is true that Iulius Caesar since named it Scivil and greatly enobled it and made it a Collonie and the Romans dwelt in it nevertheles it was greatly enobled before But to return to our first purpose in succession of time Moses was born under whose conduct the Hebrews came out of Egypt In this time also was Iob the just Then afterwards came the Deluge of Thessalie and many Kingdomes began to encrease in divers Provinces In Ethiopia first reigned Ethiop In Sicily Siculus In Boecia Boecim And so the Countries received their names of their Princes Then flourished the Town of Troy Iaeson made a conquest of the Golden Fleece from whence proceeded the history of Medea The Amazons were then in their force And the beginning of the raign of the Latines in Italy In this very age Paris ravished Helena which was the cause of the war destruction of Troy of the coming of Aeneas into Italy of divers other things which wil not admit of brevity Then failed the third Age which gave way to the fourth And began at the raign of David the 2 K. of the Hebrews which fourth age dured even to the Transmigration and Perigrination of the Jews in Babylon and lasted four hundred four-score five years Beda saith 474 years This age may be called the youth of the world during which happened an infinite many things whereof histories are full in it was the original of the victories of good King David he conquered the Philistines he avenged himself of the Amonites for the injury which they did to his Ambastadours and killed the Captain of the Assyrians After him succeeded in the Kingdom the wise King Solomon who built the rich Temple in Jerusalem he dead the Kingdome was divided Jeroboam succeeded to ten families and Roboam his son to two After the Empire of the Assyrians which had lasted more than twelve hundred years it was ruined by the death of Sardanaepalus who was Lord thereof and the most puissant King in the world who was killed by Arbact And then the Empire fell to the Medes In ths very Age began the reigns of the most puissant Kings of Macedoma And the Greeks began to count their years by Olimpiades which were feasts that they made from five years to five years with certain prizes for them that deserved best Also was that puissant City of Carthage built by Dido And a little while after Rome by Romulus and his brother Remus where the Kings began to reign The great Town of Bizance was also built in this time which is since called Constantinople Again there hapned great wars and mutation of Signiories in many parts of the world whereof histories are full And principally towards the end of this age Nabucadonozor King of the Medes and of Babylon fell upon Jerusalem which he destroyed and the Temple also Then led the people of Judea prisoners along with them and from that it is called the Transmigration in Babylon At which began the fifth Age of the world Age. 5 which lasted even to the birth of Jesus Christ God and Man our Saviour and Redeemer And this shall last five hundred eighty nine years by the computation of all During this time there was puissant Kings and great Republicks in the world such as it is marvellous to read and contemplate of the great things that happened in this Age The Changes The ruine of Estates The ordering of great Armies In brief it is better to be silent than to abreviate them Almost at the beginning of this Age began the Monarchy of the Persians whose Kingdomes were then the greatest by means of the victories of that great Cyrus which reigned thirty years during which time he conquered and discomfited the rich King Cresus of Lydia Then was discomfited himself and put to death by Tomoris Queen of the Scythians Seventy years of this Age being accomplished The Hebrews came out of their Captivity And the Temple that had been destroyed was re-edified by Solomon at Jerusalem In Europe the Romans chased their Kings and were governed by Consuls of which L. I. Brut was the first and the L. Collatine In Greece flourished Arms and letters which brought forth many excellent Philosophers and Captains Xerxes came thither with an innumerable army but he was constrained to retire with great losse and disgrace Then came to flourish in Macedonia King Philip who subdued all Greece the Mother of learning and of arms and which in this time brought forth Demosthenes Thomistocles Epaminondas Agifilaus Teno Plato Aristotle and others the like After the death of Philip his son Alexander went out of Greece and entred Asia which he conquered destroying the Empire of Persia And by the Victories which he gained against King Darius he lived the remainer of his life Monarch of all the world But he dead the Captains divided among themselves the Signiories and Lordships which being so mingled bred a discord which raised wars through all Asia and a great part of Europe In like manner the power of the Romans and Carthagenians encreased beyond measure for all of them strove to command the whole world and to attribute to themselves the Empire These two forces fought divers times against one another so that each of these two Towns brought forth Captains excellent skilfull in arms Carthage put forward Asdrubal Hano Hanibal Rome Fabius Scipio Marcellus Emillus and others Finally after a great quantity of bloudshed Rome became victorious and Carthage desolate destroyed and all Affrica tributary This Victory obteined the Romans proud and envious of the Greeks prosperity found out an occasion of war with them in which Greece was taken and made Tributary Not contented with this Their covetousnesse made them passe into Asia where they overcame Antiochus and then Mithridates making themselves Lords of Asia the lesse as also of Syria and Palestina and Egypt and all the coast on this side of France Spain England and the greatest part of Germany Of all which Conquests the chief Ministers were Sylla Marius Lucullus Pompeius Caesar and many others it happened that their envious ambition swelled their hearts whereof bred civill wars amongst them that every one would be a Commander one over another but at the last the Empire fell to Caesar whom after many fortunes had happened unto him his Nephew or adopted son Octavian succeeded who after having overcome all his enemies he rested peaceably in such sort that seeing himself in peace and concord with all the Kings and Common-wealths in the world he made them lock up the doors of his God Janus which were never shut in time of war Then the accomplishment of time being come the Fifth age of the World ended And our Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ was born very God and very Man in the year of the Creation of the World according to the Hebrews Three thousand nine hundred fifty and two years And according to the seventy Interpretours Eusebius and the greatest part of Historians Five
THE WONDERS Of the World OR Choise Observations and Passages concerning the beginning continuation and endings of Kingdomes and Commonwealths With an exact division of the several Ages of the World and the most remarkable passages and memorable accidents that have come to pass therein Also divers weighty grounds and reasons both from Scripture and natural experience why men lived longer in former Ages then at this present With the seven several ages of men The opinions of divers great Emperours and Kings touching the person of Christ and the life of mankinde with the strange events that have befaln several of them Also a discovery of divers creatures bred in the Sea and other obscure places of the World retaining the similitude and likeness of men and women Together with the miserable death that befel Pontius Pilate after that he had condemned our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST The place of his birth and burial and how he appears once every year in the said place in the shape and likeness of a Judge A Work very profitable and necessary for all Written originally in Spanish translated into French and now made English by that pious and learned Gentleman JOSHUA BAILDON Imprimatur John Downam London Printed for John Andrews at the white Lion in the Old Baily 1656. The WONDERS Of the VVORLD Discovering Many secret Rarities that have been hidden since the Creation CHAP. I. Why men lived longer in former ages than now in these days ALL those that are studious in Divine Writ may read that in the time of the first age and before that for sin a generall Deluge came over the earth mans life then was longer than it is at this present It is certain that Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years Seth nine hundred and twelve Cain nine hundred and ten And descending from the one unto the other the shortest of their lives was seven hundred years and in these times we see few attain to fourscore or ninety years and if some one passe that it is rare and marvellous so that we come not to the tenth of the age of former men The learned either Divines or Philosophers who have discoursed thereupon seeing that nature that brings us forth now is the same that it was in times past and that those first men lived so long by nature and not miracle became astonied thereat and have curiously searched out the causes and reasons as Marcus Varro and an infinite number of others who have found these things so difficult in natures appearance that they have thought the years in ancient times not to be the same with ours in these modern times which opinion and belief is a great and vain errour as will be made appear in this following Chapter The truth is when I see the works of others and descend to that which agrees with my opinion that the principall reason why men live not so long now a days as formerly is that the Ancients had not in their times the causes that engender now in us those diseases whereby comes so soon old age and death Then we must consider that the first Parents of all humane linnage Adam and Eve were created by the immediate hand of God without any other means or help and therfore it is presumed that he created them of a most excellent complexion perfect Sympathie and proportion of humours which caused them to live in health so long and many years By means whereof the children that proceed from Parents so full of health must needs resemble their Progenitors in the same good and healthful complexion as men descended of excellent matter even till the change of ages the property whereof is to change and impair all things all humane kind began to grow weaker and the days of men to grow shorter Now in those times there was one thing that made much toward their long life which in these times is very hurtfull and contrary to us which was their great temperance in drink both in quality and quantitie and the small varietie of meats for they had not of so many sorts as now we have nor with so many inventions of cooking We do nor find that before the Deluge men knew what it was to eat flesh besides some hold it for certain that the fruits and hearbs were of far greater virtue and substance without comparison than now they are because then they proceeded out of new earth and not as it is at this day weak weary and as it were fallow for the Deluge was the cause of taking away its fat leaving it more infertile with a salt savour lesse perfect by the inundation of the Sea which floted for many weeks over it All these reasons are and every one of them sufficient however there are more if they were all put together to prove that this is no strange thing but naturall that men lived longer then than in these times Moreover it is to be noted and we hold it for certain that Adam knew all the virtues of Hearbs Plants and precious Stones and his children learned from him more than any man could learn since This was in part for health and the support of life and to cure diseases if peradventure any should happen by using such remedies as were simple and perfect and leaving out venemous compositions used in these present times the which instead of purging and cleansing weaken and kill those that take them and which is more in those former times the life and health of man was more supported and helped by the course of the heavens and influence of the Stars more benevolent in those times than they are now because they had not passed so many aspects conjunctions eclipses and other celestiall impressions from whence are proceeded these alterations variations and changes upon the earth and amongst the elements principall occasions of life and health in those former times and on the contrary infirmities and death in these But above all that that we have said and founded upon naturall reason I maintain that the cause of the long life of men in those days proceeded from the providence of God who would have their lives such and that the occasions aforesaid might help one the other to the end that onely of two might be bred many that the earth might be filled and human kind multiplied So we see that men not living so long after the Deluge as before God suffered them to go into the ark and so saved more men and women then he did create at the first to the end that the world might be replenished more easily St. Augustine speaking of these things sayeth That our fore-Fathers had the advantage of us not onely in health and long life but also in stature of body as it is evident in many Sepulchres and bones which have been found under great Mountains so that one may verily believe they were the bones of men living before the Deluge The same St. Augustine affirms that being in Vtica a Town in
have writ hereof is true or very likely Plinie and Varro speaking of the time of mans life affirm that the learned Egyptians knew by experience that man according to the order of nature could not live above a hundred years and if any one happen to live longer it is by some particular influence and force of the stars and a thing marvellous in nature Of this they took their ground from the heart of man in which by an Anotomy they have found experimentally marvellous secrets For they say at the age of one year the heart of man weighs two of their draghms at the age of two year four and so many years as he lives so many two draghms the heart encreases so that attaining to fifty years the heart weighs a hundred draghms And from that time afterwards it diminisheth its weight every year two draghms as before it did increase So that in a hundred years the heart annihilates it self and the body dies if by some other accident it be not advanced sooner for there are so many accidental causes which may and commonly cause death that there are few men arrive half the way to make this experience If this thing seem strange to some of us yet the Egyptians hold it for certain according to divers Authors and some as Lewis Caelius alledging Diescorides to have spoken much of this amongst other notable things as also Peter Crinit in his book of honest discipline and Cornelius Agrippa I scite all these Authors because it is a thing hard to be believed Let every one then give what credit to it seems good to himself And now we are treating of the heart of man and of so many excellencies that are in it we will not speak of one alone we must understand according to Aristoâ—le that man onely hath the heart placed on the left side and that all other creatures have it in the middest of the breast which he affirms in the first book of the nature of beasts Also this is the common opinion of all naturall Philosophers That the first part which is formed in man is the heart as the root of all the members in a humane body fountain of all naturall heat and the last member that dies in man and looses its motion It is so noble and delicate a member that it cannot be touched but it is present death Plinie recites an other wonder which happens some times saying that men have been fonnd to have the heart hairy and he that hath it so is very valiant and strong of disposition which was experimented in Aristomines who killed with his own hand in battell three hundred Lacedemonians who afterwards having escaped many dangers by his great valour at last died and being opened his heart was found hairy Suetonus in the life of Caligula and Plinie also saith that if a man die of poison his heart cannot burn although you throw it in the fire which was verified by the heart of Germanicus father of Caligula So it fareth with them that die of the disease called the Cardiague or griping at the heart And we must know that among the pellicles of the heart is the seat of laughter and to this purpose the ancient Historians write that the Roman-Gladiators having by any blow the caul or pellicles of the heart strook died laughing But even as laughter and joy proceeds from the heart so melancholy proceeds from thence and likewise good and evill thoughts Speech is procreated there and divers are of opinion that it is the principall seat and residence of the soul which seems to be confirmed by Christ himself when he says that wicked and evill thoughts proceed from the heart And that which enters in at the mouth soils not for those are indifferent things So venerable Bede in his Commentaries upon Saint Mark saith The chiefest place of the soul is not in the Brain as Plato maintains but in the hearr as our Saviour Christ saith CHAP. VII Of two Women the one of which in the habit of a man was made Pope the other Empresse I Beleeve many have heard of a woman Pope But because peradventure all know not by what means and that it was one of the strangest things that could happen amongst men I will here speak of it as it is extracted out of very true Histories She was born in England and in her youth grew acquainted with a learned man of whom perceiving her self to be beloved and she loved him no lesse took the habit of a man and named her self Iohn and forsaking her Countrey went along to dwell with him in the Town of Athens where then flourished the Schools with all manner of Learning and there lived some time where by her industry she attained to so much Learning that afterwards retiring her self to Rome she read publickly in the Schools in the habit of a Doctor By which readings and publick disputes she so gained the opinion of the Auditors that she was reputed one of the most Learnedst men of all her time and obtained such favour and authority among all that in the vacancie of the Apostolick Chair by the death of Leo the fourteenth of that name in the year of our Lord Eight hundred fifty two being taken for a man she was chosen Great Bishop of Rome and Universal Pope in the Church of God and kept that Chair two years and thirty odde days But being in this estate as happens always to such ill enterprises not having care of the preservation of her Chastitie had the company of one of her Favourite Serviteurs in whom she trusted most in so much that Madam the Pope proved with Child Nevertheless she hid her great belly with such care that none but her Minion could know any thing of it Howsoever God would not suffer such wickedness to last long nor go unpunished for as she went along according to the common solemnity to visit Saint Iean de Lateran her time of bearing being come she had publick correction for her secret sin for comming near to a certain place which is between the Church of Saint Clement and the Theatre improperly called Colliseus she was delivered with great pain of a humane creature which died incontinently with the Mother so both of them together without any Pomp or mourning were put into the ground and buried And for that cause the common opinion is that all the Soveraign Bishops that have been ever since come short of that place and when they come near it turn down another street in detestation of so horrible an offence And when they choose a Pope they set him upon a thing like a Close-stool pierced through that they may secretly know whether him that the choose be a male Many Authors write of this but I find not one that assures it Platinus onely writes of the Election of Popes ever since as is before recited Of all the Authors there is Martin and Platin in the Life of Popes and Sabollicus and St. Anthony
a meal hath so much the greater charge and weight And neverthelesse it is so and we need not marvel at it for eating and drinking augments the spirits and chears him which makes him grow and increase in natural heat From hence it comes that when one man assays to lift up another if he wil that is lifted up he can make himself heavier by forcing forth his breath with in him which if he should keep in he would weigh lighter also one that runs breaths but little that he may run the more swift because the air being a very light Element desires to lift it self up high where its place is naturally as we see a piece of skin of chejucel or a bladder unblown thrown into the water it sinks presently but blow it up with air and it swims above the water In the same place Plinie saith That a body dead in the water when it comes to float if it be a man his face will be upwards towards heaven if it be a woman she wil rise with her face downwards which provident nature hath so ordeined to cover the shamefull parts of a woman There is yet an other natural reason for it And that is that women weigh heavier in the foreparts because of their breasts And men in their back-parts because of their shoulders CHAP. IX That death is to be judged good or evil according to the condition one dies in with examples of the death of divers IT is common to all once to die but to know when or how or what manner of death is revealed to none but all consists in being found in a good or evil estate That death may not be termed unfortunate unlesse that which finds not a man in that condition which he ought to be It often hides it self and keeps in houses and places where we least suspect And for this cause we ought not to live one day without consideration of it To this purpose examples are infinite and I will bring some here worthy note considering the effects are so strange though such happen daily Aullus Gelius writes and after him Valerius that there is in Italy a Town called Croton in Calabria in which lived one called Milo that was so strong and fit for any thing he undertook that at all games feasts and publick wrestlings never could be found his like and for the most part carried away the victory in such sort that he was accounted the strongest and most valiant that could be found in his time This Milo travelling over a Mountain and withdrawing himself out of the common rode for refreshment saw amongst other Trees an Oak having two great branches which some had begun to cleave by great force with wedges and left them behind not able to perform it which he being very desirous to accomplish put both his hands into the cleft and drew till he had opened them a little more so that the wedges fell to the ground but whether because it may be his strength failed him or that it may be he thought the branches were not of so great force he let go a little whereby the Tree closed on such a sudden that both his hands were fast taken therein so that he could not escape out and none passing by to help him he died there in great pain and of famine one of the most miserable and unhappiest deaths that could be imagined for he was made a prey to the most salvage beasts and so his own strength killed him If the death of Milo was so strange this of Echilus the Poet is no less strange for he one day walking out of a Town in Sicilie where he dwelt to take a little warmth of the Sun because it was then cold weather and he being old and bald-headed whose head shone again with whiteness seated himself in a high place where the Sun beat and having his head bare an Eagle by chance flew over him in the Air having in his tallons a Tortoise and seeing the white head of Echilus took it for a stone and so let it fall a great heighth thereupon so to break it that afterwards he might get the flesh of the Tortoise to eat it which broke his skull whereof he died presently A wonderfull thing seeing that he sate so high in an open place where one would have thought it impossible for any thing to fall upon his head Baptista Fulgosa in a near book that he hath written of Examples recites the unfortunatee death of a King of Navarre named CHARLES this King was old and very ill and troubled with a great pain in all his Nerves for which pain by the counsel of all the learned Physitians there could be found no Remedie but one which was to wrap him in a linnen cloath steeped in Aqua-vitae and sow him in it round on every side and he which sowed him in having nothing by him to cut off the thread took a candle lighted that was next him the flame whereof took hold of the Aqua-vitae so suddenly that before the King could be unsowed again or have any help he was burned in the flame and so he was cured of the pain he had in his Nerves and likewise of all his other diseases The death of Philemon was very pleasant for seeing an Asse come near to a table where on there was figs and fell to eating them fell into so great a laughter that the end of his laugh accompanied the end of his life And it is reported that Philiston the Commique Poet died laughing And so we find many men that have died of joy of which number was Dennis the Tyrant of Cicilie Diagoras and that Roman Dame who seeing her son return home who was thought to be slain in the battell died presently That death of the Shepheard Cratis whether it be so or no is likewise very strange for being asleep on a Mountain amongst his Goats a Buck-Goat killed him for jealousie he had of one of the She-Goats with whom Cratis abhominably perverted the order of nature Lewis Celius and Volateran recites this story alledging for it some Greek authors I leave divers other sorts of deaths as that of Pope Bonniface who died mad being famished in prison Of Richard the second of England Of the Arch-Bishop of Magunce who was killed and eaten up by a multitude of Rats Of Decius the Emperour of whom Familius Victor writes that though victorious he was found dead swimming in a Lake In this sort in our time died Lewis King of Hungary And Sforza father to that gallant Captain Duke Francis Sforza drowned himself thinking to save one of his Pages Andrew King of Provance died by the hand of his wife assisted by some other women who strangled him and hanged him up The Emperor Tiberius was also poisoned by his wife Agripina So Kings Princes and great Lords are subject to unfortunate and unhappy deaths as well as poor men although somtimes they are advised thereof yet in vain CHAP. X. How many
many Historians have it Whilest this King lived prosperously in his Kingdome he had by one of his wives lawfully born a brave man-child healthfull and well accomplished in all his members and sences which came to a convenient age that he might have formed his voice to speak neverthelesse by some unknown string or hinderance of the tongue he spake not nor a long time after although he were already grown and fit for any enterprize By means whereof he was reputed dumb although he heard and understood which is contrary to the order of nature for never any was known to be dumb that was not deaf Now it came to passe that Crosus was vanquished and the town wherein he was was taken by the enemy so that the souldiers went up even to the Pallace in which was this dumb child hidden with his father in a corner and being found by a souldier which knew them not the souldier drew near unto Cresus and drew his sword to kill him the child being affrighted at such a spectacle wrought such a strong passion in him which made him speak aloud the extream working that the Soveraignty of the soul hath over the body immediately the corporal organs obeyed to the strong determination of the will in such sort that breaking the strings that tied the tongue he pronounced and spake with a high voice saying O kill him not behold it is King Crâ—sus my father Which being understood by the Souldier he drew back his blow and killed him nor who for that time escaped death and from that time forward the child spake as if he could have spoken all his life time before which is a wonderfull thing and yet I know no naturall reason that can be sufficiently given for it Aristotle saith that all men are commonly born deaf and dumb because they are not brought forth into the world with the disposition of these two sences nor in such perfection that there is any need of them and that afterwards in growing it disposeth it self and begins first to hear and after a certain time that it can hear it begins to speak Plinie saith also that he that is born and remains deaf he must of necessity be dumb for it is certain if the deaf could hear he would learn to speak that it is unpossible to teach him that cannot hear And Aristotle saith also that it may happen that a child may pronounce some words before the ordinary time yet neverthelesse he shall loose that kind of speech when the time comes that is granted to children to speak and then they shall speak To this purpose Plinie recounts of the child of Cresus of whom we have spoken before and saith that at five moneths old he pronounced certain words which were reputed the prognostication of his fathers ruine and it seems that prognostication took effect for he was never heard to speak after till that time hapned that we have spoken of before I remember an other thing that happened in the like case recited by Alben Regel in his Judiciary where he speaks as an eye-witnesse that a King in whose Court he lived had a child that at four and twenty hours after his birth began to speak perfectly and stir his hands at which all that were by wondering understood that it said plainly I am unhappily born seeing that I must pronounce that the King my father must loose his Scepter and that his Kingdome must be destroied At the end of which words he also ended his life This was a fearfull thing and yet me thinks this was an advertisement sent from God which wrought marvellously in nature The Astrologers say that he that is born under Mercury ascendant East shal speak sooner then any other that speaks according to the ordinary course of nature I remember yet an other thing answerable to this that we have said which is That some are of opinion That speech is not a thing naturall to man but gained and learned as other Arts and sciences Others say in that we speak naturally it is not a thing proper and peculiar to man onely The first that are of opinion that speech is not a natural thing strive to prove it saying it must be of force that that which meets naturally in one kind must be agreeable to all of that kind even as we see barking to all dogs lowing to buls and so in like case to all other kind of Beasts and yet neverthelesse we see in men one speaks in one manner another in another in such sort that naturally they understand not one another whereby it seems that speech comes rather by art then nature Again according to Plinie there are a sort of people to be found that speak not but their speech is rather a kind of lowing or bellowing then words which would not happen if all spoke by the gift of nature for if it were so all would speak in one self same manner as for the opinion of others which say that speech is not particularly proper to man they ground themselves upon that which Luctantius Firmian faith that we have some parts in us which seem proper onely to man and neverthelesse we find them in other creatures as the diversity of voice in birds by whose chanting we discern one from another and yet we see they hold secret intelligence one with another in such manner as you would think they were all but of one kind of language yet they take their argument from this that we see divers birds speak as Parots Magpies and the like But the truth of this thing is albeit their opinion had some appearance of truth that speech hath been given by God to Man not that he gains it by Art and that it is proper and peculiar to him onely and not to any other creature True it is that other creatures have voice yet they have not speech And such is the opinion of Quintilliaâ— and likewise of Aristotle So we have a good answer to the contrary reasons As to the first argument we may answers That a thing may be natural universally But in particular it may execute at pleasure it is naturally ill done and that man deserves punishment which kils another or robs him of his goods yet nevertheless to punish him rather one way than another proceeds from the pleasure of the Judge Therefore although men speak divers languages yet we must not say that speech comes not to them by nature and by so much the argument is stronger that such diversity and confusion of languages have been for the punishment of pride upon them which builded the Tower of Babel For as we have said there was but one language in the world and that was naturall And as for the Troglodites which scarce speak at all they say the reason is because their language is barbarous and imperfect and savours nothing of humanity neverthelesse this was a language by which they understood one another And as it is said again that there are
them have died Jules Capitolin amongst other examples recites that which happened to Faustina daughter to Antoninns and wife to the Emperour Marcus Aurelius who fell in love with a Master of Fence or Gladiator in such sort that for the desire which she had of his company she was in danger of death she did so consume away Which being understood by Marcus Aurelius he presently called together a great companie of Astrologians and Doctours to have counsel and find remedy thereupon At last it was concluded that the Fencer should be killed and that they should unknown to her give Faustina of his bloud to drink and that after she had drank it the Emperour her husband should lie with her This remedie wrought marvellously for it put this affection so far from her that she never afterwards thought of him And the historie saith of this Copulation that the Emperor had then with her was begotten Antoninus Commodus which became so bloudy and cruel that he resembled more the Fencer whose bloud his mother had drank at the conception of him than Marcus Aurelius whose son he was which Commodus was alwaies found amongst the Gladiators as Eutropius witnesses in the life of the same Commodus The Greek and Arabick Physitians place this disease of love amongst the grievous infirmities of the body of man and thereupon prescribe divers remedies Cadmus Milesien as Suydas reports in his collections writes a whole book treating of the particular remedies to hunt out this disease of Love Amongst other remedies which Physitians give for this discase one is That to him that is passionate in Love one should put into his hands great affairs importuning his credit and his profit that his Spirit being occupied in divers matters it may draw away his imagination from that which troubles him and they say further that they should suffer him to be merry and conversant with other women Against this heat Plinie saith it is good to take the dust upon which a mule hath tumbled and cast it upon the Lover and all to be powder him or else of the sweat of a chafed mule as Cardanus affirms in his book of Subtilties The Physitians also teach how to know what person is loved of him that is sick in Love and it is by the same Rule that Eristratus Phyfitian to King Seleucus knew the love that Antiochus bare to the Queen Stratonicus his Step mother for he being extream sick and would rather die than discover the cause of his sickness proceeding from love which he bare to his fathers wife She came into the chamber just then when the Physitian was feeling the Patients pulse which beat so strong when he saw the Queen come into the chamber that Eristratus knew that he was in love with her and that was the cause of his sickness wherefore he found the way to make the King acquainted with it by such a means as would be too tedious to recite Which being experimented by the father and seeing his son in danger if he did not prevent it thought it good though contrary to the intention of the son which chose rather death than to be healed by his fathers Ioss to deprive himself of his Queen and give her to his sick son And so indeed the age and the beauty of the Lady and likewise marriage was more proper for the son than for the father And by this means Antiochus lived well and gallantly many years with his wel-beloved Stratonicus The History is very neatly recited by Plutark in the life of Demetrius And thus you see why Physitians say that you must feel the Pulse of those that are in love and repeat to them divers names of persons and if you name the right the pulse will beat thick and strong and by that you shall know whom they love By divers other signs one may know when any is in love and with whom which I leave to speak of now CHAP. XXIX Of the strange and furious love of a young At henian And of the ridiculous love of King Xerxes And how beasts have many times loved men and women TO see men affectioned to women and women to men is a naturall thing and to be believed But here blindnesse is come to that height that that which I intend to speak of seems impossible and incredible Historiographers write it for truth that in the Town of Achens there was a young man of an honest family competeutly rich and well known who having curiously observed a Statue of Marble excellently wrought and in a publick place in Athens fell so in love with it that he could not keep himself from the place where it stood but be alwaies embracing of it and alwaies when he was not with it he was discontented and blubber'd with tears This passion came to such an extremity that he addressed himself to the Senate at Athens and offering them a good sum of money beseeching them to do him the favour that he might have it home with him The Senate found that they could not by their authority suffer it to be taken away nor to sell any publick Statue so that his request was denied which made him marvellous sorrowfull even at the heart Then he went to the Statue and put a Crown of Gold upon it and enriched it with garments and Jewels of great price then adored it and seriously beheld it musing alwaies upon it and in this folly persevered many daies that at last being forbidden these things by the Senate he killed himself with grief this thing was truly wonderfull But if that be true which is written upon Xerxes and affirmed by so many Authours indeed he excelled in folly all the men in the world They say he fell in love with a Plain tree a tree well known though a stranger in England and that he loved it and cherished it as if it had been a woman Seeing then these things happen to rationall men we may believe that which is written of bruit beasts which have loved certain men and women especially when we find it certified by great and famous writers As Glaucus that was so loved of a sheep that it never forsook him Every one holds that the Dolphin is a lover of men Elian writes in his book of beasts a case worthy to be read He saith that a Dolphin seeing upon the Sea-shore where children were a playing one among the rest which he liked very well he fell so in love with it that every time that the Dolphin see him he came as near as he could to the edge of the water to shew himself At the first the child being afraid did shun it but afterwards by the Dolphins perseverance one day after another and shewing signs of love to the child the child was encouraged and upon the kind usage of the Dolphin the child was emboldened to swim upon the water near unto the fish even to go ride upon the back of it and the fish would carry him for a good space