A Metrical History of Christianity

And landing there, Thrace welcometh my shrine
With her bright Glory, in Scutchons Choice Divine
Hung at Constantinople out to shine
With Grace most cleare

Chrysostoms Golden Tongue here flowres which Drops
Myrrh on the Wounded Soule: but off it lops
The branch of Sin in Low or High by Chops
Of Keen Reproofe

The gist of Healing did inrich him and
He also had a Peace procuring hand
Did Pulpets cleare of Drones and vile ones fand
Chaff off a loofe.

And thus his faithfulness in Christ Choice Cause
The Envy of Vile Courtiers and such draws
Upon him, and they get him in their Claws
And him Excile

Arsatius fourscore years old dottish him
Succeeds and then doth Atticus step in
And then facetes Sisinnus up they bring
One free from guile.

Maximian, Proclus, Flavianus then
Who was eject and murderd by base men
Natalius who deserves not much with them
That worthy are

Gennadius then whose piety out brake
And after him Acacius did Create
Much trouble, did the Holy Office take,
And bore his share.

Then by a juggle Phranitas in Came
Euphemius after him of better fame
Who brookt not Peter Knave, nor with the Same
Communion held

Yet banisht was. Here in this town arose
That famous Socrates who to us shows
In his bright history was a sweet Rose
How he excelld

Constantinoples Elders too do shine
As well as such as held the Bishops line
Philip Theophilus Abra'm in fine
With Menas there

These Deacons also famous in it sprang
Serapion, Germanus, Cassian
Demetrius and Etius a Choice man
And Marcian Deare

Eutropius bishop was at Byzes and
At Cela, Cyrill: also up now stand
Lucian, Romanus also rose and damn'd
Vile Eutyches.

Francian, Cyricas, and So*imase
Dorothy and Diogenes have place
With many more Choice Ministers in Thrace
That Christ did please

Now Macedonia's adornd also
With this bright shine which from such stars doth flow
Rufus, Geronce, Sophone and Flavian too
Prosdotius

Oresteus, Macedonius and more
Choice Pastors of their Churches that out bore
The means of saving Grace, Topiris wore
Eusebius

Rufus did shine at Thessalonica
And Anastasius and now they say
At Theba Dion did Christs grace display
There also rose

At Crinth Perigrine, also there shone
At Opus, Argi, Naupactus its known
And at Megara and such towns men grown
That Grace disclose

Glycerius in Dalmatia rose a Light
High Germany Christs gracious Beams did smite
Severus and Solennis taught them t'plight
The Faith with Christ

But in Bavaria and Austria
The Prophet Severinus did make Day
A man of God in truth, yea ery way
Did truth up highst

Lucillus did at Fabiana grace
Distill and Laureatum was the place
Constantius preached Christ and did imbrace
Them there with truth

Paulinus was now Tiburina's star
And Maximus Juvavium lighted far
And yet it fell to him to fall by th'War
As Hist'ry shewth.

100

In Italy I come and fain would pick
Some Roses here to straw my porch with thick
But feare they grew of bryery stem tha't prick
This makes me fear.

But finding yet they still some sweetness give
I some shall glean up hence that here did live
Although their Leaves were ribd with spots, the shive
Went with their Teere

At Rome these Bishop't it with all their might
As Anastasius who made all up right
Stand at the reading of the Gospell Light
Then Innocent

Then Zosimus that for Romes Headship rose
The Nicen Counsill hence with forg'ry showes
But is opposed to his very nose
And so beshent

Him Boniface succeeds and took his track
Celestine after him: upon whose back
Came Xystus. Leo then who had the knack
To plead for Rome

Then Hilery came in, Simplicius, and
Felix the third, Gelasius then did stand
For Rome's suprimacy, a tower on sand
Yet thus did bloome

Brave Sedulus the Scot did sparkling shine
In Italy Devonut about this time
Peter Illyricus, Nola's Pauline
Did Light display

At Benevent Emylius was a star
And Dorus, but Hesychius did spar
Salona with Gods word, and did debar
The darksom way

Ticenum did injoy the golden Rayes
Which Crispin, Epiphanius, and such blaze
Withall and now Hostinus wore the bayes
Potentia brings.

Nuceria is begrac'd with Felix Choice
Florence is Fed with good Zenobius voice
And Gregory makes Mutina now rejoyce
With Gospell things

Bononia is by Petronius fed
And Felix too, Ravenna also had
Choice Peter and one John who struck the Head
Rome, of thy pride

Millain did flourish under Ven'rius
Laurence and Eusby But Avitus
Picentia's glory was. Philastrius
Was Brixia's guide

101

Learnd Maxima did at Taurinum shine
At Aquileia Julian the Divine
Nicetas too. Septimius at Altine
Christs flock did tend

Vigilius did send forth his learned rayes
Of Piety at Trent had th'martyre's bayes
And many did here obtain Choice praise
Unto their End.

From Italy I pass to Pass ore France
To pick some pinks up hence, that did advance
The glory of Christs Garden in't whose glance
Doth take my pens

Marselles first such Flowers presents as these
Greek Honorate, Musaeus fruitefull trees
Gennadya, Salvian and Cassian brieze
As gospell Gems

Now Lions baths herselfe all in those shines
Bucherius, Patience, Rusticus Divines
Of fame: Euphronius too whose pious shrines
Wore stamps of Grace

Vienna Claudian Mamert's rich pains
Isitius and Salonius men of fame
Wond'rous Severus and Patroclus gaines
And gains apace

Arles flowrishes with these sweet Roses bright
Heros and Hilary whose Zeale did smite
Romes arrogancy and Ravennus tite
And here about

Shone Rusticus and Vincent Lirinence
At Aquitan Prosper did grace dispense
At Troys Choice Lupus and Hymerius fence
The Gospell stoute

At Burdiaux Delphinus mans, Christs Light
Simplicius too at Vason shone out bright
The noble Pontellus whose beams did fright
The night away.

And at Avern now brave Sidonias were
One that despensd Christs truth whose life shone cleare
To gender love in human hearts, t'endeare
To them Christs daye

At Tours bright Martin shone a man of grace
Of Pray're of Piety, Prophetick Race
A Wonder working hand in him had place
Yet fabulizd

By monkish pens darken do his shine
And after here Perpetuus the Divine
And many were held out to Christs blessed line
Eternalizde

102

At Rhemes Remigius that famous star
Frances Apostle pitcht the Gospell Bar
Into Clodovi's heart the King and far
It did shine here

At Antisiodor Amator rose
Germanus there the Gospell did disclose
The Tungers had Servatius (as't goes
Three hundred year)

At Laudun Genebaud, and Bassian
And many Others in these quarters sprang
Sulpitius now arose and lay'd the man
Here in these parts

At Tarracon in Spain Ascanius shone
At Barcilon was Nundinarius known
Orosius now did flowrish: Turbius grown
Doth shoot Christs darts

We'l wade the Narrow Seas to England ore
And here in London shone in brightsome glore
Fastidius, Voadine and many more
Palladius

Chrysostom's scholar who here fought Christs fight
Patrick, also Irelands Apostle bright
Who went and filld that ile with gospell Light
Its stori'd thus

Here Ninian and Bacciarius brave
Servanus, Kentigern and Tervan strave
With Godelbert, Christs glorious Truth to have
Men to embrace

That they the saving fruits thereof might finde
Evangelizingly fixt in their minde
And not to let a ---igning sin behinde
Keep in them place.

These were some Organs of those glorious Beames
That Grace did scatter in her shining gleams
Ore all the World more Choice than golden streames
Our souls to save

That in these Rayes we might attracted rise
In Soule above the Pavement of the Skies
Unto the Palace of Eternall joyes
In blissfull Waves.

University of Virginia Library

Europe's Shine