as time, age, & euill handling haue oftentimes defaced.

But howsoeuer the case standeth, truth it is, that Lucius reioising
much, in that he had brought his people to the perfect light and
vnderstanding of the true God, that they néeded not to be deceiued
anie longer with the craftie temptations and feigned miracles of
wicked spirits, he abolished all prophane worshippings of false
gods, and conuerted all such temples as had béene dedicated to their
seruice, vnto the vse of christian religion: and thus studieng onlie
how to aduance the glorie of the immortall God, and the knowledge of
his word, without seeking the vaine glorie of worldlie triumph, which
is got with slaughter and bloudshed of manie a giltlesse person, he
left his kingdome; though not inlarged with broder dominion than he
receiued it, yet greatlie augmented and inriched with quiet rest, good
ordinances, and (that which is more to be estéemed than all the rest)
adorned with Christes religion, and perfectlie instructed with his
[Sidenote: _Polydor. Fabian. Iohn Hard._]
most holie word and doctrine. He reigned (as some write) 21
yeares, though other affirme but twelue yeares. Againe, some testifie
that he reigned 77, others 54, and 43.

Moreouer here is to be noted, that if he procured the faith of Christ
to be planted within this realme in the time of Eleutherius the Romane
bishop, the same chanced in the daies of the emperour Marcus Aurelius
Antonius; and about the time that Lucius Aurelius Commodus was ioined
and made partaker of the empire with his father, which was seuen yéere
after the death of Lucius Aelius, Aurelius Verus, and in the 177 after
the birth of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, as by some chronologies is
easie to be collected. For Eleutherius began to gouerne the sée of
Rome in the yéere 169, according to the opinion of the most diligent