attempt But of such force the desire of glory is as the 〈◊〉 â—…th Magnum â—…ter ascendâ—… sed das 〈◊〉 glâ—…ria vires I undertake a journey of great length But glory to or come it gives me strength A Gentleman of Burgundy called Balthasar Seracke after he understood that the king of Spaine had proclaimed the Prince of Orenge a traytor sought for opportunity to kill the Prince Who seeing his reputation to decay by reason of the Prince of Parma his prosperous successe and fearing the people that were 〈◊〉 of the warres he left Antwerpe and withdrew himselfe to Delfe About this time the Duke of Alenson died which the Queene Mother signified to the Prince by her letters and made choyce of this Balthasar to be the messenger because hee was well knowne to the Prince in whose Court he was seven yeares brought up This man having delivered his letters and message was conversant with the gentlemen of the Princes Court seeking continually for opportunity to put in execution that he had long before determined When he had received his dispatch and prepared speedily to 〈◊〉 into France as it was thought hee had provided a very good horse to stay for his comming without the 〈◊〉 of the towne ready for him whatsoever should 〈◊〉 About two of the 〈◊〉 in the afternone what time he thought the Prince would rise from 〈◊〉 he returned to the Court and faining that hee had 〈◊〉 something he was without suspition let in He 〈◊〉 the Princes comming forth of the place where he 〈◊〉 and offring to speake to him having a pistoll under his cloake charged with three bullets poysoned chained together he dischargeth it at the Prince and strake him so deadly that the Prince fell presently to the 〈◊〉 and without any further time but only to 〈◊〉 the Lords prayer moving a little his lips ended his life His guard hearing the clap of the pistoll perceiving by the cry and noise of his servants that the prince was slaine they sought for the man that did the act but he in the meane time escaped through a stable neare to the garden and was almost come to the gate of the towne to his horse when one of the Princes retinue that was present when he was slaine had overtaken him and wrestled with him untill others came and apprehended him and ledde him to prison And when hee saw that all meanes was taken from him to escape and no hope nor place left for pardon laying all feare aside he asked them whether the Prince was dead which when they affirmed hee told them that hee was assured to dye but hee rejoyced very greatly that he had done the thing which hee had many yeares wished might take effect And therefore that hee would take his death joyfully and willingly that hee had done the thing with so good successe whereof others before him had failed with the losse of their lives No torments could make him 〈◊〉 confesse who set him on to commit that murder But he constantly answered that he was moved thereto by the perswasion of no Prince or any other man but of his owne accord and free-will But sayd that divers causes excited him to doe that act The first cause hee sayd was that he beleeved it was done to the glory of God because the Prince was a professed enemie to the Romish Catholike faith The second was that to take away the life from a most cruell enemy of the low-countries he knew would be beneficiall profitable to his countrey to which he owed his life which all good men and lovers of peace would commend and allow And last of all that he should doe notable service to the King of Spaine his master of whom neverthelesse he denied to be hired or allured with any promises or rewards to commit the murder He protested that hee nothing repented him of the fact but greatly rejoyced that his enterprise had taken so good effect had successe according to his desire He suffered all manner of torments with a wonderfull patience so as he brake not out into howlings or cryings weeping or making moan and 〈◊〉 as the manner is nor gave any signe of a troubled or dismaied minde but constantly affirmed that it was much better and more profitable to the common-wealth that two men meaning the Prince and himselfe should suffer violent death than so many thousands that by his meanes were brought to their end The first night he was hanged up in a kind of torture and â—…ourged most grievously five times with rods besides other grievous paines and at last hee was put in a vanne his hands and feet being bound and â—…sed up down that he might not sleepe The dayes and nights following he was hanged up againe in the instrument made for torture an hundred and fifty pound weight hanging at his toes diversly tormâ—…ced which he tooke with such a stout and resolute mind that they which tormented him being drawne into admitation and asking him how it came to passe that he seemed not to be troubled with so great torments he answered that it was to be attributed to the praiers 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 After he had bin many times examined suffered many tortures and news brought him that hee was condemned and must dye he with a joyfull countenance and voice gave God thanks And when a Minister of the reformed religion was sent to comfort him hee would not heare him but answered that he knew wel enough in what favour he was with God When he was brought to the 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 puâ—…th vpon his feets 〈◊〉 of shoes tudely made of drâ—…e leather and presseth his feet betweene two iron plates burning hote so were his fâ—…t parched Then he plucked away the â—…ews of his hips and arms and aâ—…ms with a paire of â—…ngs fire-hote and beateth him upon the head with the pistoll that killed the Prince And last of all he opened his breast and being yet alive plucked out his heart and 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 his face and bowelled and quartered him as the manner is This was the end of this glorious enterprise the murder of a notable Prince to the great griefe and sorrow of all the people of whom hee was dearely loved and to the prejudice of the Low-Countries Common-wealth besides the losse of his life by cruell tormentâ—… that committed the fact with the hazard of his soule if God were not mercifull unto him And what was it as wee may conjecture but a desire of vaineglory that emboldened the poore Friar to 〈◊〉 great an enterprise to kill the late French king Henry the third a most notorious and execrable murder of his annoyâ—…ted Prince that was of his owne and theâ—… religion that set him on worke After the death of the Duke of Guise the Monkes and Friers and the rest of that rabble of Cloister-men were greatly incensed against the king and by all manner of meanes sought 〈◊〉 destruction And when they could find no man among
sent from a Free State in Embassage to the Duke of Moscouia and as one of them kept his Cap vpon his head in the presence of the Duke he being therewith offended caused a nayle to be driuen thorow his Cap into his head Ludit in humanis diuina potentia rebus Et certam prasens vix habet hora fidem The Diuine power all humane things derides And scarce one certaine houre with vs abides The Emperour Marcus Aurelius meditating vpon the miserable condition of men spake in this sort I haue imagined with my selfe whether it were possible to find any estate any age any countrey any kingdome where any man might be found that durst vaunt he had not in his life tasted what manner of thing aduerse fortune is And if such a one might be found it would be such an ougly monster that both the quick and the dead would desire to see him Then he concludeth In the end of my reckoning I haue found that he which was yesterday rich is to day poore hee that was yesterday whole is to day sicke he that yesterday laughed to day I haue seene him weepe he that was yesterday in prosperitie to day I haue seene him in aduersitie he that yesterday liued I haue seene him by and by in his graue Saint Augustine entring deepely into the consideration of the miserable condition of men and wondering at their infelicitie maketh thus his complaint to God Lord after men haue suffered so many euill things mercilesse death followeth and carrieth them away in diuers manners some it oppresseth by feauers others by extreme griefe some by hunger others by thirst some by fire others by water some by the sword others by poyson some thorough feare others are stifled some are torne in pieces by the teeth of wild beasts others are peckt with the fowles of the ayre some are made meat for the fishes others for wormes and yet man knoweth not his end And when hee goeth about to aspire higher hee falleth downe and perisheth And this is the most fearefull thing of all fearefull things the most terrible of all terrible things when the soule must be separated from the body And what a miserable sight is it to see one lying in the pangs of death and how lothsome when he is dead And then followeth the dreadfull day of Iudgement when euery one must yeeld account of his life past This is the time when Monarkes and Princes must giue account whether they haue laid intolerable exactions vpon their subiects and beene the cause of the effusion of innocent blood to feede their ambitious humours This is the time when the Pastours and Prelates must giue vp a reckoning of their flocke and with what doctrine good or bad they haue fed them This is the time when Merchants must yeeld an account and all other Trades that stand vpon buying and selling for the falshood they haue vsed in vttering their Wares whose case is hard if it bee true the Poet saith Periurata sâ—…o postponit numina lucro Mercator Stygiis non nisi dignus aquis The periur'd Merchant will forsweare for gaine Worthy in Stygian waters to remaine This is the time when Lawyers will tremble how to answere the animating their poore Clyents to waste their goods to their great hinderance or vtter vndoing in continuing their suits in a wrong cause the end whereof is their owne gaine This is the time that Magistrates and Iudges must bee called to a reckning whether they haue administred iustice vprightly and indifferently without fauour or corruption This is the time when men of Warre must answer for their spoyles and rapines and intolerable outrages and cruelties vsed vpon euery sexe and age that Christ dyed for as well as for them This is the time that couetous men and vsurers must yeeld an account for their rapines and oppressions and for the vndoing of infinite numbers to enrich themselues with their excessiue and vnlawfull interest and gaines This is the time that Widowes and Orphanes and other afflicted people will cry out and present their complaints before God of the iniustice and wrongs they haue sustained and suffered This is the time when the wicked shall say quaking and trembling for feare and repenting too late Looke how yonder folkes which we had heretofore in contempt as base persons and of none account in respect of our selues are now exalted in the sight of God and are accounted among the Saints This is the time saith Saint Hierome when they that stut and stammer shall be more happie then the cloquent And many Sheepheards and Heardmen shall bee preferred before Philosophers many poore beggers before rich Princes and Monarkes many simple and grosse heads before the subtill and fine-witted Then shall the fooles and insensible persons saith Saint Augustine take hold vpon Heauen and the wise with their wisedome shall fall downe into hell where is the miserie of all miseries and such as the miseries of this world be pleasures and delights in respect of them This is the iudgement spoken of in Saint Matthew Goe yee cursed into hell fire where is nothing but lamenting and gnashing of teeth which is prepared for the Diuell and his angels before the beginning of the world where they shall bee tormented for euer and euer and shall wish for death but they shall not finde it they shall desire to die and death shall flie from them These miseries to which men are subiect made the Prophet Esay sorry that hee was not destroyed or styfled in his mothers wombe and murmured that his legges did hold him vp and complained vpon the paps that gaue him sucke â—…remie mooued with the like spirit considering that man is formed of the earth conceiued in sinne borne with paine and in the end made a prey for wormes and serpents wished that his mothers belly had serued him for a sepulchre and her wombe for a tombe The consideration of the miserable estate of this life brought in a custome to the people of Thracia to weepe and lament at the birth of their children and to reioyce when they dyed But the Philosopher Demosthenes discouered his conceit by a more particular passion For beeing demanded of the Tyrant Epymethes why he wept so bitterly for the death of a Philosopher being so strange a matter for a Philosopher to weepe To this Demosthenes answered I weepe not O Epymethes because the Philosopher dyed but because thou liuest being a custome in the Schooles of Athens to weepe more because the cuill doe liue then for the death of the good Seeing therefore wee haue perused the principall estates of life and can finde nothing in them worthy to be called Felicitie nor answerable to the thing which that word seemeth to purport but rather that they all defect so much from felicitie that they decline to infelicitie and miserie Let vs doe yet with a better minde as many now a dayes vse to doe
seeme to you happy or vnhappy I know not because I was neuer conuersant with him but what if you had had his company would you then know him Can you take knowledge of his felicity by no other meanes No truly Then it seemeth ô Socrates that you will say likewise I cannot tell whether the great King of Persia bee happy or not and so it is true for I know not how he is instructed with learning or with iustice Doth all felicity consists in this Truly by mine opinion for I account that man or woman that is honest and good to be happy and him that is vniust and vnhonest vnhappy Then according to your words Archelaus is vnhappy Yea surely if he be vniust and vnhonest Thus much of Socrates Yet negligence is to be auoided and prouidence without ouermuch care and possession without feare is necessary and requisite It is a wise mans part to put aside dangerous things before they come to do hurt for the losse or harme a man receiueth by his own fault is more grieuous then that which happeneth to him by another man Thucidides saith It is no shame for a man to confesse his pouerty but it is a shame to fall into it by his owne fault He must haue all things premeditate that happeneth to men and thinke the same may fall vpon him for the things that are foreseene before pierce not so deepely as that which commeth suddenly and taketh a man vnwares He that will make his life pleasant must not take ouermuch care to prouide for it neither can any man take full pleasure of any thing except he haue a minde prepared for the losse of it One proâ—…steth by long study to haue learned this to contemne mortall things and not to bee ignorant of his ignorance Death is to all men by nature terrible but to a Christian that knoweth with how great an aduantage hee changeth his estate it ought to bee had in contempt whereof the heathens that knew not God nor what should become of them made little account who for friuolous causes would offer themselues voluntarily to die whose examples though they be not to be followed but auoyded as an vnlawfull and vnnaturall act yet they may serue to perswade men the rather to discharge themselues of all feare of death that haue an assured hope certaine knowledge to possesse the vnspeakable ioyes of heauen when the Infidels through a vaine hope of a better life wherein neuerthelesse they were deceiued would often make choise of a voluntary death CleoÌ„brotus hauing read Plato his booke of the immortality of the Soule wherein he disswadeth men from the ouermuch loue of this life thinking he had found the ready way to deliuer his soule out of prison cast himselfe downe headlong from a high wall and brake his necke They haue a custome in Narsinga that when the men die their wiues be buried aliue with them that with great solemnity and ioy when the king is dead there is a pile of wood of a most pleasant sauour set on fire the kings carkeise carried into it and then all his concubines whereof he hath great store and all his familiar friends and fauourites and such of his seruants as were in estimation with him are likewise carried into that pile of wood to which place they go with such haste ioy to be burnt that to accompany their king in that kind of death they seeme to esteeme it the greatest honour and felicity that can happen to them The Indians by custome doe marry many wiues and when the husband is dead there is great contention among his wiues which of them he loued best that she may be buried with him then she that hath iudgement with her with great ioy merry countenance is led by her friends to the place and casting her selfe into the fire vpon her husband is burnt with him as a most happy woman the rest remaining leading a sorrowfull life There hath been a people dwelling by the mountaines called Rifei who hold this for a custome when they come to the age of 50 They make great piles of wood and put fire to them there burne themselues aliue and sacrifice to their gods and the same day the kinsfolke children make a great feast and do eate their flesh halfe burnt and drinke with wine the dust of their bones How much lesse then should Christians feare death when it pleaseth God to send for them that hope for a crowne of glory after this life They make a good bargaine that with the death of the body seeke the saluation of their Soule Plato saith All the life of wise men is the meditation vpon death that men ought not to be carefull to liue long but to liue well For the honourable age saith Saâ—…mon is not that which is of long time neither that which is measured by the number of yeeres but wisedome is the gray haire an vndefiled life is the old age And Euripides saith This life is life by name but in very deed labour Death is not a torment but a rest and end of all mans miseries and labours And Seneca Before old age come a man should learne to liue well and in old age to die well But the day of our death saith Gregory our Creator would not haue knowne to vs that the same being alwayes vnknown may be alwayes thought to be at hand and that euery man should be so much the more feruent in operation by how much hee is vncertaine of his vocation that whilest we be vncertaine when we shall die wee may alwayes come prepared to death And because that is so certaine a thing that no man can escape it shall bee good alwayes to thinke vpon death especially in the time of prosperity â—…or the thinking often thereof will bridle and restraine all other cuill thoughts and desires of worldly vanities for in prosperity we forget humane srailty It is reported that the Emperour Charles the fift fiue yeeres before he died euen when he was occupied in his greatest affaires caused a sepulcher to be made with all things appertaining to it that was necessary for his buriall being dead and that secretly lest it might be taken for ostentation or hypocrisie which things he had closely carried with him whithersoeuer he went fiue yeeres together some thinking there had been some great treasure in it some other that there had been bookes of old stories some thought one thing some another but the Emperour smiling said that he carried it about with him for the vse of a thing to him aboue all others most precious In that sort he seemed to set death alwayes before his eyes that the coÌ„tinuall remeÌ„brance therof might driue from his heart the vaine pompe pride of this world Let vs imagine that we see a maÌ„ of mean estate whose mind is cleansed from all perturbations vnquietnes that hath
sentence was given against him First that his two dogs whose help he had used in his Magicke matters should be shot through with Muskets and himselfe should have his head stricken off For this milde sentence hee gave thanks to the Prince alledging he had deserved a much more severe judgement and at least was worthy to be burned The next day a new gallowes was set up covered with copper an halter tyed in the middest covered likewise with copper signifying his deceit in making gold Hard by the gallowes was set up a scaffold aloft covered with blacke cloth upon the scaffold was placed a seat wherein this Alcumist sate arrayed in mourning apparell And as hee sate the Executioner strake off his head The Poet cryeth out not without cause upon this love of riches Aurum destructor vita princepsque malorum O quà m difficiles nectis ubique dolos O utinam natum nunquam mortalibus esses Dulcia suppedit as quae nocumenta viris Gold lifes destroyer and of mischiefes Prince That every where by snares dost us convince Would thou hadst nere been seene by mortals eyes Who with delightfull harmes still man supplyes CHAP. IIII. Of sundry men most remarkeable for Avarice Of an English Cardinall Of Hermocrates Cardinall Sylberperger Hermon Phidon Antonio Batistei c. Of such as voluntarily parted with their Riches Of Antippus the Philosopher Ancrates the Theban and Sabbas Cast a Knight of Malta Pope Alexander the sift Tiberius Constantine Emperour Anacreon the Philosopher Epictetus Seneca the Philosopher reproved by Snillius for avarice before Nero A notable example of the Romane Fabricius Of Pertinax Of Hassan Bassa The covetousnesse of the Fortugals the French and the Spaniards reproved Concluding that no soveraâ—…gne felicitie can subsistin Riches c. YEt there want not Examples of some wise men who having abundance of riches and means to increase it willingly made choice to part with their riches as an enemie to vertue and hinderance to many good things and reserve to themselves a small portion Democritus a very rich man gave all his patrimonie to his Countrey reserving to himselfe but a little summe of money to live withall that hee might have the more leasure to study Philosophie for which cause he went to Athens The Prophet David perceiving our vaine estimation and wondering at riches forewarneth us thus Be not affraâ—…d when thou secst a man made rich and the glorie of his bousc multiplâ—…ed for when he dyeth he shall take nothing with him nor shall his glorie descend to the place whither be goâ—…th Hee shall passe into the progenies of his Ancestors and world without end hee shall see no more light The Prophet Baruch with more bitternesse asketh this question Where are they now that heaped together gold and silver and which made no end of their scraping Where be the Princes and they that rule over the beasts of the earth Hee answered himselfe presently Exterminatâ—… sunt adinferos descenderunt They are rooted out and gone into hell Saint Paul writeth to Timothâ—…e Give commandement to the rich men of this world not to bee high-minded nor to put hope in the uncertaintie of their riches And yet for all that nothing even in these daies puffeth men up more in pride than great store of riches neither can men forbeare to put great trust in them Wee had a Cardinall here in England in the time of Henrie the sixth so exceeding rich that hee thought nothing was able to prevaile against him And when he lay on his death bed and perceiving that hee must dye hee murmured and grudged If quoth he the Realme of England would save my life I am able to get it with policie or buy it with my riches Fie said he will not death be hyred will money doe nothing Saint Iames saith Now goe to ye rich men weepe and howle in your miseries that come upon you Your riches are rotten and your gold and silver are rustie and the rust thereof shall be a testimonie against you it shall feede on your flesh like fire You have hoorded wrath for your selves in the last day This the holy Ghost pronounceth to signifie unto us how vaine and dangerous a thing woldly wealth is and how foolish they are that labour so earnestly for it to the perpetual perill of their soules Iob saith Wee came naked into this world and naked wee must goeforth againe Yet some have beene so wedded to their riches that they have used all the meanes they could to take them with him Atheneus reporteth of one that at the houre of his death devoured many peeces of gold and sewed the rest in his coate commanding that they should be all buried with him Hermocrates being loth that any man should enjoy his goods after him made himselfe by his will heire of his owne goods The Cardinall Sylberperger tooke so great a pleasure in money that when hee was grievously tormented with the gowt his onely remedy to ease the paine was to have a bason full of gold set before him into which hee would put his lame hands turning the gold up-side-downe Hermon was so covetous that dreaming on a time hee had spent a certaine summe of money for very sorrow he strangled himselfe And one Phidon was so extremely overcome with that passion of covetousnes that being fallen into desperation through a losse received he would not hang himselfe for spending of three-halfe-pence to buy him an halter but sought a way to death better cheape One Antonio Batistei an Italian having lost in a ship that was drowned five hundred crowns determined like a desperate man to hang himselfe and as he was about to fasten the rope to a beame for that purpose he found by chance there hidden a thousand crownes And being very glad of this good fortune hee exchanged the halter for the crownes and went away Not long after hee was gone the owner came thither to see his gold but when hee perceived the crownes to bee gone hee fell into such extreme griefe that hee presently hanged himselfe with the halter that he found in their place Antippus the Philosopher following a contrary course having turned all his patrimonie into ready money went to the sea side and there cast it into the water saying Hence with a mischiefe ye ungracious desires for I drowne you because you should not drowne me Ancrates a Theban being weary of worldly cares and houshold affaires forsooke his patrimonie that was of the value of foure thousand and eight hundred crownes and betooke himselfe to a staffe and a Philosophers bagge and departed Hee that desireth over-great riches or possessions seemeth to be wiser in the choyce of his garment which hee will rather have to bee meete for his body than too long or too large Hee that is wise will content himselfe with that which is sufficient and feeleth no want but the foolish man troubleth himselfe with cares and thoughts and though hee wallow in
give over untill hee had run one course more and looking round about seeing almost none left he called Count Mongomery to him that was Captaine of his guard and commanded him to goe to the end of the Tilt but hee refusing to runne against him desired to be pardoned but the King his destinie drawing him strongly to his end would allow no excuse but putting the staffe in Mongomeries hand that killed him willed him to go to the end of the tilt hee would breake one staffe more before hee departed As they ran 〈◊〉 brake the staffe upon the King with a counterbuffe that the splinters ran into his eye and up toward his braine so as languishing a few daâ—…s he dyed Thus he that thought himselfe by the alliaâ—… of this mightie Prince to bee advanced to great glorie wherein by his new title he seemed to set his felicitie was taken away by the Captaine of his guard that was appointed for his defence in the beginning of his supposed happinesse Sâ—…ctransit transit gloria mundi This strange death of the Kings seemed to be fatall and was presaged before by Ganricus an Italian Astronomer who wrote to the King five yeares before that he had calculated his nativitie that the heavens threatned him in the yeare in which hee should be one and fortie a dangerous wound in the head by which hee should bee either striken blinde or dead both which came to passe therefore hee advised him that yeare to bew are of tilâ—…s tourneys such like pastimes Likewise Nostradamus told some of his friends secretly that the King would be in great danger of his life at the triumph which made them the more attentively behold the same to see the event There was also a child of sixe yeares old brought thither with his father to see the Iustes which boy as hee saw them run to breake their staves would alwaies cry out without ceasing They will kill the King they will kill the King But what danger soever followeth or what care or trouble is in comming by it there are very few examples of them that have refused honour and rule when they have had opportunitie meanes to attaine it But an infinite number of examples of them that by unlawfull means have sought rule to their owne destruction And no part of the world can afford more than the Romane Empire where within the space of one hundred yeares â—…n which were 〈◊〉 and thirteene 〈◊〉 there were but three that dyed in their beds by sicknesse all the 〈◊〉 suffred violent death In the Reign of Galienns there were 〈◊〉 that usurped the name of Emperour The Romanes had a custome to have certaine bands of choice men lodged without thâ—… wals of the Citie of Rome for the guard of their Emperours which they called Pretorian souldiers who by the negligence of some evill Emperours forgetting their old discipline grew so licentious that they used to kill such of their Emperours though they had beene beneficiall to them for whose defence they were appointed as went about to reforme their rapines and dissolute manners and advance others in their places For this hath been alwaies the manners of men to bee moved rather with the hope of a good turne to come than with the remembrance of a benefit already received and to depend rather upon them whose power and reputation they see doth increase than upon them that bee at the highest and have no possibilitie to climbe higher Pertinax was the sonne of a slave that was made free and being trained up in the warres through his vertue and valour hee obtained to the highest dignities in the Romane Empire and after Commodus the cruell Tyrant was slaine hee was made Emperour But after hee had reigned some three moneths to the great liking of the Senate and people of Rome the Pretorian souldiers finding his severitie not so fit for their purpose as the libertie they enjoyed by his Predecessour Commodus certaine of them conspired against him went armed through the Citie of Rome to his Palace with their halberds and swords drawne whereof the Emperour being advertised sent to the Captaine of the 〈◊〉 bands who brought him the first newes of Commodus death whereof he was the principall Author and cause of this mans election to the Imperiall crowne that hee would appease the souldiers but he was so farre from disswading them that hee rather allowed of the enterprise following the common course of tho world and as the Poet saith Dum fueris felix multos â—…merabis amicos Tempor a si fuerint nubila solus â—…ris Whilst happy thou hast many friends but try Them in foule weather and away they fly The Emperour thinking it not agreeable with the majestie of his estate nor answerable to his vertues and former valour by which hee was advanced to so many dignities to flye or hide himselfe as he was counselled hee came forth boldly to the souldiers hoping by his authoritie and majestie of his person to appease them And after hee had demanded of them the cause of their comming in this disordered sort My souldiers quoth he if you come to kill me you shall doe no great or valiant act nor a matter to me very grievous that am so striken in age and have gotten such honour and fame that death cannot much trouble me who am not ignorant that the life of man must have an end But take yee heed that it be not infamous to your selves first to lay hands upon your Emperour that hath done you no harme whose person is committed to your guard defence from all treason violence I may not flye that which the destinies have ordained neither that which you have determined But if this be my last day fatall houre I pray the immortal Gods that the vengeance of the innocent bloud which shall bee fhed of me fall not upon my mother Rome but that every one of you doe feele it in his person his house And though some of the souldiers when Pertinax came to the point to speak these words were moved with the authority and grave words of the good Emperour and were about to retire yet the rest that came after pursued their furious intent and especially one Tuncius seeing all men refusing to kill Pertinax he thrust a launce thorow the middest of his bodie with which wound Pertinax fell to the ground Which being done they cut off his head and put it on a launce and carried it through the streets of Rome and returned againe to their campe with the like speede as they came forth which they fortified and prepared themselves for defence fearing the 〈◊〉 of the people of whom Pertinax they knew was well beloved But after a day or two when they saw that none sought to revenge his death they gathered to them a more boldnesse and by a rare example the like wherof was never heard before the souldiers standing upon the walls of their
and lamentatior Such as appertained to the conspiratours deceived by the conâ—…ed cries and lamentation brought tydings to the rest that the king had killed himselfe Whereupon they galloped thither as fast as they could such followed after as they had chosen to bee ministers of their mischiefe When Bessus and Nabarzanes were entred into the kings pavilion hearing by his Eunuchs that he was alive they commanded him to be bound Thus he which before was carried in a chariot and honoured of his men like a god was made prisoner by his owne servants put into a vile cart covered over with beasts skins His men understanding how the matter passed all forsooke him But to the intent that Darius should not wâ—…nt such honour as was due to his estate they cauâ—…ed him to be bound with golden â—…tters Such were the despites that his fortune made him subject unto And for that he should not be knowne by his apparell they covered his chariot with foule hides of beasts and câ—…sed unknowne men to drive it forwards Newes being brought to Alexander that Darius was forsaken of his owne men and either taken prisoner or slaine hee followeth after him as speedily as he could And when he was come so neere them that the Macedons saw the Persians flying and the Persians the Macedons purâ—…ing them Bessus and other of his complices came to the cart where Darius was and perswaded him to leape on horâ—…backe and flie from his enemies that were at handâ—… but he crying out that the gods were come to his revenge and calling for the assistance of Alexander sayd that in no wise hee would goe with traitors wherewith they being exceeding angry threw dâ—…s at him and left him wounded in many places of his body they thrust in the beasts also that drew the cart that they might not be able to goe forward and slue his two servants that did waite upon him and flâ—…d to save themselves Within a while after the beasts that drew Darius wagon having no man to governe them were swarved out of the high-way and wandring here and there had drawne Darius foure â—…rlongs from the place where he was wounded into a valley where they fainted by reason of their heate and hurts And as Polistratus a Macedon came that way to drinke of a spring being overcome with thirst he espied as he was drinking out of an helmet the beasts that were thrust in with darts and looking into the foule cart he found the body of a man halfe dead and at length hee perceived it was Darius that lay there sore wounded gasping for breath Then hee brought him to a Persian that hee had taken prisoner whom when Darius knew by his voyce to be of his country hee tooke it for a comfort of his present fortune that he should speake before he died to one that understood him and not â—…ter his last words in vaine he required him to declare unto Alexander that though hee had never deserved any thing at his hands yet it was his chance to dye greatly his debtour and had great thankes to give him for the favour and goodnesse he had shewed to his mother his wife and children to whom hee had not onely granted life but also the reverence of their former estate and dignity whereas he of his kinsmen friends to whom he had given both life and lands was now by them bereaved of all He prayed therfore that he might alwaies be victor that the Empire of the whole world might 〈◊〉 into his hands requiring him that he would not neglect to revenge so soule an act not onely for his cause but for an example the love of other Princes which should be a thing honourable to him and profitable in time to come When hee had spoken these words hee fainted and calling for water after he had drunke sayd to Polistratus that presented it to him whatsoever thou art this is unto me the last misery in all my adverse fortune that I am not able to require thee this benefit but Alexander shall reward thee and the gods shall require him for his great humanity and clemencie shewed towards mine unto whom in my behalfe thou shalt give my hand as a pledge of a kings promise And having spoken these words and given to Polistratus his hand he dyed When his sayings were reported to Alexander hee repaired where the dead corps lay and there bewayled with teares that it was his chance to dye a death so unworthy of so great an estate taking off his owne cloake to cover the dead corps adorning also the same with all things that appertained to a king he sent it to his mother to be buried in such sort as the countâ—…ie manner was to bury kings and to be layd among the rest of his predecessours This was the miserable end of this mighty monarch which may be an example to all estates that fâ—…licitie consisteth not in abundance of treasure and glorious dominion wherein this man exceeded all the Princes of his time and which also discovereth the mutable estate of Princes when of the infelicity of the one dependeth the felicitie of the other Which mutability of humane matters the Poet in few words doth well set forth Omnia sunt hominum tenni pendentia filo Et subito casu qua valucre râ—… No man can count himselfe happy at all Whom with suspence blind Fortune doth inthrall And Bessus one of them that murdered Darius for the desire of rule was afterward taken prisoner and committed by Alexander to Darius brother that hee should cut off his nose and eares and hang him upon a crosse causing his owne men to shoot him through with arrowes One sayth that Prince which hath more than all other enjoyeth least of any other for the Prince that possesseth much is alwayes occupied in defending it but the Prince that hath little hath leasure quietly to enjoy it Abraham king of Marocco was driven to such extremity by a preacher called Elmaheli who had raised a power against him and overthrew him in the field that being voyde of all hope of succour hee stale forth of the towne in the night on horsebacke and tooke the Queene his wife behinde him and being come to the top of a high rocke that stood upon the sea coast hee put spurres to his horse and fell downe headlong hee and his Queene tumbling from one place to another untill they were torne in peeces The instability of high dignities and the griefe for the losse of them was effectually set forth by lamentable verses made by a Pope called Baltazar Cossa when hee was thrust out of Saint Peters chaire and cast in prison strangely presaged by the report of Nicholas Clemangie This Pope was a very wicked man being forced from his place assembled neverthelesse a Councell of some few strangers and Italians his favourites wherin consultation was had of some vaine matters nothing appertaining to the utilitie of
of vice or images of vertue The old Romanes desirous to excite their yong men to vertuous acts and considering how men are inclined to the love of honour they built two temples the one of which they dedicated to vertue the other to honour joyned them so artificially together that no man could come into that of honor but he must first come through vertue By which apt device they would have it knowne to all nations that the right way to honour is by vertue But in these latter ages the temple of vertue is so little frequented that the path which was wont to leade to it and be well troden is growne greene and another way found to that of honour by some backe doore not so well knowne in the elder time And if any chance to seeke to come the right and old accustomed way to honour through vertue the doore is kept so fast shut by a porter called envy and his servant detraction that hardly one among thousands can come to honour that way which is a great discouragement to those that would come to honour through vertue and maketh their devotion cold and slow to freqâ—…ent that temple One saith Virtute ambire opoâ—… non â—…bus but if hee have no other helpe in these dayes to prefer him but his vertue he is like to have but a cold sute Wee may wish it were in use that Plaâ—…us sayth Sat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the case is much altered For in stead of favourers he shall have deracters secret enemies alwayes to vertue Which made Plato commend the law of the Lydians that punished detracters with the like punishment as they did murderers For as one taketh away the life of a man so the other taketh away his reputation and good fame which after Saloman is more worth than worldly goods The Poets saying could to no age be more aptly applied than to these latter dayes Virtus 〈◊〉 alget Vertue is praised but not cherisht Which confirmeth Seneca his saying That men allow better of honesty than follow it Medea sayth video 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I see allow of the things that be better but I follow the worse Vertue is a medicine to the minde and healeth the diseases thereof as drugs are medicinable to the body restore it to health For the minde hath his diseases as the body hath For when the body is distempâ—…d and not in his perfect estate he is sayd to be sicke of this or that disease as of an ague of a pleuâ—…sie or such like and needeth Physicke So the mind that is distempered with this or that passion or perturbation as with pride covetousnesse vaineglory voluptuousnesse or such like is not in his perfect estate but needeth vertue as a medicine to restore him to health or his perfect estate againe Which was well signified by Agesilâ—… king of Sparta to Menelaâ—… a vaineglorious Physitian who being puffed up with pride through a reputation he had gotten by his skill in physicke called himselfe Iupiter and having occasion to write to the king his superscription was in Latin and English signification thus Menelâ—… Iupiter Agesilao Regi salute 〈◊〉 Iupiter wisheth to king Agesilaus health He answereth him with this superscription Agesilaus rex Menelao 〈◊〉 king Agesilaus wisheth to Menelaus health of minde reprehending his vanitie with one word by which he signified that want of health and perfection in his mind which hee wished to his body Moral vertue therfore is to be embraced of all men as a necessary and excellent thing and a speciall gift in our carnall nature by which mens mindes are purged and purified of all vehement passions and perturbations with which whosoever is oppressed can not enjoy the happinesse of this life and by which they are continued or restored to their perfect estate and health The good are by this vertue excited and maintained in honest conversation and civillity the bad are reformed and reduced to good life Yet for all that it is not eternall Iustice by which wee are justified before God for that Iustice free-will or reason cannot bring forth But morall vertue maketh men live civilly and honestly which God looketh for even of the heathens or infidels themselves It is better sayth one to live so as thine enemies may bee amazed at thy vertues than that thy friends should have cause to excuse thy vices The Poets faine that as Hercules in his youth sate musing alone what course of life were best for him to take there appeared to him two virgins the one representing vertue the other vice She that represented vertue told him that if hee would follow her hee must climbe over mountaines and craggie rockes and take great paines and labours But the other to allure him to follow her promised him a plaine and pleasant way downe the hill all at his case without any paine or labour Hercules after hee had considered of the matter refused the faire ossers and promises of the virgin that represented vice made choice with labour and paines to follow vertue by which he became the most famous man of the world The heathens were diligent observers of morall vertues through which many of them in all ages became excellent men By them they learned to know their duties to their countrey in generall and to private men in particular to moderate their affections to estimate things as they are and not as they are commonly reputed to contemne the vanities of this world to preferre an honest death before a shamefull life Regâ—…s a man endued with great vertue was sent by the Romanes into Affrica with an army to make warre upon the people of Carthage who after divers victories and overthrowes given to them of Carthage was himselfe at last taken prisoner and sent by them to Rome to treat of peace upon his oath that if that could not be obtained not the exchange of prisoners for himselfe hee should returne to them againe When he came to Rome and had delivered his embassage hee disswaded the Senate from peace and told them that either Carthage must be subject to Rome or Rome to Carthage and advised theÌ„ to make no change of lusty yong Gentlemen that were able to doe their country great service against the Romans for him that was but one man and old and unable to doe his countrey any great good and though the Romans were loth that the old man who had done them such service should returne againe to them that would put him to some unworthy death yet he was so affected to the love of his countrey and to the keeping his promise with his enemies that hee refusing to be stayd by the Romanes told them he would rather chuse to dye any cruell death than that it should be said he had broken his faith And so returning to Carthage with the other Ambassadours for the hatred they conceived against him for disswading the Romanes from their petition they cut off his
eye-lyddes and put him into an engine that was sticked round about full of verie sharpe nailes and suffered him there with continuall watch and paine to dye a most grievous death Decius another noble Romane and one of the Consols being in the field with the Romanes forces against the Latins and perceiving his men to shrinke and give place to their enemies hee by the advice of their Priests made his prayers to their false gods for their helpe and offering himselfe to a voluntary death for his countrey put the spurres to his horse and thrust himselfe into the middest of his enemies by whom after hee had slaine many of them he was himselfe at last overthrowne and slaine But the courage of Decius so daunted them and emboldened his owne men that they carried away the victorie with the destruction of the greater part of their enemies The like love to his countrey to which men owe the greatest dutie next unto God wrought the like effect in Codsus king of Athens For as the Docrians came with their forces to besiege Athens Codsus having intelligence that his enemies had sent to Delphos to aske counsel of Apollo what would be the event of their warres and that answer was made them by the Oracle that the Docrians should have the victory except they killed the king of the Athenians Codsus apparelled himselfe like a common souldier left if he should bee like a noble man hee might be taken prisoner and liveâ—… and went out of the City with a burden of wood upon his shoulders into his enemies campe and quarselling of purpose with a common souldier wounded him and was slain himselfe The Docrians hearing that the King of the Athenians was slaine raised their siege and returned home againe As Tubero was sitting in judgement in Rome a Pye alighted upon his head and iâ—…te so still that hee tooke her with his hand And when the Soothsayers answered that if the Pye were let go it bâ—…tokened destruction to the Empue if she were killed then the same would fallupon himselfe hee pretening the good of his countrey before his own life killed the Pye and not long after fulfilled the propheci with his death There want not some such like examples 〈◊〉 Christians of later yeares When Callâ—… had been besieged eleven months by King I dwâ—…d he third and the inhabitants driven to that extrmine that they must yeeld to the Kings mercie or peâ—… hee refusir 〈◊〉 offers would accept no other conditions out that 〈◊〉 the best of the towne should suffer death the 〈◊〉 depart When the matter was had in consolation in the Councell house among the pune pall men at the towne who considering that â—…yther sixe of 〈◊〉 must dye or else the whole must beedest reved hee that sate in the first seat â—…ole up and said that he would offer himselfe to the wrath of the enemy and give his life to his country which example wrought such emulation of piety to their countrey in the rest that the second riseth likewise and then the third and so the rest one after another untill they had made up the number of six required by the King who all willingly suffered death for their Countrey There happened at Rome in the middest of the market place by meanes of an earthquake and other causes the earth to open and a very deepe hole to bee made which would not bee filled with all the earth that could bee throwne into it the Romanes caused their Priests to use their accustomed ceremonies to their Gods to understand their pleasure about this matter when they had finished their sacrifices answer was made them that if they would have their Common-wealth perpetuall they must sacrifice into this hole something wherein the Romanes power did most consist And as this matter was published and consultations daily had what manner of thing this should bee Marcus Curtius a Noble young Gentleman and a valiant souldier meditating upon the interpretation of this answer told them that the thing wherein the power of the Romanes most rested was the vertue and valour and armes of the Gentlemen and offered himselfe willingly for the benefit and prosperitie of his Countrey to cast himselfe alive into that hole And when he had armed himselfe and attired his horse very richly hee putteth his spurres to him and kapeth into the midst of the hole which immediately closed together Xerxes King of Sparta having intelligence that Xerxes King of Persia who brought into Greece an army of a 1000000. men after some writers besides his navie had found out a way to assaile him and the rest of the Grecians armie at their backs that were desending his passage through a straight hee perswaded the Grecians to retire and preserve themselves for a better time and when they were departed to their owne Cities he with five hundred men who were all resolute to dye with him for the honour of their Countrey in the night assayled Xerxes campe such an enterprise as never before nor since hath beene heard of The enemies being dismayed with their bold and furious charge an accident unlooked for and terrified by the darkenesse of the night suspecting that all the force of Greece had beene assembled together flâ—…d to save themselves and gave Lconidas and his company leave to kill them at their pleasure without any great resistance And as Lconidas having promised before to kill the king with his owne hand if fortune favoured him pressed into the Kings pavillion killing all that guarded the place and made search for him in every corner hee understood that Xerxes had convayed himselfe away in the beginning of the tumult who otherwise was like to have drunke of the same cup as the other did And when they had wearied themselves with killing their enemies and the day beganne to shew the Persians that were fled up to the toppe of an hill looking backe and perceiving the small number that pursued them turned againe and put them all to the sword Thus Leonidas and his company for the love of their Countrey sacrificed themselves to a voluntary death without any hope or meaning to escape whose courage and valiant enterprise made such an impression of feare in the hearts of the Persians that Xerxes left his Lieutenant to prosecute the warres and returned backe againe into his countrey an enterprise worthy of perp suâ—…ll memory five hundred men to put to slighean 〈◊〉 that dranke the rivers drie as they passed CHAP. II. Of Law-maker the Law-maker And of Charondas A remarkeable Iustice in Solyman Strange Iustice amongst the Sw ZZers I he Iustice of the Emperors Frajan Antoninus Plus and Alexander Severus Of Antonius Valentinian Theodosius Augustus Marcus Aurelius c. Of Sâ—…s Lewis the French king Of Favourites to Princes Constantine the Great Of Alexander Severus his commendable Iustice upon Vetorius Turinus Belon c. Of their great vices observed by Historians Impietie Injustice and Luxurie c.
am vnwillingly drawne in respect of the dignitie of their place and profession to say so much which neuerthelesse is very little to that may be truly said and is written by others because I must examine the principall states of life whereof theirs is accounted among the highest and are esteemed the happiest men that also pretend to giue happinesse to others In examination whereof I was driuen to discouer the worst parts of them and their estate as I haue done of all the rest the better to prooue my subiect and how much they are deceiued that thinke felicitie to be in their estate But because the examples before produced seeme to testifie their infelicitie whereof the estates next to them in degree are partakers wee must passe from them to the inferiour members of the Church The charge of these men also is so great that hardly they can finde that quietnesse either in body or minde whereby they may attaine to the felicitie of this life and so much the more exactly they performe their function so much the further they seeme to be from it They must wake whilest others sleepe they must be the Watch of the world there is no intermission of their trauels but all the houres of their life they must employ their labours for the common safegard of men for feare lest Satan should seduce their flocke Saint Chrysostome saith that he which hath the charge of one onely Church with difficultie can bee saued so great is their charge What may wee thinke then of that sort that haue corrupted the Word of God and in place thereof haue foysted in their owne traditions as Monkes Fryers and that crue of Cloyster-men if it be so hard for good Pastors to attaine to the blessednesse of the other life without which there is no felicitie in this world as hath beene said But where the light of the Gospell hath dispersed the darke clouds of their divinitie arise daily such is the depravation of this time to the great slander and prejudice of true Religion new Sects and Schismes many times rather to expell or insert superficiall ceremonies and to alter and innovate orders already set and established for decencie then for substance of matter wherein saith Vrsinus they offend God because they disobey the Magistrate They can strayne Gnats and swallow Camels as Bernard saith of the Prelates of his time Whilest they make shew to treat of great matters they handle trifles notable estimators of things who in the least matters use great diligence in the greatest matters little or none at all Nitimur in vetitum semper cupimusque negata We alwayes strive for things untride And covet what is most denide The authors whereof doe not with due providence consider the dangerous fruits that may thereof arise and that it were better to suffer some inconvenience then to disturbe the peace of the Church for feare lest by falling from one Sect to another never being settled that happen to many which was spoken by Menedemus of them that went to Athens to study Many saith he goe to Athens for learning sake who first become Wise-men then Philosophers that is louers of Wisedome after that Rhetoricians and last of all in processe of time they become starke fooles Such fruits it may be doubted if God of his mercy prevent it not the new Sects and Schismes of these latter daics will bring foorth that by falling from one Sect into another many will become Atheists that is staâ—… fooles For so the Psalmist calleth them The foole saith in his heart There is no God There was written in golden letters vpon the doore of the Church in Collen these verses Deficit Ecclesia virtus pariterque facultas Whil'st Discipline doth cease to be And privatemalice raignes The vertue of the Church doth faile And power with it containes This function is growne to that disorder that there is hardly to be found so meane a Clarke that will not take vpon him to expound the Scriptures after his owne fancie And if their want of learning be objected their answer is ready that such Christ chose to be his Apostles neither Scribes nor Doctors of the Law but out of this or that Trade that were never brought up in Synagogues or Schooles As though Christ were now to begin his Church againe and lay a new foundation with miracles Now that wee have passed thorow the principall estates of life and cannot finde that happinesse in any of them wee looke for let us see whether wee can finde it in the estate of marriage which is both an honourable and necessarie estate ordained by God for the comfort of mans life and preservation of his kinde which hee sanctified and made an holy thing with his blessing And if wee will in our owne conceits fayne to our selues the forme and image of a perfect and excellent marriage as Plato or Sir Thomas Moore did their Common-wealths there is nothing in the world that may be compared to marriage for a consummation of pleasures and delights All things with them are common both prosperitie and adversitie riches and povertie one bed the same children so as it seemeth by the unitie and conformitie of their bodies and minds that two are transformed into one 〈◊〉 boni sine socio iucunda est possessio One can possesse no good thing pleasantly without a companion The wife is a companion in all manner of fortunes If the husband be rich and liuc in prosperitie shee is partaker of it and maketh men enjoy it with greater pleasure If he be poore and in adversitie shee beareth halfe the burthen and comfortcth and assisteth him There be divers notable examples of the loue betweene the husband and his wife which helpeth to the commendation of marriage Baptista Fregosa reporteth of a Neapolitane whose wife being taken on the Sea-coast by the Moores hee presently cast himselfe into the Sea and following their Barke desired them to take him also which they did and brought them both to the King of Thunes who being mooued with their faithfull loue and affection deliuered them both Tiberian Gracchus hauing two Snakes taken in his house the one a male the other a female and being aduertised by a South-sayer that if he let goe the male his wife must die if the female present death must fall vpon himselfe he loued his-wife so dearely that preferring her life before his owne hee let goe the female and killed the male and within a while after hee dyed Which maketh it a doubtfull question saith Valerius whether Cornelia his wife were more happie by hauing such a husband or vnhappie by the losse of him Women haue beene nothing inferiour to their husbands in this kinde of dutie When Rhabbi Beuxamut a Moore was slaine his wife called Hota celebrated his funerals with abundance of teares and lamentable cryes and buried his body very sumptuously And after shee had abstained from meate and drinke
of this disease was so great that there was no roome in the Church-yards to bury the dead and many finding themselues infected with this disease being out of all hope of recouery would presently sow themselues in sheetes looking when death would come to separate the soule from the body These were the whips that God vsed in a generalitie for punishment of sinnes But what would we speake of diseases when Plinie and others write that in two thousand yeeres to their time they haue discouered aboue three hundred diseases to which men are subiect we may say with the Poet Optima quaeque dies miseris mortalibus 〈◊〉 Prima fugii subeunt morbi tristisque senectus Et labor durae rapit inclementia mortis The best dayes of vs miserable men The first are that make haste from vs and then Diseases come with sorrowfull old age Labour and lust Deaths implacable rage Let vs descend to some particular matter which hath happened to men either by the secret iudgement of God or by some rare accidents Popyelus King of Polonia a man of euil life would often wish that he might be deuoured of mice At last as he was sitting at dinner banquetting and 〈◊〉 a company of great mice set vpon him which came from the carkasses of his vncles which he and the Queene his wife had killed with poyson These mice in great heapes assaulted him his wife and children as they sate feasting and neuer left gnawing vpon them day and night though his guard and souldiers did all they could to driue them away great fires were made and the King his wife and children placed in the middest yet notwithstanding the Mice ran thorow the fire and fell to their gnawing againe Then they went into a ship and prooued what the water would doe the Mice followed them and gnawing continually vpon the Ship the Mariners seeing themselues in danger of drowning the water comming in at the holes which the Mice made brought the Ship to land where another companie of Mice ioyned with these and molested them more then before when his followers saw these things perceiuing it to be the Iudgement of God they all fled The King seeing himselfe left alone and those departed that should defend him he went vp into an high tower but the Mice climbed vp and deuoured him his wife and two sonnes By which it appeareth that there is no policie nor power to be vsed against God The Emperour Arnolphus was likewise eaten vp with Lice his Physicions being vnable to giue him any remedy Hotto Bishop of Ments in Germanie perceiuing the poore people in great lacke of victuals by the scarcitie of corne gathered a great many of them together and shut them into a barne and burnt them saying That they differed little from Mice that consumed corne and were profitable to nothing But God left not so great a crueltie vnreuenged for he made Mice assault him in great heapes which neuer left gnawing vpon him night nor day he fled into a Tower which was in the midst of the Riuâ—…r of Rhyne which to this day is called the Tower of Mice of that euent supposing hee should be safe from them in the midst of the Riuer But an innumerable companie of Mice swam ouer the riuer to execute the iust Iudgement of God and deuoured him The like happened to a Bishop of Strasbrough who was also deuoured with mice When Harold King of Denmarke made warre vpon Harquinus and was ready to ioyne battell there was a dart seene in the aire flying this way and that way as though it sought vpon whom to light And when all men stood wondering what would become of this strange matter euery man fearing himselfe at last the dart fell vpon Harquinus head and slew him An Italian Gentleman being vniustly condemned to die as it was thought by Pope Clement the fift at the request of Philip the faire King of France seeing them both out of a window speaketh to them aloud in this sort Thou cruell Clement for as much as there is no iudge in the world before whom a man may appeale from that vniust sentence which thou hast pronounced against me I appeale from thee as from an vniust Iudge to the iust Iudge Iesus Christ before whom I summon thee and likewise thee King Philip at whose suite thou hast giuen iudgement of death vpon me within one yeere to appeare before the Tribunall seat of God where I shall plead my cause which shall be determined without couetousnesse or any other passion as yee haue done It chanced that about the end of the time by him prefixed both the Pope and the King dyed The like happened to Ferdinando the fourth King of Castile who puttìng to death two knights rather through anger then iustice whose fauour could not be obtained neither by weeping and lamenting nor by any petitions they summoned the King to appeare before the Tribunall seat of Christ within thirtie daies the last of which the King died A Captaine likewise of the Gallies of the Genowayes tooke a vessell the Captaine whereof neuer did harme to the Genowayes yet for the hatred that the Captaine of the Genowayes did beare to his Nation he commanded him to be hanged And when no petitions nor prayers would be heard nor excuses allowed nor any mercy would be found hee said to this cruell Captaine that he did appeale to God that punisheth the vniust and summoned him to appeare at a certaine day appointed to render account before God of the wrong he had done him the very same day that he appointed the Captain of the Genowayes dyed of like went to yeeld his account A strange example likewise by a false accusation of an Archbishop of Mentz called Henry This man was indued with many vertues and had great care of his flocke and would punish seuerely publike sinners which procured the hatred of many wicked persons who accused him to the Pope as a man insufficient for his charge laying many faults against him The Pope holding a good opinion of the Bishop aduertised him of it who to purge himselfe and to declare his innocency made choise among all his friends of one Arnand whom he loued dearely and aduanced to many dignities to go to Rome This man being rich intending to depriue his master and to occupie his place suborned two wicked Cardinals with a great summe of money to fauour his practice when he came to answer for his master hee confessed how much bound he was to him yet he was more bound to God and to the truth then to men and said that the accusations laid against the Bishop were true By meanes whereof the Pope sent the two corrupted Cardinals to heate determine the Bishops cause when they came into Germanie they sent for the Archbishop and vpon hearing of his cause depriued him of his dignities and placed Arnand in his roome The Bishop being present at
the sentence God knoweth said he that I am vniustly condemned yet I will not appeale here from your sentence because I know that ye shall sooner be beleeued in your lying then I in speaking the truth and therefore I receiue this iudgement for my sinnes Neuerthelesse I appeale from your sentence to the eternall Iudge which is Christ before whom I summon you The Cardinals fell into a laughing and mocking him said That if he would go before they would follow it happened that the Bishop hauing withdrawne himselfe within a Monastery dyed within a yeere and a halfe after wherof when the Cardinals heard they were in a great iollitie and in a scoffing manner said one to another that they must goe seeke the Archbishop Within few dayes after one of the Cardinals had such a blow by one of his owne people that his trypes and puddings went forth at his lower parts and dyed The other Cardinall grinding his teeth 〈◊〉 his owne hands and dyed mad arnand for his crueltie and seditions which he maintained among the people was so hated of all men that being assaulted one day in a Monastery he was there slaine and his body cast into the towne-ditch where he lay three dayes all the people both men and women vsing all manner of cruelties and despites vpon it Lucian a notorious blasphemer of Christ his Diuinity was deuoured with dogges Arrius had also a wonderfull end for as he was comming to dispute with the Prelates he fell into such a loosenesse of belly that he auoided his guts and bowels The death of Lewis the eleuenth King of France was also something strange for as he was beholding Tennisse players with his wife among other talke he said that he hoped to doe nothing hereafter that should offend God which words were no sooner out of his mouth but he fell downe speechlesse and languishing a few houres he dyed in the same place which argueth the miserable condition of men that a mightie King when he least thought vpon death and had many goodly houses and buildings ended his life suddenly in the most vile and filthy place of all his Castle where men vsed to make water And the manner of the death was very rare that Atterius Rufus a Romane knight suffered This man dreamed or was warned by a vision that when the Gladiators or Fencers exercised their 〈◊〉 at Syracusa as the manner then was to kill one another with their naked swords he should be slaine by one Râ—…tiarius a man to him vnknowne which dreame he declared the next day to them that sate by him to behold this fight or pastime This Retiarius chanced to bee brought in place with one Mirmillo whose face as soone as Atterius beheld he told them that this was the man that he dreamed should kill him and rose vp presently meaning to depart but being perswaded by them that sate by him he stayed As the two men were fighting Retiarius chanced to driue Mirmillo to the place where Atterius sate and hauing cast him downe by him he thinking to kill Mirmillo thrust his sword thorow Atterius and slue him It is no lesse strange to consider of the miserable end of men by two contrary passions sudden sorrow and ioy Don Pedro and Don Iohn hauing the gouernment of the kingdome of Castile in the nonage of the young King their Nephew made warres vpon the Moores 〈◊〉 Grenata and as they returned homeward in good order Don Pedro being in the vaward and Don Iohn in the rereward whom the Moores preased so hard that he was faine to send to Don Pedro to returne to his aide Hee hastening to assist Don Iohn could by no meanes make his souldiers follow him and drawing his sword to strike some of them thinking therby to make the rest more obedient he was so troubled to see he could not helpe Don Iohn that he fell downe dead from his Horse which when Don Iohn heard that was valiantly fighting with the Moores he conceiued such griefe that he fell downe speechlesse his strength fayling and dyed within a little while after Herennius a Sicilian as he was led to prison for being partaker of a conspiracy was so perplexed through feare of the future Iudgement that he fell downe dead at the entry into the prison Plantius looking vpon his dead wife cast himselfe vpon her dead body and with very sorrow dyed The like happened to a French Gentleman the son of Gilbert of Mompensier who went to Pozzuola to visit his fathers tombe and being ouercome with extreme sorrow after hee had shed abundance of teares he fell downe dead vpon the sepulcher This is no lesse strange that ioy hath wrought the same effect and such as sorrow could not kill sudden ioy hath dispatched A woman hearing of a great slaughter of the Romanes by their ouerthrow at the battell of Thrasymeno where her sonne serued as a souldier meeting him at the gate vnlooked for fell downe dead in his armes as shee was embracing him Another woman hearing a false report and beleeuing that her sonne was dead as soone as she saw him dyed presently Philemon had certaine figs gathered for him and being set within his sight an Asse came to them and began to eate he willed a Boy to drine away the Asse who went so slowly that he had eaten all the figs before the Boy came Because thou hast made no more haste said Philemon giue the Asse wine also wherewith he fell into such a laughter that he dyed forth with Diagoras and Chilon hearing that their children had wonne the prize at the games of Olympus laughed so heartily for ioy that they dyed immediatly Of late yeeres Sinas hauing the charge of certaine Gallyes vnder the great Turke seeing his sonne restored to him againe that was taken prisoner by the Christians dyed with extreme ioy at the first sight of him But that the miserable conditions of men may be seene as well by the strangenesse of their death as by the infinite troubles of their life we will alleage a few examples more for to prosecute it at the full would containe a great volume of the seueritie or crueltie that hath beene vsed in a strange sort The Transiluanians hauing taken certaine Rebels with their Captaine made them fast three dayes and then made them eate their Captaine halfe roasted and afterward his bowels sod before they put them to death There were sixe men for some notorious fact condemned iudged to this death they were set aliue into the ground all sauing their head aboue in front three against three and face to face and there continued in that sort vntill they miserably ended their liues An Italian Gentleman hauing the vpper hand of his enemie who vpon his knees asked for mercie willed him to deny God which when the other had done in hope of life he thrust his sword thorow him saying I will now kill thee body and soule Certaine Italians were
sensitive and understanding Now let us see in which of these wee may lay the end or felicity of mā The soul giveth life to the body the perfection of life is health If we respect nothing else in this life then he that was first created healthfull had nothing wherewith to occupy himselfe But if sithence our corruption our principall care ought to bee of our health what thing is more unhappy than a man whose felicity standeth upon so false and feeble a ground Seeing the body is subject to an infinite number of perils of hurts of mischances weak and fraile alwaies uncertaine of life and most certaine of death which commeth to him by many means and wayes who is he that is so sound of body or so feeble of mind that if his choise be given him will not rather chuse a sound mind in a sickely body than a little frenzie or imperfection of mind in a very healthful body In the mind therfore our chiefe good must be seeing we be willing to redeem the perfect estate of our mindswth the miseries of our bodies Next unto this is the sensitive part whose felicity seemeth to bee in pleasure but then were beasts more happy than men that feele pleasures more sweetly and fully And how soone are these pleasures ended with repentance also It pleased the gods said Plautus that sorrow should follow pleasure as a companion But wee seeke for the greatest or soveraigne good and if it be good it will amend men aud make them better But what doth more weaken and corrupt men than pleasures and what doth lesse satisfie men and more weary them But wee looke not for that which doth finish but that continueth our delight whereas these pleasures contrariwise soone decay and quickly spoyle us As Petrarke saith Extrema gaudii luctus occupat The extremity of joy and pleasure sorrow doth possesse The delight of the mind is greater and more meet for a man and more agreeable to his end than the pleasures of the senses And if choyce be given to him that hath passed all his life in pleasures and hath but a few houres to come either to enjoy the fairest curtisan in Rome or else to deliver his countrey who is so beastly or barbarous that will not presently chuse rather to delight his mind with so noble an act than to satisfie his senses with pleasure And to conclude the place of pleasures is in the senses which are decayed taken away by sicknesse by wounds by old age And if these pleasures that be exercised by the sensitive part will not sooner be abated yet death will utterly extinguish them But seeing man hath two kindes of life mortall and immortall the one of which he preferreth as farre the better before the other we must not seeke for such an end or good as perish both together but such as maketh men happy indeed everlasting and immortall which cannot be found in these transitory things Now followeth the third part of the soule which is understanding which is occupied sometimes in it selfe sometimes in the matters of the world and other while in the contemplation study of divine things Of these three operatiōs springeth three habits vertue prudence sapience And seeing that understanding is the most excellent thing in man let us see in which of these we may place our soveraigne good For in this part of the soul the end beatitude of man must needs consist for what thing can be imagined beyond man beyond the world beyond the Creator of both That vertue cannot be his end or soveraigne good hath bin shewed before For vertue is nothing but the tranquility quietnes of the affections what be affections but a sodaine tempest in the soule that are raised by a very smal wind which overthrow the mightiest ship that is in a moment and maketh the most skilfull mariners to strike saile and reason it selfe to give over the stern And if our end of felicity should be in vertue what were more miserable than man that must fight continually against his affections which neverthelesse will not be overcome as the mariners labour to save themselves in a tempest from the raging of the sea that gapeth every moment to devoure them So that in this life vertue cannot bring us to felicity and in the other life it can stand us in no stead where wee shall have no affections Therefore vertue cannot bee our end or Soveraigne good Neither is prudence the thing we seeke for which is nothing but the right use of reason in exercising the affaires of this world And what bee the affaires of this world but contention strifes sutes warres bloudshed spoile murders burnings and sackings of townes and countries with an infinite number of such like stuffe Neither can they that have the charge of government in common-wealths which are all subject to these things be accounted happy but they rather are happy that are defended from them by their cares and unqui◅nesse for the Physitians care is more profitable to the f◅che body than to himselfe Besides that men are turned to dust and the world will be destroyed but the soule liveth and forsaketh these kind of affaires Therefore prudence cannot bee the end and felicity of man that is included within the limits of this world CHAP. II. Divine co◅ the best wisedome That our greatest knowledge is ◅eere ignorance Of wonderfull and strange secrets in nature The excellency of faith Religion our reconciliation to God All nations acknowledge a supreame Deity That no vertues are vertues that swerve from religion and godlinesse Of the only true religion Salvation of man the only true beatitude Markes by which the true religion is knowne The necessity of a Mediatour Who and what our Mediatour is And that the soveraigne beatitude is onely to be attained unto by our blessed Saviour Christ Iesus the Righteous LEt vs now examine sapience after Morney as we have done the rest or that part of wisedome which is conversant in the contemplation of God and divine matters for that in all mens judgements seemeth to bee a mostexcellent thing By instinct of nature every man knoweth that there is a God for the workes of God doe present him continually to us But how should we enter throughly into the knowledge of the Creator of all things when we know not the things before our eyes Socrates confessed freely that he knew this one thing That he knew nothing Which confession as himselfe thought was the cause he was by the Oracle called the wisest man of his time And Porphyrius said that all Philosophy was but a conjecture or light perswasion delivered from one to another and nothing in it that was not doubtfull and disputable But he that knoweth God in this wherein is hee the more happy Reason sheweth us that God is good that he is just that hee loveth the good and hateth the evill Our conscience whispereth us in the
arrogant to take upon him to enter into the knowledge and secrets of God as to prescribe a rule by which God is to be worshipped We must flye unto God for his helpe poore wretches as we are to whom wee are not able to goe except hee vouchsafe to come downe unto vs. The Sunne cannot be seene without the Sunne no more can God be knowne without his helpe and light No man can worship God except he know him and no man can know him except hee discover himselfe to him And therefore what worship is meete for him can be knowne of none except hee vouchsafe to reveale himselfe in his word and oracles For that God cannot be worshipped but by the prescript of his owne will both the consciences of all men and God himselfe in his holy word doth testifie Esay and Matth. In vaine doe they worship mee who teach the doctrines and commandements of men And this therefore is the second marke that the religion teacheth the worshipping of God leaning upon the word of God and revealed of God himselfe But this neither is sufficient that the religion we seeke for teacheth us to worship the true God and that by Gods word and appointment for God gave us a law out of his owne mouth according to his holinesse and justice that wee might be holy like him But if we cannot of our selves know God nor how to worship him how can we after he revealed himselfe to us and gave us a law to worship him performe our duty to God and fulfill the law We ought to loue God above all things and for his sake whatsoever beareth his image though wee never knew or saw him before But who dare arrogate to himselfe such a perfect charity to love his neighbour as hee ought and for his sake that hee ought that is no otherwise than for himselfe and for God But if wee examine our coldnesse in the love of God wee shall perceive the reflexion thereof to our neighbour to bee frozen And therefore the third marke is that the religion we seeke must helpe us to a means whereby Gods justice must be satisfied without which not only all other religions are vain and of none effect but that also which seemeth to have the keeping of the worshipping of God So that the Heathens saw by instinct of nature and by reason that there is a God and that mans soveraigne good is to bee joyned with God and that some way to the same was necessary which they thought to bee any religion which they had invented to worship and adore him And hereof came their magicke and idolatry and superstitious ceremonies of their owne invention But the right way is beyond their reach and a great deale higher than it can be found out by men for there is a great difference betweene to know that God must bee worshipped and to know how hee should rightly bee worshipped Hierocles saith that religion is the study of wisedome consisting in the purgation and perfection of life by which we are joyned againe and made like to God And the way saith he to that purgation is to enter into our conscience to search out our sinnes and confesse them to God But here they are all gravelled and at a stand for of the confession of our sinnes followeth death and damnation except God that is Iustice it selfe and most good and to evill most contrary be pacified and made mercifull to us sinners But we seeke for the true and everlasting life in religion and not immortall death Seing then that the end of man in this life is to returne to God that hee may bee joyned with him in the other life which is his soveraigne good and felicity or beatitude and that the way to returne to God is religion and that as there is one true God so there can be but one true religion whose markes be to worship the true God and that by the appointment of his owne word and such as reconcileth man to God let us see what religion hath the same markes and meanes That the Israelites worshipped the true God the Creator of heaven is apparant by the confession also of some of the learned Heathens Seneca said the basest people meaning the Iewes gave lawes unto all the world that is they onely worshipped the true God the Creator of all things for the Israelites onely of all the world worshipped the true God the knowledge of whom they received from hand to hand even from the first man and how hee would bee worshipped among which people hee wrought wonderfull matters But the Painims worshipped goddes of their owne making sometimes men and sometimes divels that are enemies to God Such was the blindnesse of man in the matters of God and his vanitie and negligence in the matters pertaining to his salvation after the corruption received by his fall But it is certaine and manifest by that which hath beene said that man was placed in this world to worshippe God his Creatour which worshippe wee call religion and therefore as soone as man was in the world there was without doubt also religion for mans band and covenant towards God was made even with man the very same day that hee was created that is the duty of man towards God which is religion or godlinesse And because it is not doubted but that the first habitation of men was in the country about Damasco wee may also with reason beleeve that there the first man was created which Countries thereabout have beene of great antiquitie the habitation of the Israelites and even from the beginning of them from whom they descended who alwayes 〈◊〉 from age to age certaine bookes those which wee call the Bible or old Testament which they followed and had in great reverence as the true word of the true God in which hee did vouchsafe to reveale himselfe to men and to give them a law how to bee worshipped which bookes bee continued without intermission from the creation of the world and by little and little leadeth us even to Christ which have alwaies beene of such authority with the true 〈◊〉 that they have given no credit to any other books neither could they bee drawne from their beleese in them by no warres calamities exiles torments nor slaughter which cannot be sayd of any other people All the bookes histories or chronicles of the Romanes Grecians Egyptians or of any other nations be as yesterday in respect of the antiquitie of the Bible Therefore wee are assured in that booke is contained the true religion that is the true worshipping of the true God and Creator of the world in which hee hath revealed unto us himselfe by his owne word In the religion also contained in that book is the third marke that is the means by which men may be reconciled to God And because this is the principall part of religion to make it more plaine wee must make a repetition of some thing that hath
in pleasures which is common to brute beasts neither in riches which are sought for some other thing rather than for it selfe as reputation honour such like nor in honour glory which is but a vaine admiration of the people by whom it is many times given taken away and is also desired for an opinion of vertue but that wherin felicity consisteth is the last end to which all other ends are referred to which end whosoever hath attained hee proceedeth no further but resteth settled And it is peculiar and proper to men alone neyther is it in vertue nor in the action of vertue after the Academickes and Peripaâ—…tikes nor in the power of a wise man But vertue may be a helpe to the attaining of felicity especially that of this life for no man is able to endure the things that happen to men though hee bee armed with all manner of vertues with that minde that hee may neverthelesse bee accounted happy For felicity in one part and contentation may not be dissevered and the end or true felicity of man which is all one consisteth not in morall vertues as hath beene said but his end and proper action is the glory of God to know and worship him We shewed before that in seeking for felicity respect must be had to the body and soule to this life and to the life to come For Christ saith What avayleth it a man to have all the world and to lose his soule And because there seemeth to be a kind of happinesse in the world and men are said to live happily we called the happinesse of this life felicity and that of the heavenly life beatitude or blessednesse and soveraigne good But when we had examined all the estates of life and could find none worthy to be called felicity all being subject to troubles and unquietnesse and full of misery wee were driven to use violence to the word and to call that happinesse of life felicity wherein is least infelicity in the managing of which discourse it appeareth how little power is in men to the attaining of felicity and that all commeth from God and therefore we call Felicity the contentation of a faithfull mind in a godly life and death which commeth by the enjoying of Gods benefits and graces yet neverthelesse our owne endeavour must bee thereto imployed with the meanes which hee hath given us and continuall praiers that he will blesse our labors according to his good will and pleasure which if it succeed not to the happinesse wee looke for in this life yet to take all things patiently and be thankefull and say with the Poet Forti animo mala fer nec bis miser esto dolare Nec citò ventur is pramoriare bonis Beare evils boldly let not griefe Twice wretched make thee Nor in despaire of future good Death overtake thee And thinke that he doth all for our good and hath reserved for us the true felicitie and blessedness of the life to come in respect wherof al the pleasures that can happen to men in this world are nothing and therefore all our actions and labors to the attaining of felicity in this life must have relation to the true felicity and beatitude in the life to come whereof this is but a shadow and the way to come by the other for the right way that leadeth to the happinesse of this life is also the way to the happinesse and blessednesse of the heavenly life that is to live in the feare of God and returne to him again from whom wee are fallen by faith in Iesus Christ our Mediatour and Redeemer whereof ensueth peace of conscience and quietnesse of minde and call with humility to him for his graces to contemne honour and glorie riches reputation with all the pride and pompe and vanities of the world which men so greedily hunt after that are as pins and pibble stones with such like toyes for children to play with to purge his mind of all manner pâ—…rrurbations and unquietnesse to think nothing greatly to bee esteemed but a cleare conscience and undefiled soule to bee content with that which is sufficient and to measure that sufficiency with a sound upright judgement not after the common custome of men whose minds are corrupted overcome with covetousnes ambition unsatiable desires So that none can attaine to this felicitie but he upon whom God bestoweth his graces as faith health and liberty of body a sufficiency of worldly goods to sustain his life with a quiet possession of them a minde inclined to vertue with such like good things necessary to happines of life And if men would advisedly consider of this matter suffer themselves to bee perswaded as the truth is that the way to the happinesse of this life is not contrary to the true felicity and happinesse of the life to come nor any hinderance but rather a â—…urtherance the way to the same they would be more carefullin following the right path that leadeth to the felicity of this life and not so negligent in seeking for the blessednesse of the other life But so long as they hold this erronous opinion that they can hardly enjoy the felicity of this life that of the life to come as repugnant one to the other because the things wherein they put their felicity as riches pleasures honour and glory puffeth them up in pride and vaine glorie and ministreth much occasion to the increase of fin and the happines of the other life is promised to the meeke and poore in spirit Many rather than they wilâ—…orsake and leave to hunt after things wherein consisteth their false reputed 〈◊〉 to which men are by the corruption of their nature strongly addicted wil hazzard the losse of the true felicity and happinesse of the heavenly life But if they were perswaded that they mistake the mark they shoot at when they 〈◊〉 for felicity or happines among riches pleasure honour or reputation of the world which are rather hindrances to felicity and have brought many to infelicity and extreme misery that the end â—…rue felicity of man is in this world the knowledge worship of God to which is joined the fruition of him in heaven that such happinesse as is in this life which we improperly call felicity consisteth in a contented mind which must come by the enjoying of Gods graces and giâ—…es joyned without endeavour in cleansing our mindes from all maner of perturbations and passions that bring forth unquietnesse and are hinderance to felicity these worldly vanities and false shewes of happinesse would not withdraw men from the true felicity of the life to come nor from the happiness that may be found in this life Plato could say to one that asked him who was happy Hee that knoweth God and loveth him so that the felicity of both worlds dependth upon Gods grace in this life to be of a godly minde to have sufficient to the necessity of nature to bee content
assembly of people going backward of purpose and seeing euery one laughing him to scorne asked them alowd if they were not ashamed to mocke him for going backward when hee walked whereas they did so all the daies of their life As if hee should say that no man followed the right course of life but rather that all liued contrary to that they ought For all men desire to be in a happy estate Hecopus hic labor est But few take the right course to attaine to it It is commonly said that wise men differ from fooles in this that they set vp a marke to shoot at these shoot their arrows vp into the ayre at random without any certain marke And again that good men differ in this from the wicked that some propose to themselues a good end others an euill end some that which is good indeed others that which is good in shew only Many set vp no marke or end at all to which they should direct the course of their life but fall from one kinde of life into another as chance offereth without any certaine end or purpose Some direct the course of their life to some end as to a marke but because they mistake one thing for another they neuer attaine to that they desire Others though they see what the marke or end is to which they should direct the course of their life which is felicitie yet as men who vse to take vpon them blind-folded to finde out a post or hillocke or such like wander vp and down without finding that they secke so they being made blinde by their affections which as Plato saith bee very euill counsellers and clogged with worldly cares and carried away with vnsatiable desires bestow their labour in vaine and can neuer finde that they seeke for And though all men desire one thing that is a happy estate yet the great difference we see in the course of their liues argueth their mistaking some other thing for that they secke after by meane whereof they can neuer attaine to the end of their desires Let vs looke into mens labours and consider what the things bee for the obtaining whereof they imploy all their trauell and study for that seemeth the thing which they take for felicitie or a great meane to the attaining of it For euery man naturally desireth that which he thinketh to be good Three things I obserue that the most part of men greedily hunt after and leaue no stone vnturned as the prouerbe is to attaine to them Some desire to liue in pleasure many seeke for riches others labour for honour and glory in these things according to their seuerall inclinations they put their felicitie But how farre they are from the true felicitie shall hereafter if God will appeare rather by the common iudgment of men that will vse reason for their guide than by Logicall arguments and by examples of them whose miserable estate and vnfortunate end hath discouered the error of their disordered and licentious life that by seeking felicitie where it was not they found in felicitie where it was By whose example after Diogenes counsell wee may become wise by another mans harme for he is wise very late that is made wise by his own harme For as Seneca saith Longum iter per praecepta brene efficax per exempla The way by precepts is long by examples short and pithy And first to beginne with Pleasure wherein some learned men of account among the ancient Philosophers as Epicurus and others seeing how willingly men are drawne to pleasures held that felicitie or soueraigne good should consist They reasoned thus That action is the end or felicitie of man to which by nature of his own accord he is most willingly ledde But all men of their owne accord are most willingly led to pleasures Therefore Pleasure is the end or felicitie of man But the Epicures were in this greatly deceiued for man as in the substance of his body participateth with brute beasts so in his spirituall essence which is a reasonable soule hee participateth with Angels And though hee be by the worst part of his nature giuen to pleasure yet reason reprehendeth and blameth his brutish affections But the cause of this dissention in mans nature the Philosophers saw not only Christian Religion sheweth why his affections are repugnant to reason If felicitie as the Philosophers affirme bee the proper action of man then can it not bee in Pleasure for that is common with him and brute beasts but after them it must bee an action peculiar and proper to him alone And seeing that man is made of two distinct natures though by the great wisedome of the Creatour wonderfully vnited together it is more reason that his felicitie should bee agreeable with the best part of his nature which is a reasonable soule and resembleth the Angels that are made after the image of God than with the worst part of his nature which resembleth and is of the like substance to brute beasts But he that will enter into the due consideration of mans felicitie must haue respect to both his natures the body and the soule both which it must in a sort touch yet according to the proportion and difference of excellencie that is betweene them the one representing the image of God being immortall the other participating with brute beasts being subiect to death and corruption Such a felicitie as consisteth in the momentany pleasures of this life the Indian captiues may challenge The Indians haue a manner when they haue taken one of their enemies prisoner whom they meane not presently to cate not to imprison him as the vse is in these parts of the world but they bring him with great triumph into the village where hee dwelleth that hath taken him and there place him in a house of some man that was lately slaine in the warres as it were to re-celebrate his funerals and giue vnto him his wiues or sisters to attend vpon him and to vse at his pleasure They apparel him gorgeously after their manner and feede him with all the daintie meats that may be had and giue him all the pleasures that can be deuised When hee hath passed certaine moneths in all manner of pleasures like an Epicure and is made fat with daintie and delicate fare like a Capon they assemble themselues together at some festiuall day and in great pompe bring him to the place of execution where they kill him and eate him This is the end of this poore captiues pleasures and the beginning of his miseries whose case is nothing inferiour to theirs who enioying the pleasures of this life for a small time wherein they put their felicitie are rewarded with death and perpetuall torments For as he was taken prisoner by his enemies so are they captiued by the Diuell who feedeth their humours with variety of pleasures that he may at length deuoure and destroy them both body and soule Many examples are
registred in histories of the miserable estate and vnfortunate end of those that haue put their felicitie and passed their time in voluptuousnesse and pleasure which change was so much the more grieuous and painefull to them as it was diametrally contrary to their former delicious life But of an infinite number let vs draw out a few wherewith he that will not be satisfied to him more will be insufficient Sardanapalus King of the Assyrians was so much addicted vnto voluptuousnesse and pleasure that besides his excesse in delicate meats and pleasant drinks wherewith by all manner of meanes hee sought continuâ—…lly to satisfie his vnsatiable appetite forgetting all humanity he would neuer be seene abroad among men but leading his life like a woman alwayes kept himselfe close in the company of harlots attired in womans apparell counterfeiting also in his speech a womans voyce In filthy pleasures and incontinencie he exceeded the most infamous strumpets his luxuriousnesse reported by credible Authors wherein hee went beyond all his predecessors was such that it cannot bee vttered without offence to modest eares The Monarchie of the Assyrians that was gotten with great labour and industrie and increased and continued with like vertue and valour was by the licentious life of this lasciuious man cleane ouerthrowne For Arbaces his Lieutenant generall of the Medes a man of great courage determined to reuote from him and being desirous to see how he spent his time by the fauour of an Eunuch whom he had corrupted he was let in to Sardanapalus vnder pretence to conferre with him of weighty affaires where hee found him spinning among a company of women apparelled like them in a more vndecent sort than the common fame went of him Which gaue Arbâ—… occasion to disdaine him and encouraged him the more to shake off the yoke of subiection to such an effeminate man And conspiring with diuers others whom he had drawne to his societie he came with a great Armie towards Sardanapalus who hearing of the multitude of people that had reuolted against him had prepared sufficient force to encounter with them And after certaine battels fought wherein Sardanapalus was victor presuming vpon the coâ—…nnance of his good fortune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 secure and carelesse of his enemies and againe to his accustomed luxurious 〈◊〉 which he thought himselfe to haue been long weaned he falleth to his old manners Luxuriant animi vebus plerunque facyndis Mens minds are often surfeited with prosperity and maketh a Feast to all his Army so the day being spent in banquetting and carowsing when night came their heads laden with wine nothing mistrusting their enemies whom they had before vanquished they gaue themselues to rest which being knowne to Arbaces by his spials he assailed the Kings Campe in the dead of the night and finding them vnarmed and vnready to fight put so many of them to the sword that the Riuer of Euphrates was made red with their bloud The King with a few fled into the Citie of Nyna where hee thought himselfe safe by reason of the answer of an old Oracle made to some of his Progenitours that Nyna could neuer be wonne vntill the riuer became an enemy to the city which hee thought could neuer come to passe The Towne was so fortisied with wals that with little resistance the King held out the siege the space of two yeares the third yeare the riuer was so increased with continuall raine that it ouerthrew the walls of the Citie and made a breach of very great breadth then Sardanapalus perceiuing the time of the Oracle was come 〈◊〉 to despaire and finding no place where to hide himselfe left hee should fall into his enemies hands hee caused a great Tabermacle of wood to be set vp and compassed it round about with store of dry wood into the which after he had put all his gold and 〈◊〉 and sumptuous apparell he placed his 〈◊〉 and Euâ—…ches in the midst and lastly shut himselfe in among them and causing his seruants to put fire to the frame they were all burnt together Arbaces hearing of the Kings death entred the City at the breach and by a generall conseâ—… was made King Thus miserably ended Sardanapalus his pleasures through whose voluptuous life the Empire of the Assyrians which was the first Monarchie of the world was no doubt by the iust iudgment of God translated from the Assyrians to the Medes But such Monsters of nature sometime the world hath brought forth as Heliogabalus the Romane Emperour abandoning all vertue and honesty gaue himselfe to follow his beastly appetite that he seemed to surmount all before him and as possibility would suffer all that should succeed him in vice and volupâ—…ousnesse This Heliogabalus of whom graue Authors write such matter as seemeth incredible whereof a great part shall be passed ouer of me with silence not 〈◊〉 to be written He erected a Councell of women who should determine what manner of attire the matrones of Rome should weare and laying aside all modâ—…y he caused to bee brought into his palace great companies of common women for his friends in whose company hee was so much delighted that hauing gathered together all the harloâ—… and bawdâ—… could bee found hee commeth in person into the place where they were assembled apparelled in a womans 〈◊〉 and made vnto them a very eloquent and well studied â—…tion calling them 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 by which the noble Capâ—…ines and 〈◊〉 of the Romanes when they would giue their souldiers an honourable title were vsee to call them which signifieth Companions in warre The matters which the strumpets were there to treate of with him was new inuentions and deuices of ribaldrie Hee would somtimes sit in his chariot starke naked which should be drawne through the Citie of Rome with foure of the fairest yong women naked likewise that could be found He was in his expences about his person his diet and his house and other superfluous toyes vnmeasurably sumptuous which to declare will hazzard the credit of the reporter All his care and imaginations were how to exceede in wastesull expences to passe his time in all manner of deliciousnesse such as was neuer heard of before Hee neuer sate downe but amongst most sweet and pleasant flowers with which were mixt diuers kindes of odoriferous things wonderfull costly and of most delectable sauour Hee would neuer eate but of that which was of excessiue price and deuised all manner of meanes that whatsoeuer he did eate should be most costly He would say that no sawce made his meate taste so well as the greatnesse of the price His ordinarie dinners or suppers neuer were of lesse charge than one thousand Markes sometime aboue ten thousand pounds His apparell was alwaies of purple and cloth of gold beset with pearle and precious stones of inestimable price euen to his shooes Hee would not weare a garment twice or drinke twice of one cup whether it were gold or
to Rome and as we shal find our wiues imployed so wee shall have cause to judge of their disposition Every man allowed of the motion and taking their horses they forthwith galloped to Rome being dark-night and unawares to them went to visit their wiues whom they found feasting and passing the time in pleasures But when they came to Collatinos house they found the doores fast shut and Lucretia spinning in the middest of her maides Then was the sentence given by all their consents with Collatino they all commending the modestie of Lucretia Collatino then being victor invited them all to dinner the next day But after their returne to the campe the kings sonne being ravished with the beautie and modestie of Lucretia sought all meanes how to fulfill his lust And for that purpose comming to Rome on a time secretly in the evening he supped with Lucretia dissembling his intent lodged in her house When the d◅ad of the night was come he brake into her chamber and so craftily undermined her with threatnings of present death and perpetuall shame that abusing the simplicitie of the modest woman she suffered him to use his will When day was come and he gone she sent presently for her father her husband and kinsfolkes letting them to understand that a great misfortune had happened to her When they were come perceiving by her sad countenance that all was not well her husband asked whether all things were safe in the house shee like one in a trance stood silent unable to answere them a word But they urging still to know the cause of her heauinesse and what had befallen her after a little pause beeing come to her selfe her cheekes watered with abundance of teares What sayd she can bee accounted safe to a woman when her chastitie is lost Thy bedde my husband that hitherto hath been kept unspotted is now defiled by the kings sonne who comming to me yester-night to supper was curteously entertained of me as a guest lodged in my house as a friend altogether ignorant of his intent but when wee were all at rest he brake into my chamber and standing by my bed side with his dagger in his right hand and his left hand upon my brest hold thy peace quoth he Lucretia I am Tarquinius if thou speake any word this dagger shall be thy death Then began hee to discover his villanous minde and mingling threats with amorous words shewed me what paine and torment he had suffered for my sake But the Gods that never faile to strengthen them that carrie an honest mind gave me sufficient power to resist his treacherous temptations and by contempt of death to preferre an honest same before a shamefull life And when he perceived that I would neither bee enti◅ed with his amorous words nor terrified with his threats of death he altered his course and assured mee if I would not consent to his will hee would put a slave naked into my bedde and after he had killed us both he would make it knowne to the world that hee found us in adultery Then the feare of perpetuall shame and infamie to me and to all you my kinsfolkes prevailing more with me than the terror of death though my heart consented not my body yeelded to fulfill his lust And albeit I absolve my selfe of the fault yet I wil not remit to my selfe the paines of death lest any matron of Rome should hereafter take occasion by mine example to live when her honour is lost When shee had thus spoken and taken them all by the hand requiring them as they were men not to suffer this villany which reached also to them to passe unrevenged whilest they were cōforting of her and advising her not to take the matter so grievously seeing there was no fault where the heart consented not she tooke out a knife which shee had secretly hidden under her clothes and thrust it into her heart Then was there great cries lamentation by her husband and friends and Brutus one of them perceiving her dead drew the knife out of her body and kissing the same did solemnly sweare by the bloud of that modest woman he would not suffer that injurie to goe unrevenged nor that any king hereafter should reigne over the people of Rome whereunto when the rest condescended he carried the dead body into the market place and perswaded the yong men to joyne with him in revenge of this abhominable act and to expell their king wherunto they easily agreed armed themselves and would not suffer the king not any of his to enter any more into the citie and erected a new State translating the government from a Monarchy to a common wealth Thus by the incestuous act of this yong man Tarquinius lost his kingdome from himselfe and his posteritie By the like occasion of a libidinous desire after certaine yeares that the Romanes had changed their governement of two Consuls to ten principall men they returned it backe againe from them to two Consuls For Appius Claudius one of the ten governors was so extremely enamoured upon a yong virgin that was contracted to a yong Gentleman that when hee saw shee would not be enti◅ed with his faire promises and gifts he entered into a most odious wicked practice Hee caused a yong man that he had brought up as shee went forth of her fathers house into the towne who was then in the warres to challenge her for his slave and to bring her before him as hee sate in judgement that hee by adjudging her to him might by that meanes have his will of her This man according to his instructions claimed her openly in the Court and sayd that she was borne in his house and stolen from him and conveyed to the house of Virginius who falsely tooke upon him to be her father which hee offered to prove before him and desired justice that he might have his slave restored to him againe There was a great concourse of people to see the end of this tragedy and much murmuring against Appius whose wicked purpose they began to conjecture And as her friends desired him that for as much as her father was absent in service of the common-wealth the matter might bee stayed untill his returne Appius answered that he was contented to deferre judgement untill the next day yet so as he that challenged her might receive no prejudice which would be if he should lose the possession of her and therefore hee would take order that hee should put in sufficient suretie to bring the damsell in place againe when her father was come and then hee would judge her to him that should have best right At these words he that should be her husband pressed to come neare to lay hold upon his wife but beeing kept out by Appius commandement hee cried out upon his unjust sentence and told him hee would rather dye than suffer his wife to be taken from him and after many hot words Appius
finding there a Lion shee hid her selfe for feare leaving behinde her for haste the things which shee did weare upon her head which being taken away by the Lyon and found by Pyramus supposing his love was devoured by the Lyon he slew himselfe Thisbe not long after returning to the place appointed and finding her lover dead slew her selfe with his sword But this love that followeth wrought not so evill an effect A French Gentleman lying with his love a Courtisan in Rome as hee was in the morning about to put on his chaine of gold which was wont to come foure times about his necke it would then go but three times about And as hee was musing with himselfe how this matter should come to passe the Courtisan who had untyed secretly the lincks and stolen part of the chaine away made shew as though shee marvelled why hee looked so sad and asked the Gentleman whether hee felt any griefe It seemeth quoth shee you have taken some cold because your head is waxed great and your face swollen and therewith she put a glasse in his hand of that sort that maketh things shew greater and larger than they are indeed The Frenchman looking in the glasse beleeving that his head was swolne and that hee was fallen into some strange disease left musing upon his chain bewailed himselfe afterward to his friends as though he had been dangerously diseased There was a young man in Friburge so desirous of the companie of a young maiden with whom he was in love that being promised by a Necromancer hee should enjoy her companie and for that purpose withdrawing themselves into a secret place of the house he caused the divell to shew himselfe to them in likenesse of this Virgin and when the young man offered to take her by the hand the spirit casteth him against the walls and slue him and cast his carkasse with such violence at the conjurer that hee lay halfe dead a great while Abusahid King of Fez by the report of Leo of Africa was slaine and his sixe children by his Secretarie for abusing his wife In the time of Philip the Fayre King of France two Knights were flayed alive for whoredome with the Queen of Navarre the Countesse of March and they condemned to perpetuall prison Iulius Casar that great Monarch after hee had made conquest of Germanie Spaine France England Italic Greece and of Pompey his enemy had like to have suffered a shamefull death through the pleasure he tooke in the fond love of Cleopatra whose company to enjoy he went to Alexandria in disguised apparell where an Eunuch and a childe were like to have slaine him if hee had not cast himselfe from an high tower into the sea and saved his life by swimming to his campe under the galleyes of his enemies These passions of love doe worke wonderfull and strange effects in many that yeeld themselves to bee overcome by them Historiographers report of a yong man in Athens of very good parentage and rich that was so enamoured upon an Image of Marble very artificially made and set up in a publicke place that he would embrace it and make love to it as though it were a living Creature and could not endure it to be out of his sight but alwaies remained by it And if it chanced him to be from the Image he would weep and lament so grievously that it would pitty any hard heart to behold him This Passion grew so strong in him that hee made sute to the Senate to sell the Image to him for such price as themselves would demand that he might remove it from thence to his own dwelling place But the Senate denying his request because it was a publicke thing he caused to be made a rich Crowne of gold with other jewels and sumptuons attire and put it upon the Image which hee beheld and adored in such extremitie that the people being moved at his folly forbad him to come any more neare it whereat he conceived such griefe and displeasure that he killed himselfe Durius in terris nihil est quod vivat amante Nec modo si saplas quod minus esse velis None suffers more than they that love professe Which the more wise we are we practise lesse And though this bee very strange yet that which credible Authors write of the King Xerxes is more strange or rather monstrous They report that he was so farre enamoured upon a Plane tree that hee would make love to it as if it had been a very faire woman The desire of this fleshly pleasure brought forth a most vile and wicked sect among the Friers and religious men at Naples in the time of Pope Egidius As there happened a dissention among the Popes these Friers in contempt of Christian Religion would assemble themselves together in the night both men and women in caves and secret places fit for their purpose where to cover their villanie with some shew of honesty the Priests that were among them would sing Psalmes after the manner of Christians Which being finished the Priests as it were beginning a Sermon would say something to confirme their wicked errour the effect of whose speech should bee That above all things Charitie ought to bee embraced which by the testimonie of holy Scripture was the head of all vertues and that the principall exercise of this Charitie among men God himselfe being Author thereof consisted in the coupling together by the holy Ghost of male and female in the worke of Venus And when every man had defiled that woman the lights being put out whom before hee had set his eyes upon then the divine service was finished These men taught publikely that this was not the Testimonie of Christ My peace I give unto you my peace I leave unto you But this Increase and multiply and replenish the earth And if any of these women happened to be with child the Priests commanded the childe to be brought to them who assembling together in a place appointed for their sacrifices after a solemne sort would burne the infant to ashes which they would gather up and keep in a pot as a holy thing And when any new Priest was to receive Orders by them he must drinke of those ashes in wine And when their chiefe Bishop happened to dye to avoyd envie and that a new might seeme to bee chosen to supply his roome rather by some divine power than by themselves they would command the mother of some childe borne in that wicked sort to bring it to some of their secret places appointed for that purpose and the Priests as they sate the people standing by would take the childe and deliver it from one to another every one brusing it with his hands continuing this order still untill the poor wretch were killed then in whose hands it dyed that was the man that must bee the chiefe Bishop These be the effects that the desire of fleshly
together great abundance of riches being odious and in contempt with all men his sonnes as wicked and covetous as hee seazed upon all his treasure and set fire on his house and burnt their father and all his family One sayth Vpon whom God pleaseth not throughly to bestow good things hee giveth plenty of money and scarcitic of wisedome and so one being taken away hee bereaveth him of both At the sicge of Ierusalem under Vespasian there was gold found in the entrals of a Iew that was flaine which being knowne to the rest of Vespasians souldiers they supposing that the other Iewes had also hidden gold in their bellies slew in a moment above twentie thousand of them which they had taken prisoners and against all humanitie and the law of nations opened their bellies to seeke for gold CHAP. II. The desperate attempt of Captaine Damianus against Solyman the Grand-Seigniour Of Caesar Borgias sonne to Pope Alexander the sixth first Cardinall and after Duke Of Croesus and Candaules two kings of Lydia and rich Crassus the Romane Of strange Fride and insufferable Avarice in the Clergy Of Pope Sixtus the fourth and an Archbishop of Collen The rare Temperance of Origen with an excellent Oration made by him to Alexander Severus c. THere was a notable enterprise intended to bee attempted through the desire of riches chiefly and glory by the mountain-men upon Solyman the great Turke in our age if the successe had not beene interrupted by sinister fortune Solyman the Emperour of the Turkes intending to make warre upon the Venetians brought a great Armie to the Adriaticall sea coast where he encamped himselfe There were a kinde of rude people inhabiting the craggie mountaines adjoyning to his camp that lived upon theft and spoile without knowledge of God or lawes of men These fellowes living in great penurie want amoung those barren rockes and mountaines allured with the greatnesse of the spoile glory determined to kill the great Turk in his pavillion to take the spoile of all his treasure And though the attempt were ful of perill yet the hope of such a masse of treasure beingso neare them and the fame and glory of so notable an enterprise to kill the mightiest Monarch of the world in his pavillion in the midst of his campe made them lay aside all feare of a certaine and almost an inevitable death Vsque adeo solus ferrum mortemque tâ—…ere Auri nesâ—…it amor Onely the thirst of gold makes us not feele Or feare deaths terror nor the rage of steele And resolving in the dead of the night to steale secretly upon the watch Daâ—…anus their Captaine and chiefe authour of the enterprise stole forth secretly to view the situation of the campe and the maner of the watch And as he climbed up to a tree to looke into the campe a bough chanced to breake the noyse whereof discovered him and his intent to the Ianizaries that were the watch of that quarter So being espyed and taken by them and put to torment he confessed the pretended enterprise and by commandement of the Emperour he was like a wild beast torne in pecces and the rest so earnestly pursued that they were almost all destroyed Pope Alexander the sixth had a sonne called Casar Borgias made by his father first Cardinall and afterward weary of that estate as not agreeable with his ambitious head was deprived thereof and made Duke and commonly called Duke Valentine Machiavels paragon This Pope and his sonne as it was a common practice with them to procure the death of many for their riches so they conspired together to take away the life of divers of the Senators and nobilitie of Rome some for malice but chiefly that they might be masters of their goods They thought there was no better meanes to bring their purpose to passe than to invite them in friendly manner to a supper The place was appointed as the maner is in Italy under a vine to avoyd the bear Duke Valentine had poysoned two pots of wine which he prepared for his guests delivered them to his servant that knew nothing of the matter to be carried to the vine for supper with straight charge that he should give of that wine to no man untill his comming The Pope commeth to the place before his guests and being thirsty with the heat hee calleth for wine The Dukes servant supposing by the straight charge his master had given him that the wine he brought was especiall good wine and preserved for the Popes own mouth powred out of that wine and brought it to the Pope who had no sooner drunke but in commeth his southe Duke to whom he gave the cup to drinke He thinking nothing lesse than that it was the poysoned wine by meane of his commandement to his servant pledged his father The Pope presently was carried away halfe dead and languishing a little while in great torment dyed Sic percent qui â—…ri tâ—… a pergent So may they perish and all such as endevour the like The sonne by reason of his youth and strength after certaine moneths grievous sicknesse escaped The guests perceiâ—…ing this treachery absented themselves from the feast This was no doubt the just judgement of God Dum pestem parant alijs labuntâ—… in illam Whilest they digge pits for others they fal into them themselves The Epitaph that was set upon senâ—…cheribs tombe who was killed by his owne sonnes might aptly have served this Pope In me qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pius effe he that looketh upon me let him leaâ—…e to live in the feare of God The â—…ther the sonne besides their other good conditions were so deepe dissemblers that there went a common proverbe of them One never spake what hee did the other never did what he spake Croesus king of the Lydians was an exceeding rich Prince presuming upon his riches prepared to make war upon Cyrus king of the Persians But to be more assured of the event hee sent to Delphos to aske counsell as the manner then was what the successe would be of that war answer was made him by the Oracle of Apollo that when Croesus should passe over the river of Halie which was the â—…termost confines of his realm he shold destroy a great kingdom Croesus supposing the meaning of the oracle had bin that he should destroy Cyrus kingdome proceeded in his enterprise with a more assured hope encountering with Cyrus he was overthrowne with his whole army And as a souldier was about to kil him his son that was born dumbe never spake word before the vehement love affection of his father prevailing more than the natural defect and impediment of his tongue cryed out to the souldier Hold thy hands it is king Croesus my father by meanes whereof he saved his life tooke him prisoner And when by Cyrus commandement he was brought to the stake to be burnt he cryed out with a loude and lamentable
voyce O Solon Solon which when Cyrus heard marvelling at that 〈◊〉 cry asked what he meant in such wofull sort to redouble his voyce I lived quoth Croesus not long sithence in great prosperitie was accounted the richest king of the world and as Solon one of the sages of Greece my familiar friend came to visit mee I brought him into my Treasury and shewing him all my Riches I asked him whether hee thought that any adverse fortune could have any power upon mee that was so armed and fortified with Treasure against all accidents that might happen But Solon sharpely reprehending mee for my vaine speech answered that no man could bee accounted happy untill after his death whose counsell now seeing my selfe falne into this miserable estate commeth to my remembrance and maketh mee call upon his name Cyrus moved with compassion and by his example considering with himselfe the uncertaintie of humane matters and that Fortune never gave any man that power over others but shee threatned him with the like caused him to be taken from the fire and asked Croesus as he kneeled before him by whose perswasion he began this warre O Cyrus quoth hee thy prosperous fortune and my evill destiny brought mee to it chiefly encouraged to make this warre upon thee by the Grecians god For who is so madde that without such a principall author dare preferre warre before peace seeing that in peace the children use to bury their parents but in warre the parents bury their children Cyrus marvelling at his constancie and wisedome pardoned his life and used him ever after with great honour for his counsellor Croesus sent messengers with the chaines with which he was bound to Delphos to be dedicated to the god Apollo to expostulate with him for deceiving him and to aske if these were their rewards which had the gods in so great reverence Answer was made by the Oracle that whatsoever was fatall was inevitable to the gods themselves That Croesus was thus punished for the offence of his grandfather Gyges that slew Candaules king of the Lydians And as touching the Oracle that it was not to bee reproved for a lye having expressed his meaning in plaine termes that if Croesus by the greedie desire to enlarge his dominion would make warre upon the Persians he should destroy a great kingdom which was the kingdom of Lydia and it so came to passe Kings and Cities through riches have lost great dominion which they that have been poore have wonne by vertue The lamentation made by the Tragicall Poet under the person of Hecuba upon the ruine of Troy setteth forth not unaptly the uncertaintie of high estate and the miserie of them who are puffed up in pride through abundance of riches wherein they put their felicitie Quicunque regno fidit magna potens dominatur aula Animumque rebus creduluâ—… let is dedit Me â—…deat te Troia non unquam tulit Documenta fo rs majora quà m fragili loco Starent Superbs He that his confidence puts in a Crowne Or in his Palace potently doth frowne And takes in prosperous fortunes all his joy Let him but looke on thee and mee oh Troy Chance by no greater influence could declare In what a fickle state all proud things are This Gyges that the god as they called him spake of was subject to Candaules king of Lydia who having a wife of a wonderful beautie and favour thought himselfe to want something of the fulnesse of the pleasure hee tooke in her except some other might also bee an eye-witnesse and see the beautie and comelinesse of her person Gyges being one that he greatly favoured hee discovered his intent to him made him stand secretly behind a cloth in his bed chamber when the Queene came to bed that he might see her naked when she had stripped her selfe out of her clothes ready to go to bed having discovered those parts mistrusting nothing which modestie and shame would have kept secret Gyges sheweth himselfe to her whom when she had espied and perceived the treachery she was in a great agony and conceived a deadly displeasure against the king her husband And within few dayes after she called Gyges secretly to her and intimating to him the griefâ—… 〈◊〉 had taken by this shamefull practice of the king shee told him that either he must kill the king or suffer death himselfe If Gyges would kill her husband she would marrie him and make him King of Lydia Gyges whether for feare of his owne life or through an ambitious desire to raigne by the helpe of the Divell made a ring of that vertue that whensoever he put the seale to the palme of his hand hee should be invisible And aspiring to the kingdome of Lydia by meanes of the ring hee killed the King Candaules and all those whom he thought might bee any hinderance or obstacle to his purpose they falling downe dead but no man seeing who flew them and marryed the Queene and became King Crassus an exceeding rich Romane after the manner of rich men not content with that unmeasurable riches hee possessed but desirous of more procured himselfe to bee made generall of the Romanes army in the warres against the Parthians being then three score yeares old where he was overthrowne and slaine with his sonne and almost all the army of the Romanes And to give him the greater disgrace the Parthians caused his mouth to bee filled full of gold with these words Thou hast thirsted after gold now take thy fill This Crassus was used to say that no man was to bee accounted rich except hee could maintaine an army of men with his owne goods But the pride and presumptuousnesse engendâ—…ed by riches in the Heathens is not so much to bee marvelled at if wee consider the prncipall Prolates of the Christians from whom examples of humilitie and contempt of worldly wealth should proceed who have bin carried away from their profession by the infection of that disease Saint Bernard inveighing not without cause against the vaine and superfluous pompe of the Prelates in his time which grew by the abuse of their abundance of riches who were not so much corrupted as they have beene since painted them out in their right colours and complaineth thus There is quoth he an infamous and defiled sort of men that raigne in the whole body of the Church the Ministers of Iesus Christ serve Antichrist They jet up and downe in great honour and pompe with the Lords goods but they give no honour to the Lord. And that is the whores attire which ye see every day carried about Their saddles bridles and spurres be guilt the furniture of their feet is set out with more pride and pompe than the Temple of God Their spurs be better guilt than their Altars Hereof it commeth that their tables be so sumptuous and furnished with delicate meates their rich cupboords of plate from thence commeth their gluttony and drunkennesse and harmony
riches when men of so great wisedome are so easily overcome by them Guevâ—…rra thus censureth the Duke of Veiar who in his life had gathered so much treasure that at his death he left foure hundred thousand duckets This is a matter saith he perillous to write and odious to heare But my judgement is he went to seeke care for himselfe envy for his neighbours spurres for his enemies a prey for theeves travell for his person anguish for his spirit scruple for his conscience perill for his soule law for his children and curses for his heires Amurath the great Turke a few yeares past sent Hassan a man that he favoured greatly as Bassa to Caire in Egypt where by all undue courses he would wring and extort rewards and bribes from every man By which sinister and corrupt dealing hee made himselfe so odious that it came to the kings care Who perceiving that neither Religion nor Love nor Iustice nor Reason could remove his covetous minde from bribing exâ—…rting upon his subjects and that these publike exclamations went dayly so far that it was now a shame for him to let them goe any further without due punishment he sent for him and cansed all the treasure which he had gathered to be taken from him with all the rest of his private substance and the same to be carried into the great store-house and himselfe to be 〈◊〉 up in prison But the Queene obtained pardon for his life and set him at liberty with the losse neverthelesse of all his treasure which he had unjustly scraped together which remained among the kings gold jewels When a Poet had reckoned up nobility of bloud great kindred stately palaces and such like things wherein men use to glorie and vaunt themselves as happy men he proceedeth also with riches and concludeth thus Sint tibi drvitia sit lâ—…rga 〈◊〉 supellex Esse taâ—… vel sic bestia magnapotes Deniq quicquider is nisâ—… sit prudentia tecum Magna quidem dico bestia semper 〈◊〉 Say thou hast wealth and stuffe both rare and dainty Thou may'st be a great beast for all this plenty Be any thing if of no wit possest Thou shalt be still a great beast at the best Covetousnesse teacheth to set all things to sale which overthroweth fidelitie and goodnesse two instruments of good counsell The regard of private commodity hath and will be alwayes hurtfull to publike counsells and is a strong poyson to a true affection and upright judgement To what thing may covetous men and uâ—…rers that hunt after gaine by alluring and deceiving the simple and plaine meaning men be moreaptly likened than to the fish Polipus that lying in wait for other fishes upon the rockes changeth his colour to the colour of the rocke or place where he resteth so as the other fishes not perceiving him are taken in his act which he hath naturally behind his head and can spread at his pleasure before they finde themselves in danger So can these men frame and alter their speech countenance when they finde one meete to prey upon as though it were not the same man untill they have drawne him into their net that he have no meane to escape Non possidentem multa vocaveris Recte beatum rectiâ—… occupas Nomen beati qui deorum Muneribus sapienter 〈◊〉 Duramque callet pauperiem pati Pejusque lethe flagitium â—…imet Thou canst not truely call him blest That of great substance is possest That title he may rather chuse Who Gods good gifts knows how to use That can broole want though bare and thiâ—…e And worse than death doth feare to sinne Sir Thomas Moâ—…e pleasantly derideth our estimation of vaine things which wee call riches in his common-wealth of Utopia as gold and silver pearles and precious stones and such like where they tye their bondmen with chaines of gold and none weare pearles and precious stones but little children as toyes of none account There chanced saith hee to come into Uâ—…pia from a farre countrey three 〈◊〉 with an hâ—…ndred servants all apparelled in changeable colours the most of them in silkes the 〈◊〉 themselves being noble men in cloth of gold and gold hanging 〈◊〉 their eares with gold rings upon their singers brooches and aglets of gold upon their caps which glistered full of pearles precious stones To be short trimmed and adorned with all those things which among the Utopians were either the punishment of bondmen or the reproach of infamed persons or else triâ—…es for yong children to play withall These Ambassadours with their traine advanced themselves jetted so much the more 〈◊〉 proudly as they perceived the Utopians who were all come forth into the streets to bee basely attired But contrary to their expectation when they looked for great honour the Utopians esteemed all that gorgiousnesse of apparell shamefull and reproachfull and them that were most abject and basely apparelled they reverently saluted for Lords passing over the ambassadours without any honour judging them by their wearing golden chaines to be bondman with which they found fault as serving to no use or purpose seeing a bondman would easily breake them and escape away being so weake and small And children that had cast away their pearles and precious stones when they saw them sticking upon the Ambassadours caps would push their mothers on the side and say Looke mother how great a lubber doth yet weare pearles precious stones as though he were a little child stil. Peace son would the mother say I thinke hee be some of the Ambassadours fooles But after a day or two when the Ambassadours understood how little the Utopians esteemed their gorgiousnesse they layd aside their brave attire and went more plainely and decently apparelled The covetousnesse of the Frenchmen and Portingals was not unaptly derided by an old fellow of Brasile who perceiving that their long and dangerous trauell to Brasile was to turne their wood they transported to gaine and â—…iches asked them whether rich men did not dye in their countrey which being granted who should possesse their goods after their death being answered their children or if they have none then their brethren or next kinsfolkes Now quoth he I see you are very fooles For what necessity is there in wearying your selves to passe these troublous dangerous seas to draw the occasion of so many evils to your selves If it be to seeke after riches for your children or kindred is not the earth that brought you up sufficient to bring up them also We have also children and kin that be deareunto us but when we consider that the same earth which nourished us up is sufficient also to nourish them we rest satisfied The Barbarous people likewise of Peru seeing the Spaniards that first planted themselves in their countrey given to be covetous and luxurious feared lest they would corrupt and alter their accustomed maners And therefore at their departure they railed and called them the
made him a Monke and himselfe Emperour Thus fortune playd with those Princes sometime lifting up some oâ—… high that she might throw them down with the greater fall to some giving more than he had before that she might at last take all from him sometime making Emperors exiles another time making exiles Emperours Which agreeth aptly with the saying of the Satiricke Ille crucem sceleris pretium ferat hic diadema One suffers on the gallowes as his meede Anothers crown'd in an Imperiall weede Such is the malice of ambition that is not alwaies satisfied with the torments or death of his competitour except he be also revenged and use despites upon his carkase There was a contention betweene Sergius and 〈◊〉 for the Popedome Sergius being of greater force cast the other out of Saint Peters chaire who flying into France found fortune so favourable that hee recovered againe the possession of his place and died within a little while after Sergius the Antipope rejoyeing in the death of his competitor got him into Saint Peters chaire and burning with a desire to be revenged he caused Formosus to be taken out of his grave and setting him in the Popes seat apparelled in a Priests habit commanded his head to bee cut off and spake thus to him Thou wast Bishop of such a place why hast thou through the spirit of ambition usurped the universall seat of the Romane Bishops When these sacred ceremonies were finished hee caused his vestiments to be taken from him and three of his fingers to be cut off and his bodie to bee cast into the river of Tiber. And this was a horrible fact that was committed by Pope Iohn the thirteenth when he had cut off the noses hee put out the eyes of certaine Cardinals because they favoured Otho that meant to depose him and set up another in his place Which Pope was afterward as some write killed by a Romane because he found him abusing his wife And as these Popes through ambition have committed many outrages and tyrannies so have they by the just judgement of God suffred many indignities and torments some expelled some banished some imprisoned some their eyes put out as Pope Iohn the thirteenth Which examples were sufficient to disswade men from aspiring to high dignities and glorious estate if their eyes were not bliâ—…ded with the humour of ambition And in no estates of life examples of ambition have beene more apparent than in the Popedome two three and sometimes foure Popes being at one time within the space of forty yeare who have raised cruell warres and contended together most maliciously to the great effusion of innocent bloud and to the impoverishing and troubling of all Christendom But Benedictus the ninth Gregory the sixth and Iohn the third all three Popes at one time used the matter with more moderation and greater discretion For after some contention for the Popedome one being set up and another put downe they fell to a friendly composition and because Saint Peters chaire was not large enough for them all three to sit together they divided Christs garments as their writers report and the revennues of the Church equally betweene them and dwelt neighbourly at Rome together taking severall Churches to their charge And here might arise a disputable question of no small difficultie which of them was the right Vicar of Christ but I leave it to them to whom it appertaineth to bee decided not appertaining to this matter A rare example of the inconstancy of fortune among great Princes happened to Bajazet Emperour of the Turks for being overcome in battell by Tamerlan that of a peasants son became a great Monarch taken prisoner hee caused him to be led with him in a cage of gold and to be fed with crums that fel from his table when he meant to ride he used him for a footstoole to get up to his horse Valerianus Emperour of Rome being taken prisoner by Saper King of the Persians was used in the like sort as a footstoole for him to get up to his horse When Alexander the great had taken king Porus Prisoner and asked him what hee thought meete for him that was victor to doe with him Even as this day quoth Pâ—…rus doth admonish thee wherein thou seest how uncertain a thing felicitie is Dum versat dubio vitam fortuna tenâ—…re Felicem sese dicere 〈◊〉 No man can count himselfe happy at all Whom with suspence blind fortune doth inthrall Darius that mighty Monarch of the Persians tasted of the like inconstancie of fortune For at Alexanders first comming into Asia being puffed up with pride by his great riches and dominion thinking himselfe to bee in the highest degree of felicity he wrote to Alexander a disdainefull proud letter Darius king of kings and cosin to the gods to Alexander my servant I wil command thee to returne home to thy parents and lye in thy mothers lap and learne the duty part of a man for which purpose I have sent thee a paire of reines of Scythia a tennise ball and a purse full of gold the ball because it agreeth with thy yeares the gold that thou maiest therewith buy what thou lackest Alexander received these gifts as a prognostick of his good fortune and wrote to him againe that he had received his gifts the reines he meant to use to rule them that were now subject to him the ball did presage that he should bee master of the world the gold was a token that he should be master of him and all his treasure Which letter when Darius had read he sent to the governours of his country that he heard there was a young-man the sonne of Philip that overranne his countries of Asia like one that were mad he willed them to take him whip him with rods like a boy send him to him clothed in purple and for his noblemen captaines that they should destroy them and his navie But afterward when he was overthrowne in battell and his wife and children were taken prisoners himselfe hardly escaping Nabarzanes and Beslus two of his principall captaines through an ambitious desire of rule conspiring traiterously against Darius looked for opportunitie to kill him Where of when Darius was advertised and counselled by some of his friends rather to commit himself to the guard of the Grecians than to trust his owne countrey-men being predestinate to his chance hee could not then beare any wholesome counsell and hearing that such as were accustomed to the guard of his person which should have bin his defence in all perils were fled from him for feare of the great number of conspiratours which they supposed to be comming he called some of his friends and willed them to provide for themselves commending their fidelity to their prince till the last houre Here quoth he I tarry for the fatall law of my destiny After which words they filled the kings lodging and all the campe with mourning
the Church but before the first session when they had prayed as the manner is for the assistance of the holy Ghost and the fathers were set in their places and the Pope in a high place above them all there commeth an Owle which alwayes bringeth with him a prognosticke of evill fortune and alighteth upon a beame in the middle of the Church singing in his naturall tune and looked continually in the Popes face And every man marvelled to see this unfortunate bird that flyeth the light so boldly in the middle of the day to sit among such an assembly of people ominating some evill to follow the Pope upon whom the Owles eyes were earnestly fastened chafed and sweat and being in a great agony dismissed the Councell and departed At the next session the Owle commeth to the same place againe and beholdeth the Pope as hee did before who being more ashamed than he was the other day commandeth this unlucky bird to be feared away with crying and clapping of hands But the Owle would not be removed away from the place untill she was stricken with a staffe and fell downe dead among them The Councell not long after was to the shame of the Pope dissolved and he deposed and cast in prison where he beway led his fortune with these dolefull verses Quâ—… modo summus â—…ram latatus nomine Prâ—…ful 〈◊〉 abjectus nunc mea fat a gemo Excelsus solio nuper versabar in alâ—…o Cunctaque gens pedibus ofcula prona dabas Nunc ego pâ—…narum fundo devâ—…lvor in imo Vultum deformem pallidaque or a gero Omnibus è terris aurum 〈◊〉 sponte ferebant Sed nec gaza juvat nec 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adest Sic varians fortuna vices adversa secundis Subdit ambiguo numine ludit atrox Cedat in exemplum cunctis quos gloria tollâ—…t Vertice de summo mox ego Papucado I the glad name of Pope who had but late Now most deceived mourne mine own sad fate Once lifted to a throne sublime where plac't Nations to crouch and kisse my feet were grac't Am now cast downe into paines lowest abysse Pallid my looke deform'd my countenance is Then from all nations I had store of gold But now nor wealth nor friend can I behold Such is the change of Fortune good with bad She mingles So nought certaine can be had All such whom glory swels with proud ostent Make me once Pope their wofull president In our fathers time Tomombey Sultan of Egypt Atabalixa king of Peru and Mutexuma king of Mexico lost both their kingdomes and lives in a short time in a miserable sort the one dying in prison the other with a soft fire burnt smothered to death the third shamefully hanged in his owne towne Apreyes king of Egypt perswaded himselfe and would vaunt that hee had so established and fortified his kingdome that none either of the gods or of men could take it from him But being overcome in battell by the Persians hee was taken prisoner and after hee had beene kept some time in prison he was strangled The great Prince Saladine after hee had won Ierusalem lying in his death bed and considering with himselfe what vanity was in the pompe and glory of this world commanded his 〈◊〉 to be hanged upon a pole and carâ—…ied through 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the sight of all men aâ—…d to be cryed Behold Saladine the conquerour of Asia of so great a kingdom such abundance of riches he carriâ—…th nothing with him but this But Alexander the Great used not the like modestie but contrariwise being pufâ—…ed up with pride and vaine glory after his victories he could not beare the greatnesse of his fortunes with that vertue he wan them But being more desirous of glory than able to receive it he commanded himselfe to be called the sonne of Iupiter to be honored as a God And whilest hee went about to increase the glory of his acts he corrupted and defaced them with such vaine titles For he received more mockes of the wiser sort than adorations of his flatterers When hee had sent to the Cities of Greece to have his new title of Godhead to bee confirmed by publike authoritie and the matter being had in consultation one steppeth up and sayd Well seeing Alexander will needs have it so let us make him a god A frumpe worthy of such a vaine glorious petition And as Cleo an Italian of Sicilia given to flattery both by his owne nature and by the custome of his countrey had used perswasions and set downe a forme to honour Alexander as a God Callistenes being of a contrary opinion Are not they goodly gods Clâ—…o quoth hee that thou and I can make I pray thee let me prove thy power if thou canst make a god first make a king it is much more easie to give a worldly kingdome than the possession of heaven But flattery was never better rewarded than by M. Antonius the Triumvir For when he entred into Athens all the Citizens having first prepared exceeding great honours for his entertainement went to meet him and they being desirous to win his favour used this kind of flattery They told Antonius that they had in their city the goddesse Minerva which wanted a husband and were desirous to give him her to wife who was the god Bacchus Antonius being offended with their shamelesse flattery sayd that he was content to accept her for his wife but I will have quoth he a thousand talents for her dowry which is requisit for so great a marriage But the Emperor Commodus used more severity or rather cruelty in punishing flattery Certaine yong gentlemen of Commodus chamber understanding that Ebutianus was put to death for weeping and lamenting the death of the Consull Byrrius and Apollaustus another Senatour for bemoning the death of Ebutianus the day that Apollaustus was executed thinking to please the prince made shew of great mirth joy for the death of Apollaustus Which being knowne to Commodus hee commanded their throats to be cut saying that for any act done by the prince they ought neither to laugh nor weepe but heare see and hold their peace Xerxes the great monarch of Persia being unmeasurably overcome with pride and vaine-glory after the bridge which was made to transport his army over the sea called Hellespont was overthrown by the tempest raging of the sea he with such arrogancy disdaining that the elemeÌ„ts would not be obedient to him coÌ„manded the sea to be beaten with 300 stripes a paire of fetters to bee cast into it and sent messengers to burne markes in it with a hot iron and to beat it saying O bitter water thy Lord doth thus punish thee because thou hast hurt him that deserved no evill of thee yet the king Xerxes wil passe over thee whether thou wilt or not neither doth any man sacrifice to thee because thou art a deceitfull and bitter river To such madneâ—…e
table and 〈◊〉 which when hee had read hee layd the table upon his bed and would not open it untill he might doe 〈◊〉 with greater 〈◊〉 For this purpose hee 〈◊〉 the Duke of Guise to dinner with divers other noble-men and gentlemen of the 〈◊〉 and alliance of the Guises But in the meanetime one that liked not the Cardinall having intelligence of this present found the 〈◊〉 to steale it secretly out of the case and to put in another table which he had prepared for the purpose and shut up the case againe so cunningly that what was done could not be perceived and layd it upon the bed where he found it When the day was come to celebrate this feast and the Cardinall and his guests were set at the table hee caused the Popes letter to bee openly reade When they heard of the present they could no longer forbeare the fight of it nor would 〈◊〉 any more 〈◊〉 untill it were brought in place Then by the Cardinals commandement this holy thing was brought with great solemnity to the table every man expecting with a kind of reverence what manner of thing that should be that was sanctified by the holy hands of so stately a 〈◊〉 and sacred person and made by so good a workeman The table was taken out of the case in thesight of the Cardinall and all his guests wherein was painted in place of our Lady and her child the Cardinall of Lorreyne starke naked the Queene mother the yong Queene of Scots and the old Duchesse of Guiâ—… naked also hanging about the Cardinals 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 legges 〈◊〉 betweene his legges When the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his guests saw how their exoecâ—…tion was 〈◊〉 what a confusion there was among them every that are sent from Rome by the Popeâ—… 〈◊〉 world are obeyed of the Angels and Divels they are not so dangerous thankes be to God among men as they have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so much regarded It 〈◊〉 to be appropriate to that 〈◊〉 city of Rome fithâ—…e the Popes have beene in so great authority that great 〈◊〉 should be there wrought by Buâ—…s if it be lawfull to allude to their name Pâ—…lus loviâ—…s repoâ—…eth of a great pestilonce in Rome in Pope Hadrians time which was like to have consumed all the people if a Grecian called Demetrius had not undertaken to stay it He caused a wilde Bull to be taken and after hee had cut off one of his hornes in the middest whispered a charme in his right â—…are the Bul became presently so tame that he tied a little string to the whole home and lead him to the Amphitheater where he sacrificed him whereupon the rage of the disease beganne immediatly to asswage But this may seeme strange that this Necromancer a stranger and an instrument of Sathan imployed his naturall Bull to the safegard of the people of Rome and the Popes that call themselves the Vicars of Christ and take upon them to protect his people imploy their unnaturall Buls to the destruction and subversion of whole kingdomes and countries arming and exciting Emperours and Kings against their subjâ—…s and subjects against their Princes But the Gospell thankes be to God where it is professed hath so charmed that savage beast and abated his force and fury that children deride him which was wont to be dreadfull to migâ—… Princes and terrible to all the world The old Roâ—… had a certaine kind of soothsayers in great estimation among them called 〈◊〉 that had invented a Science to divine of things â—…o come by the â—…lying and voyces of birds But Cato having espied the vanitie and illusion of them and their Science would say that hee marvelled how those soothsayers when they chanced to meete together in the streetes could forbeare to laugh one upon another And may not wee likewise thinke it a hard matter for the Pope and his Cardinals to â—…orbeare to smile one upon another when consultation is had among them to send their Buls abroad which they know to be nothing but vanity illusion But their greatnesse is greatly decayd which was foreseen of Luther who seemed by this verse pronounced in his death bed to prophesâ—…e of the Popes fall whose credit and authority we see plainely to bee in declination Pestis eram vivens moriens 〈◊〉 mors ero Papa Oh Pope I am thy plague whilest I have breath And dying I will be thy fatall death Which prediction was not in vaine For he hath given him such a deadly wound that all his Iesuits and Seminaries with the rest of his Cloyster-men will never be able to heale When Frederike Duke of Saxony had desired Erasmus to tell him plainely whether Luther did erre in the matter then in controversie and Erasmus had answered him that Luther was of a good opinion why then quoth the Duke be they so spitefull against my â—…illy Monke wherein hath bee offended that they so persecute him O noble prince sayd Erasmus he hath committed two very great finnes bee hath taken away the crown from the Pope Bishops the belly from the Monkes Which bringeth to my 〈◊〉 a jest of a merry fellow who hearing a Monke say that the way to obtaine forgivenesse of mens fine was by giving of almes and especially to the Monkes he gave them almes and fed them more plentifully than before and when there happened any talke of offences against God he would say that the Monkes had eaten up all his sinnes CHAP. III. Of divers that came to be Popes by Necromancy Benedictus the ninth Sylvester the second Boniface the eighth Contention betwixt the Augustin â—…riars and other Orders Of Pope Gregory the seventh The incomparable pride of sundry Popes illustrated by history Of Pope Ioan Pride punished in Herod and derided by Philip king of Macedon Of Calanino Simon Magus and Cynops three notable Magicians Tritemius a learned Abbâ—…t Albertus Magnus Pope Gregory the seventh An epistle writ from Beelzebub to the Clergie The Earle of Mascon Spanish Magdalen The fickleprophet Mahomet Salmoxes Of a Pilgrim whocounter feiting sanctitie became Monarch of many kingdomes A prodigious Child borne in Babylon The storte of Nicolana Dambrie BUt to returne from whence we digressed the ambition of the heathens that lived after the world and knew not God is not so much to be marvelled at if wee look into the lives of some Christians that forbeare not any unlawfull meanes to aspire to the highest places of honor and especially of them in whose 〈◊〉 pectâ—… all knowledge lyeth hidden that prosesse by title all humility calling themselves the servants of the servants of God but indeede aspire and take upon them to bee the master of the masters of the world Wherof though their owne histories may affoord many examples yet for brevities sake we will make choice of a few Alexander the sixth a very ambitious man mistrusting by like the favour or power of the holy Ghost by whose helpe wee must beleeve that the Popes are
himselfe for the chiefe Bishop Be it knowne to your extreame foolishnesse that in temporall things we are not subject to any that the gift of certaine Churches and prebends being voyde belongeth to us by our Regall right and to receive their fruits and to defend them against all the possessours and them that beleeve otherwise wee account fooles and mad men Given c. This Pope sent out his Buls of excommunication against this king pronouncing him an hereticke and gave away his kingdome But the king after he had long suffered a great many intolerable injuries and indignities being unwilling any longer to endure his pride and ambition sent two hundred horsemen toward the Pope who handled the matter so that they tooke the Pope in a towne in Italy and brought him prisoner to Rome from whence hee had withdrawne himselfe for feare and put him in prison in his owne Castle of Saint Angelo where he fell into a frenzie and knawing and eating his owne hands dyed a miserable death This disdainefull answere to this proud Priest putteth me in minde of a short answere aptly made in our time by the French king Henry the second to the Pope theâ—… being who after the custome of his predecessors prâ—…suming to offer injuries to the king and seeing himseâ—… unable his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to â—…ch the king who made warreâ—…with with him sent embâ—…dours to him to treat of peace who told him from their masters mouth that he had done the Pope many wrongs for the which he did appeale him before the tribunall seare of Iesus Christ in heaven Yet 〈◊〉 being desirous of peace hee craved his consent to the articles which hee had sent The king answered the embassadours that he would accept of the conditions and would also answer the matter in heaven but I doubt quoth the king I shall not finde the Pope there A dangerous heresie that doubt should be made of the Vicar of Christs going to heaven And it is worthy the noting that Valdemarking of Denmarke wrote to a Pope that went about to trouble his estate by arrogating to himselfe a power over him as their manner is We would have it knowne to you sayth the king that we have our life of God nobilitie of our parents our kingdome of our subjects our faith of the Church of Rome which if you envy in us wee returne the same to you againe by these presents And it is reported that Rodolph now Emperour so soone as he was elected promised by his â—…bafladours reverence to Pope Gregory the xiij and obedience to the Church but to the Pope himselfe he denied that obedience hee challenged to be due to him But to returne to shew further of the events of pride and vaine-glory The Emperour Henry the fourth being at Goâ—…ar at Church upon Whitsonday to heare masse there fell a great contention betweene the Abbot of Fulda the Bishop of Hildeseme which of them should sit 〈◊〉 to the Archbishop of 〈◊〉 insomuch that there 〈◊〉 parts taken on both sides and the quarrell so 〈◊〉 â—…sued that 〈◊〉 words they 〈◊〉 to blowes and many 〈◊〉 on both 〈◊〉 When the matter was appeased the Priest proceeded in his masse and as he sang his last verse appertaining to the masse of the holy Ghost 〈◊〉 diem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is This day thou hast made glorious the divel being under the vault of the Church sung with a great base voyce Hunc diem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is This day I have made warlike By these ambitious manners they thinke to climbe up to heaven for which 〈◊〉 was from thence thrown down into hell But why should they aspire to possesse that high dignity with such pride as peculiar to men of excellencie when a simple woman became Pope through her owne industrie and governed the Church two yeares more with as much credit as some others untill she had committed a little fault the like whereof hath beene done by other masculine Popes This woman was of our nation as some say and others say of Germany being in love with a learned yongman in her youth shee apparelled her selfe like a man and calling her selfe Iohn she went with him to Athens which then flourished in all kinds of learning And giving her selfe there to 〈◊〉 she profited so in learning that after a certaine time desirous to visite Rome she read openly in the schooles in the habit of a Doctor and behaved her selfe so 〈◊〉 in publike disputations that shee was accounted equall in fame with the best learned men of her time By which she had gotten such credit and authoritie the See being voyde by the death of Leo the fourth in the yeare of our Lord God eight hundred fifty two 〈◊〉 she being taken for a man was made Pope and 〈◊〉 the Church two yeare and more But by chance 〈◊〉 grew into such familiarity with one of her servants that she became with childe Fortunanon 〈◊〉 genus And as according to a certaine usuall solemnity she went to visite Saint Iohn of Lateran her time being come shee was delivered of a child in a place betweene Saint Clements Church and a Theater called Coliseo with great paine In detestation of which act the Popes use to avoyd that place to turn aside another way when they have occasion to passe through the streete And when any Pope was after to be chosen hee was set in a chaire with a hole through the seat that they might feele whether he were a man All which argueth the credit of the report made by their owne writers who also affirme that in the same street where this happened there hath beene an image of stone standing upon his feet representing her deliverance and death How greatly pride and desire of glory is hated of God Herod king of the Iewes giveth a notable example This man going up into the pulpit appointed for orations and rejoycing to heare the people cry out to his praise That it was the voyce of God and not of man hee was suddenly stricken from heaven and when hee perceived himself to consume away with lyce he cryed out to the people Behold how he dyeth now with intolerable pain whom not long sithence you called God But Menecrates received a more gentle punishment for his vainglory of Philip king of Macedon yet worth the noting This man because he knew himselfe to be anexcellent physitian would needs be called Iupiter the saviour The King meaning to reforme his arrogancie invited him to a feast caused a table to be set for him alone whereof at the first he was very glad but when he saw that in steed of meats the ministers gave him nothing but frankincense he was much ashamed departed from the feast in great anger And as they which desire honour and glory seeke after it often by ungodly and prohibited meanes so they also that are possessed of it many times use the like meanes to understand the continuance of their
glorious estate but their counseller whose advice they use answereth them for the most part so cunningly that they are nothing the neerer of their purpose The Emperour Nero asked counsell of the Divell how long his reigne should continue hee willed him to beware of sixty foure Nero being then yong was glad to heare that answere thinking the meaning had bin hee should have reigned Emperour until he had bin sixtie foure yeares old But not long after Galba was chosen Emperour against him who was of the age of sixtie and foure and deposed him with losse of his life King Philip of Macedon moved with the like desire sent to Delphos to know his destinie answere was made him by the Oracle of Apollo that hee must take heed of a chariot The king commanded all the carres and chariots in his realme to bee plucked in peeces and such places that did beare that name he would alwayes avoyd and forbeare to come neere them But all that would not serve his turne for Pausanias slue him with a sword that had a chariot graven in the pummell Pope Paulus the third delighted much in Nicromancers being himselfe skilfull in the art and desirous to know his fortune a Necromancer told him that he should be Pope in the yeare one thousand five hundred thirty foure long before it happened in the time of Leo the tenth when there was no likelihood of any such matter and that he should be Pope foureteene yeares at which time hee should end his Popedome with his life which came to passe Whereby it should seeme that the Divell hath a voyce among the Cardinals in the election of the Popes and that God suffereth the Divell sometimes to make Popes and to take it from them againe at his pleasure life and all The humour of glory and desire to rule resteth not onely in the affections of great estates but also is many times found to be in men of base condition And when possibilitie faileth to attaine to honour by rule and authority they covet to win it by some singularitie wherin they would excell others And some feare not to run into a voluntary present death to win fame and glory after this life by some notorious fact without respect of the wickednesse thereof whereof these examples following shall serve for proofe Calanino understanding that the people of Capua a citie in Italy himselfe being a Tribune there were determined to kill the Senatours whom they hated deadly went with them as though he allowed of their enterprise but advertised the Senate before of the peoples resolution and what he would do to save their lives He shut them up fast in a close place as prisoners that they might not bee subject to the fury of the people And when they were assembled together to put their purpose in execution this Calanino told them that seeing they had determined to kill all the Senators they must first devise with themselves who were the worthiest men to supply their places And making as though hee would bring them forth to be killed one after another will yea have quoth he such a one killed first naming him that hee knew they most hated they all allowing it with great gladnesse commended him for his choyce Then sayd he who will ye have to supply his place Then stepped forth divers men of severall trades and occupations every one contending with other to have chosen one of their companie to supply his roome And thus naming all the Senators one after another to be killed and asking them the like questions for supply of their roomes there was such an earnest contention among themselves every one fearing lest one should bee preferred to a more honorable place than the other that they were all content rather to endure and submit themselves to the governement of the old Senatours than any of them should have more honour than others And thus by the wisedome of their Tribune and the envy and emulation of the common people the lives and honours of the Senatours were preserved whom they had determined through hatred and malice to have killed Scinditur incertum studia in contraria vulgus The uncertaine rabble is divided into contrarie opinions What was it but desire of vaine-glory that made Simon Magus that notable Necromancer labor to be singular in that art by doing strange things in the sight of the people he thought by helpe of the Divell to deifie himselfe For which cause his image was set up by Claudius Caesar with this inscription Simoni sancto Deo Which at last wrought his own destruction For as Saint Peter saw him lift himselfe up into the ayre in a great assembly of people making them beleeve hee would ascend up to heaven to the great admiration of them all hee desired God that hee would not suffer him any longer to seduce the world whereupon he fell presently downe head-long and brake his leg whereof he dyed shortly after The like happened to a Saraceo 〈◊〉 Constantinople for when there was at a triumph a great assembly of people beholding certaine justs this Saracen went up to the top of a high turret that stood in the Tilt-yard and bragging that he would flye in the ayre he had provided him a long white garment downe to the foot full of playtes and gatherings made for the purpose to hover in the ayre hee began to flitter with his hands in steede of wings and when hee thought he had soared enough he committed himselfe to the winde and weather and fell downe head-long to the ground and bruised his bones to peeces and like a vaineglorious Coxcombe there ended his life Saint Iohn the Evangelist being banished into the Isle of Pathmos by the Emperor Domitian because by calling upon the name of Iesus Christ he drave away a divell out of the Temple of Diana that seduced the people which had possessed an Idoll there two hundred fortie nine yeares into Ephesus in the which Island Saint Iohn found a notorious fellow called Cynops that by the helpe of the Divell did wonderous things before the people and bragged that hee would raise men that were knowne to bee dead who had gotten such a reputation among them that he was a great hinderance to the Gospell which Saint Iohn preached And as on a time hee had played many strange feats in a great assembly of people standing upon the sea coast Cynops seeing Saint Iohn comming towards them Come on good fellow quoth hee to Saint Iohn thou shalt see more strange things than hath beene yet shewed Saint Iohn standing among them and seeing three evill spirits which had taken upon them the forme and face of men raised out of the sea by Cinops which the people thought had beene men commanded them in the name of Iesus Christ that was crucified not to depart Then Cynops to shew more feats clapt his hands together and leapt into the sea as he had done divers times before where he would tarry
under the water a long time And as soone as he was under the water the sea began to worke in the place where he leapt in of a great height as though there had bin a tempest After he had staied under the water longer than he used to do the people cryed out Thou Cynops art the onely man of the world thinking he would shew himselfe to them againe as he did before But Saint Iohn prayed to God that hee might be no more seene among men which prayer tooke such effect that Cynops could be no more seene Which when the people perceived they turned their admiration to Saint Iohn who then sayd to the three spirits I command you in the name of Iesus Christ that was crucified that ye depart and be seene no more in this Island Which words were no sooner spoken but they forthwith vanished away The fame of this art being blown abroad was the cause that a great many bookes of Necromancie in divers places were burnt This desire of vaineglory through singularity of knowledge was not wrought in the minds only of Cynops and other Infidels by the instigation of the divel whose helpe they used in aâ—…ayning the same but in our Christian Prelates also who used the like means being overcome with the same desâ—…es to what perill of their soules I leave to the judgement of others Tâ—…itemius the Abbot an excellent learned man and worthy of fame if by adding Necromancy to the rest of his learning he had not made himselfe infamous by his owne confession burned with an execâ—…ive desire of vaineglorie For saith he as I went up and downe musing devising with my selfe how I might finde some thing that never any man knew before and that all men might wonder at and layd my selfe downe to sleepe in an evening with the same cogitations there came one to me in the night that I knew noâ—… and excited me to persever in my intended purpose promising me his helpe which he performed What kind of learning hee taught him he sayd was not meete for the common sort but to be knowne onely of Princes whereof hee sheweth some examples denying the same to be done by the divels helpe but by naturall meanes to which hee will hardly perswade any man of judgment And though he would cover some of his strange feates under the pretext of nature yet his familiaritie with the Divel in many things was apparent The Emperour Maximilian the first married with Marie the daughter of Charles Duke of Burgundy whose death loving her dearely he took gâ—…evously This Abbot perceiving his great love towards her told him that he would shew him his wife againe The Emperour desirous to see her went with the Abbot and one more into a chamber The Abbot forbad them for their lives to speake one word whilest the spirit was there Mary the Emperours wife commeth in and walketh up and downe by them very soberly so much resembling her when shee was alive in all points that there was no difference to be found The Emperour marvelling to see so lively a resemblance called to mind that his wife had a little blacke spot a Mole some call it behind in her necke which he determined to observe the next time shee passed by him and beholding her very earnestly hee found the Mole in the very same place of her necke Maximilian being much troubled in minde with this strange sight winked upon the Abbot that hee should avoyd the spirit Which being done hee commanded him to shew him no more of those pastimes protesting that hee was hardly able to forbeare speaking which if hee had done the spirit had killed them all The Divell was so ready at the Abbots commandement that as hee travelled on a time in the company of a man of account who reported this story they came into a house where was neither good meate nor drinke the Abbot knocked at the window sayd adfer fetch Not long after there was brought in at the window a sodden pickerell in a dish and a bottle of wine The Abbot fell to his meate but his companions stomacke would not serve him to eate of such a Caterers provision Albertus Magnus being a notable Necromancer besides his other learning that had beene Bishop of Regenspurg and after became a Monke at Collen at such time as William Grave of Holland was chosen Emperour and returned from his Coronation at Aquisgraven to Collen with many Princes and great estates where in the night was made him a sumptuous banquet Albertus being there also to shew the Emperour and the Princes some pastime after their journey by his skill caused the chamber where they were in their sight to be like a forest the floore seemed to be ground covered with greene grasse and beâ—…bes and flowers planted with trees of divers sorts the Larke singing in the ayre the Nightingale and the Cuckow singing in the trees and haw-thorne bushes as though it had been in the middest of May. In the which pastime the Emperour tooke such delight that hee rewarded the house whereof Albertus was Monke with land priviledges thinking that no sinnefull act which was done by so famous and holy a Monke in the presence also of so many Prelats But what their reward shall be at the day of judgement the Lord onely knoweth But to excell in these prohibited sciences is not sufficient glory to these kind of men except they also leave their knowledge in writing to the prejudice of posterity which argueth their desire of glory to bee agreeable with that of the Poet that sayth Vade â—…tur felix liber long ssâ—…ma vive Tempora quumque meos tellus obduxerit artus Tu varios populos diversaq regna superstes Quaere studeque meum late diffundere nomen Goe happy booke live long and when i' th dust My bones are layd as sure I am they must Be thou still safe and wander the world round With all thy care my name abroad to sound Among the rest Pope Gregorie the seventh an excellent Necromancer by the report of the Cardinall Benno would by shaking his sleeves make sparks of fire leape out of them to the judgement of men by which strangething he sought to win an opinion of great holinesse By these examples of Popes and Prelates with the rest it appeareth how ready the Divell is to stirre up mens mindes where he seeth any inclination to the desire of vaineglory whose helpe and service they never lacke untill he hath brought them to destruction of bodie or soule These kind of men be they it should seeme to whom Beelzebub is supposed to write an Epistle reported by an old author thus Beelzebub the prince of Divels and Duke of darknesse with his guard and all the potentates of hell To Archbishops Bishops Abbots and other Prelates rulers of Churches his welbeloved friends now and for ever Infernall salutations and a league of inviolable society which can never
slaine and the Empresse with her noblest Damsels led captive before Mahomet and after a thousand villanies all cut in peeces Notwithstanding that death is a thing naturally shunned of all men yet some have so thiâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and glory having no other means to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 committing some notorious wicked fact have wiâ—…fully lost their lives to win that way fame after their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desirous of glory asked 〈◊〉 how hee might â—…ame win fame If thou 〈◊〉 quoth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 famous man for then his glory will be turned to 〈◊〉 Whereupon he went to Philip king of 〈◊〉 father to Alexander the Great that was the most famous man of his time and 〈◊〉 him The like humour reigned in him that burned the goodly Tâ—…mple of Dâ—…ana which for the sumptuousnesse of the building and curiositie of the workemanship was accounted one of the seven wonders of the world who conleâ—…ed to have done it for no other cause but to win 〈◊〉 hoping his naâ—… with the memory of the fact should be commended to posterity by writing according to the Poets saying Live happy if my verse can ought or I Memoriall of thy name shall never dy Livie maketh the like report of a Romane who was so ambitious of glory and â—…ame that he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fire on the treasure house where the people of Rome layd up their treasure And being taken tormented and examined he confessed he had none other meaning in this wicked enterprise but that 〈◊〉 should make mention of him in their Chronicles But the 〈◊〉 as Petrarke sayth we seeke after is but 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 it is a shadow it is nothing And though death deliverâ—… a man from the rule of fortune yet whether 〈◊〉 will or not fame will follow 〈◊〉 as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a body And therefore saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 livest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 find same in thy grave The Duke of Alva seemed to bee touched with the like desire of vainglory when after he had expulsed the Prince of Orenge with his army of Almaines out of the Low countrey and in some sort pacified the 〈◊〉 of the people erected a stately and sumptuous Trophee in the Castle of Antwerp for a monument and perpetuall memory of his acts done in the Low-Countries It was an Image of copper representing the Duke himselfe which had under his feet a body lying flat or prostrate with two heads and sixe armes where of the one held papers written the second a torch the third a broken hammer the fourth a naile the fith a purse the fixth an axe under his feet was a disguised person behind the prostrate body was a great sachel out of which appeared a Serpent at whose cares there hanged a sawcer The whole worke of fifteen foote high was placed upon a plate of the same metall and the plate upon a marble stone foure square whose base was of the largenesse of three paces all excellently well made according to the proportion of the Image The title written in this triumphant stone was thus Ferdin ando 〈◊〉 à Toledo Alba Duci Philippl secunds 〈◊〉 apud Belgas 〈◊〉 quodextinctâ—… seditionâ—… rebellibus pulsis Religione 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Provinciae pacem 〈◊〉 Regis optimi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 poâ—… Upon the one side was an altar with this title Deo patrum 〈◊〉 on the other side was the morning driving away the darkenesse of the night with this title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This notable pâ—…ce of worke had many interpretations what should be thereby â—…gnified but few or none could rightly conâ—… the Dukes meaning But that glorious trophee wrought him much envy and malice among the people and was misliked of all men and of the Spaniâ—… themselves that he would 〈◊〉 and glory so much in other mens calamities whereof he was the author and wherein hee used the part rather of a tyrant than of a Vice-roy But not long after when the Citizens of 〈◊〉 recovered the Castle the people as it were triumphing over a cruell tyrant threw downe and defaced this glorious Trophee But what need wee seeke for 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 when besides that of the Duke our 〈◊〉 time will â—…ford us too many of them that haue sought for glory and fame by committing most notorious and wicked facts though their pretence is 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some other thing In these civill 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Poltrot for none other cause watched for opportunitie to kill the old Duke of Guise and as hee lay at the â—…ege of Orleance and tooke a boate to passe the river 〈◊〉 as one of his 〈◊〉 nothing suspected pistoâ—… his pistoll at him charged with two or three bulletts and wounded him to death And as he fledde being amazed with darknesse of the night and partly with the greatnesse of the fact after hee had wandered on horsebacke all the night by that the day was ready to breake he was come to the Suburbs againe and fell into the watch of the Almaines where he was apprehended and afterward torne in pecâ—… with foure horses for his reward The like murder was attempted but not with the like successe at this time against the Prince of Oâ—…enge in the low countries by a Spaniard of Bilbo called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This yong man served a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 werpe a Spâ—…niard likewise And having determined to kill the Prince of Oâ—…enge by all likelihood to win fame for to escape with his life he had no hope hee made choyce of the day in which the Duke of Alenson being at Antwerpe had appointed to celebrate the day of his nativity with justs and triumphs and a sumptuous supper to which the Prince of Orenge with the 〈◊〉 men of the 〈◊〉 were invited For this purpose this 〈◊〉 had provided a little short dag and girding his dagger to him after he had drunke off a bowle of good winâ—… I goe â—…th he to one of his fellowes I goe to deliver the world of a most cruell Tyrant And though the low countrey-men perâ—…dventure thinke otherwise of it now the time will come that they will allow what I intend to doe And so he goeth to the Princes house And walking by the doore of the parâ—…ur where the Prince dined he watched for his cóming forth And as the Prince came to go 〈◊〉 another chamber this young man presenteth to him a supplication which as the Prince stayed to read he dischargeth his dag striketh him under the chin the bullet comming forth under his right care And because the dagge being over-charged brake and strake off his thombe he draweth his dagger to stabbe him but Count Hollacke tooke thee young man about the middest with his armes and stayed him whom the Princes followers presently slue with seven and twenty wounds as is reported The Prince escaped this danger the wound though it were grievous not being mortall The example of this young mans evill successe could not forewarne another stirred up with the like desire of glory and fame to make the like
ignominious a servitude who being in the field with his army there commeth to joyne with him a company of noble and gentlewomen excellently well armed that either had suffered or else feared they should suffer injury The battel grew very hote and a great slaughter on both sides when the women charged the Tyrant with such vertue and valour that they slue him and by all mens confession were the onely cause of the victory In the warres betweene the Succians Gothes and Danes there were two notable women expert and valiant souldiers in the army called Hâ—…tha and Vâ—…sna one being the chiefe Captaine the other being Standerd bearer whose right hand was stâ—…ken off in the â—…ght by the Valiant Champion starâ—… And in sea matters also women have beene nothing inferiour to men Alvilda a virgin gathered together certaine young maydes and exercised piracie in the North parts where she atchieved great matters for the which shee is registred in Chronicles to perpetuall memorie Many of these examples may bee produced out of histories of the excellencie of women and among the rest of Amalasuenta daughter to Theodoricus king of the Gothes whose vertues are exalted above the skies About three yeares past there was a Gentlewoman slaine at the siege of a Castle in Gelderland who had served the States in the warres as a souldier in the habit of a man many yeares When there was any going abroad to doe some exploit none was more forward than shee nor more valiant and hardy in fight She was not knowne to be a woman of those that were most familiar with her untill she was dead And if wee should cite examples of learning wee shall finde them in this also nothing inferiour to men Among which number was Leoâ—…cia a woman of such excellent learning that she wrote against Theophrastus the greatest Philosopher of his time reproving him of many faults in Philosophy And Corinna was of such excellent learning that she contended often with Pindarus at Thebes in veâ—…ying five times wan the victory Aretha was so excellent well learned that shee read openly in the Schooles of Athens naturall and morall Philosophy five and twenty yeares She made forty bookes Shee had an hundred Philosophers to her schollers semiramis Queene of Assyria after the death of Ninus her husband by whom she had a sonne not then at mans estate fearing how so many nations should bee governed by a boy and doubting also how shee should be obeyed if she should take upon her the government being a woman shee feyned her selfe to bee her sonne who in lincaments of face and stature of person did so resemble one another that hardly any difference could be perceived She apparelled him like a woman and her selfe like a man that the one might be taken for the other And in this sort she governed the Monarchy of the Assyrians not onely defending the countries left by her husband but increasing by conquest more nations to them the space of many yeares But Theodosia nothing fearing to shew her selfe as she was without counterfeiting another sex after the death of her husband and brother handled the matter with such prudence that she became Empresse governed with great fame in peace and prosperitie during her life Zenobia Queen of Palmarynes a woman endued with singular vertue after the death of her husband governed the East parts of the Romane Empire many yeares in despight of Galienus Claudius his successor Emperours of Rome making warre at some one time upon the Persians on the one side and defending her territories from the Romane Emperours on the other side But forasmuch as justice is the proper office of a Prince whose end after Socrates is to bring his people to felicitie and seeing authority and majâ—…stie in a Prince of all other things is chiefely to be respected as a singular gift of God which is gotten especially by these foure things by wisedome vertue felicitie and love of the people what need wee seeke for examples so farre off when wee have at this present a virgin Queene not onely equal to any of them but comparable also to the most renowned kings that have been in any age whether ye respect her rare gifts of nature multiplied by industrie or her honourable reputation gotten among forreine Princes and nations by her singular vertue and wisedome or the long continuance of her flourishing reigne and of the peaceable and happy estate with the dutifull love and obedience of her subjects who by her wise and politicke government in so perillous a time that the fire burning round about yet by Gods goodnesse in her providence feele not so much as the heat of the flame such a Queene I say as performeth not onely the part of a good Pilot in the governement of her owne ship but standeth as a lanterne in the high tower of Pharos by whose light the Princes and afflicted people round about her in this tempestuous time escape the dangerous rockes that dayly threaten their subversion and direct their course to a safe port That hath not taken occasion by her neighbours dissention and troubles after the usuall manner of Princes to enlarge her territories and dominion which she might have done to her great advantage But contrariwise to her great charge and expence and to their great benefit shee hath assisted and protected the oppressed in their just causes whose forces have daunted the pride of mighty Princes her enemies whose fame hath beene carried round about the world and will no doubt bee registred to perpetuall memorie in strange countries as trophees of her vertue O â—…mium dilecte Deo cui militat at her Et conâ—…rati veniunt adclassica venti Oh of the Gods thou over-lov'd For whom the Heavens doe warre And to whose fleete the conjur'd winds Prest and assistant are To what Prince in the world could these verses bee more aâ—…ly applyed than to her Majestie that were writen by Clandian the Poâ—…t in commendation of the felicity of Theodosius the Empetour But lest in going about to particulate the praises of this noble Queen paragon of Princes my gracious Soveraigne according to the worthinesse of her talent I should do as they that offer to shew the light of the Sunne with a candle the brightnesse of her worthy and heroicall acts and vertues shining more cleare to the world than I am able with words to set them forth I will conclude her commendations with this Danish verse Vincit opus famam â—…serma suppetit actis The worke doth much outgoe the fame Nor can weake words the act proclaime And what cause have wee to glory in the nobility of our bloud when we come by it by the vertue of our parents For the first nobility had his beginning for some vertuous act or service done to his country who for his worthinesse excelling other men was by the people ennoblized had in estimation above the rest Which title for his sake descend to his
to what passe this matter would come the other fearing the rash presumption of their King because they could perceive by no reason how the knot should be undone The King also was doubtfull lest if hee should faile of his purpose it would bee taken for a token of his future evill fortune After he had considered the thing What matter is it quoth hee which way it bee undone and strived no longer to unknit it but presently drew his sword and cut the cord asunder thereby either illuding or fulfilling the 〈◊〉 of the Prophecie So happened it to the Philosophers in searching for the felicitie of man wherin they could find no beginning nor end but used reason as a sword to decide the difficulty of the question which was not the right way to find it out For in all their arguments and discourses there is no mention made of the will of God nothing spoken of the feare of God nor of the trust and confidence we ought to have in him In whom they that wil find true felicity must secke the beginning and end of the knot wherby to dissolve the difficulty of the question the right way and not by the sword of reason as the Philosophers did There is a great difference betweene the end and felicitie which is shewed to us by God and that which reason is able to comprehend For Christ sayth This is everlasting life to know God and Iesus Christ whom he hath sent that is to beleeve that for Christs sake the father forgiveth us and loveth us that he preserveth and justifieth us Therefore true felicitie consisteth not in any civill action but in faith and the knowledge of God through his holy spirit For we can doe nothing of our selves that is good in the sight of God but it must come by his holy spirit Saint Augustine sayth 〈◊〉 hee hath written some where that a man is just if hee live according to his best part but hee recanteth that againe and sayth that a man is not yet just if he onely live according to his â—…est part but if he bee governed by the holy Ghost For that sheweth us the corruption of our nature and by what actions and meaâ—… we may attaine to the true felicitie which by our power and reason we are not able to comprehend We may therefore reject the Philosophers opinions of felicitie which consisteth in morall vertues and civill actions of this life onely which small part of felicity men neverthelesse by those meanes are not able to attaine to For how can the Stoickes wise man account himself in happy estate though he be indued with a consummation of morall vertues if he live in torment and paine Seneca sayth Non sentire malasua non est hominis non ferre non est viri And in another place silence can not command pain sorrow They are goodly perswasions to excite men to vertue and to have the unfortunate accidents of the world in contempt But men are not made of iron or steele but of flesh and bloud which must feele of necessity the paines of torments except they be assisted by the spirit of God as was Sydrach Mysach and Abedâ—…ego in the firie furnace And they that live in paine cannot be sayd to be in felicitie for the happy man desireth not to change his estate with any man otherwise hee is not to bee accounted happy which is a thing in the highest degree of perfection But hee that suffereth pain and griefe would willingly exchange for another mans health and ease For if there be no pleasure nor delight in life but continuall paine and griefe death were to be preferred before it and to be desired more than life as the Poet sayth Vitacst quà m proxima letho Quà m meritò spernenda 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 que 〈◊〉 solasia nulla 〈◊〉 How neere is life to death and with what ease To be despised Did no vaine pleasure cease On our affections and no solace might Make these our grievous labours to seeme light But though the felicitie of man consisteth not in vertue nor in the action of vertue yet morall vertues so farre forth as they disagree not with Christian vertues may serve as instruments and means to helpe to the attaining that part of felicitie that is to be enjoyed in this life For by them the extremâ—…y of affections that would grow to an evill habit and be great hinderance to felicitie are qualified and reduced to a meane They either extinguish or suppresse or at least moderate by the rule of reason all vehement passions and perturbations of the minde by which men are as it were violently carried to the desire of sensuall pleasures of vaine glory of riches and such like capitall enemies to felicity By them men are taught to have all pompe and worldly vanities in contempt to have small estimation of those things which the common sort have in great admiration and to be content with that which is sufficient to supply the necessitie of nature Vertue sayth 〈◊〉 if there bee any at all hath all things under him that may happen to a man and despising them all he contemneth whatsoever chanceth to men and being unspotted he judgeth nothing to appertaine to him but himselfe It is a pleasant thing to behold and consider how reason hath found out what an excellent thing vertue is and how it is to be preferred before all pleasure and profit and that men ought not to digresse from vertue for any gaine or commodity whatsoever These perswasions were in the heathens that knew not God which wrought in them great effects Plato sayth if the sorme and beautie of vertue might bee seene with the eyes men would be wonderfully in love with her 〈◊〉 sayth vertue is more liberall than fortune She denieth nothing but that which would bee hurtfull being granted profitable being denied nor taketh any thing away but that which would be hurtfull to have profitable to lose Seneca to him that would know what vertues be in a man giveth this counsell When thou art desirous to looke into a man saith hee and to know what is in him strip him naked let him lay aside his patrimony his honour and other false shewes of fortune let him put off his body and behold his minde what manner of man and how great hee is whether hee bee great by his own or by borrowed ware Riches honor power and such like which in our opinion are of great price but of themselves vile and little worth seduce us from discerning the truth they have in them no great nor glorious matter whereby to draw our mindes to them saving that we have gotten a custome to wonder at them Whatsoever the common sort prayseth that for the most part is worthy of disprayse Aristotle likeneth the minde of a man to a smooth table that is not garnished with any figure but prepared by the painter and made apt to receive any kinde of picture eyther monsters
THe respect the Heathens had to the observation not of one or two but of all morall vertues may make Christians blush to thinke what observers they would have beene of Christian vertues if they had knowne God as we doe Zeleucus made a law among the Locrians that whosoever committed adultery should lose both his eyes it chanced that his sonne was condemned for that crime and determining that the penalty of the law should with severity be inst upon him yet being intreated by the earnest petitioÌ„ of the whole city who in as much as in them was for the honor and reverence of the father forgave the necessity of the punishment of the yong man first caused one of his own eyes and after one of his sonues eyes to be plucked out leaving sight to them both Thus though the rigour of the law was in a sort qualified yet the penalty thereof was by a wonderfull moderation of equitie sufficiently fulfilled dividing himselfe indifferently betweene a mercifull father and a just law-maker Charondas having pacified the seditious assemblies of the people and meaning to provide for the like in time to come made a law that whosoever did enter into the Senate with any weapon should presently bee slaine in processe of time it chauned him to returne to his house from a farre journey out of the countrey having his sword by his side and in the same sort as hee then was forgetting the law upon some present occasion hee went into the Senate and being admonished by one that stood next him that he had broken his owne law not so quoth hee but I will confirme it and immediately drawing his sword and turning the point to his brest hee fell downe upon it and slew himselfe I note not this example because I allow of the fact but that men may see how carefully the heathens observed justice and morall vertues which they preferred before their owne life for when he might easily have excused himselfe by haste and forgetfulnesse yet lest that might bee an occasion to some other with an evill intent to offend the law hee chose rather to warne others by his owne example Iulius Casar caused one of his Captaines to be beheaded because he had dishocoured the mistreste of the house where he lodged without staying for one to accuse him or for her husbands complaint Solyman Emperour of the Turks sent his Bassa into Valona to passe into Italy this man landed at the haven of Castro which so dismayed the inhabitants that they yeelded themselves to him upon his oath and promise that they should depart with bagge and baggage but contrary to his faith he caused them all to be slaine except such as were thought fit to serve for slaves After his returne to Constantinople the great being advertised of his breach of faith caused him to be strangled and sent back all his prisoners with their goods into Italy Among the rare examples of the Heathens we will recite a strange kind of severitie used by Christians out of the Histories of the Switzers The Switzers have a free common-wealth wherof they are very jealous There was a yong man among them that went about to usurpe the government and alter the state whom when they had condemned to death judgment was given that the execution should be done by his father as the cause of his evill education that hee might receive his death by the author of his life and that the father in some sort might be punished for his negligence used in the education of his child And these were notable examples of Iustice and policie used by the Emperours Trajan Antoninus Pius Alexander Severus and others worthie of consideration because the felicitie of Princes is said to bee in well governing their people For that common-wealth saith one cannot decay where the poore have justice and the wicked rich men punishment and especially if there bee good doctrine for the young and little covetousnesse in the olde In the daies of Trajan none that had charge of justice might augment his goods but in that estate of riches or poverty wherein hee beganne to governe in the same hee was to containe himselfe and to looke for reward at the Princes hand according to his merit Hoc deterius habet respublica quo magis res privatae slorent Hee also confidering the great impoverishing and tediousnesse that long suites brought to his people ordained that all suites of Italy should continue but one yeare and the suites of other countryes but halfe a yeare The Emperour Antoninus never sent any pretor to governe any Province that was wise and valiant onely but hee also must be without any infection of pride and covetousnesse For he thought that no man could well governe a common wealth that is subject to pride or covetousnesse Vnto Pretors Censors and Questors before he gave them any country to governe hee caused them first to give up an Inventory of their owne proper goods to the end that when their charge was finished the increase of their wealth should be considered And joyntly therewith he did both say and warne them that he sent them to minister justice and not by fraud to robbe his people The Emperours Valentiman and Theodosius tooke this order with Iudges governours of Provinces that they should sweare at the entring into their charge that they had not given nor promised any thing and that they would not give nor cause to be given any thing and also that they would take nothing but their fee. And if it were proved that they had taken any thing being lawfull for every man to accuse them they should pay foure times so much besides the infamie and perjurie and the like penaltie was against him that gave the present The Emperour Iustiman would say that all Iudges ought to contemne riches and to shew their hands cleane to God to the Emperour or King and to the law which is also to be understood of all Magistrates and governours It is unpossible saith one but the same day that riches treasures begin to increase in the houses of Magistrates and Iudges that the selfe same day the administration of Iustice should not decay And though he were ready to pardon all other offences yet in the executioÌ„ of justice he that did offend though the matter were not great he would with great severity punish him grievoasly Institia 〈◊〉 maxime reddunt dâ—…turnum 〈◊〉 When Augudus Casar sent a Governour into Affrica with the change of Iustice My friend quoth he I pat you not in trust with mine honour nor commit to you my justice to the end you should bee envious of innocents and an executioner of transgressours but that with one hand you should helpe to maintain the good and with the other hand helpe to amend the evill and if you will know what mine intent is I send you to bee a grandfather for orphants an advocate
the Cities and Countries were overwhelmed with murders and robberies unpunished that there was no order in governement neither respect to the law nor love to vertue and that a licentiousnesse addicted to all evill is spread throughout all the realme Now said they if you will turne from you the ruines that are prepared you must degrade and discharge a number aswell of your Prelates as of your civill Magistrates that are now established in your high Courts and punish them severely that have abused themselves in their callings and offices otherwise you cannot preserve your estate Then make inquirie in all parts where good and honest men doe dwell and replenish your counsell with them and God will bee there among them God is alwaies at hand with the just man and will rather bring to effect your enterprises by their hands whom he blesseth than by the subtill devices of prophane wise men whose labour he curseth it is very true that good men are not seene to walke in troopes by great companies yet let the torrent of corrupt manners bee never so violent the world was never nor will bee without some number of men of excellent vertue How many heroicall courages replenished with a holy magnanimitie and with an incredible valour be in the state of the Nobilitie and Gentilitie not these villanous blasphemous Nobilitie and Gentilitie but that which loves and feares God that never saw your Court but remaine in their houses without being imployed which kinde of men if they were imployed in your service would in a few moneths reforme all the ruines and disorders of the state But these men are not knowne but of God and of some good men King Boccas presented to the Senate of Rome these verses among others in reprehension of some disorders that were dangerous to a Common-wealth Wo be to that Kingdome where all be such that neither the good are knowne among the evill nor the evill among the good Woe be to that Realme where the poore be suffered to be proud and the rich to be tyrants Woe be to that Realme where so great vices be committed openly which in some other Countries they would feare to commit secretly But to returne to the Heathens And what an example of continencie or rather temperance for Plutarch saith Continencie is no vertue but the way to vertue that is temperance was shewed by Scipio being Generall of the Romanes Armie in Spaine when in the slower of his youth certaine beautifull young women of the Nobilitie were taken Prisoners and brought to him among the which there was a young virgin that was contract unto a Prince of the Countrey of Luccio of such a singular beautie and favour that whither soever shee went she drew all mens eyes to behold her Scipio committed her and the rest to safe custody with straight charge that no dishonour should bee offered them and sent for the parents and husband of this young virgin and after some comfortable words used to them hee restored the virgin to her husband undefiled in the same sort hee received her for the which he told him he would looke for none other satisfaction but that hee would bee a friend to the people of Rome And when her parents offered him a great summe of money in gold which they had brought for her ransome desiring him earnestly to accept it and affirming that they should take the receiving of that money for as great a pleasure as the restoring of their daughter Scipio seeing their importunacie told them hee would accept it and commanded them to lay downe the gold at his feete and calling the young Prince hee gave him this gold with his wife for her dower over and besides that which her parents had promised to give him The young man returned into his Countrey with his wife and gold in great joy and published every where as he went that there was a yong man come into Spain like unto the gods that overcame all with Armes with Courtesie and Liberalitie and within few dayes after to shew himselfe gratefull hee returned to Scipio with one thousand foure hundred horse Alexander the Great when hee had taken Darius mother and his wife prisoners a woman of singular beautie with divers other faire young virgins attending upon them was of that continency that he would not be allured by their beauties though in the flourishing time of his youth to offer them any dishonour but caused them to be kept safe from all violence and honourably used according to their estate The same Alexander having appointed on a time some woman to be brought to him after hee had looked long for her when she came to his bed side hee asked her why shee had tarried so long because quoth she I could no sooner steale from my husband when Alexander heard that shee was a married woman hee sent her presently away untouched because hee would not commit adultery Where shall we find such scrupulosity of conscience or respect of honestie among Christians that know the greatnesse of that sin and perill thereof as was in that heathen Monarch that commanded almost all the world and was subject to the controlment of no man and did forbeare onely for vertues sake It is true that the Poet saith Non facile invenies multis è millibus unum Virtutem pretium qui putet esse sui Mongst many thousands to finde one t is hard Who vertue makes the price of his reward Dionysius the elder hearing that his sonne who was to succeed him in his kingdome had committed adultery with a mans wife rebuked him sharply askt whether ever hee heard of any such act done by him No marvell quoth hee for you had not a king to your father No more wilt thou said Dionysius have a King to thy son if thou leave not these maners The tyrant thought his sonne worthy to be dis-inherited for committing adultery which now is an ordinary matter and accounted a pastime and play of the better sort Agapete said to Iustinian you are now rightly a King seeing that you can rule and governe your delights by wearing on your head the Diademe of temperance for it is a very great and princely vertue to rule himselfe and to beware of his affections the enticements of pleasures of fraud and of flatteries And where is there to bee found that faith and perfection of friendship a necessarie vertue and to bee imbraced of all men among us Christians in whom charity and love ought to abound as was betweene Damon and Pythias and divers other heathens Damon and Pythias were joyned together in such perfect friendship that when Dionysius the tyrant had determined to put one of them to death yet having obtained of Disnysius licence to go home for a time to set his things in order before hee should dye upon condition that his fellow should remaine with him to dye the death appointed to him if hee brake his day the
one departed homeward delivered of the danger hee was in the other consented to remaine as a pledge in captivitie that might have lived out of danger When hee was gone all men and specially Dionysius expected attentively what would bee the end of this strange and doubtfull matter When the day appointed for his returne was as hand and hee not come every man condemned the other of meere folly that so rashly would adventure his life upon another mans word but he assuring himselfe of his friends fidelitie told them plainely he repented nothing that hee had done nor had any mistrust in his comming the very same day and houre that was by Dionysius set downe for his returne his friend came the tyrant marvelling at their constancie and fidelitie pardoned them both and further desired them that they would accept him for a third person into the society of their friendship Ephenus having offended Dionysius likewise and being apprehended and brought before him and condemned to dye made sute to the tyrant for licence to goe home into his countrey to dispose of his things promising to returne to dye such a day Dionysius demanding a pledge hee delivered him his friend Everitus who boldly assented to bee his pledge and to suffer death if he returned not Ephenus departed and came againe at the day prefixed to the great admiration of all men and specially of Dionysius who pardoned them both such force had vertue to pacifie the rage of a cruell tyrant whose disposition enclined to no other thing but vice The performance of this friendship was joyned with honesty and discretion but this that followeth was more faithful than wise There were two Kings one of Denmarke the other of Suecia called Hading and Hunding that had promised such an assured friendship that whatsoever happened to the one the other would bee partaker of the same even to the death it chanced that a false rumour was brought to Hading that Hunding was slaine by treason hee beleeving the report to performe his promise invited his Nobilitie unto a banquet and in the middest of his Hall hee had filled a great deepe vessell with delicate wine and himselfe filled their cups and gave them drinke untill they were all drunke and they being fallen asleepe he threw himselfe downe headlong into the tub of wine and drowned himselfe which being knowne to the other King Hunding hee to performe his faith towards his friend in like sort assembled all his people together and in the sight of them all hanged himselfe Such faith as was between Damon and Pythias must bee sought for in some new-found land where swannes be blacke for it will hardly be found in the knowne world As the world declineth to old age and bringeth not forth his fruits with that vigour and vertue it hath done in times past so the vertue and goodnesse of men seemeth to decline from that of former ages and to waxe old and decay which was foretold in Esdras for the weaker that the world is by reason of age the more shall the evils be increased upon them that dwell therein for the truth is fled far away and lyes are at hand For there is so little heed taken and so small account made of morall vertues I will not speake of Christian vertues now adaies that the vices next to them are taken for the vertues themselves Fallit enim vitium specie virtutis umbra Cùm sit triste habitu vultuque veste severum Nec dubie tanquam frugi laudatur avarus Vice doth deceive us when she doth disguise Her selfe like vertue in sad shape and eyes Severe in life and gate Most certaine when The avaritious are call'd thrifty men They that be furious and passionate and quarellous are called stout and valiant men that stand upon their honour to live loosely and lasciviously abusing mens wives and daughters is called friendlinesse and courtesie they that bee ambitious and practise all unlawfull meanes to make themselves great in dignities are honourable and worthy men and meet for governement to be covetous and miserable is called thristinesse and good husbandry and these kinde of men call their like provident men to bee prodigall is called liberalltie and if wee shall runne over all the vertues and vices in this sort we shall see such a metamorphosis or transformation that it were sufficient to perswade us that the ages past have discharged all their malice into the age we live in as into a gowt or sinke to dissemble and deceive is now taken for wisedome or prudence a singular vertue which cannot bee dissevered from honesty plaine meaning One saith bee warie and circumspect how thou beleeve any thing these bee the sinewes of wisedome so as now we may say with the Poet nam fronte politi Astut am vapide servant sub pectore vulpens A crafty fox doth oft himselfe invest In a brow polisht and ill-tasted brest And he is accounted the wisest that can most artificially beguile which is the cause that Machiavell exalteth Duke Valentine the Popes sonne above the skies and calleth him the paragon of his time as he that in wisedome exceeded all the Princes of that age One cause of his commendation is this when hee perceived that for his tyrannous government hee was misliked of the nobilitie and that by open warres hee was not able to destroy them hee feined a desire to be reconciled and invited them to a feast for that purpose the nobilitie desirous of the Princes favour mistrusting no treason came to him to dinner where he entertained them with all manner of courtesie but under sweet flowers lurkes the serpent when he had dined his guard which hee had prepared before for the purpose tooke them aside and presently cut off their heads And when this newes was first brought to Pope Alexander his father hee smiled and said his son had shewed them a Spanish tricke Mali corvi malum â—…vum A bad egge of an evill crow I doubt there be too many Machiavillians that have his vices in more estimation than the vertues taught by Socrates Plato and Aristotle and carry his precepts better in memorie than the lessons of good and fruitfull Sermons and in their life more exactly put in practice his humanitie than Christian divinitie It may bee wished men were not so much Italianated whose habits many have gotten both of body and minde and are become as artificiall apes counterfeiting a formall kinde of strangers civilitie but that which some performe may rather bee called Divillitie They must dissemble cunningly promise liberally and performe niggardly give all and deliver nothing as one aptly expressing in himselfe the condition of many said I am all yours except body and goods which is now growne into a common proverb such friendship and courtesies are very usuall The Italian hath an old proverbe Inglese Italianato ediabele incarnato An English man Italianated is a Divell incarnated Our nation although
man cannot comprehend the lewd and wicked manners and customes that be in Rome ô cursed Rome cursed thou hast been cursed thou art and cursed thou wilt be as thou hast with tyranny made thy selfe Lady of Lords so the time will come when thou with justice shalt returne to be the servant of servants In the time of our forefathers all the youth did exercise themselves in armes now all their pastime is in courting yong women In times past when thou wert peopled with true Romanes and not as thou art now with bastards the armies that went out of Rome were as well disciplined as the Academies of Philosophers that were in Greece if the gods would raise up our forefathers againe either they would not know us for their children or else they would bind us for madmen A yong man told the Senatours that hee came out of strange countries onely to see Rome and now hee found Rome without Rome if my judgment saith he deceive me not either ye be not Romans of Rome or else this is not Rome of the Romans ô Rome if thou knewest truly the vertue of our forefathers and didst consider the lightnesse of us the day that they ended their life the same day not one stone in thee should have bin left upon another and so the fields should have savoured of the bones of the vertuous which now stinke of the bodies of the vicious that which our forefathers did fly from our vaine people in these daies run after Thus may yee see what accouâ—… wise men have do make of Italy the country manners which our Nation hath so great a desire to see and imitate for the Italians have drawne their viocs and evill manners from the Romanes being one natin as the Romanes brought them from other countreyes might not our forefathers have truely prophesied that when our nation became travellers into Italy our manners and conditions would be made worser might they not have said we shal then learn to speak much and performe little to know how to dissemble injuries and never to forgive them to bee very constant in hatred and very changeable in love friendship and out of other countries also other conditions worse than our owne is there a more unseemely thing for a man than quaffing and carowsing even to drunkennesse and to death which happeneth often Antiquity did so much detest luxuriousnesse gay clothes that at Thebes there was a pillar set up in the Church wherin was contained cruell curses against the king Menin that first invented a more delicate life And wil you see how odious this vice of quaffing drunkennes was to the old Romanes Plutarch reporteth that in the Senate of Rome there was an ancient man who made great exclamations that a yong man had so dishonoured him that hee deserved death when the yong man was called to his answer Fathers conscript quoth he though I seeme yong yet I am not so yong but that I knew the father of this old man who was a vertuous and noble Romane and kinne to mee And I seeing that his father had gotten much goods fighting in the warres and this old man spending them in eating and drinking I said to him one day I am very sorry my Lord and uncle for that I heare of thy honor in the market place for that I see done in thy house wherein we have seene fifty armed men here before in onehouse and now wee see an hundred knaves made drunke and as thy father shewed to all those that came into his house the enfignes he had wonne in the warres thou shewest them diverse forts of wines when the Senate had hear dihâ—… both speake they gave judgement that all the goods should bee taken from the old man a tutor provided to governe him and his house who should not give him one cup of wine because hee was noted of drunkennesse The old Romances so much detested this vice of quaffing and drunkennesse that when the Consull Lucius Pius was sent to make war upon the Sarmatians after a season a truce was made in which time the Consull made them a banquet and filled them so full with wine a thing which the Sarmatians above all things most desired that their Captaines yeelde themselves and their countrey into subjection of the Romanes After the wars were ended the Consull returning to Rome required the accustomed triumph which was not only denied him by the Senate but also by decree in recompence of his service his head was striken off and all his acts defaced and the Sarmatians set at libertie againe and freed from the subjection of the Romanes who would not winne kingdomes and countries by quaffing and drunkennesse but by vertue and valor The people of Brasill make a feast when they kill their prisoners and sit drinking three dayes three nights never leave quaffing untill they have emptied all their vessels every draught they drinke is of execeding great quantity and hee that holdeth not out to the end is accounted infamous and effeminate And seeing wee with so great liking imitate the Italians because we thinke their manners agree better with civilky them ours then contrariwise we should reject and concenâ—… the manners which are usuall among those barbarous Heathens that disagree with civility humanity Christianity Mens minds and desires are growne very variable and therefore their resolutions and labours very uncertaine but will yee see what the things be whereabout mens minds are most occupied in these dayes In getting of riches they care not how encreasing their possissions untill they know not when In setting out their bodies with they cannot tel what Carried away with pleasure they wot not whither Hunting after reputation they know not fro whence Seeking happinesse they cannot tell where Luxuriousnesse saith one and the intemperanese of meat and drinke is a flattering evill creepeth sweetly into mens minds but with these vices vertue is destroied the glory that hath bin gotten is turned into insamie the strength of the body and mind is weakned the laws of honesty are overcome neither can there bee any thing invented that is more lothsome hurtfull And as Valerius sayth it is hard for a man to know whether it bee more hurtfullto bee taken of his enemies or of those vices A poore table is the mother of health and a rich table the mother of diseases Ense caduns multi crapula sed perimit plures Many fall by the sword but more by surfet Sophecles said to one I esteeme thee greatly happy for thy life but the best is if thou hast never bin in a strange country The happy man indeed sayth hee will stay at home When I thinke upon Lycurgus laws I cannot but have the má in admiration that could so providently foresee the corruption of good simple maners by the intercourse with strangers for which cause hee did forbid trassique out of the kingdome or suffer strangers
whether it bee of poverty of heate of cold of whippes of stripes even before he can utter his conceit what other messenger or better t◅ouchman can he have of his miseries then his weepings cryings and sighes when hee hath disgested so many evils and come to bee seven yeeres old hee must presently have tutors and masters to instruct him in learning when hee is further growne and become a young man hee must haue reformers and masters more severe and sterne the better to tame and accustome the heate of these young folkes to labours that being done haire beginneth to cover his face and then he is come to be a man and yet this is the time that hee entreth into his trouble and vnquietnesse of minde Then he must frequent publike places he must haunt companies that be as touch-stones to know both good and euill If he be honourably descended from any Noble house he must take vpon him a thousand enterprises in the warres offer himselfe to an infinite number of perils hazard his life shead his blood to die in the bed of honour otherwise hee shall be accounted a carpet knight an effeminate man and had in contempt If he be of base condition and called to the exercise of handicraft hee must then also runne into a thousand labours trauels and perturbations both of bodie and minde hee must labour day and night to get wherewith to liue with the sweate of his browes and for the most part howsoeuer he imploy his labour and diligence hee can hardly provide for his necessitie But let us runne over briefely some of the principall estates or trades of life and see what opinion is holden of them and proue whether we can find any that are content with their estate but rather hath sometime or other found fault with it and hath beene weary thereof and wished for some other which is so farre from felicity that it ought rather to be accounted miserie Let vs beginne with sea-faring men who be in continuall perill both day and night their habitation is as a prison their manner of life is not much vnlike to the same they are alwaies as vagarants in continual exile for the most part without rest tossed vp and down with the wind and weather in danger of ◅ockes and to bee buried in fishes bellies Byas one of the sages of Greece doubted whether he should account these kinde of men among the dead or among the hu◅g and Anacharsis said that there was but two or three fingers breadth betweene them and their death meaning the thicknesse of the boords And though some become Masters of many shippes and are accounted happy by reason of their riches that way gotten yet that happinesse is not much to be regarded that hangeth vpon ropes And if we looke into the life of husbandmen which at the first sight seemeth pleasant quiet simple without guile and happy and such as Patriarkes and Prophets have made choise of as that which hath in it least fraud deceit and also great Emperours have forsaken their stately Palaces their Pompe and Dominion to give themselves to the planting of gardens and orchards yet he that will looke throughly into the matter shall find that among these roses there be many thornes for whē God cast man out of Paradise hee sent him abroad as an exile saying The earth shall be cursed for thy sake thou shalt eate thereof with travell all the dayes of thy life for it shall bring forth thornes and thistles and thou shalt eate the hearbes of the earth with the sweat of thy browes thou shalt eate thy bread vntill thou returne to the earth againe from whence thou camest and who hath more experience of that the Lord spake then those poore soules who after they have laboured in the fields day after day tilled sowed their ground endured the rigour of the heat and cold and sweat as it were water and blood in the middest of their hope to gather the fruites of their travell there happeneth vnseasonable weather ouermuch plentie or want of raine frost and snowe mildewes and such like Some lose their cattell other suffer spoile of their corne and all that they have long travelled for in a moment by men of warre even as they are labouring in the fields so that in place of comfort and rest he returneth home sorrowing where he findeth his wife and children weeping and lamenting for feare of famine so that this kind of life is full of trouble and vnquietnes alwaies in feare of some thing or other But let vs leaue the husbandmen in their labours and see what goodnes is in the trafficke of merchandize this trade of life if we looke into it superficially will seeme to bee exempt from all manner of miserie and vnhappinesse and to promise quietnesse and ease because of riches wherein it aboundeth a trade invented for the necessity of our life which many wise men as Thales Solon Hippocrates and others haue exercised and which nourisheth amitie and loue betweene Princes transporting their commodities from one countrey to another yet notwithstanding that trade cānot so be disguised with faire shewes but it will easily appeare to him that will enter further into the view of the matter how full of vnquietnesse and troubles their life is as the Poet saith Impiger extremos currit mercator ad Indos Per mare pauperiem fugiens per saxa per ignes To how many dangers they are continually subiect either in their own persons or in the losse of their goods both by sea and by land by tempests by pyrates and theeues and how great a part of their life many of them spend in strange countries differing nothing from exiles sauing that their banishments are voluntary and all this through an excessive desire of gaine which maketh them leave the pleasure and comfort of their wives and children of their friends and native countrey and what craft an epytheton peculiar to them in time past but now growne more generall and deceit is vsed of many of that trade their owne countrey proverbe seemeth to discover That there needeth nothing but to turne their backe to God a fewe yeeres and a little to inlarge the entrie into their conscience to make themselves rich and to overcome fortune But we will passe over many things that bee written and may bee said of them conclude with the words of Saint Augustine and Saint Augustine That it is hard for them to please God or duly and rightly to repent them of their sinnes But let us leave the Marchants in their accounts and see what happinesse is in the men of Warre who thinke themselves to exceede all others in worthinesse and honourable estate and therefore have this epytheton aptly given them Gloriosi milites glorious souldiers and yet not he saith one which leadeth his life in the warres but he that endeth his life well in peace winneth both honour in this life and also
perpetuall memory after his death these men lead a very painefull and dangerous life not onely by their enemies but by an infinite number of diseases that follow the campe they must suffer hunger thirst heate and cold winde and weather frost and snow they watch and ward and wake almost continually and when they sleepe they must take vp their lodging in the plaine fields at the signe of the Moone And this paines they take to embrue their hands in the blood of them for whose preservation Christ was contented to shead his own blood Lyons Beares Wolves and all other kinde of wilde beasts spare to exercise their fury vpon their owne kinde but these vse extreme cruelty and utter all their rage upon men that Christ dyed for as wel as for them not vpon the Heathens onely which were more tolerable And what be the fruits of these mens profession Beside their owne miseries which are many as the effusion of their owne blood and that of infinite numbers of innocents men women and children burning and sacking of goodly cities and townes spoyling and 〈◊〉 mens goods wasting territories and fields rapes upon matrones and virgins prophaning Temples and sacred places making men captives and slaues and to end in one word all manner of impieties and outrages that men can commit which is confirmed by the Poet Nulla fidesx pietasque viris qui castra sequuntur Venalesque manus ibi fas vbi maxima merces No faith no piety's in those That are of Mars his traine Their servile hands hold all as iust Where they can rub to gaine And when they returne from the warres many of the common sort that liued honestly before by want of discipline and good example get such licentiousnesse and dissolutenesse of manners that they become beggers or theeues and so lead end their liues in myserie of whom the Italian hath a prouerb Warres make theeues and Peace hangeth them vp The better souldier saith one the worse man but that wee may the better see what fruits spring out of this profession let vs produce some examples of the miseries and calamities that men haue suffered by the warres yet not of the great number of thousands of men that haue beene slaine in the field with the sword at one battayle or the goodly cities that have beene vtterly destroyed and made desolate for those examples be infinite but of some few that be more strange and not so common Iosephus reporteth that when Ierusalem was besieged by the Emperour Titus besides wonderfull things that the people suffred by the extremitie of famine as the eating of the leather of their girdles shooes targets and also of their old hay There was a rich woman had gathered together her goods into a house within the Citie and lived sparingly upon that she had left but the souldiers in short time tooke all away and she could no sooner begge a morsell of meat to helpe to relieue her but they would take it from her and deuoure it themselues at last seeing her selfe ready to famish she committed a horrible Act against nature shee tooke her childe that she had sucking vpon her brests O vnhappie child quoth shee but much more vnhappie is thy mother what shall I doe with thee in this Warre in this famine and among these seditious people If I should save thy life thou shalt live in perpetuall servitude with the Romanes come hither therefore my little wretch and serve thy mother for meat to relieue her and for a terrour to the Souldiers that haue left me nothing and for a perpetuall memorie of the miseries of mans life which onely wanteth to the calamities of the Iewes after shee had spoken these words shee killed the poore infant and put him vpon the broach and roasted him and ate the one halfe and laid vp the rest which was no sooner done but the Souldiers came into the house againe who smelling the sauour of the roasted meat threatned to kill her except shee brought it foorth Content your selves my friends quoth shee I have dealt well with you looke how I haue reserved the one moitie for you and therewith shee set the rest of her childe vpon the table before them The souldiers being amazed with the horrour of this lothsome spectacle stood silent unable to speake a word but the woman contrariwise beholding them with a sterne and sturdie countenance What now my friends quoth she this is my fruit this is my childe this is my fact why eate yee not I have eaten before you are ye more daintie or scrupulous then the mother that brought him foorth doe yee disdaine the meate that I have tasted before you and will eate the rest if yee leave it The souldiers were not able any longer to endure this lamentable sight but went trembling away leaving her alone with the rest of her childe In the time of Traiane the Emperour the Iewes rebelled in which Warres the Iewes not content to have slaine the Romanes but brought also their dead bodies to the shambles and there quartered cut them in pieces and sold them by weight and ate them with as good appetite as if they had beene Hens or Feasants and further adding one crueltie to another they brought foorth certaine Romanes which they had in prison and made wagers one with another a denier or a point to strike off the head of a Romane at a blow They would flay the Romanes quicke and tanne their skinnes for leather and further to disgrace them they would cut off their privie members and tosse them as a ball in the market place The Greekes and Romanes that were in all places slaine in these Warres were reported to bee fiue hundred thousand which cost the Iewes so deare that if the dead had beene living they would have thought themselves sufficiently revenged After the Emperour 〈◊〉 had killed his brother Geta and was in possession of the Empire the Praetorian souldiers finding themselves rich by the rewards of Bassianus and their enemies subdued went into Rome and entering into the houses slew all persons with whom they had any vnkindnesse and vpon wagers would kill a whole kindred vntill they had left no person in whom any remembrance might remaine The people of Numantia in Spaine were driven to such extremitie when Scipio besieged the Citie that they would hunt after the Romanes as men doe use to hunt after a Hare or Deare and eate their flesh and drinke their blood as hungerly as if it had beene Beefe or Mutton they would vowe to their Gods not to breake their fast but with the flesh of a Romane nor to drinke wine or water untill they had tasted of the blood of their enemies which they should kill so that none of the Romanes were taken prisoners but when they had killed any of them they would flay him quarter him wey him in the shambles and sell him more deare being dead then his ransome would yeeld being alive When
keyes when all their corne was consumed they made bread of straw cut in small pieces and stamped in a morter and of a kinde of tile-stones and when all these things were spent the rage of their hunger was so extreme that they ate the dung of beasts and also their owne excrements they would also seeke among the dung-mixens for the bones and hornes of beasts that had long lien there rotting and eate them greedily There were that would haue eaten the carcasses of dead men but being taken with the manner they were punished by the Magistrates and when they were driven to this extremitie that all manner of things that might bee eaten were almost consumed they cast out of the towne all those that were vnserviceable for the Warres who were without any mercie or respect of humanitie most cruelly with stripes and wounds by the enemie driven into the towne againe but the sight of the towne was so hatefull vnto them that many chose rather to suffer any extremitie then to returne thither againe and were slaine with their shot It was a lamentable sight to behold men women and children like a dried corse nothing left upon them but skinne and bone but nothing could moove the hard hearts of their enemies so as at last they were enforced to yeeld up the towne upon certaine conditions When the French King that now is and of Navarre besieged Paris of late yeeres the famine grew so extreme within the Citie that they fed vpon their Horses Asses Dogs Cats Mice Vine-leaves and after some Writers there died by famine above thirtie thousand persons and this lamentable History is also reported that a Citizen having nothing wherewith to feede himselfe his wife and his children not able any longer to endure the sight of this miserie nor to heare their lamentable complaints he first hanged vp his wife and his children and then himselfe But before this was done he tyed a writing to his brest declaring the only cause why he committed this act to be that hee was no longer able to endure this miserie and therefore hee prayed God that hee would forgiue him this fault In the same Warres besides a great many other cruelties which these kinde of men continually exercised they would roast their owne country-men whom they had takē by a gē◅le fire that they might suffer long torment before they died some they would kil with often little prickes and blowes with swords and daggers for their pastime Others they would hang up by the chin vpon pot-hookes and put a little fire vnder them that they might suffer a long and miserable death To others they would cut off their privie members and put them into their mouthes They would teare the Psalmes of David and other bookes of holy Scripture and thrust them into the wounds of dead men Such as would flie into castels when the towne was won and yeeld them selves upon condition promise to have their lives saved should be cast over the wals and their neckes broken their bones in such sort with the fall that streams of blood like little rivers were seene runne downe the castle There were that opened a mans brest and tooke out his heart and as they had often before wished did eate it up Another there was that hanged up his owne sonne others would open dead mens bodies and take out their intrals offring them in scorne to sell crying about the citie Who would buy a Hugonits puddings There were that cut off a mans eares and fried them in a frying pan and ate them sweetely and with horrible othes curses invited other souldiers to this banquet To be short they devised all the waies they could to put men to strange kinds of death and torments not vsuall Some they would burne others they would smother to death with smoke some they would drown others they would stone to death some they would cut into small pieces others they would bury aliue some they would take out of their graues cast thē to dogs to be devoured others they would famish for lacke of meate some they wold kil with cold others with very feare to some they plucked out their eyes others they would kill because they mourned for others calamities to bemoane and behold a wicked act with pitifull eyes was with them to commit wickednesse But this was not sufficient for them to rage and exercise barbarous cruelty against men women and children and those of their owne nation except they also had used intolerable blasphemy against God when they had an intent to commit some of these kinds of murders that one of them might know another their watchword sometime should be Three times I curse God And as they brake into a Marchants house where they found many bookes they made a fire in the midst of the towne and burnt them all sauing certaine Bibles which were very faire bound and set ou◅ them they fastened to the points of their halberts and carrying them about the towne in a tryumph they cryed out Behold the truth of the Hugonots hanged the truth of all the Diuels in hell and when they came to the bridge they threw those Bibles into the riuer crying Behold the truth of all the Diuels in hell is drowned The intent of these men was not to follow acitm counsell Bellorum egregij fines quoties ignoscendo tra◅sigitur The end of those wars are notable when peace is made by forgiuing And Cyrus King of the Persians was wont to say that the workes of humanitie and courtifie were much more pleasant and gracious then the workes of the warres for warre bringeth to men very much euill and humanity very many goods things These bee the fruits of this glorious profession which is exalted aboue all other estates of life and the manners of them that follow it but so far are these men from happinesse that if any estate be more vnhappie then others these seeme to challenge the vantgard But let vs license men of warre to follow their owne manners and to enrich themselues by violence with the spoyle of other men seeing it will be no better that wee may with more safety passe thorow their pikes to another sort of men whose profession neither alloweth war nor they will suffer men to liue in peace as though they were borne to this end neither to be quiet themselves nor to suffer other men who in a more civill sort not like a torrent throwing down all before them as the other doth but soberly like a consumption know how not with effusion of blood out of mens bodies but of money out of their purses to make their gaine much greater in few yeeres by peace without sheading their blood and endangering their bodies then souldiers can do by the wars all their whole life with the losse of their bloud and continuall hazzard of their persons and see what happinesse is in their life who now somewhere be the onely men that be reputed
friends which agreeth with Plinie that in the courts of Princes the idle and vaine name of friendship onely remamth In the courts of Princes I do confesse there is a conuersation of persons but no confederation of will For enmitie is holden for naturall and amitie for a stranger In Court the manner is whom they deprave in secret the better to deceive to praise them openly The Court is of such nature that they that doe most visit them the worse they intreat them and such as speake best to them the more evill they wish them They which haunt the Courts of Princes if they will be curious and no fooles shall finde many things whereat to wonder and much more whereof to beware And to another question whether the Court be deare or good cheape he answered Some things in the Court are at a good price or to say it better very good cheape that is cruell lies false newes unhonest women fained friendship continuall enmities double malice vaine words and false hopes of which eight things we have such abundance in this Court that they may set out Boothes and proclaime Faires In the Court saith he there be few that liue contented and many that be abhorred In the Court none hath desire there to die and yet wee see not any that will depart from thence In the Court we see many doe what they list but very few what is meete In the Court all dispraise the Court and yet all follow the Court and the fashion of the Court is if a man be in fauour he knoweth not himselfe and if the same man be out of fauour no man will know him This life at Court is no other thing then a languishing death a certaine vnquiet life without peace and principally without money and a certaine purchase of dammage and offence to the body and of hell to the soule which mooued one to say Excat aula qui vult esse pius It may be wished that the Spanish Court which he meaneth had a priviledge or speciall prerogatiue to vse these manners alone An Italian compareth the life of Courtiers with that of Sea-faring men saving that there is in them this difference that the Sea-man commeth to the end of his purpose by sayling well and the Courtier to his by doing ill Zenobia the noble Queene of Palmerines is reported to haue had a well ordered Court as appeared also by her answer made to the Emperour Marcus Aurelius who making warre vpon her offered her conditions of peace and demaunded her sonne to bee sent to him for a pledge I meane not to satisfie thy request said she for I heare thy Court is replenished with many vices where my Palace is furnished with sundrie Philosophers from whom my children draw doctrine one part of the day and erercife the knowledge of Armes the other part Of such men one thus noteth their nicenesse Horum aliquis vest is operosa tegmine cultus Molliter alivedem flectit sparsamque renodat Casariem laxos patitur flaitare capillos If these men would haue more respect to inward vertue and lesse to externe vanity and not be so curious in decking their bodies that they neglect to adome their minds nor to effeminate themselues to the delicitenesse of tender women but rather to foâ—…me themselues to the comelinesse of manly men for the outward habit of the body for the most part discouereth the inward disposition of the mind they might better find the way to felicity To him that slike is as cloth and gold as brasse it is no matter what vesture he hath so as accoram be observed for it is the minde and not the habite that giveth grace to a man and yet there may be betweene them and others a difference in habite and a respect had to the dignitie of the place and person pride and vaine-glory may be as well covered with base apparell as with gorgeous attire as appeared by the taunt which Socrates gave to Antisthenes the Philosopher for this man used to weare bare apparell as it were in contempt of the vanitie of gay garments and when he walked in the streets as he chanced to meete men hee would set out to the shew a hole in his cloke whose manner when Socrates had observed I see quoth he thy pride and vanitie thorow the hole of thy cloke Let us leave Courtiers entertaining their Ladies and follow other mens pathes in examining a little the estate of Princes for whom only in the judgement of men it seemeth Felicitie was created for he that considereth what the things be that bring a man to a quiet contented and happie life will thinke that fortune hath provided for them above all others most plentifully What maketh a man more had in admiration in this world then riches dignities dominions libertie to doe well or evill without controlment abilitie to exercise liberality to have the fruition of all manner of pleasures both of body and mind They have all things that may be desired for a mans contentment whether it be in sumptuous apparell and ornaments of the body or in the varfelicitie and happinesse which whosoever will onely consider superficially must needs confesse that they alone triumph ouer all those things which are the cause of other mens sorrow and trouble But if we will behold the matter neere hand weigh it in equall ballance we shall find that the same things which we think to be the meanes to attaine to felicity and to make them happie is the cause to many of their infelicitie and unhappinesse The danger they are in by the greatnesse of their estate and malice of their enemies seemeth to detract from their felicitie and giueth them just cause of suspition and feare It appeareth by histories that there were Emperours that durst not goe to bed untill they first caused their beds corners of their chamber to be searched for feare lest they should be slaine when they were asleep Were it not better said Inlius Caesar to die once then to liue in such continuall feare and suspition They command all and yet many of them seeme as though they were gouerned by one or two which is much disallowed of diuers State men And it is said in the Prouerbs that safetie commeth of many Counsellers and that good counsell commeth of God And the Philosopher aduiseth Princes not to commit all their matters to any one Counseller alone for no man can alwaies of himselfe rightly consider and know all things and in reasons that are contrary one to another discerne which is best and therefore he that followeth his owne opinion alone is rather accounted proud then wise Through such an opinion of his owne wisedome Lautrec is reported to haue lost the kingdome of Naples from the King his Master and all that he had in Italie because he would not aske nor follow the aduice of them that were wiser then himselfe The ordinary guard of
nine dayes shee would not liue her husband being dead but before her breath went out of her body shee commanded her buriall to be with her husband thinking it no reason to be separated from her husband whom shee loued so dearely either by death or by buriall Pâ—…rcia the wife of Brutâ—…s loued her husband so dearely that when she heard of his death her friends hauing taken away all yron from her fearing shee would kill her selfe for sorrow tooke vp quicke coales of fire and ate them as greedily as others cate meate The Lacedemonians had condemned certaine men to death and committed them to prison when the night came as their manner was in which they should be executed their wiues obtained leaue of their Keepers to come into the prison to them to take as it were their last farewell who changed apparell with their husbands and sent them away and stayed behind themselues to die in their places Theopompus a Lacedemonian in like sort being in prison changed his apparell with his wife and by her meanes escaped and left her in the same danger hee was in When the wife of King Admetus that was grieuously sicke vnderstood the answer of the Oracle to be that he could not recouer except one of his best friends dyed for him shee preferâ—…ing her husbands life by a rare example before her owne killed her selfe A woman called Pisca seeing her husband pine away daily through an incurable disease she perswaded him to asswage his paine by death offering her selfe to beare him company whereunto her husband agreeing they embraced each other and cast themselues headlong into the Sea from the top of a rocke Solacium est miseris socios habere paenarum It is comfort to the miserable to have companions in their punishment And the number of wives and husbands that happen to some argueth the happie estate of marriage who otherwise would be after Chylons opinion one of the Sages of Greece warned to beware by the first he accounted him a very foole who having saved himselfe from a dangerous Shipwracke by painefull swimming would returne to Sea againe as though a tempest had not power over all Saylers meaning that hee which was deliuered from his first marriage would prooue himselfe a foole to marry againe But St. Hierome reporteth that he saw at Rome a man that had had twentie wives marry a woman that had had two and twentie husbands And after great expectation of the Romanes which of them should over-live the other the woman dyed whereupon the men crowned him with lawrell and caused him in token of victory to carry a branch of Palme in his hand at his wives funerals And this was a notable example of loue shewed by women towards their husbands When the Emperour Coâ—…radus the third made Warre vpon the Duke of Bauier this Emperour hauing besieged the Dukes Citie very straightly a long time and would by no intreatie nor perswasions vpon no conditions bee remooued from his resolution vtterly to raze and destroy the Citie the Noble and Gentlewomen of the towne came foorth to the Emperour and besought him to suffer them safely to depart foorth of the Citie with so much as they could carry vpon their backes which at length beeing granted by the Emperour they returned and brought foorth vpon their backes the Duke himselfe and their husbands and such as had none their parents and children at the sight whereof the Emperour tooke such pleasure that weeping for very ioy he laid aside all his anger and fury and spared the City and entered into friendshippe with his mortall enemie Diuers like examples are registred in Histories and a great many things more may bee said in commendation of marriage But because the scope of our intent is to search whether there be any estate of life voide of those evill things that detract from Felicity which evill beeing granted there is no happinesse or felicitie in this life for one droppe of poyson spoyleth a great quantitie of good wine let vs see what evill is said to bee in marriage for among sweete and pleasant dewes there falleth many times sharpe stormes of hayle The Athenians accounted a wise and politike people perceiuing how hard a matter it was to frame a woman to performe the part of a good wife to her husband by meanes of the infinite number of occasions of strife and contention that would rise betweene them ordayned in their Common-wealth certaine Magistrates which were called Reconcilers to make atonement betweene men and their wiues The Spartanes had the like officers to reforme the insolencie of women and to correct and compell them to the true obedience of their husbands Gueuarra after hee had excused himselfe and refused to describe the particular fancies of women because they are without limit placeth the things that women most desire and wherewith they hold themselues best contented in these foure To be gorgiously apparelled to be esteemed faire to goe whither they list and that men beleeue what they say To contract matrimony with a woman saith he is a thing very easie but to sustaine it to the end is a thing very difficult For those that marry without any other respect but onely for loue leade their life afterward with sorrow But this sauoureth something of the Spanish humour For God neuer fayleth to blesse them with sufficient that ioyne themselues together and liue in his seruice and feare If thou marry a rich wife she will be proud and shee will esteeme thee rather as her slaue then her husband and it may happen thee to be ashamed of her kindred if shee be poore she will be contemned and thy selfe the lesse esteemed if she be foule and euill-fauoured thou canst not loue her if she be faire thou wilt be iealous of her and in danger to fall into an vnnaturall metamorphosis Fastus inest pulchris sequitur superbia formam Arrogancy is in faire ones And pride attends on beauty If she be of great parentage in place of a wife thou shalt haue a seuere Mistresse and Commander and in place of kinsfolke and friends by her thou shalt haue Masters if she be honest and chaste she will feare the contrary in thee and vexe thee so that wealth maketh a woman proud beauty suspected and hardnesse of fauour lothsome A great many examples may be produced of the euils that haue happened to men by women But because there is matter enough besides we will passe them ouer and shew onely what hath bin said of them by wise and learned men Hypponactus hauing had experience of the Martyrdome of marriage saith that there are but two good dayes in one marriage the one is the day of the marriage the other the day of the wiues death Because the first day is passed in feasting and pleasure and the marriage new and fresh and therefore pleasant as of all kinds of pleasure the beginning most delighteth sacietie of all
vlciscitur orbem The euils of long peace Now luxury is held w'indure Amongst vs raging worse then Warre To auenge the conquered world Philemon in his Comedie bringeth in a plaine Countriman that derided the Philosophers disputing vpon their Summum Bonum one placing it in this thing another in that according to the diuersitie of their conceits Yee mistake the matter quoth this homely fellow to the Philosophers peace is the thing wherein the felicitie of man consisteth for nothing is better nor more desired or pleasant that God hath giuen to men then peace Yet notwithstanding wee doe see that a long continued peace engendreth luxuriousnesse and intemperance whereof ensueth beastly drunkennesse and an infinite number of diseases both of body and minde that besides many torments hasten men to their end it encreaseth riches which bringeth foorth couetousnesse pride vaine glory and ambition whereof ensueth vncharitable contention by law and effusion of innocent blood by ciuill Warres to the vtter ruine and destruction oftentimes of many goodly Kingdomes and Common-wealths Which was the cause that mooued Scipio to disswade the Romans from the destruction of Carthage lest by liuing securely in continuall peace without feare of any enemie they should at the length turne their weapons to their owne bodies which came euen so to passe Lodouicus Guicciardine in his description of the Low-Countrey seemed to presage the fall of Antwerpe before their Ciuill Warres began by reason of their abundance of riches wherein they were thought to exceed all the townes in Europe and luxuriousnesse security of life by their long peace Which may be a warning to other countries that finde themselues drowned in the like vices Cato said that luxuriousnesse and couetousnesse were two plagues that ouerthrow all great Empires Cyprian findeth fault with the corruption of his time by long peace Idlenesse saith he and long peace hath corrupted the discipline deliuered by the Apostles euery man laboureth to increase his patrimonie and is carried away with an insatiable desire to augment his possessions What would he haue said of the couetousnesse and greedy desires of these dayes Many examples may be produced out of Histories of the ouerthrow of Cities and countries by the vices gathered by long peace Euscbius reporteth that the long peace and rest which the Christians enioyed from the persecution that was in the gouernment of the Emperour Aurelian to the raigne of Dioclesian was the cause that the Christians manner of liuing began to be corrupted so as many iniquities did grow presently and the former old holinesse began to decrease and such disorders and dissentions began to be mooued among the Bishops and Prelates that as Eusebius saith God suffered the persecution of Dioclesiâ—… to serue in place of reuenge and chastisement of his Church which was so extreme and bloody and full of crueltie that neither is it possible for a pen to write not tongue to pronounce it So that whether wee liue in the warres or in peace each of them hath in them their infelicitie Occidit ignavus dum pralia pace quiescunt The slothfull dyes whil'st warres sleepe in peace Now if wee should prosecute in a generalitie this discourse of the miseries of man as wee haue done of their particular estates how many kinds of paines and torments hee suffereth in this life and how many wayes and in what miserable estate hee commeth by his death wee should rather lacke time then matter to write of But to follow the course that we haue already taken in other things let vs of an infinite number of examples select some few What paines and troubles men suffer in this life in labouring to attaine to their desires something hath beene said before and more shall be said hereafter Likewise what miseries men haue suffered by the warres hath beene touched already Now resteth to speake something of the calamities that happen to men by diseases and accidents which bring them to their end whereof we will recite some few examples of those that be rare and somewhat strange But first wee will adde one more to that which hath beene spoken before of famine a most miserable plague and horrible kinde of death one of the whips and scourges wherewith God vseth to punish the sinnes of men In the fourth booke of the Kings mention is made of a famine in Samaria in the time of Helizeus which was in all extremitie and when all their victuals were consumed the mothers did eate their owne children insomuch that a poore woman made her complaint to the King seeing him vpon the walles that a woman her neighbour would not performe a bargaine made betweene them which was that they should eate her childe first which said shee vnto the King I haue performed for wee sod and ate my childe and shee presently hath conueyed away her childe and hath hidden him that I should not eate my part of him which when the King heard his heart was ready for griefe to breake and leape out of his body and hee beganne to rent his garments and couered his flesh with sack-cloth saying God make mee so and as followeth in the Text. CHAP. IIII. Of sundry sorts of plagues and pestilence and great mortalities The Iudgements of God vpon diuers euill men Of Popyelus King of Polonia and his Queene Arnolphus and Hotto Bishop of Ments c. Other strange accidents concerning Gods great Iustice. The miraculous effects of feare sorrow and ioy approoued by History The instability of fortune instanced in the story of Policrates King of Samos His daughters ominous dreame His great prosperity and miserable end That no man can be said to be happy before death Of the vaine trust in riches and of rich and couetous men Auarice reprooued and punished c. CRedible Authors report that in Constantinople there was a strange kinde of pestilence in such manner as those which were sick therof thought themselues to be killed by other men and being troubled with that feare died madde supposing men did kill them Thucidides reporteth that there was a corruption of the aire in Greece that infinit numbers of people died without finding any remedy and such as recouered health lost their memory knowledge so as one knew not another not the father his child Certaine souldiers that were vnder the Lieutenant of the Emperour Marcus Anthonius being in Seleucia went into the Church of Apollo where they opened a coffer thinking to find some great treasure but the contagious aire that came forth of it first destroyed a great part of the people of Babylon then it entred into Greece and from thence to Rome whereof ensued such a pestilence that it destroyed a third part of the people In France there was such a disease at Aix that the people would die eating and drinking many would fall into a frenzie and drowne themselues in welles others would cast themselues out of their windowes and breake their neckes The mortalitie growing
been said Man is immortall his soveraigne good or beatitude is not to bee had in this life but it is to bee joyned with God in heaven to which hee shall attaine if whilst he is here upon the earth he love and worship God with all his heart and bee obedient continually to his will But our first parent that was by nature free and capable of goodnesse revolted from God that is from his soveraigne good and by his rebellion was made a flave to sinne by means whereof he fell from God and from his beatitude And therefore except he find pardon by grace he is fallen into extreame misery which we call hell From this man wee derive our pedegree whose 〈◊〉 hath begotten our flesh and made us the servants of sinne as hee was made himselfe so that naturally we are to expect the reward of sin that is death for wee are heires to our father whose inheritance is death onely and damnation And we heape daily more coales upon our heads For no man performeth that to God which the law most justly requireth and therefore every one daily offendeth God many waies in thought word and deede so as they sinke continually deeper And against whom do wee commit these offences Against our Father our Creator that hath bestowed so many things upon us from whom we revolt to the deuill his enemy And as the offence doth multiply and encrease according to the respect of him against whom it is committed so doth the offence against his divine Majestie that is infinite deserve punishment In what case then are wee miserable creatures that dayly commit sinne upon sin except God himselfe discover some way how his justice may by satisfied and how wee may come into his favour againe In this distresse religion presenteth it selfe to us which sheweth us the true God But what is that but to present the guilty before the Iudge What doth religion then availe us It leadeth us to the Scripture which sheweth the expresse will of God to bee that we should love him with all our heart and our neighbour as our selfe and to them that obey his will he pronounceth eternall life to the disobedient eternall death Seeing the same Scripture sheweth that mankind is corrupted from the beginning and that all our imaginations and 〈◊〉 are wicked and seeing we all feele in our selves and in our members motions contrary to the will of God and therefore wee detest with horrour the botomelesse pit of hell But as this Scripture pronounceth against us our condemnation and a severe sentence of death so doth it also shew us a Mediator by whose helpe and meanes we may obtaine pardon and grace and be reconciled to God againe In which conjunction that beatitude and felicity may bee restored to us for which wee were created at the first And this is the third marke of the true religion for it is certaine that the religion which God hath so deepely engraven in our hearts is not in vaine Now he that will enter into himselfe and duely consider his owne insufficiency to performe the justice of the Lawe shall easily see how necessary it was for us to have a Mediaâ—…our to pacific Gods wrath and to satisfie his justice and how greatly we are bound to our Creator that would not reject or utterly destroy us as our demerits required but rather would leave us a meanes to returne into his favour againe without which wee must have all suffered eternall death and damnation which favour sheweth us plainely that as God is just so he is mercifull This Mediatour therefore must bee such as will not onely 〈◊〉 his wrath by fulfilling our obedience due to our Creator and purchase his grace and procure us his mercy but also satisfie his justice which is immutable And for as much as the offence is infinite and the punishment likewise being committed against the Creator which is infinite the satisfaction of the punishment must also be infinite If man should offer the world to God hee received it of God and by his owne fault hath lost it againe And seeing God made the world of nothing which must also have an end the world can bee no sufficient satisfaction for the offence that is infinite If man offer himselfe what doth hee offer but an unthankfull and rebellious mind blasphemous wordes and perverse deeds by which hee shall provoke the wrath of God and incense him the more against us If an Angell should intreat for us a creature will bee no sufficient Intercessor to pacifiethe the Creator and though hee bee good yet not being infinite hee cannot cover an infinite evill So that we must needs say that God must set himselfe between his justice and his mercy and that as hee created us at the first so he must new make us againe and as he created us in his favour so hee must absolve us from his wrath and as hee declared hi wisedome in creating us so hee must shew the same in restoring us But who then is that Mediator God against God Infinite against Infinite that can both cancel that infinit obligation satisfie that infinite punishment It is even Iesus Christ the only Sonne and wisedome of the eternall Father both God and man A man that he may be borne under the law God that he may fulfill the law a man that he may serve God that he may redeem a man that he may submit himselfe with all humility God that he may submit himself above all things a man that he may suffer God that he may overcome a man that he may die God 〈◊〉 hee may truimph over death It is also necessary to our salvation that our Mediatour be a man that he may suffer punishment for our sins and reconcile mankinde to God againe For except he were descended of the same kinde we are wee could not bee partakers in any sort of him nor he of us so should his satisfaction merits appertain nothing unto us therfore it is requisit that he should be borne of our progeny that he may be flesh of our flesh bones of our bones that as we be all in Adam the servants of sinne so we may be in the Mediatour free and discharged of the reward of sin that is from death againe he must overcom sin he must be without sin and because he must make us cleane he must be without spoâ—… for we are conceived in iniquity borne in filthiness and corruption insomuch that as it is necessary he should be a man so it is requisite hee should bee conceived in another sort than after the manner of men And after so many great miracles which God hath wrought we need not wonder at this that 〈◊〉 was conceived of the holy Ghost and brought forth by a Virgin Hee that could draw out a woman from a man without a man could also bring forth a man from a woman without a man Many things seeme unpossible if
at 〈◊〉 if forthwith hee give us not what we desire For he refuseth not to heare us that he disliketh us but because hee will convert it into a better cause Hee knoweth what hee doth and wee understand it not He knoweth what he doth deny but we know not what we aske hee measureth all things with reason and we but with appetite Hee denyeth that which is hurtfull to us and granteth that which is profitable wee ought on him only to depend Qâ—…icquid facimus venit ex also To whatsoever we our selves apply Or doe or suffer all comes from on high A young sicke child seeth an Apple in another mans hand and desireth it but the parents denyeth it him or taketh it from him knowing it hurtfull A farre greater or rather incomparable proportion is there betweene the wisedome of God and that of men than is betweene the reason and knowledge of a child and that of a man For wee are as young children and sicke our nature beeing corrupt in respect of the exact knowledge and perfect wisedome of God And therefore he only knoweth what is good and meete for us A learned Heathen saith I see that my selfe oftentimes do things wherein my servants are blind and conceive no reason and little children will cast into the fire 〈◊〉 of great price and their fathers writings of great learning and wisedome for that they are not of capacitie to understand the value and worthinesse of the thing Let us leave then to set our joy in vanities and unsatiably to desire these worldly things that men have in such estimation and if they happen to us let us apply them to such uses for which they were of God ordained to serve our necessity and lift up our minds and 〈◊〉 by Christ to those heavenly joyes where our minds will be fully satisfied Non habit at templis manuum molimine factis Omnipotens The Omnipotent dwelleth not in temples made with hands And not to feare the losse of worldly things which unquieteth the wisest nor death it self which is terrible to all seeing death is not the destruction of the body but a renewing of it nor the extinguishing of nature but a steppe and gate towards the other life and the first passage to the heavenly Kingdome and entrance to eternity For hee that made all the world of nothing without the helpe of any matter can easily repaire and renew that which is fallen to decay Hee that made the body of man without any labour of nothing it is much easier for him to raise him from death and give him life againe not of nothing but of the like matter that is agreeable with his substance which is turned into ashes or by some other meanes is resolved into the ayre For as the Artificer that casteth mâ—…all can repaire or new make his worke that is broken or bruised of the same matter and give it a better forme so God will rayse up the resolved into dust in his due time and call him to life againe in the very same forme he was before but without any earthly mixture and uncleannesse And if wee marvell at an Artificer for some notable painted table or any other thing that is excellently well handled as was that of Gaditan wherin hee set forth exactly the historie of Livie how much more ought wee to wonder and reverence him that hath set before our eyes and presented to our mindes so many marvellous things which can neyther bee numbred nor by reason comprehended For to prove the renewing of mans body by the least things of nature A Grasse-hopper when hee is old casteth his skinne and becommeth new and lusty againe A Canker becommeth a flying Butterfly An Ant a Fly with wings A Silke-worme reviveth againe being dead The Phenix that riseth againe out of his ashes sheweth an example of our resurrection That which is in nature to lay the corne which men sow covered in the ground the same is in the resurrection to bury the body that which is there to spring up againe and grow into a lively stemme the same is a man to revive againe And as the seede or corne laide in the ground putrusieth and is turned into another forme or thing than it was before and afterward being sprung up becommeth the same thing againe so happeneth it to man that being buried putrifieth and is turned into another thing and yet afterward riseth againe and becommeth the same he was before And though the body bee put into the ground diversly affected and subject to putrifaction yet hee shall revive and rise againe with a lively countenance cleansed from all the defects and corruptions of nature A sicke man that is vâ—…xed with a grievous disease his colour is gone he looketh pale sallow and wanne his body is become so leane and bare like a dead carkasse and the vitall moysture of his body so consumed that he cannot be knowne to bee the same man but after hee hath received apt and appropriate medicines and used a wholesome diet hee receiveth his health againe his colour is come to him he is faire and fat and lusty as at any time before So in the resurrection the same body shall rise againe but more gorgeously in whom shall appeare nospot nor signe of the former corruption This example was first begunne in Christ who in nothing shewed his divinitie more effectually than by the tryumph of his resurrection the same things by his vertue shall happen to all men As St. Paul saith They that fall asleepe in Christ shall bee raised againe by the word of God and shall with him for ever and ever have the fruition of him and his joyes And as by the opinion of learned men one starre is more bright than another so will there be like difference in mens minds and one 〈◊〉 will be more glorious than another For as much then as our felicity and soveraigne good or beatitude is to be joyned with God in heaven from whence we are fallen by the transgression of our first parent and the way to return to him againe is true Religion which teacheth us to worshippe and serve the true God by his owne word and appointment and sheweth us our Mediatour Christ Iesus who onely can reconcile us to God againe let us reject all other religions and inventions of men as superstitious and idolatrous and all other mediations and meanes of reputed reconciliations and submit our selves wholly to the mercy of God by our Saviour Christ Iesus and cleave only to him who is able and will bring all them that with a right faith beleeve in him into Gods favour againe with him to enjoy our 〈◊〉 good and beatitude in his heavenly kingdome to which place God grant we may all come Now to conclude this discourse with a briefe repetition of the summe of that which hath bin said It appeareth by many reasons and examples that the felicity of man wee seeke for consisteth not
to the contrary side that at last he may come to the meane be made streight and brought to his right place This fruit men may reape by this discourse that are not wholly drowned in worldly desires When they have compared the counsels sayings of wise and learned men with those of the vulgar sort they shall perceive themselves as it were awaked out of a long slumber and plainely see that by corrupt judgment following the trace and course of the world yeelding to their owne motions and desires and suffering themselves to bee overcome with their affections and cupidities they fall from happinesse they seek after into felicity and misrie But in so great diversities of mens inelmations it is not possible that any one thing can please or profit all men As some are given altogether to serious matters so others delight in pleasant fables and Poeticall figments every man according to his humour as the Poet saith Digna suo quaris â—…ond things please fools men for such junquets call As taste them best one pleasure likes not all I tooke the matter in hand for my owne exercise and pasttime and have handled the same according to my talent but not with that diligence I must confesse as I ought intending to have it seene only of my selfe and some of mine And if I have written any thing overmuch philosophically that dissenteth from the true professed Religion as in so spacious a field and such insufficiencie of my selfe I may easily wander out of the right path I submit my selfe and that I have written as becommeth a Christian to the censure of the Church of England which I acknowledge and assure my selfe to be a member of the true Church of Christ. FINIS ¶ The Contents of the first booke of the Treatise called Summum bonum OR The Felicitie of Man CHAP. IIII. THe assertions of sundry heâ—… Philosophers concerning the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 1. Since 〈◊〉 fall all things made to obey us rebell against us 3. No 〈◊〉 felicity is in mans power to 〈◊〉 unto ibid. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Angles 〈◊〉 men 4. The fall of Lucifer and his Angels 5. The 6. 〈◊〉 Catena or the golden chaine ibid. The great mercy of the sohne of God ibid. Christ 〈◊〉 the Father concerning man 7. The malice of the Divell ibid. No felicity but in the Sonne of God 8. How good men differ from the wicked 9. Three things wherin morall men imagin true felicity to 〈◊〉 10. No felicity in pleasure 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 observed 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Storie of 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Monarch of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of 13. raine of the first 〈◊〉 15. The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Rome ibid. pride 〈◊〉 17. His prodigality vanity folly 〈◊〉 18. His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 19. Of the Tyrant 〈◊〉 ibid. His wonderfull Palace 20. His ridiculous prodigality ibid. His Luxury and too late Repenâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The power of fate according to 〈◊〉 22. His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 24. The Riots of 〈◊〉 Emperour of Rome Cap. 2. pag. 24. The excesse of Peter Raure first a Friar and after Cardinall 25. Of Muleasses King of Tunis ibid. Against voracitie and immoderate drinking ibid. King Edgars limitation for drinking 26. Of three quaffers in Germany ib. Of a drunkard in the City of Gâ—…unt 27. The Iearffe a beast of â—…utela an embleme of gluttony 28. Of 〈◊〉 29. A 〈◊〉 amongst the â—…gyptians 30. A 〈◊〉 spirit repeated of by 〈◊〉 ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Alexander 31. ibid. His murder 32. Of King 〈◊〉 and Proxaspaâ—… his Secretary ibid The miserable death of K. 〈◊〉 who dyed in wine 33. Drunkennesseâ—…xed ibid. Mischiefes 〈◊〉 from drunkenesse 34. The Temperance of Cyrus 34. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the former times 35. The delicacie of Romane 〈◊〉 The Bishop of Magdeburg dyed dancing ibid. Rape the subversion of Kingdoms ibid. The death of Lucretia the Roman Lady 42. Appius Claudius and Virginius 43. The end of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 45. Of Aâ—…hony and Cleopatra 46. The death of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The death of Cleopatra 50. Of 〈◊〉 King of Spaine and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. The lust of 〈◊〉 Cardinall of Este Cap. 4 pag. 51. 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 foolish 〈◊〉 52. Of Pyramus and Thisbe ibid. The folly of a French Gentleman 〈◊〉 The strange death of a young man in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of 〈◊〉 King of 〈◊〉 ibid. Of two Gentlemen 〈◊〉 alive ib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love to 〈◊〉 54. King 〈◊〉 love unto a Plane tree 55. Of lecherous 〈◊〉 their holes and 〈◊〉 ibid. A strange thing of Sir 〈◊〉 Priest and one Lysetta pag. 57. The shamefull lust of 〈◊〉 favorite to the Tyrant 〈◊〉 59. Incestuous love in 〈◊〉 sonne to King 〈◊〉 61. A cunning Physitian 62. A godly meditation of St. Bernard ibid. A strange accident hapning to the French King Charles the sixth 63. Vâ—…ine curiosity in the Emperor 〈◊〉 64. Three things that change 〈◊〉 and conditions 65. A prudent law amongst the Romanes ibid. Three things that hasten a 〈◊〉 end ibid. A dehortatory from taking delight in pleasure ibid. That in pleasure can be no felicity 66. The Contents of the second Booke CHAPTER I. MAns felicity cannot consist in Riches pag. 68. Lycurgus banisht coyne out of his Kingdome ibid. Iron more usefull than gold 69. Sufficiency preffered before excesse ibid. The Temperance of King 〈◊〉 70. Of ptolomy King of Egypt ibid. Health preferred before wealth ibid. Riches an hinderance to felicitie 71. Content not to be purchased with coyne ibid. Socrates Diogenes and 〈◊〉 opinion of riches rich men 72. Of rich Gygâ—…s King of Lydia and poore 〈◊〉 ibid. The situation of Delphos and who first dedicated the Temple to Apollo 73. Their death 74. The oracle told many things truly 〈◊〉 The Divell defends his Temple against 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Persia 75. The sacriledge of King 〈◊〉 76. The rich Church of Tholosa with the defeat of Cepio's Army ibid. Of a Temple in Morocco 77. The inhumanity of 〈◊〉 to purchase gold ibid. Queene Dido casts her gold into the sea 75. The building of Cartiage and the death of Queene Dido 79. The death of 〈◊〉 Q of 〈◊〉 ib. A strange stratagem of Helena Queene of Russia pag. 79. Of the Emperour Trojan and King Decebal 80. The death of Henry the seventh Emperour ibid. A rich Citizen of Venice and 〈◊〉 King of Gothland slaineby their sons to possesse their gold ibid. Strange Tyranny of Vespitians Souldiers practised upon the Iewes 81. A strange plot to kill the great Turke in his Tent to gaine his treasure Cap. 2. pag. 82. The death of 〈◊〉 Captaine of the enterprise ibid. Of Casar Borgias who poysoned the Pope his father with wine prepared for others 83. King Croesus of Lydia deluded by the Oracle 84. No man happy till after his death 85. The honour which Gyrus did to Croesus 86. Of King 〈◊〉 of Lydia and 〈◊〉 87. Gyges murthereth the King and marrieth the Queene 88. The death of Crassus the rich Romane ibid. St. Bernards invective against the pride of the Clergie ibid.
felicitie of this life and the future 371 The first step to felicity 372 Timon of Athens 〈◊〉 373 Timons death and Epitaph c. 374 A meditation of Marcus Aurelius c. 375 David Esay and Salomon upon the same 376 Plato of the estate of mans life 377 The estate of a seafaring man 378 The estate of an husbandman 379 The condition of a Merchant 380 The estate of a Souldier 381 Of sundry calamities incident to the warres 382 Of the famine in Ierusalem 383 Inhumane cruelty in the â—…ews 384 Barbarous cruelty in the Numantians 385 〈◊〉 conquer'd by Scipio 386 Of Hading King of Danes and vsfo King of Suecia ibid. The miserable extremities of famine c. 387 The insolencies of war c. 388 The siege of Sanserra 389 The siege of Paris 390 Barbarous inhumanity in souldiers 391 Blasphemy inhumanity against God 392 The estate of a souldier truely deciphered 393 The estate of the Lawyer 394 A difficult Law-case 395 The miseries of the Client c. 397 Lawyers and Physicians banished 399 Lawyers and Physicians have one common ayme 400 Lawyers are necessary evils 401 The Lawyers penance c. 402 CHAP. II. The estate of â—…udges and of Magistrates pag. 403 The poverty of 〈◊〉 generall to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 404 Charg that belongs to 〈◊〉 405 A dialogue betwixt a Philosopher and Iustice 409 The Senators of Athens heard causes only in the nights 410 The estate of a Courtier 411 How farre their estate differeth from felicity 412 The manner and fashion of the Court what 's cheap in it 413 Queen Zenobia's answer unto Marcus Aurelius Emperour 414 The estate of Princes 415 Their supposed Felicity cause of their unhappinesse 416 The history of Cleandor under the Emperour Commodus 417 The history of Planitanus under the Emperour 〈◊〉 419 Too much grace often begetteth ingratitude 420 The great care that belongeth to Princes 421 CHAP. III. The estate of Prelates 422 Pope Adrian concerning Popes Bishops 423 A Citizen of Romes bold speech to Pope Innocent 424 The Archbishop of Salisburg of the government of the Popes 426 St. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. 〈◊〉 of their pride avarice 427 Of the ambition and 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 430 Gregory the great 432 The charge of the Clergy with the estate of Friars c. 433 Diversity of sects begetteth Atheisme 434 The estate of mariage 435 A loving Husband exprest in a Neapolitan 436 Examples of conjugal love c. 437 A man that had had 20. wives marrieth one that had had 22. husbands 438 Of a most remarkeable pieticibid Inconveniences that belong unto mariage 439 〈◊〉 concerning women ibid. 〈◊〉 of mariage 440 The trouble of children 441 A disputation betwixt Tbales and 〈◊〉 concerning mariage 442 Of needlesse jealousie 443 Pleasant and witty husbands ibid. The time seems tedious spent with a bad wife ibid. Xantippe the wife of Socrates 446 Of a Law observed amongst the Massagates ibid. The witty answer of woman 〈◊〉 to his mother 448 The counsell of 〈◊〉 in the choyce of a wife 449 Metellus the 〈◊〉 concerning mariage 450 The witty answer of a woman to her jealous husband 451 The opinions of divers concerning mariage 452 Felicity consists not in mariage 452 The effects of peace the mother of idlenesse 453 Peace the mother of persecution 454 Of calamities hapning by diseases and other accidents 455 CHAP. IIII. Of sundry kinds of pestilences 456 Three hundred several diseases belonging unto man 457 Gods judgment on Popielus 457 Vpon the Emperour Arnolphus and Hatto Bishop of Mentz 458 Of Harold king of Denmarke and 〈◊〉 459 The history of an Archbishop of Mentz called Henry 460 Three fearful judgments strange stories to the same purpose 461 The dreame of Atterius 〈◊〉 462 Examples of feare and joy ib. Examples of sorrow the strange effects of joy 463 Of barbarous cruelty and extream tyranny 464 Necessary considerations of the miserable condition of man 465 Of the generall judgment and the account of Lawyers Iudges and Souldiers 466 The account of Vsurers 467 Of imaginary felicity 469 All Felicity depends upon God 472 Of two sorts of ends precedent subsequent 473 Earthly felicity is only in name 474 Foure things that are not to bee bought with gold 475 That no man lives contented with his owne estate 476 No prosperity but attended by adversity 477 Of Amasis King of Egypt and Polycrates King of Samos ibid. No man happy before his death 479 Foure sure Anchors to trust unto 480 The joyes of the future life the true beatitude 482 The contrarietie of mens inclinations 483 The use of Gods afflictions 484 What gratitude we owe unto God 486 The counsell of David to salomon and Tobit to his sonne 487 How to examine ones selfe to finde whether we be happy or not 488 The vanity of feare 489 Diogenes concerning patience 490 The benefit of a quiet and contented minde 491 Of a limitation for pleasures 492 Riches in poverty and povertie in riches 493 The Avarice of King 〈◊〉 and Pitbens 495 Richest men the greatest slaves 497 No true Felicity can consist in riches 498 Saint Gregory and others of riches and povertie pag. 499 CHAP. V. The modesty of c. 500 The contempt of honour in 〈◊〉 pompus agesilans King of Sparta c. 501 Honour an hinderance unto Felicitie 502 The best riches not to fall into povertie 503 The great moderation of King Calvicius 504 Three kinds of men in every common-wealth 505 Plato's dialogue of Socrates and another 507 Death no way terrible unto a godly Christian 508 Of the women of Narsinga and India 509 The contempt of death in the people of the mountaine called 〈◊〉 510 Charles the fifth his preparation to death 511 Things above the power of fortune 513 Pride and vaine-glory beget confusion 515 The greatest part of felicity consisteth in the mind 516 Our life compared by Plato to table-play 517 Moderation to be used in prosperitie and patience in adversity 518 False felicity consisteth in 5. things 519. The gifts of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are used or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The necessity of industry industry Of wisdome and a wise man 603 The ignorant live with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 604 Empire maketh men monstres 606 The Princes Court a Theatre 607 The expression of a good King 608 The counsell of a good King 609 Truth necessary to bee whispered in Princes cares 611 The education of the Persian Princes 612 The Courts of good Princes are schooles of vertue 613 Whom good Princes should 〈◊〉 their familiars 614 Gifts ought to bee given onely to the worthy 615 The Majesty of God honoured in the Prince 617 The office of a Prince 618 CHAP. VI. The felicity of the mean estate 619 Good fortune the greatest riches 621 Concerning law-suites 623 Three things to be avoided 624 Three things to bee practised 625 To beget commendable envie 626 Who it is that may bee esteemed happy in this world 629 Man participates both of
Good counsell of a friend A strange chance Fortunes inconstancie An ominous dreame No man happy before death Foure sure Ankers A proper application Necessary obseruations So many heads so many minds Iob. Seneca Seuerall dispoâ—…tions in children Note Caluin Reason is concraâ—…ed by will Our gratitude that ought to be to God Meanes that ought to be â—…cd To examine our selues The wrong way Seneca The vanity of feare Simile The benefit of a quiet and contented mind Things necessary to nature A limitation for pleasures Auarice neuer satisfied Senec. Sentence Xen. The best riches A riches in pouerty A pouerty in riches Of Midas and Pythius â—…neu Eccle. Extreme couetousnesse worse then extreme pouerty Richest men the greatest slauâ—… Riches in themselues neither good nor euill Similies No true felicity in riches Aust. A Princely modesty The best in a geâ—… Honor an hinderance to 〈◊〉 Clâ—…ud A companion â—…cellent modetation A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Three kinds of men in euery Common-wealth Proper 〈◊〉 Ign. Wherein happinesse most consisteth Sâ—… A dialogue Prouidence requisite Necessary obseruations Death not terrible to a good Christian. The women of Narsinga Valer. Max. The women of India Casar Necessary meditations of death Charles the 〈◊〉 Euery man is his owne greatest enemy Note A true saying Things abouâ—… the power of fortune The effects of vertue Things most pleasant in mans life â—…olly Magistrates cald Prâ—…gadi Pride and vain glory beget confusion The greatest part of felicity consisteth in the minde Note A comparison Ecclesiast A necessary obseruation Three principall impediments False felicity consisteth in fiue things * 〈◊〉 A simile The vse to be principally obserued The lesse mony the lesse care Strange but most true The necessity of industry Alex. Scucrus A wise man The ignorant liâ—…e with the least trouble The best wits haue not the soundest Iudgements Of Kings and Princes Empire maketh men monsters Profitable obseruations The Princeâ—… Court a Theater Quiequid deliraâ—…t râ—…ges 〈◊〉 Achivi All cstateâ—… strive to imitate their Princes The expression of a good King Note Proverbs Aâ—…iani The counsel of a good King Siâ—…con Who is an happy Prince Seneca â—…alust Epiâ—… Cur. Cap. Truth necessary to be whispered in Princes cares Simeon Truth scarce in Princes Courts The education of perâ—… Princes Good Princes court schooles of vaâ—…ue Whom good Princes should make â—…heir familiars Rare luâ—…ice Gifts ought to bee given ouely to the worrhy A wittie courtier or cunning begger The maje of God honoured in a Prince The felicity of the moan estate Note Troubles of this life Good fortune the greatest 〈◊〉 Good same the greatest losie The best bravery Marius Eras. Moral principles oncerning law suits The way to purchase quicnâ—…sse Non videmus id manticae quod in tergo est Three things to be avoyded Three things to be praâ—…sed Wholesome counsell Of envie To 〈◊〉 commendable envie Imitable precepts A manifest signe to bee out of Gods favour Necessary parsimony Who is happy Vnnecessary sorrow Creature intermediate A third sort of men No man contented with his estate Horace Ou. Gu. No one man can enjoy all things Octav. The end which all men should ayme at Plin. Friendship The commoditie of poverty True friendship doubles prosperitie proverbs â—…sops fable of the Lark Alexander and Ephestion Chuse welwillers rathe than friends How to chuse or retuse No friendship to bee made with the covetous man Custome amongst the Romans The application Manutan The change of times Learned Emperours Queene Elizabeth Simile One thing spoke another practiâ—…ed Prophane 〈◊〉 A fearefull eclipse Guev The foure Ages The wickednesse of these times â—…e Sinne in the height â—…punubed 〈◊〉 An Atheisticall answer Chastisement necessary The way to injoy happinesse What prouidence is to be used Manâ—… regeneration Man before his fall Mans fall Mans alteration after his fall Man of more dignitie than the world The corruption of mans nature The terrour of the conscience A Parricide The soule opposite to the sinner of the flesh Comparison Mâ—… 〈◊〉 of the nature of beastâ—… Mans senses over-rule hiâ—…reason Mor. Note Man onely Needfull conâ—… Why God suffereth evill Pride the fall of man God the only Summum bonum The meanes to escape these dangers into which wee are fallen God the end of his own Works A Siâ—…tude The application A necessary distinction An apt similitude The facuâ—… of the soule The Vegeraâ—…ve The sensitive The understanding Nothing certaine in philosophy Our greatest knowledge meere ignorance Secrets in nature A minore ad maâ—… Faith The Philosophers concerning beatitude Christian considerations The way to recover our losse Invocation Humility Religion All â—…tion acknowledge a God All true vertue grounded on religion and godlinesse True religion to what it 〈◊〉 A gainst prayer 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 A second marke of true religion A third marke The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worshipped the true God Damasco the 〈◊〉 habitation of 〈◊〉 The Bible 〈◊〉 the true 〈◊〉 of God Religion leadeth us to the scripture 〈◊〉 The necessity of a Mediatiur Who and what the Mediator is 〈◊〉 Submission the only way to obtaine pardon The temptations of the Devill All goodnes 〈◊〉 in Action Charity allied to Religion A 〈◊〉 wisdome Make you friends of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The weaknesse of mans nature Gregory No greater temptation than not to be tempted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A comparison Examples to confirme our 〈◊〉 The Sonne only can reconcile us to the 〈◊〉 The Conclusion of the worke The meancâ—… to attaine to this felicity The Authors Apologie