slew the sonne and heire of the Emperour Emanuel shutting him in a sacke and so throwing him into the sea after which by violence he tooke possession of the Empire of Constantinople and like a strong theefe seazed vpon that which was none of his owne but assoone as hee had gotten his desire then began his lusts to rage and raue then hee fell to whoring and forcing women and maids to his lust whome after hee had once robbed of their chastities hee gaue ouer to his bauds and ruffians to abuse and that which is more than all this he rauished one of his owne sisters and committed incest with her moreouer to maintaine and vphold his tyranous estate hee slew most of the nobilitie and all else that bore any shew of honestie or credit with them and liued altogither by wrongs and extortions Wherefore his subiects prouoked with these multitudes of euils which raigned in him and not able to endure any longer his vile outrages and indignities rebelled against him and besieged him got him into their mercilesse hands and handled him on this fashion following first they degraded him and spoiled him of his imperiall ornaments then they pulled out one of his eyes and set him vpon an asse backeward with the taile in his hand in steed of a scepter and a rope about his necke instead of a crowne and in this order and attire they led him through all Constantinople the people shouting and reuiling him on all sides some throwing durt others spittle diuers dung and the women their pispots at his head after all which banketting dishes he was transported to the gallowes and there hanged to make an end of all Charles king of Nauarre Froyss vol. 3. chap. 100. whose mother Ieane was daughter to Lewes Lutton king of France was another that oppressed his subiects with cruelty and rough dealing for hee imposed vpon them grieuous taxes and tributes and when many of the chiefest of his common wealth came to make knowne vnto him the pouertie of his people and that they were not able to endure any more such heauy burdens he caused them all to be put to death for their boldnesse he was the kindler of many great mischiefes in France and of the fire wherewith diuers places of strength and castles of defence were burned to ashes he counselled the Countie of Foix his sonne to poison his father and not only so but gaue him also the poison with his owne hands wherewith to doe the deed Nich. Gilles Moreouer aboue all this leacherie and adultery swaied his powers euen in his old age for at threescore yeeres of age hee had a whore in a corner whose company he daily haunted and so much that she at length gaue him his deaths wound for returning from her company one day as his vse was entring into his chamber hee went to bed all quaking and halfe frosen with cold neither could hee by any meanes recouer his heat vntill by art they sought to supply nature and blew vpon him with brasen bellows aquauitae and hote blasts of aire but withall the fire vnregarded flew betwixt the sheets and inflamed the dry linnē togither with the aquauitae so suddenly that ere any helpe could be made his late quiuering bones were now halfe burned to death It is true that hee liued fifteene daies after this but in so great griefe and torment without sense of any helpe or asswagement by phisicke or surgerie that at the end thereof hee died miserably and so as during his life his affection euer burnt in lust and his mind was alwaies hot vpon mischiefe and couetousnes so his daies were finished with heat and cruell burning Lugtake king of Scots succeeding his father Galdus in the kingdome was so odious and mischieuous a tyrant that eueryman hated him no lesse for his vices Lanques than they loued his father for his vertues hee slew many rich and noble men for no other cause but to inrich his treasury with their goods he committed the gouernment of the realme to most vniust and couetous persons and with their company was most delighted hee shamed not to defloure his owne aunts sisters daughters and to scorne his wise and graue counsellours calling them old doting fooles all which monstrous villanies with a thousand more so incensed his nobles against him that they slew him after he had raigned three yeeres but as the Prouerb goeth seldome commeth a better another or worse tyrant succeeded in his kingdome namely Mogallus cousen germane to Lugtake a man notoriously infected with all manner of vices for albeit in the beginning of his raigne he gaue himselfe to follow the wisdome and manners of his vncle Galdus yet in his age his corrupt nature burst forth abundantly but chiefly in auarice lechery and cruelty this was hee that licensed theeues and robbers to take the goods of their neighbours without punishment and that first ordained the goods of condemned persons to be confiscate to the kings vse without respect either of wiues children or creditours for which crimes he was also slaine by his nobles Besides these there was another king of the Scots called Atherco in the yeere of our Lord 240 who shewed himselfe also in like manner a most vile and abominable wretch The same for hee so wallowed in all manner of vncleane and effeminate lusts that hee was not ashamed to go in the sight of the people playing vpon a flute reioycing more to be accounted a good fidlar than a good prince from which vices hee fell at last to the deflouring and rauishing of maids and women in so much as the daughters of his nobles could not bee safe from his insatiable and intollerable lust Wherefore beeing pursued by them when he saw no meanes to escape he desperately slew himselfe The great outrages which the Spaniards haue committed in the West Indies are apparant testimonies of their impiety iniustice crueltie insatiable couetousnesse and luxurie and the iudgements wherewith God hath hunted them vp and downe both by sea and land as late and fresh histories doe testifie are manifest witnesses of his heauy anger and displeasure against them amongst all which I will here insert none but that which is most notorious and worthy memory as the wretched accident of Pamphilus Nauares and his companie This man with sixe hundred Spaniards making for the coast of Florida to seeke the gold of the riuer of Palme trees Benzoni Mil. were so turmoiled with vehement winds and tempests that they could not keepe their vessels from dashing against the shore so that their ships did all split in sunder and they for the most part were drowned saue a few that escaped to land yet escaped not daunger for they ranne rouing vp and downe this sauage countrey so long till they fell into such extreame pouerty and famine that for want of vittails twelue of them deuoured one another of the whole sixe hundred that went forth there neuer yet
Hebrew tongue This man being asked many questions about their superstition and ceremonies answered verie fittely and beeing demaunded why they thirsted so after Christian mens blood he said it was a mystery onely knowen to the Rabbines and highest persons but that this was their custome he knew when any of them was ready to die a Rabbine annointed him with this blood vsing these or such like words If he that was promised in the law and prophets hath truly appeared and if this Iesus crucified be the very Messias then let the blood of this innocent man that died in his faith clense thee from thy sinnes and helpe thee to eternall life Nay Epiphanius affirmeth that the Iews of Tiberias did more confidently affirme it then thus for they vvould vvhisper into a dying mans eare Beleeue in Iesus of Nazareth whom our princes crucified for hee shall come to iudge thee in the latter day all which declareth how impious they are to goe against their owne conscience and vpon how fickle ground all their religion standeth CHAP. XV. Of those that in our age haue persecuted the Gospell in the person of the faithfull AS the religion of Christ hath beene hitherto cruelly crossed and besieged by the mightiest captaines of this world as hath been partly declared so it hath not beene any better entertained by the potentates of this age that ceased not to disturbe the quiet and pursue to death the liues of Gods children for their professions sake and to bring them vtterly to ruine to addresse all the engines and subtleties of their malicious and wicked counsels without leauing any one deuise vnthought of that their wit could imagine or their power affoord they ioined craft with force and vile treason with horrible cruelty therby to suppresse the truth quench that fair cleare light which God after long time of blindnesse and ignorance had caused of his infinit mercy to shine vpoÌ„ vs. Their fires were kindled euery where with the bones of Martyrs whilst for the space of fottie years or thereabouts they neuer ceased to burne those that were followers of that way Now when they saw that all their butcheries and burnings were not able to consume this holy seed but that the more they went about to choke it the more it grew vp and encreased they tooke another course and raised vp troubles and seditions in all quarters as if by that meanes they should attaine the end of their purpose Hell vomited vp all her furies of warre the whole earth was in a tumult young and old with tooth and naile were imployed to root out the Church of Christ but God stretching forth his arme against all their practises shewed himselfe not only a conquerour but also a most sharpe reuenger of all his aduersaries This is most apparant in that which happened to Thomas Arondell an English man History of Martyrs first booke Archbishop of Canterbury an enemie and persecutor of the truth of Christ who hauing put to death diuers holy and vpright men thinking that all he did was gaine was rooted out at last himselfe by a most straunge and horrible death for he that sought to stop the mouth of God in his ministers and to hinder the passage of his Gospel had his tongue so swollen that it stopped his owne mouth that before his death he could neither swallow nor speake and so through famine died in great despaire Foelix Eearle of Wartemberg one of the captains of the Emperour Charles the fift Illiricus being at supper at Ausbourg with many of his companions where threats were blowen out on euery side against the faithfull swore before them all that before he died he would ride vp to his spurres in the blood of the Lutherans But it happened in the same night that the hand of God so stroke him that he was strangled and choked with his owne blood and so he rode not but bathed himselfe not vp to the spurres but vp to the throat not in the blood of the Lutherans but in his owne blood before he died In the reigne of Francis de Valoys of late memory the first king of France of that name those men that shewed themselues frowardest sharpest and most cruell in burning and murdering the holy martyrs were also forwardest examples of the vengeance of God prepared for all such as they are For proofe whereof the miserable end of Iohn de Roma a monke of the order of the white Friers may serue who although in regard of his hood and habite ought not to be placed in the number of men of note yet by reason of the notable example of Gods vengeance vpon him wee may rightly place him in this ranke This man therefore at that time when the Christians of Cabrier and Merindol began to suffer persecution hauing obtained a commission from the bishop of Prouince and the ambassadour of Auignion to make inquisition after and seaze vpon the bodies of all them that were called Lutherans ceased not to afflict them with the cruellest torments he could deuise Among many of his tortures this was one to cause their bootes to be filled with boiling grease and then fastening them ouerthwart wise ouer a bench their legs hanging ouer a gentle fire to seeth them to death The French king aduertised of this his cruelty sent out his letters patents from the parliament of Prouince charging that the said â—ohn de Roma should be apprehended imprisoned and by processe of law condemned which newes when the caitiue heard hee fled backe as fast as hee could trot to Auignion there purposing to recreate and delight himselfe with the excrements of his oppression and robbery which hee had wroong out of the purses of poore people but see how contrary to his hope it fell out for first hee was robbed of his euill gotten goods by his owne seruants and presently vpon the same fell sicke of so horrible and strange a disease that no salue or medicine could bee found to asswage his paine and beside it was withall so lothsome that a man could not endure his companie for the stinke and corruption which issued from him For which cause the white Friers his cloisterers conueyed him out of their couent into the hospitall where increasing in vlcers and vermine and being become now odious not onely to others but to himselfe also he would often cry either to be deliuered from his noisomnesse or to be slaine being desirous but not able to perfourme the deed vpon him selfe And thus in horrible torments and fearfull despaire he most miserably died Now being dead there was none found that would giue sepulture to his rotten carkasse had not a monke of the same order dragged the carrion into a ditch which he prouided for the purpose The lord of Reuest who a while supplied the place of the chiefe president in the parliament of Prouince by whose meanes many of the faithfull were put to death after hee was put beside his office and returned
earnestly to desire to know the day wherein hee should die which also his schoolemaster the deuill reuealed vnto him but vnder such doubtfull tearmes that he dreamed in his foolish conceit of immortalitie and that he should neuer die It chanced on a time as he was singing masse at Rome in a Temple called Ierusalem which was the place assigned for him to die in and not Ierusalem in Palaestina as he made himselfe falsly beleeue he heard a great noise of deuils that came to fetch him away A note worthy the noting note that this was done in masse while whereat hee being terrified and tormented and seeing himselfe not able any waies to escape he desired his people to rend his body in pieces after his death and lay it vpon a charriot and let horses draw it whether they would which was accordingly perfourmed for as soone as hee was dead the pieces of his carkasse were carried out of the Church of Laterane by the wicked spirit who as he ruled him in life so he was the chiefe in his death and funerals By like means came Benedict the ninth to the Popedome for he was a detestable magitian Benno Balleus and in the ten yeres wherin he was Pope hauing committed infinite villanies and mischiefes was at last by his familiar friend the deuill strangled to death in a forrest whither he went to apply himselfe the more quieter to his coniurings Gregorio the sixt scholler to Siluester as great a coniurer â—s his master wrought much mischiefe in his time Bal. but was at last banished Rome and ended his life in misety in Germany Iohn the two and twentieth being of no better disposition then these we haue spoken of but following iudiciall astrologie fed himselfe with a vaine hope of long life whereof hee vanted himselfe among his familiars one day aboue the rest at Viterbum in a chamber which hee had lately builded saying that hee should liue a great while hee was assured of it presently the flore brake suddenly in pieces and hee was found seuen daies after crushed to pieces vnder the ruines thereof All this notwithhanding yet other Pope eased not to suffer themselues to be infected with this execrable poison as Hildebrand who was called Gregorie the seuenth and Alexander the sixt of which kind we shall see a whole legend in the next booke and 43 chapter do but marke these holy fathers how abominable they were to be in such sort giuen ouer to Satan Cornelius Agrippa a great student in this cursed Art and a man famous both by his owne workes and others report for his Necromancie Iouius in elogijâ— vtrorum illustrium went alwaies accompanied with an euill spirit in the similitude of a blacke dog but when his time of death drew neare and he was vrged to repentance he tooke off the enchaunted collar from the dogs necke and sent him away with these tearmes Get thee hence thou cursed beast which hast vtterly destroied mee neither was the dog euer after seene some say hee leapt into Araris and neuer came out againe Agrippa himselfe died at Lions in a base and beggerly Inne Zoreastres king of Bactria is notified to haue beene the inuentor of Astrologie and Magicke Theat hist but the deuill whose ministerie he vsed when he was too importunate with him burned him to death Charles the seuenth of Fraunce put Egidius de Raxa marshiall of his kingdome Fulgos lib. 9. cap. 1. to a cruell and filthie death because hee practised this arte and in the same had murdered an hundred and twenty teeming women and young infants he caused him to be hanged vpon a fâ—â—ke by a hote fire and rosted to death Bladud the sonne of Lud king of Britaine now called England in the yeere of the world 3100 hee that builded the citie Bath as our late histories witnesse and also made therin the hote bathes addicted himselfe so much to the deuilish arte of Necromancie that he wrought wonders thereby in so much that hee made himselfe wings and attempted to flie like Dedalus but the deuill as euer like a false knaue forsooke him in his iourney so that he fell downe and brake his necke In the yeere of our Lord 1578 one Sâ—mon Penbrooke dwelling in S. Georges parish in London being a figure setter and vehemently suspected to be a coniurer by the commaundement of the iudge appeared in the parish Church of S. Sauiour at a court holden there where whilst hee was busie in entertaining a proctour and leaned his head vpon a pew a good space the proctour began to lift vp his head to see what hee ailed and found him departing out of this life and straight waies hee fell downe rattling in the throat without speaking any one word this straunge iudgement happened before many witnesses who searching him found about him fiue deuilish bookes of coniuration and most abominable practises with a picture in tinne of a man hauing three dice in his hand with this writing Chance dice fortunately and much other trash so that euery one confessed it to be a iust iudgement against sorcerie and a great example to cause others to feare the iustice of God Now let euery one learne by these examples to feare God and to stand firme stedfast to his holy word without turning from it on any side so shall he be safe from such like miserable ends as these wicked varlets come vnto CHAP. XXXIIII Of those that through pride and vainglory stroue to vsurpe the honour due vnto God A Forgetfull and vnthankfull mind for the benefits which God bestoweth vpon vs is a braunch of the breach of this first commaundement as well as those which went before and this is when we ascribe not vnto God the glory of his benefits to giue him thanks for them but through a foolish pride extoll our selues higher then we ought presuming aboue measure and reason in our owne power desire to place our selues in a higher degree then is meet With this fond and foolish affection I know not how our first fathers were tickled and tainted from the beginning to thinke to empaire the glory of God Gen. 3. and they also were puffed vp with the blast of ambition that I know not with what fond foolish rash and proud conceit went about after the flood to build a city and tower of exceeding height by that meanes to win fame and reputation amongst men Gen. 11. In stead whereof they ought rather to haue praised God by remembring his gratious goodnesse in their miraculous deliuerance in their fathers persons from that generall deluge and shipwracke of the world but forasmuch as with a proud and high stomacke they lifted vp themselues against God to whome onely all glory appertaineth therefore God also set himselfe against them and against their ouer bold practises interrupting all their determined presumptuous purposes by such a confusion and alteration of tongues which he sent amongst them that one could not
images or pictures and such other outward and corruptible meanes which hee hath in no wise commanded wherefore Isaiah the Prophet reproouing the folly and vanity of idolatours saith Chap. 40.18 To whome will you liken God or what similitude will you set vp vnto him Therefore if it be not Gods will that vnder pretence and colour of his owne name any image or picture should be adored being a thing not only inconuenient but also absurd and vnseemely much lesse can he abide to haue them worshipped vnder the name and title of any creature whatsoeuer And for this cause gaue he the second commandement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. which prohibition the Israelielits brake in the desert when they set vp a golden calfe bowed themselues before it after the maner of the Painyms giuing it the honour which was only due to God whereby they incurred the indignation of Almightie God Exod. 32. who is strong and iealous of suffering any such slander to be done vnto his name wherefore hee caused three thousand of them to be stroken wounded to death by the hand of the Leuits at the commaundement of Moses to make his anger against idolatrie more manifest by causing them to be executioners of his reuenge who were ordained for the ministery of his Church and the seruice of the altar and tabernacle Howbeit for all this the same people not long after fell backe into the same sinne and bowed themselues before strange gods through the allurements of the daughters of Moab ioyned themselues to Belphegor Num. 25. for which cause the Lord being incensed stroke them with so grieuous a plague that there died of them in one day about twenty and foure thousand persons And albeit that after all this being brought by him into the land of promise hee had forbidden and threatned them for cleauing to the idols of the nations whose land they possessed yet were they so prone to idolatry that notwithstanding all this they fell to serue Baal and Astaroth wherefore the fire of Gods wrath was enflamed against them and hee gaue them ouer to be a spoile and prey vnto their enemies on euery side so that for many yeeres sometimes the Moabites oppressed them otherwhiles the Madianites and euer after the death of any of their Iudges and rulers which God raised vp for their deliuerance some grieuous punishment befell them for then being without law or gouernment euery man did that which seemed good in his owne eies and so turned aside from the right way Now albeit these examples may seeme to haue some affinity with Apostasie yet because the ignorance and rudenessâ— of the people was rather the cause of their falling away from God then any wilfull affection that raigned in them therefore wee place them in this rancke as well as they that haue beene alwaies brought vp and nuzled in Idolatrie 2. Chron. 22. One of this crew was Ochosias king of Iuda sonne of Ioram who hauing before him an euill president of his wicked father and a worse instruction and bringing vp of his mother Athaliah who togither with the house of Achab pricked him forward to euill ioyned himselfe to them and to their idols and for that cause was wrapped in the same punishment destruction with Ioram the king of Israel whome Iehu slew togither with the princes of Iuda and many of his neere kinsmen And to be short Idolatry hath bene the decay and ruine of the kingdome of Iuda as at all other times so especially vnder Ioachas sonne of Iosias 2. King 23. that raigned not aboue three moneths in Ierusalem before hee was taken and led captiue into Aegypt by the king thereof and there died from which time the whole land became tributary to the king of Aegypt And not long after it was vtterly destroied by the forces of Nabuchadnezzar king of Babel that came against Ierusalem and tooke it and caried king Ioaâ—him with his mother his princes his seruants and the treasures of the temple and his owne house into Babylon And finally 2. King 24.25 tooke Zedechias that fled away and before his eies caused his sonnes to be slaine which assoone as he had beheld commaunded him also to be pulled out and so binding him in chaines of iron carried him prisoner to Babylon putting all the princes of Iuda to the sword consuming with fire the temple with the kings pallace and all the goodly buildings of Ierusalem And thus the whole kingdome though by an especiall prerogatiue consecrated and ordained of God himselfe ceased to be a kingdome and came to such an end that it was neuer reestablished by God but begun and confirmed by the filthy idolatry of Ieroboams calues Vide lib. 1. c. 19. which as his successours maintained and fauoured more or lesse so were they exposed to more or lesse plagues and incumbrances Nadab Ieroboams sonne being nuzled and nurtured vp in Idoll worship after the example of his father 1 King 15.27 receiued a condigne punishment for his iniquitie for Baasa the sonne of Ahijah put both him and all the offspring of Ieroboamâ— house to the sword and raigned in his stead who also being no whit better then those whome he had slaine was punished in the person of Ela his sonne whome Zambri one of his seruants slew And this againe vsurping the crowne enioyed it but seuen daies at the end whereof seeing himselfe in daunger in the citie Tirza taken by Amri whome the people had chosen for their king went into the pallace of the kings house and burned himselfe As for Achab hee multiplied idolatry in Israel and committed more wickednesse then all his predecessours wherefore the wrath of God was stretched out against hiâ— and his for hee himselfe was wounded to death in battaile by the Sitians his sonne Ioram slaine by Iehu and threescore and ten of his children put to death in Samaria by their gouernours and chiefe of the city sending their heads in baskets to Iehu Aboue all a most notable and manifest example of Gods iudgement was seene in the death of Iezabel his wife that had beene his spurre and prouoker to all mischiefe when by her Eunuches and most trustie seruants at the commandement of Iehu shee was thrown downe out of a window and trampled vnder the horse seer and last of all deuoured of dogges Moreouer the greatest number of the kings of Israel that succeeded him were murdered one after another so that the kingdome fell to such a low decline that it became first tributary to the king of Assyria and afterward inuaded and subuerted by him and the inhabitants transported into his land whence they neuer returned but remained scattered here and there like vagabonds and all for their abominable idolatrie which ought to be a lesson to all people princes and kings that seeing God spared not these two realmes of Iuda and Israel but destroied and rooted them out from the earth
betoke him to flight and hid himselfe in an outway amongst thornes and bushes which with great paine hauing past through being weary of his life he threw himselfe downe into a pit foure foot deep and when he could get none of his men to lay their hands vpon him he desperately and miserably slew himselfe Vitellius for the murders and other outragious misdeedes which he committed Sueton. was taken in his shirt drawn through the streetes with a halter about his necke and his handes bound behind him and the point of a dagger vnder his chin the people casting durt and dung vpon him in detestation and calling him make-bate and seditious villaine with other opprobrious reproches and at last being massacred with many blowes was drawne with a hooke into Tiber like a carrion Domitian was a cruell enemy of the Christians Sueton. hee reiected his owne wife to take a new and being couertly reprooued by Heluidius for the same in a play of the diuorce of Paris and Enon which he presented vnto him he put him to death for his labor many worthie Senators and chiefe men and such as had borne the office of the Consull without iust cause giuen of reprehension were murdered by him he spared not his owne bloud and neerest allies no nor his own brother Titus but what with poyson and sword destroied them all to confusion But in the end when hee saw that the world hated him for his outragious cruelties he consulted with the Astrologians and coniurers what death did wait for him one of the which amongst the rest told him that he should be slaine and that very shortly wherewithall being sore troubled hee first caused him that had prognosticated this euill vnto him to be slaine then hee compassed himselfe with a strong guard and to the end to see them that should come neare he made his gallerie wals where hee walked of such a kind of glistering and shining stone that he might see in them all about him both behind and before when the day and houre which was forecalculated for his death was come one of the conspiratours came in with his left arme in a scarfe as if hee had beene sore hurt feigning that he would bewray the whole treason which he so much feared and being entred his chamber presented him with a long discourse in writing touching the matter and manner of the conspiracie and when in reading the same hee saw him most astonished then he tooke occasion to strike him suddenly into the belly with his dagger his owne seruants making vp the murder when they saw him go about to resist and thus by all his wisdome and prouidence he could not rid himselfe from being surprised nor hinder the execution of Gods iust fore-appointed iudgement And these were the ends of those wicked Emperours who in regard of their vile liues were rather monsters then men and not only they whome we haue named but many moe also as Antonius Caracalla Heliogabalus and other like may be worthily placed in this ranke Tigellinus one of the captaines of Neros guard a chiefe procurer and setter forward of his tyrannie was the cause of the death of many great personages in Rome and being enriched by their spoile and other such like robberies after the death of Nero whome in his extremity he forsooke plunged himselfe and wallowed in all manner of licencious and disordinate delights now though he was worthy of a thousand deaths for his cruelties towards many good citizens yet by the meanes of one Iunius the Emperour Galba his chiefe minion whose fauour he had by great summes of mony bought and obtained for he gaue vnto his daughter at one time fiue and twenty thousand crownes and to himselfe at another a carknet worth fifteene thousand crownes for a present hee was spared and kept in safetie but as soone as Otho was installed in the Empire his downfall and destruction began presently to follow for Otho to the end to gratifie the Romans sent to apprehend him who was then in his houses of pleasure in the field banketting and sporting with his harlots and vsing all manner of riot albeit by reason of a deadly disease which was vpon him he was euen at deaths dore When he saw himselfe thus taken and that no meanes of escape was left no not by the vessels which he had prepared at the sea shore for purpose if need were to conueigh him away that hee which had commission to take him would giue him no aduantage of escaping though he offered him great rewards for the same he entreated only leisure to shaue his beard before he went which being granted he tooke a rasour and in stead of shauing cut his owne throat CHAP. XLIII More Examples of the same argument HIeronymus a true tyrant of Cicile Tit. Livius inured and fashioned to all pride and of most corrupt and rotten manners began right after the death of his father Hiero that left him a peaceable and quiet kingdom to shew foorth his arrogancie for hee quickely made himselfe fearefull to his subiects both by his stately and proud manner of speech as also by the hardnes of accesse vnto him togither with a kind of disdainfull contempt of all men but most of all did the inward pride of his heart appeare when he had gotten a guard about his body for then hee ceased not to bait bite and deuoure and to exercise all kind of cruelty against euery man and all kind of riot and excesse of filthinesse against himselfe so that hee became so odious and contemptible to his subiects that they conspired against him to depriue him both of his life and kingdome which conspiracie though it came to light yet for all that wanted not his due effect for after hee had through listening to false reports put to death vniustly his truest and dearest friends and those that would indeed haue helped him in his necessitie both with good aduise other succour he was surprised as he walked in a narrow and straight way and there cruelly murdered Now there was one Andronodorus his brother in law that aspiring to the crowne had corrupted his manners and thrust him forward to all these misdemeanours to the end by those practises he might make him odious to his people that by that meanes he might obtaine his owne purpose as indeed he did for after his death hee seazed vpon the scepter though with no long enioyance for through the troubles and commotions which were raised in the countrey by his meanes both hee his wife and whole race togither with the whole progenie of Hieronymus whether innocent or guiltie were all vtterly rooted out and defaced Andronicus was one of the most wickedst men that liued on the earth in his time for hee excelled in all kind of euill in ambition boldnesse in doing mischiefe cruelty whoredom adultery and incest also to make vp the whole number besides he was so treacherous and disloiall that he traiterously
with many other strange cruelties This example belongeth also in regard of cruelty to the sixt commandement Lib. 2. cap. 11.17 Booke of the Iewish antiquitie chap. 8 as by killing the ordinary iudges of the house of Dauid and his owne wife and children this caitife was tormented with sundrie intollerable griefes and at last deuoured by an horrible and most fearfull death For as Iosephus reporteth his body was boiled and his bowels gnawne in two by a soft and slow fire fretting inwardly without any outward appearance of heat besides the rauenous insatiable desire of eating which so possessed him that without chewing his meat in whole lumpes descended into his bodie deuouring it so fast as it could bee throwne into his mouth and neuer ceasing to farse his greedie throat with continual sustenance moreouer his feet were so swolne and puft vp with such a flegme that a man might see through them his priuie parts so rotten and ful of vermine and his breath so stinking that few or none durst approch neere vnto him yea his owne seruants forsooke him Now lying in this wretched plight when this wicked man saw no remedie could bee found to assuage his griefe he went about to kill himselfe and being not able to performe it he was constrained to endure all the panges of a most horrible lingring and languishing death and at last mad and miserable bestraught of sence and reason to end his daies As for Herod the Tetrarch Luke 9 7. sirnamed Antipas who to please Herodias had caused Iohn Baptist to be beheaded when he had likewise prepared snares for our Sauiours feet and being sent to him by Pilate to quit himselfe and gratifie him withall had ieasted and mocked at him his belly full This example in regard of diuorce belongeth to the seueth commandement Lib. 2. cap. 29. Ioseph of the Iewish antiquitie booke 8. chap. 9. behold his reproches and mockes was he neuer so subtile turned into his own bosome For first after that his armie had beene discomfited by the souldiors of king Aretas whose daughter in regard of Herodias his brother Philips wife he had repudiated a further shame and dishonour befell him euen to be depriued of his roiall dignitie and not only to be brought into a low and base estate but also being robbed of his goods to be banished into a far countrie there to make an end of the rest of his life As touching Pilate the gouernour of Iudea hee did so excell in wickednesse and iniustice Euseb that notwithstanding the restraint of his owne conscience the law of ciuill equity and the aduertisement of his owne wife yet hee condemned Christ Iesus the iust and innocent to the death of the crosse albeit he could not but know the power of his miracles the renowne whereof was spread into all places But ere long hauing beene constrained to erect the image of the Emperour Caligula in the Temple of Ierusalem to be worshipped hee was sent for to make personall appearance at Rome to answere to certaine accusations of crueltie which were by the Iewes obiected against him And in his iourney being afflicted in conscience Euseb Eutrop. lib. 7. with the number and weight of his misdeeds like a desperate man to preuent the punishment which he feared willingly offered violence to his owne life and killed himselfe The first Emperour that tooke in hand to persecute the Christians was Nero the tyrant picking a quarrell against them for setting the city on fire Tertul. Nicephor 8. Commandement calumniation Lib. 2. cap. 44. which being himself guiltie of he charged them withall as desirous to find out any occasion to doe them hurt wherefore vnder pretence of the same crime discharinging his own guilt vpon their backs he exposed thē to the furie of the people that tormented them very sore as if they had ben commō burners destroiers of cities the deadliest enemies of mankind Tacit. Annal. Lib. 5. Herevpon the poor innocents were apprehended some of them clad with skins of wild beasts were torne in pieces by dogs others crucified or made bonefires of on such heaps that the flame arising frō their bodies serued in stead of torches for the night To cōclude such horrible cruelty was vsed towards thē that many of their verie enemies did pitty their miseries But at last this wretch the causer of all seeing himselfe in danger to be murthered by one appointed for that purpose a iust reward for his horrible vniust dealing hastened his death by killing himselfe Suet. Refer this also to the 24 chap. of this booke Suet. Eutrop. as it shal be shewed more at large in the 2. booke The authour of the second persecution against the Christians was Domitian who was so puft vp and swolne with pride that he would needs ascribe vnto himselfe the name of God Against this man rose vp his houshold seruants who by his wiues consent slew him with daggers in his priuy chamber his body was buried without honor his memory cursed to posterity his ensignes trophees thrown down defaced Traian who albeit in al things els in the gouernmēt of the Empire also shewed himselfe a good sage Prince yet did he dash bruise himself against this stone with the rest was reckoned the third persecutor of the church of Christ for which cause he vnderwent also the cruel vengeance of God felt his heauy hand vpō him for first he fel into a palsie Dion when he had lost the vse of his sences persuading himself that he was poysoned got a dropsie also and so died in great anguish Hadrian in the 9 year of his Empire caused ten thousand Christians to be crucified in Armenia at one time after that ceased not to stir vp a very whot persecution against thē in all places Mandat 7. Liq 2. cap. 12. Spart But God persecuted him that to his destructiō first with an issue of blood wherwith he was so weakened disquieted that oftētimes he would faine haue made away himself next with the consumption of the lunges lights which he spate out of his mouth continaully and thirdly with an insatiable dropsie so that seeing himself in this horrible tormēt he desired poisō to hastē his death or a knife to make quick riddance but when all those means were kept back he was inforced to indure still at last to die in great misery Whilst Marcus Antonius surnamed Verus swaied the Empire there were exceeding cruelties set abroach against the poore Christians euery where but especially at Lions and Vienna in Daulphine as Eusebius in his Ecclesiasticall historie recordeth Euseb Spart Wherfore he wanted not his punishment for he died of an apoplexie after he had lien speechlesse three daies After that Seuerus had proclaimed himselfe a profest enemie to Gods church his affaires began to decline and he found himselfe pestered vvith diuerse extremities and set vpon with
in his affaires whilest hee abstained from sheading the blood of Christians but assoone as hee gaue himselfe ouer vnto that villanie his prosperitie kingdome and life diminished and decreased at once for within two yeares hee and his sonne Vâ—lusianus in the war against Aemilian vvere both slain through the defection of his souldiors vvho in the point of necessitie forsooke him Beside the Lord in his time sent vpon the prouinces of Rome a generall and contagious pestilence which lasted vvhole tenne yeares without intermission to make satisfaction for the much innocent blood vvhich was spilled amongst them Phil. Melanct. chron lib. 4. Sebast franc chron Polon Arnolphus the fourescorth Emperour raged like a Tyger against all men but especially against those that professed the religion and name of Christ Iesus for which cause the Lord stirred vp a woman the wife of Guido to minister vnto him the dregs of his wrath in a poysoned cup by meanes whereof such a rottennesse possessed all his members that lice and wormes issuing out continually hee died most miserably in Oringe a city of Bauarie the twelfth yeare of his raigne Philip Melan. chron lib. 5. Baiaset the Turke to what a miserable and ludibrious end came hee to for his outragious hatred against all Christendome but especially against Constantinople which hee had brought to so low an eb that they could scarce haue resisted him any longer had not Tamerlane the Tartarian reuoked him from the siege and bidden him leaue to assaile others and looke vnto his owne Campofulus lib. 9. cap. 5. And indeed hee welcommed him so kindly that hee soone tooke him prisoner and binding him with chaines of gold caried him vp and downe in a cage for aspectacle vsing his backe for a footstoole to get vpon his horse by And thus God plaugeth one Tyrant by another and all for the comfort of his chosen Gensericus king of the Vandals Phil. Melan. chron lib. 3. exercised cruell tyrannie against the professors of the truth So did Honoricus the second also but both of them reaped their iust deserts for Gensericus died being possessed with a spirit And Honoricus being so rotten and putrified that one member dropped off after another Greg. Taron lib. 2. cap. 3. Some say that hee gnew off his owne flesh with his teeth Autharis the twelfth King of Lumbardie Paulus Diaconus lib. 3. cap. 18. de gestis Lâ—rgo bard forbad children to bee baptised or instructed in the Christian faith seeking by that meanes to abolish and plucke downe the kingdome of Christ but he raigned not long for ere sixe yeares vvere complet hee died with poison at Pauia And so hee that thought to vndermine Christ Iesus vvas vndermined himselfe most deseruedlie in the yeare of our Lord. 592. When Arcadius the Emperour through the persuasion of certaine enuious fellowes and his wife Endoxia Euagriur lib. 5. cap. 34. had banished Iohn Chrisostome bishop of Constantinople into Bosphorus the next night there arose such a terrible earthquake that the Empresse and the whole Cittie vvas sore affrighted therewith so that the next morrow messengers after messengers vvere sent vvithout ceasing till they had brought him backe againe out of exile Mandat 9. Calumniation lib. 2. cap. 44. and his accusers vvere all punished for their vvrongfull accusation Thus it pleased God to testifie the innocencie of his seruant euen by terrifying his enemies Smaragdus an exarch of Italie vvas transported by a Deuill for tyrannising ouer Christians in the first yeare of the Empire of Mauritius Paul Diacon lib 3. cap. 12. de gestis Longab Cent. 6. cap. 3. Anton. lib. 15. cap. 15. Mamucha a Sarasen being equall to Pharao in persecuting the church of God God made him equall to him also in the manner of his destruction for as he returned from the spoile of the monasterie of Cassime and Messana and the slaughter of many Christians the Lord caused the sea to swallow vp his whole armie euen an hundred ships Paul Diacon lib. 21. so that few or none escaped Another time euen in the yeare 719 they vvere miraculously consumed vvith famine sword pestilence water and captiuity and al for their infestious ranckor and tyranny towards Christians for whom the famine spared the sword deuoured vvhome both these touched not the pestilence eate vp and they that escaped all three yet perished in the vvaters and tenne ships that escaped the vvaters vvere taken by the Romans and the Syrians surely an egregious signe of Gods heauy wrath and displeasure To conclude there was neuer any that set themselues against the church of God but God set himself against them by some notable iudgement so that some vvere murthered by their subiects as Bluso king of the Vandals others by their enemies as Vdo Prince of Sclauonia some by their wiues Helmold cap. 24. Sclauon cap. 34. as Cruco another Sclauonian Prince others discomfited in war as Abbas the king of Hungaria some destroied by their owne horses Bonfinus as Lucius the Emperor who had first put his owne daughter because she was a Christian amongst the same horses And generally few persecutors escaped without some euident and markable destruction CHAP. XIIII Of the Iews that persecuted Christ BY how much the offence of the Iews was more hainous not onely in despising and reiecting the Lord of glory whom God had sent amongst them for their saluation but also in being so vvicked as to put him to death by so much the more hath God shed his fearfull indignation vpon them as at many other times so especially by that great calamitie and desolation which they abode at their last destruction begun by Vespasian and perfected by Titus which was so great and lamentable as the like was neuer heard of vntill this day for if the sacking and ouerthrow of Ierusalem then when Ieremie the Prophet made his booke of Lamentations ouer it was reputed more grieuous then the subuersion of Sodome which perished suddenly How much more then is this last destruction without all comparison by reason of those horrible strange miseries which were there both suddenly and in continuance of time committed Neither truly is there any history which containeth a description of so many miseries as this doth as it may appeare by Iosephus record of it For after that they had bene afflicted in diuers countries and tossed vp and downe by the deputies a long while there were slaine at Caesarea in one day twenty thousand at Alexandria another time fifty thousand at Zabulon and Ioppe eight thousand and foure hundred besides the burning of the two townes at Damascus ten thousand that had their throates cut As for Ierusalem when it had a long time endured the brunt of the warre both within and without it was pinched with so sore a famine Ioseph of the warres of the Iewes lib. 2. cap. 19 21 22 23. Lib. 6. cap. 16. Lib. 7. cap. 7.8 Lib. 6. c. 16. that
the dung of oxen serued some for meate others fedde vpon the leather of old shooes and buckles and diuers women were driuen to the extremitie to boile and eate their owne children Many thinking to saue their liues by flying to the enemy were taken and slit in pieces in hope to find gold and siluer in their guts in one night two thousand were thus piteously dealt withall and at last the whole city was by force taken and the holy Temple consumed by fire And this in generall was the miserable issue of that lamentable warre during which fourescore and seuenteene thousand Iewes were taken prisoners and eleuen hundred thousand slaine for within the city were inclosed from the beginning to the ending all those that were assembled togither from all quarters of the earth to keepe the Passeouer as their custome was As touching the prisoners some were carried to Rome in triumph others were here and there massacred at their conquerours wils somes lot it was to be torne in peeces and deuoured of wild beasts others were constrained to march in troopes against their fellows and kill one another as if they had beene enemies All which euils came vpon them for the despite and fury which they vsed towards the Sonne of God and our Sauiour and that was the cause why he foreseeing this desolation wept ouer Ierusalem and said That it should be besieged on euery side and rased to the ground and that not one stone should be left vpon another because it knew not the time of her visitation Likewise said he to the women that bewailed him as he was led to the crosse That they should not weepe for him but for themselues and their children because of the daies of sorrow which were to come wherein the barren and those that had no children the dugs that neuer suckled should be counted happy So horrible and pitifull was the destruction of this people that God would not suffer any of his owne children to be wrapped in their miseries nor to perish with this peruerse and vnbeleeuing nation for as Eusebius reporteth they were a little before the arriuall of these mischiefes aduertised from heauen by the especiall prouidence of God to forsake the city and retire into some farre countrey where none of these euils might come neere them This example belongeth also to the contempt of the word Lib. 1. cap. 34. The relikes of this wretched people that remained after this mighty tempest of Gods wrath were dispersed and scattered throughout all nations vnder heauen being subiect to them with whome they soiourned without king prince Iudge or magistrate to lead and guide them or to redresse their wrongs but were altogither at the discretion and commandement of the lords of those countries wherein they made their abode so that their condition and kind of life is at this day so vile and contemptible as experience sheweth that no nation in the world is halfe so miserable which is a manifest badge of Gods vengeance yet abiding vpon them And yet for all this these dispersed reliques ceased not to vomit out the fome of their malice against Christ it being so deepe rooted an euill and so inueterate that time nor reason could reuoke them from it And no maruell seeing that God vseth to punish the greatest sinnes with other sinnes as with the greatest punishment so they hauing shut their eies to the light when it shined among them are now giuen ouer to a reprobate and hardened sense otherwise it were not possible they should remaine so obstinate And albeit God be thanked wee haue many conuerts of them yet I dare say for the most part they remaine in malitious blindnes barking against despiting both our sauiour himselfe all that professe his name although their punishments haue bin still according to their deserts as by these examples following shall appeare The Iewes of Inmester a towne lying betwixt Calchis Antioch being vpon a time celebrating their accustomed plaies and feasts in the midst of their iollity as their vse is they contumeliously reuiled not onely Christians but euen Christ himselfe for they got a Christian child and hung him vpon a crosse and after many mocks taunts making themselues merry at him they whipt him to death What greater villany could there be then this or wherein could these deuils incarnate shew forth their malice more apparantly then thus not content once to haue crucified Christ the Sauiour of the world but by imitation to performe it againe and as it were to make known that if it were vndone they would do it So also handled they a boy called Simeon of two yeeres and an halfe old in the yeere of our Lord 1476 Iob Fincel lib. 3 another in Fretulium fiue yeres after that But aboue all they massacred a poore carpenters son in Hungary in hatred of Christ whom they falsly supposed to be a carpenters son for they cut in two all his veines suckt out his blood with quils And being apprehended and tortured they confessed that they had done the like at Thirna 4 yeeres before that they could not be without Christian blood for therwithall they anointed their priests But at all these times they suffered iust punishmēt for being still taken they were either hanged burned murdred or put to some other cruell death at the discretion of the magistrates Moreouer they would at diuers times buy the holy host of some popish priest and thrust it through with their kniues and vse it most despitefully this did one Eleazarus in the yere of our Lord 1492 the 22 of October but was burnt for his labour And eight and thirty at another time for the same villany by the Marquesse Ioachinus for the caitiues would suffer themselues to bee baptized for none other end but more securely to exercise their villanies Casp Hedius lib. 3. cap. 6. Another Iewe is recorded in the yeere of our Lord 147 to haue stollen the picture of Christ out of a Church and to haue thrust it through many times with his sword whereout when blood miraculously issued he amazed would haue burned it but being taken in the manner the Christians stoned him to death The truth of which story though I will not stand to auow yet I doubt not but it might be true considering that either the deuill might by his cunning so foster and confirme their superstition or rather that seeing Christ is the subiect of their religion as well as of ours though after a corrupt and sacrilegious forme and that the Iewe did not so much aime at their religion as at Christ the subiect of it the Lord might shew a miracle not to establish their errour but to confound the Iewes impiety especially in those young yeeres of the Church But that their impiety may be yet more discouered I will here set downe the confession of one of their owne nation a Iewe of Ratisbone conuerted to the faith one very skilfull in the
the prime of his yeeres with all his strength had assaied to do it And when a certaine Cardinall came to visit him in this extremity hee could not abide his sight his paines encreasing therby but cried out assoone as he perceiued him departed that it was the Cardinall that brought them all to damnation When hee had bene thus a long time tormented at last in extreme anguish and feare he died Sleidan lib. 9. Sir Thomas More L. Chancellour of England a sworne enemy to the Gospell and a profest persecutour by fire and sword of all the faithfull as if thereby hee would grow famous and get renowme caused to be erected a sumptuous sepulchre and thereby to eternize the memory of his profane cruelty to be engrauen the commendation of his worthy deeds amongst which the principall was that hee had persecuted with all his might the Lutherens that is the faithfull but it fell out contrary to his hope for being accused conuicted and condemned of high treason his head was taken from him and his body found no other sepulchre to lie in but the gibbet Cardinall Croscentius the Popes ambassadour to the Councill of Trent in the yeere of our Lord 1552 being very busie in writing to his master the Pope and hauing laboured all one night about his letters behold as he raised himselfe in his chaire to stirre vp his wit and memory ouerdulled with watching a huge blacke dogge with great flaming eies and long eares dangling to the ground appeared vnto him which comming into his chamber and making right towards him euen vnder the table where he sate vanished out of his sight wherat he amazed a while senslesse recouering him selfe called for a candle when he saw the dog could not be found he fell presently sicke with a strong conceit which neuer left him till his death euer crying that they would driue away the blacke dogge which seemed to clime vpon his bed and in that humour he died 27 booke of his histories Albertus Pighius a great enemy of the truth also in so much that Paulus Iouius calleth him the Lutheranes scourge beeing at Bologne at the coronation of the Emperour vpon a scaffold to behold the pompe and glory of the solemnization the scaffold bursting with the weight of the multitude hee tumbled headlong amongst the guard that stood below vpon the points of their halberds piercing his body cleane through the rest of his company escaping without any great hurt for though the number of them which fell with the scaffold was great yet very fewe found themselues hurt thereby saue only this honourable Pighius that found his deaths wound and lost his hearts blood as hath bene shewed Poncher 2. Booke of martyrs The burning chamber was a court in France which adiudged the Christians to be burned Archbishop of Tours pursuing the execution of the burning chamber was himselfe surprised with a fire from God which beginning at his heele could neuer be quenched till member after mēber being cut off he died miserably An Augustine frier named Lambert doctor and Prior in the city of Liege one of the troope of cruell inquisitours for religion whilst he was preaching one day with open mouth against the faithfull was cut short of a sudden in the midst of his sermon beeing bereaued of sense and speech in so much that he was faine to be carried out of the pulpit to his cloister in a chaire and a few daies after was found drowned in a ditch In the yeere of our Lord 1527 there was one George Hala a Saxon minister of the word and sacraments Luther and a stout professour of the reformed religion who being for that cause sent for to appeare before the Archbishop of Mentz at Aschaffenburge was handled on this fashion they tooke away his owne horse and set him vpon the Archbishops fooles horse and so sent him backe homewards conducted by one appointed for the purpose who not suffering him to ride the common and beaten way but leading him a new course thorough by and vncoth pathes brought him into an ambush of theeues placed there by the bishops appointment who set vpon him and murdred him at once but it is notoriously knowen that not one of that wicked rable came to a good end but were consumed one after another In a city of Scotland called Fanum Ianius the chiefe mart towne of that countrey foure of the chiefest citizens were accused by a monke before the Cardinall for interrupting him in a sermon and by him condemned to be hanged like heretiques when no other crime could be laid to their charge History of martyrs part 7. saue that they desired the monke to tie himselfe to his text and not to roue vp and downe as he did without any certen scope or application of matter Now as they went to execution their wiues fell downe at the Cardinals feete beseeching and intreating pardon for their husbands liues which he was so farre from graunting that hee accused them also of heresie and especially one of them whose name was Helene for hee caused her young infant to be pulled out of her armes and her to be put to death with her husband for speaking certaine words against the virgine Mary which by no testimonies could be prooued against her Which doome the godly woman taking cheerefully and desiring to hang by her husbands side they would not doe her that last fauour but drowned her in a riuer running by that it might truly be said that no jot of mercy or compassion remained in them But ere long the cruell Cardinall found as little sauour at another butchers hands that slue him in his chamber when hee dreamed of nothing lesse and in his Cardinals robes hanged him ouer the wall to the view of men And thus God reuenged the death of those innocents whose bloods neuer ceased crying for vengeance against their murder vntill he had justly punished him in the same kind and after the same fashion which he had dealt with them Theatrum historicum Thomas Blauer one of the priuie counsellours of the king of Scots was a sore persecutour of the faithfull in that land for which cause lying on his death bed he fell into despaire and said hee was damned Refer this also to hypocrisie Lib. 1. cap. 22. and a castaway and when the monkes came about him to comfort him hee cried out vpon them saying that their Masses and other trash would doe him no good for he neuer beleeued them but all that he did was for loue of lucre not of religion not respecting or beleeuing there was either a God or a deuil or a hel or a heauē and therefore he was damned there was no remedy And in this miserable case without any signe of repentance he died But let vs come to our homebred English stories and consider the iudgements of God vpon the persecutors of Christs Gospell in Queene Maries time And first to begin with Steuen
Gardiner who was one of the graund butchers in this land what a miserable end came hee vnto Euen the same day that B. Ridley and M. Latimer were burnt at Oxford hee hearing newes thereof reioiced greatly and being at dinner eate his meat merily Acts and Monuments pag. 1788. But ere hee had eaten many bits the sudden stroke of Gods terrible hand fell vpon him in such sort that immediatly he was taken from the boord and brought to his bed where hee continued fifteene daies in intollerable anguish by reason hee could not expell his vrine so that his body being miserably inflamed within who had enflamed so many godly martyrs was brought to a wretched end with his tongue all blacke and swollen hanging out of his mouth most horribly a spectacle worthy to be beholden of all such bloody burning persecutours Bonner Pag. 2114. bishop of London another archbutcher though hee liued long after this man and died also in his bed yet was it so prouided of God that as he had beene a persecutor of the light and a child of darkenesse so his carkasse was tumbled into the earth in obscure darkenesse at midnight contrary to the order of all other Christians and as he had beene a most cruell murderer so was hee buried among theeues and murderers a place by Gods iudgement rightly appointed for him 2099. Morgan bishop of S. Dauids sitting vpon the condemnation of the blessed martyr bishop Farrar whose roome he vniustly vsurped was not long after stricken by Gods hand after such a strange sort that his meat would not go downe but rise and picke vp againe sometime at his mouth sometime blowne out of his nose most horrible to behold and so continued to his death Where note moreouer that when maister Leyson being then sherife at bishop Farrars burning had fetcht away the cattell of the said bishop from his seruants house into his owne custodie diuers of them would neuer eat meat but lay bellowing and roaring and so died Bishop Thornton Suffragan of Douer another grand persecutor comming vpon a Saturday from the chapter house at Canterbury and there vpon the Sunday following looking vpon his men playing at bowles fell suddenly into a palsie and died shortly after But hee that will read more hereof I referre him to the latter end of the Acts and Monuments of the English Church where he shall find a whole catalogue of such like histories The ouerthrow of many mighty ones in our age serue for a looking glasse to represent the high exploits of the wonderfull iudgements which the king of kings hath sent vpon those that haue in any place or countrey whatsoeuer resisted and stroue against his truth whereof some after great victories which their singular dexteritie and worldly wisdome in the managing of their affaires haue atchieued by a peruerse and ouerthwart end contrary to their former prosperity haue darkened and obscured the renowme and glory of all their braue deeds their good report dying with their bodies and their credit empaired and buried with them in their graues Others in like manner hauing addressed all their forces laid their battery and placed all their peeces and canons against the wals of Sion and thinking to blow it vp and consume it to ashes haue made many breaches into the sides thereof yea they haue so bent all their strength against it and afflicted it with such outragious cruelty and vnmerciful effusion of blood that it is pitifull and lamentable to remember howbeit after all their pollicies and practises their courage hath bene at length abated and themselues raked one after another out of this world with manifest markes of the iust vengeance of God vpon them For though it may seeme for a time that God sleepeth and regardeth not the wrongs and oppressions of his seruants yet he neuer faileth to carry a watchfull eie vpon them and in his fittest time to reuenge himselfe vpon their enemies Along the verdant fields all richly dide With natures paintments and with Floraes pride Whose goodly bounds are liuely chrystall streames Begirt with bowres to keepe backe Phoebus beames Euen when the quenchlesse torch the worlds great eie Aduanc't his rayes orethwartly from the skie And by his power of heauenly influence Reuiu'de the seeds of springs decaied essence Then many flockes vnite in peace and loue Not seeking ought but naturall behoue Past quietly vncharg'd with other care Saue of their feed within that pasture faire These flockes a shepherd had of power and skill To fold and feed and saue them from all ill By whose aduise they liu'd whose wholsome voice They heard and feard with loue and did reioice Therein with melodie of song and praise And dance to magnifie his name alwaies He is their guide they are his flock and fold Nor will they be by any else controld Well knowing that whome he takes care to feed He will preserue and saue in time of need Thus liu'd this holy flocke at hearts content Till cruell beasts all set on rauishment Broke off their peace and ran vpon with rage Themselues their young and all their heritage Slitting their throats deuouring lambes and all And dissipating them that scapt their thrall Then did this iolly feast to fast transforme So askt the fury of that ragefull storme Their ioyfull song was turn'd to mournfull cries And all their gladnesse chang'd to welladaies Whereat heauen greeuing clad it selfe in black But earth in vprore triumpht at their wrack What profits then the sheepehooke of their guide Or that he lies vpon a beacons side With watchfull eie to circumscribe their traine And hath no more regard vnto their paine To saue them from such dangers imminent Say some as are so often incident T is not for that his arme wants strength to breake All proud attempts that men of might doe make Or that he will abandon vnto death His owne deare bought with exchange of his breath Nor must we thinke that though they die they perish Death dies in them and they in death reflorish And this liues losse a better life renews Which after death eternally ensues Though then their passions neuer seeme so great Yet neuer comfort wants to swage their heat Though strength of torments be extreame in durance Yet are they quencht by hopes and faiths assurance For thankfull hope if God be grounded in it Assures the heart and pacifies the spirit To them that loue and reuerence his name Prosperity betides and want of shame Thus can no tyrant pull them from the hands Of mightie God that for their safety stands Who euer sees and euer can defend Them whom he loues he loues vnto the end So that the more their furie ouer floweth The more ech one his owne destruction soweth And as they striue with God in policie So are they sooner brought to miserie Like as the sauage bore dislog'd from den And hotely chased by pursuit of men Runnes furiously on them that come him neare And gores himselfe
vpon the hunters speare The gentle puissant lamb their champion bold So helpes to conquer al that hurts his fold That quickly they and all their progenie Confounded is and brought to miserie This is of Iuda the couragious Lion The conquering captaine and the rock of Sion Whose fauour is as great to Iacobs line As is his fearfull frwone to Philistine CHAP. XVII Of Apostataes and Backsliders that through infirmitie and feare haue fallen away IT is a kind of Apostasie and Backsliding condemned by this first commandement of the law when as hee that hath beene once enlightned by the word of God in the knowledge of saluation and nourished instructed therin from his cradle doth afterward cast behind his backe the grace of Gods spirit or disallow thereof exempt himselfe from the seruice of God to serue idols or make any outward shew to doe it which kind of sinne may be committed after two sorts either through infirmitie and feare or willingly and with deliberation when not being pressed or constrained thereto by any outward meanes a man dooth clearely and of himselfe abandon and forsake the true Religion to march vnder the banner of â—â—than and Antichrist and this also of two sorts either when a man dooth simply forsake the profession of the truth to follow superstition and idolatrie without attempting any thing beside the meere deniall of his faith or when after his reuolt he professeth not onely the contrarie religion but also endeuoureth himselfe by all meanes possible to aduance it and to oppresse and lay siege to the doctrine of Gods truth in those that maintaine the same By this it appeareth that there are three kinds of apostasie one as it were enforced and compelled the second voluntarie the last both voluntary and malicious which though they be all very hainous and offensiue in the sight of God yet the second and third sort are most dangerous of them also one more hurtfull and pernicious then the other as wee shall perceiue by that which followeth Now as all these kinds are different one from another so I wil referre the examples of each sort to his seuerall place that the efficacy therof may be the better perceiued And first of those which haue fallen away through feare and infirmitie and afterward in order of the rest Although that they who by the conceit and feare of tortures presented before their eies or of speedy and cruell death threatned against them do decline and slide backe from the profession of the Gospell may pretend for excuse the weakenesse and feeblenes of the flesh yet doubtlesse they are found guiltie before the throne of God for presetting the loue of this transitorie and temporarie life before the zeale of his glorie and the honor which is due to his only begotten sonne especially at that time when they are called out of purpose by their Martyrdome to witnesse his sacred truth before man and he desireth most to bee glorified by their free and constant perseuerance therin to the which perseuerance they are exhorted by many faire promises of eternall life and happinesse and from the contrarie terrefied by threats of death and confusion and vpon paine to bee discarded froÌ„ the presence of Christ before God because they haue denied him here before men which is the miserie of al miseries the greatest that can happen to any man for what shall become of that man whome the sonne of God dooth not acknowledge Now to prooue that God is indeed highly offended at this fainthearted cowardlinesse hee himselfe hath made knowne vnto vs by the punishments vvhich diuerse times hee hath sent vpon the heades of such offenders As in the time of the Emperour Valerian the eighth persecutor of the church vnder whose persecution albeit that many champions bestirred themselues most valiantly in that combate of faith yet there wanted not some whose hearts failing them and who in steed of maintaining and standing for their cause to the death as they ought haue done retired and gaue vp theÌ„selues to the enemie at first assault Amongst the number of which doubtie souldiors there was one that went vp into the Capitall at Rome in that place where Iupiters temple in old time stood Ciprian in his sermons de lapsu multorum to abiure and recant Christ and his profession which he had no sooner done but he was presently strooke dumbe and so was iustly punished in that very member wherewith he had offended A woman likewise hauing renounced her profession Ciprian and feeling in her selfe no remorse of conscience for her fal went as she was wont to doe in the time of her rest and prosperitie to the bathes and whot houses to refresh her selfe as if al had gone well with her but shee was so seased vpon and possessed by an euill spirit that in stead of pleasure which shee sought for she fell to lamenting and tormenting her owne flesh and chopt in peeces with her dainty teeth her rebellious tongue wherewith she had spoken wicked wordes and dishonoured God and tasted meates offered to idols and so this poore wretch whereas she should haue washed her selfe in teares of true repentance and in the true bath of grace and mercie because she had more care of clensing her body from filth theÌ„ her soule from sin became corrupt and filthy both body and soule by the meanes of that vncleane spirit which God had giuen power to afflict her and armed her own mouth which had tasted chewed and swallowed that cursed food furiously to rise against her selfe to destroy her so that shee became her owne murtherer for she suruiued not long by reason that her bowels and entrails were choked vp to the throat with paine Ciprian Another woman well stricken in yeares that in like manner had reuolted from the truth thrust her selfe notwithstanding into the assembly of the faithfull as they were receiuing the holy sacrament but that holy food which nourished the soules of them that beleeue turned to her bane Contempt of word and sacrament lib. 1. cap. 34. for she found there in steed of peace a sword in steed of nourishment deadly and mortall poyson in such sort that immediatly after the receit of that holy supper she began to bee meruelously troubled and vexed in soule and felt the hand of God so heauie vpon her for her offence committed in denying her sauiour to shun persecution that trembling and stamping she fell downe dead Cyprian There was also in like manner a certaine man that hauing renounced his faith did notwithstanding present himself at the celebration of the holy supper presuming to come eat at his table whom hee had a little before denied and receiued into his hand part of the sacrament aswell as the rest but thinking to put it into his mouth it was turned into ashes wherevpon hee stood amased Contempt of sacraments Lib. 1. cap. 34. and confounded in himselfe God manifesting in him that hee that reuoked
put to death in diuers places as well for their monstrous damnable heresies as for many mischiefes and outrages which they committed By all which things God doth exhibite and set before our eies how deare precious in his sight the purenesse of his holy word the vnion of his Church is and how carefull zealous euery one of vs ought to be in maintaining and vpholding the same when as he reuengeth himselfe so sharply vpon all those that go about to peruert and corrupt the sincerity therof or which be breeders of new sects and diuisions among his people Olympus by office bishop of Carthage but by profession a fauourer and maintainer of the Arrian heresie being vpon a time in a bath washing himselfe Paul Diac. in Anastas hist Sabel lib. 5. c. 4. Blasphemie Lib. 1. cap. 31. Atheisme Lib. 1. cap. 25. hee vttered with an impious mouth blasphemous words against the holy Trinitie but a threefold thunderbolt came from aboue and stroke him dead in the same place teaching him by his paine and all other by experience what it is to blaspheme the Lord of heauen or with polluted lippes to mention his sacred maiestie this happened in the yeere of our Lord God 510. Cyrill hath recorded vnto vs of his owne knowledge a more wonderfull and admirable wonder of God vpon an heretique then all the rest and such an one indeed as the like I dare say was neuer heard of the history is this After the decease of S. Ierome there stood vp one Sabinianus a peruerse and blasphemous fellow that denied the distinctions of persons in the Trinitie and affirmed the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost to be but one indistinct person and to giue credit to his heresie he wrote a booke of such blasphemies tending to the confirmation of the same and fathered it vpon S. Ierome as being the authour of it But Siluanus the bishop of Nazaren mightily withstood and reproued him for deprauing so worthy a man now dead and offering his life for the truth made this bargaine with Sabinianus that if S. Ierome the next day did not by some miracle testifie the falsnesse of his cause hee would offer his throat to the hangman and abide death but if he did that then he should die This was agreed vpon by each party and the day following both of them accompanied with great expectation of the people resorted into the Temple of Ierusalem to decide the controuersie Now the day was past and no miracle appeared so that Siluanus was commaunded to yeeld his necke to that punishment which himselfe was authour of which as hee most willingly and confidently did behold an Image like to Saint Ierome in shew appeared and slaied the hangmans hand which was now ready to strike and vanishing forthwith another miracle succeeded Sabinianus head fell from his shoulders no man striking at it and his carkasse remained vpon the ground dead and senselesse Whereat the people amazed praising God claue vnto Siluanus and abiured Sabinianus heresie Wherein wee may obserue the wonderfull wisdome of God both in punishing his enemies and trying his children whether they will stand to his truth or no and learne therby neither rashly to measure and limit the purposes of God nor yet timerously to despaire of helpe in a good cause though we see no meanes nor likelihood thereof Grimeald king of Lumbardie was infected with the Arrian heresie for which cause the Lord punished him with vntimely death for hauing beene let blood the eleuenth day after as he stroue to draw a bow hee opened the vaine a new and so bled to death Cabades Casp hed lib. 3. cap. 10. 15. king of Persia when hee saw his sonne Phorsuasa addicted to the Maniches he assembled as many as he could of that sect into one place and there setting his souldiers on them slew them till there was not one left Photinus a Gallograecian for renuing the heresie of Hebion Platina sub Siricio 7. and affirming Christ to be but an excellent man borne naturally by Mary after the manner of other men excelling in iustice and morall vertues was by the Emperour Valentinianus iustly banished The Emperour Iustinian Niceph. lâ—b 27. cap. 31. fauouring the heresie of the Apthardocites when as he gaue out one edict whereby Anastasius the bishop and all other that maintained the truth should be banished Zen. com 3. suddenly he was stroken with an inward and inuisible plague which tooke away his life and forestalled his wicked cruell determination from comming to the desired effect In all which examples we may see how God doth not only punish heretikes themselues but also their fauourers and supporters yea the very places cities wherin they liued broched their blasphemies Paul Diaâ— lib. 5. as by the destructioÌ„ of Antioch is seene which being a very sink of heretiks was partly coÌ„sumed with fire from heauen aboue in the seuenth yeere of Iustinus the Emperour and partly ouerthrowen with earthquakes below wherein Euphrasius the bishop and many other were destroied Moreouer besides those there were vnder Pope Innocent the third certaine heretiques celled Albigonses or Albiani which being possessed with the same spirit of fury that the Maniches were affirmed that there were two Gods one good and another euill they denied the resurrection despised the sacraments and said that the soules of men after their separation passed either into hogs oxen serpents or men according to their merits Contempt of the word Lib. 1. cap. 34. they would not spare to pollute the temples appointed for the seruice of God with their excrements and other filthy actions and to defile the holy bibles with vrine in despite and contumely This heresie like an euill weed so grew and increased that the braunches therof spred ouer almost all Europe a thousand cities were polluted therewith so that it was high time to cut it short by violence the sword as it was for they were oppressed with so huge a slaughter that an hundred thousand of them were slaine partly by warre partly by fire at one time Gregory of Tours hath recorded the life and death of an hereticall monke of Bordeaux that by the helpe of Magicke wrought miracles and tooke vpon him the name and title of Christ saying hee could cure diseases and restore those that were past helpe by phisicke vnto their healths he went attired with garments made of goar 's haire and an hood professing an austerity of life abroad whereas he plaied the glutton at home but at length his cousenage was discouered he was banished the citie as a man vnfit for ciuill societie In the yeere of our Lord God 1204 in the Empire of Otto the fourth there was one Almaricus also that denied the presence of Christ in the sacrament Atheisme Lib. 1. cap. 25. and said that God spake as well in profane Ouid as holy Augustine he scoffed at the doctrine of the resurrection and esteemed
11. and there putting in practise his magicall artes and working miracles by the deuill was reputed a god and had an image erected in his honour with this inscription To Simon the holy God besides all the Samaritanes and diuers also of other nations accounted him no lesse as appeared by the reuerence and honour which they did vnto him in so much as they called his companion or rather his whore Helena for that was her profession in Tyre a citie of Phenicia The first moouer that distilled out of Simons bosome Now hee to foster this foolish and ridiculous opinion of theirs and to eternize his name boasted that hee would at a certaine time flie vp into heauen which as hee attempted to doe by the helpe of the deuill Peter the Apostle commaunded the vncleane spirit to cast him downe againe so that he fell vpon the earth and was bruised to death and prooued himselfe thereby to be no more then a mortall wicked and detestable wretch Moreouer elsewhere wee read of Alexander the great whose courage and magnanimitie was so exceeding great that he enterprised to go out of Greece and set vpon all Asia only with an army of two and thirty thousand footmen Oros lib. 3. fiue hundred horse and an hundred and fourescore ships and in this appointment passing the seas hee conquered in short space the greatest part of the world for which cause he was represented to the Prophet Daniel in a vision by the figure of a Leopard with wings on his backe to notifie the great diligence and speedy expedition which he vsed in compassing so many sudden and great victories with pride whereof hee was so soone infected that hee would brooke no equall nor companion in his Empire but as heauen had but one sonne so hee thought the earth ought to haue but one monarch which was himselfe Iust lib. 11. which mind of his he made knowen by his answere to king Darius demaunding peace and offering him the one halfe of his kingdome to be quiet when he refused to accord thereunto saying He scorned to be a partner in the halfe and hoped to be ful possessour of the whole After his first victory had of Darius his entrance into Aegypt which he tooke without blowes as also hee did Rhodes and Cicilia he practised and suborned the priests that ministred at the Oracle of Hammon to make him be pronounced and entituled by the Oracle The sonne of Iupiter which kind of iuggling and deceit was common at that time Hauing obtained this honour forthwith he caused himselfe to be worshipped as a god Iust lib. 12. Curt. lib. 8. according to the custom of the kings of Persia neither wanted hee flatterers about him that egged him forward soothed him vp in this proud humor albeit that many of the better sort endeauoured tooth and naile to turne him from it It happened as he warred in India he receiued so sore a wound that with paine thereof hee was constrained to say Though he was the renowmed sonne of Iupiter yet hee ceased not to feele the infirmities of a weak diseased body finally being returned to Babylon where many embassadors of diuerse farre countries as of Carthage and other cities in Affrica Spaine France Sicilie Sardinia and certaine Citties of Italy were arriued to congratulate his good successe for the great renown which by his worthy deeds he had gotten as he lay there taking his rest many daies and bathing himselfe in all kind of pleasure one day after a great feast that lasted a whole day and a night in a banket after supper being ready to returne home he was poysoned when before he had drunke his whole draught hee gaue a deepe sigh suddenly as if he had beene thrust through with a dart and was carried away in a sowne vexed with such horrible torment that had he not beene restrained he would haue killed himselfe And on this manner he that could not content himselfe with the condition of a man but would needs clymbe aboue the clouds to goe in equipage with God drunke vp his owne death leauing as sodainly all his worldly pompe as he had sodainly gotten it which vanished like smoke none of his children being any whit the better by it There was in Siracusa a city of Sicilia which is now called Saragosse a Phisition called Menecrates whose folly and presumption was so great that hee accounted himselfe a god and desired to bee so reputed by others insomuch that he required no other wages and recompence of the patients which hee tooke in hand as Aelianus witnesseth but that they should onely acknowledge him to bee Iupiter and call him so auow themselues to his seruice Vpon a time Denis the tyrant desirous to make some pastime with him made a feast and inuited him amongst others to be his guest but because he was a god to do him honor answerable to his name hee placed him a table all alone and set before him no dishes but onely a censer with frankincense which was a proper and conuenient seruice for the gods this honourable dutie pleased the Phisitian very wel at the first so that he snuffed vp the perfume most willinglie but when this poore god saw the other guests eating and drinking indeed and himselfe not being able to bee fed with smoke readie to starue with hunger rose vp and went away all enraged in himselfe and derided of others hauing more need to purge his owne braine from their superfluous humor then others from their sicknesses Caligula the first Emperour being become an ordinarie despiser and open mocker of all religion it came presentlie in his braine to beleeue so drunken was hee with a draught of his owne foolish conceit that there was no other God but himselfe therefore he caused men to worship him to kisse his hands or his feet in token of reuerence which honor afterwards the Popes tooke vnto them yea and was so besotted that he went about by certaine engines of art to counterfeit thunder and lightnings albeit in all this pride and arrogancie or rather folly there was none so timorous and fearefull as he or that would sooner vpon lighter occasion be dismaied One day as he was by mount Aetna in Cicilie hearing by chance the violent cracking of the flames which all that season ascended out of the top of the hill it stroke so soddaine and horrible a feare into him that he neuer ceased flying all night till hee came to Phar in Messina Euery little thunderclap put him in feare of death for hee would leape vp and downe like a mad man when hee heard it thunder finding himselfe not able by all his godhead to defend himselfe from the power thereof but if there chanced greater crackes then ordinarie then would not his whote bed hold him but needes must he run into the cold floure vnderneath the bed to hide himselfe Thus was hee compelled against his will to feare him whome willinglie hee would not
vnlawfull an alliance though it be pronounced taken by the name and in the temple of their idols yet notwithstanding it being done with an euill conscience and to an euill purpose hee that did it can be no lesse then a periurer But for this and other vices it came to passe that ere long hee was conquered by the Gaules who taking him in battell slew him and cut off his head and hauing fastened it vpon a launce caried it in signe of victory and triumph vp and downe the host A most notable example of the punishment of periurie falshood in Vladislaus king of Hungary and his army destroied by the Turkes is set downe in Bonfinus his Hungarian history after this manner It fell out that the king of Hungary had so well bestirred himselfe against the Turkes that Amurathes was glad vpon vnequall conditions and euen to his owne hurt and their good to conclude a peace with him wherein it was agreed that certaine prouinces should be restored to the Hungarians which otherwise could not haue beene recouered but by great losse of men this league beeing made and the articles thereof engrossed in both languages with a solemne oth taken on both parties for the confirmation of the same Behold the Cardinall of Florence Admirall of the nauie which lay vpon the sea Hellespont now called S. Georges arme It is so called by the French meÌ„ but more coÌ„monly The straights of Castill which deuideth Turkie from Greece sendeth letters to the king of Hungary to persuade him to disanull and repeale this new concorded peace this practise likewise did Cardinall Iulian the Popes legate in Hungary with might and maine helpe forward which two good pillars of the Church inspired with one and the same spirit wrought togither so effectually with the king that at their instance he falsified his oth broke the peace sent to Constantinople to denounce warre afresh and forthwith whilst their Embassadours were retiring their garrisons out of Mâ—sia to bring them into their hands againe and had sent fortie thousand crownes for the ransome of certaine great men which were prisoners and had restored the realme of Rascia al their captiues according to the tenor of the late league not knowing of this new breach in the meane while I say hee set forward his armie towards the Turkes iâ— all expedition Now the Turkes secure and misdoubting nothing were set vpon vnawares by the king yet putting themselues in defence there grew a long and sharpe battell till Amurathes perceiuing his side to decline and almost ouercome pulled out of his bosome the articles of the foresaid peace and lifting vp his eies to heauen vtrered these speeches O Iesus Christ these are the leagues that thy Christians haue made and confirmed by swearing by thy name and yet haue broken them again If thou beest a God as they say thou art reuenge this iniury which is offered both thee and me and punish those truce-breaking varlets Hee had scarse ended these speeches but the Christians battell and courage began to rebate Vdislaus himselfe was slaine by the Ianissaries his horse being first hurt his whole armie was discomfited and all his people put to the sword sauing a few that fled amongst whome was the right reuerend Embassadour of the Pope who assoone as hee had thrust in others ouer the eares withdrew himselfe forsooth far enough from blowes or danger Then followed a horrible butchery of people and a lamentable noise of poore soules ready to be slaughtered for they spared none but haled them miserably in pieces and executed a iust and rigorous iudgement of God for that vile treachery and periury which was committed CHAP. XXX More examples of the like subiect BVt let vs adde a fewe more examples of fresher memory as touching this vngodly periury and first not to ouerpasse king Philip of Macedonie who neuer made reckoning of keeping his othes but swore and vnswore them at his pleasure and for his commoditie doubtlesse it was one of the chiefest causes why hee and his whole progenie came quickely to destruction as testifieth Pausanias for hee himselfe beeing sixe and fourty yeeres old In Arcadâ—cis was slaine by one of his owne seruants after which Olympias his wife made away two of his sonnes Anideus and another which hee had by Cleopatra Attalus his neece whome shee sod to death in a cauldron his daughter Thessalonicaes children likewise all perished and lastly Alexander after all his great victories in the midst of his pompe was poisoned at Babylon De Consessoribus Gregory Tours maketh mention of a wicked varlet in France among the people called Auerni that forswearing himselfe in an vniust cause had his tongue so presently tied that hee could not speake but roare and so continued till by his earnest praiers and repentance the Lord restored to him the vse of that vnruly member Thete were in old time certaine people of Italy called Aequi whereof the memory remaineth onely at this day for they were vtterly destroied by Q. Cincinnatus Liu. lib. 3. these hauing solemnly made a league of friendship with the Romans and sworne vnto it with one consent afterward chose Gracchus Cluilius for their captaine and vnder his conduct spoiled the fields and territories of the Romans contrary to their former league and oth Whereupon the Romans sent Q. Fabius P. Voluminus A. Posthumius Embassadours to them to complaine of their wrongs and demand satisfaction but their captaine so little esteemed them that he bad them deliuer their message to an oake standing thereby whilst he intended other businesse Then one of the three turning himselfe towards the oake spake on this manner Thou hallowed oke and whatsoeuer els belongeth to the gods in this place heare and beare witnesse of this disloiall part and fauour our iust complaints that with the assistance of the gods wee may be reuenged on this iniurie This done they returned home and shortly after gathering a power of men set vpon and ouercame that truce-breaking nation In the yeere of Rome built 317 the Fidenates reuolted from the friendship and league of the Romanes to Toluminus the king of the Veyans and adding crueltie to treason killed foure of their Embassadours that came to know the cause of their defection which disloialty the Romans not brooking vndertooke war against them and notwithstanding all their priuat and forraine strength ouerthrew and slew them In this battell it is said that a Tribune of the souldiers seeing Toluminus brauely galloping vp and downe and encouraging his souldiers the Romans trembling at his approch said Is this the breaker of leagues violatour of the law of nations If there be any holines on earth my sword shall sacrifice him to the soules of our slaine Embassadours therewithall setting spurs to his horse he vnhorst him fastening him to the earth with his speare cut off his perfidious head whereat his army dismaid retired became a slaughter
of meat Fides fit apud Authorem snakes and of sauce serpents to the great terror of his conscience but that which is more one of the serpents leaped in his face and catching hold by his lip hung there till his dying day so that hee could neuer feed himselfe but hee must feed the serpent withall And this badge carried he about as a cognisance of an vnkind and vngratefull sonne Moreouer this is another iudgement of God that coÌ„monly as children deale with their parents so doe their children deale with them this in the law of proportion is most iust in the order of punishing most vsuall for the proofe wherof as experience daily teacheth so one example or two I wil subioine Theat histor It is reported how a certaine vnkind peruerse son beat his aged father vpon a time and drew him by the haire of his head to the threshold who when he was old was likewise beaten of his sonne and drawne also by the haire of the head not to the threshold but out of dores into the durt and how he should say he was rightly serued if he had left him at the threshold as he left his father and not dragged him into the streets which he did not to his thus did his owne mouth beare record of his impietie his own conscience condemn him before God and men Guiliel Lugdi Another old man being persuaded by his sonne that had married a young wife with faire and sugred promises of kindnesses and contentments to surrender his goods and lands vnto him yeelded to his request and found for a space all thinges to his desire Discipulus de temp but when his often coughing annoied his young and daintie wife hee first remooued his lodging from a faire high chamber to a base vnder roome and after shewed him many other vnkind and vnchildish parts and lastly when the old man asked for clothes hee bought foure elnes of clothes two whereof he bestowed vpon him and reserued the other two for himselfe Now his yoong sonne marking this niggardise of his father towards his grandfather hid the two elles of cloth and being asked why hee hid them whether by ingeniousnesse of wit or instinct of God he answered to the end to reserue them for his father against hee was old to be a couering for him Which answere touched his father so neere that euer after hee shewed himselfe more louing and obsequious to his father then hee did before Two great faults but soone and happily amended Would it might bee an example to all children if not to mitigate yet at least to learne them to feare how to deale roughly and crookedly with their parents seeing that God punisheth sinne with sinne and sinners in their owne kind and measureth the same measure to euerie man which they haue measured vnto others George Lanter de disciplina liberorum The like wee read of another that prouided a trough for his old decrepite vnmannerly father to eate his meat in who being demanded of his sonne also to what vse that trough should serue answered for his grandfather What quoth the child and must wee haue the like for you when you are old Which words so abashed him that hee threw it away forthwith At Millan there was an obstinate and vngodly sonne that wheÌ„ he was admonished by his mother of some fault which hee had committed made a wrie mouth Theat histor and pointed his fingers at her in scorne and derision Whereat his mother bâ—ing angrie Mandat 3. Cursing lib. 1. cap. 33. wished that he might make such a mouth vpon the gallows Neither was it a vaine wish for within few daies he was taken with a theft and condemned by law to be hanged and being vpon the ladder was perceiued to wryth his mouth in griefe after the same fashion which hee had done before to his mother in derision Henry the second of that name king of England sonne of Geffrey Plantagenet and Maud the Empresse Stow. chron after hee had raigned twentie yeares was content to admit his yoong sonne Henrie married to Margaret the French kings daughter into participation of his crowne but he like an vnnaturall sonne to requite his fathers loue sought to dispossesse him of the whole for by inciting the King of Fraunce and certaine other Nobles hee tooke armes and raised deadly warre against his owne naturall father betwixt whome diuerse strong battailes being foughten as well in England by the Deputies and friends of both parties as also in Normandie Poytou Guyan and Brittaine the victorie alwaies enclined to the father so that the rebellious sonne with his allies were constrained to bend to his fathers will and to desire peace which hee gently granted and forgaue his offence Howbeit the Lord for his disobedience did not so lightly pardon him but because his hasty mind could not tarrie for the crowne till his fathers death therefore the Lord cut him short of it altogether causing him to die sixe yeares before his father being yet but yoong and like to liue long Languet chron Lothair King of Soyssons in Fraunce committed the rule of the Prouince of Guyan to his eldest sonne Cramiris who when contrary to the mind of his father he oppressed the people with exactions and was reclaimed home hee like an vngratious and impious sonne fled to his vncle Childebert prouoked him to war vpon his owne father wherein he himselfe was by the iust vengeance of God taken burned with wife and children to death Leuit. 20. Furthermore it is not doubtles but to a very good end enacted in the law of God that he which curseth his father or mother shold dy the death that rebellious childreÌ„ such as be incorrigable should at the instance and pursute of their owne parents by order of law be stoned to death As children by all these examples ought not onely to learne to feare to displease and reuile their parents but also to fear and reuerence them least that by disobedience they kindle the fire of Gods wrath against theÌ„ so likewise on the other side parents are here aduertised to haue great care in bringing vp and instructing their children in the fear of God and obedience to his will least for want of instruction and correction on their part they themselues incurre a punishment of their carelesse negligence in the person of their children And this is prooued by experience of the men of Bethel 2. King 2. of whose children two and fortie were torne in peeces by beares for that they had beene so euill taught as to mocke the holy Prophet Elizeus in calling him bald pate 1. Sam. 2.4 Heli likewise the high Priest was culpable of this fault for hauing two wicked and peruerse sonnes whome no feare of God could restraine being discontent with that honourable portion of the sacrifices allotted them by God like famished and insatiable wretches fell to share
The fathers shal not be put to death for the children nor the children for the fathers but euerie man shall beare his owne sinne 2. King 15. Neither did Shallum that slue Zacharia king of Israel prosper any better for he raigned but one month in Samaria wheÌ„ Menahim the sonne of Gadi rebelled against him and slew him as he had done his maister Amon the sonne of Manasseh was slaine by his owne seruants but the Lord stirred vp the people of the land to reuenge his death to kill all them that had conspired against their king But to let passe the holy histories of the sacred scripture wherein euer after any treason the Holy-ghost presently setteth down the punishment of traitors as it were of purpose to signifie how the Lord hateth all such rebels that rose vp against his owne ordinance Let vs consider a little the consequents of these in prophane yet credible authors and applie them vnto our purpose Iâ—lian lib. 1. Archelaus King of Macedonia had a mignion called Cratenas whome he loued most entirely but he againe required him not with loue but with hatred and stretched all his wits to enstall himselfe in his kingdome by deposing and murthering him which though he accomplished yet his deserts were cut short by the vengeance of God for he continued not many daies in his roialtie but he was serued with the same sauce that he had made Archelaus before him to tast of euen betraied and murdered as he well deserued Ludouicus Sfortia to the end to inuest himselfe with the dukedome of Millain spared not to shed the innocent blood of his two nephewes the sonnes of Galeachus togither with their tutors and one Francis Calaber a worthy and excellent man But the Lord so disposed of his purposes that he in stead of obtaining the kingdome was taken prisoner by the king of France so that neither hee nor any of his offspring enioyed that which he so much affected When Numerianus was to succeed Carus his father in the Empire Phil. Melanct. chron lib. 3. Arrius Axer his father in law to the end to translate the Empire vnto himselfe entred a conspiracie and slew his sonne in law that nothing mistrusted his disloialty But the Pretorian army vnderstanding the matter discharged Arrius and elected Dioclesian in his roome who laying hold vpon his competitor laid an action of treason to his charge and put him to death in the sight of the multitude Theodericke and Fredericke conspired against their owne brother Thurismund king of the Visigothes Chron. Sigebert to the intent to succeed him in his kingdome And albeit that nature reclaimed them from the act yet they slew him without all compassion But after thirteene yeres raigne the same Theodericke was requited by his other brethren with the same measure that hee before met to his brother Thurismund And so though vengeance slept a while yet at length it wakened Aelias Antonius Gordianus the third Emperour of Rome Phil. Melanct. chron Aventin lib. 2. though so excellent a young prince that hee deserued to be called the Loue and Iewell of the world yet was hee slaine by one promoted by himselfe to high honour called Philip Arabs when hee was but two and twentie yeere old after whose decease this Philip got himselfe elected Emperour by the band confirmed by the Senat. Ingratitude punished All which notwithstanding after fiue yeeres Decius rebelled and his owne souldiers conspired against him so that both he at Verona and his sonne at Rome were slaine by them about one time Aâ—entin lib. 2. After the death of Constantine the Great his three sonnes deuiding the Empire betwixt them succeeded their father Constantine the eldest had for his share Spaine France the Alpes and England Constance the second held Italy Africa Graecia and Illiricum Constantine the younger was king and Emperour of the East But ambition suffered them not to enioy quietly these their possessions for when the eldest being more proud and seditious thâ—n the other not content with his alotted portion made warre vpon his brother Constance his prouinces and stroue to enter Italy hee was slaine in a battell by Aquileia when he was but fiue and twentie yeere old by which meanes all the prouinces which were his fell to Constance and therewithall such a drowsinesse and epicurisme for want of a stirrer vp after his brothers death that he fell into the gout and neglected the gouernment of the Empire Wherfore in Auspurge and in Rhetia they created a new Emperour one Magnentius whose life before-time Constance had saued from the souldiers Notable ingratitude punished and therefore his treachery was the greater This Magnentius depriued and slew Constance but was ouercome by Constantine the third brother in Illiricum yet in such sort that the conquerour could not greatly brag for he lost an infinite company of his men and yet missed of his chiefe purpose the taking of Magnentius for he escaped to Lyons and there massacring all that he mistrusted at last growing I suppose in suspition with his owne heart slue himselfe also And so his traiterous ingratefull and ambitious murder was reuenged with his own hands Ritius lib. 1. regib Hispan Victericus betraied Luyba king of Spaine and succeeded in his place seuen yeeres after another traitor slew him succeeded also in his place Mauritius the Emperour was murdered by Phocas togither with his wife fiue of his children he seating himselfe Emperor in his Rome Howbeit traitours and murderers can neuer come to happy ends for as hee had slaine Mauritius so Priscus Heraclianus and Phorius three of his chiefest captaines conspiring against him with three seuerall armies gaue him such an alarme at once at his owne dores that they soone quailed his courage and after much mangling of his body cut him shorter by the head and the kingdome at one blow In the time of Edward the second and Edward the third in England Lanquet one Sir Roger Mortimer committed many villanous outrages in shedding much blood and at last king Edward himselfe lying at Barkley castle to the end that he might as it was supposed enioy Isabell his wife with whom he had very suspitious familiarity After this hee vniustly accused Edmond Earle of Kent of treason and caused him to be put to death therefore and lastly he conspired against king Edward the third as it was suspected for which cause he was worthily and deseruedly beheaded Among this ranke of murderers of kings we may fitly place also Richard the third vsurper of the crowne of England Stow. and diuers others which he vsed as instruments to bring his detestable purpose to effect as namely Sir Iames Tirrell knight a man for natures gifts worthy to haue serued a much better prince then this Richard if he had well serued God and bene indued with as much truth honestie as he had strength wit also Miles Forest Iohn Dighton two villains fleshed
most traiterous and cruell part to massacre kill him in the Senat as he sate in his seat misdoubting no mishap as the sequele of their seuerall ends which were actors in this tragedy did declare Treason lib. 2. cap 3 4. Plutarch for the vengeance of God was so manifestly displaied vpon them that not one of the conspirators escaped but was pursued by sea and land so eagerly till there was not one left of that wicked crâ—e whome reuenge had not ouertaken Cassius being discomfited in the battell of Philippos supposing that Brutus had beene also in the same case vsed the same sword against himselfe a marueilous thing wherwith before he had smitten Caesar Brutus also a few daies after Eutrop. when a fearfull vision had appeared twice vnto him by night vnderstanding therby that his time of life was but short though he had the better of his enemies the day before yet threw himselfe desperately into the greatest danger of the battel for his speedier dispatch but hee was reserued to a more shamefull end for seeing his men slaine before him he retired hastily apart from view of men setting his sword to his breast threw himselfe vpon it piercing him through the body and so ended his life And thus was Caesars death reuenged by Octauius and Anthony who remained conquerours after all that bloodie crew was brought to naught betwixt whome also ere long burst out a most cruell deuision which grew vnto a furious and cruell battaile by sea wherein Anthony was ouercome and sent flying into Aegypt and there taught his owne hands to be his murderers And such was the end of his life who had beene an actor in that pernicious office of the Triumuirship and a causer of the deaths of many men And for asmuch as Cleopatra was the first motiue and setter on of Anthony to this warre it was good reason that shee should partake some of that punishment which they both deserued as she did for being surprised by her enemies to the intent she might not be carried in triumph to Rome she caused an aspe to bite her to death Marke here the pitifull Tragedies that following one another in the necke were so linckt together that drawing and holding ech other they drew with them a world of miseries to a most woful end a most transparent and cleare glasse wherein the visages of Gods heauy iudgements vpon all murderers are apparently deciphered CHAP. VIII Other examples like vnto the former AFter that the Empire of Rome declining after the death of Theodosius was almost at the last cast ready to yeeld vp the ghost Procopius and that Theodorick king of the Gothes had vsurped the dominion of Italy vnder the Emperour Zeno he put to death two great personages Senators chiefe citizens of Rome to wit Simmachus and Boetius onely for secret surmise which he had without probabilty that they two should weaue some slie web for his destruction After which cruell deed as he was one day at supper a fishes head of great bignesse being serued into the table purposing to bee verie merry sodainly the vengeance of God assailed amazed oppressed pursued him so freshly that without intermission or breathing it sent his body a sencelesse trunk into the graue in a most strange maruelous maner for he was conceited as himselfe reported that the fishes head was the head of Simmachus whom hee had but lately slaine which grinned vpon him seemed to face him with an ouerthwart threatning angrie eie wherewith hee was so scarred that forthwith hee rose from the table and was possessed with such an exceeding trembling icie chilnesse that ran through all his ioints that he was constrained to take his chamber go to bed where soone after with griefe fretting displeasure he died He committed also another most cruell and traiterous part vpon Odoacer whom inuiting to a banquet he deceitfully welcommed with a messe of swords in stead of other victuals to kill him withall that hee might sway the Empire alone both of the Gothes and Romans without check It was not without cause that Attila was called the scourge of God Iornand Greg. de Tours for with an army of 500 thousand meÌ„ he wasted and spoiled al fields cities villages that he passed by putting al to fire and sword without shewing mercie to any on this manner hee went spoiling through France and there at one time gaue battaile to the vnited forces of the Romans Vice-Gothes Frenchmen Sarmatians Burgundians Saxons and Almaignes after that he entred Italy tooke by way of force Aquilea sacked and destroied Millan with many other cities and in a word spoiled all the countrie in fine being returned beyond Almaigne hauing married a wife of excellent beautie though he was well wiued before hee died on his marriage night sodainly in his bed for hauing well caroused the day before hee fell into so dead asleepe that lying vpon his backe without respect the blood which was often wont to issue at his nosethrils finding those coÌ„duites stopped by his vpright lying descended into his throat stopped his wind And so that bloody tyrant that had shed the blood of so many people was himselfe by the effusion of his owne blood murdered and stifled to death Ithilbald king of Gothia at the instigation of his wife put to death very vnaduisedly one of the chiefe peeres of his realm after which murder as he sat banquetting one day with his princes enuironed with his guard other attendants hauing his hand in the dish and the meat betweene his fingers one sodainly reached him such a blow with a sword that it cut off his head so that it almost tumbled vpon the table to the great astonishment of all that were present Greg. of Tours lib. 3. histor Sigismund king of Burgundy suffered himselfe to bee caried away with such an extreame passion of choler prouoked by a false and malicious accusation of his second wife that hee caused one of his sonnes which hee had by his former wife to bee strangled in his bed because hee was induced to thinke that hee went about to make himselfe king which deed being blowne abroad Clodomire sonne to Clodoâ—ee and Clotild king of Fraunce and cousin German to Sigismund Refer this properly to lib. 2. cap. 11. came with an armie for to reuenge this cruell and vnnaturall part his mother setting forward and inciting him thereunto in regard of the iniurie which Sigismunds father had done to her father and mother one of whome hee slew and drowned the other As they were readie to ioine battaile Sigismunds souldiours forsooke him so that hee was taken and presently put to death and his sonnes which hee had by his second wife were taken also and carried captiue to Orleance there drowned in a well Thus was the execrable murder of Sigismund his wife punished in their owne children As for Cleodomire though hee went conquerour from this
battaile yet was hee encountred with another desastrous misfortune for as hee marched forward with his forces to fight with Sigismunds brother he was by him ouercome and slain and for a further disgrace his dismembred head fastened on the top of a pike carried about to the enterview of all men Hee left behind him three yoong sonnes whom his owne brethren and their vncles Clotaire and Childebert notwithstanding their yong tender yeares tooke from their grandmother Clotildes custodie that brought them vp as if they would enstall them into some part of their fathers kingdome but most wickedly and cruelly to the end to possesse their goods lands signiories bereft them al of their liues saue one that saued himselfe in a monestarie In this strange monstrous act Clotaire shewed himselfe more then barbarous when hee would not take pitty vpon the youngest of the two being but seuen yeare old who hearing his brother of the age of tenne yeares crying pittifully at his slaughter threw himselfe at his vncle Childeberts feet with teares desiring him to saue his life wherewith Childebert being greatly affected entreated his brother with weeping eies to haue pitty vpon him and spare the life of this poore infant but al his warnings and entreaties could not hinder the sauadge beast from performing this cruell murder vpon this poor child as he had done vpon the other The Emperour Phocas attained by this bloody means the emperiall dignity Nicephor lib. 18. cap. 58. euen by the slaughter of his Lord maister Mauricius whom as he fled in disguised attire for feare of a treason pretended against him hee being beforetime the leiutenant general of his army pursued so maliciously hotely that he ouertook him in his flight for his further griefe first put all his childrē seuerally to death before his face that euery one of thē might be a seuerall death vpon him before he died and then slew him also This murderer was hee that first exalted to so high a point the popish horn whē at the request of Boniface he ordained that the bishop of Rome shold haue preheminence authority oueral other bishops which he did to the end that the stain blame of his most execrable murder might be either quite blotted out or at least wincked at Vnder his regencie the forces of the Empire grew wonderously into decay France Spaine Almaigne and Lumbardy reuolted from the Empire and at last himselfe being pursued by his sonne in law Priscus with the Senators vvas taken and hauing his handes and feet cut off was togither with the whole race of his ofspring put to a most cruel death because of his cruell and tyrannous life Among all the strange examples of Gods iudgements that euer were declared in this world that one that befell a king of Poleland called Popiell for his murders is for the strangenesse thereof most worthy to bee had in memory hee raigned in the year of our Lord 1346 this man among other of his particular kinds of cursings and swearing whereof he was no niggard vsed ordinarily this oth If it bee not true would rats might deuour me Munst Cosmog Mandat 3. Cursing lib. 1. cap. 32. prophecying thereby his owne destruction for hee was deuoured euen by the same means which hee so often wished for as the sequele of his historie will declare The father of this Popiell feeling himselfe neare death resigned the gouernment of his kingdome to two of his brethren men exceedingly reuerenced of all men for the valor and vertue which appeared in them He being deceased and Popiell being growne vp to ripe and lawfull yeares when hee saw himselfe in full libertie without all bridle of gouernment to doe what he listed he began to giue the full swindge to his lawlesse and vnruly desires in such sort that within few daies he became so shamelesse that there was no kind of vice which appeared not in his behauior euen to the working of the death of his owne vncles for all their faithfull dealing towards him which hee by poyson brought to passe Which being done he caused himself forthwith to be crowned with garlands of flowers and to bee perfumed with pretious ointments and to the end the better to solemnize his entrie to the crowne commanded a sumptuous and pompous banket to be prepared wherevnto all the princes and lords of his kingdome were inuited Now as they were about to giue the onset vpon the delicate cheare behold an army of rats sallying out of the dead and putrified bodies of his vncles set vpon him his wife and children amid their dainties to gnaw them with their sharp teeth insomuch that his guard with all their weapons strength were not able to chase them away but being weary with resisting their daily mightie assaults gaue ouer the battaile wherfore counsell was giuen to make great coale fires round about them that the rats by that meanes might bee kept off not knowing that no pollicy or power of man was able to withstand the vnchangeable decree of God for for all their huge forces they ceased not to run through the midst of them and to assault with their teeth this cruell murderer Then they gaue him counsaile to put himselfe his wife children into a boat and thrust it into the middest of a lake thinking that by reason of the waters the rats would not approch vnto thē But alasse in vain for they swum through the waters amaine gnawing the boat made such chinckes into the sides thereof that the water began to run in which being perceiued of the boatmen amazed them sore and made them make post hast vnto the shore where he was no sooner arriued but a fresh muster of rats vniting their forces with the former encountred him so sore that they did him more scath then all the rest Wherevpon all his guard and others that were there present for his defence perceiuing it to be a iudgement of Gods vengeance vpon him abandoned and forsooke him at once who seeing himselfe destitute of succour and forsaken on all sides flew into a high tower in Chousuitze whether also they pursued him and climing euen vp to the highest roome where he was first eat vp his wife and children shee being guilty of his vncles death and lastly gnew and deuoured him to the very bones After the same sort was an Archbishop of Mentz called Hatto Munsteer Cosmographie punished in the year 940 vnder the raigne of the Emperour Otho the great for the extreame cruelty which he vsed towards certaine poore beggers whom in time of famine he assembled together into a great barne not to releeue their wants as he might ought but to rid their liues as he ought not but did for hee set on fire the barne wherein they were and consumed them all aliue comparing them to rats mise that deuoured good corne but serued to no other good vse Mandat 8. Auarice and vnmercifulnesse But God
betwixt whome was great strife for the soueraigne dominion but to rid himselfe of all his trouble at once hee slew his brother Manlius by treason and after continued his raigne in tyranny and all vnlawfull lusts the space of twentie yeares but although vengeance all this while wincked yet it slept not for at the end of this space as hee was hunting hee was deuoured of wild beasts In the yeare of our Lord God 745 one Sigebert was authorised king of the Saxons in Brittaine a cruell and tyrannous Prince towards his subiects and one that chaunged the ancient lawes and customes of his realme after his owne pleasure and because a certaine Nobleman somewhat sharpely aduertised him of his euill conditions he malitiously caused him to bee put to death but see how the Lord reuenged this murder hee caused his Nobles to depriue him of his kingly authority and at last as a desolate and forlorne person wandering alone in a wood to bee slaine of a swine-heard whose maister hee being king had wrongfully put to death In the yeare of our Lord 678 Childerich king of Fraunce caused a Nobleman of his Realme called Bolyde to bee bound to a stake and there beaten to death without the pretence of any iust crime or accusation against him for which cruelty his Lords and commons being grieuously offended conspired togither and slew him with his wife as they were in hunting In the raigne of Edward the second and Edward the third Sir Roger Mortimer committed many villanous outrages in sheading much humane blood but hee was also iustlie recompenced in the end first he murdered king Edward the second lying in Barkley castell to the end hee might as it was supposed enioy Isabell his wife with whome hee had very suspitious familiarity Secondly hee caused Edward the third to conclude a dishonourable peace with the Scots by restoring to them all their ancient writings charters and patents whereby the kings of Scotland had bound themselues to be feudaries to the kings of England Thirdly he accused Edmund Earle of Kent vncle to king Edward of treason and caused him vniustly to be put to death And lastly he conspired against the king to worke his destruction for which and diuerse other things that were laid to his charge he was worthely and iustly beheaded In the raigne of Henry the sixt Humfry the good duke of Gloucester faithfull protector of the king by the meanes of certaine malicious persons and especially the Marques of Suffolke as it was suspected was arrested cast into hold strangled to death in the Abbey of Bury for which cause the Marques was not only banished the land for the space of fiue yeares but also banished out of his life for euer for as he sailed towards France he was met withall by a ship of warre and there presently beheaded and the dead corps cast vp at Douer that England wherein hee had committed the crime might be a witnesse of his punishment As the murder of a gentleman in Kent called maister Arden of Feuersham was most execrable so the wonderfull discouerie thereof was exceeding rare this Arden being somewhat aged had to wife a young woman no lesse faire then dishonest who being in loue with one Mosby more then her husband did not onely abuse his bed but also conspired his death with this her companion for togither they hired a notorious ruffian one Blacke Will to strangle him to death with a towell as hee was playing a game at tables which though secretly done yet by her own guiltie conscience and some tokens of blood which appeared in the house was soon discouered and confessed Wherfore she her selfe was burnt at Canterbury Michael maister Ardens man was hanged in chaines at Feuersham Mosby and his sister were hanged in Smithfield Greene another partner in this bloody action was hanged in chaines in the high way against Feuersham And Blacke Will the ruffian after his first escape was apprehended and burnt on a scaffold at Flushing in Zealand And thus all the murderers had their deserued dewes in this life and what they endured in the life to come except they obtaine mercy by true repentance it is easie to iudge CHAP. XI Of Paricides or parent murderers IF all effusion of humane blood bee both horrible to behold and repugnant to nature then is the murdering of parents especially detestable when a man is so possessed with the deuill or transported with a hellish fury that he lifteth vp his hand against his owne naturall father or mother to put thē to death this is so monstrous and inormious an impiety that the greatest Barbarians euer haue had it in detestation wherefore it is also expressely commanded in the law of God that vvhosoeuer smiteth his father or mother in what sort soeuer though not to death Exod. 21. yet he shall die the death If the disobedience vnreuerence and contempt of children towards their parents are by the iust iudgement of God most rigorously punished as hath ben declared before in the first commandement of the second table how much more then when violence is offered aboue all when murder is cōmitted Diodor. Sic. Thus the Aegyptians punished this sin they put the cōmittants vpon a stack of thorns and burnt thē aliue hauing beaten their bodies before hand with sharp reeds made of purpose Solon being demanded why hee appointed no punishment in his lawes for Parricides answered that there was no necessity thinking that the wide world could not affoord so wicked a wretch It is said that Romulus for the same cause ordained no punishment in his Common-wealth for that crime but called euery murderer a Parricide the one being in his opinion a thing execrable and the other impossible And in truth there was not for 600 years space according to Plutarchs report found in Rome any one that had cōmitted this execrable fact The first Parricide that Rome saw was Lucius Ostius after the first Punick war although other writers affirme that M. Malliolus was the first and Lucius the second howsoeuer it was they both vnderwent the punishment of the law Pompeia which enacted that such offendors should be thrust into a sack of lether an ape a cock a viper a dog put in to accōpany them then to be thrown into the water to the end that these beasts being enraged animated one against another might wreke their teene vpon them so depriue thē of life after a strange fashion being debarred of the vse of aire water earth as vnworthy to participate the very elements with their deaths much lesse with their liues which kind of punishmēt was after practised and confirmed by the constitution of Constantine the great And albeit the regard of the punishmēt seemed terrible the offence it self much more monstrous yet since that time there haue ben many so peruerse exceedingly wicked as to throw themselues headlong into that desperat gulfe As Cleodorick son of Sigebert king of
Heraclius hauing raigned Emperour but one yeere was poisoned by his stepmother Martina Zonoras tom 3. to the end to install her owne sonne Heraclon in the crowne but for this cruell part becomming odious to the Senat they so much hated to haue her or her sonne raigne ouer them that in stead thereof they cut off her tongue and his nose and so banished them the city Fausta the wife of Constantine the Great fell in loue with Constantine her sonne in law begotten vpon a concubine Zonoras 3. Annal. Sex Aur. whom when she could not persuade vnto her lust shee accused vnto the Emperour as a sollicitour of her chastitie for which cause hee was condemned to die but after the truth was knowen Constantinus put her into a hote bath and suffered her not to come forth vntill the heat had choaked her reuenging vpon her head his sonnes death and her owne vnchastitie CHAP. XII Of Subiect Murderers SEing then they that take away their neighbours liues doe not escape vnpunished as by the former examples it appeareth it must needs folow that if they to whom the sword of iustice is committed by God to represse wrongs and chastise vices doe giue ouer themselues to cruelties and to kill and slay those whome they ought in duty to protect and defend must receiue a greater measure of punishment according to the measure and quality of their offence Such an one was Saul the first king of Israel who albeit he ought to haue bene sufficiently instructed out of the law of God in his duty in this behalfe yet was hee so cruell and bloody minded as contrary to all iustice to put to death Abimelech the high priest with fourescore and fiue other priests of the family of his father 1. Sam. 22. onely for receiuing Dauid into his house small or rather no offence And yet not satisfied herewith h◠vomited out his rage also against the whol city of the priests and put to the mercilesse sword both man woman and child without sparing any Hee slew many of the Gibeonites who though they were reliques of the Amorites that first inhabited that lād yet because they were receiued into league of amity by a solemne oth and permitted of long continuance to dwell amongst them should not haue bene awarded as enemies nor handled after so cruell a fashion Thus therefore he tyranizing and playing the butcher amongst his own subiects for which cause his house was called the house of slaughter practising many other foul enormities he was at the last ouercome of the Philistims sore wounded which when he saw fearing to fall aliue into his enemies hands and not finding any of his owne men that would lay their hands vpon him desperately slew himselfe The same day three of his sonnes and they that followed him of his owne houshold were all slaine The Philistims the next day finding his dead body despoiled among the carcasses beheaded it and caried the head in triumph to the temple of their god and hung vp the trunke in disgrace in one of their cities to be seene lookt vpon and pointed at And yet for all this was not the fire of Gods wrath quenched for in king Dauids time there arose a famine that lasted three yeeres the cause whereof was declared by God to be the murder which Saul committed vpon the Gibeonites 2. Sam. 21. wherefore Dauid deliuered Sauls seuen sonnes into the Gibeonites hands that were left who put them to the most shamefull death that is euen to hanging Amongst all the sinnes of king Achab and Iezabel which were many and great 1. King 21. the murder of Naboth standeth in the forefront for though hee had committed no such crime as might any way deserue death yet by the subtill and wicked deuise of Iezabel foolish and credulous consent of Achab and false accusation of the two suborned witnesses he was cruelly stoned to death but his innocent blood was punished first in Achab who not long after the warre which hee made with the king of Siria receiued so deadly a wound that hee died thereof the dogges licking vp his blood in the same place where Naboths blood was licked 2. King 9. according to the foretelling of Elias the Prophet And secondly of Iezabel whome her owne seruants at the commandement of Iehu whome God had made executour of his wrath threw headlong out of an high window vnto the ground so that the walls were died with her blood and the horses trampled her vnder their feet and dogs deuoured her flesh till of all her dainty body there remained nothing sauing only her scull feet and palme of her hands Ioram sonne of Iehosaphat king of Iudah being after his fathers death possessed of the crowne and scepter of Iudah 2. Chron. 21. by and by exalted himselfe in tyranny and put to death sixe of his owne brethren all younger than himselfe with many princes of the realme for which cause God stirred vp the Edomites to rebell the Philistims and Arabians to make war against him who forraged his countrey sacked and spoiled his cities and tooke prisoners his wiues and children the yongest only excepted who afterwards also was murdered when he had raigned king but a small space And lastly as in doing to death his owne brethren hee committed crueltie against his owne bowels so the Lord stroke him with such an incurable disease in his bowels and so perpetuall for it continued two yeeres that his very entrails issued out with torment and so died in horrible misery Albeit that in the former booke we haue already touched the pride and arrogancie of king Alexander the Great yet wee can not pretermit to speake of him in this place his example seruing so fit for the present subiect for although as touching the rest of his life hee was verie well gouerned in his priuat actions as a monarch of his reputation might be yet in his declining age I meane not in yeeres but to deathward he grew exceeding cruell not only towards strangers as the Cosseis whome he destroied to the sucking babe but also to his houshold and familiar friends Insomuch that being become odious to most fewest loued hi◠and diuers wrought all meanes possible to make him away but one especially whose sonne in law and other neare friends he had put to death neuer ceased vntill he both ministred a deadly draught vnto himselfe Iustine whereby he depriued him of his wicked life and a fatall stroke to his wiues and children after his death to the accomplishment of his full reuenge Phalaris the tyrant of Agrigentum made himselfe famous to posterity by no other meanes Oros then horrible cruelties exercised vpon his owne subiects inuenting euery day new kinds of tortures to scourge and afflict the poore soules withall In his dominion there was one Perillus an artificer of his craft one expert in his occupation who to flatter and curry fauour with him deuised a new torment
same cup which his predecessors did he was taken in his own snare for Darius vnderstanding his pretence made him drinke vp his owne poyson which he prouided for him and thus murder was reuenged with murder and poyson with poyson Exod. 22.24 according to the decree of the almighty who sayth Eie for eie tooth for tooth c. In the yeare of the world 3659 Morindus a most cruell and bloodie minded Prince raigned here in England who for his cruelties sake came to an vnhappie and bloodie end Stow. for out of the Irish seas came foorth a monster which destroied much people whereof he hearing would of his valiant courage needs fight with it and was deuoured of it so that it may truly here bee said that one monster deuoured another There was as Elianus Elianus reporteth a cruell and pernicious Tyrant who to the end to preuent all practises of conspiracie and treason as Tyrants are euer naturally and vpoâ— desert timorous that might bee deuised against him enacted this law among his subiects that no man should conferre with another either priuately or publickely vpon paine of death and so indeed hee abrogated all ciuill societie for speech as it was the beginning and birth of fellowship so it is the very ioint and glew therof but what cared he for society that respected nothing but his owne safety hee was so far from regarding the common good that when his subiects not daring to speake signified their minds by signes hee prohibited that also and that which is yet more when not daring to speake nor yet make signes they fell to weeping lamenting their misery he came with a band of men euen to restrain their teares too but the multitudes rage being iustly incensed they gaue him such a desperate welcome that neither he nor his fellowes returned one of them aliue And thus his abhominable cruelty came to an end together with his life and that by those meanes which is to be obserued by which hee thought to preserue and maintaine them both Childericus who in the yeare 697 succeeded in the kingdome of Fraunce Theodoricke that for his negligence and sluggish gouernment was deposed and made of a king a Frier exercised barbarous and inhumane cruelty vpon his subiects Michael Rit l b. 1. de regibus Franc. Lib. 2. cap. 46. For hee spared neither noble nor ignoble but mixtly sent them to their graues without respect of cause or iustice One of the noble sort hee caused to bee fastened to a stake and beaten with clubs not to death but to chastisement which monstrous cruelty so incensed the peoples mind against him that there wanted no handes to take part with this clubbeaten man against the tyrant his enemie Wherfore they laid wait for him as hee came one day from hunting and murdered him togither with his wife great with child no man either willing or daring to defend him Tymocrates the king or rather tyrant of the Cyrenians wil giue place to none in this commendation of cruelty for hee â—fflicted his subiects with many and monstrous calamities â—nsomuch that hee spared not the priests of his gods which commonly were in reuerent regard among the Heathen as the bloody death of Menalippus Apolloes Priest did witnesse whome to the end to marry his faire and beautiful wife Aretaphila hee cruelly put to death howbeit it prospered not with him as he desired for the good woman not contented with this sacrilegious contract sought rather meanes to reuenge her first husbands death than to please this new lechers humour Wherefore she assaied by poyson to effect hir wish and when that preuailed not she gaue a young daughter shee had to Leander the tyrants brother to wife who loued her exceedingly but with this condition that hee should by some practise or other worke the death and destruction of his brother Which indeed hee performed for hee so bribed one of the groomes of the tyrants chamber that by his helpe he soone rid wicked Tymocrates out of the way by a speedy deserued death But to abridge these long discourses let vs looke into all times and ages and to the hystories of all countries and nations and we shall find that tyrants haue euer coâ—â— to one destruction or other Diomedes the Thracian king fed his horses with mans flesh as with prouender Plut. in Dion but was made at last prouender for his owne horses himselfe by Hercules Calippus the Athenian that slew Dian his familiar friend and deposed Dionisius the Tyrant and committed many other murders among the people was first banished Rheginum and then liuing in extreame necessity Philip. Melanct. lib. 3. Valemar slaine by Leptines and Polyserchon Clephes the second king of the Lumbardies for his sauadge cruelty towards his subiects was slaughtered by one of his friends Damasippus that massacred so many citizens of Rome was cut off by Silla Ecelinus that plaied the tyrant at Taurisium gelding boies deflouring maides maiming Matrones of their dugs cutting children out of their mothers bellies and killing 1200 Patauians at once that were his friendes Sabel lib. 8. c. 3. was cut short in a battaile In a word if wee read and consult hystories of all countries and times wee shall find seldome or neuer any notorious Tyrant and oppressor of his subiects that came to any good end but euer some notable iudgement or other fell vpon them CHAP. XXIII Of those that are both cruell and disloiall NOw if it bee a thing so vnworthy and euill beseeming a Prince as nothing more to bee stained with the note of cruelty how much more dishonourall is it when with crueltie disloialtie and falshood is coupled and when hee is not ashamed not onely to play the Tyrant but also the traitor dissembler and Hypocrite to the end hee may more freely poure out the fome of his rage against those that put confidence in him This is one of the foulest and vilest blots that can bee wherewith the honour and reputation of a man is not onely stained but blasted and blotted out not euer to bee recouered for what persuasion can one haue of such Or who is so fond as to put affiance in them 2. Sam. 18. This was one of the notorious vices of king Saul when maligning the prosperity of Dauid hee cunningly promoted him to bee generall of his army and married him to one of his daughters to this end that by exposing him to the hazards and perrils of warre hee might bring him to speedy destruction seeking besides other vnlawfull meanes to put him to death by but what was the end of this vniust murderer wee haue declared in the former chapter But aboue all that by Treason and deceit made way vnto their cruelty Herodian the Emperour Antonius surnamed Caracalla was the chiefe who to reuenge himselfe more at full vpon the Citizens of Alexandria in Aegypt faigne as if hee would come see their city built by Alexander and receiue an
sonne Ochosias that died without issue shee put to death all the blood roiall to wit the posterity of Nathan Salomons brother to whome by right of succession the inheritance of the crowne appertained to the end that shee might install her selfe into the kingly diademe after this cruell butchery of all the roiall male children except Ioas who by Gods prouidence was preserued aliue shee vsurped the crowne and scepter of Iuda full seuen yeeres at the end of which date Ioas was exalted to the crowne and she not onely deposed but slaine by the hands of her guard that attended vpon her Brunchild whome histories call Brunhault a Queene of France by marriage Aimon Nic. Gil. vol. 1. but a Spaniard by birth was a woman that bred much mischiefe in her age and that wrought many horrible and death-deseruing crimes for partly with her subtill deuises and partly with her owne hands shee murdered ten kings of France one after another shee caused her husband to slay his owne brother she procured the death of her nephew Meroueus whome against all equity and honestie she had secondly espoused for her husband for he being hated of his father for that vile incest and perceiuing himselfe in danger of taking made one of his owne seruants thrust him through After shee had committed these and many other foule factes shee went about also to defraud Clotairius the sonne of Chilpericke of the right of the crowne which pertained vnto him and to thrust in another in the roome Whereupon arose great warre in the which as shee dealt more boldly and manfully then the condition of her sexe would beare so she receiued the due wages of her braue and vertuous deeds for shee was taken prisoner with three of het nephewes whose throats she saw cut before her face and after her selfe was set vpon a camell and led through the host three daies togither euery man reuiling mocking reproching and despiting her and at last by the award and iudgement of the princes and captaines of the army shee was adiudged to be tyed by the haire of her head one arme one foot to the taile of a wild and vntamed horse and so to bee left to his mercy to be drawen miserably to her destruction which was no sooner executed but her miserable carkasse the instrument of so many mischiefes was with mens feet spurned bruised trampled and wounded after a most strange fashion and this was the wofull end of miserable Brunchild Let euery one both great and small learne by these examples to containe themselues within the limits of humanitie and not to bee so readie and prompt to the shedding of humane blood knowing nothing to be more true than this That he that smiteth with the sword shall perish with the sword CHAP. XV. Of such as without necessitie or conference vpon euery light cause mooue warre AS in surgerie so in a commonwealth we must account warre as a last refuge and as it were a desperate medicine which without very vrgent necessity when all other meanes of maintaining our estate against the assaults of the enemy faile ought not to be taken in hand and indeed the chiefe scope and marke that all those that lawfully vndertake warre Cic. Off. lib. 1. ought to propound to themselues should be nothing els but the good and quiet of the commonwealth with the peace and repose of euery member thereof And therefore so oft as any reasonable offers and conditions of peace are propounded they ought to be accepted to the end to auoid the masse of euils as ruines bloodsheds robberies which alwaies accompany warre as necessary attendants for whosoeuer doth not so but vpon euery light occasion runneth to armes and to trie the hazard of battaile they manifest their owne foolish and pernicious rashnes and their small conscience in shedding humane blood Amongst the good kings of Iuda Iosias for piety zeale in the seruice of God was most renowmed for hee purged the realme from all drosse of idolatry repaired the decaied temple and restored it to the first glory and yet for all this for committing this one crime he lost his life for as Nechao king of Aegypt was passing with an army towards the king of Babylon in Charcamis beside Euphrates to bid him battaile he would needs encounter him by the way 2. Chron. 35. and interrupt his iourney by vnprouoked warre yea though Nechao had by embassage assured him not to meddle with him but intreated onely free passage at his hand yet would not Iosias in any wise listen so opinionatiue and selfe willed was he but gaue him battaile in the field without any iust cause saue his owne pleasure which turned to his paine for he caught so many wounds at that skirmish that shortly after he died of them to â—he great griefe of the whole people and the Prophet Iereâ—â—e also that lamented his death King Iohn of France for refusing reasonable conditions of peace at the English mens hands was ouerthrowen by them two miles from Poytiers with a great ouerthrow Froiss vol. 1. Nic. Gil. vol. 2. for the Englishmen in regard of their owne small number and the huge multitude of the French to encounter with them timorously offered vp a surrender of all that they had either conquered taken or spoiled since their comming from Bordeaux and so to be sworne not to beare armes against him for seuen yeeres so that they might quietly depart But the king that crowed before the conquest affying too much in the multitude of his forces stopt his eares to all conditions not willing to heare of any thing but war war euen thinking to hew them in pieces without one escaping but it fell out otherwise for the Englishmen intrenching themselues in a place of aduantage and hard of accesse inclosed with thicke hedges and brambles disturbed and ouerthrew with their archers at the first onset the French horsemen and wounded most of their men and horses with multitude of arrowes it tarried not long ere the footmen also were put to flight on the other side the whole army of threescore thousand men by bare eight thousand English discomfited diuers great lords were found slaine in the field and diuers others with the king himselfe carried prisoners into England which was a great shake to the whole Realme and the occasion of many tumults and disorders that ensued afterwards Moreouer as it is a rash part to hazard the doubtfull euent of battaile indiscretely and without cause so it is a point of no lesse folly to thrust ones selfe voluntarily into any action of war without charge not being particularly called and bound thereunto or hauing a body vnsufficient and vnfit for the same And this was also one of the warlike points of discipline which the ancient Romans vsed That none should presume to fight for his countrey before hee had beene admitted by some captaine by a solemne oath Of all the histories that I euer read I know none
who vpoÌ„ condition of hir yeelding to his lust and payment of 200 duccats promised safe deliuerance for him the poor woman seeing that nothing could redeeme her husbands life but losse shipwrack of her owne honesty told her husband who willed her to yeeld to the captains desire not to pretermit so good an occasion wherfore she consented but after the pleasure past the traiterous and wicked captaine put her husband to death notwithstanding which iniury when she complained to Gonzaga duke of Ferrara hee caused the captaine first to restore backe her 200 dukats with an addition of 700 crowns secondly to marry her to his wife and lastly when hee hoped to enioy her body to be hanged for his trecherie O noble Iustice and comparable to the worthiest deeds of antiquitie and deseruing to be held in perpetuall remembrance As these before mentioned excelled in punishing this sin so this fellow following excelled in committing it and in being punished for it Theat histor his name is Nouellus Cararius Lord of Pauie a man of note and credite in the world for his greatnesse but of infamy and discredit for his wickednesse This man after many cruell murders and bloodie practises which he exercised in euery place where he came fell at last into this notorious and abhominable crime for lying at Vincentia hee fell in loue with a young maid of excellent beautie but more â—ent honestie an honest citizens daughter whome hee â—anded her Parents to send vnto him that hee might haue his pleasure of her but when they regarding their credit and shee her chastitie more then the Tyrants command refused to come he tooke her violently out of their house and constrained her body to his lust and after to ad crueltie to villanie chopt her into small peeces and sent them to her Parents in a basket for a present wherewith her poore father astonished caried it to the Senate who sent it to Venice desiring them to consider the fact and to reuenge the cruelty The Venetians vndertaking their defence made war vpon the Tyrant and besieging him in his own city took him at last prisoner and hanged him with his two sons Francis and William Diocles sonne of Pisistratus Tyrant of Athens for rauishing a maid Lanquet was slain by her brother whose death when Hippias his brother vndertooke to reuenge and caused the maidens brother to be racked that he might discouer the other conspirators he named al the tyrants friends which by commandement being put to death the Tyrant asked whither there were any more none but only thy selfe quoth hee whome I would wish next to be hanged wherby it was perceiued how abundantly he had reuenged his sisters chastitie by whose notable stomacke all the Athenians being put in remembrance of their libertie expelled their tyrant Hippias out of their city Mundus a young Gentleman of Rome Lanquet chron rauished the chast Matron Paulina in this fashion when he perceiued her resolution not to yeeld vnto his lust hee persuaded the priests of Isis to say that they were warned by an Oracle how that Anubius the god of Aegypt desired the company of the said Paulina to whome the chast Matrone gaue light credence both because she thought the Priests would not lie and also because it was accounted a great renowne to haue to do with a god and thus by this meanes was Paulina abused by Mundus in the temple of Isis vnder the name of Anubius which thing being after disclosed by Mundus himself was thus iustly reuenged the Priests were put to death the temple beaten downe to the ground the image of Isis throwne into Tiber and the young men banished In the yeare of our Lord 955 Edwine succeeding his vncle Eldred was king of England Lanquet This man was so impudent that in the very day of his Coronation hee soddainely withdrew himselfe from his lords and in sight of certaine persons rauished his owne kinswoman the wife of a Nobleman of his realme and afterward slew her husband that he might haue vnlawfull vse of her beautie for which act he became so odious to his subiects and nobles that they iointly rose against him and depriued him of his crowne when hee had raigned foure yeares CHAP. XX. Other examples of Gods Iudgements vpon Adulterers AMongst all other things this is especially to bee noted how God for a greater punishment of the disordinate lust of men stroke them with a new yet filthy and stinking kind of disease called the French pocks though indeed the Spaniards were the first that were infected therewith by the heat which they caught among the women of the new found lands Paulus Iouius Ben. b. sowed the seeds thereof first in Spaine and from thence sprinkled Italy therewith where the Frenchmen caught it when Charles the eight their king went against Naples Guicciardine froÌ„ whence the contagion spread it selfe throughout diuers places of Europe Barbary was so ouergrowen with it that in all their cities the tenth part escaped not vntouched nay almost not a family but was infected From thence it ranne to Aegypt Siria and to the great Cair and it may nerehand truly be said that there was not a corner of the habitable world where this not only new and strange for it was neuer heard of in ancient ages but terrible and hideous scourge of Gods wrath stretched not it selfe They that were spotted with it and had it rooted in their bodies led a languishing life full of aches and torments and carried in their visages filthy markes of vncleane behauiour as vlcers boiles and such like that greatly disfigured them And herein we see the words of S. Paul verified 1. Cor. 6.18 That an Adulterer sinneth against his owne body Now for so much as the world is so brutishly carried into this sinne as to none more the Lord therefore hath declared his anger against it in diuers sorts so that diuers times hee hath punished it in the very act or not long after by a strange death Sabell Of which Alcibiades one of the great captaines of Athens may stand for an example who being polluted with many great and odious vices and much giuen to his pleasures and subiect to all vncleannesse ended his life in the middest thereof for as he was in companie of a Phrigian strumpet hauing flowne thither to the king of Persia for shelter was notwithstanding set vpon by certaine guards which the king induced by his enemies sent to slay him but they though in number many through the coÌ„ceiued opinion of his notable valor durst not apprehend him at hand but set fire to the house standing theÌ„selues in arms round about it to receiue him if need were Hee seeing the fire leaped through the midst of it and so long defended himselfe amongst them all till strength failed in himselfe and blowes encreasing vpon him constrained him to giue vp his life amongst them Plinie telleth of Cornelius Gallus and Q.
had vnto them both to the end to auoid those mischiefes and enormities which oftentimes happen when either by an ouer hardy foolish and rash presumption a man would nestle himselfe in an higher nest than his estate and calling requireth or by a sensuall and fleshly lust passing the bounds of reason goeth about to constraine and interrupt the law of nature The chiefest thing that is required in marriage is the consent of parties as well of themselues that are to be ioyned togither as of each of their parents the contrary whereof is constraint where either partie is forced Iudg. 21. as it happened to those two hundred maides which the Beniamites tooke by force and violence to be their wiues This was a reproch to Romulus the first king of Rome when hee rauished the Sabine virgins that came to see their sports which was cause of great warre betwixt them Moreouer besides the mutuall ioynt of loue which ought to be betwixt man and wife it is necessary that they that marrie doe marry in the Lord to serue him in greater puritie and with lesse disturbance which can not be if a Christian marrie an infidell for the great difficulties and hinderances that vsually spring from such a roote Exod. 34 16 Deut. 7 3. Therefore it was straightly forbidden the people of God to contract mariages with Idolatours yea and the holy Patriarchs before any such law was giuen had carefully great regard in the marriages of their childrē to this thing as the example of Abraham doth sufficiently declare Therefore they that haue any manner of gouernment and authority ouer vnmarried folkes whether they be fathers mothers kinsmen or tutours ought to haue especiall care and regard thereof Yea Christian princes and lords or rulers of commonwealths should not in this respect be so supine and negligent in the performance of their offices as once to permit and suffer this amongst them which is so directly contrary to the word of God but rather by especiall charge forbid it to the end that both their lawes might be conformable and in euery respect agreeable to the holy ordinances of God and that the way might be stopped to those mischiefes which were likely to arise from such euill concluded marriages For what reason is it that a yong maide baptized and brought vp in the Church of Christ should bee giuen in marriage to a worshipper of images and idols and sent to such a countrey where the worship of God is not so much as once thought vpon Is not this to plucke a soule out of the house of God and thrust it into the house of the deuill out of heauen into hell than which what greater Apostasie or falling from God can there be whereof all they are guilty that either make vp such marriages or giue their good will and consent to them or doe not hinder the cause and proceedings of them if any manner of way they can Now that this confusion and mixture of religion in marriages is vnpleasant and noisome to God it manifestly appeareth by the sixt chapter of Genesis where it is said That because the sonnes of God to wit those whome God had separated for himselfe from the beginning of the world to be his peculiar ones were so euill aduised as to be allured with the beauties of the daughters of men to wit of those which were not chosen of God to be his people and to marry with them corrupting themselues by this contagious acquaintance of prophane people with whome they should haue had nothing to doe that therefore God was incensed against them and resolued simply to reuenge the wickednes of ech party without respect Beside the monstrous fruits of those prophane marriages doe sufficiently declare their odiousnes in Gods sight for from them arose gyants of strength and stature exceeding the proportion of men who by their hugenes did much wrong and violence in the world and gained fearefull terrible names to themselues but God prouoked by their oppressions drowned their tyrannies in the flood and made an end of the world for their sakes In the time of the Iudges in Israel the Israelites were chastised by the hand of God for this same fault for they tooke to wiues the daughters of the vncircumcised and gaue them their daughters also Iudg. 3. In like sort framed they themselues by this means to their corrupt manners and superstitions and to the seruice of their idolatrous Gods But the Lord of heauen rained downe anger vpon their heads and made them subiect to a stranger the king of Mesopotamia whome they serued the space of eight yeeres 1. King 11. Looke what happened to king Salomon for giuing his heart to strange women that were not of the houshold of Gods people Hee that before was replenished with such admirable wisdome that he was the wonder of the world was in his old age depriued thereof and besotted with a kind of dulnes of vnderstanding and led aside from the true knowledge of God to serue idols and to build them altars and chappels for their worship and all this to please forsooth his wiues humours whose acquaintance was the chiefe cause of his misery and apostasie CHAP. XXIIII Touching Incestuous marriages NOw as it is vnlawfull to contract marriages with parties of contrary religion so it is as vnlawfull to marry those that are neare vnto vs by any degree of kindred or affinitie as it is inhibited not only by the law of God but also by ciuill and politique constitutions whereunto all nations haue euer by the sole instinct of nature agreed and accorded except the Aegyptians and Persians whose abominations were so great as to take their owne sisters and mothers to be their wiues Cambyses king of Media and Persia married his owne sister but it was not long ere he put her to death a iust proofe of an vniust and accursed marriage Many others there were in protract of time that in their insatiable lustes shewed themselues no lesse vnstaied and vnbridled in their lawlesse affections than hee One of which was Antiochus king of Iuda sonne of Herodes sirnamed Great Ioseph antiq lib. 17. cap. 15. who blushed not to marrie his sister the late wife of his deceased brother Alexander by whome shee had borne two children but for this and diuers other hi◠good deeds hee lost not only his goods which were confiscated but was himselfe also banished out of his countrey into a forraine place from Iudea to Vienna in France Herode also the Tetrarch was so impudent and shamelesse The same lib. 18. cap. 9. that hee tooke from his brother Philip his wife Herodias and espoused her vnto himselfe which shamelesse and incestuous deed Iohn Baptist reproouing in him told him plainly how vnlawfull it was for him to possesse his brothers wife but the punishment that befell him for this and many other his sinnes wee haue heard in the former booke and need not here to be repeated Anton.
Iulia adulterers were without difference adiudged to death insomuch that Iulius Antonius a man of great parentage and reputation among the Romanes Lib. 4. Annal. whose sonne was nephew to Augustus sister as Cornelius Tacitus reporteth was for this crime executed to death Aurelianus the Emperour did so hate and detest this vice that to the end to scare and terrifie his souldiers from the like offence he punished a soldier which had committed adultery with his hostesse in most seuere manner euen by causing him to be tied by both his feet to two trees bent downe to the earth with force which being let goe returning to their course rent him cruelly in pieces the one halfe of his body hanging on the one tree and the other on the other Yea and at this day amongst the very Turkes and Tartarians this sinne is sharply punished So that we ought not wonder that the Lord should ordaine death for the adulterer If a man saith the law lie with another mans wife â—euit 20.10 if I say he commit adultery with his neighbours wife the adulterer and the adulteresse shall die the death Deut. 22.22 And in another place If a man be found lying with a woman married to a man they shall die both twaine to wit the man that lay with the wife and the wife that thou maist put away euill from Israel Yea and before Moses time also it was a custome to burne the adulterers with fire Genes 38. as it appeareth by the sentence of Iuda one of the twelue Patriarchs vpon Thamar his daughter in law because he supposed her to haue plaied the whore Beside all this to the end this sinne might not be shuffled vp and kept close there was a meanes giuen whereby if a man did but suspect his wife for this sin though shee could by no witnes or proofe be conuinced her wickednesse notwithstanding most strangely and extraordinarily might be discouered Numb 5. And it was this The woman publikely at her husbands sute called in question before the priest who was to giue iudgement of her after diuers ceremonies and circumstances perfourmed and bitter curses pronounced by him her belly would burst and her thigh would rot if shee were guilty and she should be a curse amongst the people for her sinne but if she was free no euill would come vnto her Thus it pleased God to make knowne that the filthinesse of those that are polluted with this sinne should not lie hid This may more clearely appeare by the example of the Leuites wife of whome it is spoken in the 19 20 and 21 chapters of Iudges who hauing forsaken her husband to play the whore certaine moneths after hee had againe receiued her to be his wife she was giuen ouer against her will to the villanous and monstrous lusts of the most wicked and peruerse Gibeonites Rape li. 2. c. 19. that so abused her for the space of a whole night togither that in the morning shee was found dead vpon the threshold which thing turned to a great destruction and ouerthrow in Israel for the Leuit when hee arose and found his wife newly dead at the dore of his lodging hee cut and dismembred her body into twelue pieces and sent them into all the countries of Israel to euery tribe one to giue them to vnderstand how vile and monstrous an iniurie was done vnto him whereupon the whole nation assembling and consulting togither when they saw how the Beniamites in whose tribe this monstrous villanie was committed make no reckening of seeing punishment executed vpon those execrable wretches they tooke armes against them and made warre vpon them wherein though at the first conflict they lost to the number of forty thousand men yet afterward they discomfited and ouerthrew the Beniamites and slew of them 25000 rasing and burning downe the city Gabea where the sinne was committed with all the rest of the cities of that tribe in such sort that there remained aliue but sixe hundred persons that saued their liues by flying into the desart and there hid themselues foure moneths vntill such time as the Israelites taking pitty of them least they should vtterly be brought to nought gaue them to wife to the end to repeople them againe foure hundred virgins of the inhabitants of Iabes Gilead reserued out of that slaughter of those people wherein man woman and child were put to the sword for not comming forth to take part with their brethren in that late warre And forasmuch as yet there remained two hundred of them vnprouided for the Ancient of Israel gaue them libertie to take by force two hundred of the daughters of their people which could not be but great iniury and vexation vnto their parents to be thus robbed of their daughters and to see them married at all aduentures without their consent or liking These were the mischiefes which issued and sprang from that vile and abominable adultery of the wicked Gabaonites with the Leuits wife One sin punished with another whose first voluntary sinne was in like manner also most iustly punished by this second rape and this is no new practise of our most iust God to punish one sinne by another and sinners in the same kind wherein they haue offended When king Dauid after hee had ouercome the most part of his enemies 2. Sam. 11. and made them tributaries vnto him and enioyed some rest in his kingdome whilst his men of war pursuing their victory destroied the Ammonites and were in besieging Rabba their chiefe citie hee was so inflamed with the beauty of Bathshabe Vriahs wife that hee caused her to be conueied to him to lie with her to which sinne hee combined another more grieuous to wit when he saw her with child by him to the end to couer his adultery he caused her husband to be slaine at the siege by putting him in the vantgard of the battaile at the assault and then thinking himselfe cocksure married Bathshabe But all this while as it was but vaine allurements no solid ioy that fed his mind and his sleep was but of sinne not of safety wherein he slumbered so the Lord awakened him right soone by afflictions and crosses to make him feele the burden of the sinne which hee had committed 2. Sam. 12. first therefore the child the fruit of this adultery was stricken with sicknesse and died next his daughter Thamar Absoloms sister was rauished by Ammon one of his owne sonnes 2. Sam. 13. 2. Sam. 15. thirdly Ammon for his incest was slaine by Absolom and fourthly Absolom ambitiously aspiring after the kingdome and conspiring against him raised warre vpon him and defiled his concubines and came to a wofull destruction All which things being grieuous crosses to king Dauid were inflicted by the iust hand of God to chastise and correct him for his good not to destroy him in his wickednesse neither did it want the effect in him for he was so farre from swelling
and hardening himselfe in his sinne that contrariwise he cast downe and humbled himselfe and craued pardon and forgiuenesse at the hand of God with all his heart and true repentance not like to such as grow obstinate in their sinnes and wickednesse and make themselues beleeue all things are lawfull for them although they be neuer so vile and dishonest This therefore that wee haue spoken concerning Dauid is not to place him among the number of leud and wicked liuers but to shew by his chastisements beeing a man after Gods owne heart how odious and displeasant this sinne of Adultery is to the Lord and what punishment all others are to expect that wallow therein since hee spared not him whome he so much loued and fauoured CHAP. XXVI Other examples like vnto the former THe history of the rauishment of Helene registred by so many worthy and excellent authours and the great euils that pursued the same Herodot lib. 2. is not to be counted altogither an idle fable Thucyd. or an inuention of pleasure seeing that it is sure that vpon that occasion great and huge warre arose betweene the Greeians and the Troianes during the which the whole countrey was hauocked many cities and townes destroied much blood shed and thousands of men discomfited amongst whome the rauisher and adulterer himselfe to wit Paris the chiefe moouer of all those miserable tragedies escaped not the edge of the sword no nor that famous citie Troy which entertained and maintained the adulterers within her wals went vnpunished but at last was taken and destroied by fire and sword In which sacking old and gray headed king Priam with all the remnant of his halfe slaine sonnes were togither murdered his wife and daughters were taken prisoners and exposed to the mercy of their enemies his whole kingdome was entirely spoiled and his house quite defaced and well nigh all the Troiane nobilitie extinguished and as touching the whore Helene her selfe whose disloialtie gaue consent to the wicked enterprise of forsaking her husbands house and following a stranger shee was not exempt from punishment for as some writers affirme shee was slaine at the sacke but according to others Anton. Vols vpon Ouids epist of Hermione to Orestes she was at that time spared and entertained againe by Menelaus her husband but after his death shee was banished in her old age and constrained for her last refuge beeing both destitute of reliefe and succour and forsaken of kinsfolkes and friends to flie to Rhodes where at length contrary to her hope shee was put to a shamefull death euen hanging on a tree which shee long time before deserued Tit. Liu. The iniury and dishonour done to Lucrece the wife of Collatinus by Sextus Tarquinius sonne to Superbus the last king of Rome Rape l. 2. c. 19. was cause of much trouble and disquietnesse in the city and elsewhere for first shee not able to endure the great iniury and indignity which was done vnto her pushed forward with anger and despite slue her selfe in the presence of her husband and kinsfolke notwithstanding all their desires and willingnesse to cleare her from all blame with whose death the Romans were so stirred prouoked against Sextus the sonne and Tarquinius the father that they rebelled forthwith and when hee should enter the city shut the gates against him neither would receiue or acknowledge him euer after for their king Whereupon ensued warre abroad and alteration of the state at home for after that time Rome endured no more king to beare rule ouer them but in their roome created two Consuls to be their gouernours which kind of gouernment continued to Iulius Caesars time Thus was Tarquinius the father shamefully deposed from his crowne for the adultery or rather rape of his sonne and Tarquinius the sonne slaine by the Sabians for the robberies and murders which by his fathers aduise he committed amongst them and hee himselfe not long after in the warre which by the Tuscane succours hee renued against Rome to recouer his lost estate Plutarch in the life publick was discomfited with them and slaine in the midst of the rout In the Emperour Valentinianus time the first of that name many women of great account and parentage were for committing adulterie put to death as testifieth Ammianus Marcellinus When Europe after the horrible wasting and great ruines which it suffered by the furious inuasion of Attilia Lib. 28. began to take a litle breath and find some ease behold a new trouble more hurtfull and pernicious than the former came vpon it by meanes of the filthy leachery and lust of the Emperour Valentinianus the third of that name who by reason of his euill bringing vp Procop. and gouernment vnder his mother Placidia being too much subiect to his owne voluptuousnesse and tied to his owne desires dishonoured the wife of Petronius Maximus a Senatour of Rome by forcing her to his pleasure an act indeed that cost him his life and many more beside and that drew after it the finall destruction of the Romane Empire and the horrible besacking and desolation of the city of Rome For the Emperour being thus taken and set on fire with the loue of this woman through the excellent beauty wherewith shee was endued endeauoured first to entice her to his lust by faire allurements and seeing that the bulwarke of her vertuous chastity would not by this meanes be shaken but that all his pursuit was still in vaine hee tried a new course and attempted to get her by deceit and pollicy which to bring about one day setting himselfe to play with her husband Maximus he woon of him his ring which he no sooner had but secretly he sent it to his wife in her husbands name with this commaundement That by that token shee should come presently to the court to do her duty to the Empresse Eudoxia shee seeing her husbands ring doubted nothing but came forthwith as shee was commanded where whilst she was entertained by certaine suborned women whome the Emperour had set on he himselfe commeth in place and discloseth vnto her his whole loue which he said he could no longer represse but must needs satisfie if not by faire meanes at least by force and compulsion and so he constrained her to his lust Her husband aduertised hereof Rape l. 2. c. 19. intended to reuenge this iniury vpon the Emperor with his owne hand but seeing he could not execute his purpose whilst Actius the captain generall of Valentinianus army liued a man greatly reuerenced and feared for his mighty and famous exploits atchieued in the warres against the Burgundians Gothes and Attila he found meanes by suggesting a false accusation of treason against him which made him to be hated and suspected of the Emperour to worke his death After that Actius was thus traiterously and vnworthily slaine the griefe of infinite numbers of people for him in regard of his great vertues and good seruice which he had
sole possessor of the whole Island after this he inuaded many other Islands besides many cities in the same land he raised the Lacedemonians from the siege of Samos which they had begirt And when hee saw that all things fell out so well to his owne wish that nothing could be more fearing so great prosperity could not but carry in the taile some terrible sting of aduersitie and mischance attempted by voluntary losse of something of value to preuent the mischiefe which he feared to ensue and this by the aduise of his deare friend and ally the king of Aegypt therefore hee threw a ring which hee had in great price into the sea to the end to delude fortune as he thought thereby but the ring was after found in a fishes belly and offered as a present vnto him and this was an euident presage of some ineuitable misfortune that waited for him neither did it proue vaine and friuolous for hee was hanged vpon a gibbet of Sardis by the commandement of Orates the gouernour of the city who vnder pretence of friendship and coulor of rendering his treasure into his hands and bestowing vpon him a great part thereof promising also to passe the rest of his daies vnder his wing for fear of the rage of Cambises drew him to come priuately to speak with him and so easily wrought his will vpon him Aristodemus got into his hands the gouernment of Cuma Dionâ—s Halicar lib. 7. after hee had made away the principall of the citie and to keepe it the better being obtained hee first won the vulgars hearts by presents then banished out of the Citie their children whome hee had put to death and entertained the rest of the youth with such varietie of pleasures and delights that by those deuises hee kept himselfe in his tyrannous estate many yeares but assoone as the children of those slaine Citizens were growne to ripe yeares of strength and discretion being desirous to reuenge their fathers deaths they set vpon him in the night so at vnawares that they put him and all his family to the slaughter Plutarch Tymophanes vsurped a principality power and rule in Corinth a free citie and became so odious thereby to the whole people yea and to his owne brother Tymoleon also that laying aside all respect of nature hee slew him with his owne hands preferring the libertie of his countrie before any vnity or bond of bloud When the cities of Greece sayth Orosius would needes through too greedie a desire and Ambition of raigne Lib. 3. cap. 12. get euery one the maisterie and soueraigntie of the rest they altogither made shipracke of their owne liberties by encroching vpon others as for instance The Lacedemonians how hurtfull and vncommodious the desire of bringing their neighbour adioining citties vnder their dominion was vnto them the sundrie discomfitures and distresses within the time of that warre vndertaken vpon that onely cause befell them Oros lâ—b 3. ca. 2. beare sufficient record Seruius Tullus the sonne to a bondman addicted himselfe so much to the exploits of warre that by Prowesse hee got so great credite and reputation among the Romanes that hee was thought worthie to bee made the sonne in law of king Tarquinius by marrying one of his daughters Titus Liuius after whose death hee also vsurped the crowne vnder colour of the Protectorship of the kings two yong sonnes Who when they came to age and bignesse maried the daughters of their brother in law Tullius by whose exhortation and continuall prouokement the elder of them which was called Tarquinius conspired against his father in law and practised to make himselfe king and to recouer his rightfull inheritance and that by this means he watched his oportunitie when the greatest part of the people were out of the citie about gathering their fruit in the fields and then placing his companions in readinesse to serue his turne if need should be he marched to the pallace in the roiall robes guarded with a company of his confederats and hauing called a Senate as hee began to complaine him of the trecherie and impudencie of Tullius behold Tullius himselfe came in would haue run violently vpon him but Tarquinius catching him about the middle threw him headlong down the staires and presently sent certaine of his guard to make an end of the murder which hee had begun But herein the cruelty of Tullia was most monstrous that not only first moued her husband to this bloudy practise but also made her coach to be driuen ouer the body of her father which lay bleeding in the middest of the street scarce dead Manlius after hee had maintained the fortresse of Rome against the Gaules glorying in that action Parricide lib â— cap. 11. and enuying the good hap and prosperity of Camillus went about to make himselfe king vnder pretence of restoring the people to their ancient entire libertie but his practise being discouered he was accused found guiltie and by the consent of the multitude adiudged to be throwne headlong downe from the top of the same fortresse to the end that the same place which gaue him great glory might bee a witnesse and memoriall of his shame and last confusion for all his valiant deedes before done were not of so much force with the people to excuse his fault or saue his life as this one crime was of weight to bring him to his death In former times there liued in Carthage one Hanno Oros lib. 4. c. 6. who because hee had more riches than all the Commonwealth beside began to aspire to the domination of the citie which the better to accomplish he deuised to make shew of marrying his only daughter to the end that at the mariage feast he might poyson the chiefest men of credit and power of the citie whome hee knew could or would any waies withstand or countermand his purpose but when this deuise tooke no effect by reason of the discouerie thereof by certain of his seruants he sought another meanes to effect his will He got togither a huge number of bondslaues and seruants which should at a sodaine put him in possession of the citie but being preuented herein also by the citizens hee seased vpon a castle with a thousand men of base regard euen seruants for the most part whither thinking to draw the Affricanes and king of the Moores to his succour he was taken first whipped next had his eies thrust out and then his armes and legs broken in peeces and so was executed to death before al the people his carcas being thus mangled with blows was hanged vpon a gallowes and all his kindred and children put to death that there might not one remaine of his straine either to enterprise the like deed or to reuenge his death That great and fearefull warriour Iulius Caesar one of the most hardie and valiants peeces of flesh that euer was after he had performed so many notable exploits ouercome all his enemies
heauen with all his strength behold the dagger vanished away and fiue drops of blood distilled vpon the table before them and without all delay the deuill came in place and carried away that blasphemous wretch with such force and noise that the whole citie was amazed and astonished thereat the other two halfe beside themselues with feare stroue to wipe away the drops of blood out of the table but the more they wiped it the more clearely it appeared the rumour of this accident flew into the city and caused the people to flocke thicke and threefold vnto the place where they found the other two gamsters washing the boord whome by the decree of the Senat they bound with chaines and carried towards the prison but as they passed with them through a gate of the citie one of them was stroken suddenly dead in the midst of them with such a number of lice and wormes creeping out of him that it was both wonderfull and lothsome to behold the third they themselues without any further inquisition or triall to auert the indignation which seemed to hang ouer their heads put incontinently to death the table they tooke and preserued it for a monument to witnes vnto posterity both how an accursed a pastime dicing is and also what great inconueniences and mischiefes grow thereby But that wee may see yet more the vanity mischieuous working of this sport I will report one story more out of the same author though not equall to the former in strangenesse and height of sinne yet as tragicall and no lesse pitifull Iob. â—incel lib. 2. In the yeere 1550 their liued in Alsatia one AdaÌ„ Steckman one that got his liuing by trimming pruning dressing vines this man hauing receiued his wages fell to dice lost all that he had gotten insomuch that he had not wherwith to norish his family so that he fell into such a griefe of mind withall into such paines of the head that hee grew almost desperate withall one day his wife beeing busie abroad left the care of her children vnto him but he tooke such great care of them that he cut all their throats euen three of them whereof one lay in the cradle and lastly would haue hanged himselfe had not his wife come in in the meane while who beholding this pitifull tragedy gaue a great outcry and fell downe dead whereupon the neighbours running in were eie witnesses of this wofull spectacle as for him by law hee was iudged to a most seuere and cruell punishment and all these pitiful euents arose from that cursed root of dice-play Wee ought therefore to learne by all these things that haue bene already spoken to abstaine not only from this cursed pastime but also from extortion robberies deceit guile and other such naughty practises that tend to the hurt and detriment of one another and in place thereof to procure the good and welfare of each one in all kindnes and equitie following the Apostles counsel where he saith Let them that stole steale no more Ephes 4.28 but rather trauaile by labouring with his hands in that which is good that hee may haue wherewith to succour the necessitie of others for it is not enough not to do euill to our neighbour but we are tied to doe him good or at least to endeauour to doe it CHAP. XLII Of such as haue bene notorious in all kind of sinne WEe haue seene by these foreplaced examples These exaÌ„ples of this chapter may be referred to all the commaundements for the most part how heauy the iudgements of God haue beene vpon those that through the vntamednesse of their owne lusts and affections would not submit themselues vnder the holy and mighty will of God but haue countremanded his commandements and withstood his precepts some after one sort and some after another now because there haue beene some so wicked and wretched that being wholly corrupted and depraued they haue ouerflowed with all maner of sinne and iniquitie and as it were maugred God with the multitude and hainousnesse of their offences wee must therefore spend some time also in setting forth their liues and ends as of the most vile and monstrous kind of people that euer were In this ranke wee may place the ancient inhabitants of the land of Canaan an irreligious people void of all feare and dread of God and consequently giuen ouer to all abominable wickednesse as to couiurings witchcrafts and vnnameable adulteries for which causes the Lord abhorring and hating them did also bring them to a most strange destruction for first and formost Iericho the frontier citie of their country being assaulted by the Israelites for bindering their progresse into the countrey were all discomfited not so much by Iosuah his sword as by the huge stones which dropped from heauen vpon their heads and least the night ouerraking them should breake off the small and full destruction of this cursed people the day was miraculously prolonged the sunne made to rest himselfe in the midst of heauen the space of a whole day so these fiue kings hiding themselues in a caue were brought but their necks made a footstoole to the captains of Israel were hanged on fiue trees Semiramis queene of Assyria was a woman of an ambitious spirit Sabell who through her thirst of raigning counterfaited her sexe and attired her selfe like a man to get more authority and reuerence to her selfe shee was the destruction of many thousand people by the vniust warre which the stirred vp besides that shee was a notorious strumpet and withall a murderer of those that satisfied her lust for still as they came from her bed some lay priuily in watch to kill them least they should bewray her villany yea and it is reported that shee was so vile and past shame that shee sollicited her owne soone to commit incest with her who in detestation of her filthinesse raised a power against her and conquering her in one great battaile caused her to be put to death The tyrant Periander vsurped the gouernment ouer Corinth Sabell after he had slaine the principall of the city hee put to death his owne wife to the end to content and please his concubine nay and was so execrable as to lie with his owne mother he banished his naturall sonne and caused many children of his subiects to be gelded finally fearing some miserable and monstrous end and want of sepulchre in conscience of his misdeeds hee gaue in charge to two strong and hardie souldiers that they should guard a certaine appointed place and not faile to kill the first that came in their way and to bury his body being slaine now the first that met them was himselfe who offered himselfe vnto them without speaking any word and was soone dispatched and buried according to his commaundement but these two were encountred with foure other whome hee also had appointed to doe the same to them which they had done to him
and to diuerse married women also whome pleasing his eie he depriued their husbands of perforce and espoused them to himselfe maugre their wils being desirous to ally himselfe with Pompey he commanded him to cast off his lawfull wife and taking from Magnus Glabrio his wife Aemilia made him marry hir though alreadie great with child by her former husband but shee died in trauaile in his house In feasts and banquettings hee was too immoderate for it was his continuall and daily practise the wine that he dranke vsually was forty yeare old and the company that he delighted to keepe was compact of minstrels tumblers players singers and such like rascals and with these hee would spend whole daies in drinking carousing dancing and all dissolutenesse Now this disordinate life of his did so augment a disease which was growne in his bodie to wit an impostume that in time it corrupted his flesh turned it into lice in such sort that though he had those that continually followed him to sweepe them off and to louse him night day yet the encrease was still so plentiful that al would not serue to cleare him for a moment in so much that not his apparrell though neuer so new and changeable nor his linnen though neuer so fresh nor his bath nor his lauer no nor his meat and drinke could bee kept vnpolluted from the flux of this filthy vermine it issued in such abundance oftentimes in a day hee would wash himselfe in a bath but to no great purpose for his shame increased the more the day before hee died hee sent for one Granius who attending his death delaied to pay that which hee ought to the Commonwealth and being come in his presence he commanded him to bee strangled to death before his face but with straining himselfe in crying after his execution his impostume burst and vomitted out such streames of bloud that his strength failed him withall and passing that night in great distresse the next day made vp his wicked and miserable end Dion After that Caligula began to addict himselfe to impietie and contempt of God presently being not curbed with anie feare nor shame he became most dissolute in all kind of wickednesse for at one time he caused to be slaine a great number of people for calling him young Augustus as if it had beene an iniury to his person to be so entituled and to say briefly of all his murders there were so many of his kindred friends senatours and citizens made away by his meanes that it would be too long and tedious here to recite wherefore seeing that hee was generally hated of the people for his misdeeds hee wished that they all had but one head to the end as it might seeme that at one blow he might dispatch them all In sumptuousnes and costlinesse of dishes and banquets hee neither found nor left his equall Sueton. for hee would sup vp most pretious stones melted by art and swallow downe treasures into his belly his banquets were often serued with golden loaues and golden meates in giuing rewards hee was sometime too too prodigall for he would cast great summes of mony amongst the people certaine daies togither vntill his bagges were drawne dry and then new strange shiftes must be practised to fill them vp againe his subiects hee ouercharged with many new found and vniust taxes exacting of them a tribute euen for their meat if there were any money controuersies to be decided the fourth part of the same was his share which way soeuer the matter inclined the eight peny of euery porters gaine throughout the city which with trauell they earned hee tooke into his purse yea and that which is more filthy and dishonest the very whores and common strumpets paid him a yeerely reuenue for their bauderies which act though most villanous and slaunderous yet is made a sampler to some of our holy popes to imitate and indeed hath of many beene put in practise but to our porpose whereas before his prodigality was so great as to scatter mony like seed amidst the people now his niggardlinesse grew on the other side so miserable that he would haue the people vpon the first day of the yeere euery one to giue him a newyeres gift hee himselfe standing at the dore of his house like a beggar receiuing the peoples almes moreouer of all that euer gaue their lusts the bridle to abuse other mens wiues hee was most impudent and notorious for diuerse times hee vsed to feast many faire ladies and their husbands and after his good cheare ended to ouerview them seuerally apart as Marchants doe their wares and to take hir that pleased his fancy best into some secret place to abuse at his pleasure neither after the deed done to be ashamed to glory and vaunt himselfe in his filthy and wicked act Hee committed Incest with his owne sisters forcing them to his lust and by one of them had a daughter borne whome saith Eutropius his abhominable concupiscence abused also in most filthy preposterous maner at length many conspired his destruction but especially one of the Tribunes which office wee may after the custome of our French nation rightly tearme the Marshalship and the officer one of our foure Marshals as Budeus saith who shewed himselfe more eagerly affected in the cause than the rest pursued his enterprise in more speedy and desperate maner for as the Tyrant returned from the Theatre by a by-way to his pallace the third day of the feast which hee celebrated in honour of Iulius Caesar the Tribune presented himselfe as if in regard of his office to impart some matter of importance vnto him and hauing receiued a currish word or two at his hands as his custome was hee gaue him so sodaine a stroke betweene the head and the shoulders that what with it and the blowes of his complices that going for the same entent rushed vpon him he was slain amongst them no man stirring a foot to deliuer him out of their handes though many looked on and might haue aided him if they would hee was no sooner slain but his wise incontinently was sent after and his daughter also that was crushed to death against a wall and thus came his wretched selfe with his filthie progeny to a wretched and miserable end Sueton. Nero shewed himselfe not onely an enemie to God in persecuting his church but also a peruerter and disturber of humane nature in embruing his hands in the bloud of his owne mother and grandmother whome hee caused to bee put to death and in killing his owne wife and sister and infinit numbers of all kind of people beside in Adulteries hee was so monstrous that it is better to conceale them from modest eares than to stir vp the puddle of so stinking and noisome a dunghill for which his villanies the Senate condemned him to a shamefull and most ignominious death his armies and forces forsooke him which when hee vnderstood he
strange thing to consider how that prowd citie hath lifted vp her head aboue all others and vsurped a tyranny ouer nations and which Lactantius Hierom Rome he meaneth and Augustine three learned fathers entituled Babylon how I say she hath been humbled for all her pride and empouerished for all her riches and made a prey vnto many nations It was sacked ransacked twice by the Visigothes takē once by the Herulians surprised by the Ostrogothes destroied and rooted vp by the Vandales annoied by the Lumbards pilled and spoiled by the Grecians and whipped and chastised by many others and now like Sodome and Gomorra it is to expect no more punishment but the last blow of the most mightiest his indignation to throw it headlong into euerlasting and horrible desolation CHAP. XLIX Of such punishments which are common to all men in regard of their iniquities THese and such like effects of Gods wrath ought to admonish instruct euery man to look vnto himselfe for doing euill and to abhorre and detest sin since it bringeth forth such soure and bitter fruits for albeit the waies of the wicked seeme in their owne eies faire and good Prou. 22. yet it is certaine that they are full of snares thorns to intrap and pricke them to the quicke for after that being fed with the licourous deceitfull sweetnesse of their owne lusts they haue sported themselues their fils in their pleasures wicked affections then insteed of delights and pastimes they shall find nothing but punishment sadnesse their laughter ioy pompe magnificence and glory shall bee turned into torments dolors weepings opprobries ignominies confusion and misery euerlasting for if God spared not great cities Empiers monarchies and kings in their obstinate misdeeds shall we thinke hee will spare little cities hamlets and villages men of base estate when by their sins they prouoke him to anger No it cannot be for God is alwaies of one the same nature alwaies like vnto himselfe A God executing iustice and iudgement vpon the earth Ierem. 9. Psal 5. A God that loueth not iniquitie with whom the wicked cannot dwell nor the fooles stand before his presence It is hee that hateth the workers of vnrighteousnesse and that destroieth the liers abhorreth all deceitfull disloiall periurous murdering persons as with him there is no acception of persons so none of what estate or condition soeuer be they rich or poor noble or ignoble gentle or carterlike can exempt themselues from his wrath and indignation when it is kindled but a little Rom. 2.9 if they delight and continue in their sinnes for as S. Paul saith Tribulation anguish is vpon the soule of euery man that doth euill Now according to the variety and diuersity of mens offences the Lord in his most iust and admirable iudgement vseth diuersity of punishments sometimes correcting them one by one in particular other whiles altogither in a heape sometimes by stormes and tempests both by sea and land other times by lightning haile and deluge of waters often by ouerflowing and breaking out of riuers and of the sea also and not seldome by remedilesse and sudden fires heauen earth and all the elements beeing armed with an inuincible force to take vengeance vpon such as are traitors and rebels against God sundry times he scourgeth the world as it well deserueth with his vsuall and accustomed plagues namely of warre and famine and pestilence which are euident signes of his anger according to the threats denounced in the law touching the same and therefore if at any time he defer the punishment of the wicked it is for no other end but to expect the fulnesse of their sinne and to make them more inexcusable when contrary to his bountifulnesse and long suffering which inuiteth and calleth them to repentance they harden themselues and grow more obstinate in their vices and rebellion drawing vpon their heads the whole heape of wrath the more grieuously to assaile them And thus the vengeance of God marcheth but a soft pace as saith Valerius Maximus to the end to double and aggrauate the punishment for the slacknesse thereof CHAP. L. That the greatest punishments are reserued and laid vp for the wicked in the world to come NOtwithstanding all which hath bene spoken and howsoeuer sinners are punished in this life yet is certaine that the greatest and terriblest punishments are kept in store for them in another world and albeit that during this transitory pilgrimage they seeme to themselues often times to liue at their ease and enioy their pleasures and pastimes to their hearts contentment yet doubtlesse it is so that they are indeed in a continuall prison and in a dungeon of darkenesse bound and chained with fetters of their owne sinne and very often turmoiled and butchered with their owne guiltie conscience ouercharged with the multitude of offences fore-feeling the approch of hell and in this case many languish away with care feare and terror being toiled and tired with vncessant and vnsupporrable disquietnesse and tossed and distracted with despaire vntill by death they be brought vnto their last irreuocable punishment which punishment is not to endure for a time and then to end but is eternall and euerlastingly inherent both in body and soule I say in the bodie after the resurrection of the dead and in soule after the departure out of this life till all eternity for it is iust and equall that they which haue offended and dishonored God in their bodies in this life should be punished also in their bodies in the world to come with endles torments of which torments when mention is made in the holy scripture they are for our weake capacity sake called gehenna or a place of torment vtter darkenesse and hell fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth c againe eternall fire a poole and pit of fire and brimstone which is prepared for the deuill and his darlings and how miserable their estate is that fall therein our Sauiour Christ giueth vs to know in the person of the rich glutton Luk. 16. who hauing bathed himselfe in the pleasures and delights of this world without once regarding or pittying the poore was after death cast into the torments of hell there burneth in quenchlesse flames without any ceasing or allaying of his griefes therefore whatsoeuer punishments the wicked suffer before they die they are not quitted by them from this other but must descend into the appointed place to receiue the surplus of their paiments which is due vnto them for what were it for a notorious and cruell tyrant that had committed many foule and wicked deeds or had most villanously murdered many good men to haue no other punishment but to be slaine and to endure in the houre of death some extraordinarie paine could such a punishment ballance with his so many and great offences whereas therefore many such wretches suffer punishment in this world wee must thinke
sort for his amendment and our example Albert Krantz chron 〈◊〉 lib. 6. Henry Earle of Schwartburge through a corrup◠custome vsed commonly to wish he might be drowned in a priuie and as he wished so it happened vnto him for he was so serued murdered at S. Peters monasterie in Erford in the year of our Lord 1148. Cyriac. Spangenb in elegantijs veteris Adami The like befell a young courtier at Mansfield whose custome was in any earnest asseueration to say the Deuill take me if it be not so the Deuill indeed tooke him whilest hee slept and threw him out of a high window where albeit by the good prouidence of God hee caught no great hurt yet he learnt by experience to bridle his tongue from al such cursed speeches this being but a tast of Gods wrath that is to fall vpon such wretches as he Theat histor At Oster a village in the Duchy of Megalopole there chanced a most strange and fearefull example vpon a woman that gaue her selfe to the Deuill both body and soule and vsed most horrible cursings and othes both against her selfe and others which detestable manner of behauiour as at many other times so especially she shewed at a marriage in the foresaid village vpon S. Iohn Baptists day the whole people exhorting her to leaue off that monstrous villany but shee nothing bettered continued her course till all the companie were set at dinner and very merry Then loe the Deuill hauing got full possession of her came in person and transported her into the aire before them all with most terrible outcries and roarings in that sort carried her round about the town that the inhabitants were ready to die with feare and by and by tore her in foure peeces leauing in four seuerall high waies a quarter that all that came by might be witnesses of her punishment And then returning to the marriage threw her bowels vpon the table before the Maior of the towne with these words Behold these dishes of meat belong to thee whome the like destruction awaiteth if thou doest not amend thy wicked life The reporters of this hystorie were Iohn Herman the minister of the said towne with the Maior himselfe and the whole inhabitants being desirous to haue it knowne to the world for example sake In Luthers conferences there is mention made of this story following Luther diuerse noble men were striuing together at a horse race and in their course cried the deuil take the last Now the last was a horse that broke loose whom the deuill hoisted vp into the aire and took clean away Which teacheth vs not to call for the deuill for hee is readie alwaies about vs vncalled and vnlooked for yea many legions of them compasse vs about euen in our best actions to disturbe and peruert vs. A cettaine man not farre from Gorlitz prouided a sumptuous supper inuited many guests vnto it Iob. Fincelius who at the time appointed refusing to come he in an anger cried then let all the Deuils in hell come neither was his wish friuolous fot a number of those hellish fiends came forthwith whome he not discerning from men came to welcome and entertain but as he tooke them by the hands and perceiued in steed of fingers clawes all dismaied he ran out of the dores with his wife and left none in the house but a young infant with a foole sitting by the fire whome the deuils had no power to hurt neither any man els saue the goodly supper which they made away withall and so departed It is notoriously knowne in Oundle a town in Northamptonshire amongst all that were acquainted with the partie namely one Hacket of vvhome more hath beene spoken before hovv he vsed in his earnest talke euer to curse himselfe on this manner If it be not true then let a visible confusion come vpon me Now hee wanted no◠his wish for hee came to a visible confusion indeed as hath ben declared more at large in the 20 chap. of this booke At Witeberg before Martin Luther and diuerse other learned men a woman whose daughter was possessed with a spirit confessed that by her curse that plague was fallen vpon her for being angry at a time she bad the deuil take her she had no sooner spoken the word but he tooke her indeed possessed her in most strange sort No whitlesse strange and horrible is that which happened at Neoburge in Germany to a son that was cursed of his mother in her anger with this curse Theat histor shee praied God shee might neuer see him return aliue for the same day the yoong man bathing himselfe in the water was drowned and neuer returned to his mother aliue according to her vngodly wish Theat histor But aboue all this is most strange which happened in a Towne of Misina in the yeere of our Lord God 1552 the eleuenth of September where a cholletick father seeing his sonne slacke about his businesse wished he might neuer stirre from that place Let not the strangenes of this example discredit the truth therof seeing wee read how Lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt Gen. 19. and Corah with his company swallowed of the earth Num. 16 which are more strange than this Acts and monuments pag. 2101. for it was no sooner said but done his sonne stucke fast in the place neither by any meanes possible could bee remoued no not so much as to sit or bend his body till by the praiers of the faithfull his paines were somewhat mitigated though not remitted three yeare he continued standing with a post at his backe for his ease and foure yeares sitting at the end whereof he died Nothing weakened in his vnderstanding but professing the faith and not doubting of his saluation in Christ Iesus When he was demanded at any time how he did he answered most vsually that hee was fastened of God and that it was not in man but in Gods mercy for him to be released Iohn Peter sonne in law to Alexander that cruel keeper of Newgate being a most horrible swearer and blasphemer vsed commonly to say If it be not true I pray God I may rot ere I die and not in vaine for he rotted away indeed so died most miserably Hether we may ad a notable example of a certain yoong gallant that was a monstrous swearer who riding in the company of diuerse gentlemen began to swear and most horribly blaspheme the name of God vnto whom one of the company with gentle words said hee should one day answere for that the yonker taking snuffe thereat why said hee takest thou thought for mee Acts and monuments pag. 2105. Take thought for thy winding sheet Well quoth the other amend for death giueth no warning as soone commeth a lambes skinne to the market as an old sheepes Gods wounds said he care not thou for me raging still on this manner worse and worse till at length passing
on their iourney they came riding ouer a great bridge vpon which this gentleman swearer spurred his horse in such sort that he sprang cleane ouer with the man on his backe who as he was going cried Horse and man and al to the deuill This terrible storie bishop Ridley preached and vttered at Paules crosse and one Haines a minister of Cornwall the reprehender of this man was the reporter of it to Maister Fox out of whom I haue drawne it Refraine then wretches that you are your diuellish tongues leaue off to prouoke the wrath of God any longer against you forbeare all wicked and cursed speeches and acquaint your selues as well in word as deed to praise and glorifie God CHAP. XXXIIII Punishments for the contempt of the word and the Sacraments and abuse of holy things NOw it is another kind of taking the name of God in vain to despise his words and sacraments for like as among earthly princes it is accounted a crime no lesse then treason either to abuse their pictures to counterfeit or depraue their seales to rent pollute or corrupt their letter patents or to vse vnreuerently their messengers or any thing that cōmeth frō them So with the prince of heauen it is a sin of high degree either to abuse his word prophanely which is the letter patents of our saluation or handle the sacraments vnreuerētly which are the seales of his mercy or to despise his ministers which are his messēgers vnto vs. And this he maketh known vnto vs not only by edicts cōmandemēts but also by examples of his vēgeance on the heads of the offēders in this case for the former look what Paul saith That for the vnworthy receiuing of the Sacraments many were weake and sicke among the Corinthians many slept how much more then for the abusing contemning the Sacraments 1. Cor. 11.29.30 And the prophet Dauid That for casting the word of God behind them Psal 50.16.17 they should haue nothing to doe with his couenāt how much more then for prophaning deriding his word Exod. 16.8 And Moses when the people murmured against him and Aaron saith that their murmurings were not against them which were but ministers but against the Lord how much more then is the Lord engaged when they are scoffed at derided set at naught hence it is that the Lord denounceth a woe to him that addeth or taketh away frō the word and calleth them dogs that abuse such precious pearles Deut. 4.2 12.22 Apoc. 22.18 Prouerb 30.6 Vide lib. 1. cap. 14. example of the Iews But let vs come to the examples wherin the grieuousnesse of this sin will lie more open then by any words can bee expressed Denterius an Arrian bishop being at Bezantium as he was about to baptise one Barbas after his blasphemous maner saying I baptise thee in the name of the father through the son in the Holy-ghost Which forme of words is contrary to the prescript rule of Christ that bad his disciples to baptize al nations In the name of the father the son and the Holy-ghost the water sodenly vanished so that he could not then bee baptised wherefore Barbas all amased fled from thence to a church of purer religion and there was entertained into the church by baptisme Socrat. lib 7. cap. 17. Socrates in his Ecclesiasticall hystorie reporteth the like accident to haue happened to a Iew who had beene oftentimes baptised and came to Paulus a Nouatian bishop to receiue the sacrament againe but the water as before vanished and his villany being detected hee was banished the church Opiat Meltuit lib. 2. contr Parenianum Cent. 4. cap. 6. Vrbanus Farmensis and Foelix Iducensis two Donatists by profession rushing into Thipasa a Citty of Mauritania commaunded the Eucharist to bee throwne amongst the dogges but the dogges growing mad thereby set vpon their owne maisters and rent them with their teeth as being guiltie of despising the body of Christ certainely a noble iudgement to condemne the wicked behauiour of those miscreants who were so profane as not onely to refuse the sacrament themselues Vide lib. 1 ca. 17. but also to cast it to their dogs as if it were the vilest and contemptablest thing in the world Theopompus a Philosopher being about to insert certaine things out of the writings of Moses into his prophane workes and so to abuse the sacred word of God was stroken with a frensie and being warned of the cause therof in a dreame Ioseph antiq lib. 12. cap. 2. by praiers made vnto God recouered his senses againe this story is recorded by Iosephus as also another of Theodectes a Poet that mingled his Tragedies with the holy Scripture and was therefore stroken with blindnesse vntill hee had recanted his impiety In a towne of Germany called Itzsith there dwelt a certaine husbandman that was a monstrous despiser and prophaner of the word of God and his sacraments Luther in coloquijs he vpon a time amidst his cups railed with most bitter tearmes vpon a minister of Gods word after which going presently into the fields to ouerlooke his sheep he neuer returned aliue but was found there dead with his body all scorched and burnt as black as a coale the Lord hauing giuen him ouer into the hands of the deuill to be thus vsed for his vile prophanesse and abusing his holy things This D. Iustus Ionas in Luthers conferences reporteth to be most true In the yeare of our Lord 1553 a certaine coblers seruant being brought vp among the professors of the reformed religion and hauing receiued the sacrament in both kinds Philip Melanc after liuing vnder Poperie receiued it after their fashion in one kind but when hee returned to his old maister and was admonished by him to goe againe to the communion as he was wont then his sleepie conscience awaked and hee fell into most horrible despaire crying that hee was the deuils bondslaue and therewithall threw himselfe headlong out of the window so that with the fall his bowels gushed out of his mouth and he died most miserably When the great persecution of the Christians was in Persia vnder king Sapor in the yeare of our Lord 347 Sozomen lib. 2. cap. 31. there was one Miles an holy bishop and constant Martyr who preaching Vide lib. r. ca. 16. exhorting suffering all manner of torments for the truth of the gospel could not conuert one soule of the whole citie whereof he was bishop to the faith wherfore in hatred and detestation of it he forewent it cleane but after his departure the Lord made them worthily rue their contempt of his word for he sent the spirit of deuision betwixt king Sapor and thē so that he came with an army of men three hundred Eliphants against it and quickly subuerted it that the very appearence memorial of a city was quite defaced and rooted out for certainely this is a sure position