734 Agmilft Bellarmre, C.A. P.15. itampe with the former. There are none of the ancient Writcrs,who either were Living in chofe times, or fucceo_ded nest after them that fpeak one leaft word touching this matter; The caufewas plain, for he was as yet to be hatched, who was the molter of this drofe device,out ofthe difputationof luftin Martyr withTrypho the le*. To this wemay adde,that Zonaraa recordeth the matrer,as ifHelena Conflantines mother, Wereconverfant at Rome together With her fonne. The Legend will have her to be abfent in Iudea, at theconverfianaf her Sonne, and ftomacking the matter that bee Was become a Chrì ftian, Went in poft hafle from thence to Rome, With iv. moll learned Iewe , that fo fbemight make triall What Was the truth by dipitation. Belides,the Legend is not only repugnant to Zonaraa,but even to it felf allo : For lice faith thus in the life of Sylvester, that Helena Ubent to Judea before her converfaon ; bit the Golden Le- gend (of the inventing of the CrofIe,) faith, that Jhee Went after her converfson; for Jhe Went, as itfaith, to feekthe Croie of the Lord. .Rnd it is certain,that Jhenever tookthu journey but once : as alfa that Jhe Was anold Woman before Jhee Went, and after that her grand-chil- dren Were made Ca:fats, as Eufebius reporteih in the life of Con.fTan- tine, Book 3. This ligne alto relyeth upon no other grounds, but Inch vain witneffes as thefe ; and whether it be a lying one or no, I leave it now to the judgement of the Reader. The third Miracle isabout the Dra_zon that lay lurking in a certain deep ditch,Who conceiving indignation at the converton of Conflantine, ank ofhis people, killed ¡pore then three hundred men every day With hifjn; at them. Syiveffer entred the lid's With this Bur, raking an- re himf if tWo TrieIs by the commandment of Peter and Paul, Who appeared unto them, When be had 'tyed up hüjaWes With a thred, and bad fealed it With a Ring that had the f one ofthe Cro¡re flamped tapon it. It is enough to have recited this miracle; It were a foolish panto go about to confute Inch foolery. By there miracles there- fore of Sylvrflers, we may give our judgement of the refl. But, per- haps, you will fay, there things are reported fairly of him. I anfwer, that it is all one, whether the Pope himfelf do work falfe miracles, or whether fall ones be fathered and faflened onhim by his fol- lowers a i.d favourers. All his miracles tend to one end,. that the Beat may be adored, that is, that the Pope may be honoured with the highefr honour that may be. Secondly, T Lay, that miracles were ceafed in the timestof Chryfo- Jame and Auguftine ;. for fo faith Cbryfo.Itome on Epi.fl. r Cor. a. Hamil.ó.
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