University of Virginia Library

3. Patience Exercised under Persecutions and Cruelties.

Patience still is not halfe run out of breath
But holdeth Justices hands while griefs or Death
By Persecution doth great havock make
Among Christs Flocks and for Christs pretious sake,
For though the Halter tamed hath the Curs
Or Pinsons Cured have their tooth ach urrs
Or Curbs do cramp their jawes in some degree
From worrying Christs lambs: yet still wee see
Some Curst Curs snatch and worry too and loe
The Horned Rams now of the Flocks do goe
Together by the Ears with fury greate
Untill their horns fly off, or necks do breake.

1.

Theophilus, the Alexandrian B
Throwing the learned Pall of his rich see
Against Anthropomorphites who out swarm
Like bees whose hive is hubd and make a Charm
They'l sting him dead if's bells don't backward ring
His metall to their bullet moulds runs in.
And now his tinder's fired with their spark
He calls a Synod and aloud doth bark
At Origen whom to the fire they call
Because he is th'Anthropomorphites maul.
He brings old Epiphane (a better man)
To sink old Origen in his deep damn,
And by his juggles too doth him ingage
Against Chrysostom till his spirits rage
Chrysostom now (though a choice man indeed)
Is Carrion to their Envie it to feed.
Theophilus of Alexandria
Strives might and main to break his back they say
Because he did into Communion
Admit Dioscorus, and th'Monks styld Long
Who unto him from Egypt to complain
Against Theophilus his Carriage came
Wherefore to cloake his malice o're compleate
This good old Cypriot doth basely cheate
Into a fret against this shining Light
Hence having Origen condemnd doth write
To him to cease to reade his books at all:
This not attended, blisters fret his gall.
Hence Epiphane in heated hast doth trudge
Unto Constantinople in a grudge,
Calls an assembly, dubs a Deacon, and
Juggles about till Origen is Damn'd
Under this great and holie Worthies nose
Whose Caution bad him have a care lest those
He did thus grieve rose not about his ears
And now in Chafes he hasts away with fears,
On John the Courtiers now like mastives fall
Whose grave reproofes they entertain with gall
Eutropius the Chamberlain that makes
The Altar screen his sin, he Checks, this Rakes
Their Spleenishness, they bark at him like currs
And now he feels their feathers all wave spurs.
Gainas the Gottish Captain fumes, who could
Not gain his Arians Church room, as he would:
Oh! wretch forsworn. Eudoxia too, the queen,
Doth whet her Edge against him very keen
For feeling of his close reproofe she frets
The Emperour upon his back she sets.
He calls a Synod of Johns Enemies
Who finde no Crimes but burden him with lies
But let Chrysostom at the bar play th'man,
Theophilus and's sociates do him damn,
He's banisht too: Romes Innocent doth Chide
The Emperour for's act: the folke beside
Do tumult: John hence is calld home again
And settled in his Charge to preach Christs name
The sun shall lose his Light before John shall
Thus have his mouth bemuzzld, cry they all
But yet alass he is not long at ease
Eudoxia's silver shrine did him displease
Which raised were before saint Sophia's Church
And stage playes acted at it; that his birch
Did firk them for it. Now the Emperess
Accounts herselfe revild: which to redress
His saucy tongue that thus ore run its bancks
Herodias doth fret a fresh, she stamps
A fresh: a fresh she danceth, and for this
She seeks a fresh Johns head brought in a dish.
A Synod calls which damn him cause he took
After deposd his Cure without their book.
Although their ground they stood on groundless shines
He was restault by sixty five Divines
Hence he again is banisht: and so dies.
His pious flock now weeping out their eyes
Withdraw Communion and elsewhere meet
To worship Christ and bow before his feet.
Hence Innocent of Romes intreatings by
Five Bishops and two Priests Johns Case might ly
Before an Equall Synod to be scan'd
Being neglected by Arcadius' hand
Taking not heed of this Apostles plush
He claps his burning Thunderbolt out thus
Upon Arcadius' imperiall Dress
And on Eudoxia too the Emperess
On Atticus Constantinoples B
And on Theophilus who held the see
Of Alexandria, all whom (as spakes
One Sozomen) he Excommunicates
Strang thing indeed but let it Cockhorse ride
As a soure Belch-up-hubd of Ant'christs pride.

2

Under Arcadius whose reign appears
After Christs birth about four hundred years
When Holy Chrysostom in exile went
God on Constantinople-City sent,
A dismall fire burning a Temple down
And Curious Wealthy work of Court and town
This darkning blot stuck on his jacket bright
His pagan Captain reckens it the spite
Of John Chrysostoms Friends, who in a rage
Had thus avengde his Exile. Hence engage
He doth against them, taketh Tygrius
Their godly minister, and tares him thus
With Scourges over all his body sore
Doth binde and rack him dreadfully more o're
Untill his joynts and limbs disjoynted are
Nicephorus his story doth declare.
Eutropius the Lecturer's out ta'ne
Adjudged another raiser of this flame
His body's rackt, beaten with Clubs and lashes,
Bones broke with mauls, his limbs are cut with gashes
His sides and Cheeks are furrowed with Claws
His neather parts bunt till all parcht (What cause?)
And thus cast into prison where he lies,
(Though a young tender branch) untill he dies.
Sisinnius Martyrius also
With Alexander, godly Greeks do goe
For France and study learning to obtain
Under the famous Ambrose of Millain
From whom they pass to Trent and ordain'd are
By their Vigilius Christ to declare.
And in the Vally of Anonia
Now Hanault they a Church Collect, and stay
Untill the people do for fruitfullness
To Saturn sacrifice. Oh wickedness.
Which when these Worthies bright would not attend
These barb'rous Clowns their fury on them spend.
They scourge them grievously, then breake the Head
With a brass trumpet of Silonius, shed
His pious blood then with an hatchet do
Then with the Hatchet hack Martyrius too,
On Stakes do fix him and him have away
Unto their idoll, but Death spoils their play.
But Alexander to inter their Dead
Doth take them on his back, but off they're had
And cast before their idoll in the fire
And Alexander's scourgd, till he expire.
While Martian holds the helm whose Crown began
Four hundred fifty years from Christ, up sprung
The Duke of Cornwall's Daughter, Vesula
When Maximus the Brittain bore great sway
In Little Brittain she Espoused to
Duke Conan, doth attempt the seas, to go
Now with eleven hundred more to him
And by a storm are cast away therein
And such of them as swome ashore were slain
By tyrants of a quite Contrary grain.
When Leo reignd whose Empire first began
Fourhundred Sixtyfour, Victorian
The richest Adeumetine Citizen
No wealthier in Affrick rose up then:
King Hunerick the Vandall sought all means
To bring him off to swim in's muddy streams
To whom he saith, Determin what thou please
In Christ my Lord and God I'm safe at ease
I'st be the worst that ere the sun did see
If I should be unkinde to him for thee.
At which the tyrant was so mad he had
Them torture him with torments mostly sad
In middst of which he being by them triede
He breathed out his Spirits upon Christ.
Now Liberatus, Bonifacius
With Servia, Rusticus and Septimus
Rogatus, Maximus of Carthage all
The Tyrant eggs, his flatteries do them call.
With promises of Glory great great Pleasures
With royall favour and all store of treasures
To stamp their plate in th'Arian mint but when
These golden baits fish not from Christ these men
He loads them then with heavy Irons hard
In darkesom Dungeon cast them, kept in ward
Yet gaining nothing: he doth use this trick
(An artist at all mischiefe) he'l them ship
In a dry hulk incargo'de with drie sheavs:
And out doth sayle and fires it in the seas.
Yet all in vain: Fire won't their down bed burn
Though many a time he lights it, it dies (strange turn)
Then out he takes them as out of his Cage
And dashes out their brains in hellish rage.
When Crescus Captain of the Vandalls made
France feel his heavy hand and did envade
Langress, the bishop Desiderius
From off the Wall entreated him not to crush
But spare Christs Flock and thence he did repare
Into the Temple where in earnest pray're
To Christ they tooke him and tooke off his head
Thus with his blood they dide their garments red.
Antidius the Bishop doth at Tours
Stick close to Christ while that these hellish powers
Do wound his face and loade his back with wounds
All ore and off his head tooke. Oh harsh sounds.
Now while such dirty startups worne beare sway
And Hellish spawns in velvet lead the way
And Justice blacks away as strangled by
Convulsion fits Twisting her joynts awry:
And Grace in Sackcloath lies (oh mournfull story)
These sandy wisps give Patiences mettall glory.