any more of him: whereupon both the Gouernour and tormentours, were the more vehemently bent agaynst hym. And when they had nothyng els to vexe him withall, they clapped plates of Brasse redhoat, to the most t?derest parts of his body: wherwith his body in dede beyng scorched, yet he neuer shronke for the matter, but was bold and constant in his c?fession, beyng strengthened and moystened with the fo?taine of liuely water, flowing out of Christes side.MarginaliaThe cruell tormentes of Sanctus. Truly his body was a sufficient witnes, what torm?tes he suffered, for it was all drawne together & most pitifully wounded & scorched: so that it had therewith lost the proper shape of a man, in whose sufferyng Christ obtained inspeakable glory, for that he ouercame his aduersarie, and to the instruction of other declared, that nothyng is terrible, or ought to be feared, where the loue of God is, nor nothyng greuous, wherein the glory of Christ is manifested.

And when those wicked men, began after a certain time agayne, to torment the Martyr, and hoped well to bryng it to passe, that either they should ouercome him in causyng him to recant, by reiteratyng his tormentes, now when his body was so sore and swollen, that he might not suffer a man to touche him with his hand, or els that if he dyed vnder their handes, yet that therby they should strike such feare into the hartes of the rest, to cause them to deny Christ. But they were not onely disapointed herein,MarginaliaA miraculous woorking of God but also contrary to the expectation of men, his body was in the latter punishment and torments soupled and restored, and tooke the first shape and vse of the members of the same, so that the same his second torment was by the grace of Christ (in steede of punishment) a safe medecine.

MarginaliaByblides an holy Martyr. Also, Sathan now thinkyng to haue setteled hym selfe in the hart of one Byblides, beyng one of them whiche had denyed Christ, and thinkyng to haue caused her, beyng a weake and feable woman in fayth, to haue d?ned her soule, in blasphemyng the name of God, brought her to the place of execution: inforcyng to wrest some wicked thyng out of the mouth of the Christians. But she in the middle of her tormentes, returnyng to her selfe and waked as it were out of her dead sleepe, by that temporall payne, called to her remembraunce the paynes of hell fire, and agaynst all mens expectations reuiled the tormentours saying: How should we Christians eate yong infantes (as ye reported of vs) for whom it is not lawfull to eate the bloud of any beast? Vpon that so soone as she had confessed her selfe to be a Christian, she was Martyred with the rest. Thus when Christ had ended those tyrannicall torments, by the pati?ce and sufferaunce of our Saintes, the deuill yet inuented other engynes and instrumentes.MarginaliaEculeus ad quintum foramen. For when the Christians were cast into prison, they were shut vp in darke and oughly doungeons, and were drawne by the feete, in a racke or engine made for that purpose, euen vnto the fift hole. And many other such punishmentes suffred they, whiche the furious ministers stirred vp with deuilish fury, are w?t to put men vnto:MarginaliaDiuers martyrs strangled in prison. so that very many of them, were strangled and killed in the prisons, whom the Lorde in this maner would haue to enioy euerlastyng life, and set forth his glory. And surely these good men were so pitifully tormented, that and if they had had all the helpe, & medecines in the world, it was thought impossible for them to liue and to be restored. And thus they remayning in prison, destitute of all humane helpe, were so strengthened of the Lord, and both in body & mynde confirmed, that they comforted and styrred vp the myndes of the rest.MarginaliaOther Martyrs dyed in prison. The younger sorte of them, which were later apprehended, and put in prison, whose bodyes had not yet felte the lash of the whipp, were not able to indure the sharpnes of theyr imprisonment, but dyed in the same.

MarginaliaPhotinus blessed martyr. The blessed Photinus, who was Deacon to the Byshop of Lyons, aboue. 90. yeares olde, and a very feable or weake man, and could scarsly draw breath for the imbecillitie of his body: yet was he of a liuely courage and spirit. For the great desire he had of Martyrdome, when he was brought vnto the iudgement seate: although his body was feable and weake, both because of his old age, and also through sickenes, yet was his soule or life preserued to this purpose, that by the same, Christ might triumphe and be glorified. He, beyng by the souldiours brought to the place of iudgement, many Citiz?s and men of great ability folowyng him, & the whole multitude crying vpon him diuersly, as though he had bene Christ him selfe, gaue a good testimony. For being dema?ded of the chief ruler, what was the Christian m?s God, he aunswered: If thou be worthy to know, thou shalt know. He beyng with these wordes somewhat neare touched, caused him to be very sore beaten. For those that stode next him, did him all the spyte & displeasure that they could both with hand and foote, hauyng no regarde at all to his old age or white heares. And they which were further of, what soeuer came next to hand, MarginaliaThe rage of the people agaynst Photinus. they threwe at hym, and euery man thought that he did very wickedly refrayne, that withheld his hand from not doyng the like. For by this meanes they thought that they did reuenge the quarell of their Gods. Photinus, now euer as it were gaspyng after lyfe, was throwen into prison, and within two dayes after died.

And here is the mighty prouidence of God, and the inspeakable mercy of Iesus Christ declared, which prouidence beyng assured amongest a fraternity, is neuer destitute of the ayde of Iesus Christe. For those whiche in their first persecution denyed Christ, they also were put in prison, and made partakers of the others affliction. Neither yet did it any whit at all at that tyme helpe them that had denyed Christ: but they whiche confessed him, were imprisoned as Christians, neither was there any other crime obiected agaynst them: but the other sorte taken lyke homicides and wicked doers, were layde hand on, and had double more punishment then the others had.MarginaliaThe comfort of the godly standyng to their c?fession. These men were refreshed with the ioy of Martyrdome, the hope of Gods promises, the loue toward Christ, and the spirite of God:MarginaliaThe denyers of their confession c?fortlesse and notwythstandyng punished. The other, their consci?ce accused them, and that very sore, in so much that by their gate, their countena?ces bewrayed vnto the rest their giltye consciences. For the Christians went forth, hauyng chearefull countenaunces, very much adourned with glorye and grace, in so much that the very bondes wherwith they were tyed, set them out as men in seemely apparell: and like as brides when they be decked in gorgeous and gay garmentes, and therwith all sauored as of the redolent smell of Christ, so that it might be supposed them to be annoynted with some sweete balme: whereas the other were doubtful and sad, abiect, ilfauored, filled with all shame, and furthermore reuiled of the Gentiles themselues, as wretches degenerate, hauyng the crime of homicide, and destitute of the most precious, glorious, and liuely callyng of the Christian name. And truly by these sightes the rest were confirmed, & beyng apprehended, confessed Christ without any stackeryng, not hauyng so much as the thought of any such deuilish mynde of denyall. And in the same Epistle of the foresayd brethren of Fraunce, writyng to the brethren of Asia, it followeth in thys maner: After these things done, the Martyrdome of these holy Saintes were deuided diuersly into diuers kyndes and formes, as they offeryng to God the Father a garland decked with diuers and sundry kyndes of coulours and floures. For it so behoued the worthy Ch?pi?s of God, after they had suffered diuers kindes of tormentes, and so winnyng a triumphaunt victory to obtaine great reward of immortalitie.

MarginaliaThe spiteful handlyng of Gods people. Then Maturus, Blandina, and Attalus together were brought to the common scaffolde, there in the face of the people to be cast and deuoured of the beasts.MarginaliaMarturus & Sanctus Martyred. And Marturus with Sanctus beyng brought the second tyme to the scaffold, suffered agayne all kynde of tormentes, as though hetherto they had suffered nothyng at all, yea rather as though the aduersary beyng oftentymes put to the worste, they as striuyng for the crowne, suffered agayne more scourgynges, the tearyng of wilde beastes, and what thyng els so euer the frantike people, on euery side cryed for and willed. And aboue all the rest they brought an yron chayre, in the which their bodyes beyng set, were so fryed and scorched as on a grydiron fryed vpon the coales, filled with the sauour of the frying all the people that stode by. And yet for all that the tormentors ceased not, but waxed more fierce and mad against them, labouryng to ouercome the pati?ce of the Saintes. Notwithstandyng all this they coulde not get out of Sanctus mouth any other thyng but the confession whiche at the begynnyng he declared. And thus these holy m?, after they had long c?tinued alyue in this their most horrible conflict, at the l?gth were slayne, beyng made all that whole day a spectacle vnto the world in place and steede of the games and sightes, which were wont to be exhibited to the people. And thus much concernyng Maturus and Sanctus.

MarginaliaBlandina brought forth agayne. Now concernyng Blandina, who beyng fastened vpon a stake, was cast to the rauenyng beastes to be deuoured, whiche thyng was not done without the determinate wil of God: to this ende that while she seemed to hang vpon a crosse (as it were) by the feruentnes of her prayer, she much c?forted the rest of the Saintes, as beholding in her Christ, with their bodily eyes, whiche in the agonie suffered for them all: and that all which beleue in him, and suffer for the glory of Christ, mighte be assured to lyue with hym for euer. And when they sawe that no beast would come neare her thus hangyng, they tooke her downe from the tree, and cast her agayne into prison til an other time, that she hauyng the victory of many battels, might triumphe ouer that ougly Serp?t the deuill, and that she beyng a weake and sely wo-