Beautiful blossomes, gathered by Iohn Byshop, from the best trees of all kyndes, diuine, philosophicall, astronomicall, cosmographical, historical, & humane, that are growing in Greece, Latium, and Arabia, and some also in vulgar orchards, as wel fro[m] those that in auncient time were grafted, as also from them which haue with skilful head and hand beene of late yeares, yea, and in our dayes planted: to the vnspeakable, both pleasure and profite of all such wil vouchsafe to vse them. The first tome

The xxvi. Chapter. Of Commodus.

BVt what penne can display the conti∣nuall hofulnesse of Commodus, a God without Martiall glory? howe greate a number of conspiracies were there made to deliuer the people of Rome from the bondage of this tirant? from howe many good men tooke he life away, to prolong his owne hated yeres? It is left in memorie, that he left not any man aliue that was in authoritie, eyther in his fa∣thers, or the beginning of his owne reigne, but Pompey∣anus, Pertinax, & Ʋictorius. He became so fearfull, that he durst let no body eyther clip his haire, or shaue his berd, but burnt them off him selfe with a flaming coale. And yet this warinesse could not saue him from being poyso∣ned by his minion Martia: and being sicke thereof, and layde vpon his bed, from being strangled by Narcissus, in the twelfe yeare of his reigne, and one and thirtie of his age. But the iust anger of the Senate, and people, became so hot against him after he was deade, that they all cried out with one voice vnto Pertinax his successor: Heare, O Caesar, wée desire thée, that all honours may be taken away from the enimie of his countrie, that all ho∣nours may be taken awaye from the parici••e: we re∣quest, O Caesar, that the enimie of the Goddes, the sword player, the butcher may be drawn along the channels of the citie with an hooke: Let him that was more cruell then Domitian, and more filthy then Nero, be drawne a∣long the channels with an hooke. He that murthered all sortes of men, let him be drawne among the channels with an hooke. He that spoyled the temples, let him be drawne along the channels with an hooke, and throwne into Tyber. But Pertinax, who had caused his body to be priuily buried in the night, desiered them, séeing that his body was already buried, not to meddle with it: al∣though they cryed out it was vniustly buried: and ther∣fore

it ought to be taken vp againe, but the Emperour would not permit them to doe any vilanie vnto his bo∣dy but to breake downe al statuies, and monuments of him, and to abrogate al things before decréed for his ho∣nour, and to abolish his name out of all places, as well publike as priuate. Thus the thrée Romane Emperors that woulde néedes vniustly be adored for Gods while they were aliue: not only lost the honour of being cano∣nized for Gods after death (the which was common vn∣to the rest of their predecessours and successours) but al∣so the due funerals of a noble man: although I do reade that Seuerus to anger the Senate (whome he hated) did afterward canonize Commodus for a God, and cōmaun∣ded his byrth day to be kept holy.