most traiterous and cruell part to massacre kill him in the Senat as he sate in his seat misdoubting no mishap as the sequele of their seuerall ends which were actors in this tragedy did declare Treason lib. 2. cap 3 4. Plutarch for the vengeance of God was so manifestly displaied vpon them that not one of the conspirators escaped but was pursued by sea and land so eagerly till there was not one left of that wicked crâ—e whome reuenge had not ouertaken Cassius being discomfited in the battell of Philippos supposing that Brutus had beene also in the same case vsed the same sword against himselfe a marueilous thing wherwith before he had smitten Caesar Brutus also a few daies after Eutrop. when a fearfull vision had appeared twice vnto him by night vnderstanding therby that his time of life was but short though he had the better of his enemies the day before yet threw himselfe desperately into the greatest danger of the battel for his speedier dispatch but hee was reserued to a more shamefull end for seeing his men slaine before him he retired hastily apart from view of men setting his sword to his breast threw himselfe vpon it piercing him through the body and so ended his life And thus was Caesars death reuenged by Octauius and Anthony who remained conquerours after all that bloodie crew was brought to naught betwixt whome also ere long burst out a most cruell deuision which grew vnto a furious and cruell battaile by sea wherein Anthony was ouercome and sent flying into Aegypt and there taught his owne hands to be his murderers And such was the end of his life who had beene an actor in that pernicious office of the Triumuirship and a causer of the deaths of many men And for asmuch as Cleopatra was the first motiue and setter on of Anthony to this warre it was good reason that shee should partake some of that punishment which they both deserued as she did for being surprised by her enemies to the intent she might not be carried in triumph to Rome she caused an aspe to bite her to death Marke here the pitifull Tragedies that following one another in the necke were so linckt together that drawing and holding ech other they drew with them a world of miseries to a most woful end a most transparent and cleare glasse wherein the visages of Gods heauy iudgements vpon all murderers are apparently deciphered CHAP. VIII Other examples like vnto the former AFter that the Empire of Rome declining after the death of Theodosius was almost at the last cast ready to yeeld vp the ghost Procopius and that Theodorick king of the Gothes had vsurped the dominion of Italy vnder the Emperour Zeno he put to death two great personages Senators chiefe citizens of Rome to wit Simmachus and Boetius onely for secret surmise which he had without probabilty that they two should weaue some slie web for his destruction After which cruell deed as he was one day at supper a fishes head of great bignesse being serued into the table purposing to bee verie merry sodainly the vengeance of God assailed amazed oppressed pursued him so freshly that without intermission or breathing it sent his body a sencelesse trunk into the graue in a most strange maruelous maner for he was conceited as himselfe reported that the fishes head was the head of Simmachus whom hee had but lately slaine which grinned vpon him seemed to face him with an ouerthwart threatning angrie eie wherewith hee was so scarred that forthwith hee rose from the table and was possessed with such an exceeding trembling icie chilnesse that ran through all his ioints that he was constrained to take his chamber go to bed where soone after with griefe fretting displeasure he died He committed also another most cruell and traiterous part vpon Odoacer whom inuiting to a banquet he deceitfully welcommed with a messe of swords in stead of other victuals to kill him withall that hee might sway the Empire alone both of the Gothes and Romans without check It was not without cause that Attila was called the scourge of God Iornand Greg. de Tours for with an army of 500 thousand meÌ„ he wasted and spoiled al fields cities villages that he passed by putting al to fire and sword without shewing mercie to any on this manner hee went spoiling through France and there at one time gaue battaile to the vnited forces of the Romans Vice-Gothes Frenchmen Sarmatians Burgundians Saxons and Almaignes after that he entred Italy tooke by way of force Aquilea sacked and destroied Millan with many other cities and in a word spoiled all the countrie in fine being returned beyond Almaigne hauing married a wife of excellent beautie though he was well wiued before hee died on his marriage night sodainly in his bed for hauing well caroused the day before hee fell into so dead asleepe that lying vpon his backe without respect the blood which was often wont to issue at his nosethrils finding those coÌ„duites stopped by his vpright lying descended into his throat stopped his wind And so that bloody tyrant that had shed the blood of so many people was himselfe by the effusion of his owne blood murdered and stifled to death Ithilbald king of Gothia at the instigation of his wife put to death very vnaduisedly one of the chiefe peeres of his realm after which murder as he sat banquetting one day with his princes enuironed with his guard other attendants hauing his hand in the dish and the meat betweene his fingers one sodainly reached him such a blow with a sword that it cut off his head so that it almost tumbled vpon the table to the great astonishment of all that were present Greg. of Tours lib. 3. histor Sigismund king of Burgundy suffered himselfe to bee caried away with such an extreame passion of choler prouoked by a false and malicious accusation of his second wife that hee caused one of his sonnes which hee had by his former wife to bee strangled in his bed because hee was induced to thinke that hee went about to make himselfe king which deed being blowne abroad Clodomire sonne to Clodoâ—ee and Clotild king of Fraunce and cousin German to Sigismund Refer this properly to lib. 2. cap. 11. came with an armie for to reuenge this cruell and vnnaturall part his mother setting forward and inciting him thereunto in regard of the iniurie which Sigismunds father had done to her father and mother one of whome hee slew and drowned the other As they were readie to ioine battaile Sigismunds souldiours forsooke him so that hee was taken and presently put to death and his sonnes which hee had by his second wife were taken also and carried captiue to Orleance there drowned in a well Thus was the execrable murder of Sigismund his wife punished in their owne children As for Cleodomire though hee went conquerour from this
fared till king Charles the sixt sent an army of men to his succour Cap. 125 126. for he was his subiect by whose support he ouercame those rebels in a battaile foughten at Rose Be◠to the number of forty thousand the body of their chieftaine Philip Arteuill slaine in the throng hee caused to bee hanged on a tree Nic. Gil. vol. 2. And this was the end of that cruell Tragedy the countrie being brought againe into the obedience of their old Lord. A while before this Froiss vol. r. cap. 182. whilest king Iohn was held prisoner in England there arose a great cōmotion of the cōmon people in France against the nobilitie and gentilitie of the realme that oppressed them this tumult began but with an hundred men that were gathered togither in the countrey of Beauvoisin but that small handfull grewe right quickly to an armefull euen to nine thousand that ranged and robbed throughout al Brie along by the riuer Marne to Laonoise and all about Soissons armed with great bats shod with iron an headlesse crue without gouernour fully purposing to bring to ruine the whole nobility In this disorder they wrought much mischief broke vp many houses and castles murdered many Lords so that diuerse Ladies and knights as the Dutchesses of Normandy Orleance were faine to flee for safegard to Meaux whither when these rebels would needes pursue them they were there ouerthrowen killed and hanged by troupes In the yere of our Lord 1525 Sleid. lib. 4. there were certaine husbandmen of Souabey that began to stand in resistance against the Earle of Lupsfen by reason of certaine burdens which they complained themselues to be ouerlaid with by them their neighbors seeing this enterprised the like against their lords And so vpon this small beginning by a certaine contagion there grew vp a most dangerous and fearfull commotion that spread it selfe almost ouer all Almaine the sedition thus increasing in all quarters and the swaines being now full fortie thousand strong making their owne liberty and the Gospels a cloake to couer their treason and rebellion and a pretence of their vndertaking armes to the wonderfull griefe of all that feared God did not only fight with the Romane Catholikes but with all other without respect as well in Souabe as in Franconia they destroied the greater part of the nobility sacked and burnt many castles and fortresses to the number of two hundred and put to death the Earle of Helfestin making him passe through their pikes But at length their strength was broken they discomfited and torne in pieces with a most horrible massacre of more than eighteene thousand of them During this sedition there were slaine on each side fifty thousand men The captaine of the Souabian swaines called Geismer hauing betaken himselfe to flight got ouer the mountaines to Padua where by treason hee was made away In the yeere of our Lord 1517 in the Marquesdome of the Vandales the like insurrection and rebellion was of the comminaltie especially the baser sort against the nobilitie spirituall and temporall by whom they were oppressed with intollerable exactions their army was numbred to stand of ninety thousand men all clownes and husbandmen that conspired togither to redresse and refourme their owne grieuances without any respect of ciuill magistrate or feare of Almightie God This rascality of swaines raged and tyranized euery where burning and beating downe the castles and houses of noble men and making their ruines euen with the ground Nay they handled the noble men themselues as many as they could attaine vnto not contumeliously only but rigorously and cruelly for they tormented them to death and carried their heads vpon speares in token of victory Thus they swaied a while vncontrolled for the Emperour Maximilian winked at their riots as beeing acquainted with what iniuries they had bene ouercharged but when he perceiued that the rude multitude did not limit their fury within reason but let it runne too lauish to the damnifying as well the innocent as the guilty hee made out a certaine small troupe of mercenary souldiers togither with a band of horsemen to suppresse them who comming to a city were presently so inuironed with such a multitude of these swaines that like locusts ouerspread the earth that they thought it impossible to escape with their liues wherefore feare and extremitie made thē to rush out to battel with thē But see how the Lord prospereth a good cause for all their weake number in comparison of their enemies yet such a feare possessed their enemies hearts that they fled like troupes of sheepe and were slaine liee dogs before them insomuch that they that escaped the sword were either hanged by flockes on trees or rosted on spits by fires or otherwise tormented to death And this end befell that wicked rebellious rout which wrought such mischiefe in that countrey with their monstrous villanies that the traces and steppes thereof remaine at this day to be seene In the yeere of our Lord 1381 Stow Chron. Richard the second being king the commons of England and especially of Kent and Essex by meanes of a taxe that was set vpon them suddenly rebelled and assembled togither on Blackheath to the number of 60000 or more which rebellious rout had none but base and ignoble fellowes for their captaines as Wat Tilour Iacke Straw Tom Miller but yet they caused much trouble and disquietnesse in the realme and chiefly about the citie of London where they committed much villanie in destroying many goodly places as the Sauoy and others and being in Smithfield vsed themselues very proudly and vnreuerently towards the king but by the manhood and wisdome of William Walworth Maior of London who arrested their chiefe captaine in the midst of them that rude company was discomfited and the ringleaders of them worthily punished In like manner in the raigne of Henry the seuenth Stow Chron. a great commotiō was stirred vp in England by the commons of the North by reason of a certaine taxe which was leuied of the tenth penny of all mens lands good within the land in the which the Earle of Northumberland was slaine But their rash attempt was soone broken and Chamberlaine their captaine with diuers others hanged at Yorke for the same Howbeit their example scared not the Cornish men frō rebelling vpon the like occasion of a taxe vnder the conduct of the lord Audley vntill by wofull experience they felt the same scourge for the king met them vpon blacke heath and discomfiting their troupes tooke their captains and ringleaders and put them to most worthy and sharpe death Thus we may see the vnhappie issue of all such seditious reuoltings and thereby gather how vnpleasant they are in the sight of God Let all people therefore learne by these experiences to submit themselues in the feare of God to the higher powers whether they be lords kings princes or any other that are set ouer them CHAP. VI. Of Murderers AS
and luxurious life in the midst of his drunkennes killed his owne mother great with child Paricid lib. 2. cap. 11. and his father that sought to restraine his fury would haue rauished his sister had she not escaped from him with many wounds Bonosus the Emperour Flauius Vopisc is reported to haue bene such a notorious drunkard that he was said to be borne not to liue but to drinke if any embassadours came vnto him hee would make them drunke to the end to reueale their secrets hee ended his life with misery euen by hanging with this epitaph That a tunne not a man was hanged in that place Philostrates being in the bathes at Sinvessâ— Martâ—d lib. 11. deuoured so much wine that hee fell downe the staires and almost broke his necke with the fall Zeno the Emperor of the East Platina was so notoriously giuen to excesse of meats and drinks that his senses being benummed he would often lie as one that was dead wherfore being become odious to all men by his beastly qualities his wife Ariadâ—e fell also indetestation of him one day as he lay sensles she transported him into a tombe throwing a great stone vpon it pined him to death not suffering any to remoue the stone or to yeeld him any succour and this was a iust reward of his drunkennesse Pope Paulus the second beside the exceeding pompe of apparel which he vsed he was also very careful for his throat for as Platina writeth of him he delighted in all kind of exquisite dishes and delicate wine and that in superfluitie by which immoderate and continuall surfetting hee fell into a grieuous apoplexy which quickly made an end of his life It is reported of him that hee ate the day before he died two great melons and that in a very good appetite when as the next night the Lord stroke him with his heauy iudgement Alexander the sonne of Basilius Phil. Melancth lib. 4. and brother of Leo the Emperour did so wallow and drowne himselfe in the gulfe of pleasure intemperance that one day after he had stuffed himselfe too full of meat as he got vpon his horse he burst a vaine within his bodie whereat vpwards and downwards issued such abundance of blood that his life and soule issued forth withall Concerning Daunsing the vsuall dependants of feasts and good chear there is none of sound iudgement that know not that they are baits end allurements to vncleannesse and as it were instruments of bawdry by reason whereof they were alwaies condemned among men of honour and reputation whether Romans or Greekes and left for vile and base minded men to vse And this may appeare by the reproch that Demosthenes the oratour gaue to Philip of Macedonie and his courtiers in an oration to the Athenians wherein hee tearmed them common dauncers and such as shamed not assoone as they had glutted their bellies with meat and their heads with wine to fall scurrilously a daunsing As for the honourable dames of Rome truly wee shall neuer read that any of them accustomed themselues to daunce according to the report of Salust touching Sempronia whome hee iudged to bee too fine a dauncer and singer to be honourable withall as if these two could no more agree than fire and water Cicero in his apologie of Muraena Muraena rehearseth an obiection of Cato against his client wherein he chalenged him for dancing in Asia which he maketh a matter of so great reproch that not daring to maintaine or excuse the fact he flatly denieth it saying That no sober and discreet man euer would commit that fault vnlesse his sence and reason was bereft him Plutarch also setting forth the vertues of women putteth in this among the rest that she ought to be no dancer and speaking in a not her place to all others aswell as women biddeth them to repulse euen their friends if they should lead and entise them to that exercise Besides all the ancient Doctours of the Church haue vtterly condemned them as vnlawfull Thou learnest to sing prophane and idle songs saith Basil and forgettest the godly Psalmes and Hymns which were once taught thee thou caperest and leapest with thy feet in daunses vnwise as thou art when as thou shouldst rather bend thy knees in praier to the almighty but what gaine is got hereby Marry this that virgines return robbed of their Virginities and maried wiues of their troth to their husbands both and all lesse chast than they went and more dishonest then they should if not in act which peraduenture may bee yet stained in thought which cannot be eschewed Heare saith Chrisostome you maids and wiues which are not ashamed to daunse and trip it at others marriages and to pollute your sexes wheresoeuer a lasciuious daunce is daunced there the deuill beareth the other part and is the author of it It is better saith Ambrose to dig and delue vpoÌ„ holy daies than to dance And in another place writing to his sister he saith that he need not care for dissolute behauiours and songs which are vsed at marriages to make him merry with all for when banquets are concluded with daunces then is chastity in an euill case and in great danger to suffer shipwracke by those suspicious allurements Besides this Orig. lib. 1. contra Cels Can. 5. 52. dancing hath beene absolutely forbidden by consent of the whole church of Christ before time vnder paine of excoÌ„munication as it may appeare by the Constantinoplitane counsell vnder Iustinian the Emperour what answere can they make then to this that are Christians and allow of these forbidden sports Is it the denying of a mans selfe The spirituall regeneration The putting off the old man touching our conuersation in this life And if al adulterie vncleannesse Ephes 5.4 all filthinesse and foolish talking iesting and such like ought not once to bee named amongst vs because they are things not comely If I say it bee not lawfull to ieast or speake the least lasciuious word that is how shall it be lawfull to doe an action with the motion consent of the whole body which representeth nothing else but folly vanity and lasciuiousnes And this is for theÌ„ that demand where dancing is forbidden in the scripture which I touch as it were by the way and do but point at not minding to frame any long discourse therof seeing there is a particular treatise touching the same matter which hee may read that desireth to know any more touching it Now let vs see what goodly fruits and commodities haue risen therfrom The daughters of the children of Israell being dancing in Silo vpoÌ„ a feastiual day after the maner of the vncircumcised Idolaters were rauished by the Beniamites for to be their wiues Iudg. 11. and that mixtly without regard of one or other were they of neuer so high or base condition At the feast which Herod the Tetrarch made to the princes and captains and nobles
with his sonne but also quite extinguished the Gothicke kingdome in Spaine in this warre and vpon this occasion seuen hundred thousand men perished as hystories record and so a kingdome came to ruine by the peruerse lust of one lecher Anno 714. At the sacking and destruction of Thebes by king Alexander a Thracian captaine which was in the Macedonian army tooke a noble Matron prisoner called Tymoclea whome when by no persuasion of promises he could entise to his lust he constrained by force to yeeld vnto it Plut. in vita Alexand. Sabel lib. 5. c. 6. but this noble minded woman inuented a most witty subtile shift both to rid her selfe out of his hands and to reuenge his iniurie she told him that she knew where a rich treasure lay hid in a deepe pit whether when with greedinesse of the gold he hastened standing vpon the brinke pried and peared into the bottome of it she thrust him with both her hands into the hole and tumbled stones after him that he might neuer find meanes to come forth for which fact she was brought before Alexander to haue iustice who demanding her what she was she answered that Theagenes who led the Thebane army against the Macedonians was her brother Alexander perceiuing the maruellous constancie of the woman and knowing the cause of her accusation to bee vniust manumitted and set her free with her whole family When Cn. Manlius hauing conquered the Gallo-Grecians pitched his army against the Tectosages people of Narbonia towards the Piren mountains amongst other prisoners a very fair womā wife to Orgiagous Regulus was in the custodie of a Centurion that was both lustfull and couetous Liuiu◠lib. 38. This lecher tempted her first with faire persuasions and seeing her vnwilling compelled her with violence to yeeld her body as a slaue to fortune so to infamy and dishonor after which act somewhat to mitigate the wrong he gaue her promise of release and freedome vpon condition of a certaine summe of money and to that purpose sent her seruant that was captiue with her to her friends to puruey the same which hee bringing the Centurion alone with the wronged lady met him at a place appointed and whilest hee weighed the money by her counsaile was murdered of her seruants so she escaping caried to her husband both his money and threw at his feet the villaines head that had spoiled her of her chastitie Andreas king of Hungary hauing vndertaken the voiage into Siria for the recouety of the holy land together with many other kings and Princes committed the charge of his kingdome and family to one Bannebanius Chronica Hungariae a wise and faithfull man who discharged his office as faithfully as hee tooke it willingly vpon him now the Queene had a brother called Gertrude that came to visite and comfort his sister in her husbands absence and by that meanes soiourned with her a long time euen so long till hee fell deadly in loue with Bannebanus lady a faire vertuous woman one that was thought worthie to keepe company with the Queene continually to whome when hee had vnfolded his suit and receiued such stedfast repulse that hee was without all hope of obtaining his desire he began to droupe and pine vntill the Queene his sister perceiuing his disease found this peruerse remedie for the cure thereof shee would often giue him oportunitie of discourse by withdrawing her selfe from them being alone and many times leaue them in secret and dangerous places of purpose that he might haue his will of her but she would neuer consent vnto his lust and therefore at last when hee saw no remedie hee constrained her by force and made her subiect to his will against her will which vile disgracefull indignitie when shee had suffered shee returned home sad and melancholy and when her husband would haue embraced her she fled from him asking him if he would embrace a whore and related vnto him her whole abuse desiring him either to rid her from shame by death or to reuenge her wrong make knowne vnto the world the iniury done vnto her There needed no more spurs to pricke him forward for reuenge he posteth to the court and vpbraiding the Queene with her vngratefull and abhominable trecherie runneth her through with his sword and taking her heart in his hand proclaimeth openly that it was not a deed of inconsideration but of iudgement in recompence of the losse of his wiues chastitie foorthwith hee flieth towards the King his Lord that now was at Constantinople and declaring to him his fact and shewing to him his sword besmeared with his wiues blood submitteth himselfe to his sentence either of death in rigour or pardon in compassion but the good King enquiring the truth of the cause though greeued with the death of his wife yet acquite him of the crime and held him in as much honour and esteeme as euer hee did condemning also his wife as worthy of that which shee had endured for her vnwomanlike and traiterous part A notable example of iustice in him and of punishment in her that forgetting the law of womanhood and modestie made her selfe a baud vnto her brothers lust whose memory as it shall be odious and execrable so his iustice deserueth to be engrauen in marble with caracters of gold Equall to this king in punishing a Rape was Otho the first Albert. Krant lib. 3. for as he passed through Italy with an armie a certaine woman cast her selfe downe at his feet for iustice against a villaine that had spoiled her of her chastitie who deferring the execution of the law till his returne because his hast was great the woman asked who should then put him in mind thereof hee answered This church which thou seest shall be a witnesse betwixt mee and thee that I will then reuenge thy wrong Now when hee had made an end of his warfare in his returne as hee beheld the church hee called to mind the woman and caused her to be fetcht who falling down before him desired now pardon for him whom before she had accused seeing he had now taken her to wife redeemed his iniury with sufficient satisfaction Not so I sweare quoth Otho your compacting shall not infringe or collude the sacred ◠but hee shall die for his former fault and so he caused hi◠be put to death A notable example for them that after they haue committed filthinesse with a maid thinke it no sin but competent amends if they take her in marriage whom they abused before in fornication Nothing inferiour to these in punishing this sin was Gonzaga duke of Ferrara as by this historie following may appear in the yeare 1547 a citizen of Comun Theat histor was cast into prison vpon an accusation of murder whome to deliuer frō the iudgement of death his wife wrought all means possible therefore comming to the captaine that held him prisoner she sued to him for her husbands life
who vpoÌ„ condition of hir yeelding to his lust and payment of 200 duccats promised safe deliuerance for him the poor woman seeing that nothing could redeeme her husbands life but losse shipwrack of her owne honesty told her husband who willed her to yeeld to the captains desire not to pretermit so good an occasion wherfore she consented but after the pleasure past the traiterous and wicked captaine put her husband to death notwithstanding which iniury when she complained to Gonzaga duke of Ferrara hee caused the captaine first to restore backe her 200 dukats with an addition of 700 crowns secondly to marry her to his wife and lastly when hee hoped to enioy her body to be hanged for his trecherie O noble Iustice and comparable to the worthiest deeds of antiquitie and deseruing to be held in perpetuall remembrance As these before mentioned excelled in punishing this sin so this fellow following excelled in committing it and in being punished for it Theat histor his name is Nouellus Cararius Lord of Pauie a man of note and credite in the world for his greatnesse but of infamy and discredit for his wickednesse This man after many cruell murders and bloodie practises which he exercised in euery place where he came fell at last into this notorious and abhominable crime for lying at Vincentia hee fell in loue with a young maid of excellent beautie but more â—ent honestie an honest citizens daughter whome hee â—anded her Parents to send vnto him that hee might haue his pleasure of her but when they regarding their credit and shee her chastitie more then the Tyrants command refused to come he tooke her violently out of their house and constrained her body to his lust and after to ad crueltie to villanie chopt her into small peeces and sent them to her Parents in a basket for a present wherewith her poore father astonished caried it to the Senate who sent it to Venice desiring them to consider the fact and to reuenge the cruelty The Venetians vndertaking their defence made war vpon the Tyrant and besieging him in his own city took him at last prisoner and hanged him with his two sons Francis and William Diocles sonne of Pisistratus Tyrant of Athens for rauishing a maid Lanquet was slain by her brother whose death when Hippias his brother vndertooke to reuenge and caused the maidens brother to be racked that he might discouer the other conspirators he named al the tyrants friends which by commandement being put to death the Tyrant asked whither there were any more none but only thy selfe quoth hee whome I would wish next to be hanged wherby it was perceiued how abundantly he had reuenged his sisters chastitie by whose notable stomacke all the Athenians being put in remembrance of their libertie expelled their tyrant Hippias out of their city Mundus a young Gentleman of Rome Lanquet chron rauished the chast Matron Paulina in this fashion when he perceiued her resolution not to yeeld vnto his lust hee persuaded the priests of Isis to say that they were warned by an Oracle how that Anubius the god of Aegypt desired the company of the said Paulina to whome the chast Matrone gaue light credence both because she thought the Priests would not lie and also because it was accounted a great renowne to haue to do with a god and thus by this meanes was Paulina abused by Mundus in the temple of Isis vnder the name of Anubius which thing being after disclosed by Mundus himself was thus iustly reuenged the Priests were put to death the temple beaten downe to the ground the image of Isis throwne into Tiber and the young men banished In the yeare of our Lord 955 Edwine succeeding his vncle Eldred was king of England Lanquet This man was so impudent that in the very day of his Coronation hee soddainely withdrew himselfe from his lords and in sight of certaine persons rauished his owne kinswoman the wife of a Nobleman of his realme and afterward slew her husband that he might haue vnlawfull vse of her beautie for which act he became so odious to his subiects and nobles that they iointly rose against him and depriued him of his crowne when hee had raigned foure yeares CHAP. XX. Other examples of Gods Iudgements vpon Adulterers AMongst all other things this is especially to bee noted how God for a greater punishment of the disordinate lust of men stroke them with a new yet filthy and stinking kind of disease called the French pocks though indeed the Spaniards were the first that were infected therewith by the heat which they caught among the women of the new found lands Paulus Iouius Ben. b. sowed the seeds thereof first in Spaine and from thence sprinkled Italy therewith where the Frenchmen caught it when Charles the eight their king went against Naples Guicciardine froÌ„ whence the contagion spread it selfe throughout diuers places of Europe Barbary was so ouergrowen with it that in all their cities the tenth part escaped not vntouched nay almost not a family but was infected From thence it ranne to Aegypt Siria and to the great Cair and it may nerehand truly be said that there was not a corner of the habitable world where this not only new and strange for it was neuer heard of in ancient ages but terrible and hideous scourge of Gods wrath stretched not it selfe They that were spotted with it and had it rooted in their bodies led a languishing life full of aches and torments and carried in their visages filthy markes of vncleane behauiour as vlcers boiles and such like that greatly disfigured them And herein we see the words of S. Paul verified 1. Cor. 6.18 That an Adulterer sinneth against his owne body Now for so much as the world is so brutishly carried into this sinne as to none more the Lord therefore hath declared his anger against it in diuers sorts so that diuers times hee hath punished it in the very act or not long after by a strange death Sabell Of which Alcibiades one of the great captaines of Athens may stand for an example who being polluted with many great and odious vices and much giuen to his pleasures and subiect to all vncleannesse ended his life in the middest thereof for as he was in companie of a Phrigian strumpet hauing flowne thither to the king of Persia for shelter was notwithstanding set vpon by certaine guards which the king induced by his enemies sent to slay him but they though in number many through the coÌ„ceiued opinion of his notable valor durst not apprehend him at hand but set fire to the house standing theÌ„selues in arms round about it to receiue him if need were Hee seeing the fire leaped through the midst of it and so long defended himselfe amongst them all till strength failed in himselfe and blowes encreasing vpon him constrained him to giue vp his life amongst them Plinie telleth of Cornelius Gallus and Q.