And it at length how to amende,
By order and by times.
12 His sharpe precepts, and sterne lookes,
His beardles boyes did feare:
When hate in hart (yet for their bookes)
Full deadly they did beare.
13 The childe that learnes, I doe yee weete,
Termes aye his tutor crule.
No discipline in youth seemes sweete,
Count this a common rule.
14 Behold the raging time now here,
Oppressing sore the faith:
Doth persecute gods children dere,
And all that Christ bewraith.
15 This trusty teacher of the swarme,
Profest the liuing God:
The chiefe good thing, they compt their harme,
Perhaps he shakes his rod.
16 What rebels aske the president,
Is he, I heare so loude?
Vnto our youth an instrument,
They say, and low they bowde.
17 Go bring the caytiffe foorth he bids,
And make no long delay:
Let him be set they boyes amids,
They doe as he doth say.
18 Let him be giuen vnto them all,
And let them haue their will:
To doe to him what spite they shall,
So that they will him kill.
19 Euen as the list let them him fray
And him deride so long:
Till wearines prouokes their play,
No lenger to prolong.
20 Let them I say then vncontrold,
Both pricke and scotch his skinne:
To bath their hands let them be bold,
In the hote bloud of him.
21 The scholers hereat make great game,
It pleaseth them full well:
That they may kill and quench the flame,
They thought to them a hell.
22 They binde his hands behind his backe,
And naked they him stripe:
In bodkinne wise at him they nacke,
They laugh to see him skippe.
23 The priuy hate that ech one hath,
In hart it now appeares:
They poure it foorth in gally wrath,
They wreake them of their teares.
24 Some cast great stones, some other breake,
Their tables on his face:
Lo here thy Latine and thy Greeke,
(Oh barren boyes of grace.)
25 The bloud runnes downe his cheekes and doth,
Imbrue the boxen leames:
Where notes by them were made (though loth)
And well proponed theames.
26 Some whet, some sharpe, their penseles pointes,
That serude to write with all:
Some other gage his flesh and ioyntes,
As with a pointed nall.
27 Sometimes they pricke, sometime they rent,
This worthy martirs flesh:
And thus by turnes they do torment,
This confessour a fresh.
28 Now all with on consent on him,
Their bloudy handes they lay:
To see the bloud from limme to limme,
Drop downe they make a play.
29 More painefull was the pricking pange,
Cf children oft and thicke:
Then of the bigger boyes that stange,
And neere the hart did sticke.
30 For by the feeble strokes of the one,
Death was denied his will:
Of smart that made him wo begon,
He had the better skill.
31 The deeper strokes the great ones gaue,
and neerer toucht the quicke:
The welcomer he thought the same,
Whom longing death made sicke.
32 God make you strong he saith I pray,
God giue you might at will:
And what you want in yeares I say,
Let crueltie fulfill.
33 But whilest the hangman breatheth still,
and me with you do match:
That weakely worke, yet want no will,
my life for to dispatch.
34 My griefes waxe great, what gronest thou now?
Sayd some of them againe?
In schoole, aduised well art thou?
Whom there thou putst to payne?
35 Behold we pay, and now make good,
as many thousande stripes:
As when with weeping eyes we stoode,
In daunger of thy gripes.
36 Art thou now angry at thy bande,
that alwayes cried write, write,
And neuer wouldst that our right hand,
Should rest in quiet plyte?
37 We had forgot our playing times,
Thou churle deniedst vs of:
We now but pricke and point our lines,
And thus they grinne and scof.
38 Correct good sir your viewed verse,
If ought amisse there be:
Now vse thy power and then rehearse,
that haue not marked thee.
39 Christ pittying this groaning man,
With tormments torne and tyred:
Commaundes his hart to breake euen then,
And life that was then hyered.
41 He yeeldes againe to him that gaue,
And thus he makes exchaunge:
Immortall, for mortall to haue,
That in such payne did raunge.
41 This is saith he that this picture,
Thou so beholdst, Oh gest:
Of Cassianus Martir pure,
Doth preach I doe protest.MarginaliaCassianus Martyr.
42 If thou Prudence haue ought in store,
In pietie to deale:
In hope of iust reward therefore,
Now shew thy louing zeale.
43 I could not but consent, I weepe,
Hys tombe I doe embrace:
Home I returne, and after sleepe,
This pittifull preface,
44 I write as a memoriall,
For euer to endure:
Of Cassianus scolemaster,
All others to allure.
45 To constancy vnder the crosse,
Of their profession:
Accompting gaine what euer losse,
For Christ they take vpon.

No lesse admirable then wonderfull was the constancy also of woemen and maidens, who in the same persecution gaue their bodyes to the tormentes & their liues for the testimony of Christ, with no lesse boldnes of spirite, thē did the men themselues aboue specified, to whome howe much more inferiour they were in bodely strēgth, so much more worthy of prayse they be, for their constant standing. Of whom some examples here we minde (Christ willing) to inferre, such as in our stories and Chronicles seem most notable, first beginning with Eulalia, whose story we haue taken out of the foresayd Prudentius as followeth.

In the West part of Spaine called Portingall, is a City great and populous, named Emerita, wherein dwelt and was brought vp a virgine borne of noble parentage, whose name was Eulalia,MarginaliaEulalia Martyr. which Emerita although for the apte situation therof, was both rich & famous, yet more adourned and famous was the renowne therof, by þ^e martyrdome, bloud, and sepulture of this blessed virgine Eulalia.MarginaliaEx Arel. Prudentio. lib. peristephanon. Twelue yeares of age was shee and not much aboue, when she refused great and honourable offers in mariage, as one not skilfull, nor yet delighting in courtly daliaunce, neyther yet taking pleasure in purple and gorgeous apparell, or els in precious balmes, or costly ornamentes and iuels:MarginaliaThe chaste and continent behauiour of Eulalia. But forsaking and despising all these and such lyke pompeous allurements, then shewed she her self most busie in preparing her iourney to her hoped inheritance, and heauenly patronage. Which Eulalia as she was modest and descrete in behauiour, sage and sober in conditions, so was she also witty and sharp in aunswering her enemies. But when the furious rage of persecution inforced her to ioyne her self amongest Gods Children in the houshold of faith, and when the Christians were commaunded to offer incense and sacrifice to deuils or dead Gods: Then began the blessed spirite of Eulalia to kindle, and being of a prompt & ready wit thought forthwith (as a couragious captayne)