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A06484
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The second part and knitting vp of the boke entituled Too good to be true Wherin is continued the discourse of the wonderfull lawes, commendable customes, [and] strange manners of the people of Mauqsun. Newely penned and published by Thomas Lupton.; Too good to be true. Part 2
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Lupton, Thomas.
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1581
(1581)
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STC 16954; ESTC S109660
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170,117
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212
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Imprinted at London by Abel Ieffs dwelling in the forestrete without Crepelgate at the signe of the Bell. Anno. 1587. The Second part and Knitting vp of the Boke entituled Too good to be true Wherin is continued the discourse of the wonderfull Lawes commendable customes strange manners of the people of Mauqsun Newely penned and published by THOMAS LVPTON AT LONDON Printed by Henry Binneman ANNO DOMINI 1581. Cum Priuilegio Septembris 6. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR VVILLIAM CICILL OF THE NOBLE ORDER OF THE GARTER KNIGHT BARON OF Burghley Lord high Treasurer of Englande and one of hir Maiesties most honorable priuie Counsell AS THE first Styrpe whereof we did spring Right Honorable was bewitched by that wily wicked serpent Euen so the same wicked serpent hath neuer since ceased to enchaunt and bewitch hir posteritie knowing them to be hir deare darlings and sweete mouthed like their mother For who is it that feedeth not where fancie doth fauour And what fauoureth fancie but sweete pleasaunt poyson That flattering feend was the first founder of our fond affection and entised EVE did spinne the threede of our thraldom but ADAM alas did weaue vp this wofull web And hath not his pieuish posteritie delited euer since to prowle for their pleasure though it worke their owne woe yea beside wicked praise and priuate profit to the hurt of other And to make it more manifest what thing hath bene done from the beginning or is now dailie practised except of a few but only for selfe pleasure wicked praise or priuat profit Examples hereof are as rare to be founde as to espie one winke that sleepeth nothing almost hath else bene esteemed what else at this time of vs is embraced But if we will not wilfullie winke but willinglie see the publike paine such pleasures haue preferred the perilous practises such praise hath permitted the pitifull penurie such profit hath procured that it will make vs loath that so many hath loued cause vs detest that so many haue desired feare vs to fauor that thousands haue followed LVCIFER the ringleader of this daunce practising for his pleasure to be higher than God did appoint him brought him selfe and many thousands of Angells to endles sorrowes EVES pleasure in the forbodden apple wrought the greatest displeasure to man that could be DAVIDS pleasure in the beautie of a woman cost VRIAS his life the pleasure of HOLOFERNES in IVDITH was the losse of his head and the spoile of his armie many a giltlesse child was murthered for the pleasure of HEROD the pleasure that ACHAE had in a litle vineyard caused NABOTH be killed NEROES vile pleasure made his mother be murthered his sister deslowred and Rome to be burned Wicked praise likewise hath bin preferred to the great grief of both godly other for did not PILATE to be praised of the people saue a murtherer and condemne innocēt Christ did not HEROD to be praised for the keeping of his wicked promise cause IOHN BAPTISTS head to be cut of Did not CAMEISES to be praised in his drunkennes shoote his good Counsellors child through the hart with an arrow Besides a great number of mischiefs wrought only for wicked praise And hath not priuat profit also to the hurt of many bin esteemed and that of such that ought chiefly to haue abhorred it Yes I trow for BAALAM the Prophet of God through greedy gaine did curse the people of God IVDAS one of CHRISTS Apostles for priuat profit did betray CHRIST his maister what made ALEXANDER go about to conquer the whole earth but a priuat cōmoditie and a regall rule to himself What cities haue bin betraied what coūtries cōsumed what people spoyled and murthered what pouerty vnhoused what right peruerted what townes decaied how many periured what widowes wronged what fatherlesse defrauded and what poore oppressed and al for priuat profit These are the blossoms that such braūches do beare these are the floods that flowe frō such fountaines and these are the grapes that grow on such grafts But if this selfe pleasure which hurteth many doth good to none were chaūged into godly pleasure which helpeth other though it hinder it selfe and if wicked praise which maketh truth be oft troubled and much wrōg to be winked at were altered into honest and godly report which iudgeth vprightly and fauoreth no falshood and if priuat profit which vndoeth many to make a few riche were turned into common commoditie that enricheth many and impouerisheth none then many displeasured should liue in quiet many that want should then haue enough and thousandes that are wronged should then haue their right Which godly chaunge most meete for Christians is smally preferred not much procured and a great deale lesse practised Yet the Ethnikes not knowing the gaine of godly life as we do so much did preferre the pleasures of other before their owne honest praise aboue other riches and publike welth before their owne profit that it is wonderfull to heare straunge to be tolde and hard to be credited CVRTIVS to pleasure the Romaines in ceasing the infectious fume left all his owne pleasures lept into a stinking pit and so died him selfe MVTIVS SCEVOLA to profit his owne Citie did burne his arme stoutly with a couragious hart ZOPIRVS to come in credit with the Babylonians his enemies did cut off his owne nose eares and lippes whereby being made Captaine of Babylon did after deliuer the same to DARIVS his Lord maister PHILIP king of Macedon father to ALEXANDER the great esteeming equity honest praise before his owne priuate profit gaue to a certaine man so much money out of his coffers as by wrong vndaduised iudgement he gaue from the same AGESILAVS preferring the profit of his subiects the Lacedemonians before his owne gaine did giue all king AGIS treasure among the poorest of them Now seing these Ethnickes and many mo with the losse of their liues the dismembring of themselues and with their liberall gifts haue shewed themselues by their deedes rather Christians than Ethnickes making pleasure praise and profite three vertues then these Christians that hurt and displease other to pleasure and profite themselues do shewe by their deedes that they are rather Ethnickes than Christians turning pleasure praise and profite into three vices whereof there are no small number But that pleasure prayse and profite were vsed as they ought not as they are I haue with some paines and studie facioned and framed not onely of late a worke for that purpose called To good to be true but also now newly compiled and finished a Seconde parte thereof Wherby it may appeare if my will were to my wishe the same three frequented vices should be changed into three vnaccustomed vertues But seing I can not performe it I would faine procure it and therefore for that I can not profite my countrie with my purse as I wishe yet I meane to pleasure the same with my penne as I may Which Booke as it
whiche was priuily vttered by the Commissioner who was appointed not onely to sée the marriage celebrated betwéene them accordingly but also the other secreate thing performed in all pointes as the Counsel hadde decréede Whiche Iudgement was carried downe thither where the Gentlewoman dwelled by the saide Commissioner And when the day of the mariage approched the Cōmissioner came into the prison to the same wicked Iudge said that the Ruler and the Counsel had giuen iudgement forasmuch as he had taken a Gentlewomans good name from hir by lying with hir Better than he looked for that he should prepare himselfe in the beste manner he coulde to marrye hir thereby to make hir amendes whiche when the treacherous Iudge heard he was the gladdest mā in the world for that was the onelye thing he desired and the cause why hée executed hir husbande And so he prepared himselfe againste the day appointed to marry hir And then the sayd Commissioner went to the saide Gentlewoman whome when she sawe she was maruelous gladde saying sir you are moste hartily welcome I praye you what iudgement haue my Lords of the Counsel giuen on my behalf against the wicked Iudge mine enimie Forsooth saide he as they thinke a verye good and necessarie iudgement thoughe it be not altogither as you desire but in my opinion it is as wise and righteous a iudgement as can be Well sir said shée though it be not according to my contentation yet I must be obedient knowing being wel assured that they are so wise righteous and godly that they will giue none other iudgement but according to equitie iustice and reason and therefore as I haue promised their Honors whatsoeuer iudgement they haue giuen I muste be content and will It is very well saide of you saide he there is no resisting of them and therefore the more willinglier you take it the better they will like of you I praye you sir saide she what is it thoughe I am loath saide he to vtter it vnto you bicause it will not well like you yet I am enforced to tell you of it bycause the Counsell haue commaunded me Spare not I beséeche you saide she to declare it vnto me for if it be any thing that may moue my mind I am determined to arme my selfe with patience I pray you do so saide he for you shall sée that God at the length will turne all things to the best now thus it is the chiefe Ruler and the reste of the Honorable Lordes of the Counsell haue giuen their iudgement and fully decréed that against suche a day you shall prepare your selfe in most sober and comely wise to be married vnto him for they thinke that the infamie you haue receiued by hym Worse than she looked for can be salued by no meanes so wel as by being his wife and to be married vnto him therfore prepare you for it accordingly for there is no remedy but you muste performe this their decrée and iudgement whiche when she hadde hearde she waxed as pale as was possible whereby it appeared that inwardly she was not a little vexed and troubled And wythin a while after she saide shall I nowe marry hym that hathe cruelly killed my louing husbande whom he promised mée to saue and spoiled me of my faith and honestie whiche I can neuer recouer againe to haue the life of my husbande made me to goe to his bed loathfully and can the death of my husbande make me to lye with him willingly Oh I woulde to God that the Counsell hadde not respected so muche mine honestie as to make me doe that I deteste more than death I had rather a thousande times liue in shame than to marry him that is cause of my shame Then said he to hir againe Did not you tell me that you would arme your selfe with patience thoughe I shoulde tell you that did trouble your minde I saide so indéede but when I saide so thoughe all things were not so wel as I would yet I did not thinke that it was so euill as it is to marry him is the thing he moste desireth but to be marryed to him is the thing that I moste abhorre whereby he shall haue a ioyful life that hathe deserued a cruell death but thereby I shall haue a sorrowfull death that oughte rather haue a ioyfull lyfe I hoped that the daye appoynted for his marying with me shoulde rather haue béene the daye of hys death for so shamefully abusing me Well I will obey theyr commaundementes trusting thereby that my sorrowe shall ende and whereas that nighte he thinketh that I shall bée bedded wyth hym I hope that then I shall be buried by my selfe There was neuer a sorrowfuller Bride than I shall be but looke what you haue willed me I will doe it and what the Counsel haue iudged I wyll performe it And then he toke his leaue of hir and departed Omen This was not suche a iudgement as shée looked for nor yet as the wicked Iudge didde hope to haue But didde she come at the daye appoynted to be marryed vnto him Siuqila Yea that she did thoughe it was full sore against hir will for in the same morning he was ready at the churche a good while before she came for if he had béene so vnwilling as she he woulde not haue come so soone as he did And at the laste she came in hir mourning apparell thinking the would weare the same at hir owne dolefull marriage that she did weare at hir husbandes death And so to conclude they were both married togither wherof he was as glad as she was sorrowfull And when they were marryed and as he was aboute to go home with his newe wofull wife the saide Commissioner saide sir you muste stay a little this Gentlewoman youre wife hathe performed all the iudgements that on hir parte are to be done but thoughe you haue done some yet you haue not done al there is one péece yet behinde for you to performe What is that said the Iudge for I wil do it willingly then said the Commissioner not so willingly I beléeue as you were marryed vnlesse you are willing to goe to youre death whereat the Iudge was astonied and then the Commissioner saide to him A wise and worthy iudgement nay there is no remedy the Counsels iudgemente is that immediately after you are married you muste bée executed therefore prepare youre selfe for I muste sée it done presently And as for you Gentlewoman saide he you were beste goe to dinner and not tarry for youre husbande for he hath an other parte to play O saide the Gentlewoman blessed be God that hathe giuen vs suche wise and godlye Counsellours that haue gyuen suche a worthy iudgement the death of my firste husband did not make mée so wofull a Widowe but the death of my seconde husbande dothe make me as ioyful a Widow Here was a sodaine change for whereas before the Bridegroome was mery and the Bride sad