The dores were shut and c'ry one abed Hee had no reason stand and knocke all day But brake the windâ—wes open in a iest Taking all Rings he found with him away To chuse his owne the better from the rest Meaning to put the Gold-smith but in feare In making him suppose some Theefe were there Well this poore fellow hee was apprehended Brought to the Barr and as a Fellon try'd And yet you see hee â—estingly offended Hauing good reason for it on hâ—s syde But all his protestations were in vaine For he was hang'd in earnest for his paine Another honest fellow as hee went Did draw a Halter after him along Thinking no hurt nor hauing an intent To offâ—r any kind of creature wrong One comes behind him was the Hang-mans frend And tyde a Horse vnto the Halters end The owner met him leading of his beast And charged him with felony poore man Although in this same matter he knew least There is no remedie say what he can To prison hang him for an arrant thiefe How say my maisters is not this a griefe But wee 'le take order for such matters now For theeues and Gentlemen shall be all one To take a purse or horse we will allow And let him boldly do it that hath none Take any thing that any man shall lacke To fill the belly and to cloth the backe If any finde himselfe here with agreeued Let him be whipt and banisht forth the towne With rich mens goods we meane to haue releeued The very poorest meane and basest clowne Wee le haue it so my Lords it shall be thus Le ts see who dare but stand on tearmes with vs. Tom Mynter prethe search the towne with speed Chuse out the fayrest of the female kinde Some lustie wenches of the Germane breede For to the flesh I feele my selfe inclinde Some halfe a dosen wiues for me prouide And stocke me with some Concubines beside Go to the Goldsmithes in my princely name Will and commaund them presently forthwith They send such chaynes and Iewels as I clayme By Knipperdullings mouth my Lord the Smith Without demaunding any thing therefore I neither meane to pay nor go on score Let others to the Mercers shops repayre And tell them we do silke and veluet lacke Our seame-rent Souldiers are exceeding bare Scant any tatters hanging on their backe Rich Taffata and Veluet of three pile Must serue our vse to swagger in a while Commaund the Marchants to supply our Court With all abundance of the choyâ—est Wine Vnto the Butchers likewise make resort Bid them pâ—ouid vs Oxen Sheepe and Swine Charge Brewers to present vs with their trade And that their Beere be somewhat stronger made The Baker in his office to appeere His Mealy-worship wee do greatly want And store of Cookes let vs haue likewise heere To dresse our dishes that they be not scant All things in plentie and abundant store Bee merry eate and drinke and call for more This for a Resolution wee set downe And do ordaine that it continue still All is our owne that is within the Towne And wee are men that haue the world at will Fill Bowles of Wine carowse a â—igh-Dutch round For Cares lye conquerd and our Ioyes are croun'd Munster being beseiged by the Duke of Saxonie the Rebels indure great myserie and extremitie by famishment but constrained in the end to yeelde their principall Captaines Leyden Knipperdulling and Mynter are tortur'd and put to death for example to all of Rebellious damned disposition ending as desperate as their liues were diuelish AMbitions wheele which Traytors do aspire Hath brought the Rebels to their altitude And now declining downe-ward they retire By iust Reâ—enge a downe-fall to conclude From top oâ— Treason thus they turne about For now behold their cursed date run out The Martiall Duke layd seige vnto them now Preuenting them of needfull wants supply With dungers sharpest sword to make them bow No expectation but resolue to dye Their length of life was measur'd by their store Which could not be enlarg'd acrum the more Yet most extreame hard cruell shift they made Holding the towne besieg'd aboue a yeere In which sharpe time their paunches were betraide Of all their former feastes and belly cheere For each mans stomack deem'd his throat was cut There was such emptinesse in ery gut When wholesome foode was all consumde and gone After a hard allowance they had past Horses and Dogges they lickt their lips vpon Then Rats and Mise grew daintie meate at last Olde shooes they boyld which made good broth beside Buffe-lether Ierkins cut in Steakes they fride Not an olde payre of Bootes did walke the streete Their bellies could not spare their legs the lether But stew'd they were and hunger made them sweete For with that sauce they shar'd alike together Couers of Bookes were in like maner drest And happie he was such a dishes ghest The Chaundlers crawling tallow vtt'red well It seru'd Hans Leyden and his Lords owne table There was no fault found with the taste nor smell Their onely griefe was this they were not able To maintaine that good cheere which grew so scant Oâ— filthie kitchin stuffe they found great want When they had eaten vp the Chaundlers trade As likewise all the ware Shoomakers had The Scriueners shops for parchment they inuade And seize vpon it euen hunger mad Cancelling with their teeth both bond and bill Looke after debts and pay them he that will In these extreames quoth Leyden to the rest What shall we doe in this accursed case Aduise me now Tom Mynter what were best What 's to be done in this same hungry place Speake Knipperdulling le ts haue thy aduice There 's no prouision left of Rats and Mice Why fire the Towne as late I did my Forge Quoth Knipperdulling I do thiâ—ke it meete Least Saxon imitate English Saint George And trample vs like Dragons vnder feete Like Troy let flame and smoake ascend the skyes Wee burne like Phenix that in fier dyes Or let vs on a sodaine issue out And rush vpon those rascals keepe vs in Most desperat in that wee go about As not respecting if wee lose or win Be as it wiâ—l wee haue but liues to spend A puffe of breath and therewithall an end In this estate despayring of their liues Iohn Leyden plots in his fantastique hed To send out of the Towne one of his Wiues Vnto the Duke to tell him shee is fled From those accursed Rebels to his grace To signifie the Citties weakest place Thou must quoth hee play Iudiths part for all And free vs from this same Assirian host Bring Holefernes head vnto the wall That thus against Bethulia doth bost I had a Vision did appeare to mee Which signified thou should'st our Iudith bee And by thy meanes deliueraunce procure Sauing out lâ—ues to thy immortall prayse Then holy woman put this worke in vre Thou seeâ—â— we die if wee indure delayes Thou hast rare beautie on with rich attire And good successe incline to thy desire This silly Woman easily deluded Prepares her selfe vnto the enterprise Departs the Towne as Leyden had concluded Vnto the Duke attyred in disguise As if shee had by secret made escape Taking on her an Hipocrites true shape Deliuers all the cunning she was taught To gaine her credit and to free suspect The Duke misdoubts her practize to be nought And by examination findes direct The plot and all the drift why shee was sent And thus to worke with this false Iudith went A Scaffold was erected in the fight Of all the Rebels that they might perceiue Their Gentlewoman playd not Iudith right Because her hâ—ad behind her she did leaue For Treason neuer is so well contriu'd But still the plotter is the shortest liu'd Then did the Duke assault them very strong Who being weake vnable to resist Tir'd out with Famine they endured long And did subdue them euen as he hâ—â— Such leane Anotamies they seemed all Like those dry bones in the Chirurgeons hall And heere ends LEYDENS kingdome and his raigne His counterfayted tytle 's out of date Hee is Iohn Leyden Taylor now againe And those that were his Noble-men of late Are eu'en restored to their first degree Smyth Clarke and Ioyner arrant Knaues all three To their deserued deaths they are appoynted For all their villanies and extreame wrongs Drawne through the Cittie streets and then disioynted Their flesh torne from the bones with fiery tongs And as then liues did to all mischeife tend So did the desp'rat vnrepentant end Being dead there were three Iron Cages made For strength and substaunce to endure and last And into them their bodyes were conueyd And on the Citties highest Steeple plast Leyden 〈…〉 ing highest â—â—o expresse his pride Mynter and Knipperdulling on each side The like reward be like offenders due Let Tâ—aytors ends be violent and euill And as these past so all that shall ensue Let them receiue their wages from the Deuill Hee sets a worke and stirres them to aspire And is to pay them vengâ—aunce for their hire FINIS
HELL' 's BROKE LOOSE LONDON Printed by W. W. and are to be sold by G. Lostus in Popes-head Allie neare the Exchange 1605. An Aduertisement to the wise and discreete REader hee that in discription of a wicked man doth personate him is to speake as that wicked man noâ— beseeming a good man or else he cannot aptly deliuer him in his kinde so odious as hee is In respect whereof let not any speach herein be misconstrued which is onely set downe as spoken by the rebellious Heretiques the more truely to explaine them as notorious as they were Vale. TO THE READER IN this vn-weeded Garden of the World hath sprung vp through al ages of the same most innumerable euen of all sorted kindes that haue been opposite to Vertue and pursuers of Vice Such as haue with great trauell and labour taken paynes to goe to Hell and runne the broade way path with Hindes feete in all poasting speede that the Diuell could employ them Amongst the rest of this fearefull race runners of their variable qualities here is a description of the most notorious Rebels and Heretiques of Europe certaine Germane Anabaptistes such as would haue all things common and all men at freewill and libertie to do what they list without controwle of any Authoritie euery mans Will Law and euery ones Dreame Doctrine Before the comming of our Sauiour Christ Theudas and Iudas Galilaeus two seditious fellowes of factious spirit seduced the Iewes The first of them saying that hee was a Prophet sent from God for mans gâ—od and that by his owne powerfull word hee could deuide the waters of Iordan in as admirable sort as Ioshua the seruant of the Lord had done The other did earnestly promise to enlarge the Iewes from the seruitude and yoke of the Romans both of them by these meanes drawing after them great multitudes of people and both of them comming vnto deserued destruction For Fatus the Gouernour of Iury ouertooke Theudas and sent his head as a monument to Ierusalem and Iudas likewise perished and all his following confederates were dispersed After our Sauiour Christ in the time of his blessed Apostles Elimas the Sorcerer mightely withstood the proceeding of Paule Barnabas sowing the seed of Heresie in the minde of Sergius Paulus Deputie but the iudgement of God ouertooke him and he was strucken with blindnesse Not long after him in the raigne of Adrian the Emperour arose an other called Bencochaâ— that professed himselfe to be the Messias to haue descended from Heauen in the likenes of a Starre for the safetie redemption of the people by which fallacie he drew after him a world of seditious people but at last hee and many of his credulous route were slaine and was called by the Iewes in contempt Bencozha that is the Sonne of a lie Manes of whom the Maniches tooke their name and first originall forged in his foolish braine a fiction of two Gods and two beginners and reiecting the old Testament and the true God which is reuealed in the same published a fift Gospell of his owne forgerie reporting himselfe to be the Holy Ghost When he had thus with diuulging his diuelish Heresies and Blasphemies infected the world being pursued by Gods iust iudgement hee was for other wicked practizes taken and his skinne pulled ouer his eares aliue Montanus that notorious blasphemous wretch of whom the Montanists tooke their ofspring denyed Christ our Sauiour to be GOD saying Hee was but Man onely like other men without any participation of Diuine essence Hee called himselfe the Comforter and Holy spirit which was promised to come into the world and his two Wiues Priscilla and Maximilla he named his Prophetesses and their writings Prophesies yet all their cunning could not preuent nor foretell a wretched and desperate end which befell him for after he had of long time deluded the world in imitation of Iudas hee hanged himselfe Infinite are the examples that may be collected out of the registers of foregone ages touching the lamentable euilles slaughters blood and death that haue ensued from the damnable heriticall Instruments of the Diuelâ— and how the people affecting Nouelties and Innouations haue concurred from time to time with the plâ—tters endeuours Histories are full of their memories Most Rebellions 〈◊〉 pretende Religion for them selues No Villaine but dare turne a good outside to the eye though the inside be as bad as heart can imagine These infamous Rebels and Heretiques in Germanie pretended Religion they would be reformerâ— of the Church and State new Doctrine of their owne frantickâ— conceites no Childred should be Baptized all thinges should be common no Magistrate to gouerne but euery man at his owne libertie to doâ— what he list take whatsoeuer he stood in need of without paâ— pluralitie of Wiues no recouerie of wrongfull dâ—tayned Goodes and such like villanous roguish stuffe that neuer a Theâ—fe in the world would refuse to subscribe vnto it This was no sooner taught by Iohn Leyden alias Yoncker Hans a Dutch Taylor Tom Mynter a parish Clarke Knippâ—â—â—ulling a Smyth and Crafteing a Ioyner but it was imbraced by thousandes of the Boores and vulgar illiterate Clownes who in great companies dayly resorted vnto them foâ—â—th oâ— all Townes and Villages A most rude rascall companie that regarded neither Gods feare nor mans fauour euen HELLE BROKE LOOSE In their outragious madnes they attempted much villanie omitting to put nothing in practize that stood with their humours lyking as good Commons Wealths men as Iacke Straw Watt Tyler Tom Myller Iohn Ball c. in the raigne of Richard the 2. and as sound Diuines for Doctrine as Hackets Disciples that preached in Cheapeside in a Pease-cart Yet they found of their owne fraternitie to mannage the Diuels affayres and mustering themselues togeather all composed of the scumbe and waste worser-sort could be raken vp they proceeded so farre that they tooke the Towne of Munster and there for a time domineerd as if they had been Electors apeece to the Emperour vntill beeing beleagerd by the Duke of Saxon they were taught to taste how Extremitie did sauour finding the bitternesse of their rash and gracelesse attemptes to punish them most seueerely in the end For when Cattes Dogges Rattes and Myce grew scarce and daintie No common dish but choyce dyet for Iohn Leyden and the Lordes of his counsaile Knipperdulling the Smyth Crafteing the Ioyner and Tom Mynter the Clarke They were constrayned to frie old greasie Busse leather Ierkins and Parchments Coouers of Bookes Bootes in Steakes and Stew-pottes of old Shoes till in the end being famished as leaue as dryed Stock-fish they were subdued and Leyden who had tearmed himselfe King of Munster with his Nobles made of Smyth Ioyner and Parish Clarke were according to the iust reward of all Rebels put to death with great torture and being dead their bodyes were hang'd in Iron Cages vpon the toppe of the high Steeple in Munster called S. Lamberts Steeple for an example
to all of Rebell race Their Confederates in great multitudes hauing perished with the Sword and famine may togeather with all Traytors witnesse to the world throughout all ensuing ages how GOD with vengeance rewardes all such State-disturbers and factious Rebels THE GHOST OF IACKE STRAW Prologue I That did act on Smythfeildes bloodie Stage In second Richards young and tender age And there receiu'd from Walworths fatall hand The stabb of Death which life did countermand Am made a Prulogue to the Tragedie Of LEYDEN a Dutch Taylors villanie Not that I ere consorted with that slaue My rascall rout in Hollenshed you haue But that in name and nature wee agree An English Traytor I Dutch Rebell hee In my Consort I had the Priest Iohn Ball Mynter the Clarke vnto his share did fall Hee to haue all things common did intend And my Rebellion was to such an end Euen in a word wee both were like apoynted To take the Sword away from Gods Anoynted And for examples to the worlds last day Our Traytours names shall neuer weare away The fearefull Path's that hee and I haue trod Haue bin accursed in the sight of God Heere in this Register who ere doth looke Which may be rightly call'd The bloody Booke Shall see how base and rude those Villains bee That do attempt like LEYDEN plot like mee And how the Diu'll in whose name they begon Payes them Hells wages when their worke is don Treason is bloodie blood thereon attends Traytors are bloodie and haue bloodie ends FINIS THE ARGVMENT FRom darke Damnations vault where Horrours dwell Infernall Furies forth the lake of Hell Ariu'd on earth and with their damned euils Fill'd the whole world full of Incarnat Deuils For all the sinnes that Hells vast gulfe containes In euery age and euery kingdome raignes Murder and Treason False disloyall plots Sedition Heresie and roguish knots Of trayt'rous Rebels Some of highest place And some of meanest sort most rascall bace Of which degree behold a cursed crue Such as Hells-mouth into the World did spue IOHN LEYDEN but a Taylor by his trade Of Munster towne a King would needes be made A Parrish Clarke a Ioyner and a Smyth His Nobles were whom hee tooke counsell with To these adioyned thousands Boores and Clownes Out of the Villages and Germane Townes Whereof great losse of blood greeuous ensew'd Before that Campe of Hell could be subdew'd S. R. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF IOHN LEYDEN WHen nights blacke mantle ouer th' earth was laide And Cinthias face all curtaine-drawne with clouds When visions do appeare in darksome shade And nights sweet rest dayes care in quiet shrowds About the hower of twelue in dead of night A mangled Corse appeared to my sight Skin torne Flesh wounded vgly to behold A totterd Body peece-meale pull'd in sunder Harken quoth hee to that which shall be told And looke not thus amaz'd with feare and wonder Though I am all be stabbed flash'd and torne I am not Caesar him an's ghost I scorne Icke bin Hans Leyden vnderstandst thou Dutch IOHN LEYDEN King of Munster I am hee That haue in Germanie bin feard as much As any Caesar in the world could bee From the first houre that I armes did take I made the Germaine Gallants feare and quake By facultie at first I was a Taylour But all my minde was Kingly eue'ry thought For e'en with Cerberus Hels dogged Iaylour A combat hand to hand I durst haue fought Then with my trade what 's hee that hath to do ot Old Father Adam was a Taylour too Hee made him Fig leaue Breeches at his fall And of that stuffe his Wife a Kirtle wore Then let both Needle Threed my Sheares and all Keepe with the trade a Noble minde I bore And let this Title witnes my renowne IOHN LEYDEN Taylour King of Munster towne My Councellers were these a valiant Smyth As tall a man as euer strooke a heate Call'd Knipperdulling wondrous full of pith Crafting the Ioyner one of courage great Tom Mynter a madd Rogue our Parrish Clarke Whose doctrine wee with diligence did marke Hee taught on topp of Mole-hill Bush and Tree The Traytors text in England Parson Ball Affirming wee ought Kings apeece to bee And euery thing be common vnto all For when old Adam delu'd and Euah span Where was my silken veluet Gentleman Wee Adams Sonnes Hee Monarch of the Earth How can wee chuse but be of Royall blood Beeing all descended from so high a birth Why should not wee share wealth and worldly good Tush Maisters quoth Tom Mynter reason binds it Hee that lacks Mony take it where he finds it Why is not euery thing Gods guift we haue Doe Beastes and Cattell buy the Grasse they eate Shall that be sould which Nature freely gaue Why should a Man pay Mony for his Meate Or buy his Drinke that parboyld Beere and Ale The Fyshes broth which Brewers do retayle Pray who is Landlord to the Lyons den Or who payes House-rent for the Foxes hole Shall Beastes enioy more priuiledge then Men May they feed dayly vpon that is stole Eating and drinking freely Natur 's store Yet pay for nought they take nor goe on score Do not the Fowles share fellow like together And freely take their foode eu'en where they please A whole yeeres dyet costes them not a Fether And likewise all the Fyshes in the Seas Do they not franckly feed on that they get And for their victu'als are in no mans debt And shall Man being Lord of all the rest Vnto whose seruice these were all ordayned Of meate nor drinke nor clothing be possest Vnlesse the same by Mony be obtayned Pay House-rent buy his foode and all his clothing When other Creatures haue good cheare for nothing Wee 'le none of that quoth I to my consorts No quoth Tom Mynter frends it ought not bee Come Libertie and Wealth and Princely sports Why Kings are made of Clay and so are wee Wee 'le ayme our thoughts on high at Honors marke All rowly powly Taylor Smyth and Clarke Wee are the men will make our Valours knowne To teach this doting world new reformation New Lawes and new Religion of our owne To bring our selues in wondrous admiration Let 's turne the world cleane vpside downe mad slaues So to be talk'd of when w' are in our Graues Braue Knipperdulling set thy Forge on fire It shall be done this present night quoth hee Tom Mynter leaue Amen vnto the Quier Quoth Tom I scorne hencefoorth a Clarke to bee Cornellis hang thy woodden Ioyners trade For Noble-men apeece you shall be made And fellow mates Nobles and Gallants all To Maiestie you must your mindes dispose My Lord Hans Hogg forsake your Butchers stall Hendrick the Botcher cease from heeling Hose Classâ— Chaundler let your Weick and Tallow lye And Peeter Cobler cast your old Shooes by For you my valiant Lords are men of witt And farre too good for base and seruile trades Your Martiall power may be compared fitt Vnto