A67922:1332
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.
The rest that followeth of this story in the narration of Bede, 1as of drying up the River, as Alban went to the place of his execution: then of making a wellspring in the top of the hill, and of the falling out of the eyes of him that did behead him (with such other prodigious miracles mentioned in his story) because they seem more legendlike, then truthlike: again, because I see no great profit, nor necessity in the relation thereof, I leave them to the free judgement of the Reader, to think of them, as cause shall move him.
The rest that foloweth of this story in the narration of Bede, 1as of drying vp the Riuer, as Alban went to the place of his execution: then of making a welspring in the top of the hill, and of the falling out of the eyes of him that did behead him (with such other prodigious miracles mētioned in his story) because they seeme more legēdlike, then truthlike: againe, because I see no great profit, nor necessitie in the relation thereof, I leaue them to the free iudgement of the Reader, to thinke of them, as cause shall moue him.
- 1Superfluous miracles in this story written by Bede omitted.
The like estimation I have of the long story,1 wherein is written at large a fabulous discourse of all the doings & miracles of S. Alban, taken out of the Library of S. Albans, compiled (as there is said) by a certain Pagan, who (as he saith) afterward went to Rome, there to be Baptised. But because in the beginning or Prologue of the Book, the said writer maketh mention of the ruinous walls of the town of Verolamium, containing the story of Albanus, and of his bitter punishments: which walls were then falling down for age, at the writing of the said book, as he saith: Thereby it seemeth this story to be written a great while after the martyrdom of Alban either by a Britain, or by an English man. If he were a Britain, how then did the Latin translation take it out of the English tongue, as in the Prologue he him self doeth testify. If he were an Englishman, how then did he go up to Rome for baptism, being a Pagan, when he might have been baptised among the Christian Britons more near at home.