Persecutors.

Martyrs.

The Causes.

MarginaliaFranciscus Gamba, Martyr. The Senate of Millain.

Franciscus Gamba. At the Ci- tie of Co- mum in the Dioces of Millain. An. 1554.

Fraūces Gamba, borne in the Citie of Brixia in Lōbardie, after he had receaued the knowledge of the Gospell, went to Ge- neua, to cōferre about certaine necessary af- faires, with thē that were wise and lear- ned in that Church, which was about the time, whē the Lords Supper there was administred at Pen tecoste: Who there al- so at the same tyme, dyd cōmunicate with them. Afterward in his returnyng home, as he was passing o- uer þe Lake of Come, hee was taken, and

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brought to Come, and there committed to ward. Duryng the tyme of which inprisonment, diuers & sondry, as well nobles, as other, with Doctors also, especially Priestes and Monkes, resorted vnto him, laboryng by all maner of meanes, & most fayre promises, to reduce MarginaliaThe blynde iudgement of the world in Gods matters. hym frō his opinions: which semed to some but phantasies commyng of some humours, to some they semed vncatholicke or heretical. But he cōstantly disputing with them by the manifest Scriptures, declared the opiniōs which he defended, not to be any vayne speculations or imaginary phantasies of mās doting brayne, but the pure veritie of God, & the euident doctrine of Christ Iesus expressed in his word, necessary for all men to beleue, and also to maintaine vnto death: and therfore, for his part, rather then he would be foūd false to Christ, and his word, he was there ready, not to deny, but to stand to Christs Gospel, to the effusiō of his bloud. Thus when he could in no wise, be reclamed from the doctrine of truth, letters came frō the Senate of Millain, that he should be executed with death. Which execution, as they of Comum were about to prepare, in the meane while came other letters from Genua, writtē by the Emperours Ambassadour, & other nobles of Millain, by the which letters his death was delayed for a tyme, till at lēgth other letters were sent from the Senate agayne of Millain, requiryng executiō of the sentēce. Neuertheles through intercessiō of his frendes, one weekes respite more was graunted hym, to proue whether he might be wonne agayne to the Popes Church, that is to say, lost from God. Thus he being mightely & long assayled both by frends, and by enemyes terrified, yet by no persuasiōs would be MarginaliaPacience in persecution. expugned, but gaue thankes to God, that he was made worthy to suffer the rebukes of this world, & cruell death, for the testimony of his sonne, and so went he cherefully vnto his death. Then came certaine Frāciscan Friers to him, to heare his cōfession, which he refused. Also they brought in their handes, a Crosse for him to behold, to keepe him frō desperation, at the feelyng of the fire. But his mynde (he sayd) was so replenished with ioy & comfort in Christ, that he nee-

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Persecutors.

Martyrs.

The Causes.

ded neither their Crosse, nor them. After this, as he was declaring many cūfortable thyngs to the people, of the fruition of those heauenly ioyes aboue, which God hath prepared for MarginaliaFrances Gamba hys toūge bored thorough. his, because he should speake no more to the people, his toūg was bored through, & so immediatly beyng tyed to the stake, there was strāgled till he was dead, euery mā there geuing testimony, which saw his constancie, that he dyed a good man. Ex Epistola cuiusdam Nobilis Comensis apud Henr. Pantal. Lib. 10. & Celium.

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MarginaliaPomponius Algerius, Martyr. Pope Pau- lus the iiij. The Magi- strates of Venice.

Pomponius Algerius. At Rome. An. 1555.

Pomponius Alge- rius borne in Capua, a young man of great learnyng, was studēt in the Vniuersitie of Padua, where he not beyng able to conceale & keepe close the veri- tie of Christes Gos- pell, which he learned by the heauenly tea- chyng of Gods grace, ceased not both by do- ctrine & exāple of life, to informe as many as he could, in þe same doctrine, and to bryng them to Christ. For

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the which he was accused of heresie, to pope Paulus the fourth. Who sendyng immediatly to the Magistrates of Venice, caused hym to be apprehended at Padua, & caryed to Venice, where he was long deteyned in prison & bandes, till at last the pope cōmaūded the Magistrates there to send him vp bound vnto Rome: which the Venitians eftsoones accomplished. After he was brought to Rome, manifold persuasions & alurementes were assayed to remoue the vertuous & blessed young man, from his sentence. But when no worldly persuasions could preuaile agaynst the operatiō of Gods spirite in him, then was he adiudged to be burned aliue, which death most cōstantly he susteined to the great admiratiōof all that beheld hym.

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Beyng in prison at Venice, he wrote an Epistle to the afflicted Saints, which for þ^e notable swetnes & most wōderful consolation cōteined in the same, in shewyng forth the mighty operation of Gods holy power workyng in his afflicted Saintes, that suffer for his sake: I haue thought good and expedient, to communicate, as a principall monument amongest all other Martyrs letters, not onely with the other letters, which shalbe inserted hereafter (the Lord willyng) in the end of the booke, but also in this present place to be read, to the entēt that both they which be, or shalbe hereafter in afflictiō, may take consolation, and also that they which yet folow the trade of this present world, in comparing the ioyes & commodities therof, with these ioyes here expressed, may learne & consider with thēselues, what difference there is, betwene them both, & thereby maye learne to dispose thē selues, in such sort, as may be to their edification, and perpetuall felicitie of their soules. The copy of the letter, first written in Latin, we haue translated into English: the tenour wherof here vnder ensueth.

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¶ To his most dearely beloued brethrē, and felow seruauntes in Christ, whiche are departed out of Babylon, into Mount Sion: Grace, peace, and health, frō God our father, by Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour.

TO mitigate your sorow, which you take for me, I can not but impart vnto you some portion of my delectatiōs and ioyes, which I feele and finde, to the entent you wyth me, may reioyce, and sing before the Lord, geuyng thanks vnto hym. I shall vtter that, which no man wyll beleue, when I shall declare it. I haue found, a neste of hony and hony combe in the intrals of a Lyon.  

Who will euer beleue that I shall say? or what man will euer thinke, in the deepe darke dungeon, to finde a Paradise of pleasure? in þ^e place of sorow and death, to dwell in tranquillitie and hope of life? in a caue infernall, to be found ioye of soule? and where other men do weepe, there to be reioysing? Where other do shake and tremble, there strength and boldnes to be plentie? Who wyll euer thynke, or who wyll beleue thys? in such a wofull state, such delectation? in a place so desolate, such societie of good men? in straite bandes and cold yrons, such rest to be had? All these thinges, the swete hand of the Lord (my sweete brethren) doth minister vnto me. Beholde, he that was once farre from me, now is present wyth me. Whom once scarse I could feele, now I see more apparantly: Whom once I saw a farre of, now I beholde neare at hand: whom once I hungered for, the same now approcheth and reacheth his hand vnto me. He doth comfort me, and heapeth me vp with gladnes: he driueth away all bitternes: he ministreth strength and courage: he healeth me, refresheth, auaunceth, and comforteth me.   O how good is þ^e lord, which suffereth not his seruauntes to be tempted aboue their strength?   O how easie and sweete is his yoke? Is there any lyke vnto the highest, who receaueth the afflicted, healeth the woūded, & nourisheth them? Is there any like vnto him? Learne ye welbeloued, how amiable the Lord is, how meeke & mercyfull he is, which visiteth his seruaunts

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