that he would never disclose his Death nor the manner how he had bestowed himself which thing he did of a Vain arrogant proud and ambitious mind even to this end that the people might report and believe that the Gods had drawn him up to Heaven invistble but it chanced not as he desired Yet notwithstanding quoth Folly I perswaded the lying Greeks that it was so and made them worship him as a God I governed fair Paris King Priams Son whose sirname was Alexander At the first he made no account of me but leading a Contemplative life be followed the Lore of Pallas the Goddess of wisdome mine Adversary but when Juno Pallas and Venus were at strife for the golden Ball which was thrown amongst them with condition that the fairest of them should have it they committed the matter to the Iudgement of Paris firnamed Alexander who was upon point so give Sentence in the Behalfe of Pallas mine Enemy but by my perswasson afterwards he gave it unto Venus my good friend and my old acquaintance then for Recompence of his foolish judgment I counselled him to go to Greece where he ravished fair Helen Hereupon the Greeks in a great and mad rage prepared all their force against the Trojans and after ten years Siege against their City they took Ilion and put King Priam to death insomuch that the whole Realme was thereby defaced In that War were killed many Princes and Noble Knights as Hector Achilles and Paris also was slain by Philactetes the Companion of the lesse Hercules in a Combat fought hand to hand The weapons which they used were Bowes and forked Arrowes wherewith Philactetes wounded Paris in three places First in his left hand secondly in his right eye thirdly in beth his legs which were fastned with the stroak together Being thus wounded the Trojans carried him into the City where shortly after he died I governed quoth Folly fair Helen the bastard Daughter of the third Jupiter King of Crete begotten of Laeda the Wife of Tindarus which Helen by my counsell went from her Husband Menelaus and suffered her self to be ravished by a young Lecherous Trojan named Paris sirnamed Alexander the Son of King Priam she brought blood and death to Troy instead of Dowrie for by her occasion Troy was destroyed and Priam with the most part of his Children killed And to the end that her adulterous Mate Paris or Alexander should not leave her and go to his own lawful Wise Pagales Oenone she bewitched him with certain drinks wherein she was her crafts Mistresse which thing when one doth use he is in such case that he forgets all things past and all sorrows present When she was thus arrived at Troy the good man her Husband Menelaus with Ulysses and other Greek Embassadours came to fetch her away and King Priamus commanded that she should be brought into his presence offering unto her frankly with loud boyce that she should if she thought good freely and with full liberty depart again into Greece with all her retinue people and pelfe Whereunto she answered in the hearing of her Husband and King Priam with the rest of his Counsell and Commons that she was not disposed to retire to her Countrey wishing also that her Husband Menelaus that good man might go to God that she was none of his wife neither would she have to do with him and that she came not to Troy against her will neither did she esteem of his marriage To conclude at length Troy by Treason was taken and ransackt eighteen years after she had been from her Husband and all that space had lived in Leachery with two Adulterers she grew to agreement and made peace with her Hasband Menelaus But when she was waxed old she looked in a glasse and seeing her lace far from fair she fell into a loud laughter and flouted at the Fools that fought ten years together for the love of a thing that faded so soon away but when her Husband Menelaus was dead two chief men of the City Sparta named Nicostratus and Magapentus men of great authority hunted Helen out of the Citie and Realm of Lacedemonia without appointing unto her any place or provision to keep her Vpon which Banishment she came to Rhodes to her ancient Companion and Friend Queen Polipo which was also then a Widow by reason of the Death of her Husband Tlepolemus who was stain before Troy And when she was at Rhodes Queen Polipo used her very well but the young Gentlewomen her waiting Maids hated her deadly for that she was the cause that their King Tlepolemus was killed insomuch that upon a day they conspired together against her and got her into a Garden where they fastning a Rope about her Neck hung her upon a Tree and strangled her to death This was the miserable end of Helen who being dead quoth Folly I put into the heads of the blinde people that she was a Goddesse by reason of her incomparable Beauty For which consideration they being not only Idolatrousty and heretically but also damnably deceived built her a marvellous costly and stately Temple and named her with great Devotion The Goddess of Beauty and devised many false Miracles and Lyes the which for brevity I let pass I governed quoth Folly Pharaoh Amenophis and Pharaoh Bacchoris both Kings of Aegypt who by my counsell caused all the Male Children of the Iewes to be drowned which people the first Pharaoh held in marvellous subjection As for the second I instructed him so well that he would not suffer she Children of Israel to depart out of his Land but in the end being scourged by God he was constrained to let them go and when they were gone I gave him Counsell in revenge to pursue them with all their Chivalry and Power of Aegypt which thing he did but the Tyrant and all his Company were drowned in the red sea I governed Chore Dathan and Abiram counselling them not to obey the commandment of Moses whom God had ordained chief Governour over the Children of Israel but Chore in offering Incense contrary to his Office was attainted and five hundred more of his Faction with him And for the Rebellion of Dathan and Abiram the Earth opened insomuch that they their Wives children and goods were all swallowed up alive I governed Saul the first King of Israel at the beginning of his Reign he was good and Godly but at last I enchanted him so that he caused many of Gods Priests to be killed insomuch that in one day he put to Death fourscore and five I counselled him to persecute good David and to ask counsell of witches and Sorcerers contrary to Gods Laws then at the last being sorsaken of God he was vanquished by the Philistines and with his own hands stew himself upon the Mount of Gilboa I was so hold as to enter into King Davids House and by my counsell I made him commit adultery with Bathsheba the wife of Urias And notwithstanding that
And to bring this to pass I counselled them to change and cut off the Golden Age which would have things common peaceable and in quiet Hereunto they armed themselves by all possible means undertaking to spoyle Sebatius Saga sirnamed Saturn King and Patriarch of Armenia so made and ordained by his Grand-Father Noah The same Sebatius was Son of Chus and Brother to Nimroth whom Moses called Sabtah in Hebrew which in Latine is Saturnus Then the said Sebatius King of Armenia having hardly escaped the hands of Bell and Ninus went for refuge to his Brand-father Noah in Italy where Noah made him King and Patriarch of the Aborignes and founded him a City on the other side of Tiber which was named Saturnia as Virgill declareth in a passage where he saith thus Primus ab aethereo venit Saturnus Olympo Arma Jovis sugiens regnis exul ademptis That is to say Saturn the first from 's Realm did flie for fear of Joves Artillery He lost his Rule and Regiment and led his life in banishment For Bell the Sonne of Nimroth was sirnamed Jupiter And it is not likely to be true as some say that the same Saturn that was chased away by Jupiter was Nimroth the King of Crete but the Bible saith that he was King of Babylon which was far distant from the Isle of Crete In those dayes they termed the chief Man of every House Saturn their Sons Jupiters or Joves their Daughters Juno's and their Nephewes Hercules so that we find in ancient Records many men named Saturn Jupiter and Hercules But to my purpose quoth Folly the above named Ninus by my counsell after the death of his Father Bell caused his Picture and standing Image to be made commanding every manner of person to do Homage unto the Idols of his Father and Mother and to adore them with Divine Worship and so be was as you have heard the first Inventer of Idolatry I governed Tiphon the Son of Cham in whom all his Fathers Vices abounded He maliciously envyed the prosperity of his Brother Osiris sirnamed Jupiter the just who was a great persecuter of Tyrants It angred me quoth Folly that so honest a man lived Then I caused Tiphon with other Gyants to murther Osiris insomuch that Tiphon out him in six and twenty pieces and bestowed them upon other Gyants that helped him to work his feat But the good Hercules of Lybia the Son of Osiris with the help of his other Brethren in foughten Field killed Tiphon the Gyant and the other Tyrants which consented to his Fathers death I governed quoth Folly one Jupiter King of Crete which Country is now called Candie But forasmuch as the Greek Lyars and other Writers both Latine and French to enlarge their Lyes and Dreams attribute that unto this Jupiter oftentimes which appertains not to him I would have you mark well that in those dayes the Kings Children and Fathers of Families were called Jupiters or Joves notwithstanding there are three of that name renowned as we find in Histories The first was Osiris the Nephew of Noah the Son of Cham who was no less good then his Father was evill This Jupiter begat great Hercules of Lybia who was King of Spain France and Italy This great Hercules was like unto his Father a great persecuter of Tyrants throughout all the world He begat of Araxa the young Tuscus King of Tuscany in Italy This Tuscus begat Alcirus Blascon by whom was begotten Cambo Blascon which was as some say sirnamed the second Jupiter and worshipped in the world Now this Cambo Blascon sirnamed Jupiter begat upon Electra the Daughter of Arlas sirnamed Italus of whom yet Italy beareth the name Jasius and Dardanus This the lying Cretians and many other Triflers attribute unto Jupiter of Crete which matter is in controversie and may be denyed For Dardanus after he had killed his Brother Jasius by envy and treason he fled into the Isle of Samos and from thence into Phrygia where he founded a City called Dardania where he begat a Sen called Erictonius and of him lineally descended Troas who gave the City of Dardania the name of Troy This same Troas had three children Illius Issaracula and Ganimedes which Ganimedes was taken by Tatus the King of high Phrygia and sold to Jupiter of Crete to be abused like a Sodomite which argueth that he begat not Dardanus the great Grand-father of Ganimedes The first Jupiter then you may perceive was Osiris Nephew to Noah whom Moses named Mazaraim The second Jupiter was Cambo Blascon King of Italy which some say also had been King of Athens and of Arcady but I think that Jupiter of Arcady who begat Lacedemon is some other beside Cambo Blascon Howsoever the case standeth certain it is that Jupiter of Crete Osiris and Cambo Blascon were contraries The third Jupiter renowned in the World was King of the Isle of Crete who bare in his Seutchion and Coat-Armour an Eagle but in all his manners he was altogether given to Folly For he defloured Virgins he ravished Wives abused young children and committed all kind of Villany that was possible either to be spoken or done He committed adultery with Alcmena the Wife of Amphitrio of whom he begat little Hercules of Greece he did the like with Laeda the Wife of Tyndarus of whom also he begat fair Helen I loathe to tell what Deflourings and Rapes he offered and thrust upon divers particular â—aidens and fair young Children But notwithstanding his vile life quoth Folly by my means the rude People made him a God and many false Lyars have attributed unto him the Noble deeds of the good Patriarch Noah and his Nephew Osiris sirnamed Jupiter the Just Moreover they did not only make Sacrifice unto him but also gave him the Title and Name of Most excellent good whereas indeed he was the werst evil for he was an Incestuous and Sodomitical person and a common Enemy to Chastity and honesty in so much that People openly in their Stage playes counterfeited Sung and Descanted upon the filthy Leacheries and other Villanies which he used affirming that such Antiques and Pageants were most fit and agreeable unto him By means whereof all his Subjects gave themselves to the same saying that it was as fit for them so to live as for their great God Jupiter I governed little Hercules of Greece otherwise called Alceus the Bastard Son unto the same Jupiter whom he had by Alcmena the Wife of Amphitrio Vnto the same Hercules the lying Greeks full of Vain Eloquence give the name and title of great Hercules of Lybia which is most falss For that Hercules of Greece was the first Pyrate that ever roved on the Seas and abounded with all Vice following the steps of his Father Jupiter the Adulterer in all respects and as he lived even so be dyed For being mad saith Seneca he stew his wife and children and afterwards burned himself But a little before his death be made Philactetes swear
compassion upon thee Where be the Worldlings the would not be sorry for their sins Where are they become Are they not condemned to everlasting torment in Hell fire O think then that sin doth greatly offend God Think what punishment God hath ordained for sin which makes Man an Enemy to God and a friend to the Devil Secondly think that at this present time thou art in Gods favour by the means of his Grace who made thee a child of God and an Heir of Heaven by Hope so that now thy Conscience is quiet Think what good Consolation thou hast received by devour prayer think what spiritual instructions Gods Grace hath given to thee think all the pleasures of the World are mingled with Sorrow think that this World shall pass away with all the pomps and pleasures of the same think that thy present Estate is the high way to Heaven and so shalt thou keep perseverance Thirdly think that the just judgment of God is to come which is to the good to give Heaven and to the evill Hell Think thou must dye and that at thy death thou shalt not receive so good consolation as thou hast had of Vertue and Gods grace Think that at thy death thou must leave behind thee Wife Children Goods and Mony whether thou do good or evill Think that thou must go to a Region unknown and to a place where thou hast never been and if thou be sound to have dyed in sin without repentance the Devils will attend to take thy damned Soul and will carry it into the dungeon of Darkness there to seel eternal torments But if thou be sound with Perseverance in the Palace of Vertue millions of Angels will go before thee and with great joy will bring thee to heaven O think upon the just judgment of God to come when every one shall be judged according to his deeds For God fahoureth neither Kings Princes nor People high nor low rich nor poor without respect of persons be will chuse the good and condemn the evil at the day of doom when we must appear personally without excuse or exception before him then every man must be his own Atturney when the just Iudge at that day will shew himself terrible to the Perverse which have followed Voluptuousness and have not heartily repented but will be gentle mercifull and good unto those that have been sorry for their offences O think what torments the un-repentant shall suffer both in body and soul perpetually whereas all such as have persevered in goodness to the end shall receive joy and the fulness of God and of Heaven In such sort to persevere in goodness to the end do thine utter endeavour and thou shalt see that God will be ready with his grace to arm thee with constancy in thy Christian purpose CAP. XI A protestation which Good Understanding taught the Knight to make every day for the avoiding of temptations and how he ought to humble himself before God and what he should ask in his prayer MY Son alwayes I wish thee to keep perseverance with thee by whom thou mayest avoid temptations which would induce thee to sin and force thee to forsake the true Faith and also to transgress the holy Commandements of Almighty God This to avoid I wish thee every day to repeat the promises which thou hast made to God in thy Baptism which follow thus in effect O Most high most excellent and holy Lord God I protest that I will live and dye in the true Catholike and Apostolike faith revealed in thy holy Word and that I will do my utmost endravour to keep thy holy Commandements which heretofore I have wilfully and carelessy transgressed wherefore I am sorry and do heartily repent me for the breach of them and in token thereof I make my Confession saying I Believe in God the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth And in Jesus Christ his only Sonne our Lord which was conceived by the holy Ghost Born of the Virgin Mary Sufferred under Pontius Pylate Was crucified dead and buryed He descended into Hell The third day he rose again from the dead He ascended into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead I believe in the holy Ghost The holy Catholick Church The communion of Saints The forgiveness of sinnes The resurrection of the body And the life everlasting Amen Then say Lord God give me grace most heartily I beseech thee without doubting to confess and believe the articles of this my Christian Faith and in the same to persevere to the end And so rehearse the Ten Commandements of Almighty God which are these The same which God spake in the xx Chapter of Exodus saying I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the Land of Ægypt out of the house of Bondage 1. Thou shalt have none other Gods but me 2. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image nor the likenesse of any thing that is in Heaven above nor in the Earth beneath nor in the water under the Earth Thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God and visit the sins of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love me and keep my commandements 3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine 4. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all that thou hast to do but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt do no manner of work thou and thy son and thy daughter thy man servant thy maid servant thy catell and the stranger that is within thy gates for in six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that therein is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it 5. Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee 6. Thou shalt do no murther 7. Thou shalt not commit Adultery 8. Thou shalt not steal 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour 10. Thou shalt not cover thy Neighbours house thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours wife nor his servant nor his maide nor his ox nor his Asse nor any thing that is his Then considering the tenour of that which thou hast said crave grace at Gods hands to walk after his will using the same prayer which Christ taught thee and saying Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass
against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evill Amen Besides all this thou must also most heartily humble thy self before God acknowledging thy self a sinner and that thou canst do nothing that is righteous but if there be any goodness in thee either of Nature or of Gods Grace thou must sreely confess that all comes from above Repute not thy self better than another but rather the least of all If any despise thee mock thee or injure thee suffer it not only patiently but also willingly and gladly even for the love of God For the sealing Ladder of Heaven is Humility a full denying of thy self in worldly causes Think not well of thy self for any thing that thou doest hast done or mayest do but if thou hast any goodness in thy body or in thy soul be not ashamed to confess that it is not thine because it comes not from thee but of God for from him indeed it proceeds And when at any time thou findest thy self as it were lest of God and destitute of consolation whether it be inwardly or outwardly be not discouraged for it neither think that God hath Forgotten thee but heartily Humble thy Self before God putting all thy confidence in God as in one that knows how to save his Elect. If thou receive any blessing inwardly as Wisdom or any other gift exalt not thy self in pride neither discommend others that have not received of God such grace but use that which thou hast to Gods glory Again if thou see thy Neighbour fall take heed judge him not but think that God permits thee to see his effence for thy profit Imagine thou wast never touched with that crime well it is much but yet thou hast been culpable in some other as bad or else worse upon this examination reform thy self suppose thou art in no fault thou must not therefore esteem thy self better than he that is in fault knowing thou art of such a nature as he is and made of the same stuff as he is and therefore notwithstanding thy supposition a sinner and offender as well as he so that both need amending Be thou sure that if God had provided no better for thee than thy self deserved thou hadst committed the like offence or else greater and thank God for that he hath kept thee so and pray for him that doth amisse and is not yet converted When thou seest a sinner only led to lose his life by Law know that thou standest a sinner before God as well as he although before the world thou be esteemed better There is no School wherein a Christian may so well learn to live well as in the contemplation of Christs life and conversation thou must oftentimes think on thy last end as Death Iudgement Hell and Heaven persevere in Prayer so shalt thou please God and not be loath to die Remember thy end saith the wife Man and thou shalt never sin thou must often pray deboutly to God and when thou wilt so do thou must draw thy self from all affairs for Prayer is a lifting up of the heart to God and a private speech of the soul with God If it be so were there any reason that a man should draw his cogitations from God or rather all outward businesse put apart with all reverence to submit thy soul before him All this notwithstanding it is not forbidden in all our affairs to pray and sing Psalms to Gods glory and oftentimes with Tears to say the Lords Prayer or any other Prayer to that effect And here by the way thou must understand that the longest Prayer is not the profitablest because of the multitude of cogitations of the minde besides that thou must be devout for the prayers which are done with devotion of the heart do profit all other prayers are but vain and to no purpose If thou pronounce but three words as the Publican did saying God be mercifull to me a sinner or as the Canaanite said O Son of David have mercy upon me it is enough Again be not curious of thy tongue nor line in speaking it sufficeth that thy heart speaks within thee and thy tongue though but bleatingly if unfainedly it is well as we read of Moses and Anna Samuels Mother Worldly goods superssuonsly thou oughtest not to ask but necessarily and with measure for thy bodily health and for the succour of the needy If thou be sick poor or in adversity thou mayst ask Health Riches or Prosperity so it be done to Gods glory But if thy asslictions do more advance Gods glory than thy prosperity doth yeelding thy soill to Gods will thou oughtest to ask Patience and say with a meek heart Lord thy will be done and not mine I thy senses be inclined to sin be not dismayed for there is a God to whom if thou pray he will by the power of his grace suppresse that inclination Wherefore take courage when thou art tempted ask help of God saying O God make speed to save me O Lord make haste to help me Lord God leave me not but be my help O thou Lord God of my health Do what thou canst to resist the Devil and he shall go from thee approach unto God by Faith and be will draw near unto thee by his Spirit If the Devil assault thee desy him and make thy moan to thy Saviour saying Lord help me and be with me Do thou thy endeavour and assure thy self that God will make thee strong he will aid thee he will ease thee and in the end will set thee free from all verations placing thee in the Heaven of Heavens the Portion and Inheritance of his Servants To this God and to Iesus Christ with the holy Ghost he all glory honour and praise world without end Amen CHAP. XII The Authors Peroration or Conclusion to the devout Readers or Hearers I Thank Almighty God of his goodnesse that I am come to the End of the Voyage of the wandring Knight by the which thou mavest understand that in following Folly and vain Voluptuousnesse he forsook God to the prejudice and hurt of his Soul yea to the danger of everlasting damnation Here thou mayest learn that all voluptuous worldlings are the very Subjects of Sathan and their earthly goods and worldly pleasures shall quickly consume Thou art taught likewise what great clemency God used to … m drawing him by his grace from the sink of sin wherein he was sunk how he was led to the Palace of Repentance and from thence to the Palace of Vertue where by Gods grace he is now and what goodnesse he hath found there thou hast heard at large The Lord grant us to land where he is landed even in the Land promised to the Elect. Amen And now to conclude I beseech your courtesies that if any thing in this my labour mislike you interpret the same to the best and lay nothing to my charge in the way of presumption but commending my good meaning and allowing my will not to contemn but to speak well and esteem of this my Work and to use it for thy benefit and edincation for the which end I made and compiled the same And now I exhort you all in Christian love and charity that if by Gods grace you be resident in Vertues Palace to persevere and continue there to the end humbling your selves before God and allwayes trusting unto his goodnesse not unto our own strength or merits acknowledging also Gods grace by the which you are as you are and of whom you have that you have Let all your considence be in his mercy and in his goodnesse Furthermore if any feel and perceive himself out of Vertues Palace by the means of wordly vanities let him consider the great peril he is in and speedily turn to repentance with a contrite and sorrowfull heart requiring pardon of God and trusting wholly in the merits and passion of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Let him not be ashamed to acknowledge his sins which if he do he shall finde at Gods hands grace and mercy And now I beseech nor Lord God to give us all Grace to do according unto that which is here spoken for otherwise of our selves it is not possible that leading a life acceptable and agreeable unto his holy will we may in the end after the Voyage which we have to passe in this world see and enjoy possesse and have the full fruition of that glorious city of Paradise where true Blessednesse and perfect Felicity welleth even in the Habitation of God Almighty unto whom be all Honour Glory Power and Dominion for evermore Amen FINIS