A mirrour or looking-glasse both for saints and sinners held forth in about two thousand examples wherein is presented as Gods wonderful mercies to the one, so his severe judgments against the other collected out of the most classique authors both ancient and modern with some late examples observed by my self : whereunto are added the wonders of nature and the rare ... / by Sa. Clark ...

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.

Cham for mocking the nakednesse of his father Noah, [ 1] was cursed by him. Gen. 9. 25.

Absalom for rebelling against his father David, was [ 2] hanged by his head, and thrust through by Joab, 2 Sam. 18.

Adramelech, and Sharaser that slew their father Sen∣nacherib [ 3] 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, con∣spired [ 4] 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. Greg. of Tour. lib. 4.

Anno Christi 1461. there was in Juchi neere [ 5] Cambray an unnatural son that in a fury threw his mo∣ther 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 [ 6] 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 [ 7] 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 [ 8] man that kept his father in his old age, but used him very currishly, as if he had been his slave, thinking eve∣ry 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 [ 9] 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 appre∣hended for felony, and condemned to be hanged: be∣ing 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 [ 10] Plantaginet, and Maud the Emperesse, after he had reigned twenty yeares, made his young son Henry (who had married Margaret, the French Kings daugh∣ter,) 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 o∣thers, he took Armes, and fought often with his fa∣ther, who still put him to the worst: So that this re∣bellious son at last was fain to stoop, and ask forgive∣nesse of his father, which he gently granted, and for∣gave 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, Empe∣rour [ 11] 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 Du∣cas for their Emperour, who hearing of Diogenes his returne, sent Andronicus to meet him, who unnatural∣ly plucked out his fathers eyes, and applying no mede∣cines thereto, wormes bred in the holes; which eating into his braines, killed him. Zonaras.

Adolf, son of Arnold, Duke of Guelders, repining at [ 12] 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 Nether∣lands.

One Garret, a Frenchman, and a Protestant by pro∣fession, [ 13] but given to all manner of vices, was by his fa∣ther cast off for his wickednesse: yet found entertain∣ment 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 plot∣ted 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 ac∣quaintance 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 [ 14] 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 fa∣thers 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 daughter of Sp. Tarpeius betrayed her [ 15] 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 de∣manded 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) up∣on her, they crushed her to death.

Romulus ordained no punishment for Parrioide, be∣cause [ 16]

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 hei∣nousnesse 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 Per∣sia, [ 17] 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 altoge∣ther put to death, that so none might remain of so wicked a breed. Diod. Sic.

Servius Tullius the 6th. King of the Romanes, married [ 18] 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 A∣grippina, [ 19] when they came into her chamber, she see∣ing 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 de∣served 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, be∣held 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 where∣of, 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 mo∣ther, his blood shall be upon him,

Lev. 20. 9.