Emb 37. A Woman often representeth Fame I Nine present and all of Worthy Name For Virtue or for Valour all renown'd Whose Glorious Fame doth through the World resound Whereby it 's evident that Woman can Equal if not Exceed the Deeds of Man. Read and then Judge impartially their Cause No doubt my Heroines will gain Applause Female EXCELLENCY OR THE Ladies Glory Illustrated In the worthy Lives and memorable Actions of Nine Famous Women who have been renowned either for Virtue or Valour in several Ages of the world namely I. Deborah the Prophetess II. The Valiant Judith III. Queen Esther IV. The Virtuous Susanna V. The Chast Lucretia VI. Voadicia Queen of Brittain VII Mariamne wife to King Herod VIII Clotilda Queen of France IX Andegona Princess of Spain The whole adorned with Poems and the Picture of each Lady By R. B. Licensed and Entred according to Order LONDON Printed for Nath. Crouch at the Bell in the Poultrey near Cheapside 1688. TO THE READER THough Women from the injurious estimates of the World have been commonly reckoned uncapable of noble undertakings from which God and Nature have no more excluded the Feminine than the Masculine part of mankind yet it will be a little hard to pronounce that they really are so if we consider how many outward advantages men are allowed above them having their Parts improved by Education Learning and Arts and so seem by industry and Husbandry to become different from what they naturally would appear and if Women had the same helps I dare not say but they would make as good returns of which there have been many famous instances in former Ages Socrates confesses himself to have been instructed in Rhetorick by Aspatia and even in the highest points of Phylosophy by Diotime The Roman History informs us of the deep wisdom of Tanaquil Cornelia Livia and others which incouraged me having first served my own Sex by publishing the History of the Nine Worthies to try whether I could not find out as many renowned Women in History who for Virtue or Valour might seem to equal if not in some things excel the other which indeed I found no very hard task for though my Lord Montaign in his Essays writing of three Good Women saies merrily they are not to be met with by the Dozen yet I quickly discovered Nine whom I thought worthy to be proposed as admirable examples either for Goodness Courage Chastity Magnanimity yea a generous contempt of Death of which they are usually charged to have a slavish fear whereby it appears that as their Souls are of as Divine an Original and endless a Duration as Mens so their Minds are capable of as Gallant Atchievements yet I will not undertake to justifie self Homicide of which some of my Heroinies were guilty though the exigencies and extremities to which they were reduced may be some kind of Justification however I hope none will make that a President since so many worthy things may be observed in their Lives and Actions both for information and delight R. B. The History of Deborah the Prophetess AFter the death of valiant Joshua The Israelites rebell'd against Gods Law For which he gave them up unto their Foes Who fill'd their Land with miseries and woes At length they cry'd for mercy to the Lord Who doth these Penitents quick relief afford Raising renowned Deborah by whose might They Sisera and his Armies put to flight Himself being vanquisht by a Womans hand And Liberty restor'd unto their Land. Which happily they enjoy'd near forty years Serving the Lord redeem'd from all their fears AFter the death of Joshua who brought the Israelites into Canaan the people required Phineas to inform them whom God had appointed to succeed for managing their Affairs and carrying on the War against the Canaanites He answered That the Lord had commanded them to give the Government to the Tribe of Judah thereupon they desired Simeon to join with them who undertook the War upon this condition That when they had utterly rooted the remainder of the Canaanites out of their own Tribe they should imploy their conquering Armies to extinguish their Race out of all the rest Mean time the Enemy incouraged by Joshuas decease expected the Israelites with a great Host under Adonibezeck their King near the City of Bezeca with much confidence of success but these two Tribes ingaged their numerous Forces with so much valour and success that they slew ten thousand and put the rest to flight taking their King Prisoner in the Fight whose hands and feet having commanded to be cut off he acknowledged the Divine Justice therein confessing that he had used seventy two Kings in former time in the same manner The Israelites improving their Victory over-ran the Countrey and took divers Cities with small resistance in a short time At length they Besieged Jerusalem and entring the lower City put all the Inhabitants to the Sword but the higher City being very well fortified with Walls and Bulwarks together with the strength of its natural Scituation caused them not to attempt the assaulting it at present whereupon marching to Hebron they soon became Masters thereof and slew all therein At this time there were still left some of the Race of the Giants who for their Stature and Countenance were very dreadful and their Bones which were found many hundred years after discovered the vastness of their Limbs and Bulk The City of Hebron was given to the Levites out of respect to them with two thousand Cubits of Land and the rest of the Countrey was bestowed upon Caleb as Moses had commanded he being one of the Spies who was sent to discover the Land of Canaan There were likewise Lands and Possessions setled upon the Posterity of Jethro the Father-in-law of Moses and the Tribes of Judah and Simeon taking Possession of Asealon and Azoth two Cities of the Mountainous Countrey setled there and after this good success discharged themselves from the Wars As for the Benjamites to whom Jerusalem belonged they took Tribute of the Inhabitants and agreed to live in Peace with them so that now they all imploy'd themselves quietly in manuring the Countrey The rest of the Tribes did the same suffering the Canaanites to continue in peace only the Tribe of Ephraim having Besieged the City of Bethel and finding it difficult to gain it had it at length delivered into their hands by one of their own Citizens whom they therefore saved alive according to their agreement but put all the rest to the Sword After this the Israelites behaved themselves more mildly toward the Canaanites using their service in Husbanding their Lands and Fruits and thereby growing rich and at ease they grew dissolute and negligent of the commands of God and the policy and precepts of their Fore-fathers whereupon the Lord was grievous angry for their wickedness and that contrary to his express will they had spared the Canaanites declaring that those whom they had thus preserved should
whose mercy and goodness endures forever The people were even transported with joy at this unexpected deliverance and seeing the dismal head only by torch-light were almost perswaded it was but a dream But that the multitude which saw the same thing confirmed them their eyes were not deluded They therefore shouted with praises to the God of Heaven the only worker of Miracles and then turning to Judith they gave her a thousand thanks and blessings for being the instrument of so marvellous a salvation that day Then Ozias the Prince of the people of Israel in Bethulia spake thus to her Blessed be you O Daughter and most excellent above all the women in the Earth and praised be the great Creator of Heaven and Earth who hath assisted your Victorious arm for the destruction of the principal of our Enemies whereby you have rendred your name immortal to all ages to come and shall be had in admiration by all that have any sense of the wonderful works of God while the world endures since none can forget how little you valued your own life and honour so that you might thereby free your Nation from the inevitable ruin which seemed to hang over their heads After this Achior was called to whom shewing the head of Holofernes and assuring him that what he had affirmed of the might power of the God of Israel was now fully verified since he that had vowed their total desolation was now no more and their great Commander Holofernes was himself without a head Achior was even astonisht at her words and action and with the surprize fell down into a swound but at length recovering he threw himself at her feet with so much reverence as was near to adoration and by her means was more confirmed in the true Religion and he with all the people shouted and gave glory to God with a loud voice Judith to perfect her Conquest advised the people to place the head upon one of the highest Towers of the City and in the morning to make a salley out upon the Assyrians who at the alarum would presently run to the Tent of Holofernes to awake him and finding what had happened would be extreamly amazed and sell their lives at a cheap rate and might be pursued and utterly destroyed out of all their Coasts with very little damage to themselves This was put in execution and the Captains instantly repaired to the Generals Tent to receive orders desiring Bagoas the Eunuch to wake their Lord since the Israelitish slaves had presumed to make a sally upon them tho to their own destruction The Eunuch after long tarrying at last ventred in and coming near the bed and hearing no body stir he at length opened the curtains thinking he had still slept with Judith but instead thereof found the dead body cast on the floor and his head taken from him At this fight he cryed out aloud and became so furious that he rent his cloths and went in a rage to Judiths apartment threatning her with a thousand deaths but missing her there he sent out many frightful Schreeches among the People and declared aloud That the Slaves had dealt treacherously with them and that one Hebrew woman had brought shame and confusion upon the House of Nebuchadnezzar who had slain Holofernes and left his carcase without a head All ran to behold this dismal Spectacle and the whole camp was filled with horror astonishment and despair Tears and howling had taken possession of the whole Army when at the same time the head of Holofernes appeared upon one of the Towers of Bethulia which so astonished the Assyrians that they fled and scattered themselves round about the City every one seeking safety in running away and none durst trust another The Israelites pursued with all manner of briskness and vigor making a great noise that their number might appear considerable though there needed no great force to vanquish run-a-ways All the neighbouring Cities came in to take part of the spoil and to pillage their routed enemies whom they cut off with a most dreadful slaughter and the booty in the Camp was so prodigious that the people were thirty days in dividing it The rich moveables of Gold Silver Pearls and Jewels found in Holofernes Tent were all presented to Judith with the praises and acclamations of the multitude who unanimously applauded her as the glory of Jerusalem the joy of Israel the honour of her people the gallant woman the chast and valiant Princess by whose hand God had done great things in delivering his people and whose fame should live to eternal Ages The women of Israel likewise assembled themselves to meet and bless her dancing before her with branches of Olive in their hands whereof they composed a Garland which they put upon her head and then Judith leading the dance before them proceeded toward her own house all the men of Israel following in their armour with garlands on their heads and songs in their mouths Judith likewith made the following song of Praise and Thanksgiving which all the people sang after her SIng to the Lord my God sing praise A new Psalm to him sing Exalt his glorious name always He is our God and King. The Armies he to pieces breaks Of those that are his Foes He me delivered from their hands Who did me round inclose Assur with thousands from the North Came Israel to assail And by his multitudes did not doubt Against them to prevail He boasted he our Towns would burn And our young men destroy Women and Virgins ravish and Our Infants make a prey But they have disappointed been By the Almighty Lord. A womans hand did them withstand They fled with one accord Their Great Commander did not fall By any Giants power 'T was Judiths beauty him inthrall'd And brought his fatal hour For her oppressed people she Her mourning laid aside And to surprize his amorous eyes Her Person beautified Her Charms over his Soul prevail'd And ravished his sight He 's made a Prisoner to her face She is his Hearts delight The Sword quite through his neck did pass And parted it asunder The Persians at her boldness quake The Medes thereat did wonder Th' Afflicted then did shout for joy Thy weak Ones cry'd aloud The Foes astonisht were ' cause God Had overthrown the proud The Young men have them pierced through And wounded them in Fight The Fugitives fiercely they pursue And slay their men of Might I unto God new Songs will sing O Lord thou art most Glorious In power thou art Wonderful Invincible Victorious Let all the Creatures worship thee At whose word made were they At thy voice they created were None thee can disobey The Fountains shall be mov'd at thee The Rocks shall melted be Yet merciful thou art to those That serve and worship thee All Sacrifice and Offerings Unto thee are but small But those that fear the Lord their God To Honour he will call Wo to the Nations that advance Themselves
' gainst Israel The Lord will vengeance take of those That ' gainst him do rebel He will put fire into their flesh And worms shall them annoy They shall much misery feel God will For ever them destroy After this Judith dedicated to the Temple the Pavilion of Holofernes and other rich habiliments given her by the People that the memory of this glorious Action might never be forgotten and then returning to her own house she there continued a chast widdow to the day of her death being honoured and respected of all the people as their Great Deliverer she made her servant a free woman and lived in the house of her husband Manasseh till she was an hundred and five years old and then dying was buried in his Sepulchre for whom all the Israelites made a deep and solemn mourning seven days without intermission and the terror of this admirable success made such an impression on all the Neighbour Nations that none of them troubled Israel all her days nor a long time after her death How great art thou O Lord of Hosts and how terrible is thy power thou God of Battels a General in the midst of an Army of an hundred thousand valiant Souldiers invironed all with steel and fire who says I will go I will do I will level with the ground who decreed the firing of Cities and destruction of Countreys behold him now conquered slain tumbled in his bloud by a woman who makes a play-game of his head and all this by the assistance of that God who acted in her and put courage into her soul to overthrow the mighty and bring to confusion the Sons of pride and violence The History of Queen Esther WHen Haman in his proud ambitious mind Utter destruction to the Jews design'd When for the fault of one they all must dye All must be ruin'd for poor Mordecai Then prudent Esther doth her self oppose Against her Uncles and her Peoples Foes Ventures her life her Nation to save And Mercy for them of the King doth crave Who hears and grants her suit most graciously Haman is hanged for his Treachery And Mordecai his Office doth enjoy Who for the Jews his Interest doth imploy IN the year from the Creation of the world 3543. and before the birth of our Saviour 521. during the Captivity of the Jews in Babylon Cyrus the son of Xerxes whom the Grecians called Artaxerxes was King of Persia in whose reign all the race of the Jews both men women and children were in danger to have been utterly exterminated had it not been happily prevented by the mercy of God and the excellent conduct and admirable courage of our renowned Heroine Queen Esther For the better understanding hereof we read that after Artaxerxes was setled in the Kingdom and had established Governors over an hundred and seven and twenty Provinces from India as far as Ethiopia in the third year of his reign he made a most Royal and Magnificient Feast for all the Grandees of his mighty Empire wherein he display'd the opulency and grandeur of his Dominions for one hundred and fourscore days together After which he for 7 days treated the Ambassadors of all Nations in the Palace of Shushan sitting in a Tent the Pillars whereof were Gold and Silver and the covering of Scarlet of such a vast extent that thousands might be entertained under it all the provisions were served in Vessels of Gold inriched with Jewels and of excellent workmanship The King commanded his Attendants that none should be enforced to drink but according to the Persian usage each at his own discretion He also sent an Order throughout all his Countreys that they should all cease from their labour many days and make Holyday in Honour of his Royalty At the same time Vashti his Queen made a Royal Banquet to her Ladies and the King being merry with wine the seventh day of the Feast sent one of his Eunuchs to cause her to come with the Crown upon her head in the most glorious manner and her most gorgeous attire to display her beauty to the eyes of all the people but she being too tenacious of the Persian custom that count it a crime to be seen by strangers refused to come and though he renewed his desires divers times yet she persisted in her denial upon which being extreamly displeased he rose suddenly from the Banquet and calling to him seven of his Councellors by whose advice he managed his affairs and who expounded the Law to him he desired to know what punishment they thought due to his wife who had put such an open affront and indignity upon him before that Great Assembly one of them answered That this was a crime of State and might occasion a general disorder throughout the Realm since all other women following the example of the Queen might from thence take a licentious power to disobey their husbands and every where domineer over them thereby overthrowing the order of Nature and cause quarrels and disturbance in all Families His opinion therefore was that she who had done him this publick dishonour should be divorced from the King her husband and that a Proclamation should be published throughout all his Provinces signifying the cause thereof and asserting the just subjection of wives to their husbands The King who had an extraordinary passion for Vashti and could hardly entertain any thoughts of a separation from the dear object of his love seemed for some time wholly abandoned to grief and sorrow which his Nobles observing endeavoured to remove by representing the unreasonableness of his concernment for such an unworthy woman who had so extreamly disobliged him and that he might soon find out another who in beauty and all other Princely qualifications should far exceed her and by whose pleasing demeanor the thoughts of Vashti might be utterly extinguished The King confirming the Judgment they had given against Vashti sent abroad messengers to bring into his presence the fairest Virgins that were to be found in his Kingdoms Whereupon a great number being assembled there was among them a young Orphan whose parents being dead she was educated under the tuition of her uncle Mordecai of the Tribe of Benjamin and a principal man among the Jews her name was Esther and was judged the most beautiful of all that youthful company and for her amiable countenance caused all Spectators to stand still and admire her Whereupon the Eunuchs attended her with more than ordinary diligence and she was prepared for the kings pleasure with odors and perfumes for six months in the company of four hundred other Virgins After which the Officer judging them fit to approach the Royal bed sent one every night to the King who returned her back in the morning But when Esther came into his presence he was so surprized with her love that he took her for his lawful wife and setled his affections upon her above all the others The marriage was solemnized in the seventh year of
dismembered pretended to Divine their future success While Pautinus was thus imployed the Brittains in other parts of the Land got together and consulted how to free themselves from the insupportable slavery and misery wherein they lived one among the rest deploring their wretched condition in words to this effect Dear Countreymen and Friends the more wrongs and injuries we patiently endure from the Romans the greater pressures they lay upon us Our Countrey had formerly but one King over it but now we have two the Lieutenant who with his Officers and Souldiers spills our Blood like water and the Treasurer or rather Thief who bereaves us of all our Goods and Estates so that nothing is free from their Tyranny or Covetousness and the greatest Robber is counted the stoutest man yea our Houses are commonly plundred by cowardly Rascals who never acted in any warlike enterprize Our Children are taken from us and we our selves pressed into Forreign Wars as if we knew not how to spend our lives in defence of our Countrey and how many thousands of us have been transported into other Countreys upon this account none of you are insensible of The Germans have by their valour thrown off the heavy Roman yoak though parted from them only by a River whereas we are defended and separated by the Main Ocean The Brittains fight in a just cause even the defence of their Countrey their Parents Wives Children Liberties yea their own Lives the Romans only out of an avaritious desire to gain by rapine what others have gathered by labour to serve their insatiable lusts and pleasures And if we Brittains did but exert some of that gallant courage and prowess which was found in our Ancestors when they compelled Julius Caesar to depart the Land and not shrink or be discouraged at small losses we might soon rid our selves of this insulting enemy for Fortune always assists the bold and the Gods seem now to take some pity on the poor Brittains by confining our Foes within the compass of a narrow Island let us therefore take the opportunity offered and proceed with all speed in our business resolving rather to dye manfully in endeavouring to regain our freedom than to suffer death tamely for thus consulting to effect the same This warm Oration had such influence upon the people that they concluded to adventure all for their future security having been sufficiently provoked by the multiplied wrongs the Romans had offered and among others That whereas King Arviragus had made Nero the Emperor and his two daughters his Heirs hoping thereby to secure the Kingdom to his Family it happened otherwise for the Land was spoiled and ruined by the Roman Captains and his Queen Voadicia beaten and abused by the Souldiers her daughters ravished the Nobles bereft of their Estates and the Kings Friends made slaves together with confiscating the lands of many other Chief men whom Claudius had before pardoned to which was added this misfortune that Seneca having lent some of the Nobility five hundred thousand pound Sterling at high interest he now required the whole sum at once with much rigor though he had forced his money upon them Likewise the Roman Souldiers quartered at Camolodienum now Maidon in Essex expelled the Brittains out of their Houses and possessions accounting them their conquered Vassals yea the Priests who served at the Temple built in honour of Claudius spoiled and destroyed their neighbours goods unpurnshed And as in times of general defection every accident is reckoned an encouragement many strange Signs and Prodigies were reported to happen which incited the Brittains to proceed It being said that the Image of Victory in the Temple of Camolodunum fell down and turned her back upon the Romans as if she had now forsaken them great and wonderful noises were heard in the Hall of Justice with much laughing and disturbance in the Theater and sometimes woful weeping lamentation and howling when it was certainly known no humane Creature was there The Sea at Spring-tyde appeared like bloud and the Tyde being gone the shapes of mens bodies were visible on the Sands Many women as if bereaved of their wits prophecied that some tremendous desolation was at hand which much elevated the Brittains and dejected the Romans Whether these things happened from natural causes or by illusion of the Devil or ill men or whether the Almighty would hereby warn the people of approaching calamities I shall not now determine only mention them as matters of Fact. But they were chiefly provoked to an insurrection by the just complains of our Valiant Heroine Queen Veadicia And now I am at length arrived to the subject matter of my History and have purposely made so large a Prologue for though in a book of the same volumn called Englands Monarchs I have given some brief account of some of these Transactions yet I had never so pertinent an opportunity to inlarge upon particulars as at this time wherein I have given a succinct account of the Original Inhabitants of these famous Islands with as much truth and authority as things of so great Antiquity will allow To proceed Queen Voadicia made many sensible Remonstrances to the Brittains of the unsufferable wrongs had been put upon her and because they found her earnestly bent upon revenge and perceived her inveterate hatred to the Romans they made use of her name and authority with the People and chose her their Commander in chief against their Enemies and entring into a general conspiracy wherein the Londoners and Essexians were ingaged they raised an Army of an hundred thousand men and without scrupling het sex willingly submitted to her Conduct as Captain General who ordering a place to be erected where she might be heard of all she made a long and pertinent Oration to incourage them in this gallant undertaking Her tall and comely Person her severe countenance and Majestick voice Her tresses of Hair hanging below her middle with her noble Apparel caused reverence and admiration in the multitude she wore a massy Chain of Gold about her neck and a glorious Garment of divers colours next her over which was a Royal Robe of State a Spear in her hand and a Crown on her head in which Equipage she thus addrest her self to the Army I doubt not Dear Lovers Friends and Companions in Arms but every one here present is very sensible how much freedom and liberty is to be valued before bondage and thraldom but if hitherto any of you have been so deceived by the illusions of the Romans as not to perceive much difference yet I hope that now you have tryed both your judgment is better inform'd and by the miserys you have suffered you will acknowledg your mistake and recant your former error And if some of you have preferr'd Forreign power above the Laws and Customs of your own Countrey I question not but you now perfectly understand that poverty with liberty is much better than riches to which servitude is entail'd For