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THere be that wil carry fire in one hand, and water in the other, they wyl playe Ait, Aio: Nega••, Nego: they leaue Trueth, Iustice, and Equitie, and playe the Englishe Collier, who firste mette Kyng Henrie the sixth hys souldiours, and was beaten of them, for that he sayde
he serued King Edward the fourth, nexte hée met King Edward the fourth his souldiors, and was beatē of them, for that he said he serued King Hen∣ry the sixth: afterwarde he met a third hand of men, to whome he aunswe∣red he serued ye diuel, who when they bid him be gone in ye diuels name, hée said so he woulde: quoth he, I haue bin beaten of Henries men & Edwards men, for aunswering that I serued the one and then the other, and nowe I haue saide I serue the Diuel I go without daunger. If Papistrie bée to be reiected for their errors, and the Gospel hindered by slender regarde, to what law shall men become obedient. He is happy that hath not a Nim∣rod a Nero, or a Naaman, a tyrant to controll him, an ill neighbour to ac∣cuse him, nor thanklesse people that wil not beléeue him. Vesper Manleus.
Domitian the brother of Titus, and sonne of Vespasian, was the thir∣téenth Emperour of the Romaines in the beginning of his soueraintie he was dayly wont to take one secreate houre to himselfe wherein he did no∣thing else but catch flies, and sticke them with a bodkin: from whom when vpō a time he came forth, he was asked whether there was any body with Cae•••• or no: he answered in iest no body not so much as a fly, he was also more like Nero and Caligula, than his father Vespalian or hys brother: he was accompted more sober in his youth: but immediately he fell to greate vices, to leachery, slouthfulnesse, and crueltie, and slewe many of his No∣bles, and many he banished: yet he restored very many moste godly buil∣dings consumed with fire, but all onely vnder his title, and withoute anye memorie of the firste Author: he ministred Iustice diligently and careful∣ly, and caused the Libraries that were burned to be repaired with greate cost, in sending men to Alexandrî•• to coppy out newe bookes: at length by false crimes, he got himselfe so much hatred, that almoste he abolished hys father and mothers name, and grewe to that madnesse, that he commaun∣ded himself to be called, written, and worshipped as Lord and God, finally, Gods vengeaunce falling vpon him, his men slewe him in his Chamber, but his carcasse without any honor was carryed by the Béeremen, and bu∣ried yt yere of his age 35. of his Empyre ••5. His stature: he was tall, of mo∣dest countenaunce, and very red, great eies, moreouer faire, chiefly in his youth.
When the Locrentians foughte againste the Crotoniensians, an Eagle fléeing ouer, broughte the lucky sequele of victorie.
As Hiero was going to the battayle an Eagle vpon the sodaine ligh∣ting on his Target, gaue token that he shoulde be King.
At the birth of Alexander the great, two Eagles sitting on the house al the day, did portend or bode him the lucke of a double Empire, to wéete of Asi. and Europe.
Laelius, Pompei•• Embassador in Spaine was slaine among heardmē: that destiny a Hawke fléeing ouer his heade is saide to haue foretolde him,
and of the Hawke (a foreshewer of death or strife) Ouid recordeth.
Odimus accipitrem, quia semper viuit in armis,
that is:
The hawke we hate, bycause he stil doth liue in war.
When Liui•• was greate with Childe with Tiberius, shée tooke an egge from a Hen, and kept it so long warm in hir bosome, that she hatched a Cock chickē, which became a goodly cōbed Cock: whervpō the southsaiers interpreted, that the Boye that was to be borne shoulde bée a Kyng, or Ruler.
Cicero writeth, that at Thebaida the Cockes crowing al the nyghte long, did forshewe the Boetians theyr victorie againste the Lacedemonians: whyche the Augurers or Southsayers did thus interprete, bycause that byrde beyng conquered holdeth his peace, but if he ouercome he cro∣weth.
A Snake créeping into the Palaice, did foreshewe Tarquinius hys fall.
Two Snakes were founde in the bedde of Sempronius Gracchus: whervpon it was tolde hym by the southsayer, that if he did let go the male or the female, he or his wife shoulde shortly dye: He preferring his wiues life before his owne, slue the male and let the female goe, and within few dayes after he dyed.
In the foundation of the Citie of Rome the heade of a man was foūd with the face whole, which did presage the greatnesse of the Empire, and gaue name to the Capitoll.
The souldiours of Brutus fighting against Octauius and M. Antoni∣us, founde at the gate of their tentes a Negro, whome althoughe they slue forthwyth as an augury or diuination of ill Fortune, yet they fought with ill successe, and both the Captaines Brutus and Cassius came to destru∣ction.
To méete a Moncke is commonly accoumpted vnluckye, and the ra∣ther if it be in the morning, bycause that kinde of men liueth for the moste part by Mortuaries or dead mens deuotions, as Vultures or Cormorants do by carrion.
He which is an interpreter of monstrous things, Prodigies, and wonders, muste be a good coniecturer or diuinour of similitudes, and a cu∣rious searcher of the affayres of those princes and prouinces whiche were at that time: for suche care haue the heauenly creatures of Princes, people and prouinces, or Countreyes alone, that they are taughte and admoni∣shed by the Starres, by wonders and straunge sightes, more than by o∣ther things. And if in time past some suche thing or the like hath appeared,
a man ought to consider it, and what followed therevpon, and according to the same or the like to foretell, for one token maye be like another, and the like expoundeth the like. So, straunge tokens haue gone before the byrth, or the deathe of manye worthye menne and Kings: as Cicero declareth of Midas, into whose mouthe Antes or Mothes carryed wheate cornes when he was afléepe, whiche was a good and luckye token of greate riches. So when Plato was asléepe in his Cradle, Bées satte on hys mouthe, whiche foreshewed the swéetenesse of his spéeche. Before Hecu∣ba broughte sorth Paris, she dreamed that she was deliuered of a burning Torche whyche didde sette Troye and all Asia on fire. Phalaris Mother thoughte manye tymes that the Image of MERCVRIE did po∣wer out bloude vpon the grounde, wherewith the whole house was o∣uerflowen.
One Maister George Werke, a fellowe then in the Quéenes Col∣ledge in Cambridge, after he was Vickar of Harowe on the Hil, (whyche thing he saide to be true, in a Marchauntes house in London, whiche was his special friend, and sent for him to giue counsaile vnto the same person.) reporteth yt a yong man that was Prentice vsed to sweare for his common othe, by the bones of GOD, or by Gods bones: And it came to passe that he was taken wyth a greate and maruellous sickenesse, so that no phi∣sicke nor medicine coulde helpe hym, but that hée laye pyning in hys bed so long, vntill the fleshe of hys armes, bodye, and legges, didde de∣uide in sunder, as if he hadde bene slytte wyth a knyfe: whereby the ve∣rye bones appearing, made knowne the iuste punishment of God against impious blasphemers of hys pretious bodye. And shortelye after the yong manne throughe diligente perswasion, became patiente and so dyed.
When the kings of the Scythians vnderstoode that Darius was in very greate wante, they sente vnto him a Heralde wyth these presentes, to wit, a Byrde, a Mouse, a Frogge, and fiue arrowes. The Persians asked hym whyche broughte the presents, what they signifyed: he saide that he hadde none other commaundemente but to returne verye spéedilye, when he had deliuered them: Notwithstanding he bidde the Persians if they were skilfull, to interprete what those giftes ment: when the Persians hearde thys, they toke aduise among themselues, and the opinion of Darius was, that the Scythians woulde yéelde themselues, and their lande and wa∣ter vnto hym, coniecturing it by thys meanes, bycause the mouse is bredde in the grounde, and liued by the same that men doe, and the Frogge is fostered in the water, but the Byrde is lykened to a horsse, and by giuing the arrowes, bycause they séemed to yéelde themselues. But Gobria▪ one of
the seauen, that put down the Magi, did coniecture that these giftes had this meaning: wherefore he saide, oh yée Persians. vnlesse yée become as byrdes and flye vppe into the ayre, or as Mice and go vnder the grounde, or as Frogges leape into standing Waters, yée shall not returne from whence yée came, beyng slayne by these Arrowes, and truelye hée hytte the nayle on the heade. HERODOTVS, GESNERE, Fo∣lio, 826.
About fourtie yeares paste at Lipsia, a wicked fellowe at a Village [ 1540] neare thereto called Colegarien, slue a householder and his wife, with their children, and taking their money fledde awaye. Afterwarde when he was taken and shoulde be executed at Lypsia, he sayde that he satte almoste thrée dayes in the darke vnder the Steares, without meate or drincke, and toke aduisement with himselfe, whether he shoulde committe that mur∣der or not, and withhelde himselfe a long time from so greate a wicked∣nesse: but hée saide at length he hearde a voyce whispering, fac, fac, far, fort, far fort, with the whiche voyce he was wickedly inspired and stirred vp to go foreward. That doubtlesse was the voyce of the Diuel. When he had committed this haynous offence he could not flye: so afterward he was executed. Manlius.
Manlius receiued from a frend of his letters out of Austria in the which was a horrible example of the Diuels rage, for in a certaine Monasterie, the Monckes allured to them the daughters and the wiues of such as dwelt neare vnto them, and defloured them, and they slue them so defloured. When the fact was discouered, the Monckes were taken. That Mona∣sterie was not farre from Vienna. The punishmente is not rehear∣sed.
ALPHONSVS DIAZIVS who in the yeare of our Lorde 1546 slue his brother IOHN DIAZIVS at Nexburg in Bauaria for the onely profession of the Gospell, when the sayde ALPHONSVS was in the Popes Courte, bearing office there as a Iudge in matters of lyfe and deathe. Afterwarde in the yeare of our Lord 1551. he slue himselfe at the Counsell of Trent, he was founde to haue hung himselfe at his Mules necke.
At Winshem in Germanye there was one that hadde committed diuerse murders many yeares before, and also had cut asunder certaine womenne greate wyth Chylde: but at length it happened, that aboute Easter he boughte thrée Calues heades, and put them in a bagge, whiche was knitte in manner of a nette: when he wente so throughe the Stréetes, he séemed to as manye as behelde hym to carrye mens heades all bloudie: the matter was tolde to the Senate, and immediately Serge∣ants were sent to apprehende him: being broughte to the Guylde Hall,
and asked where he got those mens heades, he aunswered that he boughte them in the Shambles: wherefore the Butcher being sent for, affirmed that he solde him Calues heades, and not mens heades: The Senate being stricken in a maze aboute thys matter, thoughte that thys portended no good, and commaunded hym to be carryed to prison, and to bée exa∣myned by torture, or sharpe punishmente: being he so examined, imme∣diately confessed the murders he had committed. Afterwarde the heades were taken out of the bagge, which againe had the forme of Calues heads. Manlius.
When the deade or murdered bodye of Iulius Caesar was burned, his Image was séene in the fire depainted with so greate skill, that the places of all his woundes mighte be séene bloudie. Then the whole Citie stoode astonied, and among the reste Anthony, saying that he wished himselfe ra∣ther to haue bin slaine, than such a man, whose vertue had bene most excel∣lent. There were set forth tragedies, in whiche with exclamation these wordes were vttered. Mene seruasse vt essēt qui perderent? Is it meete that I shoulde saue them that sought my destruction? The people being war∣ned by these sightes, immediately soughte out the Authours of the murder, wherevpon wythin two yeares, all they that were giltye of the murder of Iulius Caesar, yea they that fled away, were slaine. Folio. 218. Manli∣us.
Cornelius Agrippa. 54