man the Emperour made many great offers to Megolo all which he refused and answered him that he was not come thither for the couetousnes of goods but for his owe the name of the Genowaies honour and that he demaunded of him none other thing then that in remembrance hereof he would build at Trebisonde a fayre shop for the marchandise of the Genowaies about which should be painted this historie which the Emperour accomplished and vsed the Genowaies with greater fauour then before and so Megolo returned to Genowaie gratified and receiued of euery man with great honour CAAP. 11. The contention that enuie set betweene the Emperour of Constantinople the Lord of Bulgarie and other Princes was the first grounde and sure foundation of the great TVRKES Empire THe puissant kingdome of the Turkes at this day so much renoumed and feared together with the linage and familie of their Ottomans and kings are of late yeeres sprung vp as a scourge sent and suffered by God for the sins and iniquities of the Christians It is not yet 300. yeeres since the first beginning of their kingdome which at this day is multiplied to the terrour of the whole world the name of the Turks are neuerthelesse auncient but to say that they came of the ancient Troians because they are called Teucres is a manifest errour Plinie and Pomponius Mela in the ende of his first booke say that their originall cōmeth frō the Sarmats which are of the confines of Scythia néere vnto the sea Caspia who in ancient times were called Turaci and now Turkes these Scythians or Turkes liuing before as sauadge men came forth of Scythia into Asia Minor which is by reason of their name to this day called Turkie where they robbed and conquered certaine prouinces these as barbarous infidell people receyued the damnable sect of Mahomet as the first that was presented vnto them which best agréed with their wicked customs these people wtout gouerner or head but being a multitude fiercely ioyning together setled thēselues in the lesse Asia in fine they chose one Soliman of the kingdom of Cilicia for their K. whom Godfrey of Bolloine other christian Princes vtterly ouerthrew so discomfited the Turkes that of long time after they had neyther K. nor captaine of account In the end Ottoman a man of base linage got the fauor of the people was made their K. and by vertue great valor somewhat inlarged their dominions he raigned 28. yéeres dyed An. 1308. whose K. continueth to this day in the ligne of the heire males Orkan succéeded his father Ottoman a man as valiant and more industrous then his father he was a great inuenter of militarie engins magnanimous liberal who after he had raigned 22. yéeres dyed of a hurt which he receiued at the assault of a city he had by the K. of Cilicias daughter a Christian whō he married a son named Amurat that sucéeeded him a man farre vnlike his father in vertues of the mind or strength of body yet very ambitious desirous to inlarge his Empire to compasse which enuy presented him a faire occasion at that time the E. of Constantinople was at controuersie with certain Princes his subiects which fauoured the L. of Bulgarie who charged the E. so hard as he was driuen to demaūd succour of this Amurat K. of the Turkes who sent him 15000. chosen men by the aid of whom the E. vanquished his enemies which done he kept the greater part of the Turks in his owne dominions Amurat vnderstanding the disposition of the coūtrie vnder the colour to ayd the E. against his enemies came into the dominions of the E. with 60000 footemen and a great number of horsemen in despight of the E. made himselfe L. of the cities of Calipoli Andronople he ouercame Marke the grandmaster of Bulgarie and Lazarus the despos of Seruia with a great number of Christians and Malgre the E. possessed himselfe of the gretest part of Thracia Greece in the end a slaue of Lazarus slew him when he had liued 23. yéeres which was An. 1373. Amurat left 2. sons Soliman Baiazet Baiazet slew his brother Soliman and made himselfe King in the beginning of his raigne he prepared great wars against the Christians to reuenge the death of his father and with a great armie he incoūtred in battaile with Marke L. of Bulgaria and with the greatest part of the nobilitie of Bulgaria and Seruia whom he slew and vtterly defeated 3. yéeres after this victorie he returned a newe vpon the Christians in Hungarie but chiefely in Albania and Valaschia and from thence sente many Christians slaues into Turkie and being possessed of the greatest parte of Greece to wit of the ancient countries of Athens Boetia and Arcania he laid siege vnto the great Citie of Constantinople which draue the Emperor in proper person to desire aid of the westerne Princes in which behalfe K. Charles the 7. succoured him with 2000. launces among whome there were two french gentlemen of great expectation who ioyned with Sigismond K. of Hungarie afterwards Emperour who for the same purpose raised a great armie with whome also ioyned the grandmaster of the Rhodes the Despos of Seruia and a great number of other christian Princes whereupon Baiazet leauing his siege at Constantinople sodeinly with 300000 men set vpon the Christians who were about a 100000. men betweene whom there was a most bloudy battaile in fine the Christians were ouerthrowne and the greater part slaine the King of Hungarie and the grandmaster of Rhodes hardely escaped by flight and the Frenchmen were neere all slaine or taken this battell was Anno 1395. vpon Michaelmas euen After which victorie Baiazet returned againe to his former siege of Constantinople and had surely won the same if the newes of Tamberlaines entrie into his countrey and that he had already gained many townes cities and prouinces constrained him to trusse vp his baggage and with his full power to go finde his enemie in Asia now two of the mightiest princes of the world encountered eache other in battaile where Baiazet was ouercome and taken who endured the most vile and hard prisonment that euer was heard of for Tamberlain still carried him with his armie in an iron cage and alwayes when he moūted vpon his horse he set his foot vpon his shoulders moreouer at meales he tyed him vnder his boorde and like a dog fedde him with fragments in this sorte ended this Prince his life who had bene the most aduentrous the most renowmed and the most feared Prince of his time The sons of Baiazet which escaped the battaile where their father was ouerthrowne in their flight taken vpon the seas by certaine galleis of the Christians and certainely at that instant a faire occasion was offered the Christians to haue kept vnder for euer their capitall enemie the Turke but their sinnes forbad
welnéere of all Italy is cleane shut out of the kingdom of Naples the Dukedom of Florence Ferrara Mantua Millaine Parma Vennis the state of Genua c. so that to come to his segniorie of Bologna he is driuen to the lower way by Racâ—…onati Maddona de Loreto Ancona and by exchange with the Duke of Vrbin patcheth a passage so that in respect of her ancient limits this proud Eagle is welniâ—…h brought into the case of Platoes cocke with neuer a feather on her back the end of this Eagle shall be confusion the text so saieth the lion shal rebuke her vnrighteousnes rent her asunder shal deliuer the rest of the people of trouble make theÌ„ ioifull The Lion of England euen King Henry the 8. and his posterity hath made a faire reuealement of this prophesie the godly expect that the Eagle shall vanish to nothing with the thundering blasts that the English Lion hath shal storme vpoÌ„ her she feareth the same therfore bendeth all her secret forces to disquiet the Lion S. Augustine long ago séeing certaine english boies to be sold as slaues in Rome thus prophesied bene vocantur angeli quia nitent vt angeli in quo regno euangelium dei florebit they are properly called English-men because they shine as Angels in which kingdome the Gospell of Christ shall floorish The learned Doctor Erasmus writing a paraphrase of the foure Euangelists dedicated the first to the Emperour the second to the french King the third to the noble King Henry and the fourth to the Emperours brother the Pope was wiped out of his trauell as one not destined to haue the protection of this pretious iewell To King Henry the eight he dedicated his paraphrase of S. Luke and in his Epistle wrote that he had sent him Luke the Physition by circumstances reputed his Maiestie through his godly and religious procéedings to be the spirituall Physition that by the working of the holy Ghost purged the soules of many from the grosse errors of Antichrist I leane not so much to these moderne prophises although there be a common Prouerbe Vox populi vox dei the Scriptures giueth light sufficient that from these partes the Gospell of our Sauiour should be visibly reuiued In the fourth Chapter of Cantica Canticorum be these words Vp thou north wind and blow vpon my Garden that the smell thereof may be caried on euery side yea then my beloued may come into his Garden and eate of the sweete fruite that growe therein This winde is vp at the Almighties call his commission is well blasted abroade This noble King Henry as it is interpreted this Lion this winde ordained and sent of God first shooke the wicked tyrant of Rome first blewe the blast that hath almost blowne his authoritie out of all Christendome The Pope in his quarrell almost armed all Christian princes against this Lion but they feared or failed to do him hurt In the Popes quarrell many seditions were sowen in England in fearing the communaltie that the King would begger them with impositions The Northerne men openlie rebelled and the whole realme was in armes readie bent against their proper intrailes but God frustrated the deuisers counsels and preserued vs from the wilfull murther of our selues When the kings power and the rebels were ready to méete he parted the armies with a suddaine swelling of the water while after a parle the Rebels were willing to acknowledge their faults and with the kings gratious pardon departed to their owne houses a wonderfull prouidence of God that would not haue the rebels perish in their ignorance nor the good subiects murthered in so vnnaturall a battaile The vngratious Cardinal Poole stirred a great power in France but the french were more afraid to venter then was king Henry in his aged daies that they woulde enter into England His mind was inuinsible and euen of God all his procéedings were blessed their happy successe testified no lesse who in the 37. yeare of his triumphant raigne ended his life in peace whose death made England vnhappy in that the most toward and godly prince Edward the sixt his only sonne and heire of the Crowne was of so tender age CHAP. 5. A sommarie of the most excellent gifts of King Edward the sixt THe godly and most toward yong Prince King Edward the sixt being but of the age of nine yeares began his raigne the 31. of Ianuarie 1546. This prince in his tender age was indued with such towardnesse wisedome learning and all goodly gifts as Europe seldome or neuer fostered the like By reason of his tender yeares the Duke of Somerset his vncle was made Protector both of the King and his Realme who for the discretnesse of his speach the wisedome of his behauiour and vertue that accompanied all his actions was worthely reputed to be better able to gouerne at tenne then many princes at thirtie yeares of age There wanted no gift of nature learning or education that might renowne a good King but that mightely grew in his yong yeares as the vndoubted heire not only of the crowne but of all the vertues of his most noble father He aduanced the Gospell to which by Gods holie spirit his godly father gaue frée passage in England whose deuout zeale witnessed that this heauenly blessing was no lesse planted by his Grace by his godly councels and wisedome By his especiall request and letters the Citizens of London erected thrée néedefull Hospitals viz. for the sicke and aged they erected S. Thomas Hospitall in Southwarke for the fatherlesse child and infant they erected Christes Hospitall and for the sturdy vagabond they erected Bridewell by his godly meanes this charitable worke was sowne His wonderfull victory against the Scots may not be forgotten where was slaine 13000. Scots and but 60. Englishmen And truly if his subiects would haue béen imitators of his pietie charitie temperance and other christian duties their enuy ambition crueltie and other gréeuous sinnes had not so highly moued Gods wrath as that his vengeance would not suffer vs in any perfect yéeres to enioy this right gratious King Edward sample of all goodnes and by his death for a time reaued vs of the fruition of the Gospell the foode of our soules and in place of both to further punish our vnthankefulnesse he sent vs a prince that held a hard hand ouer vs that not only stopped the passage of the Gospell but persecuted the godly professors thereof euen Quéene Mary good King Edwards sister part of whose actions followeth CHAP. 6. An abstract out of the proceedings of Queene Mary LADY Mary the eldest daughter of king Henry the eight began her raigne ouer the realme of England the sixt of Iuly 1553. Touching her naturall disposition she was vertuouslie and well giuen but by reason that her bringing vp was vnder Papists and her youth throughlie instructed in the superstitions of Papistrie anone after that she was setled in her
and knowledge that he might worthelie iudge the people Plutarke and Aulus Gelius recite that when Alexander was borne king Philip his father wrote in this manner vnto Aristotle I thanke not God so much for that I haue a sonne as for that he is borne in the time of Aristotle c. to whose instruction Philip committed him and truely his worthy actions bewrayed the wisdome of his education This Alexander shewed the loue he bare to learning when hearing that Aristotle had written certaine bookes of naturall Philosophie hee wrote vnto him in this manner Truely Aristotle thou deceiuest my desire in publishing of this speculatiue philosophie which I thought should properly haue honored my selfe for know thou I had rather exceed all men in knowledge and learning than in riches and dominions Antigonus king of Macedone to be instructed in wisedome knowledge by his letter thus saluted the Philosopher Zenon The king Anty gonus wisheth health to the Philosopher Zenon I know well that I passe thee in riches and fauours of fortune but I must confesse that thou farre passest me in the true felicitie which consisteth in the knowledge discipline and studie of the lyberal sciences Alexander afore named so loued Homers Illyads as he appointed the magnificēt Iuel box of Darius to kéepe the same Cesar the best Captaine that euer was by his singular learning raised a question whether he was more honored with the lance or the penne Certainly they be both so necessarie as without the knowledge and vse of either a royal prince is maymed The multitude as Sophocles saith is a beast with many heads and therefore to gouerne such a monster requireth many pollicies in which the works of learned men will liberally instruct a prince but to acquire perfite knowledge the principall induction is the feare of the Lord which as Salomon saith is the beginning of wisedome The prince that will haue good subiects ought chiefely to instruct them with the example of his owne good life for for the most part the manners of the people incline to the affections of the Prince The noble prince ought to shake the flatterer from his eare and to raise the oppressed that fall at his féete for the one lieth in waite to disgrace the good and the other by opening their wrongs discouer the bad Hard and bitter words of a prince is the cause of much murmuring discontentment in the subiects where the prince is noted to be temperate no man wil be so hardy as to demand a wicked vile request O happy art thou Marcus Cato saith Cicero of whom no man dare demaund a wicked thing He is worthy of a kingdome and soueraigne rule and giueth hope of a good prince that pursueth the wicked hateth the intemperate reiecteth the lyars as the pestilence flieth the counsels of voluptuous persons for who so effecteth the desires of such counsellers his infancie wil be shameles his youth effeminated and his age infamous The preacher saith wel is thée O thou land whose king is come of nobles whose princes eate in due seasō for necessity not for lust king Lamuels mother counsaileth to giue the king no wine nor princes strong drink least in being drunken they forget the law and administration of iustice When king Alexander became a drunken Epicure in his drunkennesse he slewe his deare friends and by misgouernment hastened his owne death King Balthafar in his general banquet to his thousand Lords when he was drunken with wine commaunded his vessels of gold and siluer which his father Nabuchodonosor had taken out of the Temple at Ierusalem to be brought vnto him that he his wiues concubines might drink in them in contempt of the liuing Lord. but in the middest of his banquet the vengance of God with a visible hand wrote his destruction vpon the wal Dronkennes containeth all vices and the least vice is a great blemish in a prince Temperance in dyet bredeth sobrietie in manners reposed words are the glory of a Iuditial throne The sound safetie of a king is in the cherishment of religion and maintenance of his Lawes for the one vpon pain of damnation kéepeth subiectes in loyall obedience the other for feare of temporal punishment brideleth the dispositions of the wicked it is not ynough for the honor and maiestie of a prince to administer the vertue of all these vertues to his subiects alone but as Xenophon in his Cyropedia writeth a prince well quallified ought so to vse his enimies as his enimies may become his friends Pompey the great hauing vanquished Tygranus king of the Armenians hée established Tygranus againe in his kingdome saying that it was as Magnanimous a thing to giue a king his kingdome as to take it from him but the magnificent clemencie of Philip Maria Duke of Mylaine toward his vanquished enimies deserueth more than mortall honour This Philip Maria by victorie in a battaile vppon the Sea tooke Alfonsus king of Aragon and Sicile with two of his brethren Thierry king of Nauare the Prince of Tarent and three hundred men of great reputation all which he sent backe freely into their owne countries and where by the Law of Armes he might haue taken great ransomes of these Estates such was the honour of his mind as hée gaue vnto euerie one of them rich presents The senate of Rome deliuered 2700. Carthagenian prisoners without ransome I coulde resite manie of the like examples but small perswasions instruct the wise the vertuous desire glorie rather by their owne Actions than by the examples of other men And aboue all men a Royal Prince ought to be bewtified both with diuine and heroycall vertues for that the names dispositions and doing of the meanest princes are regestred in the Capitols of the whole world writers so narrowly search the doings of Princes as the prudēt Emperour Alexander surnamed Seuerus would oftentimes say that he stoode in more feare of one writer than of a hundred souldiers for that the wound of a pen remaineth after death when the sharpe stroke of a launce bereaueth a man but of life it is not onely conuenient that a Prince doe exercise pietie Iustice Temperance and all other offices of vertue for his honour and good renowne but it is néedfull that he do the same for his owne safetie for albeit there be no penall Law to chasten a Royall king yet Tyrannie is so odious to God and man as we seldome reade of any that raigne long and of as few that die peaceablie A number of whose ignominious deathes briefely to touch I hold not impertinent that other Princes may by the terrour thereof be feared and warned from Tyranny The Tyrant Abimelech slew 70. of his brethren and in the end a woman from a hie tower tombled a stone vpon his head the wound being mortall he willed his Page to runne him through with his sword that it might not be said a woman slew
gotten a great maâ—…e of money to make Hugh Pulath the Bishop of Durham Earle of Northumberland chiefe Iustice of England Sée quoth the King what a miracle I can do I can make of an old Bishop a yong Earle but his myracle turned to the great disworship of God and mischiefe of the whole Realme for the prelates by buying temporall honors for thys King for money made many prelates Uicounts Barons soone learned how to sell the peace and prosperitie of the Kingdome this was the sound waie to strengthen the Popes Empyre and the wicked pollicy that kepte vnder the Gospell the light and life of saluation when ambition crept into the Church zeale fled out of the hart of the Cleargie but which hath wrought the capitoll mischiefe of all the inequalitie of estates betwéene the highest and lowest of the Prelates hath brought enuie into the Church and with enuie a number of heresies and controuersies Occasion and millions of mens deathes and damnation haue opened the venome of thys passion sufficientlie in the Chapter of heresies and in sundrie other places in the Conquests of Enuy. Disvnion of the Church of all calamities is the most gréeuous because it mouéth a most mortall warre among men and eternall torment vnto the soule God for hys Sonne Iesus sake banishe thys dangerous passion foorth of the Churche and gyue the spirite of true knowledge vnto all the Cleargie that with mutuall consentes they maye teache one sounde doctrine to the glorie of GOD and vniuersall peace and comforte of his people Amen CHAP. 4. Of the most honorable calling of the Iudiciall Maiestrates of the waightinesse of theyr offices with examples of Gods heauie iustice inflicted vppon partiall Iudges IN all good gouerments necessitie hath taught princes where vertue is found to honor it and questionles so waightie are the affaires of a Common-wealth and so holie the iudgements of iustice as the nobilitie or innobilitie of the person not respected The Magistrates or Ministers of these charges ought to be chosen by the counsell that Iethro the Priest gaue vnto hys sonne in lawe Moyses which was that he shoulde choose among the people vertuous men and such as feare God true men hating couetousnesse and make them heads ouer the people and let them iudge the people at all seasons c. The waightinesse of which charge commandeth a hye honour and reuerence to be giuen to the Magistrate who in the place of iustice is the image of the Prince And in all good Gouerments the soueraigne Magistrate hath hys place next vnto the Prince In Rome the Senators were called the Fathers of the Common wealth and as the Father is honored and reuerenced of his sonne so were they of the people The Maiestrates or Philosophers of Greece were called Sages whose wisedomes were so reuerenced as nothing was done concerning warre or peace but what they allowed The office of the Magistrate according to the Psalmist is to defende the poore and fatherlesse and to sée that such as bée in néede and necessitie may haue right and as King Lamuell setteth downe they must bée aduocates for the doombe they must open theyr mouthes to defend the thing that is lawfull and right and accordyng to the counsell of Aristotle in theyr iudgementes they must bée ruled neyther by loue hatred or gaine That these duties may bée truely ministred Cicero sayeth that Sophocles counselled Pericles to make choise of Iudges that had not onely theyr handes but theyr eyes chaste and continent It behoueth that Iudges do not buy theyr offices for as Alexander Seuerus sayeth he that buieth must néedes sell and therefore sayeth he I will suffer no Merchants of Estate for if quoth he I suffer the one I must néedes indure the other as a matter too seuere to punish him that buyeth although he selleth In Fraunce all the offices of iustice are solde in Englande they are fréely geuen in the one I knowe the administration is corrupt I pray God the other be without faulte Plato was so curious in the choise of iudiciall officers as he gaue counsell to giue no dignitie or offices to the ambitious or to such as coueted or sought them but vnto such as méerely refused them and aboue all he forewarned to make choyse of none that naturally were barbarous rude or rusticke but of people that were ciuill milde iust and wise the which he figuratiuely compared vnto dogs which are ordained to defende the shéepe and to chase awaye the Wolfe In Calcydone there was a lawe that néedie and vnworthie persons shoulde beare no office but contrarywise such as contemned riches and contented to be inriched with most knowledge and such manner of men were Curius Fabritius and Phocion Alexander the Great teacheth Iudges to iudge vprightly by this obseruance when any man complained he stopped one of his eares to heare the aunswere of the defendant and truely iustice is neuer rightly administred where the Iudge giueth hys sentence before lawfull conuiction It is a place of much honor to be a Iudiciall Magistrate but the temptation of money is so swéete as when the world was nothing so corrupt in these dayes the Poet was driuen to sing Munera crede mihi capiunt hominesque deosque In English Beleeue me giftes do catch both Gods and men Diogenes béeing asked what thing an office was said it was a dangerous beast for quoth he it is as hard a matter for the Iudges of the people to kéepe theyr consciences sound as barefooted for a man to walke vpon sharpe stones vnhurt or to thrust his hand into the fire without the burning thereof In all good gouerments there euermore haue béene positiue lawes to bridle the iniustice of Iudiciall Maiestrates The false Iudges that accused Susanna were stoned to death Alexander Seuerus caused the corrupt Maiestrate Turinus to be smoothered with the smoke of wette stubble during whose execution one cryed With fume let him dye that fumes hath solde Thys Alexander defrayed the charge of all the Iudges with an honorable allowance that theyr offence might be without excuse and theyr punishmente without mercie if they did iniustice for money The sentence that King Cambyses gaue vpon a corrupt Iudge deserueth eternall memorie he caused hym to be flayed and with hys skinne he couered a iudiciall Chaire in which he placed the Iudges sonne to occupie the office of hys Father and to feare him from briberie and all partialitie besides the continuall sight of his fathers skinne Cambyses gaue hym this sharpe item Sede sedens ista iudex inflexibilis sta Sit tibi lucerna lux lex pellisque paterna A manibus reseces munus ab aure preces In English Thou Iudge that sittest in this seate firmely sit therein And for thy light take thou the light the lawe and fathers skin Superfluous bribes cut from thy ruling hand And in thy eares let no intreatie stand I néede not inlarge this Chapter with the positiue
reported that his notorious crimes exceeded the dayes of his age which I ouerpasse as examples necessary for other purposes and vnto this impious parte I will ioyne this following crueltie Upon a day one tolde this naughtie Emperour that his cosen Mamertius Antomenes resembled him in comelynesse of bodie and magnanimitie of minde vpon which report Commodus pronounced death both vpon the reporter and his innocent cousen holding it for reason that it appertained to no man to vaunt lesse to resemble him and in my opinion if Antomenes resembled him in deuilish qualities death was too easie a scourge for so lewde a life Mulla Abdula father of Moley Mahumet commonly called the blacke king in whose cause the mortall battaile betwéene the king of Portugall and Amoley Muluco king of Fees was fought the 5. of August 1578. as in the alteration of the latter common weales by enuy shal be more largely shewen vpon an enuious suggestion that his brethren by the priuity in nature and bloud loked to liue in greater liberty then subiectes by the assistaunce of a noble man of the countrey called Alcatho Alley caused the throates of a eleuen of his brethren to be cut in one morning Now to conclude these particular tyrannies of enuye vnto which millions of notorious examples may be enserted the monstrous murders of king Richard the third a tyrant of our nation is worthy note in whose wretched end yet worthy his wickednes the happines of Englande began againe to florish and enioyed her auncient renowne This tyraunt at such time as he was Duke of Glocester with an enuious eye behelde the soueranity of king Edwarde the 4. his brother and yet inforced by necessity obeyed him For annoynted kinges with weake policies are not depriued but vnable to hold his hand from their throates who for their dignities toke the vpper hand of him against the lawes of honor with his impious handes he stabbed Prince Edward to the hart beeing taken prisoner at the battaile of Tewksbury Next like an Alehouse ruffen with his dagger he slew the infortunate good king Henry the sixt in the tower of London Then heaping murder vppon murder he caused George Duke of Clarence his naturall Brother to be drowned in a Butte of Malmesey And last though not the least to rowle vp a number of noble subiectes endes with the death of king Edward the fift and Richard Duke of Yorke the kinges brother his nephewes whom he caused to be murthered in the Tower and buried without honor to infame the name of king Edward the fourth and his posterity he pronounced his mother like a filthy harpye to be a strumpet and that the sayd king Edward was a Bastard and him selfe onely legitimate as I think sonne of the diuel for it séemeth wonderful that so inhumane a creature should take life of humane séed CHAP. 3. Enuy originall of warre and capitall cause of the destruction of the first Monarchies MAny yéeres after the beginning euery king qui etly enioyed the countries in his own possession vntil Ninus king of the Asserians enuying the soueranity of his neighbour kings put him self in armes vnlawfully to inlarge his owne dominions by deposing other froÌ„ their kingdoms Thus byenuy froÌ„ the bottom of hell came war by war confusion of deuine humaine blessings the aduauncement of thousandes of diuelish iniquities For whereas lawes giue place to armes the honor of God is wounded his word is misprised Iesus Christ is blasphemed and persecuted his Gospell is reiected and his Sacraments are prophaned fire is put to the house of the lord Wolues are thruste into his stéepefolde and wilde Bores among his vines truth and equity is peruerted charity is cold innocents and the iust are oppressed youth bee ill instructed publicke orders are broken discipline and rules of good life are abolished ignoraunce is raysed knowledge is abased proud ambitious and men of leaste estimation doe gouerne the learned wise and vertuous are disofficed as ideots and men of no merite countries bee vnpeopled fayre Cities are burned peaceable citizens are murthered their wiues and daughters are rauished their groundes lye vntilled goods compassed by the trauels of a mans whole life in one hower doe become the spoyle of a riotous souldiour And to conclude though short of a number of other curses which follow warre vice mounted in her chariot of triumph arrogaÌ„tly treadeth pore vertue vnder foot therby they that shold cry out of this outrage against God and man are dumb and the reformers of these enormities deafe these vengeances by war the enuious eye and ambitious hart of Ninus bred in the worlde which died not with the destruction of Th'asserian monarchy Notwithstanding enuy the erecter was the destroyer therof For Arbactus leiftenant of the Meades enuiyng the soueranity of Sardanapalus a man more effeminate then a woman by the assistaunce of other lords gaue battaile vnto the king Sardanapalus discomforted â—…led into his pallas there enuiyng the fortune of Arbactus more to reaue him of the glory of his triumph then moued by sorrow of his own defeat Sardanapalus set fire of his Pallas his wealth him selfe so by the prodigall spoyle of his life recouered the reputation of a man for manhood is most truely tried by constancy in the trembling passage of death The like enuious part was committed by Ariathes king of Capidocia who being ouercome in battail by Perdicas one of Alexanders successors fled into the Citye enuiyng Perdicas good fortune more then he lamented his owne mischance caused the city to be set on fire incouraged his souldiers citizens to slay their wiues children holding it lesse euill to die by the violence of friends then to liue a seruile life vnder the controlment of their enemies And by this means in truth he reaued Perdicas of the spoyle of his victory but did both vnto him selfe and countrey an iniury against nature and reason against nature in committing wilful murder vpon him selfe posterity against reason in that time was able to repaire his ruines of fortune But to kéep an order in discoursing the actions of enuy by the victory which Arbactus had ouer Sardanapalus the empyre of Th'asserians was traÌ„slated into the Meades which corse most conquerors adopted Princes euer since haue taken to crown their natiue countrey with imperiall title to leaue the places conquered or by other meanes gayned to the tyrannye of leifetenants Well this monster enuy which mortifieth the naturall affection of a father robbeth dutifull obedience from the son made the one of these the cause the other the ouerthrow of this second empire For Astiages the last king of the Meades receauing answer of the Oracle that his daughters sonne should gouerne his empire as it were to despight the Gods that had fore destined this honor vnto his daughters sonne vpon an enuious thought first
married her to a meane man of Persia for that following the course of nature the father beeing base the sonne should not haue a generous minde But not so satisfied he be thought him of a common speache that the father may bequeath the sonne his liuinges but not his vertues neither is he sure to ingraft in him his vices And therefore as Astiages imagined to make sure worke he commaunded his familiar seruant Harpagus so soone as his daughter was deliuered to murder the childe But note by this example how vainelye the greatest Princes striue that striue to frustrate the determination of God Harpagus departed with a resolution to do the kinges commaundement and ready to strike the stroke the childe regarded him with such an affable countenance as his hart was not able to strengthen his hand to commit so impious a murder and therefore he left the vengeance of the kinges will to be executed by sauage beastes as an office vnséeming a ciuill creature Thus God by his wonderfull prouidēce to rebate Harpagus sword armed this infants face with the vertues of the two noblē Romanes Marius Crassus who by the assurednes of their countenaunces made the executioners weapons to fall from their handes so that they forsaking their determination the other ouer liued that hard destiny And in aduauntage contrary to kinde he made a shée Wolfe to nourish the child with an affection as great as that where with the Lions intertained Daniell And last Cyrus hauing knowledge of his Grandfathers cruell intent he subiected him to his mery and possessed him selfe in his empyre who being a Persian borne changed the Empire of the Meades into the empire of the Persians During the continuaunce of which gouernement many enuious partes were exercised among thē selues which being the lesse I conclude in the great ouerthrow of their monarchy which happened in the time of Alexander the great who so enuied the glory of the Persians as when their king Darius offered him an honorable accorde with his daughter in mariage Alexander would graunt vnto no peace vnlesse Darius would giue him soueranity and take him selfe the second place Uppon which refusall the armies ioyned Darius was defeated and the Empire translated into Macidonia By which fortunate battaile Alexanders power was great and his enuie greater For he held no countrey sufficiently conquered that the people were not ransomed with the mercy of his swoorde But yet this enuy which gaue him in his life time heate hastened his death And he that tamed the pride of mighty kinges was poisoned to death by the enuie of Antipater his familiar subiect Who as some aucthors affirme enuying his absolute power or rather his seuere iustice for that in heat he put Alexander of Lyncest and other of Antipaters kinse-men and friendes to death And which wrought the greatest impression of hatred for that his owne noble enterprises achieued in Greace were ouer blowne with light regard For some of these causes although all sufficed not to excuse so great an impietie Antipater bribed the Phisicion Theslatus to poyson Alexander who in the traiterous execution of his vnlawfull promise hath left a warning to all Princes of two notable mischiefes the first to beware how in not rewarding or regarding good seruices they kill the louing affection of their subiects for although all the trauelles of a subiect in the seruice of his king be but duty and the least reward of a king is liberalitie Yet is a Prince were he vniust bounde to the one for his safetye as well as the subiect is thraull to the other of dutie For where the subiect onely obeyeth through feare the Prince cannot raigne but in feare and when men are in bondage they will spare no aduantage of libertie which is the cause that few tyrauntes make peaceable endes Uppon which ordinary fortune when the tyraunt Hippias told a Philosopher of Athens that if he liued one yeare to an ende he would make the intrailes of dogs the sepultures of an number of his fellowes Wherevpon the Philosopher boldly prophesied that it would not bee so for hell could not spare Hyppias so long The second regarde that a Prince who alwayes hath mighty enemies intertaine for his Phisition a man that feareth God For if onely for reward he minister medicine it may be feared that for a greater gayne he will giue poyson To which purpose a Gentleman of Vennis one a time supping with a Phisition in Padua marueiled that the Phisitions who in shorte space finde a remedie for the most violent newe disease that raigneth can not cure as well as giue ease to the Gowt an auncient maladie Which doubt the Doctor thus pleasauntly resolued O Sir quoth hée the Gowte is the proper disease of the riche and wée liue not by the poore it maye suffice that they finde ease But to prescribe a cure to begger anye facultye were great follye Well though the Doctor spake merrilye it often times falleth out that the riche mans wealth is moste enemye vnto his health And the better to aucthorise this question Ferdinando the good kinge of Aragon among manye of his weightye preceptes sayde it is greatly requisite that a Prince make choyce of an honest Phisition For quoth hee the strength of a Princes garde can not defende a Phisitions treason And certainlye the negligent couetous or traiterous Phisition is the moste daungerous murtherer of the worlde some one of which faultes are so conuersaunt with moste Phisitions as experience teacheth that exercise cureth the moste parte of poore mens surfettes when Phisicke killeth by small distemperatures as often times the riche And therefore it is necessary for all men to follow the counsell of this olde and approoued Prouerb Honor and vse the Phisition for necessities sake Which importeth extreame daunger and not euery trifling distemperature which nature exercise and orderly dyet will cure But agayne to Alexander who after he had receiued this mortall portion the venime therof tormented him so much aboue his patience that to be eased he often times assayed to murther him selfe Notwithstandinge in his death bedde lying in this extreametie his friendes requiring to know who should be his heyre he stoutly aunsweared the worthiest So great was the courage of his hart as he priuiledged not his sonne Hercules his Brother Arideus nor the infant in his Wife Roxanes wombe before a stranger of better desert But although this bequeste proceeded from the magnanimitie of Alexanders minde yet the incertayne succession in the Empyre coulde not but as it did worke the ruine thereof For wheras this liberty was giuen the one enuyed that another shoulde pryse his vertues at a higher rate then his Hercules claymed as heyer Arideus as Brother and one that coulde beste manadge the affayres of the Empyre Perdicas challenged it by military testament for that the king when he was spéechlesse gaue him a
demaunded Papa cuius partis orationis sayd that papa was participii partis quia partem capit a clere partem a seculari partem ab vtroque cum totius orbis doloris significatione sine modis temporibus That is to say this word Pope is a Participle for he receiues of the spiritualitie he receiues of the temporalitie and parteth stakes on both sides without measure or ende to the great anguishe sorrow of all the world may truly be sayd somewhat I haue discoursed and much more other nations haue felt neither yet hath little England which some holde not part of the worlde bene exempt from his rauening crosses no better then curses but through his meane hath beene partaker of other countries calamities King Inas made the whole lande tributary to the Pope and further vpon suggestion that Thomas Becket archbishop of Caunterbury was slaine by the kinges consent the whole land was a great while in subiection and at the disposition of the Pope It is a wonder but that God would haue it so that no worthy Prince did vnmaske the painted village of this glorious Pope in so long continuaunce of his errour yea the continuaunce of his kingdome is a great matter of his glory and a colour that yet deceauesh many but Sainct Paule sufficiently aunsweareth the matter saying that God shoulde send such an efficacie in errour that men shoulde giue credite vnto falsehood not onely for a day but for a long continuaunce of time but as there was a beginning of all that is bisiblye seene so there shall be an ende of the greatest glorye that our eyes may behold And although the ten kinges figured by the beast with ten hornes in the seuentéene of the Apocalips which shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and that shall eat her flesh and burne her with fire is meant in that passage as a prophesie of the destruction of the Empire of Rome yet graunting the same you shall easely finde out Antichrist by the whore that sate vpon the seuen hilles before described I haue in the Chapter before touched the most of the tenne kinges which Saint Iohn speaketh of which destroyed and spoyled Rome But for that I haue not set them successiuely done in the other chapter but onely remembred those that entred Rome by force I holde it not amisse in this place breifly to remember them Radaigasus the first king of the Gothes which entred Italy with two hundred thousande Gothes can not be reckoned for one of them for that without doing any great damage he was ouercome taken prisoner and strangled by Stilicon captaine of the Emperour Honorius army 1 Alarick was then the first king of the Gothes and straunger that entred and spoyled Rome 2 Adolphus was the seconde who if the intercession of his wife Placida Honorius sister had not appeased his furye had vtterly subuerted Rome 3 Generick king of the Vandals was the thirde that spoyled Rome 4 Odoacer as some say a Saxon was the fourth king that punished Rome and first of all named him selfe king of Italy 5 Theodarich king of the Gothes was the fift who and his heyres occupied the empire 50. yeares 6 Athalarick Theodarich sonne was the sixt 7 Theodat successour of Athalarick also king of the Gothes was the seuenth 8 Vitiges was the 8. king this Vitiges left Rome naked of all her beautifull buildinges and auntient priuiledges 9 Tottill king of the Gothes was the ninth who destroyed Rome more then the rest and this wound lasted 42. moneths as it is written in the Apoc. 13. for it was three yeere and a halfe before Bellisarius repayred Rome after her first ruine by Tottill 10 Telas succéeded Tottil and was the last king of the Gothes that gouerned Rome who in the beginning of his raigne was vanquished taken prisoner and put to death by Nasetes chief of the Emperour Iustinians army In this sort did God chasten this Empire of Rome and albeit God hath appointed other then carnall weapons to confound Antichrist who being the enemy of God is threatned to be confounded by Gods owne worde yet to ioyne shame with his ouerthrow visible vengeance is séene to raigne vppon him For to what nation is not his deformitie knowne and as by peece meales he clymed to the highest degrée of worldly dignitye euen so by a lingring consumption he is almost wasted to nothing or in the best construction brought vnto a vile reputation and as I haue here showne his florishing pride and pompe euen so occasion will hereafter minister matter in sundry places of his ruine disgrace and daylye defeats whose vtter confusion God for his sonnes sake speedely graunt Amen CHAP. 7. Of the enuy of Sergius a monke of Constantinople who being banished for heresie fledde into Arabia vnto Mahomet by whose diuelish pollicies ambitious Mahomet forced the people to holde him for a Prophet which damnable sect vntil this day hath beene nourished with the bloud of many thousandes LAmentable and most lamentable are the blouddye cruelties manifested in my former discourses but this one act of enuy broched the extreamest venim of the diuell For although in my recited examples I haue published open iniuries both against God and man yet were they executed on those persons whose glory the enuious beheld or in the worst degrée to bury the remembraunce of their vertues which they imagined woulde lessen their account But this fact of Sergius was drawne many degrees more extreame who though he sufficiently bewrayed the enuie that he beare to his superiours authoritie béeng a Monke in Constantinople in that he raysed damnable heresies to make him selfe famous yet the sect of Mahomet which his accursed head first plāted in Arabia hath left an impossibility to Belzabub to scatter in the world a more blasphemy against God and iniury towardes men whose opinions buried millions of soules in hell whose bodies were to forme many hundred yéeres after his departure vnto the Diuell The actions of whom and originall of Mahomets sect ensueth Sundry are the opinions of what parentage and countrye this false Prophet Mahomet was Platinus sayeth that he sprong from noble line But Pomponius Letus a moste diligent authour in the abridgement of the Romane history affirmeth that he was of a race base vile and obscure which may the rather be credited for that a man so euill in whome was nothing worthye of memorye but malice and iniquitie may hardly be the issue of noble bloud Some saye he was a Persian some other an Arabian and both opinions not without reason for that at that time the Persians gouerned Arabia Touching his father were he noble or villayne sure it is that he was a Gentill and neither Iewe nor Christian by his mothers side the better opinion is that he descended from Abraham by the ligne of his sonne Ismaell whom he had by his Chamber mayd Agar and so as a Iewe obserued the lawe of
so precious a blessing The one of Baiazets sonnes named Calapin was deliuered who seeing the incapacities and contention of Tamberlaines sonnes and taking with al other aduantages that time offered proclaimed himselfe Lord of his fathers Empire and by strong hand kept Greece and Thracia The Emperour Sigismond both to keepe Calapin vnder and to be auenged of the ouerthrowe which his father gaue him offered him battalle in which Sigismond was ouerthrowne narrowly escaped by flight Calapin raigned 6. yéeres and dyed leauing behinde him two sonnes the eldest named Orcan and the other Mahomet Orcan was slaine by his Unckle who thought thereby to haue had his kingdome but Mahomet behaued himselfe so well as he slew the murtherer of his brother and recouered the Empire he made cruell warres vpon the Christians in Valachie and reconquered the lands and prouinces which Tamberlaine wonne from his grandfather in Turkie and Asia in which conquest he spent 14. yeeres and dyed in the yéere 1420. Amurat his sonne succeeded Mahomet whome fortune so fauoured as by maine force in despight of the Emperour of Constantinople who offered to resist him he broke vpon the Christians and wonne certaine Townes in Seruia he conquered the country of Epire at this day named Romaine he made many courses into Hungry and Albania he besieged Belgrade vppon Danuby but left it againe with great losse of men Ladislas king of Polonia and Hungarye encountred and ouerthrew one of his Captaines and slew a huge number of the Turkes Amurat vpon newes that the king of Carimaine made warres in Asia was neuerthelesse driuen to be at peace with Ladislas who while Amurat was occupied about resistaunce in Turkie by the perswasion of the Emperour brake the league who ioyntly with the ayde of Pope Eugenius the Venetians and Phillip Duke of Burbon promised so to stop the passage of the Sea betweene Europe and Asia as Amurat shoulde not land his men to succour his landes vpon which oportunity Ladislas might peaceably conquer the same who put in execution their counselles but Amurat made a short retourne and in despight of the christians passed the straight and offered battayle to Ladislas where the victory was so doubtfull as Amurat was vpon the point to flye but being stayed by one of his Bassas he obtained the victory and slew Vdislas vpon Saint Martins day An. 1440. after this victory he greatly damaged Hungary he entred vppon the Mores where sometimes stood the auntient Cities of Lacedimonia and Corinth he broke the wall vpon the entrie of Prouince containing sixe miles betweene the sea Ionigne and the sea Egea all which he conquered saue certaine marish places he was the first which erected the band of the Ianissaires which are reuerted Christians and now the greatest strength of Turkie he raigned 31. yéeres and dyed An. 1450. his sonne Mahomet succéeded him in the Empire this Mahomet excelled in all good quallities saue that he was too cruell In the beginning of his raigne desirous to doe some exploite aunswerable to the greatnesse of his hart he besieged Constantinople with all other places subiect to this Empire This done he besieged Belgrade from whence he was driuen with dishonor besides the losse of many men much artillery by that valiant Hungarian captaine Iohn Vainode after this he sent one of his Bassas to destroy the Mores who rebelled in fauor of the Venetians also to destroy the Isles of Negropont Mitelene Lemnus After he entred into the prouince of Bossina where he took beheaded the king hauing these victories against the christians he passed into Asia against Vsancusan the mighty king of Persia with whom he fought 2. battailes in the first he was ouerthrown in the 2. had the victory after this expedition he made war vpon the emperor of Tribisonde whō he vanquished slewe so determined the siegniorie of the Christians in those parties He sent a great army into Italy passed into Carintia Istria euen vnto the territories of the Venetians discōforted the christians slew of the nobility of Italy He sent a great army vnto the Isle of Rhodes where he was resisted he then sent a great army into the kingdome of Naples by one of his Bassas named Aconiat who tooke the city of Ottranta which was gouerned more then a yeere by the Turkes to the scandale domage of al Italy he so feared the states of Italy as Sixtus then being pope determined to retire into France the old refuge of the Romane church as one out of hope to defend Rome In fine in his iourney against the Soudan of Aegipt hauing in his army by land 300000. men by sea 200. gallies 300. armed ships he died by the way in the yéere 1480. by whose bloddy wars there were destroyed more then 300000. men vppon whose death the city of Ottranta was recōquered which was no smal comfort to al Italy Mahomet left behind him 2. sons the one named Baiazet the other zizim who contended for the empire by reason that their eldest brother was dead zizim was ayded by the Soudan certaine Bassaes the other Bassaes the Ianissares fauored Baiazet with al his son named Corcut was created Grand seigniour of Constantinople by whose renoūsing he attained the empire with spéed hasted into Turkie chased his brother into Italy where he died Baiazet being sole gouernor made hot wars vpon the Soudan against whome he was wroth for aiding of his brother but the Soudan obtaining victory cōstrained him vnto peace Baiazet made then hot wars vpon the christians he won the city of Duras in Albania Valona vpon the frontiers of Pouilla in the ende he so scourged the Hungarians as they were driuen to craue the aid of Lewes duke of Millaine Lewes king of France who but chiefly the Duke of Sessa a Spanish captain so delaied Baiazets fury as he accor ded to peace being old tyred with wars In histime in Persia began the empire of Sophy who is to this day a bridle to the Turke a hindrer of dammage to the christians which empire began by one Ismael the named him self a Prophet published an Alcoran contrary to Mahomets by which meanes he assēbled many people by whose aide he ouerthrew certaine Bassas of Baiazet made him selfe lord of Pertia other prouinces whose kingdom from time to time hath bene augmented But returning to our purpose Baiazet had 3. sons the eldest named Acomat the 2. Corcut who as is shown renoūced the empire the 3. Selim who although he was the yongest yet was he the most valiant This Selim seing the age decrepednes of his father sought how to make him self emperor the better to cōpas which he married the daughter of the great Tartarian His 2. brethren perceiuing his intent aymed likewise at the Empire Acomat because he was eldest Corcut because he first
put the empire into his fathers hands now because of his inabilitie to gouern he alledged that of right he should returne it vnto him againe The old man was greatly perplexed with these matters especially with the disobedience of his sons this diuision of the brethren was the death of many of their adherents but Selim the yongest had euer the better hand who vnder the color to craue pardon of his father to defend him against his eldest brother Acomat so won the fauor of the Ianissaires the other men of war as by their help he tooke the empire from his Father banished him from Constantinople afterward poysoned him An. 1512. This traitour Paracide Selim caused him self to be crowned with great solemnitie which don he highly rewarded the Ianissaires men of war which strengthned him Soone after he went into Turkie againste his brethren where he slew the Children of his brethren which were fledde before his comming and with all so pursued his brother Corcut as falling into his handes he killed him Acornat the eldest by the helpe of the Sophy and the Soudan gathered a great power whome Selim ouerthrewe and tooke prisoner and afterward caused him to be strangled This wicked Paracide hauing thus slayne all those of his â—…loud was rid of the ielous feare of his Empire and disdayning the Soudan and the Sophy he confirmed the league with the Venetians and made peace with Ladislas king of Hungarie and so with a great power he went towarde the Sophy who nothing dismayed abid the battayle which was sharpe on both sides but in the ende the Sophy was vanquished hurt and driuen to flye greatly to the increase of the Turkes honor and reputation the yeare following the Turke make war vppon a great prince which gouerned vpon the mountaine Taurus whome he slewe and got possession of all his dominions this done Selim prepared his forces againste the Soudan and approching the coastes of Surie with his armye he caused a brute to be spead abroad that he would wage warre againste the Sophy But the Soudan suspecting his pollicie prepared a great power vnder the colour to suppresse the rebellion of a great Lorde in Surie In fine these two puissaunt Princes affronted each other neare vnto the City of Damas in Surrie and after many skyrmiges on either side their powers ioyned the 24. of August 1516. the same two yéeres after the ouerthrow of the Sophy This battaile was sustained a long time valiauntly of either partie in the ende the Turkes had the victorye and the Soudan was found dead hauing neuer a wound other then by treading of the horses beeing of the age of 76. yéeres after his victory he seased vpon all Surie the Palestine and Iudea those which escaped the former battail chose for their Soudan the gouernour of Alexandria named Tamonuey betwéene whom Selim was fought the cruellest battaile that euer was heard of notwithstanding ouercharged with the multitude of the Turkes Tamonuey was vanquished in th' end betraied into the hands of the Turk who caused him to be slayne after the death of Tamonuey the Turk soone tooke possession of the auncient puissant kingdom of Aegypt where as also in Surie he left a good order for the gouerment afterward in great triumph he returned vnto Constantinople where he died of an impostume An 1520. in the 8. yeare of his raigne 46 of his age this tirant was of so gret a courage as he was neuer known to be afraid of any thing Soliman his onelye sonne succéeded Selim who was crowned Emperour Soliman hauing subdued Gazellus that vsurped the segniorie of Tripoli and other domestick rebels the yeare following in proper person he made wars vppon the Christians and besieged Belgrade the port strength of Hungarie which with vaine successe had béen attempted by manye of his predecessours But Lewes then king beeing very young and gouerned by the Princes of his countrey by negligent defence suffred the City to be taken by the Turkes Soliman retyred from this exployte in proper person contrary to the mindes of his Bassas layde siege vnto Rhodes with an innumerable power of men and artillerie both by land and sea during this siege the notable feates of armes of either parties can not be sufficiently praised But at the 6. monethes end the Grand maister of Rhodes named Phillip de Villiers a French man was driuen to yéeld the City vnto Soliman who retourned to Constantinople proud of so great an enterprise Three yeeres after which was An. 1526. he entred Hungarie with a maruailous army with whom king Lewes ill aduised encountred with a small power betweene Buda Belgrade where the sayde Lewes was vanquished and founde drowned in a ditch after which the Turke tooke Buda and other bordering townes and as a conqueror retourned After this Soliman came with a huge army of sixe hundred thousand men into Hungarie and Astria with a desire and determination to conquer all Christendome to withstande whose enterprise Charles the 5. presented him selfe in proper person with lesse then halfe the number of the Turkes through feare of whome the Turke forsooke his purpose with the losse of many of his people as he did An. 1537. when both by lande and Sea he came into Italie and had taken certaine places in the kingdome of Naples Sultan Selim succéeded Soliman in the Empire During his raigne the Venetians loste the famous City Famagosta and a great part of the Isle of Cipres In which conquest of Famagosta there were slaine and taken prisoners a great number of Christian noble men and captaines amongst the rest the tiraunt Mustafa Bassa by the traine of fauourable vsage intrapped the noble Bragadino go uernour of Famagosta and contrary to his own faith the law of honor and humanitye he first caused his eares to be cut off and then to bee cruellye stretched foorth vppon the grounde to whome the tiraunt thus blasphemouslye spake where is now thy Christ that he helpeth thee not to which the patient Gentle man made no aunswere After this the noble Bragadino after manye vile and spitefull disgraces was in the market place tacked to the pillory and fleaed a liue whose skin béeing stuffed with straw was hanged vpon a bowsprite of a foyste and so carried along the port Townes of Siria Amurathe that now raigneth succéeded his father Selim by murther of fiue of his yonger brethren of him selfe he is afraid of the noise of armour and therefore committed the charge of his wars to his Bassas he is politicke and in the East wonderfully feared the Sophy occupieth him with harde warres and yet the king of Spaine from whom he hath won the kingdom of Tunis nor yet the Venetians whose seignorie he almoste possesseth dare not but be in league with him when he waiteth but oportunitie to spoyle not onely them but all Christendom I would to God his
the 1. 2. daies assault the 3. day the people fed with a vaine hope of mercy set open the gates and with their wiues children cloathed all in white hauing Oliue branches in their handes they humbly beséeched grace but Tamberlaine in place of compassion caused his squadrons of horsemen to tread them vnder their féete and not to leaue a mothers child a liue and afterwardes he leuiled the city with the ground At that time there was a marchaunt of Genowa somewhat fauored of Tamberlaine pittying the cruelty boldly demanded why he shewed such cruelty to those that yéelded and beséeched pardon whō Tamberlaine with a countenance fiered with fury answered thou supposest that I am a mā but thou art deceiued for I am no other then the ire of God and the destruction of the world and therfore sée thou come no more in my sight least I chastē thy ouer proud boldnes The marchant made spéed away was neuer afterwards séene in the campe And in truth Tamberlain although he was endued with many excellencies vertues yet it séemed by his cruelty the God raysed him to chasten the kings proud people of the earth In the ende this great personage without disgrace of fortune after sūdry great victories by the course of nature died left behind him two sons euery way far vnlike their father betwéen whō enuy sowed such dissention that through their incapacities to gouern the conquests of their Father the children of Baiazet whom they kept prisoners stole into Asia so won the people to disobedience as they recouered the goods possessions that their father lost The like did other kings princes whō Tamberlaine had spoyled in so much as in small time this Empire was so abased that many dayes agoe there was no remembrance left either of him or his linage saue that Baptista Ignatius a great searcher of antiquities saith that the successors of Tamberlaines sons possessed the prouinces conquered by him about the riuer of Euphrates vntil the time of king Vsancasan according to the opinion of some writers of the heyres of this Vsancasan was chosen the first Sophy who to this day to the benefit of all christendō maintaineth mortall wars against the great Turk But it séemeth that their empire was cleane ended for as it is set down in the chapter of the great Turke one named Ismaell a false Prophet gathered a multitude of the cōmom people together of whom by continual fauor of time and fortune the Sophy is growne of power to incounter the great Turke And herein although the lightnes inconstancy of the common people be heretofore noted yet occasion here and in sundry places ministreth matter to blame their enuious and froward dispositions there was neuer inuention so fantasticke nor captaine so wicked that they refused to follow they erected the tirannous empires of the Sophy the great Turk Tamberlaine and ouer threw the famous and prudent gouernments of Athens Lacedemonia Rome c. The Swizers enuying the authority of their nobility gentlemen by generall consent slew them al euer since haue bene gouerned by that base gouerment called Democratia where mecanical people haue the only segniorie a gouermēt which resembleth a monster with many heads yet they all haue neither will nor capacitie to cherish vertue learning worthy enterprises the beauties and strength of a good common wealth Neuertheles Iosua simler of zurich in his booke of the Swizers common wealth both for their militarie discipline in war and sound administration of iustice in peace compareth the gouerment of their Cantons vnto the common wealth of the Venetians time and necessity hath much reformed the same from their originall and yet how be it he greatly praiseth their iustice yet his owne report thus much testifieth of their weaknes that to martiall and gouern their wars they haue bene oftentimes driuen to obey and follow the direction of forraine captaines which lamenes in a common wealth can neuer be but an open blemish and a secret daunger For a perfect common wealth resembleth a well proportioned man wherof the military defence resembleth his handes which being maimed or cut off bring misery to the whole body CHAP. 13. The calamitie and seruile bondage of Portugall vnder the gouernment of Phillip king of Castile c. by the aduenturous battaile and death of Sebastian king of Portugal the 5. of August 1578. and especially by the enuious malice of Henry which succeeded in suppressing the lawfull title of Don Anthonio the now reputed king THe renowne of the kingdome of Portugall both for the commodities of the naturall countrey as for the wonderfull riches of the east and west Indies with diuers cities and townes in Africa subiected annexed to the crowne equalled of lateyéeres the fame of most christian gouernments and certainely at this day the calamity and bondage of the people by the conquest and violent rule of the king of Spaine requireth the compassion and reliefe of all true Christian princes the groundes and causes of whose miseries follow By succession of time and lawful decent Sebastian was crowned king of Portugal whose vertues outward giftes promised great honor vnto his kingdom but the inconstancy of worldly dignity is liuelye figured in his much lamented death king Sebastian being about the age of 24. yéeres vpon the earnest labour suite of Mulei Mahumet king as he pretended of Fez and Marocoes who by Mulei Maluco his brother was driuen foorth of the kingdome condescended with a puissant army to passe into Africa to restore this Mulei Mahumet to his kingdome the enterprise agréed with the magnanimity and greatnes of yong king Sebastians mind besides to relieue and restore this expulsed king among indifferent iudges was a matter of great honor and vertue so that resolutely to execute his promise king Sebastian departed with his armye from Lisbone in Iune 1578. and ariued at a port in Castile called el puerto de Sancta Maria where he tried the breach of the king of Spaine his vncles promise which was the ayde of 50. Gallies and 4000. armed souldiours neuertheles the sayd king Sebastian like as he was a magnanimous prince hauing a 1000. sayle of ships in a readines pursued his voyage landed his army in Africa to the number of 15000. fighting men and on the 5. of August in the same yéere in a plaine field called Alcazar there was a most fierce battaile fought betwéen him and the enemy wherin the yong king Sebastian and Mulei Mahumet whose part he tooke were both ouer come and slaine in the field Neither did Mulei Maluco the king their enemy escape for with sicknes wearines he died during the battaile a battaile very vnfortunate wherein neither party gained and most rare and worthy of remembrance that thrée kinges were slaine in the same and aboue 600. of the chiefest nobility and Gentlemen of Portugall After the death of king
blesse with you be peace and loue Christ thus the wicked Iewes doth curse peace shall from you remoue Christ is the authour of all peace the sacred word doth say day Christ will haue peace throughout the world against the iudgement Much more may be said although no man can say ynough in the commendation of peace saue such as haue felt the worst vengeance of warre for as Cicero sayeth the goodnesse of a thing is knowne by the depriuement thereof If our neighbours harmes may make vs héedfull or our owne prosperitie make vs thankefull to God true to her Maiesty and obedient to her graue Ministers of publike benefite we may beholde our countrey as a beautifull Towre on euery side enuironed with a consuming fire and yet miraculously preserued from the least vengeance thereof But experience teacheth that examples of miserie moueth many times coÌ„miseration in the beholders but seldome impresseth any déepe sorrow in theyr harts The Romaines many yeares saw the bloody vengeances of war inflicted vpon sundry kingdoms yea many times sorrowed to sée their owne conquests When Pompeyus was murthered his enemy Caesar shed teares vpon his head and Alexander gaue the mighty Darius a royall funerall Which compassion may be more properly tearmed a motion of pitie than any worke of charitie for they still followed the fortune of warre without consideration of the pretious blessings of peace But when the stout Romaines whose couetousnes of rule the whole world could not glut by ciuill and most pernicious factions in the triumuirate of Cesar Crassus and Pompeius and afterward in the triumuirate of Octauius Anthonius and Lepidus felt in their owne bowels the scalding furie of war when they saw the fathers throte a sheath for the sonnes sword when the mother beheld the rauishment of hir daughter and the sister mingled teares with hir brothers blood when the Senate house was no Sanctuary for Cesar nor Pater patriae a protection for Cicero when the fountaines were turned from the Cities and the chanels flowed with the best burgesses blood when the faire buildings were fired by the houshold seruant and the rascally maysters of the richest merchants goods wheÌ„ Iustice was painted without a mouth and oppression with a hundred hands when law gaue place to launces and Orators to the braying of horsses when vnciuill souldiers iudged Senators and the nobilitie were suppliants vnto the vnconstant multitude when religion was mispraised youth ill instructed gray heares vnreuerenced discipline vnused a famine with vertue and nothing publike but disorder when the vineyards lay vnordered vnprofitable briers ouerran the fruitefull fieldes wheÌ„ the plow was laid in fire and fire hurled into the husband mans barne I say when these proude Romaines beheld in their owne cities these hauocks of diuine and humane blessings they were in tymes past neuer so forward souldiers in following of war as they were now humble suters for peace they neuer attributed so much honor to Cesar for conquering of kingdoms as they gaue reuereÌ„ce to Octauian for determining of the ciuil broiles In perpetuall remembrance of Octauian they added to hys name Augustus and decréed that all the following Emperors should be called Augusti and after death both Augustus and the good Emperors succéeding in most solemne manner they deifyed and placed among the number of their Gods The great Cane of Cathaya is so called in honor remembrance of their first Emperour Chanius who being aged the meanest and poorest of the seauen linadges which gouerned or rather tirannized the prouinces of this Empire as the historie saith by the reuealement of a white Knight tooke knowledge that the wil of God was that he should be Emperour peace-maker of and among the seauen linadges vpon which comfort and the faithfull obedience of the people he obtained this blessed conquest The mightie Emperour of Aethiopia is called Preter Iohn and in their language beldugian which signifieth ioy and power only in remembrance of one of his auncestors who notwithstanding he was the soueraigne of seuenty Kings yet he established peace through his whole Empire These glorious monuments remaine of peacemakers are like to liue vntill the world end when the violeÌ„ce of death the vnconstancy of fortune and iniurie of time haue enterred the haughtiest conquerors returned back their conquests and of their huge colonies haue left no signe at all But so setled are the vertues of peacemakers and so precious are the blessings of peace as these heathen that had no other guide than naturall reason annexed their good Princes names vnto the honour of the crowne as men that hoped the name would make the vertue her editorie or at the least instruct succéeding Princes of the worthinesse of their auncestours And questionlesse men are greatly incouraged to weldoing when good demerites are fully rewarded and good mens liues are faithfully registred For albeit the soule of man traueileth without a guyd to bring foorth that which is good yet in as much as the corruption of fleshe is néerer our sensible motions the deuine workes of the soule are darkned as is the brightnesse of the Sunne by the Moone the most inferiour Planet being opposite betwéen the same the earth and therefore to helpe our infirmitie next vnto the sacred scriptures the histories of time are the moste visible lights to shew vs the way to happines where the names of good men liue which taketh away a great part of our feare to dye And truely if for the worthines of some one king of that name the Aegiptian kinges were called Pharaoes the Bethinian Ptholomies the Albian Siluies the Romane emperours Augustes the Ethiopian Preter Iohn the Cataian the great Caan by farre larger warrant the Englishe kinges ought to be called Henries For of 8. Kings named Henrie sithens the conquest cronicles coÌ„demne no one of theÌ„ to be irreligious notably wicked or tirannous oppressors of their subiâ—…s but as images and patterns of kinglye magnanimitie of wâ—…nderfull prowesse of peaceable gouernment and of many other deuine and heroicall vertues euerye of them hath left a rare monument of a noble gracious and good Prince as if by heauenlye prouidence an especiall blessing had béene ioyned vnto the name of Henry But albeit the heathen ceremonially thus named their Princes as the Cardinall of Rome doe newe christen their Popes yet true Christians estéeme of this adoption as of the image of Iesus engraued in a wodden crosse which is as full of holinesse as a painted fire of heat and both a like The fayrest tree that beareth no fruite is fit for the fire and the best named Christian without the exercise of christianitie is méet for hell So that I alleadge the examples of these worthy persons as instructions for their posteritye and attribute no greater honor vnto them then that they were the ministers of Gods goodnes and mercy of peace and prosperity to their subiects which are the greatest
titles that anye monarch can possesse And more then was due to Alexander Caesar Tāberlaine and others who contrarywise were the rods of Gods ire and quellers of many millions of innocentes Cronicles expose their vertues at large and who so euer shall ioyne regard with his reading in the gouernments of these eight Henries shall find many worthy obseruaunces which degression this place will not beare the summary of whose vertues containing a larger volume then is determined for this subiect so much as concerneth this purpose I am bound to report of the two latter noble Henries the one béeing the root the other the trée which brought foorth the fruites of Gods glorye of the greatest peace plentye and prosperity that euer Nation people or subiects enioyed euen the graue Henrye the seuenth Grandfather and the victorious Henry the eight father of our gracious soueraigne Lady the most good Quéene Elizabeth Upon whose vertues heauen and earth fixeth regard A princesse I say regarded of God with the eies of fauour regarded of the world with the eares of enuy and regarded of good and happy subiects with the harts of true obediēce A Quéene and more the visible image of God as well in respect of the happinesse and deuine giftes which her maiestie possesseth but principally for that mercy is chiefe of her vertues which enuy and her maiesties worst enemies are bound to witnesse in whose royall person the perfection of all good Princes are contained For what may be iustly sayde of all their righteousnesse wisedome and clemency are but wordes of her workes and written examples of her maiesties liuelye vertues the which the godly in their comfort the wicked through selfe destruction and enuie by continuall defeates haue ingraued in the Capitals of the whole world the triumph of whose peaceable victories to Gods glory and vniuersall wonder followeth CHAP. 2. An introduction to the peaceable victories of the Queenes most excellent maiesty against enuy and all her enemies THe nobility and commons of England impatient of the misgouernment of K. Richard the second deposed by maine force the saide Richard and possessed Henry Bolingbroke Duke of Herteford with Emperiall dignity a prince indued with many great vertues And albeit he entered vnlawfullye he gouerned his subiects like a gracious and prudent Prince But this good which followed an euill attempt acquited not the realme from the vengeaunce which God inflicteth vpon disloyall subiects The father which taketh the rod to chasten his sonne if the sonne taketh correction patiently in hope of amendment burneth the rod. But if the sonne stubbornly and violently catcheth at the rod the father dubleth his wrath trebeleth the sonnes punishment euen so God which appointeth tirauntes to be the scourges of his ire conceiued against wicked and vnthankfull people if in patient suffering they acknowledge his wrath to be iustlye imposed vpon their sinnes he dealeth with the tirant as the good father doth with the rod. But if they spurne at his vengeaunce and offer to reuenge the tiranny of their princes he causeth tirauntes to rise like Hydraes heads which shal torment them as in the bitternes of their affliction they shal be driuen to pray for their worst prince as the old Romane did for the prosperity of wicked Nero This Nero was a most cruell emperor he set Rome his emperiall city on fire for seuen dayes together and commaunded that the people should neither saue their goods nor quench the fire He slew his owne mother put to death the husbandes of Octauia and Sabina and tooke them for wiues but shortly after sent them the way of their former husbands And to shew that he passed all other in enuye hearing one to pronounce a Greeke verse which containeth this desire After my death I wishe Heauen and earth to perishe And I quoth he rather wish the same while I liue he so much enuied that so glorious a work should remaine after his death Upon a time Nero passing by a poore old man hartely prayed for the life and prosperitye of Nero Nero which knew by the accusation of his own euill that no man had cause to wish him good demaunded the reason why he contraried all mens desires in wishing his welfare that would nothing but mischiefe to the Romanes The old man boldly aunswered Tiberius thy predecessour was a cruell Emperor and him the people slew After him succéeded Caius Caligula a more cruell and barbarous Emperor and him likewise did the people sley and now thou most inhumaine and sauage Nero raignest for thy life and prosperity I pray least if thou be likewise slaine the diuel him selfe come and raigne ouer vs. Thus heaped God his vengeance vpon the stiff-necked Romanes which would not bow vnto his yoke the more they resisted his chastisement the more sharply he scourged their disobedience The senators of Rome thought the emperiall authority a seuéere bondage and therfore by their mutuall assents Iulius Caesar their first emperor was slaine in the Senate house But when they saw Brutus Cassius that firste sette hande to the swoorde to die likewise by the swoord when they afterwardes saw the bloudy euentes that sprong of the contention betwéen the Triumuirate of Octauius Antonius and Lepidus they most ioyfully receiued imperiall seruitude and afterwardes how wicked so euer their Emperours were the grauer Senators tollerated their gouerment or voluntarily banished them selues so that they for the most part were destroyed by Gods iustice in the common peoples outrage God by a seueere commaundement threatneth that he will visite the sinnes of the parents vpon the children vnto the thirde and fourth generation of those that in their spirituall worship adore any other God or the likenesse of any other creature in heauen or earth The same God annoynteth kinges as the visible images of him with the semblable maiestye concerning temporall worship he calleth them Gods and S. Paule saith he that resisteth the ordinaunce of the kinge resisteth the ordinaunce of God He then that striueth to depose his naturall king and to exalt a straunger committeth earthly idolatry in likewise as the worshippers of false Gods commit spirituall And therefore Princes in all gouernmentes heathen and christian the one by reuelation the other by imitation of holy scriptures haue publike lawes to lay the trespasses of traitours vppon their children the landes and goods of traitours are forfaited and the reputation of their posterity is corrupted The emperor Vespatian commending the vertues of Iosephus vnto his sonne Titus willeth him to trust him as one no wayes corrupted saying further vpon occasion that the son of a traitour ought not to liue To lay violent handes vpon the Lordes annoynted is a damnable thing Saule vniustly persecuted Dauid but Dauid hauing Saules life many times in his power refused to offer him any violēce saying the Lord kéep me from laying my handes of the Lordes annoynted Which prooueth though subiectes may flye from the
in this long disquiet realme in the 24. yéere of his raigne he peaceably called this noble king Henry vnto his heauenly kingdome and as a visible signe that he blessed the ioyninge of these two kingly houses in one hee gaue vnto this noble king by Quéene Elizabeth his wife sundrye goodly children of which as the vndoubted heyre of the kingdome by both titles was crowned the victorious king Henry the eight CHAP. 4. A sommarie of the royall vertues of king Henry the eight THe most victorious king Henry the 8. sonne of king Henry the 7. beganne his triumphaunt raigne the 22. of Aprill 1509. whose inuincible courage was feared and admired through al Europe He was a moste bountefull Prince towardes well descruing subiectes the magnanimity of his countenaunce kept them in a louing obedience In the 5. yéere of his raigne a fore presagement that he should clymbe aboue the Pope of Rome The Emperour Maximilian the Popes lawfull soueraine and all the nobilitie of Holland Braband and Flaunders receaued wages vnder king Henries banner whose puissaunce discomforted and abashed the whole power of Fraunce This royall king besides that he was Alexander in fielde he was a Philosopher in the Uniuersity And in his great learning blessed his subiectes with the fruites of this olde Prouerbe happy are those people whose king is a Philosopher And doubtlesse where the Prince is learned the people are peaceably gouerned Science which containeth all duties with varietie of examples so liberallie instructeth the louers and followers of her lore In the thirtéenth yeare of his raigne the King wrote with his owne hand a booke against Martin Luther for which the Pope named him Defender of the faith but little fore-feared he that God would make him the capitall offender of the Romish superstition Saule breathing out threatnings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lorde receiued a speciall charge from the high Priests for the persecution of all sort of Christians at Damasco but God whose wisedome iudgeth the determinations of men wrought a wonderfull change in Saule for of a persecutor he made him a faithfull Apostle and chiefe strengthener of the Gentiles Euen so gratiousâ—…ie dealed God with this most noble King whereas the Pope imagined to haue by this title made him the sustainer of hys Idolatrie God by his holie spirit moued him to vse the same to the first capitall disgrace of Antichrist the Pope But as the good Father Latimer certified his Maiestie the title Defender of the faith simplie considered was more then was due to any earthly prince wheÌ„ his holy word deliuered by his Ministers both fostered and defended the same But in as much as it was Gods good will that vnder this kings and his offsprings authoritie the same should haue the most visible protection it may be lawfully thought that it was his will that the Pope should so intitle him as foreséeing by his wisedome that this prince in his séed should ouerthrow the Popes vsurped authoritie the most publike enimie of the true auncient and Apostolike faith Many interprete this prophesie of Esdras ecce leo concitatus de sylua rugiens c. loe a Lyon hastely running out of the wood roring who with a maÌ„s voice reprooued the saucie and misproud Eagle to figure thys noble prince Henry the 8. The rauening Eagle that had the victory ouer the foure beasts which God would haue had rained in the world that troubled the méeke c. is likewise interpreted to be Antichrist the Bishop of Rome The Armes of Rome which is the Eagle and the actions of the Pope wel approueth their interpretation Now who is more like to be this Lion that came roring out of the wood and shewed the rauening Eagles villanies to all the princes of the earth then King Henry the eight who euermore stoutly defied the Pope who euermore plainely painted his murthers deceits and abhominations then King Henry the 8. nay who first catched him by the throte but King Henry the 8. When all christian princes stood in awe of his curse he banished all his authoritie out of England when the meanest Bishops in other realmes would checke their Kings in his cause he caused the whole Cleargy by his learned Councell to be iudged in a premunire for mainteining the power legantine of Cardinall Wolsey who being called by processe into the Kings bench were glad by submission to pray pay á hundred thousand pounds for remission When other princes feared to murmur against the Pope secretly King Henry in the name of himselfe and his Nobles wrote a booke against the counsell appointed by the Pope at Mantua signifying to the whole world that the Pope had no more authoritie then an other Bishop and how that the appointment of Counsels only appertained to the Emperour and other Princes of Christendome What Lion was euer so bold with the Eagle of Rome as this Lion of England What Lion is so like to come roring out of the wood as the Lion of England The Lion of Vennice commeth out of the water The Lion of England is proper passant bowes and arrowes which are his strength commeth out of the wood I would the Popes english fauourers would wey this prophelie with the pride enuy outrage both of diuine humane blessings setled in the hart and séene in the actions of this Emperious Pope and then by allegorie they would peraduenture repute him to be this ambitious Eagle signified by the armes of his sea capitol city Rome And on the contrary part if with the like regard they would behold the wonderful disgraces that this noble king by himselfe princely children hath daily giueth this enuious Pope they should haue large cause to beléeue that our Lion signified by the armes of England with his mans voice should set this misproud Eagles head awâ—…y should vanish his wings weaken his kingdome in fine set his whole body of fire If they had any sence they might féele that our Lion in the name of the Lord thus saith hence thou misproud Eagle appeare thou no more neither thy horrible wings thy mischeuous heads thy rauening clawes nor thy hollow body coÌ„pact of vanities The cause straight foloweth that thou once gone the earth may be refreshed that thy kingdome once fallen men may returne to freedom c. I demaÌ„d what reckning they caÌ„ make of the egles 12. wings that ouerspread the earth by Gods appointment since our Lion first shoke him vp or as the text saith since the wind K. Henries thuÌ„dring voice spread abrod his wickednes Sée if EnglaÌ„d be not shronk froÌ„ him ScotlaÌ„d denieth him Hol and Brabant and Flanders delieth him Germany paints him as a moÌ„ster Denmark is parted froÌ„ him France is deuided Polland is indifferent if Spaine Italy be constant they be well paid for their frendship The Eagle the Pope that sometimes was capitalis dominus as well as summus pontifex
and others began new Commotions in Yorkeshire which were soone appeased with their confusions the Insurrection of Somerset shire had no better successe but which most daungerouslie touched the kings life and safetie of his good subiectes this vngratious Cardinall Poole this whirlepoole and firebrand of desencion séeing that king Henry with an easie hand appeased many and mightie insurrections at home labored an inuation by the power of Fraunce but all the daunger was not in the french forces he had drawne in the Marques of Exeter his brother the Lord Mountacute and Sir Geffray Poole and with them his kinsman Sir Edward Neuell to be traitors these labored no small matters they sought euen the change and alteration of the kings godly gouernement they were daungerous traytors not so much for their power but for that they were all so bounde vnto the king for many benefits as common reason tooke away all occasion of suspition to condemne whose vnkindnesse and monstrous ingratitude there be many examples of vnreasonable creatures Lysimachus had a dog which he much estéemed and the dog to shew his loue when he saw his maister dead and cast into the fire as the manner of buriall was then he likewise leaped into the fire and died with his maister Plinic sheweth that Hiero King of the Syracusans had a dog which did euen the same but the Romaine histories make mention of a more strange matter when Titus Fabinus and his family were slaine there was a dog that for no stripes would depart from the dead carcase of his maister and when the standers by gaue him meate he ranne and layde it at the mouth of his maister in fine when the bodie was throwne into the flood of Tyber the dog lept in after and as long as he could he kept his maister aboue the water much more might be said to reproche ingratitude a vice which our vulgar worde vnkindnesse sheweth to be against kinde or nature the former examples approoue as much but enuy and ambition the ordinarie passions of Papists are so farre from grace dutie and thankefulnesse as they contend with God and violate the bonds both of nature and frendship The Traytor Parry in his confession sayd that his accusor Neuill vsually sayde that all the aduancement that her Maiestie could giue hym should serue but for her scourge if euer time ministred occasion I knowe not whether he spake of mallice or no but experience teacheth that these persons resemble the frozen Snake which the pitifull husbandman comforted by the fire which in recompence stoong his children The Marques of Exeters father was for treason committed to prison by King Henry the seuenth King Henry the eight discharged him and with great fauour tooke his sonne into his priuie chamber and vsed him alwayes more like a companion then a seruant The King helped the Lord Mountacute from the state of a poore Gentleman to his mothers land being thrée or foure thousand markes by the yeare Sir Edward Neuill was of the Kings priuie chamber and in great fauour The Pooles were of the Kings blood and so bound with princely fauours as when Sir Geffrey Poole was apprehended the rest were not so much as suspected but God will not haue treason lye hid nor Traitors vnpunished though the Diuell and man labour in the behalfe of either The Diuell was héere set a worke but he laboured in vaine against the iustice and mercie of God the giltinesse of Sir Gefferey Pooles conscience condemned him he now only respected the safetie of the Marquesse his bréethren and Cosen Sir Edward Neuill hys conscience was witnesse against them all he feared that torture would wrest out the truth and in this doubtfull perplexitie he resolued desperately to kill himselfe and in this passion vppon oportunitie he stabbed himselfe vpon the brest with a knife the Diuell plaied his part now sée how God as he oft doth turned all the Diuels worke to his glorie and Sir Gefferayes saluation the knife was blunt and as God woulde made the wound not mortall yet the abundance of blood which followed his wound made him to feare God to feare hell and to detest the murther both of his bodie and soule and where as before he woulde haue died to saue his bréethren and Cosen he now desired life for no cause so much as to bring them to that which they worthely deserued Finallie he accused them all and by lawfull tryall the Marquesse the Lord Mountacute and Sir Edward Neuill were adiudged and executed as traytors good King Henry ioyned his mercy to Gods prouidence so pardoned Sir Gefferey whom God appointed to be the instrument of this discouerie the like blessings were heaped vpon the King and confusion vpon his enimies the residue of his triumphāt raigne which continued all the daies of his most blessed sonne King Edward the sixt In the third yéere of his raigne there were almost generall commotions through England The Papists tempted and mooued the commons to rebellion with a perswasion to throw downe inclosier and for themselues foysted in to haue their old religion and Acte of sixe Articles restored but what followed the rebels in euerie countrey were vanquished slaine and vtterly discomforted And to continue with truth in this report Quéene Mary had albeit she was superstitious the like victories against her domesticke enimies but as it is said as God gaue the Idolater Abias victorie against Ieroboam for his great Grandfather Dauids sake so he gaue the like to Quéene Mary for her godly father King Henries sake To come againe vnto the peaceable victories obtained by the Quéenes Maiestie as in the former reports it is manifest although the Diuell gaue her enimies wit to begin treasons he failed to giue them strength to effect them yea the Diuell himselfe lacketh strength where God hath any thing to do as appeareth especially in the preuention of the odious and desperate treasons of Someruile Parry To conclude the ouerthrowe of her last knowne enimies which happinesse I beséech God to continue many yeares and to the last moment of her Maiesties life the wonderfull discouerie of the dangerous treasons of Frances Frogmorton Esquire deserueth a speciall remembrance I meane a remembrance of thanksgiuing vnto almighty God in reuealing of such a couert mischiefe that threatned her Maiestie with a perticular danger and her realme and people with a generall calamitie it was no ordinary conspiracy that Frogmorton labored but an vnnaturall subuersion of his countrey by forraigne inuasion he wrought to haue brought in the Pope the King of Spaine the Duke of Guise and all he purposed her Maiesties death to possesse he knewe not whome with the Crowne perhaps such a one as would all haue béene iealous of him for those by whome they are benefited dare hardly trust a Traitor he was discouered in time but yet more by Gods prouidence then mans policie he was too subtill to lay his head vpon
weake blocks his secresie was such as he was first desyphered by forraigne intelligence he had Englishe confederates but such as wéere too déepe in to discouer him When he could no longer withstand the accusation of his owne hand-writing and other probabilities but especiallie his giltie conscience he voluntarilie accused hymselfe with manie odious Treasons but hys malitious spirit woulde not bowe to accuse hys confederates whiche could not but be some great personadges his toong going to execution accused him of a hidden secret when he sayd that he was sorie for the miserie that would light vpon the people before one yeare but God be praised the yeare is past another draweth fast one and manie the like I hope will followe that her Maiestie is in safetie and her Realme in peace Mary within the same yeare the Traytor Parry was hanged in Throgmortons equipage and Henry Earle of Northumberland iudged by the giltinesse and accusation of his owne conscience desperately ended his life with a dagge in the Tower with gréefe I set it downe that a man of so great vallor and staiednesse should so much forget the feare of God and duty to her Maiestie to whome he was déepely bounde as to practise such dangerous treason as his owne conscience perswaded him would not abide the triall and therefore to preserue the honour and inheritance of his house he made choise of a desperate death before the tryall of his péeres the most honourable and indifferentest tryall in the world his sonnes haue great cause to consider of this fatherly care that thus wilfully endangered his owne soule to preserue the temporall honour of his house yea the redéeming of it by his voluntarie death when the trespasse of his life had forfeited all hath or ought to haue impressed such a setled zeale in his sonnes euermore to vphold the same as they and their posteritie will no doubt continuallie be remembred thereof as Philip King of Macedon was That he was a mortall man God graunt that her Maiesties good subiects may be alwayes worthy of this diuine prouidence peace abundance of all good things and that those that are not yet sound may so profit in amendment by these examples as they may detest treason as the assured spoile of honour losse of life and in many the damnation of the soule otherwise in séeking to pull downe a Prince whome God hath chosen to raigne ouer his people in their confusion they shall declare their owne folly and Gods excéeding goodnesse in preseruing of those whome he loueth These notable polititians or more properly Atheists if they were simply to deale with men they might many times happily sée the wished effects of their deuises but they striue against God that striue against their soueraigne Princes especially against such a one as God hath annointed to set foorth his glorie yea they shall preuaile no more then he that thinketh to beate down strōg rocks with a knock of his head that striueth against those whome God protecteth God defended his seruant Elias fléeing from the wrathfull displeasure of Iezabell yea he sent an Angell to comfort and to refresh him with foode When Daniell was cast into a den of Lions God sent an Angell to stop the Lions mouth so that they could not hurt him An Angell with a drawne sword told Iosue that he was the chiefe of the Lords band Iudeth had an Angell for her companion when she went to slay Holofernes An Angell was séene to walke and preserue Sidrah Misach and Abednago in the burning ouen I could inlarge the Chapter with many examples to like purpose but to conclude although Angels are not so visibly séene as in the time of the Prophets yet they minister Gods prouidence and all his blessings euen now as they haue done from the beginning of the world by whome our noble Quéene Elizabeth is defended her enimies are confounded and from whome her good subiectes receiue peace and large fruition both of spirituall and temporall riches All which God for his Sonnes sake alwaies continue that when her Maiestie hath liued a long life so long as the longest course of nature may giue leaue that then she may die in peace euen in the place where she liueth and raigned many yeares in peace Amen CHAP. 14. An exhortation to the English fugitiues vagrant in forraine Regions I Place you héere English fugitiues at her Maiesties féete as abiects whome Gods iustice for your sinnes will haue foyled vnder her féete but her excellencie who is slow in doing of vengeance is more readie to succour her enimies with her hand then to spurne them with her foote and among many that least deserue this fauour charitie and commiseration of your dayly ruines moueth me to wish vnto you after vnfained reconciliation both the fruition of this mercie and all your Countrey blessings The errors of your Religion are manifested by many godly Diuines but the blindnesse of your harts will not suffer you to sée them and small is the maruell though you contemne the counsels of men when you vse the visible warnings of God to strengthen your errors The report of the souldiers vnto the high Priests of the glorie of Christes resurrection sufficed to haue conuerted the Iewes but to their condemnation the Diuell and money sealed this slaunder in their harts that his Disciples stole him away in the night Gods iustice stroke Mahomet with the falling sicknesse to make him know and forsake his blasphemie but to strengthen the peoples misbeléefe the Diuell taught him to say that his falling proceeded of the conference with an Angell whose diuine presence his humane shape could not endure Uppon the principall day of the sauadge murther in Parris according to the figure in the Reuelation that the stinging Locusts shoulde not hurt the gréene trée when to shewe that Gods worde should flourish mauger your crueltie a withered trée bare gréene leaues in the Church yard which receiued many a martired carkasse you presently applyed that preaching or prophesying example to the second florishing of your Romish Church time proueth your exposition but an idle suggestion For although God suffered this cruell persecution of his Church yet he presently shewed himselfe as a louing father who burneth the rod when he hath corrected his sonne God shortly sent an vnkindly death to the chiefe scourge in this persecution and with the gallowes confounded the most of the rascally Atheists his executioners if any liue they beare the markes of hys heauie displeasure what honor and to go further what profit haue you gained by this policie of your Church to what purpose hath the Pope painted this persecution about his great hall at Lateran forsooth that it may be a monument of his crueltie and Gods mercie of his crueltie who dayly murthereth and of Gods mercy which dayly increaseth the number of true professors If the hardnesse of your harts had not blinded your vnderstanding you could not but perceiue the
sentence that kings haue wide eares out-streached hands which is applied to this purpose that princes heare what offenders doe in secreat and can take vengance a farre off for the gaine of a princes fauour is so great as men to compasse the same giue knowledge of most hidden things The preacher saith A byrd of the ayre shal bewray thy voice and with her feathers she shall betray thy words which concerne princes all which is but a morall warning to counsaile men to say nothing or nothing but good of princes when their knowledge searcheth their subiectes wordes and their anger is a verie death But albeit this prerogatiue bee giuen vnto a Royall king to doe what he pleaseth and the duetie of a subiect restraineth him from saying what hee thinketh Yet where their murmuring procéeded more of oppression than malice manie good kings and some tyrants haue borne with the inconsiderate words of their subiectes King Antigonus lying in his Tent in the deade of the night hearde a Souldier to murmure against him of whom Antigonus tooke no other reuenge but softly in an vnknowne voice willed him to goe further from the Kings tent in the ende hée might not heare him The Athenian Ambassadors hauing audience of king Philip of Macedone after their Ambassage deliuered king Philip asked if they would any thing else yea quoth one of them named Democrates who knew that Philip hated the Athenians we would that thou wouldest hang thy self by the throat But king Philip contrarie to all expectation mildely answered You shall tell the Athenians that he that hath indured these words is much more modest than the sages of Athens which want discretion to gouerne their tongues The tyrant Dennis asked the Philosopher Plato what was said of him in the Accademy of Athens Plato boldly answered that they were not so idle in Athens as to talke either of him or his doings Dennis knew that Plaâ—…o couertly blamed his vises and therefore with great patiencie receiued his graue reprehension and truely in this clemency of pardoning the discreete libertie of the subiectes reprehension good princes many times see the faultes that they desire to amende in themselues the forenamed Philip saide it was in his power to make a man say well or euill of him deriuing his reason from this occasion Nycanor speaking euill of him Philip was moued to punish him nay quoth Philip I know Nycanor is not the worst man in my realme and so sent to know if Nycanor wanted any thing and vnderstanding hée was in great pouertie in stéede of chastisement Philip gaue him a rich present and presently the accusar brought the king worde that Nycanor spake much good of him Oppression Pouertie and such like temptations wil moue the tongue to blunder forth the griefes of the heart and questionles in such ouersights clemency beséemeth a king and in remedying of his subiectes iniuries he doubleth his renowne Pontanus saieth that libertie and clemencie maketh Princes to resemble God whose propertie is to doe good vnto all and mercifully to forgiue those that doe amisse By liberallitie Caesar woone Pompeius souldiers to bee his friends and by clemencie obtained such reuerence as in memorie thereof the people erected a Temple Mamyllus asked Caesar what thing hée had doone wherein hee helde himselfe most honoured I sweare vnto thee Mamillus by the immortall gods saide Caesar that I haue done nothing whereof I holde my selfe so much honoured and happie as for that I haue lyberallie rewarded those that haue serued me and mercifullie haue forgiuen such as haue offended me words worthy of Caesar and beséeming euerie Royal Prince for in these two vertues greatly consist their honour and safetie When Cicero saw Caesar set vp Pompeis Images he saide Beholde Caesar setteth vp Pompeis Images that his owne may stand the surer Ciceroes wisedome foresaw that clemencie worketh loue in subiectes and safetie in Princes notwithstanding with this swéete and milde vsage the maiestie of a Prince requireth a seuere grauetie for the first without the last giueth subiectes libertie without feare the last without the first feare without loue A reuerend and assured countenance is the chiefe Grace and not the least vertue in a prince for of a prince meÌ„ behold the countenance and of a common person the apparel The prouerbe is that in the Face of a prince both life and death is setled that is seuere grauitie with a mild amiablenes to chasten and cherish as occasion serueth which moueth a louing feare and not a feareful loue in subiects The people of Meroe an Iland vppon Nylus elect him for their Prince that hath the best countenance imagining that the magnanimity of the minde is discouered in the maiestie of the face King Demetrius had so honorable swéete a presence as no painter durst vndertake his counterfet for in beholding of him amiablenes terror and milde grauity wrought such sodaine impressions as the beholders at one instant were moued to loue reuerence feare him The most worthy Romain Marius had such a reuerend presence as being prisoner with his enimy Sylla a french man was sent to kill him who entring the prison with a drawne sword was so amased with Marius graue furious countenance as he returned and left the prison dore open and by this meanes Marius saued his life Crassus in the like daunger made the Axe to fal from the executioners hand with these we may very well sample our renowned Quéene Elizabeth when the archtraitor desperat Athiest Parry came with a full determination to haue slain her maiesty with his dagger had place oportunity as he wished teste se ipso the maiesty of her countenaÌ„ce made him to lose his resolution Of the contrary part the deformity of couÌ„tenaÌ„ce hath disgraced the kingly qualities of a nuÌ„ber for example of late yeares king Ferdinando of Spaine a prince both discret wise yet of shape countenaÌ„ce vgly deformed this king vpon a festiual day accompaning the sacrameÌ„t at Barcellona at vâ—…ares a Spanyard stroke him such a sound blow vppon the necke with a short sword as had it not béene for a great chaine of golde he had beheaded him The Spaniard was taken and to learne if he had any confederates he was put vnto the torture but for all the torment they coulde lay vppon him hee would confesse no otherwise but that the Phisnomie and euil grace of the king mooued him mortally to hate him But albeit this be a rare and too extreame an example Yet sure a royall Prince resembleth the sunne whose bright beames comforteth euery creature and being darkened with stormie clouds spreadeth heauinesse vpon the whole earth Learning is a great bewtie and a most necessarie vertue in a Prince for learning containeth the graue censures of wise men and wisedome is the strength and scepter of a Prince God bad king Salomon aske what he shoulde giue him and Salomon onely asked wisedome
him Saul that slew the Sacrificatures to the number of 85. as also the wiues and yong children of Nobe vpon an ouerthrow in battaile slew himselfe Athalia the mother of Ochosias to reuenge her sons death slew al the race of the house of Iuda except Ioas who saued by Iehosaba was crowned in the temple and the wicked Athalia was slaine at the entrie of the Pallace Achas an Idolatrer and Paricide was deliuered vnto the hands of the king of Asiria The like vengeance was inflicted vpon the Tyrant Manasses The miserable vengeance that lighted vpon the séede and people of Ieroboam is set downe by the Prophet Abias how that the dogs should eate those that died in the Citie and the fowles of the aire those that died in the fielde which threatnings were soone executed for Nadab succéeding both in the principallitie and tyrannie was slaine by Baasa who according to the words of the Prophet rooted out the whole race of Ieroboam Baasa was slaine by Zamri which Zamri left not a kinseman or knowne friend of Baasaes aliue Zamri hauing raigned but seauen daies was pursued as a murtherer who séeing the Citie to be taken set fire of the roiall pallace and so burned himselfe Achab and his wicked wife Iesabell who caused Naboth to be slaine to be possessed of his Uineyarde according to the prophesie of Elia the dogs that licked vp the blood of Naboth also licked vp Achabs and of Iesabell the dogs deuoured flesh and all and further the vengeance of Ieroboam raigned vpon Achabs séede his sonne Ocozias died of a hurt and for that he sought succour of the Diuell to be healed Ioran his sonne was slaine by Iehu who by his letters caused the princes of Israell to slay the 70. sonnes of Achab which Iehu also rooted out the false prophets of Baal Zacharia raigned but sixe moneths and was slaine for hys tyrannie Sellum who slew Zacharia raigned but one moneth and was slaine by Manahem Pekahia the sonne of Manahem was a Tyrant and was slaine by Pekah Pekah was slaine by Hoseas and Hoseas was lead captiue by Salmanasar into Asiria this was the confusion of the Tyrants of Israell The effeminate Sardanapalus by the sharpe war of two of his princes Belochus and Arbaces fired his pallace and in the same burned himselfe and his concubines Senacherib by the Angell of the Lord had his armie ouerthrowne and 185000. of his hoast were slaine and he fléeing vnto Niniuy was in the temple of his idols slaine by his two sonnes Adramalech and Sarasar Ptholomy the thunder bolt that slew Seleuchus and maried his sister Arsâ—…a to sley her two sonnes was himselfe in most reprochfull manner slaine by Brennus and the Frenchmen Ptholomy Philopator so called in mockerie because he slew his father and his mother liued and died in great slauerie while his Curtisane Agathoclea and the baude Oenantus gouerned the affaires of his kingdome Ptholomy Phiscon so called because of his gluttonie for his crueltie called the great Tyrant who slew his brothers children and two of his owne sonnes and in the Colledge of Alexandria burned a great number of yong schollers as he liued he died like a beast Ptholomy Lamirus or the babler and Ptholomy Auletus so called for his flatterie were both cruell Tyrants and had dishonorable and beastly endes The ingratefull Ptholomy Dionisius that stroke off the head of his Gouernour Pompeius was for practising against Caesar ouerthrowne and drowned in Nylus Esay speaking of the plagues that shoulde raigne vppon Babylon figured how odious the Persian Tyrants were in Gods sighte vppon whome hys vengeance continuallye lighted Cyrus his whole army were slaine by Quéene Thomiris The cruel Cambises slew his brother Smirdis through enuy that he should raigne after him and by his sword falling foorth of his sheath slew himselfe The Tyrant Xerxes that slew his brother Masistes was slaine by his vncle Artabanus Ochus slew fourescore of his brethren and in the end was slaine by one of his Captaines named Bagoas and his carkasse throwne to the dogs The Monarkie of Alexander and the Gretians together with the tyrannie and violent ends of his successors is sufficiently showne before in the Conquests of enuie Nicocrates put to death most of the principall Citizens and was himselfe slaine by Leander Leander succéeded Nicocrates both in rule and tyrannie and therefore was put into a sacke of leather and throwne into the Sea Zela Prusias and Pharaces all Tyrants were violentlie slaine Aristotimus the Archtyrant was so odious as the people slew him in the temple of Iupiter and by the iudgement of the people his wife and two daughters readie to be maried were strangled Phraates King of the Parthians who slewe thirtie of hys brethren and strangled his father had his throte cut by hys bastard Eucratides King of the Bactrians slew his father draue his Coach through his blood and caused his carkasse to bée throwne vnto beasts but by the vengeance of God in one day he lost his kingdome his owne life and the liues of his whole race Archias Philippus Leontidas and Hyppias cruell Tyrants of Thebes were all foure slaine by Pelopidas and hys associates The Kings of Sicile were generally such Tyrants as they are specially thus registred The Tyrants of Sicile of whome horror and cruelty continually attended and as it appeareth in the question betwéene the Tyrant Dionisius the elder and the Orator Damocles the ende of a Tyrant is not only violent but his life is wretched and miserable so that leauing to shew the infamous ends of Caligula Nero Heliogabalus other Romaine Tyrants as also those of our age I will conclude this Chapter with a summarie of Damocles historie that princes séeing the best estate of Tyrants to be miserable may be counselled to hate tyranny as much as they are bound to loue their honor and safetie Damocles on a time praised the riches of Dionisius and maintained that the sunne neuer shined vppon a more happie prince wherevpon Dionisius to make him partaker of thys felicitie made him to be set vpon a magnificent bed caused the tables to be couered and furnished with vessels of golde and siluer and in them most delicate viandes and to attend vpon him he appointed many beautiful pages poudered with most comfortable perfumes and vppon euerie side of this mignion Damocles all manner of swéete musicke was placed but in the middest of his glorie Dionisius caused a naked sword with the point directly vppon Damocles head to bée fastned only with the hayre of a horse tayle who sodainely forgetting the felicitie that he so highly praised humbly beséeched the Tyrant to deliuer him from it which scourge of conscience or rather liuing death neuer punisheth the good Prince but as the Psalmist