no otherwise then if a man cut the vine tree, the better the braunches growe. For the vine tree planted by God and Christ our Sauiour, is his people. Hūc Iust.

¶ To comprehend the names & number of all the Martyrs that suffered in all these. x. persecutions (which are innumerable) as it is vnpossible, so is it hard in such variety & diuersitie of matter, to keepe suche a perfect order and course of yeares and tymes, that either some be not left out, or that euery one be reduced into his right place, especially seyng the authors them selues, whom in this present worke we follow, do diuersly disagree, both in the times, in the names, and also in the kynde of Martyrdome of them that suffred.MarginaliaDisagrement in authors touchyng the lyues and tymes of Martyrs. As for example, where the common readyng and opinion of the Churche, and the Epistles Decretall do take Anacletus to succede after Clement next before Euaristus: Coōtrary Eusebius, Lib. 3. & Lib. 5. cap. 6. makyng no mencion of Cletus, but of Anacletus, sayth that Euaristus succeded next to Clement. Likewise Ruffinus and Epiphanius, speakyng nothyng of Anacletus,MarginaliaLinus Byshop of Rome
Cletus and Anacletus both one. make mencion of Linus and Cletus, next before Clement, but say nothyng of Anacletus, wherby it may appeare that Cletus and Anacletus were both one. Sabellicus Enead. 7. Lib. 2. speaketh of Linus & of Cletus, and sayth that they were ordained helpers vnder Peter, while he laboured in his Apostleshyp abroad, and so sayth also Marianus Scotus Contrary Irenæus Lib. 3. contra Hæres. speaketh of Anacletus, makyng no mēcion of Cletus. Wherby it may appeare by the way, what credit is to be geuen to the Decretal Epistles, whom all the latter histories of the Popes Church do follow in this behalfe. &c. Moreouer, where Antoninus, Vincentius, Iacobus in Supplemento, Symoneta, Aloysius, with other, declare of Linus, Cletus, Clemens, Anacletus, Euaristus, Alexāder, Bishops of Rome, that they dyed Martyrs: Eusebius in his Ecclesiasticall history writyng of thē, maketh therof no mention.

MarginaliaClement Byshop counted a Martyr. And first as touchyng Clement (whom Marianus Scotus calleth the first Byshop of Rome after Peter) they say that he was sent out in banishment of Traianus, beyonde Ponticus, with 2000. Christians, where he opened to them a welspryng, whiche in the wildernes were condemned to the mynes. Afterward beyng accused to the Emperour, he was throwne into the sea with a milstone fastened about his necke, and that no long after hys body was cast vp and buried (as Platina sayth) at the place where the well was made. Some say it was founde first in the dayes of Pope Nicolas the first, Fascicul tempor. But forasmuch as I find of his Martyrdome no firme relation in the auncient authors,MarginaliaThe lyues of Martyrs paynted out with fayned miracles. but onely in such new writers of later tymes, which are wont to paynt out the liues and histories of good men, with fayned additions of forged miracles, therfore I coūt the same of lesse credite, as I do also certaine Decretall Epistles, vntruly (as may seeme) ascribed and intituled to his name. Eusebius in his thyrd booke, writyng of Clemens geueth no more of him, but thus: after he had gouerned the Church of Rome. ix. yeares, the sayd Clement left the succession therof to Euaristus.

MarginaliaEuaristus Byshop of Rome and Martyr. Of whiche Euaristus next Byshop of Rome, thus we finde in Irenæus Lib. 3. cap. 3. Peter and Paule (sayth he) committed the charge of that Church to Linus. After whō came Anacletus, then succeded Clemens, next to Clemens followed Euaristus, after whom came Alexander, and then Sixtus the vi. Byshop of Rome after the Apostles. After Sixtus sat Telesphorus, then Higinus, then Pius, then Anicetus. And when Soter tooke the place after hym, then the twelfe bishop of Rome was Eleutherius. Thus after Clement followed (as is sayd) Euaristus in the secōd or iij. yeare of Traianus, as sayth Eusebius, or as Nicephorus sayth, the iiij. yeare of the sayd Emperour. But howsoeuer the count of the yeares stand, litle or nothyng remaineth of the Actes and Monumentes either of this, or of other Byshops of Rome in those dayes. Whereby it may appeare that no great accompt was then made of Romane Byshops in those dayes, whose actes and deedes were then either so lightly reputed, or so slenderly committed to history.MarginaliaThe Decretall Epistles. Notwithstandyng certaine Decretall Epistles are remainyng, or rather thrust to vs in their names, containyng in them litle substaunce of any doctrine, but all together stuffed with lawes, iniunctions, and stately decrees, litle to the purpose, & lesse saueryng of the nature of that tyme then present. Amongest whō also are numbred two Epistles of this Euaristus. And when he had geuen these orders, & had made vi. Priestes, two Deacons, and fiue Byshops, for sundry places (sayth the story,) he suffered Martyrdome, but what kinde of death, for what cause he suffered, what cōstancy he shewed, what was the order or conuersation of his life, is nothyng touched, and seemeth therefore the more to be doubted that whiche our new histories do say: because the old auncient writers leaue no remembraunce thereof, whiche otherwise would not haue passed such thynges ouer in silence, if they had bene true.MarginaliaNauel. gener. 4.
Platina.
Volateran
Anthropo.
Lib. 22.
Eusebius Lib. 3. cap. 24 Agayne, neither do the authors fully agree in the tyme of his Martyrdome, which Nauclerus witnesseth to be in the last yeare of Traianus: but Platina thinketh rather that he suffred vnder Hadrianus, Fascicul. temporum. referreth it to the third yeare of Hadrian: Volateranus, to the begynnyng of the raigne of Hadrian. Contrary, Eusebius commyng more neare to the simple truth (as seemeth) doth affirme that Euaristus succeded Clement in the third yeare of Traianus, and so geuing to him. ix. yeares, it should follow thereby that Euaristus deceased the. xij. yeare of Traianus.

MarginaliaAlexander Byshop of Rome and Martyr.
Authors disagree. After whom succeded next Alexander, in the gouernaunce of that Church, of whose tyme & death the lyke discrepance is among the writers. Marianus Scotus sayth he was the fourth Byshop from Peter, but that could not be. Some say he was the vj. & some the vij. but they likewise were deceaued. For the most part all do graūt Sixtus to be þ^e vj. Damasus affirmeth that he was in the raigne of Traiane. And how can that be, when the sayd Damsus affirmed before that Euaristus his predecessor suffered in the last yeare of Traiane, and then the Bishopricke stode at least a moneth voyde, except he meane that the sayd Alexander succeeded Euaristus in the last yeare of Traianus? But then how can that stand with Bede and Marianus Scotus, whiche say, that he suffered vnder Traianus, or with Otto Frisingensis, whiche saiyh he suffered the fourth yeare of Hadrian, when he had bene Byshop ten yeares, by the generall consent of most writers?

They which write of the deedes and doynges of this blessed Byshop, as Bergomensis, Antoninus, Equilinus and such as follow them, declare that he had conuerted a great part of the Senatours to the fayth of Christ, amōgest whō was Hermes a great mā in Rome, whose sonne beyng dead, Alexander raysed agayne to lyfe, and likewise restored sight to his mayde beyng blynd.MarginaliaAlexander.
Euentius.
Theodulus.
Hermes with his household.
Quirinus with hys houshold
Martyrs. Hadrian the Emperour then absent hearyng this, sent worde to Aurelianus gouernour of Rome, to apprehend Alexander, with Euentius and Theodulus, otherwise called Theodorus, as Platina sayth, his two Deacons, and Hermes, and to commit them to ward with Quirinus the Tribune: which beyng done as their story recordeth, Alexander inclosed in a diuers prison from Hermes, notwithstanding by the guidyng of an angell through three doores with three lockes a peece, was brought with candell light to the lodgyng of Hermes. And so returnyng to the prison agayne, cured the daughter of Quirinus his keeper, named Balbina: by reason wherof the sayd Quirinus with his whole houshold were all Baptised, and suffered also for the fayth of Christ.

Thus then sayth the story, about the second yeare of Hadrian, Aurelianus the ruler tooke Alexander the Byshop, with Hermes, his wife, children, and his whole houshold, to the number of a M.CC.L. and threw them in prison. And not long after the sayd Alexander with Euentius his Deacon, and Hermes and the rest were burned in a furnace. Theodulus an other Deacon of Alexander, seyng and rebukyng the crueltie of the tyraunt, suffered also the same Martyrdome.

MarginaliaEx Platina in vita Alexan. Quirinus also the same tyme (as sayth Antoninus) hauyng first his toung cut out, then his handes and feete, afterward was beheaded, and cast to the dogs. Equilinus sayth that he was beheaded and cast into Tyber in the raigne of the Emperour Claudius, but that cannot be. Albeit Platina maketh relatioū but onely ofAlexander with his two Deacons aforesayd.MarginaliaSaphyra.
Sabina. Martyrs. Declaryng moreouer that in the tyme of this Byshop, Saphira of Antioche, and Sabina a Romane suffred Martyrdome.

MarginaliaEx Florilego Florilegus, the author of Flores Historiarum, affirmeth that Alexander Byshop of Rome was beheaded. 7. myles out of Rome, where he lyeth buried, an. 105. but that agreeth not with the Chronicles aboue recited. Eusebius recordeth of him no more, but that in the. 3. yeare of Hadrian he ended his life and office, after he had bene Byshop. x. yeares.

Diuers miracles are reported of this Alexander, in the Canon Legendes, and lyues of Saintes: which as I deny not but may be true: so because I cannot auouch them by any graue testimony of auncient writers, therefore I dare not affirme them, but do referre them to the authors & Patrons therof, where they are founde. Notwithstandyng whatsoeuer is to be thought of his miracles, this is to be affirmed and not doubted, but that he was a godly and vertuous Byshop.

MarginaliaThe ordinaunces of Euaristus. And as I say of his miracles, the like iudgement also I haue of the ordinaunces both of him & of Euaristus his predecessor testified in the Popes Decrees, by Gracianus: as.