VVits theater of the little world

Of Lying. This contrary to truth & nature, maketh that seeme very good, which is euill, and causeth the tongue to become a member of iniustice, when it vttereth more or lesse then is indeed; vnder this

vice are contained Deceipt, Dissimulation, Cr••••t, Hipocrisie, Idolatry, and cousenage.

THrough a lye, Ioseph was cast into pry∣son, and Saint Chrisostome sent into ba∣nishment.

The Egyptians ordained death to lyers, so dyd the Scythians and Garamantes.

The Persians and Indians, depriued him of all honour and farther speech which lyed.

The Gymnosophists, and Chaldeans, bar∣red lyers all companies and dignities, and condemned them to remaine in perpetuall darknes, without speaking.

The very wormes did eate the tongue of the cousoner Nestorius, in his lyfe time. Ni∣cephorus.

Popiel King of Poland, had euer this wishe in his mouth, If it be not true, I would the Rats might eate mee; vvhich came to passe, for he was so assayled by thē at a banquet, that ney∣ther his guards, nor fire, nor water, could de∣fend him from them. Munster.

Some write, that an Archbishop of Ma∣gunce died the lyke death.

The Emperor Traiane, sirnamed the good Prince, tooke away from the sonne of Ce∣ba••us the kingdom of Dacia, which we terme

at this day Transiluania and Valachia, onely because he caught him in a lye, and ••old him that Rome could not permit a lyer to pos∣sesse a kingdome.

After that one had reade vnto Alexander, the great History, out of Aristobulus, wher∣in he had intermingled certaine counterfaite prayses, he ••••ong the booke into the Ryuer, saying, The writer deserued to haue been cast in himselfe.

In Almaine, a lye hath beene alwayes ex∣treamly hated & shunned, as it were a plague and bastards could neuer obtaine the price of any occupation whatsoeuer, nor take degree in any Art or Science. Zonarus.

The Emperours, Nero, Commodus, Max∣imilius, Iulius, Valencius, haue by lyes been brought to ruine.

Pope Alexander the sixt, neuer did what he sayd, and his Sonne Borgia neuer sayde vvhat hee meant to doe, pleasing them∣selues in counterfaiting and dissembling, to deceaue and falsifie theyr fayth. Guychar∣dine.

VVhen the Duke of Valentinois had cau∣sed certaine Princes to be murthered con∣trary to his oath, his Father the Pope told him, that hee had played a right Spaniards

part, but they dyed most miserably, the one poysoned, the other slaine.

The Lacedemonians banished C••hesiphon because he boasted that he could discourse a whole day long of any theame, that was put vnto him.

Artaxerxes, caused one of his Souldiours tongs, to be nailed to a post for making a lie.

The Gabionites for lying lost theyr liber∣tie.

The Cretans for lying, became odious to all the world.

Achilles did more abhor lying then death. Homer.

Paulus Iouius, beeing demaunded in his Chronicle, why hee fained many things as false, and dissembled the true, which there∣by might breed his History to be suspected, aunswered, that hee did it to please those from whom he receaued pensions.

Vlisses speach alwayes proceeded from his hart. Homer.

Pope Innocent the third, made faire wea∣ther with Otho the fourth, and Fredericke the second contending for the Empyre, and neuerthelesse made a very solemne and elo∣quent oration, of the agreement and vnity, which ought to be amongst Christian Prin∣ces;

but a Cittizen of Rome aunswered him, Holy Father, your wordes seeme to bee of God, but your deedes thereto contrary surely proceede from the deuill. Guychardine.

Pyrrhus was enemie to the Romaines, yet neuerthelesse did he giue this praise vnto Fa∣britius, that a man might as soone turne him from the truth and honesty, as the sunne out of his course. Plut.

In Lacedemon, there vvas one that vvas knowne to bee a notorious lyer, who not∣withstanding he gaue profitable aduise, and necessary for the time, yet it was cleane re∣iected of the people. Plut.

Antiochus in hunting lost his way, & was constrained to retire to a poore mans house of the Country, who not knowing him, told him al the faults he & his fauorites had com∣mitted, to whō at his returne, he sayd, that he neuer vnderstoode the truth till that night, and euer after carried him selfe most vertu∣ously.

Marcus Aurelius was called Verissimus, for in him was neuer found lyes, nor truth euer fayled.

Pharamond King of Fraunce, was called VVarmond, which signifieth truth.

The Lacedemonians condemned one that

did open penance, wearing hairecloath vpon his skin, for that thereby they discouered his hipocrisie, in as much as it was wouen with purpure.

Dionysius the Tyrant, being retired to A∣thence, after hee was depriued of his king∣dome, bewailed the estate of Princes, but e∣specially in that men neuer spoke freely vn∣to them, and the truth was euer hidden and concealed from them. Plato.

Demosthenes called Phocion, the hatchet of his words, because he spake truth & to the matter.

The dissimulation of Metellus and Scipio, was so great, that Metellus fained that Rome was happy that Scipio was borne therin, and yet was his mortall enemy all the dayes of his lyfe.

Fredericke a Romaine emperour, at what time the Senators were entring the Senate, would say to them before you enter, Cast a∣way two things, simulations, and dissimulations.

Alexander, would consent to nothing but truth, and Phillip his Father to all kinde of falshood.

By craft Haniball vanquished the Taren∣tines, & by craft the Romaines recouered it againe.

Clodius, to bring his purpose to passe with Pompeia Caesars wife, dissembled himselfe to be a woman. Cicero.

Salmoneus, by lightening of a Torch, did counterfet the thundering sownds & light∣ning stormes of heauen. Virgil.

Phryne the harlot, to knowe which was Praxiteles the Paynters best picture, bad his man bring him word that his shop was on fire, I am vndone, sayd he, if my pictures of the Satyre and Cupid be burned. Pausanias.

Darius became King of Persia, by neighing of a Mare, hauing the day before brought to that place a Stallion, for it was agreed among the Persians, that whose Mare first neighed, he should be King. Herodotus.

Pelagia of Antioche, dissembled her selfe to be a man, because she would liue chast.

Semyramis, knowing her Sonne to be too young to rule, disguised her selfe lyke to a man, and gouerned the monarchy vntill her Sonne came to riper age. Iustin.

Vlisses fained himselfe mad, to auoyde the great expedition. Homer.

Marina, and Euphrosina, Grecian Virgins, were woorthily preferred before Cleomilus and Clisthenes, for that they vvent in the apparraile of men, to lyue in the vvilder∣nes

to auoide lust, the others went in the ha∣bites of women, to beguile women.

Achilles, was by his mother Thetis, sent to King Licomedes like a woman, because hee might not goe to Troy, where thus disguised he g••t vpon one of them Pyrrhus Neopto∣lemus.

Sinon by dissembling gotte Troy for the Grecians; Conon the Athenian, deceaued the Persians in Cyprus, and Antigonus the Cittizens of Corinth.

Pyrrhus deceaued Cannius in his bargaine of fish. Cic. of fic. lib.

An old Lacedemonian, who had coloured his haires, discouered his head in a great as∣sembly, & made a declaration of such mat∣ters, about which he came. Archidamus the King, rose vp & sayd, VVhat truth can this fel∣low speake, whose heart is stayned with spots of hypocrisie and double dealing. Aelianus.

Eurydamas a wrastler, when his teeth were dashed out by his aduersary, hee dissembled his paine, and swollowed downe his teeth, blood & all, to the end, that hee which gaue the blow, might not perceaue the mischiefe.

Cleomenes, had a companion, whom hee made pertaker of a purpose he had to accō∣plish, to whom he swore that he would at∣tempt

nothing, but Archonides should be at one end thereat, when hee had gotten what hee desired, he murthered his companion, cut his head from his shoulders, & layd it in a bason of honey: so when he put any deuice in aduenture, he looked vpon his head in the bason, saying, I breake not my promise, but I stand to my oath, for I take counsaile with Ar∣chonides head, according to my couenant. Aeli∣anus.

Meton the Astronomer counterfaited him∣selfe mad, and set his owne house on fire, be∣cause he would not goe with the Grecians their voyage into Sicilia.

Cato was so renowned for his truth, that when any man rehearsed a strange thing, and hard to be beleeued, this prouerbe went of him, because he was knowne throughout the whole course of his life, to be a louer of truth, This is not credible although Cato himselfe shold speake it.

Aristomenes, when he was dead and vnbo∣welled, his hart was hairy, which was a sure signe of his craft & subtilty.

Brutus dissembled himselfe a foole, to the end that men shold haue no mistrust of him, nor bee priuy to the greatnes of his cou∣rage.

Ariston, being in loue with Agetus wyfe, found this fraud to get her frō her husband, hee promised Agetus to giue him any one thing that he would choose, of all that euer he had, praying him to doe the like for him againe; Ariston agreed and swore it, Ariston discharged his promise out of hand, & forth∣with demaunded Agetus wife, who because of his oath deliuered her.

He that bare the office of the chiefe Iudge in Aegipt, did weare an Image of truth hang∣ing at his breast, which picture was had in sin∣guler estimation of the Druides.

One when truce was taken with the enemy for 30. daies, ouercame his land in the night, because the truce was taken for dayes and not nights. Cicero.

Q. Fab. Labeo, being by the Romaine Se∣nate, appoynted dayes-man betweene the Nolanes & Neapolitanes, about the bownds of theyr land, did commune with eyther of them a part, and being come to the place, perswaded them rather to set backe, then to encroach vpon an other, which when eyther of thē had don, there was a parcell of ground left in the midst, then he caused their bownds to be staked out, and the middle part he ad∣iudged to the people of Rome. Idem lib. offic.

Anniball, amongst the Carthagenians, and Q. Maximus of the Romaines, had meruai∣lous cunning in cloaking, keeping, dissem∣bling, making stales, and in preuenting the deuises of the enemy. Cicero.

Amongst the Greekes, Themistocles the Athenian, and Iason the Phaereian, excel∣led in this kind. Cicero.

A Syrian slaue in Sicily, after a mad sort ra∣ging with a desire to make a rebellion, pre∣tended a religion of dooing honour to the Goddesse of Syria, and called bond-men to liberty and armes, and that he might seeme to doe that by the will of God, he held a nut in his mouth stuffed with Surphure and fire, the which when he he spake, did cast foorth flames. P. Diaconus.

Twēty thousand of the Celtaebrians broght braunches of Olyue like petitioners, asking pardon, which comming nigh the Romains, gaue a violent onset on thē, Gracchus went from the campe of purpose, and made as though he fled, and whilst they were about the spoile, hee returned and killed many of them, recouering Complega. Appian.

Vlisses was not so wily, but he was matched by Palmedes, and his dissembled madnes dis∣couered.

Caesar, when he could not condemne one for any sufficient & probable crime, he made him away by some secret meanes, and some were dispatched in his armies by treachery & attempts, wrought against them by those of theyr owne side: this deceite was cruell. Diodorus.

The Achaians, a people of Greece, did al∣together condemne pollicies & stratagems in warre, accounting of them as of subtilties, because they thought that no victory was ei∣ther of any renowne or certainty, except they had in open fight ouercome their ene∣mies, by an assigned battaile. Polybius.

Marius, a rich Cittizen of Rome, who by Augustus got all his wealth, alwayes sayde, that he would make him his onely heyre, which hee vowed to the Emperour the day before he dyed, after whose death was found, that in all his wil he had not made once men∣tion of Augustus.