they be either laye men, or men of euill conuersation, or proued manyfest enimies, or incensed with anye hatred, their accusations against any Byshops ought not to stande. Wyth other such matters moe, concerning the disposition of iudiciall court. Which matter, if Pope Gregory the seuenth, had written to Henrye the third Emperour, or if Pope Alexander the third, had written to the Emperour Fredericus the first: it might haue stand with some reason and opportunity of time. But nowe for Marcellus to write these decrees in such persecution of the Churche, to Maxentius the Heathen and most cruell Emperour: howe vnlyke it is to bee true, and howe it serued then to purpose, the Reader may soone discerne. MarginaliaThe church of England gouerned by the popes Canō law without sufficient ground of antiquitie.And yet these be the epistles and constitutions decretal, whereby (vnder the pretensed title of the fathers) al churches of late time, & al ecclesiastical causes haue beene, & yet are in this realme of england to this day gouerned, directed, and disposed.

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The like discussion & examination I might also make of the other epistles that followe of Eusebius and Miltiades,MarginaliaThe Epistles decretall of Eusebius and Miltiades. which al tende to the same scope, that no Prelate or bishop ought to come to his answere (or ad litem cōtestatam, as the words of their writing do terme it) before they be orderly & fully restored again to their possessiōs. Who moreouer in þ^e said their epistles stil harpe vpon this key of þ^e scripture: Tu es Petrus, & super hanc petram ædificabo ecclesiam meam, Declaring moreouer that this priuiledge of iudging al mē and to be iudge of no man, but onely to be left to þ^e iudgement of the Lord: was gyuen to this foresayd holy sea of Rome, from tyme of the Apostles, & chiefly lefte w^t Peter the holye key keeper: so that although the election of the Apostles was equall, yet this was chieflye graunted to Saint Peter, to haue preheminence aboue the rest. Concluding in the end hereby.MarginaliaEx Epist. Decretal. Miltiades. Quod semper maiores causæ, sicut sunt episcoporum, & potiorum curæ negotiorum, ad vnam beati principis Apostolorum Petri sedem confluerent: That is: that alwaies all greater causes, as be the matters of Byshoppes, and such other cares of weighty importaunce, should be brought to the sea of S. Peter, the blessed prince of the Apostles. &c. These be the wordes of Miltiades and Eusebius, whereby it may partly be smelled of him that hath any nose, what was the meaning of thē which forged these writings and letters, vpon these auntient holy martirs.

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This I cannot but maruell at, in the thirde Epistle of Eusebius the bishop of Rome,MarginaliaA place of the third Epistle decretall of Eusebius found vntrue. that where as Marcellius his late predecessor before, in his owne time and remembrance did fall so horribly, and was condemned for the same iustly to be expulsed the Citie by the counsell of 300. Byshops: yet notwithstanding the foresaid Eusebius in his third epistle alledging þ^t place of Tu es Petrus, bringeth in for a profe of the same and saith: Quia in sede Apostolica extra maculam semper est Catholica seruata religio. &c. That is, for in the Apostolicall sea, alwaies the Catholike Religion hath bene preserued without any spot or blemish.

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MarginaliaMiltiades the last Byshop of Rome being in danger of persecution.But howsoeuer the forgers of these decretal Epistles haue forgottē themselues, most certeine it is that these holy bishops, vpon whom they were and are ascribed: liued perfect good men, and died blessed martirs. Of whom this Miltiades was the last among all the Bishoppes of Rome here in the west Church of Europe, that euer was in daūger of persecution to be Martired, yet to this present day.

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And thus haue ye heard the stories and names of such blessed Saintes, which suffered in the time of persecution, from the xix. yeare of Dioclesian, to the vij. and last yeare of Maxentius with the deathes also & plagues described vpon these tormentors, and cruel tiraunts, which were the captaines of the same persecutiō. MarginaliaThe end of these persecutions in all the West Churches.And here commeth in (blessed be Christ) the ende of these persecutions here in these West Churches of Europe, so far as the dominion of blessed Constantinus did chiefly extend.

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Yet notwithstanding in Asia al persecution as yet ceased not for the space of foure yeres, as aboue is mentioned by the meanes of wicked Licinius.  

MarginaliaThe persecutiō vnder Licinius. Vnder whome diuers there were holy and constant martirs, that suffred greeuous torments:MarginaliaHermylus, Straconicus Martyrs. Theodorus Captayne, Martyr. Milles, martyr. as Hermylus a Deacon, and Stratonicus a keeper of the prison, which both, after their punishments sustained, were strangled in the floud Ister. Metasth. Also Theodorus þ^e Captaine, who being sent for of Licinius, because he would not come, and because he brake his Gods in peeces, and gaue them to the pore, therfore was fastned to the crosse, and after being pearsed with sharpe pricks or bodkins, in the secret parts of his body, was at last beheaded. Adde to this also Milles, who first being a Souldiour, afterward was made bishop of a certaine Citie in Persia, where he seing himselfe could do no good to conuert thē, after many tribulations and great afflictions among thē, cursed the Citie and departed. Which citie shortly after by Sapores king of Persia was destroied.MarginaliaThe kinges of Persia were commonly called by the name of Sapores.

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In the same countrey of Persia, about this time suffe-red vnder Sapores the king (as recordeth Symeon Metasthenes) diuers valiant & constant martirs,MarginaliaPersecution in Persia. Acindimus, Pegacius, Anempodisius, Epidephorus. Symeon Archbishop. Ctesiphon. Byshop, Martyrs. 128 Martirs in Persia. The story of Symeon Archb. of Seleucia. Ex Sozom. lib. 2. cap. 8. 9. 10. as Acindymus, Pegasius, Anempodistus, Epidephorus, also Symeon Archbishop of Seleucia, with Ctesiphon an other bishop in Persia, with other ministers & religious men of that region, to þ^e number of 128. Of this Symeon and Ctesiphon thus writeth Zozomenus lib. 2. That the idolatrous Magitians in Persia, taking counsaile togither against þ^e Christians, accused Symeon & Ctesiphō, to Sapores þ^e king, for þ^t they were gratefull & accepted vnto þ^e Romane Emperor & bewraied to him, such things as were done in þ^e land of Persia. Whereupon Sapores being moued, toke great displeasure against þ^e christians, oppressing them with taxes & tributes vnto their vtter impouerishiug, killing also their Priestes with the sword: After that calleth for Symeon the Archbyshop, who there before the king declared himselfe a worthy & a valiant captaine, of Christs church. For when Sapores had cōmaūded him to be led to suffer torments, he neither shronk for any feare, nor shewed any great humble sute of submission for any pardon: wherat the king partly marueiling, partly offended, asked why he did not knele downe, as he was wont before to do. Symeon to this aūswered,MarginaliaThe worthy answere of Symeon vnto the king. for that saith he, before this time I was not brought vnto you in bondes to betray the true God, as I am nowe, so long I refused not to accomplishe that which the order & custome of the Realme of me required: but now it is not lawful for me so to do, for now I come to stand in defence of our Religion and true doctrine. When Symeon thus had aunswered, the king persisting in his purpose, offereth vnto him þ^e choise, either to worship with him after his maner (promising to him many great gifts, if he would so doe) or if he would not, threatneth to him and to al the other christians within his land, destruction. MarginaliaThe constancie of Simeon.But Symeon neither allured with his promises, nor terrified with his threatnings, cōtinued constaunt in his doctrine professed, so that neyther he could be induced to Idolatrous worship, nor yet to betray the truth of his religion. For the which cause he was committed into bands, and there commaunded to be kept to the kings pleasure further knowne.

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MarginaliaThe fall of Vsthazares.It befel in the way as he was going to þ^e prison, there was sitting at the kings gate a certaine Eunuche, an olde Tutor or scholemaister of þ^e kings, named Vsthazares, who had bene once a christian, and afterward falling from hys profession, fell with the Heathen multitude to their Idolatrie. This Vsthazares sitting at the doore of the kinges pallace, and seing Symeon passing by led to the prison, rose vp and reuerenced the Bishop. MarginaliaThe fruite of Ecclesiasticall discipline and chastisment.Symeon againe with sharpe wordes (as the time would suffer) rebuked him & in great anger cried out against him: which being once a christian, woulde so cowardly reuolt from his profession, & returne againe to the Heathenish Idolatry. At the hearing of these words the Eunuch forthwith brasting out in teares, laying away his courtly apparell, which was sumptuous & costly & putting vpon him a blacke and mourning weede, sitteth before the court gates weping and bewailing, thus saying with himselfe:MarginaliaThe repentance of Vsthazares. wo is me, wyth what hope, wyth what face, shall I looke hereafter for my God, which haue denied my god: whē as this Symeon my familiar acquantance, thus passing by me, so much disdaineth me, that he refuseth with one gentle word to salute me?

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These things being brought to the eares of the King (as such tale cariers neuer lacke in Princes courtes) procured against him no litle indignation. wherupon Sapores the king sending for him, first with gentle words & courtly promises began to speake him faire, asking him what cause he had so to mourne, & whether there was any thing in his house, which was denied him, or which he had not at his owne will and asking. Whereunto Vsthazares aunswering againe saide:MarginaliaThe aunswere of Vsthazares to the king. That there was nothing in that earthly house, which was to him lacking, or wherūto his desire stod. Yea would god (said he) O king any other grief or calamitie in al the world, whatsoeuer it were, had happened vnto me, rather thē this for þ^e which I do most iustly mourne and sorrow. For this sorroweth me that I am this day aliue, who should rather haue died long since; & that I see this sonne, which against my hart and mynde, for your pleasure dissēblingly I appeared to worship, for which cause doublewise I am worthy of death. First, for þ^t I haue denied Christ. Secondly, because I did dissemble with you. And incontinent vpon these wordes, swearing by him that made both heauen & earth, affirmed most certainly, that althongh he had plaied þ^e foole before, he would neuer be so mad againe, as in steede of the creator and maker of all thinges, to worship the creatures which he had made and created. Sapores the king being astonied at the so sodaine alteration of this man, and doubting with hymselfe, whether to be angry with those inchaunters, or with

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