A07225:248
Christs victory over Satan's tyranny Wherein is contained a catalogue of all Christs faithful…Christs victorie ouer Sathans tyrannie Wherin is contained a catalogue of all Christs faithfull…
Christs victory over Satan's tyranny Wherein is contained a catalogue of all Christs faithful soldiers that the Devil either by his grand captains the emperors, or by his most dearly beloved sons and heirs the popes, have most cruelly martyred for the truth. With all the poisoned doctrines wherewith that great read dragon hath made drunken the kings and inhabitants of the earth; with the confutations of them together with all his traitorous practises and designs, against all Christian princes to this day, especially against our late Queen Elizabeth of famous memory, and our most religious Sovereign Lord King James. Faithfully abstracted out of the Book of martyrs, and divers other books. By Thomas Mason preacher of Gods Word.Christs victorie ouer Sathans tyrannie Wherin is contained a catalogue of all Christs faithfull souldiers that the Diuell either by his grand captaines the emperours, or by his most deerly beloued sonnes and heyres the popes, haue most cruelly martyred for the truth. With all the poysoned doctrins wherewith that great redde dragon hath made drunken the kings and inhabitants of the earth; with the confutations of them together with all his trayterous practises and designes, against all Christian princes to this day, especially against our late Queen Elizabeth of famous memorie, and our most religious Soueraigne Lord King Iames. Faithfully abstracted out of the Book of martyrs, and diuers other books. By Thomas Mason preacher of Gods Word.
London: printed by George Eld and Ralph Blower, 1615
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The foresaid Ethelfrid King of Northumberland, after the cruel murder of the Monks at Bangor, was not long after slain in the Field of Edwin, who succeeded him in his Kingdom. First this Ethelfride envying this Edwin, persecuted him, who having fled from him, as he sat in his Study a Stranger appeared unto him and said; I know thy thought and heaviness, what wouldst thou give him that should deliver thee out of this fear, and make thee a mightier King then any of thy Predecessors, and show thee a better way of life then ever was showed to any of thy Ancestors? wilt thou obey him and do after his counsel? yea, said Edwin, promising with all his heart so to do, and the stranger laying his hand on his head, he said; when this is come to pass remember thy tribulation, and the promise which thou hast made, and with that he vanished away. Presently a Friend of his came to him, and said, the heart of King Redwaldus is with thee. This Redwaldus suddenly assembled an Host, wherewith he suddenly gave Ethelfride battle, and slew him, whereby Edwin was quietly King of Northumberland. He married the Daughter of Ethelbert King of Kent, Edwin yet remained a Pagan, albeit his Queen a Christian, and Paulinus the Bishop ceased not to persuade him to the Christian Faith. When Paulinus saw the King so hard to be converted, ⟨p. 25⟩he prayed to God for his conversion, who revealer unto him the Vision before mentioned; whereupon Paulinus coming to the King, he lay his hand• on the Kings head, and asked if he knew that token; the King bearing the Vision, and remembering the token, would have fallen at his f•ete, but suffered him not, saying; O King, you have vanquished your enemies and obtained your Kingdom, now receive the Faith of Christ, as you promised, whereupon the King was baptized of Paulinus at York▪ with many of his servants, and his Idolatrous Priests, which by their old Law mustride but upon Mar•s, ga•e upon Horses, and rode and destroyed all the Altars of their Idols, and their Idols Temple. After this conversion, was so great peace in the Kingdom o• Edwin, that a woman, laden with gold, might go safe from the one side of the Sea unto the other, and by all his high ways he chained a Bowl of brass at every Fountain, for passengers to refresh themselves with, and no man took them away during his life.