A67922:980
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.
This blessed Blandina therefore being the last that suffered, after she had like a worthy mother given exhortations unto her children, and had sent them before as conquerors to their heavenly king, and had called to her remembrance all their battles & conflicts, so much rejoiced of her children's death, & so hastened her own, as though she had been bidden to a bridal, & not in case to be thrown to the wild beasts. After this her pitiful whipping,1 her delivery to the beasts, & her torments upon the gridiron, at the length she was put in a net, and thrown to the wild Bull, and when she had been sufficiently gored & wounded with the horns of the same beast, & felt nothing of all that chanced to her, for the great hope and consolation she had in Christ & heavenly things, was thus slain, insomuch that the very Heathen men themselves confessed that there was never woman put to death of them that suffered so much as this woman did. Neither yet was their furious cruelty thus assuaged against the Christians. For the cruel barbarous people, like wild beasts when they be moved, knew not when the time was to make an end, but invented new & sundry torments every day against our bodies. Neither yet did it content them when they had put the Christians to death,2 for that they wanted the sense of men: for which cause both the magistrate & people were vexed at the very harts that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, he that is wicked, let him be wicked still, and he that is just let him be more just. For those which in their prisons they strangled they threw after to the dogs setting keepers both day and night to watch them, that they should not be buried, and bringing forth the remnant of their bones & bodies, some half burnt, some left of the wild beasts, & some all •o be mangled, also bringing forth heads of other which were cut of, and like manner committed by them to the charge of the keepers to see them remain unburied. The Gentiles grinded & gnashed at the Christians with their teeth, seeking which way they might amplify their punishment: some other flouted and mocked them, extolling their idols, attributing unto them the cause of this cruelty and vengeance showed to us. Such which were of the meeker sort, and seemed to be moved with some pity, did hit us in the teeth, saying, where is your God, that you so much boast of: