are fallen into those perillous times prophecied of by Saint Paul in which men shal be proud vnthankfull vnholy traytors ambitious incontinent bloodie despisers of those that are good louers of pleasures more then of God hauing the forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof And with our eyes we see that true which Esay speaketh Let fauour saith he bee shewed to the wicked yet will hee not learne righteousnesse in the land of vprightuesse will be deale vniustly and will not behold the maiestie of the Lord. See wee not what the Lord hath done for this Nation how hee hath planted his Church among vs and giuen vs peace on all sides round about vs See we not how hee hath giuen vs his Gospell and all his ordinances of saluation and leaue to vse them freely openly falsely in all tranquilitie See we not how hee hath blest vs with two such noble and vertuous Princes one most happily succeeding another such as in truth the whole world since the beginning of their reignes which is now neere 60. yeeres is not able to match in either sex in all their Royall and Christian indowments and how hee hath protected them to this very day someties in a manner miraculously against the many barbarous and diuellish treacheries and trayterous machiuelions and attempts of their wicked aduersaries See wee not with what ease and clemency their Gouernments haue continued and what flouds of temporall fauours haue streamed from the heauens by them vnto vs so as that we may say with Dauid The Lord is with vs he hath prepared a table before vs in the presence of our enemies hee hath annointed our heads with oyle and our cuprunneth ouer Psalm 23. 4. 5. And yet for all this the wicked will not amend but most horrible and transcendent villanies most grieuous and foule enormities breake out among vs to the dishonour of God the disgrace of Religion the shame of their Countrie the griefe of their King and of all good Christian hearts in so much that if there were not amongst vs those that mourned for these euils which vngodly men reioyce to commit and but that thankes bee to God for it there is an exact and iust proceeding against ali such enormious persons wee might well haue feared some notable and fearefull iudgement had been neere vnto vs. Now all sinnes deserue ill with God but some there are that for their heinousnesse are said to crie in the eares of the Lord such as is the sinne of murder as appeares by the speech of God to Caine after he had murdered his brother Abel What hast thou done saith God The voyce of thy brothers blood crieth vnto mee from the ground Genesis 4. 10. This sinne was so fearefull to Dauid as that with a carefull and pensiue heart he prayed against it vnto God Deliuer mee from bloud guiltinesse O God thou God of my saluation Psalm 51. 14. And speaking of bloody people he saith The Lord will abborre the bloody and deceitfull man Psalm 5. 6. And againe The bloodie and deceitfull man shall not liue out halfe his dayes Genesis 9. 5. And indeede the blood of the life of a man is so precious in Gods eye as that hee telles Noah and his sonnes that he will require the bloud of man at the hand both of man and beast And to stay vs from this so vnnaturall a sinne besides his commandement that forbids it he shewes that euen the praiers of murderers shall find no fauour with him so long as their sinne cleaues vnto them When ye spread forth your hands saith he I will hide mine eyes from you yea when yee make many prayers I will not heare your hands are full of blood And if we marke the dealings of God with murders it wil appeare that very seldom or neuer they scape vnpunished but by one meanes or other he finds them out and meets with them though it be by suffering them to murder themselues The first murderer in the world Caine was not indeed kild by God but hee was suffered to liue such a life in such torments of conscience and frightings as if he had had an hell within him wandring vp and downe like a vagabond vpon the earth that whosoeuer saw him and was acquainted with the curse of God that went along with him could not but bee terrified from committing murder Abimelech out of ambition murdered 70. of his brethren but after had his braine-pan crackt by a woman and was kild out-right by one of his owne men at his owne command Cambyses the son of Cyrus shot a noble mans sonne to the heart with an arrow wittingly and made his owne brother to bee murdered priuily and slue his sister for reprouing him for that deede but at last as hee was riding hee fell downe vpon the point of his sword which had fallen out of the scabbard and so was slaine Cassius and Brutus that had helpt to murder Iulius Caesar in the Senate was afterwards murdered by themselues Phocas that had like a barbarous traytor murdered Mauricius the Emperour his Master was at last taken and put to a most cruell death Hemichild murdered his Lord Albenius a King of Lombardie as hee was in bed Rosimund his Queene hauing her hand in the said murder but the Lord was euen with them both For shee thinking to haue poisoned him after made him drinke halfe her poyson which he feeling in his vaines presently staied his draught and made her drinke vp the remainder and so they died both together Ethelbert King of the East-Angles vniustly and deceitfully murdered at the perswasion of Offa the King of Mercia his Queene which Queene liued not a quarter of a yeere after and in her death was so tormented that she bither tong which she had abused to the causing of that murther in peeces with her teeth Selimus a Turkish Emperour murthered his father Baiazet by poyson but not many yeeres after God tooke him into his hands and smote him with a most lothsome and stinking disease which spread ouer all his body and at length kild him Calippus that slue Dian his familiar friend and committed many other murders afterwards liued an exile and great necessities and at length was kild himselfe And for Dauid himselfe whose hand had been defiled with blood the Lord notwithstanding his great repentance did seuerely chasten him The Lord had threatned him saying The sword shall neuer depart from thine house Behold I wil raise vp euil against thee out of thine own house and so indeed it came to passe For one of his sons killd another and by his owne child hee had liked to haue lost his kingdome And as the Almightie God is iust in punishing of murders so likewise his prouidence watcheth to discouer them that murderers sildome or neuer lie hid but first or last they are discouered It is strange to consider how murders haue been detected sometimes by dogges as that of Lothbroke the Dane of
what Saint Gregorie Nazianzene hath written of the true ornaments of women where hee saith Anthos hen esti c. There is saith he one flower to be loued of women a good red which is shamefastnesse This our Painter painteth We will giue thee if thou desirest a second thou maiest draw a palenes vnto thy beautie spent with the labours of Christ with prayers sighes and restlesse night and day These are the medicines both of vnmarried and married people Ho tropos esti gun c. To tarry much at home to conferre of Gods word to set the maides their taskes to bee delighted onely in their husband to bind vp their lips and not to stirre foorth a doores these manners are precious things for women So the prime of the Apostles Paul and Peter hauing shewne their dislike of some things which by some foolish women are made euen idols of shew that the true ornaments of Christian women young and old high and low are shamefastnesse modestie and good workes together with the incorruption of a meeke and quiet spirit which is of great account with God On the contrarie painting of the face colouring of the browes litting of the haire and such superfluous curiosities are abominations in his eyes But thou wilt say that the Apostle forbids not painting of the cheekes or haire It is true by name he doth not but in effect he doth and as Theophylactus speaketh If the Apostle forbid those things that belong to wealth then much more those things which with a certaine vnnecessarie care and study are composed onely for vaine trimming as the dawbing of the cheekes and face and some ointments put to the etes to make them beautifull and the rest of this rabble But tell me one thing for food and raiment for strength and health for naturall fauour forme and beautie a man is bound to praise the Lord and a good man will not forget to doe it hut dare any wanton thanke God for her coloured haire her borrowed beautie her artificiall facing I remember Saint Paul saith In euery thing giue thanks Now I demand of thee If thou wilt giue thanks in this thing I demand againe Why wilt thou liue in that state in which thou wouldest not die Surely they forget death and those daies of darknes that are dead aliue in these toyes and vanities A serious and sad remembrance of death and of the iudgement wherein euery one must receiue of the Lord according to that he hath done in his body whether it be good or euill would deterre and keepe vs from these abuses and vaine expense of time which is not ours if we doe abuse it and would make vs thinke of better things then these It is worth the noting which Isidorus Clarius a most eloquent Preacher as Stapleton calles him saith in this argument If some man saith he should promise a woman that if she would leaue of her painting and bodily brauerie for a yeere shee should appeare for an hundred yeeres after the most beautifull of all women that euer should be without doubt she would most willingly accept the condition Againe if it should be told her that she hath leaue for one yeeres space to allkinds of painting and colouring and all manner of ornaments but with that condition that she should bee the vgliest of all women all her life long after there is no question but that she would refuse the offer of that yeeres brauerie for feare of ensuing deformitie But all these things shall oome to passe and those things which are of so much the more moment by how much eternitte surpasseth a little time and yet so sluggish are they in a matter of so great importance For it shall come to passe that those women which in this life haue liued modestly and without paintings and idle ornaments shall haue bodies bright as the Sunne and that for euer but such as would needs appeare conspicuous and beautifull by borrowed brauerie here shall possesse eternall deformitie with the Diuell and his Angels Caluin writing on these words of Hoseah Tollat seortationes suas a facie suàs that is Let her take away her whoredomes from her face and her adulteries from betweene her breasts saith What meaneth this for women play not the whores with their face nor breasts It is well knowne saith he that the Prophet alludes to the dressing of harlots because Whores that they may alluremen dres themselues vp more costly and paint their faces curiously and garnish their breasts Immodesty therefore is seene as well in the face as in the breasts Tremelius also and Iunius commenting vpon the said Scripture vnderstand therby in like manner Adulterinos fucos paintings and such counterfeit deuises by the which as one hath wel obserued a woman doth not become more beautiful sed potius naturalis pulchritudinis aliquid subtrahit but rather takes away somewhat from naturall fauour Master Tho. Hudson writing of a Painted woman saith accordingly She surely keepes her fault of sex and nation And best alloweth still the last translation Much good time lost she rests her faces detter For sh 'as made it worse striuing to make it better Holinshed in his description of Scotland tells how the Picts vsed to paint ouer their bodies and some write that Medea a notable Sorceresse deuised these arts and sure it is that the Heathen and Infidels did first and most vsurp them seeing therefore we haue cast off their Barbarisme Infidelity let vs also lay aside their other vanities and adulterous deuises But if for very shame let not these heathenish images be brought into the houses of God They doe ill become the bodies of Saints which are the Temples of the holy Ghost but the Congregation of Saints worse who are assembled in Gods house not to shew vanitie but to learne humilitie not to draw down wanton eyes to themselues but to lift vp their eyes and harts vnto God not to deale with vain and idle people but with Iesus Christ whose holy eyes are offended with such sights Master Barnabee Rich his complaint may heere not vnfitly bee inserted who thus somewhere writeth You shall see saith he some women go so attired to the Church that I am ashamed to tell it alloud they are so bepainted so beperriwigd so bepowdered so be perfumed so be starched so belaced so be imbrodered that I cannot tel what mental vertue they may haue that they doe keepe inwardly to themselues but I am sure to the outward shew it is a hard matter in the Church it selfe to distinguish betweene a good woman and a bad I would to God our painters would consider what Saint Ierome writes as Eustoch Epitaph Paulae ep 27. of Paula who when he prayed her to spare her eies for the reading of the Gospell which shee marr'd with weeping for her sinnes returned this answere to the holy Father Turpandaest facies quam contra Dei praeceptum purpurisso cerussa
reported that the inuenter of Magicke Zeorastres a King of Bactria was burned to death by the diuel And I pray you what got Saul by his witch-seeking Was not his destructioÌ„ told him which accordingly came to passe And Buchanan telles vs how Naxlicus a Scotish King was slaine euen by the man whom hee had sent vnto a witch to inquire of the successe of his affaires and of the length of his life the witch hauing afore told the fellow that hee was the man that should slay him By all which we plainely see that God is offended with these diuellish arts and all that vse them How is it then to be lamented that in this cleare light of the Gospell there should be found amongst vs to the dishonour of God and of his Religion and the infamie of our Nation men that haue yeelded themselues disciples Students and practicioners in these hollish arts which Saint Iohn calleth the deepe things of Satan Reuel 1. 24. and haue fearefully prostituted themselues to become base instruments and vassals to act and accomplish the hests and commands of wicked ones vpon whom though the iustice of the State hath taken hold as one Wâ—ston and Franklin and hath made them publique spectacles of wrath to the terror of others yet considering the open signes of their true penitencie we are to hope charitably of them and to say of them as S. Paul doth in another case 1. Cor. 5. 5. that they were deliuered ouer vnto death to the destruction of the flesh that their spirit might bee saued in the day of the Lord Iesus And I desire all men by the mercies of God to abhorre and forsake all such vngodlinesse and to deucte themselues vnto God alone their Maker and Redeemer studying to serue him in righteousnesse and holines all the daies of their life For obedience is better then sacrifice and to hearken then a the fat of Rammes And the truth is that all the plagues and iudgements that euer came vpon the children of Israel light vpon them for their rebellion against God and their disobedience to his word And questionlesse it is come to passe by the iust iudgement of God that these offenders we haue spoken of and haue lately seene cut of were giuen ouer of God and left vnto themselues because they listened not vnto him but were disobedient vnto his word O this disobedience it is as the sinne of Witchcraft and Idolatrie it is in truth the mother and nurse of all iniquitie God hath two sorts of iudgements iudgements for men to keepe and iudgements for men to beare and God hath two sorts of Ministers Ministers of his Word and Ministers of his Sword now it is iust with God that they which will not keepe his iudgements should vndergo his iudgements and that they that wil not be reformed by his word should be punished and cut off with the sword and that such as regard not the power and doctrine of Ministers should feele to their smart the authoritie and force of Magistrates THe great God of heauen and earth euen the Father of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ be mercifull vnto vs and forgiue vs our sinnes all our abominable and crying offences keepe backe and remoue his iudgements from vs continue his blessings amongst vs preserue and prosper our noble King and all his kingdomes detect and bring vnder all his enemies and grant vs truth and peace and loue through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Trin-vni Deo Gloria THE PICTVR OF A PICTVR OR THE CHARACTER of a Painted woman SHe is a creature that had need to be twice defined for she is not that she seemes And though shee bee the creature of God as she is a woman yet is she her owne creatrisse as a picture Indeed a plaine woman is but halfe a painted woman who is both a substantiue and an adiectiue and yet not of the neuter gender but a feminine as well consorting with a masculiue as Iuie with an Ash She loues grace so well that she will rather die then lacke it There is no truth with her to fauour no blessing to beautie no conscience to contentment A good face is her god and her cheeke well died is the idoll she doth so much adore Too much loue of beautie hath wrought her to loue painting and her loue of painting hath transformed her into a picture Now her thoughts affections talke studie worke labour and her very dreames are on it Yet all this makes her but a cynamon tree whose barke is better then her bodie or a peece of guilded copper offered for current gold She loues a true looking-glasse but to commend age wants and wrinkles because otherwise she cannot see to lay her falshood right Her body is I weene of Gods making and yet it is a question for many parts thereof she made her selfe View her well and you'ill say her beautie 's such as if shee had bought it with her pennie And to please her in euery of her toies would make her maide runne besides her wits if she had any Shee 's euer amending as a begger 's a peecing yet is she for all that no good penitent For she loues not weeping Teares and mourning would marre her making and she spends more time in powdring pranking and painting then in praying Shee 's more in her oyntments a great deale then in her orizons Her religion is not to liue wel but die well Her pietie is not to pray well but to paint well She loues confections better a great deale then confessions and delights in facing and feasting more then fasting Religion is not in so great request with her as riches nor wealth so much as worship She neuer chides so heartilie as when her box is to seeke her powder 's spilt or her clothes ill set on A good Bed-friend shee 's commonly delighting in sheetes more then in shooes making long nights and short daies All her infections are but to gaine affections for she had rather die then liue not please Her lips she laies with so fresh a red as if she sang Iohn come kisse me now Yet it 's not out of loue excepting self-loue that she so seekes to please but for loue nor from honesty but for honor t is not piety but praise that spurres her She studies to please others but because she wold not be displeas'd her self And so she may fulfil her own fancy she cares not who els she doth befoole A name she preferres to nature and makes more account of fame then faith And though shee do affect singularity yet she loues plurality of faces She is nothing like her self saue in this that she is not like her self She sildoÌ„ goes without a paire of faces and she s furnisht with stuffe to make more if need be She saies a good archer must haue 2. strings to his bow but she hath hers bent both at once yet you must not say she weares 2. faces vnder one hood for that she
Hesiode the Poet and a certaine souldier of King Pyrrus from whose dead body his dog could not be wonne but fawning vpon the King as desirous of his aide the King commanded all his souldiers to come along by him by two and two in a ranke till at length the murderers came on whom the dog flew as if hee would haue killed them and turning to the King ran againe vpon them whereupon they were examined and forth with they confest the fact and receiued their punishment Somtimes they haue bin discouered by birds as Bessus who had murdered his father by Swallowes whom when he heard to chatter his guiltie conscience wrought him to think that they said in their gibberish that Bessus had kild his father So that now no longer able to containe himselfe hee confest his villany and was put to death for it The murder of the Poet Ibycus was discouered by Cranes and Luther speakes of the murder of a certaine Germane which was detected by Crowes who also with Melancton saw a notable discouerie of a murder made by a young fellow at Isenacum who hauing kild his host and took from him all his money began to make hast away but by the iudgement of God and terrors of his owne conscience hee was so frighted and amazed that he was not able to stirre one foot before hee was taken A certaine Merchant trauelling to Paris was in the way murdered by his man now as the murder was a doing a blind man being led by his dogge passed by and hearing one grone asked who it was To whom the murtherer answered It was a sickeman going to ease himselfe But it so fell out after that this treacherous fellow was in question for the murder of his master but he denied it the blindman also was heard of and brought to the murtherer and twentie men were caused to speake one after another and still the blind man was askt if he knew their voyces at last when the murtherer had spoken he knew his voice said This is the man which answered me on the mountaine This course was often vsed and still the blind man named the same and neuer fained Whereupon the Court condemned him to death and before he died he cōfest the fact But what need we go so far for examples euen this very yere in Lancashire was there a villanous murder strangely discouered by a young boy which story I hope wil by some that exactly know it hereafter be declared and published In like maner also the murder of Sir Tho. Ouerburie in the Tower though it lay hid some time yet at length by the prouidence of heauen it is discouered Diuers that haue been found guiltie of that cruell and most mercilesse murder haue bin condemned to death for the same and hangd who though they would faine haue shifted of the fault and pleaded Not guiltie as though they had bin innocent yet it pleased God still before their deaths to touch their hearts that they did ingeniously confesse their fault and did beg of God the pardon of it This sinne of murder is so grieuous that it cries aloud and shrill and will not leaue the Lord till he haue disclosed it many and admirable are the waies wherby God hath discouered it some I haue already set downe and many other might be named but that I meane not to be large All which should teach vs to detest and decline this sinne which shuts mens prayers out of heauen and puls downe the iudgements of God vpon thē And the greatest mercy that God vses to shew to Murderers which repent is this That he saues them as it were by death and preserues their soules from hell by deliuering vp their bodies into the hands of Magistrates his Ministers to take away their liues from thē by law as they haue taken away the liues of others against law But among all the deuises of murderers which are many these Italian deuises by poisoning are most vile and diuelish and they say An Englishman Italianated is a diuell incarnated If these arts should come in once amongst vs who shal be secure Here can a mā see who hurts him how shal a mā preuent the blow if he see not the arme that strikes him Yea here a man shal be made away vnder the pretext of friendship yea hee shall perhaps thank a man for that that is made to destroy him which hath death lapt vp in it which thinks is sent or giuen him as a tokan of loue vnto him God deliuer vs from these euils and strengthen the hearts and hands of our Magistrates to cut off all such offenders without respect of persons But besides this sinne of blood there are diuers others which are accessaries thereunto the very staine of religion and the bane of humane society as pride ambition witchcraft whoredome and the mother and nurse of all disobedience to the Ministerie of the Word Against euery of which I will speake a little shewing some notable iudgements of God vpon sundrie persons that haue therein offended Of Pride and Ambition ANd to begin with pride and ambition sins hatefull before God and man These things spoiled the Angels of their felicitie and man of his immortalitie They were bred in heauen but they bring to hel They were throwne out of heauen and were neuer so fortunate as to find the way thither againe They are the spoile of vertues the source of vices the roots of euils the disgraces of religion by remedies they beget diseases and by medecines maladies The bountie of the ambitious is shewne to rich men and their patience is for vanitie When they are aduanced they are proud and full of bosting Non curant prodesse sed gloriantur praeesse and they think themselues better because they see themselues greater neither are they thankfull for those degrees of honour they haue attained to but they are discontented for lacke of those they would attaine to For their desire lookes not backe from whence they sprang but whither they gang And it often fares with ambitious men that haue great estates as with such as weare their choates too long which makes them if they take not the better heed to stumble fall and hurt themselues But if men would wel weigh with themselues the instabilitie of al earthly things and consider the iudgements of God vpon ambitious and proud people whom for their very pride hee doth resist it would doubtlesse abate their swelling spirits and teach them to bee lowly-minded Tho. Rogers Esquire of the Instabilitie of Fortune written to the Earle of Hartford Boautie is like a faire but fading flower Riches are like a bubble in a sireame Great strength is like a fortified Tower Honour is like a vaine but pleasing dreame We see the fairest flowers soone fade away Bubbles doe quickly vanish like the wind Strong Towers are rent and doe in time decay And dreames are but illusions of the mind Call but to mind the iudgements of God
vpon the proud and ambitious as on Lucifer and his fellows our first parents Abimelecke Absalon Haman Scnacherih Nebuchadnezzar Olofernes Antiochus Herod Alladius Apryes Caligula Domitian Alexander Timotheus the Athenian Aiax Capaneus and but marke his dealings with the proud and hautie of the world that neither know God nor man neither themselues nor others and then shalt thou bee forced to confesse that there is a God that abaseth the proud which as Dauid saith Psalm 119 are cursed and erre from Gods commandements And here I cannot but magnifie the wisedome and honourable proceeding of our State in detecting and pursuing malefactors of these our times who hauing carried their leaud practises with a great deale of hautinesse of secresie and securitie thought the world Fortuna non arte regi to bee guided by chance not by any steddy course of diuine prouidence But their punishment hath cleared this doubt absoluitque deos hath iustified God in his righteous dealing so that all the world is ready to say with Dauid verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlesse there is a God that iudgeth the earth Psalm 58. 10. One of the offenders hauing made a profitable vse of her arraignement and conuiction did confesse to the glorie of God being truly humbled by hearty repentance that shee was hainously guilty of the murther of Sir Thomas Ouerburie and was iustly condemned for the same detesting her former life led in poperie pride and sensualitie and exhorting the assistants with much earnestnes to leaue off their yellow bands and of garish fashions the very inuentions of the diuell I wish that her words might take impression in those that heard them and her example serue others for instruction Of Adulterie I Am now come to speake of whoredome and to shew some of the iudgements of God against it True it is that marriage is honorable in al and the bed vndefiled but whoremongers and adulterers God wil iudge God did seuerely chastise Dauid for his adultery For the child so gotten he tooke away and suffered his daughter Thamar to be rauished by his sonne Ammon and his Concubines to be defiled by Absalom his sonne that was so deare vnto him Rodoaldus a King of Lombardy was slaine as he was in the very act of adulterie Olrichbertus eldest sonne to Lotharius a King of France died as he was embracing his whore Luther somwhere speaks of a Noble man so sensuall and whorish that he slucke not to say that If this life of pleasure and harlot-hunting would last euer he would not eare for heauen or eternall life But the filthy wretch died among his harlots being strucken with a sudden stroke of Gods vengeance Messelina the wife of Claudicus the Emperour was a woman of rare in continency She fell at last in loue with one Silius a faire young Gentleman and that she might marrie him tho the Emperour her husband was aliue she caused his wife Sillana to be diuorced and so married him for the which after the complaint and suite of the Nobles to the Emperour shee was put to death This sin of adulterie was odious euen among the Heathen as appeareth by the slorie of Abimeleck Genes 26. by the practise of the Turkes and Tartars and of Aurelianus who for terrour sake adiudged one of his Souldiers to a cruell death for adulterating his hostisse as also by the law of Iulia by which all adulterers were sentenced to die and by the words of Queene Hecuba in Euripides who would haue it made a law that euery wife should die that gaue her chastitie to another man And how vnpleasing this sin is vnto God any man may see that reades the Lawes he gaue vnto his people the Iewes by the which adulterers were to bee put to death or which considers what the Apostle writes in sundry places in which he sheweth that Whoremongers and adulterers shall not inherit the Kingdome of God 1. Cor. 6. Gal. 5. Of Witchcraft BVt there is yet another sin behind which is very sacrilegious and altogether derogatorie to the glory of God and dishonourable to all Christian men which is Witchcraft or all those curious arts and deuises that are wrought by the Diuell whether it bee superstitious diuination or iugling or Incantation in the doing whereof euery witch is at a league with the diuell open or secret and doth wittingly and willingly vse his helpe This Saint Paul Gal. 5. numbers vp among the deeds of the flesh and threatneth them that vse it with the losse of heauen Almightie God in Deut. 18. 10. forbids all kinds of witches and witcheries as abominations vnto him and for the which he driue out the Nations out of Canaan and in Leuit. 20. he bids that a man or woman that hath a familiar spirit or that is a wizzard bee put to death And he is so bent against this hellish sinne that he saith expressely in Leuit. 20. 6. that the soule that turneth after such as haue familiar spirits and after wizards to goe a whoring after I will euen set my face against that soule and will cut him off from amongst my people But behold some of the iudgements of God vpon Magicians and Witches Platina with others testifie that Pope Ione obtained the papacy by Magique but after she had been papesse some two yeeres and a little more she being thought an he fell in trauell of a child in the open streetes as shee was going to the Church of Lateran in which shee died Bladud the sonne of Lud King of Brittaine was giuen much to these blacke arts and wrought wonders by them at last he made himselfe wings and assaied to flie but the diuell forsooke him in his iourney so that falling downe he broke his necke Plutarch speakes of a notable witch called Cleomedes who being pursued by diuers that had had their children kild by him hid himselfe in a coffer which when they came to search vpon notice giuen them they found not the murdering witch in it for the diuell had carried him quicke away with him A witch cald Cold in Lorraine would suffer pistols to bee shot at him and catch the bullets as they were a comming but at length one of his seruants being angry with him so shot him with a pistoll that he kild him Benedict the 9 a Pope and a Magitian was as some write strangled to death by the diuell in a Forest whither he had retired to follow his coniuring exercises Cornelius Aggrippa a notable Magitian died but basely Simon Magus likewise perished in his slight the diuell forsaking him at the word of S. Peter Simon Pembroke a figure-caster of Saint Georges parish neere London was presented for a Coniurer and being in Saint Sauiours Church where he was warned to appeare he was suddēly strucken by the hand of God and there died and there being searcht there were found about him diuers coniuring bookes with a picture of a man of tinne and much other trash And it is