tyrannicall forme of gouernment and to their ignorance of Religion as also of liberall and manuall Arts not to the situation of the Prouinces I confesse that in generall Southerne men are now more frugall in diet and apparrell then Northerne But the Iewes and Southerne men are and euer haue beene great vsurers extortioners and amassers of treasure so as they must also be reputed couetous And as the Italians are most frugall so haue the Romanes in their riches beene monsters for Luxurie So as rhe clime cannot be the cause But indeede riches are cause of Pride and Luxurie as the examples of all times and nations doe teach And the same riches are cause of couetousnesse according to the Poet. Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa pecunia crescit As money growes so groweth auatice Prodigality at this day not for the climes sake but for some other cauies may iustly be imputed to Northerne men yet this vice dispersing treasure vitiously is not so great a vice as that of rapine and couetousnesse hiding those treasures and burying them from vse Olde Writers taxe Southerne men most for Iealousie No doubt the most sharpe sights are sometimes dimmed and so for what cause so euer it must be confessed that the sharpe witted Southerne men are to this day madly iealous alwayes tormenting themselues with this restlesse passion and vsing their wiues like slaues yet no whit more freed thereby from fatall hornes though to preserue their wiues chastitie they permit the Stewes and that because they liue among men who no lesse vexe themselues in finding meanes to enioy these forbidden Loues then the other are vexed in the courses to preuent their enioying thereof and because their wiues so watched thinke themselues to bewray simplicity and ignorant folly if they omit any occasion of offending this way though it were with neuer so base a man Hauing taxed the wittie Southerne men with iealousie yet they in generall conclude that Northerne men are most suspitious and that vpon a contrary cause namely the defect of wit No doubt they who are most guilty of their owne defects take in worst part the whisperings priuate laughters of those that are in their company Yea I wil say of experience that I found the Italians nothing nice to shew their strong Forts to me and other strangers and that in Northerne parts the same were not to be seene by strangers or at least with great difficulty By which and like arguments casie to be brought I am induced to thinke that want of true iudgement is the cause of suspition but not the sole nor yet the chiefe cause thereof To omit many other causes sometimes an ill conscience makes men suspitious as we reade that our tyrant Richard the third vpon the least shadow or shaking of a leafe had his hand vpon his dagger Againe the best and wisest men are iustly suspitious when they liue among wicked men or haue necessarie affaires with them Therefore let Southerne men consider whether they vse not more to wound their owne consciences with guiltinesse of wicked deedes then Northerne men vse to doe and whether they be not more iustly to be accused of treacheries poysonings and like high crimes then the other For no doubt the iealous Southerne men by guiltinesse of these crimes in spite of their wit and wisedome shall become in all kinds most suspitious Olde Writers affirme that Southerne men are more prone to madnesse then the Northerne and they report that infinite numbers of mad men are found in Affrique where many Almes-houses are built onely to receiue the sicke of this kinde and that the South parts of Spayne doe abound with distracted men And this is agreeable to nature and the Rules of naturall Philosophie For howsoeuer the situation of places cannot properly be the cause of any vertue or vice yet it is probable that it may cause diseases or health Bodine against the iudgement of Hipocrates proueth that Northerne men are more venerious then Southerne First because our bodies haue greater inward heate in Winter then in Sommer and so in Winter are more apt for the act of generation the same reason being of a Northerne and Southerne bodie as of Winter and Sommer I should thinke that the hot and dry Southerne men are most prone to venery but that the colde and moist Northerne Men are most potent therein Againe Aristotle saith that they who ride most are most venerious which Bodine also obiecteth against Hipocrates who falsely holds that the Northerne mens riding makes them lesse fruitfull in generation It is most certaine by our and all mens experience that great part of Asia and especially the Southerne Prouinces lie at this day waste or little inhabited though Poligamy be permitted among them I meane the hauing of many wiues for one man and that all Europe on the contrary is wonderfully populous and especially in the most Northerne parts though no man hath more then one wife allowed him By this one argument it is most manifest that the Northerne men are most potent for generation And it is no lesse manifest that Southerne men haue more desire by the multitude of their wiues their libidinous vsing the loue of boyes and all mens consent so generall as it needs no further proofe yea men of experience say that Northerne men only trauelling towards the South are more and more troubled with this restlesse desire Bodine disputes that Southerne men are longer liued then Northerne contrary to the opinion of Pliny First because Elephants who as Aristotle saith haue the longest liues of all other are onely found in the South I remember that the Turkes at this day repute them old weomen or past the age of loue who are come to the age of 25 yeeres and that my selfe did see few or no men in Asia who had gray beards and it any had grey hayres it was not for the number of their yeeres but because they grow old sooner then Northern men I cannot so well speake of other Nations where I liued a short time and as a stranger but I remember that in Benerly a Towne of Holdernes in England there liued in our age one Iemings a Carpenter whom the men of those parts report to haue liued 120 yeeres and that he married a young woman some few yeeres before his death by whom being of good fame he had foure children and that his eldest sonne by his first wife then liuing was 100 yeeres old or thereabouts but was so decrepite as he was rather taken for the father then the sonne And lest I should seeme by one Swallow to make summer as the Prouerbe is the men of Hereford-shire can witnes that such examples are not rare in England where in the raigne of King Iames they made a morris-dance of fifteene persons all borne in the same County or within the compasse of 24 miles who made 1500 yeeres betweene them some being little lesse then 100 yeers old and
of the Emporour as of vnder-Gouernours changed at least once a yeere and the generall rapacity and licentiousnesse of the souldiers Hence it is that there be vast solitudes and vntilled Desarts on all sides where yet the ground of it selfe brings forth diuers wild fruits without tillage They haue diuers kinds of graine Wheate the graine called Milet Barly Oates Rye Pease and al kinds of Pulse which for the kinds are like those of Europe but the Wheate for the bignesse of the graine and so the rest are to bee preferred before them There is great abundance of Rice Flax and Cotton growing in the fields They haue good plenty of all kinds of Cattell yet are no more industrious in grasing and feeding heards then in sowing or planting and so they haue Egges Hennes Rice Hony which in a composition they drinke Fruits and Bread for daily foode they desire no other dainties or greater riches since they can neither inioy their goods while they liue nor yet bequeath them at death and nothing is more dangerous then to be accounted rich The Caloiri or Greeke Monkes in Candia with whom I abode for a time shewed mee sields which the yeere past had yeelded them ninety fiue measures of graine for one sowed but Candia though it lie in the compasse of the Turkish Empire almost on all sides yet is subiect to the State of Venice The Iland Chios vulgarly Zio is subiest to the Turkes and is famous for the pleasantnesse as also for the fertilitie yeelding Mastick the fruit of the tree Lentiscus and hauing abundance of Patridges of all kinds of foule I haue in my Iornal of the first Part spoken of the most fertile Ilands Cyprus and Mettilene In Syria they haue sheepe of strange bignesse whereof many haue tailes weighing twenty and some thirty pounds bearing wooll and being wrethed to their heeles more then the hornes of Rammes are And let no man thinke this incredible since the same is reported of Sheepe in Affrick and this is confirmed by consent of all who haue been in these parts Mules are somewhat rare but they haue innumerable Camels a beast most apt to carry burthens and lying patiently downe to receiue them and most able to beare hunger and especially thirst When the male and female ingender they lye downe on their bellies with tayle to tayle and their heades many Eiles distant one from the other and in the time of the yeere when they are naturally prone to generation they are fierce with a kind of madnesse so as their masters then take heede of any violence they may doe them The Turkes also haue many Dromedaties a kinde of beast not vnlike the Cammell but farre passing horses in swiftnesse and very Cammels in patience of labour Their Horses are rather faire then strong and they make their skin shine by laying them vpon their owne dung dried These horses either runne which often they put them to for spurts and in brauery or goe a foote pace as they vse to follow laded Cammels in iournies but they are not taught either to trot or amble as ours are and are good for short iournics but not able to indure so long iournies as ours doe Therefore the Turkish Caualtery for warre is of more swiftnesse then strength and the Germane horses being heauy they easily ouertake them flying and as easily flye when they are beaten The Turkes haue great plenty of sea and fresh water fish and of birds and all foule and for Christian buyers whereof are great multitudes especially at Constantinople they furnish their markets therewith And in truth at Constantinople there is as great varietie and goodnesse of these kinds as can be wished Onely the Oystors though pleatifull yet haue not the delicate salt taste that ours haue the Mediterranean Sea being nothing so salt as the Ocean But in generall the Turkes by reason of the foresaid tyranny and of their temperance in diet doe little vse fishing or fowling or any like exercise Yea by reason of the same tyranny of the Emperour Gouernours and Souldiers the Turkes carelesly and coldly exercise trafficke with Merchants I grant that they trade in Natolia and other parts of their owne Empire after a cold manner but they make no voyage by sea into forraigne parts excepting some few that come to Venice For they doe not labour in any kind more then necessitie forceth and are so far from the insatiable desire of riches as they auoide nothing more then the opinion to bee rich So as the Iewes the Greekes subiect to the Turkes and other confederate Christians exporting their commodities they themselues haue very few ships the Emperour onely hauing some twelue great ships well armed to bring him necessaries from Egypt to Constantinople In like sort they haue few Marrines and those vnexperienced and fearefull vsing the Greekes their vassals and other slaues taken in warde to that purpose and they much esteeme that is gently treate captiues skilfull in Nauigation Some Townes keepe at their priuate charge a few small Gallies and Barkes to rob the Christians and the great Turkes Nauie consists all of Gallies nothing comparable to those of Venice and they winter at Constantinople and another Haurn in Greece whereof I shall write more largely in the discourse of the Turkes Common-wealth Among other Cities of trade they haue two very famous one in Asia the other in Affrick That of Asia is called Haleppo and it being within-land the Port thereof is called scanderona by the Turks and Alexandretta by the Christians whence the commodities of Merchants are carried vpon Cammels and the fifth day arriue at Haleppo whether the commodities of Persia are brought by the Riuer Euphrates and vpon Cammels backes from the Citie Taurus of old subiect to the Persians but in our age subdued by the Turkes The Indian commodities are brought thither by the red sea and the Gulfe of Arabia The famous Citie for trade in Affricke was called Babylon and now is named Alcatero whence the commodities of India Egypt and all Affricke are exported Moreouer vpon the mouth of the greatest arme of the Riuer Nilus the City Alexandria is seated vpon the Sea some few dayes saile from Aleaiero The Venetians bring into Turkey woollen clothes which they call broad being died Scarlet Violet and of all colours and they are so strong well made as they will last very long so as the Turks prefer them before out English clothes And because the Venetians furnish them in great quantity they vse few other clothes of that kind Also the Venetians bring to them Sattins and Damasks made in Italy of Dalmatian silk and great quantity of Gold and Siluer to buy the pretious commodittes of Turkey Whence they carry out raw silke For by reason of the foresaid tyranny as the Turkes are negligent in Husbandry and trade so are they in manuall Arts not drawing their Silke into threads nor weauing the same into clothes And howsoeuer they haue infinite
shirt till it be worne And these shirts in our memory before the last Rebellion were made of some twenty or thirty elles folded in wrinckles and coloured with saffron to auoid lowsinesse incident to the wearing of foule linnen And let no man wonder that they are lowsie for neuer any barbarous people were found in all kinds more slouenly then they are and nothing is more common among them then for the men to lie vpon the womens laps on greene hils till they kill their lice with a strange nimblenesse proper to that Nation Their said breeches are so close as they expose to full view not onely the noble but also the shamefull parts yea they stuffe their shirts about their priuy parts to expose them more to the view Their wiues liuing among the English are attired in a sluttish gowne to be fastned at the breast with a lace and in a more sluttish mantell and more sluttish linnen and their heads be couered after the Turkish manner with many elles of linnen onely the Turkish heads or Tulbents are round in the top but the attire of the Irish womens heads is more flat in the top and broader on the sides not much vnlike a cheese mot if it had a hole to put in the head For the rest in the remote parts where the English Lawes and manners are vnknowne the very cheefe of the Irish as well men as women goe naked in very Winter time onely hauing their priuy parts couered with a ragge of linnen and their bodies with a loose mantell so as it would turne a mans stomacke to see an old woman in the morning before breakefast This I speake of my owne experience yet remember that the foresaid Bohemian Barron comming out of Scotland to vs by the North parts of the wild Irish told me in great earnestnes when I attended him at the Lord Deputies command that he comming to the house of Ocane a great Lord among them was met at the doore with sixteene women all naked excepting their loose mantles whereof eight or ten were very faire and two seemed very Nimphs with which strange sight his eyes being dazelled they led him into the house and there sitting downe by the fier with crossed legges like Taylors and so low as could not but offend chast eyes desired him to set downe with them Soone after Ocane the Lord of the Countrie came in all naked excepting a loose mantle and shooes which he put off assoone as he came in and entertaining the Barron after his best manner in the Latin tongue desired him to put off his apparrel which he thought to be a burthen to him and to sit naked by the fier with this naked company But the Barron when he came to himselfe after some astonishment at this strange right professed that he was so inflamed therewith as for shame he durst not put off his apparrell These Rogues in Summer thus naked beare their armes girding their swords to them by a with in stead of a girdle To conclude men and women at night going to sleepe lie thus naked in a round circle about the fier with their feete towards it and as I formerly said treating of their diet they fold their heads and vpper partes in their woollen mantles first steeped in water to keepe them warme For they say that woollen cloth wetted preserues heate as linnen wetted preserues cold when the smoke of their bodies hath warmed the woollen cloth CHAP. III. Of the Germans and Bohemians Commonwealth vnder which title I containe an Historicall introduction the Princes pedegrees and Courts the present state of things the tributes and reuenews the military state for Horse Foote and Nauy the Courts of Iustice rare Lawes more specially the Lawes of inheritance and of womens Dowries the capitall Iudgements and the diuersitie of degrees in Family and Common-wealth COnstantine the great made Emperour about the yeere 306 remoued his seate from Rome to Constantinople and at his death deuided the Empire among his children And howsoeuer the Empire was after sometimes vnited in the person of one Prince for his reigne yet it could neuer bee againe established in one body but was most commonly deuided into the Easterne and Westerne Empires In the time of Augustulus Emperour of the West the remote Countries of the Empire recouered their liberty by the sword and barbarous Nations in great armies inuaded the Empire till they possessed Italy so as this Emperour was forced to depose his Imperiall dignity about the yeere 476. And thus the Westerne Empire ceased till Charles the great King of France about the yeere 774 subdued the Lombards and was at Rome saluted Emperour of the West by Pope Leo the third and the Princes of Italy From which time the Empires of the East and West of old deuided by inheritance among brothers and Kinsmen had no more any mutuall right of succession but began to bee seuerally gouerned Histories write that Charles the great King of France was descended of the Germans and that all Gallia Transalpina that is beyond the Alpes and vpper Germany as farre as Hungary were by a common name called France onely deuided into Easterne and Westerne France And the diuers Nations of Germany formerly gouerned by their Kings and Dukes were at this time first vnited vnder this Charles the great About the yeere 911. Conrade the first Ion to the Duke of Franconia a large Prouince of Germany was first out of the race of Charles the great saluted Emperour of the West by the Princes of Germany though Charles the Simple and others of the race of Charles the great still reigned France to the yeere 988 yet with lesse reputation then their progenitors had and troubled with many confusions Thus Germany deuiding it selfe from France drew to it selfe the Empire of the West whereof in our age it retaineth rather the shadow then the old glory Foure Dukes of Saxony succeeded Conrade in this Empire and in the time of Otho the third Duke of Saxony and Emperour contrary to the former custome whereby the Emperours succeeded by right of bloud or the last testament of the deceased Emperour or by the consent of the Princes of Germany the election of the Emperour was in the yeere 984 established hereditary to seuen Princes of Germany called Electors by a law made by the Emperour and the Pope From that time the Empire hath remained in Germany with free election yet so as they most commonly therein respected the right of bloud in which respect the house of Austria hath long continued in the possession of the Empire And the Emperours of Germany for many ages by this right gouerned Italy and receiued their Crowne at Rome till wearied and worne out by the treacheries of the Popes and forced to beare the publike burthen vpon their priuate reuenues they were made vnable to support their former dignity For these causes Rodulphus of Habsburg of the house of Austria chosen Emperour in the yeere 1273 first
1. Of the fit meanes to trauell and to hier Coaches or Horsesin generall Chap. 2. Of Sepulchers Monuments and Buildings in generall for I haue formerly spoken particularly of them Chap. 3. Of Germany Bohmerland and Sweitzerland touching the Geographicall description the situation the fertility the trafficke and the diet Chap. 4. Of the vnited Prouinces in Netherland and of Denmark and Poland touching the said subiects of the precedent third Chapter Chap. 5. Of Italy touching all the subiects of the third Chapter going before The third Booke Chap. 1. Of the geographicall description of Turky the situation fertility trafficke and diet Chap. 2. Of France touching the particular subiects of the first Chapter Chap. 3. Of England touching the particular subiects of the first Chapter Chap. 4. Of Scotland touching the subiects contained in the first Chapter Chap. 5. Of Ireland touching the particular subiects of the first Chapter The fourth Booke Chap. 1. Of the Germans Bohemians Sweitzers Netherlanders Daues Polouians and Italians apparell Chap. 2. Of the Turkes French English Scottish and Irish apparell Chap. 3. Of the Germans and Bohemians Commonwealth vnder which title I containe an historicall introduction the Princes Pedegrees and Courts the present state of things the Tributes and Reuenewes the military state for Horse Foot and Nauy the Courts of Iustice rare Lawes more specially the Lawes of inheritance and of womens Dowries the Capitall Iudgements and the diuersitie of degrees in Families and in the Common-wealth Chap. 4. Of the particular Commonwealths as well of the Princes of Germany as of the free Cities such of both as haue absolute power of life and death Chap. 5. Of the Commonwealth of Sweitzerland according to the diuers subiects of the third Chapter Chap. 6. Of the Netherlanders Commonwealth according to the foresaid subiects of the third Chapter The rest of this VVorke not as yet fully finished treateth of the following Heads Chap 1. OF the Commonwealth of Denmarke vnder which title I containe an historicall introduction the Kings Pedegree and Court the present state of the things the Tributes and Reuenewes the military power for Horse Foot and Nauy the Courts of Iustice rare Lawes more specially those of Inheritance and Dowries and Contracts for mariage the Capitoll or Criminall Iudgements and the diuersitie of degrees in Families and the Commonwealth Chap. 2. Of the Commonwealth of Poland vnder which title c. Chap. 3. Of the Commonwealth of Italy touching the historicall introduction the Princes pedegrees the Papall dominion and the Late power of the King of Spaine with some other subiects of the first Chapter Chap. 4. Of the particular Commonwealth of Venice touching most of the foresaid subiects Chap. 5. Of the Commonwealth of the Duke of Florence the Cities of Lucca and Genea with the Dukes of Urbino and of Mantoua Chap. 6. Of the Commonwealth of Italy in generall touching the rest of the heads which belong to the generall State of Italy rather then of any part thereof Chap. 7. Of the Commonwealth of the Turkish Empire vnder which title c. as followeth in the first Chapter Chap. 8. Of the Commonwealth of France vnder which title c. Chap. 9. Of the Commonwealth of England vnder which title c. Chap. 10. Of the Commonwealth of Scotland vnder which title c. Chap. 11. Of the Commonwealth of Ireland vnder which title c. Chap. 12. Of Germany touching Religion Chap. 13. Of Bhemerland Sweitzerland the vnited Prouinces of Netherland of Denmark and Poland touching Religion Chap. 14. Of Italy touching Religion Chap. 15. Of the Turkish Empire touching Religion Chap. 16. Of France England Scotland and Ireland touching Religion Chap. 17. Of the Germans nature wit manners bodily gifts Vniuersities Sciences Arts language pompous Ceremonies specially at Marriages Christnings and Funerals of their customes sports exercises and particularly hunting Chap. 18. Of the Bohemians Sweitzers and Netherlanders of the vnited Prouinces their natures wits manners c. Chap. 19. Of the Danes and Polonians nature c. Chap. 20. Of the Italians nature wit c. Chap. 21. Of the Turkes nature c. Chap. 22. Of the Frenchmens nature c. Chap. 23. Of the Englishmens nature c. Chap. 24. Of the Scotchmens and Irishmens natures wits manners c. Chap. 25. A generall but briefe discourse of the Iewes the Grecians and the Moscouites A briefe Table to vnderstand in the First Part the expences in small Coynes most commonly spent For England A Gold Angell of the standard of 23 Caracts 3 graines and an halfe is three peny waight and 8 graines and is giuen for ten siluer shillings 12 pence making a shilling the siluer being of the standard of 11 ounces two peny weight and the shilling foure penny or ninety six graines weight For Scotland and Ireland The English Coynes are currant and spent For Germany The Reichs Doller of Germany is worth foure shillings foure pence and the siluer Gulden is accounted three shillings foure pence English Twenty Misers siluer Groshen 32 Lubecke shillings 45 Embden stiuers foure Copstucks and a halfe 55 groates 36 Maria grosh 18 spitz-grosh 18 Batz make a Reichs Doller Two sestings make a Lubecke shilling foure Drier a siluer grosh two dreyhellers a Drier two schwerd grosh a schneberger foure creitzers a batz foure pfennning a creitzer For Bohemia Three Pochanels make a Creitzer 9 creitzers and one Pochanell make foure weissgrosh of Morauia 30 grosh a Doller two hallers a pfenning and 5 pfenning a grosh For Sweitzerland Six Rappen make a Plappart or 3 Creitzers and 20 Plapparts or 60 Creitzers make a siluer gulden two finferlins make a finfer and 5 a batz foure angster make a creitzer twelue a Bemish 60 creitzers a siluer gulden For the Low Countries Foure Orkees or Doights make a stiuer two blanks a stiuer and a halfe six stiuers a shilling 20 stiuers a gulden or three shillings foure pence being two shillings English 20 shillings a pound and one hundred pound Flemish makes sixty pound English For Denmarke Two Danish shillings make one Lubecke and 66 Danish shillings make one Reichs Doller For Poland Thirty Polish Grosh make a siluer Gulden 40 a Reichs Doller three Pochanels a Creitzer seuen a Grosh For Italy The siluer Crowne almost fiue shillings English is giuen for 7 Lires of Uenice two Lires make a Iustino 20 Soldi a Lire one Lire and 4 Soldi a Mutsenigo 4 Bagatines a Quatrine two Betsior 3 Quatrines or a Susine and a halfe make a Soldo two Quatrines make a Susine three Susines a Boligneo and 12 Bolignei a Lire Ten Giulij or Poali or Carlini make a siluer Crowne ten Baocci a Giulio or Paolo foure Quatrines a Baocco eight Baelli or Creitzers make a Giulio twenty Soldi or Bolignei of Genoa make a Lire of Genoa whereof 15 make 20 shillings English and 3 of these Lires with 15 Soldi make a siluer Crowne seuen Soldi and an halfe make a Reale foure Soldi a Caualotto
another Coach comming from Lubecke for Coaches passe daily betweene those Cities After dinner we passed foure miles in foure houres space through hils more thicke with woods but in many places bearing good corne and came to Lubecke For my place in the Coach this day I paid twenty lubecke shillings and this night for my supper and bed I paid sixe lubecke shillings Here I bought the foureteenth Booke of Amadis de Gaule in the Dutch tongue to practise the same for these Bookes are most eloquently translated into the Dutch and fit to teach familiar language and for this Booke I paid eighteene lubecke shillings and for the binding foure and for a Map of Europe to guide me in my iourney I paid foureteene lubecke shillings Also I paid for a measure of Rhenish wine fiue lubecke shillings and as much for a measure of Spanish wine From Lubcke I passed two miles in three houres space through fruitfull hils of corne and some woods of oake to the village Tremuren and paid for my coach the fourth part of a Doller which notwithstanding vseth to be hired for fiue lubecke shillings and for my supper I paid foure lubecke shillings I formerly shewed that this village is the Hauen where the great ships vse to be vnladed and from thence to be carried vpto lie at Lubecke in the winter Here I tooke ship to sayle into Denmarke vpon the Balticke Sea so called because it is compassed by the Land as it were with a girdle This sea doth not at all ebbe and flow or very little after it hath passed in by the streight of Denmarke being more then twenty foure miles long so as vpon the shoares of Prussen Muscaw and Suetia this sea seemes little to be moued and many times is frozen with ice from the shore farre into the sea and the waues thereof once stirred with the winds are very high neither is the water of this sea any thing so salt as otherwhere so as the ships sayling therein doe sinke deeper at least three spans then in the German Ocean as manifestly appeares by the white sides of the ships aboue water when they come out of this sea and enter the said Ocean And this will not seeme strange to any who haue seene an egge put into salt pits and how it swimmes being borne vp with the salt water The Master of the Lubecke ship in which I passed to Denmarke gaue me beere for foure lubeck shillings for which the Dutchmen and Danes drinking more largely paid but one lubecke shilling more and euery man had prouided victuals for himselfe I paid for my passage twenty foure lubecke shillings and gaue foure to the marriners From Lubecke they reckon twenty foure miles to Falsterboaden and from thence seuen miles to Coppenhagen so called as the Hauen of Merchants We left vpon our lefthand towards the South a little Iland called Munde and as I remember the third day of August landed at Drakesholme being one mile from Coppenhagen whether I passed in a Waggon through some pastures and barren corne fields and neere the City I passed ouer the Hauen from one Iland to another I paid for my Waggon three lubecke shillings At our entrance of the City on the East-side is the Kings Castle where the Court lies especially in winter time On this side the City lies vpon the sea and there is the said Hauen as likewise on the North-side the sea is little distant from the City When I entered the gates the guard of souldiers examined me strictly and the common people as if they had neuer seene a stranger before shouted at mee after a barbarous fashion among which people were many marriners which are commonly more rude in such occasions and in all conuersation The City is of a round forme in which or in the Kings Castle I obserued no beauty or magnificence The Castle is built of free-stone in a quadrangle The City is built of timber and clay and it hath a faire market place and is reasonably well fortified Here I paid for three meales and breakefast eight lubecke shillings and as much for beere The King at this time lay at Roschild purposing shortly to goe into the Dukedome of Holst where he had appointed a meeting of the gentlemen at Flansburge to receiue their homage there which vppon old piuiledges they had refused to doe vnto him in Denmarke Therefore I went foure miles in foure houres space through a wild hilly Country to Roschild so called of the Kings Fountaine and my selfe and one companion paid twenty lubecke shillings for our Waggon and though it were the moneth of August yet the wind blowing strong from the North and from the Sea I was very cold as if it had beene then winter Roschild hath a Bishop and though it be not walled hath the title of a City but well deserues to be numbred among faire and pleasant Villages Here they shew a whet stone which Albrecht King of Suetia sent to Margaret Queene of Denmarke despising her as a woman and in scoffe bidding her to whet her swords therewith but this Queene tooke the said King prisoner in that warre and so held him till death Here I paid seuen Danish shillings for my supper In the chancell of the Church is a monument of blacke and white stone for this Queene Margaret and her daughter and the Danes so reuerence this Queene as they haue here to shew the apparell she vsed to weare In this Church are the sepulchers of the Kings whereof one erected by Frederick for Christianus his father is of blacke Marble and Alablaster curiously carued hauing his statua kneeling before a Crucifix and hung round about with sixteene blacke flags and one red Hauing seene the King and the Courtiers my selfe and my companion next day returned to Coppenhagen each of vs paying for the waggon tenne Lubeck shillings and here I paid for my supper six Lubeck shillings and three for beere From hence I passed by sea foure miles in fiue houres space to Elsinure and paied for my passage eight Lubeck shillings and for my supper eight Danish shillings And because I was to returne hither to take ship for Dantzke I passed the next morning three miles in foure houres space through Hils of corne but somewhat barren and woods of Beech to Fredericksburg and hauing but one companion with mee wee paied for our waggon thither and so to Coppenhagen each of vs twenty two Lubeck shillings Here the King hath a Pallace and a little Parke walled in where among other forraine beasts were kept some fallow Deare transported hither out of England the twenty foure yeere of Queene Elizabeths raigne I paied for my dinner foure Danish shillings and as much for beere In the afternoone we passed fiue miles in six houres through barren fields of corne and groues of Beech and hasel-nuts to Cappenhagen and by the way we saw a Crosse set vp in memory of a waggoner who hauing drunke too much droue his
Camera being neere vs where the great Turkes Gallies lie By the way they shewed me a Castle towards the East vpon the shore of Asia the lesse which they say stands vpon the confines of the Troian Dominion and thereof hath the name to this day The Iland Marmora is so called as I think of themarble wherewith it aboundeth The second of Ianuary we set sayle from Marmora and being by contrary winds driuen backe as I think or little aduanced we came to the Iland Aloni some ten miles distant from Marmora and so called of the forme of a yard in which Oxen vsed to grinde Corne or beate it small After the beginning of the new yeere which the Greekes as most of Europe begin the first of Ianuarie the first Wednesday being the fourth of that month the Grecian Marriners haue a custom retained from old times to baptize the Sea as they terme it which done they thinke the Flouds and Windes to grow more calme then formerly The Iland Aloni hath a Port on all sides compassed with Ilands and that very large and safe where while we passed some stormy daies wee heard of many Barkes and Gallies cast away While I walked here vpon the shoare a wild-headed Turke tooke my hat from my head being of the fashion of Europe not vsed there and hauing turned it and long beheld it he said to vse his rude words Lend me this vessell to ease my belly therein and so girning flung it'on the dyrtie ground which I with patience tooke vp These and like wrongs of speech euen threatnings of blowes I sometimes indured in Turkey but neuer had the disaster to haue any blow giuen me by any of them which many good Christians notwithstanding haue suffered and daily suffer and my selfe if they had fallen to my share must haue suffered with patience except I would by resistance haue incurred shamefull and cruell death On Thursday the thirteenth of Ianuary at last wee set sayle with a faire winde and after twentie miles sayling we passed by the Citie Palormo seated vpon the shoare of Asia the lesse and famous for the white Wine it yeeldeth the best that euer I tasted and hauing sayled ten miles further we sailed by the Citie Heraclea seated on the shore of Greece whereof in my returne this way I shall haue cause to speake more at large Towards euening we thought we were come to one of the corners of Constantinople called the seuen Towers yet by reason of the foresaid swift channell running from the black Sea full against vs with a most faire wind we could not land in the Hauen of Constantinople till midnight hauing that day sayled one hundred and twentie miles in all from the said Ile Aloni This voyage was more tedious to vs in that howsoeuer landing we had somtimes good dyet yet while we were at Sea we had no good victuals in the ship For the Greeke Marriners feede of Onions Garlike and dried fishes one kinde whereof they call Palamides and the Italians call Palamite and in stead of a banket they will giue you a head of Garlick rosted in the ashes and pleasantly call it a pigeon With this and Bisket they content themselues and these we were forced to eate hauing omitted to prouide any dried or salt meates at Candia because wee hoped to find those in our Barke and knowing that it was in vaine to prouide any fresh meates because they would not suffer a fier to be made in so small a Barke wherewith we might dresse them But after we had eaten Bisket and dried fishes we had an vnknowne comfort or helpe to disgest them For in our priuat cabbin we had the head of a tun of Muskedine lying vnder our heads when we slept in stead of a bolster and our ship being bound on the vpper part of the sides with bundles of Reedes to beate off the force of the waues we taking one of the long Reedes found meanes to pierce the vessell and get good Wine to our ill fare and drunke so merrily that before wee came to our iournies end our former Reede became too short so as we were faine to piece it with another Hauing cast anchor as I said in the Port of Constantinople behold as soone as day began to breake many companies of Turkes rushing into our Barke who like so many starued flies fell to sucke the sweete Wines each rascall among them beating with cudgels and ropes the best of our Marriners if he durst but repine against it till within short space the Candian Merchant hauing aduertised the Venetian Ambassadour of their arriuall he sent a lanizare to protect the Barke and the goods and assoone as he came it seemed to me no lesse strange that this one man should beate all those Turkes and driue them out of the Barke like so many dogs the common Turkes daring no more resist a souldier or especially a Ianizare then Christians dare resist them And the Seriant of the Magistrate hauing taken some of our Greeke Marriners though subiect to the State of Venice to worke for their Ottoman in gathering stones and like base imployments this Ianizary caused them presently to be released and to be sent againe into their Barke such is the tyranny of the Turkes against all Christians aswel their subiects as others so as no man sayleth into these parts but vnder the Banner of England France or Venice who being in league with the great Turke haue their Ambassadours in this Citie and their Consuls in other Hauens to protect those that come vnder their Banner in this sort sending them a Ianizare to keepe them from wrongs so soone as they are aduertised of their arriuall My selfe lodged in the house of Master Edward Barton the English Ambassadour who gaue me a Ianizare to guide and protect me while I went to view the City round about the whole circuit whereof I went on foot and by boat in foure houres space the forme of the Citie being triangular and containing nine miles by Sea towards the North and East and fiue miles by land towards the West I professe my selfe to haue small skill in the art of Geography yet will I aduenture though rudely to set downe the forme and situation of this City so plainely as I doubt not but the Reader may easily vnderstand it howsoeuer in the same as in other cities formerly described I acknowledge that I vse not the rule of the scale in the distance of places nor other exquisite rules of that Art hauing no other end but to make the Reader more easily vnderstand my description The description of the City of Constantinople and the adiacent Territories and Seas The great lines or walles shew the forme of the City and the single small lines describe the Teritory adioyning A In this Tower they hang out a light of pitch and like burning matter to direct the Saylers by night comming to the City or sayling along the coast out of the
conscience wherewith if the sicke man bee so affected as hee professeth himselfe to bee of the Reformed Religion then the Phisition and the Apothecarie are forbidden to helpe him and very Kitchin phisicke is denied him by the Priests command and if hee recouer hee shall bee sure to bee brought into the Inquisition but if hee die his body shall be buried in the high-way not in any Church-yard of which euents and the examples thereof I shall speake more largely in the Treaty of Religion in Italy Formerly I haue shewed that sickly men are vnfit for this course of life Now the preseruation of health consists in the vse of sixe things namely of Ayre Dyet Purging Exercise Sleepe and Accidents or Passions of the mind To shunne the incommodities of the Aire hee must respect the seasons of the yeere fit for iournies and the changes of diuers climes The Spring and Autumne are the most fit seasons for iourneys and he shall doe well to goe first to cold climes in summer times and to hot climes in the winter that hee may vse his body by little and little to these changes They who take iournies in Countries continually couered with snow vse to weare some greene thing before their eyes to comfort the sight and to carry hot odors to comfort the braine In Moscony subiect to great cold Men couer their neckes eares and vitall parts with furres and in time of snow weare a cot or couer for their noses and also rubbe their noses and faces with snow before they enter into the hot stoue lest sudden heate should putrifie the same as men of good credit report On the contrary in hot regions to auoide the beames of the Sunne in some places as in Italy they carry Vmbrels or things like a little Canopy ouer their heads but a learned Physician told me that the vse of them was dangerous because they gather the heate into a pyramidall point and thence cast it downe perpendicularly vpon the head except they know how to carry them for auoyding that danger Also in the hot clymes of Turkey they were thicke garments but loose and a thick Tulbant vpon their heads but hollow and borne vp from their heads and they shaue their heads all to make the Sunne-beames to haue lesse power vpon their bodies Touching the change of diet as also of the Aire a young man may change them by little and little but to old men the least change of them is dangerous Therefore let the Traueller vse himselfe before his iourney to these changes by little and little but in no extremity which he had better endure onely for the time when necessity forceth them vsing the best remedies as Antidotes against poyson namely warme clothes against cold and the like And in this he must vse moderation for little ill doth little hurt In the morning before he takes his iourney let him take a small breakefast that ill smels may not offend him let him dine sparingly lest his afternoones motion hinder digestion for the precept to make a light supper is for those that stay at home In his dinner often drinking and supping warme brothes helps the purging faculty The seasons of the yeere and the nature of the clime are to be respected in diet as well as in the change of Ayre In Winter and cold Regions let him take hot comfortable things but in Summer and hot Regions let him take things that coole the blood It is dangerous to drinke when his body is heated except hee first make water and wash his mouth and when he is heated let him not suddenly expose him selfe to cold In his Inne let him haue care to drie his feet and necke if they be wet The rules of health are infinite therefore let him take the Physicians aduice according to the state of his body I will onely adde that some very curiously thinke the Art of Cookery necessary for a Traueller It is not amisse that hee haue the skill to make a Cawdell or dresse some dish hee liketh Homer bringeth in Achilles dressing his meate in the Campe and wee reade that King Antigonus did see the Poet Antagoras seething a Conger in the Campe and said to him that Homer of Agamemnon spent not his time in dressing Congers who answered that Agamemnon vsed not to goe about the Campe to obserue who dressed Congers And indeed this Art is more necessary for a Souldier then a Traueller For the Traueller vseth not to goe into barbarous regions but to ciuill places where for the most part hee findes Ministers for this purpose but the warre wastes all Countries and carries desolation with it Touching the purging of the body as all repletion is ill and Socrates well aduised to take heed of those meates which inuited men to eate when they were not hungry so when the humours are growne through intemperancy it is good to purge them He that feeles any change in his body let him not neglect it but take physike which doing he may with a small remedy preuent great sickenesse and keepe his body in health afterwards not oppressing himselfe with meate nor enflaming his blood with violent motion This I speake of experience for my selfe thus taking physike once or twice had my health in forraigne parts for seuen yeeres after which time at last care which brings gray heires had almost killed me by griefe conceiued for the death of my most deare Brother in Asia In the morning and at noone let him offer thus to purge naturally in which nature for the most part yeelds to custome Nothing is a more certaine signe of sicknesse growing then the obstruction of the body against which in Italy I tooke each morning while I was so disposed a spoonefull of the sirrop of Corinthian Currants Damasco Prunes boyled and other moist things as Butter and Hony are good for this purpose as a German Phisitian writes whom I follow in this point And since my selfe God be thanked was neuer sickly neither haue the Art of Phisike and since I professe in the beginning of this Booke not onely to relate things obserued but also those I haue gathered by reading I trust I may without offence adde the said Doctors aduice for Trauellers instruction to my obseruations My experience hath taught mee that it is most dangerous to stop the Flux of the body which experience I dearely bought by the losse of my foresaid Brother and there is no better remedy for it then rest But if it continue many daies and too much weaken the body Rice well boyled hard Egges Water tempered with Steele red and sowrish Wines and Marmalate are good to bind the body Touching exercise since it must be gentle and onely till we raise colour into our faces not til we sweate it may seeme ridiculous to prescribe the same to Trauellers who are almost continually in motion Therefore I will onely admonish the Traueller to auoide extremity therein and that he neither drinke when he is hot nor
Prouince till Mauritius Elector of Saxony obtained helpe of the King of France Henry the second who came with a great Army to the confines of the Empire professing himselfe the Champion of the Germane liberty At which time Mauritius besieging Magdeburg with the Emperours army receiued that City into the protection of the Empire and of himselfe and lest he might seeme to deale persidiously with the Emperour if he should assaile him with forces vnder his owne pay dismissed the whole Army yet so as himselfe presently entertained in his owne pay the greatest part thereof willing to serue him And with these forces he so speedily came to Insprucke where the Emperour then lay as his sudden repaire made the Emperour hastily flie out of the Empire into Italy Thus Mauritius caused the captiue Princes of the reformed religion to be set at liberty gaue peace to the reformed religion and restored liberty to the oppressed Empire And how soeuer he cunningly had aduanced himselfe and his posterity by the deiection of his owne kinsemen suffering for the reformed religion and for the liberty of the Empire yet he repaired the publike losses of his Religion and of his Countrey But they who more iudicially obserued the affaires of this age confesse that nothing hath more kept the house of Austria from subduing the West then those of the same House For the foresaid confident proceeding of Mauritius was caused by the distrusts and iealousies betweene Charles the fifth and his brother Ferdinand springing from the following cause namely that Charles the elder brother to the end that he might keepe the Empire in his own Family had caused his brother Ferdinand at Colen in the yeere 1531 to be chosen King of the Romans so they call him that is chosen in the Emperours life to succeed him hoping that when his sonne Philip should come to age his brother for some increase of his patrimony would be induced to surrender his right in the Empire But Ferdinand at this time hauing had large offers made him to resigne the same could not be induced to doe that wrong to his children And because he suspected that Charles the Emperor might force him thereunto he is said to haue gladly borne the aduerse fortune of his said brother and all troubles rising against him yea if men of experience may be beleeued to haue himselfe encouraged Mauritius to the foresaid attempt Therefore Charles failing of his hope and for age and wearinesse of the World retiring himselfe to a priuate life in a Monastery of Spaine in the yeere 1558 his brother Ferdinand tooke possession of the Empire which remaineth to this day in his posterity the Electors alwayes vsing to respect the right of blood in choosing the new Emperour And vnder their poore estate and vnwarlike mindes the Empire at this day languisheth like a sparke lapped in ashes And the Popes held for Gods vpon earth haue no more feared the Emperors authority but rather supported it against the reformed religion and the inuasions of the Turks the Emperors alwayes acknowledging this vnprofitable seruant of their Progenitors for their Benefactor and spirituall Father The Emperour Rodolphus at this time liuing is of the House of Austria whose pedegree I will set downe The first Family of the House of Austria gaue many Emperours to Germany but that was extinguished in Conradine the sonne of Fredericke few yeeres before Rodolphus of Habspurg came to the Empire who is the roote of this second Family of Austria Rodulphus of Habsburg of the House of Austria was chosen Emperour in the yeere 1273. Albert the first Heire of the Dukedomes of Austria Stiria and Carniola after his Father had subdued the Kingdome of Bohemia ioyned it to the Empire was chosen Emperour and dyed in the yeare 1308. Rodulphus Duke of Austria died in the yeare 1308. Fredericke made Duke of Suenia and Morania by the Emperours gift dyed in the yeare 1330. Leopold Duke of Austria Albert the second Count of Tyroll by the Marriage of his Sonne to the Niece of the King of Bohemia died in the yeare 1359. Albert the third Duke of Austria died in the yeare 1395. Albert the fifth Emperour and by marriage of the Daughter of the Emperour Sigismond made King of Hungaria and of Bohemia died in the yeare 1439. Fredericke the third Emperour died in the yeare 1493. Maximilian the first Emperour after the death of Mathias King of Hungary recouered that Kingdome which he had vsurped then retaining to himselfe the right of succession yeelded it to Ladrslaus and marrying the daughter of Charles Duke of Burgundy made that Dukedome and all the Prouinces of Netherland hereditary to the House of Austria He died in the yeare 1519. Philip marrying the Daughter of Ferdinand King of Spaine became Heire to those Kingdomes and died young before his Father in the yeare 1506. Charles the fifth Emperor died in the yeere 1558. By his Wife Isabella daughter to the King of Portugall Philip King of Spaine This is the first Family of the Archdukes of Austria to this day reigning in Spaine Philip King of Spaine borne of Anne of Austria in the yeare 1578. Two sisters Catherin-borne of Isabella of Valoss wife to the Duke of Sanoy and Isabella Clara Eugenia wife to arch-Duke Albert and borne of Anne of Austria By Anne of Austria Iames died of nine yeares of age Ferdinand died a child Charles Dentatus by Marie of Portugall by his Fathers permission put to death by the Inquisition anno 1568. Ferdinand died an Infant Two Sisters Mary wife to the Emperour Maximilian the second and Ione wife to the King of Fortugall By Ione his concubine Don Iuan Victor of the Turks in naual fight dying an 1578. Ione wife to the Duke of Florence Marie wife to the Duke of Parma Foure Daughters Elinora married to Francis the first King of France died ann 1558. Isabel wife to the King of Denmarke died ann 1525. Mary wife to the King of Hungary after gouerning Netherland died ann 1558. Catherine wife to the King of Portingall Ferdinand Emperour after the vnhappy death of Lodonicus King of Hungary in a battell against the Turks in the yeare 1526 by the right of his wife sister and heire to 〈◊〉 the said contract made by Maximilian I Emperor was crowned King of Hungary and also by his said wiues right K. of Bohemia died anno 1564. Maximilian the second Emperor maried to Mary sister to Philip King of Spaine died anno 1576. This is the second Family of the Arch-Dukes of Austria to this day succeeding in the Empire of Germany Ferdinand died a childe in the yeare 1552. Rodulp 2 of that name and the eighth Emperour of this Family chosen King of the Romans 1575 Emperour 1576. succeeding King of Hungarie 1572 King of Bohemia 1575. Hee was at this time Emperor and liued vnmarried 3. Sonne Ernestus gouerned Netherland and died vnmarried 4. Matthew vnmarried 5. Maximilian vnmarried 6. Albert surrendered his
appeales for vniust causes should be punished by paying charges and being fined and that no appeale should bee admitted vnder the value of fifty Guldens excepting those who haue priuiledge to appeale for lesse summes and that no appeale be made for corporal punishments That the Chamber should be held at Spire till it be otherwise decreed by Parliament but that in time of famine or plague they may for the time choose another place That two brothers should not be the one an Assessor the other a Procter That the Iudges shall meete three dayes in the weeke and eight of them at the least shall be present That execution of iudgement shall first be required by letters of the Court to which if the Defendant shal not yeeld obedience he shal be cited to appeare and shall be condemned in costs and the Plaintife shall be put in possession of his goods and the Defendant by the Popes priuiledge granted to this Court shall be excommunicated and then execution shall be desired from the Magistrate of the Community or in case the defendant be powerful it shall be desired from the Emperour himselfe Lastly that no appeale nor petition against the iudgement of the Chamber shall be admitted And thus much breefly written of the Imperiall Chamber or Court shall suffice Onely I will adde that appeales were of old granted to the Electors subiects and at this day in some cases and aboue a certaine value are granted to the subiects of Princes and Cities and that in difficult causes the Germans often referre them to beiudged by the Colledges of ciuill Lawyers in the Vniuersity but since Princes and Cities weekely hold Courts of iudgement so as execution is done before appeale can be made and since many Cities and Princes haue priuiledges against appeales granted to them from the Emperor these appeales are many times and by diuers meanes made voide In this Chamber the Emperour himselfe may be accused and many times a Gentleman or any man of inferior condition hauing difference with a Princes gaines the cause against him and the great differences of Princes wont to breake into warre vse quietly to be composed in this Court The cheefe Iudge if he be Earle or Barron hath two thousand Guldens yeerely by the statute made in the yeere 1548 and hath more if he be a Prince An Assessor if he be an Earle or Barron hath yeerely by the same statute seuen hundred Guldens if he be a Doctour of the Ciuill Law or a Gentleman he hath fiue hundred Guldens and each Aduocate in Exchequer causes hath yeerely three hundred Guldens and by a statute in the yeere 1557 they receiue for each Gulden 77 Creitzers for bettering of their pensions whereas formerly each Gulden was valued at sixteene Batzen or sixty foure Creitzers Touching capitall iudgements By the Ciuill Law in most heinous offences the affection is punished though it take no effect yet in common custome and after the forme of the Statutes of Italy he that hath a mind to kill is not punished except he doe kill The old Law of Saxony respects the fact not the will but of late the Electors of Saxony haue made a Statute which is yet in vigour that he that prouokes a man to fight or threatens death to him shall dye though hee neuer assaile him The Germans hold it reprochfull to apprehend any malefactor which is onely done by the Serieants of the Hangmans disgracefull Family My selfe obserued that a young man Kinsman to the Consul or Maior of a Citie hauing killed a Gentleman remained two howers in the Citie and then fled without any stop by the Serieants who notwithstanding did afterwards for fashion sake pursue him some few howers Yet I must needs confesse that the Germans are generally most seuere in Iustice sparing not the Inhabitants more then strangers yea in some cases fauouring strangers more then the Inhabitants as in debts which a stranger cannot stay to recouer by long processe My selfe hauing a sute for money at Lindaw my aduocate would by no meanes take any fee of me and the Iudge gaue mee right with great expedition In criminall offences they neuer haue any pardons from Court which are common in forraigne Kingdomes but the punishment is knowne by the fact so the malefactor be apprehended For all hope of safety is in flight yet I deny not that fauour is often done in the pursute For since onely the Serieants can apprehend there is no place where more malefactors escape by flight In the Citie of Lubeck most honoured for Iustice the common report was that the very Iudges and Senators had lately wincked at a Gentlemans breaking of prison and flight with his keeper whom being imprisoned for a murther they could neither execute without greatly offending the King of Denmark nor otherwise set free without scandall of Iustice. A man suspected of any crime or accused by one witnesse is drawne to torture yet is neuer condemned vpon any probability till himselfe confesse the fact which confession is easily extorted because most men had rather dye then indure torment So as many times innocent men haue been after knowne to haue perished by their owne confessions as with vs sometimes innocent men haue been knowne to dye being found guilty by a Iurie of twelue sworne men And because it cannot be that the iudgements of men should not often erre hence it is that the Ciuill Lawyers haue a strange yet good saying that a mischiefe is better then an inconueniency namely that it is better one innocent man should dye by triall then many nocent persons should escape for want of triall In Germany not onely men but women also being accused are put to torture And for diuers great crimes the Law iudgeth them to death with exquisite torments And because they can hardly bee indured with Christian patience lest the condemned should fall into despaire the very Preachers when they haue heard their confessions and setled their mindes in true faith by rare example of too great charitie permit and aduise that they be made drunken to stupifie their sences so as thus armed they come forth with more bold then holy mindes and lookes and seeme not to feele vnsufferable torments of death Neare Lindaw I did see a malefactor hanging in Iron chaines on the gallowes with a Mastiue Dogge hanging on each side by the heeles so as being starued they might eate the flesh of the malefactor before himselfe died by famine And at Franckford I did see the like spectacle of a Iew hanged aliue in chaines after the same manner The condemned in Germany lose not their goods but onely in case of Treason against their absolute Lords But in Bohemia the goods of the condemned fall to the Emperour as he is King of Bohemia in the Territories belonging to the King and to the Princes and Gentlemen in the Territories whereof they are absolute Lords as they are all in their owne lands In Germany Courtiers and Students of Vniuersities
gallowes with a condemned man that he might beware by that example And I haue seene others for stealing vnder the said value put in a basket and thrise ducked in the riuer for a warning vpon the first fault And I haue often heard them tax our English Iustice for hanging those that steale aboue the value of thirten pence halfe-peny which will hardly buy a rope By the Ciuill Law he that findes any thing and for gaine keeps it is guilty of theft for he ought to make it publikely knowne and to restore it being owned or other wise if he be poor to keep it if he be rich to distribute it among the pore By the Law of Saxony it is a theeuish thing not to make publikely knowne any thing that is found but hee that so doth shall not suffer death or any corporall punishment because he did not of purpose take it away but if he that lost it doe cry it in the Church or market-place then if it be more then the value of fiue shillings hee is thought worthy to be beaten with rods or to indure such arbitrary punishment according to the value of the thing found By the Ciuill Law hee that cuts downe trees secretly shall pay the double value but by the Law of Saxony the mulct is according to the value By the Ciuil Law they that steale the necessaries belonging to husbandry shall restore foure fold and also incurre infamy But one Law of Saxony condemnes them to haue their bones broken with wheeles and another Law makes the punishment arbitrary The Ciuill Law confiscates goods for which custome is not payd but the Law of Saxony imposeth Fyne aswell vpon those which pay not customes and duties as vpon those that passe not the beaten way where they are paied but go some by way to defraud the Prince By the Ciuill Law sacrilegious persons are beheaded but by the Law of Saxony their bones are broken vpon the wheele and markes are set vp according to the number of their offences in that kynd By the Ciuill Law no offender may be burnt in the forehead because the face may not be dissigured as created to the similitude of God but in Saxony those whch are beaten with rods or banished are also many times marked by being burnt in the hand or by cutting off their eares or by pulling out their eyes or by being burnt in the cheekes so as the haire may not couer the marke but it may be manifest to strangers in forraine parts Yet the interpreters of that Law thinke at this day that offenders can not be so punished by that Law and that a theefe ought not so to be marked By the ciuil Law witches doing any act wherupon a man dies are to be beheaded but by the Law of Saxony they are to be burnt Yet by a late Statute of the Elector they are sometimes beheaded for you must vnderstand that in all places the Prouinciall Law is daily increased by new Statutes of Princes And by the Law of Saxony a witch hauing done no hurt by that art is punished arbitrarily And the Germans credibly report that there be many witches in the Countries lying vpon the Baltick sea and especialy vpon the Northen side therof as in Lapland being part of the kingdome of Suetia and that in those places they haue generall meetings and Colledges of witches who wil tell any man what his frends do at anytime in the remorest parts one of them falling downe as in extasie and when he comes to himselfe relating the particulars thereof and that they ordinarily sell windes to the Marriners to carry them out of the hauen to the maine sea In Germany those that set houses on fier either hired thereunto or of there ownemalice and also witches vse to bee burnt or if their crime be hainous vse to be put to death with a 〈◊〉 iron on spit thrust into their hinder partes Coines of counterfeit mony are by the Law to dye in boiling lead By the Ciuil Law the goods of a banished man may be seased to repaire any losse but it is not lawfull for any man to kill him neither is he infamous But by the Law of Saxony he that is banished by the Empire may be killed because he broke the peace and after a yeers banishment he is infamous alwaies vnderstanding that he is lawfully banished By the Ciuill Law a traitor to his country is to be burned to death but by the Law of Saxony his bones are brokn vpon the wheele and by custome many torments are in some crimes added to this punishment By the Ciuill Law he that steales a virgin widow or Nunne and all that helpe him in that rape are beheaded but by the Law of Saxony besides the beheading of the offenders the places are to be laid waste where the force was offred and the beasts to be killed that helped to doe the force as the horses which carried them away yet this is not obserued but in practise only he is put to death that offered the force Of old the women of Germany were wont to purge themselues from suspition of adultery by the combat of champions or by treading on shares of hot burning iron with their naked feet with out taking any harme and this purgation should still be obserued neither is it abrogated in Saxony but only is vanished by difusing And the Germans haue not only of old been seuere punishers of breaches in wedlocke so as it was lawfull for the husband to expell his adulterous wife out of his house before all his neighbours with her body naked and her haire shorne and so to beat her with rods through the streets but also euen to this day the chastity of wiues through the seuerity of the Law against the incontinent is no where so preserued as in Germany If a married person lie with one that is vnmarried aswell on the man as the womans side the maried party is put to death and the vnmarried is punished by the purse and with ignominy and if both parties be married boh die And our age hath seene two notable examples of this Iustice in Germany one of a Duchesse who by authority of her husband and of her owne brother was for this crime forced to drinke poison secretly for preseruing of all their honours The other of another Duchesse who was bricked vp in a most narrow roome hauing an hole in the wall by which she receiued her meat to prolong her miserable life while her husband had another wife and liued with her in the same Castle in which she thus languished In most places of Germany this sinne is punished no lesse then with death yet in some places and vpon some circumstances as of a man hauing an old and barren wife the delinquent sometimes escapes with a mulct of mony and otherwhere the iudgment is drawne out with delaies of the suit to spare the parties without manifest breaches of the Law In Bohemia adultery is also punished
succeeded vnto and alwaies part of the goods is giuen if not by law yet by equitie to maintaine the bastards and the Interpreters will haue the law of Saxony vnderstood of those that are borne in incest who haue not the benefit of legitimation By the Ciuill law he that is borne in the seuenth moneth after marriage is reputed lawfully begotten but by the law of Saxony hee is reputed a bastard that is borne before the due time yet because Phisitians agree that the seuenth moneth may be called due time in custome and practise the law of Saxony agrees with the Ciuill law By the Ciuill Law the Testament is broken by the birth of a Posthumus that is a sonne borne after his fathers death if it giue no part to this child so the birth be proued by two witnesses but by the Law of Saxony foure men by hearesay and two women by sight must testifie the birth In the Ciuill Law it is controuerted how sonnes of brothers shall succeed the vnkle by the fathers side and the greater part saith that they succeed to the parts of the brothers so as one child of a brother shall haue as much as two or more children of another brother but by the Law of Saxony when the inheritance fals to any that are not brothers and sisters they succeed by pole so as one brother hauing many children each of them shall haue equall part with the onely child of another brother and if they be further off in degrees those that are equall in degree haue equall portions But both these Lawes are made to agree by a Statute of the Emperour Charles the fifth in the yeere 1539 whereby it is determined that the sonnes of brothers shall not succeed to parts but by pole to the Vnkle by the Fathers side not withstanding any Statute or custome to the contrary By the Ciuill Law the diuision of Inheritance must be made by Lots and if the parts be not so made equall the Iudge must determine it but by the Law of Saxony if there be onely two persons the elder deuideth and the yonger chuseth and if there be more persons then according to the Ciuill Law the inheritance is deuided equally and they cast lots for their parts In this deuision I haue obserued such equity among the Saxons as if one sonne of a Citizen haue beene brought vp in the Vniuersity or instructed in any Art or Science at the Fathers charge something shall be taken from his part and giuen to the other brothers wanting like education or being tender in yeeres And the Germans being lesse apt to disagreement seldome goe to Law about inheritance and if any difference happen an Arbiter is appointed and the Magistrate determines it with expedition By the Ciuill Law the Sonne of a banished man is depriued of his Fathers inheritance but by the Law of Saxony he shall enioy it By the Ciuill Law the degrees of Consanguinity end in the tenth degree excepting Barrons and noble persons who dying without heires the kinsmen succeede though it be in the hundreth degree and if all the Family of a King should die and leaue no man neerer then one of the old blood remoued a thousand degrees yet hee should succeed in the Kingdome The degree of Consanguinity by the Law of Saxony ends in the seuenth degree for that is the tenth by the Ciuill Law the sonnes of two brothers being by the Law of Saxony in the first degree who by the Ciuill Law are in the fourth degree By the Ciuill Law Cities howsoeuer priuiledged cannot possesse the vacant goods of men dying without heires but they fall to the Emperour but by the Law of Saxony Cities that haue absolute power confiscate these goods by custome so as the goods of a stranger or any dying without heires are brought to the Iudges of the place who keepe them for one whole yeere yea they challenge vnmoueable goods but with prescription of yeeres And these goods vse to be conuerted to godly vses and I haue obserued some to be deepely fined for fraudulent detaining these goods By the Ciuill Law he that is of age so he be in his wits and no prodigall person may freely sell giue or by any course alienate his goods but by the Law of Saxony this power is restrained for no man without the consent of the next heires can alienate vnmoueable goods gotten by his Progenitors vulgarly called Stamgûtter but onely for godly vses or dowries giuen vpon marriage for contracts of dowry are of force for vse and property without consent of the heires though made after the marriage if the guift be confirmed by the giuers death but if any man will sell his Progenitors goods first by the Ciuill Law he must offer them to be bought to the next heires and they refusing to buy them he may then freely sell them to any man and if they were neuer offered to the heires notwithstanding the possession is transferred but the heires haue an action for their interest By the Ciuill Law weakenesse as of old age doth not make the guift of lesse force but by the Law of Saxony a man or woman sicke to death cannot without the consent of the heires giue any goods aboue the value of fiue shillings so as a certaine solemnity is required among the sicke and also those that are healthfull in the gift of any moueable or vnmoueable goods For among the sicke or healthfull he that will giue any goods if he be of Knightly Order hee must be of that strength as armed with his Sword and Target he can vpon a stone or block an ell high mount his horse and his seruant is admitted also to hold his stirrop If he be a Citizen he must beable to walke in the way to draw his Sword and to stand vp right before the Iudge while the gift is made And a Clowne must be able to follow the Plow one morning Lastly a woman must be of that strength as shee can goe to the Church of a certaine distance and there stand so long till the guift be made but these things are vnderstood of guifts among the liuing not of guifts vpon death By the Ciuill Law guifts are of force though made out of the place where the goods are seated but by the Law of Saxony for vnmoueable goods the guift must bee made in the place and before the Iudge of the place where the goods are seated onely some cases excepted By the Ciuill Law the heire that makes no Inuentory is tied to the Creditors aboue the goods of Inheritance but by the Law of Saxony he is neither tied to make an Inuentory nor to pay further then the goods of the deceased extend By the Ciuill Law within ten dayes and by the Law of Saxony within thirty dayes after the death of him that dies the heire may not be troubled by the creditors An Imperiall Statute decrees that he who makes a Testament must be in his right mind so as he
inheritance of George against the Palatine who had married the daughter of George and was by his last Will made his heire He died 1508. Albert the 5 built 3 Colledges for the Iesuites He married Anna daughter to the Emperor Ferdinand and died in the yeere 1579. William borne 1548 married Rinata Daughter to Francis Duke of Lorayne in the yeere 1568. Maximilian D. of Bauaria Phillip Bishop of Ratisbona Ferdinand a Praepositus of Colen and Channon of Trier One Sister Maximiliana Ferdinand borne in the yeere 1550. Ernestus Bishop of Liege after Archbishop and Elector of Colon borne in the yere 1554. Maria Maximilian borne 1552. Maria borne 1553 and maried to Charles Arch-Duke of Austria 1572. William made warre against the Duke of Wirteberg and died in the yeere 1577. Sibill married to Lodwick the fourth Elector Palatine died in the yeere 1511. Sabina married to Vlrich Duke of Wirteberg died in the yeere 1564. Sidonia married to Philibert Marquis of Baden William Count of Holland by right of his wife Of him descended the Counts of Holland From this Lodwick discend the Dukes of Bauaria It was couenanted and stands agreed betweene the House of the Electors Pallatines and the house of the Dukes of Bauaria that vpon want of heires males one of them should succeede the other and when the Daughter to the Duke of Bauaria in the time of the Emperour Maximilian opposed her selfe to this contract she was forced to yeeld to it by the Emperour I returne to the Electors Palatines The foresaid Frederick the fourth Pallatine and Elector being vnder age had Duke Iohn Casimire his fathers brother for his Tutor who at his brothers death besieged the Citie of Colen in the name of the Bishop whom they had driuen out for being married This Casimire in his brothers life-time had a noble inheritance beyond the Rheine to him and his heires and then hearing of his brothers death hasted to Heidleberg where he brought the people to obedience who would not haue him Administrator because he professed the Reformed Religion after Caluins doctrine not after that of Luther And he presently sent backe the Emperours Ambassadours who were come thither about that controuersie refusing to yeeld his right in the Tutorage of his Nephew which he defended in the Imperiall Chamber at Spire After he brought vp his Nephew wisely and religiously appointing him his diet apart with his Teachers and the Steward of his Court to whose table one Professour of the Vniuersity was daily inuited who had charge to propound a question to the Prince out of the Histories and controuersies of Religion And the Prince did not presently make answere except it were in a common subiect but asked time to consider of it and consulting apart with his Teachers after some halfe houer returned to giue his answere Thus by daily practise the chiefe accidents of Histories and controuersies of Religion were made familiar to him The Citie Heidelberg somtimes held in Fee frō the Bishop of Wormz was in time beutified with buildings and an Vniuersity and became the seate of the Electors The said Elector Frederike the fourth being a pupill was after the foresaid manner brought vp in the Reformed religion according to the doctrine of Caluine but in the meane time Richard the Duke of Hunnesruck his next heire if hee should die without issue male did obstinately follow the reformed doctrine of Luther and so did the rest of his kinsmen the Dukes of Zweybruck their towne being so called of the two Bridges excepting the second brother of them who consented in Religion with the Elector This Elector Frederick the fourth married the daughter to the Prince of Orange by his wife of the French family de Chastillion His Court was not great nor any way comparable to that of the Elector of Sexony For he had scarce thirtie Gentlemen to attend him and to them he gaue no more then some twenty fiue Guldens for stipend which they spent vpon their seruants that attended them and kept their horses And he had no more then eight Yeomen for the Guard of his body Wine was sparingly drawne and all expences made with great frugalitie But the fame of this Electors wisedome and affabilitie made him much esteemed of strangers and while he conuersed with his Citizens often comming to the publike place for exercise of the Peece and Crosse-bow and being easie of accesse yet carried himselfe like a graue and noble Prince hee became deare to his subiects Of whom hee exacted moderate tribute for their lands houses money and goods and some two small fennings for each Mosse or measure of wine In fiue places vpon the Rheine he exacted impositions or taxes which one yeere with another yeelded some twelue or sixteene thousand French Crownes and they said that hee receiued yeerely some fifty or sixty thousand Crownes by the siluer Mines of Anneberg besides extraordinarie subsidies which his subiects vse to grant him vpon occasion of war or like necessities of the Commonwealth And I remember when the Citizens of Strasburg his neighbours made warre with the brother of the Duke of Loraine about their Bishopricke so as the Palatine was forced to leuy souldiers for defence of his people from the rapine of both Armies that he imposed an extraordinary subsidie vpon his subiects of a quarter of a Doller for each hundred Dollers any man possessed in moueable or vnmoueable goods The Margraue or Marquis of Brandeburg is by the first institution the last of the Electors but more powerfull then any of them in the number of Vassals and his territories are much larger then those of the Elector of Saxony but his reuenewes are nothing so great He held his Court at Berlin some twelue German miles distant from Wittenberg in Saxony His pedigree is deriued from Peter Columna a Roman Patritian of the ancient blood of the Camills who banished by Pope Gregorie the seuenth had lands giuen him in Sueuia by the Emperour Henrie the fourth and built the castle of Zagaroll and about the yeere 1120 had a sonne called Burchard Burchard Count of Zoller his Castle so called Frederick the first race of the Burgraues of Nurnberg being extinct was inuested 1273 of that dignity by the Emperour Rodulphus whose sister was mother to Frederick Frederick the second Burgraue of Nurnberg died in the yeere 1330. Frederick Burgraue of Nurnberg had the Marquisate of Brandeburg conferred on him by the Emperor Sigismund and also the Electorship in the yeere 1427 and hee sold the Castle and Burgraueship of Nurnberg to the City of Nurnberg Hee died in the yeere 1440. Iohn Marquis of Brandeburg at his fathers commandement yeelded the Electorship to his second brother and died in the yeere 1464. Frederick Marquisse and Elector going into Palestine did yeeld the Electorship to his brother Albert and died in the yeere 1470. Albert Marquisse and Elector called the Achilles of Germany ouercame the Citizens of Nurnberg in eight battels and in the
chosen Emperour was ouercome by his Competitor and being againe raised to that dignitie was put from it by Frederike the second and died 1218. Otho his brothers Sonne was forced to yeeld the Dukedome of Saxony to the Elector of Saxony Albert the second And the Emperour Frederick the second cast his Garrison out of Brunswick with the helpe of the Citizens and made Brunswick a free Imperiall City But at last the Emperour vpon the submission of Otho forgaue him and created him Duke of Brunswick and Luneburg This Otho died in the yeere 1252 from whom this house was subdeuided into the following Families From Henrie the Wonderfull descend the Lords of Ember and Grobenbagen From Albert the Fat dying in the yeere 1318 descend the Dukes of Brunswick and of Luneburg as followeth Magnus Torquatus heire of both Dukedomes whose garrison the citizens of Luneburg cast out of the castle Calkberg left three sonnes Frederick chosen Emperour against Wenceslaus killed by treachetie in the yeere 1400. Bernard after the killing of his brother yeelded the D. of Brunswick to his Nephew William retaining the D. of Luneburg died 1434. From Bernard descend Otho who exhibited the Reformed Confession at Augtburg and died 1549. Otho Lord of Harburg had to his first wife the daughter to the Earle of Schwartzenburg and with the second Wife Daughter to the Earle of Emden hee then liued when I passed though Germany Otho had by his first wife two sonnes Otho Henrich borne 1555 and Iohn Frederick borne 1557 and one daughter Elizabeth borne 1553 and married to the King of Suecia And by his second wife sixe sonnes William borne 1564. Euno borne 1565. Christopher borne 1570. Otho borne 1572. Iohn borne 1573. Frederick borne 1578. And three daughters Anna Margarita borne 1567. Heduigis borne 1569. Catherina Sophia borne 1577. The first house of the Dukes of Luneburg and Brunswick for the titles are cōmon to al. Anne borne 1526. And Ernest who reformed Religion and died 1546 buried at Cella Henry maried the daughter of the D. of the lower Saxony dwelling at Angria Henry had three sons Iulius Ernestus borne 1571. Francis Cannon of Strasburg borne 1572. And Augustus borne 1579. And two daughters Sibilla Elizabetha borne 1576. And Sidonia borne 1577. The second branch likewise Dukes of Luneburg and Brunswick William in the yere 1561 married Dorothy Daughter to Christian King of Denmarke William had seuen sons Ernest borne 1564. Christian borne 1561. Augustus borne 1568. Frederick borne 1574. Magnus borne 1577 then Rector of the Vniuersitie of Iena George borne 1582. Iohn borne 1583. And seuen daughters Sophia married to George Marquis of Brandeburg 1579. Elizabeth to the Count of Hohelm 1585. Doroty borne 1570. Clara 1571. Margaret 1573. Marie 1575. And Sibilla 1584. The third branch with the same titles Francis of the reformed religion left two daughters no heires males and died 1549. Henrie died before his brother Frederick William the Victorious at the death of his Vncle Frederick possessed the Dukedome of Brunswick which his Vncle Bernard did yeeld to him Hee died 1482. Dukes of Brunswick From William the Victorious descends Henry who twise in vaine besieged Brunswick aided by other free Cities He died 1514. Henrie made captiue by the Elector of Saxony 1545 twice besieged Brunswick He had two sisters and foure brothers Ericus Christopher Bishop of Verden Francis and George Archbishop of Breme The eldest married Mary Daughter to the Duke of Wirtenberg and died 1568. Iulius his two elder Brethren being killed left his Priest-hood reformed Religion after Luthers doctrine founded an Vniuersitie at Helmstat and called it Iulia married Heduigis daughter to Ioachim the second Elector of Brandeburg and died in the yeere 1589. Henrie Iulius borne 1562 Administrator of two Bishopricks of Halberstat and Mind first married Dorothy Daughter to Augustus Elector of Saxony then Elizabeth daughter to Frederike King of Denmark yet liuing By his first wife he had Dorothy Heduigis borne 1587 by the second Frederike Vdalrike borne 1591. Three brothers Philip Sigismond Bishop of Verden borne 1568. Ioachim Carolus borne 1573. Iulius Augustus borne 1578. Fiue sisters Sophia married to Ernest Duke of Pomeru Mary to Francis D. of lower Saxony 1582. Elizabeth to the Count of Schaumberg Dorothy borne 1577. Heduigis 1580. The second house of the Duke of Brunswicke more powerfull then all the former ioyned He had foure sisters Catherine married to Iohn Marquisse of Brandeburg Margaret to the D. of Munsterberg Clara first an Abbesse then married to Phillip Lord of Grachenhage And Mary an Abbesse And Ericus called the Popish Ericus called also the Popish married his daughter to Iohn Prince Dauria of Genoa in Italy He had a base sonne who died without issue and lies buried with his Father at Pauia in Italy The Duke of Brunswicke keepes his Court at a strong Castle within the little City Wolfeubeiten lesse then a German mile distant from Brunswick of which City he beares the title in respect it of old belonged to his Progenitors in which kind he is also called Duke of Luneburg to which he hath right of succession and Purgraue of Nurnberg which title hath beene long extinct not that he hath any least power ouer the City or so much as a house therein whom the Citizens rather wish many miles remoued from them I haue said that Henry Iulius Duke of Brunswick hath three brothers and that the eldest of them was Bishop of Verden but when my selfe passed that way I vnderstood that of these three younger brothers the eldest was Bishop of Osenburg the next Channon of Strasburg and that the youngest was a Student in the Vniuersity of Helmstatt founded by his Father And it is worth obseruation that the Duke himselfe was Administrator of two Bishoprickes I haue shewed that the City of Brunswicke got their liberty by the Sword in the time of Duke Otho and with the aide of the Emperour Fredericke the second And as they gained it by Armes so they maintaine it hauing beene often besieged by the Dukes and to this day bearing vp the same against the Dukes with whom they cease not to expostulate that they vsurpe the title of their City And not long before my passage that way when at the marriage of the Duke with the sister to the King of Denmarke the Citizens of Brunswicke discharged some great Peeces of Artillery in honour of the marriage yet so great are the iealousies betweene the Duke and them as hee tooke it in ill part and shaking his head for anger said it was done in ostentation of their strength and as the threatning of enemies rather then the triumph of friends And the Senators of Brunswicke though inuited to the marriage yet would not come thither Neither doe they willingly suffer the Duke to come into their City And not long before when the Duke for pleasure disguised himselfe as a Carman and droue a Cart of wood into the City to be sold there the
the Husband hath no right either to alienate or to administer them as those goods which shee brings to her Husband aboue her dowry and neuer giues them to him but by the Law of Saxony the Man and Wife haue all goods in common so as all are said to be the Husbands and the Wife can call nothing her owne and the Husband hath the vse of all without exception euen while they liue together for the burthens he beares yet he hath not the property of these goods onely they both possesse them vndeuided so long as they liue together The Husband at marriage takes his wife and all her goods into his tuition but this tuition is onely vnderstood for the vse which ends when the wife dies but the wife hath not like vse in her husbands goods And the husband in administring the goods of his wife must deale honestly and neither sell nor ingage them because he is onely her Tutor By the Ciuill Law the wife hath power without the presence or consent of her husband to giue or alinate her moueable or vnmoueable goods onely during the marriage shee cannot giue away her dowry to the preiudice of her husband without his consent but by the Law of Saxony the wife cannot giue her vnmoueable goods nor sell or alienate any goods without her husbands consent because shee is vnder his power as her Tutor Yea the wife cannot giue her goods to her husband because hee being her Tutor cannot bee actor to his owne profit but if before the Magistrate shee chuse another Tutor by whose authority the gift is made then it is of force For in all cases in which a gift betweene man and wife is of force by the Ciuill Law in the same cases at this day by custome it is of force among the Saxons so as the former manner be obserued But all these things of the Wiues gift to her Husband and of alienating her goods by contract which shee cannot make without the consent of the Husband her Tuter are not vnderstood of the alienation by her last Will and Testament For by the Law of Saxony it is controuerted whether the wife may giue a gift to her husband at her death without the authority of the foresaid Tutor chosen by her and if it be giuen without the same whether after the death of the wife according to the Ciuill Law this gift be confirmed And some interpreters say that the same authority of a chosen Tutor and the same solemnity is required as in a gift betweene the liuing others determine that the gift at death without a Tutor is of force so it be made before the Iudge because it is not a simple giuing but participates some thing of the last Will and Testament and for that cause fiue witnesses are required to it or that it be registred which done the gift is of force because fauour is to be giuen to the last Testament which must not be captious but free Also because he that is of ripe age but in minority though hee cannot giue or contract without the authority of his Tutor yet hee may giue for death And so it is concluded that in doubtfull cases the gift must be fauoured that it may subsist rather then be made voyd Lastly the Law of Saxony in this consents with the Ciuill Law that a wife may make a Will and for death giue her vnmouable goods to any other but her husband without the consent of the husband her Tutor But by the Statute of the Elector the gift of vtensile goods made to the husband in preiudice of her next kinswoman is of so little force as with death it is not confirmed except it be remuneratory Yet among the liuing this gift of stuffe as some restraine it so it be not to the husband is of force if it be made before a Notary and with witnesses By the Ciuill Law the husband may not haue the care of his wiues goods lest she vpon affection shuld remit his ill administration so shuld be in danger to loose the goods of her dowry but by the Law of Saxony presently vpon mariage the husband is lawful Tutor to his wife By the ciuil law the dowry of the wife giuen by her father vpon the death of the wife returnes to the father except it be couenanted to the cōtrary in the contract of the dowry but by the law of Saxony the husband vpon his wiues death gaines all moueable goods and so much of the dowry as was in ready mony except it be expressely couenanted to the contrary in the contract of the dowry and all the goods of the wife aboue that shee brought in dowry fall to the husband nothing excepted but onely the vtensile goods yet this Law is not extended to the perpetuall and yeerely rents of the wife which are reputed vnmoueable goods By the Ciuill Law if either the man or the wife marry the second time the party may in no case giue more to the second husband or wife then to the children of the first marriage but among the Saxons this Law is abolished by contrary custome so as not onely the Step mothers vse to haue much more of the husbands goods then the children of the first marriage but on the other side also the second husbands vpon the death of the second wife being to haue all her moueable goods excepting the vtensiles commonly gaine more then her children of her first marriage By the Ciuill Law a Widdow retaines the dwelling house honour and dignity of her Husband deceased till shee marry to another and by the Law of Saxony the dead Husband leaues his widdow the right of his Family and blood and custome so interprets this Law as all priuiledges and dignities are thereby granted as by the Ciuil law Widows Virgins by the Law of Saxony if they be of such age as they haue no Tutors may giue or alienate their goods which a wife cannot do being vnder the Tutorage of her husband yet the interpreters restraine this to mouable goods being otherwise in vnmouable goods but by last wil testament they may dispose of both By the Ciuill Law if there bee no Letters of Dowry or Iointure the Husband dying the Wife must haue the fourth part of his goods but in some parts of Saxony the custome is that the Wife being a Widdow shal haue the third part of her Husbands goods as it is in all Misen but in other parts as in Thuring the Ciuill Law is obserued and shee hath the fourth part if the Husband leaue but 3 or foure children but if he haue more then the widdow hath onely an equall part with each of them But in Misen the wife hath not the vtensile goods which vse nor to bee giuen to women hauing a third part And moreouer the widdow is tied not onely to leaue her owne goods but her part of goods gotten in marriage by her husband and whatsoeuer her friends gaue to her in the life
of her husband or shee any way gained to their children at her death whether shee gaue them to her husband in time of his life or no for it is alwayes presumed that shee got these things out of her husbands goods And if in any place there be no custome to determine this then the widow besides her fourth or equall part hath also the vtensile goods And in case the husband leaue no children then the widow hath her choise whether shee will receiue the third part or renouncing the same will retain vtensile goods and all other her owne goods mouable or vnmouable together with her dowry But if the husband leaue children the widow hath not this choise but must renounce all the rest and sticke to her third part And by custome of the Country her dowry and gift for mariage is doubled so as shee that brought one thousand guldens for her dowry shall haue two thousand guldens in the diuision of her husbands inheritance And the right which married parties by statute haue in one anothers goods cannot be taken from them by last Will and Testament Discoursing with men of experience I heard that the widowes of Princes whiles they remaine widowes possesse all their husbands estate excepting the Electorships which the next kinsman by the Fathers side administers by his right during the minority of the sonne and inioy also the tutorage of their children but if they marry againe the country frees it selfe from them with giuing them a tun of gold for Dowry And that the Daughters of Princes haue Dowries frō the subiects by subsidies collected vse to sweare before the Chancellor that their husbands being dead or vpon any accident whatsoeuer they will not retourne to burthen the Country That the Daughters of Gentlemen neuer marry to any of inferior degree then Gentlmen which is constantly kept by both sexes and are commonly bestowed with a small Dowry and since by the Law they cannot succeed in fees haue at the parents death only a part of their mouable goods with the vtensils proper to them and one sister dying her portion goes not to the brothers or their children as also the married Sister dying and leauing no Daughter her portion goes not to her own sons except liuing in health she bequeathed it to them in her Testament but to the Neece on the Mothers side Lastly that in case the goods of a dead woman are neither giuen by her last Testament nor any Kinswomen to her on the Mothers side can bee found her goods goe not to her owne Sonnes or male-Kinsmen but are confilcated to the Prince or in free Cities to the Common-wealth It is said that the Roman Emperor Caracalla was wont to say that only that Nation knew how to rule their wiues which added the feminine article to the Sunne and the masculine to the Moone as the Germans doe saying Die Sonn 〈◊〉 der Mont. And no doubt the Germans are very churlish to their wiues and keep them seruily at home so as my selfe in Saxony haue seene many wiues of honest condition and good estate to dresse meat in the kitchen and scarce once in the weeke to eate with their husbands but apart with the maides and after the meale to come and take away their husbands table and if they came to sit with him at table yet to sit downe at the lower end at least vnder all the men My selfe haue seene husbands of like quality to chide their wiues bitterly till they wept abundantly and the same wiues of good ranke very soone after to bring a chaire to the husband and serue him with a trencher and other necessaries The men being inuited to friends houses or any solemne feasts neuer goe in company with their wiues who goe alone with their faces couered It is no nouelty for a husband to giue a box on the eare to his wife And they scoffe at the Law in Nurnberg wich fines the husband three or foure Dollers for striking his wife as a most vniust Law It is ridiculous to see the wiues of German foote-soldiers going to the warre laded with burthens like she-Asses while the men carry not so much as their own clokes but cast them also vpon the womens shoulders And I should hardly beleeue that the Germans can loue their wiues since loue is gained by louelinesse as the Poet saith vt ameris amabilis esto He that for loue doth thirst Let him be louing first But they while they commaund all things imperiously in the meane time neither for dulnes court them with any pleasant speech nor in curtesie grace them in publike so much as with a kisse It is a common saying Dotem accepi Imperium vendidi I tooke a Dowry with my Wife And lost the freedome of my life But howsoeuer the Germans haue great Dowries in marriage and their Wiues haue power to make a Testament for disposing their goods with many like priuiledges and howsoeuer they be also prouoked with these iniuries yet the men keep them within termes of duty May not we then iustly maruell that Englishmen hauing great power ouer their Wiues so as they can neither giue any thing in life nor haue power to make a will at death nor can call any thing their owne no not so much is their garters yea the Law I must confesse too seuerely permitting the Husband in some cases to beate his Wife and yet the Husbands notwithstanding all their priuiledges vsing their Wiues with all respect and giuing them the cheefe seates with all honours and preheminences so as for the most part they would carry burthens goe on foote fast and suffer any thing so their Wiues might haue ease ride feast and suffer nothing notwithstanding no people in the World that euer I did see beare more scornes indignities and iniuries from the pampered sort of Women then they doe Surely either these our Women want the modesty of the Wiues or else our Men haue not I will not say the seuerity which I lesse approue but rather the grauity and constancy of the Husbands in Germany But while the Germans thus vse their Wiues like Seruants they behaue themselues as Companions towards their Seruants who bring in meate to the Table with their heads couered and continually talke with their Masters without any reuerence of the cap or like duty The Germans are neither too indulgent nor too sterne to their sonnes and daughters yet they giue them no tender education but as they bring their children naked into the hot stoaues so they expose them naked to frost and snow Neither doe they exact any humility or respect from their children who in all places are familiar with their Parents neuer stir their hats when they speak to them when they goe to bed they aske not blessing on their knees as our children doe but shake hands with them which is a signe of familiarity among friends in Germany as in most other places A Gentleman