by order those which onely haue appeared sithens the natiuitie of Iesus Christe together searching the causes of their beginning birthes the life of a man woulde not perfourme the same albeit the most notable worthie to be celebrated of al others is the starre which cōducted the .iij. sage Kings of Perse to the place where Christe was borne the which feared not only the common people but the sighte thereof rauished and brought into admiration the most learned of the worlde for that it againste the Nature of all other starres which drawe them selues from the Orient to the Occident addressed hir course into Palestine which is situated towards y e North causing S. Iohn Chrisostome to thinke that that starre was none of them which we sée in heauen but rather a vertue inuisible figured vnder the forme of a starre Notwithstāding let vs leaue of to discourse of this starre and come to other strange things whiche haue appeared frō heauen whereof Gaguin in his sixte booke of y e gestes of the Kings of Fraunce maketh mention of a very maruellous blasing starre which appeared in the Septentrion in the time of Charles the .vj. In the yeare .597 which was in the yere of the natiuitie of the false impostour Mahomet at Constantinople was séene a hearie Comet so hideous and fearefull that they thought the ende of the worlde approched An other like president was séene a little space before the death of the Emperour Constantin whereof Orseus in his .vij. booke and .ix. Chapter and Eutropeus in his second booke maketh mention that in the yeare that Mitrydates was borne and in the yeare wherein he receiued the Scepter Royall there appeared a Comet from heauen as Iustin and Vincentius write which for the space of xxiiij dayes occupied so well the fourth part of heauen casting such a cleare lighte that the brighnesse of the Sunne was thereby darkened And also in the yeare that Tamburlan the Tirant killed so many men and women in one ouerthrowe of the Turkes that of their heades onely he made a greate wall as Matheolus writeth there appeared a maruellous blasing starre in the Occident whereof Pontanus and Ioachinus Camerarius in his booke de ostentis learnedly writeth Herodian a Greeke authour in the life of the Emperours maketh mention that in the raigne of Commodeus the Emperour they sawe by the space of a whole daye a number of starres shyning as though it had bene night likewise in the yeare that Lewes the stutting Frenche King died they behelde frō heauen shining a great number of starres at nyne of the clocke in the morning wherein as Hieronimus Cardanus in his .xiiij. booke De veritate rerum assureth to haue seen in the yere 1532. the .xj. day of Aprill being at Venise thre sunnes together cleare bright shining Euen so in the yeare that Francis Sforce died after whose deceasse grew greate warres in Italie there was in like maner seen at Rome thrée sunnes which dydde so frighte the people that they fell immediately to prayer thinking the malice and ire of God were kyndled against them for their sinnes Also the Pope Pius second of that name who was called before he receiued that dignitie Aeneas Siluius who died in the yere 460. writeth in his description of Europe the .liiij. chap. that in the sixt yere after the Iubile there was séene amongest them of Sienne and Florence twentie cloudes in the ayre who being stirred of the wyndes fought one against another euery one in his ranke reculing and approching according to the order and maner of battaill and during the conflicte of these cloudes the winde was not vnoccupied in dispoiling battering brusing and breaking trées houses and rockes besides lifting of men and beastes into the ayre The antiquitie of time cannot reporte or make mention of a more wonder in the aire than of a horrible Comet of the colour of bloude which appeared in the West the eleuenth day of October in the yeare 1527. being so wonderfull and fearefull that it engendred so greate terrour to the common sorte that diuers not onely died with the sighte but others fell into strange and miserable maladies This strange Comet was séene of manie thousand continuing the space of an houre and a quarter and in the ende began to bring hir selfe to the side of the sunne after drawing towards the Midy the Occident and the Septentrion appearing to be of an excessiue length and of the colour of bloud there was séene in y e height of the Comet the Character and figure of the stumpe of an arme holding a greate sworde in his hande as he woulde haue striken about the pointe of the said sword were thrée starres but that which was right vpon the pointe was more cleare and brighte than the others on the other twoo sides of the beames of this Comet they sawe a greate number of hatchettes kniues swordes of the colour of bloud about the whiche were a great number of humaine faces very hideous with their beardes and haire stirring as may bee seene before figured Shortely after y e viewe of this hideous wonderful Planet all the parties of Europe were welnigh bathed in humaine bloude ▪ so muche preuailed the inuasion of the Turckes besides other hurtes which Italie receiued by the Lord of Bourbon when he committed Rome to sacke dying at the same instant like as Petrus Creuserus Iohn Litchber excellent Astrologians interpret by writing the signification of this wonderfull Planet Euen so for that we haue promised in the induction of our worke to shewe the causes beginnings of these wonders it is therfore now requisite to serch more narrowly the matter and to decide the question so often debated amongest the Auncients and learned Philosophers These fantasticall figures as dragons flames Comets other like of diuers formes which are séene so often in the Element according to the opiniōs of many wise men do giue to vnderstande foretel or shew many things that shal and do happen as Albumazar Dorotheus Paulus Alexādrinus Ephestion Maternus ▪ Aomar Thebith Alkindus Paulus Manlius Alberanger and generally the most part of the anciēt Greekes Hebrues Caldees Arabec and Egiptians who haue written and attributed so muche to the starres and their influence that they haue assured the moste parte of the humaine actions to depende of the celestiall constellations Whereof Cicero in his first booke De fato◠seemes to fauour them muche when he affirmeth darckely ▪ that those whiche are borne vnder the Planet De Canis shall not be drowned In like maner Faber Stapulensis in his Paraphrase of Metheores maketh mention that the Commettes whiche appeared from heauen signified scarsitie of goodes aboundance of greate windes warres effusion of bloud and the death of Princes Hieronimus Cardanus a late Philosopher writeth in his fourth booke De subtilitate and .xiiij. booke De veritate rerum that the hearie and bearded Comets and other like monstrous figures whiche appeare from
all together within a castell and himselfe also he gat to fauor and further his coÌ„spiracy some .iiij. or .v. men whom according to the truste he put in them he made to be hidden in certaine secret corners of the chambers appointed for the noble men hauing firste attired them in horrible order with skinnes of seawolues whereof is greate stoare in that countrey by reason of the Sea with euery one a staffe in his ryghte hand of a kinde of olde and dry wood which shyneth in the night and in their left hand a great horne of an Ore pierced hollow these according to their commaundemente kept very close secrete vntill the Princes were in theyr first and fast sléepe when they began to appeare and discouer w t their staues glimering like the glaunces or flames of torches braying out of their hollowe hornes a hydeous voyce conteining that they were sent of God to sommon them to the warre of the Pictes against whom the sentence of victory was already pronounced and agréed by the heauens And so these artificiall sprites assisted with the benefite of the night which is the mother nurse to all illusions vsed so fine a conuey in the dispatch of their businesse that they escaped without being disclosed leauing the poore Princes so passioned with feare that they passed the rest of the night in prayers vntill the morning when euerye of them with great solemnitie imparted his vision to y e king who also for his parte to aggrauate the matter with further credite notwithstanding he was the first founder and forger of the mistery approued their sayings with the like appearing to himself albeit he was curious to reueale the secretes of God vntill he had more sure aduertisement thereof wherewith some other persuasions on his parte to enforce their forwardnes they became as eger and earnest to begin the warre as if Christ himself had bene their captaine and so assailed their enimies that they did not only ouerthrow them in battell but also made suche mortall extermination that the memory of the day euer since hath bene vtterly extinct There be some now a dayes that put lighted candels within the heades of dead men to feare the people and others that haue tied little waxe candels lighted vpon cockles tortures snailes which they put in that order within the church yards by night to the end that the simple people séeing these beastes moue a far of with their flames might beleue that it were some dead sprite returned for some speciall cause into the world by which villanous meanes as they haue gotten money of the common and ignoraÌ„t sort so let them be assured to render accompt of their doings to the soueraign iudge for abuâ—â—ng the pore flocke of his deare sonne vnder y e coloure of visions There hath bene yet of late time in Italy an other practise of Diabolical visions performed by certaine candels made of the grease or tallow of a man which so loÌ„g as they were light and did burne in the night the pore people seemed so ouerwhelmed with enchauntments and charmes that a man might haue taken any thing out of their house w tout that they were able to stirre out of their beds to reskue it but our God who according to his iustice doeth leaue nothyng vnpunished hath suffred that the authors and executors of such vanities haue bene taken as the thefe wyth the manner and being condemned haue yelded tribute to suche offences with the price of their life And lastly there is an other sort of artificial visions which are made with an oyle or licoure which cometh of certaine wormes we sée shine in the night which bicause they be things not worthie to be handled in argument amoÌ„gst no christians â–ª I will make silence of them for this time maruelling notwithstanding that sundry learned men heretofore haue vsed so large a libertye in discouering suche vanities the rather for that our natures for the most part are more credulous of such shadowed things than apt to beleue a truthe ¶ A wonderfull history of a monster seene by Celius Rhodiginus CHAP. xxvij TO the ende we shoulde taste of these wonderfell visions which may be thought very strange to the Reader me séemes good to shew here the pourtrait of twoo maruellous monsters the one a man the other a woman séen in diuers prouinces by twoo as excelleÌ„t Philosophers as haue raigned in our age The first being the man was séen by Ludouicus Celius Rhodiginus as he writeth in the iij. chapter of his .xxiiij. booke of auncient lessons folowing in this maner There was sayth he broughte forth a monster at Zarzara in Italy in the yeare of grace 1540. and the .xix. day of Marche worthie to be considered off for many causes One for that it was brought into the worlde at such time as Italy was afflicted wyth the plague and scourge of ciuile warres And that thys monstrous childe was a certaine forerunner or messanger which shewed vnto them the miseries of those domesticall quarels the other causes for the which it deserued to be diligently noted were for the straunge and maruellous effectes that nature exhibited in this little subiect for in the first place the mother of this infant broughte it forth within .iij. moneths wel formed which is a thing monstrous in nature Secondarily he had two faire heades well proportioned and two faces ioyned one to an other and tyed vpon the top of the neck with a proportion maruellous in euery of those partes he had his haire a little long and blacke and betwene these two heades he had a thirde heade whiche excéeded not the length of an eare And for the rest of his body it was so wel made and proporcioned in all thyngs requisite that it séemed that Nature delited to frame and make him so faire Who after he had soiorned a certaine tyme in this miserable worlde died wherein as he was made a present to one of the kyng of Spaynes lieutenants gouerning in that countrey so he thoughte it good to haue him ripped and his bellie opened and intrailes séen which being done he represented vnto the sightes of the lookers on things no lesse maruellous than the presidents written of before that is to say he had two liuers two milts and but one heart Wherwith endeth the description that Celius hath made of that monster The second monster is a woman hauing two heads whose figure is before to be séene with the other and more to be wondered at than the fyrst in one thing for that she liued many yeres whiche is contrary to the nature of monsters who ordinarily lyue not long for the abundance of melancolike humor which abundeth in them to see them selues so opprobrious to the worlde are therby so dried and consumed that their liues be shorte Whiche happened not to this maide which thou seest here portraicted for at suche tyme as Conradus Licostenes came into the Duchie of Bauiere whiche was in the yere
wombe to straight which is y e cause that she is found to wante in suche sorte that the wombe is congealed and gathered in one whereupon groweth this forme and superfluitie of members in this little male moÌ„ster whom thou seest héere figured hauing four armes four legges and but one head with all the rest of his body well proportioned who was engendred in Italie the same day that the Venetians and Geneuois after the sheading of much bloud both of the one side the other coÌ„firmed their peace and wer reconciled togither and which was baptised and liued a certaine time after as writeth Iacobus Fincelius in his booke de miraculis post renatum Euangelium And in the same yeare that Leopolde Duke of Austrich vanquished of the Swizers died And Galea was created Uicount of Millain after the death of Barnabone ¶ A wonderfull Historie of Couetousnesse with many examples touching that matter worthy of memory CHAP. L. DIogines Laerce writeth that there was a Rhodian iesting one day with the philosoper Eschines saying to him I sweare by the immortal gods Eschines that I haue great pitie and compassioÌ„ of thy pouertie To whom he replied sodainly and by the same gods do I make y e like othe that I more bewaile thée to sée thée so rich seing that riches once gotten bréede not onely paine torment care with heauinesse to kéepe them but also a more great displeasure to spend them perill to preserue them occasion of great inconueniences and dangers to defend them And that which yet séemes to me more grieuous and horrible is that where for the most parte thou hidest thy riches in the same place thou leauest thy heart buried And lyke as Herodotus writeth that the inhabitants of the Isles Baleares watch and defend wyth great care that no maÌ„ entring into their Countrey bring or leaue behinde them either golde siluer silke or precious stones which hapned so wel vnto them y t during the space of .400 yeres wherein there was most cruel warres not only amongst the Romains and Carthaginois but also the French Spaniards neuer any of the said nations were once moued to inuade their landes for that they could not finde either golde siluer or other thing of price or value to robbe pilfer or take away euen so there is yet one other thing more straunge that is that Phalaris Agringetin Dionyseus Siracusan Catilmus Romanê° Iugurth Numidien being .iiij. famous tiraÌ„ts neuer maintained their estates realms by any vertue whych they vsed but only by their great gifts presents which they bestowed on their adhereÌ„ts wherfore I wold wish y t al such as be fauored of Princes should note wel this saying y t it is impossible for one being in great fauor to continue long therin being ouerwhelmed accompanyed w t the wicked vice of couetousnesse Neither am I out of my matter hauing touched y e same in the Historyes before for y t in these our dayes y e world is so coâ—rupted therwith as there is no other talke in our coÌ„mon weales of any thing but only of the burning rage of couetousnesse whych raigneth in all y e estates of y e world namely amoÌ„gst y e Ecclesiastical persoÌ„s as our high father w t his Cardinals a thyng much to be lameÌ„ted coÌ„sidering that they ought to be rather distributers of the goods of the Lord thaÌ„ affectionated burning as we sée w t this gréedie desire of riches y t it seemes y t they would drain al the welth of y e world into theyr gulphs in y e end burie the same w t their bodies in the graue wherof I haue written more largely in my other works making mention of the cardinal Angelot But now I wil returne to my matter for sithens that y e pestileÌ„t venom of couetousnesse hath sprinkled hir poison through y e world y t the most part of the prouinces remain be so much infected therwith y t they by that meanes stick not to make marchaÌ„dise of meÌ„s bodies to obtaine mony wherof Celius Rhodiginus in his iij. boke of auÌ„cient lessons .lvj. chapter is a sufficient witnesse who declareth y t in his time diuers wicked persons sold the flesh of men so well seasoned y t is séemed to be the flesh of Porke in which wickednesse as they continued til God by his almighty power discouered the same by suffering them to finde the finger of a man mingled amongest their meats which was the cause that they were taken cruelly punished euen so this néedes not séeme straunge or a fable to those which haue red Galenes .xiij. boke of Elements who sheweth y e mannes flesh is so like vnto porke hauing the very tast and sauor of it that those which haue eaten therof iudged it to be the flesh of a Porke Wherefore in the Historie of Caelius Rhodiginus it is not strauÌ„ge but most apparant that couetousnesse hath so blinded maÌ„ and rageth euen to the very tippe of iniquitie that they cannot adde any thing more thereunto Albeit Conradus Licostenes recompteth yet one other wonderfull Historie of couetousnesse which is nothing inferior to this before who wryteth that in the Dukedome of Wittemberge there was a wicked hoste who presented at supper all his gests lodged in his house with the fleshe of a Porke bitten of a madde dogge which was so greatly infected with the venim of that beast that all those which eate therof became not only madde but also pressed in such sort with the furie and rage of their euill that they eat and tare in pieces one an other ¶ A Monster brought forth at Rauenna in the tyme of Pope Iule the secâ—nde and king Lewes the .xij. CHAP. xlj REader this monster which thou seest here depainted is so brutall and farre differing from humaine kinde that I feare I shal not be beleued in that I shal write ther of hereafter notwithstanding if thou wilt but conferre this with those hauing faces like Doggs and Apes wherof I haue written in the Histories before thou shalt then fynde the other farre more monstrous Iaques Ruell in his bokes of the conception and generation of meÌ„ from wheÌ„ce I haue this figure Conradus Licostenes in his treatie of wonders IohaÌ„nes Multiuallis Gasparus Hedio affirme write y t in the yere 1512. at what time pope Iule y e second stirde vp caused so many bloody tragedies in Italy that he had made warre with king Lewis euen at the iorney of Rauenna this monster was engendred borne at Rauenna aforesayd a citie most auncient in Italy hauyng one horne in his head two wings and one foote like to the foote of a ramping bird with an eye in the knee it was double in kind participating both of the man womaÌ„ hauing in y e stomack y t figure of a Greke Y y e form of a crosse no armes And like as this moÌ„ster was brought into y e world in y
e time y t all Italy was enflamed molested with warrs not without bringing great terror to the people in such sort y t al the prouinces of Italy Greece came to sée behold this miserable creature euen so they entred into diuerse iudgements therof wherupon amongst the rest ther was found sundry learned and holy men which began not only to decipher the misery of this infant but also y e monstrous shape therof in this sort saying y t by the horne was signified pride ambition by the wings lightnesse inconstancie by default of the armes want of good workes by the ramping foot rauishment vsury and couetousnesse by the eye in y e knée too much loue or affection to worldly things by bothe the kindes the sinnes of the Sodomites All whiche vices and sinnes raigned at that time in Italy which was the cause they wer so afflicted with warres but by this figure Y the crosse they were two signes of saluation for Ypsilon signifieth vertue the Crosse sheweth that al those which wil returne to Iesus Christ and take vp his crosse shal not only finde a true remedy against sinne but a perfect way to helth and saluation and a special meane to mitigate therby the ire of the Lorde who is enflamed and redie to scourge and punish them for their wickednesse and abhominable sinnes THere is founde by sufficient authoritie in writing that in the yere .1496 was taken vp out of the riuer of Tyber a monster hauing the tronke of the body of a maÌ„ the head of an Asse one hand and arme like to a man and the other of the fashion of an Elephantes foote he had also according to the portraict you sée one of his féete like the foote of an Eagle and the other like the hoofe of an Oxe his belly like a woman with two duggs and the rest of his body with skales he had also growing out behynde him a head olde and hairie out of the which came an other head of the forme of a Dragon WE reade also that in the yeare .1548 was borne a childe in Almayne which had his head deuided from his body he had one legge onely with a creuise or chink where his mouth should be and had no armes at all The same happening as we may easily presume by a want or default in the séede as well in the qualitie as in the quantitie of the same IN the yeare .1552 was borne in England a childe whiche had two bodies two heades and foure hands and yet had but one belly and one nauell On one syde of the bodye came two perfect leggs and on the other but one the same hauing one foote made like two tyed the one gainst the other with ten toes THere was borne in the yeare 1554. a monster of this proportion hauing a greate masse or lump of flesh in place of a head and where one of his eares should be came out an arme and a hand he had vpon his face writhen haires like to the Moostachoes of a cat the other arme appeared oute of one side he had no forme of body nor breast sauing a line al along the ridge of his backe there coulde not be discerned any figure or likenesse of either sex nor ioints in his arms or leggs the endes of his handes and féete were soft and somewhat hanging as appereth by his portraict AMongst the rest we must not forget two monsters which came forth in the yere .1555 the one in Germany and the other in Sauoy the first was a horse who according to hys portraict had all his skinne checquered and deuided into great panes after the order of the Dutchemens hose his necke and bodye couered wyth a collar of the same Thys is affirmed by Iohn Foucet in hys booke which he hath made of the maruels of our time THe other Monster of the sayde yeare .1555 had two faces in sorte as the Poetes fayned the God â—anus hadde He hadde lyke two greate pocketts hangyng vpon hys backe wherein were hys bowelles Hee was Vtriusque generis and that of the one side a male and the other a female Also he was so huge aboue order that it was impossible to drawe him whole from the bellie of his mother It is moste likely that this imperfection happened by too great a quantitie of matter sufficieÌ„t to forme two children which might also haue happened of a right shape if by some inconuenience the substance had not ben mingled so that that which shoulde haue serued for two made but one creature THe monster that was brought forth in Germanie .1556 〈◊〉 so wonderful as this touching the shape of his bodie which maketh it not easie to iudge whether there were default of nature in his generation It was as you may sée by the portraicte a Calfe of perfect forme in euery respect sauing that he had no legges before and yet suche was his wonderful lightnesse that hauing but two legges behinde he excéeded all other beastes of that kind in swiftnesse The same arguing that nature had considered and supplied his other wantes wyth a maruellous agilitie of his two legges I remember I haue sene heretofore a moÌ„ster of the same shape albeit formed by some artificiall sleight it was a yonge Goate whose forelegges being broken was brought by custome and necessitie to marche vpon his hinder legges wherby the simple sort was more than halfe persuaded that it was a Satyre THere was borne in the same yeare .1556 at Basle a childe sufficiently formed of his bodye sauing the head which was so monstrous that it séemed rather the head of a dogge or a Catte than a creature humaine Besides the which that yeare was so fertile of prodigious accidentes that according to the witnette of suche as recorded them there happened aboue fiftie monsters as fires in the aire horrible tempests burning of townes by fire from Heauen armed men appearing in the aire fearefull Cometes inundations of waters threatening voices from heauen skirmishes in the ayre as wel with men as beastes with a monstrous shew of many Sunnes at one time THis as you sée resembling most a Calfe hath the head of a man bearing a beard with a brest like to a man and two dugges well formed THe yeare wherin mine author writ this booke séemed no lesse plentifull of monsters corporal than wonders spirituall for it is affirmed that the .xxvj. of Ianuarie there appeared about .ix. of the clocke thrée Sunnes vpon the towne of Caffa a Citie situated betwéene the Pont Euxin and the Sea Zabachâ— otherwise called Pailus Mertis in the place which the auncients cal Taurica Chersonessus these iij. sunnes remained by the space of .iij. houres had aboue them a white bow an other vnderneath the coloured red gréene yelow and Azure and about noone the two vttermost of either side vanished and went out of sight the one towards the East the other towards the West IN the same yeare .1567 and
is not offered afore by iiij of those Priests to the mouth of the Idoll wherewyth not satisfied with this ambicious abuse and vsurpation of reuerence in the Oratorie of the King is content in more derogation of the honor of God to suffer them to buylde him a stately Temple in the middest of an Ilande formed after the auncient maner with .ij. rowes of Pillers like to S. Iohns Church in Rome wherein is placed with greate ceremonie a huge Altare of stone vpon the which by an ordinarie custome is offered the .xx. of December beyng Christmasse day yearely by al the Gentlemen and priests within .xxv. dayes iorney about sacrifice and incense with great assistance of al degrées of common people who comming thyther to get pardon and remission of their sinnes are first annoynted in the heade with a certaine oyle and then by commaundement of the Priests they fal downe afore the sayd Image set in great pompe vpon the Aulter whome hauing worshipped in this extreme deuotion euery man returnes to hys place of aboade besides duryng the time of these ceremonies which lasteth .iij. dayes there is frée libertie proclaimed thorowe all the lande that all murderers and haynous offenders whatsoeuer shal come with assurance to this general remission the same making the assembly so gret that according to the witnesse of such as write of it there are founde yearely during that time aboue an hundreth thousand persons whom this enimie to mankinde hath so enchaunted with illusions that they beleue their sacrifice is done to God merites pardon at his hande where in déede they honor the chiefe enimie to their own saluation which ought to serue for exaÌ„ple to such as participate with the light of God his Gospel to the ende they labour to make appeare their talent and make a speciall treasure of the grace wherwith he hath endued them seing that the seruant which knoweth the wil of his Lord and doth it not standeth in more daunger of blame before God than he that is ignorant of it And now to preuent al doubtes and suspition in such as may thinke these wonderful discourses to be made in the aire or matters of vain deuise aboue the sunne I commende them to the authoritie of Paulus Venetus Ludouicus Patricius Romanus and of Vartomanus in their Chronicles of y e Indyans by whom is set out a more large description of those wonders not as vnderstanded by others or red in any author but as thinges séene and assisted by themselues and in their presence assuring for mine owne part all such as shall peruse my translation not to commend thorowout this whole boke any thing which is not confirmed with sufficient credit by some notable author eyther Gréeke or Latine Sacred or Prophane Some late writers affirme that this people of Calycut haue bene reduced of late yeares to our true Religion by the great and charitable trauaile of certaine Embassadours which the Kings of Portingall did sende to discouer those countreyes ¶ Wonders and aduertisements of God sent vpon the Citie of Ierusalem to prouoke them to repentaunce CHAP. ij LEt vs a litle consider Christians how much this Oracle and wonder diuine is differing from that going before the one habitable the other decayed the one loste dyspoyled and sacked the other kept repayred and dwelt in And although we haue proued howe great and wonderful is the bountie and clemencie of our God whom albeit we haue offended by an infinite multitude of abhominable sinnes yet notwithstanding he holdes vs his hand calles vs warneth and wils vs to retourne to hym shewing by sicknesse and particular afflictions sometimes by signes and wonders which for the moste parte be messangers trumpets and forerunners of his iustice as it is euidentely shewed vpon this miserable Citie of Ierusalem which remayned stil so drowned in hir sinne that for any straunge aduertisement sent to hir by God she would not at any time be withdrawen from those vices The signes and wonders by which the Lorde foretolde of the destruction of their City be those which followe written by Ioseph in the .vij. booke of the Warres of the Iewes and by Eusebe in his historie Ecclesiasticall The first message which was sente them from heauen was a Comet or blasing Starre in the fashion of a sword which continued the space of a yeare casting houering his beames ouer their Citie The seconde chaunced the .xviij. day of April euen when the people were assembled to solemnize the feaste of the Azimes at what time was séene so great a light about the Altare of the Temple at the ninth houre of the night that it séemed to them as if it had bene plaine day and continued so cleare the space of halfe an houre The same day of the sayde feast an Oxe which they had sent to be sacrificed calued in the middst of the Temple and besides that a dore of the temple of brasse which was so heuy that there must be .xx. men to make it fast at nighte being tied wyth barres and locks of yron opened the same time of it selfe about the sixt houre of the night Besides the sayd Ioseph affirmeth further which peraduenture might seme a fable or dreame if those that sawe them were not at this day liuing and that these calamities were not come vpon them as worthy of so vnhappie messages It came to passe that a certaine time before the Sunne sette they perceyued in the aire Chariots ruÌ„ning through all the regions of Heauen the armies which trauersed the cloudes enuironed certaine cities And the day of the feaste which they call Penticost the Priestes hauyng done the seruice diuine heard a certain brute and incontinent heard a voice which sayd Let vs go from hence But the last wonder is most fearefull of all that is A simple man of the countrey of base condition the sonne of a peasant called Nanus the citie being in peace and ful of al wealth being â—ome to this feast began at one instant to crie A voice from the coast of the Orient a voice from the coast of the Occident and a voice from the foure quarters of the wyndes a voice against Ierusalem and the Temple a voice against the newe maried men and newe maried women a voice against all that people and howling and crying in this sorte wente through al the streates of the Citie whereof certaine of the chiefe not brooking this sommons of their Citie made him to be beaten but he would not aunswere any worde to those that whipt him but continued the same cry with extreme obstinacie wherof the Magistrates astonished knowing well ynough that the same proceded of some diuine inspiration made him to be caried to him which had the gouernment of the Romaines the which made him to be so tormented that his fleshe was pluckte from the bones which notwithstanding he continued so firme and constaÌ„t that he would not let fall a simple teare nor require them to stay their punishment
seuere punishement as well to al the Iewes as Lepres thorough out all the prouince of Europe being founde culpable therof that their posterities smell therof til this day for they hauing proued so many kindes of torments and martirdoms that vpon theyr imprisonments they had greater desire to kil and broile one an other than become subiecte to the mercie of the Christians And as Conradus of Memdember of equall fame in the studie of Philosophie and artes Mathematicall writeth that ther died in Almayn for this cause aboue xij thousand Iewes Wherfore as it was strange to behold their afflictions Euen so it was as extreme to sée the poore Christians haue in horrour abhomination the water of theyr welles and fountains that they rather choosed to die of the drought than to receiue any drop therof into their bodies but hauing recourse to rain water or to riuers whereof they had greater want than any store or plentie at all finding not at al times to serue theyr turnes they preuented sundry times the perill of the poison And as these false deceiuers were of all nations much detested so they often times proued diuers kindes of calamities as the Historians testifie the same CoÌ„radus Licostenes amongst others reciteth a strange deuice hapening in the yere .434 about which time he fouÌ„d by fortune in the Isle of Creâ—e a seducer and false prophet or rather a wicked spirite â–ª as they might coÌ„iecture by the issue of his enterprises This prophet preched opeÌ„ly through al the Isle that he was the same Moyses which brought the Israelites from the seruitude of Pharao and that he was sent againe from God to deliuer the Iewes froÌ„ the bondage seruitude of the Christians wherin hauyng thus planted the rootes of his pestilent doctrine he therby woon the people by false miracles and other diabolicall illusions that they began to forsake their houses lands possessions and al the goodes they had to folow him in such sort that they founde no other matter in that couÌ„trey but a great troupe of Iewes accompanied with their wiues and children which folowed this holy man as their chief And after he had wel led theÌ„ in this miserable error he made them mount in the end to the height of a rock ioyning to the sea and there tolde them that he would make theÌ„ passe through the sea on foote as he had tofore brought the people of God thorough the floude of Iordain whiche he coloured so finely by his deceyuable arte that he persuaded them very easily and in such sort that the pore people gathered together on a heape dyd caste them selues headlongs into the sea Whereby the greatest parte of them were drowned and the reste saued by certain christen Fishermen whiche were then in the sea Whereof the Iewes perceiuing the greate deceite whereby he hadde abused them coulde not by any humaine Arte heare any newes nor discouer where was becom their prophet which gaue occasion to many of them not onely to thinke but also write that he was a Diuell vnder the shape and figure of a man which had so deceiued them Sebastian MuÌ„ster writeth in his boke of vniuersall Cosmographie an other historie of them set out in a more gay and braue fashion saying That in the yeare of health .1270 when the Countie of Steruembergh was bishop of Mandeburgh one of the chief Priests of the Synagoges of the Iewes fell by chaunce vpon their Saboth day into a déepe Iakes oute of which he coulde not get and therby constrained to call for the aide of his companions who being arriued sayd vnto him with grieuous complaints that it was theyr Saboth day and that it was not lawfull for them as that daye to yelde hym the benefite of their handes but willyng hym to vse pacience til the next day following which was sunday The bishop of Mandeburgh aduertised of this being a very wyse man gaue commaundement to the Iewes by the sounde of a Trumpet that vpon paine of death they shold froÌ„ henceforth kéepe holy and solemnise as their Saboth daye the Sunday By meanes whereof thys poore martir remained parfumed tyll the Monday ¶ Floudes and wonderfull Inundations of Waters CHAP. xj THe antiquities of forain times haue sufficiently proued the horrible rage of waters that if I shoulde goe about to declare them in order I shoulde rather want Eloquence to describe them than matter wherupon to entreate The first and most worthie of memorie is sufficiently shewed by Moyses in the .vij. chapiter of the boke of Genesis at what time God opened the veines of heauen and sent downe such abundance of water vpon all the earth for the purifying and clensyng of the synnes of men that the same ouerflowed the highest mountaines aboue .xv. cubites And in the reigne of kyng Henry the fourth the waters raged with suche impetuositie within the prouinces of Italie that there was not onely thereby drowned many thousand men but that whiche was more strange as the Historians make meÌ„tion the tame houshold beasts as hennes géese Pehens such like were by the terror therof so frighted that they became sauage waÌ„dring in the deserts and forrests and neuer after to be reclaimed Wherof S. Augustine in the third boke called the Citie of God maketh mention that in the yeare of health 1446. and on the .xvij. day of April in the tyme of Federike the .iij. Emperor at what tyme printing was first founde out there was in Hollande so great an inundation of water and the sea ouerflowed the bankes with suche furie that it brake the causeys running behinde Dordrech couering al the land as wel cities as villages in such sort that ther were drouned not only xvj parishes but also .100000 men with their wiues children and beasts And in y e yeare 1530. in Hollande Flaunders and Brabant the sea so swelled that it brake not only bulwarks and rampiers but also violently caried away both cities and villages togither with the creatures in them bisides made all the hauen townes no lesse nauigable than the open and main sea which not only chaunced in Flaunders but also the same yeare the riuer of Tyber so flowed in Rome that it mouÌ„ted aboue the highest towres and estages of the citie and withal not only breaking down the bridges but endamaging theyr goodes as gold siluer corne wine cloth of silke flowre oyles woull and other riches to the value of thrée millions of golde bisides the losse of thrée thousande persons as well men as women and litle childreÌ„ which were therby smoothered and drouned Wherein as all these matters were maruellous so the auncientes and writers at this day haue not made proofe of one more strange sithens the vniuersall floud of Noe than this which chaunced in Phrygia in the yeare of grace .1230 For euen as when they thought them selues most happie and were banketting drinkyng and giuing them selues ouer to all kindes of pleasure beholde all the lande nigh to the sea of
the whiche meanes we iudge to sée diuers sunnes We maye also sée the lyke in a table wel painted and polished which when we behold there appeareth to vs the shape of two or .iij. being but one in dede and as much we may say of y e Moone Thus haue we declared the very true causes wherfore appere so often .ij. or .iij Sunnes Moones let vs therfore now from henceforth search in nature the cause and beings of these things and stay no more at these fripperies deceiptes and dreames of the Astrologians iudicials who therby haue so oftentimes deceiued begiled vs that they oughte and deserue to be banished exiled from all cōmon wealths well gouerned for what trouble perplexitie and terrour haue they engendred in the consciences of a numbre of poore people As for example in the yere 1514. when they feared not with obstination to publishe openly in all places that there shoulde be in the moneth of February well nigh an vniuersall floud for that the coniunction of all the planets were in the signe of Pisces and notwithstandyng the day which should haue brought forth these waters was one of the moste faire and temperate days of the yere albeit many great personages fearefull of their prophecies made prouision of bisket flower ships and other like things propre to sayle withall fearyng to be surprised and drowned wyth the greate abundance of water whiche they before had tolde of Lette vs further from henceforth learne with Henry the .vij. king of Englande who reigned in oure tyme makyng no accompt of theyr deceytes but chastised their dreame who vpon the sodaine beyng made to vnderstande that one of the moste famous Astrologians of Englande had published in all places that he had found amongst the most hidden secretes of Astrologie that the King shoulde die before the next feast of Christmas commaunded that he should be brought before hym who after he had asked hym whether this talke were true and that the prognosticator had answered him that it was certaine and that he had founde this infallible in his constellation and natiuitie I pray thée then sayde the King tell me where the starres tell thée thou shalte kéepe thy Christmas this yeare To whom he answered he shoulde be in hys owne house with hys familie but I knowe very wel sayd the King that thy starres be lyers for thou shalt neither sée Moone Sunne Starres heauen nor thy familie this Christmasse putting hym presentely in the moste straight darke prison in the great tower of London where he continued till the feast was past Here you may sée how this true Astrologian was vsed remayning prisoner in extreme misery vntil after the feast kept of the natiuitie of Iesus Christe ¶ A wonderfull Historie of Flames of fyre which haue sprong out of the heades of diuers men CHAP. xxj IF there were but one onely Authour which had made mention of the Historie followyng although the truthe therof be sufficiently proued for whiche cause I haue the rather at this time placed it in these my wōders as a chiefe argument or coniecture in nature whereupon may be founded the cause notwithstanding seing so many learned men haue busied themselues to write therof together with so greate a number of faithfull authors witnessing the same in their works we ought the rather vpon their credite to beleue that whiche they haue sayd therin Titus Liuius in his thirde booke and thirde Decade Cicero in his seconde boke De diuinatione Valerius the great in his first boke and .vj. chapiter Frontinus in his secōd boke and .x. chapiter write that after the Scipions were surprised by their enimies and ouerthrowē and killed by the Spanyards and that Lucius Martius a Romaine knight making an oration to his souldiers exhorting to reuēgement they became astonished to see a great flame of fire issuing from his heade without doing to him any hurt which caused the armed men being moued with the sight of thys wonderfull flame to take heart and run so furiously vpon their enimies that they not onely killed xxvij thousande but also had a praie of a great number of captiues besides an inestimable riches they toke from the Carthaginiens Neither haue such fantasticall fyres sprong from the bodies of certaine men or appeared in one only but in many Wherof the same author Titus Liuius writeth in his first boke of things worthy of memory sithens the foundation of Rome the like to happen to Seruius Tullius who succéeded in the imperial seate Tarquinius Priscus from whose heade being yet but yong and as he slepte they sawe issue a flame of fyre whervpon the Quéene Tanaquil wife to the foresayd Priscus affirmed to hir husbād that this flame promised to hym greate good honour and prosperitie whiche afterwards chaunced for he maried not onely hir daughter but after the death of hir husband hée was Kyng of the Romaines And Plutarche and others haue written the lyke of Alexander when he foughte against the Barbariens being in the moste heate of the skirmish they sawe him all on fyre whiche caused a maruellous feare and terrour to his ennimies Euen so I knowe a certaine Physition at this day who writeth of the lyke in diuers of his histories chauncing in our time to a nere friende of his in Italy not onely at one time but at many Whereof as Plinius not onely in an other place maketh mention of the ryuer Trasimenus whyche was seene all on fyre but also maketh a certain discourse of these wonderfull flames whyche be seene aboute the bodies of men Also Aristotle in hys fyrst boke of Metheores treateth in lyke maner But to tell you myne opinion therein I can not any wayes gather the cause or foundation eyther of the one or other althoughe I haue promised to shewe the causes and reasons whervpon these wonders procede and take their beginnyng For if we wyll saye they be made by Arte As we haue séene very often in oure tyme certaine Ruffians vomite and caste forth of theyr mouthes certayne flames of burnyng Fyre whiche Atheneus in the fyrst boke of the Dipnosophistes and fouretenth Chapiter doth witnesse whiche coulde not happen as I thinke to the Histories before mentioned for that it hath chanced to greate lordes vpon whome these wonders haue bene moste proued by which meanes they being attended vpon wyth a greate numbre and multitude of persones the fraude thereof was easlyer discouered Wherefore it is moste expediente then to beléeue that they be wonders and deceytes of Sathan who was so familiar in the worlde passed that he inuented dayly newe wonders as is wytnessed in Exodus of the Magitiens of Pharao whiche conuerted Maydes into Serpentes and floudes of water into bloud whyche be matters as difficulte as to make flames of fyre issue or come from the bodies of men ¶ A Historie very notable of Prodigeous Loues CHAP. xxij I Am ashamed and almoste confused in my self that I must declare the wonderfull loue
the shape or figure of a deade man all to be bathed in the bloudy flouds of horrible murder preferring this lamentable request seing thou hast vsed so smal care to succour my lyfe at the least discharge the office of a friende in reuengyng of my death for this body whiche thou seest so murdered and dismembred afore thée is at the gate of the Citie in a charyot couered wyth dong by the crueltie of myne hoste Thys seconde summonce or rather importunitie was of suche force in the troubled mynde of the other Arcadian that he arose in greate sorrowe and wyth no lesse compassion requested dyuerse friends to accompanie him to the gate of the Citie where as they founde the deade body of his friend hydden in the dong in suche sorte as he appeared to him in his dreame Wherevpon the Hoast being taken and examined auouched the murder and receyued hys hyre by the losse of his head The like is affirmed by Alexander ab Alexandro in the ninth chapter of his second boke De ses iours geniaux which he vnderstode of a familiar and deare friend of his a man whose learnyng and vertue acquite hym from iust imputation of vntruthe in any sorte whatsoeuer Thys man being at Rome was required by one of hys verye friendes to accompanie hym to the bathes of Cumes the intente of whyche iourney as it was to séeke remedy for a disease whyche hadde troubled hym many yeares afore So the other agréed to hys request in sort to his owne expectation Neyther hadde they trauailed many yeares together but thys disease grewe to suche extreme debilitie thorough all hys body that what wyth the anguishe of it and weakenesse in hym to endure the paine he died and gaue vp the goast in an Inne To whome after the other had performed such funeralls as agréed with the time and place seing no cause of nede to passe further to the bathes retourned to Rome and being ouertaken with extreme wearinesse of the firste dayes trauaile tooke vp hys lodging in an Inne by the waye where he was no sooner in bedde and afore he hadde desire to sleepe than the image of his friende whome he hadde put into the earth the day afore presented hym selfe afore hys eyes beholdyng him wyth moste earneste and pitifull regarde and that in the same leane and defourmed estate he was in duryng the extremitie of hys sicknesse The same strikyng such mortall dreade into the other that he was readie to dye for feare and yet was not voide of courage and remembrance to aske hym what he was who without making him any aunswere put off hys ghoastly apparaile and roabes of a ghoast and wente to bedde to hym offeryng to embrace hym with greate familiaritie which forced the poore man halfe deade wyth feare to leape sodainely oute of the bed and saue hym selfe by flyght without that the vision appeared to hym afterwarde Whyche notwithstandyng coulde not so well assure hym but the remembraunce of that feare made hym fall into a mortall disease whiche albeit brought hym to the extreme hazarde of death yet the worst being preuented by special remedies and he returned 〈◊〉 health amoÌ„gst the wonderful reports of this vision he â—â—yd he neuer felt yce more colde than the feete of that dead body touching him in his bed The same author in the .xj. chapter of his first boke confirmeth this discourse with a like example which he hath neither red nor learned by report but séene the experience hym self in one of hys trusty seruantes a man bothe vertuous and of vpright lyuing who layed in his bed fast a slepe began vpoÌ„ a sodain to sigh lament complain in such sort that he awaked all those in the house His master in the morning asked him y e cause of his trouble to whom he answered that these complaintes were not vaine seing that he séemed to sée afore his eyes to be buried the dead body of his mother Whervpon as his maister obserued y e very daye and houre to the ende he myght know whether it didde prognosticate any harme to his man so within certaine dayes after there came a seruant of his mother the messanger of hir death who discoursing hir disease with the order of hir dying conferryng the times together it appered that the houre of hir death agréed wyth the very instaunt of the vysion whych sayth Alexander néede not séeme eyther vaine or doubtfull to suche as knowe certaine houses in Rome at this day of great hate and horrour by reason they are hauÌ„ted wyth spirites Whereof Plurarch maketh mention of Damon in the beginning of the life of Cymon The same also being confirmed with like example written of Pausanias Cleonices and Bizantia the maide bisides the authority of Plinie in his .vij. boke of his Epistles touchyng a vision appearing in a house in Athens and that which Suetonius writeth when Caligula was killed whose house was troubled with prodigeous monsters and visions many yeares after vntil it was burned And lastly suche like is approued by Marcus Paulus Venitian who writeth that at thys day the Tartarians be very strong by enchantments of spirits being able to chaunge the day into darkenesse bring either light or darkenesse when and into what â—â—ace they list wherwith whosoeuer hath ben at any time circumueÌ„ted escapeth hardly without mortal danger Wherof Hayronus is a sufficient witnesse in his historie of the Sarmares wherein he sheweth how the Tartarians being almoste ouerthrowne were restored and became victorious by the enchauntment of the Ensigne bearer who made suche a darknesse ouerwhelm the army of the aduerse part that it dimmed their sights and mortified their corages But here me thinketh we stande too long vpon prophane examples séeing we haue sufficient confirmation by Ecclesiasticall authoritie as Sainct Augustine in hys twelfth Boke and seuententh Chapiter vppon Genesis in the Historie of a frantike man prophecying vpon the death of a Woman who as he was banquetting in his owne house amongâ—â—â— certaine his familiar friends falling into question of a woman knowen to them all willed them to ende their talke of that woman bycause she was alreadie dead which as it moued them the rather bicause some of them sawe hir not long afore so being asked how he coulde assure it sayd he sawe hir passe before him caried by such as put hir in the grounde which happened accordingly within .ij. dayes after for that the dead corps of the same woman passed afore his gate to be buried without that she felte any motioÌ„ of sicknesse at the houre of the prediction In like sorte the said S. Augustin in the same place treateth so strangely of prodigeous visions that were not the holinesse and authoritie of him y t wrote them they deserued smal credit There was saith he in our Citie a yong man so vexed with a paine in his coddes that by the furie of his griefe he séemed to endure a maruelous torment hauing
his vniuersall Cosmographie to be the place where he was borne This néedes not séeme straunge to those which haue red histories for Lice which be much lesse than Ratts coulde not be preuented by no kynde of physike or medicins from deuouring and consuming the Emperor Arnoull leauing him nothing but synewes and bones In like sort the greate Monarche Antiochus willing to blot out of memorie the name of God forth of the â—inagoge and bring in the worshyppyng of Idols sawe issue out of himself a great number of worms and therby not only plunged in great dolour but also his whole armie infected with the stinke of that corruption which issued from him You may also reade in the second booke of the Machabees and the .xix. chapter of a King who being full of pride and ambition tooke vpon him not only to staye the waues of the Sea and peyse in balance great mountaines but also thoughte hym selfe able to touch the Starres of Heauen is nowe by the iuste iudgement of God so muche imbased that there is no man able to endure the stinke and corruption of his bodie ¶ A wonder of a monstrous King wherein is shewed in what perill they be which commaunde and others that haue the gouernement of the publike weale CHAP. iiij ARistotle Xenophon Plato and generally all those which haue treated or written of the policie of man affirme by their writinges that there is nothing more harde and difficulte than to gouerne well or commaund a publike weale for say they the aboundance of goodes and honours into the which most Princes be customably conuerted libertie to do euil without controlment together with the corrupt counsel of those which assist theÌ„ be the true matches to light them to al vices so that if we would but diligently search in order the discourses and histories of both kindes we shall finde the number of euyll Kings Emperours and Monarques giuen to sedition and wickednesse excéede farre the proportion of suche as haue gouerned and liued wel for being once inuested with the roabes of authoritie and supping the pleasant iuice distilling from the grape of Regal state they seldome or neuer bridle their affections but suffer themselues so to be ouerwhelmed and fall hedlong into the Laberynth of sundry vices For an experience wherof we may be bolde to prefer the example of S. Paule whose life and vertue remaines of great fame by the sacred recordes vntil the Lord made a tryal of him by calling him to the gouernment of his elected people of Israel when he fell froÌ„ the path of his ancient vertue and became an enimie to his maker and a contemner of his lawes Salomon in the beginning of his raigne how wonderful was he whose renoume remembraunce and wisedome is spred through al the partes of the world and being once stalled in the theatre of glorie gaue hymself ouer to the delites of women by which meanes he became depriued and voyd of the happy blessing and grace of God Calygula Mitredates and Neron gaue not they sufficient shewes at their first entry or beginning of muche noblenesse and bountie but the sequele and issue was such that al the earth was infected with their detestable tyrannies and abhominable cruelties and of .xxij. Kings of Iuda there were scarcely to be found aboue fiue or six which followed the true path of godly liuing and vertue wherein who so list carefully to read the liues of the Kings of Israel from Ieroboam the sonne of Naboth vntill the very laste which were in number but .xix. shall finde that they were euil ministers and husbandes of the publike weale In like sorte the Romaines whose common wealth hath bene accompted to flourish most of all the worlde with good gouernours haue found amongst them Augustus Vespasian Titus Antonius Pius Antonius Verus and Alexander Seuerus but as their liues make iust declaration of their noble and vertuous liuing and politike gouernment euen so the rest as farre surmounteth them for wicked and abhominable kindes of liuing And if you will beholde with due regarde and iudgemente the liues and renoumes of the Greekes Assirians Persians Medes and Egiptians you shal finde more euil spoken for their wickednesse than honour for their vertuous liuing All which matters be sufficiently proued and auouched by the gret king Antiochus who the first time he was presented with the Regal scepter and before he was therwith crowned as Valerius writeth he beheld it with good iudgement crying with a loud voice sayd O Diademe more noble than fortunate if the most part of the Princes of the earth which by sword and fire séeke to obtain thée were as willing to serch with good aduise due regard to shun y e miseries calamities which as coÌ„panions be annexed vnto thée they would theÌ„ scarce vouchsafe to lift thée from the erth not without cause for if any ambicious man wil measure according to right and waigh in iust ballance the delightes and honours with the daungers and perils which folow the crowne he wil finde for one pound of Honie ten poundes of Wormewood not compting the peril incident to the poore people wherewith he is charged for if it chance the Prince be dysordred and of wanton life the people most commonly frame themselues to imitate his doings who as Herodianus writeth be but the badges of Princes and do nothing but what they sée their Princes do before Wherfore seing that Princes Kings and Monarques be the coÌ„mon fountaines whervnto al men should resorte and drinke and they be theatres wherupon al the world ought to loke for purenesse of life and further serue as torches to giue light to all men walking in the darke caue of wicked doings if these sinne as Plato sayth the example is no lesse hurtfull to all their subiectes than to be abhorred in themselues Let them therefore vse such regard and moderation in their doings with such respect to an integritie of lyfe that they be founde perfect in the accoÌ„pt which they haue to yelde to the Lord least he set abroche the vessell of his anger and raine the shoure of reuenge as he did vpon the miserable King Nabuchodonosor the .iiij. King of the Babilonians who as Daniel witnesseth in his first chapter felte so sharply the heauie hande and iustice of God that he was exiled and banished from his kingdome the space of .vij. yeares wandring and liuing in the deserts with brute beastes and being naked remayned in that estate beaten not only with heate and cold but also with hayle and dewe vntil he was couered with haire like vnto the Eagle his nailes like to birdes Here all men may sée as in a glasse an example spectacle and wonder worthie to be noted that he hauing at commaundement a whole kingdome and serued as a King with al delicat viandes was taken into the deserts and there fedde and banqueted with wilde beastes Yea he which had ben inuested with purple and decked with precious Iewels was
refuge to demaunde councell therin of their diuines and soothsaiers who after they had done to them their accustomed ceremonies they answered that it was not possible by any artificiall meanes to close it vp vnlesse the moste precious Iewell in all the Citie were caste into it wherefore after that the Ladies and other Romain Citizens had liberallie caste into it the moste precious Iewels that they had in their closets without profiting or appeasing the furie of that gulphe Marcus Curtius an excellent and valiante Romain Knight armed at all pointes and mounted vpon the best horse in his stable cast himselfe headlong into that depth the which immediatly closed vp and so ceassed to rage So much is the deceit of the diuel in this world that men thinking to do sacrifice to their Gods to deliuer their countrie from captiuitie make their soules a willing sacrifice to the diuel Wherwith ending these earthquakes it resteth now to shew y ◠causes of their beginning Aristotle Plinie and generally all those who haue treated of the motion of the earth attribute the causes of that euil fortune to the vapours and exhalations which be inclosed in y e intrailles of y e earth by whose force searching to euente and to come forth the earth is moued and stirred which is of power in some places to dissunder strong walles and buyldyngs and make them fall into the earth and in some place it leaueth a hollowe hole or caue like to that in Rome whereof we made mention sometimes these fires issue before any assault or warning giuen where diuers tymes at the very same instant may bée hearde an horrible sounde and murmure like to the mutterings or clamors of men accordyng to the quantitie of the matter which is shaken or the forume of the caue by the which the vapour passeth leauyng sometimes a caue which sheweth the thyng swallowed and sometimes the earth is made so firme sodainly that they can finde no token therof and at other times deuoureth whole villages swallowyng somtimes the most part of a countrey And that which is to be noted these earthquakes happen for the most part rather in the Spring time and in Autumne than in any other season of the yeare ¶ Wonders of two bodies knitte togethers like two graftes in the tronke of a tree whereof S. Augustine in a boke of the Citie of God maketh mention CHAP. xiiij SUche nede not to be astonnied at all of the figure of this monster whiche haue read the eight Chapiter of S. Augustine in his .xvj. boke written of the Citie of God where a litle before his time was borne an infant in the east parties which was double aboue and single belowe hauing two heades two brestes foure handes and the rest of the bodie in the shape of one that is to say two thighes two féete one belly and the rest from the nauell downewarde had not but the figure of one mā as he witnesseth in a place before and lyuyng so many wente to sée it for the renoume and fame thereof And that wherof also I thought somwhat to speake for that thys whose portraict is presented is like vnto that whiche S. Augustine writeth of sauing that that had the figure of a man and thys the fourme of a woman who was engendred vpon the confines of Normandie and Englande at what time Henry the thirde there reigned Wherof if you wyll well consider you shall fynde the same to bée a straunge spectacle in Nature for beholde these two bodies were knit togither from the toppe of their heads to their nauell like .ij. graftes in the trunke of a trée hauing two heades two mouthes two noses with their faces faire well formed and made in euery point requisite in nature euen to the nauel and from the nauel downwardes it had but the figure and shape of one only that is to say two legs two thighes one nature and one onely conduict whereby the excrements were discharged And that whiche was more pitifull is that they differed in all the actions of nature for somtimes when the one wept the other laughed if the one talked the other helde hir peace as the one eate the other dranke Liuyng thus a long season till one of them died the other being constrained to traile the deade body after hir for certaine yeares after where by the stinke and corruption of hir who was deade in the ende she was infected and died also The Authours of this be Cuylerinus Mattheus Palmerius Vincentius in hys .xxvj. booke and xxxviij Chapiter Hieronymus Cardan an excellente Millanois Physition searching greately the secretes of Nature which at this day is liuing affirmeth in his .xiiij. boke of his bokes of diuerse histories that in the yeare .1544 in the moneth of Ianuary the like monster was engēdred in Italie which he describes in pointes like vnto this and the mother brought it forth in the ende of the .ix. moneth very well formed in all respects and withall corpulente notwithstanding it died immediatly after the mother was brought to bedde by meanes that the sage women had vsed to much force and violēce in taking the same from the body of the mother And further he describes afterwards a thing worthie to be noted whiche is that there was a surgion named Gabriel Cuneus a man very expert in hys arte who heretofore had ben his disciple made an Anatomie of this monstrous maide committing hir into pieces and after he had opened the interiour partes he found a double wombe all the intestines double sauing that which they cal rectū bisides he found two liuers and so almost all the other partes reseruing the heart which was single the which moueth vs to thinke sayth Cardan that Nature wold haue created two sauing that by some defecte she imperfected the whole ¶ A Historie of a Monster wherof S. Hierome maketh mention who appeared to S. Anthonie in the deserte CHAP. xv SAint Hierom Licostenes and Isidorus make mention of a monster who vpon a sodaine appeared to S. Anthonie whilest he did penance in the desert hauing as it is written the forme of a man his nose hideous hauked two hornes on his head and his feete like to a goate according to his figure appearing in this portraict wherof that holy man being afrayd to behold so wonderful a creature in the desert he coniured him in the name of God to tell him what he was who answered him I am a mortall man as thou art appointed to dwell in this wildernesse which the cōmon people deceiued are persuaded to be one of these hurtfull Satyres wandring by the desertes or else some enchaunting deuill wherof also the holy man S. Augustine in his first boke and thirde question of Genesis maketh mention in that he reportes so diuersly of certain diuels hurtful specially to women that it is neither easy nor seeming to pronounce a resolution albeit in the .xxv. chapiter and .xv. boke of the citie of God he speaketh
the néedle beholde alwayes the north and the other the south He that firste founde oute the vse of this stone was named Flauius but the first that wrote of his vertue was Albertus Magnus Aristotle knewe well that it was of a nature attractiue and coulde drawe yron vnto it but yet he was ignoraunt to vse it in the Arte of Nauigation for if he had vnderstoode so farre of it he had preuented a numbre of miserable shipwracks and daungers of sea which ouerwhelmed his countreymeÌ„ for want of direction by vertue of this stone Neither was it without cause that Plinie giuing singular estimation to this stone did forme his cruell complaints against nature in that she was not onely contente to gyue a voyce vnto rocks to send or returne certain cries and calles in maner of an Eccho but also to giue feelyng motion and hands to stones as to the Adamant wherwith he smelleth and holdeth yron and séemeth to be iealous when any offereth to take it from him he not only allureth yron and holdeth it when he hath it but also is contented to imparte and transferre hys vertue to any thyng that toucheth it which hath not bene onely an experience among the prophane but Saint Augustine hym selfe confesseth to haue seene the Adamant drawe vnto it a ryng of yron whiche being rubbed or touched with the Adamant drew another ring and so the thirde drew the fourth and so consequently in suche number as he made a large coller of rings in the forme of a chaine by the only ayde and touche of thys stone such is his propretie and such his wonderful vertue whiche also hath bene verified by many familiar experiences and chiefly by a late triall whiche I sawe in Fraunce in this sorte There was a knife layd vpon a square thick table and vnderneath the bourde was helde in a mans hande a piece of an excellent good Adamant whose vertue piercing thorough the table that was betwene it and the mettall made the knife moue turne alone to the great wonder of the assistantes These propreties of the Adamant be common therefore we will syft out of it a more secrete wonder whyche wyth the profite may also bring pleasure to the Reader There is nowe a dayes a kinde of Adamant which draweth vnto it fleshe and the same so strongly that it hath power to knit and tie together two mouthes of contrary persons and drawe the hearte of a man out of hys body withoute offendyng any parte of hym wyth thys further propretie that yf the poynte of a néedle be touched or tempered wyth it it pierceth thorowe all the partes of the bodye wythoute doyng any harme whyche woulde not séeme credible were it not that Experience dyd warraunt it wyth greate wonder Hieronymus Cardanus writeth that a Physition of Tours called Laurentius Crascus had of this stone promised by the meane of the same to penetrate any fleshe wythoute griefe or sorrowe whiche Cardanus did eyther doubte or lightly beléeue tyll the experience assured the effect for he rubbed a néedle with this Adamant then put it thorough his arme where he let it remaine without any sorow many days after but that which maketh this experience and vertue of the Adamant more famous is that he respected neither veins nor sinews but thrust in his néedles or yroÌ„s indifferently without sparyng any place This Adamant which he had excéeded not the bignesse of a beane and was of colour like yron distinct of veynes and peysing aboute the weight of .xij. graines of corne By this Admant many people were deceyued like as also it was the occasion to entertain an errour amongst many persons which myne author confesseth to haue séene by experience about .xv or xvj yeres past being in the vniuersitie of Poyctiers whether came in great pomp a stranger naming him self to be a Greeke borne who in the presence of the people gaue him self many and great blowes with a dagger both vpon his thighes armes almost euery part of his body which being rubbed with a certain oyle which he called the oyle of Balsamyn it did so refresh consolidate his hurts as if the yron had neuer touched theÌ„ Ther is also at this day in Italy one Alexander of Verona who practised the like artificial experience with his seruaÌ„ts who pinched them in the presence of the people with pinsers tongs daggers and other tormenting instruments and that with such horrour that it greued the eyes of the assistants and then rubbing theyr woundes with a certaine oyle he made them hole agayne presently which so abused the simplicitie of the assistants that they bought of his oyle which he assured to be as profitable to all kinde of diseases what soeuer whiche was suche a gaine to him that there scaped no daye wherein he gat not tenne or twelue crownes aboue his hire for the cure of those that were sicke The mysterie whereof dyd driue Cardanus into such a wonder that he was very curious to searche the cause and falling for that matter into an intricate Labyrinth of Philosophie he coulde not fynde nor giue any other reason of it than that the people were enchaunted touching the oyle whiche he solde and wherwith he fained to heale his seruant being hurt he confessed it was a fiction and a thing nothing worth for that those that bought it of him coulde do no cure on themselues or any other And now to drawe to ende and resolution of al these things it is moste like that this Greeke and Alexander of Verona and all the rest that haue bene seene to cutte and teare their flesh in peces in sundry parts of the world dyd not heale them by eyther theyr oyles or balmes as they fayne but it is more likely they rubbe their daggers pinsers and instrumentes wherewith they hurte them wyth this seconde kynde of Adamant the same hauyng a certayne secrete and hydden vertue to consolidate that part that is hurt and to resist all sorow and griefe in the wounde wherein for a more credite I commende you to the authoritie of Plaudanus in his seconde Booke De Secretis orbâ—â— rerum miraculis ¶ Wonders of certaine Princesses being committed to the flames vniustly accused who were deliuered by vertue of their innocencie CHAP. xvij IT is no newe thyng neither chauÌ„ceth it often that the innocent creatures coulde not be endomaged by the flames of fire as it is verified in many noble persons found and spoken of in the holy Scriptures But it is a straunge thing at these days wherin sinne so aboundeth and we seldome sée suche miracles that such lyke shoulde happen amongst vs. For as Polydorus Vergilius witnesseth in the eyght boke of his histories of England and as others write before his time makyng mention of one Goodwyn prince of Englande who accused vniustly of many vices Emnia mother to Edward the seconde King of England and wrought therin so much by his false suggestions accusations that the Kyng hir
son despoiled hir not only of all hir goodes but in processe of time as one synne draweth another he so continuyng his wicked enterprise would not be satisfied with hir goodes but sought to deuest hir of hir honor accusing hir a freshe that she had cōmitted adulterie with the bishop of Winchester whereof king Edward storming out of measure to heare hir accused of such execrable vices who had giuen him suck within hir intrailes resolued to put hir to death and in the meane tyme whilest all the court was molested with the inquisition of this offence he cōmitted hir and the bishop into seuerall prisons where she being grieued demaunded one day amongst others to talke with the kyng hir sonne in whose presence she cast hir selfe headlong into the burnyng flames crying with a loude voyce y t those hote burning flames myght consume hir body ▪ if she were culpable of the faults wherof she was wrongfully accused and hauyng ended this talke she issued oute of the fyre in good safetie without diminishing any part of hir body Wherat y e king was much astonished Crantius in his chronicles of Almayn and many others whiche haue written of their Histories report the like of lame Henry the .xv. Emperor of the Romains a mā very religious who maried with the daughter of Sigeroy Palatin of Rheyn called Gunegonde a woman chast and of good life if euer there were any with whō the emperour lyued in maruellous continencie and chastitie louing hir onely Albeit a certain Gentlewoman of hys house persuaded by some wicked spirite repinyng to see their cōtinēcies determyned to sow some ielousy betwixt them who findyng the Emperoure at conuenient leysure tolde hym that she dyd beholde the Empresse vsing the company of a knyght in vnhonest manner Whereof the Quéene being aduertised commaunded there shoulde be made ready secretely six greate Culters of yron and to bring them into the presence of the Emperour who ignorant of the occasion was sodainely amazed to sée hys wyfe marche so hardly barefooted and without any feare at all and stande vpon those burning yrons Whome she beholdyng attentiuely sayde vnto hym Behold Emperour as I am not hurt with this fire euen so am I clere from all immundicitie Whereof the Emperor was astonished and began to thinke of the vaine superstition the whiche he had beléeued prostrating hym selfe sodainly vpon the earth and required pardon at Gods handes for his rashe iudgement in the same Wherin as these innocent doings proued by those flames séeme straunge so doe the liues of these two persons wherof the Historians wryte seeme to me no lesse wonderfull for that they liued togethers like maydes withoute knowyng one the other duryng al theyr lyues in such sort that the Emperor feeling death to approch caused hir parents to be sent for sayd to them Like as y e first day ye gaue me your daughter in mariage she was a maid euē so I render hir vnto you again a maide with cōmaundement to vse hir in faithfull trusty maner The Emperor with his maidēlike wife were buried in the cathedral church of Bambergh which heretofore was subiect to the archbishop of Maiencey Preferring further as of good right into y e nūber of .ij. vertuous princesses y e history recited by Eusebius Cesariēsis in his ecclesiasticall history of Policarpus which during the great butchery and persecution of the christians which they made vnder y e emperor Verus wer brought to y e fire to be burned quick and after they had lifted their eyes to heauen and made their prayers to god they wer cast hedlong into a great hot burning fire albeit in the place where y e flame ought to haue cōsumed thē brought thē to cinders it began with great maruel to reuolt flying far off frō the bodies of y e martirs in maner like the sayle of a shippe whiche is tossed and caried by the windes in the middest of the sea which appeared as euidently as the golde or siluer which they melte in the fornace And when these wicked monsters sawe that their bodies consumed not they commaunded the tormentor or hangman to thrust them thorough wyth a sworde when beholde sayth he there issued out of their bodies suche quantitie of bloode in suche greate abundance that the fire was cleane extincte giuing to the lookers on suche a grieuous remorse of conscience that they fledde altogethers wherof you may reade more at large in the fourth booke of the Historie Ecclesiasticall of Eusebius and the .xlj. chapter ¶ A wonderfull historie of sundry straunge Fishes monsters Mermaydes and other huge creatures founde and bredde in the sea CHAP. xviij AMongest most of those things which merit Philosophicall contemplation touching the vniuersall subiect of creatures without reason I thinke such are moste wonderful whose nature is furthest from our vnderstanding and iudgemēt as especially huge fishes and other monsters of the water who being shrined in the bottome and bellye of the Sea and buried in the depth of diuerse lakes do excéede moste commonly the opinion and iudgemeat of suche as be most curious to searche and fifte their maners and conditions the same being so rare and strange and specially in the exercise of their naturall actions that I thinke they be of force to moue equall delite desire to many men to participate for a time with their societie in the Elament where they dwell to the ende they mighte come to a more frée and perfect knowledge of their vertues whiche was plentifully approued by the Emperour Antonine who hauing receiued a certaine worke of Opian treating of the order of fishing and disposition of fyshe gaue hym as manie Crownes as there were verses in his bookes Conradus Celtis and after hym Gesnerus shewing the desire and affection that the Aunciente Emperours had to bée priuie to the propertie age maners and condicion of fishes write that in the yeare .1497 was taken in a poole neare to Haelyprum the Imperiall Citie of Sweura a Brochet whiche had a hoope or ring of leather tyed to his eares wherein was written in Carracters of Greeke this whiche foloweth I am the firste fyshe that was put into this Riuer by the handes of Federike seconde Emperour of the Worlde the fifte of October a thousande twoo hundred and thirty which proued by the witnesse of those letters that the saide Brochet had lyued in that water 297. yeares Wherein also it séemes that this good Emperour Federik obserued in fishes that which Alexander vsed in Hartes or déere who according to Plinie woulde cause very often chaines of golde with inscriptions to be tied about theyr neckes then gaue them the libertie of the wilde forestes the same being founde a hundred or twoo hundred yeares after kéeping the same coller letters about their neckes The Romains for the estimation they had of fishes pleasure to behold them would sometime caste cōdemned men all quicke into their riuers Lakes to the
to participate with the enchauntement of the Torpedo of whose properties although the authours had made no mention yet the common experience of euery fisher maketh good no lesse of hym It is defended to sell him in the open market at Venise bycause of his poyson Moste parte of oure Phisitions nowe a dayes write that his fleshe is moiste softe and of an vnpleasant taste Yet Galen in his thirde booke de Alimentorum facultatibus and in his booke de Attenuante Victu and in the eyghte of his Methodes doth allowe it onely there hath bene great cōtrouersie amongest the Auncients to know in what parte of his bodie consistes the venom of his charme that casteth both fishe and the parts of men into a sleepe some giue out that it lyeth in one parte some saye in an other but moste agrée that it is deuided throughout euen vnto the gall whiche they confirme by the witnesse of Plinie which saith that the gall of a Torpedo on lyue being applied to the genitors or priuye partes represseth the desire of the fleshe wherein we will ende the discourse of that fishe and his propertie and visite other maruels founde in other fishes Althoughe the water is the proper Element mansion house and place of abode for fishes where they féede liue disporte encrease and exercise all their other functions yet is there of them whiche leaue the Sea floudes and riuers and leape vppon the lande eate and féede vppon hearbes vse recreation in the féeldes and sléepe there now and then Theophrastes affirmeth that neare vnto Babylon when the riuers retire within their bākes there be certain fishes lefte within caues and hollowe places which issue out to feede marching vpō their wings or with their often mouing of their taile whē any offreth to offend or assault them they flie forthwith into their caues as their refuge The auncient Philosophers affirme that there haue bene founde fiishes vnder the earth who for that cause they called Focilles whereof Aristotle makes mention and Theophraste speaking of Paphlilagonia where men drawe fishe and they be very good to eate out of déepe diches and other places wherein no water doth remaine Polybe writes in lyke sorte that neare to Narbone hath bene founde fishes vnder the earth We maye also bring in amongest other wonders of the Sea a kind of fishe called Stella or Sea starre bycause it hath the figure of a painted starre this fishe is of a Nature so hote that he endureth assoone as he hath deuoured which Aristotle approueth in his .v. booke De Historia anima where he gyueth such hotnesse to this fish that she boyleth what she taketh Plinie and Plutarch do likewise affirme that the starre by hir onely touche doth melte boyle and burne whatsoeuer she toucheth and knowing hir vertue she suffreth hir selfe to be touched with other fishe to the ende she maye burne them Monsieur Rondelet a man liuing at this daye and aswel worthie of credit as the best that write in his histostorie de piscibus affirmeth that he hath séene many starres of the Sea but one amongest the reste containing almost a foote in length which he opened in maner of Anotomie and founde in his bellye three Coquylles whole and twoo Remollies halfe digested such is the greate furious heate of this litle creature all which may seeme wonderfull examples of the wonders of the Sea yet are they nothing in respect of those whiche we meane to treate hereafter the same mouing both feare and amaze to suche as haue most nearely sifted the secretes of the Sea For this litle beast which so amazeth y e world is called in Greeke Ethneis and of the Latins Remora to whome is gyuen that name bycause she doth stay Ships as hereafter you shall heare more at large Opyanus and Aelian write that he delites moste in the high sea he is of the length of a cubite of a browne colour like vnto an Eele Plinie maketh hym like to a greate Limace whiche he proueth by the witnesse of suche as sawe one of them that stayed the Galey of the prince Caius Caesar. In his .ix. booke he brings in diuers opinions of sundry authors touchyng this fishe who although they differ in his description yet they agree all that suche one there is and is of power to stay shippes Whereof also many Philosophers of late dayes whiche haue trauailed by many ports and hauens in Asia and Affrica beare witnesse in that they haue séene hym made an Anatomie and proued his vertues with wonderfull effectes It is sure a maruellous and monstrous thing in Nature to finde a fish or creature in the water of y e gretnesse of a Limace which is of force by a secrete propretie of nature to stay immediatly what she toucheth be it the moste huge and tal ship or galey that vseth to scumme the sea whiche made Plinie crie out in this sorte Oh straunge and wonderful thyng sayth he that all the windes blowyng from all partes of the worlde and the moste furious tempestes raging vpon and ouer the waues and contendyng wyth extreme violence against the vessels that sayle thervpon stand in awe of a little fishe of the greatnesse of a Limace whose power preuaileth ouer their furie can restraine and bridle theyr rage and is of more force to stay the strongest shippe that is than all their ankers cables tackles or any other engine employed or vsed about the same This fishe encountred Anthonie in hys warres and restrained hys shippe Adamus Louicerus Lib. de Aquatilibus cōfirming Plinies opinion rauished as it were with suche straunge conditions in a fishe hath trauailed with great paines to searche out the cause in nature wherof being not able to giue any reason by any learnyng or diligence he vsed gaue it ouer with this exclamation Who is he of so dumbe and grosse iudgement whiche wyll not enter into admiration if he beholde at leysure the propreties and power of this little fishe I knowe sayth he that the Adamant hathe power to smell and drawe yron the Diamont sweateth and distilleth poyson the Turkeys doth moue when there is any peril prepared to him that weareth it the Torpille infecteth and maketh slepe the hande and arme of the Fisher and I know that the Basilicke is so venomous that with his onely viewe and regard he poisoneth man of all which notwithstandyng their straungenesse a man maye yelde some reason but of the vertue of this fish we may not argue bicause it is supernaturall for he lyueth in the water taketh his nouriture in the water as other fishes doe and doth no exercise but in the water his little stature approueth that he can do no great violence and yet is there no power equal with his nor force able to resist him there is neither storme nor engin by hande of power to moue a ship after he hath once plyed him selfe to it wer it that the whole windes and violence of the Element
Embassadours to the Emperour to certifie hym that they hadde séene many tymes a Tryton or man of the Sea hyde and wythdrawe hym selfe into a caue neare vnto the Sea There was also aduertisement sente to the Emperor Octauian Augustus that vpon the coast of France were founde certayne Mermaydes deade vpon the banke of the ryuer In like sorte Georgius Trapezuntius a man very famous in learning affirmeth to haue seene vpon the border of the Ryuer appearyng out of the water in the fourme of a Woman vntill the nauill whereof seemyng to maruell and beholdyng hir somewhat nearely shée retired into the water Alexander ab Alexandro a great ciuilian Philosopher in the .viij. Chapter of hys thyrd booke assureth for certaintie that in Epyre now named Romain is a certayne fountaine neare the Sea from whence yong Maydes for the necessitie of theyr houses dydde drawe water and that harde by issued a Triton or Sea man and caughte a little damsell whome he caried oftentymes into the sea and after sette hir on lande agayne wherof the inhabitauntes beyng aduertised vsed suche watche and guarde that they tooke hym and broughte hym afore the Iustice of the place afore whome beyng searched and examined founde in hym all partes and membres of a man for whyche they committed hym to certaine garde and kéepyng offeryng hym meate the whyche he refused wyth sorrowfull lamentations after hys kynde not tastyng any thyng that was offered hym and lastly dyed of hunger séeing hym selfe restrayned from the Elemente wherein he was wonte to dwell Many writers nowe a days do witnesse a thyng more strange than any of these if it be true whyche is that the Archduke of Austriche third sonne of the Emperor Ferdinando made to be caried with him to Gennes in the yere .1548 a Mermayd dead the same so astonishing the people that the moste learned men in Italie came to visite and sée him I coulde yet make of more Watermonsters séene in oure tyme as that whych was figured lyke a Monke an other like a Bishop wyth other of lyke resemblaunce whyche importe the more faith bicause they are preferred by thrée of the most notable Fishers in Europe being also figured so amply in the vniuersall Historie of Fyshes that I néede not to enlarge their descriptions for they haue so lernedly discoursed of the propreties of the same that they haue cutte of all hope to suche as shall come after them to aduaunce it with further addition ¶ Wonders of Dogges whiche dyd eate Christians CHAP. xix IF the bones ashes of all those which haue bene persecuted for the name of Iesus Christe were at this day in being and to be séene with our corporall eyes we myghte then confesse that they were able to buylde a great and proude Citie and withal if all the bloud which hath bene shed for his name were gathered together into one certaine place it were sufficient to make a great floud For who soeuer will reade in Eusebius and S. Augustine the â—â—rsecutions burnings butcheries and slaughters which were made of the poore flocke of Iesus Christ in the time of the Emperour Domitian Traian Antonius Seuerus Maximinian Decius Valerian Aurelian Diocletian Maximian with many others he shal not finde so many thousandes slaine in the cruell warres of the TirauÌ„ts as he shal reade to haue shed their blood for y e name of Iesus Christ neither is the sacrifices of so many Martirs and companies of the good so amplie spoken of by Sainct Augustin in his .xviij. booke .lij. chap. of the Citie of God or by Eusebius in his Ecclesiasticall historie or that Orseus writeth so muche to be wondered at or strange as this whereof Cornelius Tacitus maketh mention is wonderfull and worthie to be put in memorie amongest the moste celebrate pourtraicts monsters of this worlde For it did not onely suffise the infamous Tiraunt Nero to make to be burned the bodies of the poore Christians making them serue as torches and blazing linkes to giue light to the Citizens of Rome but also made theÌ„ to be wrapped quicke in the skinnes of certaine sauage beastes to the ende that the dogges thinking they had bene beastes in déede might teare and commit their bodies to pieces Which you may nowe sée by the furious assaultes that Sathan and his accomplices haue builded againste the members of Iesus Christe for there is no Religion which he hath not so furiously persecuted sithens the beginning of the worlde as this of ours wherein although he hath set abroche all his subtilties fraudes malices and inuentions to vndermine it yet notwithstanding it remaineth whole and sounde by the vertue and ayde of the Sonne of God who hath can bridle represse the enuious rage of his enimies And although he hath procured the death of many members of the Churche as Abell Esaie Ieremie Zacharie Policarpius Ignatius and many thousand Martirs and Apostles yet notwithstaÌ„ding he could neuer deface any iote therof for it is writen in like maner that the gates of hel coulde not by any meanes preuaile againste hir albeit that for a certaine time she was put in some perill and was shaken and tossed like a litle barke by the rage teÌ„pestes of the Sea yet surely Iesus Christe did not forsake at any time his espouse but alwayes assisted hir as the head of his bodie watched hir garded hir and maintained hir as is witnessed in the promisses made vnto hir when he saide I will not leaue you my Orpheus I will be with you to the verye laste consummation of the worlde And further he sayeth in Esaie I will put my worde into your mouth and defende you with the shadowe of my hande and those wordes which I put into your mouth shall not be taken from your séede now nor neuer Wherein séeing then that our only religion is true and purified and that it is signed by the bloud of so many Prophetes Apostles and Martirs and confirmed besides with the bloud of Iesus Christ whereof he hath lefte to vs the true Charecter and witnesse of his death that all others be vnlawfull bastards and inuented by the Diuels and men their ministers to the vtter confusion of ours wherefore if it be so pure and holy let vs then indeuour our selues to conserue and kepâ— the same to the ende we maye saye in the last daye to God as the good king Dauid saide Lord I hate them that hate thée I am angrie with them that rise against thée and I hate them with a perfect hate and holde them for mine enimies ¶ A wonderfull historie of diuers figures Comets Dragons and flames which appeared in heauen to the terrour of the people and whereunto the causes and reasons of them be assigned CHAP. xx THe face of Heauen hath bene at diuers times so much disfigured by blasing starres torches fireforkes pillours Lances bucklers Dragons twoo Moones twoo Sunnes at one instant with other like things that whosoeuer woulde recompte
heauen be as foretellers and messengers of famine pestilence warres mutations of Realmes and other such like hurtes which happen to the generation of man And he further beleues that the greater and hideous these figures appeare they purporte and shew the greater euils Whereof Proculus one of the moste excellent Astrologians which Grece at any time norished followeth the interpretations of suche predictions by all the signes of heauen recompting by order the maruellous powers which these starres haue vppon the actions humaine And there be others as Ptolome whiche haue written that if any infant in his natiuitie be borne vnder certaine constellations he shall haue power ouer diuels there be also others of opiniō but they be most shamelesse full of blasphemies who haue so much referred themselues to the dispositiō of starres that they haue not feared to write that if any from their natiuitie were borne vnder the aspect of certaine starres that they shoulde haue the gyfte of prophecie and should foretel things to come And that Iesus Christ the sauiour of al the world was borne vnder certaine fortunate cōstellations being y e cause y t he was so perfect wrought so many miracles Here you may see the cruel horrible blasphemies which these detestable infamous Astrologians iudiciall bring forth which is y e cause y t S. Augustin hath banisht thē frō the Citie of God Basil and S. Ciprian deteste thē Chrisostome Eusebius Lactantius and S. Ambrose abhorre them The councell of Tollete reiecte them the ciuill lawes punishe them by death And the Ethniques also as Varro Cornelius Celsus and many other defame them But farre more diuersly amongst Princes than any other hath Picus Mirandula shewed him selfe who hath so very well brought to light and discouered the Labyrinth of their dreames in a Latin worke which he made against them that they scarcely dare once lift vp their hornes Wherefore lette vs now returne to our purpose and shewe so neare as we can whether these straunge figures and Comets whiche we sée from heauen be foretellers of things whiche shall happen or that they be naturall wherein as Aristotle in his first boke of Metheores treating very learnedly of the nature of Cometes and of these other impressions Characters and figures which be made from heuen sayth that they be made onely by nature without makyng mention that they either foretell or appoynt any thing which shall happen euen so it is to be presupposed that if Aristotle who is the first and most excellent of all those which haue written at any time in this Arte had founde neuer so little coniecture or reason in nature that they were appointers of any thing whiche should come to passe he woulde haue kepte them no more secrete or hidden than he hath done the other secretes of philosophie which he hath lefte to vs by his writings Wherfore it is then certaine that these fantasticall flames and other figures whiche we sée from heauen be naturall and grow vpon this occasion folowing There be thrée regions in heauen one whiche is most high who receiueth into hir a maruellous heate for that she is nexte neighbour to the Element of fyre the other which is lower receyueth the beames of the Sunne beaten backe of the earth whereof I haue made mention in my description of the cause of thunders The third is in the mydst of these two to the which do come the force of the heate which commeth from the vppermost part lyke to the heate of the beames of the Sunne beaten backe when it commeth from the lowest or inferior region For as Plinie witnesseth the starres be continually nourished of the humor procedyng of the groūd which be the chiefest causes of these celestiall flames for the earthe as Aristotle sheweth in his fyrst booke of Metheores being chafed of the Sunne rendreth double ayrely substaunce the one vapour which we may proprely name exhalation hote and drye the other is hote and moyste and bicause the firste vapour is most light she is suffered to come to the highest region of the ayre where she is set on fyre wherof procedeth these fyres and flames from heauen which in the formes of dyuers straunge shinyngs appeare in the Cloudes in sundry figures as in the shape of burnyng torches of shippes heades launces bucklers swordes bearded and hairie Comets with other like things whereof we haue made mention here before the whiche engenders greate terror and astonishement to those who be ignorant of the causes wherin as it hapened oftentymes amongst the Romains in the warres of the Macedons who being brought into such fear and terror by the sodain appering of the Eclipse of the Moone that their hearts began to faile them Euen so Cneius Sulpitius seing thē continuing in this feare by a wonderful eloquēce shewed vnto them by probable reasons that such mutation in the aire was naturall and that the Eclipse proceded of no other thing than of an interposition of the Moone betwixt the Sunne and vs and of the earth betwixt vs and the Moone by whiche meanes they were delyuered of their errour not knowing til that houre the cause of the sayd Eclipse The like may be sayd of the raining of blood the which hath so much frighted the people in the yeres passed for bicause they were ignorant wherevpon it proceded as that which fell from heauen in the yere of health 570. in the tyme that the Lumbards wer vnder the conduct of Albuyn traueling through Italy And also ther fel the like yet fresh in memory neare Fribourgh in the yeare .1555 the whyche stained and made the garments and trées whiche it touched of the coloure of redde and notwithstanding although that this séemeth wonderfull yet oftentymes it is naturall For like as the earth gyueth diuers colours to many bodies euen so she coloureth the water of the rayne for if the earth be redde shee rendreth those vapours and exhalations redde the whiche being conuerted into raine the heauen in like maner sendeth them to vs redde and coloured as they were attired and lifted in height and falling so vpon certaine habites she maketh them of the colour and die of redde Wherfore many Historians as well Greekes as Latines amongest their great maruels and rare wonders from heauen haue made mention of these bloudy shoures It resteth now to putte to the laste seale this chapiter and to appoynte the causes of the number of Sunnes and Moones whych appeare oftentimes from heauen as the thrée Sunnes the whiche Cardanus reporteth to haue seene in oure tyme being at Venice And like as we haue sayd that these figures whiche appeare from heauen be natural euen so we must speake of the multitude of Moones and Sunnes the which appeare for that oftentymes and specially when a certaine thicke cloude is readie to raine being founde on the syde of the Sunne the same by a lyke reflection on hir beames imprinteth hir image in the same cloude by
of thrée of the most renoumed Philosophers that euer were at any tyme in the world Wherof the one of them so wel studied in the perfectnesse of the soule and of the nature diuine with a wonderfull diligence in giuing wholsome lawes for a common welth that S. Augustin dare write affirme of him sauing in some respectes to be a perfect Christian. The second so well seene in the Element treating also very learnedly of the secretes of Nature and other sensible things that he shone amongest the reste of the Philosophers as the sunne amongest the starres The thirde as he was nothing inferiour in learning to the other twoo so had he besides such a kinde of holinesse and other ornaments of Ciuilitie that he was nuÌ„bred amongst the seuen fages of Grece which notwithstanding although they had curiously searched the secrets of the heauens of Nature the being and resorte of all things coÌ„tained within the compasse of the earth yet were they not so finely studied nor so well armed in the secretes of their sciences as eyther they vnderstand the Nature of so faire and delicate a creature as a woman is or other wayes be able to defende them selues from their cruell assaultes All the greate Masse of Philosophie wherin Aristotle was so déeply plunged and greatly studied from his birth to his sepulture was not of sufficient force to subdue in him the motions of the fleshe for he became in loue with a coÌ„mon woman named Hermie the loue of whome had so muche enflamed hym that he not onely consumed in the sight of all men but that which more was he became not only a straÌ„ger for hir sake to Philosophie which deserues to be noted amongest these wonders but also worshipped hir made to hir sacrifices as Origene writeth whereof being accusâ—d by Demophilus he was coÌ„strained to abandon Athens where he had remained and written xxx yeares and saued him selfe by flighte Plato who onely amongest the Philosophers merited the name of diuine was not so supersticious but he would aswel knowe what was humanitie as he had bene diligent to searche the secretes of the heauens that he would often times behold and remaine with humaine bodies as is wel notified of him by kéeping coÌ„panie with Aâ—chenasse who although she had gyuen hir selfe ouer to a number in hir youth notwithstanding when she was abaÌ„doned of others Plato receyued hir being so much assotted in hir that he not only loued hir but made certain verses in hir praise lamenting that he should so muche in the sight of al men embrace the loue of so many olde wrinkels as Atheneus y e Greeke authour writeth in his .xiij. booke de ses Dipnosophistes Socrates whose maiestie and grauitie was so much renoumed celebrated by y e AuncieÌ„ts y t they write this wonder of him that he was alwayes one man in sorte that for any Eclips of fortune prosperitie or aduersitie they neuer at any time founde mutation in hym notwithstanding he was not so sterne or seuere in his actions but the loue of his Aspasie did at all times mollifie the same as Clearchus maketh report vnto vs by writing in the firste booke of his Amours And like as I haue broughte these thrée to lighte so could I rehearse a greate number of others as Demosthenes Isocrates Pericles many others whose amorous and lasciuious loues the Greeke Historians haue sufficiently discouered that in reading of them I haue muche maruell that the greatnesse of their studie science wisedome could not moderate suche motions flames but that the smoke of their wantoÌ„ dealings remaineth to their posteritie Wherefore Lays so muche renowmed amongest the loste women was one daye in a greate coller against diuers which praised very earnestly the life maners of all the learned wise Philosophers of Athenes saide vnto some of them I knowe not saith she what is their knowledge neither what is their science neither what bookes your Philosophers studie whome you so much coÌ„mende but I knowe this very well y t I being but a womaÌ„ besides y t I neuer red in y e schooles at Athenes yet haue I séene very often the wise men come here to my schoole where of graue Philosophers they became folishe louers Let vs therefore leaue these Philosophers at reste and search out others for whosoeuer would make a Callender of al those who haue made them selues subiecte to loue should rather make a whole booke thereof than a chapter Menetor as Atheneus reciteth maketh mention of an amorous historie worthie to be noted in our wonders for that there is nothing more rare in Nature than to sée hir which loueth well willing to make partition to an other of that which was so deare vnto hir the whiche some times chaunced in a notable historie that we haue to write of Atheneus maketh mention of a coÌ„mon woman greatly renoumed for hir beautie whose name was Plangon Milesienne as she was beautiful so was she desired of many great Lordes But amongest others she had a yong man called Colophomen a man exquisite in beautie whome she coÌ„monly plaid withall who aboue all others enioyed the best part in hir NotwithstaÌ„ding as these lasciuious loues be for the most part grounded on tickle vncertaine foundatioÌ„s y t all the building coÌ„meth in y e ende to vtter decaye ruine euen so there hapned such a Ielousie betwixte PlaÌ„gon hir friend for y t she vnderstoode he loued an other called Bachide Samienne one nothing inferiour to hir for beautie other douries of Nature Wherin being assailed w t this new Ielousie she determined to make truce w t hir loue to giue y e farewel to this yoÌ„g geÌ„tlemaÌ„ WhervpoÌ„ this yong maÌ„ who wished rather to die thaÌ„ to become a straÌ„ger to hir in whom coÌ„sisted y e coÌ„fort solace of his life began to embrace cherish hir as he was wonte to do but she as cold as y e yse of y e mountaigne made no accoÌ„pte of al his plaints sighes lameÌ„tatioÌ„s requesting y t he wold shun al places of hir repaire without making him further to vnderstaÌ„de the cause of hir displeasure y e yong man touched more neare y e quicke with hir new refusal prostrated him selfe at hir féete all bedewed with teares exclaming that if she deferred to giue him remedie or otherwise relieue him by the influence of some gracious beame of pitie he should presentely perishe Plangon moued with rage pitie and loue sayde vnto hym lette me not fynde thee duryng thy life in my presence vnlesse thou present me with the chain of golde so muche celebrated of Bacchide Samienne wherfore the yong man without other replie went to Bacchide to whome hauyng made vnderstande from point to poynt the furie of the flames and ardent amitie which he bare to Plangon vaÌ„quished of pitie loue gaue vnto him hir chain with charge that he should forthwith present it
be amongst them song when he heard them crow beat him self with his armes as they do with their wings As also some other that persuaded them to be transfigured into a vessel of earth who kéeping cōtinually vpon the plaines champaines dare not come neare houses or trees for feare to bruse or breake them in pieces There was a certaine Damsel ▪ whereof Alexander Trallianus writeth this history that by a corruption of the imagination she persuaded hir selfe to haue deuoured a Serpente sleeping neither coulde she be deliuered from the disease of suche thought vntill being prouoked to an extreme vomite there was secretly conueyed into the basin a quicke Serpent immediatly after the which she was deliuered of hir disease persuading that she had vomited the Serpent that stirred in the basyn There be yet visions whiche procéede by eating certaine poisons as Plinie and Edwardus witnesse of him of those whiche did eate the braines of a Beare whiche being deuoured they imagined that they were turned into a Beare The like happening in oure time to a Spanishe Gentleman who hauing eaten of a Beare wente wandring by the desertes and mountaines thinking to be trāsformed into a Beare Yet ther be other sortes of visions which according to y e opiniōs of certaine Phisitions proceede vpon certaine Naturall causes as when any man is killed and buried not very deepe in the earth there come as they saye from the dead bodye certaine exhalations and vapours whiche ascende into the ayre do séeme to represente the figure or fourme of hym that was put in the earth Wee haue also many other things whiche vnder the coloure of illusions abuse oure vnderstanding as when the ayre is troubled with contrary winds by whose agitations is engendred a bruite or murmure resembling properly the lowing or noise of beastes or not much vnlike to the complaintes of women and little children sometimes also the ayre pierceth within the creuisses and vaultes of rocks and olde walls and being sent backe againe by his owne violence giueth out so distincte a sounde that it séemes a precise or set voice as we proue oftentimes in that whiche we call Eccho the same pronouncing for the most parte v. or .vj. wordes with so greate maruell that it easely persuades suche as knowe not the cause but specially in the nighte that they be some spirites or Diuels the like hapning in our time to a counseller secretary of a certaine Prince the which by reason of his ignoraunce in the cause of his Eccho was in daunger to be drowned according to Cardanus in his booke of maruellous inuentions who writeth of one Augustinus Lauisarius Counseller to a certain Prince who being in the countrey and out of his waye and lastly ouertaken with night founde himselfe greatly passioned and riding all along a Riuer side began to lamente his distresse and after the Italian maner cried Oh the Eccho which came from a certaine rocke thereby replyed vnto him incontinent with Oh Lauisarius somewhat comforted with the voice thinking it was some man whiche spake demaūded in his language vnde debo passa the Eccho aunswered Passa then the poore secretary being in greater paine than before demaunded Chi which asmuch to say as heare the Eccho replied chi but being yet not well assured he asked him again debo passa chi passa chi saith the Eccho whiche wordes fedde him with suche comfort of his waye that he tooke the riuer being astonied notwithstanding that his horse at his firste entry lost the bottome and begā to swimme and had it not bene the goodnesse of his horse and mercye of the waues that séemed to take compassion vpon his distresse he had taken a moyste lodging in the bottome of the riuer from the whiche albeit he escaped so hardely yet being broughte with muche ado to the other side he passed the reste of the night in colde and prayers withoute comforte sauinge for the pleasure he tooke in the remembrance of his peril past wherof certaine dayes after being come to Millan he made discourse to his deare frende Cardanus in sorte as if it had bene the malice of an euill sprite that wente aboute to drowne him telling the place euery circunstance in order Cardanus smelled forthwith the ignorance and simplicity of the secretary knowing that in that place was a wonderfull Eccho whiche yelded suche a plaine and perfect voice that it séemed to be formed oute of the mouth of some creature for a more assuraunce and proofe whereof he led him eftesones to the same place where they founde that his Passa that guided hym was none other thing than a reuerberation of the Eccho wherein séeing we are nowe so déeply fallen I will not forget to inferre the authoritie of mine authour in an example whilest he write this booke at Paris I haue saith he heard a sound in the borough of Chalenton neare Paris whiche yeldes and returnes the wordes that are spoken whole entier distinctly and plainly and that .vij. times one after an other like to the Eccho septuplex of the Auncients and specially commended of Plinie I haue also oftē marueled y t those which haue written the Antiquities and things worthie of memorie in Paris haue lefte suche a straunge thing without remembraunce in their writings seeing I haue neither heard nor séene so rare a thing in all the voyages I haue made ouer the highe Alpes of Italye and Germanie But now there resteth to put a laste seale to our difference and diffinition of visions to make some discourse of artificiall illusions the which being wroughte by sundry secret and Sophisticall sleightes of men moue no small terror to suche as beholde them as that whereof Hector Boetius in his Histories of Scotlande maketh mention wherein as there was a helpe and furtheraunce by art so the effecte was no lesse maruellous and straunge and at laste the onely cause of conseruation of a whole Kingdome in sorte as foloweth The Pictes according to the Histories haue alwayes borne a mortall hate to the Scots killing after sundry battails and skirmishes the first King of that countrey with the ouerthrowe of most of the nobilitie of that countrey Cenethus second King of the Scots and sonne to him whome the Pictes had murdered desirous to reuenge the death of his father vsed many persuasions to incense the nobilitie to fall into armes againste them who in respecte of their late infortune in the warre and their lacke of power to maintaine the quarell would not agrée to the persuasions of the King in whome as there remained a more grudge againste the death of his father than in the reste so finding him insufficient to worke it by wordes or incitation he reposed a laste helpe and refuge in arte and to giue a beginning to his deuise he fained a cause of conscience and consultation for the which the nobilitie were sente for to assiste the counsell where being lodged
swiftnesse and light condition that no shippe how so euer she be assisted with windes or weather is able to make saile equall with the wing of that Birde whose wings in déede are long and thin but of a meruellous reflection and light whose fethers or more properly shagge or long haire be almost of the hardnesse of a horne thys Birde hath no féete she flieth continually without resting in any place sauing that she stayeth against a trée or bough vpon the which she hangeth and stayeth by a lock of hir loÌ„g hair she is of great price by reason of hir strauÌ„genâ—sse and rarietie the great men of Leuant for a brauery do deck the crests of their armors with the plumes of this Birde they saw it at Noremberg by Iohn Cromerus The Almaines call this bird in their laÌ„guage Luffruogel which signifieth a bird of y e air either by reason y t she liueth in the air or that they make accoÌ„pt she is releued therby the most be of opinion y t the female hath one receptacle or retreat vnder hir wings where she layeth and hatcheth hir egges Wherefore the kings of Marmin in the Iles of Moluques not long sithens were persuaded did beleue y t their soules were immortal by the consideration of this Birde being moued by no other argument if not that they obserued one litle bird of extreme beautie which at no time touched the earth but sometimes fell dead from the height of heauen And as the Mahometists trauailed with them they shewed them this birde persuading them that she came from Paradise which was a delicious place where the dead soules toke their repose wherby that people grosse and barbarous beleuing that which the Turkes declared to them begaÌ„ very curiously to examine of their law and in the ende became Mahometists and folow at this day the Mahomet law for which cause they name that birde Manucodiata that is to say the birde of God which birde they haue in such reuerence and honour that the Kings hauing hir aboute them accompte themselues sufficiently guarded from all perill and daunger of warre wherupon the Kings of the Isles aforesayd did send to Charles the fift Emperor fiue of these litle birdes dead for as we sayd before they were neuer taken by any man aliue Maximilianus Transsiluanus Gesnerus pursuing the Historie of this birde addeth yet that whiche foloweth I haue saith he attained to write these things by the letters of Melchior Guillandin Beruce a man great in science and doctrine whiche were brought vnto me to Padoue by the which he writeth hir the birde of Paradyse as here foloweth Albeit those which haue left in writing the nauigation of the Spaniards to straunge countreys assure and affirme that there is a little bird bred and borne in the Isles of Moluques very pleasaunt and of singular beautie wherof the body is but litle notwithstandyng by reason of the hugenesse of hir feathers she séemeth more great which be brode and houering disposed in a rounde in such sort that they represente the circuite of a circle That little birde representeth in greatnesse and forme a Quaile being adorned and decked with feathers of diuers colours most faire and bautifull contenting very muche the eyes of those which behelde hir hir head proportioned to the body somewhat more great than a swallow hir fethers which decke the height of hir from the vppermoste part of the bones of the skurfe of hir neck to the mydst of hir beake be short great hard thick and of a yealowe colour and shineth like the purest golde or the beames of the Sunne the others which couer hir chin be moste delicate tender and resemble a piercyng coloure like to the gréene and not much vnlike to those whiche we see vpon the heades of Canardes being directly against the sunne That birde hath no féete and is very like a Hearon touching the feathers of hir wings sauing that they be more tender and long holden of a broune colour participating with redde and blacke The male of that birde hath a hole vpon the skurfe of his back where the female putteth and hatcheth hir egges and not relieued by other meate than the dewe of heauen whiche serueth them for meate and drinke And who lyst to visite the inwarde parts of thys byrde shall fynde hir full of fat or grease whereof I may boldly talk bicause I haue séene two without legs which is contrary to the writing of Aristotle who affirmeth that no birde wanteth féete he dwelleth alwayes in the ayre I am sure this would amaze you to write wholy the form of this bird by his particulars as Gesnerus writeth according to the witnesse of the foresayd authors Albeit who is desirous to sée a more ample description thereof reade that which the sayd Gesnerus hath written in the chapter where he treateth of the birde of Paradise or in the boke of Auium natura Hieromeus Cardanus in his bokes de subtilitate or place where he writeth of perfect beasts reporteth the like to that which foloweth In the sayd Isles of Moluques they haue found vpon the laÌ„d or in the sea one dead bird called Manucondiata which is as much to saye in the Indians toung as the birde of God or Birde of Paradise whiche they haue not séene on liue for that it hathe no féete Which for my part I haue séene thrée or .iiij. tymes and alwayes wanting those membres she dwelleth continually in the aire and that very high and farre of Shée beareth a body and a beake muche like the sea swallowe both in bignesse and other forme the quilles of hir wings and tayle be full as bigge as those of an Eagle when she aduaunceth or stretcheth them abroade Hir feathers bee very small and moste lyke reseruing their litlenesse to the plumes of a Pehenne or a she Peacocke and differing in that poynt from the Peacocke hym selfe bycause these feathers haue not suche starres or eyes as we sée in the tayle of a Peacocke The backe of the male of this birde is holowe where by moste reason the female dothe laye hir egges seing hir belly is also hollow the same arguyng that by the hollownesse of the one and other she layeth and hatcheth hir eggs there is in the taile of the male a thréede of the length of thrée shaftments blacke in colour neither rounde nor square of an ordinarie bignesse not much vnlyke to a Shoemakers thréede by the whyche it may be presumed that the female is tied and ioyned to his backe whilest she layeth and hatcheth hir egges It is moste certaine that as she remayneth continually in the ayre so lykewise when hir wyngs and tayle be drawne into a roundnesse she supporteth hir selfe that way and being wearie she becommeth as she was afore She doth lyue by none other foode than by the dewe of Heauen whiche serueth hir bothe to eate and also to dryncke the same arguing a wonderfull diligence and maruell of Nature to make
suche prouysion for this byrde in the ayre It séemeth not that she shoulde be nouryshed of pure Aire onely bicause it is too subtile and it is not likely that she shoulde be nourished of small Beastes and Flies bycause the substaunce wherevppon these Creatures bée fourmed is not engendred in the aire neither hath there ben founde any such digestion in the bellie of thys Birde as they haue written of hir that haue séene hir deade she hath not hir relief of the vapour which ascendeth from the earth bicause she was neuer sene to discend so lowe besides there is often perill in vapours and this birde is not consumed but by olde age all which proue that she is only fedde and preserued vpon the dewe that falleth in the night Wherwith ende the opinions of Galene and other late writers touching the properties of this bird Neither can it much disagrée from our purpose of straunge birdes to auouche in this place the authoritie of Hector Boetius and Saxo who write that they founde certaine Trées in Scotlande whose frute being lapped within the leaues and the same fallyng into the water in some conuenient time take life and turne into a liuing birde whiche they call a Trée bird This trée groweth in the yle of Pomonne which is not farre from Scotlande towards the north the which is verified in some sort by Aeneas Siluius affirmyng that he hath heard that in Scotlande is a trée growing for the most part vpon the banke of a ryuer which brought forth frute of forme likenesse to a de Caunes réede which being ripe fall off themselues some into the water and some vpon the lande and those whiche take the water are séene to haue life and swymme vpon the waues and after certain time to take wings and flie into the aire which notwithstanding by diligent inquisition hath not ben founde in Scotlande but rather in the Iles of Orchades ¶ A Monstrous Serpent bought by the Venetians in Affrica and sent afterward into Fraunce embalmed as our late writers affirme CHAP. xxxiiij ACcordyng to the testimonie of Conradus Licostenes of whome I haue borowed the portraict of this horrible Serpent with vij hâ—â—â—es this monster was sente out of Turkey to the VenetiaÌ„s embalmed who not long after made a presente of it to Francis de Valoys the Frenche King by whome for the rarenesse of it it was valued at six thousande ducates Wherein like as for a more certaintie and truth of the matter I haue ben curious to searche whether there hath ben any such monstrous thing within the courte or not so if it be true as it is to be presumed in respect of the authoritie of him that wryt it I think nature hath neuer brought out or formed any thing more maruellous amongest all the monsters that euer were for besydes the monstrous and fearefull figure of thys Serpent there is yet a further consideration and regarde touchyng the faces which bothe in view and iudgement séeme more humaine than brutal but touchyng the multitude of hir heades me thinketh it oughte to argue no great strangenesse to fynde serpents with two or .iij. heades seing we haue and meane to make mention of bothe men and women that haue hadde no lesse the same being also witnessed by certaine of our late writers who trauailyng into India haue séene the same Ludouicus Vertomanus in his boke of the peregrinations of the Indians sayth that he hath séen in Calycut fourfooted serpents bréeding within certain marshes which contain for the height of their body the bygnesse of a Hog but of an vgly foule and deformed head he maketh also mention of an other kinde of serpents which be so venomous that as soone as they touche or pierce the blood of a man he falleth forthwith dead to the ground He sayth that if the King of that countrey coulde discouer the place of habitation of these serpents he woulde buylde them little caues or cabinets to defende them from the violence and inundation of waters when there hapned any such besides he helde them so deare that if any of them were oppressed or killed by any of his people such as coÌ„mitted the fact were sure to passe the same way the same mouing of a fonde superstitious opinion of the king inhabitants there that these serpeÌ„ts were certain spirites of God which if they were not such in dede they persuaded that their biting or poisoning could not worke such spedy death and destruction to man which maketh that those venomous beastes walke and passe thorowe their townes without perill or hurte and albeit in some one night there hath perished about nine persons of their venomous biting yet can they lose no credit or estimation wyth the Kyng or hys people who besides all these vanities if they meete any of these vgly creatures in the beginnyng of any voyage or enterpryse they doe accompte it a speciall good speede in theyr busynesse such is theyr blyndnesse and such is their mserable superstitioÌ„ Iambol a notable Merchant of Greece affirmeth y t in his trafike to the Indians he founde certain flying Serpentes of the lengthe of two cubites wyth wyngs in theyr foreparte the whiche flie by nyghte and be of so mortall a poyson that yf they lette fall or distill but one droppe of theyr vrine it kylleth forthwyth the creature wherupon it falleth Certaine late Embassadours of Portingale haue broughte from thence to theyr Prince one of these Serpentes embalmed the same carying suche a terrour with it that albeit he were not to be feared and without cause of feare yet very fewe durst approche hym The Auncient Histories enlarge very farre touching the wonders of the monstrous Serpent which appered in Affrica to Attylius Regulus whose feare and force of venom was such that notwithstanding any strength torment of warre engine or other policie whiche he or his people coulde deuise he coulde not be vanquished tyll he had torne in pieces and murdered the moste parte of his armie They agrée all that the skinne of that Serpent contained .xxvj. foote in length whose iawes were hong vp and remayned there for a miracle vntill the warre of Muancya Diodorus Siculus in his .iij. boke treateth of a serpent y t was caried on liue into Alexandria to y e king Ptolomeus Philadelphus no lesse woÌ„derful thaÌ„ true which I wil describe particularly according to the text the rather bicause it coÌ„firmeth in many respects the circumstaÌ„ce effect of our purpose Seing sayth he the noble and bountiful coÌ„sideration of the King to suche as broughte to hym any straunge or monstrous Beastes certaine Hunters determined to present hym in his owne countrey with a quicke serpent wherin although the enterprise imported almoste an impossibilitie yet fortune so fauored their inteÌ„t that within certain dayes after by diligence they brought their purpose to effect for they came to the knowledge of a greate Serpent neare the water of the length of .vij. toises and an halfe who being
their sighte to reade their teethe to pronounce their iawes to eate their eares to heare nor their memorie vnoccupied who wante no toungs at any time to require for them selues or theirs at the princes handes either one good benefite or other In suche sorte that these miserable creatures are so muche drowned in couetousnesse that they neither knowe nor perceiue at all that euen as their greedy desire to heape riches groweth dayly in augmentation so in like manner their life shortneth and slippeth away Whiche is in deede in effect my friends the iust cause of the abusing of princes and weales publike And the better to make you vnderstand the difference of the auncient libertie of speking to kings and of the couetous seruitude and weakenesse which raigneth at this day amōgst those which assist them I will recompt vnto you one historie whiche I learned of no man neither read in the bokes of the auncients but I saw the effect in my presence In the first yeare wherein they did me honour in creating me Consule there came to Rome a poore villaine of the riuer of Danube demaunding iustice in the Senate against a Censor who tormented the people with tirannous subsidies exactions who was so hardy and barbarous to frame his complaint that neyther most assured captain nor eloquent Oratour in the worlde knew better how to speake This villain had a little face great lips hollow eyes a dusky colour his haire staring his head vncouered his shoes of the skin of a porpentine his cote of goates haire his girdle of bulrushes his bearde long and thick his eyebries couering or drawne ouer hys eyes his stomacke and neck ouergrowne with haire and a staffe in his hand who being in this attire when we saw him enter into the Senate we iudged him to be some beast hauing the shape of a man but after we vnderstode y e maiestie of his talke and the grauenesse of his sentences we thought him to participate with god For as his shape was monstrous so his talke was wonderful That villain hauing paused a little and turning here and there his gastly lookes sayd vnto vs Most noble fathers and people most happy I a rusticall and vnfortunate wretch dwellyng in the cities which be nigh Danube and you other Senators of Rome which be here assembled God saue you and I pray to the Gods immortall not only to gyue you grace to gouerne well the cōmon weal to the which you are now appointed but also that they wil so guide my tong at this present as I may say that which is necessary for my country my sorowful desteny permitting the same and our angrie gods not forsaking me Oure countrey of Germanie was subdued by you Romains wherin as your glorie is now the greater therby euen so shal your infamie be a◠extreme in the worlde to come for the cruelties and tirannies wherwith you haue plagued vs. And if you see not what you know neither would know it before this houre that whē we vnhappy wretches were brought before the chariots of your triumph and cried Viue Rome bisides an other part of poore and miserable captiues sheading drops of bloud in their hearts crying to the Gods Iustice Iustice Romains Romains your couetousnesse is so great to rauine and take awaye the goodes of your neighboures and your pride so vnmeasurable in commaundyng the landes of strangers that neither the seas with their deapths nor the land with hir largenesse be able to containe the same but be ye assured that like as you without reason cast out others from their houses landes and possessions and some do sel them Euen with the same reason in the ende shal you be chased from Rome Italy for it is a law infallible y t a man which taketh by force y e goodes of an other shal lose by right that which is his owne and bisides all that the wicked haue heaped togyther by theyr tyrannie in many dayes the iust goddes shall take it away in one day and contrarywise all that the good lose in dyuerse yeres the goddes will restore to them in one houre Wherfore if you thinke to enriche your children by euill gotten goodes and leaue the same to theyr vse you are muche deceyued For the Auncient prouerbe hath bene alwayes true that by the vniuste dealyng and gayne of fathers dothe come afterward iust to losse theyr children Heape then what ye can heape and lette euery man obey youre commaundementes and knowe for a certaine that where you thinke to make them lordes of straunge prouinces you in the ende shall finde them but slaues of youre owne proper riches and theues of the sweate and labor of other mens trauail Notwithstanding I would demaund Romains what action hath moued you being borne nigh the Riuer of Tiber to haue desire to plante and enlarge your borders to the riuer of Donnue Haue we shewed any fauour to your enimies Haue we conquered your landes Or haue you found any auncient law which affirmeth that the Noble coūtrey of Germanie ought of necessitie to be subiect to the proud Citie of Rome Are we not your neighbors And if there hath bene any thing amōgst your selues which hath stird vp this quarrel truely you are not therof indifferent iudges Nor thinke not Romains though you be made Lords of Germanie that it is by any industrie of warre for you are no better souldiers neither more couragious hardy or valiant than we but as we haue offended our gods so haue they ordained in their secrete iudgements you to be scourges vnto vs for our disordred liuings And seeing then we be ouercomed not in respect we be cowards fearful or weake persons but only for our wickednesse that we trusted not in our Gods what hope may you haue you Romains being as we are vicious and hauing as you haue the Gods angrie with you And if I be not beguiled we haue endured sufficient misery for the apeasing of y e gods but your cruelties be so great and terrible that the liues of you and your children can not suffice to make recompence for your offences Suffiseth it not Romains to take from vs our auncient libertie to load vs with insupportable impositions subsedies heaping vpon vs from time to time all kinde of miseries but you must also send vnto vs iudges that be so bestiall and ignorant that I sweare vnto you by the Gods immortal that they neither know nor can declare your lawes vnto vs and much lesse they vnderstand oures And that which worse is they take all presented vnto them in publike and refuse nothing giuen in secrete and vnder colour they be Romains they fear not to robbe all the land What meaneth this Romains shall your pride in commaunding haue neuer end nor your couetousnesse he withdrawne from your neighbour If we be disobedient and our seruices not content you cōmaund to take away our liues for to be plain with you crueltie to cut our throtes can
an honeste feare to fall into a miserable dispaire In such sort that as we reade that the Egyptians were sometime scourged and afflicted wyth ten plagues at Gods hande so we may say by good right that the myserable suters and solicitoures of the lawe doe partycipate dayely wyth tenne thousandes whereof there is no difference as touchyng theyr tormentes sauyng y t the Egiptians plague was moued through their owne occasion by the prouidence of GOD and this of the Pleaders is incensed by the malice of men besides if the Egiptians were afflicted by the biting of beastes riuers running of bloud their landes swarming with Grassehoppers flies and gnatts and their people annoyde with Leprosie Botches and other lothsome diseases our poore pleaders are persecuted in attendyng the Presidentes paying the Notaryes brybing the Solicitoures and annointing their clarkes in the hand with double fée to vse duetie and reuerence to the iudge to clap and knele to the dore kepers and lastly pawne his land and credite to borow money to discharge it All which beside the toile and trauaile of their bodies are incident to the poore pleader without y t he makes any reckening vpoÌ„ what points he must forme his accusation what delayes are awarded to his cause how he must tender his demaund of the one side and challeÌ„ge his exceptions on the other make inquisition examin witnesses indure reproches and make perfect his processe and after that he must take a copie of it recorde it abreuiate it and lastly bring it to the opinion of the iudge from whose sentence for diuers respects he may appeale and remoue his processe bryng it to a higher Court with such infinite toile disquiet of minde that who coÌ„siders of them according to their value and merite in déede ought rather to be contented to lose one parte of his goodes than to get or buy any other at so deare a price which is the cause in déede why this learned bishop of Mâ—nodemo Anthonie de Guauara writ in a certain boke of his that the pleaders were the only true Saincts and Martirs of the world séeing that of the .vij. mortall sinnes they are not to be accused but of .iij. only bicause touching y e other iiij although they wold commit them yet had they neither the meane â—or leasure For how is it possible y t they should be proud seeing that they go continually with their hattes in their handes and sometimes with great humilitie solicite the iudge reserue a solemne reuerence to a pelting procurer lastly performe a fatte paiment to a scribling Notarie And how can they be touched wyth the sinne of couetousnesse séeing their pursses be neuer shut nor theyr hands come emptie out of them but making Idols bothe of maister aduocate and his wife doe neuer cease offring vnto theÌ„ till they haue left their pursse without a liuing And touching the sinne of slouth idlenesse they are voide of infection that way séeing that most commonly in place to passe the night in sléepe and naturall rest they are tormented with sorowes sighes and other passions of griefe and the day slippes away in drudging toile trotting from one place and other to procure expedition to their cause And lastly and least of all are they infected with gluttony seeing they must obserue neither times nor houres to fede their stomacke or procure them an appetite most commonly for expedition sake they eat standing wyth great grose morsels ill swallowed and worse disgested and all to be readie at the pallaice gate to salute hys councellour pul his aduocate by the sléeue make a signe to his clarke to remember his cause wherwith he concludes lastly that a processe is so dauÌ„gerous and venomous a Serpent that who would wishe any euill or heauie fortune to his enimie let him not desire to sée hym poore or miserable hated of others banished his Countrey afflicted with diseases nor threatned with present death But let him pray to God to giue him some crooked or intricate processe for in al the world can not be fouÌ„d a more cruell reuenge for a mannes enimie than to sée him plunged in a troublesom cause in the law ¶ A wonderfull Historie of a monstrous childe which was borne the same day that the Geneuois and Veniciens were reconciled CHAP. xxxix ALthough that nature as Galen witnesseth in his .xiiij. booke de vtilitate partiuÌ„ had an earnest desire that hir work should haue bene immortal if it might haue bene performed but for y t it was not lawful both by the corruptible matter of the elements sprite of the aire she made therefore a forge or helpe supuly for y e immortalitie for she fouÌ„d out a woÌ„derful mean y t in place of y e creature y t shuld die ther shuld be a supply of an other and therfore nature hath giuen to all creatures conuenieÌ„t instruments aswell to conceiue as engender But it is so that these instruments so ordained by nature although y t she had a care to make them perfecte yet there is found in them bothe vice and default as is afterwardes shewed by the forme of this creature wherin Hippocrates witnesseth in his booke De genitura wher he sheweth by the similitude of trees how these children issue from the bellie of theyr mother moÌ„strous and deformed saying thus that of force those bodies which cannot moue by reason of the straightnesse of the place must become the rather mishapen deformed like as trées before they issue out of the earth if they haue not libertie and scope to spring but be with holden by some let or hinderance grow crooked great in one parte and smal in an other Euen so it is of the childe if in the bellie of the mother the parties where he is nourished be more straight one than the other and that vice sayth he commeth of the narownesse of the place to straight in the wombe Wherupon arguing a litle before of the same matter he sheweth other reasons by the which childreÌ„ be made monstrous and deformed as by the natural diseases of the parents for if the foure kindes of humors whereof the séede is made be not wholly contributorie to y e secrete partes there shall be then some partie wanting Besides this he addeth further other reasons touching monstrous birthes as when the mother receiueth some blow or hurt or that the childe fortunes to be sicke in the bellie of hys mother either that the nourishment wherewith he ought to be relieued happen to slippe out of the wombe al which things be sufficient causes to make them hideous waÌ„ting or deformed And if we would consider with iudgement these reasons of Hippocrates treating vpon the generation of monsters we should without all dout finde that this whereof thou séest the portraict is engendred so mishapen by one of these causes which he shewed that is to say by the narownesse of the place wherein nature willing to create two found the
.28 of the same month there appeared in the Element ouer the same place at .x. of the clock in the night a shining Crosse wyth a starre in the toppe and a Moone at the lower ende retiring immediatly after it began to be day without being séene any more at y e time but touching these sights and visions in the aire with their causes which moue in dede by natural meanes as we beholde the figure of our selues in a glasse or the Rainbow in the Element I shal not néede to vse large description of them héere bicause they are auouched by the Astronomers Philosophers and others of like profession beside for mine owne selfe I forbeare to wade farre therin vntil a time cause more conuenient for such purpose THe monsters which are this yeare come to knowledge be two the one was in Prouence at Arles and wandred besides thorow Fraunce It was a childe rough or hairy on all the body hauing the nauell in the place where the nose should stand and the eyes where naturally should staÌ„d the mouthe betwéene the which was a certaine opening hys eares stode on either side the chinne and his mouthe at the ende of the same THe other monster of this yeare .1567 was séene in FlauÌ„ders betweene Anwarpe and Macline in a village called Vbalen It was a childe which had .ij. heades and .iiij. armes séeming .ij. maides ioyned together yet had but .ij. legges Of a wonderfull Daunce LIke as I am greatly in dout whether so infer in the number of wonderful Histories that which we now write not for the matter but that it is shorte and yet worthie of no lesse memorie than admiration Euen so for that the Historie may seeme of lesse credite and truthe the same being written in that time wherin men would scarsly suffer it to be imprinted or taken as a witnesse of antiquitie albeit it were ayded and assisted by a truthe or other probable arguments to the like effect hauing withall sufficiente colour to make men beleue that they speake to be suche as they recite notwithstanding for that we be able to iustifie the truth of this present Historie by one who as be assureth to haue seene it so hath he taken paine to write therof hym selfe which is Othopertus of Saxonie and after him Vincentius wytnesseth the same in hys xxvj boke and .x. chap. and besides Antoni in his fourth chap. his .xvj. titles and seconde tome of hys workes where as I neede not feare to recite it as it is or to aggrauate the opinion or beliefe of any further than a truth So neuerthelesse I haue to preferre and make mention of one Historie very straunge and not heard of yet albeit true Wherof Othopertus writeth that the yeare .1012 which was in the tenth yeare of the emperour Henry the second in a certain borough or towne of Saxonie where he himselfe accompanied with .xvij. other of his friends whiche by computation wer .xviij. he accompted dyd sée .xv. men and iij. women dauncing of a rounde in a Churchyarde and singing of Wanton songs not meete for the solace of honest Christians And albeit there passed by at that instant a Priest who cursed them in such sorte that they daunced and song there the space of a whole yeare Yet that which was most maruellous is that as it rained not sayd he vpon them neyther were they hotte or desirous of meate or drinke nor lefte from doing that exercise or labour so their garmentes and shoes in all their dauncing were not worne or consumed albeit in the ende they sonke into the earth first to the knées and lastely to their middles The yeare expired and their daunce ended and they withall come to a perfecte vnderstandyng in what sporte they had spente the yeare paste one of the women and two others of that companie dyeâ— sodainely and all the reste slepte continually three dayes and thrâ—â— nyghtes Wherevpon some of them immediatly vpon their wakyng dyed the others deferred to the ende to tast more their follie remayned in a continuall tremblyng thorough all the partes of theyr bodies during the terme and space of theyr myserable and vnfortunate lyues FINIS Gellius lib. j. cap. 12. Silemander a worme liuing in the fire A Lampe burning without the aide of oile or match A great infection throâ—ghout all Europe by reason the water in their welles was ympoysoned The Adamant smelleth and â—â—eleth The nature of the Emeraud The Emeraud enimie to vncleanesse Volateranus writeth a lyke example in his geography A wonderfull prouidence of God The natures of sundry stoues Damascen writeth that in the time of Maximinian there wer killed and martyred in .xxx. dayes .xvij. thousande christians Cornelius Tacitus lib. 15. A wall of dead mens head The cause of the flames of fyre from heauen The Romains fearfull of the Eclipse of the Moone The cause of the Eclypse of the Moone iij sunnes sene by Cardanus The causes of the shewes of so many suÌ„nes and moones Plato Aristotlâ— Socrates Vâ—serius Max. lib. 4. A drooken combat Two huÌ„dreth and .l. crownes and some value them at .ij. C.xxx and iiij M.iij C.lx. and v. Ducaâ—s A pearle waying halfe an vnce A wonderfull prodigalitie in an Italian Prelate Some writers haue referred this to the Emperour Tyberius Xerxes killed by his prouost And Darius poisoned after by Alexander Mar. Anto. killed him selfe Cleopatra was stong to death Helioga slayn and cast into Tyber A dead man speaketh to his companion in a dreame An other visioÌ„ appearing to a man that was not a slepe Certaine houses at Rome haunted wyth spirites S. Augustin approueth enchaunting by example The effects of the bishops prophecie Act. 11. Cap. 11. Luke 11. In his booke of the Diuination of Diuels Cap. 22. Gen. lib. 1â— cap. 14. 3. Reg. 22. Visions of the imagination Lib. 1. cap. 20. Visions by naturall cause In his boke of maruelous inuentions Of .vij. voyces or soundes Artificiall visions Paris Garden