A67922:1083
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol.…Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol.…
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol. 1] with an universal history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitive age to these latter times of ours, with the bloody times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions against the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperors, as now lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realm of England and Scotland. Newly revised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time again published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the help of Christ our Lord) John Fox, which desireth thee good reader to help him with thy prayer.Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.
London: printed by John Daye, 1583London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1583
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.
To this Fabianus wrote Origine De orthodoxia suae fidei, that is, of the rightness of his faith. Whereby is to be understood,1 that he continued to the time of Decius, some say also to the time of Gallus. Of this Origene partly mention is touched before, declaring how bold and fervent he was in the days of Severus, in assisting, comforting, exhorting and killing the Martyrs that were imprisoned & suffered for the name of Christ, with such danger of his own life, that had not been the singular protection of God, he had been stoned to death many times of the Heathen multitude. Such great concourse of men and women was daily to his house to be catechised & instructed in the christian faith by him, that soldiers were hired of purpose to defend the place where he taught them. Again, such search sometimes was set for him, that uneath any shifting of place or country could cover him. In those laborious travails and affairs of the Church, in teaching, writing, confuting, exhorting, and expounding, he continued about the space of 52. years, unto the time of Decius and Gallus. Divers and great persecutions he sustained,2 but specially under Decius, as testifieth Eusebius in his sixth book, declaring, that for the doctrine of Christ he sustained bands and torments in his body, rackings with bars of iron, dungeons, besides terrible threats of death and burning. All this he suffered in the persecution of Decius, as Eusebius recordeth of him, and maketh no relation of any further matter. But Suidas and Nicephorus following the same, saith further concerning him,3 that the said Origene, after divers and sundry other torments, which he manfully and constantly suffered for Christ, at length was brought to an altar where a foul filthy Ethiop was appointed to be, and there this option or choice was offered unto him, whether he would sacrifice to the idol, or to have his body polluted with that foul and ugly Ethiop. Then Origene (saith he) who with a Philosophical mind,4 ever kept his chastity undefiled, much abhorring y• filthy villainy to be done to his body, condescended to their request. Whereupon, the judge putting incense in his hand, caused him to set it to the fire upon the altar. For the which impiety, he afterward was excommunicated of the Church.