A67922:1280
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.
1In the beginning of this persecution, you heard how Diocletian being made Emperor, took to him Maximinian. Also how these two governing as Emperors together, chose other two Caesars under them, to wit, Galerius Maximinus & Constantius the father of Constantine the […]. Thus then Diocletian reigning with Maximinian, in the 19. year of his reign, began his furious persecution against the christians, whose reign after the same continued not long. For so it pleased God to put such a snaffle in the tyrants mouth, that within two years after, he caused both him and Maximinian (for what cause he knoweth) to give over his Imperial function▪ and so to remain not as emperors any more, but as private persons: So that they being now displaced and dispossessed, the Imperial dominion remained with Constantius & Galerius Maximinus, which two divided the whole Monarchy between them: so that Maximinus should govern the East countries, & Constantius the west parts. But Constantius as a modest Prince, only contented with the Imperial title, refused Italy and Aphrike, contenting himself only with France, Spain, and Britain. Wherefore Galerius Maximinus chose to him his two sons Maximinus and Severus. Likewise Constantius took Constantinus his son, Caesar under him. In the mean time,2 while Maximinus with his two Caesars were in Asia, the Romaine soldiers set up for their emperor Maxentius the son of Maximinian, who had before deposed himself. Against whom Maximinus the Emperor of the East, sent his son Severus, which Severus was slain in the same voyage of Maxentius. In whose place then Maximinus took Licinius. And these were the Emperors and Caesars, which succeeding after Diocletian, and Maximinian, prosecuted the rest of that persecution, which Diocletian and Maximinian before begun,3 during near the space of seven or viij. years, which was to the year of our Lord, 318. Save only that Constantius with his son Constantinus, 4was no great doer therein, but rather a maintainer and a supporter of the Christians. Which Constantius surnamed Chlorus for his paleness, was the son of Eutropius, a man of great nobility of the Romaine union, as Loetus affirmeth. He came of the line of Aeneas and Claudia, the daughter of Claudius Augustus.