corrupt custome used commonly to wish he might be drowned in a privy and as he wished so it hapned unto him for he was so served and murthered at S. Peters Monastery in Erford in the yeare of our Lord 1148. The like befell a young Courtier at Mansfield whose custome was in any earnest asseveration to say The Devill take me if it be not so the Devill indeed tooke him whilest hee slept and threw him out of a high window where albeit by the good providence of God he oâ—ught no great hurt yet he learnt by experience to bridle his tongue from all such cursed speeches this being but a tast of Gods wrath that is to fall upon such wretches as he At Oster a village in the duchy of Megalopole there chanced a most strange and fearefull example upon a woman that gave her selfe to the Devill both body and soule and used most horrible cursings and oathes both against her selfe and others which detestible manner of behaviour as at many other times so especially shee shewed at a marriage in the foresaid village upon S. Iohn Baptists day the whole people exhorting her to leave off that monstrous villany but she nothing bettered continued her course till all the company were set at dinner and very merry Then loe the Devill having got full possession of her came in person and transported her into the aire before them all with most horrible outcries and roarings and in that sort carried her round about the towne that the Inhabitants were ready to die with feare and by ct by tore her in foure pieces leaving in four severall high wayes a quarter that all that came by might be witnesses of her punishment And then returning to the marriage threw her bowels upon the table before the Major of the towne with these words Behold these dishes of meat belong to thee whom the like destruction awaiteth if thou doest not amend thy wicked life The reporters of this history were Iohn Herman the Minister of the said towne with the Major himselfe and the whole Inhabitants being desirous to have it knowne to the world for example sake In Luthers conferences there is mention made of this story following Divers noblemen were striving together at a horse race and in their course cried The Devill take the last Now the last was a horse that broke loose whom the Devill hoisted up into the aire and tooke cleane away Which teacheth us not to call for the Devill for he is ready alwayes about us uncalled and unlooked for yea many legions of them compasse us about even in our best actions to disturbe and pervert us A certaine man not far from Gorlitz provided a sumptuous supper and invited many guests unto it who at the time appointed refused to come he in anger cried Then let all the Devils in hell come Neither was his wish frivolous for a number of those hellish fiends came forthwith whom he not discerning from men came to welcome and entertaine but as he tooke them by the hands and perceiued in stead of fingers clawes all dismaied he ran out of the doores with his wife and left none in the house but a young infant with a foole sitting by the fire whom the Divels had no power to hurt neither any man else save the goodly supper which they made away withall and so departed It is notoriously knowne in Oundle a towne in Northamptonshire amongst all that were acquainted with the partie namely one Hacket of whom more hath spoken before how he used in his earnest talke to curse himselfe on this manner If it be not true then let a visible confusion come upon me Now he wanted not his wish for he came to a visible confusion indeed as hath been declared more at large in the twentieth chapter of this booke At Witeberg before Martin Luther and divers other learned men a woman whose daughter was possessed with a spirit confessed That by her curse that plague was fallen upon her for being angry at a time she bad the Divell take her and she had no sooner spoken the word but he tooke her indeed and possessed her in most strange sort No whit lesse strange and horrible is that which happened at Neoburg in Germanie to a sonne that was cursed of his mother in her anger with this curse she prayed God she might never see him returne aliue for the same day the yong man bathing himselfe in the water was drowned and never returned to his mother alive according to her ungodly wish The like judgement of God we read of to have beene executed upon another sonne that was banned and cursed by his mother in the citie of Astorga The mother in her rage cursed one of her sons with detestable maledictions betaking him to the Diuels of hell and wishing that they would fetch him out of her presence with many other horrible execrations This was about ten a clocke at night the same being very darke and obscure the boy at last through feare went out into a little court behind the house from the which hee was suddenly hoised up into the ayte by men in shew of grim countenance great stature and loathsome and horrible gesture but indeed cruell fiends of hell and that with such swiftnesse as he himselfe after confessed that it was not possible to his seeming for any bird in the world to fly so fast and lighting downe amongst certaine mountaines of bushes and briers was trailed through the thickest of them and so all torne and rent not only in his cloaths but also in his hands and face and almost his whole body At last the boy remembring God and beseeching him of helpe and assistance the cruell fiends brought him backe againe through the aire and put him in at a little window into a chamber in his fathers house where after much search and griefe for him hee was found in this pittifull plight and almost besides himselfe And thus though they had not power to deprive him of his life as they had done the former yet the Lord suffered them to afflict the parents in the sonne for the good of both parents and sonne if they belonged unto the Lord. But above all this is most strange which hapned in a town of Misina in the yeare of our Lord God 1552 the eleventh of September where a cholericke father seeing his sonne flacke about his businesse wished hee might never stirre from that place for it was no sooner said but done his sonne stucke fast in the place neither by any meanes possible could be removed no not so much as to fit or bend his body till by the praiers of the Faithfull his paines were somewhat mitigated though not remitted three yeares he continued standing with a post at his backe for his ease and foure yeares sitting at the end whereof he died nothing weakened in his understanding but professing the faith and not doubting of his salvation in
King of England sonne of Geffrey Plantagenet and Maud the Empresse after he had raigned twenty yeares was content to admit his young sonne Henry married to Margaret the French Kings daughter into participation of his Crowne but he like an unnaturall son to requite his fathers love sought to dispossesse him of the whole for by inciting the King of France and certaine other Nobles hee tooke armes and raised warre against his owne naturall father betwixt whom divers strong battels being fought as well in England by the Deputies and friends of both parties as also in Normandy Poytou Guian and Britain the victory alwayes inclined to the father so that the rebellious son with his allies were constrained to bend to his fathers will and to desire peace which he gently granted and forgave his offence Howbeit the Lord for his disobedience did not so lightly pardon him but because his hasty mind could not tarry for the Crowne till his fathers death therefore the Lord cut him short of it altogether causing him to die six yeares before his father being yet but young and like to live long Lothair King of Soissons in France committed the rule of the province of Guian to his eldest son Cramiris who when contrary to the mind of his father he oppressed the people with exactions and was reclaimed home he like an ungratious and impious son fled to his uncle Childebert and provoked him towarre upon his owne father wherein he himselfe was by the just vengeance of God taken and burned with his wife and children to death Furthermore it is not doubtlesse but to a very good end enacted in the law of God That he which curseth his father or mother should die the death and that rebellious children and such as be incorrigible should at the instance and pursuit of their owne parents by order of law be stoned to death As children by all these examples ought not onely to learne to feare to displease and revile their parents but also to feare and reverence them lest that by disobedience they kindle the fire of Gods wrath against them so likewise on the other side parents are here advertised to have great care in bringing up and instructing their children in the feare of God and obedience to his will lest for want of instruction and correction on their part they themselves incurre a punishment of their carelesse negligence in the person of their children And this is proved by experience of the men of Bethel of whose children two and forty were torne in pieces by Beares for that they had been so evill taught as to mocke the holy Prophet Elizeus in calling him bald-pate Heli likewise the high priest was culpable of this fault for having two wicked and perverse sonnes whom no feare of God could restraine being discontent with that honourable portion of the sacrifices allotted them by God like famished and unsatiable wretches fell to share out more than was their due and by force to raven all that which by faire meanes they could not get and that which is worse to pollute the holy Tabernacle of God with their filthy whoredomes in such sort that the Religion of God grew in disgrace through their prophane dealings And albeit it may seem that their father did his duty in some sort when he admonished and reproved them yet it is manifest by the reprehension of the man of God that he did no part of that at all or if he did yet it was in so carelesse loose and cold manner using more lenity than hee ought or lesse severity than was necessary that God turned their destructions when they were slaine at the overthrow of Israel by the Philistins to be his punishment for understanding the dolefull newes of his sonnes death and the Arkes taking at once he fell backewards from his stoole and burst his necke being old and heavy even fourescore and eighteene yeares of age not able either to help or stay himselfe David also was not free from this offence for hee so much cockered some of his children that they proved the greatest plagues and scourges unto him especially Absolon and Adonijah for the one openly rebelled against him and almost drove him out of his kingdome the other usurped the title and honour of the kingdome before his fathers death of this it is recorded That David so cockered and pampered him that he would never displease him from his youth But see how he was punished in them for this too great lenity both of them came to an untimely death and proved not onely the workers of their owne destruction but also great crosses to their father Ludovicus Vives saith That in his time a certain woman in Flanders did so much pamper and cocker up two of her sonnes even against her husbands will that she would not suffer them to want money or any thing which might furnish their roiotous life both in drinking banquetting and dicing yea she would stoale from her husband to minister unto them but as soone as her husband was dead she was justly plagued in them both for they fell from royoting to robbing which two vices are commonly linked together and for the same one of them was executed by the sword and the other by the halter she her selfe looking on as a witnesse of their destructions whereof her conscience told her that her indulgence was the chiefest cause Hither may we referre that common and vulgar story and I suppose very true which is almost in every childes mouth of him that going to the gallowes desired to speake with his mother in her care ere he dyed and when she came unto him in stead of speaking bit off her care with his teeth exclaiming upon her as the causer of his death because she did not chastise him in his youth for his faults but by her flatteries established him in vice which brought him to this wofull end and herein she was doubly punished both in her sonnes destruction and her owne infamy whereof she carried about her a continuall maâ—ke This ought to be a warning to all parents to looke better to the education of their children and to root out of them in time all evill and corrupt manners lest of small sprigs they grow to branches and of qualities to habits and so either be hardly done off or at least deprave the whole body and bring it to destruction but above all to keep them from idlenesse and vaine pleasures the discommodity and mischiefe whereof this present example will declare At a towne called Hannuel in Saxony the Devill transforming himselfe into the shape of a man exercised many jugling trickes and pretty pastime to delight young men and maids withall and indeed to draw after him daily great companies one day they followed him out of the city gates unto a hill adjoyning where he played a jugling tricke indeed with them for he carried them all away with him so that they were never
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
notoriously and fearefully manifested therein that when the holy Ghost would strike a terrour into the most wicked he threateneth them with this like punishment saying The Lord will raine upon each wicked one Fire snares and brimstone for their portion Howbeit this maketh not but that still there are too many such monsters in the World so mightily is it corrupted and depraved neither is it any marvell seeing that divers Bishops of Rome that take upon them to be Christs Vicars and Peters successours are infected with this filthy contagion As namely Pope Iulius the third whose custome was to promote none to Ecclesiasticall livings save only his buggerers Amongst whom was one Innocent whom this holy father contrary to the Suffrages of the whole Colledge would needs make Cardinall nay the unsatiable and monstrous lust of this beastly and stinking goat was so extraordinary that he could not abstaine from many Cardinals themselves Iohn de la Casae a Florentine by birth and by office Archbishop of Benevento and Deane of his Apostaticall chamber was his Legat and Intelligencer in all the Venetian Seigniories a man equall or rather worse then himselfe and such a one as whose memory ought to be accursed of all posterity for that detestable booke which he composed in commendation and praise of Sodomie and was so shamelesse nay rather possessed with some devillish and uncleane spirit as to divulgate it to the view of the world Here you may see poore soules the holinesse of those whom you so much reverence and upon whom you build your beliefe and religion you see their brave and excellent vertues and of what esteeme their lawes and ordinances ought to be amongst you Now touching the end that this holy father made it is declared in the former booke among the ranke of Atheists where we placed him And albeit that he and such like villaines please their owne humours with their abominations and approve and cleare themselves therein yet are they rewarded by death not only by the law of God but also by the law of Iulia. When Charlemaigne reigned in France there happened a most notable judgement of God upon the Monkes of S. Martin in Tours for their disordinate lusts they were men whose food was too much and dainty whose case was too easie and whose pleasures were too immoderate being altogether addicted to pastimes and merriments in their apparell they went clad in silke like great Lords and as Nichol. Gill. in his first Volume of French Chronicles saith their shooes were gilt over with Gold so great was the super fluity of their riches and pride in summe their whole life was luxurious and infamous for which cause there came forth a destroying Angel from the Lord by the report of Budes the Abbot of Clugnie and slew them all in one night as the first born of Aegypt were slaine save one only person that was preserved as Lot in Sodome was preserved This strange accident moved Charlemaigne to appoint a brotherhood of Canons to be in their roome though little better and as little profitable to their Commonwealth as the former It is not for nothing that the law of God forbiddeth to lie with a beast and denounceth death against them that commit this foule sin for there have been such monsters in the world at some times as we reade in Calius and Volaterranus of one Crathes a shepheard that accompanied carnally with a shee Goat but the Buck finding him sleeping offended and provoked with this strange action ran at him so furiously with his hornes that he left him dead upon the ground God that opened an Asses mouth to reprove the madnesse of the false Prophet Balaam and sent Lions to kill the strange inhabitants of Samaria employed also this Buck about his service in executing just vengeance upon a wicked varlet CHAP. XXXV Of the wonderfull evill that ariseth from this greedinesse of lust IT is to good reason that Scripture forbids us to abstain from the lust of the flesh and the eyes which is of the world and the corruption of mans own nature forsomuch as by it we are drawn to evill it being as it were a corrupt root which sendeth forth most bitter sowre and rotten fruit and this hapneth not only when the goods riches of the world are in quest but also when a man hunteth after dishonest and unchaste delights this concupiscence is it that bringeth forth whoredomes adulteries and many other such sinnes whereout spring forth oftentimes flouds of mischiefes and that divers times by the selfe-will and inordinate desire of private and particular persons what did the lawlesse lust of Potiphars Wife bring upon Ioseph Was not his life indangered and his body kept in close prison where he cooled his feet two yeares or more We have a most notable example of the miserable end of a certain woman with the sacking and destruction of a whole City and all caused by her intemperance and unbridled lust About the time that the Emperour Phocas was slain by Priscus one Gysulphus Governour and Chieftain of a Countrey in Lumbardy going out in defence of his Countrey against the Bavarians which were certaine reliques of the Hunnes gave them battell and lost the field and his life withall Now the Conquerours pursuing their victory laid siege to the chief City of his Province where Romilda his Wife made her abode who viewing one day from the wals the young and fair King with yellow curled lockes galloping about the City fell presently so extreamly in love with him that her minde ran of nothing but satisfying her greedy and new conceived lust wherefore burying in oblivion the love of her late husband with her young infants yet living and her Countrey and preferring her owne lust before them all she sent secretly unto him this message That if he would promise to marry her she would deliver up the City into his hands he well pleased with this gentle offer through a desire of obtaining the City which without great bloudshed and losse of men he could not otherwise compasse accepted of it and was received upon this condition within the wals and lest he should seeme too perfidious he performed his promise of marriage and made her his wife for that one night but soone after in scorne and disdaine he gave her up to twelve of his strongest lechers to glut her unquenchable fire and finally nailed her on a gibbet for a finall reward of her treâ—cherous and boundlesse lust Marke well the misery whereinto this wretched woman threw her selfe and not only her selfe but a whole City also by her boiling concupiscence which so dazled her understanding that she could not consider how undecent it was dishonest and inconvenient for a woman to offer her selfe nay to solicite a man that was an enemie a stranger and one that she had never seen before to her bed and that to the utter undoing of her selfe and all hers But even thus
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
were deluded and carried beside themselves by the subtilty of Satan in the yeare 1591 and of the raigne of Queene Elizabeth 3 3 the memory whereof is yet fresh in every mans head and mouth and therefore I will but briefly touch the same Edmund Coppinger and Henry Arthington two gentlemen being associated with one William Hacket sometimes a prophane very leud person but now converted in outward shew though not in inward affection were so seduced by his hypocriticall behaviour and the devils extraordinary devices that from one point to another they came at last to thinke that this Hacket was anointed to be the Judge of the world and therefore comming one day to Hackets lodging in London he told them they had been anointed of the Holy Ghost then Coppinger asked him what his pleasure was to be done Goe your way saith he and proclaim in the citie that Christ Jesus is come with his fanne in his hand to judge the earth and if they will not beleeve it let them come and kill me if they can Then Coppinger answered it should be done forthwith and thereupon like mad-men he and Arthington ran into the streets and proclaimed their message aforesaid and when by reason of the concourse of people they could not proceed any further they got up into two emptie carts in Cheape crying Repent repent for Christ Iesus is come to judge the world and then pulling a paper out of his bosome he read out of it many things touching the office and calling of Hacket how he represented Christ by taking part of his glorified body c. Besides they called themselves his Prophets one of Justice another of Mercy And thus these simple men were strangely deceived by a miraculous illusion of Satan who no doubt by strange apparitions had brought them into this vaine conceit But let us observe the end of it it was thus the whole citie being in amaze tooke Hacket the breeder of this device and arraigning him before the Maior and other Justices found him guiltie as well of this seditious practise as of speaking traiterous words against the Queene wherefore he was shortly after hanged on a gibbet in Cheap-side counterfeiting to his last his old devices and at length uttering horrible blasphemies against the Majestie of God As for his Prophets Coppinger dyed the next day in Bride well and Arthington was kept in prison upon hope of repentance CHAP. XX. Of Hypocrites AS God is a Spirit and Truth so he will be worshipped in truth of spirit and affection and not in hypocrisie and dissimulation for which cause he commandeth us by the mouth of Moses in the sixth and tenth chapters of Deuteronomy To love and honour him with all our heart with all our soule and all our strength which hypocrites are so farre from doing that they have nothing in them but a vaine shew of coined religion and so by that means break the first commandement thinking to bleare Gods eyes with their outward shewes and ceremonies as if he were like men to see nothing but that which is without and offereth it selfe to the view but it is quite contrary for it is he that descryeth the heart and searcheth out all the cornors thereof to see what truth and sinceritie is therein and therefore hateth and detesteth all hypocrisie and abhorreth all such service as is performed onely for fashion sake or in regard of men as appeareth by there proofes and checks which the Prophet Esay denounceth against the hypocrites of his time who made shew of honouring God but it was but with their lips and vaine and frivolous ceremonies not in truth of heart and affection so our Saviour Christ thundred out his curses against the Scribes and Pharisees with the judgements and vengeance of God for their hypocrisie With this sinne was Balaam that wicked Prophet upon whom God bestowed a certaine gift of prophesie infected for when King Balac sent for him to curse the Israelites he made as though he would not enterprise any thing contrary to the will of God as if he had him in great reverence and estimation neverthelesse being allured and enticed by the golden presents which were sent him he despised Gods commandement and discovered his own secret impietie and became an hired slave and enemy to the people of God but as he was in journey towards him there happened a strange and prodigious thing an Angell met him by the way with a naked sword in his hand ready to hew him in pieces whom when he himselfe being blinded with covetousnesse as with a vaile could not perceive â—is asse saw and was afraid and that which was more strange the poore bruit and dumbe beast speaking in a new language like a man reproved his masters madnesse Whereat he being sore amazed and notwithstanding all the asses humbling before the Angell yet pursued his unhappy journey to his eternall shame and confusion as one of an obstinate and heardened heart for he was forced by the Spirit of God to blesse those whom he had purposed to curse and yet further discovering his hypocrisie and envious disposition he was the cause why the Israelites provoked the wrath of God against themselves through the pernicious and deceivable counsell which he gave to the Madianites for which cause he himselfe was in the end slain In this range may we place Geesie Elizeus servant who being as is it were the Disciple and profest follower both of his Masters life and doctrine the true Prophet of God by whom for the further assurance and confirmation of the grace and blessing of God he had seene many notable and excellent miracles wrought yet notwithstanding was not true of heart but drawne aside by desire of lucre that caused him secretly unwitting to his master to ruâ—ne after Naaman the Syrian in his masters name for the money and apparell which his master had before refused and supposing his knavery to be so hidden that it could not come to light God discovered and pulled off his visard and punished as well the deed as the manner of doing hereof upon him and his posteritie with a perpetuall leprosie Saint Luke in the first chapter of the Acts doth at large describe the hypocrisie of Ananias and Saphira who that they might seeme zealous to Godward and charitable toward the Saints having sold a certaine possession under pretence of giving the price thereof among the poore retained covertly a certaine portion of it to their owne use being so impudent as to lye unto the Holy Ghost the President of the Church and founder of all secrets but being attached by the mouth of Peter a just and fearfull judgement of God fell on them both even their sudden death at the Apostles feet one after another Nicephorus telleth of one Philip the first Emperour that undertook the name and profession of Christ but by the report of other writers it proceeded not from any zeale of Religion
information of one Richard Master Parson of Aldington and Edward Bocking Doctor of Divinity a Monke of Canterbury and divers others counterfeited such manner of trances and distortions in her body with the uttering of divers counterfeit vertues and holy words tending to the rebuke of sinne and reproving such new opinions as there began to spread that shee woon great credit amongst the people and drew after her a multitude of favourites besides she would prophecy of things to come as that shee should be helped of her disease by none but the Image of our Lady in Aldington whither being brought she appeared to the people to be suddenly relieved from her sicknesse by meanes of which hypocriticall dissimulation she was brought into marvellous estimation not only with the common people but with divers great men also insomuch that a book was put in print touching her fained miracles and revelations Howbeit not content to delude the people she began also to meddle with the King himself Henry the eight saying That if he proceeded to be divorced from his wife Queene Katherine he should not remaine King one month after and in the reputation of God not one day for which and many other tricks practised by her she with her complices was arraigned of high treason and after confession of all her knavery drawn from the Tower to Tyburne and there hanged the holy maidens head being set upon London bridge and the other on certaine gates of the City The other named la Pucella de Dieu marvellously deluded with her counterfeit hypocrisie Charles the seventh King of France and all the whole French Nation in such sort that so much credit was attributed unto her that she was honoured as a Saint and thought to be sent of God to the aide of the French King By her meanes Orleance was woon from the English and many other exploits atchieved which to be short I will referre the Reader unto the French Chronicles where they shall finde her admirable knavery at large discovered But touching her end it was on this sort as she marched on horsebake to the towne of Champaigne to remove the siedge wherewith it was guirt by the Duke of Burgoine and other of the English Captaines Sir Iohn Leupembrough a Burgonian Knight tooke her alive and conveyed her to the City of Roan where she faigning her selfe with child when the contrary was knowne was condemned and burnt And thus these two holy women that in a diverse kind mocked the people of England and France by their hypocrisie by the justice of God came to deserved destructions CHAP. XXI Of Conjurers and Enchanters IF God by his first Commandement hath enjoyned every one of us to love serve and to cleave unto him alone in the conjuction and unity of a true faith and hope unremovable there is no doubt but he forbiddeth on the other side that which is contrary to this foresaid duty and herein especially that accursed familiarity which divers miserable wretches have with that lying Spirit the Father of errour by whose delusions and subtilty they busie themselves in the study of sorceries and enchantments whereupon it is forbidden the Israelites in the nineteenth of Leviticus to turne after familiar spirits or to seeke to Soothsayers to be defiled by them and the more to withdraw them from this damnable crime in the Chapter following there is a threat set downe against it in manner of a Commandement That if either man or woman have a spirit of divination or soothsaying in them they should dye the death they should stone them to death their bloud should be upon them so in the two and twentieth of Exodus the Law of God saith Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live and Moses following the same steps giveth an expresse charge in the eighteenth of Deuteronomy against this sinne saying Let nonebe found among thee that useth witchcraft nor that regardeth the Clouds or times nor a Sorcerer or a Charmer or that counselleth with a Spirit or a teller of Fortunes or that asketh counsell of the dead for all that doe such things are abhomination unto the Lord. And therefore this sinne 1 Sam. ver 15. is reputed amongst the most hainous and enormous sinnes that can be When they shall say unto you saith the Prophet Enquire at them that have a Spirit of Divination and at the Soothsayer which whispers and murmures answer Should not a people enquire at their God from the living to the dead To the Law and to the Testimony Wherefore it was a commendable thing and worthy imitation when they that had received the Faith by Pauls preaching having used curious Arts as Magicke and such like being touched with the feare of God brought their bookes and burned them before all men although the price thereof amounted to fifty thousand pieces of silver which by Budeus his supputation ariseth to five thousand French Crownes The Councels as that of Carthage and that other of Constantinople kept the second time in the suburbs utterly condemned the practices of all Conjurers and Enchanters The twelve Tables in Rome adjudged to punishments those that bewitched the standing corne And for the Civill Law this kind is condemned both by the Law Iulia and Cornelia In like manner the wisest Emperours those I mean that attained to the honour of Christianity ordained divers Edicts and Prohibitions under very sharp and grievous punishments against all such villany as Constantine in the ninth book of the Cod. tit 18. enacted That whosoever should attempt any action by Art Magicke against the safety of any person or should bring in or stir up any man to make him fall into any mischiefe or riotous demeanour should suffer a grievous punishment in the fifth Law he forbiddeth every man to aske counsell at Witches or to use the helpe of Charmers and Sorcerers under the paine of death Let them saith he in the sixth Law be throwne to wild beasts to be devoured that by conjuring or the helpe of familiar spirits go about to kill either their enemies or any other Moreover in the seventh Law he willeth that not so much as his owne courtiers and servants if they were found faulty in this crime should be spared but severely punished yet neverthelesse many of this age gave themselves over to this filthy sinne without either feare of God or respect of Law some through a foolish and dangerous curiosity others through the overruling of their owne vile and wicked affections and a third sort troubled with the terrours of an evill conscience desire to know what shall besall and happen unto them in the end Thus Saul the first King of Israel being troubled in himselfe and terrified with the army of the Philistims that came against him would needs foreknow his owne fortune and the issue of this doubtfull warre Now whereas before whilest he performed the duty of a good King and obeyed the commandement of God hee had cleansed his Realme
up for their deliverance some grievous punishment befell them for then being without law or government every man did that which seemed good in his owne eyes and so turned aside from the right way Now albeit these examples may seeme to have some affinity with Apostasie yet because the ignorance and rudenesse of the people was rather the cause of their falling away from God than any wilfull affection that raigned in them therefore we place them in this ranke as well as they have bin alwaies brought up and nuzled in Idolatry One of this câ—â—w was Ochosias King of Iuda sonne of Ioram who having before him an evill president of his wicked father and a worse instruction and bringing up of his mother Athaliah who together with the house of Achab pricked him forward to evill joyned himselfe to them and to their Idols and for that cause was wrapped in the same punishment and destruction with Ioram the King of Israel whom Iehu slew together with the Princes of Iuda and many of his neere kinsmen And to be short Idolatry hath been the decay and ruine of the kingdome of Iuda as at all other times so especially under Ioachas sonne of Iosias that raigned not above three moneths in Ierusalem before he was taken and led captive into Aegypt by the King thereof and there died from which time the whole land became tributary to the King of Aegypt And not long after it was utterly destroyed by the forces of Nabuchadnezzar King of Babel that came against Ierusalem and tooke it and carried King Ioachim with his mother his Princes his servants and the treasurers of the Temple and his owne house into Babylon and finally tooke Zedechias that fled away and before his eyes caused his sonnes to be slaine which as soone as he had beheld commanded them also to be pulled out and so binding him in chaines of yron carried him prisoner to Babylon putting all the Princes of Iudah to the sword consuming with fire the Temple with the Kings Palace and all the goodly buildings of Ierusalem And thus the whole kingdome though by an especiall prerogative consecrated and ordained of God himselfe ceased to be a kingdome and came to such an end that it was never re-established by God it is no marvell then if the like hapned to the kingdome of Israel which was after a sort begun and confirmed by the filthy idolatry of Ieroboams calves which as his successors maintained or favoured more or lesse so were they exposed to more or lesse plagues and incumbrances Nadab Ieroboams sonne being nuzled and nurtured up in Idoll worship after the example of his father received a condigne punishment for his iniquity for Baasa the sonne of Ahijah put both him and all the off spring of Ieroboams house to the sword and raigned in his stead who also being no whit better than those whom he had slaine was punished in the person of Ela his sonne whom Zambri also his servant slew And this againe usurping the crowne enjoyed it but seven dayes at the end whereof seeing himselfe in danger in the city of Tirza taken by Amri whom the people had chosen for their King went into the palace of the Kings house and burned himselfe As for Achab he multiplied Idolatry in Israel and committed more wickednesse than all his predecessors wherefore the wrath of God was stretched out against him and his for he himselfe was wounded to death in battell by the Syrians his son Ioram slain by Iehu and threescore and ten of his children put to death in Samaria by their governors and chiefe of the city sending their heads in baskets to Iehu Above all a most notable and manifest example of Gods judgement was seene in the death of Iezabel his wife that had been his spurre and provoker to all mischiefe when by her Eunuchs and most trusty servants at the commandement of Iehu she was throwne downe out of a window and trampled under the horse feet and last of all devoured of dogs Moreover the greatest number of the kings of Israel that succeeded him were murthered one after another so that the kingdome fell to such a low decline that it became first tributary to the King of Assyria and afterward invaded and subverted by him and the inhabitants transported into his land whence they never returned but remained scattered here and there like vagabonds and all for their abhominable Idolatry Which ought to be a lesson to all people Princes and Kings that seeing that God spared not these two Realmes of Iuda and Israel but destroyed and rooted them out from the earth much lesse will he spare any other kingdome and Monarchy which continue by their Images and Idol-worship to stirre up his indignation against them CHAP. XXV Of many evils that have come upon Christendome for Idolatry IF we consider and search out the cause of the ruine of the East Empire and of so many famous and flourishing Churches as were before time in the greatest part of Europe and namely in Greece we shall finde that Idolatry hath been the cause of all for even as it got footing and increase in their dominions so equally did the power of Saracens and Turkish tyranny take root and foundation among them and prospered so well that the rest of the world trembled at the report thereof God having raised and fortified them as before time he had done the Assyrians and Babylonians as whips and scourges to chasten the people and Nations of the world that wickedly had abused his holy Gospel and bearing the name of Christians had become Idolaters for no other name than this can be given them that in devotion doe any manner of homage to Images and pictures whatsoever may superficially be alleadged to the contrary For be it the Image either of Prophet Apostle or Christ Iesus himselfe yet it is necessary that the law of God stand whole and sound which saith Thou shalt make thy selfe no graven Image nor any likenesse of things either in heaven above or in earth beneath thou shalt not how downe to them nor worship them c. Wherefore he performed the part of a good Bishop that finding a vaile spread in the entrance of a Church dore wherein the Image of Christ or of some other Saint was pictured rent it in pieces with these words That it was against the authority of the sacred Scriptures to have any Image of Christ set up in the Church After the same manner Serenus Bishop of Marscilla beat downe and banished all Images out of his Churches as occasions of Idolatry and to shun them the more it was ordained in the Elibertine Councell that no Image nor picture should be set up in any Church for which cause also the Emperour Leo the third by an open Edict commanded his subjects to cast out of their Temples all pictures and statues of Saints Angels and whatsoever else to the intent that all occasions of Idolatry might be
those Truce-breaking Varlets He had scarce ended these speeches but the Christians battell and courage began to rebate Vladislaus himselfe was slaine by the Iâ—nizaries his horse being first hurt his whole Army was discomfited and all his people put to the sword saving a few that fled amongst whom was the right reverend Embassador of the Pope who as soone as he had thrust in over the eares withdrew himselfe forsooth farre enough from blowes or danger Then followed a horrible butchery of people and a lamentable noyse of poore soules ready to be slaughtered for they spared none but haled them miserably in pieces and executed a just and rigorous judgement of God for that vile treachery and perjury which was committed CHAP. XXVIII More examples of the like subject BVt let us adde a few more examples of fresher memory as touching this ungodly Perjury And first King Philip of Macedony who never made reckoning of keeping his oathes but swore and unswore them at his pleasure and for his commodity doubtlesse it was one of the chiefest causes why he and his whole Progeny came quickly to destruction as testifieth Pausanias for hee himselfe being 46 yeeres old was slaine by one of his owne servants after which Olympias his wife made away two of his sonnes Anideus and another which he had by Cleopatra Attalus his neece whom she sod to death in a Cauldron his daughter Thessalonicaes children likewise all perished and lastly Alexander after all his great victories in the middest of his pompe was poysoned at Babylon Gregorie Tours maketh mention of a wicked Varlet in France among the people called Averni that forswearing himselfe in an unjust cause had his tongue so presently tyed that he could not speake but roare and so continued till by his earnest prayers and repentance the Lord restored to himselfe the use of that unruly member There were in old time certaine people of Italy called Aequi whereof the memory remaineth onely at this day for they were utterly destroyed by Q. Cincinnatus These having solemnely made a league with the Romanes and sworne unto it with one consent afterward chose Gracchus Cluilius for their Captaine and under his conduct spoyled the Fields and Territories of the Romanes contrary to the former league and oath Wherupon the Romans sent Q. Fabius P. Volumnius and A. Posthumius Embassadors to them to complaine of their wrongs and demand satisfaction but their Captaine so little esteemed them that he bad them deliver their message to an Oake standing thereby whilest hee attended other businesse Then one of the three turning himselfe towards the Oake spake on this manner Thou hallowed oake and whatsoever else belongeth to the gods in this place heare and beare witnes of this disloyall part and favor our iust complaints that with the assistance of the gods wee may bee revenged on this injury This done they returned home and shortly after gathering a power of men set upon and over came that truce-breaking Nation In the yeer of Rome built 317 the Fidenates revolted from the friendship and league of the Romans to Toluminus the king of the Veyans and adding cruelty to treason killed foure of their embassadours that came to know the cause of their defection which disloyalty the Romans not brooking undertooke war against them and notwithstanding all their private and forrein strength overthrew and slew them In this battell it is said that a Tribune of the souldiers seeing Toluminus bravely galloping up and down and incouraging his souldiers and the Romans trembling at his approch said Is this the breaker of leagues and violater of the law of nations If there be any holinesse on earth my sword shall sacrifice him to the soules of our slaine embassadours and therewithall setting spurres to his horse he unhorst him and fastening him to the earth with his speare cut off his perfidious head whereat his army dismaied retired and became a slaughter to the enemies Albertus Duke of Franconia having slaine Conrade the Earle of Lotharingia brother to Lewis the fourth then Emperor and finding the Emperors wrath incensed against him for the same betooke himselfe to a strong castle at Bamberg from whence the Emperour neither by force nor policie could remove him for seven yeares space untill Atto the Bishop of Mentz by trecherie delivered him into his hands This Atto under shew of friendship repaired to the castle and gave his faith unto the earle that if he would come downe to parle with the Emperor he should safely return into his hold the Earle mistrusting no fraud went out of the castle gates with the Bishop towards the Emperour but Atto as it were suddenly remembring himselfe when indeed it was his devised plot desireth to returne back and dine ere he went because it was somewhat late so they do dine and returne Now the Earle was no sooner come to the Emperor but he caused to be presently put to death notwithstanding he urged the Bishops promise and oath for his returne for it was answered that his oath was quit by returning backe to dine as he had promised And thus the Earle was wickedly betrayed though justly punished As for Atto the subtill traitor indeed he possessod himselfe by this meanes of the Earles lands but withall the justice of God seised upon him for within a while after he was stricken with a thunderbolt and as some say carried into mount Aetna with this noyse Sicpeccatalues atque ruendorues Cleomenes King of Lacedemonia making warre upon the Argives surprised them by this subtilty he tooke truce with them for seven dayes and the third night whilest they lay secure and unwarie in their truce he oppressed them with a great slaughter saying to excuse his trecherie though no excuse could cleare him from the shame thereof that the truce which he made was for seven dayes onely without any mention of nights howbeit for all this it prospered not so well with him as he wished for the Argie vwomen their husbands slaine tooke armes like Amasons Tolesilla being their captainesse and compassing the citie walls repelled Cleomenes halfe amased with the strangenesse of the sight After which he was banished into Aegypt and there miserably and desperatly slew himselfe The Pope of Rome with all his heard of Bishops opposed himselfe against the Emperor Henry the fourth for he banished him by excommunication from the society of the Catholike Church discharged his subjects from the oath of fealty and sent a crowne of gold to Rodolph king of Suevia to canonize him Emperor the crowne had this inscription Petra dedit Petro Petrus diadema Rodulpho that is The Rocke gave unto Peter and Peter gave unto Rodolph the crown Notwithstanding Rodolph remembring his oath to the Emperour and how vile a part it was to betray him whom he had sworne to obey and defend at first refused the Popes offer howbeit by the persuasion of the Bishops sophistrie he was induced to undertake the
him to prison but the two unknowne witnesses who were indeed two fiends of hell began to say you shall not need for we are sent to punish his wickednesse and so saying they hoisted him up into the ayre where he vanished with them and was never after found In the yeare of our Lord 1055 Goodwine Earle of Kent sitting at the table with King Edward of England it happened that one of the cupbearers stumbled and yet fell not whereat Goodwine laughing said That if one brother had not holpen another meaning his legs all the wine had been spilt with which words the King calling to mind his brothers death which was slaine by Goodwine answered So should my brother Alphred have holpen me had not Goodwine been then Goodwine fearing the Kings new kindled displeasure excused himselfe with many words and at last eating a morsell of bread wished it might choke him if he were not guiltlesse of Alphreds bloud But he swore falsly as the judgement of God declared for he was forthwith choaked in the presence of the King ere he removed one foot from that place though there be some say he recovered life againe Long time after this in the raigne of Queene Elizabeth there was in the city of London one Anne Averies widow who forswore her selfe for a little money that she should have paid for six pounds of tow at a shop in Woodstreet for which cause being suddenly surprised with the justice of God shee fell downe speechlesse forthwith and cast up at her mouth in great abundance and with horrible stinke that matter which by natures course should have been voided downewards and so died to the terrour of all perjured and forsworne wretches There are in histories many more examples to be found of this hurtfull and pernitious sin exercised by one nation towards another and one man towards another in most prophane and villanous sort neither shaming to be accounted forsworne nor consequently fearing to displease God and his majesty But forasmuch as when we come to speak of murtherers in the next book we shall have occasion to speake of them more or of such like I will referre the handling thereof unto that place onely this let every man learne by that which hath been spoken to be sound and fraudlesse and to keep his faith and promise towards all men if for no other cause yet for feare of God who leaveth not this sin unpunished nor holdeth them guiltlesse that thus taketh his name in vaine CHAP. XXIX Of Blasphemers AS touching Blasphemy it was a most grievous and enormous sin and contrary to this third Commanmandement when a man is so wretched and miseble as to pronounce presumptuous speeches against God whereby his name is slandered and evill spoken of which sinne cannot chuse but be sharply and severely punished for if so be that God holdeth not him guiltles that doth but take his name in vain must he not needs abhor him that blasphemeth his Name See how meritoriously that wicked and perverse wretch that blasphemed and murdered as it were the name of God among the people of Israel in the desart was punished he was taken put in prison and condemned and speedily stoned to death by the whole multitude and upon that occasion as evill manners evermore begat good lawes the Lord instituted a perpetuall law and decree that every one that should blaspheme and curse God of what estate or degree soever should be stoned to death in token of detestation which sentence if it might now adaies stand in force there would not raign so many miserable blasphemers and deniers of God as the world is now filled and infected with It was also ordained by a new law of Iustinian That blasphemies should be severely punished by the judges and magistrates of Commonweales but such is the corruption and misery of this age that those men that ought to correct others for such speeches are oftentimes worst themselves and there are that thinke that they cannot be sufficiently feared and awed of men except by horrible bannings and swearings they despight and maugre God nay it is further come to that passe that in some places to swearc and ban be the markes and ensignes of a Catholike and they are best welcome that can blaspheme most How much then is that good King Saint Lewis of France to be commended who especially discharged all his subjects from swearing and blaspheming within his realm insomuch that when he heard a nobleman blaspheme God most cruelly he caused him to be laid hold on and his lips to bee slit with an hot yron saying hee must be content to endure that punishment seeing he purposed to banish oathes out of his kingdome Now wee call blasphemy according to the Scripture phrase every word that derogateth either from the bounty mercy justice eternity and soveraigne power of God Of this sort was that blasphemous speech of one of King Iorams Princes who at the time of the great famine in Samaria when it was besieged by the Syrians hearing Elizeus the Prophet say that the next morrow there should be plenty of victuals and good cheap rejected this promise of God made by his Prophet saying that it was impossible as if God were either a lyar or not able to performe what he would for this cause this unbeleeving blasphemer received the same day a deserved punishment for his blasphemy for he was troden to death in the gate of the city under the feet of the multitude that went out into the Syrians campe forsaken and left desolate by them through a feare which the Lord sent among them Senaccherib King of Assyria after he had obtained many victories and â—â—odued much people under him and also layd siege to Ierusalem became â—â—proud and arrogant as by his servants mouth to revile and blaspheme the living God speaking no otherwise of him than of some strange idoll and one that had no power to help and deliver those that trusted in him for which blasphemies he soone after felt a just vengeance of God upon himselfe and his people for although in mans eyes he seemed to be without the reach of danger seeing he was not assayled but did assayle and was guarded with so mighty an army that assured him to make him lord of Ierusalem in short space yet the Lord overthrew his power and destroyed of his men in one night by the hand of his Angell 185 thousand men so that he was faine to raise his siege and returne into his owne kingdome where finally he was slaine by his owne sons as he was worshipping on his knees in the temple of his god In the time of the Machabees those men that were in the strong hold called Gazara fighting against the Iewes trusting to the strength of the place wherein they were uttered forth most infamous speeches against God but ere long their blasphemous mouths were encountred by a condigne punishment for the first day of
but himselfe no man could ever after set eye on The magistrate advertised hereof came to the place where he was taken to be better informed of the truth taking the witnesse of the two women touching that which they had seene Here may wee see the strange and terrible events of Gods just vengeance upon such vile caitifes which doubtlesse are made manifest to strike a feare and terrour into the heart of every swearer and denier of God the world being but too full at this day of such wretches that are so inspired with Satan that they cannot speake but they must name him even him that is both an enemy to God and man and like a roaring lion runneth and roveth too and fro to devoure them not seeking any thing but mans destruction And yet when any paine assaileth them or any trouble disquieteth their minds or any danger threateneth to oppresse their bodies desperately they call upon him for aid when indeed it were more needfull to commend themselves to God and to pray for his grace and assistance having both a commandement so to doe and a promise adjoyned that he will help us in our necessities if we come unto him by true and hearty prayer It is not therefore without just cause that God hath propounded and laid open in this corrupt age a Theatre of his Iudgements that every man might be warned thereby CHAP. XXXI More examples of Gods Iudgements upon Cursers BVt before we goe to the next commandement wee will adjoyne a few more examples of this devillish cursing Martin Luther hath left registred unto us a notable example showne upon a popish priest that was once a professor of the sincere religion and fell away voluntarily unto Papisme whereof Adam Budissina was the reporter This man thundred out most bitter curses against Luther in the pulpit at a town called Ruthnerwald and amongst the rest wished that if Luthers doctrine were true a thunderbolt might strike him to death Now three dayes after there arose a mighty tempest with thunder and lightening whereat the cursed Priest bearing in himselfe a guilty conscience for that hee had untruly and malitiously spoken ranne hastily into the Church and there fell to his prayers before the Altar most devoutly but the vengeance of God found him out and his hypocrisie so that he was stroken dead with the lightening and albeit they recovered life in him againe yet as they led him homewards through the Church-yard another flâ—sh so set upon him that he was burnt from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foot as blacke as a shoo so that he died with a manifest marke of Gods vengeance upon him Theodorus Beza reporteth unto us two notable histories of his owne knowledge of the severity of Gods judgment upon a curser and a perjurer the tenor whereof is this I knew said he in France a man of good parts well instructed in Religion and a master of a Familie who in his anger cursing and bidding the Divell take one of his children had presently his wish for the childe was possessed immediatly with a Spirit from which though by the servent and continuall prayers of the Church he was at length released yet ere he had fully recovered his health he died The like we read to have happened to a woman whom her husband in anger devoted with bitter curses to the Divell for Sathan assaulted her persently and robbed her of her wits so that she could never be recovered Another example saith he happened not far hence even in this country upon a perjurer that forswore him selfe to the end to deceive and prejudice another thereby but he had no sooner made an end of his false oath but a grievous Apoplexy assailed him so that without speaking of any one word he dyed within few dayes In the yere of our Lord 1557 the day before good fryday at Forchenum a city in the Bishopricke of Bamburg there was a certaine crooked Priest both in body and minde through age and evill conditions that could not go but upon crutches yet would needs be lifted into the pulpit to make a Sermon his text was out of the 11 chap. of the first Epistle to the Corinthians touching the Lords Supper whereout taking occasion to defend the Papisticall errours and the Masse hee used these or such like blasphemous speeches O Paul Paul if thy doctrine touching the receiving of the Sacrament in both kinds be true and if it be a wicked thing to receive it otherwise then would the divell might take me and turning to the people if the Popes doctrine concerning this point be not true then am I the divels bondslaue neither do I feare to pawne my soule upon it These and many other blasphemous words he used till the Divell came indeed transformed into the shape of a tall man blacke and terrible sending before him such a fearefull noyse and such a wind that the people supposed that the Church would have fallen on their heads but he not able to hurt the rest tooke away the old Priest being his devoted bondslave and carried him so far that he was never heard of The bishop of Rugenstines brother hardly escaped his hands for he came back to fetch him but he defending himself with his sword wounded his owne body and very narrowly escaped with his life Beside after this there were many visions seene about the citie as armies of men ready to enter and surprise them so that well was he that could hide himselfe in a corner At another time after the like noyse was heard in the Church whilst they were baptising an infant and all this for the abhominable cursing and blasphemy of the prophane Priest In the yeare of our Lorld 1556 at S. Gallus in Helvetia a certaine man that earned his living by making cleane rough and soule linnen against the Sun entering a taverne tasted so much the grape that he vomited out terrible curses against himselfe and others amongst the rest he wished if ever he went into the fields to his old occupation that the divell might come and breake his necke but when sleepe had conquered drinke and sobriety restored his sences he went again to his trade remembring indeed his late words but regarding them not howbeit the Divell to shew his double diligence attended on him at his appointed houre in the likenesse of a big swarthy man and asked him if he remembred his promise and vow which he had made the day before and if it were not lawfull for him to breake his necke and withall stroke the poore man trembling with feare over the shoulders that his feet and his hands presently dried up so that he lay there not able to stir till by help of men he was carried home the Lord not giving the Devill so much power over him as he wished himselfe but yet permitting him to plague him on this sort for his amendment and our example Henry Earle of Schwartburg through a
in the field hacked and hewed of his enemies carried on horsebacke dead his haire in despight torne and tugged like a dog besides the inward torments of his guilty conscience were more than all the rest for it is most certainly reported That after this abhominable deed hee never had quiet in his minde when he went abroad his eye whirled about his body was privily fenced his hand ever upon his dagger his countenance and manner like one alwaies ready to strike his sleep short and unquiet full of fearefull dreames insomuch that he would often suddenly start up and leap out of his bed and runne about his chamber his restlesse conscience was so continually tossed and tumbled with the tedious impression of that abhominable murther CHAP. V. Of such as rebelled against their Superiors because of Subsidies and Taxes imposed upon them AS it is not lawfull for children to rebell against their parents though they be cruell and unnaturall so also it is as unlawfull for subjects to withstand their Princes and Governors though they be somewhat grievous and burthensome unto them which we affirme not to the end that it should be licensed to them to exercise all manner of rigour and unmeasurable oppression upon their subjects as shall be declared hereafter more at large but we entreat onely here of their duties which are in subjection to the power of other men whose authority they ought in no wise to resist unlesse they oppose themselves against the ordinance of God Therefore this position is true by the word of God That no subject ought by force to shake off the yoke of subjection and obedience due unto his Prince or exempt himselfe from any taxe or contribution which by publicke authority is imposed Give saith the Apostle tribute to whom tribute belongeth custome to whom custome pertaineth feare to whom feare is due and honour to whom honour is owing And generally in all actions wherein the commodities of this life though with some oppression and grievance and not the Religion and service of God nor the conscience about the same is called into question we ought with all patience to endure whatsoever burthen or charge is laid upon us without moving any troubles or shewing any discontentments for the same for they that have otherwise behaved themselves these examples following will shew how well they have been appaied for their misdemeanors In the yeare of our Lord 1304 after that Guy Earle of Flanders having rebelled against Philip the Faire his Soveraigne was by strength of armes reduced into subjection and constrained to deliver himselfe and his two sons prisoners into his hands the Flemings made an insurrection against the Kings part because of a certain taxe which he had set upon their ships that arrived at certaine havens and upon this occasion great warre divers battels and sundry overthrowes on each side grew but so that at last the King remained conqueror and the Flemings for a reward of their rebellion lost in the battell six and thirty thousand men that were slaine beside a great number that were taken prisoners Two yeares after this Flemmish stirre there arose a great commotion and hurly burly of the rascall and basest sort of people at Paris because of the alteration of their coines who being not satisfied with the pillage and spoilage of their houses whom they supposed to be either causes of the said alteration or by counsell or other meanes any furtherers thereunto came in great troupes before the Kings Palace at his lodging in the Temple with such an hideous noise and outrage that all the day after neither the King nor any of his officers durst once stir over the threshold nay they grew to that overflow of pride and insolency that the victuals which were provided for the Kings diet and carried to him were by them shamefully throwne under feet in the dirt and trampled upon in despight and disdaine But three or foure daies after this tumult was appeased many of them for their pains were hanged before their own doores and in the city gates to the number of eight and twenty persons In the raigne of Charles the sixth the Parisians by reason of a certaine taxe which he minded to lay upon them banded themselves and conspired together against him they determined once saith Froissard to have beaten downe Loure and S. Vincents castle and all the houses of defence about Paris that they might not be offensive to them But the King though young in yeares handled them so ripe and handsomely that having taken away from them their armor the city gates and chaines of the streets and locked up their weapons in S. Vincents castle hee dealt with them as pleased him And thus their pride being quashed many of them were executed and put to death As also for the like rebellion were at Troyes Orlean Chalon Sens and Rhemes About the same time the Flandrians and especially the inhabitants of Gaunt wrought much trouble against Lewis the Earle of Flanders for divers taxes and tributes which he had layd upon them which they in no respect would yeeld unto The matter came to be decided by blowes and much bloud was shed and many losses endured on both sides as a meanes appointed of God to chastise as well the one as the other The Gaunts being no more in number than five or six thousand men overthrew the Earles army consisting of forty thousand and in pursuit of their victory tooke Bruges whither the Earle was gone for safety and lying in a poore womans house was constrained in the habit of a beggar to fly the City And thus he fared till King Charles the sixth sent an army of men to his succor for he was his subject by whose support he overcame those Rebels in a battell fought at Rose Bec to the number of forty thousand and the body of their chiefetaine Philip Artevil slaine in the throng he caused to be hanged on a tree And this was the end of that cruell Tragedy the countrey being brought againe into the obedience of their old Lord. A while before this whilest King Iohn was held prisoner in England there arose a great commotion of the common people in France against the nobility and gentry of the realme that oppressed them this tumult began but with an hundred men that were gathered together in the countrey of Beauvoisin but that small handfull grew right quickly to an armfull â—â—on to nine thousand that ranged and robbed throughout all Brie along by the river Marne to Laonoise and all about Soissons armed with great bats shod with yron an headlesse crue without Governour fully purposing to bring to ruine the whole nobility In this disorder they wrought much mischiefe broke up many houses and castles murthered many Lords so that divers Ladies and Knights as the Duchesses of Normandy Orleance were fain to fly for safegard to Meaux whither when these Rebels would needs pursue them they
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
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
heathen that they that hated them were lords over them In the yeare of our Lord 1551 in a town of Hassia called Weidenhasten The twentieth day of November a cruell mother inspired with Satan shut up all her doores and began to murder her four children on this manner shee snatcht up ā sharpe axe and first set upon her eldest son being but eight yeares old searching him out with a candle behinde a hogs-head where he hid himselfe and presently notwithstanding his pitifull praiers and complaints clave his head in two pieces and chopped off both his armes Next shee killed her daughter of five yeares old after the same manner another little boy of three yeares of age seeing his mothers madnesse hid himselfe poore infant behinde the gate whom as soone as the Tygre espied shee drew out by the haire of the head into the floore and there cut off his head the yongest lay crying in the cradle but halfe a yeare old him she without all compassion pluckt out and murdered in like sort These murders being finished the Diuell incarnate for certaine no womanly nature was left in her to take punishment of her selfe for the same cut her owne throat and albeit she survived nine dayes and confessing her fault dyed with teares and repentance yet we see how it pleased God to arme her own hands against her selfe as the fittest executioners of vengeance The like tragicall accident we reade to have happened at Cutzenborff a City in Silesia in the yeare 1536 to a woman and her three children who having slain them all in her husbands absence killed her selfe in like manner also to make up the tragedy Concerning stepmothers it is a world to reade how many horrible murders they have usually practised upon their children in law to the end to bring the inheritance to their own brood or at least to revenge some injury supposed to be done unto them of which one or two examples I will subnect as a taste out of many hundred leaving the residue to the judgment and reading of the Learned Constantius the son of Heraclius having raigned Emperour but one yeere was poysoned by his stepmother Martina to the end to install her own son Heraclon in the Crown but for this cruell part becomming odious to the Senat they so much hated to have her or her son raigne over them that in stead thereof they cut off her tongue and his nose and so banished them the City Fausta the wife of Constantine the great fell in love with Constantine her sonne in Law begotten upon a Concubine whom when shee could not perswade unto her lust she accused unto the Emperour as a solicitor of her chastity for which cause he was condemned to die but after the truth knowne Constantine put her into a hot bath and suffered her not to come forth untill the heat had choaked her revenging upon her head her sonnes death and her owne unchastity CHAP. XIIII Of Subject Murtherers SEeing then they that take away their neighbours lives doe not escape unpunished as by the former examples it appeareth it must needs follow that if they to whom the sword of Justice is committed of God to represse wrongs and chastise vices do give over themselves to cruelties and to kill and slay those whom they ought in duty to protect and defend must receive a greater measure of punishment according to the measure and quality of their offence Such an one was Saul the first king of Israel who albeit he ought to have beene sufficiently instructed out of the law of God in his duty in this behalfe yet was hee so cruell and bloody-minded as contrary to all Justice to put to death Abimelech the high Priest with fourescore and five other Priests of the family of his father onely for receiving David into his house a small or rather no offence And yet not satisfied therewith he vomited out his rage also against the whole city of the Priests and put to the mercilesse sword both man woman and child without sparing any He slew many of the Gibeonites who though they were reliques of the Amorites that first inhabited that land yet because they were received into league of amity by a solemne oath and permitted of long continuance to dwell amongst them should not have beene awarded as enemies nor handled after so cruell a fashion Thus therefore hee tyrannizing and playing the Butcher amongst his own subjects for which cause his house was called the house of slaughter and practising many other foule enormities he was at the last overcome of the Philistims and sore wounded which when he saw fearing to fall alive into his enemies hands and not finding any of his owne men that would lay their hands upon him desperately slew himselfe The same day three of his sons and they that followed him of his owne houshould were all slaine The Philistims the next day finding his dead body dispoyled among the carkasses beheaded it and carried the head in triumph to the temple of their god and hung up the trunke in disgrace in one of their Cities to be seene lookt upon and pointed at And yet for all this was not the fire of Gods wrath quenched for in King Davids time there arose a famine that lasted three yeeres the cause thereof was declared by God to be the murder which Saul committed upon the Gibeonites wherefore David delivered Sauls seven sons into the Gibeonites hands that were left who put them to the most shamefull death that is even to hanging Amongst all the sins of King Achab and Iezabel which were many and great the murder of Naboth standeth in the fore front for though hee had committed no such crime as might any way deserve death yet by the subtill and wicked devise of Iezabel foolish and credulous consent of Achab and false accusation of the two suborned witnesses he was cruelly stoned to death but his innocent blood was punished first in Achab who not long after the Warre which he made with the King of Syria received so deadly a wound that he dyed thereof the dogs licking up his blood in the same place where Naboths blood was licked according to the foretelling of Elias the Prophet And secondly of Iezabel whom her own servants at the commandement of Iehu whom God had made executor of his wrath threw headlong out of an highwindow unto the ground so that the wals were dyed with her blood and the horses trampled her under their feet and dogs devoured her flesh till of all her dainty body there remained nothing saving onely her skull feet and palme of her hands Ioram sonne of Iehosaphat King of Judah being after his fathers death possessed of the Crowne and Scepter of Judah by and by exalted himselfe in tyranny and put to death sixe of his owne brethren all younger than himselfe with many Princes of the Realme for which cause God stirred up the Edomites to rebell the Philistines and
any good end but ever some notable judgement or other fell upon them CHAP. XV. Of those that are both cruell and disloyall NOw if it be a thing so unworthy and evill beseeming a Prince as nothing more to be stayned with the note of cruelty how much more dishonourable is it when with cruelty disloyalty and falshood is coupled and when he is not ashamed not onely to play the Tyran but also the traitour dissembler and hypocrite to the end hee may more freely poure out the â—ome of his rage against those that put confidence in him This is one of the foulest and vilest blots that can be wherewith the honour and reputation of a man is not onely stayned but blasted and blotted out not ever to be recovered for what perswasion can one have of such Or who is so fond as to put affiance in them This was one of the notorious vices of King Saul when maligning the prosperity of David he cunningly promoted him to be Generall of his Army and married him to one of his daughters to this end that by exposing him to the hazards perils of warre he might bring him to speedy destruction seeking besides other unlawfull means to put him to death by but what was the end of this unjust murderer we have declared in the former Chapter But above all that by treason and deceit made way unto their cruelty the Emperour Antonius surnamed Caracalla was the chiefe who to revenge himselfe more at full upon the Citizens of Alexandria in Aegypt feyned as if he would come see their City built by Alexander and receive an Oracle from their god Which when he approached neere unto the Alexandrians prepared to entertain him most honourably and being entred he went first to visite their Temples where to cast more colours upon his treachery hee offered many sacrifices in the mean while perceiving the people gathered together from all quarters to bid him welcome finding opportunity fitting his wicked and traiterous enterprise he gave commandement that all the young men of the Citie should assemble together at one place saying That hee would acquaint them to range themselves in battell after the manner of the Macedonians in honour of King Alexander But whilest they thus assembled together in mirth and bravery hee making as though he would bring them in array by going up and down amongst them and holding them in talke his army enclosed them on all sides then with drawing himselfe with Kis guard he gave the watch-word that they should rush upon them which was performed with such outrage that the poor credulous people being surprised at unawares were all most cruelly massacred There might you see the most horrible barbarous and incredible butchery of men that ever was heard of for besides those that were actors in this bloody tragedy there were others that drew the slaine bodies into great ditches and very often haled in them that were scarce dead yea and sometimes that were altogether alive which was the cause that divers souldiers perished at the same time when those that having some strength of life left being haled to the ditch held so fast by the halers that divers times both fell in together The bloud that was shed at this massacre was so much that the mouth of the River Nilus and the sea shore were died with the streams thereof that ran downe by smaller Rivers into those plain places Furthermore being desirous to obtain a victory over the Parthians that he might get himselfe fame and reputation thereby he passed not at what rate he bought it he sent therefore Embassadours with Letters and Presents to the King of Parthia to demand his daughter in marriage though he never intended any such thing and being non-suted at the first with a deniall yet pursued he his counterfeit purpose with much earnestnes and with solemne Oath protested his singular good affection and love that he bore unto her so that in the end the match was condescended unto by all parties whereof the Parthian people were not a little glad in hope of so durable a peace which by this marriage was like to be established betwixt them The King therefore with all his subjects being ready to entertain this new Bridegroom went out with one consent to meet him in the mid-way their encounter was in a fair plain where the Parthians having sent backe their horses being unarmed and prepared not for a day of battle but of marriage and disport gave him the most honourable welcome they could but the wicked varlet finding opportunity so fit set his armed souldiers upon the naked multitude and hewed in pieces the most part of them and had not the King with a few followers bestirred him well he had been served with the like sauce After which worthy exploit and bloudy stratagem he took his voyage backeward burning and spoiling the townes and villages as he went till he arrived at Charam a City in Mesopotamia where making his abode a while he had a fancy to walke one day into the fields and going apart from his company to unburden nature attended upon by one onely servant as he was putting downe his breeches another of his company ran in and strucke him through with his dagger Thus God blessed the World by taking out of it this wicked Tyran who by treason and treachery had spilt so much innocent bloud Seturus Galba another bird of the same feather exercised no lesse perfidious cruelty upon the people of three Cities in Lusitania for hee assembled them together in colour of providing for their common affaires but when hee had gotten them into his hands unarmed and weaponlesse he took nine thousand of the flower of their youth and partly committed them to the sword and partly sold them for bondslaves The disloyall and treacherous dealing of Stilico towards the Gothes how dear it cost him and all Italie beside Histories do sufficiently testifie for it fell out that the Gothes under the conduct of Allaricus entered Italie with a puissant and fearfull Army to know the cause why the Emperor Honorius with-held the pension which by vertue of a league and in recompence of their aid to the Empire in time of war was due unto them which by riper judgement and deliberation of the Councell was quieted and to preserve their Countrey from so imminent a tempest offer was made unto them of the Spaniards and French-men if they could recover them out of the hands of the Vandales which usurped over them so that incontinently they should take their journey over the Alpes towards them and depart their Coasts Which offer and gift the Gothes accepting did accordingly fulfill the condition and passed away without commiting any riot or any damages in their passages But as they were upon mount Cinis making toward France behold Stilico Honorius his father in law a man of a stirring stubborne and rash spirit pursueth and chargeth them with battell unawares and
in many witnesseth they are intolerable in that kinde for which cause they have borâ—â— the markes of Gods Justice for their rigorous and barbarous handling of the poor West Indians whom they have brought to that extremity by putting them to such excessive travels in digging their mines of Gold as namely in the island Hispagnola that the most part by sighes and teares wish by death to end their miseries many first killing their children have desperately hung themselves on high trees some have throwne themselves headlong from steep mountaines and others cast themselves into the sea to be rid of their troubles but the Tyrans have never escaped scot-free but came alwayes to some miserable end or other for some of them were destroyed by the inhabitants others slew one another with their owne hands provoked by insatiable avarice some have been drowned in the sea and others starved in the Desart in fine few escaped unpunished Bombadilla one of the Governours of Hispagnola after he had swayed there a while and enriched himselfe by the sweat and charge of the inhabitants was called home again into Spain whitherward according to the commandment received as he imbarqued himselfe shipping with him so much treasure as in value mounted to more than an hundred and fifty thousand duckats beside many pieces and graines of Gold which he carried to the Spanish Queen for a Present whereof one weighed three thousand duckats there arose such a horrible and outragious tempest in the broad sea and beat so violently against his ships that four and twenty vessels were shivered in pieces and drowned at that blow there perished Bombadilla himselfe with most of his Captaines and more than five hundred Spaniards that thought to returne full rich into the Country and became with all their treasures a prey unto the fishes In the year of our Lord 1541. The eight day of September there chanced in the City Guatimala which lyeth in the way from Nicaragna Westward a strange and admirable judgement After the death of Alvarado who subdued this province and founded the City and was but a little before slain in fight it rained so strangely and vehemently all this whole day and night that of a sudden so huge a deluge and floud of waters overflowed the earth streaming from the bottom of the mountains into the lower grounds with such violence that stones of incredible bignesse were carried with it which tumbling strongly downewards bruised and burst in pieces whatsoever was in their way In the mean while there was heard in the air fearfull cries and voices and a blacke Cow was seen running up and downe in the midst of the water that did much hurt The first house that was Overthrowne by this tempest was dead Alvarado's wherein his widow a very proud woman that held the Government of the whole Province in her hand and had before despited God for her husbands death was slain with all her houshold and in a moment the Citie was either drowned or subverted there perished in this tempest of men and women sixscore persons but they that at the beginning of the floud â—ted saved their lives The morrow after the waters were surceased one might see the poor Spaniards lie along the fields some maimed in their bodies other with broken armes or legs or otherwise miserably wounded And thus did God revenge the monstrous Spanish cruelties exercised upon those poor people whom instead of inâ—icing by fair and gentle meanes to the knowledge of the true God and his Son Christ they terrified by extraordinary tyranny for such is the Spanish nature making them thinke that Christians were the cruellest and most wicked men of the earth In the year of our Lord 1514. happened the horrible sedition and butchery of the Croysadoes in Hungary the story is this There was a generall discontent amongst the people against the King and chiefest of the Realme because they went not about to conquer those places again from the Turke which he held in Hungary Thereupon the Popes Legate published Pardons for all those that would crosse themselves to go to war against the Turke Whereupon suddenly there gathered together a wonderfull company of thieves and robbers from every corner of Hungary who together with great multitudes of the common people that were oppressed by the insolency of the Nobility creating themselves a Generall committed a most horrible spoil almost over all Hungary murdering all the Gentlemen and Bishops they could meet withall the richest and those which were noblest descended they empailed alive This cruell rage continuing at last the King raised Forces against them and ere long they were defeated in a set battle by Iohn the son of Vayvod Stephen who having cut the most of them in pieces took their Leaders and put them to death by such strange torments as I have horrour to remember for the Generall of this seditious troop called George he caused to be stript naked and a Crowne of hot burning iron to be set upon his head then some of his veines to be opened and made Lucatius his brother to drinke the bloud which issued out of them After that the chiefest of the Peasants who had been kept three dayes without meat were brought forth and forced to fall up on the body of George yet breathing with their teeth and every one to tear away and eat a piece of it Thus he being torne in pieces his bowels were pulled out and cut into morsels whereof some being boyled and the rest roasted the Prisoners were constrained to feed on them which done all that remained were put to most horrible and languishing deaths An example of greater cruelty can hardly be found since the world was a world and therefore no marvell if the Lord hath punished the King and Realme of Hungary for such strange cruelties by suffering the cruell Turkes to make spoil of them Cruell chastisements are prepared for them that be cruell and inhumane During the Peasants war in Germany in the year 1525. a certain Gentleman not content to have massacred a great number even of those which had humbly craved pardon of him used in all company to glory of his exploits and to tell what murders and thefts he had committed But some moneths after he fell sicke and languished many dayes of an extreme pain in the reines of his back through the torment whereof he fell into despair and ceased not to curse and deny his Creatour who is blessed for ever untill that both speech and life failed him Neither did the severity of Gods justice here stay but shewed it selfe on his posterity also for his eldest son seeking to exalt the prowesse and valour of his father vaunted much of his fathers exploits in an open assembly at a banquet wherewithall a countriman being moved stabbed him to the heart with his dagger and some few dayes after the Plague fals among the residue of his Family and consumeth all that remaineth CHAP. XX. Of Adulteries IT
meanes nay and some Masquers have been well chastised in their owne vices as it happened in the raigne of Charles the sixth to six that masqued it to a marriage at the hostle of S. Pauls in Paris being attired like wilde horses covered with loose flax dangling down like haire all bedaâ—bed with grease for the fitter hanging thereof and fast bound one to another and in this guise entered the hall dancing with torches before them but behold suddenly their play turned to a tragedy for a sparâ—â— of one of their torches fell into the greasie flax of his neighbour and set it immediatly on fire so that in the turning of an hand they were all on â—lame then gave they out a most horrible ouâ—â—ry one of them threw himself headlong into a tub of water provided to â—ince their drinking cups and goblets and upon that occasion standing not far off two were burnt to death without stirring once from the place The bastard Foix and the Earle of Jouy escaped indeed present death but being conveyed to their lodgings they survived not two daies the King himselfe being one of the sâ—â— was saved by the Dutchesse of Berry that covering him with her loose and tide garments 〈◊〉 the fire before it could seise upon his flesh Froyssard the reporter of this tragedy â—aith That the next morrow every man could say thaâ— this 〈◊〉 wonderfull signe and advertisement sent by God to the King to warne him to renounce all such fond and foolish devices which he delighted too much in and more then it became a King of France to doe and this was the event of that gallant Masque It resteth now that we speak somewhat of Playes and Comedies and such like toyes and May-games which have no other use in the world but to deprave and corrupt good manners and to open a doore to all uncleanenesse the eares of yong folke are there polluted with many filthy and dishonest speeches their eyes are there infected with lascivious and unchaste gestures and countenances and their wits are there stained and embrued with so pernitious liquor that except Gods good grace they will ever savour of it the holy and sacred Scripture ordained to a holy and sacred use is oftentimes by these filthy swine prophaned to please and to delight their audience in few words there is nothing else to be found among them but nourishment to our sences of foolish and vaine delights For this cause many of the sager Romanes as Nasica and divers other Censors hindred the building of the Theatres in Rome for an opinion they had that their sports and pastimes which were exercised therein served to no other purpose but to make the people idle effeminate and voluptuous and besides the masters guiders and actors of Playes were alwayes debarred as men infamous from bearing any publike Office or dignity in the Common-wealth Tiberius Caesar himselfe though of most corrupt and rotten manners and conversation yet in open Senate complained and found fault with the immodesty of Stage-players and banished them at that same time out of Italie When Domitian was Censor he put out of the Senate a Citizen of Rome because he was too much addicted to the imitation of the fashions of Players and Dancers And Plutarch saith that we ought to shun all such spectacles If then such pastimes were by the judgements of the Romanes noted with infamy shall we have their equals in follies in better account Basil calleth such sports and pastimes the work-house forge and common shop of all wickednesse and therefore Chrysostome prayeth and admonisheth the faithfull of his time to abstaine from frequenting such places S. Augustine also for biddeth to bestow our money upon tumblers juglers and players and such like Beside by the Constantinopolitan Councell under Iustinian it was inhibited to be once present at such sports under the paine of excommunication and that the ancient Christians did by common consent not only condemne but also utterly abstaine from such pastimes it may appeare by the testimony of Tertullian writing to the Gentiles to this effect We renounce and send back faith he sports and playes unto you as to the head and fountaine from whence they were first derived we make no reckoning of thâ—se things which we know were drawne from superstition we love not 〈◊〉 be hâ—ld the folly of turning with Chariots nor the unchastity of the Theatre nor the cruelty of sword playing nor the vanity of leaping â—râ—stling and dancing but take pleasure in exercises of better report and lesse hâ—râ— Moreover how odious and irksome in the sight of the Lord such spectacles are and what power and sway the devill beareth therein they 〈◊〉 of God upon a Christian woman reported by Tertullian may sufficiently instruct us There was a woman saith he that went to the 〈◊〉 to see a play and returned home possessed with an uncleane spirit who being rebuked in a conjuration for daring to assault one of the â—aith that professed Christ answered that he had done well because he found her upon his owne ground The same author reporteth another example as strange of a woman also that went to see a Tragedie acted to whom the night following appeared in a dreame the picture of a sheete a presage of death casting in her teeth that which she had done and five daies after death himselfe seised upon her As touching wanton songs and unchaste and ribald bookes that I may be briefe I will content my selfe only with that which is alleadged by Lodovicus Vives concerning that matter The Magistrate saith he ought to banish out of his dominion all unhonest Songs and Poems and not to suffer novelties to be published day by day in rimes and ballads as they are as if a man should heare in a City nothing but foolish and scurrilous Ditties such as would make even the â—onger sort that are well brought up to blash and stir up the indignation of men of honour and gravity this ought Magistrates to prevent and to discharge the people from reading Amadis Tristram Launcelot due Lake Melusine Poggius scurrillities and Boccace novelties with a thousand more such like toyes and thus much out of Vives CHAP. XXXVII Of Theeves and Robbers IT followes that we speake in the next place of such as by their greedy covetousnesse and unquenchable desire of lucre transgresse the fourth commandement of the second Table to wit Thou shalt not steale wherein not only simply theft but also Sacriledge is condemned and first of Sacriledge Into this sin fell wretched Aehan in the time of Ioshua when in the sack of Jericho he seeing a Babylonish garment with certaine gold and silver covered it and stole it away and hid it in his Tent contrary to the commandement of the Lord for which cause the Lord was offended with his whole people as if they all had been accessary to the crime and enâ—eebled them so before their enemies that they
did most pill and pull the people and would often say That the gold and silver of the Kingdom pertained in right to none but him Being reproved of his mother at a time for his immoderate and excessive expences saying That there was almost not so much more treasure left as he had already spent he made her this answer That she should take no care for that for as long as his hand was able to wield his sword which he held naked before her he would not want money This is the sword which many now adayes after the example of Caracalla have taken up to cut out by force and violence a way to their owne wils and to cut the throat of equity and justice and to compell the poor people to forgo their goods and surrender them into their hands Now how odious and hatefull these three were made unto the people by their owne wicked demeanours their miserable ends do sufficiently testify which wee have already before ment ioned and mean afterward more at large to speak of The Emperour Constance son to Constantine whose father was Heraclius comming at a time out of Greece into Rome abode there but five dayes but in that short space committed so much outrage in ransacking the Temples and other publike places and carrying away so many rich ornaments and pictures whereof those places then abounded that in mans remembrance no forreigne barbarous enemy having taken the City by force of war ever went away with the like spoil besides he did so oppresse the Allies and Tributaries of the Empire and chiefly the Sicilians with taxes and imposts that many of them were constrained to sell their children for money to satisfie his extortion and by this meanes he scraped together an infinite masse of rapines and evill gotten goods but enjoyed the sweet of them not very long for very soon after he was murdered by his owne men of wat in his returne out of Sicily and all that spoil which he had unjustly surprised was suddenly taken and transported into Africa by the Sarasens that then inhabited the City Panorme Lewis the eleventh King of France after he had overcharged his subjects with too grievous burdens of payments and taxes fell into such a timorous conceit and fear of death as never any man did the like he attempted all meanes of avoiding or delaying the same as first during his sicknesse he gave his Physitian monethly ten thousand crownes by that meanes to creep into his favour wherein he being in all other things a very niggard and pinch-penny shewed himself on the other side more than prodigall next he sent into Calabria for an Hermit reported to be an holy and devout man to whom at his arrivall he performed so much duty and reverence as was wonderfull and unseemly for he threw himselfe on his knees and besought him to prolong his decaying life as if he had been a God and not a man but all that he could do was to no purpose no nor the reliques which Pope Sextus sent him to busie himselfe withall nor the holy viall of the Rheimes which was brought him could prorogue this life of his nor priviledge him from dying a discontent and unwilling death he suspected the most part of his nearest attendants and would not suffer them to approach unto him in his sicknesse after he had thus prolonged the time in hope and yet still languished in extream distresse of his disease it was at length told him in all speed that he should not set his minde any longer upon those vain hopes nor upon that holy man for his time was come and he must needs die And thus he that during his Raigne shewed himselfe rough and cruell to his subjects by too many and heavy impositions was himselfe in his latter end thus roughly and hardly dealt withall Christierne the eleventh King of Denmarke Norway and Suecia after the death of King Iohn his father reigned the year of our Lord 1514. and was too intolerable in imposing burdens and taxes upon his subjects for which cause the Suecians revolted from his government whom though after many battels and sieges he conquered and placed amongst them his garisons to keep them in awe yet ceased they not to rebell against him and that by the instigation of a mean Gentleman who very quickly got foâ—ting into the Kingdom and possessed himselfe of the Crowne and government Now Christierne having lost this Province and being also in disdain and hatred of his owne Countrey and fearing least this inward heat of spight should grow to some flame of danger to his life seeing that the inhabitants of Lubecke conspiring with his uncle Fredericke began to take armes against him he fled away with his wife sister to the Emperour Charles the fifth and his young children to Zealand a Province of the Emperours after he had reigned nine yeares after which the Estates of the Realme aided by them of Lubecke assembling together exalted his uncle Fredericke Prince of Holsatia though old and antient to the Crowne and publishing certain writings addressed them to the Emperour and the Princes of his Empire to render a reason of their proceeding and to make knowne unto them upon how good considerations they had deposed and banished Christierne for the tyranny which hee exercised among them Ten yeares after this he got together a new Army by sea in hope to recover his losses but contrary to his hope he was taken prisoner and in captivity miserably ended his dayes Henry King of Suecia was chased from his Scepter for enterprising to burden his Commons with new contributions those that were devisers of new Taxes and Tributes for the most part ever lost their lives in their labours for proof whereof let the example of Parchenus or Porchetes serve who for giving counsell to King Theodebert touching the raising of new subsidies was stoned to death by the multitude in the City Trieves Likewise was George Presquon cruelly put to death by the people for perswading and setting forward Henry of Suecia to the vexation and exaction of his subjects CHAP. XL. More examples of the same subject AIstulphus the nineteenth King of Lumbardy was not onely a most cruell Tyran but also a grievous oppressour of his subjects with taxes and exactions for he imposed this upon every one of them to pay yearly a Noble for their heads against this man Pope Stephen provoked King Pepin of France who comming with an Army drove the Tyran into Tycinum and constrained him to yeeld to partiall conditions of peace Howbeit Pepin was no sooner gone but he returned to his old byas wherefore the second time he came and drove him to as great extreamity insomuch as another peace was concluded after the accomplishment whereof perverse Aistulph still vexing his subjects was plagued by God with an Apoplexy and so died Iustinian the Emperour as he was profuse and excessive in spending so was he immoderate and insatiable in gathering
is one kinde of theft to usurpe any mans goods by unlawfull meanes wherefore no such sports ought to finde any place amongst Christians especially those wherein any kinde of lot or hazard is used by the which the good blessings of God are contrary to their true and naturall use exposed to chance and fortune as they tearme it for which cause Saint Augustine is of this opinion concerning them That the gaine which ariseth to any party in play should be bestowedupon the poor to the end that both the gamesters as well the winner as the loser might be equally punished the one by not carrying the stake being won the other by being frustrated of all his hope of winning Players at dice both by the Elibertine Constantinopolitan Councell under Iustinian were punished with excommunication and by a new constitution of the said Emperour it was enacted That no man should use Dice-play either in private or publique no nor approve the same by their presence under paine of punishment and Bishops were there appointed to be overseers in this behalfe to espie if any default was made Horace an heathen Poet avouched the unlawfulnesse of this thing even in his time when he saith that Dice-playing was forbidden by their law Lewis the eighth King of France renouned for his good conditions and rare vertues amongst all the excellent laws which he made this was one That all sports should be banished the Common-wealth except shooting whether with long bow or Crosse bow and that no Cards nor Dice should be either made or sold by any to the end that all occasion of gaming might bee taken away Surely it would be very profitable and expedient for the Weale-publique that this Ordinance might stand in use at this day and that all Merchants and Mercers whatsoever especially those that follow the reformation of Religion might forbeare the sale of all such paltry Wares for the fault in selling such trash is no lesse than the abuse of them in playing at them for so much as they upon greedinesse of so small a gaine put as it were a sword into a mad mans hand by ministring to them the instruments not onely of their sports but also of those mischiefes that ensue the same There a man may heare curses as rife as words bannings swearings and blasphemies banded up and downe there men fret themselves to death and consume whole nights in darke and divelish pastimes some lose their horses others their cloakes a third sort all that ever they are worth to the undoing of their houses wives and children and some again from braulings fall to buffetings from buffets to bloudshedding from bloudshedding to hanging and these are the fruits of those gallant sports But this you shall see more plainely by a few particular examples In a towne of Campania a certaine Iew playing at dice with a Christian lost a great summe of money unto him with which great losse being enraged and almost beside himselfe as commonly men in that case are affected hee belched out most bitter curses against Christ Iesus and his mother the blessed Virgin in the midst whereof the Lord deprived him of his life and sense and strooke him dead in the place as for his companion the Christian indeed he escaped sudden death howbeit he was robbed of his wit and understanding and survived not verie long after to teach us not onely what a grievous sinne it is to blaspheme God and to accompanie such wretches and not to shun or at least reprove their outrage but also what monstrous effects proceed from such kinde of ungodly sports and how grievously the Lord punisheth them first by giving them over to blasphemy secondly to death and thirdly and lastly to eternall and irrevocable damnation Let our English gamesters consider this example and if it will not terrifie them from their sports then let them looke to this that followeth which if their hearts be not as hard as adamant will mollifie and perswade them In the yeare 1533. neere to Belissana a citie in Helvetia there were three prophane wretches that played at dice upon the Lords day without the wals of the citie one of which called Vlrich Schraelerus having lost much mony and offended God with many cursed speeches at last presaging to himselfe good lucke he burst forth into these tearmes If fortune deceive me now I will thrust my dagger into the verie body of God as farre as I can now fortune failed him as before wherefore forthwith he drew his dagger and taking it by the point threw it against heaven with all his strength behold the dagger vanished away and five drops of bloud distilled upon the table before them and without all delay the divell came in place and carried away the blasphemous wretch with such force and noyse that the whole city was amased and astonished thereat the other two halfe beside themselves with feare strove to wipe away the drops of bloud out of the table but the more they wiped it the more clearly it appeared The rumor of this accident flew into the citie and caused the people to flocke thicke and threefold unto the place where they found the other two gamesters washing the boord whom by the decree of the Senate they bound with chaines and carried towards the prison but as they passed with them through a gate of the citie one of them was stroken suddenly dead in the midst of them with such a number of lice and wormes creeping out of him that it was both wonderfull and lothsome to behold the third they themselves without any further inquisition or triall to avert the indignation which seemed to hang over their heads put incontinently to death the table they tooke and preserved it for a monument to witnesse unto posterity both how an accursed pastime dicing is and also what great inconveniencies and mischiefes grow thereby But that we may see yet more the vanitie and mischievous working of this sport I will report one storie more out of the same authour though not equall to the former in strangenesse and height of sinne yet as tragicall and no lesse pitifull In the yeare 1550 there lived in Alsatia one Adam Steckman one that got his living by tximming pruning and dressing vines this man having received his wages fell to dice and lost all that he had gotten insomuch that he had not wherewith to nourish his family so that he fell into such a griefe of minde and withall into such paines of the head that he grew almost desperate withall one day his wife being busie abroad left the care of her children unto him but he tooke such great care of them that he cut all their throats even three of them whereof one lay in the cradle and lastly would have hanged himselfe had not his wife come in the meane while who beholding this pitifull tragedie gave a great outcrie and fell downe dead whereupon the neighbours running in
were eye witnesses of this wofull spectacle as for him by law he was judged to a most severe and cruell punishment and all these pitifull events arose from that cursed root of Dice-play We ought therefore to learne by all these things that have beene already spoken to abstaine not onely from this cursed pastime but also from extortion robberies deceit guile and other such naughty practices that tend to the hurt and detriment of one another and in place thereof to procure the good and welfare of each one in all kindenesse and equity following the Apostles counsell where he sayeth Let them that stole steale no more but rather travell by labouring with his hands in that which is good that he may have wherewith to succor the necessitie of others For it is not enough not to do evill to our neighbor but we are tyed to do him good or at least to endeavour to do it CHAP. XLIV Of such as have beene notorious in all kinde of sinne BY these fore placed examples we have seene how heavie the judgements of God have beene upon those that through the untamednesse of their owne lusts and affections would not submit themselves under the holy and mighty will of God but have countermanded his commandements and withstood his precepts some after one sort and some after another now because there have bin some so wicked and wretched that being wholy corrupted and depraved they have over flowed with all manner of sinne and iniquity and as it were maugred God with the multitude and hainousnesse of their offences we must therefore spend sometime also in setting forth their lives and ends as of the most vile and monstrous kinde of people that ever were In this ranke we may place the antient Inhabitants of the land of Canaan an irreligious people void of all feare and dread of God and consequently given over to all abhominabl wickednesse as to conjurings witchcrafts and unnameable adulteries for which causes the Lord abhorring and hating them did also bring them to a most strange destruction for first and formost Jericho the frontier citie of their countrey being assaulted by the Israelites for hindering their progresse into the country were all discomfited not so much by Iosuah his sword as by the huge stones which dropped from heaven upon their heads and lest the night overtaking them should breake off the finall and full destruction of this cursed people the day was miraculously prolonged and the Sunne made to rest himselfe in the middest of heaven for the space of a whole day and so these five Kings hiding themselves in a cave were brought out and their neckes made a footstoole to the captains of Israell and were hanged on five trees The tyran Pertander usurped the government over Corinth after hee had slaine the principall of the city he put to death his owne wife to the end to content and please his concubine nay and was so execrable as to lye with his owne mother he banished his naturall sonne and caused many children of his subjects to be gelded finally fearing some miserable and monstrous end and want of sepulchre in conscience of his misdeeds he gave in charge to two strong and hardy souldiers that they should gaâ—d a certain appointed place and not faile to kill the first that came in their way and to bury his body being slaine now the first that met them was himselfe who offered himselfe unto them without speaking any word and was soone dispatched and buried according to his commandement but these two were encountered with foure other whom he also had appointed to do the same to them which they had done to them In this ranke deservably we may place the second Dionysius his sonne that for his cruelties and extortions was slaine by his owne subjects who though at the first made shew of a better and milder nature than his father was of yet after he was installed in his Kingdom and growne strong his wicked nature shewd forth it selfe for first he rid out of the way his owne brethren then his neerest kindred and lastly all other that but any way displeased him using his sword not to the cutting downe of vice as it ought but to the cutting the throats of his innocent and guiltlesse subjects with which tyrannie the people being incensed began to mutinie and from mutinies fell to open rebellion persecuting him so that he was compelled to flie and take harbour in Greece where notwithstanding hee ceased not his accustomed manners but continued still freshly committing robberies and doing all manner of injuries and outrages in wronging men and forcing both women and maids to his filthie lusts untill hee was brought to so low and so base an ebbe of estate that of a King being become a beggar and a vagabond hee was glad to teach children at Corinth to get his poore living and so died in miserie Clearchus another tyran after hee had put to death the most part of the Nobles and chiefe men of account in the citie of Heraclea usurped a tyrannous authoritie over the rest amongst many of whose monstrous enormities this was one that hee constrained the widowes of those whom hee had slaine against their wils to marry those of his followers whom hee allotted them to insomuch that many of them with griefe and anger slew themselves now there were two men of stouter courage than the rest who pittying the miserable condition of the whole citie undertooke to deliver the same out of his cruell hands comming therefore accompanied with fiftie other of the same minde and resolution as though they would debate a privat quarrell before his presence as soone as convenience served they diverted their swords from themselves into the tyrans bosome and hewed him in pieces in the very midst of his guard Agathocles King or rather tyran of Sicilie from a porters sonne growing to be a man of warre tooke upon him the government of the countrey and usurped the crowne contrary to the consent of his people hee was one given to all manner of filthie and uncleane pollutions in whom treacherie crueltie and generally all kinde of vice reigned and therefore was worthily plagued by God first by a murder of his youngest sonne committed by his eldest sonnes son that aspired unto the crowne and thought that he might be an obstacle in his way for obtaining his purpose and lastly having sent his wife and children into Aegypt for safety by his owne miserable and languishing death which shortly after ensued Romulus the first King of Rome was as Florus testifieth transported by a devill out of this earth into some habitation of his owne for the monstrous superstitions conjurings thefts ravishments and murders which during his pompe hee committed and moreover he saith that Plutarch the most credible and learned Writer amongst Historiographers both Greek and Latin that ever writ avoucheth the same for true That hee was carried away one day by a
under whom licence and liberty is given to every man to do what him listeth forsomuch then as this evill proceedeth from the carelesnesse and slothfulnesse of those that hold the sterne of government in their hands it cannot be but some evill must needs fall upon them for the same the truth of this may appear in the person of Philip of Macedony whom Demosthenes the Orator noteth for a treacherous and false dealing Prince after that he had subdued almost all Greece not so much by open war as by subtilty craft and surprise and that being in the top of his glory he celebrated at one time the marriage of his son Alexander whom he had lately made King of Epire and of one of his daughters with great pompe and magnificence as he was marching with all his train betwixt the two bridegroomes his own son and his son in law to see the sports and pastimes which were prepared for the solemnity of the marriage behold suddenly a young Macedonian Gentleman called Pausanias ran at him and slew him in the midst of the prease for not regarding to do him justice when he complained of an injury done unto him by one of the Peeres of the Realme Tatius the fellow King of Rome with Romulus for not doing justice in punishing certain of his friends and kinsfolkes that had robbed and murdered certain Embassadours which came to Rome and for making their impunity an example for other malefactors by deferring and protracting and disappointing their punishment was so watched by the kindred of the slain that they slew him even as he was sacrificing to his gods because they could not obtain justice at his hands What happened to the Romans for refusing to deliver an Embassadour who contrary to the law of Nations comming unto them played the part of an enemy to his own Countrey even well nigh the totall overthrow of them and their City for having by this meanes brought upon themselves the calamity of war they were at the first discomfited by the Gaules who pursuing their victory entred Rome and slew all that came in their way whether men or women infants or aged persons and after many dayes spent in the pillage and spoiling of the houses at last set fire on all and utterly destroyed the whole City Childericke King of France is notified for an extreme dullard and blockhead and such a one as had no care or regard unto his Realme but that lived idlely and slothfully without intermedling with the affaires of the Common-wealth for he laid all the charge and burden of them upon Pepin his Lieutenant Generall and therefore was by him justly deposed from his royall Dignity and mewed up in a Cloyster of Religion to become a Monke because he was unfit for any good purpose and albeit that this sudden change and mutation was very strange yet there ensued no trouble nor commotion in the Realme thereupon so odious was he become to the whole land for his drousie and idle disposition For the same cause did the Princes Electors depose Venceslaus the Emperour from the Empire and established another in his room King Richard of England among other foul faults which he was guilty of incurred greatest blame for this because he suffered many theeves and robbers to rove up and down the Land unpunished for which cause the Citizens of London commenced a high suit against him and compelled him having reigned two and twenty yeares to lay aside the Crown and resigne it to another in the presence of all the States and died prisoner in the Tower Moreover this is no small defect of justice when men of authority do not onely pardon capitall and detestable crimes but also grace and favour the doers of them and this neither ought nor can be done by a soveraigne Prince without overpassing the bounds of his limited power which can in no wayes dispence with the law of God whereunto even Kings themselves are subject for as touching the willing and considerate murderer Thou shalt plucke him from my Altar saith the Lord that he may die thy eye shall not spare him to the end it may goe well with thee which was put in practise in the death of Ioab who was slaine in the Tabernacle of God holding his hands upon the hornes of the Altar for he is no lesse abhominable before God that justifieth the wicked than he that condemneth the just and hereupon that holy King S. Lewis when he had granted pardon to a malefactor revoked it againe after better consideration of the matter saying That he would give no pardon except the case deserved pardon by the law for it was a worke of charity and pitty to punish an offendor and not to punish crimes was as much as to commit them In the yeare of our Lord 978 Egelrede the sonne of Edgare and Alphred King of England was a man of goodly outward shape and visage but wholly given to idlenesse and abhorring all Princely exercises besides he was a lover of ryot and drunkennesse and used extreame cruelty towards his subjects having his eares open to all unjust complaints in feats of armes of all men most ignorant so that his cruelty made him odious to his subjects and his cowardise encouraged strange enemies to invade his kingdome by meanes whereof England was sore afflicted with warre famine and pestilence In his time as a just plague for his negligence in Governement decayed the noble Kingdome of England and became tributary to the Danes for ever when the Danes oppressed him with warre he would hire them away with summes of money without making any resistance against them insomuch that from ten thousand pounds by the yeare the tribute arose in short space to fifty thousand wherefore he devised a new tricke and sought by treacherie to destroy them sending secret Commissioners to the Magistrates throughout the Land that upon a certaine day and houre assigned the Danes should suddenly and joyntly bee murdered Which massacre being performed turned to be the cause of greater misery for Swaine King of Denmarke hearing of the murder of his countrey-men landed with a strange army in divers parts of this Realme and so cruelly without mercy and pitty spoyled the Countrey and slew the people that the Englishmen were brought to most extreame and unspeakable misery and Egelrede the King driven to flie with his wife and children to Richard Duke of Normandie leaving the whole Kingdome to bee possessed of Swaine Edward the second of that name may well be placed in this ranke for though he was faire and well proportioned of body yet he was crooked and evill favoured in conditions for hee was so disposed to lightnesse and vanity that he refused the company of his Lords and men of honour and haunted amongst villaines and vile persons he delighted in drinking and riot and loved nothing lesse than to keep secret his owne counsailes though never so important so that he let
that after she had once beene spared by the meanes of the Prophet Ionas who fore-told her of her destruction being returned to her former vomit againe to wit of robberies extortions wrongfull dealings and adulteries she was wholly and utterly subverted God having delivered her for a prey into the hands of many of her enemies that spoiled and pilled her to the quicke and lastly into the hands of the Medes who brought her to a finall and unrecoverable desolation as it was prophesied by the Prophet Nahum Babylon was wont to be the seat of that puissant Monarchie under Nabuchadnezzar where flourished the famous Astrologers and notable wise men of the world where the spoyles and riches of many nations and countries were set up as Trophies and kept as the remembrance of their victories where also vices reigned and all manner of excesse and villanie overflowed for by the report of Q. Curtius the Citie did so exceed in whoredome and adulteries that fathers and mothers were not ashamed to be bawdes unto their daughters no nor husbands to their wives a thing most strange and odious wherefore it could not chuse but in the end bee sacked and quite destroyed with an extreame ruine and destruction the signes and apparance whereof yet are seen in the ruine of old wals and ancient buildings that there remaine Amongst sea-bordering Cities and for renowne of merchandise Tyre in former ages was most famous for thither resorted the merchants of all Countries for traffique of Palestina Syria Aegypt Persia and Assyria they of Tarshis brought thither Iron Lead Brasse and Silver the Syrians sold their Carbuncles Purple broidered worke fine linnen corall and pearle the Jewes Hony Oyle Treacle Cassia and Calamus the Arabians traffiqued with Lambs Muttons and Goats the Sabeans brought merchandise of all exquisite spices and Apothecary stuffe with gold and precious stones by meanes whereof it being growne exceeding wealthy inriched by fraud and deceit and being lifted up to the height of pride and plunged in the depth of pleasures it was at length by the just judgement of God so sacked and ruinated that the very memory thereof at this day scarce remaineth The like judgement fell upon Sidon and upon that rich and renowned Citie of Corinth which through the commodiousnesse of the haven was the most frequented place of the world for the entercourse of Merchants out of Asia and Europe for by reason of her pride and corruption of manners but especially for her despising and abuse of the heavenly graces of Gods spirit which were sowed and planted in her she underwent this punishment to be first finally destroyed and brought into cinders by the Romans and then after her re-edification to be debased into so low and vâ—le an estate that that which remaineth is no wise comparable to her former glory Againe Athens the most flourishing and famous Citie of Greece for her faire buildings large precincts and multitude of inhabitants but especially for her Philosophie by meanes whereof recourse was made from all parts to her as the fountaine and well-spring of Arts and the Schoole and University of the whole world whose policie and manner of governement was so much esteemed by the Romanes that they drew from thence their lawes but now she lies dead and buried in forgetfulnesse not carrying any of her former proportion or apparance Carthage that noble Citie mistresse of Africa and paragon to Rome may not brag of any better issue than her fellowes for though she resisted and made her part good with Rome for many yeares yet at length by means of her owne inward and civile jarres she was utterly destroyed by them for the inhabitants not able to stand any longer in defence were constrained to yeeld themselves to the mercy of their enemies the women to the number of five and twenty thousand marching first forth and after them the men in number thirty thousand following all which poore captives were sold for bond-slaves a few onely of the principall excepted and then fire was put to the Citie which burnt seventeene dayes without ceasing even till it was cleane consumed It is true that it was re-edified after this but which lasted not long for it was againe brought to destruction that at this day there remaineth nothing but old and rotten ruines And thus fared many other Cities of which may be verified that which was spoken of Troy that fields and corne are where Cities were Numantium in Spaine being besieged by the Romans after it had borne the brunt of warre and sacking a long while made many desperate sallies upon their enemies and lastly seeing themselves consumed with famine rather than they would bow their necks to the yoke of servitude barring their gates set fire on all and so burning themselves with their whole City left the enemy nothing but ashes for his prey and triumph as the Saguntines not long before served Anniball It is a marvellous and strange thing to consider how that proud Citie hath lifted up her head above all others and usurped a tyrannie over Nations and which Lactantius Ierome and Augustine three learned fathers entituled Babylon how I say she hath beene humbled for all her pride and impoverished for all her riches and made a prey unto many Nations It was sacked and ransacked twice by the Visigothes taken once by the Herulians surprised by the Ostrogothes destroyed and rooted up by the Vandales annoyed by the Lumbards pilled and spoiled by the Graecians and whipped and chastised by many others and now 〈◊〉 Sodome and Gomorrah it is to expect no more punishment but the last blow of the most mightiest his indignation to throw it headlong into everlasting and horrible desolation CHAP. LI. Of such punishments which are common to all men in regard of their iniquities THese and such like effects of Gods wrath ought to admonish and instruct every man to looke unto himselfe for doing evill and to abhorre and detest sinne since it bringeth forth such soure and bitter fruits for albeit the wayes of the wicked seeme in their owne eyes faire and good yet it is certaine that they are full of snares and thornes to entrap and pricke them to the quicke for after that being fed with the licorous and deceitfull sweetnesse of their owne lusts they have sported themselves their fils in their pleasures and wicked affections then in stead of delights and pastimes they shall finde nothing but punishment and sadnesse their laughter joy pompe magnificence and glory shall be turned into torments and dolors weepings opprobries ignominies confusion and miserie everlasting for if God spared not great Cities Empires Monarchies and Kings in their obstinate misdeeds shall we thinke he will spare little Cities Hamlets and Villages and men of base estate when by their sinnes they provoke him to anger no it cannot be for God is alwayes of one and the same nature alwayes like unto himselfe A God executing