expectation of the obiect so much desired the messenger is summond who appeares before them with his bagge at his backe or rather vpon his necke he is commanded to discouer this strange creature so often spoken of but till then in that place not seene the sackes mouth is opened out flyes the mastiffe amongst them who seeing so many ougly creatures together thought it seemes he had beene amongst the beares in Paris garden but spying Lucifer to be the greatest and most ill-fauoured amongst them first leapes vp into his face and after flyes at whomsoeuer stood next him The diuels are disperst euery one runnes and makes what shift he can for himselfe the sessions is dissolued the bench and bale-docke cleered and all in generall so affrighted that euer since that accident the very name hath beene so terrible amongst them as they had rather entertaine into their darke and sad dominions tenne thousand of their wiues then any one man who beares the least character of a cuckold But hauing done with this sporting I proceede to what is more serious Of Women remarkeable for their loue to their Husbands IT is reported of the wiues of Wynbergen a free place in Germany that the towne being taken in an assault by the Emperour and by reason the cittisens in so valiantlie defending their liues and honours had beene the ouerthrow of the greatest part of his army the Emperour grew so inplacable that he purposed though mercy to the women yet vpon the men a bloody reuenge Composition being granted and articles drawne for the surrender of the towne it was lawfull for the matrons and virgins by the Emperours edict to carry out of their owne necessaries a burden of what they best liked The Emperour not dreaming but that they would load themselues with their iewels and coyne rich garments and such like might perceiue them issuing from the Ports with euery wife her husband vpon her backe and euery virgin and damsell her father or brother to expresse as much loue in preseruing their liues then as the men had before valour in defending their liberties This noble example of coniugall loue and pietie tooke such impression in the heart of Caesar that in recompence of their noble charitie hee not onely suffered them to depart peaceably with their first burdens but granted euerie one a second to make choice of what best pleased them amongst all the treasure and wealth of the cittie Michael Lord Montaigne in his Essayes speakes onely of three women for the like vertue memorable the first perceiuing her husband to labour of a disease incurable and euery day more and more to languish persuaded him resolutelie to kill himselfe and with one blow to be ridde of a lingring torment but finding him to be somewhat faint-hearted she thus put courage into him by her owne noble example I quoth she whose sorrow for thee in thy sicknesse hath in some sort paraleld thy torment am willing by one death both to giue date vnto that which hath for thy loue afflicted me and thy violent and vnmedicinable torture So after many persuasiue motiues to incourage his fainting resolution she intended to dye with him in her armes and to that purpose least her hold by accident or affright should vnloose she with a cord bound fast their bodies together and taking him in her louing imbraces from an high window which ouerlooked part of the sea cast themselues both headlong into the water As pious an affection shewed that renowned matron Arria vulgarlie called Arria mater because she had a daughter of the name shee seeing her husband Poetus condemned and willing that hee should expire by his owne hand rather than the stroake of the common hangman persuaded him to a Roman resolution but finding him somewhat daunted with the present sight of death she snatcht vp a sword with which she transpierst her selfe and then plucking it from her bosome presented it vnto her husband onely with these few and last words Poete non dolet Hold Poetus it hath done mee no harme and so fell downe and dyed of whom Martial in his first booke of Epigrams hath left this memory Casta suo gladium cum traderet Aria Poeto Quem dedit visceribus traxerat illa suis Si qua fides vulnus quod feci non dolet inquit Sed quod â—u facies hoc mihi Poete dolet When Aria did to Poetus giue that steele Which she before from her owne breast had tane Trust me saith she no smart at all I feele My onely wound 's to thinke vpon thy paine The third was Pompeia Paulina the wife of Seneca who when by the tyrranous command of Nero she saw the sentence of death denounced against her husband though she was then young and in the best of her yeares and he aged and stooping notwithstanding so pure was her affectionat zeale towards him that as soone as she perceiued him to bleed caused her owne vaine to be opened so to accompany him in death few such presidents this our age affordeth Yet I haue lately seene a discourse intituled A true narration of Rathean Herpin who about the time that Spinola with the Bauarians first entred the Pallatinate finding her husband Christopher Thaeon apoplext in all his limbes and members with an inuincible constancie at seuerall iournies bore him vpon hir backe the space of 1300 English miles to a Bath for his recouerie These and the like presidents of nuptiall pietie make me wonder why so many Satyrists assume to themselues such an vnbridled libertie to inueigh without all limitation against their Sex I happened not long since to steale vpon one of these censorious fellowes and found him writing after this manner I wonder our forefathers durst their liues Hazzard in dayes past with such choise of wiues And as we reade to venture on so many Me thinkes he hath enow that hath not any Sure either women were more perfect then Or greater patience doth possesse vs men Or it belongs to them since Eu's first curse That as the world their Sex growes worse and worse But who can teach me Why the fairer still They are more false good Oedipus thy skill Or Sphinx thine to resolue me lay some ground For my instruction good the like is found Mongst birds and serpents did you neuer see A milke white swan in colour like to thee That wast my mistresse once as white as faire Her downie breasts to touch as soft as rare Yet these deepe waters that in torrents meete Can neuer wash the blackenesse from her feete Who euer saw a Dragon richly clad In golden skales but that within he had His gorge stuft full of Venome I behold The woman and me thinkes a cup of gold Stands brim'd before me whence should I but sip I should my fate and death tast from thy lip But henceforth I le beware thee since I know That vnder the more spreading Misceltow The greater Mandrake thrines whose shrieke presages Or ruin or
but his wife also The manner how she came to be his queene was as followeth Before his time it was not lawfull but punishable amongst the Persians to marry into that proximitie of blood but Cambyses surprised with the loue of his sister and hauing resolued by what meanes soeuer to make her his wife yet to colour his purpose he sent for those honorable persons who were stiled the kings Iudges being selected men for their wisedomes and of great place and qualitie as those that inioy their offices Durante vita vnlesse some capitall crime bee prooued against them besides they are the expounders of the lawes and to their causes all matters of doubt and controuersie are referred These being cōuented the king demanded of them Whether they had any one law amongst so many which licenst a man that had a will so to doe to contract matrimony with his sister to whom the Iudges thus ingeniously answered We haue indeed no law which giues licence for a brother to marry with a sister but we haue found a law oh Soueraigne which warrants the king of Persia to doe whatsoeuer liketh him best Thus they without abrogation of the Persian lawes soothed the kings humour and preserued their owne honours aud liues who had they crost him in the least of his disseignes had all vndoubtedly perisht This hee made the ground for the marriage of the first and not long after hee aduentured vpon the second The younger of these two who attended him into Aegypt he slew whose death as that of her brother Smerdis is doubtfully reported The Graecians write that two whelps one of a Lyon the other of a Dog were brought before Cambises to fight and try maisteries at which fight the young Lady was present but the Lyon hauing victorie ouer the Dog another of the same litter broke his chain and taking his brothers part they two had superioritie ouer the Lyon Cambises at this fight taking great delight shee then sitting next him vpon the sudden fell a weeping this the king obseruing demaunded the occasion of her teares she answered it was at that obiect to see one brother so willing to helpe the other and therefore she wept to remember her brothers death and knew no man then liuing that was ready to reuenge it and for this cause say the Greekes she was doom'd to death by Cambises The Aegyptians report it another way That she sitting with her brother at table out of a sallet dish tooke a lettice and pluckt off leafe by leafe and shewing it to her husband asked him Whether a whole letice or one so despoiled shewed the better who answered a whole one then said shee behold how this lettice now vnleaued looketh euen so hast thou disfigured and made naked the house of king Cyrus With which words he was so incensed that he kickt and spurnd her then being great with child with that violence that she miscarryed in her child-birth and dyed ere she was deliuered and these were the murderous effects of his detestable incest Of Lyuia Horestilla Lollia Paulina Cesonia c. IT is reported the Emperour Caligula that he had not onely illegall and incestuous conuerse with his three naturall sisters but that bee after caused them before his face to be prostituted by his ministers and seruants thereby to bring them within the compasse of the Aemilian Law and conuict them of adultery He vitiated Liuia Horestilla the wife of C. Pisonnius and Lollia Paulina whom he caused to be diuorced from her husband C. Memnius both whose beds within lesse than two yeares he repudiated withall interdicting them the companie and societie of man for euer Caesonia he loued more affectionatly insomuch that to his familiar friends as boasting of her beautie he would often shew her naked To adde vnto his insufferable luxuries he defloured one of the vestall virgins Neither was the Emperour Commodus much behind him in diuelish and brutish effeminacies for he likewise strumpeted his owne sisters and would wittingly and willingy see his mistresses and concubines abused before his face by such of his fauorites as hee most graced hee kept not at anie time lesse than to the number of three hundred for so Lampridius hath left recorded Gordianus iunior who was competitor with his father in the Empire kept two and twentie concubines by each of which he had three or foure children at the least therefore by some called the Priamus of his age but by others in dirision the Priapus The emperour Proculus tooke in battaile a hundred Sarmatian virgins and boasted of himselfe that he had got them all with child in lesse than fifteene dayes this Vopiscus reportes and Sabellicus But a great wonder is that which Iohannes Picus Mirandula relates of Hercules as that hee lay with fiftie daughters of Lycomedes in one night and got them all with child with forty nine boyes onely fayling in the last for that prooued a guirle Iocasta APollodorus Atheniensis in his third booke De deoroum Origine records this history After the death of Amphion king of Thebes Laius succeeded who tooke to wife the daughter of Menocoeas called Iocasta or as others write Epicasta This Laius being warned by the Oracle that if of her he begat a sonne he should prooue a Patricide and be the death of his father notwithstanding forgetting himselfe in the distemperature of wine he lay with her the same night she conceiued and in processe brought forth a male issue whom the king caused to be cast out into the mountaine Cytheron thinking by that meanes to preuent the predicted destinie Polybus the heardsman to the king of Corinth finding this infant bore it home to his wife Periboea who nourced and brought it vp as her owne and causing the swelling of the feet with which the child was then troubled to be cured they grounded his name from that disease and called him Oedipus This infant as he increased in yeares so hee did in all the perfections of nature as well in the accomplishments of the mind as the body insomuch that as well in capacitie and volubilitie of speech as in all actiue and generous exercises he was excellent aboue all of his age his vertues beeing generally enuied by such as could not equall them they thought to disgrace him in something and gaue him the contemptible name of counterfeit and bastard this made him curiously inquisitiue of his supposed mother and she not able in that point to resolue him hee made a iourney to Delphos to consult with the Oracle about the true knowledge of his birth and parents which forewarned him from returning into his countrey because he was destinied not onely to be the deathsman of his father but to adde misery vnto mischiefe he was likewise borne to be incestuous with his mother Which to preuent and still supposing himselfe to be the sonne of Polybus and Peribaea he forbore to returne to Corinth and hyring a charriot tooke the way
answered If with one finger thou put out one of mine eyes with these two I will put out both yours This was but wantonnesse betwixt them and appeared better in their action than in my expression and though I speake of a blind King hee lost not his eyes that way Herodotus relates that after the death of Sesostris king of Aegypt his sonne Pherones succeeded in the kingdome who not long after his attaining to the principalitie was depriued of his sight The reason whereof some yeeld to bee this Thinking to passe the riuer Nilus either by inundations or the force of the winds the waters were driuen so farre backe that they were flowed eighteene cubites aboue their woonted compasse at which the king inraged shot an arrow into the riuer as if he would haue wounded the channell Whether the gods tooke this in contempt or the Genius of the riuer was inraged is vncertaine but most sure it is that not long after hee lost all the vse of sight and in that darknesse remained for the space of tenne yeares After which time in great melancholly expired hee receiued this comfort from the Oracle which was then in the cittie Butis That if hee washt his eyes in the vrine of a woman who had beene marryed a full twelue moneth and in that time had in no wayes falsified in her owne desires nor derogated from the honour of her husband he should then assuredlie receiue his sight At which newes beeing much reioyced and presuming both of certaine and sudden cure he first sent for his wife and queene and made proofe of her pure distillation but all in vaine he sent next for all the great Ladies of the Court and one after one washt his eyes in their water but still they smarted the more yet hee saw no whit the better but at length when hee was almost in despaire he happened vpon one pure and chast lady by whose vertue his sight was restored and he plainely cured who after hee had better considered with himselfe caused his wife withall those Ladies sauing she onely by whose temperance and chastitie hee had reobtaind the benefite of the Sunne to bee assembled into one cittieâ— pretending there to feast them honourably for ioy of his late recouerie Who were no sooner assembled at the place called Rubra Gleba apparrelled in all their best iewells and chiefest ornaments but commaunding the cittie gates to be shut vpon them caused the cittie to be set on fire and sacrificed all these adulteresses as in one funerall pile reseruing onely that Lady of whose loyaltie the Oracle had giuen sufficient testimony whom he made the partaker of his bed and kingdome I wish there were not so many in these times whose waters if they were truely cast by the doctors would not rather by their pollution put out the eyes quite than with their cleerenesse and purity minister to them any helpe at all Laodice IVstine in his 37 booke of History speakes of this Laodice the wife and â—ister to Mithridates king of Pontus After whose many victories as hauing ouerthrowne the Scythians and put them to flight those who had before defeated Zopyron a great captaine of Alexanders army which consisted of thirtie thousand of his best souldiours the same that ouercame Cyrus in battaile with an armie of two hundred thousand with those that had affronted and beaten king Philip in many oppositions being fortunately and with great happines stil attended by which he more and more flourisht in power and increased in maiestie In this height of fortune as neuer hauing knowne any disaster hauing bestowed some time in managing the affaires of Pontus and next such places as he occupyed in Macedonia he priuately then retyred himselfe into Asia where he tooke view of the scituation of those defensed citties and this without the iealousie or suspition of any From thence he remooued himselfe into Bythinia proposing in his owne imaginations as if hee were already Lord of all After this long retirement hee came into his owne kingdome where by reason of his absence it was rumoured and giuen out for truth that he was dead At his arriuall he first gaue a louing and friendly visitation to his wife and sister Laodice who had not long before in that vacancie brought him a young sonne But in this great ioy and solemnitie made for his welcome hee was in great danger of poyson for Laodice supposing it seemes Mithridates to be dead as it before had beene reported and therefore safe enough had prostituted her selfe to diuers of her seruants and subiects and now fearing the discouerie of her adulterie shee thought to shaddow a mightie fault with a greater mischiefe and therefore prouided this poysoned draught for his welcome But the king hauing intelligence thereof by one of her handmaides who deceiued her in her trust expiated the treason with the bloods of all the conspirators I reade of another Laodice the wife of Ariarythres the king of Cappadocia who hauing six hopefull sonnes by her husband poysoned fiue of them after she had before giuen him his last infectious draught the youngest was miraculously preserued from the like fate who after her decease for the people punisht her crueltie with death succeeded in the kingdome It is disputed in the greeke Commentaries by what reason or remedy affection once so diuelishly setled in the brest or heart of a woman may bee altered or remooued or by what confection adulterous appetite once lodged and kindled in the bosome may bee extinguished The Magitians haue deliuered it to bee a thing possible so likewise Cadmus Milesius who amongst other monuments of history writ certaine tractates concerning the abolishing of loue for so it is remembred by Suidas iu his collections And therefore I would inuite all women of corrupted breasts to the reading of this briefe discourse following A remarkeable example was that of Faustina a noble and illustrious Lady who though she were the daughter of Antonius Pius the Emperour and wife to Marcus Philosophus notwithstanding her fathers maiestie and her husbands honor was so besotted vpon a Gladiator or common fencer that her affection was almost growne to frensie for which strange disease as strange a remedie was deuised The Emperour perceiuing this distraction still to grow more and more vpon his daughter consulted with the Chaldaeans and Mathematicians in so desperat a case what was best to bee done after long consideration it was concluded amongst them that there was but onely one way left open to her recouerie and that was to cause the fencer to be slaine which done to giue her a full cuppe of his luke-warme blood which hauing drunke off to goe instantlie to bed to her husband This was accordingly done and she cured of her contagious disease That night was as they said begot Antoninus Commodus who after succeeded in the Empire who in his gouernment did so afflict the Commonweale and trouble the Theatre with fensing and prises and
dead And when my Funerall Rites their last fires giue Then shall the great'st part of my selfe still liue And this perpetuitie of Fame which Ouid in giuing to others likewise attributes to himselfe is that which all the truly Noble Chast Wise Vertuous Learned and Religious Virgins Wiues and Matrons haue proposed as their iust Reward who lift their thoughts vpward and despising the Fraileties Vncertainties and Vanities of the Earth ayme their Meditations Contemplations and Pious Actions at the sublimities of Heauen Opus Excogitatum Inchoatum Explicitum Et a Typographo excusum inter septemdecem septimanas LAVS DEO Morall Odissa lib. 1. Perioch 2. Perioch 6. Perioch 7. * Circe Lib. de Solert animal Morall Lucâ—an in Dial. superior Moral Liu. lib. 2. Lib 8. Lib. 2. cap. 8. Strabo Tibul. lib. 1. Saxo Gramat Iuuen. Satyr 8. Horac epist. lib. 1. Macrobius * Cal'd Attis De dijs lib. 3. Argon lib. 1. * A Wagtaile Lib. 10. * The Cow-house Carm. lib. 1. In At ticis Lib. 3. de Fluminib Hist. 51. chil 2. In Ciclop In Agronaut In Theog In Hebes nupt In Anax. Hist. 46. Chil. 2. In prin rer Aeginitarum Lib. 5. She was called Philomela In Scuto Chil. 2. Char. in Cathen Histor. lib. 21. Hydriades Nimphs belonging to the riuers and wells Lib. 1. Metam The tale of Pan and Syrinx * A Riuer of Arcadia compassing in the Fenne where the reeds first grew Lib. 1. Lib. 2. Lib. 3. Lib. 4. Lib. 5. Lib. 6. Lib. 7. Lib. 8. * Birds called Meleagrides Lib. 9. Lib. 10. Lib. 11. * Hesion * Esacus the sonne of Priam. Lib. 12. Lib. 13. Plutarch in Graecis petit Or Ialemus Lib. 3. Lib. Sherap Lib. 9. Eclog. 6. * á Virescendo Lib. 30. cap. 34. * Melos Fiue seuerall sorts of songs Lib. de Diuinis nominibus In Cant. Maior Lib. 16. * Antistrophe is where betweene two things conioined that haue mutuall dependancie there is a conuersion by course Lib. 1. Carmen Lib. 7. de repub Plat. in Gor. Lib. 2. Theog Lib. 4. Lib. 2. cap. 22. Lib. 1. cap. 7. The white Sibillâ— Cap 1. Mirandula in Himnu Age 1. Age 2. Age 3. Age 4. Age 5. Age 6. Age 7. Plin. lib 20. The beginning of Oracles Lib. 3. Lib. 10. Lib. prim Lib. 2.22 She was deriued from Iupiter and Lamia the daughter of Neptune Cap. de Heniacho Lib. 1. Valer Max. lib. 8. cap. de Senc. Monarch 1. * It ended in Saraanap who burnt himselfe his concubines and iewells Monarch 2. Monarch 3. Monarch 4. 1 Wond 2 Wond 3 Wond 4 Wond 5 Wond 6 Wond 7 Wond That 60000 men were 20 yeares in building * As diuining three sundrie waies * Meant naturall Philosophie Fenest lib de Sacerdot c. 6. Virgill lib. 2. Eneid Gegania Berenia Camill. Terpeia Claudia Fonteia Marcia Minutia Rhaea Veâ—â—alis Rubria Pompilia Cornelia Floronea Posthumia Sextilia Tutia Lycinia Vbidia Aemilia Claudia Tuscia Cap. 28. Lib. 4. Cap. 22. Esa. 23. Ioseph lib. 1. Aitiquit Act. 16.16 Cap. 15. Iliad 9. Aenâ—id 6. Aeneid lib. 1. Lect cap. 10. A Cunning woman Lib. 4. Lib. 1â— * Merope was the prostitute of Sisiphuâ— In Boeticis Lib. 9. Lib 4. Fasâ—or lib. 1. â—â—b de Sypacus lib. 5. Lib. 6. Theoc. in â—yla Odiss lib. 5. In reb Phocen Lib. 16. Lib. 5. Lib. 2. Lib. 2. de dijs Operib dieb Lib. 11. Lib. 2. In Eliaâ—is Lib. 14. How kissing first came vp Tiber. Grach Alceste * Sibilla Cuâ— Of three gentlemen and their wiues Wherfore the Hunnes were first called Lombards or Longbeards Why women in France are disabled from bearing Soueraigntie The memory of Queene Elizabeth Q. Anne The Lady Elizabeth Lucresse Armenia Cornelia Ania Pâ—ortia Min. Cornelia Valeria Democion Filia Popilia He was called Posthumus Pieria Aspasia The women of Lacedemon Odatis Athenaus in Dipsonoph lib. 13. cap. 12. Aristomache Aesian lib. 2. Hippo. Chiomara Plin. de viris Illustr cap. 55. Val. Max. lib. 7. cap. 1. Valer. Maxim lib. 6. cap. 2. Tertia Aemilia Turia Val. Max. lib. 6. cap. 7. Sulpitia Plin. lib. 4. Plin. Nat. Hist lib. 7. cap. 35. Iuliaâ— Plâ—â— in Pomp. Portia Valer. Max. lib. 4. cap. 6. Horestilla Valerius Max. Cap. de amore conâ—ugat Artimesia Herod lib. 8. Strab. lib. 13. Harmonia Val. Max. lib. 3. The wife of Hormisda Petr. Criâ—itus Lib. 18. cap. 1. Quint. Curt. lib. â— Q Ada. Zenocrita Plutarch de Virtat Mulier The wife of Phythes Val. Max. li. 1. Lib. 3. Plutarch Aponaea Base auarice in a king Thyades Megisto Micca Myro The building of Carthage Cesara Gunnilda Dominica Pompeia Plautina Placidia Inguldis Cleotilda Helena * This some thinke to be Pauls church others Blackwell hall Mercia A ladie of Couentrie Of the name Cuckold Arria mater Pompeia Paulina Rathean Herpin * The name of Birdes common in that country Herod lib. 1. These walls the Queene Nicocris who after some yeares succeeded her made much more stately exceeding her in all her structures Tagenna a woman of seuentâ—e cubits high Lib. 1. Canusia Valer. Tus. Opaea Berenices Arsinoe Herodias Faustina Lucilla Christiana Stratonice Casperia Liuia Horestilla Lollia Paul Caesonia Commodus born the same day that Caligula vâ—tiated the Vestall virgin Capitolin The riddle of Sphinx Plutarch de Homero De re Poet. â—i 3. * Aemus a Hil in Thessaly where some say Homar was borne A strange Incest Lib. 9. cap. 47. Incest abhominable in beasts Pyla. Veronica Cap. 17. Faustina the wife of Claudius Lib. 4. The punishment of Adulterie De reip Gereui prâ—ceptis An impudent whoredome Messalina A countrey fellow and his mistresse Fabia Thimen Neuina A yong cittisens wife A strange cure An vnnatural wife Faustina wife to Marcus Philosophus The birth of Commodus A notable Imposter Phaedima Deceit discouered Adulterie The wife of Otho the 3. Noble Iustice. The byrth of Alexander Lib. 14. * By Euridice and king Ariâ—â—aeus The death of Olimpias A miserable death A rare example of chastitie Ethelburga A merrie accident Aeliâ—n lib. 7. Biaâ— Prianaeus Piltacua Mitilaenus Cleobulus Liudius Periander Corinthius Soloâ— Athenien Chilon Lacedemon Thales Milesius A true discourse The wife of Gengulphuâ— Isabella Cornabona Friga Zoe Carlotta Denteria Iulia Greca Eugenia Malentia Elfritha Emma A strange Tale. Iustina Mariamnes Dosides Metheta Cleopatra Beronica Saloma Herodias The reward of Couetousnesse Tarpeia Acco Tulluota Iunia Claudilla Agnodice Corona Theodosia How Welch-men come to be called Brittons Plutarch in Amator narrat Democrita Phillis Deianeira Iohannes Wyerius lib. 1. Cometho The daughters of Aristodemus Pheretrina Dyrce Antiopa Consinge Pyrene Gatis Atergatis Sygambes Semele Martia Helena Polyzo Acco Iocasta Bisaltia Zoe Austrigilda Serena Glausinda Freiegunda Fausta Lysides al Melissa Auctoclea Antista Perimela Lymone Deuteria Leucothoe Lucilla Lychione Dyraptis Sabina Neaera Cleopatra Neaera and Charmione Monima Milesia Veronica Chya The Milesian Virgins Phaedra Two mothers The Hostelers Tale. Iesabell Dalila Athalia Helena Hippodam Ischomach Aspasia Chrysaeis Lauinia
the field Where his blood dropt a purple Hicinth grew In memorie that Aiax Aiax slew Troy sact by th' Argiues Hecuba the Queene Turnes to a she dogge keeping still her spleene Her sad distaster all the gods lament Aurora sheddes most teares still discontent For Memnons death Aeneas leauing Troy To Anius comes a prince depriu'd all ioy Because his daughters were made house-doues sad That he of them no greater comfort had Thence past he diuers shores and sundrie nations With wonders fil'd and various transformations Till piercing Italy yet free from scar With the bold Turnus he beginnes new war He sends to importune Diomedes ayd By Venulus whose fellowes were all made Light feathered birds th'imbassador deni'd And back returning by a riuers side Spies a wilde Oliue which before had bin A louely sheapheard but now chang'd for sinne Aeneas shippes are in the hauen burn'd But pitied by the gods to sea-nymphes turn'd Ardea to a bird more strange than these Himselfe into a god cal'd Indiges Him other kings succeed and 'mongst the rest Liu'd vnder Proca that faire nymph who best Can skill of Gardens vnto whom resorted The fresh Vertumnus and Pomona courted He in an old wiues shape to her relates The tale of Anaxarites how the fates For her obdurenesse turn'd her into stone Pomona listning and they both alone He to his youthfull shape againe retires And in the Garden quensht his amorous fires In processe vnder Numitor the king Where carst cold waters slid now warme bathes spring Him Romulus succeeding is created The god Quirinus and his wife instated The goddesse Ora ' Him Numa next insues Who of the birth of Croton asking newes He chanc't on pebles who in all mens sight Once being blacke were chang'd to perfect white He likewise heard Pythagoras declame All the transhapes beneath the heauenlie steame Aegaeria next king Numaes death deploring Not comforted at all with thy restoringâ— Hippolitus nor yet to heare thee tell Thy change she wept her selfe into a well Nor is this to be wondred since we see Thy Lance oh Romulus a flourishing tree And Cyppus to weare hornes hauing gone so far We end with Iulius Caesar made a starre Explicit lib. primus Inscripus CLIO THE SECOND BOOKE inscribed EVTERPE Of the Muses the Sybells the Vestalls the Prophetesses the Hesperides the Graces c. THE bodies of all reasonable creatures as Ficinus saith are naturallie pregnant as hauing in them the seedes of issue so likewise is the mind both still procreating and bringing forth as we see at such a time the heire appeares after the teeth breake forth of the gummes at such an age the beard growes vpon the chinne and in time alters and changes colour and still the naturall faculties are in action If then the body be so fertill how much more is the nobler part of man the Soule and the Mind plentifullie furnisht with these seedes that long for production as the instinct of manners of arts of disciplines and such like which are generated in the breast and in their fit and due time haue their seasonable birth For no sooner are we past the cradle but we begin to affect few things good honest or profitable but none at that age acquires after things vnknown It is therefore a consequent that there is borne with vs and bread in vs certain notions of those outward things the forms of which we apprehend and their practise study to imitate This euerie man if he will but obserue may by experience find in himselfe For if we recollect our selues to apprehend any probleme or mysticall doubt which is not within the compasse of our present capacitie after deepe consideration and mature deliberation all the barres and rubbes of our fantasie and sences being remooued we retyre our selues into a more priuate and inward contemplation and then most subtillie reasoning with our selues we shall by degrees perceiue the clowd to vanish and the truth appeare in full glorie and splendour Therefore when we present our selues vnto schoole-masters the braine fashioneth in it selfe many Ideas without rule or example which like a rank and well manur'd field hath in it the seedes and grounds of many fruitfull sciences these if a skilfull man take in hand bring oft times a croppe aboue expectation Thus much Plato exprest in many places but in his Theage most plainelie No man saith he hath of me learnt any thing though from me many a one hath gone the more learned And as Socrates saith Me tâ—m exhortanâ—e tum bono demone suggerente By my exhortations and the good Angels suggestion With this short preparation we come now to the Muses of these innate seeds the glorius and euer-during fruit Hesiod pronounces them to be the daughters of Iupiter Memorie in his Theogonia From hence it seemes the men of Gnydos had a custome to select sixtie graue and vnderstanding men out of the prime of the nobilitie and to commit vnto them the affaires of the Common-wealth and such they called Amnemodes or remembrancers Alcmaeon and some few others call them the daughters of Earth and Heauen Pindarus in one of his Hymnes thus speakes to one of them Incipe vero Coeli filia Aristarcus and Mimnerca if we may beleeue Eustathius determine that the Muses were before Iupiter interpreting the word Musa the knowledge of the soule which is a thing no lesse diuine than the soule it selfe To him Homer assents calling it The celeritie of knowledge Plato in Cratilo deriues it from diligent search and inquisition to whom Pharnutus in his booke intituled Of the nature of the gods subscribes Of the same opinion is Suidas They are therefore saith he deriued from Inquirie being the originalls and causes of all sciences and disciplines others as Cassiodorus because they conteine in them a conueniencie and concordance of arts or to conclude as Diodorus writes They were therefore called Musae because they comprehend the art of modulation or tuning with a consent or agreeing of all other disciplines Diuers authors much differ about their number Varro as Seruius witnesseth of him allowes onelie three Ina which is bred by the motion of the water a second begot by the sprinkling of the ayer a third meerelie arising from the sound of the voyce Augustine speakes of a cittie which Gyraldus names Sicion the primates of which of three seuerall famous worke-men bespake three effigies or images of the Muses to bestow as a gift vpon the Temple of Apollo and which of them could expresse the greatest art and most exquisite workemanship he to be the best payd for his paines It so hapned that their three labours were equallie beautifull and so esteemed in so much that all the nine pieces pleasing generallie they were all bought and dedicated to the Temple To euery of which the Poet Hesiod after gaue a seuerall Embleme or Motto Not saith he because Iupiter had begot nine Muses but that three artificers had forged three apeece and therefore
incertaine course they were driuen neere vnto Paâ—is Epitherses with manie of the other passengers being then awake â— voice was heard from the Island which to the admiration of them all called vpon the name of one Thamus this Thamus was an Aegyptian and his name scarce knowne to any in the ship twice he was cald but aunswered not but at the third summons breaking scilence these wordes with a loude voice were vttered Thamus greatâ—an â—an is dead Epitherses reported that these words put them into an vniuersall feare diuerse arguments being held amongst them and it being long disputed Whether it were necessarie that this command should be performed or omitted But Thamus thus resolued that if the wind stood faire he would not alter his course but passe the Island but otherwise he would deliuer the message according as he was inioyned Comming neere the Palodes their sayles were on the suddaine becalmed for neither wind was felt to blow nor tyde or water perceiued to mooue whith he perceiuing turned himselfe towards the Island and made this lowd acclamation The great god Pan is dead which words were no sooner vttered but a great intermixture of howling yelling and mourning was heard from the Island to the infinite amasement of them all This was done in the presence of so many witnesses that the rumor thereof spread so farre as Rome euen to the eares of Tyberius Caesar by whom Thamus being sent for he related the circumstance in the presence of the Emperour and many learned men all which concluded that this Pan before spoken of was the same who was held to be the sonne of Mercury and Penelope The truth is and agreed vpon by all approoued authours that at the birth of Christ all Oracles ceased and since that time were neuer heard to giue answer vnto any demand whatsoeuer And thus I take leaue of the second Sybill Phoemonoe SYBILLA DELPHICA SHe was called Daphne and said to be the daughter of the Prophet Tyresias many of whose verses Homer is said to assume to himselfe and make them his owne She prophesied of the warres and destruction of Troy Tyrasius was king of Thebes who as some say was strucke blind because he vnawares saw Diana naked bathing her selfe in a fountaine Of whom Ouid speakes in Metamorph. At pater omnipotens c. Omnipotent Ioue did for his losse of eyes Inspire him with the spirit of Prophesies Things future to predict which was I guesse To make his plague seeme in his honour lesse Of him Statius likewise speakes in the second booke of his Thebaiedes Some thinke Daphnis the neateheard who was the first inuenter of the Bucolick verse to be her brother he as Sindus and Vollateranus both auerre was strooke blind because he adulterated a woman in his drunkennesse the circumstance is so set downe by Aelianus He was the darling of Mercury and no sooner borne but laid out vnder a Lawrell tree the kine which he fed were said to be the sisters of the Sunne for so Homer in his Odissaea relates In his flower of youth he was beloued of a beautifull nymph who grew enamoured of him in Sicilia with whom he made a couenant That if euer he cast himselfe into the embraces of any second loue he desired of the Fates that his eyes might for euer loose the benefit of the Sunne Not long after the Kings daughter fell in loue with him whom hee vitiated in the heat of his wine and grew blind soone after Some make him the inuentor of the Beucolicks which others confer vpon Stesichorus Himeraeus But touching Daphne thus Palephatus in his fabulous Narrations speakes of her Terra or the Earth fell in loue with the flood Ladon of their mutuall compression Daphne was begot of her Apollo grew inamoured and layd daylie siege to her chastitie but shee not able to oppose his importunities and willing to preserue her virginitie pure and without blemish petitioned to her mother Earth That she would againe receiue her to conceale her from the Sunne into her bosome from whence shee at first proceeded to whose request her mother condiscended and kept her so long till from her brest shee sprong out a Laurell tree whom Phoebus notwithstanding courted but in vaine The manner of her transportation Ouid with great elegancie relates in his Metamorph. Without this Laurell as some thinke the Tripos in Boetia plac't neere the vaticinating caue cannot be erected All writers confirme a her Sybell and a Prophetesse belonging to the Delphian Oracle howsoeuer the Poets haue fabled Her prophesie was to this purpose An Angell shall descend and say Thou blessed Marie haile Thou shalt conceiue bring foorth yet be A Virgin without faile Three gifts the Chaldaeans to thy sonne Shall tender with much pietie Myrrhe to a Man Gold to a King And Incense to a Deitie SIBILLA CVMAEA SHe was called Cimmeria and was one of Apollo's Priests borne in Cuma a citie of Aeolia Leonard Aretine in his booke de Aquila volante calls her Omeria and would deriue her from Italie Herodotus in his first booke hath left this historie recorded That Pactias the Persian flying for refuge into the citie Cuma hee was demaunded thence by Mazares the great generall but the Cumaeans would not deliuer him vp without aduise from the Oracle There was in those daies an antient and much adored altar sacred to Apollo to which the Aeolaes and the Ionians in all their hesitations repaired for counsell it was scituate in the Milesian fields neere to the port called Panormus to this place were sent men both of birth and trust to demand from the Cumaeans Whether Pactias should bee deliuered vnto the Persians who answered Let him be surrendered vp which when the men of Cuma heard they with a ioynt sufferage concluded to send him thence and to obey the Oracle To which decree Aristodicus the sonne of Heraclius violently opposed himselfe a man amongst the rest at that time most illustrious either not giuing credit at all to the answere or distrusting their fidelitie that brought it therefore hee himselfe with other of the prime citisens prepared themselues for a second expedition these repairing to the Branchidae or Priests of which this Cumaea was one Aristodicus humblie kneeling before the altar thus bespake Apollo Pactyas the Lidian oh king and god to shunne a violent death gaue himselfe into our patronage the Persians redemaund him of the Cumaeans we though we feare not their forces yet dare not surrender vp a suppliant to death who hath tendred his safetie into our hands till wee heare from thee what in this destraction is most fit to be done To these words the Priest as from Apollo returned this answere Let Pactias be deliuered vp to the Persians This done Aristodicus it seemes not well pleased to betray the life of his friend surueying the Temple round he spyde where sparrows and other small birds had builded their neasts who taking away their young was about to
Vates Ancirrae and as most will haue it this was Cassandra the daughter of King Priamus and Hecuba their femall issue are thus numbred Creâ—sa Cassandra Ilione Laodice Lycaste Medesicastis Polixena Climene Aristomache Xenodice Deimone Metioche Pisis Cleodice and Medusa Amongst which she onelie attained to the spirit of Prophesie and predicted of the destruction of Troy but her Augurie was neuer credited Appollodorus as also Higinus giues this reason Appollo inflamed with her beautie promist if she would prostitute herselfe to his pleasure he would inspire her with the spirit of Diuination which he accordinglie performed but she failing in her promise to him he in reuenge of that iniurie caused that her Prophesies howsoeuer true should neuer haue credit which makes her in her diuination thus complaine The world to Troy I fitlie may compare Erected first by Neptune and the Sonne These two the aptest Heirogliphicks are For water and for fire The buildings donne Laoâ—edon their right the gods denyes For which by water Troy was first destroid So was the world for mans false periuries In the great Deluge where but eight inioyd The benefit of life Troy happy were If it by water could forewarned be So were the worldâ— but oh too much I feare In their like fatall ruin they agree Troy must be burnt to ashes woe the while My mother in her wombe conceiu'd a brand To giue it flame he that shall many a mile Trauell by water to bring fire to land Lust is the fuell Lust and other sinnes Are the combustible stuffe will bring to nought The worlds great fabricke since from them begins All desolation first to mankind brought The world like Troy must burne they both before Suffered by water so they must by fire We Prophesie these things what can we more But after our predictions none inquire Vnlesse in scorne This doth Cassandra greeue To speake all truth when none will truth beleeue The better to illustrate this Oracle know that Laomedon about to build the walls of Troy borrowed much coine of the Priests of Neptune and Phoebus to accomplish the worke vpon promise of due payment when the walls were finished But breaking his faith and denying restitution of those summes lent the gods inraged at his periurie Neptune brought vp his waues so high that he in a deluge vtterly destroied the citie whilst Apollo by the scorching of his beames made the vpper countries barren For the burning of Troy it happened after the ten yeares siege elaboratly described by Virgill in his Aeneidos when Aenaeas discourses the whole desolation of the citie to Dido in which he speakes of the prince Chorebus to bee much inamoured of Cassandra who rescued her when shee was dragd by the haire from Apollo's altar and was slaine in the attempt The death of Cassandra is thus reported by Hyginus in Fabulus When the spoiles and prisoners of Troy were diuided amongst the Princes of Greece Cassandra fell by lot to the archduke and generall Agamemnon with whom he safely arriued in Mycene of which place he was king and gouernour But Clitemnestra the daughter of Tindarus sister to Hellen and wife to Agamemnon being before their landing possest by Oeaces or as some call him Cethus the brother of Palamides that Cassandra was the prostitute of Agamemnon and had supplanted her from his loue which lie he had forged to be reuenged of the Generall for his brothers death before Troy Clitemnestra therefore surprised with iealosie complotted with Aegistus the sonne of Thiestas to murder them both the first night they lodged in the Pallace which was accordingly performed but Electra the daughter of Agamemnon stole thence her brother Orestes then but an infant who else had perished with his father and conueyed him to be safe kept to one Sihophius of Phocis who had before bin married to Astichaea the sister of Agamemnon he brought him vp to manhood till Orestes found fit oportunitie to reuenge himselfe on the two Regicides his mother and Aegistus SIBILLA EVROPAEA SHe is said to be Incertae patriae as no man knowing from what perticular region to deriue her and therefore is knowne by no perticular name nor by the antient Historiographers numbred amongst the ten only amongst the twelue she hath place as may appeare by this her Prophesie When the great King of all the world shall haue No place on Earth by which he can be knowne When he that comes all mortall men to saue Shall find his owne life by the world orethrowne When the most just iniustice shall depraue And the great judge be judged by his owne Death when to death a death by death hath giuen Then shall be op't the long shut gates of Heauen SIBILLA TIBVRLINA IT seemes she deriues her selfe from the riuer Tiber she is otherwise called Albunaea of the cittie Alba which was erected before Rome as also Italica and by some Alburnea It is reported that the Romans going about to deifie Augustus Caesar demaunded aduise of this Sybill who after three daies fast standing before the altar where the Emperour himselfe was then present after many hidden words miraculously spoke concerning Christ vpon the sudden Heauen opened and Caesar saw a beautifull Virgin standing before the Altar who held in her armes as louely an infant at this apparition Caesar afrighted fell on his face at which instant was heard a voice as from Heauen saying This is the altar of the Sonne of God In which place was after built a Temple dedicated to the Virgin Marie and called Ara Caeli i. The altar of Heauen This Policronicon affirmes and for the truth thereof citeth saint Augustine lib. 18. cap 24. There is little more remembered of her life sauing that in her bookes she prophesied of the comming of the Sauiour of the world much after this manner Seuen wonders of the world haue bin proclaimed But yet a greater than these are not named The Egyptians high Pyramides who seem'd To meet the starres a worke once much esteem'd The Tower of Pharos The miraculous wall That Babylon begyrt The fourth wee call Diana's Church in Ephesus Fame sings ' Thad fix and thirtie Pillers built by kings As many Next to these Mausolus Tombe Than which the Earth supporteth on her wombe No brauer structure Next to these there was The huge Colossus that was cast in Brasse Of height incredible whom you may espye Holding a lampe fiftie seauen cubits hye Bestriding an huge riuer The seuenth wonder Was of great Ioue that strikes with trisulck thunder His Statue caru'd in Yuorie and contriu'd By Phideas the best workeman then suruiu'd What at these trifles stands the world amaz'd And hath on them with admiration gaz'd Then wonder when the troubled world t' appease He shall descend who made them that made these Of these Wonders briefly to make her diuination the more plaine Of these Pyramides there were diuerse of which the greatest tooke vp eight acres of ground parted into
noblest families were chosen as directors and chiefe ouerseers of that Order by whose negligence if by chance at any time that sacred Fire was extinguished thier iudgement was to bee beaten to death with strokes by the hand of the chiefe Priest or Flamin Valerius Maximus reports that the same judgement was executed vpon the same negligence by P. Licinius Crassus then in the high Priesthood All such as were found guiltie of incest were condemned to bee buried aliue nor was it lawfull as Labeo Antistius writes for any vnder six yeares or aboue ten to be admitted into that seruice besides she must not be the onely child of her father and mother neither must shee haue a lisping or stammering tongue bee deafe of her eares nor marked with any blemish about her bodie neither such an one whose parents one or both haue liued in seruitude or haue bin conuersant in any base offices neither such a one whose sister hath beene elected into the Priesthood all these are excused from the seruice of Vesta neither she whoâ—e father is a Flamin a South-sayer or one of the Decemuirie in the sacrifices or of the Septemuirate in the banquets There is likewise a dispensation with the daughters of kings and priests as vncapable of this ministerie neither can that mans child be admitted that hath not a knowne house and an abiding place in Italie for so Capito atteius writes so likewise the children of all such are restrained as haue the number of Three or more By the edict of the Praetor that no Virgin Vestall or Dialis which belongs to the sacrifices of Iupiter shall be compelled to any thing these be the words of the Praetor by the mouth of the crier Through all my iurisdiction I wil not vrge or force an oath from the Vestall Virgins nor from the Flamin Dialis in the chusing of the Vestall these things were obserued There is a caution by the law called Lex Pâ—pia That by the approbation of the chiefe Priest and by his special appointment twenty virgins were selected out of the people but this ordinance with many other were abrogated and abolisht by Time in so much that it was sufficient if any of free parents and honestlie descended petitioned or made meanes to the high Priest she might without more difficultie enter her oath and be admitted into the sacred order being receiued by him as one snatcht and taken violently from the hands of her enemies The words he vsed were these This vestall Priest whom I enter into this holy office according to the institution of the best law I receiue by the name of Amata to make her intercessions for the Nobilitie and people of Rome It was a custom to admit them all by the name of Amata because she that was first chosen by king Numa was so called and with these ceremonies shee was as it were hurried to the Temple of Vesta In Labeons commentaries it is thus found recorded The Vestall virgin is incapable to be made heire of any man or woman that dies intestate her goods likewise after her death returne to the common treasurie Pomponius Latus in his booke de Sacerdotijs agrees with Fenestella That Aeneas first brought the Vestal fire from Troy into Italy and Lauinium being built he there erected a Temple to her honour After this Ascanius consecrated another in a part of the hill Alba beneath which or at the foote thereof was a thick groue in which Mars vitiated Illia the mother of Romulus These Ministers of Vesta were tied to an oath of perpetuall virginitie for it was a custome amongst the Latines to make choice of the most noble and chast virgins After many yeres Romulus deuised all the chast ceremonies belonging to that Order and as Varro declares to vs created three score Priests to those publique seruises selected by their Tribes and Families but of the most noble vnblemisht stocks amongst the Romans The temple of Vesta is built round and is scituat betwixt the Capitoll and the Pallace in this is kept the perpetuall Fire for the Etimologie of Vesta is nothing else but purus ignis i. pure Fire Some are of opinion that in that Temple are kept the remenbrances of many both sacred and secret monuments some strange and vnknowne euen to the Priests and Virgins Some speake of two toonnes of no great quantitie the one continually shut the other open emptie some of the Virgins haue reported that the Palladium that fell from Heauen and was receiued into Troy is there still to be seene The first Virgins appointed by Numa were foure Gegania Berenia Camilla Tarpeia two others were added by Seruius Tullius Their vowes of virginitie were vnalterable for thirtie yeares In the first ten yeares they were to learne the ceremonies and to be as ministers and handmaides in the rest she was to gouerne and instruct others and the thirtie yeares expired she had libertie if she pleased to marrie If any of these Vestalls had wantonly offended she was to bee chastised by the Priest but such as were found incestuous were punished after this manner Being first bound she was laid vpon a beere like a coarse alreadie deceased and so carried through the midde Forum to the port or gate called Collina for there betwixt two walls is the graue of the vnchast Vestalls still apparant there is a caue hollowed vnder the earth the descent is with a ladder by the mouth which is of no great widenesse in this vault is a bed readie prepared a light burning with bread milke and oyle these things being all made readie for the purpose the delinquent is set downe her bands loosed and her head couered the high Priest whispering certaine secret things in her eare the other priests turning their faces from her which is no sooner done but shee is let downe into the cauerne earth throwne vpon her the graue filled and shee stifled aliue and that day on which this execution is done there is a generall silence and sadnesse through the whole cittie OPPIA SHe was one of the Vestall virgins who being taken in whordome and the fact manifestlie prooued she was conuented conuicted and had her doome to bee buryed aliue Vpon whom Strozzafilius inscribed this Epitaph Vestalis virgo laesi damnata pudoris Contegor hoc viuens Oppia sub tumulo I Oppia once a Vestall that For sinne my iudgement haue Condemn'd for lust am liuing shut And couered in this graue Claudia There were two of that name as Liuy in his 22 booke reports who were addicted to the ceremonies of Vesta Fonteia was the sister of Marc. Fonteius who being a Prefect or gouernour amongst the Galls was accused before the Senat of iniustice and misgouernment as transgressing the lawes and edicts of the Romans Marcia was a Vestall virgin and one that attended vpon the sacred ceremonies she was condemned of incest and as Oppia was before her buried aliue Minutia also a minister of Vestaes sacrifices
the chances and changes incident to vs both in time and nature since death by the bountie of the gods is granted to man as a rest and cessation from all calamities and troubles For when Aurora had beg'd immortalitie for Tython he feeling the infirmities and defects of age became himself a suppliant to the gods That they would be to him so gracious as to giue him leaue to sleepe with his fathers accounting it much better and happier to dye once and be at rest than to bee continuallie afflicted with the troubles and difficulties of a wearie and despised life NOX or the Night AFter morning past the Sunne gone about and the day spent comes Night neither was she in meane honour amongst the antient Poets who taught her to be the first and long before all other nymphs or goddesses as possessing all places and all things hauing in her owne dispose and gouernment that deformed and vnshapen matter called Chaos ouer which she raigned Emperesse before the gods themselues had any existence or being notwithstanding some contend to make her the daughter of this Chaos as Hesiod and others Inde Chao est Erebus Nox tenebros a creati From Chaos Erebus and the Night tenebrous Were both created And because so borne she was called The most antient the reason is approoued For before the masse was opened the matter of which to make things distinguished and the world it selfe created there could nothing be which might be properlie called Night therefore Aratus in Astronomac stiles her Nox antiqua and Orpheus in one of his hymnes The mother of gods and men as both hauing their birth from her She is drawne in a charriot with starres waiting vpon her wheeles and vshering her as Theocritus left recorded Salueteque Noctis Sydera quae Canthis tacite praecurritis alta Hayle all you starres so bright Softlie forerunning the round wheeles of Night She is habited in sable garments for so all writers agree her head bound vp in a blacke vayle whom the starres attend behind her charriot as well as before for so Euripides in Ione testates Inuita nigris vestibus currum in silit Nox Astra sunt deum secuta protinus Night in blacke vesture mounts into her carre Behind the starres attend her but not farre Virgill giues her two horses to her charriot therefore Appollonius in this third book describing the Night comming saith Nox iniecit equis iuga The night vpon her horses cast her yoake But this maner of the nights progresse is later than in the time of Homer for in his dayes she was allowed neither charriot nor horses they onelie deciphered her with wings like Cupid or Victorie Some introduce her at the departure of the day to rise out of the sea as Virgill in his Aeneids Vertitur interea Coelum ruit Oceano Nox Inuoluens vmbramagna Terramque polumque The Heauen meane time is turn'd the Night Leapes from the sea in hast In darke and pitchy cloudes the Earth And Poles inuoluing fast Her whom Virgill brings from the sea Euripedes inuocates as comming from Erebus in these words Verenda Verenda Nox ex Erebo veni Oh reuerent reuerent Night ascend from Erebus Orpheus relates that she sends day to the regions below and againe chaseth her thence in her owne person bringing them darknesse Quae Lucem pellis sub terr as rarsus ipsa Tartara nigra petis Below the earth thou driuest Light And then againe thou bring'st them Night In all her sacrifices a cocke was still kild and offered as a creature much opposed against silence for so Theagines hath left recorded Night had many children Euripides in his Hercules Furens calls one of hir daughters Rabies her name importing outragious Madnesse a second daughter of hers was called Rixa which is Brawling and Scolding a third Inuidia or Enuy for so saith Hesiod in his workes and dayes but in his Theogonia he makes mention of others whom he calls her sonnes in these verses Nox peperit Fatumque malum parcamque nigrantem Et mortem somnum diuersaque somnis natos Hos perperit nulli deanox connicta marito Night euill Fate brought forth blacke Parca bred With Death and Sleepe and diuers Dreames beside Of all these Sonnes she was deliuered And yet the goddesse neuer husband tride Cicero in his third booke De natura Deorum hauing numbred all the children of Night deriues them also from their father Erebuâ— as may appeare in these words Quod si ita est c. If it be so saith hee those that are the Parents of heauen should likewise be reckoned in the number of the gods Aether and Dies i. Ayre and Day with their brothers and sisters by the antient Geneologists thus nominated Amor Dolus Metus Labor Invidentia Fatum Senectus Mors Tenebrae Miseria Querela Gratia Fraus Pertinatia Parcae Hesperides Somnia that is Loue Deceite Feare Labour Enuie Fate ould Age Death Darknesse Miserie Complaint Fauour Frawde the Parcae and the Hesperides All which are by some imagined to be the children of Nox and Erebus I will only speake a little of two of these as they now lie in my way and that verie briefly too and because it may perchance be late before I haue doone with them I will conclude with Night Death and Sleepe are brother and sister and both the children of Night Aristo calls Somnus a seuere exacter from mankind who as it were violently snatcheth away the halfe part of our age to bestow on Sleepe and therfore by Orpheus he is called the brother of Lâ—the which insinuates Forgetfulnesse which he most elegantlie expresseth in his hymne to Sleepe So miâ—e beatorum rex rex summe virorum Quem fugiunt curia c. Sleepe of the blest man King and King of men Whom cares still flie and rest imbraceth then Of mischiefes the sole solace and best friend To giue them due repose and comfort lend Who putting on the shape of Death doest giue Onely by that all creatures meanes to liue Sleepe thou hast but two sisters and these are Death and Obliuion both which shorten care Ouid in his Metamorphos for his so many benefits conferred vpon Mortalls placeth him in the catalogue of the gods The house of Sleepe the same Poet hath ingeniously described vpon whom hee conferres a thousand children or rather a number not to be numbered nominating onely three Morpheus Icelus and Phantasus for sleepe if it be moderately vsed is of all mortall things the sweetest best and most profitable to whom all creatures whatsoeuer are subiect therefore not improperly by Orpheus tearmed the king of men and gods Homer in his Illiades makes an elegant expression to show how wretched their conditions are aboue other men that are in high and eminent place and office and haue predominance ouer the greatest affaires which hee thus introduceth by making all both gods and men asleepe at once sauing Iupiter which Iuno seeing shee
Queene of Aethiopia Harpalice of the Amazons Hyppolite of Magnesia Teuca of the Illyrians c. Of these in their places Amongst whom let me not be so vnnaturall to her merit or so ingratefull to my countrey thrice blest and diuinelie happie in her most fortunate raigne as not to remember that euer to be celebrated Princesse Elizabeth of late memory Queene of England She that was a Saba for her wisedome an Harpalice for her magnanimitie witnesse the Campe at Tilburie a Cleopatra for her bountie a Camilla for her chastitie an Amalasuntha for her temperance a Zenobia for her learning and skill in language of whose omniscience pantarite and goodnesse all men heretofore haue spoke too little no man hereafter can write too much sacred be still her memorie to vs on earth as her blessed soule liues euer glorified in heauen Her succeeded though not in her absolute Monarchy yet a Princesse of vnspotted fame incomparable clemencie vnmatchable goodnesse and most remarkable vertue Queene Anne whom all degrees honored all nations loued and no tongue was euer heard to asperse with the least callumnie who in her too short eminence heere amongst vs was knowne to be the step of dignitie to many but detriment to none in whom all were glad by whom none had euer the least cause of sorrow vnlesse in the lamented losse of so graue and gratious a princesse And for my owne part gentle and curteous reader let me borrow so much of thy patience that I may vpon this so iust and good occasion remember a long neglected dutie by inserting in this place a few funerall teares vpon her hearse A Funerall Oade vpon the death of ANNA PANARETA NOw Hymen change thy saffron weedes To roabe and habit sable For ioyfull thoughts vse funerall deedes Since nothing's firme or stable This alas we May read and see As in a mappe or printed table It was not at the time of yeare Birds bid the Spring god-morrow Nor when we from the Summer cleare Her warmth and pleasures borrow Nor when full fields Ripe Autumne yeelds That we are thus inuolu'd in sorrow But when the barren earth denyes Fruits to the reapers mowing When Meteors muster in the skyes And no faire fruits are growing When winter cold Dry seare and old His frozen fingers or'e the fire sits blowing When the Sunne scants vs of his heat And Phoebe tempests threateth When Boreas blustring in his seat His frozen pineons beateth And as a King Aboue the Spring The fresh and timely budds defeateth In this great barrennesse were we Our plenty made to smother But what might this rare iewell be A Saint a Queene a Mother An Hester faire A Iudith rare These dead oh point me out another Saue Debora that 's likewise dead Fam'd for her countries freeing But shall we henceforth see or reade Of such another being Oh what a dearth Is now on earth That heare none liues with these agreeing Saba was wise so was our Queene For beautie others famed Some for their vertue crown'd haue beene And in large legends named Who liuing shall Contend in all With her alas shall be but shamed But since our prayses at their best Shorten so farre her merit Leaue her to her eternall rest A glorious Sainted spirit For aye to sing Vnto heauens King Thanks for these ioyes she doth inherit Yet 't is a duty that we owe To giue our griefe expression The greater that our sorrowes grow It shewes the lesse transgression A losse like this T is not a misse That we then leaue to all succession Skyes mourne her death in stormie cloudes Seas weepe for her in brine Thou earth that now her frailtie shroudes Lament though she be thine Onely reioyce Heauen with lowd voyce That you are now become her shrine For this appear'd the Blazing starre Yet fresh in our memory That Christendome both neere and farre Might tell it as a story Great Ioue it sent With an intent Onely to get her to her glory In this Catalogue of Queenes hauing so late remembred the mother how can I forget the daughter she to whom I must giue that attribut which all soldiers bestow vpon her The Queene of women and the best of Queenes whose magnanimitie in war and gentlenes in peace resolution in the one and generous affabilitie in the other haue so sweet a correspondence that when the Canon roared lowd at the gates and the bullet forced a passage euen through the Pallace where she lodged was no more daunted in courage nor dismayd in countenance than when the gentle and soft musicke melodiouslie sounded at the celebration of her espousalls Sacred oh Princely Lady for euer be your memorie and fortunate and happy your hopefull posteritie may your wombe prooue a bed of souldiours and your breasts the nursserie of Kings may the sonnes victories redeeme the losses of the father and the daughters surmount the fertilitie of their mother may your future fortunes be answerable to your former vertues that as you haue the earnest prayers of all good men so you may haue the successe of their wishes which millions that neuer yet saw you desire but all that vnderstand you know you worthilie deserue And to conclude that as you are the last of these in this my Catalogue by order posterity may reckon you the first amongst the Illustrious by merit Of diuers Ladies famous for their Modestie OH thou Chastitie and puritie of life thou that art the ornament as well of man as woman from whence shall I inuoke thee thou diddest first helpe to kindle the sacred fires of Vesta where virginitie was made Religion Thou that was wont to frequent the chambers of great Ladies with sinnelesse and vndefiled hands make the beds of the cittie Matrons and to be obsequious about the Pallats strowed in the countrey cottages where shall I find thee now to direct this my pen in her large and vnbounded progresse or to tutour me so farre that I may know what on this argument thou thy selfe wouldest haue done Liuie Florus Plutarch and others speaking of the wonder of the Roman chastitie Lucresse accuse fortune or nature of error for placing such a manlie heart in the breast of a woman who being adulterated by Sextus Tarquinius after she had sent to her friends and to them complained her iniuries because she would not liue a by-word to Rome nor preserue a despoiled body for so noble a husbands embraces with a knife which she had hid vnder her garment for the same purpose in presence of them all slew her selfe which was after the cause that the Tyrannicall monarchy of Rome was transferd into a Consular dignitie Armenia the wife of Tygranes hauing beene with her husband at a sumptuous banquet made by King Cyrus in his Pallace Royall when euery one extold the maiestie and applauded the goodlinesse of the Kings person at length Tygranes askt his queene what her opinion was of his magnitude and person She answered I can
spoke but snacht out his sword and with it slew her selfe A noble resolution in an heathen Ladie to punish her husbands disgrace and her owne ouersight with voluntarie death and a notable example to all women that shall succeede her to be more charie in keeping their husbands secrets all which I would wish to follow the counsell of the comick Poet Philippides who when king Lysimachus called him vnto him and vsing him with all curtesie spake thus What of the things that are within or without me shall I impart vnto thee ô Phillippides he thus answered Euen what thou pleasest oh king so thou still reseruest to thy selfe thy counsells This puts me in mind of king Seleucus Callinicus who hauing lost a battaile against the Galatians and his whole armie being quite subuerted and disperced casting away his crowne and and all regall ornaments was forced to flie onely attended with two or three seruants and wandering long through many deserts and by-pathes as fearing to be discouered and growing faint with hunger he came to a certaine ruinate cottage where he deâ—ired bread and water the maister of the house not onely affoorded him that but whatsoeuer else the place could yeeld or the suddennesse of the time prouide with a large welcome In the interim of dinner fixing his eyes vpon Seleucus face he knew him to be the king and not able to containe his owne ioyes nor conceale the kings dssimulation after dinner the king being redie to take horse and bidding his host farewell hee replied againe And farewell ô king Seleucus who finding himselfe discouered reached him his hand as to imbrace him beckning to one of his followers who at the instant at one blow strooke off his head so that as Homer Sic caput estque loquentis ad huc cum puluere mistum These were the fruits of vnseasonable babling for this fellow had he kept his tongue till the king had beene restored to his former dignities might haue receiued large rewardes for his hospitallitie who suâ—ered an vnexpected death for his loquacitie Aretaphila ARetaphila Cyrenaea is deseruedly numbered amongst the heroick Ladies she liued in the time of Mithredates and was the daughter of Aeglatur and the wife of Phedimus a woman of excellent Vertue exquisit Beautie singular Wisedome and in the managing of common-welthes businesse and ciuill affaires ingeniously expert this Ladie the common calamities of her countrie made eminent for Nicocaentes the tyrant hauing vsurped the principallitie ouer the Cirenaeans amongst many other of his inhumane butcheries slew Menalippus the Priest of Apollo and assumed to himselfe the sacred office and dignitie In the number of these noble citisens hee caused Phedimus the husband of Aretaphila to be iniuriously put to death married her against her will who as well distrest with her priuate discontents as suffering in the publique calamitie meditated a remedie for both and by aduise of some of her neerest allies attempted to poyson the king but the proiect being discouered was preuented and vpon that ground Calbia mother to Nicocrates a woman of an implacable spirit and prone to any thing wherin there might be blood and slaughter first condemned her to insufferable torture and next to violent death but the tyrant her sonne in regard of the extraordinarie loue he bore vnto her being the more relenting and humane of the two was pleased to put her cause first to examination and after to censure In which triall shee answered boldly and with great courage in the defence of her owne innocence but being by manifest proofes conuicted in so much that her purpose could not be denied she then descended so low as to excuse herselfe alleaging that indeed apprehending the greatnesse of his person and that she was in degree no better to him than an handmaide and fearing least some other more accomplisht beautie might steppe betwixt him and her to insinnuate into his fauour and grace shee therefore had prepared an amatorious confection minding only to continue his loue not to betray his life and if her womanish weakenesse had in any kind through ignorance transgrest the bounds of loyaltie she submitted her selfe to his royall clemencie whose approoued judgement shee made no doubt knew how to distinguish betwixt folly and malice Notwithstanding these smooth euasions Nicocrates fully possest of the truth gaue her vp into the hands of his mother to be tormented who as shee is before charractered being a harsh and mercilesse woman left nothing vnattempted that torture could deuise to wrest from her a capitoll confession but Aretaphila with wonderous patience and constancie induring whatsoeuer the beldame could inflict vpon her Calbia grew as wearie in punishing as she in suffering insomuch that Nicocrates was in some sort persuaded of her innocencie commanded her release seeming sorrowfull for the torments she had indured so that his former loue conquering his suspition he began to studie a new reconcilement and excusing his too much credulousnesse renewed his antient familiaritie and custome But she not forgetting her former rackes and strapadoes now began to meditate vpon his death another way she had a daughter of exquisite feature and the tyrant had a brother called Leander a wilde-headed yong man and apt for any innouation or hair-braind attempt shee wrought so far with her and so inwardly with him that by the consent of the king a match was concluded betwixt them All these things falling out according to her wishes her daughter by the mothers instigation wrought so farre vpon his rashnesse in priuate and the mother gaue him such incouragement withall that putting him in hope to inioy the soueraignetie to himselfe they persuaded him to supplant his brother This tooke such prosperous effect that he suborned a seruant of his called Daphries who attending his opportunitie slew the tyrant Aretaphila not with this contented whose reuenge aymed to extirpat the whole familie of the tyrant and whose goodnesse to free her countrie from all seruitude instigated the citisens against Learchus for the murder of her king and second husband drawing him into the compasse of that publike hate that he was forced to flie as a traitour and a fratricide neither was she satisfied whilst he yet liued therefore by her wit and policie and the industrie of one Anabas hee was at length subtlely surprised by which the citie receiued her pristine libertie and freedome For which the people would haue done her diuine honours as to a goddesse which shee vtterly refused They next proceeded to justice vpon the delinquents where Calbia was iudged to the fire and burnt a liue and Leander to be sowed in a sacke and so cast into the Sea both which executions were accordingly performed The people then once againe assembled and prostrated themselues before her ioyntly beseeching her either to take vpon her the primacie and chiefe gouernment or at least to be a gracious assistant to the magistrates and princes with her directions and counsell both which shee vtterly refused
downe The king beginning to dallie with them and playing with their cheekes neckes and brests the rest willingly suffered him shee onely strooke his hand aside and if hee offered but to touch her in the least part she presently cried out and told him he should not do it vnpunished The king much delighted with this vnexpected coynesse since at euerie offer of his shee fled his embraces which was against the custome of the Persians hee more ardently fixt his affection vpon her and turning to the souldier who first presented them thus sayd This Phocean onely thou hast brought me chast and vncorrupted the rest both in beautie and behauiour are impostures and from thencefoorth she was solicited and beloued of the king aboue all others with whom he had before or after conuerst with and from that time a mutuall affection grew betwixt them so great that it increased as farre as the modest and absolute confirmation of marriage conformable to the custom of the Graecians In so much that the loue of the king to Aspasia was not rumoured in Iönia solely but through all the spatious prouinces of Greece euen Peloponesus was filled with the bruit therof to the glorie of the great King who after his familiar acquaintance with her was neuer knowne to haue vsed the companie of any other woman And now began the vision of Aspasia concerning the Doue to be much spoken of and of the goddesse that appeared to her to whom she dedicated after a goodly statue called the image of Venus beautified with many rich jewells withall the picture of a Doue to which she made daylie supplications sacrifices and oblations still imploring the fauour of the goddesse To her father Hermotimus shee sent many rich and vnualued presents making him of a subiect almost vnparraleld for wealth vsing in the processe of her life as witnesse as well the Persian as Graecian Ladies a wonderous modestie and continence Hormus sometimes of Thessaly was sent from Scopa the junior who was of Scicily with an admirable rich Iewell to Cyrus for a present Who hauing shewed it to many all wondering at the cost and workemanship and prowd of so rich a gemme presently after dinner repaired to the chamber of Aspasia and finding her asleepe cast himselfe vpon the bed by her without disturbing her rest who waking and espying the king so neer began to embrace him according to her accustomed manner who presently taking the jewell from the casket showed it to her vsing these wordes This I bestow on thee as a gift worthie the daughter or mother of an Emperour which I charge thee to weare for my sake in a carkanet about thy neck To whom she wisely consideratly answered And how dare I be the possessor of so great a treasure which rather becomes the maiestie and estate of your mother Parasatides therefore I intreat you send it to her for I without this ornament can present you with a neck sufficiently beautifull The king much pleased with her answer daily and howerly more and more increased his loue towards her and what she said and did sent in a letter to his mother with the iewell inclosed For which she was not only much graced and fauored by the Princesse but after by Cirus rewarded with many rich gifts of value inestimable all which she modestlie sent backe with this message These things ô king may be vsefull to thee that hast the charge of such infinites of men when my greatest riches is to be solely beloued of thee with these and the like she tyed the King in inseparable bonds of affection towards her For without all competitorship in the beauty of face feature of body integritie of life and noblenesse of mind she was aboue all those of her time admirable But after Cyrus being slaine in battaile by his brother and his whole army ouerthrowne she likewise fell into the hands of the enemy whom the king Artaxerxes with singular care and diligence caused to be sought and brought before him as one whose name and vertues he held in great respect and estimation and being presented before him bound hee grew wondrous angry commanding all such to prison as were the authours of her least durance withall commanding a costlie and magnificent roabe to bee cast about her which she with many teares and much sorrow refused till shee was compeld to it by the king still taking to heart and lamenting the death of Cyrus But thus adorned according to the Persian state shee appeared in the eyes of all men the fairest of women especiallie in the kings much surprised with her extraordinary beautie still persuading her to race out the memorie of Cyrus dead and in his roome to admit of Artaxerxes liuing which slowly and at length though late he obtained respecting her aboue all other his wiues and concubines Soone after his Eunuch Teridates dyed more than a child and scarce full man the most beautifull youth in Asia and of the king the most beloued who so much lamented his death that all the principalities and nations vnder him seemed to participate of his griefe yet none that durst be so bold as to come into his presence or minister to him any words of comfort Three dayes being past in these lamentations and sorrowes Aspasia in a funerall habit and with her eyes fixt vpon the earth appeared before the king who no sooner espyed her but demanded the cause of her comming To comfort thee said she ô king if thou beest so pleased else to returne to the place of sorrow from whence I came At which seeming to reioyce the king intreated her to her chamber whether he would presentlie repaire to whom she obeyed And hauing put on a roabe of the Eunuches so much bewayled and in that casting her selfe vpon her bed she gaue the king such content that he commanded her till the dayes of mourning were past neuer to appeare to him but in that habit she more preuailing with him than all his Princes wiues subiects and seruants about him still liuing in his most especiall grace and fauour And so farre Aelianus The Matrons of Lacedemon in all battailes fought against the common enemy as many of their husbands sonnes or allyes as they found slaine they vsed to search what wounds they had about them if the greater number were in the face or breast with great ioy and solemnitie they bore them to bee intombed in the monuments of their ancestours but if on the contrary those on their backs exceeded the number of the former surprised with shame and sorrow they eyther left them to the common buriall or gaue them such priuate interment as if they wisht their memories to haue perisht with their bodies This historie Aelianus in his twelfth booke records This discourse for the rarenesse of it I hold not impertinent to insert amongst the women most illustrious Chares Mitylenus in his tenth booke of Histories thus writes Zariadres the yonger brother of Hystaspes
season free from the blastings of disease and canker wormes of sicknesse able to make the fairest amongst you to looke aged in her youth Then may the choicest of you with beautifull Lais who when she saw the Lillies in her brow faded and the Roses in her chekes withered the Diamonds in her eyes loose their lustre and the Rubies in her lippes their colour as being now growne in yeares in these words giue vp your looking-glasses backe to Venus Nunc mihi nullus in hoâ— vsus quia cernere talem Qualis sum nolo qualis eram nequeo Now there 's no vse of thee at all Because I haue no will To see what I am now and what I was I cannot still If then this rare ornament be of such small permanens euen in the best How much then is it to bee vnderprised when it is contaminated and spotted with lust and vnlawfull prostitution since it is a maxime That things common are so farre from begetting appetite and affection that they rather engender the seedes of contempt and hatred for how should any thing festered and corrupt please the eye or that which is rotten and vnsound giue content vnto the pallat But to returne to my first appollogie needfull it is that to the Tragicke Muse Melpomone I should suit Tragicall historie wherein if any women be personated for Incontinence Intemperance Adulterie Incest or any such vile and abhominable action shee hath in that disgraced herselfe not her Sex as stretching no further than the delinquent If any man object and say they are bad presidents to him I answere they are examples of horror to be eschewed not immitated which in their owne natures beget a loathing not liking and for placing them next to and so neere to the women Illustrious I will excuse my selfe in this short Epigram A skilfull Painter hauing lim'd a face Surpassing faire of admirable feature Sets by the same to giue it the more grace The pourtrait of some foule deformed creature No doubt as much Art in the last is showne As in the first albeit that pleaseth most How euer to the workeman 't is well knowne They both to him are of like care and cost T is so with me I haue set before you many Braue Ladies of them all to take full view Pleasing toth ' eye not of these peeces any Whome a more willing workeman euer drew Should these appeare rough hew'd or of bad fauour And whose aspect cannot so well content you Perhapes the next of more delight may sauour And grinding other colours I 'le present you A smoother peece and limne if I be able A fairer face in a more curious table Of Women incestuous and first of Q. Semiramis IT is questioned by some authors concerning this potent and mightie Queen Whether she be more renowned for her braue and magnanimous exploits or notorious for her ignoble and infamous actions some willing that for her vertues sake her vices should be vtterly buried in obliuion others in regard of what was bad in her that nothing good or commendable might of her to posteritie be remembred I purpose to giue you a tast of both Some say she was called Semiramâ—is of the birds named Semiramides by which it is sayd she was fostered in her infancie but that bearing no show of truth others deriue her denomination from Samir which in the Hebrew the Syrian dialect imports as much as Adamant because her noble and braue atchieuements attracted the heartes of that barbarous rude nation to her admiration and loue as the Adamant drawes yron Plutarch in libro Amator saith she was a damosell of Syria and concubine to the king of that countrey with whose loue Ninus being after besotted tooke her to his wife of whom shee had that predominance that though before he had conquered all the Easterne parts subiugated his neighbour kings and subdued Zoroastes monarch of the Bactrians he that was the first inuentor of the Art magicke that deuised the principles of Astrologie and found out the true motions of the starres notwithstanding she so farre preuailed with him that for one day she might fit in the royall throne and for that space haue the regall jurisdiction in her full power with intire command ouer the whole Empire In the morning of her soueraigntie she imposed vpon the subiects such modest milde iniunctions that ere noone shee had insinuated into their bosomes so farre that shee found them so plyable and conformable to her desires that shee presumed there was nothing so difficult and impossible which for her sake they would not boldly and resolutely vndertake Vpon this presumption she stretched her vsurpation so farre that she commaunded them to lay hands vpon the king her husband before night and committing him to prison caused him within few daies to be put to death She had by Ninus one sonne called Ninus junior who should haue succeeded his father that for fiftie two yeares space had swaied the Babylonian Empire but whether in her owne ambition desirous of the principalitie or finding her sonne too effeminate to be lord ouer so great a people and vncertaine withall whether so many men and of so many sundrie nations would submit themselues to the soueraigntie of a woman all these suppositions being doubtfull certaine it is that in the steade of the mother of Ninus shee assumed the person of Ninus hir sonne changing her womans shape into the habit of a mans for they were of one stature proportioned in lineaments alike semblant in voice and in all accomplements difficultly to be distinguished in somuch that neuer mother and child could haue more true resemblance hauing therefore luld her sonne in all effeminacie and attired him in her queenelike vesture the better to shadow her owne proportion she suited her selfe in long garments and commanded all her subiects to do the like which habit hath bin amongst the Assirians Bactrians Babylonians in vse euen to this day Vpon her head she wore a Turbant or Myter such as none but kings vsed to adorne their heads with so that in the beginning she was known for no other than the prince in whose name she accomplisht many notable and noble atchieuements at whose amplitude Enuie and Emulation stood amased confessing her in all her attempts supereminent neither did her heroick actions any way derrogate from the honour of the Empire but rather adde to the splendor thereof admiration in regard a woman had not onely excelled all of her Sex in valour but might claime a iust prioritie ouer men She built the mightie cittie Babylon and the stately walls reckoned amongst the seuen wonders She not onely conquered all Aethiopia and made that kingdome to her state tributarie but inuaded India being the first that durst attempt it and sauing her none since but Alexander who was the second and the last Thus farre Iustine out of the historie of Trogus Pompeius Berosus affirmes as much These be his words Nemo
vnquam huic feminae comparandus est virorum tanta in eius vita scribuntur cum ad vituperationem tum maxime ad laudem i. No man was euer to be compared with this woman such great things haue beene written of her partly to her disgrace but chiefely to her praise He proceedes further She was the fourth that raigned in Assiria for so it is approued Nimrod was the first being father to Belus and grand-father to Ninus which Ninus was the first that made warre vpon his neighbours and vsurped their dominions in whom began to cease the Golden world whom his widdow Queen succeeded counterfetting the shape of man She was after slaine by her sonne Ninus the second of that name who as Eusebius writes after her death swaid the scepter thirtie and eight yeares One memorable thing is recorded of her by Diodorus Siculus lib. 3. as also by Vitruuius This queene being making her selfe readie in her pallace royall when the one part of her haire was bound vp and the other halfe hung loose vpon her shoulders suddenly newes was brought her That the cittisens of Babylon were reuolted and all or the most of them in mutinie and vprore She presently posted into the citie and what with her presence and persuasion attonde the discord before she had leasure to put her disordered curles in forme reconciled the hearts of that innumerable people to her obedience for which her statue was erected in the cittie being pourtraied halfe readie halfe vnreadie in memorie of that noble and magnanimous aduenture Some thing of the best that was in her though not all you haue heard the worst is to come Iuba apud Pli. relates that she immitated the fashions of men neglecting the habit of her own Sex and in her latter yeares grew to that deboisht effeminacie and forâ—id lust that shee did not onely admit but allure and compell into her goatish embraces many of her souldiers without respect of their degrees or places so they were well featured able and lustie of performance whom when they had wasted their bodies vpon her shee caused to be most cruelly murdered Shee was slaine by her owne sonne because shee most incestuously sought his bed but which of all the rest is most prodigious and abhominable she is reported to haue had companie with a horse on whom shee vnnaturally doted But these things whether related for truth or recorded of malice I am altogether ignorant and therefore leaue it to censure Herodotus Plutarch and others writ that she caused these words to be inscribed vpon her Tombe Quicunque rex pecunijs indiget aperto monumento quod voluerit accipiat that is What king soeuer hath neede of coyne search this moâ—ument and he shall find what he desires This when king Darius had read thinking some Magazin of treasure had beene there included he caused the Tombe-stone to be remooued where he found vpon the other side thereof these words ingrauen Misi rex auarus esses pecuniae insatiabilis mortuorum monumenta non viâ—lasses i. Haddest thou not been an auaritious king and insasiable of Coyne thou wouldest not haue ransacked the graue of the dead Thus as Franciscus Patritius Pontifex saith the excellent Ladie in her death taunted the gripple auarice of the liuing That the monuments of the dead are no way to be violated or defaced Sertorius hath taught vs who hauing subdued the cittie Tigenna scituate in the countrey of Maurusia in which a noble sepulchre was which the inhabitants sayd belonged to Antaus which was the gyant slaine by Hercules when the greatnes of the graue exceeded all beleefe Sertorius caused it to be ruined and there digged vp a bodie as Plutarch witnesseth of seuentie cubits in length which beholding and wondering at hee caused it to be repaired with greater beautie than before least by deminishing that he might haue ruined a great part of his owne honour Some thinke it was the bodie of Tagenna the wife of Antaeus whom Hercules prostituted after the death of her husband of her he begot Siphax who after erected that cittie and in memorie of his mother called it by her name Pasiphae THis Ladie though I cannot fitly introduce her within the number of the incestuous yet for that horrid act which the Poets haue reported of her I shall not impertinently place her next to Semiramis Appollodorus Gramatticus in his booke de Deorum origine as Benedictus Aegius Spoletinus interprets him thus sets downe her historie Ninus king of Creet espoused Pasiphae daughter of the Sunne and Perseis or as Asclepiades calls her Creta the daughter of Aterius she had by him foure sonnes Cretaeus Deucalion Glaucus and Androgeus and as many daughters Hecate Xenodice Ariadne and Phaedra This Minos peaceably to inioy his kingdome had promised to offer such a Bull to Neptune but hauing obtained his desires hee sent that Bull before markt out backe to the heard and caused another of lesse value to bee sacrificed at which Neptune inraged knew not with what greater punishment to afflict him for the breach of his faith than to make his wife most preposterously and against nature to dote on that beast which he had so carefully preserued She therefore confederated with Dedalus a great Artsmaster one that for murder had fled from Athens and with his sonne Icarus there secured himselfe hee deuised by his mischieuous skill a wodden cow hollowed within with such artificiall conuayance that the Queene inclosed had satisfaction of her desires to the glutting of her libidinons appetite Of this congression she conceiued and brought forth a sonne called Asterion or as the most will haue it Minotaurus shaped with a Bulls head and a mans body About this monstrous issue Minos consulted with the Oracle which aduised him to shut him in a Labyrinth and there see him safelie brought vp and kept This Labyrinth the first that euer was was built by Dedalus beeing a house so intricated with windings and turnings this way and that way now forward then backward that it was scarce possible for any that entered therein to finde the direct way backe thus farre Apollodorus But Palephatus in his Fabulous narrations reduceth all these commented circumstances within the compasse of meere impossibilitie and thus deliuers the truth concerning Pasiphae Minos being afflicted with a disease in his secret parts with which he had beene long grieued was at length by Crides who belonged to Pandion cured In the interim of this his defect and weakenesse the queene cast an adulterat eye vpon a faire young man called Taurus whom Seruius saith was the scribe or secretary to the king shee prostituting her selfe to his imbraces when the full time was expired shee produced her issue Which Minos seeing and taking a true supputation of the time comparing the birth with his discontinuance from her bed by reason of his disease apprehended the adulterie notwithstanding hee was vnwilling to kill the bastard because it had a resemblance to the rest of
houre so did the mother who came thither on purpose to reforme her sonne but he being hot and too forward in the action and she ouercome either by the inticements of the diuell the weakenesse of her Sex or both gaue herselfe vp to Incestuous prostitution the young man knowing no otherwise but that hee had inioyed the maid Of this wicked and abhominable congression a woman child was begot of whom the mother to saue her reputation was secretly deliuered and put it out priuately to nourse but at the age of seuen yeares tooke it home When this child grew to yeares the most infortunate sonne fell in loue with his sister and daughter and made her his vnhappie wife what shall I thinke of this detestable sinne which euen beasts themselues abhor of which I will giue you present instance Aristotle in his historie Annimal who was a diligent searcher into all naturall things affirmes that a Cammell being blinded by his keeper was brought to horse his damme but in the action the cloth falling from his eyes and he perceiuing what he had done presently seised vpon his keeper and slew him in detestation of the act he had committed and to reuenge himselfe vpon him that had betraied him to the deed The like the same author reports of a horse belonging to a king of Scythia who could by no meanes be brought to couer his damme but being in the same fashion beguiled and the cloath falling away and perceiuing what hee had done neuer left bounding flinging and galloping till comming vnto an high rocke hee from thence cast himselfe headlong into the sea If then this sinne be so hatefull in bruite beasts and vnreasonable creatures how much more ought it to be auoided in men and women and which is more Christians Cyborea the mother of Iudas Iscariot THis that I now speake of is remembred by Ranulphus Monke of Chester Ierome and others There was a man in Ierusalem by name Reuben of the Tribe of Isachar his wife was called Cyborea The first night of their marriage the woman dreamed that she was conceiued of a sonne who should bee a traytour to the Prince of his owne people she told it to her husband at which they were both sad and pensiue The child being borne and they not willing to haue it slaine and yet loath to haue it prooue such a monster to his owne nation they in a small boat cast it to sea to try a desperate fortune this vessell was driuen vpon an Island called Iscariot where the Queene of that place had then no child This babe being found she purposed to make it her owne and put it to be nobly nurced and educated calling his name Iudas and Iscariot of the Island where he was taken vp But not long after shee was conceiued of a sonne who prouing a noble and hopefull gentleman Iudas whose fauour in court began to wane and his hope of inheritance which but late flourisht now quite to wither he plotted against his life and priuately slew him but fearing least the murder might in time bee discouered and hee compeld to suffer according to the nature of the fact hee fled thence to Ierusalem where he got into the seruice of Pontius Pilatus and found meanes to be protected by him being then in the cittie deputie gouernour for the Romans Iudas because their dispositions were much of one condition grew into his especiall familiaritie and fauour The Pallace of Pilot hauing a faire bay window whose prospect was into Reubens Orchard he had a great appetite to eate of some of those ripe apples which shewed so yellow and faire against the sunne This Iudas vnderstanding promist him to fetch him some of that fruit and mounting ouer the orchard wall he was met by his father who rebuking him for the iniurie Iudas with a stone beat out his braines and vnseene of any conueyed himselfe backe Reubens death was smothered and the murderer not knowne Cyborea being a rich widdow Pylate made a match betwixt her and his seruant Iudas who being marryed to his mother was now possest of his owne fathers inheritance Not long this incestuous couple had liued together but Cyborea being vpon a time wondrous sad and melancholy and Iudas demanding the cause she began to relate to him her many misfortunes First of her dreame then of her sonne in what manner he was put to sea then how she lost her husband being slaine and the murderer not found and lastly how by the authoritie of Pilat she was now compeld to match against her will who had protested to her selfe a lasting widdowhood By these circumstances Iudas most assuredly knew that he had slaine his father and had marryed his mother which acknowledging to her she persuaded him to repent him of these great euills and to become a Disciple of Iesus who was then an eminent Prophet amongst the Iewes It shall not be amisse to speake a word or two of Pilate It is said that a king whose name was Tyrus begat him on a Millers daughter Pyla whose father was called Atus who from his mother and grandfather was called Pylatus at foure yeares of age he was brought to his father who by his lawfull wife had a prince iust of the same age These were brought vp together in all noble exercises in which the prince hauing still the best Pylat awaited his opportunitie and slew him loath was the king to punish him with death least he should leaue himselfe altogether Issulesse therefore hee sent him an hostage to Rome for the payment of certaine tribute which was yearly to be tendred into the Roman treasurie Liuing there as hostage he assotiated himselfe with the son to the king of France who lay pledge in Rome about the like occasion and in a priuate quarrell was also slaine by Pylat The Romans finding him of an austere brow and bloodie disposition made him gouernour of the Island called Pontus the people were irregular and barbarous whom by his seueritie he reduced to all ciuill obedience for which good seruice he was remooued to Ierusalem bearing the name of Pontius from that Island there hee gaue sentence against the Sauiour of the world Tiberius Caesar being then Emperour was sicke of a grieuous maladie who hearing that in Ierusalem was a Prophet who with a word healed all infirmities whatsoeuer hee sent one Volutianus to Herod to send him this man but Christ was before condemned and crucified There Volutianus acquainted himselfe with one Veronica a noble Ladie of the Iewes who went with him to Rome and carried with her the lynnen cloth which still bore the impresse and likenesse of Christs visage vpon which the Emperour no sooner looked but he was immediately healed The Emperour then vnderstanding the death of this innocent and just man caused Pylat to be brought to Rome who being called before Caesar the historie saith he had at that time vpon him the roabe of our Sauiour which was called Tunica
peaceably into his hands these conditions are first debated next concluded and lastly confirmed by oath on both sides The towne is yeelded vp and Cacana according to his promise takes Romilda to wife but first he makes spoyle of the towne kills manie and leads the rest captiue The first night he bedded with his new reconciled bride but in the morning abandoned her vtterly commanding twelue Hunnes and those of the basest of his souldiers one after another to prostitute her by turnes that done hee caused a sharpe stake to bee placed in the middle of the field and pitched her naked bodie vpon the top thereof which entering through the same made a miserable end of her life at which sight the tyrant laughing said Such a husband best becomes so mercilesse an harlot This was the bloodie and miserable end as Polycronicon saith of Romilda But better it happened to her two beautifull and chast daughters who fearing the outrage of the lustfull and intemperat souldiors tooke putrified flesh of chickens and colts and hid it raw betwixt their breasts the souldiors approaching them tooke them to be diseased as not able to come neere them by reason of the smell by which meanes they preserued their honours for the present and they for their vertues sake were after bestowed vpon gentlemen of noble qualitie The same Authour puts me in mind of another Adulteresse who to her guilt of inchastitie added the bloody sin of murder Our moderne Chroniclers remember vs of one Ethelburga daughter to king Offa and wife to Brithricus king of the West-Saxons who aiming at nothing so much as her own libidinous delights that she might the more freely and securely inioy them by many sundry treasons conspired the death of her husband but hauing made many attempts and not preuailing in any the diuell to whom she was a constant votaresse so farre preuailed with her that she neuer gaue ouer her damnable purpose till she had not onely dispatcht him of life by poyson but was the death also of a noble young gentleman the chiefe fauourite of the king and one whom in all his disseignes he most trusted These mischiefes done and fearing to be questioned about them because she had incurd a generall suspition she packt vp her choicest iewells and with a trustie squire of hers one that had beene an agent in all her former brothelries fled into France where by her counterfeit teares and womanish dissimulations she so farre insinuated into the kings breast that the wrinckles of all suggestions were cleared and shee freely admitted into the kings court and by degrees into his especiall fauour so rich were her iewells so gorgeous her attire so tempting her beautie being now in her prime and withall so cunning and deceitfull her behauiour that all these agreeing together not onely bated the hearts of the courtiers but attracting the eyes of the great Maiestie it selfe in so much that the king sporting with her in a great Bay window the prince his son then standing by him he merrily demanded of her If she were instantly to make election of a husband whether she would chuse him or his sonne to whom shee rashly answered That of the two she would make choice of his son The king at this somwhat mooued and obseruing in her a lightnesse of behauiour which his blind affection would not suffer him before to looke into thus replied Haddest thou made election of mee I had possest thee of my sonne but in chusing him thou shalt inioy neither So turning from her commaunded her to be stripped out of her jewells and gay ornaments and presently to be shriuen and sent to a monasterie where she had not long beene cloystred but to her owne infamie and the disgrace of the religious house she was deprehended in the dissolute imbraces of a wanton and leaude fellow for which she was turned out of the cloyster and after died in great pouertie and miserie In memorie of whom there was a law established amongst the West-Saxons which disabled all the kings wiues after her either to be dignified with the name of queene or vpon any occasion to fit with him in his regall throne yet this woman though she died poorely yet died as it is said penitently therefore me thinkes I heare her leaue this or the like memorie behind her An Epitaph vpon Ethelburga Queene of the West-Saxons I was I am not smild that since did weepe Labour'd that rest I wak't that now must sleepe I playde I plaie not sung that now am still Sawe that am blind I would that haue no will I fed that which feedes wormes I stood I fell I â—ad God saue you that now bid farewell I felt I feele not followed was pursude I war'd haue peace I conquer'd am subdude I moou'd want motion I was stiffe that bow Belowe the earth then something nothing now I catcht am caught I trauel'd here I lie Liu'd in the world that to the world now dye This melancholly it is not amisse to season with a little mirth In some other countrie it was for I presume ours affoards none such but a common housewife there was who making no conscience of spouse-breach or to vitiate her lawfull sheets had interteined into her societie a swaggering companion such a one as amongst vs we commonly call a Roring boy This lad of mettall who sildome went with fewer weapons about him than were able to set vp againe a trade-falne cutler had to maintaine his mistresses expenses and his owne riots committed a robberie and likewise done a murder and being apprehended for the fact iudged condemned and according to the law in that case prouided hanged in chaines the gybbet was set neere to the common hie-way aud some mile distant from the cittie where this sweete gentlewoman with her husband then inhabited who because in regard of the common fame that went vpon them she durst neither giue her Loue visitation in prison bee at his arraignement or publike execution her purpose was as affection that breedes madnesse may easilie beget boldnesse vnknowne to her husband or any other neighbour to walke in the melancholly euening and to take her last leaue of him at the gallows Imagine the night came on and she on her iourney It happened at the same time a traueller beeing a footeman whose iourny was intended towards the towne as purposing to lodge there that nightâ— but being alone and darkenesse ouertaking him he grew doubtfull of the way and fearefull of robbing therefore hee retired himselfe out of the road and lay close vnder the gybbetâ— still listning if any passenger went by to direct him in the way or secure him by his companie as he was in this deepe meditation the woman arriues at the place and not able to containe her passion breaks out into this extasie And must I needes then goe home againe without thee at which words the trauellor starting vp in hast No by no meanes quoth hee I shall bee
early to attend the king who was that day to bee entertained by the earle his father in law All things were noblie prouided and Edgar royally receiued and set to dinner some write that Ethelâ—old had caused a kitchin maid to put on his wiues habit and sit at the kings Table but I find no such matter remembered in my Author the truth is the king about the middest of dinner cald for the Earle Orgarus and demanded of him whether he had a wife or no if he had why he might not haue her companie knowing it was a generall obseruation in England that without the wiues entertainement there could be no true and heartie welcome The earle replied that at that time he was an vnhappie widdower he then demaunded whether he had any children to continue his posteritie to which he answered heauen had onely blest him with one daughter a plaine damosell yet the sole hope of his future memorie The king was then importunate to see her and commanded her to be instantly brought vnto his presence which put Ethelwold into a strange agonie yet still hoping she had done as hee had late inioyned her when shee contrarie to his expectation came in apparelled like a bride in rich and costly vestures her golden haire fairely kembed and part hanging downe in artificiall curles her head stoocke with jewells and about her neck a chaine of diamonds which gaue a wonderous addition to that beautie which naked of it selfe without any ornament was not to bee paraleld a contrarie effect it wrought in the king and her husband To Edgar she seemed some goddesse at least a miracle in nature to Ethelwold in regard of his feare a furie or what worse hee could compare her to O fraile woman in this one vanitie to appeare beautifull in the eyes of a king thou hast committed two heinous and grieuous sinnes Adulterie and Murder for accordingly it so fell out Edgar was as much surprised with her loue as incensed with hate against her lord both which for the present he dissembled neither smiling on the one nor frowning on the other In the afternoone the king would needes hunt the stagge in the forrest of Werwelly since called Hoore-wood In the chace by the appointment of Edgar Earle Ethelwold was strooke through the bodie with an arrow and so slaine the king after made Elfritha his bride and queene The Earle had a base sonne then present at the death of his father of whom the king asked how hee liked that manner of hunting to whom he answered Royall sir what seemeth good to you shal be to me no way offensiue from that time forward he was euer gratious with the king And Elfritha thinking to make attonement with heauen for the murder of her husband or rather as Ranulphus saith for causing Edward to whom she was step-mother to be slaine that her owne sonne Egelredus might raigne builded an Abbie for Nunnes at Worwell where she was after buried Gunnora IN the time that Agapitus was Pope Lewis king of Fraunce the sonne of Charles caused William Longa Spata the second duke of Normandie to bee treacherously slaine this William was sonne to Rollo The Lords of Normandie with this murder much insenced watched their aduantage and surprised the king in Rhothemage where they committed him to safe custodie till he had promised and sworne to yeeld vp Normandie to Richard sonne and immediate heire to William the late murdered duke and moreouer in what place soeuer the king and the yong duke should haue meeting to conferre that Richard should weare his sword but king Lewis neither to haue sword nor knife about him This Richard being yong was called Richard the Old he had besides another attribute giuen him which was Richard without Feare because he was neuer known to be dismayde at any thing but a third aboue these was that he pretended to be wonderous religious He was duke two and fiftie yeares and tooke a Ladie to his bed from Denmarke whose name was Gunnora by whom he had fiue sonnes and two daughters the eldest of which was married to Etheldredus king of England her name was Emma and shee was called the flower of Normandie Concerning this bold yet religious duke it is reported by Marianus lib. 2. Henricus Ranulphus and others that besides many other testimonies of his sanctitie this one made him most eminent A Monke of Andoenus in Rothomage a town in Normandie going one night to meete with his sweet heart his way lay ouer a bridge and vnder that bridge was a deepe foord or riuer it so happened that mistaking his footing hee fell into the water and there was drowned He was no sooner dead but there came to carrie away his soule an Angell and a Fiend these two contended about it the one would haue it so would the other great was the controuersie betwixt them at length they concluded to put the case to duke Richard both to stand to his arbitrement much pleading there was on both sides at length the duke gaue sentence That the soule should be restored againe to the bodie be placed againe vpon that bridge from whence he had falne and if then he would offer to goe from thence to his sweet heart the diuell should take him but if otherwise he because he was a Church-man should be still in the Angels protection This was done and the Monke left his way to the woman and fled to the church as to a sanctuarie whether the duke went the next day and found the Monkes clothes still wet and told the Abbot euerie circumstance as it fell out therefore the Monke was shriuen did penance was absolued and reconciled This I haue read which I persuade no man to beleeue This duke liued with the faire Gunnora long time dishonestly and without marriage had by her those children aforesaid but at length by the persuasion of the nobilitie and intercession of the cleargie he tooke her to wife The first night after the marriage when the duke came to her bed she turned her backe towards him which she had neuer done till that time at which hee maruelling demaunded of her the reason why she did so To whom she answered before I was your strumpet and therfore as a seruant was tide to doe your pleasure in althings but now I am your wife and made part of your selfe therefore henceforth I claime with you an equall soueraigntie and will doe what mee list bearing my selfe now like a princesse not like a prostitute This I am easily induced to beleeue for how soone do honoures change manners Iuuenall in his sixt Satire speaking of marriage thus sayth Semper habet lites aeternaque iurgia lectus c. The marriage bed is sildome without strife And mutuall chidinges hee that takes a wife Bargaines for mightie trouble and small rest Sleepe growes a stranger then whilest in her brest She lodgeth Passion Selfe-will Anger Feare And from her eyes drops many a
transpierst himselfe and fell downe dead vpon the body of Aristoclaea Of no such death dyed Democrita whose history next ensueth Alcippus the Lacedemonian had two daughters by his wife Democrita He hauing with great iustice and integritie managed the affaires of the weale publike more for the common good than any peculiar gaine or profit of his own was affronted by an opposite faction which emulated his goodnesse and being brought before the Ephori it was deliuered to them in a scandalous and lying oration how and by what meanes Alcippus intended to abrogate and adnichilate their lawes for which he was confind from Spatta neither could his wife daughters who willingly offered themselues to attend vpon his aduersity be suffered to associate him but they were deteined by the power and command of the publike magistrate Moreouer an edict was made That neyther the wife was capable of inheritance nor the daughter of dower out of their fathers goods notwithstanding they had many sutors of such noble gentlemen as loued them for their fathers virtues It was likewise by the enemy most enuiously suggested to the Senat that the two Ladies might be debard from marriage their reason was that Democrita was heard often to wish and withall to presage that she should see children borne of her daughters who would in time reuenge the wrongs of their grandfather This being granted and shee euery way circumscribed both in her selfe her husband and issue euery way confind she expected a publike solemnitie in which according to the custome the women of the cittie with the virgins houshold seruants and infants had meeting but the matrons and wiues of the nobilitie kept their night-festiuall in a conclaue or parlor by themselues Then she guirt her selfe with a sword and with her two daughters secretlie conueyd her selfe into the Temple attending the time when all the matrons were most busie about the ceremonies and mysteries in the conclaue then hauing made fast the doores and shut vp the passages and heaped together a great quantitie of billets with other things combustible prouided for the purpose but especially all that sweete wood that was ready for the sacrifice of that solemnitie she set all on fire which the men hastening to quench in multitudes she before them all with a constancie vndaunted first slew her daughters and after her selfe making the ruins of this Temple their last funerall fire The Lacedemonians hauing now nothing left of Alcippus against which to rage they caused the bodies of Democrita and her daughters to be cast out of the confines of Sparta For this ingratitude it is said by some that great earth-quake happened which had almost ouerturned the cittie of Lacedemon from Democrita I come to Phillis Demophrâ—â— the sonne of Theseus and Phadra the halfe brother of Hippolitus returning from the warres of Troy towards his countrey by tempests and contrarie winds being driuen vpon the coast of Thrace was gently receiued and affectionately entertained by Phillis daughter to Lycurgus and Crustâ—â—ena then king and queene of that countrey and not onely to the freedome of all generous hospitalitie but to the libertie and accesse vnto her bed He had not long soiourned there but he had certaine tydings of the death of Muestham who after his father Theseus was expulsed Athens had vsurped the principalitie pleased therefore with the newes of innouation and surprised with the ambition of succession he pretending much domesticke businesse with other negotiations pertaining to the publike gouernment after his faith pawned to Phillis that his returne should be within a moneth hee got leaue for his countrey therefore hauing calked and moored his ships making them seruiceable for the sea he set saile towards Athens where arriued he grew altogether vnmindfull of his promised faith or indented returne Foure moneths being past and not hearing from him by word or writing she sent him an Epistle in which she complaines his absence then persuades him to call to mind her more than common curtesies to keepe his faith ingaged to her and their former contract to make good by marriage the least of which if he refused to accomplish her violated honour she would recompence with some cruell and violent death which she accordingly did for knowing her selfe to bee despised and vtterly cast off she in her fathers Pallace hung her selfe From Phillis I proceede to Deiaâ—eira Iâ—piter begat Hercules of Alcmena in the shape of her husband Amphitrio ioyning three nights in one whom Euristius king of Micena at the vrgence of his stepmother Iuno imployd in all hazardous and fearefull aduentures not that thereby he might gaine the greater honour but by such meanes sooner perish but his spirit was so great and his strength to eminent that from foorth all these swallowing dangers he still plunged a victor amongst these difficulties was that combat against Achelous a Flood in Aetolia who transhapt himselfe into sundry figures for the loue of Deianeira daughter to Oeneus and Althaea king and queene of Calidon and sister to Meleager he whom no monsters nor earthly powers could tame by the conquest of Achelous wonne Deianeira for his bride But he whom all tyrants and terrours were subiect to submitted himselfe to effeminacie and the too much dotage vpon women for when Euritus king of Oechalia had denied him his daughter Iöle before promist him the citty taken and the king slaine he tooke her freely into his embraces with whose loue he was so blinded that at her imperious command hee layd by his clubbe and Lions skinne the trophyes of his former victories and which was most vnseemely for so great a conquerour put on a womanish habit and blusht not with a distaffe in his hand to spinne amongst her damsells In briefe what slauerie and seruitude soeuer he had before suffered vnder the tyranny of Omphale queene of Lydia of whom he had begot Lamus he indured from her which Deianeira hearing in a letter she layes open to him all his former noble acts and victories that by comparing them with his present deboishtnesse it the better might incourage him to returne to the first and deterre him from the last But hauing receiued newes of Hercules calamitie by reason of the poisoned shirt sent him by her seruant Lychas dipt in the blood of the Centaure Nessus in which she thought there had beene the vertue to reuoke him from all new loues and establish him in his first for so Nessus had persuaded hir when in her transwaftage ouer the flood Euenus he was slaine by the arrow of Hercules dipt in the poyson of Lerna when she I say heard of the death of her husband and that though vnwillingly it happened by her meanes shee dyed by a voluntarie wound giuen by her owne hand Not such was that which followes The Ionians through all their Prouince being punisht with a most fearfull and horrible pest in so much that it almost swept the cittie and countrey and had it longer continued
and wife to Athanagildus was slaine by Chilperick the sonne of Clotharius at the instigation of his strumpet Fredegunda so saith Volateranus Sextus Aurelius writes that the Emperour Constantius sonne to Constantius and Helena caused his wife Fausta by whose instigation he had slaine his sonne Crispus to die in an hot scalding bath Herodotus speakes of Lysides otherwise called Melissa the wife of Periander who at the suggestion of a strumpet caused her to be slaine which makes Sabellicus amongst others to wonder why for that deede onely he should be numbered amongst the seuen wise men of Greece Marcus Cecilius in his seuen and twentieth booke vpon Pliny accuseth Calphurnius Bestia for poysoning his wiues sleeping Plinie in his fourteenth booke nominates one Egnacius Melentinus who slew his wife for no other cause but that shee had drunke wine and was acquited of the murder by Romulus Auctoclea the daughter of Sinon and wife of Laertes king of Ithaca when by a false messenger she heard her sonne Vlysses was slaine at the siege of Troy suddenly fell downe and died The mother of Antista seeing her daughter forsaken by Pompey the great and Aemilia receiued in her stead ouercome with griefe slew her selfe Perimele a damosell was vitiated by Achelous which her father Hyppodomus tooke in such indignation that from an high promontorie he cast her headlong downe into the Sea Hyppomanes a prince of Athens deprehending his daughter Lymone in adulterie shut her vp in a place with a fierce and cruell horse but left no kind of food for one or the other in so much that the horse opprest with hunger deuoured her hence came that Adage fathered vpon Diogineanus More cruell than Hyppomanes Gregorius Turonensis remembers one Deuteria fearing least her yong daughter now grown ripe and marriageable who might bee deflowred by the king Theodebertus cast her headlong into the riuer that runs by the citie Viridunum where she was drowned Orchamus finding his daughter Leucothoe to be vitiated by Appollo caused her to be buryed aliue Lucilla the daughter of Marcus Antonius and Fausta as Herodian reports was slaine by the hand of her brother Commodus against whom she had before made a coniuration Lychione the daughter of Dedalion because she durst compare hirself with Diana was by the goddesse wounded to death with an arrow at the celebration of whose exequies when her body was to be burnt her father likewise cast himselfe into the fire Hylonome the shee Centaur seeing her husband Cillarius slaine in the battaile betwixt the Centaurs and the Lapithes fell vpon his sword and so expired Anmianus and Marcellus lib. 16. haue left recorded that Mithridates king of Pontus being ouercome in battaile by Pompey committed his daughter Dyraptis to the safe custodie of the Eunuch Menophilus to bee kept in a strong Cittadell called Syntiarium which when Manutius Priscus had straitly besieged and the Eunuch perceiued the defenders of the Castle dismaide and readie to submit themselues and giue vp the fort hee drew out his sword and slew her rather than she should be made a captiue to the Roman Generall Sextus Aurelius writes of the Empresse of Sabina the wife of Adrian who hauing suffered from him many grosse and seruile iniuries gaue her selfe vp to a voluntarie death when shee considered shee had supported so inhumane a tyrant and such a contagious pest to the common weale Pontus de Fortuna speakes of a Virgin amongst the Salattines called Neaera who greeuing that a yong man to whom shee was betrothed had forsaken her and made choice of another caused her vaines to be opened and bled to death Cleopatra after the death of Anthony least shee should bee presented as a captiue to grace the triumphs of Augustus gaue her arme to the byting of an Aspe of which shee died for in that manner was her picture presented in Rome of whom Propertius lib. 3. thus speakes Brachia spectaui sacris admorsa colubris Neaera and Charmione were the two handmaides of Cleopatra These as Plutarch others report of them would by no persuasion suruiue their queen and misteresse who perceiuing as they were gasping betwixt life and death the crowne to be falne from the temples of their dead Ladie raised themselues from the Earth with the small strength they had left and placed it right againe on her fore-head that shee might the better become her death which they had no sooner done but they both instantly fell downe and breathed their last an argument of an vnmatchable zeale to the princesse their Ladie Monima Miletia and Veronica Chia were the wiues of Mithridates who vnderstanding of his tragicall fall and miserable end gaue vp their liues into the hands of the Eunuch Bochides Monima first hanged her selfe but the weight of her bodie breaking the cord she grew somewhat recouered and fell into this acclamation O execrable power of a diadem whose command euen in this small sad seruice I cannot vse which words were no sooner spoke but she offered her throate to the sword of the Eunuch who instantly dispatched her both of life and torment Veronica dranke off a chalice of wine tempered with poyson which dispersing into her vaines and keeping her in a languishing torment her death was likewise hastned by the Eunuch Bochides A strange madnesse possest the Virgins of Milesia these as Aelianus and others haue writ gaue themseues vp to voluntarie deaths many or the most strangling themselues this grew so common amongst them that scarce one day past in which some one or other of them were not found dead in their chambers To remedie which mischiefe the Senators of the citie made a decree That what maide soeuer should after that time lay violent hands vpon her selfe the body so found dead should be stript naked and in publike view dragd through the streetes freely exposed to the eyes of all men The impression of which shame more preuailing than the terrour of death none was euer after knowne to commit the like outrage vpon themselues Phaedra the steppe-mother to Hyppolitus her son in law and wife of Theseus when shee could not corrupt the yong man her son in law to make incestuous the bed of his father despairing hung her selfe yet before her death she writ certain letters in which she accused Hippolitus to his father of incest which after prooued the speedie cause of his death Amongst many strange deaths these of two mothers are not the least remarkable most strange it is that sudden ioy should haue as much power to suffocate the spirits as the power of lightning The rumor of the great slaughter at the Lake of Thrasimenes being published one woman when beyond all hope she met her sonne at the cittie gate safely returned from the generall defeates cast herselfe into his armes where in that extasie of ioy shee instantly expired Another hearing her sonne
alwayes can the purple violet smell Or Lillies bloome in whitenesse that excell The fragrant rose whose beautie we desire The leaues once falne shewes but a naked brire O thou most faire white heires come on apace And wrinckled furrowes which shall plow thy face So likewise Petronius Arbiter in one of his Satyres Quod solum formae decus est cecidere Capillae The onely beautie of her shape her haire Fell from her head her beautie to impaire Summer succeedes the Spring her Autumne chaceth And them sad Winter with his snow disgraceth Deceitfull Nature all these youthfull ioyes Thou gau'st vs first thou art the first destroyes Now the fruits and effects of this fraile beautie especially where a faire face meeteth with a corrupted mind I will next shew you by historie Achab by the persuasion of his faire wife Iesabell was the death of many of the Prophets of the Lord. Dalila was the confusion of Sampson the Strong Strange women brought Salomon the Wise to Idolatrie and to forget God Ioram a king of Israell at the instigation of Athalia committed many horrible outrages Helena's beautie was the occasion of that infinite slaughter betwixt the Greekes and Troians Pelops succeeding in the kingdome of Phrygia made warre vpon Oenomaus the father of Hyppodamia because being surprised with her beautie she was denyde him in marriage Another Hyppodamia the wife of Perithous was the occasion of that great Centauromachia or battaiâ—e betwixt the Centaures and the Lapithes for which Propertius calls her Ischomache of the greeke word Isco which signifieth Habeo and Mache Pugna his words are these Qualis Iscomache Lapithae genus Heroinae Centauris medio grata rapina mero Such as Iscomache that was Of the Lapythaean line She whom the Centaures would haue rapt Amidst their cups of wine Pericles for his loue to Aspasia made warre against the Samians For Chrisaeis the daughter of Chrises Priest to Apollo vitiated by Agamemnon a plague was sent amongst the Greekish host which ceased not till she was returned backe to her father for so writes Tortellius Lauiniaes beautie the daughter of King Latinus and the Queene Amata was cause of the combustion betwixt Turnus and Aeneas so saith Pontanus lib. 4. de Stellis Lysimachus the sonne of Agathocles poysoned his owne sonne Agathocles by whose fortunate hand he had receiued the honour and benefit of many glorious victories at the instigation of his wife Arsinoe the sister of Ptoloâ—teus Vollateran Iphis a youth of exquisite feature strangled himselfe because he was despised by the faire but cruell Anaxarite Archilâ—â—us king of Macedon was slaine by a young man called Crateua because hauing first promised him his faire daughter he after bestowed her vpon another The Poet Archilocus called Iambographus because Lycambes denyde him his daughter in marriage writes against him such bitter Iambicks that hee despaired and hanged himselfe therefore Ouid thus writes Post modo si perges in te mihi liber Iambus Tincta Licambaeo sanguiâ—e tela dabit If thou pursu'st me still my booke Iust vengeance shall implore And in Lambickes weapons yeeld Dipt in Lycambes gore Iustine in his 27 booke relates That Seleneus Callinicus king of Syria for exiling Berenice his steppe-mother sister to Ptolomaeus was by the same Ptolomaeus inuaded and prosecuted by armes Deiphebus after the death of Paris hauing marryed Hellen to which infortunate match her beautie had inuited him was by her treacherie not onely murdered but his body hackt and mangled being almost made one vniuersall wound Tortellius reports of one Euander the nephew of Pallas king of the Arcadians at the persuasion of his mother Nicostrate slew his owne father Orestes the sonne of Agamemum slew Pyrrhus the sonne of Achilles being surprised with the beautie of Hermione daughter to Menalâ—us and Helena Pteleras king of the Thebans was slaine by king Craeon being betrayde by his owne Polydices Cleopatra was the cause of that bloody warre betwixt Ptolomaeus Philopaser and her owne father Alexander king of Syria Idas and Lyncaeus the sons of Aphareus and Arbarne fought a great battaile neere to Sparta about the two faire daughters of Leucippus Phebe and Ilaira against Castor and Pollux both which were slaine in that battaile and perisht not by shipwracke as some write in the pursuite of Paris by sea for the rape of their sister Hellen Liuie lib. 36. writes of Antiochus who warring against Rome was so taken with the beautie of a Chalcidonian damsell that neglecting all warlike discipline to spend his time in dalliance with his wanton hee became a shamefull and dishonourable prey to the enemy Octauia the sister of Augustus being repudiated by Anthony was the occasion of a ciuill and intestine war The Poet Lucretius growing mad for the loue of a faire damsell dranke poyson and so dyed Tullia incited Tarquinius Superbus to kill her owne father Seruius Tullius Martia the strumpet caused Autonius Commodus the Emperour whose Concubine she was to bee slaine by a souldiour with whom shee had many times had lustfull congression Tytus Corrancanus being sent on embassie to Teuca queene of the Illyrians because hee spake to her freelie and boldlie she caused him to be put to death against the lawes of kingdomes and nations Liuius and Florus Vollateranus writes of one Rhodoricus king of the Gothes who because he stuprated the daughter of Iulianus who was Prefect in the Prouince of Tingitana the father of the rauisht virgin brought in the Moores and raised a warre which before it was ended was the death of seauen hundred thousand men Chilpericus the sonne of Clotharius was slaine by the instigation of his wife Fridegunda in his returne from hunting Luchinus a Count of Italy warred vpon Vgolinus Gonzaga because hee had adulterated his faire wife Isabella Vollateran Otratus king of Bohemia accused of sloath and cowardise by his wife Margarita for entering league with Rodulphus Caesar raised warre betwixt them in which her husband was defeated Gandulphus the Martyr for but counselling his wife to a more chast and temperate life was murdered betwixt her and the adulterer Of warres and many other mischiefes of which faire women haue beene the originall Ouid elegantly deliuers in 2 Eleg. thus concluding Vidi ego pro â—iuea pugnantes coniâ—ge tauros Spectatrix animos ipsa innenca dabat For a white heyfer I haue seene bulls sight Both gathering rage and courage from her sight At the building of Rome Romulus to people the cittie and get wiues for his souldiers caused them to rauish the Sabine women and damsells for which warre grew betwixt the two nations Of which Proper lib. 2. Cur exempla petam Gracum Tu criminis auâ—hâ—r Nutribus duro Romule lacte lupae c. What neede I from the Greekes examples aske Thou Romulus by a fell she-wolfe nurst To rape the Sabines
fire Vpon whose smooth brow cannot â—it a frowne She can make flints seeme feathers bare boords downe I will now trouble thy patience gentle Reader with a discourse that hath in it more mirth than murther and more sport than spight and yet a touch of both A mad fellow newly married had onely one yong child by his wife of some quarter old whom he deerely and tenderly loued as being his first but he was much giuen to good fellowship and shee altogether addicted to sparing and good huswiferie still when he vsed to come merrie from the tauerne where he had beene frollicke with his boone companions she being as sparing of his purse as prodigall of her tongue for she was little better than a skold would often vpbraide him with his expences that what hee wasted at the Tauerne were better bestowed at home that he spent both his mony time and that being so often drunke it was preiudiciall both to his bodie and estate with many such matron-like exhortations but alwaies concluding her admonitions with a vow That if euer he came home againe in that pickle shee would happen what could come fling the child into the moat for the house was moated about It hapned about some two daies after that he reuelling till late in the euening in a cold frostie winters night and she hauing intelligence by her scouts where he was then drinking and making no question but he would come home flustred she commanded her maide to conueigh the infant to the further part of the house and to wrap the cat in the blankets and put it in the cradle and there to sit and rocke it presently home comes the husband shee falls to her old lesson and beginnes to quarrell with him and he with her Ill words begot worse and much leaud language there was betwixt them when the woman on the sudden stepping to the cradle hauing spyde her aduantage I haue long sayth she threatned a mischiefe and that reuenge I cannot worke on thee come dogs come diuells I will inflict vpon the brat in the cradle and instantly snatching it vp in her armes ran with it to the moate side and flung it into the middle of the water which the poore affrighted man following her and seeing leauing to pursue her and crying saue the child ô saue the child in that bitter cold night leapt vp to the elbowes in water and waded till hee brought out the mantell and with much paine comming to the shore and still crying alas my poore child opened the cloathes at length the frighted cat crying mewe being at libertie leapt from betwixt his armes and ran away the husband was both amased and vexed the woman laught at her reuenge and retyred her selfe and the poore man was glad to reconcile the difference before she would yeeld to allow him either fire or dry linnen Considering this me thinkes it was not amisse answered of a gentleman who being persuaded by a friend of his not to marry with such a gentlewoman to whom hee was a suitor his reasons alleadged were because she had no quicke and voluble tongue neither was she of any fine witte or capacitie to whom he instantly replyde I desire to haue a woman to bee my wife that shall haue no more tongue to answer mee to a question than yea or nay or to haue more wit than to distinguish her husbands bed from another mans Another woman hauing a husband who customably came drunke home and shrinking from his stoole or chaire would oft fall vpon the floore and there lie along stil when she cald him to bed he would answer her Let me alone the tenement is mine owne and I may lye where I list so long as I pay rent for the house Some few nights after comming home in the like tune and sitting asleepe in a chaire before the chimney his wife being gone to bed presently the man falls into the fire the maide cryes out to her Mistresse Oh mistresse my master is falne and lyes in the fire euen in the midst of all the fire shee lay still and turning her on the other side sayd so long as hee payes rent for the house he may lye where he please But to more serious businesse for I haue now done sporting Of English Viragoes And of Ioan de Pucil OF Guendoline the wife of king Locrine and daughter to Corinaeus duke of Cornwall I shall take more occasion to speake at large in the discourse of the beautifull Estreld Elphleda was sister to king Edward before the conquest sirnamed the fourth she was wife to Etheldredus duke of Mercia who assisted her husband in the restoring of the citie of Chester after it had beene destroyed and demolished by the Danes encompassing it with new walls he was generall to the king in all his expeditions against the Danes in the last battaile that he fought against them at a place cald Toten Hall in Staffordshire hee gaue them a mightie auerthrow but a greater at Wooddensfield where were slaine two kings two Earles and of the souldiours many thousands which were of the Danes of Northumberland In this battaile were the king and Elphleda both present Soone after this victorie Etheldredus dyed and she gouerned many yeres after him in all Mercia or middle England except in the two cities of London and Oxford which the king her brother reserued to himself She builded many cities and townes and repayred others as Thatarne Brimsbury the bridge vpon Seuerne Tamwoorth Liechfield Stafford Warwicke Shrewsbury Watrisbury Edisbury in the Forrest besides Chester which is since vttery defaced and destroied Also shee built a cittie and a castle in the North part of Mercia which then was cald Runcofan and after Runcorn Thus farre Ranulphus William de regib with others giue her this noble character This Lady hauing once assayde the throwes of childbirth would neuer after bee drawne to haue any carnall societie with her husband alleaging that it was not sitting or seemely for a woman of her degree being a princesse a kings daughter and a kings sister to inure herselfe to such wanton embraces wherof should ensue so great paine and sorrow She tamed the Welchmen and in many conflicts chased the Danes after whose death the king tooke the prouince of Mercia intirely into his owne hand disinherited her daughter Elswina whom he led with him into West-Saxon Henricus lib. 5. hath left this Epitaph as a memoriall ouer her Tombe Oh Elphlede mightie both in strength and mind The dread of men and victoresse of thy kind Nature hath done as much as nature can To make thee maide but goodnesse makes the man Yet pittie thou should'st change ought saue thy name Thou art so good a woman and thy fame In that growes greater and more worthie when Thy feminine valour much out-shineth when Great Caesars acts thy noble deeds excell So sleepe in peace Virago maide farewell Much to this purpose hath Treuisa expressed
pourtrayde the picture of the Sauiour of the world with a flower-de-lyce in his hand and so marched to Orleance Her first exploit was fortunately to raise the siege and releeue the towne From thence shee passed to Reames tooke the cittie and caused the Dolphin there to proclaime himselfe king and take vpon him the crowne of France She after tooke Iargueux a strong towne and in it the Earle of Suffolke with many other braue English gentlemen She fought the great battaile of Pathay with good successe in which were taken prisoners the lord Talbâ—â— the skourge and terror of the French nation the lord Seales the lord Hungerfâ—rd with many others both of name and qualitie she tooke in Benueele Mehun Trois and diuers other townes of great import and consequence at length in a camisado or skirmish she was taken prisoner by sir Iohn of Entenburch a Burgonian captaine and sent to Roan The French Cronicles affirme that the morning before she was surprised she tooke the sacrament and comming from Church told to diuerse that were about her that she was betraide her life sold and should shortly after be deliuered vp vnto a violent death For sir Iohn gaue a great sum of money to betray her The English comming to inuest themselues before Mondidier Ioan was aduised to issue out by Elaâ—ie and skirmish with them who was no sooner out but he shut the gates vpon her being taken she was sent to Peter Bishop of Beuoise who condemned her to the fire for a sorceresse which iudgement was accordingly executed vpon her in Roane in the market place Twentie six yeares after Charles the king for a great summe of money procured an annichilation of the first sentence from the Pope in which she was proclaimed a Virago inspired with diuine instinct in memorie of whose vertuous life and vniust death he caused a faire crosse to â—ee erected iust in the place where her bodie was burned I returne againe to the English Fabian and Harding speake of Emma sister to the Norman duke called Richard who for her extraordinarie beautie was called The flower of Normandie she was married to Ethelred king of England By her heroicke spirit and masculine instigation the king sent to all parts of the kingdome secret and strict commissions That vpon a certaine day and hour assigned all those Danes which had vsurped in the land and vsed great crueltie should be slaughtered which at her behest and the kings commaund was accordingly performed which though it after prooued ominous and was the cause of much miserie and mischiefe yet it shewed in her a noble and notable resolution Of queene Margaret the wife of Henrie the sixt her courage resolution and magnanimitie to speake at large would aske a Volume rather than a compendious discourse to which I am strictly tyed And therefore whosoeuer is deâ—irous to be further instructed in the successe of those many battailes fought against the house of Yorke in which she was personally present I referre them to our English Chronicles that are not sparing in commending her more than womanish spirit to euerlasting memorie With her therefore I conclude my female Martiallists And now me thinkes I am come where I would be and that is amongst you aire Fones Of Faire Women IT is reported of a king that for many yeeres had no issue and desirous to haue an heire of his owne bloud and begetting to succeed in the Throne vpon his earnest supplication to the diuine powers he was blessed with a faire sonne both of beautie and hope And now being possest of what he so much desired his second care was to see him so educated that hee might haue as much comfort of him in his growth as hope in his infancie hee therefore sent abroad to find out the most cunning Astrologians to calculate of his natiuitie that if the starres were any way maleuolent to him at his birth he might by instruction and good education as farre as was possible preuent any disaster that the Planets had before threatened A meeting to that purpose being appointed and the Philosophers and learned men from all parts assembled after much consultation it was concluded amongst them That if the infant saw Sunne or Moone at any time within the space of ten yeeres hee should most assuredly be depriued the benefit of sight all his life time after With this their definitiue conclusion the father wondrously perplexed was rather willing to vse any faire meanes of preuention than any way to tempt the crosse influence of the starres Hee therefore caused a Cell or Caue to be cut out of a deepe Rocke and conueying thither all things necessarie for his education hee was kept there in the charge of a learned tutor who well instructed him in the Theorie of all those Arts which best suited his apprehension The time of ten yeeres being expired and the feare of that ominous calculation past ouer the day was appointed when his purpose was to publish his sonne to the world and to shew him the Sunne and Moone of which he had often heard and till then neuer saw entire and to present vnto his view all such creatures of which he had beene told and read but could distinguish none of them but by heare-say They brought before him a Horse a Dogge a Lion with many other beasts of seuerall kindes of which he onely looked but seemed in them to take small pleasure They shewed him Siluer Gold Plate and Iewels in these likewise hee appeared to take small delight or none as not knowing to what purpose they were vsefull yet with a kind of dull discontent he demanded their names and so past them ouer At length the king commanded certaine beautifull virgins gorgeously attyred to be brought into his presence which the Prince no sooner saw but as recollecting his spirits with a kind of alacritie and change of cheare he earnestly demanded What kind of creatures they were how bred how named and to what vse created To whom his tutor ieastingly replyed These be called Deuills of which I oft haue told you and they are the great tempters of mankind Then his father demanded of him To which of all these things he had beheld he stood affected best and to whose societie hee was most enclined who presently answered O Father I onely desire to be attended by these Deuils Such is the attractiue power of beautie which women cannot fully appropriate to themselues since it is eminent in all other creatures Who wonders not at the beautie of the Sunne the glorie of the Moone and the splendor of the starres the brightnesse of the morning and the faire shutting in of the euening Come to the flowers and plants what artificiall colour can be compared to the leaues of the Marigold the Purple of the Violet the curious mixture of the Gillyflower or the whitenesse of the Lilly to which Salomon in all his glorie was not to be equalled You that are prowd of your haire
Caphisus and Lyriope was so faire that the nymphes were surprised with his beautie Endimion was beloued of the Moone Val Flaccus lib. 8. Latmius Aestiua residet venator in vmbra Dignus amore Deae The Latmian swaine sits in the Summer shade Worthie the loue of that coelestiall maide In Ephestion was that maiesticall beautie that the wife of king Darius saluted him for Alexander for his exqusite forme hee was especially beloued of Alexander Virgill commends the shape of Eurialus the sonne of Nisus So Nysus king of the Megarenses was sayd to haue haires of gold they were of such splendor Statius commends Parthenopaus the sonne of Meleager and Atalanta or as some write of Mars and Menalippâ— Caelius Ouid and others celebrate Phaon the beloued of Sappho the Poetesse for the fairest of the world Phedrus Fliensis who was the familiar of Socrates and Plato was for exquisite shape compelled to be prostituted by the baud his maister Of Pyramus Ouid thus speakes Metamorph. lib. 4. Pyramus Thisbe Iuuenem Pulcherimus alter Yong Pyramus and Thisbe he Of all the yong men fairest And she of all the Easterne world Of louelie gyrles the rarest c. Spurinae was a youth of such an alluring beautie that when he could neither reserue himselfe from suit of men or importunities of women hee deformed his owne beautie with scratches and wounds to preserue his owne chastitie Valer. Max. de Verecundis Magnes Smyrnaeus was the most beautifull of his age and so acceptable to Gyges king of Lydia that when his parents cut off his delicate and faire haire somewhat to take off the kings affection the king was so incensed that for that cause alone he made warre against the Magnesians Pauson apud Volater The Poet Musaeus celebrates the rare forme of Leander a youth of Abidos beloued of Hero As Virgill doth the like of Lausus the son of Mezentius Aeneid lib. 7. Herodotus speaking of Xerxes sayth that he had in his armie sixtie eight miriades of men yet amongst them all hee was the beautifullest of face and tallest of stature I could reckon vp others as Pelops Idas Iason Artaxerxes Cyrus Troilus Patroclus Hymene the least of them a prince the minion to a king or the deerely beloued of some queene or goddesse This is onely to put you in mind women That though you haue ingrossed a great portion of beautie yet you are not possest of all since not onely men but diuerse other creatures share with you neither haue I introduced these to derogate any thing from your worths onely to abate some of that ambition or selfeloue which is commonly attendant vpon beautie One thing for your grace I haue read in the Spanish Cronicle of an exquisit ladie the like I did neuer of any excellent man Queene Isabell the wife of Henrie sirnamed the Humble being attyring her selfe in her window against which the Sunne shined somewhat hot it is crediblie reported that the beames of the Sunne set her curled lockes on fire some held it as a prodigie others alluded it to her miraculous beautie some thought that one pane or other in the window was of the nature of a burning glasse and that was the cause others imputed it to certain oyles and sweet vnguents with which the Queens and great ladies vse to dresse their haire howsoeuer if their Cronicle speake truth most certaine it is that her lust made greater combustion in the land than the Sunne had power to commit vpon her haire I haue one thing more to instance to your grace and so I will conclude my discourse An Embassador being to be entertained in the court of queen Elizabeth where the greatest state was still obserued he first passed through a lane of the guard in their rich coats next through the gentlemen pentioners and so through all the greater officers the Lords Eaâ—les and Counsell The Queene sat then in state at the vpper end of a long gallerie which when the Embassador should enter the great Ladies of either side richly attired were placed through the middest of whom as he passed along he as amased at the stare or admiring at their beauties cast his eye first on one side then on the other and that not without some pause as if hee had beene to take a particular surueigh of all their features but by degrees comming vp towards the Queene who fat like Diana amongst her nymphs or Ariadne in her crowne of starres instated aboue the lesser lights to giue him entertainement and obseruing his eyes still to wander she thus bespake him Auerte occulos ne videas vanitatem i. Turne away your eyes least you behold vanitie to whom hee suddenly replyde Imo potius mirabilia opera Dei i. Nay rather the wonderfull workes of God Since then you are such rather let your vertuous actions beautifie than your vitious deeds any way disgrace his so great and glorious workemanship Of Faire Women OF these Herodica shall haue the first place Niceus in his booke de Rebus Arcad relates That one Cypselus purposing to rayse a new Colonie erected a faire and goodly citie in a spacious Playne bordering vpon the riuer Alphaeus to which place multitudes of the Parrhasians came to inhabite At the same time was a Groue and an Altar celebrated with much pompe and solemnitie to Elusina Ceres with an annuall feast at this publike meeting was a contention Which of all the women was censured to be the fairest The first that had the prioritie and Palme for beautie bestowed vpon her was Herodica the wife of Cypselus Zenophon apud Coelium lib. 7. cap. 53. speakes of Panthaea the wife of Abraditus a nobleman of Persia whom Cyrus hauing defeated the armie of the Assyrians and spoyled their tents tooke captiue Abraditus at that time being absent as not long before employed vpon an Embassie to the Bactrians in which interim Panthaea was in the custodie of a nobleman of Media called Araspes who affirmed of her to the king with great admiration of her feature and beautie That in all Asia her like was not to be seene or found Paulus Diaconus writes of Theodole a Roman Ladie of that admirable splendour that shee attracted the eyes of all men that but glanced that way to dwell vpon her with wonder her haire was bright and yellow which when she pleased to vnloose and let fall about her shoulders it couered her from the crowne to the heele A large description he makes of her perfections howsoeuer most certaine it is that the king Cambeoles was extreamely entangled in the snares of her beautie Saxo Gramaticus in his Danish historie commemorates one Suabilda a Queene in all the lineaments both of bodie and face to be of that rare pulchritude that being doomed vnto a wretched and miserable death and bound with thongs of leather to be trod vpon by the hoofes of wild horses her beautie struck such an impression euen in those vnreasonable creatures that
beautie more pleasing him than any of his choise damosells selected out of his many prouinces in so much that he hastned the marriage which was with no small pompe according to the manner of the Persians Nitetis lying in the kings bosome and knowing how much she was indeered to him as now not casting his eye or affection vpon any other began to call to remembrance her fathers death and what a plaine and smooth way lay open to her to be reuenged on him that slew him and forgetting the honors she had receiued by Amasaes meanes in preferring her to be quenne of Persia not rating that good equal with the ill she receiued in the shedding of her fathers blood she opened to Cambises all the whole imposture withall importuned him to reuenge the death of her father Aprias The king as much pleased with her plaine and seeming simplicitie as incensed with so great an iniurie done to him by Amasa as well to reuenge her father as his owne wrongs with an inuincible armie inuaded Aegypt Dinon in his booke of the Persian Historie and Lynceas Naucratica in his Aegyptian Historie they agree that Nitetis was sent to Cyrus and that by him shee was the mother of Cambyses and that after the death of Cyrus the Armie with which he went against Amasa and inuaded Aegypt was to reuenge the wrongs of a mother and not a wife Bersane SHe as Curtius and Gellius both assent was the widdow of one Damascus of that singular aspect that Alexander the great became enamoured of her aboue all other so that when neither the rare beautie of Darius his wife and daughters could tempt him nor the whorish blandishments of Thais and others corrupt him indeede where his modestie and temperance is preferred before many other princes almost all yet with her he was intangled For those that write of him affirme that he was neuer knowne to enter into the familiar embraces of any saue his owne wife and this Bersane whom he made one of the Queenes women It is not to be questioned but that Berseba shee was a goodly faire woman and of extraordinarie feature which pierced so deepe into the brest of that most wise king and prophet Dauid that all religion and sanctitie set apart he for her loue committed the two most heinous and horrible sinnes of adulterie and murder for he caused her husband Vriah to be slaine and after married her a great blemish to his former holinesse of whom Strozza Pater thus writes Ille sacri vates operis Iesseia proles Praefecit populo quem Deus ipse suo Bersabeae captus forma The Psalmist borne of the Iesseian Line The famous Author of that worke Diuine Whom God made Ruler o're his people he Dotes on the feature of faire Bersabe Lycaste one of the daughters of Priam was faire aboue measure insomuch that Polydamus the sonne of Anthenor whom hee begot of Theano the sister of Hecuba of a Concubine made her his wife There was another Lycaste that we reade of who for her perfection in all degrees of comelinesse had the name of Venus bestowed vpon her The wife of Candaules THis Candaules whom the Grecians call Myrsilus was king of the Sardians and descended from Alcaeus the sonne of Hercules hauing a wife whom he affectionately loued and therefore iudging her to be the fairest of women could not containe his pleasures but comming to one Gyges the sonne of Dascylus a seruant of his to whom hee vouchsafed his greatest familiaritie hee to him extolls the beautie of his wife aboue measure and because sayth hee I would haue thee truly know that she is no otherwise than I haue reported her and that mens eares naturally are more incredulous than their eyes I will deuise a meanes that thou shalt see her naked To whom Gyges replyde O royall sir What words be these you speake that which rather sauours of a man distract than well counsailed and aduised women that put off their garments with them put off their modestie therefore it was well determined and proâ—ided by our fathers wherein they proposed vnto vs honest rules and examples among which this was one That euerie man should haue inspection into his owne and guide himselfe by that compasse I verily beleeue she is matchlesse aboue all other women and deseruedly to merit that character you haue giuen her but withall I beseech you that you will not persuade me to any thing which is not lawfull At these words the king seemed to be displeased and replyde Be confident ô Gyges and neyther distrust me in so persuading thee nor my wife who is altogether ignorant of what I intend since from neyther of vs any damage or detriment no not so much as the least displeasure can arise for first I haue deuised that she shall not know nor once suspect that thou hast beheld her for I will order it that thou shalt be secretly conueyed into the chamber and vnseene behold euerie passage of her making vnreadie and comming to bed Now when thou hast freely surueyed her in euerie part and lineament and spyest her backe towards thee conuey thy selfe out of the roome onely in this be carefull that at thy remoouing shee cast no eye vpon thee This done the next morning giue me thy free and true censure Gyges that could by no meanes auoid his importunitie was prepared against the time The king according to his accustomed houre conueyes himselfe into his câ—aâ—ber and so to bed the queene soone after entring despoyles her selfe of all 〈◊〉 vesture and ornaments euen to her nakednesse all which Gyges was spectator of who no sooner spyed her backe turned to goe towards bed but Gyges ships from the place where he was hid which was not so cunningly done but he was espyed by the queene shee demanding the reason of it from her husband and â—â—â—â—ertifying the truth but with what modestie he could excusing it she neyther seemed to be angry nor altogether well pleased but in her silence meditated reuenge for amongst the Lydians and almost all those barbarous nations it is held great inciuilitie and immodestie to behold a man much more a woman naked The next morning by such seruants as she best trusted she caused Gyges to be sent for who misdoubting nothing that had past as one that had many times free accesse vnto her instantly came she causing her seruants to withdraw themselues thus bespake him Two wayes are proposed thee ô Gyges and one of them instantly and without least premeditation to make choyse of Eyther thou must kill Candaules and that done be possest of me and with me the Crowne of Lydia or instantly dye for thy doome is alreadie determined of because thou shalt know that in all things it is not conuenient to obey the king or search into that which thou oughtest not to know There is now a necessitie that eyther hee that counsailed thee to this must perish or thou that obeyedst him
against all Law or Iustice to behold me against reason or modestie naked Gyges at these words was first wonderously amazed but after recollecting himselfe entreated her not to compell him to so hard an exigent as to the choyse of eyther But finding that necessitie that he must be forced to one or the other to kill the king or to be slaine by others he rather made choyse to suruiue and let the other perish and thus answered her Since generous Ladie you vrge me to an enterprise so much opposite to my milder nature and disposition propose some safe course how this may be done Euen sayth she in the selfe-same place where he deuised this mischiefe against himselfe namely his bed-chamber where to thee I was first discouered Therefore prouiding all things necessarie for so determinate a purpose and the night comming on Gyges who knew no euasion but to kill his maister or dye himselfe awaited his best aduantage and hauing notice when Candaules was asleepe followed the queene into her chamber and with a Ponyard by her prouided for the purpose stabbed him to the heart by which hee attayned both the queene and kingdome Of this historie Archilochus Parius makes mention in his Iambicks who liued about the same time affirming That Gyges was by the Oracle of Delphos confirmed in the kingdome after the Faction of the Heraclides had opposed his soueraigntie Rowan and Estrilda ROwan was a maid of wonderfull beautie and pleasantnesse daughter to Hengest a captaine of the Saxons Of this Ladie Vortiger then king grew so enamored that for her sake hee was diuorced from his wife by whom hee had three sonnes for which deed the greatest part of the Brittaines forsooke him therefore hee by the instigation of Rowan still caused more and more Saxons to be sent for vnder pretence to keepe the Land in subiection But the Brittaines considering the dayly repayre of the Saxons came to the King and told him the danger that might ensue entreating him whilest it waâ— yet time and to preuent a future miserie to expell them the Land But all in â—aine for Vortiger was so besotted in the beautie of his faire wife by whose counsaile he was altogether swayed that he would in no wise listen to the counsaile of his subiects Wherefore they with one vnited consent depriued him of his Crowne and dignitie making Vortimerus his eldest sonne king in his stead Who was no sooner crowned but with all expedition he raysed an armie and pursued the Saxons and in foure maine battailes besides conflicts and skirmishes became victorious ouer them The Saxons and their insolencies thus supâ—â—est and the king now gouerning the Land in peace after he had reigned seuâ—â— yeeres was by this Rowan in reuenge of the disgrace done to her king deposed and her countreymen disgraced most trecherously poysoned Locrin the eldest sonne of Brute chased the Hunnes which inuaded the realme of England and so hotely pursued them that many of them with their king were drowned in a riuer which parteth England and Scotland and after the name of the king of the Hunnes who there perished the riuer is to this day called Humbar This king Locrin had to wife â—â—â—â—doline a daughter of Coriâ—eus duke of Cornwall by whom he had a sonne calâ—â—d Madâ—n He kept also a Paramour called the beautifull Ladie Estrilda by whom hee had a daughter called Sabrina Locrine after the death of Corineus of whom he stood in awe diuorsed himselfe from his lawfull wife and tooke to his embraces his faire concubine mooued with this iniurie Guendoline retired herselfe into Cornewall where she gathered a great power fought with her husband slew him in battaile and after caused him to be buried in Troy-nouant That done she caused the faire Estrilda with her daughter Sabrina to be drowned in a riuer that which parts England and Wales which still beares the name of the yong Virgin and is called Seuerne These her dessignes accomplished for so much as Madun her yong sonne was but in his pupillage and not of capacitie or age to gouerne the Land by the common sufferage of all the Brittons she was made Protectoresse and Ladie Regent of the kingdome which to the comfort of the subiects and the weale of the kingdome she discreetly gouerned for the space of fifteene yeares and therefore her memorie might fitly haue beene rancked amongst the most Illustrious women Her sonne comming to age and yeares of discretion shee to him resigned the Scepter The Faire ladie of Norwich ANd now because wee traffique altogether with Historie it shall not bee amisse sometimes to mingle Seria Iocis as shall appeare by this discourse which I haue often heard related A knight both of same and memorie and whose name is still vpon record beeing eminent and of note with Henrie the fift as personally with him in all the warres in France after the king had both conquered and quieted the Land this noble Englishman retyred himselfe into his countrey He had a Ladie that was of such beautie that she attracted the eyes of all beholders with no common admiration in briefe I cannot speake of her feature sufficiently as being farre beyond the compasse of my penne and therefore I put her into the number of my Faire ones This ladie with her husband residing in the cittie of Norwich He after so many troubles and torments purposed a more sequestred life and next the solace he had in the beautie and vertues of his wife to take a course meerely contemplatiue and thought out of the aboundance of his wealth to doe some pious deeds for the good of his soule hee therefore erected in the cittie and neere to the place where his house stood a goodly Church at his owne charge and betwixt them a Religous house that entertained twelue Friers and an Abbot allowing them demeanes competent for so small a brother-hood In this couent there were two Frier Iohn and Frier Richard these were still at continuall enmitie and especiall notice taken of it amongst the rest which by no mediation could be truely reconciled but omitting that it was custome of the knight and his ladie dayly to rise to morning Mattins and she being affable and courteous to all it bred a strange inciuile boldnesse in Frier Iohn for she neuer came through the cloyster but he was still with duckes and cringes attending her which she suspecting nothing simply with modest smiles returned thankes to him againe which grew so palpable in the Frier that as farre as they durst it was whispered in the couent Briefly after these incouragements as he constered them it bred in him that impudencie that he presumed to write a letter to her in which he layde open a great deale of more than necessarie loue This letter with great difficultie came to her hand at which the ladie astonished as not dreaming that such leaudnesse should come from one that professed chastitie and not knowing whether it might be a tricke
feasted Mecenas being of a corrupt and licentious disposition and much taken with her beautie could not containe himselfe but he must needs be toying with her vsing action of plaine Incontinence in the presence of her husbandâ— who perceiuing what he went about and the seruants it seemes for modestie hauing withdrawne themselues from forth the chamber the Table â—ot yet being taken away Cabbas to giue Meâ—enas the freer libertie caâ—ts himselfe vpon the bed and counterâ—eits sleepe Whilest this ill-managed businesse was in hand one of the seruants listning at the doore and hearing no noyse but all quiet with soft steps enters the chamber to steale away a flaggon pot that stood full of wine vpon the Table Which Cabbas espying casts vp his head and thus softly said to him Thou rascall Doest thou not know that I sleepe onely to Mecenas A basenesse better becomming some Ieaster or Buffoon than the noble name of a Roman In the citie of Argis grew a contention betwixt Nicostratus and Phaillus about the management of the Common-weale Philip of Macedon the father of Alexander comming then that way Phaillus hauing a beautifull young wife one esteemed for the verie Paragon of the citie and knowing the disposition of the king to be addicted to all voluptuousnesse and that such choyse beauties and to be so easily come by could not lightly escape his hands presently apprehends that the prostitution of his wife might be a present Ladder for him to climbe to the principalitie and haue the entire gouernment of the citie Which Nicostratus suspecting and many times walking before his gates to obserue the passage of the house within hee might perceiue Phaillus fitting his wiues feet with rich embrodered Pantofles iewels about her hayre rings on her fingers bracelets about her wrists and carkanets vpon her arme in a Macedonian vesture and a couering vpon her in the manner of a Hat which was onely lawfull for the kings themselues to weare And in this manner habited like one of the kings pages but so disguised that she was scarce knowne of any he submitted her to the king There are too many in our age that by as base steps would mount to honor I could wish all such to carrie the like brand to posteritie Chloris was the daughter of Amphion and the wife of Neleus the sonne of Hyppocoon as fruitfull as beautifull for she brought twelue sonnes â—o her husband of which ten with their father were slaine by Hercules in the expugnation of Pylus the eleuenth called Periclemenes was transformed into an Eagle and by that meanes escaped with life the twelfth was Nestor who was at that time in Ilos Hee by the benefit of Apollo liued three hundred yeeres for all the daies that were taken from his father and brothers by their vntimely death Phoebus conferred vpon him and that was the reason of his longeuitie Aethra the daughter of Pytheus was of that attractiue feature that Neptune and Aegeus both lay with her in the Temple of Minerua but Neptune disclayming her issue bestowed it on Aegeus who leauing her in Troezene and departing for Athens left his sword beneath a huge stone enioyning Aethra That when his sonne was able to remooue the stone and take thence his sword she should then send him to him that by such a token he might acknowledge him his sonne Theseus was borne and comming to yeeres she acquainted him with his fathers imposition who remooued the stone and tooke thence the sword with which hee slew all the theeues and robbers that interposed him in his way to Athens Danae the daughter of Acrisius and Aganippe had this fate assigned her by the Oracle That the child shee bore should be the death of her father Acrisius which hee vnderstanding shut her in a Brazen Tower restrayning her from the societie of men but Iupiter enamoured of her rare feature descended vpon her in a shewer of Gold of which congression Perseus was begot whom Acrisius caused with his mother to be sent to sea in a mast-lesse boat which touching vpon the Island Seriphus was found by a fisher-man called Dyctis who presents the desolate Ladie with her sonne to king Polydâ—ctâ—s He surprised with her beautie marryed her and caused her sonne Perseus to be educated in the Temple of Minerua and after made attonement betwixt them and Acrisius But Polydectes dying at the funerall games celebrated at his death in casting of a mightie stone being one of the exercises then vsed Perseus whose hand fayled him cast it vnawares vpon the head of Acrisius and slew him against his owne purpose making good the will of the Oracle Acrisius being buried Perseus succeeded his grandfather in the citie Argos Helena was first rauished by Theseus and afterwards by Paris shee had these suitors Antiochus Ascalaphus Aiax Oeleus Antimachus Aeoeus Blanirus Agapenor Aiax Telamonius Clyrius Cyanaeus Patroclus Diomedes Penelaeus Phaemius Nyraeus Polypates Elephenor Fumetus Stenelus Tlepolemus Protesilaus Podalyrius Euripilus Idomenaeus Teliotes Tallius Polyxenus Protus Menestaeus Machaon Thoas Vlysses Philippus Meriones Meges Philoctetes Laeonteus Talpius Prothous but she was possest by Menelaus Aâ—ge was the faire daughter of Aleus and comprest by Hercules and deliuered of her sonne in the mountaine Parthenius at the same time Atalanta the daughter of Iasius exposed her sonne begot by Meleager vnto the same place these children being found by the shepheards they called the sonne of Hercules Telephus because he was nursed by a Hart which fed him with her milke they called the sonne of Meleager Parthenopaeus of the mountaine Auge fearing her fathers displeasure fled into Moesia to king Teuthrus who for her beauties sake hauing himselfe no children adopted her his heire These following are the fiftie faire daughters of Danaeus with the fiftie sonnes of Aegiptus whom the first night of their marriage they slew Idea killed Antimachus Philomela Pantheus Seilla Proteus Philomone Plâ—xippus Euippe Agenor Demoditas Chrysippus Hyale Perius Trite Enceladus Damone Amintor Hypâ—thoe Obrimus Mirmidone Mineus Euridice Canthus Cleo Asterius Arcania Xanthus Cleopatra Metalces Philea Phylinas Hyparite Protheon Chrysothemis Asterides Pyraule Athamas her name is lost that slew Armoasbus Glaâ—cippe Niâ—uius Demophile Pamphilus Antodice Clytus Polyxena Egiptus Hecabe Driantes Achemantes Echominus Arsalte Ephialtes Monuste Euristhanes Amimone Medamus Helice Euideus Amoeme Polidector Polybe Iltonomus Helicta Cassus Electra Hyperantus Eubule Demarchus Dâ—plidice Pugones Hero Andromachus Europone Atlites Pyrantis Plexippus Critomedia Antipaphus Pyrene Dalychus Eupheno Hyperbius Themistagora Podasimus Palaeno Ariston Itâ—â— Aâ—tilochus Erate Endemon Hypernâ—nestra was the onely Ladie that in that great slaughter spared her husband Lyncaeus What should I speake of Antigona the sister of Polinices Electra the daughter of Clytemnestrà Hermione of Helen Polyxena of Hecuba Iphigenia of Agamemnon Erigone Merope Proserpina Amimone Oenone Calisto Alope the daughter of Cercyon and Theophane of Bysaltis both stuprated by Neptune Thâ—onoe and Zeutippe
to stuprate Calisto the daughter of Lycaon and attyring himselfe in the habite of a female Huntresse was entertayned by Diana and admitted into their number where he grew familiar with all and especially endeared to Daphne insomuch that shee thought no houre spent well without him Of which acquaintance Apollo being iealous in regard they had such conuenience of time place and opportunitie he put his owne dearely beloued Daphne in mind to entice Leucippus to a riuer where Diana with all their nymphes intended to bathe themselues Whither when they came the Virgins disrobed themselues euen to nakednesse and being all stript to their skinnes but finding Leucippus onely to mooue delayes they pluckt off his garments by force and so discouered him to be of the contrarie Sex at which Diana enraged commanded all her Virgins to take vp their Bowes and Quiuers and so they shot him to death with their Arrowes This is recorded by Parthen de Amator Theodor. Flaietes in Eleg. and Philarchus lib. 15. Of Chast Wiues AN excellent president of Chastitie was that in Rhodogune the daughter of Darius who caused her Nurse to be slaine because her husband being dead she persuaded her to a second marriage A more admirable remarke of Nuptiall Chastitie it was of the Wiues of the Theutonicks remembred by Hieron in his Epistle to Gerontia whose husbands being slaine and they taken captiue by Marius humbly besought him on their knees that they might be sent to the Vestalls in Rome as a present protesting they would be equally with them still from the societie of men and professe perpetuall Chastitie but their request being denyed by the Consull Marius the next night following all of them with an vnite consent strangled themselues Theoxena was famous for her Chastitie who being enuironed at Sea by the Nauie of Philip king of Macedon seeing her husband throwne ouer-boord leapt after him to follow him in death not onely to expresse her loue to her husband but her skorne to stand to the mercie of the Conqueror Baptista Pius Lib. 2. Elegiar speakes of Tyro a woman of Thessalia who her husband being dead could by no counsaile of friends or persuasion of kindred be woon to suruiue him Plutarch in Pompeio speaking of Hypsicrataea sayth shee was so endearedly affected to her husband king Mithridates that for his loue she made a voluntarie change of her most becomming womanish shape and habit into a mans for cutting her hayre she accustomed her selfe to the practise of Horse and Armes that shee might with the more facilitie endure the labours and dangers of the warres Her husband being subdued by Cn. Pompeius and his Armie quite dissipate and ouercome shee followed him flying through many barbarous Nations where her life and safetie were in hourely hazard and these shee enterprised with a mind vndaunted and a bodie vnwearyed her faith and loyaltie in all his extremities being to him no small sollace and comfort for though an Exile being still in the societie of his Queene and bed-fellow he imagined himselfe in what place soeuer he reposed to haue beene in his owne pallace and amongst his household gods Of Penelope THe beautie of Penelope attracted a number of suitors who from diuerse countreyes came to adulterate the bed of Vlysses From Dulichim came two and fiftie from Samos foure and twentie from Xacynthus twentie from Ithaca two and twentie of which these are nominated by Homer Antinous Eurinous Eurimachus Leocritus Neso Pysander Hesippus Agatus Leocles Ampinomus Demotholomaeus Medoâ— a common Cryer Euphemus a Minstrell and Irus a Begger all which Vlysses at his returne from his twentie yeeres trauailes slew in his owne house Some of these Ouids Penelope reckons vp in these verses Dulichij Samijque quos â—â—lit alia Xacinthus c. Dulichium Samos and Xaciâ—â—hus Hill Throng me with troopes of wantâ—n sâ—itors still What should I speake to thee of Medon fell Of Polibus or of Pysander tell What of Antinous giddie head deplore Couetous Eurimachus and otherâ— more These in thine absence cannot be withstood But still thou feed'st them with thy wealth and blood The Begger Irus and Melanthius too The Heardsman c. And since we are in the historie of Penolope It shall not be amisse to delate it a little further out of Homer who in his first booke intituled Odissaea of Phaemius the Harper speakes to this purpose Phaemius the Haerper to the bâ—â—rd inâ—ited Where the bold suitors bid theâ—selâ—es to feastâ— A dolefull song to a sad tune recited Of th' Argiue fleete in their returne distrest And cast in sundrie exiles on what coast Such men miscarie where such Princes perish Vpon what rockes and shelues such ships were â—ost Him wil'st Penelopes bold suitors cherish The discontented Queene with Prayres and Teares Wills him desist the Harper soone forbeares But to leape from the first to the seuenteenth booke and to omit all Vlysses trauells and aduentures till his meeting with his sonne Telemachus who brought him into his owne court in the disguise of a begger to see what reuells were kept there in his absence Known only to his sonne and his friend Eumaeus and not yet to Penelope Iam Caelum roseis rutilat Tritonia bigiâ— Telemacus vnto the Queen relates The processe of his long peregrination Eumaeus brings Vlisses 'mongst those States That sought his bed where they in courtly fashion Were sat at a rich banquet with his wife There he begg's meat Antinous 'mongst the rest Threats with iniurious words to câ—ise his life But the milde queene inuites him as her guest Vlysses for that time forbeares their sight But sâ—nds the queene word he will come at night Irus adest populi per mendicabula notus In his owne Pallace whilest Vlysses craues Their Charitie Irus that was indeed One of that ranke and begg'd 'mongst ragged slaues Boldly thrasts in amongst the rest to feed From words these grow to blowes the suitors they Encourage both parts to maintaine the â—ray Proposing him that shall 〈◊〉 for prise The intrailes of a Goaâ— Vlysses hee Proues victor in his beggers base disguise And halfe-dead Irus of the place doth free For which hee 's guerdâ—â—'d as the Queenes request With a rich Gift from many vnbid guest At parte interiore dâ—mus sacratus Vlysses Vlysses with Telemachus conspires The death of all those suitors both deuising How to release the Queene to her deâ—ires And free the Pallace from their tyrannizing And that they neither may offend nor stand Complâ—t by night their weapons how to steale Now by Eumaeus to the Queenes faire hand Her Lord is brought who will 〈◊〉 yâ—â— reueale Himselfe to her but sayth he is of Creâ—â—e To whom her husband once had beene a guest They part the Queene commands to wash his feet And for that night betakes her to her rest That taske Euriclia takes his Nurse before She a knowne skarre vpon his flesh espyes On Mount Pernassus giuen
braue souldier or of such as perished in Cilicia for the Empire and libertie of whole Greece shee onely hauing perdurable monuments raised to her as well in Babilon as in Athens Temples and Altars with sacrifices offered her by the name of Venus Pythonica With other such vpbraidings he complained on him to Alexander of whom Alexis in Licisca likewise speakes as also that after her death hee tooke to his bed the beforenamed Glicera Next her followers Irene That Ptolomaeus that placed garrisons in Ephesus and was the sonne of king Philadelphos had a beautifull mistresse called Irene she when Ptolomaeus was â—ssaulted by â—he Thracians in the cittie of Ephesus and to shun their violence fled into a Chappell consecrated to the goddesse Diana would not in that distresse forsake him but entred the place together and when the souldiers role open the gates vpon them to kil the king she remoued not her hand from the ring of the doore but with her owne blood sprinkled the altar till the souldiers likewise falling vpon her shee expired in the armes of the slaughtered king As noble was that of Danae Philarchus remembers one Sophron of Ephesus to haue had in his delights Danae daughter to Leontius of the Sect of the Epicures a man well seene in the speculations of Philosophie To her trust were all the domesticke affaires of the house committed euen by the consent of his wife Laodice who at length perceiuing his loue to encline to Danae shee purposed at her next best opportunitie to make away with her husband This being found out by Daâ—ae and in great secrecie reuealed to Sophron he gaue at the first no credit to the report yet at her importunacie hee promised within two dayes to consider of the matter and in that time to deliberate what was best to bee done in the preuention of such a mischiefe and in that interim conceales himselfe in the citie by which Laodice finding her purpose to be discouered she accused Danae for his murther and instantly without further processe by the helpe of her friends and seruants hurryed her to the top of a high Pâ—omontorie from thence to throw her headlong who seeing imminent death before her eyes fetching a deepe sigh she thus said I meruaile 〈◊〉 now that the gods haue so small honour done to them in regard of their iniustice since I am thus punisht for sauing the life of my friend and this Laodice is thus honoured that would haue tooke away the life of her husband Agathoclaea WArres hauing beene long continued betwixt Ptolomey of Aegypt and Antiochâ—s of Syria insomuch that Ptolomaeus was by his embassadors rather by feare than necessitie as it were enforced to sollicite a peace notwithstanding Antiochâ—s inuading Aegypt tooke from him many townes and ciâ—ies of consequence which proffer drawing Ptolomey to the field hee gaue him a braue affront and foyle and had he taken the aduantage of the preseâ—t fortune had payd him home with an irrecouerable ouerthrow but Ptolomy wholly deuoted to effeminacie and luxurie onely contented with what hee had recouered of his owne and pursuing no further aduantages made choyse of a dishonorable peace before a iust warre and so concluded all dissention with an vnalterable league And being free from all forraine invasions he began domesticke troubles at home For being giuen ouer to bâ— owne appetite and beâ—orted to his insatiate pleasures he first began with 〈◊〉 both his sister and wife causing her to be slaine that hee might the more freely enioy the societie and fellowship of his most rare and beautifull mistresse Agaâ—hoclea so that the greatnesse of his name and the splendor of his maiestie both set apart he abandoned himselfe solely to whoredomes by night and to banquets and all profusenesse of riot by day And now libertie being growne to law the boldnesse of the strumpet for no better my Author styles her cannot be contayned within the walls of the kings house which the ouer doâ—agâ— of the king the extraordinarie graces and honoâ—s conferred for her sake on her brother Agathocles together with her owne ambitions growing euery day more and more to greater insolence made still more manifest Next there was her old mother called 〈◊〉 a cunning Hagge I may tearme her who by reason of her double issue Agathocles and Agathoclea had a great hand with the king or rather a great power ouer him Therefore not contented with the king alone they possesse the kingdome also They ride abroad in all state to be seene are proud to be by all saluted and with such great traynes to be attended Agathocles as if sowed to the kings elbow was not seene without him but with a nod or word swayed and gouerned the citie The gifts of all militarie honors as the Tribunes Prefects and Captaines all these were appointed by the women neyther was there any in the kingdome that had lesse power than the king himselfe who long sleeping in this dreame of maiestie hauing giuen away all that was essentiall in a king he fell sicke and dyed leauing behind him a child of fiue yeeres old by his afore-murthered wife and sister Laodice But his death was by these fauorites long concealed whilest they had by all couetous rapine snatched what they might out of the kings treasurie by this to strengthen a faction of the most base and desolate subiects that by mony thus ill got and deboisht souldiers thus leuied they might set safe footing in the Empire but it fell out farre otherwise for the kings death and their dissigne was no sooner discouered but in the rude concourse of the multitude the Minion Agathocles was first slaine and the two women the mother and the daughter were in reuenge of murdered Laodice hanged vpon gybets being now made a skorne to euerie man that was before a terror to all the pupillage of the infant and the safetie of the realme to his vse the Romans most noblie after tooke to their protection Cleophis ALexander the Great after many glorious conquests entring into India that hee might contermine his Empire with the Ocean and the vtmost parts of the East and to which glorie that the ornaments of his armie might suit the trappings of his horses and the armour of his souldiers were all studded with siluer and his maine armie of their Targets of siluer as Curtius writes he caused to be called Argyraspides In processe by gentle and pleasurable marches they came to the cittie Nisa the cittisens making no opposition at all trusting to the reuerence due to Liber Pater by whom they say the cittie was first erected and for that cause Alexander caused it to bee spared passing those fruitfull Hills where grapes grow in aboundance naturally and without the helpe of art or hand of man hee thence passed the Dedalian mountaines euen to the prouinces and kingdome of the queene Cleophis who hearing of his victories and fearing his potencie thought rather to affront
what difference and oddes there was in the appearance of two such high and noble persons which hauing read she returned him onely this short answere Well and these people about mee shall be old likewise when I am This Iulia to a noble Senator of stayd grauitie giuing her counsell to frame her selfe after her fathers graue and sober behauiour she presently replyde Though my father doth not remember that he is an Emperour yet I cannot forget that I am an Emperours daughter It is further remembered of her that beginning to haue gray haires with the soonest and before she was old as her maides and gentlewomen were kembing her head the Emperour came in suddenly vpon her and espyde them picking and plucking the white haires vp by the rootes which still stucke vpon their garments the Emperor for that present said nothing but not long after amongst many other discourses taking occasion to speake of old age he demaunded of his daughter Whether she had rather in the processe of a few yeares haue a reuerent white head or to be directly without any haire at all she answered She had rather to haue a white head Why then said he doe thy damosells all they can to make thee cleane bald before thy time Augustus much greeued with her licenciousnesse and seeing it subiect to no reformation he banished her the Court and with her her daughter Iulia his grandchild who tooke something too much after the mother and after that Agrippa whom hee had once adopted his heire but after for his intemperance and bruitish and luxurious riots cast out of his fauor Whensoeuer mention was made of any of these three hee would recite a verse out of Homer which imports thus much What 's now my sorrow would haue beene my pride If I as some might issuelesse haue di'de He vsed not to call any of those three by any other names than Vlcers or rotten Impostumes Cankers and such like for hee vsed much more patiently to take the deaths of his friends than their dishonours Hee further prouided by his last will That whensoeuer either Iulia his daughter or Iulia his grandchild expired their bodies should not rest beneath his monument One thing of her I had almost forgot Vpon a time comming to visite and doe her dutie to her father she perceiued his eyes to be much offended with the gawdinesse of her attire as sauering of immodestie the next day taking occasion to reuisite him she changed her habit into a comely ciuill and matronly garbe and in that sort came to embrace her father Caesar who had the day before suppressed his greefe was not now able to conteine his ioy but broke out into these tearmes ô how much more decent and seemely are these ornaments for the daughter of Augustus to whom shee instantly replyde Indeed this day I apparelled my selfe to please the eyes of a father but my yesterdayes habit was to content the eyes of a husband She when some that knew of her frequent inchastities demanded how it was possible she should bring forth children so like her husband considering her so often prostitution with strangers answered Because I neuer take in passenger till my ship haue her full fraught and lading Macrâ—b lib. 2. cap. 5. Satur. And so much for Iulia. Phileterus speaking of those wantons that liued afore his time and were now dead scoffes them thus Nonne Cercope iam egiâ— annerum â—ria millia c. i. Hath not Cercope alreadie liued three thousand yeares and proceeding and rough haired Diopethiâ— and a second Teleâ—is ten thousand for Theâ—lite none knowes or can remember when she was borne Was not This dead when she should haue prostituted her selfe and come vnder Ionias and Neaera are now dead and rotten so is Philace Of Siphâ—â— Galinas and Corâ—nas I speake not Of Nais I hold my peace because her teeth are now no grinders Sinope and Phanostrate with others are remembred by Demosthenes in his oration against Androtioâ—es Herdicus Grateticus speakes of this Sinope in his Commentaries and sayth That when she grew into yeares she was called Abidus shee was no question a famous strumpet in her youth for Antiphaâ—es speakes of her in many of his Comedies in Arâ—ade in Horlicomâ— in Medicatrice in Piscante in Neottide So likewise Alexis in Cleobulina and Calicrates in Moscione Of Phanostrate Appollodorus writes That shee was a prostitute in Athens and that of her ranke were many others and was called Phâ—herophile of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pediculus and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Porta Propter quod pediculos cum staret in limine Porta queritabat Menander in Adulatore hee numbers these wantons Chrisis Coronis Antecyra Ischades and Nanniculum whom hee calls Formosum valde Exceeding faire Quintus Curtius in his tenth booke of the life of Alexander the Great writes That after many honourable Conquests hauing alreadie subiected sundry Nations to his iurisdiction beeing now in India where all his attempts were prosperous and his designes successefull proud of his victories and thinking himselfe to be Fortunes minion insomuch that despising the off-spring from whence hee came hee caused himselfe to be called the Sonne of Iupiter Being puffed vp with these thoughts and swelling in all ambitions hee betooke himselfe to all voluptuous delicacies and of them to the most tempting riots of wine and women insomuch that lulled in all effeminacie he so farre forgot both his high maiestie and that commendable temperance for which he was before all his predecessors renowned that he sent as farre as Athens for a notorious strumpet branded in her life though famous for her beautie called Potonice on whom the king was so much besotted that hee not onely gaue her most princely and magnificent gifts in her life time but after her death caused a Tombe to be erected ouer her bodie on which structure the king bestowed thirtie Talents It were strange if our English Chronicles should not affoord some or other to haue correspondence with these Harlotta or Arlotta THis Historie is recorded by an Historiographer of ancient times who writes himselfe Anonymus or without name by Gulielm Malmesbury Vincentius Ranâ—lphus Fabian Polydore and others As Robert duke of Normandie and father to William the Conqueror rid through the towne of Falois he beheld a beautifull Virgin a Skinners daughter playing and dancing amongst other Virgins with whose feature beeing on the suddaine surprised he so farre preuayled by his secret messages and gifts that shee was priuately conueyed into the dukes chamber and there lodged and put in a bed to await his comming who glad of such a purchase without much circumstance made himselfe readie for the businesse intended The chamber cleared and the place voyded and he readie to accomplish his desires she rent her smocke from the chinne to the footâ— to make the freer way for the Prince and hee demanding the reason of her so doing shee made him this prettie and readâ—â— answere It were neyther fit nor
pittied her grauitie or suspected her innocence did not cause her to be instantly strangled according to the rigor of her sentence At the importunacie of the daughter he gaue her leaue to visit and comfort her mother but narrowly searcht before her entrance into the prison least shee should carrie with her any food or sustenance to her reliefe rather desiring she should perish by famine and dye that way than himselfe to haue any violent hand in her execution The daughter hauing dayly accesse to the mother who now had past ouer more dayes than the keeper thought was possible by nature and wondering in himselfe how she should draw her thred of life out to that length without any meanes to maintaine it hee casting a more curious eye vpon the young woman and watching her might perceiue how shee first drew out one breast and after another with her owne milke relieuing her mothers famine At the noueltie of so strange and rare a spectacle being amazed he carryed newes thereof to the Triumvir he to the Praetor the Praetor he related it to the Consuls they brought it before the Senate who to recompence what was good in the daughter pardoned all that was before thought ill in the mother For what will not loue deuise or whither true zeale not penetrate What more vnheard or vnexpected thing could be apprehended than for a mother to be fed from the breasts of her daughter Who would not imagine this to be against nature but that we see by proofe true naturall pietie transcends all bounds and limits The like of this we may read of in Plinie of another young marryed woman who when her father Cimon was afflicted with the same sentence and subiect to the like durance prolonged his life from her breasts for which she deserues to be equally memorized Our Parents in no dangers or necessities are to be by vs abandoned and that by the example of Aeneas in whose person Virgil thus speakes as to his father Anchises Aeneid 2. Eia age chare pater ceruici imponere nostrae Ipse subibo numeris nec me labor iste grauabit c. Come my deare father and get vp for see No burthen to my shoulders you can bee No weight at all and hap what can betide One danger or one safetie wee 'l abide Sabellic lib. 3. cap. 6. remembers vs of Rusticana a noble Matron of Rome and the daughter of Synnarchus who with his brother Boetius the famous Philosopher being put to death by Theodoricus king of the Gothes Shee after the Tirants miserable end was the cause that all his Statues in Rome were demollished and ruined purposing vtterly if it were possible to extirpe his memorie that was the inhuman murderer of her father for which fact of hers being called in question before king Totila who succeeded him she was so far from excuse or deniall that she approued the deed with all constancie whose noble magnanimitie resolution prooued more auailable to her saftie than any timerous euasion could haue done for he not only dismissed her vnpunished but highly applauded and commended Fulgos. Sabellicus and Egnatius writing of Alboinus king of the Longobards who at his first enterance into Italie hauing subdued and slaine Turismundus whom some call Cunimundus sonne to Cunimundus king of the Gepidanes and after taken his daughter Rosamunda to wife the Historie sayth hee made a bole of her fathers skull in which one night hauing drunke somewhat lauishly he caused it to be filled with wine and sent to Rosamunda then in her chamber with this message Commend me to my Queene and say I command her to drinke with her father The Ladie though shee knew him to be slaine by the Longobards receiuing his death by a common casualtie and chance of war and by this assuring her selfe that he fell by the hand of her husband betwixt filiall dutie and coniugall loue being for a time destracted the bond of affection towards her father preuailed aboue those nuptiall fetters in which she was tyde to her Lord in so much that to reuenge the death of the one she resolued to take away the life of the other to bring which about she deuised this proiect she had obserued one Hemegildus a noble man amongst the Lumbards to bee surprised with the loue of one of her waiting gentlewomen with whom she dealt so far that when her maid had promised to giue this Hemegildus meeting in a priuate and darke chamber she her selfe supplyde the place of her seruant after which congression she caused lightes to be brought in that he might know with whom he had had carnall companie and what certeine preiudice he had therein incurred protesting withall that vnlesse he would ioyne with her in the death of the king shee would accuse him of rape and outrage The Lumbard to preuent his own disaster vndertooke his soueraignes death which was accordingly betwixt them performed The murder done they fled together to Rauenna she preferring the reuenge of a slaughtered father before the life of a husband the title of a Queene State Soueraigntie or any other worldly dignitie whatsoeuer Something is not amisse to be spoken in this place concerning the loue of mothers towards their children which as Plutarch in his Grec Apotheg saith was excellently obserued in Themistocles Prince of the Athenians who was wont to say That hee knew no reason but that his young sonne whom his mother most dotingly affected should haue more power and commaâ—nd than any one man in Greece whatsoeuer and being demanded the reason hee thus answered Athens sayth he commands all Greece I Themistocles haue predominance ouer Athens my wife ouer-swayes me â—nd my sonne ouer-rules his mother Olympias the mother of Alexander caused Iollaes graue to be ript vp who was Butler to her sonne and his bones to be scattered abroad raging against him in death on whom in his life time shee could not be reuenged on for the death of her sonne to whom this Iollas was said to haue ministred poyson Agrippina the mother of Domitius Nero by all meanes and industrie possible labouring to confirme the Empire vnto her sonne enquired of the Chaldaeans and Astrologers Whether by their calculations they could find if he should liue to be created Caesar who returned her this answer That they found indeed by their Art that he should be Emperour but withall that he should be the death of his mother To whom she answered Inter-ficiat modo Imperet i. I care not though he kill me so I may but liue to see him raigne Sab. lib. 3. cap. 4. The same Author tells vs that in the second Punick warre the Romanes being ouerthrowne with infinite slaughter in the battailes fought at Thrasiamenus Cannas many that were reported to be assuredly dead escaping with life after their funeralls had beene lamented returning home vnexpectedly to their mothers such infinite ioy oppressed them at once that as if sinking beneath too
great a burden betwixt their kisses and embraces they suddenly expired Aruntius the Roman being proscribed by the Triumuirat his wife would neddes haue him take her deerely beloued sonne along with him to associat and comfort him in his trauels who when they had gone a ship-boord intending for Sicilia and crost by an aduerse tempest could neither proceede on in their voyage nor returne to any safe landing such was their fate that they perished by famine which the mother vnderstanding more for the greefe of her sonne whom she her selfe proscribed than for her husband exiled by the Triumuirat slew her selfe The matrons of Carthage in the third Punick warre when the choysest of all the noble young men of the cittie were selected to bee sent as hostages into Sicilia with weeping and lamentation followed them to the water side and kept them hugged in their strict embraces not suffering them to goe aboord but when they were forcibly plucked from them and sent vnto the ships they no sooner hoysed saile but many of these wofull and lamenting mothers opprest with the extreamitie of sorrow cast themselues headlong into the Sea and there were drowned Sabel lib. 3. cap. 4. The wife of Proclus Naucratides hauing a wilde and misgouerned sonne addicted meerely to voluptusnesse and pleasure and withall to Cockes Horses Dogges and such like pastimes his mother did not only not reproue him in this licensiousnesse but would be still present with him to helpe to feed his Cockes dyet his Horses and cherish his Dogges for which being reproued by some of her friends as an incourager of his vnstayd and irregular courses to whom shee answered No such matter hee will sooner see then into himselfe and correct his owne vices by conuersing with old folkes than keeping company with his equalls Niobes sorrow for her children Auctoliaos death at the false rumor of her sonne Vlysses his Tragedie Hecubaes reuenge vpon Polymnestor for the murder of her yong sonne Polydore and Tomiris queene of the Massagets against Cyrus for the death of her sonne Sargapises are all rare presidents of maternall pietie nay so superaboundant is the loue of mothers to their children that many times it exceedes the bounds of common reason therfore Terens in Heuton thus saith Matres omnes filijs In peccato ad iutrices auxilio in patres Solent esse i. All mothers are helpers in their childrens transgressions and ayd them to commit iniuries against their fathers Therefore Seneca in his Tragedie of Hippolitus breakes out into this extasie Oh nimium potens Quanto parentes sanguinis vinclo tenes Natura quam te colimus inuiti quoque Nature oh Too powerfull in what bond of blood thou still Bind'st vs that parents are commanding so Wee must obey thee though against our will So great was the loue of Parisatis the mother of Cyrus the lesse to her sonne that he being slaine her reuenge vpon the murtherers exceeded example for she caused one of them whose name was Charetes to be ten daies together excruciated with sundrie tortures after commanded his eyes to be put out and then moulten lead to be powred downe into the hollow of his eares the second Metroclates for the same treason shee commaunded to be bound fast betwixt two boats and to be fed with figges and honey leauing him there to haue his guts gnawne out by the wormes which these sweet things bred in his intrailes of which lingring torment he after many dayes perished the third Metasabates she caused to be flayed aliue and his bodie to be stretched vpon three sharpe pikes or stakes and such was his miserable end a iust reward for Traitors Fulgos. lib. 5. cap. 5. tels vs That Augustus Caesar hauing subdued Cappadocia and taken the king Adiatoriges prisoner with his wife and two sonnes after they had graced his triumphs in Rome hee gaue command That the father with the eldest sonne should be put to death now when the ministers designed for that execution came to demand which of the two brothers was the elder for they were both of a stature they exceedingly contended and either affirmed himselfe to be the eldest with his owne death to repriue the others life this pious strife continuing long to the wonder and amasement of all the beholders At length Dietenius at the humble intercession of his mother who it seemes loued him some deale aboue the other gaue way though most vnwillingly for the younger to perish in his stead Which after being knowne and told to Augustus hee did not onely lament the innocent young Princes death but to the elder who was yet liuing with his mother he gaue great comforts and did them after many graces and fauours so great a reuerence and good opinion doth this fraternall loue beget euen amongst enemies Neither was this Queene to he taxed of seueritie or rigor to the youngest since it was a necessitie that one must dye it was rather a Religion in her hoping to leaue her first-borne to his true and lawfull inheritance Now least I should leaue any thing vnremembred that comes in my way that might tend to the grace and honor of the Sex there is not any vertue for which men haue beene famous in which some women or other haue not beene eminent namely for mutuall loue amitie and friendship Marul Lib. 3. cap. 2. tells vs of a chast Virgin called Bona who liued a retyred life in a house of religious Nunnes Shee had a bedfellow vnto whom aboue all others shee was entired who lying vpon her death-bed and no possible helpe to be deuised for her recouerie this Bona being then in perfect health of bodie though sicke in mind for the infirmitie of her sister fell vpon her knees and deuoutly besought the Almightie that shee might not suruiue her but as they had liued together in all sanctitie and sisterly loue so their chast bodies might not be separated in death As shee earnestly prayed so it futurely happened both died in one day and were both buried in one Sepulchre being fellowes in one House one Bed and one Graue and now no question ioyfull and ioint inheritors of one Kingdome Thus farre Marrull But now to returne a little from whence wee began Some sonnes haue beene kind to their parents as in Sicilia when the mountaine Aetna began first to burne Damon snatcht his mother from the fire Aeneas in the fatall massacre of Troy tooke his father vpon his backe his sonne Ascanius in his hand his wife Creusa following him and passed through the sword and fire Wee reade likewise in Hyginus of Cleops and Bilias whom Herodotus calls Cleobis and Bython who when their mother Cidippe the Priest of Iuno Argyua should be at the Temple at the appointed houre of the Sacrifice or failing to forfeit her life but when she came to yoake the Oxen that should draw her Chariot they were found dead her two sonnes before named layd their neckes vnder the
yoake and supplying the place of those beasts drew her in time conuenient vnto the place where the sacred Ceremonies were according to the custome celebrated The Oblations ended and she willing to gratifie their filiall dutie besought of the goddesse That if euer with chast and vndefiled hands she had obserued her Sacrifice or if her sonnes had borne themselues piously and religiously towards her that she would graunt vnto them for their goodnesse the greatest blessing that could happen to any mortall or humane creatures This prayer was heard and the two zealous sonnes drawing backe their mother in her Chariot from the Temple vnto the place where she then soiourned being wearie with their trauaile layd them downe to sleepe The mother in the morning comming to giue her sonnes visitation and withall thankes for their extraordinarie and vnexpected paines and trauaile found them both dead vpon their Pallets by which she conceiued That there is no greater blessing to be conferred vpon man than a faire death when Loue good Opinion and Honor attend vpon the Hearse These I must confesse are worthie eternall memorie and neuer-dying admiration But hath not the like pietie towards their parents beene found in women I answer Yes How did Pelopea the daughter of Thiestes reuenge the death of her father Hypsipile the daughter of Thoas gaue her father life when he was vtterly in despaire of hope or comfort Calciope would not lose her father or leaue him though hee had loâ—t and left his kingdome Harpalice the daughter of Harpalicus restored her father in battaile and after defeated the enemie and put him to flight Erigone the daughter of Icarus hearing of the death of her father strangled her selfe Agaue the daughter of Cadmus slew the king Lycotharsis in Illyria and possest her father of his before vsurped Diademe Xantippe fed her father Nyconus or as some will haue it Cimonus in prison with milke from her breasts Tyro the daughter of Salmoneus to relieue her father slew her owne children Who will be further resolued of these let him search Hyginus And so much shall suffice for filiall dutie towards their Parents Of Sisters that haue beene kind to their Brothers THe Poets and Historiographers to impresse into vs the like naturall pietie haue left diuerse presidents to posteritie Innumerable are the examples of fraternall loue betwixt Brother and Brother To illustrate the other the better I will giue you a tast of some few Volater lib. 14. cap. 2. de Antropo relates how in that warre which Cai. Cornelius Cinna Tribune beeing expelled the citie with Caius Marius and others commenced against the Romans there were two brothers one of Pompeyes armie the other of Cinnaes who meeting in the battaile in single encounter one slew the other but when the Victor came to rifle the dead bodie and found it to be his owne naturall brother after infinite sorrow and lamentation he cast himselfe into the fire where the slaughtered carkasse was burned M. Fabius the Consull in the great conflict against the Hetrurians and Veientians obtained a glorious victorie when the Senate and the people of Rome had with great magnificence and cost at their owne charge prepared for him an illustrious triumph hee absolutely refused that honour because Q. Fabius his brother fighting manfully for his countrey was slaine in that battaile What a fraternall pietie liued in his breast may be easily coniectured who refused so remarkable an honour to mourne the losse of a beloued brother Valer. cap. 5. lib. 5. Wee reade in our English Chronicles of Archigallo brother to Gorbomannus who being crowned king of Brittaine and extorting from his subiects all their goods to enrich his owne Coffers was after fiue yeeres deposed and depriued of his Royall dignitie in whose place was elected Elidurus the third sonne of Morindus and brother to Archigallo a vertuous Prince who gouerned the people gently and iustly Vpon a time beeing hunting in the Forrest hee met with his brother Archigallo whom hee louingly embraced and found such meanes that he reconciled him both to the Lords and Commons of the Realme that done he most willingly resigned vnto him his Crowne and Scepter after hee himselfe had gouerned the Land fiue yeeres Archigallo was re-instated and continued in great loue with his brother reigning ten yeeres and was buried at Yorke after whose death Elidurus was againe chosen king What greater enterchange of fraternall loue could be found in brothers To equall whom I will first begin with the sisters of Phaeton called by some Heliades by others Phaetontides who with such funerall lamentation bewayled the death of their brother that the gods in commiseration of their sorrow turned them into Trees whose transformations Ouid with great elegancie expresseth Lib. 1. Metamorph. as likewise Virgil in Cutice their names were Phaethusa Lampitiae Phebe c. Antigone the daughter of Oedipus when her brother Eteocles was slaine in battaile shee buried his bodie maugre the contradiction of the Tyrant Creon of whom Ouid Lib. 3. Tristium Fratrem Thebana peremplam Supposuit tumulo rege vetante soror The Theban sister to his Tombe did bring Her slaught'red brothers Corse despight the king Hyas being deuoured of a Lyon the Hyades his sisters deplored his death with such infinite sorrow that they wept themselues to death And for their pietie were after by the gods translated into Starres of whom Pontanus Fratris Hyae quas perpetuus dolor indidit astris Thus you see how the Poet did striue to magnifie and eternize this Vertue in Sisters No lesse compassionat was Electra the daughter of Agamemnon on her brother Orestes and Iliona the issue of Priam when shee heard the death of young Polidore Stobaeus Serm. 42. out of the Historie of Nicolaus de morib gentium sayth That the Aethiopians aboue all others haue their sisters in greatest reuerence insomuch that their kings leaue their succession not to their owne children but to their sisters sonnes but if none of their issue be left aliue they chuse out of the people the most beautifull and warlike withall whom they create their Prince and Soueraigne Euen amongst the Romans M. Aurelius Commodus so dearely affected his sister that being called by his mother to diuide their fathers Patrimonie betwixt them hee conferred it wholly vpon her contenting himselfe with his grandfathers reuenue Pontanus de Liber cap. 11. I will end this discourse concerning Sisters with one Historie out of Sabellicus li. 3. c. 7. the same confirmed by Fulgosius lib. 5. cap. 5. Intaphernes was say they one of those confederat Princes who freed the Persian Empire from the vsurpation of the Magician brothers and conferred it vpon Darius who now being established in the supreme dignitie Intaphernes hauing some businesse with the king made offer to enter his chamber but being rudely put backe by one of the groomes or waiters he tooke it in such scorne that no
Windes grew calme the tempest ceased and she had a faire and speedie passage into England and this the same gentlewoman hath often related Nor is this more incredible than that which in Geneua is still memorable A young wench instructed in this damnable science had an Iron Rod with which whomsoeuer she touched they were forced to dance without ceasing til they were tired lay down with wearinesse She for her Witchcraft was condemned to the fire to which she went vnrepentant with great obstinacie and since which time as Bodinus saith who records this historie all dancing in memorie of her is forbidden and held euen till this day abhominable amongst those of Geneua Our most learned writers are of opinion that these Inchantresses can bewitch some but not all for there are such ouer whom they haue no power The same Author testifies That he saw a Witch of Auerne in the yere 1579 who was taken in Lutetia about whom was found a Booke of a large Volume in which were drawne the hayres of Horses Oxen Mules Swine and other beasts of all colours whatsoeuer She if any beasts were sicke would vndertake their cure by receiuing some number of their hayres with which she made her Spells and Incantations neither could she helpe any beast by her owne confession but by transferring that disease or maladie vpon another neither could shee cure any creature if she were hyred for money therefore she went poorely in a coat made vp with patches A nobleman of France sent to one of these Witches to cure a sicke Horse whom he much loued shee returned him answer That of necessitie his Horse or his Groome must die and bid him chuse whether The nobleman crauing some time of pawse and deliberation the seruant in the interim died and the Horse recouered for which fact she was apprehended and iudged It is a generall obseruation That the Deuill who is a destroyer neuer heales one creature but by hurting another and commonly he transmits his hate from the worse vnto the better For instance if a Witch cure a Horse the disease falls vpon one of higher price if shee heale the wife shee harmes the husband if helpe the sonne she infects the father Of this I will produce one or two credible instances The first of the Lord Furnerius Aureliensis who finding himselfe mortally as hee thought diseased sent to a Witch to counsaile with her about his recouerie who told him there was no hope of his life vnlesse he would yeeld that his yong sonne then sucking at the Nurses breast should haue his mortall infirmitie confirmed vpon it The father to saue his owne life yeelds that his sonne should perish of which the Nurse hearing iust at the houre when the father should be healed is absent and conceales the child The father is no sooner toucht but helped of his disease the Witch demands for the child to transferre it vpon him the child is missing and cannot be found which the Witch hearing broke out into this exclamation Actum est de me puer vbinam est i. I am vndone where is the child when scarce hauing put her foot ouer the threshold to returne home but she fell downe suddenly dead her body being blasted and as blacke as an Aethiope The like remarkable Iudgement fell vpon a Witch amongst the Nanuetae who was accused of bewitching her neighbour The magistrates commanded her but to touch the partie distempered with her Inchantments which is a thing much vsed by all the German Iudges euen in the Imperiall Chamber it selfe the Witch denyed to doe it but seeing they began to compell her by force shee likewise cryed out I am then vndone when instantly the sicke woman recouered and the Witch then in health fell downe suddenly and died whose bodie was after condemned to the fire And this Bodinus affirmes to haue heard related from the mouth of one of the Iudges who was there present In Tholosa there was one skilfull in Magicke who was borne in Burdegall hee comming to visit a familiar friend of his who was extreamely afflicted with a Quartane Ague almost euen to death told him he pittied his case exceedingly and therefore if he had any enemie but giue him his name and he would take away the Feauer from him and transferre it vpon the other The sick gentleman thanked him for his loue but told him there was not that man liuing whom he hated so much as to punish him with such a torment Why then saith he giue it to thy seruant the other answering That he had not the conscience so to reward his good seruice Why then giue it me sayth the Magician who presently answered With all my heart take it you who it seemeth best knowes how to dispose it Vpon the instant the Magician was stroke with the feauer and within few dayes after dyed in which interim the sicke gentleman was perfectly recouered Gregorie Turonensis lib. 6. cap. 35. sayth That when the wife of king Chilperick perceiued her young sonne to bee taken away by Witch-craft shee was so violently incensed and inraged against the verie name of a Sorceresse that she caused diligent search to be made and all such suspected persons vpon the least probabilitie to be dragged to the stake or broken on the wheele most of these confessed that the kings sonne was bewitched to death for the preseruation of Mummo the great Master a potent man in the kingdome this man in the middest of his torments smiled confessing that he had receiued such inchanted drugs from the Sorcerists that made him vnsensible of paine but wearied with the multitude of torments he was sent to Burdegall where he not long after died I desire not to be tedious in any thing for innumerable Histories to these purposes offer themselues vnto me at this present but these few testimonies proceeding from authenticke Authors and the attestations of such as haue beene approouedly learned may serue in this place as well as to relate a huge number of vnnecessarie discourses from writers of lesse fame and credit Neither is it to any purpose heare to sâ—â—ake of the Witches in Lap-land Fin-land and these miserable and wretched cold countries where to buy and sell winds betwixt them and the merchants is said to be as frequent and familiarly done amongst them as eating and sleeping There is another kind of Witches that are called Extasists in whose discouerie I will striue to be briefe A learned Neapolitan in a Historie not long since published that treates altogether of naturall Magicke speakes of a Witch whom he saw strip her selfe naked and hauing annointed her bodie with a certaine vnguent fell downe without sence or motion in which extasie she remained the space of three houres after she came to her selfe discouering many things done at the same time in diuers remote places which after inquirie made were found to be most certaine Answerable to this is that reported by the President
that as Seneca in Hercule Furente sayth Prima quae vitam dedit hora carpsit i. That the first houre of our life takes an houre from our life These considerations of humane frailetie as that there is but one Life but many wayes to destroy it but one Death yet a thousand meanes to hasten it mooues me to persuade all as well men as women young as old noble as base of both Sexes and of what calling or condition soeuer to doubly arme themselues with constancie to abide it and courage to entertaine it For as Ausonius in Periandri Sententia saith Mortem optare malum timere peius i. As it is ill to wish death so it is worse to feare it besides as it is base Cowardise dishonourably to shun it so it is meere Pusillanimitie despairingly to hasten it It is obserued such as liue best dread it least Let this then persuade you vnto Vertue since to the Vicious onely it seemes terrible why should we feare the Graue since there the modest and chast Virgin◠lyes fearelesse and secure though by the side of the libidinous Adulterer there the true man may rest and though he haue twentie Theeues about him sleepe soundly and neuer dreame of Robbing there the poore Tenant is not afraid of his oppressing Landlord nor trembles the innocent to lye next the wicked and corrupt Iudge the Handmaid is not frighted with the tongue of her proud and curst Mistresse nor quakes the young scholler at the terrible voice of his Maister There is no Brawling but all Peace no Dissention but all Concord Vnitie and Equalitie which Propertius in his third booke Eleg. 5. elegantly illustrates Haud vllas portabis opes Acherontis ad vndas Nudus ad Infernus stulte vehere rates c. No Wealth thou canst beare with thee O thou foole All naked thou must passe the Stigian Poole There is no strife in Weapons or in Wits But now the vanquisht with the Victor sits The Captiue Iugurth hath an equall place With Consull Marius now in eithers face Shines Loue and Amitie There is no Throne For Lydian Croesus he is now all one With poore Dulichian Irus no regard Of persons there he dies best dies prepar'd Then since all things acquire and pursue their ends that no earthly thing hath beene made that shall not be destroyed why should we not with as much cheare and alacritie welcome our newest and last houre as the Labourer desires to rest or the wearie Traueller to come to his inne To this purpose Seneca speakes in his Tragedie of Agamemnon Qui vultus Acherontis atri Qui Stigia tristem non tristis videt Audetque vitae ponere finem Par ille Regi par superis erit Feareles who dare gaze vpon Blacke and griesly Acheron He that merrily dare looke On the gloomie stygian Brooke Who so beares his spirit so hye That he at any houre dares dye A king he is in his degree And like the gods in time shall bee Some may wonder why I haue tooke this occasion to speake of death I am willing to giue them this satisfaction The Muse CALIOPE vnder whom I patronise this last book being no other than a redundance of sound or one entire Musicke arising from eight seuerall Instruments and therefore as shee participates from euerie one so she exists of all therefore in this succeeding tractate I purpose by the helpe of the deuine assistance to take a briefe suruey of what hath passed in the eight former bookes to show you the punishments belonging to all such vices as I haue discouered in the frailtie of the Sex to deterre the Vicious and expose vnto the eyes of the Noble Chast and Learned the honour and reward due to their excellent gifts thereby to incourage the Vertuous Then since besides the Shame or Honour in this life the one is punished and the other glorified in the life to come what more necessarie meditation than that wee may liue the better hourely to thinke of death and that is the scope I ayme at but before I can arriue so farre I purpose to deliuer vnto you the dispositions conditions and quallities of diuerse sorts of women by me not yet remembred Of Women Rauished c. MArpissa the daughter of Euenus was rauished by Apollo shee was the wife of Idas So Proserpine the daughter of Iupiter and Ceres by Pluto therefore hee is called by Claudian Ouid and Sylus lib 14. the infernall Rauisher Perhibea by Axus the sonne of Oceanus as Europa by Iupiter and Auge by Hercules Castor and Pollux who for their valour were called Dioscuri which imports as much as the issue of Iupiter they from Messene raped the two daughters of Leucippus Phoebe and Ilaira whom they after married of Pollux and Phoebe was begot and borne Mnesilius of Castor and Ilaira Anagon They with their associats Idas and Lynceas the sons of Aphareus had driuen away a great prey of cattell when they came to diuide the bootie a motion was made that an Ox should be diuided into foure according to the number of the brothers with this condition that he which could deuoure his quarter first should haue the one halfe of the cattell and hee that had next made an end of his part should possesse the remainder This was no sooner agreed vpon but Idas suddenly eate vp his owne portion and presently deuoured that which belonged to his brother by which hee claimed the whole heard and being stronger in faction than the Dioscuri draue the prey backe to Messene With which iniurie the two brothers incensed they leuied fresh forces◠inuaded Messene and tooke from thence a much greater bootie than the former the spoile being safely disposed off Castor and Pollux awaited the pursuers ambushed themselues beneath a broad spreading Oake quick-sighted Linces espying Castor showed him to his brother whome Idas slew with an arrow whom Pollux pursuing transpiersed Linceus with his iaueline and vnaduisedly chasing Idas was brained by him with a stone for which Iupiter stroke Idas with a Thunder-bolt and translated the two princely brothers the Dioscuri into starres Of these Propert. lib. 1. thus sayth Non sic Leucippi succendit Castora Phoebe Pollucem cultu non Ilaira soror Faire Phoebe did not so inflame Her Castor with desire Nor Ilaira Pollux brest Deckt in her best attire Theseus rapt Ariadne daughter of king Ninus as also Hellen the daughter of Tindarus and Laeda and sister to Castor and Pollux long before Paris but returned her backe vnuitiated Achilles forced Diomeda the daughter of Phorbas from Lesbos as Boreas the faire Orithea daughter of Erisicthon from Athens Hercules rauished the nymph Pyrene of Bebritia from her the Pyrenaean Mountaines tooke name of whom Syllius Nomen Bebricia duxere à virgine colles Hospitis Alcidae crimen c. From the Bebrician maid these hills tooke name Of her guest Hercules the fault and blame Pyrhus sirnamed
continued their priuate meetings in so much that custome bred impudence and suspition certaine proofe of their incestuous consocietie At length it comes to the eare of him that had contracted her with attestation of the truth thereof he though he feared the greatnesse of Leucippus his knowne valor and popular fauour yet his spirit could not brooke so vnspeakeable an iniurie he acquaints this nouell to his father and certaine noble friends of his amongst whom it was concluded by all iointly to informe Xanthius of his daughters inchastitie but for their owne safetie knowing the potencie of Leucippus to conceale the name of the adulterer They repaire to him and informe him of the businesse intreating his secrecie till he be himselfe eye-witnesse of his daughters dishonor The father at this newes is inraged but armes himselfe with inforced patience much longing to know that libidonous wretch who had dishonoured his familie The incestuous meeting was watcht and discouered and word brought to Xanthius that now was the time to apprehend them he calls for lights and attended with her accusers purposes to inuade the chamber great noise is made she affrighted rises and before they came to the doore opens it slips by thinking to flie and hide her selfe the father supposing her to be the adulterer pursues her and pierceth her through with his sword By this Leucippus starts vp and with his sword in his hand hearing her last dying shreeke prepares himselfe for her rescue he is incountred by his father whom in the distraction of the sodaine affright he vnaduisedly assaulted and slew The mother disturbed with the noise hasts to the place where she heard the tumult was and seeing her husband and daughter slaine betwixt the horridnesse of the sight and apprehension of her owne guilt fell downe sodainely and expired And these are the lamentable effects of Incest the father to kill his owne daughter the sonne his father and the mother the cause of all to die sodainely without the least thought of repentance These things so infortunately happening Leucippus caused their bodies to be nobly interred when forsaking his fathers house in Thessalie he made an expedition into Creet but being repulst from thence by the inhabitants he made for Ephesia where he tooke perforce a citie in the prouince of Cretinaea and after inhabited it It is said that Leucophria the daughter of Mandrolita grew innamored of him and betrayed the citie into his hands who after maried her and was ruler thereof This historie is remembred by Pâ—rthenius de Amatorijs cap. 5. Of incest betwixt the father and daughter Ouid lib. Metam speakes of whose verses with what modestie I can I will giue you the English of and so end with this argument Accipit obscoeno genitor suà ◠viscera lecto Virgeneosque metus leâ—â—t Hortaturque timentem c. Into his obscene bed the father takes His trembling daughter much of her he makes Who pants beneath him ' bids her not to feare But be of bolder courage and take cheare Full of her fathers sinnes loath to betray The horrid act by night she steales away Fraught that came thither emptie for her wombe Is now of impious incest made the Tombe Next to the sinne I will place the punishment Iacob blessing his children said to Reuben Thou shalt be poured out like water thine excellencie is gone because thou hast defiled thy fathers bed Genes 49. Absolon went in to his fathers concubines and soone after was slaine by the hand of Ioab Kings 2.16 18. Of later times I will instance one Nicolaus Estensis Marquesse of Ferrara who hauing notice that his sonne Hugo a toward and hopefull young gentleman had borne himselfe more wantonly than reuerence and modestie required in the presence of his stepmother Parisia of the familie of Malatestae and not willing rashly either to reprooue or accuse them he watcht them so narrowly by his intelligencers and spies that he had certaine and infallible testimonie of their incestuous meetings for which setting aside all coniugall affection or paternall pittie he caused them first to be cast in strict and close prison and after vpon more mature deliberation to be arraigned where they were conuicted and lost their heads with all the rest that had beene conscious of the act Fulgos. lib. 6. cap. 1. I will borrow leaue to insert heare one remarkable punishment done vpon a Iew at Prague in Bohemia in the yeare 1530 who being taken in adulterie with a Christian woman they compelled him to stand in a tonne pitched within they boared a hole in which they forced him to put in that part with which he had offended iust by him was placed a knife without edge blunted for the purpose and there he stood loose saue fastened by the part aforesaid fire being giuen he was forced through the torment of the heat with that edgelesse knife to cut away that pars virilis and ran away bleeding after whom they set fierce mastifes who worried him to death and after tore him to peeces Lychost in Theatro Human. vitae Of Adulterie THe wife of Argento-Coxus Calidonius being tanted by Iulia Augusta because it was the custome of their countrie for the noble men and women promiscuously to mixe themselues together and to make their appointments openly without blushing to her thus answered I much commend the custome of our countrie aboue yours we Calidonians desire consocietie with our equals in birth and qualitie to satisfie the necessarie duties belonging to loue and affections and that publickely when your Roman Ladies professing outward temperance and chastititie prostitute your selues priuatly to your base groomes and vassals The same is reported to haue beene spoken by a Brittish woman Dion Nicaeus Xiphilin in vita seueri Her words were verified as in many others that I could heere produce so in the French Queene Fredigunda who though she infinitly flattered the King Chilpericus her husband outwardly yet she inwardly affected one Laudricus to whom she communicated her person and honour these in the Kings absence were scarce to be found asunder in so much that Chilperick himselfe could not more freely command her person by his power than the other by his loose and intemperate effeminacies It happened the king being on hunting and leauing the Chase before his houre stole suddainely vpon his Queene and comming behind her as shee was taking her Prospect into the Garden sportingly toucht her vpon the head with the Switch hee had then in his hand without speaking shee not dreaming of the kings so suddaine returne and thinking it had beene her priuate friend without looking backe Well sweet-heart Landricus saith shee you will neuer leaue this fooling and turning towards him withall discouered the king who onely biting his lippe departed in silence Shee fearing the kings distaste and consequently his reuenge sends for Landricus and as if the king had beene the offendor betwixt them two conspired his death and within few
deuided themselues and casting to hit it with a stone it rebounded againe from the skull and stroke himselfe on the forehead his words be these Abiecta in triuijs inhumati glabra iacebat Testa hominis nudum iam cute caluicium Fleuerant alij fletu non motus Achillas c. Where three wayes parted a mans skull was found Bald without haire vnburied aboue ground Some wept to see 't Achillas more obdure Snatcht vp a stone and thinkes to hit it sure He did so At the blow the stone rebounds And in the face and eyes Achillas wounds I wish all such whose impious hands prophane The dead mans bones so to be stroke againe Of Mothers that haue slaine their Children or Wiues their Husbands c. MEdea the daughter of Oeta king of Colchos first slew her young brother in those Islands which in memorie of his inhumane murther still beare his name and are called Absyrtides and after her two sonnes Macareus and Pherelus whom she had by Iason Progne the daughter of Pandion murthered her young sonne Itis begot by Tereus the sonne of Mars in reuenge of the rape of her sister Philomele Ino the daughter of Cadmus Melicertis by Athamas the sonne of Aeolus Althea the daughter of Theseus slew her sonne Meleager by Oeneus the sonne of Parthaon Themisto the daughter of Hypseus Sphincius or Plinthius and Orchomenus by Athamas at the instigation of Ino the daughter of Cadmus Tyros the daughter of Salmoneus two sonnes begot by Sysiphus the sonne of Aeolus incited thereto by the Oracle of Apollo Agaue the daughter of Cadmus Pentheus the sonne of Echion at the importunitie of Liber Pater Harpalice the daughter of Climenus slew her owne father because he forcibly despoyled her of her honor Hyginus in Fabulis These slew their Husbands Clitemnestra the daughter of Theseus Agamemnon the sonne of Atreus Hellen the daughter of Iupiter and Laeda Deiphebus the sonne of Priam and Hecuba hee married her after the death of Paris Agaue Lycotherses in Illyria that she might restore the kingdome to her father Cadmus Deianira the daughter of Oeneus and Althea Hercules the sonne of Iupiter and Alcmena by the Treason of Nessus the Centaureâ— Iliona the daughter of Priam Polymnestâ—r king of Thâ—â—ce Semyramis her husband Ninus king of Babylon c. Some haue slaine their Fathers others their Nephewes and Neeces all which being of one nature may be drawne to one head And see how these prodigious sinnes haue beene punished Martina the second wife to Heraclius and his Neece by the brothers side by the helpe of Pyrrhus the Patriarch poysoned Constantinus who succeeded in the Empire fearing least her sonne Heraclius should not attaine to the Imperiall Purple in regard that Constantinus left issue behind him two sonnes Constantes and Theodosius which he had by Gregoria the daughter of Nycetas the Patritian notwithstanding hee was no sooner dead but shee vsurped the Empire Two yeeres of her Principalitie were not fully expired when the Senate reassumed their power and called her to the Barre where they censured her to haue her Tongue cut out least by her eloquence shee might persuade the people to her assistance her sonne Heraclius they maimed of his Nose so to make him odious to the multitude and after exiled them both into Cappadocia Cuspinianus in vita Heraclij A more terrible Iudgement was inflicted vpon Brunechildis whose Historie is thus related Theodericus king of the Frenchmen who by this wicked womans counsaile had polluted himselfe with the bloud of his owne naturall brother and burthened his conscience with the innocent deaths of many other noble gentlemen as well as others of meaner ranke and qualitie was by her poysoned and depriued of life for when he had made a motion to haue taken to wife his Neece a beautifull young Ladie and the daughter of his late slaine brother Brunechildis with all her power and industrie opposed the Match affirming that Contract to be meerely incestuous which was made with the brothers daughter shee next persuaded him that his son Theodebertus was not his owne but the adulterate issue of his wife by another at which words he was so incensed that drawing his sword hee would haue instantly transpierst her but by the assistance of such Courtiers as were then present shee escaped his furie and presently after plotted his death and effected it as aforesaid Trittenhemius de Regib Francorum and Robertus Gaguinus Lib. 2. Others write that hee was drowned in a Riuer after hee had reigned eighteene yeeres Auentinus affirmes That presently after hee had slaine his brother entring into one of his cities hee was strucke with Thunder Annal. Boiorum Lib. 3. But this inhumane Butcheresse Brunechildis after shee had beene the ruine of an infinite number of people and the death of ten kings at length moouing an vnfortunate warre against Lotharius to whom shee denyed to yeeld the kingdome shee was taken in battaile and by the Nobilitie and Captaines of the Armie condemned to an vnheard of punishment She was first beaten with foure Bastoones before shee was brought before Lotharius then all her Murthers Treasons and Inhumanities were publikely proclaimed in the Armie and next her Legges and Hands being fastened to the tayles of wild Horses pluckt to pieces and disseuered limbe from limbe Anno 1618. Sigebertus Trittenhemius Gaguinus and Auentinus And such bee the earthly punishments due to Patricides and Regicides Touching Patricides Solon when hee instituted his wholesome Lawes made no Law to punish such as thinking it not to be possible in nature to produce such a Monster Alex. Lib. 2. cap. 5. Romubus appointing no punishment for that inhumanitie included Patricides vnder the name of Homicides counting Manslaughter and Murther abhorred and impious but the other impossible Plutarchâ— in â—â—amulo Marcus Malleolus hauing sâ—aine his mother was the first that was euer condemned for that fact amongst the Romans his Sentence was to be sowed in a Sack together with a Cock an Ape and a Viper and so cast into the Riuer Tiber a iust infliction for such immanitie The Macedonians punished Patricides and Traitors alike and not onely such as persoâ—ally committed the fact but all that were any way of the confederacie Alex. ab Alex. Lib. 3. cap. 5. and all such were stoned to death The Aegyptians stabbed them with Needles and Bodkins wounding them in all the parts of their bodie but not mortally when bleeding all ouer from a thousand small orifices they burnt them in a pyle of Thornes Diodor. Sical Lib. 2. cap. 2. de rebus antiq The Lusitanians first exiled them from their owne confines and when they were in the next forraine ayre â—toâ—ed them to death Nero hauing slaine his mother Agrippinâ— by the hand of Anicetes had such terror of mind and vnquietnesse of conscience that in the dead of the night he would leape out of his bed horribly affrighted and say when they that attended him demanded
losse which I must forciblly suffer The rest wondring at her sudden change from myrth to passion next at her alteration of looke and lastly at her mysticall language when her words were scarce ended but a messenger rushed hastily into the roome and told her that her eldest sonne with all the whole familie at home were found suddenly dead which she no sooner heard but ouercome with sorrow she fainted and beeing recouered and conducted to her owne house she tooke her bed and presently caused the onely two children she had liuing to be sent for the one a Monke the other a Nunne who presently came to visit her and know her pleasure to whom with a pensiue and destracted heart the teares running from her eyes she thus speake Alas my children behold me your mother and commiserat my wretched and distressed estate whose fate hath beene so maleuolent and disastrous that I haue hetherto beene a wicked professor of diabolicall Witchraft hauing beene a mistresse of that Art and a great persuader to those abhominations now all the refuge I haue to flie to is your religious zeale and pietie in this despaire for now is the time that the Deuils will exact their due Those that persuaded me to this mischiefe are readie to demand their Couenant Therefore by a mothers loue I charge you and by your filiall dutie I coniure you since the Sentence of may Soules perdition is irreuocable that you will vse your best endeuour and industrie for the preseruation of my Bodie This therefore I enioyne you in stead of a Winding-sheet sowe my Bodie in the skinne of a Hart or Bucks Leather then put me in a Coffin of Stone which couer with Lead and after bind it with Hoopes or Barres of Iron to which fasten three strong Chaynes If my Bodie thus coffin'd lye three dayes quiet burie me the fourth day though I feare the Earth for my manifold Blasphemies will scarce giue entertainment to my Bodie For the first two nights together let there be fiftie Psalmes sung for me and as many Masses for so many dayes which said shee gaue vp her last breath Shee dead the brother and sister were carefull to performe the mothers last Will and did all things accordingly The first two nights when the Quires of Church-men sung Psalmes about the Bodie the Deuils with much ease broke open the Church doores which were bolted barr'd lockt and propt and broke two of the Chaynes by which the Coffin was fastened but the third remained stedfast The third night about the time when the Cocke begins to crow the foundation of the Temple seemed to shake with the noyse of the Deuils who clamoured at the doore one of the rest taller in stature and more terrible in countenance than his fellowes knocked with more violence than those which attended him till hee had broken the doore to shiuers when stalking to the Coffin he called the woman by her name aloud and bad her arise and follow him to whom the dead bodie answered I cannot for these Chaynes To whom he answered Those shall be loosed to thy mischiefe when tearing them asunder as they had beene Linkes made of Rushes hee snatched vp the Coffin and carried it to the Church doore where stood readie a blacke Sumpter-horse loudly neighing whose hoofes were diuided like Eagles tallons vpon which he layde the bodie hurried it away with seeming ioy whilest all the Quirristers looked on and so vanished Her shrikes and eiulations were heard foure miles off Let this one suffice for many I come now to Temporall Punishments The Iudges called Areopagitae when they deprehended a Witch and were to deliuer her to death if shee were with child stayed the execution till shee were deliuered of her Infanâ— because they would not punish the innocent with the delinquent Aelian de var. Histor. Lib. 5. The Law to punish Witches amongst the Persians was to bring them to a place where their heads were beaten to pieces betwixt two Rockes So suffered Gyge the handmaid to Parisatides the mother of Cyrus Plutarch in Artaxerxes Charles the seuenth king of France or the Frenchmen caused Prince Egidius de Raxa Marshall of France to be first hanged then burnt because hee confessed himselfe to be a Witch and professor of Magicke and withall to haue beene the death of an hundred and twentie children and women great with child A Witch of Auerne was burnt aliue for killing young infants and salting their flesh and putting them into Pyes and baking them for publike sale Fulgos. Lib. 9. cap. 2. Iohaâ—nes Bodinus Lib. Mag. Demonomaniae 4. cap. 5. tells vs That there is a Law sacred in France That if any Magician or Witch or Soothsayer or Mathematician that shall goe beyond the true rules of Astrologie or expounder of Dreames shall frequent the Court be he neuer so great in fauour or potent in office he shall be immediately degraded from all his honours and put to the racke and torture And this Law is fitting saith he to be writ in golden characters vpon euery Court gate because there is no greater Pest extant either to Prince or people than this viperous brood therefore aboue our Christian Princes hee commends the Ethnick kings In the time of Marius an Inchantresse whose name was Martha who pretended to fore-tell to the Roman Senat the successe of the Cimbrian warre was banished Plutarch in Mario Claudius Caesar condemned a knight of Rome to death and forfeited all his goods to the people because he wore about him a Cocks egge as a Charme to dispence with Religionâ— and that all the causes which hee had in controuersie should in despight of the Iudges passe of his side Euen fellowes that were scarce of any name or opinion in the world that were but suspected of Negromancie were condemned to death vnder Tiberius Caesar. The Emperor Caracalla adiudged all such as but vsed inchanted hearbes to the curing of Agues and Feauers Spartian in Caracalla The Scripture saith Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to liue Bodinus contrarie to Wyerius who will scarce beleeue there be any such accounting all those Iudges as condemne them to the Stake or Gallowes no better than Executioners and Hangmen hee shewes diuerse probable Reasons why they ought not to liue The first is Because all Witches renounce God and their Religion now the Law of God saith Whosoeuer shall forsake the God of Heauen and adhere to any other shall be stoned to death which punishment the Hebrewes held to be the greatest could be inflicted R. Maymon Lib. 3. The second thing is That hauing renounced God and their Religion they curse blaspheme and prouoke the Almightie to anger The Law saith Whosoeuer shall blaspheme their sinne shall remaine with them and whosoeuer shall take his name in vaine or in contempt shall be punished with death The third thing is That they plight faith and make couenant with Deuil adore him and sacrifice vnto him as
Apuleius testifies of Pamphila Larissana a Witch of Thessalie as likewise a Witch in the Laodunensian suburbes in the month of May 1578. who blushed not to doe the like before many witnesses now the Law saith Who that shall but incline or bow downe to Images which the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be punished with death The Hebrew word Tistaueb and the Chaldaean Fisgud which all our Latine Interpreters translate Adorare imports as much as to incline or worship now these Witches doe not onely incline vnto him but inuoke and call vpon him A fourth thing is which many haue confessed That they haue vowed their children to the Deuill now the Law saith God is inflamed with reuenge against all such as shall offer their children vnto Moloch which Iosephus interpretes Priapus and Philo Satanus but all agree that by Moloch is signified the Deuill and malignant spirits A fifth thing is gathered out of their owne confessions That they haue sacrificed Infants not yet baptized to the Deuill and haue kild them by thrusting great pinnes into their heads Sprangerus testifies that he condemned one to the fire who confessed that she by such meanes had been the death of one and fortie children A sixt thing is That they doe not only offer children in the manner of sacrifice against which the Holy Ghost speakes That for that sinne alone God will extirpe and root out the people but they vow them in the wombe A seuenth is That they are not themselues blasphemers and Idolaters only but they are tied by couenant with the Deuill to allure and persuade others to the like abhominations when the Law teacheth That whosoeuer shall persuade another to renounce his Creator shall be stoned to death An eight is That they not onely call vpon the Deuill but sweare by his name which is directly against the Law of God which forbids vs to sweare by any thing saue his owne Name A ninth is That adulterous Incests are frequent amongst them for which in all ages they haue been infamous and of such detestable crimes conuicted so that it hath almost growne to a Prouerbe No Magician or Witch but was either begot and borne of the father and daughter or the mother and sonne which Catullus in this Distick expresseth Nam Magus ex Matre gnato gignatur oportet Si vera est Persarum impia Relligio Intimating that if the impious Religion of the Persians were true Witches of necessitie should be the incestuous issue of the mother and sonne or else è contra A tenth They they are Homicides and the murtherers of Infants which Sprangerus obserues from their owne confessions and Baptista Porta the Neapolitan in his booke de Magia Next That they kill children before their Baptisme by which circumstances their offence is made more capitall and heinous The eleuenth That Witches eat the flesh of Infants and commonly drinke their blouds in which they take much delight To which Horace seemes to allude when he saith Nue pransae Lamiae vinum puerum extrahat Aluo Nor from the stomacke of a Witch new din'd Plucks he a yet ' liue Infant If children be wanting they digge humane bodies from their sepulchres or feed vpon men that haue been executed To which purpose Lucan writes Laqueum nodosque nocentes Ore suo rupit pendentia corpora carpsit Abrasit cruces c. The Felons strangling Cord she nothing feares But with her teeth the fatall Knot she teares The hanging bodies from the Crosse she takes And shaues the Gallowes of which dust she makes c. Apuleius reports That comming to Larissa in Thessaly he was hyred for eight pieces of Gold to watch a dead body but one night for feare the Witches of which in that place there is abundance should gnaw and deuoure the flesh of the partie deceased euen to the very bones which is often found amongst them Also Murther by the Lawes of God and man is punishable with death besides they that eat mans flesh or deliuer it to be eaten are not worthie to liue Cornel. Lib. de Sicarijs A twelfth is That they kill as oft by Poysons as by Powders and Magick Spells now the Law saith It is worse to kill by Witchcraft than with the Sword Lib. 1. de Malific A thirteenth is That they are the death of Cattell for which Augustanus the Magician suffred death 1569. A fourteenth That they blast the Corne and Graine and bring barrennesse and scarcitie when there is a hoped plentie and abundance A fifteenth That they haue carnall consocietie with the Deuill as it hath beene approued by a thousand seuerall confessions Now all that haue made any compact or couenant with the Deuill if not of all these yet vndoubtedly are guiltie of many or at least some and therefore consequently not worthy to liue And so much for the Punishment of Witches and other knowne malefactors I come now to the Rewards due to the Vertuous and first of some noble Ladies for diuerse excellencies worthie to be remembred Of Tirgatao Moeotis Camiola Turinga and others TIrgatao a beautifull and vertuous Ladie was ioyned in marriage to Hecataeus king of those Indians that inhabite neere vnto the Bosphor which is an arme of the Sea that runneth betwixt two coasts This Hecataeus being cast out of his kingdome Satyrus the most potent of these kings reinstated him in his Principalitie but conditionally That he would marrie his onely daughter and make her Queene by putting Tirgatao to death But he though forced by the necessitie of the time and present occasion yet louing his first wife still would not put her to death according to the couenant but caused her to be shut in his most defenced Castle there to consume the remainder of her life in perpetuall widowhood The Ladie comforted with better hopes borne to fairer fortunes deceiued the eyes of her strict keepers and by night escaped out of prison This being made knowne to the two kings the sonne in law and the father they were wonderfully perplexed with the newes of her flight as fearing if shee arriued in her owne countrey she might accite the people to her reuenge They therefore pursued her with all diligence and speed but in vaine for hiding her selfe all the day time and trauelling by night through pathlesse and vnfrequented places at length she arriued amongst the Ixomatae which was the countrey of her owne friends and kindred But finding her father dead she married with him that succeeded in the kingdome by which meanes now commanding the Ixomatae she insinuated into the breasts of the most warlike people inhabiting about Moeotis and so leuied a braue Armie which she her selfe conducted She first inuaded the kingdome of Hecataeus and infested his countrey with many bloudie incursions she next wasted and made spoyle of the kingdome of Satyrus insomuch that they both were forced with all submisse