in his mouth being in the middest of his torments.MarginaliaThe words of Menas, in hys tormentes. All the world is not to be weyed with one soule saued. There is nothing in my minde that can be compared to the kingdome of heauen. Neither is al the world, if it were wayed in balance able to be conferred with the price of one soule. And sayd, who is able to separate vs from the loue of Iesus Christ our Lord: shal afflictiō or anguish? And moreouer (said he) I haue thus learned of my Lord & my king, not to feare them which kill the body and haue no power to kill þ^e soule, but to feare him rather, who hath power to destroy both bodye and soule in hell fire. To make the story short, after manifold tormentes borne of him, and suf,fered, when the last sentence of death was vpon him pronounced which was to be beheaded: Menas being then had to the place of execution said:MarginaliaThe prayer of Menas at his death. I giue thee thanks my Lord god, which hast so excepted me to be foūd a partaker of thy precious death, & hast not giuen me to be deuoured of my fierce enimies, but hast made me to remaine cōstant in thy pure faith vnto this my later end: And so this blessed souldiour fighting valiantly vnder the baner of Christ, lost his head, & wan his soule.MarginaliaMenas martyred. Symeon Metaphrast. tom. 5.MarginaliaSymeon Metaphr. tom. 5. In the which autor there foloweth a long narration of the miracles of this holy man, which here for prolixity I doe omit,

MarginaliaThe story of 40. martirs.Basilius in a certayne Sermon of 40. Martyrs rehearseth this story not vnworthye to bee noted. There came (saith he) into a certaine place (which place he maketh no mention of) the Emperours Marshall or officer, with the edict which the Emperour had set out against the Christians, that whosoeuer confessed Christ, shoulde after manye tormentes suffer death. And first they did priuily suborne certaine which should detect & acuse the Christians whom they had found out, or had layde wayte for: vpon this the sword, the gibbet, the wheele, & the whips were brought forth:MarginaliaTormentes brought out to terrifie the Christians. At the terrible sight whereof, the harts of all the beholders did shake & tremble. Some for feare did flee, some did stand in doubt what to do: Certaine were so terrified at the beholding of these engines & tormenting instruments that they denied their faith. Some other began the game, and for a time did abide the conflict and agony of Martyrdome, but vanqnished at length, by the intollerable paine of their torments, made shipwracke of their consciences, & lost the glory of their confession. Amōg other xl. there were at that time younge gentlemen all souldiers,MarginaliaThe courageous boldnes, and Christian confession of these 40. martyrs. which after the Marshall had shewed the Emperours Edict, and required of all men the obedience of the same, freely & boldly of their owne accord confessed themselues to be Christians & declared to him their names. The Marshall somewhat amased at this their boldnes of speach, stādeth in doubte, what was best to do. Yet forthwith he goeth about to win them with faire words, aduertising them to consider their youth, neither that they shoulde chaunge a cruell and vntimely death, for a sweete and pleasant life: After that hee promiseth them money, and honorable offices in the Emperours name. But they little esteming all these thinges breake forth into a long and bolde Oration,MarginaliaMartyrdome and death for Christ. preferred before lyfe and riches of this world. affirming that they did neither desire life, dignitie, nor money, but onelye the celestiall kingdome of Christ, saying further that they are ready for the loue and faith they haue in god, to indure the afflictiō of the wheele, the crosse, and the fire. The rude Marshall being herewith offended, deuiseth a newe kinde of punishment.MarginaliaThe Martirs in a cold ponde all a winters night. He spied out in the middle of the citie a certaine great pond, which lay full, vpon the cold Northren winde, for it was in the winter time, wherein he caused them to be put all that night, but they being merry & comforting one another, receiued this their appointed punishment, and sayd, as they were putting of their clothes: we put off (said they) now not our clothes, but we put of þ^e old mā, corrupt with the deceipt of cōcupiscence. We giue thee thanks (O Lord) that with this our apparell we may also put of by thy grace, the sinfull man: for by meanes of the Serpent we once put him on, and by the meanes of Iesus Christ we now put him of. When they had thus said: they were brought naked into þ^t place where they felt moste vehement colde: in so much that all the partes of their bodies were starke & stiffe therewith. MarginaliaThe Martyrs taken out of the pond were cast into the fire.Assone as it was daye, they yet hauing breath, were brought into the fire, wherin they were consumed, and their ashes throwne into the flud. By chaunce there was on of the company more liuely, and not so neere dead as the rest, of whome þ^e executioners takyng pitie, saide vnto his mother standing by, that they would saue his life. But shee with her owne handes taking her sonne brought him to the pile of wood where þ^e residue of his fellowes (crooked for cold) did lie ready to be brent, admonished him to accomplish the blessed iourney he had taken in hand with his companions. Basil.MarginaliaA good mother caring more for the soule then for the body of her sonne. Ex Basil. in Serm de. 40. Martiribus.

MarginaliaAn other story of 40. Martyred in a colde ponde at Sebastia.A lyke hystory of 40. Martyres, which were maryed men, we read of in Niceph. & Zozomenus. Lib. 9. cap. 2. which were killed likewise in a lake or pond at Sebastia, a towneof Armenia, vnder Licinius, if the story be not the same with this, Niceph. Zozom.

MarginaliaCyrus. Ioannes. Athanisia, with her three daughters. Theoctiste, Theodota, Eudoxia, Martyrs.In this felowship and company of martyrs can not be left out and forgotte the story of Cyrus: This Cyrus was a Phisition borne in Alexandria, which fleing into Egipt, in the persecution of Dioclesianus, and Maximianus, led a solitary life in Arabia, being much spoken of for his learning and myracles, vnto whose company after a certaine tyme did Ioannes, borne in the Citie of Edessa, beyond the ryuer Euphrates, ioyne himself, leauing the souldiers life which before that time he had exercised. But whilest as yet the same persecution raged in a city in Egipt called Canope, there was cast into prison for the confession of their fayth, a certayne godly Christian woman, called Athanasia, and her three daughters, Theoctiste, Theodota, and Eudoxia: wyth whom Cyrus was well acquainted. At whose infirmities he much fearing accompanied with his brother Iohn, came and visited them for their better confirmation:MarginaliaThe louing care of one Christian toward an other. at which time Lyrianns was chiefe captaine and Lieutenaunt of Egypt, of whose wickednes and crueltie, especially agaynst women and maydens: Athanasus maketh mention in hys Apologies, and in his Epistle to those that lead a solitarye life. Thys Cyrus therefore and Ioannes, being accused and apprehended of the Heathen men, as by whose perswasions, the maydens and daughters of Athanasia contumelyously despised the Gods and the Emperours religion, & could by no meanes be brought to doe sacrifice, were after the publication of their constaunt confession put to death by the sworde.MarginaliaCyrus to doe others good, lost hys life. Athanasia also and her three daughters being condemned to death. This history writeth Symeon Metaphrastes.

MarginaliaThe story of Sebastian Martyr. A worthy example of a captayne to be followed.Sebastian being borne in the part of Fraunce called Gallia Narbonensis was a Christian, and was Lieutenaunte generall of the vawward of Dioclesian the Emperor, who also encouraged many martyrs of Christ by his exhortations, vnto constancy, and kept them in the faith. He being therfore accused to the Emperor, was commaunded to be apprehended, and that he should be brought into the open fielde, where of his owne souldiers he was thrust through the body with innumerable arrowes, and after that hys body was throwne into a iaques or sinke. Ambrosius maketh mention of this Sebastian the martir in his Cōmentary vpon the 118. Psalme. & Symeon Metaphrastes amongest oher Martyrs that suffered with Sebastian numbreth also these followyng:MarginaliaMarcus, Marcellinus, Nicostratus with Zoe hys wife. Tranquillinus with Martia hys wife. Traglinus, Claudius, Custor. Tiburtius, Castellus, Martyrs. Nicostratus wyth Zoe hys wyfe, Tranquillinus wyth Martia his wyfe: Traglinus Claudius, Castor, Tiburtius, Castullus, Marcus, and Marcellinus wyth other moe.

Basilius in an other Sermon also maketh mention of one Barlaam being a noble and famous Martyr,MarginaliaBarlaam. which abode al the torments of the executioners euen to the point of death, which thing when the tormentors sawe, they brought him and laid him vpon the altar, where they dyd vse to offer sacrifices to their idoles, and put fire and frankensence into his right hād wherin he had yet some strēgth, thinking that the same his right hand, by the heate & force of the fire, would haue scattered the burning incense vpon the aultar and so haue sacrificed.MarginaliaWhat desire the Heathen had by some meanes to allure the Christians to offer sacrifice. But of that their hope, the pestiferous tormentors were disapointed: for the flame eate round about his hand, and the same indured euen as though it had bene couered with hote embers, when Barlaam, recited out of the Psalmes this saying: Blessed is the Lord my God which teacheth my handes to fight.

MarginaliaAgricola, with hys seruaunt Vitalis, martyrs. Ex Ambro. in Serm ad Virgines. Vitalis first martyred.To this narration of Basilius touching the Martyrdome of Barlaam, we will anexe cōsequently an other story of Ambrose: Hee making a certaine exhortation to certaine virgins, in the same Oration cōmendeth the martirdomes of Agricola & Vitalis, Who suffered also in the same persecution vnder Dioclesian and Maximinian (as they so affirme) at Bononie. This Vitalis was seruaunt to Agricola, who both togyther betweene themselues had made a compact to giue their liues wyth other Martyrs for the name of Christ. Wherupon Vitalis, being sent before of his maister to offer himselfe to Martirdome, fell first into the hands of persecutors, who laboured about him by all maner of meanes to cause him to deny Christ. Which when he would in no case do, but stoutly persisted in the confessiō of his faith, they began to exercise him with all kinds of torments: So vnmercifully that there was no whole skinne left in all his body. So Vitalis in the middest of the agonie, & paineful torments, after he had in a short praier, cōmended him selfe to God, gaue vp his life. After him the tormentours set vpon Agricola his Master, whose vertuous manners & gentle conditions, bicause they were singularly wel liked and knowen to the enimies, his suffring therfore was the longer deferred. But Agricola not abyding the long delay and driuing of, and prouoking moreouer þ^e