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
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
giuing him the crowne he most vnthankfully recompenced by putting to death his sonne Zacharias 2. Chron. 24. whome he caused for reproouing and threatning his idolatry in a publicke assembly incited thereto by the spirit of God to be stoned to death in the porch of the Temple But seeing he did so rebelliously set himselfe against the holy spirit as if he would haue quite oppressed and extinguished the power thereof by the death of this holy Prophet by whome it spake God hissed for an armie of Syrians that gaue him battell and conquered his souldiers who in outward shew seemed much to strong for them His princes also that had seduced him were destroied himselfe vexed with grieuous diseases till at length his owne seruants conspired against him for the death of Zacharia and slue him on his bed yea and his memory was so odious that they could not afford him a burying place among the sepulchres of their kings Amazias the sonne of this wicked father 2. Chro 25. caried himselfe also at the first vprightly towards God in his seruice but it lasted not long for a while after he was corrupted and turned aside from that good way which he had begun to tread after the by paths of his father Ioas for after he had conquered the Idumeans and slaine twenty thousand men of war and spoiled diuers of their cities in stead of rendring due thankes to God who without the aid of the Israelites had giuen him that victory he set vp the gods of the Edomites which he had robbed them of to be his gods and worshipped and burned incense to them so void of sense and reason was he And being rebuked by the Prophet of his aduerse dealing hee was so farre from humbling and repenting himselfe thereof that quite contrary he proudly withstood and reiected the Prophets threatnings menacing him with death if he ceased not Thus by this meanes hauing aggrauated his sinne and growing more and more obstinate God made him an instrument to hasten his owne destruction for being proud and puffed vp with the ouerthrow which he gaue the Edomites hee defied the king of Israel and prouoked him to battell also but full euill to his ease for he lost the day and was carried prisoner to Ierusalem where before his face for more reproch foure hundred cubits of the wall was broken downe the temple and pallace ransackt of his treasures his children caried for hostâ—ges to Samaria And not long after treason was deuised against him in Ierusalem so that he fled to Lachish and being pursued thither also was there taken and put to death 2. Chron. 28. Likewise king Ahaz for making molten images for Baalim and walking in the idolatrous waies of the kings of Israel and burning his sonnes with fire after the abominations of the heathen in the valley of Ben-Hinnon was forsaken of the Lord and deliuered into the hands of the king of Syria who caried him prisoner to Damascus and not only so but was also subdued by Pekah king of Israel in that great battell wherein his owne sonne with fourescore thousand men at armes were slaine yea and two hundred thousand of all sorts men women and children taken prisoners for all these chastisements did hee not once reforme his life but rather grew worse and worse To make vp the number of his sinnes he would needs sacrifice to the gods of Damascus also thinking to find succour at their hands so that hee vtterly defaced the true seruice of God at Ierusalem broke in pieces the holy vessels lockt vp the temple dores and placed in their stead his abominable idols for the people to worship and erected altars in euery corner of the city to doe sacrifice on But as hee rebelled on euery side against his God so God raised vp enemies on euery side to disturbe him The Edomites and Philistims assaulted him on one side beate his people tooke and ransackt his cities on the other side the Assyrians whome he had hired with a great summe for his helpe turned to his vndoing and vtter ouerthrow and confusion What shall wee thinke of Manasses who reedified the high places and altars which the zeale of Ezechias his father had defaced and throwen downe 2. Chron 33. and adored and worshipped the plannets of heauen the Sunne the Moone and the Starres profaned the porch of Gods Temple with altars dedicated to strange gods committing thereon all the abominations of the Gentiles Idolatrie Lib. 1. cap. 26. yea and caused his sonnes to passe thorough the valley of Benhinnon and was an obseruer of times and seasons and gaue himselfe ouer to witchcraft charming and sorceries and vsed the helpe of familiar spirits and soothsayers and that which is more placed a carued Image in the house of God flat against the second commaundement of the law So that hee did not onely go astray and erre himselfe in giuing ouer his mind to most wicked and damnable heresies but also seduced the people by his pernitious example and authoritie to doe the like mischiefe And that which is yet more and worst of all hee made no account nor reckening of the admonitions of the Prophets but the rather and the more hardened his heart to runne out into all manner of crueltie and wickednesse that his sinnes might haue their full measure For the very stones of the streetes of Ierusalem were stained from one corner to another with the guiltlesse and innocent blood of those that either for disswading him from or not yeeldihg vnto his abominable and detestable Idolatry were cruelly murdered amongst the number of which slaine innocents many suppose that the Prophet Esaias although hee was of the blood royall was with a straunge manner of torment put to death 2. King 12. Wherefore the flame of Gods ire was kindled against him and his people so that they stirred vp the Assyrians against them whose power and force they being not able to resist were subdued and the king himselfe taken and put in fetters and bound in chaines caried captiue to Babylon but being there in tribulation he humbled his soule and praied vnto the Lord his God who for all his wicked cruell and abominable Apostasie was intreated of him and receiued him to mercy yea and brought him againe to Ierusalem into his vnhoped for kingdom Then was hee no more vnthankefull to the Lord for his wonderfull deliuerance but being touched with true repentance for his former life abolished the strange gods broke downe their altars and restored againe the true religion of God and gaue straight commandement to his people to do the like Wherein it was the pleasure of the Highest to leaue a notable memorial vnto all posterity of his great and infinite mercy towards poore and miserable sinners to the end that no man be his sinnes neuer so heinous should at any time despaire for where sinne aboundeth Rom. 5. there grace aboundeth much more Admit that this reuolt of Manasses
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
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 Lord hath preserued her maiestie not onely from these but many other secret and priuie foes and that most miraculously and contrarie to all reason and hath spread his winges ouer her to defend her from all her enemies the consideration whereof as it ought to stirre vp in euerie one a thankfull heart to acknowledge his mercies and a fearefull care not to displease him that is so gratious vnto vs so it ought also to incite euerie one of vs to pray incessantly for her further preseruation as being the soule of our soules and life of our liues for surely if the Lord depriue vs of her life our sinnes are the cause and our smart will be the effect thereof Moreouer there is yet another kind of treason and another rancke of traitors as pernicious as any of the former and as odious before God and man Such are they which either vpon priuate quarrels or receiued iniuries or hope of gaine or any other silly respect forsake their countries take part with the enemies to fight against it or they that in time of necessity refuse to fight or dare not fight in defence of it the former sort are called fugitiues and the latter cowards As touching the first they haue beene alwaies in detestation in well gouerned pollicies and also euermore seuerely punished The Aeginates punished them with the losse of their right hand thumbes to the end they might no more handle a speare or a sword but an oare The Mitylenians with losse of their liues The inhabitants of Samos marked them in the face with the picture of an oule and the Romanes punished them after diuerse fashions Fabius Maximus caused all those that had fled from the Romane succours to the enemy to loose their hands Africanus the former though gentle mild by nature yet in this respect he borrowed from forraine cruelty for hauing conquered Carthage got into his power all those Romane rebels that tooke part against his country hee hung the Romanes as traitors to their countrie Valerius maximus and mitigated the punishment of the Latines as but perfidious confederates Africanus the latter when hee had subdued the Punicke Nation hee threw all fugitiues amongst wild beasts to be deuoured Lucius Paulus after the conquest of the king of Persia committed these fellows to the mercie of Eliphantes Generally there is no Nation vnder the sunne which holdeth them not in execration and therfore our English fugitiues who vnder cloke of religion not onely abandon their countrie their kindred and their Prince but also conspire the vndoing swear the destruction of them are they not worthie to be handled like traitors and to haue their quarters spectacles of perfidie The bridge and gates of London beare witnesse of the wofull ends that these Iesuits come vnto As touching cowards I meane such as preferring their liues or liberty or any other by-respects before their countries welfare either dare not or wil not stand stoutly in defence of it in time of war and danger they deserue no lesse punishment then the former seeing that as they are open oppugners so these are close vnderminers of the good thereof And therefore the Romans did sharply chasten them in their gouernment as may appear by diuerse examples of the same as first they were noted with this ignominy neuer to eat their meat but standing hereunto they were sworne Nay they were in such hatefull account amongst them Alex. ab Alex. that when Anniball offered the Senat 8000 captiues to be redeemed they refused his offer saying that they were not worthy to bee redeemed that had rather bee taken basely then die honestly valiantly the same Senat dealt more fauourably with the captiues which king Pirrhus tooke for they redeemed them but with this disgrace degrading them from their honors and places vntill by a double spoile they had won their reputation againe L. Calpurnius Piso handled Titius the captaine of his horsemen in Sicilia one who being ouercharged with enemies deliuered his weapons vnto them on this maner Valerius Max. lib. 2. cap. 2. he caused him to go barefooted before the army wearing a garment without seames hee forbad him society with any saue such as were noted with the same fault and from a Generall ouer horsemen he debased him to a common souldior How did the same Senat correct the cowardise of Caius Vatienus who to the end to priuiledge himselfe from the Italick war cut off all the fingers of his left hand euen they proscribed his goods and cast him into perpetuall prison that that life which he refused to hazard in defence of his countrie hee might consume in bondage and fetters Fulgosius saith Lib. 2. cap. â— that among the Germanes it was so vnhonourable a part to loose but a shield in the war that whosoeuer had happened to doe so was suspended both from the place of common councill and from the temples of religion insomuch that many as he reporteth killed themselues to auoid the shame The people called Daci punished cowards on this sort they suffered them not to sleepe but with their heads to the beds feetward besides by the law they made them slaues and subiects to their owne wiues what viler disgrace could there be then this Plu. Agefilaus And yet the Lacedemonians plagued them more shamefully for with them it was a discredit to marrie in the stock of a coward any man might strike them lawfully and in their attire they went with their clothes rent and their beards halfe shauen Thus are all kind of traitors continually punished of the Lord by one means or other and therefore let vs learne to shun treason as the vilest and the detestablest thing in the world CHAP. IIII. Of such as haue murdered their rulers or Princes ZImri captaine of halfe the chariots of Elah King of Israel conspired against his Lord All this whole chapter in regard of murder belongeth to the sixt commandemâ—nt 1. Kâ—ng 16. as hee was in Tirza drinking till hee was drunke in the house of Arza his steward and came vpon him suddainely and smote him till hee died and possessed the kingdome in his roome Howbeit herein he was the Lords rod to punish the house of Baasha yet when the punishment was past the Lord threw the rod into the fire for he inioied the crown but seuen daies For all Israell detesting his fact made Omri king ouer them who besieged him in Tirza and droue him inro that extremity that hee went into the pallace of the kings house and burnt himselfe and the house with fire 2. Kin. 12.21 Iozachar the sonne of Shimeah and Iehozabod the sonne of Shomer came to no better end for murdering Iehoash King of Iuda for Amaziah his sonne after the kingdome was confirmed vnto him caused them both to bee put to death But their children hee slew not 2. King 14.5 according to that which is written in the book of the law
Austria Greg. of Tours lib 2. who being tickled with an vnsatiable lust of raigne through the deceiuable persuasions of Cleodouius king of Fraunce slew his father Sigebert as he lay asleepe in his tent in a forrest at noone time of the day who being weary with walking laid himselfe downe there to take his rest but for all that the wicked wretch was so farre from attaining his purpose that it fell out cleane contrarie to his expectation for after his fathers death as hee was vewing his treasures and ransacking his coffers one of Cleodouius factors stroke him sodainly and murdered him so Cleodouius seased both vpon the crowne and treasures After the death of Hircanus Ioseph antiq Aristobulus succeeded in the gouernmēt of Iudea which whilest he stroue to reduce into a kingdome to weare a crown contrary to the custome of his predecessors his mother other brethren contending with him about the same he cast in prison and took Antigonus his next brother to be his associate but ere long a good gratefull son he famished her to death with hunger that had fed him to life with her teates euen his naturall mother And after persuaded with false accusations caused his late best beloued Antigonus to be slain by an ambush that lay by Stratos tower because in the time of his sicknesse hee entered the temple with pompe but the Lord called for quittance for the two bloosheads immediatly after the execution of them for his brothers blood was scarse washed of the ground ere in the extremity of his sicknesse he was carried into the same place there vomiting vp bloud at his mouth nosthrils to be mingled with his brothers he fell down starke dead not without horrible tokens of trembling and despaire Nero that vnnaturall Tyrant surpassed all that liued Corn. Tacit. lib. 14. as in all other vices so in this for hee attempted thrise by poyson to make away his mother Agrippina and when that could not preuaile by reason of her vsuall Antidots and preseruatiues hee assaied diuerse other meanes as first a deuise whereby shee should bee crushed to death as she slept Sueton. cap. 33. a loosened beame that should fall vpon her and secondly by shipwracke both which when shee escaped the one by discouery and the other by swimming hee sent Anicetus the Centurion to slaughter hir with the sword who with his companions breaking vp the gate of the city where shee lay rushed into her chamber and there murdered her It is written of her that when shee saw there was no remedy but death shee presented her belly vnto the murderer and desired him to kill her in that part which had most deserued it by bringing into the world so vile a monster and of himt hat he came to veiw the dead carcasse of his mother and handled the members thereof commending this and discommending that as his fancy led him in the mean time being thirstie to call for drinke so far was hee from all humanitie and touch of nature but he that spared not to embrew his handes in her blood that bred him was constrained ere long to offer violence vnto his own life which was most dear vnto him Munst Cosmog lib. 3. Henry the son of Nicolotus duke of Herulia had two wicked cruell and vnkind sons by the yonger of whom with the consent of the elder he was traiterously murdered because he had married a third wise for which cause Nicolotus their cousin Germane pursued them both with a iust reuenge for he depriued them of their kingdome and droue them into exile where they soone after perished Phil. Melanct. chron lib. 5. Munst Cosmog lib. 4. Selimus the tenth Emperour of the Turks was so vnnaturall a child that he feared not to dispossesse his father Baiaset of the crowne by treason and next to bereaue him of his life by poyson And not fatisfied therewith euen to murder his two brethren and to destroy the whole stocke of his own bloud But when hee had raigned eight yeares vengeance found him out and being at his backe so corrupted and putrified his reines that the contagion spread it selfe ouer all his bodie so that hee died a beast-like and irkesome death and that in the same place where hee had before oppressed his father Baiaset with an army to wit at Chiurle a citty of Thracia in the yeare of our Lord 1520 the month of September Casp Hedian lib. 6. cap. 29. Charles the younger by surname called Crassus sonne to Lodouick the third was possessed and tormented with a Deuill in the presence of his father and the peeres of the realme which hee openly confessed to haue iustly happened vnto him because hee had pretended in his mind to haue conspired his fathers death and deposition what then are they to expect that doe not pretend but performe this monstrous enterprise A certaine degenerate and cruel sonne longing and gaping after the inheritance of his father which nothing but his life kept him from wrought this meanes to accomplish his desire he accused his father of a most filthy and vnnameable crime euen of committing filthinesse with a cow knowing that if he were conuicted thereof Theat hist the law would cut off his life and herein he wrought a double villany in going about not onely to take away his life which by the law of nature he ought to haue preserued but also his good name without respecting that the staine of a father redoundeth to his posteritie Mandat 8. Calumniatiō lib. 2. cap. and that children commonly doe not only inherit the possessions but also imitate the conditions of their parents but all these supposes laid aside togither with all feare of God he indicted him before the magistrate of incest that vpon his owne knowledge insomuch that they brought the poore innocent man to the racke to the end to make him confesse the crime which albeit amidst his tortures he did assoone as he was out he denied againe howbeit his extorted confession stood for euidence and he was condemned to be burned with fire as was speedily executed and constantly endured by him exclaiming still vpon the false accusation of his sonne and his owne vnspotted innocencie as by the issue that followed most clearely appeared for his sonne not long after fell into a reprobate mind and hanged himselfe and the iudge that condemned him with the witnesses that bare record of his forced confession within one moneth died all after a most wretched and miserable sort And thus it pleased God both to reuenge his death and also to quit his reputation and innocency from ignominy and discredit in this world Manfred prince of Tarentum Phil Melanct. Chron. lib. 4. No better fruit to be expected of an◠bastard im◠bastard sonne to Fredericke the second smothered his father to death with a pillow because as some say he would not bestow the kingdom of Naples vpon him not content
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
his princes and his wiues and concubines might drinke therein exalting himselfe thus against the Lord of heauen boasting in his Idols of earth therfore God being stirred vp to wrath against him appointed his destruction euen whilst he thus dranke and made merry in the midst of his iolity and caused a strange and fearfull signe to appeare before his eies a bodilesse handwriting vpon the wall ouer against the candlestick The words of which writing portended the destruction of his kingdom which presently ensued for the very same night he was murdred and the scepter seased vpon by Darius king of Media CHAP. XI Of the kings which in hatred to the law and religion of God afflicted the Iewes in the time of the Machabees 1. Mach. 2. 6. ANtiochus by sirname Epiphanes or excellent though by truer report of people contemptuously intituled the furious king of Asia being venimously enraged against the Iewes began at the first marueilously to oppresse them to rob and spoile their temple and to slaughter the people About ten yeeres after deceiuing the poore people with faire and smooth words couers of most vile and wretched treason whilst they imagined no mischiefe he set vpon them in such cruell sort that the losse desolation which they endured at that time was inestimable for besides the destruction of Ierusalem their city the slaughter of infinite multitudes of their people and the captiuitie of women and infants as if all these were not enough there was yet another misery to make vp the full sum worse then all the rest which was this The cursed tyrant seeing his purpose not to take the full effect commaunded euery where that all his subiects I meane the Iewes should forsake and abiure the law of God be vnited into one religion with the infidels By meanes of which edict the religion of God was defaced the bookes of his law rent and burned and those with whome any such books were found rigorously put to death Which fearfull crueltie when the Iewes perceiued it caused many of them to wax faint hearted to giue themselues ouer to wallow in the durty fashions of the vncircūcised idolaters in their madnes to subscribe to the vniust lawes of the vile monster Now after he had committed all these outrages he was repulsed with dishonour frō the city Elymais in Persia which he went about to spoile rob and forced to fly to Babylon where after tidings of the ouerthrow of his two armies in Iudea with grief despite he ended his daies Antiochus the sonne of this wretched father 1. Mach. 6. succeeding him as in his kingdom so in wickednes periury disloialty when to the end to consult about his own affaires he cōcluded a peace with the Iewes by solemne oath as well of himselfe as his princes confirmed the free exercise of their religiō behold suddenly he falsified his plighted sworn faith vndid all that euer he had done but it was not long ere he also was ouertaken by the army of Demetrius togither with Lysias his gouernor put to death A while after reigned Alexander his brother 1. Mach. 11. who whilst hee was encumbred with the troubles of Cilicia that reuolted from him the king of Aegypt his father in law came traiterously to forestall him of his kingdome tooke his wife gaue her to his deadliest enemy and afterward gaue him battell discomfited his forces and droue him to flie into Arabia for safety where in stead of help he found an hatchet to chop off his head which was sent for a present to gratifie the king of Aegypt withall Not long after Antiochus his son recouered 1. Mach. 13. the scepter of his father but alas his reign endured but a small space for being yet but a yong child he was slaine by Triphon in the way as he led him to war against the Iews and thus perished the cursed race of Antiochus which felt Gods wrath vpon it euen to the third generation Antiochus the son of Demetrius of whom mention was made but a litle before after he had chased Triphon from the kingdome of Asia which he vsurped 2. Mach. 5. and broken the league which he had made with the Iewes gaue himselfe wholly to worke them misceiefe Therfore comming against Ierusalem he tooke it by force commanding his souldiers to put all to death that were within the same So that within three daies there was such a massacre of young and old men women and children that the number of the slaine arose to fourescore thousand carcasses After this hauing executed many more villanies against this people in so much as to make them renounce the lavv of God putting them cruelly to death that did not obey his commandement It came to passe that this cruell tyrant was first of all pur to flight by the inhabitants of Persepolis a city of Persia for going about to rob their temple of their treasures next endamaged by an ouerthrow of his armie in Iudea which he no sooner vnderstood but he tooke counsell in his fury how to be reuenged on Ierusalem and belched forth bitter threats against it But in the meane while the Lord stroke him with a sudden incurable plague surprised him with a horrible torment of his entrails Howbeit for all this he ceased not his malitious enterprisse but hasted forward his iourny towards the Iews with such egernesse that in the way he fell out of his charriot bruised so his body that it became putrified so full of corruption that very vermine scrawled out therof and the rotten flesh dropped peecemeale away no man no nor himselfe being able to endure the stinch therof Then was he constrained in the midst of his torments to confesse that it was meet that he should submit himselfe vnto God that he which is mortall ought not to exalt himselfe so high as to compare with the immortall God and in this estate this reprobate ended his wicked daies by a strange and most miserable kind of death CHAP. XII Of those that persecuted the sonne of God and his Church IF they who in the law iniured and persecuted the Church of God were punished according to their deserts as we haue already heard is it any maruell then if the enemies persecuters of our Lord Sauiour Christ Iesus which labour by all meanes to discountenance and frustrate his religion and to oppresse his Church do feele the heauy fearfull vengeance of God vpon them for their wickednes vnbeliefe No verily for he that honoreth not the sonne honoureth not the father which sent him and is guilty therfore before God of impiety prophanesse From this hamous crime king Herod in no wise can be exempted that caused all the infants of Bethlehem of two yeres old vnder to be cruelly murdred Mat. 2. in hope therby to put the true Messias and sauiour of the world to death For which deed accompanied
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
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
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
his faith and recoiled from Christ Iesus Christ Iesus would recoile from him and giue him ouer to death by depriuing him of his grace and spoiling him of the power of his quickning and sauing spirit These are the fearefull examples of Gods Iudgements which Saint Ciprian reporteth to haue light vpon Backsliders in his time adding moreouer that besides these many vvere possessed with Deuils robbed of their wits and enraged vvith furie and madnesse and all for this offence of Apostasie Amongst all the examples of our age of Gods seuere iustice vpon Apostataes the examples of Francis Spiera an Italian Lawier a man of credite and authoritie in his countrey is most pitifull and lamentable who hauing embraced the true religion vvith maruellous zeale and made open profession of the same Sleidan lib. 21.1 feared not freely to declare his opinion of euery point of doctrine that came in question and grew in knowledge euery day more and more But it was not long ere hee was complained off to the Popes Embassadour which when hee vnderstood and saw the danger wherein hee was like to fall After hee had long debated and disputed the matter in his owne conscience the counsaile of the flesh and wordlie wisedome preuailing hee resolued at last to goe to the Embassadour to the intent to appease his wrath and doe whatsouer hee should command Thus comming to Venice and ouerruled with immoderate feare he confessed that hee had done amisse and craued pardon for the same promising euer after to bee an obedient subiect to the Popes lawes and that which is more when it was enioined him that at his returne home hee should in his owne countrie openly recant his former profession hee refused not but performed his recantation in due sort But it chaunced very soone after that this miserable man fell sicke of bodie and soule and began to despaire of Gods mercie towardes him His Phisitian perceiuing his disposition iudged that the cause of his bodies disease was a vehement conceit and thought of mind and therefore gaue aduise to minister counsaile to his troubled mind verie carefully that the cause beeing taken away the effect also might surcease To this end many learned men frequented him euery day recalling into his mind and laying open before him manie expresse places of Scripture touching the greatnesse of Gods mercie which thinges hee auouched to bee true but said that those promises pertained not to him because hee had renounced Christ Iesus and forsworne the knowne truth and that for this cause nothing was prepared for him but hell fire which alreadie in soule hee saw and felt I would said hee willingly if it were possible loue God but it is altogether impossible I onely feare him without loue These and such speeches vsed he with a stedfast countenance neither did his tongue at any time run at randome nor his answers sauour of indiscretion or want of memorie but aduisedly warned all that stood by to take heed by his example how to listen too much to worldly wisdome especially then when they should bee called before men to professe the religion of Christ And lying in this extremity he refused all manner of sustenance rebuking and being angrie with his sonnes that opened his mouth to make him swallow some food to sustain him saying Since hee had forsaken his Lord and maister all his creatures ought to forsake him I am afeard of euery thing there is not a creature that hath not conspired to worke my destruction let me die let mee die that I may goe and feele that vnquenchahle fire which already consumeth mee and which I can by no means escape And thus he died indeed pined to death in despaire and horrible torment of conscience Centur. 3 cap. 12 Nichomachus a man that stoutly professed Christ Iesus in prosperity being brought to his triall at Troas and put into torments he denied him and being deliuered by that means consented to offer sacrifice vnto idols But assone as hee had finished his sacrifice he was hoisted vp by the spirit of darknesse whose darling now he was dashed against the earth so that his teeth biting his prophane tongue wherewith hee had denied his sauour in two he died incontinently Tamerus a professour of the true religion vvas seduced by his brother to cleaue vnto Poperie Theatrum historicum and to forsake his first loue but for his defection from the truth the Lord gaue him vp into a reprobat sence so that falling into despaire he hong himselfe Richard Denton a blacksmith dwelling at Wels in Cambridgeshire hauing beene a professor of the Gospell before time when William Wolsey Martyr whome the said Denton had first conuerted vnto the truth sent him certaine money out of prison at Ely with this commendations That he maruelled hee tarried so long behind him seeing he was the first that deliuered him the booke of scripture into his hand Acts monuments pag 1717. and told him that it was the truth his answere was this I confesse it is true but alasse I cannot burne But hee that could not burne in the cause of Christ was afterward burned against his will for in the yeare 1564 his house was set on fire and whilest hee went in to saue his goods hee lost his life There was also one Burton Bailife of Crowland in Lincolnshire who pretending an earnest friendship to the gospel in king Edwards time after the kings death began lustily to set vp the Popish masse againe and would haue beaten the poore Curate if hee had not setled himselfe thereto but see how the Lords iudgement ouertooke him as he came riding from Fennebancke one day a crow flying ouer his head let fall her excrements vpon his face so that it ran from the top of his nose downe to his beard Acts monuments pag. 2101 the poisoned sent and sauour whereof so annoied his stomacke that he neuer ceased vomiting vntill he came home and after falling deadly sicke would neuer receiue any meat but vomited stil and complained of that stincke cursing the crow that had poisoned him to be short within few daies he died desperately without any token of repentance of his former life Hither may wee ad the examples of one Hendrie Smith a Lawier of the middle temple Acts monuments and Arnoldus Bomelius a student of Louaine both which hauing professed the truth a while and after being seduced by euill companie the one of Gilford the other of Maister Tileman Smith afterward hanged himselfe in his chamber in the temple in the year of our Lord 1569. Bomelius murdered himselfe with his owne dagger And thus these two Apostataes felt the heauy scourge of Gods wrath for reuolting from the truth which they once professed CHAP. XVIII Of those which haue willingly fallen away THese kind of Apostataes which wee are now to speake of are such as without any outward compulsion threats or likelihood of daunger forsake freely Gods true Religion and
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
vnderstand another so that with shame they were constrained to leaue their begun worke And besides instead of that strong and sure habitation which they dreamed on to maintaine and defend themselues by against all enemies and the fortresse castle wereby they went about to keepe other in subiection to them they were forced to forsake the place by the iust iudgement of God who scattered and dispersed them hither and thither that hee might bring them to that estate condition which they most of all feared and stroue to shun And thus God resisteth the proud and fauoureth the humble loe here the punishment wherwith God punished their sinne remaining still vpon them vntill this day for a chastisement of their proud spirits with the staine of this sinne most commonly the mightiest potentates of this world are defiled who although both by word and writing auouch confesse their power to be by the grace of God yet for the most part they are very vnthankfull for the same and so proud and high minded that they shew themselues most obstinate and vngratefull of all men for oftentimes they robbe him of the honour and glory which is peculiar vnto himselfe and attribute it to themselues in setting forth their braue and sumptuous shewes and triumphes this is the sinne whereof Nabuchadnezzar king of Babell was reprooued for God hauing bestowed vpon him a kingdome with such pompe and renowme that hee made whole nations to tremble before his face and putting many people in subiection vnder him hee in stead of giuing thankes for these great benefits exalted himselfe suffering his heart to swell and his vnderstanding to waxe hard with pride not regarding the Lord who extolled him so high and yet notwithstanding he was constrained to confesse and acknowleege him for the true God to haue an euerlasting kingdome and an infinite power as well by the forewarning of dreames which Daniel interpreted as by the miraculous deliuerance of the three yong men out of the burning furnace therefore as hee walked one day in his roiall pallace at Babylon and vaunted of his greatnesse and magnificense saying to himselfe Dan. 4. Is not this great Babel which I haue built for the house of the kingdome by the might of my power and for the honour of my maiestie Now whilst the word was yet in his mouth a voice was heard from heauen saying O king to thee it is spoken Thy kingdome shall depart from thee and according to the tenor of the voice hee was immediatly deposed from his roiall seat spoiled of all his glory driuen from the society of men depriued of sense made a companion for the bruit beasts and wild asses eating grasse like oxen euen so long vntill his haire was growen stiffe like Eagles feathers and his nailes like the clawes of birds In which estate hee continued the space of seuen yeeres euen hee that a little before was so proud and arrogant and hee that had conquered so many kingdomes and nations that triumphed ouer Iewry and Ierusalem with the kings thereof This is a most excellent looking glasse for kings to behold the ficklenesse and instabilitie of all their power and pompe when it pleaseth God to humble and bring them vnder there is neither sceptet crowne stay or strength of man that is able to hinder and turne aside the hand of the Almightie the King of kings from abasing and weakening the most high and strong of this world let them be neuer so braue and iolly and bringing them vnto a low contemptible and brutish estate Besides this which we haue already touched there is another kind of pride and presumption most damnable and detestable of all and it is when a man doth so much forget himselfe as to sease and take vpon him that honour which appertaineth only to God ascribing to himselfe a certaine deity one would hardly thinke that there were any such in the world so proud as to commit this sinne did not experience by certaine examples teach vs the contrary As first of all the king of Tyre whose heart was so exalted with the multitude of â—iches and the renowme and greatnesse of his house that hee doubted not to esteeme himselfe a god and to desire maiesty and power correspondent thereunto for which presumption Chap. 28.1 2 3 c. God by the Prophet Ezechiel reprooued him and threatned his destruction which afterward came vpon him when by the power of a strange and terrible nation his goodly godhead was ouercome and murdered feeling in deed that he was no god as he supposed but a man subiect to death and misery King Herod sirnamed Agrippa which put Iames the brother of Iohn to death Act. 12. and imprisoned Peter with purpose to make him tast of the same cup was puffed vp with no lesse sacrilegious pride for being vpon a time seated in his throne of iudgement and araied in his roiall robes shewing forth his greatnesse and magnificense in the presence of the Embassadours of Tyre and Sidon that desired to continue in peace with him as he spake vnto them the people shouted and cried That it was the voice of God and not of man which titles of honour hee disclaimed not and therefore the Angell of the Lord smote him suddenly because hee gaue not the glory to God so that he was eaten with worms and gaue vp the ghost Iosephus reporteth the same story more at large on this manner Vpon the second day of the solemnization of the plaies which Herod caused to be celebrated for the Emperours health there being a great number of gentlemen and Lords present that came from all quarters to this feast Iewish antiquities Lib. 19. cap. 7. hee came betime in the morning to the Theatre clad in a garment all wouen with siluer of a marueilous workmanship vpon which as the sunne rising cast his beames there glittered out such an excellent brightnesse that thereby his pernicious flatterers tooke occasion to call him with a loud voice by the name of God for the which sacrilegious speech hee not reproouing nor forbidding them was presently taken with most grieuous and horrible dolours and gripes in his bowels so that looking vpon the people hee vttered these words Behold here your goodly god whome you but now so highly honoured ready to die with extreame paine And so hee died in deed most miserably euen when hee was in the top of his honour and iollitie and as it were in the midst of his earthly paradise being beaten downe and swallowed vp with confusion and ignominie not stroken with the edge of sword or speare for that had beene far more honourable but gnawen in pieces with lice and vermine Simon Magus otherwise called Simon the Samaritane borne in a village called Gitton after hee was cursed of Peter the Apostle for offering to buy the giftes of the spirit of God with money went to Rome Euseb lib. 2. cap. 12. Philip. in Chron. Cent. â— lib. 2. cap.
with this iudgement he caused his wife to bring forth a child with a head like a dog that seeing hee preferred his dogs before the seruice of God he might haue one of his owne getting to make much of At Kimstat a town in France Iob. Fincel lib. 3. de mirac there liued in the yere of our Lord 1559 a certaine couetous woman who was so eager vpon the word and greedy of gaine that she would neither frequent the Church to heare the word of God her selfe nor suffer any of her family to do it but continually abode labouring and toiling about drying and pilling flax and doing other domesticall businesses neither would shee be reclaimed by her neighbors who admonished and dehorted her from such vntimely workes One Sabbath day as they were thus busily occupied fire seemed to issue among the flaxe without doing any hurt the next Sabbath day it tooke fire indeed but was quickly extinct for all this shee continued obstinate in her prophanenesse euen the third Sabbath when the flax againe taking fire could not be quenched till it had burnt her two of her children to death for though they were recouered out of the fire aliue yet the next day they all three died And that which was most to be wondred at a young infant in the cradle was taken out of the midst of the flame without any hurt Thus God vseth to exercise his iudgements vpon the contemners of his commandements Cent. 12. cap. 6. The Centuriators of Magdeburge intreating of the manners of Christians made report out of another history that a certaine husbandman in Parochia Gemilacensi grinding corne vpon the Lords day the meale began to burne Anno Dom. 1126 which though it might seeme to be a thing more casuall Ecclesiast hist. Cent. 12. ibid. yet they set it down as a iudgement of God vpō him for breaking the Sabbath As also of that which they speake in the same place of one of the kings of Denmark who when as he contrary to the admonition of the priests who desired him to defer it would needs vpō the day of Pentecost make war with his enemy died in the battell But that may be better known to vs all which is written in the 2 book of Machabes of Nicanor the Iewes enemy who would needs set vpon them on the Sabbath from which whē other the Iewes that were compelled to be with him could no way dissuade him he was slaine in the battell and most miserably but deseruedly handled euen the parts of his body shamefully dismembred as in that history you may read more at large Concil Paris lib. 1. cap. 50. Therfore in the councill at Paris euery one labouring to persuade vnto a more religious keeping of the Sabbath day when they had iustly cōplained that as many other things so also the obseruation of the Sabbath was greatly decaied through the abuse of Christian liberty in that men too much followed the delights of the world and their owne worldly pleasures both wicked and dangerous they further adde Multi nanque nostrum visu multi etiam quorundam relatu didicimus c. For many of vs haue bene eye witnesses many haue intelligence of it by the relation of others that some men vpon this day being about their husbandry haue beene stricken with thunder some haue beene maimed and made lame some haue had their bodies euen bones and all burnt in a moment with visible fire and haue consumed to ashes and many other iudgements of God haue bene and are daily whereby it is declared that God is offended with the dishonor of so high a day And our time hath not wanted examples in this kind whosoeuer hath obserued them when sometimes in the faires vpon this day the wares haue swom in the streets somtimes the scaffolds at plaies haue fallen downe to the hurting endangering of many somtime one thing somtime another haue fallen out and that which is most strange within these late yeres a whole town hath bene twise burnt for the breach of the Sabbath by the inhabitants The iust report thereof because I probably know not I passe ouer here to set downe vntill such time as I shall be better instructed Famous and memorable also is that example which happened at London in the yeere 1583 at Paris garden where vpon the Sabbath day were gathered togither as accustomably they vsed great multitudes of prophane people to behold the fport of bearbaiting without respect of the Lords day or any exercise of religiō required therin which profane impiety the Lord that he might chasten in some sort shew his dislike therof he caused the scaffolds suddenly to breake and the beholders to tumble headlong downe so that to the number of eight persons men women were slain therwith besides many others which were sore hurt bruised to the shortning of their daies Surely a friendly warning to such as more delight themselues with the cruelty of beasts vaine sports than with the works of mercy religion the fruits of a true faith which ought to be the sabbath daies exercise And thus much for the examples of the first table wherof if some seeme to exceed credit by reason of the strangenes of them yet let vs know that nothing is impossible to God and that he doth often worke miracles to controll the obstinate impietie and rebellion of mortall men against his commaundements Besides there is not one example here mentioned but it hath a credible or probable authour for the auoucher of it Let vs now out of all this that hath beene spoken gather vp this wholsome lesson to loue God with all our heart and affection to the end wee may worship him inuocate his holy name and repose all the confidence of our saluation vpon him alone through Christ Iesus seeking by pleasing and obeying his will to set forth his glorie and render him due thankes for all his benefits FINIS The second Booke CHAP. I. Of rebellious and stubborne children towards their parents WEe haue seene in the former booke what punishments they haue incurred that either malitiously or otherwise haue transgressed and broken the commandements of the first Table Now it followeth to discouer the chastisements which God hath sent vpon the transgressours of the second Table And first concerning the first commandement thereof which is Honour thy father and mother that thy daies may be prolonged in the land which the Lord thy God hath giuen thee Cham one of old Noahs sonnes Gen. 9. was guilty of the breach of this commandement who instead of perfourming that reuerence to his father which hee ought and that presently after the deluge which being yet fresh in memory might haue taught him to walke in the feare of God came so short of his duty that when he saw his nakednesse hee did not hide it but mocked and iested at it for which cause hee was cursed both of his father and of God
out more than was their due and by force to rauen all that which by faire meanes they could not get And that which is worse to pollute the holy Tabernacle of God with their filthie Whoredomes Contempt of holy things lib. 1. cap. 34. in such sort that the Religion of God grew in disgrace through their prophane dealings And albeit that it may seeme that their father did his dutie in some sort when hee admonished and reprooued them yet it is manifest by the reprehension of the man of God that hee did no part of that at all or if hee did yet it was in so careles loose cold maner vsing more lenitie thē he ought or lesse seueritie thē was necessary that God turned their destructions whē they were slain at the ouerthrow of Israel by the Philistims to bee his punishment for vnderstanding the doleful news of his sons death the arks taking at once he fel backwards from his stoole and burst his neck being old and heauy euen fourscore and eighteene yeares of age not able either to helpe or stay himselfe Lib. 2. cap. 10. de in titut christ fami Ludouicus Viues saith that in his time a certaine woman in Flaunders did so much pamper and cocker vp two of her sonnes euen against her husbands will that shee would not suffer them to want money or any thing which might furnish their riotous life both in drinking banquetting dicing yea she would steale from her husband to minister vnto thē but as soone as her husband was dead shee was iustly plagued in them both for they fell from rioting to robbing which two vices are commonly linked together and for the same one of thē was executed by the sword the other by the haltar shee her selfe looking on as a witnesse of their destructions whereof her conscience told her that her indulgence was the chiefest cause Hether may wee referre that common and vulgar story and I suppose verie true which is almost in euery childs mouth of him that going to the gallowes desired to speake with his mother in her eare ere hee died Cyriac. Spang and when she came vnto him in stead of speaking bit off her eare with his teeth exclaiming vpon her as the causer of his death because shee did not chastise him in his youth for his faults but by her flatteries established him in vice which brought him to this wofull end herein she was doubly punished both in her sons destruction her own infamy wherof shee carried about her a continuall marke This ought to bee a warning to all parents to looke better to the education of their children and to root out of them in time all euill and corrupt manners least of small sprigs they grow to branches and of qualities to habites and so either be hardly done of or at least depraue the whole body bring it to destruction but aboue all to keepe them from idlenesse vain pleasures the discōmodity and mischiefe wherof this present example wil declare At a towne called Hannuel in Saxonie the Deuill transforming himselfe into the shape of a man Iob Fincel lib. de miracu exercised many iugling trickes and pretty pastimes to delight yoong men and maids withall and indeed to draw after him daily great companies one day they followed him out of the citie gates vnto a hill adioyning where hee plaid a iuggling tricke in deed with them for he carried them all away with him so that they were after neuer heard of This history is recorded in the annales of the forenamed city and auouched to be most true being a notable and fearefull admonition to all parents to set their children to learning and instruction and to withdraw them from all such vaine and foolish pastimes CHAP. II. Of those that rebell against their Superiours NOw as it is a thing required by law and reason that children beare that honour and reuerence to their naturall parents which is commanded so it is as necessary by the same respect that all subiects perfourme that duty of honor obedience to their Lords Princes and Kings which is not derogatory to the glory of God and the rather because they are as it were their fathers in supplying that duty towards their subiects which fathers owe their children as namely in maintaining their peace tranquility in earthly things and keeping them vnder the discipline of Gods Church to which two ends they were ordained Rom. 13. For this cause the scripture biddeth euery man to be subiect to the higher powers not so much to auoid the punishment which might befall the contrary as because it is agreeable to the will of God And in another place To honour the king and To giue vnto Caesar that which is Caesars 1. Pet. 2. Matth. 22. Exod. 22. as vnto God that which is Gods So also in Moses law we are forbidden to detract from or speake euill of the magistrate or to curse the ruler of the people Yet for all this the children of Israel were not afraid many times to commit this sinne but then especially when they charged Moses with conspiring the murder of those rebels that vnder Corah Dathan and Abiram captaines of that enterprise set themselues against him and Aaron Num. 16. whome not hee but God for their pride and stubbornnesse had rooted out and destroied and thus they backbited and slaundered Moses and mutined against him being their soueraigne magistrate and conductour that so meekely and iustly had brought them ought of Aegypt euen by the speciall commission of almighty God But the fury of Gods displeasure was so stirred vp against them for this their fact that they were scourged with a most grieuous plague whereof died about foure thousand and seuen hundred persons In the time of king Dauids flight from Absolom who pursued him to bereaue him of his kingdome 2. Sam. 16. there was one Semei a Ieminite that in his wicked and peruerse humour in stead of seruice due vnto his soueraigne especially in that extremitie not only presented not himselfe vnto him as a subiect Mandat 3. Cursers lib. 1. cap. 33. but as a railer cursed him with most reprochfull termes as of murderer and wicked man and also threw stones at him and his followers in most despightfull maner for which his malicious and rebellious act though whilst Dauid liued he was not once called in question yet was he not exempted from punishment therefore for in the end his wickednesse fel vpon his owne head and destruction ouertooke him by desert of another fault 1. King 2. at the commandement of Salomon 2. Sam. 20. The punishment of Shiba the sonne of Bichri tarried not all so long who hauing also with a proud and audacious heart stirred vp the greatest part of Israel to rebell against Dauid then when he thought to haue beene most at quiet enioyed not long his disloiall enterprise for being speedily pursued by Dauids
by the Romans after he had made war vpon them six yeares At his returne to Epire he reentred by violence Macedonia tooke many places ouercame the army of king Antigonus that resisted him and had all the whole Realme rendered into his hand Being intreated by Cleominus to make warre vpon Sparta to the end to reinstall him in his kingdome which hee was depriued of forthwith he mustered his forces besieged the city and spoiled and wasted all the whole country Afterwards there being a sedition raised in the city Argos betweene two of the chiefest citizens one of the which sent vnto him for aid hee what issue soeuer was like to ensue whether victorie or vanquishment could not abide in peace from disquieting others and himselfe but must needes goe to take part in that sedition but to his cost euen to his destruction For first in his way hee found an euill-fauoured welcome by an Ambush placed of purpose to interrupt his iourney amongst whom he lost his sonne which mishap nothing dismaied him nor abated any whit of his purpose or courage from pursuing this iourney to Argos though the citizens themselues intreated him to retire and though he had no businesse there saue only to looke ouer the towne being arriued by night finding a gate left open for him to enter by by the means of him that had sent for him to his aid hee put his souldiors in and possessed himselfe of the towne incontinently But the city being aided by Antigonus and the king of Sparta charged and pressed him so sore that he sought meanes to retire out of the same but could not At which time being about ro strike a yoong man of the citie that had done him some hurt his mother being aloft vpon the roofe of an house perceiuing his intent threw downe a tile with both her handes vpon his head and hat him such a knocke vpon the necke through default of his armour that it so brused his ioints that hee fell into a suddaine sound lost his sight his raines falling out of his hand he himselfe tumbling frō his saddle vpō the ground which whē some of the souldiors perceiued they drew him out of the gate there to make an end of the tragedy cut off his head The cruelty of the Ephori was maruellous strange when being vnwilling once to heare the equality of lands and possessions to be named Plutarch which Agis their king for the good of the Common-wealth according to the ancient custome and ordinance of Licurgus sought to restore they rose vp against him cast him in prison and there without any processe or form of law strāgled him to death with his mother grandfather But it cost them very deare for Cleomenes who was ioint king with Agis albeit he had consented to the weauing of that web himselfe to the end hee might raigne alone yet ceased hee not to prosecute reuenge vpon them which hee did not only by his daily vsual practises openly but also priuily for taking them once at auantage being at supper all togither he caused his men to kill thē sodainly as they sat And thus was the good king Agis reuenged But this last murderer which was soullied and polluted with so much blood he went not long vnpunished for his misdeeds for soone after Antigonus king of Macedonia gaue him a great ouerthrow in a battaile wherein hee lost Sparta his chiefe citie and fled into Aegypt for succour where after small abode vpon an accusation laid against him he was cast into prison and though he scaped out with his company by cunning craft yet as he walked vp down Alexandria in armour in hope that through his seditious practises the citizens would take his part helpe to restore him to his liberty when he perceiued it was nothing so but that euery man forsooke him that there was no hope left of recouerie he commanded his men to kill one another as they did In which desperate furie and rage he himselfe was slaine and his body being found was commanded by king Ptolomy to be hanged on a gibbet and his mother wiues and children that came with him into Aegypt to bee put to death And this was the tragicall end of Cleomenes king of Sparta Alexander the tyrant of Pheres neuer ceased to marke spie out al occasions of war against the people of Thessaly Plutarch to the end to bring thē generally in subiectiō vnder his dominiō he was a most bloody cruel minded mā hauing neither regard of reason or iustice in any action In his cruelty he buried some aliue others he clothed in beares bores skins then set dogs at their tailes to rent thē in peeces others he vsed in way of pastime to strike through with darts and arrows And one day as the inhabitāts of a certain city were assembled togither in counsel he caused his guard to inclose thē vp sodainly to kil them all euen to the very infants He slew also his owne vncle and crowned the speare wherewith he did that deed with garlands of flowers and sacrificed vnto him being dead as to a god Now albeit this cruell Tygre was guarded continually with troopes of souldiors that kept night day watch about his body wheresoeuer hee lay and with a most ougly terrible dog vnacquainted with any sauing himselfe his wife and one seruant that gaue him his meat tied to his chāber dore yet could he not escape the euill chance which by his wiues meanes fell vpon him for shee taking away the staires of his chamber let in three of her owne brethren prouided to murder him as they did for finding him asleep one took him fast by the heeles the other by the haire wringing his head behind him and the third thrust him through with his sword shee all this while giuing them light to dispatch their businesse The citizens of Pheres when they had drawn his carcasse about their streets trampled vpon it their bellies full threw it to the dogs to bee deuoured so odious was his very remembrance among them Iugurth son to Manastabal brother to Micipsa Salust king of Numidia by birth a bastard for he was born of a cōcubine yet by nature disposition so valiant full of courage that he was not only beloued of al men but also dearly esteemed of by Micipsa that he adopted him ioint heir with his sons Adhorbal Hiempsal to his crowne kindly admonishing him in way of intreaty to continue the vnion of loue concord without breach betweene them which he promised to performe But Micipsa was no sooner deceased but he by by not content with a portion of the kingdome ambitiously sought for the whole For which cause he found means first to dispatch Hiempsall out of his way by the hands of his guard who in his lodging by night cut his throat and then by battaile hauing vanquished Adherbal his other brother
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
that had regard and respect vnto those poor wretches took their cause into his hand to quit this prowd prelate with iust reuenge for his outrage committed against thē sending towards him an army of rats mise to lay siege against him with the engines of their teeth on all sides which when this cursed wretch perceiued he remoued into a tower that standeth in the midst of Rhine not far from Bing whether he presumed this host of rats could not pursue him but he was deceiued for they swum ouer Rhine thick threefold got into his tower with such strange fury that in very short space they had consumed him to nothing In memorial wherof this tower was euer after called the tower of rats And this was the tragedy of that bloody archbutcher that compared poor Christian soules to brutish base creatures and therfore became himselfe a prey vnto them as Popiel king of Poleland did before him In whose strange exāples the beams of Gods iustice shine forth after an extraordinary wonderfull maner to the terror feare of all men when by the means of small creatures he made roome for his vengeāce to make entrance vpon these execrable creature murderers notwithstanding al mans deuises impediments of nature for the natiue operation of the elements was restrained frō hindering the passage of them armed inspired with an inuincible supernatural courage to feare neither fire water nor weapon till they had finished his command that sent them And thus in old time did frogs flies grashoppers and lice make warre with Pharoa at the command of him that hath all the world at his beck After this Archbishop in the same ranke of murderers we find registred many Popes of all whome the notorious and markable are these two Innocent the fourth and Boniface the eight who deserued rather to be called Nocents Malefaces than Innocents Boniface for their wicked peruerse liues for as touching the first of them from the time that hee was first installed in the Papacy he alwaies bent his horns against the Emperor Fredericke fought with him with an army not of men but of excommunications cursings as their manner is seeing that all his thundering buls and canons could not preuaile so far as hee desired hee presently sought to bring to passe that by treason which by force he could not for hee so enchanted certain of his houshold seruants with foule bribes and faire words Hieron Marius that when by reason of his short draught the poison which he ministred could not hurt him hee got thē to strangle him to death Moreouer he was chiefe sower of that war betwixt Henry Lantgraue of Thuring whom he created king of the Romans Conrade Fredericks son wherein hee reaped a crop of discomfitures ouerthrows after which he was found slain in his bed his body being full of black marks as if he had ben beaten to death with cudgels Concerning Boniface Baleus after he had by subtle crafty means made his predecessor dismisse himselfe of his Papacy and enthronized himselfe therein hee put him to death in prison and afterward made war vpon the Gibilines and committed much crueltie wherefore also he died mad as we heard before But touching the murderers of Popes and their punishments for the same wee shall see more in the 43 chapter following whether the examples of them are referred that exceeding in all kind of wickednesse cannot bee rightly placed in the treatise of any particular commandement CHAP. XIX Other memorable examples of the same subiect IF wee descend from antiquities to histories of later fresher memory we shall find many things worthy report and credit as that which happened in the year 1405 betwixt two gentlemen of Henault Eguerron de monstr vol. 1. the one of which accused the other for killing a near kinsman of his which the other vtterly and stedfastly denied wheron duke William county of Henault offered thē the cōbat in the city of Quesney to decide the cōtrouersie by when as by law it could not be ended wherevnto they being come hauing broken their speares in two incountred valiantly with their swords at length hee that was charged with indeed guilty of the murder was ouercome of the other and made to confesse with his mouth in opē audience the truth of the fact Wherefore the County adiudged him in the same place to bee beheaded which was speedily executed and the conqueror honourably conducted to his lodging Now albeit this maner of deciding controuersies be not approued of God yet we must not thinke it happened at aladuentures but rather that the issue therof came of the Lord of hosts that by this means gaue place to the execution of his most high soueraign iustice by manifesting the murderer bringing him to that punishmēt which he deserued Eguerron de monstr vol. 1. About this very time there was a most cruel outragious riot practised performed vpō Lewis duke of Orleance brother to Charles the sixt by the complot deuise of Iohn duke of Burgundy who as he was naturally haughty ambitious went about to vsurpe the gouernmēt of the realm of France for that the king by reason of weaknesse of his braine was not able to manage the affairs therof so that great trouble vnciuil wars were growne vp by that occasion in euery corner of the realme As therfore he affected and gaped after the rule so he thought no means dishonest to attain vnto it and therfore his first enterprise was to take out of the way the kings brother who stood betwixt him and home Hauing therfore prouided fit champions for his purpose hee found oportunity one night to cause him to come out of his lodging late by counterfait tokens from the king as if hee had sent for him about some matters of importance and being in the way to S. Pauls hostle where the kings lodging was in Paris the poore prince suspecting nothing was sodainly set vpō with eighteen roisters at once with such fury violence that in very short space they left him dead vpō the pauement by the gate Barbet his braines lying scattered about the street After this detestable and odious act committed and detected the cruell Burgundian was so farre from shaming that he vaunted and boasted at it as if he had atchieued the most valorous and honourable exploit in the world so farre did his impudencie outstretch the bond of reason Neuerthelesse to cast some counterfait colour vpon this rough practise he vsed the conscience and fidelitie of three famous diuines of Paris who openly in publicke assemblies approoued of this murder saying That he had greatly offended if hee had left it vndone About this deuise hee emploied especially M. Iohn Petit a Sorbonist doctor whose rashnes and brasen-facednes was so great as in the counsell house of the king stoutly to auerre that that which was done in the death of
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
herewith he poisoned also the heires of Fredericke to the end hee might attaine vnto the crowne as Conrade his elder brother and his nephew the sonne of Henry the heire which Henry died in prison now only Conradinus remained betwixt him and the kingdome whome though he assailed to send after his father yet was his intention frustrate for the Pope thundered out his curses against him and instigated Charles duke of Angiers to make warre against him wherein bastard and vnnaturall Manfred was discomfited and slaine and cut short of his purpose for which he had committed so many tragedies Luther Martin Luther was wont to report of his owne experience this wonderfull history of a locksmith a young man riotous and vicious who to find fuell for his luxury was so bewitched that he feared not to slay his owne father and mother with a hammer to the end to gaine their mony and possessions after which cruell deed he presently went to a shomaker and bought him new shoes leauing his old behind him by the prouidence of God to be his accusers for after an houre or two the slaine bodies being found by the magistrate and inquisition made for the murderer no manner of suspition being had of him hee seeming to take such griefe thereat But the Lord that knoweth the secrets of the heart discouered his hypocrisie and made his owne shoes which he had left with the shoemaker rise vp to beare witnesse against him for the blood which ran from his fathers wounds besprinkled them so that thereof grew the suspition from thence the examination very soone the confession last of all his worthy lawfull execution From hence wee may learne for a generall truth that murder neuer so secret will euer by one means or other be discouered the Lord will not suffer it to goe vnpunished so abominable it is in his sight Another sonne at Bosil in the yere of our Lord God 1560 bought a quantitie of poison of an Apothecary Casp Hed. 4. part chron ministred it to none but to his owne father accounting him worthiest of so great a benefit which when it had effected his wish vpon him the crime being detected in stead of possessing his goods which he aimed at hee possessed a vile and shamefull death for he was drawne through the streets burnt with hot irons and tormented nine houres in a wheele till his life forsooke him As it is repugnant to nature for children to deale thus cruelly with their parents so it is more against nature for parents to murder their children insomuch as naturall affection is of greater force in the descent then in the ascent the loue that parents beare their children is greater then that which children redound to their parents because the child proceedeth from the father and not the father from the child as part of his fathers essence and not the father of his Can a man then hate his owne flesh or be a rooter out of that which himselfe planted It is rare yet sometimes it commeth to passe Howbeit as the offence is in a high degree so it is alwaies punished by some notable and high iudgement as by these examples that follow shall appeare The ancient Ammonites had an idoll called Moloch to the which they offered their children in sacrifice this idoll as the Iewes write was of a great stature and hollow within hauing seuen chambers in his hollownesse whereof one was to receiue meate another turtle doues the third a sheepe the fourth a ram the fift a calfe the sixt an oxe and the seuenth a child his hands were alwaies extended to receiue gifts and when a child was offered they were made fire hot to burne it to death none must offer the child but the father to drowne the cries of it the Chemarims for so were the priests of that idoll called made a noise with bels cymbals and hornes thus it is written that king Achab offered his son yea many of the children of Israel beside as the Prophet Dauid affirmeth They offered saith he their sonnes and daughters to deuils shed innocent blod Psal 106 37 38. euen the blood of their children whom they offered vnto the idols of Canaan and their land was defiled with blood this is the horrible crime Now mark the iudgemēt touching the Canaanites the land spued them out for their abominations Achab with his posterity was accursed himselfe being slaine by his enemies and the crowne taken from his posterity not one being left of his off-spring to pisse against the wal according to the saying of Elias as for the Iewes the Prophet Dauid in the same place declareth their punishment when he saith That the wrath of the Lord was kindled Vers 40. and he abhorred his inheritance and gaue them into the hands of the heathen that they that hated them were lords ouer them In the yeere of our Lord 1551 in a towne of Hassia called Weidenhasten Iob. Fincel llb. 1. de mirac the 20 day of Nouember a cruell mother inspired with Satan shut vp all her dores and began to murder her foure children on this manner shee snatcht vp a sharpe axe and first set vpon her eldest sonne being but eight yeeres old searching him out with a candle behind a hogs-head where he hid himselfe and presently notwithstanding his pitifull praiers and complaints claue his head in two peeces and chopped off both his armes next shee killed her daughter of fiue yeeres old after the same manner another little boy of three yeeres of age seeing his mothers madnes hid himselfe poore infant behind the gate whome assoone as the tygre espied she drew out by the haire of the head into the floore and there cut off his head the youngest lay crying in the cradle but halfe a yeere old him shee without all compassion pluckt out and murdered in like sort These murders being finished the deuill incarnate for certen no womanly nature was left in her to take punishment of her selfe for the same cut her owne throat and albeit shee suruiued nine daies and confessing her fault died with teares and repenrance yet we see how it pleased God to arme her own hands against her selfe as the fittest executioners of his vengeance Theatr. hist The like tragicall accident we read to haue happened at Cutzenborff a city in Silesia in the yeere 1536 to a woman and her three children who hauing slaine them all in her husbands absence killed her selfe in like maner also to make vp the tragedie Concerning stepmothers it is a world to read how many horrible murders they haue vsually practised vpō their children in law to the end to bring the inheritance to their owne brood or at least to reuenge some iniury supposed to be done vnto them of which one or two examples I will subnect as a tast out of many hundred leauing the residue to the iudgement and reading of the learned Constantius the sonne of
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
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.
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
thē which was forthwith performed for the two duellists entring the lists sell presently to strokes and that so eagerly that in short space the quarrell was decided the Lord of Carouge husband of the wronged lady remained conquerour after he had slaine his enemie that had wronged him so wickedly disloially the vanquished was foorthwith deliuered to the hangman of Paris who dragged him to mount Falcon and there hanged him Now albeit this forme and custome of deciding controuersies hath no ground nor warrant either from humane or Diuine law God hauing ordained onely an oath to end doubts where proofes and witnesses faile yet doubtlesse the Lord vsed this as an instrument to bring the trecherous and cruell Adulterer to the deserued punishment and shame which by deniall he thought to escape A certaine Seneschall of Normandy Fulgos lib. 6. cap. 1. perceiuing the vicious and suspitious behauiour of his wife with the steward of his house watched them so narrowly that hee tooke them in bed togither hee slew the Adulterer first and after his wife for not all her pittifull cryings for mercie with innumerable teares for this one fault and holding vp in her armes the children which she had borne vnto him no nor her house and parentage being sister to Lewis the eleuenth then king could not withhold him from killing her with her companion Howbeit king Lewis neuer made shew of anger Lanquet chron or offence for her death Messelina the wife of Claudius the Emperour was a woman of so notable incontinency that she would contend with the common harlots in filthie pleasure at last shee fell in loue with a faire young Gentleman called Silius and to obtaine more commodiously her desire she caused his wife Sillana to be diuorced and notwithstanding she was wife to the Emperor there liuing yet shee openly married him for which cause after great complaint made to the Emperour by the Nobles she was worthely put to death Abusahed king of Fez was with six of his children murdered at once by his secretary for his wiues sake whom hee had abused Paulus Iouius Tom. 2. lib. 38. Sleid lib. 10. And it is not long sithence the two cities Dalmendine and Delmedine were taken from the king of Fez brought vnder the Portugall dominion only for the rauishment of a woman whom the gouernour violently tooke from her husband to abuse and was slaine for his labour CHAP. XXVII Other examples like vnto the former Munst Cosm lib. 3. Casp Hed. histor Ecclesiast MAry of Arragon wife to Otho the third was so vnchast and lasciuious a woman and withall barren for they commonly goe together that shee could neuer satisfie her vnsatiable lust she carried about with her continually a young lecher in womans clothes to attend vpon her person with whome she daily committed filthinesse who being suspected was in the presence of many vntired and found to be a man for which villany he was burnt to death Howbeit the Empresse though pardoned for her fault returned to her old vomit continued her wanton trafficke with more then either desired or loued her companie at last shee fell in loue with the countie of Mutina a gallant man in personage too honest to be allured with her stale though hee was often solicited by her wherefore like a Tygre she accused him to the Emperour for extreame loue conuerts to extreame hatred if it bee crossed of offering to rauish her against her will for which cause the Emperor Otho caused him to loose his head but his wife being priuy to the innocency of her husband trauersed his cause and required iustice that though his life was lost yet his reputation might be preserued and to prooue his innocency shee miraculously handled yron red with heat without any hurt which when the Emperour saw searching out the cause very narrowly hee found out his wiues villany and for her paines caused her to bee burned at a stake but on the Earles wife he bestowed great rewards euen foure castels in recompence of her husband though no reward could counteruaile that so great a losse Rodoaldus the eight king of Lumbardie Chron. Phil. Melanct. lib. 3. being taken in Adulterie euen in the fact by the husband of the adulteresse was slaine without delay Anno 659 in like sort Iohn Malatesta slew his wife and the adulterer together when hee tooke them amidst their embracements So did one Lodewicke steward of Normandy kill his wife Carlotta and her louer Iohn Lauernus as they were in bed togither Hedion in his Chronicle telleth of a Doctor of the law that loued his proctors wife Casp Hed. pars 4. with whome as hee acquainted himselfe ouer familiarly and vnhonestly both at her owne house when her husband was absent and at a bath in an old womans house hard by the proctor watched their haunt so neare that hee caught them naked together in the bath and so curried the lecherous doctor with a curry-combe that he scraped out his eies and off his priuy members so that within three daies after he died his wife he spared because shee was with child otherwise she should haue tasted the same sauce Another story like vnto this he telleth of a Popish priest that neuer left to lay siege to the chastitie of an honest Matrone till she cōdiscended to his desire brought him into the snare and caused her husband to geld him I would to God that all that dishonour their profession by filthie actions might bee serued after the same manner that there might bee fewer bastards and bauds and common strumpets than there are now adaies and that since the feare of God is extinguished in their soules the feare and certaintie of suddaine iudgements might restraine them Wolfius Schrenk reported to Martin Luther how in Vaytland four murders were committed vpon the occasion of one Adultery for whilst the Adulteresse strumpet was banquetting with her louers her husband came in with a hunting speare in his hand and stroke him through that sat next vnto her and then her also other two in the meane while leapt downe the staires with feare and hast broke their armes and shortly after died Theat histor A certaine Cardinall committed daily Adulterie with a mans wife that winked as it were subscribed vnto it wherfore her brother taking this dishonor to his house in euil part watched when the lecher had promised to come but vpon occasion came not in the darke slew his sister and her husband supposing it to haue ben the Cardinall but whē he perceiued his error he fled the country for fear of the law howbeit before his departure he wrought such means that whom hee missed in his purpose of the sword him hee murdered by poison this iudgement is not only for adulterers but for wittals also that yeeld their consents to the dishonoring of their own wiues a monstrous kind of creatures and degenerat not only from the law of humanity but of
sirname was Nicholas as he passed from one town to the other being at Nocera lodged diuers times in the castell in the keepers and captaines house whome hee had there substituted to defend the place with an ordinary band of souldiors now as he made his abode there a few daies hee grew to cast a more lasciuious eie vpon the captains wife than was meet and from looking fell to lusting after her in such sort that in short space hee got very priuy familiar acquaintance with her oftentimes secret suspicious meetings which being perceiued by her husband he after watched so narrowly their haunts that once hee spied thē together without being seen of thē Neuerthelesse disgesting and swallowing vp this sorrow with silence and without giuing forth any tokens therof he cōsulted in himself to reuenge the iniury by the death rasing out not only of the Adulterer but also of the whole race fraternity Now when hee had hammered this enterprise laid forth the plot thereof in his head he dispatched presently a messenger to the three gentlemen brethrē to inuite thē against the next day to the hunting of the fairest wild bore that was this many a day seene in the forrests of Nocera Signior Nicholas failed not to come at the time appointed accompanied with Duke Camerino who desired to be one of this iolly crue they supped in the towne but lodged in the castel where being at rest about midnight the captain rushed into his chamber with the greatest part of his guard there handled Signor Nicholas on this maner he first cut off his priuy mēbers as being principal in the offence thē thrust him through on both sides with a spear next pluckt out his heart lastly tore the rest of his body into a thousand peeces As for the duke Camerino hee shut him vp in a deep darke dungeon with all the strangers of his retinue At day breake another of the brethren called Caesar that lay that night in the town was sent for to come speak with his brother assoone as he was entred into the court of the castell seuen or eight of the guard bound him his followers caried him into the chamber where his dead brother lay chopt as small as flesh to the pot there murdered him also Conrade the third brother being by reason of a marriage absent from this feast when hee receiued the report of these pitifull newes gathered togither a band of men from all quarters and with them assisted with the friends and allies of the duke Camerino then prisoner laid siege to the castle they battered the walles made a breach and gaue the assault of entrance and were manfully resisted fiue houres long till the defendants beeing but thirtie or fortie men at the most not able to stand any longer in defence were forced to retire and lay open way of entrance to the enemie then began a most horrible butchery of men for Conrade hauing woon the fort first hewed them in pieces that stood in resistance then finding the captaines father slue him and cast him piecemeale to the dogs some he tied to the tailes of wild horses to bee drawne ouer hedges ditches thornes and briers others hee pinched with hote yrons and so burnt them to death which when the captaine from the top of the dungeon where hee had saued himselfe beheld he tooke his wife whome hee held there prisoner and binding her hand and foot threw her headlong from the top of the tower vpon the pauemēt which the souldiors perciuing put fire to the tower so that he was constrained through heat and smoke himself his brother and his little child to sally downe the same way which he had taught his wife a little before to goe and so all three broke their neckes their carcasses were cast out to bee meat for wolues as vnworthy of humane sepulture And this was the catastrophe of that wofull tragedy where by the occasion of one adulterie so heauie is the curse of God vpon that sin a number of men came to their ends Luth. prand lib. 5. cap. 15. In the time of Pope Steuen the eight there was a varlet priest that was captaine in the house of a Marques of Italy who although he was very mishapen and euill fauoured yet was entertained of the lady Marques his mistres to her bed and made her paramour vpon a night as hee was going to lie with her according ro his wont his Lord being from home behold a dog barked so fiercely leaping biting at him that all the seruants of the house being awaked ran thitherward and finding this gallant in the snare tooke him and for all his bald crowne stripped him naked and cut off cleane his priuy and adulterous parts and thus was this lecherous Priest serued Luth. prand lib. 6. cap. 6. Pope Iohn the thirteenth a man as of wicked conuersation in all thinges so especially abhominable in whoredomes and adulterie which good conditions whilest he pursued he was one day taken tardy in the plaine fields whether hee went to disport himselfe for hee was found in the act of adultery and slaine forthwith and these are the godly fruits of those single life louers to whom the vse of mariage is counted vnlawfull and therefore forbidden but adultery not once prohibited nor disallowed CHAP. XXIX Of such as are diuorced without cause BY these and such like iudgements it pleaseth God to make knowne vnto men how much hee desireth to haue the estate of mariage maintained and preserued in the integritie and how much euery one ought to take heed how to depraue or corrupt the same now then to proceed if it be a sinne to take away rauish or entise to folly another mans wife shall we not thinke it an equall sinne for a husband to forsake his wife and cast her off to take another shee hauing not disanulled and cancelled the band of marriage by adultery Yes verily for as concerning the permission of diuorce to the Israelits vnder the law Mat. 19. our sauiour himselfe expoundeth the meaning and entent therof in the gospell to be nothing els but a tolleration for the hardnesse and stubbornnesse of their hearts and not a constitution from the beginning vpon which occasion speaking of mariage and declaring the right strength of the same he saith That whosoeuer putteth away his wife except it bee for adulterie and marrieth another committeth adulterie and he that marrieth her that is put away committeth adultery also Al which notwithstanding the great men of this world let loose themselues to this sinne too licentiously as it appeareth by many examples As of Antiochus Theos sonne of Antiochus Soter king of Siria who to the end to goe with Ptolomie Philadelphus king of Aegypt and marry his daughter Bernice cast off his wife Laodicea that had borne him children and tooke Bernice to bee his wife but ere long hee reiected her also and betraied her to
as the earth was corrupted and polluted with abundance of sinne so God sent abundance of water to purge and clense away the filthinesse thereof as at the latter day hee will send fire to purifie and refine heauen and earth from their dregs and restore them to their first and purest estate And thus God reuenged the extortion and crueltie of that age But yet for all this those sinnes were not then so defaced and rooted vp but that they be burnished againe and grown in time to as big a Bulke for euen at this day the greatest part of the world is giuen to practise fraud and deceit and by vnlawfull meanes to encroch vpon others goods which subtleties though they desire neuer so to disguise and cloke yet will they euer bee condemned reputed kinds of theft before God now as some are of greater power and authority than others in the world so answerable to their selues is the qualitie of their sinnes and by consequence the punishment the greater of power the greater theeues and the greater iudgement for if a poor man through pouerty and necessity cutteth a purse of stealeth any other trifle be culpable how much more culpable shall he that is rich bee that vsurpeth the goods of his neighbor Draco the lawgiuer of Athens appointed death to be the punishment of theft Solon mitigated that rigor and punished it with double restitution The Locrians put out his eies that had stolen ought from his neighbour The Hetrurians stoned them to death The Scythians abhorred theÌ„ more than all creatures because they had a communitie of all things except their cups The Vacceians vsed such seuerity towards this kind of men that if one had taken but a handfull of corne he was sure to die for it Marcus Fabius being Censor condemned his own son Buteâ— to death being apprehended for theft Tiberius the Emperor punished a souldior after the same manner for stealing a Peacock in sum there was no CoÌ„monwealth wherin this sin was not highly detested sharply punished except the Lacedemonian where it was permitted and tollerated for their exercise of warlike discipline It was a rash and seuere Theat histor yet as it proued a iust ded of Tamburlaine that mightie tyrant and conqueror of Asia when a poore woman complained to him of one of his souldiors that had taken from her a little milke and a peece of cheese without paiment he caused the souldiors belly to be ripped to see whither shee had falsly accused him or no and finding the milke in his stomacke adiudged him worthy of that punishment for stealing from so poore a woman When Theophilus raigned Emperour in the East there was a certaine souldiour possessed of a very gallant and braue horse which his captaine by all meanes possible sought to get from him Zonar Annal. 3. but he would not in any case part with him wherefore hee put him forth of pay and tooke his horse from him by force and sent him for a present to the Emperour Theophilus now it chanced that this poore souldiour was slaine in the battaile for want of his horse and his wife and children left destitute of succour insomuch that through necessity shee was constrained to flie to Constantionple and to complaine to the Emperour of the iniury done vnto her husband with this resolution entring the citie she met the Emperour riding vpon her husbands horse and catching the horse bridle chalenged him not onely for stealing the horse but also being the cause of her husbands death The Emperour wondering at the womans boldnesse examined her more narrowly and found out the whole practise of that wicked captaine whom he banished presently his Empire and bestowed his possession in recompence vpon the distressed widdow Ibicus the Poet being set vpon by theeues when hee saw that they would not only spoile him of his money but of his life also he cried for help and reuenge to the cranes that flew ouer his head a while after as these murdering theeues sat togither in the market place the same cranes appearing vnto them in the aire they whispered one another in the eare and said yonder flie Ibicus reuengers which though secretly spoken yet was ouerheard so that they being examined and found guiltie were put to death for their paines The like story Martin Luther Luther reporteth touching a trauailer only differing in this that as cranes detected the former so crows laid open the latter Albert. Krantz lib. 10. cap. 7. In the yeare 1384 when as al Saxony was so infested with theeues that no man could trauaile safely in the countrie the Princes calling a councill set downe this order That not only the theeues themselues should be seuerely punished but all that did protect or harbor any of them which decree wheÌ„ as Theodorick countie of Weringrode impugned the body of the councill sent for him and adiudged him to a most cruell and shamefull death Cranth lib. 10. cap. 30. In the year 1410 Henry duke of Luneburge a most iust seuere prince went about to purge his country from all thefts robberies insomuch as the least offence coÌ„mitted in that kind he suffered not to goe vnpunished now it happened as the Duke went towards Luneburge hee sent before him one of his chiefest officers to prouide necessaries against his comming who riding â—â—thout a cloake the weather being cold entreated a ploughman to lend him his cloke till his returne which wheÌ„ the clown refused to do he took it without leaue but it cost him his life for it for the ploughman awaited the dukes comming and directed his complaint vnto him on this maner What auaileth it O noble prince to seek to suppresse the outrage of theeues spoilers when as the chiefest officers dare commit such things vncontrolled as the lieutenant of Tzela hath but now taken froÌ„ memy cloke the duke hearing this complaint considering the cause dissembled his councill till his returne backe from Luneburge vnto the same place where calling for his leiutenant and rating him for his iniury he commanded him to be hanged vpon a tree a wonderfull seueritie in iustice and worthy to be commended for what hope is it to root out small and pettie theeues if we suffer grand theeues to goe vncorrected There is another kind of theft practised of them that be in authority who vnder the title of confiscation assume vnto themselues stollen goods and so much the readilier by how much the value of the things amounteth to more worth an action altogither vniust and contrary to both diuine and humane law which ordaine to restore vnto euery man his own truly he that in steed of restitution with holdeth the good of his neighbour in this manner differeth no more from a theefe than that the one stealeth boldly without feare the other timorously and with great danger and what greater corruption of Iustice can there be then this For who would follow the law vpon a theefe when
things a very niggard and pinchpenny shewed himselfe on the other side more then prodigall next he sent into Calabria for a Hermit reported to be a holy and deuout man to whome at his arriuall hee perfourmed so much dutie and reuerence as was wonderfull and vnseemely for hee threw himselfe on his knees and besought him to prolong his decaying life as if hee had beene a God and not a man but all that hee could doe was to no purpose no nor the reliques which Pope Sixtus sent him to busie himselfe withall nor the holy viall of Rheims which was brought him could prorogue this life of his nor priuiledge him from dying a discontent and vnwilling death he suspected the most part of his nearest attendants and would not suffer them to approch vnto him in his sicknesse after hee had thus prolonged the time in hope and yet still languished in extreame distresse of his disease it was at length told him in all speed that hee should not set his mind any longer vpon those vaine hopes nor vpon that holy man for his time was come and hee must needs die And thus hee that during his raigne shewed himselfe rough and cruell to his subiects by too many and heauy impositions was himselfe in his lattet end thus roughly and hardly dealt withall Christiern the eleuenth king of Denmarke Norway and Suecia after the death of king Iohn his father raigned the yeere of our Lord 1514 and was too intollerable in imposing burdens and taxes vpon his subiects for which cause the Swecians reuolted from his gouernment whome though after many battailes and sieges hee conquered and placed amongst them his garrisons to keepe them in awe yet ceased they not to rebell against him and that by the instigation of a meane gentleman who very quickely got footing into the kingdome and possessed himselfe of the crowne and gouernment Now Christiern hauing lost this prouince and beeing also in disdaine and hatred of his owne countrey and fearing least this inward heat of spight should grow to some flame of danger to his life seeing that the inhabitants of Lubeck conspiring with his vncle Fredericke began to take armes against him hee fled away with his wife sister to the Emperour Charles the fift and his young children to Zeland a prouince of the Emperours after hee had raigned nine yeeres after which the Estates of the realme aided by them of Lubeck assembling togither exalted his vncle Fredericke prince of Holsatia though old and ancient to the crowne and publishing certaine writings addressed them to the Emperour and the princes of his Empire to render a reason of their con-proceeding and to make knowne vnto them vpon how good siderations they had deposed and banished Christierne for the tyranny which hee exercised among them ten yeres after this hee got togither a new army by sea in hope to recouer his losses but contrary to his hope he was taken prisoner and in captiuity ended miserably his daies Henry king of Suecia was chased from his scepter for enterprising to burden his commons with new contributions Those that were deuisers of new taxes and tributes Nic. Gil. vâ—l 1. for the most part euer lost their liues in their labours for proofe whereof let the example of Parchenus or Porchetes serue who for giuing counsell to king Theodebert touching the raising of new subsidies was stoned to death by the multitude in the city Trieues Likewise was George Presquon cruelly put to death by the people for persuading and setting forward Henry of Suecia to the vexation and exaction of his subiects CHAP. XXXVIII More Examples of the same subiect Platiniae in vita Zacharin AIstulphus the nineteenth king of Lumbardy was not onely a most cruell tyrant but also a grieuous oppressour of his subiects with taxes and exactions Phil. Melanct. lib. 3. for hee imposed this vpon euery one of them to pay yeerely a noble for their heads against this man Pope Steuen prouoked king Pepin of France who comming with an army droue the tyrant into Ticinum and constrained him to yeeld to partiall conditions of peace howbeir Pepin was no sooner gone but he returned to his old byas wherefore the second time he came and droue him to as great extremitie in so much as another peace was concluded after the accomplishment whereof peruerse Aistulph still vexing his subiects was plagued by God with an apoplexie and so died Zonar lib. 3. Iustinian the Emperour as be was profuse and excessiue in spending so was hee immoderate and insatiable in gathering togither riches for hee exercised his wit in deuising new tributes and paiments and reioyced his heart in nothing more for which causes there arose a grieuous sedition at Constantinople against him wherein not onely the excellent and famous monuments of the Empire were burned but also fourty thousand men slaine and this was no small punishment for his oppression At Paris there is to be seene in the corne market a certain monument hard at the mouth of the common sinke which conuaieth away all the filth out of the city Eras in lingua the occasion whereof is reported to be this A certaine courtier seeing the king sad and melancholly for want of treasure counselled him to exact of euery countriman that brought ware into the city but one penny and that but for two yeares togither which when the king put in practise and found the exceeding commoditie thereof he not only continued that taxe but also inuented diuers others to the great damage of the Common-wealth and inriching of his owne treasurie Wherefore hee that put it first into his head when he saw that he had not so much authoritie in dissuading as hee had in persuading it to take punishment of himselfe for that inconsiderate deed and to warne others from attempting the like he commanded by his testament that his body should bee buried in that common sincke to bee an example of exaction and the filthinesse thereof Barnabe Vicount of Millane by the report of Paulus Ionius Tom. 2. ViuoruÌ„ illustrum was an vnconscionable oppressor of his subiects and tenants for hee did not only extort of them continuall imposts and payments but enioned them to keepe euery one a dog which if they came to any mishap or were either too fat or too leane the keeper was sure to bee beaten or at least some fine to be set on his head this tyrant was taken by Iohn Galeacius and after seuen months imprisonment poysoned to death Archigallo brother to Gorbonianus in nature Lanquet though vnlike in conditions for hee was a good Prince whereas this was a Tyrant was crowned King of Britaine in the yeare of the world 3671 we may well place him in this ranke of oppressors for he deposed the Noblemen and exalted the ignoble he extorted froÌ„ men their goods to enrich his treasure for which cause the estates of the realme depriued him of his roiall dignitie placed his yonger
vsurpe and appropriate certaine lands and dominions to him which belonged not vnto him This Emperour had many children whome hee desired to leaue rich and mightie and therefore by all meanes possible he endeauoured to augment his liuing euen by getting from other men whatsoeuer hee could and amongst all the rest this was one especiall practise wherein hee laboured tooth and naile to alienate from the Empire the land of the Swizzers and to leaue it for an euerlasting inheritance to his heires which although the Swizzers would in no case condiscend nor agree vnto but contrariwise sued earnestly vnto his maiesty for the maintenance of their auncient liberties and priuiledges which were confirmed vnto them by the former Emperours and that they might not bee distracted from the Empire yet notwithstanding were constrained to vndergoe for a season the yoake of most grieuous tyrannie and seruirude imposed by force vpon them and thus the poore comminalty endured many mischiefes and many grieuous and cruell extortions and indignities at the hands of the Emperours officers whilst they liued in this wretched and miserable estate Amongst the rest there was one called Grislier that began to erect a strong fort of defence vpon a little hill neere vnto Altorfe to keepe the countrey in greater awe and subiection and desiring to discrie his friends from his foes hee inuented this deuise Hee put a hat vpon the end of a long pole and placed it in the field before Altorfe where great multitudes of people with this commandement That euery one that came by should do obeisance vaile bonnet to the hat and in euery respect shew themselues as dutifull vnto it as to his owne person imagining that his greatest enemies could not endure nor find in their hearts to doe it and therefore vpon this ocasion he might apprehend them and discouer all their close practises conspiracies which they might brew against him now there was one a stout hearted man that passing euery day vp and downe that waies could in no wise be brought to reuerence the dignity of the worthy hat so vnreasonable a thing it seemed in his eies whereupon being taken the tyrant commaunded him for punishment of his open contempt to shoot at an apple laid vpon the crown of the head of his dearest child and if hee mist the apple to be put to death the poore man after many excuses and allegations and entreaties that hee might not hazard his childs life in that sort was notwithstanding enforced to shoot and shooting God so directed his shaft that the apple was hit the child vntoucht and yet for all this he adiudged him to perperuall prison out of which hee miraculously escaping watched the tyrants approch in so fit a place that with the shaft that should haue bene the death of his sonne he stroke him to the heart whose vnluckie end was a luckie beginning of the Switzers deliuerance from the bondage of tyrants Nic. Gil. vol. 1. and of the recouery of their ancient freedome which euer after they wisely and constantly maintained The Emperour Albert purposing to be reuenged vpon them for his iniury as also for slaying many more of his men and breaking down his castles of defence which he had caused to be builded in their countrey determined to make war vpon them but he was slaine ere he could bring that determination to effect by one of his owne nephewes from whom being his ouerseer and guardant for his bringing vp he withheld his patrimony against all equity neither by praiers or entreatie could be persuaded to restore it These things according to Nicholas Gils report in his 1 volume of the Chronicles of France happened about the raigne of Saint Lewes CHAP. XL. Of Vserers and their thest IF open larcinies and violent robberies and extortions are forbidden by the law of God as wee haue seene they are then it is no doubt but that all deceit and vniust dealings and bargaines vsed to the dammage of others are also condemned by the same law and namely Vsurie when a man exacteth such vnmeasurable gaine for either his money or other thing which he lendeth that the poore borrower is so greatly indammaged that in steed of benefitting and prouiding for his affaires which he aimed at hee hitteth his further losse and finall ouerthrow This sinne is expressely prohibited in Leuiticus 25 Leuit. 25.36 Deutronomie 23 Deut. 23.19 and Psalme 15 Psal 15.5 where the committants thereof are held guiltie before Gods iudgement seat of iniquitie and iniustice and against theÌ„ it is that the Prophet Ezechiell Eze. 18.12.13 denounceth this threatning That he which oppresseth or vexeth the poore and afflicted he which robbeth or giueth to vsurie and receiueth the encrease into his bags shall die the death and his bloud shall bee vpon his pate Neither truly doth the iustice of God sleep in this respect but taketh vengeance vpon all such and punisheth them after one sort or other either in body or goods as it pleaseth him I my self knew a grand vsurer in the country of Vallay that hauing scraped togither great masses of gold siluer by these vnlawful means was in one night robbed of fifteene hundred crownes by theeues that broke into his house I remember also another Vsurer dwelling in a Towne called Argentall nigh vnto Anouay vnder the iurisdiction of Tholosse in high Viuaria who being in hay time in a medow was stong in the foot by a serpent or some other venomous beast that hee died thereof an answerable punishment for his often stinging and biting many poore people with his cruell and vnmercifull vsurie Nay it is so contrary to equitie and reason that all nations led by the instinct of nature haue alwaies abhorred and condemned it insomuch that the condition of theeues hath ben more easie and tollerable then vsurers for theft was wont to be punished but with double restitution but vsurie with quadruple and to speake truly these rich and gallant vsurers doe more rob the common people and purloine from them then all the publicke theeues that are made publicke examples of iustice in the world It is to bee wished that some would examine vsurers bookes De offâ—cio princip lib. 4. ca. 14. and make a bondfire of their obligations as that Laced emonian did when Agesilaus reported that he neuer saw a clearer fire or that some Lucullus would deliuer Europe from that contagion as that Romane did Asia in his time Alex. ab Alex. lib. 1. cap. 7. Licurgus banished this Canckerworme out of his Sparta Amasis punished it seuerely in his Aegypt Cato exiled it out of Sicile and Solon condemned it in Athens how much more should it bee held in detestation among Christians S. Chrisostome Chrisost in Mat. cap. 5. compareth it fitly to the biting of an aspe as hee that is stung with an aspe falleth asleepe as it were with delectation but dieth ere hee awaketh so money taken in vsury delighteth and
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
In this ranke deseruably we may place the second Dionysius his sonne Sabell that for his cruelties and extortions was slaine by his owne subiects who though at the first made shew of a better and milder nature than his father was of yet after he was installed in his kingdome and growne strong his wicked nature shewed forth it selfe for first he rid out of the way his owne brethren then his nearest kindred and lastly all other that but any way displeased him vsing his sword not to the cutting downe of vice as it ought but to the cutting the throats of his innocent and guiltlesse subiects with which tyrannie the people being incensed began to mutiny from mutinies fell to open rebellion persecuting him so that he was compelled to flie and to take harbour in Greece where notwithstanding he ceased not his accustomed manners but continued still freshly committing robberies and doing all manner of iniuries and outrages in wronging men and forcing both women and maids to his filthie lust vntill hee was brought vnto so low and so base an eb of estate that of a king being become a begger and vagabond he was glad to teach children at Corinth to get his poore liuing and so died in misery Clearchus another tyrant after hee had put to death the most part of the Nobles and chiefe men of account in the citie Heraclea vsurped a tyrannous authoritie ouer the rest Sabel amongst many of whose monstrous enormities this was one that hee constrained the widdowes of those whome hee had slaine against their wils to marry those of his followers whom hee allotted them to in so much that many of them with griefe and anger slew themselues now there were two men of stouter courage than the rest who pittying the miserable condition of the whole citie vndertooke to deliuer the same out of his cruell handes comming therefore accompanied with fifty other of the same mind and resolution as though they would debate a priuat quarell before his presence assoon as conuenience serued they diuerted their swords from themselues into the tyrants bosome and hewed him in peeces in the very midst of his guard Agathocles king or rather Tyrant of Sicile Sabel from a potters sonne growing to be a man of warre tooke vpon him the gouernment of the countrie and vsurped the crowne contrarie to the consent of his people he was one giuen to all maner of filthie and vncleane pollutions in whome trecherie crueltie and generally all kind of vice raigned and therfore was worthely plagued by God first by a murder of his yongest sonne committed by his eldest sonnes sonne that aspired vnto the crown and thought that he might be an obstacle in his way for obtaining his purpose and lastly hauing sent his wife and children into Aegypt for safetie by his own miserable and languishing death which shortly after ensued Romulus the first king of Rome was as Florus Florus testifieth transported by a deuill out of this earth into some habitation of his own for the monstrous superstitions coniurings thefts rauishments and murders which during his pompe hee committed and moreouer hee saith that Plutarch Plutarch the most credible learned writer among Historiographers both Greek and Latine that euer writ auoucheth the same for true that hee was carried away one day by a spirit in a mightie tempest of thunder and lightning before the view of the whole multitude to their great astonishment insomuch that they fled at the sight thereof What shall wee say of Silla that monster in cruelty that most odious and execrable Tyrant that euer was by whom all ciuill order and humane pollicy was vtterly defaced and all vice and confusion in steed thereof set vp Did hee not procure the death of sixe thousand men at one clap Plutarch at the discomfiture of Marius and hauing promised to saue the liues of three thousand that appealed vnto his mercy did he not cause them to be assembled within a parke and there to haue their throats cut whilest hee made an oration to the Senate It was hee that filled the channels of the streets of Rome other cities in Italy with blood slaughters innumerable and that spared neither altar temple or other priuiledged place or house whatsoeuer from the pollution and destainement of innocent bloud husbands were slain in their wiues armes infants in their mothers bosomes and infinite multitudes of men murdered for their riches for if any were either rich or owners of faire houses or pleasant gardens they were sure to die besides if there were any priuate quarrell or grudge betwixt any citizen and some of his crue hee suffered his side to reuenge themselues after their owne lusts so that for priuate mislike and enmitie many hundreds lost their liues hee that saued an outlaw or proscribed person in his house of which there were too many of the best sort in his time or gaue him entertainement vnder his roofe whether hee were his brother sonne or parent whatsoeuer was himselfe for recompence of his courtesie and humanity proscribed and sold and condemned to death and hee that killed one of them that was proscribed had for reward two talēts the wages of his murder amounting in value to twelue hundred crownes whether it was a bondslaue that slew his master or a son that murdered his father comming to Prenest he began to proceed in a kind of iusticiall form amongst the citizens as it were by law and equitie to practise wrong and iniury but ere long either being wearie of such slow proceedings or not at leisure to prosecute the same any further he caused to meet together in one assembly two thousand of thē whom he committed al to the massacre without any maner of compassion as he was sitting one day in the midst of his pallace in Rome a souldior to whom he had granted the proscription of his dead brother as if he had been aliue whom he himselfe before the ciuill war had slain presented him in lieu of thāks for that great good turn the head of one Marcus Marius of the aduerse factiō before the whole city with his hāds al embrued in bloud which he also washed in the holy waterstack of Apolloes temple being neer vnto that place and all this being cōmended countenanced by Sill◠he decreed a general disanulment abrogation of all titles and rights that were passed before his time to the end to haue more libertie both to put to death whō he pleased to cōfiscat mēs goods also to vnpeople to repeople cities to sack pull down build to depose make kings at his pleasure the goods which he had thus seazed he shamed not to sell with his own handssitting in his tribunall seat giuing oftentimes a faire woman a whole country or the reuenues of a city for her beauty and to plaiers iesters iuglers minstrels and other wicked effranchised slaues great and vnnecessary rewards yea
mightily the hand of God was stretched foorth to the reuenge of those wicked deedes and villanies which were committed by the Spaniards in those quarters Peter Loys bastard son to Pope Paule the third Sleidan lib. 19. Bal. was one that practised many horrible villanies robberies murders adulteries incest and Sodomitries thinking that because his father was Pope therefore no wickednesse was vnlawfull for him to commit He was by the report of all men one of the most notorious vildest and filthiest villaines that euer the world saw he forced the Bishop of Faence to his vnnaturall lust so that the poore Bishop with meere anger and griefe that hee should be so abused died immediately being made Duke of Plaisence and Parme hee exercised most cruell tyrany towards many of his subiects insomuch that diuerse gentlemen that could not brooke nor endure his iniuries conceiued an inward hate against him and conspired his death and for to put in practise the same they hired certaine ruffians and roisters to watch the oportunitie of slaying him yea and they themselues oftentimes went apart with these roisters keeping themselues vpon their guards as if some priuate and particular quarrels had beene in hand one day as the Duke went in his horselitter out of his castell with a great retinue to see certaine fortifications which he had prepared being aduertised by his father the Pope by the helpe of Magicke which he practised to looke diligently to himselfe the tenth day of September in which notwithstanding he was slaine for as he returned into his castell the conspirators to the number of sixe and thirtie marched before him as it were to do him honor but indeed to doe him villany for assoone as he was entred the castell they drew vp the drawbridge for feare of his retinue that were without and comming to him with their naked swords cast in his teeth his tyrannie and so slew him in his litter togither with a Priest the maister of his horse and fiue Almaignes that were of his guard his dead body they hung by a chaine ouer the wals and shaking it to and fro to the view of the people threw it downe headlong at last into the ditch where the multitude to shew their hates wounded it with daggers and trampled it vnder their feet and so whome they durst not touch in his life him being dead they thus abused and this befell vpon the tenth day of September in the yeere of our Lord 1547. Some of the Bishops of Rome for their rare and notable vertues and the glory of their braue deeds may be honoured with this dignity to be placed in this worthy ranke for their good conditions and behauiours were such that no tyrant butcher theefe robber ruffian nor any other euer excelled them in crueltie robbery adulterie and such like wickednesse or deserued more the credit and reputation of his place than they And hereof we haue a manifest example in Iohn the thirteenth who pulling out the eies of some of his Cardinals cutting out the tongues of others hewing off the hands noses and priuy members of others shewed himselfe a patterne of such crueltie as the world neuer saw the like Hee was accused before the Emperour Otho in a synode first of incest with two of his owne sisters secondly for calling the deuill to helpe him at dice thirdly for promoting young infants to bishoprickes bribed thereto by the gift of certaine peeces of gold fourthly for rauishing maides and wiues and lying with his fathers concubine yea and lastly for lying with his owne mother and many other such monstrous villanies for which cause hee was deposed from the papacie though reinstalled againe by the sute and cunning practise of his whores by whome as hee recouered his triple crowne so he lost shortly after his vicious life by the meanes of a married whore that betraied him Benno Bal. Pope Hildebrand sirnamed Gregory the seuenth was adorned with all these good qualities namely to be bloody minded a poisoner a murderer a coniurer also a consulter with spirits and in a word nothing but a lumpe and masse of wickednesse hee was the stirrer vp of many battels against the Emperor Henry the fourth and a prouoker of his own son to depose and poyson his father as hee did but this wicked I would say holy Pope was at last banished his Cathedrall citie to Salernum where he ended his daies in miserie Pope Clement the sixt of name contrary to his nature for his inclemencie crueltie pride towards the Emperor Lewis of Bauarie was intollerable he procured many horrible wars against the Empire and caused the destruction of twenty thousand Frenchmen by the king of England yea and poysoned the good Emperour also so well he wished to him Howbeit ere long himselfe was stifled to death and that sodainly not by any practise of man as it was thought but by the speciall hand of God in recompence of all his notable acts Iohn the foure and twentith was deposed by the councell of Constance for these crimes following heresie Simonie Benno Bal. manslaughter poysonings cousenings adultry Sodomitry and was cast into prison where remaining three years he falsly made shew of amendment of his wicked life therefore was graced with a Cardinals hat but it was not that which he expected for which cause with despight griefe he died It would bee too long to run ouer the discourse of euery particular Pope of like conditions and therefore wee will conteÌ„t our selues in briefe with the legend of Pope Alexander the sixt reported by two authors of credite and renowne vnsuspected to wit Guicciardine a Florentine gentlemaÌ„ Guicciardine lib. 2. Bembus Bembus a Venetian cardinall this man saith Guicciardine attained to the Papacy not by worthinesse of vertues but by heauinesse of bribes and multitude of faire promises made to the cardinals for his election promising large recompence to them that stood on his side whereupon many that knew his course of life were filled with astonishment amongst whome was the king of Naples who hearing of this election coÌ„plained to his queene with tears that there was such a pope created that wold be a plague to Italy al ChristeÌ„dome beside the great vices which swaied in him of which the same author speaking maketh this catalogue and pettigree in his own language which followeth Guiâ—â—tardine lib. 2. Costum d it il oscensimi non sincerita non verita non fede non religione auaritia insatiabile ambitione immoderata crudelta pinque barbara eo ardentissima cupidita di escaltare in qualunque modo i figli voli i quali erano molti that is to say He was endued with most filthie conditions and that neither sincerity truth faith nor religion was in him but in steed of them couetousnesse vnquenchable ambition vnmeasurable more then barbarous crueltie and a burning desire of promoting his owne children for he had many by what meanes soeuer He
Oracle from their God which when hee approched neere vnto the Alexandrians prepared to entertaine him most honourably and being entered hee went first to visite their Temples where to cast more colours vpon his trecherie hee offered many sacrifices and in the meane while perceiuing the people gathered togither from all quarters to bid him welcome finding oportunity fitting his wicked and traiterous enterprise bee gaue commandement that all the young men of the city should assemble together in one place saying that hee would acquaint them to range themselues in battaile after the manner of the Macedonians in honour of king Alexander But whilest they thus assembled together in mirth and brauerie hee making as though hee would bring them in aray by going vp and downe amongst them and holding them in talke his army enclosed them on all sides then withdrawing himselfe with his guard hee gaue the watch-word that they should rush vpon them which was performed with such outrage that the poore credulous people beeing surprised at vnawares were all most cruelly massacred There might you see the most horrible barbarous and incredible butcherie of men that euer was heard of for besides those that were actors in this bloody Tragedy there were others that drew the slaine bodies into great ditches and very often haled in them that were scarse dead yea and sometimes that were altogether aliue which was the cause that diuerse souldiours perished at the same time when those that hauing some strength of life left being haled to the ditch held so fast by the halers that diuerse times both fell in together The blood that was shead at this massacre was so much that the mouth of the riuer Nilus and the sea shore were died with the streames thereof that ran down by smaller riuers into those plaine places Furthermore being desirous to obtaine a victorie ouer the Parthians that hee might get himselfe fame and reputation thereby hee passed not at what rate he bought it He sent therefore Embassadors with letters and presents to the king of Parthia to demand his daughter in marriage though hee neuer entended any such thing and being nonsuted at the first with a deniall yet pursued he his counterfeit purpose with much earnestnesse and with solemne oath protested his singular good affection and loue that he bore vnto her so that in the end the match was condiscended vnto by all parties whereof the Parthian people were not a little glad in hope of so durable a peace which by this marriage was like to be established betwixt thē The king therefore with all his subiects being ready to entertaine this new bridegroome went out with one consent to meet him in the midway their encounter was in a fair plain where the Parthians hauing sent backe their horses being vnarmed and prepared not for a day of battaile but of marriage and disport gaue him the most honourable welcome they could but the wicked varlet finding oportunity so fit set his armed souldiors vpon the naked multitude hewed in peeces the most part of them and had not the king with a few followers bestirred him well he had ben serued with the like sauce After which worthy exploit Treason lib. 2. cap. 3. and bloody stratageme he took his voiage backward burning and spoiling the towns and villages as he went till hee arriued at Charam a city in Mesopotamia where making his abode a while hee had a fancie to walke one day into the fields and going apart from his companie to vnburden nature attended vpon by one onely seruant as hee was putting downe his breeches another of his companie ranne in and stroke him through with his dagger Thus God blessed the world by taking out of it this wicked Tyrant who by treason and trechery had spilt so much innocent blood Seturus Galba another bird of the same feather exercised no lesse perfidious cruelty vpon the people of three cities in Lusitania for he assembled them togither in colour of prouiding for their common affaires but when hee had gotten them into his hands vnarmed and weaponlesse he took nine thousand of the flower of their youth and partly committed them to the sword and partly sold them for bondslaues The disloiall and treacherous dealing of Stilico towards the Gothes how deare it cost him and all Italy beside Iornand Paul Aemil histories doe sufficiently testifie for it fell out that the Gothes vnder the conduct of Allaricus entred Italy with a puissant and fearefull army to know the cause why the Emperour Honorius withheld the pension which by vertue of a league and in recompence of their aid to the Empire in time of war was due vnto them which by riper iudgement and deliberation of the councill was quieted to preserue their countrey from so imminent a tempest Treason lib. 2. cap. 3. offer was made vnto them of the Spaniards and Frenchmen if they could recouer them out of the hands of the Vandales which vsurped ouer them so that incontinently they should take their iourney ouer the Alpes towards them and depart their coasts Which offer and gift the Gothes accepting did accordingly fulfill the condition and passed away without committing any riot or any dammage in their passages But as they were vpon mount Cinis making towards France behold Stilico Honorius his father in law a man of a stirring stubborne and rash spirit pursueth and chargeth them with battaile vnawares and dreaming of nothing lesse whereat they being at the instant amazed quickly gathered their spirits togither and putting themselues in defence fought it out with such courage and eagernesse that the traitours army was wholly discomfited and he himselfe with one of his sonnes slaine The Gothes hauing gotten this victory broke off their voiage to France and turned their course backe againe to Italy with purpose to destroy and spoile And so they did for they laid wast all the countrey of Piemont and Lumbardy and elsewhere and besieged Rome itselfe so that from that time Italy neuer ceased to be scourged and tormented with the Gothes for the space of eighteene yeeres Moreouer whosoeuer else haue bene found to follow the steps of these truce peace promise breakers void of truth and regard of reputation alwaies vnderwent worthy punishment for their vnworthy actes and fell headlong into confusion and ignominy making themselues subiects worthy to be curst detested of all men CHAP. XIIII Of Queenes that were Murderers IF these and such like cruelties as we haue spoken of before be strange and monstrous for men what shall wee then say of wicked and bloody women who contrary to the nature of their sexe addict themselues to all violence and bloodshedding as cursed Iezabel Queene of Israel did of whome sufficient hath beene spoken before Athaliah Achabs daughter and wife to Ioram king of Iuda was a bird of the same feather for shee was possessed with such a spirit of fury and rage 2. King 11. that after the death of her
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