cree, that either they should all do sacrifice to the Gods of þ^e Gentiles, or els be all slaine w^t diuers kindes of tormentes. Therfore many martyrs there died for the glory of Christ. Antonius and Vincēt lib. 12. cap. 2.MarginaliaLucianus
Martyr. In Beluac⁹ suffered Luciā.

MarginaliaThe persecution in Spayne.
Eulalia, Adula, Vincentius, Sabina, Christina, Lencadia, Martyrs.
18. Martyrs in Spayne. Vincentius & Reginus write of many places in Spayne, where was great persecutiō, as at Emerita, where suffered Eulalia, of whō more foloweth hereafter, and Adula, where also suffered Vincentius, Sabina, and Christina. At Toletum suffered Lencadia the virgin, at Cesarea Augusta, where were put to death. 18. beside a great number of other Martyrs, which suffered vnder Decianus the gouernour, which afflicted with persecution all the coast of Spayne, as sayth Vincentiu. Lib. 13. cap. 123. 124. 128. 130. 134.MarginaliaRictionarus a notable tyrant.
The bloud of the Christians made ryuers. The foresayd Rictionarus made such persecution at Treuers neare the riuer of Mosella that the bloud of Christen men that were slayne ranne like small brookes, and couloured great and mayne Riuers. Neither yet did this suffice him, but from thence sent certaine horsemen with his letters, commaundyng them to ryde into euery place, and charge all such as had taken & apprehended any Christians, that they should immediately put them to death. Vincentius. Lib. 13. cap. 136.

MarginaliaAgrippina,
Augusta,
Martyrs. Also Henricus de Erfordia and Reginus make mention of great persecution to be at Colonia where Agrippina and Augusta were martyred, as also in the Prouince of Rhetia.

MarginaliaThe persecution in Britanny or England. Beda also sayth that this persecution reached euen vnto the Britanes in his booke De ratione temporum. And the Chronicle of Martinus, and the Nosgaye of tyme, do declare that all the Christians in Britany were vtterly destroyed. Furthermore, that the kyndes of death and punishment were so great and horrible, as no mans toung is able to expresse.MarginaliaDioclesianus dyd but dally in the beginnyng of the persecution. In the begynnyng, whē the Emperour by his subtiltie and wylynes, rather dalied, then shewed his rigour, he threatned them with bandes and imprisonmēt: but within a while, whē he began to worke the matter in good earnest,MarginaliaSundry sortes of tormentes deuised agaynst the Christians. he deuised innumerable sortes of torments and punishmentes, as whippyngs & scourgyngs, rackynges, horrible scrapynges, sword, fire, and shyp botes, wherin a great number beyng put, were soonke and drowned in the bottom of the Sea. Euseb. Lib. 8. cap. 6. & 7. Also hangyng them vpō crosses, binding them to the bodies of dead trees with their heades downward, hanging them by the myddles vpō Gallowses, til they dyed for hunger, throwyng them alyue to such kinde of wilde beastes as would deuour them as Lyons, Beares, Lybardes, and wild Buls. Euseb. Lib. 8. cap. 8. Prickyng and thrustyng them in with bodkyns and talantes of beastes, till they were almost dead, liftyng them vp a high with their heades downeward,MarginaliaThe women of Thebaide,
Martyrs. euen as in Thebaide they did vnto the women beyng naked and vnclothed, one of their feete tyed and lifted a high, and so hāgyng downe with their bodyes, which thyng to see was very pityfull, with other diuised sortes of punishmentes most tragicall, or rather tyrannicall, and pityfull to describe: as first, the bindyng of them to trees, and to the boughes therof. The pullyng and tearyng a sunder of their members and ioyntes: beyng tyed to the boughes and armes of trees. Euseb. Lib. 8. cap. 9. The mangling of them with axes, the chokyng them with smoke by small and soft fires, the dismembryng of their handes, eares and feete, with other ioyntes, as the holy Martyrs of Alexandria suffered, the scorchyng and broyling of them with coales, not vnto death, but euery day renewed,MarginaliaThe persecution in Antioche. with which kynde of tormentes the Martyrs at Antioche were afflicted.MarginaliaThe persecution in Pontus. But in Pontus, other horrible punishmentes and fearfull to be heard, did the Martyrs of Christ suffer, of which some had their fingers endes vnder the nayles thrust in with sharpe bodkyns: some all to be sprinkled with boylyng leade, hauing their most necessary members cut from them: some other sufferyng most filthy, intollerable, and indurable tormentes and payne, in their bowels and priuy members. Eusebius eodem. cap. 12.

MarginaliaPersecution in Alexandria. To conclude, how great was the outrage of the persecution which raigned in Alexandria was, and with how many & sundry kindes of new deuised punishmentes the Martyrs were afflicted? Phileas, the Byshop of the Thumitanes, a man singularly well learned, hath described in his Epistle to the Thumitanes, the copy wherof Eusebius hath in his. 8. booke, and. x. chapter, out of the which we meane here briefly to recite somwhat.MarginaliaThe contentes of the Epistle of Phileas sent to his congregation. Because (sayth he) euery man might torment the holy Martyrs as they listed themselues: some beate them with cougels, some with rods, some with whips, some with thounges, and some with cordes, and this exāple of beating was in sundry wise executed, and with much crueltie. For some of them hauyng their handes bound behynd their backes, were lifted vp vpon tymber logs, & with certaine instrumentes their members & ioyntes were stretched forth, whereon their whole bodies hangyng were subiect to the will of the tormentors, who were commaunded to afflict them with all maner of torments, and not on their sides onely (like as homicides were) but vpō their bellyes, thighes, and legges, they scratched them with the talentes & clawes of wilde beastes. Some other were seene to hang by one hand vpon the engine, whereby they might feele the more greuous pullyng out of the rest of their ioyntes and members. Some other were in such sorte bound vnto pyllers with their faces turned to the wal, hauing no stay vnder their feete, and were violently wayde downe with the payse of their bodies, that by reason of their straight bynding, they beyng drawne out, might be more greuously tormented. And this suffered they not onely during the time of their examination, and while the Shiriffe had to do with them, but also the whole day long. And whilest the Iudge went thus from one to an other, he by his authoritie appointed certaine officers to attend vpon those he left, & not to be let downe vntill either through the intollerablenes of the payne, or by the extremitie of colde, they beyng neare the point of death, should be let downe: and so were they haled vpon the ground. And further they were commaunded that they should shewe not so much as one sparke of mercy or compassion vpon vs, but so extremely and furiously did deale with vs, as though our soules and bodyes should haue dyed together. And therefore yet an other torment our aduersaries deuised to augment our former plagues. MarginaliaStraunge kyndes of tormentes. After that they had most lamentably beaten them, they deuised moreouer a new kinde of racke, wherin they lying vpright, were stretched by both the feete aboue the fourth stoppe or hole, with sharpe shelles or shares strowed vnder thē, after a straūge kinde of engine to vs here vnknowē. Other some were cast downe vpon the pauement, where they were oppressed so thick and so greuously with tormentes, that it is not almost to be thought what afflictions they suffered.

Thus they liyng in paynes and tormentes, some dyed therewith, not a litle shamyng and confoundyng their enemyes by their singular pacience. Some halfe dead and halfe a liue, were thrust into prison, where shortly after by paynes and woundes of their bodyes they ended their bitter lyfe. Some agayne beyng cured of their woundes by their induraunce in prison, were more confirmed: who beyng put to the choyse whether they would come to their cursed sacrifice, and enioy their wicked libertie, or els sustaine the sentence of death, did willingly and without delay abyde the extremitie, remembryng with them selues what is written in the Scriptures: He that sacrificeth (saith he) to straunge Gods, shall be exterminate. &c. Item, thou shallt not haue any straunge Gods beside me &c. Thus much wrote Phileas to the Congregation where he was Byshop, before he receaued the sentence of death, beyng yet in bandes, & in the same exhorteth his brethren constantly to persiste after his death, in the truth of Christ professed. Euseb. Lib. 8. cap. 10.

MarginaliaEx Sabelico. Lib. 7. cap. 9.
An holy martyr of Nicomedia tormented. Sabellicus in his vij. Ennead &. 8. booke, sayth that that Christened man whiche tore and pulled downe the wicked Edict of the Emperour in Nicomedia, beyng stript and beaten that the bones appeared, and after washed in salt and viniger, was then slayne with this cruell kynde of tormēt. But Platina writeth that Dorotheus & Gorgonius exhorted him to dye so constantly.

But as all their tormentes were for their horriblenes, marueilous and notable, and therewith all so studiously deuised, and no lesse greuous and sharpe: so notwithstandyng therewith, were these Martyrs neither dismayed nor ouercome, but rather therby confirmed & strengthned, so merely and ioyfully sustained they what soeuer was put vnto them.MarginaliaEusebius a beholder and witnes of their suffering. Eusebius sayth that he him selfe beheld & saw the huge and great persecutiō that was done in Thebaide,MarginaliaThe swordes blunt, and the hangmē weryed with slaughter. in so much that the very swordes of the hangmē and persecutours beyng blunt with the great and often slaughter, they themselues for wearynesse sat downe to rest them, and other were fayne to take their places.MarginaliaThe maruelous constācie of the Martyrs of God in persecution & at the tyme of death. And yet all this notwithstandyng the murthered Christians shewed their marueilous readynes, willyngnes, and diuine fortitude, whiche they were indued with, with stout courage, ioy, and smilyng receauyng the sentence of death pronounced vpon them, and song euen vnto the last gaspe Hymnes and Psalmes to God. So dyd also the Martyrs of Alexandria, as witnesseth Phileas aboue mētioned. The holy martyrs sayth he, keepyng Christ in their myndes, being led with the loue of better rewardes, sustained not onely at one tyme, what soeuer labour and deuised punishmentes they had to lay vpon them: but now also the second time haue done the same, and haue borne all the manaces of þ^e cruell souldiours, not onely in wordes, where with they threatned them, but also what soeuer in deede and worke they could deuise to their destruction, and that with most māly stomackes, excludyng all feare, with the perfectiō of their inspeakeable loue towardes Christ, whose great