followers and by his meaner servants he was dispoiled of Armour Vessels Apparel and all Princely furniture and his naked body left upon the floore his Funeral wholly neglected till one Harluins a poore countrey Knight undertook the carriage of his Corps to Caen in Normandy to Saint Stevens Church which this dead King had formerly founded At his entrance into Caen the Covent of Monks came forth to meet him but at the same instant there happened a great fire so that as his Corps before so now his Hearse was of all men forsaken every one running to quench the fire which done his body being at last carried to the Church and the Funeral Sermon ended and the stone Coffin set into the earth in the Chancel as the body was ready to be laid therein one Ascelinus Fitz-Arthur stood up and forbâ—de the burial alleadging that that very place was the floore of his fathers house which this dead Duke violently took from him to build this Church upon Therefore saith he I challenge this ground and in the Name of God forbid that the body of this dispoiler be covered in my earth so that they were enforced to compound with him for one hundred pounds But when the body came to be laid in the Tombe it proved too little for it so that being pressed the belly not bowelled brake and with an intolerable stench so annoyed the by-standers that all their Gums and spices â—uming in their Censers could not relieve them whereupon all with great amazement hasting away left the Monks only to shuffle up the burial which they did in haste and so gat them to their Cells Speeds Chron. William Rufus King of England as he was hunting in the new Forrest was by the glance of an arrow against a tree shot in the breast he hastily taking hold of so much of the arrow as stuck out of his body brake it off and with one only groane fell down and died whereupon most of his followers hasted away and those few which remained laid his body basely into a Colliers cart which being drawn with one silly lean beast in a very foul and filthy way the cart brake where lay the spectacle of wordly glory both pitifully goared and filthily bemired till being conveyed to Winchester he was buried under a plain Marble-stone Sp. Chron. page 449. Pithias pined away for lack of bread who formerly was able to entertain and feast Xerxes and his whole Army Bajazet the Great Turke being overcome and taken prisoner by Tamerlane was carried about in an Iron Cage and fed with scraps from Tamerlanes Table Sir Edward de Sancto Mauro commonly Seimor being advanced by King Edward the sixth was most powerfull honourable and loaden with titles being Duke of Summerset Earle of Hartford Vicount Beauchamp Baron Seimor Uncle to the King Governour of the King Protector of his Realmes Dominions and Subjects Leiutenant of all his Forces by Land and Sea Lord High Treasurer and Marshal of England Captaine of the Isles of Garnsey and Jarsey c. Yet this great man was suddenly overwhelmed and for a small crime and that upon a nice point subtilly devised and packed by his enemies was bereaved both of his dignities and life also Camb. Brit. p. 240. Henry Holland Duke of Exeter and Earle of Huntington who married the sister of King Edward the fourth was driven to such want that Philip Comines saith that he saw him runne on foot bare-legged after the Duke of Burgundies traine begging his bread for Gods sake concealing himselfe but afterwards being known what he was Burgundy gave him a small pension to maintaine his estate The Duke of Buckingham who had been a chief instrument of advancing Richard the third to the Crown and the chiefest man of power in the Kingdome falling into the displeasure of the King and forced to hide himselfe at a servants house of his called Humphrey Banister was betrayed by him and apprehended disguised like a poor countrey-man and digging in a grove near to Banisters house and being carried to Salisbury where the King was without arraignment or judgement there lost his head Speed Chron. page 927. Queen Elizabeth in the life of her sister Mary being kept prisoner at Woodstock chanced to see a maid milking of Kine in the Parke and singing merrily over her paile which struck this pensive prisoner into a deep meditation preferring the maides fortunes farre above her own heartily wishing that her selfe were a Milk-maide Sp. Chron. p. 1120. Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanitie Eccles. 1. 2. CHAP. LIII Examples of Gratitude Tanksgiving WHat we are to give thanks to God for For deliverances 2 Sam. 22. 50. 1 Chron. 16. 35. Ps. 35. 17 18. 18. 49. 30. 4 11 12. 105. 1 5. 106. 1. 107. 1. For willingnesse to do good 1 Chron. 29. 13 14. For wisdome Dan. 2. 23. For Gods grace to others Rom. 1. 8. 16. 4. 1 Cor. 1. 4. Phil. 1. 3 5. Eph. 1. 16. For deliverance from sinne Rom. 7. 25. 1 Cor. 15. 57. For the free passage of the Gospel 1 Thes. 2. 13. for being made able Ministers 1 Tim. 1. 12. For Christ. Luk. 2. 38. For health Luk. 17. 16. For food Acts 27. 35. For Gods Ministers deliverances 2 Cor. 1. 11. For blessing upon the Ministery 2 Cor. 2. 14. For Gods grace on others 2 Cor. 9. 15. For fitting us for Heaven Col. 1. 12. For all things Eph. 5. 20. 1 Thes. 5. 18. As all good comes from him Jam. 1. 17. So all praise is due to him Thanks also is due to men for kindnesse received by remembring it publishing it and remunerating it Scriptural Examples of thankfulnesse to God The Priests Ezra 3. 11. Moses Exod 15. Hannah 1 Sam. 2. 1 c. David 2 Sam. 22. Psal. 69. 30. 116. 17. Mary Luke 1. 46. Zachary Luke 1. 68. The Sheepherds Luke 2. 20. Simeon Luke 2. 28. The Leper Luke 17. 16. Paul Acts 27. 35. 1 Cor. 15. 57 2 Cor. 2. 14. Of thankfulnesse to man Ahashuerus to Mordicai Est. 6. 3. David to Abigail by marrying her for her good advice 1 Sam. 25. King of Sodom by proffering Abraham all the goods taken Gen. 14. Naaman to Elisha by proffering a reward for his clensing 2 Kin. 5. 15. One siphorus by Ministering unto Paul 2 Tim. 1. 16 17. Gaoler to Paul and Barnabas Acts 16. 33. and Lydia Acts 16. 15. Pharaoh by advancing Joseph Gen. 41. 39 c. and Paul by praying for him 2 Tim. 1. 16 17. Other Examples Darius Hystaspis whilst he was a Captaine under Cambyses seeing one Siloson to have a very curious vesture desired to buy it of him but Siloson told him that he was resolved not to sell but yet he would freely give it him afterwards Darius being King Siloson came to salute him and Danius remembring his former kindenesse entertained him curteously and told him that in consideration of that garment he would give him
he wandred as a vagabond without comfort without help without hope in a pitiful estate yet pitied of no man travelling under the unsupportable burthen of a restlesse conscience and at last died for grief Simps Pope Clement the sixth raised many horrible Wars against the Emperour Lewis of Bavaria and was the death of twenty thousand Frenchmen by the King of England At last he poisoned the Emperour But shortly after himself was by Gods just judgement stifled to death Pope Adrian the fourth a most proud person who was angry with the Emperour Frederick Barbarussa for holding his stirrup on the left side as he was walking with his Cardinals abroad a flie got into his throat and choaked him Simps Pope Alexander the third a proud and turbulent person having taken the Emperours son prisoner the father was faine to submit himself to the Pope who putting his foot upon the Emperours neck spake these words Thou shalt walk upon the Adder and the Basiliske and shalt tread down the Lion and Dragon The Emperour said Not to thee but to Peter To whom the Pope answered Both to me and to Peter Simps Pope Boniface the eighth was a most proud and turbulent man who took upon him to give and take away kingdomes at his pleasure He excommunicated Philip King of France and his posterity to the fourth generation for making a Decree that no money should be carried out of his Countrey to Rome but the King sent the steward of his house and a Noble man of Rome whom the Pope had driven out of his inheritance to publish his appeal to the next general Councel who seizing upon the Pope spoyled his treasures and set him upon a wanton Colt with his face towards the taile and so made him a ridiculous spectacle to all the people whereupon he fell into so cruel a frenzie that he eat his own hands and died miserably of whom it was said that he entered like a Fox reigned like a Lion and died like a dog Simps Pope Urbane the sixth was a most cruel and bloody man He caused one of his Cardinals which had displeased him to be slaine five others of them to be sowed up in Sacks and cast into the Sea three more of them in the presence of all the people to be knockt on the head and their bodies to be dried in an oven and carried in Chests about with him with their red hats set upon the same but shortly after as he was with much greedinesse gathering money he fell from his Mule and so bruised himself that he languished thereof for twenty seven dayes dying by degrees and so suffering the paines which he caused his Cardinals to endure Simps Pope Sixtus the fourth most unjustly vexed all Italy with warres and dissentions One of his own writers saith that amongst all the Bawds of these latter dayes that built brothell-houses this Pope surmounted them all who at Rome erected Stews of double abomination one of women the other of c. and allowed the whole family of the Cardinall of St. Lucy in the three hot moneths of Summer free leave to use Sodomitry He caused every whore to pay him a certain rate which yearly amounted to the summe of fourty thousand Duckets of whom these Epitaphs were made Sixte jaces tandem nostri discordia sceli Sâ—visti in superos nunc Acheronta move Sixte jaces tandèm deflent tua busta cinaedi Scortâ—que lenones â—lea vina Venus Another Gaude prisce Nero vincit te Crimine Sixtus Hîc scelus omne simul clauditur vitium Act. Mon. Pope Innocentius the fourth a bloody and turbulent man after many wicked and abominable prankes as he was in Naples a voice was heard in his Court Surge miser veni ad judicium Arise oh wretch and come to judgement and the day following he was found dead in his bed all black and blew as though he had been beaten with bats Simps Pope John the 22. told his friends that he knew by the position of the starres that he should live a long time in this world but very shortly after he was smothered to death by the sudden fall of a Chamber which he had newly built for his solace and pleasure Simps Pope Paul the second being an ignorant and illiterate person himselfe accounted all that were learned hereticks and thereupon exercised much cruelty against many learned and famous men Plat. Pope Alexander the sixth was endued with most filthy conditions void of sincerity truth faith and Religion was full of unquenchable covetousnesse unreasonable ambition more then barbarous cruelty and a burning desire of advancing his bastards whereof he had many He set benefices and promotions to sale He poisoned John Michael Cardinal of Venice at Rome for his gold and treasures In adulteries he was most filthy and abominable In Tyrannie most mercilesse In Magick most cunning and therefore execrable He poisoned his own father He committed incest with his own sister Lucretia He poisoned Zemes brother to Bajazet the great Turk being hired thereto by two hundred Duckets after he had sworne friendship to him He procured aide of the Turk against the King of France He caused the tongue and hands of Anthony Mancivel a learned and prudent man to be cut off for making an Oration in reproof of his wickednesse He never attempted any thing but he first consulted with the devil He was accustomed to poison any whom he disliked but at last through the mistake of his Butler had the poisoned wine which he had prepared for some of his Cardinals put into his own hand which he drinking off with horrible cries and groans died immediately Simps Guich Bembus Pope Anastasius the second who was a deadly enemy to all that were good as he was doing his secret businesse his bowels gushed out and so he died miserably Plat. Pope Benedict the eleventh when the Ambassadors of the Councel of Constance came to him laying his hand on his breast cried out Hîc est Arca Noae To which they tartly but truly replied In Noahs Arke there were few men but many beasts Act. Mon. Pope Leo the tenth admiring the huge masses of money which by his indulgences he had raked together said unto Cardinal Bembus most Atheistically Vide quantum haec fabula de Christo nobis profuit See what a deal of wealth we have gotten by this fable of Christ And when he lay upon his death-bed the same Cardinal rehearsing a text of Scripture to comfort him he replied Apage has nugas de Christo Away with these bawbles concerning Christ. Act. Mon. Pope Adrian the sixth before he was Pope taxed sharply many errors and abuses in the Court of Rome but having attained the Popedome when he was pressed to reforme them being in place and having power to do it answered When I was a childe I thought like a childe and spake like a childe but now I am a man I have put away childish things Act. Mon. Pope Julius the
second having raised a great Army against the French as he was going out of Rome with it he took his keys and threw them into the River Tibur saying That for as much as the keys of Saint Peter would not serve him to his purpose he would be take himselfe to the sword of Saint Paul Of which Pope it is observed that partly by warre partly by cursings he was the cause of the death of two hundred thousand Christians in the space of seven yeares Act. Mon. Pope Nicolas the first prohibited marriage to the Clergy saying That it was more honest to have to do with many women privately then openly to take one wife Insomuch that a Priest of Placâ—ntia being accused to have a wife and children was deprived of his benefice but proving the same woman to be wife to another man and but his Concubine he was restored againe Iohn the twenty fourth was accused before the Councel of Constance for heresie Simony murther poisonings cousenings Adulteries and Sodomy which being proved against him he was deposed and imprisoned whereupon through vexation and griefe he ended his wretched life A certain Cardinal in Rome much blamed a Painter for colouring the visages of Peter Paul too red to whom he tartly replied That he painted them so as blushing at the lives of those who stiled themselves their successors Pope Honorius the second sent one Iohn Cremensis his Legate into England to disswade the Clergy from marriage who having called a Convocation the Legate made a very accurate speech in the praise of a single life and how fit it was that Ministers should live sequestred from the cares of the world but the night following he himselfe was taken in the very act of adultery Mat. Paris Pope Iulius called for his Pork flesh which was forbidden him by his Physicians and said that he would have it Al despito de Dio in dispite of God And having appointed a cold Peacock to be reserved for him when he missed it the next meale he grew into a great rage and being requested not to be so angry for such a trifle he answered That if God was so angry for an Apple why might not he be as angry for his Peacock Act. Mon. Doctor Cranmer with the Earle of Wiltshire and some others being sent by King Henry the eighth to the Pope about his divorce from Queen Katherin when the day of hearing was come and the Pope sitting in his Pontificalibus put forth his foot to be kissed of the Ambassadors an unmannerly Spaniell of the Earles ran and caught his great Toe in his teeth so that the Ambassadors disdaining to kisse where the Dog had taken an assay let the Pope draw back his foot and so they lost the espicial favour offered unto them Speed Chron. 10. 12. Pope Paul the third when his sonne Farnesis had committed an unspeakable violence on the body of Cosmus Chaerius Bishop of Fanum and then poisoned him held himselfe sufficiently excused that he could say Haec vitia me non commonstratore didicit He never learned this of me Pope Pius Quintus spake thus of himselfe Cùm essem Religiosus sperabam bene de salute animae meae Cardinalis factus extimui Pontifex creatus penè despero When I was first in orders without any other Ecclesiastical dignity I had some good hope of my salvation when I became a Cardinal I had lesse since I was made a Pope least of all Corn. è Lapi Before the Pope is set in his chair and puts on his tripple Crown a piece of Towe or Wadd of straw is set on fire before him and one is appointed to say Sic transit gloria munda The glory of the world is but a blaze Also one day in the yeare the Popes Almoner rides before him casting abroad to the poor some pieces of brasse and lead profanely abusing that Scripture saying Silver and Gold have I none but such as I have I give unto you Pope Adrian the sixth having built a faire Colledge at Lovain caused this inscription to be written upon the gates thereof in letters of Gold Trajectum plantavit Lovanium rigavit Caesar dedit incrementum Utrecht planted me there he was born Lovaine watered me there he was bred up in learning and Caefar gave the encrease for the Emperour had preferred him One to meet with his folly and forgetfulnesse wrote underneath Hic Deus nihil fecit Here God did nothing The Popes have a book called Taxa Camerae Apostolicae wherein men may know the rate of any sinne upon what termes a man may keep a whore be a Sodomite murther his father c. When the Emperour Henry the seventh having pacified Germany went into Italy to reforme the many and great abuses there A certain Monk to gratifie the Pope mixed poison with the bread of the Eucharist and gave it him whereof he died Simps Ec. Hist. King John of England having broken with the Pope was afterwards no good friend to him and his clergy especially to their loose and licentious lives whereupon as the King in his progresse rested himself for two dayes at Swinstead-Abby not far from Lincolne a Monk of that house went to his Abbat and told him that he had a purpose to poison the King saying It 's better that one man should die then that all the people should perish The Abbat wept for joy and absolved the Monk from all his sinnes Then did this varlot mixe the poison of a filthy toade with a cup of excellent wine and brought it to the King saying My Liege here is such a cup of wine as you never drank a better in all your life I trust this wassail shall make all England glad and therewithal began a good draught to him and the King pledging him shortly after died Anno Christi 1605. when the powder-plot was in agitation Catesby one of the Plotters repaired to Garnet a Popish Priest with this case of conscience Whether it was lawful in some cases to destroy the innocent with the wicked This good father so soon as he perceived the conspirators to be in good earnest peremptorily resolved that without all doubt it was when the good coming by it might make compensation for the losse of their lives Pope John the twenty third calling a Councel at Rome against the godly Christians in Bohemia when the Councel was set the Masse of the holy Ghost sung and the Pope placed in his chair there came flying in amongst them an ugly Owle with an ill-fauoured hooting and set her self upon a crosse beam just over against the Pope casting her staring eyes upon him whereupon the whole company began to marvel and whispering each to other said Behold the Spirit is come in the likenesse of an Owle The Pope himself blushed at the matter and began to sweat fret and fume and so being in great distraction dissolved the Councel for the present yet afterwards calling another Sessions when they were met in
he would take them by the hand and tell them that perhaps his wife which sate in a roome by could perswade them more effectually unto whom he would lead them When they approached the Image would rise up open her armes and imbrace them which armes and her breasts also were full of sharpe â—ron nailes wherewith she griped the poore wretch till she had killed him and then the Tyrant seised on his goods Philip King of Spaine out of an unnaturall and bloody zeale suffered his eldest son Charles to be murthered by the cruell Inquisition because he favoured the Protestants Religion which when the Pope heard of he abused that Scripture He spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us Act. and Mon. Mahomet the great a most cruell and mercilesse Tyrant is said in his life-time to have been the cause of the death of eight hundred thousand men Turk Hist. Fernesius as he was going out of Italy towards Germany made this feral and bloody boast That he would make his horse swim in the blood of the German Lutherans A Frier Augustine of Antwerp openly in the Pulpit whilst he was preaching to the people wished that Luther was there that he might bite out his throat with his teeth and said that so doing he would nothing doubt to resort to the Altar with the same bloody teeth and receive the body of Christ. Eras. Epist. Tarquinius Superbius entering the Senate-house in Rome in royall Ornaments laid claime to the Kingdome but was opposed by his father-in-Law Servius whereupon he wounded him and forced him to depart which Tullia Tarquins wife hearing of came to the Senate-house and saluted her husband King causing him to send some after her father Servius who killed him leaving his body in so narrow a street that when Tullia returned that way the Charioter stayed lest he should drive over the the corps but she threw the seat of the Chariot at his head and forced him to drive over her fathers body since which time that street hath been called the wicked street Dioâ— Solyman the great Turk having obtained a victory against the Germans finding amongst the Captives a Bavarian Souldier of an exceeding high stature delivered him to a little dwarfe to be slaine whose head was scarce so high as the others knees that goodly tall man was mangled about the legs a long time by the apâ—sh dwarf with his little Scimeter till falling down with many feeble blowes he was at length slaine the Prince beholding it with great sport Turk Hist. p. â—09 The Spaniards when they had taken Heidelberg in the Palatinate took an ancient Minister a man of God called Monsieur Mileus and having abused his daughter before his face they tied a small cord about his head which with their truncheons they twisted about till they had squeezed out his braines Looking-glasse of the holy war In the reign of Saint Edward King of England two Earles that were brethren Harrould and Tosto fell out in the Kings Court at Windsor from words falling to blowes and Tosto having the worst secretly hied him to the Marches of Wales to his brother Harroulds house which was then in preparing to entertaine the King where he slew all his brothers servants and cutting them peece meale into gobbets salted some of their limbs and cast the rest into vessels of Meath and wine sending his brother word that he had furnished him with poudered meats against the Kings coming thither but this barbarous act caused his name to be so odious amongst his Northumbrians where he was Earle that at last it was repayed with his own death Speeds Chron. pag. 402. A rich Merchant in Paris jesting at the Franciscan Fiers was by their meanes apprehended accused and condemned to be hanged but he thinking to save his life made a publick and solemne recantation which when the Friers were informed of they commended him saying That if he so continued he should undoubtedly be saved and withall called upon the officers to haste him to the Gallows to hang him whilest he was in so good a minde which was accordingly done Act. Mon. In the persecution of the Saints of God in Calabria Anno 1560. fourscore godly persons being all thrust up in one house together like sheep for the slaughter the executioner comes in and taking forth one blindefolds him with a mufler about his eyes and so leades him forth to a large place where coâ—…ding him to kneele down he cuts his threat and so leaving him halfe dead and taking his Butchers knife and mufler all goare blood comes back to the râ—â—t and so leading them forth one after another he dispatched them all All the elder went to the slaughter more cheerfully the younger more timerously I tremble and quake saith a Romane Catholick out of whose letter to his Lord this is transcribed even to remember how the executioner held his bloody knife between his teeth with the bloody mufler in his hand and his armes all goare blood up to the elbowes going to the fold and taking every one of them one after another by the hand and so dispatching them all no otherwise then a Butcher doth his Calves or Sheep In the Spanish Inquisition if any Protestant be secretly conveyed into it they bring him not unto a legal trial but make him away secretly For as Hoffeus the Jesuite was wont to brag they hold it a good peece of Piety instantly to condemne him to the fire Ut anima ejus in curru igneo ad inferos trahatur that his soul might forthwith be carried to hell in a fiery Chariot The poore Spaniards are kept in such aw by the Lords Inquisitors that one of those Inquisitors desiring to eat some peares that grew in a poor mans Orchard not farre from him sent for the man to come and speak with him This message put the poore man into such a fright that he fell sick and kept his bed But being informed that his peares were the cause of his sending for he caused his tree to be cut down and withall the peares on it to be sent to the Inquisitor and being afterwards by him demanded the reason of that unhusbandly action he protested that he would not keep that thing about him which should give an occasion to aâ—…f their Lordships to send for him any more The Numantines being assaulted by the Romanes made solemne vowes amongst themselves no day to break their fast but with the flesh of a Romane nor to drink before they had tasted the blood of an enemy Guevara Ep. In the Massacre of Paris which was the most abhorred prodigious villainy that ever the Sunne saw till the late Irish rebellion there were murthered in divers places of France threescore thousand Protestants so that the streets ran with blood and Rivers were died red with the same Besides there were three hundred faithful servants of Christ burnt to ashes in that Kingdom within lesse then five yeares space and in their late
reason of it answered There is no need of them when we may live more sparingly Eus. Lib. 8 Apoth Cn Martius a young noble man of â—ome having by his valour won the strong â—â—y of Câ—râ—â—lus from the Volsci Post Cominius the Romane Coâ—â—ull proffered to him for a reward an hundred acres of land his choice amongst the Câ—â—tives divers horses bravely traped an hundred oxen and as much silver as he could stand under amongst all these large proffers he onely chose the horse that he served on and to beg the life of one of the Captives rejecting all other rewards Val. Max. Marcus Curius was famons amongst the Romanes for his fâ—ugality and valour when Ambassadours came to him from the Samnites they found him sitting in a Countrey-house upon a stoole by the fire and supping upon short Commons out of a woden platter he contemning their riches and thy wondring at his poverty and when they brought him a great sum of gold â—ntreating him to accept favourably of it he smilingly answered You are very superfluous I will not say foolish Ambassadors Tell the Samnites that I had rather rule over rich men then be rich my self and carrie back that precious but ill provided gift and remember that I can neither be overcome in battell nor corrupted with bribes Val. Max. The same man when he had driven King Pyrrhus out of Italy and thereupon the Senate had allotted him a great deal of land refused it neither would he have any of the spoiles which were so great as enriched both the Army and whole City of Rome Ibid. His saying was that he was very rich without money and had company enough without a great family because he accounted himselfe rich not because he possessed much but because he desired little Idem Alexander M. travelling through some deserts in Persia himselfe and his army were in great straits for want of water and one of the Souldiers having two sons ready to die with thirst sought up and down and at last found a little water with which he filled a leather bottell and so was running with it to his sons but by the way meeting Alexander he filled out the water in a dish and proffered it to him Alexander asked him whither he was carrying it The man told him to his sons that were ready to die with thirst But said he Pray you Sir do you drink it for if my sons die I can get more but if you die we shall not have such another King Alexandor hearing this gave him the water again and bad him carrie it to his sons At another time being in the like strait in the deserts of Arabia some of his souldiers seeking about found some muddy water wherewith one of them filling his helmet ran with it to Alexander who took it and thanked him for his diligence but poured the water upon the ground though he was exceeding thirsty saying If I alone should drink it would make my souldiers languish and accordingly they seeing his abstinence encouraged themselves by his example and marched forward Q. Cur. Wo unto you that are full now for you shall hunger Luk. 6. 25. CHAP. VIII Examples of drunkennesse THe sinne of Drunkennesse is a bewitching sinne Hos. 4. 11. It steales away the heart from God and all goodnesse It is an old sinne it began presently after the Flood It is a malignant sinne it drownes the braine wastes the time consumes the estate and fills the body with as many diseases as hath an horse It is an Epidemical sinne that hath almost drowned the whole world with another deluge In these moderne times it began in Germany whence grew that proverbe Germani possunt cunctos tolerare labores O utinam possint tam bene ferre sitim The Germans can all labours undergo Would they as well could bear their thirst also But since it hath infected all Europe It is grown into fashion to quaffe soul-sick healths till they make themselves like Swine and worse then beasts whence one gives us this excellent rule Unasalus sanis nullam potare salutem Non est in pota verasalute salus The odiousnesse and danger of this sinne may farther appear to us by these following Scriptures and Examples Dangerous Prov. 23. 29 â— 31. 4. Deut. 21. 20. Prov. 20. 1. Hos. 4. 11. Nah. 1. 10. 1 Cor. 11. 21. Threatened Esa. 5. 11 22. Amos 6. 6. Prov. 23. 2â— Esa. 28. 1 3. Joel 1. 5. 1 Cor. 6. 10. Forbidden 1 Cor. 5. 11. Luke 21. 34. Ephes. 5. 18. Hab. 2. 15. Mat. 24. 49. Luke 12. 45. Rom. 13. 13. Staggering is a signe of a drunkard Job 12. 25. Psal. 107. 27. Esa. 19. 24. And trembling of the body Jer. 23. 9. And vomiting Jer. 25. 27. It 's a shameful sin 1 Thes. 5. 7. A work of the flesh Gal. 5. 21. Esa. 28. 7. Scriptural Examples Lot Gen. 19. 32. c. Noah Gen. 9. 21. Amalekites 1 Sam. 30. 16. Amnon 2 Sam. 13. 28. Benhadad 1 King 20. 12. Elah 1 King 16. 9. David made Uriah drunk 2 Sam. 11. 13. Belshazer Dan. 5. 2. Nabal 1 Sam. 25. 36. Other examples Whilest the Gaules besieged the Romane Capitol they sent out a great party to sack the countrey thereabouts who being loaden with spoile were returning towards Rome and at night being full of wine they laid them down to sleep not fearing any enemy at which time Camillus with his men came upon them all his souldies giving a mighty shout yet could the Gaules hardly be awakened they were so deadly drunk so that they were easily all of them slain either upon the place or by the horsmen in the pursuit Plut. The Tuscans besieging Sutrium a City that was confederate with Rome Camillus marched privately with his Army against them and coming upon them found the Tuscans secure eating and drinking themselves drunken by which meanes he â—lew most of them without resistance and thereby freed the City from danger Plut. Many Dutchmen in Joppa drinking themselves drunk upon Saint Martins day their Arch-Saint the Turks came in suddenly upon them and cut every ones throat to the number of twenty thousand and indeed they were quickly stabbed with the sword who were cup-shot before Ful. Holy War Edgar King of England perceiving that his people had learned of the Danes many of which were in this land at that time to drink excessively whereupon ensued much drunkennesse together with many other vices he ordained certain wooden Cups with pins or nailes â—et in them to be commonly used making also a Law that whosoever drank past that marke at one draught should forfeit a summe of money one part to the Informer and the other to the Judge or chief Officer Sp. Chron. AEschines commending Philip King of Macedon for a Jovial man that would drink freely Demost henes answered That this was a good quality in a spunge but not in a King Plut. in vit Demost. Alexander the Great having taken Persepolis wherein was a
to marry her but before night he cut off his head and gave her all his possessions Anno Christi 1056. A certain Advocate in Constance extreamly lusted after the wife of the Kings Procurator which Procuratour finding the Advocate and his wife sporting together in a Bath and afterwards in an old womans house hard by he gat him a sharp curry-comb and leaving three men at the doore to see that none should come in he so curried the Advocate that he tore out his eyes and so rent his whole body that he died within three dayes The like he would have done to his wife but that she was with childe In Germany a Gentleman of note solicited a Citizens wife to uncleannesse which her husband being informed of watched them so narrowly that finding them in bed together he first slew the adulterer and then his own wife Luther's Col. Mary of Arragon wife to the Emperour Otho the third was so unchast and lascivious a woman that she could never satisfie her lust carrying about her a young lecher in womans clothes with whom she daily committed filthinesse but this fellow being at last suspected was in the presence of many untired and found to be a man for which he was burnt to death yet did the Emperesse continue in her filthy course falling in love with the Count of Mutina a gallant young Gentleman and because she could not draw him to her lure she accused him to the Emperour for attempting to ravish her whereupon the Emperour caused his head to be cut off But by the meanes of his wife this wickednesse was discovered to the Emperour who enquiring more narrowly into the bufinesse found out his wives wickednesse and for the same caused her to be burnt at a stake Rodoaldus the eighth King of Lombardy being taken in adultery was by the husband of the adulteresse immediately slaine P. Melan. Chron. A Noble man in Thuringia being taken in adultery the husband of the adulteresse took him bound him hand and foot and cast him into prison and to quench his lust he kept him fasting and the more to augment his paine he daily set dishes of hot meat before him that the sight and smell might the more provoke his appetite In this torture the Lecher continued till he gnawed off the flesh from his own shoulders and so the eleventh day after his imprisonment ended his wretched life Luther Sergus a King of Scotland was so addicted to harlots that he neglected his own wife and drave her to such poverty that she was faine to serve another Noble-woman for her living whereupon watching her opportunity she slew her husband in his bed and her self after it Lang. Chron. Kenulphus King of the West-Saxons as he usually frequented the company of a whore that he kept at Merton was slaine by Clito the kinsman of the late King called Sigebert In the County of Fermanah in Ireland is a famous Meere called Logh-Erne stretching out fourty miles concerning which it's a common speech amongst the inhabitants that this Lake was formerly firme ground passing well husbanded with tillage and replenished with inhabitants But suddenly for their abominable Buggery committed with beasts it was overflowed with waters and turned into a Lake Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 106. Attalus who was one of Philip King of Macedonia's Courtiers Favourites Sodomitically defiled one Pausanias a Noble young man and not content therewith at a drunken feast he exposed him to be defiled by his guests also This indignity did so exasperate Pausanias that he complained to King Philip of the wrong who entertained him with scoffs and scornes in stead of punishing the offender Pausanias seeing this was so enraged against the King that on a day when he made a great feast for the Coronation of his son Alexander King of Epyrus and for the marriage of his daughter Cleopatra Pausanius watching his opportunity slew him thereby turning their melody into mourning and their joy into sorrow Diod. Sic. Nero the Emperour kept many Catamites and amongst the rest he caused the genitals of a boy called Sporus to be cut off and endeavoured to transforme him into a woman and causing him to be dressed like a woman he was solemnly married to him whereupon one said merrily That it had been well for the world if his father Domitian had had such a wife Pez Mel. Hist. Anno Christi 1120. Henry the first being King of England his two sonnes William and Richard with many Noble men Knights others coming out of Normandy towards England were shipwracked by the way and drowned all or most of them being polluted with the filthy sinne of Sodomy too rife in those dayes Henry Huntington Let not thine heart decline to the wayes of an whorish woman go not a stray in her paths For she hath cast down many wounded yea many strong men have been slaine by her Her house is the way to hell going down to the Chambers of death Prov. 7. 25 26 27. CHAP. XI Examples of Chastity and Modesty THe way to heaven is up the hill all the way and the uncleane adulterer with his rotten Lungs and wasted Loines cannot climbe up it Virgins which are not defiled with women are they which follow the Lambe in white whithersoever he goes The frequency of the sinne of uncleannesse amongst Christians brings dishonour to God scandal to their profession and a wound to their own souls and many of the Heathen will rise up in judgement in the last day against such as these following Examples will more fully declare Chastity Commended Mat. 19. 12. 1 Thes. 4. 4. 1 Pet. 3. 2. 1 Cor. 7. 37. 1 Tim. 2. 9. Commanded Tit. 2. 5. 1 Pet. 3. 3 c. Scriptural Examples Isaac Gen. 25. 20. Joseph Gen. 39. 8 12. Boaz Ruth 3. 13. Job chap. 31. 1. Tamar 2 Sam. 13. 12. Other Examples Pericles the Athenian being made Admiral of the Athenian Fleet together with Sophocles who was joyned in the commission with him as they were going towards the haven they met a beautiful young boy whom Sophocles earnestly beholding highly commended his beauty to whom Pericles answered Sophocles a Governour must not onely have his hands but also his eyes chaste and clean Plut. Agesilaus King of Sparta was a great lover of chastity and as he was a great conquerer of others so also he conquerred his own lusts In his journey he would never lodge in private houses where he might have the company of women but ever lodged either in the Temples or in the open fields making all men the witnesses of his modesty and chastity Plut. Alexander M. being in the heat of youth shewed an admirable example of chastity when having taken the mother wives and daughters of Darius which were women of admirable beauty yet he neither by word or deed proffered them the least indignity thinking it a greater honour to overcome himself then his adversaries and when he looked upon other captive Ladies that excelled in stature and beauty
that Sirname was so bountiful to the poore that Queen Elizabeth would merrily complaine of him that he made all the beggars and sure it 's more honourable for Noblemen to make beggars by their liberality then by their oppression Holy State p. 297. Holy Mr. Bradford in a hard time solde his chaines rings and jewels to relieve those that were in want Act. Mon. George Wisehart a Scottish Martyr forbore one meal in three one day in four that he might have wherewithal to relieve the poor He lay also hard upon straw with new course canvas sheets which when ever he changed he gave away to the poor See his Life in my General Martyrology Giles of Bruxels Martyr gave to the poore all that he had that necessity could spare and lived by his trade which was of a Cutler some he refreshed with meat some with clothing some with shooes other with housholdstuffe A poor woman being delivered and wanting a bed to lie on he brought her his own bed contenting himselfe to lie on the straw Dr. Taylour Martyr used at least once in a fourtnight to call upon Sir Henry Doile and others of the rich Clothiers in his Parish to go with him to the Almes house and there to see how the poore lived what they lacked in meat drink apparel bedding or other necessaries ministering to them himself according to his power and causing his rich neighbours to do the like See his life in my first Part. Cimon a chiefe magistate amongst the Athenians went alwayes attended with many young men that were his friends to whom as he met with any poor men he commanded either to give them money or else to change garments with them Whence Gorgias Leontinus used to say That Cimon so possessed his riches as one that knew how to use them For saith he the true use of riches is so to imploy them as may be for the owners honour Plut. He used also to entertain the poore at his table to cloath poor aged persons and by throwing down the enclosures of his lands he gave them leave freely to take of the fruits thereof Plut. Nerva the Romane Emperour though a heathen was very charitable to many who were unjustly dispossessed by Domitian he restored their goods and possessions he caused the sonnes of poor men to be educated at his charges To poor Citizens whom he knew to be in want he gave possessions which he purchased with his own money Dion King Henry the second of England sirnamed Beauclerk was very charitable and merciful to the poor And Anno Christi 1176. in a great dearth in his countreys of Anjou and Maine he fed every day with sufficient sustenance ten thousand persons from the beginning of April till the time that new corne was inned and whatsoever was laid up in his Granaries and storehouses he imployed the same for the reliefe of Religious and poore people Petrus Blesensis King Edward the sixth was as truly charitable in granting Bridewel for the punishment of sturdy Rogues as in giving Saint Thomas hospital for the relief of the poore Mr. Fox never denied to give to any one that asked for Jesus sake and being asked whether he knew a poore man that had received succour of him answered I remember him well I tell you I forget Lords and Ladies to remember such See his life in my first Part. Mr. Hooper Bishop of Worcester used every day at dinner to have a certaine number of the poore of the City by course where they were served by four at a Messe with whole and wholesome meat before himselfe would go to dinner See his Life in my first Part. Amedeus Duke of Savoy being asked by certain Ambassadours whether he had any hunting Dogs to shew them told them they should see them the next day and getting together many poor people he set them with him at his own Table on the morrow and said to the Ambassadours These be the Dogs that I keep daily and with which I use to hunt after heaven Queen Anne Bullen ever used to carry a little purse about her for the poore thinking no day well spent wherein some had not fared the better at her hand She kept her maides and such as were about her so imployed in working and sowing garments for the poore that neither was there seen any idlenesse amongst them nor any leasure to follow foolish pastimes Paulinus Bishop of Nola having consumed all his estate in Redeeming of poor Christian Captives at the length having nothing left paâ—â—ed himself for a certaine Christian widows sonnâ—… the Barbarians moved with his goodnesse and charity returned him home and many captives with him freely Paul Diac. The young Lord Harrington gave the tenth of his allowance which was one thousand pounds per annum during his minority to the poor and other good uses besides what he gave in the way as he walked which was often and much See his life in my second Part. Mr Whateley the late painful and powerful Preacher of Gods Word at Banbury for the space of many years together set apart the tenth part of his Revenues both Ecclesiastical and Temporal which he used to give to the poor See his Life in my first Part. It it storied of Stephen King of Hungary and of Oswald King of England that their right hands though dead yet never putrified because they were often ex-excised in relieving the wants of the poor Beda Hist. Ang. A certain good Bishop of Millaine journeying with his Servant was met by some poor people who begged something of him He commanded his man to give them all that little money that he had which was three Crowns the Servant gave onely two reserving the other for their own expences at night Soone after certaine Nobles meeting the Bishop and knowing him to be a good man and bountiful to the poor commanded two hundred Crowns to be delivered to the Bishops Servant for his Masters use The man having the money ran with great joy and told his Master Ah said the Bishop what wrong hast thou done both me and thy self Si enim tres dedisses trecentos accepisses If thou hadst given those three Crowns as I appointed thee thou hadst received three hundred â—â—lanc apud Job Manlium in loc com p. 360. Our General Norris never thought that he had that thing that he did not give The Emperour Tiberius the second being a valiant godly and liberal Prince the more bountiful that he was to the poor the more his riches encreased so that he had such quantities of gold silver and precious things as none of his Predecessors attained the like Plat. Titus Vespasianus though an Heathen yet was eminent for justice liberality and the love of all He was a great enemy to Promoters Petty-foggers and Extorters of penal Laws which Canker-worms of Common-wealths and Caterpillars of Courts of Justice he caused to be whipped and banished out of Rome Merciful he was to the poor and so ready to
persons in so little a time Plut. Daemaratus the Lacedemonian being at the King of Persia's Court and in favour with him the King bid him ask what he would of him Daemaratus desired him to give him leave to go up and down the City of Sardis with his Royal hat on his head as the Kings of Persia used But Mithropaustes the Kings cozen taking him by the hand said If the King should grant thy request the hat on thy head would cover but a little wit Plut. Camillus the Romane General having after ten years siege taken the strong and rich City of Veia grew very proud upon his successe and was more puffed up by reason of the praises of the people so that he rode through Rome in a triumphant Chariot drawn by four white horses which was judged a solemnity only meet for the father and chief of the gods Plut. Some Germane Ambassadours coming to Alexander M. to make peace with him he seeing them to be men of such great bodies asked them What it was that the Germanes stood in most fear of supposing that they would have said of him But they answered that the onely thing that they feared was lest the heavens should fall upon their heads Diod. Sic. Darius King of Persia hearing that Alexander M. was come over into Asia with an Army to make a conquest of it wrote to his Lieutenants wherein he stiled himself King of kings and Kinseman to the gods calling Alexander his slave and commanding them to take that Grecian boy and whip him with rods and to put a purple garment upon him and send him in chaines to him and then to drown all his ships and mariners and to transport all his souldiers beyond the red-sea Diod. Sic. Q. Curtius Alexander M. going out of Egypt to the Temple of Jupiter Hammon at his coming thither the Priest being suborned thereunto saluted him as the son of Jupiter which so puffed him up with pride that he commanded himself to be worshipped with divine honours and to be called Jupiters son Q. Cur. Darius King of Persia being overcome in a second battel by Alexander M. sent Ambassadours to him wherin he gave him thanks for his courtesie to his mother wives and children proffered him the greatest part of his dominions if he would marry his daughter and one thousand Talents for the ransome of the other Captives Parmenio told Alexander that if he were Alexander he would accept of those termes And I said Alexander if I were Parmenio would rather have the money then glory But now said he I am secure from poverty and must remember that I am a King and not a Merchant and so he returned this proud answer Tell faith he Darius that it 's superfluous to returne thanks to his enemy and wherein I have dealt mildly and liberally with his family it proceeds from my good nature and not to curry favour with him I would do what he desires if he would be my inferiour but not if he would be my equal for as the world cannot have two Suns neither can it containe two Emperors therfore let him either yield up himself to me to day or expect the fortune of Warre to morrow Q. Cur. Plut. See the example of S. Tullius in Parricide John Cappadox Bishop of Constantinople and John sirnamed Jeninator out of their ambition obtained that they should be stiled vniversal Bishops which Gregory the Great earnestly opposed Theat vitae hum Julius Caesar earnestly affecting the office of High Priest wherein he had Quintus Catulus a worthy man for his competitour said unto his mother when they were going to the choice O mother this day you shall have your son either High Priest or an exile Plut. Pompey the Great being sent with a great Navy against the Pirats and hearing that Metellus Praetor of Crete had begun the Warre against them he with his Navy assisted them against Metullus so ambitious he was that he would endure no competitour in conquering those Pirates Fulgos. Lib. 8. Phidias that made a curious shield for Minerva was so ambitiously desirous of glory thereby that he so wrought in his own name that it could not be defaced without spoiling the shield Val. Max. Themistocles was so ambitious of honour as that he could not sleep in the night and being asked the reason of it he answered Because the Trophies of Miltiades run so in my head that they will not suffer me to rest And being asked in the Theater whose voice pleased him best he answered Of them that most sing my praise Plut. Cicero Alexander the Great when he was young hearing his Master Democritus affirming that there were many worlds cried out Heu me miserum quod ne uno quidem adhuc potitus sum Wo is me that have not yet gotten the dominion of one of them Val. Max. Xerxes having made a bridge of boats over the Helespont for the transportation of his huge Army out of Asia into Europe there arose a great tempest which brake his bridge in sunder wherewith he was so enraged that he caused his men to give the sea three hundred stripes and to throw fetters into it to binde it to its good behaviour his officers performing his command cried O unruly water thy Lord hath appointed thee this punishment for that thou hast wronged him that deserved it not from thee but whether thou wilt or no he is resolved to passe over thee Herod Themistocles was exceeding ambitious of popular applause and for that end he gat all the names of the Citizens of Athens by heart that when he met them he might salute them by name And after his great victories against the Persians he went to the Oympick Games where all the people gave over beholding the sports that they might look upon him which so pleased his ambitious humour that he said to his friends That now he reaped the fruit of all the dangers and labours that he had gone throw for the safety of Greece Also after the great overthrow given to the Persians by sea he with one of his friends walking by the sea-side and seeing many dead bodies cast up he shewed his friend the bracelets and chaines of gold which they had upon them saying to him Ea tibi accipe tu enim non es Themistocles Take thou those things for thou art not Themistocles Plut. Pericles the Athenian a little before his death in an oration which he made to the people tolde them that he was second to none in knowing and speaking those things which were necessary to be known and spoken and that he so loved his countrey that he would never suffer himself to be corrupted with money to speak or do any thing to the prejudice of it Plut. King Henry the second of England AnnoChristi 1170. in his life-time caused his son young Henry to be crowned King and on his Coronation-day for honours sake placed the first dish upon the table himself Whereupon the Arch-bishop of York
them a great reward and presently brake all the vessels in pieces and being asked the reason of it he answered Because knowing that I am soon angry I may prevent being angry with those that might hereafter break them Eras. Lib. 5. Adag Alexander Magnus being of a cholerick disposition obscured three of his greatest victories with the death of three of his friends causing Lysimachus to be cast to a Lion Clitus to be slaine with a speare and Calisthenes to be put to death Theat vitae hum King Perses being overcome by Paulus AEmilius grew into such a passion that he slew two of his Nobles which came to comfort him which so provoked the rest that they all forsooke him Theat vitae hum L. Sylla who in his anger had spilt the blood of many at last in his fury raging and crying out against one that had broken promise with him thereby brake a veine within him vomiting out his blood soul and anger together Val. Max. lib. 9. Amilcar the Carthaginian did so extreamly hate the Romanes that having four sons he used to say that he bred up those foure Lions whelps for the destruction of the Romane Empire Probus in vita Semiramis as she was dressing her head newes being brought that Babylon rebelled against her she was so incensed that in that habit her haire halfe tied up and half hanging loose she hastened to reduce it and never dressed up her head till she had subdued that great City Polyb. Tomyris Queen of Scythia having overcome and taken Cyrus King of Persia caused his head to be cut off and thrown into a bowle of blood bidding him to drink his fill for that he had so much thirsted after blood and had slaine her sonne in the Warres Val. Max. Lysander the Lacedemonian was noted to be of such an implacable disposition tbat nothing could appease his malice but the death of the person with whom he was angry whereupon it grew to a proverb That Greece could not bear two Lysanders Pez Mel. Hist. Alexander M in a drunken feast that he made after his conquest of Persia began to boast of his great victories and atchievments to the distaste of his own Captaines insomuch as one of them called Clitus speaking to another said He boasts of those victories which were purchased with other mens blood Alexander suspecting that he spake against him asked what he said and when all were silent Clitus spake of the great victories which Philip his father had gotten in Greece preferring them before these which so incensed Alexander that he bade him be gone out of his presence and when Clitus hastened not but multiplied words the King rose up in a great fury and snatching a lance out of his Squires hand therewith he thrust Clitus thorow and killed him This Clitus had formerly saved the Kings life in the battel against Darius He was an old souldier of King Philips and had performed many excellent exploits Besides his mother had nursed Alexander and he was brought up with him as his foster-brother So that Alexander when the heat of his anger was over was so enraged against himselfe for this murther that he was about with the same lance to have murthered himself if he had not been violently restrained by his servants Q. Cur. Caius Caligula was of a most malicious disposition for which end he kept two books which he called his sword and dagger wherein he wrote the names of all such as he had appointed to death He had such a chest of all sorts of the most exquisite poisons that when afterwards it was thrown into the sea by his successor Claudius it poisoned a great multitude of fishes Sueto Amilcar the Carthaginian at what time he did sacrifice being ready to take his journey into Spaine called his young son Hannibal being then but nine years old and caused him to lay his hand upon the Altar and to sweare that being come to mans estate he should pursue the Romanes with immortal hatred and work them all the mischief that possibly he could Sir W. Raw. King Edward the first of England going against Bruce King of Scotland caused his eldest sonne and all his Nobles to swear that if he died in his journey they should carry his corps about Scotland with them and not suffer it to be interred till they had vanquished the Scots and subdued the whole Kingdom Sed ira mortalium debet esse mortalis saith Lactantius Darius being offended with the Athenians for assisting his enemies he called for a bowe wherewith he shot up an arrow towards heaven saying O Jupiter grant that I may be revenged upon the Athenians He appointed also one of his servants every night when he was at supper to say to him Here memento Atheniensium Master remember the Athenians Pez Mel. Hist. Camillus a Noble Romane after many great services done for the Common-wealth was at the instigation of a wicked detractor condemned by the common people to pay a greater summe of money then he was able But he scorning such an open shame resolved to go into voluntary exile and so taking leave of his wife children and friends he went out of the City-gate but then turning again and lifting up his hands towards the Capitol he said O ye gods if it be of spite and malice that the common people thus drive me away then let them have quickly cause to repent and stand in need of me Put. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart Leviticus 19. 17. Cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruel Gen. 49. 7. CHAP. XIX Examples of Patience Moderation and Meeknesse SOme of the Heathens have attained to a great eminencie in this vertue of Patience but Christians are to adde it to the number of their graces 2 Pet. 1. 6. And indeed it is that that gives a great lustre to all the rest Humility is the root whence it springs and the fruit of it is both amiable and profitable It puts and keeps a man in possession of his soul Luk. 21. 19. It makes all burthens light and is much improved by exercise Rom. 5. 3. Moses his meeknesse and Jobs patience are exemplary and so held forth in the Scripture And these which follow also may be useful to quicken us to an earnest pursuit after this so excellent a vertue Commanded Luke 21. 19. Col. 1. 11. Rom 12. 12. 1 Thes. 5. 14. Jam. 5. 7 8. c. 1 Tim. 6. 11. Heb. 10. 36. 12. 1. 2 Pet. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 20. Mat. 11. 29. Commanded Eccles. 7. 8. 2 Cor. 6. 4. 12. 12. 1 Tim. 3. 3. 2 Tim. 2. 24. 2 Thes. 1 4. Tit. 2. 2. Heb. 6. 12. Jam. 1 3 4. Rev. 2. 2 3 19 13. 10. 14. 12. Psal. 22. 26. 25. 9. 37. 11. 76. 9. 147. 6. 149 4. Isa. 29. 19. Mat. 5. 5. 1 Pet. 3. 4. Scriptural examples Paul 2 Cor. 6. 4. Moses Num. 12. 3.
the cause of the Gospel but afterwards Apostatizing to Poperie he began to be much troubled in minde and from thence fell into despaire against which he wrestled a great while but at length being wholly overcome by it as he was drawn to walk into the fields with some scholars his familiar friends he feigned wearinesse and so sat down by a springs side and his friends being gone a little before he drew out a dagger and stabbed himself into the breast his friends seeing him shrinking down and the water discoloured with his blood ran to him took him up searched his wound and carried him to the next house but whilest they were busie about him he espied a knife by one of their sides whereupon he plucked it forth and suddenly stobbed himself to the heart whereby he died miserably Act. Mon. Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester cried out on his death-bed that he had denied his Master with Peter but not repented with Peter and so stinking above ground ended his wretched life See my English Martyrolgy Master West Chaplaine to Bishop Ridley and a Preacher and Professour of the truth in King Edward the sixths dayes afterwards in Queen Maries time he turned Papist forsook his Master and said Masse though it were against his conscience For which he fell into such torment of conscience that he pined away and so died Act. Mon. Of Hardings Apostacie See in my second Part in the Life of the Lady Jane Gray As also divers other examples in my Martyrologies Theoderick an Arian King of the Vandals did exceedingly affect and love a certaine Orthodox Deacon but the Deacon thinking farther to ingratiate himself and to get greater preferment Apostatized from the truth and turned Arian which when the Emperour understood he turned his love into hatred and commanded his head to be struck off saying That if he proved false and unfaithful to his God how could he expect any good or faithful service from him Adam Neucerus sometimes a professour of the truth and Pastour of a Church in Heidleberg afterwards plaid the Apostate upon some discontent and turned Turk But not long after he died miserably in Constantinople Mel. Adam in vit Gerl. See the History of Francis Spira A Treasurer of Julians to please his Lord and Master Apostatized from the faith and coming into a Church where he saw the holy vessels scoffingly said Behold with what vessels they minister to the Son of Mary but shortly after he vomited all the blood in his body out at his mouth whereby he died miserablis Theod. L. 3. During the Heptarchy of the Saxons in England there were in Northumberland two Kings Ostrich and Eaufride who before their coming to the Crown had been instructed and trained up in the Christian Religion by Paulinus a worthy and godly Bishop But after they came to their Kingly dignities they renounced Christ and returned to the service of their filthy Idols Whereupon as they forsook Christ he forsook them and within one yeares space both of them were slaine by Cedwalla King of the Britanes Beda Cardinal Poole whilest he was in Italy was informed of the truth and was a savourer of it as you may see in Peter Martyrs Life in my first Part but afterwards he became a cruel Persecutor of it here in England in Queen Maries dayes but it pleased God that about two dayes after the Queens death he died in horrible fear and terrour Peter Castellan Bishop of Maston who sometimes had been a forward professour of the truth but afterwards turning to Popery in a Sermon at Orleance he enveighed bitterly against the profession and professors of the true Religion whereupon it pleased God to strike him with a strange and terrible disease unknown to Physicians for one halfe of his body burned like fire and the other halfe was as cold as ice and in this torment with horrible cries and groans he ended his wretched life A Gray Frier called Picard who sometimes made a Profession of the truth afterwards fell away and preached against it adding infinite blasphemies against the truth But presently after God struck him speechlesse and so being carried to his bed half dead he presently after died without the least signe of Repentance Lambespine a Counsellor in the Parliament of Grenoble had formerly been a professour of the Reformed Religion but falling from the truth he became a Persecutour of the godly in Valence of Daulphine and amongst others of two godly Ministers which suffered Martyrdome But shortly after he fell passionately in love with a young maide whom shamefully he followed up and down whithersoever she went and seeing his love and labour despised he pined away with grief and being regardlesse of himself multitudes of lice bred and fed upon him yea they issued out abundantly from every part of his body So that feeling Gods heavy vengeance upon him he began to despaire of mercy and resolved to pine himself which purpose the lice seemed to further for they clustered so many in his throat as almost choaked him and when some of his friends pittying his condition set open his mouth with a gag to poure in broth the lice went down with it and choaked him so that as he had gagged the godly Ministers at their death himself died with a gag in his mouth King Henry the fourth of France who had all his life-time before been a Protestant shortly after he came to the Crown of France when he had almost subdued all his enemies which opposed him thereâ—n suddenly turned Papist Not long after as he was taking his leave of his Nobles to begin his Progresse one John Castile suborded by the Jesuites intended to have stabbed him into the body with a knife but the King at the same instant stooping to take up one of his Lords who was on his knees before him the blow fell upon his right upper jaw cutting out one of his teeth and somewhat wounding his tongue It is reported that in his progresse a Protestant Minister in private conference said unto him You have denied God with your tongue and have received a wound in the same take heed of denying him with your heart lest you receive a wound in that also which indeed proved a prophecie for riding abroad in his Coach to refresh himself one Ravilliac watched his opportunity and stabbed him first into the left pap and with a second blow struck him between the fifth and sixth rib cutting asunder the veine leading to the heart the knife entering into the vena cava of which wound he died French Hâ—st Read also the history of Francis Spira lately printed and observe Gods severe judgements upon him for his Apostasie In the year 1287 the King of Hungary forsaking the Christian saith became an Apostata and when he had called fraudulently to a Parliament the great Potentates of his land Meramomelius a puissant Saracene came upon them with twenty thousand souldiers carrying away with him the King with all the
Asse The Queen-Mother of Scotland having received aid from France forced the Protestants for a while to retire towards the High-lands whereupon she scoffingly said Where is now John Knox his God My God is now stronger then his yea even in Fife but her brags lasted not long For within a few dayes six hundred Protestants beat above four thousand French and Scots c. See Master Knox his Life in my first Part. The same Queen-Mother when some English Scots attempted to take Leith by storme and many of them were slaine by reason that the scaling ladders proved too short beholding it from Edenborough Castle where she was burst out into a great laughter saying Now will I go to Masse and praise God for that which mine eyes have seen And when the French had stripped the slaine and laid the naked bodies along the walls the Queen looking on them said scoffingly Yonder are the fairest Tapestries that ever mine eyes beheld I would that the whole fields which are betwixt Leith and this place were all strewed with the same stuffe But this joy lasted not long For presently after a fire kindled in Leith which burnt up their store-houses and provision for the Army and the Queen-Mother fell sick and died Eodem When Christians complained to Julian the Apostate of the abuse and wrongs which his officers did to them he used scoffingly to answer It 's your part when you are injured to take it patiently for so your God commandeth you See my General Martyrology p. 86. In the late Persecution in Bohemia some godly Martyrs in Prague as they were at supper being to suffer the next day comforted themselves saying that this was their last supper upon earth that to morrow they should feast with Christ in heaven whereupon a great Papist flouted them saying Hath Christ Cooks for you in Heaven Eodem p. 170. Now therefore be no more mockers lest your bands be made strong Isa. 28. 22. CHAP. XXIV Examples of Gods judgements against Perjury SWearing Cursing and Perjury are such God-provoking and Heaven-outfacing sinnes that the Lord doth not only reserve wrath for these his enemies in the world to come but many times also even in this world he takes some of the eminentest of these sinners and as it were hangs them up in Gibbets to be monuments of his heavy wrath and indignation for the terrour of others that they may hear and fear and do no more so wickedly as these ensuing Examples may sufficiently evince It 's a great sinne 1 Tim. 1. 9. 10. Lev. 6. 3. Jer. 23. 10 Hos. 10. 4. Forbidden Lev. 19. 12. Mat. 5. 33. Threatened Jer. 5. 2 and 7. 9. Mal. 3. 5. Zach. 5. 3 4 Hos. 10. 4. Scriptural examples Princes and people Jer. 34 10 11 17. Zedekiah Ezek. 17. 18 19. Saul 2 Sam. 21. 1 2. Agesilaus being sent with a great Army from Sparta into Asia Minor against Tissaphernes the King of Persiu's Leiutenant there Tissaphernes desired to know the reason of his coming Agesilaus answered that it was to let the Grecian Cities free Tissaphernes intreated him to make a truce with him till he had sent to the King of Persia to know his pleasure therein Agesilaus consented and so a truce was made with solemne oaths on both sides but Tissaphernes dealt deceitfully and sent to the King for a great Army which being come to him he sent an Herauld to Agesilaus to command him presently to depart out of Asia Agesilaus being nothing daunted with the newes returned this answer That he gave him no small thanks for that by his perjury he had made the gods angry with the Persians and favourable to the Grecians and accordingly it so fell out for coming to a battel he gave the Persians a great overthrow Xenophon Lysander King of Sparta though otherwise a gallant man yet made no conscience of his oaths using to say that boyes used to be deceived with false dice and men with oaths Plut. Eumenes being made General of an Army against Antigonus by the young King of Macedonia Alexander M. his sonne and his protectour they wrote to the two Colonells of the Argyraspides to adjoyne themselves to him These were Alexanders old souldiers whom when he took them with him into India he made them silver shields and called them Argyraspides These Colonells obeying the command went with him into Asia and after some lesser conflicts the two armies met at last in Media where these silvershields of whom none were under sixty and most of them were seventy years old took in such scorne that their sonnes and boyes should fight against them that they charged them with such fury that after the slaughter of many they made Antigonus his infantry wholly to run away but in the mean time Antigonus his Cavalry had routed the Cavalry of Eumenes and seizing upon their carriges had driven them away the Silver shields hearing of it sent presently to Antigonus desiring him to restore them their carriages againe who answered that if they would deliver up Eumenes bound into his hands he would not only restore their carriages but greatly preferre them also Hereupon most treacherously they ran upon Eumenes took away his sword and bound his hands behinde him so that he could scarce get leave to speake before they carried him away but at last having obtained leave he thus spake O my souldiers ye see the habit and ornaments of your General not imposed upon him by his enemies but you your selves of a Conquerer have made him a Captive You that within one yeares space have bound your selves foure times to me by oath do now to redeem your carriages betray me to mine enemies therefore I desire you rather to kill me your selves for Antigonus desires not to have me living but dead and if you will but herein gratifie me I freely absolve you from all the oaths wherewith you have bound your selves to me or if you will not shew me so much favour then loose one of my bands and give me a sword that I may kill my selfe or if you dare not trust me with a sword cast me to the Elephants to be destroyed by them But when he saw that they would gratifie him in none of these he grew into a passion and said Ye cursed villaines I pray the gods who are the revengers of perjury to send you such ends as ye have brought your Generals unto for I am not the first whom you have thus betrayed c. And so being delivered to Antigonus he was shortly after murthered by him But withal he so hated these perjured Silver shields that he burned one of their Colonells and slew the other the rest of them he sent into remote Countreys and put them upon such desperate services that by degrees they were all cut off and never any one of them returned into his own Countrey againe Plut. King Henry the first of England in the twenty seventh year of his reigne caused the Bishops Abbats and Nobles
to sweare allegiance to his daughter Maud and that she should succeed in his Kingdome they which swore were first William Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the rest of the Bishops and Abbats then David King of Scotland Uncle to Maud now married to the Emperesse of Germany then Stephen Earle of Mortaigne and Bulloigne Nephew to the King c. But so soon as King Henry was dead in Normandy Stephen hasted into England and by the help especially of the Bishops was made King and the Emperesse put by but behold the revenging hand of God following their Perjury Stephen though otherwise a gallant Prince yet found his Crowne to be but a glorious misery Mars and Vulcan never suffering him to be at quiet and as he would not suffer the right heire to inherit so God would not suffer him to have an heire to inherit for his sonne was put by the Crowne which was conferred upon Henry sonne to the Emperesse the rightfull heire Also William Arch-bishop of Canterbury never prospered after his perjury but died within that yeare Roger Bishop of Salisbury fell into displeasure with King Stephen who took him prisoner seized upon his Castles and treasures and so used him that he died for very griefe Alexander Bishop of Lincolne was also taken by the King and led in a rope to the Castle of Newark upon Trent the King swearing that the Bishop should neither eat nor drink till his Castle was surrendered so that there he gat all the Bishops treasure and as for Hugh Bigot he also escaped not long unpunished saith Fabian Rodulph Duke of Sweveh provoked by the Pope rebelled against his Sovereigne the Emperour Henry the fourth but in a battel which he fought against him he lost his right arme whereof he shortly after died acknowledging Gods justice for his disloyalty punishing him in that arme which before was lift up to sweare the oath of allegiance to his Master Act. Mon. Narcissus a godly Bishop of Ierusalem was falsly accused by three men of many foule matters who sealed up with oathes and imprecations their false testimonies But shortly after one of them with his whole family and substance was burnt with fire another of them was stricken with a grievous disease such as in his imprecation he had wished to himselfe the third terrified with the sight of Gods judgements upon the former became very panitent and poured out the griefe of his heart in such aboundance of teares that thereby he became blinde Euseb. The Arians hired a woman to accuse Eustatius a godly Bishop of committing whoredome with her thereby procuring his banishment But shortly after the Lord struck her with a grievous disease whereupon she confessed her perjury the childe being begotten by Eustatius a Smith and not Eustatius the Bishop and so presently after she died Euseb. The Emperour Albert having made a truce with the great Turke and solemnly sworne to the same Pope Eugenius the fourth sent him a dispensation from his oath and excited him to renew the warre against them but in the first battel he was discomfited and slaine to the great shame of Christianity the infidels justly accusing them of Perjury and Covenant breaking sealed by the Name of Christ whom they professe to be their Saviour Turk Hist. Almerick King of Ierusalem having entred into League with the Caliph of Egypt and confirmed the same by an oath afterwards warred upon him contrary to his promise whereupon God raised him up many enemies who miserably wasted the Kingdome of Ierusalem himselfe was beaten out of Egypt and all hopes of succour failing him being wearied with whole volleys of miseries he ended his life of a bloody Flux Hist. holy Warres The Egyptians reputed perjury so capital a crime that whosoever was convinced thereof was punished with death Pausanias noteth this to be one chiefe cause why Philip King of Macedon with all his posterity were so quickly destroyed because he made no account of keeping his oathes but sware and unswere as might stand best with his interest Gregory of Tours makes mention of a wicked varlet in France among the people called Averni that forswearing himselfe in an unjust-cause had his tongue presently so tied that he could not speake but roare till by his inward prayer and repentance the Lord restored him the use of that unruly member Theodor Beza recordeth what befell a perjured person who forswore himselfe to the prejudice of his neighbour He had no sooner made an end of his oath but being suddenly stricken with an Apoplexie he never spake word more till he died Cleomenes King of Lacedemonia making truce with the Argives for seven dayes oppressed them in the third night unawares thinking thereby to avoid perjury But the Argive women their husbands being slaine took up armes like so many Amazones and repelled Cleomenes who afterwards was banished into Egypt where desperately he slew himselfe Plut. Uladislaus King of Hungary having contracted a League with Amurath the great Turke and bound himselfe to it by an oath the Pope sent a Legat to absolve him from his oath and provoke him to warre which he undertaking with a very great Army the victory stood doubtfull a great while together but Amurath seeing a Crucifix in the Christians Ensigne pluckt the writing wherein the late League was contained out of his bosome and with his eyes and hands cast up to heaven said O thou crucified Christ behold this is the League thy Christians in thy Name made with me which they have causelesly violated If thou be a God as they say thou art and as we dream revenge the wrong now done unto thy Name and me and shew thy power upon thy perjured people who in their deeds deny thee their God Immediately afterward the King in the middest of his enemies was slaine and the Christians fled very few ever returning to their own homes but perished miserably Turk Hist. When Harold King of England was ready to joyne in battel with William the Conquerer and his Normans Gyth a younger brother of his advised him that in case he had made promise unto William of the Kingdome he should for his own person withdraw himselfe out of the battel for surely all his forces could not secure him against God and his own conscience who no doubt would require punishment for breach offaith and promise withall assuring him that if he would commit the fortune of that battel into his hands he would not faile to performe the part of a good brother and valiant Captaine but the King contemning this wholesome counsel would needs joyne battel himselfe wherein he lost his Army Kingdome and his own life Camb Brit. p. 149 150. Henry Falmer being accused by his own brother of Heresie as they call it suffered Martyrdome for the same but shortly after his said brother who had borne false witnesse against him was pressed for a Pioner in the voyage to Bulloine where within three dayes as he was exonerating nature a Gun took him and
tore him all to peeces Act. and Mon. Sigismund the Emperour having granted letters of safe conduct unto Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prague under the faith and protection of himself and the Empire yet suffered them to be unjustly burnt at the Councel of Constance after which time the said Emperour never prospered in any thing that he took in hand he died without issue male and his daughters son Ladislaus died also childlesse whereby his name was quite extinguished in one age And his Emperesse became a dishonour also to the royal place which she held and so Gods judgements justly followed him for his perjury Luther Elfred a Nobleman in the dayes of King Ethelstane of England conspiring against his Sovereigne intended at Winchester to have pulled out his eyes but his treason being discovered he was sent to Rome to purge himself by oath where before the Altar of Saint Peter and in the presence of Pope Iohn the tenth he abjuring the thing suddenly fell down to the earth and being carried by his servants into the English schoole within three dayes after he there died Sp. Chron p. 340. Goodwin Earle of Kent Anno 1055. being charged by King Edward with the death of his brother Alfred excused himself with many words and at last eating a morsel of bread wished that it might choake him if he were guilty thereof but before he stirred one foot from the place he was according to his own imprecation forthwith choaked In the reigne of Queen Elizabeth one Annis Averies in the City of London widow forswore her selfe for a little mony which she should have paid for six pounds of Towe at a shop in Woodstreet and by Gods just judgement she immediately fell down speechless casting her excrements upwards which should have been voided downwards and so presently died Act. Mon. A certain Inne-Keeper in the town of Rutlinguen receiving a Budget of money from a passenger to keep for him forswore the same before the Judge giving himself to the devil if he swore falsly and was by two that testified against him which indeed were two Fiends of Hell presently in the presence of the Judge hoisted up into the aire where he vanished away with them and was never found after One hearing perjury condemned by a godly Preacher and how it never escaped unpunished said in a bravery I have often for sworne my self and yet my right hand is no shorter then my left which words he had scarce uttered when such an inflammation arose in that hand that he was forced to go to the Chirurgion and cut it off lest it should have infected his whole body whereby it became shorter then the other A rich young maide in Saxony promised marriage to a proper young man but poore He fore-seeing that wealth and inconstancy might alter her minde freely disclosed his thoughts to her whereupon she made a thousand imprecations to the contrary wishing that if she ever married another the devil might take her away on the wedding day yet afterwards the fickle wench was betrothed and married to another At dinner two men on horseback came to the house and were entertained at the feast and after dinner one of them leading the Bride a dance he took her by the hand and led her a turne or two and then in the presence of all her friends he caught her crying out for help and went out at the gate where he hoisted her up into the aire and vanished away with his companion and horses so that she was never seen more Sword against Swearers Philip King of Macedonia was a great contemner of all oaths and held the religious observation of them as a vaine thing for which cause the vengeance of God followed him and all his posterity For himself being scarce fourty six years old was slaine and his whole family was quickly extinguished Arideus one of his sons was slaine by Olympias his wife Another son that he had by Cleopatra was by his mother tormented to death in a brazen vessel compassed about with fire the rest of his sons perished in the like manner and his son Alexander after his great conquests in the prime of his dayes and in the middest of his victories died miserably as some think of poison Pausanius A certain maid in London that had stolen many things from her Mistris being examined forswore them wishing that she might rot if ever she touched them or knew of them but being yet carried to prison she began so to rot and stink that they were forced to thrust her out of prison into a common hospitall Iohn Cooper a godly man in Queen Maries dayes was falsely and maliciously accused of treason for speaking some words against the Queen and accordingly executed but one Grimwood who had sworn falsely against him being shortly after about his labour in the harvest and in good health suddenly his bowels fell out of his body and so he died most miserably Act. Mon. CHAP. XXV Examples of Gods Iudgements upon common Swearers BIshop Ridly in a Sermon at Pauls Crosse related a story of a young Gentleman of Cornwall in the dayes of King Edward the sixth who riding in the company of other Gentlemen began to swear and swagger and being reproved for it he swore the more and raged worse to whom one Master Haines a Minister with gentle words said that he should one day give an account thereof whereat the Gentleman being in a fume bade him take no thought for him but to prepare for his own Winding-sheet Well said the other amend for death gives no warning Gods wounds said he care not thou for me still raging worse and worse till coming to a bridge which passed over an arme of the Sea the young Gallant so spurred and switched his horse that he leaped over with him into the water who as he was going cried Horse and man and all to the devil Act. Mon. A Serving-man in Lincolnshire for every trifle used to swear by Gods precious blood and would not be warned by his friends till at length falling into a grievous sicknesse he was again much perswaded by his friends to repent which counsel he still rejected and hearing the Bell to toll in the very paines of death he start up swearing Gods wounds the Bell tolles for me but he shall not have me yet whereupon the blood issued out in a most fearful manner from all the joynts of his body from mouth nose wrists knees heeles and toes and other parts of his body and so he died Mr. Perkins Michael a Jewish Rabbin as he was swearing and blaspheming the Name of Iesus fell down and brake his neck Socrat. Eccl. Hist. Three Souldiers passing through a Wood in the Countrey of Samurtia there arose a tempest of thunder and lightning and one of them to shew his contempt of God and his judgements burst forth into swearing and blasphemy but the tempest tearing up an huge tree it fell upon him and crushed him to peeces
One who for twelve or sixteen years together used to sweare by Gods Armes In the end his own arme being hurt with a knife could not be healed by any means but wrankled and festered from day to day and at last so rotted that it fell away peece-meale and himself through anguish and paine thereof died Phil. Stubs I my selfe saith a godly Divine that wrote lately knew two most notorious swearers that brake their necks the one with a fall down a paire of staires the other from his horse Another relates of a swearing Courtier at Mansfield who in the middest of his blasphemous oaths was taken up and carried away by the devil At a Village called Benevides in Spaine two young men being together in the field there suddenly arose a terrible tempest and withal so violent a whirlewinde that it amazed the beholders The two young men seeing the fury of it coming towards them ran as fast as possibly they might but yet it overtook them and they fearing to be hoisted up into the Aire by it fell down flat upon the earth where the Whirlewinde whisked round about them for a pretty while and then passed forwards the one of them arose in such an agony that he was scarce able to stand the other lying still and not stirring some other that stood under an hedge a far off went to see how he did and found him stark dead with his bones so crushed that the joynts of his armes and legges turned every way as though his body had been made of Mosse his tongue also was pulled out by the roots and could never be found which was the more remarkable because he was noted to have been an outragious swearer and blasphemer of Gods holy Name Anth. de Torquem At Tubing in Germany a desperate boy used to invent such new oaths as were not common but the Lord sent a Canker or some worse disease that did eat out his tongue the instrument wherewith he blasphemed Gâ—â—m Hist. A certain man who in his life-time was given exceedingly to the fearful sinne of swearing had his heart on his death-bed so exceedingly filled with enraged greedinesse after it that he desperately desired the standers by to help him with oaths and to sweare for him though himself in the mean time swore as fast and furiously as he could Mr. Bolton Destructorium viâ—iorum tells of an Harlot who had three sonnes and told her husband that only one of them was his whereupon at his death he bequeathed his estate to him that should be found to be his true son Upon this the sons contend the Judges to decide it commanded the fathers dead body to be set up against a tree and that he of the three that could shoot nearest to his heart should be his heire The two bastards shot the third refused and was offended with the other for doing it By which natural love they concluded him to be the natural son and gave him the inheritance Surely they are bastards and no sonnes that wound God at heart and teare him in peeces by oaths c. Charilaus a Pagan being asked why the Images of the gods in Sparta were armed To the end saith he that men may fear to blaspheme the gods knowing that are armed to take vengeance upon their enemies Chrysostome whilest he was at Antioch spent most of his Sermons against swearing that if not the fear of God yet his importunity might make them a weary of that sin Philip King of France ordained that whosoever by swearing blasphemed God though in a Tavern yet he should be straightway drowned Maximilian the Emperour decreed that every vain swearer should pay thirteen shillings and four pence which who so refused to pay and repented not of his wickednesse should lose his head Henry the first King of England appointed the payment of fourty shillings twenty shillings ten shillings and three shillings four pence according to the degree of the swearer to be given to the poore Christiâ—649 â—649 about the end of June there was a souldier at Ware going with some others to wash himself in the river but finding the water shallow he asked if there was no deeper a place for him to swim in Some told him that there was not farre off a deep pit but that it was very dangerous and therefore advised him to take heed how he went into it to whom he answered God damn me if it be as deep as hell I will go into it which accordingly he did but immediately sunk to the bottome never rising again but was there drowned To swear by their Faith was the Romanes greatest oath which they kept inviolably Plut. King Charles the ninth of France entertained into his favour one Albertus Tuâ—â—us an Hucksâ—ers sonne to whom in five years space besides other honoures he gave six hundred thousand crownes though all the good the King gat by him was to learn to swear by the Name of God Camerar med Hist. c. 4. But above all things my brethren swear not neither by heaven neither by the earth neither by any other oath But let your Yea be yea and your Nayâ— nay lest ye fall into condemnation Jam. 5. 12. CHAP. XXVI Examples of Gods judgements upon Cursers IN France a man of good parts and well instructed in Religion yet in his passion cursing and bidding the devil take one of his children the childe was immediately possessed with an evil spirit from which though by the fervent and continual prayers of the Church he was at length released yet ere he had fully recovered his health he died Beza Anno 15â—7 at Forchenum in the Bishoprick of Bamburg a Priest preaching about the Sacrament used these and such like blasphemous speeches O Paul Paul if thy Doctrine touching the receiving of the Sacrament in both kindes be true and if it be a wicked thing to receive it otherwise then let the devil take me and if the Popes Doctrine concerning this point be false then am I the devils bondslave neither do I fear to pawn my soul upon it Presently the devil came indeed in the shape of a tall man black and terrible with a fearful noise and roaring winde took away the old Priest that he was never after heard of Fincelius In Helvetia Anno 1556. a certaine man that earned his living by making cleane foule linnen in his drunkennesse used horrible cursings wishing that the devil might break his neck if he ever went to his old occupation again yet the next day when he was sober he went into the field again about it where the devil attended him in the likenesse of a big swarthy man asking him if he remembred his wish and withal struck him over the shoulders so that his feet and hands presently dried yet the Lord gave not the devil power to do him so much hurt as he wisht to himself Fincelius Henry Earle of Schwartburg used commonly to wish that he might be drowned in a Privy if such and such things
Greg. of Tour. lib. 4. Anno Christi 1461. there was in Juchi neere Cambray an unnatural son that in a fury threw his mother out of his doores thrice in one day telling her that he had rather see his house on fire and burned to coles then that she should remaine in it one day longer and accordingly the very same day his house was fired and wholly burned down with all that was in it none knowing how or by what meanes the fire came Enguer de Monst v. 2. The Emperor Henry the fifth being provoked thereto by the Pope rose up in rebellion and made cruel War against his father Henry the fourth not ceasing till he had despoiled him of his Empire But the Lord presently after plagued him for it making him and his Army a prey to his enemies the Saxons stirring up the Pope to be as grievous a scourge to him also as he had been to his father P. Melanct. Chron. l. 4. Manlius relateth a story of an old man crooked with age very poore and almost pined with hunger who having a rich and wealthy sonne went to him only for some food for his belly clothes for his back but this proud young man thinking that it would be a dishonour to him to be borne of such parents drave him away denying not only to give him sustenance but disclaiming him from being his father giving him bitter and reproachful speeches which made the poore old man to go away with an heavy heart and teares flowing from his eyes which the Lord beholding struck his unnatural son with madnesse of which he could never be cured till his death The same author relates another story of another man that kept his father in his old age but used him very currishly as if he had been his slave thinking every thing too good for him and on a time coming in found a good dish set on the table for his father which he took away and set courser meat in the roome but a while after sending his servant to fetch out that dish for himself he found the meat turned into snakes and the sauce into serpents one of which leaping up caught this unnatural sonne by his lip from which it could never be pulled to his dying day so that he could never feed himselfe but he must feed the serpent also At Millane there was a wicked and dissolute young man who when he was admonished by his mother of some fault which he had committed made a wry mouth and pointed at her with his finger in scorne and derision whereupon his mother being angry wished that he might make such a mouth upon the Gallowes which not long after came to passe for being apprehended for felony and condemned to be hanged being upon the ladder he was observed to writhe his mouth in grief as he had formerly done to his mother in derision Theat hist. Henry the second King of England son to Jeffery Plantaginet and Maud the Emperesse after he had reigned twenty yeares made his young son Henry who had married Margaret the French Kings daughter King in his life-time but like an unnatural son he sought to dispossesse his father of the whole and by the instigation of the King of France and some others he took Armes and fought often with his father who still put him to the worst So that this rebellious son at last was fain to stoop and ask forgivenesse of his father which he gently granted and forgave his offence Howbeit the Lord plagued him for his disobedience striking him with sicknesse in the flower of his youth whereof he died six years before his father Speed Anno Christi 1071. Diogenes Romanus Emperour of the Greekes having led an Army against the Turkes as far as the River Euphrates where he was like to have prevailed but by the treason of his Son in Law Andronicus his Army was routed and himself taken prisoner yet the Turkes used him honourably and after a while sent him home But in the mean season they of Constantinople had chosen Michael Ducas for their Emperour who hearing of Diogenes his returne sent Andronicus to meet him who unnaturally plucked out his fathers eyes and applying no medecines thereto wormes bred in the holes which eating into his braines killed him Zonaras Adolf son of Arnold Duke of Guelders repining at his fathers long life one night as he was going to bed came upon him suddenly and took him prisoner and bare-legged as he was made him go on foot in a cold season five Germane leagues and then shut him up a close prisoner for six months in a dark dungeon but the Lord suffered not such disobedience and cruelty to go long unpunished For shortly after the son was apprehended and long inprisoned and after his release was slaine in a sight against the French History of the Netherlands One Garret a Frenchman and a Protestant by profession but given to all manner of vices was by his father cast off for his wickednesse yet found entertainment in a Gentlemans house of good note in whose family he became sworn brother to a young Gentleman that was a Protestant But afterwards coming to his estate he turned Papist of whose constancy because the Papists could hardly be assured he promised his Confessor to prove himself an undoubted Catholick by setting a sure seal to his profession whereupon he plotted the death of his dearest Protestant friends and thus effected it He invited his Father Monsieur Seamats his sworn brother and six other Genlemen of his acquaintance to dinner and all dinner time intertained them with protestations of his great obligements to them But the bloody Catastrophe was this dinner being ended sixteen armed men came up into the roome and laid hold on all the guests and this wicked Parricide laid hold on his Father willing the rest to hold his hands till he had dispatched him he stabbed the old Gentleman crying to the Lord for mercy foure times to the heart the young Gentleman his sworne brother he dragged to a window and there caused him to sing which he could dovery sweetly though then no doubt he did it with a very heavy heart and towards the end of the Ditty he stabbed him first into the throat and then to the heart and so with his Poiniard stabbed all the rest but three who were dispatched by those armed Ruffians at their first entrance and so they flung all the dead bodies out at a window into a ditch Oubig Hist. France The base son of Scipio Africanus the Conquerour of Hannibal and Africk so ill imitated his father that for his viciousnesse he received many disgracefull repulses from the people of Rome the fragrant smell of his fathers memory making him to stinke the more in their nostriles yea they forced him to pluck off from his finger a signet-ring wherin the face of his father was engraven as counting him unworthy to wear his picture whose vertue he would not imitate Val. Maxi. Tarpeia the
and valiant man who in a battel against the Corinthians slew one hundred men with his own hands the like he did in divers other battels whereupon he used to offer to Jupiter a sacrifice called Hecatomphonia or Centicidium Pausan. See the example of Xenophon in Ingratitude Epaminondas with his Thebans having given the Spartans a great overthrow at Leustra went presently to Lacedaemon and made an attempt upon the City it selfe at which time a valiant young man of Lacedaemon called Isadas neither defended with armour nor apparrel but being stark naked and his body anointed with oile and his sword in his hand did wonders both in the judgement of his citizens and of his very enemies of whom he slew all that he met and yet never received any wound himselfe and after the fight was ended the Ephori crowned him as a reward of his valour and then fined him a thousand Drachma's for exposing himselfe to such danger without his armour Plut. Epaminondas in another battel that he fought against the Lacedaemonians and Arcadians was sorely wounded with a dart and being carried into his tent after the battel was ended the Chyrurgeons coming to him told him that when the dart was drawn forth of his body he must needs die whereupon he called his Squire to him and asked him if he had not lost his shield he told him No and withal shewed it to him Then he asked if his army had gotten the victory they told him Iea. Then said he it 's now time for me to leave my life and so bade them pull out the dart whereupon his friends cried out grievously and one of them said to him O Epaminondas thou diest without children To whom he answered Nay truly for â— shall leave two daughters behinde me viz. my two great victories one aâ— Leuctra and this at Mantinea and so the dart being pulled out he gave up the ghost Plut. After the battel of Cheronaea wherein Philip K. of Macedon overcame the Athenians after the victorie looking upon the dead bodies of his adversaries he much commended them for their valour for that all their wounds were in their fore-parts and for that they died in those very stations which were assigned by their Captaines Also when with his friends in token of joy for the victory he celebrated a drunken feast and danced amongst the Captives deriding them in their calamity Damades one of those Athenian Captives freely said to him O King now that fortune hath put upon thee the person of Agamemâ—on art thou not ashamed to act the part of drunken Thersites Philip wondering at his courage set both Damades and all the rest of the Athenian captives at liberty and sent them home without ransom and buried the dead bodies of the slaine and afterwards made peace with the Athenians Diod. Sic. The two Scipio's brethren Pub. and Cn. Cornelius were famous for their warres in Spaine and against the Carthaginians so that they were called Duo fulmina belli the two thunderbolts of warre Polyb. Claudius Marcellus fought one and fifty battels and was for his valour called Gladius Romani populi the sword of the Romanes as Fabius M. was called Clypeus their buckler for his policy Plut. Cato being but fourteen years old used to go with his Master Sarpedon to Sylla's house to salute him not farre off was the executioners house whither Sylla sent whom he pleased to be tormented and slaine Cato seeing this said to his Master Why doth no man kill this tyrant Sylla Sarpedon answered Because they more fear him then hate him Cato replied Why then will you not give me a sword that I may kill him and free my countrey from such a savage beast Afterwards Pompey being returned out of the East with great glory after his victories sought to oblige Cato to him thinking to strengthen himself thereby and for this end desired to marry with Cato's sister which the maid much desired but Cato liked not the motion returning this answer That he would not be ensnared with women If Pompey did that which was just and profit able for the Common wealth he should easily have him for his friend otherwise no bribes or contracts should procure it Suetonius Jotopata a City in Galilee being besieged by the Emperour Vespasian and the walls thereof sore shaken by the force of a great battering Ramme one Eleazer a Jew in the City took up an huge stone and threw it with such violence upon the Ramme that he brake off the head thereof and then leaping down into the midst of his enemies took up the same and brought it into the City in despite of them all Joseph Hist. George Castriot alias Scanderbeg Prince of Epirus was inspired with such a spirit of valour by God in defending his Countrey against the barbarous Turks that in fighting against them for very eagernesse of spirit his blood would usually burst out of his lips and with such violence he struck that many of them he clave in sunder from the head to the middle and usually cut off an armed arme at a blow and with his own hands he slew above â—wo thousand of them at several times Hist. of Turk The earth opening about Rome the wizards resolving that it would not close againe till the best thing the City had were cast into it M. Curtius expounding that to be a martial man leaped himselfe into it armed at all points whereupon the place was afterwards called Lacus Curtâ—i Livie A Romane Captaine being hindred in his march by the Augurs trifling stay to divine what the successe of their journey should be by a bird that sat by the way-side he took abowe and killed the bird saying How should this silly bird read us our fortune when she could not foretell her own and so undauntedly marching on he prospered never the worse for it Newes heing brought to the Grecians of the huge Army that Xerxes had brought over into Greece whose archers were so many as it was reported that the flight of the Persians arrowes would be so thick as that they would darken the light of the Sunne Dieneces a Spartan answered It 's good newes for then we shall fight in the shade Before the great battel of Cannae fought between the Carthaginians and Romanes Hannibal sent his brother Mago to view the number and countenance of the enemy and at his returne asked him what work they were like to have with the Romans Work enough answered Mago for they are an horrible company As horrible a company as they be said Hannibal I will warrant thee there is not one Mago amongst them and therewith all fell a laughing which his souldiers took for a certain signe of victory which accordingly fell out Sir Walt. Rawley Honry the fifth King of England before the battel at Agincourt hearing of the great and warlike preparations of the French was somewhat perplexed but onâ—â— Captain Gam standing by said That if there were â—sâ—â— many there were enow to be killed enow
fear their crying children withall He fought five times upon one day with them and five times foiled and put them to slight He killed that valiant Viceroy of Asia Mefites Bassa with his sonne and twenty thousand Turks moe At that famous battel of Vascape with fifteen thousand souldiers he overthrew Abedin Bassa with fourescore thousand fighting men Car. Lib. 5. In the Reigne of King John of England a controversie arising betwixt him and the King of France about a Seigniory and certain Castles the King of France offered a Champion to fight for his right whereupon King John chose John Cursy Earle of Ulster but when the French Champion heard of his exceeding great feeding and mighty strength he refused the combate Then the King of France desired to see a stroak given by the hand of Iohn Cursy and he set a strong and doughty good morion or head-piece full of maile upon a great block and taking his skeine or sword he smote the morion through from the crest downward and his sword stuck so fast in the wood that no other man but himselfe could pull it out yet he himselfe did it with much facility Camb. Brit. Ire p. 154. Ulâ—zales and Caracoza great Captaines amongst the Turks landing their men in the Island of Curzola Anthonius Contarenus the Governour of the chiefe Towne â—led out in the night with the Townsmen also into the rocks for safety so that there was not left in the Towne above twenty men and eighty women who with weapons in their hands came to the walls desiring rather to die then to fall into the hands of the Turks and as the Turks approached to the walls the women with stones fire and such weapons beat them off with greater courage then could have been expected in their weake sexe which whil'st they were doing it pleased God that a great storme arose suddenly which so outragiously tossed the Gallies that the Turks were glad to give over the assault and to hie away to a place of more safety Turk Hist. p. 869. Scanderbeg was such a mirrour of manhood and so terrible to the Turks that nine years after his death as they passed through Lyssa where his body lay buried they digged up his bones with great devotion reckoning it some part of their happinesse if they might but see or touch the same and such as could get any part thereof were it never so little caused the same to be set some in silver some in gold to hang about their necks thinking that it would animate their spirits with extraordinary vigour Paulus Jovius Illust. virorum A brave and valiant Captaine who had long with incredible courage withstood Dionysius the elder in defence of a City at length falling into his hands the Tyrant told him that the day before he had caused his sonne and all his kinsfolke to be drowned To whom the brave Captaine stoutly outstaring him answered nothing but that they were more happy then himselfe by the space of one day afterwards he caused him to be stripped and by his executioner to be dragged through the City most ignominiously cruelly whipping him and contumeliously scoffing at him but he as no whit dismayed ever shewed a constant and resolute heart And with a chearfull and bold countenance went on still boldly recounting the honourable and glorious cause of his death which was that he would never consent to yield his country into the hands of a cruel Tyrant Bolton Pompey in the time of a great dearth at Rome was transporting corne thither but finding the sea rough and dangerous some would have disswaded him from adventuring himselfe in such weather to whom he gallantly answered It 's necessary that corne should be carried to Rome but not that I should live Antigonus hearing some of his souldiers reckoning how many their enemies were to prevent their feares steps in suddenly amongst them saying And how many do you reckon me for Valour of Women Zenobia the wife of Odenate King of the Palmyrenians accustomed her selfe to all those many imployments which her husband used both in peace and warre She loved her husband exceedingly but having once conceived by him she would lie with him no more till after her delivery she was very expert in the Orientall Histories which she wrote and left them for the use of posterity She was very beautiful and black sparkling eyes and her teeth to white that they seemed rather to be pearles then teeth her husband being treacherously murthered she took upon her the government and having been formerly accustomed to the Warres she fought often with the Romanes Subdued Egypt and drave out thence Probus the Romane president At last she rather by compact yielded to then by conquest was overcome by Aurelian the Emperour whose sonne married her daughter and many of her stock flourished in Rome long after Lipsius Valour of Women Semiranus was of so manlike a disposition that she waged warre with great felicity she had in her Army three millions of foot and fifty thousand horse and about a thousand Chariots As she was dressing her self hearing of the defection of Babylon in the same posture with one part of her haire bound up and the other loose she presently went against it and never dressed up her head till she had brought it into subjection Pez Mel. Hist. Tomyris Queen of the Masigetes was a woman of an heroical disposition When Cyrus King of Persia came with an huge Army against her the pretending fear retired into certaine mountaines into the stacts whereof when Cyrus followed her she set upon him and after a bloody â—ight slew two hundred thousand of his men and himselfe also after which she caused his head to be cut off and threw it into a bowle of blood saying Satia te sanguine quâ—m sitivisti cujusque semper insatiabilis fuisti Glut they selfe with blood which thou hast alwayes thirsted after and with which thou could'st never be satisfied Justin. Cowardize Timerousnesse Fearfulnesse In a great battel that was fought between Philip King of Macedon and the Athenians at Cheronaea wherein the liberty of Greece lay at the stake Demosthenes the Athenian Orator before there was any just cause for it most cowardly ranne away forgetting the inscription upon his shield in golden letters which was Quod foelix faustúmque sit whereupon one meeting him in scorne said to him He that runnes away may fight afterwards Diod. Sic. And it was told the house of David saying Syria is confederate with Ephraim and his heart was moved and the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the winde Isa. 7. 2. Thy servant slew both the Lion and the Beare and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them 1 Sam. 17. 36. Five of you shall chase an hundred and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword Levit. 26. â— CHAP. XXXV Examples of Gods judgements upon
by his own sonne that he might seize upon his riches but whil'st he was stooping down to draw forth bags full of gold out of a Chest the same person caused his braines to be beaten out French History Selimus a cruel and bloody Emperour of the Turks intending to turne all his powers against the Christians was suddenly attached by the hand of God being struck in the reines of the back with a Cancer which contemning all cure did by little and little so eate and corrupt his body that he became loathsome both to himselfe and others and so rotting above ground died miserably Turk Hist. Agathocles a bloody Tyrant of Syracuse after many most horrible murthers committed by him lived to see most of his family slaine and himselfe devested of his Kingdome After which he was taken with a grievous sicknesse wherein his whole body rotted which spread it selfe through all his veines and sinews wherewith in short time he ended his accursed life Robert Erle of Fife in Scotland being advanced by his brother King Robert the third to be the first Duke of Albany afterwards ungratefull person that he was pricked on with the spirit of Ambition famished to death David his said brothers son who was heir to the Crown but the punishment due for this fact which himself by the long sufferance of God felt not His son Mordac the second Duke of Albany suffered most grievously being condemned for treason and beheaded when he had seen his two sons the day before executed in the same manner Camb. Brit. Scot. p. 39. King Richard the third of England who caused his two Nephews most unnaturally to be murthered in the Tower and shed much other innocent blood by Gods just judgement had his onely son taken away by death and himself was slain in Bosworth-field his carrion carcasse being found naked among the slain filthily polluted with blood and dirt was cast upon an horse behinde a pursuivant at Armes his head and armes hanging down on the one side of the horse and his legs on the other like a Calfe and so was interred at Leicester with as base a Funerall as he formerly bestowed upon his Nephews in the Tower Eng. Hist. Iames Tyrell Iohn Dighton and Miles Forrest who were procured by this King Richard to murther the two young Princes entering into their Chamber about midnight so bewrapped them among the clothes keeping down the Feather-bed and Pillows hard unto their mouths that within a while they were smothered but these Murtherers escaped not long the vengeance of God for Miles Forrest by peecemeale rotted away Dighton lived at Calis so disdained and hated that he was pointed at of all men and there died in much misery and Sir Iames Tyrell was beheaded on Tower-Hill for Treason Act. Mon. Senercleus relateth the just hand of God upon that villainous parricide Alphonsus Diazius a Popish Spaniard who after he had like another Cain murthered his own naturall brother Iohn Diazius meerly because he had renounced Popery and became a Professor of the reformed Religion and was not onely not punished but highly commended of the Romanists for his heroical atchievement as they called it being haunted and hunted by the furies of his own conscience desperately hanged himself at Trent about the neck of his own Mule Some bloody villains basely murthered Theodorick B. of Trever But Gods just judgments overtook all the murtherers For Conrade the chief author died suddenly A souldier that helped to throw him down the rock was chok'd as he was at supper and two other servants that assisted desperately slew themselves Marti The Cardinall of Winchester commonly called the rich Cardinall who procured the death of the good Duke of Glocester in the reign of King Henry the sixth was shortly after struck with an incurable disease who understanding by his Physicians that he could not live murmuring and repining thereat he cried out Fie will not death be hired will money do nothing must I die that have so great riches If the whole realme would save my life I am able either by policy to get it or by riches to buy it But yet all would not prevail but that he died of the same disease Sp. Chr. See the Example of Scedasus's daughters in Rapes Olympias the mother of Alex M. being a woman of a proud and revengefull disposition having gotten Eurydice Queen of Macedonia into her hands sent her a sword an halter and a cup of poison giving her leave to choose with which of them she would kill her self Eurydice seeing them prayed to the gods that she that sent her those presents might her self partake of the like and so hanged her self But shortly after the Divine â—ustice met with Olympias who by the appointment of Cassander one of her sons Captains was murthered Diod. Sic. Justin This Cassander murthered also the two wives of Alex. and their sons and thereby seized upon the Kingdome of Macedonia but shortly after God plagued him with a filthy disease in his body whereby wormes were bred that devoured him his eldest son Philip died of a consumption Antipater his second son slew his own mother Thessalonica and was himself slain by his father in law Lysimachus and Alexander the youngest son was treacherously slain by Demetrius and so the whole family of Cassander was rooted out Plut. Examples of selfe Murther Calanus an Indian Philosopher followed Alexander M. when he returned out of India who having lived seventy three years without any disease was at last taken with a dysenterie and fearing that his former felicity should be overclouded with a lingring disease he asked leave of Alexander that he might burn himself the King laboured to disswade him from his unnaturall purpose but when he could not prevail by arguments he gave his consent whereupon Calanus caused a pile of wood to be made and riding to it he made his prayers to his Countrey gods and so with a cheerfull countenance he ascended the pile and causing the fire to be put to it he sate with a fixt and unmovable body till he was burned to ashes Q. Cur. Alex. M. besieging one of the Indian Cities the inhabitants seeing that they could hold out no longer shut up themselves their wives and children in their houses and set fire on them Alexanders men breaking in laboured to quench the fire and the others laboured as much to encrease it so that it was a strange thing to see the fight that was betwixt one to destroy themselves the other to save their enemies Quin. Cur. Demosthenes the Athenian Orator for standing for the liberty of Greece was hated by Antipater the Governour of Macedonia who sent some to kill him under Captain Archia whereupon Demosthenes took sanctuary in Neptunes Temple But Archia sent to him to come out of the Temple so that Demosthenes perceiving that they were resolved to have his life he took some poison which he had ready for the purpose and so presently died Plut. Perdiccas besieging the
with all his might when behold the dagger vanished and five drops of blood fell upon the table in the midst of them and immediately the devil came in annd carried away the blasphemous wretch with such a noise that the whole City was amazed at it The other halfe distracted with fear strove with all their strength to wipe out the drops of blood but the more they wiped it the more clearly it appeared The rumour hereof flying through the City multitudes flocked to the place where they found the Gamesters washing the board whom by the decree of the Senate they bound with chaines and carried towards the prison but as they went by the way one of them was stricken suddenly dead with such a number of lice and wormes creeping out of him as was wonderful and loathsome to behold The third to avert the indignation that seemed to hang over their heads was by the Citizens immediately put to death The table was preserved for a monument to shew the accursednesse of Dicing with the inconveniences and mischiefes attending the same Fincel Mandat 4. Anno Christi 1550. there lived in Alsatia one Adam Steckman who got his living by dressing vines This man having received his wages lost it all at Dice whereupon he grew so distempered in minde wanting wherewithall to maintaine his family that in his wives absence he cut his three childrens throats and would have hanged himselfe but that his wife coming in and seeing this pittifull tragedie gave a great out-cry and fell down dead whereupon the neighbours coming in apprehended the man who by the Law was adjudged to a cruel death Fincel l. 2. Isabel wife to Ferdinand King of Spaine was a very vertuous and magnanimous Princesse a great enemy to playing at Cards and Dice which that Nation was much addicted to yea she caused such severe Lawes to be made against them that in her time none durst use them no not in corners Lipsius Let him that stole steale no more but rather let him labour with his hand the thing that is good that he may have to give to him that lacketh Eph. 4. 28. The lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposition thereof is of the Lord Prov. 1â— 33. CHAP. XLVII Examples of Justice The duty of Judges and Magistrates TO do justly is the duty of every Christian Mich. 6. 8. but especially of Magistrates and such as are in authority and then people may sit under their own Vines and Fig-trees in safety when Iustice runs down like a river and righteousness as a mighty stream in the streets But alas in such woful times as these wherein the sword rages and is drunk with blood we may complaine with the Prophet Isa. 59. 14. that Judgement is turned backwards and Justice stands afar off Truth is falne in the street and equity cannot enter for it is with us as with that man who came to the General of an army for justice to whom he answered What dost thou talke to me of justice I cannot heare the voice of Justice for the noise of Guns and Drums Oh therefore pray for the peace of Jerusalem and give God no rest till he make and till he establish it a praise in the earth and that we may be the more enamoured with the beauty of justice consider these Examples following and these Scriptures requiring it Judges ought to be submitted to Deut. 17. 9 c. 25. 1 c. Ezra 7. 26. The duty of Judges Deut. 1. 16 c. 16. 18 c. 25. 1. 19. 18. 2 Chron. 19. 6 7 Exod. 23. 2 3. Lev. 19. 15. Jer. 22. 3 15 16. Jos. 7. 51. Prov. 31. 4 5. Their qualifications Exod. 18. 21. Deut. 1. 13. Ezra 7. 25. Psal. 2. 10. Judge justly Isa. 1. 17. 16. 3. 56. 1. Jer. 7. 5. 21. 12. 22. 3. Ezek. 18. 8. 45. 9. Hos. 12. 6. Amos 5. 15 24. Zach. 7. 9. 8. 16. Distributive Justice is commanded by God Lev. 19. 15. Deut. 1. 16. 16. 18. Psal. 9. 9. 45. 5 8. 48. 11. 89. 15. 94. 15. 97. 2. Isa. 11. 4 5. 59 9. Jer. 23. 5. 33. 15. Dan. 9. 7. Act. 24. 23. Heb. 1. 9. It 's a great blessing Psal. 85. 11 12 14. 72. 3 4 5 6 7. Kings and Magistrates ought to observe it 2 Sam. 18. 15. 23. 3. Psal. 45. 8. 72. 1 2. Prov. 20. 8. 25. 5. 29. 14. 31. 8 9. Isa. 16. 5. 32. 1. Jer. 22. 15 c. Esek 44. 9. Scriptural examples Moses Exod. 18 13. Othniel Judg. 3. 9 10. Tola Jud. 10. 1 2. Jephtah Jud. 12. 7. Samuel 1 Sam. 7 15. David Psal. 78. 72. Solomon 1 King 3. 27 28. Psal. 72. 2 4. When one told old Bishop Latimer that the cutler had cousened him in making him pay two pence for a knife not in those dayes worth a peny No quoth Latimer he cousened not me but his own conscience Saint Augustine tells us of a seller who out of ignorance asked for a book farre lesse then it was worth and the man meaning himself of his own accord gave him the full value thereof Lib. 13. de trinit c. 3. The Lord Morris Fitz-Thomas Justice of Ireland was a most righteous Justicer in that he stuck not to hang up those of his own blood for theft rapine and other misdemeanours even assoone as strangers Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 192. In the yeere 1356. Sir Thomas Rockesby was made Justice of Ireland who was very careful to pay for the victuals he took saying I will eate and drink out of Treene vessels and yet pay both gold and silver for my food and apparel yea and for my Pensioners also Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 19â— Elfred a King of the West-Saxons here in England designed the day and night equally divided into three parts to three special uses and observed them by the burning of a Taper set in his Chappel eight houres he spent in meditation reading and prayers eight houres in provision for himself his repose and health and the other eight about the affaires of his kingdome he was in continual warres with the Danes and yet so exact in the administration of justice that a Virgin might travel alone through all his dominions without any violence offered her and bracelets of gold were hanged in the high wayes and no man was so hardy as to take them away Speed Chron. p. 332. Charles Duke of Calabria who died in the yeere 1328. was a Prince so careful to have justice executed to all his Subjects that perceiving how difficult it was for the poore to have accesse to him he caused a bell to be hung at his Palace-gate so that he that rung it was sure presently to be brought to his presence or to have some Officers sent out to hear his cause Trajane the Emperour in creating of a Tribune used to put a sword into his hand as an Ensigne of
honestate quà m sol à cursu suo averti potest It's easier to turne the Sun out of his course then Fabricius from his honesty Eutropius Marcus Attilius Regulus a Romane Consull fighting in Affrica against the Carthaginians was at last by subtility taken prisoner Yet was sent to Rome for the exchange of prisoners upon his oath that in case he prevailed not he should return and yield up himself prisoner to them again when he came to Rome he made a speech in the Senate-house to disswade them from accepting of the conditions and so without respecting his wife and children he returned to Carthage where he was grievously tormented in a Little-Ease knocked full of nailes that he could neither leane sit nor lie till he died Cicero When the Corps of Thomas Howard second Duke of Norfolk was carried to be interred in the Abbey of Thetford Anno 1524. No person could demand of him one groat for debt or restitution for any injury done by him Weav Fun. Mon. p. 839. It was said of the famous Lawyer Andreas Taraquillus that singulis annis singulos libros liberos Reipublicae dedit Thuanus Obit Doct. vir anno 1558. In the dayes of Queen Mary Judge Morgan chief Justice of the Common Pleas refusing to admit any witnesse to speak or any other matter to be heard in favour of the adversary her Majesty being party the Queen declared that her pleasure was that whatsoever could be brought in favour of the Subject should be admitted and heard Qui pro veritate est pro Rege est Holinsh. in Q. Mary p. 1112. A certaine Lawyer in France was so much delighted in Law-sport that when Lewis the King offered to ease him of a number of suits he earnestly besought his Highnesse to leave him some twenty or thirty behinde wherewith he might merrily passe away the time we have too many such that love to fish in troubled waters Bassanus King of the Sicambrians was so severe in the execution of his laws that he executed his own sonne for adultery and being reviled by his wife for it he put her away sending her back to her father who was King of the Orcades Isac Chron. p. 152. Henry the fourth King of England when his eldest sonne the Prince of Wales was by the Lord chief Justice committed to prison for affronting him on the bench gave thanks to God for that he had a Judge so impartial in executing justice and a sonne so obedient as to submit to such a punishment Speed A Judge in Germany aggravating the fault of a murtherer that was before him told him that he deserved no favour for that he had killed six men No my Lerd said an Advocate that stood by he killed but one and you are guilty of the blood of the other five because you let him escape upon the murther of the first The Egyptian Kings usually and solemnly presented this oath to their Judges Not to swarve from their consciences no though they should receive a command from themselves to the contrary It 's a principle in moral policy That an ill executor of the Laws is worse in a State then a great breaker of them Pericles a famous Oratour of Greece who for the excellency of his speech and mightinesse of his eloquence was said to thunder and lighten at the Barre from the Principles of nature ever before he pleaded a cause intreated his gods that not a word should fall from him besides his cause An old woman complaining to the Emperour Adrian of some wrong that was done her her he told her that he was not at leasure to heare her suit to whom she plainly replied That then he ought not to be at leasure to be Emperour which came so to the quick that he was ever after more facile to suitours Fulgâ— Lewis the first King of France used three dayes in the week publickly to hear the complaints and grievances of his people and to right their wrongs A Macedonian Gentleman called Pausanias ran at King Philip and slew him because he had refused to do him justice when he complained against a Peer of the Realme Some of the kindred of Tatius King of the Romans robbed and murthered certain Ambassadours that were going to Rome for which their â—â—â—â—olk demanded justice of Tatius but he connâ—ving at the wrong because of his relation to them the kindred of the slaine watched their opportunity and slew him as he was sacrificing to his gods Plut. Lewis called Saint Lewis of France having given a pardon to a Malefactor upon second thoughts revoked it again saying That he would give no pardon where the Law did not pardon For that it was a work of mercy and charity to punish an offendor and not to punish crimes was as much as to commit them A certaine husbandman coming to Robert Grosthead Bishop of Lincolne challenged kindred of him and thereupon desired him to preferre him to such an office Cousen quoth the Bishop if your cart be broken I will mend it If your plâ—ugh be old I will give you a new one or seed to sowe your land But an husbandman I found you and an husbandman I will leave you Domitius the Emperour used to say that he had rather seem cruel in punishing then to be dissolute in sparing It was said of Chilperick King of France that he was Titularis non Tutelaris Rex Defuit Reipublicae non praefuit Cambyses King of Persia dying without issue his Nobles agreed that his horse that should first neigh at the place where they appointed to meet the next morning he should be their King Whereupon Ocbares Gentleman of the horse to Darius led his horse over-night to that place and let him there cover a Mare and the next morning when they were all met Darius his horse knowing the place and missing the Mare neighed and so Darius was presently saluted for King Herod l. 5. St. Bernards counsel to Eugenius was that he should so rule the people as that they might prosper and grow rich under him and not he be wealthy by the people It was observed of Varus Governour of Syria that he came poore into the Countrey and found it rich but departed thence rich and left the Countrey poore Ptolomaeus Lagi though a great King yet never had but little of his own and his usual saying was That it was fit for a King rather to make others rich then to be rich himselfe Plut. Tiberius Caesar being solicited by the Governours of his Provinces to lay greater taxes and subsidies upon his people answered That a good shepherd ought to sheare his sheep not flay them St. Lewis King of France on his death-bed advised his sonne never to lay any taxe upon his subjects but when necessity urged him and when there was just cause for it Otherwise saith he you will not be reputed for a King but a Tyrant The Emperour Theodosius was wont to say That he accounted it a greater honour to be a member
18. 7 12. Without it repentance is not accepted Num. 5. 6 7. Scriptural examples Josephs brethren Gen. 43. 12. 44. 8. Micha Iugdes 17. 3. David 2 Sam. 9. 7. Benhadad 1 King 20. 34. Jehoram 2 King 8 6. Iewish Nobles Neh. 5. 12. Cyrus Ezra 1. 7 8. Darius Ezra 6. 5. Judas Mat. 27. 3. Samuel proffered it 1 Sam. 12. 3. Zacheus Luk. 19. 8. King of Israel 2 King 8. 6. Examples of restitution When Selymus the great Turke lay upon his death-bed being moved by Pyrrhus his great Bashaw to bestow that abundance of wealth which he had taken wrongfully from the Persian Merchants upon some notable Hospitall for relief of the poore he commanded it rather to be restored to the right owners which was forthwith effected Turk Hist. p. 561. King Henry the third of England who was a great oppressor of his Subjects in their liberties and estates having upon a time sent a load of Freese to the Friars Minors to clothe them they returned back the same with this message That he ought not to give almes of that that he had rent from the poor neither would they accept of that abominable gift Dan. Chron. Pliny an Heathen tells us that the poore are not to be fed like the Whelps of wilde beasts with blood and murther rapine and spoile but that which is most acceptable to the receivers they should know that that which is given unto them is not taken from any body else In Cant. Ser. 71. Bernard saith that God receives not any Almes at the hands of an oppressor or Usurer In Ca. Ezek. 18. Hierome saith that no man should turne bread gotten by oppression and usury into a work of mercy Augustine saith that when God shall judge those that live now by fraud and give almes of the spoiles of the oppressed he will say unto them You tell me what you have given but you tell me not what you have taken away You recount whom you have fed but remember not whom you have undone They rejoyce whom you have clothed but they lament whom you have spoiled Tom. 10. Hom. 47. Augustine in another place saith Non remittitur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum Sinne is not forgiven till the thing taken away be restored Quest. Is restitution so absolutely necessary Answ. Yea quoad affectum though not quoad effectum If we are not able If there be a willing minde it is accepted c. 2 Cor. 8. 12. God accepts of that quod quisquam verè voluit tametsi adimplere non valuit which a man faithfully would do though he cannot CHAP. L. Law Law-givers MOses was the Law-giver to the Israelites Num. 21. 18. Deut. 33. 21. Amongst the Lacedemonians Law-suites were not heard of because amongst them there was neither covetousnesse nor poverty but equality with abundance and a quiet life with sobriety Plut. Lycurgus was the Law-giver to the Lacedemonians and to gaine more credit to his Lawes he went to Delphos to the Oracle of Apollo to consult therewith about the successe of his enterprize Plut. He would have none of his Lawes written but commanded parents by the virtuous education of their children and youth to implant them in their hearts and lives Plut. When by experience he saw his Lawes well approved of and the Common-wealth to flourish under them he had a great desire to make them immortal for which end he assembled all the people together and told them that he thought his civil Policy was already sufficiently established to make them happy yet one thing of the greatest importance was still behinde which he could not reveale till he had first consulted with the Oracle of Apollo and in the meane time he desired them to observe his Laws inviolably without altering any thing untill his returne this they all promised him faithfully yet for the greater security he took an oath of the Kings Senators and all the people to make good their promise to him and so went to Delphos where he sacrificed to Apollo and asked him if his Lawes were sufficient to make a people happy the Oracle answered that they were and that his Citizens observing them should be the most renowned in all the world This answer Lycurgus wrote and sent to Sparta and then taking his leave of his sonne and friends he pined himself tò death commanding his friends to burne his body and to throw his ashes into the sea lest any part of him being carried into Sparta his Citizens should say that he was returned again and so think themselves absolved from their oath According to his expectation whilest Lacedemon observed his Lawes it flourished in wonderful prosperity and honour for five hundred yeeres together till King Agis his time in whose reigne gold and silver began to be in request and so pride covetousnesse and curiosity crept in which by degrees wrought their ruine Plut. Numa Pompilius the first Law-giver amongst the Romanes gave out that he conversed in the woods with the goodesse Egeria that so he might procure the greater esteeme to himself and to the Lawes which he enacted Plut. Solon the Law-giver to the Athenians collecting and writing down many excellent Lawes Anacharsis a very wise man laughed at him saying Thinkest thou by written Lawes to bridle the covetousnesse and injustice of men Knowest thou not that Lawes are like cobwebs that catch little flies but the rich and mighty will break through them at their pleasure Plut. Draco that first gave Lawes to the Athenians punished idlenesse and almost all offences with death whence his Lawes were said to be written in blood But when Solon reformed them he made them more milde and moderate Plut. CHAP. LI. Tyrants Tyranny THey shall not live out half their dayes Ps. 55. 25. Forbidden Lev. 25. 43 46 53. Scriptural Examples Adonibezeck Jud. 1. Abimelech Jud. 9. Athaliah 2 King 11. Jezebel 1 King 21. Manahem 2 King 15. Saul 1 Sam. 22. Ahaz 2 King 17. Manasseh 2 Chron. 22. Nebuchadnezzar Jer. 39. Herod Mat. 2. Pharaoh Exod. 1. Ishmael Ier. 41. Pilate Luk. 13. 1. See in Reproofe the examples of Cambyses Darius going to warre against the Scythians would take along with him the three sons of Deobaces one of his Noble men that was very old whereupon Deobaces requested him to leave one of his sonnes at home to be a solace to his old age Yea said Darius I will leave them all three and so he caused them to be all slaine and thrown into their fathers presence Pez Mel Hist. The Lacedemonians having in divers battels by sea and land overthrown the Athenians they at last set thirty Tyrants over them which exercised extreme cruelty towards them The honest Citizens whom they either feared or hated or that excelled in wealth they either banished or slew them and Teized upon their estates Whereupon one of them somewhat better then the rest called Theramenes spake against this cruelty which caused another called Critias to accuse him of treason and so to
just first by thee and then by all others Q. Cur. The Athenians did so basely flatter King Demetrius the sonne of Antigonus that they made this decree publickly that whatsoever King Demetrius commanded it should be accounted holy amongst the gods and just amongst men Plut. Severus the Emperour caused one Tyrinus a notable flatterer to be tied to a stake in the Market-place and there to be killed with smoake An Herauld in the meane time standing by and crying Smoak he sold and with smoak he is punished The Courtiers of Meroe a Kingdome in India to flatter and ingratiate themselves with their King limped and halted as their King did Canutus King of England and Denmark being told by a flatterer that all things in his Realme were at his command and will appointed his Chaire to be set upon the sands when the sea began to flowe and in the presence of his Courtiers he said unto it Thou art part of my dominion and the ground on which I sit is mine neither was there ever any that durst disobey my command that went away with impunity wherefore I charge thee that thou come not upon my land neither that thou wet the clothes or body of me thy Lord. Yet the sea according to its usual course flowing more and more wet his feet whereupon the King rising up said Let all the inhabitants of the world know that vaine and frivolous is the power of Kings and that none is worthy the name of King but he to whose command the heaven earth and sea by the bond of an everlasting Law are subject and obedient And never after that time would he suffer his crown to come upon his head Hen. of Hunt See the example of Damocles in Tyrants The Athenians fined Demagoras ten Talents for that he had by way of flattery called Alexander a god Ravisius Nicesias a flatterer about Alexander when he saw him wounded cried out in the words of Homer O what precious blood flowes from the bodies of the gods When Iulius Caesar was going against the Senate and Pompey one of his souldiers said flatteringly Jussa sequi tam velle mihi quà m posse necesse est Nec civis meus est in quem tua classica Caesar Audiero Lucan Publius Afranius a notable flatterer at Rome hearing that Caligula the Emperour was sick went to him and professed that he would willingly die so that the Emperour might recover the Emperour told him that he did not beleeve him whereupon he confirmed it with an oath and the Emperour shortly after recovering caused him to be slaine that he might not be forsworne Xiphilinus Teridates King of Armenia when he was overcome by Corbulo and brought prisoner to Rome to Neroâ— falling down on his knees he said I am nephew to the great Lord Arsacus brother to the two great Kings Vologeses and Pacorus and yet thy servant and I come to worship thee no otherwise then I worship my god the Sun Truly I will be such an one as thou shalt please to make me for thou art my Fate and Fortune which flattery so pleased Nero that he restored him to his Kingdome and gave him besides an hundred thousand peeces of gold Xâ—pil Ant. Caracalla the Romane Emperour gave all those vaste summes of money that he raised by taxes and exactions upon his subjects amongst his Parasites and flatterers Idem Timagoras the Athenians being sent upon an Embassie to Darius King of Persia in a flattering manner worshipped him after the Persian manner For which he lost his head at his returne home Ravis Clitosophus King Philip of Macedons Parasite feigned himself lame because Philip had broke his leg and used to writhe his eyes and his mouth after the same manner as his Master used to do Idem A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it and a flattering tongue worketh ruine Prov. 26. 28. CHAP. LVI Strange Examples of Deafe and Dumb Persons WE have saith Camerarius in Noremberg a young man and a young maid both born of one father and mother and of a good house who though they be deafe and dumb yet have they a singular quick conceit they can both of them reade very well write cipher and cast an account they are quick and cunning at Cards Dice and all games The maid is excellent at Sempstry Tapestry Embrodery c. And by the motion of a mans lips they know his meaning Platerus mentions one deafe and dumb born yet could expresse his minde in a table-book and could understand what others wrote therein He hearing Oâ—colampadius preaching by the motions of his lips and gesture understood many things One Gennet Lowes a Scottish woman dwelling in Edenburg being deafe and dumb by nature could understand any one in her house meerly by the moving of their lips so that by their motions alone without a voice she could exactly know their meaning Master Crisp brother to Sir Nicholas Crisp his dexterity in knowing the meaning of men by the motions of their lips is very well known to Merchants upon the Exchange and is yet fresh in every ones memory At the time when Sir Alexander Carey was beheaded at Tower-hill this Master Crisp having been deafe long before pressed to stand neer to the Scaffold whereupon Master Hurst an officer in the train-bands that kept the guard spake to him to forbear who not hearing him continued to labour to get a convenient place till Master Hurst being told by some who he was suffered him to place himself right against the front of the Scaffold and when Sir Alexander turned himself to speak to the people Master Crisp fixed his eyes upon his lips during all the time of his speech which he so perfectly understood and carried away that relating it to his friends they much wondred at the way of his perception There was a Nobleman in Spaine the younger brother of the Constable of Castile born so deafe that he could not hear a gun shot off by his eare and consequently dumb yet the lovlinesse of his face and exceeding vivacity of his eyes the comlinesse of his person and the whole composure of his body were pregnant signes of a well tempered minde Physicians and Chyrurgions had long imployed their skill to help him but all in vaine At last a certain Priest undertook to teach him to understand others when they spake and to speak himselfe that others might understand him This attempt was at first laughed at but after some yeares with great paines he taught this young Lord to speak as distinctly as any man and to understand so perfectly what others said that he could understandingly converse all day with them Prince Charles when he was wooing the Infanta of Spaine saw him and oft made trial of him not only with English words but making some Welchmen in his traine to speak words of their language all which he perfectly repeated only for want of his hearing his tone was rather vehement and shrill then pleasing This many
them for succour they sent some to meet him to charge him that he should not come neere their coasts for that they had made a decree that no King should come into Athens Plut. Justin. Caius Caligula the Romane Emperour was of such an inconstant nature that none knew how to carry themselves towards him Sometimes he delighted in multitude of society other sometimes in solitarinesse Sometimes he used to be angry when any thing was begged of him other times because nothing Many wicked men he suffered to go unpunished when in the meane time he was extreme cruel to the good and innocent To his enemies he would be merciful and to his friends inexorable c. Sueto Ratholdus Captaine of the Frisons being converted to the knowledge of the truth by the Ministery of Wolfranius Bistop of Seanes was contented to be baptized by him But when he had one foot in the Font He asked the Bishop where his ancestors were whether in heaven or hell the Bishop answered that no doubt they were in hell for that none of them had the knowledge of Christ Hereupon Wolfranius pulled his foot out of the Font saying I also will then go to hell where my predecessors are choosing rather to be in that place where are most then where are fewest Fulgos. Tertullian who had been famous both for his life and learning and had written many things excellently in defence of the truth At the last being disgraced by some of the Romane Clergy took such offence at it that he forsook the truth and imbraced the Heresie of Montanus and wrote against the truth See his life in my first Part. See the example of Pendleton in my English Martyrology And of Doctor Perne Pausanias King of the Lacedemonians fought many succesful battels in Asia against Xerxes yet at last through inconstancy degenerated into the Asian luxury and proffered to deliver up the government of Sparta into Xerxes his hands if he would give him his daughter in marriage Val. Max. M. Otho the Emperour in his younger dayes was given to all manner of loosenesse and licentiousnesse But when he was made Governour of Lusitania he ruled it with admirable justice which made all men to wonder at him But afterwards being chosen Emperour he returned to his former debauchery yet before his death reformed it again Fulgos. Seneca that wrote so excellently in the commendation of moral virtues yet himself allowed his Scholar Nero to commit incest with his own mother Agrippina And when he wrote against Tyranny himselfe was Schoolmaster to a Tyrant And when he reproved others for frequenting the Emperours Court himself was scarce ever out of it And when he reproached flatterers himself practised it in a shameful manner towards the Queens and Freedmen whilst he inveighed against riches and rich men he heaped together infinite riches by usury and unjust dealings And whilst he condemned Luxury in others himself had five hundred costly chaires made of Cedar their feet of Ivory and all other things answerable Xiphil in vita Neromis CHAP. LIX Examples of such as have been hard Students SOcrates used to stand many times plodding upon points of Philosophy in the same posture of body for divers houres together being all that while unsensible of any thing that was done about him Chrysippus was sometimes so transported at his study that he had perished with hunger if his maide had not thrust meat into his mouth Alphonsus King of Spaine and Naples was wont to bewaile the case of Kings for that hearing with other mens eares they could seldome heare the truth and therefore he held himselfe happy in his Muti Magistri his Books especially his Bible which he read over fourteen times with Lyra's and other mens notes upon the Text. Archimedes a famous Mathematician of Syracuse in the Isle of Sicily when the City was besieged by the Romanes by his rare Engins annoyed the Romanes more then all the men in the City yet at last through treachery the Romanes entred and Archimedes being drawing Mathematical Figures in his study heard not the noise yea his study was broken open by a rude souldier yet he heeded it not so that the souldier thinking that he slighted him ran him through with his sword This Archimedes was he that said If you would give him a place whereon to fix it he could make an Engin that would remove the whole earth Theodosius the Emperour wrote out the whole New Testament with his own hand accounted it a great Jewell and read part of it every day Henry the first King of England was bread up in learning and such a prizer of it that he often said that he esteemed an unlearned King but as a crowned Asse Speed Themistocles from his child-hood much affected learning and was so studious that when his fellows were at play he would never be idle but was alwayes either making or conning Orations either to defend or accuse some of his companions which his Master observing used to say That he was borne either to do some great good or some extreme mischief to the Common-wealth Plut. Alexander the Great was by his father Philip placed under Aristotle to be brought up in learning who carefully instructed him in most of the liberal sciences in the study whereof Alexander took such delight that he used to say that he had rather have knowledge then to excell in power He so prized Homers Iliads that during all his Wars he alwayes carried it in his pocket and laid it under his pillow anights He loved his Master Aristotle as if he had been his father and used to say that as we have our being from our Parents so we have our well being from our School-masters Just. Q. Curtius Solon a very wise man and great Scholar amongst the Athenians used to say I grow old learning still Plut. Vespasian the Romane Emperour was a great friend to learning and learned men giving them large pensions out of his Exchequer besides other favours and notable rewards â—mp Hist. Nicostratus the Athenian Painrer standing with admiration whilst he beheld the picture of Helena drawn by Zeuxis one asked him the cause of his wondring To whom he answered Friend if you had mine eyes you would not have asked me this question but rather have admired it as I do Plin. Endymion was so affected with the study of Astronomy that he spent whole nights upon rocks and mountaines in contemplating the motions of the stars whence the Poets feigned that the Moon was in love with c. Atlas the Lybian was so delighted with observing the motions of the heavens that leaving the society of men he went and lived upon the highest mountaine of Affrica whence that mountaine was called by his name and for his singular knowledge in Astronomy the Poets feigned that he bore up the heavens with his shoulders The Indian Gymnosophists used to stand upon the hot sands from the rising to the setting of the Sunne sometimes upon one leg
past I denied it to your Father and therefore it would not be just to grant that to the son which I refused to the father Imp. Hist. Apollonius being asked as to entrap him what he thought of Nero's singing fearlesly answered the bloody Tigellinus Nero's favourite I think said he far better then you for you repute him worthy to sing but I to hold his peace And so truly it was for his voice was but weak and hollow and therefore to help it he used to lie on his back with a leaden plate on his breast and to fast certain daies in every moneth with nothing but oyl Plinie At the Battel of Newport the Prince of Orange having the Spanish Army before him and the Sea behind him spake thus to his Souldiers If you will live you must either eat up these Spaniards or drink up this Sea When Luther first appeared against the Pope Albertus Crantzius a Bishop that approved of his project but thought it impossible to be brought to passe wrote thus unto him Frater Frater Abi in Cellam dic Miserere mei Deus Frier Frier go into thy Cloister and follow thy beads This businesse is too hard for thee to undertake When amongst many Articles exhibited to our King Henry the 7th by the Irish against the Earl of Kildare the last was Finally all Ireland cannot rule this Earl Then quoth the King this Earl shall rule all Ireland and so made him Deputy thereof Camb. Remaines p. 271. King John of England being perswaded by one of his Courtiers to untomb the bones of one who whilest he lived had been his great enemy O no quoth the King would to God that all mine enemies were as honourably buried A little before the Spanish Invasion in eighty eight the Spanish Ambassadour after a large recital of his Masters demands to Queen Elizabeth summed up the effect of it in this Tetrastich Te veto ne pergas bello defendere Belgas Quae Dracus eripuit nunc restituantur oportet Quas Pater evertit jubeo te Condere cellas Religio Papae fac restituatur ad unguem i. e. These to you are our Commands Send no help to th'Netherlands Of the Treasure took by Drake Restitution you must make And those Abbies build anew Which your fathers overthrew If for any Peace you hope In all points restore the Pope The Queen smiling at these demands returned this sudden answer Ad Graecas bone Rex fient mandata Calendas Worthy King know this your will At latter Lammas wee 'l fulfill See her Life in my second Part. John Duke of Bedford being entombed in the chief Church of Roan afterwards a foolish Courtier perswaded Charles the eighth King of France to deface his Monument to whom the King answered God defend that I should wrong him dead whom whilest he was living all the force of France could not resist Queen Elizabeth coming into a Free-School had an Oration made to her by one of the boyes whom afterwards she jestingly asked How often his Master had whipped him To whom he readily and wittily answered with the words of AEneas to Queen Dido Infandum Regina jubes renovare dolorem At another time having an Oration made to her by a poor boy she understanding his quality said merrily to him Pauper ubique jacet But the boy as confidently and wittily answered In thalamis regina tuis hac nocte jacerem Si verum hoc esset Pauper ubique jacet CHAP. LXXXIII Poverty Poor NOt to be oppressed Exod. 22. 25. Deut. 24. 14. Prov. 22. 16 22. 28. 3 15. 14. 31. 30. 14. Eccles. 5. 8. Isa. 3. 14 15. 10. 2. 11. 4 32. 7. 58. 7. Jer. 2. 32. Ezek. 18. 12. Amos 2. 6. 4. 1. Job 31. 16 c. Psal. 10. 2 c. 12. 5. To be relieved Exod. 23. 11. Lev. 19. 20. 23. 22. 25. 25 35 c. Deut. 15. 7 c. 24. 12. Job 30. 25. Prov. 14. 21. 22. 9. 28. 27. 31. 20. Dan. 4. 27. Mar. 14. 7. Matth. 19. 21. Rom. 15. 26. Gal. 2. 10. Luk. 19. 8. 2 Cor. 9. 9. What brings Poverty Prov. 6. 11. 11. 24. 13. 18. 20. 13. 23. 21. 24. 34. 28. 19 22. Alexander the Great having taken the Kingdome of Sidon gave it to Hephaestion to dispose of it to whom he pleased Hephaestion to shew his gratitude proffered it to his host with whom he quartered but he not being of the Kingly family refused it saying It is not our Countrey fashion that any one should be King but such as are of the King's line and such an one saith he lives hard by a good and a wise man but very poor and one that lives by his hard labour then Hephaestion taking Kingly apparrel with him went to this poor man and saluted him King bidding him wash off his dirt and put off his rags and put on that Kingly apparel the poor mans name was Abdolonimus who thought he had been in a dream but being by the standers by washed and adorned Hephaestion led him into the Palace saying When thou sittest on thy Throne and hast power over the lives of all thy Subjects forget not thy former condition Alexander hearing of it sent for him and asked him with what patience he being of such a noble extraction could bear his former poverty To whom Abdolonimus answered I pray God that I may bear the Kingdome with the same mind for said he these hands provided for my necessity and as I had nothing so I wanted nothing Just. Cur. Diod. Sic. CHAP. LXXXIV Peace Peace makers GOd is the God of Peace Heb. 13. 20. Christ the Prince of Peace Isa. 9. 6. Gods Word the glad tydings of Peace Rom. 10 15. Isa. 52. 7. Gods children are Peace-makers Matth. 5. 9. the Angels singers of Peace Luk 2. 13. Good men are Counsellors of Peace Prov. 12. 20. Gods Kingdome the Kingdome of Peace Rom. 14. 17. Church-Officers Officers of Peace Isa. 60. 17. Hierusalem the City of Peace Psal. 122. 3 7. It 's to be sought after Heb. 14. 14. Rom. 14. 19. 1 Cor. 7. 15. Phil. 4. 7. Psal. 34. 14. Jer. 29. 7. Mar. 5. 50. Ephes. 4. 3. 1 Thess. 5. 13. We must pray for Peace Psal. 122. 6. No peace to the wicked Isa. 48. 22. Scriptural Examples Abraham for peace sake yielded to Lot Gen. 13. 8. Abimelech covenants with Isaac Gen. 26. 28 c. Joseph commands it to his Brethren Gen. 45. 24. Melchisedeck and Salomon were Kings of peace Jacob and his sons Gen. 34. 21. the Primitive Christians Act. 4. 32. David Psal. 120. 7. Numa Pompilius instituted the Priests called Feciales whose office was to preserve peace between the Romans and their neighbouring Nations and if any quarrels did arise they were to pacifie them by reason and not suffer them to come to violence till all hope of peace was past and if the Feciales did not consent
Earth-quake wherewith the people were so affrighted that many of them forsook their houses and some houses were so shaken that the Chimnies fell down In January Anno Christi 1648. there was seen a great fiery meteor in the air near Bristow on the South-side of the City for divers nights together in form long with fiery streames shooting out East and West which was the week before the beheading of the late King eye-witnesse Also the day before he was beheaded a great Whale ran himself on shore three miles from Dover where he died He was 66 foot long A thing rarely seen in this Island November the 30th Anno Christi 1650. being St. Andrews day a little before or about Sun-rising the skie opened in a fearful manner in the Southwest over Standish a Town five miles from Gloucester and there appeared a terrible fearful fiery shaking sword with the hilt upwards towards the heavens the point downwards towards the earth the hilt seemed to be blue the Sword was of a great length shaking hither and thither and comming lower towards the earth There was a long flame of fire towards the point sparkling and flaming in a fearful manner to the great astonishment of the Spectators who were many At last the heaven closing the Sword vanished and the fire fell to the earth and ran upon the ground This I had from an eye-witnesse In June Anno Christi 1653. a black cloud was seen over the Town of Pool which a while after was dissolved into a showr of blood that fell warm upon mens hands some green leaves with those drops of blood upon them were sent up to London A little before the Civil broiles between the houses of York and Lancaster wherewith England for a long time was rent in pieces the River Ouse in Bedfordshire stood still and by reason that the waters gave back on both sides men might passe on foot in the very chanel for three miles together not without the astonishment of all that saw it who took it as a presage of the divisions ensuing Camb. Brit. p. 399. Not long before the contention between Galba Otho and Vitellius about the Roman Empire there appeared three Suns as it were pointing out that tripatite contention for the Imperial Diadem April the 7th Anno Christi 1233. there appeared here in England four Suns besides the natural Sun and presently afrer fell out the great contention between our King Henry the third and his Barons and the year after England was wasted with fire snd sword from Wales to Salisbury there ensued also a great drought and Pestilence Stow. Anno Christi 1460. three Suns appeared the very day before the three Earles viz. Edward Earl of March with the Earl of Pembrook and the Earl of Wiltshire fought that great battel in Wales at Mortimer's Crosse where the Earl of March put the other two to flight and slew many of their men Idem Anno Christi 1233. a little before the Warres brake forth between King Henry the third and his Barons there appeared in April in Hereford and VVorcestershire five Suns at once and a certain great circle of a Crystal colour of about two foot in breadth as it were compassing all England Matth. Paris CHAP. XCI Remuneration Retaliation Requital COmmanded sometime by God Gen 9. 6. Exod. 21. 23 c. Lev. 24. 19 c. Matth. 5. 38. Psal. 137. 8. Jer. 50. 15. Rev. 18. 6. Thus God threatens to the enemies of his Church Jer. 30. 16. 48. 26 27. 49. 2. Rev. 13. 10. Jer. 51. 49. Ezek. 35. 5 6. 39. 30. Hab. 2. 8. Joel 3. 6 7 8. 1 Thess. 1. 6. To those that sin in his Church Pit for pit Psal. 7. 15 16. Idolatry for Idolatry Jer. 5. 19. Spoil for spoil Isa. 33. 1. Prov 22. 23. Treachery for treachery Isa. 33. 1. Harlots hire for harlots hire Mich. 1. 7. Not to hear shall not be heard Prov. 1. 28. Zach. 7. 13. Altars for sin with Altars to sin Hos. 8. 11. they that judge shall be judged Matth. 7. 2. Scriptural Examples Pharaoh drowned others and was drowned himself Exod. 1. 22. with 14. 27. 30. Abimelech and the Sechemites Judg. 9. 24 56 57. Adonibezek Judg. 1. 7. Levites Concubine Judg. 19. 2 25. Ahab and Jesabel 1 King 21. 19. with 22. 34 38. 18. 13. 22. 23. 2 King 9. 33 36 37. Kings which were traytors and slew others were slain themselves 2 King 15. 10 14 23 25 30. Agag 1 Sam. 15. 33. Joab 1 King 2. 32. Daniel's enemies Dan. 6. 7 12 15 24. Other Examples Orodes King of Parthia who had overcome and slain Crassus the Roman Consul in his old age fell desperately sick for grief at the losse of his son Pacones slain by Venticius yet his younger son Phraates had not patience to expect his death but gave him poison to accelerate it But behold Gods providence the poison proving a strong purge wrought out not onely it self but the disease too so that Orodes recovered beyond expectation which Phraates seeing strangled him and to settle him the surer in his Kingdome obtained by Parricide he entred into league with the Romans sending back the Ensigns of Crassus and other Presents the Romans to requite him sent him great gifts and amongst the rest a beautiful Italian strumpet by whom he had a son which being grown up by the advice and help of his mother poisoned his father to get his Crown Tulit quae meruit et quae docuit Lipsius Mithridates King of Pontus to get the Crown slew his mother brother and her three sons and as many daughters but in his old age his own son Phanacus slow him for the same cause Lipsius Ptolemaeus one of Alexander's Successours expelling Antigonus seizeth upon Macedonia makes peace with Antiochus enters into league and affinity with Pyrrhus now all things were sure but onelyfor his sister Arsinoe and her sons who had been married to Lysimachus King of Macedonia therefore intending to entrap her he sent Ambassadours to her pretending love promising to marry her to make her partner with him in the Kingdom and her sons his heires protesting that he took up armes for no other end proffering to swear upon the holy Altars when and where she pleased that all this was in good faith The poor Lady deceived hereby sent some of her friends to take his oath before whom he went into the most ancient Temple and there touching the gods and the Altar swears That he sincerely purposed to marry her to make her his Queen and her children his heires otherwise he prayes for vengeance upon himself c. Upon this Arsinoe comes to him is married and crowned Queen of Macedonia then she delivers up to him Cassandrea a most strong City where her children and all her treasures were he having now his desire sends men that slew her children in their mothers lap and drave her into exile but God suffered not this wickednesse to go long unrevenged
had wont to be called the best stable of woodden Horses because of their potency in shipping though now the English have out-shot them in their own Bowe England was wont to be accounted the Popes Pack-horse for indeed she seldome rested in the stable when any work was to be done The Italians are said to be wise before-hand The Germans in the action and the French after it is done Mr. Aschâ—m thanks God that he was but nine daies in Italy where in one City Venice he saw more liberty co sin then in London he ever heard of in nine years Preface to his School The Neaepolitane Gentry are observed to stand so much upon the puntilio's of their honour that they prefer robbery before industry and will rather suffer their daughter to make merchandise of her chastity then marry the richest Merchant Sr. W. Segar in his honors The earth in Italy yields five harvests in a year 1. In June that of Silks 2. In July of divers Fruits 3. In August that of Corn which afterwards they sowe with Millio Rice Turkey Wheat or the like grain and within two moneths have another Crop 4. In September that of their Wines 5. In October that of Oyl Englands Priviledges The first Christian King that ever was in the world was Lucius King of the Britans that built Peter's Church in Cornhill London The first Christian Emperour that was in the world was Constantine the Great born in England of Helena an English woman The first King that shook off subjection to Antichrist was our King Henry the eighth And the first Christian King that ever wrote that the Pope was Antichrist was our King James CHAP. CII Examples of the wonders of Gods works in Nature IN Cornwal near unto a place called Pen sans is that famous stone called Main-Amber which is a great Rock advanced upon some other of meaner size with so equal a counterpoize that a man may stir it with the push of his finger but to remove it quite out of his place a great number of men are not able Camb. Brit. p. 188. The like is in the Countrey of Stratherne in Scotland In the year 1581. in the Countie of Essex an Army of Mice so overran the Marshes in Dengey hundred near unto South-minster that they shore the grasse to the very roots and so tainted the same with their venemous teeth that a great murrain fell upon the Cattel which grased thereon Speeds Essex In the year 1555. when by reason of unseasonable weather there was a great Dearth in the Land there sprang up upon the Rocks without tillage or sowing in the Countie of Essex betwixt Orford and Adlebrough such a Crop of pease that in August there was gathered above an hundred Quarters and in blossoming there remained as many more where never grasse grew nor earth was ever seen but hard solid Rock for three yards deep under their Roots Speed in Suffolk In the Countie of Devon not far from Lidford the river Lid at a Bridge is gathered into a strait and pent in between rocks whereon it runneth down amaine and the ground daily waxing more and more deep his water is not seen onely a roaring noise is heard to the great wonder of those that pass by Camb. Brit. p. 199. In Warwickshire at Neuenham Regis three fountains walme out of the ground strained through a veine of Allum the water whereof carrying the colour and taste of milk cureth the stone provoketh urine abundantly green wounds it quickly closeth up and healeth being drunk with salt it looseth and with sugar it bindeth the belly Camh. Brit. p. 562. In Summersetshire near unto Glastenbury in Wiral-Pâ—rk there is an Hawthorne tree which upon Christmas-day sprouteth forth as well as in May. Camb. Brit. p. 227. Also in the same Shire near unto Cainsham are found in Stone-quarries stones resembling Serpents winding round in manner of a wreath the head bearing up in the Circumference and the end of the taile taking up the centre within but most of them are headlesse Camb. Brit. p. 236. In Herefordshire a little beneath Richards Castle Nature who no where disporteth her self more in shewing wonders then in waters hath brought forth a pretty Well which is alwaies full of little fish bones although they be from time to time quite drawn out of it whence it 's called commonly Bone-well Camb. Brit. p. 619. In Gloucestershire upon the hills near Alderly are found certain stones resembling Cockles Periwinckles and Oisters which seem to be the garmsome works of Nature or such shells turned into stone Camb. Brit. p. 363. In Yorkshire about Whitby are found certain stones fashioned like Serpents foulded and wrapped round as in a wreath so that a man would verily think that they had been sometimes Serpents turned into stone Camb. Brit. p. 718. Also in the same County at Huntly Nabb there lie scattering here and there amongst the rocks stones of divers bignesse so Artificially by nature shaped round in manner of a Globe that one would take them to be big Bullets made by the Turners hand for shot to be discharged out of great Ordnance In which if you break them are found stony Serpents enwrapped round like a wreath but most of them are headlesse Camb. Brit. p. 721. In the County of Cornwal near unto St. Neots there are a number of good great rocks heaped up together and under them one stone of lesser size fashioned naturally in the form of a Cheese lying in presse whereupon it 's named Wring-cheese Camb. Brit. p. 192. In Yorkshire upon the Sea-shore by Sken-grave when the winds are laid and that upon still weather the Sea is most Calme and the water lies level and plain without any noise there is heard here many times on a sudden a great way off as it were an horrible and a fearful groaning which affrights the fishermen at those times from launching forth into the Sea Camb. Brit. p. 720. In Richmondshire amongst the ragged rocks are found stones like unto Periwinckles Cockles and other shell fish Camb. Brit. p. 727. In the County of Hereford a hill which they call Marcley-hill in the year 1571. as though it had wakened on a sudden out of a deep sleep roused it self up and for the space of three dayes together moving and shewing it self as mighty and huge an heape as it was with roaring noise in a fearful sort and overturning all things that stood in the way advanced it self foreward to the wondrous astonishment of the beholders Camb. Brit. p. 620. In Glamorganshire in a rock or cliffe by the Sea-side there appeareth a very little chink unto which if you lay your ear you shall hear a noise as if it were of Smiths at work one while the blowing of bellows another while the striking of the sledge and hammer sometimes the sound of the grindstone and iron tooles rubbing against it the hissing sparks also of steel gads within holes as they are beaten and the puffing
go long unpunished for this man upon a quarrel intending to have stabbed another the other party perceiving it to avoid the stroke caught hold on his wrist and forced him to stab his own dagger into his own head which wound could not be cured by Surgery so that he lay cursing swearing and blaspheming and together with an oath breathed forth his accursed soul Gods Justice notably appearing in that his own hand that had written those blasphemies was an instrument to wound his head that had devised them Beards Theat A Gentleman in Bark-shire was an open contemner of God and all Religion a profest Atheist and a scorner of Gods holy Word and Sacraments and being intreated to be a witnesse at the Baptizing of a childe he would needs have him named Beelzebub He was a notorious whoremaster and so addicted to swearing that he could scarce speak without an oath but at last Gods hand found him out For being a hunting he was stricken by God suddenly so that falling backwards on his horse he was taken down stark dead with his tongue hanging out of his mouth after a fearful manner Beards Theat And I perswade my selfe that in these wicked times wherein Atheisme doth so much abound many like examples of Gods judgements might be observed if they were but taken notice of and recorded for Gods glory and caution to others The fool hath aid in his heart There is no God They are corrupt they have done abominable works there is none that doth good Psal. 14. 1. CHAP. XXII Examples of Blasphemy Blasphemers and Gods judgements on them IT 's a great sinne Mat. 15. 19. Lev. 18. 2. Psal. 44. 16. Tit. 2. 5. Rev. 13. 1 3 16. 16. 11 21. Lev. 24. 16. Rom. 2. 24. Act. 26. 11. 1 Tim. 6. 1. 2 Pet. 2. 2 12. Act. 13. 45. 18. 6. Mat. 12 31. Luk. 12. 10. 1 John 5. 16. 2 Tim. 2. 3. Rev. 2. 9. Luk 22. 65. To Blaspheme men forbidden Tit. 3. 2. 1 Pet. 4. 4. Jam. 2. 7. 1 Cor. 4. 13. Who they be that Blaspheme See Bernards Thesaurus It ought to be carefully avoided Col. 3. 8. 2 Sam. 12. 14. Psal. 74. 10 18. 1 Tim. 1. 20. Scriptural examples Satan Gen. 3. 4 5. the Egyptians Lev. 24. 11. Sennacherib and Rabshakeh 2 King 19. 6. Esa. 37. 6. Edomites Ezek. 35. 12. Israelites Ezek. 20. 27. Esa. 52. 5. 65. 7. Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 3. 15. Anti. Epiphanes Dan 7. 25. some Jews Mal. 2. 17. 3. 18 19. Act. 13. 45. Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 27. 39 69. 12. 31. John 8. 48. 7. 20. 8. 48. Luke 22. 65. Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13. Hymeneus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. 20. the whore of Rome Rev. 17. 3. the Beast Rev. 13. 1 5. Unrepentant under plagues Rev. 16. 9. 11. 21. Falsly charged on Naboth 1 King 21. 10 13. and on Christ Mat. 9. 3. 26. 65. Mark 14. 64. John 10. 33. Mark 2. 7. Luke 5. 21. and on Stephen Acts 6. 11 13. Other examples Justinian made a Law that blasphemers should be severely punished by Judges and Magistrates Cod. l. 3. tit 43. King Lewis of France caused a Noble man to have his lips slit with an hot iron for blaspheming the Name of God Fr. Chron. Sennacherib for his Blasphemies had an Angel sent that in one night slew one hundred eighty five thousand of his men and himself was shortly after slain by his own sons 2 King 19. In Julian the Apostates time one Julian Governour of the East to please the Emperour overthrew the Christian Churches and pissed against the communion table and struck Euzojus on the eare for reproving him for it But shortly after the Lord sent upon him a grievous disease his intrails rotting within him so that he voided his excrements at his mouth dying in much misery Another of his officers called Felix seeing the holy vessels which belonged to the Church said in scorne See what precious vessels Maries Sonne is here served withal but shortly after he was taken with a vomitting of blood night and day out of his blasphemous mouth till he died Theod. Libanius the Sophist about the same time at Antioch demanded of a godly and learned Schoolmaster what the Carpenters son did and how he imploied himself He is quoth the other making a Coffin for such a blasphemer as thou art to carry thee to the grave Libanius jested at this answer but within a few dayes he died suddenly and was so buried Theat Hist. Michael a blasphemous Rabbin as he was banquetting with his companions fell to blaspheming Christ and his mother Mary boasting that he had gotten the victory over the Christians God but as he went down the stairs out of the roome he fell down and brake his neck Fincelius One Dennis Benefield a girle of twelve years of age going to school amongst other girles they fell to reasoning of God what he was One said he was a good old Father but this Dennis said blasphemously that he was an old doting fool the next day as she went between London and Hackney she was suddenly stricken dead one side of her being all black and was buried at Hackney Act. Mon. Olympius an Arian Bishop being at a Bath in Carthage reproached and blasphemed the sacred Trinity whereupon he was suddenly smitten with three flashes of lightning which burned him to death Pau. Diaconus Agoland a King of the Moores having long promised to be baptized came at length very gallantly attended to the Court of Charemaine King of France to performe his promise where seeing many Lazers and poor people expecting the Kings almes he asked What they were answer being made that they were the messengers and servants of God he speedily posted away protesting desperately that he would not serve that God who could keep his servants no better Simon Churnay a Master of Paris Anno Christi 1201. having most subtilly and acutely disputed about the Trinity some of his familiar friends perswaded him to put it in writing that so the memorial of such excellent things might not be lost whereupon he proudly brake forth into this blasphemous speech O Jesule Jesule O little Jesus little Jesus how much have I confirmed advanced thy law in this question but if I list to deal crosly I know how with stronger reasons and arguments to weaken and disprove the same Which was no sooner spoken but he was stricken dumb not only so but he became an Ideot and ridiculously foolish and was made a common hissing and mocking stock to all that saw him Mat. Paris Frederick the second Emperour of Germany used to say that there were three notable impostors which seduced the world more then any other viz. Moses Christ and Mahomet Lipsius Alphonsus the tenth King of Spaine used to say that if he had been with God at the first making of the world it had been framed farre better and more regularly Lipsius About the year 1511. there were some godly Christians
here in England convented before the Bishop where they were charged for that in the night-time they used to read in a great book of Heresie meaning the Bible certain chapters of the Evangelists in English cantaining in them divers erroneous and damnable opinions and conclusions of Heresie See my English Martyrology p. 60. Mr Hauks being convented before Bishop Bonner for refusing to have his childe baptized the Bishop asked him the reason of it He answered because he durst not admit of their use of oile spittle cream salt c. whereupon one Darbishire the Bishops kinsman said to him in a blasphemous manner You are too curious you will have nothing but your little pretty Gods Book Eodem p. 141. Master Denley Martyr as he was burning at Uxbridge in the middest of the flames sung a Psalme whereupon Doctor Story commanded one to hurle a faggot at him which hitting him on the face made it to bleed so that Master Denley gave over singing then said Story Truly thou hast marred a good old song Eodem p. 148. Julian at Constantinople offered sacrifice to the goddesse Fortune whereupon Maris Bishop of Chalcedon rebuked him sharply calling him an impious person an Apostate an Atheist c. The Emperour on the contrary called the Bishop Blinde fool blasphemously adding Thy God of Galilee will not restore thy sight to thee again Maris replied I thank my God for making me blinde that I might not behold so ungracious a face as thine is See my General Martyrology p. 84. In the late Persecution in Bohemia a Popish Captain going into one of the Churches took a cup from the Communion table being full of wine and drank to his horse who having pledged him he blasphemously said Now my horse is one of the communicants in both kindes Eodem p. 152. At the same time when divers godly Nobles and Citizens were carrying to prison in Prague the Papists insultingly cried after them Why do you not now sing The Lord reigneth Eodem p. 169. When any of the protestants desired to be convinced by Scripture they answered with scoffs and jeers saying That the Scripture was impersect obscure ambiguous and the fountaine of Heresie the sanctuary of Hereticks which lay-men had nothing to do with They called the Bible Witlia which in the Bohemian language signifies Vomit c. Eodem p. 189. A godly man called Nicolas being apprehended in the Lowcountreys for Religion as he was going to dinner craved a blessing whereupon a Popish Captaine that was present swearing grievously said Let us see thou lewd Heretick if thy God can deliver thee out of my hand Eodem p. 257. At Angiers in France the Papists burnt many Bibles and meeting with one faire gilt one they hung it on an halbard carried it in procession saying Behold truth is hanged the truth of the Huguenotes the truth of all the devils Behold the mighty God behold the everlasting God will speak and when they came to the Bridge they threw it into the River crying louder Behold the truth of all the devills is drowned Eodem p. 302. About the same time at Volougnes the mercilesse Papists took a godly Minister slew him stripped his body naked dragged it up and down and at last brought it to the chamber where he used to preach to his people saying Now pray to thy God and preach if thou canst Eodem p. 304. At the same time one Monsieur Monluc having defeated a party of the Protestants took many prisoners most of which he hanged especially the Ministers And amongst the prisoners finding a Captaine called La-moth he gave him divers stabbes with his dagger and then thrust him thorow with his rapier saying Villaine thou shalt die in despite of God Yet he proved a liar for the man afterwards was miraculously cured of his wounds Eodem p. 305. At Orleance as they murthered the Protestants they cried out Where is now your God what is become of all your Prayers and Psalmes now Let your God that you called upon save you if he can Others sang in scorne Judge and revenge my cause O Lord Others Have mercy on us Lord c. Eodem p. 316. See many more in my General Martyr In my English Martyr and in my books of Lives Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme 1 Tim 1. 20. CHAP. XXIII Examples of profane Scoffers THe Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 3. 3. foretold that in the last dayes should come Scoffers walking after their own lusts and therefore it is no marvel if we who live in the end and dregs of these last dayes finde this prophecie fulfilled Ishmael was a scoffer in Abrahams family and the Church hath alwayes been pestered with some of his brood and therefore we may lesse wonder if we meet with such amongst those which live out of the pale of Gods Church Some Instances whereof these following examples will exhibite unto us Foretold 2 Pet. 3. 3. Jude 18. They are wicked persons Prov. 9. 7 8. 13. 1. 14. 6. 15. 12. 21. 24. 24. 9. Isa. 29. 10. Psal. 79. 4. Prov. 1. 22. 3. 34. 19. 29. Psal. 123. 4. 1. 1. Prov. 29. 8. Act. 2. 13. Heb. 11. 36. Scriptural examples The Caldeans Hab. 1. 10. Men of Judah 2 Chron. 30. 10. Sanballat c. Neh. 2. 19. Jobs friends Iob 16. 20. Davids enemies Psal. 22. 7. Christs enemies Mat. 9. 24. Mark 5. 40. Luk. 8. 53. Little children 2 King 2. 23. Men of Judah 2 Chron. 36. 16. Souldiers Mat 27. 29 31. Luk. 22. 63. 23. 11 36. Athenians Act. 17. 32. Some others Job 17. 2. Psalm 35. 16. Ier. 15. 17. 20. 7. Ishmael Gen. 21. 9. King Lewis the eleventh of France alwayes wore a Leaden god in his hat and when he had caused any one whom he either feared or hated to be killed he would take it off from his head and kisse it beseeching it that it would pardon him this one evil act more and it should be the last that he would commit Mockeries fit to be used towards a Leaden but not towards the ever-living God Hist. of holy War Martiques Governour of Britany in France in the warre against the Protestants perswaded them to yield to the King for that their strong God had now forsaken them and scoffingly said that it was time for them to sing Help us now O Lord for it is time But shortly after he found that their strong God was living able to help the weak to confound the proud himself being presentiy after slaine in the siege Act. Mon. A Gentleman in France lying upon his death-bed the Priest bringing him the Sacrament of the Altar and telling him that it was the body of Christ he refused to eat it because it was Friday Another also in the like case seeing the Hoast brought to him by a Lubberly Priest scoffingly said that Christ came to him as once riding upon an