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…

The fifth Persecution.

After Commodus reigned Pertinax, after whom succeeded Severus, under whom was raised the fifth Persecution, he reigned 18. years: in the first ten he was very favourable, after (through false accusations) he proclaimed, that no Christian should be suffered, whereupon an infinite number were slain in the year 205.¹ The crimes objected was rebellion to the Emperor, Sacrilege and murdering of Infants, incestuous pollutions, eating raw flesh, libidinous commixture, worshipping the head of an ass which wa• raised by the Jews, also for worshipping of the Sun in rising, because they used daily to sing unto the Lord, or because they used to pray towards ⟨p. 8⟩the East, but the special matter was because they would not worship Idols: these Persecutions raged in Africa, Alexandria, Cappadocia, and Carthage: the number that were slain was infinite. The first that suffered was Leonides, father of Origen, who but 17. years old desired to have suffered with his father, but that his mother in the night stole away his garments, and his shirt, yet he wrote to his father: take heed you alter not your purpose for our sakes, he was so toward in knowledge of Scripture and virtue, that his father would often in his sleep kiss his breast, thanking God that he had made him so happy a father of so happy a son: his father being dead, and his goods confiscate to the Emperor, he sustained himself, his mother and six brethren by keeping school, at length he applied himself wholly to Scripture, and profited in the Hebrew and Greek tongues, which he conferred with other translations, as that of the 70. and found out other translations of Aquila, of Symachus and Theodocian, with which he also joined 4. others: he wrote 7000. Books. the Copies whereof he used to sell for three-pence a piece to sustain his living: he had divers Scholars, as Plutarchus Serenus, his brother who was burned, and Heraclitus and Heron, which were beheaded, another Serenus which was beheaded, and Rahis and Potamiena, she was tormented with pitch poured on her, and martyred with her mother Marcella, she was executed by one Basilides, who showed her some kindness in repressing the rage of the multitude;