A67922:1102
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.
Among the rest that were taken, there was a certain virgin well stricken in years, named Apollonia, whom they brought forth, & dashing out all her teeth out of her jaws, made a great fire before the city, threatening to cast her into the same, unless she would blaspheme with them and deny Christ. Whereat she staying a little with herself, as one that would take a pause, suddenly leaped into the midst of the fire, and there was burned.
Among the rest that were taken, there was a certayne virgin wel striken in yeres, named Apollonia, whome they brought forth, & dashing out all her teeth out of her iawes, made a great fire before the citie, threatning to cast her into the same, vnlesse she would blaspheme with them and deny Christ. Whereat she staying a litle with herselfe, as one that would take a pause, sodenly leaped into the midst of the fire, and there was burned.
There was one also Serapion, whom they took in his own house, and after they had assailed him with sundry kinds of torments,1 and had broken almost all the joints of his body, they cast him down from an upper lost, & so did he complete his Martyrdom. Thus was there no way neither privy nor public, nor corner nor alley left for us, neither by day nor by night to escape, all the people making an outcry against us, that unless we uttered words of blasphemy, we should be drawn to the fire & burned. And this outrageous tumult endured a certain space, but at length as the Lord would,2 the miserable wretches fell at dissension among themselves, which turned the cruelty they exercised against us, upon their own heads. And so had we a little breathing time for a season, while the fury of the Heathen people by this occasion assuaged.
There was one also Serapion, whom they tooke in his owne house, and after they had assayled him with sundrye kyndes of torments,1