THE Life and Death of william Long beard the most famous and witty English Traitor borne in the Citty of London Accompanied with manye other most pleasant and prettie histories By T. L. of Lincolns Inne Gent. Printed at London by Rychard Yardley and Peter Short dwelling on Breadstreat hill at the Signe of the Starre 1593. ¶ THE LIFE AND death of William Long beard Howe Willyam Long beard betraied his elder brother vnto his death of his falling in acquaintance with the Abbot of Cadonence in Normandy and how cunningly and coulourably they got authority from the Kinge to accomplish their ambitious pretences WHilst all the world was in vprore and schismes raigned in the Church when God by prodigious signes threatened pestilent plagues at suche time as two sunnes appéered in our Horizon in England and three Moones were discouered in the West in Italie William with the longe beard was borne in the famous Cittie of London of greater minde then of high parentage a graft of mightie hope at the first though as it afterwards proued his parents spent too much hope on so little vertue This frée Cittizen borne tenderlie fostered in his infancie was afterwards trained vp in good letters wherin he profited so suddenlie that most men wondered at his capacitie and the wisest were afraid of the conclusion And for that the age wherein hee was bread being the third yeare of Henrie the Second was full of troubles this yoong mans rare guifts were raked vp in the embers little regarded because not yet ripened but at last as years increased the minde ordained for mightie thinges began to mount the rather because ambition sealed his eies which made him with the Doue soare so hie till his own cunning and labour made him be ouerturned for when he perceiued his fathers foote alreadie prepared for the graue his mother seazed by age and more besotted with affection himselfe at mans estate without maintenance he thus began the first fruites of his impietie the sequell whereof exceedeth all conceit and testifieth his deuilish and damnable nature He had a brother elder than himselfe in yeares but yoonger in policie who hauing by his owne frugalitie gotten great wealth was called to be a Burgesse of the cittie a man beloued of all men for his vpright dealing and lamented of al men for his vntimelie death For William little regarding the benefites he had receiued of him in his youth the brotherlie kindnesse the bountifull curtesies sought all means possible to betray him who had trained him vp to suck his hart bloud who had sought his harts rest and to that intent séeing the opportunitie fitted him in the raigne of Richard the first that noble Prince of famous memorie he suborned certeine lewd and smister confederates of his to accuse him of Treason for which cause poore innocent man being suddenlie apprehended his goods were confiâ—…cate his body imprisoned his wife and children left succourlesse whilst wicked William being both complotter informer and witnes wrought so cunningly with the kings councell that the goods were his which his brother with his long labour had gotten and the poore innocent man brought out before the Iudges with wéeping eies beheld his yoonger brother both reuelling in his ritches and reiocing at his ruine Many were his obtestations before God and protestations to the Iudges manie his exhortations to his brother and detestations of his periurie But William whose hart was the very harbour of all impietie ceased not in his owne person to solicite and by his companions to incense the Iudges in such sort that his brother was at last by them condemned and adiudged to death as some Writers suppose for coining And being led forth to his execution like an harmelesse innocent the people mustering about the place the curssed brother the occasion and compactor of his confusion accompanie him with these or such like words he finished his life Thou God that knowest the cause of my vntimelie death canst in iuâ—…ice punish my vniust accusers meane while take mercie on my poore soule who am forsaken of my priuate friends be thou a safeguard vnto me whoe am left without succors and helpe the desolate widdow with hir distressed children This said after some priuate conference by permission betwéene his brother and him he suffered torment But William hauing gotten wealth began to take vpon him state and vnderstanding his father and mother through hartie griefe were in their extreame age committed to the graue he seazed on their goods carrieng such a countenance in London that all men wondered at him In wit he was pregnant in publike affaires pollitike in reuenges constant in speeches affable in countenance graue in apparell gorgeous yea so cunning was he to insinuate himselfe among the Commons that as the report went he had more Prentises clubs at his command then the best Courtier had seruants to attend him And as the custome is whilest thus he behaued himselfe it fortuned that hee fell in companie and conference with the Abbot of Cadonence in Normandie a man as high minded as himselfe and more subtill than Sinon by whose aduise and directions he grew so craftilie conceited that vnder a holie pretert he wrought more mischiefe than either the Councell of England could for a long time remedie or by industrie reuerse and thus it fortuned After that the noble and warlike Richard the firste of that name had to his immortall glorie recouered his rights in France established peace with the French king and by the perswasions of his mother Dame Elianor reconciled his brother Iohn who had before that time béene at deadlie â—…d with him It plesed his Maiestie partlie for his owne recreation sake partlie to remedie the discontents of his subiects to goe on Progresse in the eight yeare of his reigne and in the yeare of our Lord 1197. at which time the Abbot of Cadonence and William watching an occasion and oportunitie so cunninglie wrought she matter that they had audience at his Maiesties hands and attained vnder the broad seale the whole summe of their requests The Abbot couloured his stratagem vnder the coppie of conscience assuring the king that the corruption of his officers were the chiefest groundes of publike contention praieng him in the bounty of an heroick and princelie potentate to take some order for she correction of them least at the last it should turne to his owne confusion His maiestie that had euer regard of the poore with gratious good words thanked him for his good will giuing him warrant and authoritie to redresse those inconueniences and promising him great promotions if he tooke any profite by his pollicie William now that hath the second subtiltie to enact suted his lookes in all sobrietie and stroaking his long beard which he curiouslie fostered euen from the beginning tolde the king of the insolence and outrage of rich men who spared their owne and pilled the poore robbed Irus and clawed Midas beséeching in the commons behalfe a remedie
for this inconuenience wherevnto the king easilie condiscended so that he likewise was authorized to redresse such enormities and both he and his fellowe Abbot were with manie princelie fauours dismissed Mounted thus vpon the whéele of Fortune which euerie waie sheweeth hir selfe as fickle as she is fauourable as ful of gall as she hath honie they both of them depart for London carrieng so high countenances as euerie one were amazed at their manners My lord Abbot first suted in his Pontificallbus called forth diuers officers purposing to examine their accounts taunting them with vntowarde languages and accompanieng threates with imprisonment But as the Giants that threatened the heauens were ouer throwne in their most hautinesse and as Phaeton vsurping his fathers seat was confounded for his ambitious pride by vntimelie death so the Abbot of Cadonence when he thoght to cauell at all accompts was called to accompt himselfe before she Tribunall iustice seat of God and died in midest of his iollitie But William who towred with the Phaenix to burne in the sunne and aduentured to crosse the troblesome seas of this world to perish with ouermuch wrastling in the same now began his pageant exhorting and stirringe the commons to loue and imbrace libertie to fight and labour for freedome brieflie to detest and blame the excesse and outrage of ritch men whoe as he tolde them reaped the sweet whilst they poore soules sweat for it Heerevnto wrested he manie stories of antiquitie First the Laconian state next the popular gouernement of Athens wherein peace neuer flourished better said he than when the Commons had fréedome of speech With these and such like honie spéech he so animated the multitude that like a second Hercules he drew them by the eares thorow the honie of his eloquence And to his words he annexed action vndertaking manie poore mens causes who were ouerborne by the rich handeling his matters with such pollicie as that he was held for a second God among the poore and for a long time esteemed for a good subiect by the Prince Yet notwithstanding this the mightie maligned him greatlie for that he had informed the king that by their meanes his Maiestie lost manie forfeits and â—…scheats which were due vnto him and for that his detested subtleties may be more apparant where through he cloked his succéeding treacheries I haue thought good to sette downe some one of them which may giue a taste to those tragike miseries which shall ensue How William with the long beard handled the cause of Peter Nowlay a Cobler who was iniuried by Robert Besant sometime Bailife of London DUring the time that William long beard flourished after this manner in all pompe and pleasure attended dailie and hourelie by hole troops of Citizens it fortuned that one Peter Nowlay a cobler a man of little capacitie liued in London whoe hauing gotten vppe by his owne handie labour and endeuour the summe of fortie marks and not knowing the meanes how to employ the same to his best commoditie solicited one Robert Besaunt sometimes Baylife of London to take the same money into his hands and to employ it to some good vse to the ende that after his decease his poore infants which were twoe in number might haue some succour and maintenance This money Robert Besaunt accepted hauing the vse thereof for the space of ten yeares accustoming poore Peter as these great men are wont to doo to a Sundaies dinner and swéet words which in these our daies is the verie poison of this world in that time was no small pestilence At last pleased God to call the Cobler to his mercie where through his poore wife liued distressed his children complaine theyr miserie and all his neighbors considering the honestie of the man in his life were compassionate and pittied his Orphans after his death The poore mother seeing hir necessities increase and hir abilitie quite ouerthrowne separated apart from all companie began to wéepe verie tenderlie recommending hir poore babes to his mercy who had no doubt lent them hir to a better end than famishment Ahlas said she my God if the least Sparrow is not vncared for by thee what letteth me to trust my childrens helth vnto thée who hauing bestowed breath vpon them mayest likewise in fauour bestow bread vpon them Thou séest Lord their friend is taken from them and the mothers neastlings without thy helpe must become staruelings Woe is me would God I had forgon my life or forgotten loue oâ—… would my handes were as plentifull as my heart is pittifull Ah Pellican I must imitate thée and pierce mine owne breast to the end I may foster my babes otherwise the helpe is vaine which hope yéeldeth since charitie is cold which should feede hope Woe is me where should I begin to mourne that haue no end of mone Shall I lament my marriage no the heauens ordained it shall I complaine of Fortune no for then I suppose an enimie where there is none shall I blame my fruitfulnes how vaine were that since it is a felicitie to enioy babes What then shall I doo truelie put my whole trust and confidence in Gods mercie whoe being Lord of all plentie can best of all relieue necessities Scarsly bad she ended these words when as hir yoong ones the one imbracing hir necke cried for meate the other kissing hir hands moorninglie bewraied his wants whilst she like Mirrha hauing tears to bewail them no tresure to relieue them sung this wofull Lullabie vnto them whilst the musicke of hir voice enforced them to listen hir Lullabie Ah little Laddes Giue ceaselesse sorow end with lullabie Suck vp my teares That streame from out the fountaines of mine eie Feed feed on me whom no good hope or Fortune glads Oh set me free From those incessant and pursuing feares which waken vp my woes and kil my pleasure Lullabie Weepe weepe no more But let me weepe and weeping weepe life hence That whilst you want I may not see false Fortunes proud pretence When I am dead My God perhaps will send you store Oh smile in need Poore hungry babes let smiles be nothing scant I teares yow smiles both haue no better treasure To bring these woes exceeding meane or measure To Lullabie Noe sooner had she finished hir song but Robert Besaunt entered the house who though altogither giuen ouer to couetousnesse yet beholding the wofull estate of the poore wife and children he comforted them the best he might sending for some little sustenance to yéeld hir and hir little ones som succour and after some conference about hir husbands state his maner of death he desired colourablie to see hir writings to the ende he might couenablie conuaie out of her hands the bill of fortie marks which he had past vnto Peter hir husband in his time The sillie soule supposing his almes deeds was vnattended by trecherie drew out of an olde till certeine briefes which she had vsing these or such like terms Maister Besaunt
was slaine by the commandement of the Tyrant Phalaris Anaxarchus by the iudgement of Nicocreon finished his life with manie tortures Archimedes the Philosopher an excellent Mathematisian was slaine by Marcellus souldiers Pythagoras with his threescore schollers was put to the sworde Anacharsis died suddenlie Diodorus burst thorough harts gréefe by reason he could not answer a question which Stilbo the Philosopher had propounded him Aristotle after he had lost the fauour of Alexander being in Calcide drowned himselfe in the floud Euripus Calistines his scholler was cast hedlong out of a window Marcus Tullius had his ears and hands cut off and set vp in the publike place where the Drators declaimed Seneca was put to death by his scholler Nero whoe had first caused his vaines to be opened in a bathe of hot water Iohannes Scotus reading in England by a sudden conspiracie of his schollers was with his best fauorites put to death but if I should vndertake to repeat all the haplesse endes of these ancients whoe were excellent in learning it were too long for me to write or you to read For which cause I will begin to let you vnderstand the death of some moderne learned Petrach died suddenlie Domitius Caldarinus perished through the sicknesse of the plague Consiliator was burned aliue Angelus Politianus finished his daies by hauing his braines dasht out against a wall Peter Leo of Spoletum was drowned in a ditch the Lorde Francis Pico was slaine by his tenants Fisher and Thomas Moore were beheded Cranmer and Latimer burned the rest since fresh in memorie I néed not to trouble you with I onelie set these down for the learned to consider vppon and examine themselues by circumstances cunninglie canuase in their conscience an argument a comparatis Howe kinge Rodorigo the last of the Royall house of the Gothes lost his kingdome and life thorough his incontinence IN the yeare 712. Roderigo raigned in Spaine who earnestlie enamored of a daughter of Iulians Countie of Cantabre and desirous to gather the fruite of his loue because otherwise he might not in that the maiden was verie honest and vertuous he sent hir father embassadour into France by that oportunitie enforcing hir he satisfied his lewd and dissolute lust Iulian returning into Spaine and vnderstanding the heauie case and estate of his daughter made shew before the king that he was vtterlie ignorant thereof and after a few daies he fled into Affrica with all his familie taking vppe his house in the cittie of Lepte and seeking out Muca the gouernour of Affrica hee tolde him of the outrage doone him by the king and howe for that cause he was come vnto him First to offer him a great rich and faire empire next to profer him his seruice and moreouer said he the time is come to reuenge the Arabians which were slain a few yeares past in the hoast of king Bamba To the performance whereof I will backe you with the greater part of the Lords of Spaine whoe will be readie to assist you in this enterprise bycause the king is deadlie hated of them both for his crueltie and lawlesse corruption Muca sent him vnto king Mulit in Arabia whoe hearing Iulianos purpose dispatched him with letters to Muca wher in he wrote that he should fauour him with all reasonable helpes Muca gaue him an hundreth horsse and foure hundreth men on foote vnder the conduct of a famous captaine called Tariffe with this power they passed the Seas landed in Spaine and to the end they might the more securelie beard the enimie they builded a cittie which they called by the name of Tariffe captaine of the Barbarians And assoone as Iulio had giuen notice to his confederates for what occasion he was come what desire he had to reuenge him of the iniurie doone vnto him by the king many of them vnited themselues with the Arabians and ouerran al the contrey of Algazera which the said Iuliano had in gouernement vnder the said king The Arabians of Africa séeing the great progresse and fortune the countie had and assured of his faith sent him twelu thousand horsse and a great multitude of footmen by reason that they had intelligence that the king had sent against him his cosin Ignicus with a huge host who fighting many times vnhappilie with the Moores at the last was himselfe slaine all his followers cut in péeces wherevpon the Moores being rid of this impediment ouerran and spoiled a great parte of Spaine For which cause the king leuied a greater army than the first and comming himselfe to wage the fight with the Moores there fell a terrible and dreadfull battell betwéene both the armies which continued eight continuall daies saue onlie the intermission of night but by reason of the rebellion of the two late kings sonnes called Detifa the king had the worst and perished in the field with many other valiant persons and the Moores like couragious victors possessed the spoiles This defeat was on sunday being the xi of Septēber in the yeare 719 The Moores attaining victorie had the dominion of Spaine Of many famous men whoe leauing the gouernement of the Commonweale gaue themselues ouer to a priuate life CAto the Censor was the most vertuous and best reputed Romaine that flourished in that time for during al the daies of his life there was neuer man that saw him commit anie light action neither lose or diminishe any one inch of his seuere grauitie This man after he had liued fifty and eight yeares leauing the trauailes of the common wealth went and spent the remnant of his life in the kingdome of Naples in a village called at that daie Picenio and in this time Pozzuolo liuing vpon his owne liuelihoods and reuenews And whilest thus this good and vertuous Cato liued sequestred from all others sometimes reading his bookes some other times trimming his vines there was one of his neibours who wrote vpon his gate with a coale O fortunat Cato thou only amongst al others knowst how to liue in this world Lucullus the Consul and Romaine captaine remained in the Parthian warres and continued the same for the tearme of sixteene yeares in which he acquired much honor to Rome many laudes for the common weale much fame for himself and as great riches for his house This man after he returned from Asia to Rome and found the commonweale altogither swarming with dissentions by reason of the factions of Scilla and Marius purposed with himselfe to leaue Rome and to build him a certaine place of pleasure néere Naples vpon the riuer of the sea at this daie called Castello di Lupo in which place he reposed ten yeares entitled to all kind of pleasures and quietnesse of mind frée from all trauailes and troubles till suche time as he finished his wearied age with a contented and worthie death Dioclesian after he had gouerned Rome and the emperie for the space of eighteene yeares vtterlie refusing all the Empire departed Rome and