helpe them to haue what soeuer they sued for.MarginaliaPunished with smoke, that sold smoke. Whereof the Emperour beyng certified, caused him in the open market to be fastned to a stake, and there kylled with smoke, where the Cryer stode thus crying to the people: Smoke he sold, and with smoke he is punished.

MarginaliaMammea the mother of the Emperour. Mammea the mother of this Alexander aboue mentioned (whom Hierome calleth a deuout and religious wom?) hearyng of the fame and the excellent learnyng of Origene, beyng then at Alex?dria, sent for him to Antioche, desirous to heare and see him. Vnto whom the foresayd Origene accordyng to her requested, resorted, and after that he had there remayned a space with the Emperour, and his mother, returned agayne to Alexandria.

And thus continued this good Emperour his raigne the space of. xiij. yeares, at length at a commotion in Germany, with his mother Mammea he was slayne. After whom succeeded Maximinus, contrary to the mynde of the Senate, onely appointed by the souldiours to be Emperour. Duryng all this tyme, betwene Seuerus and this Maximinus the church of Christ, although it had not perfect peace, yet it had some meane tranquillitie from persecution. Albeit some Martyrs there were at this tyme that suffered, wherof Nauclerus geueth this reason:MarginaliaEx Nauclero. for although (sayth he) Alexander, beyng perswaded through the entreatyng of his mother Mammea, did fauour the Christians: yet notwithstandyng, there was no publike Edict or Proclamation prouided for their safegarde. By reas? wherof diuers there were which suffered Martyrdome vnder Almachius, and other iudges. In the number of whom after some stories,MarginaliaCalixtus Byshop of Rome, and Martyr. was Calixtus Byshop of Rome, who succeeded next vnto Zephyrinus aboue mentioned. And after him Vrbanus also, whiche both beyng Byshops of Rome, did both suffer, by the opinion of some writers, vnder Alexander Seuerus.

MarginaliaThe decretall Epistles of Calixtus examined. This Calixtus in his. ij. decretall Epistles, written to Benedictus, and to the Byshops of Fraunce, geueth these ordinaunces, that no actions or accusati?s agaynst the Prelates or teachers of the Church should be receaued, that no secret conspiracies should be made against Byshops. Item, no man to communicate with persons exc?municate. Also no Byshop to exc?municate or to deale in an other Dioces.MarginaliaThe place of s. Paule vnfitly expounded. And here he expoundeth the Dioces or the Parish of any Byshop or Minister to be his wife. The wife (sayth the Apostle) is bounde to the law, so long as the husband liueth: when he is dead, she is free from the law: So (sayth Calixtus) the wife of a bishop (which is his Church) so l?g as he lyueth, is bounde dulye to him, neither ought to be iudged or disposed by any other man, without his will & iudgement: after his death she is free from the law, to mary to whom she will, so it be in the Lord, that is, regulariter, regularely. In the end of the sayd his Epistle decretall, he c?futeth the errour of them, whiche hold, that they whiche are fallen, are not to be receaued agayne. Which heresie after the tyme of Calixtus or Calistus, came in first by Nouatus, in the dayes of Cornelius.MarginaliaImber fast first ordayned. Moreouer in his sayd first Epistle decretall is contained the fast of the foure tymes, c?monly called the Imber fast, whereof also Marianus Scotus maketh mention. But Damasus speakyng of the same fast sayth, he ordained the fast but of three tymes, which was for the encrease of corne, wyne and oyle.

By these hetherto premised, it is not hard for a quick Reader to smell out the crafty iugglyng of that person or persons, whosoeuer they were, that falsely haue ascribed these decretall institutions to those holy fathers. For first, what laysure had the Christians to lay in their accusations agaynst their Byshops, when we neuer read nor finde in any story, any kynde of variaunce in those dayes among them, but all loue, mututall compassion, and harty communi? among the Saintes. And as we read of no variaunce among the people in those dayes, nor of any fault or backslidyng among the Byshops, who for the most part then dyed all constaunt Martyrs: so neither do we read of any tribunall seate, or c?sistorie vsed or frequ?ted then about any such matters. Agayne, if a man examine well the daungers of those busie dayes, he shall see the poore flocke of the Christians, to occupied and pituously oppressed by the cruell accusations of the Heathen Infidels, that thoughe the cause did, yet the tyme would not serue them to comm?se any law agaynst their Byshops. Secondly, as touchyng their c?spiracie agaynst Byshops, what conspiracie either would they then practise agaynst them, which alwayes gaue their liues for their defence? Or howe could they then conspire in any c?panies together, when neuer a true Christian man durst once put his head out of his doores, neither was there in the Church any Christian man, in those perilous dayes, except he were a true man in deede, such as was farre from all false conspiracies? And when as all the world almost in all places conspired agaynst them: what tyme, what cause, or what hart trow ye, could they haue to conspire agaynst their instructors? Thirdly, concernyng the confutacion of that heresie, how standeth the confutation with the tyme of Calistus, when Nouatus the author of that heresie was after him in the tyme of Cornelius? Fourthly, if by the law of Calixtus, euery Dioces be the proper wife of euery Byshop or Minister, th? how many Byshops wiues and Parsons wiues hath the adulterous Pope of Rome defloured in these latter dayes of the Church, which so proudly and impudently hath intermedled & taken his pleasure & his owne profit, in euery dioces and Parish almost through all Christendome, without all leaue and licence of the good m?, who hath bene in the meane tyme, and yet is c?pelled still, whersoeuer the Popes holynes commeth, vigilante sternere naso, and to geue hym leaue vnasked, to do what he list. Wherfore if this Canon decretall be truly his, why is it not obserued, so as it doth stand without excepti?? If it be not, why is it then falsely forged vpon him, and the Church of Christ deceaued?MarginaliaAgaynst the decretall Epistles and constituti?s. And certes lamentable it is, that this falsefieng of such triflyng traditions vnder the false pretence of antiquitie, either was begon in the Church, to deceaue the people: or that it hath remained so long vndetected. For as I thinke, the Church of Christ will neuer be perfectly reformed, before these decretall constituti?s and Epistles, which haue so long put on the visard of antiquitie, shalbe fully detected, & appeare in their owne coulour, wherin they were first paynted.

And yet neither do I say this, or thinke contrary, but that it may be, that byshops of Rome and of the same name haue bene the true authors of these traditi?s: but here commeth in the errour (as I credibly suppose) that when other later Byshops of the like name, haue diuised these ceremoniall inuentions, the vulgare opinion of men hath transferred them, to the first primitiue fathers, although beyng of an other tyme, yet bearing the same name, with the true inuentors therof.MarginaliaCalixtus a Martyr
Ex Vincen. in Specul. Hist.
Et Antonino. tit. 7 cap.6. But of Calixtus inough: who as Damasus sayth in the dayes of this Alexander Seuerus, dyed a Martyr. Vincentius affirmeth that he was tyed to a great stone, and so out of a window was throwne into a ditch. Eusebius speakyng of his death, maketh no mention of his Martyrdome, and sayth he sat. v. yeares. Platina sayth. vj. yeares, Sabellicus geueth him. vij. yeares, and so doth Damasus.

MarginaliaVrbanus Byshop of Rome.
An. 227. After Calistus folowed Vrbanus, about the yeare of our Lord. 227. who in his Epistle decretall (c?myng out of the same forge) which he wrote in common to all Bishops, makyng no mention of the heauy persecutions of the Churche, nor ministryng any exhortacion of comfort or constancie to the brethren, onely geueth many straite preceptes, for not transportyng or alienatyng the goodes of the Churche, and to pay truly their offerynges, which they vow: also to haue all common among the Clergie.MarginaliaConfirmation of children instituted. Moreouer, about the end of his Epistle he instituteth the confirmation of children after Baptisme (whiche the Papistes be wont to take into the number of their. vij. Sacramentes) affirmyng and denouncyng more then Scripture will beare, that the imposition of the Byshops hand bryngeth the holy ghost, and thereby to be made full Christians. &c. But of these decretall Epistles inough is sayd before, more may be considered of the discret Reader. Marianus Scotus, Sabellicus, Nauclerus, and other late story writers do hold as is aforesayd,MarginaliaVrbanus, Martyr. that he dyed a martyr, in the dayes of Alexander Seuerus, after he had gouerned that seate. iiij. yeares, as Damasus and Platina do witnes: as Marianus sayth eight yeares.

MarginaliaTurbitius
Valerianus
Martyrs. The same Damasus and Platina do testifie of him, that he by his preachyng and holynesse of life conuerted diuers Ethnickes to the fayth. Among whom were Tiburtius, and Valerianus the husb?d of Cecilia, which both beyng noble men of Rome, remained constaunt in the fayth vnto the end and Martyrdome.

MarginaliaCecilia, Martyr.
Ex Martyrologio Adonis. Of this Cecilia thus it is writt? in the Martyrologe by Ado, that Cecilie the Virgine after she brought Valerian her husband espoused, and Tiburtius his brother to the knowledge and fayth of Christ, and with her exhortacions had made them constaunt vnto Martyrdome: after the sufferyng of them she was also apprehended by Almachius the ruler, and brought to the Idoles to do sacrifice: which thing when she abhorred to do, she should be presented before the iudge to haue the cond?nation of death. In the meane tyme the Sergeauntes and officers which were about her, beholdyng her comely beutie, and the prudent behauiour in her conuersation, began with many persuasions of wordes to sollicite her mynde, to fauour her selfe, and that so excell?t beutie, and not to cast her selfe away. &c. But she agayne so replyed to them with reasons & godly exhortations, that by the grace of almightie God their hartes began to kindle,