The theatre of Gods judgements wherein is represented the admirable justice of God against all notorious sinners ... / collected out of sacred, ecclesiasticall, and pagan histories by two most reverend doctors in divinity, Thomas Beard ... and Tho. Taylor ...

CHAP. XXIX. Other examples like unto the former.

MArie of Arragon, wife to Otho the third, was so unchast and lascious a woman, and withall barren (for they com∣monly * 1.1 goe together) that she could never satisfie her unsatiable lust · she carried about with her continual∣ly a young lecher in womans clothes to attend upon her person, with whom she daily committed filthinesse: who being suspected, was in the presence of many, un∣tyred, and found to be a man; for which villany hee was burnt to death. Howbeit the Empresse, though pardoned for her fault, returned to her old vomit, and continued her wanton traffique with more than either desired or loved her company: at last she fell in love with the County of Mutina, a gallant man in personage, and too honest to be allu∣red with her stale, though he was often solicited by her: wherefore like a Tvgre she accused him to the Emperour (for extreame love converts to ex∣treame hatred if it be crossed of offering to ravish her against her will; for which cause the Emperour Otho caused him to lose his head: but his wife

being privy to the innocency of her husband, traversed his cause, and re∣quired justice, that though his life was lost, yet his reputation might bee preserved: and to prove his innocency, she miraculously handled Iron red with heat without any hurt; which when the Emperour saw, searching out the cause very narrowly he found out his wives villany, and for her paines caused her to be burned at a stake, but on the Earles wife he bestowed great rewards, even foure Castles in recompence of her husband, though no re∣ward could countervaile that so great a losse.

Rodoaldus the eighth King of Lumbardy being taken in Adultery even in the fact, by the husband of the Adulteresse, was slaine without delay. Anno * 1.2 659. In like sort, Iohn Malatesta slew his wife and the Adulterer together, when he tooke them amidst their embracements. So did one Lodowicke, steward of Normandy, kill his wife Carlotta and her lover Iohn Lavernus, as they were in bed together.

Hedion in his Chronicle telleth of a Doctor of the Law that loved his Proctors wife, with whom as he acquainted himselfe over familiarly and un∣honestly, * 1.3 both at her owne house, when her husband was absent, and at a bath in an olde womans house hard by, the Proctor watched their haunt so neere, that he caught them naked together in the bath, and so curried the lecherous Doctor with a curry-combe, that he scraped out his eyes, and cut off his privy members; so that within three dayes after he dyed: his wife he spared, because she was with childe, otherwise she should have tasted the same sauce.

Another storie like unto this he telleth of a Popish Priest, that never left to lay siege to the chastity of an honest Matron, till she condescending to his desire, brought him into the snare, and caused her husband to geld him. I would to God that all that dishonour their profession by filthy acti∣ons might be served after the same manner, that there might be fewer ba∣stards and bauds and common strumpets than there are now adaies, and that since the feare of God is extinguished in their soules, the feare and certain∣ty of sudden judgements might restraine them.

Wolfius Schrenk reported to Martin Luther, how in Vaitland foure mur∣ders were committed upon the occasion of one Adultery; for whilest the Adulteresse strumpet was banqueting with her lovers, her husband came in with a hunting speare in his hand, and struck him through that sat next un∣to her, and then her also; other two in the mean while leapt downe staires with feare and haste, broke their armes and shortly after dyed.

A certaine Cardinall committed daily Adultery with a mans wife, that * 1.4 winked and as it were subscribed unto it: wherefore her brother taking this dishonour to his house in evill part, watched when the lecher had promised to come, but upon occasion came not, and in the darke slew his sister and her husband, supposing it to have been the Cardinall: but when he per∣ceived his errour, he fled the countrey for feare of the Law: Howbeit, be∣fore his departure he wrought such meanes, that whom he missed in his pur∣pose of the sword, him he murdered by poyson. This judgement is not on∣ly for Adulterers, but for Wittals also, that yeeld their consents to the dishonouring of their owne wives; a monstrous kinde of creatures, and de∣generate not only from the law of humanity, but of nature also.

Martin Luther hath left recorded in his writings many examples of judge∣ments on this sin, but especially upon Clergy men, whose profession as it

requireth a more strict kinde of conversation, so their sins and judgements were more notorious, both in their owne natures, and in the eye and opini∣on of the world, some of which, as it is not amisse to insert in this place, so it is not unnecessary to beleeve them, proceeding from the mouth of so wor∣thy a witnesse.

There was (saith he) a man of great authority and learning, that forsa∣king his secular life, betooke himselfe into the Colledge of Priests (whe∣ther * 1.5 of devotion, or of hope of liberty to sin, let them judge that reade this history) this new adopted Priest fell in love with a Masons wife, whom hee so wooed, that he got his pleasure of her; and what fitter time but when Masse was singing did he daily chuse for the performing of his villany? In this haunt he persisted a long season, till the Mason finding him in bed with his wife, did not summon him to law nor penance, but tooke a shorter course and cut his throat.

Another Nobleman in Thuringa being taken in adultery, was murther∣ed after this strange fashion by the Adulteresses husband; he bound him * 1.6 hand and foot and cast him into prison; and to quench his lust, seeing that Ceres, that is, gluttony, is the fewell of Venus, that is, lust, denied him all manner of sustenance, and the more to augment his paine, set hot dishes of meate before him, that the smell and sight thereof might more provoke his appetite, and the want thereof torment him more. In this torture the wretched lecher abode so long, untill he gnew off the flesh from his owne shoulders, and the eleventh day of his imprisonment ended his life. His punishment was most horrible, and too too severe in respect of the infli∣cter, yet most just in respect of God, whose custome is to proportion his judgements to the quality of the sin that is committed. Luther affirmeth this to have hapned in his childhood, and that both the parties were known unto him by name, which for honor and charity sake he would not discose.

There was another nobleman that so delighted in lust, and was so inor∣dinate in his desires, that he shamed not to say, that if his life of pleasure, * 1.7 and passing from harlot to harlot might endure ever, he would not care for heaven or life eternall. What cursed madnesse and impiety is this? a man to be so forgetfull of his Maker and himselfe, that he preferred his whores before his Saviour, and his filthy pleasure before the grace of God? Doth it not deserve to be punished with Scorpions? Yes verily, as it was indeed; for the polluted wretch dyed amongst his strumpets, being strucken with a sudden stroke of Gods vengeance.

In the yeare 1505. a certaine Bishop well seen in all learning and elo∣quence, and especially skilfull in languages, was notwithstanding so filthy in his conversation, that he shamed not to defile his body and name with many adulteries: but at length he was slaine by a Cobler, whose wife hee had often corrupted, being taken in bed with her, and so received a due re∣ward of his filthinesse.

In the yeare of our Lord 778. Kenulphus King of the West Saxons in Britaine, as he usually haunted the company of a certaine harlot which hee * 1.8 kept at Merton, was slaine by one Clito the kinsmun of Sigebert that was late King.

Sergus a King of Scotland was so foule a drunkard and glutton, and so outragiously given to harlots, that he neglected his owne wife, and drove * 1.9 her to such penury, that she was faine to serve other noble-women for her

living; wherefore she murthered him in his bed, and after slew her selfe also.

Arichbertus eldest son unto Lotharius King of France, dyed even as hee was embracing his whores.

In summe to conclude this matter, our English Chronicles report, that in the yeare of our Lord 349, there was so great a plenty of corne and fruit in Britaine, that the like had not been seene many yeares before: but this was the cause of much idlenesse, gluttony, lechery, and other vices in the land: (For usually case and prosperity are the nurses of all enormity:) but the Lord requited this their riotous and incontinent life with so great a pe∣stilence and mortality, that the living scantly sufficed to bury the dead.

Petrarch maketh mention of a certaine Cardinall, that though hee was * 1.10 seventy yeares old, yet every night, would have a fresh whore, and to this end had certaine bauds purveyours and providers of his trash: but he dyed a miserable and wretched death. And Martin Luther reported, that a bishop being a common frequenter of the stewes in Hidelberg, came to this mist∣rable end; the boards of the chamber whither he used to enter went loosen∣ed, that as soone as he came in he slipped through and broke his neck.

But above all, that which we finde written in the second booke of Fince∣lius * 1.11 is most strange and wonderfull, of a priest in Albenthewer, a towne neare adjoyning to Gaunt in Flanders, that perswaded a young maid to re∣ject and disobey all her parents godly admonitions, and to become his con∣cubine: when she objected how vile a sin it was, and how contrary to the Law of God, he told her, that by the authority of the Pope, he could dis∣pence with any wickednesse, were it never so great, and further alledged the discommodities of marriage, and the pleasure that would arise from that kinde of life: in fine, he conquered her vertuous purpose, and made her yeeld unto his filthy lust. But when they had thus pampered their desires together a while, in came the devill, and would needs conclude the play: for as they were banquetting with many such like companions, he tooke her away from the Priests side, and notwithstanding her pittifull crying and all their exorcising and conjuring, carried her quite away, telling the Priest that very shortly he would, fetch him also, for he was his owne darling.

I may not here passe over in silence an Irish history, famous both for * 1.12 notorious villany, and excellent in justice; wherein we may see by the adultery of one filthy Fryer occasion given not only of much bloodshed, but of the ruine of a famous City, called Rosse, scituate in Leinster. This City being first an unwalled towne, was (to prevent the sudden invasion of the Irish) compassed about with a large and strong wall, by the advice and charges of one Rose, a chaste widdow and bountifull Gentlewoman: This Rose had issue three sons, who being bolstered out by their mothers wealth and their owne traffique, made divers prosperous voyages into far coun∣tries: but as one of the three chapmen was employed in his traffique abroad, so the pretty poppet his wise began to play the harlot at home, and that with none but a fat religious cloysterer of the towne: they wallowed so long in this stinking puddle, that suspition began to creepe into mens braines, and from suspition the matter was so apparent, that it grew to plaine proofe: her unfortunate husband was no sooner come home, but notice hereof was blowne in his eares, so that with griefe and anger he grew (for such is the nature of jealous••e) almost starke mad; and not only he, but

the whole towne took themselves as extreamely wronged by this shamefull fact: whereupon divers of them conspiring together, agreed (as being a deed of charity) to grub away such wilde shrubs from the towne, and so flocking together in the dead of the night to the Abbey, wherein this Fryet was cloystered (the monument of which Abbey is yet to be seen at Rosse on the South side) they undersparred the gates, and breaking open the doores, stabbed the Adulterer, with the rest of the Covent, through with their weapons; where they left them goaring in their blood, and gasping up their ghosts in their couches: a cruell act, I must needs confesse, in the ex∣ecutioners; who being carried away with private revenge, had no measure in their cruelty; but yet a just vengeance upon the executed, that harboured and maintained so wretched a person: but secret and deep are the judge∣ments of God, who punisheth one sin with another, and maketh one wicked man a rod to plague another, and after casteth the rod also into the fire: for so did he here; stirring up the rest of the Clergy to be a meanes to punish this cruelty: for when as these three brethren not long after sped them∣selves into some far countrey to continue their trade, the religious men be∣ing informed of their returne homeward, every night did not misse to set a lantorne on the top of a high rock (which was used to be set upon the Hulk tower, a notable marke for Pilots, in directing them which way to sterne their Ships, and to eschew the danger of the rockes, which are there very plentifull) and so by this practise these three passengers bearing saile with a good winde, made right upon the lantorne, supposing it had been the Hulk tower, and so ere they were aware their Ship was dasht upon the rockes, and all the passengers over-whirled in the Sea. And thus was Adultery pu∣nished with cruelty, and cruelty with treason: but see the end; upon this there grew so great quarrels and discontentments between the townesmen and the religious, the one cursing the other, that the estate of that flourish∣ing towne was turned upside downe, and from abundance of prosperity, quite exchanged to extreame penury.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Munst. Cosmog lib. 3.

  Casp. Hed. Mist. Ecclesiast.
• * 1.2

  Chron. Philip. Melanct lib. 3.
• * 1.3

  Casp. Hed. part. 4.
• * 1.4

  Theatr. histor.
• * 1.5

  Luther in E∣pist. consolat ad Lucum Cra∣nach.
• * 1.6

  Luther.
• * 1.7

  Luther. Mandat. 1. Atheisme, Lib. 1. cap. 25.
• * 1.8

  Lanquet. Chr.
• * 1.9

  The same.
• * 1.10

  Petrarch.
• * 1.11

  Iob Fincel. Lib. 2.
• * 1.12

  Holinshed.