to sweare allegiance to his daughter Maud and that she should succeed in his Kingdome they which swore were first William Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the rest of the Bishops and Abbats then David King of Scotland Uncle to Maud now married to the Emperesse of Germany then Stephen Earle of Mortaigne and Bulloigne Nephew to the King c. But so soon as King Henry was dead in Normandy Stephen hasted into England and by the help especially of the Bishops was made King and the Emperesse put by but behold the revenging hand of God following their Perjury Stephen though otherwise a gallant Prince yet found his Crowne to be but a glorious misery Mars and Vulcan never suffering him to be at quiet and as he would not suffer the right heire to inherit so God would not suffer him to have an heire to inherit for his sonne was put by the Crowne which was conferred upon Henry sonne to the Emperesse the rightfull heire Also William Arch-bishop of Canterbury never prospered after his perjury but died within that yeare Roger Bishop of Salisbury fell into displeasure with King Stephen who took him prisoner seized upon his Castles and treasures and so used him that he died for very griefe Alexander Bishop of Lincolne was also taken by the King and led in a rope to the Castle of Newark upon Trent the King swearing that the Bishop should neither eat nor drink till his Castle was surrendered so that there he gat all the Bishops treasure and as for Hugh Bigot he also escaped not long unpunished saith Fabian Rodulph Duke of Sweveh provoked by the Pope rebelled against his Sovereigne the Emperour Henry the fourth but in a battel which he fought against him he lost his right arme whereof he shortly after died acknowledging Gods justice for his disloyalty punishing him in that arme which before was lift up to sweare the oath of allegiance to his Master Act. Mon. Narcissus a godly Bishop of Ierusalem was falsly accused by three men of many foule matters who sealed up with oathes and imprecations their false testimonies But shortly after one of them with his whole family and substance was burnt with fire another of them was stricken with a grievous disease such as in his imprecation he had wished to himselfe the third terrified with the sight of Gods judgements upon the former became very panitent and poured out the griefe of his heart in such aboundance of teares that thereby he became blinde Euseb. The Arians hired a woman to accuse Eustatius a godly Bishop of committing whoredome with her thereby procuring his banishment But shortly after the Lord struck her with a grievous disease whereupon she confessed her perjury the childe being begotten by Eustatius a Smith and not Eustatius the Bishop and so presently after she died Euseb. The Emperour Albert having made a truce with the great Turke and solemnly sworne to the same Pope Eugenius the fourth sent him a dispensation from his oath and excited him to renew the warre against them but in the first battel he was discomfited and slaine to the great shame of Christianity the infidels justly accusing them of Perjury and Covenant breaking sealed by the Name of Christ whom they professe to be their Saviour Turk Hist. Almerick King of Ierusalem having entred into League with the Caliph of Egypt and confirmed the same by an oath afterwards warred upon him contrary to his promise whereupon God raised him up many enemies who miserably wasted the Kingdome of Ierusalem himselfe was beaten out of Egypt and all hopes of succour failing him being wearied with whole volleys of miseries he ended his life of a bloody Flux Hist. holy Warres The Egyptians reputed perjury so capital a crime that whosoever was convinced thereof was punished with death Pausanias noteth this to be one chiefe cause why Philip King of Macedon with all his posterity were so quickly destroyed because he made no account of keeping his oathes but sware and unswere as might stand best with his interest Gregory of Tours makes mention of a wicked varlet in France among the people called Averni that forswearing himselfe in an unjust-cause had his tongue presently so tied that he could not speake but roare till by his inward prayer and repentance the Lord restored him the use of that unruly member Theodor Beza recordeth what befell a perjured person who forswore himselfe to the prejudice of his neighbour He had no sooner made an end of his oath but being suddenly stricken with an Apoplexie he never spake word more till he died Cleomenes King of Lacedemonia making truce with the Argives for seven dayes oppressed them in the third night unawares thinking thereby to avoid perjury But the Argive women their husbands being slaine took up armes like so many Amazones and repelled Cleomenes who afterwards was banished into Egypt where desperately he slew himselfe Plut. Uladislaus King of Hungary having contracted a League with Amurath the great Turke and bound himselfe to it by an oath the Pope sent a Legat to absolve him from his oath and provoke him to warre which he undertaking with a very great Army the victory stood doubtfull a great while together but Amurath seeing a Crucifix in the Christians Ensigne pluckt the writing wherein the late League was contained out of his bosome and with his eyes and hands cast up to heaven said O thou crucified Christ behold this is the League thy Christians in thy Name made with me which they have causelesly violated If thou be a God as they say thou art and as we dream revenge the wrong now done unto thy Name and me and shew thy power upon thy perjured people who in their deeds deny thee their God Immediately afterward the King in the middest of his enemies was slaine and the Christians fled very few ever returning to their own homes but perished miserably Turk Hist. When Harold King of England was ready to joyne in battel with William the Conquerer and his Normans Gyth a younger brother of his advised him that in case he had made promise unto William of the Kingdome he should for his own person withdraw himselfe out of the battel for surely all his forces could not secure him against God and his own conscience who no doubt would require punishment for breach offaith and promise withall assuring him that if he would commit the fortune of that battel into his hands he would not faile to performe the part of a good brother and valiant Captaine but the King contemning this wholesome counsel would needs joyne battel himselfe wherein he lost his Army Kingdome and his own life Camb Brit. p. 149 150. Henry Falmer being accused by his own brother of Heresie as they call it suffered Martyrdome for the same but shortly after his said brother who had borne false witnesse against him was pressed for a Pioner in the voyage to Bulloine where within three dayes as he was exonerating nature a Gun took him and
curse her daily in his grace at board was worthily hanged for his Treason therein Anno 1571. Camb. Eliz. Valence the Emperour that mirrour of impietie going against the Gothes was defeated in the very first battel for which he upbraided Trajan his General at a feast with cowardise and sloth as the cause of his overthrow but noble Trajan not enduring that indignity told him in plaine termes that he had lost the day by warring against God in persecuting the Christians whereby he had lost the victory and sent it to his enemies For it is God saith he that overcometh and giveth the victory to those that obey him but such are your adversaries and therefore having God to fight against you how can you overcome Niceph. Eccl. Hist. Apian scoffing at Religion and especially at circumcision had an Ulcer at the same time and in the same place Josephus Antonius Heliogabulus the Emperour a most prodâ—gious monster built a Temple to the Sun and commanded Christians to worship in the same but shortly after he was murthered by his own guard and his body shamefully drawn through the Citie of Rome and thrown into the River Tybur Euseb. Anno 1530 divers noble men in Germany being at supper together and threatning horrible things against the Professors of the Gospel amongst the rest Count Felix of Wartenburg a great Warrier who had been in command under Maximilian the Emperour said that he hoped before he died to ride up to the Spurs in blood of the Lutherans but being smitten by God that very night he fell a bleeding in that violent manner that his owne blood choaked him and so he ended his life Flac. Illyr Francis the first of France was so filled with rage against the truth of God and the reformation in Luthers time that in solemne a Assembly he protested that if he knew any part of his body infected with that contagion he would presently tear it from him that it might spread no further Sleid. Com. l. 9. Ballasius Governour of Egypt under Constantius the Emperour a great persecutor of holy Athanasius as he was riding his horse turning back his neck bit him by the the thigh and therewithall plucking him off his back so bruised him that within three dayes he died Athanasius Iohn Twiford a furious Papist who used to set up the stakes for those that were burned in Smithfield died rotting above ground so that none could endure to come neare unto him by reason of stinke Act. and Mon. David Beaton a bloody Archbishop and Cardinall of Scotland who amongst others had condemned and burned one George Wiseheart was shortly after assaulted by some that brake into his Castle who murthered him in his bed crying out Alasse alasse slay me not I am Priest after which he lay seven moneths unburied and at last like a Carrion he was buried in a dunghill Act. and Mon. William Gardiner an English Merchant being present in Lisborne at the marriage of the Prince of Portugall to the King of Spaines daughter and seeing the abominable Idolatry then used in the presence the King and of all States there assembled he stepped to the Cardinal who was celebrating of Mass and plucked the Cake out of his hand and trampled it under his feet and overthrew the Chalice for which by most exquisite torments in an horrible manner they put him to death by degrees and then burned him a sparke of whose fire was driven a great way into one of the Kings ships lying in the haven and consumed it and within halfe a year after the new married Prince died and the year after the King himselfe also died Act. and Mon. Arundel Archbishop of Canterbury having silenced many faithful Ministers by Gods just judgement had his tongue swelled so bigge in his mouth that he could neither eate drink not speak for many dayes and so died of hunger after he had starved many poor Christian soules and burned their bodies to ashes Act. Mon. Cardinal Woolsey after much opposition against the light of the Gospel which sprang up in his time and much cruelty used towards the professours of it falling into disgrace with King Henry the eighth was sent for up out of Yorkeshire and in his journey suspecting the issue took such a strong purge that his rotten body being not able to bear it died thereof at Lecester-Abby His dead body was as black as pitch and so heavy that six men could scarcely bear it and stanke so intolerably that they were forced to hasten his burial in the night at whose burial there was such an hideous tempest that all the Torches were put out and withall such a stinke that they were glad to throw him into his Tombe and there leave him Act. Mon. Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester a bloody persecutor in Queen Maries time upon the day that Master Ridley and Latimer were burned at Oxford would not sit downe to dinner till one of his servants about four a clock in the afternoone coming Post brought him word that they were executed whereupon he hastened to dinner and being very merry having eaten a few bits a sudden stroke of Gods hand fell upon him so that he was carried immediately to his bed where he continued for fifteen dayes in intolerable anguish and torments rotting above ground all which time he could avoide nothing that he received either by urin or otherwise his tongue also hung out of his mouth swolne and black and so he died miserably Act. Mon. Cyrillus who in the time of Constantine had broken in peeces many Images of the Gentiles being afterwards taken by them was slaine his belly ript his liver drawn out which with barbarous inhumanity they chawed with their teeth but shortly after the teeth of these miscreants fell out of their Jaw-bones their tongues rotted within their mouthes and their eyes were blinde Theod. Henry Arch-bishop of Mentz a godly and vertuous man being accused of heresie to the Pope he sent two Cardinals who most unjustly deposed him from his place whereupon he said unto them If I should from this your unjust sentence appeale unto the Pope it is like I should finde no redresse from him wherefore I appeal to the Lord Jesus Christ the just and righteous Judge and cite you to answer me before his judgement-seat for this injury To which they scoffingly answered Go you first and we will follow after Shortly after the Archbishop died which the Cardinals hearing of said jestingly one to another Behold he is gone before and we must follow according to our promise and indeed shortly after they both died upon on day The one sitting upon a Jakes voided out all his intrals The other gnawing off his own fingers all deformed with devouring himself died miserably Act. Mon. Judge Morgan who gave the sentence of condemnation against the Lady Jane Dudly a most religious and vertuous Lady shortly after fell mad and in his raving cried out continually to have the Lady Jane taken
second having raised a great Army against the French as he was going out of Rome with it he took his keys and threw them into the River Tibur saying That for as much as the keys of Saint Peter would not serve him to his purpose he would be take himselfe to the sword of Saint Paul Of which Pope it is observed that partly by warre partly by cursings he was the cause of the death of two hundred thousand Christians in the space of seven yeares Act. Mon. Pope Nicolas the first prohibited marriage to the Clergy saying That it was more honest to have to do with many women privately then openly to take one wife Insomuch that a Priest of Placâ—ntia being accused to have a wife and children was deprived of his benefice but proving the same woman to be wife to another man and but his Concubine he was restored againe Iohn the twenty fourth was accused before the Councel of Constance for heresie Simony murther poisonings cousenings Adulteries and Sodomy which being proved against him he was deposed and imprisoned whereupon through vexation and griefe he ended his wretched life A certain Cardinal in Rome much blamed a Painter for colouring the visages of Peter Paul too red to whom he tartly replied That he painted them so as blushing at the lives of those who stiled themselves their successors Pope Honorius the second sent one Iohn Cremensis his Legate into England to disswade the Clergy from marriage who having called a Convocation the Legate made a very accurate speech in the praise of a single life and how fit it was that Ministers should live sequestred from the cares of the world but the night following he himselfe was taken in the very act of adultery Mat. Paris Pope Iulius called for his Pork flesh which was forbidden him by his Physicians and said that he would have it Al despito de Dio in dispite of God And having appointed a cold Peacock to be reserved for him when he missed it the next meale he grew into a great rage and being requested not to be so angry for such a trifle he answered That if God was so angry for an Apple why might not he be as angry for his Peacock Act. Mon. Doctor Cranmer with the Earle of Wiltshire and some others being sent by King Henry the eighth to the Pope about his divorce from Queen Katherin when the day of hearing was come and the Pope sitting in his Pontificalibus put forth his foot to be kissed of the Ambassadors an unmannerly Spaniell of the Earles ran and caught his great Toe in his teeth so that the Ambassadors disdaining to kisse where the Dog had taken an assay let the Pope draw back his foot and so they lost the espicial favour offered unto them Speed Chron. 10. 12. Pope Paul the third when his sonne Farnesis had committed an unspeakable violence on the body of Cosmus Chaerius Bishop of Fanum and then poisoned him held himselfe sufficiently excused that he could say Haec vitia me non commonstratore didicit He never learned this of me Pope Pius Quintus spake thus of himselfe Cùm essem Religiosus sperabam bene de salute animae meae Cardinalis factus extimui Pontifex creatus penè despero When I was first in orders without any other Ecclesiastical dignity I had some good hope of my salvation when I became a Cardinal I had lesse since I was made a Pope least of all Corn. è Lapi Before the Pope is set in his chair and puts on his tripple Crown a piece of Towe or Wadd of straw is set on fire before him and one is appointed to say Sic transit gloria munda The glory of the world is but a blaze Also one day in the yeare the Popes Almoner rides before him casting abroad to the poor some pieces of brasse and lead profanely abusing that Scripture saying Silver and Gold have I none but such as I have I give unto you Pope Adrian the sixth having built a faire Colledge at Lovain caused this inscription to be written upon the gates thereof in letters of Gold Trajectum plantavit Lovanium rigavit Caesar dedit incrementum Utrecht planted me there he was born Lovaine watered me there he was bred up in learning and Caefar gave the encrease for the Emperour had preferred him One to meet with his folly and forgetfulnesse wrote underneath Hic Deus nihil fecit Here God did nothing The Popes have a book called Taxa Camerae Apostolicae wherein men may know the rate of any sinne upon what termes a man may keep a whore be a Sodomite murther his father c. When the Emperour Henry the seventh having pacified Germany went into Italy to reforme the many and great abuses there A certain Monk to gratifie the Pope mixed poison with the bread of the Eucharist and gave it him whereof he died Simps Ec. Hist. King John of England having broken with the Pope was afterwards no good friend to him and his clergy especially to their loose and licentious lives whereupon as the King in his progresse rested himself for two dayes at Swinstead-Abby not far from Lincolne a Monk of that house went to his Abbat and told him that he had a purpose to poison the King saying It 's better that one man should die then that all the people should perish The Abbat wept for joy and absolved the Monk from all his sinnes Then did this varlot mixe the poison of a filthy toade with a cup of excellent wine and brought it to the King saying My Liege here is such a cup of wine as you never drank a better in all your life I trust this wassail shall make all England glad and therewithal began a good draught to him and the King pledging him shortly after died Anno Christi 1605. when the powder-plot was in agitation Catesby one of the Plotters repaired to Garnet a Popish Priest with this case of conscience Whether it was lawful in some cases to destroy the innocent with the wicked This good father so soon as he perceived the conspirators to be in good earnest peremptorily resolved that without all doubt it was when the good coming by it might make compensation for the losse of their lives Pope John the twenty third calling a Councel at Rome against the godly Christians in Bohemia when the Councel was set the Masse of the holy Ghost sung and the Pope placed in his chair there came flying in amongst them an ugly Owle with an ill-fauoured hooting and set her self upon a crosse beam just over against the Pope casting her staring eyes upon him whereupon the whole company began to marvel and whispering each to other said Behold the Spirit is come in the likenesse of an Owle The Pope himself blushed at the matter and began to sweat fret and fume and so being in great distraction dissolved the Councel for the present yet afterwards calling another Sessions when they were met in
he would take them by the hand and tell them that perhaps his wife which sate in a roome by could perswade them more effectually unto whom he would lead them When they approached the Image would rise up open her armes and imbrace them which armes and her breasts also were full of sharpe â—ron nailes wherewith she griped the poore wretch till she had killed him and then the Tyrant seised on his goods Philip King of Spaine out of an unnaturall and bloody zeale suffered his eldest son Charles to be murthered by the cruell Inquisition because he favoured the Protestants Religion which when the Pope heard of he abused that Scripture He spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us Act. and Mon. Mahomet the great a most cruell and mercilesse Tyrant is said in his life-time to have been the cause of the death of eight hundred thousand men Turk Hist. Fernesius as he was going out of Italy towards Germany made this feral and bloody boast That he would make his horse swim in the blood of the German Lutherans A Frier Augustine of Antwerp openly in the Pulpit whilst he was preaching to the people wished that Luther was there that he might bite out his throat with his teeth and said that so doing he would nothing doubt to resort to the Altar with the same bloody teeth and receive the body of Christ. Eras. Epist. Tarquinius Superbius entering the Senate-house in Rome in royall Ornaments laid claime to the Kingdome but was opposed by his father-in-Law Servius whereupon he wounded him and forced him to depart which Tullia Tarquins wife hearing of came to the Senate-house and saluted her husband King causing him to send some after her father Servius who killed him leaving his body in so narrow a street that when Tullia returned that way the Charioter stayed lest he should drive over the the corps but she threw the seat of the Chariot at his head and forced him to drive over her fathers body since which time that street hath been called the wicked street Dioâ— Solyman the great Turk having obtained a victory against the Germans finding amongst the Captives a Bavarian Souldier of an exceeding high stature delivered him to a little dwarfe to be slaine whose head was scarce so high as the others knees that goodly tall man was mangled about the legs a long time by the apâ—sh dwarf with his little Scimeter till falling down with many feeble blowes he was at length slaine the Prince beholding it with great sport Turk Hist. p. â—09 The Spaniards when they had taken Heidelberg in the Palatinate took an ancient Minister a man of God called Monsieur Mileus and having abused his daughter before his face they tied a small cord about his head which with their truncheons they twisted about till they had squeezed out his braines Looking-glasse of the holy war In the reign of Saint Edward King of England two Earles that were brethren Harrould and Tosto fell out in the Kings Court at Windsor from words falling to blowes and Tosto having the worst secretly hied him to the Marches of Wales to his brother Harroulds house which was then in preparing to entertaine the King where he slew all his brothers servants and cutting them peece meale into gobbets salted some of their limbs and cast the rest into vessels of Meath and wine sending his brother word that he had furnished him with poudered meats against the Kings coming thither but this barbarous act caused his name to be so odious amongst his Northumbrians where he was Earle that at last it was repayed with his own death Speeds Chron. pag. 402. A rich Merchant in Paris jesting at the Franciscan Fiers was by their meanes apprehended accused and condemned to be hanged but he thinking to save his life made a publick and solemne recantation which when the Friers were informed of they commended him saying That if he so continued he should undoubtedly be saved and withall called upon the officers to haste him to the Gallows to hang him whilest he was in so good a minde which was accordingly done Act. Mon. In the persecution of the Saints of God in Calabria Anno 1560. fourscore godly persons being all thrust up in one house together like sheep for the slaughter the executioner comes in and taking forth one blindefolds him with a mufler about his eyes and so leades him forth to a large place where coâ—…ding him to kneele down he cuts his threat and so leaving him halfe dead and taking his Butchers knife and mufler all goare blood comes back to the râ—â—t and so leading them forth one after another he dispatched them all All the elder went to the slaughter more cheerfully the younger more timerously I tremble and quake saith a Romane Catholick out of whose letter to his Lord this is transcribed even to remember how the executioner held his bloody knife between his teeth with the bloody mufler in his hand and his armes all goare blood up to the elbowes going to the fold and taking every one of them one after another by the hand and so dispatching them all no otherwise then a Butcher doth his Calves or Sheep In the Spanish Inquisition if any Protestant be secretly conveyed into it they bring him not unto a legal trial but make him away secretly For as Hoffeus the Jesuite was wont to brag they hold it a good peece of Piety instantly to condemne him to the fire Ut anima ejus in curru igneo ad inferos trahatur that his soul might forthwith be carried to hell in a fiery Chariot The poore Spaniards are kept in such aw by the Lords Inquisitors that one of those Inquisitors desiring to eat some peares that grew in a poor mans Orchard not farre from him sent for the man to come and speak with him This message put the poore man into such a fright that he fell sick and kept his bed But being informed that his peares were the cause of his sending for he caused his tree to be cut down and withall the peares on it to be sent to the Inquisitor and being afterwards by him demanded the reason of that unhusbandly action he protested that he would not keep that thing about him which should give an occasion to aâ—…f their Lordships to send for him any more The Numantines being assaulted by the Romanes made solemne vowes amongst themselves no day to break their fast but with the flesh of a Romane nor to drink before they had tasted the blood of an enemy Guevara Ep. In the Massacre of Paris which was the most abhorred prodigious villainy that ever the Sunne saw till the late Irish rebellion there were murthered in divers places of France threescore thousand Protestants so that the streets ran with blood and Rivers were died red with the same Besides there were three hundred faithful servants of Christ burnt to ashes in that Kingdom within lesse then five yeares space and in their late
Greg. of Tour. lib. 4. Anno Christi 1461. there was in Juchi neere Cambray an unnatural son that in a fury threw his mother out of his doores thrice in one day telling her that he had rather see his house on fire and burned to coles then that she should remaine in it one day longer and accordingly the very same day his house was fired and wholly burned down with all that was in it none knowing how or by what meanes the fire came Enguer de Monst v. 2. The Emperor Henry the fifth being provoked thereto by the Pope rose up in rebellion and made cruel War against his father Henry the fourth not ceasing till he had despoiled him of his Empire But the Lord presently after plagued him for it making him and his Army a prey to his enemies the Saxons stirring up the Pope to be as grievous a scourge to him also as he had been to his father P. Melanct. Chron. l. 4. Manlius relateth a story of an old man crooked with age very poore and almost pined with hunger who having a rich and wealthy sonne went to him only for some food for his belly clothes for his back but this proud young man thinking that it would be a dishonour to him to be borne of such parents drave him away denying not only to give him sustenance but disclaiming him from being his father giving him bitter and reproachful speeches which made the poore old man to go away with an heavy heart and teares flowing from his eyes which the Lord beholding struck his unnatural son with madnesse of which he could never be cured till his death The same author relates another story of another man that kept his father in his old age but used him very currishly as if he had been his slave thinking every thing too good for him and on a time coming in found a good dish set on the table for his father which he took away and set courser meat in the roome but a while after sending his servant to fetch out that dish for himself he found the meat turned into snakes and the sauce into serpents one of which leaping up caught this unnatural sonne by his lip from which it could never be pulled to his dying day so that he could never feed himselfe but he must feed the serpent also At Millane there was a wicked and dissolute young man who when he was admonished by his mother of some fault which he had committed made a wry mouth and pointed at her with his finger in scorne and derision whereupon his mother being angry wished that he might make such a mouth upon the Gallowes which not long after came to passe for being apprehended for felony and condemned to be hanged being upon the ladder he was observed to writhe his mouth in grief as he had formerly done to his mother in derision Theat hist. Henry the second King of England son to Jeffery Plantaginet and Maud the Emperesse after he had reigned twenty yeares made his young son Henry who had married Margaret the French Kings daughter King in his life-time but like an unnatural son he sought to dispossesse his father of the whole and by the instigation of the King of France and some others he took Armes and fought often with his father who still put him to the worst So that this rebellious son at last was fain to stoop and ask forgivenesse of his father which he gently granted and forgave his offence Howbeit the Lord plagued him for his disobedience striking him with sicknesse in the flower of his youth whereof he died six years before his father Speed Anno Christi 1071. Diogenes Romanus Emperour of the Greekes having led an Army against the Turkes as far as the River Euphrates where he was like to have prevailed but by the treason of his Son in Law Andronicus his Army was routed and himself taken prisoner yet the Turkes used him honourably and after a while sent him home But in the mean season they of Constantinople had chosen Michael Ducas for their Emperour who hearing of Diogenes his returne sent Andronicus to meet him who unnaturally plucked out his fathers eyes and applying no medecines thereto wormes bred in the holes which eating into his braines killed him Zonaras Adolf son of Arnold Duke of Guelders repining at his fathers long life one night as he was going to bed came upon him suddenly and took him prisoner and bare-legged as he was made him go on foot in a cold season five Germane leagues and then shut him up a close prisoner for six months in a dark dungeon but the Lord suffered not such disobedience and cruelty to go long unpunished For shortly after the son was apprehended and long inprisoned and after his release was slaine in a sight against the French History of the Netherlands One Garret a Frenchman and a Protestant by profession but given to all manner of vices was by his father cast off for his wickednesse yet found entertainment in a Gentlemans house of good note in whose family he became sworn brother to a young Gentleman that was a Protestant But afterwards coming to his estate he turned Papist of whose constancy because the Papists could hardly be assured he promised his Confessor to prove himself an undoubted Catholick by setting a sure seal to his profession whereupon he plotted the death of his dearest Protestant friends and thus effected it He invited his Father Monsieur Seamats his sworn brother and six other Genlemen of his acquaintance to dinner and all dinner time intertained them with protestations of his great obligements to them But the bloody Catastrophe was this dinner being ended sixteen armed men came up into the roome and laid hold on all the guests and this wicked Parricide laid hold on his Father willing the rest to hold his hands till he had dispatched him he stabbed the old Gentleman crying to the Lord for mercy foure times to the heart the young Gentleman his sworne brother he dragged to a window and there caused him to sing which he could dovery sweetly though then no doubt he did it with a very heavy heart and towards the end of the Ditty he stabbed him first into the throat and then to the heart and so with his Poiniard stabbed all the rest but three who were dispatched by those armed Ruffians at their first entrance and so they flung all the dead bodies out at a window into a ditch Oubig Hist. France The base son of Scipio Africanus the Conquerour of Hannibal and Africk so ill imitated his father that for his viciousnesse he received many disgracefull repulses from the people of Rome the fragrant smell of his fathers memory making him to stinke the more in their nostriles yea they forced him to pluck off from his finger a signet-ring wherin the face of his father was engraven as counting him unworthy to wear his picture whose vertue he would not imitate Val. Maxi. Tarpeia the
past I denied it to your Father and therefore it would not be just to grant that to the son which I refused to the father Imp. Hist. Apollonius being asked as to entrap him what he thought of Nero's singing fearlesly answered the bloody Tigellinus Nero's favourite I think said he far better then you for you repute him worthy to sing but I to hold his peace And so truly it was for his voice was but weak and hollow and therefore to help it he used to lie on his back with a leaden plate on his breast and to fast certain daies in every moneth with nothing but oyl Plinie At the Battel of Newport the Prince of Orange having the Spanish Army before him and the Sea behind him spake thus to his Souldiers If you will live you must either eat up these Spaniards or drink up this Sea When Luther first appeared against the Pope Albertus Crantzius a Bishop that approved of his project but thought it impossible to be brought to passe wrote thus unto him Frater Frater Abi in Cellam dic Miserere mei Deus Frier Frier go into thy Cloister and follow thy beads This businesse is too hard for thee to undertake When amongst many Articles exhibited to our King Henry the 7th by the Irish against the Earl of Kildare the last was Finally all Ireland cannot rule this Earl Then quoth the King this Earl shall rule all Ireland and so made him Deputy thereof Camb. Remaines p. 271. King John of England being perswaded by one of his Courtiers to untomb the bones of one who whilest he lived had been his great enemy O no quoth the King would to God that all mine enemies were as honourably buried A little before the Spanish Invasion in eighty eight the Spanish Ambassadour after a large recital of his Masters demands to Queen Elizabeth summed up the effect of it in this Tetrastich Te veto ne pergas bello defendere Belgas Quae Dracus eripuit nunc restituantur oportet Quas Pater evertit jubeo te Condere cellas Religio Papae fac restituatur ad unguem i. e. These to you are our Commands Send no help to th'Netherlands Of the Treasure took by Drake Restitution you must make And those Abbies build anew Which your fathers overthrew If for any Peace you hope In all points restore the Pope The Queen smiling at these demands returned this sudden answer Ad Graecas bone Rex fient mandata Calendas Worthy King know this your will At latter Lammas wee 'l fulfill See her Life in my second Part. John Duke of Bedford being entombed in the chief Church of Roan afterwards a foolish Courtier perswaded Charles the eighth King of France to deface his Monument to whom the King answered God defend that I should wrong him dead whom whilest he was living all the force of France could not resist Queen Elizabeth coming into a Free-School had an Oration made to her by one of the boyes whom afterwards she jestingly asked How often his Master had whipped him To whom he readily and wittily answered with the words of AEneas to Queen Dido Infandum Regina jubes renovare dolorem At another time having an Oration made to her by a poor boy she understanding his quality said merrily to him Pauper ubique jacet But the boy as confidently and wittily answered In thalamis regina tuis hac nocte jacerem Si verum hoc esset Pauper ubique jacet CHAP. LXXXIII Poverty Poor NOt to be oppressed Exod. 22. 25. Deut. 24. 14. Prov. 22. 16 22. 28. 3 15. 14. 31. 30. 14. Eccles. 5. 8. Isa. 3. 14 15. 10. 2. 11. 4 32. 7. 58. 7. Jer. 2. 32. Ezek. 18. 12. Amos 2. 6. 4. 1. Job 31. 16 c. Psal. 10. 2 c. 12. 5. To be relieved Exod. 23. 11. Lev. 19. 20. 23. 22. 25. 25 35 c. Deut. 15. 7 c. 24. 12. Job 30. 25. Prov. 14. 21. 22. 9. 28. 27. 31. 20. Dan. 4. 27. Mar. 14. 7. Matth. 19. 21. Rom. 15. 26. Gal. 2. 10. Luk. 19. 8. 2 Cor. 9. 9. What brings Poverty Prov. 6. 11. 11. 24. 13. 18. 20. 13. 23. 21. 24. 34. 28. 19 22. Alexander the Great having taken the Kingdome of Sidon gave it to Hephaestion to dispose of it to whom he pleased Hephaestion to shew his gratitude proffered it to his host with whom he quartered but he not being of the Kingly family refused it saying It is not our Countrey fashion that any one should be King but such as are of the King's line and such an one saith he lives hard by a good and a wise man but very poor and one that lives by his hard labour then Hephaestion taking Kingly apparrel with him went to this poor man and saluted him King bidding him wash off his dirt and put off his rags and put on that Kingly apparel the poor mans name was Abdolonimus who thought he had been in a dream but being by the standers by washed and adorned Hephaestion led him into the Palace saying When thou sittest on thy Throne and hast power over the lives of all thy Subjects forget not thy former condition Alexander hearing of it sent for him and asked him with what patience he being of such a noble extraction could bear his former poverty To whom Abdolonimus answered I pray God that I may bear the Kingdome with the same mind for said he these hands provided for my necessity and as I had nothing so I wanted nothing Just. Cur. Diod. Sic. CHAP. LXXXIV Peace Peace makers GOd is the God of Peace Heb. 13. 20. Christ the Prince of Peace Isa. 9. 6. Gods Word the glad tydings of Peace Rom. 10 15. Isa. 52. 7. Gods children are Peace-makers Matth. 5. 9. the Angels singers of Peace Luk 2. 13. Good men are Counsellors of Peace Prov. 12. 20. Gods Kingdome the Kingdome of Peace Rom. 14. 17. Church-Officers Officers of Peace Isa. 60. 17. Hierusalem the City of Peace Psal. 122. 3 7. It 's to be sought after Heb. 14. 14. Rom. 14. 19. 1 Cor. 7. 15. Phil. 4. 7. Psal. 34. 14. Jer. 29. 7. Mar. 5. 50. Ephes. 4. 3. 1 Thess. 5. 13. We must pray for Peace Psal. 122. 6. No peace to the wicked Isa. 48. 22. Scriptural Examples Abraham for peace sake yielded to Lot Gen. 13. 8. Abimelech covenants with Isaac Gen. 26. 28 c. Joseph commands it to his Brethren Gen. 45. 24. Melchisedeck and Salomon were Kings of peace Jacob and his sons Gen. 34. 21. the Primitive Christians Act. 4. 32. David Psal. 120. 7. Numa Pompilius instituted the Priests called Feciales whose office was to preserve peace between the Romans and their neighbouring Nations and if any quarrels did arise they were to pacifie them by reason and not suffer them to come to violence till all hope of peace was past and if the Feciales did not consent
Earth-quake wherewith the people were so affrighted that many of them forsook their houses and some houses were so shaken that the Chimnies fell down In January Anno Christi 1648. there was seen a great fiery meteor in the air near Bristow on the South-side of the City for divers nights together in form long with fiery streames shooting out East and West which was the week before the beheading of the late King eye-witnesse Also the day before he was beheaded a great Whale ran himself on shore three miles from Dover where he died He was 66 foot long A thing rarely seen in this Island November the 30th Anno Christi 1650. being St. Andrews day a little before or about Sun-rising the skie opened in a fearful manner in the Southwest over Standish a Town five miles from Gloucester and there appeared a terrible fearful fiery shaking sword with the hilt upwards towards the heavens the point downwards towards the earth the hilt seemed to be blue the Sword was of a great length shaking hither and thither and comming lower towards the earth There was a long flame of fire towards the point sparkling and flaming in a fearful manner to the great astonishment of the Spectators who were many At last the heaven closing the Sword vanished and the fire fell to the earth and ran upon the ground This I had from an eye-witnesse In June Anno Christi 1653. a black cloud was seen over the Town of Pool which a while after was dissolved into a showr of blood that fell warm upon mens hands some green leaves with those drops of blood upon them were sent up to London A little before the Civil broiles between the houses of York and Lancaster wherewith England for a long time was rent in pieces the River Ouse in Bedfordshire stood still and by reason that the waters gave back on both sides men might passe on foot in the very chanel for three miles together not without the astonishment of all that saw it who took it as a presage of the divisions ensuing Camb. Brit. p. 399. Not long before the contention between Galba Otho and Vitellius about the Roman Empire there appeared three Suns as it were pointing out that tripatite contention for the Imperial Diadem April the 7th Anno Christi 1233. there appeared here in England four Suns besides the natural Sun and presently afrer fell out the great contention between our King Henry the third and his Barons and the year after England was wasted with fire snd sword from Wales to Salisbury there ensued also a great drought and Pestilence Stow. Anno Christi 1460. three Suns appeared the very day before the three Earles viz. Edward Earl of March with the Earl of Pembrook and the Earl of Wiltshire fought that great battel in Wales at Mortimer's Crosse where the Earl of March put the other two to flight and slew many of their men Idem Anno Christi 1233. a little before the Warres brake forth between King Henry the third and his Barons there appeared in April in Hereford and VVorcestershire five Suns at once and a certain great circle of a Crystal colour of about two foot in breadth as it were compassing all England Matth. Paris CHAP. XCI Remuneration Retaliation Requital COmmanded sometime by God Gen 9. 6. Exod. 21. 23 c. Lev. 24. 19 c. Matth. 5. 38. Psal. 137. 8. Jer. 50. 15. Rev. 18. 6. Thus God threatens to the enemies of his Church Jer. 30. 16. 48. 26 27. 49. 2. Rev. 13. 10. Jer. 51. 49. Ezek. 35. 5 6. 39. 30. Hab. 2. 8. Joel 3. 6 7 8. 1 Thess. 1. 6. To those that sin in his Church Pit for pit Psal. 7. 15 16. Idolatry for Idolatry Jer. 5. 19. Spoil for spoil Isa. 33. 1. Prov 22. 23. Treachery for treachery Isa. 33. 1. Harlots hire for harlots hire Mich. 1. 7. Not to hear shall not be heard Prov. 1. 28. Zach. 7. 13. Altars for sin with Altars to sin Hos. 8. 11. they that judge shall be judged Matth. 7. 2. Scriptural Examples Pharaoh drowned others and was drowned himself Exod. 1. 22. with 14. 27. 30. Abimelech and the Sechemites Judg. 9. 24 56 57. Adonibezek Judg. 1. 7. Levites Concubine Judg. 19. 2 25. Ahab and Jesabel 1 King 21. 19. with 22. 34 38. 18. 13. 22. 23. 2 King 9. 33 36 37. Kings which were traytors and slew others were slain themselves 2 King 15. 10 14 23 25 30. Agag 1 Sam. 15. 33. Joab 1 King 2. 32. Daniel's enemies Dan. 6. 7 12 15 24. Other Examples Orodes King of Parthia who had overcome and slain Crassus the Roman Consul in his old age fell desperately sick for grief at the losse of his son Pacones slain by Venticius yet his younger son Phraates had not patience to expect his death but gave him poison to accelerate it But behold Gods providence the poison proving a strong purge wrought out not onely it self but the disease too so that Orodes recovered beyond expectation which Phraates seeing strangled him and to settle him the surer in his Kingdome obtained by Parricide he entred into league with the Romans sending back the Ensigns of Crassus and other Presents the Romans to requite him sent him great gifts and amongst the rest a beautiful Italian strumpet by whom he had a son which being grown up by the advice and help of his mother poisoned his father to get his Crown Tulit quae meruit et quae docuit Lipsius Mithridates King of Pontus to get the Crown slew his mother brother and her three sons and as many daughters but in his old age his own son Phanacus slow him for the same cause Lipsius Ptolemaeus one of Alexander's Successours expelling Antigonus seizeth upon Macedonia makes peace with Antiochus enters into league and affinity with Pyrrhus now all things were sure but onelyfor his sister Arsinoe and her sons who had been married to Lysimachus King of Macedonia therefore intending to entrap her he sent Ambassadours to her pretending love promising to marry her to make her partner with him in the Kingdom and her sons his heires protesting that he took up armes for no other end proffering to swear upon the holy Altars when and where she pleased that all this was in good faith The poor Lady deceived hereby sent some of her friends to take his oath before whom he went into the most ancient Temple and there touching the gods and the Altar swears That he sincerely purposed to marry her to make her his Queen and her children his heires otherwise he prayes for vengeance upon himself c. Upon this Arsinoe comes to him is married and crowned Queen of Macedonia then she delivers up to him Cassandrea a most strong City where her children and all her treasures were he having now his desire sends men that slew her children in their mothers lap and drave her into exile but God suffered not this wickednesse to go long unrevenged
him that he would not perdere substantiam propter accidentia lose his life for learning he with a smile answered out of the Poet. Nec propter vitam vivendi perdere causas Baudisius a Dutch Divine being by his friends advised to favour himselfe I will said he do my duty whilst I can yea though I hasten my death by preaching Dr. Burges of Sutton Cofield immediately after he came forth of the Pulpit fell sick shortly after died Mr. William Perkins borne at Marston nigh Coventry in Warwick-shire was a painfull and powerfull Preacher in Cambridge whose Sermons were not so plaine but the piously learned did admire them nor so learned but the plaine did understand them He would pronounce the word Damne with such an emphasis as left a dolefull echo in his auditors ear esa good while after He had a rare felicity in speedy reading of books and as it were but turning them over would give an exact account of all considerables therein besides his frequent preaching he wrote many bookes and though lame of his right hand yet this Ehud with a left-handed pen did stab the Romish cause and as one saith Dextera quantum vis fuerat tibi manca docendi Pollebas mirà dexteritate tamen Though nature thee of thy right hand bereft Right well thou writest with thy hand that 's left Holy State in vita ejus St. Augustines wish was that Christ when he came might finde him aut precantem aut praedicantem either praying or preaching Melancthon was wont to say that none underwent such paines as Preachers Rulers and women in travell and Luther said that a master of a family hath something to do a Magistrate more and a Minister most of all When Chrysostome was like to be silenced all the people cried our Satius est ut sol non luceat quam ut non doceat Chrysostomus we had better want the shining of the Sunne then the preaching of Chrysostome Holy Melancthon being himselfe newly converted thought it impossible for his hearers to withstand the evidence of the Gospel but after he had been a Preacher a while he complained that old Adam was too hard for young Melancthon Mr. Bolton having much weakned his body by his indefatigable paines in his private devotions and publick preaching was advised by his Physitians for his healths-sake to break off the strong intentions of his studies but he rejected their counsell accounting it greater riches to enjoy Christ by those servent intentions of his minde then to remit them for the safeguard of his health Bishop Ridley offering to preach before the Lady Mary afterwards Queene she refused to heare him and being brought by Sir Thomas Wharton her Steward into the dining roome was desired to drink which when he had done he paused a while looking very sad and being asked the reason he said Surely I have done amisse in drinking in that place where the Word of God being offered was rejected whereas I should have departed presently and shaken off the dust from my shooes for a testimony against this house Bugenhagius a Dutch Divine was so joyfull when he together with Luther and some other learned men had finished the translation of the Bible out of the Originals into Dutch that ever after he invited his friends on that day wherein they ended their work to a feast which he called The feast of the Translation of the Bible See his Life in my first part Doctor Cramner being sent by King Henry the eighth to Rome about his Divorce in his voyage to and fro he learned all the New Testament by heart Baronius the compiler of those voluminous Annals of the Church yet for thirty yeares together preached three or foure times a week to the people Spond in vita Baro pag. 2. part 7. When a certaine Frenchman came to visit Melancthon he found him in his stove dandling his childe in the swadling clouts with the one hand and in the other hand holding his book and reading it A good Minister and a good father may well agree together Pantal de illust Germ in vita Melan A certain man causelesly disaffected to his Minister complained that he in his last Sermon had personally inveigâ—ed against him accusing him thereof to a grave religious Gentleman in the Parish Truly said the Gentleman I had thought in his Sermon he had meant me it so touched my heart which saying abated the edge of the others anger Holy State pa 94. At the disputation of Ratisbone where Melancthon was pressed with a shrewd argument by Ecchius I will answer thee said he to morrow Nay said Ecchius do it now or it s nothing worth yea said Melancthon I seek the truth and not my own credit and therefore it will be as good if I answer thee to morrow by Gods assistance Melch Adain vit Germ Theol p. 339. Latimer presented King Henry the eighth for a new years gift with a New Testament wrapped up in a napkin with this Posie about it Fornicatores adulteros judicabit Dominus Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge which was the sin that the King rers notoriously guilty of Frederick Bishop of Uarich sitting at dinner with the Emperour Ludovicus Pius the Emperour bade him execute his office without respect of persons The Bishop humbly thanked him and having a fish before him asked him whether he should begin with the head or taile The Emperour replied With the head which is the chiefest member It 's well said the Bishop Then break you off your Incestuous match with Judith And accordingly the Emperour did it for a time But the Pope a while after for some thousands of Crowns gave him a dispensation and made up the match again whereupon this Herodias for his free speech caused the Bishop to be slaine in his own Church Rand in Polychron Preach the Word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuk exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine 2 Tim. 4. 2. Blessed is that servant whom when his Lord comes he shall finde so doing Matth. 24. 46. Fructus honos oneris fructus honoris onus CHAP. III. Ezamples of Christian courage and resolution THe Naturalists write of the Eagle that she trieth her young ones by turning their eies upon the Sun when it shineth brightly so God doth his children who if they can outface the Sun of persecution they are sincere indeed not but that he knowes them sufficiently without such a triall but hereby he makes them known both to themselves and others for Grace is hid in nature here as sweet water in Rose-leaves the fire of affliction must be put under to distil it out and as trees fix their roots the faster the more they are shaken so comforts abound as sufferings abound yet lest any should think that he can stand by his own strength the Apostle Paul tells him that all our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3. 5. who useth to proportion the burthen to the back and the stroke to
the strength of him that beareth it and if at any time the furnace be made hotter then ordinary yet then will he make his power to appeare in our weaknesse so steeling our hearts and raising our resolutions that no danger though never so great shal be able to appale it as will appeare evidently in these examples following Constantius the father of Constantine the great to try the faith and beliefe in God of his Courtiers put it to their free choice either to sacrifice to the Idol-gods and so to stay with him or else if they refused to leave their honours and offices and so to depart but those that would leave all and depart rather then to renounce and forsake their faith in God he kept with him still and highly prized them casting off all the rest who he supposed would prove disloyall unto him seeing they had abandoned their beliefe in God Eusebius Luther being cited by an Herauld of Armes to appeare before the Councel at Wormes many of his friends perswaded him not to adventure himselfe to such a present danger to whom he answered that he was resolved and certainly determined to enter into Wormes in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ although he knew that there were so many Devill to resist him as there were tiles to cover the houses in Wormes Slâ—id Com. The Dutches Dowager of Ferrar who was a great Patronesse of the Protestants in France had one Malicorne a Knight of the Order sent by the Duke Guise to seize upon her towne and Castle who began to threaten the Lady with Cannon shot to batter her Castle but she couragiously sent him word that if he proceeded to such boldnesse to do it she would first stand in the breach her selfe to try if he durst be so bold to kill the daughter of a King for so she was whereupon like a snaile he pulled in his hornes and departed French Hist. St. Ierome relates an History of a young man under one of the first persecutions of most invincible courage and constancy against whom the adversaries had very little hope of prevailing by tortures and torments and therefore they took another course with him They brought him into a most fragrant Garden flowing with all pleasure and delight there they laid him upon a bed of downe softly enwrapped in a net of silke amongst the Lillies and the Roses the delicious murmur of the streames and the sweet whistling of the leaves and then all departed presently in comes a beautifull strumpet and useth all the abominable tricks of her impure Art and whorish villanies to draw him to her desire whereupon the young man fearing that he should now beconquered by folly who was conqueror over fury bites off a peece of his tongue with his own teeth and spits it into the face of the whore and so prevented the hurt of sin by the smart of his wound Domosthenes the famous Oratour of Athens soliciting Lais a beautiful strumpet for a nights lodging with her she demanded of him a thousand Drachmas for it but he being affrighted at the name of so great a sum thus replyed I purpose not to buy repentance so deare Non poenitentiam tanti emam Plut. Saint Jerome himselfe shewed his owne resolution by this speech If my father stood weeping on his knees before me and my mother hanging on my neck behinde and all my brethren sisters children and kinsfolk houling on every side to retaine me in a sinfull life I would fling my mother to the ground despise all my kindred run over my father and tread him under my feet that I might run to Christ when he calleth me See his life in my first part Saint Chrysostome also shewes the like heroicall spirit in these words When saith he I was driven from the City none of these things troubled me but I said within my selfe if the Queen will let her Banish me the earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof if she will let her saw me asunder Isaiah suffered the same if she will let her cast me into the Sea I will remember Jonah if she will let her cast me into a burning fiery Furnace or amongst wilde beasts the three children and Daniel were so dealt with if she will let her stone me or cut off mine head I have then Saint Stephen and the Baptist my blessed companions if she will let her take away all my substance Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither agiaine Kilian a Dutch Schoolmaster being in prison for the cause of Christ was asked if he loved not his wife and children yea said he my wife and my children are so deare unto me that if the world were all gold and were mine to dispose of I would give it to live with them yea though it were in prison yet my soule and Christ are dearer to me then all Act. and Mon. George Carpenter a Martyr said My wife and my children are so deare unto me that they cannot be bought from me forall the riches and possessions of the greatest Duke yet for the love of my Lord God I will willingly forsake them all Act. and Mon. Benevolus being offered preferment by Justina the Emperesse an Arian if he would be an instrument of some vile service What saith he do you promise me an higher place for a reward of iniquity nay take this away that I have already with all my heart so that I may keep a good conscience and thereupon threw at her feet his girdle the ensigne of his honour Act. and Mon. Polycarpus being accused for that he was a Christian and brought before the Proconsul was perswaded to sweare by the fortune of Caesar and to defie Christ to whom he answered Fourscore and six yeares have I been his servant yet in all this time hath he not so much as once hurt me how then may I speak evill of my King and Lord who hath thus preserved me King Edward the sixth being sollicited by some of his best friends to permit the Lady Mary his sister to have the Masse in her house answered That he would rather spend his life and all that he had then to grant that that he knew certainly to be against Gods truth And in his message to the Devonshire Rebels who stood for Popery Assure your selves said he most surely that we of no earthly thing under heaven make such account as of this one to have our Lawes obeyed and this cause of God which we have taken in hand to be throughly maintained from the which we wil never remove one haires breadth or give place to any creature living much lesse to any subject wherein we will spend our owne Royall person our Crowne Treasure Realme and all our Estate whereof we assure you upon our high honour Act. and Mon. Bernard used to say Lord Iesus I love thee plus quà m mea meos me more then all my goods all my friends all my relations yea more
Emperours few or none of them escaped Gods revenging hand so that there is numbred fourty three of them that came to untimely ends Act. Mon. Constantine the Emperour a Monothelite being a cruel persecutor of godly Christians was slaine by one of his own servants as he was washing himself in a Bath Hist. Magd. Arnolphus the Emperour raging exceedingly against the Christians the wife of one Guido upon another grudge gave him a cup of poison by meanes whereof such rottenness possessed his members that lice and wormes issuing out continually he died a miserable death P. Melan. Chron. l. 4. Agapetus a young man of the age of fifteen years for the profession of Christ was first scourged with whips then hung up by the feet and scalding water poured upon him then cast to the wilde beasts which being more merciful then men refused to touch him whereupon he was taken and beheaded but Antiochus who passed sentence upon him suddenly fell down from his judicial seat crying out that all his bowels burned within him and so he gave up the ghost Act. Mon. Genserick an Arian King of the Vandals shewed a great deal of cruelty against the Oxthodox But the Lord met with him for he died being possessed with an evil spirit P. Melanc Chron. l. 3. Hunericus son to a King of the Vandals being an Arian was a mercilesse persecutor of the godly Christians banishing five thousand of them at one time amongst which some of them being unable to travel he caused cords to be tied to their legges and to drag them through rough places whereby many of them perished But shortly after he was tormented with venomous biles all over his body and in the end was consumed with vermine Hist. Mag◠Claudius who was President under Valerian and his instrument to torment and condemne many godly Christians was shortly after possessed with the devil and so tormented that biting off his own tongue in small peeces he ended his life in much misery Act. Mon. Anastasius the Emperour a Patron of the Eutychian Heresie became a bloody persecutor of godly Christians and by Gods just judgement was slain with a Thunderbolt Plat. Autharis King of the Longobards who forbade children to be baptized or instructed in the Christian faith ere he had reigned six years died of poison at Pavia Paulus Diac. l. 3. c. 18. Arcadius the Emperour having by the perswasion of his wife Eudoxia an Heretick banished Chrysostome The very next night there arose such a terrible earth-quake that the Emperour and all the people being affrighted therewith was faign to send Post after Post to fetch him home againe Mandat of calumniation l. 2. c. 44. Mamuca a Saracen being a cruel Persecutor of the Church of God like unto Pharaoh met with the like destruction from God for as he returned from the slaughter of many Christians the Lord caused the sea to swallow him up with the greatest part of his Army in an hundred ships so that few or none escaped Paul Diaconus l. 3. c. 12. Theodoricus an Arian King of the Goths persecuted the true Christians with all hostilitie amongst whom he slew two noble Senators Symmachus and Boëtius but shortly after the Lord struck him with madnesse and sitting at the table had the head of a great fish set before him which he imagining to be the head of Symmachus whom he had slaine was so overcome with feare that anon after he died Evag. At Vassie in France fifteen hundred people being assembled in a Church upon a Sabbath-day hearing the Word of God preached The Duke of Guise suddenly compassed the Church with armed Souldiers himselfe standing in the doore with a drawn sword and sent in his Souldiers who cruelly killed all without distinction of age or sex but himselfe was shortly after slaine at the siege of Orleance Act. and Mon. Minerius Governour of Province who was sent by the King of France with an Army against the Waldenses used much cruelty against them burning some killing others driving others into woods and mountaines whereby they perished of famine depopulating whole townes But the Lord smote him with a tertible disease so that he felt like a fire burning him from the Navel upwards and his lower parts rotted and were consumed with vermine which was attended with a grievous stinke and profusion of blood in the place of his urine and in those extreame torments he ended his wretched life Simps The Emperour Phocas a most vicious and bloody persecutor being the first that ordained that the Bishop of Rome should be called the universall Bishop and the Church of Rome the head of other Churches was betrayed by his own son in Law and delivered up into the hands of his enemy Heracleus who commanded his head feet and privie members to be cut off and his body to be burned Plat. Earle Simon of Montfort a cruell persecutor of the Albingenses by the instigation of the Pope as he besieged some of them in Tholous had his head parted from his body by a fire stone which a woman let out of an Engine Simps King Lewis of France besieging Avignion a City of the Albingenses and vowing never to depart till he had taken it was shortly after punished with a grievous pestilence which daily wasted great numbers of his men So that the King going aside to an Abbey not far distant to avoide the same there died out of his wits Act. and Mon. King Charles the ninth of France a bloody persecutor of the Protestants who had caused the effusion of the blood of thirty thousand of them in the massacre of Paris by Gods just judgement fell sick and with great effusion of blood out of many parts of his body died miserably Act. and Mon. Truchetus an expert Captain imployed by the Duke of Savoy against the Protestants in his dominions who were a naked and unarmed people was first sore wounded with stones and afterwards slaine with his owne sword by a poor Shepherd who was keeping of Cattell in the field Act. and Mon. Henry the second King of France a cruel persecutor of Protestants caused Annas Burgeus a noble Counsellour of Paris to be condemned and in a great passion said that he would stand by and see him burned but before the time came the King being at Tilt put a Speare into one of his Noble mens hands and compelled him against his will to run against him at which time the Speare breaking a small splinter of it entred in at the Kings eye and pierced into his braine whereof he died Act. and Mon. King Henry the third of France in the selfe-same Chamber wherein the Massacre of Paris was concluded whereof himselfe being at that time Duke of Anjou was one of the chiefe was stabbed by a Iacobine Monke who thrust a knife violently into his small Ribs whereof he shortly after died Act. and Mon. Ladislaus King of Bohemia and Hungary who most unjustly had caused Ladislaus Huniades his son to be beheaded and
ABstinence orders a man in the use of meates that it be neither unseasonable for the time nor unreasonable for the measure nature is content with a little grace with lesse Men should rather be like Ants and Bees those wisest of creatures and abound rather in pectore ubi est animus quà m in ventre ubi est stercus in breast then in belly Not like the Locusts which have but one gut and the Spider which is little else then belly Let us not therefore pamper the body nor cater for the flesh Preserve it we must make provision for it we may not Rom. 8. 11. and 13. last Debtors we are to see to it not to live to â—â— we may not live to eat but eat to live whereunto these following examples may invite us It 's a vertue commanded and commended by God in these Sriptures Gen. 9. 3. Prov. 23. 1 2 3. 1 Cor. 10. 3â— Gal. â— 23. 1 Tim. 6. 8. Tit. 1. 8. 2. 12. 2 Pet. 1. 6. Scripturall examples David 2 Sam. 23. 16. Rechabites Ier. 35. 6. Iohn Baptist Mat. 3. 4. 11. 18. Timothy 1. Tim. 5. 23. Other examples see the story of Mr. Rogers in my English Martyrology and of Mr. Wiseheart in my Scottish Martyrology The ancient Gaules were very abstemious and sparing in their diet and used to fine any one that outgrew his girdle Heyl. Geog. Philo observeth that the ancient Jewes used after their sacrifices to make their feasts in the Temple that the place and action might minde them of sobriety So in Moses time Exod 18. 12. The Egyptians used to carry about a Deaths head in their feasts to restraine their inordinate Appetites Socrates is said by sobrietie to have had alwayes a strong body and to have lived ever in health and that by the good order of his diet he escaped the plague at Athens never avoiding the Citie nor the company of the infected whereas the greatest part of the Citie was consumed by it It is reported of Galen the great Physician that he lived 140. yeares and that after he was 28. years old he was never grieved with any sicknesse except the grudge of a seaver fot one day His rules were first never to eat and drink his fill secondly never to eat any raw thing thirdly to have always some sweet savour about him Sipontinus de vita ejus Alexander the Great when the Queen of Caria to shew her great love to him sent him daily variety of dishes and dainties and at last sent her Cookes and Bakers to him he returned them back again saying That he had no need of their service for his Mr. Leonidas had provided him better Cookes by teaching him to dine and sup frugally and sparingly Also when he had any rare and dainty fruits and fishes sent him from the Sea he used to distribute them among his friends reserving very little or none for his own use Pez Mel. Hist. p. 173. The Turk's Bassaes when they feast any great Ambassador use to intertaine him with nothing but rice and mutton and that but sparingly and plainly dressed and for their drink it is but fair water out of the River Turk Hist. Socrates was all his life long so temperate in his diet that when all the rest of the Athenians were much troubled with sundry diseases he alone enjoyed his health AElian Lib. 13. The Lacedemonians had their Ephori who were Magistrates that took care that there was no intemperate persons in the Citie and if any grew fat through idlenesse and intemperancy they were publickly beaten they also looked after every one's apparel to see that none used strange or effeminate fashions and if any knew any other art of Cookery then to dresse meat they were expelled the City AElian Lib. 14. Alcamen being blamed by one for living so frugally when he was so rich answered that it becometh him that enjoyes a great estate to live according to reason not according to lust Plutar. Gorgias Leontinus a famous Philosopher lived in health till he was an hundred and eight yeares old and being asked how he attained to sucb an age answered By never addicting my selfe to any voluptuous living Theat vitae hum The Ancient Romanes banished Epicures out of their City as causers of much wickednesse amongst the youth so also did the Messenians AElian Lib. 9. Origen was very frequent in fasting went bare-legged had only one coat to keep him from the cold neither did he eat flesh or drink any wine Ful. Lib. 4. c. 3. Socrates having invited sundry friends to supper one told him his provision was too small for his company to whom he answered If they be good here is enough if they be bad here is too much Theat vitae hum Epicurus himselfe that held mans happinesse to consist in pleasures yet was of a very temperate and sparing diet saying that he found far more pleasure in it then in abundance Theat vitae hum Anacharsis the Philosopher used to say that the first cup was to quench thirst the second to make one merry the third for pleasure but the fourth was to madnesse Romulus made a law that if any women dranke till they were drunken they should die for it and himselfe being at a feast where there was plenty of wine drank very sparingly and being asked the reason he answered I drinke as much as I please not as much as I can Sabel Lib. 4. Lycurgus the Lacedemonian Lawgiver made a Law that no man should sup or dine in private that thereby none should be more superfluous in their diet then others Theat vitae hum Alexander the Great would often open his chests and look on his garments to see if his mother had not provided him either delicate or superfluous apparel Q. Curt. When Alexander the Great sent some talents of silver to Xenocrates he entertained the Ambassadors that brought it with a very sparing supper and when they asked him the next day to whom they should deliver the money he answered Do you not perceive by your last nights supper that Xenocrates hath no need of such gifts Platina Augustus Caesar used to weare no other apparel but such as his wife his sister or daughter made him and used to say That rich and gay clothing was either the ensigne of pride or the nurse of Luxurie Suetonius Alphonsus King of Arragon used to weare no better apparel then the ordinarie sort of his subjects did and being advised by one to put on Kingly apparel he answered I had rather excell my Subjects in my behaviour and authority then in a Diadem and purple garments AEneas Sylv. Scipio when he was 54 yeares old had not encreased his estate by making the least purchase and when one shewed him a curiously wrought buckler he said It becomes the Citizens of Rome to place their confidence in their right hand not in their left AElian Lib. 11. Julian the Emperour banished all the Eunuches and Cooks our of his Court and being asked the
them their wages for they were all found dead with their necks broken and quashed to peeces as if a wheele had gone over them the blood running out of their mouths nostrils and eares in a lamentable manner Fincelius A Vintner that accustomed himself to swearing and drunkennesse as he was upon a Lords day standing at his doore with a pot in his hand to invite guests there came suddenly such a violent whirlwinde as carried him up into the aire after which he was never more seen Alexander the Great invited many of his Captains to a feast proposing a Crown in reward to him that should drink most by which meanes being provoked to drunkennesse fourty two of them died shortly after Plut. Armitus and Cinanippus two Syracusians being drunk committed incest with their two daughters Plut. The like did Lot Gen. 19. 33 c. Cleomenes King of Lacedaemonia drinking himselfe drunken fell distracted never recovering his wits againe Anacreon the Poët a notable drunkard was choaked with a huske of a Grape Bonosus the Emperour was so notorious a drunkard that he was said to be borne bibere non vivere to drink and not to live but he died a shameful death being hanged with this Epitaph That a Tunne not a man was hanged there Zeno the Emperour was such a drunkard that he would often lie as one dead for many hours so that he grew odious to all and to his own wife who once finding him in that case caused him to be laid in a Tomb with a great stone on the top of it whereby he was miserably pined to death Platina Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink that continue untill night till wine inflame them Esa. 5. 11. CHAP. IX Examples of Prodigality Gluttony and Excesse THey have their souls saith one meerly for salt to keep their bodies from putrifying whose whole life is to eat and drink and sport and sleep as if they came into the world as Rats and Mice onely to devour victuals and run squeeking up and down whereas nature in framing of man teacheth him temperance by giving him a little mouth with a narrow throat and a lesser belly then other creatures have Yet such is the prodigious unnaturalness amongst most that as the French Proverb hath it They digge their Graves with their teeth whilest their Kitchin is their shrine their Cook their Priest their Table their Altar and their belly their god Hence also it is said That Meat kills as many as the Musket Plures pereunt crapulà quà m capulo lancibus quà m lanceis The board kills more then the sword And as it 's thus noxious to the body so also to the estate whilest the spend thrift entombes his Ancestours in his own bowels turning his Rents into Ruffes and his Lands into Laces And lastly to his soul also for Gluttony is the gallery of Incontinency Nutritiva facultas est ossiâ—ina generativae The odiousnesse of this sinne will farther appear in these examples following M. Livius having prodigally wasted a great estate jested at his own folly saying That he had left nothing for his heire praeter Coelum Caenum more then aire and mire Vitellius the Romane Emperour was addicted to such unmeasurable Gluttony that the whole employment of his Captaines was to provide him Cates He had two thousand dishes of Fish and seven thousand of Fowle at one Supper and yet commended his own temperance in a set Oration before the Senate and people of Rome In a few moneths wherein he reigned he wasted seven millions which was thirty one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds sterling in Luxury Heliogabulus the Romane Emperour did so excell in all Luxury that near the Sea he would eat no fish in the Midland no flesh whole meals were made of the tongues of singing Birds and Peacocks or of the braines of costly Creatures He used to say That that meat was not savoury whose sauce was not costly He gathered in Rome ten thousand weight of Spiders that thereby he might glory of the greatnesse of that City His apparel was most rich and yet never twice worne his shoes embellished with Pearls and Diamonds his seats strewed with Musk and Amber his bed covered with Gold and Silver and beset with Pearls and his way strawed with pouder thereof Caius Caligula the Romane Emperour was so prodigal that he spent an hundred millions within the space of three yeares and so brutish that he defloured three of his sisters and one of their daughters and so cruel that he wished all the people of Rome had but one neck that he might cut it off at one blow Dio. Cleopatra Queen of Egypt so excelled in Prodigality that being at a Banquet with M. Antony she dissolved a pearl worth fifty thousand pounds in Vineger and drank it at a draught and one dish in the second course was valued at two hundred and fifty pieces of gold Urs. Maximinus the Romane Emperour was eight foot high his body great and joynts proportionable and according to his limbs so was his diet for he daily devoured fourty pounds of flesh and drank thereto six gallons of wine When he besieged Aquileia in Italy the Citizens wives cut off the hair of their heads to make bowe-strings for resistance of this Tyrant After Alexander M. had overcome Darius and gotten possession of all his Dominions and riches he began to degenerate into the Asian Luxury His chastity and moderation were turned into pride and lust He esteemed his countrey-manners and the discipline of the former Macedonian Kings too light and mean for him He imitated the pride of the Persian Kings He made him a Crown and robes like unto Darius He grew so proud and insolent that he suffered his Macedonians to fall down and worship him like a god Yea he commanded his servants and slaves to do so He clothed his Captaines and horse-men after the Persian manner which though they disliked yet they durst not refuse He gat him three hundred sixty five concubines of the beautifullest Virgins that could be found in Asia after the manner of the Persian Kings of these he had one that lay with him every night He had his troop of Eunuchs He spent dayes and nights in profuse feasting and revelling He gat many Musicians Jesters Singing women c. All which was very offensive to his old Captains and Souldiers Q. Cur. The Glutton and the Drunkard shall come to poverty and drowsinesse shall cloath a man with rags Prov. 23. 21. Si quis ad infernos properat descendere manes Huc iter accelarant Balnea vina Venus CHAP. X. Examples of Gods Judgements upon Adulterers and unclean persons FOrbidden by God Exod. 20. 14. Deut. 5 18. Mar. 10. 19. Luke 18. 20. Mar. 10. 11 c. Luk. 16. 18. Rom. 13. 9. Complained of Iob 24. 15. Esa. 57. 3. Ier. 9. 2. 23. 10. Hos. 7. 4. Iam. 4. 4. Prov. 6. 26. Ezek. 23. 45. Jer.
by Chilperic King of France whom she caused to banish his Queen Andovera and his other wife called Galsuinda she caused to be murthered that she might enjoy the King alone yet neither was she faithful to him but prostituted her body to Landric Master of the Kings horse On a time the King being to go a hunting went to bid his wife farewell who was combing her haire The King went softly behinde her and with his wand in sport struck her behinde She thinking it had been her Landric said What doest thou do my Landric It 's the part of a good Knight to charge a Lady before and not behinde The King by this means finding her falshood went his wayes on hunting and she finding her self discovered sent for Landric told him what was happened and therefore perswaded him to kill the King for his and her safety which he undertook and effected that night as the King came late from hunting French Hist. Semiramis sought out men to satisfie her brutish lust whom shortly after she used to slay And at last she grew to that abominable impudence that she drew her own sonne to lie with her and to cover her filthinesse enacted a law That propinquity of blood should not hinder marriage Orosius Cambyses King of Persia falling in love with his own sister sent for his Judges and asked them if there were any law that suffered a man to marry with his own sister to whom they answered That they found no such Law but they found another Law that the Kings of Persia might do whatsoever they pleased Whereupon he married her and afterwards he married another of his sisters also Herod Xerxes falling in love with Artaynta his daughter in law often commited incest with her which his wife Amestris taking notice of and supposing that Artaynta's mother was the baude betwixt them she sent for her and put her to grievous torments cutting off her breasts casting them to the dogs she cut off also her nose eares lips and tongue and so dismissed her but shortly after Xerxes going with his innumerable army against the Grecians was plagued by God for his incest and his wives cruelty with the utter overthrow of his forces and himself hardly escaped with life Herod Solon made a law amongst the Athenians that it might be lawful for any man to kill an adulterer taking him in the fact Nerva the Romane Emperour made a law that no man should marry his neece or brothers daughter Suet. Agrippina was of so impudent and lustful a disposition that having formerly traded her self in manifold incests with Caligula her brother and Claudius her Uncle she at last offered her body to the lustful imbraces of her son Nero who scarcely twenty yeares before was bred therein Nero's Life The Egyptians used to punish adultery in a man by giving him a thousand jerks with a reed and in a woman by cutting off her nose And he that violated a free woman had his privy members cut off By the law of Julia amongst the Romanes adulterers were without difference to be put to death Before Moses time it was a custome to burne adulterers in the fire as appears in the case of Thamar Gen. 38. 24. What mischiefs the Levites wife that played the adulteresse brought upon all Israel may be read Judges 19 20 and 21. chapters What misery David brought upon himself and family by committing adultery with Bathsheba may be seen in 2 Sam. 12. 13. and 13. chapters Paris by his adultery with Helena stirred up warres between the Grecians and Trojans which lasted ten yeares and ended in the ruines of that famous City and Kingdome of Troy in the death of Paris and Helen of King Priamus and all his posterity Sextus Tarquinius sonne to Superbus the last King of the Romanes by ravishing Lucretia the wife of Collatinus was the author of manifold mischiefs For Lucretia slew her self in the presence of her husband and kinsfolk the Romanes expelled their King and his family and would never be reconciled to them again The adulterer was slaine by the Sabines and his father also fighting to recover his Kingdom was slaine by the Romanes Valentinian the third Emperour of Rome by dishonouring the wife of Petronius Maximus a Senator of Rome lost his life and was thereby the author of the final destruction of the Romane Empire For Petronius being informed of the wrong which the Emperour had done him by defiling his wife was purposed to revenge it with his own hands but knowing that he could not do it whilest Actius the General of his Army lived a man famous for his valiant exploits against the Burgundians and Gothes he accused him falsely to the Emperour of treason and thereby procured his death then did he stirre up some of Actius friends to revenge his death upon the Emperour which they also performed upon him as he was sitting in judgement then did Maximus not only seize upon the Empire but upon Eudoxia the Emperesse forcing her to be his wife which indignity she not enduring sent privately into Africa to Genserick King of the Vandals to come and deliver her and the City of Rome from the Tyranny of Maximus which occasion he laying hold of came into Italy with a huge Army whereupon the Citizens of Rome were so affrighted that they fled into the Mountains and Maximus flying with them was murthered by the way and hewen in pieces by some of the Senators And Genserick entring Rome found it empty of inhabitants but not of infinite riches all which he exposed as a prey to his Army and carried away into Africk together with a great number of the people and amongst them was Eudoxia the Emperesse and her two daughters Eudocia and Placidia After which the Romane Empire could never recover it self but grew weaker and weaker till it came to utter ruine Childerick King of France was so odious for his adulteries that his Nobility conspired against him and drave him out of his Kingdom Two of the daughters of Philip the fair King of France being found guilty of Adultery were condemned to perpetual imprisonment and they which had committed adultery with them were first slaine and then hanged A certain Seneschal of Normandy suspected the vicious behaviour of his wife with his Steward watched them so narrowly that at last he found them in bed together whereupon he slew them both first the adulterer and then his wife though she was sister to Lewis the eleventh the then King Fulgos. l. 6. c. 1. A Nobleman in Burgundy having in Warre taken a Gentleman Captive his wife being a beautiful Lady came to redeeme her husband The Nobleman promised to free him if she would let him lie with her which by the perswasion of her husband she consented to But the adulterous Nobleman the next day cut off his prisoners head and so delivered his body to his wife which horrible fact being complained of by her to the Duke of Burgundy he caused this Nobleman
to marry her but before night he cut off his head and gave her all his possessions Anno Christi 1056. A certain Advocate in Constance extreamly lusted after the wife of the Kings Procurator which Procuratour finding the Advocate and his wife sporting together in a Bath and afterwards in an old womans house hard by he gat him a sharp curry-comb and leaving three men at the doore to see that none should come in he so curried the Advocate that he tore out his eyes and so rent his whole body that he died within three dayes The like he would have done to his wife but that she was with childe In Germany a Gentleman of note solicited a Citizens wife to uncleannesse which her husband being informed of watched them so narrowly that finding them in bed together he first slew the adulterer and then his own wife Luther's Col. Mary of Arragon wife to the Emperour Otho the third was so unchast and lascivious a woman that she could never satisfie her lust carrying about her a young lecher in womans clothes with whom she daily committed filthinesse but this fellow being at last suspected was in the presence of many untired and found to be a man for which he was burnt to death yet did the Emperesse continue in her filthy course falling in love with the Count of Mutina a gallant young Gentleman and because she could not draw him to her lure she accused him to the Emperour for attempting to ravish her whereupon the Emperour caused his head to be cut off But by the meanes of his wife this wickednesse was discovered to the Emperour who enquiring more narrowly into the bufinesse found out his wives wickednesse and for the same caused her to be burnt at a stake Rodoaldus the eighth King of Lombardy being taken in adultery was by the husband of the adulteresse immediately slaine P. Melan. Chron. A Noble man in Thuringia being taken in adultery the husband of the adulteresse took him bound him hand and foot and cast him into prison and to quench his lust he kept him fasting and the more to augment his paine he daily set dishes of hot meat before him that the sight and smell might the more provoke his appetite In this torture the Lecher continued till he gnawed off the flesh from his own shoulders and so the eleventh day after his imprisonment ended his wretched life Luther Sergus a King of Scotland was so addicted to harlots that he neglected his own wife and drave her to such poverty that she was faine to serve another Noble-woman for her living whereupon watching her opportunity she slew her husband in his bed and her self after it Lang. Chron. Kenulphus King of the West-Saxons as he usually frequented the company of a whore that he kept at Merton was slaine by Clito the kinsman of the late King called Sigebert In the County of Fermanah in Ireland is a famous Meere called Logh-Erne stretching out fourty miles concerning which it's a common speech amongst the inhabitants that this Lake was formerly firme ground passing well husbanded with tillage and replenished with inhabitants But suddenly for their abominable Buggery committed with beasts it was overflowed with waters and turned into a Lake Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 106. Attalus who was one of Philip King of Macedonia's Courtiers Favourites Sodomitically defiled one Pausanias a Noble young man and not content therewith at a drunken feast he exposed him to be defiled by his guests also This indignity did so exasperate Pausanias that he complained to King Philip of the wrong who entertained him with scoffs and scornes in stead of punishing the offender Pausanias seeing this was so enraged against the King that on a day when he made a great feast for the Coronation of his son Alexander King of Epyrus and for the marriage of his daughter Cleopatra Pausanius watching his opportunity slew him thereby turning their melody into mourning and their joy into sorrow Diod. Sic. Nero the Emperour kept many Catamites and amongst the rest he caused the genitals of a boy called Sporus to be cut off and endeavoured to transforme him into a woman and causing him to be dressed like a woman he was solemnly married to him whereupon one said merrily That it had been well for the world if his father Domitian had had such a wife Pez Mel. Hist. Anno Christi 1120. Henry the first being King of England his two sonnes William and Richard with many Noble men Knights others coming out of Normandy towards England were shipwracked by the way and drowned all or most of them being polluted with the filthy sinne of Sodomy too rife in those dayes Henry Huntington Let not thine heart decline to the wayes of an whorish woman go not a stray in her paths For she hath cast down many wounded yea many strong men have been slaine by her Her house is the way to hell going down to the Chambers of death Prov. 7. 25 26 27. CHAP. XI Examples of Chastity and Modesty THe way to heaven is up the hill all the way and the uncleane adulterer with his rotten Lungs and wasted Loines cannot climbe up it Virgins which are not defiled with women are they which follow the Lambe in white whithersoever he goes The frequency of the sinne of uncleannesse amongst Christians brings dishonour to God scandal to their profession and a wound to their own souls and many of the Heathen will rise up in judgement in the last day against such as these following Examples will more fully declare Chastity Commended Mat. 19. 12. 1 Thes. 4. 4. 1 Pet. 3. 2. 1 Cor. 7. 37. 1 Tim. 2. 9. Commanded Tit. 2. 5. 1 Pet. 3. 3 c. Scriptural Examples Isaac Gen. 25. 20. Joseph Gen. 39. 8 12. Boaz Ruth 3. 13. Job chap. 31. 1. Tamar 2 Sam. 13. 12. Other Examples Pericles the Athenian being made Admiral of the Athenian Fleet together with Sophocles who was joyned in the commission with him as they were going towards the haven they met a beautiful young boy whom Sophocles earnestly beholding highly commended his beauty to whom Pericles answered Sophocles a Governour must not onely have his hands but also his eyes chaste and clean Plut. Agesilaus King of Sparta was a great lover of chastity and as he was a great conquerer of others so also he conquerred his own lusts In his journey he would never lodge in private houses where he might have the company of women but ever lodged either in the Temples or in the open fields making all men the witnesses of his modesty and chastity Plut. Alexander M. being in the heat of youth shewed an admirable example of chastity when having taken the mother wives and daughters of Darius which were women of admirable beauty yet he neither by word or deed proffered them the least indignity thinking it a greater honour to overcome himself then his adversaries and when he looked upon other captive Ladies that excelled in stature and beauty
that Sirname was so bountiful to the poore that Queen Elizabeth would merrily complaine of him that he made all the beggars and sure it 's more honourable for Noblemen to make beggars by their liberality then by their oppression Holy State p. 297. Holy Mr. Bradford in a hard time solde his chaines rings and jewels to relieve those that were in want Act. Mon. George Wisehart a Scottish Martyr forbore one meal in three one day in four that he might have wherewithal to relieve the poor He lay also hard upon straw with new course canvas sheets which when ever he changed he gave away to the poor See his Life in my General Martyrology Giles of Bruxels Martyr gave to the poore all that he had that necessity could spare and lived by his trade which was of a Cutler some he refreshed with meat some with clothing some with shooes other with housholdstuffe A poor woman being delivered and wanting a bed to lie on he brought her his own bed contenting himselfe to lie on the straw Dr. Taylour Martyr used at least once in a fourtnight to call upon Sir Henry Doile and others of the rich Clothiers in his Parish to go with him to the Almes house and there to see how the poore lived what they lacked in meat drink apparel bedding or other necessaries ministering to them himself according to his power and causing his rich neighbours to do the like See his life in my first Part. Cimon a chiefe magistate amongst the Athenians went alwayes attended with many young men that were his friends to whom as he met with any poor men he commanded either to give them money or else to change garments with them Whence Gorgias Leontinus used to say That Cimon so possessed his riches as one that knew how to use them For saith he the true use of riches is so to imploy them as may be for the owners honour Plut. He used also to entertain the poore at his table to cloath poor aged persons and by throwing down the enclosures of his lands he gave them leave freely to take of the fruits thereof Plut. Nerva the Romane Emperour though a heathen was very charitable to many who were unjustly dispossessed by Domitian he restored their goods and possessions he caused the sonnes of poor men to be educated at his charges To poor Citizens whom he knew to be in want he gave possessions which he purchased with his own money Dion King Henry the second of England sirnamed Beauclerk was very charitable and merciful to the poor And Anno Christi 1176. in a great dearth in his countreys of Anjou and Maine he fed every day with sufficient sustenance ten thousand persons from the beginning of April till the time that new corne was inned and whatsoever was laid up in his Granaries and storehouses he imployed the same for the reliefe of Religious and poore people Petrus Blesensis King Edward the sixth was as truly charitable in granting Bridewel for the punishment of sturdy Rogues as in giving Saint Thomas hospital for the relief of the poore Mr. Fox never denied to give to any one that asked for Jesus sake and being asked whether he knew a poore man that had received succour of him answered I remember him well I tell you I forget Lords and Ladies to remember such See his life in my first Part. Mr. Hooper Bishop of Worcester used every day at dinner to have a certaine number of the poore of the City by course where they were served by four at a Messe with whole and wholesome meat before himselfe would go to dinner See his Life in my first Part. Amedeus Duke of Savoy being asked by certain Ambassadours whether he had any hunting Dogs to shew them told them they should see them the next day and getting together many poor people he set them with him at his own Table on the morrow and said to the Ambassadours These be the Dogs that I keep daily and with which I use to hunt after heaven Queen Anne Bullen ever used to carry a little purse about her for the poore thinking no day well spent wherein some had not fared the better at her hand She kept her maides and such as were about her so imployed in working and sowing garments for the poore that neither was there seen any idlenesse amongst them nor any leasure to follow foolish pastimes Paulinus Bishop of Nola having consumed all his estate in Redeeming of poor Christian Captives at the length having nothing left paâ—â—ed himself for a certaine Christian widows sonnâ—… the Barbarians moved with his goodnesse and charity returned him home and many captives with him freely Paul Diac. The young Lord Harrington gave the tenth of his allowance which was one thousand pounds per annum during his minority to the poor and other good uses besides what he gave in the way as he walked which was often and much See his life in my second Part. Mr Whateley the late painful and powerful Preacher of Gods Word at Banbury for the space of many years together set apart the tenth part of his Revenues both Ecclesiastical and Temporal which he used to give to the poor See his Life in my first Part. It it storied of Stephen King of Hungary and of Oswald King of England that their right hands though dead yet never putrified because they were often ex-excised in relieving the wants of the poor Beda Hist. Ang. A certain good Bishop of Millaine journeying with his Servant was met by some poor people who begged something of him He commanded his man to give them all that little money that he had which was three Crowns the Servant gave onely two reserving the other for their own expences at night Soone after certaine Nobles meeting the Bishop and knowing him to be a good man and bountiful to the poor commanded two hundred Crowns to be delivered to the Bishops Servant for his Masters use The man having the money ran with great joy and told his Master Ah said the Bishop what wrong hast thou done both me and thy self Si enim tres dedisses trecentos accepisses If thou hadst given those three Crowns as I appointed thee thou hadst received three hundred â—â—lanc apud Job Manlium in loc com p. 360. Our General Norris never thought that he had that thing that he did not give The Emperour Tiberius the second being a valiant godly and liberal Prince the more bountiful that he was to the poor the more his riches encreased so that he had such quantities of gold silver and precious things as none of his Predecessors attained the like Plat. Titus Vespasianus though an Heathen yet was eminent for justice liberality and the love of all He was a great enemy to Promoters Petty-foggers and Extorters of penal Laws which Canker-worms of Common-wealths and Caterpillars of Courts of Justice he caused to be whipped and banished out of Rome Merciful he was to the poor and so ready to
warer despoiled the Temple of the riches which had been bestowed upon it All men hated and cried out of this sacriledge but none went about to revenge it save Philip King of Macedon who at this time was weak and scarce taken notice of in the world when they came to the battel the Phocians were easily overthrown and Philip carried away a glorious victory whereby he laid the foundations of that greatnesse which himselfe and his sonne Alexander afterwards attained Lipsius This is somewhat larger before William the Conquerer took away land both from God and men to dedicate the same to wild beasts and dogs game for in the space of thirty miles in compasse he threw down thirty six mother-Churches and drave all the people thereto belonging quire away which place is now called the New Forrest in Hantshire But Gods just judgement not long after followed this Sacrilegious act of the King for Richard his second sonne as he was hunting in this Forrest was blasted with a pestilent aire whereof he died William Rufus another of his sonnes as he was hunting in it was by chance shot through and slaine with an arrow by Walter Tirrel Likewise Henry his grand-childe by Robert his eldest sonne whil'st he hotly pursued his game in this Chase was hanged amongst the boughs and so died Camb. Brit. p. 259. See in my General Martirolygie p. 7 8. Gods judgement on Antiochus Epiphanes for his Sacriledge amongst his other sinnes Myconius a godly divine being sent over into England by the Germane Princes in King Henry the eights dayes when he saw him seize upon and sell the Abbey-lands abhorring such Sacriledge he returned home and would have no hand in making peace with so wicked a Prince Calvin when he saw the Senate of Geneva imploying part of the revenues belonging formerly to the Monasteries to civil uses told them in his Sermon that he could not endure such Sacriledge which he knew God in the end would punish most severely What then will become of our late purchasers of the Church-revenues which were given to a sacred not to a superstitious use as the former and what will become of those that yet think the Church not bare enough till they have stripped her of all her revenues Lodwick Count of Oeting sending for Andreas an eminent Divine to assist him in reforming his Churches when Andreas went to take leave of his own Prince Christopher of Wittenberg he charged him and gave it him in writing that if Count Lodwick set upon the Reformation that under pretence of Religion he might rob the Church by seizing upon the revenues of the Monasteries turn them to his own use that he should presently leave him as a Sacrilegious person and come back again Thou that abhorrest Idols committest thou Sacriledge Rom. 2. 22. Will a man rob God yet ye have robbed me But ye say Wherein have we robbed thee In tithes and in offerings Ye are accursed with a curse c. Mal. 3. 8 9. CHAP. XVI Examples of Pride and Arrogance Ambition and vain-glory Many men when they grow great in the world are so puft up with pride that they scarce know themselves which is as if the silly Ant the higher that she gets upon her hill the bigger she should conceit her selfe to be It is the devils last stratagem if he cannot beat us down to sinne he will labour to blow us up with pride and yet there is nothing that the Lord doth more hate for he beholds the proud afar off as if he were not fit to be touched with a paire of tongs Besides men by pride do but hasten their own ruine Tolluntur in altum Ut lapsu graviore ruant Solomon assuring us that Pride goeth before destruction and an high minde before a fall as these Examples following will further manifest Forbidden by God Gal. 5. 26. Phil. 2. 3. Dan. 4. 37. Mark 7. 22. 1 Tim. 3. 6. 1 Joh. 2. 16. The evils of it Job 35. 12. Psal. 10. 2 4. and 59. 12. and 73. 6. Prov. 8. 13. and 11. 2. and 13. 10. and 14. 3. and 16. 18. and 29. 23. Threatened by God Levit. 26. 19. Isa. 9. 9. and 16. 6 c. and 23. 9 10. and 25. 11. and 28. 1 3. Jer. 13. 9. and 48. 29. Ezek. 30. 6. Zeph. 2. 10. and 3. 11. Zach. 9. 6. and 10. 11. and 11. 3. Mourned for 2 Chron. 32. 26. Ier. 13. 17. Prayed against Psal. 31. 20. and 36. 11. Complained of Jer. 49. 16. Ezek. 7. 10. Ezek. 16. 19 49 56. Dan. 5. 20. Hos. 5. 5. Obad. 3. Scriptural examples Eve Gen. 3. 6. Hezekiah Esa. 39. 2. Baruch Ier. 45. 5. Christs Deciples Mark 9. 34. the lapsed Angels Iud. 6. Babylon Ier. 50. 29 32. Senacharib Esa. 10. 8 c. Abimeleck Absalom Adoniah Athaliah for their ambition were slaine Belshazzer Dan. 5. 1. c. Babilon Esa. 47. 7. Nimrod Gen. 11. 4. Balaam Numb 22. 17 c. Nabal 1 Sam. 25. 10. Oreb c. Psal. 83. 12. The two Captaines 2. Kings 1. 9 11. Edom Ier 49. 7 16. Obad. 3. Hagar Gen. 16. 4 Haman Est. 3. 5 c. Herod Acts 12. 21. Israel Esa 9. 9 c. Rabshakeh 2 Kings 18. 33 c. Rehoboam 1 Kings 12. 14. Tyrus Ezek. 28. 2 c. Korah Numb 16. 3. Nebuchadnezzer Dan. 3. 15. and 4. 30. the Pharisee Luke 18. 11. c. Zebedees sonnes Mat. 20. 21. Other examples Sethos King of Egypt growing mighty grew so proud withal that he made his tributary Kings to draw his Chariot by turnes till on a time he espied one of the Kings to look earnestly on the wheel and demanding the reason thereof was answered by him That with much comfort he beheld the lowest spokes turn uppermost by course whereupon apprehending the moral he left off that proud and barbarous custome Isac Chron. p. 61. Maximus dying the last day of his Consulship Caninius petitioned Caesar for that part of the day that remained that he might be Consull which made Tully jeer him saying O vigilant Consull who never sawest sleep all the time of thy office Pharaoh Ophra called also Apryes used to boast that he cared not either for God or man that should seek to take away his Kingdome but not long after he was taken by Amasis his own officer and strangled Herod Caesar Borgia emulating and imitating Iulius Caesar used to say Aut Caesar aut nullus but not long after he was slaine in the Kingdome of Navarre Alexander the Great was so puffed up with his victories that he would needs be accounted the sonne of Iupiter Hammon and be worshiped for a god which Calisthenes the Philosopher a special friend of his speaking against he could never endure him afterwards and at last caused him to be slaine Val. Max. Menecrates the Physician because he had cured some dangerous and desperate diseases assumed to himselfe the name of Iupiter the chiefest of the gods AElian Lib. 12. Empedocles the Philosopher having cured
persons in so little a time Plut. Daemaratus the Lacedemonian being at the King of Persia's Court and in favour with him the King bid him ask what he would of him Daemaratus desired him to give him leave to go up and down the City of Sardis with his Royal hat on his head as the Kings of Persia used But Mithropaustes the Kings cozen taking him by the hand said If the King should grant thy request the hat on thy head would cover but a little wit Plut. Camillus the Romane General having after ten years siege taken the strong and rich City of Veia grew very proud upon his successe and was more puffed up by reason of the praises of the people so that he rode through Rome in a triumphant Chariot drawn by four white horses which was judged a solemnity only meet for the father and chief of the gods Plut. Some Germane Ambassadours coming to Alexander M. to make peace with him he seeing them to be men of such great bodies asked them What it was that the Germanes stood in most fear of supposing that they would have said of him But they answered that the onely thing that they feared was lest the heavens should fall upon their heads Diod. Sic. Darius King of Persia hearing that Alexander M. was come over into Asia with an Army to make a conquest of it wrote to his Lieutenants wherein he stiled himself King of kings and Kinseman to the gods calling Alexander his slave and commanding them to take that Grecian boy and whip him with rods and to put a purple garment upon him and send him in chaines to him and then to drown all his ships and mariners and to transport all his souldiers beyond the red-sea Diod. Sic. Q. Curtius Alexander M. going out of Egypt to the Temple of Jupiter Hammon at his coming thither the Priest being suborned thereunto saluted him as the son of Jupiter which so puffed him up with pride that he commanded himself to be worshipped with divine honours and to be called Jupiters son Q. Cur. Darius King of Persia being overcome in a second battel by Alexander M. sent Ambassadours to him wherin he gave him thanks for his courtesie to his mother wives and children proffered him the greatest part of his dominions if he would marry his daughter and one thousand Talents for the ransome of the other Captives Parmenio told Alexander that if he were Alexander he would accept of those termes And I said Alexander if I were Parmenio would rather have the money then glory But now said he I am secure from poverty and must remember that I am a King and not a Merchant and so he returned this proud answer Tell faith he Darius that it 's superfluous to returne thanks to his enemy and wherein I have dealt mildly and liberally with his family it proceeds from my good nature and not to curry favour with him I would do what he desires if he would be my inferiour but not if he would be my equal for as the world cannot have two Suns neither can it containe two Emperors therfore let him either yield up himself to me to day or expect the fortune of Warre to morrow Q. Cur. Plut. See the example of S. Tullius in Parricide John Cappadox Bishop of Constantinople and John sirnamed Jeninator out of their ambition obtained that they should be stiled vniversal Bishops which Gregory the Great earnestly opposed Theat vitae hum Julius Caesar earnestly affecting the office of High Priest wherein he had Quintus Catulus a worthy man for his competitour said unto his mother when they were going to the choice O mother this day you shall have your son either High Priest or an exile Plut. Pompey the Great being sent with a great Navy against the Pirats and hearing that Metellus Praetor of Crete had begun the Warre against them he with his Navy assisted them against Metullus so ambitious he was that he would endure no competitour in conquering those Pirates Fulgos. Lib. 8. Phidias that made a curious shield for Minerva was so ambitiously desirous of glory thereby that he so wrought in his own name that it could not be defaced without spoiling the shield Val. Max. Themistocles was so ambitious of honour as that he could not sleep in the night and being asked the reason of it he answered Because the Trophies of Miltiades run so in my head that they will not suffer me to rest And being asked in the Theater whose voice pleased him best he answered Of them that most sing my praise Plut. Cicero Alexander the Great when he was young hearing his Master Democritus affirming that there were many worlds cried out Heu me miserum quod ne uno quidem adhuc potitus sum Wo is me that have not yet gotten the dominion of one of them Val. Max. Xerxes having made a bridge of boats over the Helespont for the transportation of his huge Army out of Asia into Europe there arose a great tempest which brake his bridge in sunder wherewith he was so enraged that he caused his men to give the sea three hundred stripes and to throw fetters into it to binde it to its good behaviour his officers performing his command cried O unruly water thy Lord hath appointed thee this punishment for that thou hast wronged him that deserved it not from thee but whether thou wilt or no he is resolved to passe over thee Herod Themistocles was exceeding ambitious of popular applause and for that end he gat all the names of the Citizens of Athens by heart that when he met them he might salute them by name And after his great victories against the Persians he went to the Oympick Games where all the people gave over beholding the sports that they might look upon him which so pleased his ambitious humour that he said to his friends That now he reaped the fruit of all the dangers and labours that he had gone throw for the safety of Greece Also after the great overthrow given to the Persians by sea he with one of his friends walking by the sea-side and seeing many dead bodies cast up he shewed his friend the bracelets and chaines of gold which they had upon them saying to him Ea tibi accipe tu enim non es Themistocles Take thou those things for thou art not Themistocles Plut. Pericles the Athenian a little before his death in an oration which he made to the people tolde them that he was second to none in knowing and speaking those things which were necessary to be known and spoken and that he so loved his countrey that he would never suffer himself to be corrupted with money to speak or do any thing to the prejudice of it Plut. King Henry the second of England AnnoChristi 1170. in his life-time caused his son young Henry to be crowned King and on his Coronation-day for honours sake placed the first dish upon the table himself Whereupon the Arch-bishop of York
said pleasantly unto him Be merry my best sonne for there is not another Prince in the whole world which hath such an Officer to serve him at the table this day To whom the young King scornefully answered Why do ye wonder My father doth not think that he doth more then what becomes him For he being a King onely by the mothers side serveth me who had a King to my father and a Queen to my mother Pol. Virgil. The Great Cham of Tartary had wont when he had dined to cause his trumpeters to sound their trumpets before his palace-gates thereby to give notice to all the Kings in the world that now the great Cham had dined they might take leave to go to dinner A poor Spanish Cobler lying on his death-bed his eldest sonne came to him for his last blessing upon whom he laid a special charge that he should alwayes remember to retain the Majesty worthy his family A Spanish Cavalier for some faults by him committed was whipped thorow the principal streets of Paris and keeping a sober pace he was advised by some that pitied him to go faster that he might scape the better but he halse in Choler replied That he would not alter one step of his pace for all the whipping in Paris A poore woman in Spaine attended by three of her Brats went a begging from doore to doore some French Merchants travelling that way out of pitty proffered to take the bigger of her Boyes into their service but she poore and proud scorned as she said that any of her lineage should endure an Apprentiship for for ought that she knew or they either her son as simple as he stood there might live to be King of Spaine The Spaniard begs in this Method first he looks about to see whether the coast be clear before he will utter one suppliant word then he approaches in a more submisse strain yet if any one chance to cast an eye that way he retreats to familiarity pressing the justnesse of his demands till he obtaines the almes If it be but a penny or so he casts it contemptibly into the donors face but soon after peaceably searches for the money and when it 's found prayes for the benefactor Sigismund King of Hungary having raised a mighty great Army against the Turks when he heard that his enemies approached in great pride said to his souldiers What need we fear the Turks who need not fear the falling of the heavens who with our Speares and Halberds are able to hold them up if they should fall But thus relying upon the arme of flesh his great Army was presently routed and himself hardly escaped in a little boat over the River Danubius leaving most of his Army to the slaughter and captivity of the Turks Turk Hist. Eunomius the Heretick proudly boasting that he knew God and his Divinity Basil to convince him of his ignorance and folly gravelled him in twenty one questions about the body of a Pismire Epist. 168. ad Eunom Philip King of Macedonia proudly boasting of his great victory over the Grecians at Cheronea Archidamus son to Agesilaus took him wisely down with this cooler You cannot saith he see your shadow one jot longer after this great victory then it was before Look of the H. War Henry the sixth the Emperour of Germany being tired out by his Warres with the Pope at last submitted to be crowned by him The Pope also upon some advantageous conditions to himself assented thereunto and sitting in his chaire Pontifical he held the Crowne of gold between his feet the Emperour kneeling and bowing down his head received it thereon but presently the Pope with his foot struck it off again to the ground declaring that he had power to depose him again in case that he offended him Act. Mon. In the beginning of Queen Maries reigne Doctor Pendleton and Master Sanders meeting together began to speak of the Persecution that was like to ensue about which Master Sanders shewed much weaknesse and many feares to whom Pendleton said What man there is much more cause for me to fear then for you forasmuch as I have a bigge and fat body yet will I see the utmost drop of this grease of mine molten away and the last gobbet of this flesh of mine consumed to ashes before I will for sake Jesus Christ and his truth which I have professed yet not long after upon trial poor feeble faint hearted Sanders by the power and goodnesse of God boldly and stoutly by his Ministery confirmed his flock and sealed the truth with his blood whereas this proud Pendleton played the Apostate and turned Papist Act. Mon. A fearful Example of Gods judgement upon pride in haire A most loathsome and horrible disease bred by Luxury and excesse seized especially upon women and by reason of a viscous venemous humour glues together the haire of the head with a prodigious ugly implication and intanglement sometimes taking the forme of a great Snake sometimes of many little Serpents full of nastinesse vermine and noysome smell and that which is most to be admired and never eye saw before pricked with a needle they yield bloody-drops and at the first spreading of this dreadful disease in Poland all that cut off this horrible snaky haire lost their eyes or the humour falling down upon other parts of the body tortured them extreamly It began not many yeeres ago in Poland and afterwards entered into many parts of Germany And me thinks saith mine author our monstrous Fashionists both males and females The one for nourishing their horrid bushes of vanity the other for their most unnatural and cursed cutting of their haire should every houre fear and tremble lest they should bring it upon their own heads and amongst us in this Nation Bolton Examples of such as have sought honour by wickedness Cleopes King of Egipt began to build a huge Pyramis but wanting money before he had finished it and having a beautiful daughter he prostituted her amongst his workmen thereby to get money to perfect his great work which he left as a perpetual monument of his wickednesse and folly Herod L. 4. Rhodophe a famous strumpet in Egypt having gotten a vast some of money by her whoredomes to get her self a great name built a Pyramis though lesse then the other yet of farre more curious workmanship Plut. Erostratus a young man to make himself famous and to perpetuate his name set Diana's Temple at Ephesus on fire which for the stately fabrick was one of the wonders of the world Val. Max. Lib. 8. C. 15. Pausanius asking one by what means he might suddenly become famous the other answered If he would kill some famous man whereupon he presently slew King Philip. Ibidem Caligula seeing that he could not attaine a great name by his vertue used often to wish that some notorious judgement might fall out in his time that thereby his name might be remembered Fulg. Lib. 8. Cap. 15. The wicked
onely said What an ill thing is it that men cannot foresee when they should put on an helmet before they go abroad And at another time being kicked by one If an Asse should kick me said he should I spurne him again And when another had wronged him he said I would have smitten thee but that I am angry Nicolas of Johnvile being condemned by the Papists to die for the cause of God as he was carried in a Cart to execution his own father coming with astaffe would have beaten him but the officers not suffering it were about to strike the old man The son calling to them desired them to let his father alone saying he had power over him to do in that kinde what he pleased but Christ was dearer to him then the dearest friend on earth Act. Mon. Aristippus an Heathen went of his own accord to AEschines his enemy saying Shall we not be reconciled till we become a table-talke to all the countrey and when AEschines answered that he would most gladly be at peace with him Remember then said Aristippus that although I be the elder and better man yet I sought first unto thee Thou are indeed a far better man then 〈…〉 said AEschines for I began the quarrel but thou the reconcilement Julius Caesar being extreamely defamed by Clavus the Oratour and Catullus the Poet Yet afterwads when truth setled shamefastnesse on their foreheadâ— and repentance in their consciences Caesar was satisfied with it and seeing Calvus desire his friendship but durst not intreat it he in an expresse letter offered it unto him and for Catullus he invited him to supper the same day that he published his Poeme against him Suet. Augustus Caesar was also of the same disposition For when as Timagines an Historian wrote against him together with his wife daughters and all his family he onely sent to him advising him to use his tongue and pen with more moderation especially towards him and his friends For Augustus had bred him up but he still persevering and the Emperour being enforced to take notice of it by way of punishment he onely sent to him to retire himself out of the City of Rome into the countrey Seneca King Henry the sixth was of that meek disposition that being wounded in the side by a Ruffian whilest he was a prisoner in the Tower when afterwards he was restored to his Kingly estate he freely forgave him the fact and another like Ruffian striking him on the face he punished with this onely reprehension Forsooth you are to blame to strike me your anointed King Oaths he used none but in weighty matters his affirmation was forsooth and forsooth Sp. Chron. p. 86â— Austin when the Donatists upbraided him unworthily with the impietie and impurity of his former life Look said he how much they blame my fault so much I commend and praise my Phisician See his Life in my first Part. A fellow objecting to Beza his youthly Poems This man said he vexeth himself because Christ hath vouchsafed to me his grace See his life in my first Part. Be ye not stothful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises Heb. 6. 12. Vince animos ir ámque tuam qui caeter a vincis CHAP. XV. Examples of Gods judgements upon Apostates and backsliders TRue grace is not like a slight staine but a durable die and graine-colour which can never be washed out the gates of hell cannot prevaile against the faith of Gods elect so that though they may lose the lustre of their graces yet not the graces themselves but a see will still remaine in them The reason then why some glorious professors do fall like starres from heaven is because they were never fixed in the true Orbe They had a name only that they lived but were dead Rev. 3. 1. they had an evil heart of unbelief in them and therefore they depart away from the living God Heb. 3. 12. They began in hypocrisie and so end in Apostasie But that the danger misery of such persons may more manifestly appear unto us lay to heart these texts Examples following Foretold 2 Thes. 2. 3. Exod. 32. 8. 1 Tim. 4. 1. Mat. 24. 12. Complained of Jer. 8. 5. Prov. 2. 13. Esa. 31. 6. Jer. 7. 24. and 2. 21. and 6. 28. 1 Tim. 1. 19. Threatened Ps. 125. 5. Heb. 10. 38 39. Mat. 10. 33. 2 Pet. 2. 1. Prov. 14. 14. It 's sometimes partial as Peters Mat. 26. 74 75. Aarons and the Israelites Exod. 32. 1 c. Rehoboams and Judah 2 Chron. 12. 1 6. Manasses 2 Chron. 32. 2 12 c. Sometimes total Heb. 3. 12. and 6. 6. and 10. 39. as Judas Acts 1. 18. Demas 2 Tim. 4. 10. Diotrephes 3 Joh. 9. Hymeneus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. 20. Hymeneus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2. 17. Alexander 2 Tim. 4. 14. Other examples Ieroboam the sonne of Nâ—bat fell from the service of God and his true worship and erected two golden calves in Dan and Bethel and when the Prophet prophesied against his Idolatry he stretched forth his hand against him which was immediately dried up But not taking warning hereby shortly after the Lord struck his sonne Abijah with siknesse whereof he died 1 Kings 14. Then was he assaulted by Abijam King of Judah and though Jeroboams Army was twice so big yet was he overthrown and lost five hundred thousand of his men besides some of his Cities and not long after himselfe was stricken by God that he died Jehoram King of Iudah though he had been religiously educated by his father Iehosaphat and had seen his zeal in purging out Idolatry and maintaining the pure service of God yet marrying Athalia the daughter of Ahab he turned an Idolater and caused the men of Judah to run a whoring after strange gods whereupon the Arabians and Philistines rose up against him wasted his countrey robbed him of his treasures took away his wives and murthered all his children save Jehoahaz his youngest sonne After which the Lord smote him with an incurable disease in his bowels so that after he had lived two yeers in grievous torments his guts fell out of his belly and he died 2 Chron. 21. Joas King of Judah who had been preserved and religiously educated by that godly High Priest Jehojadah after his death this Joas Apostatized from the service of God and fell to Idolatry For which God raised up the Syrians against him who came with a small army against a mighty host yet did they prevaile against Joas slew his Princes and carried away a great spoile to Damascus and shortly after the Lord struck Joas with grievous diseases and his own servants conspiring against him slew him the people not affording him a burial amongst the Kings 2 Chron. 24. Amaziah King of Judah began his reigne well pretending much zeal for the service of God but after a while having overcome the Edomites he brought home their gods worshipped and burned incense
to them And being reproved by a Prophet he threatened him with death if he ceased not For which the Lord delivered him up into the hand of the King of Israel who overthrew his Army took him prisoner carried him back to Hierusalem and for the greater reproach before his face brake down part of the City-walls ransacked the Temple and Kings palace carried away all the treasure out of both took his children for hostages to Samaria and after all this his subjects wrought treason against him which made him fly to Lachish yet thither did they pursue him and put him to death 2 Chron. 25. Judas Iscariot who for covetousnesse fell from Christ and betrayed him to the Jewes could afterwards finde no rest nor quiet in his guilty conscience so that being plunged into the bottomlesse pit of despaire he hanged himself burst in twaine and all his bowels fell out Acts 1. 18. Lucian who had made a profession of Religion in the time of Trajan afterwards fell from it and became a railer against it yea against God himselfe whereupon he was sirnamed the Atheist but the Lord inflicted a just judgement upon him for he was torne in pieces and devoured of dogs Suidas Porphyrie after he had received the knowledge of the truth being reproved for his faults by some Christians for very spite and anger apostatized from his profession set himselfe against the Christians published books full of horrible blasphemies against the profession of Christianity But perceiving himselfe to be confuted and loathed for his wickednesse in horrible despaire and torments of soul he died Suid. Ammonius who was Master to Origen was from his childhood brought up in the Christian Religion but afterwards was so affected with the study of Philosophy that he apostatized from Christianity and fell to Heathenisme Ravis Origen who had been all his life-time ambitious of Martyrdom fainted under the seventh Persecution his heart being overcome by feare when he was put to his choice either to offer incense to Idols or to have his body defiled by an ugly blackamoore whereupon he chose the former but thereby he lost the peace of his conscience which he could not recover of a long time after See his Life in my first Part of the Marrow of Ecclesiastical History Under the eighth Persecution a certain Christian denying his faith went up into the Capitol at Rome to abjure Christ and his profession which he had no sooner done but was immediately stricken speechlesse Cypri de Lapsu A Christian woman denying her profession was presently possessed by an evil spirit whereby she fell a tormenting her selfe and bit out her tongue with her own teeth Cyp. An ancient woman who had revolted from the truth and denied her profession yet thrust her selfe into the Assembly of the Faithful and received the Sacrament of the Lords Supper with them but it proved her bane for immediately trembling and stamping she fell down and died Cyp. A man also that had renounced his faith did notwithstanding present himselfe to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper but when he had received the bread into his hand thinking to put it into his mouth it was turned into ashes Cyp. Tamerus a professor of the reformed Religion being seduced by his brother denied his faith and turned Papist but shortly after he fell into despaire and hung himselfe Theat Hist. Anno Christi 1569. One Henry Smith a Lawyer of the middle Temple who made a zealous profession of the truth afterwards by the seducement of one of his friends turned Papist for which being stricken with terrors of conscience he hanged himselfe in his own chamber Act. Mon. Theoderick an Arrian King of the Goths exceedingly affected a certaine Deacon though Orthodox But this Deacon thinking to ingraciate himselfe more with the King and to attaine to great advancement thereby turned Arrian which when Theoderick understood he changed his love into hatred and caused his head to be struck off saying If he kept not his Faith to God what duty in conscience can a man expect from him Euseb. l. 2. Julian the Emperour who was brought up in the Christian Religion afterwards turned Pagan and became a malicious persecutor of Christianity but after a short Reigne in a battel that he fought against the Persians he was wounded with a dart which was never known from whence it came and feeling his strength to faile by reason of his wound he took of his own blood in his hands holding it up and with extream pride cryed out O thou Galilaean thou hast overcome me calling Christ Galilaean in scorn and so he died Simps Nicomachus under one of the first Persecutions being put to extream torments for the profession of Christ shrunk from his profession and cried out that he was no Christian whereupon he was freed from his torments but assoon as he had sacrificed to the Idols he was presently taken with a wicked spirit and thrown down violently to the ground where biting off his tongue with his teeth he presently died Act. Mon. Bolsechus of whom Beza writeth religionem ephemeram habere existimabatur his religion changed like the moon See the Life of Beza in my first Part. Baldwin was a notable turncoat that changed his religion three or four times at least for advantage and at last died of envy that another was preferred before him to be Chaplain to the Duke of Anjou when he went to take possession of the Kingdome of Poland Petrus Caroli an odious Apostate and tronbler of the Church See the life of Calvin in my first Part. The like were Staphylus Spicerus Brisonettus and of late Bertius Tilenus Spalatensis and many Renegado English who in Queen Elizabeths time turned Papists for advantage Bishop Bonner who in King Henry the eighths dayes was a great favourer of the Gospel for which he was advanced to a Bishoprick by the Lord Cromwel yet afterwards proved an Apostate and grievous persecutor of the Church See my English Martyrologie Latomus of Lovaine sometimes a professor of the Gospel but afterwards an Apostate went to Bruxels where he made an Oration before the Emperour Charles the fifth against Luther and his followers but so foolishly and ridiculously that he was laughed to scorn by most of the Courtiers after which returning to Lovaine againe in his publick Lecture he fell into an open frenzie and madnesse uttering such words of desparation and blasphemous impiety that by other Divines present he was carried away raving and shut up in a close chamber from which time to his last breath he continually cried out that he was damned and rejected of God and that there was no hope of salvation for him because that wittingly and against his knowledge he had withstood the manifest truth of the Word of God Senarclaeus in epist. ante hist de morte Diazi Arnold Bomelius a student in the University of Lovaine a man much commended for an excellent wit and ripenesse of learning and for favouring
the cause of the Gospel but afterwards Apostatizing to Poperie he began to be much troubled in minde and from thence fell into despaire against which he wrestled a great while but at length being wholly overcome by it as he was drawn to walk into the fields with some scholars his familiar friends he feigned wearinesse and so sat down by a springs side and his friends being gone a little before he drew out a dagger and stabbed himself into the breast his friends seeing him shrinking down and the water discoloured with his blood ran to him took him up searched his wound and carried him to the next house but whilest they were busie about him he espied a knife by one of their sides whereupon he plucked it forth and suddenly stobbed himself to the heart whereby he died miserably Act. Mon. Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester cried out on his death-bed that he had denied his Master with Peter but not repented with Peter and so stinking above ground ended his wretched life See my English Martyrolgy Master West Chaplaine to Bishop Ridley and a Preacher and Professour of the truth in King Edward the sixths dayes afterwards in Queen Maries time he turned Papist forsook his Master and said Masse though it were against his conscience For which he fell into such torment of conscience that he pined away and so died Act. Mon. Of Hardings Apostacie See in my second Part in the Life of the Lady Jane Gray As also divers other examples in my Martyrologies Theoderick an Arian King of the Vandals did exceedingly affect and love a certaine Orthodox Deacon but the Deacon thinking farther to ingratiate himself and to get greater preferment Apostatized from the truth and turned Arian which when the Emperour understood he turned his love into hatred and commanded his head to be struck off saying That if he proved false and unfaithful to his God how could he expect any good or faithful service from him Adam Neucerus sometimes a professour of the truth and Pastour of a Church in Heidleberg afterwards plaid the Apostate upon some discontent and turned Turk But not long after he died miserably in Constantinople Mel. Adam in vit Gerl. See the History of Francis Spira A Treasurer of Julians to please his Lord and Master Apostatized from the faith and coming into a Church where he saw the holy vessels scoffingly said Behold with what vessels they minister to the Son of Mary but shortly after he vomited all the blood in his body out at his mouth whereby he died miserablis Theod. L. 3. During the Heptarchy of the Saxons in England there were in Northumberland two Kings Ostrich and Eaufride who before their coming to the Crown had been instructed and trained up in the Christian Religion by Paulinus a worthy and godly Bishop But after they came to their Kingly dignities they renounced Christ and returned to the service of their filthy Idols Whereupon as they forsook Christ he forsook them and within one yeares space both of them were slaine by Cedwalla King of the Britanes Beda Cardinal Poole whilest he was in Italy was informed of the truth and was a savourer of it as you may see in Peter Martyrs Life in my first Part but afterwards he became a cruel Persecutor of it here in England in Queen Maries dayes but it pleased God that about two dayes after the Queens death he died in horrible fear and terrour Peter Castellan Bishop of Maston who sometimes had been a forward professour of the truth but afterwards turning to Popery in a Sermon at Orleance he enveighed bitterly against the profession and professors of the true Religion whereupon it pleased God to strike him with a strange and terrible disease unknown to Physicians for one halfe of his body burned like fire and the other halfe was as cold as ice and in this torment with horrible cries and groans he ended his wretched life A Gray Frier called Picard who sometimes made a Profession of the truth afterwards fell away and preached against it adding infinite blasphemies against the truth But presently after God struck him speechlesse and so being carried to his bed half dead he presently after died without the least signe of Repentance Lambespine a Counsellor in the Parliament of Grenoble had formerly been a professour of the Reformed Religion but falling from the truth he became a Persecutour of the godly in Valence of Daulphine and amongst others of two godly Ministers which suffered Martyrdome But shortly after he fell passionately in love with a young maide whom shamefully he followed up and down whithersoever she went and seeing his love and labour despised he pined away with grief and being regardlesse of himself multitudes of lice bred and fed upon him yea they issued out abundantly from every part of his body So that feeling Gods heavy vengeance upon him he began to despaire of mercy and resolved to pine himself which purpose the lice seemed to further for they clustered so many in his throat as almost choaked him and when some of his friends pittying his condition set open his mouth with a gag to poure in broth the lice went down with it and choaked him so that as he had gagged the godly Ministers at their death himself died with a gag in his mouth King Henry the fourth of France who had all his life-time before been a Protestant shortly after he came to the Crown of France when he had almost subdued all his enemies which opposed him thereâ—n suddenly turned Papist Not long after as he was taking his leave of his Nobles to begin his Progresse one John Castile suborded by the Jesuites intended to have stabbed him into the body with a knife but the King at the same instant stooping to take up one of his Lords who was on his knees before him the blow fell upon his right upper jaw cutting out one of his teeth and somewhat wounding his tongue It is reported that in his progresse a Protestant Minister in private conference said unto him You have denied God with your tongue and have received a wound in the same take heed of denying him with your heart lest you receive a wound in that also which indeed proved a prophecie for riding abroad in his Coach to refresh himself one Ravilliac watched his opportunity and stabbed him first into the left pap and with a second blow struck him between the fifth and sixth rib cutting asunder the veine leading to the heart the knife entering into the vena cava of which wound he died French Hâ—st Read also the history of Francis Spira lately printed and observe Gods severe judgements upon him for his Apostasie In the year 1287 the King of Hungary forsaking the Christian saith became an Apostata and when he had called fraudulently to a Parliament the great Potentates of his land Meramomelius a puissant Saracene came upon them with twenty thousand souldiers carrying away with him the King with all the
Asse The Queen-Mother of Scotland having received aid from France forced the Protestants for a while to retire towards the High-lands whereupon she scoffingly said Where is now John Knox his God My God is now stronger then his yea even in Fife but her brags lasted not long For within a few dayes six hundred Protestants beat above four thousand French and Scots c. See Master Knox his Life in my first Part. The same Queen-Mother when some English Scots attempted to take Leith by storme and many of them were slaine by reason that the scaling ladders proved too short beholding it from Edenborough Castle where she was burst out into a great laughter saying Now will I go to Masse and praise God for that which mine eyes have seen And when the French had stripped the slaine and laid the naked bodies along the walls the Queen looking on them said scoffingly Yonder are the fairest Tapestries that ever mine eyes beheld I would that the whole fields which are betwixt Leith and this place were all strewed with the same stuffe But this joy lasted not long For presently after a fire kindled in Leith which burnt up their store-houses and provision for the Army and the Queen-Mother fell sick and died Eodem When Christians complained to Julian the Apostate of the abuse and wrongs which his officers did to them he used scoffingly to answer It 's your part when you are injured to take it patiently for so your God commandeth you See my General Martyrology p. 86. In the late Persecution in Bohemia some godly Martyrs in Prague as they were at supper being to suffer the next day comforted themselves saying that this was their last supper upon earth that to morrow they should feast with Christ in heaven whereupon a great Papist flouted them saying Hath Christ Cooks for you in Heaven Eodem p. 170. Now therefore be no more mockers lest your bands be made strong Isa. 28. 22. CHAP. XXIV Examples of Gods judgements against Perjury SWearing Cursing and Perjury are such God-provoking and Heaven-outfacing sinnes that the Lord doth not only reserve wrath for these his enemies in the world to come but many times also even in this world he takes some of the eminentest of these sinners and as it were hangs them up in Gibbets to be monuments of his heavy wrath and indignation for the terrour of others that they may hear and fear and do no more so wickedly as these ensuing Examples may sufficiently evince It 's a great sinne 1 Tim. 1. 9. 10. Lev. 6. 3. Jer. 23. 10 Hos. 10. 4. Forbidden Lev. 19. 12. Mat. 5. 33. Threatened Jer. 5. 2 and 7. 9. Mal. 3. 5. Zach. 5. 3 4 Hos. 10. 4. Scriptural examples Princes and people Jer. 34 10 11 17. Zedekiah Ezek. 17. 18 19. Saul 2 Sam. 21. 1 2. Agesilaus being sent with a great Army from Sparta into Asia Minor against Tissaphernes the King of Persiu's Leiutenant there Tissaphernes desired to know the reason of his coming Agesilaus answered that it was to let the Grecian Cities free Tissaphernes intreated him to make a truce with him till he had sent to the King of Persia to know his pleasure therein Agesilaus consented and so a truce was made with solemne oaths on both sides but Tissaphernes dealt deceitfully and sent to the King for a great Army which being come to him he sent an Herauld to Agesilaus to command him presently to depart out of Asia Agesilaus being nothing daunted with the newes returned this answer That he gave him no small thanks for that by his perjury he had made the gods angry with the Persians and favourable to the Grecians and accordingly it so fell out for coming to a battel he gave the Persians a great overthrow Xenophon Lysander King of Sparta though otherwise a gallant man yet made no conscience of his oaths using to say that boyes used to be deceived with false dice and men with oaths Plut. Eumenes being made General of an Army against Antigonus by the young King of Macedonia Alexander M. his sonne and his protectour they wrote to the two Colonells of the Argyraspides to adjoyne themselves to him These were Alexanders old souldiers whom when he took them with him into India he made them silver shields and called them Argyraspides These Colonells obeying the command went with him into Asia and after some lesser conflicts the two armies met at last in Media where these silvershields of whom none were under sixty and most of them were seventy years old took in such scorne that their sonnes and boyes should fight against them that they charged them with such fury that after the slaughter of many they made Antigonus his infantry wholly to run away but in the mean time Antigonus his Cavalry had routed the Cavalry of Eumenes and seizing upon their carriges had driven them away the Silver shields hearing of it sent presently to Antigonus desiring him to restore them their carriages againe who answered that if they would deliver up Eumenes bound into his hands he would not only restore their carriages but greatly preferre them also Hereupon most treacherously they ran upon Eumenes took away his sword and bound his hands behinde him so that he could scarce get leave to speake before they carried him away but at last having obtained leave he thus spake O my souldiers ye see the habit and ornaments of your General not imposed upon him by his enemies but you your selves of a Conquerer have made him a Captive You that within one yeares space have bound your selves foure times to me by oath do now to redeem your carriages betray me to mine enemies therefore I desire you rather to kill me your selves for Antigonus desires not to have me living but dead and if you will but herein gratifie me I freely absolve you from all the oaths wherewith you have bound your selves to me or if you will not shew me so much favour then loose one of my bands and give me a sword that I may kill my selfe or if you dare not trust me with a sword cast me to the Elephants to be destroyed by them But when he saw that they would gratifie him in none of these he grew into a passion and said Ye cursed villaines I pray the gods who are the revengers of perjury to send you such ends as ye have brought your Generals unto for I am not the first whom you have thus betrayed c. And so being delivered to Antigonus he was shortly after murthered by him But withal he so hated these perjured Silver shields that he burned one of their Colonells and slew the other the rest of them he sent into remote Countreys and put them upon such desperate services that by degrees they were all cut off and never any one of them returned into his own Countrey againe Plut. King Henry the first of England in the twenty seventh year of his reigne caused the Bishops Abbats and Nobles
tore him all to peeces Act. and Mon. Sigismund the Emperour having granted letters of safe conduct unto Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prague under the faith and protection of himself and the Empire yet suffered them to be unjustly burnt at the Councel of Constance after which time the said Emperour never prospered in any thing that he took in hand he died without issue male and his daughters son Ladislaus died also childlesse whereby his name was quite extinguished in one age And his Emperesse became a dishonour also to the royal place which she held and so Gods judgements justly followed him for his perjury Luther Elfred a Nobleman in the dayes of King Ethelstane of England conspiring against his Sovereigne intended at Winchester to have pulled out his eyes but his treason being discovered he was sent to Rome to purge himself by oath where before the Altar of Saint Peter and in the presence of Pope Iohn the tenth he abjuring the thing suddenly fell down to the earth and being carried by his servants into the English schoole within three dayes after he there died Sp. Chron p. 340. Goodwin Earle of Kent Anno 1055. being charged by King Edward with the death of his brother Alfred excused himself with many words and at last eating a morsel of bread wished that it might choake him if he were guilty thereof but before he stirred one foot from the place he was according to his own imprecation forthwith choaked In the reigne of Queen Elizabeth one Annis Averies in the City of London widow forswore her selfe for a little mony which she should have paid for six pounds of Towe at a shop in Woodstreet and by Gods just judgement she immediately fell down speechless casting her excrements upwards which should have been voided downwards and so presently died Act. Mon. A certain Inne-Keeper in the town of Rutlinguen receiving a Budget of money from a passenger to keep for him forswore the same before the Judge giving himself to the devil if he swore falsly and was by two that testified against him which indeed were two Fiends of Hell presently in the presence of the Judge hoisted up into the aire where he vanished away with them and was never found after One hearing perjury condemned by a godly Preacher and how it never escaped unpunished said in a bravery I have often for sworne my self and yet my right hand is no shorter then my left which words he had scarce uttered when such an inflammation arose in that hand that he was forced to go to the Chirurgion and cut it off lest it should have infected his whole body whereby it became shorter then the other A rich young maide in Saxony promised marriage to a proper young man but poore He fore-seeing that wealth and inconstancy might alter her minde freely disclosed his thoughts to her whereupon she made a thousand imprecations to the contrary wishing that if she ever married another the devil might take her away on the wedding day yet afterwards the fickle wench was betrothed and married to another At dinner two men on horseback came to the house and were entertained at the feast and after dinner one of them leading the Bride a dance he took her by the hand and led her a turne or two and then in the presence of all her friends he caught her crying out for help and went out at the gate where he hoisted her up into the aire and vanished away with his companion and horses so that she was never seen more Sword against Swearers Philip King of Macedonia was a great contemner of all oaths and held the religious observation of them as a vaine thing for which cause the vengeance of God followed him and all his posterity For himself being scarce fourty six years old was slaine and his whole family was quickly extinguished Arideus one of his sons was slaine by Olympias his wife Another son that he had by Cleopatra was by his mother tormented to death in a brazen vessel compassed about with fire the rest of his sons perished in the like manner and his son Alexander after his great conquests in the prime of his dayes and in the middest of his victories died miserably as some think of poison Pausanius A certain maid in London that had stolen many things from her Mistris being examined forswore them wishing that she might rot if ever she touched them or knew of them but being yet carried to prison she began so to rot and stink that they were forced to thrust her out of prison into a common hospitall Iohn Cooper a godly man in Queen Maries dayes was falsely and maliciously accused of treason for speaking some words against the Queen and accordingly executed but one Grimwood who had sworn falsely against him being shortly after about his labour in the harvest and in good health suddenly his bowels fell out of his body and so he died most miserably Act. Mon. CHAP. XXV Examples of Gods Iudgements upon common Swearers BIshop Ridly in a Sermon at Pauls Crosse related a story of a young Gentleman of Cornwall in the dayes of King Edward the sixth who riding in the company of other Gentlemen began to swear and swagger and being reproved for it he swore the more and raged worse to whom one Master Haines a Minister with gentle words said that he should one day give an account thereof whereat the Gentleman being in a fume bade him take no thought for him but to prepare for his own Winding-sheet Well said the other amend for death gives no warning Gods wounds said he care not thou for me still raging worse and worse till coming to a bridge which passed over an arme of the Sea the young Gallant so spurred and switched his horse that he leaped over with him into the water who as he was going cried Horse and man and all to the devil Act. Mon. A Serving-man in Lincolnshire for every trifle used to swear by Gods precious blood and would not be warned by his friends till at length falling into a grievous sicknesse he was again much perswaded by his friends to repent which counsel he still rejected and hearing the Bell to toll in the very paines of death he start up swearing Gods wounds the Bell tolles for me but he shall not have me yet whereupon the blood issued out in a most fearful manner from all the joynts of his body from mouth nose wrists knees heeles and toes and other parts of his body and so he died Mr. Perkins Michael a Jewish Rabbin as he was swearing and blaspheming the Name of Iesus fell down and brake his neck Socrat. Eccl. Hist. Three Souldiers passing through a Wood in the Countrey of Samurtia there arose a tempest of thunder and lightning and one of them to shew his contempt of God and his judgements burst forth into swearing and blasphemy but the tempest tearing up an huge tree it fell upon him and crushed him to peeces
One who for twelve or sixteen years together used to sweare by Gods Armes In the end his own arme being hurt with a knife could not be healed by any means but wrankled and festered from day to day and at last so rotted that it fell away peece-meale and himself through anguish and paine thereof died Phil. Stubs I my selfe saith a godly Divine that wrote lately knew two most notorious swearers that brake their necks the one with a fall down a paire of staires the other from his horse Another relates of a swearing Courtier at Mansfield who in the middest of his blasphemous oaths was taken up and carried away by the devil At a Village called Benevides in Spaine two young men being together in the field there suddenly arose a terrible tempest and withal so violent a whirlewinde that it amazed the beholders The two young men seeing the fury of it coming towards them ran as fast as possibly they might but yet it overtook them and they fearing to be hoisted up into the Aire by it fell down flat upon the earth where the Whirlewinde whisked round about them for a pretty while and then passed forwards the one of them arose in such an agony that he was scarce able to stand the other lying still and not stirring some other that stood under an hedge a far off went to see how he did and found him stark dead with his bones so crushed that the joynts of his armes and legges turned every way as though his body had been made of Mosse his tongue also was pulled out by the roots and could never be found which was the more remarkable because he was noted to have been an outragious swearer and blasphemer of Gods holy Name Anth. de Torquem At Tubing in Germany a desperate boy used to invent such new oaths as were not common but the Lord sent a Canker or some worse disease that did eat out his tongue the instrument wherewith he blasphemed Gâ—â—m Hist. A certain man who in his life-time was given exceedingly to the fearful sinne of swearing had his heart on his death-bed so exceedingly filled with enraged greedinesse after it that he desperately desired the standers by to help him with oaths and to sweare for him though himself in the mean time swore as fast and furiously as he could Mr. Bolton Destructorium viâ—iorum tells of an Harlot who had three sonnes and told her husband that only one of them was his whereupon at his death he bequeathed his estate to him that should be found to be his true son Upon this the sons contend the Judges to decide it commanded the fathers dead body to be set up against a tree and that he of the three that could shoot nearest to his heart should be his heire The two bastards shot the third refused and was offended with the other for doing it By which natural love they concluded him to be the natural son and gave him the inheritance Surely they are bastards and no sonnes that wound God at heart and teare him in peeces by oaths c. Charilaus a Pagan being asked why the Images of the gods in Sparta were armed To the end saith he that men may fear to blaspheme the gods knowing that are armed to take vengeance upon their enemies Chrysostome whilest he was at Antioch spent most of his Sermons against swearing that if not the fear of God yet his importunity might make them a weary of that sin Philip King of France ordained that whosoever by swearing blasphemed God though in a Tavern yet he should be straightway drowned Maximilian the Emperour decreed that every vain swearer should pay thirteen shillings and four pence which who so refused to pay and repented not of his wickednesse should lose his head Henry the first King of England appointed the payment of fourty shillings twenty shillings ten shillings and three shillings four pence according to the degree of the swearer to be given to the poore Christiâ—649 â—649 about the end of June there was a souldier at Ware going with some others to wash himself in the river but finding the water shallow he asked if there was no deeper a place for him to swim in Some told him that there was not farre off a deep pit but that it was very dangerous and therefore advised him to take heed how he went into it to whom he answered God damn me if it be as deep as hell I will go into it which accordingly he did but immediately sunk to the bottome never rising again but was there drowned To swear by their Faith was the Romanes greatest oath which they kept inviolably Plut. King Charles the ninth of France entertained into his favour one Albertus Tuâ—â—us an Hucksâ—ers sonne to whom in five years space besides other honoures he gave six hundred thousand crownes though all the good the King gat by him was to learn to swear by the Name of God Camerar med Hist. c. 4. But above all things my brethren swear not neither by heaven neither by the earth neither by any other oath But let your Yea be yea and your Nayâ— nay lest ye fall into condemnation Jam. 5. 12. CHAP. XXVI Examples of Gods judgements upon Cursers IN France a man of good parts and well instructed in Religion yet in his passion cursing and bidding the devil take one of his children the childe was immediately possessed with an evil spirit from which though by the fervent and continual prayers of the Church he was at length released yet ere he had fully recovered his health he died Beza Anno 15â—7 at Forchenum in the Bishoprick of Bamburg a Priest preaching about the Sacrament used these and such like blasphemous speeches O Paul Paul if thy Doctrine touching the receiving of the Sacrament in both kindes be true and if it be a wicked thing to receive it otherwise then let the devil take me and if the Popes Doctrine concerning this point be false then am I the devils bondslave neither do I fear to pawn my soul upon it Presently the devil came indeed in the shape of a tall man black and terrible with a fearful noise and roaring winde took away the old Priest that he was never after heard of Fincelius In Helvetia Anno 1556. a certaine man that earned his living by making cleane foule linnen in his drunkennesse used horrible cursings wishing that the devil might break his neck if he ever went to his old occupation again yet the next day when he was sober he went into the field again about it where the devil attended him in the likenesse of a big swarthy man asking him if he remembred his wish and withal struck him over the shoulders so that his feet and hands presently dried yet the Lord gave not the devil power to do him so much hurt as he wisht to himself Fincelius Henry Earle of Schwartburg used commonly to wish that he might be drowned in a Privy if such and such things
whereupon he was deposed and banished from his Bishoprick But shortly after Gods heavy judgement falling upon the woman in her sicknesse she confessed that she was suborned by the Arians to accuse this holy man and that it was one Eustathius a Tradesman that had gotten that childe Niceph. l. 8. c. 46. See the like practice against Athanatius in his Life In my first Part of the Marrow of Ecclesiastical History In the reigne of King Canutus at a Parliament held at London the King asked the Lords and Nobles whether in the Agreement made betwixt King Edmund and him there was any mention made of the children or brethren of Edmund to have any part of the land divided to them The Lords flatteringly answered That there was none Yea they confirmed their false words with an oath thinking thereby to have procured great favour with the King But he on the contrary ever after mistrusted and disdained them especially such as had sworne fealty to King Edmund Yea some of them he exiled many he beheaded and divers of them by Gods just judgement died suddenly Speed In the Reigne of King Henry the eighth one Richard Long bore false witnesse against a Minister in Calice falsly accusing him for eating meat in Lent But shortly after Gods wrath did lie so heavy upon his conscience that he desperately drowned himselfe Aze Mon. About the same time Gregory Bradway accused one Brook falsly for stealth but shortly after through terrors of conscience he sought to cut his own throat but being prevented he fell mad In Queen Maries dayes one William Feming accused an honest man called John Cooper because he would not fell him two bullocks as if he had spoken traiterous words against the Queen and suborned two false witnesses to depose it Cooper was hanged and quartered and all his goods taken from his wife and nine children but shortly after one of these false witnesses being well and at harvest-work was stricken by God so that his bowels fell out and he died miserably See My English Martyrology The Egyptians had no punishment for lying and therefore no measure in lying One Thespis a Poet in Athens made a play wherewith the Citizens were much delighted and grave Solon himselfe went to see it but when the play was ended wherein Thespis himselfe acted a part Solon called him to him and asked him if he were not ashamed to lie so openly in the face of all the City Thespis answered that it made no matter so long as it was but in sport But Solon beating the ground with his staffe said If we commend or allow lying in sport we shall shortly finde it used in good earnest in all our bargaines and dealings Plut. Artaxerxes M. having found one of his souldiers in a lie caused his tongue to be thrust through with three needles Plut. Putting away lying speake every man the truth with his neighbour for we are members one of an other Eph. 4. 25. CHAP. XXIX Examples of Childrens Obedience and Love to their Parents COmmanded Eph. 6. 1. and why v. 2. Col 3. 20. Prov. 4. 1. 6. 20. Exod. 20. 12. Deut. 5. 16. Mat. 15. 4. 19. 19. Mark 7. 10. 10. 19. Luk. 18. 20. Commended Mal. 1. 6. Scriptural Examples Shem and Japhet Gen. 9. 23. Isaac Gen. 22. 6 c. Jacob Gen. 28. 1 5. Ioseph Gen. 37. 13. Ruth Chap. 1. 16 17. Solomon 1 King 2. 19. Other examples Pomponius Atticus making the funeral Oration at his mothers death protested that having lived with her sixty and seven years he was never reconciled to her Because said he there never happened betwixt us the least jarre which needed reconciliation In vita Attici Cyrus King of Persia having overcome Croesus King of Lydia in battel Croesus fled into the City of Sardis but Cyrus following took the City by storme and a souldier running after Croesus with his sword Croesus his sonne that had been dumb all his life-time before with the violence of natural affection seeing his father in such danger suddenly cryed out O man kill not Croesus and so continued to speak all his life after Pez Mel. Hist. Miltiades a famous Captaine of the Athenians died in prison for debt his sonne Cimon to redeeme his fathers body for burial voluntarily went into the prison and submitted to be cast into chaines there till the debt was paid Iustin. Cleobis and Biton two brethren in Greece loved their mother dearly insomuch as she being to go to Juno's Temple in her coach drawn by two oxen the oxen being out of the way they willingly harnessed themselves and drew her thither she much rejoycing that she had borne two such sonnes Plut. Olympias the mother of Alexander M. was very severe and morose in her carriage towards him and once Antipater Alexanders deputy in Europe wrote large letters of complaint against her to whom he returned this answer Knowest thou not that one little teare of my mothers will blot out a thousand of thy letters of complaint Plut. King Demetrius being overcome by Seleucus and taken prisoner his sonne Antigonus hearing of it mourned exceedingly and wrote lamentably to Seleucus in the behalfe of his father proffering to deliver up into his hands all the Countreys which he yet held and to become a pledge himselfe for his father so that he might be delivered out of captivity Diod. Sic. The carriage of Master Herbert Palmer towards his parents was very dutifull and obsequious not only during his minority but even afterwards which was very evident in that honour and respect which he continued to expresse to his aged mother to the day of her death being also a special help to her in the wayes of holinesse See his Life at the end of my General Martyrology Honour thy father and thy mother that thy dayes may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Exod. 20. 12. CHAP. XXX Examples of Gods judgements upon Unnatural and rebellious children Such were to be punished with death Exod. 21. 17. Levit. 20. 9. Mat. 15. 4. Mark 7. 10. Prov. 20. 20. Deut. 21. 18. c. Such are cursed Deut. 27. 16. It 's a damnable sinne 1 Tim. 1. 9. Rom. 1. 31. 2 Tim. 3. 3. Prov. 30. 11. Scriptural examples Simeon and Levi Gen. 34. 30. Elies sons 1 Sam. 2. 25. C ham for mocking the nakednesse of his father Noah was cursed by him Gen. 9. 25. Absalom for rebelling against his father David was hanged by his head and thrust through by Joab 2 Sam. 18. Adramelech and Sharaser that slew their father Sennacherib to enjoy his Kingdome were banished into Armenia and Esarhaddon succeeded his father 2 King 19. ult Crannius the son of Clotharius King of France conspired treacherously and raised warre against his father but being vanquished as together with his wife and children he was flying thinking to escape by sea being overtaken by the command of his father they were all shut up in a little house and so burned
daughter of Sp. Tarpeius betrayed her father and the tower whereof he was governour to Tatius King of the Sabines who besiedged it for all that the Sabine Souldiers wore upon their left armes meaning their golden bracelets But when she demanded her reward Tatius badehis souldiers to do as he did and so together with their bracelets throwing their shields which they wore on their left armes upon her they crushed her to death Romulus ordained no punishment for Parrioide because he thought it impossible that any one should so much degenerate from nature as to commit that sin but he called all other murthers Parricides to shew the heinousnesse of them and for six hundred years after his time such a sin as Parricide was never heard of in Rome Plut. Darius the son of Artaxerxes Mnemon King of Persia affecting the Kingdome conspired to take away the life of his father but his treason being discovered he together with his wives and children were altogether put to death that so none might remain of so wicked a breed Diod. Sic. Servius Tullius the 6th King of the Romanes married his daughter to Tarquinius she was a woman of an exceeding ambitious spirit and would not suffer her husband to be at quiet till she had procured him to murther her father and as soon as ever she heard that the fact was committed she hasted in her chariot to salute her husband King and by the way encountring with the dead body of her murthered father she caused her chariot to be driven over it Ovid. Pezel Mel. Hist. Nero sending some to murther his own mother Agrippina when they came into her chamber she seeing one to unsheath his sword and believing what they came for and by whose directions she laid open her bare belly to him bidding him strike that as having deserved it for bringing forth such a monster as Nero. Nero hearing that she was dead came presently to the place caused her body to be stripped and Crowner-like beheld it all over praising this part dispraising that as if he had been to censure a Statue and at last caused her wombe to be opened that he might behold the place of his conception Neros Life Not long after about the neck of one of Nero's Statues was hung a leather sack to upbraid his parricide the punishment whereof by the ancient Laws of Rome was to be trussed in such a sack with a cock a dog and a viper and so all to be thrown quick into Tyber Nero's Life The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagles shall eat it Prov. 30. 17. Every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death he hath cursed his father or his mother his blood shall be upon him Lev. 20. 9. CHAP. XXXI Examples of Parents love to and Care over their Children THey are to bring their children to God Luk. 2. 27. 41. Mark 10. 13. To instruct them Ephes. 6. 4. Prov. 22. 6. Exod. 12. 26. Deut. 6. 7. 11. 19 32. 46. 4. 10. 31. 13. Gen. 18. 19. To lay up for them 2 Cor. 12. 14. Prov. 19. 14. To correct them Prov. 22. 15. 23. 13. 29. 15 17. Heb. 12. 9. 1 Tim. 3. 4. Not to provoke them to anger Col. 3. 21. Eph. 6. 4. Not to give them evil examples Ier. 7. 18. 31. 29. Ezek. 18. 2. Ier. 17. 2. Mothers must instruct them Proverb 31. 1 c. 2 Tim. 1. 5. Numa Pompilius reformed the Law amongst the Romanes which gave liberty to parents to sell their children exempting children that were married provided that they married with their parents consent Plut See Callings Trades Agesilaus King of Sparta a prudent man and brave souldier did exceedingly love his children and on a time a friend coming to his house found him riding upon an hobby-horse amongst them whereupon Agesilaus fearing lest he should speak of it to his disgrace intreated him not to censure him for it nor to speak of it to any till himselfe had some children Plut. Augustus Caesar found out the inclinations and dispositions of his two daughters by observing their company at a publick shew where much people were present at which time his daughter Livia associated herselfe and discoursed with grave and prudent Senators but his daughter Iulia adjoyned herselfe to loose youngsters and riotous persons Sueto Noscitur ex socio qui non cognoscitur ex se. Scillurus who had eighty sonnes when he lay on his death-bed called them all before him presented them with a bundle of speares or sheafe of arrows and bade each of them trie whether he could break that bundle which they assayed to do but were not able Then he pulled out one javlin out of the bundle and bade them break that which they did easily intimating thereby that unity and compacted strength is the bond which preserves families and Kingdomes which bond if it be once broken all runnes quickly to ruine Micypsa when he was on his death-bed called all his sonnes and caused them to write this sentence in golden letters Concordiâ parvae res crescunt Discordiâ magnae dilabuntur By concord small things are increased but by discord the greatest are overthrown Fathers provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Eph. 6. 4. Richard Woodmans father in the reigne of Queen Mary betrayed him into the hands of his bloody persecutors whereby he lost his life See my English Martyrology p. 185. Philip King of Spaine out of an unnatural and bloody zeale suffered his eldest sonne Charles to be murthered by the Fathers Inquisitors because he favoured the Protestant religion which when the Pope heard of he abusively applied that text of Scripture to him He spared not his own Sonne but delivered him up for us all Act. Mon. Alfrith mother of King Edward hearing that her sonne was coming to visit her suborned one of her servants to murther him who accordingly as the King was drinking with her struck him into the body with a two-edged dagger whereof he died and this she did to make way for another of her sonnes to come to the Crowne See my English Martyrology p. 31. Master Iulins Palmer in the reigne of our Queen Mary went to Evesham in Glocestershire to his own mother hoping to obtaine a legacy left him by his father and when he came kneeling down to crave her blessing she said Thou shalt have Christs curse and mine wherever thou goest for saith she thou doest not believe as thy father and I nor as thy fore-fathers but art an Heretick and therefore get thee out of my house and out of my sight and never take me for thy mother any more Faggots I have to burn thee but no money for thee c. Eodem p. 173. Even the sea-monsters draw out the breast they give suck to their young
by his own sonne that he might seize upon his riches but whil'st he was stooping down to draw forth bags full of gold out of a Chest the same person caused his braines to be beaten out French History Selimus a cruel and bloody Emperour of the Turks intending to turne all his powers against the Christians was suddenly attached by the hand of God being struck in the reines of the back with a Cancer which contemning all cure did by little and little so eate and corrupt his body that he became loathsome both to himselfe and others and so rotting above ground died miserably Turk Hist. Agathocles a bloody Tyrant of Syracuse after many most horrible murthers committed by him lived to see most of his family slaine and himselfe devested of his Kingdome After which he was taken with a grievous sicknesse wherein his whole body rotted which spread it selfe through all his veines and sinews wherewith in short time he ended his accursed life Robert Erle of Fife in Scotland being advanced by his brother King Robert the third to be the first Duke of Albany afterwards ungratefull person that he was pricked on with the spirit of Ambition famished to death David his said brothers son who was heir to the Crown but the punishment due for this fact which himself by the long sufferance of God felt not His son Mordac the second Duke of Albany suffered most grievously being condemned for treason and beheaded when he had seen his two sons the day before executed in the same manner Camb. Brit. Scot. p. 39. King Richard the third of England who caused his two Nephews most unnaturally to be murthered in the Tower and shed much other innocent blood by Gods just judgement had his onely son taken away by death and himself was slain in Bosworth-field his carrion carcasse being found naked among the slain filthily polluted with blood and dirt was cast upon an horse behinde a pursuivant at Armes his head and armes hanging down on the one side of the horse and his legs on the other like a Calfe and so was interred at Leicester with as base a Funerall as he formerly bestowed upon his Nephews in the Tower Eng. Hist. Iames Tyrell Iohn Dighton and Miles Forrest who were procured by this King Richard to murther the two young Princes entering into their Chamber about midnight so bewrapped them among the clothes keeping down the Feather-bed and Pillows hard unto their mouths that within a while they were smothered but these Murtherers escaped not long the vengeance of God for Miles Forrest by peecemeale rotted away Dighton lived at Calis so disdained and hated that he was pointed at of all men and there died in much misery and Sir Iames Tyrell was beheaded on Tower-Hill for Treason Act. Mon. Senercleus relateth the just hand of God upon that villainous parricide Alphonsus Diazius a Popish Spaniard who after he had like another Cain murthered his own naturall brother Iohn Diazius meerly because he had renounced Popery and became a Professor of the reformed Religion and was not onely not punished but highly commended of the Romanists for his heroical atchievement as they called it being haunted and hunted by the furies of his own conscience desperately hanged himself at Trent about the neck of his own Mule Some bloody villains basely murthered Theodorick B. of Trever But Gods just judgments overtook all the murtherers For Conrade the chief author died suddenly A souldier that helped to throw him down the rock was chok'd as he was at supper and two other servants that assisted desperately slew themselves Marti The Cardinall of Winchester commonly called the rich Cardinall who procured the death of the good Duke of Glocester in the reign of King Henry the sixth was shortly after struck with an incurable disease who understanding by his Physicians that he could not live murmuring and repining thereat he cried out Fie will not death be hired will money do nothing must I die that have so great riches If the whole realme would save my life I am able either by policy to get it or by riches to buy it But yet all would not prevail but that he died of the same disease Sp. Chr. See the Example of Scedasus's daughters in Rapes Olympias the mother of Alex M. being a woman of a proud and revengefull disposition having gotten Eurydice Queen of Macedonia into her hands sent her a sword an halter and a cup of poison giving her leave to choose with which of them she would kill her self Eurydice seeing them prayed to the gods that she that sent her those presents might her self partake of the like and so hanged her self But shortly after the Divine â—ustice met with Olympias who by the appointment of Cassander one of her sons Captains was murthered Diod. Sic. Justin This Cassander murthered also the two wives of Alex. and their sons and thereby seized upon the Kingdome of Macedonia but shortly after God plagued him with a filthy disease in his body whereby wormes were bred that devoured him his eldest son Philip died of a consumption Antipater his second son slew his own mother Thessalonica and was himself slain by his father in law Lysimachus and Alexander the youngest son was treacherously slain by Demetrius and so the whole family of Cassander was rooted out Plut. Examples of selfe Murther Calanus an Indian Philosopher followed Alexander M. when he returned out of India who having lived seventy three years without any disease was at last taken with a dysenterie and fearing that his former felicity should be overclouded with a lingring disease he asked leave of Alexander that he might burn himself the King laboured to disswade him from his unnaturall purpose but when he could not prevail by arguments he gave his consent whereupon Calanus caused a pile of wood to be made and riding to it he made his prayers to his Countrey gods and so with a cheerfull countenance he ascended the pile and causing the fire to be put to it he sate with a fixt and unmovable body till he was burned to ashes Q. Cur. Alex. M. besieging one of the Indian Cities the inhabitants seeing that they could hold out no longer shut up themselves their wives and children in their houses and set fire on them Alexanders men breaking in laboured to quench the fire and the others laboured as much to encrease it so that it was a strange thing to see the fight that was betwixt one to destroy themselves the other to save their enemies Quin. Cur. Demosthenes the Athenian Orator for standing for the liberty of Greece was hated by Antipater the Governour of Macedonia who sent some to kill him under Captain Archia whereupon Demosthenes took sanctuary in Neptunes Temple But Archia sent to him to come out of the Temple so that Demosthenes perceiving that they were resolved to have his life he took some poison which he had ready for the purpose and so presently died Plut. Perdiccas besieging the
City of Isaurum in Pisidia when the Citizens saw that they could no longer hold out against him they shut up their parents wives and children with all their substance in their houses and so burnt them and then threw themselves down from the walls and brake their own necks Diod. Sic. Ptolomy King of Egypt hearing that Nicocles King of Cyprus did closely hold correspondence with Antigonus he sent some to slay him these coming into Cyprus beset his Palace and demanded him to be delivered up to punishment Nicocles would at fiâ—st have excused the matter but when he saw that it would not serve turn he slew himself Then did Axiothea his wife slay her daughters that were Virgins that they might not come into the enemies power She also perswaded the wives of Nicocles brethren with her to murther themselves their husbands seeing this set fire upon the Palace burning themselves and all together Diod. Sic. Hannibal in his old age flying to Prusias King of Bythinia was demanded by the Romane Ambassadors to be delivered to them but rather than he would come into their hands he drank poison which he alwayes kept for that purpose and so died Aur. Victor Augustus Caesar besieging M. Antony and Cleopatra in Alexandria after a long siege Antony hearing a false rumor that Cleopatra was slain suddenly slew himself and Cleopatra scorning to be carried in triumph by Caesar set a couple of asps to her breasts whereby she presently died Plut. Zimri K. of Israel desperately burned himself in his own Palace 1 King 16. 18. Achitophel hanged himself 2 Sam. 17. 23. Judas hanged himself Act. 1. 18. Saul and his Armor-bearer 1 Sam. 31. 4 5. fell upon their own swords Tomyris Queen of the Massagetes having in a battell overthrown and slain Cyrus King of Persia cut off his head and threw it into a bowl of blood saying Thou hast all thy time thirsted after blood now drink thy fill and satiate thy self therewith When he maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them He for gets not the cry of the humble Psal. 9. 12. The Admirà ble Discoveries of sundry Murthers Parthenius Treasurer to Theodobert King of France traiterously slew a friend of his called Ausanius together with his wife Papianilla no man knowing or suspecting it but not long after in his sleep he suddenly roared out crying for help or else he perished and being asked what ailed him Between sleep and wake he answered that his friend Ausanius and his wife whom he had slain summoned him to judgement before God for which being apprehended he was stoned to death Greg. of Toures Mr. Arden of Feversham in Kent had a fair but dishonest wife who being in love with one Mosby with him conspired her husbands death hiring a ruffian called Black Will to strangle him with a towel which though for the present was not known yet the woman being pursued with a guilty conscience and by some blood that appeared in the house the murther was discovered the woman was burned at Canterbury Mr. Ardens man who had a hand in the murther was hanged in chains at Feversham Mosby was hanged in Smithfield Black Wil though he fled yet being overtaken was burnt at Flushing in Zealand A souldier of King Pyrrhus being slaine a dog which he had could by no meanes be entised from the dead body but the King coming by he fawned upon him as it were craving help at his hand whereupon the King caused all his Army to march by in order and when the muâ—cherers came the dog flew fiercely upon them and then fawned upon the King the souldiers being hereupon examined confessed the fact and were hanged for their labour â—lut In the Reigne of Edmund King of the East Saxons a Noble Dane called Lothebrocus being driven upon his coast the King entertained him and finding his dexterity in hunting and hawking loved him exceedingly for which the Kings Faulconer bore a great malice to him and watching his opportunity murthered him and threw him into a brook But his dog continued by his masters corps in the wood sometimes coming to the Court and fawning on the King and so running towards the wood againe the King missing his friend of whom he could hear no tidings began to suspect the matter and therefore following the dog found the corps and by some words the Faulconer was suspected and upon examination found guilty whereupon being put alone into a boat he was committed to the mercy of the Sea that carried him to Denmark there to be punished for his fault Two French Merchants travelling through a wood together one rose up against the other and slew him for his money and so buried him and went on his journey But the murthered mans dog filled the wood with his howlings still staying by his Masters grave the inhabitants by this meanes found out the dog and the murther and the Faire being ended they watched the coming back of the Merchants till the murtherer coming by the dog fell upon him with all his might whereupon the people apprehended him who upon examination confessed the fact and was justly executed Blond A Germane called Ibycus travelling fell amongst theeves who being about to murther him behold a flight of crowes to whom Ibycus said O crowes I take you for witnesses and revengers of my death About three dayes after as these theeves were drinking in an Inne a company of crowes came and lighted on the house whereupon they laughed saying See yonder are they which must revenge his death whom we murthered which the Tapster over-hearing informed the Magistrate and he upon strict examination extorted a confession for which they were deservedly hanged Luther Plutarch relates a story of one Bessus who having murthered his father was so pursued with a guilty conscience that he thought the swallowes in their chattering language said one to another Bessus hath killed his father whereupon not being able to conceale his guilt he confessed the fact and received condigne punishment A Merchant of Luca travelling from London to Roan in France was in the way murthered by a French man his servant and thrown amongst the vines As the fact was doing comes by a blinde man led by a dog and hearing one groane asked who it was the murtherer answered that it was a sick man easing himselfe This villaine with his masters money and bills of exchange sets up a shop at Roan In the mean time the Merchant was expected at Luca and when he came not a messenger was dispatched to seek him who after much enquiry heard at an Inne that six moneths before a Lucquois Merchant lodged there and was going towards Paris But the messenger hearing nothing of him there began to suspect that he was murthered and made his complaint to the Parliament of Roan who being directed by Gods providence enquired if any about that time had set up a new shop and finding this man caused him to be arested who upon examination denied the fact till the dead
against our Religion Doctor Bennet Chancellor of London objected it as an hainous crime against one Richard Butler that divers times he did erroneously and damnably read in a great book of Heresie meaning the Bible certaine Chaptâ—rs of the Evangelists in English containing in them divers erroneous and damnable opinions and conclusions of heresie Act. Mon. The Jesuites at Dole in France set up an Edict publickly wherein they forbad all talke of God either in good sort or in bad Francis Ximenius Cardinal of Toledo in his preface before the Bible set forth at Complutum saith that he set the vulgar Latine between the Hebrew and the Greeke as Christ was set betwixt two theeves Jeroboam made Priests of the vilest of the people and indeed the vilest of the people if they were but men were too good to make Priests for Jeroboams gods which were but Calves Tecelius the Popes Agent in Germany perswaded the ignorant and common people that assoone as their tenne shillings which was the price of an indulgence ting'd in the Basin any friend they would name should be immediately delivered out of Purgatory etiamsi per impossibile matrem Dei vitiâsset Coâ— O-Neale Earle of Ulster in Ireland curâ—ed all his posterity in case they either learned to speake English or sowed wheat or built houses often saying that by these meanes they would make themselves slaves to the English Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 120. The wilde Irish account it no shame to commit robberies which they practise every where with exceeding cruelty and when they go to robbe they power out their prayers to God that they may meet with a booty and when they meet with it they account it as Gods gift neither will they be perswaded that God would present unto them the opportunity of rapine violence and murder if it were a sinne nay a sinne it were as they think if they should not lay hold upon the opportunity Camb. Brit. Irel p. 144. When one of these wilde Irish lieth ready to die certaine women hired on purpose to lament standing in crosse waâ—es and holding their hands all abroade call unto him with certaine out-cries reckoning up the commodities that he enjoyes of worldly goods wives beauty fame kinsfolk friends and horses demanding of him why he will depart whither and to whom c Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 147. Stephen Gardiner speaking to one Marbeck What the Devil said he made thee meddle with the Scriptures Act. Mon. In China the Inhabitants use to whip their gods if they help them not when they pray unto them An old man above sixty yeares of age who lived and died in a parish where besides the Word read there was constant preaching almost all his time both upon ordinary and extraordinary occasions and himself a constant hearer and one that seemed forward in the love of the Word on his death-bed a Minister demanding of him what he thought of God answered that he was a good old man And what of Christ that he was a towardly young youth And what of his soul that it was a great bone in his body And what should become of his soul after death that if he did well he should be put into a pleasant green Meddow c. Pemb. William Courtney Arch-bishop of Canterbury cited certaine of his tenants for an hainous and horrible trespasse as he stiled it which was for that they brought straw to litter his horses not on carts as they ought but in bags for which hainous offence after they had confessed their fault and submitted themselves to him he enjoyned them this penance That going leasurely before the Procession barefoot and barelegged each of them should carry upon his shoulder a bag stuffed with straw the straw hanging out whereupon were made these verses This bag full of straw I bear on my back Because my Lords horse his litter did lack If you be not the better to my Lords Graces horse Ye are like to go barefoot before the Crosse. When the inhabitants of Ilium anciently called Troy sent Ambassadours to Tiberius to condole the death of his father Augustus a long time after he was dead the Emperour considering the unseasonableness of it requited them accordingly saying And I also am sorry for your heaviness having lost so valiant a Knight as Hector who was slaine above a thousand yeares before Herodotus tells of the Psilli a foolish people who being displeased with the South-winde for dâ—ying up their waters would needs take up armes against it but whilest they marched upon the sands to seek their enemy it blew so strongly that raising a drift of sand it overwhelmed them whereby in stead of a victory they met with their graves as a just reward of their folly Cardinal Woolsey falling into disgrace with King Henry the eighth said Had I been as wise and careful to serve the God of heaven as I have been to serve my great Master on earth he would never thus have left me in my gray haires Themistocles being banished Athens fled to Artaxerxes King of Persia for refuge who was wonderfully overjoyed that he had by this means gotten so gallant a man praying to his gods that his enemies might be alwayes so infatuated as to banish their worthiest men Herod Caius Caligula the Romane Emperour had one of his horses which he loved best and called him Swift he invited him to supper and gave him his provender in a golden manger and drank wine to him in golden bowles He used to sweare by his health and fortune He promised him to make him Consul as before he had made him his Priest He built him a Marble stable an Ivory manger cloathed him with purple put a chaine of pearles about his neck besides he built him an house furnished it with housholdstuffe and servants that so they whom his horse invited might have the better entertainment Pez Mel. Hist. He pretended an expedition into Britaine made great warlick preparations led his Army to the sea-side and then commanded them to gather cockleshells with which he returned in triumph to Rome as if they had been the spoiles of his conquered enemies Sueto The Turks foolishly hold that man so soone as he comes out of his mothers womb hath his destiny written in his forehead by God and therein all the good evil that shall befall him and in particular what death he shall die and hereupon they are desperate in the Wars fear not infection of the plague so that if one dies of the Plague another presently weares his cloaths Turk Hist. p. 1302. Sir Roger Williams hearing a Spaniard foolishly bragging of his Country-sallats gave him this quick answer You have indeed good sauce in Spaine but we in England have dainty Beeves Veale and Muttons to eat with that sauce And as God made Beasts to live on the grasse of the earth so he made man to live upon them Examples of wise fooles A poot begger in Paris stayed so long in a Cooks
shop who was dishing up of meat till his stomach was satisfied with the only smell thereof the cholerick covetous Cook demanded of him to pay for his breakfast the poore man denied it and the controversie was referred to be decided by the next man that went by which chanced to be the most notorious Ideot in the whole City He upon the relation of the whole matter determined that the poore mans money should be put betwixt two empty dishes and the Cook should be recompenced with the gingling of the mans money as he was satisfied only with the smell of the Cooks meat Holy State p. 182. A Courtier having begg'd a rich-landed Fool used to carry him about to waite upon him He coming with his Master to a Gentlemans house where the picture of a foole was wrought in a rich suit of Arras cut the picture out with a penknife and being chidden for so doing You have more cause said he to thank me for if my Master had seen the picture of the Fool he would have begged your hangings of the King as he did my land Eodem The standers by comforting of a Natural that lay on his death-bed telling him that foure proper fellows should carry his body to the Church Yea quoth he but I had rather by half go thither my self and then prayed to God at his last gaspe not to require more of him then he gave him Eodem Having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God throw the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their heart Eph. 4. 18. The times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent Act. 17. 30. CHAP. XLIII Examples of Contempt of the World of Riches Honours c. WE must not love the world 1 John 2. 15. for it passeth away ver 17. Love of the world is a character of the wicked 1 Joh. 2. 15. We must so love it as not to abuse it 1 Cor. 7. 31. All the glory of the world is but a fancy Act. 25. 23. Scriptural examples Abram Gen. 14. 22 c Gideon Jud. 8. 23. Christ Mat. 8. 20. Luk. 9. 58. Iohn 6. 15. Paul Phil. 3. 8. Peter Marke 10. 28 c. â—uk 18. 28 c. After the battel of Marathon wherein the Grecians had overthrown the Persians they found their enemies tents full of gold silver rich apparel and other treasures yet Aristides to whom a great share of them did belong would not touch any of them nor take to himselfe the worth of one farthing Plut. Aristides who by his prudence Policy and valour had exceedingly enriched the Athenians did so contemne riches that when others abounded he only remained poore and when a kinsman of his callâ—d Callias who had exceedingly enriched himself by the Persian treasure was accused to the people for neglecting to relieve him in his wants Aristides himself undertook his defence telling them that Callias had often offered him much but he had alwayes refused it For there are many saith he that abuse their riches but few can bear poverty well Plut When he died he was burâ—ed at the publick charges of the City not leaving so much as would pay for his own funeral Plato thought that amongst all those famous and worthy men that Athens had bread none deserved so much honour as Aristides for that whereas others had filled Athens with stately buildings money and other trifles only Aristides in managing the affairs of the Common-wealth had proposed nothing to himself but the advancement of virtue Pez Mel. Hist. Cimon the sonne of Aristides after his fathers death governing the Common-wealth of Athens would by no means take any bribes but did and spake all things gratis and when a certaine Persian exile with a great Masse of treasures fled to Athens meeting there with some affronts went to the house of Cimon and there set down before him two great goblets full of gold and silver Cimon seeing it laughed and said unto him Whether wouldst thou have me thy friend Gratis or thy Patron hired by a great summe of money Therefore said he take these things away and mâ—ke use of me as thy friend and imploy thy money otherwise as thou pleasest Plut. This Cimon when he had gotten a compeâ—ent estate caused the hedges of his fields to be thrown down that so every one might freely make use of the fruits thereof He kept a frugal Table yet enough for many and so entertained all comers Plut. Epimenides a very wise and good man having taken great paines in reforming Athens when he was to returne home the people offered him great summes of money but he refused all only desiring them to give him a branch of Olive with which he returned into his own countrey See his example in Reformation Plut. Epaminondas that was one of the gallantest men that ever Greece bred who freed his countrey of Thebes from the Lacedemonian slavery and obtained many great and admirable victories yet was he such a contemner of riches that when he died he left not enough to discharge the charge of his funeral Just. The Lacedemonians having freed themselves from those Tyrants that had lorded it over them they sold their houses and goods by which they raised one hundred and twenty Talents then bethinking themselves where to choose a worthy General they at last pitched upon Philopoemen the most accomplished man in all Greece and thereupon resolved to send Ambassadours to make a tender to him of this Masse of money but every one knowing how far he was from being caught with such baits refused that office At last they chose one Timolaus of his ancient acquaintance who wen to him at Megalopolis where being entertained and feasted by Philopoemen observing his gravity frugality and temperance was so discouraged that not daring to deliver his message he returned without effecting any thing the like did a second but a third being sent to him took the boldnesse to tell him how much the Lacedemonians esteemed and honoured his virtues whereby he prevailed with Philopoemen to go to Lacedemon who there in a publick Assembly of the people exhorted shem that they would not go about to buy friends by their gifts who were ready to serve them without them perswading them rather to imploy that money in bribing their turbulent Oratours that disturbed the peace of the City with so high a minde did he despise their money Plut. Agesilaus King of Sparta used to say that he had rather make his souldiers rich then to be rich himself Xenoph. Lysander King of Sparta having overcome the Athenians in a great battel did wonderfully enrich his Countrey with the spoiles yet himself remained poor not enriching himself one penny thereby And when Dionysius the Sicilian Tyrant sent him costly garments for his daughters he returned them back again saying That he feared lest his daughters should be disgraced by them Plut. Xenoph. The King of Persia sending to Epaminondas
honestate quà m sol à cursu suo averti potest It's easier to turne the Sun out of his course then Fabricius from his honesty Eutropius Marcus Attilius Regulus a Romane Consull fighting in Affrica against the Carthaginians was at last by subtility taken prisoner Yet was sent to Rome for the exchange of prisoners upon his oath that in case he prevailed not he should return and yield up himself prisoner to them again when he came to Rome he made a speech in the Senate-house to disswade them from accepting of the conditions and so without respecting his wife and children he returned to Carthage where he was grievously tormented in a Little-Ease knocked full of nailes that he could neither leane sit nor lie till he died Cicero When the Corps of Thomas Howard second Duke of Norfolk was carried to be interred in the Abbey of Thetford Anno 1524. No person could demand of him one groat for debt or restitution for any injury done by him Weav Fun. Mon. p. 839. It was said of the famous Lawyer Andreas Taraquillus that singulis annis singulos libros liberos Reipublicae dedit Thuanus Obit Doct. vir anno 1558. In the dayes of Queen Mary Judge Morgan chief Justice of the Common Pleas refusing to admit any witnesse to speak or any other matter to be heard in favour of the adversary her Majesty being party the Queen declared that her pleasure was that whatsoever could be brought in favour of the Subject should be admitted and heard Qui pro veritate est pro Rege est Holinsh. in Q. Mary p. 1112. A certaine Lawyer in France was so much delighted in Law-sport that when Lewis the King offered to ease him of a number of suits he earnestly besought his Highnesse to leave him some twenty or thirty behinde wherewith he might merrily passe away the time we have too many such that love to fish in troubled waters Bassanus King of the Sicambrians was so severe in the execution of his laws that he executed his own sonne for adultery and being reviled by his wife for it he put her away sending her back to her father who was King of the Orcades Isac Chron. p. 152. Henry the fourth King of England when his eldest sonne the Prince of Wales was by the Lord chief Justice committed to prison for affronting him on the bench gave thanks to God for that he had a Judge so impartial in executing justice and a sonne so obedient as to submit to such a punishment Speed A Judge in Germany aggravating the fault of a murtherer that was before him told him that he deserved no favour for that he had killed six men No my Lerd said an Advocate that stood by he killed but one and you are guilty of the blood of the other five because you let him escape upon the murther of the first The Egyptian Kings usually and solemnly presented this oath to their Judges Not to swarve from their consciences no though they should receive a command from themselves to the contrary It 's a principle in moral policy That an ill executor of the Laws is worse in a State then a great breaker of them Pericles a famous Oratour of Greece who for the excellency of his speech and mightinesse of his eloquence was said to thunder and lighten at the Barre from the Principles of nature ever before he pleaded a cause intreated his gods that not a word should fall from him besides his cause An old woman complaining to the Emperour Adrian of some wrong that was done her her he told her that he was not at leasure to heare her suit to whom she plainly replied That then he ought not to be at leasure to be Emperour which came so to the quick that he was ever after more facile to suitours Fulgâ— Lewis the first King of France used three dayes in the week publickly to hear the complaints and grievances of his people and to right their wrongs A Macedonian Gentleman called Pausanias ran at King Philip and slew him because he had refused to do him justice when he complained against a Peer of the Realme Some of the kindred of Tatius King of the Romans robbed and murthered certain Ambassadours that were going to Rome for which their â—â—â—â—olk demanded justice of Tatius but he connâ—ving at the wrong because of his relation to them the kindred of the slaine watched their opportunity and slew him as he was sacrificing to his gods Plut. Lewis called Saint Lewis of France having given a pardon to a Malefactor upon second thoughts revoked it again saying That he would give no pardon where the Law did not pardon For that it was a work of mercy and charity to punish an offendor and not to punish crimes was as much as to commit them A certaine husbandman coming to Robert Grosthead Bishop of Lincolne challenged kindred of him and thereupon desired him to preferre him to such an office Cousen quoth the Bishop if your cart be broken I will mend it If your plâ—ugh be old I will give you a new one or seed to sowe your land But an husbandman I found you and an husbandman I will leave you Domitius the Emperour used to say that he had rather seem cruel in punishing then to be dissolute in sparing It was said of Chilperick King of France that he was Titularis non Tutelaris Rex Defuit Reipublicae non praefuit Cambyses King of Persia dying without issue his Nobles agreed that his horse that should first neigh at the place where they appointed to meet the next morning he should be their King Whereupon Ocbares Gentleman of the horse to Darius led his horse over-night to that place and let him there cover a Mare and the next morning when they were all met Darius his horse knowing the place and missing the Mare neighed and so Darius was presently saluted for King Herod l. 5. St. Bernards counsel to Eugenius was that he should so rule the people as that they might prosper and grow rich under him and not he be wealthy by the people It was observed of Varus Governour of Syria that he came poore into the Countrey and found it rich but departed thence rich and left the Countrey poore Ptolomaeus Lagi though a great King yet never had but little of his own and his usual saying was That it was fit for a King rather to make others rich then to be rich himselfe Plut. Tiberius Caesar being solicited by the Governours of his Provinces to lay greater taxes and subsidies upon his people answered That a good shepherd ought to sheare his sheep not flay them St. Lewis King of France on his death-bed advised his sonne never to lay any taxe upon his subjects but when necessity urged him and when there was just cause for it Otherwise saith he you will not be reputed for a King but a Tyrant The Emperour Theodosius was wont to say That he accounted it a greater honour to be a member
18. 7 12. Without it repentance is not accepted Num. 5. 6 7. Scriptural examples Josephs brethren Gen. 43. 12. 44. 8. Micha Iugdes 17. 3. David 2 Sam. 9. 7. Benhadad 1 King 20. 34. Jehoram 2 King 8 6. Iewish Nobles Neh. 5. 12. Cyrus Ezra 1. 7 8. Darius Ezra 6. 5. Judas Mat. 27. 3. Samuel proffered it 1 Sam. 12. 3. Zacheus Luk. 19. 8. King of Israel 2 King 8. 6. Examples of restitution When Selymus the great Turke lay upon his death-bed being moved by Pyrrhus his great Bashaw to bestow that abundance of wealth which he had taken wrongfully from the Persian Merchants upon some notable Hospitall for relief of the poore he commanded it rather to be restored to the right owners which was forthwith effected Turk Hist. p. 561. King Henry the third of England who was a great oppressor of his Subjects in their liberties and estates having upon a time sent a load of Freese to the Friars Minors to clothe them they returned back the same with this message That he ought not to give almes of that that he had rent from the poor neither would they accept of that abominable gift Dan. Chron. Pliny an Heathen tells us that the poore are not to be fed like the Whelps of wilde beasts with blood and murther rapine and spoile but that which is most acceptable to the receivers they should know that that which is given unto them is not taken from any body else In Cant. Ser. 71. Bernard saith that God receives not any Almes at the hands of an oppressor or Usurer In Ca. Ezek. 18. Hierome saith that no man should turne bread gotten by oppression and usury into a work of mercy Augustine saith that when God shall judge those that live now by fraud and give almes of the spoiles of the oppressed he will say unto them You tell me what you have given but you tell me not what you have taken away You recount whom you have fed but remember not whom you have undone They rejoyce whom you have clothed but they lament whom you have spoiled Tom. 10. Hom. 47. Augustine in another place saith Non remittitur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum Sinne is not forgiven till the thing taken away be restored Quest. Is restitution so absolutely necessary Answ. Yea quoad affectum though not quoad effectum If we are not able If there be a willing minde it is accepted c. 2 Cor. 8. 12. God accepts of that quod quisquam verè voluit tametsi adimplere non valuit which a man faithfully would do though he cannot CHAP. L. Law Law-givers MOses was the Law-giver to the Israelites Num. 21. 18. Deut. 33. 21. Amongst the Lacedemonians Law-suites were not heard of because amongst them there was neither covetousnesse nor poverty but equality with abundance and a quiet life with sobriety Plut. Lycurgus was the Law-giver to the Lacedemonians and to gaine more credit to his Lawes he went to Delphos to the Oracle of Apollo to consult therewith about the successe of his enterprize Plut. He would have none of his Lawes written but commanded parents by the virtuous education of their children and youth to implant them in their hearts and lives Plut. When by experience he saw his Lawes well approved of and the Common-wealth to flourish under them he had a great desire to make them immortal for which end he assembled all the people together and told them that he thought his civil Policy was already sufficiently established to make them happy yet one thing of the greatest importance was still behinde which he could not reveale till he had first consulted with the Oracle of Apollo and in the meane time he desired them to observe his Laws inviolably without altering any thing untill his returne this they all promised him faithfully yet for the greater security he took an oath of the Kings Senators and all the people to make good their promise to him and so went to Delphos where he sacrificed to Apollo and asked him if his Lawes were sufficient to make a people happy the Oracle answered that they were and that his Citizens observing them should be the most renowned in all the world This answer Lycurgus wrote and sent to Sparta and then taking his leave of his sonne and friends he pined himself tò death commanding his friends to burne his body and to throw his ashes into the sea lest any part of him being carried into Sparta his Citizens should say that he was returned again and so think themselves absolved from their oath According to his expectation whilest Lacedemon observed his Lawes it flourished in wonderful prosperity and honour for five hundred yeeres together till King Agis his time in whose reigne gold and silver began to be in request and so pride covetousnesse and curiosity crept in which by degrees wrought their ruine Plut. Numa Pompilius the first Law-giver amongst the Romanes gave out that he conversed in the woods with the goodesse Egeria that so he might procure the greater esteeme to himself and to the Lawes which he enacted Plut. Solon the Law-giver to the Athenians collecting and writing down many excellent Lawes Anacharsis a very wise man laughed at him saying Thinkest thou by written Lawes to bridle the covetousnesse and injustice of men Knowest thou not that Lawes are like cobwebs that catch little flies but the rich and mighty will break through them at their pleasure Plut. Draco that first gave Lawes to the Athenians punished idlenesse and almost all offences with death whence his Lawes were said to be written in blood But when Solon reformed them he made them more milde and moderate Plut. CHAP. LI. Tyrants Tyranny THey shall not live out half their dayes Ps. 55. 25. Forbidden Lev. 25. 43 46 53. Scriptural Examples Adonibezeck Jud. 1. Abimelech Jud. 9. Athaliah 2 King 11. Jezebel 1 King 21. Manahem 2 King 15. Saul 1 Sam. 22. Ahaz 2 King 17. Manasseh 2 Chron. 22. Nebuchadnezzar Jer. 39. Herod Mat. 2. Pharaoh Exod. 1. Ishmael Ier. 41. Pilate Luk. 13. 1. See in Reproofe the examples of Cambyses Darius going to warre against the Scythians would take along with him the three sons of Deobaces one of his Noble men that was very old whereupon Deobaces requested him to leave one of his sonnes at home to be a solace to his old age Yea said Darius I will leave them all three and so he caused them to be all slaine and thrown into their fathers presence Pez Mel Hist. The Lacedemonians having in divers battels by sea and land overthrown the Athenians they at last set thirty Tyrants over them which exercised extreme cruelty towards them The honest Citizens whom they either feared or hated or that excelled in wealth they either banished or slew them and Teized upon their estates Whereupon one of them somewhat better then the rest called Theramenes spake against this cruelty which caused another called Critias to accuse him of treason and so to
sometimes upon the other that thereby they might inure their mindes to contemplation and their bodies to hardship Plin. Pythagoras lived in a cave for a whole year together that being sequestred from the society of men he might the better meditate upon the abstruser parts of Philosophy Democritus Abderites having travelled through many Nations to get learning when he returned into Greece burned out his own eyes that the eyes of his minde might be the more intent upon meditation of what he had learned Sabel Thales Milesius spent so much time in contemplating the good government of a Common-wealth that he was accounted one of the seven wise men of the world Laert. Phocion the Athenian was alwayes very studious how in few words he might comprize whatsoever he had to speake to the people not omitting any thing of moment Plut. Scipio Africanus never went to the Senate but getting up before day he first went to the Temple of Jupiter where he spent some houres in meditation that thereby he might the better finde out such things as conduced to the good of the Common-wealth whence his usual saying was Nunquan mnùs solus quà m cùm solus That he was never lesse alone then when alone Demosthenes knowing that his action and voice were not very fit for an Oratour digged him a Cellar into which he often retired to frame his gestures and compose his voice aright Yea sometimes he would spend two or three moneths together in that place shaving halfe his head that so for shame he might not be taken off from his serious studies whereupon Pytheas told him that his Enthymeme smelled of the candle Plut. Aristotle used to sleep with a bullet in his hand over a brazen pan that when it fell out of his hand he might be awakened by the noise Laert. Pythagoras used with a thrid to tie the haire of his head to a beame over him that so when he did but nod by reason of sleep he might be awakened thereby M. Cato used to say that there were three things which he abhorred 1. To commit secrets to a woman 2. To go by water where he might go by land 3. To spend one day idly Plut. See more in my first Part of Lives CHAP. LX. Examples of such as have been enemies to Learning LEwis the 7th King of France desired that his son might be no Scholar lest learning should make him so proud that rejecting the advice of his Counsellours he should adhere to his own private opinion adding that he desired that he should learn onely these five words of Latin Qui nescit dissimulare nescit Regnare He that cannot dissemble knows not how to play the King Domitian that wicked Emperour was such an enemy to learning that he banished all Philosophers out of Rome and Italy He crucified Metius Pompustanus because he had made a Map of the world and read over Livies History Suet. See the Example of Pope Paul the second p. 62. CHAP. LXI Callings Trades MEn must abide in them 1 Cor. 7. 20. Commanded 1 Tim. 5. 14. Rom. 12. 8. Prov. 27. 23. Eph. 4. â—8 It makes rich Prov. 12. 24 27. 13. 4. 21. 5. 22. 29. Skill therein is from God Exod. 35. 30 c. Scriptural Examples the good houswife Prov. 31. 27. Other Examples Solon the Athenian Lawgiver enacted that the sonne should not relieve his father when he was old except he had brought him up to some occupation and this he did that so all might have some honest trade whereby to do good to the Common-wealth and to maintaine themselvs and theirs and that the Councel of the Areopagites should enquire how every man lived and to punish such as they found idle Plut. The Egyptians enjoyned all men to be of some vocation and Amasis one of their Kings made a Law that every man once a year should give an account how he lived Amongst the Turks every man must be of some trade the grand Signeur himselfe not excepted Mahomet the Great that conquered Greece used carving and to make wooden spoones And this present Sultan saith Sands in his voyage to Hierusalem p. 73. maketh notches for bowes The Egyptians made a Law that he that could not shew by what meanes he maintained himselfe should be put to death Plut. Laert. in vita Periandri The Castle of Edenburgh in Scotland built by Cruthenus King of the Picts was called the Castle of Maidens because the daughters of the Pictish Kings were kept there to their needles till they were married Bucan Idlenesse falsly charged upon the Jewes in Egypt Exod. 5. 8 17. The mischiefs of Idlenesse Prov. 19. 15. Eccles. 10 18. Prov. 13. 4. 20. 4. 12. 24 27. 18. 9. Reproved Mat. 20. 6. 1 Tim. 5. 13. Prov. 6. 9 10 10. 26. Rom. 12. 11. It was the sinne of Sodom Ezek. 16. 49. It cast David upon tentation 2 Sam. 11. 2. and Eve as it is conceived Gen. 3. 1. The evil servant Mat. 25. 26. The Cretians Tit. 1. 12. Sluggard sent to the Ant Proverbs 6. 6. The danger of slothfulnesse Prov. 15. 19. 19. 24 21 25. 22. 13. 26. 13 c. 24. 30. 19. 15. Eccles. 10. 18. The Lacedemonians would suffer none of their Subjects to spend their time in sports or idlenesse and when their Magistrates were told of some that used to walk abroad in the afternoones they sent to them requiring that leaving their idlenesse they should betake themselves to honest labours and imployments For say they It becomes the Lacedemonians to procure health to their bodies by labour and exercise not to corrupt them by sloth and idlenesse AElian They also brought up their children in labour from their infancy whereby it grew into a Proverb That only the Lacedemonian women brought forthmen Alex. The Cretians brought up their sonnes from their childhood in daily and difficult labours lest when they grew old they should think that it was not unseemly to waste themselves in idlenesse Idem The Gymnosophists to reclame their schollars from idlenesse enacted a Law that young men should neither eat nor drink any day before they had given account to the Elder what work they had done that morning Idem Amasis made a Law that the Egyptian youth should no day eat any food till they had runne one hundred and eighty furlongs judging them unfit either to eat or drink till by honest labour they had deserved it Diod. Sic The AEthiopians anciently accustomed their youth daily to fling great stones or darts that thereby they might understand that man was born to labour not to idlenesse Alex. ab Alex. Numa Pompilius to prevent idlenesse amongst the Romanes divided the fields amongst them appointing some officers often to walk about them himselfe also sometimes did it to observe every mans diligence and husbandry and those whom he found idle he sharply reproved or banished them Plut. Cyrus King of Persia would never go to dinner or supper till
justly condemned any for their faults Suet. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love Rejoyce with them that do rejoyce and weep with them that weep Rom. 12. 10 15. CHAP. LXIIII. Examples of the workings of Conscience A Good Conscience Act. 23. 1. 24. 16. Rom. 9. 1. 2 Cor. 1. 12. 1 Tim. 3. 9. 1. 5 19. 2 Tim. 1. 3. Heb. 10. 2. 22. 1 Pet. 2. 19. Heb. 13. 18. 1 Pet. 3. 16. 21. Bad conscience Joh. 8. 8. 1 Tim. 4. 2. Tit. 1. 15. Prov. 28. 1. Weak conscience 1 Cor. 8. 7. 10 29. Conscience Rom. 2. 15. 13. 5. 1 Cor. 10. 25. 2 Cor. 4. 2. 5. 11. Heb. 9. 9 14 10. 2. Defin. It 's a part of our understanding determining of all our particular actions either with or against them excusing or accusing When the conscience accuseth the tongue confesses the eyes weep the hands wring the heart akes and the voyce cryes no part can be at ease as Juvenal Cur hos evasisse putes quos diri conscientia facti Mens habet attonitos surdo verbere caedit c. How deem'st thou them acquit whom guilty mind of fact so foul doth fright And scourge unseen doth beat with unheard blow Their hangman restlesse conscience biting so Scriptural examples of guilty consciences Adam when he ran from God Gen. 3. 8. Cain for murthering Abel Gen. 4. 15. Josephs brethren Gen. 42. 21. c. Belshazzar Dan. 5 6. Herod for beheading John Luke 9. 7. Judas for betraying Christ Matth. 27. 3. c. the unworthy Guest Matth 22. 12. the Pharises Joh. 8. 9. A wounded spirit who can bear Prov. 18. 14. Examples of a good conscience Abimelech Gen. 20. 4 5. Hezekiah Isa. 38. 3. David Psal. 3. 5 6. 23. 4. Paul Act. 23. 1. 24. 16. Heb. 13. 18. Nero after the murther of his mother Agrippina was so continually haunted with the furies of his conscience that he alwayes thought her ghost haunted him which no incantation nor sacrifices could appease till his own descended so that when he was to leave this life for a worse he cryed out that his mother wife and father willed him to die Nero's life Livius Drusus being to build him a house in the Palace at Rome the chief workman told him that he would so contrive it that none should overlook him nor see what was done in his house to whom Drusus answered Quin tu potiùs si quid in te artis est it à compone domuâ— meaâ— ut quicquid â—gam ab omnibus inspici possit Rather saith he if thou hast any art shew it in so contriving my house that whatsoever I do may be beheld by all Lipsius Nicephorus Phocas the Greek Emperour having a guilty and hellish conscience and fearing heavens Justice for his sins caused his Palace at Constantinople to be made impregnable and then began to cast off his fears But when he thought all safe â— voyce was heard none know from whom or whence taxing his foolish confidence and telling him that though he raised his walls as high as heaven yet as long as wickednesse dwelt within there was no safety to be expected In the reign of Q. Mary there was one Ralph Allerton who coming into the Church of Bently in Essex finding the people idle or ill imployed read a Chapter to them and prayed with them for which being brought before Bonner he by his subtile perswasions and flatteries so prevailed with him that he drew him to a recantation after which this Allerton was brought into such bondage and terrours of conscience and was so cast down that if the Lord had not looked mercifully upon him he had been utterly undone but through Gods goodnesse upon his unseigned repentance he at last recovered comfort and gave his life for the cause of Christ. See my Eng. Manyrologie p. 193. About the same time there was one Mr. Whittle an Essex Minister who being also called before Bonner by the subtile practices of the B. and the advice of some carnal friends set his hand to a recantation but presently after he fell into grievous terrours of conscience whereof himself thus writes After saith he I had done this thing I had little joy of any thing my conscience telling me that I had done very ill by so slight a means to shake off the sweet Crosse of Christ. Yea his terrours of conscience were so great that he could not sleep whereupon he procured the writing and to are out his name After which he thus writes Being condemned to die my conscience and mind I praise God is quiet in Christ and I by his grace am very willing and content to give over this body to death for the testimony of Christs truth and pure religion against Antichrist c. Idem p. 160 161. Before this in the reign of King Henry the 8 th Mr. Thomas Bilney for fear of Death was drawn to an Abjuration after which he fell into such terrours of conscience that he was near the point of utter despaire so that his friends were fain to watch with him night and day endeavouring to comfort him but all in vain In this woful condition he continued for the space of a whole year and was in such anguish that neither eating drinking sleeping nor any thing else did him good yea he thought that all the Word of God was against him and sounded his condemnation But at last resolving through Gods Grace to lay down his life for the truth he began to feel some comfort c. See his Life in my first Part. When Gensericus K. of the Arian Vandals in Africa raised a Persecution against the Orthodox he had such a hellish and guilty conscience that if any Minister in his Sermon did but mention Pharaoh Nebuchadnezzar Herod c. he presently applyed it to himself and thereupon banished him See my Gen. Martyro p. 92. Sr. Con Mac Genis one of the late Irish Rebels after he had murthered one Mr. Trug a Minister was so haunted with the furies of his own conscience that he thought his ghost followed him day and night so that he commanded his Souldiers to slay no more of the Protestants Idim p. 363. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear Prov. 18. 14. CHAP. LXV Examples of Love to ones Countrey and Countrey-men SCriptural Examples David 2 Sam. 24. 17. Mordecai Esth. 4. 1. Esther c. 4. 16. Nehemiah c. 1. 4. c. The Jewes Psal. 137. 1 5 6. Paul Rom. 9. 2 3. Camillus the Roman General having after ten years siege taken the rich City of Veia one came to him and told him that he was a happy man whereupon lifting up his hands towards heaven he said O mighty Jupiter and ye O gods which see and judge mens works good and bad you know right well that we have not begun this war but justly to be revenged on a City that wronged us But if to
good meat Others fed upon old leather and some women boiled their own children and did eat them Many thinking to save their lives by flying to the Romans were slit in pieces to search for gold and Jewels in their guts two thousand dyed thus miserably in one night 97000 were taken prisoners at the taking of the City by Titus eleven hundred thousand were slain As for the prisoners some of them were carried to Rome in triumph Others were slain in sundry places at the Conquerers will Some were torn in pieces and devoured by wild beasts Others were compelled to march in Troops against their fellowes and to kill one another to make the spectators sport The reliques of these wretched people were dispersed into all Nations under heaven having no Magistrates of their own to protect them but were and still are altogether at the will and discretion of the Lords of those Countries where they sojourn so that no Nation in the world is so vile and contemptible as the Jewes In the time of Julian the Apostate he gave leave to the Jewes to re-build the Temple at Jerusalem but so soon as they had laid the foundations thereof all was overthrown by an earthquake many thousands of them being overwhelmed with the mines and those which were left were slain and scattered by a tempest and thunder The Jewes at Imnester near Antioch celebrating their accustomed Playes and Feasts in the middest of their jollity according to their custome they reviled Christ and in contempt to him gat a Christian's child and hung him upon a Crosse and after many mocks and taunts whipt him to death So also they served a boy called Simeon Anno Christi 1476. And another in Fretulium five years after At another time they took a Carpenters sonne in Hungary in contempt of Christ whom they called the son of a Carpenter and cutting all his veines sucked out all his blood with quills And being apprehended and tortured they confessed that they had done the like at Thirna four years before and that they could not be without Christian blood for that therewith they anointed their Priests But at all these times their wickednesse being discovered they suffered just punishment by hanging burning or some other cruel death Anno Christi 1492. one Eleazar a Jew bought the holy Host of a Popish Priest and most despightfully thrust it through with his knife for which he was burned and the like have others of them done at several times Fincel Anno Christi 1407. a Jew stole the picture of Christ out of a Church and chrust it in contempt many times thorow with his sword out of which when blood miraculously issued the caitiffe would have burned it but being taken in the manner by some Christians they stoned him to death Gasp. AEdio l. 3. c. 6. The Jewes whilest they were suffered to live here in England used every year to steal some Christian's child and on Good-Priday to crucifie him in despite of Christ and the Christian Religion Thus they served a child at Lincoln Anno Christi 1255. under the Reign of King Henry the third And another at Norwich having first circumcised him and kept him a whole year For which being apprehended thirty two of them were put to death at Lincoln and twenty at Norwich Others of them being besieged at York when they could hold out no longer cut their own throats whereby fifteen hundred of them perished at that time At Northhampton many of them were burnt for attempting to set the City on fire with wildfire And at last for their many wicked practices they were utterly banished the Kingdome of England by King Edward the first Anno Christi 1291. for which the Commons gave the King a Fifteenth Judea hath now onely some few parcels of rich ground found in it that men may guesse the goodnesse of the cloth by the finenesse of the shreads wherein the Word of God is fulfilled Psal. 107. 34. He turneth a fruitful Land into barrennesse for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein In the Reign of Adrianus the Emperour he sent Severus his General against the Jewes who by reason of their multitudes would not try it out in a set battel but proceeding more warily and taking his opportunitie he by degrees took fifty of their fortified Castles rased nine hundred and fourscore of their best Townes and slew five hundred and eighty thousand of their men besides innumerable multitudes which perished by famine sicknesse and fire so that almost all Judaea was left destitute and Adrian by an Edict prohibited the Jewes from coming neer to Hierusalem or once from any high place to look towards the same or the Region adjoyning Dion Salmanticensis saith that there was a decree made at Rome that no Jew should ever enter Cyprus the place where their rebellion began and that Adrian destroyed twice as many Jewes as Moses brought out of Egypt He rased Hierusalem and not far from it built another City the now Hierusalem and called it after his own name AElia And over the gate of this City he placed the Statues of swine which were faithful Porters to prohibit the superstitious Iewes from entrance This was about the year 135. St. Hierom tells us that in his time on that day wherein Hierusalem was taken by the Romans you may see decrepit women and old ragged men and many wretched people but pitied of none with blubbered cheeks black armes dishevelled hair howling and lamenting for the ruines of their Sanctuary in their bodies and habits bearing and wearing â—he sad characters of Divine vengeance of whom the Souldiers also exact their fee for liberty of further weeping so that they which formerly sold the blood of Christ are now fain to buy their own teares In the Reign of Trajan Adrian's predecessour the Jewes rebelled in Egypt and Cyrene where they slew many Greeks and Romans did eat their flesh girt themselves with their guts imbrewed themselves with their blood and clothed themselves with their skins many they sawed in sunder from the Crown downwards many they cast to the Beasts c. Hereupon Trajan sent against them Martius Turbo who destroved many thousands of them and fearing lest the Jewes in Mesopotamia should break out into the like outrages he commanded Lucius Quietus to destroy them utterly who so diligently executed his will that the Emperour to recompence his service made him President of Judea Dion In Creet there arose amongst them a false Prophet that affirmed himself to be Moses that led the Israelites through the Red-sea telling them that he was come to lead them through the Sea into the holy Land Thus for a whole year he went from City to City amongst them perswading them to leave their riches to any that would take them and to follow him and at a day appointed he went before them to a Promontorie of the Sea and there bidsthem leap in which many doing perished in the waves and more would have done but that some
his enemies Lipsius Portius Cato was of such an honest and blamelesse life that though he was often accused by his adversaries and forced to plead his cause fifty times yet he alwaies came off with credit and that not by favour friends or bribes but against all these And being again accused in his old age he desired that Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus who was his adversary might be made his Judge which being done he so cleared himself before him that Gracchus acquitted him Lipsius Godlinesse with contentment is great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. CHAP. LXXXVII Prediction Prophecies THe same day that Alexander the Great was born in Macedonia Diana's Temple at Ephesus in Asia was burned down at which time divers Magicians being present they ran up and down tearing their hair and crying out that that day was born the great plague and Pest of Asia Diod. Sic. The same day that Philip King of Macedon had the City of Potidaea surrendred to him three Messengers one after another brought him word first of a great Victory that Parmenio his General had obtained over the Illyrians Secondly of a victory or prize that his horse had gotten at the Olympick Games Thirdly of the birth of his son Alexander whereupon his Southsayers told him that his son which was born at that tiwe wherein he had gotten three such victories should prove unconquerable Justin Domitius AEnobarbus when his son Nero was born his friends coming to congratulate him for the birth of his son said unto them There can be nothing born to me and Agrippina but that which is detestable and that which is born for the publick hurt Pez Mel. Hist. Nero sending to the Oracle at Delphos to know his final fortune received this ambiguous answer Beware of the 73 year which he understood to be meant of his own ages date but it proved Galba's who dethroned him Superstition is worthily fed with illusion and irreligion as worthily punished with credulity Suet. Learned Gerard tells us of a certain woman called Thoda in Suevia in Germany who Anno Christi 848. Prophesied that that year the world should end which as she said was revealed to her by an Angel Anno Christi 1526. there was an Anabaptist that ran up and down the streets in the City of St. Gallus in Helvetia crying with horrid gestures that the day of the Lord was come that it was present And Anno Christi 1530. upon the like Prophecie another so strongly prevailed with some that he perswaded them the last year of the world was come whereupon they grew prodigal of their goods and substance fearing that they should scarcely spend them in so short a time as the world was to continue An unknown woman came to Tarquinius Superbus in Rome and proffered him the nine books of the Sybils Prophecies at a very great rate which he refused to give her She burned three of them and offered him the other six at the same rate but he refused again whereupon she burnt other three and asked him the same rate for the three remaining which he then bought and layed them up in the Capitol where they continued as Oracles till both Temple and books were burnt Dionys. CHAP. LXXXVIII Examples of the power and prevalency of Prayer IS any sick amongst you Let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him and the prayer of Faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Elias was a man subject to the like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six moneths And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit Jam. 5 14 c. Fervent prayers are effectual Psal. 34. 4 6 15 17. Matth. 7. 8. Mar. 11. 24. Jam. 1. 5 6. 5. 16. Psal. 3. 4. 107. 6 13. God is a Prayer-hearing God Psal. 65. 2. Delighting in it Cant. 2. 14. It 's as incense to him Psal. 141. 2. Promising to give if we ask Luk. 11. 10. Rom. 10. 12. which promise is sealed with the blood of Christ and back'd with an oath Mich. 7. 20. Joh. 15. 7. Commanding to ask in full â—ssurance Heb. 10. 22. Jam. 1. 6. Encouraging by Parables Luk. 11. 8 9 11 c. 18. 2 c. Sighs and groanes are prayers Exod. 2. 23 24. Psal 79. 11. 12. 5. 39. 12. 56. 8. Rom. 8. 26. Isa. 38. 5. Christ perfumes our prayers with his merits Rev. 8. 3 4. It obtains temporal blessings 1 King 18. 42 c. Zach. 10. 1. God will be sought to Ezek. 36. 37. We shall not seek him in vain Esay 45. 19. It must be tendered in the hand of a Mediatour Matth. 3. 17. Joh 14. 13 14. We must see that we belong to God if we will prevail Psal. 34. 17. 73. 1. Before we ask God heares Isa. 65. 24. Dan. 9. 23. Scriptural Examples of the efficacy of Prayer Abraham praying for Ishmael Gen. 17. 20. For Sodom Ch. 18. 23 c. For Abimelech Ch. 20. 17. Jacob Gen. 32. 24 c. Hose 12. 4. Moses Exod. 14. 15. 15. 25. 17. 11 c. Numb 14. 12 c. Exod. 32. 10. Numb 12. 13. 21. 7. Samuel 1 Sam. 7. 9. Josuah Ch. 10. 12. Elijah 1 King 17. 20. Elisha 2 King 4. 33. Solomon 1 King 3. 11. 9. 3 c. Asa 2 Chron. 14. 11. Hezekiah Isa. 37. 15 c. Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 20. 3 c. Amos Ch. 7. 2 c. the Syrophoenician woman Matth. 15. 22 c. Importunate widow Luk. 18. 2 c. Isaiah Ch. 62. 1 6 7. The persons of Saints are like secret pledges of common quiet and their mediations are a shield to the earth against the wrath of heaven Gregory Nazianzen reports of his sister Gorgonia that her knees seemed to cleave to the earth by reason of her often prayiag And Gregory of his aunt Trucilla that her elbow was as hard as an horn by often leaning upon a desk when she prayed And Eusebius of James Justus that his knees were as hard as a Camels knees bereaved of sense by often praying One reports of Joachim the father of the Virgin Mary that he used to say Cibus Potus mihi est Oratio Prayer is my meat and drink A Gentlewoman being in her Parlour exercised in meditation and prayer cryed out O that I might ever enjoy this sweet Communion with God The Queen-Mother of Scotland in her Warres against the first Reformers confessed openly That she feared more the fasting and Prayers of that man of God John Knox and his Disciples then an Army of twenty thousand men Looking-Glasse of the Holy War Leelin Prince of Wales being perswaded by some about him to make war against our King Henry the
of Religion Plut. A religious man in an expostulatory strain complained to God of Phocas that Parricide who paved his way to the Throne by the murther of Mauricius his Master and predecessor saying Lord wherefore hast thou made this man Emperour To whom the Lord answered Enimvero quia non inveni pâ—jorâ—m Verily because I have not found a worse Thus God punisheth a wicked people with a wicked and Tyrannical Prince Cedrenus In the Reign of our King Henry the sixth when our brave English Army was called home out of France by reason of our Civill discords at home The French scoffingly asked an English Captain when they would return into France again To whom the Captain modestly and discrectly answered When your sins are greater then ours Sp. Chr. Bede observed of the ancient Britans that immediately before their destruction by the Saxons they were come to that height of wickednesse as to cast Odium in Religionis professores tanquam in adversarios To hate the professors of Religion as their greatest adversaries Gildas also reporteth of them That at that time fornication adultery and incest with all other sins incident to mans nature were rife amongst them and especially the hatred of truth and the maintainers of it the love also of lies with the forgers thereof the admitting of evill for good the respective regard of lewdnesse instead of goodnesse desire of darknesse in lieu of the Sun-light and accepting of Satan for an Angel of light Kings were anointed not by God but such as were known to be more cruel then the rest and soon after murthered by their own anointers how abominable their sinnes were and what just judgments God followed them withal read more in Cambdens Britan. Pag. 108 109. out of Gildas Also before the Norman Conquest as Gervasius of Canterbury writeth the Priests were idle drousie and unlearned the people given to riot and loose life Discipline lay dead the Common-Wealth sick of an infinite sort of vices but above all Pride whose waiting-maid is destruction was come to a mighty head yea they fell to fast to all lewdnesse that to be ignorant of sinful crimes was held a great crime Camb. Brit. p. 143. Upon the Persecution of the Church under the Emperour Valerian Cyprian writes thus We must confesse that this great calamity which hath wasted for the most part all our Churches and still doth daily consume us ariseth chiefly from our own wickednesse whilest we walk not in the way of the Lord nor observe his precepts as we ought whilest we are full of lucre pride emulation dissension void of simplicity and faithful dealing renouncing the world in word but not in deed every man pleasing himself and displeasing others and therefore are we thus worthily scourged For Non venissent fratribus haec mala si in unum fuisset fraternitas animata These evils had not befallen the brethren if they had been joyned together in brotherly unanimity See more in my Gen. Martyrologie p. 56. Aurelian the Emperour at first suffered the Christians to enjoy their Religion in peace but when they had lived a while in peace and prosperity they began to grow idle and delicate striving and contending amongst themselves upon every trifling occasion with railing words bespattering one another in a most despightful manner Bishops against Bishops and people against people moving hatred continually yea cursed hypocrisie and dissimulation encreased more and more by reason whereof God sent upon them the ninth Persecution c. See more in my Gen. Martyr p. 61. Salvian Bishop of Masilia complaineth that before the persecuting Vandalls came into Africa the Church of God was much degenerated in those Countries from its ancient purity and that the power of godlinesse was much decayed insomuch as they which lived exactly according to the rule of Gods Word were hissed at as they went in the streets as if they had been Monsters Eodem pag. 101. Before the late Persecution in Bohemia through the long and peaceable enjoyment of the Gospel men by little and little began to be licentious in their lives and carnal security so encreased that many began to presage that some horrible tempest would ere long overwhelm them Eodem p. 160. Before the Massacre of Paris such a general stupidity seized upon the Protestants that their minds were very wavering and few there were that shewed themselves zealously bent to Religion but all both great and small were intent upon worldly matters building to themselves goodly Castles in the ayr Eodem p. 309. CHAP. XCVIII Stratagems SCriptural Examples Jacob Gen. 30. 37. Josua Chap. 8. 2. Gibeonites Josu 9. 4 c. Gideon Judg. 7. 19 c. Israel Judg. 20. 29. After the death of Cambyses there being none of the Royal seed left and the chief Persian Nobles or Magi being all so potent that none would give place to others they at last agreed That meeting all together in such a place the next morning he whose horse first neighed should be acknowledged King one of these was Darius whose Master of his horse hearing what was determined over night took Darius his horse to the place and caused him to cover a Mare the next morning when they came all to the place Darius his horse remembring the Mare presently fell a neighing whereupon all the rest of the Nobles alighted and saluted him for their King Herod Darius besieging the impregnable City of Babylon which had revolted from him after many waies and means assayed knew not how to prevail at last one of his chief Colonels called Zopyrus caused himself to be beaten black and blew his nose and lips and eares to be cut off and acquainting Darius with his purpose he went to Babylon into which being admitted he shewed the people his dismembred and torn body complains of the cruelty of Darius and proffereth his best assistance to them against him the Citizens knowing the worth of the man and not suspecting his fraud made him their Captain and in some skirmishes he beat the Persians at last having drawn forth all the strength of the City he betrayed them to Darius and so delivered up Babylon into his hands After which Darius used to say That he had rather have one Zopyrus then twenty Cities of Babylon Pez Mel. Hist. When the Grecian Navy understood that the Army of Xerxes was entred into Peloponesus every one being solicitous for his own home they resolved to divide themselves and to provide for the safety of their own Countrey This Themistocles mainly opposed as foreseeing that the division of the Grecian Navie would be their ruine and therefore when he could no otherwise prevail he sent a trusty person about him privately to Xerxes to inform him that the Grecian Navy was intended to fly away and that therefore he should presently with his Navie set upon them if he desired a glorious Victory Xerxes being glad of this intelligence thinking that Themistocles had done it out of respect to him he presently
had wont to be called the best stable of woodden Horses because of their potency in shipping though now the English have out-shot them in their own Bowe England was wont to be accounted the Popes Pack-horse for indeed she seldome rested in the stable when any work was to be done The Italians are said to be wise before-hand The Germans in the action and the French after it is done Mr. Aschâ—m thanks God that he was but nine daies in Italy where in one City Venice he saw more liberty co sin then in London he ever heard of in nine years Preface to his School The Neaepolitane Gentry are observed to stand so much upon the puntilio's of their honour that they prefer robbery before industry and will rather suffer their daughter to make merchandise of her chastity then marry the richest Merchant Sr. W. Segar in his honors The earth in Italy yields five harvests in a year 1. In June that of Silks 2. In July of divers Fruits 3. In August that of Corn which afterwards they sowe with Millio Rice Turkey Wheat or the like grain and within two moneths have another Crop 4. In September that of their Wines 5. In October that of Oyl Englands Priviledges The first Christian King that ever was in the world was Lucius King of the Britans that built Peter's Church in Cornhill London The first Christian Emperour that was in the world was Constantine the Great born in England of Helena an English woman The first King that shook off subjection to Antichrist was our King Henry the eighth And the first Christian King that ever wrote that the Pope was Antichrist was our King James CHAP. CII Examples of the wonders of Gods works in Nature IN Cornwal near unto a place called Pen sans is that famous stone called Main-Amber which is a great Rock advanced upon some other of meaner size with so equal a counterpoize that a man may stir it with the push of his finger but to remove it quite out of his place a great number of men are not able Camb. Brit. p. 188. The like is in the Countrey of Stratherne in Scotland In the year 1581. in the Countie of Essex an Army of Mice so overran the Marshes in Dengey hundred near unto South-minster that they shore the grasse to the very roots and so tainted the same with their venemous teeth that a great murrain fell upon the Cattel which grased thereon Speeds Essex In the year 1555. when by reason of unseasonable weather there was a great Dearth in the Land there sprang up upon the Rocks without tillage or sowing in the Countie of Essex betwixt Orford and Adlebrough such a Crop of pease that in August there was gathered above an hundred Quarters and in blossoming there remained as many more where never grasse grew nor earth was ever seen but hard solid Rock for three yards deep under their Roots Speed in Suffolk In the Countie of Devon not far from Lidford the river Lid at a Bridge is gathered into a strait and pent in between rocks whereon it runneth down amaine and the ground daily waxing more and more deep his water is not seen onely a roaring noise is heard to the great wonder of those that pass by Camb. Brit. p. 199. In Warwickshire at Neuenham Regis three fountains walme out of the ground strained through a veine of Allum the water whereof carrying the colour and taste of milk cureth the stone provoketh urine abundantly green wounds it quickly closeth up and healeth being drunk with salt it looseth and with sugar it bindeth the belly Camh. Brit. p. 562. In Summersetshire near unto Glastenbury in Wiral-Pâ—rk there is an Hawthorne tree which upon Christmas-day sprouteth forth as well as in May. Camb. Brit. p. 227. Also in the same Shire near unto Cainsham are found in Stone-quarries stones resembling Serpents winding round in manner of a wreath the head bearing up in the Circumference and the end of the taile taking up the centre within but most of them are headlesse Camb. Brit. p. 236. In Herefordshire a little beneath Richards Castle Nature who no where disporteth her self more in shewing wonders then in waters hath brought forth a pretty Well which is alwaies full of little fish bones although they be from time to time quite drawn out of it whence it 's called commonly Bone-well Camb. Brit. p. 619. In Gloucestershire upon the hills near Alderly are found certain stones resembling Cockles Periwinckles and Oisters which seem to be the garmsome works of Nature or such shells turned into stone Camb. Brit. p. 363. In Yorkshire about Whitby are found certain stones fashioned like Serpents foulded and wrapped round as in a wreath so that a man would verily think that they had been sometimes Serpents turned into stone Camb. Brit. p. 718. Also in the same County at Huntly Nabb there lie scattering here and there amongst the rocks stones of divers bignesse so Artificially by nature shaped round in manner of a Globe that one would take them to be big Bullets made by the Turners hand for shot to be discharged out of great Ordnance In which if you break them are found stony Serpents enwrapped round like a wreath but most of them are headlesse Camb. Brit. p. 721. In the County of Cornwal near unto St. Neots there are a number of good great rocks heaped up together and under them one stone of lesser size fashioned naturally in the form of a Cheese lying in presse whereupon it 's named Wring-cheese Camb. Brit. p. 192. In Yorkshire upon the Sea-shore by Sken-grave when the winds are laid and that upon still weather the Sea is most Calme and the water lies level and plain without any noise there is heard here many times on a sudden a great way off as it were an horrible and a fearful groaning which affrights the fishermen at those times from launching forth into the Sea Camb. Brit. p. 720. In Richmondshire amongst the ragged rocks are found stones like unto Periwinckles Cockles and other shell fish Camb. Brit. p. 727. In the County of Hereford a hill which they call Marcley-hill in the year 1571. as though it had wakened on a sudden out of a deep sleep roused it self up and for the space of three dayes together moving and shewing it self as mighty and huge an heape as it was with roaring noise in a fearful sort and overturning all things that stood in the way advanced it self foreward to the wondrous astonishment of the beholders Camb. Brit. p. 620. In Glamorganshire in a rock or cliffe by the Sea-side there appeareth a very little chink unto which if you lay your ear you shall hear a noise as if it were of Smiths at work one while the blowing of bellows another while the striking of the sledge and hammer sometimes the sound of the grindstone and iron tooles rubbing against it the hissing sparks also of steel gads within holes as they are beaten and the puffing
hundred Palaces fit to receive any Prince with his ordinary retinue Her situation is so rare every street almost having an arme of the Sea running thorow it and her structures so magnificent and neat that she ravisheth therewith all strangers that come to visit her She hath in her one hundred and fifty Churches and Monasteries but especially three things worthy of sight viz. St. Mark 's Church and Steeple the Treasury and the Arsenal S. Mark 's Church is built throughout with rare Mosaique work and yet the furniture of the Church surpasseth the Fabrique in richnesse Her walls are inlaid in many places with precious stones of divers colours and in such a manner that they seem rather to be the work of Nature then of Art It 's built in the form of a Crosse whose corners are highly vaulted and covered with bright Lead as all the rest of the Church is The whole Bulk is supported with most curious Arches joyned together by marvellous Art The inside from the middle to the highest part thereof glistereth with gold and the concavity of the vaults is enriched with divers curious and antick pictures That which is from the gilding down to the pavement is excellently joyned together with goodly Tables of Marble by whose pleasant veins in form of raies the eyes of the beholders are rather fed then satisfied The seats below are of an extraordinary red stone like to Porphyrie the Pavement is all of Marble engraven with divers Figures wholly different and of various colours There are sundry Columnes and Tables of Parian Spartan and Numidian work that environ the seats on both sides the Quire The entrance into the Church on both sides is in a manner of the same trimming while gilded Arches are sustained without by more then three hundred exquisite Pillars the space between those Pillars being filled with choyce Tables of Marble On the height of this entrance are four great brazen horses all gilded over in a posture as if running and neighing All this beares up the highest top of the Church divided into six Steeples every of which is like a Pyramid and hath on the sharpest point thereof a white Marble Statue of a naked man standing upright Divers other representations delightful to the eye and wrought with exceeding skill do beautifie the spaces between the Steeples and all that which is vaulted underneath is covered with gold In sum there is no place in the whole Church either within or without but it 's either adorned with Marble gold or precious stones so that the two Columnes of Alabaster and the Chalcedony stones which are in the middest of the pavement are accounted the least curiosities The Arsenal of Venice is one of the greatest Magazines of Armes in all the world It 's three miles in compasse wherein there are above three hundred Artificers perpetually at work who make and repair all things that belong thereto This Arsenal hath Armes to furnish two hundred thousand men and hath constantly belonging to it two hundred Gallies in Dock or abroad in course besides Galliasses and Galleons with all provisions necessary for them The Treasury of St. Mark is cryed up through the world They say there is enough in it to pay six Kings Ransomes There are Jewels of all sorts and sizes Diamonds Rubies Saphires Emerauds Cups of Agate of an huge bignesse The great Diamond which Henry the third gave when he was made a Gentleman of Venice There you may see an Armour all of massie Gold beset all over with great Pearles Turkies Rubies and all manner of precious stones in such a quantity and bignesse that they alone would make a rich Treasury There are also twelve Corslets of Gold beset with precious stones There is an huge gold Chain that reacheth from Pillar to Pillar Divers Chests of Gold and amongst others one great Iron Chest with this Inscription When this Chest shall open the whole Earth shall tremble There are two large Unicorn's horns A great Bottel made of a Chalcedonian stone transparent and clear which will hold above a quart There is a Garnet of a vast size formed into the shape of a Kettle which will hold neer a Gallon There are many Crosses and Crucifixes of massie Gold beset with Jewels of all sorts There are the Crownes of Cyprus and Candie as also that of the Dukes of Venice all inlaid with choice rich Diamonds great Rubies Emerauds Saphires and other stones that would beget astonishment in the beholders In that of the Dukes there is one great Rubie worth an hundred thousand Crownes There are Cups of sundry formes cut out of rich stones with Dishes of sundry kinds There are divers Presses full of Plate huge and massie with Statues of silver and large Chalices of gold and variety of other rich things the worth whereof no eye is able to judge There are moreover twelve Crownes of massie Gold which were taken at the sacking of Constantinople when the French and Venetians divided the spoyles Pacheeo the Spanish Ambassadour coming to see this Treasury fell a groping whether it had any bottom and being asked why answered In this amongst other things my great Master's Treasure differs from yours in that his hath no bottom as I find yours to have Alluding to the Mines in Mexico and Potosi In one of its Islands called Murano Crystall Glasses are made where you may see a whole street or tâ—e one side having above twenty Furnaces perpetually at work both day and night If one of these Furnaces be removed to any other Island or but to the other side of the street though they use the same men materials and fuel yet can they not make Glasse in the same perfections for beauty and lustre as in this place Howels Survey Padua described Padua is a City within the Venetian Territories and was erected into an Academie Anno Christi 1222. She is famous every where for a Seminary of the best Physicians and hath a Garden of great variety of Simples It was formerly girt with a trebble wall but a double contents her now which hath very deep ditches round about For the River Brent with vast charges and labour was brought to this City which hath much advantaged her both for strength and Navigation It 's situated in a most pleasant and plentiful plain enjoying a sweet temperate Clime with a singular good soile by reason of the neighbourhood of the Eugonian Mountains on the West side of it Her circumference is neer upon seven miles Her Temples and dwelling houses both publick and private are more magnificent then elsewhere She hath six stately Gates Five large Market-places within the Walls twenty two great Churches twenty three Monasteries twenty nine Nunneries She hath the most renowned Hall for publick Justice of any City in Italy covered all over with Lead and yet propped by no Pillars The Council-Court hath Gates and Columnes of Marble She hath twenty eight Bridges Arched over the Brent which runs thorow her She hath