this Sword shall instantly end your life He then proceeded to declare his transcendant passion for her and uses all manner of inducements to bring her to his will tells her That her beauty is the cause of this misfortune that he had considered the fatal event of it but yet had rather endure the greatest torments yea death it self than not to fulfil his desire says he I have debated even in my Soul What wrong what shame what sorrow it will breed But nothing can my furious Love controul Or stop the headlong current of its speed Although repentant Tears insue the deed Together with reproach and enmity Yet I must needs imbrace my infamy He speaks her fair and then intermixes threats but seeing her readier to imbrace death than him rather willing to lose her life than honour he adds disgrace to fear and tells her he would first kill her and then stab a slave and lay him naked by her so that it should be certainly believed she was slain in the very act of adultery Lucrece says he this night I must enjoy thee If thou deny then force must work my way For in thy bed I purpose to destroy thee And then some wretched slave of thine I 'le slay To kill thine honour with thy lives decay And in thy dead arms I resolve to place him And swear I slew him finding thee imbrace him See how this villain threatens to bereave her of her honour that he may thereby bereave her of it Lucretia thus assaulted makes many compassionate pleas in defence of her chastity upbraids him with his unreasonable and brutish lust adjures him by all manner of Arguments not to use violence against a poor weak woman but nothing she could say had the least influence upon him She him conjures by fear of Heaven above By her untimely tears her husbands love Quoth she Reward not hospitality And Friendship with such wicked treachery Think but how vile a spectacle it were Did thy crime in another man appear If ever man was mov'd with womans moans Be moved with my tears my sighs my groans Melt at my tears and be compassionate Some pity enters at an iron gate Thou seem'st not what thou art a God a King. For Kings like Gods should govern every thing Have done quoth he my uncontroulled tyde Turns not but swells the higher by this let Small lights are soon blown out huge fires abide And with the wind in greater fury fret And putting his words into act he first gag'd and then ravished her notwithstanding the utmost resistance she could possible use so that she forcibly yielded to Sextus prevailing lust who having obtained his will goes away over-joyed and returns to the Camp Triumphant while the most unhappy Lucretia remains overwhelmed with grief She sends to her Father Spurius Lucretius and her husband that they would instantly repair to Collatia with two or three of their most assured Friends since a most unfortunate and grievous accident had befallen her They make speed to come and bring Publius Valerius and Lucius Junius Brutus along with them They find Lucretia in a very desolate condition who upon their coming into her Chamber burst out into a floud of Tears Her husband asked her art thou not well my Dear No said she how can that woman be well who hath lost her Chastity the signs of another man O dear Collatine are yet to be seen upon the bed yet is my body only violated my mind is still guiltless of which my death shall be an undoubted evidence but first give me your hands and solemn promises that you will not suffer the Adulterer to go unpunished Sextus Tarquin is the man who like an enemy rather than a Guest came last night armed to my bed and thence forced pleasures which if you are men of courage may prove as fatal to him as they are like to be to me They all one after another engaged to revenge the injury she had received and endeavoured to comfort and perswade her grieved soul that she was altogether innocent and the guilt lay only upon the Ravisher and that her mind not her body could only commit the offence and where was no consent there was no crime Do you says she consider what the Ravisher deserves for though I absolve my self from the crime yet I will not be free from the punishment Nor shall any unchast woman ever plead hereafter that Lucretia was an Example of lendness to her And then proceeded to this purpose And what could unfortunate Lucretia do If she had died that she might have lived Chast you would have thought her slain for having been unchast O most cruel Law of Honour which savest not the innocent A Law never descended from Heaven but came from the deepest Abyss of Hell I who would have my honesty proclaimed to all have more studied glory than chastity and whilst I was ambitious of the name of Chast I am with infamy become unchast I was inforced to chuse life that I might preserve my honour and by my living I have lost it I am resolved to dye if not for what hath already befallen me at least for what may hereafter happen to me But what then If I die I shall seem to acknowledge I have done amiss they will say my guilty conscience kill'd me If I live you will believe I have done so too and say I consented out of two much love of life O of all others the most unfortunate Lucretia whose innocence neither life nor death can justify This Soul O Collatine whose delight was chastity abhors now that body which is polluted and as being wholly thine cannot indure to have any longer a being since I can no more be only thine The wicked Ravisher did never prostitute me it was not Lucretia it was a Carcase for the Soul is not where it consents not sin is the off-spring of the will not of the body where consent is not there is no sin yet I think my self worthy of death ' cause he desired and blame my self though faultless because I pleased him O Beauty perniciously coveted by our unsound minds O frail and fading vanity of the body whereby the eternal beauty of the Soul is clouded they which are endowed with you either sin with you or cause others to sin by you But what was there in me that incouraged this vile miscreant to commit so great a crime perhaps my honesty which he thought greater than others Most sacred Honesty art thou then become an incitement to lust and instead of defending dost thou offend Instead of bridling unlawful desires dost thou provoke to fury and violence His cruel heart that delights only to kill the innocent is likewise a receptacle of wicked lust that covets none but the Chast To attain what they desire is not that which the Tarquins desire they find no pleasure where they use no force and like lightning rend and destroy most where they meet most resistance And whither can
whose mercy and goodness endures forever The people were even transported with joy at this unexpected deliverance and seeing the dismal head only by torch-light were almost perswaded it was but a dream But that the multitude which saw the same thing confirmed them their eyes were not deluded They therefore shouted with praises to the God of Heaven the only worker of Miracles and then turning to Judith they gave her a thousand thanks and blessings for being the instrument of so marvellous a salvation that day Then Ozias the Prince of the people of Israel in Bethulia spake thus to her Blessed be you O Daughter and most excellent above all the women in the Earth and praised be the great Creator of Heaven and Earth who hath assisted your Victorious arm for the destruction of the principal of our Enemies whereby you have rendred your name immortal to all ages to come and shall be had in admiration by all that have any sense of the wonderful works of God while the world endures since none can forget how little you valued your own life and honour so that you might thereby free your Nation from the inevitable ruin which seemed to hang over their heads After this Achior was called to whom shewing the head of Holofernes and assuring him that what he had affirmed of the might power of the God of Israel was now fully verified since he that had vowed their total desolation was now no more and their great Commander Holofernes was himself without a head Achior was even astonisht at her words and action and with the surprize fell down into a swound but at length recovering he threw himself at her feet with so much reverence as was near to adoration and by her means was more confirmed in the true Religion and he with all the people shouted and gave glory to God with a loud voice Judith to perfect her Conquest advised the people to place the head upon one of the highest Towers of the City and in the morning to make a salley out upon the Assyrians who at the alarum would presently run to the Tent of Holofernes to awake him and finding what had happened would be extreamly amazed and sell their lives at a cheap rate and might be pursued and utterly destroyed out of all their Coasts with very little damage to themselves This was put in execution and the Captains instantly repaired to the Generals Tent to receive orders desiring Bagoas the Eunuch to wake their Lord since the Israelitish slaves had presumed to make a sally upon them tho to their own destruction The Eunuch after long tarrying at last ventred in and coming near the bed and hearing no body stir he at length opened the curtains thinking he had still slept with Judith but instead thereof found the dead body cast on the floor and his head taken from him At this fight he cryed out aloud and became so furious that he rent his cloths and went in a rage to Judiths apartment threatning her with a thousand deaths but missing her there he sent out many frightful Schreeches among the People and declared aloud That the Slaves had dealt treacherously with them and that one Hebrew woman had brought shame and confusion upon the House of Nebuchadnezzar who had slain Holofernes and left his carcase without a head All ran to behold this dismal Spectacle and the whole camp was filled with horror astonishment and despair Tears and howling had taken possession of the whole Army when at the same time the head of Holofernes appeared upon one of the Towers of Bethulia which so astonished the Assyrians that they fled and scattered themselves round about the City every one seeking safety in running away and none durst trust another The Israelites pursued with all manner of briskness and vigor making a great noise that their number might appear considerable though there needed no great force to vanquish run-a-ways All the neighbouring Cities came in to take part of the spoil and to pillage their routed enemies whom they cut off with a most dreadful slaughter and the booty in the Camp was so prodigious that the people were thirty days in dividing it The rich moveables of Gold Silver Pearls and Jewels found in Holofernes Tent were all presented to Judith with the praises and acclamations of the multitude who unanimously applauded her as the glory of Jerusalem the joy of Israel the honour of her people the gallant woman the chast and valiant Princess by whose hand God had done great things in delivering his people and whose fame should live to eternal Ages The women of Israel likewise assembled themselves to meet and bless her dancing before her with branches of Olive in their hands whereof they composed a Garland which they put upon her head and then Judith leading the dance before them proceeded toward her own house all the men of Israel following in their armour with garlands on their heads and songs in their mouths Judith likewith made the following song of Praise and Thanksgiving which all the people sang after her SIng to the Lord my God sing praise A new Psalm to him sing Exalt his glorious name always He is our God and King. The Armies he to pieces breaks Of those that are his Foes He me delivered from their hands Who did me round inclose Assur with thousands from the North Came Israel to assail And by his multitudes did not doubt Against them to prevail He boasted he our Towns would burn And our young men destroy Women and Virgins ravish and Our Infants make a prey But they have disappointed been By the Almighty Lord. A womans hand did them withstand They fled with one accord Their Great Commander did not fall By any Giants power 'T was Judiths beauty him inthrall'd And brought his fatal hour For her oppressed people she Her mourning laid aside And to surprize his amorous eyes Her Person beautified Her Charms over his Soul prevail'd And ravished his sight He 's made a Prisoner to her face She is his Hearts delight The Sword quite through his neck did pass And parted it asunder The Persians at her boldness quake The Medes thereat did wonder Th' Afflicted then did shout for joy Thy weak Ones cry'd aloud The Foes astonisht were ' cause God Had overthrown the proud The Young men have them pierced through And wounded them in Fight The Fugitives fiercely they pursue And slay their men of Might I unto God new Songs will sing O Lord thou art most Glorious In power thou art Wonderful Invincible Victorious Let all the Creatures worship thee At whose word made were they At thy voice they created were None thee can disobey The Fountains shall be mov'd at thee The Rocks shall melted be Yet merciful thou art to those That serve and worship thee All Sacrifice and Offerings Unto thee are but small But those that fear the Lord their God To Honour he will call Wo to the Nations that advance Themselves
having notice of these mutinous practices at Rome hastned thither but found the Gates shut against him and defiance proclaimed to him and all his Family whom they declared to be banished from ever having any command in the Government for the future Brutus mean while arrived another way at the Camp where having fully informed them of all passages he was received with extream Joy as the deliverer of their City by expelling thence the Tyrant and his Children Tarquin much surprized at this unexpected turn of fortune retires toward the Tuscans for security and his son Sextus Tarquin the Ravisher and unhappy cause of the ruin of his Family flyes to the Gabins where he breaths forth nothing but revenge and discontent Must I be banisht then into a place Of no Society and there imbrace Perpetual woe Oh! how could hell contrive So great a plague to keep me still alive What shall I do in this extream Abiss Of woe and torments Death had been a bliss Beyond expression Ah! must wretched I Be so acurst t' offend and yet not die But stay shall I forget Was I not born A noble Roman and shall I not scorn Their impositions Shall I now relent And prove a willing slave to discontent Courage my heart be bold and let them find Thou hast an Army in thy valiant mind Ah what a sad companion is a heart Burthen'd with guilt Alas I can impart No comfort to my self all things declare My ruin that 's attended with despair Methinks I have a still continued flood Before my eyes of chast Lucretia's bloud Nor is my eye disturb'd alone my ear Is grown of late accustomed to hear Strange Dialects methinks Lucretia cries Revenge Revenge my woful injuries And thus my eyes and ears sadly portend A present woe a miserable end Lucretia ah Lucretia thou didst find A body rape't but I a ravisht mind Neither were these forebodings of Sextus Tarquin vain for though he had lost that power and reputation among the Gabins which made him to be feared and esteemed yet thinking himself rather beloved by them than only tolerated not having lost those qualities which he thought desirable he returns to them as unto his own Kingdom but found his reputation much sunk with his fortune for he was soon after slain by certain Persons who resolved by his death to revenge the ancient quarrels he himself by slaughter and rapine had been the Author of Brutus and his Companions imposed an Oath upon all the Roman People not to suffer any of the Tarquins to reign at Rome and was so inraged against them that some time after he beheaded divers Noble Youths among whom were fome of his own and his Sisters Sons for conspiring to restore the Regal race again And Tarquin himself after several unsuccessful attempts to regain his kingdom dyed a banished man at Cumae after he had reigned twenty five years the Roman People being after governed by Consuls All this desolation of the Tarquins and the stupendious alterations which followed being chiefly occasioned by the Rape of our gallant and Chast Heroine Lucretia The History of Voadicia Queen of Brittain THe Noble Voadicia whose hard fate Subjected her unto the Roman State O're which the bloudy Nero did command And cruel thraldom brought upon her Land. Her countreymen doth gallantly incite That for their Ravisht freedoms they would fight And that her self will their Commander be And venture all that their lost liberty They may redeem And to fulfil her word Her utmostaid she doth to them afford Discomfiting their Roman Enemies Then bravely in the bed of Honour dyes THe next instance of Feminine Valour is a Lady of our own Nation called Voadicia Queen of Brittain in the time of the Roman Government here the bloudy Tyrant Nero being then Emperor But because I am willing to take all occasions to inform my Countreymen of whatever may be useful to them concerning their own Nation I shall therefore relate what is written by some ancient Authors of the Original Inhabitants of this renowned Island of which they may have heard some imperfect account but are ignorant of what has been recorded of them though as to the certainty and credibility of these relations so far distant from us in time every man is left to his own belief Though the beginning of this as well as all other Nations is doubtful yet some writers of great Antrquity are of opinion that this Island was formerly part of the continent and joined to France but afterward divided either by some mighty inundation or dreadful Earthquake but to let this pass John Bale our Countreyman and a diligent searcher into such obsolete Histories doth probably conjecture that this Land was inhabited and replenished with People before Noahs floud when the Scripture says That men began to multiply upon the face of the Earth After the floud Noah was the sole Monarch of all the world which he divided among his sons assigning to Shem the eldest all that part now called Asia to his second son Cham Africa and to Japhet his third Europe with the Isles thereto belonging and ours among the rest He is said to have died in Mauritania and by confent of the Greek and Latin writers first peopled Europe which he after left to his Children Tubal having the Kingdom of Spain Gomer Italy and Samothes Celtica containing Germany France and Brittain Thus was this Nation peopled two hundred years after the Deluge and we read in Genesis that in the time of Peieg the off-spring of Japhet inhabited the Isles of the Gentiles of which Brittain is one Samothes is reported to excel in learning and knowledge which he imparted to his people in the Phenician Language and Letters from whence his Followers were called Samotheans who saith Aristotle were skillful in the Law of God and man. Magus his Son succeeded who built many Cities in Germany and Brittain whose names then bore the addition of their Founder as Neomagus now Chester Niomagus now Buckingham with divers others The name is applied by the Persians to their Priests or Magicians who were called Magi from their skill in Magick as the Poet Mantuan intimates Ille penes Persas Magus est qui fidera novit c. The Persians him a Magi call Who the Stars course doth know The power of Herbs and what worship Man unto God doth owe. By threefold knowledge thus the name Of Magus then did grow Sarron his Son was his Successor who founded certain publick places for Professors of Learning and Moral Philosophy without whose assistance the people were taught not to sacrifice to their Gods as reckoning them skilful in divine Mysteries and near to God by whose intercession they expected all the good they required and whose advice they followed both in peace and war. Druis was his Successor both in his Dominions and Wisdom from whom proceeded the famous Sect called Druides many of whom went hence into Gallia now France and other Countreys they had their residence
and assembling his most intimate Friends who with horror and silence expected the conclusion of this Tragedy he brings forth the couragious Mariamne who armed with invincible constancy was little concerned against whom the monster belches out this accusation Dear Friends it hath pleased the Almighty to counterballance the prosperity he has given me by many piercing misfortunes and I who have escaped so many dangers and found safety in such great winds and tempests have now met with the most deplorable storms in my own House You are all very sensible how tenderly I have cherished the Family of Hyrcanus even in their greatest calamities and yet I have taken into my bosom a Serpent instead of a Dove by whom I have been often stung but have as oft by patience cured my self yet I am not so unsensible that no injuries will penetrate me and therefore being provoked by new wrongs I can no longer suffer them Behold the Queen my wife who following her mothers example is always studying to disquiet and hinder my repose For after my return from so perillous a Voyage when I brought her the happy news of my success she received me and my intelligence with the greatest scorn and disdain and denyed me those favours which I had right to demand and she ought not to have refused to a husband and not content herewith she proceeded to contrive bloudy designs against me endeavouring to have suborned one of my own servants to poyson me Thus I who returned with my head crowned with Laurel am made the mark of the malice and treachery of a woman whom I can neither reclaim by love nor gifts no more than if she were a Lioness Judge you therefore whether it is not time for me to secure my self from so implacable a creature who can never be safe so long as she lives Mariamne knowing it in vain to defend her self though she was altogether innocent of the charge laid against her being sensible his violent nature would not be contradicted made little reply only as to the business of poysoning she appealed to all the Assembly whether there were any probability of it since she was always more afraid of Herods love than hatred But however she declared That her life was a burden to her having had little comfort in it and much loss in the Court wherein she never enjoyed the least contentment and that if false Testimonies must make her guilty none were safe it being very easy thereby to remove any who should be thought troublesome and though her husband did deprive her of her head yet it was not in his power to bereave her of the reputation of a Princess of Honour which descended to her from her Ancestors and which she would carry to her Grave There were none found bold enough to plead the cause of this Innocent or to endeavour to mollify Herods passion but on the contrary all seemed to approve of his resolution Yet this bloudy man began ostartle when he thought seriously of being deprived of so sweet a Companion commanded her only to Custody But his Sister the inraged Salome continually alleged the danger of some sedition if he should keep her alive in Prison so that at length he spake these bloudy words Let her be taken away Whereupon instantly an Officer was dispatcht to her with this message Madam the King commands that you shall presently dye She without any emotion replied Let us then go my Friend it cannot be more pleasing to Herod than it is welcom to me And to Crown her patience Alexandra her own Mother and the Companion of her imprisonment fearing the like usage from Herod and hoping to free her self from the Suspicion of being concerned with her daughter in those crimes whereof Mariamne was accused went out to meet her going to execution and very undecently laying aside her former magnanimity reproached this dying Innocent crying out she was a wicked and ingrateful woman to her husband and well deserved the punishment she was going to suffer for her vile attempt and her ingratitude to so loving and gracious a Prince yea proceeded so far in her rage that she would have dragged her on the pavement by the hair of the head had not the people prevented her who all condemned her shameful hypocrisy Mariamne took little notice of these horrid indignities only mildly answered Mother Let my Soul depart in peace which is already upon my lips and trouble not the repose of my death Then passing on with a generous filence and invincible courage and unconcern to the place of execution she there put an end to all her sorrows by having her head divided from her body which then began in the Spectators whose eyes were full of tears and their hearts of grief to observe so much Nobility Virtue Constancy admirable Beauty sacrificed to the jealousy of a cruel Tyrant Who after her death became more powerfully inflamed in his affections toward her so that he would not believe she was dead often calling for her as if alive but being at length recovered from this strange distraction his grief for her death exceeded his rage when living wherewith he was so overwhelmed that the Plays and Entertainments which he provided to divert his thoughts profited him nothing a plague happening soon after in the City he interpreted it as a just Judgment of God for the unjust death of his Queen Her unnatural Mother having again attempted something against Herod was put to death Her two sons when they grew up and understood this impious act of their Father accounted him their mortal Enemy whom he at length caused to be strangled So that Caesar hearing of it said He had rather be Herods swine than his Son Because the Jews will not kill nor eat Swine This is that wicked King Herod of whom we read in the Holy Scriptures in whose reign our blessed Saviour was born and who executed that merciless butchery upon the innocent Infants of Bethlem and committed many other horrible massacrees for which at length the hand of God seized upon him by an horrible disease being visited with a vehement pain and Ague With an intollerable Itch over his whole body the Collick daylytormented him His feet and Belly were swoln with the dropsy His privities putrified and bred worms he had great difficulty of breathing and a violent cough was almost famisht with hunger yet could not eat All which terrible afflictions made him weary of his life calling for a knife to cut his throat and five days after died miserably having reigned thirty seven years The History of Clotilda Queen of France THis Virtuous Queen by her True Zeal did cause Renowned Clovis to imbrace Christs Laws Who all his Pagan vain Idolatry Did quite renounce and utterly defie And after by Heavens mighty help and aid His fiercest Enemies his Power obey'd And Clovis by his Strength and Policy Founded the Potent Great French Monarchy Clotilda Earthly Glory did despise And only True
blessed Saviour denying him to be equal with God the Father and in prosecution of this impious design she spared no pains nor endeavours using both Flattery and Threats to induce her to comply thereto insinuating That God might as well be worshipt in one Religion as another and that she ought to conform her self to the usages and customs of the place wherein she was especially since thereby she would very much oblige the King and create greater respect in him toward her That she was not come into Spain to give but receive Laws and to exercise obedience That her husband could never faithfully love her if she entertained any other Sentiments Opinions or Sacraments than himself ' That she could never expect to reign happily over a People who were of a contrary Faith to hers That she should not fear the reproaches of her own Countreymen who would count her very indiscreet not to comply with the times and that if for small matters some great men would be perswaded to renounce their former Religious Observances much more might she be excused in her conformity to the Truth when the reward thereof was no less than a Kingdom With such pungent motives and arguments as these this wicked woman did continually afflict the ears of this innocent Princess who nothing moved therewith replyed That if she persisted in these discourses she would for the future take all occasions to avoid her company since nothing could be less grateful to her than using so many subtilties to remove her from her Faith from which she was resolved never to recede during her life yea though the utmost torments were inflicted on her to force a renunciation And therewith going hastily out of her Chamber Gosiniha was very much offended yet concealing her anger resolved to attempt her once more not without hope of prevailing and having by a thousand protestations of kindness and affection endeavoured to make up the breach she at length more earnestly pressed her with many urgent reasons to be again baptized after the Arrian manner which Andegona absolutely refused prudently replying That thanks be to God she was already baptized in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and that if the water of the Arrian Baptism should be cast on her head though she loved her hair as well as any woman need yet she would pluck it off yea tear the Skin along with it that had been defiled with such an abomination This was the last effort Gosintha made and judging her self extreamly affronted at this resolute reply she left Andegona foaming with Rage and Threats That since she refused the Arrian Baptism she should be baptized in another manner which should wash her from head to foot And returning again soon after she barbarously dragged this poor Princess about by the hair of the head and then abusing her to the loss of bloud she commanded two or three of her waiting women to strip her stark naked and bind her with cords and in this posture to throw her into a pool of water in a very cold season of the year It was a miserable spectacle to see the daughter of a King who was so lately received with such Triumphs and Rejoicings thus cruelly treated in the same place Gosintha who stood at the brink of the Pool to behold this unworthy execution ordered her to be drencht in the water by degrees that she might be more sensible of the peircing cold and often repeated these words If you will confess you are an Arrian you are safe and shall be presently released from your misery But the couragious Princess who had not so great an apprehension of death as fear to be seen naked cryed out aloud I am a Christian an Orthodox Christian take away my life if you will yet shall neither fire nor water force me to gainsay or renounce my Profession Gosintha finding all her attempts in vain at length suffered her to come out and put on her garments admiring and envying the constancy and greatness of her Soul which no tortures could shake or disturb Ermangild utterly ignorant of what had passed perceiving his Princess somewhat pale and disorder'd by this rough usage asked whether she were discomposed either in body or mind which she prudently endeavoured to conceal as not worthy his notice but by the manner of her discourse finding she had received some sensible affront he made a strict scrutiny of those who were able to inform him who soon related the cruel indignity his Mother-in-law Gosintha had put upon her which raised his passion to such an height that he had certainly torn that wicked Queen in pieces had not the fear of God and the charming Eloquence of his wife somewhat pacified his fury The Virtuous Andegona fell at his feet beseeching him not to precipitate himself and her likewise into inevitable danger by any extremities so that at length they concluded to remove from the Court to Sevil which was given him as a Patrimony by his Father for his present subsistance Whither being retired they fully enjoyed those delights which had been in some measure obstructed by this ill accident Ermangild believing himself the happiest of all mortals in beholding so many Virtues in so great a beauty And the modesty and piety wherewith she had managed her last disgrace made him think he could not sufficiently adore so much goodness Andegona observing what power she had over her husband by the repeated instances of his tender affection and being now without fear of a Step-mother resolved to improve this opportunity for the good of his Soul and sollicited him seriously to renounce his Arrianism and imbrace true Christianity by insisting on the falsness and unreasonableness of this opinion so derogatory to the honour of the Son of God and Saviour of the World the author of it being a wicked Priest who was made a Bishop out of mere spight and was rejected and solemnly condemned in a Council of three hundred and eighteen Bishops And that it had been remarkt that all the Arrian Kings round about had come to unhappy ends and it might be feared Spain could not escape the vengeance of Heaven unless it were purged from these pestilent errors Ermangild could not well resist the strength of truth and love both assaulting him at once in the same Person and therefore took time to deliberate Whereupon the good Princess prevail'd with him to confer with a famous Bishop who so well managed the Spirit of this gallant Prince that by divine assistance and the continual sollicitations and prayers of Andegona who moved Heaven and Earth for his conversion he at length renounced his error and became an Orthodox Christian Lenigild the Father having notice hereof was exceedingly displeased and Gosintha his Wife was not wanting to inflame him against his son however not willing presently to bring things to extremity knowing the greatness of his Spirit and that many of the Nobility were ready to ingage in his cause He sent
Chapters with Contents and beautified with Pictures By R. B. Licensed according to Order Price One Shilling XV. THE History of the Nine Worthies of the World Three whereof were Gentiles 1. Hector Son of Priamus King of Troy. 2. Alexander the Great King of Macedon and Conqueror of the World. 3. Julius Caesar first Emperor of Rome Three Jews 4. Joshua Captain General and Leader of Israel into Canaan 5. David King of Israel 6. Judas Maccabeus a Valiant Jewish Commander against the Tyranny of Antiochus Three Christians 7. Arthur King of Brittain who couragiously defended his Countrey against the Saxons 8. Charles the Great K. of France and Emperor of Germany 9. Godfrey of Bullen King of Jerusalem Being an account of their Glorious Lives Worthy Actions renowned Victories and Deaths Illustrated with Poems and the Picture of each Worthy By R. B. Price One Shilling XVI A Guide to Eternal Glory Or Brief Directions to all Christians how to attain Everlasting Salvation To which are added several other small Tracts As 1. Saving Faith discovered in Three Heavenly Conferences between Our Blessed Saviour and 1. A Publican 2. A Pharisee 3. A Doubting Christian II. The Threefold state of a Christian 1. By Nature 2. By Grace 3. In Glory III. The Scriptures Concord compiled out of the words of Scripture by way of Question and Answer wherein there is the sum of the way to Salvation and Spiritual things compared with Spiritual IV. The Character of a True Christian A brief Directory for the Great Necessary and Advantagious Duty of Self-Examination whereby a serious Christian may every day Examine himself VI. A short Dialogue between a Learned Divine and a Beggar VII Beams of the Spirit or Cordial Meditations Enlivening Enlightning and Gladding the Soul. VIII The Seraphick Souls Triumph in the Love of God. With short remembrances and Pious thoughts IX History Improved or Christian Applications and Improvements of some remarkeable passages in History X. Holy Breathings in several Divine Poems upon divers Subjects and Scriptures Price One Shilling XVII EXcellent Contemplations Divine and Moral Written by the Magnanimous and truly Loyal A. L. Capel Baron of Hadham Together with some Account of his Life and his Affectionate Letters to his Lady the day before his Death with his Heroick Behaviour and last Speech at his Suffering Also the Speeches and Carriages of D. Hamilton and the E. of Holland who suffered with him With his pious Advice to his Son. Price One Shilling XVIII Youths Divine Pastime Containing Forty Remarkable Scripture Histories turned into common English Verse With Forty curious Pictures proper to each Story very delightful for the virtuous imploying the vacant hours of Young Persons and preventing vain and vitious Divertisements Together with several Scripture Hymns upon divers occasions Price Eight pence XIX UNparrallel'd Varieties Or the Matchless Actions and Passions of Mankind Display'd in near four hundred notable instances and examples Discovering the transcendent effects 1. Of Love Friendship and Gratitude 2. Of Magnanimity Courage and Fidelity 3. Of Chastity Temperance and Humanity And on the contrary the Tremendous Consequences 4. Of Hatred Revenge and Ingratitude 5. Of Cowardice Barbarity and Treachery 6. Of Vnchastity Intemperance and Ambition Imbellished with Proper Figures Price One Shilling XX. EXtraordinary Adventures of several Famous Men with the strange Events and signal Mutations and Changes in the Fortunes of divers Illustrious Places and Persons in all Ages Being an account of a Multitude of Stupendious Revolutions Accidents and Observable matters in States and Provinces throughout the whole world The Cruelties usued by the Turks upon the Christians at Argiers their manner of selling Slaves c. The dreadful Mutiny in the City of Naples in 1647. and how Massanello a Fisher-boy ruled there for 10 days with greater Power than any King or Emperor An account of several Nations destroyed or driven from their Habitations by Gnats Moles Pismires Sparrows Locusts Hares Conies Fleas Frogs Mice Grashoppers Serpents Worms and other inconsiderable Creatures The Tragical Deaths of Joqn and Cornelius de Wit at the Hague in Holland Remarks on the Life and Death of Sir W. Rawleigh with his last Speech and Behaviour on the Scaffold with Pictures Price One Shilling XXI VVInter Evenings Entertainments in Twâ— Parts Containing 1. Ten Pleasanâ— Relations of many Rare and Notable Accidents and Occurrences with brief Remarks upon every one 2. â—â—ty Ingenious Riddles with their Explanations and useful Observations and Morals upon each Enlivenâ— with above Threescore Pictures for Illustrating eveâ—â— Story and Riddle Excellently Accommodated to thâ— Fancies of Old or Young and useful to chearful Socâ—â—ty and Conversation Price One Shilling FINIS