to be taken prisoners and enow to runne away which resolute speecâ—â— much cheared up the King Eng. Hist. At the siege of Belgrave in Hungary by the Turks a certaine Turke getting upon the walls advanced his Ensigne upon them whereby the City was in great danger of being lost but a Bohemian souldier running to him caught him fast about the middle and calling to the Governour of the City who was not farre from him asked if he might be saved if he should cast himselfe down from the wall with that dog so so he called the Turke to whom the Governour answered Yea without doubt whereupon eâ—tsoones he tumbled himselfe with the Turke in his armes from off the wall and so died with him and by his death saved the lives of all in the City Turk Hist. The Romanes being ready to joyne battel with the Albanes that they might avoid bloodshed agreed that the victory should be determined by three against three Now there were in each campe three brethren born at one birth of equal years who were to be the Champions The three Horatii for the Romanes and the three Curiatii for the Albanes who after a doubtfull conflict two of the Horatii being slaine the third pretending feare ran away and thereby drew his adversaries asunder who by reason of their wounds could not runne with equal speed which being perceived by him he turned back and slew them one by one in single fiâ—ht before they could joyne together whereby the day fell to the Romanes Sir Walt. Raw. Hist The Tacchi a people in Asia rather then they would be captivated to the Greeks threw themselves down headlong from the rocks the very women throwing down their own children first and then casting themselves upon them Cato when the last battel was fought betwixt Julius Caesar and the Senators of Rome who stood for the liberty of their countrey Caesar having wonne the day Cato cast himselfe into the Sea at Utica choosing â—ather to drown himselfe then to survive his countreys liberty Lucan Darius the Persian Monarch invading Scythia sent unto the King thereof to yield himselfe as his subject whereunto the Scythians returned him this Hieroglyphical answer sending him back by his Ambassadors a bird a frog a mouse and five arrows which was diversly interpreted by Darius his Captaines But Gobrias one of his Princes truly interpreted them thus O ye Persians get ye wings like birds or dive under the water like frogs or creep into holes of the earth like mice or ye shall not escape our arrowes Socrates knowing that there was but one God in his Apology for his life said That if they would grant him his life upon condition to keep that truth to himselfe and not to teach it unto others he would not accept of his life upon such a condition Breda in the Low-Countreys being by treachery delivered to the Prince of Parma Anno 1580. was againe recovered by the Prince of Orange Anno 1590. by an hardy and dangerous enterprise which Captain Charles of Haraugiere made with seventy two resolute souldiers who being hidden in a boat full of turfes entering at noon day in a thousand dangers of their lives if they had been discovered they lay still all the day and the night following coming suddenly forth of the boat they cut in pieces the Corps Dugard giving entrance to the Prince and Earle of Hohenlo with their troops which lay not farre off whereupon the Garrison fled and the Towne was yielded by composition Belg. Com. Wealth p. 292. In an assault made by the Turks upon the suburbs of Alba Regalis in Hungary many of the Turks having scaled the Italian Fort a tall Hungarian woman whose courage farre exceeded the weaknesse of her sexe thrust in amongst the souldiers and with a great sithe in her hand at one blowe struck off two of the Turks heads which so encouraged others that the Turks were repelled thereby Turk Hist. p. 741. At Numantia in Spaine foure thousand souldiers withstood fourty thousand Romanes for fourteene yeares together in which time having often valiently repulsed them and forced them unto two dishonourable compositions at last when they could well hold out no longer they gathered all their armour money and goods together and laid them on a heap which being fiered they voluntarily buried themselves in the flames also leaving unto Scipio nothing but the bare name of Numantia to adorne his triumph with The City of Saguntum having been besieged by Hannibal for the space of nine moneths in which time the famine was so great that the inhabitants were inforced to eat mans flesh at the last when they could hold out no longer rather then they would fall into the hands of their enemies they made a fire in which themselves and their City were consumed to ashes Aug. de Civ l. 3. c. 20. Philip King of Macedon besieging Abidus when the people saw that they could not escape they first cast their goods into the Sea and then killed their wives and children and themselves leaving an empty City for him Livi. Martius the Romane General going against the Sarini which were Gaules at the foot of the Alpes rather then they would lose their liberty they killed their wives and children and then cast themselves into the fire and some of them which were surprized starved themselves Oros. l. 5. The Isle of Goze neare unto Malta being taken by the Turks a certain Sicilian that had lived long there and had married a wife by whom he had two faire daughters being then in state to be married seeing this last calamity approaching rather then he would see his wife and daughters to be brought into shamefull servitude having called them to him he first â—lew with his sword his two daughters and then their mother this done with an harquebuse and a crosse bowe bent as clean bereft of senses he made towards his enemies of whom he slew two at the first encounter and afterwards fighting a while with his sword being invironed with a multitude of Turks brought himselfe to the end of his most unhappy life Pur. Pil. v. 2. p. 878. Caesar entering into a boat in tempestuous weather the waterman was afraid to put forth from the shoar to whom he said Perge contra tempestatem forti animo Caesarem fers fortunam Caesaris Beare up couragiously against the stormes thou carriest Caesar and Caesars fortune Godfrey of Bulloigne with his followers in lesse then foure yeares conquered all the goodliest Provinces of Asia and drove out the Turks In that cruel conflict in Solomons Temple as himselfe reports in a letter his men by the great slaughter of the enemies stood in blood above the ankles in a terrible battel at Ascalon he slew an hundred thousand of the Infidels Turk History Huniades that Bulwarke of Europe like a violent tempest and impetuous torrent did so batter and beat down the enemies of Christ that his name became dreadfull amongst the Turks who used the same to
by his own sonne that he might seize upon his riches but whil'st he was stooping down to draw forth bags full of gold out of a Chest the same person caused his braines to be beaten out French History Selimus a cruel and bloody Emperour of the Turks intending to turne all his powers against the Christians was suddenly attached by the hand of God being struck in the reines of the back with a Cancer which contemning all cure did by little and little so eate and corrupt his body that he became loathsome both to himselfe and others and so rotting above ground died miserably Turk Hist. Agathocles a bloody Tyrant of Syracuse after many most horrible murthers committed by him lived to see most of his family slaine and himselfe devested of his Kingdome After which he was taken with a grievous sicknesse wherein his whole body rotted which spread it selfe through all his veines and sinews wherewith in short time he ended his accursed life Robert Erle of Fife in Scotland being advanced by his brother King Robert the third to be the first Duke of Albany afterwards ungratefull person that he was pricked on with the spirit of Ambition famished to death David his said brothers son who was heir to the Crown but the punishment due for this fact which himself by the long sufferance of God felt not His son Mordac the second Duke of Albany suffered most grievously being condemned for treason and beheaded when he had seen his two sons the day before executed in the same manner Camb. Brit. Scot. p. 39. King Richard the third of England who caused his two Nephews most unnaturally to be murthered in the Tower and shed much other innocent blood by Gods just judgement had his onely son taken away by death and himself was slain in Bosworth-field his carrion carcasse being found naked among the slain filthily polluted with blood and dirt was cast upon an horse behinde a pursuivant at Armes his head and armes hanging down on the one side of the horse and his legs on the other like a Calfe and so was interred at Leicester with as base a Funerall as he formerly bestowed upon his Nephews in the Tower Eng. Hist. Iames Tyrell Iohn Dighton and Miles Forrest who were procured by this King Richard to murther the two young Princes entering into their Chamber about midnight so bewrapped them among the clothes keeping down the Feather-bed and Pillows hard unto their mouths that within a while they were smothered but these Murtherers escaped not long the vengeance of God for Miles Forrest by peecemeale rotted away Dighton lived at Calis so disdained and hated that he was pointed at of all men and there died in much misery and Sir Iames Tyrell was beheaded on Tower-Hill for Treason Act. Mon. Senercleus relateth the just hand of God upon that villainous parricide Alphonsus Diazius a Popish Spaniard who after he had like another Cain murthered his own naturall brother Iohn Diazius meerly because he had renounced Popery and became a Professor of the reformed Religion and was not onely not punished but highly commended of the Romanists for his heroical atchievement as they called it being haunted and hunted by the furies of his own conscience desperately hanged himself at Trent about the neck of his own Mule Some bloody villains basely murthered Theodorick B. of Trever But Gods just judgments overtook all the murtherers For Conrade the chief author died suddenly A souldier that helped to throw him down the rock was chok'd as he was at supper and two other servants that assisted desperately slew themselves Marti The Cardinall of Winchester commonly called the rich Cardinall who procured the death of the good Duke of Glocester in the reign of King Henry the sixth was shortly after struck with an incurable disease who understanding by his Physicians that he could not live murmuring and repining thereat he cried out Fie will not death be hired will money do nothing must I die that have so great riches If the whole realme would save my life I am able either by policy to get it or by riches to buy it But yet all would not prevail but that he died of the same disease Sp. Chr. See the Example of Scedasus's daughters in Rapes Olympias the mother of Alex M. being a woman of a proud and revengefull disposition having gotten Eurydice Queen of Macedonia into her hands sent her a sword an halter and a cup of poison giving her leave to choose with which of them she would kill her self Eurydice seeing them prayed to the gods that she that sent her those presents might her self partake of the like and so hanged her self But shortly after the Divine â—ustice met with Olympias who by the appointment of Cassander one of her sons Captains was murthered Diod. Sic. Justin This Cassander murthered also the two wives of Alex. and their sons and thereby seized upon the Kingdome of Macedonia but shortly after God plagued him with a filthy disease in his body whereby wormes were bred that devoured him his eldest son Philip died of a consumption Antipater his second son slew his own mother Thessalonica and was himself slain by his father in law Lysimachus and Alexander the youngest son was treacherously slain by Demetrius and so the whole family of Cassander was rooted out Plut. Examples of selfe Murther Calanus an Indian Philosopher followed Alexander M. when he returned out of India who having lived seventy three years without any disease was at last taken with a dysenterie and fearing that his former felicity should be overclouded with a lingring disease he asked leave of Alexander that he might burn himself the King laboured to disswade him from his unnaturall purpose but when he could not prevail by arguments he gave his consent whereupon Calanus caused a pile of wood to be made and riding to it he made his prayers to his Countrey gods and so with a cheerfull countenance he ascended the pile and causing the fire to be put to it he sate with a fixt and unmovable body till he was burned to ashes Q. Cur. Alex. M. besieging one of the Indian Cities the inhabitants seeing that they could hold out no longer shut up themselves their wives and children in their houses and set fire on them Alexanders men breaking in laboured to quench the fire and the others laboured as much to encrease it so that it was a strange thing to see the fight that was betwixt one to destroy themselves the other to save their enemies Quin. Cur. Demosthenes the Athenian Orator for standing for the liberty of Greece was hated by Antipater the Governour of Macedonia who sent some to kill him under Captain Archia whereupon Demosthenes took sanctuary in Neptunes Temple But Archia sent to him to come out of the Temple so that Demosthenes perceiving that they were resolved to have his life he took some poison which he had ready for the purpose and so presently died Plut. Perdiccas besieging the
hell he could have despaired no more of his salvation in which condition although he neither had nor could have any joy of his meat yet he did eate against his appetite to deferre the time of his damnation so long as he might thinking that he must needs be thrown into hell so soon as the breath should depart out of his body yet the Lord who graciously preserved him all that while not onely at last did rid him out of all discomfort but also framed him thereby to such mortification of life as the like hath seldome been seen in such sort as he being like one already placed in heaven and dead in this world both in word and meditation led a life altogether celestial abhorring in his minde all profane doings Act. Mon. Mr. John Holland a faithfull Minister of Gods Word the day before his death calling for a Bible continued his meditation and exposition upon the 8. to the Rom. for the space of two hours but on a sudden he said O stay your reading what brightnesse is this I see have you light up any candles A stander by said No it is the Sun-shine for it was about five a clock in a clear Summers evening Sun-shine saith he Nay it is my Saviours-shine now farewell world welcome heaven the day-star from on high hath visited my heart O speak it when I am gone and preach it at my Funeral God dealeth familiarly with man I feele his mercy I see his Majesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knoweth But I see things that are unutterable And being thus ravished in his spirit he roamed towards heaven with a chearful look and soft sweet voice but what he said was not understood with the Sunne in the morning following raising himself as Jacob did upon his staffe he shut up his blessed life with these blessed words O what an happy change shall I make from night to day from darknesse to light from death to life from sorrow to solace from a factious world to an heavenly being Oh my dear brethren sisters and friends it pitieth me to leave you behinde yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feele I hope you shall feele ere you die that God doth and will deale familiarly with men and now thou fiery Chariot that cam'st down to fetch up Elijah carry me to my happy hold and all you blessed Angels that attended the soul of Lazarus to bring it to Heaven bear me Oh bear me into the bosome of my best beloved Amen Amen Come Lord Jesus come quickly And so he fell asleep Leigh Luther who had the Devill the Popes the Emperour and almost all the Christian World against him both by open force and secret fraud seeking his destruction yet the Lord miraculously preserved him for the space of about thirty years in despite of them all and at last he died in peace in his bed at which time he made this heavenly Prayer My heavenly Father Eternall and Mercifull God thou hast manifested unto me thy deare Son our Lord Iesus Christ I have taught him I have known him I love him as my Life my health and my Redemption whom the wicked have injured persecuted maligned and afflicted Draw my soule unto thee for though I must lay down this frail body yet I certainly know that I shall live with thee eternally and that I cannot be taken out of thy hands I commend my spirit into thy hands thou hast redeem'd it O Lord God of truth God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that all that believe in him should have life everlasting which he repeated thrice and so as one falling asleep without any bodily pain that could be discerned he departed this life 1546. See his life in my first part Mr. Bolton upon his death-bed speaking to his Children told them That he verily believed that none of them durst thinke to meet him at the great Tribunall in an unregenerate state and to some of his Parishioners desiring him that as he had by his doctrine discovered unto them the exceeding comforts that were in Christ so he would now tell them what he felt in his soul he answered To give you satisfaction though I want breath to speake I am by the wonderfull mercies of Christ as full of comfort as my heart can hold and feels nothing in my soule but Christ with whom I heartily desire to be See his life in my first part Zuinglius being slaine by his Popish enemies they cut his body into foure peeces and then burnt it in the fire but three dayes after some of his friends coming to the place found his heart in the ashes whole and untouched with the fire The like also was observed of Bishop Cramner See his life in my first part Henry Henry Voes and John Esch when they came to be burnt for the truth of the Gospell joyfully embraced the stake continuing singing of Psalms and when the fire was kindled at their feet one of them said Me thinks you do strew Roses under my feet See my General Martyrology George Scherter being for Religion condemned first to be beheaded and then burnt he told the people that he would give them a signe that he died a true Christian and when his head was cut off his body falling upon the belly lay still whilest one might leasurely eate an Egge and then turned it selfe softly upon the back and crossed the right leg and right arme over the left whereby many of the spectatours were induced to believe the Gospel Act. Mon. Two godly Virgins in Flanders being condemned to be burnt and had the sentence accordingly executed yet could not the Executioners by any means consume their bodies with fire but still they remained white and unhurt Act. Mon. Domicillus being condemned to be burnt for Religion when he was at the stake and the fire kindled the winde so drove away the flame that he continued by the space of an houre untouched by it exhorting and instructing the people that stood by whereupon they brought more wood and vessels of Oile yet neither could he therewith be burnt which the executioner seeing struck at his head with a staffe to whom the holy Martyr said I am condemned to be burned and do you beat me with staves with that the Hangman thrust him through the belly and guts with his Pike and so slew him Act. Mon. Bergerius at Lyons in France being accused and apprehended for Religion was cast into a loathsome dungeon wherein was a thief who had laine there by the space of seven or eight moneths who by reason of his paine and torment blasphemed God and cursed his parents that begat him being almost eaten up with Lice and fed with such bread as Dogs and Horses refused to eate but through the preaching and prayers of Bergerius he was brought to repentance of which he wrote a sweet letter to some of his friends
away from him and so ended his life Act. Mon. Morgan Bishop of Saint Davids who condemned the blesse Martyr Master Farrar and unjustly usurped his Bishoprick not long after was stricken by God after a most strange sort his meat would not go down but pick up again sometimes at his mouth sometimes blown out of his nose most horrible to behold and so he continued till he died Master Leyson also who was Sheriffe at Master Farrars burning having fetched away his cattel and put them into his own grounds divers of them would never eat meat but lay bellowing and roaring and so died Act. Mon. Doctor Duning Chancellour of Norwich a bloody persecutor in Queen Maries dayes was suddenly taken sitting in his chaire and died Act. Mon. Berry Commissary of Norfolke another bloody persecutor as he was walking with one of his Concubines fell down suddenly with an heavy groan and never stirred after A persecuting suffragan of Dover having been with Cardinal Poole for his blessing coming out of the Cardinals Chamber fell down the staires and brake his neck Act. Mon. Bishop Thornton a cruel persecutor also as he was looking upon his men at bowles upon the Sabbath-day fell suddenly into a Palsey and being carried to his bed and willed to remember the Lord Yea so I do said he and my Lord Cardinal too and so he died Act. Mon. Doctor Jeffery Chancellour of Salisbury a wretched persecutor having appointed to call before him ninety honest persons to examine them by inquisition the day before being looking upon his buildings fell down suddenly dead Act Mon. See more of these in my two Martyrologies It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you And to them which are troubled rest 2 Thes. 1. 6 7. Dicetur reprobis Ite Venite probis CHAP. V. Examples of the wicked lives and woful deaths of many of the Popes and Popelings THat Rome is Babylon and the Pope Antichrist are things now so evident and notorious that few question it but that so many thousands which live under the Romish jurisdiction should abide in so grosse ignorance as to continue courting that old and withered strumpet may justly seeme a marvell were it not that the common people are kept in such miserable ignorance being deprived of the soul-enlightning Word of God and enjoyned to pin their faith on the Priests sleeve And the more knowing sort of them are by Gods just judgement given over to strong delusions to believe a lie as the Apostle Paul long since foretold 2 Thes. 2. 11. which prophecie as it is in many other things fulfilled so especially in these prodigious blasphemies which are not onely published but believed and entertained with great applause among them Many instances might be given but take one onely in stead of all wherein they affirme that Christ imprinted his five wounds upon Francis of Assise the Freir as if he also were to suffer for the world and redeem mankinde whereupon Tursellin the Jesuite made these Verses Exue Franciscum tunicâ laceróque cucullo Qui Franciscus erat jam modo Christus erit Francisci exuviis siqualicet indue Christum Jam Franciscus erit qui modo Christus erat Strip Francis from his coat and cowle all nak't and you shall see He that even now St. Francis was to Christ will turned be Again put Francis coat and cowle on Christ and marke the lier He that even now Christ Jesus was will Francis be the Frier But that you may the better see what manner of persons the Popes themselves have been what their lives and what their deaths reade these Examples following Pope Joane whose proper name was Gilberta a Dutch woman cloathing her self in mans apparel and attaining to learning procured to be chosen Pope under the name of John the eighth who afterwards playing the whore fell in travel in the time of a solemne procession and died thereof since which time the Cardinals shun that place in all their processions Simps Pope Stephen the sixth so envied the name of his predecessor Formosus that he abrogated and dissolved all his decrees caused his body to be taken up cutting off two fingers of his right hand which he commanded to be cast into the River Tybur and then buried him in a private Sepulchre Simps Pope John the eleventh kept for his Paramour a famous strumpet called Marozia by whom afterwards he was smothered with a pillow that so her son might attaine to the Popedome Simps Pope John the thirteenth was a whoremaster an adulterer incestuous a gamester and extortioner Of some of his Cardinals he put out their eyes from some he cut out their tongues some their fingers some their noses and privy members He ordained Deacons in a Stable committed incest with two of his sisters at Dice he called to the devil for help and dranke an health to him for money made boyes Bishops lay with his fathers Concubine ravished maides and wives lay with his own mother made his Palace a Stews at length being found in the act of adultery was slaine by the womans husband Simps Pope Silvester the second was a great Conjurer and by the help of the devil obtained the Popedome He enquiring of the devil how long he should live was answered Till he should say Masse in Jerusalem In the Lent after as he was saying Masse in the Chappell of Saint Crosse he suddenly fell sick and remembering that that Chappel was called Jerusalem he perceived how he was cousened by the devil He commanded his Cardinals that after his death they should cut his body in peeces and so bury him having before bequeathed his soul to the devil It is commonly reported that by the ratling of his bones in his tombe is portended the death of the Pope Simps Pope Benedict the ninth attained to the Popedome by Magick and practised inchantments and conjuration in woods after an horrible manner and by magical Art used to allure women to his lust and being in fear of the Emperour whom he had much abused sold his Popedome for fifteen hundred pound weight of gold and going into a Forrest to practise his sorceries the more privately the devil strangled him to death Simps Pope Gregory the sixth scholar to Silvester and as great a Conjurer as his Master after many horrible mischiefs committed was banished Rome and ended his life most miserably in Germany Balleus Pope Hildebrand attaining to his Papacy by unlawful means set the whole Christian world into a combustion As he rose out of his seat to excommunicate the Emperour Henry the fourth his seat being newly made of great timber rent and shivered in peeces Afterwards he hired one to knock the Emperour on the head as he was at prayers Enquiring of the Hoast for an answer against the Emperour because it would not speak he threw it into the fire and burnt it and after many such outragious villainies he was deposed and banished after which
Ptolemy but shortly after his souldiers muâ—ining bound him and delivered him up to Ptolemy who instead of punishing him gave him great gifts for his fidelity and made him one of his chief friends Diod Sic. Fabius Maximus having contracted with Hanibal for the redemption of the Romane Captives sent to Rome for the money but the Senate refused to give it whereupon Fabius sold all his own land that so he might performe his Covenant with his enemies Aurel. Victor Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful in the Land c. Psal. 101. 6. CHAP. XL. Examples of Deceit Craft Guile Hypocrisie DEceit in words usual with the wicked Job 15. 33. Psal. 10. 7. 36. 3. 50. 19. 55. 11. 119. 118. Prov. 12. 5 17 20. 14. 8. 20. 14. 26. 24 26. Jer. 5. 27. 8. 5. 9. 6 8. 14. 14. 23. 26. Hos. 11. 12. Mat. 7. 22. Rom. 1. 29. 3. 13. Psal. 35. 20. Dan. 11. 23. Prov. 11. 18. 14. 25. Ps. 38. 12. Jer. 9. 5. 29. 8. Not so with the godly Job 27. 1. 31. 5. Ps. 101. 7. 72. 14. Isa. 53. 9. 1 Thes. 2. 3. 2 Cor. 4. 2. Deceit in deeds Hos. 12 7. Amos 8. 5. Zeph. 1. 9. Prov. 27. 6. Lev. 6. 2. Lam. 1. 19. God abhorres it Psal. 5. 6. 52. 4. 55. 23. Jer. 43. 10. Mich. 6. 11. Mal. 1. 14. Complained of Ps. 78. 57. 109. 2. Job 6. 15. Ps. 52. 2. Jer. 17. 9. Hos. 7. 16. Mich. 6. 12. Eph. 4. 14. 2 John 7. 2 Tim. 3. 13. Prayed against Psal. 43. 1. 120. 2. Scriptural Examples Satan Gen. 3. 1 2. Rev. 12. 9. 13. 14. 20. 10. Rebekah Gen. 27. 6. Jacob ver 12. Laban Gen. 29. 23. Rachel Gen. 31. 34 35. Jacobs sons Gen. 34. 11. Potiphars wife Gen. 39. 14. Pharaoh Exod. 1. 10. Balak Numb 22. 4 5 6. Moabitish maides Num. 25. 1 2. 31. 16. Thamar Gen. 38. 13 14. Gibeonites Jos. 9. 4 12 23. Saul 1 Sam. 18. 17 21 25. Joab 2 Sam. 3. 27. David 2 Sam. 11. 6 8 13 c. Ionadab 2 Sam. 13. 5. Absalom 2 Sam. 26. 28. 15. 2 3. Zibah 2 Sam. 16. 1 2. the Harlot 1 King 3. 19 20. Jeroboam 1 King 12. 26 c. Iehu 2 King 10. 19. Iesabel 1 King 21. 7 c. Sanballat and others Neh. 4. 8. Davids enemies Psal. 35. 20. 36. 4. 38. 13. 57. 5. Darius's Princes Dan. 6. 5 c. Doeg Psal. 52. 3 4. Herod Mat. 2. 8. Herodians Mat. 22. 17. Mar. 12. 14. Priests Scribes Mat. 26. 4. Spies sent by them Luk. 20. 20. Ananias and Sapphira Act. 5. 1 5. Elimas Acts 13. 10. False Christs and false prophets Mat. 24. 25. Rom. 16. 18. 2 Tim. 3. 13. Iewes Ier. 9. 5. Diviners Ier. 29. 8. False teachers Ier. 14. 14. 23. 26. Tit. 1. 10. 2 Iohn 7. 2 Pet. 2. 13. Rev. 2. 20. Col. 2. 4 8. Eph. 5. 6. 4. 14. Mat. 7. 15. 2 Thes. 2. 9. Acts 15. 5. Rev. 13. 13 14. 19. 20. Hypocrisie Threatened Iob. 8. 13. 13. 16. 17. 8. 20. 5. 36. 13. The evil of it Prov. 11. 9. Forbidden Mat. 6. 2 c. Reproved 1 Kings 18. 21. Mat. 7. 5. and 15. 7. and 23. 13 c. They are double-minded 2 King 10. 31. Iam. 1. 8. Hide iniquity in their bosome bosome Iob. 31. 33. Deceitful Ps. 43. 1. Have hearts not right Psal. 78. 8 37. Mention God but not in truth Isa. 48. 1. Turne not with the whole heart Ier. 3. 10. Cry but not with the heart Hos. 7. 14. Like a deceitful bowe Hos. 7. 16. A heart divided Hos. 10. 2. Barren trees Mat. 21. 19. Whited Sepulchres and Walls Mat 23. 27. Act. 23. 3. A Iew only outwardly Rom. 2. 28. False brethren 2 Cor. 11. 26. Gal. 2. 4. Enemies to Christs crosse Phil. 3. 18. Have onely a forme of godlinesse 2 Tim. 3. 5. Seeme religious Iam. 1. 26. Scriptural Examples Absalom 2 Sam. 15. 2 c. Herod Mat. 2. 8. 14. 9. Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23. 13. Mark 7. 6. Luk. 12. 56. Judas Mat. 26. 49. Joh. 12. 4 5 6. 18. 28. Ananias and Sapphira Act. 5. 2. Simon Magus Act. 8. 13 21 24. Other Examples The Gaules having besieged the Romane Capitol seven moneths both sides grew weary and upon treaty the Romanes were to give the Gaules a thousand pound weight of gold and so they were to depart which agreement was sworne to on both sides but when they came to weigh the gold the Gaules would hold the scales and used much falshood therein Brennus also their King took off his sword and girdle and put it into the scales and being asked by Sulpitius what he meant by it he answered What can it meane but misery to the vanquished Iust at this time came Camillus to Rome with an Army that he had gathered amongst the confederates and being informed of all that happened he marched in good order to the place where the gold was weighing which he took out of the scales and divided it amongst his souldiers and then falling upon the Gaules he forced them to depart without their money Plut. A little before the Massacre of Paris the Admiral Coligni going to Paris was honourably entertained by the King who called him Father promised to be ruled by his counsel often protested that he loved him c. Yet shortly after he caused him to be basely murthered and insulted over him unworthily after his death See the Life of Gasper Coligni in my English Martyr CHAP. XLI Examples of Friendship A True friend is as a mans own soul Deut. 13. 6. Loves at all times Prov. 17. 17. Sticks closer then a brother Prov. 18. 24. gives hearty counsel Prov. 27. 9. Exhorted to Prov. 27. 10. Their wounds are faithful Prov. 27. 6. The rich have many friends Prov. 14. 20. and 1â— 4 6. Scriptural Examples Hushai 2 Sam. 15. 32 37. Jonathan 1 Sam. 18. 1. and 20. 17. Others 1 Sam. 3. 26. Hiram 1 King 5. 1. Peter Mat. 26. 33. Jobs friends ch 2. 11. Ittai 2 Sam. 15. 21. Ruth ch 1. 16 17. Pauls friends Acts 19. 31. Iohns friends 3 John 14. Feigned friends Dan. 11. 26. Psal. 55. 13 14. 41. 9. 88. 19. Joab 2 Sam. 3. 27 20. 9 10. Hushai 2 Sam. 16. 17 18. Such Jer. 9. 4. Mich. 7. 8. Judas Ioh. 13. 18. Mat. 26. 49. Pilate and Herod Luke 23. 12. Churches friends Lam. 1. 2. Poor mans friends Prov. 19. 7. Such as love for advantage Prov. 14. 20. 19. 4 6. Carnal friends Hiram to Judah Gen. 38. 12 20. Sampsons friends Jud. 14. 20 Amons 2 Sam. 13. 3. Hamans Ester 5. 10. Zedekiahs Ier. 38. 22. Ahuzzah Gen. 26. 26. Such are not to be trusted Mich. 7. 5. Other Examples Cambyses King of Persia making Warre against the Egyptians overthrew them in a great battel and took the regal City Memphis
and contempt of the Word of God For which cause the Lord sent amongst them such a contagious plague that the living were scarce able to bury the dead and when by this judgement they were not reclaimed the Lord brought upon them the fierce and cruel Nations of the Saxons and Angli out of Germany who though at first they came to help them yet after a while they turned against them and after much blood-shed drave them out of their Countrey into the mountaines of Wales where they remaine unto this day See this more fully in my English Martyrologie Gildes a godly and learned man was at another time raised up by God to exhort the Britanes to repentance and amendment of life but they laughed him to scorn and took him for a false Prophet for which cause the Lord plagued them delivering them into the hands of their enemies on every side In the Reigne of King Edward the third God raised up John Wickliffs to preach repentance to the English to exhort them to turn from their Idolatry and supersticion But his Ministery was contemned and his body and books were burned after his death For which a heavy judgement befell them They slew their lawfull King and set up three Usurpers on a row by which most of the Nobles of the Land were slaine and one halfe of the Commons so that Cities and Townes were decayed and much of the Land turned to a wildernesse Nicholas Hemingius relates a story of a lewd fellow in Denmark Anno Christi 1550. which usually made a mock at Religion and the professors of it and on a time coming into a Church where a godly Minister was preaching by his countenance and gestures shewed a great contempt against the Word but as he passed out of the Church a tile fell upon his head and slew him in the place Anno Christi 1547. one Christopher Turk a Councellour of estate in Germany mocked a godly Noble-man that was taken prisoner saying See what hecomes of these gallants that use to sing when any one wrongs us God is our succour and defence but assoon as the words were out of his mouth God struck him with a grievous disease and being carried to his bed he died in despaire Beards Theat A profane Priest in Misnia that used to mock at the Sacrament of Baptisme and when a woman-childe came to be baptized would wish them that brought it to throw it into the river as he was looking over the bridge of Elbe at the boats that passed by by Gods just judgement he fell over the bridge and was drowned Beard Two schismatical Donatists at Thipasa in Mauritania commanded the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to be thrown to the dogs but immediatly the dogs growing mad fell upon them and rent them to pieces Optat. Melevit l. â— Theopompus a Philosopher being about to insert some of Moses writing into his profane works was immediately stricken with madnesse Joseph Theodectes a Poet that mingled his Tragedies with some of the holy Scriptures was stricken blinde Joseph A husbandman at â—tzsith in Germany being a great despiser of the Word of God on a time railing most bitterly against a godly Minister presently going into the fields to look to his sheep was found dead his body being burnt as black as a coal Luther in Col. Phil. Melancthon relates a story of a Tragedie that was to be acted of the death and passion of Christ But he that acted Christs part on the Crosse was wounded to death by one that should have thrust his sword into a bladder of blood and he with his fall killed one that acted a womans part lamenting under the Crosse His brother that was first slaine seeing this slew the murtherer for which himselfe by the order of justice was hanged February 3. Anno Christs 1652. a Play was acting at Witny in Oxfordshire at the White-Heart-Inne in a great long chamber supported by two strong and substantial beames the place having been formerly a maulting roome the matter of the play was scurrilous and blasphemous containing some bitter taunts against all godly persons under the name of Puritans and at religion it selfe under the name of observing fasting dayes But as they were acting of it it pleased God that the roome wherein the people was fell whereby five were slaine outright and above sixty were hurt and sorely bruised One woman had her leg broken which being cut off she died within three or four dayes besides there were about twelve broken armes and legs and others put out of joynt This is written at large by Mr. John Row a godly Minister and preacher in that place Apian scoffing at Religion and especially at circumcision had an ulcer rose at the same time in the same place Joseph A man in Queen Elizabeths Reigne for compiling a book wherein he had fastened some treasonable dishonours upon the Queen was condemned to die and before his death acknowledged that though he had not done any thing against the Queen which deserved death yet he deserved to die for that he had seduced many of her subjects from hearing the Word of life and though he saw the evil of it and reformed himselfe yet he could never prevaile to reclaime others whom he had seduced and therefore said he The blood of their soules is justly required at my hands He that despiseth despiseth not man but God who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit 1 Thes. 4. 8. CHAP. XLVI Gods judgements upon Dicers and Card-players BY the Elibertine and Constantinopolitan Councils under Justinian Dice-players were punished with Excommunication And the same Emperour made a Law That no man should use Dice-play either in private or publick no nor approve the same by his presence under paine of punishment Cod. l. 3. Tit. 43. Lewis the eighth King of France made a Law that no Cardes or Dice should be made or sold by any thereby to take away all occasion of gaming And surely in these dayes of light under the Gospel all Merchants and Tradesmen should forbear the sale of them lest ministring fuel to the fire of other mens lusts they make themselves guilty of their sinnes In a town of Campania a Jew playing at Dice with a Christian lost a great summe of money to him upon which occasion he belched out most bitter curses against Jesus Christ and his mother the blessed Virgin whereupon the Lord struck him dead immediately in the place and his fellow-gamester the Christian was also stricken with madnesse whereof he died shortly after Blas l. 1. c. 31. Anno Christi 1533. neere to Belissiâ—a in Helvetia three men were playing at Dice on the Lords day and one of them called Ulrick Schraeterus having lost much money at last expecting a good cast brake out into this cursed speech If fortune deceive me now I will thrust my dagger into the very body of God as far as I can and the cast miscarrying he drew his dagger and threw it against heaven
countervail this great prosperity and victory some bitter adversity be predestinated for us I then beseech you to spare the City of Rome and this our Army and let it wholly fall upon my person alone Plut. Whilest Codrus was K. of Athens the Peloponesians upon an old grudge came with a great Army against the Athenians and sending to the Oracle to know the event of the War They were answered That they should have good successe if they did not kill the King of Athens Whereupon they charged all their Souldiers to be sure not to hurt Codrus the King when they came to the battell Codrus understanding all this changed his apparel with a common Souldier and with a Snapsack on his back he went to the Peloponesian Army and there picking a quarrel with one of the Souldiers wounded him whereupon the Souldier slew him and after his death being found to be Codrus the Peloponesians returned back expecting no good successe and thus Codrus out of love to his Country voluntarily dyed to deliver it from danger Pez Mel. Hist. Agesilaus King of Sparta did so love and esteem his Countrey that for the profit of it he neither spared his pains nor shunned dangers nor favoured his old age and though by his prudent and upright dealing he had gotten all the power into his own hands yet he studied nothing more then to maintain the Lawes and to shew himself subservient to them and amongst those which raised up dissensions in the Common-Wealth he carried himself as a father to his children chiding those that erred and honouring those that did well Plut. Sylla having overcome Marius in Battel commanded all the Citizens of Praeneste to be slain excepting onely one that was his intimate friend But he hearing the Bloody sentence against the rest stepped forth and said That he scorned to live by his favour who was the destroyer of his Country and so went amongst the rest who were to be slain Fulgos Sertorius the more he prospered and prevailed in his Wars in Spain the more importunate he was with Metellus and Pompey the Captains of his enemies that laying down Armes they would give him leave to return into Italy again professing that he had rather live a private life with the sweet enjoyment of his Countrey then to obtain the Government of many Cities Sabi l. 8. Nescio quâ natale solum dulcedine cunctos Ducit et immemores non sinit esse sui CHAP LXVI Examples concerning Death ALI must die Heb. 9. 27. Psal. 89. 48. It 's called a Bed to rest in Isa. 57. 2. A being with Christ Phil. 1. 23. A changing 1 Cor. 15. 51. A cutting down Job 14. 2. A cutting off Job 6. 9. A depriving of years Isa. 38. 10. A dissolution Phil. 1. 23. A destruction of the body 2 Cor. 5. 1. A day of darknesse Eccles. 12. 7. A departing Luk. 2. 29. A going forth of the breath Psal. 146. 4. An entrance into the way of all the world Joshu 23. 14. An end of all flesh Gen. 6. 13. An end of mans daies 1 Sam. 26. 10. A falling asleep Act. 7. 60. A finishing our course 2 Tim. 4. 7. A fleeting away Job 20. 8. A gathering to the people Gen. 25. 8. A going to the grave Job 5. 26. The way of all the earth 1 King 2. 2. To our fathers Gen. 15. 15. To the dead 2 Sam. 12. 23. To the place of silence Psal. 115. 17. Into the pit Job 33. 24. Home Psal. 39. 13. To the long home Eccles. 12. 5. Into the Land of darknesse Job 10. 21. A hiding in the Grave Job 14 13. A house for the living Job 30. 23. A lying still Job 3. 13. A Land of oblivion Psal. 88. 12. A rest from labour Rev. 14. 13. A returning to the dust Gen. 3. 9. Job 34. 15. A sleep Job 3. 13. 1 Thess. 4. 14. 1 King 1. 21. Job 7. 21. A translation Heb. 11. 15. A vanishing Job 14. 2. A giving up the ghost Gen. 25. 8. Vita citò avolat nec potest retineri Mors quotidie ingruit nec potest resisti Death happy to the godly Psal. 116. 15. 72. 14. Eccles. 7. 1. Rev. 14. 13. 1 Cor. 15. 5 52. Death cursed to the wicked Psal. 37. 9 10 20 22. Job 18. 17. Phil. 3. 19. Qualis vita finis ità Vita vitrea Fumus et umbra sumus Mors ubique nos expectat Solon enacted a Law amongst the Athenians that none should speak evil of the Dead Plut. Xerxes getting upon an hill near to Abydus and beholding the Sea covered over with his Ships and all the Plains filled with his Army which consisted of above a million of men thought himself a very happy man yet withal fell a weeping and being asked the reason of it by Artabanus his Uncle he answered Considering with my self how short the life of man is I cannot but pity this great multitude of gallant men of whom within an hundred years there shall not one be left alive Herod Lycurgus made a Law in Lacedaemon that they should bury their dead round about their Temples that the young men having the graves alwaies in their eyes should mind their own mortality Plut. Agesilaus King of Sparta used to say That they which live virtuously are not yet blessed persons but that they had attained true felicity who dyed virtuously Xenophon When Agesilaus was ready to dye he charged his friends that they should neither make any picture nor statue of him for saith he If I have done any thing that is good that will be my monument but if I have done otherwise all the statues that you can make will not keep my good name alive Idem Democritus the Philosopher as he was travelling abroad in the world came to the Court of Darius King of Persia whom he found overwhelmed with grief for the death of one of his most beautifull wives to whom Democritus promised that he would restore her to life again if he would provide him things necessary for such a businesse Darius much rejoycing at this promise bade him ask for whatsoever he would have Democritus told him that amongst other ingredients he must have the names of three men that had never met with any sorrow in the whole course of their lives The King told him that that was impossible to be done Then said Democritus What a fool art thou which desirest to be freed from that fortune which is common to all men Pez Mel. Hist. Alex. M. being twice wounded in the siege of an Indian City feeling the pain of his wounds said I am called the son of Jupiter but I perceive that I am subject to wounds and death as well as other men Q Cur. Epaminondas finding his Sentinel asleep slew him saying I left him but as I found him Plut. A certain Christian King in Hungary being on a time very sad His brother a jolly Courtier would needs know on him what ailed him O brother said he I have been
a great sinner against God and I know not how to die nor to appear before God in Judgment These are said his brother melancholy thoughts and withal made a jest at them The King replyed nothing for the present But the custom of the Country was that if the Executioner came and sounded a Trumpet before any mans door he was presently to be led to execution The King in the dead time of the night sends the headsman to sound his Trumpet before his brothers door who hearing it and seeing the messenger of Death springs in pale and trembling into his brothers presence beseeching him to tell him wherein he had offended O brother replyed the King you have never offended me And is the sight of my Executioner so dreadful and shall not I that have greatly and grievously offended fear to be brought before the Judgement-Seat of Christ In the Isle of Man the women whensoever they go abroad gird themselves about with their winding sheets wherein they purpose to be buried to mind them of their mortality Camb. Brit. of Man p. 205. At one end of the Library of Dublin was a globe and at the other end a skelleton to shew that though a man was Lord of all the world yet he must die C. Marius in his 7th Consulship being about 70 years old yet finding his death approaching cryed out and complained of his hard Fortune for cutting off the third of his life before his counsells and desires were accomplished Sab. Pope Anastasius as he was easing nature in a sakes voided his bowels and dyed miserably Graâ—i The AEgyptians in their Funeral Orations never commended any man for his riches or Nobility because they were but the goods of Fortune but for his Justice and piety whereby they thought to stirre up the living to the imitation of his virtues Fulgos. The Grecians had a Law that no man should bestow more workmanship upon a Monument then might be finished by ten men in 3. daies Artemesia Q. of Halicarnassus when her husband Mausolus died bestowed so much cost and curiosity upon his Tomb as that it was counted one of the seven wonders of the world Suidas By an ancient Law amongst the Romans it was enacted that no man should bestow more labour about a Sepulchre then might be finshed in three or five dayes at the most and that none should have a bigger Pillar erected for him then would contain his just praises and the titles of his honour Cicero St. Augustines wish was that when the Lord came to take him out of this world he might find him aut precantem aut praedicantem either praying or Preaching The Death of the Righteous is the forerunner of judgment Methusalem died in that very year in which the Flood came Augustine was taken away by death immediately before Hippo the place of his dwelling was sacked by the Vandals Paraeus before the taking of Heidelberg by the Spaniards The death of Ambrose was the forerunner of the ruine of Italy and Luther died a little before the wars brake forth in Germany which himself foretold at his death And holy Mr. Whately a little before the plundering and burning of Banbury in the beginning of our late Civil wars The Righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and merciful men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come Isai. 57. 1. CHAP. LXVII Examples of Detraction Slandering Backbiting IT 's a great sin 2 Cor. 12. 20. Rom. 1. 30. Prov. 10. 18. Complained of Psal. 31. 13. 50. 20. Jer. 6. 28. 9. 4. How prevented Prov. 25. 23. Such are not of the number of Gods children Psal. 15. 3. Ought to be punished Psal. 101. 5. Scriptural Examples Jeremy slandered by the wicked Jews Jer. 18. 18. The Jews Ezra 4. 4 c. Nehemiah Chap. 2. 19. 6. 6 c. Ziba 2 Sam. 19. 27. The Spies Num. 14. 36. Some slandered the Apostles Rom. 3 8. Solon enacted a Law amongst the Athenians that none should speak evil of the dead nor of the living especially in the Temples in the time of Divine Service nor in the Councel Chamber of the City nor in the publick Theaters and that upon pain of three Drachmes to the party injured and two to the common treasury Plut. Alexander M. when he heard any about him traducing his enemy would stop one of his eares that he might preserve it from prejudice in hearing the other party Dion of Syracuse when he was admonished to take heed of two of his familiar friends as though they intended to slay him answered That he had rather die then to suspect his friends or to put them in fear of a violent death as if they were his enemies Val. Max. Amongst the Romans there was a Law That if any servant being set free slandered his former Master he might bring him into bondage again and take from him all the favours he had bestowed upon him Alex. ab Alex. There was also another Law that if any servant detracted from his Master his Master might banish him out of the Confines of Rome Idem Vespasian and Titus were such enemies to detractors and slanderers that if any were found guilty thereof they caused them to be whipt about the City that others thereby might be deterred from the like practices Domitian the Emperour though otherwise a most vile man yet could not endure slanderers but banished them out of the City saying that they which do not punish slanderers encourage them Platina Antoninus Pius made a Law That if any Backbiter could not prove what he reported of another he should be put to death Alex. Nerva made a Law That if any servants slandered their Masters they should be put to death as ingrateful persons Idem St. Augustine to shew his hatred to detractors caused this Distich to be written on his Table Quisquis amat dictis absentem rodere amicum Hanc mensam vetitam noverit esse sibi He that doth love an absent friend to jeer May hence depart no room is for him here Frederick Emperour of Germany having some letters brought to him which were written by Gasper Schliâ—kius of Newburg and directed to sundry Hungarians some Flatterers about the Emperour perswaded him to break them open suggesting that there might be Treason contained in them To whom the Emperour nobly answered I judge Gasper an honest man and my friend If I be deceived I had rather that the evil should appear by his own carriage then that it should be searched out by my overmuch diligence being provoked thereto by your suspitions or slanders AEn Sylvius Nero that Monster of men when he had set Rome on fire which burned nine daies to transfer the Odium from himself he by his slanders thought to lay the fault upon the Christians as if they had done it out of malice whereupon he raised the first general Persecution against them See my Gen. Martyrology p. 31. Under the second Persecution the
came the Owle as before still looking steadfastly upon the Pope whereupon he was more ashamed saying that he could no longer abide the sight of her and commanded her to be driven away with bats and shoutings but by no means could she be removed till with the blowes of the sticks thrown at her at length she fell down dead amongst them Then shall that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightnesse of his coming 2 Thes. 2. 8. Non male sunt Monachis grata indita nomina Patrum Cùm numerent natos hic ubique suos CHAP. VI. Examples of most inhumane cruelties THe corrupt nature of man since the fall of Adam containeth in it the seed and spawn of all manner of impieties so that if the Lord do but let loose the reines of his restraining spirit and leave man to himself there is not the most abhorred villainy that was ever perpetrated by any damned reprobate but he is prone to fall into the same yea to rush on into sinne as the horse into the battel whence it is that Solomon long since told us that The tender mercies of the wicked are cruelty as will most manifestly appear by these ensuing Examples Bellisarius a worthy and famous Captaine under the Emperour Justinian having by Gods assistance with great successe fought many battels against the Persians Goths and Vandals in his old age by the malice and cruelty of the Emperesse who was a favourer of Eutyches the Heretick had his eyes put out and fell into such want that he was forced to begge by the high-wayes Date obolum Bellisario For Gods sake give an halfe peny to Bellisarius See Justinians Life in my second Part. William Prince of Nassaw a pious and prudent Prince was most cruelly and traiterously murthered in his lodging at the end of dinner by Baltazar Gerrard a papist being hired thereunto by the Prince of Parmas Counsel He was shot from the left side to the right through the stomack and the vital parts saying onely O my God take pity on my soul I am sore wounded take pitty upon my soul and of this poor people and so he died Hist. of the Netherl In a town of Italy called Montallo many godly Christians being secretly met together to hear the Word of God were most inhumanely butchered by the appointment of Pope Pius the fourth being one after another drawn out of the house and their throats cut with a knife yet not one of all that number for fear of death would forsake the true faith of Christ Act. Mon. In Deventer one Henry Achtrevelt a Papist cruelly murthered Master Schorickmans a godly Minister in that Towne after his Sermon thrusting him into the â—eck with a two-edged knife cleane through the throat whereof he immediately died The murtherer professed that he did it in zeal to the Catholique religion which the said Minister used to preach against Hist of the Netherl Abundance of French inhabiting in the Island of Sicily being hated by the natives upon a signe given by the ringing of a bell were all in one hour murthered yea it â—as performed with such cruelty that they ript up their own Countrey-women that were with childe by the French to the end that no French blood should remaine amongst them Simps Hence grew the Proverb Sicuâ—â— vesperae The Duke de Alva was of that cruel and bloody disposition that he counted it no paine for men to die except they died in extreme paine witnesse Anthony 〈◊〉 whom he caused to be tyed to a stake with a chaine 〈◊〉 â—russels compassing him about with a great fire but not touching him turning him round about like a poor beast who was forced to live in that great torment and extremity roasting before the fire so long untill the Halbâ—rdiers themselves having compassion on him thrust him through with their halberds contrary to the minde both of the Duke and the Popish Priests â—rimst Hist Netherl p. 4â—1 Also when the City of Harlem surrendred themselves to him upon conditions to have their lives he suffered some of the souldiers and Burgers to be starved to death saying that though he promised to give them their lives yet he did not promise to finde them meat Eodem A Vice-admirall to the Arch Duke having taken 15. or 16. fishing ships of Holland and Zealand nailed all the Mariners and Fishermen under Hatches and then making holes in the keel of the Ships drowned them all like Mice in a trap Hist. of the Netherl In the warres against the Albingenses the Popish Army having taken the great and populous Citie of Beziers put to the sword above sixty thousand persons amongst whom were many of their own Catholicks Arnoldus the Popes Legate being present who commanded the Captaines Souldiers saying Caedite eos omnes novit enim Deus qui sunt ejus Kill them all Catholicks or Hereticks for the Lord knoweth who are his Act. and Mon. Simon Earle of Montfort having surprised a Castle of the Albingenses most inhumanely caused the eyes of above an hundred of them to be put out and their noses to be cut off and left onely one man with one eye to conduct them all to another place Act. and Mon. The Duke de Alva being sent with a great Army by the King of Spaine into the Netherlands to root out the Prosessors of the Gospel there exercised most unparallel'd cruelty against all sorts of persons both of the Nobilitie and Commons permitting his Souldiers to ravish honest Matrons and Virgins yea oftentimes compelling their husbands to stand by and behold the same This Duke on a time boasted at his owne table that he had been diligent to root out heresie for that besides those which were slaine in war and secret Massacres he had put into the hand of the hangman eighteen thousand in the space of six yeares Hist. of the Netherl St. Jerome reports that when he was a very youth while Julian as it seems was Emperour he saw in Gaul the Atticots a Brittish Nation feed on mans flesh who when they found in the Forrests herds of Swine flocks of neat and other Cattell were wont to cut off the buttocks of the herd-men and keepers the Duggs also and paps of women accounting the same the onely dainties in the world Camb. Brit. p. 127. Aelfrich to make way for her own son Etheldred to the Crown of England when Edward her son in Law then King came to visit her in Corf-Castle from his disport or hunting set some villaines and hacksters to murder him and like a most wicked and cruell step-dame fed her eyes with beholding his blood Camb. Brit. p. 211. Machanides a Tyrant of Lacedaemon made an Image 〈…〉 Engine rather like unto his wife Apega apparelled in such like attire also His manner was to call unto him rich men demanding great sums of money of them which if by faire meanes he could not obtaine
he would take them by the hand and tell them that perhaps his wife which sate in a roome by could perswade them more effectually unto whom he would lead them When they approached the Image would rise up open her armes and imbrace them which armes and her breasts also were full of sharpe â—ron nailes wherewith she griped the poore wretch till she had killed him and then the Tyrant seised on his goods Philip King of Spaine out of an unnaturall and bloody zeale suffered his eldest son Charles to be murthered by the cruell Inquisition because he favoured the Protestants Religion which when the Pope heard of he abused that Scripture He spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us Act. and Mon. Mahomet the great a most cruell and mercilesse Tyrant is said in his life-time to have been the cause of the death of eight hundred thousand men Turk Hist. Fernesius as he was going out of Italy towards Germany made this feral and bloody boast That he would make his horse swim in the blood of the German Lutherans A Frier Augustine of Antwerp openly in the Pulpit whilst he was preaching to the people wished that Luther was there that he might bite out his throat with his teeth and said that so doing he would nothing doubt to resort to the Altar with the same bloody teeth and receive the body of Christ. Eras. Epist. Tarquinius Superbius entering the Senate-house in Rome in royall Ornaments laid claime to the Kingdome but was opposed by his father-in-Law Servius whereupon he wounded him and forced him to depart which Tullia Tarquins wife hearing of came to the Senate-house and saluted her husband King causing him to send some after her father Servius who killed him leaving his body in so narrow a street that when Tullia returned that way the Charioter stayed lest he should drive over the the corps but she threw the seat of the Chariot at his head and forced him to drive over her fathers body since which time that street hath been called the wicked street Dioâ— Solyman the great Turk having obtained a victory against the Germans finding amongst the Captives a Bavarian Souldier of an exceeding high stature delivered him to a little dwarfe to be slaine whose head was scarce so high as the others knees that goodly tall man was mangled about the legs a long time by the apâ—sh dwarf with his little Scimeter till falling down with many feeble blowes he was at length slaine the Prince beholding it with great sport Turk Hist. p. â—09 The Spaniards when they had taken Heidelberg in the Palatinate took an ancient Minister a man of God called Monsieur Mileus and having abused his daughter before his face they tied a small cord about his head which with their truncheons they twisted about till they had squeezed out his braines Looking-glasse of the holy war In the reign of Saint Edward King of England two Earles that were brethren Harrould and Tosto fell out in the Kings Court at Windsor from words falling to blowes and Tosto having the worst secretly hied him to the Marches of Wales to his brother Harroulds house which was then in preparing to entertaine the King where he slew all his brothers servants and cutting them peece meale into gobbets salted some of their limbs and cast the rest into vessels of Meath and wine sending his brother word that he had furnished him with poudered meats against the Kings coming thither but this barbarous act caused his name to be so odious amongst his Northumbrians where he was Earle that at last it was repayed with his own death Speeds Chron. pag. 402. A rich Merchant in Paris jesting at the Franciscan Fiers was by their meanes apprehended accused and condemned to be hanged but he thinking to save his life made a publick and solemne recantation which when the Friers were informed of they commended him saying That if he so continued he should undoubtedly be saved and withall called upon the officers to haste him to the Gallows to hang him whilest he was in so good a minde which was accordingly done Act. Mon. In the persecution of the Saints of God in Calabria Anno 1560. fourscore godly persons being all thrust up in one house together like sheep for the slaughter the executioner comes in and taking forth one blindefolds him with a mufler about his eyes and so leades him forth to a large place where coâ—…ding him to kneele down he cuts his threat and so leaving him halfe dead and taking his Butchers knife and mufler all goare blood comes back to the râ—â—t and so leading them forth one after another he dispatched them all All the elder went to the slaughter more cheerfully the younger more timerously I tremble and quake saith a Romane Catholick out of whose letter to his Lord this is transcribed even to remember how the executioner held his bloody knife between his teeth with the bloody mufler in his hand and his armes all goare blood up to the elbowes going to the fold and taking every one of them one after another by the hand and so dispatching them all no otherwise then a Butcher doth his Calves or Sheep In the Spanish Inquisition if any Protestant be secretly conveyed into it they bring him not unto a legal trial but make him away secretly For as Hoffeus the Jesuite was wont to brag they hold it a good peece of Piety instantly to condemne him to the fire Ut anima ejus in curru igneo ad inferos trahatur that his soul might forthwith be carried to hell in a fiery Chariot The poore Spaniards are kept in such aw by the Lords Inquisitors that one of those Inquisitors desiring to eat some peares that grew in a poor mans Orchard not farre from him sent for the man to come and speak with him This message put the poore man into such a fright that he fell sick and kept his bed But being informed that his peares were the cause of his sending for he caused his tree to be cut down and withall the peares on it to be sent to the Inquisitor and being afterwards by him demanded the reason of that unhusbandly action he protested that he would not keep that thing about him which should give an occasion to aâ—…f their Lordships to send for him any more The Numantines being assaulted by the Romanes made solemne vowes amongst themselves no day to break their fast but with the flesh of a Romane nor to drink before they had tasted the blood of an enemy Guevara Ep. In the Massacre of Paris which was the most abhorred prodigious villainy that ever the Sunne saw till the late Irish rebellion there were murthered in divers places of France threescore thousand Protestants so that the streets ran with blood and Rivers were died red with the same Besides there were three hundred faithful servants of Christ burnt to ashes in that Kingdom within lesse then five yeares space and in their late
them a great reward and presently brake all the vessels in pieces and being asked the reason of it he answered Because knowing that I am soon angry I may prevent being angry with those that might hereafter break them Eras. Lib. 5. Adag Alexander Magnus being of a cholerick disposition obscured three of his greatest victories with the death of three of his friends causing Lysimachus to be cast to a Lion Clitus to be slaine with a speare and Calisthenes to be put to death Theat vitae hum King Perses being overcome by Paulus AEmilius grew into such a passion that he slew two of his Nobles which came to comfort him which so provoked the rest that they all forsooke him Theat vitae hum L. Sylla who in his anger had spilt the blood of many at last in his fury raging and crying out against one that had broken promise with him thereby brake a veine within him vomiting out his blood soul and anger together Val. Max. lib. 9. Amilcar the Carthaginian did so extreamly hate the Romanes that having four sons he used to say that he bred up those foure Lions whelps for the destruction of the Romane Empire Probus in vita Semiramis as she was dressing her head newes being brought that Babylon rebelled against her she was so incensed that in that habit her haire halfe tied up and half hanging loose she hastened to reduce it and never dressed up her head till she had subdued that great City Polyb. Tomyris Queen of Scythia having overcome and taken Cyrus King of Persia caused his head to be cut off and thrown into a bowle of blood bidding him to drink his fill for that he had so much thirsted after blood and had slaine her sonne in the Warres Val. Max. Lysander the Lacedemonian was noted to be of such an implacable disposition tbat nothing could appease his malice but the death of the person with whom he was angry whereupon it grew to a proverb That Greece could not bear two Lysanders Pez Mel. Hist. Alexander M in a drunken feast that he made after his conquest of Persia began to boast of his great victories and atchievments to the distaste of his own Captaines insomuch as one of them called Clitus speaking to another said He boasts of those victories which were purchased with other mens blood Alexander suspecting that he spake against him asked what he said and when all were silent Clitus spake of the great victories which Philip his father had gotten in Greece preferring them before these which so incensed Alexander that he bade him be gone out of his presence and when Clitus hastened not but multiplied words the King rose up in a great fury and snatching a lance out of his Squires hand therewith he thrust Clitus thorow and killed him This Clitus had formerly saved the Kings life in the battel against Darius He was an old souldier of King Philips and had performed many excellent exploits Besides his mother had nursed Alexander and he was brought up with him as his foster-brother So that Alexander when the heat of his anger was over was so enraged against himselfe for this murther that he was about with the same lance to have murthered himself if he had not been violently restrained by his servants Q. Cur. Caius Caligula was of a most malicious disposition for which end he kept two books which he called his sword and dagger wherein he wrote the names of all such as he had appointed to death He had such a chest of all sorts of the most exquisite poisons that when afterwards it was thrown into the sea by his successor Claudius it poisoned a great multitude of fishes Sueto Amilcar the Carthaginian at what time he did sacrifice being ready to take his journey into Spaine called his young son Hannibal being then but nine years old and caused him to lay his hand upon the Altar and to sweare that being come to mans estate he should pursue the Romanes with immortal hatred and work them all the mischief that possibly he could Sir W. Raw. King Edward the first of England going against Bruce King of Scotland caused his eldest sonne and all his Nobles to swear that if he died in his journey they should carry his corps about Scotland with them and not suffer it to be interred till they had vanquished the Scots and subdued the whole Kingdom Sed ira mortalium debet esse mortalis saith Lactantius Darius being offended with the Athenians for assisting his enemies he called for a bowe wherewith he shot up an arrow towards heaven saying O Jupiter grant that I may be revenged upon the Athenians He appointed also one of his servants every night when he was at supper to say to him Here memento Atheniensium Master remember the Athenians Pez Mel. Hist. Camillus a Noble Romane after many great services done for the Common-wealth was at the instigation of a wicked detractor condemned by the common people to pay a greater summe of money then he was able But he scorning such an open shame resolved to go into voluntary exile and so taking leave of his wife children and friends he went out of the City-gate but then turning again and lifting up his hands towards the Capitol he said O ye gods if it be of spite and malice that the common people thus drive me away then let them have quickly cause to repent and stand in need of me Put. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart Leviticus 19. 17. Cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruel Gen. 49. 7. CHAP. XIX Examples of Patience Moderation and Meeknesse SOme of the Heathens have attained to a great eminencie in this vertue of Patience but Christians are to adde it to the number of their graces 2 Pet. 1. 6. And indeed it is that that gives a great lustre to all the rest Humility is the root whence it springs and the fruit of it is both amiable and profitable It puts and keeps a man in possession of his soul Luk. 21. 19. It makes all burthens light and is much improved by exercise Rom. 5. 3. Moses his meeknesse and Jobs patience are exemplary and so held forth in the Scripture And these which follow also may be useful to quicken us to an earnest pursuit after this so excellent a vertue Commanded Luke 21. 19. Col. 1. 11. Rom 12. 12. 1 Thes. 5. 14. Jam. 5. 7 8. c. 1 Tim. 6. 11. Heb. 10. 36. 12. 1. 2 Pet. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 20. Mat. 11. 29. Commanded Eccles. 7. 8. 2 Cor. 6. 4. 12. 12. 1 Tim. 3. 3. 2 Tim. 2. 24. 2 Thes. 1 4. Tit. 2. 2. Heb. 6. 12. Jam. 1 3 4. Rev. 2. 2 3 19 13. 10. 14. 12. Psal. 22. 26. 25. 9. 37. 11. 76. 9. 147. 6. 149 4. Isa. 29. 19. Mat. 5. 5. 1 Pet. 3. 4. Scriptural examples Paul 2 Cor. 6. 4. Moses Num. 12. 3.
Joseph Gen. 45. 5. 50. 17 19. Gideon Jud. 8. 2. Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 15. Saul 1 Sam. 10. 27. 11. 12 13. David 2 Sam. 16. 10. 1 Sam. 24. 8. Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 19. 30. Prophets Jam. 5. 10 11. Apostles Act. 5. 41. Thessalonians 1 Thes. 1. 3. 2. 14. Hebrews ch 10. 〈◊〉 John Rev. 1. 9. Other examples A young man striking Lycurgus on the face with a staffe whereby he dashed out one of his teeth the people apprehended him and delivered him to Lycurgus to punish him as he pleased Lycurgus took him home with him to his house spake never a soule word to him only commanded him to waite upon him The young man now sensible of his fault willingly obeyed him and observing his strict life and his constancy in enduring labour he began first to reverence and then to love him with this heart so that of a fierce rash and ill conditioned youth he became a grave and wise man Plut. The two Navies of Xerxes and the Grecians being neere together the Grecians would have made a dishonourable retreat at which time Themistocles being in counsel with Eurybiades because Themistoles perswaded their stay Eurybiades held up his staffe as though he would have stricken him Strike me if thou wilt said Themistocles so thou wilt but heare me Euryb wondring at his patience suffered him to say what he would whereby at last he was brought to reason Plut. So we should say to God Strike us if thou wilt but hear our prayers Pericles an Athenian Oratour by the study of Philosophy attained to such an honest behaviour and patient spirit that he was never troubled with any thing that crossed him On a time there was a naughty fellow that did nothing all the day long but raile upon him in the market-place though he was a publick Magistrate before all the people yet did he take no notice of it but all the while dispatched sundry businesses of importance till night came and then with a sober pace went home to his house though this lewd varlet followed him with open defamation all the way and when he came home it being dark he called his man and caused his man with a toreh to light this fellow home Plut. Acertaine Lacedemonian speaking many things freely against Artaxerxes M. the King bade one of his Captaines tell him Thou mayest truly speak what thou wilt against the King neverthelesse he will speake and do what he pleases Plut. Agesilaus King of Sparta returning into his own countrey after great victories in Asia and Greece would not take any revenge upon his adversaries but brought it to passe that they were chosen Magistrates and Captaines and when they should have been questioned and punished for their avaricious and unjust using of their power he assisted them and freed them from danger by which meek dealing he made of adversaries his fast friends Xenoph Philip King of Macedon besieging the City of Methon as he was walking about one from the walls shot an arrow at him whereby he put out his right eye which yet he took so patiently that when the Citizens a few dayes after sent out to treat with him about the surrender he gave them honourable termes and after the surrender took no revenge upon them for his eye Justin. Alexander in his younger dayes was of a very milde and patient spirit insomuch as being told that some of his friends used in secret to detract from him he bore it patiently saying Regium est malè audire cùm benefeceris It 's a Kingly thing to hear ill when one doth well Plut. Phocion the Athenian being condemned by the people to die when all others mourned and wept he onely with a meek spirit and undaunted countenance went to the prison and being asked by a friend what he would have to his sonne Phocion Tell him said he that I command him never to think upon this injury which the Athenians do me And when the executioner wanted poison to give him which could not be bought under twelve Drachma's Phocion called one of his friends and bad him give him the money for said he A man cannot die at Athens except he pay for his own bane Plut. Vespasian the Emperour was of so meeke a disposition that he would never take notice of or remember injuries Suet. Titus Vespasianus would not receive any accusation against those that spake evil of him saying Ego cùm nihill faciam dignum propter quod contumeliâ afficiar mendacia nihil curo As long as I do nothing that deserves reproach I care not for lies Suet. Aristides having been banished Athens by the envie and malice of Themistocles three years after when Xerxes came against Greece he was called home by the Athenians again and forgetting all the former wrongs that he had received from Themistocles he cordially joyned with him in promoting the publick good and advancing Themistocles his honour thereby using this moderate speech to him If we be wise let us lay aside our former youthly and vaine contentions and let us now strive who shall do most for the publick good of our countrey thou by thy valour and I by my counsel and undergoing the office of a servant to thee Plut. Beza with some other of his Colleagues disputing with some Jesuits about the Eucharist the Jesuits brake forth into passion calling them Vulpes Serpentes Simias Foxes Serpents Apes to whom Beza replied Nos non magis credimus quam transubstantiationem we believe all that as much as we do Transubstantiation See his Life in my first Part. Dr. Cranmers gentlenesse in pardoning wrongs was so great that it grew into a Proverb Do my Lord of Canterbury a shrewd turn and then you shall be sure to have him your friend whilest he liveth See his Life in my first Part. The Pythagoreans if at any time through anger they brake forth into evil speaking yet before the Sun-setting by giving their hands each to other they renewed their friendship again Theodosius the Emperour upon a fault committed by the Inhabitants of Thessalonica commanded severe punishment to be inflicted upon them which was so unadvisedly executed that as well the innocent as the nocent were involved therein The Emperour afterward coming to Millan would have entered into the Church to have communicated with other Christians but Ambrose the Bishop thereof though otherwise a man of admiral mildnesse resisted and excommunicated him in which estate he continued for eight moneths and then upon his submission was absolved and received again into the Congregation And that he might prevent the like offence afterwards he enacted a Law that thirty dayes should passe betwixt the sentence of death and the Execution of it And to suppresse his Choler whereunto he was very subject his usual manner was to repeat the Greek Alphalet before he uttered any speech savouring of that humour See Ambrose his Life in my first Part. Socrates an Heathen when one gave him a box of the eare
Christians there assembled but as they were journeying the weather that was clear and faire became cloudy and suddenly a tempest of haile killed many of the Infidels whereby the Christians escaped to their own homes and the Apostate King alone was carried away by the Saracenes Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 1â—8 A Smith in King Edward the sixths dayes called Richard Denson was a forward professor of Religion and by his Christian instructions the happy instrument of the conversion of a young man to the faith Afterwards in the reigne of Queen Mary this young man was cast into prison for his religion who remembring his old friend the Smith to whom he alwayes carried a reverend respect for the good that he had received by him sent to know whether he was not imprisoned also and finding that he was not desired to speak with him and when he came asked his advice whether he thought it comfortable for him to remaine in prison and whether he would encourage him to burne at a stake for his religion To whom the Smith answered that his cause was good and he might with comfort suffer for it But for my 〈◊〉 saith he I cannot burne But he that could 〈◊〉 burne for religion by Gods just judgement was burned for his Apostasie For shortly after his shop and house being set on fire whilest over-eâ—gerly be sought to save his goods himself was burned Under the fourth Persecution there were some Christians who for fear of torments and death denied their faith and sacrificed to Idols yet did not thâ—â— bloody persecutors spare them and it was observed that being full of guilt they went to their death 〈◊〉 dejected and ill-favoured countenanâ—es so â—hâ—â— the very Gentiles took notice of it and reproached them as degenerous persons and worthy to suffer 〈…〉 doers See my Gen. Martyr p. 43. In the late Persecution in Bohemia a godly maâ—…ing tired out with imprisonment promised to 〈◊〉 Catholick and thereupon was released But preâ—…ly after God chastized him for this fault holding 〈◊〉 conscience in captivity so that he could have 〈◊〉 hope of mercy for a whole year together c. 〈◊〉 p. 190. One Philbert Hamlin in France having converted â— Priest to the profession of the truth was together with the Priest apprehended and cast into prison at Burdeaux But after a while the Priest being terrified with the prison and fear of death renounced Christ and was set at liberty whereupon Philbert said to him O unhappy and more then miserable man Is it possible that to save your life for a few dayes you should so deny the truth Know therefore that though you have avoided the corporal sire yet your life shall not be prolonged for you shall die before me and you shall not have the honour to die for the cause of God but you shall be an Example to all Apostates And accordingly as he went out of the prison two Gentlemen that had a former quarrel to him met him and slew him Eodem p. 292. If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. 38. CHAP. XXI Examples of Gods judgements upon Atheists Complained of Ps. 14. 1. Rom. 3. 18. That there are such See Job 18. 21. Eph. 2. 12. Ps 50. 21. and 10. 11 13. Such are they that are spoken of Job 21. 14 15. Ps. 73. 11. and 10. 4 11 13. and 59. 7. and 64. 5. and 78. 19 20. and â—4 7. Job 22. 13 14 17. and 34. 9. and 35. 3. Ezek. 8. 12. Tit. 1. 16. Scriptural examples Pharaoh Exod. 5. 2. The fool Psal. 14. 1. The rich glutton Luk. 12. 19. Other examples Some are atheists out of sensuality as Epicurus Lucretius c. Or out of stomack as Diagoras who having written a Poem and prepared it for the publick one stole it from him whereupon he brought him before the Senate of Athens where the man forswore it and was dismissed and afterwards published the Poem in his own name Diagoras seeing this turned Atheist because this fellow was not smitten with some visible vengeance from heaven that had so forsworn himself Porphyrie was at first a Christian but having received some injury from the Christians he became an Atheist and wrote a book against the Scriptures Aristotle reading the history of the creation in Genesis said Egregiè dicis Domine Moses sed quomodo probas You speak of strange matters Sir Moses but how do you prove them Lucian impudently derided not only all the Heathen gods but with the same blasphemous mouth railed upon Christ as a crucified cousener and upon Christians as mad men because they were so forward to suffer Martyrdom and scoffingly said That Jupiter at certain times looked down through some certain cranies in Heaven at which times if men were praying they might be heard otherwise not he was at last torn in pieces by dogs Suidas Caligula the Romane Emperour fancied himselfe a god and would needs finde out a way to imitate Ioves thunder He commanded himselfe to be worshipped and set up his Images every where He dedicated the Temple at Hierusalem to his own worship But when the true God gave forth his voice of Majesty from heaven he that before was so high was now as low and of a poor spirit covering his eyes with his cap running under a bed or creeping into a bench-hole for safety Yet did Gods judgement finde out this Atheist for he reigned but three yeares and three moneths and was slaine by a Tribune Suet. in Calig Herod Agrippa when he suffered himselfe to be honoured as a god was smitten by an Angel because he gave not God the glory and was eaten up of wormes Acts 12. 22 23. Daphida the Sophister going to Apollo's Oracle at Delphos enquired whether he should finde his horse or no whereas he had no horse but did it out of an Atheistical humour to deride the Oracle He was answered that he should finde his horse but being thrown from him he should breake his neck with this answer he made himselfe very merry and so went homewards but by the way he met with King Attalus whom he had sormerly much abused who caused his servants to carry Daphida upon a great rock which was called The horse and from thence to throw him down whereby he was broken in pieces Val. Max. L. 1. Commodus the Emperour was a very Atheist and a great contemner of the Romane gods for which he became hatefull both to God and man and was slaine by his servants as he lay upon his bed his body was cast out into the streets where he was made the object of every ones scorne and at last was thrown into the river Tyber Fulgen. l. 1. c. 2. Heliog abalus forced a Vest all Virgin to marry him made warre against all the gods and contemned all religious serving of them for which he was slaine by his own horsemen his body being dragged up and down the streets and at last thrown into Tyber Ibid. It is said
were not so and according to his wish so it befell him at Saint Peters Monastery in Erforâ—s Anno 1148. Luther on 1 Cor. 15. reports of one in Germany of a most wicked life who at almost every word he spake the devil was at one end Now it happened on a time as he was passing over a bridge he fell down and as he was falling cried out Hoist up with an hundred devils which was no sooner spoken but the devil whom he called on so oft was at his elbow to strangle and carry him away with him Another story he relates of a Popish Priest once a Professour of the truth but now an Apostate who thundered out many bitter curses against Luther at a place called Ruthnerwald and amongst other passages wished if Luthers doctrine were true that a thunderbolt might strike him to death Now three dayes after there arose a mighty tempest with thunder and lightning whereat the cursing Priest being affrighted having a guilty conscience within him ran hastily to the Church and there fell to his prayers before the Altar but Gods vengeance pursued him and by a flash of lightning he was struck dead and though they recovered life in him again yet as they carried him home in the Church-yard another flash of lightning burnt him from the head to the foot as black as a shoe whereby he immediately died Anno Christi 1551. there lived in a City of Savoy a man who was a monstrous swearer and curser and though he was often admonished and blamed for it yet would by no meanes mend his manners At length a great plague happening in the City he withdrew himself with his wife and a kinswoman into a Garden which he had where being again admonished to give over his wickednesse he hardened his heart more swearing blaspheming God and giving himself to the devil and immediately the devil snatched him up suddenly his wife and kinswoman looking on and carried him quite away The Magistrates advertised hereof went to the place and examined the two women who justified the truth of it At Oundle in Northampton-shire there was one William Hacket who used in his earnest talke thus to curse himself If it be not true let God send a visible confusion upon me which wish of his came to passe for falling into abominable errours he called himselfe Christ and Judge of the world for which he was hanged in the thirty third year of Queen Elizabeth in Cheapside At Oster in the Dutchy of Magalaâ—ole a wicked woman used in her cursings to give her selfe body and soul to the devil and being reproved for it she still contined the same till being at a wedding-feast the devil came in person and carried her up into the aire with most horrible out-cries and roarings and in that sort carried her round about the towne that the inhabitants were ready to die with fear and by and by tore her in foure peeces leaving her foure quarters in four several high-wayes and then brought her bowels to the marriage-feast and threw them upon the table before the Major of the town saying Behold these dishes of meat belong to thee whom the like destruction waiteth for if thou doest not amend thy wicked life At Wittenberg before Martin Luther and others a woman whose daughter was possessed with a spirit confessed that being angry she bid the devil take her and that she had no sooner spoken the word but she was possessed after a strange sort In a towne in Misnia Sep. 11. Anno 1552. a cholerick father seeing his sonne slack about his businesse wished that he might never stirre from that place which he had no sooner spoken but his son stuck fast indeed nor could by any meanes possible be removed no not so much as to fit or bend his body till by the prayers of the faithful his paines were mitigated though not remitted three yeares he continued so standing with a post at his back for his ease and four years sitting at the end whereof he died nothing weakned in his understanding but professing the faith and not doubting of his salvation through Jesus Christ when at any time he was asked how he did his answer usualy was that he was fastened of God and that it was not in man to release him At Noeburg in Germany a woman in her anger cursed her sonne wishing that she might never see him return alive and the same day the young man bathing himselfe in water was drowned so that as she wished it befel her This is the curse which goeth forth over the face of the whole world I will bring it forth saith the Lord and it shall enter into the house of the thiefe and into the house of him that sweareth falsly by my Name and it shall remaine in the middest of his house and shall consume it with the timber thereof and with the stones thereof Zach. 5. 3 4. CHAP. XXVII Examples of Gods judgements upon Hereticks and Schismaticks IT is just with God that they which will not have truth their King and willingly obey it should have falsehood their Tyrant to whom their judgements should be captivated and enslaved hence iâ— is that as errors in practice are like a fretting Leprosie of a contagious and spreading nature so errors in judgements are very diffusive also A little Leaven leaveneth the whole lump 1 Cor. 5. 6. and hereticks false doctrines fâ—et like a Gangrene 2 Tim. 2. 17. for no opinion is so monstrous but if it have a mother it will get a nurse wofull experience in these times wherein the golden reines of Government are wanting doth clearly evince the truth hereof But yet the Lord doth seldome suffer the Authors and chiefe fomentors of Heresies and Schismes even in this world to go unpunished as will fully appear in these ensuing examples An heretick is one that erres in a necessary doctrine of faith and being sufficiently admonished wilfully persists therein Tit. 3. 10. Called Foxes Cant. 2. 15. Dogs Phil. 3. 12. men of corrupt mindes 1 Tim. 6. 5. Reprobate concerning the faith 2 Tim. 3. 8. teachers for lucre sake Tit. 3. 11. Seducing spirits 1 Tim. 4. 1. men of seared consciences 1 Tim. 4. 2. Deceitfull workers Phil. 3. 2. 2 Cor. 11. 13. Teachers of perverse things Act. 20. 30. enemies to the Crosse of Christ Phil. 3. 18. Heresie is called Leaven Luk. 12. 1. Wood hay stubble 1 Cor. 3. 12. Windy Doctrine Eph. 4. 4. Damnable Doctrine 2 Pet. 2. 1. Mystery of iniquity 2 Thes. 2. 7. Contrary to sound Doctrine 1 Tim. 1. 10. Doctrine of devils 1 Tim. 4. 1. Doctrine of men Col. 2. 22. Dissenting from wholesome Doctrine 1 Tim. 6. 3. Perverse disputings 1 Tim. 6. 5. a word that eats like a Gangrene 2 Tim. 2. 17. Erring from the truth 2 Tim. 2. 8. Strange Doctrine Heb. 13. 9. Root of bitternesse Heb. 12. 15. which should not be taught Tit. 1. 11. Doctrine of Balaam and Nicholaitans Rev. 2. 14 15. a work of
whereupon he was deposed and banished from his Bishoprick But shortly after Gods heavy judgement falling upon the woman in her sicknesse she confessed that she was suborned by the Arians to accuse this holy man and that it was one Eustathius a Tradesman that had gotten that childe Niceph. l. 8. c. 46. See the like practice against Athanatius in his Life In my first Part of the Marrow of Ecclesiastical History In the reigne of King Canutus at a Parliament held at London the King asked the Lords and Nobles whether in the Agreement made betwixt King Edmund and him there was any mention made of the children or brethren of Edmund to have any part of the land divided to them The Lords flatteringly answered That there was none Yea they confirmed their false words with an oath thinking thereby to have procured great favour with the King But he on the contrary ever after mistrusted and disdained them especially such as had sworne fealty to King Edmund Yea some of them he exiled many he beheaded and divers of them by Gods just judgement died suddenly Speed In the Reigne of King Henry the eighth one Richard Long bore false witnesse against a Minister in Calice falsly accusing him for eating meat in Lent But shortly after Gods wrath did lie so heavy upon his conscience that he desperately drowned himselfe Aze Mon. About the same time Gregory Bradway accused one Brook falsly for stealth but shortly after through terrors of conscience he sought to cut his own throat but being prevented he fell mad In Queen Maries dayes one William Feming accused an honest man called John Cooper because he would not fell him two bullocks as if he had spoken traiterous words against the Queen and suborned two false witnesses to depose it Cooper was hanged and quartered and all his goods taken from his wife and nine children but shortly after one of these false witnesses being well and at harvest-work was stricken by God so that his bowels fell out and he died miserably See My English Martyrology The Egyptians had no punishment for lying and therefore no measure in lying One Thespis a Poet in Athens made a play wherewith the Citizens were much delighted and grave Solon himselfe went to see it but when the play was ended wherein Thespis himselfe acted a part Solon called him to him and asked him if he were not ashamed to lie so openly in the face of all the City Thespis answered that it made no matter so long as it was but in sport But Solon beating the ground with his staffe said If we commend or allow lying in sport we shall shortly finde it used in good earnest in all our bargaines and dealings Plut. Artaxerxes M. having found one of his souldiers in a lie caused his tongue to be thrust through with three needles Plut. Putting away lying speake every man the truth with his neighbour for we are members one of an other Eph. 4. 25. CHAP. XXIX Examples of Childrens Obedience and Love to their Parents COmmanded Eph. 6. 1. and why v. 2. Col 3. 20. Prov. 4. 1. 6. 20. Exod. 20. 12. Deut. 5. 16. Mat. 15. 4. 19. 19. Mark 7. 10. 10. 19. Luk. 18. 20. Commended Mal. 1. 6. Scriptural Examples Shem and Japhet Gen. 9. 23. Isaac Gen. 22. 6 c. Jacob Gen. 28. 1 5. Ioseph Gen. 37. 13. Ruth Chap. 1. 16 17. Solomon 1 King 2. 19. Other examples Pomponius Atticus making the funeral Oration at his mothers death protested that having lived with her sixty and seven years he was never reconciled to her Because said he there never happened betwixt us the least jarre which needed reconciliation In vita Attici Cyrus King of Persia having overcome Croesus King of Lydia in battel Croesus fled into the City of Sardis but Cyrus following took the City by storme and a souldier running after Croesus with his sword Croesus his sonne that had been dumb all his life-time before with the violence of natural affection seeing his father in such danger suddenly cryed out O man kill not Croesus and so continued to speak all his life after Pez Mel. Hist. Miltiades a famous Captaine of the Athenians died in prison for debt his sonne Cimon to redeeme his fathers body for burial voluntarily went into the prison and submitted to be cast into chaines there till the debt was paid Iustin. Cleobis and Biton two brethren in Greece loved their mother dearly insomuch as she being to go to Juno's Temple in her coach drawn by two oxen the oxen being out of the way they willingly harnessed themselves and drew her thither she much rejoycing that she had borne two such sonnes Plut. Olympias the mother of Alexander M. was very severe and morose in her carriage towards him and once Antipater Alexanders deputy in Europe wrote large letters of complaint against her to whom he returned this answer Knowest thou not that one little teare of my mothers will blot out a thousand of thy letters of complaint Plut. King Demetrius being overcome by Seleucus and taken prisoner his sonne Antigonus hearing of it mourned exceedingly and wrote lamentably to Seleucus in the behalfe of his father proffering to deliver up into his hands all the Countreys which he yet held and to become a pledge himselfe for his father so that he might be delivered out of captivity Diod. Sic. The carriage of Master Herbert Palmer towards his parents was very dutifull and obsequious not only during his minority but even afterwards which was very evident in that honour and respect which he continued to expresse to his aged mother to the day of her death being also a special help to her in the wayes of holinesse See his Life at the end of my General Martyrology Honour thy father and thy mother that thy dayes may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Exod. 20. 12. CHAP. XXX Examples of Gods judgements upon Unnatural and rebellious children Such were to be punished with death Exod. 21. 17. Levit. 20. 9. Mat. 15. 4. Mark 7. 10. Prov. 20. 20. Deut. 21. 18. c. Such are cursed Deut. 27. 16. It 's a damnable sinne 1 Tim. 1. 9. Rom. 1. 31. 2 Tim. 3. 3. Prov. 30. 11. Scriptural examples Simeon and Levi Gen. 34. 30. Elies sons 1 Sam. 2. 25. C ham for mocking the nakednesse of his father Noah was cursed by him Gen. 9. 25. Absalom for rebelling against his father David was hanged by his head and thrust through by Joab 2 Sam. 18. Adramelech and Sharaser that slew their father Sennacherib to enjoy his Kingdome were banished into Armenia and Esarhaddon succeeded his father 2 King 19. ult Crannius the son of Clotharius King of France conspired treacherously and raised warre against his father but being vanquished as together with his wife and children he was flying thinking to escape by sea being overtaken by the command of his father they were all shut up in a little house and so burned
ones the daughter of my people is become cruel like Ostriches in the wildernesse Lam. 4. 3. CHAP. XXXII Examples of fond Parents and the miseries that they have brought upon themselves thereby FOrbidden Deut. 13. 8 9. Prov. 19. 18. 13. 24. 29. 17. Scriptural Examples Eli 1 Sam. 2. 22 29. David to Adonijah 1 Kings 1. 6. to Absalom 2 Sam. 18. 33. How severely God punished Eli for his indulgence to his wicked sonnes See it in 1 Sam. 2. 27 c. 3. 11 c. David also who cockered Absalom and Adonijah above all the rest of his children was most afflicted by them one breaking out into open rebellion wherein he died the other usurping the Crowne before his fathers death which cost him his life also 2 Sam. 15. 1 King 1. 5 c. A certaine woman in Flanders contrary to the will of her husband used to feed her two sonnes with money to maintaine their riot yea to furnish them she would rob her husband but presently after her husbands death God plagued her for this her foolish indulgence for from rioting these youngsters fell to robbing for the which one of them was executed by the sword and the other by the halter the mother looking on as a witnesse of their destructions Ludo. Vives A young man in our owne Nation as he was going to the gallows desired to speak with his mother in her eare but when she came instead of whispering he bit of her eare with his teeth exclaiming upon her as the cause of his death because she did not chastise him in his youth for his faults but by her fondnesse so imboldened him in his vices as brought him to this wofull end Seleucus marrying Stratonica the daughter of Demetrius shortly after Antiochus the sonne of Seleucus fell in love with his stepmother and not daring to discover it for feare of the displeasure of his father he pined a way from day to day at last one of his Physicians found out the cause of his disease and acquainted his father therewith who out of indulgence to his sonne calling his Nobles and people together said I have decreed to make Antiochus my sonne King of all my superior Provinces and to give him Stratonica for his wife and Queen and if she scruple the unlawfulnesse of the marriage I desire you that are my friends to perswade her that all things are honest and just that a King shall decree for the publick profit Plut. Andronicus one of the Greek Emperours doted with such extream impotency of partial affection upon his Nephew young Andronicus that in comparison of him he disregarded not only the rest of his Nephews but his own children also being unwilling to spare him out of sight either day or night but when this young man was stept further into yeares besides a world of miseries and molestations created to his Grand-father in the mean time at last he pressed without resistance upon his Palace with purpose to surprise his person though the old Emperout intreated him with much affectionate eloquence that he would reverence those hands which had oftentimes so willingly embraced him and those lips which had so oft lovingly kissed him and that he would spare to spill that blood from which himselfe had taken the fountaine of life yet for all this he caused the old Emperour to be polled shaven and made a Monk and not only so but also the very Anvile of much dunghill-scorne and vilest indignities untill the workmanship of death had finished the sorrowful businesse of a wretched lfie Turk Hist. Austine upon a terrible and dreadfull accident called his people together to a Sermon wherein he relates this dolefull story Our Noble Citizen saith he Cyrillus a man mighty amongst us both in work and word and much beloved had as you know one onely sonne and because but one he loved him immeasurably and above God and so being drunke with immoderate doting he neglected to correct him and gave him liberty to do whatsoever he list Now this very day saith he this same fellow thus long suffered in this dissolute and riotous courses hath in his drunken humour wickedly offered violence to his mother great with childe would have violated his sister hath killed his father and wounded two of his sisters to death Adfrat in Eremo Ser. 33. Chasten thy sonne betimes and let not thy soul spare for his crying Prov. 19. 18. CHAP. XXXIII Examples of Brethrens love each to other THey ought to love one another Prov. 17. 17. 1 Pet. 3. 8. Rom. 12. 10. Heb. 13. 1. It 's an excellent thing Psal 133. 1. Scriptural examples Jobs children Job 1. 13. Lazarus Martha and Mary John 11. 19 c. Joseph Gen. 43. 29 c. 45. 14. Joab and Abishai 2 Sam. 3. 27 30. Judah Gen. 37. 26. In the beginning of the reigne of Darius King of Persia one of his Nobles called Intaphernes conspired against him which being discovered to Darius he caused him and all his kindred to be cast into prison But Intaphernes wife exceedingly weeping and houling Darius gave her leave to choose any one of the prisoners whose life she would have spared whereupon amongst them all she chose her brother and Darius asking her why she â—…se her brother rather then her husband or son she answered Because if God please I may have another husband and children but my Parents being dead I cannot have another brother This so pleased Darius that he granted her the life not only of her brother but of her son too Herod Darius King of Persia being dead left two sons Ariamenes or as some call him Artabazanes and Xerxes these both claimed the Kingdome but brotherly love so prevailed with them that they were contented to stand to the judgement of the Persian Nobles yet in the interim Xerxes being in Persia performed all the offices of a King and Ariaments coming out of Media Xerxes sent great presents to him commanding the messengers to tell him Thy brother Xerxes presents thee with these gifts and if by the consent and suffrage of the Nobles he be declared King he promises thee the chiefest place next unto himself To which Ariamenes returned this answer Truly I willingly accept of these gifts yet claim the Sovereignty to belong to me but will reserve the next place of dignity for my brother Xerxes The Persian Nobles referred the determination of this controversie to their Uncle Artabanus who having heard both sides determined for Xerxes because Ariamenes was borne to Darius whil'st he was a private person Xerxes after he was a King the mother of Ariamenes was the daughter of Gobrias a private woman the mother of Xerxes was Atossa a Queen Ariamenes hearing this judgement without any distemper of spirit rose up worshipped his brother and taking him by the hand placed him in the Kingly throne and ever after was very obsequious to him Plut. Herod And he fell upon his brother Benjamins neck and wept and
moved out of that place he was smitten with such a feeblenesse of heart and dizzinesse in his head that desiring help to carry him to an house he died before the Lords day came At Walton upon Thames in Surrey in a great Frost 1634. three young men on the Lords day after they had been at the Church in the forenoone where the Minister pressing the words of his text out of 2 Cor. 5. 10. that We must all appear before the judgement-seat of Christ c. they the while whispering as they sate In the afternoone they went together over the Thames upon the Ice unto an house of disorder and gaming where they spent the rest of the Lords day and part of the night also in revelling one of them in a Taverne merrily discoursing the next day of his Sabbaths acts and voyage over the Ice but on Tuseday next after these three returning homewards and attempting to passe againe over the Ice they all sunk down to the bottome as stones whereof one only of them was miraculously preserved but the other two were drowned These foure last are attested by good hands Anno Christi 1598. the towne of Feverton in Devonshire was often admonished by her godly Pastor that God would bring some heavy judgement upon the inhabitants of that place for their horrible profanation of the Lords day occasioned chiefly by their market on the Munday and accordingly not long after the said Ministers death on the third of April in the year aforesaid God sent a terrible fire which in lesse then halfe an houre consumed the whole towne except the Church the Conrt-house Almes-houses and a few poor peoples dwellings and above 50. persons were consumed in the flames Also Anno Christi 1612. it was again wholly burnt down except a few poor houses they being not warned by the former judgement but continuing in the same sin Beards Theat If ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath-day and not to bear a burden even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath-day then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof and it shall devour the Palaces of Jerusalem and it shall not be quenched Jer. 17. 27. CHAP. XXXVI Examples of Gods judgments upon Murtherers and Blood-shedders THe positive judiciall Law of God is that whosoever sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed Gen. 9. 6. and the reason is there rendred because such destroy Gods Image wherein man is made and the cry of blood if not punished by man is so great Gen. 4. 10. that the Lord comes down from heaven to call the murtherer to account and by some visible and remarkable judgements or other to stigmatize this sin as these following Examples will more fully manifest Murtherers ought to be punished with death Gen. 9. 6. Exod. 21. 12. Prov. 28. 17. Rev. 13. 10. No recompence is to be taken for it Num. 35. 32 c. for it defiles the land Hos. 4. 2 3. It 's diligently to be sought out Deut. 21. 1 c. God punisheth it here Psal. 55. 23. It excludes from heaven Gal. 5. 21. Rev. 21. 8. Scripturall Examples Cain Gen. 4. 8. Pharaoh Exodus 1. 16 Simeon and Levt Gen. 34. 25. c. Abimelech Judg. 9. 5. Agag 1 Sam. 15. 33. Joab 2 Sam. 3. 27. David 2 Sam. 11. 14 c. Absalom 2 Sam. 13. 28 29 Manasseh 2 King 21. 16. Amons servants 2 Kings 21. 23. Ahab and Jezabel 1 Kings 21. 9 c. Baanah and Rechab 2 Sam. 4. 6. Saul 2 Sam. 21. 1. 1 Sam. 22. 18. Athaliah Chron. 22. 10. Baasha Kin. 15. 27. Zimri 1 Kin. 16. 9. Joash 2 Chron 24. 21. Shalâ—um 2 Kings 15. 10. Manahem 2 Kings 15. 14 16. Herod Acts 12. 2. Cain for murthering his brother Abel was cursed by God Gen. 4. Abimelech who slew his 70. brethren was slain by a woman at Thebez Jud. 9. Baanah and Rechab who slew their L. Ishbosheth were slain by the command of David 2 Sam. 4. Joab who slew Abner and Amasa treacherously was slain by the command of Solomon 1 Kin. 2. Cyrus K. of Persia who for 30. years together made cruell war in many places at last fighting against the Scythians was overcome 200000 of his men slain and himself salling into the hands of Q. Tomyris she cut off his head threw it into a bowl of blood saying Thou hast all thy time thirsted after blood now drink thy fill and satiate thy self therewith Orosius Cambyses his son a bloody and cruell man who shot a noblemans son thorow the heart because the father had reproved him for drunkennesse He caused his own brother to be privily murthered lest he should usurp the Kingdom slew his own sister for reproving him for that deed At last as he was riding his sword fell out of the scabbard and himself falling upon it was slain thereby Herodo Xerxes who with his huge Army passed over into Greece being overthrown by sea and land fled shamefully into Asia in a fisherboat and shortly after was slain by Artabanus the Captain of his guard in his own palace Diod. Sic. The 30. Tyrants in Athens were cruell bloodsuckers till the people rising up against them slew them all Just. Phocas who to get the Empire put to death all the sons of Mauricius the Emperor before his face and then slew him also and after many villainies by him committed was pursued by his son in law Priscus and being taken had his hands and feet cut off and afterwards with all his posterity was put to a cruell death Nicephorus Anno Christi 1346. Popiel K. of Poland to obtain the Kingdom poysoned his two uncles and gave himself over to all manner of wickednesse He used upon every occasion to say If this be not true would rats might devour me On a time as he was going to a great feast an Army of rats out of the putrefied body of his uncles set upon him which all his guard with their weapons were not able to drive away Then did they make great cole-fires about him yet through the middest of the fire did the rats assault him Then did they put him with his wife and children into a boat and rowed them in the middest of a great lake yet thither did the rats swim to him and lastly he gat up to the top of an high Tower yet still the rats pursued him and they eat him up to the very bones together with his wife and children Munst. Cos. Bassianus the Emperour who slew his own brother in his mothers armes and tooke to wife his own mother in Law was shortly after himselfe murthered by the procurement of Macrinus to prevent his owne death Justinian the Emperour a cruel and bloody man who was the cause of many murthers was first banished from his Empire and afterwards slaine by one of his own servants Euseb. Clovis King of France an horrible murtherer who amongst other cruel facts caused one of his Peers to be murthered
City of Isaurum in Pisidia when the Citizens saw that they could no longer hold out against him they shut up their parents wives and children with all their substance in their houses and so burnt them and then threw themselves down from the walls and brake their own necks Diod. Sic. Ptolomy King of Egypt hearing that Nicocles King of Cyprus did closely hold correspondence with Antigonus he sent some to slay him these coming into Cyprus beset his Palace and demanded him to be delivered up to punishment Nicocles would at fiâ—st have excused the matter but when he saw that it would not serve turn he slew himself Then did Axiothea his wife slay her daughters that were Virgins that they might not come into the enemies power She also perswaded the wives of Nicocles brethren with her to murther themselves their husbands seeing this set fire upon the Palace burning themselves and all together Diod. Sic. Hannibal in his old age flying to Prusias King of Bythinia was demanded by the Romane Ambassadors to be delivered to them but rather than he would come into their hands he drank poison which he alwayes kept for that purpose and so died Aur. Victor Augustus Caesar besieging M. Antony and Cleopatra in Alexandria after a long siege Antony hearing a false rumor that Cleopatra was slain suddenly slew himself and Cleopatra scorning to be carried in triumph by Caesar set a couple of asps to her breasts whereby she presently died Plut. Zimri K. of Israel desperately burned himself in his own Palace 1 King 16. 18. Achitophel hanged himself 2 Sam. 17. 23. Judas hanged himself Act. 1. 18. Saul and his Armor-bearer 1 Sam. 31. 4 5. fell upon their own swords Tomyris Queen of the Massagetes having in a battell overthrown and slain Cyrus King of Persia cut off his head and threw it into a bowl of blood saying Thou hast all thy time thirsted after blood now drink thy fill and satiate thy self therewith When he maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them He for gets not the cry of the humble Psal. 9. 12. The Admirà ble Discoveries of sundry Murthers Parthenius Treasurer to Theodobert King of France traiterously slew a friend of his called Ausanius together with his wife Papianilla no man knowing or suspecting it but not long after in his sleep he suddenly roared out crying for help or else he perished and being asked what ailed him Between sleep and wake he answered that his friend Ausanius and his wife whom he had slain summoned him to judgement before God for which being apprehended he was stoned to death Greg. of Toures Mr. Arden of Feversham in Kent had a fair but dishonest wife who being in love with one Mosby with him conspired her husbands death hiring a ruffian called Black Will to strangle him with a towel which though for the present was not known yet the woman being pursued with a guilty conscience and by some blood that appeared in the house the murther was discovered the woman was burned at Canterbury Mr. Ardens man who had a hand in the murther was hanged in chains at Feversham Mosby was hanged in Smithfield Black Wil though he fled yet being overtaken was burnt at Flushing in Zealand A souldier of King Pyrrhus being slaine a dog which he had could by no meanes be entised from the dead body but the King coming by he fawned upon him as it were craving help at his hand whereupon the King caused all his Army to march by in order and when the muâ—cherers came the dog flew fiercely upon them and then fawned upon the King the souldiers being hereupon examined confessed the fact and were hanged for their labour â—lut In the Reigne of Edmund King of the East Saxons a Noble Dane called Lothebrocus being driven upon his coast the King entertained him and finding his dexterity in hunting and hawking loved him exceedingly for which the Kings Faulconer bore a great malice to him and watching his opportunity murthered him and threw him into a brook But his dog continued by his masters corps in the wood sometimes coming to the Court and fawning on the King and so running towards the wood againe the King missing his friend of whom he could hear no tidings began to suspect the matter and therefore following the dog found the corps and by some words the Faulconer was suspected and upon examination found guilty whereupon being put alone into a boat he was committed to the mercy of the Sea that carried him to Denmark there to be punished for his fault Two French Merchants travelling through a wood together one rose up against the other and slew him for his money and so buried him and went on his journey But the murthered mans dog filled the wood with his howlings still staying by his Masters grave the inhabitants by this meanes found out the dog and the murther and the Faire being ended they watched the coming back of the Merchants till the murtherer coming by the dog fell upon him with all his might whereupon the people apprehended him who upon examination confessed the fact and was justly executed Blond A Germane called Ibycus travelling fell amongst theeves who being about to murther him behold a flight of crowes to whom Ibycus said O crowes I take you for witnesses and revengers of my death About three dayes after as these theeves were drinking in an Inne a company of crowes came and lighted on the house whereupon they laughed saying See yonder are they which must revenge his death whom we murthered which the Tapster over-hearing informed the Magistrate and he upon strict examination extorted a confession for which they were deservedly hanged Luther Plutarch relates a story of one Bessus who having murthered his father was so pursued with a guilty conscience that he thought the swallowes in their chattering language said one to another Bessus hath killed his father whereupon not being able to conceale his guilt he confessed the fact and received condigne punishment A Merchant of Luca travelling from London to Roan in France was in the way murthered by a French man his servant and thrown amongst the vines As the fact was doing comes by a blinde man led by a dog and hearing one groane asked who it was the murtherer answered that it was a sick man easing himselfe This villaine with his masters money and bills of exchange sets up a shop at Roan In the mean time the Merchant was expected at Luca and when he came not a messenger was dispatched to seek him who after much enquiry heard at an Inne that six moneths before a Lucquois Merchant lodged there and was going towards Paris But the messenger hearing nothing of him there began to suspect that he was murthered and made his complaint to the Parliament of Roan who being directed by Gods providence enquired if any about that time had set up a new shop and finding this man caused him to be arested who upon examination denied the fact till the dead
second sonne became deformed in his Limbs and fell lame His third son was drowned in a small puddle of water His eldest daughter was suddenly struck with a foule Leprosie and himself in his old age was arraigned found guilty of murther and escaped hanging very narrowly Speed Chron. p. 927. John Curcy Earle of Ulster in Ireland was betrayed by his own servants for a peece of money given them in hand and for a greater reward to be given afterwards promised unto them by his mortal enemy Hugh Lacy accordingly the said Earl Hugh Lacy rewarded all the aforesaid Traitors with gold and silver as he had promised but presently after hanged them all up and took away their goods Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 153. Nicholas Keretschen Governour of Gyula in Transilvania betraied the same unto the Turks for a great sum of money but when he expected the reward he was by the command of Selymus the Great Turke thrust into an hogshead stuck full of nailes with the points inward with this inscription upon it Here receive the reward of thy treason if thou beest not faithful to thy Master neither wilt thou be to me and so he was rolled up and down till he died Turk Hist. p. 824. A Noble Senator in Rome being proscribed by the Triumviri they promised a great reward to them that would discover him to them whereupon the Senators own servant betrayed him The Triumviri according to their promises first rewarded him for his service to the State because he delivered up into their hands one that was judged guilty of treason then to reward him for his treachery to his Master whom he should have preserved they threw him down headlong from the Capitol whereby he brake his neck Don Frederick sonne to the Duke of Alva going with his Army to Naerden in Holland was admitted into the town and himselfe and souldiers feasted by the Bourgers after which he commanded them with the rest of the inhabitants to go into a certaine Chappel where they should be made acquainted with such Lawes as they were to be regulated by but when they were thus assembled he sent his souldiers commanding them to murther them without sparing any one The men were Massacred the women first ravished and then murthered the children and infants had their throats cut See my Gen. Martyr p. 265. Many of the chiefest of the Brittish Nobility were trained in Almsebury to treat with the chiefest of the Saxons about a peace but being betrayed by them they were basely murthered whence those great stones were erected called Stoneheng See my English Martyrology p. 8. The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously yea the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously Isa. 24. 16. CHAP. XXXIX Examples of Fidelity COmmended Mat. 24. 45. 25. 21. Prov. 25. 13. Psal. 15. 4. 31. 23. 101. 6. Prov. 13. 17. 14. 5. 28. 20. Luk. 12. 42. Commanded 1 Cor. 4. 2. 1 Tim. 3. 11. Jerem. 23. 28. Highly prized Psal. 12. 1. Prov. 11. 13. 20. 6. 27. 6. Luke 16. 10 c. 19. 17. Scriptural examples Abrahams servant Gen. 24. David to Jonathan 1 Sam. 20. 15. with 2 Sam. 9. 1. Jacob to Laban Gen. 31. 38 c. Jonathan to David 1 Sam. 18. 3 c. Jehoiadah to Joash 2 King 11. 4 c. Mordecai Ester 2. 22. A woman 2 Sam 17. 19 c. Rahab with the spies Ios. 2. 4 c. The workmen about the Temple 2 Kings 12. 15. Moses Num. 12. 7. Nehemiah chap. 7. 2. Daniel chap. 6. 4. Onesimus Col. 4. 9. Timothy 1 Cor. 4. 17. Tichicus Eph. 6. 21. Col. 4. 7. Epaphras Col. 1. 7. Sylvanus 1 Pet. 5. 12. Josiah's workmen 2 King 22. 7. Gains 3 Iohn 5. Joseph Gen. 39. 8. Other examples The Romanes so highly esteemed of Faith in all their publick affaires that in their City they had a Temple dedicated to it and for more reverence-sake offered sacrifice to the image of Faith Attilius Regulus General of the Romane Army against the Carthaginians being overcome was taken prisoner after which being sent to Rome upon his Parole with conditions of peace which he judged dishonourable he first disswaded his Citizens from accepting of them and then to keep his oath returned to the Carthaginians though he was sure to die a painful death Tul. de offic Pontius Centurio a Captaine of Caesars being taken by Pompey's father in Law had his life offered him with an honourable place in Pompey's Army if he would leave Caesar and serve Pompey But he stoutly answered Scipio that though he thanked him greatly for his kinde offer yet that he would not accept of life upon such unequal conditions choosing rather to die then to falsifie his faith to Caesar. Themistocles being banished Athens by his ungrateful Citizens was forced to flie to his mortal enemy Artaxerxes for refuge with whom he found great favour and having continued a while with him Artaxerxes went to warre against the Athenians and would needs have Themistocles to go along with him Themistocles was content upon condition that the King would sweare to him that without him he would not go into Greece this Artaxerxes assents to whereupon Themistocles making a great feast and inviting his friends to it the feast being ended he drank a draught of bulls blood and so poisoned himself by this means shewing his faithfulnesse to his City which had been so ungrateful to him for he prevented the Kings going against it by reason of his oath and rather chose death then that himself would act any thing against it Diodorus King Porsenna making peace with the Romanes amongst other conditions this was one that the Romans should deliver to him ten young Noble mens sons and ten of their daughters for hostages which was accordingly done and Publicola's daughter called Valeria was one of them within few days after these ten Virgins went to the river Tyber to wash themselves where being freed from their guard they had a great desire to escape over the river though it was very deepe and ranne with a swift streame and so to get home and Caelia venturing first upon her horses back encouraged the others and so they gat all safe over and went and presented themselves to Publicola but he was so farre from countenancing them in their escape that he immediately sent them back to Porsenna when they came back Porsenna asked which of them it was that had first adventured to swim the river and being shewed Caelia he sent for one of his best horses and richest furniture and bestowed it upon her Plut. Darius Junior accounted nothing more sacred then faithfully to keep and performe all his Leagues Covenants and Promises Xenophon Ptolemy King of Egypt besieging Tyrus sent to Andronicus the Governour to surrender it to him Andronicus returned answer that he would by no meanes be brought to violate his faith given to Antigonus for whom he kept the City withal adding divers reproachful speeches against
against our Religion Doctor Bennet Chancellor of London objected it as an hainous crime against one Richard Butler that divers times he did erroneously and damnably read in a great book of Heresie meaning the Bible certaine Chaptâ—rs of the Evangelists in English containing in them divers erroneous and damnable opinions and conclusions of heresie Act. Mon. The Jesuites at Dole in France set up an Edict publickly wherein they forbad all talke of God either in good sort or in bad Francis Ximenius Cardinal of Toledo in his preface before the Bible set forth at Complutum saith that he set the vulgar Latine between the Hebrew and the Greeke as Christ was set betwixt two theeves Jeroboam made Priests of the vilest of the people and indeed the vilest of the people if they were but men were too good to make Priests for Jeroboams gods which were but Calves Tecelius the Popes Agent in Germany perswaded the ignorant and common people that assoone as their tenne shillings which was the price of an indulgence ting'd in the Basin any friend they would name should be immediately delivered out of Purgatory etiamsi per impossibile matrem Dei vitiâsset Coâ— O-Neale Earle of Ulster in Ireland curâ—ed all his posterity in case they either learned to speake English or sowed wheat or built houses often saying that by these meanes they would make themselves slaves to the English Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 120. The wilde Irish account it no shame to commit robberies which they practise every where with exceeding cruelty and when they go to robbe they power out their prayers to God that they may meet with a booty and when they meet with it they account it as Gods gift neither will they be perswaded that God would present unto them the opportunity of rapine violence and murder if it were a sinne nay a sinne it were as they think if they should not lay hold upon the opportunity Camb. Brit. Irel p. 144. When one of these wilde Irish lieth ready to die certaine women hired on purpose to lament standing in crosse waâ—es and holding their hands all abroade call unto him with certaine out-cries reckoning up the commodities that he enjoyes of worldly goods wives beauty fame kinsfolk friends and horses demanding of him why he will depart whither and to whom c Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 147. Stephen Gardiner speaking to one Marbeck What the Devil said he made thee meddle with the Scriptures Act. Mon. In China the Inhabitants use to whip their gods if they help them not when they pray unto them An old man above sixty yeares of age who lived and died in a parish where besides the Word read there was constant preaching almost all his time both upon ordinary and extraordinary occasions and himself a constant hearer and one that seemed forward in the love of the Word on his death-bed a Minister demanding of him what he thought of God answered that he was a good old man And what of Christ that he was a towardly young youth And what of his soul that it was a great bone in his body And what should become of his soul after death that if he did well he should be put into a pleasant green Meddow c. Pemb. William Courtney Arch-bishop of Canterbury cited certaine of his tenants for an hainous and horrible trespasse as he stiled it which was for that they brought straw to litter his horses not on carts as they ought but in bags for which hainous offence after they had confessed their fault and submitted themselves to him he enjoyned them this penance That going leasurely before the Procession barefoot and barelegged each of them should carry upon his shoulder a bag stuffed with straw the straw hanging out whereupon were made these verses This bag full of straw I bear on my back Because my Lords horse his litter did lack If you be not the better to my Lords Graces horse Ye are like to go barefoot before the Crosse. When the inhabitants of Ilium anciently called Troy sent Ambassadours to Tiberius to condole the death of his father Augustus a long time after he was dead the Emperour considering the unseasonableness of it requited them accordingly saying And I also am sorry for your heaviness having lost so valiant a Knight as Hector who was slaine above a thousand yeares before Herodotus tells of the Psilli a foolish people who being displeased with the South-winde for dâ—ying up their waters would needs take up armes against it but whilest they marched upon the sands to seek their enemy it blew so strongly that raising a drift of sand it overwhelmed them whereby in stead of a victory they met with their graves as a just reward of their folly Cardinal Woolsey falling into disgrace with King Henry the eighth said Had I been as wise and careful to serve the God of heaven as I have been to serve my great Master on earth he would never thus have left me in my gray haires Themistocles being banished Athens fled to Artaxerxes King of Persia for refuge who was wonderfully overjoyed that he had by this means gotten so gallant a man praying to his gods that his enemies might be alwayes so infatuated as to banish their worthiest men Herod Caius Caligula the Romane Emperour had one of his horses which he loved best and called him Swift he invited him to supper and gave him his provender in a golden manger and drank wine to him in golden bowles He used to sweare by his health and fortune He promised him to make him Consul as before he had made him his Priest He built him a Marble stable an Ivory manger cloathed him with purple put a chaine of pearles about his neck besides he built him an house furnished it with housholdstuffe and servants that so they whom his horse invited might have the better entertainment Pez Mel. Hist. He pretended an expedition into Britaine made great warlick preparations led his Army to the sea-side and then commanded them to gather cockleshells with which he returned in triumph to Rome as if they had been the spoiles of his conquered enemies Sueto The Turks foolishly hold that man so soone as he comes out of his mothers womb hath his destiny written in his forehead by God and therein all the good evil that shall befall him and in particular what death he shall die and hereupon they are desperate in the Wars fear not infection of the plague so that if one dies of the Plague another presently weares his cloaths Turk Hist. p. 1302. Sir Roger Williams hearing a Spaniard foolishly bragging of his Country-sallats gave him this quick answer You have indeed good sauce in Spaine but we in England have dainty Beeves Veale and Muttons to eat with that sauce And as God made Beasts to live on the grasse of the earth so he made man to live upon them Examples of wise fooles A poot begger in Paris stayed so long in a Cooks
of the Church then the head of the Empire Amongst the Lacedemonians men were chosen into the Senate and office of Magistracy not for their riches friends beauty strength c. but for their honesty and vertue Plut. Examples of Marshall Discipline A French souldier in Scotland in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths Reigne who first mounted the bulwark of a Fort that was besieged whereupon ensued the gaining of the Fort The French General Mounsier de Thermes first Knighted him for his valour and then hanged him within an hour after because he had done it without command Holman in his book of Ambass Manlius Torquatus the Roman General beheaded his own sonne for fighting with an enemy without leave although he overcame him Isac Chron. p. 147. Defend the poor and fatherlesse Do justice to the afflicted and needy deliver the poor and needy rid them out of the hand of the wicked Psa. 82. 3 4. CHAP. XLVIII Examples of Injustice Bribery The evil of it Psal. 82. 2. Prov. 11. 7. 28. 8. 29. 27. Zeph. 3. 5. Luk. 16. 10. 2 Pet. 2. 9. 1 Cor. 6. 9. Rom. 1. 31. It 's spoken of Psal. 43. 1. Mat. 5. 45. Isa. 26. 10. Rev. 22. 11. Forbidden Deut. 25. 13 14. Lam. 3. 35 36. Amos 5. 7. 8. 5. Exod. 23. 2 6. Deut. 16. 19. 24. 17. Threatened Prov. 28. 8. 29. 7. Deut. 27. 19. Isa. 5. 7. 59. 8 c. Hosea 10. 4. Amos 5. 7. 6. 12. Mich. 3. 9. It 's a great sinne Amos 5. 12. Prov. 25. 14. Eccles 7. 7. It 's the property of the wicked Psal. 26. 10. Prov. 17. 23. 29. 4. It 's threatened Job 15. 34. The godly are free from it Isa. 33. 15. so was Samuel 1 Sam. 12. 3. Prov. 15. 27. Forbidden Exod. 23. 8. Deut. 16. 19. Prov. 17. 8. 18. 16. Scriptural Examples of injustice in Rulers Samuels sonnes 1 Sam. 8. 3. Princes of Judah Isa. 1. 23. Ezek. 22. 12. Mich. 3. 11. 7. 3. Zeph. 3. 3. Judges in Israel Amos 4. 1. Hos. 4. 18. Pilate Matth. 27. 26. Mark 15. 15. Luk. 23. 24. John 19. 16. Felix Act. 24. 25 c. Ananias Acts 23. 2 3. Gallio Acts 〈…〉 Pharisees Matth. 23. 25. the steward Luk. 16. 3 〈…〉 the Judge Luk. 18. 2. Other Examples Cambyses King of Persia having found corruption by reason of bribery in one of his Judges called Sysamâ—â—â— commanded him to be put to death his skin to be pulled off to be spread upon the Judgment-seat and then making his son Judge in his room caused him to sit thereon withall telling him That the same corruption would deserve the same punishment Themistocles in Athens caused Arthemius and all his children anâ— posterity to be noted with a brand of perpetual infamy because he brought gold from the King of Persia to corrupt the Grecians and to divide them amongst themselves Plut. Harpalus that was made Treasurer by Alexander M. at Babylon whil'st he went to conquer India thinking that Alexander would perish in those warres fell to all manner of loosenesse and impurity ravishing Noble Virgins and defiling Matrous but when he heard of Alexanders returne fearing to be called to account for his viâ—â—ainy he stole five thousand talents of silver and so fled to Athens labouring by his money to corrupt the Citizâ—ns to secure him against Alexander and especially he sough to corrupt their Oratours which had most power with the people But Demosthenes exhorted the people to expell him out of their City and not to bring an unnecessary warre upon themselves in defence of â—o unjust a cause yet afterwards being with Harpalus he spred amongst his treasures one of the Kings cups of gold and began highly to commend it for the beauty and curious workmanship and Harpalus perceiving his coveâ—ous minde thereby bade him take the cup in his hand and guesse what it might weigh Demosthenes answered that he could not guesse But saith Harpalus this cup will bring you twenty talents and accordingly at night he carried him the cup with twenty talents in it Hereupon the next morning when the people were met together to debate the cause of Harpalus Demosthenes came to the Pulpit all muffled about his throat and mouth and when he was called upon by the people to speak his minde he told them that he was troubled with a squinancy and could not speak wherewith some merry fellowes made sport saying that Demosthenes had that night gotten a silvernancy and not a squinancy Diod. Sic. Q. Cur. Some Roman Judges having acquitted Clodius a great malefactor as they were going home wel atended with officers were met by Catulus who knowing what they had done said unto them You do well to be so guarded for your safety lest the money be taken away from you which you took so lately for bribes Plut. in vita Cicer. p. 872. There was a law amongst the Romans That if a Judge took a bribe to pervert justice he should die for it And if any bore false witnesse he should be thrown down from the Tarpeian Rock By the Julian law De Ambitu amongst the ancient Romanes it was enacted That if any attained to honour or offices by bribes he should be punished with a great mulct and also for ever be made infamous Severus the Romane Emperour so hated bribery and Iudges which used it that he would vomit when he saw them and was ready with his two fingers to put out their eyes Tacitus used to say That never any man came to an office or high place by bribery or â—inister meanes but he exercised his authority wickedly and unjustly Great presents being sent to Epaminondas though he was poor yet he refused to receive them saying If the thing you desire be good I will do it without any bribe even because it is good If it be not honest I will not do it for all the goods in the world Lanq. Chron. p. 57. Augustines judgement was that not only gold silver and presents are bribes But the guilt of bribery may also be justly imputed to any exorbitant affection which swayes a man aside from an impartial execution of justice As love fear hatred anger Pusillanimity desire of applause c. Cambyses King of Persia intending to make warre against the King of AEthiopia under pretence of sending Ambassadours imployed some to spie out his Countrey and strength to whom the King of AEthiopia said Go tell your Master that he is an unjust man otherwise he would not affect another mans Kingdome but be content with his own not seeking to bring other men into slavery that never wronged him Pez Mel. Hist. He that by unjust gaine encreaseth his substance shall gather it for him that will pity the poor Prov. 28. 8. CHAP. XLIX Examples of Restitution COmmanded in what cases Exod. 22. 1 3 4 5 6 12. Lev. 6. 4 5 24 21 25 27 28. Deut. 22. 2. Job 20 10 18. Prov. 6. 31. Ezek 33. 15.
condemne him to death Theramenes hearing it fled to the Altar saying I flie to this Altar not that I think it will save my life but that I may shew that these Tyrants are not onely cruel towards men but prophane and wicked towards the gods Critias commanded armed men to fetch him away to his death and as they led him through the City he cried out against the Tyrants cruelty whereupon one of their Captaines said to him Flebis si non silebis Thou shalt weep if thou wile not hold thy peace to whom he answered Annon fleba si tacebo Shall I not weep if I do hold my peace when they put the cup of poison into his hand he drank it off and throwing away the bottome he said I drink this to faire Critias After his death they raged more extremely filling all places with rapines and slaughter and not suffering the friends of the murthered to interre their dead bodies Having amongst others slaine one Phidon they at their feast sent for his daughters to come and dance naked upon the floore that was defiled with their fathers blood but the maides abominating such immanity threw themselves down from an high place and brake their necks And to fill up the measure of the Athenians miseries whereas many thousands of them were â—led or banished into all the neighbouring countreys of Greece their proud insulting adversaries the Lacedemonians forbade all persons to entertaine any of these miserable exiles but to returne them to the Tyrants again and that upon the paine of forfeitting three thousand crowns Diod. Sic. Lysander King of Sparta when the Argives came to Lacedemon to dispute about the borders of their country pleading that they had ajuster cause then the Lacedemonians he drew his sword and said They that can hold this best can best dispute about their coasts Xenoph. Alexander the Tyrant of Thessaly was of such a cruel nature that he buried many of his Subjects alive others he sowed up in the skins of boares and beares and worried them with his dogs others he thrust through with darts and that not for any offences that they had done but meerely to make himself sport and when he had gathered the inhabitants of two confederate Cities about him as if he had something to impart to them he caused his guard to fall upon them and murther them all without distinction of Sex age or condition He slew his own uncle Polyphron and then consecrated the speare wherewith he did it to the gods But not long aâ—ter himself was slaine by the conspiracy of his own wife Plut. Euphron the Lacedemonian having made himself a Tyrant in the City of Cicyon was shortly after murthered by the Senators as he sat in counsel with them who defended themselves by this Apology quòd qui manifesti sceleris proditionis tyrannidis rei sunt non sententiâ âliqua dammandi videantur sed ab omnibus hominibus jam antè dammati sunt quòd nulla Graecorum lex ostendi possit quae proditionibus aut Tyrannis securitatem praestet That those which are guilty of Treason and Tyranny need not to be proceeded against in a legal way for that they are before-hand condemned in all mens judgements neither was there any law amongst the Grecians that gave security to traitours and Tyrants Plut Ochus King of Persia succeeding his father Artaxeâ—xes Mnemon presently after his getting the Kingdome filled and defiled all his palace with blood murthered all the Princes and Royal seed without any respect of age or sex and yet through Gods patience he lived ninety three years and reigned fourty three years Diod. Sic. But in the end growing odious and burthensome to all by reason of his bloodshed and cruelty one of his Eunuches called Bagoas poisoned him and threw his dead body to be devoured of cats AElian Lib. 6. Alexander M. after his great victories grew proud and tyrannical and upon bare suspition he cruelly tortured Philotas one of his brave captaines the sonne of Parmenio who had a chief hand in all his victories and after grievous torments caused him to be slaine and not content therewith thinking that his father might seek to revenge the wrong he caused him to be murthered also Qu. Cur. See Alexander M. also in Anger Alexander M. as he was rowing upon a lake in his galley neer Babylon a sudden tempest arising blew off his hat and crown fastened upon it into the lake whereupon one of his Mariners leaping into the lake swam and fetched it to him and to keep it the drier he put it upon his own head Alexander rewarded him with a talent for saving his Crown but withall caused his head to be cut off for presuming to put his Crown upon it Plut. Dionysius the Sicillian Tyrant was so suspicious of every one that he durst not suffer a Barber to trim him but caused his daughters to do it neither when they were grown to womans estate durst he suffer them to use any sizers or rasour about him but caused them to burn his haire with burning walnut-shells He had two wives and when he lodged with either of them he carefully searched all the chamber before he went to bed He durst not come amongst them when he was to speak to the people but spake out of an high Tower to them When he was going to play at tennis he gave his cloke and sword to a boy that waited on him whereupon one said to him Sir you have now put your life into his hands at which the boy smiled whereupon Dionysius caused them both to be slaine the man for teaching the boy how to kill him and the boy for laughing at it There was one Damocles a great slatterer of his who told him what an happy man he was that did so abound in riches Majesty Power c. affirming that there was never any man more happy then himselfe Well said Dionysius wilt thou O Damocles try how happy a man I am seeing thou doest so admire my condition Yea said Damocles with all my heart Hereupon Dionysius caused him to be cloathed in Kingly apparel to be set upon a golden seat in a room richly hung and curiously adorned with pictures then a table to be furnished with all sorts of dainty dishes with a company of beautifull boyes to waite upon him He had also precious ointments Crownes musick and what not So that Domacles thought himselfe a woundroâ—s happy man But presently Dionysius caused a sharp glittering sword tied in an horse-haire to be hung just over his head the terrour whereof so afflicted Damocles lest it should fall on his head that he durst not stirre nor enjoy any of those felicities whereupon he sent to the Tyrant desiring him to give him leave to go away for he desired that happinesse no longer Citero Antiochus Epiphanes warring against Egypt Ptolomy the King of Egypt sent to the Senate at Rome to make them his Guardians and to desire their help against Antiochus
Hereupon the Senate sent Popilius to Antiochus requiring him to forbear medling with Egypt or if he was already entred presently to depart out of it Antiochus offered to kisse Popilius in token of his love to him but Popilius answered Let all private friendship cease till thou hast answered my publick Commands Antiochus told him that he would consult with his friends and shortly return an answer Popilius having a stick in his hand drew with it a circle about him and his friends requiring them to returne an answer and either to chuse warre or peace before they went out of that circle This so daunted the King that he told him he would obey the command of the Senate Justin. Vitellius a Tyrant of Rome being overcome by Vespasian the souldiers took him bound his hands behinde him putting a rope about his neck and tearing off his cloaths they led him through the streets of Rome loading him with an infinite number of indignities and disgraces pulling his haire and setting a dagger under his chin that his face might be seen of all some cast filth and dirt in his face others reviled him and so at last they slew him and threw him into Tyber Imp. Hist. Sylla that great Tyrant that stiled himself The happy died miserably of the lowsies for when saith one was it ever seen that the heavy hand of God did not finally infelicitate a Tyrant Poppaea Sabina was first wife to Rufus Crispinus a worthy Knight of Rome by whom she had a sonne afterwards Nero taking her to himselfe caused her little sonne to be drowned for that amongst his pretty sports he would play for Dukedomes and Empires Suet. Laodice the wife of Ariarathis King of Cappadocia her husband being dead seized upon the government raged cruelly against all sorts both of the Nobility and Commons whom she caused to be murthered yea against her own bowels poisoning â—ix of her own sonnes that so she might keep the Kingdome more securely only one little one escaped her fury whom the people at last advanced to the Crowne and slew her Lipsius Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour but shalt fear thy God Levit. 25. 43. CHAP. LII Vanity of all earthly things SPoken of Eccles. 1. 2 14. Isa. 40. 17 23. 41. 29. Eccles. 2. 11. 3. 19. 5. 10. 4. 8. Psal. 39. 5. 41. 9. Scriptural Examples Adonibezek under whose table seventy Kings with their thumbs and great toes cut off gathered their meat was shortly after served in the same sort and died a captive Jud. 1. 6 7. Iosua's Captains put their feet upon the necks of five Kings and slew them Ios. 10. 24. King Eglon slaine in his Parlour Iudg. 3. 21. Siâ—era sâ—aine by Jael Judg. 4. 21. Zeba and Zalmunna Judg. 8. 21. Abimelech Iudg. 9. 53. Goliah 1 Sam. 17. 49. Saul 1 Sam. 31. 4. Ishbosheth 2 Sam. 4. 7. Absolon 2 Sam. 18. 9. Benhadad 1 King 20. 32. Sennacherib 2 King 19. 37. Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4. 31 c. Belshazzer Dan. 5. 5 c. Herod Act. 12. 23. Other examples Croesus a rich and mighty King of Lydia being overcome by Cyrus the Persian was by him condemned to be burnt and when he was laid upon the Pile of wood he cried out O Solon Solon Solon which being told to Cyrus he sent for him to know what he meant by it Croesus answered that having once entertained wise Solon into his house he told him that no man ought to be accounted happy so long as he lived which said he I never understood till now Cyrus laying this to heart and considering the mutability of all earthly things did not only give him his life but made him his friend and chief Counsellour in all his affaires Herod Not long after Cyrus being to make warre against the Massages Croesus disswaded him from it saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mea sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If thou wert immortal thy selfe and haddest an Army of immortal souldiers thou needest not my counsel but seeing thou art mortal thy self and the like are thy souldiers consider that all humane affaires are like a wheele that spoke that is up to day may be down to morrow and think not that thou wilt alwayes be fortunate but Cyrus not taking his advice went against them where himself with twenty thousand of his souldiers were slaine Justi See in Friendship the Example of Psammenitus King of Egypt Xerxes which a little before had led an Army of above a million of men into Greece wherewith he thought himself able to conquer the whole world within a little space saw his Navy destroyed on the sea and multitudes of his souldiers by an handful of the Grecians slaine upon the land and himselfe in great fear accompanied with some few servants fled back to get into Asia again but when he came to the Hellespont he found his great bridge over which he should have passed broken with a tempest so that he was forced to enter into a poore fisher boat in which with much danger hâ—…gat into Asia For being encountred with a great storme in great fear he asked the Pilot if there were any hope of safety No Sir said he except the boate be eased of some of the passengers whereupon Xerxes cried out O ye Persians now I shall see whether you have any care of the safety of your King or no for in you it lies to save or to destroy my life which when they heard some of them leaped over-board drowned themselves to preserve their King But like a Tyrant when he came to land he gave the Pilot a Crowne of gold for saving his life but because he had drowned some of his servants he caused his head to be â—ut off Herod After the battel of Plataea wherein the Grecians had given a mighty overthrow to the Army of Xerxes Pausanias King of Sparta being the Grecian General was exceedingly elated with the glory of that victory and afterwards at a feast in a scorneful manner he bade Simonides a wise man to give him some wholesome counsell Simonides answered Take heed of forgetting that thou wert but a mortal man which though he laughed at for the present yet shortly after he remembred it when being immured in Pallas's Temple he was pined to death Plut. See it in Treachery Solon told Croesus that considering how the life of man is subject to infinite changes wisdome therefore forbids us to trust or glory in worldly riches honours or any outward things or to account any man happy before his death And therefore said he I account Tellus a happier man then thy self in the middest of all thy affluence for he being a Citizen of Athens was a very honest man and left his children in good esteeme and himself died honourably in the field fighting in the defence of his countrey Plut. Artaxeroees Mnemon in that great battel which he fought against his brother Cyrus being wounded in the breast by Cyrus retired
were witnesses of Pausanias reports that one Balthus a dumb man wandring in a desert met with a Lion and was struck with such exceeding fear and trepidation that thereupon the strings of his tongue were loosed and he spake ever after CHAP. LVII Examples of Constancy COmmanded 1 Chron. 28. 7. â—it 3. 8. Gal. 5. 10. 2 Tim. 2. 1. Heb. 13. 9. Jam. 1. 17. 2 Cor. 1. 17. 1 Cor. 15. 58. 2 Pet. 3. 17. 2 Tim. 3. 14. Rev. 2. 10. Commended Prov. 21. 28. Heb. 12. 3. Rom. 11. 22. Exhorted to 1 Cor. 16. 13. Eph. 4. 14 15. â— Tim. 3 14. Heb. 12. 1. 13. 9. Mat. 10. 22. 24. 13. Phil. 4. 1. Rev. 3. 11. Scriptural Examples Joshua ch 24 15. Ruth ch 1. 15. Levites 2 Chron. 11. 13. Josiah 2 Chron. 34. 2. Jewes Ezra 3. 3. David Psal. 119. 157. John Baptist Mat. 11. 7. Luke 7. 24. Paul Acts 20. 23 24. 2 Tim. 4. 7. Antipas Rev. 2. 13. Angel Rev. 2. 13. Disciples Luke 22. 28. Hebrews chap. 10. 32 34. Dionysius c. Acts 17. 34. Jewes and Proselytes Acts 13. 43. Other Examples Aristides is an admirable example of constancy of whom Phlutarch writes that amidst all the changes which befell the Athenians in his time he remained alwayes the same for honours never puffed him up with pride nor adversity never made him impatient For when AEschylus the Poet in the publick Amphytheater made verses in his commendation and thereupon the eyes of all the people were fixed upon him he was nothing affected or puffed up with it neither at other times was he afflicted at the reproaches and indignities of his enemies He used to say That it was the part of a good Citizen only to rejoyce in his good speeches and actions Plut. Nero being weary of his wife Octavia the daughter of Claudius by whom he had the Empire charged her with adultery and Pythias one of her women was miserably tormented upon the rack to extort a confession against her imperial Lady but she left this memorable Example of loyal constancy Nero's instrument of cruelty sitting in Commission at the rack demanded of her some immodest questions about her Lady Octavia But she being raised above fear or paine by honest courage did spit into his face saying that Octavia was honester in her womans parts then his mouth Suet. Phocion the Athenian was semper idem alwayes the same neither favour nor fear altering him the Oracle declaring that there was one man that was an enemy to the concord of the City when the enraged people enquired after him he said Pray you be quiet I am the man whom ye seek for there are none of your doings that please me Athens was at this time in her dotage Afterwards being chosen Captaine of the Athenians against the Macedonians he seeing that his cowardly souldiers were only valiant in their tongues wisely forbore fighting and made a peace afterwards being upbraided as if he had done it through cowardice he answered You are happy that you had a Captaine that knew you well enough otherwise you had all perished before this At another time when Demosthenes that rode the people by his flattery told Phocion that the Athenians would kill him when they began to be mad But said Phocion they will kill thee when they begin to be wise Lipsius Saint Ambrose Bishop of Millaine being besieged in his Church by the Emperour Valentinian junior at the instigation of Justina his mother an Arian the Emperour commanded him to come forth of the Church intending to deliver it to the Arians But Ambrose told him that he would never come out of it willingly neither would betray his sheepfold to the wolvs nor his Church to such as were blasphemers of God Therefore saith he if thou wilt kill me come in and thrust me through either with thy sword or speare which death will be very grateful unto me Theod. Valerianus Bishop of Hâ—benza in Africa being commanded by Genserick an Arian King of the Vandals to deliver up to him the books of the Sacred Scripture and other vessels belonging to the Church he rather chose being eighty years old to be stripped naked and driven out of the City where he lay amongst the dunghills till he perished Sige. Chron. Hormisdas a Nobleman of Persia professing Christianity in the time of a great persecution was called before the King Varanes who sharply chid him threatening him with death if he persisted therein To whom Hormisdas constantly answered That which you command me O King is wicked and therefore I may not abjure the God of the whole world to procure your Majesties favour For a crime committed against his Majesty is farre greater then disobedience to you Niceph. Constance the third could neither prevaile by promises nor threats with Martin Bishop of Rome to confirme the heresie of the Monothelites he choosing banishment rather then thus to sinne against God Fulgos. Publius Rutilius shewed his excellent constancy when being requested by a friend to do for him a thing which was unjust he refused to do it whereupon his friend said What am I the better for thy friendship if thou wilt not do for me so small a courtesie when it is desired of thee To whom he answered And what am I the better for such a friend as requests of me such unjust things Val. l. 6. c. 4. Pomponius a Knight of Rome fighting in the Army of Lucullus against Mithridates was wounded and taken prisoner and being brought before Mithridates he said to him If I take care for the cure of thy wounds wilt thou be my friend To whom Pomponius answered Not except thou beest a friend to the people of Rome Fulgos. Marc. Brutus warring in Lusitania when he had conquered almost the whole Countrey only the City of Cyania stood out against him he sent Ambassadours to them proffering them a great summe of gold to deliver up their City to him To whom they answered with admirable constancy Our father 's left us swords wherewith to defend our liberty not gold nor rich gifts wherewith to redeem our selves from our enemies Eras. Apoth C. Mevius a Captaine of Augustus Caesars having often fought valiantly against Mark Anthony was at last circumvented taken prisoner and carried before Anthony who asked him what he would have him to determine about him To whom Mevius most constantly answered Command my throat to be cut seeing I am resolved neither for the hope of life nor for the fear of death to forsake Caesar nor to serve thee Val. Max. See more in the Chapter of Valour and Magnanimity CHAP. LVIII Examples of Inconstancy Unstableness SPoken of Jam. 1. 8. 2 Pet. 2. 14. 3. 16. Reuben is said to be so Gen. 49. 4. The Athenians who a little before had given divine honours to King Demetrius and in a most base manner flattered him during his great victories when they heard of his overthrow by Ptolemy King of Egypt and that he was coming to
prevailing he condemned him yet when he was at the stake he sent his wife and seven children to him hoping by that meanes to work upon him but through Gods grace Religion overcame nature and when his wife intreated him with tears to favour himself he answered Be not a block in my way for I am in a good course and running towards the mark of my salvation and so he patiently suffered Martyrdome In Q Maries daies one Steven Knight Martyr when he came to the stake kneeled down and prayed thus O Lord Jesus Christ for the love of whom I willingly leave this life and rather desire the bitter death of thy Crosse with the losse of all earthly goods then to obey men in breaking thy holy Commandments Thou seest O Lord that whereas I might live in worldly wealth if I would worship a false god I rather choose the torments of my body and losse of my life counting all things but dung and drosse that I might win thee for whose sake death is dearer unto me then thousands of gold and silver c. See my Eng. Martyrologie p. 132. Thomas Watts Martyr when he was at the stake called his wife and six children to him saying Dear wife and my good children I must now leave you and therefore henceforth know I you no more as the Lord gave you unto me so I give you back again to the Lord c. and so kissing them he bade them farewell and went joyfully to the stake Idem p. 143. Nicholas Sheterden Martyr when he was ready to be burned said Lord thou knowest that if I would but seem to please men in things contrary to thy Word I might enjoy the commodities of life as others do as wife children goods and friends But seeing the world will not suffer me to enjoy them except I sin against thy holy Lawes lo I willingly leave all the pleasures of this life for the hopes sake of eternal life c. Idem p. 146. Richard Woodman Martyr when he was brought to his answer the Bishop told him that if he would be reformed he might enjoy his wife and children c. To whom he answered I love my wife and children in the Lord and if I had ten thousand pounds in gold I had rather forgo it all then them but yet I have them as if I had them not and will not for their sakes for sake Christ. Idem p. 185. A poor woman in Cornwall being admonished by the Bishop to remember her husband and children She answered I have them and I have them not whilest I was at liberty I enjoyed them but now seeing I must either forsake Christ or them I am resolved to stick to Christ alone my heavenly Spouse and to renounce the other Idem p. 211. See more in my two parts of Lives I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him c. Phil. 3. 8 9. Examples concerning Christ our Mediatour Themistocles being banished Athens was forced to fly to his deadly enemy Admetus King of the Molossians and when he came thither he took the Kings son being a child in his armes and so prostrated himself before the K. and found favour for it was a sacred Law amongst the Molossians that whosoever thus came before the King should have pardon whatsoever his offence was so whosoever goes to God the Father with Christ in his armes shall be sure to speed in his request Claudius Tib. Caesar hearing of the miracles and resurrection of Jesus Christ moved the Senate at Rome that he might be numbred amongst the gods but the Senate refused because he was by some esteemed for a God before the Senate had decreed him one Tert. One in Tamerlanes Army having found a great pot of Gold digged it up and brought it to Tamerlane who asked whether the Gold had his Fathers stamp upon it but when he saw it had the Roman stamp he would not own it So God will own none but such as have the stamp of Christ and his Image upon them CHAP. LXIII Examples of Compassion Sympathy COmmanded 1 Pet. 3. 8. Zach. 7. 8. Such as want it love not God 1 Joh. 3. 17. And are wicked 2 Chron. 36. 17. Scriptural Examples Our Saviour Christ Matt. 9. 36. 14. 14. 15. 32. Mark 1. 41. 6. 34. A Lord Matth. 18. 27. Pharaohs daughter Exod. 2. 6. The Father of the Prodigal Luke 15. 20. Darius his wife being a Captive with Alexander miscarried by reason of a fall and so died which when Alexander heard of he brake forth into weeping and suffered one of her Eunuches to carry Darius word of her death Darius hearing that Alexander wept at the newes of her death conceited that he had been too familiar with her but when the Eunuch by grievous asseverations protested that he had never seen her but once and then never offered the least indignity to her Darius lifting up his hands to heaven prayed the gods that if the Persian Empire were at an end that none might sit in Cyrus his Throne but so just and merciful a Conquerour Q. Cur. When Alexander M. found Darius murthered by his own servants though he was his enemy yet he could not refrain from weeping and putting off his own Coate he covered the body of Darius with it and so clothing of him with Kingly Ornaments he sent him to his mother Sisigambis to be interred amongst his Ancestors in a royall manner Q. Cur. Nero the Emperour in the first five years of his reign was of a very compassionate disposition insomuch as being requested to set his hand to a Writ for the execution of a Malefactor he said Quà m vellem me nescire literas Would I had never learned to write Sâ—ne Camillus with the Roman Army after ten years siege took the City of Veia in Italy by storme and when Camillus from the top of the Castle saw the infinite riches which the Souldiers took by plundering the City he wept for very pitty to see the miseries which were brought upon the inhabitants Plut. The Thebans having given the Lacedemonians a very great overthrow in the Battel of Leuctra they presently sent an Ambassador to Athens to acquaint them with it and to desire them to enter into confederacy with them against the Lacedemonians their old enemies telling them that now was the time when they might be fully revenged of them for all the wrongs which they had received from them but the Athenian Senate was so far from rejoycing at the misery of the Lacedemonians that they did not so much as give lodging the Ambassadour or treat at all with him about a League Plut. Vespasian the Emperour was of such a merciful disposition that he never rejoyced at the death of any though his enemies yea he used to sigh and weep when he
Christian Merchants and Mariners saved some and stayed the madnesse of others But when the Iews sought to revenge themselves on this counterfeit Moses he could no where be found and thereupon they concluded him to be the Devil in humane shape that thus sought their destruction Socrates Adrian banished 500000 of them into Spain whence they were again banished by Ferdinand and Isabel Anno Christi 1492. at which time there went out of Spain 120000 Families From thence they passed into Tuscany and the Popes Dominions but were again banished thence by Paul the fourth and Pius the fifth But it would be endlesse to shew what miseries they have endured ever since they committed that great sin CHAP. LXXIX Images Idols FOrbidden Exod 20. 4. 23. 24. 34. 13. Deut. 16. 22. Lev. 26. 1. Num. 33. 52. Deut. 7. 5 Ezek. 30. 13. Lev. 19. 4. Act. 15. 20. Destroyed 2 King 3. 2. 10. 17 26. 11. 18. 18. 4. 23. 14. 2 Chron. 14. 3 5 23. 17. 31. 1. 34. 4 7. Isa. 30 22. Ier. 43. 13. 50. 2. Ezek. 6. 4. 2 Chron. 15. 16. 33. 15. 1 King 15. 12. Isa. 2. 20. 31. 7. Hos. 14. 8. They called them gods Gen. 31. 30. 2 King 17. 31. 1. 2. Act. 19. 27. Exod. 32. 4. Worshipped them Ier. 3. 9. Trusted in them Ier. 48. 13. Isa. 42. 17. Psal. 115. 8. Hab. 2. 18. Consulted with them Ezek. 21. 21. Swore by them Ier. 5. 7. 12. 16. Zeph. 1. 5. 1 King 19. 2. 20. 10. They are teachers of lies Hab. 2. 18. Ier. 10. 8. and profit nothing Isa. 44. 10. Much question there is about the beginning of Idolatry These three causes seem not improbable When a father mourned grievously for his son taken away by immature death he made his Image which in processe of time was worshipped as a god and served with Ceremonies and Sacrifices The people made the Images of great Tyrants and honoured them that so they might by this flattery live the more peaceably under them The ambitious skill of the workman that through the beauty of the work the multitude being allured took him for a god that a little before was honoured but as a man Lactantius saith That when Noah cast off his son Cham for his wickednesse he went into Canaan and his posterity being ignorant of God because their Founder or Prince received not of his father rules for Gods worship quickly sell to Idolatry The Egyptians being not covered with houses by reason of the temperate ayr observing the motions of the stars whilest they often viewed them more curiously fell to worship them After which they invented monstrous shapes of Beasts and worshipped them Others scattered into other regious admiring the Heavens Sun Moon Earth Sea without Images or Temples worshipped them and sacrificed to them till afterwards they erected Temples and Images to their most puissant Kings and ordained to them sacrifices and Incense c. CHAP. LXXX Exmples of Superstition TO do that in Gods worship which he commands not is superstition Ier. 32. 35. To do that which is right in our own eyes Deut. 12. 8. Judg. 17. 6. Numb 15. 39. Observers of times Deut. 18. 10 14. Lev. 19. 26. Gal. 4. 10. False worship Deut. 17. 3. 29. 26. Exod. 20. 25 26. Mens traditions Matth. 15. 3 9. Col. 2. 22. Mar. 7. 4 7. Will-worship Col. 2. 18 21 23. Scriptural Examples They which take up any thing on their own heads and put Religion therein as The Israelites not eating the sinew Gen. 32. 32. Gideon in making an Ephod Judg. 8. 27. Philistines not treading on the threshold 1 Sam. 5. 5. Rachel stealing her fathers Idols Gen. 31 19. Balaam in trying the Lord in several places Num. 23. 1 14 27 28. Naaman in taking two Mules load of earth c. 2 King 5 17. Micha his house of gods Judg. 17. 5. the Danites Judg. 18. 17. worshippers in high places 1 King 12. 31 32. 14. 23. 15. 14. 2 King 15. 4. 2 Chron. 33. 17. Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 15. 3 9. Mar. 7. 4 7. Joh. 18. 28. Galatians Ch. 4. 9 10. Colossians Ch. 2. 21 16 18 23. All the heathen in their Idolatry Act. 17. 22. Other Examples The AEgyptians of all other Nations were most foolish and vain in their superstitions for they did not onely worship the dead as Isis Serapis and Anubis but even the basest of living creatures as Doggs Catts Crocodiles Haukes Ichnumons Wolves c. To these they gave food consecrated fields and tributes to them the Images of these they carried in their Ensigns and if any man killed any of these they were punished with death for it Lipsius Also in the time of a great Famine they spared these creatures and chose rather to feed upon mans flesh yea they fed these creatures with mans flesh to preserve their lives Diod. Sic. The Carthaginians were so superstitious that they used to sacrifice men and boyes to Saturn in the armes of whose brazen Image they used to lay them and then to tumble them alive into a pit of fire and this they did upon certain daies each year but especially they multiplyed these Sacrifices in the time of any publick calamity so that having suffered a great losse by Agathocles they resolved to offer 200 young Noble-mens sons to appease the angry Deity yea and there were so many youths that voluntarily offered themselves hereunto Plut. When Sâ—eâ—igrade in Egyâ—us was besieged by the Great Turk a Traitor within knowing how superstitiously the Garrison Souldiers abhorred tasting any thing that they deemed unclean threw a dead dog into the onely Well that supplyed the City with water upon the discovery whereof the Souldiers chose rather to die then to drink of it whereupon the City was delivered up to the Turk See Scanderbeg's Life in my second Part. The Idol Moloch or Saturn amongst the Idolatrous Jewes was represented by a Man-like Brazen body and with the head of a Calf The children offered to Moloch were inclosed within the body of this Idol which was compassed about with a great fire and as the Idol heated the Sacrificers filled the ayr with the noise of Instruments that the pitifull cryes of the Sacrificed children might not be heard The women mourning for Thammus Ezek. 8. 14. were such as mourned in their sacrifices to Isis the wife of Osiris after the Idolatrous manner of the Egyptians CHAP. LXXXI Life Long life Life sweet THe age of the ante-diluvian Patriarchs Adam lived 930 years Seth lived 912 years Enos lived 905 yeares Cainan lived 910 yeares Mahalaleel lived 895 years Jared lived 962 yeares Enoch lived before his translation 365 years Methuselah lived 969 yeares Lamech lived 777 years After the Flood Noah lived 950 yeares Shem lived 600 years Arphaxad lived 438 years Salah lived 433 years Eber lived 464 years Peleg lived 239 years Reu lived 239 years Serug lived 230 years Nahor lived 148
ascended unto by one hundred steps on the South part which looked towards the Market-place and Palace It would hold eight thousand men It was covered with brasse-tiles all gilt with gold There were three Chappels in it to one of which viz. Jupiter's Augustus gave sixteen thousand pound weight of gold and jewels worth almost as much more twelve thousand Talents were spent in gilding of it The gates were cover'd with thick plates of gold Next after the Capitol the Pantheon is worthily noted It was built by Agrippa son in Law to Augustus in the year of the City 729. The Architecture of it was admirable the beauty and proportion of all the parts most exquisite The breadth of it was one hundred and fourty four feet and the height as much It was wholly covered over with very great tiles of brasse richly gilt In the Reign of Trajan it was burnt by lightning and re-built by Hadrian The Temple of Peace was built by Vespasian three hundred foot long and two hundred broad It was the most beautiful of all the Temples in the City and enriched with gifts of inestimable value It was adorned with Statues and pictures of most exquisite workmanship yea and all the rarities were collected into this Temple for the sight whereof men formerly used to travel through the whole world And here also he placed those vessels which formerly belonged to the Temple of Hierusalem and were brought from thence by Titus at the sacking of it It was burnt down in the time of Commodus either with fire from heaven or arising out of the earth after a little earthquake There were an infinite number of Baths both publick and private in Rome Some of which baths were all paved with plates of silver and set with rowes of Pillars for ornament Antoninus's bath had sixteen hundred slates of polished Marble in it The Appian Cawsey was built by Appius Claudius Censor It reached from Rome to Capua the bounds of the Empire that way at that time which was afterwards lengthened to Brundisium by Julius and Augustus Caesar in all three hundred and fifty miles long and so broad that two Coaches might easily passe by one another being about 25 foot broad It was made of hard flinty stones hewen and laid so close together yet without any morter or claspes of iron that it seemed all of one stone the stones were three four and five feet square nine hundred yeares after it was made the stones were not one whit disjoynted or broken Ever and anon on the sides were stones whereon persons might sit or lay their burdens or get on horseback and at every miles and high stones or pillars were raised whereon were engraven the number of the miles Likewise there were many Monuments on both sides with witty inscriptions or pretty inventions on them yielding both matter of mirth and seriousnesse to the travellers There were fourteen saith Pliny twenty saith P. Victor Aquaeducts in Rome the chiefest of which was the Claudian began by Caligula and finished by Claudius So big as a man might ride on horseback in it brought fourty miles to the City in a level through the Mountains and over the Valleys as high as the highest hill in the City seven millions and a half were spent in making it There were besides in the City one thousand three hundred fifty two lakes or great receptacles of water for common use The Cloacae or common sewer were made by Tarquinius Priscus they were so wide that a Cart loaden with hay might passe along them viz. sixteen foot wide and as many high There were seven chief armes from the seven hills besides several smaller from other parts which ran into the main Channel Notwithstanding all the weight of building upon them and several earthquakes they remained firm almost eight hundred years And at one time when they were out of repair there were a thousand talents spent in repairing of them There were an infinite number of Statues or Images in every part of the City costly for their matter and curious for their workmanship some Authours say that there were neer as many of them as there were living people in the City some of them were of polished Marble Infinite of brasse some of Ivory some of silver and some of gold Domitian the Emperour commanded that no statues should be made for him in the Capitol but such as were all of silver or all gold solid and not hollow each of them weighing at least an hundred pound weight Commodas the Emperour had a Statue made for him of gold that weighed a thousand pound weight Together with a Bull and a Cow of the same metal as if he had been the founder of the City He had also in the Market-place a Pillar erected and his Statue made upon it of a thousand five hundred pounds weight of silver Their statues of brasse were most of them gilt and so were many of their Statues of silver Some of them were of a Colossaean bignesse others mounted on horseback and inâ—several postures and habits For the preserving of all which from hurt there was one who was called Comes or an Earle whose office it was continually to walk up and down in the night attended with many Souldiers that none might wrong them and besides it was death for any man to do it Lipsius de Mag. Rom. Imperii Trajan built a Bridge over the River Ister or Danon of twenty Arches each one hundred and fifty feet high sixty thick and one hundred and seventy distant one from another in all four thousand seven hundred and seventy feet which was almost a mile long The River was very deep and swift and the bottom not firm ground neither could the stream be diverted any other way all which much augmented the difficulty of the work Ancus Martius the fourth King of Rome built a woodden bridge over Tybur yet without nailes or pins so that in time of warr it was taken down afterwards AEmilius built it of stone and lastly Antoninus Pius built it of Marble CHAP. CVI. Examples of other great Cities and the great Turks Seraglio described Ninive described NInive was first founded by Assur the son of Sem Gen. 11. 10. enlarged by Ninus the third Babylonish King the compasse of it was 408 Furlongs or fifty one Italian miles the Walls were one hundred foot high and so broad that there Chariots might passe abreast upon them upon the walls were fiftéen hundred Towers each of them two hundred foot high It 's called a great City Joâ—a 3. 3. Babylon described Babylon was founded by Nimrod Gen. 10. 10. but enlarged by Semiramis who for the carrying onâ—of that work drew together thirty hundred thousand workmen who in one year finished the Walls which contained in circuit four hundred and eighty furlongs or sixty Italian miles they were two hundred soot high and fifty foot thick the River Euphrates ran through the middest of it over which she built a strong and stately bridge
18. 7 12. Without it repentance is not accepted Num. 5. 6 7. Scriptural examples Josephs brethren Gen. 43. 12. 44. 8. Micha Iugdes 17. 3. David 2 Sam. 9. 7. Benhadad 1 King 20. 34. Jehoram 2 King 8 6. Iewish Nobles Neh. 5. 12. Cyrus Ezra 1. 7 8. Darius Ezra 6. 5. Judas Mat. 27. 3. Samuel proffered it 1 Sam. 12. 3. Zacheus Luk. 19. 8. King of Israel 2 King 8. 6. Examples of restitution When Selymus the great Turke lay upon his death-bed being moved by Pyrrhus his great Bashaw to bestow that abundance of wealth which he had taken wrongfully from the Persian Merchants upon some notable Hospitall for relief of the poore he commanded it rather to be restored to the right owners which was forthwith effected Turk Hist. p. 561. King Henry the third of England who was a great oppressor of his Subjects in their liberties and estates having upon a time sent a load of Freese to the Friars Minors to clothe them they returned back the same with this message That he ought not to give almes of that that he had rent from the poor neither would they accept of that abominable gift Dan. Chron. Pliny an Heathen tells us that the poore are not to be fed like the Whelps of wilde beasts with blood and murther rapine and spoile but that which is most acceptable to the receivers they should know that that which is given unto them is not taken from any body else In Cant. Ser. 71. Bernard saith that God receives not any Almes at the hands of an oppressor or Usurer In Ca. Ezek. 18. Hierome saith that no man should turne bread gotten by oppression and usury into a work of mercy Augustine saith that when God shall judge those that live now by fraud and give almes of the spoiles of the oppressed he will say unto them You tell me what you have given but you tell me not what you have taken away You recount whom you have fed but remember not whom you have undone They rejoyce whom you have clothed but they lament whom you have spoiled Tom. 10. Hom. 47. Augustine in another place saith Non remittitur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum Sinne is not forgiven till the thing taken away be restored Quest. Is restitution so absolutely necessary Answ. Yea quoad affectum though not quoad effectum If we are not able If there be a willing minde it is accepted c. 2 Cor. 8. 12. God accepts of that quod quisquam verè voluit tametsi adimplere non valuit which a man faithfully would do though he cannot CHAP. L. Law Law-givers MOses was the Law-giver to the Israelites Num. 21. 18. Deut. 33. 21. Amongst the Lacedemonians Law-suites were not heard of because amongst them there was neither covetousnesse nor poverty but equality with abundance and a quiet life with sobriety Plut. Lycurgus was the Law-giver to the Lacedemonians and to gaine more credit to his Lawes he went to Delphos to the Oracle of Apollo to consult therewith about the successe of his enterprize Plut. He would have none of his Lawes written but commanded parents by the virtuous education of their children and youth to implant them in their hearts and lives Plut. When by experience he saw his Lawes well approved of and the Common-wealth to flourish under them he had a great desire to make them immortal for which end he assembled all the people together and told them that he thought his civil Policy was already sufficiently established to make them happy yet one thing of the greatest importance was still behinde which he could not reveale till he had first consulted with the Oracle of Apollo and in the meane time he desired them to observe his Laws inviolably without altering any thing untill his returne this they all promised him faithfully yet for the greater security he took an oath of the Kings Senators and all the people to make good their promise to him and so went to Delphos where he sacrificed to Apollo and asked him if his Lawes were sufficient to make a people happy the Oracle answered that they were and that his Citizens observing them should be the most renowned in all the world This answer Lycurgus wrote and sent to Sparta and then taking his leave of his sonne and friends he pined himself tò death commanding his friends to burne his body and to throw his ashes into the sea lest any part of him being carried into Sparta his Citizens should say that he was returned again and so think themselves absolved from their oath According to his expectation whilest Lacedemon observed his Lawes it flourished in wonderful prosperity and honour for five hundred yeeres together till King Agis his time in whose reigne gold and silver began to be in request and so pride covetousnesse and curiosity crept in which by degrees wrought their ruine Plut. Numa Pompilius the first Law-giver amongst the Romanes gave out that he conversed in the woods with the goodesse Egeria that so he might procure the greater esteeme to himself and to the Lawes which he enacted Plut. Solon the Law-giver to the Athenians collecting and writing down many excellent Lawes Anacharsis a very wise man laughed at him saying Thinkest thou by written Lawes to bridle the covetousnesse and injustice of men Knowest thou not that Lawes are like cobwebs that catch little flies but the rich and mighty will break through them at their pleasure Plut. Draco that first gave Lawes to the Athenians punished idlenesse and almost all offences with death whence his Lawes were said to be written in blood But when Solon reformed them he made them more milde and moderate Plut. CHAP. LI. Tyrants Tyranny THey shall not live out half their dayes Ps. 55. 25. Forbidden Lev. 25. 43 46 53. Scriptural Examples Adonibezeck Jud. 1. Abimelech Jud. 9. Athaliah 2 King 11. Jezebel 1 King 21. Manahem 2 King 15. Saul 1 Sam. 22. Ahaz 2 King 17. Manasseh 2 Chron. 22. Nebuchadnezzar Jer. 39. Herod Mat. 2. Pharaoh Exod. 1. Ishmael Ier. 41. Pilate Luk. 13. 1. See in Reproofe the examples of Cambyses Darius going to warre against the Scythians would take along with him the three sons of Deobaces one of his Noble men that was very old whereupon Deobaces requested him to leave one of his sonnes at home to be a solace to his old age Yea said Darius I will leave them all three and so he caused them to be all slaine and thrown into their fathers presence Pez Mel Hist. The Lacedemonians having in divers battels by sea and land overthrown the Athenians they at last set thirty Tyrants over them which exercised extreme cruelty towards them The honest Citizens whom they either feared or hated or that excelled in wealth they either banished or slew them and Teized upon their estates Whereupon one of them somewhat better then the rest called Theramenes spake against this cruelty which caused another called Critias to accuse him of treason and so to