him for the same he said There was no such Wonder in this but rather that he did not throw Stones at all he met he was so much beside himself with Joy Another Piece of Vengeance that pursued Pompey and wherein he might read his Crime in his Punishment was That his Wife Mutia during his absence had dishonour'd his Bed at which he was so nettl'd that he sent her a Bill of Divorce Pompey in pursuit of his Amorous Inclination did likewise commit a piece of notorious Injustice in marrying Julia Daughter to Caesar who had been affianced before and was to be married within a few days to Caepio and to appease Caepio's Anger married his own Daughter to him who had formerly been espoused to Faustus the Son of Sylla Pompey was so much besotted with his Love to Julia that he created abundance of Envy to himself by committing the Government of his Provinces and Legions into the Hands of his Friends as his Lieutenants whilst he himself wantonly rambl'd up and down caressing his Wife throughout all the Delicacies of Italy but he was soon depriv'd of her for she dy'd in Child-bed her Daughter not outliving her many days He afterwards married Cornelia Daughter to Metellius Scipio and Relict of Publius the Son of Crassus a young Lady of great Quality Beauty and Education but this Marriage was very unpleasing to some People who thought that she was a Match more agreeable to his Son and were angry that the Affairs of the City lay neglected while he from whom they expected a Cure to their Distractions went crown'd with Garlands and was revelling in his Nuptial Feasts It 's observable that at the very last his Fondness towards this young Lady and his Fear that her Beauty might expose her to some Dishonour amongst the Parthians was the chief Argument that prevail'd with him not to have recourse thither where in all probability he might have been able to renew the War and recover his Glory after his Defeat in the Pharsalian Plains so that resolving to sail for Egypt and intrust himself with Ptolomy he was by Advice of that young King's Council barbarously and inhumanly murder'd as going ashore in a Boat in order as he thought to a favourable Reception the distressed Cornelia and his Friends beholding this lamentable Tragedy from on board the Vessels where they were Thus fell this Great Man to which it cannot be denied that his Amorous and Sensual Temper did highly contribute Not that I would be understood positively to assert that Uncleanness was the sole precuring 〈◊〉 of those Tragical Disasters that befel this 〈◊〉 Man and others whom I have mention'd or shall mention in the course of this History it being enough for my Design to prove that it was always one of the visible Causes and that it makes good the Assertion of the Wise Man in the Proverbs where speaking of the Harlot or strange Woman in general he says That many strong Men have been slain by her of which there is not a more speaking and demonstrable Instance than this of Pompey who had triumph'd over Asia Africa and Europe and yet was himself a Captive and Subject of Triumph to his own Lusts. In the Life of Cato the younger who was not only a great Pretender to Virtue but compar'd with his Contemporaries a glorious Mirror of it We find that he had no true Notions of the Honour of the Marriage Bed nor any just Idea of Chastity as is apparent from the following Instance Quintus Hortensius whom Plutarch calls a Man of singular Worth and approved Virtue propos'd to Cato That his Daughter Porcia who was already married to Bibulus and had already born him two Children might be given to him as a fruitful Field from which he might raise an Offspring For said he tho' this in the Opinion of Men may seem strange yet in Nature it would be honest and profitable for the Publick that a Woman in the prime of her Youth should not lye useless and lose the Fruit of her Womb Nor on the other side would it be convenient she should burthen and impoverish one Man by bringing him too many Children Also by this Communication of Families among worthy Men Virtue would encrease and be diffus'd thro' their Posterity and the Commonwealth would be united and cemented by their Alliances Yet if Bibulus would not part with his Wife altogether he would restore her as soon as she had brought him a Child whereby he might be united to both their Families Cato answer'd That he lov'd Hortensius very well and did much approve of uniting their Houses but he thought it very strange to speak of marrying his Daughter who was already given to another Then Hortensius turning the Discourse acknowledg'd that 't was Cato 's own Wife which he desir'd for she was young and fruitful and he had already Children enough To which Cato agreed with the Consent of his Wife Martia and her Father Philip and after the Death of Hortensius took her again for which Caesar reproach'd him as having a mercenary design in his Marriage saying If Cato had need of a Wife why did he part with her And if he had not why did he take her again unless he gave her only as a Bait to Hortensius and lent her when she was young to have her again when she was rich It 's plain from this Instance that Cato was guilty of countenancing Impurity in others if he was not actually guilty of it himself and seeing he was unwilling to take his Daughter from Bibulus and yet as willing to gratifie Hortensius by parting with his own Wife it would argue that he was weary of her and that he would make no Scruple to use other Women seeing he allow'd her to give up her self into the Embraces of another Man But now it remains that we should take notice of the Judgments which pursued this great Man of which without breach of Charity we may look upon this Crime amongst others to have been one of the procuring Causes It 's known to every one that he follow'd Pompey and adher'd to him against Caesar and that after Pompey's Defeat he retir'd to Utica where having no hopes of retrieving his desperate Affairs he deliberately murder'd himself from which Design all the Endeavours of his Friends were not able to divert him And thus the Divine Vengeance made him the Executioner of Justice upon himself which he ought to have suffer'd by the hands of others for that brutish and unnatural Carriage to his Wife In the Life of Demetrius Poliorcetes we have an account that when this great Prince laid Siege to Megara he was so far transported with a Lustful Passion for Cratesipolis the Widow of Poliperchon a Lady of greater Beauty than Virtue that leaving his Army he went to make her a Visit with two or three of his Intimates but when he came near the City of Patras where she liv'd he fell into an Ambush of Cassander's Men whence
of Genesis we have a very Extraordinary Testimony against Adultery from an Heathen Prince Abimelech King of Gerar upon the occasion of Isaac's having from that same principle of slavish fear with his Father called his Beautifull Wife his Sister to avoid being killed for her sake but the King perceiving him sporting more familiarly with her than 't was decent for a Sister and Brother to do he reproved him sharply for his having dissembled her being his Wife whereby he not only endangered her Chastity but might have brought wrath upon the People for defiling another Man's Wife and therefore to prevent any such thing he forbad any of the People to meddle with Isaac or his Wife on pain of death Certainly this Heathen Prince will rise in Judgment against those pretended Christians who pollute themselves with promiscuous Lusts and neither Account Fornication nor Adultery a Crime The next Instance offer'd us is that of Esau who married two Wives and those too the Daughters of Canaan which were a Grief of Soul unto his Father and his Mother that he Married two Wives at once considering his Grand-Father Abraham's Example and the Custom of those dark and ignorant times seems not so Criminal and yet his Father's praâ—…ice who had but one ought to have had more influence upon him but his marrying Canaanites Profane Women and Heathens contrary to the Command of his Grand-Father Abraham and not only without the Consent but against the Inclination of his Father and Mother was altogether unexcusable The Impulsive cause which mov'd him to do so we have no reason to doubt was his Ungovernable Lust for that he was a Man of intemperate Appetite and by Consequence Libidinous is plain from his having profanely bartered away his Birth-Right for a Mess of Red Pottage when to be sure he might have had other Food in his Fathers House or if he had rejected Jacob's proposal there 's no great reason to think that Jacob would have been so unnatural as to have insisted upon his demand and denied necessary Refreshment to his Brother but he did so much idolize his own Palate and Appetite that he preferred the satisfaction of them to every thing else and we have the same reason to think that his Concupiscence was as Ungovernable as his Stomach and therefore he married two Canaanitish Women at once to satisfy his raging Lust the fulfilling of which he prefer'd to his Father and Mother's good will and this no doubt had no small influence in moving the latter to suborn Jacob to deprive Esau of his Blessing as well as of his Birth-right and it 's Remarkable that as he made a Cursed choise of his Wives he was also accursed in his Posterity who as it appears by the Sacred History became irreconcilable Enemies to the people of God and were always their most Barbarous and Cruel Persecutors Esau's Marrying a third Wife of Ishmael's race while the other two were alive is another Argument of his Unbridled Lust and Enmity to true Religion It ' true that Interpreters disagree in this matter some thinking that Esau Married this Third Wife of his Father 's own kindred to please him because the Daughters of Canaan were hatefull to him but others seem to have more Reason who think that he did it out of Contempt with a design to provoke his Parents more by contracting a new Alliance with another wicked people who were as much Enemies to the Church and as much or more irreconcilable to his Father as the other seeing it 's apparent that Ishmael mock'd or as the Apostle Interprets it persecuted Isaac from his very Infancy And thus far we see raging incontinency and hatred at Religion go hand in hand The next Instance that occurs to us is that of Jacob who well may be charged with Polygamy as having four Wives at a time instead of one The first occasion of this good Patriarch's transgression in this matter was the Wicked Craft and Deceit of Laban his Father-in-Law who instead of Rachel whom Jacob Married brought Leah to his Bed and so was the cause of Jacob's Digamy and Incest and tho' it 's true that Jacob is no where Condemned in Scripture for this yet it 's plain that he acted contrary to Divine institution and he is reproved for it by our Saviour amongst others when he told the Pharisees That from the beginning it was not so There were some and particularly the Manichees of old who inveighed against this Polygamy of the Patriarchs and in very gross and foul Language accuse them as Whore-Masters and their Wives as Whores but their scurrilous Arguments are well answered by Augustine against Faustus and others There are some who think that this Polygamy of the Patriarchs was by a peculiar instinct and particular Dispensation and therefore as in that case it could not be blamable neither can it now be ordinarily imitable the chief Reasons they assign for their opinions are that it was permitted for the Increasing of the Promised Seed that Jacobs Wives c. were acted by more than a Natural principle and much self-denial in recommending their Maids to their Husband's Bed which in ordinary Cases must be supposed to alienate his Affection from themselves In the next place they observe that they pray'd for off-spring by their Maids and brought up their Children upon their own knees It must be own'd that those things were Extraordinary and Contrary to the Practice and Principle of the generality of Women yet it 's strongly presumable that there was something of Custom as well as of instinct in this matter and that the people of God were polluted with the bad Example of those amongst whom they lived But however these things were this is certain that all the Persons concerned were one way or other punish'd for their Concurrence in this Affair Laban had not only the mortifiâ—…ation to see his two Daughters Jarr and Disagree and Envy one another but also to find his Riches and Substance decrease and to be conveighed to another hand Leah she was severely punish'd by finding that she had less of her Husbands Love than her Sister whose Bed she had unjustly defiled Rachel was punish'd with barrenness for some time for consenting to live with Jacob as his Wife when she knew that her Father had given her eldest Sister into his Bed Jacob's life was very uneasy betwixt his Jarring Wives who did each of them Envy the others Enjoyment of him Nay he was perfectly Subject to the Command of his Imperious and Beautiful Rachel and obliged to take a third Wife to beget Children for her and this laid him under a necessity of obliging Leah in the like manner which as it must needs Consume his Body he being now above 80 years of age there was no doubt but it increased his care how to provide for so many Wives and Children at the same time he was also plagued with a Covetous Oppressing Father-in-Law and discontented Brethren who envied his growing
's uncleanness slain by a Woman 200 R Reveal'd Religion why devided by the Beâ—… 123 Reuben 's Incest and Punishment 32 Rings excess in them 297 Roman Women immodest in their Apparel ibid. Rome its Church why call'd in Scripture Whore and Mother of Harlots 132 Rome founded by Whoredom endanger'd at first by Rape 165 Roofs of Houses movable and chang'd at every course 292 S Sampson 's Whoredom and Punishment 53 c. The Rabbins think the Philistins debauch'd his Wife 53 Objections against the number of Foxes taken by him answer'd 55 Saracens their original 12 Sardanapalus 's uncleanness and remarkable death 135 137 Schechem 's Whoredom and Punishment 25 Scythian Women their Message to their Husbands in Asia 139 Married their Servants in their Husbands absence 140 Scipio rebukes Massinissa for his lust 176 Seed flux of it in Man and Menstrua in Women why it render'd 'em unfit for publick Worship 41 Seed passing thro' the Fire to Molech what 51 Seleucus King of Assyria parts with his wife to his Son 213 Servants excess in their number 300 Sextus Tarquinius his Rape and Punishment 168 169 Ships sailing in Wine 287 Simon Magus the Uncleanness of himself and Followers 300 Sodomites why they lusted after Strangers and particularly after the Angels 13 Solomon 's unclednness and punishment 79 whether sav'd or not 81 Solon 's Uncleanness and impure Laws 192 Sophonisba Daughter to Asdrubal her scandalous Marriage to Massinissa 176 her last Message to her Paramour Massinissa 178 Spinctriae what 235 Spitamenes and his Wife their punishment for Lust. 153 Statues the Excess of the Romans in them 290 Suppers excessive for cost 279 282 Scylla 's lustfulness eat up by Lice 201 Syphax 's Marriage with Sophonisba caused his War with the Romans 177 Syria and Egypt remarkably punish'd for their Uncleanness 165 T Tables the Excess and Expensivcness of them 276 Tarentum betray'd by an Harlot 195 Theatres Excess of the Romans therein 284 their Furniture costly 286 Theatre of Scaurus of Titus 284 285 Thehe Daughter to Jason how she aveng'd herself of her Husband for his Adultery 198 Theseus 's Lust and Punishment 188 189 Tiberius Caesar 's unnatural Lust filthy Inventions and Death 235 to 237 Titus 's Uncleanness 254 Trajan 's Sodomy c. 259 Troy ruin'd by Lust. 145 Tutula her filthy stratagem to defeat the Latins 193 U Unclean Women made use of to ensnare the People of God fatal to the Contrivers 57 Uncleanness the cause of the Jews Captivity 91 Uncleanness People judicially given up to it and why 117 Uncleanness the sorts of it the Trial and Punishment of it under the Law from 35 to 40 Unnatural Lust discover'd by heterogeneous Births 52 Valentinian the Emperor murder'd for Adultery 260 Vespasian 's uncleanness and reformation 254 255 Vestal Nuns their Whoredoms how expiated 175 Victualling houses at Rome under Ground what 306 Virginia kill'd by her Father to save her Chastity his Speech to the Roman Army 170 171 Vitellius 's Lust and Punishment Luxury Gluttony c. 252 c. W War occasion'd at Sparta by the Lust of Chelidonis 200 Wenches naked wait at Table 277 Whores and Whoremongers their Character by Solomon 87 Whoredom the cause of Apostacy and of the Deluge 6 7 the Judgments denounc'd against it in the New Testament 122 c. its Original 1 2 3 Wild Beasts vast numbers of 'em in the Theatres 287 Women that kill'd themselves to avoid being desil'd 304 Woman taken in Adultery the reason of our Saviour's acquitting her what he wrote upon the Ground at that time 109 World Peopled a first and second time by lawful Marriages 7 Y Young man ravish'd his Mother and kill'd his Father and Sisters 316 Z Zealots in Jerusalem their lustfulness 116 Zeno the Emperor's lust and punishment buried alive 308 309 ERRATA PAGE 15 l. 14 read touched p. 16 l. 31 r. a necessity p. 28 l. 8 r. murther p. 29 l. 19 r. Juvenile p. 29 l. 33 r. greater p. 30 l. 26 for but r. that p. 31 l. 18 dele he p. 35 l. 10 r. a Virgin p. 60 l. 3 r. to propagate p. 83 l. 8 r. as to p. 84 l. 34 r. Canaanites p. 112 l. 33 r. with her Hair p. 130 l. 28 r. Marcionites and l. 34 r. to ward p. 132 l. 29 r. he represents p. 134 l. 4 r. Justin p. 137 l. 4 r. which with and l. 6 r. my Desires and l. 27 r. Effeminacy p. 142 l. 2 r. of Xerxes p. 144 l. 3 r. as abovesaid and l. 26 r. prevail'd p. 147 l. 31 r. Justice p. 165 l. 14 r. begot p. 171 l. 1 r. upon which p. 178 l. 33 r. Disloyalty p. 192 l. 11 r. and another p. 194 l. 14 r. Bawd p. 252 l. ult r. Day p. 253 l. ult r. Streets AN ESSAY TOWARDS A General History OF WHORING c. THE Original of the Crime which is the Subject of the following Sheets must necessarily be deduced from the Sin of our first Parents for there is no doubt that Lust or the inordinate motions of the Flesh did invade their Souls at the same time when their other Faculties were corrupted And it appears plain that Idleness the lust of the Eye and intemperance of Appetite which ever since have been the forerunners and ushers of bodily uncleanness did precede the Eating of the forbidden Fruit and that as the Natural Consequence of such Antecedents the first thing taken notice of by our Parents after the Fall was their Nakedness whereof they were immediately asham'd and endeavoured to cover it This Nakeness say Commentators that they were so speedily made sensible of was not only that they felt their need of a Cover to their Bodies both for Ornament and Defence against the Injuries of the Air c. but that they were also sensible of the Rebellion of the flesh which doth not only war against the Soul but hath a natural tendency to the dissolution of the Body there being nothing which sooner extinguishes the flame of Life than an immoderate consumption of that Oyl which nature hath provided for its nourishment This impurity of the affections did no doubt exert it self quickly in actions which in our first Parents could not fall under the notion of Whoredom they being married by God himself in the State of Innocence yet there 's little doubt to be made of its having vented it self in an immoderate use of the Marriage bed and thus these impure desires were communicated to their Posterity who were thereby polluted and conceiv'd and brought forth in Iniquity The first direct breach of the Divine Institution of Marriage betwixt one Man and one Woman which we find Recorded was in the person of Lamch one of Cain's Posterity whose two Wives we find mentioned in the fourth of Genesis by which it appears plain that Murder and Whoredom are near a kin had both of 'em their rise from one and the same Family And according to the opinion of
some Interpreters did both of 'em center in this Lamech who is thought to have been a bloody cruel Man as is gathered from this discourse to his Wives in that Chapter viz. I have slaâ—…n a man to my wounding and a young man to my hurt This bad example of Lamech's digamy did quickly infect the Infant World for we find in the next Chapter That when men began to multiply and that daughters were born unto them the Sons of God saw the Daughters of men that they were fair and they took them Wives of all that they chose It s still to be observed that as Whoredom and Uncleanness began in Cain's Family so there it continu'd and increas'd and by their Contagious Example the Family of Seth which did then contain the Visible Church became also infected and the Members of the Church having more regard to the Beauty and Comeliness of the Women of Cain's Race than to the vertue of those who were of their own Religion their Eyes betrayed their Hearts they lusted after their Beauty and without any consideration of Religion or Laws took them Wives of all that they chose by which Interpreters understand promiscuous Marriages Polygamy unjust Divorces Rapes and all manner of Lewd and Licentious practises which brought the Wrath of God upon the old World and occasion'd his saying as in the 3d verse That his spirit should not always contend with Man The occasion of this General Corruption of Manners is hinted to be the multiplication of Men and particularly of the Women of Cain's Posterity who being under no discipline and wanting the benefit of pious Instruction and good Example became dissolute and wanton and no care being taken to dispose of them duly in Marriage they took all occasions to satisfie their brutal desires for which their dwelling in Cities whereof Cain was the first Founder amongst multitudes of people gave them great opportunities it being always observ'd that in Great Cities the numbers of dissolute persons makes them to despise Laws and follow such practices as they durst not venture upon in Villages and Countries where they could be more easily restrained and punisht not that I would be understood to be against the building and maintaining of Cities which increase the Glory Riches and Strength of Nations but would to God that the great Cities of Christendom were not still too justly chargeable with avowed Impurities of the same nature which a zealous Magistracy might easily prevent It is also the opinion of some of the learned that the Cainites did first build themselves a City that they might strengthen one anothers hands in Cruelty and Uncleanness and follow such practises with all manner of impunity which gave their Women opportunity to pamper and deck themselves that they might be the more agreeable objects of Lust and this might also render them more amiable in the Eyes of the Posterity of Seth who living as 't is presumed a Rural Life for the most part and their Women being kept in order by Laws and Religion and applying themselves to the Affairs of their Families that they might approve themselves meet helps to their Husbands according to the design of God at the first Creation of Woman did not mind the decking and adorning of their Bodies nor the pampering of their Flesh and cherishing their Beauties as the Cainites did and therefore were not so pleasing to the Eye as those lascivious Women who behaved themselves as if God and Nature had design'd them for nothing else but a Man's bed whereas the Divine Goodness appointed that they should be meet-helps in their Religious Conversation Industry Care and Education of Children to all of which those loose practices of the Cainites were diametrically opposite From those unequal Marriages and promiscuous Copulations proceeded a contempt of Laws and Religion amongst the Cainites and an Apostacy from Godand Religion amongst many of the Posterity of Seth and it hath been observed amongst all Nations since that when Religion decays uncleanness increases and that a love to Licentiousness hath always been a great cause of Apostacy as is but too too observable in those that are called Deists and Socinians in this present Age most of their New Converts or rather Perverts being people of a loose life especially as to the point of Chastity The next effect of those unclean and beastly Commixtions was an off-spring of Giants so called as some Interpreters think from the vastness of their bulk as being begot in raging Lust or as others because of their Barbarous and Salvage Manners and filling all the World with Rapes Cruelty and Devastation so that by the just Judgment of God the Children of those unlawful Marriages and Promiscuous Copulations became the plague of their Parents and the scourge of Mankind as well as the declared Enemies of Heaven and Religion Whence the old doting Poets took occasion to amuse the World with the fabulous War of the Giants against Jupiter c. Noah not being able by his preaching of Righteousness to reform the World from this horrid Debauchery it provok'd God to bring the Deluge which drown'd that lascivious and wicked Generation of Men who had drown'd themselves in all manner of sensual Impurities with so much obstinacy that when that fatal Flood came it surpriz'd them as eating drinking marrying and giving in marriage Thus then it 's apparent that Whoredom was one of the principal Causes that brought the Wrath of God upon the old World And it deserves our observation that God by his Command to Noah to take only his own VVife and the three Wives of his three Sons into the Ark with him as he did thereby give another Testimony of his honouring and approving of Marriage he did also plainly testifie against Digamy Polygamy and Concubines and that as the World was peopled at first by lawful Marriage it should be also peopled in the same manner a second time To come next to the times after the Flood the first instance of impurity that occurs to us is Ham's deriding his father Noah 's nakedness by which there are some Interpreters who understand that he not only told it his Brethren but also before Women and Children in a lascivious and filthy manner and took occasion to fall into foolish Jesting and Sarcasms Nay if we give credit to the opinion of Berosus and the Rabbins he inchanted his Fathers Virile parts and unman'd him but however that is this is certain that he discover'd a frothy unclean lascivious temper for which he was severely punisht in his posterity The Canaanites who wallowed also in those fleshly impurities when God destroyed them by the Israelites the posterity of Sem as shall be taken notice of in its proper place From Ham did also proceed Nimrod the Mighty Hunter and cruel oppressor who was the first that laid the foundation of a Tyrannical Government after the Flood so that the observation still holds that Uncleanness Murder and those other Crimes which lay
the first Instance we meet with of Lusts arriving to such a prodigious height as to seek after Unnatural Objects and it would seem their Incontinence was so fierce that they furiously sought after every opportunity to gratifie their brutish desires especially upon Strangers for they had so mutually polluted one another that it 's probable their villainous pleasures that way had lost much of their relish Nor is it unlikely that the Comely and Beautiful aspect of those Angels added fewel to their flames and it deserves particular observation that the whole City both old and young was infected with this lustful Contagion in which they were so hardened that neither Lot's unadvised proposal of his own Daughters to them who were more natural and fit Objects for their Lust nor the remarkable Judgement of God upon them in striking them with blindness were able to divert them from their devilish purpose of offering that unnatural abuse to those Messengers of God who at last after having set Lot and his Family out of danger became the executioners of Divine Justice upon those Monsters of Impurity and punisht their lustful flames with storms of Fire and Brimstone which were only some precursory drops to those showers of everlasting fire which makes the smoak of their torments to ascend for ever and ever Neither ought it to pass without observation that God did not only punish themselves but would have their Country which they had polluted to remain a Monument of their abominable Impurity and his just Judgment so long as the world stands nor would Divine Justice suffer Lot's VVife to pass unpunish'd for looking back upon the place which she left with a reluctancy and could have wisht to have been spared but turn'd her immediately into a Pillar of Salt for her disobedience and inordinate affection to her Relations and Estate which God had justly determin'd to destroy and not for having withheld Salt from the Angels her Guests the night before as the Jews have fabulously delivered We shall conclude this passage with these few Reflections viz. That the places being converted into a dead Sea near which no Creature can live andthe Apples and Grapes that grow upon the banks of it which are grateful to the Eye but when touch moulder into dust and send forth stinking sulphureous Exhalations are fit Emblems to represent not only the vanity but the deadly effects of those hurtful and foolish Lusts the satisfaction of which is so eagerly pusued by Corrupt Nature The next Instance we meet with is that of Lot's Incest with his own Daughters or rather their Incest with him This passage has many strange Circumstances that deserve our observation It is not improbable that the lewd Conversation of the Sodomites had before-hand infected the minds of those Damsels for it 's a hard matter to touch pitch and not to be defiled Divines are of different opinions concerning those Women some believing that they had actually been married and others that they were only betrothed but which soever of 'em it was it 's certain they had lost their Males and perhaps their Fathers offer to prostitute them to save his Guests and their having been ear witnesses at least to those unnatural villanies practis'd by the Sodomites might possess them with extenuating thoughts of the wickedness they had in design Yet it appears by their abominable Intrigue to Intoxicate their Father that they durst not propound any such thing to him when he was Sober their wickedness appears to be so much the greater that they had but just escap'd from that storm of divine Wrath which over took the Sodomites for their Vile Lusts That they had but a very little before seen their Mother turn'd into a Monument of God's displeasure for having a hankering mind after that impure City and her wicked Relations in it That they had no doubt been often times witnesses to the vexation of their Fathers Righteous Soul at the lustful practises of the Sodomites and yet all this was not able to restrain them from pursuing their unclean design and commiting one sin to obtain the Commission of another Their pretence that there was no Man left to come in unto them after the manner of all the Earth and that therefore they were under necessity a of raising up Seed to their Father appears to have been an ill founded suggestion of the Devil to hide their sin from their Eyes for they could not but know that they had left men behind them in Zoar they might have seen from the hill that the whole Country was not ruined and those divine Judgments had only swallowed up the Cities of the Plain or they might speedily have been better inform'd by their Father Their wickedness is also aggravated by this that as they were Sisters by Nature they were Sisters in Iniquity and they had no regard to their own nor their Father's good Name nor the scandal which by this lewd practice they gave to the Enemies of true Religion The Scripture is silent as to any Judgments inflicted either upon their Father or themselves but informs us plainly that the issue which they had by this Unlawfull Congress were accursed and their posterity like other spurious brood were mortal Enemies to the people of God and perpetually excommunicated from the Church by Divine Command Deut. 23. 3. And thus Lot had an eternal blemish fixâ—… upon his Chastity which did formerly so much distinguish him from the other Inhabitants of Sodom and was punished by being the Author of Debauching his Daughters himself whom he so rashly offered to be Debauched by others so that we see raging Lust leaps over all the bounds of Law and Nature and if not curb'd in time may rise to a surprizing and prodigious height and bring down stupendous Judgments upon People and Persons The 20th Chap. of Genesis gives us another Instance of Abraham's slavish fear and distrust of God's Providence which had formerly delivered him and by which frailty he again endangered the Chastity of his Wife but God took care to preserve it by keeping Abimelech from touching her tho' he was so much taken with her Beauty and doubted not but that he might Lawfully Marry her he not knowing any other but that she was really Abraham's Sister Yet God was so much offended with Abimelech's rash attempt to which he was doubtlesly influenc'd by his Lust for it appears that he had a Wife already that he punish'd him and his Family with a grievous distemper as Josephus thinks as soon as he brought Sara into his House and made all the Women belonging to him barren or because barrenness properly so called could not be so soon discovered inflicted such distempers upon them as must necessarily occasion barrenness so that by his Unlawfull desire of issue by another Man's Wife he was precluded of any Lawfull Issue by his own until such time as he was made sensible of his Crime and willing to restore Sarah to Abraham In the 26th
Crime even amongst those Canaanites seeing Judah ordered his Daughter-in-Law who was in a manner betrothed to his third Son Shelah to be burnt Nay and that the Crime which is called simple Fornication was accounted shamefull amongst them seeing when he sent his Friend to redeem the pledges which he had left with Thamar but could neither find her nor them he said Let her take them to her lest we be ashmed Thamar's fact some have endeavoured to excuse because say they It did not proceed from Incontinence but to revenge her self upon her Father for not giving her Shelah to Husband as he had promised and others alledge that she had some knowledge that the Messiah should descend from Judah and therefore desired to be impregnated by him but neither of these Excuses are sufficient and therefore we find that she was punish'd with a perpetual Widowhood for her Incontinence and also by a dangerous and monstrous Birth of twins who seemed to strive which of them should be soonest rid of their Impure Mother and by that means contributed to render the Memory of their Father and Mothers Crime immortal The next Scripture Instance is of a mixt Nature and contains a Glorious Triumph of Chastity in the person of Joseph against the Tentations of his Lascivious Mistress by embracing of which he might not only have satisfied the invenile heat of Concupiscence but also have expected Riches Preferment and what not by means of a Woman of her Quality and opportunity to fulfil the Lusts of the Flesh with Secrecy and Impunity the Repeated attacks which she made upon him his absence and unjust Expulsion from his Father's Family which then contain d the visible Church the Impure Example of the Egyptians and the unavoidable danger which he must needs foresee he threw himself into by resisting her Unlawful desires set his Victory off with the Creater Lâ—…e and depaints her Crime in Placker Colours and that same History which rewards his Chastâ—…y with immortal Fame punishes her Unâ—…ness with eternal disgrace and Brands her with a sort of Rape contrary to the Common Course of the Sex and with abominable Cruelty in accusing the Innocent youth of her own Crime for which he was shut up in Prison and brought in danger of his Life such is the Rage of disappointed Lust. The Rabbins alledge that she feigned her self to be sick or really might be so thro' her burning Lust as Amnon was for Tamar and finding that all her Sollicitations by words could not do order'd it so as he should find her a Bed in a Room where he frequented thinking thereby to add Strength to the Tentation and if that would not do was resolved to make use of Force which she did also attempt but in vain And it is also remarkable that her Husband tho no doubt incens'd upon her accusing Joseph yet was so far over-rul'd as to abstain from violence towards him and 't is not at all to be doubted but when Joseph's extraordinary Favour in the Court of Heaven advanced him to the Court of Pharaoh but this Unchaste Woman if then alive became a Curse and a Reproach or if dead that her memory became Vile and Contemptible This passage brings naturally to my mind that well known Reflection upon the Reformation here in England by some loose Persons viz. That it came from Henry VIII's Codpiece which opprobrious saying was probably invented by Enemies to our Religion and as there 's no doubt but that Princes Incontinence gave him occasion to Enquire into the Pope's Power and afterwards to break it when he oppos'd his divorce so we see it is no new thing for God to bring about his own holy and pure designs by the Impure and Wicked designs of Mortals for here this Woman's Incontinence occasionâ—…d Joseph's Imprisonment where becoming acquainted with some of Pharaoh's Courtiers then under disgrace that gave occasion to his being sent for to Court and laid the Foundation of that Deliverance which the Church of God had from an Universal Famine by his means I shall conclude this History of Joseph with one observation that as he is Recorded to posterity for a Mirror of Chastity we don't find that he was so much as he tainted with digamy or polygamy as his Father and Great Grand-Father were whose Examples herein tho' they were Holy men he never followed and this is the more Remarkable because his Dignity and Power in the Land of Egypt furnish'd him with all things necessary for Pampering the Flesh and afforded him an opportunity of keeping as many Wives and Concubines as he pleased and yet we find he contented himself with one by which also we may perceive that tho' a Pattern of Chastity yet he accounted Lawfull Marriage and Procreation of Children no violation of it as the Mad Popish Monks would pretend to do The next Instance we have of Divine Judgment upon Uncleanness is in the punishment inflicted upon Reuben and prophetically foretold by his Father Jacob in his last words unto his Children or in his last Will and Testament as some are pleased to call it The Judgment pronounced against Reuben is this Unstable as Water thou shalt not excell because thou wentest up to thy Father's Bed then defiled'st thou it he went up to my Couch c. Chronologers Reckon that this was 40 years after Reuben's Incest with his Father's Concubine Bilhah and tho' Reuben had no doubt repented of his Crime and was thereupon pardon'd by God and his Father so as to be continued both in the Church and in his Father's Family yet now his iniquity is called to remembrance by his dying Parent who puts Reuben to shame afresh before all his Brethren and declares it to be the Will of God that Reuben should be deprived of his Birth-right because of his Impurity and that whereas being the Eldest Son he ought of right to have expected the Priesthood Royalty and Preeminence over his Brethren he is now told that he should not excell that is he and his Posterity should neither be considerable for Strength Valour nor Number and the cause is subjoyned because he was Unstable as Water and had defiled his Father's Bed or had been acted by his Impetuous and Raging Lust like an inundation of Water which over-flows its Banks and drowns the Country and thus as Esau lost his Birth-right by one sort of Profanity Reuben lost it by another and as he had resembled an Inundation of Water for Fury and Instability so God poured him out like Water and made his state Unstable and this Judgment was pronounced in the hearing of all his Brethren as the last and irrevocable Will of God and his Father which there 's no reason to doubt set it home with the greater pungency upon Reuben's Soul and especially because not only he himself but his Posterity also was set up as a Monument of God's Judgment against Incontinence There are some who fabulously assert that Jacob being well vers'd in Astronomy
time but the solution is eaise by the Total destruction may be meant that of the Generality or some of them might escape to the Neighbouring Nations and return again with Foreign Colonies to re inhabit their desolate Country which the Israelites were not to stay in but press'd forward towards the Land of Canaan and so the new Inhabitants assuming the Name of the Country might invade the Israelites in the days of Gideon We have seen the destruction of Midian occasioned by their Uncleanness but that of the Moabites was respited for a while because they were the off-spring of Lot Of such advantage is it to be descended of Godly Parents tho' in an illegal manner We have already considered Incestuous and Unlawfull Marriages as they were forbidden to the Israelites whom God would have distinguish'd from other Nations not only in respect of the purity of their Morals but even in their Apparel Hair and laudable Customs as Maimonides and others think And we come now to consider those Incestuous Marriages and Promiscuous Copulations as the Causes of the destruction of the Egyptians amongst whom they had dwelt and of the Canaanites in whose Land they were to dwell as it is particularly expressed in the 18th Chapter of Leviticus It 's true that all along in the Book of Exodus the Chief Crime of the Egyptians taken notice of is Oppression and Persecution but as we have said before Persecution and Uncleanness are Generally Companions and we find that the multiplication of the Hebrews was one great Cause of the Envy and Hatred of the Egyptians towards them which being the usual Blessing and Reward of Chastity was a severe Reproof to the Lascivious Egyptians which no doubt did heighten their Enmity to the Children of Israel And by the Prophet's Reproof in the 20. and 23. Chapters of Ezekiâ—…l That Israel had plaid the Harlot in the days of her Youth when she was in the Land of Egypt there 's reason to think that too too many of the Israelites were infected with the corrupt Example of the Egyptians who for their Promiscvous Venery are Compared to Asses and Horses by the Prophet in these words Whose Members are as the Members of Asses and whose Issue is as the Issue of Horses Historians tell us That it was usual amongst the Egyptians for Brothers and Sisters to Marry together and that they made a Statute for the Lawfulness of it because Isis their Goddess was Married to her Brother Osiris Then seeing the Israelites had convers'd amongst them 200 Years and had not only seen but learned their Corrupt manners and been witnesses to all the plagues inflicted upon them on that Account there could not be a more proper Caution given them than to beware of their Practices It is also to be observed that the Arabians amongst whom the Israelites wandered married none but their own Kindred That the Persians held it Lawfull for the Fathers to marry with their Daughters and the Parthians accounted it no Crime for the Mothers to marry with their Sons so much were those Eastern Countries drowned in Uncleanness whence it is plain that Whoredom was one of the principal Causes of their destruction It 's true that in Abraham's time it would seem that such Incestuous Marriages were not Common amongst the Egyptians otherwise his advice to Sara to say that she was his Sister would have been no Argument to make the Egyptians conclude that she was not his Wife But it is plain from Historians that afterwards they grew more licentious And thus Ptolemy Pihladelphus married his Sister Arsinoe and Soter and Philopater Egyptian Kings did also marry their own Sisters And it 's a known Story of the Persians that when Cambyses King of Persia had a mind to his youngest Sister and ask'd his Judges whether there were any Law against it they answered him That they knew none but that there was a Law that the King 's of Persia might do what they would Then 't is also known that the Messagates Troglodites Brachmans and other Eastern People allowed a Community of Wives their Philosophers taught it and Crates and Cabades Kings of Persia made L aws for it Another of the Crimes forbidden to the Israelites and which the Canaanites and those Eastern People were guilty of was causing their Seed to pass through the fire to Moloch by which some understand that in a most filthy manner they consecrated their Sperm or Seed to their Idol Priapus as Baal's Priest offered their Blood to their Idol 1. Kings 18. and as the Manichees and Gnosticks mixed the Eucharist with humane Seed tho' the Current of Interpreters carry it for making their Children pass through betwixt two fires and sometimes offering them as a burnt-Sacrifice in Honour of their Idol They are also charged with Sodomy or the Unnatural Lust of Men towards Men to which they were given up by the Just Judgment of God as a due punishment for their Idolatry And at the dissolution of the Monasteries here in England our Anti-Christian Idolaters were found to have polluted themselves in this manner which Crime as it brought Hell upon the Sodomites before their time that is brought Fire and Brimstone upon them before they went off the Earth so this horrid Uncleanness of the Monks procur'd the dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII before their Religion was discharged out of the Nation The Egyptians and Canaanites are also charged with Bestiality their Men and Women having committed Confusion with Beasts and thus Pasiphae is accused of having accompanied with a Bull Polyphantes with a Bear Semiramis with an Horse and the Women of Mendis in Egypt with Goats Nay if we may believe the Fables of the Jews the false Prophet Balaam who was slain amongst the Midianites was guilty of Bestiality with his Ass which they foolishly collect from those Words of the Beast viz. Am not I thine Ass which thou hast ridden upon It is also observable that those brutal Commixtions were punish'd by the Infamy of the Criminals as well as by their destruction for we read that the Monstrous Births have many times discovered those Unnatural Crimes and that sometimes they have been betrayed by Heterogeneous tho perfect Births And thus Plutarch tells us of a Boy begotten betwixt a Man and a Mare and of a Girl betwixt a Man and an Ass And Olaus Magnus mentions a Man begotten of a Woman by a Bear who was thereupon called Ursus and of whom many Great Danish Princes did afterwards descend It 's true that Galen denies that there can be any such Generation of Mankind but others maintain it upon this reason That the Partial Cause being more Noble prevails over the less Noble as it is many times seen that a fair Woman hath brought forth a Black-a-moor In fine the Land of Canaan being polluted by those abominations Vomited out her Inhabitants the Posterity of Cham who did so impudently behold and revile his Fathers Nakedness and is thought to have
Father who as Josephus thinks wept continually after God had revealed to him that both his Sons should be slain in one day and the Scripture tells us that he fell backward and broke his Neek upon the receipt of that fatal News It reach'd also the Wife of one of 'em who died upon the News of her Husband's death and the Arks being taken and it reach'd also their Posterity who were for ever excluded from the Priests Office and had a perpetual Poverty entailed upon them as a Curse and to make them the more sensible of the dignity from whence they had fallen they were condemned to be a sort of slaves to the High-Priest of the succeeding Family of whom they were to beg a morsel of Bread and Employment so naturally does the Curse of Poverty or of bringing a Man to a piece of Bread follow upon Whoredom and Uncleanness There are some other Instances of lesser note as Sauls forcing his Daughter Michal after she had been married to David to marry another Man which was an act of Unncleaness and Tyranny too and had no doubt its influence amongst others of that Prince's Tyrannical and Impious Acts to hasten ruin upon him The Instance of Abner's going into Rispah Saul's Concubine which Interpreters think he did in an Adulterous manner and not by way of Lawfull Marriage deserves our Remark for hereby Saul suffered in his Fame after his Death and he who had compelled his Daughter to defile her Husband's Bed had this Ignominy and punishment inflicted upon his Son that he saw his Fathers-Wife dishonourably defiled and Abner who was guilty of that Villanous Action took occasion because of his Reproof to Revolt from him and to transfer the Kingdom to David and as he went about to effect it fell into the snare which Joab had laid for him and lost his Life We come in the next place to David's Adultery with Bathsheba a Crime which hath many aggravations to be committed by David a prophet who instructed others in the Law of God and did so grosly break it himself to be committed by David a King who ought to have defended the Chastity of his Subject and not to have violated it himself to be Commited by David a holy Man who did thereby expose Religion ro be ridicul'd and laid a stumbling block before others to commit the like Crime because of his Example then if we consider the time it was when his Generals and Army were expos'd to the Fury of their Enemy in a Siege when he ought to have been more sollicitous for the honour and dignity of his Crown and for the safety of his Subjects Then if we consider the Person against whom this Crime was committed we find it to be against a Brave Valiant and Faithfull Friend and Subject who would not indulge himself in his Pleasures and Accommodations while the Ark and People of the Lord abode in Tents tho' David who was his Sovereign allowed him nay Commanded and Enticed him to do it which heightned and aggravated the Crime of that Holy man who acted herein Hypocritally and Scandalously to cover his Iniquity and gave occasion to the Israclites to think that as for Personal Conversation they had made but a sorry Exchange betwixt Saul and David for we don't find that Tyrant accused of Personal Uncleanness But the bloody part of the Scene is still to be acted David finding that he could not effect his design by Hypocrisy hath recourse to downright Violence and Murder his Intrigue to make Uriah drunk which he thought might provoke him to a desire of his Wife having miscarried he resolves to cut him off by the Sword of the Ammonites and that too in a fraudulent manner by ordering him to be set in the front of the Battle and commanding the Men to retire from him that he might be smitten Nay so eager was he to have this Poor Man's life in order to cover his own Uncleanness that he was content to Sacrifice the Lives of many more of his Subjects so that this could be but effected so natural is it for Uncleanness to be the Parent and occasion of Murder The Crime is still further aggravated if we consider how deliberately it was committed how long he continued without Repentance and what a severe Judgment he gave against himself when Nathan the Prophet propounded the Case to him by way of Parable So much for David's Crime we must now consider that of Bathsheba she Wash'd and Bathâ—…d her self in open view of the Palace otherwise David could never have seen her from the Roof of his House which argues her to have been very Immodest nor do we find that she made any opposition to the proposal when 't was made to her so little regard had she either to the Law of God or her own and her Husbands Honour It remains then that we come to the punishment inflicted upon both The Judgment pronounced by Nathan against David was That the Sword should never depart from his House that the Lord would raise up evil against him out of his own House that he would take his Wives before his Eyes and give them unto his Neighbour who should lie with them in the sight of the Sun and that the Child which he had begot in Adultery should surely die all which was exactly fullfilled as we shall see in the following Instances The first part of the punishment inflâ—…cted was the Death of the Child and how near that went to David may easily be perceived by his afflicting himself with fasting and lying all night upon the Earth while it was sick and there 's no doubt but this part of the punishment reach'd Bathsheba as well as him seeing 't is reasonable to suppose that the Death of a Child for whom she had broke through all ties Divine and Humane must go very near her The next part of the punishment displayed David's Sin in Legible Characters and brought an horrid Disgrace upon his Family viz. The Incest of his Son Amnon with his Daughter Tamar the Story and Consequence of which is as follows Tamar being a fair Woman Amnon her Brother fell in Love with her but knowing that she was within the sorbidden degrees of Consangninity he found he could not Lawfully enjoy her Before we proceed any further in the History of this affair it is proper to consider that this Damsel's Mother was Maacha Daughter to Talmai King of Gâ—…shur Rabbi â—…hi says That David took this Lady Captive and being himself Captivated with her Beauty defil'd her and begot this Tamar and that persevering in his Love to Maacha tho' a Heathen he made her a Proselyte and did according as it is prescribed by the Levitical Law Deut. 21. viz. Shav'd her Head and Eyebrows cut her Nails c. and took her to Wife Lyranus and some of the later Rabbins say That when Maacha was taken she was with Child of this Tamar by another Husband and this they think favoured by
in the execution of Justice they went out one by one which was as much as if they had made an open Confession of their Hypocrisie and Villainy before all the Spectators which was partly evident before in that they did not bring the Man as well as the Woman which to be sure they might have done seeing the Criminals were taken in the Act and they ought to have done it seeing by the Law of God he was equally guilty and therefore upon the whole to form such an Argument from this saying and practise of our Saviour as that Adultery is not punishable under the New Testament is every whit as absurd as to say that because he declined being a Judge betwixt two Brethren about the division of their Father's Inheritance therefore there ought to be no such thing as a division of Parents Estates amongst their Children under the New Testament Besides 't is apparent that the design of our Saviour's coming into the World was to save peoples Souls and not to destroy their Bodies as is evident from his mercy to Mary Magdalen out of whom he cast Seven unclean Devils his Converse with the Woman of Samaria whom he convinced of the Evil of her Way and his permitting a Woman who was a sinner which in the New Testament Phrase is as much as a Common Prostitute to wipe his Feet whither Hair and to wash them with her Tears of Repentance These are all the Historical passages which we find relating to our Subject in the New Testament during Christ's abode upon Earth and therefore we come next to a passage or two in Josephus suited to our purpose The first is in his Antiquities lib. 18. Chap. 4. concerning Paulina a Roman Lady Wife to Saturninus a Nobleman of Rome upon whom Decius Mundus another Roman of Quality became so enamoured that he tempted her by Bribes and all other methods imaginable to comply with his lustful design offering her no less than 100000 Drachma's which is computed at 6000 l. Sterlin but she would by no means consent to him whereupon he was so burnt up by his Lust that he pined and wither'd away daily which being observed by Ida his Father's Servant Maid she learned his distemper and undertook his Cure for 25000 Drachma's which she effected thus she understood that the Lady was particularly addicted to the worship of the Heathen God Isis who had a Temple at Rome and thereupon applying her self to the Priests she promis'd them 25000 Drachma's if they could so contrive it that Decius should enjoy the Lady in the Temple the one half in hand and the other upon the performance of the Bargain the Priests undertook it and laid the Plot in the following manner The Eldest of them when the Lady came to the Temple accosted her and pretended that the God Anubis who frequented that Temple had conceiv'd a mighty passion for her and earnestly desired her Company there one night the Lady being charm'd with this extraordinary sort of Amour being no less than a Divine Courtship as she thought acquainted her Husband with it who was as fond of being a Cukcold by an imaginary Deity as some of the Indians are at present by their Brachmans And the rest of the Roman Ladys began to grudge at Paulina's good Luck and to long for the like The appointed time being come Paulina makes hast to the Temple where the Roguish Priests had Decius ready who assoon as the Lamps were removed approach'd to his beloved Paulina and under the notion of the God Anubis debauch'd her without any resistance The deluded Lady returned in the Morning highly honoured as she thought but Decius meeting her a little after renewed his former suit which she rejected as usual whereupon he told her in an upbraiding manner that she was not so coy the other night in the Temple of Isis where he enjoy'd her for one fourth of the Sum that he had formerly proffered her The poor Lady being surprized to find that she had entertained a lewd Adulterer instead of a supposed Divinity tore her hair rent her cloaths and discovered the Cheat to her Husband who complaining thereof to the Emperor Titerius he condemn'd the Priests and Ida to be hang'd ordered the Temple to be pull'd down the Statue of Anubis to be thrown into the Tiber and Decius Mundus to be banish'd and thus this Famous Temple was demolish'd and the Convent of Priests destroyed for being Pimps to the insatiable Lust of a Noble Roman he himself banish'd from his Country which he had polluted and Ida his Bawd punish'd as all others of the Trade ought to be That same Author in the 18th Book in his Antiquities and the 12th Chapter gives us another account of a Tragedy brought upon a great number of his Countrymen by an unlawful Amour as follows Anilaeus and Asinaeus two Jews of mean Condition upon a disgust retired into an Island of the Euphrates where joyning with other dissolute persons and â—…agabond Jews they became formidable to the adjacent Countries which they ravaged at their pleasure and so increasing in number were a Terror to the Princes of those Countries and obliged them to court their friendship but having once relax'd the discipline that they observ'd when they first form'd themselves into a Society they lost ground and Anilaeus lusting after a Parthian Lady made War against her Husband upon her account and was so bewitch'd with her Amours that he countenanc'd Idolatry for her sake which bred discontent amongst his Followers most of which were Jews who complaining thereof to Asinaeus his Brother he reprov'd him for it upon which the Parthian Lady poyson'd Asinaeus but the judgement of God soon overtook them for Mithridates taking Arms against Anilaeus and his dissolute Companions he defeated them in Battle and afterwards the Greeks and Syrians who liv'd in Seleucia kill'd 50000 of the Jews such was the fatal Consequence of Whoredom and Idolatry which did first mutually produce one another and then both together issued in the destruction of their followers The last instance that we meet with in Josephus for our purpose is that in the 5th Book of his Wars and 9th Chapter where he gives us an account that during the Siege of Jerusalem by Titus the Son of Vespasian the Faction called the Zealots became Lustful Effeminate Lascivious Curl'd their Hair wore Womens Apparel anointed themselves that their Beautymight be pleasing thirsted after Unnatural pleasures and made Jerusalem a Stews and not long after followed the utter destruction of their City Temple and Commonwealth with the slaughter of 1100000 of their people since which they have been Vagabonds a Curse and a Reproach upon the face of Earth and are noted for a Lustfull and Unclean People where ever they are God having in his Just Judgment giv'n them up to work all manner of Uncleanness with greediness seeing their Love to their Lusts made them first reject the Pure and Holy Doctrine of our Saviour and afterwards
acceptable to the Persians and in their place brought in as many young Men in Womens Habit with orders to punish the Ambassadors for their lasciviousness and accordingly when they begun to handle them as they had done the Women the young men kill'd every one of the Ambassadors with Swords which they had concealed under their Garments In that same Book we have an instance of an abominable Incestuous Intrigue of Eurydice Wife to another Amyntas King of Macedonia and Nephew to the former who falling in Love with her Son-in-Law upon promise of Marriage undertook to murder her Husband and advance her Gallant to the Throne but was prevented by her Daughter who discovered her Mothers Incest and bloody design yet Amyntas for the Love which he bare to the Children that he had by this wicked Woman spar'd her and the Unnatural Beast after his Death murdered her own Sons Alexander and Perdiccas by him tho'for their sakes he had spared her Life and all this mischief she committed that she might wallow without Interruption in her Impure Lusts. In his 9th Book he gives us an account of the death of Philip of Macedon Rather to Alexander the Great which was occasioned partly by his having Divorc'd Olympias on suspicion of Adultery or with an Adulterous design to marry Cleopatra and partly because he had not executed Judstice upon Attalus for having Committed Sodomy upon Pausanias who freâ—…uently complained of it but was always dismiss'd with scorn and therefore watching his Opportunity he stabb'd Philip on the day that he was married to Cleopatra as walking betwixt his own Sons afterwards Alexander the Great and Alexander his Son-in-Law Thus this Great Prince who had Conquer'd many Nations and Countries became a Conquest and Victim to his own Lusts and the Lusts of others and occasioned likewise the death of his Paramour Cleopatra Olympias having first murdered her Daughter and then forc'd Cleopatra to hang her self His â—…th Book furnishes us with a very remarkable instance of Artaxerxes King of Persia who had 115 some say 160 Sons by Concubines and three only by Lawfull Marriage for which Incontinence he was punish'd in the following manner his Son Darius being by the Indulgence of Artaxerxes admitted to the Throne while he himself was alive contrary to the Custom of the Persians he ungratefully Conspired against his Father's Life and engaged 49 of his Brethren in the Conspiracy The occasion of this Unnatural Plot was yet more vile than the Plot it self which Justin relates thus Artaxerxes having defeated and killed his Brother Cyrus in the War betwixt them he married Aspasia Cyrus his Concubine and her Darius wou'd have his Father to resign to him as well as his Throne which the Indulgent Father promised to do at first but repenting of it afterwards he made her priestess to the Sun that he might have a fair pretence of denying her to Darius because according to the Persian superstition those of that Office must observe perpetual Chastity Darius taking this as a great affront entred into the Conspiracy as abovementioned which being discovered the Incestuous and Unnatural Traitor with all his Associates their Wires and Children was cut off that there might be no memorial left of such a horrid piece of Villainy Thus was Uncleanness justly punish'd both in Father and Children and this Instance is so much the more remarkable that it fell out but a few years before the overthrow of the Persian Monarchy by Alexander the Great which the Lasciviousness and Effeminacy of the Persians made easy to be effected Our next instance is Alexander the Great who tho in the height of his Youth and Conquests he obtain'd so much Glory by abstaining from Darius his Beautiful Queen and Daughters who were his Captives yet giving himself afterwards up to Impure Pleasures he hath thereby rendred his Infamy as Immortal as his Fame It 's observed of him by his Historian Curtius that he was always more Famous in War than after Victory and that having broke the Power of the Persian Empire he degenerated into those very Manners or rather Vices which made the Persians such an easie Conquest to him That same Author in his 5th Book gives us an Account that Alexander having staid much longer at Babylon than he did at any other place the Corrupt Manners of the Citizens did more prejudice to the Discipline of his Army than any thing they had met with before that time and indeed the Description that Curtius gives us of the abominable Luxury and Impurity which reign'd in that City is sufficient to convince us that the Empire of which that was the Metropolis or at least the most Renowned and Greatest City was ripe for ruin The words of the Historian are as follow There was nothing more corrupt than the manners of that City and nothing more Accommodated to incite and provoke Voluptuousness and Lust. The Parents and Husbands permitted their Wives and Daughters to lie with their Guests provided they gave them a Reward Banquets Revells and Plays were the Chief delights of the Kings and Princes of Persia. The Babylonians were wholly giv'n up to Wine Drunkenness and the Consequences of it Their Women when they first came in to their Feasts and Banquets were apparelied modestly enough but in a little time after they threw off their upper Garments and in the last place with modesty be it spoken vncover'd their Nakedness nor was this only the practise of the Common prostitutes but of their Matrons and married Women who esteem'd such promiscuous dalliance a Great piece of Complaisance and Good breeding with which Dehauches says our Author that Army which Conquer'd Asia being glutted for 34 days they had doubtless been rendred very unfit for what they undertook afterwards if they had not been Reinforc'd by fresh supplies of uncorrupted men from Macedonia c. Our Author gives us another Instance of the Idleness and Luxury of the Persian Women viz. That when Alexander the Great had received Purple and Macedonian Apparel made by his own Sisters in a Present from home he ordered the same to be Presented to Sysigambis the Mother of Darius with this Complement that if she lik'd them he would furnish her with those who shou'd teach her Grand Daughters to make such which presently drew Tears from the Persian Princess there being nothing reckon'd more dishonourable amongst the Persian Women than to Card and Spin which I take to be the meaning of our Author's words to touch Wool How much this differs from Solomon's Character of a good Houswife and whether the handling of Wool had not been more commendable than such Dissolute Revels as we just now mentioned let the World Judge But to return to Alexander the Great After he had with great difficulty and danger past the straits of Susis and taken Persepolis the Royal Residence of the Kings of Persia the Lascivious Inhabitants became Executioners of Divine Justice upon themselves and their Impure City for putting on their
instantly summoned a Council wherein the Marriage of Antiochus with Stratonice was agreed upon And thus Demetrius's Daughter pursuing her Father's Example entertain'd an unlawful Amour Justice continu'd to pursue Demetrius so that he fell sick at Pella of a desperate Malady the true Daughter of Intemperance and Luxury and during this Indisposition Pyrrhus took most part of the Kingdom of Macedonia from him and tho' he recover'd a great part of it afterwards yet his Army deserting him he was quickly despoil'd of it again which threw Philla one of his Wives into such Despair that she poison'd her self After this he married Ptolemaida Daughter to Euridice his Wife Philla's Sister so that tho' Judgment follow'd him now very close yet he would not be diverted from his impure Amours His Army with which he fought against Agathocles grew not only mutinous but was grievously afflicted with the Plague and he being hard pressed upon by his Enemies had recourse to Seleucus his Son-in-law who at first was willing to have entertain'd him kindly but being otherwise advis'd by his Council he took Arms against him and put him so to it that he endeavour'd to have kill'd himself but being prevented surrender'd himself up to Seleucus who made him a Prisoner but gave him honourable Entertainment Demetrius during this Restraint gave himself wholly up to Intemperance which brought Distempers upon him that kill'd him and so he became his own Executioner The next Instance which Plutarch affords us is that famous one of Mark Antony and Cleopatra He tells us That Antony in his Youth was debauch'd by Curio who plung'd him into all the Inconveniences of Whoring and Drinking and a Debt of 250 Talents which was very shameful in one of his years Antony did also incurr the Displeasure of the better sort of People by his Midnight Revels his wild Expences his rouling from one little Whore to another his Naps in the Day and his Walks to digest his Debauches and then at Night again his Entertainments and Balls for the solemnizing the Nuptials of some Comedian or Buffoon Cytheries the She-Comedian he doted on mightily so that she was with him where-ever he went and her Equipage was as splendid as his Mother's He lodg'd his little Whores and singing Wenches wheresoever he pass'd in the Houses of serious Men and Women which gave great offence But that which compleated his Ruin was his falling in love with Cleopatra upon her coming to him at his Summons for having assisted Cassius in the Wars Dalleus who carried the Message to her had no sooner seen her admirable Beauty but he told her It was impossible that so beautiful a Creature could receive any ill treatment at the Hands of Antony and therefore advis'd her to make towards him in splendid Equipage Accordingly she embarks in the River Cydnus the Head of her Barge did shine with inlaid Gold the Sails were of Purple Silk the Oars of Silver which beat Time to the Flutes and Hautbois she her self lay all-along under a Canopy of Cloth of Gold curiously embroider'd dress'd as Venus is ordinarily represented and beautiful young Boys stood on each side like Cupids to fann her her Maids were dress'd like Sea-Nymphs and Graces some steering the Rudder some working at the Ropes the Perfumes diffus'd themfelves from the Vessel to the Shore which was all cover'd with Multitudes the People running out of the City to see this strange Sight left Antony alone upon the Tribunal and a Rumor was spread abroad That Venus was come to feast with Bacchus for the common Good of Asia As soon as she arriv'd Antony sent to invite her to Supper but she thought it more decent that Antony should come to her who made no great Difficulty to do it he found the Preparations very magnificent but nothing was so admirable as the great number of Lights which were all of a sudden let down in such a multitude of Branches and so ingeniously dispos'd some in Squares and some in Circles that Fame cannot speak of a greater piece of Curiosity Antony was so strangely taken with this Woman that notwithstanding Fulvia his Wife maintain'd his Quarrels in Rome against Caesar with great difficulty yet he suffer'd himself to be carried away by Cleopatra to Alexandria there to lead an easie childish Life in Divertisements too youthful for his age and in all manner of Luxury But they were so well pleas'd with it that they call'd it an inimitable Life Cleopatra humour'd him in every thing never left him Day nor Night play'd at Dice drank with him hunted with him went a rambling with him at Nights to disturb and torment People under their Windows dress'd like an ordinary Woman for Antony went to those Frolicks in Servants disguise and sometimes would return soundly beaten While Antony spent his time thus in Egypt Vengeance was pursuing him apace for News was brought him that his Wife Fulvia and her Brother Lucius who had for some time maintain'd his Quarrel against Caesar were driven out of Italy and that the Carthians had over-run a great part of Asia This rous'd him out of his Sleep so that he set sail for Italy with Two hundred Ships and meeting some of his Friends by the way they told him That his Wife Fulvia being a Woman of an ambitious Spirit had occasion'd the War being in hopes that the Commotions in Italy would force Antony from Cleopatra It happen'd that Fulvia died at Sicyon on her way to meet Antony which made the Accommodation between him and Caesar so much the easier to be effected and to cement this Friendship the more strongly Antony marries Octavia Sister to Caesar but this Amity was not long Liv'd new Jealousies betwixt those two Captains began suddenly to appear tho' for some time indeed they were hinder'd by Octavia from breaking out into a Flame But as soon as Antony return'd into Syria his unlawful Amours with Cleopatra took fire afresh and he presented her with whole Kingdoms and Provinces at a time to the great disgust of the Romans and tho' he had assembl'd a vast Army which made India tremble and put all Asia in a Consternation yet all those Preparations were of no use to him he was so much charm'd and bewitch'd with the Thoughts of his Mistress Cleopatra and long'd so much to be with her that not being able to endure the tediousness of a Meal he would start from Table and run to see if she were coming In the mean time Octavia whom he had left with her Brother Caesar having obtain'd Leave from him to take a Journey to see Antony she was commanded by him to stay at Athens tho' she brought along with her Clothes and Money for his Army and a reinforcement of Souldiers Octavia was much displeas'd at this as she had reason but so it must be for Cleopatra dreading that Octavia who was a prudent Woman and powerfully ally'd might interrupt the course of her Amours she betook her self to dye for Love of
Antony which did so much prevail upon him that he abandon'd his Design against Media and return'd to Alexandria This injurious Treatment of Octavia did highly incense her Brother Caesar so that he commanded her from her Husband's House into his own which she refus'd to obey but like a dutiful Wife took care not only of Antony's Children by her self but of those also that he had by Fulvia which honourable Deportment of hers did very much heighten the Resentments of the Romans against Antony who spent his time at Alexandria in the height of Luxury and Insolence assembling the People in the publick place where Thrones of Gold placed in a State of Silver were erected for him and Cleopatra their Children were stiled Kings of Kings and she was dress'd in the Habit of the Goddess Isis and gave Audience to the People under that Name These things being related to the Senate at Rome by Caesar did mightily alienate the Hearts of the People from Antony and so matters came to an open Rupture betwixt him and Caesar by means of his unlawful Amours with Cleopatra Great Military Preparations being made on both sides Cleopatra was resolv'd to accompany her Paramour dreading otherwise that a Peace might be contriv'd by the Mediation of Octavia and the better to prevail with him she furnish'd near a Million of Money towards carrying on the War And so far was Antony transported with Rage against his Lawful Wife Octavia that he sent Orders to Rome that she should remove out of his House with all her Children And he behav'd himself so insolently to many Noble Romans by Cleopatra's means that they deserted him daily and went over to Caesar who did so much despise Antony because of his Effeminacy that he would talk publickly That Antony had drank Potions that bereft him of his Senses and that his chief Counsellors were an Eunuch and Cleopatra 's Waiting-women The Event verified that Caesar made a true Judgment of Things for tho' Antony had a prodigious Force viz. no less than Five hundred Galleys most of them of eight and ten Banks of Oars so very rich that they seem'd design'd for a Triumph and besides these he had One hundred thousand Foot and Twelve thousand Horse and six Vassal-Kings attending him yet he had no Conduct to manage this mighty Force but contrary to the Mind of his best Generals he would venture all on a Sea-battel because Cleopatra desir'd it And this Luxurious Woman when Fortune had not as yet determin'd it against him did perfectly lose him the Battel by running away with sixty Sail in the heat of the Fight and he was so far besotted with Love to her that he immediately follow'd her leaving his Fleet engag'd and his Army without a Commander that as Cleopatra had begun his Ruin she might be sure to accomplish it In a little time Antony was deserted by all his Forces and Friends and Cleopatra and he both forc'd to sue to Caesar for his Favour who would not grant her any except she put Antony to death And thus being reduc'd to Despair and pursu'd to Alexandria it self the Naval and Land-Force that was left deserted to Caesar which made Antony think that Cleopatra had betray'd him and she being afraid that he might do her a Mischief in his Rage retir'd to a Monument which she had prepar'd for her self and sent him word that she was dead upon which he ran himself into the Belly but before he dy'd Cleopatra had sent to have him brought to her in the Monument wherein she had enclos'd her self with two Women only When he was brought thither she durst not open the Door for fear of being taken alive and carried to Caesar but let down Cords to which Antony was fasten'd and she and her two Women dragg'd up her dying Paramour than which a more sad and tragical Spectacle could not be seen When she got him up she laid him on her Bed tore her Hair and her Clothes and the sense of her own Misfortunes was wholly swallow'd up in the thoughts of his She express'd the greatest Passion and Tenderness for him imaginable calling him her Lord her Husband and her Emperor but in a little time he died Caesar being inform'd of this sent Proculaeius to endeavour to take Cleopatra alive if possible being afraid that she would otherwise destroy all her vast Treasures Proculaeius having sent one to treat with her at the Door did in the mean time get in at the Window where she drew up Antony by the help of a Scaling-ladder and surpriz'd her upon which she drew a Dagger to have stabb'd her self but being prevented at that time her Life was prolong'd for some days and having obtain'd Leave of Caesar to pay her last Oblations at the Tomb of the deceased Antony she lamented him in most pathetical and passionate Expressions and retiring again to her Monument writ a Letter to Caesar desiring that she might be buried in the same Tomb with Antony and straitway poison'd her self by the bite of an Asp which she had order'd to be brought her in a Basket of Figs and so disappointed Caesar's design of leading her in Triumph Thus did Justice pursue Antony and Cleopatra and thus by their unlawful Amours they occasion'd the death of many thousands of Men and at last brought themselves to that Tragical Exit as signal an Instance as any we shall meet with of the truth of that Threatning that Whoremongers and Adulterers God will punish In the Life of Marcus Tulâ—…ius Cicero Plutarch informs us That Catiline the Conspirator amongst other heinous Crimes was accus'd of having deflower'd his own Daughter and furnishing his wicked fellow-Conspirators with Women and Drink which shews how dangerous such fellows are in any Government and how easily they may be engag'd in Conspiracies against those who would curb them in their Excesses In that same Life we have an Account that Clodius a noble Roman being in the vigor of his Youth and in love with Pompeia Caesar's Wife he gets privately into Caesar's House in the Habit of a Minstrel the Women being then offering Sacrifice there which it was not lawful for Men either to hear or see Clodius being a Youth and Beardless hoped to get to Pompeia among the Women unknown but losing himself in the Passage of that large House by Night Aurelia one of Caesar's Mothers Women ' spying him wandring up and down enquir'd his Name and thus being necessitated to speak he was known by his Voice which being noised abroad Caesar put away his Wife Pompeia and Clodius was prosecuted for prophaning the Holy Rites Cicero tho' his Friend yet to preserve his Quiet with Terentia his Wife was forc'd to accuse him The cause of Terentia's Spite against Clodius was upon the account of his Sister Clodia who had a mind to marry Cicero by whom she was frequently visited and this gave Terentia Ground of Jealousie Clodius was also accus'd of Incest with his own Sisters and
Triumph amongst other Lampoons us'd upon such occasions had this noted Lampoon Gallias Caesar subegit Nicomedes Caesarem Ecce Caesar nunc Triumphat qui subegit Gallias Nicomedes non triumphat qui subegit Caesarem Which may be English'd thus For conqu'ring Gaul Caesar doth Lawrels wear But Nicomedes doth no Trophies bear Tho' he made Conquest of the Conquerer He is generally said to have been much inclin'd also to lust after Women and to have been very prodigal in his Amours He debauch'd several Ladies of good Quality as Posthumia the Wife of Servius Sulpitius Lossia the Wife of Gabinius Tertulla the Wife of Crassus and Mucia Pompey's Lady insomuch that the Curio's upbraided Pompey that the Extravagancy of his Ambition should ever induce him to marry the Daughter of that Man for whose Intimacy with his Wife he was oblig'd to divorce her after he had three Children by her and frequently to own himself a Cuckold Caesar had a mighty Passion for Servilia the Mother of Brutus whom he presented with a Jewel that cost him 6000000 Sesterces besides other considerable Boons and the cheap Purchase of many noble Farms expos'd to publick sale and People being surpriz'd at her good Bargain Cicero quibbl'd upon it saying They would reckon it a better Bargain if they knew that Tertia was deducta meaning that she had prostituted her Daughter Terti as well as her self to Caesar. He likewise debauch'd several Provincial Ladies for which his Souldiers in his Gallick Triumph lampoon'd him in this manner Cits now be sure to keep your Wives at home For here 's a bald triumphant Stallion come In Gaul they made thee pay for Whoring dear But thou of Cits mak'st Cuckolds gratis here He is also accus'd of Unlawful Amours with several Queens as Eunoe Wife to Bogud King of Morocco to whom he gave many magnificent Presents but his Darling-Mistress was Cleopatra whom he often treated all Night long and had certainly accompanied her in her Pleasure-boat as far as Aethiopia had not his Army refus'd to comply with the Frolick and upon her he begat a Son who was call'd Caesario Nay he was so infamous both for Active and Passive Uncleanness that Curio the Father in an Oration call'd him Every Woman's Man and every Man's Woman He was so insatiable in his Lust that Helvius Cinna Tribune of the People acknowledg'd that he had a Bill ready prepar'd by him which Caesar commanded him to get pass'd into a Law whereby he might be authoriz'd to marry what Wives and in what Number he pleas'd to secure him Issue Yet Infinite Justice order'd it so that he left no Lawful Issue behind him We come now to take notice of the Judgments that pursu'd him some of 'em did represent his Crime in legible Characters as that of his Wife Pompeia's Intrigue with Clodius which was so publick that Clodius was prosecuted for the same as has been already mention'd It is also very well known to what Dangers his Contests and Wars with Pompey expos'd him and how at last he was murther'd in the Senate notwithstanding all the Warnings he had giv'n him of the Design And it deserves a particular Remark that Brutus whom many suspected to he his own Son his infamous Familiarity with his Mother being notorious was one of those that stabb'd him whereupon he cried out What and are you one of them also you my Son Brutus This is certainly one of the most remarkable Instances of God's punishing Whoremongers and Adulterers that is to be found in History when he who thought himself secure from all Attempts as being above them and was so much doted on and ador'd by the People that of their own accord they ran in quest of the Murderers up and down the City and burnt their Houses and afterwards worship'd him as a God when this Man could not avoid the just Hand of God which did so remarkably find him out at last and punish him for his Uncleanness and other Crimes The next is Augustus Caesar of whom Suetonius gives us this following Account That having divorc'd his Wife Scribonia because of her froward and peevish Humour he fell in love with Livia Drusilla the Wife of Tiberius Nero from whom he took her by force tho' at the same time she was big with Child and tho he lov'd her passionately yet he never had any Children by her for she miscarried of the only Child that ever she conceiv'd by him which was a very just and remarkable Judgment He married his Daughter Julia to M. Agrippa who was at that very time married to Marcella and had several Children by her and after his death he married her to Tiberius whom he forc'd to put away his Wife then big with Child and who had born him diverse Children Judgment pursu'd him for those Unjust and Tyrannical Proceedings for both the Julia's his Daughter and Grand-daughter were notoriously infamous his Grandsons Caius and Lucius he lost in Two and twenty months one after another his third Grandson Agrippa prov'd so unruly and brutish that he transported him into an Island under a Guard and obtain'd a Decree of the Senate to have him kept in the same place as long as he liv'd and every time mention was made of the two Julia's with Tears in his Eyes and fetching a deep Sigh he would utter a Verse of Homer to this purpose O that I ne'er the Name of Wife had known And without Children to my Grave had gone Nor did he use to call them by any other Name but those of his three Excrescencies or Imposthumes It is further observ'd that he was effeminate in his Youth Marc. Antony upbraided him with being his Uncle Julius Caesar's Catamite that he had also been guilty of prostituting himself to the unnatural brutish Lust of A. Hortius in Spain for 300000 pieces of Mony The whole Body of the People being also assembled one day to behold a certain Interlude they unanimously expounded and applauded a Verse pronounced upon the Stage to his dishonour viz. Videsne ut Cinaedus Orbem digito temperet In English thus Behold that Catamite how he the Orb Of spacious Earth can with his Finger curb His Friends own'd that he was addicted to the Crime of Adultery but alledge in excuse of it That it was by the familiarity with the Wives to discover the Secrets of their Husbands Marc. Antony charges him with taking a Lady out of the Room in her Husbands presence and bringing her back again with her Ears glowing and her Locks in disorder He accuses him of putting away Scribonia because she complain'd too freely of the Pride and Imperiousness of one of his Concubines and that moreover he us'd to imploy Thoranius to find out Women for him who after the Bargain was made were to be strip'd and expos'd to their View as if they had been to be sold in open Market There was also a Story flew about of him of a private Supper which he made vulgarly call'd The
flash'd on his Face as an additional Affliction he heard the Souldiers in the Praetorian Camp cursing him and wishing all Prosperity to Galba He arriv'd however at the House into which he crept privately through a hole lay on a Flock-bed and had no better Dainties than brown Bread and Ditch-water He couâ—…d not be prevail'd on to make any further Attempts for saving his Life but order'd a Grave to be made in his presence and wept every time he cast his Eye upon those Funeral Preparations crying out What an Artist will the World lose In the mean time he receiv'd Advice that the Senate had declarâ—…d him an Enemy to the Publick and that he should be sought after and punish'd after the manner of the Ancients viz. to be strip'd naked have his Neck fasten'd in a forked Stick and be whipped to death with which he was so terrified that he snatch'd up two Daggers and having felt the edges of them sheath'd them again pretending that his fatal End was not yet come And thus dallying with his End sometimes he desir'd Sporus to begin his Moans and Lamentations and at other times he would desire some one of the Company to shew him the way to die by his Example and by and by he would chastize his own Pusillanimity saying that he liv'd basely and wretchedly and endeavour'd to argue himself into Courage to take away his own Life but hearing that the Horsemen were at hand with Orders to bring him back to Rome alive if possible he utter'd a Verse in Greek to the sense following viz. I hear the swift-heel'd Coursers beat the Ground And with their deadly Noise my Ears confound And then clapping the Dagger to his Throat was assisted by Epaphroditus the Master of his Requests to thrust it home and thus he expir'd his Eyes being suddenly fix'd and staring in his Head to the terrour of all those that beheld him Thus was that Monster of all Villany and Uncleanness made the Executioner of Divine Wrath upon himself it being impossible that he could fall by a more villainous Hand than his own The next Instance is the Emperor Galba of whom Suetonius gives us this following Account That in the satisfaction of his Lust he was more prone to the Male Sex nor did he care for any of that Sex neither but such as were overgrown and exsolete It is reported therefore in Spain that when Icelus one of the stalest of his He-concubines brought him the News of Nero's Death he not only receiv'd him in publick with home-press'd Kisses but courted and sent him away to be smooth'd without delay The Tragical Exit of this Emperor we have from the same Author thus That those who conspir'd against him having drawn him out into the Streets by false Rumours of Otho's being kill'd the Horsemen who were intrusted with the Assassination galloping thro' the Throng of common People fell upon him and stabb'd him deserted and abandon'd by all his Followers near the Curtian Lake where he was left weltring in his Blood until a Common Souldier returning from a publick distribution of Corn laid down his Burthen and cut off his Head and because he could not take hold of the Hair Galba being bald he carried it in the Lappet of his Coat and thrusting his Thumb between his Teeth presented it to Otho who gave it to the Sutlers and Horseboys and they carried it round the Camp as the Object of their Scorn and Contempt So infallibly does Uncleanness bring down Vengeance upon the Heads of those who wallow in Impurities The Emperor Otho follows next in couâ—… of whom Suetonius gives us this following Account That from his early Youth he was so prodigal and given to Women that his Father was often constrain'd to chastise him He was also wont to run about the Streets in the Night with his Companions and where he met with any that were unable to make Resistance or in Drink he would cause them to be toss'd in a Blanket After his Father's decease he address'd himself to a Court-Lady in great Favour as being one of the Emperor's Freed-women for whom he pretended a most passionate Affection tho' she was very old and decrepit By her means he insinuated himself into Nero's Favour and easily kept the highest place in his Friendship through the conformity of their Humours or as others report being familiarly engag'd in mutual Prostitution Moreover Nero having a great Affection for Poppaea Sabina then his Mistress took her from her Husband and sent her to Otho who receiv'd her into his House under colour of Marriage And not content to have alienated her Kindness from Nero he grew so fond of her that he could hardly brook the Emperor to be his Rival and therefore not only refused those that were sent to bring her to the Emperor but shut his Doors against the Emperor himself standing in the Street and with Prayers and Threatnings intermix'd redemanding the Trust committed to his Care whereupon Nero dissolv'd the Marriage and dispatched him Legate into Portugal Nero and Galba being both cut off as we have heard already Otho succeeded in the Empire but Vitellius having raised himself up against him Otho at last became also his own Executioner and stabb'd himself with a Dagger The next is Vitellius concerning whom that same Author relates That during his Youth he resided at Capreae amongst Tiberius's Catamites insomuch that he was branded with the Sirname of Male Prostitute and the Beauty of his Body was thought to have been the first Occasion of his Father's Advancement In the succeeding Years of his Age he was contaminated with all manner of Vice after he came to the Empire he surrender'd the greatest Share of the Government to be manag'd by the Council or rather at the Will and Pleasure of every infamous Stage-player and Chariot-driver more especially of Asiaticus his enfranchis'd Slave This Male Prostitute when but very young after his Master and he had mutually for some time defil'd each other being wearied with his Patron 's Importunity he ran away from him afterwards Vitellius retaking him at Puteolae where he was selling sowre Wine and Water mix'd together to the poor People to get a Penny he cast him into Irons but soon enlarg'd him and favour'd him again with his Caresses He afterwards sold him to a Fencer for his churlish ill Nature from whom he not long after stole him again and the first day that Vitellius appear'd as Emperor he suffer'd him to wear Gold Rings like a Roman Knight Suetonius adds That this Emperor Vitellius was addicted to all sorts of Vice but chiefly to Luxury and Cruelty he always made three Meals a day sometimes four not contenting himself with Breakfast Dinner and Supper unless he had his Collation afterwards he would also appoint where to sup where to debauch the same Day and happy he that entertain'd him who could could come off for Ten thousand Crowns at one sitting But above all the rest the most
Foretops if any thing lie out of order if every thing fall not even into their Rings and Curls which of these would not chuse that the State whereof he is a Member should be in Combustion rather than his Hair should be displaited It was common for them to have their Hair plaited behind and besmear'd with Oyntments and Perfumes and for their Faces they us'd so much Slibber-sauce such daubing and painting that they look'd like Ulcers Their Garments were artificially press'd to make them shine brighter and so curiously plaited that Hortensius the Orator commenced a Suit against his fellow in Office for that meeting him by chance in a narrow way he had disorder'd the Plaits of his Robe he held it a capital matter that a Fold upon his Shoulder was displac'd And so excessive they were in the multitude of their Apparel that when any of them went to the publick Baths they had as much Apparel carried after them as might well suffice a dozen of Men. Lucullus says Horace Ep. 6. had Five thousand short Cloaks and at their publick Feasts they chang'd Suits at the coming in of every Course meerly for Ostentation as we have shew'd already It was also usual with them to have Rings on every Finger and sometimes one for every Joynt Nay 't is recorded of Charinus that he wore six upon every Finger and they arriv'd to that heighth of Luxury in this point that they had Summer-rings and Winter-rings Then as to their Women If the Men were so nice we may well suppose that their Women exceeded concerning whom Seneca de Benef. 7. 9 says ' I see their Silken Apparel if it may be call'd Apparel wherewith they can neither cover their Bodies nor their Shame which when a Woman wears she cannot safely swear that she is not naked Yet these things are brought from Nations with whom we have no Traffick that our Women may expose no less to the publick view when they come abroad than they do to their Paramours in Bed Lollia Paulina a Wife and afterwards Widow to Caligula the Emperor when she went to any ordinary Feast us'd to have so many Jewels about her that she shone again as she went and offer'd to prove that those Ornaments alone stood her in Four hundred thousand Sesterces St. Jerome in Vita Pauli Eremitae and Tertullian de habitu Muliebri complain of the Prodigality of their Times saying That upon one Necklace hung the price of diverse Lopps and that upon one Twine there were threaded up Ten hundred thousand Sesterces Nay one Pearl bought by Julius Caesar for his Paramour Servilia the Mother of Brutus cost him Sixty hundred thousand Sesterces or near Forty-five thousand pounds Sterling Nay saith Seneca the Women had not sufficiently brought the Men into subjection if they did not hang two or three Patrimonies at each Ear. Propertius accuses the Roman Matrons of jetting it about with the Estates of their Heirs upon them Yet all this had been more tolerable had they not worn them upon their Feet of which Pliny can hardly speak with Patience Lib. 33. 3 Let our Women saith he wear their Pearl and precious Stones upon every Finger about their Necks in their Ears upon their Chappelets and Tresses but must they also wear them upon their Feet And Book 9. 35 he says Nay they garnish their Feet with them and not only the higher but the lower part of their Slippers so that it is not held sufficient to wear Pearl unless we tread and walk upon it Lampridius tells us of Heliogabalus that he wore Jewels curiously engraven on his Feet as if the Gravings of famous Workmen could be discern'd there Their Women did not blush to own that they painted their Eyebrows and Faces and dy'd their Hair and had such infinite numbers of little Boxes full of Trash for hiding their Deformities that Ovid as great an Admirer of the fair Sex as he was says Non semel hic stomacho nausea facta meo i. e. They had oftentimes turn'd his Stomach Their Looking-glasses were in heighth and breadth answerable to their Bodies engraven in their Borders with Gold and Silver and emboss'd with precious Stone Some of those says Seneca Nat. Quaest. lib. 1. 17 cost more than the Ancients gave in Dowry with their Daughters nay than that which by publick allowâ—… ance was given the Daughters of the poorer Emperors And a little further he says Now a days says he that Dowry which the People of Rome gave with Scipio's Daughter will not suffice to buy a Glass for a Manumited Slave's Daughter and that was Eleven thousand Asses which was upwards of Forty pound Sterling so that by this we may guess what Luxury reign'd among Persons of Quality Then as to the number of their Servants they were so numerous that Athenaeus says some of them had above Twenty thousand Marcellinus describes their Order of ranging their Servants when they went abroad as if it had been an Army insomuch that they were under a necessity of having Comptrollers or Nomenclators to tell them the Names of their Servants And that their Women did also exceed in this kind may be gather'd from St. Jerome's Epistle to Furia wherein he forbids her to go abroad with an Army of Eunuchs marching before her after the manner of licentious Widows Thus we have finish'd our Collections from the Roman History which are sufficient to demonstrate that that great Empire was ruin'd by Luxury and Uncleanness and will serve to convince any judicious Reader what Monsters particular Men and whole Nations become when judicially given up of God to work all manner of Uncleanness with Greediness We come in the next place to search into Ecclesiastical History to see what we can find for our purpose there In the 2d Book of Eusebius we find that Simon Magus that great Enemy to the Christian Religion is accus'd of keeping company with one Helena who had formerly been a common Prostitute in the Stews of Tyre a City of Phoenicia whom his Followers call'd the prime Notion or first Conception from him and us'd to prostrate themselves before the Images and Pictures of this Simon and his Strumpet Helena And suitable to this was their Practise viz. so impure that 't was impossible for Men of Modesty to utter them by reason of their excessive Obscenity there being nothing to be invented so impure which their lewd Sect did not far surpass deluding silly Women laden with all manner of Iniquity a pregnant and strong Instance that Impurity of Life and Principle leads Men naturally to a hatred of true Religion The next Instance is in Book 3 Cap. 28 of the Heretick Cerinthus of whom he says That being a Lover of his Body and altogether carnally minded he earnestly lusted after those things wherein he dreamt the Kingdom of Christ consisted viz. in the satiety of the Belly and of those parts beneath the Belly that is Meats Drinks and Marriages And Nicephorus lib. 3 cap. 14
Marriage and to avoid as much as may be the Exhausting of their Men by Wars Colonies or Conquests which do naturally occasion the want of a sufficient number of Males to supply the Females whence proceeds Whoredom Uncleanness and Luxury which infallibly issues in Contempt of Marriage an Obstruction of Propagation and the ruin of a people Before we come to give an Account how the Persian Monarchy was overturn'd by Luxury and Lasciviousness we shall have occasion to touch upon some Remarkable Revolutions occasioned amongst the Greeks by Uncleanness The first that we meet with in Justin is that of Diocles King or Governour of Athens who having forced a young Woman he was in Revenge thereof killed by her Brother whereupon Hippias Brother to Diocles ordered the youngman to be apprehended and putting him upon the Rack examined him concerning those that were privy to his design the young man in further Revenge for this new Injury Nam'd all the Tyrant's Friends who being put to Death upon his Accusation Hippias ask'd if he knew of any more that were Conscious to his Crime To this the young man answered That there were no more at whose Death he could gladly rejoyce but the Tyrant himself which the Citizens took as a Signal to recover their lost Liberty and drove Hippias into Exile who thereupon joining with the Persians against his own Country was slain in Battle And here it 's proper to add that the Effeminacy and Luxury of the Persians under the Reign Xerxes was the chief cause of the shamefull overthrows which they received by the Grecians The next Remarkable instance which we find for our purpose in Justin is that in his 3d. Book of the War betwixt the Messenians and Lacedemoonians occasioned by the former's having Ravished the Virgins belonging to the latter whilst they were at Sacrifice upon which the Lacedomineans bound themselves by a solemn Oath never to return into their Country till they had taken in Messenia which laid the Foundation of Intestine Discord and Civil War in Grecia The Siege of this Town continued 10 years during which time the Lacedemonian Women being not able to brook the want of their Husbands Company they sent heavy complaints to them upon that head but the Lacedemonians being unwilling to violate their Oaths and at the same time sensible that their people must needs decrease they fell upon this Medium to send home all the young men who had come as Recruits to their Camp after the taking of the said Oath and allowing them the Liberty to Accompany with the Women the Children begot by this promiscuous Copulation were as a Brand of their Mothers Infamy called Parthenii and arriving at the Age of 30 they were so much afraid of coming to Want because they knew not whom to call Father nor which way to have any Patrimony that under the Conduct of Phalantus Son to Aratus who was the Author of the Advice to send the young men from the Camp abovesaid they resolved to seek new Habitations for themselves and so without so much as saluting or taking leave of their Mothers from whom they deriv'd the Infamy of being Bastards they arriv'd at last in Italy subdued the Tarentines and settled in their Country But to return to the Messenians they were at last overcome by the Lacedemonians in two Wars the 1st of 20 and the 2. of 14 years continuance and reduced to a miserable slavery which was originally occasion'd as we have just now heard by their Uncleanness Our next Instance is in Justin Lib. 5 concerning Timea Queen to Agis King of Lacedemon who being guilty of Adultery with Alcibiades the Athenian while an Exile from his Country at her Husbands Court â—…e discovered to him the design which the Lacedemonians had against his Life because they envied his Conduct and Glory upon which Alcibiades fled to the Persians and having by his cunning prevail with the Athenians to recall him he afterwards defeated the Lacedemonians by Sea and Land and brought them to sue for Peace so destructive to her Country was the Unlawfull Amours of this Whorish Queen and so ruinous to the whole East and particularly to Athens was the Vitious Lustfull Temper of Alcibiades the occasion of whose Exile as abovementioned was his discovery of something of the Mystery of Ceres's Worship or the Profane Eleusina Sacra which we have already described at large The fatal Exit of this Great Man is also Remarkable viz. That he was by the order of the 30 Tyrants burnt in his Chamber when asleep a suitable punishment from the hand of Divine Justice for one that had burnt in impure Lust however he deserved better Treatment at the hands of his Country That same Author in his sixth Book acquaints us that after the death of Epaminondas the great Theban General the Athenians having no Enemy to whet their Emulation or Exercise their Martial Courage grew Luxurious and Debauch'd spent their Time and Revenues in publick Festivals and Plays frequented the Stage and Play-Houses more than the Camp and did more extoll their Poets and Orators than their Captains and Generals by which means they lost their Glory and rendred themselves and all Greece and Asia a prey to the Macedonians formerly an obscure people Before we go any further in the History of the Unlawful Amours of Greece it may not be improper to take notice of the ruine of Troy by the Graecians after ten years War upon the account of the Rape of fair Helena from Menelaus a Graecian Prince by Paris Son to Priamus King of Troy This story being known to every School-Boy its needless to insist upon it but we shall only observe that the Lust of Paris occasioned the ruin of that Kingdom and City about the year of the World 2870. after it had stood near 296 years The ruins of that Famous Town are still to be seen near the Mountain Ida about 32 German Miles South of Constantinople upon the Asian side of the Hellespont or strait of the Dardanelles as a Monument of Divine Justice against Whoredom Justin in his 7th Book gives us this Remarkable instance of punishment inflicted upon the Persian Ambassadors for their Lechery viz. That being sent by Magabazus the Persian General to demand Hostages from Amyntas King of Macedonia that Prince received them kindly and the Ambassadors having drank largely in the time of the Feast so as their Lust was inflamed they demanded that they might have the Company of the Kings Wives and Daughters at their entertainment which they said was a Pledge of Hospitality among the Persians The King thinking fit to grant it the Persians began to handle the Women immodestly upon which Alexander Son to King Amyntas desir'd his Father to withdraw from the Banquet because of his Age and Gravity the Prince having done so Alexander a little while after called out the Women pretending that he would bring them back in a better dress that so they might be the more