him to bed he discouered vnto them howe the king had resolued to kill him for which cause Vnulfe winding him about the necke with the shéetes of the bedde and laieng the couerlet and a Beares skin vpon his backe leauing him without capp as if he were some rusticke or common drudging fellowe began to driue him out of the chamber dooing him manie iniuries and villannies so that he verie oftentimes fell to the ground Grimoalds guard whoe were appointed vnto the watch seeing al these outrages asked Vnulfe what he meant Why said he my maisters this rascal slauehath made me my bed in the chamber of that drunken palliard Partharithus which is so full of wine that he sléepeth as if he were dead without stirring and this is the cause whie I beat him and I praye you dooth he not deserue it They hearing these words and beléeuing them to be true did all of them laugh verie hartilie to heare the tidings and giuing both of them licence to depart Partaritus hasted to the cittie of Hasti and from thense went into France praising God for his happie deliuerie As soone as they were gotte awaie the faithfull page locked the door verie diligentlie remaining all that night alone in the chamber and when the messengers of the king came with commission to bring Partaritus to the pallace the nexte daie they knocked at the doore whome the page in humble maner saluted praieng them to haue patience for a while for saith he my Lord being wearie of his last iourney sleepeth now verie soundlie The messengers returning to Grimoald told him the pages answer who all inraged charged them presentlie to bring him to his presence who repairing againe to the chamber doore were in like sort once more solicited by the page to vse forbearance but they admitting no delaies cried out hastilie and hartilie tut tut the droonkard hath now slept enough and therevpon bearing the doore of the hinges they forceablie entered the chamber and sought Partaritus in his bed but found him not wherevpon they asked the page what was become of him who answered them that he was fled The messengers all amazed herewith furiouslie laieng hands on the childes bushie lock and buffeting him pitiouslie brought him to the pallace and conducting him to the presence of the king saide Mightie Prince Partharitus is fled and this caitife boy helpt to conuey him and for that cause meriteth death Grimoald commanded them to laie hands off him and willed him with a friendlie countenance to discouer vnto him the manner and meanes how his maister had escaped awaie The page told him euerie thing as it had past whose faithfulnes when the king had considered vpon he royallie offered him to make him one of his pages assuring the lad that if he would be as faithfull to him as he had shewed himselfe towards his old maister he should both be rewarded and regarded After this he made search for Vnulfe who being brought before his presence was pardoned by him and not only pardoned but commended But as where affection is rooted there no fauors can supplant it nor promises suppresse it so these two louing their maister Partarithus verie deerelie took no delight but onelie in desire they had to sée and serue him for which cause a few daies after they repaired to Grimoald beséeching him of license to séeke out their maister Whie my friends quoth he had you rather séeke out your necessities then liue with me héere in all pleasures By God replied Vnulfe I had rather die with Partharithus than liue in all other worldlie contents and delights What saied the king to the page wilt thou also rather séeke out a bannished man then serue a king I my Lorde saide he for they are bad seruants that will leaue their maisters in miserie Grimoald wondering at their confidence praising both their faithes dismissed both of them with all fauour giuing them both horsse and money to furnish and further them on theyr iourney The two faithfull seruants humblie thanking the kinge tooke their waie into France hoping to finde their maister in that place according as was appointed But Partaritus fearing least by reason of a peace latlie capitulated betwixt Dogobert kinge of France and Grimoald he shoulde be there surprised suddenlie by some sinister subtletie tooke shipping for England and hauing alreadie sailed from the shore the voice of a man was heard among the rocks which asked for Partaritus and whither he were in that ship Whereto when answer was made that there he was the voice replied Then will him presentlie repaire vnto his countrey for Grimoald a three daies hence is departed this life Partaritus suddenly returned backe commanding the marriners to reenter the harbour and as soon as he was landed he diligently sought out the messenger that had thus informed him but finding him by no meanes possible he supposed it to be some messuage sent from God For which cause poasting towards his countrey and arriuing amongst the confines of Italie hee found there a great number of Lombards who expected him with whom he entered Pauia and driuing out a little son of Grimoalds from the kingdome he was by generall consent created kinge of Lombardie thrée monethes after the death of Grimoald For which cause he presentlie sent vnto Beneuent for his wife Rhodolinde and his sonne Cunibert And being a godlie Catholike and iust man a liberall patron of the poore and father of the innocent as soone as he hadde quiet possession of the kingdome in that place from whence he fled which is on the other side of of Tesinus he buil ded a monasterie to the honor and glorie of God his sauiour and onelie defender wherein there were diuers Nunnes inclosed whom he alwaies enriched with manie very goodlie possessions The Quéene likewise builded a church in honour of our Ladie without the cittie wals adorning it with maruelous rich ornaments his page and trustie seruant returning to his court as soon as they had tidinges of his establishment were by him fauourablie intertained and richlie rewarded Finallie after he had reigned eighteene yeares he departed this life not without the generall lament and teares of the whole inhabitants of Lombardie The wonderfull dreame of Aspatia the daughter of Hermotimus the Phocencian a verie poore man who afterwards thorow hir wonderful vertues became the wife of Cyrus king of Percia and was afterwards married to Artaxerxes ASpatia was the daughter of Hermotimus of Phocis who after the death of hir mother was brought vp and nourished in great pouertie yet was not hir pouertie so gréeuous as her continencie was gratious in her infanâ—…ie she had vnder hir chin a great swelling which disâ—…igured hir face and was a great disgrace to hir fairenesse For which cause hir father desirous to haue hir cured carried hir to a physitian who promised to heale hir for a certeine summe of money The good olde man hauing no money tolde the Physitian of his little meanes beséeching him
for this inconuenience wherevnto the king easilie condiscended so that he likewise was authorized to redresse such enormities and both he and his fellowe Abbot were with manie princelie fauours dismissed Mounted thus vpon the whéele of Fortune which euerie waie sheweeth hir selfe as fickle as she is fauourable as ful of gall as she hath honie they both of them depart for London carrieng so high countenances as euerie one were amazed at their manners My lord Abbot first suted in his Pontificallbus called forth diuers officers purposing to examine their accounts taunting them with vntowarde languages and accompanieng threates with imprisonment But as the Giants that threatened the heauens were ouer throwne in their most hautinesse and as Phaeton vsurping his fathers seat was confounded for his ambitious pride by vntimelie death so the Abbot of Cadonence when he thoght to cauell at all accompts was called to accompt himselfe before she Tribunall iustice seat of God and died in midest of his iollitie But William who towred with the Phaenix to burne in the sunne and aduentured to crosse the troblesome seas of this world to perish with ouermuch wrastling in the same now began his pageant exhorting and stirringe the commons to loue and imbrace libertie to fight and labour for freedome brieflie to detest and blame the excesse and outrage of ritch men whoe as he tolde them reaped the sweet whilst they poore soules sweat for it Heerevnto wrested he manie stories of antiquitie First the Laconian state next the popular gouernement of Athens wherein peace neuer flourished better said he than when the Commons had fréedome of speech With these and such like honie spéech he so animated the multitude that like a second Hercules he drew them by the eares thorow the honie of his eloquence And to his words he annexed action vndertaking manie poore mens causes who were ouerborne by the rich handeling his matters with such pollicie as that he was held for a second God among the poore and for a long time esteemed for a good subiect by the Prince Yet notwithstanding this the mightie maligned him greatlie for that he had informed the king that by their meanes his Maiestie lost manie forfeits and â—…scheats which were due vnto him and for that his detested subtleties may be more apparant where through he cloked his succéeding treacheries I haue thought good to sette downe some one of them which may giue a taste to those tragike miseries which shall ensue How William with the long beard handled the cause of Peter Nowlay a Cobler who was iniuried by Robert Besant sometime Bailife of London DUring the time that William long beard flourished after this manner in all pompe and pleasure attended dailie and hourelie by hole troops of Citizens it fortuned that one Peter Nowlay a cobler a man of little capacitie liued in London whoe hauing gotten vppe by his owne handie labour and endeuour the summe of fortie marks and not knowing the meanes how to employ the same to his best commoditie solicited one Robert Besaunt sometimes Baylife of London to take the same money into his hands and to employ it to some good vse to the ende that after his decease his poore infants which were twoe in number might haue some succour and maintenance This money Robert Besaunt accepted hauing the vse thereof for the space of ten yeares accustoming poore Peter as these great men are wont to doo to a Sundaies dinner and swéet words which in these our daies is the verie poison of this world in that time was no small pestilence At last pleased God to call the Cobler to his mercie where through his poore wife liued distressed his children complaine theyr miserie and all his neighbors considering the honestie of the man in his life were compassionate and pittied his Orphans after his death The poore mother seeing hir necessities increase and hir abilitie quite ouerthrowne separated apart from all companie began to wéepe verie tenderlie recommending hir poore babes to his mercy who had no doubt lent them hir to a better end than famishment Ahlas said she my God if the least Sparrow is not vncared for by thee what letteth me to trust my childrens helth vnto thée who hauing bestowed breath vpon them mayest likewise in fauour bestow bread vpon them Thou séest Lord their friend is taken from them and the mothers neastlings without thy helpe must become staruelings Woe is me would God I had forgon my life or forgotten loue oâ—… would my handes were as plentifull as my heart is pittifull Ah Pellican I must imitate thée and pierce mine owne breast to the end I may foster my babes otherwise the helpe is vaine which hope yéeldeth since charitie is cold which should feede hope Woe is me where should I begin to mourne that haue no end of mone Shall I lament my marriage no the heauens ordained it shall I complaine of Fortune no for then I suppose an enimie where there is none shall I blame my fruitfulnes how vaine were that since it is a felicitie to enioy babes What then shall I doo truelie put my whole trust and confidence in Gods mercie whoe being Lord of all plentie can best of all relieue necessities Scarsly bad she ended these words when as hir yoong ones the one imbracing hir necke cried for meate the other kissing hir hands moorninglie bewraied his wants whilst she like Mirrha hauing tears to bewail them no tresure to relieue them sung this wofull Lullabie vnto them whilst the musicke of hir voice enforced them to listen hir Lullabie Ah little Laddes Giue ceaselesse sorow end with lullabie Suck vp my teares That streame from out the fountaines of mine eie Feed feed on me whom no good hope or Fortune glads Oh set me free From those incessant and pursuing feares which waken vp my woes and kil my pleasure Lullabie Weepe weepe no more But let me weepe and weeping weepe life hence That whilst you want I may not see false Fortunes proud pretence When I am dead My God perhaps will send you store Oh smile in need Poore hungry babes let smiles be nothing scant I teares yow smiles both haue no better treasure To bring these woes exceeding meane or measure To Lullabie Noe sooner had she finished hir song but Robert Besaunt entered the house who though altogither giuen ouer to couetousnesse yet beholding the wofull estate of the poore wife and children he comforted them the best he might sending for some little sustenance to yéeld hir and hir little ones som succour and after some conference about hir husbands state his maner of death he desired colourablie to see hir writings to the ende he might couenablie conuaie out of her hands the bill of fortie marks which he had past vnto Peter hir husband in his time The sillie soule supposing his almes deeds was vnattended by trecherie drew out of an olde till certeine briefes which she had vsing these or such like terms Maister Besaunt
saith she your worship as I remember ought to be a patron of these poore infantes for I haue oftentimes heard my husband saye when I had a motherlie care what should become of my children that he had prouided for them charging me to remember that till euer when I needed to vse you as a father for these infants whose honestie as he sware he would builde his soule vppon for which cause giuing him the writings I beséech your Wor. quoth she to pervse all his secrets to stand my good friend in this my miserable widdowhood Maister Besaunt touched to the quicke changed coulour verie often and receauing them at hir hands with a quiuering feare procéeding by reason of his earnest combate betwéene conscience and couetousnesse he at last after long perusing found his own bill which he carelessie tearing tolde hir that all of it was but wast paper and therevpon blushinglie departed giuing hir but colde comfort for hir great hope The good woman animated by some diuine power and â—…spieng the scales of his shame shadowed in his blushing browes tooke hold of his gowne sléeue praieng him to staie a little while and not to leaue hir so suddenlie for said she good sir if you thus leaue vs you shall proue that you little loue vs besides your hast makes me to misdoubt your honestie pardon good sir I praye you if I mistake for thus to wreak your selfe on paper and to shew by your suspectful lookes your apparant misdoubts makes me imagine you haue deceiued my Peters hope besides these papers which you haue torne may perhaps be some testimonies which I will gather as she relikes of your rage and therewithall she stooped and tooke them vp But aboue all good maister Besaunt remember God quoth she and if there be ought that concerneth these little ones in your conscience cloake not in that behalfe for God who gaue them me will not suffer their innocencie to be vnreueâ—…ged Maister Besaunt sore incensed with these words and suspitious least his councell should be disclosed by the broken and scattered papers at firste by smooth spéeches began to persuade hir to restore him them but when reason and intreatie inioyed no place for the more he moued hir the more she suspected he began to vse violence When as she poore children seeing their mother iniured beyond measure cried for helpe for hir whom motherlie care had animated alreadie euen to the triall of death rather than to leaue hir papers The noise in the house and the crie of the children called in the neighbors whoe seeing Robert Besaunt a man of such reputation as he was held not daring to inforce began to intreat his forbearance who dreading his owne discredit beyond measure left hir for that time puffing sweating and swearing that he would be reuenged on hir whoe had in this sort wrought his discontent to be short he neuer desisted till she were imprisoned vowing neuer to graunt hir libertie till suche time as she restored to him the torne writings The miserable Widdowe in this peck of troubles gathering a verie confident boldnesse vnto hir denied the restitution And finallie after the councell of some poore Cittizens put vppe a supplication or a supplantation as the sillier sort of people called it vnto William with the longe beard presenting him likewise with the broken and torne pâ—…ces of paper neuer ceasing in most humble and pittifull manner to intreat a mercifull and tender compassion towardes the reliefe of hir selfe and hir poore children William that pretermitted no occasion whereby he might insinuate himselfe amongest the poorer sort and winne the credit of a good Iusticer at his princes handes began to examine euerie circumstance and to leaue no meane vnsought wher by he might get himselfe glorie and doo the poore widdowe good First therefore he ioyned the papers and conferred the manner of the iniurie with the other circumstances and at last he euidentlie found and therewithall certified others that these torne papers was the bill of debt for forty marks Finallie comparing the estate of the poore man with that of Besaunts the time the money had béene in the defendants hands and the corrupt intention of the riche man whoe by renting the bill thought to race out the remembrance of his due debt he called him before him charging the officiall to bring the widdow and hir children before him in open sessions where after long debating and trouble on both sides Besaunt standing on his credit the widdow on hir innocencie William willing to catch the cat with his owne clawe began thus Maister Besaunt you are called into iustice not that we suspect your honestie or detract from your estimate but for this cause are you called that if you will be deposed that all allegations which may be alledged against you by this widdow are false you may see hir punished and iustice executed Besaunt little suspecting the snare that was laide and the subtiltie intended began with huge oathes to protest that he neither stood any waie indebted to the poore Coblerlatelie deceased neither was in any sort liable to the false suggestions of the widdowe William perceiuing euidentlie she vngodlie intent of the man to defraud and how gratious a déed he should doo to speak in the innocents defense First commanded Besaunts Oath to be taken and after that rowsing himselfe in a maiesticall manner he began thus I sée well my countreymen that iustice had need of a patron when those that should maintaine hir séeke to maime hir Ah what a world liue we in when trust shall be betraid when simplicitie shall be vndermined with subtletie and pouertie ouertopped by power Behold saith hee my contreymen and therewithall he caused the two children to bee placed by him two harmelesse infants for whom the poore father laboured in his life time both left to begge after his death Alas that corruption should blind iudgement so farr that where we ought in charitie to succour these men make no conscience to supplant them The Cedar though a tall trée lets the little shrub prosper vnder him the Eglantine flourisheth by the Oake the Goldâ—…nch féedeth by the Griffin but the prouerbe is true among vs nowadaies Homo homini Demon. We liue as we should know no lack we flourishe as if we feare no fall we purchase as if life could not perish to win the world we make shipwracke of our soules and in suche a world where corruptions are so rife iustice must not sleepe for if it should the weake should to the walles and the peny father by his power should ouerpresse the penilesse in their pouerties Now therefore countreymen giue eare and hea ring pittie and pittieng patronize these poore soules This Besaunt wrongeth them making his credit the countenance of his craft and his goods the coulour of his vngodlinesse behold his hand writing wherein he thinking to extinguish the memorie of his debt hath renewed the meanes of his owne destruction which said he