The Famous and Renowned HISTORY OF THE Nine Worthies of the World VIZ. I. Hector Son of Priamus King of Troy II. Alexander the Great who first Conquered the World III. Julius Caesar the first Emperour of Rome IV. Joshua Captain-General of Israel V. David King of Israel VI. Judas Maccabeus a valiant Jewish Commander VII Arthur the famous British King VIII Charles the Great Emperour of Germany IX Godfrey of Bulloigne King of Jerusalem Giving a true Historical Account of their Glorious Lives Victories and Deatâ—â— London Printed by W. O. and are to be sold by the Booksellers of Pye-corner and London by The History of the Nine WORTHIES c. I. The Noble Actions Life and Death of the Famous and Renowned Hector Prince of Troy c. I Suppose there is few who have not heard of the famous Siege of Troy once a renowned City in Asia the Less against which all the Power of Greece fought ten Years e're they could subdue and utterly destroy it But being now to write of the glorious Actions of the Nine Worthies of the World whose famous Valour has made Men stand amazed and transmitted their Names and worthy Deeds to Posterity I must however say something of that War which has employed so many Pens Antient and Modern to set forth the Life and noble Atchivements of the Every-renowned and Valiant Hector the eldest Son of Priamus King of Troy This famous City commanding once so many Realms in Asia stood on the Coast of the Aegean-Sea on the Asian side near the Helespont called now the Streight of Constantinople over-against the Chersonesus of Thrace water'd by the famous Rivers Scamander and Simois after changing his Name till at length it was called Illium and Troy and was twice subdued by Hercules and Priamus Son to King Laomedon and Hesione his Daughter were carried Captives into Greece the first of them was ransom'd but the latter being very beautiful King Telamon Father to Ajax kept her for his Pleasure and would by no Entreaty consent to restore her though Priamus after the Death of his Father Laomedon coming to the Crown sent Antenor one of his chief Nobles to Telamon's Court to solicite her Delivery by whom and other Princes of the Greeks he was dismissed with Scorn and terrible Threats But Priamus concluding himself now strong enough to be revenged on the Greeks for the Injury and Affront done to him in the detaining his Sister called his Sons and Nobles to Councel laying the matter before them and requiring Advice All the Nobles approved of the Design but Hector and Helenus two of his Sons perswaded him from it as an Attempt full of Danger as likewise did Cassandra his Daughter who was a Prophetess and ever spoke Truth but never could have any Credit to be believed However the King being stedfastly bent on the matter ordered his Son Paris at whose Conception Queen Hecuba his Mother dreamed she brought forth a Fire-brand that set all Troy in a Flame was with his Brother Diophebus sent to Sparta with many Ships and armed Men where King Manelaus reigned and there being entertained as Guest they in his Absence stole away his Queen the fair Hellena Daughter to Ledea with many of her Ladies and laying the City wast brought with them great Riches to Troy where Paris was married as Venus had promised him to Hellena the most beautiful Lady in the World King Menelaus no sooner heard of this great Injury done him but he consulted with King Agamemnon his Brother and other Princes of Greece who looking upon it as an insufferable Affront done to all the Estates resolved upon a War vowing once more to level the Walls of Troy appointing Agamemnon General over all the Forces So with a thousand Ships passed from Europe to Asia and took Tenedos after a stout Resistance made by the Trojans who garisoned the strong Castle then coming near the City they Landed but not without great Effusion of Blood on both sides so that the Sea became red for Hector who by his Father 's Appointment was General of the Trojans advancing to Succour his Men that fainted with a mighty two-handed Sword levelled all in his way killing King Protesilaus as he came with a huge force to stop his Fury and soon after King Patarocleus who came upon him with two thousand Men whose rich Armour he coveted to take but was hindred by King Menon with a great Power which King after the Slaughter of Multitudes of his Men he slew in Revenge of that Disappointment driving many of the Greeks into the Sea but at last the strong Achilles Menelaus Agamennon Ajax Diomed Vlysses Idumeus and other valiant Princes and Captains getting on Shore so encouraged their Men that the Fight continued exceeding bloody till Night parted them and then the Trojans retired to the City Early the next Morning the Trojans took the Field and found the Greeks encamped not far from the City when the Trumpets sounding to Battle the two Armies joyned more furiously than before and Hector fell on like an impetuous Storm making whole Lanes of Dead before him at every stroke giving Death making Heads and Limbs to fly about the Plain till he came where King Humerus fought successfully him he encountered and soon overthrew with the slaughter of most of his Men and pressing forward came where Achilles and his Mirmydons made great Destruction overthrowing that strong Champion and slaying his Horse and had surely slain Achilles had not his Men rushed violently to his Succour and lost many of their Lives to save him and so pressing on he threw flaming Brands on the Grecian Fleet and set part of it on Fire and this Day he had gained assured Victory had he not met Ajax in the fierce Encounter and knowing him spared his Life and by him was perswaded to a Sessation of Arms for that time and making a Truce so that the Retreat was sounded much against the Will of the Conquering Trojans which Over-sight cost him his Life and the Destruction of his Family with the Ruin of the City The Greeks having gained a Truce recruited with fresh Forces secured their Fleet with Trenches and after this and some other dreadful Battles they plainly perceived unless Hector was slain all their Hopes of winning Troy was in Vain and that they should rather perish with their whole Army they then held a Consult how to bring it to pass by any means and in the Conclusion that Task was imposed on Achilles the Fiercest and Strongest of all the Greeks who watched many Opportunities but was as often worsted and wounded in all the fair Encounters and most of his Mirmydons the valiantest of the Soldiers slain till one Day contrary to the Intreaty of his Wife Andromache who dreamed if he went that Day to the Field he would be slain as also the King and the Tears of his Mother and Sisters hearing Margetton his natural Brother was slain and the Trojans in Rout he armed and
Hellen a British Princess he claimed a Succession to the Roman Empire and would e're long come with an Army to Rome subdue it and make it Tributary to Britain which stout Answer so dashed the Legate that he return'd much troubled and some write but upon what Certainty I know not that this King passed the Seas with a Fleet of 1000 Sail of Ships and a mighty Army subduing France Germany the Netherlands and Italy Soon after the Saxons were expelled Loth King of the Picts dyed and the Britains unwilling a Stranger should Reign over them in a manner by their Importunity compelled King Arthur to exclude Mordred now King Pictland from the Succession and to Adopt Constantine the Son of Cador Duke of Cornwal a valiant and virtuous young Man which Disappointment so vexed Mordred that after many threatning Messages finding no Redress he raised the Power of his whole Kingdom to which many Scots joyned themselves and ravaged the Northern Parts slaying and burning all in his way And tho' several Bishops on either Part laboured for a Reconciliation they could not prevail so that to decide the Controversie a dreadful Battle was fought near the River Humber and the Britains being entangled among the Bogs and Quagmires a Place that had been ever fatal to them tho' they fought like Lions yet in the end both Kings with most of their Nobles being slain with 20000 Picts and Scots and 30000 Britains the Day fell to the Picts and Scots by a crafty Device of a Scot who getting among the Britains cryed in the British Tongue Our King and his Nobles are slain every Man shift for himself which wrought such a Fear in the Army that it fell in Rout before there was any Cause for it and this Loss was so great that neither Nation recovered it in many Years The Body of King Arthur being found covered with the Heaps he had slain was honourably buried in Glastenbury Church-yard in Summersetshire and after his Death the Saxons came again and drove the Britains into the Mountains taking strong Possession of all the plain Country The Life and Glorious Actions of Charlemagne or Charles the Great who restored the Roman Empire in the West WHen the barbarous Nations as Goths Huns Sarazens Vandels Lumbards c. had torn the Roman Empire in pieces and divided it among themselves grievously Persecuting all that professed the Name of Christ GOD hearing the Cries and Groans and seeing the abundant Tears of his afflicted People raised them up Deliverers And first Charles Martell a French Prince who taking Courage to rescue his oppressed Country raised an Army of 60000 French and Germans who gave Battle to Abderamen a King of the Sarazens who had over run Franco with an Army of 400000 Men and overthrew him with the slaughter of 375000 of his Men and found him overwhelmed with a Heap of the Slain and tho' not wounded his Men in their Flight from the pursuing French Men pressed him to Death and soon after overthrew with great Slaughter another King of the Sarazens who was coming to Aid the former with an Army of 300000 Men utterly driving the Sarazens out of France and Germany for which worthy Service after his Death his Son Pepin a valiant Prince was made King and Childrick a lazy vicious Prince of the Race of Pharamond laid aside This Man did many great Actions much enlarging his Kingdom and dying divided his vast Dominions between his two Sons viz. Charles or Charlemagne and Caroloman the first being crowned at Wormes and the last at Soissons but long they agreed not for Charles being of a mild Temper and Caroloman of a turbulent Spirit he laboured to supplant him and to that end after some Contests he joyned with the Enemies of Charles went to Rome under a Pretence of Devotion labouring to make the Pope his Friend and to League himself to Didier a powerful King of the Lombards in Italy which wrought much Trouble to Charles from the Lombard and Pope But within three Years after his being crowned Caroloman dyed and then after strugling with some Rebels the whole Inheritance fell to Charles who warred with the Saxons Bavarians and other Nations sixteen Years and overcame them making them his Tributaries And when Didier the King of the Lombards went to Rome and hanged the Pope's two Secretaries for siding with Charles and caused the Pope to be deposed Charles having over come the Sons of Caroloman who raised Disturbances in France to put themselves in Possession of their Father's Estate he raised an Army and passing the Alps entered into Italy and in two great Battles defeated the Lombards besieging them and their King in Pavia which was soon surrendred to him and Didier their King was sent Prisoner to Lyons in France and so ended the Lombard Kingdom in Italy which had long flourished and been the Terror of all that Country and for this great Service Pope Adrian in a Councel held at Rome decreed That Charles should have a Right of Disposing of all the Ecclesiastical Benefits that became Vacant throughout Christendom Charles no sooner returned into France but Aldegise Son to Didier raised Commotions in Italy by the Helpe of Rogand to whom Charles had given the Country of Friuli but by the Care and Vigilence of the French Governours Rogan was taken and by the King's Command lost his Head which ended the Sedition And being now at Leasure he resolved to War on the Sarazens and Moors who coming over to Africa had strongly possessed themselves of all Spain and overthrew them in several Battles taking the Cities of Pampelona and Saragosa and many other strong Places putting those he found therein to the Sword for their Cruelty towards the Christians but Agoland a Sarazen King taking the Advantage of streight Passages in the Mountains fell upon Milon the Brother of Charles and slew him with most Part of his Army and elevated with this Victory he marched into France and besieged Agen in Gascoine but Charles soon overtook him yet his Troops with long Marches were so weary that they were not at that time in a Condition to fight yet Agoland propos'd a Way to decide the Difference viz. That a Troop on either Party should fight it out and the Sarazen promised to turn Christian if his was beaten and his Troop being worsted and mostly slain he did become a Christian in Shew but seeing the King at Dinner and a Table in the same Room at which many poor Men fed of the King's Bounty he demanded what they were to which Charles answered They were God's Ministers Nay then said the impious Sarazen your God must needs be very poor himself seeing his Ministers are so very poor and contemtible and so departed But Charles to be revenged of him followed him into Spain overthrew him in a great Battle and brought away his Head as a Trophy of his Victory Thus this great Man having extended his Dominions very largely was by Pope Leo whom he
had delivered from his Enemies crowned Emperour of the West and having settled his Empire over many Nations in Peace he betook himself to a quiet Life he caused Lewis his Son to be crowned Emperour of the Romans giving him good Exhortations to govern well that great People committed to his Charge with a Regard to the Christian Religion Piety and Mercy having got him by his Sword and Prudence the Dominion over all France Germany Italy Hungary Poland and Part of Spain and so in the midst of his Devotions he died in the 71 Year of his Age when he had reigned 47 Years and was a while layed in State and then buried in a stately Monument in the Church of Aix In a Chappel himself had founded a little before for that Purpose IX The Life and Glorious Actions of Godfrey of Bulloign Duke of Lorain who conquered the Holy Land and was crowned King of Jerusalem SInce many People have heard of a Holy War and yet but few can tell to what Purpose it was made or in what Region I shall here for their better Instruction set forth a satisfactory Relation of it in the Life and noble Actions of one of the famous Worthies of the World Godfrey Duke of Bulloign Lorain and Verdon It so happened for the Lukewarmness of the Eastern Christians and their furious Contests about Niceties in Religion which caused a general Decay of Piety amongst them that God suffered them at first to be over-run and their Countries taken from them by the barbarous Sarazens and they being subdued by the Turks all manner of Cruelties were used towards the Christians that still inhabited amongst them in great Numbers which made them groan under their heavy Bondage and cry to God for Succour in their Distress when the Patriarch of Jerusalem and other good Men assembling it was resolved to send one Peter a French Man who had taken upon him the Life of a Hermit with their Supplications to the Western Christians beseeching them in the Bowels of Mercy and Compassion to look with Eyes of Pity on their Sufferings and with an armed Power rescue them and the Holy City of Jerusalem out of the Hands of the merciless Enemies of the Name Christ this Man after a tedious Travel and escaping many Dangers came to Rome Anno 1093 Vrbin the Second being then Bishop of that See to whom he delivered the Patriarch's Letters and gave a full Account of the Matter so moving that the Bishop could not refrain from Tears and summoning a Councel at Placentia whither most of the Christian Princes and Prelates were invited where appearing in full Assembly the Pope with moving Orations causing the Patriarch's Letters to be read and Peter to declare the cruel Usage the Eastern Nations suffered at the Hands of their Infidels the Princes were so inflamed with a Zeal of Delivering their suffering Brethren that with one Consent they agreed to raise Forces immediately and march to Jerusalem which unanimous Agreement the Pope no sooner perceived but with Tears of Joy in his Eyes he cried out It is the Will of God which Motto they put afterward in their Standard and so the Counsel ending every one repaired to their Country to raise Forces which were to wear Red Crosses on their Breasts to distinguish them And the Chief of these were Godfrey of Bulloign and his two Brothers Baldwin and Eustace Hugh Earl of Vermondois the French King's Brother Robert Duke Normandy Son to our King William Sir-named the Conqueror Stephen Earl of Chartes and Blois Hugh Earl of St. Paul Raymond Earl of Tholouse Robert Earl of Flanders with a great Number of Nobles and Gentlemen who landed with an Army of 300000 valiant Men on the Shoars of Asia striking Terror to their Enemies and marching on besieged the City of Nice the Capital City of Bythinia which Solimon the Turkish Sultan of Persia came with a a huge Army to relieve but was utterly defeated with such Slaughter that the Fields were covered with Blood and the Bodies of the Slain After which the Christians returned again to their Siege and Duke Godfrey with an Arrow killed a mighty Giant-like Turk who had manfully defended the Breach tho' twenty Arrows were sticking in his Breast and killed the Assailants in great Numbers with huge Stones which he threw at them and soon after the City was taken and delivered to Emanuel the Greek Emperor in Lien of the Supplies of Provision he was to furnish the Army withal This City taken they marched towards Syria in two Bodies the one commanded in Chief by Duke Godfrey and the other by the Duke of Normondy and the Earl of Flanders and in their Way being encountred by 300000 Turkish and Persian Horsemen they soon put them to the Rout with incredible Slaughter And having taken Tripolis a strong City in Syria they advanced towards Antioch but Peter the Hermit who had got together a great Multitude of Men out of the Territories of the Church and from Monasteries whose Business was rather Eating than Fighting advancing too far before the Army and falling into an Ambush of the Enemy most of them were slain with their Leader But the Army coming before the City of Pisidia it surrendred But new Duke Godfrey going into the Woods to recreate himself narrowly missed being slain by a monsterous Bear whom he found assaulting one of his Soldier who went to cut Wood but though the Bear got him down he drew his Sword under his Thigh by which he wounded himself and lost much Blood yet running it into the Belly of the Bear he killed her and on the like Occasion at another Time he hearing a Lyon roar piteously in a Forrest and going to see what the Matter was found a huge Serpent had twisted itself about the Lyon's Legs and with his poisonous Sting was darting at his Head to kill him but the Duke pitying the noble Lyon with his huge Sword cut off the Sepent's Head and relieved the Lyon who in Gratitude far surpassing most Men ever after during his Life followed him hunted wild Beast for him and fawned on him like a Spannel often defending him against his Enemies The Christians having conquered Siletia and a great Part of Armenia besieged the City of Antioch in which was a strong Garrison and at their first setting down before it Duke Godfrey with a selected Party only with their Swords in their Hands defeated an Army of the Turks who say in Ambush to surprize his Soldiers sent to fetch Provision for the Army at Port Simon brought thither by Ships from Genoa and Pisons which the Pope had sent for the Relief of the Christians in Syria and after a teâ—ious â—â—â—ge took Antioch and from thence marched towards Jerusalem overâ—â—â—wing â—ome Armies of Turks by the Way when in one Battle a Giâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Tâ—â—k seeing Duke Godfrey beat down Multitudes before him came on a â—aâ—y all foaming to encounter him with his mighty Cimiter but after a fierce Encounter the Duke with a forcible Stroak of his Sword cut his Shoulder down to his Wast so that he fell dead from his Horse The Army coming within sight of the Holy City Jerusalem fell on their Knees with devout Prayers for God's Assistance vowing never to depart till they had taken it and such was their resolute Courage that they no sooner came to the Walls but immediately many scaled them and beat the Defendants from the Battlements leaping into the City and tho' these were not seconded for want of Leaders they sold their Lives at a dear Rate After this they lay'd a formal Siege and it being extream hot Weather they suffer'd much thro' Thirst for the Brook Kedron was dried up and the Infidels had poisoned all the Wells yet that of Siloe had worked out the Poison and the Water was become wholesom yet it yielded but little however they made many terrible Assaults and at length enter'd by main Force putting all the Turks and Sarazens to the Sword And in Solomon's Temple found vast Riches whilst the Christians there embraced the Soldiers with Tears extolling them as their Deliverers Now the City was taken the Princes resolved to settle a Christian King therein and the Lot fell upon the Duke of Normandy but he minding his Intetests nearer home refused it Then with a unanimous Consent they chose Duke Godfrey King though he modestly refused so great an Honour however it being pressed upon him he accepted it but would not be crowned with a rich Crown that was offered him saying God forbid that any Christian King should wear a Crown of Gold where his Saviour for the Redemption of Mankind had worn a Crown of Thorns And the Princes having overthrown the Sultan of Egypt who too late coming to relieve the City most of them took Leave of the King and retutned home who being busied in enlarging his Frontiers fell sick and dyed in the first Year of his Regin and his Brother Baldwin succeeded him FINIS