MarginaliaThe notable plague of God against Valerian the persecutor. And thus farre continued wicked Valerian in his tyranny agaynst the Saintes of Christ. But as all the tyrauntes before, and oppressours of the Christians had their deserued reward at the iust hand of God, whiche rendreth to euery man accordyng to his workes: so this cruell Valerian, after he had raigned with his sonne Galienus the terme of vj. or vij. yeares, and aboute two yeares had afflicted the Churche of Christ, felt the iust stroke of his hand, whose indignatiō before he had prouoked, wherof we haue to witnes Eutropius, Pollio, Sabellicus, Volateranus: For makyng his expedition agaynst the Persians, whether by the fraude and treason of some about hym, or whether by his owne rashnes, it is doubtfull: But this is certaine, that he fell into the hādes of his enemyes, beyng aboute the age of lxx. yeares, where he led his wretched age in a more wretched captiuitie.MarginaliaGods iust punishment to be noted. In so much that Sapores the kyng of the Persians vsed him (and well worthy) not for his ridyng foole, but for his riding blocke. For whensoeuer the kyng should light vpō his horse, openly in the sight of the people, Valerian Emperour quondam, was brought forth in steede of a blocke, for the kyng to treade vpon his backe, in goyng to his horsebacke. And so continued this blockishe butcherly Emperour with shame and sporte inough vnto his finall end, as witnesseth Lætus, and Aurelius Victor.

MarginaliaEx Eusebio in Sermone ad Conuentum Sanctorum.
Valerian the persecutyng Emperour, excoriate of the Persians. Albeit Eusebius in a certaine Sermon to the Congregation, declareth a more cruell handlyng of him, affirmyng that he was slayne, writyng in these wordes: Sed & tu Valeriane, quoniam eandem homicidiorum sæuitiem erga subditos Dei exercuisti, iustum Dei iudiciū declarasti, dum captiuus ac vinctus vna cum ipsa purpura ac reliquo imperatorio ornatu abductus, ac tandem a Sapore Persarum Rege excoriari iussus sale conditus, perpetuum infælicitatis tuæ trophæum erexisti. &c. That is: and thou Valerian for somuch as thou hast exercised the same crudelitie in murderyng the subiectes of God, therfore hast proued vnto vs the rightuous iudgement of God, in that thy selfe has bene bound in chaynes, and caried away for a captiue slaue, with thy gorgious purple, and thy imperial attire, and at length also beyng commaunded of Sapores kyng of the Persians to be slayne, and poudred with salt, hast set vp vnto all men a perpetuall monument of thine own wretchednes. &c. Euseb.

MarginaliaThe punishmēt of God vpon Cladius president to the Emperour. The like seueritie of God his terrible iudgement is also to be noted in Claudius, his Presidēt, and minister of his persecutions. Of whiche Claudius, Henricus de Erfordia thus writeth, that he was possessed and vexed of the deuill, in such sorte, that he byting of his owne toūg in many smal peeces, so ended his life. Erford.

MarginaliaGalienus plaged for his persecution. Neither did Galienus the sonne of Valerian, after the captiuitie of his father, vtterly escape the righteous hand of God. For beside the miserable captiuitie of his father, whō he could not rescue, such portentes straūge and out of the course of nature, such earthquakes did happen, also such tumultes, commotions, and rebellions did follow, that Trebellio doth recken vp to the number of. xxx. together, which in sundry places all at one tyme tooke vpon them to be tyrauntes and Emperours ouer the Monarchie of Rome, by the meanes wherof he was not able to succour his father, though he would. Notwithstādyng the sayd Galienus beyng (as is thought) MarginaliaPeace graūted to the Church. terrified by þ^e example of his father, did remoue, at least did moderate the persecution stirred vp by the Edictes of Valerian his father, directyng forth his imperiall Proclamation, the tenor wherof proceedeth after this effect, as is to be sene in Euseb. Lib. 7. cap. 13. Emperour and Cæsar, Publius Licinius Galienus, Pius Fortunatus, Augustus, vnto Dionysius, to Pinna, and to Demetrian and to all other the lyke Byshops. The boūtiful benignitie of my gift, I haue willed and comaunded to be proclaimed through the whole world, to the entent that such which are deteined in banishment for discipline sake, may safely returne home agayne, from whence they came. And for the same cause I haue here sent to you the example of my rescript, for you to peruse and to enioy, so that no man so hardy to vexe or molest you. And this which you may now lawfully enioy, hath bene long since by me graunted. And therfore for your more warrant in the same, I haue cōmitted the examplar hereof to the custody of Aurelianus Cyrenius my chief Stuarde, where you maye fet the copy to see at your pleasure.

MarginaliaAn other graunt of Galienus vnto the Christen Byshops
An. 263. This mandate aboue prefixed did Galienus send to Dionysius Alexandrinus, and to other Byshops as is premised. An other rescript also the sayd Emperour sent to other Christian Byshops, permittyng to them full libertie to receaue agayne their wōted places, where they were wont to associate together, called of them Coimiteria

By this it may appeare that some peace was then graūted vnder this Galienus, to the Church of Christ: albeit not so, but that some there were which suffered. Among whom MarginaliaMarinus Martyr.
Ex Euseb. Lib 7. cap. 15. was one Marinus mentioned in Eusebius. Lib. 7. This Marinus beyng a warriour and a noble man in Cesarea, stode for the dignitie of a certaine order, whiche by all order of course was next to fall vpon him by right, had not the enuious ambition of him that should follow next him, supplāted him both of office, and life. For he accused him to be a Christian, and therfore sayd that he was not to be admitted vnto their offices, which was agaynst their Religiō. Whereupon Achaius then beyng Iudge, examined him of his fayth, who findyng him to be a Christian in deede, and constantly to stand to his profession, gaue him. iij. houres to deliberate and aduise with him selfe.MarginaliaTheotechnus Byshop of Cesarea. There was at the same tyme in Cesarea a Byshop named Theotechnus, otherwise called Theodistus, who perceiuyng him to stand in doubtfull deliberation and perplexitie in him selfe, tooke him by the hande, & brought him into the house or Church of the Christians, laying before him a sword (whiche he had vnder his cloke for the same purpose) and a booke of the new Testament, & so wylled him to take his free choyse, whiche of them both he would preferre. The souldiour immediatly without delay ran to the booke of the Gospell, takyng that before the sword.MarginaliaMarinus animated by the Byshop to dye. And thus he beyng animated by the Bishop, presented him selfe boldly before the Iudge, by whose sentence he was beheaded, and dyed a Martyr. Euseb. ibid.

MarginaliaAsyrius a ryche Senatour and Cōfessour. Whose body, he beyng dead, one Asyrius a noble Senatour of Rome, and a man very wealthy among the chief of that order (who the same tyme was there present at his Martyrdome) tooke vp and bare vpō his owne shoulders, wrappyng it in a ritch and sumptuous weede, & so honourably committed it to the burial. Eusebius. Lib. 7, cap. 16.

MarginaliaThe worke of Satan disapointed by the praier of Asyrius. Of whiche Asyrius the sayd author writeth moreouer this story, how that in the foresayd Citie of Cesarea, the Gentiles vsed there of an aūcient custome to offer vp a certaine sacrifice by a fountaine syde, the which sacrifice by the workyng of the deuil, was wont sodainly to vanish out of their eyes, to the great admiration of the inhabiters by. Asyrius seyng this, and piteyng the miserable errour of the simple people, liftyng vp his eyes to heauen, made his prayer to almighty God in the name of Christ, that the people might not be seduced of the deuil any lēger. By þ^e vertue of whose prayer the sacrifice was seene to swymme in the water of the fountaine, and so the straūge wonder of that sight was taken away, and no such matter could be there wrought any more. Euseb. Lib. 7. cap. 17.

MarginaliaA myracle noted in Euseb. lib. 7. ca. 18. And because mētiō is made here of Cesarea, there foloweth in þ^e next chapter of the same author, a straūge miracle, if it be true, which he there reporteth, how þ^t out of the same Citie was the woman, whiche in the Gospell came to our Sauiour, and was healed of her bloudy issue. Her house beyng in this Citie of Cesarea, before the doore thereof was set vp a certaine pyller of stone, and vpon the pyller, an Image was made of brasse, of a woman meekely kneelyng on her knees, and holdyng vp her handes, as one that had some sute. Agaynst the which there was an other Image also of a man proportioned, of the same mettall, cunnyngly engrauen, in a short seemely vesture, & stretchyng forth his hand to the woman.MarginaliaA myraculous operation of an herbe touching the hemme of Christes picture to heale diseases. At the foote of which pyller grewe vp a certaine herbe of a straunge kynde, but of a more straunge operation, which growyng vp to the hemme of his vesture, and once touchyng the same, is sayd to haue such vertue, that it was able to cure all maner of diseases. This picture of the man (they say) represented the Image of Christ. The history is written in Eusebius, as is sayd, the credite wherof I referre to the Reader, whether he will thinke it true or false. If he thinke it false, yet I haue shewed hym myne author: if he thinke it true, then must he thinke with all, that this miraculous operatiō of the herbe proceeded neither by the vertue of the picture,MarginaliaNo vertue to be ascribed to pictures. nor by the prayer of the other, beyng both dombe pictures, and engrauen no doubt at the time by the hand of Infidels: but to be wrought by some secret permission of God his wisedome, either to reduce the Infidels at that tyme to the belief of the story, or to admonish the Christians, to consider with them selues what strēgth & health was to be looked for onely of Christ, and no other Aduocate, seyng the dombe picture engrauen in brasse, gaue his efficacie to a poore herbe to cure so many diseases. This picture saith Dionysius, remained also to his tyme which was vnder Constantinus the great.

MarginaliaDionysius Byshop of Rome. As touchyng the lyne and order of the Romaine Byshops hetherto intermitted, after the martyrdome of Xistus, aboue specified, the gouernement of that Churche was cōmitted next, to one Dionysius, about the yeare of our Lorde. 266. who continued in the same the space of. ix. yeares as Eusebius sayth, as Damasus recordeth but onely vj. yeares and two monethes. Of his decretall Epistles, because sufficient hath bene sayd before concernyng that matter, I o-