uance be let or hindered. When therfore by prosperous successe, I Constantinus Augustus, and I Licinius Augustus came to Mediolanum, and there sate in councell vpon such thynges as serued for the vtilitie and profite of the common weale, these thinges amongst others, we thought woulde be beneficiall to all men: yea and before all other things we purposed to establish those thinges, wherein the true reuerence and worship of God is comprehended, that is, to geue vnto the christians free choyse to follow what religion they thinke good, & whereby the same sinceritie & celestiall grace which is in euery place receaued, may also be embraced and accepted of all our louing subiectes. Accordyng therfore vnto thys our pleasure vpon good aduisemēt and sound iudgement, we haue decreed, that no man so hardy, be denyed to chuse and follow the christian obseruance or religion: But that this liberty be geuen to euery man, that he may apply hys mynde to what religion he thinketh meete hymselfe, wherby god may performe vpon vs all his accustomed care and goodnesse. To the intent therefore you might know that this is our pleasure, wee thought it necessary this to write vnto you, whereby all such errours and opinions being remoued, which in our former letters (beyng sent vnto you in the behalfe of the Christians) are cōtained, & which seeme very vndiscrecte and contrary to our clemencyr, may be made frustrate and adnihilate. Now therefore firmelye and freely wee will and commaunde, that euery man haue free libertie to obserue the Christian religion, & that without any grief or molestation he may be suffred to do þ^e same. These thynges haue we thought good to signifie vnto you by as playne wordes as we may, that we haue geuē to the Christians free and absolute power to keepe and vse theyr religion. And for as much as this liberty is absolutely geuen of vs vnto them, to vse and exercise their former obseruance, if any be so disposed, it is manifest that the same helpeth much to establish the publike tranquillitie of our time, euery man to haue licence and liberty to vse & chuse what kynde of worshippyng he list hymselfe. And this is done of vs onely for thintent, that we woulde haue no man to bee enforced to one religion more then an other. And this thyng also amōgest others we haue prouided for the Christians, þ^t they may haue agayne the possessiō of such places, in which heretofore they haue bene accustomed to make their assemblyes, so þ^t if any haue bought or purchased þ^e same either of vs, or of any other: the same places without eyther money or other recompence, forthwith and without delay we wyll to be restored agayne vnto the sayd Christians. And if any man haue obtayned the same by gift from vs, and shall require any recompence to be made to them in that behalfe: Then let the Christians repayre vnto the President (beyng the iudge appointed for that place) that consideration may be had of those men by our benignitie: all which thinges we will and commaund, that you see to be geuen and restored freely, and with diligence vnto the societie of the Christians, all delay set apart. And because the Christians themselues are vnderstood to haue had not onely those places wherein they were accustomed to resort together, but certayne other peculiar places also, not beyng priuate to any one man, but belonging to the right of their congregation & societie: you shall see also all those to be restored vnto the Christians, that is to say, to euery fellowship and company of them, according to the decree, wherof we haue made mēcion, all delay set apart. Prouided that the order we haue taken in the meane tyme obserued, that if any (taking no recompence) shall restore the same landes and possessions, they shall not mistrust but be sure to be saued harmlesse by vs. In all these thynges it shalbe your part to employ your diligence in the behalfe of the foresaid company of the Christians, wherby this our commaundement maye spedely bee accomplished, and also in this case by our clemency the common and publike peace may be preserued. For vndoubtedly by this meanes, as before we haue said, the good will and fauour of God towards vs: wherof in many cases we haue had good experience, shall alwayes continue with vs. And to the intent that this our constitution may be notified to all men, it shall be requisite that the copy of these our letters be set vp in all places, that men may read and know the same, least any should be ignorant therof.

MarginaliaThe consideration of Gods worke in defendyng his Christians. By these histories I doubt not (good reader) but thou doest right well cōsider and behold with thy selfe the marueilous working of God his mighty power: to see so many Emperours at one time conspired and cōfederate together agaynst the Lord and hys Christ annointed, whose names before we haue recited, as Dioclesian, Maximinian, Galerius, Maxentius, Maximinus, Seuerus, Licinius, who hauing the subiection of the whole world vnder their dominion, did bend and extende their whole myght and deuises, to extir- pate the name of Christ, and of all Christians.MarginaliaThe kinges of the earth haue rysen & Princes together against the Lord, and against his Christ. Psal. 2. Wherein if the power of man could haue preuayled, what could they not do? or what could they do more then they did? If policie or deuises could haue serued, what policie was there lacking? If tormentes or paynes of death could haue helped, what cruelltie of torment by man could be inuented, which was not attempted? If lawes, edictes, proclamations, written not onely in tables, but ingrauen in brasse, could haue stand, all thys was practised agaynst the weake Christians.MarginaliaNo counsell standeth agaynst God. And yet notwithstandyng, to see how no counsayle can stand agaynst the Lord, note here how all these be gone, and yet Christ and hys Church doth stand.MarginaliaThe destruction of the cruell Emperours. Fyrst, of the takyng away of Maximinian, you haue heard, also of the death of Seuerus, of the drowning moreouer of Maxentius, inough hath bene sayd. What a terrible plague was vpon Galerius, cōsuming hys priuy members with Lyce, hath bene also described.MarginaliaDioclesiā dieth for sorow How Dioclesian the quondam being at Salona, hearyng of the proceedynges of Constantinus, and thys hys edict, eyther for sorrow died, or as some say did poyson himselfe. Onely Maximinus now in the East partes remayned alyue, who bare a deadly hatred agaynst the Christians, and no lesse expressed the same wyth mortall persecution, to whom Constantine and Licinius caused thys constitution of theirs to be deliuered: at the syght whereof, although he was somwhat appaled, and defeated of his purpose: yet forasmuch as he saw hymselfe too weake to resist the authoritie of Constantinus and Licinius the superiour Princes.MarginaliaThe effect of the decree which Maximinus made agaynst hys will or surrecountermaund for feare of c. and. L. in the behalfe of the Christians. He dissembled hys counterfet piety, as though he himselfe had tēdered the quyet of the Christians: directing downe a certayne decree in the behalfe of the Christians, wherin he pretendeth to write to Sabinus afore mentioned, first repeating vnto hym the former decree of Dioclesian and Maximinian in few wordes, wyth the commaundement therein contayned touching the persecution agaynst the Christians. After that he reciteth þ^e decree which he hymselfe made against them, when he came first to the imperiall dignitie in þ^e East part ioyned wyth Constantius. Then the Countermaund of an other decree of his againe, for the rescuing of the Christians, wyth such fayned and pretensed causes, as is in the same to be sene. After that declareth how he commyng to Nicomedia, at the sute and supplication of the Citizens (which he also fayned, as may appeare before) he applying to their sute, reuoked that his former Edict, and graunted them that no Christian should dwell within their Citye or territories. Vpon which Sabinus also had geuen forth hys letters, rehearsing wythall the generall recountermaunde sent forth by hym, for the persecution agayne of the Christians. Last of all now he sendeth downe agayne an other Surrecountermaund, wyth the causes therein conteined, touchyng the safety of the Christians, and tranquilitye of them: Commaundyng Sabinus to publish the same. Which edict of his is a large set forth of Eusebius, lib. 9. cap. 9.MarginaliaThe surrecountermaunde of Maximi. dissembled.
Ex Euseb. Lib 9. cap. 9. But this Surrecountermaund he then dissimuled, as he had done in the other before. Howbeit shortly after, he makyng warres, and fightyng a battayle wyth Licinius, wherin he lost the victory, commyng home agayne, tooke great indignation agaynst the Priestes and Prophetes of hys Gods, whom before that tyme he had great regard vnto, and honored: vpon whose answeres he trustyng and dependyng vpō their enchauntmentes, began hys warre agaynst Licinius. But after that he perceaued hymselfe to be deceaued by thē, as by wicked enchaunters and deceauers, and such as had betrayed hys safety and person, he kylled and put them to death.MarginaliaThe vnfained repentaunce and finall decree of Maximinus for the Christians. And he shortly after, oppressed wyth a certayne disease, glorified the God of the Christians, and made a most absolute law for the safety and preseruation of them, wyth fraunchise and liberty: the copy wherof insueth.

Imperator Cæsar, Caius, Valerius, Maximinus, Germanicus, Pius, Fortunatus, Augustus. It is necessary þ^t we alwayes carefully prouide and see vnto the benefite & commoditie of such as be our subiectes, & to exhibit such thinges vnto them, whereby they may best obtayne the same. But we suppose that there are none of you so ignorant, but know and vnderstand what thynges make best for the profit and commodity of the common weale, and best please euery mās disposition. But it is meete and conuenient that euery man haue recourse to that which they haue sene done before their eyes, and that all sortes of men consider the same, and beare it in theyr myndes. When therfore, and that before thys tyme it came to our knowledge: vpon the occasiō that Dioclesianus, and Maximinianus, our progenitours of famous memory, commaunded the assemblyes and meetyngs of the Christians to be cut of, there were many of them spoyled and robbed of our Officials: which thyng we also perceaue is now put in practise agaynst our subiectes, that they in like case may be spoyled of their goods and substance, which