aduersaries remoued hym selfe vnto the solitarie Wyldernesse there to leade a priuate solitarie lyfe In the meane tyme vnto them whiche so willingly and wyckedly forsware them selues this happened The fyrst as he wyshed by casualtie of fyre was burnt to death and al his family whiche fyre rose but of one litle sparke The seconde was taken with a greeuous strange sickenesse from top to toe and deuoured of the same The thyrde hearyng and seeyng Gods iust iudgement to fal vppon the other twayne confessed the fault and through great repentaunce powred out such abundaunce of teares that he lost both his eyes Thus was their false perturie punished by God and the good Byshoppe receyued home agayne with ioye Saint Gregorie telleth vs a wonderfull storie of a young Chyld vnder the age of seuen yeeres at whiche age we say chyldren haue no discretion yet for swearyng and blasphemyng the name of the Lorde his Father holdyng hym in his armes the Dyuel entred possession of the sayde Chylde as it visibly appeared But to come to meere Englysh Stories Though not first in order yet for dignitie I wyl place Kyng Stephan and that companie whiche contrary to their oth made in the dayes of Kyng Henry the fyrst vnto Mahld or Mold yet they crowned Stephan Earle of Bolloigne Kyng of Englande in whiche number were VVilliam Archbyshop of Caunterburie Roger Byshop of Salisbury Hugh Bigot Steward sometimes to kyng Henrie the fyrst and diuers Lordes more The Archbyshop God punished shortly after with death the Byshop of Salisbury the kyng vanished hym the lande Hugh Bigot died miserably Diuers other Lordes were diuersely punished Eustace the kynges sonne taking vp his horse before his father had a fall and brake his legge The kyng in remembraunce of his periurie with sorowe ended his miserable lyfe euen when he had now made a composition to lyue in peace and to holde his Crowne quietly duryng his lyfe tyme proclayming Henry Duke of Normandie heyre apparaunt to the Crowne euen then when he most desired to lyue most likely to lyue in most quietnesse with sorowe he payed the price of his periurie with the losse of his lyfe Edwarde the fourth at Yorke toke a solemne othe to holde him contented with his owne Dukedome and to yeeld due obedience vnto Kyng Henry but his oth rashly taken was as soone broken and his periurie God punished in his posteritie none of his chyldren came to the possession of the Crowne Elfred because he was a Duke shal haue the next place This Elfred conspired agaynst Kyng Adelstane at Winchester 〈◊〉 put out his eyes his conspiracie suspected and detected the kyng secretly fledde The wycked Duke was dryuen to purge him selfe by his oth of the suspition In the Churche dedicated to S. Peter at Rome periuriously he forsware him selfe but euen so soone as he had forsworne hym selfe he fel downe dead in the Church and so was taken vp and caried to the Englyshe house at Rome and from thence after three dayes to his Graue Earle Godwin traiterously slue Alphred brother to Kyng Edward the thyrde afterwarde as Godwin sate at the Table with the kyng at Windsor it happened that one of the cup bearers one of this Earle Godwins owne sonnes brynging a Cuppe of Wyne towardes the kyng tripped on the one foote and yet recouered by the stay of the other foote so that he shedde none of the Wyne wherat the Earle Godwin laughed saying Howe the one brother gently had holpen the other Ryght so sayd the Kyng shoulde my brother Alphred haue holpen me had not the Earle Godwin been At whiche woordes Godwin to excuse hym selfe falsely forsware the fact and takyng a morsell of bread in his hand wyshed that that peece of bread myght choake hym yf he were gyltie of that deede but so soone as he had receyued the bread foorthwith he was choaked and fell downe dead whereat quoth the kyng haue away this periured Traytour and by Harold his sonne he was conueyed to Winchester to be buried Vpon whose Land also GOD sent such a Plague that vntyll this day all Englande heareth of the infortunate place called Godwins Sandes Syr Roger Mortimer brake his solemne fayth and allegiaunce vnto his souerayne Lord Kyng Edwarde the seconde and for the same his periurie is thus punished In the dayes of Edwarde the thyrde he was fyrst set openly vpon a Ladder his priuie members cut from hym and cast into the fyre before his face his hart pluckt out of his belley his body diuided into foure quarters and sent to the foure principall Cities of the Realme Howe many corrected in Gods mercifull iudgement for our example haue we knowen some punished by losse of theyr goodes some by fyre some by strange sicknesses some with tongues so blacke as a coale some with suche hotte tongues that they coulde not in any case cloase their mouthes agayne which before they had opened to the dishalowyng of Gods most blessed name as notable of late dayes aboue the rest let vs remember Richarde Long in Caleis that wyllyngly to trouble Smyth and Brooke tooke his oth vpon a Booke that they twayne ate flesh togeather in Lent in the sayd Brookes house yet in trueth the sayd Smyth came not into Brookes house all that Lent he long after this periurie committed drowned hym selfe at the iuttie ende of the hauen in Caleis Grimwood of Hitcham in the Countie of Suffolke agaynst Iohn Cooper of Watsam in the sayd Countie at an assise holden at Berry wylfully forsware hym selfe at Haruest after feelyng no payne complaynyng of no disease iudgyng hym selfe strong and able to labour as he was stacking vp a Goffe of Corne sodenly his bowels fell out of his body and immediatly he dyed most miserably That woorthy instrument in Gods Church Maister Iohn Foxe from whom I collected these two last stories geueth a gentle and fatherlyke warnyng to all young Gentlemen to leaue their outragious swearyng by the fearefull example of this Gentleman followyng In the tyme and raigne of King Edward the syxt there was in Cornwall a lustie young Gentleman who dyd ryde togeather with other moe Gentlemen and their seruauntes in number about twentie Horsemen amongst whom this lustie yonker entryng into talke began to sweare most horribly vnto whom one of the company not able to abyde suche blasphemous abhomination in gentle wordes sayd to hym that he should geue accompt for euery idle woorde The Gentleman takyng snuffe thereat Why quoth he takest thou thought for me Take thought for thy wyndyng sheete Well quoth the other amende for death geueth no warnyng as soone commeth a Lambes skinne to the market as an old Sheepes Gods woundes sayd he Care not thou for me ragyng styll after his swearing maner woorse and woorse in woordes tyll at length passyng on theyr iorney they came rydyng ouer a great Brydge which standeth ouer a peece of an arme of the Sea vpon which Brydge this
alwayes by his fayth sweareth all away So a swearer may be beleeued his care is neuer after to perfourme his fayth If a common swearer dyd beleeue in God yf he dyd hope to he comforted by hym yf he dyd thynke that God woulde punishe his perturie surely he would not without reuerence and feare he woulde not without vrgent cause in cases required take once the most blessed name of Gods maiestie in his mouth Nowe when he beleeueth not hym selfe that whiche he affirmeth vnto another who shal beleeue hym Why do we not say vnto common swearers why do you lye Or yf you speake trueth why doo you sweare If you doo beleeue in God why do you so dishonour the glory of his name If you do not beleeue in God why woulde you haue me to beleeue you when you sweare by that God in whom you your selfe do not beleeue Solomon in the case of two women contendyng for one chyld to crye where true natural loue rested made a countenance as though he would haue cut the child in peeces The wicked blood thirsty woman of whom the child had no nature or substance cried with aloude voyce deuide it deuide it The true mother in whom nature rested made her humble request Not so my Lorde let the chylde lyue and prosper let no violence be done vnto it In the auncient recordes of the Romanes it is remembred of an adultres hauing three sonnes that vppon her death bed she told her husband that of three boyes one only was his This father when he shoulde dye entreated earnestly his executours that they would do theyr diligence by al wisedome to trye whiche of the three was his naturall sonne vnto hym by Wil he bequeathed his whole lande The faythful and trustie Executours thus made experience where nature rested They tooke the dead corpes of the father and set it agaynst a tree vnto euery of the three children they deliuered a bow and an arrow they tolde them that theyr fathers wyll was doubtful and the diuision of the land was harde the best way was to try by happy hazard he that coulde shoote nearest the fathers hart should haue al. The two bastardes in whom rested no sparke of natural loue shot with good wyl the third with reuerence refused so fylthy a fact Whereby if he were perceyued to be the truesonne What bastardes shal we know them to be that shoote at euery part of Christes most blessed person Common swearers truely beare no naturall loue to GOD but teare him in peeces shoote at his hart lyke bastardes and crye with that Strumpet Deuide hym deuide him cut him in peeces Whereof sayth Agustine They synne no lesse that blaspheme Christ nowe raygnyng in heauen then they whiche crucified hym here vpon the earth Thine enimies O Lorde take thy name in vayne Remember this O Lorde howe the enimie hath rebuked And howe the foolishe people hath blasphemed thy name God shal wounde the head of his enimies the heary scalpe of suche a one as goeth on stil in his wickednes Powre out thine indignation O lord vpon the Heathen that haue not knowen thee vpon the kingdomes that haue not called vpon thy name As for the blasphemie wherwith our neighbours haue blasphemed thee reward thou them O Lorde seuen fold into their boosomes Make their faces ashamed O Lorde that they may seeke thy name Let al good Christians say with hart and voyce in woord and lyfe Blessed be the Lorde our GOD euen the Lorde GOD of Israel yea blessed be the name of his Maiestie for euermore They that in profession sometymes graunt this reuerence and honour vnto the Maiestie of Gods name and yet by the vnreuerent abuse of his name practyse the contrary are very welresembled vnto those Iewes that put vppon Christ a purple Robe platted a crowne of thornes vpon his head and put a Reede in his hand like a Septer mocking him in deede after the moste despytefull maner that they could deuyse but yet in woordes they saluted hym courteously and sayde Hayle king of the Iewes They are a lyke vnto those people whom the Lorde by his prophet Ieremi reprehended They say the Lord lyueth this is theyr spech in wordes they say so but examine theyr religion in deede they sweare falsly Gods name is not honored but dishalowed as much as in them lieth They take the Lordes name in testimonie that it is ful true when yet notwithstandyng it is ful false what greater dishonour can they do vnto the Lord Do they beleeue that God knoweth it not which were agaynst his omnipotencie or do they thynke that God wyl leaue so great a sinne vnpunished which were agaynst his promise The greatnesse of this sinne the Prophete thus describeth They haue made their faces harder then a stone Right terrible is that whiche GOD threatneth by Zacharie Behold a flying booke of xx cubites long and .x. cubites brode conteyning a curse of GOD agaynst theeues and swearers I wil bring this curse foorth sayth the Lord of Hostes it shall come foorth vpon the house of the theefe and vpon the house of the swearer that sweareth falsly by my name This curse shal remayne in the middest of their howses and shal consume them tymber stones and al. And this good counsayle from the Lord we haue by the wyse Kyng Solomon Let not thy mouth be accustomed with swearing for in it there are many falles Let not the namyng of GOD be continually in thy mouth For lyke as a seruant that is much beaten cannot be without some spots So he that sweareth and hath the name of GOD continually in his mouth cannot be free from sinne A man that vseth much swearing shal be fylled with iniquitie and the plague shal neuer go from his house He that sweareth in vayne shal not be founde righteous Much swearing bryngeth suche horrour that it maketh a mans heare to stande vpryght and the irreuerence thereof would make a man stoppe his eares Though the proud blaspheme and are scorneful yet vengance lurketh for them as a Lion. The woordes of the swearer bring death God graunt it be not founde in the house of Israel If there were in all the worlde no more faultes but this alone it were enough to prouoke more vengeance then the whole masse of mankynde were able to beare God graunt that England may once throughly be purged from this execrable cryme The Lorde hath promised that he shal be pronounced gyltie that taketh his name in vayne A greater threatnyng is not added vnto any of the commaundementes among them al but vaynely in vayne for euery vayne trifling matter as though GOD were of no power to reuenge as though he were woorthy of no woorshyp Fye fie it is to fylthy to to abhominable Woulde to GOD al kynges Queenes and Princes would with more earnestnesse tender chiefly Gods honour deepely consyder that they liue enioy theyr states and
kingdomes by Gods merciful ordinance and sufferaunce to this ende that aboue all thynges they shoulde promote the glory of his name Howe are they lulled a sleepe in the cradle of securitie in the drowstnesse of theyr owne transitorie glory yf they forget that which most specially concerneth Gods glory Me thinketh al Princes shoulde reckon all them that vnreuerently vse Gods name neuer lyke to afforde theyr persons any reuerence or true obedience They that feare not God wyl they care for man No truely who so keepeth of God neyther feare nor loue wyl easily breake his fayth to any Prince A woorthy obseruaunce it is that good Kinges here in Englande haue made right good and holsome lawes to Gods glory agaynst common swearing We haue good cause to hope that as GOD hath geuen vs a moste gracious Queene aunsweryng in any good Title to any other kyng that hath been in this Realme So in this case also it wyll please hym to woorke by her Grace and her Graces most honourable Counsell that they shall most specially excell exceede and goe beyonde al others in studious care and prouision for the reuerence and honour due vnto Gods most glorious name In this number of good kynges in this respect are to be remembred 1 Kyng Iue 2 Kyng Alfride 3 Kyng Edwarde 4 Kyng Edmonde whose lawe was that whosoeuer was once proued periured shoulde for euer be separated from Gods congregation And of â—awes made in his tyme for this and other matters looke the collections of M. William Lambert whiche were imprinted by Iohn Day Anno. 1568. 5 Kyng Henry the first for example to the whole Realme beginning at his owne house first ordeyned that within his owne Pallace yf any dyd sweare he shoulde forfayte to the vse of the poore for euery othe If he were A Duke xl s. A Lorde xx s. A Knight Squire or Gentleman .x. s. A Yoman .iii. s .iiii. d. A Page o Lackie to be scourged There be lawes for meaner matters more duely obserued GOD graunt that his honour may be most specially regarded Amen In Fraunce Kynges that holde theyr Crowne in Homage to the kynges of England haue made these lawes to this purpose Fyrst Ludouic Kyng of Fraunce ordeyned that al periurers and common swearers shoulde haue theyr lyppes seared with an hot burnyng iron and this punyshment he caused to be put in execution openly at Paris vpon a Citizen there Philip an other of the kynges of Fraunce constituted this general lawe that who so euer were he Gentle or simple yea though he were for byrth ryght noble in what place so euer it were though it were in a common Tauerne where many wyse men forget themselues if he blasphemed Gods name he should strayght way be drowned Maximilian the Emperour made this Law that whosoeuer was iustly reprehended as a vayne swearer shoulde leese and pay xiii s. iiii d. but if after his reprehension he woulde not both be sorowful for his sinne and willingly pay the sayde money he shoulde lose his head Philip an Earle of Flaunders for the precinct of his dominion decreed that who so euer forsware hym selfe shoulde loose both his goodes and his lyfe Iosephus counsayleth that the blasphemer shoulde be stoned and then hanged vp one whole day afterwarde beyng taken downe that he should be throwen into a holl or pyt without any solemnitie of buryal Iustinian the good Emperour vnto his Citizens of Constantinople counsayleth and commaundeth thus Whereas many in woordes and othes execrably abuse the most reuerend name of God whereby Gods heauie wrath is procured we exhort you that you abstayne from cursing and bannyng and from swearyng eyther by your head or by your heare or by any other othes For if iniuries done vnto man be not vnreuenged much more he that dishalloweth Gods name is woorthy of great punishment for such faultes truely both hunger and earthquakes and the plague of Pestilence falleth vppon vs We therefore gently exhort you that you abstayne from suche greeuous crimes If any wyl not be warned by this our Counsayle fyrst as he shal procure Gods displeasure so shal he be sure not to escape vnpunished for we haue geuen vnto our most worthy gouernour of this our royal Citie this earnest commaundement that he shal apprehend the offenders herein cause them to die the death least God hym selfe should punishe both this Citie and the whole Realme for leauyng so great faultes vnpunyshed The lawe of the Egiptians was that no swearyng shoulde be vsed but in lawfull causes If any were prooued periured he lost his head The Sithians had a Lawe lykewyse that whosoeuer was prooued periured should lose his head and he that made proofe thereof shoulde haue his goodes The Romans had a Lawe that who so euer was prooued periured he should be throwen downe from the high Rocke Tarpeius and therefore when they dyd sweare they helde a Stone in their hand and protested If I lye or sweare ought but trueth cast me downe the Hyll violently as I flyng this stone from me But to goe beyonde men The Lorde hymselfe hath made a Lawe He that blasphemeth the name of the Lorde shall dye for it al the multitude shal stone hym to death whether he be Citizen or Stranger yf he blaspheme the name of the Lord let him dye the death And this law God commaunded to be put in execution vpon the sonne of Salomith whiche was the daughter of Dibri where no doubt the Mothers name is remembred and the Grandmothers for their offence of yll education Lykewyse Iosue the Israelites made a faythful oth with the Gibeonites In the dayes of Saul that oth was broken which breache of fayth the Lorde punished with three yeeres continuall famine whiche famine was not taken away vntyl seuen of the sonnes or next of the kinred of Saul were hanged vp vnto the Lorde Lykewyse Mathathias whom the kyng of Babilon named Sedechias he contrary to his oth rebelled against the king of Babilon whiche periurie the Lorde thus punished Nabuchodonosor tooke Sedechias prisoner fyrst he flue his sonne in his owne sight after that he plucked out both his eyes he bounde him with Chaynes of Iron and caryed hym prisoner to Babilon where he kept hym in perpetual miserie What neede I remember that Troy and diuers other Cities were destroyed for periurie Eusebius telleth of three wicked disposed persoÌ„s that of mischiefe pretended agaynst Narcissus the good Bishop of Hierusalem layde vnto his charge an heauie haynous crime to make their false accusation the more probable they sware greeuously and desired GOD to shewe vengaunce vppon them on this wyse The fyrst wyshed to be destroyed with fyre yf it were not true The seconde wyshed to be consumed with a most greeuous sickenesse The thyrde to loose both his eyes Narcissus perceyuing their desperate intence vnto mischiefe and his weakenesse not able to resist three suche