The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. More examples of the same subject.
WHen Manuel the Emperour of Constantinople lay about Otto Frisingensis de rebus Freder. pri…. lib. 1. cap. 47.Antioch with an army prepared against the Turke, one of his chiefest officers, namely, his Chancellour, put in practise this notable piece of treason against him: he waged three desperate young men with an infinite summe of money to kill him on a day appointed, and then with a band of souldiers determined to possesse himselfe of the Crowne, and of the City, and to slay all that any way crossed his purpose. But the treason being discoured secretly to the Empresse, she acquainted her Lord with it, who tooke the three traitours, and put them all to cruell deaths: and as for the Chancellour, he first bored out his eyes, and plucking his tongue through his throat, tormented him to death with a rigorous and most miserable punishment.
When the Turke besieged Alba Graeca, certaine souldiers conspired to betray the City into his hands, for he had promised them large rewards Bonfinus, lib. 3. Decad. 5.so to doe; howbe it it succeeded not with them, for they were detected and apprehended by Paulus Kynifius Governour of Hungary, who constrained them to eat one anothers flesh, seething every dayone to feed the other withall, but he that was last was faine to devour his owne body.
Scribonianus a captaine of the Romans in Dalmatia, rebelled against the Lanquet. Chro.Emperor Claudius, and named himselfe emperor in the army; but his rebellion was miraculously punished, for though the whole army favored him very much, yet they could not by any meanes spread their banners, or remove their standers out of their places as long as he was called by the name of Emperor, with which miracle being moved, they turned their loves into hatred, and their liking into loathing, so that whom lately they saluted as Emperor, him now they murthered as a traitor.
To rehearse all the English traitors that have conspired against their Lanquet.Kings from the Conquest unto this day, it is a thing unnecessary, and almost impossible. Howbeit, that their destructions may appeare more evidently, and the curse of God upon traitors be made more manifest, I will briefely reckon up a catalogue of the chiefest of them. In the yere 1295 Lewline Prince of Wales rebelled against King Edward the first, and after much adoe, was taken by Sir Roger Mortimer, and his head set upon the Tower of London. In like sort was David, Lewline's brother served. R…s and Madok escaped no better measure in stirring the Welchmen up to rebellion. No more did the Scots, who having of their owne accord committed the government of their kingdome to king Edward, after the death of Alexander (who broke his neck by a fall from an horse, and lest no issue male) and sworne fealty unto him; yet dispensed with their oath by the Popes commission, and Frenchmens incitement, and rebelled divers times against King Edward: for he overcame them sundry times, and made slaughter of their men, slaying at one time 32000, and taking divers of their Nobles prisoners. In like manner they rebelled against King Edward Lanquet. Stow.the third, who made three voyages into that land in the space of foure yeares, and at every time overcame and discomfited them, insomuch that well neere all the nobility of Scotland, with infinite number of the common people were slaine. Thus they rebelled in Henry the sixths time, and also Henry the eights, and divers other kings reignes, ever when our English forces were busied about forraine wars, invading the land on the other side most traiterously.
In the reigne of King Henry the fourth there rebelled at one time against him Sir Iohn Holland, D. of Excester, with the Dukes of Aumarle, Surrey, Lanquet.Salisbury, and Gloucester: and at another time Sir Thomas Percy Earle of Worcester, and Henry Percy son to the Earle of Northumberland: at another, Sir Richard Scroope Archbishop of Yorke, and divers others of the house of the Lord Moubray: at another time Sir Henry Percy the father, Earle of Northumberland, and the Lord Bardolph: and lastly, Ryce ap Dee and Owen Glendour, two Welchmen: all which were either slaine, as Sir Henry Percy the younger; or beheaded, as the rest of these noble Rebels; or starved to death, as Owen Glendour was in the mountaines of Wales, after he had devoured his owne flesh.
In the reigne of Henry the fifth, Sir Richard Earle of Cambridge, Sir Richard Scroope Treasurer of England, and Sir Thomas Gray were beheaded for treason.
No lesse was the perfidious and ungratefull treachery of Humphry Banister an Englishman towards the Duke of Buckingham his Lord and master, whom the said Duke had tenderly brought up, and exalted to great promotion, For when as the Duke being driven into extremity, by reason of the separation of his army which he had mustered together against King Richard the usurper, fled to the same Banister as his trustiest friend, to be kept in secret untill he could find opportunity to escape; this false traitor, upon hope of a thousand pounds which was promised to him that could bring forth the Duke, betraied him into the hands of Iohn Mitton Shirife of Shropshire, who conveied him to the city of Salisbury, where King Richard kept his houshold; where he was soone after put to death. But as for ungratefull Banister, the vengeance of God pursued him to his utter ignominy: for presently after, his eldest sonne became mad and died in a bores sti…: his eldest daughter was suddenly stricken with a foule lepry: his second sonne marvellously deformed of his lims, and lame: his youngest sonne drowned in a puddle: and he himselfe in his old age arraigned and found guilty of a murther, and by his Clergy saved: And as for his thousand pounds, King Richard gave him not a farthing; saying, That he which would be nutrue to so good a master, must needs be false to all other.
To passe over the time of the residue of the Kings, where in many examples of treasons and punishments upon them are extant, and to come neerer unto our owne age, let us consider the wonderfull providence of God in discovering the notorious treasons which have been so oftenpretended, and so many, against our late Soveraigne Queene Elizabeth, and protecting her so fatherly from the dint of them all. First therefore, to begin with the chiefest, the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland, in the eleventh yeare of her raigne began a rebellion in the North, pretending their purpose to be sometimes to defend the Queenes person and government from the invasion of strangers, and sometimes for conscience sake to seeke reformation of Religion: under colour whereof they got together an army of men, to the number of six thousand souldiers; against whom marched the Earle of Suffex, Lieutenant of the North, and the Earle of Warwicke, sent by the Queene to his ayde: Whose approch strucke such a terrour into their hearts, that the two Earles, with divers of the arch Rebels, fled by night into Scotland, leaving the rest of their company a prey unto their enemies, whereof threescore and six, or thereabout, were hanged at Durham. As for the Earles, one of them (to wit) of Northumberland, was after taken in Scotland, and beheaded at York. Westmerland fled into another Countrey, and left his house and family destroyed and undone by his folly.
A while after this, what befell to Iohn Throgmorton, Thomas Brooke, George Redman, and divers other Gentlemen at Norwich, who pretended a rebellion under the color of suppressing strangers, were they not discovered by one of their owne conspiracy Thomas Ket, and executed at Norwich for their paines? The same end came Francis Throgmorton to, whose trecheries as they were abhominable, and touching the Queens owne person, so they were disclosed not without the especiall providence of God.
But above all, that vile and ungratefull traitor William Parry, upon whom the Queene had powred plentifully her liberality, deserveth to be had in everlasting remembrance to his shame; whose treasons being discovered, he payed the tribute of his life in recompence thereof. What shall I say of the Earle of Arundell, and a second Earle of Northumberland? Did not the justice of God appeare in both their ends, when being attainted for treason, the one slew himselfe in prison, and the other died by course of nature in prison also? Notorious was the conspiracy of those arch traitours, Ballard, Babington, Savadge, and Tylney, &c. yet the Lord brought them downe, and made them spectacles to the World of his justice. Even so that notorious villaine Doctor Lopez (the Queenes Physitian) who a long time had not onelyonly beene an intelligencer to the Pope and King of Spaine of our English Counsells, but also had poisoned many Noblemen, and went about also to poyson the Queene her selfe, was he not surprised in his treachery, and brought to sudden destruction? In summe, the Lord preserved her Majesty not only from these, but many other secret and privy foes, and that most miraculously, and contrary to all reason, and spread his wings over her, evermore to defend her from all her enemies, and in despight of them all brought her, being full of yeares, in peace to her grave: All these treasons had their breeding and beginning from that filthy sinke of Romish superstition, from whence the poison was conveied into the hearts of these traiterous wretches, by the means of those common firebrands of the Christian World, the wicked Iesuites, whose chiefest art is Treason, and whose profession is equivocation, and practise, to stir up rebellion; and therefore as long as they breath in the world let us looke for no better fruits from such trees.
And hath the reigne of our now Soveraigne King Iames beene free from these Sinons? He hath as yet swayed the Scepter of this Kingdome not fully nine yeres, and how many treasons have beene complotted and practised against his Majesty and the State, and how miraculously hath the Lord preserved him evermore, even as the apple of his eye, and the signet on his right hand. To omit the treason of Raleigh and Cobham, and that also of Watson and Clerke, that late and last divellish and damnable practise of blowing up the Parliament house with gunpowder, together with the King, Prince, and all the Nobles and chiefe Pillars of the Land, is never to be omitted nor forgotten, but to be remembred as long as the Sunne and Moone endureth, to the shame of their religion, and the professours thereof: never Nation so barbarous, that ever practised the like: never any religion so odious, that maintained the like: but such are the fruits of their so much advanced religion, such the clusters of their grapes: How be it the Lord prevented their malice, and turned it upon their owne pates, not only by a Divine and miraculous discovery of their treason (the very night before it should have beene effected) but also by bringing the chiefe plotters thereof unto confusion; some by the ordinary proceeding of justice, and some by slaughter in resistance: and that which is not to bee overpast, some of the principall of them being together in a chamber, were so scorched by their owne powder, which was in drying, that they were driven to confesse the heavy judgement of God to be upon them. I pray God such may ever bee the end of all traitours, and that the religion which bringeth forth such horrible fruits may not onelyonly be suspected but abhorred of all.
Moreover, there is yet another kind of treason, and another ranke of traitors as pernitious as any of the former, and as odious before God and man. Such are they which either upon private quarrels, or received injuries, or hope of gaine, or any other silly respect, forsake their countries, and take part with the enemies to fight against it: or they that in time of necessity refuse to fight, or dare not fight in defence of it: the former sort are called fugitives, & the latter cowards. As touching the first, they havebeen alwayes in detestation in well governed Policies, and also evermore severely punished. The Aeginates punished them with the losse of their right hand thumbs, to the end they might no more handle a speare or a sword, but an oare: the Mitylenians with losse of their lives: the inhabitants of Samos marked them in the face with the picture of an Owle: and the Romans punished them after divers fashions. Fabius Maximus caused all those that had fled from the Roman succours to the enemy to lose their hands. Africanus the former, though gentle and mild by nature, yet in Valerius Maximus.this respect he borrowed from forreine cruelty: for having conquered Carthage, and got into his power all those Romane Rebels that tooke part against his countrey, he hung the Romans as traitors to their countrey, and mitigated the punishment of the Latines, as but perfidious confederates. Africanus the later, when hee had subdued the Punicke Nation, he threw all fugitives amongst wilde beasts to be devoured.
Lucius Paulus aftor the conquest of the King of Persia, committed these fellowes to the mercy of Elephants. Generally there is no Nation under the Sunne which holdeth them not in execration: and therefore our English fugitives, who under cloke of Religion not onelyonly abandon their countrey, their kindred, and their Prince, but also conspire the undoing, and sweare the destruction of them, are they not worthy to be handled like traitours, and to have their quarters spectacles of perfidy? The bridge and gates of London beare witnesse of the wofull ends that these runnagates come unto.
As touching cowards (I meane such as preferring their lives or liberty, or any other by-respects, before their countries welfare, and either dare not or will not stand stoutly in defence of it in time of warre and danger) they deserve no lesse punishment than the former, seeing that as they are open oppugners, so these are close underminers of the good thereof. And therefore the Romanes did sharpely chasten them in their government, as may appeare by diverse examples of the same: as first they were noted with this ignominy, never to eat their meat but standing; and hereunto they were sworne: Nay, they were in such hatefull account amongst them, that when Annibal offered the Senate 8000 captives to be redeemed, they refused his offer; saying, That they were not worthy to be redeemed, Alex. ab Alex.that had rather be taken basely than die honestly and valiantly: The same Senate dealt more favourably with the captives which King Pyrrhus tooke, for they redeemed them, but with this disgrace, degrading them from their honours and places, untill by a double spoile they had woon their reputation againe. L. Calpurnius Piso handled Titius the captaine of his horsemen in Sicilia (one who being overcharged with enemies, delivered his weapons unto them) on this manner, he caused him to goe bare footed before the army, wearing a garment without seames, he forbad him society with any save such as were noted with the same Valerius Max. lib. 2. cap. 2.fault, and from a Generall over horsemen he debased him to a common souldier. How did the same Senate correct the cowardise of Caius Vatienus (who to the end to priviledge himselfe from the Italicke warre, cut off all the fingers of his left hand:) even they proscribed his goods, and cast him into perpetuall prison, that that life which hee refused to hazard in defence of his countrey, he might consume in bondage and fetters.
Fulgosius saith, That among the Germanes it was so unhonourable Lib. 2. cap. 2.a part to lose but a shield in the warre, that whosover had happened to doe so, was suspended both from the place of common councell, and from the temples of Religion; insomuch, that many (as he reporteth) killed themselves to avoid the shame. The people called Daci punished cowards on this sort: they suffered them not to sleepe but with their heads to the beds feet-ward; and besides, by the law they made them slaves and subjects to their owne wives. What viler disgrace could there be than this? And yet the Lacedemonians plagued them more shamefully: for with Phi. Agesilaus.them it was a discredit to marry in the stocke of a coward; any man might strike them lawfully; and in their attire they went with their clothes rent, and their beards halfe shaven. Thus are all kind of traitors continually punished of the Lord by one meanes or other; and therefore let us learne to shun treason as one of the vilest and detestablest things in the world.