nesses. In the number of whom one I will speake of, among diuers other,MarginaliaCheremon, Martyr. named Cheremon Byshop of the Citie called Nilus, an aged man, he with his wife flying to the mountaine of Arabia,MarginaliaCheremon a Byshop had a wife. neuer returned agayne, nor euer could be seene after. And though they were sought for diligently by their brethren, yet neither they nor their bodyes were founde. Many other there were which flying to these moūtaines of Arabia, were taken of the Barbarous Arabians: of whom some with much money could scarse be raunsomed, some were neuer herd of yet to this presēt day. Thus much out of the Epistle of Dionysius alledged inMarginaliaEuseb. Lib. 6. cap. 40. 41. 42. Euseb Lib, 6. cap. 41. 42. &c.MarginaliaThe Epistle of Dionysius Alexand. to Germanus. Moreouer the foresayd Dionysius in an other place writyng to Germanus of his owne daungers and of other, sustained in this persecution, & before this persecution of Decius, thus inferreth as followeth:Marginaliathis Germanus was a byshop in that tyme, which charged Dionysius for his fleyng persecution against whom he purgeth himselfe I, sayth he, behold before the sight of God, I lye not: and he knoweth, I lye not: how that I hauyng no regard of myne owne life, and not without the motion of God, dyd flye and auoyde the daunger of this persecution. Yea and also before that this persecution of Decius did rage agaynst vs: Sabinus the same houre sent a farmer to seke me, at what tyme I remaynyng at home, wayted three dayes for his cōmyng. But he searchyng narrowly for me by all waies, fieldes, floudes, & corners, where he thought I might best haue hid my selfe, or to haue passed by, was stroken with such a blindnes, that he could not finde myne house, thinkyng with him selfe nothyng lesse, then that I would abide at home in such so daūgerous persecutiō.MarginaliaGod willed Dionysius to flee in persecution. Thus these three dayes beyng past, vpō the fourth day, the Lord God so willyng and cōmaundyng me to flye, and also marueilously openyng to me the way, I with my *Marginalia Ergo Byshops then had wiues & children. children and many other brethren went out together. And this not to come of my selfe, but to be the worke of Gods prouidēce, the sequel of those thinges declared, wherein afterward I was not vnprofitable peraduenture to some. &c.

Agayne in an other place shortly after the foresayd Dionysius proceedyng in the narration of him selfe, thus inferreth: Then I commyng to Hierusalem with them which were with me, was brought by souldiours vnto Taposixis where as Timotheus (by the prouidence of God) neither was present, nor yet taken. Who then returnyng home foūd his house desert, and officers watching about the same, and vs within taken. &c. And agayne shortly after it followeth: And to see, sayth he, the admirable disposing of God hys workes.MarginaliaThe prouidence of God in preseruyng his. As Timotheus was thus flying with much hast & great feare, a certaine man, as happened, a dweller nere by mette him by the way, & asked, whether he went so hastely: to whom Timotheus aunsweryng, declared all the matter simply as it was.MarginaliaThe story of the deliuerance of Dionysius and his felowes. Which done, the man proceedeth on hys iourney, whether he was purposed to go, whiche was to a mariage, the maner of which mariages then was to sit vp all the night long feastyng and drinkyng. Thus as he was come, sittyng with them at the feast, he telleth his companions what was done, & what he heard by the way. This was no sooner told, but all they forthwith vpon a head, as stroken with a sodaine fury rushyng out together, made toward vs as fast as they could, with such crying & noyse, as might seeme very terrible. At the first hearyng wherof, the souldiours þ^t had vs in keeping, beyng afrayde, ranne away, by reason wherof we were left alone, & found as we were lying vpō fourmes & benches. I thē, (the Lord knoweth) thinkyng with my selfe that they had bene theeues, which came to spoyle and robbe, beyng in my couche, lay still in my shyrt onely as I was, the rest of my garmentes lying by me, I offered to them. Then they willed me in all hast to rise and get away, wherby I then perceauyng þ^e cause of their commyng, cryed vnto them desiring that they would suffer vs so to do: And if they would do any benefite for me for so much as I could not escape the handes of them whiche would pursue me and cary me away, I prayed them that they would preuēt them, and cut of my head before. And as I was crying thus vnto them, castyng my selfe grouelyng vpō the pauement, as my cōpanions can testifie, who were partakers of all these thinges, they brust forth violently, takyng me by the handes and feete and caryed me out of the doores, and led me away.MarginaliaDionysius,
Gaius,
Faustus,
Petrus,
Paulus deliuered from the Centurion and the souldiours.
Ex Euseb. There folowed me Gaius, Faustus, Petrus, Paulus, (who were witnesses of all the same) which brought me also out of the Citie, and so settyng me vpon a bare Asse, conueyed me away. Thus much writeth Dionysius of him selfe, the example of whose Epistle is cited in the Ecclesiasticall story of Eusebius. Lib. 6. cap. 40. also Lib. 7. cap. 11.MarginaliaLib. 6. cap. 40. Lib. 7. cap. 11.

MarginaliaEx Niceph. Lib. 5. cap. 27.
Christophorus
Martyr.
The fable of great S. Christopher Nicephorus in his fift booke, cap. 27. maketh mention of one named Christophorus, which also suffered in this persecution of Decius. Of which Christophorus whether the fable riseth of that mightie Giante set vp in Churches, wadyng through the Seas, with Christ on his shoulder, and a tree in his hand, for a walkyng staffe. &c. it is vncertaine. Georg. VVicelius alledgeth out of Ruggerus Fuldens. & mentioneth of one Christophorus, borne of the nation of the Cananites, which suffered vnder Decius, beyng, as he sayth, of. xij. cubites hye. But the rest of the historie paynted in churches, the sayd VVicelius derideth as fables of Centaurus, or other Poeticall fictions.MarginaliaMeniatus,
Agatha,
Martyrs.
Ex Bergomens. Lib. 8.
Ex Martyrologio Adonis. Bergomensis in his viij. booke maketh relation of diuers Martyred vnder Decius, as Meniatus whiche suffered at Florence, of Agatha an holy virgine of Sicile, who is sayd to suffer diuers and bitter tormentes vnder Quintinianus the Proconsul, with prisonment, with beatynges, with famine, with rackyng, roled also vpon sharpe shelles and hot coles, hauyng moreouer her brestes cut from her body, as Bergomensis, and the Martyrologe of Ado recorde. In the whiche authours as I deny not, but part of the story may be true, so agayne concernyng the miracles of the aged man appearyng to her, and of the young man clothed in a silken vesture, with an hundreth young men after him, and of the marble table with the inscription, Mentem sanctam, &c. I doubt.

MarginaliaMartyrs wandryng in mountaines. Hard it is to recite all that suffered in this persecution, when as whole multitudes went into wildernes and mōntaines, wandryng without succour or comfort, some starued with hunger and cold, some with sicknes consumed, some deuoured of beastes, some with barbarous theeues taken and caryed away. Vincentius in his xi. booke speakyng of Asclepiades,MarginaliaForty Virgines Martyrs. writeth also of. xl. Virgines, and Martyrs, which by sondry kyndes of tormentes were put to death about the same tyme, in the persecution of this tyraunt.

MarginaliaTryphon, Martyr. Likewise in the sayd Vincentius mētion is made of Tryphon, a man of great holynes and constant in his sufferyng, who beyng brought to the Citie of Nice, before the President Aquilius, for his constant confession of Christes name was afflicted with diuers and greuous tormentes, and at length with the sword put to death.MarginaliaMaximianus,
Malchus,
Martinianus,
Dionysius
Ioannes,
Serapion,
Constauntinus. 7. Martyrs. At what time Decius had erected a temple in the midst of the Citie of Ephesus, compellyng all that were in the Citie there to sacrifice to the Idoles, seuen Christians were found, whose names were Maximianus, Malchus, Martinianus, Dionysius, Ioannes, Serapion, and Constātinus, who refusing the Idolatrous worshyp, were accused for the same vnto the Emperour, to be Christians. Whiche when they constantly professed, and did not deny, notwithstandyng because they were souldiours, retaynyng to the Emperours seruice, respite was geuen them, for a certaine space to deliberate with them selues, till the returne agayne of the Emperour, whiche then was goyng to warre. In the meane space, the Emperour beyng departed, they takyng counsaile together, went and hid them selues in secret caues of the Mount Cælius. The Emperour returnyng agayne, after great inquisition made for them, hearyng where they were, caused the mouth of the place where they were, to be closed vp with heapes of stones, that they not able to get out, should be famished within. And thus were those good men Martyred.MarginaliaThe fable of the awaking of these seuen Martyrs.
Ex Vincent.
Nicepho.
Erfordiens. The story (if it be true) goeth further, that they betwene feare and sorrow fell a sleepe, in which sleepe they continued the space of certaine ages after, till the tyme of Theodosius the Emperour, before they did awake, as reporteth Vincentius, Nicephorus. Lib. 5. cap. 27. and partly also Henr. Erfordiens. But of their awakyng, that I referre to them that list beleue it. Certaine it is that at the last day they shall awake in deede without any fable.

Hieronymus in the lyfe of Paulus the Eremite, reciteth a story of a certaine souldiour,MarginaliaA souldiour martyr.
Ex Hierony. in vita Pauli Eremite.
A notable exāple of a chast souldiour byting of his toung and spittyng it in the face of an harlot. whom the Pretor could not otherwise with tormentes remoue frō his Christianitie, he deuised an other way, whiche was this: he cōmaunded the souldiour to be layd vpon a soft bed in a pleasaunt garden among the florishyng Lillies and redde Roses, which done, all other beyng remoued away, & him selfe there left alone, a beautifull harlot came to him, who embracyng him, & with all other intisementes of an harlot, laboured to prouoke him to her naughtynes. But the godly souldiour fearyng God more, then obeying fleshe, byt of his toung with his owne teeth, and spit it in the face of the harlot, as she was kissing him, and so got he the victorie, by the constant grace of the Lord assistyng him.

MarginaliaA like example of chastitie betwene two Christians.
Ex Ambr. Lib 2. de virgini. An other like example of singular chastitie is written of the virgine Theodora, and an other souldiour, by Ambrose, Lib. 2. De virginibus. At Antioche, this Theodora refusyng to do sacrifice to the Idoles, was condemned by the Iudge to the stues, whiche notwithstandyng by the singular prouidence of God was well deliuered. For as there was a great company of wanton young men ready at the doore to prease into the house where she was, one of the