for the space of foure houres continued a bloudie and desperate fight But when they perceiued the Traitors were desperate and the Church was sufficientlie strong to keep them out they at last found out this worthie pollicie They caused some chiefe men to bring them great store of straw which they fâ—…ered in diuers parts about the Church in euerie corner whereas the wind might worke the smoake anie entrance which so smothered and stifeled them in the Church that they were all of them for the libertie of a shorte time of life to submit themselues to the iudgement of succéeding death Herevpon after manie wofull plaints powred out on euerie side by William his Maudline and other malefactors they were all inforced to leaue the church and submit themselues to the hands of the Bailifes who according to the kings command picking out William with nine other his confederats committed them vnto warde for that time dismissing the rest vnder the kings generall pardon whoe certified hereof was not a little solaced For which cause he sent some of his Councel and Iudges the next day who ascending the iudgment seat called forth William with the Long beard with his confederates arraigning them of high treason against God the king and countrey Among all the rest William shewed himselfe most confident for neither did the taâ—…nts of the Iudges extennuate his courage neither could the bonds he was laden withall abash him any waies but that with a manlie looke and inticing eloquence he thus attempted the iustices You lords and Honorable Iudges though I knowe it a hard thing to striue against the obstinate or to extort pittie there where all compassion is extinguished yet will I speake vsing the officer of nature to worke you although I know I shall not win you I am here called and indighted before you for hie treason a hainous crime I confesse it and worthie punishement I denie it not but may it please you with patience to examine circumstances I haue imboldened the poorer sort to innonation to fight for libertie to impugne the rich a matter in the common weales of Greece highlie commended but héere accounted factions and whie there subiects made kings here kings maister subiectes and why not say you and whie not think I yet am I faultie vnder a good president and the ambition which hath intangled mee hath not beene without his profit To offend of obstinate will were brutish but vnder some limits of reason to defaulte can you my Lords but thinke it pardonable I haue raised one or two assemblies and what of this peace was not broken onely my safetie was assured and were it that the Law had béene iniured might not the righting of a hundred poore mens causes merit pardon for two vnlawfull assemblies But you will saie I haue animated subiects against their prince I confesse it but vnder a milder title I haue councelled them to compasse libertie which if nature might be equall iudge betwéene vs I knowe should not be so hainoustie misconstred For my last tumult I did nothing but in mine owne defence and what is lawfull if it be not permitted vs Vim vi repellere But whie pleade I excuses knowing the lawes of this Realme admit no one of my constructions If it be resolued I must die doo me this fauour my Lords to protract no time execute your iustice on my bodie and let it not pine long time in feare thorowe supposall of extreames For my soule since it is deriued from a more immortall essence I dare boast the libertie thereof knowing that eternitie is prepared for it and mercie may attend it But for these poore ones who haue defaulted thorough no malice but haue béen misled through vaine suggestions howe gratious a deede should your honnors do to exemplifie your mercie on them poore soules they haue offended in not offending and but to enthrone me haue ouerthrowne themselues for which cause if consideration of innocent guiltines guiltie innocence may any waies moue you grant them life and let me solie enact the tragedie who am confirmed against all Fortunes tyrannies These latter words were deliuered with so great vehemencie of spirit and attended with so quickening motions and actions of the bodie that euerie one pittied that so rare vertues should be rauished by vntimelie death or accustomed with so manie vngodlie practises The Iudges whoe were Socratical in all their spéeches shewing their Rhetorique in their vpright iudgements not quaint discourses after the examinations indictments verdicts of the Iurie and suche like at last gaue finall and fatall iudgement That William with the long beard with his confederates should the nexte daie be hanged drawne and quartered and so after some other worthie exhortations to the people to mainteine peace and that they should shew themselues more dutifull and after thanks to the Bailifes and good cittizen for their faithful and good seruice to his Maiestie the assemblie broke vp and the prisoners till the next daye were committed to the dungeon No sooner was the gaie mistresse of the daie break prepared in hir roseat coatch powdering the heauens with purple but the Bailifes repaired to the prison leading foorthe William and those his other confederates to their execution Then flocked about them diuers sorts of people some to sée those who were so much searched after others to lament him whom they had so loued at laste arriued at the place where they should finish their daies all stood to beholde their death William as principall in his life time of seditious practise was to enact the first and fatall part in the tragedie for which cause boldlie climing vp the ladder and hauing the rope fitlie cast about his neck after some priuate praiers he spake after this manner vnto the people My good countreymen you are repaired hither to sée a sorie spectacle to beholde the follie of life paid with the fruits of death to marke how sinister treasons ende with condigne torments if you applie what you here see and beholde to your owne profits I shall be glad whoe now euen at this my last hower desire rather you shuld reconcile your selues from all wickednes then be dismaied ormoued with my wretchednesse Oh my déere friends I now protest before God vowe before men that mine owne presumptuous climing hath béene the iust cause of my confusion I haue had more desire of glorie then respect of God more regard of dignitie then of dutie déeming it better to be a famous Traitor then a faithfull and true subiect For which my inestimable sinnes I crie God hartilie mercie I beseech his Maiestie to forgiue me and pray you all by your praiers to implore Gods grace for me Neither deserue I death only for the offence I haue made the king but my conscience accuseth me and I heere doo openlie confesse it that I was he who murthered Anthonie Browne in that he was a riuall in my most lewde loue This this if nought else my countreymen
sufficeth to condemne me for this and al I am hartilie sorie My God I repent me from my soule my God Which said lifting vp his eies to heauen he praied a long time verie vehementlie and after manie fruitfull exhortations finished his life to the comfort of those who wished his soules health The reste his confederates after their seuerall confessions were serued with the same sauce and thus ended the troubles with their tragedies Their bodies cut downe were buried by their friends and happie was he among the poorer sort that had any thing to inritch the funerall of William Long beard and notwithstanding his confession at his death and diuers other euidences at his condemnation yet were there diuers whoe after his death held him for a saint casting out slanderous libels against the Archbishop terming him the bloudsucker of good men There were manie superstitious women who in their deuotion were wont to pray to him and after his death digged vp the ground about the gallowes trée affirming that manie had beene healed of sundrie sicknesses by the touch thereof All this their idolatrous constructions at first began by reason of a priest a néere alie to William who openlie preached that by vertue of a chaine wherewith William was bound during the time of his imprisonment ther were diuers men healed of hot feauers the bloud that fell from him at such time as he was quartered they cléerelie scraped vp leauing nothing that could yéeld any memorie of him either vnsought or vngotten But at last the Archbishop of Canturburie remedied all these thinges who firste accursed the Priest that brought vp the fables and after that caused the place to be watched where through such idolatrie ceased and the people were no more seduced But for that William wrote many notable Poems and translations in the prison which if you pervse will notifie vnto you his singular wit I haue thought good to subscribe them desiring your fauourable censure of them William Long beards Epitaph VNtimely death and my found fruits of Treason My lawlesse lust my murthers long concealed Haue ship wract life amids my Aprill season Thus couerd things at last will be reuealed A shamefull death my sinfull life succeedeth And feare of heauenly iudge great terror breedeth My mangled members in this graue included Haue answered lawes extreames to my confusion Oh God let not my murthers be obtruded Against my soule wrongd through my earthes illusion And as the graue my liuelesse limmes containeth So take my soule to thee where rest remaineth Thou trauailer that treadest on my toombe Remembreth thee of my vntimely fall Preuent the time forethinke what may become See that thy wil be to thy reason thrall Scorne worlds delights esteeme vaine honor small So maist y u die with fame where men of conscience foule Perish with shame and hazard of their soule I haue here vnto annexed likewise some other of his spirituall hymnes and songs whereby the vertuous may gather how sweet the fruits be of a reconciled and penitent soule The First That pitty Lord that earst thy hart inflamed To enterteine a voluntarie death To ransome man by lothed sinnes defamed From hel and those infernal paines beneath Vouchsafe my God those snares it may vnlose Wherein this blinded world hath me intrapped That whilst I traffique in this world of woes My soule no more in lusts may be intrapped Great are my faults O me most wilfull witted But if each one were iust there were no place To shew thy power that sinnes might be remitted Let then O Lord thy mercy quite displace The lewd and endlesse sinnes I haue committed Trough thine vnspeakeable and endlesse grace The Second Such darke obscured clouds at once incombred My mind my hart my thoughts from grace retired With swarmes of sinnes that neuer may be numbred That hope of vertue quite in me expired When as the Lord of hosts my gratious father Bent on my dulled powers his beames of brightnesse And my confused spirits in one did gather Too long ensnard by vanitie and lightnesse A perfect zeale not office of my sences So seazde my iudgement smothered in his misse That heauen I wisht and loathd this earthly gaile My hart disclaimd vile thoughts and vaine pretences And my desires were shut in seemely vaile So that I said Lord what a world is this After such time as he had receiued his iudgement he grew into this meditation of the miseries of life which I dare anow is both worthie the reading and noting yea euen among the learnedst The Third A shop of shame a gaine of liue-long griefe A heauen for fooles a hel to perfect wise A theater of blames where death is chiefe A golden cup where poison hidden lies A storme of woes without one calme of quiet A hiue that yeeldeth hemlock and no hony A boothe of sinne a death to those that trie it A faire where cares are sold withouten mony A fleshlieioy a graue ofrotten bones A spring of teares a let of true delight A losse of time a laborinth of mones A pleasing paine a prison of the sprite Is this my life why cease I then resolued To pray with Paule and wish to be dissolued Thus endeth the life of William Long beard a glasse for all sorts to looke into wherein the high minded may learne to know the meane and corrupt consciences may reade the confusion of their wickednes let this example serue to with draw the bad minded from Bedlem insolence and incorage the good to followe godlinesse So haue I that fruit of my labour which I desire and God shall haue the glory to whom be all praise FINIS Of manie famous pirats who in times past were Lordes of the Sea THere were manie worthie Pirates in our forefathers daies but among all of greatest reckoning Dionides was not least who exercised his larcenies in the Leuant Seas in the time of Alexander the great and Darius disdaining either to serue the one or submit himselfe to the other yea so resolute was he in his robberies and dissolute in his life that he neither spared friend nor sauoured foe but robd all in generall Against this man Alexander leuied a great armie and by strong hand subdued him and afterward calling him into his presence he said thus vnto him Tell me Dionides whie hast thou treubled all the Seas to whome he thus replied Tell me Alexander whie hast thou ouerrun the whole worlde and robbed the whole sea Alexander answered him bicause I am a king and thou art a Pirat trulie replied Dionides D Alexander both thou and I are of one nature and the selfe same office the onelie difference is that I am called a Pyrat for that I assault other men with a little armie and thou art called a prince because thou subduest and signiorest with a mightic hoast But if the Gods would be at peace with me and Fortune should shewe her selfe peruerse towards thée in such sort as Dionides mighte he
of Genowaies Megollo was inforced to giue him the lie but seethe other little moued the rewith his countrey dishonoured and the court laughing at him he sought his remedie at the Emperors hands from whom he could get no redresse in repaire of his honor For which cause Megollo hotlie discontent though for a purpose he smothered his displeasures a space a fewe daies after vpon a lawfull cause tooke occasion to craue the Emperours licence and departing to Genua altogither inflamed to reuenge he furnished himselfe by meanes of some parents and friends and rigging out two warlike Gallies he sailed with them into the great sea and there indeuored him selfe to spoile all the coast and ransacke euerie shippe belonging to the Emperour whomesoeuer hee tooke in waie of great disdaine he cut off their noses and eares and though there were manie ships set out against him yet in spight of all he neuer desisted from endangering him and this might he the better performe in that his ships were verie swifts and when he found himselfe at any disaduantage he coulde both leaue and take how and when it pleased him It chanced amongst manie other preparations that were set out to intrap him foure stout Gallies were rigged who vpon consultation as soone as they had discouered him deuided themselues apart thinking to inclose him in the midst of them so all at once to assaile him Megollo that quicklie perceiued their pollicie suddenlie fained to flie whom when their swiftest Gallie had long time pursued and ouer-wrought all hir consorts Megollo made hed againste them and slewe them and serued them all after the same sauce to the woonderfull amaze and discontent of the Emperor Amongest one of these Gallies there was an olde man wish his two sonnes whoe fearing the like fortune which had befalne others should light on him and his sonnes humblie prostrating himselfe at Megollos féet he humblie intreated him for mercie The old mannes teares were gratious and had such power ouer the generous mind of Megollo that he forgaue both him and his sonns with the rest that were aliue in his Gallie and sent him back vnto the Emperor with a vessell full of Eares and Noses willing the olde man to let the Emperor vnderstand that he would neuer cease to indemnifie him vntill such time as he hadde sent vnto him the man who had so disdainfullie and dishonorablie iniured him in his court The Emperor asserteined hereof determined with himselfe as the lesser euill to go himselfe in person vnto the sea and carrie with him as he did the yong man who had occasioned all this trouble Megollo hearing thereof thrust his Gallies néerer the shore when as the Emperor presently in a light boat sent him the yoong Noble with a rope about his necke whoe hauing his eies proude with teares humbled himselfe at Megollos féet beséeching mercy Megollo compassionate therewith bad him get him thence telling him that it was not the fashion of the Genowaies to tyrannize ouer effeminate milksops The parents of the yong man seeing him returne againe beyond their expectation receiued him wish great ioye diuers offers were made by the Emperor to Megollo who refusing them all returned this answer That he came thither not for desire of riches but for honors sake and to eternise the name of the Genowaies admitting no other couenantes but this that in memorie of those his actions a pallace shuld be reared in Trabisond for the commodity of the Genowaies wherein he would that by a curious hand and cunning work man those his actions shoulde be eternized which being afterwards fullie obserued by the Emperor they whoe traffiqued there followe their marchandize with more honor then they were accustomed Megollo after this worthie acte returned home to Genoua where he was receiued and gratified with great honors by the Cittizens The memorable deeds of Ualasca a Lady of Bohemia whoe causing all other Ladies to kill their husbands Brethren and sonnes raigned seuen yeares in Bohemia I Read in the Bohemian historie written by Pope Pius that this Valasca of whom I héere meane to intreate was a woman of great mind bolde in all attempts and highlie fauored by Fortune and to the end you may the better vnderstand hir historie I will first of all begin with hir cause of hatred You haue therefore to consider that Crocus second Duke of Bohemia dieng without issue male his daughter Libussa held in those daies in as great account as one of the Sibils with the fauour of the people and good liking of the better sort was placed in hir fathers seate and gouerned that Prouince manie yeares with the generall good liking of all men Finallie hauing giuen a iust sentence in right of certeine possessions against a mightie man in that countrey he being there with incensed prouoked vp the people against hir saieng that it was an oprobrious scandalous thing for such a people as they were and so great a Nobilitie as was resident in that place to suffer the kingdome causes of iustice to be vnder a woman Libussa hauing intreated silence at their hands for a time said vnto them that she knew their new desire and was not ignorant of their firme determination disabling her selfe to satisfie their expectations praieng them to assemble the next daie which according as she willed them they perfourmed The morning began noe sooner to pushe forth his blushinge beawties but the people repaired to the iudgement seat in great multitudes and as soone as the pallace was filled euerie waies by them Libussa began to speake vnto them on this maner You know Bohemians that to this present day I haue beene your peaceable and bountifull Ladie according to womens custome whoe are audatious in nothing but in offering curtesies Hitherto haue I not béene offensiue to any of you either chargeable by reason of Pompe shewing my selfe rather a mother vnto you then a mistresse but ingratefullie vnkind men as you are requite you my gouern ment But at these your actions woonder not I at all because you accustome your selues to the common fashions of men who are neuer content but are more skilfull to desire a iust and mercifull Lord then hauing him they haue knowledge to kéepe him As touching mine owne title I wholie surrender it into your hands and as you haue desired one who shal gouerne you and order your lawes as he list so am I contented you shall haue him Therefore go ye and take me a white horsse and bridle him with all his other apparell and ornamentes and afterwards lead him to such a plaine where he may take that waie which best likes him Which doone let him trot as he list and follow you him by his footsteps as he turnes so turne you and as he returneth so returne you finallie when you shall see him staie before a man that foedeâ—…h at an iron table then assure your selues he is the man forpointed to be my husband and your prince This his