ments he suffered for it was all drawne together and most pitifully wounded and scoarched, so that it had therwith lost the proper shape of a man, in whose suffering Christ obtained inspeakeable glory, for that he ouercame his aduersary, and to the instruction of other declared, that nothing els is terrible, or ought to be feared where the loue of God is; nor nothing greeuous, wherein the glory of Christ is manifested.

And when those wicked men, began after a certayne time againe to torment the Martyr, & hoped well to bring it to passe, that either they should ouercome him in causing him to recant, by reiterating his torments, now whē his body was so sore & swollen, that he might not suffer a man to touch him with his hande, or els that if hee died vnder their handes, yet that thereby they should strike such feare into the harts of the rest, to cause them to deny Christ. ButMarginaliaA miraculous working of God.they were not only disappointed herein, but also contrary to the expectation of men, his bodye was in the latter punishments & torments soupled & restored, and toke the fyrst shape and vse of the members of the same, so that the same his second torment was by the grace of Christ (in steede of punishment) a safe medecine.

Also Sathan now thinking to haue setteled himselfe in the hart of one Byblides,MarginaliaByblydes an holy Martyr.being one of them which had denied Christ, and thinking to haue caused her, beyng a weake and feable woman in faith, to haue damned her soule, in blaspheming the name of God, brought her to the place of execution: inforcing to wrest some wicked thing out of the mouth of the Christians. But she in the midle of her torments, returning to her selfe, and waked as it were out of her dead slepe, by that temporall paine, called to her remembraunce the paynes of hell fire, and against all mens expectations reuiled the tormentors, saying. How should we Christians eate young infants (as ye reported of vs) for whome it is not lawfull to eate the bloud of any beast? Vpon that so soone as she had confessed her selfe to bee a Christian, she was Martyred with the rest. Thus when Christ had ended those tyrannicall torments, by the patience & sufferaunce of our Saintes, the diuell yet inuented other engynes and instruments.MarginaliaEculens ad quintum foramen.For when the Christians were cast into prison, they were shut vp in darke and ougly dongeons, and were drawne by the feete, in a racke or ingine made for that purpose, euen vnto the first hole. And many other such punishmentes suffered they which the furious ministers stirred vp with deuilish furye, are wont to put men vnto: so that very manye of them were strangled & killed in the prisons,MarginaliaDiuers Martyrs strangled in prison.whom the Lorde in thys maner would haue to eniuoy euerlasting life, & set forth his glory. And surely these good men were so pittifully tormented, that and if they had had all the helpe, & medicines in the world, it was thought impossible for them to lyue, & to be restored. Aud thus they remaining in prison destitute of al humaine helpe, were so stengthened of the Lord, and both in body and minde confirmed, that they comforted & stirred vp the myndes of the rest, the yonger sorte of them, whiche were latter apprehended, & put in prison, whose bodies had not yet felt þ^e lash of þ^e whip, were not able to in dure þ^e sharpness of their imprisonment, but died of þ^e same.MarginaliaOther martyrs dyed in prison.

The blessed Photinus,MarginaliaPhotinus a blessed martyr.who was Deacon to the bishop of Lyons, about. 90. yeares old, and a very feeble or weake man, & could scarsely draw beath for the imbecilitie of his body: yet was he of a liuely courage & spirit. For the great desire he had of martyrdome, when he was brought vnto the iudgement seate: although his bodye was feeble and weake, both because of his old age, and also through sicknes, yet was his soule or life preserued to this purpose, that by the same Christ might triumph and be glorified. He, being by the souldiers brought to the place of iudgement, many Citizens & men of great ability following him, and the whole multitude cried vpon him diuersly, as though he had beene Christ himselfe, gaue a good testimony. For being demaunded of the chiefe ruler, what was the Christian mans God, he aunswered: If thou be worthy to know thou shalt know. He being with these words somewhat neere touched, caused him to be very sore beaten. For those that stood next him, did him all the spit & displeasure þ^t they could both with hand and foote, hauing no regarde at all to his olde age or white heares.MarginaliaThe rage of the people agaynst Photinus.And they which were further of, whatsoeuer came next to hande, they threwe at him, & euery man thought þ^t he did very wickedly refraine that withheld his hande from not doing the like. For by this meanes they thought that they did reuenge the quarell of their Gods. Photinus, now euen as it were gasping after life, was throwen in prison, and within two daies after dyed.

And here is the mighty prouidence of God, and the inspeakable mercy of Iesus Christ declared, which proui-dence being assured amongest a fraternity, is neuer destitute of the aide of Iesus Christ. For those which in theyr first persecution denied Christ, they also were put in pryson, and made pertakers of the others affliction. Neither yet did it any whit at all at that time helpe them that had denied Christ, but they which confessed him, were imprisoned as christians, neither was there any other crime obiected against them, but the other sort taken like homicides and wicked doers, were layd hand on, and had double more punishment then the others had. These mē were refreshed with the ioy of martyrdome, the hope of Gods promises, the loue toward Christ, and the spirite of God: The other their consciences accused them, & that very sore in so much that by their gate, their countenances bewraied vnto the rest their giltie consciences.MarginaliaThe comfort of the godly standing to their confession. The denyers of their confession comfortles and notwithstanding punished.For the Christians went forth hauing cheerefull countenaunces, very much adourned with glory and grace, insomuch that the verye bondes wherewith they were tyed, set them out as men in seemely apparel: and like as brides when they be decked in gorgeous and gay garments, and therewithal sauored as of the redolent linell of Christ, so that it might be supposed them to be annointed with some sweete balme: whereas the other were doubtfull and sad, abiect, ilfauored, filled, w^t al shame, and furthermore reuiled of the Gentils themselues, as wretches, degenerate, hauing the crime of homicid and destitute of the most precious, glorious, and liuely calling of the Christian name. And truly by these lightes the rest were confirmed, & being apprehended, confessing christ without any stackering, nor hauing so much as þ^e thought of any such deuilish mind of denial. And in the same Epistle of the foresayd brethren of Fraunce, writing to the brethren of Asia, it followeth in this maner: After these things doue, the Martirdome of these holy Saints were deuided diuersly. into diuers kindes and formes, as the offering to God the Father a garland decked with diuers and sundry kinds sf colours and floures. For it so behoued the worthy Champions of God, after they had suffered diuers kindes of torments, and so winning a triumphaunt victory to obtaine great rewarde of immortalitie.

Then Maturus Blandina, and Attalus together were brought to the cōmon scaffolde, there in the face of the people to be cast & deuoured of the beasts. And Maturus with Sanctus being brought þ^e second time to the scaffolde, suffered againe all kinde of torments, as though hetherto they had suffered nothing at all, yea rather as though þ^e aduersarye being oftentimes put to the worst, they as striuyng for the crowne, suffered againe more scourginges. the tearing of wilde beastes, & what things els soeuer the frantike people on euery side cryed for and willed.MarginaliaThe spitefull handling of Gods people.And aboue al the rest they brought an yron chayre, in the which their bodies being sct, were so fryed and scorched as on a gridiron fried vpon the coales, filled with the sauour of the frying all the people that stoode by.MarginaliaMaturus and Sanctio Martyred.And yet for all that the tormentours ceased not, but waxed more fierce and mad against thē, laboring to ouercome the patience of the Saints. Notwithstanding al this they could not get out of Sanctus mouth any other thing but the confession which at the beginning he declared. And thus these holy men, after they had long continued aliue in this their most horrible conflicte, at the length were slaine, being made al that whole day a spectacle vnto the worlde in place and in stede of the games and fightes, which were woont to be exhibited to the people. And thus much concerning Maturus and Sanctus.

MarginaliaBlandina brought forth agayne.Now concerning Blandina, who being fastened vpon a stake, was cast to the rauening beastes to be deuoured, which thing was not done without the determinate wyll of God: to this ende that while she seemed to hang vpon a crosse (as it were) by the feruentnes of her praier, she much cōforted the rest of the saints, as beholding vnto her christ, with their bodily eyes, which in that agonie suffered for them all, and that al which beleue in him, and suffer for the glory of Christ, might be assured to liue with him for euer. And when they sawe that no beast woulde come neare her thus hanging, they toke her downe from the tree, and cast her againe into prison till an other time, that she hauing þ^e victory of many battels, might triumphe ouer that ougly Serpent the deuill; & that she being a weake and sely woman, and not regarded, armed with Christ the inuincible conquerour, might incourage her brethren, and by the induring of this battaile might winne a crowne of incorruptible glory.

Now to Attalus, who being also required and cald for of the people to punishment, already prepared (for his conscience sake) commeth forth to the fight. For he being worthely exercised in the Christian profession, was alwayes a witnes aud a mayntayner of our doctrine. Therfore when the presse of people was about the scaffolde, and the table