lesse reuenge would satisfie his rage than to cut off his eares and nose of which the king hauing present notice his indignation exceeded the others rage for he gaue commandement That for this insolence and outrage done in the Pallace and so neere his presence that not onely Intaphernes the Delinquent but all the male issue of his stocke and race whatsoeuer should be layd hold vpon and after to the dread and terror of the like offendors by mercilesse death tast the terror of the kings incensement The Sentence of their apprehension was performed and their execution hourely expected when the wife of Intaphernes cast her selfe groueling before the Court gate with such pittifull eiulations and clamours that they came euen to the eares of Darius and much penetrated him being vttered with such passionate and moouing accents able to mollifie the Flint or soften Marble Imprest therefore with her pittious lamentations the king sent vnto her That her teares and clamours had so farre preuayled with him that from the condemned societie they had ransomed one and one onely to continue the memorie of their Name and Familie chuse amongst them all whose life she most fauoured and whose safetie with the greatest affection desired but further than this to graunt her his Sentence was vnalterable None that heard this small yet vnexpected fauour from the king but presently imagined she would either redeeme her husband or at least one of her sonnes two of them beeing all that shee had then groning vnder the burthen of that heauie Sentence But after some small meditation contrarie to the expectation of all men shee demaunded the life of her brother The king somewhat amased at her choyse sent for her and demaunded the reason Why shee had preferred the life of a brother before the safetie of such a noble husband or such hopefull children To whom shee answered Behold O king I am yet but young and in my best of yeeres and I may liue to haue another husband and so consequently by him more children But my father and mother are both aged and stricken in yeeres and should I lose a Brother I should for euermore be depriued of that sacred Name At which words the king exceedingly moued to see with what a fraternall zeale they were spoken he not onely released her brother but added to his vnexpected bountie the life of her eldest sonne Of Matrimonie and Coniugall Loue. IT was inserted in Platoes Lawes That what man soeuer liued a Batchelor aboue fiue and thirtie yeeres of age was neyther capable of Honor nor Office Alexand. ab Alex. lib. 4. cap. 8. Licurgus the Law-giuer amongst the Lacedemonians as the same Author testifies to shew the necessitie of Marriage made a Decree That all such as affected singlenesse and sollitude of life should be held ignominious They were not admitted to the publique Playes but in the Winter were compelled to passe through the Market-place naked and without garments The Law of the Spartans set a fine vpon his head first that married not at all next on him that married not till hee was old and lastly on him they set the greatest mulct that married an euill wife or from a strange Tribe Stobae Sermon 65. Fulgosius calls these Iudgements Cacogamia and Opsigawiâ— lib. 2. cap. 1. So laudable and reuerent was Marriage amongst the Lacedemonians procreation of children and fertilitie of issue That whosoeuer was the father of three children should be free from Watch and Ward by day or by night and whosoeuer had foure or vpward were rewarded with all Immunities and Libertie This Law was first confirmed by Q. Metellus Numidicus Censor after approoued by Iulius Caesar and lastly established by Augustus Memorable are the words of Metellus in a publike Oration to the people If wee could possibly be without wiues O Romans saith he wee might all of vs be free from that molestation and trouble but since Nature incites vs and necessitie compells vs to this exigent That wee can neither liue with them without inconuenience nor without them at all more expedient it is therefore that we ayme at the generall and lasting profit than at our owne priuate and momentanie pleasure Bruson lib. 7. cap. 22. The Athenians the Cretans the Thurians all in their Statutes and Ordinances encouraged Marriage and punished the obstinacie of such as tooke vpon them the peeuishnesse of singlenesse and sollitude either with amercement or disgrace To that purpose was the Law Iulia instituted that incited young men in their prime and flourishing age to the marriage of wiues propagation of issue and education of children and that such should be encouraged by rewards and the opposers thereof to be deâ—erred with punishments Tiberius Caesar depriued one of his Quaestorship because he diuorced himselfe from his wife hauing beene but three dayes married alledging That hee in whom there was such lightnesse could not be profitable for any thing Claudius Caesar caused the Law Papia to be abrogated giuing men of threescore yeeres and vpwards the free libertie to marrie as at those yeares of abilitie to haue issue Theodoretus lib. 1. cap. 7. and Sozomenus lib. 1. cap. 10. both write That in the Nicene Councell when certaine of the Bishops would introduce into the Church a new Decree before that time not knowne namely That all Bishops Prelates Priests Deacons and Spirituall or Religious men should be made vncapable of Marriage as also all such as in the time of their Laitie before they booke the Ministerie or any seruice of the Church vpon them should be separated from their wiues of whom they were then possest One Paphnuâ—ius Confessor who was likewise Bishop of a citie in the vpper Thebais stood vp and with great feruencie opposed the motion yet a man of approoued chastitie and great austeritie of life who though he were mightily opposed yet at length so farre preuailed with the Synod of the Fathers that it was definitiuely concluded That though the marriage of Priests were interdictedâ— and singlenesse of life inioyned them yet all such as had wiues were dispensed withall till death made a separation betwixt them Pius the second Pope of that name being a man of vnquestioned prudence and grauitie weightie in his words and discreet in all his actions was often heard to say That he held it more conuenient and consonant both to reason and Religion that their wiues should be restored to Priests than taken from them For the wise Bishop well vnderstood that the restraining them from lawfull marriage was the occasions of their falling into many great and grieuous sinnes which by the former legall and regular course might be preuented and if the libertie of Marriage were againe admitted peraduenture many of those sinnes might in time decrease and be forgotten into which by that restraint they were subiect hourely to fall Fulgos. lib. 7. cap. 2. This short discourse shall serue for the necessitie of Marriage which is euer the most pleasing and contented when it is made
more cleare More wanton than the young Kid and more light Than those loose shells the billowes haue made white Still tumbled with the waues more grace th' hast wonne Than is in Summers shade or Winters Sunne Louelyer than is the Apple when his side Turnes yellow than the Plane tree of more pride Transparenter than I sicles that meet With rising Phoebus than ripe Grapes more sweet Thou art of all choyse things the generall Theame Soft as Swannes plumes and faire as clowâ—ed Creame Therefore you Faire ones the more choyse your beautie is you ought of it to be more charie the sweeter the flower is the sooner it looseth the smell the fairer the colour it the sooner fades and the purer the bloud the apter to take putrifaction Take heed then least by vnlawfull prostitution you marre that by which in outward appearance you come neerest to your Maker who as he is the Summum bonum so he is the soueraigne and onely perfect beautie A Tyrant hauing studied many fearefull and terrible deaths to inflict vpon such as his mallice would punish when he thought none grieuous enough at length as his master-peece of Tyrannie he deuised to bind the liuing to the bodie of the dead that the stench and corruption of the one might stifle and suffocate the other In what greater torment then is that man who shall marry a faire false one that shall bed with sinne and bosome diseases The dead bodie to which the liuing is bound as the bloud dryes and the flesh consumes so doth the loathsomenesse of the smell till in time it wast to ashes and so to participate of the same earth from whence it came but your catching and infectious loathsomenesse from lust growes to leprosie still encreasing in you to the impairing of his health and the impouerishing his estate consuming his purse and contaminating his person O miserable man whom thy rash choyse shall cause to die of this wretched consumption But this is but a caueat or admonition by the way I proceed now with historie The faire Mistresse of Pisistratus PHilarchus speakes of a beautifull woman on whom he hath vouchsafed no name who first brought Pisistratus from a priuate man to a gouernment Monarchicall She tooke vpon her the name and habit of Pallas as paralleld with her both in state and beautie being thought by the people in all accomplishments to resemble the goddesse she is said to haue dealt Scepters and to haue made sale of Crownes distributing them where she pleased and to whom shee affected Pisistratus after gaue her to his sonne in marriage who was called Hypparchus for so Clidemus in his eight booke intituled Redditionum leaues recorded in these words He gaue vnto his sonne Hypparchus a woman by whom he was ouercome who was a Pallas for her State and for Wisedom might be called the daughter of Socrates and where beautie and counsaile meet there cannot chuse but be a sweet concordance and harmonie It shall not be amisse in the next place briefely to discouer vnto you what places haue beene the most eminent for the breeding of the rarest beauties and which by the antient Authors haue beene most celebrated Hesiodus in his Melampodia nominates the citie Chalcides in Euboea to breed the choysest beauties as that the most exquisite women are there borne Of the same opinion with him is Theophrastus but Nymphodorus in his Nauigation and Trauailes through Asia affirmes That the most incomparable features aboue all other places whatsoeuer are bred in Tenedos an Isle belonging to Troy Dionisius Leuctricus hath left recorded That for many yeeres continuance there was an annuall contention of Beautie held amongst the Elians in the citie of Elis and that she that proued Victoresse was honored with the Armes consecrated to Pallas Others in other places as Mysilus in his historicall Paradoxes hath left remembred were crowned with wreathes of Myrtle In other places as Theophrastus writes there were meetings and solemnities kept to censure women for their temperance and good huswiferie as among the Barbarians but for the forme and feature they were most frequent amongst the inhabitants of Tenedos and Lesbos Heraclius Lembus writes That in Sparta with great admiration and reuerence they obserue the fairest man or woman and commonly the Spartane beauties are the most illustrious Therefore of the king Archidamus it is left registred That being to make choyse of a queene when one singularly beautifull but of small dower and another wondrous rich but extraordinarie deformed were placed before him he cast his eye vpon the goods of Fortune and neglecting the treasures of Nature preferred bondage before beautie For which the Ephori which in Athens were the same officers that the Tribunes were in Rome called him to account and put him to an extraordinarie great mulct saying This man in steed of soueraignes would beget subiects and for princes leaue peasants to succeede and raigne ouer vs. Euripides saith That beautie hath the first place in the claime of Empire therefore those that in Homer were admirers of Helens beautie spake to this purpose Indignum nihil est Troes fortes Achiuos Tempore tam longo perpessos esse labores Ob talem vxorem cui praestantissima foema Nil mortale refert superisque simillima diuis The Greekes and Troians who can say were base So long and so great Labours to endure For such a wife whose most excelling face Shewes nothing mortall but all God-like pure This made the Spartans the place from whence Helen was rauished as the greatest courtesie to entertaine a stranger to shew vnto them their Virgins naked A custome they had likewise in the Isle of Chios in certaine times of the yeere after the same manner to behold the yong men and maides in publike wrastle together Nitetis CAmbyses hearing that the Aegyptian women did much differ from other nations in manners and behauiour especially from the custome of the Persians sent to Amasa king of the Aegyptians to demaund his onely daughter in marriage The King something troubled at this Embassie as fearing he would rather keepe his daughter as a Concubine than giue her the right of her birth and to honour her with the titles of a Queene and Bride he deuised this pollicie to delude Cambyses and still to conserue her chastitie hee had there in his Court a young Ladie called Nitetis the daughter of Aprias an Aegyptian whom because he had beene defeated in a battaile against the Cyrenaeans Amasa had caused to be slaine This Nitetis being the prime and choyse beautie of the Court in all her lineaments so exquisite that hee presumed shee would not only content but much delight the king he instructed her how to take vpon her the name of his daughter and in euerie circumstance complement how to demeane her selfe so with a princely traine accommodates her for the iourney Being arriued in Persia she was royally entertained by the king her behauiour and
dayes affected it for seldome doth Adulterie but goe hand in hand with Murther From the Sinne I come to the Punishment Amongst the Israelites it was first punished with Finâ—s as may be collected from the historie of Thamar who being with child by Iudas hee threatened her to the stake and had accordingly performed it had shee not shewed by manifest tokens that he himselfe was the author of her vnlawfull issue Genes 38. The Aegyptians condemned the Adulterer so deprehended to a thousand Scourges the Adulteresse to haue her Nose cut off to the greater terror of the like Delinquents Diodor. Sicul. Lib. 2. cap. 2. Coel. Lib. 21. cap. 25. By Solons Lawes a man was permitted to kill them both in the act that so found them Rauis In Iudaea they were stoned to death Plat. Lib. 9. de Legibus punisheth Adulterie with death The Locrenses by tradition from Zaluces put out the Adulterers eyes The Cumaei prostituted the Adulteresse to all men till shee died by the same sinne shee had committed Alex. ab Alex. Lib. 4. cap. 1. It was a custome amongst the antient Germans for the husband to cut off his wiues haire so apprehended to turne her out of doores naked and scourge her from Village to Village One bringing word to Diogenes That a fellow called Dydimones was taken in the Act Hee is worthie then saith hee to be hanged by his owne name for Didymi in the Greeke Tongue are Testiculi in English the Testicles or immodest parts By them therefore from whence he deriued his name and by which he had offended he would haue had him to suffer Laert. Lib. 6. Hyettus the Argiue slew one Molurus with his wife apprehending them in their vnlawfull congression Coelius Iulius Caesar repudiated his wife for no other reason but because P. Clodius was found in his house in womans Apparrell And being vrged to proceed against her hee absolutely denyed it alledging That hee had nothing whereof to accuse her but being further demanded Why then hee abandoned her societie hee answered That it was behoofefull for the wife of Caesar not onely to be cleare from the sinne it selfe but from the least suspition of crime Fulgos Lib. 6. cap. 1. Augustus banished his owne Daughter and Neece so accused into the Island called Pandateria after into Rhegium commanding at his death That their bodies being dead should not be brought neere vnto his Sepulchre To omit many Nicolaus the first Pope of that name excommunicated king Lotharius brother to Lewis the second Emperour because hee diuorced his wife Therberga and in her roome instated Gualdrada and made her Queene Besides he degraded Regnaldus Archbishop of Treuers and Gunthramus Archbishop of Collen from their Episcopall dignities for giuing their approbation to that adulterate Marriage And so much for the punishment I will conclude with the counsaile of Horace Lib. 1. Satyr 2. Desine Matronas sectarier vnde laboris Plus haurire mali est quam ex re decerpere fructum est Cease Matrons to pursue for of such paine Thou to thy selfe more mischiefe reap'st than gaine Sisters that haue murdred their Brothers AFter the vntimely death of Aydere his brother Ismael succeeded him in the Persian Empire who arriuing at Casbin was of his sister receiued with ioy and of the people with loude acclamations and beeing now possessed of the Imperiall dignitie the better as hee thought to secure himselfe hauing power answerable to his will after the barbarous custome of the Turkish tyrannie he first caused his eight younger brothers to be beheaded stretching his bloodie malice to all or the most part of his owne affinitie not suffering any to liue that had beene neere or deere to his deseased brother so that the â—â—ttie Casbin seemed to swimme in blood and ecchoed with nothing but lamentations and mournings His crueltie bred in the people both feare and hate both which were much more increased when they vnderstood hee had a purpose to alter their forme of religion who with great adoration honour their prophet Aly into the Turkish superstition his infinite and almost incredible butcheries concerne not my proiect in hand I therefore leaue them and returne to his sister whose name was Periaconcona who when this Tyrant was in the middest of his securities and the sister as hee imagined in her sisterly loue and affection vpon a night when he was in all dissolute voluptuousnesse sporting amidst his concubines she into whose trust and charge he had especially committed the safetie of his person hauing confederated with Calilchan Emirchan Pyrymahomet and Churchi Bassa the most eminent men in the Empire admitted them into the Seraglio in womans attyre by whom with her assistant hand in the middest of his luxuries hee was strangled an act though happily beneficiall to the common good yet ill becomming a sister vnlesse such an one as striued to paralel him in his vnnaturall cruelties Turkish Histor. Equall with this was that of Quendreda who after the death of Ranulphus king of Mercia his young sonne Kenelme a child of seuen yeares of age raigning in his stead whose royall estate and dignitie beeing enuied by his sister shee conspired with one Heskbertus by whose treacherous practise the king was inticed into a thick forrest there murdered and priuatly buried his bodie long missed and not found and the conspirators not so much as suspected But after as Willielm de regib li. 1. and de Pontificibus lib. 4. relates a Doue brought in her bill a scroule written in English golden letters and layde it vpon the Altar of Saint Peter which being read by an Englishman contained these words by which the place where the bodie lay was discouered At Clent in Cowbach Kenelme Keneborne lyeth vnder Thorne heaued by weaued that is in plainer English At Clent in Cowbach vnder a thorne Kenelme lyeth headlesse slaine by treason Some say it was found by a light which streamed vp into the Ayre from the place where his bodie lay couered His hearse being after borne towards his sepulchre to be a second time interred with solemne Dyrges sung by the Churchmen Quendreda sitting then in a window with a Psalter in her hand to see the funerall solemnely passe by whether in skorne of the person derision of the ceremonie or both is not certaine but she began to sing the Psalme of Te Deum laudamus backeward when instantly both her eyes dropped out of her head with a great flux of blood which stained her booke and it was after kept as a sacred relique in memorie of the diuine iudgement What need I trouble you with citing antiquities how this sinne ought to be punished on earth when we see how hatefull it is in the eyes of Heauen besides to insult vpon the bodies of the dead is monstrous and euen in things sencelesse to be punished Ausonius remembers vs of one Achillas who finding a dead mans skull in a place where three sundrie wayes
may as well vse the feminine as the masculine and the masculine as the feminine gender as Virgill speaking of Venus Discendo ducente deo Flammam inter hostes Expedior Downe come I and the god my guide I make no stay But boldlie through the enemy and fire I force my way Vacunadea was Ladie and Gouernesse ouer those that were vacant and without businesse especiallie had in reuerence by swaines and husbandmen who after the gathering of their haruest had a cessation from labour Vallonia was held to be the goddesse of vallyes Vitula Dea had predominance ouer youthfull myrth and blandishments For Vitulari was by the ancient grammarians taken for gaudere to be glad or reioyce Volupta is held to be the goddesse of Pleasure Rhaea This goddesse hath by the Poets allowed her a charriot drawne by foure Lyons a Crowne vpon her head of Citties Castles and Towers and in her hand a golden Scepter Priests could not offer at her Altar before they were guelded which order was strictlie obserued in memorie of Aâ—yos a beautifull Phrygian youth and much beloued of Ceres but would no wayes yeeld to her desires because as he excused himselfe he had past a vow of perpetuall chastitie but after not mindfull of his promise as Dorytheus Corinthius in his histories relates he comprest and defloured the nymph Sagaritides of whom he begat Lydus and Tyrhenus Lydus gaue name to Lydia as Tyrhenus to Tyrhena For this the inraged goddesse stroke him with such furor and madnesse that he guelded himselfe and after would haue cut his own throat had not she commiserating his penitence transformed him to a Pine tree or as others will haue it restored him to his sences and made him one of her Eunuch priests Nicander in Alexipharm saith her sacrifices were obserued euery new Moone with much tinckling of brasse sound of Timbrels and strange vociferation and clamours Some fable that Iupiter being asleepe and dreaming let that fall to the earth which may be called Filius ante patrem of which the earth conceiuing produc'd a genius in an humane shape but of a doubtfull sex male and female called Agdiste the gods cut off all that belonged to the masculine sex and casting it away out of that first grew the Almond tree whose fruit the daughter of the flood Sangatius first tasting and hiding part thereof in her bosome as they wasted there and vanished so she began to conceiue and in time grew great and brought forth a Son whom laying out in the wood he was nurced by a goat and fostred till he was able to shift for himselfe As he grew in years so he did in beautie in so much that he exceeded the ordinarie feature of man of him was Agdistes wondrously inamored who when he should haue married with the daughter of the king of Pessinuntium by the inter-comming of Agdiste such a madnesse possest them both that not only Attes but his father in law likewise caused their partes of generation to be cut quite away Pausonias in Achaicis saith that for his rare beauties sake Rhea selected Attes into her seruice and made him her Priest Those of that order were called Matragyrte as either begging publikely or going from house to house to demaund things necessarie for her Offerings For the Greeke word Meter signifieth Mater or Mother and Agartes Prefigiator or Mendicus a Iugler or Beggar She was cald by diuerse names as Proserpina Isis Cibile Idaea Berecinthia Tellus Rhaea Vesta Pandora Phrigia Pylena Dindymena and Pessinuntia sometimes of the places sometimes of the causes Rhaea bearing young Iupiter in her wombe and ready to bee deliuered knowing the predicted crueltie of Saturne who commanded him to be slain retired her selfe to Thaumasius a mountaine in Arcadia fortified by Hoptodamus and his fellow giants least Saturne should come with any forcible hostilitie to oppresse her this mountaine was not farre distant from the hill Molossus in a part of Lysia where Iupiter was borne and Saturne there deluded into which place it is not lawfull for any man to enter onely women Lucian in Nigrino sayth that the Phrygian pipe was onely sufficient to yeeld musicke to her sacrifices for that was no sooner heard but they fell into a diuine rapture resembling madnesse neither was the Pine onely sacred to her but the Oake as witnesseth Apollodorus Euphorion attributes to her the Vine because out of that wood her Effigies was alwaies cut Appollonius left recorded that the Milesian priests accustomed first to sacrifice to Taetia and Cilaenus and after to Rhaea the mother of the gods whose altars were deckt and adorned with Oaken bowes By Rhaea is maent the earth or that strength of the earth which is most pertinent and auailable in the generation of things Shee is drawne in a chariot because the globe of the earth hangs in the middle of the aire without supporture neither inclining or declining to one part or another and that by nature About her chariot are wilde beasts the reason is shee is the producter and nourisher of all creatures whatsoeuer Deseruedly she weares a crowne of Towers and Turrets being the queene and mistresse of so many Townes Castles and Cities By the noyse of musicke and clamours at her sacrifices is obserued the whistling and blustring of the windes who are necessarie in all the affaires of nature especially in heate and cold bearing the showers and tempests too and fro vpon their wings to make foule weather in one place and a cleere skie in another Her chariot is drawne with foure Lions which imports those foure brothers which blow from the Orient the Australl the Occident and the Septentrion these are sayd to be her coach-steeds and hurrie her from place to place because in generation they are much auailing therefore as all things as from a fountaine deriue their originall and beginning from her she is most pertinently called Rhaea à fluendo of flowing Isis or Io. She was the daughter of the flood Inachus and as Andraetas Tinedius left written was no better than a strumpet who by sorcerie and witchcraft sought to attract the loue of Iupiter in which businesse shee vsed the assistance of Iynx the daughter of Pan and Eccho or as some will haue it of Suadela this being discouered to Iuno shee changed her into a bird which still beareth her name Iynx which is frequently vsed amongst witches in their sorceries and incantations who because shee moueth her taile so much and so often is by the Latines called Motasilla from the intrailes of this bird with other ingredients was made a confection which they say Iason gaue to Medaea to inamourat her in that expedition which he made to Colchos this Iöne or Io by the cunning of Iynx lay with Iupiter in a clowde and after to conceale her from Iuno hee transhapt her into a cowe but this iugling being discouered by Iuno shee begd her as a gift and gaue her in custodie to
was deriued from skipping shadows in a mirror or glasse seeming to leape this way or that Capyromantia That which was apprehended from Brasse Aeromantia That which was begot from a Siue Coschinomantia That which came by Lots Cleromantia That which was gathered from the Aspect or Countenance Phisiognomia The coniecture by the hands Chiromantia That which was collected from Hearbes Batanomantia That which was apprehended from a great big-bellied Vessell into which children were set to looke and tell what they spide therein Gastromantia It is called Augurium or Auguri from Birds and Extispicum from the intrailes of Beasts Phauorinus vpon Gellius sayth that he would haue no faith nor beleefe at all giuen vnto these Diuinations arguing in this manner Either saith he they must presage Prosperitie or Aduersitie and bad or good fortune If they promise good and faile vs we are made miserable in our expectation if prosperitie to come though it happen in the processe of time in the interim time spent in hope of it seemes irksome and tedious if they prognosticate Aduersities and lie yet are wee made wretched in our feares if Miseries to come and lie not wee are first excruciated in our minds before we be once toucht by the hand of Fate by that means doubly suffer Mart. Cappell will allow but two Sybells namely Symachia and Herophila yet our latter authors approue the number of twelue of which though briefly we will speake in order SIBILLA PERSICA SHe was borne in Persia and is said to be the most auntient of all the rest and therefore she weares this character Antiquissium vaticinantium she is figured with her hand crossing her breast her eyes sixt vpward as one contemplating of diuine things holding a booke in her hand open as if she had bin latelie reading and now meditated what she had read shee prophesied of Christ in this manner as likewise of the seauen ages From Adam vnto Noah as well appeares Were a thousand fiue hundred fiftie and six yeares To make vp the first age And from the flood Two hundred ninetie two are vnderstood To Abraham From him Israel to free From Egypt makes fiue hundred adding three Till of King Salomons Temple the first stone Be laid iust yeares foure hundred eighty one Fourteene and full foure hundred yeares there be To Babylons distrest captiuitie The sixt age from that bondage may be seene To make vp iust six hundred and fourteene In which yeare of a Virgin shall be borne The Prince of peace crownd with a wreath of Thorne Him the seauenth age shall follow and extend Till the worlds frame dissolue and Time see end Amalthaea and Marpesia are the names of Sybills as Tybullus accounts them in his second booke Quicquid Amalthaea quicquid Marpesia dixit Heriphile Phoebo grataque quod monuit What Amalthaea said or speake Marpesia was able Or what Heriphile forwarn'd To Phoebus acceptable Politianus reckons vp diuerse of the Phebaiedes or Sybells withall some men skilfull in diuination in these verses Quad veteres prompsere Sybilla Carmen Amalthaea c. Which I thus interpret The antient Sybells did in numbers sing Amongst them Amalthaea who did bring The verse in vse Marpesia rich in fate Herophile next her who doth translate Her birth from Ida. Sabbe of knowne skill Demo and Phigo with Phaennis quill Which writ all truth Carmenta who was held A matron still with Manto that exceld Pythian Phoemonoe who thought it meet To make the proud verse stalke on longer feet Old Glaucus daughter in this art hath striu'd To exceede the rest Deiphoebe longe-liâ—'d Marcia and Bacis Olle doth adorne The trayne iust vnder the Triones borne Lychus most famous iâ— the Attid land Rankt the Dodoniaâ— doâ—es with these must stand This Persian Sybell is of such long standing that it seemes by antiquitie she hath lost her name neither am I willing further to inquire of her than the writers of the former ages were desirous to leaue recorded to posteritie SYBILLA LIBICA SHe is by some called Phoemonoe and held to be the daughter of Apollo sirnamed Prima By all antient writers shee hath the honour to be the first that inuented the heroick verse of her perticular actions much is not left recorded It is reported of a Prefect whose gouerment was ouer Cilicia that he gaue no credit at all to these Oracles and to make proofe whether there was in them any thing worthie admiration or beleefe he inscribed a question which he sealed vp his Aenigma was not known to any saue himself this letter by one of his freed men whom he best loued and most trusted hee sent to the Oracle charging him not to open it till hee had receiued a direct answere to the demand included The messenger hauing made his Orisons offered sacrifice and presented gifts according to the custome of the place petitioned for an answere to his vnknowne request and so layd him downe to sleepe by the altar in the morning being throughly awake he remembered himselfe of a vision that appeared vnto him it seemed vnto him that he saw one of the Sybells standing before the altar who onely spake to him this word Nigrum a blacke and so vanisht With this satisfaction he returnes to his lord and tells him euerie circumstance as it happened withal the short answer that he receiued by vision when the gouernor vnsealing the paper discouered only these words written with his owne hand Album tibi an Nigrum imolabo taurum i. Shall I sacrifice vnto thee a white bull or a blacke to which the answere was giuen a blacke this euer after better possest him of the Oracles The first Oracle that was heard was by certaine sheapheards the chiefe of whom was called Coretas these grasing their flockes in the place where the Temple now stands heard a sound of certaine words vttered by Diuine instinct of which at first they tooke small heede as meerely neglecting them but when by proofe they found all things to happen punctualy according to the prediction they gaue a sacred reuerence to the place which since hath enlarged the fame thereof through all the parts of the world But concerning this Sybell Libica her prophesies concerning Christ were somewhat to this purpose A King a Priest a Prophet all these three Shall meet in one sacred Diuinitie Shall be to flesh espous'd Oh who can scan This mysterie vniting God with man When this rare birth into the world shall come Hee the great god of Oracles strikes dombe Plutarch in his booke Oraculorum defunctione relates this historie Aemilianus the Rhetoritian was the father of Epitherses a doctor in Grammer and a man of approued truth and fidelitie he reports that in his trauell by sea towards Italie hee happened into a ship laden with merchants goods and full of passengers of diuers nations In the euening being iust against the Echinadae they failed afore the wind till with an
whose feature Hercules being much delighted he hosted there longer than his purpose which Iolaus taking ill Amalthaea out of a horne in which she had hoarded some quantitie of money furnisht Hercules with all things needfull which some strangers taking especiall notice of they rumord it abroad and from thence first grew the Prouerbe But to returne to our Amalthaea Cumana This was she by whose conduct Aeneas had free passage into hell as Virgill expresseth at large in his sixt booke She brought to Tarquinius Priscus those three bookes of Prophesies of which two were burnt and one preserued By which computation comparing the time betwixt Aeneas and Tarquin she could liue no lesse than fiue hundred yeares nor is it altogether incredible since when Liuia the daughter of Rutilius Terentia of M. Cicero and Clodia of Aulus the first liued ninetie seauen yeares the second a hundred and thirtie the third a hundred and fifteene after the bearing of fifteene children Gorgias Leontius the tutor of Isocrates and many other learned men in the hundred and seauenth yeare of his age being asked Why he desired to liue any longer answered Because he felt nothing in his body by which to accuse age Herodotus Pliny Cicero and others speake of one Arganthonius Gaditanus who raigned fourescore yeares being sixtie yeares of age before he came to his crowne Solynus and Ctesias with others auerre that amongst the Aethiopians a hundred and thirty yeares is but a common age and many arriue vnto it Hellanicus testates that the Epians a people of Aetolia attained to two hundred whom Damiates exceedes naming one Littorius that reached to three hundred the like we reade of Nestor I will conclude with Dondones whom Pliny affirmes suruiued fiue hundred yeares yet neuer stooped with age More liberallie speakes Zenophon who bestowes on one of the Latin Kings eight hundred and six hundred vpon his father but I will forbeare further to speake of her age and come to her Oracle Vnto the Assyrian Monarchy we assigne One thousand yeares two hundred thirty nine When thirty six successions shall expire The last his glories pompe shall end in fire Thence to the Meades it transmigrates and they Shall in nine full successions beare chiefe sway Three hundred yeares shall memorise their deeds Wanting iust eight The Persian then succeedes In th' vniuersall Empire which must last Fourteene Kings raigns and then their sway be past Ouer to Greece but ere their light blow out Two hundred fiftie yeares shall come about Adding fiue moneths The Monarchy now stands Transferd on Macedonia who commands The world but Alexander by him is guided The spatious earth but in his death diuided Amongst his captaines Macedon one ceaseth Asia another Syria best pleaseth A third Aegypt a fourth thus lots are cast Two hundred eighty eight their pompe shall last And then expire Great Rome shall then looke hye Whose proud towers from 7. hills shall braâ—e the skye And ouerlooke the world In those blest dayes Shall come a King of kings and he shall raise A new plantation and though greater farre Than all the Monarches that before him are In maiestie and power yet in that day So meeke and humble he shall daine to pay Tribute to Caesar yet thrice happy he That shall his subiect or his seruant be After the death of Alexander the kingdome of Macedonia was successiuelie inioyed by fifteene Kings and indured a hundred fiftie seauen yeares and eight moneths Asia and Syria were gouerned by nineteene Kings and lasted two hundred eightie nine yeares Aegypt was possest by tenne Ptolomies and lastlie by Cleopatra and it continued two hundred eightie eight yeares These Kingdoms fayling the Romans gained the chiefe predominance Of this Sybell S. Isiodore Virgill and Ouid writ more at large she writ her Prophesie in leaues of trees and then plac't them ouer the Altar which when the wind mooued or made to shake they had no efficacie but when they remained firme and without motion they receiued their full power and vertue therefore Dante the famous Italian Poet thus writes Come la neue al sole se distilla Cosi al vento nelle foglie leue Si perdea la sententia de Sibille I cannot here pretermit Ouids expression of this Sybell who when Aeneas hauing receiued from her that great curtesie to enter hell and to come safe thence and for that would haue sacrificed to her done her diuine adoration she thus answered him Nec dea sum dixit nec sacrifuris honore c. I am no goddesse goddesse sonne 't is true Nor are these diuine honours to me due I had beene such and darknesse not haue seene Had I a prostitute to Phoebus beene For whilst he courts my loue and day by day Hopes with large gifts mine honour to betray Aske what thou wilt oh bright Cumaean maide It shall be granted thee Apollo said I willing that my dayes should euer last Prostrate vpon the earth my selfe I cast And graspt as much dust as my hand could hold Let me then liue said I till I haue told So many yeares as there are bodies small Lockt in this hand The god could not recall Nor I vnsay I had forgot in truth To insert in my rash boone All yeares of youth Euen that too to haue yielded to his will I might haue had but I am virgin still Haue to this houre remaind my happier dayes Are all forespent Decrepit age now layes His weake hand on me which I must endure Long time to come seauen ages I am sure Are past nor shall my thread of life be spuune Vntill the number of these sands be runne The houre shall be when this my body here Shall small or nothing to the sight appeare This time and age haue power to doe and when I shall not louelie seeme as I did then Nay doubtlesse Phoebus will himselfe deny That e're he cast on me an amorous eye Saue by my voice I shall no more be knowne But that the Fates haue left me as mine owne Ouid hath fabulated that she was changed into a Voyce the word Sybilla importing Vox She prophesied much of the Roman warres and the successe of their Empire SIBILLA HELLESPONTICA SHe hath the denomination of Marrinensis and as most Authours affirme deriues her selfe Ex agro Troiano from Troy in Asia She sung of the warres betwixt the Troians and the Greekes I will be briefe with her because I feare I haue beene too tedious in the former her Prophesie of Christ I haue included in these few lines When Atlas shoulders shall support a starre Whose ponderous weight he neuer felt before The splendour of it shall direct from farre Kings and Wisemen a new light to adore Peace in those dayes shall flourish and stearne warre Be banisht earth lost mankind to restore Then shall the Easterne Monarches presents bring To one a Priest a Prophet and a King And so much for Sybilla Hellespontica SYBILLA PHRIGIA SHe was called
foure angles each equally distant eight hundred eightie foot and in heigth twentie fiue A second foure angles euerie one containing by euen spaces seuen hundred thirtie and seuen foot A third comprehended three hundred sixtie three foote betwixt euerie angle A fourth errected by Rhodope the strumpet the mistresse of Aesop by the money which she got by her trade Herodotus speakes of a Pyramis made by Cleopys king of Aegypt of stones fetcht from Arabia whose length was fiue furlongs the breadth ten paces He erected a second more magnificent which was not finisht in twentie yeares vpon which he spent so much treasure that hee was forc't to prostitute his daughter a most beautifull young virgin to supply his owne necessitie Pliny reports that in this structure he impolyed so many workemen that they eate him 1800 talents in onyons and garlicke 2. The tower of Pharos built by Ptolomaeus in that Isle which serued as a lanthorne to direct nauigators by sea in the night he spent vpon it 5300 Talents Sostrata was the Architectour as appeares by the inscription of his name vpon the Cittadell 3. The wals of Babylon were built by Semiramis they were as Hermodorus writes in thicknesse fiftie cubits in heighth two hundred within the compasse of which were an hundred Ports hauing brasen gates that all moou'd vpon hinges they were beautified with three hundred Turrets and Chariots might meete vpon the toppe of them and haue free passage without impediment 4. The Temple of Diana of which I haue spoken before was in length 425 foote in breadth 220 It was beautified with 127 Collumns 5. The tombe of Mausolus built by Artimesia queene of Caria was in height 25 Cubits it was compast with 36 collumns it contained from the South to the North 33 foote the whole compasse contained 1411 That part which lay towards the East was perfected by Scopas that which was towards the North was ended by Briax that towards the Meridian by Tymothaus that which butted vpon the West by Leocares 6. The Colossus of the Sun which bestrid the riuer Rhodes betwixt whose legges shippes without vailing their top sailes came into the harbour was of that vastnesse that a man with his spread armes could not compasse his thumbe euery finger being as bigge as a common statue After it had stood six and fiftie yeares it was emolisht by an earthquake The Souldan of Aegypt hauing inuaded Rhodes with the broken brasse thereof laded thence 900 cammells The chiefe workeman was Chares Lindius the scholler of Licippus 7. The image of Iupiter to which some equall the pallace of Cyrus king of the Meades built by Memnon the stones of which were simmented together with gold But I leaue further to speake of these and proceed to the next Sybill SIBILLA AEGYPTIA SHe was called Agrippa not numbered amongst the tenne but hath place amongst the twelue she prophesied vpon the number of Three and on this manner Sacred's the number Three as Sybells tell Betwixt three brothers the Heauen Sea and Hell Were cast by lot The Earth as all men write In their diuisions is called Tripartite Ioue three waies striking hath his Trisulc Thunder Neptun's allowd his Trident to keepe vnder The mutinous waues Three fatall sisters spinne Our thread of life Three Iudges punish sinne Euen monsters are described so Gerion weares Three heads Grim Cerberus as many beares Sphinx hath three shapes of Bird of Beast of Maid All three in wings in feete in face displaid Chimaera is Triformd the monstrous creature Scilla 's of dogges fish and a womans feature The Erynnaes Harpyes Gorgons three-fold all The Sybells Trifatidicae we call Diuining from the Tripos Orpheus Lyre Sings that 't was made of water earth and fire Three Charites three Fates three Syrens bee Number the Muses they are three times three She 's triple-Hecat's cald Diana stilde Triuia The ground of Musicke was compild But on three Chords at first and still exprest By voice by hand by breath In the Phisicks rest Three principles God World and Creature fram'd Creator Parent Issue these are nam'd In all production Into Three we cast Mans age two legges next three then foure at last Phisitians three things to obserue are sure First to preserue preuent and then to cure Three gouernements are famous in Romes state That of the Tribunes and Triumuirate Three sorts of people they distinguish can The Senat Souldior and the common Man In the taking height of starres w'obserue these Three First Distance then the Forme next Qualitie But which of vs obserues that sacred Tryne Three persons in one Godhead sole diuine That indiuiduall essence who dares scan Which is shall be and ere the world began Was in eternitie When of these Three One of that most inscrutable Trinitie The second person Wisedome shall intombe All maiestie within a Virgins wombe True Man true God still to that blest Trine linckt True light shall shine and false starres be extinct SIBILLA ERYTHRAEA SHe is the twelfth and last borne in Babylon of the Assirian nation and daughter to Berosus a famous Astrologian She writ in Greeke a booke called Vafillogra which some interpret Penalis scriptura which as Eugenius in his Res de Sicilia testates was transferred into Latin She prophesied of all the Greekes that came to the siege of Troy designed the places whence and how long they should continue there In those bookes she speakes of Homer and that he should write of those wars partially according to his affection and not truth In the same volume she prophesied of Christ after this manner The times by the great Oracle assignd When God himselfe in pittie of mankind Shall from the Heau'n descend and be incarnate Entring the world a lambe immaculate And as himselfe in wisedome thinkes it meete Walke in the earth on three and thirtie feet And with six fingers all his subiects then Though a king mightie shall be fishermen In number twelue with these warre shal be tride Against the diuell world and flesh their pride Humilitie shall quell and the sharpe sword With which they fight shal be the sacred Word Establisht vpon Peter which foundation Once layd shall be divulg'd to euerie nation The onely difficultie in this prophesie is Trentra tre piede which signifies thirtie three yeares and Mese dito six fingers intimating the time of six moneths And thus I take leaue of the Sybells Of the Virgins VESTALLS FEnestella in his booke intituled de Sacerdotijs Romanis proposeth Numa Pompilius to bee the first that deuised the forme of this Vestall adoration though the first institution thereof was held to be so antient that Aeneas transferred it from the Troians to the Albans as Virgill witnesseth in these words Vestamque potentem Aeternumque aditis adfert penetratibus ignem To this goddesse Vesta whom some call the Earth others the Mother of the gods Fire perpetuallie burning was consecrated and to this obseruation and coustome certaine virgins pickt out of the
of diuerse other women for diuerse noble actions Illustrious Dominica the wife of the Emperour Valens when the Gothes had threatned the vtter subuersion of Constantinople by her wisedome and descretion mediated with the enemie was the sole means of the safetie both of the people and citie Sex Aurelius reports of Pompeia Plautina when hir husband Iulian the Emperor had with intollerable exactions oppressed the people insomuch that their discontents were readie to breake out into rebellion this vertuous princesse so farre temporised with the Emperour that by her meanes they were released from all exactions and tributes Diaconus makes mention of Placidia the sister and wife of Honorius who in the yeare 412 when Ataulphus king of the Gothes presented himselfe with an inuincible armie before the walls of Rome threatning vtterly to subuert the cittie and after rebuild it againe and in steede of Rome to call it Gothia so wrought with the barbarous king by persuasions and promises that she turned his pride to pitie and his immanitie to mercie so that he departed thence without any assault made against the cittie or the least spoile done vnto the countrey Vollateranus speakes of Inguldis the sister of Childebert who being marryed to Hermogillus sonne to Lemigildus king of the Gothes persuaded her husband then an infidell to bee a true and constant professour of the Christian faith The like we reade of Cleotilda queene of France who did the like good worke vpon her husband Clodoncus the sonne of Childericke Nor hath our owne nation beene barreine of good examples since Helena the mother of Constantine may in that kind claime equalitie if not precedencie before any As Rome affoorded a Volumnia mother to Martius Cariolanus so England yeelded as eminent a Ladie in all points the mother to Brennus and Belinus The first when her sonne had worthilie deserued of his countrie euen to the attaining of all militarie honours and as an addition to the rest for his braue seruice against the cittie of Coriolorus had the denomination of Coriolanus bestowed vpon him by the publique sufferage of the Senat yet notwithstanding for all his merites and vnmatchable exploits by which he purchased to himselfe the honor to be called Pater Patriae yet after by the ingratefull multitude who were euer emulous of any mans deserued greatnesse hee was not onely degraded from all his titles of dignitie but had the doome of euerlasting banishment denounced against him in reuenge of which ingratitude hauing raised an armie and inuaded the townes of the Roman empire readie to inuest himselfe before the quaking and affrighted cittie when they had first sent to him to make their attonement their priests who by reason of their sacred offices were held in much reuerence next their Augurers and South-sayers then the Aeditiae which were the keepers of their Temples and last their prophets but none of these preuailing as their last refuge the Roman matrons presented themselues before Volumnia the mother of Martius humblie intreating her to make intercession betwixt her sons rage and the imminent calamitie This reuerent Ladie mooued with their teares and acclamations accompanied with Virgilia the wife of Coriolanus and many other noble matrons and damosells hauing before promised to plead in their behalfes as farre as a miserable mother could claime interest in an iniured sonne repaired to his tent and casting themselues downe at his feete humblie besought him of compassion the feare exprest in their faces and the sorrow in their habits cast vpon the enemy a sudden reuerence and silence when Volumnia with such feeling accents and moouing Oratorie mixed with teares besought the peace of the cittie that they made a reuerent impression in the heart of Coriolanus who supporting his mother and aduancing his wife from the earth brake out into this extasie Vicistis You haue ouercome me Thus by these excellent women all combustions of warre were appeased a threatned misery preuented and a generall and safe peace setled in the Commonweale Of no lesse remarke was the wife of Mulmutius Dunwallo the sonne to Cloten duke of Cornwall who as Fabian remembers of him hauing in great peace and tranquilitie gouerned the kingdome for the space of fortie yeres and was after buried in a place by him before erected cald the Temple of peace leauing the land equally deuided betwixt his two sonnes Belinus and Brennus to Belinus the elder was allotted England Wales and Cornewall vnto Brennus all the North parts beyond Humber who being a young man and desirous of honour not content with the principalitie appointed him commenced against Belinus a fearefull war But as the two brothers were readie to ioyne battaile the mother presented herselfe betwixt the armies exposing her bodie to their opposit weapons shewing the breasts that gaue them sucke and with noble admonitions and motherlie persuasions so molified the hearts of the incensed princes that all ciuill and seditious warre layd aside they entered a friendly and brotherly league which was so established in the reuerent vertues of the mother that it was neuer after violated in all their life times after With what condigne honours is queene Marcia's memorie worthie to be celebrated who being the wife to Guinthelinus king of Britaine the sonne of Gurgunscius was in those daies of that excellent learning and knowledge that she deuised many profitable and wholsome lawes to the benefit of the Common-wealth which were much esteemed amongst the Brittaines and carefully obserued being cald after her name The Mercean laws many ages insuing But being loath to instance too many to one purpose least I should rather seeme tedious than delightfull to the reader I will adde onely one English lady in another kind memorable and worthy for her goodnes an euerlasting character There was a noble man of England created Earle of Couentrie this man was so austere to the citisens that he had iniuriously wrested from them all their ancient franchises and priuiledges insomuch that by his oppressions insufferable exactions the cittie was much decaied the people disabled in their power and weakened in their fortunes These petitioned to the Countesse a noble and well disposed lady to mediate for them to the Earle That their customes and former liberties might be restored The lady vndertakes their suit and with much importunitie solicited her lord in their behalfe but he being of a haughtie and insolent disposition stil persisted immoueable but she commiserating their estate as daily mooued with their complaints without cessation still sollicited for them and with such vrgence that he had neither peace at boord nor quiet in bed he at length as much wearied with her importunitie as she tired with their petitions she wrested from him this churlish and indeffinite answer Cease Lady further to persuade me for I protest and that with an vnaltered resolution that there is but one onely meanes by which their franchises are to be recouered which
houre so did the mother who came thither on purpose to reforme her sonne but he being hot and too forward in the action and she ouercome either by the inticements of the diuell the weakenesse of her Sex or both gaue herselfe vp to Incestuous prostitution the young man knowing no otherwise but that hee had inioyed the maid Of this wicked and abhominable congression a woman child was begot of whom the mother to saue her reputation was secretly deliuered and put it out priuately to nourse but at the age of seuen yeares tooke it home When this child grew to yeares the most infortunate sonne fell in loue with his sister and daughter and made her his vnhappie wife what shall I thinke of this detestable sinne which euen beasts themselues abhor of which I will giue you present instance Aristotle in his historie Annimal who was a diligent searcher into all naturall things affirmes that a Cammell being blinded by his keeper was brought to horse his damme but in the action the cloth falling from his eyes and he perceiuing what he had done presently seised vpon his keeper and slew him in detestation of the act he had committed and to reuenge himselfe vpon him that had betraied him to the deed The like the same author reports of a horse belonging to a king of Scythia who could by no meanes be brought to couer his damme but being in the same fashion beguiled and the cloath falling away and perceiuing what hee had done neuer left bounding flinging and galloping till comming vnto an high rocke hee from thence cast himselfe headlong into the sea If then this sinne be so hatefull in bruite beasts and vnreasonable creatures how much more ought it to be auoided in men and women and which is more Christians Cyborea the mother of Iudas Iscariot THis that I now speake of is remembred by Ranulphus Monke of Chester Ierome and others There was a man in Ierusalem by name Reuben of the Tribe of Isachar his wife was called Cyborea The first night of their marriage the woman dreamed that she was conceiued of a sonne who should bee a traytour to the Prince of his owne people she told it to her husband at which they were both sad and pensiue The child being borne and they not willing to haue it slaine and yet loath to haue it prooue such a monster to his owne nation they in a small boat cast it to sea to try a desperate fortune this vessell was driuen vpon an Island called Iscariot where the Queene of that place had then no child This babe being found she purposed to make it her owne and put it to be nobly nurced and educated calling his name Iudas and Iscariot of the Island where he was taken vp But not long after shee was conceiued of a sonne who prouing a noble and hopefull gentleman Iudas whose fauour in court began to wane and his hope of inheritance which but late flourisht now quite to wither he plotted against his life and priuately slew him but fearing least the murder might in time bee discouered and hee compeld to suffer according to the nature of the fact hee fled thence to Ierusalem where he got into the seruice of Pontius Pilatus and found meanes to be protected by him being then in the cittie deputie gouernour for the Romans Iudas because their dispositions were much of one condition grew into his especiall familiaritie and fauour The Pallace of Pilot hauing a faire bay window whose prospect was into Reubens Orchard he had a great appetite to eate of some of those ripe apples which shewed so yellow and faire against the sunne This Iudas vnderstanding promist him to fetch him some of that fruit and mounting ouer the orchard wall he was met by his father who rebuking him for the iniurie Iudas with a stone beat out his braines and vnseene of any conueyed himselfe backe Reubens death was smothered and the murderer not knowne Cyborea being a rich widdow Pylate made a match betwixt her and his seruant Iudas who being marryed to his mother was now possest of his owne fathers inheritance Not long this incestuous couple had liued together but Cyborea being vpon a time wondrous sad and melancholy and Iudas demanding the cause she began to relate to him her many misfortunes First of her dreame then of her sonne in what manner he was put to sea then how she lost her husband being slaine and the murderer not found and lastly how by the authoritie of Pilat she was now compeld to match against her will who had protested to her selfe a lasting widdowhood By these circumstances Iudas most assuredly knew that he had slaine his father and had marryed his mother which acknowledging to her she persuaded him to repent him of these great euills and to become a Disciple of Iesus who was then an eminent Prophet amongst the Iewes It shall not be amisse to speake a word or two of Pilate It is said that a king whose name was Tyrus begat him on a Millers daughter Pyla whose father was called Atus who from his mother and grandfather was called Pylatus at foure yeares of age he was brought to his father who by his lawfull wife had a prince iust of the same age These were brought vp together in all noble exercises in which the prince hauing still the best Pylat awaited his opportunitie and slew him loath was the king to punish him with death least he should leaue himselfe altogether Issulesse therefore hee sent him an hostage to Rome for the payment of certaine tribute which was yearly to be tendred into the Roman treasurie Liuing there as hostage he assotiated himselfe with the son to the king of France who lay pledge in Rome about the like occasion and in a priuate quarrell was also slaine by Pylat The Romans finding him of an austere brow and bloodie disposition made him gouernour of the Island called Pontus the people were irregular and barbarous whom by his seueritie he reduced to all ciuill obedience for which good seruice he was remooued to Ierusalem bearing the name of Pontius from that Island there hee gaue sentence against the Sauiour of the world Tiberius Caesar being then Emperour was sicke of a grieuous maladie who hearing that in Ierusalem was a Prophet who with a word healed all infirmities whatsoeuer hee sent one Volutianus to Herod to send him this man but Christ was before condemned and crucified There Volutianus acquainted himselfe with one Veronica a noble Ladie of the Iewes who went with him to Rome and carried with her the lynnen cloth which still bore the impresse and likenesse of Christs visage vpon which the Emperour no sooner looked but he was immediately healed The Emperour then vnderstanding the death of this innocent and just man caused Pylat to be brought to Rome who being called before Caesar the historie saith he had at that time vpon him the roabe of our Sauiour which was called Tunica
early to attend the king who was that day to bee entertained by the earle his father in law All things were noblie prouided and Edgar royally receiued and set to dinner some write that Ethelâ—old had caused a kitchin maid to put on his wiues habit and sit at the kings Table but I find no such matter remembered in my Author the truth is the king about the middest of dinner cald for the Earle Orgarus and demanded of him whether he had a wife or no if he had why he might not haue her companie knowing it was a generall obseruation in England that without the wiues entertainement there could be no true and heartie welcome The earle replied that at that time he was an vnhappie widdower he then demaunded whether he had any children to continue his posteritie to which he answered heauen had onely blest him with one daughter a plaine damosell yet the sole hope of his future memorie The king was then importunate to see her and commanded her to be instantly brought vnto his presence which put Ethelwold into a strange agonie yet still hoping she had done as hee had late inioyned her when shee contrarie to his expectation came in apparelled like a bride in rich and costly vestures her golden haire fairely kembed and part hanging downe in artificiall curles her head stoocke with jewells and about her neck a chaine of diamonds which gaue a wonderous addition to that beautie which naked of it selfe without any ornament was not to bee paraleld a contrarie effect it wrought in the king and her husband To Edgar she seemed some goddesse at least a miracle in nature to Ethelwold in regard of his feare a furie or what worse hee could compare her to O fraile woman in this one vanitie to appeare beautifull in the eyes of a king thou hast committed two heinous and grieuous sinnes Adulterie and Murder for accordingly it so fell out Edgar was as much surprised with her loue as incensed with hate against her lord both which for the present he dissembled neither smiling on the one nor frowning on the other In the afternoone the king would needes hunt the stagge in the forrest of Werwelly since called Hoore-wood In the chace by the appointment of Edgar Earle Ethelwold was strooke through the bodie with an arrow and so slaine the king after made Elfritha his bride and queene The Earle had a base sonne then present at the death of his father of whom the king asked how hee liked that manner of hunting to whom he answered Royall sir what seemeth good to you shal be to me no way offensiue from that time forward he was euer gratious with the king And Elfritha thinking to make attonement with heauen for the murder of her husband or rather as Ranulphus saith for causing Edward to whom she was step-mother to be slaine that her owne sonne Egelredus might raigne builded an Abbie for Nunnes at Worwell where she was after buried Gunnora IN the time that Agapitus was Pope Lewis king of Fraunce the sonne of Charles caused William Longa Spata the second duke of Normandie to bee treacherously slaine this William was sonne to Rollo The Lords of Normandie with this murder much insenced watched their aduantage and surprised the king in Rhothemage where they committed him to safe custodie till he had promised and sworne to yeeld vp Normandie to Richard sonne and immediate heire to William the late murdered duke and moreouer in what place soeuer the king and the yong duke should haue meeting to conferre that Richard should weare his sword but king Lewis neither to haue sword nor knife about him This Richard being yong was called Richard the Old he had besides another attribute giuen him which was Richard without Feare because he was neuer known to be dismayde at any thing but a third aboue these was that he pretended to be wonderous religious He was duke two and fiftie yeares and tooke a Ladie to his bed from Denmarke whose name was Gunnora by whom he had fiue sonnes and two daughters the eldest of which was married to Etheldredus king of England her name was Emma and shee was called the flower of Normandie Concerning this bold yet religious duke it is reported by Marianus lib. 2. Henricus Ranulphus and others that besides many other testimonies of his sanctitie this one made him most eminent A Monke of Andoenus in Rothomage a town in Normandie going one night to meete with his sweet heart his way lay ouer a bridge and vnder that bridge was a deepe foord or riuer it so happened that mistaking his footing hee fell into the water and there was drowned He was no sooner dead but there came to carrie away his soule an Angell and a Fiend these two contended about it the one would haue it so would the other great was the controuersie betwixt them at length they concluded to put the case to duke Richard both to stand to his arbitrement much pleading there was on both sides at length the duke gaue sentence That the soule should be restored againe to the bodie be placed againe vpon that bridge from whence he had falne and if then he would offer to goe from thence to his sweet heart the diuell should take him but if otherwise he because he was a Church-man should be still in the Angels protection This was done and the Monke left his way to the woman and fled to the church as to a sanctuarie whether the duke went the next day and found the Monkes clothes still wet and told the Abbot euerie circumstance as it fell out therefore the Monke was shriuen did penance was absolued and reconciled This I haue read which I persuade no man to beleeue This duke liued with the faire Gunnora long time dishonestly and without marriage had by her those children aforesaid but at length by the persuasion of the nobilitie and intercession of the cleargie he tooke her to wife The first night after the marriage when the duke came to her bed she turned her backe towards him which she had neuer done till that time at which hee maruelling demaunded of her the reason why she did so To whom she answered before I was your strumpet and therfore as a seruant was tide to doe your pleasure in althings but now I am your wife and made part of your selfe therefore henceforth I claime with you an equall soueraigntie and will doe what mee list bearing my selfe now like a princesse not like a prostitute This I am easily induced to beleeue for how soone do honoures change manners Iuuenall in his sixt Satire speaking of marriage thus sayth Semper habet lites aeternaque iurgia lectus c. The marriage bed is sildome without strife And mutuall chidinges hee that takes a wife Bargaines for mightie trouble and small rest Sleepe growes a stranger then whilest in her brest She lodgeth Passion Selfe-will Anger Feare And from her eyes drops many a
and howsoeuer the euent prooue the reward of the victorie is nothing but the dammage arising from the fight manifest Their answer went before which their resolution as suddenlie and swiftlie pursued after for their army and their answer almost arriued together whose celeritie in march and resolution in purpose when Vexores vnderstood he forsooke his tents and all prouision for warre and betooke himselfe to a base and dishonourable flight They pursued him to the Aegyptian fennes but by reason of the marishes and vncertaine ground their further passage was prohibited Retyring thence they ouerranne Asia and subdued it vnder their predominance imposing on the Nations a small tribute rather in acknowledgement of the title than to be gainers by the victory the enemy rather suffering disgrace than oppression fifteene yeares they continued in Asia rather to settle the estate than to extort from the inhabitants From thence they were called by the wickednesse of their wiues from whom they receiued word That vnlesse they instantly repayred home they would seeke issue from the neighbour nations for they would not suffer the posteritie of the antient Scythians to bee in the women extinct Asia was for many yeares tributarie to the Scythians Trogus and Iustine say for a thousand and fiue hundred yeares which ended in Ninus king of Assyria In this interim two princely youthes among the Scythians Plinos and Scolopitus being by the optimates and chiefe of the people expulst from their families drew to their societie a mightie confluence and inuaded Cappadocia planting themselues neere to the riuer Thermedon and being by conquest possest of the Prouince of Themisciria there hauing for many yeares made spoyle of the neighbour nations by the conspiracie of the multitude who were opprest with their insolencies they were betraide and slaine Their wiues by reason of their exile halfe in despaire boldly tooke armes and first retyring themselues and making their owne confines defensible after grew to the resolution to inuade others Besides they disdained to marry with their neighbours calling it rather a seruitude than Wedlock A singular example to all ages Thus they augmented their seigniories and establisht their common-weale without the counsell or assistance of men whose fellowship they began now altogether to despise and to communicate their losse to make the widdowes of equall fortune with the wiues they slew all the men that yet remained amongst them and after reuenged the deaths of their husbands formerlie slaine vpon the bordering people that conspired against them At length by warre hauing setled peace least their posteritie and memory should perish they had mutuall congression with their neighbour nations The men children they slew the female they nourced and brought vp not in sowing and spinning but in hunting and practise off armes and horsemanship and that they better might vse their launces and with the more ease at seauen yeares of age they seared or rather burnt of their right breasts of which they tooke the name of Amasons as much as to say Vnimammae or Vrimammae i. those with one breast or with a burnt breast There were of them two queenes that ioyntly held the soueraigntie Marthesia and Lampedo these diuided their people into two armies and being growne potent both in power and riches they went to warre by turnes the one gouerning at home whilest the other forraged abroad and least there should want honour and authoritie to their successes they proclaimed themselues to be deriued from Mars in so much that hauing subdued the greater part of Aeurope they made incursions into Asia and there subdued many fortresses and castles where hauing built Ephesus with many other citties part of their army they sent home with rich and golden spoyles the rest that remained to maintaine the Empire of Asia were all with the queene Marthesia or as some write Marpesia defeated and slaine In whose place of soueraigntie her daughter Orythia succeeded who besides her singular valour and fortunate successe in warre was no lesse admired for her constant vowe of virginitie which to her death she kept inuiolate The bruite of their glorious and inuincible acts reaching as farre as Greece Hercules with a noble assembly of the most Heroicke youthes furnisht nine ships with purpose to make proofe of their valor two of foure sisters at that time had the principalitie Antiope and Orythia Orythia was then imployde in forreine expeditions Now when Hercules with the young Heroes landed vpon the Amasonian continent the queene Antiope not iealous of the least hostility stood then with many of her ladies vnarmed on the shore who being suddainly assaulted by the Graecians were easily put to rout and they obtained an easie victorie in this conflict many were slaine and diuers taken amongst whom were the two sisters of Antiope Menalippe surprised by Hercules and Hyppolite by Theseus hee subdude her by armes but was captiuated by her beautie who after tooke her to his wife and of her begot Hyppolitus Of her Seneca in Agamemnon thus speakes Vidit Hyppolite ferox pectore emedio rapi Spolium sagittas The bold Hyppolite did see that day Her breast despoyld and her shafts tane away Of Menalippe Virgill thus Threicean sexto spolianit Amazona Baltheo Hauing relation to the golden belt of Thermedon which was numbered the sixt of Hercules his twelue labours He receiued that honour and she her libertie Orythia being then abroad and hearing of these outrages and dishonours done at home that warre had beene commenced against her sister and Theseus prince of Athens borne thence Hyppolite whom she held to be no better than a rauishor impatient of these iniuries shee conuented all her forces and incited them to reuenge inferring that in vaine they bore Empire in Europe and Asia if their dominions lay open to the spoyles and rapines of the Grecians Hauing incouraged and persuaded her owne people to this expedition she next demanded ayd of Sagillus king of the Scythians to him acknowledging herselfe to be descended from that nation showes the necessitie of that warre and the honour of so braue a victorie hoping that for the glorie of the Scythian nation his men would not come behind her women in so iust an enterprise the successe of which was vndoubtedly spoyle for the present and fame for euer Sagillus with these motiues incouraged sent his sonne Penaxagoras with a great armie of horsemen to ayd Orithea in this warre but by reason of a discention that fell in the campe the prince of Scythia withdrew all his auxiliarie forces and with them retired into his countrey by reason of which defect the Amazons were defeated by the Grecians yet many of them after this battaile recouered their countries After this Orythea succeeded Penthisilaea shee that in the ayd of Priam or as some say for the loue of Hector came to the siege of Troy with a thousand Ladies where after many deeds of chiualrie by her performed she was slaine by
fire Vpon whose smooth brow cannot â—it a frowne She can make flints seeme feathers bare boords downe I will now trouble thy patience gentle Reader with a discourse that hath in it more mirth than murther and more sport than spight and yet a touch of both A mad fellow newly married had onely one yong child by his wife of some quarter old whom he deerely and tenderly loued as being his first but he was much giuen to good fellowship and shee altogether addicted to sparing and good huswiferie still when he vsed to come merrie from the tauerne where he had beene frollicke with his boone companions she being as sparing of his purse as prodigall of her tongue for she was little better than a skold would often vpbraide him with his expences that what hee wasted at the Tauerne were better bestowed at home that he spent both his mony time and that being so often drunke it was preiudiciall both to his bodie and estate with many such matron-like exhortations but alwaies concluding her admonitions with a vow That if euer he came home againe in that pickle shee would happen what could come fling the child into the moat for the house was moated about It hapned about some two daies after that he reuelling till late in the euening in a cold frostie winters night and she hauing intelligence by her scouts where he was then drinking and making no question but he would come home flustred she commanded her maide to conueigh the infant to the further part of the house and to wrap the cat in the blankets and put it in the cradle and there to sit and rocke it presently home comes the husband shee falls to her old lesson and beginnes to quarrell with him and he with her Ill words begot worse and much leaud language there was betwixt them when the woman on the sudden stepping to the cradle hauing spyde her aduantage I haue long sayth she threatned a mischiefe and that reuenge I cannot worke on thee come dogs come diuells I will inflict vpon the brat in the cradle and instantly snatching it vp in her armes ran with it to the moate side and flung it into the middle of the water which the poore affrighted man following her and seeing leauing to pursue her and crying saue the child ô saue the child in that bitter cold night leapt vp to the elbowes in water and waded till hee brought out the mantell and with much paine comming to the shore and still crying alas my poore child opened the cloathes at length the frighted cat crying mewe being at libertie leapt from betwixt his armes and ran away the husband was both amased and vexed the woman laught at her reuenge and retyred her selfe and the poore man was glad to reconcile the difference before she would yeeld to allow him either fire or dry linnen Considering this me thinkes it was not amisse answered of a gentleman who being persuaded by a friend of his not to marry with such a gentlewoman to whom hee was a suitor his reasons alleadged were because she had no quicke and voluble tongue neither was she of any fine witte or capacitie to whom he instantly replyde I desire to haue a woman to bee my wife that shall haue no more tongue to answer mee to a question than yea or nay or to haue more wit than to distinguish her husbands bed from another mans Another woman hauing a husband who customably came drunke home and shrinking from his stoole or chaire would oft fall vpon the floore and there lie along stil when she cald him to bed he would answer her Let me alone the tenement is mine owne and I may lye where I list so long as I pay rent for the house Some few nights after comming home in the like tune and sitting asleepe in a chaire before the chimney his wife being gone to bed presently the man falls into the fire the maide cryes out to her Mistresse Oh mistresse my master is falne and lyes in the fire euen in the midst of all the fire shee lay still and turning her on the other side sayd so long as hee payes rent for the house he may lye where he please But to more serious businesse for I haue now done sporting Of English Viragoes And of Ioan de Pucil OF Guendoline the wife of king Locrine and daughter to Corinaeus duke of Cornwall I shall take more occasion to speake at large in the discourse of the beautifull Estreld Elphleda was sister to king Edward before the conquest sirnamed the fourth she was wife to Etheldredus duke of Mercia who assisted her husband in the restoring of the citie of Chester after it had beene destroyed and demolished by the Danes encompassing it with new walls he was generall to the king in all his expeditions against the Danes in the last battaile that he fought against them at a place cald Toten Hall in Staffordshire hee gaue them a mightie auerthrow but a greater at Wooddensfield where were slaine two kings two Earles and of the souldiours many thousands which were of the Danes of Northumberland In this battaile were the king and Elphleda both present Soone after this victorie Etheldredus dyed and she gouerned many yeres after him in all Mercia or middle England except in the two cities of London and Oxford which the king her brother reserued to himself She builded many cities and townes and repayred others as Thatarne Brimsbury the bridge vpon Seuerne Tamwoorth Liechfield Stafford Warwicke Shrewsbury Watrisbury Edisbury in the Forrest besides Chester which is since vttery defaced and destroied Also shee built a cittie and a castle in the North part of Mercia which then was cald Runcofan and after Runcorn Thus farre Ranulphus William de regib with others giue her this noble character This Lady hauing once assayde the throwes of childbirth would neuer after bee drawne to haue any carnall societie with her husband alleaging that it was not sitting or seemely for a woman of her degree being a princesse a kings daughter and a kings sister to inure herselfe to such wanton embraces wherof should ensue so great paine and sorrow She tamed the Welchmen and in many conflicts chased the Danes after whose death the king tooke the prouince of Mercia intirely into his owne hand disinherited her daughter Elswina whom he led with him into West-Saxon Henricus lib. 5. hath left this Epitaph as a memoriall ouer her Tombe Oh Elphlede mightie both in strength and mind The dread of men and victoresse of thy kind Nature hath done as much as nature can To make thee maide but goodnesse makes the man Yet pittie thou should'st change ought saue thy name Thou art so good a woman and thy fame In that growes greater and more worthie when Thy feminine valour much out-shineth when Great Caesars acts thy noble deeds excell So sleepe in peace Virago maide farewell Much to this purpose hath Treuisa expressed
these verses in old English Maud the daughter of Henrie the first was married to Henrie the fourth Emperour of that name after the death of her husband she bore the title of Maud the Empresse her father in his life time swore all the nobilitie to her succession but he being dead many fell from their oathes of alleagence adhering to Stephan Earle of Bulleine who by the sisters side was neaphue to the deseased king He notwithstanding he had before sworne to her homage caused himselfe to be crowned at London vpon a Saint Stephens day by William Archbishop of Canturburie one that had before past his oath of alleagence to the Emperesse Much combustion there was in England in those dayes betwixt Maude and Stephan and many battails fought in which the successe was doubtfull the victorie sometimes inclining to the one and againe to the other the circumstances rather would become a large Chronicle than a short tractat I will therefore come to that which sorts best with my present purpose This lady tooke the king in battaile and kept him prisoner at Bristoll from Candlemas day to Hollyrood day in haruest for which victorie the people came against her with procession which was approoued by the Popes legate From Bristoll she came to Winchester thence to Wilton to Oxford to Reding and Saint Albons all the people acknowledging her their queene and soueraigne excepting the Kentishmen onely shee came thence to London to settle the estate of the land whether came the wife of king Stephan for her husbands deliuerie vpon condition that Stephan should surrender the kingdome vp entirely into her hands and betake himselfe euer after to a sequestred and religious life But to this motion the Emperesse would by no meanes assent the Cittisens likewise intreated her that they might vse the fauourable lawes of S. Edward and not those strict and seuere statutes and ordinances deuised established by King Henry her father neither to this would the bold-spirited Lady agree For which the people began to withdraw their affections from her purposed to haue surprised her of which she hauing notice left all her houshold proâ—ision and furniture and secretly conueighed her selfe to Oxford where she attended her forces who were by this time dispersed and diuided But taking with her her Vncle Dauid king of Scots shee came before Winchester laying a strong siege to the bishops tower with was defended by the brother of king Stephan But now obserue another female Warrior The wife of the imprisoned King being denyed his freedome now takes both spirit armes and associated with one William Iperus came with such a thundring terror to rayse the siege that the hardie Empresse to giue way to her present furie was from strength forced to flye to stratageme for finding her powers too weake to withstand the incensed Queene she counterfeited her selfe dead and as a Corse caused her bodie to be conueyed to the citie of Glocester and by this meanes escaped But Robert her brother was there taken prisoner and committed to safe custodie Then the Queene imployed herselfe on the one part for the release of her husband and the Empresse on the other for the enfranchisement of her brother at length after long debating of the businesse it was determined by the Mediators on both sides that Stephan should be restored to the Kingdome and Duke Robert to his Lordship and Earledome and both as they had disturbed the peace of the Land so now to establish it To this the Earle would not assent so that all that yeere there was nothing but spoyle manslaughter direptions and all manner of violence robbing of the rich and oppression of the poore The King vpon Holy-Rood day was released and besieged the Empresse in the citie of Oxford from Michaelmas day to mid-Winter where being oppressed with famine she tooke the aduantage of the Frost and Snow and attyring her selfe all in white escaped ouer the Fennes and came to the castle of Wallingford And so much shall suffice to expresse the magnanimitie and warlike dispositions of two noble and heroicke English Ladies A French Ladie comes now in my way of whom I will giue you a short character In the minoritie of Henry the sixt when France which was once in his entire possession was there gouerned by our English Regents the famous duke of Bedford and others Charles the Dolphin styled after by the name of Charles the seuenth being a Lord wihout land yet at that time maintaining what hostilitie he was able whilest the English forraged through France at their will and commanded in all places at their owne pleasure the French in vtter despaire of shaking off the English yoake there arose in those desperate times one Ioane Are the daughter of Iames Are and his wife Isabel borne in Damprin This Iames was by profession a Shepheard and none of the richest Ioane whom the French afterwards called Ioane de Pucil whilest she was a yong maid and kept her fathers sheepe would report to diuerse That our blessed Ladie S. Agnes and S. Katherine had appeared vnto her and told her That by her meanes France should regayne her pristine libertie and cast off the yoke of English seruitude This comming to the eare of one Peter Bradicourt an eminent captaine then belonging to Charles the Dolphin hee vsed meanes that she should be sent to haue conference with his maister who soiourned then in Chynon in his lowest of deiection and despaire of hope supplie or comfort In her iourney thither shee came to a towne called Faire-boys where taking vp her Inne a place which shee had neuer before seene shee desired a souldier to goe to a secret by-corner where was a heape of old yron and from thence to bring her a Sword The souldier went according to her direction and searching the place amidst a great quantitie of old tongs shouels hand-yrons and broken horse-shooes found a faire bright sword with fiue Flower-delyces vpon either side engrauen This Sword with which she after committed many slaughters vpon the English shee gyrt to her and so proceeded to Chynon to giue the Dolphin meeting Being there arriued Charles concealed himselfe amongst many others whilest she was brought into a faire long gallerie where he had appointed another to take his place and to assume his person she looking vpon him gaue him neither respect nor reueâ—ence but sought out Charles among all the other in that assemblie and pickt him from amongst the rest to whom making a low obeysance she told him that to him only was her businesse The Dolphin at this was amased the rather because she had neuer before seene him and was somewhat comforted by reason that she shewed cheare and alacritie in her countenance they had together long and priuat conference and shortly after she had an armie giuen to bee disposed and â—irected by her Shee then bespake her selfe armour Cap a Pe bearing a white Ensigne displaide before her in which was
pourtrayde the picture of the Sauiour of the world with a flower-de-lyce in his hand and so marched to Orleance Her first exploit was fortunately to raise the siege and releeue the towne From thence shee passed to Reames tooke the cittie and caused the Dolphin there to proclaime himselfe king and take vpon him the crowne of France She after tooke Iargueux a strong towne and in it the Earle of Suffolke with many other braue English gentlemen She fought the great battaile of Pathay with good successe in which were taken prisoners the lord Talbâ—â— the skourge and terror of the French nation the lord Seales the lord Hungerfâ—rd with many others both of name and qualitie she tooke in Benueele Mehun Trois and diuers other townes of great import and consequence at length in a camisado or skirmish she was taken prisoner by sir Iohn of Entenburch a Burgonian captaine and sent to Roan The French Cronicles affirme that the morning before she was surprised she tooke the sacrament and comming from Church told to diuerse that were about her that she was betraide her life sold and should shortly after be deliuered vp vnto a violent death For sir Iohn gaue a great sum of money to betray her The English comming to inuest themselues before Mondidier Ioan was aduised to issue out by Elaâ—ie and skirmish with them who was no sooner out but he shut the gates vpon her being taken she was sent to Peter Bishop of Beuoise who condemned her to the fire for a sorceresse which iudgement was accordingly executed vpon her in Roane in the market place Twentie six yeares after Charles the king for a great summe of money procured an annichilation of the first sentence from the Pope in which she was proclaimed a Virago inspired with diuine instinct in memorie of whose vertuous life and vniust death he caused a faire crosse to â—ee erected iust in the place where her bodie was burned I returne againe to the English Fabian and Harding speake of Emma sister to the Norman duke called Richard who for her extraordinarie beautie was called The flower of Normandie she was married to Ethelred king of England By her heroicke spirit and masculine instigation the king sent to all parts of the kingdome secret and strict commissions That vpon a certaine day and hour assigned all those Danes which had vsurped in the land and vsed great crueltie should be slaughtered which at her behest and the kings commaund was accordingly performed which though it after prooued ominous and was the cause of much miserie and mischiefe yet it shewed in her a noble and notable resolution Of queene Margaret the wife of Henrie the sixt her courage resolution and magnanimitie to speake at large would aske a Volume rather than a compendious discourse to which I am strictly tyed And therefore whosoeuer is deâ—irous to be further instructed in the successe of those many battailes fought against the house of Yorke in which she was personally present I referre them to our English Chronicles that are not sparing in commending her more than womanish spirit to euerlasting memorie With her therefore I conclude my female Martiallists And now me thinkes I am come where I would be and that is amongst you aire Fones Of Faire Women IT is reported of a king that for many yeeres had no issue and desirous to haue an heire of his owne bloud and begetting to succeed in the Throne vpon his earnest supplication to the diuine powers he was blessed with a faire sonne both of beautie and hope And now being possest of what he so much desired his second care was to see him so educated that hee might haue as much comfort of him in his growth as hope in his infancie hee therefore sent abroad to find out the most cunning Astrologians to calculate of his natiuitie that if the starres were any way maleuolent to him at his birth he might by instruction and good education as farre as was possible preuent any disaster that the Planets had before threatened A meeting to that purpose being appointed and the Philosophers and learned men from all parts assembled after much consultation it was concluded amongst them That if the infant saw Sunne or Moone at any time within the space of ten yeeres hee should most assuredly be depriued the benefit of sight all his life time after With this their definitiue conclusion the father wondrously perplexed was rather willing to vse any faire meanes of preuention than any way to tempt the crosse influence of the starres Hee therefore caused a Cell or Caue to be cut out of a deepe Rocke and conueying thither all things necessarie for his education hee was kept there in the charge of a learned tutor who well instructed him in the Theorie of all those Arts which best suited his apprehension The time of ten yeeres being expired and the feare of that ominous calculation past ouer the day was appointed when his purpose was to publish his sonne to the world and to shew him the Sunne and Moone of which he had often heard and till then neuer saw entire and to present vnto his view all such creatures of which he had beene told and read but could distinguish none of them but by heare-say They brought before him a Horse a Dogge a Lion with many other beasts of seuerall kindes of which he onely looked but seemed in them to take small pleasure They shewed him Siluer Gold Plate and Iewels in these likewise hee appeared to take small delight or none as not knowing to what purpose they were vsefull yet with a kind of dull discontent he demanded their names and so past them ouer At length the king commanded certaine beautifull virgins gorgeously attyred to be brought into his presence which the Prince no sooner saw but as recollecting his spirits with a kind of alacritie and change of cheare he earnestly demanded What kind of creatures they were how bred how named and to what vse created To whom his tutor ieastingly replyed These be called Deuills of which I oft haue told you and they are the great tempters of mankind Then his father demanded of him To which of all these things he had beheld he stood affected best and to whose societie hee was most enclined who presently answered O Father I onely desire to be attended by these Deuils Such is the attractiue power of beautie which women cannot fully appropriate to themselues since it is eminent in all other creatures Who wonders not at the beautie of the Sunne the glorie of the Moone and the splendor of the starres the brightnesse of the morning and the faire shutting in of the euening Come to the flowers and plants what artificiall colour can be compared to the leaues of the Marigold the Purple of the Violet the curious mixture of the Gillyflower or the whitenesse of the Lilly to which Salomon in all his glorie was not to be equalled You that are prowd of your haire
against all Law or Iustice to behold me against reason or modestie naked Gyges at these words was first wonderously amazed but after recollecting himselfe entreated her not to compell him to so hard an exigent as to the choyse of eyther But finding that necessitie that he must be forced to one or the other to kill the king or to be slaine by others he rather made choyse to suruiue and let the other perish and thus answered her Since generous Ladie you vrge me to an enterprise so much opposite to my milder nature and disposition propose some safe course how this may be done Euen sayth she in the selfe-same place where he deuised this mischiefe against himselfe namely his bed-chamber where to thee I was first discouered Therefore prouiding all things necessarie for so determinate a purpose and the night comming on Gyges who knew no euasion but to kill his maister or dye himselfe awaited his best aduantage and hauing notice when Candaules was asleepe followed the queene into her chamber and with a Ponyard by her prouided for the purpose stabbed him to the heart by which hee attayned both the queene and kingdome Of this historie Archilochus Parius makes mention in his Iambicks who liued about the same time affirming That Gyges was by the Oracle of Delphos confirmed in the kingdome after the Faction of the Heraclides had opposed his soueraigntie Rowan and Estrilda ROwan was a maid of wonderfull beautie and pleasantnesse daughter to Hengest a captaine of the Saxons Of this Ladie Vortiger then king grew so enamored that for her sake hee was diuorced from his wife by whom hee had three sonnes for which deed the greatest part of the Brittaines forsooke him therefore hee by the instigation of Rowan still caused more and more Saxons to be sent for vnder pretence to keepe the Land in subiection But the Brittaines considering the dayly repayre of the Saxons came to the King and told him the danger that might ensue entreating him whilest it waâ— yet time and to preuent a future miserie to expell them the Land But all in â—aine for Vortiger was so besotted in the beautie of his faire wife by whose counsaile he was altogether swayed that he would in no wise listen to the counsaile of his subiects Wherefore they with one vnited consent depriued him of his Crowne and dignitie making Vortimerus his eldest sonne king in his stead Who was no sooner crowned but with all expedition he raysed an armie and pursued the Saxons and in foure maine battailes besides conflicts and skirmishes became victorious ouer them The Saxons and their insolencies thus supâ—â—est and the king now gouerning the Land in peace after he had reigned seuâ—â— yeeres was by this Rowan in reuenge of the disgrace done to her king deposed and her countreymen disgraced most trecherously poysoned Locrin the eldest sonne of Brute chased the Hunnes which inuaded the realme of England and so hotely pursued them that many of them with their king were drowned in a riuer which parteth England and Scotland and after the name of the king of the Hunnes who there perished the riuer is to this day called Humbar This king Locrin had to wife â—â—â—â—doline a daughter of Coriâ—eus duke of Cornwall by whom he had a sonne calâ—â—d Madâ—n He kept also a Paramour called the beautifull Ladie Estrilda by whom hee had a daughter called Sabrina Locrine after the death of Corineus of whom he stood in awe diuorsed himselfe from his lawfull wife and tooke to his embraces his faire concubine mooued with this iniurie Guendoline retired herselfe into Cornewall where she gathered a great power fought with her husband slew him in battaile and after caused him to be buried in Troy-nouant That done she caused the faire Estrilda with her daughter Sabrina to be drowned in a riuer that which parts England and Wales which still beares the name of the yong Virgin and is called Seuerne These her dessignes accomplished for so much as Madun her yong sonne was but in his pupillage and not of capacitie or age to gouerne the Land by the common sufferage of all the Brittons she was made Protectoresse and Ladie Regent of the kingdome which to the comfort of the subiects and the weale of the kingdome she discreetly gouerned for the space of fifteene yeares and therefore her memorie might fitly haue beene rancked amongst the most Illustrious women Her sonne comming to age and yeares of discretion shee to him resigned the Scepter The Faire ladie of Norwich ANd now because wee traffique altogether with Historie it shall not bee amisse sometimes to mingle Seria Iocis as shall appeare by this discourse which I haue often heard related A knight both of same and memorie and whose name is still vpon record beeing eminent and of note with Henrie the fift as personally with him in all the warres in France after the king had both conquered and quieted the Land this noble Englishman retyred himselfe into his countrey He had a Ladie that was of such beautie that she attracted the eyes of all beholders with no common admiration in briefe I cannot speake of her feature sufficiently as being farre beyond the compasse of my penne and therefore I put her into the number of my Faire ones This ladie with her husband residing in the cittie of Norwich He after so many troubles and torments purposed a more sequestred life and next the solace he had in the beautie and vertues of his wife to take a course meerely contemplatiue and thought out of the aboundance of his wealth to doe some pious deeds for the good of his soule hee therefore erected in the cittie and neere to the place where his house stood a goodly Church at his owne charge and betwixt them a Religous house that entertained twelue Friers and an Abbot allowing them demeanes competent for so small a brother-hood In this couent there were two Frier Iohn and Frier Richard these were still at continuall enmitie and especiall notice taken of it amongst the rest which by no mediation could be truely reconciled but omitting that it was custome of the knight and his ladie dayly to rise to morning Mattins and she being affable and courteous to all it bred a strange inciuile boldnesse in Frier Iohn for she neuer came through the cloyster but he was still with duckes and cringes attending her which she suspecting nothing simply with modest smiles returned thankes to him againe which grew so palpable in the Frier that as farre as they durst it was whispered in the couent Briefly after these incouragements as he constered them it bred in him that impudencie that he presumed to write a letter to her in which he layde open a great deale of more than necessarie loue This letter with great difficultie came to her hand at which the ladie astonished as not dreaming that such leaudnesse should come from one that professed chastitie and not knowing whether it might be a tricke
deliuerers of her people And so much for the Legend But Richardus Diuisiensis sayth That being awed by Earle Godwin and for the feare of hasarding his life and kingdome Edward was compelled by threats and menaces to the marriage of Editha Moreouer Polydore reports That for the hate he bore her father who had not long before most trayterously slaine his brother Alphred hee caused himselfe to be diuorced from her seising her goods and dower to his owne vse and pleasure Ranulphus and one that writes himselfe Anonimos as willing to conceale his name say That shee was disrobed of all her Queene-like honors and confined into the Abbey of Warnwell with only one maid to attend her and so committed to the strict custodie of the Abbesse William of Malmesbury and Marianus Scotus haue left remembred That hee neyther dismissed her his bed nor carnally knew her but whether it was done in hatred to her kindred or purpose of Chastitie they are not able to determine Robert Fabian confesseth as much in his Chronicle Part. 6. cap. 210. Howsoeuer the effects of that abstenious life were not onely preiudiciall but brought lamentable effects vpon this distracted kingdome namely Innouation and Conquest for Edward dying without issue England was inuaded and opprest by the Normans and the people brought to that miserie that happie was that subiect that could say I am no Englishman And in this agree Matthew Paris Capgraue Fabian and Polydore As I hold it not necessarie for marryed folke to tye themselues to this strict kind of abstinence so I hold it not conuenient for any such as haue to themselues and in their soules taken vpon them the strict life of Virginitie to be compelled to an enforced marriage as may appeare by this discourse following recorded by Gulielm Malmsburien Simeon Danelmens Matthew Paris Roger Houeden Capgraue c. Henry the first of that name king of England and crowned in the yeere of Grace 1101 was by the instigation of Anselme once a Monke of Normandie but after by William Rufus constituted Archbishop of Canterburie marryed vnto Maude daughter to Malcolme the Scottish king she hauing taken a Vow and being a profest Nunne in the Abbey of Winchester Much adoe had the King her father the Queene her mother her Confessor Abbesse or the Bishop to alienate her from her setled resolution or persuade her to marriage but being as it were violently compelled thereunto she cursed the Fruit that should succeed from her bodie which after as Polydore affirmes turned to the great misfortune and miserie of her children for afterwards two of her sonnes William and Richard were drowned by Sea Besides her daughter Maude who was afterwards Empresse prooued an vnfortunate Mother and amongst many other things in bringing forth Henry the second who caused Thomas Becket to be slaine it thus happened All forraine warres being past and ciuile combustions pacified in the yeere of our Lord 1120 Henry the first with great ioy and triumph left Normandie and came into England But within few dayes following this great mirth and iollitie turned into a most heauie and fearefull sorrow for William and Richard his two sonnes with Mary his daughter Otwell their Tutor and Guardian Richard Earle of Chester with the Countesse his wife the Kings Neece many Chapleines Chamberlaines Butlers and Seruitors for so they are tearmed in the storie the Archdeacon of Hereford the Princes play-fellowes Sir Geffrey Rydell Sir Robert Maldvyle Sir William Bygot with other Lords Knights Gentlemen great Heires Ladyes and Gentlewomen to the number of an hundred and fortie besides Yeomen and Mariners which were about fiftie all these sauing one man which some say was a Butcher were all drowned together and not any one of their bodyes euer after found Many attribute this great Iudgement to the heauie Curse of Queene Maude others censure of it diuersly Howsoeuer in this King as Polydore sayth ended the Descent and Lyne of the Normans Of this Anselme before spoken of there are diuerse Epistles yet extant to many women in those dayes reputed of great Temperance and Chastitie as To Sister Frodelina Sister Ermengarda Sister Athelytes Sister Eulalia Sister Mabily and Sister Basyle To Maude Abbesse of Cane in Normandie and Maude the Abbesse of Walton here in England Hee writ a Treatife about the same time called Planctus a missae Virginitatis i. A bewayling of lost Virginitie So farre Iohn Bale And so much shall serue for Chast Wiues in this kind being loth to tyre the patience of the Reader Of Women Wantons DIon the Historiographer in Tiberio sayth that Lyuia the wife of Augustus Caesar beholding men naked sayd to the rest about her That to continent women and chast matrons such obiects differed nothing from statues or images for the modest heart with immodest sights ought not to be corrupted The vnchast eye more drawes the poyson of sinne from beautie which is Gods excellent workemanship from which the chast and contrite heart deriues the Creators praise and glorie But my hope is that in exposing vnto your view the histories of these faire Wantons you will looke vpon them should I strip them neuer so naked with the eyes of Lyuia that is to hold them but as beautifull statues or like Appelles his woman not better than a picture of white Marble I haue heard of a man that liuing to the age of threescore and ten had led so austere a life that in all that time he neuer touched the bodie of a woman and had proposed to himselfe to carrie that Virginall vow with him to his graue but at length being visited with sickenesse and hauing a faire estate purchased with his small charge and great husbandrie and therefore willing to draw out the thread of his life to what length he could hee sent to demaund the counsell of the Phisitians who hauing well considered the estate of his bodie all agreed in this that since the phisick of the soule belonged not to them but onely the phisick of the bodie they would freely discharge their duties and indeed told him that this present estate was dangerous and they found but onely one way in art for his cure and recouerie which was in plaine tearmes To vse the companie of a woman and so tooke their leaues and left him to consider of it Loath was the old man to loose his Virginitie which hee had kept so long but more loath to part with his life which he desired to keepe yet longer and hauing meditated with himself from whom he was to depart and what to leaue behind him namely his possessions his money his neighbours friends and kindred and whether hee was to remooue to the cold and comfortlesse graue he resolued with himselfe to prolong the comfort of the first and delay as long he could the feare of the last Therefore hee resolued rather than to be accessorie to the hastening his owne death to take the counsell of the doctors It was therfore so ordered by
some that were about him that the next night a lustie young wench was brought to his bed one that feared not the robustious violence of youth much lesse to encounter the imbesillitie of sicke and weake age I know not with what queasie stomach the patient relished his phisicke but early in the morning he gaue content to his shee Apothecarie who was conueyed out of the house vndiscouered The next day diuers of his friends comming to comfort him they found him sadly weeping and by no meanes could they weane him from that extasie at length the one of them who was priuie to the former nights passage began to compassionate with him and told him hee was sorie for his extreame heauinesse and as knowing the cause sayd No doubt but God was mercifull and wished him not to despaire but bee of comfort and with ghostly counsell persuaded him to take nothing to his heart because hee hoped all would bee well The old man told him hee vnderstood not his meaning but desired him to be more plain that he might know to what purpose his language did inâ—end His neighbour answered him againe Sir I haue beene acquainted with you long haue knowne your continence and strictnesse of life and withall your abstinence from women and I am sorie that your last nights businesse should be the occasion of this melancholly and these teares To whom the sicke but pretily well recouered man thus replyde Neighbour you much mistake the cause of my sorrow I neither greeue nor weepe for the good wholsome phisicke I had the last night but I now vex and torment my selfe that I haue so idly spent mine age there being such a pleasure vpon earth aboue all that I haue hetherto inioyed that I neuer had the grace to know it sooner and trie what it was before this time If then Lust can strike this stroke and haue this efficacie in age ô how much should wee pittie youth readie dayly and hourely to run into this dangerous inconuenience Of these Wantons there bee two sorts Meretrices and Scorta that is Whores and common Women such as either for Lust or Gaine prostitute themselues to many or all The second are Concubina or Pâ—llices Concubines to kings and princes or such as wee call the priuate Mistresses to great men The last are as our Accidence teacheth like Eduardus or Gulielmus proper names to this man or that The first like Homo common to all men both degrees sinners but not in the like kind I haue read of a third sort but know not what consonant or agreeing name to conferre vpon them I haue heard of some that haue beene called honest whores It may bee those that I shall speake of were such and because they are the strangest I will begin with them first Dosithaeus lib. 3. Lydiacorum tells vs that the Sardians hauing commenced warre with the Smyrnaeans inuested themselues before the cittie of Smyrna and hauing begyrt them with a straight and difficult siege those of Sardis it seemes being hot fellowes sent their Embassadors into the citie to this purpose That vnlesse they would send them their wiues to adulterate at their pleasures they would not onely race their citie and leuell it with the earth but kill man woman and child and so extirpe their memorie This message bringing with it not onely terror but horror much perplexed the besieged and betwixt the distractions of perpetuall infamie and most certaine death not able what to determine and hauing sat long in counsaile but nothing amongst them concluded a yong lustie Virago one that was hand-maid or bond-woman to Philarchus desired to be admitted into the Senate And being called in amongst them to know what shee had to say shee told them That vnderstanding to what miserable exigent they were driuen shee had deuised so pleased them to be swayed by her direction a meanes not onely to deliuer themselues from skorne their wiues from dishonor their children from the reproach of bastardie and their liues and goods from spoyle but to subiect the barbarous enemie into their hands with a noble and memorable victorie No maruell if to such a proiect they gaue attention when greedily demanding By what meanes the least of these proposed blessings might be accomplished she thus counsailed them Send saith she to these lustfull Sardinians and tell them you will in all points satisfie their desires At the time appointed let me with the rest of your slaues and vassals be attyred in the habits of our ladies and mistresses for no question being deckt in their ornaments and iewels wee shall appeare not onely free women but sufficiently beautifull Now in the night when we are fast lodged in their embraces and they dreaming of no further dangers than their present delights and that you thinke wee haue sufficiently cooled their hot courages arme your selues against the Sardinians whom if they offer to rise and arme themselues at the Alarme giuen wee will keepe still fast lockt in our armes till what wee haue left of them being naked you your selfe dispatch being armed This counsaile was followed and accordingly tooke effect In memorie of this the Feast called Elâ—theria i. of Free-women is yeerely celebrated in Smyrna in which the maid-seruants attyred in their mistresses habits sit at the Table and are waited on by them whom they attend all the yeare after Aristides Milesius lib. 1. Italicorum parallels this Historie thus Atepomarus king of the Gaules infesting the Romans with warre and hauing compelled them to the like exigent demanded the like horrible conditions of peace namely to adulterate their wiues but being in the same manner aduised by their hand-maids and hauing intelligence giuen them by one Retana the chiefe of that counsaile when the Gaules were sunke in sleepe and lust they set vpon them in the night and gaue them a braue defeat from whence the Feast of the Handmaids tooke beginning which is celebrated amongst the Romans euen to this day A Tale something like vnto these I haue beene told of a Mistresse that in some sort did as much to saue her maids honestie but whether to the same commendable purpose of that I am somewhat doubtfull In some great citie it was I cannot say London that a citisen of good reckoning hauing a faire wife kept diuerse prentices and maid-seruants in his house one of those busie young fellowes had cast a wanton eye vpon her that ruled the rost in the kitchin and longing as much to be in her bookes as out of his time and waiting many nights for opportunitie to find her in some remote place or darke entry it happened that one night hee dogg'd her at the heeles she hearing him to tread softly after her to escape him stept vp a payre of stayres iust as her mistresse came downe The prentice groping in the darke catcht hold vpon his mistresse and without any word speaking began to proportion his worke according to the shortnesse of his time The
gentlewoman all this while let him alone to see what he would doe and hauing made proofe of him to the full she might verie well perceiue what his vnchast intent was when clinging him close too her least hee should escape vndiscouered She asked what bold sawsie knaue he was that durst offer her that iniurie the young fellow knowing her voice and finding his mistake down on his knees and besought her to pardon him not to tell his maister for he to 〈◊〉 her for one of the maides The maides sayth she which of the maidesâ— hee answered The kitchin-maid and is it so sayth shee well 〈◊〉 I will henceforth preuent the getting of Bastards in my house without knowing who shall father them and for that night sayd no more but the next morning to preuent all future danger pickt a quarell with the kitchin-wench payde her her wages and turned her away It seemes after the yongman did well for shee made him before his time was fully out both her iourneyman and foreman It followes next in course that I should define vnto you what these prostitutes and common women are but what need I trouble my selfe so farre when in these corrupt daies almost euerie Boy of fifteene or sixteen yeres old knowes what a strumpet is better by his own practise than I can illustrate to him by all my reading And for Concubines wee need not trauell so farre as the Turkes Seâ—aglio since but few kings pallaces are without them And for such as wee call Sweet-hearts Friends or Good wenches should we but search noble mens Diaries gentlemens Summer-lodges or cittisens Garden-houses and trauell no further wee should no question find plentie sufficient It would also become this place well to persuade these loose and incontinenâ— women with some elaborat exhortation to retyre themselues from that wicked and abhominable course of life But I am altogether discouraged when I remember the positions of one most notorious in that trade word being brought her as of a strange and vnexpected noueltie That one who had beene a famous strumpet had retyred her selfe from all her leaude courses and was lately turned honestwoman Tush sayth she tell mee that as often as you will I will neuer beleeue it For once a whore and euer a whâ—re I know it by my selfe Of these Plautus thus speakes in Truculento Meretricem ego item esse reor Mare vt est Strumpets are like the Sea which doth deuour Riuers and brookes and what so else you poure Into his vastnesse neither hath it beene Fuller by them nor their great bountie seene So what so ere thou spend'st vpon a whore It doth not make her rich but thee still poore Terentius in Helyra sayth Nee pol-istae metuunt Deos nec hos respicere Deos opinor They feare not God and he regards not them I could produce innumerable adages and sayings of wise men both Poets Hystoriographers to the like purpose but I desire to be prolix in nothing Petronius Arbiter in his Satyricon hath left remembred that when Panachis a gyrle of seuen yeares old was brought to the faire youth Gyton robe strumpeted one wondering that so young a thing was capable of prostitution to him Quartilla the bawde thus answered Minor est ilia quam ego fui cum primum virum passa sum i. Is she lesse than I was when I lost my Virginitie and thus proceeded May Iuno euer be displeased with me if I can remember since I was first a maid for being an infant I commixt my selfe and had congresse with little ones like my selfe and as I grew in yeares so I pickt out children of equall age euen till I came vnto this burden that you now see and hereupon sayth she I thinke came the prouerbe Such may easily be brought to carrie an Oxe that practised at first to carrie a Calfe I thinke the name of Quartilla was giuen her because she began to practise at foure yeares and held on to fourescore From common strumpets I should proceed to priuat mistresses I will begin and end with them in this Sonnet A Sonnet Though my Mistresse seeme in show Whiter than the Pyrene Snow Though I sitly might compare her To the Lyllies or things rarer Christall or to yce congeal'd If those parts that lie conceal'd Be others giuen and kept from mee What care I how faire she bee Though her visage did comprise The glorious wonder of all eyes Captiue led she hearts in chaines Kil'd or cur'd with her disdaines Chus'd Beautie that commandeth fate Her forebeadwhere to keepe her state Should another step in place I care not I 'd not loue that face Imagine next her braine diuine Or mansion for the Muses nine Did her bosome yeeld choise places For the Charites and Graces Had she stately Iunos stileâ— Pallas front or Venus smile If he inioy her and not I For those vertues what care I. Trac't she Loues queene in her treasure And could teach the act of pleasure Make Lais in her trade a foole Phrine or Thais set to schoole To Helen reade or could she doâ— Worth Io and Europa too If these sweets from me she spare I le count them Toyes nor will I care But if my Mistresse constant be And loue none aliue saue me Be chast although but something faire Her least perfection I le thinke rare Her I le adore admire preferre Idolatrize to none but her When such an one I find and trye For her I le care I le liue I le dye Lais. THis Lais as Aristophanes Bizantius relates was a strumpet of Corinth she was called Axine for her ferocitie and rudenesse of manners Her all the prime and noblest Heroes of Greece frequented and extasied with her beautie came dayly in troupes to visit her Athenaeus in his Dipnosoph speakes of her countrey behauiour and sepulchre reporting her to be so beautifull that the most exquisite Painters of Greece came frequently to her and besought her to bare her necke breasts and other parts of her bodie before them For when they were to limne any extraordinarie Piece wherein was to be expressed Iuno Venus Pallas or any well-shaped goddesse or woman her faire feature or lineaments might be their example Shee had a great emulation with Phrine the Courtizan for they liued both in one age Aristippus the Philosopher sirnamed Cyrenaicus about the season that the Feasts were celebrated to Neptune did yeerely for the space of two moneths together associate himselfe with this Lais. Diogenes meeting him vpon a time O Aristippus sayth hee thou keepest companie with a common strumpet be rather a Cinicke of my Sect than a Philosopher of such loose and dissolute behauiour To whom Aristippus answered Appeares it to thee ô Diogenes a thing absurd to dwell in an house which others haue before inhabited who answered No Or to sayle in the same Ship sayth Aristippus in which diuerse passengers haue before-time put to sea Againe hee answered Neither Nor doe I thinke it replyes
braue souldier or of such as perished in Cilicia for the Empire and libertie of whole Greece shee onely hauing perdurable monuments raised to her as well in Babilon as in Athens Temples and Altars with sacrifices offered her by the name of Venus Pythonica With other such vpbraidings he complained on him to Alexander of whom Alexis in Licisca likewise speakes as also that after her death hee tooke to his bed the beforenamed Glicera Next her followers Irene That Ptolomaeus that placed garrisons in Ephesus and was the sonne of king Philadelphos had a beautifull mistresse called Irene she when Ptolomaeus was â—ssaulted by â—he Thracians in the cittie of Ephesus and to shun their violence fled into a Chappell consecrated to the goddesse Diana would not in that distresse forsake him but entred the place together and when the souldiers role open the gates vpon them to kil the king she remoued not her hand from the ring of the doore but with her owne blood sprinkled the altar till the souldiers likewise falling vpon her shee expired in the armes of the slaughtered king As noble was that of Danae Philarchus remembers one Sophron of Ephesus to haue had in his delights Danae daughter to Leontius of the Sect of the Epicures a man well seene in the speculations of Philosophie To her trust were all the domesticke affaires of the house committed euen by the consent of his wife Laodice who at length perceiuing his loue to encline to Danae shee purposed at her next best opportunitie to make away with her husband This being found out by Daâ—ae and in great secrecie reuealed to Sophron he gaue at the first no credit to the report yet at her importunacie hee promised within two dayes to consider of the matter and in that time to deliberate what was best to bee done in the preuention of such a mischiefe and in that interim conceales himselfe in the citie by which Laodice finding her purpose to be discouered she accused Danae for his murther and instantly without further processe by the helpe of her friends and seruants hurryed her to the top of a high Pâ—omontorie from thence to throw her headlong who seeing imminent death before her eyes fetching a deepe sigh she thus said I meruaile 〈◊〉 now that the gods haue so small honour done to them in regard of their iniustice since I am thus punisht for sauing the life of my friend and this Laodice is thus honoured that would haue tooke away the life of her husband Agathoclaea WArres hauing beene long continued betwixt Ptolomey of Aegypt and Antiochâ—s of Syria insomuch that Ptolomaeus was by his embassadors rather by feare than necessitie as it were enforced to sollicite a peace notwithstanding Antiochâ—s inuading Aegypt tooke from him many townes and ciâ—ies of consequence which proffer drawing Ptolomey to the field hee gaue him a braue affront and foyle and had he taken the aduantage of the preseâ—t fortune had payd him home with an irrecouerable ouerthrow but Ptolomy wholly deuoted to effeminacie and luxurie onely contented with what hee had recouered of his owne and pursuing no further aduantages made choyse of a dishonorable peace before a iust warre and so concluded all dissention with an vnalterable league And being free from all forraine invasions he began domesticke troubles at home For being giuen ouer to bâ— owne appetite and beâ—orted to his insatiate pleasures he first began with 〈◊〉 both his sister and wife causing her to be slaine that hee might the more freely enioy the societie and fellowship of his most rare and beautifull mistresse Agaâ—hoclea so that the greatnesse of his name and the splendor of his maiestie both set apart he abandoned himselfe solely to whoredomes by night and to banquets and all profusenesse of riot by day And now libertie being growne to law the boldnesse of the strumpet for no better my Author styles her cannot be contayned within the walls of the kings house which the ouer doâ—agâ— of the king the extraordinarie graces and honoâ—s conferred for her sake on her brother Agathocles together with her owne ambitions growing euery day more and more to greater insolence made still more manifest Next there was her old mother called 〈◊〉 a cunning Hagge I may tearme her who by reason of her double issue Agathocles and Agathoclea had a great hand with the king or rather a great power ouer him Therefore not contented with the king alone they possesse the kingdome also They ride abroad in all state to be seene are proud to be by all saluted and with such great traynes to be attended Agathocles as if sowed to the kings elbow was not seene without him but with a nod or word swayed and gouerned the citie The gifts of all militarie honors as the Tribunes Prefects and Captaines all these were appointed by the women neyther was there any in the kingdome that had lesse power than the king himselfe who long sleeping in this dreame of maiestie hauing giuen away all that was essentiall in a king he fell sicke and dyed leauing behind him a child of fiue yeeres old by his afore-murthered wife and sister Laodice But his death was by these fauorites long concealed whilest they had by all couetous rapine snatched what they might out of the kings treasurie by this to strengthen a faction of the most base and desolate subiects that by mony thus ill got and deboisht souldiers thus leuied they might set safe footing in the Empire but it fell out farre otherwise for the kings death and their dissigne was no sooner discouered but in the rude concourse of the multitude the Minion Agathocles was first slaine and the two women the mother and the daughter were in reuenge of murdered Laodice hanged vpon gybets being now made a skorne to euerie man that was before a terror to all the pupillage of the infant and the safetie of the realme to his vse the Romans most noblie after tooke to their protection Cleophis ALexander the Great after many glorious conquests entring into India that hee might contermine his Empire with the Ocean and the vtmost parts of the East and to which glorie that the ornaments of his armie might suit the trappings of his horses and the armour of his souldiers were all studded with siluer and his maine armie of their Targets of siluer as Curtius writes he caused to be called Argyraspides In processe by gentle and pleasurable marches they came to the cittie Nisa the cittisens making no opposition at all trusting to the reuerence due to Liber Pater by whom they say the cittie was first erected and for that cause Alexander caused it to bee spared passing those fruitfull Hills where grapes grow in aboundance naturally and without the helpe of art or hand of man hee thence passed the Dedalian mountaines euen to the prouinces and kingdome of the queene Cleophis who hearing of his victories and fearing his potencie thought rather to affront
comely that the nether part of my smocke should be â—â—â—ned up and kisse the lippes of my lord at which the duke was much delighted And that night was begot Williaâ— the Bastard whom our Chronicles honour with the name of Conqueror whether at first in memorie of this least or since in disgrace of the Wanton it is not decided But from that Harlotta or Arlotta our prostitutes and common wenches â—re to this day in our vulgar Tongue called Harlots In the yeere of our Lord 1036 Henry the second Emperour of that name was marryed to Guinilde the daughter of Canâ—tus a Dâ—ne and king of England This Empeâ—our had a sister a professed Nunne whom he loued so entirely that oft times he would haue her lye in his owne Pallace and neere to his owne priuie chamber It happened in a cold Winters night a Chaplaine belonging to the Court it seemes to keepe her the warmer and one that had beene before much suspected lay with her and in the morning least both their footings should be seene in the Snow newly fallen that night shee tooke him vp and carryed him out of the Court towards his chamber The Emperour chancing as his custome was to rise iust at the same houre was spectator of this close conueyance and beheld how all the businesse happened Not long after fell a Bishopricke which the Priest expected and a Nunnerie which the Nunne much desired Whereupon the Emperour calling them before him the one after the other Take that Benefice saith he to the Priest but saddle no more the Nunne And you the Abbesse saith hee to his Sister saddle no more the Priest or looke thou neuer more beare Clerke riding vpon thy backe It is said that this serued after for a modest chiding betwixt them and that they were parted vpon these friendly tearmes Of diuerse Wantons belonging to sundry famous men and others ARistophanes Appollodorus Ammonius Antiphanes and Georgia Atheniensis of your Athenian strumpets haue writ at large as also of the like argument Theomander Cyrenaus Eleus Amasides Theophrastus in libro Amatorio Polemon de Tabellis lib. 3. Ouid and infinite others out of whom may be collected many famous wantons in their times Ocymus is the name of a strumpet much beloued of a skilfull Sophist in Corinth Thalatra of Diocles Corianno of Pherecrates Antea of Philillius otherwise called Eunicus Thais and Phannium of Menander Opora of Alexis Clepsydra of Eubulus for so Asclepiades the sonne of Arius reports in his Commentarie vpon Demetrius Phalareus where hee affirmes her proper name to be rather Methica which Antiphanes writes to be the name of a wanton The Poet Timocles speakes of Cina Nannium Plangon Lyca Pithionica Myrhina Chrisis Conallis Ieroclea Lopadium Of these likewise Amphis makes mention Anaxandries in his description of the madnesse of old men amongst others hee reckons vp Lagisca and Theolyte Polemon the Historiographer speakes of one Cottina whose Statue is erected in the citie of Lacedemon not farre from the Temple of Dionisius she is mounted vpon a brasen Bull. Alcibiades was beloued by a woman of Aegida of whom hee was likewise amorous after relinquishing Athens and Lacena of one Meâ—ontide of Abidos and with her sayled through the Hellespont with Axiochâ—s a friend of his and much deuoted to his fellowship for so the Orator Lysias witnesseth of him in an Oration made against him Hee had two other mistresses with whom hee was conuersant Damasandra the mother of Lais Iunior and Theodota by whom hee was preserued when remaining in Melissa a citie of Phrygia Pharnabazus layd traines entrap his life Abrotonax was the mother of Themistocles a strumpet as Amphicrates relates Neanthes Cyzicenus a Greeke Historiographer calls him the sonne of Euterpe The second Philodelphus king of Aegypt had many famous Concubines as Ptolomaeus Eâ—â—rgetes in his Commentaries witnesseth Didima and Bilistiche besides these Agathoclea and Stratonica whose monument was erected in the sea Elâ—sina Myrtium with many others Polybius in his foureteenth booke of Histories remembers one Clino that was his Cup-bearer in whose honor many Statues were erected in Alexandria Mnesides a shee-Musitian of the citie Mnesis and one Pothinae his most delicate houses in which he tooke much delight he was wont to call after the name of two of his Paramours eyther Myrtiae or Pothinae Timothaeus the great Captaine of the Athenians was knowne to be the sonne of a common woman of Threissa which being obiected to him as an aspersion hee answered I am glad to haue beene borne of such a mother that had the wisedome to chuse Conon to bee my father Caristius in his Historicall Commentaries auerres Phileterus who soueraignized in Pergamus and the new Region called Boca to be the sonne of a wanton shee-Minstrell borne in Paphlagonia Aristophon the Orator who in the reigne of king Euclides published a Law That all such as were not borne of ciuile and free women approued for their modestie and temperance should be held as bastards yet hee himselfe is mocked by the Comicke Poet Calliades for being the sonne to the Prostitute Chorides as may appeare in the third booke of his Commentaries Of Lamia the strumpet the king Demetrius had a daughter called Phila Polemon affirmes Lamia to haue been the daughter of Cleonor the Athenian Machon the Comick Poet numbers Leaena amongst this kings mistresses with many others Ptolomaeus the sonne of Agesarchus in his Historie of Philopater speaking of the mistresses of kings bestowes Philinna a Dancer vpon Philip of Macedon by whom he had Aridaeus who succeeded after Alexander Damo was the delight of Antigonus by whom he had Alcyonaeus Mysta and Nisa were the beloued of Seleucus Iunior and Mania most famous for her wit and ingenious discourse of Demetrius Poliorcetes Of her Machon the Poet writes much as also of Gnathaena who with Depithaea were said to be two Lasses much beloued of the Poet Diphilus The citie of Athens was so full of famous strumpets that Aristophanes Byzantius reckon'd vp at one time 135. but Appollodorus more so likewise Gorgias as these Parenum Lampride Euphrosine the daughter of a Fuller of Cloth Megista Agaellis Thaumarium Theoclea otherwise called Corone Lenetocistus Astra Gnathaena with two neeces by her daughter Gnathenum and Siga Synoris sirnamed Lichnus Euclea Grammea Thriallis Chimaera Lampas Glicera Nico sirnamed Capra Hippe Metanira of whom many things worthie obseruation are remembred One Sapho is likewise numbred amongst these loose ones not Sapho the Lyrick Poetresse but another borne of a strumpet Many Roman wantons may here likewise not vnfitly be inserted as some related others beloued and celebrated by them in their Poems as Ipsithilla of Catullus Quintilia of Caluus Licinius Lyde of Calimachus Bathis of Phileta Lycinea and Glicera of Horace Leucadia of Terentius Varro Arecinus Delia Sulpitia Nemesis Neaera all these affected by Tibullus Hostia otherwise called Cinthia by
vp one of her shooes and flying with it as farre as the great cittie Memphis let it fall from aboue into the lap of the king Psamneticus then sitting in publike iudgement who much amased at the strangenesse of the accident but most at the riches proportion and curiositie of thâ— shooe instantly commaunded that all Aegypt should be through-sought till they could find the owner thereof by matching it with the fellow which hapned soone after Being brought before the king he was so infinitely surprised with her feature that the same houre he contracted her in marriage and consequently made her his Queene Some say she was first a Thracian damsell and seruant to Iadmone of Samos shee was after carried into Aegypt by the Philosopher Zanthus Samius She was a friend and Patronesse of Aesopus so famous for his Fables still frequent amongst vs. Metra was the daughter of Erisichthon a Thessalian who hauing spent all his fortunes and wasted euen his necessarie meanes as brought to the lowest exigent of penurie was forced to make marchandise of his daughters Chastitie but she would not yeeld herself to the imbraces of any man without the gift and tender of a Horse an Oxe a Cow a Sheepe or a Goate or some such like commoditie to the supplie of her fathers necessitie for it seemes that Coine and Iewels were not then in vse For the exchange aforesayd the Thessalians fabled That she could transhape her selfe into all those creatures presented vnto her by her louers And hence came that old adage More changeable than Erisicthons Metra Much of the like continence was Cyrene a notorious strumpet who as Erasmus reports explaining of that old prouerbe Duodecem artium homo i. A man of twelue Arts or Trades could vse her professed Venerie twelue seuerall wayes Archianassa was sirnamed Colophonia as borne in the cittie of Colophon and was beloued of Plato the diuine Philosopher of whome he himselfe thus protested Archianassam ego teneo Colophonis amicam Cuius in rugis mollia ludit amor Archianassa I still hold My mistresse and I say There is no wrincle in her face In which loue doth not play Thus we see euen the deepest Philosophers the wisest men haue made themselues the captiues of Beautie and vassailes vnto Lust Demosthenes the Orator was guiltie of the like aspersions and subiect to much intemperance It is sayd that hauing children by a noted strumpet when both the mother and the children were cited before the iudgement seat to auoid calumnie hee presented the issue without the mother though it were against the custome of the cittie for as Idomeneus sayth notwithstanding he were outwardly of a modest disposition and carriage yet inwardly he was profuse and incontinent It is reported of him that he was wonderous prodigall and expensiue in banquets and women in so much that the publike Scribe speaking of him in an oration thus sayd What shall wee then thinke of the Orator Demosthenes when what he hath by his great trauell and industrie purchased in a whole yere he will dissolutely spend in one night vpon a woman The like Nicolaus Damascenus writes of Demetrius the last of that succession who so much doted on Myrina Samia That she comaunded from him all things saue his Diadem so that not only Philosophers but euen Kings haue made themselues subiect to all kind of voluptuousnes and luxuries and what hath bin the lamentable successe but shame and dishonor the wasting of priuate estates and the miserable subuersion of kingdomes Therfore Claudian in his third booke in Stiliconis Laudes thus sayth Nam cetera regna Luxuries vitijs odijsque superbia vertit c. Of other kingdomes the imperiall state Lust doth subuert with vices Pride with hate So by the Spartans Athens was subdu'd And so Thebes fell The Medes did first intrude Into th'Assirian Monarchie their lust Buried their towring honours in the dust From the luxurious Medes the Persians rest Their proude dominion they growne lustfull left Their Empire to the Macedonian sway Who kept it till they wanton grew then they Their honours to the temper at Romans sold For so the antient Sibills had fore-told The effects of this will more plainely appeare in the Historie ensuing Aspasia otherwise called Socratica is numbred amongst the fairest women of her time insomuch that shee had seuerall suitors from all the Prouinces of Greece as Aristophanes deliuers in his discourse of the Peloponnesian warre insomuch that Pericles for the loue of this Aspasia and for some seruants of hers taken from her by force begun and established that terrible Decree against the Megarenses remembred by Stesombrotus Thasius She about her priuate and necessarie occasions sending her bawde Symaetha to the citie of Megara the young men of the citie detayned her vpon which restraint she sent two others who not beeing suffered to returne from these strumpets did arise a warre almost to the depopulation of the greatest part of Greece It is likewise spoken of that Cyrus who warred against his brother to haue had a mistresse of great wisdome and wonderfull beautie bred in the citie of Phocis who as Zenophanes sayth was first called Milto and after Aspasia Of these in generall Iâ—â—enal with great elegancie speakes in his Satyrs Nil non permittit mulier sibi turpe putat nil Cum virides gemmas collo circumdedit cum Anribus extentis magnos committit elenchos There 's nothing that a woman will respect Nothing so vile or odious that she feares So she with glistring Iewells may be dect And haue great pendant Pearles way downe her eares Of Mista and others PHilarchus obserues this Mysta to be much fauoured by the king Seleucus who beeing expelled by the Galathians and hardly escaping with life when his Pallace was seised and surprised she casting aside all her princely ornaments put on a seruile habit and mingled her selfe in the societie of her handmaides and seruants hauing so disguised her selfe that shee remained vnknowne and by that means was sold amongst the rest at a small rate and bought by the Rhodian merchants to whom after she disclosed her selfe They to insinuat into the fauour of Seleucus who had recouered his former fortunes sent her to him nobly attended in great state and magnificence of whom she was accordingly receiued and they most bounteously rewarded Antecyra as Caelius lib. 13. cap. 6. reports was a famous or rather infamous strumpet so called because she yeelded vp her bodie to lunatickes and mad-men or else because the Phisition Nicostratus at his death left her such a quantitie of Hellebore Caluia Crisalpina is called by Tacitus lib. 17. the stale misteresse of Neroes lust an apt pupill for such a tuteresse Appollodorus and Caelius write of two sisters called Stragonium and Anthis both of the venerall profession These were by a nickname called by some Aphiae because of the smalnesse of their statures the greatnesse
yoake and supplying the place of those beasts drew her in time conuenient vnto the place where the sacred Ceremonies were according to the custome celebrated The Oblations ended and she willing to gratifie their filiall dutie besought of the goddesse That if euer with chast and vndefiled hands she had obserued her Sacrifice or if her sonnes had borne themselues piously and religiously towards her that she would graunt vnto them for their goodnesse the greatest blessing that could happen to any mortall or humane creatures This prayer was heard and the two zealous sonnes drawing backe their mother in her Chariot from the Temple vnto the place where she then soiourned being wearie with their trauaile layd them downe to sleepe The mother in the morning comming to giue her sonnes visitation and withall thankes for their extraordinarie and vnexpected paines and trauaile found them both dead vpon their Pallets by which she conceiued That there is no greater blessing to be conferred vpon man than a faire death when Loue good Opinion and Honor attend vpon the Hearse These I must confesse are worthie eternall memorie and neuer-dying admiration But hath not the like pietie towards their parents beene found in women I answer Yes How did Pelopea the daughter of Thiestes reuenge the death of her father Hypsipile the daughter of Thoas gaue her father life when he was vtterly in despaire of hope or comfort Calciope would not lose her father or leaue him though hee had loâ—t and left his kingdome Harpalice the daughter of Harpalicus restored her father in battaile and after defeated the enemie and put him to flight Erigone the daughter of Icarus hearing of the death of her father strangled her selfe Agaue the daughter of Cadmus slew the king Lycotharsis in Illyria and possest her father of his before vsurped Diademe Xantippe fed her father Nyconus or as some will haue it Cimonus in prison with milke from her breasts Tyro the daughter of Salmoneus to relieue her father slew her owne children Who will be further resolued of these let him search Hyginus And so much shall suffice for filiall dutie towards their Parents Of Sisters that haue beene kind to their Brothers THe Poets and Historiographers to impresse into vs the like naturall pietie haue left diuerse presidents to posteritie Innumerable are the examples of fraternall loue betwixt Brother and Brother To illustrate the other the better I will giue you a tast of some few Volater lib. 14. cap. 2. de Antropo relates how in that warre which Cai. Cornelius Cinna Tribune beeing expelled the citie with Caius Marius and others commenced against the Romans there were two brothers one of Pompeyes armie the other of Cinnaes who meeting in the battaile in single encounter one slew the other but when the Victor came to rifle the dead bodie and found it to be his owne naturall brother after infinite sorrow and lamentation he cast himselfe into the fire where the slaughtered carkasse was burned M. Fabius the Consull in the great conflict against the Hetrurians and Veientians obtained a glorious victorie when the Senate and the people of Rome had with great magnificence and cost at their owne charge prepared for him an illustrious triumph hee absolutely refused that honour because Q. Fabius his brother fighting manfully for his countrey was slaine in that battaile What a fraternall pietie liued in his breast may be easily coniectured who refused so remarkable an honour to mourne the losse of a beloued brother Valer. cap. 5. lib. 5. Wee reade in our English Chronicles of Archigallo brother to Gorbomannus who being crowned king of Brittaine and extorting from his subiects all their goods to enrich his owne Coffers was after fiue yeeres deposed and depriued of his Royall dignitie in whose place was elected Elidurus the third sonne of Morindus and brother to Archigallo a vertuous Prince who gouerned the people gently and iustly Vpon a time beeing hunting in the Forrest hee met with his brother Archigallo whom hee louingly embraced and found such meanes that he reconciled him both to the Lords and Commons of the Realme that done he most willingly resigned vnto him his Crowne and Scepter after hee himselfe had gouerned the Land fiue yeeres Archigallo was re-instated and continued in great loue with his brother reigning ten yeeres and was buried at Yorke after whose death Elidurus was againe chosen king What greater enterchange of fraternall loue could be found in brothers To equall whom I will first begin with the sisters of Phaeton called by some Heliades by others Phaetontides who with such funerall lamentation bewayled the death of their brother that the gods in commiseration of their sorrow turned them into Trees whose transformations Ouid with great elegancie expresseth Lib. 1. Metamorph. as likewise Virgil in Cutice their names were Phaethusa Lampitiae Phebe c. Antigone the daughter of Oedipus when her brother Eteocles was slaine in battaile shee buried his bodie maugre the contradiction of the Tyrant Creon of whom Ouid Lib. 3. Tristium Fratrem Thebana peremplam Supposuit tumulo rege vetante soror The Theban sister to his Tombe did bring Her slaught'red brothers Corse despight the king Hyas being deuoured of a Lyon the Hyades his sisters deplored his death with such infinite sorrow that they wept themselues to death And for their pietie were after by the gods translated into Starres of whom Pontanus Fratris Hyae quas perpetuus dolor indidit astris Thus you see how the Poet did striue to magnifie and eternize this Vertue in Sisters No lesse compassionat was Electra the daughter of Agamemnon on her brother Orestes and Iliona the issue of Priam when shee heard the death of young Polidore Stobaeus Serm. 42. out of the Historie of Nicolaus de morib gentium sayth That the Aethiopians aboue all others haue their sisters in greatest reuerence insomuch that their kings leaue their succession not to their owne children but to their sisters sonnes but if none of their issue be left aliue they chuse out of the people the most beautifull and warlike withall whom they create their Prince and Soueraigne Euen amongst the Romans M. Aurelius Commodus so dearely affected his sister that being called by his mother to diuide their fathers Patrimonie betwixt them hee conferred it wholly vpon her contenting himselfe with his grandfathers reuenue Pontanus de Liber cap. 11. I will end this discourse concerning Sisters with one Historie out of Sabellicus li. 3. c. 7. the same confirmed by Fulgosius lib. 5. cap. 5. Intaphernes was say they one of those confederat Princes who freed the Persian Empire from the vsurpation of the Magician brothers and conferred it vpon Darius who now being established in the supreme dignitie Intaphernes hauing some businesse with the king made offer to enter his chamber but being rudely put backe by one of the groomes or waiters he tooke it in such scorne that no
honour consume the remainder of their liues in great discontent sorrow and anguish Of this custome Cicero remembers vs Tusc. Quest. lib. 5. Vaeler Maxim lib. 2. cap. 1. Alex. ab Alex. Aelianus Egnatius and others This funerall ceremonie as Fulgos. lib. 2. cap. 6. is continued amongst them vnto this day alluding to this purpose is that of Propert. lib. 3. Foelix eo is lex funeris vna maritis c. Which I thus paraphrase in English You Easterne Husbands in your funerall Lawes Most happie and their first inuentors wise In which you are more famous then because On you the blushing morning first doth rise When Death hath with his last mortiferous wound The Husband strucke his last Rites to prepare A pious troupe of Wiues engirt him round Drying their moist cheekes with their scatt'red haire Who striue which shall associate him in fate And bed with him together in the flame To liue beyond him is a thing they hate And he once dead life is to them a shame She that can die with him hath her desire And leapes with ioy into the funerall fire The like is obserued by a people of Thrace that inhabite a little aboue the Crestonaeans They likewise are delighted with pluralitie of wiues who after the decease of their husbands enter into the like contention as the women of India and she that is Victoresse as if glorying in some great conquest adorned in her best and richest ornaments is with great ceremonious pompe amongst all her kindred and allyes conducted vnto the place where his bodie is to be interred where being slaine by her next of kinne as the best office he can doe her she is buried in the same graue with her husband Herod lib. 5. The wiues amongst the Geates repayre to their husbands Sepulchre and holding all life tedious and burthensome without them offer their bodies willingly either to the sword or to the fire The custome of the Catheoreans was That when the Bride chose her husband she made a couenant with him at his death to be burnt in the same Pile Alex. ab Alex. lib. 1. cap. 25. The women amongst the Herulians a people that inhabite beyond the riuer of Danubius repayre to the graues of their husbands and iust ouer-against them strangle themselues Which marriage-loue appeares the more strange because the men are of that barbarous and inhumane incontinence that they hold it no shame to leaue the societie of their women and haue congression with brute beasts Bonifacius in his Epistle vnto king Ethelbaldus as Gulielm Malmsbur lib. 1. cap. 64. de Anglia relates it sayth That the Winedi are the worst and the most nastie people among the Germans yet their wiues are of that incomparable zeale and pietie toward their husbands that shee is held to be the most laudable and prayse-worthie that with her owne hand kills her selfe to burne with him in his last funerall fire From the generalitie of women I descend to particulars Admirable was the loue of Phila towards her husband king Demetrius and haughtie and magnanimous her spirit who receiuing newes of his defeat in battaile and that his whole armie being dispersed and scattered he was retyred into Cassandria dranke poyson and so died The wife of Straton Prince of Sydonia when the citie was straitly besieged by the Persians her greatest care was least the person of her husband should fall into the hands of the mercilesse enemie which she purposed to preuent by death When therefore shee heard they had skaled the walls and were readie to be instantly possest of the towne and seize vpon the person of her husband she snatcht from him his sword with which she first â—lew him and then laying out his bodie with as much comelinesse as the shortnesse of the time would permit after fell vpon the same sword thus by voluntarie death preuenting the dishonor of captiuitie Fulgos. lib. 4. cap. 6. Fannia the daughter of Arria the younger wife to Poetus Patauinus before remembred in her braue and heroick death with her husband was the Spouse of Heluidius Priscus who followed him in all his exile euen to his vnfortunate and most vniust death she was the third time confined from the reigne of Tiberius Nero to the death of Domitian Plinie with infinite prayses applauds the incomparable vertues of this Fannia with both the Arriaes in Lib. 9. in his Epistle to Quadratus and in his seuenth to Genitor and Priscus Triaria was the noble and chast wife of L. Vitellius brother to Aul. Vitellius the Emperor who as Hypsicrataea followed Mithridates in all his combustious warres so she neuer forsooke her husband but was present with him in all those ciuile dissentions against Vespasian And the night when Vitellius her Lord with a great armie of souldiers inuaded and entred the citie Terecyna shee presented her selfe in the middest of the slaughter not onely daring but doing equally with the most valiant killing on all sides till shee had hemmed her selfe in with dead bodies slaine by her owne hand so bold and magnanimous a spirit had the coniugall loue to her husband imprest in her Her memorie is made famous by the same Author Antonia Flaxilla by some called Archona when her husband Priscus was found guiltie of the Pysonian Faction and for that cause exiled by Nero and when shee might haue enioyed all the plentie and abundance in Rome left all the pleasures and delights of the citie to accompanie her desolate Lord in his penurious and vncomfortable banishment Her example Egnatia Maximilla imitated who likewise associated her husband Gallus guiltie of the same Conspiracie with Priscus Fulgos. lib. 6. cap. 7. From Iacobus the sonne of Vsson Cassannus amongst many other Captaines that reuolted there was one eminent in that Rebellion called Pandoerus who had a most beautiful young wife her age exceeded not sixteene yeeres to whom he was ardently and in conioyned loue affected He being by her often earnestly entreated to forbeare all conflicts with the enemie but by no meanes either mooued by her teares or perswaded with her intercessions and prayers persisting resolute for a present encounter shee then begged of him That before he hasarded himselfe to the extremitie of danger hee would first take away her feares by transpiercing her with his sword which when he likewise denyed he presently left her and gaue signall of battaile in which conflict he was vanquished and slaine his Tent rifled his wife surprised and committed into the hands of one of the chiefe Captaines belonging to the king who pittying her teares and sorrow to which her feature and beautie gaue no common lustre made instant suit vnto her to make her his wife Shee whilest shee could put him off with all possible delayes but after perceiuing that what hee could not compasse with her good will hee purposed to attaine vnto by compulsion and force shee craued onely some few houres of
which he had prettily well euaded namely Grammer and Pouertie but the morositie of a Skould hee could neuer put off Anton. Parle 2. Meless Serm. 34. The like may be sayd of Sausarion the Comicke Poet equally tormented with a bitter and rayling wife Pittacus Mitelenus hauing married the sister of Draco the sonne of Penthilius a proude insolent and rayling woman persuaded a deere friend of his to marrie with the other sister for if hee were neuer so much giuen to wrath and anger shee would teach him sufferance and patience Laertius when Georgias the Sophist at the solemnitie of the Olimpicke games had made an elabourat Oration Concerning concord and to persuade men to vnitie one Melanthius in the conclusion or catastrophe thereof spake aloude This man persuades all Greece to peace who hauing but one wife and three maides at home yet his house is neuer without clamour and dissention and with all his smooth and filed phrases cannot make his owne peace Erasm. 6. Apotheg Mar. Pacuvius vpon a time sayd weeping to his familiar friend and neighbour Actius alias Arius Deere friend saith he I haue a tree in my garden in my minde the most prodigious and vnhappie that euer the earth produced or gaue sappe vnto for vpon that my first wife hanged her selfe and after that the second and now but this morning my third and last to whom Arius his neighbour replyde I wonder you beeing a learned man and approoued for your wisedome should be any way greeued at these successes and chances Dij boni inquit quot tibi dispendia arbor iste suspendit i. Oh you gods how many of thy dammages and losses hast thou hanged vpon that tree and proceeded thus Deere friend giue me some of those grafts and scientes tha I may plant them in my orchard or garden Valerius records this in an epistle to Rufinus As also Cicero reports the like of a Sicilian in 2. de Orat. and Gyraldus Dial. 8. Histor. Poetarum Euen Cato Censorius could not escape a brawling and crabbed wife though he married her from an ignoble stocke and familie Guid. Bitturn sayth That Hadrianus had a wife called Sabina hard peruerse vntoward rude in her behauiour towards her husband and worthie to be repudiated and her bed and societie abandoned Alphonsus king of Naples demaunding of one Antonius Panormita What noble Neapolitane gentlemen were delighted in Hunting or whether any late Writer had published any Treatise concerning the goodnesse and excellencie of Dogges To whom Panormita answered I beseech thee ô king rather aske this knight pointing to one that was then in presence who can better resolue you who for the space of fortie yeeres hath beene continually so conseruant amongst such creatures that euerie night he beddeth with a Canicula which word as it signifieth a Brach or Bitch so it is taken for a detractor or snarling slanderer as also for a Dogge-fish and proceeded Therefore hee ô king can best describe vnto you their natures and conditions This knight of Naples whose name for his honors sake is concealed onely smiled at the taunt giuen by Antonius well apprehending that by Canicula hee intended his wife a woman barkingly clamorous most contentious and bitter Pontanus Gregorius Hamburgensis a famous and eloquent Lawyer amongst all the German practisers the most approoued when all his busie imployments were ended in the Court of Caesar where hee was stayed some two moneths or thereabouts and as wee say in our English phrase the Terme being done and hee returning home to his owne house not farre from the Towne of Nurimburch where hee then dwelled hee met with a friend and neighbour who after some familiar salutes past betwixt them told him That his wife was liuing and in good health at home to whom shaking his head he made this short reply Si vxor viuit saene obij i. If my wife be liuing then am I but dead thereby intimating that the morositie of a curst wife is no better than a dayly death to her husband Aeneas Sylu. Lib. 3. Commentar de reb Cestis Alphonsi Thisponius the Lawyer and of the learned Councell to king Alphonsus hauing at one time three hundred pieces of Gold stolne from him which was part of the Dower of a peruerse and peeuish wife whom hee had lately married for which being wondrous sad and pensiue in the presence of the king Alphonsus looking vpon him and seeming to commiserate his sadnesse broke out into these tearmes O how happie a man were Thisponius if the theeues had stolne away his wife and left the Gold behind them Panormita Lib. 1. de Gestis Alphons Euripides the most excellent of the Greeke Tragicke Poets had two wiues the name of the first was Cherile or as Suidas calls her Charine the daughter of Mnesilochus by whom hee had three sonnes Mnesiloches the Actor or Stage-player Mnesarchides the Marchant and the third Euripides the Orator yet partly for suspition of adulterie and by reason hee led with her an vnquiet life after so hopefull an issue shee was diuorced from him After this separation hee married another called Melitto who being apprehended in adulterie with Ctesiphon the Player hee was so branded for a Cuckold and so taunted and ieasted at by the Comicke Poets in the publique Theatre that he was forced to leaue the citie and to remoue himselfe into Macedonia where hee spent the remainder of his life in the Court of king Archelaus Gell. Lib. 15. cap. 20. Athenaeus Lib. 13. Arnus Tarquinius and Tullia liued together in perpetuall discord and dissention by reason of her vntoward and crabbed condition Adrianus Berlandus tells vs of an Inne-keeper or Host a pleasant and frolicke fellow who when a guest of his complained vnto him that he could not endure such noyse and clamour for his wiues tongue neuer ceased walking finding fault with this thing then that besides there was no cessation of her perpetuall brawling and chiding with her maids and seruants To whom the merrie Host replyed And I pray my friend is this a iust cause for your impatience or discontent What doe you thinke of me then that for two and thirtie yeeres space haue had this noyse and clamour continually in mine eares night and day without ceasing and yet you see with what sufferance I beare it and cannot you endure it for the space of a few minutes By which words hee not onely gaue present satisfaction to his guest but conuerted his wiues anger into laughter Seruius Tullius king of the Romanes conferred his two daughters vpon the two Tarquius Aruns and Superbus of seuerall dispositions were the men and of sundrie conditions the women as they were opposite in humour they were as vnfitly disposed To Aruns a man of a quiet and mild temper Tullia a Ladie bold and daring was giuen on Superbus a Prince haughtie and insolent the other beeing a modest and meeke Ladie was bestowed Disparitie of mindes could not brooke the
to walke but the Tyrant still prosecuted his beastly and bruitish desires which shee still opposing with that small strength shee had left hee caused his seruants to bind her according to his lustfull direction and not able to stirre hand nor foot in that horrible manner rauished her At length being loosed from those hatefull and vnsufferable bonds shee with what patience shee could dissembled her griefe and wrought so farre with some that compassioned her miseries that shee had libertie to visit her dead husband in his Tombe into which with lowd shrikes and passionate lamentation shee entred still inuoking her husbands name and with all the force shee had plucked the great and ponderous Tombe-stone vpon her the weight whereof forced the breath out of her bosome And by this meanes shee purchased the honourable name of a most chast wife at which her life still aymed and a common graue with her husband which euen in death shee most desired one Stone beeing the couer to both their Hearses Bernard Scardeonus Lib. 3. Histor. Pataminae Varietie of Discourse concerning Women APOLLO or the Sunne is said to haue fiue Daughters which by their names appeare to be no other than the fiue Sences The first is called Pasiphâ—â— or Sight of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. Omnibus apparens i. Visible to all for the Sight is a Sence that hath inspection into all the rest for the Eye sees him that calls or clamours beholds him that feeles obserues those that taste and intend such as smell The Sunnes second Daughter is Medea or Hearing of the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. Nullam visionem The third Phaedra or Odoratus of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Afferens sâ—auitatem i. Affoording sweetnesse and pleasantnesse Dirce is deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. Saporis Index To iudge by taste or Acre Iudicare that is To censure acutely The Syrens were the daughters of the floud Achelous and the Muse Melpomene so saith Hyginus others deriue them from Calliâ—pe They are by the Greekes called Tractatoriae as attracting or insinuating into the eares of man by their seuerall illecebrations or enticements by Song by Sight by Custome They are three in number the first excels in Voice the second in the Harpe the third in the Pype it was so ordered by the Fates that whosoeuer listned to their musicke should instantly perish but when any one escaped their Incantations they themselues should liue no longer which destinie of theirs was made good in Vlysses For stopping his owne eares and the eares of his saylers with waxe by the counsell of Mercurie and causing them all to bee tyde to the Masts of the ship when these Syrenes perceiued that they were preuented they tumbled themselues from the Rockes headlong into the Seas and were so drowned The place still beares their name and is called Syrenides it lyes betwixt Sicilia and Italie Some think that by these Syrenes were intended no other than strumpets who by their inchanting insinuations and luxurious flatteries haue beene the ruine of many eminent and excellent men as likewise of others meanlier degreed and quallified but whatsoeuer he be that by his wisedom can preuent them is his own preseruer and their destroyer Their bodies vpward were feminine withall faire and from the nauell downward beastiall or fishie denoting vnto vs the vglinesse of sinne and deformitie of lust Diuerse differ about their number These are reckoned vnto vs Aglaosi Telsipoi Pisno Iligi some thinke the cittie Parthinope to take denomination from Parthenopaea once numbred amongst these Mermaides because she was there buried Others reckon amongst them the two nymphs Leucosia and Lygia Plutarch in Amatâ—r speakes of Oenanthe a she minstrell and a dauncer as also Aristonica Aglais and others These and the like of their alluring profession to these Syrens may not vnfitly be compared Some women haue to honest purposes changed their garments and dissembled themselues in mens habits laudable it was in Theodora a Virgin of Antioch who when a rude and rough hewed souldier was sent vnto her into prison forcibly to despoyle her of her virgin chastitie shee with her modest lookes becomming teares mixt with passionat persuasions not only mollified his obdurate heart and deterred from his wicked purpose but woon him to change habits with her by which fortunate stratageme shee escaped out of prison and so preuented the threatened slaughter intended her by the tyrant Dioclesian Ambros. lib. 2. de Virgin Euphrosina a maide of Alexandria tooke vpon her a mans habit and for the space of thirtie six yeres dissembled her Sex vnknowne to any all which time she spent in a religious monasterie onely for deuotion sake Volaterran Dicearchus apud Caelium testates That only for the loue of learning and to bee truely instructed in the grounds of Phylosophie Lasthenia Martinea Axiothea and Phliasia came disguised in mens habits into Platos schoole and were his daily auditors into which place women were not to be admitted Pelagia a woman of Antioch being in her youth solely giuen ouer to voluptuousnesse and pleasure at length was so retyred from all worldly delights and vanities that abandoning humane societie she assumed the shape of a man least her Sex might be discouered and so betaking her selfe to the sollitude of a most disolate wildernesse led a contemplatiue and deuoute life till she expired her last The like I haue before related of Marina who with her habit changed her name to Marinus and Eugenia to Eugenius Here I might fitly introduce Iohanna Anglicana but I haue reserued a place for her amongst the learned Not to the like commendable purpose we reade how Semiramis betrayde her Sex and for many yeares together beguiled the eyes of her people tooke vpon her the stile of a king and raigned in the person of her sonne As those before remembred haue dissembled their shape so there bee some recorded in historie that haue miraculously changed their Sex In Phestus a citie of Creet liued one Lictus or Lignus of a noble family who being married to Telethusa a Ladie of equall byrth both nobilitated as well in wealth as parentage he as an addition to the rest being honourable aboue others by his place and office his wife being great with child and something neere her deliuerie he not onely besought her at the first but after inioyned her vpon her life of two things the one was that shee should bring him a male child to inherit the other that if it prooued to be a gyrle she should instantly bereaue it of life Hard was the imposition to a mother it somwhat penterated the heart of the father for he no lesse wept to speake it than shee moystned her cheekes to heare it it drew teares from both yet by reason of a vow solemnely made to the gods notwithstanding all her passionate intersessions he stood obstinate from being remooued and she
be instructed in that horrible Art he shall not find it more truely and punctually discouered by any of the Latine Poets Gunthrune was a Witch of a strange diuellish condition who by her incantations was the death of many creatures as well beasts as men yet beeing dead there was no wound or marke of death appearing about them Sagana Veia and Folia were professors of the selfesame diuellish Art and are remembred by Tacitus Iuuenal and Horace these were said to haue had hand in the death of the noble child Varus It shall not be amisse to insert amongst these what I haue heard concerning a Witch of Scotland One of that countrie as by report there are too many being for no goodnesse by the Iudges of Assise arraigned conuicted and condemned to be burnt and the next day according to her iudgement brought and tied to the stake the reeds fagots placed round about her and the executioner readie to giue fire for by no persuasion of her ghostly father nor importunitie of the sherifes she could be wrought to confesse any thing she now at the last cast to take her farewell of the world casting her eye a tone side spied her onely sonne and calls to him desiring him verie earnestly as his last dutie to her to bring her any water or the least quantitie of licour be it neuer so small to comfort her for she was extreamely a thirst at which he shaking his head said nothing she stil importuned him in these words Oh my deere sonne helpe me to any drinke be it neuer so little for I am most extreamely drie oh drie drie to whom the young fellow answered by no meanes deere mother will I do you that wrong For the drier you are no doubt you will burne the better Of Witches transported from one place to another by the Deuill THe difference betwixt Witches or to define what Magae are and what Lamiae were but time mispent the rather because it hath beene an argument so much handled in our mother tongue I will onely rehearse vnto you some few particular discourses concerning Witches out of Danaeus Bodinus Wierius Grillaneus Italus and others all agree that some haue made expresse couenant with the deuill by Bond and Indenture sealed and deliuered others by promise and oath onely as likewise that all such haue secret markes about them in some priuate place of their bodies some in the inside of the lip some in the haiâ—e of the eye browes some in the fundament some in the inside of the thigh the hollow of the arme or the priuie parts Albertus Pictus an Aduocate in the Parlement of Paris reported he had seene one in the castle of Theodoricus who had a plaine marke vpon the right shoulder which the next day was taken off by the Deuill Claudius de Fagus the kings procurator affirmed the like of one Ioanna Heruilleria Concerning the transportation of Witches through the aire Paulus Grillandus an Italian Doctor of the law that writ the histories of many Witches saith That a countrie villager not far from Rome vpon a night spying his wife daube her selfe with a certaine vnguent and instantly leape out at the window after her stay from him some three or foure houres had prouided against her returne a good cudgell with which he so soundly entertained her that he forced her to confesse where she had beene but would not grant her free pardon till she had made him promise to bring him to the sight of all these nouelties and vnbeleeueable passages by her related the match was concluded she forewarned him that he must in no wise vse the name of God by the way vnlesse it were in scorne or blasphemie with other such horrible instructions The night came they were both annointed when presently two rough goats appeared at the window vpon which they being mounted were instantly hurried through the aire into a place where were an infinit multitude of people men and women and in the middest one that seemed to be prince and soueraigne of the rest to whom euery of them did obeisance and adoration she bid her husband stand in a remote place till she had likewise done her worship which she accordingly performed This done they all danced together in a circle or ring not as our custome is face to face but backe to backe the rest may be coniectured least if any should be apprehended one might appeach the other After their dance was ended the tables were couered and furnished she calls to her husband to sit downe amongst the rest and bids him welcome he begins to feed but finding the meat to haue no â—elish in regard it was not well seasoned he calls aloud for salt and many times before it came it was brought at length which he seeing before he tasted it he thus said Hor laudato sui Dio per è venuto questo sale i. Now God be thanked that the salt is come these words were no sooner spoken but Men Meat Tables Deuills Witches all were vanished in an instant he was left alone naked almost frosen with cold ignorant in what place or whether to trauel for shelter day came he spies sheepheards and askes them where he is they tell him in the principalitie of Beneuent vnder the iurisdiction of the Pope aboue an hundred miles from Rome He was forced to beg rags to couer him and bread to releeue him being eight daies before he could reach to his cottadge he accuseth his wife she others who were all after deliuered to the fire burnt aliue The liâ—e historie the same author relates of a young damosell inticed by an old Witch to this damnable assemblie in the Duchie of Spoletum in the yeare of grace 1535. The like confession of these assemblies dances and banquets and after all their common carnall societie women with he-Deuills and men with she-spirits was extorted from a Witch of Lochinum another of Lions both suffered by fire and their arraignements confessions iudgements and executions published by Danaeus in the yere 1474. Of these meetings banquets dances and congressions Friscalanus the before named Magitian gaue ample testimonie to Charles the ninth king of France Saluertes the President speakes of a Witch called Beronda who being brought to the stake accused a great ladie of France for being one of that damned societie but she obstinately denying it the Witch thus said Haue you forgot since our last meeting when you were appointed to carrie the Challice of poison Olaus Magnus li. 3. ca. 11. saith that many of these conuenticles are made in the North and are frequent in the mount Atlas as likewise Mel. lib. 3. Solinus lib. 38. cap. 44. and Plinie lib. 5. cap. 1. Infinit are the Histories to this purpose Antonius de Turquemada a Spaniard saith That a Magitian would needs persuade his friend to be a spectator of this wicked assemblie all things being prepared for the purpose in the middest
deuided themselues and casting to hit it with a stone it rebounded againe from the skull and stroke himselfe on the forehead his words be these Abiecta in triuijs inhumati glabra iacebat Testa hominis nudum iam cute caluicium Fleuerant alij fletu non motus Achillas c. Where three wayes parted a mans skull was found Bald without haire vnburied aboue ground Some wept to see 't Achillas more obdure Snatcht vp a stone and thinkes to hit it sure He did so At the blow the stone rebounds And in the face and eyes Achillas wounds I wish all such whose impious hands prophane The dead mans bones so to be stroke againe Of Mothers that haue slaine their Children or Wiues their Husbands c. MEdea the daughter of Oeta king of Colchos first slew her young brother in those Islands which in memorie of his inhumane murther still beare his name and are called Absyrtides and after her two sonnes Macareus and Pherelus whom she had by Iason Progne the daughter of Pandion murthered her young sonne Itis begot by Tereus the sonne of Mars in reuenge of the rape of her sister Philomele Ino the daughter of Cadmus Melicertis by Athamas the sonne of Aeolus Althea the daughter of Theseus slew her sonne Meleager by Oeneus the sonne of Parthaon Themisto the daughter of Hypseus Sphincius or Plinthius and Orchomenus by Athamas at the instigation of Ino the daughter of Cadmus Tyros the daughter of Salmoneus two sonnes begot by Sysiphus the sonne of Aeolus incited thereto by the Oracle of Apollo Agaue the daughter of Cadmus Pentheus the sonne of Echion at the importunitie of Liber Pater Harpalice the daughter of Climenus slew her owne father because he forcibly despoyled her of her honor Hyginus in Fabulis These slew their Husbands Clitemnestra the daughter of Theseus Agamemnon the sonne of Atreus Hellen the daughter of Iupiter and Laeda Deiphebus the sonne of Priam and Hecuba hee married her after the death of Paris Agaue Lycotherses in Illyria that she might restore the kingdome to her father Cadmus Deianira the daughter of Oeneus and Althea Hercules the sonne of Iupiter and Alcmena by the Treason of Nessus the Centaureâ— Iliona the daughter of Priam Polymnestâ—r king of Thâ—â—ce Semyramis her husband Ninus king of Babylon c. Some haue slaine their Fathers others their Nephewes and Neeces all which being of one nature may be drawne to one head And see how these prodigious sinnes haue beene punished Martina the second wife to Heraclius and his Neece by the brothers side by the helpe of Pyrrhus the Patriarch poysoned Constantinus who succeeded in the Empire fearing least her sonne Heraclius should not attaine to the Imperiall Purple in regard that Constantinus left issue behind him two sonnes Constantes and Theodosius which he had by Gregoria the daughter of Nycetas the Patritian notwithstanding hee was no sooner dead but shee vsurped the Empire Two yeeres of her Principalitie were not fully expired when the Senate reassumed their power and called her to the Barre where they censured her to haue her Tongue cut out least by her eloquence shee might persuade the people to her assistance her sonne Heraclius they maimed of his Nose so to make him odious to the multitude and after exiled them both into Cappadocia Cuspinianus in vita Heraclij A more terrible Iudgement was inflicted vpon Brunechildis whose Historie is thus related Theodericus king of the Frenchmen who by this wicked womans counsaile had polluted himselfe with the bloud of his owne naturall brother and burthened his conscience with the innocent deaths of many other noble gentlemen as well as others of meaner ranke and qualitie was by her poysoned and depriued of life for when he had made a motion to haue taken to wife his Neece a beautifull young Ladie and the daughter of his late slaine brother Brunechildis with all her power and industrie opposed the Match affirming that Contract to be meerely incestuous which was made with the brothers daughter shee next persuaded him that his son Theodebertus was not his owne but the adulterate issue of his wife by another at which words he was so incensed that drawing his sword hee would haue instantly transpierst her but by the assistance of such Courtiers as were then present shee escaped his furie and presently after plotted his death and effected it as aforesaid Trittenhemius de Regib Francorum and Robertus Gaguinus Lib. 2. Others write that hee was drowned in a Riuer after hee had reigned eighteene yeeres Auentinus affirmes That presently after hee had slaine his brother entring into one of his cities hee was strucke with Thunder Annal. Boiorum Lib. 3. But this inhumane Butcheresse Brunechildis after shee had beene the ruine of an infinite number of people and the death of ten kings at length moouing an vnfortunate warre against Lotharius to whom shee denyed to yeeld the kingdome shee was taken in battaile and by the Nobilitie and Captaines of the Armie condemned to an vnheard of punishment She was first beaten with foure Bastoones before shee was brought before Lotharius then all her Murthers Treasons and Inhumanities were publikely proclaimed in the Armie and next her Legges and Hands being fastened to the tayles of wild Horses pluckt to pieces and disseuered limbe from limbe Anno 1618. Sigebertus Trittenhemius Gaguinus and Auentinus And such bee the earthly punishments due to Patricides and Regicides Touching Patricides Solon when hee instituted his wholesome Lawes made no Law to punish such as thinking it not to be possible in nature to produce such a Monster Alex. Lib. 2. cap. 5. Romubus appointing no punishment for that inhumanitie included Patricides vnder the name of Homicides counting Manslaughter and Murther abhorred and impious but the other impossible Plutarchâ— in â—â—amulo Marcus Malleolus hauing sâ—aine his mother was the first that was euer condemned for that fact amongst the Romans his Sentence was to be sowed in a Sack together with a Cock an Ape and a Viper and so cast into the Riuer Tiber a iust infliction for such immanitie The Macedonians punished Patricides and Traitors alike and not onely such as persoâ—ally committed the fact but all that were any way of the confederacie Alex. ab Alex. Lib. 3. cap. 5. and all such were stoned to death The Aegyptians stabbed them with Needles and Bodkins wounding them in all the parts of their bodie but not mortally when bleeding all ouer from a thousand small orifices they burnt them in a pyle of Thornes Diodor. Sical Lib. 2. cap. 2. de rebus antiq The Lusitanians first exiled them from their owne confines and when they were in the next forraine ayre â—toâ—ed them to death Nero hauing slaine his mother Agrippinâ— by the hand of Anicetes had such terror of mind and vnquietnesse of conscience that in the dead of the night he would leape out of his bed horribly affrighted and say when they that attended him demanded
when a certaine rich Ladie of Ionia came to Lacena and with great boasting and pride shewed her her pretious iewells and rich garments shee pointed to her foure faire children whom shee had liberally and vertuously educated and sayd These are treasures onely in which modest and discreet women ought to glorie Plutarch in Apotheg Luconic Eumele the wife to Basilius Helenopontamos of Pontabus as Nazianzenus testifies had by him fiue sonnes of which three at one time were learned bishops and stour champions for the Gospell namely Gregorius Nissenus Basilius Magnus Caesariensis and Petrus Sebasta then I blame nor Epaminondas who in all his noble exployts and prosperous successes in warre was often heard to say That nothing was so pleasing and delightfull to him as that both his parents were yet aliue to participate with him in his honours hee in the great battaile called Lenctricum had a glorious victorie ouer the Lacedemonians Plutarch in Grec Apotheg So Basilius Magnus Bishop of Cesaria gloried of nothing so much with dayly thankes to God as that hee was borne of Christian parents namely Helenopoâ—tanus his father and schoole maister and Enmele Capadoce his mother and that hee was nourced by Macrina who had beene a zealous and frequent auditor of Gregory Naeocae Soriensis his grandfather in that bloodie persecution vnder the Emperour Maximinus with his kinsmen and familie retyred himselfe into a Caue in a moate where with bread onely hee miraculously fed himselfe and the rest for the space of seuen yeares and after for the Faith of the Gospell suffered a blessed and glorious Martyrdom Licosck in Theat Human. Vitae Saint Hierom commends Paula the religious Roman matron for her nobilitie of byrth as being begot by Rogatas a Gretian who deriued himselfe from Agamemnon king of Mecene and royall Generall of those famous expeditious against Troy and borne of Blesilla Romana of the antient familie of the Scipioes and the Gracchi and was married vnto Toxilius illustrous in his blood as claiming his descent from Aeneas and the Iulian pedegree but nobility of byrth not being our owne but our ancestors it is not my purpose to insist of it any further It followes that I should speake something of such as haue beene the restorers of antient and decayde Families euen when they were at the last gaspe and readie to perish and be as it were swept from the face of the Earth Vital is Michael duke of Venice returning with his weather-beaten Nauie out of Greece where almost for the space of two yeares together without cessation he had opposed Prince Emanuel Constantinopolitanus beeing so exhausted that scarce Commanders Marreners or any nauall protection sufficiently accommodated was left to bring backe his fleete whether by a pestilentiall mortallitie or that Prince Manuell had poysoned the Springs and Fountaines where the Venetian souldiers furnished themselues with fresh water is not certaine but most sure it is besides many other disasters and discommodities that which hee held to be the greatest was that there was not any of male issue of the Iustinian Familie left aliue but all of them in that infortunate expedition perished to one man not any of that noble stocke suruiuing by whom the memorie thereof might bee restored to posteritie This the Duke Michaell often pondering with himselfe in great sadnesse and sorrow at length he bethought him of one Nicholaus a young man who had deuoted himselfe to a sequestred and religious life and was of the order of the Benedictan Fryers he had besides one onely daughter whose name was Anna her he had a great desire to conferre vpon Nicholaus so he could any way admit a dispensation from Alexander then Pope therefore to that purpose hee earnestly petitioned him and made great friends to sollicite him in that behalfe who willing to repaire the ruines of so noble a familie now altogether spent and wasted gaue approbation touching the marriage which was accordingly publikely and with great pompe solemnised These two now the onely hopes of that future posteritie had faire and fortunate issue males and females who were no sooner growne to any perfection and disposed of to liberall and vertuous education but which is remarkable in two so yong they conferd together to this purpose that since Heauen had blessed them with that for which marriage was ordained and the purpose for which the dispensation was granted namely issue and to reuiue a dying familie that they would with an vnanimous consent againe enter into religious vowes and orders This motion was betwixt them resolued and hauing nobly disposed of their children hee tooke vpon him holy orders and retyred himselfe to the monasterie of Saint Nicholas his wife Anna erected a Nunnerie not far from Torcellus which shee made sacred to Saint Adrian how great and almost miraculous was their abstinence and Pietie that abandoning all worldly pleasures and delights when they flowed about them in all aboundance euen then vowed themselues to solitude and heauenly meditations in which profession they both in a faire and full age deseased Egnat lib. 4. cap. 3. and Marullus in Vita Vitalis Not much different from this is that which wee reade of Pharon Meliensis a noble Prelat who with his wife after some yeares of affectionate consocietie passed betwixt them made by a vnited consent a strict vow of future chastitie shee betooke her selfe to a Nunnerie hee to a Monasterie but after seuen sollitarie winters passed hee was still troubled in his thoughts for often calling to remembrance the beautie of his wife he repented himselfe of his former vow and often sollicited her for a priuat meeting which shee still denying and he more and more importuning at length shee yeelded to giue him visitation but the prudent and chast Ladie had her face couered her eyes deiected and presented herselfe in a base and sordid garment where with her intreaties mixt with teares she so farre preuailed with him that without breach of their promise made to Heauen they tooke their lasting leaue he still remaining in his Couent and shee repairing to her Cloyster Marul lib. 4. cap. 7. Volateran writes of Petrus Vrseolus duke of Venice who after he had one sonne by his wife by their vnanimous consent they vowed perpetuall abstinence from all venerall actions So likewise Aloysius de Caballis a noble Venecian with his wife a Ladie deriued from the blood of the Patritians these two agreed together neuer to haue carnall congression but onely for issue sake neither would they suffer any motion temptation or any word looke or gesture that might tend to the least prouocation in so much that if we may beleeue report the verie linnen which they wore next them was so interwoauen and disposed about them that when they lay together with great difficultie one might touch the others naked bodie Egnat lib. 4. cap. 3. Now what meede these deserue I am not able to iudge I leaue it to his wisedome who is the