ruine Base ALLYBEG and impious FLORADELLA And all the rest of their dire Complices This day fell sacrifices to thy wrath SOFFIE is found too and doth here attend thee Mâ—r. Turn then your love to him to him requite My wrongs and from him too expect my duty Now shall I die with much a lighter heart Since I have liv'd to hear those Traytors fall Nym. O this I ever hop'd for from heavens Justice And grieve the more that thou despairedst of it Mir. I come sweet fatyma-FATYMA-Father farewell Use SOFFIE like a Son Abb. O that Heaven would Let me excuse thee Mir. SOFFIE Farewel Obey thy Grandfire as thou wouldst do me Forget my wrongs and eschew Tyranny Sof Ah! that I could forget sense and turn stone Mir. Adieu sweet Spouse Nym. O! Mir. From thee I hardliest go But thy grief will not suffer thee I know To be long from me Nym. O my wretched ears Do you heare this and will you ever hear Any thing after it O woefull eyes Why at this wailfull sight drop you not out Or frighted recoile deep into you holes O stubborn heart can't all this shiver thee Am I turn'd Rock too Mâ—r. Friends adieu make ore To my young Son the love to me you bore Ema O that I could not hear Met. Or I could help Mir. Yet love my memory Bel. O Grief Alk. O Anger That griefe is all we can Mir. Thou DORIDO Art to attend me to the shades below Pag. Yes my dear Lord. Iff. O that he 'd gone before Mâ—r. I shall again live and on some sad Stage Be mourn'd Great wrongs reach further then one Age. O O. Dâ—es Abb. He 's gone he 's gone break heart and follow Omnes O Heavens Nym. Stay winged spirit stay and take Me with thee at least 8 let me suck thy last breath Bel. Madam forbear you will infect your self Nym. O Gods what have been my deserts to be Thus punished or if such be my deserts Why am I yet not punish'd more with death Yet that were to give end unto my woes To joyne me with him were to make me happy That happiness I shortly will obtain In spight of fate if not from thy kind hand O ATROPOS from mine own grief at least Mean while lie soft O loved Corps and thou Adored soul if love to earthly creatures Remain in death think of me in thy shade And oft Petition Fate to send me to thee Sof Unhappy DORIDO how hast thou wrong'd All Ages Alk. And shalt still be curs'd by all Pag. Is 't not too late to say forgive pass'd errors I hâ—st to follow him to his shade I 'l there Wait on him too and try to be more happy They that behold the Sun must see his shaddow And who remembers my brave Lord must cast A thought on me and may they say thus of me I was his faithfull servant waited still On him in life and death good state and ill So used to obey his each command I did it though it to his hurt did tend If any fault of mine be known to time Service mistaken was my onely crime O O. Dyes Iff. He dyes Ema Would 't were our greatest losse Abb. Our losse alasse is above words to ease And we must more then mourn it Do thou see METHICULI all rites of pomp and sorrow Perform'd to that brave body This vile trunk Of DORIDO'S for giving his Lord poyson We will have burnt upon his Tomb. Met. Sad office Nym. Ah sadder sight that 't were Methiculi and Alkahem carry out the Princes body and the Servants the Pages my last Abb. SOFFIE Thou now art our and the Empire 's hope EMANGOLY be thou his Governour And breed him such as you intend to serve Ema My care shall labour to requite the honour Sof And mine t' improve your honour by my profit Abb. Daughter your losses we can ne'r requite Yet as we can let us attempt amends But that must come from you look ore your wishes And be the Mistress of your own desires Nym. ' Las sir what is there left for me to wish But a short term of wretched life mean while Some humble Country seat shall be my Cell Free from the trouble of all tongues and eyes I being unworthy either waiting their Kind deaths cold hand to lead me to my Lord. Abb. If that be your desire you must enjoy it But we could wish we could deserve you still Nym. Wilt thou partake of my retirement IFFIDA Iff. Madam it would seem hard to me to spend My years which my youth promise will be many In solitude I 'm an ill comforter And then my fortunes arâ— before me too Nym. Be happy in them Ema Poor ingratitude Nym. Farewell great sir if ever you remember You had a Daughter-in-law deserv'd your love Pay it to my poor Son at least forget not You had a Son that did deserve it well Abb. To him we 'l pay the love we ow'd his Father Adieu sweet Princesse BELTAZAR attend her Nym. I thank your Grace Farewell my dearest Boy But that thou still wilt dwell in my best thoughts I would I could forget I ere was happy Be thou so ever Sof Madam if you please not To stay still with us you 'l I hope admit Me in your solitude to do my duty Nym. Things of more weight will take thee up be happy And so shall I when sighs have spent this breath A mortalls happinesse begins in death Abb. Comâ— SOFFIE and leaâ—n to be a Prince But 9 when thy hand shall close mine aged eyes And on thy head my Diadem shall shine Learn by my harms to eschew Tyranny It was thy dying Fathers Legacy And shall be mine too and I leave thee more In that then in my splendid wreath of Oare For cruell Acts in them their torment have Guilt on our souls blots on our names they leave THE END ANNOTATIONS READER IF by perusing the former pages thou deservest that name Thou hast in them perhaps met with divers historicall matters which unexplained may defraud thee of the content I wish thee therefore I here offer thee a Key for every Lock ANNOTATIONS which if thou shalt find usefull I am glad I inserted them if superfluous they cost thee nothing for they are so few theâ— have not swell'd the Play to a much greater rate I will not trouble thee with tedious digressions upon the Poetick Names and â—â—gments strew'd up and down the Poem those if thou beest Learned thou knowst already if not a Dictionary may inform thee and spare my paines I only touch and that lightly upon such historicall concernments and customary rites of the Persians essentiall to our Scene as every Scholar is not bound to know for to such chiefly I wrote this Tragedy ANNOTATIONS UPON THE FIRST ACT. 1. THE Murder of our Sire This King Abbas being a younger Son was onely King of Heri near Tartaria by birth but aiming at the Persian Empire he to make his way to it privily
the same having little copped Caps on the top of green or red velvet being onely worn by persons of rank and he is the greatest that wears the greatest the Mufties or Prelates excepted which over-sizes the Emperours yet is his bigge enough according to Mr. Sandys who reports that Sultan Achmet wore a Turbant in shape like to a pumpion but thrice as great And though many Orders have particular ornaments appointed for their heads yet wear they these promiscuously It is yet an especiall favour in the Turk to suffer the Christian tributary Princes and their chiefest Nobles to wear white heads in the City The Persians also wind about their heads great rolles of Calico but some of silk and gold somewhat higher but not so bulkie as the Turkish Tulipants a little fash of gold or fringe hangs down behind as do our skarfes which ornament they lately borrowed of the Arabian In Triumphs they wreath about their Turbants long chaines of pearles Rubies Turquoises and Emeralds of no small lustre and value The King wears the contrary side of his Tulipant forwards which is all the difference in habit 'twixt him and others These Turbants they keep on continually it being a shame with them to be seen bare-headed perhaps because generally they wear no haire on the head or chin but on the upper lippe they have very long whiskers and turned down-ward some onely reserve a lock of haire upon the top of the head as a certaine note that Mahomet at Doomes-day will distinguish them from Christians and by it lift them up to paradise so that Mr Herbert remembers as a singular favour the civility of this King Abbas to Sir Dodmore Cotton Embassadour from our late King Charles to him Sc. When the King drank to the Embassadour his royall Masters health seeing the Embassadour put off his Hat the King put off his Turbant and bare-headed took off his cup to the admiration of all the Court to see so unusuall a Grace from so haughty a Prince bestow'd upon a Christian Embassadour another of his favours to him was that whereas he thinks it honour enough to let the great Turkes Embassadour kiss the hem of his Garment onely and perhaps by especiall Grace his foot he gave the English Embassadour his hand and with it pull'd him downe and seated him next to himselfe crosse-legged after the Asian mode 7 MITHRA the same with the Suns or rather the Idol of the Sun anciently adored by the Persians nor have Mahometisme yet justled out that old superstition but only mixed with it so that Mr. Herbert affirms that in Spawhawne its selfe the Imperiall City of which before in the tenth Note upon the first Act at the appearing of every new Moon they go out to worship it and each day at Sun set in every ward of the City they beat their Kettle Drums till he arises with the Antipodes at that time and at his first looking into our Horizon a well voyced Boy from the Tarrass or top of their Temples sing Eulogies to Mahomet and Ally and then each layick Pagan falls to his devotion whatsoever hee is about Their prayers are in the Arabique their Negotiations in other Languages Of old in a Cave were the Rites of Mithra solemnized from whence they drew an Ox by the hornes which after the singing of certaine Paeans was sacrificed to the Sun Zorastes placeth him between Oremazes and Arimanius the good and bad Daemon for which he took that denomination His image had the countenance of a Lion with a Tiara on his head depressing an Ox by the hornes I find him mentioned by Grotius in his Tragedy of Christ's passion but more to our purpose by Statius Theb. l. 1. ANNOTATIONS UPON THE THIRD ACT. 1 CAucasus This is the highest mountain in Asia yet was it in the generall Deluge fifteen Cubits under water Gen. 7.20 It s of long extent and serves for limits to Scythia to separate it from India dilating it selfe almost through the whole North but under divers names that part which stretches from Maeotis in Scythia towards the Indian Sea where it arises Pliny will have called Taurus lib. 5. cap. 27. Some parts of it the Indians call Imaus other Paropamissus Circius Coatras Niphates Sarpedon Coragus c. These out-stretching branches of this Mountaine encoâ—pass some whole Kingdoms of some they â—unne by the sides to others are a defensive Rampire sometimes they wholly shut up passages sometimes make them inaccessible Difficulties more injurious to the Morgor then any other Prince rendring his Horse his chiefe strength of small service of this quality are the frontiers of Persia and the Kingdome of Saâ—lastan on every side hem'd in with that part which the Grecians call Paropamis as I said before in the third Note upon the first Act. Segestan is likewise so invironed that the River Ilâ—mento were it not for searching out infinite crooked windings through naturall vallies could hardly find passage to pay his tribute to the famous Ganges Notwithstanding all these excrescencies of this Mountaine all agree that the highest part of it is Caucasus so called quasi Caspius as being neer the Caspian Sea By reason of the height and and so snow perpetually on it it is uninhabited producing little but salvage Trees and poysonous herbs and is barren even to an expression so that Virgil making Dido exclaime against Aeneas for his unkind attempt to leave her could not put better words into her mouth then Nec tibi diva parens generis nec Dardanus auctor Perside sed duris genuit te cautibus â—orrens Caucasus Hyrcanaeque admorunt ubera Tigres Aeneid 4. Thou art not Venus Son nor Dardans seed But faithlesse thee dire Caucasus did breed On churlish cliffes and Hyrcan Tygers feed At the Hyrcanian Tygers I glance in the eighth Scene of the fourth Act Caucasus by reason of the stupendious height administers much ease and certainty to the observation of the stars which have given so great a reputation to the Scythians to bee good Astronomers this according to Lactantius and Cicero lib. 5. Tusc is the reason the Poets feigned Prometheus to be chained here and to feed an Eagle with his breast for stealing fire from Heaven not here to dilate any further upon the Mythology of that Fable meaning by him a studious man and Astrologer his name imports wisdome and fore-sight as Epimetheus the contrary hee passes for Son of Japetus and Father of Deucalion though some will have him begotten by Mercury of Reason upon Mount Caucasus because of the commodiousness of the place for the aspection of Stars But the occasion of this Note was what I find noted by Boetius in his Philosophicall comfort lib. 2. Out of Cicero his Scipio's Dream speaking of the narrowness of Fame viz. that in his time the name of the Roman Common-wealth had not sworn over the River Ganges of which in the next note nor reached over this hill Caucasus and yet it was then in the
ELEGIE sung to the Harp GRief and Horror seize on all From the Suns rise to his fall But in in sighs no breath be spent No voice heard but to lament In each face the cause is read FATYMA and Beauty's dead SOL disturb not sorrows night She gone none deserves thy light And ther 's none now whose eye may Bright as hers did gild thy Ray. Birds that did your songs forbear Hers with more delight to hear And did still expecting stand Notes from her voice meat her hand You again may sing alone You 'l be heard now she is gone To her name your voices set And ne'r sing a note but that Flowerâ— droop your leaves and wither You no more her hand shall gather Wither wither for there 's none Worth a Garland she being gone Water Nymphs that in a maze Oft have stopt your sports to gaze At her sitting on your banks Or else tripping ore their cranks In a Dance with odorous feet And a grace as VENUS sweet Weep her losse weep more you 'l ne'r See your selves out-done by her Weep till you thaw melting mourn Till into your streams you turn Winds let sighs henceforth consume yee Her breath shall no more perfume yee Be astonish'd thou O Earth Thou hast lost thy fairest birth See! see all the charm obey Into night is shrunk the day The Sun mourns or to judge right He wants her to give him light Birds have learnt her name and now Hark! they sing 't on every bough Of the flowers some decay Others wither quite away Or if any beauty have Still they keep it for her grave Grief has turn'd the Primrose pale Lillies droop and all bewail Down the Violet hangs her head All the Roses tears have shed Cups full have each Daffadil Down along the cheeks they trill Of the rest and trembling there Hang true Pearles for sorrows wear Fountains weep winds sigh her fall Earth is stupified withall Onely Gods from grief refrain Since earths losse is Heavens gain For since she arriv'd at Heaven Now the Graces number 's even Abb. No more let bold Philosophers denie That Vertues are from Nature since here â—ies An heap of Beauties with more graces born Then Education or Art ere gave The longest liver Once a divine soul â—nform'd that curious Body and so acted â—t to all good that Heaven envied Earth Th' enjoyment of it therefore took it home As bright as when she lent it the fair modell And now it shines the brightest star she has But why so soon good Heaven hast dispossess'd Earth of her glory Is 't because you mean To call the Chaos back again and she The soul o th' world must first be tane away Day must depart before soul night can come Or fail'd your Power could you not make the summer And Autumn of her Age as glorious As her sweet Spring and so destroy'd it quite Or doubted you she would engrosse all hearts All loves and make us think there was no Heaven No Paradise but her and her sweet favour So jealous of your Honour took her hence No but now that her viper Father had Given up his name to mischief and Rebellion That all that 's good of him might fall she must And fall his crime but O that crime alone Had he no more should sink his monstrous head Below the deepest Hell I punish him Not now for crimes committed against me But 'gainst himself these I could have forgiven And Nature almost now had won me to it But this dire murder of my joy and comfort Has chas't away all pitty from my thoughts And arm'd my heart and hand with torments for him Who will not crush the worme that eats his Rose Goe FARRABAN lade the inhumane Monster With pondrouâ— chains as heavy as his guilt Remove all comforts from him pine his carkasse Till his own flesh be his abhorred food He may as well devour that as this Tell him we 'l study Torments for him Torments Witty and requisite as he wishes us Deliver th' message to him in words fit For a just anger great as ours is 'T will be some comfort to this innocents soul To see her murderers blood poured upon Her divine ashes Pardon glorious Ghost For now devotion 's due to thy bright lustre That we mix with thy sacred dust a blood So tainted yet 't is but thy sacrifice You FARRABAN see SOFFIE be regain'd Again you 'd best I wonder at your neglect Of care to guard so great Prisoner Far. My Liege I' th aproar when the guards were all Employ'd to stop the Princes frantick rage He made escape Abb. Well see he be sought out Lead on and enrich Earth with Heavens envy MIRZA PAGE GReat NEMESIS now have I sacrific'd To thee the best of Creatures Persia had If the old Tyrant feeleth but the wound I have mine ends and thou a feast of blood Pag. But sir I fear the blow you gave through her Will fall most heavy on your self and make Him more incens'd Mir So he but feels a grief I 'l triumph in my pains and scorn his worst MIRZA PAGE FARRABAN WHo 's that Pag. 'T is FARRABAN in his looks I see Revenge and Torments threatned Mir. Tut Far. Sir the King Mir. Peacâ— thou most impudent tongue Call him not King but dotard Tyrant Serpent Go on Far. Commands me to deliver's wrath To you in thunder Pardon the messenger He threats you with Strapadoes Famine Tortures Cunning and cruell for your dire deed Mâ—r. I thank his Tyrantship return thou him From me many curses but how took he His minions death Far. As he would do the sight Of his own Executioner heavily His life-blood seem'd to stream from 's aged eyes Horror to seize his Limbs and grief his soul. He tore his silver hair beat 's reverend breast Threw himself prostrate on the loved body And curs'd his starrs the killing newes is like To do as much for him as for the old PANDION the like act of PROGNE's did He slights his meat seems wholly given over To sorrow and revenge Mir. Io Io PAEAN Sing victory sing victory my soul I 'm Conquerour I 've vanquish't the stern Tyrant In a great deed 'bove th' horror of his own Now I can make him grieve I 'l make him bleed Bleed next dog Goaler bleed his damned soul To air which will turn to Pestilence And poyson and infect the cursed world He has but yet a tast of what I 'l do Far. Sir sir we 'l keep you from all further outrage Pag. Be civill villain to your Royal Master Far. He must excuse me I 'm but an Officer Mâ—r. O' th Devills Traytor do thy drudgery Far. He has commanded me to load your limbs With weighty gyves and famish your stout stomach Pag. The Devill has Mir. His gyves are ornaments To me and Famine that I fear not slave I 'l feed on my revenge Come bring thy fetters I will adore them as a lover does His Ladies favours Pag.
MAHOMET-ALLYBEG ELCHEE MOZENDRA EARINA OLYMPA OMAY CLOE Officers Souldiers Guard FIrst my EMANGOLY and you my Lords METHICULI HYDASPUS ALKAHEM We here revoke our sentence against you Of Banishment and impower you to sit With us in judgment on these dire Delinquents Ema We thank your Majesty and glory more In that we are capable of serving you Then in the honour which you grace us with Oly. They 'l complement our lives away at last Ben. Then we are judg'd already wel th' other day I studied speeches for the Ladies now secret I want one to the People but lets see The common place is to avoid ill company A curse on these state matters Abb. Next we here Degrade that Viper ALLY-BEG from all Those places or of publique trust or Honour To which too rashly we advanced him Those which he held of yours EMANGOLY We do to you restore Ema Your Grace shall find Me faithfull as at first Abb. The Treasurer-ship We do conferr on you METHICULI Met. My service as i 'm able shall requite it Mah. May they requite you as I would have done Alk. Bold Traytor cannot armed justice awe thee Abb. Now BELTAZAR produce your proofs against These criminals Bel. They 're guilty all of Treason CLOE accuses that impostum'd monster MAHOMET to have forg'd the whole conspiracy But not without the help of FLORADELLA Flo. A curse on that loose Gossip Mah. And you too Abb. Give them no name but Traytors Bel. First they meant To shift away the Prince dissolve the Army That no force might oppose the Traytors rising You Majestie the horror of it choaks My utterance your sacred Majestie Mah. So try again Bel. This viperous woman should Have poysoned Mah. So now 't is out would she had Bel. And FARRABAN SOFFIE then held the Castle At the devotion of this monstrous man Who aim'd to set the Crown on his own head Having already gotten a strong Guard Towards which that strumpet did disburse a Mass Of ready Treasure making still her Purse As common to him as her wicked body Flo. You might preserve the modesty of the Court Bel. To this end be their Levies afoot too In Larr SELEUCUS MATZED in Hyrcania Are raising Forces so that this lewd woman And FARRABAN and sly SELEUCUS were Chiefe complices that knew his utmost aime The other we believe drawn in as onely Crediting his pretence to free the Prince And MATZED'S Levies are on ELCHEE'S score Eâ—c Urge that my Lord. Oly. Oma Ear. Yes yes sir urge that home Abb. Monster what say you knew the rest yoâ— meant Your selfe their King Mah. They knew as much as I did Oly. 'T is false Moz That thou wert worthy but to bear A Sword that I might claim the combat 'gainst thee I 'd write it on thy heart in stabbes thou lyest Mah. A brave Rodomantado Hyd. This vile man Given up to Treason late and now despaire Accuses these but to have company In 's fall Ben. True my good Lord. Come you and I Were Comrades once Ema This I indeed believe Mah. The more the merrier Moz Hear my gracious Lord He intimates as much before your Grace Elc. What if I say I levyed in Hyrcania To Mozendra With an intent to help the King and ballance MAHOMETS strength having the greater hopes For doing him service so unexpected Moz 'T will gaine no faith and then Secret 't was Treason too To list without Commission know your doom first If you fall urge it some will credit you 'T will beget pitty to your memory I'â—h ' vulgar who are still fond of the wretchâ—d Alk. These persons could not be so lost to sence Being noble as t' advance so vile a thing Over themselves Oâ—y We scorn him for our Groom Hyd. His envy and his rage will peal us too Anon I think Met. How strong is malice in thee Pernicious wretch thou car'dst not how foul Thy Treasons were on earth nor weighst thou now How great thy plagues for them shall be in hell Bel. Disburden yet thy soul of so much guilt And speak these innocent in what they are so Mah. Your selfe's not innocent good Rhetorician Hyd. I thought so slit his impudent throat some body Mah. You did as much as I exasperate The King against his Son Bel. If this be true I here beseech your Grace command me stand Among the Traytors Come come Officers bind My hands I am accused here of treason Abb. You more then feignedly did act his friend And O that I had heard your pregnant reasons So urg'd to save him with an equall eare Bel. Heaven knows I urg'd them strongly as I durst Mah. The Tyrant's selfe 's not innocent Alk. Bold head Mah. He 's guilty of his Sonnes blood and FATYMA'S too I was but 's instrument Met. O extasie Abb. Varlet the guilt is thine though the grief mine That I gave faith unto thy forgeries Proceed Lord BELTAZAR Bel. Sir hoping these May yet be worthy of your timely mercy What have I but t'inveigh against those other Look up fair Mother Persia and see Thy selfe redeem'd put off the horrid fright Thy plotted ruine late amaz'd thee with Now shall not thy fair breast be stained with Thy best Sons blood but freed of thy worst Had this gone on th'hadst been but thine own prey Th'hadst seen thy Prince that toyl'd so oft for thee Groaning his soul out into empty air The hopeful blossom nipt as soon as blown Thy aged King swell'd up with deadly poyson And burning as in Aetna till he 'd burst And impious MAHOMET upon thy Throne Unworthy of thy Gallies and this strumpet His fine loose Queen Mah. That yet I never meant Flo. The more wretch thou so oft to swear it to me Mah. The more fool thou though ever to believe me Bel. Thy noblest Sons torn some to cruell death And some to servile misery worse then that This was the sight prepared for thine eyes Mah. And it had been a brave one Abb. Cursed monster No sence of guilt no teares can no remorse Touch thy scar'd Conscience Mah. Yes I see my guilt Guilty of folly I am to trust a woman To keep for me what for her self she cannot A secret tears I could profusedly shed Tears of just wrath and for each one that drops Afford a curse too that I sped no better I 'de spend my soul in sighs could they but scald thee To be so near a Crown and reach it not O Hell and Furies Abb. In thy soul they 're all Ema Proceed to judgement sir. Mah. Tyrant remember â—n me thou judgest thy own Cause I meant No more to thee then thou didst to thy Father And brother too and that for the same reason Ema Prodigious boldnesse sir regard him not Abb. Monster since thou hast toyl'd to be ungrateful And with thy Treasons to out-vie my favours To let thee die were too much pitty to thee Nor is there a death equall to thy guilt Besides we having so much honoured thee And
most flourishing estate fearfull even to the Parthians and the rest of Asia minor The same I find in Plutarch who indeed makes Pompey in vit Pomp. in chase of Mithridates passe by those Nations that inhabit about Caucasus and conquer the Albanians and Iberians but they are still of this side of the hill the Iberians as himself say stretch out unto Mount Moschium and to the Realm of Pontus the Albanians lie towards the East mare Caspium So true is it that the greatest Empires have hidden fates allotted them and certain periods both of time and place Nor doth Lucan in his muster roll of Pompeyes forces set down any from beyond the hill nor over Ganges though just up to them in that agreeing with Plutarch who also agrees with him where hee makes Ganges the utmost bounds of Alexanders Conquests no small fame to this hill and river to bound the Roman and Macedonian Empires to remember the Poets words is not superfluous at least so much of them as concern Ganges the subject of the next note Movit Eoos bellorum fama recessus Qua colitur Ganges toto qui solus in orbe Ostia nascenti contraria solvere Phaebo Audet adversum fluctus impellit in Eurum Hic ubi Pellaeus post Tethyos aequora ductor Constitit magno vinci se fassus ab orbe est Phars l. 3. The farthest East range of these famous warrs Where Ganges flowes the onely stream that dares Crosse rising Phaebus and with horrid might Force 'gainst the Eastern wind his rouling tide Here the Pellaean stop'd was forc'd confesse His boundlesse mind then this one world was lesse 2 From Ganges head to towring Atlas foot The strange and unusuall course of this River Ganges crosse to the Sun you have seen well described by Lucan It takes its source in the Mountains of Scythia as most believe though some say in the Mountains of Tartarie others that it is uncertaine as that of Nile It traverseth the East Indies giving a name to the Country Gangeticus id est Indicus So Lucan speaking of the arrivall of the â—pring and of the Suns drying up of the winter fogs saith Et quas sentit Arabs quas Gangetica tellus Exhalat nubulas Phars l. 4. He doth exhale The fogs that India and Arabia feel It was as many write one of the four Rivers that bounded Paradise and the first mention'd in holy writ by the name of Pishcon or Phison Gen. 2. It was called Ganges from a King of Aethiopia of that name so saies Suidas It is very large in all its course Pliny lib. 6. cap. 18 makes the narrowest part of it to be eight miles over the broadest twenty and the depth more then 100. foot Arrianus in his History of Alexander assigneth the first place unto it making it excell Nilus which must be granted according unto later relations it doth at least in depth and breadth if not in length For the Magnitude of Nilus consisteth in the dimension of Longitude and is inconsiderable in the other what stream it maintaineth beyond Scyene or Asna and so forward unto its originall relations are very imperfect but below these places and farther removed from the head the current is but narrow and the History of the Turks relates that the Tartar horsemen of Selimus swam over the Nile from Cairo to meet forces of Tonombeius last Sultan of Aegypt more then the valiant Macedonians durst under take to do at Ganges though they had before done as much as the Tartars did at Nile in wading through Hydaspes up to their breasts with their harnesse on their backs to meet King Porus not so much deterr'd by the report of the Kings of the Gangarides and the Praesians on the other side ready to receive them with 80000. horse 200000. foot 8000. Chariots and 6000. Elephants for numbers were not terrible to them but gave hopes of the richer prey and brighter fame but they were dishartened to combate the waves understanding by the Countrymen that it was 32. furlongs over and 100. fadom deep So Plutarch somewhat differing from Pliny though their measure will admit an easie reconcilement With an impetuous tide it rages for which I must quote Lucan again who speaking of Caesars going to assault Corsinium a Town of the Peligni when L. Domitius the Governour had cut off the bridge of the River three miles from the Town makes him thus bravely encourage his Cohorts to passe it despising the petty difficulty and vaunting that hee would do if need were now he had begun the War what Alexander could not Non si tumido me gurgite Ganges Submoveat stabit jam flumine Caesar in ullo Post Rubiconis aquas equitum properate catervae Ite simul pedites ruiturum ascendite pontem Phars l. 2. I 'd ore though Ganges here row'd all his might Now Rubicon is past no rapid tide Shall Caesar stop on wing'd Troops like hail Follow brave Foot the sinking bridge assail A speech worthy Caesar. This River is by the Indians held so sacred as many of them drown themselves in it esteeming it efficacious to wash away their sins and the Princes whose dominions it washes exact great Tributes of such as bath in it well therefore might Lucan in the fore cited Verses meaning India say Qua colitur Ganges Where Ganges is ador'd Atlas is a mountaine in Mauritania now called Barbaria or the Country of Marisco towards the Gaditan streights and the west Ocean It was anciently called Adirim according to Martian Durim saith Solinus as also Anchisa and the Pillar of heaven by the inhabâ—tants being so high that a man cannot discern the top thereof It was called Atlas from a King of Mauritania of that name the Sonne of Jupiter and Clymene or of the Nymph Asie say the Poets others of Japet and Brother to Prometheus He having been advertized by the Oracle of Themis that the Sonne of Jupiter prophesied by Hercules should carry away golden Apples which grew in his Hesperian Hortyard inclosed the same with a mighty wall and committed it to the custody of a sleepless Serpent admitting no Forrainer into his confines and so being unhospitable unto Perseus the Sonne of Jupiter and Danae was at the sight of Medusas head turned into that Mountaine which carries that name on whose high shoulders the Starres are feigned to take their repose So Ovid in his Metamorphosis upon the fourth Book of which M. Sandys in his Mythologicall commentary observes that some alluding this to a History will have those apples flocks of large and beautifull sheep belonging to Atlas whose fleeces were of the colour of gold as because a River invironed those pastures they were said to be guarded by a Serpent or in that they were kept by one Ladon a churlish and inhumane shepheard or feigned perhaps of the store of gold wherewith Mauritania abounds digged up at the foot of that Mount the wakefull Dragon those restless cares which afflict the
he joyned battell with Vncham one of the Kings Tenduch consulted with his Diviners of the successe they taking a green reed cleft it asunder and wrot on the one part the name of Cingis and Vncham on the other and placed them not farre asunder Then fell they to muttering their Charms and the two reeds a fighting in the sight of the whole Army Cingis reed overcame the other whereby they foretold the joyfull newes of Victory to the Tartar which accordingly happened So Theodatus the Gothe about the year 534. being in warrs with the Romans and willing beforehand to know his successe was advised by a Jew to shut up a number of swine and to give some of them Roman names the others Gothish Not long after the King and the Iew going to the sties found the Gothish Hoggs all slain and the Roman half unbrisâ—ellâ—d whereupon the Iew foretold that the Gothes should be discomfited and the Romans much weakened and so it fell out This kind of Divination some call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hath been prohibited by a generall Councell and is with its other kinds often condemnd and threatened with punishments by God himself by the mouths of his holy Prophets especially Ezekiel If any think that Elisha pâ—actised Belomancy when by an arrow shot from an Eastern window he presignified the destruction of Syria and when according unto the thâ—ee stroaks of Ioash with an arrow upon the ground he foretold the number of his victories 2 Kings 13. they may know that that was done by the spirit of God who particular'd the same and determined the stroaks of the King unto three which the hopes of the Prophet expected in twice that number From the same spirit proceeded those cures in Scripture by means not to us effective The Divine power either proceeding by visible means or not unto visible effects is able to to conyjoyn them by his cooperation And theâ—efore those sensible waies which seem of indifferent Natures are not idle ceremonies but may be causes by his command and arise unto productions beyond their regular activities If Nahaman the Syrian had washed in Iordan without the command of the Prophet its like he had been cleansed by them no more then by the waters of Damascus There is no cause to doubt if any besides Elisha had cast in salt the waters of Iericho had not been made wholesom There was some naturall vertue in the plaster of figs applyed to Ezechias and gall is very mundificative and was a proper medicine to clear the eye of Tobit which carrying in themselves some action of their own they were additionally promoted by that power which can extend their natuâ—es unto the production of effects beyond their created efficiencies And thus may he operate also from causes of no power unto their visible effects for he that hath determined their actions unto certain effects hath not so emptied his own but that he can make them effectuall unto any other So cannot the Devill having no power of his own as a created essence but that onely that is permitted to him all which he stretches to make himself seem equall with God so that we may call him Gods Ape assuming the annexes of divinity and the prerogatives of the Creato â—rawing into delusive practise the operation of miracles and the prescience of things to come See more of this in Doctor Browns â—seu Epid. l. 1. cap. 10. 11. lib. 5. cap. 21. 22. The Devill hath also made men believe that he can raise the dead that he hath the key of life and death and this leads me to Necromancie which is divination by the dead when to foretell some event some dead body is called up as Lucan lib. 6. makes Pompeyes Son Sextus go to the witch Erictho to enquiâ—e the issue of the war she quickens a dead carkasse that informes him then by a spell laies it again The like was acted in the body of Samuel by the Wâ—tch of Endor when King Saul went to learn of â—er what event his war with the Philistines should have although whether done by divine permission or diabolicall illusion is as yet in controversie But more probable it seems since the Divell can transform himself into an Angell of light that he assumed the shape of Samuel Insomuch that the apparitions of Saints and Angells of no small danger to the credulous and unstable are not secure from deception For to me it seems hard that the Devill should have power of of the body of a Saint and holding that the dead do rest in the Lord that we should yet believe they are at the lure of Devill that he who is in bonds himself commandeth the fetters of the dead and dwelling in the bottomleâ—â—e Lake the blessed from Abrahams bosom The opinion of the reall Resurrection of Samuel is chiefly grounded upon that in Ecclesiasticus praising Samuel cap. 46. v 2. After his death he prophesied and shewed the King his end and lift up his voice from the Earth in Prophecie Such expound those words in the story 1. Sam. 28.19 To morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me in the Grave onely in the state of the dead farther they cannot go for if it were the Prophet had he â—poken oâ— the particular place wherein he was he would not have spoken so generally take the place either for Heaven or Limbus patrum for theâ—e we may fear Saul and his two Sons Abinadab and Malchishua never came If it were the Devill and meant local Hel to have spoken plain he should have said thou and thy two sons for Ionathan the Eldest and friend of David was flain too but left us pious hopes of his better condition but that plainnesse of speech he might wave to keep up the controversie making it his work to sow dissention as also to speak here like himself elsewhere all whose answers and Oracles were amphibolous and misticall But for more of this I refer you to Saint Augustine lib. 2. q. ad Simplician where he proposeth both the opinions as probable But to reassume the businesse of note the Magi Magus signifies as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sapiens a wise man so were the Philosophers in Persia and the East named though now by the corruption of the Science it s an odious name Magician alià s Conjurer though we might as well deprave the name of Divine it certainly comming à Divinando from those antient Diviners or Sooth-sayers So Tyrannus at first did onely signifie a Monarch and absolute King but came afterwards by the abuse of Royall Authority to be taken for a cruell and evill Prince In like manner the word Lacrones signified of old such as were the guards of Princes but grew in time by their disloyalty to be understood of Robbers and Thieves Out of the Magi the antients chose them Kings and chief officers Cambyses second Monarch of the Medes and Persians at his expedition into Aegypt constituted Patizithes one of