Souldiers who so well awaited their opportunity that as the Pope was riding from Avignon to one of his Castles in Provence called Poursorge he surprised him and brought him prisoner into France then put him into a strong Tower where for want of food he was forced to eate the flesh from his armes and so diedâ— of whom the story gives this Character That he estred into the Papacie like a Fox that he ruled like a Lyon and in the end died like a Dogge Nero Caesar who had all the seaven deadly sinnes predominant in him even in his minority and first comming to the Empire was in a high measure worthily asâ—â—â—st and branded with this horrid and abhominable vice of Envy who when Cesar Germanicus a Prince of great hope and expectation on whom all the eyes of Rome were fixt was made competitor with him in the Empite 〈◊〉 â—ligning his greatnesse and goodnesse though his neare kinsman he with his owne hands tempered a strong and moâ—â—â—serous poyson and most 〈…〉 ously inviting him to a feast in the height of all their 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 he caused that deadly draught to be ministâ—ed unto him which he had no sooner tasted but immediately he sunke from his seat and fell downe dead at the Table at which all the guests being startled and amazed Nero the master of the feast put it off with this sleight saying onely remove the body into some withdrawing roome and let it be buried according to the custome of Romans but how God revenged this and other his inhumanities you may reade in his wretched and unlamented death in the former Tractate expressed Macrinus who had murdered Antoninus the brother of Geta attaining to the Empire when he had raigned one yeare his head was cut off in Calcedon a Citie of Bythinia with his sonne Diadumenus whom in his life-time he had made competitor with him in the Empire Bassianus otherwise called Heliogabalus the sonne of Semiamira succeeded in the Empire He was first a Priest of the sunne and after by meanes of his grandmother Mesa a rich and potent woman was made Emperour who though a young man of an extraordinary aspect and feature able to attract the loves and affections of all men yet was he inwardly infected with the contagion of all the vices that could be named Insomuch that in all his actions he rather appeared a monster then a man so that hee grew not onely despised but hatefull to the people Which the wise Lady Mesa seeing and fearing his fall and in his her owne ruine as farre as she could she excused his grossest crimes laying the fault upon the tendernesse of his youth and wrought so that by his consent Alexianus who was the sonne of Mammea her daughter was admitted companion with him in the Empire which Alexianus after called Alexander Severus was a wise and prudent Prince whose vertue had gained him the generall love of the Senate and people for which Heliogabalus so envied him for vice and vertue are still in opposition that he made many attempts to poyson him which by the care of Mesa and Mammea were prevented But how was this envy punished The people seised upon Heliogabalus with his mother Semiamira and dragging their bodies through the chiefe streets of Rome having after torne them piece-meale would not affoord them the honour of buriall but cast their quarters into the common jakes that stood upon the river Tiber. Neither have women beene free from this rankorous sinne of Envy as appeareth by the story following and shall be made more apparant hereafter This Prince Alexander Severus afore-named all the time that his grandmother Mesa lived who suffered none but grave and wise men to be about him insomuch that no Emperour before or after him could be said to exceed him in all these attributes that belong to an Imperiall Monarch was both beloved and feared But she being dead his mother Mammea grew to that height of pride covetousnesse and envy that his indulgent sufferance of her ambition was a great and the sole blemish of his government who comming to maturity and the Empire now setled in his owne hands he tooke to wife a daughter of one of the most noblest Senators of Rome which was also by his mothers consent but when this Lady came to take upon her the state of an Empresse Mammea who challenged that title solely to her selfe malitiously envying her estate wrought so that first the father of the new Empresse was put to death and so terrible was her commandement and her Majestie so much dreaded that she banished both from the Court and the bed of the Emperour the innocent Empresse unto the uttermost coasts of Africa Thus was Alexander out of a milde and gentle nature swayed and over-ruled by his mother which was the occasion of both their ruines for Maximiâ—us a Thracian borne of base parentage his father being a shepheard and preferred by Alexander to eminent place in the warres taking the advantage of the murmuring of the people and souldiers and the covetousnesse and envy of the mother most treacherously conspired against his Lord and Master the same barbarously and cruelly flew them both and by their death aspired unto the Imperiall purple The French Chronicles speake of one Prince Cranne the sonne of Clotharius who having raigned forty five yeares at Soissons now called the Belgick Gant upon the decease of his elder brother Childebert who died without issue male was proclaimed the seventh King of France This Cranne on whom that may be truly construed of the Poet Filius ante diem patrios inquirit in annos was sicke of his fathers life envying and grieving that he kept him so long from the Crowne but wanting meanes to make him away privately by poyson or the like because his servants about him were faithfull and not to be corrupted he therefore opposed him by publike hostility incensing his Unkle Childebert against him who supported him in all his insolencies against his father But Childebert being dead and he now wanting his great support was forc't to mediate his peace with his father who upon his submission tooke him to grace and gave him his free pardon But his former heart burning envy still boyling in his breast he fell into a second rebellion yet finding the successe of his bad attempts to grow still worse and worse as his last refuge hee fled to the Prince or Duke of the Brittons whom some call Conobee others Canubo who undertooke to secure him from the pursute of his father Whereupon Clotharius with his Army invaded that Countrey and joyned battaile with the Prince and his sonne in which the Brittons lost the day their Army was routed the Prince slaine and Cranne taken prisoner of whom his father having seised hee caused him to be shut up in an house and with his wife and children to be burnt to death a just judgement from heaven but a cruell sentence from a father who that very day twelve-moneth
time big with childe with a spurne upon her wombe by which she perished with her infant because Antonia the daughter of Claudius fearing the like refused to marry with him he commanded her to be put to death He persecuted the Church and under his Tyranny Saint Peter and Saint Paul both suffered Martyrdom Aulus Plancius a beautifull young Roman after he had violently and against his will stuprated he put to death 〈◊〉 Crispinus his step son by the marriage of Poppaea a beardlesse youth in rage he made to be drowned Many freed men when they came to the estate of riches he cut off by the sword He pulled out the eyes of Cassius Longinus an excellent Lawyer or Orator and never made known the cause of his offence To Pâ—liâ—hagus by Nation an Aegyptian who was accustomed to eat raw flesh he gave living men to be devoured these are but a part of his barbarous inhumanities who not throughly sated with the blood of men sought to exercise his hate upon Rome his own City by setting a great part of it on fire his excuse being the deformity thereof which incendiary he beheld from the Meceâ—â—tian Tower glorying in the flames thereof being so far from commanding the fire to be extinguished that he suffered not any man to enter into his own house to save any part of his Goods and yet how mercifull was God in his judgement to punish this Tyrant with one miserable death who had indeed deserved more than a thousand Creon a Tyrant of Thebes besides many other cruelties in which he exprest a most bestiall and unmercifull nature denied Buriall to all the dead Bodies of his Enemies slain in Battell with others of his own Subjects who had any way offended him whom Theseus after slew in a conflict and served him with the same sauce forbidding his dead carcase to be inhumed or sepulcred but thrown out in the fields for the brute beasts to feed and the fowles of the air to prey on Antonâ—â—â— Commodus one of the Roman Emperours had so troubled the Empire with gladiatory slaughters that the people in contempt gave him the denomination of Gladiator or Fencer He as Lampridius witnesseth when he saw any man weak or unserviceable by reason of some disease in his feet would shoot him with arrowes to death having a strong steel Bowe made for that purpose The braines of others he used to beat out of their heads with clubs and boasted that therein he imitated Hercules to that purpose putting on a Lions skin He was also so irriligious and such a contemner of the gods that offerings and sacrifice at the altars he would mingle with the blood and flesh of men and if any man shewed either a smiling or supercilious brow at what he did both were alike him he commanded to be cast to the Lions and other wilde beasts to be devoured One of his servants being commanded to reade unto him the tyrannous Raigne of Caligula with the manner of his death as it was set down in Sâ—etoniuâ— Tranquillus because it displeased him as somewhat reflecting on his person he commanded to be cast to the Lions If any man in his own hearing or by the information of other said he must die he was precipitated from a rocke or some other high place and his body crushed to pieces he delighted to see the bellies of fat men ript up and how suddenly their guts and entrals would tumble to the ground But the people after so great sufferings now at length tired with his inhumanities in the very height of his insolencies when he least dreamed of any such disaster caused him to be flain which though a violent death yet in all mens judgements may appear somewhat too milde for his merit but the great Judge of all sometime mitigates the punishments of such grand malefactours here to make their torments more great and perdurable in the world to come The next I present to your view is Caius Marius the Roman who as he was of great power and potency in Rome so his pride was boundlesse and unmeasured but his inhumanity far exceeding them both for after his exile when he had again emptied the City of all those whom he suspected to have but the least finger in his confinement by the assistance of Cinna Carbo and Sertorius he presently fell upon the slaughters of the Princes and Senatours which was so violent that the channels overflowed with the blood of the slain Nobility He took away the head from Octavius the Consul and caused that of Octavius a consular Senator to be brought and set upon his table taunting and deriding him even after death Casar and Fimbria two of the most eminent in the City he commanded to be murdered in their own houses breaking them violently open in the night and killing them in their beds the two Crassi the father and the son he flew one in the sight of the other the more to aggravate their sorrow in their alternate indulgence Bebius and Numitorius he commanded to be dragged through the Forum by the common hangmans clutches but Catulus Lactutius by swallowing fire ended his life and escaped his greater cruelty Archarius and Flamen Dialis a priest whose office was sacred and in great reverence amongst the Romans he commanded to be through pierced with swords All which examples of Tyranny he committed from the Kalends of January to the Ides of the same moneth but what heavy judgements God laid upon him you shall next hear in the relation upon Sylla Which Lucius Sylla made a deluge and overâ—â—ux of blood through Rome and all Italy four legions of the contrary faction of Marius being surprised and imploring his mercy he commanded instantly to be cut in pieces the Prestines who had received and entertained Marius junior into their City after they had yeelded themselves unto his mercy he put them out of the City commanding Putilius Cethegus to kill them every man without the wals and their bodies to be left in open fields without buriall in which inhumanity perished at once five thousand men four thousand and 700 slain by strength of his bloody Edict of proscription he caused their names to be registred in the publike tables lest the memory of that facinorous act might be buried in oblivion and not sating himselfe with the strage of men his tyranny usurped upon women not sparing matron or virgin but he commanded their heads being cut off to be brought unto him that he might thereby the better glut his savage indignation and implacable fury Marcus Marius the Praetor he deprived not of his life before his eyes were pulled out of his head and after caused all the bones in his body to be broken Marcus Pletoriâ—s because being sent to kill his enemy Caius Marius he was daunted at his brave aspect and honourable presence and therefore left the fatall act unperformed he commanded him instantly to be slain Nor did his malitious rankor and hate end in the
prevent the judgement of reason but the consent followeth not when we are too spleenfull and chollerick within or when the signes of our outward indignation too manifestly appeares outwardly That which is called Capitall ariseth either from the heart the mouth or the act that from the heart is rather cal'd indignation when him whom we suppose to have injur'd us we hold base and unworthy and upon that wee animate and incourage our revenge or Tumor mentâ—â— the pride and haughtinesse of the minde by which he that is incensed is still devising severall wayes how to be avenged by which his fancies are molested and his thoughts much troubled That which ariseth from the mouth is either clamour when by confused and inordinate speeches without a modest restraint of the tongue we openly expresse our spleene and envy or blasphemy when being vehemently incensed we breake into words which tend to Gods dishonour or contumely when being angry with our neighbour we use slanderous and despightfull language against him In Act that is called Râ—xa which is rayling and scoulding In which are understood all the nocuments and dammages which through wrath we can possibly doe to our neighbour Of the fourth called Generall there be three species Acuta which is that anger which ariseth upon small or no occasion at all Amara or bitter when for an injury done we keepe it long in remembrance and stile a fit opportunity for revenge Gravis or Difficilis when we never remit an injury till we satisfie our rage by punishment Against all these there be Texts in the Holy Scripture Genesis 27. 21. Therefore Esau hated his brother Iacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him and Esau thought in his minde the dayes of mourning will come and then will I slay my brother Iacob Prov. 22. 29. Make no friendship with an angry man neither goe with the furious man least thou learne his wayes and leave destruction to thy soule 29. 22. An angry man stirreth up strife and a furious man aboundeth in transgression Eccles. 6. 11. Be not thou of an hasty spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles Matth. 5. 22. But I say unto you whosoever is angry with his brother unadvisedly shall be culpable of Iudgement c. Ephes. 4. 31. Let all bitternesse and anger and wrath crying and evill speaking be put away from you with all maliciousnesse Coloss. 3. 8. But now put yee away all these things wrath anger malitiousnesse cursed speaking filthy speaking out of your mouthes Tim. 1. 2. 8. I will therefore that the men pray everywhere lifting up pure hands without wrath or doubting Tit. 1. 7. For a Bishop must be unreproveable as Gods steward not froward not angry not given to wine no striker not given to filthy lucre We reade in the fourth of Luke that when Jesus came to Nazareth where he had beene brought up and as his custome was went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to reade at which divine Sermon it is said Vers. 28. Then all that were in the Synagogue when they heard it were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the City and led him unto the edge of the hill on which their City was built to cast him downe headlong but he passed through the midst of them and went his way Many other Texts are to this purpose to reprove and condemne wrath and anger the fruits and effects whereof are for the most part manslaughter murder and the like of which by reason of their consanguinity and alliance I am tyed to speak something though briefly Of Homicides these amongst others are named in the Scriptures Cain Simeon and Levi Abimelech Doeg the Edomite Ioab Baanah and Rechab who slew Ishboseth the sonne of Saul who looking for a reward David commanded his young men and they slew them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them up over the poole in Hebron c. In King David himselfe who wrote thus in his letter Put you Vriah in the fore-front of the strength of the battaile and recoile ye backe from him that hee may be smitten and die Absalom in killing his brother Ammon Athalias the servants of Ioash King of Iudah who slew him in the house of Millo with infinite others who as they were inhumane in their practises so were their ends miserable and abortive even all of them who have not truely repented But I come now to Ethnick Histories and first of them most forraigne In handling of which I will give you to begin with a Catalogue of such as have beene most cruell Ptolomaeus Pisco one of the Kings of Aegypt caused his owne sonne Memphites whom he had begot of his wife and sister Cleopatra to be slaine and then commanded his head hands and feet to be cut off and to be shut in a curious casket made for the purpose and sent them unto her as a present on his birth-day and then after when he perceived that by his barbarous tyranny he was growne odious unto all his subjects that he might the better oppose the danger hee caused a Schoole where most of the Nobilities children with others were doctrinated to be beset and round environed with swords and fire and so suddenly assaulted them that some by steele others by the flame were all destroyed not one of them escaping But that which hee thought to be his refuge proved his ruine For the people were so much incenst with this barbarous and bloudy Act that with an unanimous consent they fell upon him and tore him in pieces The like if not greater cruelty was practised by a woman one Cycenis the daughter of Diogerides King of Thrace who greatly delighted to behold living men cut in the middle and invite parents to feast with their owne murdered children cookt and drest severall wayes but she was after deposed from her principality and none of her former subjects relieving her so hatefull were her inhumanities she was famisht to death and died of hunger Thus Artaxerxes caused her who was his wife and mother in law for his marriage was incestuous to have her head parted from her shoulders though nothing worthy death could be alleadged against her nor did his tyranny end there for after his father had resigned the Kingdome to his charge like an unnaturall paracide he caused him with an hundred of his children Nephewes and Kinsmen to be cruelly murdered nor did hee escape unpunished for the Kingdome tyred with his insolencies and the World weary with his horrible murders made him in his death remarkable for as some write he died by the stroake of lightening Vitoldus Prince of Lituania studied divers sorts of tortures and torments for men upon any sleight cause condemned to death one of which was he would command them to be sewed in Beares skinnes and then made it his sport to behold them torne in pieces with fierce Mastiffes Moreover in all his warlike
after he was the subject of the Infidâ—â—â— meâ—â—ilesse cruelty who hanged him at the Embassadors gate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 anuâ— and Iohannes Budeus report a strange discourse of a malicious servant whom the Devill had possest with his owne diabolicall inhumanity who taking a virulent spleene from some rough usage by his master watched his opportunity when he was absent and shut and barricadoed all the doores about the house then hee broke open a chamber upon his Mistresse and when he had contemptuously and despightfully demeaned himselfe towards her hee after bound her hand and foot and so left her groveling upon the floore then he tooke three young children the eldest not seaven years old and carried them up to the battlements and when he espied his master comming home he called to him and in his sight first precipitated one childe and then another from the top to the pavement where their bodies were miserably dasht and shattered to pieces and hold up the other in his armes to doe the like to him at which the wretched father extreamely stupefied for who can imagine lesse fell upon his knees and humbly besought the villaine to spare the life of the third and he would pardon him for the deaths of the former to which the barbarous homicide replyed that there was but one way in the world for him to redeeme his life the indulgent father with teares and intreaties desired to know what that way was who presently replyed that he should with his knife instantly cut off his nose for there was no other ransome for him The passionate father who dearely tendered the safety of his childe having now no other left agrees to the condition and disfigured and dishonoured his face according to the covenant made betwixt them which was no sooner done but the inhumane butcher framed a loud and scornefull laughter at which whilest the other stood amazed the childe which he still held in his armes he â—â—ung to the rest and then most desperately cast himself after preventing a worse death by torment and such was the end of this Arch-limbe of his father the Devill and the fruits of Ire Anger Indignation and Malice CHAP. IV. Gods Judgements against Sloath. SAlomon saith of Sloath Proverbs 19. Vers. 15. Sloathfulnesse causeth to fall asleepe and a deceitfull person shall be affamished And 28. Vers. 19. He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread but hee that followeth the Idle shall be filled with poverty Againe Proverb 6. 6. Goe to the Pismire O sluggard behold her wayes and be wise for she having no guide governour nor ruler prepareth her meate in the summer and gathereth her food in harvest How long wilt thou sleepe O sluggard When wilt thou arise out of thy sleepe Yet a little sleepe a little slumber a little foulding the hands to sleepe Therefore thy poverty commeth as one that travelleth by the way and thy necessity like an armed man This being a sinne generally rather of omission then commission Examples and the punishments thereof are not so frequent in the holy Text nor other Ethnick Authors as those actuall and in continuall agitation yet as farre as Authentick authority will give me leave I will strive to delineate and expresse it to the full that being howsoever sleighted and unminded mortiferous and deadly and therefore subject to judgement and condemnation it may be the more carefully abandoned and avoyded Pride fulnesse of bread and idlenesse which is a neglect of that duty which belongs to God and a cessation of that consociety and converse which is requisite amongst men were part of those sinnes which caused God to raine down fire and brimstone upon Sodome and Gomorrah whose lazinesse and sloath begot incest adultery and that most preposterous and abhominable sinne since called from the place Sodometry But I desire first to annalyse and distinguish of the vice before I proceed to further president This fourth head of the beast of Hell called Accidia or Desidia hath a bad root and spreadeth into many evill branches for it keepeth from beginning well and hindereth from ending well It hindereth good beginnings by six sundry sinnes The first may be called Faintnesse which is when a mans love which ought to be zealous and servent towards his Creator and Redeemer is cold faint and weake and therefore made unapt either for Devotion or Prayer and this commonly happeneth when he is backward and averse to enterprise any good worke of piety or charity The second may be titled Tendernesse which is the very couch and day-bed on which the Devill resteth and reposeth himselfe still prompting to the man or woman Thou hast beene ever tenderly and indulgently brought up not borne to trouble thy selfe with any toylesome vocation thou art moreover of a weake constitution not able to endure paine or labour much lesse fasting or any needfull chastising of thy body that sighing for thy sinnes were hurtfull for thine health and weeping for thy transgressions would in time spoyle thine eye-sight with the like malevolent suggestions which aptly comply with a sentence of one of the Fathers Iustum est cum Deo ut moriens obliviscatur sui qui vivus oblitus est Dei Most just it is with God that such men should forget him in their death who would not remember him in their lives The third branch is Idlenesse from whence many evils arise as witnesseth the holy Text for when the old adversary of mankinde findeth a man idle in his duty towards his Maker he then findeth him imployment in his owne wicked workes first putting him in minde to think of evill and then to act it addicting himselfe wholly to villany ribaldry luxury to neglect time and opportunity wherein hee might doe much good and make his way towards Heaven Where on the contrary doing much evill hee prepares his passage to Hell and eternall damnation The fourth beares the title of Dulnesse or Heavinesse when we solely incline our selves to drowsinesse and sleep and then are the adversary and his ministers vigilant and waking to insidiate us in all our senses and the lesse apt he findes us to the service of God the more plyant and flexible hee makes us for the workes of Sathan and such are they who for one houres sleep will neglect comming to divine Service to heare the word of God preached or to be present at the administration of the holy Sacraments The first is Refrectory perversnesse that is when we lie and snort in sinne and are sensible and apprehensive of the temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devill yet we neither lift up our heads nor hearts to God by way of contrition nor implore unto him devoutly by confession nor list up our hands unto him as promising repentance like that obstinate and wilfull prisoner who had rather lie rotting in a stinking and noysome dungeon then take the paines to walke up the staires where the doores stand wide open to gaine himselfe his franchise and
he will take you away with thornes and your posterity with fish-hookes Micah 2. 2. And they covet fields and take them by violence and houses and take them away so they oppresse a man and his house even man and his heritage therefore thus saith the Lord. Behold against this family have I devised a plague whereout ye shall not plucke your neckes and you sh all not go so proudly for this time is evill Again 3. 11. The heads thereof judge for rewards and the priests thereof teach for hire and the prophets thereof prophesie for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord amongst us no 〈◊〉 can come upon us therefore shall Sion for your sakes he plowed as 〈◊〉 field and Ierusalem shall be an heaâ— and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest Hab. 2 9. Ho he that coveteth an evill covetousnesse to his house that he may set his nest on high to escape from the power of evill Thou hast consulted shame to thine own house by destroying many people and hast sinned against thine own soul for the stone shal 〈…〉 out of the wall and the beame out of the timber shall answer it We unto him that buildeth a town with blood and erecteth a city by iniquity 2 Mach. 10. 20. Now they that were with Simon being led with covetousnesse were intreated for money through certain of those that were in the castle and took seventy thousand drac 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some of them escape but when it was told Machubeus what was done he called the governours of the people together and accused those men that they had sold their brethren for money and let their enemies go so he slew them when they 〈◊〉 convict of treason and won the two castles Eccles. 4. 8. There is one alone and there a not a second which hath neither son nor brother yet is there no end of all his travell neither can his eye be satisfied with riches neither doth he thinke for whom do I travell and defraud my soul of pleasure this also is vanity and this is an evill travell Again 5. 9. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver and he that loveth riches shall not enjoy the fruits thereof where goods increase they are increased that eat them and what goods commeth to the owners but the beholding thereof with their eyes the sleep of him that travelleth is sweet whether he eat little or much but the satiety of the rich will not suffer him 〈◊〉 sleep There is an evill sicknes that I have seen under the sun to wit riches reservâ—â— to the owners thereof for their evill and their riches vanish by evill travell 〈◊〉 he begetteth a son and in his hand is nothing I conclude with that of Zephan 1. 18. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousie for he shall make a speedy riddance even of all them that dwell in the land And thus far the Scriptures against this horrid vice of Covetousnesse I come to the Fathers Saint Augustine De verbo Domins useth these words What is this avidity of concupiscence without measure when even beasts themselves observe a mediocrity they onely prey when they are an hungred but cease to spoil when they are satisfied onely the avarice of the rich is insatiable it alwayes rages and is never sated it neither feareth God nor reverenceth man it spareth not the father nor acknowledgeth the mother it regardeth nor brother nor childe but breaketh covenant with a friend it oppresseth the widdow invadeth the orphant distresseth the poor and is prone to bring false witnesses and what a madnesse is it to desire death for life and in seeking to finde gold to lose Heaven And Saint Ambrose in his Sermons thus It is all one for him that hath to take from him that wants and when thou hast and canst to deny relief to the indigent and needy it is the bread of the hungry that thou deteinest the cloathing of the naked that thou keepest backe the money that thou hidest in the earth is the redemption of the captive and know thou robbest so many of those goods as it is in thy power to confer upon the miserable when thou denyest to succour them Those fortunes and those riches are not a mans owne which he cannot carry with him onely mercy and charity forsake not a man in his death Saint Hierome saith To a covetous man that is as much wanting which he hath as what he hath not because hee rather desires to have what hee wants or is still in feare to lose what he hath who whilest in adversity he hopes for prosperity in prosperity hee feares adversity And in another place The covetous man burnes here with the heat of concupiscence and shall burne after in the fire of Gehenna If hee see one more potent then himselfe he suspects an oppressor If one inferiour hee feares a thiefe and such are most unhappy who really suffer whatsoever they shall but feare to suffer Huge lib. de Clar. useth these words There be foure things in the possessing of goods and riches to be observed namely that lawfull things we doe not acquire injustly or being injustly acquired we doe not strive to injoy them unlawfully that we strive not to possesse much though lawfully nor things justly got defend unlawfully for either evilly to acquire or badly to use what is acquired what is lawfull makes unlawfull for to possesse much hath some alliance to avarice and commonly it happens what is too much lov'd is ill defended I conclude with Gregory in one of his Homilies Every avaritious man from drinke doth multiply thirst because when he hath once injoyed what he before coveted he is not therewith satisfied but hath the greater inclination to cover more But from the Fathers I come to Ethnick History and first I will give you the appellation of some rich men Cacilius Camidius was of that infinite estate that though he had lost a great part of his riches in the civill warres of Rome yet at his death he left foure thousand domestick servants and retainers in his stables he had an hundred and threescore horses three thousand and sixe hundred oxen and of other head of cattle two hundred fifty and seaven thousand and pecuniis numeratis that is in ready coyne sixe hundred thousand pound weight who also gave to be expended upon his Funerall eleven thousand Sestertii Marcus Crassus would not allow any man to be called a rich man who was not able out of his private coffers to maintaine a Legion of Souldiers for a yeare the annuall revenue of his fields and grounds arrable and pasture amounted to fiftie hundred thousand crownes of gold Neither did this suffice him saith Pliny but he was ambitious to winne and possesse all the gold of the Parthians
seeing him run they ran after him all not knowing the originall of this uprore they stop him and demand the cause of his flight who in his great affright and terrour of conscience said He was the man They asked what man he answered the same man that committed such a bloody murder so many yeares since upon which he was apprehended and committed to Newgate arraigned by his own confession condemned and hanged first on a gibbet and after at Mile-end in chaines Thus we see how the devill never leaves his ministers and servants especially in this horrid case of murder without shame and judgement Another strange but most true story I shall relate of a young Gentleman of good meanes and parentage brought up in Cambridge whose name for his worshipfull kinreds sake I am desirous to conceal he being of a bould spirit and very able body and much given unto riot and expence could not containe himselfe within his exhibition but being a fellow-commoner lavisht much beyond his allowance to helpe which and to keepe his credit in the Towne he kept a good horse in the stable and oftentimes would flie out and take a purse by the high-way and thus he continued a yeare or thereabouts without the jealousie or suspition of any At length his quarterly meanes not being come up from his father and hee wanting money to supply his ordinary riots hee put himselfe into a disguise tooke horse and crossing New-market Heath he discovered a purchase a serving-man with a cloak-bag behinde him and spying him to travell singly and alone he made towards him and bid him stand and deliver the other unacquainted with that language answered him that he had but little money and what he had he was loath to part with Then said the Gentleman thiefe thou must fight for it Content saith the other and withall both alight and drew and fell stoutly to their businesse in this conflict the honest serving-man was infortunately slain which done the other but sleightly wounded tooke away his cloak-bagge and binding it behinde his owne horse up and fled towards the University and having set up his horse in the Town and carried the cloak-bagge or Portmantuan to his chamber he no sooner opened it but he found a Letter directed to him from his father the contents whereof were That hee had sent him his quarterly or halfe-yeares allowance by his owne man a faithfull servant commended unto him by a deare friend whom he had lately entertained willing his sonne to use the man kindly for his sake which Letter when he had read and found the money told to a penny and considering he had kil'd his owne fathers man whom he had intreated to be used curteously at his hands and onely to take away his owne by force abroad which hee might have had peaceably and quietly brought home to his chamber he grew to be strangely alter'd changing all his former mirth into a deepe melancholy In briefe the robbery and murder were found and known and the Lord chiefe Justice Popham then riding that Circuit whose neare kinsman hee was he was arraigned and condemned at Cambridge Assises though great meanes were made for his pardon yet none could prevaile the Judge forgetting all alliance would neither commiserate his youth nor want of discretion but caused him without respect of person to be hanged up amongst the ordinary and common malefactors Doctor Otho Melander reports this horrible parricide to be committed in the yeare of Grace 1568. within the Saxon confines At a place called Albidos neare unto the Lyon Tower which hath beene an ancient seat of the Dukes of that Countrey There saith he lived a father who had two sonnes the one hee brought up to husbandry the other in merchandise both very obedient and dutifull and given to thrift and good husbandry the Merchant traded in Lubeck where in few yeares hee got a very faire estate and falling sicke even in his prime trading he made his Will in which hee bequeathed to his brother about the summe of five hundred pounds and his father ten and died some few houres after he had setled his estate But before his death he sent to his brother to come in person and receive those Legacies the father not knowing how he had disposed of his meanes dispatcht his other sonne with all speed possible to Lubeck more avaritious after what his sonne the Merchant had left him then sorrowing for his death though hee were a young man of great expectation and of a most hopefull fortune The surviving sonne who was the younger arriveth at the Citie and having first deplored the death of his brother as nature bound him and glad to heare of him so great and good a report he takes out a copie of the Will and after receiveth his money to a farthing and with this new stock seeing what was past hee joyfully returnes into his owne Countrey who at his first arrivall was as gladly welcommed by his father and mother who were over-joyed to looke upon the bagges that hee had brought but when by reading of the Will they saw how partially the money was disposed in that so little fell to their share they first began bitterly to curse the dead sonne and after barbarously to raile on the living out-facing him that he had changed the Will by altering the old and forging a new which the innocent youth denying and excusing himselfe by telling them that the originall was upon record and by that they might be fully satisfied yet all would give them no satisfaction till very wearinesse made them give over their heavy execrations then the sonne offered them whatsoever was his to dispose of at their pleasure which they very churlishly refused and bad him take all and the Devill give him good with it which drew teares from the sonnes passionate eyes who after his blessing craved but denyed very dolefully left them and was no sooner departed from them but to compasse this money they began to devise and consult about his death which they concluded to be performed that night and when hee was sleeping in his bed they both set violently and tygerly upon him forcing daggers into his breast so that inforced with the agony of the wounds he opened his eyes and spying both his parents with their hands imbrued in his bloud he with a loud ejaculation clamour'd out these words or to the same sence Quae non Aurum hominem cogis quae non mala suades In Natos etiam stringere ferra Iubes That is O Gold to what dost thou not compell man to what evils dost thou not perswade are not these sufficient but must thou cause parents to sheath their weapons in their owne bowels their children which words were uttered with such a loud and shrill shreeke that it was heard by the neighbours who starting out of their beds and breaking open the doores found them in the very act before the body was cold for which they were apprehended
those that have willingly falne away 49 17. Of the third and worst sort of Apostates those that through Malice forsake the Truth 51 18. More examples like unto the former 55 19. Of Hereticks 61 20. Of Hypocrites 67 21. Of Conjurers and Inchanters 71 22. Of those that through pride and vaine glory strove to usurpe the honour due to God 79 23. Of Epicures and Atheists 87 24. Touching the Transgressors of the 2. Commandement by Idolatrie 94 25. Of many evills that have come upon Christendome for Idolatrie 96 26. Of those that at any time corrupted and mingled Gods Religion with humane Inventions or went about to change or disquiet the Discipline of the Church 99 27. Of Perjurers 101 28. More examples of the like subject 116 29. Of Blasphemers 130 30. Of those that by cursing and denying God give themselves to the Devill 134 31. More examples of Gods judgement upon Cursers 136 32. Punishments for the contempt of the Word and Sacraments and abuse of holy things 140 33. Those that prophane the Sabbath-day 147 Judgements in the second Book Chap. 1. Of rebellious and stubborne Children towards their Parents 151 2. Of those that rebell against their Superiours 158 3. More examples of the same subject 163 4. Of such as have murthered their Rulers and Princes 168 5. Of such as rebelled against their Superiours because of Subsidies and â—â—â—es imposed upon them 171 6. Of Mu 〈…〉 〈◊〉 â—74 7. A suit of examples like unto the former 177 8. Other examples like unto the former 193 9. Other memorable examples of the like subject 197 10. Of divers other Murtherers and their severall punishments 201 11. Of the admirable discovery of murthers 203 12. Of such as have murthered themselves 214 13. Of Paracides or Parent murtherers 221 14. Of Subject-murtherers 226 15. Of those that are both cruell and disloyall 231 16. Of Queens that were murtherers 234 17. Of such as without necessity upon every light occasion move war 236 18. Of such as please themselves overmuch in seeing cruelties 239 19. Of such as exercise too much rigor and severity 241 20. Of Adulteries 244 21. Of Rapes 245 22. Other Examples of Gods Iudgements upon Adulterers 251 23. Shewing that Stewes ought not to be suffered amongst Christians 254 24. Of Whoredomes committed under colour of marriage 256 25. Of unlawfull marriages and their Issues 257 26 Touching incestuous marriages 259 27. Of Adulterie 261 28. Other Examples like unto the former 264 29. Other Examples like unto the former 268 30. More Examples of the same Argument 272 31. Of such as are Divorced without cause 275 32. Of those that either cause or authorize unlawfull Divorcements 277 33. Of Insestuous persons 278 34. Of effeminate persons Sodomites 〈…〉 â—onsters 280 35. Of the wonderfull evill that ariseth from the greedines of Lust. 282 36. Of unlawfull Gestures Idlenesse Gluttony Drunkennesse â—ancing and other such like dissolutenes 283 37. Of Theeves and Robbers 292 38. Of the excessive burdening of the Commonalty 297 39. Of those that have used too much cruelty towards their subjects in taxes and exactions 299 40. More examples of the same subject 302 41. Of such as by force of Armes have either taken away or would have taken away the goods and landâ— of other men 304 42. Of Vsurers and their Theft 373 43. Of Dicers Card-players and their Theft 376 44. Of such as have been notorious in all kind of sin 379 45. More examples of the same argument 385 46. Of Calumniation and false witnesse 393 47. That Kings and Princes ought to look to the execution of justice for the punishment of naughty and corrupt manners 40â— 48 Of such Princes as have made no reckoning of punishing vice nor regarded the estate of their people 402 49. How rare and geason good Princes have been at all times 40â— 50. That the greatest and mightiest Cities are not exempt from punishment of their iniquities 408 51. Of such punishments as are common to all men in regard of their iniquities 409 52. That the greatest punishments are reserved and laid up for the wicked in the world to come 410 53. How the afflictions of the godly punishments of the wicked differ 411 A brief Summary of more examples annexed to the form◠〈◊〉 â—â—e same Author Chap 1. Of such as have persecuted the Church of Christ. 414 2. Of Perjury 414 3. Of Epicures and Atheists ibid. 4. Of Idolatry 418 5. Of Blasphemy 418 6. Of Conjurers Magitians and Witches ibid. 7. Of the prophanation of the Sabbath 419 8. Of Drunkennesse 420 9. Of rebellious disobedient children to parents 426 10. Of murtherers ibid. 11. Of Adultery 428 12. Of Theeves and Robbers 429 13. Of 〈◊〉 431 14. Of the molestation of evill spirits and their execution of Gods judgements upon men ibid. 15. The Conclusion concerning the protection of holy Angels over such as feare God 437 A Table of the most remarkable judgements contained in the last part of this Book never before imprinted DEvoured by Wormes pag. 3 Poisoned 4 Self-murther ibid. â—â—postume 5 A Spanish History against pride in knowledge 〈◊〉 c. The Popes Nephew hanged 8 An Italian rack◠〈◊〉 death 9 Herbert Earle of Vermendois 10 Bajazet beats out his own brainis ibid. Bâ—adaas neck broke by a fall ib. Earle Goodwin choaked at the table 11 Earle Harold shot in the eye 11 12 Pierce Gaveston beheaded 13 Sir Hugh Spencer beheaded and his sonne hang'd and quartered 13 Earle Mortimer hanged 14 Sundry others executed 15 A briefe relation of the life and death of Cardinall Wolsey 15 16 Envious persons punished sundry wayes 17. One Brother murthereth another 21 A remarkable history of a Roman Prince 22 Pope Boniface his miserable death 23 The death of Caesar Germanicus ib. Matrinus head cut off 24 Bassianus and his mother torne in pieces throwne into a â—akes 24 Alexander Severus miserably slaine ib. Prince Cranne with his Wife and Children burnt to death 25 One brother killeth another and the mother murdereth her owne Son 25 26 Prince Morwith devoured by a Sea monster Sundry other remarkable judgements upon envious persons 27 The unfortunate deaths of Edw. 6. his two Vncles 30 31 Ptolomeus Pisco torne in pieces 33 Cirenes famished to death ibid. One destroy'd by Lightning ibid. Of another torne in pieces by Wolves ibid The story of Philaris brazen Bull. 33 34 Sundry relations of bloudy women 34 35 Remarkable observations upon the Emperor Caligula together with his death 35 Avidius Cassius his bloudy acts and miserable death 37 Sundry murthers strangely discover'd 42 Sundry judgments against the sin of sloth 46 A strange story of a slothfull Chamber-maid 55 Covetousnesse defined 58 The infinite riches of some men 62 The monstrous covetousness of Mauritius the Emperor together with his death 64 Sundry judgments against covetousnes 66 A strange Murther committed in Honey-lane and as strangely discover'd 69 A Scholler murdereth his Fathers Servant 70 Parents murder their own children 71 Iudgements inflicted upon Usurers 74 Lust learnedly defined 76 c. Gods judgements against Gluttony 96 c. FINIS Foure Species of Pride Habbak 2. 4. Nicanor Alexander the Great Nero Casar Varus Pergaus Menecrates the Physitiaâ— Pride in all states conditions and sexes The nature of Pride S. Augustine Plutarch An excellent Spanish History against pride in knowledge The 3. Questions propounded The Earth Humilitie Pride Advantage well taken Their marriage A just censure His owne tongue condemned him Histories out of our owne Chronicles in which the sin of pride hath beene most severely punished Examples in the Gospell One brother murdereth the other The History of a Roman Prince The Soldans great love to the Prince Envy in Women Murder the fruits of Envy A just Judgement upon an envious Traytour Envy pursued by many disasters Texts in the holy Scripturè by which wrath is condemned Noted murderers in the holy Text. Examples of Sloath out of the Scriptures A strange story of a sloathfull Chamber-maid The Parents murder their owne naturall sonne for the luere of money Fabia Zoe the Empresse Women branded for Incest Papinius and Canusia Julia the Empresse and Antonia Coracalla Semiramis A Spanish Maid A Gentleman of Millan The Prince of Opolia A Burgesse of Ulmes An Advoc 〈…〉 of Consta 〈…〉 A Nobleman of Piedmont Cyanip Syrac Armutiâ—s Childebert K. of France and Plectrude Philip the second and Gelberge his Q. A miraculous deliverie A needful observation A lamentable History Jealousie A fearefull Prison or Dungeon A cruel Lady A fearfull sight The former parallel'd with a modern Story An unwomanly Act. Locring Estrild Sabrina Ethelburge a notorious Adult 〈…〉 An unadvised Woman The fury of Elphaida A miraculous accident A bloudy Regitide Sigandus Bish. of Sherburne and Winchester Henry the second Mr. Arden of â—eversham Master Page of Plymouth Countrey Tom and Cambury Besse The symptoms of Gluttony From the Old Testament Texts out of the New Testament The Fathers of Gluttony Erotes The Devills miracles Albidinus Lucullus Caesar the Son of Pope Alexander Galentius Belflorius a Sycilian Good admonitions against Gluttony Maximinus a great Glutton The Emperor Bonosus Phago Edax Clodius Albinus Heterognathus Mithredates K. of Pontus Domitius Affer Philoxenes Galba and Vitellius Drunkards amongst the Grecians Alexander the Great Antiochus the Illustrious Agrones The bitter fruits of Gormundizing Gluttony An unmatchable villainâ— Almost the like done in England The effects of too much wine A miraculous escape A drunken Bu 〈…〉 A judgement upon three drunkards A Glasier A Barber One that drank himself to death A true relation of a Prodigall Citizen A strange and unheard of prodigall
by your speeches late uttered that some who are no well-wishers of mine but rather seeke to poyson my reputation with your Majesty have possessed you that I have been accessary to the death of your brother and proceeded further having then a piece of bread in his hand ready to put into his mouth but so may I safely swallow this morsell as I am altogether innocent and guiltlesse of the act which streyning to eate he was therewith immediately choaked at the table which the King seeing and observing the strange Judgement inflicted upon his perjury he commanded his body to be drag'd froÌ„ thence conveyed to Winchester there buried But Marianus and some others write that he was not choaked with bread but upon his former false protestation dining with the King upon an Easter Monday at Winchester he was suddenly struck with a dead palsie and died the third day after Neither did Gods Judgements upon him end here but after his death all his Lands in Kent which were very spacious and great were eaten up and swallowed by the Sea and turned into dangerous quick sands on which many a goodly vessell hath since beene shipwrackt and they beare the name of Goodwins sands even to this day Harold the second sonne of Earle Goodwin after the death of his elder brother Swanus aswell heire to his fathers insolent and aspiring spirit as to his Earledome and Lands in the twentieth yeare of the raigne of the before-named Edward the Confessor he sayled into Normandy to visit some of his friends but by adverse windes and a sudden tempest at Sea he was driven upon the Province of Pountiffe where hee was tooke prisoner and sent to Duke William of Normandy who inforced him to sweare that hee should marry with his daughter when she came to mature age and farther that after the death of King Edward he should keep the Crowne of England to his behoofe according to the will of the Confessor to both which Articles having solemnly sworne he was dismissed from the bastard Duke and with great and rich gifts sent backe to England But after the death of Edward in the yeare of the Incarnation one thousand threescore and sixe Harold forgetting his former oath and promise made to Duke William he caused himselfe to be crowned King of the Lande who was no sooner warme in his Throne but Harold Harfoot sonne to Canutus with a puissant hoast of Danes invaded the Realme whom Harold of England met in a set battaile slew him hand to hand and discomfited his whole Army for he was of an invincible hardinesse and valour which victory was no sooner obtained but newes was brought him that William of Normandy was landed with a potent Army to claime his right and interest he had in the Crowne of England by the last Testament of Edward the Confessor with these tydings being thoroughly heated he marched with all speed from the North scarce suffering his Army to rest by the way to give the Normans battaile betwixt whom was a dreadfull and bloudy conflict But when the victory rather hovered over the English then the other Harold after many deepe and dangerous wounds was shot into the eye with an arrow and slaine In whose death may be observed Gods heavy Judgements against price and perjury Of my first sinne namely Pride none hath ever beene by our English Chronologers more justly taxed then that French Gerson Pierre Gavestone the great misleader and seducer of Edward the second whom though his Royall Father King Edward the first sirnamed Long-shanks upon his death-bed caused to bee banished yet the sonne was no sooner inaugurated and admitted to the government of the Realme but contrary to the wils of all his Lords and Peeres he caused his Exile to be repealed sent for him over and advanced him to great honour in which he demeaned himselfe like a proud upstart or as our English Proverbe goes Like a beggar set on horsebacke who is ready to ride poste to the Devill for whose sake the King committed William Lancton Bishop of Chester in the second yeare of his raigne to the Tower because he had perswaded the King against his Minion for which the Barons of the Realme and especially Sir Henry Lacy Sir Guy and Sir Aymery de Valence Earle of Lincolne of Warwick and Pembroke to whom the late King had given charge for his exile upon his death-bed wrought so farre by their power that contrary to the Kings will hee was avoyded the Land and banisht into Ireland for that yeare whither his Majestie sent many secret messengers with rich gifts to comfort him and made him chiefe Ruler of that Countrey But in the third yeare of his reigne divers grudges and discontents began to arise betwixt the King and his Nobles insomuch that for quietnesse sake and in hope of his amendment he was againe repealed but more and more increased in his insufferable insolence insomuch that having charge of all the Kings Jewels and Treasure he went to Westminster and out of the Kings Jewell-house tooke a Table and a paire of trestles all of pure gold and conveyed them with other precious gems out of the Land to the great exhausting and impoverishing of the same by whose wanton effoeminacies and loose conditions he drew the King to many vitious courses as adulteries and the like which mischiefes the Lords seeing daily to increase they tooke counsell againe at Lincolne and notwithstanding the Kings main opposer he was a second time confined into Flanders but in his fifth year was again sent for over when not able to contain himselfe from his immoderate luxury as he demeaned himselfe far more arrogantly than before insomuch that he disdained and had in contempt all the Peeres of the Land giving them much opprobrious and despightfull language wherefore seeing there was no hope of his amendment with an unanimous consent they vowed to rid the Land of such a Caterpiller and soon after besieged him in the Castle of Scarborrow and taking the Fort they surprised him and brought him to Gaversed besides Warwicke and the nine and twentieth day of â—une smote off his head Thus was Gods just doom against his pride luxury and avarice But there succeeded him both in ambition and the Kings favour of our own Natives the two Spencers the father and the son his great minions and favorites who both in wealth power and pride overtopt all the Nobles of the Land commanding their Soveraigne and confounding the Subjects of whom you may reade in the Records of the Tower that in the fourteenth year of this Edward the second Hugh Spencer the elder for his riots and extortions being condemned by the Commonalty and expelled the Land an Inventory of his estate being taken it was found by inquisition that the said Spencer had in sundry Shires fifty nine Mannours and in his possession of his own goods and chattels twenty eight thousand sheep one thousand oxen and steeres twelve hundred beeves with their calves
9. Inquisition shall be made for the thoughts of the ungodly and the sound of the words shall come unto God for the correction of his iniquities Therefore beware of murmuring which profiteth nothing and refraine thy tongue from slander for there is no word so secret that shall goe for nought and the mouth that speaketh lyes slayeth the soule It is the counsell of the Wise man Eate not the bread of him that is envious or hath an evill eye neither desire his d 〈…〉 meates for as though he thought it in his heart bee will say Eate and drinke but his heart is not with thee thou sh 〈…〉 t vomit the â—arselâ— that thou hast 〈◊〉 and thou shalt lose thy sweet words c. The booke of Wisdome 〈◊〉 us that through Envy of the Devill came death into the world and they that hold of his side prove it therefore let us be advised by Saint Peter who in the second chapter of his first Epistle saith Wherefore laying aside all malitiousnesse and all guile and dissimulation and envy and evill speaking as new borne babes desire that sincere milke of the Word that yee may grow thereby c. But from the discovery of the foulenesse of the sinne I come now to shew what severall judgements have beene inflicted upon it And first to search forraine Histories before we come to fearefull and tragicall Examples moderne and domestick of our owne that the one may the better illustrate and set off the other I begin with that incestuous brood of Thebes the two brothers Eteocles and Polynices whose father Oedipus ignorant of his owne naturall parents and having first most unfortunately slaine his owne father and after retyring himselfe to Thebes by the solution of Sphinxes riddle married with his owne mother Iocasta neither of them knowing their proximity in bloud and by that match swayed the Kingdome together with those two before-named sonnes and two daughters Antigone and Ismene which he had by her But at length having knowledge of that incestuous match made with his mother he in griefe thereof with his nayles pulled out his owne eyes and she in despaire strangled her selfe after which the Kingdome falling to the two brothers They first agreed to raigne monethly and then yearely by turnes but soone after there grew such malitious envy betwixt them that whatsoever the one did in his regency the other when the power came into his hands utterly abrogated and disanull'd making new lawes to the former quite contrary which also lasted but a moneth for then the succeeder paid the resigner in his owne coyne Upon this grew faction and divers partisans on either side some favouring the one and some affecting the other in the end from threatnings and braves it came to battaile and blowes in which the two brothers encountering hand to hand in a single duell they interchangably slew one another whose envy in life was so irreconcilable and invererate that it appeared after their deaths for their two bodies being brought to be burnt in one funerall pile the very flame was seene to divide it selfe and burne in two parts suting to their opposite soules and contrary conditions Another Example of Gods Judgements against Envy Greece affordeth us Perseus the sonne of Philip King of Macedon but not that Philip who was father to Alexander the Great hee had an elder brother whose name was Demetrius a man of most approved honesty and imitable condition whose knowne vertues his younger brother of a malevolent and cumbred spirit much envying framed a most scandalous and detracting inditement against him pretending that he had privately insidiated his fathers life and Kingdom and sold them both unto his enemies the Romans of which by suborned witnesses he had made such proofe and bribing to that purpose prevailed so farre that he was convented convicted and condemned and most innocently suffered the rigout of the Law by having his head strooke off But the King having had notice of these barbarous and injust proceedings surprised with excesse of griefe died not long after and this malicious fratricide succeeded in the Kingdome who now having all things answerable to his own desires thinking Macedonia too narrow a limit for his unbounded ambition he in great presumption not onely opposed but invaded the Roman Empire whose envy and detraction against his brother God thus punished He drew him with all his puissant Army neare unto the river of Danubius where being encountred by the Roman Consul Aemilius he and his whole hoast were cut to pieces and utterly ruined insomuch that the power of the Macedonians being utterly confounded it became after subject and tributary to the Roman Empire and thus his defamatory destruction conspired against another fell upon his owne head and is still registred to his perpetuall shame and inflamy It is reported of the Roman Emperour Caligula who was a man of infinite vices that he never spared man in his rage not woman in his lust to whom sisters and strangers were alike he was so infected with this vice of envy that in contempt of the most noble families in Rome from the Torquati hee tooke the honour of wearing golden chains from the Cinâ—innats so called for their crisped and curled looks he tooke their haire and caused them to be shorne to the skull and so of others besides from 〈◊〉 Pompeâ—â—s he caused the denomination of Great to be taken away and Aesius Proculeus a very beautifull young man because hee was for feature and favour preferred before him he caused to be murdered for which and other like vices hee was deposed from the Imperiall purple and put to a most base wretched and ignoble death Antoninus and Geta were the two sonnes of the Emperour Severus betwixt whom he divided the Empire after his death To Antoninus was all Europe allotted and whole Asia was the possession and patrimony of Geta. Bizantium kept a great Garrison of Souldiers for Antoninus and Caloedon a Citie of Bythinia was the place of strength to which Geta trusted besides the two great Cities of Antioch and Alexandria were the Royall and Kingly feats for Geta and Mauritania and Numidia for Antoninus who was of a dangerous and divelish nature but Geta of a very curteous and affable temperature for which he was the more envyed by the Elder and his attrocities and inhumanities as much disaffected by the younger By which mutuall enmity those glorious victories which Severâ—s atchieved and after by concord and peace enjoyed to the great advancement of the Empire were now almost wholly ruined The Empresse their mother fore-seeing some great and eminent disaster gave them often very matron and pious admonitions exhorting them to unity and concord but her indulgent and wholesome counsell nothing prevailed with them for daily their discord hatred and bloudy practises increased and the one was so jealous of the other that they durst not eate nor drinke together for feare of poyson In this mutuall feare they continued till at the
expeditions hee had alwayes a steele bow ready bent and what souldier soever but stept out of his ranke hee instantly strooke him dead with an arrow glorying to himselfe that he was so good a marks-man But after these and infinite other cruelties hee that delighted to see men die like Beares was himselfe in the end torne in pieces with wilde Wolfes being paid in the like though not in the same coyne which hee lent to others Suiting to which is that story of Perillus who hearing that Phalaris the Tyrant over the Agrigentines was much delighted in the severall wayes of tormenting men and presuming that nothing could better comply with his cruelty then to present him with some rare and unheard of machine to that purpose he devised and forged by his Art a brazen Bull to open on the one side and shut againe at pleasure which being brought to Phalaris he demanded of him the use for which it was made who answered him again he had forged it to punish offendors of high nature for saith he let the naked body be put in at this doore and then an hot fire made under it the person tormented will not utter the voyce of a man to put a telenting commiseration upon you but the sound will appeare like the bellowing of a Bull to make it the lesse terrible which Phallaris hearing and grieving in his ambitions evill that any should offer to out-doe him in his cruelty He told the workeman that he accepted of his gift but commanded withall that he should make proofe of his owne worke which was instantly done and he most miserably tormented in his owne engine for who more fit to taste of tortures then they that have the inhumanity to devise them and they by Gods Justice meritedly suffer themselves what they devise for others of which Oâ—id speakes thus Ipse Perillaeo Phalaris permisit in are Edere mugitus bovis ore queri The purpose this All that the Workeman by his Art did gaine He in his owne brasse bellowed out his paine Amongst these bloudy minded men let me give you a taste of some no lesse cruell women Parisatis the mother of Cyrus Iunior not content with inflicting ordinary and common torments upon the bodies of men devised with her selfe a new and unheard of way how to put men to a lingring death by putting wormes unto them being alive and so to beâ—d evoured And Irene the Empresse and wife of Leo the fourth caused her owne sonne Constantinus Sextus first to be cast in prison next to have his eyes torne out of his head and lastly to die in a dungeon Fulvia the wife of Antony one of the Triumuirat after her husband had caused the head of Marcus Cicero to be cut off he commanded it to be brought home to him and plac't upon his Table and when he had for a whole day glutted his revengefull eyes with the sight thereof he sent it to his wife Fulvia who no sooner saw it but as if it had still enjoyed the sence of hearing rail'd upon it with many bitter and despightfull words and having tyred her selfe with maledictions and womanish taunts she tooke the head into her lap and calling for a knife she with her owne cruell hands cut out the tongue once the pride and glory of Eloquence and with the pinnes from the tyre of her head prickt it full of holes as if it had still beene sensible of paine till she had fully â—â—ted her spleene and cruelty Tomyris Queene of the Scythians after she had taken Cyrus King of Persia in battaile when he was brought unto her presence she first caused a great and large Tombe to be filled with the bloud of his slaine subjects and then commanded his head to be cut off and cast there in which done she tauntingly said Now Cyrus drinke bloud enough in thy death which in thy life time thou hast so much thirsted after Dirce a Theban woman when she understood that her husband Lycâ—s was inamored of Antiope the daughter of Nictâ—â—s in her pestilent jealousie she caused the Virgine to be surprised and being in her power she commanded her to be first bound unto the head of a wilde Bull and then made fire to be fastened to his hornes by which he being the more inraged ran madly through woods and over rocks untill her body was miserably torne in pieces Alike if not more bloudy minded was Amos 〈…〉 the wife of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jealous of the wife of Masista president over the Baâ—â—rians in his absence most cruelly butchered her causing first both her breasts to bee cut off which she cast to the dogges to be eaten then her nose eares lippes and tongue to be throwne into the fire and all these torments she endured being yet alive Progne the daughter of Pandion King of Athens having by her husband Terenus King of Thrace a sweet young Prince called Itis because her husband had ravished her sister Philomel and cut out her tongue because shee should not reveale the incestious Act of this having notice she in an unworthy revenge slew her sonne whom the King much loved and having cookt his limbes with sundry sawces she set them before his father who eate thereof and after because he should be sensible of what he had done in the last course she served in his head Tullia the wife of Tarquinus sirnamed Superbus the proud and daughter to Servius then King of the Romans when her father was by her consent slaine in the Capitoll and his body throwne in the streets she riding that way in her Chariot when the horses stopt their course and the driver stood amazed she compelled him to drive over her fathers body with whose bloud and braines her coach-wheeles were stained yet was shee so farre from being daunted that she was said to rejoyce highly in the Act. Yet for this accident so hatefull it shewed to all the multitude that the very street where this was done is called Vicus sceleratus the impious or wicked street even to this day Now if any shall taxe my promise in the title of this worke and say True it is that these were very bloudy and cruell women and their horrid Acts worthy both to be condemned and hated of all people whatsoever but where are the Judgements or what were the punishments inflicted upon them I answer It is not to be doubted but all or most of these suffered by the heavy hand of God in this life and that remarkably howsoever the ancient Remembrancers and Chronologers of those times forgot to leave the manner and particular circumstances of their ends in that to give the World a more full satisfaction But howsoever of this I am assured that no greater Judgement can be imposed upon any man-slayer or murderer than to have his or her name branded to all posterity Their actions as they were prodigious so their very memories are to be made hatefull and abhorrid of all Caligula the Roman Emperour when his
Grandmother Antonia was dead and her much lamented body being brought to the funerall pile he would not so much as grace it with his presence but all the time of the Ceremony was sporting with his Jesters and Buffoons in a summer Parlor He slew his brother Tiberius and used his wives father with all contempt and contumelies He stuprated all his sisters and which is worse if worse might be hee after made them prostitutes to his Ruffians and Villaines Ptolomaeus the sonne of Iuba his neare Kinsman and Macro and Euma his Coadjutors in the Empire for their good and faithfull service he caused to be put to death He commanded a Questor in Rome because his name was given up in a Conjuration to bee stript naked and openly scourged Many of worthy birth and condition for crimes devised not proved against them to branded with hot irons or otherwise marked and maimed Some he confin'd to the mending of high-wayes others to labour and dig in mynes and others he imprisoned like bruit beasts in Grates and Cages some hee caused to be sawed in pieces in the middle and that for a small fault or none When he punisht the sonnes or the daughters he usually sent for the parents to bee spectators of the torment and when a father upon a time would have excused himselfe by the messenger that hee was grievously sicke and could not come hee sent a bed to his house and had him brought thereon Because a Comick Poet used in his Sceane one doubtfull versicle which by a double construction might bee wrested to trench upon the Emperours person he commanded him to be burnt upon the very stage on which the Dramma was acted When hee had sentenc't a Roman Knight to be torne by wilde beasts because the condemned person proclaimed his innocence he first commanded his tongue to be cut out and then sent him presently to be devoured Having called a Nobleman from Exile when after his returne he came into his presence the Emperour demanded of him What he and the rest did all the time of their banishment who thinking to flatter with him and insinuate into his favour made answer We continually prayed that your brother Tiberius might die and your sacred selfe survive and raigne long over us at which words a sudden fansie tooke him that all these which remained in Exile desired his death and therefore hee sent in all haste to have them suddenly dispatched out of their lives Besides his facinorous workes he used words fierce hasty and favouring of all inhumanity among others this phrase was often in his mouth All things against all men are to me lawfull When certaine Gauls and Grecians were together put to death hee boasted openly as of a great conquest saying He had conquered Gallogracia Those whom he tortured by degree still as they fainted hee would have them comforted with hot drinkes to make them longer endure their paine giving alwayes a charge to the tormentors in these words Have yee a care to make them sensible that they must die He would also often bragge of that sentence of the Tragicall Poet Oderunt dum metuunt They hate whilest they fear He often wished that all the people of Rome had but one neck that at one blow with an axe hee might cut it asunder Hee would often grieve and complaine of those times wherein hee lived because they were not made notorious by some great affliction and dire calamity or other wishing the slaughter of Armies famine pestilence combustions in the Empire swallowing of Cities by earthquakes and whatsoever all good men desired of the gods might not chance but be removed from them all these mischiefes and miseries hee wisht might be inflicted on them not excepting the security of his owne person Being at Putcoli at a solemne annuall dedication made to the Sea where a multitude of people were assembled he called and beckoned a great company of men women and children to come to that part of the shore where he was seated which having done he commanded the souldiers of his guard to precipitate them into the water and those who catcht hold of any thing to save themselves from drowning they with their speares and javelins pusht from all safety so that they all perisht together At a publike banquet because a servant that waited mistooke the taking away of a plate trencher he presently delivered him to the Hangman to have his hands cut off and then the plate to be hanged about his neck and to rest upon his bosome then a scroule in large letters to be pasted thereon where was inscribed his fault and cause of punishment and in that manner to be led as a spectacle to all the Feasters Hee contracted a combat with a valiant and strong man who stooping to his mercy as was before agreed betwixt them he tooke the advantage fell upon him and slew him I am tyred with the recicall of his many tyrannies these being but part of them on which I have dwelt the longer because in the subsequent examples I purpose to be more compenâ—ious and end him with his death and lasting ignomiâ—y who was 〈◊〉 by a Tribune comming from the Theatre his wife after him and his daughter crushed to death against a wall Avidius Cassius a barbarous and bloudy fellow the Romans called a second Cateline because he was so covetous and thirsty after bloud for besides many publike slaughters and private murders striving to imitate Periâ—â—s he invented an engine of torture never heard or I thinke scarce heard of before for he caused a beame or pole betwixt fourscoure and an hundred foot in length to be fixed in the earth to which from the top to the bottome thereof he caused the living Bodies of men to be fastened and a fire of weâ—â—illets and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and straw to be put under them till some with the flame consumed others with the smoake suffocated all perished to other with which manner of torture borrowed from his president in the ten Persecutions was used upon the Christians but he escaped not a notorious judgement dying as some have reported a strange and remarkable death for sitting at dinner when an extrordinary feast was served whilest his hand was in the dish and the meat between his fingers one hired to that purpose standing or waiting behinde him with his sword at one blow strook off his head and thus he perished without any remorse or penitence in himselfe or any commiseration or pity from others Though I have spoken of Domitius Nero and withall the judgement in his death yet hear but megive ye a brief relation of his inimitable butcheries and execrable murders with actions every way as prodigious He was the son of Domitius Aenobarbus and Agrippina who slew his mother He first married Octaviae and then Sabina Poppaea first commanding their husbands to be slain and was the cause of both their deaths after for after in his implacable fury he had killed Poppaea being at that
the best friends about him lest they should supplant him from the Imperiall dignity of which he grew the more timerous in regard of divers ominous dreames for there appeared unto him in his slumbers a blazing-starre like a sword and a Monke running with a sword drawn to the Emperours Statue inrag'd and crying out aloud Imperatorem ferrâ— periturum iâ— That the Emperour shall perish by steele Hee dreamed also That he was given to be murdered to one Phocas upon which he sent for one Philippicus out of prison a man whom hee much trusted and asked him Qualis sit Phocas What kinde of man is that Phocas To whom Philippicus answered Centurio ambitiosus sed timidus To whom the Emperour againe replyed If he be a coward he is then a murderer In conclusion he grew into such a great contempt of the Army that they sought to depose him and the Legions and men of Warre about Istrus chose Phocas a barbarous and bloudy Thracian to be Emperour who made all the haste possible to Constantinople where he was crowned in the Suburbs by Cyprian the Patriarch Mauricius in this interim was with his wife and children at Chalcedon where through griefe and trouble of minde he fell sicke thither Phocas sped him with all expedition who first caused his two youngest Sons to be slaine in his sight and then his three daughters and next their mother Constantina the daughter of Tiberius the second the next Emperour before Mauricius who beheld the deaths of his sonnes and daughters with great patience but when he saw his wife in the hand of the tormentor he burst forth into these words acknowledging his faults O Lord God thou art just and and thy Iudgements are right Lastly Phocas commanded his head to be cut off whose body with his wives and children were cast upon the shore to be a publike spectacle for all the people where they lay upon the ground till one of the enemies which had belonged to Mauricius caused them to be interted Achaeus a King of the Lydians was much branded with this vice of covetousnesse who when he had accumulated much riches and that too by sinister meanes not therewith contented hee proceeded further and put new and unheard of taxes and exactions upon his subjects when they knew his Treasury abounded with all fulnesse and plenty In hate of whose extreame avarice they conspired together and made an insurrection against him and having surprised him in his Palace they haled him thence and hanged him on a Gibbet with his heeles upward and his head drowned in the waters of Pactolus whose streames as sundry Authors write are of the colour of gold and hath name amongst the golden rivers an Embleme of his avarice Thus you see this deadly sinne seldome or never escapes without Judgement Neither did Iustinianus the second the sonne of Constantinus Barbatus escape the aspersion of this horrid vice he was the last of the stocke of Heraclius a man covetous unquiet cruell and unfortunate He had two Sycophants who furnisht his coffers and for that were graced by him with all Imperiall power and authority the one Theodosuis a Monke the other Stephanus the Emperours Chaplaine who was in such credit with his Master that he durst beate the old Empresse These two not onely exercised extortion and oppression amongst the Subjects but great cruelty upon the Princes Dukes and Captaines keeping one of them called Leontius two yeares in prison who after escaping by the helpe of the Patriarch was made Emperour and cut off the nostrils of Iustinian and sent him as an Exile to Chersonesus Which Leontius being after surprised by Tiberius Apsimarus he cut off his nostrils and sent him into a Monastery After Iustinian returned being ayded by the Bulgarians and suprising both Leontius and Apsimarus he caused them to be led bound through the Market-place and having first trod upon their necks cut off their heads then hee pulled out the eyes of Callinious the Patriarch and hanged up Heraclius the brother of Apsimarus But at what time he sent his Army against Chirson the Host made Philippicus Bardanes Emperour who made all speed to Constantinople and taking Iustinian and his sonne Tiberius from the Sanctuary commanded them most miserably to be slaine Nay even your greatest Prelates and in the primest places of Episcopall dignity have not beene excluded from this generall sinne of Avarice Martinus Papa was of that gripple and penurious condition that he commanded the ends of wax-candles left after Masse and the other Service to bee brought him home to his Palace to save him light in the nights for his houshold and family And Pontanus writes of one Agolastus a Priest and Cardinall who though he allowed liberally meat for his horses after repenting him of the charge would in the night steale privately into the stable and take the provender out of their mangers which hee used so long that being watcht by the master of his horse and knowing him beate him soundly as if he had beene a common theefe But contrary to these Alexander the first Pope was of that bounty and munificence that scarce any meriting man but tasted freely of his liberality who used to say unto his friends in sport I will tell you all my fortunes I was a rich Bishop I was a poore Cardinall and am at this present a beggarly Pope A great example of this vice of desiring to get and have was that of Alcmaeon the son of Megaclus who when he had entertained some of the chief Nobility of Croesus King of Lidia in their way to Delphos with great humanity and curtesie the King loth to remain indebted to him or at least not some way to correspond with his bounty invited him to his Palace and having abundantly feasted him for some dayes when he was ready to depart and take his leave of the King Nay saith he you shall not part thus empty-handed from me before you have seen my Treasury and take from thence as much gold as you are able to carry who being of the craving and having condition presently provided himselfe of large garmenrs and wide cloathes with deep and spatious pockets and thought not all sufficient for comming to the Magazine having taken thence as much as it was possible for him to dispose of in any place about him he then filled his mouth and crammed it to the very teeth and had conveyances in hair and so swearing under this burden disguised like a man distracted and quite out of his senses he appeared before the King who when he saw him so estranged from himselfe burst into a loud laughter and in contempt of his covetousnesse with great scorne and derision let him depart Thus far Herodotus Neither hath the Feminine sexe been altogether free from the same aspersions but most justly taxed for when Brennus our Countriman and brother to Belinus King of this Land being then Captain of the Gauls besieged Ephesus with his Army a great Lady of
of Augustus Caesar was a man of a most perdit obscenenesse practised in that superlative degree of filthinesse that scarce any age could produce a prodegy to paralell him modesty will not suffer me to give them name And Tegillinus according to Tacitus lib. 17. was a man of a most corrupted life who soothed and humoured Nero in all his ribaldries his sirname was Othonius by whose flattery and calumny many a noble Roman was put to death and when Otho who succeeded Nero came to wear the Imperiall purple and to be instated Emperour he sent amongst other malefactours for him to suffer as a putrified and corrupt member of the State and when the executioner with other lictors and officers came to surprise him in his house they found him drinking and rioting amongst his catamites and harlots where without limiting any time either to settle his estate or to take leave of any of his friends he was instantly slain and his wounded body cast into the open streets Crassus the richest of the Roman fathers after the death of one of his brothers married his wife by whom he had many children And Surinus the wealthiest and most potent of the Parthians next to the King had in his tents two hundred concubines at one time And Xerxes King of Persia was so given over to all licentiousnesse and luxury that he hired pursuivants and kept Cursors and messengers in pay to inquire and finde out men who could devise new wayes of voluptuousnesse and to them gave great rewards for so Valerius Maximus reports of him And Volateranus remembers us of one Vgutius a Florentine Prince who was slain of his Citizens and Subjects for stuprating their wives and vitiating their virgins Thus seldom we see this vice to go unpunished Nor is it particular to the masculine sex as the sole provocatours hereof but women have been equally and alike guilty We reade in Genesis of Potiphars wife who solicited Ioseph to her adulterate embraces who because he refused to commit such villany and to offend both God and his master she accused him to his Lord that he would have done to her violence for which he lay two years in prison But from prophane Histories we have many examples For Iulia Agrippina the mother of Nero was said to have unlawfull congresse with Domitian for so Iuvenal saith nay more after feasting and banqueting in the heat of her cups when she with her son were together topt with wine they commonly used incestuous consociety the conclusion of which impious lust was that the son in the end having caused his mother to be slain commanded her body to be dissected and ript open before his face as longing to see the bed wherein he lay when he was an unborne infant She was the daughter to Germanicus sister to Caligula the wife first of Domitius after of Clodius whom she poysoned for no other cause but to make Nero her son Emperour and you hear how well he requited her A chicken of the same brood was Messalina the daughter of Messala and the wife and Empresse of Claudius Caesar a woman of a most insatiate lust whose custome was to disguise her selfe like a private Gentlewoman so that she might not be known and with her pandor ushering her to walke unto common stewes and brothell-houses and there prostitute her selfe to all commers whosoever nay she was not ashamed to contend with the ablest and strongest Harlot in the City for masterie whence also shee returned rather tyred then satisfied nay more she selected out of the noblest Wives and Virgins to be eye witnesses and companions in her filthinesse whither men also were not denied accesse as spectators against all womenly shame and modesty and if any noble Gentleman of whom she seemed to be enamoured refused or despised her profered imbraces shee would feigne and devise some crime or other to be revenged on him and his whole familie Pliu. lib. 29 tels us That one Vectius Valius a notable Physitian was nobilitated meerly for pandthering to her luxuries Fabia the Wife of Fabrius Fabricanus grew greatly besotted on the love of a faire young Gentleman call'd Petroninus Valentinus who the more freely to injoy in her petulant imbraces caused her husband to be traiterously murdred But being in regard of the high measure of the fault complain'd upon by her husbands Kinred and Friends shee was convicted by the Iulian Law and suffered according to the penalty thereof Martiall reckoneth up as notorious Strumpets and Adulteresses Leviana Paula Proculina Zectoria Gallia as Catullus remembreth us of Austelina and Iuvenall of Hyppia Zoe one of the Roman Empresses caused her husband Arginopilus to be slaine to adulterate her selfe with Michael Paleologus but who shall read of both their ends shall finde that they were most wretched and miserable As these for Scortation and Adultery so others have been notoriously infamous for Incest Giddica the Wife of Pomminius Laurentinus grew into such an extreme dotage of her sonne in law Comminius that not able to compasse her unchaste desires and her Incestuous love being discovered to her husband shee dispairingly strangled her selfe of which death also Phoedra alike besotted on her husbands sonne Hippolitus perished Papinius the sonne of Papinius Volucris had a beautifull Sister whose name was Canusia These two spending their childhood together as their yeares so their naturall affection increased insomuch that the one thought nothing to deer for the other their love being mutuall and alternate not guilty of the least Impious thought or immodest apprehension but when they came to maturity new thoughts began to grow and fresh temptations to arise to which in their minority they were altogether unacquainted and now they could not sollace themselves without sighing nor frame any mirth but mixt with melancholly both were sick and of one disease but neither had the boldnesse to discover the nature of their malady and thus they continued for a season In the meane time the Father had found out a noble match for his Sonne but he put it off with evasions and could not bee wonne to lend a willing eare to the motion The Mother also had sought an Husband for her daughter to which shee was quite averse alledging her youth and unripenesse of yeares and so both the motions had a cessation for a time without any suspition in which interim the incestuous fire burst out into a flame which in the end consumed them both for the Sister was found to be great with Childe by the Brother which a length comming to the knowledge of the Father he grew inraged beyond all patience neither could his wrath be mitigated or appeased by the teares of the Mother or mediation of any friend but his constant resolution was they both should die yet not willing to imbrue his own hands in their bloud he devised another course causing two swords to be made the own he sent to his son Papinius the other to his
daughter with no other message then this you must not live which the wretched creatures understanding knowing the austeritie of their Father and his constancy in his resolutions hee fell upon the one and shee on the other and so miserably ended their lives Iulia was the step-Mother of Antonius Caracalla Emperour of the Romans who having cast many wanton glances towards her and she reciprocally answering them at length when they were in familiar discourse together he brake forth into these words vellem si liceret I would if it were lawfull whose meaning she soone apprehending suddenly answered again and without pause si lubet licet leges dat Imperator non accipit if you like it is lawfull Emperours make Lawes but are tide to none with which words being emboldned he first contracted and then publikely married her notwithstanding some few dayes beforehe had caused her owne sonne Geta to be put to death and this is related by Sextus Aurelius and by Aeliâ—â— Spartanus Amongst these Incestuous is listed Capronia the vestall Virgin who for her offencâ— was strangled Semiramis was the wife of Ninus King of Assyria who after she had caused her husbands death and fearing lest so great and warlike a people would not be govern'd by one of her Sex shee tooke upon her the masculine shape of her Sonne whom she had altogether brought up in delicacie and effeminacy and in his name she raigned for the space of fourtie two yeares conquering the most part of Asia and erecting many famous Cities But Babylon she made her chiefe place of residence who also hedged or walled in the vast River Euphrates turning the channell and compelling it to run through the great City yet according to Diodorus lib. tertio shee grew to bee of that venerious and libidinous disposition she did not onely admit but hire and inforce divers of the youngest and ablest Souldiers to her lascivious and incontinent imbraces and further as Trogus Pompeius lib. 2. hath left remembred shee laboured to have Carnall congression with her sonne Ninus whom she concealed in her Pallace and whose shape she adulterated for which setting all Filiall respect and obedience aside hee slew her with his owne hands and after raigned in her stead A young Spanish Maid having prostituted her selfe to a Gentleman upon promise of marriage she being of meane parentage he married another which comming to her eare she vowed his death and the better to effect it preswaded him by flattering Letters to come againe and see her which he did and although at first she received him with teares and cornplaints yet seeming at last to be satisfied with some reasons he alledged she permitted him to use the same privitie with her as before and so to bed they went together but when he was asleepe she cruelly murdered him having first bound him so fast with a Cord that he could not make any resistance using also divers cruelties against the dead body before the heat of her rage could be extinguished For the which she also suffered death having first voluntarily accused her selfe A Gentleman of Millan a Widower tho of 60 yeares of age fell in love with a young Wench Daughter to a Farmer his Tenant whom he bought for ready money of the wretched Father to serve his Lust. This Strumpet growing impudent after a while fell in love with the eldest son of this Gentleman being about twentie yeares old and in the presence of a Cousin of hers who was her Baud she discovers her whole heart to him seeking by teares and sighs to draw him to commit Incest But the Gentleman having more grace sharply reprehended and threatned both her and her Companion Wherefore to excuse this her shamelesnesse as soone as the Father returned she complaines to him saying That his sonne had sought three or foure times to corrupt her which he beleeving and meeting his sonne at the staires head ranne furiously at him with his sword drawne and the sonne to shun that danger leapt backward downe the staires and brake his neck The Father following and finding him dead after cryes of fury and despaire in detestation of his former wicked life fell upon his owne sword and so dyed The Strumpet hearing by the fearfull cryes of the servant what had hapned pursued by the just judgement of God she runnes toward a Well neere the house into which she threw her selfe and was drowned The she Baud being apprehended and racked confesseth the whole plot and was therefore justly executed her body and the young Strumpets being hanged in the open aire as a prey for ravenous Birds Nicholas Prince of Opolia was so monstrously given to corrupt wives and maids that none were safe that came neere him for which God punished him in this manner Being at Nice in an assembly of the States of Silesia called by Cassimer Prince of that Countrey it hapned that one in his presence brought a packet of Letters to Prince Cassimer which being opened he delivered to the Bishop of Nice to read Which Nicholas seeing and his former beastly wickednesse causing him to imagine it was some partie made against him to seize upon his life suddenly drew his Dagger and desperately runnes against Cassimer and the Bishop whom he wounded tho but lightly for that being in open Court many Nobles and Gentlemen defended them Nicholas failing of his purpose saves himselfe in the Sanctuary from which he was drawne by the Bishops command and brought backe into the assembly by whom he was justly condemned for this and many other notorious Crimes and the next day was publiquely beheaded and his naked body as a reproch of his former wickednesse exposed to the view of all men A Burgesse of Ulmes finding his wife wantonly given did often advise her to carry her selfe in a more modest and civill sort But she not regarding his admonitions and he more and more suspecting her dis-honesty on a time he made a shew to goe into the Countrey but suddenly slipt back into his house without discovery and privately hid himselfe yet so that he saw his servants busied in preparing a feast and the Adulterer and his wife imbracing each other Yet he retained himselfe till after supper when seeing them enter the chamber to goe to bed together using filthy speeches the witnesses of their wickednesse he suddenly stepping out first killed the Adulterer and then his wife and having justified his proceedings before the criminall Judges he obtained pardon for the same An Advocate of Constance having had the carnall knowledge of an Atturnies wife of the same Citie which the Atturney suspecting pretends a journey into the Countrey but returning at night he heard they were together in a Hot-house in an old womans house that dwelt by him whereupon he goes thither with three of his friends which he left in the street to hinder any that should come to helpe them then entring the house with a strong Curry-combe in
enjoy the moecall embraces of her libidinous companion plotted divers ways to take away her husbands life which at length she affected by poysoning him and divers of his family which having done and fearing to be questioned about the Fact she truss'd up her Jewels and the best things about her and fled into France unto the Court of Charles the Great with whom she so temporized and qualified her owne impious Cause and being withall a Lady of extraordinary aspect and presence that she grew highly into his grace and favour But when after he was informed of her unstable condition hee thought to make some tryall of her and being at that time a Widdower one day when hee was in some private conference with her at a window hee said openly Now Lady I put it to your free election whether you will take mee for your wedded Lord and Husband or this my Son here standing in presence To which Question shee without the least pause gave this suddaine Answer Then I make choice of the Sonne and refuse the Father which the King taking as an affront and being therewith somewhat mov'd he as suddenly reply'd I protest woman if thou hadst made choice of me I would have given thee to my Sonne if he would have accepted of thee but for that thou hast slighted and for saken me thou shalt now have neither of us and so presently commanded her as a Recluse to be shut up into a Nunnery But this place though never so strict could not containe her within the bounds of Modesty or Chastity For by the meanes of some Libertines her old companions and acquaintance shee made an escape out of the Cloister and having quitted that place shee wandred up and downe till having consumed all that shee could make she fell into necessitous poverty in which she miserably dy'd none commiserating her in her greatest extremity In memory of which her misdemeanors mixt with the murder of her naturall Lord and Husband the Kings of the West Saxons made a Decree that thence-forward none of their Wives should be called Queenes nor sit by them at any Feast or in any place of State or Honour And this was observed amongst them for a long time after Now to shew how the Creator of all who instituted chaste Matrimony in Paradice as hee hates those contaminated with all impurity so of the contrary he is a Guardian and Potector to those of cleane and undefiled life as may appeare by this subsequent story In the time of Edward the sonne of King Edgar by his first wife Egelfleda who began his reigne in the yeare of Grace nine hundred threescore and nineteene though he was opposed by his step-mother Elphaida who got into her confederacy Alphred Duke of Mercia a potent man in those dayes to have instated her sonne Egelredus a childe of seven yeares old in the Regall Dignity yet she was opposed by Bishop Dunstan with the rest of the Clergy who were also supported by the Earle of East Ingland now called Essex who against the Queens minde and her Confederates Crowned the said Edw. at Kingstowne but the fore-named Alphred who altogether adhered to the proceedings of the Dowager Queen being suspected to have too much private familiarity with her they agreed to put the strict Religious Cloysterers out of the College of Winchester where K. Edgar had before there placed and put into their roomes so many wanton and lascivious Clerks every one of them having his Concubine about him which Controversie had been like to have ended in bloud But there was an assembly of the Bishops and Lords the Prelates and Peeres of both parties in which Dunstan maintaining Chastity was much despised by the Adversary but still he upheld his opinion being grounded upon Justice and Vertue Now the place of their meeting was in a faire and large upper â—â—om and in this great division and argument it being doubtfull which side would carry it suddenly the joysts of the Loft failed and the floore tumbled downe being a great distance from the ground in which ruine the greatest part of those adverse to the Bishop and Clergy were either slaine outright or very dangerously hurt even to lamenesse but of all those that stood with Dunstan in the defence of chastity not one perished neither was any heard to complaine of the least hurt felt or found about them by which miraculous accident the Bishop compass'd his pious and religious ends This King Edward upon a time being hunting in the Forrest and having lost his Traine and finding none of his servants neare him hee bethought himself that his Mother-in-law Elphaida with her Sonne Egelredus lived at a place called Corfe-Castle which is in the West-Countrey and thought it no better a time then now to give her a visit but the malicious woman looking out of her window and knowing him a far off called to one of her servants of her owne breeding and told him what he had to doe for she perceived he was alone and none of his Peeres or Attendants about him By this time the King was come to the Castle gate whither she descended and offered him all the Courtesie of entertainment that any Syren who only flatters to destruction could have done for with courteous words she besought him to alight and to lodge in the Castle that night both which he with great affability and gentlenesse refused saying he would onely taste a Cup of her Beere and then ride to finde out some of his Company but the Cup being brought he had no sooner moved it towards his mouth but this Barbarous Villaine Traitor and Regicide strook him with a long Dagger edg'd on both sid 〈…〉 which entring behind the poynt appear'd to have fore'd way through his breast at which mortall wound receiv'd he put spurres to his horse making speed towards the Forrest in hope to have met with some of his servants but by the extremity of bleeding fainting by the way he felt from his horse with one foot intangled in the stirrop then he was dragg'd crosse high-wayes and a thwart plowde lands till his horse staid at a Towne called Covisgate where he was found but not being knowne for the King hee was unworthily buried at a Town called Warham where his body remained for the terme of three yeares after at which time it was discovered and the dissembling and murderous woman thinking to clearer her selfe of the fact to the world thought at the first to visit him in the way of Pilgrimage but to make the cause evident against her the Horse on which she rode could not be compell'd to come neare unto the place by a miles distance neither by faire usage nor sore beating or any course that man could devise after whose death her sonne Egelredas was Crowned King in the first yeare of whosâ— Reigne the Land grew barren and scarce bore any fruit there happened moreover a Plague which tooke away the men and a Murraine
stifled by falling into kennells others found sleeping upon Dung-hills on which stumbling have not beene able to rise but there have took up their lodging for all night some that have been conducted home yet in going up staires to bed have falne backward and broke their necks But of all miraculous escapes that I have heard of I my selfe knew two Gallants come from the Taverne so strangely overtaken with Wine that when they came into the street they were scarce able to stand or goe or move one foot before another the night was darke and loath they were to take the benefit of a light because their indenturing should not bee observ'd and because they would both take one fortune they catcht fast hold one of the other and on they went it happened in the way that a Seller doore being left open downe they both fell into a Vault but here is the wonder one of their Rapiers slipt out of the scabbard and fell with the pummill downwards and the point up-right these tumbled after it and it ranne one of them through the Breeches at the knee up to the waste and thence through the body of the Dublet up to the shoulder where the point appear'd an handfull bare at his neck and yet in the whole passage not so much as once raz'd any part of his skinne The noise of the fall suddenly commanded a light but when they saw the Rapier so strangely scabbarded and by search found that the party had no hurt they were all amazed and the two Drunkards with the apprehension thereof made almost sober This was one of Gods miraculous deliverances but let none presume to make that a president for his security for doubtlesse hee hath lesse wit then an Ideot who being in his best sobriety would hazard the like danger But it hath not happened so to others for a Butcher who was observed for a common Drunkard being Pot-shot and in his Cups was got into a Carâ— to receive some hides or such like commodity to lade it with and stooping his body to take something in his Head was too heavy for his Legges that should have supported him and downe â—ee fell upon a Forke which stood by the Cart side with the pikes upward hee pitcht his breast upon it which pierc'd him to the heart so that he dyed immediately without calling to God for mercy and this is knowne not long since to have happened In Norfolke three men comming drunke out of an Ale house late in the night amongst many other prophane and blaspemous speeches they began to jest at Hell and withall to sweare that in the most obscure place of it it could not be so dark as that night was at length they were to take leave and part every man to his home and after a drunken farewell the one of their wayes lying over a Bridge his feet failing he slipt into the water and was drowned The two other were Horse-men one of which by the stumbling of his horse was cast upon the ground where he was after found dead with his neck broken neither did the third escape without a most remarkable Judgement for his horse was found grazing in one place and he dead in another but without any wound for some conjectur'd that hee perish'd with the extremity of cold it being a bitter frosty night and snow falling withall A Glasier in Chancery lane not long since so overcharged his stomack with wine that comming home he fell a vomiting in that extreame and extraordinary fashion that breaking a veine within him he dyed within two dayes after and a Barber in Drewry-lane comming from the Taverne in the like distemper his wife with much adoe got him to bed where he fell into a sound and dead sleep for that night being very tempestuous and a mighty winde stirring and they lodging in an upper roome or Garret the Chimney was blowne downe and he kill'd in his bed his wife that lay close by his side having no hurt at all To reckon up all the knowne judgements in this kinde would make this Tractate voluminous these therefore for the present I hope may satisfie the indifferent reader who if he shall but enquire from man to man of the disasters hapning in that kinde shall heare from their owne motion Stories too many of all good Christians to bee charitably commiserated and lamentably deplored These have been examples of such as wee call downe-right Drunkards and like selfe-murderers have beene not onely accessaries but the Agents of their owne deaths of which nature one accident of which my selfe was eye-witnesse comes fresh in my remembrance and happened some seven or eight yeares since at the most Five young men comming from Islington upon a Sunday where they had beene drinking good store of Ale in their way home came to the Nags-head Taverne upon Clerken-well hill where they cal'd for Wine what quaintity they dranke I am not certaine but in the midd'st of their carrowsing one of them being a young man a Barber in Ivy-lane and lately married grew to to bee drowsie and at length dropt under the Table which the rest not minding put it off with a jest and said he did but counterfeit sleep till the reckoning was paid another said hee had knowne him doe the like before and thus they past the time till they were ready to part when calling for a reckoning they also call'd for their drowsie Companion to rise and to goe along with them but hearing that he made no answer they pusht him and jogg'd him yet all in vaine till at length by the helpe of the Master of the House they lifted up his body and set him on one of the Benches but his head fell downe into his bosome for there was no life in him at which they grew all amaz'd neither can I blame them who for every Glasse of Wine they enforc'd him to drinke beyond his strength might as well to have given him a stabbe in the breast with a Puniard The next day came his weeping Wife and some of his sorrowfull kindred and conveighed his body from the Taverne to the Church to be buried I come now to that from which I late deviated as to those who through excesse of Gusling for manners sake call'd good fellowship destroy not themselves with suddaine Deaths but rather Consumptions and lingring Maladies which also by degrees bringeth on an assured and untimely end one of the branches thereof is luxurious Prodigality mixt with intemperate Vinocity of which I will give you but one President A rich Citizens sonne and well ally'd amongst the Aldermen being a personable and proper young man daring and valiant of a wondrous active body acute wit and a seeming sollid apprehension his Father dying left him what estate in land I know not thirty thousand pound in ready Cash besides Plate Jewels and houses furnish'd with rich hangings with all Utensills suitable to the state of Aldermen Now
this man who was no Gamster to lavish his meanes that way yet spent all his whole and entire estate within the space of three yeares Would any man beleeve how this could be possible Well I will tell you how he kept two or three tall fellowes in Skarlet Liveries dawb'd with gold lace and for his owne particular would shift his Cloathes twice a day wearing one suit in the morning another after dinner his most frequented Taverne was the Kings Head in new Fish-street where hee usually din'd and supt in the long Roome at the long Table where though hee were but himselfe and his friends hee would have the Boord throng'd with variety of Dishes from the top to the bottome and as his meat was beyond rule so many times his drinke was beyond reason and though he could not be without flatterers or Sycophants about him yet could they never foole him out of any bounty His Table was free for them but his Pockets shut keeping alwayes a brace of principall good Geldings his delight was to ride them off from their legges and when they were foundred or past present service give them to one of his Groomes He had a great longing to please all his five senses at once nor could he bee at peace within himselfe till he had accomplish'd it and allow'd to the delight of every sense a severall hundred pound for which hee bespoke a curious faire roome hung with the richest Arras that could bee hir'd and furnish'd with all the most exquisite Pictures that might bee bought or borrowed to please the eye Hee then had all the choicest Musicke that could be heard of and how farre off soever to be sent for with all the varieties or rarities that could be raised from any Instrument to give him content to the eare Then he had all the Aromaticks and Odoriferous Perfumes to delight his sent in smelling Next all the Candies Preserves all the Junkets even to the stretching of the Apotecaries or Confectionaries Art to palliate his taste and lastly a beautifull and faire strumpet lodg'd with him in a 〈…〉 e compass'd to accommo 〈…〉 〈…〉 ore then ever Sardanapalus did 〈…〉 To tell of his mea 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these though they were great in themselves yet in the relation would appeare nothing and therefore I omit them Briefly as he grew in an instant to wealth so he fell as suddenly to want and then those who had been his greatest sycophants would shun the way of him He drew to all the debauchtnesse that could be nam'd being a brother of the Broom-staffe not worth a cloak though never so thred-bare being forc'd most shamefully to beg of his acquaintance and those he had knowne hee was after prest for a common souldier and for running away from his Captaine should have been hang'd but for his Worshipfull kindred for whose sake I also forbeare to name him the matter was put off But now followes the wonder after all this contempt misery and penury two or three Gentlemen call'd him up into a Tavern of purpose to have some discourse with him and one amongst them desired him to resolve him faithfully of one question he would aske him who protested unto him that he would unfaignedly doe 't He then said to him you have been a Gentleman well bred and have spent a very faire Fortune you are now cast downe to the lowest disgrace that can be as having tasted of all miseries whatsoever and you know them both plenty poverty in a full measure now my demand of you is the premisses considered if you had all your former estate in your hands entire knowing what you now know would you not be a very good Husband To whom he made answer and bound it with a great oath if I had said hee all the estate I before enjoyed and ten times a greater I would spend it all to liveone week like a God though I were sure to be dam'd to hell the next day after which strook the Gentlemen into such astonishment and anger withall that instead of giving him money which was their purpose they thrust him out of the roome as a prophane and blasphemous wretch and would never look upon him after Who that shall look upon all the Prodigalls and spend-thrifts that have had great fortune and have wasted them to nothing or consider how many young Shop-keepers that have had good and sufficient stocke to set up with and through Drinking and Company-keeping neglecting their home-affaires have suddenly proved Trade-falne and what hath been the end but to fill Gaoles and furnish prisons or if they escape with Liberty to fall into dissolute and desperate courses which bring them into certaine disgrace but most commonly unto untimely end Besides how many young heires in the Countrey borne to faire Revenues and possest of great estates who having liv'd formerly in the Countrey and after come to see the fashions of the City what by Tavernes Ordinaries Game-houses Brothell-houses and the like have been so besotted and stupified that they have suddenly run themselves out of all their fortunes and then growing desperate having spent their own forc'd from others and taking purses by the high-way side have come at length to disgrace their gentry by their infamous deaths at the Gallows And these and the like are the remarkable judgments continually exercis'd upon gluttons drunkards from which sin of Gurmandizing as from all the rest God of his infinite mercy even for the merits of his Sonne Christ Jesus deliver us all Amen FINIS A Table of the severall Chapters contained in the two first parts of this Book Chapt. 1. TOuching the corruption and perversity of this World how great it is Pag. 1 2. What is the cause of the great overflow of vice in this Age. 3 3. That great men which will not abide to be admonished of their faults cannot escape punishment by the hand of God 4 4. How the justice of God is more evidently declared upon the mighty ones of this world then upon any other and the cause why 5 5. How all men both by the Law of God and Nature are inexcusable in their sinnes 7 6. How the greatest Monarchs in the World ought to be subject to the Law of God and consequently to the Laws of Men and Nature 9 7. Of the punishments that seized upon Pharoah King of Egypt for resisting God and transgressing the first Commandement of the Law 13 8. More examples like unto the former 17 9. Of those that persecuted the Son of God and his Church 20 10. More examples like unto the former 25 11. Of the Iews that persecuted Christ. 29 12. Of those that in our age have persecuted the Gospell in the person of the faithfull 32 13. Other examples of the same subject 36 14. A Hymne of the persecution of Gods Church and the deliverance of the same 43 15. Of Apostata's and Back-sliders that through infirmity and feare have falne away 45 16. Of