEx Euseb. lib. 4. cap. 26.After hym came Anicetus, Soter, and Eleutherius byshops of Rome, which also determined the same. Against these stoode Melito bishoppe of Sardis, Polycarpus, and as some thinke, Egesippus, with other learned mē of Asia. Which Polycarpus being sent by the brethren of Asia, came to Rome, as is aforesayd, to confer with Anicetus in that matter: MarginaliaPolycarpus and Anicetus disagreyng in controuersye, yet agreed in charitye.wherin when they could not agree after long debating, yet notwithstandyng they did both communicate together with reuerence, & departed in peace. And so the celebration of Easter daye remayned adiaphoron, as a thing indifferent in the Churche, tyll the tyme of Victor. Who folowing after Anicetus and his felowes, and chieflye styrring in this matter, endeuoured by all meanes and might, to drawe, or rather subdue the Churches of Asia vnto hys opinion, thinkyng moreouer to excommunicate al those bishops and churches of Asia, as heretickes and schismatickes, which disagreed from the Romane order, had not Ireneus otherwyse restrayned him from that doing, as is aforesayde, which was about the yeare of our Lord. 191. in þ^e raign of Cōmodus. MarginaliaVniformitye in ceremonies not to be required as a thyng necessary.Thus thē began the vniformity of keping that holy day to be first required, as a thing necessarye, and all they accounted as heretickes and schismatiks, which dissented from the bishop and trarditiō of Rome.

With Victor stoode Theophilus bishop of Cesarea, Narcissus of Hierusalem, Ireneus of Lyons, Palmas of Pontus, Banchyllus of Corinthe, the bishop of O-stroena, and other mo. All which condescended to haue the celebration of Easter vpon the Sundaye, because they would differ from the Iewes in al thinges, as nere as they might, and partly because the resurrectiō of the Lord fel on the same day.

MarginaliaPolyerates bishop of Ephesus.On the contrary side, diuers bishops were in Asia, of whō the principal was Polycrates bishop of Ephesus, who being assembled with a great multitude of bishops and brethren of those parties, by the common assent of the rest, wrote agayne to Victor, and to the Churche of Rome, declaring, that they had euer frō the begynning obserued that day, according to the rule of scripture vnchaunged, neyther adding nor altering any thing from the same. Alledging moreouer for them the examples of the Apostles & holy fathers their precedessours, as Philip the Apostle, with hys three daughters at Hierapolis. Also Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist at Ephesus, Polycarpe at Smyrna, Thraseas at Eumenia bishop and Martyr. Likewise of Sagaris at Laodicea bishop and martyr. Holy Papyrius, and Melito at Sardis. Beside these bishops also of his own kindred, & his own aunciters, MarginaliaByshops in those dayes maryed.to the number of. vij. which al were bishops before him, and he the eyght now after them. All whych obserued (sayth he) the solemnitie of the same daye, after the same wyse and sorte as we doo now.

MarginaliaVictor excommunicatyng the churches of Asia.Victor being not a lytle moued herewith, by letters agayne denounceth agaynst them (more bold vpon autoritie, then wyse in his commission) violent excommunication. Albeit by the wyse handlyng of MarginaliaIreneus & Victor.Ireneus, and other learned men, that matter was stayde, and Victor otherwise perswaded. What the perswasions of Ireneus were, partlye maye appeare in Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 26. the summe wherof tendeth to thys effect: That the variance and difference of ceremonies is no straunge matter in the church of Christ, when as this varietie is not onelye in the day of Easter, but also in the maner of fastyng, & in diuers other vsages among the Christians. For som fast one dai, some two daies, some other fast mo. Other ther be, which counting. xl. houres, both day and night, take that for a ful dayes fast. And this so diuers fashion of fasting in the church of Christe, began not onelye in thys our tyme, but was before among our fore elders. MarginaliaDiuersitye cōendeth the cōcord of fayth.And yet notwithstanding they with all this diuersitye, were in vnitie among themselues, and so be we, neither doth this difference of ceremonies anye thing hynder, but rather commendeth the concord of fayth. And bringeth forth the examples of the fathers, of Telesphorus, Pius, Anicetus, Sother, Eleutherius, and such other, who neither obserued the same vsage themselues, neyther prescribed it to others, and yet notwithstandyng kept Christian charitie with suche as came to communicate wyth them, not obseruing the same forme of thinges whych they obserued, as wel appeared by Polycarpus and Anicetus, whyche althoughe they agreed not in one vniforme custome of rites, yet refused not to communicate together, the one geuyng reuerence vnto the other. Thus the controuersy being takē vp betwene Ireneus and Victor, remayned free to the time of Nicene councell. Hæc ex Iren. Eusebius. And thus much cōcerning the cōtrouersy of that matter, and concerning the doynges of Victor.

MarginaliaZephirinus bishop of Rome.After Victor succeeded in the sea of Rome Zephirinus, in the dayes of the foresayde Seuerus, about the yeare of our Lord. 203. MarginaliaThepistles and ordināces of Zephyrinus suspected to be counterfet.To this Zephirinus be ascribed two epistles, in the first tome of the Councels. But as I haue sayd before of the decretall Epistles of other Romane bishops: so I say and verelye suppose of this, that neither the continuance of the style, nor the matter therin contayned, nor the condition of the time, doth otherwise giue to think & iudge of these letters, but that they be verely bastard letters, not written by these fathers, nor in these times, but craftely and wickedly pact in by