proportion of diet for householde of the kings of Persia and of Alexander the great The great prices of precious ointmentes and the riotous vse of them in auncient time and howe that Plotius and Muleasses were disclosed vnto their enimies by their sweet odors The manifolde sorts of wines the alterings of water found out by riot and the rare deuises to make men haue an appetite to eate and drink superfluously The great incommodities of excesse in diet the great death in the Duchie of Wittenberg by immoderate drinkinge of wine and at the game of drinking set foorth by Alexander the great The wonderful grosenesse of Nicomachus Ptolomey Alexander Dionysius and Sanctius of the rate vertue of an hearbe to make a man leane the rauenous nature of the beast Rosomacha and of certaine straunge shepe and swine The ninth chapter Of thâ— riotous magnificence of the Pyramides Labyrinthes Obelisces of the Babylonian garden of the vaine costly shippes of Ptolomey Hiero Sesostres Caligula the woonderfull purposelesse bridges of Caligula and Traian of the sumptuous Theatre of Scaurus of the incredible charges bestowed by the auncient Romanes in playes games and triumphes The tenth Chapter What intollerable troubles riot doth bring vnto man how it caused Catiline Marcus Antonius Curio Caesar to reise vppe ciuill warrs and of a dumbe shewe of Heraclitus that nothing doth more cause rebellion The shamelesse shiftes of Iulius Caesar Caligula Nero and Domitian to maintein their riotous expences and of Cheopes to finishe his Pyâ—â—mis howe Apitius murdered himselfe because he was not able to beare the charges of his wonted riot The eleuenth Chapter The vnutterable tormentes of loue the inordinate lust of man bothe before after against nature Of an harlotte that said she neuer remembred her selfe maide howe Solomon and Achaz begat their heires at the age of eleuen yeares of a Camell that killed his keeper for deceiuing him in horsing his damme of a man in Germanie in our dayes that begat vpon his mother a childe the whiche he afterward married of an horse that killed himself after he perceiued that he had serued his dam of diuerse men that burned in the lecherous loue of them whom they neuer sawe Of diuerse that raged in lust vpon senselesse statuies The twelfth Chapter Of the tormentes of ambition whiche are also confirmed by the examples of Themistocles Alexander Iulius Caesar Mancinus and an Indian Of the wonderfull summes of money giuen by the Romanes to obteine the honour to beare office and of the manner of the choosing of their Magistrates The thirteenth Chapter Of the painful troubles procured vnto man by his vnsatiable couetousnesse The fourteenth Chapter Of the great care and hofufulnes ingrafted by nature in man for his burial the rites aswel auncient as moderne of almost al nations and sectes vsed at burials with mention of diuerse costly tumbes The xv Chapter Of the confuse and causelesse feare of man and particularly of the Romans thriâ—e of Augustus of the Greekes thrise of the confederates called the common wealth before Paris of the Emperials in our dayes at Villa Francha of Pysander of one that died by seeing of Hercules of Artemons madde fearefulnesse of Saint Vallier Duke of Valentinois howe Cassander was affrighted at the sight of Alexanders Image and other suche vaine feares The xvi Chapter Of the furious wrath of man and specially of Walter Earle of Breme and Matthias king of Hungarie The xvij Chapter Of the care and hofulnesse that religion and superstition bredeth in man Of the vntollerable sorrowe for sinne of Dauid Marie Magdalene Fabiola Edgar the griping griefes of a guiltie conscience and the vaine imaginations of the Melancholike The xviij Chapter Of the great hofulnesse to prolong their liues of Lewes the eleuenth Charles the seuenth Dionysius Commodus and Aristippus The xix Chapter Of the shortnesse and vncerteintie of mans life and by howe many casualties it is cut off and of sundry straunge kindes of souden deathes The xx Chapter That not great riches and large Empire do make a man happie the which Socrates proued by an excellent induction whereunto is annexed a golden sâ—ntence of Agesilaus The xxi Chapter A discourse of the brittle blisse of Alexander the great The xxij Chapter The infelicitie and dolefull end of Demetrius yea his variable life and actes The xxiij Chapter The greatnesse and also great mishaps and troubles of Iulius Caesar and a worthy saying of Charles the fift The xxiiij Chapter Of the variable euents of Marcus Antonius The xxv Chapter Of Caligula his monstrous doings vntollerable enuies rare infelicities and shamefull end but the singular vertues of his father and great loue that all men bare vnto him The xxvi Chapter Of Domitians doings The xxvij Chapter Of the casualties of Commodus The xxviij Chapter Of the rare conquestes and losses of Cosdras king of Persia The xxix Chapter Of the insolent exulting of Vgoline Earle of Pisa Fredericke the second and Henrie the second for then good fortune but their farall falles and againe the moderation of mynde in their victories of Epaminondas Philip of Macedome Camyllus Paulus Aemylius Charles the fifte and why at Rome a bondman did ride in the chariot whereat did hang a bell and a whip with him that triumphed The xxx Chapter Of the infortunate fall of many great conquerours and founders of Empires The xxxi Chapter Of the greatnesse and also vnluckie chaunces of Augustus The xxxij Chapter Of Traiane The xxxiij Chapter Of Seuerus The xxxiiij Chapter Of Constantine the great The xxxv Chapter Of Iustinian The xxxvi Chapter Of Heraclius The xxxvij chapter Of Michael Paleologus The xxxviij chapter Of Charles the great The xxxix chapter Of Charles the fift The xl chapter Of Solomon The xli chapter Of Herodes king of Iudea The xlij chapter Of Mahomet The xliij chapter Of Hismael the Sophie The xliiij chapter Of the Cherife of Maroccho The xlv chapter Of Barbarossa king of Algier The xlvi chapter Of Tamberleine the Tartar. The xlvij chapter Of Selime the first great Lord of the Turkes The xlviij chapter Of Ferdinand the sixt king of the Hispaines The xlix chapter Of William Conquerour The l. chapter Of Henrie the second king of England The li. chapter Of Edward the third king of England The lij chapter Of Henrie the fift king of England The conclusion The Errata Fol. pag. line Fault Correction 1 1 20 singlenesse of God singlenesse God 4 1 21 of bountifull nature with the giftes of bounti c. 5 1 17 Camelion pardis Cameliopardis 10 1 3 you now 10 1 12 the them 11 2 22 poemes Paeanes 12 2 16 people Peple 12 2 32 Triumpher Triumuir 15 1 3 furmament frumentie 15 2 32 tenour terrour 17 2 19 gratious grieuous 22 1 10 100000. 1000000. 27 2 17 Myrrha Murrha 40 2 22 made make 57 1 32 burne burie 59 1 14 siluer Siler 100 1 28 these the East 100 2 6 demeanour misdemeanour 100 2 20 Cicero Curio 103 2 12 salting sallying 104 2 7 25000. 250000. 85 1 14 mire meere 88 2 21 abiect obiect 101 2 18 boldnesse baldnesse 102 1 19 moued monyed 104 2 14 of the Bataui of rhe king of the Bataui 115 1 3 especiall espiall 115 2 16 orgents his agents 112 1 25 the these 113 1 12 cartes certes 113 1 15 answered nothing answered nothing c. 114 1 12 scuffled stiffled 155 2 11 Sentines S. Quintins 116 2 22 seas feese 119 1 14 liueing his liuing 120 1 28 named hauing named 120 2 22 now nor 126 1 34 hall hat 128 2 14 finally smally 140 2 12 where wheras 142 2 19 brought brought foorth 137 2 11 Angier Argier Other escapes of lesse weight and small importance I referre gentle Reader to thine owne correction in thy priuate reading
feare of smouldering wherfore the physicians prescribed very long smal néedles to be made with whom his seruants shold pricke his sides and bellie when he was fallen into a dead sléepe as long then as they were driuen through the fatte only he felt nothing but when that the néedles were come vnto a more pure place touched the quick flesh then would he awake This I thinke was one of the kinde of weathers that Ioannes Leo reportes that he sawe at Asioe a citie of Egypt of whome the tayles weighed some 80.l and some 150.l by the which weight they were made immoueable vnlesse that their tayles were laid in litle whéeleborowes or of the hogges mentioned by skilful Scaliger that could not moue for fatte and became so insensible that mice made them holes to néedle in their buttockes and they not once felt them Maga the King of Cyrene was choked with his foule paunche Whiche thing Sanctius the King of Castill fearing whose mightie masse of belly and fatte had taken from him all function of mannes life chose rather to bée killed out of hande by taking of a pernicious hearte of the king of Corduba a Moore to make him leane then to abide the intollerable torments of many years pressing to deathe with so greate a weight The ninth Chapter Of the riotous magnificence of the Pyramides Laberinthes Obelisces the gardein at Babylon the vaine sumptuous shippes of Ptolomey Hiero Sclostres and Caligula the chargeable fruitelesse bridges of Traian and Caligula the theater of Seaurus the incredible charges of the Romanes in playes games and triumphes NOwe leauing priuate riot I will rehearse examples of publike whiche they do cloake with the honourable name of magnificence And first wil I speake of the Pyramides the idle and foolishe ostentation of the Kings of Egypt séeing that it is recorded that they were made for no other vse nor purpose but that they shoulde not leaue money vnto their successours or those that lay in await for the crowne or else to kéep the people from idlenesse Within 78. yeares and foure moneths were there thrée made The greatest of which Pyramides is reported by Herodotus and Plinie to haue béene built by 360000. men in twentie yeares of Arabian stone It is ingrauen in the Pyramis that there was laide out for the prouision of the workmen in persely onions and garlike 1600. talents whiche is 288000.l But Plinie hathe 1800. which amounteth to 324000.l whiche if it be so saies Herodotus how muche is it credible was consumed vpon the tooles meate and apparell of the workemen Euery fronte of this Pyramis for it was fouresquare being eight acres broade and so many highe whiche acres of theirs being 240. long and 120. broade conteine 28800. foote and multiplied by eight amounteth to 230400. foote and al of square stone and very decently and finely shutte together neuer a stone being lesse and shorter then thirtie foote But whereas the Pyramides be wonderful yet do the Laberinthes farre excéede them in sumptuous folie The Egyptian Laberinthe hathe twelue haules couered ouer with one roufe and sixe gates on the northe side sixe other on the southe directly one ouer against the other and enclosed with a wall The houses or roomes of it are part vnder the ground and parte aboue built one vpon the other and bothe in number 3500. The vpper buildinges saies Herodotus we sawe and reporte that which we behelde But we learned the lower by heare say relation of others For the gouernours of the Egyptians would by no meanes haue them shewed because that they say there were bothe the sepulchres of the kings that built the Labyrinth also of the sacred crocodiles so that of the lower edifices we relate that whiche wée know by heare say the vpper we ourselues sawe greater then mens workes For the goings out through the houses and the goings backe through the haules moste diuerse did strike me with infinite admiration From the haule we goe into parlours out of parlours into chambers out of chambers into other solars and out of parlours againe into other halles Of all these edifices the roofe ouer head is of stone as be also the walles and garnished euery where with ingrauen imagerie All the halles for the greatest parte are of fine wrought white stone set rounde about with pillers close to the angle where the labyrinthe endeth standeth a pyramis of fourtie paces euery pace being sixe foote euery foote foure hand breadth in this pyramis be there great beastes ingrauen where the way is vnder the grounde And whereas the labyrinthe is suche yet the standing poole of Merios where the labyrinthe standeth maketh me much more to maruell whose circuite is 3600. furlongs that is to wit as much as Aegypt is vnto the sea Where it is déepest is it 50. paces That it was made by hand and digged downe so déepe to the two pyramides conuince which stande almost in the middest of the lake being fiftie paces aboue the water and so muche vnder Vpon both of whom is there a collossus of stone setting in a throne so that the pyramides are 100 paces highe The water of the poole is not naturall for the soyle is verie drye but deriued out of Nylus sixe monethes flowing into the poole and running backe into Nylus so many In those monethes that it runnes out inriching the kings treasure euerie day with a talent of siluer for the aboundance of fish which is in it and whē it floweth into the poole euery day with twentie poūds This poole do the inhabitants say runnes out into the Syrtes of Africa through a mightie ditch digged vnder the ground through the middest of the lande Of these monstrous mazes thus writeth Plinie The first of them that euer was made was built in Aegypt about 3600. yeares ago of the which Dedalus no doubt tooke a plat to build his labyrinthe in Creta but he imitated not aboue the hundreth part of it which doth conteine goings round of wayes and occourses and recourses méetings with wayes and goings backe of wayes out of whom no man can get him selfe and this happeneth not bycause the wayes doe often turne and winde this way and that way but only by reason of the thicke standing of doores set of purpose to deceiue men when they méete with the right way and to make them go backe againe into the wrong wayes This was the seconde labyrinthe the thirde was in Lemnos the fourth in Italie all of them vaulted aboue with polished stone The Aegyptian labyrinthe had at the comming in pillers of marble of Paros but al the rest of the pillers of the house were of marble of Syene whiche I maruell at séeing that Syenian marble is far fairer glistering with thicke red spottes like fire the stones are so strongly compacted that no not many ages can dissolue them the Hieropolitanes helping to their vttermost who did wonderfully annoy that enuied worke To declare the
Caligula was made out of the way to the incredible ioy of all mankinde whom he hated so deadly that he had béen often heard to bewayle his ill happe that in al his reigne there had chaunced no notable pestilence famine rauin of water earthquake nor any great bloudy battell wherby many men might perish wished that all the people of Rome had but one head that he might haue stroken it off at one blowe it had béene ill with mankinde if that this Phaeton of the world as his vncle Tiberius did vse to call him had béen immortall who in thrée yeares and sixe monethes for so long he reigned had néere hand vtterly destroyed it Moreouer I reade in Suetonius that Domitian the Emperour drawing a forme of letters whiche his agents should vse began thus Our Lord and God doeth commaunde it so to be done Whereby it was decréed afterward that he shoulde not be called otherwise by any man either in writing or spéeche It is is also left to memorie that about the yeare of our Lord 620. Cosdras the mightie King of the Persians after that he had won al Syria with Hierusalem al the South part of Asia with Egypt and all Africa would néedes be adored for a God and diuine honours with sacrifices done vnto him through out all his large dominions But perhappes some man will say what maruel was it for great monarches among the heathen to thinke themselues to be Gods if that you do consider their absurditie fonde vsage in constituting of Gods the originall and causes whereof I doe thinke good to touche The thirde Chapter Whereof the false Goddes had their first ground and the causes that moued diuerse countries to worshippe many men after death for Gods and also some while they liued as Demetrius Iulius Caesar Pycta Lysander Simon Magus Apollonius and of the extreeme maddnesse of the Egyptians in chusing of their Gods of the impudent flatterie of the ambassadours of Palermo vnto Martine the fourth and of the people to Herodes Agrippa and the present punishment of God for the accepting thereof Of the wonderfull reuerence that the Persians gaue vnto their Kinges and of the rare loue that the Galles Arabians Aethiopians bare vnto their Princes two woorthie sayinges of Antigonus and Canute AFter that the vngratious child Chara was abdicated and put away by his father without any instructions giuen him touching the worshippinge of the true God the outcast and his progenie marueilously increased as our common prouerbe is an ill wéede growes fast and they deduced many colonies into diuers partes of the worlde and the ignoraunce of the prouing of the true God whiche was in the first parent daily growing greater and greater in his posteritie You séeing as Cicero saies in his booke of the nature of the Gods it is naturally ingraffed in man to acknowledge a God and that no people or nation is so rude and barbarous that doth not professe a God they being vtterly ignoraunt of the true God thought those thinges which they sawe to excell other and by whom they receiued moste commodities to be Gods whereof arose the worshipping of the Sunne the Moone Starres and suche other things and also the making of the Gods when they were dead who in their liues had inuented or done any notable thinges to the vse and profite of mankinde And hereby it came to passe that some for the great celebrity of their names were as it were generally receiued of all nations as Hercules Bacchus Castor and Pollux and other were worshipped but in particular countries of whom onely they had well deserued as Isis in Egypt Iuba in Mauritania Cabyrus in Macedonia Vracius among the Carthaginians Fanus in Latium Romulus or after his deification Quirinus at Rome and with a great number such other shal he méete that diligently readeth the auncient monuments of the Paganes and those christian authors which haue refused their superstitions We read also in the booke of wisedome that the vnhappie man being bereft by vnripe death of his sonne whome hee loued tenderly to mitigate and assuage his sorrowe first inuented to haue his sonnes image adored and it to be taken for a present GOD in earth and the sonne him selfe for a GOD in heauen The like affection wee reade in Lactantius Cicero hadde towardes his Daughter and Virgils Aeneas vnto his Father with this consolation recouering their Spirites daunted and broken with griefe Wonderfull also was the honour and obseruancie that some nations bare vnto their kings so that he whiche readeth what Atheneus doeth write of the Arabians that the familiars of the Kinges did vse to maime them selues voluntarily of that member which it shoulde happen the king to léese and that when the King died either naturall or violent death they thought it but a sport to die all with him the like whereof is affirmed by Strabo and Diodorus Siculus of the Aethiopians and also of the Soliduni in a countrie of Gallia who were sixe hundreth men whom the King did chuse to be about him as his guard and liued and died with the king neither was it euer knowen that any one man of them did euer refuse or séeme vnwilling to die the Prince being deceased He I say that reads this wil not be hard of beléefe to credite Lactantius that the Maures did vse to consecrate all their kinges for Gods after they were dead The Aethiopians sayeth Strabo libr. 17. thinke that there is an immortall God and a mortall god The immortall is he that is the cause of all thinges the mortal is with them vncertaine and lacketh a name but mostly they do take them by whom they haue receiued benefites and their Kinges for Gods. Moreouer they doe thinke their kinges to be conseruers and kéepers of all men but priuate men when they be dead for they do account all dead men for Gods onely of them to whome they haue done good In like manner also the Romanes vsed to deifie their Emperours after their deathe as they also did their first king Romulus The Persian kings we reade in Curtius and other were adored like vnto Gods which honour saies Arrianus was giuen done vnto Cyrus first of all mortall men and the first of the Romane Emperours that was adored or knéeled vnto was Dioclesian after his glorious voiage and victorie against the Persians Yea in our time Xoas the king of the Persians is worshipped of his subiectes for god The water wherewithall he hathe washed his féete do they powre out of the basen and kéepe religiously as holy being an hoalsome medicine for al diseases he is called the Lord that holdes vppe heauen and earth The Gentiles also to incourage the young Gentlemen to folowe vertue and valiauncie vsed muche to Canonize and consecrate for Gods after death the renouned Capteines and greate conquerours by these meanes Hercules Bacchus and other did clime into heauen Of this
troupes from all partes of the towne assaulted the house wherin the imbassaders lay requested to haue him deliuered vnto them that he might be executed vtterly neglecting the greatnesse of the Romane name and the memorie of the friendshippe lately made and doubtlesse they would haue put him to death if that the king and the officers had not rather conueyed then deliuered him out of the present perill Diodorus also doth affirme that these baggage Goddes are kept and nourished about the Temples by men of good reputation who féede them with fine manchet Alica a kinde of furmament deintie dishes made with milke Moreouer they do set euery day before them géese bothe boyled and also rosted and for those that eate rawe flesh they cause byrdes to be caught finally they kéepe them with great care and charges Furthermore they doe washe them with warme water and very good and odoriferous ointments They also make for them sumptuous beddes costly garnished they mourne for their death as muche as they were their children and burie them more sumptuously then their abilitie can cleare After the death of Alexander the great when that Ptolomeus Lagi held Egypt an Oxe being dead at Memphis for age he that tooke vpon him the charge to kéepe him bestowed vpon his buriall a great masse of money the whiche had béene giuen for the charges of the funeralles and also fiftie talentes that is 9375. lent by Ptolomey Also in our age which was in the time of Ptolomeus Dionysius the laste king certaine that had the keeping of suche beastly Goddes bestowed vpon their funeralles no lesse then 100. talentes that is 18750. pound In what house soeuer saies Herodotus cattes do dye by nature al they that do dwell in them do shaue their ey-browes onely but if that a dogge die all their whole bodies and heades are shauen Dead cattes are caried by the people howling and beating their brestes vnto the temples to be salted and from thence into the citie Buleastis to be buried but they lay dogs in sacred cophines in those temples where they happen to die but dead shrewe mise and hawkes they do carrie vnto the citie of Butis all these baggages doe they by the reporte of Diodorus wrapp in fine shéetes and embaulme with the precious liquor of Cedrus and odoriferous ointments but dead beares and wolues do they burie where they finde them Moreouer Iuuenal in his xv Satyre doth charge them with farther follie in that they make léekes and onyons their Goddes wherefore he frumping them sayes O holie nations that haue Goddes growing in their gardens I haue béene the longer in declaring the madnesse of the Egyptians to make men vnderstande from whence the Israelites had their wonderfull pronenesse vnto idolatrie and worshipping of false Goddes But as I sayd before it is not so greatly to be maruelled at if that heathen men who accounted those to be Gods whō they knewe to be most renouned for vertue and valiancie did when that when fortune fauned on them forget them selues and inuaded wrongfully the godhead yet who wold beléeue that so absurd a thought coulde come into their myndes to whome God had reuealed his trueth and the knowledge of him selfe if we did not reade the like of Herodes Agrippa in the moste true recordes of the Actes of the Apostles Whiche historie is in these wordes related more at large by Iosephus in the .xix. booke of his antiquities When Herodes Agrippa did set foorth at the citie of Caesaria magnificent spectacles vnto the people in the honour of Caesar vpon a day vowed for the life and safetie of the Emperour to the which came also the worshipfull and honourable of the whole Prouince the second day of the shewes the king putting on a glittering robe wrought with wonderfull workmanship of cleane siluer about Sunne rising came foorth vnto the theatre Nowe when that the Sunne at the first rising did shine vpon the siluer garment the glistering of the mettall did cast foorth with the reuerberated beames suche a double and diuine brightnesse that the tenour of the sight did dazell the eyes of them that behelde it striking in them a veneration with honour Incontinently was there hearde the flatterie of the common people pratling out wordes which sounded to honour but brought destruction He was saluted from all partes of the Theatre by the name of a God and supplyantly prayed vnto to be mercifull and good vnto them the people saying vntill this time we haue euer feared thée as a man but from hencefoorth we doe nowe confesse thée to surmount and be aboue mans nature But the king did not suppresse nor blame their lewde exclamations neither abhorred the vngodlinesse of vnlawfull flatterie vntill suche time as a little while after he looking vp sawe an Owle sitting vppon a rope that went crosse the Theatre ouer his head and immediately withall he felt him to be the minister of his destruction whome he had knowne before to be his purueyour of good thinges and so was he soudenly tormented with incredible peines about his heart belly and small guts and looking backe vpon his friendes sayde behold ye I that God of yours am presently tumbled downe from life the power of God presently prouing those wordes to be false whiche you euen very nowe bestowed and hurled on me And I whome but very nowe you called immortall am out of hande at this instant carried headlong to death but I must abide and receiue the sentence whiche God hath pronoūced on me for I haue liued not in miserie but in so great felicitie that al men cal me a blessed mā When he had spoken those words he being more grieuously vexed with the violence of the peine was incontinently borne into the palace But shortly after when it was bruted abroad that he was vpon the point of death a great multitude of al ages sects came vnto the palace who lying on the ground grouely clothed in hairecloth after their countrie guise made incessant supplications vnto God for the kings recouerie all the kinges palace ringing with their dolful cries and lamentations whē as in the mean time the king lying in a chamber aboue and looking downe and beholding them lying flatte on their faces with lamentable wéeping could not abstein from teares him selfe but being fiue dayes thus tormented incessantly with griping peines of his bellie at the lengthe brake in sunder the tedious thread of lothsome life Thus by this long narration of those whose prosperitie made them to forget their maker yea and them selues too that saying of Augustines is verified that as all fruites all graines all woodes haue their worme and euery one a diuers worme the one from the other so the worme of riches power and prosperitie is pryde which doth corrupt and quite consume them as all other wormes do the substaunces wherein they are bred neuer dying vntill that they haue chaunged the names turning woods to rottennesse yron to lust and
of the partes betwéene the mouthe and the gullet falling inward of the spondill in the nape of the necke Asthma or hasing the stones wormes both round and astarides a kinde of wortes called acrochordones satyarismes or standing of the yarde by a smal inflamation strumes or the Kinges euill and other small tumors when they be elder and come vnto fourtéene yeares there happen many of the diseases of the ages which went before and longer agues and bléeding at the nose But vnto young men spitting of bloud consumpsions of the lungs sharp feuers the falling sicknesse and other diseases specially those whiche I haue spoken of before but vnto them whiche haue passed this age befall Asthma or hasinges pleurisies inflamations of the lungs lethargies phrensies burning agues long laskes skourings vpward and downeward bloudy fluxes lienteries piles But vnto old men hard fetching of breath rheumes with coughes stranguries difficulties of making water paines of the ioyntes swimming of the head apoplexies cacheries itches ouer all the body moistnesse of the bellie eyes and eares dimnesse of sight glaucedines or drinesse and concretion of the christaline humour in the eyes and ill hearing But although no age of mannes life is frée from diseases yet perhappes some parte of the yeare is so benigne that in it the body hauing rest from gréefe may refreshe and repaire his strength whiche was welnéere quite tyred and killed with the maladies and paynes whiche it suffered before No saies Hippocrates all diseases happen at all times but yet some diseases are more bredde and worse at one time then at another In the springtime reigne madnesse melancholy the falling sicknesse fluxes of bloud squinseis catarrhes hoarsnes coughes leprosies morphewes impetigines many vlcerous pustules small tumours paines of the ioyntes In the Summer some of those before rehearsed and agues continuall and burning and very many tertian and quartan agues vomitings and lasks ophthalmies or inflamations of the eares paines of the eares exulcerations of the mouth putrefactions of the general parts and sweatinges But in Autumne many of the summer diseases and feauers quartane wandring agues great splenes dropsies consumptions of the lungs straÌ„guries lienteries and bloudy fluxes paines of the hippe sqinseyes Asthma or hasinges paines in the smal gutts falling sicknesses maddnesse and melancholy In the Winter pleurisies inflamations of the lunges lethargies rheumes catarhes hoarsnesse coughes paines of the brest sides and loines swimming of the head and apoplexies Not onely no part of mans age nor of the yeare is frée from diseases no nor yet any kinde of weather or state or teÌ„perature of the ayre If it raine much there come long agues laskes putrefactions the falling euill apoplexies and squinseies In great droughts consumptions ophthalmies paines of the ioynts stranguries and bloudy fluxes Much heate bringeth effemination of the fleshe weakenesse of the sinewes and braine whereby the wittes minde be as it were benummed fluxes of bloud swounings after whome folowe death But colde causeth conuulsions tetanes or distentions benumming the killing of the natural heate making of the fleshe blacke and blewe quiueringes and shakings Southerne windes dull the hearing dimme the sight make the head heauie and men to be slouthfull lither but a northerne constitution brings coughs horsenesse binding of the â—â—lly and stranguries quiuering paine of the sides and brest So that Hippocrates truly sayes that all whole man from his natiuitie is sicknesse Ye though they infinite other bodily griefes and diseases wherewithall man is oppressed were not sufficient to kéepe this proud creature in his obediente and to make him acknowlege his creator he is no lesse but far more vexed with bodilesse perturbations of the mynde vnto whom he only at the least in most in the other is most subiect Only sayes Plinie the diligent searcher of nature who with Hippocrates haue sayd almost al that you haue heard of the miserie of man to him is giuen mourning to him ryot that innumerable wayes in euery meÌ„ber to him only ambition to him only couetousnesse to him only vnmeasurable desire of life to him only superstition to him only care of burial yea and what shal be when he is not To none is more brittle life to none greater lust of all things to none more confuse feare to none sharper and extreme rage and madnesse ¶ The fift Chapter The immoderate mourning of man and examples of them whiche haue dyed for sorrowe conceiued for the decay of Gods glory countries calamities infortunitie of parents children brethren wiues maisters and friends ANd these thinges not to be rather amplyfied rhetorically then spoken truly may easily be proued and first of mourning All other liuing things bycause they are moued only by the senses do apply them selues only vnto those thinges which are present little or nothing féeling thinges absent whereby it commeth to passe that they be not eyther so much or so long grieued with the losse of theirs But man onely by diuine reason whiche is giuen vnto him by God as the principallest and excellentest gift of nature doth perceiue and féele things absent past and to come which multiplyeth his miseries and sorrowes the vnsearchable wisdome of God so ordeining that nothing in this world should be in all partes blessed And as man by nature is desirous and louing societie and reposeth the greatest part of his felicitie in the mutuall loue of parents children husbande wife kinsfolkes friendes countrie yea and most principally of God so doubtlesse must we néedes confesse that it is vnto him the cause of great and many and sundry sorrowes and assent vnto Martialis that he whiche loueth not feeleth lesse ioy and lesse griefe the manifold mischaunces of death dishonor either by corrupt maners or otherwise griefs diseases both of body and mynde of our kinsfolkes and friends vnto all which kinde of calamities the world is too too muche subiect continually supplying vnto vs aboundant sorrowes And howe great the acerbitie of this mourning is besides the coÌ„mon examples of whom daily experience giues vnto vs store the lamentable habite of those which be in heauinesse doth sufficiently bewray their faces pale and leane their eyes hollowe their bodies nothing else but skin and bone shewing the knitting together of euery ioynt their continuall watchings their abhorring of meate after whiche ensueth death And of voluntarie death willingly gon vnto these cases will I rehearse vnto you examples For pietie towardes God we haue innumerable of holy martyrs who suffered al terrible torments to aduaunce God his glory and of Helie as soone as he heard that the Arke of God was taken fell backward from his chaire and brake his necke of duetifull affection to their countrie out of Iustine Codrus the king of Athens and out of Liuie the two Romane Decij who willingly lost their liues for their countries welfare out of Paulus Iouius Pomperane in our age a noble maÌ„ of Fraunce who being strickeÌ„ with extreme sorow for the
folkes burying with them their bookes of remembrances and ordering of their affaires and businesses and also of their debtes there were some also that would willingly cast them selues into the roges or burial fires of their friends as though they should by that meanes liue with them together in an other world When the king of Lacedemonia happened to dye horsmen did carrie newes of his death thorough out all the realme and women went about the citie making a great noyse with ringing of brasen pots and basens And while this was a doing of euery house there must one man and one woman be defiled with mourning or else a great fine was set vpō their heads But at the funerals they vsed the same order that the Barbarians of Asia did at the burials of their kings For there must be at the funerals out of euery region of Lacedemonia al that were of aliaunce vnto him Of whom and also of bondmen and the Lacedemonians them selues after there were many thousandes assembled together then both men and women pricked and punched their foreheades without feare and vsed an vnmeasurable howling affirming euery last king to be the best But that king which dyed in the warres after they had made a very liuely Image of him did they carrie to be buried laying him vpon a bed gorgeously trimmed At his interring proclamation was made that no Iudges nor Magistrates shoulde sit and that there shoulde be continuall mourning but for priuate men they might mourne but eleuen dayes But I thinke this buriall was common vnto all the Greeks to burne their bodies and putting the ashes into a pot or stone to burie it in the ground setting vpon the graue a tumbe Seruius although Celius doth reprehend him for it thinkes that the vsage of burning deade bodyes was begunne by Hercules who burnt Argiuus the sonne of Lycimnius bringing his bones with him vnto Lycimnius that he might performe the promise which he had made vnto him that he woulde bring him home his sonne againe And vpon the eleuenth of the Aeneidos he sayth that Heraclitus who would haue that all things consist of fire holdes that al bodies ought to be resolued into fire but Thales who affirmes all things to be bred of moysture sayes that bodyes ought to be couered in the earth that they may be resolued by moysture And on the thirde that the Aegyptians men skilfull in all wisedome doe conserue their coorses being seasoned for sayes Mela they kéepe the deade being medicined by art at home in their houses that the soule may long time continue and remaine obnoxious and bound vnto the body that he may not soone passe into an other body the Romanes do contrarie for they burne the bodies that the soule may incontinently returne into generalitie that is to wit into her nature Herodotus writes in his thirde booke that the Aegyptians Persians think it not lawfull to burne the dead For the Persians doe holde the fire for a God and it is not méete and conuenient to offer a deade mans carkasse vnto a god But the Aegyptians be persuaded that the fire is a certaine liuing beast which doth consume and deuour all that euer it can get but when it hath eaten and absumed all that then both it and also al those things which it hath deuoured do dye together therefore the Aegyptians haue decréed neyther to burne folkes nor yet to cast them vnto beastes which many other nations did but to season them that they maye not be consumed by wormes But to returne againe vnto the Greekes Homer thus describeth the manner of their buriall when he writeth howe Patroclus was buried They made a mightie oyle of wood an hundreth foote highe vppon the which they layde the deade body pouring into the fire gallons of oyle and hony and threwe in also shéepe and oxen alwayes prouided that they were euen out of whome they had before taken the caules and talowe and layde vpon the coorse and when the carkasse with all these geare were burnt and the wood spent they did put the fire quite out with black wine and gathered vp all the bones and ashes whiche being put into a cup of gold and wrapped in two foldes of tallowe they digged a graue in which they layde the cup throwing still earth vpon it vntill they had made a great hillocke wherevpon they did set a tumbe If that a noble man were slaine in the warres they vsed to kyll and burne with him for an infernall sacrifice to appease his spirite certeine of the enimies prisoners So doth Achylles sacrifice twelue Troians vnto Patroclus and Aeneas as many Rutillians vnto Pallas and Alexander vnto Ephestion although he dyed of sicknesse all the Cussei that were aboue 14. yeares whiche in olde time to haue bene also vsed in Italie doth appeare by Seruius vpon the tenth of the Aeneidos where he hath these wordes Inferiae be the sacrifices which are payde vnto hell Indéede it was the manner in olde time for prisoners to be slaine vpon the sepulchres of valiaunt men but afterward whē that séemed to be ouer cruel it was thought good that sword players should fight before the sepulchres who thereof were called Bustiarij of the bustes or buriall fires The Greekes also vsed at burials to hold great feastes playes and all sorts of games as Achylles doth in Homer at the buriall of Patroclus and Aeneas in Virgil at the twelue monthes mynd of his father Hereof arose those incredible charges of funerals that Alexander bestowed 10000. talents that is 1875000.l vpon the funerals of Ephestion and Isidorus a Romane willed by testament his heire to bestowe vpon his funeralles xj thousand sesterties which amounts to aboue 87937. for the ryotous Romanes followed all the rites of the Gréekes in their funerals burning the body and laying the bones in a pot or stone in the ground and setting therevpon a tumbe and holding of magnificent feastes games stage playes and all such other pastimes C. Curio who sayes Plinie had no goodes to put into the Censors booke but onely the discord of Pompey and Caesar did at the funeralles of his father make two mightie Theatres of wood the one set close vnto the other eyther of them hanging by one vice so that in the forenoone they stoode backe to backe that the players in the one shoulde not with their noyse hinder the other but soudenly with all the people sitting vpō them were they turned round about so that the one stoode right ouer against the other and at the last their horns for they were made in forme of a newe moone ioyned close together and made an amphitheatre round wherevpon fought sword players But bicause I spake a little before of the great charges bestowed vpon the funeralles of Ephestion I thinke it not vnpleasant to rehearse out of Diodorus Siculus somwhat of the sumptuous manner of them All the capteines and friendes of
set forth in their proper apparell and habite and after them all his noble actes conquestes and victories The hearse being set downe at the Rostra Drusus his adopted sonne read an Oration in writing but at Rostra Iulia by the decrée of the senate Tyberius had an eloquent spéeche vnto the people in his praise whiche beeing ended they that brought the hearse thither did take it vppe and bare it out at the triumphal gate There attended on the corse the Senate the horsemen with their wiues the Pretorian souldiers of the guard and almoste all men that were then at Rome After that his body was laid vpon the roge or pyle of wood which should burne it first of al the priests went rounde about it after them the horsemen then the legionarie and also the other souldiours and lastly they which had had any charge of custodie throwing vpon him all the rewardes that euer they had receiued of him for their noble actes in the warres After this the Centurions or petie capteines taking firebrandes did set on fire the roge which being absumed an Eagle was let to go who flying out of the roge did as they woulde say carie Augustus soule into heauen When all these thinges were done the rest departed but his wife Liuia with the chiefest of the horsemen tarying in that place fiue dayes gathered together his bones and laide them in a tumbe The men did not mourne for him many dayes but the women by decrée an whole yeare as they had done before time for Brutus Publicola and other Moreouer at Rome the wiues vsed to mourne for their husbandes tenne moneths in white within the whiche time if that they maried Numa made a lawe that they shoulde offer vppe a cowe with calfe but afterwarde it was enacted that they should be reputed infamous But nowe leauing the Romanes I do finde that the Iewes vsed to annoynt their dead all ouer with precious ointments and then wrapping them in a shéete full of swéete odours lay them in a sepulchre or graue as wée reade that Ioseph of Arimathea buried our Sauiours bodie embaulming it with a mixture of Aloe and myrrha of an hundreth weight Iosephus in his first booke of the warres of the Iewes telleth this of the burying of Herodes All the hearses were garnished and set with golde and precious stones but the bedde it selfe was spotted with purple the bodie also was couered with purple But a Diademe was sette on his head but ouer it a crowne of golde and a scepter at his right hand and aboute the bed attended his children with his kinsfolkes Moreouer the guarde and the bande of the Tetrarchie the Germanes and the Galatae went all before in battell araye and furniture But the rest of the souldiours did decently folowe armed the capteines and chiefe of their orders But fiue hundreth bondemen and libertes carried odors The bodie was with this pompe carried two hundreth furlonges to Herodian where it was buried Hee was mourned for seuen dayes for the vsage of the countrie would allowe no longer whiche is agréeable vnto that saying of the Sonne of Syrach the mourning for a dead man is seuen dayes Yet I reade no certaine time appointed by the lawe and also I finde that the Israelites mourned for Moses thirtie dayes for Aaron other 30. But why we doe not reade that Iosue was mourned for as wel as Moses and Aaron Ierome in his consolation vnto Paula for the death of Blesilla affirmes the cause to be for that Aaron and Moses presignified the time before the comming of Christ but Iosue figured Christ and the time after In the which Epistle also he doth report that the Iewes in his time did vse at the death of their fréendes to go barefooted and tumbled in Ashes to lye on hayre clothe and least that any thing should want vnto superstition by a lewde rite of the Pharisées the first meate the they did eate was lentilles Furthermore these rites I note out of the sacred Scriptures to be vsed by the Iewes in their solemn mournings to rent their clothes to go barefooted ye sometimes all their bodie half bare to lye prostrate on the ground and vpon haire clothe to shaue their heads and beardes and cast dust and ashes on their heades to sit in ashes to couer their face with a whoode to apparel them selues in haire cloth ye to cut the brawnes of their fleshe whiche thing although I finde forbidden in Leuit. 19. yet this to be commonly vsed among the Iewes may we probably gathere by the sixtéenth of Ieremie and Ierome vppon that place doth affirme that diuerse Iewes still vsed it in his time I finde also that they vsed to go a gossiping as we do nowe terme it vnto them that mourned carrying with them breade and wine and making them good cheare This also is worthie to be remembred that the Nazarenes might not be present at the funerals no not of their parentes brothers nor sisters the high Priest only of his parentes children brothers sisters so she were a virgin but at no buriall else no not of the Prince and yet was it not lawfull for him to passe by a dead bodie and leaue it vnburied for the lawe commaunded the Iewes to burie their enimies And thus muche of the Iewish funerals But this was common vnto all ciuil nations to erect vpō the graue namely of noblemen Princes a tumbe but they began to be so sumptuous at Athens that the citie was forced to make a lawe that no man shoulde builde other tumbe then suche an one as tenne workemen could make in three dayes vpon the whiche neither might there be any Image of Mercurie which they called Hermes Also Demetrius Phalereus prohibited by statute any piller to be set vp vppon any graue aboue thrée cubites high or any table but pillers were not set vpon the graues of none but very noble and famous men whereby was signified that they did excéede other men which nowe adayes sayes Plinie is done by Arches a new inuention It was not lawful at Lacedemonia to ingraue any mās or womans name on a tumbe but only of them whiche had valiauntly dyed in the warres Plutarche in the liues of the tenne Rhetoricians writeth that there was ingrauen in Isocrates his sepulchre a Ramme of thirtie cubites wherein was a Syren of seuen cubites for a mysticall signification and also neare vnto it a table which had the Poetes and his scholmaisters among whome was also Gorgias beholding an Astronomicall sphere and Isocrates standing by him Augustus in his life time built for him selfe in Mars his field a tumbe of wonderfull workmanshippe with twelue doores in memorie of the twelue Sages and an obelisce wherein was ingrauen the interpretation of the nature of things out of the philosophie of the Aegyptians Vnto the which obelisce August added an other maruellous good vse that was to finde out by it the
the monumentes of the deade and to call out vnto them aloude by their names Oh arise vppe againe man come eate drinke and be merrie but on their dayes called Pandemes they did burne vnto coales their meates and offer vppe their wines bringing thereby no good at all vnto the dead and also hurting themselues But sayes Theuet although the Mahumetanes the Turkes the Persians the Arabians the Moores do dissent in diuers ceremonies yet do they all agree in the rites of buriall and the songe vsed thereat When that anie Turke dieth they washe his bodie and socke it in a verie cleane white sheete afterwarde they carie him with his heade forwarde men bearing men and women womē vnto some place without the citie to be buried for it is not lawful to burie anie bodie within a church no not the greate Turkes them selues wherefore the Bassaes do vse to founde greate mosques and hospitalles adioyning to whom they do erecte a rounde roome in forme like vnto our pigeon houses where they be buried Before the coorse go the monkes with candles but Theuet holdes it stifly that they beare no candles nor anie other kinde of lights the priestes come behinde the beare singing verie mournfully as also doeth all the people vntill they come vnto the place of his buriall eftsoones crying out abounde the greate God that made heauen and earth and had compassion of his prophetes Dauid Abraham Mahumeth and Haly will also take pitie on the soule of this poore sinner who hath offended all his life longe But if that anie of the great officers dooe die as a Bassa a Beglerbey the Aga which is capteine of the garde the Nassangibassa who is Lorde chauncellour or anie suche like the newes of his death is bruted euerie where and the day when hee shal be buried the whiche doth cause a greate number of people to stande in the streetes to beholde the funeralles They that beare the coorse are of the nearest of his kinne clothed all in white rusette cloth but the reste of the mourners haue euerie man a peece of white linnen cloth hanging downe from the toppe of his tubban whiche is his hatte vnto his knees But if he be a greate capteine that hath serued in the warres one doth lead after the coorse a horse or two into whose nostrels they do put the poulder of a roote that makes them to neese and their eyes to water the which they doe say the horse sheddeth for sorrowe that he taketh for his maisters death There do also attend on the coorse sixe or seuen Solachers they are a kinde of ordinarie souldiours and euerie one with a certeine number of Ianisars and the stewarde of his house and certeine Timariotes which be seruitours on horse backe who beare diuers banners and estanders And before the corps marcheth a Mutapharca an horseman of the turkish garde who holdes a speare in his hande vpon the ende wherof is borne the Tulban of the deade man with a taile of an horse fastened thervnto but if one of the children of the greate segniour die the pompe is verie magnificent and the maister of the ceremonies causeth manie sortes of armes to be borne before the coorse by the kinge of herhautes But to procéede in the relation of the generall ceremonies if that he that dieth be a poore man they vse to gather money through the streates for the paines of the religious men The friendes of the person departed do often resorte vnto the graue with mourning and set vpon the monumente breade fleashe egges and milke a nouendiall feast after the manner of the Ethnickes the which are eaten for the soule of the deade by poore men or birdes of the aire or els emottes for they do holde that it is a like acceptable to God to giue almes vnto brute creatures which are in lacke as it is to men seeing that it is giuen for the loue of god There be that do let flie birdes which were kept in cages paying their masters for thē and some for the loue of God do cast breade into riuers for fishes saying that they shall obteine most ample rewarde of God for such pitie shewed towardes them that do wante But the greate lordes of the Turkes or as we do here commonly call them the greate turkes lie all magnificently intumbed at Brusa a citie of Bithynia in manie chappels which do stande rounde aboute the church euerie prince hath his candlesticke of golde with a candle burning set vpon his sepulchre in the higher parts of the chappels hang there manie lampes alight Moreouer there do continually abide in that place twelue priestes of their religion who of their greene cappes are called Talismanlarie who do by course incessauntly praye in the church both day and night thrée before noone and three after three before midnight and three after But when that anie man is sicke amongst the Tartares and is neere vnto the point of death they do stick vp before the tente wherin he lyeth a speare with a blacke cloth that he that goeth by come not in for no man if he sée this signe dare goe in yea though he be called But after that he is departed this life all his householde assembles together and priuily carries the coorse out of the tent into some place chosen before and digging there a hole depe and broad enough they set vp ouer it a little tent and furnish a table with dishes of meate and setting the dead bodie verie preciously apparrelled vnto the table they ouerwhelme them altogether with earth There is also buried with him one beaste for burden and one horse trapped But the mightier sorte choose in their life time one of their seruauntes whome beeing burned with their marke they cause to be buried with them and the for this cause that they may vse them in an other worlde After this his friends take an other horse kill him eate vp the fleshe but the skinne being stuffed full of haye and sowed vp againe do they sette vpon foure postes ouer the sepulchre for a signe of a deade man The bones doe the women burne for to cleanse the soule But the men of greate power do an other thinge with the skin or hyde they cutte it in verie narrowe thonges and measure with them so much ground aboute the graue as they wil compasse for they do beleeue that the deade man shall haue so muche lande assigned him in an other worlde as his friends haue measured out for him with this hide The thirtithe day they ende their mourning But the Emperour of the Tartars the great Chame must be buried in the mountein Altay yea and thither is he caried although he die an hūdreth dayes iourney from thence All the men the horses yea if they be worth neuer so muche that they meete withal as they carrie the Emperour to the place of buriall do they kill and bidde them go into the other worlde to do seruice
vnto the greate Cham for they do thinke that they shall stande him in vse there In like maner doth Iouius write that all the lordes and princes of the Moores and Numidians dwell they neuer so farre off are all buried at the citie of Caruenna three days iourney frō Tunes because they be persuaded that their soules whose bones lie in the moste auncient sacred temple of that citie are most effectually commended vnto God for to obteine the felicitie of the heauenly life as they whiche are moste purely purged and clensed by the exquisite ceremonies and prayers of the reuerende college of holie priestes of the church In Tangute a prouince vnder the great Cham they vse to burne the bodie of the deade as also do almost al the nations of the East yet some do reserue the bodie certeine dayes some seuen dayes other while a moneth often times sixe moneths making at home a coffen for him the boords therof being ioyned together so close that no stinke can breath out of it And euerie day whilest the coorse is in the house do they at dinner time prepare and furnishe a table besides the coorse where vpon they set wine and meates letting them stande there the space of an houre for they do thinke that the soule of the deade man doth take and féede of the thinges whiche are set vpon the table In the citie of Tarnasseri in the newe founde Easte Indies they also burne their deade and put their ashes in vessels of clay which are seasoned with saltepeter or nitrum the vessels beeing filled with the ashes in the grounde do they set vp at home in their owne houses When they burne them they cast into the fire all kindes of swéete odors as Aloe Franckincense Myrrh Storax Corall Saunders and innumerable sortes of such odoriferous trées the trumpets blowing the pipers playing heauenlike but fiftéene dayes after the death of her husband the wife which suruiueth biddeth all her kinsfolkes vnto a feaste and adourned with all her iewels goeth vnto the place where her husband was burnt where a hole or pitte is digged of greate deapth and able to receiue a woman which they hange rounde aboute with blacke clothe and the pitte burneth verie feruently beeing filled full of odoriferous woodes after that the guests haue ended their feast the widdowe eateth greate store of Betola whereby her wittes are somewhat taken from her Nowe a greate number of pipers stande rounde about the pitte apparelled like vnto diuels and the woman like one somwhat frantike goeth to and fro hopping skipping as though she daunced at the length when al the ceremonies be finished shée throweth her self downe headlong into the burning pitt euen as though shée therby should be receiued immediately into heauen And vnlest the widdowe will doe thus after the death of her husband she is noted with wounderful infamie is a mocking stocke vnto all the whole region as one that loued not her husbande This fashion do none keepe but the noble men and the chiefe of the citie wherefore they say the king is mostly present at such a pompe The wylde people of America as soone as euer the soule is departed out of the bodie laye the deade bodie in the earth in that place where the diseased person did lacke greatest pleasure in his life time thinking that they cannot lay him in a more notable and honourable place then in the earth that bringeth foorth so manie good fruits and other riches profitable and néedefull for mannes vse If that an householder happen to die his wiues and his nearest kinsfolkes and friendes wil make a merueilous mourning not for the space of thrée or foure dayes but of foure or fiue monethes but the greatest lamentation is foure or fiue of the firste dayes you shal heare them make such a noise and harmonie as if a sorte of cattes and dogges were together ye shall sée as well men as women some laide on their beddes sorrowfull other sitting with their bare buttockes on the ground embracing one an other saying in their launguage our father or friende was so good a man he was so stronge and mightie he laboured so well and dressed our gardens he caught beastes foules fishes for our sustenance alas he is deade wee shall sée him no more but after that we be dead with our friendes in the countries where the pages they be their priestes and prophets say they haue séene them with manie such like wordes the which they will tenne thousand times repeate daye and night continually for the space of foure or fiue dayes neuer ceasing to lamente The childrē of the deceased a moneth after their mourning will desire their friendes vnto a feast or solemnitie helde in the honour of the deade man there will they all assemble together painted with diuers colours and bedecked with feathers and other brauerie according vnto the fashion of their countrie vsinge a thousande ceremonies pastimes daunces playes and pipinge on flutes made of the bones of the legges and armes of the slaine enimies and play also on other instruments which are in vse amongest them But the auncient sort cease not to tipple all the day longe without eating one morsell of meate and they be serued by the wiues and kinswomen of the deceased In the Isle of Cephale when one is deade they burie him in the courte of his house vntill that his fleshe bee consumed and when this is done they take vppe the bones and marke them that they may afterwarde knowe whose they were and then laye them on the table vnder a cloth of blacke fustion whither one doth bringe breade and fleshe baked as an offeringe or sacrifice made for the deade whome they do praye to haue them in remembraunce The principall effecte of their praiers is to desire him to be fauourable and good vnto their kinge to make him prosperous in all his affaires and so to destroy and confounde his enimies that he may keepe the Islande in peace reste and securitie These prayers are made by the chiefe of euerie house all the reste that be there beeing silente clothed in white But when this prayer is done they all rise vp wash their faces handes and then sit laughing and singing of the prayse of the deade person and euerie one with his householde eateth vp those thinges that were offered When one dieth in the Isle of the Heremites and specially one of the Heremites or priestes all the women of the towne or village assemble together in the deade mans house who is put into the barke of a tree in the middes of the house Aboute the coorse they make with ropes whiche are all couered with barkes if trees as it were a tente the whiche they couer all ouer with greene boughes of diuers trees and in the middes thereof they make a place finely trimmed with hearbes in forme like vnto a pauilion Vnder these
greene boughes and within the tent do the moste honourable and honest women assemble all clothed in blacke hauing euerie one of them a fanne made of palme leaues the rest of the women the parentes of the deade are in the house wéeping and sighing then one of the womē that is of greatest estimation aduaunceth her selfe and cutts off the haires of the deade man during the which time his wife remaineth all dismall and wéeping bitterly ouer the coorse of her husband ofte kissing his mouth handes and féete But whē that al the haires be shorne off this wéeping wife raiseth vp her selfe and falles to singing with a countenaunce as merie and laughing as it was before monstruously sadde These things beeing done they put into a vessel of purcellane wherin is fire Myrrhe frankincense Storax and other suche odoriferous things perfuming therewith both the bodie and the house in the whiche ioy and perfuming they continue fiue or sixe dayes after which terme expired they do annoynt the bodie with camphore a certeine time which béeing ended they inclose him in a cofine the which is nayled with wodden pinnes and after wardes lay him in the grounde in some place where no bodie dwelleth But when the king is departed out of life the greatest and moste honourable men of the realme assemble to celebrate the obsequies and haueing apparelled clothed the bodie verie honourably and reuerendly they cutte off the heades or snatche certeine greate personages of the chiefe of the men of warre or the best of the souldiours or some merchauntes of the retinue and certeine of the kinges best horses to the ende they may wayte vpon the kinge in the other worlde and when they do pute them to death they do say Goe in the name of our Goddes to serue our kinge in our paradise euen as ye haue attended on him in this worlde and as ye haue bene faithfull vnto him here beneth in the earth so also shal ye be in the glorie of our Gods. Those that be slaine be nothing sorie or dismaide therfore but take their death in very good part laughing reioycing no lesse then they doe among vs that goe vnto a marriage When one dieth in Siam a countrie of India beyond Ganges his fréendes and kinsmen for to honour him do take his body and carrie it into the middes of a fielde where they do driue into the ground two postes of wood lay a third vpon thē vnto this crosse post do they fasten a chaine with two hookes in whom they do lay the dead man and make a great fire vnder him and as long as the body rosteth his children and kinsfolks stand round about the fire wéeping howling and sighing bothe as pitifully also as loude as they can for their liues But when the the body is well rosted they take out their goblets and fill them with their kinde of wine and ordinarie drinke made of rice and sugar and euery one also draweth his knife and beginnes to cutte off the fleshe of the man the which they do eate and drinke of their goblettes and yet they ceasse not to sighe and lament And the first that beginneth to eate of the dead mans flesh is the person that is nearest of his kin neither do they departe out of the place before that they haue eaten al the fleshe vnto the very bones the whiche they doe burne a rite vsed by all the Orient And they do say that it is impossible to giue vnto their fréendes a more honourable tumbe and where he shal be better then their owne bodies who loue him best and are also of equal dignity vnto his person In the citie of Fesse in Aphrica they vse to bury the dead men in a common fielde without the towne setting vpon the graue a great stone made of the fashion of a triangle But notable men and of great reputation haue at the head a table of marble and an other at their féete in whom are séene ingrauen proper verses in comfort of hard and vnhappie chances passed And a litle beneath the name of him that lieth there and the name of the house he was off with the day yeare of his death There is also without the towne vpon a hil a palace where are séene the tumbes of the kinges made of marble with fine and wittie epitaphes ingrauen in them and the tumbes are garnished with suche surpassing workmanshippe and beautified with the finest colours of the worlde so that it woulde make a man astonied to beholde the excellencie of them At Ormus in the Arabian gulfe vseth the wife of the deceased man once in a day for the space of foure monethes to make a pitifull solemne wéeping and howling and sometime to hyre an other woman to do it for her The like manner saies Bel Forest the author hereof haue I séene in Perrigord a Prouince of Fraunce among the peasaunts The fifteenth Chapter The confuse and causelesse feare of man and particularly of the Romanes three times of Augustus Caesar of the Greekes at Patras Philocrene and Trapezonda of the league called the cōmō wealth in Fraūce before Paris of the Emperials at Villa Francha of Pysander of one that died with the sight of Hercules of Artemon of Saint Vallier of Cassander at the sight of Alexanders Image and other ANd this is enough ye and I feare me too too much touching mans care for his burying Which hofulnesse doeth the confuse feare of man muche augment which Plinie rightly putteth as a miserie of man and truely affirmeth that no liuing thing hath greater Hereof came the prouerb among the Gréeks Latines a Panik chance whereby they signifie a soudaine vaine and causelesse tumult of mens hartes and it is so called because that the Ethnickes did thinke that the God Pan did send into men such souden terrours and consternations of minde making them like madde men so impotent and vnstaied that for the time they be not only void of reason but also of common sense Such vaine feares according to the prouerbe often happen in warrs many in Alexander the great his voiage and twise vnto the Saracenes in that famous expedition of Godfrey de Bolloigne whiche chaunces be of suche force that the famous Poet Pyndarus holdeth that it ought not to be accounted a reproche and dishonor if that the sonnes of the Gods or the most valiant men flie out of the fielde in suche tumultes I read in Liuie that Claudio Sulpicio and Aemilio Ceritano Conss there arose suche a feare one night in the citie of Rome that alarum was cried throughout all the whole citie such a tumult was raised as though euery streat had béene full of the enimies But when it waxed day there appeared authour neither of the noise or yet of the feare And in his third decade he telleth that when the Fragellans had brought newes that Hanibal drewe neere vnto the citie all the Citizens fell into a marueilous feare
do contemne their deadly daunger and seeme to haue an insensibilitie of their sinnes and perill finally are ashamed of nothing so muche as to shewe ye any light signe of sorrowe for their horrible déepe sinke of sinne yet can not these lustie bloudes escape the inwarde percinge pricke of a guiltie conscience which tormenteth them a thousande folde more terriblye then if it were the deadly stinge of a viper and worketh them more woe and vnrest then doth the madde flie the coursed cattell in the rageing dogge dayes These iolly gentlemen tremble â— shake at euerie flash of lighteninge and be halfe deade at a clappe of thunder as though they came not of anie naturall cause but were sente downe from heauen by angred God purposely to reuenge their outrages Not in the day time not in the night will their vexed mindes graunte vnto their bodies anie reste WheÌ„ they go vnto their meales no one morsell of meate will go downe their throates fearing as men that had their iawes dried vp with a longe wastinge sicknesse yea they cast vp their drinke like vnto younge children makinge a sowre face at sweete Hippocras as though it were sharpe vineagre so vnsauourie doth remorse of their sinnes make al things vnto them But when the time of the night doth adhorte them to goe vnto their restlesse bedde they dare not lye alone for feare that a thousande diuelles woulde carrie them away bodie and soule vnto hell Nowe after they be tyred with tossinge and turning if they chaunce to happen on a slumber for sounde sleape will not the tormenting torche that burneth without intermission in their troubled brestes in anie case graunt them with what dreadfull dreames méete they howe starte they howe hydeously crie they out If theÌ„ religioÌ„ ingendereth suche griefes what tormentes may we think superstitioÌ„ bringeth for I can not tel how saith Seneca vaine thinges do trouble and vexe vs farre more theÌ„ true for the true haue their certeine measure and quantitie but whatsoeuer commeth of an incertâ—ntie is deliuered and giuen ouer vnto the coniecture and licence of a fearefull minde and what that will make of them may the straunge imaginations of the melancholyke manifestly declare some steadfastly beleauinge that they haue eaten venimous serpentes soÌ„e that they haue lost their heads soÌ„e that they haue drouÌ„ke poysoÌ„ soÌ„e that they beare vp al the whole world faynte faile vnder so heauie a burden other that they sée Atlas whoÌ„e the Poetes fayne to staye vp heauen with his shoulders to shrinke and giue ouer and presently readie to lett fall the weightie engine of the heauens on their heades some that they be earthen vessells and merueilously feare breaking other crie out if they do but see one come into the chamber for feare he will treade on his nose some that they haue deadly botches where as in verie déede there are no such thinges with 1000 such like vaine feares al of whome it were as madd a parte for me to rehearse as it was is for theÌ„ to imagine The eighteenth Chapter The hoofullnesse of Lewes the eleuenth Charles the seuenth French kings of Dionysius Commodus and Aristippus for the prolonging of their liues ANd no lesse madnesse considering the manifolde miseries the often calamities the greate mischiefes and annoyances whiche happen vnto man in his life is mans immesurable desiring of liuing which Plinie assigneth for a proper incoÌ„moditie of mankinde Lewes the French kinge the eleuenth of that name when he had liued thrée score yeares perceiuinge that he was fallen into a sicknesse which was likely to shorten his time and also being feared with the sixtieth yeare of his age because that none of the Capetts had passed that bound which yet could not coÌ„tent him what wayes wrought he to prolong his lothsome life to what solemne shrine offered he not greate rich oblations to what famous house of religion throughout all Fraunce gaue not hee fayre lands for a great parte of it wrongefully wrouÌ„g from pore men which donations because they were so great were reuoked after his death to what holy man of name in al Christendome sent not he the golden gifts instantly desiring them in their daylie praiers to God to haue a speciall memento for the large increase of his yeares But amonge all other he fet out of Calabria one Robert an Heremite a man of all them of his time moste renowned for holynesse of life at whose feete at the firste méetinge he fell downe desiring him with manie a bitter teare to prolonge his life foolishly hopinge as the Heremite truely tolde him to obteine that of a man whiche God only was able to giue But yet fearinge that he was not surely enoughe defenced againste terrible death by spirituall helpe studiously also soughte for naturall by phisicke and founde one Cocterius who with large promises of longe life fedde his folishe humoure as the kinge againe glutted the physicians vnsatiable desire of golde with giuinge him ten thousande crownes a moneth yea in fiue monethes foure and fiftie thousande besides manie greate promotions promised if he did recouer his health Yet could not this rare liberalitie of the kinge make the physician courteous vnto him but hee woulde continually handle him verie roughly churlishely and with despitefull wordes vpbrayed vnto him his wrongfull and cruell demeanour towardes diuers of the nobilitie and the counsell and vsed often to tell him that he woulde also handle him so one day Although this vncourteous and proude dealinge greatly greeued the kinge and made him often to complaine of it vnto his familiars yet durste he in no wise put him away because that he had constantly affirmed that the kinge shoulde not liue sixe dayes after that he were gone Which direfull denunciation the kinge abhorred as gate of hell as the man that in al his whole life coulde not abide to haue it once tolde him that he must one day die and would often in his health will his friendes that when they should sée him daungerously sicke they shoulde in no case put him in minde of death where as in verie déede he shoulde haue meditated nothinge so much all his life longe which should haue bene a continual preparing of him self vnto death where vnto he should most assuredly come at the laste and howe soone vncerteine neither yet during his longe sicknesse stoode hee in greater dreade of death by inwarde diseases then he feared shortening of life by forreigne foes Wherefore he imprisoned manie noble men of great power diuerse faithful counsellours vpon vaine imagination conceiued in his fearefull minde of their infidelitie He woulde suffer verie fewe of the nobilitie to come neare vnto the place where he lodged much lesse come within the castell gate which was guarded daye and night with foure hundreth souldiours of whom the one halfe were Scottes whome he trusted better then his owne subiectes commaunding them to shoote at all men whiche did
approche néere vnto the castell without licence before obteyned The bottome of the castel diche caused he to be sticked full of yron pikes and the bankes with rakes of yron whose longe téeth he would euer and anon commaunde to be whetted and made sharpe with a file But this fearefulnesse perhappes he had by inheritance from his father Charles the seuenth who for feare of being poysoned by his rebellious sonne did sixe dayes forbeare all kinde of meate but when at the laste through the persuasions of the phisicians who tolde him if that he continued in this wicked and obstinate purpose he woulde assuredly loose bothe this life and the life to come he woulde haue eaten his strength was so worne with fasting that hee was not able to swalowe any meate downe and so by incoÌ„sâ—derate warinesse ranne into that mischiefe whiche he had thought to haue avoyded by fearing But was not their desire of life immeasurable who hauing liued so longe that al men hated them and therefore woulde they haue no societie and companie with men yet in this vnnatural wilfull wildernesse in the middes of populous cities in this incessante feare sought by daylie bereauinge of other men of life to prolonge their hated life vsinge manie painefull and troublesome meanes to preserue that whiche was vnto them euerie minute cause of intollerable tormentes as Dionysius the tyrante shewed vnto his flatterer that commended the stately life of tyrantes by a verie liuely demonstration setting him at his table furnished sumptuously with all kinde of delicates but hanging ouer his heade by a small threade a mightie sworde whiche continually threatning fall through continuall feare thereof toke away from this vnhappie guest all the ioy of his greate daynties and pompe Massinissa the mightie kinge of Numidia when he had liued foure score and tenne yeares distrusting the faithfullnesse of all men guarded him selfe with fierce bawlinge bandogges and yet had he besides his large dominions manie sonnes and the assured friendshippe of the Romaines the Lordes of the worlde Dionysius the tyrante intrenched his bedde chamber as if it had béene a towne standing in the middes of his enimies with a large and deepe diche ouer the whiche wente a drawebridge whiche he kept vnder locke and keye but when hee him selfe vsed it And Aristippus the tyrant of Argos climed vnto his bedde with his swéete harte by a ladder the which after they were ascended and the Perculleis of yron opened they entred the chamber his minions mother toke away with her and then did he let downe the Perculleis on the whiche hee layde his restlesse bedde that he might soone heare if that anie man wente aboute to woorke his bodie treason in his vnsounde slumbers Dionysius the tyrante trustinge no not his owne daughters after they were growen vp whome hee had vsed before for his barbars to clippe the hayres of his suspicious heade nor shaue his bearde taught them to burne them off with Nutte shales And Commodus the Emperour did nott him selfe with blasinge coales Had it not béene as Iulius Caesar was wonte to say a thousande times better for them once to haue died theÌ„ with so great griefe coÌ„tinually to haue feared it Moreouer it woulde fill greate volumes to rehearse all the examples of those whiche for desire of prolonging their liues a little while haue by denying of God and his faith by betraying of their countrie their parentes wiues children friendes corrupted the glorie which their vertues before had gotten and so while they endeuoured to lenghten a little this temporall life oppressed on all sides with manifolde miseries loste the euerlasting and the eternall memorie of theÌ„ amonge men or rather more truly wonne euerlasting death in tormentes of hell and in reproch and infamie on the earth They came not of the royall bloude of Alexander the greate who sayes in Curtius that he was borne of suche a stocke that he ought not so muche to wishe for longe life as immortalitie of name This noble prince when that Penus had made a longe oration for to persuade him to returne homewarde out of India and not to abiecte his victorious armie to be deuoured by the wild beastes swalowed vp by the mightie riuers of those sauage countries died with in shorte time after sayd that Penus had made too longe an oration for so fewe dayes liuing whiche was not worth halfe his painefull speach But I am almoste a shamed to tel how shamefully Vitellius and Andronicus Comenus Emperours of Rome and Constantinople to saue for that present pinche their liues yelded vnto their enimies to be immediately after slaine with exquisite tormentes after ten thousande vilanies saide and donne vnto them the one drawne like a dogge through the citie of Rome by a rope fastened aboute his necke and halfe naked the other thorough Constantinople set him vpon a mangie Camel his heade towarde the tayle of the beaste and al the vnmannerly multitude euery where emptying all their pispots and close stooles vppon them both which they must néedes receiue on their faces bycause a sworde was put vnder their chinnes to holde vppe their hated heads Vnto these will I adioyne Papirius Carbo who after that he had bene thrise Consul was drawne by the commaundement of the princoxe boye Pompey afterward surnamed the great with thrée chaines like a wilde beast vnto the butchers blocke But when the hastie hangman was about to strike off his noble heade the cowarde wretch stayning his honour that he might a little moment prolong his life desired stay of execution vntill that he had discharged his belly of burthen the which he for gréedy desire of liuing long was so long in doing that his head was struckeÌ„ off and his owne filthy dung became a méete tumbe for his degenerate body This dastardly demeanour of his no doubt abating much the enuie of his enimies which he shuld haue incurred by this cruell vnwonted executioÌ„ but now no man thought him to be worthy of life who had sought suche vnworthy wayes to prolong his life for reason would vs to loue life but not to feare death The ninetenth Chapter The shortnesse of mans life and by how many casualties it is shortned and of sundrie straunge kindes of death SEeing then that man is thus incessantly tormented with infinite diseases of the body and no lesse molested with the perturbations of the mynde who can blame the Thracians or as Herodotus calleth them the Trausi a people of Thrace séeing that they had no knowledge of the resurrection and the blisse which God hath prepared for his elect to inioy after this life for wéeping and lamenting at the byrth of their children rehearsing howe many miseries they must abide but carried them to burying with al mirth pastimes and dauncing numbering vp from howe many and great calamities and griefes they were withdrawne Menander in Stobeus thinketh it to be sufficient and
the Germanes language and to be called by Barbarian names He also commaunded that the galleyes in whom he had entered the Ocean sea should for a great part of them be carryed to Rome by lande but especially all the shelles for lacke of kinges capteines plate money counterfeites of townes wonne to be shewed in his triumph the which he wrote vnto orgents they shoulde prepare with a greate magnificence as euer any had bene bycause he sayde they had right and power ouer all mens goods But althoughe as you heare he slue not one of his enimies as he that only fought with his owne fancies yet he administered not the Prouince without great effusion of bloud for as sayes Dion he lost a great parte of his owne armie through murthering many of them man by man and other by whole troupes and rankes And one daye séeing a great number of men standing together he commaunded them to be all slaine vsing this by worde from bald man to bald man. And before he departed out of the Prouince he thought to haue slaine all the legions of the countrie bycause that they mutining after the death of Augustus had besieged his father Germanicus their capteine and him selfe then being an infant And being hardly reuoked frō so great a frensie he could by no meanes be stayed but that he would néeds tythe them slaying euery tenth man Wherfore he calling them vnarmed to a concion or oration enuironed them about with weaponed men and armed horsemen But when that he sawe that many of the souldiours suspecting the matter did slide away to take their weapons if that any violence should be offered this dastardly God ranne away out of the concion and incontinently hasted to the citie turning al his malice on the Senate whom he openly threatened that he woulde punish for the rumours of so great dishonours spreade of him complaining also among other thinges that he was defrauded by them of his iust and due triumphe when as in déede he him selfe had a litle before inioyned them vnder paine of death that they should decrée nothing concerning his honour Lo nowe ye haue hearde the summe of his noble martiall actes and certes nothing else was there in him whereof hée should be proude but only his large Empire and the felicitie to haue the worthie Germanicus his Father vnto whome sayes Suetonius there happened all the vertues bothe of bodie and minde and they also so great as it is manifest neuer chaunced vnto any other man A goodly personage and a beautiful great strength and courage a witte farre excelling in the eloquence of both the Gréeke and the Latine and in all kinde of learning in bothe the tounges singularly wel was he beloued one that had a wonderful and very effectuall indeuour and way to get the fauour of al men and to winne their loue bothe at home and also abroade very ciuil and so courteous that he would go vnto the frée townes and suche as were in league with the Romanes without his sergeantes and wheresoeuer he vnderstoode that famous men were intumbed he woulde kéepe their obsequies The olde and dispersed reliques of the Romans that were slaine in Germanie with Varus he first began to gather vppe with his owne hands and to bring into one heape and to burie them togeather And also so milde and harmelesse was he vnto his obtrectours backebiters and enuiers whatsoeuer they were and wherfore soeuer they did it that he would not be angrie no not with Piso who had disanulled all his decrées and ordinaunces and a long time vexed his clientes before that he certainely knewe and had found that he went about to worke his death by poisonings and solemne cursings neither then went he any farther thē according to the auncient manner of their forefathers renounced his friendshippe that is solemnly tolde him that he woulde not take him for his fréende and willed them of his house to be reuenged if that any ill happened vnto him He was also chaste of bodie that it is recorded of him as a miracle in that lewde age that he neuer knew woman besides his wife Of the which vertues he reaped moste aboundant fruite for he was singularly liked and loued of al men and so fauoured of the people in all countries that whensoeuer he came vnto any greate towne or departed from thence suche a number of people did either goe foorthe to méete him or to bring him going that he was very oftentimes in daunger of death with the greate thronge of the louing people But when he returned out of Germanie vnto Rome after he had quieted the sedition the whiche I spake off euen nowe all the Pretorian bandes wente foorth to méete him althoughe that proclamation had béene made that there should but two goe but of the people of Rome all sexe age and order ranne foorthe against him yea twenite miles Yet greater and surer signes of vnutterable loue towardes him did appeare at and after his death The day that he died the Temples were battered with stones the altars of the Gods were ouerthrowen and some threwe their housholde Gods into the stréete and did cast away the children that their wiues had lately brought forth yea and they write that the Barbarians that had either warres betwéene themselues or with the Romanes did as in a Domesticall and common heauinesse consent vnto truce and certaine kings did shaue their beardes and their wiues heades for to shewe as great a mourning as might be And also the Parthian who called him selfe the king of kinges absteined from hunting kéeping of companie the which the Parthians call Megistanum being like vnto the Iustitium among the Romanes But when at the firste bruite that was brought to Rome of his sickenesse the dismaide and sorrowful citie looked for the messengers that followed and soudenly after the euening was shut it had béene noised without any certaine authors that hee was recouered the people ranne hudling from all partes of the citie vppe into the Capitol with lightes and sacrifices and they had almost pulled off the doores of the temple that they should not any while stay the reioycing people from perfourming of their vowes Tyberius the Emperour was waked out of his sléepe with the voices of them that reioyced and sang in euery place Salua Roma Salua Patria saluus est Germanicus Rome is well our Countrie is well Germanicus is well But afterward when it was certeinly knowen he was deade the publique mourning coulde not be inhibited by any comfortes nor proclamations but lasted yea also all the festiuall dayes of December being the same among them that the twelue dayes be with vs After that this dearling of mankinde was traiterously poysoned by Piso who at his returne vnto Rome was therfore néere hand torne into péeces by the people put to death by the Senate but at the instigation of his vnkinde vncle Tyberius whome Augustus had made to adopte Germanicus ill requiting his loyaltie
towardes him who so obstinately refused the Empire that when the Legions in Germanie would néedes force him to take it he would haue killed him selfe if they had not desisted from their rebellious purpose this yong colte his sonne was brought vp with his mother who being banished and his two brothers put to death remained with his great graundmother Liuia widdowe of Augustus after whose death he went vnto his grandmother Antonia with whom he remained vntil he was ninetéene yeares of age at what time he was sent for by Tyberius to come vnto him into his slaughter house at Capreas where he remained without any honour There was he assaulted and vndermined tenne thousand ways groped prouoked ye and in a manner forced to complaine of the wronges done vnto his Father and his fréendes but neuer could there be any holde taken of him as though he had quite forgotten the fal of his fréendes as though no ill had happened vnto any of them but all those villanies of whom he suffered innumerable he passed ouer with incredible dissimulation and was so seruiceable vnto Tyberius and those that were néere aboute him that it was not without iust cause cōmonly spokē that neuer was there a better seruant nor a worse maister In this slauerie continued he all the reigne of Tyberius whom he succéeded wherby it is greatly to be marueyled howe he that had béene so long time one of the most wretched men of the worlde could for so shorte a fickle felicitie thinke him self soudenly translated into a god But that he was alwayes guiltie in conscience of his owne infirmities his straunge spitefull enuie towards all men that excelled in honour good fortune and finally in any thing did manifestly declare For firste he brake downe all the statuies of famous men that were set vppe in the Court of the Capitol by Augustus he thought also to haue destroyed quite all Homers works and there lacked litle but that he had taken out of all libraries all the Images and workes of Liuie and Virgil and also he often boasted that he would burne al the bookes of the Lawe Moreouer he tooke from all the Noble men the auncient ensignes of their houses from Torquatus his cheine from Cincinnatus his haire from Pompey the surname of the great Yea Ptolomey king of Mauritania his cosin whom he had sent for receiued and interteined very honourably because that at a publique spectacle he had through the glistring of his purple robe caused the people to gaze vppon him he soudenly strucke him on the face with his fist As often as he mette with any beautiful personage or that had a goodly bushe of haire he would incontinently deforme him with the shauing off the hinder parte of his head There was one Esius Proculus whose Father had béene Primipile this Proculus for his tall and bigge stature and beautiful and good making thereof was called Collosers this mans goodly personage did so spite the Emperour that soudenly as Proculus was beholding of the playes he commaunded him to fight first with a Thracian and then with an armed man with a shielde souldiour like and being victor in bothe conflictes the enuious wretch commanded him without all delay to be bound and clothed in olde patched garments to be carried throughout euery stréete of the citie and shewed vnto the women a villanie of all other moste great as thoughe he had béene a man altogether effeminate and then to haue his throte cutte Finally there was no man of so base a state nor of so abiect and beggerly calling whose commodities he obtrected not in so muche that when at a publique game one Porius a chariot man had made his slaue frée because he had had good lucke in running that day and the people commending well of the maister for so doing had giuen a great shoute Caligula was brought into suche a choler that he incontinently flang vppe and woulde be gone the whiche he did with suche haste that treading vppon his gowne he wente tumbling downe the steppes of the Theatre chasing and crying out that the Lord of nations the people of Rome did for a very light a matter giue more honour vnto a slaue chariot man then vnto consecrated Princes and vnto him selfe being present Furthermore the thinnesse of the haires of his head and his balde crowne bereft him of blisse séeing that he did take it for such a deformitie that to looke out at a windowe aboue him whereby his baldenesse might be espied for in Rome at those dayes men went bare headed or vppon any occasion to name a goate was present death Yet was there a greater breach made in his blisse by the death of his sister and harlot Drusilla for it made him almoste starke madde in so muche that he did let his beard and haire growe long and often vpon a souden and that also in the night time woulde he for no cause fling on galloppe along all the Sea ceast of Italie and ouer into Sicyl where when he had done the like he woulde come backe againe as faste vppon the spurre He proclaimed for her a Iustitium during the whiche time it was deathe for a man to laughe washe or suppe either with parentes wife or children and yet was he also angrie with them that made lamentation for her because as he saide she was of a gillet become a Goddesse and to affirme this lie he gaue vnto two men Deries sestertium that is 7812.l 10 s̄ Who sware that they sawe her ascending vp into heauen Moreouer to put him in minde of his mortalitie he inioyed health neither of bodie nor minde For he was a childe he was troubled with the falling sicknesse after he was growen to mannes state he woulde otentimes be so taken that he could neither go stand nor stay vpon himselfe And that his wittes were not wel he himself perceiued and therfore would euer and anon thinke to separate himselfe from companie and purge his braine But most was he vexed with lacke of sléepe for he neuer could take aboue thrée houres rest in a night neither them quietly but in great feare through diuerse terrible dreames and visions And therefore a great part of the night did he for tediousnesse of watching and lying vse nowe sitting in his bed and then walking vp and down in long galleries euer and anon to call looke for daye Once in his short reigne was he very dangerously sicke in so muche that of a foolishe flatterie Publius Africanus Potitius sware that if that the Gods woulde vouchsafe of their woonted goodnesse to graunt life vnto Caligula the then he would gladly léese his life for him and Secundus a horseman of Rome vpon the same condition vowed to fight at a game of sword players bothe whiche vowes did Caligula when he was recouered make them to fulfil least they shuld be forsworne worthily though ingratefully forcing them to die who would wickedly though feignedly wish his life that
to vpbraide vnto other their calamities miseries Wherof they that presented it being admonished tooke home the arras with them caused the names to be taken out then being brought againe he with heartie thankes receiued it commended the worke This his singular moderation of mynde and conquering of him selfe and insolencie the which very fewe of them that haue vanquished al other men could euer attaine vnto was farre more famous then the taking prisoners of the two mightie Princes then the sacking of the citie that had ben Ladie of the world and at this day also the greatest citie of Christendome then the conquest of the kingdome of Tunes in Afrike then the subduing of the Germanes and the passing ouer beyond Albis the which the proud Romanes when they were in al their greatest roialtie were neuer able to do for this victorie might he iustly vse his word Plus vltra passing not only the bounds of Hercules the Romans but also of cursed enuie the which after all earthly victories remaineth still inuincible and can not be subdued but by this sword of modestie and humilitie The xxx Chapter Of the vnfortunate fall of many great conquerours founders of Empires AND nowe that I haue declared the fearefull fall of those that I knowe not whether more wickedly or foolishly would be accounted Goddes and also of them that proudly vaunted of their victories without humble confession and acknowledging that they receiued them from heauen I prosecuting my purpose will shewe that all those that haue ben famous for victories and the fawning of fortune haue also had often admonitions of their fickle frailtie brittle blisse and tottering state Wherfore passing ouer in silence Cyrus the greate the founder of the Persian Empire who was slaine with his whole armie of two hundreth thousand by a weake woman Tomyris Quéene of the Massagets and the greate Mithridates Eupator king of Pontus who after he had augmented his fathers kingdome with the conquest of two and twentie nations and had won a great part of Gréece and the signorie of the sea from Cilicia to Thracius Chersonesus had kept warres fourtie yeres with the Romanes and vanquished their capteines Cassius Murena Cotta Fabius Triarius Sylla restrained him within his fathers kingdome Lucullus so afflicted him that for despaire he murthered his two wiues and sisters and finally Pompey quite euerted who woulde not graunt vnto him humbly desiring it of his two and twentie kingdomes not so much as the poore one of Pontus and for that also to paye a yerely tribute wherefore after that foure of his sonnes were taken by Pompey and the eldest reuolted vnto him and also one of his daughters taken and the other two poysoned by him selfe he desperately caused a Barbarian to kill him least he should haue come aliue into the hands of the Romanes and to be carried in the triumphe as a laughing stocke and an other Mithridates the great king of the Parthians who augmented the Empire with the accesse of many kingdomes and oftentimes discomfited in battell the valiant Scythes but whē he was in his greatest ruffe being returned out of Armenia the Parthians expelled him out of the kingdome for his crueltie and his owne brother inuaded the emptie siege and taking him prisoner at Babylon caused him vnnaturally to be slaine in his sight and Antiochus the great king of Syria who after great conquestes atchieued in Syria Asia and Greece was ouerthrowne in battell by the Romanes and forced to buye peace with the losse of all his dominions on this side the mountaine Taurus and the payment and the paymente of suche a mightie masse of money that not beeing able to leuie it of his owne possessions he attempted to robbe the riche temple of Iupiter Dyndemenus or as sayes Strabo of Belus where he and all his armie were slaine by a soudeine incursion of the inhabitauntes of the countrie and Pompey the Greate who more augmented the dominions and reuenues of the Romaine Empire then all the capteines before and after him was after the greate ouerthrowe giuen him by Caesar trayterously slaine by the boy kinge Ptolomey and his geldinges and Mathewe the Greate Lorde of Mylan who amonge other his variable chaunces was expelled out of the citie and constreyned twelue yeares to get liuinge by fishinge and beeing restored was at the age of seuentie yeares forced to abandon the citie of Mylan and to resigne his Empire vnto his sonne Galiazo who had vnnaturally not longe before reuolted from him and dying of this anguishe and griefe the bodie of him beeing excommunicated by the Pope was buried in a priuie and vile place his death beeing longe time kepte close leste his carcasse in the aduerse fortune of the warres mighte haue bene subiecte vnto the reproches and vilanies of the Popes cruel Legate and the greate Sforza who besides his ouerthrowes in fight at Viterby at Crixta at Aipua and his beeing taken prisoner in fight at Casaleccio and also twice in captiuitie through treason firste by Pandulpho Alepo the Queene of Naples darlinge and then kepte foure monethes in the newe castell of Naples lookinge euerie day when his breath shoulde be stopped by that effeminate lecher after wardes by Iames Earle of Marchia who had maried the Queene where he escaped as narrowly and his manie other greate daungers was at the laste drowned in the riuer of Lyris or Gariliano by the vnfortunate founderinge of his horse and the greate Gonsalues who only of all the famous warriours of our age the whiche haue yet excelled for noble chiefteines obteined the proude name of the greate this victorious gentleman after that he had cōquered out of the hands of the French men the riche kingdome of Naples for his Prince Ferdinando the kinge of Hispaine was by him ingratefully put from the gouernemente therof and almost also from his life for false suspicion of treason and euer afterwarde kept from all honour and office to leade a lothsome life farre from the courte and fielde at home as it were in an honest banishemente and there for to sée his eldest brothers heire for a light occasion banished the courte for euer and to his greater griefe his owne natiue place his nephues chiefe castle razed downe to the grounde notwithstandinge his most suppliant sute the whiche was also furthered by the earnest prayers of the French kinges honourable Ambassadours for the implacable Prince by all meanes sought to spite him and to empaire his Princely Porte and riches as one whome he suspected to be to greate so that he was aptly compared by a noble man of Hispaine vnto a greate shippe in a shalowe water the which abides in continuall feare to be loste by strikinge and sticking on the flattes and Cresus the mightie kinge of Lydia whose inestimable riches haue euer synce bene a prouerbe throughout the worlde berefte of all by Cyrus and forced to ende his long
they had supped together merrily abroade and threwe his bodie into Tyber for no other cause but for that his fathers minde was that Frauncis shoulde marrie and increase the name of the Borgiae the which he would make honourable with large dominions but Caesar he had as it were banished into the cloyster of religion disguising him with a redde hatt the whiche was farre inferiour vnto his royal harte and immesurable desire of earthly honours who bare in his ensigne this worde Aut Caesar aut nihil an Emperour or nothinge the which insatiable thirst of his the Colonnese fearinge that he would quenche with their bloude abandoned all their dominions and landes and fledde away folowing the Castor who some say bites off his owne stones when hee is hardly persued knowing that for them onely his death is sought but the Orsines allured with his liberal interteinemente to serue him in the warres were almoste all murdered Baptista the cardinall at Rome Frauncis the Duke of Grauina and Paulo in the territorie of Perugia Liberto Prince of Firma Vitelloccio Vitelli one of the Princes of Ciuita de Castello at Senogallia the which caused all the rest of the Vitelli to flie and by their liues with the losse of their liuinges And also the noble men of the house of Gaieta who possessed the towne of Sermoneta in Campagna di Roma Iames Nicholas and Bernardine beeing slaine some one way and some an other yealded their castels lands and goodes vnto Caesar And also the Dukes of Camerino Caesar Anibal and Pyrrhus were expelled their dominions and strangled Astor Manfredi Prince of Fauenza yealdinge the towne and himselfe vppon promisse of safetie was slaine and cast into Tyber Furthermore Pandulpho Malatesta Iohn Sforza and Guido Vbaldo had rather by flight leaue their dominions of Rimini Pesaro and Vrbine vnto the inuading tyranne then be murdered And also Iames Appiano let him haue the principalitie of Piombino But Catharine Sforza who reigned at Forly and Imola hauing lost by force her dominions being taken prisoner was brought in triumphe to Rome But while by this bloudy way he encroched on al the principalities about him he also commaunded the prince of Beselio base sonne vnto Alfonse kinge of Naples yea and his sisters husbande to be slaine in her chamber yea in her bed being before wounded in the Courte of the church of Saint Peter but so that it was thought he woulde escape And by the same meanes he dispatched the yonger Borgia the Cardinal because he had seemed to fauour the duke of Candia his brother he also sauagely slue as he came from supper Iohn Cerbellion a man of greate nobilitie both at home and also in the warres because he had seuerely kept the honestie of a gentlewoman of the house of Borgia He did also put to death Iames Santatrucio a noble man of Rome theÌ„ whome there was no man more friende and familiar with Caesar neither for anie other cause but for that he was able vpon a soudeine to gather together a stronge bande of lustie felowes of the Orsine faction make them couragiously to atteÌ„pt anie exploite But wheÌ„ for this cursed and vnquenchable desire of Empire he and his father had appointed to poyson at a feast certeine noble and riche princes his man mistaking the flagon gaue thereof vnto the vngratious father and worse sonne whereof the father beeing olde died but his blessed byrde a lustie younge man was by manie medicines conserued to greater punishmente for after the deathe of Alexander the Colonese and the Orsines that were lefte returned vnto Rome Then Caesar that he might not be ouermatched by haueing warres with both the families restored vnto the Colonese all their possessions on whome in diuerse places he had sumptuously buylt Guido Defeltrie recouered Vrbine Iohn Sforza Pesaro excepte the castle Malatesta Riminie but the castle was stil retayned by Caesar and the Baleones Perugia through the helpe of the Orsines who also toke Tuderto with the castell and put to shamefull deathe the capteine and with like successe at Viterby Ameria and all the cities there aboutes either they restored the Princes of their owne faction or else strengthened them and had also beesieged Caesar in Nepe if hée had not fearefully fledde into Rome the whiche hee obteyned of the newe Pope Pius as a safe refuge but Pope Pius dying within twentie seuen dayes the Orsines also entered the citie with a greate power whome the greatest parte of the citizens fauoured and the Orsines requested that Caesar might according to iustice be put to death for his manifolde murthers or els kept in sure warde in the castell vntill that his cause were hearde But while the matter was prolonged with outragious altercations Caesar being afrayde stale away out of his house in the Suburbes into the Popes palace then his souldiours who vntil that time had valiantly guarded him perceiuing that their Capteines courage quayled and that he sought for hyding holes fled also awaye some to one place and some vnto another leauing him guardlesse among the cruell companies of his enimies and forceing him because hee could otherwise stande in no suretie of his life to desire as a greate benefite to be cast into the castell of Sainct Angelo vntil that a new Pope were created the which béeing Iulius the seconde would not set him at libertie before that he had deliuered vp all the Castels and townes that he had in the territorie of Rome Romandiola and the duchie of Spolieto But not long after preparing at Naples an expedition into Romandiola he was at the Popes earnest suite imprisoned in the newe castell and shortly after carried into Hispanie where he brake prison and fledde vnto the kinge of Nauarre whose néere cousine he had married and there was slaine in a skirmishe with this euent that not béeing knowen he was spoyled of all his armour and clothes and left starke naked and so brought by one of his seruauntes vnto the citie of Pompelona where he had sometimes béene Bishoppe a notable document of mannes miserie But as I saide before I passing ouer in silence all those greate worldlinges whome Fortune at the last ouerthrewe will examine the liues and infortunities onely of those whome the worlde doth account most fortunate and search whether that God did not ofteÌ„ make them to féele his force and to confesse their owne frailtie The xxxi Chapter The vnluckie chaunces of Augustus AND first I will beginne with him that thought so well of his owne fortune that when he sent his nephue Caius into Armenia against the Parâ—thians he wished that the loue good will of Pompey the hardinesse prowesse of Alexander the Fortune of him self might accompanie him Neither had hee alone this opinion of his good Fortune but it was also generally receiued of all men in so muche that it was decréede and also kept vntil the time of Iustinian that the people shoulde crie at the creation of a
newe Emperour Augusto felicior melior Traiano God make thée more fortunate then Augustus and a better Prince then Traiane In Augustus sayes Plinie whome all men do call happie if that all thinges in him be rightly estéemed shal great ficklenesse of Fortune be found First his repulse in the office of the maister of the horssemen vnto his vncle Iulius Caesar and against his will Lepidus preferred thereunto The enuie and hatred of all men yea and of the posteritie for the proscribing of Cicero his aduauncer and college in the Consulship that he had to bee his colleges in the Triumuirate verie naughtie men Neither was his portion equall for Antonius had farre the greater At the battell of Philippi his sicknesse and discomfiture by Cassius and running awaye and hiding of him selfe being sicke thrée dayes and hyding of him selfe in a marrish thrée dayes being sore sicke The cares that he was wrapped in after his returne from Philppi to Rome where going about to allot landes throughout all Italie vnto the souldiours the auncient possessours with great exclamations and complaintes repined thereat wherein they had their earnest fauourer Lucius Antonius the Consul and brother vnto Antonius the Triumuir who would haue the souldiours paid out of the goods of those that were proscribed and did also put them in hope of the spoyle of riche Asia the which did make their téeth to water Octauian being thus besett on all sides with troubles coueted to please bothe the Senate and people and also the souldiours but in verie déede he offended them both in so muche that he had béene almost slaine by the souldiours for commaunding at a playe a common souldiour to be taken vpp that sate vppon one of the xiiii greeces where by the law no man might sitt vnder the degrée of an horseman of Rome Hereunto addeth Plinie the famine that was in Italie by reason that Sextus Pompeyus and Domitius woulde suffer nothing to be brought thether by Sea. Then Lucius Antonius and Fuluia wife vnto Marcus fell out with Octauian and wrote vehement letters vnto Antonius the Triumuir against him as though he had attempted to murder his children Lucius had seuentéene legions the amitie aide of Ventidius Asinius Pollio Calenus who had either of thē a great power on the other side Octauian had the il wil of the Senate of al Italie for his diuision of the lāds among the souldiours the which brought him into this agonie and extremitie that debaseing him selfe he earnestly sued to haue the olde souldiours to sit in iudgement and heare the controuersies betwéene Antonius and him and afterwarde when for all his labouring to haue the matter taken vp the warres brake out he was almost intercepted at the siege of Perugia by a band of sword players that sallied out while he was sacrificeing vnto the Gods. After this followed two incomparable losses of two mightie fléetes by tempest in the Sicylian warres against Sextus Pompeyus and then another hyding of him selfe in a caue And also he being vanquished by fight on the Sea his enimies so egerly pursued him that for feare he should be taken he earnestly desired Proculeus to slea him Also Pompeyus capteines Demochares and Appolophanes soudenly oppressed him from whome he hardly escaped at the last with one only shippe and afterwarde walking on foote from Locrie to Rhegium he sawe certeine brigantines of Pompeyus dragging along the shoare then he thinking them to be his owne went downe vnto the water side vnto them and was almost taken and forced to séeke his safetie by flying thorough blinde pathes where hée was welnéere slayne by a bondman of Aemylius who thought that he had then good occasion offered him now he was alone to reuenge the death of his maister vniustly proscribed by Octauian and his fellowes In his Dalmatian warres was he twice wounded once in fight on the right knée with a stone and at the siege of a towne on both his armes and legges with the fall of a bridge Twice also was he greately endaungered by tempest all the tacklinges of the shipp wherein he was béeing broken all into péeces and the rudder cleane strucken off And two great foiles had he in Germanie one vnder Lollius the which was more shamefull then hurtfull and the other vnder Varus the which was almost pernicious thrée legions with the General and the capteines and all the ayde of the strangers being slaine When newes was brought him of this great ouerthrowe hée commaunded watche and warde to be kept in the citie that no tumult should arise therein and proroged vnto the Presidents of the prouinces the time of their gouernment that the alies might be kept in their obedience by men of experience and them that the Prouinces knew He also vowed playes which were called the great vnto Iupiter Optimus Maximus to turne the cōmon wealth into a better state as it had béene done before at Rome in the Cymbrian and Sociall warres when the citie stoode in great daunger of sacke and destruction For he was so dismayed that for the space of many moneths after he letting the haires of his head and beard growe long would euer and anon crie out Quintili Vare redde legiones Quintilius Varus render thy legions and that day did he euer afterward kéepe for an heauie and mournefull day Plinie rehearseth also for incommodities and infortunities lack of monie to pay his souldiours their wages and lacke of able men to serue in the warres and therfore was he forced contrarie vnto the auncient orders to presse foorth 20000. bondmen a great pestilence in the citie and sundrie defacinges thereof by fire a great famine and thirste throughout all Italie often dangerous mutinies of the souldiours the foule scorning and scoffing of the people at his Maiestie the incomparable losse of his good and noble adopted sonnes the valiaunt Drusus and Marcus Agrippa and the towardly yonge gentleman Marcus Marcellus his sisters sonne and Caius and Iulius his daughters sonnes by Agrippa but greater griefe for the lewde disposition of other of his children his onely naturall child Iulia conspiring his death and openly playing the harlot wherfore he banished her but her infamous life was such a shame vnto him that he brake the matter touching her punishment vnto the Senate by libell being absent and a long time after absteyned from al companie and oftentimes was hee minded to put her to death but continued still so seuere against her that hee could neuer be entreated to reuoke her although that many great men made great sute for her and also the whole people of Rome did oftentimes request it but being at one time very importunate they so chafed him that in his choler he wished them all such wiues such daughters The like rigour also did hee vse towardes her daughter Iulia who followed her mothers steppes gaue comaundement that the child wherof she was deliuered after her condemnation should be destroyed and also
left order by his wil that neither of them should be buried in his Sepulcher Moreouer her sonne Agrippa Posthumius whom he had adopted and ordeyned for his successour in the Empire did he for his vile and cruell nature disinherite and banish vnto Surrentum But afterward when he saw that for all this he would not become more tractable but euery day more madder then other hee transported him into an Island where he was kept with a guard of souldiours and prouided by a decrée of the Senate that hée should be kept there during his life and at all mention made of him or the two Iuliae he would sigh déepely and breake out into a Gréeke verse O would to God I had neuer wedde wife And without children had ended my life And vsed neuer otherwise to call them then his thrée botches and eating cankers Of diseases he had store the dropsie swelling sides the impetige thoroughout all his bodie his left hippe thigh and legge so ill that hée oftentimes halted and was lame thereof and also hée sometimes felt the forfinger of his right hand so weake that being benummed and contracted with cold hee could scarce bring it for to write yea with the helpe of a ring of horne He fell into many great and daungerous sicknesses throughout all partes of his life but his greatest fitt was immediately after hee had conquered the fierce Cantabri at what time sayth Plinie the greatest part of death was receiued into his body his liuer was quite marde with distillations so that hée being brought into despaire of recouerie entered of necessitie into a contrarie and doubtfull kinde of cure because hot fomentations had done no good he was constrayned to be cured by cold thoroughe the aduise of Musa his Physician Some other sicknesses had he that did take him euery yeare and would returne alwayes at a certaine time For mostly he was sicke about that time of the yeare that hée was borne and at the beginning of the Spring his sides would be swolne in Southerne tempestes hee was troubled with the Rheume wherewithall his body being sore shaken and weakened hée could not well endure either cold or heate In the winter hee was defended with foure coates and a thicke gowne and all the forepart of his shirt that couered the bulke of his body was wollen he woare also breches netherstockes thinges very rarely vsed in those dayes But in the sūmer he would lie with his chamber doore open yea oftentimes in open galeries where spoutes of cold water should continually runne a man stoode by him stil fanning his face But the Sunne was he not able to abide no not in the winter nor euer walked abroad yea at home but in a great broad hall Moreouer hee neuer trauelled but in a licter and mostlie in the nighte but so softly and with so smal iournyes that hée would bee two dayes in riding to Tibur or Prenest twelue miles from the citie Besides all those daungerous diseases was his life often assaulted with a great number of perillous conspiracies first of younge Lepidus then of Varro Murena Fannius and Cepio and anon after of Marcus Egnatius and then of Plautius Rufus Lucius Paulus and besids all these of Lucius Audasius a verlet that had béen cōdemned for forging of false writings one impotent both by nature and yeares and of Epicadus a mungrell hauing a Parthian to one of his parentes and last of all of Telephus a bondslaue and nomēclator vnto a woman to tell her the names of men for he was not frée from the daunger of men of the most vilest condition This rascall roge had practised to murther him and the Senate because the foole had surely thought and beleft that the Empire was allotted to him by the louing Ladies of destinie Moreouer once was there taken néere vnto his chamber hauing deceiued the watch and porters a drudge of the Illyrian armie being armed with a woodknife And besides these conspiracies rehearsed by Suetonius wée read in other of one made by Cornelius Cinna and his complicies Vnto these infortunities Plinie addeth the great suspicion that hée had of Fabius and the disclosing of his secreates and his last care the cogitations and counselles of his wife and her sonne Tiberius who are thought to haue poysoned him with figges fearing lest that if he liued longer hee would haue disherited Tyberius or els haue ioyned yong Agrippa with him finally he died leauing to be heire of his large Empire not his owne sonne but his enimies Tyberius sonne to Domitius The xxxij Chapter Of Traiane TRAIANE that conquered the fierce Daces with their valiaunt king Decebalus that had foiled many Romane Capitaines and also subdued the Armenians and Parthians a great part of Arabia and went so farre Eastward with victorious ensignes as neuer did Romane either before or since and wrote vnto the Senate that he had conquered such nations as they neuer heard off before nor could name yet deserued not the name of an happie man For streight after his returne out of Armenia and Parthia into Syria was he in great daunger of death at Antioche by an earthquake the which ouerthrewe and quite destroyed the whole citie and infinite were the number of them that were slaine with the fall of the houses scarce one or two men escaped vnslaine or vnhurt And so great was the Emperours armie and so great the resort of Embassadours and other out from all nations vnto him that there was scarse any nation or citie that escaped scotfrée from this detriment and massacre that in very déede all the whole world and the nations that were vnder the Romane Empire receiued thereby a mightie calamitie The Emperour himselfe was merueylously saued being taken out at a windowe by one of a straunge stature and farre passing mans measure And afterward also when he following Alexanders the great his steppes aduaunced still further and further his cōquering Eagles sailing the redd sea the Armenians and Parthians whome he had before subdued reuolted sleaing the garrisons that he had placed amonge them and also in battell Maximus whome hee had sent with a power to reduce them vnto their duetie yea and in the end the Parthians forced him to let them haue a king of their owne nation the whiche did make frustrate all his toile taken in the East Also the Iewes that dwelt about Cyrene reuolted and taking armes slue of Romanes and Greekes with more then barbarous crueltie two hundreth and twentie thousand and doing the like also in Cyprus and Aegypt murthered two hundreth and fourtie thousand Hereunto will I adde his great peril at the siege of the citie of the Agarenes where the enimies directed all their shott against him killing euery man that stoode nere vnto him Then followed fearefull prodigies terrible thunder lightenings whirlewinds monstrous haile and that whiche of all other is most miraculous as ofte as euer the Romanes assaulted or encountred the enimie they were
forced by lightening sent from heauen to retyre Then soudenly came there to remoue the siege a monstruous might of flies the which plagued the Romanes in their cupps and dishes leauing neither drinke nor meate frée from their filthie contamination and corruption The which forced the Emperour to breake vp the siege and to depart out of the countrie and immediatly after fell sicke and then the Parthians deposed the king that hée had appointed them and chose an other according vnto their auncient orders to reuenge the whiche dishonour Traiane was not able waxing euery day worse and worse and finally fell into a dropsie whereof hée dyed not leauing behind him a child to vphold his house and name The xxxiij Chapter Of Seuerus Emperour of Rome SEVERVS that got the Romane Empire by sleaing of his thrée competitors and foure bloudie battels and entered Parthia taking Babylon Seleucia and Ctesiphon where the king narrowly escaped with the losse of his children wiues mother treasure and furniture of householde and also made great conquestes in Arabia and Arobenica and forced the kinges of the Armenians and Osrhoenes to submit themselues vnto his mercie felt also the tickle turning of fortunes whéele For that I may omit his youth full of furies and crimes and often accusations and howe hée was to his great shame openly arreigned for adulterie and the open bitcherie of his shamelesse latter wife Iulia whome hée witting and knowing did suffer more then either the maiestie of an Emperour yea or the honestie of a man could beare was hee not forced for lacke of victualles and necessaries and the great sickenesse in his campe spéedily to forsake the countries and places that hée had conquered in the Easte and to returne home contented onely with the spoile the whiche he dearely bought with the losse of infinite of his souldiours liues Furthermore hee twice besieged the pelting towne of Atrae in Arabia and twice was constrained to depart with great dishonour and losse his souldiours being either so affrighted or else so disobedient that not one of the Europian souldiours could be gotten to the assault when that a great part of the walles laie flat to the ground moreouer when one of his Capitaines told the Emperour that he would vndertake to winne the towne with 550. Europians and the Emperour did bid him take them the captaine aunswered in the hearing of all the armie But where shall I haue them Neither had his ambition any better successe in Britaine For when that hée would not receiue the submission of the rebells but would néeds tame them by the sword that he might obteine the glorious title of Britannicus or conquerour of Britaine he reaped almost no other fruite by marching with his victorious ensignes euen vnto the furthest part of the East then the losse of fiftie thousand men thorough sicknes lack of victuals the inclemencie of the aire and diuers other chaūces finally endamaging the Britaines who wisely still fledd before him into their safe bogges and marrishes Adde hereunto how at the battell at Lions against Albinus who fought for the Empire hée was vnhorsed and fled out of the field casting away his coate armour that hée might not be knowen and hidd himselfe in a marrishe Spartianus sayth that in this battell hée fell into great perill by the foundering of his horse and then had such a blowe with a pellet of leade that his armie thincking that he had béene slaine were about to choose an other Emperour Furthermore what intollerable torments did the great discord of his two sonnes bring vnto him when that the one neuer liked of any thing that did please the other and in al quarels controuersies games finally in all thinges they were extréeme aduersaries one vnto the other neither could their hatefull hearts euer be reconciled although that their woful father fearing that their discord would be either the destructiō of the Empire or of his house or both sought al meanes to agrée their dissenting minds putting also to death many that were about thē by whose flatterie lewd coūsel he thought them to be corrupted But in what continuall feare he led his life his immesurable murdering of aboue fourtie Senatours and infinite meane men without arreigning of them doth manifestly bewray This Africane is truely said to haue reuenged in his gowne the cruell destruction of his countrie of Carthage by the Romanes Whereof arose that saying of the Senate after his death that it had béene well for the people of Rome if that he had either neuer béene borne or else neuer had died the one being spoken for his cruelties the other for his valiancie and good gouernement But among all other put to death for suspicion of treason I cannot forget two the one Plautianus to whome he had as it were in a manner imparted the Empire yet lost his life vppon a verie vnlikely accusation and onely credited because that the Emperour had dreamed that Albinus some time his competitour was aliue the other Apronianus who was condemned absent because that one had heard his Noursse saye that shée had dreamed that he should be Emperour So fearefull was he left his good childe Antoninus should be put from the Empire who drewe his swoorde to haue thrust his father in at the back as he roade with him if that his seruaunts that roade behinde had not cried out vnto him to take héede of his sonne who was about to murder him And finally he dyed not of his olde torment of the goute but as men thought helped forward by his wicked sonne Antonine and so was helde in an earthen pot whome all the worlde had not holden as he him selfe saide a litle before his death when that he had commaunded his sepulchrall pott to be brought vnto him The xxxiiij Chapter Of Constantine the greate THE greatenesse of Constantine who reduced into one Monarchie the distracted partes of the Empire and to the vnspeakable profite of mankinde first established by Emperial power the faith of Christ throughout the world the foule vnworthie murthering of his owne wife Fausta his sonne Crispus and his sisters sonne and no smal number of his friendes the vngodly restitution of the archeheretike Arius and the more wicked banishmēt of that piller of the church Athanasius whome yet some holde he reuoked by testament and if some belye him not his filthie disease of the dropsie did much diminishe whereof he was by a byworde called Tracala the first ten yeres of his reigne a verie good and excellent Prince the ten next a théefe and a murtherer but the ten last a pupill for his immoderate expences But as his Martial actes but onely against his coparceners in the Empire Licinius and Maxentius were not greate so was his daunger verie great when that his father in lawe Herculeius came vnder colour of friendshipp vnto him trayterously to haue killed him but it being disclosed vnto Constantine by his wife cost her father his life And no lesse also
enimies Cassius lieftenaunt in Syria But not long after that he had fortunately escaped this doubtful perill fell hée into a greater when that the Parthian tooke Hierusalem with king Hyrcanus and placing there in his roome Antigonus forced Herodes his brother Phaselus to dashe out his owne braines against a wall that he might not come aliue into their bondage and Herodes himselfe very hardly escaped their hands and fearefully fledde vnto Rome where he was created king of Iudea The whiche he had not long enioyed but that he was sent for to come before Antonius at Seleucia to be arreigned for the vnworthie murther of his wiues brother Alexander the high priest at what time he knowing the great hatred towards him of Antonius his swéete heart Quéene Cleopatra who insatiably thirsted for his kingdome he was almost in vtter despaire of returne But not long after he fell into greater perill of his state through ayding of Antonius against Octauian wherefore after that Antonius was ouercome he sailed into Rhodes vnto Caesar and there in priuate apparell without diademe suppliantly desired pardon of Caesar the which being happely obteined and his kingdom also by his liberalitie augmented hée fell in his old age into many domesticall dolours the beginning whereof came thorough his wife Mariemne one descended of the auncient bloud royal whom he loued as immoderately as shee hated and abhorred him both hartily and openly vpbrayding him often with the cruell murthering of her graundfather and brother but in the ende hee did wrongfully put her to death for sinister opinion of adulterie betwixte her and his vncle Iosippus and then as immoderately bewailed and lamented her death as before he had rashly slaine her This vnworthie murther of their mother did her two sonnes whome Herodes had appointed to bee his successours in the kingdome stomache in so much that they fled to Rome and accused their father vnto Augustus who made an attonement betwéene the wretched father and his wicked sonnes but it was not long but that Herodes accused them for treason against his person before Archelaus king of Cappadocia whose daughter the one of them had married but Archelaus againe reconciled them but the ill patched friendshipp brake out againe not long after to the destruction of the two innocent sonnes After the dolefull death of his two déere sonnes Alexander Aristobulus the wofull father found out the treason of his sonne Antipater whome he had nominated his heire and how he not onely had caused him by suborning of false witnesses wrongfully to murther his two brothers Alexander and Aristobulus and exasperated him also against two other of his brothers Archelaus Philippe the poison was brought where with Antipater had gone about to poison him whereuppon he obteyned of the Emperour that he might worthily be put to death This domestical calamitie and continual treasons and murtherings of his sonnes did so afflict the aged father that hee ledde a lothsome life wrapped all in wailefulnesse taking no ioy at all in his large Empire great heapes of treasure and beautifull and pleasaunt buildinges And this heauinesse was heaped by long cōtinuance of many dolefull diseases He had no smal ague and an intollerable itche thoroughout all his body then was he also vexed with a painefull torment in his necke and his féete were swollen with the dropsie and his bellie as bigge as a barrell with winde the whiche griefes were augmented with a filthie putrefaction of his priuie parts the which bred aboundance of stinking wormes Moreouer he was very short winded sighing often and had al his lymmes contracted and cramped the tormentes were so intollerable that he thought his friendes did heynously iniurie him when that they did let him to ende his wofull life by friendly stroke of fatall meate knife And then to double his tormentes came this toy into his heade that all the Iewes and people woulde reioyce at his desired death wherefore he commaunded that out of euerie village and towne of the Iudea should the gentlemen be brought into the castell and be all slaine when he shoulde yelde vp his cruell and gastly ghoste that all the whole lande yea and euerie house might weepe and lamente at his death against their willes The xl Chapter Of Mahumet MAhumet the first founder of the secte of the Mahumetanes who possesse nowe farre the greatest parte of the worlde of a beggers bratt and slaue became conquerour and kinge of all Syria and Aegypt and by the consente of the moste of the beste approued authors of the whole Empire of Persia and yet had he also sowre often mingled with his swete for when he firste preached his seditious superstition at Mecha he was driuen by armes out of the towne with his bande of bondmen Neither founde he fortune more friendely at Medina Thalnabi whether he fledde for the Iewes taking armes against him discomfited him in manie skirmishes in one of whom they wounded him in the face strucke out his fore teeth and hurled him into a diche And afterward also in his first inuasion of the Persian was he foiled in fight and forced to retire home where entring in societie with the Sinites that had lately for reprochfull wordes reuolted from the Greekes and returninge with them into Persia fortunately atchiued his exploite But howe pitifully he was tormented with the terrible fallinge sicknesse I thinke it vnknowen vnto fewe Moreouer verie shorte was his reigne for sixe yeares after he beganne his conquestes he died and in the fourtéenth yeare of his age But what cause did depriue this furious fierbrand of mankinde of his enuied life authors do not agrée Some holde that he was poysoned by a Greeke other that he died madde But the cōmon opinion in the East saies Theuet that he was sicke thirty daies of a Pleuresie in seuen of whom he was distraught of his witts but comminge vnto him selfe a little before hee died he tolde his friendes that within three dayes after his death his bodie shoulde be assumpted into heauen The which wordes did witnesse that he was starke madde still as the euente did after proue for when his illuded sectaries had longe time in vaine expected his assumption at last they washing embaulminge his stincking bodie were forced to burie it The xliii Chapter Of Hismaell the Sophie HIsmaell who beganne in our age a newe secte of Mahumetanes amonge the Persians whereof he and all his successors are called Sophies as we shoulde say the wise men thorough the helpe of his folowers threwe downe from the Emperiall siege of Persia the auncient bloude royall and placed himselfe therein making also subiect therevnto manie other countries borderinge there on but Selim the Turke plucked this Pecockes taile discomfiting and woundinge him in a bloudie battell fought in the boweles of his realme the which he himselfe had caused to be all wofully wasted that his fierce enimies shoulde finde nothinge to susteine the necessities of them selues and their horses and also takinge his
fall that neither their brotherly bloud nor impotent age could persuade the bofull man securitie But anon after that he had wonne Constantinople the stately seate of the Easte Empire and slaine the Emperour therein before Belgrade which he boasted that hee woulde take within fiftéene dayes whereas as his father had like a cowarde in vayne béesieged it seuen monethes bee was by a sallie out of the towne daungerously hurte vnder the pappe his armie discomfited his campe taken with all his ordinaunce martiall furniture and carriages and hee him selfe gladde to séeke safetie by the benefite of a darke night yea so great was his ouerthrowe that it was thought by men of wisedome and experience that if the Hungarians had prosecuted the victorie they might haue driuen him out of Constantinople The next morning when he was come vnto himselfe after the rage of his wound was somewhat abated and vnderstoode howe great a foile he had taken he would haue poisoned himselfe that he mighte not returne home in so great dishonour and was hardly letten by his friends from doing thereof Hee could neuer abide after to heare or speake of this foule foile as often as he vnwillingly minded it he would teare his beard fetch déepe sighes gastly grind his téeth cruelly cursing that dismall day the which he did all his life after accompt for a blacke and infortunate But after this tempestuous storme the which had néere destroyed him a wished winde gan blowe againe and he conquered the Empire of Trapezonda the Isles of the Aegean sea or Archipelago Miteleno and Bosna the Peloponesus or Morea the whiche the Venetians and two of the Paleologi possessed brake downe the strong wall that the Venetians had builte in the Isthme of Corinthe and gott those townes which the Venetians had in Morea and by bloudie assault Eubea now Nigrepont Hauing thus fortunately subdued Constantinople and all Greece with the Islands thereabouts it was a great eye sore for him to sée the royall Rhodes frée from his bondage wherefore frowning fortune pricked him forth to assaile it with many a foule bloudie foile receiued both by sea land thus when force failed hee sought to take it by treason suborning many false knaues who vnder colour of fugitiues should betray it vnto him but when that neither this foxes skinne ioyned to his Lions was long enough to reach the Rhodes hee feigned great friendship if that they would vouchsafe to pay him any trifle in the name of tribute yea or present him with any gift but when that nothing would be graunted vnto the enimie of Christe and hee had vainely spent thrée yeares in these toyes he fell againe to force inuading it with a mightie fléete and fourescore thousand men but with no better successe then that after hée had lost 7000. souldiours at the landing and two thrée thousand at euery assault of whome hée made very many during his aboade there of thrée monethes hée was forced to depart home with incredible losse of men and munition and much greater of his honour But when his hautie heart could not rest in this great dishonour but prepared for the reuenge thereof and also to conquere proud Italie as hée termed it where his mightie armie being landed had taken Otronto his purpose was preuented in the one and the prosperous course of his conquestes corrupted in the other through his sondeine death when he had liued 58. yeares and reigned 31. The xlvij Chapter Of Selime the first great Lord of the Turkes SELIME that came vnto the Empire of the Turkes by murthering of his father brothers brothers children ouerthrew in battell the mightie Sophie in the middest of his realme and toke his chiefe cities of Chois Tauris subdued the Aladuli that inhabite the mountaine Taurus conquered the Empire of Aegypt that stretched on one side vnto the desartes of Arabia the streightes of the redd sea and to Aethiope and on the other vnto Cilicia staying two Soldanes yet this man who was of rare felicitie in all his attemptes was ouerthrowen and hurt in the battel that he sought against his father and also made such an hautie retire out of the Persian dominions that it might very well be termed a fearefull flight loosing a great number of his men his ordinance and his carriages in the passing ouer of Euphrates the Persians hotly pursuing them And when hée had escaped the Sophie hée was no lesse endammaged and endaungered by the Aladuli And finally this furie of hell that threatened vtter destruction to the Christian name reigned not aboue seuen yeares but died miserably of an eating Vlcer in his reynes which consumed so much fleshe in one night that a man might turne his fist round in the hole yéelding vpp his wicked spirite at the village of Chiurle where hée had vngraciously before foughten against his father The xlviij Chapter Of Ferdinande the sixt king of Hispaine FERDINANDE the sixte king of Arragon and Sicyl that had by his wife the rich kingdomes of Castill and Lions and won by sword the kingdoms of Granata that had béene in the handes of the Moores almost eight hundreth yeares of Naples and Nauarre and an other world of rich countries in the West Indies had a great and yet an harmelesse admonition of mans tickle state at the siege of Granata For a Moore burning in desire of deliuering his countrie out of perill by a desperate attempt of killing the king and Quéene of Hispaine came out of the towne into the Hispanish campe feigning that he had brought cōditions of peace and desiring to be admitted vnto the kinges and Quéenes presence but hee was put by his purpose thoroughe a meruailous chaunce or rather by Gods special prouision for a noble man of Hispaine that lay in a goodly and riche hall sent for this Moore to come vnto him being very desirous to vnderstand what newes the Moore brought The noble man sate at that instant at dinner with his wife whome the Moore taking by their brauerie to be the king and the Quéene assaulted them sore wounding them both but yet was stayed from killing them by the rescue of their seruants But afterward whē that this victorious king returned from the glorious conquest of the kingdome of Graneta and rode into Darselona in triumphant maner with the great acclamations of the people ringing his renowne hee had in the middest of that proud pompe almost loste both life and kingdome For one Canemas a Cathelane who séemed to haue béene long time molested with the madde melancholie thincking to haue killed the king in his chiefest iolitie gaue him a great wound in the neck Neither could any other cause of doing this desperate facte be wrounge from him by all kinde of terrible tormentes then that he hoped if that Ferdinando had béene slaine to become king himself being a very poore knaue the which thing he said had béene told him oftentimes by an Angel. On so féeble fléeting a
foūdation do kingdoms stand on so tottering a stoole do princes sitt that sporting Fortune séemes oftentimes to put them into the hand of a madd man But nothing did more manifestly shewe vnto him his brittle blisse then the reuolting of all the noble men of the farther Hispaine except the duke of Alua vnto Philip duke of Burgogie who had maried his eldest daughter and heire at his arriual in Hispaine after the death of Quéene Isabell they eftsones saying that they would rather adore the sunne rising then going downe The griefe of this shamefull forsaking of him did so gripe the aged princes heart that not being able to endure the dishonour to be a subiecte where hee had long reigned he left Hispaine and sailed with his newe wife vnto Naples chosing rather to cōmit himselfe vnto the doubtfull faith of the gouernour and conquerour of that flourishing kingdome whom the report was minded to reuolt make himselfe king of Naples the which hée might easily haue done then vnto the open ill wills and rebellion of the vnfaithful Hispaniards And doubtlesse hee was in very great danger of being vtterly excluded out of his kingdomes of Castill Lions if that God had not shortly after taken out of the world his sonne in lawe who was so alienated from him that when the courteous king laden with wearisome yeares had taken a lōg paineful iourney to receiue him at the water the proud and vnciuil duke would not vouchsafe to shew him any countenaunce But after he had giuen him scornefully a word or two and them too in French which the king vnderstood not he flange away from him al the nobilitie with him The xlix Chapter Of William Conquerour BVt nowe after that wee haue romed long abroad in all forreigne lands let vs returne home vnto our owne countrie take a view of such Princes as haue by dint of sword atteined the imperial crowne thereof or enlarged the dominions least we may be thought to be like vnto the Lamiae in Poets whome they do faine to sée very exactly when they are abroad but to be starke blinde at home William bastard sonne vnto Robert duke of Normandie who left him his heire although by puissance he cōquered this land discomfited in battel the king of Denmarke forced the king of Scotland for feare to do him homage sweare him fealtie yet the often rebellions and secrete treasons of the Englishmen Normans the perfidiousnes of his owne déere brother Odo in whom he reposed his greatest trust the wicked reuolting of his eldest sonne Robert vnto the French king with his aide his daungerous inuasion of Normandie his arme thrust through in fight and his vnhorsing by that vnnaturall child and his bowelles sore brused by a leape off his horse in his last voyage against the French king of the intollerable torments whereof he died will not suffer him to be enrolled among the happie But nothing in my mind doth more manifestly bewray his infelicitie then that he had not so much ground at his death as could couer his carcase without doing an other man wrong and that which the begger hath without contradiction was denied and forbidden this mightie king Hée had built S. Stephens Church at Cane in Normandie where he would be buried vppon an other mans ground and had not payed the owner for it who being then a very poore man yet nothing fearing the funeral pompe and the great number of nobles attending on the corps did thrust through the thickest thronge of the solemne traine like vnto a madd man and got him to the Church doore wherein he stoode stoutly to withstand the bearing into the Church of the kings body crying out with a lowde voice Hée that in his life time oppressed kingdomes by his furious force hath hitherto with feare also oppressed mee but I that do suruiue him that hath done me the wronge will not graunt rest and peace vnto him now he is dead The place whereinto ye doe carrie this dead man is mine I claime that it is not lawfull for any man to lay a dead body in an other mans ground But if that the case do so stand that when as now at the length through the grace of good God the author of this so vnworthie a wrong is extinguished yet force still doth flourish I do appeale vnto Rhollo the founder father of this nation who alone is of greater power by the lawes which he ordeyned then is any mans iniurie And therewithal I know not whether by hap or mans fraud there soudeinly was séene a great fire which raged on the Church the houses neere adioyning then euery body spéedily running to quench the fire left the kinges corps desolate all alone onely Henrie the kings youngest sonne could not be gotten frō his fathers body who being feared with as it were the manifest wrath of God presently paid the poore mā for his ground discharged his fathers iniurious spirite But these blisselesse bones of his which so hardly obteined entumbing did afterward as vnluckily againe lose it in Anno Domini 1562. when Chastillion conducting reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achillis those that had escaped at the battell at Dreax toke the citie of Cane For certaine sauage souldiours accompanied with foure Capteynes did beate downe and vtterly deface the noble tumbe and monument of that renowmed conquerour and victorious king and pulled out all his bones which they spitefully threwe away when that they could not finde the treasure that they falsly surmised had béen layed vp there as I haue béene certainly enformed by Englishmen of very good credite faithfull fauourers of the reformed who sawe this sorrowfull sight scarse without distilling teares And also Theuet maketh mention of this matter in his vniuersall Cosmographie writing of Cane The l. Chapter Of Henrie the second HENRIE the second had by his father the Earledomes of Aniow Toures and Maine by his mother the kingdome of England and the duchie of Normandie and by his wife the mightie duchie of Aquitane and the earledome of Poitow conquered the kingdome of Ireland and toke prisoner in battell the king of Scottes but this his glistering glorie was fouly darkened by the shamefull submission of his crowne vnto the Romane Sée as Platina their recorder doth report or certes by binding himselfe vnto vnreasonable conditions to abate the enuie of the murther of Thomas the archbishop of Canterburie as our Chronicles do record and by the daungerous and wicked warres a long time kept in Normandie Fraunce and England with al his vngodly sonnes Henrie Richard Gefferie and Iohn yea and his owne wife and their mightie confederats the kings of Fraunce and Scotland with a great number of the English nobilitie and after the death of his vngracious sonne Henrie by the second reuolting of his sonne Richard vnto the French king who wan from him in those warres a great part of the duchie of Normandie and besieged him in the
alone with about a fiftie men who yet kept the citie Yea this foolish feare makes men to affirme stedfastly that they hearde and sawe that whiche they neuer did As when the Turke besieged the mightie rich citie of Argos assaulting it on two sides they whiche were in the one parte of the citie immagined that they hearde one say that the towne was taken in the other side wherefore they all ranne thether leauing at their owne part an easie entrie for the enimie When that the Dukes of Berry and Britaine the Earle of Charolois and the rest of the league whiche called them selues the publike good or the common wealth were incamped against Lewes the eleuenth before Paris in the dead time of the night the watch of the camp hearde the voyce of one that sayde that he was sent by certaine of the citie that fauoured the confederates and willed it to be shewed vnto them that the king had determined in the very dawning of the next daye to assault their campe with all his power being diuided into thrée battelles or companies that the watchmen should with all possible spéede certifie the Dukes that they were not oppressed vnwares Incontinently all the whole armie is raysed vp the souldiers commaunded to arme them selues Before it was day all things were in a readinesse both to defende the campe and also to fight the battell and the scoutes that were sente foorth when the Sunne was vp brought newes backe that they had séene a mightie number of pikes speare men The light was somewhat troubled and not good by reason of a thick mist which arose that morning againe the horsmen being sent foorth confirme the first newes Now was the enimie looked for as though they woulde euen at that very instant salie out but there was not one man in very déede for the scoutes had conceiued a vaine and false sight both feare and also the voyce and mocking vsed in the night representing vnto their eyes false things for true At the length when it was farre foorth dayes a clearer light opened the errour and it was merily iested among them that the thistles with whom the fieldes about the citie are clothed séemed vnto the fearefull to be pikes and speares But Iouius will match this historie with an other more ridiculous Anno. 153 S. Charles the Emperour Frauncis the french and Paulus Tertius the byshop of Rome were appointed to méete at Nicea a towne belonging vnto the Duke of Sauoy and during the colloquie there the Emperour lying at Villafrancha whither Andrewe Doria had brought him out of Hispanie one after noone the idle Courtiers and Mariners walked along the sea side and on the high hilles that runne along there and chaunced to sée beside a farme house built with towers a great thicke smoke to ascend euer and anon incontinently the foolish multitude imagined that it was Barbarosha the Turks high Admirall with a great fléete traiterously procured to come thether by the French king to take the Emperour and the Byshoppe and with this fearefull newes they came running into the citie Immediately was there a mightie vprore in all the whole towne with Out alas we be all betrayd Barbarossa is at hande with a mightie nauie The tale was so credited that the valiant and prudent Marques of Guasto who lay in camp on a hill aboue the citie with a band of souldiers for the Emperours safegard in all haste clapped on his heade péece caught his target commaunded all his souldiers with all spéede to be in a readinesse and with all his power descended downe into the towne vnto the Emperour appointing euery man where he should stande on the cliffes and higher places to beate downe with shot and stones the landing Turkes Andrew Dori also an other Neptune with great tumult makes the mariners to wey vp their anchors to turne about their galleyes and with all spéede sendes out foistes to certeinly espie where their enimies are and in what number They went foorth and not one galley or ship could they sée at length they sayled vnto the towred farme house where this fléete was reported to haue bene séene and there could learne of neuer a ship but vnderstoode that the good husbande that dwelt there had that day béene making cleane and fanning of his beans in diuers places the dust of whome flying vp nowe and then with a space betwéene as ye know hapneth in making cleane of al corne was taken not only of the rude multitude but also of the expert souldiers and skilful mariners for to be 36. galleys for so many times they had marked the dust to flye vp and all men trembled and shoke for feare except only the Emperour him self such was his hardy courage and yet could no man of them al sée from the highe houses and mightie mounteines in that verie open broade sea eyther mast sayle or sayle yard And least I should be tedious I omit in this place how that the olde expert capteine Iames de Caldora with greate vprore aranged his battels in Puglia against a greate heard of déere whome he did take for a mightie hoast of his enimies and how within fewe yeares after Ferdinand the first king of Naples retyred backe with his whole armie to the walles of Barletta for feare of an hearde of déere which was supposed by the fearefull to be a great armie of armed men a thousande such like examples Of this foolish vaine fearefulnesse of men came the prouerbe I thinke among all nations he is afraide of his owne shadowe and among the Gréekes more fearfull thē Pysander who was continually afraid that he shuld méete with his owne soule that he dreamed it had forsaken him while he was yet liuing and more feareful then he that looked out of the caue which prouerb arose of a man who being strucken with great terrour of the same of Hercules who men sayd would come that way hid him selfe in a caue and popping out and in his head as it is the maner of the feareful to sée if he could espy him chaunced vnluckily to sée him in very déede passing by wherwithal he was so affrighted that he dyed presently I read also of one Artemon a man so fearfull if he be not to be accounted madde that as long as he liued two of his seruaunts did continually holde ouer his heade a target of brasse that nothing should fall downe vppon him and if he happened to go foorth any whether out of the doores he was carried in an horslitter séeled ouer thereof was surnamed Periphoretes And in our dayes S. Vallier Duke of Valentinois in Fraunce being condemned to dye for not disclosing the treason of Charles the duke of Burbon the king sent him his pardon at that very instant that the executioner was about to strike of his head but the kinges pardon could not saue his life For the vehement feare of death conceiued brought him into a
pernicious feuer the which within few days maugre all Physicke bereft him of life Whereof came the French prouerbe La fieure de Saint Vallier The feuer of Saint Vallier for a strong apprehension Cassander did so feare Alexander the great that comming to Delphos long time after Alexanders death to behold the statuies that were set vp there and chauncing to sée one of his old prince Alexander with the sight thereof was he that had won Macedonie and Greece shaken with suche feare that he could not in long time leaue trembling come againe vnto him selfe In the like agony wil many be with the sight of a toade other of a snake as the Gentleman of late yeares that durst not goe by a writhed hat bande of white and blacke that laye on the floore bycause he had thought it had bene an adder but many are more foolishe then Syr Thomas Moores ape whiche fell into an ague with séeing vppon a scuden a snayle putting out her hornes for they wil be in a colde sweate with the sight of many meates and diuers of a cat and some swoone with the sight of their bloud or beholding of other letten bloud It is common that many men otherwise of good courage and hardinesse dare not lie alone for feare of spirites no nor goe alone in darke places taking euery thing they sée heare or féele to be a diuell I haue shewed the more examples of mens confuse feare bycause that the great clearke Ludouicus Viues séemeth to doubt whether that Plinie hath charged man truly with it or not wherin I dare say Plinie hath not belyed him no nor yet in the nexte that no liuing thing hath more extreme rage The sixteenth Chapter Of the furious rage of man and specially of Walter Earle of Breme and Matthias king of Hungarie FOr the proofe hereof will I only alledge two exāples among sixe hundreth namely séeing that daily experience doth continually giue vs a great number that of them that moued with wrath and inflamed with yre doe in that raging fit many things which bring them assured destruction indeleble dishonestie and sorrowfull repentance Walter the Earle of Breme hauing to wife the eldest daughter of Tancredi late king of both Sicyles but then prisoner vnto the Emperour as next heire vnto his father in lawe his kingdome inuaded Naples with onely foure thousande souldiers and had what through fortunes rare fauour and his owne prowesse recouered almost the whole realme but at the last he was taken prisoner in a skyrmishe before Sarno by one Thebald an Almaine who within thrée dayes after he was taken offered to set him and also his father in lawe Tancredi at libertie and to restore him vnto his kingdome which he had lost so that he woulde confirme vnto him the townes which he then possessed in the kingdome Walter bewitched with rage considering nothing at all eyther the recouerie of the kingdome or his owne seruile captiuitie out of the which he might easily rid him selfe like a madde man answered him that he would neuer take at such a stinking scabs hand eyther that Thebald had offered him or things much greater The Almaine being iustly moued to be so currishly answered by his prisoner threatened that he would make him repent those vilanous wordes of his whiche as soone as Walter had hearde he fell immediately into such a rage that renting off the clothes and rolles with whome his woundes were bound he cryed out the fire flying out of his eyes that he woulde liue no longer séeing that he was come into suche a villaines handes as woulde deale with him by threates and therwithall like a Tygre tare his woundes bowels with his cruell hands neuer after wold either eate meate or suffer any thing to be applyed vnto his woundes so within a fewe dayes violently draue his furious soule out of his tormented body leauing his only daughter destitute of al friends to be a laughing stocke vnto the worlde who if she had gotten a modest father should haue bene Quéene of the flourishing kingdome of both Sicyles Neither could that bulworke of christendome Matthias king of Hungarie who valiantly euer ouercame the Turkes who neuer could be vanquished since ouercome his owne ire and he that had so often slaine in the fielde so many of his fierce forreigne foes was killed at home at his owne table by an inward enimie For he sitting very merrie at dinner vpon a Palme Sunday accōpanied with honourable Embassadours sent frō the French king called for figges but when it was tolde him that they were all eaten he became so angrie and raging that he incontinently fell into an apoplexie and neuer spake word afterward but roaring out like vnto a Lyon died the nexte day Was it not thinke ye nowe wisely fained of the Poets that Promotheus lacking clay to finishe his man was forced to make it vp with parts cutte off from other liuing thinges and among other did put the heart of a woode and madde Lion into mans brest And truely saide Cato that anger differeth not from madnesse but onely in this that it continueth not so long Wherfore wisely doth Plutarche wil men to loke in a glasse when they be angrie and to behold them selues well and then will they be afraide euer afterward to deforme themselues againe in suche sorte Yea when they shall beholde their fierie eyes theyr swolne vaines and arteries their terrible Lionlyke looke they will be no lesse afraide of themselues then was poore transformed Io in Ouid when she behelde her horrible hornes in the water But how hurtful it is vnto the body doe Physicians shewe who define it to be a setting on fire of the vitall spirites in the hart whereby it is of néere aliaunce vnto an ague But that which foloweth this perturbation be long pining consumptions which inféeble the bodie The seuenteenth Chapter Of the great troubles that religion and superstition do inflict into man of the vnutterable sorrowe for sinne of Dauid Marie Magdalene Fabiola king Edgar the gryping griefs of a guiltie conscience and the vaine imaginations of the Melancholike AS no man doth doubt but that these troubles do happē vnto man only so I think no man will denie but that all whiche haue reason doe féele the molestation of them We are willed by the Apostle to worke our saluation in trembling and feare the wiseman accounted that man happie which is always fearful so that according vnto saint Paules counsel good men are very carefull that they fall not when they be fallen are hartely heauie and sorrowfull therefore And as God doth excéed in tender loue towards vs the kindest parentes and in gentle gouernment the mildest Princes and as the pleasing of him doth bring vnto vs vnutterable ioyes and the displeasing of him vnspeakable paines so doubtlesse doth the hofulnesse of the godly for to please him passe all worldly studie and the torments that teares