blessed Cyprian, beyng then an old man, when he him selfe was but a springal in the Citie of Rome,MarginaliaCyprian a great reader of Tertulian. and told him that it was Cyprians wont neuer to let one day passe without some readyng of Tertulian, and that he was accustomed often tymes to saye vnto hym: geue me my maister, meanyng thereby Tertulian.

Now a few wordes touchyng his exile and Martyrdome. Of his Epistles whiche he wrote backe to his congregation, leadyng his lyfe in exile, mention is made aboue, wherin he sheweth the vertue beseemyng a faythfull pastor, in that he tooke no lesse care, as wel of his own church, as of other Byshops beyng absent, then he did beyng present. Wherein also he him selfe doth signifie that voluntary he absented himselfe, least he should do more hurt thē good to the cōgregation, by reason of his presence, as is likewise declared before. Thus from the desolate places of his banishment, wherein he was oftentymes sought for, he writeth vnto his brethren: as in his third booke and x. Epistle is manifest, which thyng seemeth to be done in the raigne of Decius or Gallus. But after that he returned agayne out of exile, in the raigne of this Valerianus,MarginaliaThe second banishment of Cyprian. he was also after that the second tyme banished of Paternus the Proconsull of Aphrica, into the Citie of Thurbin, as the Oration of Augustine touchyng Cyprian sheweth, or els as Pontius the Deacon saith, into a Citie named Furabilitana, or Curabilitana.MarginaliaThe apprehensiō of Cyprian. But when Paternus the Proconsul was dead, Galienus Maximus succeeded in the rowme & office of Paternus: who findyng Cyprian in a garden, caused him to be apprehended by his Sergeauntes, and to be brought before the Idoles, to offer sacrifice: whiche when he would not do, then the Proconsul breakyng forth in these wordes sayd: Long hast thou liued in a sacrilegious mynde, and hast gathered together men of wicked conspiracie, and hast shewed thy selfe an enemy to the Gods of the Romaines, and to their holy lawes: neither could the sacrete Emperours Valerianus & Galienus reuoke thee to the sect of their ceremonies.MarginaliaThe Martyrdme of Cyprian. At length the wicked tyraunt condemnyng him to haue hys head cut of, he paciently and willingly submitted his necke to the stroke of the sword (as Hieronymus affirmeth.) And so this blessed Martyr ended this present lyfe in the Lord, Xistus then beyng Byshop of Rome, as Eusebius noteth, in the yeare of our Lorde. 259. Sabellicus sayth that he was Martyred in the raigne of Gallus and Volusianus, Lucius beyng Byshop of Rome, but that seemeth not like.

MarginaliaAn. 259.
The bookes of Cyprian. Now remaineth to speake somethyng likewise of hys workes and bookes left behynd him, although all perauēture do not remaine that he wrote: whereof some are missing, some agayne which go in the liuery of his name & title, are not his: but such as be certainly his by the stile and sēse may soone be discerned. Such is the eloquēce of his phrase, and grauitie of hys sentēce, vigor of wit, power in perswasion, so much differyng from many other, as he can lightly be imitated but of few. Of the whiche his bookes with vs extant, as the florishyng eloquence is worthely commēded, proceedyng out of the schole of Rhetoricians, so is the autoritie therof no lesse in reputation, not onely among vs of this age of the Churche, but also among the auncient fathers.MarginaliaThe iudgement of Alusten vpon the bookes of Cyprian.
August. contra Crescentum. Lib. 2. cap. 32. Whereof S. Austen speakyng of his commendation sayth: Ego, inquit, literas Cypriani non vt canonicas habeo, sed eas ex canonicis considero: & quod in eis diuinarū scripturarum autoritati congruit cum laude eius accipio: quod autē non congruit, cum pace eius respuo. &c. By which words it may appeare that Austen, although he did not repute þ^e bookes and writyngs of Cyprian to be equiualent with the holy Scripture, yet notwithstandyng next after the Scriptures he had the same in great admiration.

Vincentius, & Laziardus Celestinus, recityng the names of diuers bookes, bearyng the title of Cyprian (moe perchaunce then be truly his) do collect out of them a certaine extract of his most pithy sentēces, all which here to repeate were to tedious. To geue a tast of the speciall, I thought it not impertinent. As where he speakyng of the treasures of a rich man, exhorteth saying:MarginaliaSentences of Cyprian collected
Ex Vincent. Lib 12. cap. 63. Ne dormiat in thesauris tuis, quod pauperi prodesse potest. i. Let it not sleepe in thy treasures, that may profite the
poore.

Duo nunquam veterascunt in homine, cor semper nouas cogitationes machinando: lingua, cordis vanas conceptiones proferendo. i.
Two thynges neuer waxe old in man, the hart euer in
imaginyng new cogitations, the toung euer in vttering
the vayne conceptions of the hart.Quod aliquando de necessitate, amittendum est, sponte pro diuina remuneratione distribuendum est. i.
That whiche a man must needes forgo of necessitie,
wisedome it is a man to distrubute so, that God may
euerlastyngly reward him.Disciplina est morum præsentium ordinata correctio, & malorum præteritorum regularis obseruatio. i.
Discipline is an ordinate amendement of maners pre-
sent, and a regular obseruation of euils past.Integritas ibi nulla esse potest, vbi qui improbos damnēt, desunt: & soli qui damnentur, occurrunt.
There can be no integritie, where as they which should
condemne the wicked are euer wantyng: and they one-
ly which are to be condemned, are euer present. Auari ad hoc taūtum possident, quæ habenet, vt ne alteri possidere liceat.
A couetous man onely possesseth his goodes for this,
because an other man should not possesse them.Sericum & purpuram indutæ, Christum induere nō possunt
Wemen that aduaunce them selues in putting on silkes
and purple, cannot lightly put on Christ.Fœminæ crines suos inficiunt malo præsagio: Capillos enim sibi flammeos auspicari non metuunt.
They which coulour their lockes with red and yelow,
begyn by tyme to prognosticate, of what coulour their
heades shalbe in hell.Qui se pingunt in hoc seculo, aliter quam creauit Deus, metuant ne cum resurrectionis venerit dies, artifex creaturā suā non recognoscat.
They whiche loue to paynt them selues in this world
otherwise then God hath created them: let them feare,
least when the day commeth of resurrection, the creator
will not know them.Qui pauperi eleemosinam dat, Deo suauitatis odorem sacrificat
He that geueth an almes to the poore, sacrificeth to
God an odour of sweete smell.Contemnenda est omnis iniuria præsentium malorum, fiducia futurorum bonorum.
All iniurie of euils presēt is to be neglected, for the good
hope of good thynges to come.Nihil prodest verbis proferre virtutem, & factis destruere.
To set out vertue in wordes, and to destroy the same
in factes, is nothyng worth.Quo plures domi sint tibi liberi, hoc plus tibi non recondēdum, sed erogandum est, quia multorum iam delicta redimēda sunt, multorum purgandæ conscientiæ. The mo children & greater houshold thou hast at home,
the more cause thou hast not to horde vp, but to dis-
perse abroad, for that many sinnes are to be redeemed,
many consciences are to be purged.MarginaliaThe place of Scripture expounded: Eleemosina ab omni peccato & morte liberat. Tob. 4.
Ex Cypri. Lib. 4. Epist. 2.

¶ Moreouer, least the Papistes here should take an occasion by this text, grounded vpon the text of Tobi, cap. 4. Almose (sayth he) deliuereth from all sinne and death: to build vp the workes of satisfaction, the sayd Cyprian. Lib. 4. Epist. 2. more playnly expoundeth both him selfe, and that place of Scripture, writyng in these wordes: Quia scriptum est, Eleemosina ab omni peccato, & a morte liberat. Tob. 4. non vtique ab ea morte, quam semel Christi sanguis extinxit, & a qua nos salutaris Baptismi & redemptoris nostri gratia liberauit, sed ab illa quæ per delicta postmodū serpit &c. That is: Almose doth deliuer frō all sinne, and from death, Tob. 4. not from that (sayth Cyprian) which the bloud of Christ hath once extincted, and from whiche the wholesome grace of our Baptisme, and of our redemer hath deliuered vs, but from that death whiche afterward creepeth in by sinne. &c. Cypria. Lib. 4. Epist. 2. by which wordes it is apparent, that Cyprian meaneth, this deliueraūce (which commeth by almose geuyng) from death and sinne, not to be expoūded nor to be taken for death euerlastyng, frō which onely the bloud of Christ doth saue vs: but for temporall or transitory punishmēt which is wont to be inflicted in this body for sinne. For so it is nothyng repugnaunt, but that temporall vertues may haue their tēporall rewardes in this lyfe, & likewise sinnes committed may haue temporall punishmentes, both in vs and in our families, our eternall saluation standyng euermore firme in Christ yet notwithstandyng.

The foresayd Vincentius moreouer speakyng of an other booke of Cyprian (although the sayd booke be not nūbred in the Catalogue of his workes) maketh mention of. xij. abuses, or absurdities in the lyfe of man, whiche in order be these:

MarginaliaTwelue abuses in the lyfe of man, noted out of Cyprian. 1. Sapiens sine operibus. A wise man without good workes.

2. Senex sine religione. An old man without religion.

3. Adolescens sine obedientia. A yoūg mā without obediēce.

4. Diues sine eleemosina. A ritch man without almose.

5. Fœmina sine pudicitia. A woman shamelesse.

6. Dominus sine virtute. A guide without vertue.

7. Christianus contentiosus. A Christian man contentious

8. Pauper superbus. A poore man proude.