tree. MarginaliaEx Prudentio Lib. Perisleph.This thirsty Hart, longyng after the water of lyfe, desirous to passe vnto it, through the straight doore of bitter death, when on a tyme he sawe his vigilaunt Shepheard, Xistus, led as an harmeles lambe, of harmefull tyraunts to his death, cryed out with open mouth and hart inuincible, saying:MarginaliaThe wordes of Laurence to Xistus. O deare father, whether goest thou, without the company of thy deare sonne? Whether hastenest thou, O reuerend Priest, without thy Deacon? Neuer wast thou wont to offer sacrifice without thy Minister. What crime is there in me that offendeth thy fatherhode? Hast thou proued me vnnaturall? Now try sweete father, whether thou hast chosen a faythfull Minister, or not. Denyest thou vnto him the fellowshyp of thy bloud, to whom thou hast committed the distribution of the Lordes bloud? See that thy iudgem?t be not misliked, whilest thy fortitude is liked and lauded. The abasing of the Scholar, is the disgracing of the Maister. What? haue we not learned that worthy Maisters, haue obtained most worthy fame, by the worthy actes of their Disciples and Scholars? Finally Abraham sacrificed his onely begotten Isaac. Stoned Stephen prepared the way to preachyng Peter: eu? so father, declare thy manifold vertues by me thy sonne. Offer thou him that proferreth him selfe. Graunt that the body of thy scholar may be sacrificed, whose mynde with good letters thou hast beautified. These wordes with teares S. Laurence vttered, not because his maister should suffer, but for that he might not be suffered to tast of deathes cup, which he thirsted after.

MarginaliaThe aunswere of Xistus to Laurence. Then Xistus to his sonne shaped this aunswere: I forsake thee not, O my sonne, I geue thee to wyt, that a sharper conflict remaineth for thee. A feeble and weake old man am I, and therfore runne the rase of a lighter & easier death. But lusty and young art thou, and more lustely, yea more gloriously shalt thou triumph ouer this tyraunt. Thy time approcheth, cease to weepe & lament, three dayes after thou shalt follow me. Decent is it, that this space of tyme come betwene the Priest & the Leuite. It may not beseeme thee, O sweete Pupil, to triumphe vnder thy maister, lest it be sayd he wanted an helper. Why crauest thou to be partaker with me in my Passion? I bequeath vnto thee the whole inheritaunce. Why requirest thou to enioy my presence? Let weake Scholers go before, and the str?ger come after: that those without maister may get the victory, which haue no no neede by maister to be gouerned. So Helias left behynde hym his beloued Heliseus. I yeld vp into thy h?des the succession of my vertues. Such was their contenti?, not vnmeete for so godly a Priest, so zelous a Minister, striuyng with them selues, who should first suffer for the name of Christ Iesu.

In tragicall histories we haue it m?tioned, that through ioy & admiration, people clapped their handes, wh? Pylades named him selfe Orestes: Orestes, as truth it was, affirmed him selfe to be Orestes. Pylades wishyng to dye for Orestes, Orestes not sufferyng Pylades to loose his life for his sake: But neither of them might escape death, for both these louers were giltie of bloud, the one committyng the fact, the other consentyng. But this our Laurence the Martyr most constant, was by no meanes enforcod to make this proferre, sauyng onely by his ardent zeale, and feruent spirite, who thirstyng after the cup of Martyrdome, had it shortly after filled to the hard brymme.

MarginaliaSome say that this tyraunt was Decius the Emperor, but that cannot be, except Galienus or some other iudge now was called by the name of Decius. Now let vs draw neare to the fire of Martyred Laurence, that our colde hartes mai be warmed therby. The mercylesse tyraunt, vnderstandyng this vertuous Leuite, not onely to be a Minister of the Sacraments, but a distributer also of the Church ritches (wherof mention is made before in the wordes of Xistus) promised to him selfe a double pray, by the appreh?sion of one silly soule. First with the rake of auarice to scrape to him selfe the treasure of poore Christians, then with the firy forke of tyranny so to tosse and turmoyle them, that they should wax weary of their Christian profession: With furious face, and cruell countenaunce, the greedy Wolfe demaunded where this Deacon Laurence had bestowed the substaunce of the Church. Who crauyng three dayes respite, promised to declare where the treasure might be had. In the meane tyme he caused a good number of poore Christians to be congregated. So wh? the day of his aunswere was come, the persecutor straightly charged him to stand to his promise. Then valiant Laur?ce stretchyng out his armes ouer the poore, sayd:MarginaliaThe true treasure of Christes Church. These are the precious treasure of the church. These are the treasure in deede, in whom the fayth of Christ raigneth, in whom Iesus Christ hath his m?sion place. What more precious Iuels can Christ haue, th? those in wh? he hath promised to dwell? For so is it written: I was hungry, & ye gaue me to eate: I was thirsty, and ye gaue me to drinke: I was harberles, and ye lodged me. And agayne: Looke what ye haue done to the least of these, the same haue ye done to me. What greater ritches c? Christ our maister possese, th? the poore people in wh? he loueth to be seene? Oh, what toung is able to expresse the fury and madnes of the tyrantes hart? Now he st?ped, he stared, he ramped, he fared as one out of his wit. His eyes like fire glowed, his mouth like a bore fomed, his teeth like an helhounde grinded. Now not a reasonable man, but a roaryng Lyon he might be called. Kyndle the fire (he cryed) of wood make no spare. Hath this villaine deluded the Emperour? away with him, away with him. Whippe him with scourges, iercke him with rods, buffet him with fistes, brayne him with clubbes: iesteth the traitour w^t the Emperour? Pinche hym with firy tonges, girde him with burnyng plates, bryng out the strongest chaynes, and the fireforkes, and the grated bedde of yron. On the fire with it, binde the rebell hand and foote, and when the bed is fire hot, on with him: rost him, broyle him, tosse him, turne him: On payne of our highe displeasure do euery man his office, O ye tormentours.

MarginaliaLaurence torm?ted on the fiery gridyron. The word was no sooner spoken, but all was done. After many cruell handlynges, this meeke lambe was layd I will not say on his firy bed of yron, but on his soft bed of doune. So mightely God wrought with his Martyr Laurence, so miraculously God tempered his elem?t the fire, not a bed of consumyng payne, but a pallet of nourishyng rest was it vnto Laurence. Not Laurence, but the Emperour might seeme to be tormented: the one broyling in the flesh, the other burnyng in the hart. When this triumphaunt Martyr had bene pressed downe with firepikes for a great space, in the mightie spirite of God he spake to the vanquished tyraunt:

MarginaliaThe singular pacience of Laurence in his paynes.
This side is now rosted inough, turne vp O tyraunt great,
Assay, whether rosted or raw, thou thinkest the better meate.

O rare and vnaccustomed pacience. O fayth inuinsible, that not onely burnest, but by meanes vnspeakable doest recreate, refresh, stablish, and strengthen those that are burned, afflicted, and troubled. And why so mightely comfortest thou the persecuted? Because through thee they beleue in Gods promises infallible. By thee this glorious Martyr ouercommeth his tormentes, vanquisheth this tyraunt, confoundeth his enemyes, confirmeth the Christi?s, sleepeth in peace, raigneth in glory.MarginaliaThe Martyrdome and end of blessed Laurence. The God of might and mercy graunt vs grace, by the lyfe of Laurence to learne in Christ to lyue, and by his death to learne for Christ to dye. Amen.

MarginaliaA Romaine souldiour c?uerted by Laurence, and Martyred. Such is the wisedome and prouidence of God, that the bloud of his deare Saintes (like good seede) neuer falleth in vayne to the grounde, but it bryngeth some increase: so it pleased the Lord to worke at the Martyrdome of this holy Laurence, that by the constant confession of this worthy and valiant Deacon, a certaine souldiour of Rome, beyng therwith compuncted, and conuerted to the same fayth, desired forthwith to be Baptised of him: for the whiche he beyng called for of the iudge, was scourged, and afterward beheaded. Henr. de Erford.

MarginaliaDionysius Bishop of Alexandria with his felowes banished. Vnder the same Valerianus suffered also Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria much affliction & banishment, with certaine other brethren. Of the which he writeth himselfe, and is alledged in the Ecclesiastical history of Euseb. Lib. 7. cap. 11. the wordes whereof tend to this effect: Dionysius with three of his Deacons, to wit,MarginaliaMaximus.
Faustus.
Cheremon.
a certaine Romaine banished. Maximus, Faustus, and Cheremon, also with a certaine brother of Rome, came to Emilianus then President, who there declared vnto them in circumstaunce of wordes how he had signified vnto them the clemencie of his Lords and Emperours: who had graunted them pardon of lyfe, so that they would returne to them, and worshyp the Gods and keepers (as he called them) of their Emperie, askyng them what aunswere they would geue him thereunto: trustyng, as he sayd, that they would not shew themselues ingratefull to the clemency of them which so gently did exhort them.MarginaliaThe examination of Dionisius before the President. To this Dionysius aunsweryng, sayd: All men worshyp not all Gods, but diuers men diuers Gods, so as euery one hath in him selfe a mynde or ph?tasie to worshyp. But we worshyp not many nor diuers Gods, but onely that one God, who is the creator of all thynges, & hath c?mitted to our Lordes Valerianus and Galienus the gouernment of their Empery, makyng to him our prayers incessantly, for their prosperous health and continua?ce. Then the President sayd: And what hurt is it, but that you may both worshyp your God, what God soeuer he be, and these our Gods also? For you are comma?ded to worshyp such Gods, as all m? know to be Gods.MarginaliaThe c?staunt confession of Dionysius and his Deac?s. Dionysius a?swered: we worshyp none other, but as we haue sayd. Emilianus the President sayd: I see you are ingratefull men, & consider not the benignity of the Emperors, wherfore you shall no longer remaine in this Citie, but shall be sent out