her Counsell whom shee best trusted and because her very pallace grew distastefull unto her without the consociety of her dead Lord shee utterly abandoned it nay her very Country growing as irke some to her as her pallace after she had given order for the erecting of her Husbands monument shee purposed for a time to forsake it and seeke out for some forraigne adventures It happened at that time Xerxes the great Persian Monarch ambitiously ayming to reduce all Greece under his Scepter and subjection having gathered an innumerable host by Land and a seeming invincible Navy by Sea shee adhering unto his party rigged and manned three ships of her owne of which she her selfe was Archithalassa or Armirall her people that tooke part with her in that adventure were Carians or Halicarnassians Coeans of the Isle Coos Nysimiaus and Calydinians and being thus plenally accomodated she put her selfe under the patronage of the Persian Emperour It would aske too long a circumstance to discourse of the whole navall conflict I will onely deliver unto you so much as concerneth the person of Artimesis who so valiantly did beare her selfe in that blooddy fight that her ships knowne by their flagges and streamers were eminent above all others of the Persians both for defence and offence for her small squadron more dangered the Greekish Navy then ten times their number notwithstanding which her brave opposition the Persians were vanquisht and the Greekes though against infinite odds the glorious victors in which Marine honour the Eginita had the first place and the Athenians the second and of the Commanders Policrates of Egineta and of the Athenians Eumena Anagyrasius and Aminius Palenaus who above all others most hotly pursued Artimesia in her flight but when hee had found that she was too swift of saile for him he sent other light vessels after proclaiming ten thousand Drachnes to him that could take her alive as holding it an indignity that a woman should give such an affront to their A thenian Navy notwithstanding al she with some few others escaped and safely arrived at Phalerum On the contrary part Herodatus in his Vrunia thus reports of her that Xerxes himselfe beholding how bravely above all in his fleet shee in her ship behaved her selfe even at that time when his Navy was almost quite defeated one who knew the vessell by the colours answered it was Queene Artimesia he fetching a deepe sigh uttered these words Viri quidem extiterant mibi femina femina autem viri i. All my men this day have proved themselves women and the women onely shewed themselves to be men And so much concerning Artimesia who as in her life time she was gloriously famous so after death even to all perpetuity shall survive famously glorious c. OF THE THREE WORTHIE WOMEN AMONG THE CHRISTIANS Whose Names are Elpheda Queene Margaret Queene Elizabeth ELPHEDA HEr royall birth my Muse dares not to smoother A great Kings Daughter a great King her Brother Who though she never to that height arriv'd To be stil'd Queene yet was she Prince-like wiv'd Her Husband Duke of Mercia which we Number amongst the Brittish Sceptarche By which a Kingdomes name it after gaind When as at once seven Kings in Brittaine raignd Which bred this war like Lady nâ—re the place Whence brave Bunduca doth derive her race I should but Antedate her life to tell How and in what this Lady did excell Not possible it is that one small page Should comprehend the wonder of her age And therefore further to expresse her glory I must referre the Reader to her story For that as of the rest is still the chiefe Of my intent yet thus of her in briefe Brittish Elpheda of the Saxon race To none of all the former neede give place Who for her Masculine Spirit much honour gaines In many battles fought against the Danes And might with any of her Sex compare As being Religious Valiant Wise and Faire THE FIRST OF THE THREE WOMEN WORTHIES AMONGST THE CHRISTIANS CALLED ELPHEDA AMongst so many reckoned up for their Valour and Vertue It shall not be amisse to present the Reader with a commemoration of some who have beene the occasion of much combustion and trouble Helena was the cause of the Trojan warres and Pelops succeeding in the Kingdome of Phrigia brought an army against King Oenimaus because hee denyed unto him his daughter Hippodamia of whom he was greatly inamored the Poet Arcbillus an Iambicke Writer writ so bitterly against Lycambes because he refused to give him his Daughter in marriage that upon the reading of them he presently hanged himselfe and Pericles at the instigation of his concubine Aspatia made warre upon the Sabines and subdued them to the Milesians we read also of Teuca Queene of the Illirians who because Titus Cornucanus then Ambassadour from the Romans delivered unto her a bold and peremptory message commanded him to be slaine in her presence against the Law of Armes which was the ground of much blood-shed and slaughter Menelaus being dead Megapenthus and Nicastratus the sonnes of Orestes pursued Helena cause of the tenne yeares warre betwixt the Trojans and Greekes into the Island of Rhodes In hope to shelter her selfe under the patronage of Triptolemus of whom Polizo his wife growing jealous shee caused her to be strangled for so writes Voletaranus Lavinia the daughter of King Latinus and Amata the Queene were the sole occasion of so many bloody conflicts betwixt the Trojans and the Rutilians and lastly of the death of Turnus slaine by Aeneas Dejaneira was the motive to the duell betwixt Hercules and Achelous and of the conflict with Nessus the Centaur and after of his owne death by sending him the shirt which was poysoned Evander Nephew to Pallas King of the Arcadians at the instigation of his Mother Nicostrate slew his owne Father and Ptelerus King of the Thebans by the treason of his owne daughter Polidices was betraid into the hands of Creon and slaine Lucretia being violated by Sextus Tarquinius after long warre was the cause that the Romans regained their liberty and Virginia the daughter of Virginius that the governement of the Triumviri was utterly abrogated Hippolitus being falsly accused by his step-mother Phedra for unlawfully attempting to corrupt her chastity flying his Fathers fury was hurld from his Chariot and being bruised with the fall perished Martia the strumpet of Antonius Commodus the Emperour betraide him into the hands of a Groome on whom she doted by whom he was trecherously slaine Alexander the great at the instigation of Thais the prostitute caused the great City Persepolis to be burned be with his owne hands giving the first fire and then his Concubines after Octavia the sister of Augustus Caesar being repudiated by M. Anrony was the occasion of a civill warre and Antiochus warring against the Romans by his effemiary and dotage
no sooner were those Iudges dead but they fell againe into their former rebellion and whoring after Idols For the Lord who knew them to bee a perverse and stiffe-necked generation had sayd I will no more cast out before them any of the nations which Iosuah left when he dyed that through them I may prove Israel whether they will keepe my way to walke â—herein as their Fathers kept it or no But they had soone forgot the God of their Fathers and bâ—wed to the gods of the Gentiles Baalim and Ashcroth so that his wrath was kindled against them and hee gave them into the hands of Cushan rishathaim King of Aram which is Mesopotamia whom they were compelled to serve for the space of eight yeares but groaning under so great a burden and in this their great affliction crying unto the Lord hee raysed up Othniel the sonne of Kenaz Calebs younger brother who Iudged the people and went to warre overcomming the King of Aram in battell by whose valour the whole land was in rest forty yeares But Othniel no sooner slept with his Fathers but they fall againe into their former Idolatries in so much that the Lord stirred and strengthned Egion King of Moab against them who gathering unto him the Ammonites and Amalekites smote Israel with a great slaughter and held them under his subjection for the space of Eighteene yeares But when they had againe submitted themselves and repented them of their evill wayes The Lord stirred up Ehud the sonne of Gera the son of Geinni a man lame of his right hand who slew the King of Moab in his summer parlour and after caused a trumpet to bee blowne in Mount Ephrim where assembling the people he slew of the Moabites ten thousand of the strongest and most valiant men After which victory the land was in security and quietnesse fourescore yeares A third Deliverer they also had called Shamgar the sonne of Anath who with an Oxe-goad slew six hundred of the Philistines Ehud and Shamgar yeilding to nature were no sooner layd in their Fathers sepulchers but this refractory and disobedient people altogether unmindfull of their so great and miraculous deliverances like the dogge returned to their owne vomit and defiled themselves with all their former abhominations and therefore the Lord sold them againe into the hands of Iabin King of Canaan who raigned in Hazor and whose grand Captaine was Sisera who dwelt in Haroshoth of the Gentiles This potent King had for twenty yeares sore grieved and vexed the Children of Israel Imposing upon them great taxes and tributes and kept them in intollerable servitude and slavery and the greater terror he stroke into them was that besides innumerable strong and valiant souldiers he had ready at all assayes no lesse than nine hundred Chariots of Iron which kept not onely them but all the adjacent nations in awe so that his power was held to be unresistable and so indeede it was in all humane understanding But there is a Lord of Hoasts and God of battels who resisteth the proud and at his pleasure is able to suppresse the fury of the greatest Tyrants whatsoever Whilst these things were thus in agitation and the Israelites were in this dejection there lived Deborah who was a Prophetesse a woman of great sanctity and excellent knowledge to whom the people resorted not onely to heare those sacred and divine Oracles which she spake from God but they also brought before her all differences and controversies how dificult and doubtfull soever which by her great wisedome she reconciled and ended in so much that she lived as a Princesse or governesse For as the Text reporteth of her shee Iudged Israel This excellent woman dwelt in Mount Ephraim under a Palme tree betweene Ramah and Bethel whether as to our Courts of Iustice all the people of what condition or estate soever customably came to have their causes heard and by her great wisedome decided She as I before related being inspired wiâ—h the true spirit of prophesie sent to call unto her Barak the sonne of Abinoham from Kedesh of Nepthali who presenting himselfe before her be spake him after this manner Hath not the Lord God of Israel now at the last commiserating the great affliction of his people out of all others selected and made choyse of thee commanding thee saying Goe Barak and draw towards Mount Tabor and take with thee ten thousand men pickt out of the two Tribes of Nepthali and Zebulon and I will draw unto thee neere unto the river Kishon Sisera the great Captaine of mighty Iabins Army with all his Iron Chariots and multitudes of men and deliver them as a prey and spoyle into thine hands which having thus spokâ—n unto him shee kept silence expecting his answer Who whether distrusting in Gods almighty power and providence or doubting whether this were uttered from divine inspiration or meerely begot in her owne womanish fancy or else dispairing in his owne weaknesse and disability hee thus replyd If Deborah thou thy â—elfe in person wilt associate me I will take on me this great and hazardous enterprize but if thou deniest me thy presence and that I shall not have thy company in this adventure impose this charge on whom so ever else thou pleasest for I for mine owne part will not bee the undertaker She not well pleased with so cold an answer put on a masculine spirit and said againe Yes Barak that thou mayst know how little I feare or distrust the successe of this businesse I will goe foot by foot with thee and pertake with thee in all damage whatsoever can happen But â—hat thou mayst know that I am a Prophetesse and that I spake unto thee was from the Lord know further that though thou undoubtedly prevailest over the enemy yet shall not this journey be alâ—ogether for thine honour for the Lord shall sell Sisera the Captaine of the King of Canaans Army into the hands of a woman which having spoke she instantly accommodated her selfe and after some words of comfort and incouragement she went up wiâ—h Barak unto Kedesh who made a present muster of the two Tribes of Nepthali and Zebulon the nearest unto them out of whom he made choyce onely of ten thousand fighting men for no greater was his Army For he who is the great God of battels disposeth not of the victory unto strength or number for with an handfull of men he can subdue a multitude as you may reade in the warres of the Maccabees and else where that his great power and stretched out arme may not onely be feared but magnified amongst the nations At this time Heber the Kenite who was one of the posterity of Hobab the father in law to Moses had left his owne Country and removed from the Kenites and pitched his tent as farre as from Zanaim unto Kedesh which contained a great part of that Country hee and his family living as neuters and
Elizabeth ib. Preparations of the French to invade England Spaine France and Scotland combine against her 199 Her prudent preparations new invasions threatned the Bull of Pope Pius Quintus 200 A rebellion in the North Leonard Dakers his revolt from the Queene 201 Dakers Forces routed by the Lord Hunsden commotions in Ireland Spanish plots 202 Domestick conspiracies discovered prevented and of Don John of Austria 203 The death of Don John and of Captaine Thomas Stukeley 204 His brave boasts tempting titles and at length slaine in the battaile of Alcazar 205 Nicholas Saunders a pestilent Traytor Sam. Josephus the Earle of Desmond with divers others conspirators 206 Bernardin Mendozas base proceedings Cardin Allan Doctor Parry the foureteene Traytors 207 Q. Elizabeths great confidence in the Almightie 208 The death of the foureteene Traytors the French Embassadour 209 The Spanish Armado stiled Invincible Doctor Lopez his Treasoâ— and death 210 Her Majesties departments in the Campe of Tilbury the Treason of Edward Squire 211 Queene Elizabeths miraculous preservation her Character 212 Excusing the Compositor who received this Coppy in a difficult and unacquainted hand and the Corrector who could not bee alwayes ready in regard of some necessary imployments I intreate the generous Reader to take notice of these Errata following and to rectifie them in his reading after this manner FOr Geinni reade Gemini Page 8. for firei r. 〈◊〉 p. 16. for Bethalmir Bethâ—â—â—â— p. 10. for moved r. mooned p. 94. for 〈◊〉 r. sons p. 98. for â—â—xores r. veâ—bres p. 99. for oâ—bes r. orbis p. 114. for Azerpegita r. Areopagitae p. 117 for for r. from p. 112. for Medâ—â— r. Modiâ— p. 124. for Vruâ—ia r. Vrania for 〈◊〉 Elphleda p. 130. and so through the whole history for effeminary Efferminacy p. 13â— for possion r. possession p. 170. for Lady Bovâ— r Bona p. 174. for worâ— r Coâ—rt p. 191. for exposed r. opposed for demend r. ormard p. 202. for Funis r. Tunis for lest r. lost p. 204. for wepsond r weâ—sord p. 205. for Backington r. â—ubington p. 208 for Conlatinated r. concatinated ibid. for filney r. Tylâ—ey ibid for Fichburne r. Tichburne for 〈…〉 ibid c. FINIS A distinction of History The species The Elemens The definition The derivation The profit that comes by reading of history * Heywood of Angels * Heywoods History of women Two Deborahs Her etimolygie In what estate Israel then stood The cause of the Isralites bondage Gods great mercy The Israelites repentance Gods miraculous deliverance The Israelitesâ—ngratitude â—ngratitude towards God Gods great power Deborah Deborah to Barak Barak to Deborah Her magnanimity Heber the Kenite A definition of warre The office of a Generall The nature of ambition Sisera's preparation for he warre Deborah incourageth Barak The effects of feare Sisera's Army routed The death of Sisera Deborah of Iael Deborah's art and Iaels compared Of King Nabuchodonosor and Arphaxad The names of sundry rivers Nabuchodonosors commandement despised Arphaxad discomfitted Olophernes His Tyranny The preparation of the Isralites against Oloferues Their prayer and repentance Achior Captaine of the Ammonites Strange words to proceede from the mouth of an Heathen The blasphemy of Olefernes The Governours of Bethulia The great distresse of the Bethulians Iudeth the wife of Manasses Iudâ—ths speech to the Governours The reply of Ozias Iudeth changeth her habit Iudeth brought before Oâ—ofernes Iudeths speech The answer of Olofernes Iudeth received into the Tent. A great feast made by Olofernes Shee eateth and drinketh in the presence of Olofernes Olofernes slaine by Iudeth Iudeth comes backe to Bethulia Her counsell to the governours Achiors extasie The Assyrians disheartned The Honour done to Iudeth for their miraculous deliverance Iudeths thankesgiving Her constant Widow-hood Her age and death What Ahasuerus was His feast to his Princes His feast to his people Temperance observed in feasting Queen Vasthi her feast Her contempt of the Kings command His chiefe Princes What obedience is A decree against the Queene Mordecai Esther or Hadassah Esther received into the pallace Esther crowned Queene Treason against the King discovered by Mordecai The exaltation of Haman Hamans purpose utterly to supplant the Iewes The decree sâ—aled for the destructiâ—n of the Iewes Mordecaies sorrow for his people Esthers first knowledge thereof A Queene by her resolution Estherâ—rac't â—rac't by the King The King and Haman invited to her banquet Haman hate to Mordecai Hamans pride and confidence Gods providence to preserve his people Pride catcht in her owne net The case is altered with Haman What envy is Honour done to Mordecai qsthers reEuest to the King Hamans pride turned into base feare Haman hanged on the tree prepared for Mordecai Esther petitioneth for the Iewes The decree against the Iewes renounced Liberty granted to the Iewes Mordecaies royall apparel The Iewes revenged upon their enemies Hamans ten sons hanged A memorall for their great deliverance Prasutagus maketh Caesar co-heire with his Queene and daughters The unjust proceeding of the Romans Their barbarous lust and cruelty Bundula's person and condition Reasons inducing the Brittaines to rebell against the Romans Their first insurrection A royall army Her habit in battle The place where she incamped The effect of her Oration to her souldiers A pretended Omen to stir up the spirits of her Souldiers The goddesse Audate The providence of Paulinus Suetonius Catus Decianus procurator under Caesar. Petilius Cerealis Paenius posthumus Ostorius Scapulae The strength of the Romans in Brittaine Claudius Caesar. The estate of the City at that time Gemina martia victoria Victricensia The Souldiers resistance The City demolished Bunduca intercepteth the Roman expedition She prosecuteth her victory A carefull Generall Rage above reason Virulum sackt and spoyled The cruell behaviour of the inraged Brittaines The courage of the Roman Generall The number of Bunduca's Army Of the place where she incamped The time of the yeare The management of the Roman Army The fashion of their Targets The proportion of a legion Bunduca in the battle The order of her battles Her incouraging of her Souldiers The beginning of the battle A description of the fight Valour on both sides The Romans Victâ—rs The Brittanes Army routed The numbers slaine on both sides Of Bunduca after the battle Her death Of the place of her buriall A probability assuring truth Virago Women of masculine spirits Camilla Hilerna Semiramis * Ninus Zenobia Hipsicratea Tomyris Teuca Maria Puteolana Of the Amazones in generall Their Originall Whence they derived their names Marthesia Lampedo Orythia or Otreta Antiope Menalippe Penthisilaea Sncurigera Vexilifera Peltifera The death of Penthesilâ—a Monithaea or Thalestris The end of the Amazonian race The manner of the Soithians The Scithians Sauromates Both which words imply to be drunke Barbarous cruelty Heroicke women in all ages Renowned women Queene Artimesia The seven wonders of the world The Pyramids of Egipt King Cleopas Rhodope The second wonder Sostratus a famous Architecture A third wonder A fourth wonder