Unparalleld varieties: or, The matchless actions and passions of mankind.: Displayed in near four hundred notable instances and examples. Discovering the transcendent effects; I. Of love, friendship, and gratitude. II. Of magnanimity, courage, and fidelity. III. Of chastity, temperance, and humility. And on the contrary the tremendous consequences, IV. Of hatred, revenge, and ingratitude. V. Of cowardice, barbarity, treachery. VI. Of unchastity, intemperance, and ambition. : Imbellished with proper figures. / By R.B. ...

I. The first I shall mention, is partly Comical, as well as Tragical. A Knight of Eminent Fame, and of great nore with Henry the Fifth, King of England, as be∣ing personally with him in all his Wars in France; after the King had conquered, and setled that Kingdom, this noble Englishman retired himself into his own Country; he had a Lady of such beauty, as attracted the Eyes of all men, who residing with her Husband in the City of Norwich, he after so many troubles and adventures, re∣solved to lead a more sequestred life, and next to the pleasure of his fair Consort, he desired to lead a con∣templative life, and being very rich, according to the Devotion of that Age, by the direction of the Priests, he resolved to build a handsome Church near his own House, which they said would be for the benefit of his Soul, and likewise a Convent, allowing maintenance to an Abbot, and twelve Fryers; having finished them, there were two of the Friers, one called Fryer John, the other Fryer Richard, who were at continual variance and enmity to each other, and could not by any media∣tion be reconciled; it was the dayly Custom of this Knight and Lady to rise every morning early to Mattins, or Prayers, and she being of an affable, and courteous disposition to all Persons, this good humour of hers bred a strange uncivil boldness in Fryer John, so that she ne∣ver

came through the Cloyster, but he was still attend∣ing her with many bows, cringes, and complements, and she suspecting nothing, returned him Thanks again, which so far incouraged the Fryer, that he made him∣self suspected by his Fellows, who as much as they durst, whispered it about the Convent; he still growing more confident, presumed at last to write to her, wherein he at large discovered his violent Passion for her; this Letter with great difficulty he conveyed to the Ladies hands, who being much surprized that such lascivious∣ness should proceed from one that vowed, and professed Chastity, and not being certain, but that it might be a design of her Husband to try her Virtue, she thereupon resolves, that to prevent her Honour from being called in question, she would discover the whole intrigue to her Lord, which she had no sooner done, but he began to repent him of his former Charity in regard of this so great Ingratitude; yet meditating Revenge, he writes an answer to this Letter, to which he commands his Wife to set her hand to this effect; that she was very compassionate of his Love, and that such a night her Husband being to ride toward London, he should be ad∣mit•…•…, lodged, and entertained according to his own desire; the Fryer received this Letter with extream Joy, and providing himself with clean linnen, a perfu∣med Nightcap, and other necessaries, he exactly ob∣serves the time and place, and is accordingly admitted by the Lady her self alone, and conveyed to a private Chamber, where he was no sooner entred, but in came the Knight and his Man, and in great fury, without gi∣ving him the least time either to call for help to the House, or to Heaven, they strangled the lustful Fryer, and left him dead upon the place, this deed was no soo∣ner done, and his rage somewhat appeased, but he be∣gan to consider the horrour, and danger of the Fact, both as to his life and Estate, and after several projects betwixt him and his Servant, they concluded some way or other to have his body conveyed back into the Mon∣astery; it being divided from his own House only by a

Brick-wall, & finding a Ladder hard by, the man mounts it with the dead Fryer on his back, and sits with him astride on the wall, then drawing up the Ladder, and letting it down on the other side, he descends down in∣to the Convent, where espying the House of Office, he sets the Body thereon as upright as possible; and so leaves it; and conveys himself over the wall again (but for hast forgot the Ladder,) and tells his Master, how, and where he had bestowed the Fryer, at which being better satisfied, they both retired to Bed; all being con∣cealed both from the Lady, and the rest of the Family, who were fast asleep; it happened at the fame instant that Fryer Richard being much troubled with a loose∣ness in his Body, had occasion to rise, and being some∣what hastily, and unhandsomely taken, he hasts to the House of Office, where by the light of the Moon he es∣pied some Body before him, and therefore contained himself as long as he was able, but finding there was no Remedy, he first called, and then intreated to come a∣way, but hearing no body answer, he imagined into be done on purpose, and the rather, because coming nea∣rer, he plainly perceived it was Fryer John his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ad∣versary, who the louder he called, seemed the less to hear; loth he was to play the sloven in the yard because the whole Convent had taken notice of a cold he had got, and how it then wrought with him; therefore judg∣ing this pretended deafness was out of spight, and ma∣lice, on purpose to shame him, he snatcht up a Brickbat to be revenged, and striking his Adversary full upon the Breast, down tumbles Fryer John without life or mo∣tion; which he seeing, thought at first to r••ise him up, but after many Trials, finding him to be stone dead he verily believes that he had killed him; what shall he do now? The Gates are fast locked; and fly for his life he could not, but as sudden extremities sometimes create sudden shifts, he espying the Ladder against the wall, presently apprehends what had been whispered of Fryer Johns love to the Knights Lady, and lifting him on his Shoulders, by the help of the same Ladder

he carries him into the Porch of the Knights Hall, and there sets him, afterward secretly conveying himself back into the Monastery the same way he came, not in the least suspected by any; while this was doing the Knight being perplexed, and troubled in Conscience, could by no means sleep, but calls up his Man, and bids him go listen about the walls of the Monastery; forth he goes out of his Masters Chamber, and having passed the length of the Hall, designing to go through the yard, he finds Fryer John sitting upright in the Porch, and star∣ting at the sight, he runs back affrighted, and almost distracted, and speechless, tells the news to his Master, who being no less astonished, could not believe it to be so, but rather his mans Fantasy, till he himself went down, and became an Eye-witness of this strange ob∣ject. At which, being extreamly concerned, he ressects on himself, that murder is one of the crying sins, and such a one as cannot be concealed; yet recollecting his Spirits, he resolves to try a desperate adventure, and put the discovery upon chance; he remembers he had an old Stallion then in his Stable, one of those he had used in Service in the French Wars, and likewise a rusty Armour in his Armory, these he commands instantly to be brought, with a Case of rusty Pistols, and a Lance; the Horse is sadled, and Caparison'd, the Armour is put upon the Fryer, and he fast bound in his Seat with strong new Cords, the Lance is tied to his wrist, and the lower end put into the rest, his Head-piece is clas∣ped on, and his Beaver is put up; being thus accoutred like a Knight compleatly armed Cap-a-pe, they designed to turn him out of the Gates, both he and his Horse, without any Page or Esquire, to try a new Adventure; whilst these things were thus fitting, Fryer Richard in the Monastery was no less perplexed in his mind, than the Knight about the Murther, and much dreading the strictness of the Law, summons all his wits about him, to prevent the worst, and at length concludes with him∣self, that it is his best, and safest way to fly for his life; he likewise remembers that there was in the Fryery a

Mare imployed to carry Corn to, and from the Mill, which was about half a mile from the Monastery, and being somewhat fat, and doubting his own footmanship, he thinks it better to trust to four legs, then two, and therefore calls up the Baker that had the charge of the Beast, and tells him, he understands that there was Meal that morning to be fetcht from the Mill, which was grin∣ded by that time; therefore if he would let him have the Mare, he would save him that labour, and bring it back before morning; the Fellow being willing to save so much pains, caused the back Gate to be opened; the Fryer gets up, and rides out of the Monastery Gate, just at that instant when the Knight and his Man had turned out the Fryer on Horseback to seek his fortune, the Horse presently scents the Mare, and after her he gallops; Fryer Richard looking back, was amazed to see an armed Knight follow him, & much more when by the light of the Moon, and the Beaver flying up, he percei∣ved that it was Fryer John who was thus armed, and thereupon away flies he through the Streets; and after him, or rather after the Mare, speeds the Horse; a great noise there was in the City, insomuch that many being awakened out of their morning sleep, looked out at their Windows; at length it was Fryer Richards ill fate to ride into a certain turn-again Lane, which had no passage through; there Fryer John overtakes him, the Stone-Horse covers the Mare, which causes a terri∣ble noise among the rusty Armour; Fryer Richards guil∣ty conscience accuses him, and he cries out aloud, Guilty of the Murder; at the noise of Murder, the People being amazed, ran out of their Beds into the Street, they ap∣prehend Miracles, and he confesses Wonders, but with∣al, he freely tells them of the horrid, and inhumane Act he had committed in murdering one of his own Con∣vent; the former Grudge that was between them is generally known, and the apparent Justice of Heaven the rather believed, Fryer John is dismounted, and sent to his Grave, Fryer Richard is committed to Prison, he is Arraigned, and in pursuance of his own Confession,

is condemned. But before his Execution, the Knight knowing his own guilt, and concern in the business, he posts instantly to the King, makes his voluntary Con∣fession, and hath his life, and estate for his former good Services, granted to him; Fryer Richard is released, and this notable Accident still remains upon Record. Hist. Women.