fully layd to the charge of the Christians.

And likewise agaynst all other lyes and slaunders, obiected of the Heathen agaynst the Christians, the sayd Tertullian purgeth the Christians, declaryng them falsely to be belyed, & wrongfully persecuted, not for any desert of theirs, but onely for the hatred of their name. And yet notwithstāding by the same persecutions, he proueth in the same Apologie, the Religion of the Christians nothyng to be impayred, but rather increased.MarginaliaTertul. in Apologetico. The more (sayth he) we are mowne downe of you, the moe rise vp. The bloud of Christians is seede. For what man sayth he, in beholdyng the paynful tormentes, and the perfect pacience of them, will not search and inquire what is in the cause? And what he hath found it out, who will not agree vnto it? And when he agreeth to it, who will not desire to suffer for it? Thus (sayth he) this sect will neuer dye, which the more it is cut downe, the more it groweth. For euery man seyng & wondring at the sufferaunce of the Saintes, is moued the more thereby to search the cause, in searchyng, he findeth it, and in fynding, he foloweth it. Tertul. in eadem Apolog.

Thus Tertullian, in this daungerous tyme of persecution, beyng styrred vp of God, defended the innocencie of the Christians, agaynst the blasphemy of the aduersaries, and moreouer for the instruction of the Church compiled many fruitefull workes, wherof some are extant, some are not to be found.MarginaliaThe errours and imperfections in learned men noted. Notwithstādyng the great learnyng and famous vertues of this worthy mā, certaine errours and blemishes are noted in his doctrine, as were before both of Origene & Irenæus, and likewise of them, were they neuer so excellent, that folowed them. Whiche errours all here in order to note and comprehend, were to long a matter for this story to prosecute. This by the way shall be sufficient to admonishe the Reader, neuer to looke for any such perfection of any man in this world, how singular so euer he be (Christ onely excepted) but some blemishe or other ioyneth him selfe withall, whereof more perchaunce shall be sayd, when we come to Cyprian.

MarginaliaVictor Byshop of Rome. And now to returne agayne to the order of Bishops of Rome intermitted: after Eleutherius afore mentioned, next in the Bishopricke of Rome succeeded Victor, who as Platina sayth, dyed quietly in the dayes of Seuerus.MarginaliaVictor reported of some to dye a Martyr. But Damasus, Supplementum, Lib. 8. and such as folow the common Chronicles, affirme that he dyed a martyr, after he had sitē. x. or as some say. xij. yeares. This Victor was a great styrrer (as partly before is signified) in the controuersie & contention of Easterday. For the which he would haue proceded in excommunication agaynst the Churches of Asia, had not Irenæus thē Bishop of Lyōs, with the coūsaile of other his brethren there assembled, repressed his intended violēce. As touchyng that controuersie of Easter in those dayes of the primitiue Church, the originall therof was this, as Eusebius, Socrates, Platina, and other recorde. First certaine it is, that the Apostles onely beyng intentiue and attendaunt to the doctrine of saluation, gaue no heede nor regarde to the obseruations of dayes & tymes, neither bounde the Church to any ceremonies and rites,MarginaliaThe cause discussed why the holy Ghost forbad bloud and strangled in the primitiue Church. except those thinges necessary, mentioned in the Actes of the Apostles, as strangled and bloud, which was ordained thē of the holy ghost, not without a most vrgent and necessary cause, touched partly in the history before. For when the murderyng and bloud of Infantes was commōly obiected by the Heathen persecutors agaynst the Christians, they had no other argumēt to helpe them selues, nor to refell the aduersarie, but onely their own law, by the whiche they were commaunded to abstaine not onely from all mens bloud, but also from the bloud of all cōmon beastes. And therefore that law seemeth by the holy Ghost to be geuen, and also to the same end continued in the Church, so lōg as the cause, that is the persecutions of the Heathen Gentiles continued. Besides these we read of no other ceremonies or rites, whiche the Apostles greatly regarded, but left such thynges free to the libertie of Christians, euery man to vse therein his owne discretion, for the vsyng or not vsyng therof. Wherupon, as concernyng all the ceremoniall obseruations of dayes, tymes, places, meates, drinkes, vestures, and such other, of all these thynges neither was the diuersitie among men greatly noted, nor any vniformitie greatly required.MarginaliaEx Euseb. Lib 5. cap. 26.
The doctrine of Christian libertie in outward vsages. In so much that Irenæus writyng to Victor of the tradition of dayes and of fastinges, and of the diuersitie of these thyngs then vsed among the primitiue fathers, sayth: Nihilo tamen minus omnes illi pacem inter se retinuerunt, & retinemus etiamnum, & ieiunij disonantia, fidei concordiam commēdat. &c. That is: Notwithstandyng all this varietie, all they kept peace among them selues, and yet we keepe it still, and this difference of fasting among vs, commendeth more the concorde of fayth. And so long did the doctrine of Christian libertie remaine whole & sounde in the Church till the tyme of Victor, which was about the yeare of our Lord. 200. Although the diuersitie of these vsages began somethyng before also in the dayes of Pius and Anicetus, about the yeare of our Lord. 163. to be misliked: yet restraynt hereof was not so much vrged before, as in the tyme of Victor. And yet neither did the violēce of Victor take such place, but that the doctrine of Christian libertie was defended and maintained by meanes of Irenæus and other, and so continued in the Churche till after the Councell of Nice. And thus much concernyng the doctrine of Christian libertie of the differences of rites and ceremonies.

Now to returne to Victor agayne, to shew what diuersitie there was in obseruyng the day of Easter, and how it came, thus is the story: First, in the tyme of Pius and Anicetus, an. 163. the question of Easter day begā first to be moued, at what tyme Pius by the reuelation of Hermes, decreed the obseruation of that day to be chaunged from the wonted maner of the. 14. day of the Moone in the first moneth, vnto the next Sonday after.MarginaliaEx Euseb. Lib. 4. cap. 26. After him came Anicetus, Soter, and Eleutherius Byshops of Rome, which also determined the same. Agaynst these stode Melito Byshop of Sardis, Polycarpus, and as some thinke, Egesippus, with other learned men of Asia. Which Policarpus beyng sent by the brethen of Asia, came to Rome, as is aforesayd, to conferre with Anicetus in that matter:MarginaliaPolycarpus & Anicetus disagreyng in controuersie, yet agreed in charitie. wherin when they could not agree after long debatyng, yet notwithstandyng they did both communicate together with reuerence, & departed in peace. And so the celebration of Easter day remained adiaphoron, as a thyng indifferent in the Church, til the tyme of Victor. Who folowyng after Anicetus and his felowes, and chiefly styrryng in this matter, endeuoured by all meanes and might, to draw, or rather subdue the Churches of Asia vnto hys opiniō, thinkyng moreouer to excommunicate all those Byshops and Churches of Asia, as heretickes and schismatickes, which disagreed from the Romane order, had not Irenæus otherwise restrayned him from that doyng, as is aforesayde, which was about the yeare of our Lord. 191. in the raigne of Commodus.MarginaliaVniformitie in ceremonies not to be required as a thyng necessary. Thus then began the vniformitie of keepyng that holy day to be first required, as a thyng necessary, and all they accounted as heretickes and schismatickes, whiche dissented from the Byshop and tradition of Rome.

With Victor stode Theophilus Bishop of Cesarea, Narcissus of Hierusalem, Irenæus of Lyons, Palmas of Pontus, Banchyllus of Corinthe, the Byshop of Ostroena, and other moe. All whiche condescended to haue the celebration of Easter vpon the Sōday, because they would differ from the Iewes in all thynges, as neare as they might, and partly because the resurrection of the Lord fell on the same day.

MarginaliaPolycrates Byshop of Ephesus. On the contrary side, diuers Byshops were in Asia, of whom the principall was Polycrates Byshop of Ephesus, who beyng assembled with a great multitude of Byshops and brethren of those parties, by the common assent of the rest, wrote agayne to Victor, and to the Churche of Rome, declaryng, that they had euer from the begynnyng obserued that day, accordyng to the rule of Scripture vnchaunged, neither addyng nor alteryng any thing from the same. Alledgyng moreouer for them the examples of the Apostles and holy fathers their precedessours, as Philip the Apostle, with his three daughters at Hierapolis. Also Iohn the Apostle and Euāgelist at Ephesus, Polycarpus at Smyrna, Thraseas at Eumenia Byshop and Martyr: lykewise of Sagaris at Laodicea Byshop and Martyr. Holy Papyrius, and Melito at Sardis. Beside these Byshops also of hys owne kindred, and his owne aunciters,MarginaliaByshops in those dayes maryed. to the number of. vij. which all were Byshops before him, & he the eight now after them. All which obserued (sayth he) the solemnitie of the same day, after the same wise and sort as we do now.

MarginaliaVictor excommunicatyng the churches of Asia. Victor beyng not a litle moued herewith, by letters agayne denounceth agaynst them (more bold vpon authoritie, then wise in his commission) violent excommunication. Albeit by the wise handlyng ofMarginaliaIrenæus to Victor. Irenæus, and other learned men, that matter was stayd, and Victor otherwise perswaded. What the perswasions of Irenæus were, partly may appeare in Euseb. Lib. 5. cap. 26. the summe whereof tendeth to this effect: That the variance and difference of ceremonies is no straunge matter in the Churche of Christ, when as this varietie is not onely in the day of Easter, but also in the maner of fastyng, & in diuers other vsages among the Christians. For some fast one day, some two dayes, some other fast moe. Other there be, whiche countyng. xl. houres, both day and night, take that for a full dayes fast. And this so diuers fashion of fastyng in the Churche of Christ, began not onely in this our tyme, but was before among our foreelders. And yet notwithstandyng they with all this diuersity,