to Rome, vnder pretence to make an end of certain cōtrouersies then in hand. This done, he caused the same, whether by making them dronke, or by other craftye counsell, to lay theyr handes vpon him, and to make him Bisop, & so did. Wherefore the one of those three Byshops hardly was receiued to the communion, by the great intercession of his people: the other two by discipline of þ^e church, were displaced from their Byshoprickes, & other possessed with their roomes. Thus then were there two Byshops together in one church of Rome, Nouatus and Cornelius, which was vnsemely, & contrary to the discipline of the Church. MarginaliaThe meaning of Cyprian opened, writing of one Bishop onely to gouerne in a Catholicke church falsely wrasted of the Papistes for the Papacy. Ex Euseb. Lib. 6. cap. 43. And hereupon riseth the true cause and meaning of S. Cyprian, writing in his Epistles so much of one Byshop, and of the vnity to be kept in Ecclesiasticall regimēt, as appeareth, Lib. 4. Epist. 2. De simplicit. prælat. item. Lib 3. Epist. 11. &c. And in like sort writeth also Cornelius himselfe of one Byshop, saying: Itaq; vindex ille Euangelij ignorauit vnum esse debere Episcopū in Catholica Ecclesia &c.  

That is, He knew not that there ought to be one Byshoppe in a Catholicke Church. &c. This by the way, not out of the way I trust, I haue touched briefly, to detect or refute the cauiling wrastling of the Papistes, which falsely apply these places of Cyprian and Cornelius to mainetayne the Popes supreme maistershippe alone, ouer the whole vniuersall Church of Christ in all places. Whē their meaning is otherwise, how that euery one Catholicke Church or dioces ought to haue one Byshop ouer it, not that the whole world ought to be subiect to the dominion of him onely that is Byshop of Rome. Now to the story againe. Nouatus beyng thus Bishop tooke not a little vpon him, goyng about by all meanes to defeat Cornelius, and to allure the people from him. Insomuch that (as in the foresayd book of Eusebius appeareth) whē Nouatus came to the distributing of the offrings, and should geue euery man his part, he cōpelled the simple persōs euery man to sweare, before they should receiue of the benediction, & of the collectes or oblations, holding both their handes in his, & holding them so long, speaking these wordes vnto them, (Sweare to me by the body and bloud of our Lord Iesu Christ, that thou wilt not leaue me and goe to Cornelius,) till that they swearing vnto him, in stead of Amē (to be sayd at þ^e receauing of the *Marginalia* Note here the Sacrament of the body to be called bread. bread, should aunswere, I will not returne to Cornelius, &c. Where note by the way, that the Latine booke of Christofersons tanslation, in this place, craftely leaueth out the name of bread. This story being written in Eusebius, also contained in Nicephorus, although not in the same order of wordes, yet in effect drawne out of him,MarginaliaEuseb. lib. 6. Cap. 43. Nicepho. lib. 8. ca. 3. The latine translatiō of Eusebius corrupted by Christofersō Lib. 6. ca. 43. doth declare in playne wordes in both the Authors (who so will marke the same) that the sacrament of the bodye of Christ, is termed with the playne name of bread, after the consecration.

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It followeth more in the story, that Maximus, Vrbanus, Sydonius, and Celerinus before mentioned,MarginaliaMaximus, Vrbanus, Sidonius, Celerinus, confessors. perceiuing at length the crafty dissimulation and arrogancy, of Nouatus, left him, and with great repentance returned agayne to the Church, & were reconciled to Cornelius, as they thēselues writing to Cyprian, and Cyprian likewise writing to them an Epistle gratulatory doth declare. Lib 3. Epist. 3.MarginaliaEx. Cypr. Lib. 3. Epist. 3. & Cornelius also in his Epistle to Fab⁹ witnesseth the same. In this Epistle the sayd Cornelius moreouer writeth of one Moses a worthy Martyr,MarginaliaMoses, Martyr. which once being a follower also of Nouatus, after perceiuing his wickednesse forsooke him, and did excommunicate him. Of him Cyprian also maketh mention, & calleth him a blessed confessour. Lib. 2 Epi. 4. Damasus in his pontificall sayth, that he was apprehended with Maximus and Nicostratus aboue mentioned, & was put with them in prison, where he ended his life. And thus much of Nouatus (agaynst whom, as Eusebius testifieth) a Synode was holdē at RomeMarginaliaA Synode at Rome. of lx. sondry Byshops in the tyme of Cornelius, and vnder the reigne of Decius an. 255.MarginaliaAn. 255. whereby it may be supposed that the heat of the persecutiō at that tyme was somewhat calmed.

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MarginaliaCornelius Byshop of Rome, and Martyr. After Fabianus (or as Zonaras calleth him Flauianus) next succeeded into the bishoprick of Rome Cornelius, whō Cyprian noteth to be a worthy Byshop, and for his great vertue & maydenlye continency much commēdable; chosen to that roome, not so much of his owne consent, as of þ^e full greement both of the Clergy men, and also of the people.MarginaliaByshops were chosen then not without the voice of the people. Hierome addeth also that he was a man of great eloquēce, wherby it may appeare those two Epistles decretal, which go in his name not to be his, both for the rudenes of the barbarous and grose stile, and also for the matter therin conteined, nothing tasting of that tyme, nor of that age nor doings then of the Church.MarginaliaA censure of the decretall Epistles of Cornelius. Wherof in the first he writeth to all ministers & brethren of the Church, concerning the lifting vp of the bodyes & bones of Peter & Paule, De cathecumbis, and transposed to Vaticanum, at the instance of a certayne dououte woman named Lucina, hauing nogreat argumēt or cause to write therof vnto the churches, but onely that he in that letter doth desire thē to pray vnto the Lord, that through the intercession of those Apostolicall Sayntes, their sinnes might be forgeuen them. &c. In the second Epistle writing to Ruffus a Byshop of the East Church, he decreeth and ordaineth that no oth ought to be required or exacted of any head or chiefe Byshop, for any cause, or by any power. Also that no cause of Priestes or Ministers ought to be handled in any straunge or forreine Court, without his precinct, except onely in the Court of Rome by appellation; wherby who seeth not the trayn of our latter Byshops, going about craftely to aduaunce the dignity of the Court of Rome, vnder and by the prtenced title of Cornelius, and of such auncient Byshops. If Cornelius did write any Epistles to any in deede in those so turbulent times of persecution, no doubt but some signification thereof he would haue touched in the sayd his letters, either in ministring consolation to his brethrē, or in requiring consolation and prayers of others. Neither is there any doubt, but he would haue geuē some touch also of the matter of Nouatus, with whom he had so much to do, as in deed he did: for so we finde it recorded both in Eusebius, and in Hierome that he wrote vnto Fabius Byshop of Antioche, of the decreementes of the counsell of Rome, and an other letter of the maner of the Counsell: the third also of the cause of Nouatus, and agayne of the repentaunce of such as fell, wherof there is no word touched at all in these foresayd Epistles decretall.

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MarginaliaThe constancie of Cornelius in hys tryall. What trouble this Cornelius had with Nouatus, sufficiently is before signified. In this persecution of Decius, he demeaned himselfe very constantly and faythfully, whiche sustayned great conflictes with the aduersaries, as S. Cyprian geueth winesse, Lib. 1. Epist. 1.MarginaliaCyprian. Lib. 1. Epist. 1. Hierome testifieth that he remayned Byshop after the death of Decius, to the tyme of Gallus, and so appeareth also by S. Cyprian, which hath these wordes: Et tyrannum armis & bello postmodum victum, prio sacerdotio suo vicit. But Damasus and Sabellicus, his folowers, affirm that he was both exiled & also martired vnder the tyrannous reigne of Decius. Of whom Sabellicus writeth this story, taken out (as it seemeth) of Damasus, and sayth: that Cornelius by the commaūdement of Decius, was banished a towne called Centumcellas, bordering in Hetruria, from whence he sent letters to Cyprian Byshop of Carthage, and Cyprian agayne to him.MarginaliaCornelius accused for writing letters to Cyprian. This comming to the eares of Decius the Emperour, he sendeth for Cornelius, asking him: how he durst be so bolde to shew suche stubbernes, that he neither caring for the Gods, nor fearing the displeasure of his Princes, durst, agaynst the cōmon wealth, geue and receiue letters from other. To whom Cornelius answering agayne, thus purged himselfe, declaring to the Emperour, that letters in deede he had written and receiued agayne concerning the prayses & honoring of Christ, & of saluation of soules, but nothing as touching any matter of the common wealth. And it foloweth in the storye: Then Decius moued with anger commaunded him to be beaten with plumbattesMarginaliaPlumbatis cædi. (which is sayth Sabellicus a kinde of scourging) and so to be brought to the temple of Mars: either there to do sacrifice, or to suffer the extremitye. But he rather willing to dye, then to committe such iniquity, prepared himselfe to Martyredome, beyng sure that he should dye. And so commending the charge of the Churche vnto Stephanus his Archdeacon, was brought to the way of Appius, where he ended his life in faythfull Martyrdome.MarginaliaCornelius, Martyred. Eusebius in one place sayth, that he sat ij. yeares, in an other place sayth, that he sat three yeares, and so doth Marianus Scotus, following also the diuersity of the sayd Eusebius. Damasus geueth him onely two yeares.

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In this foresayde persecution of Decius, it seemeth by some writers also that Cyprian was banished; but I suppose rather his banishment to be referred to the reigne of Gallus next Emperour after Decius, whereof more shall be sayd, (Christ willing) in this place hereafter. In the mean time the sayd Cyprian in his second booke, Epist 5. & 6. maketh mention of two that suffered either in the time of this Decius, or much about the same time. MarginaliaAurelius, Martyr. Of whom one was Aurelius a worthy and valiant yong man, who was twise in tormentes for his confession, which he neuer denied, but manfully and boldely withstood the aduersary, till he was banished, and also after. And therefore was commended of Cyprian to certayne brethren, to haue him for their lectorer, as in the forenamed Epistle of Cyprian appeareth. The other was name Mappalicus,MarginaliaMappalicus, Martyr. who the day before he suffered, declaring to the Proconsul, in the midst of his tormentes, & saying: Videbis cras agonem: that is, to morrow you shall see the running for a wager. &c. was brought forth according as be forespake, to Martyrdome, and there with no lesse constancie then patience did suffer.

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