Emb 37. A Woman often representeth Fame I Nine present and all of Worthy Name For Virtue or for Valour all renown'd Whose Glorious Fame doth through the World resound Whereby it 's evident that Woman can Equal if not Exceed the Deeds of Man. Read and then Judge impartially their Cause No doubt my Heroines will gain Applause Female EXCELLENCY OR THE Ladies Glory Illustrated In the worthy Lives and memorable Actions of Nine Famous Women who have been renowned either for Virtue or Valour in several Ages of the world namely I. Deborah the Prophetess II. The Valiant Judith III. Queen Esther IV. The Virtuous Susanna V. The Chast Lucretia VI. Voadicia Queen of Brittain VII Mariamne wife to King Herod VIII Clotilda Queen of France IX Andegona Princess of Spain The whole adorned with Poems and the Picture of each Lady By R. B. Licensed and Entred according to Order LONDON Printed for Nath. Crouch at the Bell in the Poultrey near Cheapside 1688. TO THE READER THough Women from the injurious estimates of the World have been commonly reckoned uncapable of noble undertakings from which God and Nature have no more excluded the Feminine than the Masculine part of mankind yet it will be a little hard to pronounce that they really are so if we consider how many outward advantages men are allowed above them having their Parts improved by Education Learning and Arts and so seem by industry and Husbandry to become different from what they naturally would appear and if Women had the same helps I dare not say but they would make as good returns of which there have been many famous instances in former Ages Socrates confesses himself to have been instructed in Rhetorick by Aspatia and even in the highest points of Phylosophy by Diotime The Roman History informs us of the deep wisdom of Tanaquil Cornelia Livia and others which incouraged me having first served my own Sex by publishing the History of the Nine Worthies to try whether I could not find out as many renowned Women in History who for Virtue or Valour might seem to equal if not in some things excel the other which indeed I found no very hard task for though my Lord Montaign in his Essays writing of three Good Women saies merrily they are not to be met with by the Dozen yet I quickly discovered Nine whom I thought worthy to be proposed as admirable examples either for Goodness Courage Chastity Magnanimity yea a generous contempt of Death of which they are usually charged to have a slavish fear whereby it appears that as their Souls are of as Divine an Original and endless a Duration as Mens so their Minds are capable of as Gallant Atchievements yet I will not undertake to justifie self Homicide of which some of my Heroinies were guilty though the exigencies and extremities to which they were reduced may be some kind of Justification however I hope none will make that a President since so many worthy things may be observed in their Lives and Actions both for information and delight R. B. The History of Deborah the Prophetess AFter the death of valiant Joshua The Israelites rebell'd against Gods Law For which he gave them up unto their Foes Who fill'd their Land with miseries and woes At length they cry'd for mercy to the Lord Who doth these Penitents quick relief afford Raising renowned Deborah by whose might They Sisera and his Armies put to flight Himself being vanquisht by a Womans hand And Liberty restor'd unto their Land. Which happily they enjoy'd near forty years Serving the Lord redeem'd from all their fears AFter the death of Joshua who brought the Israelites into Canaan the people required Phineas to inform them whom God had appointed to succeed for managing their Affairs and carrying on the War against the Canaanites He answered That the Lord had commanded them to give the Government to the Tribe of Judah thereupon they desired Simeon to join with them who undertook the War upon this condition That when they had utterly rooted the remainder of the Canaanites out of their own Tribe they should imploy their conquering Armies to extinguish their Race out of all the rest Mean time the Enemy incouraged by Joshuas decease expected the Israelites with a great Host under Adonibezeck their King near the City of Bezeca with much confidence of success but these two Tribes ingaged their numerous Forces with so much valour and success that they slew ten thousand and put the rest to flight taking their King Prisoner in the Fight whose hands and feet having commanded to be cut off he acknowledged the Divine Justice therein confessing that he had used seventy two Kings in former time in the same manner The Israelites improving their Victory over-ran the Countrey and took divers Cities with small resistance in a short time At length they Besieged Jerusalem and entring the lower City put all the Inhabitants to the Sword but the higher City being very well fortified with Walls and Bulwarks together with the strength of its natural Scituation caused them not to attempt the assaulting it at present whereupon marching to Hebron they soon became Masters thereof and slew all therein At this time there were still left some of the Race of the Giants who for their Stature and Countenance were very dreadful and their Bones which were found many hundred years after discovered the vastness of their Limbs and Bulk The City of Hebron was given to the Levites out of respect to them with two thousand Cubits of Land and the rest of the Countrey was bestowed upon Caleb as Moses had commanded he being one of the Spies who was sent to discover the Land of Canaan There were likewise Lands and Possessions setled upon the Posterity of Jethro the Father-in-law of Moses and the Tribes of Judah and Simeon taking Possession of Asealon and Azoth two Cities of the Mountainous Countrey setled there and after this good success discharged themselves from the Wars As for the Benjamites to whom Jerusalem belonged they took Tribute of the Inhabitants and agreed to live in Peace with them so that now they all imploy'd themselves quietly in manuring the Countrey The rest of the Tribes did the same suffering the Canaanites to continue in peace only the Tribe of Ephraim having Besieged the City of Bethel and finding it difficult to gain it had it at length delivered into their hands by one of their own Citizens whom they therefore saved alive according to their agreement but put all the rest to the Sword After this the Israelites behaved themselves more mildly toward the Canaanites using their service in Husbanding their Lands and Fruits and thereby growing rich and at ease they grew dissolute and negligent of the commands of God and the policy and precepts of their Fore-fathers whereupon the Lord was grievous angry for their wickedness and that contrary to his express will they had spared the Canaanites declaring that those whom they had thus preserved should
such willingness there was Till close approaches for we both it saw Made them Transgressors of the sacred Law Then from a corner of the garden whence We closely standing saw this foul offence Both of us made to the adultrous pair And came upon them e're they were aware To apprehend him but the sturdy knave Got from our feeble hands and did us leave And in swift hast out from the Garden flew As whom the guilt of conscience did pursue And she though much intreated ne'rtheless Will by no means the Criminals name confess These things are true which we here testify Now brethren judge if she ought not to dye The Assembly were in much consternation to hear this sever accusation against a woman who was renowned for Chastity but having the testimony of two grave Elders and Judges of the people to justify the truth thereof they could do no other but condemn her to death for this notorious crime Susanna having no defence for her innocence on earth appeals to heaven for her justification and cried out with a loud voice in the midst of the people O everlasting God who knowest the secrets of all hearts and from whom nothing is concealed or hidden for thou seest all things before they are acted I appeal to thy just judgment against these perjured and unjust Elders Thou-knowest O Lord that what they have witnessed against me is utterly false and behold I must dye for what I am not in the least guilty of thou knowest that it is all forgery and malice against me and that it is a conspiracy of these wicked Villains against my life in that which I am absolutely ignotant of Vindicate my innocence O God of truth and bring shame and confusion upon these false accusers O everlasting Lord to whom alone The thoughts of all men are entirely known O great Jehovah whos 's all seeing eye Runs through the circle of Eternity Thou know stand thou alone the wrong I bear From those who have polluted Moses Chair Have Law perverted and have witness given Against their conscience my poor life and heaven Gainst me that now must innocent dye and shame To after ages my disgrace proclaim It pleased divine providence to hearken to her request and therefore as she was leading to execution with a train of doleful mourners following her the Lord stirred up the H. Spirit of a young youth whose name was Daniel who cryed out with a loud voice I am clear from the bloud of this woman The whole multitude were much surprized to hear such words uttered by a young man and turning toward him asked what was his meaning Upon which Daniel standing up in the midst of them with an undaunted courage proceeded thus Are you such fools ye sons of Israel that without thorough examination and proof of the truth ye have condemned a daughter of Israel Return back into the seat of judgment and take more strict knowledge of this cause for though you have rashly sentenced this fair Innocent to death yet I am very certain that upon a more severe scrutiny into the matter you will find she as altogether faultless and that these old perjured wretches have born false witness against her Are ye such fools indeed In weighty things to make such careles speed Nay when a life 's concern'd For shame my friends See what dishonour all rash acts attends It makes us odious in the sight of those Who neither God nor yet true judgment knows When ere the truth 's discover'd or the cause You are so quick to execute the Laws And upon Israels daughter sentence give Who has done nothing but she still may live Return ye then unto the Judgment Seat Examine well for sure the impostures great And witnesses more false than Hell have stood To imbrue their hands in this Chast Ladies bloud Whereupon all the people being astonisht at the becoming confidence of Daniel whom they judged to be a Prophet inspiried from above turned back again in hast and the Judges commanded him to come and sit down among them saying Declare to us the truth of this affair since God hath bestowed the honour upon thee to be an Elder if not in years yet in wisdom and understanding Daniel then ordered that the two Elders should be put asunder and then he would examine them apart which being done he called one and said unto him O thou wicked wretch who art even grown old in malice and iniquity now is the time that the villanys which thou hast formerly committed are come to light and thy own conscience accuses thee that thou hast pronounced false Judgment and hast wilfully condemned the innocent and let the guilty go free though the Lord God hath said The innocent and righteous thou shalt not slay And now pray under what tree was it that thou pretendest thou sawest this chast Lady commit adultery Who answered Under a Mastick tree Then said Daniel Very well thou hast now wickedly lied and thereby forfeited thy head to Divine Justice and even now the Angel of God hath received commission to cut thee in two The first being set aside he commanded the other to be brought to whom he fiercely said O thou seed of Cham and not of Judah beauty hath deceived thee and lust hath perverted thy heart thus have you often done to other daughters of Israel who for fear of your power and malicious vengeance have complied and been polluted by you but the virtuous Susanna would not be frightned into wickedness and therefore you contrived her destruction Under what tree I beseech you did you see the young man defile her who answered Under an Holm tree Well said Daniel thou also hast lied against thy own life and the Angel of God waiteth with his sword to cut thee asunder and destroy thee Then pious Daniel to him mildly said Even now thou hast thy cursed life betrayd Gods holy Angel has commission ta'n Forthwith to cut thy wretched life in twain And with a sword attends this very hour Feirce vengeance on thy sinful head to pour At this strange discovery the whole Assembly were amazed and cryed out aloud glorifying and praising the name of that God who saves and delivers those that put their trust in him and finding these two base Elders thus notoriously convicted of perjury out of their own mouths they seized upon them and according to the Law of Moses executed the same sentence upon them which they maliciously and wickedly designed against this chast Lady putting them to death in the sight of the whole multitude who adored the divine Justice in their deserved punishment which had that day so eminently appeared in saving innocent bloud and punishing the guilty by the unexpected prudence of young Daniel who from that day was in much esteem and reputation among all the people And Chelcias and his wife gave abundant praises to Heaven for vindicating their daughters honour Joachim her husband and all her Friends joining with them in
this Sword shall instantly end your life He then proceeded to declare his transcendant passion for her and uses all manner of inducements to bring her to his will tells her That her beauty is the cause of this misfortune that he had considered the fatal event of it but yet had rather endure the greatest torments yea death it self than not to fulfil his desire says he I have debated even in my Soul What wrong what shame what sorrow it will breed But nothing can my furious Love controul Or stop the headlong current of its speed Although repentant Tears insue the deed Together with reproach and enmity Yet I must needs imbrace my infamy He speaks her fair and then intermixes threats but seeing her readier to imbrace death than him rather willing to lose her life than honour he adds disgrace to fear and tells her he would first kill her and then stab a slave and lay him naked by her so that it should be certainly believed she was slain in the very act of adultery Lucrece says he this night I must enjoy thee If thou deny then force must work my way For in thy bed I purpose to destroy thee And then some wretched slave of thine I 'le slay To kill thine honour with thy lives decay And in thy dead arms I resolve to place him And swear I slew him finding thee imbrace him See how this villain threatens to bereave her of her honour that he may thereby bereave her of it Lucretia thus assaulted makes many compassionate pleas in defence of her chastity upbraids him with his unreasonable and brutish lust adjures him by all manner of Arguments not to use violence against a poor weak woman but nothing she could say had the least influence upon him She him conjures by fear of Heaven above By her untimely tears her husbands love Quoth she Reward not hospitality And Friendship with such wicked treachery Think but how vile a spectacle it were Did thy crime in another man appear If ever man was mov'd with womans moans Be moved with my tears my sighs my groans Melt at my tears and be compassionate Some pity enters at an iron gate Thou seem'st not what thou art a God a King. For Kings like Gods should govern every thing Have done quoth he my uncontroulled tyde Turns not but swells the higher by this let Small lights are soon blown out huge fires abide And with the wind in greater fury fret And putting his words into act he first gag'd and then ravished her notwithstanding the utmost resistance she could possible use so that she forcibly yielded to Sextus prevailing lust who having obtained his will goes away over-joyed and returns to the Camp Triumphant while the most unhappy Lucretia remains overwhelmed with grief She sends to her Father Spurius Lucretius and her husband that they would instantly repair to Collatia with two or three of their most assured Friends since a most unfortunate and grievous accident had befallen her They make speed to come and bring Publius Valerius and Lucius Junius Brutus along with them They find Lucretia in a very desolate condition who upon their coming into her Chamber burst out into a floud of Tears Her husband asked her art thou not well my Dear No said she how can that woman be well who hath lost her Chastity the signs of another man O dear Collatine are yet to be seen upon the bed yet is my body only violated my mind is still guiltless of which my death shall be an undoubted evidence but first give me your hands and solemn promises that you will not suffer the Adulterer to go unpunished Sextus Tarquin is the man who like an enemy rather than a Guest came last night armed to my bed and thence forced pleasures which if you are men of courage may prove as fatal to him as they are like to be to me They all one after another engaged to revenge the injury she had received and endeavoured to comfort and perswade her grieved soul that she was altogether innocent and the guilt lay only upon the Ravisher and that her mind not her body could only commit the offence and where was no consent there was no crime Do you says she consider what the Ravisher deserves for though I absolve my self from the crime yet I will not be free from the punishment Nor shall any unchast woman ever plead hereafter that Lucretia was an Example of lendness to her And then proceeded to this purpose And what could unfortunate Lucretia do If she had died that she might have lived Chast you would have thought her slain for having been unchast O most cruel Law of Honour which savest not the innocent A Law never descended from Heaven but came from the deepest Abyss of Hell I who would have my honesty proclaimed to all have more studied glory than chastity and whilst I was ambitious of the name of Chast I am with infamy become unchast I was inforced to chuse life that I might preserve my honour and by my living I have lost it I am resolved to dye if not for what hath already befallen me at least for what may hereafter happen to me But what then If I die I shall seem to acknowledge I have done amiss they will say my guilty conscience kill'd me If I live you will believe I have done so too and say I consented out of two much love of life O of all others the most unfortunate Lucretia whose innocence neither life nor death can justify This Soul O Collatine whose delight was chastity abhors now that body which is polluted and as being wholly thine cannot indure to have any longer a being since I can no more be only thine The wicked Ravisher did never prostitute me it was not Lucretia it was a Carcase for the Soul is not where it consents not sin is the off-spring of the will not of the body where consent is not there is no sin yet I think my self worthy of death ' cause he desired and blame my self though faultless because I pleased him O Beauty perniciously coveted by our unsound minds O frail and fading vanity of the body whereby the eternal beauty of the Soul is clouded they which are endowed with you either sin with you or cause others to sin by you But what was there in me that incouraged this vile miscreant to commit so great a crime perhaps my honesty which he thought greater than others Most sacred Honesty art thou then become an incitement to lust and instead of defending dost thou offend Instead of bridling unlawful desires dost thou provoke to fury and violence His cruel heart that delights only to kill the innocent is likewise a receptacle of wicked lust that covets none but the Chast To attain what they desire is not that which the Tarquins desire they find no pleasure where they use no force and like lightning rend and destroy most where they meet most resistance And whither can
in the Isle of Anglesey These saith J. Caesar in his Commentaries had the office of sacrificing of discussing points in Religion of educating youth determining differences with full power to exclude those from Sacrifice who disobeyed their precepts and sentence To make the people valiant they strove to arm them against the fear of death by teaching That mens Souls could not dye but passed out of one body into another They were likewise Astrologers and not altogether ignorant of one Eternal and Almighty God All their Learning was written in the Greek Tongue of which the Brittish language retains many words to this day But as all things degenerate so these Druides in time grew very barbarous for they use to stab men to death and by their falling bleeding or dismembring pretended to foretel things to come for which and many other wicked practices this Sect was extirpated in Gallia and long after in Brittain by King Lucius when he had received the Gospel Bardus the Son of Druis succeeded and was much admired by his People for inventing Songs and Musick and such as excelled therein he constituted into an Order of Philosophical Poets or Heraulds calling them by his own name Bards and J. Caesar reports he found some of them here at his arrival Their business was to record the noble exploits of their valiant Captains in Songs and Ditties which they sung to their Instruments at the solemn Feasts of their Grandees and were so highly esteemed that when two Armies were even ready to ingage if a Bard had stept between both Parties would have held their hands to hear his advice till he were out of danger of whom Lucan thus sings Vos quoque qui fortes animas belloque peremptus c. Then you brave Bards securely sung The Praises of dead Peers In lofty strains so to prolong Their Fame for many years And because these Poets were neither repugnant to the Roman civility nor the Christian Religion they alone above all other Sects were suffered to continue long after the birth of Christ nay some report there are many of them to be found in Wales to this day still called Barthes and an Island near that Countrey is named Bardsey upon that account After Bardus death the people neglecting the Laws of their Predecessors and falling into Luxury were easily subjected by Albion the Giant said to be the Son of Neptune the Sea God and the same with Naphthuim mentioned by Moses the Son of Cham who had by his wife Amphitrea four Sons to each of whom he gave an Island Albion the youngest landed in England which he quickly subdued arriving in light Ships covered over with beasts skins and called the Countrey by his own name so that the race of the Samotheans being extinguished the Succession was changed from the Family of Japhet to that of cursed Cham Having named the Isle Albion he and his Companions were called Giants though not as some think from their stature which yet was much larger than now but Gigantes or Sons of the Earth many huge bones discovered in our age demonstrating that they were much taller than we are now As Albion conquered Brittain so his Brother Berguin commanded in Ireland and the Orkneys These two had notice that the Great Hercules their Cozen after he had subdued Spain resolved to pass into Italy against their Brother Lestrigo to revenge the murther of his Father Osyris whom these Sons of Cham had slain though he was their uncle as being Brother to Neptune and to add to their barbarity had divided his carcase each preserving a piece of his flesh as a monument of their victory Upon this account Hercules whom Moses calls Laabin proclaiming War against them having first destroy'd the Tyrants Tryphon and Busiris in Egypt Anteus in Mauritania and the Gerions in Spain he leads his Armies thence toward Italy both the Brothers joined to oppose him and near Rhodanus a terrible Battel was fought wherein Hercules doubting of success his Souldiers having spent all their arrows he commanded them to throw stones whereof there were plenty at their enemies by which they obtained an entire victory killing Albion and Berguin in the field with most of their Forces which made the Poets feign that Jupiter assisted his Son Hercules by throwing down stones from Heaven Albion being thus slain the people at home having no Governor fell into all kind of disorders and seemed to differ little from wild beasts till the arrival of the daughters of Danaus of whom ancient Historians give this Account Belus the son of Epaphus had two sons Danaus and Egyptus both Kings of Egypt Danaus ruled the upper Region and by divers wives had fifty daughters and his brother Egyptus happened likewise to have 50 sons who desiring the Dominion of the whole Countrey earnestly required the daughters to be married to his sons But Danaus having notice by an Oracle That he should receive his death by a son in law refused the proposal whereupon his brother made War upon him and drove him out of his Kingdom who imbarquing himself and his daughters in some small Boats arrived in Greece and dispossessing Gelenor King of Argos of his Realm by the assistance of his own subjects who hated him he reigned there with so much glory that the Greeks were after called Danai from his name Egyptus his brother vext that he should escape sent his Sons with a great Army to pursue their uncle with commission not to return till they had either slain Danaus or obtained his daughters in marriage who thereupon coming into Greece were so successful that he was forced to give them up and married they were but Danaus bent upon revenge gave every one a dagger charging them after their husbands were asleep to kill them all and that he would certainly be the death of her who should refuse They all obey his will but Hypermenestra over whom love prevailed more than fear of her Fathers severity who awake't her husband Lynceus and advising him to fly back to Egypt for safety Danaus having notice of the disobedience of Hypermenestra resolved to have put her to death but was hindred by the Argives yet kept her close Prisoner He then endeavoured to get husbands for his daughters but they were so abhored for their treachery that it was hard to procure them Lynceus arriving safe in Egypt his Father was so incensed at the murder of his other sons that he sent him back with strong Forces against his uncle who prevailed and soon dispatcht him setting his wife at liberty and subduing the whole Kingdom of the Argives and then sending for Danaus daughters he judged them not worthy to live for their cruelty yet being his wives sisters he would not put them to death but commanded they should be put into a Ship without Sails or Oars and so left to the mercy of the wide Ocean Who after many dangers were at length cast happily upon this Isle of Albion where getting ashoar and
Letters to him full of fair promises and invitations to return to Court not without some sharp reflections upon the change of his Religion without his consent and that he had put himself into a posture of War and rebellion against his own Father which no pretence to Piety could possibly justify Ermangild seemed doubtful what answer to return but his young Councellors too warmly alledged That there was now no place to retire since he had to do with a Prince who was both imperious and turbulent and with a Mother in Law altogether irreconcileable and revengeful who would never be satisfied but in his utter destruction and that if he did not now take arms to secure his life he would be chased like awild Beast and hardly find security even in the desarts He therefore sent back to his Father That his Religion had taught him to bear patiently the sharpness of his words to whom he was bound by immortal obligations but that he could not think his life safe in a place where his wife for whose sake only he lived had received such horrible abuses and as for his changing his Religion he ought to know That a Father requireth imnatural obedience when he exacteth it of a Child against his conscience and therefore humbly desired that he would suffer him to repose peaceably at Sevil least their arms might be as shameful to the Conquerour as miserable to the vanquished Lenigild more exasperated now than before especially by the constant aggravations of the wicked Step-mother resolved to reduce his son by force and acts of Hostility were begun till at length Ermangild was besieged in Sevil where he had continued three years since his departure from Court The Religious Andegona apprehending the sad effects of these impending distractions besought her husband with the utmost tenderness and tears in her eyes to reconcile himself to his Father who unable to resist such potent pleaders seemed wholly changed at her motion and told her that since she desired it he was resolved to submit to his father but advised her That to prevent falling again into the hands of the merciless Gosintha he should retreat to Constantinople for safety till she faw what entertainment he should meet with Andegona was extreamly afflicted at this proposal and wept bitterly at the thoughts of being separated from the chief object of her love But however necessity compelling them Ermangild took his little Son that hung at the breast and told her See here Madam the most precious pledge of our marriage which I recommend to your care Let God dispose of it as he please but you must bring it up as a King At which redoubling her sighs they parted with violent convulsions of grief Andegona at her last farewel adjuring him that by no means he should lose his faith which he assuring her to maintain to the last moment they were then separated never to meet again in this World. The King understanding his Son was inclined to peace rejoiced thereat and dispatcht his younger brother Ricardo to his Camp who arriving there and seeing his brother Ermangild cried out O my brother before I imbrace thee I desire to know whether I am come to a friend or an enemy Ermangild imbraced him tenderly in sight of the whole Army assuring him of the great affection he had ever born both to his Father and himself and instantly both hasten to the Court where the Prince prostrating himself at the feet of the King he with all kind of submission declared That he was ready to live or dye at his feet The King either feignedly or in earnest told him that he found he had been much misrepresented but that this action had cleared all his suspicions and that he was very welcom inquiring where his wife was Who replyed she would speedily be at Court Gosintha then present seemed mightily pleased shewing him all manner of kindness upon which Ermangild banishing all suspition resolved to send for Andegona to Court But all her pretences were only pernicious flatteries for much doubting if he should gain his Fathers heart her faction might be disturbed she forged Letters and suborned witnesses to swear that all this submission of his Son was only a trick and design to bereave him of the Kingdom which she seemed so clearly to demonstrate that the old doting King was in a greater fury than before and commanded him to be arrested for treason and committed him close Prisoner loaden with irons and clothed in Sackcloth The Prince by this violent procedure perceiving his hour was nigh renounced all the concernments of this World and couragiously prepared himself for death when the King coming to visit him was so far transported with rage as to call him Ingrateful wicked wretch To whom the Prince mildly answered that he could not possibly imagine what he was guilty of and therefore must dye in silence and without making any defence His father told him his own evil conscience sufficiently accused him if he would be so just as to acknowledge his vile intentions and of which he should be very glad to find him innocent Hereupon Ermangild made a large Apology wherein he fully cleared himself from all things charged upon him So that the King being convinced had nothing to charge him with but the change of his Religion which the Prince freely acknowledged and vowed That he would dye a thousand deaths rather than reneunce that True faith which he had now imbraced The father called him fool and remanded him back to Prison wherewith some difficulty he writ a letter to his dear Andegona wherein he returns her many thanks that from her he had received the true knowledge of God and was resolved to suffer the utmost extremity in defence of the same advising her after his death to make her escape to Constantinople Mean while Ricardo his younger brother was extreamly troubled that by being a mediator for peace he had been the occasion of this deplorable Tragedy and seeing Ermangild covered with sackcloth and loaded with chains he stood at first mute like a statue and then breaking forth into tears said Ah brother it is I that have betrayed you it is I who have fettered you like an ignominious slave take therefore my dagger and revenge your wrongs upon my guilty head for being accessary though against my will to your destruction His brother endeavoured by gentle words to appease his passion and told him it was no fault of his and that he would most willingly lay down his life for his Religion which was the only charge his enemies had against him Riccardo went to the King and by all manner of intreaties endeavoured to mollify his bloudy mind but the Faction of Gosintha much doubting the resentment of the brothers sounded nothing in his ears but the danger of so great an Offender who shewed himself so insolent in his misery that nothing could be expected but his utmost vengeance in his prosperity The credulity of the unfortunate
Father was so far prevaild on by these discourses that he sent an Executioner to his Son in prison with this Message That a Sword or a Crown were now presented to his choice that if he would renounce his Religion he should be received into favour and enjoy the Scepter after him But if not he should be instantly beheaded in that place Ermangild told him That he would rather dye by a thousands torments than forsake the true faith which he had imbraced and added I thank thee O Almighty God that as thou hast given me a mortal perishing uncertain life from my Father so by his means I shall now receive a glorious and happy life to all Eternity And then kneeling down and praying earnestly for his Father Step-mother and all his enemies and persecutors he cheerfully stretcht out his neck to the Executioner pronouncing the name of his dear Andegona to the last moment and at one blow had his head severed from his body The sad tydings of this lamentable accident arrived to Andegona who had made her escape into Africa where she likewise received the last Letter from her husband out of Prison Her attendants at the news began to make doleful Lamentations as if themselves had been condemned to dye But Andegora kissing the Letter of her dear Lord and then reading it cryed out Ah noble and faithful Soul thou hast acted as a good man ought to do thou hast fought the good fight of Faith and hast now attained the Crown of glory and I desire nothing but to imitate thy constancy Weep not then my Servants for me since it is this day I am a Queen indeed and esteem my self the most happy Princess on earth who have a husband a Martyr in Heaven And then taking her little Son Ermangild almost tired with hard Travel she said Go sweet babe partake of the blessings of your dear Father God hath bestowed great favours in you to be banished already for your Religion go then little Innocent and rejoice with others before the Altar of the Lamb your Mother will not stay long behind you The Child dyed soon after and the magnanimous Andegona having long combated with these Armies of afflictions at length resigned up her Soul with these words O my God the father and son are at rest there now remains nothing but to take the mother I have ended all my hopes in this World why stayest thou O my blessed Saviour to receive my Soul which is now upon my lips Her prayer was heard for a few days after wasted with love travel and desires she died an exemplary death and found a Tomb in Africa FINIS There are Newly Published one and Twenty other very useful pleasant and necessary Books all sold by Nath. Crouch at the Bell in the Poultrey near Cheapside I. A View of the English Acquisitions in Guinea and the East-Indies With an Account of the Religion Government Wars strange Customs Beasts Serpents Monsters and other Observables in those Countreys And among others the Life and Death of Mahomet the Grand Impostor with the Principal Doctrines of the Turkish Religion as they are display'd in the Alcoran Two Letters one written by the Great Mogol and the other by the King of Sumatra in the East-Indies to our King James the First of an unusual and extravagant stile The cruel Executions in those Parts With the manner of the Womens burning themselves with their dead husbands Together with a Description of the Isle of St. Helena And the Bay of Souldania where the English usually refresh in their Voyages to the Indies Intermixt with pleasant Relations and Enlivened with Picture Price one Shilling II. THE English Empire in America or a Prospect of his Majesties Dominions in the West-Indies namely New-found-land New-England New-York New-Jersey Pensylvania Mary-land Virginia Carolina Bermuda's Barbuda Anguilla Montserrat Dominica St. Vincent Antego Mevis or Nevis St. Christophers Barbadoes and Jamaica With an Account of their Discovery Scituation and Product The Religion and Manners of the Indians and other excellencies of these Countreys To which is prefixed a Relation of the first Discovery of this New-World and of the Remarkable Voyages and Adventures of Sebastian Cabot Sir Martin Frobisher Captain Davies Captain Weymouth Captain Hall Captain Hudson Sir Thomas Cavendish the Earl of Cumberland Sir Walter Rawleigh and other English Worthies to divers places therein Illustrated with Maps and Pictures of the strange Fruits Birds Beasts Fishes Insects Serpents and Monsters found in these Parts of the World. Pr. 1. s. III. THE Second Edition of Englands Monarchs very much enlarged Or A Compendious Relation of the most Remarkable Transactions and Observable Passages Ecclesiastical Civil and Military which have happened during the Reigns of the Kings and Queens of England from the Invasion of the Romans under Julius Caesar to this present Adorned with Poems and the Pictures of every Monarch from King William the Conqueror to our most gracious Soveraign King James the Second with his present Majesties Life Heroick Actions late Gracious Declaration and other Occurrences to this time The names of his now Majesties most Honourable Privy Council The Great Officers of the Crown A List of the Dukes Marquesses Earls Viscounts Bishops Barons and Deans The Knights of the most Noble Order of the Garter at Windsor and the Principal Officers Civil and Military in England The number of the Lords and Commons who have Votes in both Houses of Parliament and many other very useful particulars Price One Shilling IV. THE History of the Kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland containing 1. An Account of the most Remarkable Transactions and Revolutions in Scotland for above Twelve hundred years past during the Reigns of Sixty eight Kings from the year of our Lord 4â—4 to the Happy Union of both Kingdoms under King James the Sixth of Scotland and first of England of Blessed Memory in 1602 and among other particulars the lamentable Murther of King Duffe with the strange Discovery and Punishment thereof The wonderful History of Mackbeth and the Witches with the many Notable Occurrences in his Reign 2. The History of Ireland from the Conquest thereof unto King Henry the Second to this time With a Relation of the Miraculous Persons and Places in that Countrey A full Account of St. Patrick's Purgatory and divers other memorable Matters Intermix with Variety of Excellent Speeches Strange Accidents Prodigious Appearances and other very considerable things both pleasant and profitable With a List of the Nobility and Great Officers of State in both Kingdoms Illustrated with near Thirty Pictures of several Kings and other extraordinary Observables Price 1 Shilling V. DElights for the Ingenious In above Fifty Select and choice Emblems Divine and Moral Ancient and Modern Curiously Ingraven upon Copper Plates with Fifty delightful Poems and Lots for the more Lively Illustration of each Emblem Whereby Instruction and Good Counsel may be promoted and furthered by an honest and pleasant Recreation To which is prefixed An