THE Famous renowned History of Morindos a King of Spaine Who maryed with Miracola a Spanish Witch and of their seauen daughters rightly surnamed Ladies with bleeding hearts their births their liues and their deaths A History most wonderfull strange and pleasant to the reader LONDON Printed for H R. and are to be solde at his Shop in the Poultrie vnder Saint Mildreds Church 1609. How Morindos a King of Spaine married with Miracola a Witch and how he was transformed without shape for polluting the Temple of God CHAP. I WHen Spaine was nursed with the milke of paganisme vertue not knowne nor God honoured there liued a people so ripe in sin that the kéene edge of shames sickle lay euen ready whetted to reape them downe for confusions haruest yet the subiects then liuing where not so wicked as the King vitious a King we name him if illustrious title of maiestie may grace so pernitious a foe to nature with so royall a stile his birth was fatall for when the midwife pulled him from the cradle of his conception the earthquake and heauen rained blood his parents ominous the one deuoured by wolues the other burnt to death by thunder his youth full vnlucky chances his age tirannous and mischieuous and all his life subiect to blacke misdéedes When his parets by heauens wrath had ended thus their dates he raigned King and wore the imperiall Diademe but such a King good men thought neuer sprong from womans wombe Morindos for so we name him being seated vpon the throane of maiestie ruled not in loue but by force making his nobles flaues to his sinne and their wiues feeders of his lust for every day in the yeare hee had a seuerall concubine all young beawtifull and louely nature framed their bodies faire though sinne made their soules blacke for both art and riches indeuored to delight his insatiate desires earths chiefest pleasures were at his command and all the lullabies of content rockt him in the cradle of securitie thus careles of heauens wrath he more honoured the Deuill then he loued God and what was the vilest to nature he most doted vppon But now after al these pleasures of his wanton youth the kind imbraces of his fayre concubines which like earthly Angells made him happy in natures sports he wickedly fell inamored vppon one of the Deuills blacke saints one Madam Miracola a Witch of damnation now burning in heli for her blacke deedes this Madam Miracola borne of noble parentage brought vp in the deepest artes skilfull in Magick charmes and incantations who hauing spent seauen yeres in that déepe mistery of coniuration sildome sleeping without the sosciety of spirrits fayries goblins or nigtly shapes hir chiefest studie and ayme was at principallitie to rule sole Queens and gouernour of the Kingdome and no way was there to attaine to that imperial seat but by marying with king Morindos though not a match fit he being discended royally she but nobly yet by sorceries witchcrafts and magicke deuises shee obtained hir purpose and in this manner obtained it Vppon a time when King Morindos in the height of his reuelles whilst some of his fairest concubines daunced before him naked in their cambrick smockes the more to inkindle lustes fire shee entred the chamber of their licentious sports with a maske of wonder the like neuer seene in Princes court for all the Maskers except hir selfe were infernall spirrits vissible but not tangable all in the shape of young Ladis attired in more changeable silkes then the collours of the Rainebowe hir selfe in a robe of such richnes as it sémed to exceede the glorie of the sunne for brightnes hir owne bodie shee imbathed and supled with a water of such inchantment that what man soeuer first set eye vppon her either present loue or present death had destinie allotted him for well knew she that no man presumed his presence during this time of pleasure This Madam Miracola asisted by the blacke states of hell by delusions won the kings loue whose vnconstant eyes no sooner firt their inflecting beames on this killing cokatrice but all on a sodaine fire his loue inflamed that nothing could quench it but hir loue ioyned to his which were imediately sealed togither loue desire and lust so conspired against his bewitched heart that he presently avoided the chamber of his intifing damsels and shee of hir deluding spirits remaining then but two bodies two hearts and two tongues he began to reueale loues secresie in this manner Madam quoth he knowing hir to be a long attender in his court good or euill fortune hath inchanted me and now thy present loue or hate must either glorifie me with earthly happinesse or send me wandring to the dark some walkes of death where no soscietie but crawling wormes and dead mens benes are resident deny me not therefore good Madam I am this countries Potentate I can commaund both wealths and power cities towers and townes Statesmen stoope and humly kneele vnto my soote royalties dignitles and al other kingly promotions are at my disposing vnto my pleasurs all the land submits delights are my vassels both land sea as subiects striue to make me happy I am an earthly God be thou my Goddesse take all these honours I will attend on thee I le bee thy subiect thy seruant I will kisse thy foote deny not my loue for thou hast bewitcht my heart inchaunted me fired mee with a quenchlesse flame all my boddie burnes and nothing but the sweete Dewe of the graunt can quallifie it make mee either vnfortunate or happy sweet Madame This being breathed from his longing soule she farre more tractable to loues motions then he made a full conclusion of a willing acceptance in this fort I haue a minde imperious monarche said she soaring vp to the batlements of heauen no bace desires nor lowebred thought shall any whit aspire my princely will I ayme at a kingly bed where maisstie sleepes whose chamber is imperious garded with commanding statesmen seauen weary winters and as many sommers haue my hopes bene climing vp this kingly ladder and now on the top of fortunes wheele am I fallen into a princes bosome in louing me great King thou conquerest fate thou subiectest hell thou maist by my assistance commaund legions of the black hoast to houer ouer thy Pallace and in the twinkling of an eye blast vp all thy wicked consperators if our mindes but once proue equall in the cheare of soueraingty the earth shall be farre too little for thy gouernement my magick charmes shall vnbowell the earth rip vp her bosome ransack her rich treasures for thy vse my magicke charmes for thee and for thy pleasure shall empty the vast Drean and cram thy kingdome with those riches that mans eye hath not séene since the worlds creation my charmes for thy content shall paue thy Court with pearles emrodes and Diamonds commaund great king and the marble stones that now compase thy pallace shal daunce and the ayer
her husband absence she caused this hated night-owle the scullion to be sent for touching as she dissembled some serious busines to be imploid in who being no sooner priuatly come into her presence but reuealing the burning heat of her lust she gaue him this vnlookt for intertainement Little thinkst thou good Antonio quoth she for so was he named what high promotions are heaped vppon hty head for nature in thy first creation ordained thee to enioy the pleasures of a princely bedde though enuious time now burthens thee with flanery yet fate and good fortune crownes thee with happines then knowe thou iewell of mine eye that my bosome containes a heart dauncing at thy presence and without the fruition of thy loue it will quight consume away I being a Princesse am more hapies then the country milke-maide for she may challenge that same loue that fācy leads her to but I dare not claime the least interest of my pining passions be not hard hearted then deere Antonio be as gentle as the clasping vine hem in my bodie with thy manly armes take the pleasures of my honours sacke feede on content if content be in my yeelding bodie for I am impatient of delay my husbands armes are like vnto she twinding imbraces of serpents his kisses as the crokadils and his bed more loathsome then a den of snakes oh that nature had made me humble as thy selfe partner in thy fortunes and thy second selfe either now yeeld to my desires or I vow by him that made both heauen and earth I will pursue thee with a vengeance more terrible then euer mans icefull heart imagined and conclude on this that either continuall happines or euerlasting misery is put vnto thy hearts choyce now this poore wretch vnacustomed to these demaunds stood for a time as one new dropt from the clowdes not knowing what to resolue vppon but at last as it were rauished with all celestiall blessednes and seeing time as he thought fit for euer to make himselfe happy by inioying the delightsome sauours of so great a princesse condescended to satisfie the desires of her barning lust and according to her pleasure with blacke misdeeds distaind the whight honours of her mariage bed Veneria hauing thus wonne him to her wishes caused his bace affires to be stripped off and his bodie to be clothed in rich vestures the more to feede lustes gluttonie and appointed him the next night to set foote within her adulterous bedde which in moste wicked manner was accomplished But now marke how shame cannot lye long hid nor the concealer of sinne darke night couer this polluted crime but as confusions watchbel seunded these her dishonours abroad through the faithfull beautie of the kings chamber-keepers he had intelligence thereof so chusing to himselfe a selected number to effect his reuenge at the middle hower of night when nothing disquiesed the sleepes of humaine creatures but the gentle blustering of windes and the musicall murmurings of running waters he entred the chamber of this his lustfull and adulterous queene who securely lay them sleeping in the bosome of this bace scullion droue such a rage into the heart of the vnquiet king as flesh and blood could hardly indure it therefore drawing a short semiter from his side he sheathed it in the breast of his wiues minion whose blood with such fury gushed from his poluted bosome as it wakened the sinne-stained queene who at the first sight of her husbands presence in her smock all to be sprinckled with the scullions blood fell downe vppon her knees crauing remission for that crime which she so long had thirsted after but the inraged king to her penitent contrition was as remorseles as the dease adder and as far from graunting her life as the soules in hell bee from saluation yet being his second selfe a collop of his owne flesh and his ownely mariage choice he would not desfils his cleare hands with her detested blood therefore as a pining pennance for this lustfull fact for this mariage bed so distaind for this nuptiall promise broken for this worlds scandall this mariedmans dishonour and for this euerlasting spot of disgrace he inflicted vppon her a lingring punishment which in this manner was imediately effected First he caused a large coffen to be brought wherein he put the murthered bodie of the scullion then to the same dead bodie beginning now to peutrifie and stinck he tyed the liue bodie of his queene and so in the coffen closed them vp both together that as she inioyd his fellowship in life so might she consume with him being dead by which meanes the verry wormes that bred vppon the dead carkasse in a manner deuowred vp her liue bodie and thus were the sinnes of lust and adulterie scourged with a plague but fildome heard of Sloths Tragedies Or the life and death of Saturnia the sluggard the seauenth and last daughter of the inchanted Queene Chap. 9 SAturnia the last but not the vnhappiest of these sisters had the gentlest fortune of them al allotted her yet in striuing to preuent fate was taken in her owne trap and when she least dreamed on tasted of the bitter cup of death the worlde she accounted the wildernes of iniquitie and the verry puddle of misery therefore hating the fellowship of mankinde she purposed to forsake all princely glories courtly delights and worldly pleasures and betake her to the solitary life of Diana and to spend remnant of her daies in some desert wilderness where no sinne abounded So vppon an euening without copmpany she stole from the court guided by the pale light of the moone and the twinckling star-light of heauen she happened into a thicke groue of trees as it were inhabited onely by fayeries elues and the ghoastes of dead men day and night there seemd all one the glorious sunne as a straunger there shewd his face and the voices of humaine creatures were accounted fatall to be there heard night-rauens howlats battes with leather wings flying griffens and kokatrises couered quight ouer these thickets vpon the ground lay red bellied worms speckled snakes hissing adders venemous toads lothsome spiders and sleeping doremice so that neither heath nor grasse was there to be seene onely heaps of browne mosse vppon the which she rested her discontented bodie twice twelve moneths without waking slept she therevpon onely fed by the gentle meanes of greene-capt fairies in which long sleepe her dreames were of the torments of hell and the manner of her six sisters punishments in that damned region First in her sleepe she beheld her eldest sister bearing the name of Pride attired in a garment boyled in molten lead with a neckercher about her necke of flaming fire and her dainty feete seemed to walke vppon red burning coals Next she Beheld her second sister called Enuy grasping in her hands a paire of fiery stinging snakes which as it were lay feeding vppon her flesh euen readie to burst with the aboundance of blood suckt from her bosome
Then she beheld her third sister called Wrath wading into a boyling caldron of fire brimstone vp to the very chin and in brazen ladels casting the same vp and downe in great fury Then fixt the her eye vpon her fourth sister named Couetousnes feeding on melted gould and euery part of her bodie behung with burning pearles saphirés diamonds which seemed to seare the verry flesh from her bones After this she beheld her fist sister which was Gluttony sitting in a flaming chaire at a table of red hotte yorne serued by deuils with broiled loads vppon grid-yorns and drinking downe challices of boyling mettles The next vision was her sixt sister named Letchery lying in a bed of smoking sulpher deliuered of a brood of vipers who with their fiery teeth fed vppon her bowels and as it were had her bodie spread all ouer with vile leaprosie These were her scarefull dreames and continuall apparitions in which vnquiet sleepe she remained without waking till her bodie grew shapeles hauing no proportion as then made the shelter for toads frogs and venemous wormes to breed in the excrements of the earth and the deformities of nature thus vanished her life away in sleepe being no way able to withstand the scuaere indignation of heauen Of the inchanted queenes dispaire and how she was caried away aliue by deuils CHAP. 9. IFter the death of all these seauen deadly sisters now brought to confusion by the blacke doome of mortallitie our tragick story bids vs returne to the inchaunted queene lying all this while in childbed fightles and lame hauing no feeling in any part of her members which miracle of misery after she had intelligence of her seauen daughters tragicall ends asuredly beleeued that then her life was at the last period and the time of fearefull death drew néere according to her conditions made to the deuil who promised she should liue till the seauen daies of the weeke were forgotten which she aluded to her seauen daughters so named now feare terror and pining dispaire assailed her on all sides now dreaded she euery minute her soules departure to that burning furnace whose fire is ten times more hotte then this earthly fire and now euery small noise she heard she supposed to be the hurring of deuils that came to take possession both of soule and bodie euery minute wished she now to be whole yeares howers millions and daies endles time to stand still or the world to end now she repented her ambition her aspiring dignities and all those desires of a kingdome now repented she the selling of her soule her bands sealing with her owne blood and all her agreements with blacke hell euery time the clocke struck put her in minde of eternall damnation and how that hels gaping mouth stood readie to receiue her cursing the begetters and causers of her creation thus in deepe remorse of conscience suent she out the tiresome day the last day of her worldly life till the clowdy euening with her pitchy manlie aproached the onely comparatiue of gloomy hell the which had no sooner shut vp the bright eye of heauen but clowdes more darke then darknes itselfe checked the world with motions of pale death such tempests of lightning and thunder broake from heauens christall portalls that it euen blasted the beautie of the earth and atired both trees hearbes and flowers in a mournfull liuery this night so al mankind was a night of feare a night of relentles terror a night of confused desolation in which extremitie of horror it continued till the mid-nights hower at which instant time with a clamorous roaring that seemd to shake both heauen and earth the wrathfull powers of blacke hell fetcht away both her bodie and soule the which being done the heaues cleared the earth replenished and after followed a time of plentie peace and prosperitie FINIS