unanimous people of Rome to Heliogabolus that being dead they cast his martyred body into the common jakes of the City with his mother Semile and after flung them into the river Tiber making also an Edict that his statues before erected should be demolished and his very name to be raced out of all the monuments of the City willing if it had been possible quite to have extirped his memory They likewise when the Emperour Michael Paleologus was dead denyed unto his body any place for Buriall Martiâ—s Sabinus much troubled and inâ—enced that Hostilius was by the sufferage of the people preferred unto the Crown and Kingdom to which he had before aspired when he saw his malice could not vent it selfe against his competitor not able to suppresse his implacable indignation and not knowing any meanes to embrew his hands in the blood of his adversary he could not contain himselfe but shed his own and falling upon his sword desperately slew himselfe Full of cruelty and savouring no humanity at all was that wrath and fury of Septimus Severus who having overcome Clodius Sabinus in battail and utterly defeated his Army himselfe being taken prisoner he commanded that he should be transpierced with a sword and slain but not content with this he caused his wounded body to be stripped naked and laid before his Palace as a publike spectacle to all men so that himselfe might take a full view thereof from the prospect of his window yet could not all this satisfie his malitious cruelty but further he commanded a wilde and untamed jennet to be brought forth to trample and tread upon his face breast belly and the other parts of his body untill all his bones were bruised and broken in his skin and he disfigured all over Nor ended his fury here for he would not suffer his body thus mangled and martyred to be taken thence till the stench thereof grew so noysome to the place that it could be indured no longer and then lastly as a close to the rest he gave leave that it should be cast into the river This and the like prove the old adage to be true Homo homini lupus one man is a wolfe to another but I thinke such fire-hearted and pouder-brained men are worse for no brute beast will prey upon its like the Lion will not tyrannize over the Lion the Bear fall upon the Bear nor the Wolfe on the Wolfe onely Man who is sensible and indowed with reason will not spare his own similitude and likenesse I have read in Solinus an approved Authour of a strange fowle or bird bodied like a Gryphin and equall to it in bignesse onely bearing the face of a man this ravenous Harpy for no more proper appellation I can bestow upon it above all other Creatures desires to make his prey upon humane flesh and when he hath slain any man and glutted himselfe with his dead carcase his use is to go to drinke at the next river in which he no sooner spies his own face but presently a telenting and repentance commeth upon him sorrowing to have been the death of a Creature of his own aspect and countenance which taketh in him such a sensible and deep impression that after that time he wil never taste the least food or sustenance punishing his unnaturall act with one the most terriblest deaths that can be invented Famine If these roysters cutters and swashbucklers those bloody minded Canibals for they are no better in their brutish condition would but make this Bird their Embleme and consider with themselves what sorrow and repentance with a remorse of conscience waites at the heeles of every slaughter and murder committed they would not be so forward to give the lye strike stab nor that which in seeming of all those Fowle ones appeares to the outward view the fairest be so ready to send or entertain challenges or meetings in single combats and duels not before considering that he who fals by the others sword in his rage and therefore without charity there is great doubt of his salvation and the conquerour must dearly answer for his lost soul. Besides if he escape the justice of the Law the worme of conscience shall never leave him but continue him in perdurable torment And now to such murders arising from wrath their strange discovery and judgement In the Raigne of Christierne the second King of Denmarke when some twelve of his prime Courtiers were making merry in a parlor and amongst them one who was Post-master to the King it happened that dissention falling amongst them upon the suddain all the lights in the tumult were put out and one amongst them slain with a poniard but lights at length brought in and the Body found murdered and breathlesse the King desired to have account for his dead subject the Nobles lay all the guilt upon this Postmaster but the King with whom he was then gracious thought it to be done of malice and perswaded himselfe that he was innocent of the act they on the contrary alledge that he was the cause of that meeting that there had been a former grudge and malice betwixt them and moreover that when the lights were brought in he was found next to the dead Body so that they desired the Body to be laid upon a table and every one singly to lay his hand upon the naked breast of the person murdered with a deep protestation that they were innocent of the act which was done in the Kings presence and they came all by course according to the manner proposed but in the Body was found no change or alteration at all at last came the Cursor or Postmaster and first embracing his feet and with many teares kissed them thinking by that meanes if it were possible to pacific his just incensed spirit and at length comming to lay his hand upon the breast of the dead body a double flux of bloud issued from his wounds and nostrils and that in great abundance by which finding himselfe convicted he confessed his malitious act and by the King was committed to the common Executioner This story the Lord Henricus Ranzovius Vicar generall to the King of Denmarke in all his Dukedomes a man illustrious in Nobility and Learning relates in his Responsory to the Consulatory of David Chitraus Another suiting to this I finde related by Doctor Othe Melander in his Iocoserni who speaks of a man who through rankor and hatred had watched his neighbour till he had found meanes by meeting him in the thickets and woods a place convenient for such a mischiefe to lay violent hands upon him and murder him and after escaped without the least suspition of the fact but the body being after brought to the Iizehohensian Senate they gave command that one of the hands should be cut off and hanged up over the dining-table in the common Jayle or Prison It happened that the malefactor being some ten yeares after committed upon some delinquency of no great matter or
way addicted to any martiall exercise hee put into a religious house called Saint Swithens Abbey and made him a Monke his two other sonnes were Aurelius Ambrosius and Vter sirnamed Pendragon But Constantine the father being trayterously murdered one Vortiger who then was the most potent Peere in the Land tooke Constantine the eldest sonne out of the Monastery and made him King onely in name for he himselfe swayed the government of the Kingdome with all the power that belonged to a Crowne and Scepter Yet not with that contented he envied the state of the innocent King and though he had all the power yet he could not content himselfe without the title and therefore placed a guard of an hundred Picts and Scots about the Kings person and having ingrossed into his hands the greatest part of the Kings Treasury hee was so bountifull to those strangers that they feared not to say openly that be better deserved to be King then Constantine and waiting their best advantageous opportunity murdered him Whose head being presented to Vortiger then at London he made much seeming sorrow for his death and to acquit himselfe of the act caused all those hundred Knights to be beheaded by which the people holding him innocent crowned him King when the other had raigned about five yeares and this his coronation caused those that had the keeping of the two younger brothers Aurelius and Vter to flie with them into little Brittain where they remained long after but as a just reward of this trayterous supplantation hee was never after in any peace or quietnesse his Land being alwayes in combustion and trouble his Peeres suspecting him of the death of the King made insurrection against him insomuch that he was forced to sollicite aide of the Saxons who though they helped him for the present after of his friends they grew to be his enemies and were too mighty for him so that when he had raigned in great molestation and trouble sixteen years the Brittaines deprived him of all Kingly dignity and crowned his eldest sonne Vorâ—imerus in his stead Who when he had in many battailes overcome the Saxons and had almost quite expulsed them the Land he was poysoned by his stepmother Râ—waine when he had gloriously and victoriously seaven yeares governed the Land and his father Vortimer was againe made King who was after twice taking prisoner by Hengest King of the Saxons and his Peeres and Nobles cruelly butchered in his presence At length the two younger brothers of Constantine invaded the Land being aided by the distressed Brittains and pursued him into Wales where hee and divers of his complices fortified themselves in a strong Castle which Castle the two brothers with their Army besieged and after many vaine assaults it being valiantly defended with wilde-fire they burned and consumed the Fort together with Vortiger and all his souldiers and servants Worthy it is to observe by how many severall kinde of Judgements this sinne of Envy hath beene punisht as in the former examples is made apparant namely by the single sword by battaile by poysoning strangling heading torturing by murdering and cutting to pieces by being swallowed up of monsters the living to be buried with the dead by famishing in prison by being torne piece-meale and the bleeding limbes cast into common privies some burnt with ordinary fire others with wilde-fire the brother murdering the brother and the mother the sonne the bondage and vassalling of Nations c. which sinne though for the commonnesse and familiarity it hath amongst us is scarce minded or thought upon because many who are envious may so hide it that they may appeare honest withall yet is this hypocrisie no excuse for you see how hatefull it is in the eyes of the Creator by so many visible punishments thereof But I proceed After many dreadfull battailes fought and not without great effusion of bloud betwixt Edmund sirnamed for his strength and valour Iron-side the sonne of Ethelstane and Canutus the sonne of Swanus during this warre betwixt those martiall Princes to the great desolation of the Realme and mortality of the people It was agreed betwixt the two Generals to conclude the difference in a single duell The place where this should be performed was in an I le called Olney neare unto Glocester incompast with the water of the Severne In which place at the day appointed both the Champions met without any company or assistance and both the hoasts stood as spectators without the Isle there awaiting the fortune of the battaile where the Princes first proved one another with sharpe speares and they being broken with keene cutting swords where after a long fierce combate both being almost tyred by giving and receiving of hard and ponderous blowes at length the first motion comming from Canutus they began to parle and lastly to accord friendly kissing and embracing each other and soone after by the advise of both their Counsels they made an equall partition of the Land betwixt them and during their naturall lives lived together and loved as brothers But there was one Eâ—riâ—us Duke of Mercia of whom my Author gives this character A man of base and low birth but raised by favour to wealth and honour subtile of wiâ— but false of turning eloquent of speech but perfidious both in thought and promise who in all his actions complyed with the Danes to the dammage of his owne Countrey men and yet with smooth language protestations and false oathes could fashion his excuse at his pleasure This false Traytor in whose heart the serpent of envy and base conspiracy ever burned â—t length breaking out into flame against his owne Prince Iron-side for what cause is not knowne and thinking to get the grace and favour of Canutus he so awaited his opportunity that hee most treacherously slew his King and Master Iron-side Which done thinking thereby to be greatly exalted he poasted in all haste to Canutus shewing him what he had done for his love and saluted him by the stile of sole King of England which when the Prince of Danes had well understood and pondering what from his owne mouth he had confest like a just and wise Prince he answered him after this manner Since Edâ—â—câ—s thou hast for the love thou sayest thou bearest unto me slaine thy naturall Lord and King whom I most loved I shall in requitall exalt thy head above all the Lords thy fellow Peeres of England and forthwith commanded him to be taken and his head to be strook off and pitcht upon a speares head and set upon the highest gate of London a just judgement inflicted upon Envy which hath alwayes beene the hatcher of most abâ—ominable treason Unparalleld was that piece of Envy in Fostius one of the sonnes of Earle Goodwin and brother to Harold after King hee in the two and twentieth yeare of the raigne of Edward the Confessor upon some discontent betwixt him and his brother Harold came with a company of Ruffins and rude Pellowes and
time big with childe with a spurne upon her wombe by which she perished with her infant because Antonia the daughter of Claudius fearing the like refused to marry with him he commanded her to be put to death He persecuted the Church and under his Tyranny Saint Peter and Saint Paul both suffered Martyrdom Aulus Plancius a beautifull young Roman after he had violently and against his will stuprated he put to death 〈◊〉 Crispinus his step son by the marriage of Poppaea a beardlesse youth in rage he made to be drowned Many freed men when they came to the estate of riches he cut off by the sword He pulled out the eyes of Cassius Longinus an excellent Lawyer or Orator and never made known the cause of his offence To Pâ—liâ—hagus by Nation an Aegyptian who was accustomed to eat raw flesh he gave living men to be devoured these are but a part of his barbarous inhumanities who not throughly sated with the blood of men sought to exercise his hate upon Rome his own City by setting a great part of it on fire his excuse being the deformity thereof which incendiary he beheld from the Meceâ—â—tian Tower glorying in the flames thereof being so far from commanding the fire to be extinguished that he suffered not any man to enter into his own house to save any part of his Goods and yet how mercifull was God in his judgement to punish this Tyrant with one miserable death who had indeed deserved more than a thousand Creon a Tyrant of Thebes besides many other cruelties in which he exprest a most bestiall and unmercifull nature denied Buriall to all the dead Bodies of his Enemies slain in Battell with others of his own Subjects who had any way offended him whom Theseus after slew in a conflict and served him with the same sauce forbidding his dead carcase to be inhumed or sepulcred but thrown out in the fields for the brute beasts to feed and the fowles of the air to prey on Antonâ—â—â— Commodus one of the Roman Emperours had so troubled the Empire with gladiatory slaughters that the people in contempt gave him the denomination of Gladiator or Fencer He as Lampridius witnesseth when he saw any man weak or unserviceable by reason of some disease in his feet would shoot him with arrowes to death having a strong steel Bowe made for that purpose The braines of others he used to beat out of their heads with clubs and boasted that therein he imitated Hercules to that purpose putting on a Lions skin He was also so irriligious and such a contemner of the gods that offerings and sacrifice at the altars he would mingle with the blood and flesh of men and if any man shewed either a smiling or supercilious brow at what he did both were alike him he commanded to be cast to the Lions and other wilde beasts to be devoured One of his servants being commanded to reade unto him the tyrannous Raigne of Caligula with the manner of his death as it was set down in Sâ—etoniuâ— Tranquillus because it displeased him as somewhat reflecting on his person he commanded to be cast to the Lions If any man in his own hearing or by the information of other said he must die he was precipitated from a rocke or some other high place and his body crushed to pieces he delighted to see the bellies of fat men ript up and how suddenly their guts and entrals would tumble to the ground But the people after so great sufferings now at length tired with his inhumanities in the very height of his insolencies when he least dreamed of any such disaster caused him to be flain which though a violent death yet in all mens judgements may appear somewhat too milde for his merit but the great Judge of all sometime mitigates the punishments of such grand malefactours here to make their torments more great and perdurable in the world to come The next I present to your view is Caius Marius the Roman who as he was of great power and potency in Rome so his pride was boundlesse and unmeasured but his inhumanity far exceeding them both for after his exile when he had again emptied the City of all those whom he suspected to have but the least finger in his confinement by the assistance of Cinna Carbo and Sertorius he presently fell upon the slaughters of the Princes and Senatours which was so violent that the channels overflowed with the blood of the slain Nobility He took away the head from Octavius the Consul and caused that of Octavius a consular Senator to be brought and set upon his table taunting and deriding him even after death Casar and Fimbria two of the most eminent in the City he commanded to be murdered in their own houses breaking them violently open in the night and killing them in their beds the two Crassi the father and the son he flew one in the sight of the other the more to aggravate their sorrow in their alternate indulgence Bebius and Numitorius he commanded to be dragged through the Forum by the common hangmans clutches but Catulus Lactutius by swallowing fire ended his life and escaped his greater cruelty Archarius and Flamen Dialis a priest whose office was sacred and in great reverence amongst the Romans he commanded to be through pierced with swords All which examples of Tyranny he committed from the Kalends of January to the Ides of the same moneth but what heavy judgements God laid upon him you shall next hear in the relation upon Sylla Which Lucius Sylla made a deluge and overâ—â—ux of blood through Rome and all Italy four legions of the contrary faction of Marius being surprised and imploring his mercy he commanded instantly to be cut in pieces the Prestines who had received and entertained Marius junior into their City after they had yeelded themselves unto his mercy he put them out of the City commanding Putilius Cethegus to kill them every man without the wals and their bodies to be left in open fields without buriall in which inhumanity perished at once five thousand men four thousand and 700 slain by strength of his bloody Edict of proscription he caused their names to be registred in the publike tables lest the memory of that facinorous act might be buried in oblivion and not sating himselfe with the strage of men his tyranny usurped upon women not sparing matron or virgin but he commanded their heads being cut off to be brought unto him that he might thereby the better glut his savage indignation and implacable fury Marcus Marius the Praetor he deprived not of his life before his eyes were pulled out of his head and after caused all the bones in his body to be broken Marcus Pletoriâ—s because being sent to kill his enemy Caius Marius he was daunted at his brave aspect and honourable presence and therefore left the fatall act unperformed he commanded him instantly to be slain Nor did his malitious rankor and hate end in the
nothing regarded and their last age shall be without honour if they die hastily they have no helpe neither comfort in the day of triall for horrible is the end of the wicked generation Again 4. 3. The multitude of the ungodly which abound in children is unprofitable and the bastard plants shall take no deep roots nor lay any fast foundation for though they bud forth in the branches for a time yet they shall be shaken with the winde for they stand not faste and through the vehemency of the winde they shall be rooted out for the imperfect branches shall be broken and their fruit shall be unprofitable and sower to eat and meet for nothing for all the children that are borne of the wicked bed shall be witnesse of the wickednesse against the parents when they be asked And what more terrible judgements than these can be threatned against the Adulterers Let us now hear the Fathers this is Saint Austins counsell De verbo Dom. tract 48. If you will marry wives keep your selves unto them and let them finde you the same you desire to finde them What is he desirous to marry and would not be coupled to a chaste wife Or if a virgin one that is untoucht Be thou also chaste and untoucht Dost thou desire one to be constant and pure to thee Be constant and pure to her for can she prove so to thee and not thou also to her Saint Chrisostome Hom. 3. As that Pilot which suffers his ship to be wracked in a port or harbour is inexcusable so he that to qualifie the lusts of the flesh shall lawfully take a spouse to live withall for better and for worse and shall after insidiate the bed of his neigbour neither can that man whose wanton eyes and petulant fancies wander after every loose prostitute or strumpet either acquit himselfe to men or excuse himselfe towards God although he shall ten thousand times alleadge his naturall inclination to pleasure or how can that properly be called pleasure which is waited on by fear diffidence danger and where there is expectation of so many evils accusation the seat or the tribunall of justice and the ire and wrath of the Judge he stands in dread of all things shadowes walls stones graves neighbours adversaries nay even his dearrest friends But be it granted that their guilt be private and known onely to the delinquents they are not therefore safe here shall they bear a conscience even reproving and suggesting bitter and fearfull things against them and the conscience to be alwayes about them For as no man can fly him so none can evade or avoid the sentence of that private Court for this judicatory sense is not with gold to be corrupted with flattery mitigated not by friends mediated in regard it is a thing divine and by God himselfe placed and appointed to have residence in our hearts Saint Ambrose de Patriarchis in speaking of the Patriarchs Abraham and Iacob and of their multiplicity of wives he in excuse of them saith that Abraham was before either the Law or the Gospell and in his time Big 〈…〉 y was rot forbidden Now the punishment of a fault grew from the time of the Law for it was not a crime before it was inhibited and forbid so 〈◊〉 had four wives which whilest it was a custom was no crime who as they married not meerly for concupiscence and to fulfill the lust full desires of the flesh but rather instigated by providence to the propagation of issue therefore let no man flatter himselfe by making them their president for all adultery is damnable c. Ioses the son of Iehochanan in that Book which the Hebrews stile Capi 〈…〉 vel apothegmata hath this saying the time which a man spends in multiplying words with a woman he loseth to his great damage for at length with her petulancy she will bring him to perdition And Rabbi Aâ—â—ba saith Laughter and the light and unconstant moving of the head easily convince a man of loosnesse and effeminacy And Habbiben Syra saith For the sake of beautifull women the strongest have fallen and many have perished therefore hide thine eyes from the allurements of a fair woman lest she catch thee in her snare and thou become her captive to thy desâ—â—â—ction Dionysius the elder though otherwise a Tyrant when he by complaint made had understood his son to whose charge he had committed the government of a Province to have stuprated the wife of a noble young Gentleman he sent for him and being exceeding angry demanded of him if he had seen any such president in his father To whom he replied Many for he had not a King to his father Nor thou said Diony 〈…〉 s art likely to have a King to thy son if thou followest these lewd and luxurious courses The Tyrant holding Adultery a crime worthy to disinherit him from all regall Authority which is now made no more than a sport and pastime amongst great ones for Sylla sirnamed Faustus the freed man of Sylla the great competitour against Marius hearing that his naturall filler had entertained two Adulterers into her service at once which were Fulvius Fullo and Pomponius whose sirname was Macula he put it off with a jest upon their names Miror inquit sororem meam maculam habere cum fullonem habet that is I wonder my sister should have a macula or wear any spot or stain when she hath a fullo a fuller that washeth and taketh out staines still so near her There is also scortation of Scortum a whore which the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Scortari the Hebrews Zonach To this capitall head of lust likewise belongeth incest which is a venereall abuse in Affinity and consanguity which for these reasons may be said justly to be prohibited because man naturally acknowledgeth an honour to his parents and so by consequence a more than common respect to those of his near blood and alliance Secondly because it is necessitous that persons arising from one root and stem be mutually conversant Thirdly it hindereth the increase of friends which are lost by not marrying into other stockes and families Lastly when a man naturally loveth his sister or cousin-germine being so neer to him in blood if that venereall ardor which comes from commixtion were added love would break out into raging lust which is altogether repugnant to all modesty and chastity There is also Sodomia Turpitudo in masculum facta contranaturam of which to speak I will be very sparing Thus you see the sixth of the seven heads as the Beast dissected and anatomised But I come now to History and Example Cateline that firebrand of Rome and pestilent incendiary of all sedition to adde to all his other criminall and capitall malefactions which were indeed beyond president or since his time by any of the most notorious ruffians that the later ages have bred if imitated yet scarce equalled and