fortunate: and from that time more and more the state of the Romane Empire increased in honor, wherof you most happely were made successour, and so shall your sonne to.Marginalia Christen religion maketh common weales to florish. Honor therefore this Philosophie, which with your Empire sprang vp and came in with Augustus, whiche your progenitors aboue al other honored & most esteemed. And verily this is no small argumēt of a good beginning, that since our doctrine flourished in the Empire, no misfortune or losse happened frō Augustus time: but contrary alwaies victory, good and honorable yeres, as euer any mā would wishe. Onely among all, and of all Nero and Domitian beyng kindled by diuers naughty and spitfull persons cauillingly obiected against our doctrine, of whom this Sicophanticall slaundring of vs by naughty custome first came and sprang vp. But your godly fathers espying the ignoraunce of these, oftentimes by their writing corrected their temerous attemptes in that behalfe. Among whom your granfather Adrian w^t many other is read of, to haue wrytten of Fundayne the Proconsul and Lieutenāt of Asia. And your father, your own father I say, with whom you ruled in al things, wrote to the Cities vnder his signet, as the Laersens, Thessalonicenses, Athenienses and Grecians rashly to innouate or alter nothing of your highnes: therfore, who in this case is of that sect as your predecessours were, yea & of a more benigne & Philosophicall minde, we are in good hope to obtaine our peticion and request.

Marginalia The bookes of the olde Testament autentike and receaued.Thus much out of the Apologie of Melito, who writing to Onesimus, geueth to vs this benefite to knowe the true Catalogue, & the names of al the autentike bookes of the olde Testament, receaued in the auncient time of the prymitiue Church. Concerning the number & names wherof the said Melito in his letter to Onesimus declareth, howe that he returning into the parts where these things were done and preached, there hee diligently inquired out the bookes aprooued of the old Testament, the names wherof in order he subscribeth & sendeth vnto him as followeth: The fiue bookes of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leuiticus, Numeri, Deuteronomi, Iesus Naue, The Iudges, Ruth, Foure bookes of Kings: Two bookes Paralipomenon. The Psalmes, Prouerbes of Salomon The booke of Wisedome: The Preacher. The song of songs. Iob. The Prophets, Esay, Hieromie, twelue Prophetes in one booke, Daniel, Ezechiel, Esdras. And thus much of thys matter, which I thought here to record, for that it is not vnprofitable for these latter times to vnderstande what in the first times was receaued, and admitted as autentike, and what otherwise.

But from this little digression to returne to our matter omitted, that is, to the Apologies of Apolinarius and Melito, in the story so it followeth, that whether it was by the occasiō of these two Apologies, or whether it was through the writing of Athenagoras a Philosopher, and a Legate of the Christians, it is vncertaine: but this is certaine that the persecution the same time was staid. Some do thinke, which most probably seeme to touch the truthe, that the cause of staying this persecution, did rise vpon a wonderfull myracle of God, shewed in the Emperours campe by the Christians the story wherof is this:Marginalia Ex Eusebio ibidem. A miraculous rayne obtayned by the Christians. At what time the two brethren Marcus Antonius, and Marcus Aurelius Commodus Emperours, ioyning together, warred against the Quades, Vandales, Sarmates, and Germaines, in the expeditiō against them their army by reason of the imminent assault of their enimies, was cooped & shut in within the straights and hoate dry places, where their souldiours besides other difficulties of battaile, being destitute of water, fyue dayes, were like to haue perished; which dread not a little discomfited them, & did abate their courage. Wherin this their so great distresse and ieopardy, sodainely wythdrew from the army a legian of the christian souldiours for their succour: who falling prostrate vpon the earth, by ardent praier, by & by obtained of God double reliefe: by meanes of whom God gaue certaine pleasaunt showers from the element, whereby as their souldiors quenched their thirst so were a great number of their enimies discomfited & put to flight by the continual lightnings which shooted out of the aire. This miracle so pleased & won the Emperour, that euer after he waxed gentler & gentler to the Christians & dyrected his letters to diuers of his rulers, as Tertullian in his Apologie witnesseth; commaūding thē therin to giue thankes to the Christians, no lesse for his victory, then for the preseruation of him and all his men. The copy of which letter hereafter ensueth.

I Giue you hereby to vnderstande, what I intend to doe, as also, what successe I haue had in my warres in Germany, and wirhhow much difficultie I haue viteled my campe, being compassed about with 74. fierce Dragons, whome my Scottes descryed to be within ix. miles of vs, and Pompeianus our Liefetenaunt hath viewed as he signified vnto vs by hys letters: Wherefore I thought no lesse but to be ouerunne and all my bandes of so great multitude, as well my vaward maynewarde as reerewarde, with all my souldiours of Ephrata. In whose host there were numbred of fighting men ix. hundreth seuenty and fiue thousand. But when I saw my selfe not able to encounter with the enemy, I craued ayde of our countrey Gods, at whose hands I finding no comfort, and being driuen of the enemye vnto an exegent, I caused to be sent for those men which we call Christians who being mustred were found a good indifferent number, with whom I was in farther rage, then I had good cause, as afterwardes I had experience by their merueilous power, who forthwith did their indeuour, but without either weapon, munition, armour or trumpets, as men abhorring such preparation and furniture but onely satisfied in trust of their God, whome they cary about with them in their consciences. It is therefore to be credited, although we call them wicked men, that they worship God in their hartes. For they falling prostrate vpon the ground, prayed not onely for me, but for the host also, which was with me, beseeching their God for helpe in that our extremitie of vittels and fresh water. For we had bene now v. dayes without water, and were in our enemies land, euen in the middest of Germany. who thus falling vppon their faces, made their prayer to a GOD vnknowne of me: and there fell amongest vs from heauen a most pleasaunt and cold shower, but amongest our enemies a great storme of hayle mixt with lightning so that immediately we perceiued the inuincible ayde of the most mighty God to be with vs. Therefore we geue to those men leaue to professe Christianitie, least perhap by their prayer we be punished with the lyke, and thereby make my selfe the author of such hurt as shalbe receiued by the Christian profession. And if any shall apprehend one that is a Christian, onely for that cause: I will that he being apprended without punishment, may haue leaue to confesse the same, so that there be none other cause obiected agaynst hym, more then that he is a Christian: But let his accuser be burned aliue. Neither will I that he confessing and being founde a Christian, shalbe enforced to alter the same his opinion by the gouernour of any of our prouinces, but left to hys owne choyse. And this decree of myne I will to be ratified in the Senate house, and commaund the same publiquely to be proclaymed and read in the Court of Traianus and that farther from thence it may be sent into all our Prouinces by the diligence of Veratius gouernour of our Citie Polione. And further we geue leaue to all men to vse and write out this our decree, taking the same out of our copie publiquely in the common Hall set forth.

Thus the tempestuous rage of persecution against the Christians began for a tyme to asswage partly by the occasion hereof. partly also vpon other causes incident, cōpelling the enimies to surcease their persecutiō, as great plagues & pestilence lying vpon the countrie of Italy: lykewise great warres, as well in þ^e East partes, as also in Italy and Fraunce, terrible earthquakes great flouds, noisome swarmes of flies and vermine deuouring their corne fieldes, &c. And thus much of thinges done vnder Antoninus Verus which Antoninus in the beginning of his raygne ioyned with him in the gouernement of the Empire, hys brother Marcus Aurelius Commodus,Marginalia Antoninus Verus. M. Aurelius Commodus Emperrours. who also was wyth hym at the miraculous victory gotten by the Christiās, as Eusebius cap. 5. Lib. 5. recordeth. contrary Platina in vita Soteris, and the book intituled Flores historiarū,Marginalia The discrepance betweene Eusebius and Platina. referre the same to the time of Antoninus verus, and his sonne Lucius Antoninus Commodus, and not of Marcus Aurelius Commodus hys brother. But howsoeuer the truth of yeares doe stand, certaine it is, that after the death of Antoninus Verus, and of Aurelius Commodus, succeeded Lucius Antoninus Commodus the sonne of Verus who raigned 13. yeares.Marginalia Anno. 175.

Marginalia Quietnes geuen to the Church.In the time of this /, although he was an incōmodius Prince to the Senatours of Rome, yet notw^tstanding there was some quietnes vniuersally through the whole Church of Christ from persecution by what occasion it is not certaine. Some thinke of whom is Xiphilinus that it came through Marcia the Emperouts concubine, which fauoured the Christians: but how soeuer it came saith Eusebius, the furye of the raging enimies was then somwhat mittigated. & peace was giuen by the grace of Christ, vnto the Church throughout the whole worlde. At what time the wholesome doctrine of the Gospel allured and reduced the harts of all sortes of people, vnto the true Religion of God; insomuch that many both rich and noble personages of Rome, with their whole families and housholdes to their saluation, adioyned thē to the Church of Christ.

Among whom there was one Apollonius,Marginalia Appollonius Martyr. a noble man and a Senatour of Rome, mentioned in Eusebius. Lib. 5. ca. 21. who being maliciously accused vnto the Senate by one