man, and not regarded, armed with Christ the inuincible conquerour, might incourage her brethren, and by the induryng of this battaile might wynne a crowne of incorruptible glory.

Now to Attalus, who beyng also required and cald for of the people to punishment, already prepared (for his consciēce sake) cōmeth forth to the fight. For he beyng worthely exercised in the Christian profession, was alwayes a witnes and a mayntainer of our doctrine. Therefore when the presse of people was about the scaffold, and the table caried before him, wherein was written in the Romane toung, This is Attalus the Christiā: Thē the people was in a marueilous rage agaynst him,MarginaliaAttalus cōmaunded agayne to pryson. but the gouernour vnderstādyng that he was a Romane, commaunded hym agayne to prison, with the rest of his prison fellowes: whereof he wrote to the Emperour, and wayted for an aunswere what hys pleasure herein was. The prisoners were not idle in the meane season, nor vnprofitable to their brethrē, but by their pacience the vnspeakeable mercy of Christ shined out. For those which were dead before, were nowe reuiued by them that liued, and they whiche were Martyrs, profited them whiche were none, and the Church did much reioyce, as receiuyng them agayne alyiue, whō before she had lost as dead.MarginaliaThe denyers returnyng agayne to their confession. For many of them which before had denyed, now by their deniall was restored and stirred vp, and learned to be confessours. And now beyng reuiued and strengthened, and tastyng the sweetenes of him whiche desireth not the death of a sinner, but is mercyfull to the penitent, came of their owne accorde to the iudgement seate agayne, that they might be examined of the Iudge. And for that the Emperour had written backe againe to him, that all the confessours should be punished, and the other let go, and that the Sessions or Sises were now begon, whiche for the multitude that had repayre thether out of euery quarter, was marueilous great: he caused all the holy Martyrs to be brought thether, that the multitude might beholde them, and once agayne examined them, & as many of them as he thought had the Romane freedome, he beheaded, the residue he gaue to þ^e beastes to be deuoured. And truely Christ was much glorified by those which a litle before had denyed him, which agayne cōtrary to the expectacion of the Infidels, confessed him euen to the death. For they were examined apart from the rest, becuase of their deliuery, which beyng founde Confessours, were ioyned to the company of the Martyrs, and had with them their part. But there were then abroade which had no fayth at all, neither yet so much as the feelyng of the weddyng garment, nor any cogitation at all, of the feare of God, but blasphemed his wayes, by the lewde conuersation of their life: euen such as were the children of damnation. All the residue ioyned them selues to the congregation: whiche whē they were examined,MarginaliaAlexander the Phrigian Martyred. one Alexander a Phrigian borne, and a Phisition, whiche had dwelt long in Fraunce, and knowen almost of euery mā, for the loue he had to God, and boldnes of speakyng (neither was he voyde of the Apostolicall loue,) this Alexander standyng somewhat neare to the barre, by signes and beckes perswaded such as were examined to confesse Christ: so that by his countenuāce sometyme reioysyng, and some other while sorowyng, he was discryed of the standers by. The people not takyng in good part to see those which now recanted, by and by agayne to sticke to their first confession: they cryed out agaynst Alexander, as one that was the cause of all this matter. And when he was inforced by the Iudge, and demaunded what Religion he was of, he aunswered: I am a Christian. He had no sooner spoken the word, but he was iudged to the beastes, of them to be deuoured.

The next day followyng, Attalus, of whom I made mention a litle before, and Alexander, where brought forth together (for the Gouernour grauntyng Attalus vnto the people, was baited agayne of the beastes.) When these men were brought to the scaffold, and had taken a tast of all the instrumentes that there were prepared for their execution, and had suffered the greatest agonie they could put them to, were also at the length slayne: Of whom Alexander neuer gaue so much as a sigh, nor held his peace, but from the bottome of his hart praysed and prayed to the Lord.MarginaliaThe worthy pacience and constancie of Attalus. But Attalus when he was set in the yron chaire, and began to frie, and the frieng sauour of his burnyng body began to smell, he spake to the multitude in the Romane lāguage: Behold (sayth he) this is to eate mans flesh which you do, for we neither eate mē, nor yet commit any other wickednes. And beyng demaunded what was the name of their God: our God (sayth he) hath no such name as men haue. Then sayd they, nowe let vs see whether your God can helpe you, and take you out of our handes or not.

After this, beyng the last day of the spectacle, Blandine agayne, MarginaliaBlandina and Ponticus agayne brought forth. & one Ponticus a childe of. xv. yeare old, was brought forth: and this was euery day, to the intent they seyng the punishment of their fellowes, might be compelled therby to sweare by their Idoles. But because they constauntly abode in their purpose, & defied their Idoles, the whole multitude was in a rage with them, neither sparyng the age of the childe, nor fauoryng the sexe of the woman, but put them to all the punishment and payne they could deuise, and often tymes inforced them to swear, and yet were not able to cōpell thē therunto.MarginaliaPonticus Martyred. For Ponticus so beyng animated of hys sister, as the Heathnickes standyng by did see, after he had suffered all tormentes and paynes, gaue vp the ghost. This blessed Blandina therefore beyng the last that suffered, after she had like a worthy mother geuen exhortations vnto her children, had had sent them before as conquerours to their heauenly kyng, and had called to her remembraunce all their battels & conflictes: so much reioyced of her childrens death, and so hastened her owne, as though she had bene bydden to a bridall, and not in case to be throwne to the wilde beastes.MarginaliaBlandina Martyred. After this her pitiful whippyng, her deliuery to the beastes, and her tormentes vpon the gridyron, at the length she was put in a net, and throwne to the wilde Bull, and when she had bene sufficientlye gored & wounded wyth the hornes of the same beast, and felt nothyng of all that chaunced to her, for the great hope and consolacion she had in Christ & heauenly thynges, was thus slayne, in so much that the very Heathen men themselues confessed that ther was neuer woman put to death of them that suffered so much as this woman did. Neither yet was their furious crueltie thus asswaged agaynst the Christians. For the cruell barbarous people, like wilde beasts when they be moued, knew not when the tyme was to make an ende, but inuēted new and sundry tormentes euery day agaynst our bodyes. Neither yet did it cōtent them when they had put the Christians to death, for that they wanted the sense of mē: for which cause both the Magistrate & people were vexed at the very harts, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which sayth, he that is wicked, let him be wicked still, and he that is iust, let him be more iust.MarginaliaApoca. 22. For those which in their prisons they strangled, they threw after to the dogs, settyng keepers both day and night to watche them, that they should not be buryed, and bryngyng forth the remnaūt of their bones and bodyes, some halfe burnt, some left of the wilde beastes, & some all to be māgled, also bringyng forth heades of other which were cut of, and in like maner committed by them to the charge of the keepers to see them remaine vnburied.

The Gentiles grinde & gnasht at the Christians with their teeth, seekyng whiche way they might amplifie their punishment. Some other flouted and mocked them, extollyng their Idoles, attributyng vnto them the cause of this crueltie and vengeaunce shewed to vs. Such whiche were of the meeker sorte, and seemed to be moued with some pitie, did hyt vs in the teeth, saying: where is your God, that you so much boast of? and what helpeth this your Religiō, for which you geue your liues? These were the sundry passions and affectes of the Gentiles, but the Christians in the meane while were in great heauynes, that they might not burye the the bodies and reliques of the holy Martyrs. Neither could the darke night serue them to that purpose, nor any intreatie, nor wagyng them with money, whiche were appointed for watchmen: but they so narowly looked vnto the matter, as though they should haue gotten great benefite and profte therby.

Thus were the bodyes of the Martyrs made a wonderyng stocke, and lay sixe daies in the open streetes, at the length they burned them, & threw their ashes into the riuer of Rodes, so that there might appaere no remnaunt of them vpon the earth. And this did they as though they had bene able to haue pulled God out of his seate, & to haue let the regeneration of the Saintes, and taken from them the hope of the resurrection, wherof they beyng perswaded (sayd they) bryng in this new and straunge Religion, and set thus light by death and punishement. Hæc ex Epistola Viennensium. &c.

MarginaliaIustinus. Amongest other that suffered vnder Antoninuns mentiō was made also of Iustinus, who as it is sayd before, exhibited two Apologies, concernyng the defence of Christian doctrine, the one to the Senate of Rome, and the other to Antoninus Pius the Emperour, cōcernyng whose sufferyng, and the causes thereof is partlye before declared. This Iustine was borne in Neapoli, in the countrey of Palestine,MarginaliaIustines father whose father was Priscus Bachius, as he himselfe doth testifie. By whom in hys youth he was set to schole to learne, where in processe of tyme he became a famous and worthy Philosopher, of whose excellency many learned and notable men do recorde. For first, he beyng altogether inflamed and rauished