the Duke that they had stolne into the Emperours tents by night and viewed his power which they found to exceed his by three parts and therefore counselled him not to try the hazard of the battell but to save his souldiers lives by flight which if they tarried they were sure to loose Wherewithall the Duke mistrusting no fraud sore affrighted tooke the next occasion of flight and returned home with dishonour Now when these three traitors came to the Emperour for their compacted rewards he caused them to bee payed in counterfeit money not equivaling the summe of their bargaine by the twentieth part which although at first they discerned not yet afterwards finding how they were cousened they returned to require their due and complaine of their wrong But the Emperor looking sternely upon them answered That counterfeit money was good enough for their counterfeit service and that if they tarried long they should have a due reward of their treason Ladislaus Lerezin Governour of Alba Iulia in Hungary under Maximilian the Emperour in the yeare 1566 the City being besieged and in some danger of losing albeit hee was advertised That within two dayes he should receive some reliefe yet yeelded the City traiterously into the hands of the Turkes upon composition The cruell Turks forgetting their faith and all humanity massacred all the souldiers within the City and sent Ladislaus the traitour bound hand and foot to Selym the great Turke where he was accused for his cruell slaying of some Turkish prisoners and delivered to his accusers to be used at their pleasure who a just reward of his former treason put him into a great Pipe stickt full of long nailes and then rolled him downe from a high mountaine so as the nailes ran through him and ended his life in horrible torment Besides his sonne that was also partaker of this treason died miserably without meanes and abandoned of all men in great poverty and extremity When as the City of Rhodes was besieged by the Turke there was in it a certaine traiterous Nobleman who upon promise to have one of Solymans daughters given him in marriage did many services to the Turke in secret to the prejudice of the City The Island and towne being woon he presented himselfe to Solyman expecting the performance of his promise but hee in recompence of his treason caused him to be flayed alive saying That it was not lawfull for a Christian to marry a Turkish wife except he put off his old skinne being thus flayed they layed him upon a bed all covered with salt and so poudered him that in short space he died in unspeakable tormenes CHAP. III. More examples of the same subject WHen Manuel the Emperour of Constantinople lay about Antioch with an army prepared against the Turke one of his chiefest officers namely his Chancellour put in practise this notable piece of treason against him he waged three desperate young men with an infinite summe of money to kill him on a day appointed and then with a band of souldiers determined to possesse himselfe of the Crowne and of the City and to slay all that any way crossed his purpose But the treason being discoured secretly to the Empresse she acquainted her Lord with it who tooke the three traitours and put them all to cruell deaths and as for the Chancellour he first bored out his eyes and plucking his tongue through his throat tormented him to death with a rigorous and most miserable punishment When the Turke besieged Alba Graeca certaine souldiers conspired to betray the City into his hands for he had promised them large rewards so to doe howbe it it succeeded not with them for they were detected and apprehended by Paulus Kynifius Governour of Hungary who constrained them to eat one anothers flesh seething every dayone to feed the other withall but he that was last was faine to devour his owne body Scribonianus a captaine of the Romans in Dalmatia rebelled against the Emperor Claudius and named himselfe emperor in the army but his rebellion was miraculously punished for though the whole army favored him very much yet they could not by any meanes spread their banners or remove their standers out of their places as long as he was called by the name of Emperor with which miracle being moved they turned their loves into hatred and their liking into loathing so that whom lately they saluted as Emperor him now they murthered as a traitor To rehearse all the English traitors that have conspired against their Kings from the Conquest unto this day it is a thing unnecessary and almost impossible Howbeit that their destructions may appeare more evidently and the curse of God upon traitors be made more manifest I will briefely reckon up a catalogue of the chiefest of them In the yere 1295 Lewline Prince of Wales rebelled against King Edward the first and after much adoe was taken by Sir Roger Mortimer and his head set upon the Tower of London In like sort was David Lewline's brother served Râ—â—s and Madok escaped no better measure in stirring the Welchmen up to rebellion No more did the Scots who having of their owne accord committed the government of their kingdome to king Edward after the death of Alexander who broke his neck by a fall from an horse and lest no issue male and sworne fealty unto him yet dispensed with their oath by the Popes commission and Frenchmens incitement and rebelled divers times against King Edward for he overcame them sundry times and made slaughter of their men slaying at one time 32000 and taking divers of their Nobles prisoners In like manner they rebelled against King Edward the third who made three voyages into that land in the space of foure yeares and at every time overcame and discomfited them insomuch that well neere all the nobility of Scotland with infinite number of the common people were slaine Thus they rebelled in Henry the sixths time and also Henry the eights and divers other kings reignes ever when our English forces were busied about forraine wars invading the land on the other side most traiterously In the reigne of King Henry the fourth there rebelled at one time against him Sir Iohn Holland D. of Excester with the Dukes of Aumarle Surrey Salisbury and Gloucester and at another time Sir Thomas Percy Earle of Worcester and Henry Percy son to the Earle of Northumberland at another Sir Richard Scroope Archbishop of Yorke and divers others of the house of the Lord Moubray at another time Sir Henry Percy the father Earle of Northumberland and the Lord Bardolph and lastly Ryce ap Dee and Owen Glendour two Welchmen all which were either slaine as Sir Henry Percy the younger or beheaded as the rest of these noble Rebels or starved to death as Owen Glendour was in the mountaines of Wales after he had devoured his owne flesh In the reigne of Henry the fifth Sir Richard Earle of Cambridge Sir Richard Scroope
besieging him in his owne City took him at last prisoner and hanged him with his two sons Francis and William Diocles son of Pisistratus Tyran of Athens for ravishing a maid was slain by her brother whose death when Hippias his brother undertook to revenge and caused the maidens brother to be racked that he might discover the other conspiratours he named all the Tyrans friends which by commandment being put to death the Tyran asked whether there were any more None but onely thy selfe quoth he whom I would wish next to be hanged whereby it was perceived how abundantly he had revenged his sisters chastity by whose notable stomacke all the Athenians being put in remembrance of their liberty expelled their Tyran Hippias out of their City Mundus a young Gentleman of Rome ravished the chaste Matron Paulina in this fashion when he perceived her resolution not to yeeld unto his lust he perswaded the Priests of Isis to say that they were warned by an Oracle how that Anubius the god of Egypt desired the company of the said Paulina to whom the chaste Matron gave light credence both because she thought the Priests would not lie and also because it was accounted a great renowne to have to do with a god and thus by this meanes was Paulina abused by Mundus in the Temple of Isis under the name of Anubius Which thing being after disclosed by Mundus himselfe he was thus justly revenged the Priests were put to death the Temple beaten downe to the ground the Image of Isis throwne into Tiber and the young man banished A principall occasion of the Danes first arrivall here in England which after conquered the whole Land and exercised among the Inhabitants most horrible cruelties and outrages was a Rape committed by one Osbright a deputy King under the King of the West-Saxons in the North part This Osbright upon a time journeying by the way turned into the house of one of his Nobles called Bruer who having a wife of great beauty he being from home the King after dinner allured with her excellent beauty took her to a secret Chamber where he forcibly contrary to her will ravished her whereupon she being greatly dismayed and vexed made her mone to her husband at his returne of this violence and injury received The Nobleman forthwith studying revenge first went to the King and resigned to his hands all such services and possessions which he held of him and then took shipping and sailed into Denmarke where he had great friends and had his bringing up there making his mone to Codrinus the King desired his aid in revenging of the great villany of Osbright against him and his wife Codrinus glad to entertain any occasion of quarrell against this Land presently levied an Army and preparing all things for the same sendeth forth Inguar and Hubba two brethren with a mighty Army of Danes into England who first arriving at Holdernesse burnt up the Countrey and killed without mercy both men women and children then marching towards Yorke encountered with wicked Osbright himselfe where he with the most part of his Army was slain and discomfited a just reward for his villanous act as also one chief cause of the Conquest of the whole Land by the Danes In the year of our Lord 955. Edwine succeeding his uncle Eldred was King of England this man was so impudent that in the very day of his Coronation he suddenly withdrew himselfe from his Lords and in sight of certain persons ravished his owne kinswoman the wife of a Nobleman of his Realme and afterward slew her husband that he might have unlawfull use of her beauty for which act he became so odious to his Subjects and Nobles that they joyntly rose against him and deprived him of his Crowne when he had reigned four yeares CHAP. XXII Other examples of Gods Judgements upon Adulterers AMongst all other things this is especially to be noted how God for a greater punishment of the disordinate lust of men strucke them with a new yet filthy and stinking kinde of Disease called the French Pox though indeed the Spaniards were the first that were infected therewith by the heat which they caught among the women of the new-found lands and sowed the seeds thereof first in Spain and from thence sprinkled Italy therewith wherethe French men caught it when Charles the Eighth their King went against Naples From whence the contagion spread it selfe throughout divers places of Europe Barbary was so over-growne with it that in all their Cities the tenth part escaped not untouched nay almost not a Family but was infected From thence it ran to Aegypt Syria and the graund Cair and it may near hand truly be said that there was not a corner of the habitable world where this not onely new and strange for it was never heard of in antient ages but terrible and hideous scourge of Gods wrath stretched not it selfe They that were spotted with it and had it rooted in their bodies led a languishing life full of aches and torments and carried in their visages filthy markes of unclean behaviour as ulcers boyles and such like that greatly disfigured them And herein we see the words of Saint Paul verified That an Adulterer sinneth against his owne body Now for so much as the world is so brutishly carried into this sin as to none more the Lord therefore hath declared his anger against it in divers sorts so that divers times he hath punished it in the very act or not long after by a strange death Of which Alcibiades one of the great Captaines of Athens may stand for an example who being polluted with many great and odious vices and much given to his pleasures and subject to all uncleannesse ended his life in the midst thereof for as he was in company of a Phrygian strumpet having flowne thither to the King of Phrygia for shelter was notwithstanding set upon by certain Guards which the King induced by his enemies sent to stay him but they though in number many through the conceived opinion of his notable valour durst not apprehend him at hand but set fire to the house standing themselves in armes round about it to receive him if need were he seeing the fire leaped through the midst of it and so long defended himselfe amongst them all till strength failed in himselfe and blowes encreasing upon him constrained him to give up his life amongst them Pliny telleth of Cornelius Gallus and Q. Elerius two Roman Knights that died in the very action of filthinesse In the Irish History we finde recorded a notable judgement of God upon a notorious and cruell lecher one Turgesnis a Norwegian who having twice invaded Ireland reigned there as King for the space of thirty yeares This Tyran not onely cried havocke and spoil upon the whole Countrey abusing his victory very insolently but also spared not to abuse virgins and women at his pleasure to the satisfying
Vessell whose steersman they are appointed and those that are their charge to whom they ought to give a good example of life and to bee unto them as it were a glasse of vertue for they are set aloft as it were upon a stage to bee gazed at of every commer Their faults and vices are like foule spots and scars in the face which cannot by any means bee hid And therefore they ought to be carefull to lead an honest and vertuous life that thereby they might perswade and move the meaner sort of people to doe the like For it is a true saying of the Philosopher Like Prince like People insomuch that every one desireth to frame himselfe according to the humour of his superiour whose will and manners serve simply for a law to do evill to the which men use by taking any occasion too hastily to give themselves over with too much liberty whereupon followeth an unrecoverable ruine no lesse than the fall of a great house which for want of pillars and supporters that should uphold it suddenly falleth to the ground so this ship being deprived of her governour is set loose and layd open to the mercy of the waves violence of windes and rage of tempests without any direction and government and so the body of man not having any more the light of his owne eyes abideth in darknesse all blinded not able to do any thing that is right and good but ready every minute to fall into some pit And this is the perversity and corruption of this world CHAP. III. That Great men which will not abide to be admonished of their faults cannot escape punishment by the hand of God IN this poore and miserable estate every man rocketh himselfe asleep and flattereth his owne humour every man pursueth his accustomed course of life with an obstinate minde to doe evill yea many of those that have power and authority over others according as they are indued and perswaded with a foolish conceit of themselves make themselves beleeve that for them every thing is lawfull and that they may doe whatsoever they please never imagining that they shall give up an account of their actions to receive any chastisement or correction for them even as though there were no God at all that did behold them And being thus abused by this vaine and fickle security they swimme in their sinnes and plunge themselves over head and eares in all kinde of security giving hearty welcome and entertainment to all that approve and applaud their manners and that study to feed and please their humour As contrariwise none lesse welcome unto them than they that tell them of their faults and contradict them never so little for they cannot abide in any case to bee reprooved whatsoever they doe And now adayes every base companion will forsooth storme and fume as soone if hee be reproved of a fault as if hee had received the greatest wrong in the world so much is every man pleased with himselfe and puffed up with his owne vice and foolish vanities And what should a man doe in this case It is as hard to redresse those great mischiefes as if wee should goe about to stop and hinder the course of a mighty streame there where the banke or causey is broken downe if it bee not by applying extreame and desperate medicines as to desperate diseases which are as it were given over by the Physitian and to the which a light purgation will doe no good For as for admonitions and warnings they are not a whit regarded but they that give them are derided or laughed to scorne or reviled for their labours What must wee therefore doe it is necessary that wee assay by all means to bring these men if it be possible to some modesty and feare of God which if it cannot bee done by willing and gentle means force and violence must be used to plucke them out of the fire of Gods wrath to the end they be not consumed if not all yet at least those that are not grown to that height of stubbornnesse and of whom there is yet left some hope of amendment For even as when a Captaine hath not prevailed by summoning a city to yeeld up it selfe he by and by placeth his cannon against their walls to put them in seare in like sort must we bring forth against the proud and high minded men of this world an army of Gods terrible judgements throwne downe by mighty and puissant hand on the wicked more terrible and searefull than all the roaring or double canons in the World whereby the most proud are destroyed and consumed even in this life all their pride and power how great soever it be being not able to turne backe the vengeance of God from lighting upon their heads to their utter destruction and confusion And it is manifest by infinite examples Now because that the nature of man is fleshly and given to be touched with things that are presented before their faces or hath been done before time it is a more forcible motive to stirre them up than that which as yet cannot be made manifest but is to come Therefore I purpose here to set down the great and fearfull judgments wherwith God hath already plagued many in this world especially them of high degree whose example will serve for a glasse both for these that live now or shall live hereafter And to the end that the justice of God may more cleerely appeare and shew it selfe in such strange events before we go any further we will run over certaine necessary points concerning this matter CHAP. IIII. How the Iustice of God is more evidently declared upon the mighty ones of this world than upon any other and the cause why SEeing then that these men are more guilty and culpable of sinne than any other they deserve so much a more grievous punishment by how much their misdeeds are more grievous for doubtlesse There is a God that judgeth the earth as the Psalmist saith who as hee is benigne and mercifull towards those that feare and obey him so he will not suffer iniquity to goe unpunished This is hee saith the Prophet that executeth justice mercy and judgement upon the earth for if it be the duty of an earthly Prince to exercise not only clemency gentlenesse but also sharpnes and severity therby punishing chastising malefactors to suppresse all disorders in the common wealth then it is very necessary that the justice of our great God to whom all soveraign rule authority belongs and who is the Iudge over al the world should either manifest it self in this world or in the world to come chiefly towards them which are in the highest places of acount who being more hardened and bold to sin do as boldly exempt themselves from all corrections and punishments due unto them being altogether unwilling to be subject to any order of justice or law whatsoever and therefore by how much the more they cannot
hand flew him even then when he thought he should live A little while after Goliah a gyant of the Philistims who as well through the hugenesse of his stature and strength of body as through the horrible cruelty which appeared in him seemed in mans eyes invincible proudly and presumptuously defied the army of the living God offering and daring any one man of Israel to enter combate with him This proud fellow was notwithstanding all his brags by young and unarmed David save a little sticke and a few stones which he had in his hands vanquished and trod under foot for he gave this great beast such a knocke with one of his stones on the forehead that at the first blow he tumbled him groveling on the earth and quickly leaping upon him caught hold of his huge sword and therwithall cut off his monstrous head which the Philistims perceiving turned their backes and fled and were pursued and slaine by the Israelites CHAP. VIII More Examples like unto the former IN the time of Achab Benhadad King of Syria accompanied with two and thirty Kings came very proudly against Israel as it were in despight of God to bid him battell but it turned to his owne shame and confusion being first dishonourably put to flight by 230 servants of the Princes of Israel a small handfull to encounter so mighty an army and secondly returning to seeke revenge found the losse of 100000 footmen at one clap besides 27000 which escaping by flight were crushed in pieces by the ruine of a wall in the city Aphec And so this brave gallant that erst bragged that the gold and silver of Israel yea their wives and children were his was now glad to fly for his life amongst the rest and in his returne to hide himselfe all dismaied in a little chamber and from thence being advised thereto by his servants to send to intreat Achab for his owne life which a little before thought him sure of the lives of all Israel Yet for all this ere long hee enterprised a new practise against the Prophet Elizeus and besieged also the city of Samaria so long that certaine women constrained by extreme famine devoured their children but in the end he was compelled through fearfull terror which God sent into his army by the noise of infinite Chariots and Horses which sounded in their eares as if some puissant host of men of warre had been marching towards them to forsake the siege and flee with all his forces leaving behinde them their tents horses carriages victuals and munitions to be a prey for them that pursued them not And lastly falling ficke Hazael one of his owne servants that succeeded him in the kingdome to the end hee might dispatch him quickly and without tumult early in the morning tooke a thick cloth dipt in water and spreading it over his face stifled him to death When the Moabites and Ammonites rose up in arms against Iehosaphat King of Iuda as soone as this good King humbled himselfe together with all his people before the face of God by fasting and prayer forthwith God sent such a giddinesse of spirit amongst his enemies that they killed one another and the men of Iuda without being troubled with fighting gathered the spoile which they had scattered and enriched themselves with their reliques Aman promoted in honour and credit above all the Princes of the Court of King Assuerus conceived so beastly an hatred against the poore dispersed Iewes being at that time the only Church of God that malitiously he conspired in one day to destroy and put to death the whole nation to the very women and infants and in accomplishing this his purpose he mightily abused the authority of the King whom he falsly informed That this nation would not be subject to his ordinances and lawes which his other people were subject unto and that therefore hee ought not to permit and suffer them any longer But God that carrieth alwayes a watchfull eye over his Church and knoweth how to breake and dash all the enterprises of his enemies brought all this wretches purposes to nought by preserving miraculously those whom he would have destroyed and making him doe reverence to Mordecheus whom hee specially sought to bring to infamy and for whom he had of purpose provided a gibbet to hang him on but was hanged thereon himselfe with ten of his sons beside all those which had conspired with him against the Iewes were upon the same day which they had set downe for their massacre by the kings commandement slaine by the hands of them whom they had appointed to the slaughter Balthasar King of Babylon as he was feasting among his Princes commanded amidst his cups the golden and silver Vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the Temple of Ierusalem to be brought that both he and his princes and his wives and concubines might drinke therein exalting himselfe thus against the Lord of Heaven and boasting in his idols of earth therefore God being stirred up to wrath against him appointed his destruction even whilest he thus dranke and made merry in the midst of his jollity and caused a strange and fearefull signe to appeare before his eyes a bodilesse hand writing upon the wall over against the candlesticke the words of which writing portended the destruction of his kingdome which presently ensued for the very same night hee was murthered and the Scepter seised upon by Darius King of the Medes Antiochus by sirname Epiphanes or Excellent though by truer report of people contemptuously entituled the Furious King of Asia being venomously enraged against the Iewes began at the first marvellously to oppresse them to rob and spoile their Temple and to slaughter the people About ten yeares after deceiving the poore people with faire and smooth words covers of most vile and wretched treason whilest they imagined no mischiefe hee set upon them in such cruell sort that the losse and desolation which they endured at that time was inestimable for besides the destruction of Ierusalem their City the slaughter of infinite multitudes of their people and the captivity of women and infants as if all these were not enough there was yet another misery to make up the full summe worse than all the rest which was this The cursed tyrant seeing his purpose not to take the full effect commanded every where That all his subjects I meane the Iewes should forsake and abjure the Law of God and be united into one Religion with the Infidels By means of which Edict the Religion of God was defaced the books of his Law rent and burned and those with whom any such books were found rigorously put to death Which fearefull cruelty when the Iewes perceived it caused many of them to wax faint hearted and to give themselves over to wallow in the dirty fashions of the uncircumcised Idolaters and in their madnesse to subscribe to the unjust lawes of the vile monster Now after he had
all his people forsooke the law of God and gave themselves over to Idolatry and other grievous sinnes wherefore the Lord also forsooke and gave them over to the hands of Caesac King of Aegypt that raised up a mighty power of men even a thousand and two hundred chariots threescore thousand horsemen with an infinite multitude of footmen to make warre against him so that all the strong cities and fortresses of Iudah no nor Ierusalem it selfe was strong enough to repulse him from sacking and taking them and robbing the Temple of their treasures and despoyling the Kings palaces of his riches and carrying backe into Aegypt a rich prey of the best and beautifullest things that were therein And this was the first shake that ever this kingdome received since it was a kingdome whereby it began to waine and decline Notwithstanding all this yet the Lord had compassion and pitty of him and all his people and would not suffer his dignity to be troden under foot and quite suppressed but restored him once againe into an honourable estate because when he was reproved by Semeia the Prophet he humbled himselfe before the Lord and his Princes also which is a mafest signe that his sinne was not an universall Apostasie whereby hee was wholly turned aside from God and all hope of grace but it was a particular revolt such as was that of his forefathers the children of Israel when they imagined that God would be present with them in the idolatrous golden Calfe and in that figure to worship him so grosse and sencelesse were they although yet Roboams sin seemeth to exceed theirs in greatnesse and guiltinesse The Iewes that in the time of Ptolomey Philopater abode in Aegypt and willingly renounced the law and service of God in hope thereby better to provide for their worldly commodities enjoyed not long their ease and prosperity for the other Iewes which had couragiously stucke to their profession and had been miraculously delivered from their enemies being grieved and chased at their recoyle made their supplications to the King whose heart God inclined to favour their suit that he would permit them to revenge Gods quarrell upon those Apostates as they had deserved alledging that it was hard for them to be true subjects to the King who for their bellies sake had rebelled against the commandement of God The King seeing their request reasonable and their reasons which they alledged likely not onely commended them but gave authority to destroy all those that could be found in any place of his dominion without any further enquiry of the cause or intelligence of the Kings authority insomuch that they put to death all those that they knew to have defiled themselves with filthy Idols doing them before all the shame they could devise So that at that time there were dispatched above three hundred persons which when they had accomplished they rejoyced greatly CHAP XVII Of the third and worst sort of Apostates those that through malice forsake the Truth IF so be that they of whom we have spoken in the two former Chapters are in their revoltings inexcusable as indeed they are then much more worthy condemnation are they who not only in a villanous contempt cast away the grace of Gods Spirit and his holy worship but also of a purposed malice set themselves against the same yea and endeavour with all their power utterly to race and root it out and in stead thereof to plant the lies errors and illusions of Satan by all means possible Against this kinde of Monsters sentence is pronounced in the thirteenth of Deutronomy to wit That justice should be executed upon them with all extremity and no mercy and compassion shewed upon him be he Prophet or what else that goeth about to seduce others from the service of the Almighty to follow false gods This is the pitfall wherein Ieroboam the first King of Israel slipped by the perversenesse of his owne conscience who as he had by his rebellion against Rehoboam and the house of David upreared a new kingdome so by rebellion against God and his House in hope by that means to retaine his usurped state and people in subjection upreared also a new Religion for distrusting the promises of God which were made him by the Prophet Ahias as touching the Realme of Israel which he was already in possession of and despising the good counsell of God in respect of his owne inventions he was so besotted and bleared with them that just after the patterne of his idolatrous forefathers who by their Aegyptian tricks had provoked the wrath of God against themselves he set up golden calves and caused the people to worship them keeping them so from going to Ierusalem to worship God nor yet content with this hee also erected high places to set his Idols in and having restrained the Priests and Levites from the exercise of their charge hee ordained a new order of Priests to sacrifice and minister unto his gods and proclaimed a newer feast than that was in Iuda even the seventh day of the eighth moneth wherein he not onely exiled the pure service of God but also perverted and turned upside downe the Ecclesiasticall discipline and policy of Gods Church which by the Law had been instituted And that which is yet more as he was offering incense on the Altar at Bethel when the Prophet cryed out against the Altar and exclaimed against that filthy Idolatry by denouncing the vengeance of God against it and the maintainers thereof he was so desperate and sencelesse as to offer violence to him and to command that he should be attached but the power of Gods displeasure was upon him by and by for that hand which he had stretched out against the Prophet dried up so that he could not draw it backe againe and at the very instant for a manifest declaration of the wrath of God the Altar rent in pieces and the ashes that were within were dispersed abroad And although at the prayer of that holy man his hand was restored to his former strength and soundnesse yet returned not he from his unjust and disloyall dealing but obstinately continued therein till his dying day Wherefore also the fierce wrath of God hunted and pursued him continually for first of all he was robbed of his sonne Abia dying through sicknesse then he was set upon by Abia King of Iuda with an army of foure hundred thousand men of warre and though his power was double in strength and number arising to eight hundred thousand persons yet was he and his vaste army quite discomfited for he lost at that field five hundred thousand of his men beside certain cities which were yeelded to Abia in the pursuit of his victory his courage was so abated and impoverished ever after this that he could uever recover strength to resist the King of Iudah any more And so God revenged at once the Apostasie both of the King and people of Israel and last
after heard of This history is recorded in the Annales of the aforenamed city and avouched to be most true being a notable and fearefull admonition to all parents to set their children to learning and instruction and to withdraw them from all such vaine and foolish pastimes CHAP. II. Of those that rebell against their Superiors NOw as it is a thing required by law and reason that children beare that honour and reverence to their naturall parents which is commanded so it is necessary by the same respect that all subjects performe that duty of honour and obedience to their Lords Princes and Kings which is not derogatory to the glory of God the rather because they are as it were their fathers in supplying that duty towards their subjects which fathers owe their children as namely in maintaining their peace and tranquility in earthly things and keeping them under the discipline of Gods Church to which two ends they were ordained For this cause the Scripture biddeth every man to be subject to the higher powers not so much to avoid the punishment which might befall the contrary as because it is agreeable to the will of God And in another place To honour the King and To give unto Caesar that which is Caesars as unto God that which is Gods So also in Moses law wee are forbidden to detract from or speake evill of the Magistrate or to curse the Ruler of the people Yet for all this the children of Israel were not afraid many times to commit this sin but then especially when they charged Moses with conspiring the murther of those Rebels that under Corah Dathan and Abiram Captaines of that enterprise set themselves against him and Aaron whom not he but God for their pride and stubburnnesse had rooted out and destroyed and thus they backbited and slandered Moses and mutined against him being their soveraigne Magistrate and Conductor that so meekly and justly had brought them out of Egypt even by the speciall commission of Almighty God But the fury of Gods displeasure was so stirred up against them for this their fact that they were scourged with a grievous plague whereof dyed about foure thousand and seven hundred persons In the time of King Davids flight from Absalom who pursued him to bereave him of his kingdome there was one Semei a Ieminite that in his wicked and perverse humour in stead of service done unto his Soveraigne especially in that extremity not only presented not himselfe unto him as a subject but as a railer cursed him with most reproachfull tearmes as of murtherer and wicked man and also threw stones at him and his followers in most despightfull manner for which his malitious and rebellious act though whilest David lived he was not once called in question yet was he not exempted from punishment therefore for in the end his wickednesse fell upon his owne head and destruction overtooke him by desert of another fault at the commandement of Solomon The punishment of Shiba the sonne of Bichri tarried not all so long who having also with a proud and audacious heart stirred up the greatest part of Israel to rebell against David then when he thought to have been most at quiet enjoyed not long his disloyall enterprise for being speedily pursued by Davids servants and besieged in the city Abel his head was cut off by the citizens and throwne over the wall as a just reward for his rebellious act But let us passe over these sacred histories and come to prophane yet probable and more neere examples When Camillus besieged the Phalischi a people in Hetruria neere to mount Floscon a Schoolemaster of the city who had the rule over the chiefe mens sons both touching instruction and governance led them out of the city gates one day in shew to walke but indeed to betray them into Camillus hands which unfaithfull dealing Camillus did not onely mislike but detest and refuse thinking it an unhonest part by such finister meanes to bring even his enemies in subjection and therefore reproving the trustlesse Schoolmaster and binding his hands behind his back he gave every one of his schollers a rod with commandement to whip him backe unto the parents whom hee had pretended so to deceive A most noble act in Camillus would wee could finde the like among Christians and a most deserved punishment of the Schoolmaster would no traitor might be served better Neither might that worthy Romane repent his deed for the Phalischi in admiration and love of this notable justice freely yeelded themselves and their city to him which otherwise in long time and without great effusion of bloud he could not have atchieved Did Tarpeia the daughter of Sp. Tarpeius speed any better when shâ—t betrayed the tower whereof her father was the overseer to Tatius King of the Sabines who at that season besieged Rome upon condition of a summe of gold or as other writers say of all that the souldiers wore on their left hands No verily for the Sabines as soon as they had obtained their purpose overwhelmed her with her left hand gifts to wit their shields and not their rings and bracelets which she hoped to the end to leave an example to the posterity how no promise nor oath ought to be of force to traitors to keep them from punishment Neither did these noble young men of Rome amongst whom were the Consull Brutus sonnes come to any better issue when they conspired to receive King Tarquinius into the city by night who by the vertue and valour of their father was worthily expulsed for their secret and wicked counsell being bewrayed to the Consuls Iunius and Pub. Valerius by Vindicio a bondslave they were apprehended having letters about them written to Tarquinius to the same effect and being condemned were first shamefully scourged with rods and after executed to death Pausanias King of Sparta having conspired with the Persians against his own countrey and as it were offered violence to his owne bowels fled into the Sanctuary of Pallas for reliefe when he saw the Ephori to go about to call him in question for his treason Now whereas it was irrelegious to take him from thence by violence they agreed to shut him up there continually and so to pine him to death Which when his mother understood she was the first person that brought a stone to stop up the doores to hinder him from getting forth and therein shewed a notable example of godly cruelty to her childe and cruell pitty to her countrey approving that saying of Aristippus who being demanded why hee neglected his sonne being borne of his body answered Doe wee not cast from us lice and flegme which are also bred of our bodies Insinuating That they which have nothing to commend them to their parents but generation are not to be esteemed as children much lesse they that degenerate When Brennus Captaine of the Gaules brother to Belinus and sonne to
Moluntius King of Brittaine besieged Ephesus a devillish woman enticed with the jewels which Brennus wore about him betraied the city into his hands But Brennus detesting this abhominable covetousnesse when he entred the city so loaded her with gold that he covered and oppressed her therewith In like manner Herodamon delivered up to the Emperour Aurelian his own native city Tianâ— in hope to save his owne life by betraying his countrey But it fell out quite contrary to his expectation for though Caesar had sworne not to leave a dog alive within the wals because they shut their gates against him and also his souldiers were instant and urgent upon his promise yet he spared the city and destroyed the traitor and quit himselfe of his promise by hanging up every dog in the city contrary to his owne intent and his armies expectation yet agreeable to his words and most correspondent to equity and true fortitude In the yeare of our Lord 1270 the Bishop of Colonea practising to spoile the city of her priviledges and reduce it under his own jurisdiction Hermanus Grinu Consul and chiefe Magistrate withstood his power and authority with all his force so that he could not bring his purpose about Wherefore two Cannons belonging to the Bishop sought to undermine this their enemy by policy and to take him out of the way for which end they invited him in very kind manner to dinner but when he was come they brought him into a young lyons denne which they kept in honour of the Bishop and unawares shut the doores upon him bidding him shift for himselfe thinking that it was impossible for him to escape out alive But the Consull perceiving in what great danger he was wrapped his cloake about his left arme and thrusting it into the mouth of the hungry Lion killed him with his right hand and so by the wonderfull providence of God escaped without hurt But the two traiterous Canons he caught right soone and hung them at their Cathedrall Church to their owne confusion and tertor of all traitors It was noble saying and worthy the marking of Augustus Caesar to Ramitalches King of Thracia who having forsaken Anthony to take part with Augustus boasted very insolently of his deserts towards him then Caesar dissembling his folly dranke to another King and said I love treason but I cannot commend nor trust a traitour The same also in effect Philip of Macedony and Iulius Caesar were wont to say That they loved a traitour at the first but when hee had finished his treason they hated him more than any other signifying that traitours deserved no retribution of thankes seeing their office was accepted for a time yet they themselves could never be counted lesse than naughty and disloyall persons for no honest man ever betrayed his countrey or his friend and what greater punishment can there be than this But for manifest proofe hereof let this one example serve in stead of many namely of Theodoricke King of Francia and Irminfride King of Thuringia who being profest foes and having sought many cruell battels at length the latter was conquered of the former by the lucky assistance of the Saxons This Irminfride thus subdued sued for pardon and release at the conquerours hand but hee was so farre from pittying his estate that he corrupted one Iringus a Nobleman and Irminfride's subject to murther his master which he performed kneeling before Theodoricke running him through with his sword at his backe which traiterous deed as soone as it was finished Theodoricke though the setter of it yet he could not abide the actour but bad him be packing for who could put trust in him that had betrayed his owne master At which words Iringus mad with anger and rage ranne at Theodericke also with purpose to have slaine him too but his hand missing the marke returned his sword into his owne bowels so that he fell down dead upon his masters carkasse What more notable and wonderfull judgement could happen surely it is an example worthy to be written in golden letters and to bee read and remembred of every one to teach men allegiance and obedience to their Princes and Superiors lest more sudden destruction than this fall upon them After the death of Ieronimus King of Siracuse Andronodorus and Themistius provoked by their wives descending of the bloud royall affected an usurpation of the crowne and wrought much hurt to the commonwealth but their practises being discovered the Pretors by the consent of the Senatours slew them both in the market place as rotten members of their common body and therefore fit to be cut off And when they understood how their wives Damarata and Harmonia were breeders and incensers of this mischiefe they sent to kill them also yea and Heraclia Harmonia her sister guiltlesse and witlesse of the crime for no other cause but because shee was sister unto her was pluckt from the Altar and slain in the tumult with two of her daughters that were virgins And thus is treason plagued not only in traitors themselves but also in those that are linked unto them in friendship and affinity The glory and reputation of Fabritius the Roman is eternised by that noble act of his in sending bound to Pyrrhus a traitor that offered to poyson him For albeit that Pyrrhus was a sworne enemy to the Roman Empire and also made war upon it yet would not Fabritius trecherously seeke his destruction but sent back that traitor unto him to be punished at his discretion What notable treasons did Hadrian the fourth Pope of Rome practise against the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa yet all was still frustrate for the Lord protected the Emperour and punished the traitour with a sudden and strange death for he was choaked with a flie which went downe his throat and stopped his breath and could by no meanes be pulled out till it made an end of him Besides many others that went about the same practise were brought to notable destructions as that counterfeit foole whom the Italians set on to murder Fredericke in his chamber which had been performed had he not leaped out of a window into a river and so saved his life for the foole being taken was throwne headlong out of the same window and broke his neeke As also an Arabian Doctor a grand poysoner who going about to infect with poyson his bridle his saddle his spurres and stirrops that as soone as he should but touch them hee might be poysoned was discovered and hanged for his labour In the yeare of our Lord 1364 when as the Emperour Charles the fourth and Philip Duke of Austria were ready to joyne battell in the field Charles distrusting his owne power undermined his foe by subtilty on this fashion he sent for three of Duke Philips captaines privily and persuaded them with promises of rewards to worke some meanes to terrifie the Duke and dissuade him from that battell which they performed with all diligence for they told
which he had so traiterously and villanously committed towards others fell upon his owne head being himselfe also killed as he had killed others which happened in king Solomons raigne who executing the charge and commandement of his father put to death this murderer in the tabernacle of God and by the Altar whither hee was fled as to a place priviledged for safetie CHA. VII A sute of examples like unto the former LEaving the Scripture we finde in other writers notable examples of this subject As first of Astyages king of the Medes who so much swarved from humanity that he gave in strait charge that young Cyrus his own daughters sonne now ready to be borne should be made away by some sinister practise to avoid by that meanes the danger which by a dreame was signified unto him Notwithstanding the young infant finding friends to preserve him alive and growing up by meanes of the Peers favor to whom his grandfather by his cruell dealings was become odious obtained the Crowne out of his hands and dispossessing him seated himselfe in his roome This Cyrus was that mighty and awfull king of Persia whom God used as an instrument for the delivery of his people out of the captivity of Babylon as he foretold by the Prophet Isaiah who yet following kinde made cruell war in many places for the space of thirty yeares and therefore it was necessary that he should taste some fruits of his insatiable and bloud-thirsty desire as hee indeed did for after many great victories and conquests over divers countries atchieved going about to assaile Scythia also hee and his armie together were surprised overcome and slaine to the number of two hundred thousand persons and for his shame received this disgrace at a womans hand who triumphing in her victory threw his head into a sacke full of bloud with these tearmes Now glut thy selfe with bloud which thou hast thirsted after so long time Cambyses Cyrus son was also so bloudy and cruell a man that one day hee shot a noblemans sonne to the heart with an arrow for being admonished by his father of his drunkennesse to which he was very much given which he did in indignation and to shew that he was not yet so drunken but he knew how to draw his bow He caused his own brother to be murdered privily for feare he should raigne after him and slew his sister for reproving him for that deed In his voyage to Aethiopia when his armie was brought into so great penurie of victuals that they were glad to feed upon horse flesh hee was so cruell and barbarous that after their horses were spent he caused them to eat one another but at his returne from Aegypt the Susians his chiefe citizens welcommed him home with rebellion and at last as he was riding it so chanced that his sword fell out of the scabberd and himselfe upon the point of it so that it pierced him through and so he dyed After that Xerxes by his overbold enterprise had disturbed the greatest part of the world passed the sea and traversed many countries to the end to assaile Greece with innumerable forces he was overcome both by sea and by land and compelled privily to retire into his countrey with shame and discredit where he had not long beene but Artabanus the captaine of his guard killed him in his palace by night who also after that and many other mischiefes committed by him was himselfe cruelly murthered The thirty Governours which the Lacedemonians set over the Athenians by compulsion were such cruell tyrants oppressors and bloudsuckers of the people that they made away a great part of them untill they were chased away themselves violently and then being secretly dogged and pursued were all killed one after another Pyrrhus king of Epire that raigned not long after Alexander the great was naturally disposed to such a quicknes and heat of courage that he could never be quiet but when he was either doing some mischiefe to another or when another was doing some unto him ever devising some new practise of molestation for pastimes sake This his wilde and dangerous disposition began first to shew it selfe in the death of Neoptolemus who was conjoyned king with him whom having bidden to supper in his lodging under pretence of sacrifice to his gods he deceitfully slew preventing by that meanes Neoptolemus pretended purpose of poysoning him when occasion should serve After this he conquered Macedonia by armes and came into Italie to make war with the Romans in the behalfe of the Tarentines and gave them battel in the field and slew fifteen thousand of them in one day he took their camp revoked many cities from their alliance and spoyled much of their countrey even to the walls of Rome and all this in a trice without breathing Againe by Ascolie he encountred them the second time where there was a great overthrow of each side of fifteene thousand men but the Romanes had the worst and tooke their heeles When hee was intreated by the Sicilian embassadors to lend them aid to expulse the Carthaginians out of their Isle hee yeelded presently and chased them out Being recalled by the Tarentines into Italy for their succour he was conquered by the Romanes after he had made war upon them six yeres At his returne to Epire he re-entred by violence Macedonia tooke many places overcame the army of king Antigonus that resisted him had all the whole realm rendred into his hand Being intreated by Cleominus to make war upon Sparta to the end toreinstall him in his kingdome which he was deprived of forthwith he mustered his forces besieged the citie and spoyled and wasted all the whole country Afterwards there being a sedition raised in the city of Argos betweene two of the chiefest citizens one of the which sent unto him for aid he what issue soever was like to ensue whether victory or vanquishment could not abide in peace from disquieting others and himselfe but must needs go to take part in that sedition but to his cost even to his destruction For first in his way he found an evill-favoured welcome by an ambush placed of purpose to interrupt his journey amongst whom he lost his son which mishap nothing dismaied him nor abated any whit of his purpose or courage from pursuing this journey to Argos though the citizens themselves intreated him to retire and though he had no businesse there save only to looke over the townâ— being arrived by night and finding a gate left open for him to enter by by the meanes of him that had sent for him to his aid hee put his souldiers in and possessed himselfe of the towne incontinently But the city being aided by Antigonus and the King of Sparta charged and pressed him so sore that he sought meanes to retire out of the same but could not At which time being about to strike a young man of the city that had done him some hurt his mother being
aloft upon the roofe of an house perceiving his intent threw downe a tile with both her hands upon his head and hit him such a knocke upon the necke through default of his armour that it so bruised his joynts that he fell into a sudden swound and lost his sight his raines falling out of his hand and he himselfe tumbling from his saddle upon the ground which when some of the soldiers perceived they drew him out of the gate and there to make an end of the tragedy cut off his head The cruelty of the Ephori was marvellous strange when being unwilling once to heare the equality of lands and possessions to be named which Agis their King for the good of the commonwealth according to the antient custome and ordinance of Licurgus sought to restore they rose up against him and cast him in prison and there without any processe or forme of law sttangled him to death with his mother and grandfather But it cost them very deare for Cleamenes who was joynt King with Agis albe it he had consented to the weaving of that web himself to the end he might raigne alone yet ceased he not to prosecute revenge upon them which hee did not onely by his daily and usuall practises openly but also privily for taking them once at advantage being at supper all together hee caused his men to kill them suddenly as they fat And thus was the good King Agis revenged But this last murtherer which was fullied and polluted with so much bloud he went not long unpunished for his misdeeds for soone after Antigonus King of Macedonia gave him a great overthrow in a battell wherein hee lost Sparta his chiefe city and fled into Aegypt for succour where after small abode upon an accusation laid against him he was cast into prison and though he escaped out with his company by cunning and craft yet as he walked up and down Alexandria in armor in hope that through his seditious practises the citizens would take his part and help to restore him to his liberty when he perceived it was nothing so but that every man forsooke him and that there was no hope left of recovery he commanded his men to kill one another as they did In which desperate rage and fury he himselfe was slain his body being found was commanded by King Ptolomey to be hangd on a gibbet and his mother wives and children that came with him into Aegypt to bee put to death And this was the tragicall end of Cleomenes King of Sparta Alexander the tyrant of Pheres never ceased to make and spy out all occasions of warre against the people of Thessaly to the end to bring them generally in subjection under his dominion he was a most bloudy and cruell minded man having neither regard of person or justice in any action In his cruelty he buried some alive others he clothed in beares and boares skins and then set dogs at their tailes to rend them in pieces others hee used in way of pastime to strike through with darts and arrowes And one day as the inhabitants of a certaine city were assembled together in counsell he caused his guard to inclose them up suddenly and to kill them all even to the very infants He slew also his owne uncle and crowned the speare wherwith he did that deed with garlands of flowers and sacrificed unto him being dead as to a god Now albeit this cruell Tygre was garded continually with troupes of souldiers that kept night and day watch about his body wheresoever hee lay and with a most ougly and terrible dog unacquainted with any saving himselfe his wife and one servant that gave him his meat tied to his chamber dore yet could hee not escape the evill chance which by his wives meanes fell upon him for she taking away the staires of his chamber let in three of her owne brethren provided to murther him as they did for finding him asleep one tooke him fast by the heeles the other by the haire wringing his head behind him and the third thrust him through with his sword shee all this while giving them light to dispatch their businesse The citizens of Pheres when they had drawne his carkasse about their streets and trampled upon it their bellies full threw it to the dogges to be devoured so odious was his very remembrance among them Iâ—gurth sonne to Manastabal brother to Micipsa King of Numidia by birth a bastard for hee was borne of a concubine yet by nature and disposition so valiant and full of courage that hee was not onely beloved of all men but also so deerely esteemed of by Micipsa that he adopted him joynt heire with his sonnes Adherbal and Hiempsal to his crowne kindly admonishing him in way of intreaty to continue the union of love and concord without breach between them which hee promised to performe But Micipsa was no sooner deceased but hee by and by not content with a portion of the Kingdome ambitiously sought for the whole For which cause hee first found meanes to dispatch Hiempsal out of his way by the hands of the guard who in his lodging by night cut his throat and then by battell having vanquished Adherbal his brother obtained the sole regiment without controlment Besides hee corrupted so by bribes the Senators of Rome that had soveraigne authority in and over his Kingdome that in stead of punishment which his murther cried for he was by the decree of the Senate allotted to the one halfe of the Kingdome Whereupon being growne yet more presumptuous hee made excursions and ryots upon Adherbals territories and did him thereby much injury and from thence falling to open warre put him to flight and pursued him to a city where hee besieged him so long till he was constrained to yeeld himselfe And then having gotten him within his power put him to the cruellest death he could devise which villanous deed gave just cause to the Romanes of that warre which they undertooke against him wherein hee was discomfited and seeing himselfe utterly lost fled to his sonne in law Bochus King of Mauritania to seeke supply of succour who receiving him into safegard proved a false gard to him and delivered him into the hands of his enemies and so was he carried in triumph to Rome by Marius fast bound and being come to Rome cast into perpetuall prison where first his gowne was torne off his backe by violence next a ring of gold pluckt off his eare lap and all and lastly himselfe starke naked throwne into a deepe ditch where combating with famine six dayes the seventh miserably ended his wretched life according to the merits of his misdeeds Orsius saith he was strangled in prison Methridates king of Parthia put to death the king of Cappadocia to get his kingdome and after under pretence of parlying with one of his sonnes slew him also for which cause the Romanes tooke up the quarrell and made warre upon him by meanes
foure causes by which men are mooved to this unnaturall act and concludeth that for none of them nor for any other cause what soever a man ought to lay violent and bloudy hands upon himselfe yea concludeth peremptorily that a better life after death doth not receive such to wit that wilfully and desperately murder themselves and die without repentance as commonly they doe But here it is to be observed that many which seeme to make away themselves are murdered and made away by the Divell and not by themselves for otherwise it were not possible that then should perish so strangely as they doe as when some have beene hanged with their knees almost touching the ground others upon a weake twigge not strong enough to beare the weight of the tenth part of their body others beene drowned in a puddle of water which plainely sheweth that the Divell either as the principall actor or at least as a helper was the procurer of their murders and not alwayes themselves And therefore I must needs say with Luther That both charity and conscience inhibites resolutely to judge all such to be damned that seeme to have made havocke of their owne lives for the mercy of God is incomprehensible and why may he not save the soules of them whose bodies he gave leave to the Divell to torment yea to destroy Besides we read of many holy women who in the time of persecution cast themselves into the deep stream to preserve their chastity from the violence of the wicked persecutours and yet were reputed in the Church for holy Martyrs Saint Augustines judgement is worthy to be learned and imitated of all concerning this matter who thus defineth the case Of these saith he I dare avouch nothing rashly it may be the Church of God was perswaded by divine authority to receive them into the number of Martyrs or it may be they did this act not being deceived after the manner of men but being commanded of God not erring but obeying as also we are to judge of Sampson now when God biddeth and without all doubt makes knowne his will who can call this obedience a crime who can accuse a duety of piety But a little after he giveth a caveat Ne divina iussio ullo nutet incerto that is that we be sure God bids for often times the divell translates himself into an Angell of light and wil feine a message from God which proceedeth from his owne malice All this is to be conceived only touching that extraordinary case of those holy women that drowned themselves and yet were held for Martyrs in the Church of God as for others that shall wilfully and wofully shed their owne blouds and rob themselves of that precious jewell of life which God hath given them to keep no doubt but as they commit a horrible and hainous crime so they incurre a horrible and fearefull judgement yea the very act it selfe is both a crime and a judgment a crime deserving a further judgment even eternall damnation in hell fire and a judgement and punishment of some notable sinnes commâ—â—ed by them before and of an ungodly and wicked life unrepented of The drift therfore purpose of these examples following is this to shew how the Lord punisheth oftentimes in men an ungodly life with voluntary and wilfull murder of themselves and this wilfull murder of themselâ—es with eternall damnation after this life ended as a just recompence of their deserts and all to teach us repentance the onely means to prevent both these The first we reade of in holy Scripture that cruelly murdered himselfe with his owne hands was King Saul who as it is recorded of him was a most wicked man and a Tyran for being chosen from among all the people of Israel to be King by the Lords owne appointment and advanced as it were from the Plough to the Scepter he like a most ungratefull wretch kicked against his advancer and rebelled against his God that had done so great things for him yea hee not onely contemned his lawes and cast his commandements behind his backe but also proved a most cruell Tyran and shed much innocent blood amongst the rest of his cruelties this was the chiefe upon the false accusation of Doeg the Edomite he caused fourescore and five persons that were Priests and wore a linnen Ephod to bee staine at one time and Nob the Citie of the Priests to be smote with the edge of the sword both man and woman childe and suckling Oxe and Asse yea so wicked was he that when the Lord would not answer him neither by Prophets nor by dreames nor by any other meanes he went to take counsell of the Divell at the mouth of the Witch of Endor for all which his abominable wickednesse the Lord gave him over at last to so desperate a minde that rather than he would fall into the hands of his enemies he fell upon his owne sword and murdered himselfe Zimri also the King of Israel is set forth by the holy Ghost to be a wicked man and a traitor for he conspited against his master Ela the sonne of Baasha King of Israel and flew him as he was drinking in Tirza and proclaimed himselfe King in his roome but the army hearing thereof made Omri the Captaine of the hoste King who comming to besiege Tirza wherein Zimri was Zimri seeing that the Citie was taken went into the palace of the Kings house and there together with the house burnt himselfe rather than he would fall into the hands of his enemy Now the holy Ghost setteth it downe in plaine words that the Lord sent this judgement upon him for his sinnes which he had sinned in doing that which was evill in the of the Lord and walking in the way of Ieroboam who made Israel to sinne Achitophel that great Counsellor of State to King David of whom it is said that the counsell which he counselled was like the Oracle of God when hee saw that the counsell which hee gave was not followed but despised hee sadled his Asse and arose and went home into his owne citie and put his houshold in order and hanged himselfe And that this was Gods just vengeance upon him for his former wickednesse it may appeare both by his conspiracie with Absalom against his liege lord king David and also that wicked counsel which hee gave unto him of going in unto his fathers concubines in the sight of the people In the second booke of the Machabees is recorded a notable story of one Raz is an Elder of Jerusalem who is there set forth to bee a man of very good report constant in religion a father of the Jewes and a lover of the citie yet notwithstanding this man rather than hee would fall into the hands of Nicanor his enemy murdered himselfe after a most fearefull and savage manner for first hee fell upon his sword and when as for haste that stroke dispatched him not hee ran
boldly or rather furiously to the wall and cast himselfe downe headlong after which yet breathing hee got up on a steepe rocke and rending out his bowels with his owne hands threw them amongst the people calling upon the Lord of life that hee would restore them againe unto him The author of that booke commendeth this fact for a valiant and noble deed but surely wee are taught out of the booke of God by Gods spirit that it was a most bloudy barbarous and irreligious act for rather should a man endure all the reproaches and torments of an enemy than embrue his owne hands in his owne bloud and therefore if he were not extraordinarily stirred up hereunto by the spirit of God this must needs bee a just punishment of some former sinne wherein hee lay without repentance and a forerunner of an eternall punishment after this life Let us joyne Iudas and Pilate together the one being the betrayer of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ our Saviour the other the condemner of him and that against his conscience as they both agreed in one malicious practise against the life of Christ so they disagreed not in offering violence to their owne lives for Iudas hanged himselfe and his bowels gushed out and Pilat being banished to Vienna and oppressed with the torment of conscience and feare of punishment for his misdeeds to prevent all killed himselfe and so became a notable spectacle of Gods justice and Christs innocencie The Jewes as they are recorded in Scripture to bee a stiffe-necked and stubborne Nation above all the Nations under the Sunne so none were ever more hardy and daring in this bloudy practise of selfe-murther than they were which may bee thought a portion of Gods just judgement upon them for their sinnes three examples of greatest note I will propound which I thinke can hardly bee matched When the City of Jerusalem was taken by Herod and Sosius there was a certaine Jew that had hidden himselfe in a denne with his wife and seven children to whom Herod offered both life and liberty if hee would come forth but the stiffe-hearted wretch had rather die than bee captive to the Romanes therefore refusing Herods offer hee first threw downe his children headlong from a high rocke and burst their neckes next hee sent his wife after them and lastly tumbled himselfe upon their carkasses to make up the tragedie a horrible and lamentable spectacle of a proud and desperate minde The second example is nothing inferior to the former After the siege and sacking of Jotapata by the Romanes forty Jewes among whom was Iosephus the writer of this story having hid themselves in a cave by mutuall consent killed one another rather than they would fall into the hands of the Romanes Iosephus onely with one other by his persuasion by great art and industry after the other were slain proceeded not in that bloudy enterprise but yeelded themselves to the mercy of the enemies and so escaped with their lives This fearefull obstinacy may well be imputed to the justice of God upon them as for their other sinnes so especially for crucifying the Lord of life whose bloud they imprecated might fall on them and on their children The third example surpasseth both the former both in cruelty and obstinacy Eleazer the Jew after the taking of Jerusalem fled into the tower of Messada with nine hundred followers being besieged there by Sabinus Flavius a Roman Captaine when he saw that the walls were almost beaten downe and that there was no hope of escaping he persuaded his companions by a pithy and vehement Oration and drew them to this resolution that tenne should be chosen by lot which should kill all the rest together with their wives and children and that afterward they themselves should kill each other The former part of this Tragedy being performed the surviving tenne first set on fire the Tower that no prey might come unto the enemy the victuals only preserved to the end it might be knowne that not hunger but desperate valour drew them to this bloudy massacre then according to their appoyntment by mutuall wounds they dispatched one another and of so great a number not one remained besides one woman with her five children who hearing the horriblenesse of their determination hid her selfe in a cave in the ground and so escaped with the life of her selfe and her children and became a reporter of this whole story The like story is recorded by Livie touching the Campagnians who being besieged by the Romanes and constrained to yeeld up their City unto them upon composition Vibius a chiefe nobleman of the City with seven and twenty other Senatours that they might not fall into their enemies hands after they had glutted themselves with wine and good cheere dranke all of them poyson and so bewayling the state of their countrey and embracing each other and taking their last farewell died ere the enemies were received into the city Buthes otherwise called Boges by Herodotus Governor of Thracia being besieged in the city Eion by Cymon the Athenian captaine to the end that the enemy might receive no benefit nor great glory by his victory first caused the city to be fired and then by one consent they all killed themselves So likewise did Ariarathes king of Capadocia when he was besieged by Perdicca Cato Vticensis rather than he would fall into the hands of Iulius Caesar his enemy after his victory over Pompey fell upon his owne sword and slew himselfe having first read Plato's booke of the immortality of the soule So likewise did Marcus Antonius after that he was over come by Augustus And Cleopatra the Aegyptian Queene when as by her allurements she could not intice Augustus to her lust as she had done Anthony but perceived that she was reserved for triumph escaping out of prison and placing her selfe in her sumptuous sepulchre neere to the body of her dead paramour set an Aspe to her left arme by the venome whereof she died as it were in a sleepe Thus the Lord doth infatuate the mindes of wicked and ungodly persons and such as have no true knowledge nor feare of the true God in their hearts making them instruments of his vengeance and executioners of his wrath upon themselves Hannibal the sonne of Amilchar after many victories and much bloodshed of the Romans at last being overcome and doubting of the faith of Prusia the King of Bythinia to whom he was fled for succour poysoned himselfe with poyson which he alwayes carried in a Ring to that purpose At the destruction of Carthage when as Asdrubal the chiefe Captaine submitted himselfe to the mercy of Scipio his wife cursing and railing on him for his base mind threw her children into the midst of a fire and there ended her dayes and Asdrubal himselfe not long after followed her by a voluntary and violent death When Cinna besieged the city of Rome two brothers chanced to encounter
the threshold which thing turned to a great destruction and overthrow in Israel for the Levite when he arose and found his wife newly dead at the dore of his lodging he cut and dismembred her body into twelve pieces and sent them into all the countries of Israel to every tribe one to give them to understand how vile and monstrous an injurie was done unto him whereupon the whole nation assembling and consulting together when they saw how the Benjamites in whose tribe this monstrous villany was committed make no reckoning of seeing punishment executed upon those execrable wretches they tooke armes against them and made war upon them wherein though at the first conflict they lost to the number of forty thousand men yet afterward they discomfited and overthrew the Benjamites and slew of them 25000. rasing and burning downe the City Gibea where the sinne was committed with all the rest of the Cities of that Tribe in such sort that there remained alive but six hundred persons that saved their lives by flying into the desart and there hid themselves foure moneths untill such time as the Israelites taking pitty of them lest they should utterly be brought to nought gave them to wife to the end to repeople them againe foure hundred virgins of the inhabitants of Jabes Gilead reserved out of that flaughter of those people wherein man woman and childe were put to the sword for not comming forth to take part with their brethren in that late warre And forasmuch as yet there remained two hundred of them unprovided for the Antients of Israel gave them liberty to take by force two hundred of the daughters of their people which could not be but great injury and vexation unto their parents to be thus robbed of their daughters and to see them married at all adventures without their consent or liking These were the mischiefes which issued and sprang from that vile and abominable adultery of the wicked Gibeonites with the Levites wife whose first voluntary sinne was in like manner also most justly punished by this second rape and this is no new practise of our most just God to punish one sinne by another and sinners in the same kinde wherein they have offended When King David after he had overcome the most part of his enemies and made them tributaries unto him and injoyed some rest in his kingdome whilest his men of war pursuing their victory destroyed the Ammonites and were in besieging Rabba their chiefe City he was so enflamed with the beauty of Bathshabe Vriahs wife that he caused her to bee conveyed to him to lye with her to which sinne he combined another more grievous to wit when he saw her with childe by him to the end to cover his adultery he caused her husband to be slaine at the siege by putting him in the Vantgard of the battell at the assault and then thinking himselfe cocksure married Bathshabe But all this while as it was but vaine allurements no solid joy that fed his minde and his sleepe was but of sinne not of safety wherein he slumbred so the Lord awakened him right soone by afflictions and crosses to make him feele the burden of the sinne which he had committed first therefore the childe the fruit of this adultery was striken with sicknesse and dyed next his daughter Thamar Absaloms sister was ravished by Ammon one of his owne sonnes thirdly Ammon for his incest was slaine by Absalom and fourthly Absalom ambitiously aspiring after the kingdome and conspiring against him raised war upon him and defiled his Concubines and came to a wofull destruction All which things being grievous crosses to K. David were inflicted by the just hand of God to chastise and correct him for his good not to destroy him in his wickednesse neither did it want the effect in him for he was so far from swelling and hardening himselfe in his sin that contrariwise he cast downe and humbled himselfe and craved pardon and forgivenesse at the hand of God with all his heart and true repentance not like to such as grow obstinate in their sinnes and wickednesse and make themselves beleeve all things are lawfull for them although they be never so vile and dishonest This therefore that we have spoken concerning David is not to place him among the number of lewd and wicked livers but to shew by his chastisements being a man after Gods owne heart how odious and displeasant this sin of Adultery is to the Lord and what punishment all others are to expect that wallow therein since he spared not him whom he so much loved and favoured CHAP. XXVIII Other examples like unto the former THE history of the ravishment of Helene registred by so many worthy and excellent Authors and the great evils that pursued the same is not to be counted altogether an idle fable or an invention of pleasure seeing that it is sure that upon that occasion great and huge war arose betweene the Graecians and the Trojanes during the which the whole Countrey was havocked many Cities and Townes destroyed much blood shed and thousands of men discomfited among whom the ravisher and adulterer himselfe to wit Paris the chiefe mover of all those miserable tragedies escaped not the edge of the sword no nor that famous city Troy which entertained and maintained the adulterers within her walls went unpunished but at last was taken and destroyed by fire and sword In which sacking olde and gray headed King Priâ—m with all the remnant of his halfe slaine sonnes were together murdered his wife and daughters were taken prisoners and exposed to the mercy of their enemies his whole kingdome was entirely spoiled and his house quite defaced and well nigh all the Trojane Nobility extinguished and as touching the whore Helene her selfe whose disloyalty gave consent to the wicked enterprise of forsaking her husbands house and following a stranger she was not exempt from punishment for as some writers affirm she was slaine at the sacke but according to others she was at that time spared and entertained againe by Menelaus her husband but after his death she was banished in her olde age and constrained for her last refuge being both destitute of reliefe and succour and forsaken of kinsfolkes and friends to flie to Rhodes where at length contrary to her hope she was put to a shamefull death even hanging on a tree which she long time before deserved The injury and dishonour done to Lucrece the wife of Collatinus by Sextus Tarquinius son to Superbus the last King of Rome was cause of much trouble and disquietnesse in the City and elsewhere for first she not able to endure the great injurie and indignity which was done unto her pushed forward with anger and despite slew her selfe in the presence of her husband and kinsfolke notwithstanding all their desires and willingnesse to cleare her from all blame with whose death the Romanes were so stirred and provoked against Sextus
of Aquitain then did King Edwards part begin to incline and the successe of war which the space of fourty yeares never forsook him now frowned upon him so that he quickly lost all those lands which by composition of peace were granted unto him CHAP. XLI Of such as by force of armes have either taken away or would have taken away the goods and lands of other men NOw if they that oppresse their Subjects and devour them in this manner be found guilty then must they needs be much more that are carried with the wings of their owne hungry ambitious desire to invade their lands and Seigniories attended on with an infinite retinue of pillages sackings ruines of Cities and people which are alwayes necessary companions of furious unmercifull war There are no flouds so broad nor mountaines so steep nor rokces so rough and dangerous nor sea so long and furious that can restrain the rash and headstrong desire of such greedy minded Sacres so that if their body might be proportioned to the square and greatnesse of their mindes with the one hand they would reach the East and with the other hand the West as it is said of Alexander howbeit hereof they boast and glory no lesse than they that took delight to be sirnamed City-spoilers others burners of Cities some conquerours and many Eagles and Faulcons seeking as it were fame by infamy and by vice eternity But to these men it often commeth to passe that even then when they thinke to advance their Dominion and to stretch their bounds and frontiers furthest they are driven to recoil for fear of being dispossessed themselves of their owne lands and inheritances and even as they dealt with others rigorously and by strength of weapons so shall they be themselves rehandled and dealt withall after the same measure according to the Word of the Prophet denounced against such as they Cursed be thâ—â— that spoilest and dealest unfaithfully when thou hast made an end of spoiling others thâ—â— thâ— selfe shalt be spoiled and when thou hast done dealing traiterously then treason shall begin to be practised against thee And this curse most commonly never faileth to seise upon these great Theeves and Robbers or at least upon their children and successours as by particular examples we shall see after we have first spoken of Adonias who not content with his owne estate of being a Kings son which God had allotted him went about to 〈◊〉 the Crowne and Kingdome from his brother Solomon to whom by right it appertained for God had manifested the same by the mouth of his father David but both he and his assistants for their overbold and rash enterprise were iustly by Solomon punished with death Crassus King of Lydia was the first that made war against Ephesus and that subdued the Greekes of Asia to wit the Phrygians Mysians Chalybeans Paphlagonians Thracians Bythinians Ionians Dorians Aeolians and Pamphilians and made them all tributeries unto him by meanes whereof he being growne exceeding rich and puissant by the detriment and undoing of so many people vanted and gloried in his greatnesse and power and even then thought himselfe the happiest man in the world when most misery and adversity grief and distresse of his estate and wholehouse approuched nearest for first and formost one of his sonnes that was dear unto him was by oversight slain at the chase of a wilde Bore next himselfe having commenced war with Cyrus was overcome in battell and besieged in Sardis the chief City of his Kingdom and at last taken and carried captive to Cyrus despoiled of all his late glory and dominion And thus Crassus as saith Plutarch after Herodotus bore the punishment of the offence of his great Grandfather Gigas who being but one of King Caâ—daules attendants slew his master and usurped the Crowne at the provokement of the Queen his mistresse whom he also took to be his wife And thus this Kingdom decayed by the same meanes by which it first encreased Polycratâ—s the Tyran was one that by violence and tyrannous meanes grew from a base condition to an high estate for being but one of the vulgar sort in the City Samos he with the assistance of fifteen armed men seised upon the whole City and made himselfe Lord of it which dividing into three parts he bestowed two of them upon his two brethren but not for perpetuity for ere long the third part of his usurpation cost the elder of them the best part of his life and the younger his liberty for he chased him away that he might be sole possessour of the whole Island After this he invaded many other Islands besides many Cities in the same Land he raised the Lacedemonians from the fiege of Samos which they had begirt and when he saw that all things fell out so well to his owne wish that nothing could be more fearing so great prosperity could not but carry in the â—ail some terrible sting of adversity and mischance attempted by voluntary losse of something of value to prevent the mischief which he feared to ensue and this by the advice of his dear friend and allie the King of Aegypt therefore he threw a ring which he had of great price into the sea to the end to delude Fortune as he thought thereby â—ut the ring was after found in a fishes belly and offered as a present unto him and this was an evident presage of some inevitable this for tune that waited for him neither did it prove vain and frivolous for he was hanged upon a gibbet of Sardis by the commandment of Orates the Governour of the City who under pretence of friendship and colour of rendring his treasure into his hands and bestowing upon him a great part thereof promising also to passe the rest of his dayes under his wing for fear of the rage of Cambyses drew him to come privately to speak with him and so easily wrought his will upon him Aristodemus got into his hands the government of Câ—ma after he had made away the principall of the City and to keep it the better being obtâ—ined he first worme the vulgars hearts by presents then banished out of the City their children whom he had put to death and entertained the rest of the youth with such variety of pleasures and delights that by those devices he kept himselfe in his tyrannous estate many yeares but as soon as the children of those slain Citizens were growne to ripe yeares of strength and discretion being desirous to revenge their fathers deaths they set upon him in the night so at unawares that they put him and all his family to the slaughter Timophanes usurped a principality power and rule in Corinth a free City and became so odious thereby to the whole people yea and to his owne brother Tymoleon also that laying aside all respect of nature he slew him with his owne hands preferring the liberty of his Countrey before any unity or bond of