no bishop to excommunicate or to deale in an other Dioces. And here he expoundeth the Dioces or the Parish of any bishop or minister to be his wife.Marginalia The place of S. Paule vnfitly expounded. The wife (sayth the Apostle) is bound to the law, so long as the husbād liueth; when he is dead, she is free from the law: So (saith Calixtus) the wife of a bishop (which is his Church) so long as he liueth, is bound duely to him, neither ought to be iudged or disposed by any other man, without his will and iudgement: after his death she is free from the lawe, to marrie to whō she will, so it be in the Lord, that is, regulariter, regularly. In the end of the sayd his epistle decretall, he confuteth the error of them which hold, that they which are fallen, are not to be receiued agayne. Which heresie after the tyme of Calixtus or Calistus, came in first by Nouatus, in the dayes of Cornelius. Moreouer, in his sayd first Epistle decretall, is contayned the fast of the foure tymes, commonly called the Imber fast,Marginalia Imber fast first ordayned. whereof also Marianus Scotus, maketh mention. But Damasus speaking of the same fast, sayth, he ordayned the fast but of three tymes, which was for the encrease of corne, wyne, and oyle.

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By these hetherto premised, it is not hard for a quicke Reader to finel out the crafty iugling of that person or persons whosoeuer they were, þ^t falsly haue ascribed these decretall institutions to those holy fathers. For first, what laysure had the Christians to lay in their accusations against their bishops, when we neuer read nor finde in any story any kynde of variaunce in those dayes among them, but all loue, mutuall compassion, and harty communion among the Saintes? And as we read of no variaunce among the people in those dayes, nor of any fault or backsliding among the Bishops, who for the most part then died all constant Martirs: so neither do we read of any tribunall seat or Consistorie vsed or frequented then about any such matters. Agayne, if a man examine well the dangers of those busie days, he shall see the poore flocke of the christians, so occupied and piteously oppressed by the cruell accusations of the Heathen Infidels, that thought the cause did, yet the tyme would not serue them to commense any law against their bishops. Secōdly, as touching their conspiracie against bishops, what conspiracie either would they then practise agaynst them, which always gaue their liues for their defence? Or how could they then conspire in any cōpanies together, when neuer a true thristian man durst once put his head out of his dores, neither was there in the church any Christian man in those perilous dayes, except he were a true man in deed, such as was farre from all false conspiracies? And when as all the world almost in all places conspired agaynst them: What tyme, what cause, or what hart trow ye could they haue to cōspire against their instructors? Thirdly, concerning the confutation of that heresie, how standeth the confutation with the tyme of Calistus, whē Nouatus the author of that heresie was after him in the tyme of Cornelius? Fourthly, if by the lawe of Calixtus, euery Dioces be the proper wife of euery bishop or minister, then how many bishops wiues, and persons wiues hath the adulterous Pope of Rome defloured in these latter dayes of the Church, which so proudly and impudentlly hath intermedled and taken his pleasure & his owne profit in euery Dioces and Parish almost through all Christendome, without all leaue and licence of the good man, who hath bene in the meane tyme, & yet is compelled stil, where so euer the Popes holines commeth, Vigilante sternere naso  

, and to giue him leue vnasked, to do what he list.Marginalia Agaynst the decretall Epistles and constitutions. Wherefore if this Canon decretall be truly his, why is it not obserued, so as it doth stand without exceptiō? If it bee not, why is it then falsly forged vpon him, and the Church of Christ deceaued? And certes, lamentable it is, that this falsifiyng of such trifling traditions vnder the false pretēce of antiquitie, either was begon in the Church, to deceaue the people: or that it hath remayned so long vndetected. For as I thinke, the church of Christ will neuer be perfectly reformed, before these decretall constitutions & Epistles which haue so long put on the visard of antiquitie, shalbe fully detected, and appeare in their owne colour, wherein they were first paynted.

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And yet neither do I say this, or thinke contrary, but that it may be, that bishops of Rome and of the same name haue bene the true authors of these traditions: but here cōmeth in the error (as I credibly suppose) that when other later bishops of the like name, haue deuised these ceremoniall inuentions, the vulgar opinion of men hath transferred them to the first primitiue fathers, although beyng of an other time, yet bearing the same name with the true inuentors thereof. But of Calixtus enough: who as Damasus sayth in the dayes of this Alexander Seuerus, died a Martyr. Vincentius affirmeth that he was tied to a great stone, and so out of a window was thrown into a ditch.Marginalia Calixtus a Martyr. Ex Vincen in specul Hist. Et Antonino. tit. 7. cap. 6. Eusebius spea-kyng of his death, maketh no mention of his Martyrdom, and sayth he sate v. yeares. Platina sayth vj. yeres, Sabellicus giueth him vij. yeares, and so doth Damasus.

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After Calistus folowed Vrbanus, about the yeare of our Lord 227.Marginalia Vrbanus Byshop of Rome. An. 227. whom his epistle decretall (comming out of the same forge) which he wrote in common to all bishops, making no mention of the heauy persecutions of the Church, nor ministring any exhortation of comfort or constancie to the brethren, onely geueth many straight precepts, for not transporting or alienating the goods of the Church, and to pay truly their offrings, which they vow: also to haue all common among the Clergie. Moreouer, about the ende of his epistle he instituteth the confirmation of children after BaptismeMarginalia Confirmation of children instituted. (which the Papistes bee woont to take into the number of their vij. Sacraments) affirming and denouncing more then Scripture will beare, that the imposition of the Bishops hand bringeth the holy ghost, and thereby to be made full Christiās, &c. But of these decretall epistles inough is sayd before, more may bee considered of the discrete Reader. Marianus Scotus, Sabellicus, Nauclerus, & other late story writers doe hold as is aftoresayd, that he dyed a Martyr in the dayes of Alexander Seuerus,Marginalia Vrbanus Martyred. after he had gouerned that seat, 4. yeares, as Damasus and Platina do witnes; as Marianus sayth, eight yeares.

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The same Damasus and Platina do testifie of him, that he by his preaching and holines of life cōuerted diuers Ethnikes to the fayth. Among whom were Tiburtius, and ValerianusMarginalia Tiburtius. Valerianus Martyrs. the husband of Cecilia, which both being noble men of Rome, remained constant in the fayth vnto the end and Martyrdome.

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Of this Cecilia thus it is is written in the Martyrologe by Ado,Marginalia Cecilia Martyr Ex martyrologio Adonis. that Cecilie the virgin, after she had brought Valerian her husband espoused, and Tiburtius his brother to the knowledge and fayth of Christ, and with her exhortations had made them constant vnto Martyrdome: after the suffryng of them she was also apprehended by Almachius the ruler, and brought to the Idols to do sacrifice; which thing when she abhored to do, she should be presented before the iudge to haue the condēnation of death. In the meane time the Sergeants and officers which were about her, beholdyng her comely beautie, and the prudent behauior in her conuersation, began with many persuasions of wordes to sollicite her mynd, to fauour her selfe, and that so excellent beautie, and not to cast her selfe away, &c. But she agayne so replied to them with reasons & godly exhortations, that by the grace of almighty God their hartes began to kindle and at length to yeld to that Religion, which before they did persecute. Which thing she perceauing, desired of the iudge Almachius a litle respite. Which beyng graunted, she sendeth for Vrbanus the Bishop home to her house, to stablish and ground them in the fayth of Christ. And so were they, with diuers other at the same tyme Baptised, both men & women, to the number (as the story sayth) of 400. persons, among whome was one Gordianus a noble man. This done, this blessed Martyr was brought before the iudge, where she was condemned: then after was brought to the house of the Iudge,Marginalia The Martyrdome of Cecilia. where she was enclosed in a whote bath; but she remayning there a whole day & night without any hurt, as in a cold place, was brought out again, and cōmaundement giuen that in the bath she should be beheaded. The executor is said to haue foure strokes at her necke, & yet her head beyng cut off, she (as the story geueth) liued three days after. And so died this holy Virgine martyr, whose body in the night season Vrbanus the bishop tooke and buried among the other Bishops. Ado the compiler of this Martyrologe addeth that this was done in þ^e tyme of Marcus Aurelius, and Commodus. But that cannot be, for so much as Vrbanus by all histories, was long after those Emperors, and liued in the dayes of this Alexander as is aboue declared. Antoninus, Bergomēsis, Equilinus with such other writers, set forth this history with many strāge miracles, wrought by the said Cecilia, in conuerting her husband Valerianus, and his brother, in shewyng them the Angell which was the keeper of her virginitie, and of the Angell putting on crowns vpon their heads. But as touching these miracles, as I do not dispute whether they be true or fabulous: so because they haue no ground vpon any ancient or graue authors, but taken out of certain new Legends, I do therfore referre them thether from whence they came.

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Vnder the same Alexander diuers other there be whom Bergomensis mentioned to haue suffred martyrdom, as one AgapitusMarginalia Agapitus a blessed Martyr. Ex Bergomense. Lib. 8. of the age of xv. yeares, who beyng apprehended and condemned at Preneste in Italy, because he would not sacrifice to Idoles, was assayled with sundry tormentes: first with whips scourged, then hanged vp by the feete, after hauing hote water poured vpon him, at last cast to the

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