CHRISTOPHER ANGEL, a Grecian, who tasted of many stripes and torments inflicted by the Turks for the faith which he had in Christ jesus.  
AC: OX   blazon of Oxford University 
AT OXFORD Printed by john Lichfeild, and William Wrench, Printers to the famous University. 1617.   

TO THE MOST RENOWNED AND resplendent, most wise, and judicious, most learned and loving Patrons of the Greek tongue: most gracious supporters of the decayed estate of all distressed Grecians and strangers. Fathers and brethren in Christ, Governors & Heads of the two famous & flourishing Universities of this Island in general, and more in particular to all heads of Colleges therein, & whatsoever students under their protection, and to all Divines, Physicians, and Lawyers: Furthermore to all that bear authority in the ample and well governed Cities: In general to the industrious & studious among the Commonalty within the confines of the ever honoured and admired England, prosperity here, & glory hereafter.  
HEretofore gray-eyed Minerva spoke & prophesied in Athens, by the mouths of learned Grecians: but now & long before this time I see her singing in Britain by the mouths of most wise English men, and crowning the sons of England with all kinds of diverse coloured garlands.  
Concerning me, if any man shall inquire what might be the cause, and for what reason I came into this famous Island, and have traveled so far as this most illustrious and renowned University of Oxford, may it please him to hear the cause, (God himself will witness it to be true according to this ensuing discourse). Because the devil perceived that his time was but short, therefore he came into the earth full of wrath and was moved against the Church of God, as a raging and angry lion; according to that which S. john saith in the Revelation, the 12. Chap. and the 22 verse, and as the Prophet David speaketh in the 80 Psalm & the 13. verse, The wild boar out of the wood hath destroyed it, and the wild beasts of the field have eaten it: and again in the 83 Psalm, verse 5. & 6. They have consulted together in heart, and have made a league against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ismalites, etc. Right so the Greek Church at this time suffereth, being destitute of all perfection & knowledge: the cause of this evil is, the great Turk, that is the king of the Turks doth desire, and is willing to have peace with all that are under him: but some of his Magistrates are very wicked and proud, & by those the Greek Church doth suffer much misery: for this reason, neither can there be any school, neither any Master desiring to teach scholars can remain in one place. Even as I suffered and know: who have tasted of many kinds of misery: now the cause of this my misery was this: I in my youth desired much to better my understanding & my learning, remembering that saying of Christ; search the Scriptures, and in them thou shalt find everlasting life: and that of S. Paul to Timothy, In that thou hast known the holy Scriptures of a child which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. And that of Solomon; where the Lord saith in that thou askest wisdom only and nothing else, I will give thee wisdom and riches therewithal, and a kingdom greater than all the kingdoms of the earth: And that of David in the Ps. 119. In thy laws did I meditate; yet by reason of the defect of teachers I traveled through many places in Greece that I might supply that want; profiting in some places more, in some less: At length I came to Athens, & studied there; now the Captain of that place, was an Hagarene, and a deadly enemy to all Christians which dwelled at Athens: besides this he was very covetous and cruel; unjust and did much wrong to the Athenians; by reason whereof the Athenians went to the great Turk three several times, and complained of the injuries which he had offered them: whereupon the great Turk sent certain noble men to hang him; but by reason of his riches & nobility they could not accomplish that they were sent for. The Captain upon these complaints was grievously offended with the Athenians: & farther to satisfy his own greedy desires he oppressed many strangers: amongst the rest seeing me also, who was a stranger and unknown of all: immediately he lays hands upon me, diligently examined me concerning the name of the governor of my native Country: I answered that it was now almost twenty years since I left my country for study and learning sake; and that I had not as yet returned to my country, and therefore knew not the name of the governor thereof. Then he answered me, if you know not your governor, you must go to prison, whether when I came, they clapped a pair of bolts upon my legs; not long after the governor called many of the Turks, who derive their beginning from Mahomet, and then he took me out of prison, and brought me before them, and said unto them behold a Spanish traitor. They all cried out, 'tis true as you say, he is a traitorous Spaniard, as we know by his beard, for it is long and picked, and black, and his clothes are of a spanish red (for I did wear apparel of red colour, such as the chief of the greek Monks use also) and some of the Christians standing by, made answer for me to the Turks, that this was the usual apparel of the better sort of the Greek Monks: but the Turks withstood that, saying, that the Monks habits were made of courser cloth, but mine was of finer, and therefore a spanish garment: this they said, not that the cloth was indeed finer than that of other Monks, but that the might unjustly pick a quarrel & bring some accusation, whereby they might punish me. After this they began to entice me saying; our Easter is near at hand, and if thou wilt deny thy Christ, we promise thee (and that we may not deceive thee as concerning our promise, we swear) that if thou wilt become a Turk, thou shalt greatly honour our feast day, and for this we will make thee a Centurion, besides other great honours which wait upon thee. Now it is the manner of the Turks when they swear, not to falsify their words and thrice in this manner they temped me: but I denied them always, telling them, that my care was not for honours, but that I desired rather to die in the same religion, for which my father and mother died also. Then one of the governors came, and plucking me by the beard, and the hair of the head, buffeted me, saying, why, seeing I turned Turk, mayst not thou also? (for before time he had been a Christian) I answered him that I cared not what he had done, I allow not of it. Then he threw me on the ground, and trampled upon my head before all the congregation of Turks, and Christians. And afterwards they shut me up in close ward, meaning after a few hours to bring me out again to punishment, that for fear of stripes I might turn Turk. And certain christian slaves belonging to the Captain, who were of the western Church, came to me saying: now is the time that thou shalt be scourged to death unless thou turn, & they besought me saying, it is better to die then turn Turk. I answered, God forbidden, that I should deny Christ the true God, I will first die an hundred times in one day before I deny my Saviour Christ. Then my conscience said to me in private: But can I then endure torments even unto death? then my reason answered, Christ was a man, and yet he suffered on the Cross to death, and that not for himself, but others. But then I reasoned again, Christ was both God and man, therefore he could withstand the terrors of death: but I am a fleshly man, and perchance I cannot undergo the cruel pangs of death: but my conscience solved all this doubt, in that the Martyrs were fleshly men, and sinners, yet by the grace of God were strengthened to die, therefore by the same grace shall I be sustained. And in this cogitation I was much comforted, and prevailed in spirit, & wholly gave myself over to suffer death: and they lead me straight ways to the place of execution, and bound me hand, and foot in manner of a cross upon the earth, as appeareth by this figure.  
Since here I have no witnesses, that for the present may testify the truth of these my sufferings, therefore I call the eternal father, and God of all, both witness and judge in this manner: The eternal God punish me in this world and in that to come, if I have not thus suffered from the Turks unjustly, for my faith in Christ, as is under written. For they laid on the earth thick pieces of timber like the beams of a house, and to them they bond me, and then they began to beat me with scourges, as appears in the figure. Two men dipping their rods in salt water began to scourge me, and when the one was lifting up his hand, the other was ready to strike, so that I could take no rest, and my pain was most grievous: and so they continued beating me, saying, turn Turk, and we will free thee: but I answered them, in no case, until they made me half dead: then they rested a while, saying, he is surely very constant, and will not deny his religion: but we will tell him that we will let him go if he will say that the Athenian Merchants which are in Venice, sent him to betray Athens to the Spaniards: and then they began to beat me on the feet, saying: confess that the Athenians which traffic in Venice, sent thee to betray Athens to the Spaniards, and we will let thee go: Now the Turks would have me bear false witness against the Athenians, that thereby they might take them, and slay them for the hatred which was between the governor, and the Athenians. I said nothing to this, and till this time I understood what the Turks said, but from this moment, that is, from that time, in which they said twice or thrice to me, confess that the Athenians sent thee to betray Athens, I answered nothing, I understood nothing, I was perfectly dead, and so remained for the space of an hour, and again after an hour, by the grace of God I revived. Then the Turks took all my substance, my books I mean, and riches, & I was much in debt, till by the request of many noble men I was freed from prison. And after a week, they counseled among themselves to take me, and in one hour to kill me, or make me turn Turk by whipping, and other torments: But this laying wait was made known to all the Christians, both men and women in Athens, and to me also. Then I fled from Athens, and wandering abroad, found expert Merchants, which knew well both England and many other places: and I inquired diligently of them where I might find wise men, with whom I might keep my religion, and not lose my learning: they told me, in England you may have both, for the English men love the Grecians, and their learning, and it is a monarchy, where are found many very honest, wise, and liberal men: but in Germany, France, and Italy, they have continually civil wars. Therefore I came in a straight course to England, and came through Flanders to Yarmouth in England, where by good fortune I met with the Bishop of that Diocese, who examined me diligently, and found the testimonies, which I brought from our Bishops, and Clergy of Peloponnesus, and other places. And he with the rest of the ministery bestowed money on me according to their faculties, and sent me with letters to Cambridge, (for he himself was a Cambridge man) and the Doctors of Cambridge received me kindly, and frankly, & I spent there almost one whole year, as the testimony of Cambridge can witness. Then I fell sick, that I could scarce breathe: and the Physicians and Doctors counseled me to go to Oxford, because (said they) the air of Oxford is far better, than that of Cambridge. And so I came to this famous University of Oxford: & now I live here studious these many years. And first I thank God, who sent me to such honest, and learned men, & secondly your Worship, who are my most kind benefactor, and to all other my most kind benefactors, and to all good and charitable men; and I beseech God both day and night, that he will restore an hundred fold to you in this life, and in the life to come a crown in corruptible, to you I say, and all other good men for their great goodness and liberality. Amen.  

An Epistle in commendations of England and the Inhabitants thereof.  
I am conscious to myself of mine own unworthiness, having not so much as a taste of that learning, which might make me bold to present my lines before so worthy men: yet because (as a wise man hath it) necessity drives a man to many a shift; I am therefore thus set on work. Our Saviour Christ both God and man; as God doth require spiritual honour from the souls of men, to wit, goodness, love, carefulness to perform good things, alms deeds, & the like; according to that of the Prophet David: let every spirit praise the Lord: and as S. Paul commandeth, glorify God in your body, & in your spirit for they are Gods. Now as man our Lord requireth such honour, as was due unto that person in him. For so it appeareth in that question of his unto the Leper; who often that were cleansed, alone returned to render our Saviour thanks. Are there not ten cleansed but where are those nine? surely as a wise man speaketh, he must needs be of a very ingrateful disposition, who in matters of kindness can suddenly become forgetful. For my own part if there be any such, who for benefits received, shall not return special acknowledgement always unto his friends, let him bear that foul note of ingratitude, with disgrace and infamy amongst men. I myself for some years have been nursed in this delicious and blissful English Isle: should I not ever acknowledge this with all thankfulness both to this country, & specially to your most reverend dignity, and to yourself my kind Master and Benefactor? I might justly be accounted one of those. Therefore that I may not seem ungrateful for such great benefits, as much as in me lies, I will send forth this speech, and so I begin.  
O fair like man, thou most fertile and pleasant country of England, which art the head of the world, endued with those two fair eyes, the two Universities, which rainest downe most plentifully milk, and honey. I call thee faire-like man, and the head beautified with two pleasant eyes, because heretofore thou didst send forth two horns of the holy church of Christ. The first is Constantine the great, that second light of the world who freed such as were held in captivity for the confession of Christ, who drived away the mist of Idolatry who was equal even with the Apostles, & first triumphed over the enemies of Christ. The second horn is holy Helen, who found out that life-bearing cross, the weapons of all true Christians, the most holy mother of the world. But now, and long since thou hast been beautified with two resplendent eyes in that thou containest the two famous Universities. For I call the two Universities the two resplendent eyes, even most renowned, & most beautiful Oxford, with her sister the like renowned Cambridge. And if it be lawful to compare the world to a man's body (for a man, according to Aristotle, is a little world) surely I must account England the head of this body: for it is even so divided by the sea from the other parts of the world as a man's head from his body by the neck. Thou art also the place of refuge, even the haven of comfort to poor Grecians oppressed with the tyranny of the Turks: as David says in the 83. Psalm. against the ark of the covenant, the Tabernacles of Edom, and the Ismalites have set themselves etc. Thou bringest forth most wise men, yea most valiant and heroical captains, (as heretofore Grecia did) yea and those lovers of the Greeks, & partakers of their former virtues. Now the reason of this I will tell you. We read in the histories of Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea, that Constantine the great, and his holy mother Helen were Britons, the offspring and flowers of Britain: and when Constantine the great, ruled over the Grecians, as also the whole world, than his kinsfolk came out of Britain to Constantinople and lived in the presence of Constantine, and likewise the Grecians were sent into England from Constantine, and so the Grecians and English were mingled in blood. And for this cause the English love the Grecians, and their learning, and are beloved of them more than any other nation. And they partake one of another in many things beside: For the English nation have excelled in wisdom, and all heroical virtues, as the Grecians of old did. And they do diligently, and with great understanding search out the truth (as saith Paul, beware lest any make a prey of you through philosophy, and vain deceit) as the Grecians also heretofore are accounted to have done: and they are also given to hospitality, and pity of poor strangers, as were the Grecians (as S. Paul says to the Thessalonians concerning brotherly love I need not speak: for you are taught this from above:) and they will also die for their religion, but never turn from their true worship of God to any other, as also the Grecians: yea I myself was once dead through the cruel scourging of the Turks for the faith of Christ, and I never denied Christ the true God.  
All hail therefore, O most worthy England: for thou art a Virgin, which was never brought into thraldom by any king, although thou hast been sometime humbled, yet thou wast never captivated: and as thou art a Virgin, so the mother also of many wise men, yea valiant captains, and heroic warriors. Thus much be spoken of England, which of no other can so truly be verified   
FINIS.