by order those which onely haue appeared sithens the natiuitie of Iesus Christe together searching the causes of their beginning birthes the life of a man woulde not perfourme the same albeit the most notable worthie to be celebrated of al others is the starre which cōducted the .iij. sage Kings of Perse to the place where Christe was borne the which feared not only the common people but the sighte thereof rauished and brought into admiration the most learned of the worlde for that it againste the Nature of all other starres which drawe them selues from the Orient to the Occident addressed hir course into Palestine which is situated towards y e North causing S. Iohn Chrisostome to thinke that that starre was none of them which we sée in heauen but rather a vertue inuisible figured vnder the forme of a starre Notwithstāding let vs leaue of to discourse of this starre and come to other strange things whiche haue appeared frō heauen whereof Gaguin in his sixte booke of y e gestes of the Kings of Fraunce maketh mention of a very maruellous blasing starre which appeared in the Septentrion in the time of Charles the .vj. In the yeare .597 which was in the yere of the natiuitie of the false impostour Mahomet at Constantinople was séene a hearie Comet so hideous and fearefull that they thought the ende of the worlde approched An other like president was séene a little space before the death of the Emperour Constantin whereof Orseus in his .vij. booke and .ix. Chapter and Eutropeus in his second booke maketh mention that in the yeare that Mitrydates was borne and in the yeare wherein he receiued the Scepter Royall there appeared a Comet from heauen as Iustin and Vincentius write which for the space of xxiiij dayes occupied so well the fourth part of heauen casting such a cleare lighte that the brighnesse of the Sunne was thereby darkened And also in the yeare that Tamburlan the Tirant killed so many men and women in one ouerthrowe of the Turkes that of their heades onely he made a greate wall as Matheolus writeth there appeared a maruellous blasing starre in the Occident whereof Pontanus and Ioachinus Camerarius in his booke de ostentis learnedly writeth Herodian a Greeke authour in the life of the Emperours maketh mention that in the raigne of Commodeus the Emperour they sawe by the space of a whole daye a number of starres shyning as though it had bene night likewise in the yeare that Lewes the stutting Frenche King died they behelde frō heauen shining a great number of starres at nyne of the clocke in the morning wherein as Hieronimus Cardanus in his .xiiij. booke De veritate rerum assureth to haue seen in the yere 1532. the .xj. day of Aprill being at Venise thre sunnes together cleare bright shining Euen so in the yeare that Francis Sforce died after whose deceasse grew greate warres in Italie there was in like maner seen at Rome thrée sunnes which dydde so frighte the people that they fell immediately to prayer thinking the malice and ire of God were kyndled against them for their sinnes Also the Pope Pius second of that name who was called before he receiued that dignitie Aeneas Siluius who died in the yere 460. writeth in his description of Europe the .liiij. chap. that in the sixt yere after the Iubile there was séene amongest them of Sienne and Florence twentie cloudes in the ayre who being stirred of the wyndes fought one against another euery one in his ranke reculing and approching according to the order and maner of battaill and during the conflicte of these cloudes the winde was not vnoccupied in dispoiling battering brusing and breaking trées houses and rockes besides lifting of men and beastes into the ayre The antiquitie of time cannot reporte or make mention of a more wonder in the aire than of a horrible Comet of the colour of bloude which appeared in the West the eleuenth day of October in the yeare 1527. being so wonderfull and fearefull that it engendred so greate terrour to the common sorte that diuers not onely died with the sighte but others fell into strange and miserable maladies This strange Comet was séene of manie thousand continuing the space of an houre and a quarter and in the ende began to bring hir selfe to the side of the sunne after drawing towards the Midy the Occident and the Septentrion appearing to be of an excessiue length and of the colour of bloud there was séene in y e height of the Comet the Character and figure of the stumpe of an arme holding a greate sworde in his hande as he woulde haue striken about the pointe of the said sword were thrée starres but that which was right vpon the pointe was more cleare and brighte than the others on the other twoo sides of the beames of this Comet they sawe a greate number of hatchettes kniues swordes of the colour of bloud about the whiche were a great number of humaine faces very hideous with their beardes and haire stirring as may bee seene before figured Shortely after y e viewe of this hideous wonderful Planet all the parties of Europe were welnigh bathed in humaine bloude ▪ so muche preuailed the inuasion of the Turckes besides other hurtes which Italie receiued by the Lord of Bourbon when he committed Rome to sacke dying at the same instant like as Petrus Creuserus Iohn Litchber excellent Astrologians interpret by writing the signification of this wonderfull Planet Euen so for that we haue promised in the induction of our worke to shewe the causes beginnings of these wonders it is therfore now requisite to serch more narrowly the matter and to decide the question so often debated amongest the Auncients and learned Philosophers These fantasticall figures as dragons flames Comets other like of diuers formes which are séene so often in the Element according to the opiniōs of many wise men do giue to vnderstande foretel or shew many things that shal and do happen as Albumazar Dorotheus Paulus Alexādrinus Ephestion Maternus ▪ Aomar Thebith Alkindus Paulus Manlius Alberanger and generally the most part of the anciēt Greekes Hebrues Caldees Arabec and Egiptians who haue written and attributed so muche to the starres and their influence that they haue assured the moste parte of the humaine actions to depende of the celestiall constellations Whereof Cicero in his first booke De fato◠seemes to fauour them muche when he affirmeth darckely ▪ that those whiche are borne vnder the Planet De Canis shall not be drowned In like maner Faber Stapulensis in his Paraphrase of Metheores maketh mention that the Commettes whiche appeared from heauen signified scarsitie of goodes aboundance of greate windes warres effusion of bloud and the death of Princes Hieronimus Cardanus a late Philosopher writeth in his fourth booke De subtilitate and .xiiij. booke De veritate rerum that the hearie and bearded Comets and other like monstrous figures whiche appeare from
notwithstanding his memorie perfecte and sounde and yet sometime with the mortall assaultes of his passions he became immouable as a tronke or blocke hauing his eyes open with perfect knowledge of all the assistaunts his féeling albeit so far withdrawen that he would not stirre or moue what pricking or pinching so euer was offred him but the pange being retired and his bodie retourned to his former state of health quiet he would tell of many wonders in that qualme but most of al of .ij. men appearing afore him as in aâ—â—ision whereof the one bare the figure of a childe the other séemed to haue a more perfect age who also in the beginning of Lent appeared eftesoones vnto him with these wordes in order of speciall charge that if he woulde cause to be cut the prepuce he shoulde not féele any paine for .xl. dayes which he did and accordingly was deliuered of griefe for that time in the iust ende whereof his sorows began to returne in sorte as they did before and likewise the same .ij. men presented themselues afore him inuisible sauing to himselfe counsailyng him to caste hymselfe into the Sea vnto the nauell where tarying a certaine time his griefe shoulde ceasse and onely shoulde remaine a certaine slymie humour whiche woulde passe awaye whiche he did and founde an effecte of their aduise what wonderfull Philosophie is this of Sainct Augustine and what straunge apparaunce in visions But what more cause of wounder can be than to sée them priuie to the secretes of Phisicke all whiche sure as they bréede indifferent doubte and feare in suche as reade or heare of them and yet for my parte I haue not hearde nor redde eyther in prophane or sacred reporte anye thing more maruellous that waye than the vision of Cataldo Bishop of Tarento the same appearing in our time not without infecting many mens consciences with greate scrupule and doubte séeing that that vision hath lefte sufficient matter to trouble the most Theologians and Philosophers of the worlde This Cataldo a man holy in life being buried a thousande yeares past within the Bishoprike of Taronto appeared notwithstanding after â–ª the ende of such time in a nighte to a yong infante giuen altogether to God with expresse charge to vncouer a certaine vaulte in a place in the earth whiche he assigned hym wherein he had hidden whilest he was in the worlde a booke written with his owne hande whiche assoone as he had taken oute of the grounde he shoulde offer it immediatly to Ferdinando firste Kyng of Aragon and Naples raigning at that tyme. This childe for the small faith he gaue to the vision perfourmed not the charge giue him Whereunto albeit he was eftesones sollicited at sundry times yet he neuer vsed regarde to the persuasâ—â—n vntill one morning afore daye as he was in his prayers in the Churche he behelde Cataldo in his Byshoppes wéede and countenaunce of threatning seueritie who appeared sayd vnto him as thou haste gyuen slender credit to my wordes with lesse regarde to searche the booke and deliuer it to Ferdinando so assure thy selfe this time for all if thou refuse to perfourme the charge or once staie to attende an other sommonce thy punishement wil be to greate for thée to endure whiche laste threate stirred suche feare in the childe that the nexte morning he imparted the vision to the multitude who according to the strayte and too straunge tearmes of the same assembled very curiously to accompanie the childe to the place of charge where being arriued and vncouering the earth they founde a little coffer of leade so close and curiouslye wrought that the ayre or sounde had no place to enter in the bottome whereof they tooke vp a booke wherein were writen in forme of a prophecie the miseries plages and curses whiche should happen to the kingdome of Naples to the King Ferdinando and his children the same hauing so directly happened and succeded since as it may séeme the byshop did not erre or write false in one syllable For such was y e infortune of this miserable King Ferdinando to fall so déepe and desperatly into the ire of God that he was killed in the firste conflicte the like happening not long after to his eldest sonne Alfonsus who afore he coulde settle himselfe within the state Royall was put to flight by his enimies and dyed in miserable exile Suche was also the chaunce of Ferdinando his yonger sonne to whome as the kingdome was due by inheritaunce so death preuented his vse and possession of it and that in the floure of his age being so enuironed with warres that he had skarce leasure to take breath What otâ—â—r good was reserued to Federike sonnes sonne to the said Ferdinando than that he sawe sacked and burned afore his eyes his countrey his people bathing in the suddes of their owne bloud and his owne lyfe in the ende committed to the mercy of his mortall enimies And lastly if we well consider what fortune hath gouerned this kingdome of Naples withall giue faith to the authoritie of suche as haue written truly of it we shall finde that of al the kingdoms of the earth only this state of Naples hath excéeded in reuolution mutation persecution and losse of bloud the same making it séeme in déed and as it is and may be most properly termed the very but and marke whereat fortune hath delited to vnloase hir cursed and sharpe arrowe a very gulphe and sinke out of the whiche were drawne all the miseries whiche infected the whole bodie of Italy this was in effect the Prophecie and vision of the Prelate Cataldo according to the witnesse of Alexander ab Alexandro in his booke of the generall dayes which with the other afore recited as me thinke may suffise for the examples of our visions appearing to men both by day and nighte sléeping and waking aswell in sicknesse as health So there restes nowe according to our general intent touching all other matters in this booke to searche oute the cause of theâ—â— fantasticall illusions and of what substaunce they are founded or do procéede whiche bycause it doth not include an indifferent or equall respect to all men I thinke it most sure and best to follow and marche vnder the enseigne of S. Augustine who aboue any other hath vsed a more learned diligence to discouer this matter and yet is it necessary afore we passe further herein for y e better exposition of the circumstaunce to make an vniuersall partition in the deduction wherof we wil followe that which he hath written against Adamantum where he procéedeth in this sorte There be saith he diuerse kindes of visions auouched by the holye Histories whereof some do make themselues appeare afore the eyes of the bodye as the thrée men whiche appeared to AbrahaÌ„ that whiche Moyses sawe burning in the bushe and lastly that of Moyses and Elyas to the Apostles at suche time as Christe was transfigured vpon the mountaine The
hym selfe lyghter to flée away the same being also done by hys Cardinalles and euery other assistant Zoroastes kyng of the Bractiens was kylled by the furie of a Tempest Capanus by lyke meanes dyed at the warre of Thebes the emperor Anastasius after he had reigned .27 yeares did ende his days by semblable stroke like as also Carius and diuers other Emperours were subiect and consumed by the lyke force Marcus Claudius Pretor was burned within his ship by the thunder that fell vpon it Iulius Obsequens reciteth a wonderful example as here vnder appeareth in the stocke of Pompeius Liuius a Romain knight who returning with his daughter from certaine playes which had ben performed at Rome sawe his doughter being on horsbacke sodainly smothered striken to death with thunder lightning making hir be tourned naked to the viewe of all men sawe hir tong come forth at hir secret partes as if the fire had entred in at hir mouth and forced a vent for it self belowe which shall suffice for this time both for examples and causes of these terrible motions of the Elamēt and let vs now make the ignoraunt sorte priuie to some principall meanes to deliuer and defende them selues from such furies The Auncients amongst their secret experiences haue made prouf of diuerse things resisting both thunder and lightnings as amongest the foule and flying Creatures certaine fethers of an Eagle but chiefly such as she beares in hir panche are readie defenses against the blast or bolte of thunder Plinie and other writers more familiar describing the dispositiō of diuerse great fishes affirme diuerse to haue bene saued from the violence of lightning and thunder by wearing a girdle made of the skin of a Seacalf The Laurell or bay leafe amongst trées hath his priuiledge of speciall defence against suche assaultes for which respect the auncients haue vsed to plante it as an assured porter of sauetie at the entrie or dore of their houses Augustus Caesar was alwayes crowned with it vsinge also to carry certain braunches in his hande for continuall feare he had of that furie Albeit certaine Latins write that since his time one wearing Laurell was striken with thunder at Rome whiche they put amongest their wonders or matters of admiration Tarcon Etruscus witnesseth that by a certaine secret propertie the white vyne defendes from the thunder affirming that for the same cause in diuerse countries subiect to such terrible effects men vse to enuirō their houses with the braunches and bowes of the same yet are not all these in déede of such vertue against suche furie of the heauens as the true Hiacinthe which according to the opinion of Serapio other olde phisitions is of force not onely to defende men from perill that waye but also giues assurance by diuerse proues that the Wax stamped or graued with the same withstandes the thunder which they agrée to haue bene proued in the countries where many perished by suche accident seing that no man hath euer bene touched which hath caried the true stone called Hiacynthe And nowe to put to the laste seale to our beadroll of these iniuries and angrie influences of the heauens I haue to preferre certaine monstrouse stones falling from the Element of the colour of yron singed and burned not much vnlike that which the Auncientes affirme to fall in Thracia being by estimation of the thicknesse of a chariot whereof the great Philosopher Anaxagoras prognosticated many yeares before Besides within our age and memorie and also in a countrey sufficiently knowen to sundrie trauailers I meane in Sugolye confynyng vppon the borders of Hungarie the seauenth day of September in the yeare a Thousand fiue hundred and fourtene in a horrible clappe of Thunder and lightenyng there fell downe from Heauen a huge Stone of the weyght of two hundreth and fiftie poundes the whych the Citizens haue made faste wyth a greate chayne of yron wythin their Temple vsing to shewe it as a thing of greate wonder to straungers visityng theyr prouince in sorte of perigrination And to make an end Cardanus in his fourth booke De varietate rerum saith that he hath séene in a fielde in Italie a number of harde stones of the colour of yron castyng a smell of Sulphure fallen oute of the Ayre whereof some of them weighed a Hundred and twentye pounde the péece others thrée score the which being shewed to the Frenche Kyng as a thyng of greate wonder in hys Royall voyage to Naples putte hym into a great maruell how the Heauens coulde sustaine so greate a waighte the space of twoo houres séeing that the noise ceassed not nor the flames to flashe oute of the Skye from thrée of the clocke vntyll fyue when the fall of the stones appeased the brute and horrible Rumbling whiche was in the Ayre ¶ A wonderfull Historie of a man in our time which washed his face and handes in skalding Leade CHAP. ix HIeronymus Cardanus writeth a wōderful Historie in his sixt booke De subtilitate as I might saie repugnant to nature sauing that the same was done in the presence and sight of the whole companie of a Citie whiche makes it of more faith and credit When saith he I wrote my workes of subtil inuentions I sawe a certaine man at Millan which washte his face handes with skalding leade hauing washte them before with som other water wherfore Cardanus as he was accustomed w t great diligēce enforcing himselfe to searche trie out that secret in nature was of opiniō y ◠of necessitie it must be y t y e water wherewith he first washed was extreme colde withall had a certaine obscure hidden vertue the which did with stande the heate of the leade not suffering y e same to cleaue or sticke to his bodie some saith he affirme that the water wherein he washed was made of the sappe of Pourpie and Mercuriall for bicause of the sliminesse and lightnesse thereof which to me séemes not to be true for that he vsed the same water very often to wash his whole bodie putting but a litle on the place where he poured the hoate leade taking a crowne for the sighte thereof of all such as came to sée his doing therin And surely if y e water had bene made of these twoo herbes which be of small estimation in respect of such goodnesse and vertue he woulde haue cast a farre more quantitie on his bodie than he did But to cōclude it is thought that the water which he vsed was metical as that of Stybium Cōferring y e particularities therof with y e saying of Cardā other authours which I haue read I finde that in times passed these doings were not had in so great admiratiō as they be at this day seeing we see by common experience that there be diuers things which of nature haue not only power to resiste the force of fier but also will not be consumed thereof as the poulse of Pirrhus which when his bodie
the whiche meanes we iudge to sée diuers sunnes We maye also sée the lyke in a table wel painted and polished which when we behold there appeareth to vs the shape of two or .iij. being but one in dede and as much we may say of y e Moone Thus haue we declared the very true causes wherfore appere so often .ij. or .iij Sunnes Moones let vs therfore now from henceforth search in nature the cause and beings of these things and stay no more at these fripperies deceiptes and dreames of the Astrologians iudicials who therby haue so oftentimes deceiued begiled vs that they oughte and deserue to be banished exiled from all cōmon wealths well gouerned for what trouble perplexitie and terrour haue they engendred in the consciences of a numbre of poore people As for example in the yere 1514. when they feared not with obstination to publishe openly in all places that there shoulde be in the moneth of February well nigh an vniuersall floud for that the coniunction of all the planets were in the signe of Pisces and notwithstandyng the day which should haue brought forth these waters was one of the moste faire and temperate days of the yere albeit many great personages fearefull of their prophecies made prouision of bisket flower ships and other like things propre to sayle withall fearyng to be surprised and drowned wyth the greate abundance of water whiche they before had tolde of Lette vs further from henceforth learne with Henry the .vij. king of Englande who reigned in oure tyme makyng no accompt of theyr deceytes but chastised their dreame who vpon the sodaine beyng made to vnderstande that one of the moste famous Astrologians of Englande had published in all places that he had found amongst the most hidden secretes of Astrologie that the King shoulde die before the next feast of Christmas commaunded that he should be brought before hym who after he had asked hym whether this talke were true and that the prognosticator had answered him that it was certaine and that he had founde this infallible in his constellation and natiuitie I pray thée then sayde the King tell me where the starres tell thée thou shalte kéepe thy Christmas this yeare To whom he answered he shoulde be in hys owne house with hys familie but I knowe very wel sayd the King that thy starres be lyers for thou shalt neither sée Moone Sunne Starres heauen nor thy familie this Christmasse putting hym presentely in the moste straight darke prison in the great tower of London where he continued till the feast was past Here you may sée how this true Astrologian was vsed remayning prisoner in extreme misery vntil after the feast kept of the natiuitie of Iesus Christe ¶ A wonderfull Historie of Flames of fyre which haue sprong out of the heades of diuers men CHAP. xxj IF there were but one onely Authour which had made mention of the Historie followyng although the truthe therof be sufficiently proued for whiche cause I haue the rather at this time placed it in these my wōders as a chiefe argument or coniecture in nature whereupon may be founded the cause notwithstanding seing so many learned men haue busied themselues to write therof together with so greate a number of faithfull authors witnessing the same in their works we ought the rather vpon their credite to beleue that whiche they haue sayd therin Titus Liuius in his thirde booke and thirde Decade Cicero in his seconde boke De diuinatione Valerius the great in his first boke and .vj. chapiter Frontinus in his secōd boke and .x. chapiter write that after the Scipions were surprised by their enimies and ouerthrowē and killed by the Spanyards and that Lucius Martius a Romaine knight making an oration to his souldiers exhorting to reuēgement they became astonished to see a great flame of fire issuing from his heade without doing to him any hurt which caused the armed men being moued with the sight of thys wonderfull flame to take heart and run so furiously vpon their enimies that they not onely killed xxvij thousande but also had a praie of a great number of captiues besides an inestimable riches they toke from the Carthaginiens Neither haue such fantasticall fyres sprong from the bodies of certaine men or appeared in one only but in many Wherof the same author Titus Liuius writeth in his first boke of things worthy of memory sithens the foundation of Rome the like to happen to Seruius Tullius who succéeded in the imperial seate Tarquinius Priscus from whose heade being yet but yong and as he slepte they sawe issue a flame of fyre whervpon the Quéene Tanaquil wife to the foresayd Priscus affirmed to hir husbād that this flame promised to hym greate good honour and prosperitie whiche afterwards chaunced for he maried not onely hir daughter but after the death of hir husband hée was Kyng of the Romaines And Plutarche and others haue written the lyke of Alexander when he foughte against the Barbariens being in the moste heate of the skirmish they sawe him all on fyre whiche caused a maruellous feare and terrour to his ennimies Euen so I knowe a certaine Physition at this day who writeth of the lyke in diuers of his histories chauncing in our time to a nere friende of his in Italy not onely at one time but at many Whereof as Plinius not onely in an other place maketh mention of the ryuer Trasimenus whyche was seene all on fyre but also maketh a certain discourse of these wonderfull flames whyche be seene aboute the bodies of men Also Aristotle in hys fyrst boke of Metheores treateth in lyke maner But to tell you myne opinion therein I can not any wayes gather the cause or foundation eyther of the one or other althoughe I haue promised to shewe the causes and reasons whervpon these wonders procede and take their beginnyng For if we wyll saye they be made by Arte As we haue séene very often in oure tyme certaine Ruffians vomite and caste forth of theyr mouthes certayne flames of burnyng Fyre whiche Atheneus in the fyrst boke of the Dipnosophistes and fouretenth Chapiter doth witnesse whiche coulde not happen as I thinke to the Histories before mentioned for that it hath chanced to greate lordes vpon whome these wonders haue bene moste proued by which meanes they being attended vpon wyth a greate numbre and multitude of persones the fraude thereof was easlyer discouered Wherefore it is moste expediente then to beléeue that they be wonders and deceytes of Sathan who was so familiar in the worlde passed that he inuented dayly newe wonders as is wytnessed in Exodus of the Magitiens of Pharao whiche conuerted Maydes into Serpentes and floudes of water into bloud whyche be matters as difficulte as to make flames of fyre issue or come from the bodies of men ¶ A Historie very notable of Prodigeous Loues CHAP. xxij I Am ashamed and almoste confused in my self that I must declare the wonderfull loue
of thrée of the most renoumed Philosophers that euer were at any tyme in the world Wherof the one of them so wel studied in the perfectnesse of the soule and of the nature diuine with a wonderfull diligence in giuing wholsome lawes for a common welth that S. Augustin dare write affirme of him sauing in some respectes to be a perfect Christian. The second so well seene in the Element treating also very learnedly of the secretes of Nature and other sensible things that he shone amongest the reste of the Philosophers as the sunne amongest the starres The thirde as he was nothing inferiour in learning to the other twoo so had he besides such a kinde of holinesse and other ornaments of Ciuilitie that he was nuÌ„bred amongst the seuen fages of Grece which notwithstanding although they had curiously searched the secrets of the heauens of Nature the being and resorte of all things coÌ„tained within the compasse of the earth yet were they not so finely studied nor so well armed in the secretes of their sciences as eyther they vnderstand the Nature of so faire and delicate a creature as a woman is or other wayes be able to defende them selues from their cruell assaultes All the greate Masse of Philosophie wherin Aristotle was so déeply plunged and greatly studied from his birth to his sepulture was not of sufficient force to subdue in him the motions of the fleshe for he became in loue with a coÌ„mon woman named Hermie the loue of whome had so muche enflamed hym that he not onely consumed in the sight of all men but that which more was he became not only a straÌ„ger for hir sake to Philosophie which deserues to be noted amongest these wonders but also worshipped hir made to hir sacrifices as Origene writeth whereof being accusâ—d by Demophilus he was coÌ„strained to abandon Athens where he had remained and written xxx yeares and saued him selfe by flighte Plato who onely amongest the Philosophers merited the name of diuine was not so supersticious but he would aswel knowe what was humanitie as he had bene diligent to searche the secretes of the heauens that he would often times behold and remaine with humaine bodies as is wel notified of him by kéeping coÌ„panie with Aâ—chenasse who although she had gyuen hir selfe ouer to a number in hir youth notwithstanding when she was abaÌ„doned of others Plato receyued hir being so much assotted in hir that he not only loued hir but made certain verses in hir praise lamenting that he should so muche in the sight of al men embrace the loue of so many olde wrinkels as Atheneus y e Greeke authour writeth in his .xiij. booke de ses Dipnosophistes Socrates whose maiestie and grauitie was so much renoumed celebrated by y e AuncieÌ„ts y t they write this wonder of him that he was alwayes one man in sorte that for any Eclips of fortune prosperitie or aduersitie they neuer at any time founde mutation in hym notwithstanding he was not so sterne or seuere in his actions but the loue of his Aspasie did at all times mollifie the same as Clearchus maketh report vnto vs by writing in the firste booke of his Amours And like as I haue broughte these thrée to lighte so could I rehearse a greate number of others as Demosthenes Isocrates Pericles many others whose amorous and lasciuious loues the Greeke Historians haue sufficiently discouered that in reading of them I haue muche maruell that the greatnesse of their studie science wisedome could not moderate suche motions flames but that the smoke of their wantoÌ„ dealings remaineth to their posteritie Wherefore Lays so muche renowmed amongest the loste women was one daye in a greate coller against diuers which praised very earnestly the life maners of all the learned wise Philosophers of Athenes saide vnto some of them I knowe not saith she what is their knowledge neither what is their science neither what bookes your Philosophers studie whome you so much coÌ„mende but I knowe this very well y t I being but a womaÌ„ besides y t I neuer red in y e schooles at Athenes yet haue I séene very often the wise men come here to my schoole where of graue Philosophers they became folishe louers Let vs therefore leaue these Philosophers at reste and search out others for whosoeuer would make a Callender of al those who haue made them selues subiecte to loue should rather make a whole booke thereof than a chapter Menetor as Atheneus reciteth maketh mention of an amorous historie worthie to be noted in our wonders for that there is nothing more rare in Nature than to sée hir which loueth well willing to make partition to an other of that which was so deare vnto hir the whiche some times chaunced in a notable historie that we haue to write of Atheneus maketh mention of a coÌ„mon woman greatly renoumed for hir beautie whose name was Plangon Milesienne as she was beautiful so was she desired of many great Lordes But amongest others she had a yong man called Colophomen a man exquisite in beautie whome she coÌ„monly plaid withall who aboue all others enioyed the best part in hir NotwithstaÌ„ding as these lasciuious loues be for the most part grounded on tickle vncertaine foundatioÌ„s y t all the building coÌ„meth in y e ende to vtter decaye ruine euen so there hapned such a Ielousie betwixte PlaÌ„gon hir friend for y t she vnderstoode he loued an other called Bachide Samienne one nothing inferiour to hir for beautie other douries of Nature Wherin being assailed w t this new Ielousie she determined to make truce w t hir loue to giue y e farewel to this yoÌ„g geÌ„tlemaÌ„ WhervpoÌ„ this yong maÌ„ who wished rather to die thaÌ„ to become a straÌ„ger to hir in whom coÌ„sisted y e coÌ„fort solace of his life began to embrace cherish hir as he was wonte to do but she as cold as y e yse of y e mountaigne made no accoÌ„pte of al his plaints sighes lameÌ„tatioÌ„s requesting y t he wold shun al places of hir repaire without making him further to vnderstaÌ„de the cause of hir displeasure y e yong man touched more neare y e quicke with hir new refusal prostrated him selfe at hir féete all bedewed with teares exclaming that if she deferred to giue him remedie or otherwise relieue him by the influence of some gracious beame of pitie he should presentely perishe Plangon moued with rage pitie and loue sayde vnto hym lette me not fynde thee duryng thy life in my presence vnlesse thou present me with the chain of golde so muche celebrated of Bacchide Samienne wherfore the yong man without other replie went to Bacchide to whome hauyng made vnderstande from point to poynt the furie of the flames and ardent amitie which he bare to Plangon vaÌ„quished of pitie loue gaue vnto him hir chain with charge that he should forthwith present it
the shape or figure of a deade man all to be bathed in the bloudy flouds of horrible murder preferring this lamentable request seing thou hast vsed so smal care to succour my lyfe at the least discharge the office of a friende in reuengyng of my death for this body whiche thou seest so murdered and dismembred afore thée is at the gate of the Citie in a charyot couered wyth dong by the crueltie of myne hoste Thys seconde summonce or rather importunitie was of suche force in the troubled mynde of the other Arcadian that he arose in greate sorrowe and wyth no lesse compassion requested dyuerse friends to accompanie him to the gate of the Citie where as they founde the deade body of his friend hydden in the dong in suche sorte as he appeared to him in his dreame Wherevpon the Hoast being taken and examined auouched the murder and receyued hys hyre by the losse of his head The like is affirmed by Alexander ab Alexandro in the ninth chapter of his second boke De ses iours geniaux which he vnderstode of a familiar and deare friend of his a man whose learnyng and vertue acquite hym from iust imputation of vntruthe in any sorte whatsoeuer Thys man being at Rome was required by one of hys verye friendes to accompanie hym to the bathes of Cumes the intente of whyche iourney as it was to séeke remedy for a disease whyche hadde troubled hym many yeares afore So the other agréed to hys request in sort to his owne expectation Neyther hadde they trauailed many yeares together but thys disease grewe to suche extreme debilitie thorough all hys body that what wyth the anguishe of it and weakenesse in hym to endure the paine he died and gaue vp the goast in an Inne To whome after the other had performed such funeralls as agréed with the time and place seing no cause of nede to passe further to the bathes retourned to Rome and being ouertaken with extreme wearinesse of the firste dayes trauaile tooke vp hys lodging in an Inne by the waye where he was no sooner in bedde and afore he hadde desire to sleepe than the image of his friende whome he hadde put into the earth the day afore presented hym selfe afore hys eyes beholdyng him wyth moste earneste and pitifull regarde and that in the same leane and defourmed estate he was in duryng the extremitie of hys sicknesse The same strikyng such mortall dreade into the other that he was readie to dye for feare and yet was not voide of courage and remembrance to aske hym what he was who without making him any aunswere put off hys ghoastly apparaile and roabes of a ghoast and wente to bedde to hym offeryng to embrace hym with greate familiaritie which forced the poore man halfe deade wyth feare to leape sodainely oute of the bed and saue hym selfe by flyght without that the vision appeared to hym afterwarde Whyche notwithstandyng coulde not so well assure hym but the remembraunce of that feare made hym fall into a mortall disease whiche albeit brought hym to the extreme hazarde of death yet the worst being preuented by special remedies and he returned 〈◊〉 health amoÌ„gst the wonderful reports of this vision he â—â—yd he neuer felt yce more colde than the feete of that dead body touching him in his bed The same author in the .xj. chapter of his first boke confirmeth this discourse with a like example which he hath neither red nor learned by report but séene the experience hym self in one of hys trusty seruantes a man bothe vertuous and of vpright lyuing who layed in his bed fast a slepe began vpoÌ„ a sodain to sigh lament complain in such sort that he awaked all those in the house His master in the morning asked him y e cause of his trouble to whom he answered that these complaintes were not vaine seing that he séemed to sée afore his eyes to be buried the dead body of his mother Whervpon as his maister obserued y e very daye and houre to the ende he myght know whether it didde prognosticate any harme to his man so within certaine dayes after there came a seruant of his mother the messanger of hir death who discoursing hir disease with the order of hir dying conferryng the times together it appered that the houre of hir death agréed wyth the very instaunt of the vysion whych sayth Alexander néede not séeme eyther vaine or doubtfull to suche as knowe certaine houses in Rome at this day of great hate and horrour by reason they are hauÌ„ted wyth spirites Whereof Plurarch maketh mention of Damon in the beginning of the life of Cymon The same also being confirmed with like example written of Pausanias Cleonices and Bizantia the maide bisides the authority of Plinie in his .vij. boke of his Epistles touchyng a vision appearing in a house in Athens and that which Suetonius writeth when Caligula was killed whose house was troubled with prodigeous monsters and visions many yeares after vntil it was burned And lastly suche like is approued by Marcus Paulus Venitian who writeth that at thys day the Tartarians be very strong by enchantments of spirits being able to chaunge the day into darkenesse bring either light or darkenesse when and into what â—â—ace they list wherwith whosoeuer hath ben at any time circumueÌ„ted escapeth hardly without mortal danger Wherof Hayronus is a sufficient witnesse in his historie of the Sarmares wherein he sheweth how the Tartarians being almoste ouerthrowne were restored and became victorious by the enchauntment of the Ensigne bearer who made suche a darknesse ouerwhelm the army of the aduerse part that it dimmed their sights and mortified their corages But here me thinketh we stande too long vpon prophane examples séeing we haue sufficient confirmation by Ecclesiasticall authoritie as Sainct Augustine in hys twelfth Boke and seuententh Chapiter vppon Genesis in the Historie of a frantike man prophecying vpon the death of a Woman who as he was banquetting in his owne house amongâ—â—â— certaine his familiar friends falling into question of a woman knowen to them all willed them to ende their talke of that woman bycause she was alreadie dead which as it moued them the rather bicause some of them sawe hir not long afore so being asked how he coulde assure it sayd he sawe hir passe before him caried by such as put hir in the grounde which happened accordingly within .ij. dayes after for that the dead corps of the same woman passed afore his gate to be buried without that she felte any motioÌ„ of sicknesse at the houre of the prediction In like sorte the said S. Augustin in the same place treateth so strangely of prodigeous visions that were not the holinesse and authoritie of him y t wrote them they deserued smal credit There was saith he in our Citie a yong man so vexed with a paine in his coddes that by the furie of his griefe he séemed to endure a maruelous torment hauing
1541. she was of the age of .xxvj. yeres That learned Philosopher Licostenes writeth one maruellous thing of that monster for reseruing the duplication of the head nature otherwyse had left nothing in hir vnperfect These two heades as he writeth had desire in like to drinke to eate to slepe and to talke together as also dyd all hir other affections Wherefore thys mayde wente from dore to dore searchyng hir liuyng to whome they gaue more willingly for the noueltie of so strange a creature so newe a spectacle Albeit she was chased thorough the Duchie of Bauiere to the ende she myght marre the frute of women with childe for the apprehension whiche remayneth in the imagination of the figure of this monstrous Woman ¶ A Monster on liue whose intrailes and interiour parts were to be seene naked and vncouered CHAP. xxviij IN the tyme that Seruius Galba and Marcus Scaurus were Consules a noble and famous woman in Nursiue brought forthe a son on liue which had the vppermost part of his bely so open that men might sée hys intrails naked and vncouered and it was so harde and entier in the nethermost part that I beleue if you haue red al the Authors Grekes and Latins which haue written of the wonders of nature you shal scarcely fynde his like And although the Romains were alway superstitious in those things yet was this monster a certain Augure and soothsayer of the victorie whiche they obtained against Iugurth as Iules Obsequent writeth in the hundreth Chapter of his book of the wonders of the Romains Wherfore if the Grekes and Arabes whiche were so fine in serching out the secretes within the shop of mans body that they demaunded of the king the bodies of the condemned to open them aliue had had that litle monster at their cōmaundement they néede not haue exercised such butchery tirānie and crueltie on the behalfe on liuing creatures as they did for casting their eyes only vpon that little monster without makyng further openyng or incision they myght haue séene and discerned the substance the greatnesse number figure situation commoditie and action of all the principall partes of mans bodie the liuely spirites being within the which is not of small consideration in nature seing that by the ignorance of those things if that a sinew or muscle be cut for the most parte the féelyng is lost sometimes the mouing and sometimes bothe the one and the other and very oftentimes death therby foloweth Wherfore the ancient kings and princes as Marcus Anthonius Flauius and Boetius as Galene witnesseth tooke so great pleasure in Anotomies and cuttyng of bodies that they themselues vsed that arte who as they obserued not the same carefully so they made erre the most renoumed Philosophers in the time past as Aristotle in his first and thirde boke of Histories treatyng of Creatures the .vij. chapter where he writeth that the seames of the head by the which the moyst matters of the braine doe euapour be not like but differ in men and women notwithstandyng we sée by common experience the contrary whereby the same author is also deceiued in that he writeth that the heades of Dogs haue no sinews although in anotomysing of them wée fynde they haue seames so well as in the heade of man In lyke maner Cornelius Celsus one of the most excellent which hath written of physike in Latin is beguyled in the same matter of seames in hys eyghte boke and fyrst chapter where he writeth that those heads which haue no seames be the moste sounde and least subiect to sicknesse though the same be vtterly false as wytnesseth Hipocrates in his first boke of men where he writeth that the heads which haue the gretest number of seames be the most healthfull wherin as I haue shewed the mistakyng of the two matters of the cutting of the body Euen so coulde I discouer vnto you a numbre of other errours whiche be founde in Mundinus Carpus and others who in their writyngs haue ben often beguiled in the opening of the shoppe of mans bodie But for that we are to entreate of wonders we will therfore make an ende of that matter without settyng before you the falts gathered in the Haruest of Physike ¶ An historie of a prodigious Dogge which engendred of a Beare and a Mastife bitche in England sene by the Author at London with the discourses of the nature of this Beaste CHAP. xxix LIke as mine Author in the beginning of thys Chapter séemeth to preferre in sort of a Frenche flourishe or commendation to hym selfe hys being in Englande wyth sundry honours that were done to hym by the Quéenes Maiestie and certaine nobilitie at what tyme he was brought to the viewe of thys Dogge so for certayne respects I accompt it as necessarie to leaue it oute as to fyll or cloye the Reader with suche vaine follie In Englande then accordyng to mine Authour was bredde thys monstrous Dogge whose figure séemeth to resemble indifferently a Dog and a Beare whiche argueth him to participate bothe of the one and the others nature the same not séemyng very straunge to suche as haue obserued theyr conditions at London where the Dogges and the Beares doe lie in little Cabinets or vaultes of wood one fast by an other and being in theyr heates those that do gouerne them wyll not stycke oftentymes to putte a Beare and a Dogge in one house together when beyng prycked wyth theyr naturall impressyons they conuerte theyr crueltie into loue of whyche coniunctions are engendred oftentymes creatures lyke vnto thys although very seldome amongst which myne Author hath obserued two Whiche as they were gyuen to the Marquesse of Trans so he made a present of the one of them to the Countie of Alphestan the Emperors Embassador and the other he made to be caried wyth hym into Fraunce where myne Author caused thys portraict to be drawen omitting nothing that was necessary to be séene In whom albeit maye appeare some cause of wonder by the strange effecte of Nature yet the attestation of sundry famous authors maketh it neyther rare nor newe Lyke as Aristotle who is of opinyon that diuerse beastes may haue Coitum and ioyne togyther so that theyr natures do not muche differ as doe the Dogge the Woulfe and the Foxe He wryteth in an other place that the Indian dogs be ingendred of a Dogge and a Tyger whiche is also approued by Polux and Plinie Patritius and Senes in theyr thirde boke of theyr common Wealthe haue affirmed that the Indians haue not onely made couer their bitches wyth beastes of an other kynde but also the auncient Frenchemen vsed to haue them engender with Woulues to the ende that the fruite of suche fierce commixture and séede myghte bée of the more strengthe and furie the same being also confirmed by Augustus Nyphus in a Historie assisted with his owne eyes and not gathered by any reporte On a time sayth he that the Lorde Federike of Montforce and I returned
whipped through the streates In like manner the Romains gaue libertie to the husbande of his owne proper aucthoritie to kil the whoremoÌ„ger and his wife if he toke them coÌ„mitting of that abhominable vice Macrin the .xix. Emperour caused al such as were apprehended in adulterie to be broiled quicke who being informed that diuers souldioures had violated their hostesse chamber maide he caused the bellies of two great Beefes to be opened aliue and made the souldioures to be sowed and inclosed therin sauing their heads which appeared out to the end that all men might see them the one talke with the other And Aurelius the .xxix. Emperour being made to vnderstand y t a souldiour of his armie had defloured the wife of his host inuented for him to make him die by a new kind of cruell punishment for he caused two great trees by force to be bowed and plied whereunto the souldioure was tied to y e end that the trées returning to their place might tear and plucke him in pieces Confer these punishmeÌ„ts with those written of before and you shal find no adulterer receiue y e reward of a better hire for in y e sacred historyes â–ª by y e law of Moises they were smoothered murdered and stoned to death S. Paule in his .xiij. to the Hebrues crieth that God wil condemn fornicators and adulterers After in his first boke to the Corinthians and .vj. Chapiter he writeth thus Do not disceiue your selues for neither fornicator Idolatour or adulterour shal not possesse at all the kingdom of God Wherfore amongst the most principall causes that moued God to drowne the world was chiefly this wicked vice of whoredom fiue famous Cities as it is written in the booke of Moyses became ruinous and ouerthrowne for their disordred and wicked liues In the booke of numbers xij kings were hanged and .24000 men killed for comitting of whoredom It is wrytten in Leuiticus xxviij chapiter how the Chananeans were afflicted punished for their whordome wel nigh all the line of Beniamin as you may read in the .xxxix. of the Iudges was afflicted for committing fornication wyth the Leuites wife Diuers greuous punishments were sent vnto Dauid for his whoredom as you may read in the booke of the Kings Salomon for the same cause and committing Idolatrie became reprobate wherefore S. Ieremie the Prophet recompteth very often y e whoremongers and fornicators were the chiefest causers of the destruction of the Citie of Ierusalem Diuers many Realmes by thys detestable vice haue receiued chaunge and alteration become subiect to others Troy the proud became ruinous for the rauishment of Helen In like manner Thebes the populous was afflicted and scourged for y e abusing of Chrisippe and the incest committed by Eclipus The Kings of Rome were extirped banished for the rauishment of Lucrecia Aristotle in the .v â–ª of his politiques sayth that adulterers and fornicatours be the principall and chiefest causers of the ruin and mutation of realmes The King Pausanias so much renoumed in Licaonien who first defiled a maide at Constantinople and after killed hir was aduertised by an Image of his end and destruction A thing very straunge that whoremoÌ„gers should be warned of the paines prepared for them by wicked spirits to their owne confusion which Pausanias proued true for that the Ephores constrained him to die by famine Wherfore if the Histories both sacred and prophane be so fully replenished of grieuous paines cruel punishmeÌ„ts irefull cursings sent by God commonly vpon whoremongers what may then the Sodomites and others loke or hope for who ioyne them selues in the ignominie of God and nature with brute beasts as is most plainly shewed vnto vs by this shameful Historie whose portraict thou mayst beholde in the beginning of this Chapiter of a childe who was conceiued and engendred betwene a woman and a dogge hauing from the nauell vpwards the forme and shape of the mother so well accomplished that nature had not forgotteÌ„ any thing vnperformed and from the nauell downwards it had the forme and figure of the beast who was the father who as Volateranus wryteth was sent to the Pope which raigned at that time there to the end it might be purified and purged Conradus Licostenes writeth a like Historie in hys wonders of a woman which brought forthe in the time of the Emperor Lothairus a childe and a dogge ioyned knit together by the nether partes that is to say from y e rains or tippe of the backe to the haÌ„ches And Celius Rhodiginus in his .xxv. boke and .xxxij. chapiter of his auncient lessons wryteth that there was a Priest called Crathin in Cibaâ—e hauing had the companie of a Goate with whom he vsed this brutal desire and afterwards within a certaine time brought forth a Goat who had the head and shape of a maÌ„ resembling the Priest which was the father but the rest of the body was like the Goat Whereupon S. Paule sayth in the fourth Chapiter to the Ephesians that the plague ordained for whoremongers is that they become blinde and madde after that they be once forsaken of God and will not be reconciled by good and wholesome councel but perseuer still in their wickednesse prouoking therby Gods wrath and indignatioÌ„ against them ¶ A notable complaynt made by a Monstrous man to the Senate of Rome against the tyrannies of a Censour whiche oppressed the poore people of the ryuer of Danube by rigorous exactions CHAP. xxxviij THat great Monarch Marcus Aurelius who was as well a philosopher as an Emperor retiring himselfe into the fields with a great nuÌ„ber of wise men as wel to deceiue certain enuious times of the yeare as to moderate the heate burning of a feuer whiche had vext and troubled hym many dayes with intente not to be idle they began to talke of diuers matters amongest themselues as of the corruption of princes the alteration of common weales and generally of the vniuersall disorder whiche was founde amongest all the states of the worlde wherein after euery man had touched particularly that which seemed good vnto hym it pleased the Emperour to become therein a partie and continuyng the talâ—e he sayd vnto them My frâ—end although eche of you haue very learnedly spoken of the question propouned touchyng the corruption of Princes and publike weales so it is notwithstanding as me seemeth that the originall of that contagious euil procedeth of others as of flatterers which serue rather to feede the affections of Princes and contente their delites than to make them bolde to vtter vnto them the truthe They fill their heads with good words they are ready to claw afore they do itche they lull them a slepe with the harmonie of their false praises and fade them fatte with their owne faults in such sort that I know them at this day whose legs and feete can carie no more neither the force of their bodies hable to sustayne them vprighte neyther their handes sufficiente to write
decke him with their pennes as Gasparus Pucerus in his bookes of Teratoscopia of Hieronymus Cardanus of Munsterus and amongst all the rest very excellently written of in the Latin tongue by Gasparus Bruchius But albeit Egidius Facius hauyng made mention of this monster in his booke de Cometa sayth that he can not be persuaded that a creature so horrible and monstrous shoulde be begotten of a humaine creature but rather of some wicked spirite Me séemes that in searching and canuasing this matter the most excellent and learned Philosophers sithens the creation of the worlde till oure tyme haue greatly molested and troubled them selues in deciding the doubtes of this question whiche is Whether deuils can engender conceyue and vse the works of nature as other creatures doe Some thoughte they coulde and for a more testimonie therein doe assure vs by their writings that Plato was begot of a maide by one in the likenesse of Apollo wherin the auncient Annatists and Chroniclers which haue committed to memorie the sundry acts of Almayne haue thereby shewed that the women of the Goathes as they were wandring by the desertes of Scythie were got with childe of Diuels whereupon one of them brought forth a monster And others as Pisellus were not content only to say that diuels coulde engender and that the most parte of the beastes of the earth were by them brought forth and engendred Wherefore Lactantius Firmian a graue author whom S. Hierom before exalteth beleueth y t these deuils were capable of generation and that they haue engendred as he sheweth in the .x. chapter of the second booke of his diuine institutions Agrippus in euery of his bookes and Hieronymus Cardanus in his treatise De rebus contra naturam seames to haue followed this opinion and the more to confirme his saying he reciteth one historie of a yong damsell of Scotland which was got with child of an enchaunting deuill thinking that he had ben a faire yong man which had lyen with hir whereupon she brought forth so horrible a monster that he feared all those which assisted hir in hir trauail in such sorte that the midwife and all the rest of the sage and graue women were cōstrained incōtinēt to cast him in the fire the said Cardanus reciteth yet an other like example rehearsed by Thomas Liermont of an other woman which was got with childe of a wicked sprite and for confirmation of the matters heretofore rehearsed all the writers of the Cronicles of Englande maruell not so much at any thing as at the strange natiuitie of the prophet Marlin who persuade absolutlie that he was begotten of a diuell which with many other like matters although many notable persons haue assured to be things of truth yet truly they be altogether false deceitfull and not only repugnant to nature but also to our religion by the which we are taught to beleue that there was neuer any man begotten without humaine séede sauing y e sonne of God But as Cassianus saith what an absurditie repugnancie and confusion would it be to nature if it were lawfull for deuils incube and succube to conceiue men or men to be conceiued and brought forth of them and although that sithens the creation of the worlde euen till our time deuils haue begotten monsters through out al mākynd casting therin the intrailles of beasts beleuing that by the perturbations of their séede they haue brought forth a great nomber of monsters and wonders confessing very well such as S. Augustine hath not denied that these diuels transforming them selues verie often into the shapes of men and women maye vse the works of nature and haue to do with women men for to entice stirre them to the filthie lust of the flesh the rather by that meanes to beguile and deceiue them as the auncients heretofore haue not only proued but it is also experimented at this daie in diuers prouinces and places that diuels by transforming them into the shapes as afore is rehearsed haue to do with diuers persons whereof Iames Ruffus in his bookes De conceptu generatione hominis testifieth that in his time there was a wicked sprite had to do by nighte with a cōmon woman being transformed into the likenesse of a man wherupon she becam immediatly with child which when she perceiued she fell into so strange a kinde of disease that hir intrailes fell from hir bellie which could not be holpe or made sounde by any deuice of phisicke He writes an other like vnto this of the seruaunt of a butcher who being extremelie plunged in the vaine cogitations of filthie and wicked luste and therby astonnished he sawe incontinent before his eyes a diuell in the shape or figure of a faire womā with whom he had to do immediatly his priuie part mēbers were in such sorte inflamed that he iudged there was burning within his body a cōtinual fier whereof as I haue brought forth these two examples so could I iustifie the same with diuers others written not only by Philosophers but also by the Ecclesiasticall writers who confesse that diuels by the permission of God or rather for a punishment of our sinnes myghte so abuse both men and women but to saie that any such coniunction coulde engendre any such matter as we haue aforesaid that is not onely false but altogether repugnant and contrarie to our lawe And as concerning the Prophet Marlin and manye other like examples whose natiuitie hath abused very manie stedfastly beleuing that he was begotten of a diuell we confesse therein as we haue done before that his mother mighte haue the companie of a diuel but that she could engendre is no lesse vnlikely than impossible albeit it maye be presumed and beleued that she was with child considering the authorities of diuerse histories approuing therein chieflie the legerdemaine and subtiltie of the diuell to whom they allowe a certain possibilitie with the assistance of his Charmes to make the bellie swell troubling and corrupting the humors of the bodie which women taste in the time of childe bearing and at the instant of deliuerie he maye so enchaunte the eyes of the wyues and company assistant hauing also a strange childe stollen from some other place to exchaunge for the creature newe borne that the simple mother may also be persuaded that such conception and generation procéeded of the diuell whereof besides the confirmation of antiquities we haue a familiar example remaining yet within memorie and viewe in a yong Damsell of Constance called Magdaleine in seruice with one of the richest magistrates of the towne who reporting to all men in common that the diuell one night had lyen with hir and gotten hir with childe was by and by put in prison by the officers to sée an effecte and ende of hir bigge bellie the painefull houre whereof being come after she was pinched with euerye pang which doe happen to women in that torment and the women in expectation to receiue the frutes of
very heighte to beholde and consider the maruellous effects therof wherof Sueton affirmeth that Caius Cesar Caligula Emperor of the Romains hauing beheld this great store of fire that the mount vomited forth was therewith so feared that he fled by night to Messane and not withoute cause for after the windes had gotten within the euents of this mountain it darted forth mightie stones and great flakes of burning fire whiche consumed all things it encountred Thucidide maketh mention of three notable embracementes of this mount Aetna which was after the Greekes had gotten to Sicile And Orose reciteth that in the time that Marcus Aemilius and Lucius Oresteus were Consules the same mount sodainely threwe out such a quantitie of flames of sulphure that al the countrey theraboutes was destroyed by meanes wherof the Romains remitted the ordinarie tribute whiche they receiued of those of Casine for the space of ten yeares And the men at those dayes thought that the matter wherwith the fyre was nourished was quite consumed for that y e same ceassed for a time but in the yeare .1570 they very well proued the contrary for as they were astoonished at the great masse of fyre with the light darkened Euen so that light of the sulphure fell from the height of the sayde mountain to the lowest part therof the which by a certaine coldenesse coulde not be so wel gouerned but that running here and there it burned not only fields stones forrestes but also two villages and all that it encountred and the fyre being at this time extinguished the grounde by that meanes brings forth muche good fruite and withal is become fertile ¶ Wonders of certaine horrible earthquakes chancing in diuers prouinces with a deceit of Sathan who by his crafte and subtiltie made a Romaine Knighte to throw him selfe headlong into a gulfe CHAP. xiij THe Histories yeares of Romains Greekes Parthains Medians Persians and others like haue so often made mention of the ruinous chaunce of manie Cities and Prouinces by the trembling of the earth that I could bring to memorie very neare the number of fyue hundreth greatly renowmed which perished and were destroyed by this kind of torment as Epheseus Magnesus Sardos Cesaree Philadelphius Mirimneus Apolonius Nicomedius Antiocheus and many others in suche sorte that in one night in the tyme of Tibereus the Emperour vnder whome y e sauiour of the worlde was crucified twelue of the most proud Cities of Asia were made ruinous in one night by the sodaine trembling of the earth as Plinius and Cornelius write In like sorte at what time Flaminius warred against Hanibal and as their hostes were ready to ioine battaile y e one against the other the earth begaÌ„ so vehemently to euente shake that many of the strongest partes of the Cities and diuers of the highest mountaines were battred and made flatte with the earth and yet as sayeth Titus Liuius these twoo armies were so enraged the one against the other that they forbare not to continue their furie making no accompte of these wonders whereof who listeth to reade Dion Niceus and Xiphilinus in the life of Anthonie the Emperour shall finde so strange earthquakes happening in Hellespont and Bithinie that it canot seeme otherwayes but y t those prouinces should be deuoured swallowed vp The Isle of the Rhodes so much renoumed by writings hath bene very often decayed by earthquakes in so much that the great Idol and Image of the Sun which shone so greatly in Rhodes made by Chares Lindius scholer of Lisippus when he was twelue yeares of age the which was in heyghte thrée score and six cubits was defaced and broken by trembling of the earth the .lv. yeare after the setting vp thereof which was once againe layde on the earth in the time of Plinie to the great maruel of those which went to sée it in such sorte that the very thombe of that Image surpasseth in bignesse y e greatest Image which they could finde and the riches of that Image was so maruellous that when the Soudan of Egipte inuaded Rhodes he loaded with the fragmentes reliques of Brasse of that Image which he founde battred nine hundreth Camels which he sente by lande into Alexandria And moreouer Iosephus in his first booke of the warres of the Iewes maketh meÌ„tion of an earthquake which chaunced in Iudee by the violence whereof there was killed a thousand men wherein as the Auncients vnder the gouerment of Eudoxius willing to celebrate a second Councel at Nice to vndoe the articles agréed vpon by y e general councel were sodainly stonished euen when their Byshops Prelats were assembled with the sodain mouing shaking of the Citie of Nice wherein many building sounke and many thousands of men were deuoured and choked who perceiuing that god was not coÌ„tente with their enterprise were forced to desiste from their purpose and returne to their Prouinces as Fuctius writeth Also in the yeare .1345 the daye of the conuersion of S. Paul was so horrible an earthquake in Venise as Sabellique writeth that by y e space of fyue dayes together they sawe no other thing but houses building decay and besides that all the women being with childe during that time were deliuered before their times their frute lost But to the ende we should not consume much time in coÌ„mitting to memorie the hurtes receiued in y e olde time by those shakings of y e earth we haue in our age proued y e like in y e yere of our Sauiour .1538 the .xxvj. day of Ianuarie where the Realme of Portugal was so shaked by the thrusting together of y e earth y t there fel at Lisbone as the writers at this daye reporte very neare a thousand or .xij. hundreth buildings besides more than .ij. hundreth others which where halfe decaied that torment coÌ„tinuing .viij. dayes y e assaultes thereof renewed .v or .vj. times a day by meanes whereof al y e poore inhabitaÌ„ts were so frighted y t they abaÌ„doned their houses lodged in y e fields Titê° Liuius in his vij booke .j. decade Oroseus in his .ij. booke .v. chap. Iulius Obsequens Polidorus Virgilius many others haue made mention of a strange earthquake in Rome which me seames worthie of memorie in this place for the noueltie of an acte so strangelie happening They write that in the time of Seruilius Hala and Lutius Genutius being Consulles the Citie of Rome was besieged with a sodaine shaking of the earth which being ceassed lefte a certaine caue or depth in the midst of a place of the Citie which by no meanes coulde be closed or shutte vp with all the earth or other matter they coulde caste into it besides there issued out thereof such a stinke of diuers pestilent and infectiue vapours that the most part of the Citizens of the Citie were therewith infected and after they had searched all the meanes they coulde to remedie their euill they determined as their laste
refuge to demaunde councell therin of their diuines and soothsaiers who after they had done to them their accustomed ceremonies they answered that it was not possible by any artificiall meanes to close it vp vnlesse the moste precious Iewell in all the Citie were caste into it wherefore after that the Ladies and other Romain Citizens had liberallie caste into it the moste precious Iewels that they had in their closets without profiting or appeasing the furie of that gulphe Marcus Curtius an excellent and valiante Romain Knight armed at all pointes and mounted vpon the best horse in his stable cast himselfe headlong into that depth the which immediatly closed vp and so ceassed to rage So much is the deceit of the diuel in this world that men thinking to do sacrifice to their Gods to deliuer their countrie from captiuitie make their soules a willing sacrifice to the diuel Wherwith ending these earthquakes it resteth now to shew y ◠causes of their beginning Aristotle Plinie and generally all those who haue treated of the motion of the earth attribute the causes of that euil fortune to the vapours and exhalations which be inclosed in y e intrailles of y e earth by whose force searching to euente and to come forth the earth is moued and stirred which is of power in some places to dissunder strong walles and buyldyngs and make them fall into the earth and in some place it leaueth a hollowe hole or caue like to that in Rome whereof we made mention sometimes these fires issue before any assault or warning giuen where diuers tymes at the very same instant may bée hearde an horrible sounde and murmure like to the mutterings or clamors of men accordyng to the quantitie of the matter which is shaken or the forume of the caue by the which the vapour passeth leauyng sometimes a caue which sheweth the thyng swallowed and sometimes the earth is made so firme sodainly that they can finde no token therof and at other times deuoureth whole villages swallowyng somtimes the most part of a countrey And that which is to be noted these earthquakes happen for the most part rather in the Spring time and in Autumne than in any other season of the yeare ¶ Wonders of two bodies knitte togethers like two graftes in the tronke of a tree whereof S. Augustine in a boke of the Citie of God maketh mention CHAP. xiiij SUche nede not to be astonnied at all of the figure of this monster whiche haue read the eight Chapiter of S. Augustine in his .xvj. boke written of the Citie of God where a litle before his time was borne an infant in the east parties which was double aboue and single belowe hauing two heades two brestes foure handes and the rest of the bodie in the shape of one that is to say two thighes two féete one belly and the rest from the nauell downewarde had not but the figure of one mā as he witnesseth in a place before and lyuyng so many wente to sée it for the renoume and fame thereof And that wherof also I thought somwhat to speake for that thys whose portraict is presented is like vnto that whiche S. Augustine writeth of sauing that that had the figure of a man and thys the fourme of a woman who was engendred vpon the confines of Normandie and Englande at what time Henry the thirde there reigned Wherof if you wyll well consider you shall fynde the same to bée a straunge spectacle in Nature for beholde these two bodies were knit togither from the toppe of their heads to their nauell like .ij. graftes in the trunke of a trée hauing two heades two mouthes two noses with their faces faire well formed and made in euery point requisite in nature euen to the nauel and from the nauel downwardes it had but the figure and shape of one only that is to say two legs two thighes one nature and one onely conduict whereby the excrements were discharged And that whiche was more pitifull is that they differed in all the actions of nature for somtimes when the one wept the other laughed if the one talked the other helde hir peace as the one eate the other dranke Liuyng thus a long season till one of them died the other being constrained to traile the deade body after hir for certaine yeares after where by the stinke and corruption of hir who was deade in the ende she was infected and died also The Authours of this be Cuylerinus Mattheus Palmerius Vincentius in hys .xxvj. booke and xxxviij Chapiter Hieronymus Cardan an excellente Millanois Physition searching greately the secretes of Nature which at this day is liuing affirmeth in his .xiiij. boke of his bokes of diuerse histories that in the yeare .1544 in the moneth of Ianuary the like monster was engēdred in Italie which he describes in pointes like vnto this and the mother brought it forth in the ende of the .ix. moneth very well formed in all respects and withall corpulente notwithstanding it died immediatly after the mother was brought to bedde by meanes that the sage women had vsed to much force and violēce in taking the same from the body of the mother And further he describes afterwards a thing worthie to be noted whiche is that there was a surgion named Gabriel Cuneus a man very expert in hys arte who heretofore had ben his disciple made an Anatomie of this monstrous maide committing hir into pieces and after he had opened the interiour partes he found a double wombe all the intestines double sauing that which they cal rectū bisides he found two liuers and so almost all the other partes reseruing the heart which was single the which moueth vs to thinke sayth Cardan that Nature wold haue created two sauing that by some defecte she imperfected the whole ¶ A Historie of a Monster wherof S. Hierome maketh mention who appeared to S. Anthonie in the deserte CHAP. xv SAint Hierom Licostenes and Isidorus make mention of a monster who vpon a sodaine appeared to S. Anthonie whilest he did penance in the desert hauing as it is written the forme of a man his nose hideous hauked two hornes on his head and his feete like to a goate according to his figure appearing in this portraict wherof that holy man being afrayd to behold so wonderful a creature in the desert he coniured him in the name of God to tell him what he was who answered him I am a mortall man as thou art appointed to dwell in this wildernesse which the cōmon people deceiued are persuaded to be one of these hurtfull Satyres wandring by the desertes or else some enchaunting deuill wherof also the holy man S. Augustine in his first boke and thirde question of Genesis maketh mention in that he reportes so diuersly of certain diuels hurtful specially to women that it is neither easy nor seeming to pronounce a resolution albeit in the .xxv. chapiter and .xv. boke of the citie of God he speaketh
of man the Diamont deserues moste estimation who besides his violent clearenesse which of it selfe hath power to dimme our eyes as if it were the sodaine flashe of a thunder is of a hardnesse so infringible that it resistes not only the hammer or stroke of other mettall but it is also inuincible againste fire or flame Plinie in his last booke of his naturall histories writes that in his time the DiamoÌ„t was not founde but in the Courtes of Princes and that very rarely but nowe nature which since his age is become more bountifull doth yelde vs such plentie of it that there is not so meane a marchaunt mans wife at this day whose fingers are not decked with that Iewell Ezechiel and Zacharie twoo of the moste famous Prophetes in the Churche of GOD haue gyuen greate honour to this stone and not without cause for besides his common properties to withstande venom poyson charmes dreames enchauntementes and visions of the night yet hath he a moste wonderfull vertue to resiste fire according to the opinion of some Philosophers whose experience warrantes it to be of force to endure amyds the moste hotte burning coles that be for nine dayes continuallye without diminushing any parte of it such is the excellencie of this stone that waye albeit in this place it cannot séeme impertinent to my intent of true descriptions of stones to impart to the readers wherein both the AuncieÌ„t and late writers haue erred touching the reseruation of the properties of this stone Plinie with moste that were afore hym and Francisce Ruell professour of Phisike with Morbodeus a latter Poete writers not long since haue greatly abused the simplicitie of a number of people in persuading that the Adamant hath no power ouer the yron neither to smell nor drawe it if the Diamont be in place séeing the contrarie is proued by common and daily experience euen so they haue erred no lesse in that they assure the Diamont not to be vanished either by fire yron or other meane excepte onely by the bloud of aâ— hée goate for it is moste certaine that the hammer is of force to bruse and bring hym in pieces being striken with a strong hande I will not denie but that it excéedes all other stones in hardnesse and that it deuides and confoundes all other precious stones by his soliditie neither is he with ease to be polished or framed with other thing thaÌ„ with his owne lime pouder or duste with this further argumeÌ„t of his subtiltie hardnesse which y e Auncients did practise with greate maruel that y e point of a dart dagger or other instrument cutting being dipped in the pouder or forge of Diamont doth penetrat or pierce any armour for y e yron steele being chafed or stirred with the blow w t the vehement hardnesse of the forge makes it of power to pierce easely whatsoeuer resistes it Nature hath yet gyuen to the DiamoÌ„t another secret singular propertie no lesse maruelous than the other which is that being chaâ—ed it drawes a rushe or light strawe as the Ieat doth but not with such vehemencie Many other strange condicioÌ„s in a diamont could I preferre and the same approued both by forein and familiar writers but because they bring with them a suspicion of lightnesse or discredit I will reserue them for an other vse time and note vnto you in this last discourse of the diamont how nature in counterpaise of the sundry graces and good gyftes bestowed vpon it hath infected it with one speciall and mortall vice for that it is most venemouse and of suche fatall operation that it stoppes breath assone as it is dronke in pouder which some affirme to procéede of his extreme coldnesse and other holde it to moue by a violent gnawing in the bowels The greatest diamoÌ„t that euer was seene excéedes not in greatnesse an Almonde which as I haue hearde remaines amongest the Iewels of Solyman late Emperour of the Turkes Most writers haue gyuen the second place of honour for stones to y e Emeraud bycause that by his liuelye verdure he doth not onely solace the eye more than any other stone but also for delite and flourishing viewe it so surmountes both forrests trées and hearbes that nature séemes to contende with the earth to whome the price of gréennesse is due either to the Emeraud or y e plantes Touching the exellencie of this stone they write that it abhorres all vncleane and filthie liuers and is a special friend to chastitie the which they make good by an example experience in the Kyng of Hungarie who lying with his wife and hauing an Emeraud on his finger maruelled to sée it breake and conuert to many péeces which might also happen aswell by chaunce as come of any vertue in the stone séeing that of all other stones it is moste fraile tender The most true and credible properties attributed to this stone by most learned men be these First Aristotle giues councel to hang it at the heade of him that hath the falling sicknesse Rabie persuades that if a man drinke ix graines of it it drieth vp euil humors Sana Verola affirmeth that if it be layed to the thighe of a womaÌ„ feeling the paine of childe bearing it procures deliuerie Rasis Dioscorides will such as be infected with leprosye to drinke the pouder of an Emeraud wherunto as are diuerse other singularities so because they be not grounded vpon good substance let them persuade credit according to the wisedome of such as can iudge of them for my parte in suche causes of difference and doubt I had rather be carefull than curious but for a familiar example of the estimatioÌ„ and valewe of the Emeraud I maye boldely commende and bring in the honour of King Edward who hauing receiued a booke from Erasmus presented him with an Emeraud valued after his death at three thousande crownes whereof that famous clerke made so deare accompte that he had it on his finger euen at the instant of his death Suetonius writes that Nero was wont to discerne the eyes and lookes of ruffians and dashebucklers within an Emeraud Good Emeraudes do proue them selues by the touch stone called Lidia which if they be naturall and true they leaue a marke like the touche of brasse Saint Iohn in his Apocalipse hath giuen great honour to this stone That which the Auncients called a Carbuncle is no other thing than that which we commonly call a Rubie which takes his name by the similitude he hath in lighte with the burning coale the same being committed to the flames doth not onely resiste their force but excéedes them in clearenesse touching his giftes and properties the Philosophers moste commonly commende it of a vertue to chase awaye melancholye defende dreames and illusions of the night and to serue for a counterpoison againste all corrupte aire Ther be of them diuerse kindes as the Grenat and such other whereof I wil speake particularlye hereafter The
the néedle beholde alwayes the north and the other the south He that firste founde oute the vse of this stone was named Flauius but the first that wrote of his vertue was Albertus Magnus Aristotle knewe well that it was of a nature attractiue and coulde drawe yron vnto it but yet he was ignoraunt to vse it in the Arte of Nauigation for if he had vnderstoode so farre of it he had preuented a numbre of miserable shipwracks and daungers of sea which ouerwhelmed his countreymeÌ„ for want of direction by vertue of this stone Neither was it without cause that Plinie giuing singular estimation to this stone did forme his cruell complaints against nature in that she was not onely contente to gyue a voyce vnto rocks to send or returne certain cries and calles in maner of an Eccho but also to giue feelyng motion and hands to stones as to the Adamant wherwith he smelleth and holdeth yron and séemeth to be iealous when any offereth to take it from him he not only allureth yron and holdeth it when he hath it but also is contented to imparte and transferre hys vertue to any thyng that toucheth it which hath not bene onely an experience among the prophane but Saint Augustine hym selfe confesseth to haue seene the Adamant drawe vnto it a ryng of yron whiche being rubbed or touched with the Adamant drew another ring and so the thirde drew the fourth and so consequently in suche number as he made a large coller of rings in the forme of a chaine by the only ayde and touche of thys stone such is his propretie and such his wonderful vertue whiche also hath bene verified by many familiar experiences and chiefly by a late triall whiche I sawe in Fraunce in this sorte There was a knife layd vpon a square thick table and vnderneath the bourde was helde in a mans hande a piece of an excellent good Adamant whose vertue piercing thorough the table that was betwene it and the mettall made the knife moue turne alone to the great wonder of the assistantes These propreties of the Adamant be common therefore we will syft out of it a more secrete wonder whyche wyth the profite may also bring pleasure to the Reader There is nowe a dayes a kinde of Adamant which draweth vnto it fleshe and the same so strongly that it hath power to knit and tie together two mouthes of contrary persons and drawe the hearte of a man out of hys body withoute offendyng any parte of hym wyth thys further propretie that yf the poynte of a néedle be touched or tempered wyth it it pierceth thorowe all the partes of the bodye wythoute doyng any harme whyche woulde not séeme credible were it not that Experience dyd warraunt it wyth greate wonder Hieronymus Cardanus writeth that a Physition of Tours called Laurentius Crascus had of this stone promised by the meane of the same to penetrate any fleshe wythoute griefe or sorrowe whiche Cardanus did eyther doubte or lightly beléeue tyll the experience assured the effect for he rubbed a néedle with this Adamant then put it thorough his arme where he let it remaine without any sorow many days after but that which maketh this experience and vertue of the Adamant more famous is that he respected neither veins nor sinews but thrust in his néedles or yroÌ„s indifferently without sparyng any place This Adamant which he had excéeded not the bignesse of a beane and was of colour like yron distinct of veynes and peysing aboute the weight of .xij. graines of corne By this Admant many people were deceyued like as also it was the occasion to entertain an errour amongst many persons which myne author confesseth to haue séene by experience about .xv or xvj yeres past being in the vniuersitie of Poyctiers whether came in great pomp a stranger naming him self to be a Greeke borne who in the presence of the people gaue him self many and great blowes with a dagger both vpon his thighes armes almost euery part of his body which being rubbed with a certain oyle which he called the oyle of Balsamyn it did so refresh consolidate his hurts as if the yron had neuer touched theÌ„ Ther is also at this day in Italy one Alexander of Verona who practised the like artificial experience with his seruaÌ„ts who pinched them in the presence of the people with pinsers tongs daggers and other tormenting instruments and that with such horrour that it greued the eyes of the assistants and then rubbing theyr woundes with a certaine oyle he made them hole agayne presently which so abused the simplicitie of the assistants that they bought of his oyle which he assured to be as profitable to all kinde of diseases what soeuer whiche was suche a gaine to him that there scaped no daye wherein he gat not tenne or twelue crownes aboue his hire for the cure of those that were sicke The mysterie whereof dyd driue Cardanus into such a wonder that he was very curious to searche the cause and falling for that matter into an intricate Labyrinth of Philosophie he coulde not fynde nor giue any other reason of it than that the people were enchaunted touching the oyle whiche he solde and wherwith he fained to heale his seruant being hurt he confessed it was a fiction and a thing nothing worth for that those that bought it of him coulde do no cure on themselues or any other And now to drawe to ende and resolution of al these things it is moste like that this Greeke and Alexander of Verona and all the rest that haue bene seene to cutte and teare their flesh in peces in sundry parts of the world dyd not heale them by eyther theyr oyles or balmes as they fayne but it is more likely they rubbe their daggers pinsers and instrumentes wherewith they hurte them wyth this seconde kynde of Adamant the same hauyng a certayne secrete and hydden vertue to consolidate that part that is hurt and to resist all sorow and griefe in the wounde wherein for a more credite I commende you to the authoritie of Plaudanus in his seconde Booke De Secretis orbâ—â— rerum miraculis ¶ Wonders of certaine Princesses being committed to the flames vniustly accused who were deliuered by vertue of their innocencie CHAP. xvij IT is no newe thyng neither chauÌ„ceth it often that the innocent creatures coulde not be endomaged by the flames of fire as it is verified in many noble persons found and spoken of in the holy Scriptures But it is a straunge thing at these days wherin sinne so aboundeth and we seldome sée suche miracles that such lyke shoulde happen amongst vs. For as Polydorus Vergilius witnesseth in the eyght boke of his histories of England and as others write before his time makyng mention of one Goodwyn prince of Englande who accused vniustly of many vices Emnia mother to Edward the seconde King of England and wrought therin so much by his false suggestions accusations that the Kyng hir
son despoiled hir not only of all hir goodes but in processe of time as one synne draweth another he so continuyng his wicked enterprise would not be satisfied with hir goodes but sought to deuest hir of hir honor accusing hir a freshe that she had cōmitted adulterie with the bishop of Winchester whereof king Edward storming out of measure to heare hir accused of such execrable vices who had giuen him suck within hir intrailes resolued to put hir to death and in the meane tyme whilest all the court was molested with the inquisition of this offence he cōmitted hir and the bishop into seuerall prisons where she being grieued demaunded one day amongst others to talke with the kyng hir sonne in whose presence she cast hir selfe headlong into the burnyng flames crying with a loude voyce y t those hote burning flames myght consume hir body ▪ if she were culpable of the faults wherof she was wrongfully accused and hauyng ended this talke she issued oute of the fyre in good safetie without diminishing any part of hir body Wherat y e king was much astonished Crantius in his chronicles of Almayn and many others whiche haue written of their Histories report the like of lame Henry the .xv. Emperor of the Romains a mā very religious who maried with the daughter of Sigeroy Palatin of Rheyn called Gunegonde a woman chast and of good life if euer there were any with whō the emperour lyued in maruellous continencie and chastitie louing hir onely Albeit a certain Gentlewoman of hys house persuaded by some wicked spirite repinyng to see their cōtinēcies determyned to sow some ielousy betwixt them who findyng the Emperoure at conuenient leysure tolde hym that she dyd beholde the Empresse vsing the company of a knyght in vnhonest manner Whereof the Quéene being aduertised commaunded there shoulde be made ready secretely six greate Culters of yron and to bring them into the presence of the Emperour who ignorant of the occasion was sodainely amazed to sée hys wyfe marche so hardly barefooted and without any feare at all and stande vpon those burning yrons Whome she beholdyng attentiuely sayde vnto hym Behold Emperour as I am not hurt with this fire euen so am I clere from all immundicitie Whereof the Emperor was astonished and began to thinke of the vaine superstition the whiche he had beléeued prostrating hym selfe sodainly vpon the earth and required pardon at Gods handes for his rashe iudgement in the same Wherin as these innocent doings proued by those flames séeme straunge so doe the liues of these two persons wherof the Historians wryte seeme to me no lesse wonderfull for that they liued togethers like maydes withoute knowyng one the other duryng al theyr lyues in such sort that the Emperor feeling death to approch caused hir parents to be sent for sayd to them Like as y e first day ye gaue me your daughter in mariage she was a maid euē so I render hir vnto you again a maide with cōmaundement to vse hir in faithfull trusty maner The Emperor with his maidēlike wife were buried in the cathedral church of Bambergh which heretofore was subiect to the archbishop of Maiencey Preferring further as of good right into y e nūber of .ij. vertuous princesses y e history recited by Eusebius Cesariēsis in his ecclesiasticall history of Policarpus which during the great butchery and persecution of the christians which they made vnder y e emperor Verus wer brought to y e fire to be burned quick and after they had lifted their eyes to heauen and made their prayers to god they wer cast hedlong into a great hot burning fire albeit in the place where y e flame ought to haue cōsumed thē brought thē to cinders it began with great maruel to reuolt flying far off frō the bodies of y e martirs in maner like the sayle of a shippe whiche is tossed and caried by the windes in the middest of the sea which appeared as euidently as the golde or siluer which they melte in the fornace And when these wicked monsters sawe that their bodies consumed not they commaunded the tormentor or hangman to thrust them thorough wyth a sworde when beholde sayth he there issued out of their bodies suche quantitie of bloode in suche greate abundance that the fire was cleane extincte giuing to the lookers on suche a grieuous remorse of conscience that they fledde altogethers wherof you may reade more at large in the fourth booke of the Historie Ecclesiasticall of Eusebius and the .xlj. chapter ¶ A wonderfull historie of sundry straunge Fishes monsters Mermaydes and other huge creatures founde and bredde in the sea CHAP. xviij AMongest most of those things which merit Philosophicall contemplation touching the vniuersall subiect of creatures without reason I thinke such are moste wonderful whose nature is furthest from our vnderstanding and iudgemēt as especially huge fishes and other monsters of the water who being shrined in the bottome and bellye of the Sea and buried in the depth of diuerse lakes do excéede moste commonly the opinion and iudgemeat of suche as be most curious to searche and fifte their maners and conditions the same being so rare and strange and specially in the exercise of their naturall actions that I thinke they be of force to moue equall delite desire to many men to participate for a time with their societie in the Elament where they dwell to the ende they mighte come to a more frée and perfect knowledge of their vertues whiche was plentifully approued by the Emperour Antonine who hauing receiued a certaine worke of Opian treating of the order of fishing and disposition of fyshe gaue hym as manie Crownes as there were verses in his bookes Conradus Celtis and after hym Gesnerus shewing the desire and affection that the Aunciente Emperours had to bée priuie to the propertie age maners and condicion of fishes write that in the yeare .1497 was taken in a poole neare to Haelyprum the Imperiall Citie of Sweura a Brochet whiche had a hoope or ring of leather tyed to his eares wherein was written in Carracters of Greeke this whiche foloweth I am the firste fyshe that was put into this Riuer by the handes of Federike seconde Emperour of the Worlde the fifte of October a thousande twoo hundred and thirty which proued by the witnesse of those letters that the saide Brochet had lyued in that water 297. yeares Wherein also it séemes that this good Emperour Federik obserued in fishes that which Alexander vsed in Hartes or déere who according to Plinie woulde cause very often chaines of golde with inscriptions to be tied about theyr neckes then gaue them the libertie of the wilde forestes the same being founde a hundred or twoo hundred yeares after kéeping the same coller letters about their neckes The Romains for the estimation they had of fishes pleasure to behold them would sometime caste cōdemned men all quicke into their riuers Lakes to the
were assembled in one and blew with maine force against the saile and yet after he hath left off to holde the shyp she moueth and saileth as before biside in this little fishe is discerned a fatall prognostication wherein she séemeth to giue vs some forewarnyng of the euils that are like to befall vs. For did she not stay the Embassadors ship of Periander and also the barke of Caius Caesar who soone after was killed at Rome séemyng thereby in hir kinde to take pitie of the missehappe wherevnto she sawe hym predestinate the whiche is all in effecte that Adamus Louicerus wryteth of this fyshe I knowe againe that Aristotle Plinie and others doe gyue vnto hir sundry other propreties as to serue in speciall vse in matters of loue to drawe children from the wombes of their mothers wyth other lyke qualities whiche accordyng vnto their small credite I doe passe ouer for thys tyme. Plutarch in Symposiacis .2 problem .7 searcheth the reason why that thys fyshe doth stay shyppes whiche shall also gyue ende vnto the description of hys Wonders And bicause the Reader maye be fully satisfied touchyng the maruelles of the Waters wée wyll nowe enter into the treatie of a chiefe membre thereof the same since the creation of the Worlde vntill this age hauyng muche troubled the Philosophers and other learned men by the curious searche to knowe whether there haue bene in the sea Seamen Tritons Nereides and other lyke Monsters carying the figure of man whyche in tymes paste the Auncientes doe witnesse to haue séene in Flouds Ryuers Fountaines Rockes and Lakes Those whyche haue persuaded them selues that there is none suche iustifie their opinyon by the authoritie of the Scripture whych makyng no mention of such thyngs affirmeth absolutely that the earth is the onely house and tabernacle of man wherein he is to remayne and kéepe hys residence vntill that it please the Lorde to call hym home as the Prince or Capitayne dothe by the Souldiour that he putteth in hys Garryson Those whyche defende the contrary doe preferre the Experience and wytnesse of so many learned persones whose grauitie and wysdome woulde not leaue to a generall posteritie their bookes full of suche vanities and dreames to entertayne the children parentes friendes and vniuersally all suche as shoulde come after them in errour Besides say they it is no lesse impertinent to beléeue that there bée Men monsters in the sea than to giue faith to those that write that there be wooddy Nimphes Satyres and other sauage Monsters approued for trouthe by some of oure Ecclesiasticall writers lyke as also the other is gyuen oute for a matter of faith by sundry menne of credite who haue séene them wyth their eyes Pausanias amongest other of the auncientes dothe affirme that hee hathe séene at Rome a Triton And those which haue recorded the chronicles of Constantinople wherof one parte concerneth the state of Europe write that in the .29 yeare of the Emperour Mauritius the prouost of Delta in Egipt walking amongst other people against the rising of the Sunne was astonished when he sawe vpon the banke of the floud of Nile two creatures bearyng the figure of humanam figuram wherof the one that did most resemble a man séemed of fierce and stoute regarde with a curled haire standing ryght an ende and oftentymes in their presence woulde shewe hym selfe aboue the water to the secrete partes and then sodainly sinke agayne into the water vnto the nauell giuing as it were to knowe vnto the people that for a dutie and reuerence to nature he sought to couer the rest Whiche mouing suche indifferent maruel and feare to the Prouost and rest of his companie that they adiured hym in the name of God that if he were any wicked spirite he shoulde retire to the place ordeined for hym by his creator but of the contrary if he were one of those whiche were created for the glorye of his name that he woulde make some aboade there for the contentment of that poore people so desirous of suche a straunge sight This creature bounde as it were by the vertue of this coniuration remained long amongst them Immediatly after which tyme chaunced a sighte no lesse straunge than this it was an other creature representing the forme and shape of a Woman who began to cutte the waues and approche the banke of the Ryuer hauyng a great bush of haires dispersed a white face and of plesant regard hir fingers and armes wel proporcioned hir dugs somewhat rounde and bigge shewing hir selfe in this order namely vntill the nauell the reste with a lyke reuerence to nature as the other she concealed within the waues And after these two creatures hadde long delited the eyes of the people with their sight they gaue place to the darknesse of the night and vanished away without euer being séene afterwarde Wherof after the Prouost hadde taken witnesse of the assistants he dispatched immediatly a messanger to the Emperour Mauritius with the newes Baptiste Fulgose writeth a like historie of a Sea monster which was séene of a numbre of men in a certaine port or hauen of the sea in the time of Eugenius the fourth This monster sayth he was a man of the sea who hauing left the water made a roade vpon the land and caught a childe as he disported hym selfe vpon the banke which being desirous to cary with hym into the sea hée was so speedily pursued with men and hurte with stones that he was not only forced to leaue his pray but also had muche to doe to recouer the water his figure resembled the fourme of a man sauyng that hys skynne was like the sloughe of an Eele and had two little hornes on his head he hadde on eyther hande but two fyngers and his féete dyd ende like two little tayles and on his armes he had two little winges as a balde Mouse hath Conradus Gesnerus writeth that there was séene at Rome in the great riuer a sea man or monster of the sea Theodorus Gaza a man learned and as well studied as any of our time writeth that on a tyme when he was in Greece vpon a certaine coast of the sea after the rage of a wonderfull tempeste hauyng taken vpon the shoare a good quantitie of fishe he sawe amongest certaine other wonderfull thinges a Mermayde or fyshe hauyng the face of a woman fully perfect in euery thing requisite in Nature vnto the wast from which part dounward she caried the forme of a fishe finishing in the tayle like an Eele euen as we sée them ordinarily drawne by the painter This Mermayd as it is written was vpō the grauell or sande and shewed by hir iestes and countenances to suffer suche passions as the sayde Theodore Gaze moued to pitie considering that she had a desire to returne to the sea tooke hir and conueyed hir into the water Plinie lykewise writeth that in the time of the Emperor Tyberius the inhabitants of Lysbona a towne in Portingal sent
Embassadours to the Emperour to certifie hym that they hadde séene many tymes a Tryton or man of the Sea hyde and wythdrawe hym selfe into a caue neare vnto the Sea There was also aduertisement sente to the Emperor Octauian Augustus that vpon the coast of France were founde certayne Mermaydes deade vpon the banke of the ryuer In like sorte Georgius Trapezuntius a man very famous in learning affirmeth to haue seene vpon the border of the Ryuer appearyng out of the water in the fourme of a Woman vntill the nauill whereof seemyng to maruell and beholdyng hir somewhat nearely shée retired into the water Alexander ab Alexandro a great ciuilian Philosopher in the .viij. Chapter of hys thyrd booke assureth for certaintie that in Epyre now named Romain is a certayne fountaine neare the Sea from whence yong Maydes for the necessitie of theyr houses dydde drawe water and that harde by issued a Triton or Sea man and caughte a little damsell whome he caried oftentymes into the sea and after sette hir on lande agayne wherof the inhabitauntes beyng aduertised vsed suche watche and guarde that they tooke hym and broughte hym afore the Iustice of the place afore whome beyng searched and examined founde in hym all partes and membres of a man for whyche they committed hym to certaine garde and kéepyng offeryng hym meate the whyche he refused wyth sorrowfull lamentations after hys kynde not tastyng any thyng that was offered hym and lastly dyed of hunger séeing hym selfe restrayned from the Elemente wherein he was wonte to dwell Many writers nowe a days do witnesse a thyng more strange than any of these if it be true whyche is that the Archduke of Austriche third sonne of the Emperor Ferdinando made to be caried with him to Gennes in the yere .1548 a Mermayd dead the same so astonishing the people that the moste learned men in Italie came to visite and sée him I coulde yet make of more Watermonsters séene in oure tyme as that whych was figured lyke a Monke an other like a Bishop wyth other of lyke resemblaunce whyche importe the more faith bicause they are preferred by thrée of the most notable Fishers in Europe being also figured so amply in the vniuersall Historie of Fyshes that I néede not to enlarge their descriptions for they haue so lernedly discoursed of the propreties of the same that they haue cutte of all hope to suche as shall come after them to aduaunce it with further addition ¶ Wonders of Dogges whiche dyd eate Christians CHAP. xix IF the bones ashes of all those which haue bene persecuted for the name of Iesus Christe were at this day in being and to be séene with our corporall eyes we myghte then confesse that they were able to buylde a great and proude Citie and withal if all the bloud which hath bene shed for his name were gathered together into one certaine place it were sufficient to make a great floud For who soeuer will reade in Eusebius and S. Augustine the â—â—rsecutions burnings butcheries and slaughters which were made of the poore flocke of Iesus Christ in the time of the Emperour Domitian Traian Antonius Seuerus Maximinian Decius Valerian Aurelian Diocletian Maximian with many others he shal not finde so many thousandes slaine in the cruell warres of the TirauÌ„ts as he shal reade to haue shed their blood for y e name of Iesus Christ neither is the sacrifices of so many Martirs and companies of the good so amplie spoken of by Sainct Augustin in his .xviij. booke .lij. chap. of the Citie of God or by Eusebius in his Ecclesiasticall historie or that Orseus writeth so muche to be wondered at or strange as this whereof Cornelius Tacitus maketh mention is wonderfull and worthie to be put in memorie amongest the moste celebrate pourtraicts monsters of this worlde For it did not onely suffise the infamous Tiraunt Nero to make to be burned the bodies of the poore Christians making them serue as torches and blazing linkes to giue light to the Citizens of Rome but also made theÌ„ to be wrapped quicke in the skinnes of certaine sauage beastes to the ende that the dogges thinking they had bene beastes in déede might teare and commit their bodies to pieces Which you may nowe sée by the furious assaultes that Sathan and his accomplices haue builded againste the members of Iesus Christe for there is no Religion which he hath not so furiously persecuted sithens the beginning of the worlde as this of ours wherein although he hath set abroche all his subtilties fraudes malices and inuentions to vndermine it yet notwithstanding it remaineth whole and sounde by the vertue and ayde of the Sonne of God who hath can bridle represse the enuious rage of his enimies And although he hath procured the death of many members of the Churche as Abell Esaie Ieremie Zacharie Policarpius Ignatius and many thousand Martirs and Apostles yet notwithstaÌ„ding he could neuer deface any iote therof for it is writen in like maner that the gates of hel coulde not by any meanes preuaile againste hir albeit that for a certaine time she was put in some perill and was shaken and tossed like a litle barke by the rage teÌ„pestes of the Sea yet surely Iesus Christe did not forsake at any time his espouse but alwayes assisted hir as the head of his bodie watched hir garded hir and maintained hir as is witnessed in the promisses made vnto hir when he saide I will not leaue you my Orpheus I will be with you to the verye laste consummation of the worlde And further he sayeth in Esaie I will put my worde into your mouth and defende you with the shadowe of my hande and those wordes which I put into your mouth shall not be taken from your séede now nor neuer Wherein séeing then that our only religion is true and purified and that it is signed by the bloud of so many Prophetes Apostles and Martirs and confirmed besides with the bloud of Iesus Christ whereof he hath lefte to vs the true Charecter and witnesse of his death that all others be vnlawfull bastards and inuented by the Diuels and men their ministers to the vtter confusion of ours wherefore if it be so pure and holy let vs then indeuour our selues to conserue and kepâ— the same to the ende we maye saye in the last daye to God as the good king Dauid saide Lord I hate them that hate thée I am angrie with them that rise against thée and I hate them with a perfect hate and holde them for mine enimies ¶ A wonderfull historie of diuers figures Comets Dragons and flames which appeared in heauen to the terrour of the people and whereunto the causes and reasons of them be assigned CHAP. xx THe face of Heauen hath bene at diuers times so much disfigured by blasing starres torches fireforkes pillours Lances bucklers Dragons twoo Moones twoo Sunnes at one instant with other like things that whosoeuer woulde recompte
vnto hir who had so greuously tormented hym wherin she shewed hir selfe very liberall and bountifull seing that the Historians write that all the treasures which she had gathered by little and little duryng all hir life of those whiche loued hir was melted and put into that Chaine whiche was of monstrous greatnesse and also kept of hir with great care for the only relief of hir in hir old age if fortune suffred hir to be pinched with pouertie The yong man hauyng thus caught the praie he moste desired went to fynde out Plangon to whome he offered the chaine making hir to vnderstande the liberalitie of his auÌ„cient friend betwéene whoÌ„ neither time nor distance of place nor other sinister accident coulde extinguishe their friendship wherewith Plangon maruelling of the loue and liberalitie of hir companion hauyng a noble heart and not willing to giue place to Bacchide neither in good wil nor bountie sent to hir again hir chaine louyng then more feruently the yong man thaÌ„ she had done at any tyme before and that which is moste wonderfull imparted hir loue to Bacchide being contente the yong man shoulde be common to them bothe Whiche made the Greekes with great admiration to name hir after Pasiphyle Wherin being now so ancred in maters of woÌ„derfull loues we must search the most rare maruellous histories amongst whome I do not remember there haue bene any dames in all the worlde whiche haue demeaned their loue with more greate wonder neither which haue â—â—te a more eternall witnesse to their posteritie of their wanton and lasciuious liues than Lamie Flora and Lays of whome I will write the life according as Pausanias the Greeke and Manilius the Latin haue writen in their bookes entreating of noble louing women But aboue all others I will folow Anthonius of Gueuare Bishop of Monâ—demo in a learned treatise which he hath made of this matter These three Dames haue bene thrée of y e most faire most famous women of the worlde whiche at any time were either borne in Asia or nourished in Europe and of whome the Historiographers haue moste talked and by whome moste Princes haue come to ruine and perdition It is written of them for a wonder that they so well charmed those which loued them that they were neuer lefte of any Prince whiche loued them nor denied at any time anye thing they required further it is written that these .iij. women as they neuer mocked any man so they were not mocked of any The Historians write that these .iij. Courtizans during their life were .iij. of the moste riche Courtizans of the worlde after their decease lefte most great memorie of them for euery of them where they dyed did erecte a great pillour of stones to continue a remembraÌ„ce of them and besides that euery one of them were by Nature beautiful yet had they a further particular gyfte to allure entice their louers to loue theÌ„ The engin wherewith Lamie entrapped hir louers procéeded of regarde for by the drawing of hir eyes she enflamed the beholders Flora wanne hirs by hir wonderful eloquence And Lays allured by hir swéete pleasant hermonie Wherefore the King Demetrius sodainely receiuing y e glaunce of the eye of Lamie was taken in the net and that newe fire in processe of time gained so much ouer him y t he liued not but in hir not only gaue hir all he had but also abandoned his wife Euxonie to followe his Lamie Wherefore Plutarke reciteth in the life of Demetrius that the Athenians hauing gyuen vnto him .xj. talents of siluer to ayde and paye his great armie he made a present of all the saide suÌ„me to his Lamie wherat y e Athenians wer maruellously greued to sée their mony so euil imployed This miserable King Demetrius doated so extremely in the loue of his Lamie that he honored hir as a God swering by hir as he accustomed to do by his Gods till death fortune which cuts asunder the fillet of those delites sends ende to all such enterprises suffred Lamie to die whereupon that poore King felt himself so griped that as some write of him he kissed hir and embraced hir after hir death and not content with this Idolatrie he made hir be buried before one of y e windowes of his house and when any of his friends asked the occasion wherefore he buried hir in that place he aunswered them sighing dipely the law of friendship of Lamie is so stroÌ„gly graffed in my heart that I knowe not wherein to satisfie the loue she bare me the bonde which I owe to hir for y e same if not to put hir in such a place that by viewe therof my poore eyes may bewaile dayly the death of hir and my sorowful harte continually thinke thereof Whereby the dolor sorow that Demetrius had for y e death of Lamie was so great and extreme that all the Philosophers of Athens were to dispute thereof whether of these twoo things were most to be estéemed either the teares sorow which he suffred for hir or the riches which he spent in the obsequies pomps of hir burial Within a yere .ij. monethes after the death of Lamie died King Demetrius The second amorous Dame named Lays spoken of before was the daughter of a great Sacrificatour of the TeÌ„ple of Apollo a maÌ„ so expert in the arte Magicall that he prophecied the perdition of his daughter incontinent after hir natiuitie This Lays as hir companion had a King for hir friende who was the renoumed Pirrhus with whome she went into Italie in the expedition and warres he made against the Romains remaining there a long time in his campe after returned with him from the warres notwithstanding it is written of hir that she neuer gaue hir selfe to one man alone This Lays was so sufficiently furnished with al perfections of beautie and ornaments of Nature that if she would haue bene continent and not common in hir loue there had not bene so constant a Prince in y e world which woulde not haue desired hyr and not denied to perfourme what she had demaunded of him Being returned from Italie into Grece â–ª she remained at Corinthe as Aulus Gelius writeth and there was soughte vnto of many Kings and noble men whome she courted and dandled with such dissimuled sleightes in loue that if hir louers were vnfainedly passioned and burned extremely in the desire of hir beautie she tooke a singular pleasure to smile and ieste at their simplicitie and folly being besides noted for one of the women of the worlde who excéeded the reste in making gayne proffit of hir loue I haue red one wonder of hyr whiche I neuer hearde of in any but in hir that is that she neuer shewed affection to any man neither was she in loue with anye man whiche coulde be knowen This Lays died in y e Citie of Corinthe being of the age of lxxij yeares the death of whome as it
husbaÌ„d was dead she dreyned wel nigh al y e watrishe powers of hir body by teares after she had sufficieÌ„tly lameÌ„ted she caused to be made so excelleÌ„t a sepulchre y t it was put amoÌ„gst the maruels of the world not coÌ„tent with this esteming y e body of him that had ben y e organ of hir life not sufficiently honored with so suÌ„ptuous a toÌ„be vnlesse she serued him as a sepulchre hir self caused al y e bones of hir husband to be subtilly beateÌ„ to pouder which she ordinarily vsed in hir meat drinke till they wer coÌ„sumed We should not maruel of these woÌ„derful flames of loue which enchauÌ„t charm so wel y e humain sense y t they do not only walk incurable by al y e most sensible parts of our friends but y e more is they make vs very ofteÌ„ to become mad fraÌ„tike without reason as appered by a yong gentleman issued of y e best house of Athens who of extreme sorow died for that they wold not suffer him to cherish loue an image of Venus of which he was greatly enamored And bisides it is most strange y t the coÌ„tagious tickling of this amorous venim doth not only touch y e humain creatures reasonable but also y e infection therof corrupt's brute beasts Which Plutarch witnesseth in an experieÌ„ce of an elephaÌ„t who with Aristophanes of AlexaÌ„drie â—oued a maide to whome y e beast did as liberally and frankly impart his amorous desire and zeale by secrete and simple signes as Aristophanes by all the eloqueÌ„ce he could deuise neither is it so straunge altogether that brute beastes do loue creatures resonable seing they ar oftentiâ—â—â— so pressed and pricked forwarde with their amorous 〈◊〉 that they are seene in diuers sorts kindes to vse force against women Wherof Edouart in his histories of beasts giueth an example of a certain kinde of rough or shaghaired apes in some countreys of India against whome the people vse a special defence to kepe them from their townes and houses for that when they feele any motion of nature or rather prouoked with desire of filthy lust they neither spare mayde widow nor wife nor regarde estate condition or degree of women Wherof haue ben founde diuers proues in sundry vnhappie women that stand not vpon their garâ— against the furie of such beasts Saxonius in his tenth boke of the historie of the Danes writeth as of most credit and truthe that a Beare in Swetya serching his pray vpon the Mountaines met by chaunce a Shephierds wife whome he caried to his denne where in place to deuoure hir hée conuerted his hunger into pleasure and vse of hir body And it is more maruellous that the furie and violence of Loue is so great that the wilde brutall and cruel beastes do not onely féele the same but which more is the Trées and liuely Plantes of the earth the whiche we sée shewe a certaine likenesse and affinitie of loue in such sort that as Theophrastus and Plinie haue written there be diuers Trées and Plants which if you take away the males and place them farre from the females they presently wither and continue in perpetuall barennesse As we may sée of the Uine who imbraceth the Elme ioying and reioycing much at his presence In like sorte the Iuie whiche is so great a louer of certain Trées that it accompanieth them after their death Which gaue occasion to the Auncients that when they tooke vpon them to depaint perfect friendship they expressed the same by the trunke of a deade trée enuironed about with Iuie Wherfore to put end to these moste wonderfull thyngs the secretaries of nature do acknowledge that ther is also a secret amitie amongst mettals stones for proofe of y e AdamaÌ„t louing yron draweth it to him hauing caught it holdeth it insuche sort that it séemeth to be grieued and touched with a certain ielousy when they offer to take it from him There is also shewed maruellous puissance of frendship in mettals whiche discouered shew wonderfull effects of amitie the whiche is sufficiently experimented in golde whiche we sée so manifestly affected to quicksiluer that being plunged therein séemeth incontinent rauished captiue thervnto by force of some furious flame of Loue. A wonderfull Historie of a Monster out of whose bellie issued an other man all whole reseruyng the head CHAP. xxiij OCellus Lucianus a Greeke Philosopher in a certain little worke whiche he made treating as well of the nature of all things as of generation shewyng vnto vs that we ought not to goe to the holy state of matrimonie for voluptuousnesse plesure which oftentimes is not absent but y t our principal intent ought only to be for procreation which is not ordeined of y e Almightie for plesure only but for y e perpetual conseruatioÌ„ permaneÌ„cy of humain society wherfore being impossible y t a mortal maÌ„ shold liue always God supplied that default by continual and perpetuall generation to the ende y t the earth mighte be multiplied the coÌ„mon weales peopled the humain societies coÌ„serued In coÌ„sideration wherof we must cut of al these generatioÌ„s which be made against y e ordinaÌ„ce of nature for by y e meanes it often hapneth that y e frute springing therby is vnclean miserable monstrous vicious odious detestable aswel to spirites deuils as to men families And of these vnlauful copulatioÌ„s licentious dealing oftentimes were borne moÌ„strous infantes As we may sée in beholding this before figured out of whose bely issued an other man wel formed in al proportions membres reseruing the head Like as this man was of the age of .xl. yeres when he was séene in Fraunce in the yere 1530. EueÌ„ so he bare y e body betwixt his armes with great maruel to al y e worlde which assembled in great troupes to sée him Wherupon they sayd he was begotteÌ„ of some coÌ„mon woman who had giuen hir self indifferently to al coÌ„mers Minâ— author séemeth to haue séene him at ValeÌ„ce in y e very same form you sée him here pictured at such time as moÌ„sier de Coras red y e Ciuil lawes there afterwards they saw him nigh Paris in a town called Montlehery as many haue witnessed besides y t the good maÌ„ Iohn Longis printer in that vniuersitie assured me y t hauing with others takeÌ„ the sayd person at y e sayd Montlehery deuoyde of the sayd monster â—nquired of him what was become of y e deformed creature which they had sene in times past spring out of his body ¶ Notable histories of many Plants with their propreties and vertues together with a wonderful roote of Baara written of by Iosephus the Hebrue author CHAP. xxiiij IF there be any thing worthy to be considered of in all the principall parts of physike certainly it is that which brings vs to the knowledge and searchyng forth of the nature and propretie of Plants for bisides the coÌ„mon vtilitie
which they bring to mankind yet shall we discouer therin an antiquitie so greate as we can not lerne or attain vnto without extreme admiratioÌ„ for lyke as euery arte was inueÌ„ted almost as soon as God had created man afterward augmented by the industrie of man Euen so the herbs plants immediatly after the creation of the elements at such tyme as ther liued no maÌ„ vpon the earth sprong folowing the coÌ„maundement of the Lorde from the caues and entrailes of the earth garnished with their propre and diuine vertues Which besides that Moses the great Lawyer of God sufficiently proueth in Exodus we may also alleage the opinion and witnesse of the auncient Greeke poetes as Orpheus Museus and Hesiodus who haue treated of the praise of Penyroyal as also hath done Homerus of Alisier and others as in like maner Pithagoras hath coÌ„mended the Eschallottus Crisippus Chou and Zeno the Caprier besides it is a thyng most straunge that Salomon king of the Iewes Euax king of the Arabians Iuba king of the Mauritans were so curious not only to know the names and propreties of plantes but also the moste part of them haue diligently written therof Others haue entertained great philosophers and Aâ—borists in diuers deserts of Asia Europe and Affrike for to discouer the secrets of herbes and plants Further it is a thing moste maruellous that a great number of plantes muche renoumed haue taken their names of many kings as Gentiane toke the name of Gentius king of the Illyrians Lymachie of Lyzimachus king of the Macedonians TeucriuÌ„ was inuented by Teucer Achilea of Achilles Arthemisia of Arthemise quéene of Carie. But nowe it resteth for vs as me séemeth hauing searched very narrowely the Antiquitie and prayses of Plantes to be as diligent following oure custome in séeking forth if we can fynd amongst hearbes any thyng monstrous wonderful or straunge as we haue â—one in the moste parte of other thyngs contayned vnder the concauitie of Heauen The Auncients haue reknowleged I know not by what meanes y e maruelous efficaciâ— of a plant which they called Agnus castus whose leaues are like vnto the Oliues for all those who haue written of the Nature and propertie of this plante saye that it resisteth the sinne of the fleshe and that those which either carie the same about them or drinke the iuice thereof be neuer tempted at any time to incontinencie for whiche occasion the maides in olde time bare the braunches and bowes of that hearbe in their hande and made garlandes therof to weare vpoÌ„ their heads thinking therby to make die estinguish the heates of the flesh Wherefore Discorides in the .xv. chapter of his first booke treating of y e Nature of plants sayeth that the Greeks named this tree Agnos that is to saie chaste for by that the Ladies sometime in the Citie of Athens garded their chastitie by making their beads thereof and doing sacrifice therewith to Ceres Euen as we haue described the singularitie of Agnus Castus which defends the chastetie of such persons as vse the same so are we nowe to make mentioÌ„ of an other hearbe altogether contrarie to the Nature of Agnus Castus and as who would saye his mortall enimie for it makes suche as vse the same lasciuious prompte and readie to the Uenerian actes The Auncients haue named this hearbe Satirium for that the Satires and sauage Gods were the inuentours of this plante for the better satisfying of theyr lusts and concupiscence when they wente to playe by the forrests caues with the Nimphes Albeit the Greeks cal it Orchis or Cmoâ—orchis for that that this roote is like the twoo genitories of a dogge in such sorte that it séemes that Nature woulde haue lefte some marke and token in this roote for to shewe the maruellous effects or works natural Wherefore those then sayeth Discorides in his third booke and .xxij. chapter which he writeth of plantes which desire to haue the companie of women ought to vse this roote for that it makes men prompte readie to the exercise and worke of Venus and as they saye this roote being holden in the hande prouoketh a man to desire the pleasure of a woman Bisides there is one thing worthiâ— to be considered of in this roote as who would saye wonderful that is that as one of these twoo rootes which reseÌ„bleth as we haue said before the genitories of a dogge excites stirres a man vnmeasurablie to the wanton actes of Venus so the other roote which is a little lesser extinguisheth hindreth the desire of the flesh in such sorte that as one of these rootes prouoketh the euill so the other giueth remedie Plinius Dioscorides and Galen be authours of this and Dioscorides writeth that the women in Thessalie gaue to men to drinke of that moste fleshly roote the rather to prouoke and stirre them to the lusts abhominable desires of the flesh Wherefore reader I will not forget to declare that thou shalt not néede to doubte of me in all this treatise of the wonders of plants the descriptions faculties temperaments and diuisions of them for that this worke woulde be excessiue excede the limits of my meaning Wherein Dioscorides Theophrastus Galen Plinie Matheolus Fuscheus Ruel and many others haue so well spoken in that that there is nothing to be desired more than they haue written thereof whiche I woulde gladly haue tolde before vnto those which thinke that I had here confounded the diuerse kinds of Satirium like this that the Greekes haue called Orchis Serapias wherof Paulus Aegineta and Aetius haue made mention which others saye to haue receyued that name of Serapius God of the Alexandrians by reason of the greate impudent lasciuitie for which cause they worshipped him in a place called Canope there where he had his Temple of greate reuerence ReligioÌ„ as Strabo reciteth in his .xvij. booke of his Geographies Wherefore it suffiseth me in this chapter to write simplie that there is more cause of maruell and wonder in some particular plant than in euery plant The Auncients as Chrisippus haue founde cause of wonder I can not tell by what meanes in the plante whiche we commonly call Basill who were of opinion that it makes a man senslesse and madde the goats refuse to eate thereof which giues iuste occasion to man to flye the rather from it They adde further that brusing it and putting the same vnder a stone it engendreth a Scorpion or if they chawe it and set it in the Sunne it brings forth wormes Furthermore some saye that if a man be stoung of Scorpion the daye that he eateth of Basill he shall neuer be hoale lykewise some assure that brusing a handefull of Basill with Cancres marins or of the Riuer that all the Scorpions farre or neare will come vnto him Wherfore I am not ignorant that those whiche came after Crysippus did so abhorre Basill that they neuer vsed the same The herbe called of
kepte in the mouth represseth hunger and thirst for ten or .xij. dayes Aelyan a Greeke Historian maketh mention of an hearbe whiche discouereth treasures that be hydden And Plinie of an other whiche openeth the conduictes that be closed And nowe as we haue largely dilated vpon the vertues and propreties of many wonderfull herbes and plantes so it is not necessary to omitte the noble and wonderfull dignitie of the roote of Baara so muche celebrated by Iosephus the Hebrue who bycause hée is of more faith than the moste of the rest and of lesse suspition than they all being a recorder of the Ecclesiasticall histories I thynkâ— hym as worthie of this place as any other In tymes past sayth Iosephus there grewe a Roote in Iuda called Baara hauyng a colour and bryghtenesse of a flame â–ª of fyre and gaue lyght in the nyght lyke a Lampe and that in suche a wonderfull and straunge order that who so went about to touche or gather it before that it were sprinkled with either the bloud or vrine of a woman dyed presently and yet was not that a sufficient defence or suretie Wherevpon after suche experience of the poyson of this Hearbe they were constrayned for their owne safetie to tye a Dogge to some parte of the Plante who offeryng to followe hys Mayster plucked it vp by the rootes Suche agayne was the wonderfull propretie of thys Plante that beyng once plucked vp a man myghte handle it wythout peryll And beyng hanged at the necke of suche as were infected wyth the Fallyng syckenesse or possessed wyth an euyll spirite it dyd delyuer them presentely Hieronymus Cardanus a Physition of Millane fyndeth it not straunge that it kylled such as dydde gather it enforcyng hys opinion by reasons of Philosophie but in thys sorte Baaran whereof thys roote of Baara hath taken hys name is a Ualey in Iudea a countrey very hote and haboundyng wyth Pytche of whyche the portion or liquour being very subtile and too muche boyled dyd distill from the Mountaine whereof as it is moste lyke thys Roote was engendred and bycause that it did growe in continuall shadowe and darkenesse the poyson was the more violent beyng of a substaunce exceedyng the fyre in heate the whyche beyng styrred in the pluckyng vp and fumyng vp wyth an ardente and corrupte vapour to the brayne of hym that gathered it smoothered hym presentely But touchyng hys reasons for the vryne and Mylke of a Woman the whyche séemed to haue some power ouer the furie of thys Plante althoughe they bée strong and carrie wyth them a greate lykelyhode of credite and truthe yet I thynke that it is neyther in hym nor in all the Philosophers of the Worlde yf all theyr learnyngs were sette in iudgement of the matter to gyue other reason than wyth the Prophete saying The Lorde is maruellous in all hys woorkes who hathe knowne hys secretes or who hathe bene hys Counseller The portraict of this Plante is in the begynnyng of thys Chapiter where the Dogge is tyed to the Herbe ¶ Wonderfull Banketteâ— CHAP. xxv IF I haue not sufficiently treated in my first booke of the Theatre of the worlde of the infirmities and maledictioÌ„s thundred vpon vs wretches by that wicked and infortunate vice of glutonie I haue nowe a larger fielde to walke in and a matter more ample to dilate vpon to the fulnesse of my pen but without singing so often one soÌ„g it shal suffise me for the present to describe in this place not onely the prodigalities but also the wondrous monstrous féeding of the throte wherof the Auncients and gluttons of late time haue vsed in their feasts and bankets The Persians and Greekes as Herodotus witnesseth haue ben so dissolute in their feasts that they caused them to be proclaimed in publike by the crie of an Harolde and reserued a speciall price to such as could inuent newe delites or drinke or eate with moste excesse bisides they forbad one an other by the way of mockerie and brauerie that they should not depart at any tyme from theyr feastes hungrie And their reason was for that that they should so well stuffe their bodies of all kindes of meates and drinkes that they were constrained to render accoÌ„pt to nature and make an inuentorie of that which they had receiued afore they parted from the table and so hauyng discharged their stomacks became hungrie againe Atheneus makyng mention of the excessiue prodigalitie of Xerxes kyng of the Persians assureth that after he had remained one day in a Citie and that he had dined and supped the common poore people smelte therof a yeare or two after As if that they had had a certain famine or barennesse of goodes in their prouinces And after continuing his purpose he made mention of the superfluitie and sumptuous expences of Darius king of the Persians who sayth he had many times to accompanie him at supper fiftene thousand men of whome if you will make diuision you shall fynde euery one of those guests spent at his supper .xvj. crounes Wherin that great cormorant Alexander was nothing at all inferiour to Darius or Xerxes in banketting or excessiue â—hargeâ— for after he had pierced the Indes â–ª he beganne to giue himselfe in praie to delites and proclaimed open battaile to good drinke with rewarde to hym that got the price or victorie of that combat the same amounting many times to the value of thirtie Mines being three hundreth crownes or of one talent the which is six hundreth crounes And although the danger of that bataile consisted moste in the blowes of cuppes or glasses â–ª yet he founde it in the ende so tragicall and bloudie that for that tyme there died to the number of thirtie sixe who ended their liues moste miserably by the excessiue drinking and gurling in of wine as Charles Mitileneus writeth in the gestes of Alexander Althoughe Esope was not equall to thesâ— before rehearsed neither in goodes nor in dignitie yet Plinie reciteth in the tenth of his bookes that amongeste the moste renoumed delicacies and prodigalitie the dishe of Esope hath bene in greatest admiration That dishe was of a straunge and wonderfull inuention for he searched with greate curiositie for the furnishing of one banquet whiche he made in Rome all the little birdes enclosed in cages whiche were to be founde in all the Citie as Linettes Larkes Estourneaux Merles Calendres and other like who were solde more dearer than golde bycause of their pleasaunt and armonious singing together with the pleasure whiche men receiued in the hearing of them who knowe very well how to imitate the voice of man whiche byrdes if we will beleue Plinie did coste sixe thousande Sesterces the piece which were prised acccording to Budee at fyftene thousandâ— crounes Whiche maye séeme straunge or not true to them whiche haue readde those authours that not onely that tragicall Esope was so riche but also after so greatâ— expences and charges he lefte his sonne so welthiâ— â–ª that he
seconde kinde of visions consiste in imagination as when we imagine those things which we féele by the body séeing that our thought being rauished and lifte vp to Heauen and that the beames and reflection of diuinitie do pierce into the soule many straunge things are manifeste to hir and that not by the eyes of the bodye eares or other members of the fleshe but séeme in déede to be reuealed by a diuine influence and celestiall inspiration according to that which Sainct Peter sawe in a vision the greate Uessell descending from Heauen in a shéete wherein were contained all sortes of beastes and immediatly he heard a voice whiche said vnto him Peter rise kill and eate so according to the texte The third sorte of visions maye be called intellectuall bycause it consistes also in the thoughte as where the King Balthazar sawe a hande writing vpon the wall and many other like visions of Nabuchodonosor whiche 〈◊〉 large set forth in Daniel wherewith hauing layd thus the first foundation of these fantastical apprehensionâ— resteth now to declare by order what hath ben the aduise 〈◊〉 â—ugustine touching the same whiche he doth aboue all 〈◊〉 places most amplie dilate in 〈◊〉 â—â—iij chapter of his booke intituled De cura pro mortuis agenda there are sayth he so many and straunge opinions of visions of the nighte that the disputation maye séeme tollerable séeing the question is doubtfull for some saye that dead ghoastes haue appeared to men on lyue shewing the place where their bodyes laye shrined to the ende they mighte prouide their owne Sepulcher whiche things if we holde to be eyther false or vayne we resiste impudently the authoritie of a number of faythfuil writers whereof albeit some haue heard and some assisted suche matters with their owne eyes yet oughte they not to persuade a beliefe that suche visions participate with either sense féeling or motion for do we not sée sundry times men on lyue appeare to other in sléeping or wakyng and yet being asked whether they haue so done or not they aunswere that they are vtterly ignoraunte of suche matter neither knowe they what it meaneth Then it muste followe as Sainct Augustine saith that those visions come by the operation of Aungels to whome it is suffred by the Lorde to vse suche power whiche is the effecte of the Latin texte as neare as I can construe it and yet am I not ignoraunt for all that that sometimes these illusions moue no other waye althoughe Sainct Augustine leaue it oute in that place the same notwithstanding being a matter proper to the Ecclesiasticals to whome I referre my selfe for these things wyth the iudgement of the catholike Churche wherein I praye to the almightie to persiste immouable so long as Nature lendes me one breath of lyfe in this worlde 〈◊〉 also we are deceiued by â—he illusions of euill and wicked spirittes as Sainct Augustine teacheth in his thirde booke de Trinitate shewing bâ— a 〈◊〉 arte the power of Sathan and his complices with these 〈◊〉 It is an easie thing saith he for the wicked 〈…〉 their bodies of ayre to do many maruellous 〈…〉 things whiche excéede the compasse of oure vnderstanding being wrapped and buried in bodies of death And if sometime saith he we be drawne into admiration with the viewe of straunge things presented vpon theatres or stages whiche also we woulde not beleue thoughe they were tolde vs by others bycause they are so farre withoute the compasse of our vnderstanding why oughte we to finde it straunge if Diuels and their Aungels with their bodyes of the Elemente do abuse oure fragilitie in shewing vs visions Idols and figures aswell sléeping as wakyng to make vs fall their functions saith he be diuerse séeing that some of them do trouble oure thoughtes some offende oure bodies others infecte oure bloud some assaile and attempte oure harte suggesting infinite follyes and conceites and lastly by some we are pressed with diseases according to the texte of S. Luke where the woman that Christ healed was so persecuted with paine griefe that for the space of .xviij. yeares she was so courbed y t she was not able to lifte vp hir heade and beholde the Elemente aboue adding besides in the antiquitie of the Diuels the noblenesse of their creation seeing they be Aungels of Nature their long experience gotten since their creation the continuall conflict whiche they haue with Aungels which makes them able to the warres the agilitie of their bodies of ayre by the which they passe all other beasts and birdes in lightnesse the sharpnesse of their wittes their knowledge in all disciplines aswell diuine as humaine a perfecte and exquisite skill in the propertie of plantes stones mettals and many other like things all which as they be â—â—eir instruments wherewith they forge and fashion their illusions and engins whiche they bende euery houre against vs so they be also snares and baytes whiche they ceasse not to laye euery moment and minute of a day to entangle our poore soules And by the same meane saith he they do prognosticate sometimes things to come and perfourme certaine holy miracles by whiche they deceiue such as giue faith to their dreames as it happened to those poore women who seduced with the illusions of Sathan persuade them selues that they go all night on horsacke when thed worship Diuels transfigured into Aungels of lighte the better to play their parte and sometimes they shewe themselues in diuerse other shapes and figures presenting vnto them sometime pleasante and goodlye things sometimes sorowful things sometimes they preferre to their eyes personnes knowen sometimes shapes vnknowen All which sure albeit they are very strange and are founde of hard digestion to suche as measure the worke of God according to the capacitie of their grosse and rude vnderstanding yet the discourse of Sainct Augustin in his Citie of God is no lesse maruelous to my iudgemeÌ„t whereof plunged in a profounde contemplation of the power of wicked sprits he brings in certain women instructed in the arte Magicall raigning in Italy in his tyme who giuing to eate such as passed by them a certain fishe mingled with chéese the passengers immediatly wer turned into mares and caried their necessaries vntil they had performed their voyage and discharged their burdens when they returned to their former shape The like happening to the father of Prestantius who being turned into a horse carried corne wyth other victualls of certaine knights All which notwithstandyng sayth S. Augustine ought not persuade that either the body or thought of the man coulde by any Diabolicall illusion be conuerted into a beast or take thÌ„eir shape or membres but rather that their fansie did abuse them in making them séeme like vnto beastes And touchyng the burdens which they caried it myght be sayth he that the Diuels themselues caryed them to entertaine the rather the errour of those miserable creatures But now to preuent such opinions as may
be amongst them song when he heard them crow beat him self with his armes as they do with their wings As also some other that persuaded them to be transfigured into a vessel of earth who kéeping cōtinually vpon the plaines champaines dare not come neare houses or trees for feare to bruse or breake them in pieces There was a certaine Damsel ▪ whereof Alexander Trallianus writeth this history that by a corruption of the imagination she persuaded hir selfe to haue deuoured a Serpente sleeping neither coulde she be deliuered from the disease of suche thought vntill being prouoked to an extreme vomite there was secretly conueyed into the basin a quicke Serpent immediatly after the which she was deliuered of hir disease persuading that she had vomited the Serpent that stirred in the basyn There be yet visions whiche procéede by eating certaine poisons as Plinie and Edwardus witnesse of him of those whiche did eate the braines of a Beare whiche being deuoured they imagined that they were turned into a Beare The like happening in oure time to a Spanishe Gentleman who hauing eaten of a Beare wente wandring by the desertes and mountaines thinking to be trāsformed into a Beare Yet ther be other sortes of visions which according to y e opiniōs of certaine Phisitions proceede vpon certaine Naturall causes as when any man is killed and buried not very deepe in the earth there come as they saye from the dead bodye certaine exhalations and vapours whiche ascende into the ayre do séeme to represente the figure or fourme of hym that was put in the earth Wee haue also many other things whiche vnder the coloure of illusions abuse oure vnderstanding as when the ayre is troubled with contrary winds by whose agitations is engendred a bruite or murmure resembling properly the lowing or noise of beastes or not much vnlike to the complaintes of women and little children sometimes also the ayre pierceth within the creuisses and vaultes of rocks and olde walls and being sent backe againe by his owne violence giueth out so distincte a sounde that it séemes a precise or set voice as we proue oftentimes in that whiche we call Eccho the same pronouncing for the most parte v. or .vj. wordes with so greate maruell that it easely persuades suche as knowe not the cause but specially in the nighte that they be some spirites or Diuels the like hapning in our time to a counseller secretary of a certaine Prince the which by reason of his ignoraunce in the cause of his Eccho was in daunger to be drowned according to Cardanus in his booke of maruellous inuentions who writeth of one Augustinus Lauisarius Counseller to a certain Prince who being in the countrey and out of his waye and lastly ouertaken with night founde himselfe greatly passioned and riding all along a Riuer side began to lamente his distresse and after the Italian maner cried Oh the Eccho which came from a certaine rocke thereby replyed vnto him incontinent with Oh Lauisarius somewhat comforted with the voice thinking it was some man whiche spake demaūded in his language vnde debo passa the Eccho aunswered Passa then the poore secretary being in greater paine than before demaunded Chi which asmuch to say as heare the Eccho replied chi but being yet not well assured he asked him again debo passa chi passa chi saith the Eccho whiche wordes fedde him with suche comfort of his waye that he tooke the riuer being astonied notwithstanding that his horse at his firste entry lost the bottome and begā to swimme and had it not bene the goodnesse of his horse and mercye of the waues that séemed to take compassion vpon his distresse he had taken a moyste lodging in the bottome of the riuer from the whiche albeit he escaped so hardely yet being broughte with muche ado to the other side he passed the reste of the night in colde and prayers withoute comforte sauinge for the pleasure he tooke in the remembrance of his peril past wherof certaine dayes after being come to Millan he made discourse to his deare frende Cardanus in sorte as if it had bene the malice of an euill sprite that wente aboute to drowne him telling the place euery circunstance in order Cardanus smelled forthwith the ignorance and simplicity of the secretary knowing that in that place was a wonderfull Eccho whiche yelded suche a plaine and perfect voice that it séemed to be formed oute of the mouth of some creature for a more assuraunce and proofe whereof he led him eftesones to the same place where they founde that his Passa that guided hym was none other thing than a reuerberation of the Eccho wherein séeing we are nowe so déeply fallen I will not forget to inferre the authoritie of mine authour in an example whilest he write this booke at Paris I haue saith he heard a sound in the borough of Chalenton neare Paris whiche yeldes and returnes the wordes that are spoken whole entier distinctly and plainly and that .vij. times one after an other like to the Eccho septuplex of the Auncients and specially commended of Plinie I haue also oftē marueled y t those which haue written the Antiquities and things worthie of memorie in Paris haue lefte suche a straunge thing without remembraunce in their writings seeing I haue neither heard nor séene so rare a thing in all the voyages I haue made ouer the highe Alpes of Italye and Germanie But now there resteth to put a laste seale to our difference and diffinition of visions to make some discourse of artificiall illusions the which being wroughte by sundry secret and Sophisticall sleightes of men moue no small terror to suche as beholde them as that whereof Hector Boetius in his Histories of Scotlande maketh mention wherein as there was a helpe and furtheraunce by art so the effecte was no lesse maruellous and straunge and at laste the onely cause of conseruation of a whole Kingdome in sorte as foloweth The Pictes according to the Histories haue alwayes borne a mortall hate to the Scots killing after sundry battails and skirmishes the first King of that countrey with the ouerthrowe of most of the nobilitie of that countrey Cenethus second King of the Scots and sonne to him whome the Pictes had murdered desirous to reuenge the death of his father vsed many persuasions to incense the nobilitie to fall into armes againste them who in respecte of their late infortune in the warre and their lacke of power to maintaine the quarell would not agrée to the persuasions of the King in whome as there remained a more grudge againste the death of his father than in the reste so finding him insufficient to worke it by wordes or incitation he reposed a laste helpe and refuge in arte and to giue a beginning to his deuise he fained a cause of conscience and consultation for the which the nobilitie were sente for to assiste the counsell where being lodged
the time of Elizeus which was so harde and extreme that the head of an Asse was solde for .xxiiij. peeces of siluer and the fourth part of a measure of Doues dunge for .v. peces but that which is most farre from all humanitie after that all their victuals were consumed y e mothers eat their children In such sort that a pore woman of the city seâ—ing the King of Israel vpon the wall made hir complaint vnto him that one of hir neighbors wold not performe couenaÌ„t and agreement made betwixt them which was that they should eat together her child and hauing so done that they should also deuoure the childe of hir neighbor which she tolde the king she had already done for we haue boiled and eaten my sonne and now she hides and conceales hirs for feare she should feede or relieue me Which when the King had vnderstand his heart began to die for sorow and he entred into mortal warre with his hair flesh and garments saying God deale so with me and so according to the rest of the text Iosephus an Hebrew writer in his .vij. boke and iij. chapter of the warres of the Iewes declareth a history almost confirmable to this but performed in a more strauÌ„ge and bloudy maner He writeth that there was a noble and riche woman at suche time as Ierusalem was besieged who had pacte togither some remainder of hir goodes which she had in a certaine house of the Citie and liued husbandlyke of that little which remained but the souldiours and men at armes spoiled hir of all within an houre in suche sort that they coÌ„strained hir to begge but that which gaue encrease to hir misery was when she had any thing growing to hir by the almes and charitie of others the souldioures toke it from hir with violence with the extreme oppressioÌ„ of hunger and small hope of meanes to be sustained forced hir to arme hir selfe against the lawes of nature in suche sort as beholding with pitifull regard one of hir little children whome she embraced betwene hir armes cryed out with great compassion in this sort Oh infortunate childe and me most miserable mother who haue vnhappely harbored thée in my flanks What shall henceforth become of thée coÌ„sidering the desolation of our state which so rageth against vs bothe that albeit I had will to saue thy life yet would thy desteny make thée subiecte to a continuall thraldome of the Romains come then my childe serue for foode and nouriture to thy pore mother ouercome with hunger And after she had pronounced this tragicall sentence of the death of hir childe she stretched hir cruel hands ouer his teÌ„der body and killed him put him on the broach rosted him and at one instant eate y e one halfe of him in which meane time came in again the soldiours and tasting in their nose the smell of rosted meate began to threaten hir to death if she did not impart it with theÌ„ but she resolued in hir rage and as one most desirous to accompanye her dead sonne without any astonishment or feare of their threates sayde vnto them be content soldiours saith she for I haue reserued a more faith and loyaltie than you think séeing I haue kept you as great a parte as to my selfe wherewith she brought forth the rest of hir childe and set it on the table afore them which moued such confusion and remorse of conscience in them all that they stoode as men enchanted and had not the heart to aunswere any one word but she on the contrary side as a Tigresse ful of amaze crueltie hauing lost hir yong ones preferring in hir face both fury and fiery lookes sayde eftsones vnto them Now maisters this which you sée is the fruite of my body it is my childe my bloud my flesh yea and my bones it is a creature formed of my substance and a regeneration of my selfe Why are you more scrupulous or delicate than his tender mother y t hath brought him into the world with so many pangs Do you refuse to eate whereof she hath and will make a tast afore you which strake such pitifull terror into all the soldiours that they ranne away leauing hir alone with the one halfe of hir rosted childe which was all in efâ—â—ct which their crueltie had left hir touching hir goods and coÌ„fort And this as it is the proper texte of Iosephus which I haue as neare as I could drawne out according to the contents of y e same so the view of this makes me remember an other Historye which I haue red in Auenzouar a Phisition of Arabia touching an extreme hunger which so afflicted the place of his natiuitie that after that miserable people had stuffed their bodies with diuers sortes of filthy and corrupt meates as dogges horsses rattes mise and such like as they could find by any deuise or trauell and yet not being satisfied nor hauing wherewithall to quench the rage of their hunger did not forbeare to turne vp and open graues and sepulchres and féede of the mortified carions of dead men for assone as any were buried the porest sort most pinched with hunger would rise by night and vnshroud y e ghoastes which made y e magistrates at last to establish a solemn watch to gard the sepulchres from suche vnnaturall violation ¶ A wonderfull Historie of a Birde which hath no feete and liues continually in the aire being neuer found vpon the earth or in the sea but dead LIke as this bird whose figure is here depainted is both moÌ„strous wonderful eueÌ„so she yeldes sufficient matter to trouble al y e Philosophers in the world wherfore who so wil coÌ„sider y e great maruels of nature which be fouÌ„d in this little foule neede not dout to confesse y t the aire wherein she makes hir continual abode norisheth nothing at all more straunge or worthy of admiration For for y e first part ther hath no maÌ„ baÌ„dled hir aliue she liues alwais w t the dew hath no fete which is wholly repugnant against the opinion of Aristotle who wryteth that there is no bird without féete but for that I neuer saw it before this present houre I wil therefore write simply that which I haue red in the Latine authors at this day who haue seene handled written thereof Gesnerus in his Latin historie of Birdes from whence I haue taken this portraicte writeth that which foloweth that Bird wherof thou seest here the portraict is called the Bird of Paradise or Apis Indica whose figure was shewed vnto me by the moste Noble and well learned personage Conradus Pentigerus who affirmeth to haue séene one dead like vnto this It is not long sithens there was a Chart at Noremberg wherin was figured the forme of a Birde like to this which is here depainted the which was sent hither with this inscription the Birde of Paradise otherwise called Apis Indica is of the greatnesse of a Gripe but of suche wonderfull
swiftnesse and light condition that no shippe how so euer she be assisted with windes or weather is able to make saile equall with the wing of that Birde whose wings in déede are long and thin but of a meruellous reflection and light whose fethers or more properly shagge or long haire be almost of the hardnesse of a horne thys Birde hath no féete she flieth continually without resting in any place sauing that she stayeth against a trée or bough vpon the which she hangeth and stayeth by a lock of hir loÌ„g hair she is of great price by reason of hir strauÌ„genâ—sse and rarietie the great men of Leuant for a brauery do deck the crests of their armors with the plumes of this Birde they saw it at Noremberg by Iohn Cromerus The Almaines call this bird in their laÌ„guage Luffruogel which signifieth a bird of y e air either by reason y t she liueth in the air or that they make accoÌ„pt she is releued therby the most be of opinion y t the female hath one receptacle or retreat vnder hir wings where she layeth and hatcheth hir egges Wherefore the kings of Marmin in the Iles of Moluques not long sithens were persuaded did beleue y t their soules were immortal by the consideration of this Birde being moued by no other argument if not that they obserued one litle bird of extreme beautie which at no time touched the earth but sometimes fell dead from the height of heauen And as the Mahometists trauailed with them they shewed them this birde persuading them that she came from Paradise which was a delicious place where the dead soules toke their repose wherby that people grosse and barbarous beleuing that which the Turkes declared to them begaÌ„ very curiously to examine of their law and in the ende became Mahometists and folow at this day the Mahomet law for which cause they name that birde Manucodiata that is to say the birde of God which birde they haue in such reuerence and honour that the Kings hauing hir aboute them accompte themselues sufficiently guarded from all perill and daunger of warre wherupon the Kings of the Isles aforesayd did send to Charles the fift Emperor fiue of these litle birdes dead for as we sayd before they were neuer taken by any man aliue Maximilianus Transsiluanus Gesnerus pursuing the Historie of this birde addeth yet that whiche foloweth I haue saith he attained to write these things by the letters of Melchior Guillandin Beruce a man great in science and doctrine whiche were brought vnto me to Padoue by the which he writeth hir the birde of Paradyse as here foloweth Albeit those which haue left in writing the nauigation of the Spaniards to straunge countreys assure and affirme that there is a little bird bred and borne in the Isles of Moluques very pleasaunt and of singular beautie wherof the body is but litle notwithstandyng by reason of the hugenesse of hir feathers she séemeth more great which be brode and houering disposed in a rounde in such sort that they represente the circuite of a circle That little birde representeth in greatnesse and forme a Quaile being adorned and decked with feathers of diuers colours most faire and bautifull contenting very muche the eyes of those which behelde hir hir head proportioned to the body somewhat more great than a swallow hir fethers which decke the height of hir from the vppermoste part of the bones of the skurfe of hir neck to the mydst of hir beake be short great hard thick and of a yealowe colour and shineth like the purest golde or the beames of the Sunne the others which couer hir chin be moste delicate tender and resemble a piercyng coloure like to the gréene and not much vnlike to those whiche we see vpon the heades of Canardes being directly against the sunne That birde hath no féete and is very like a Hearon touching the feathers of hir wings sauing that they be more tender and long holden of a broune colour participating with redde and blacke The male of that birde hath a hole vpon the skurfe of his back where the female putteth and hatcheth hir egges and not relieued by other meate than the dewe of heauen whiche serueth them for meate and drinke And who lyst to visite the inwarde parts of thys byrde shall fynde hir full of fat or grease whereof I may boldly talk bicause I haue séene two without legs which is contrary to the writing of Aristotle who affirmeth that no birde wanteth féete he dwelleth alwayes in the ayre I am sure this would amaze you to write wholy the form of this bird by his particulars as Gesnerus writeth according to the witnesse of the foresayd authors Albeit who is desirous to sée a more ample description thereof reade that which the sayd Gesnerus hath written in the chapter where he treateth of the birde of Paradise or in the boke of Auium natura Hieromeus Cardanus in his bokes de subtilitate or place where he writeth of perfect beasts reporteth the like to that which foloweth In the sayd Isles of Moluques they haue found vpon the laÌ„d or in the sea one dead bird called Manucondiata which is as much to saye in the Indians toung as the birde of God or Birde of Paradise whiche they haue not séene on liue for that it hathe no féete Which for my part I haue séene thrée or .iiij. tymes and alwayes wanting those membres she dwelleth continually in the aire and that very high and farre of Shée beareth a body and a beake muche like the sea swallowe both in bignesse and other forme the quilles of hir wings and tayle be full as bigge as those of an Eagle when she aduaunceth or stretcheth them abroade Hir feathers bee very small and moste lyke reseruing their litlenesse to the plumes of a Pehenne or a she Peacocke and differing in that poynt from the Peacocke hym selfe bycause these feathers haue not suche starres or eyes as we sée in the tayle of a Peacocke The backe of the male of this birde is holowe where by moste reason the female dothe laye hir egges seing hir belly is also hollow the same arguyng that by the hollownesse of the one and other she layeth and hatcheth hir eggs there is in the taile of the male a thréede of the length of thrée shaftments blacke in colour neither rounde nor square of an ordinarie bignesse not much vnlyke to a Shoemakers thréede by the whyche it may be presumed that the female is tied and ioyned to his backe whilest she layeth and hatcheth hir egges It is moste certaine that as she remayneth continually in the ayre so lykewise when hir wyngs and tayle be drawne into a roundnesse she supporteth hir selfe that way and being wearie she becommeth as she was afore She doth lyue by none other foode than by the dewe of Heauen whiche serueth hir bothe to eate and also to dryncke the same arguing a wonderfull diligence and maruell of Nature to make
wyth hir hissing as Plinie sayth all the other Serpents she makes trées die with hir breath scorcheth herbes breakes stones and so infecteth the aire where she remaineth that no birde can vse wing there without perrill she killeth men wyth hir onely regarde like as an vncleane woman infecteth and spotteth a glasse And although she containe not aboue one foote in length yet is hir poyson so strong venimous as she killeth other Serpents wyth the very breathe that commeth from hir fore ende she is so mortally venomous that she infecteth and ouerwhelmeth great Cityes with the aire or breath of hir mouth the same approued not only by the historians prophane as Dioscorides Plinie Aelian Lucian Isidorus with many mo but also confirmed in some sort by the Ecclesiasticals Hieronimus Cardanus in his bookes of diuers Historyes treating of the wonders of this beast brings in a straunge thing hapning in our time which he describes in this sorte At such time saith he as I made my bookes of diuers Historyes the .xxiij. of Iuly happened a thing no lesse worthy of admiration than memory which I did assist wyth myne eies and presence Iacques Phillippes Cerunse caused to be made vnder the earth a valt or caue which bicause it shuld consolidate the better he made stoppe very close and within .xviij. or .xx. dayes after made the same to be opened to draw forthe certaine arches of woâ—de which sustained it whereunto as one of his workemen disposed himself to discend by a ladder and being in the middest of the same he fel downe dead the maister séeing no returne of his maÌ„ would proue the experience in himselfe who likewise being come so lowe as the other fell also dead after whom the assistaÌ„ts not doubting any mortal peril seÌ„t a third a fourth w t many other which al passed one way this albeit it gaue great indifferent cause of suspition and feare yet was it no suche terror to the people without the hoale as to make them desist to send any more but chose out amongst theÌ„ al a strong huge man of no other regard with them all than as a foole who discending as low and to the place of the others fell not but with a crooke of iron drewe one of them that were dead which gaue him such courage y t he would once againe goe downe and being within the mouth of the vault he began to sinke and fall albeit he was preuented by the diligence of the assistants who by speciall remedies recouered him of his traunce but not of the vse of his speache till the next day when I perceiuing sayth Cardan that he began to speake I asked him many things but he séemed not to remember to haue sayde or done any thing saue only his going downe there was let fal in a corde a dogge whom they also plucked vp againe halfe dead wherby euery man that was not able to comprehende the cause of these wonders iudged that there was within the caue a Basilicke which otherwise is called Serpens Regalis Wherin as we haue now as I thinke treated sufficiently of certaine straunge and monstrous Serpents found in sundry prouinces partes of the world it is no lesse necessary in mine opinion to search out certain singular things which are fouÌ„d in some particular kindes of them those which haue treated of the nature of Serpents haue obserued chiefly that their excrements smell sweete which by natural reason may procéede of their drinesse for Serpents of their owne nature be dry the same arguing that their excrementes be well boiled by reason of the straitnesse of their intrails Some affirme that Serpents haue so odiferous a breath that it séemes as swéete as Muske There be Serpentes which kepe their venome after their death as the Uipers for otherwise their flesh could little profite to the composition of Triacle if they were altogither without poyson Besides wherupon could come the excoriation in the Leper that hath eaten them if they did not reserue some poyson It hath chaunced in our time that such as haue taken of the hide from a beast that hath perished of the biting of a Uiper die also of the like disease Dioscorides in his sixth booke wher he treateth of poisons and venomes saith that immediatly after a man is bitten with a Uiper the biting swelleth and becometh dry and of a whitish coloure there appeareth in the beginning of the biting a fiery anguishe all died with bloud which doth force out of the flesh round about it certaine blisters as if they had bene burnt wyth fire then foloweth an viceration then they bléede swell touching those partes that be about the liuer whereupon are procured vomites of choler heauie sléepe shaking thorow the whole body Passions of the vrine and cold sweat Certaine late Phisitians are of opinion that the Uiper is no other thing than the Serpent which we call in Fraunce the Aspic Some do affirme that the Uiper doth abhorre a naked man and feareth him more than if he were clad with garments The Phisitians are of opinion that if a mannes eyes be rubbed euery morning with the skin or flough of a Uiper his sight shall neuer be dimme nor hurt with suffusion affirming besides that if an olde floughe be burned when the Moone is full and in the first part of the signe of Aries and that the cenders be sprinkled vpon a mannes head it stirres vp terrible dreames Plinie and Dioscorides auouche that the earth neuer receiues within hir entrails the Serpent that hath once bit a man seming as it were in respecte and reuerence of a certaine royall benignitie to haue in horror him that hathe offended the King chiefe and Prince of all beastes Plinie wryteth that the spittle of a man specially of him that is fasting is venomous to a Serpent in so much that if he but taste of it neuer so little he dieth and that which more is if a man but poure it vpon him it offendes him no lesse than if he had skalding water cast vpon him All the Phisitians and wryters obserue that the venomous Serpents hide them selues or abide within the thrée leaued grasse biâ—ause that herbe is mortiferous to them Those that wil handle serpents without daunger let them wash their handes first with the iuise and sappe of Turneps the same being so great an enimie to their poyson that they had rather die than once cease vpon the place that hath bene rubbed with Turneps whose only smell doth take away both his lyfe and force Cardanus in his .xviij. booke de subtilitate and in the Chapiter which â—reateth of maruellous inuentions sayth that the wilde Cowcumber blacke néesing pouder called Eleborum and the great Serpentine called DrachontiuÌ„ mains be of so great force against serpents that such as be annointed or rubbed with their iuise be seldome or neuer offended or hurt with Serpents for better confirmation wherof I may boldly bring in a History which I haue neither red
nor vnderstode but was priuie to y e experience of it my self in the time of Pope Iulia that died last Such as haue hauÌ„ted Italy know I am sure that there be certaine charmers which they cal Enchaunters of serpents who vse to cary about their neckes great boxes ful of quicke Serpents vnder the pretence wherof they liue and sel certaine Oyles which they say are most soueraine against the bitings of mad dogges and serpents amongst those I noted one chiefly at Rome who had many of those creatures amongst which he had one of a foote and a halfe long whom in the presence of a thousand persons he made bite him by the tongue which began forthwith to swel as bigge as his fist and besides the swelling it became blacke and scurâ—fie in suche sort that euery one iudged it to be infected with poison soone after he began to rubbe his tong with a certaine oyle which he called oile Balsamium which didde so qualifie the swellyng that in one instant it appered as faire and naturall as before by whiche miracle he solde his Oile at what price he desired wherein as I was very curious to trie if he performed that woÌ„der by either Arte or sophistical sleight and not able to discouer any deceite at all euen so Plaudanus a notable Phisitian in Italy and from whom we atteÌ„d euery day some learned worke of such matters auouched vnto me by othe an History very like to this whereunto I giue as great faith as if mine owne eyes had assisted it the rather by the fidelitie of him that tolde it me who besides he saw the experience yet his learning demeth him to be abused or deceiued by eyther pollicie or Arte he said that in the yeare .1533 there was in the famous Citie of Bresse gouerned at this day by the Venetians two of these Enchanters of Serpentes sellyng their oyles in the very same streat wherein for more credit and aucthoritie of their trafficke they shewed to y e people sundry quick serpents whereby their gaine grewe the greater but one of their companie borne in Verona ielous belike of the profite of his fellowe gaue it out to the multitude that it was but a deceit and y t the oyles which they sold were a vain substaÌ„ce coÌ„fected by sophistical meanes which he offred to proue if the Magistrates would assist him with warrant or aucthoritie whereunto they agreed with small entreatie aswell for a desire they had to haue the disceit disclosed as speciall delite in séeing the effect of the deuise This galland of Verona at the day appointed hauing made to be set vp a little Theater to the ende the assistaÌ„ts might behold the experience of his promise mouÌ„ted with great maiestie vpon the scaffolde where calling the other of Padua who was no lesse ready than himselfe said vnto him If thou hast of the true Oyle of Balme as thou haste giuen out to the people to abuse their simplicitie and win their money by deceit sticke not to shew in this place and presence an vnfained proofe triall therof wherewith he drew out of his boxe with his bare hande a great Toade quicke swelled with poison holding in hys hand a certaine roote bad him choose whether of those two things he had rather eat either the roote or the Toade for for my part sayth he loke as thou dost deuoure the one I wil eat the other and then shal it be séene which of vs two escapeth the best cheape wherewith the Padouan albeit greatly amazed yet being pressed with compulsion to doe the one toke the roote and eat it The Veronian at the same instant tare the Toade in pieces with his téeth and swallowed hir into his body retiring immediatly both of them to their drugges and arming them albeit with their Antidotes or counterpoisons could not so cunningly conuey their sleights but one remained dead as a pawn for within .2 or .3 houres y e Padouan began to chaunge colour lose strength so fast y t he was taken in a souÌ„d from the Theater what remedy so euer could be aplied to him within 24. hours after he died being swelled as one diseased with the dropsie The other y t deuoured the toad vnderstanding y e tragedie of his companion saued himself by flight being séene notw tstanding .2 or .3 yeres after selling his drugs other confections in diuers places in Italy according to his wont some also which the Grekes cal Ophirgenes are woont to heale the bytings of such Serpents with onely laying their hand vpon the hurt body from whence they drewe the venom as also do the Psilles and Marciens a people of Africa whose Embassador called Exagon for an experience of the matter being come to declare his message to the Romains was put naked into a Toune full of Serpents Uipers and other venomous beastes who being thus amongest them in place to offende or doe hym any hurte they began to licke and cherish hym Constantine Caesar in his bookes of Husbandry writeth that to draw or gather together all the Serpents of a countrye it is néedefull to make a hole or caue in the earth and to put therein a potte or vessel wherein hath bene of those confections which as the Adamant doth the yron is of a vertue to draw all the Serpentes of that Countrey into that place ¶ A wonderfull Historie of two maides knit and conioyned backe to backe sene in diuers places the one aâ— Rome the other at Verona CHAP. xxxv THe Indians and Brachmans haue shewed them selues for the most part very ceremonious in obseruing the natiuities of theyr children For two monethes after their birth they caused theÌ„ to be brought in publike beholding them very diligentely whether they were perfect or imperfect faire or deformed mete for warre or peace after which ceremonies so obserued knowing that according to their education they would be mete to serue in the coÌ„mon wealth caused them to be instructed and norished in those artes and sciences whiche best agréed wyth their inclinations but coÌ„trary if they found them monstrous deformed or wanting any member repugnant to nature they caused them immediatly to be murdred and killed like as the Spartins in Grece by the lawes of Licurgus caused those children whose shape and membres were wel formed to be brought vp norished but if nature had not don or performed in them hir dutie they being therby monstrous or brokeÌ„ were immediatly caried into strange regions or into some Isles and deserts and so coÌ„mitted to the mercy of their fortune euen so the Athenians immediatly after they found any monstrous childe in theyr Citie caused him to be cast headlong into the sea purifiyng not only their citie with a numbre of maydes who went through the same singing hymnes and Psalmes but also making sacrifice to Iuno The auncient Romains folowing the ordinance of Romulus vsed to cast suche monsters into Tyber burning their bodies and blowing away the cinders
wombe to straight which is y e cause that she is found to wante in suche sorte that the wombe is congealed and gathered in one whereupon groweth this forme and superfluitie of members in this little male moÌ„ster whom thou seest héere figured hauing four armes four legges and but one head with all the rest of his body well proportioned who was engendred in Italie the same day that the Venetians and Geneuois after the sheading of much bloud both of the one side the other coÌ„firmed their peace and wer reconciled togither and which was baptised and liued a certaine time after as writeth Iacobus Fincelius in his booke de miraculis post renatum Euangelium And in the same yeare that Leopolde Duke of Austrich vanquished of the Swizers died And Galea was created Uicount of Millain after the death of Barnabone ¶ A wonderfull Historie of Couetousnesse with many examples touching that matter worthy of memory CHAP. L. DIogines Laerce writeth that there was a Rhodian iesting one day with the philosoper Eschines saying to him I sweare by the immortal gods Eschines that I haue great pitie and compassioÌ„ of thy pouertie To whom he replied sodainly and by the same gods do I make y e like othe that I more bewaile thée to sée thée so rich seing that riches once gotten bréede not onely paine torment care with heauinesse to kéepe them but also a more great displeasure to spend them perill to preserue them occasion of great inconueniences and dangers to defend them And that which yet séemes to me more grieuous and horrible is that where for the most parte thou hidest thy riches in the same place thou leauest thy heart buried And lyke as Herodotus writeth that the inhabitants of the Isles Baleares watch and defend wyth great care that no maÌ„ entring into their Countrey bring or leaue behinde them either golde siluer silke or precious stones which hapned so wel vnto them y t during the space of .400 yeres wherein there was most cruel warres not only amongst the Romains and Carthaginois but also the French Spaniards neuer any of the said nations were once moued to inuade their landes for that they could not finde either golde siluer or other thing of price or value to robbe pilfer or take away euen so there is yet one other thing more straunge that is that Phalaris Agringetin Dionyseus Siracusan Catilmus Romanê° Iugurth Numidien being .iiij. famous tiraÌ„ts neuer maintained their estates realms by any vertue whych they vsed but only by their great gifts presents which they bestowed on their adhereÌ„ts wherfore I wold wish y t al such as be fauored of Princes should note wel this saying y t it is impossible for one being in great fauor to continue long therin being ouerwhelmed accompanyed w t the wicked vice of couetousnesse Neither am I out of my matter hauing touched y e same in the Historyes before for y t in these our dayes y e world is so coâ—rupted therwith as there is no other talke in our coÌ„mon weales of any thing but only of the burning rage of couetousnesse whych raigneth in all y e estates of y e world namely amoÌ„gst y e Ecclesiastical persoÌ„s as our high father w t his Cardinals a thyng much to be lameÌ„ted coÌ„sidering that they ought to be rather distributers of the goods of the Lord thaÌ„ affectionated burning as we sée w t this gréedie desire of riches y t it seemes y t they would drain al the welth of y e world into theyr gulphs in y e end burie the same w t their bodies in the graue wherof I haue written more largely in my other works making mention of the cardinal Angelot But now I wil returne to my matter for sithens that y e pestileÌ„t venom of couetousnesse hath sprinkled hir poison through y e world y t the most part of the prouinces remain be so much infected therwith y t they by that meanes stick not to make marchaÌ„dise of meÌ„s bodies to obtaine mony wherof Celius Rhodiginus in his iij. boke of auÌ„cient lessons .lvj. chapter is a sufficient witnesse who declareth y t in his time diuers wicked persons sold the flesh of men so well seasoned y t is séemed to be the flesh of Porke in which wickednesse as they continued til God by his almighty power discouered the same by suffering them to finde the finger of a man mingled amongest their meats which was the cause that they were taken cruelly punished euen so this néedes not séeme straunge or a fable to those which haue red Galenes .xiij. boke of Elements who sheweth y e mannes flesh is so like vnto porke hauing the very tast and sauor of it that those which haue eaten therof iudged it to be the flesh of a Porke Wherefore in the Historie of Caelius Rhodiginus it is not strauÌ„ge but most apparant that couetousnesse hath so blinded maÌ„ and rageth euen to the very tippe of iniquitie that they cannot adde any thing more thereunto Albeit Conradus Licostenes recompteth yet one other wonderfull Historie of couetousnesse which is nothing inferior to this before who wryteth that in the Dukedome of Wittemberge there was a wicked hoste who presented at supper all his gests lodged in his house with the fleshe of a Porke bitten of a madde dogge which was so greatly infected with the venim of that beast that all those which eate therof became not only madde but also pressed in such sort with the furie and rage of their euill that they eat and tare in pieces one an other ¶ A Monster brought forth at Rauenna in the tyme of Pope Iule the secâ—nde and king Lewes the .xij. CHAP. xlj REader this monster which thou seest here depainted is so brutall and farre differing from humaine kinde that I feare I shal not be beleued in that I shal write ther of hereafter notwithstanding if thou wilt but conferre this with those hauing faces like Doggs and Apes wherof I haue written in the Histories before thou shalt then fynde the other farre more monstrous Iaques Ruell in his bokes of the conception and generation of meÌ„ from wheÌ„ce I haue this figure Conradus Licostenes in his treatie of wonders IohaÌ„nes Multiuallis Gasparus Hedio affirme write y t in the yere 1512. at what time pope Iule y e second stirde vp caused so many bloody tragedies in Italy that he had made warre with king Lewis euen at the iorney of Rauenna this monster was engendred borne at Rauenna aforesayd a citie most auncient in Italy hauyng one horne in his head two wings and one foote like to the foote of a ramping bird with an eye in the knee it was double in kind participating both of the man womaÌ„ hauing in y e stomack y t figure of a Greke Y y e form of a crosse no armes And like as this moÌ„ster was brought into y e world in y