The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 2 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Other memorable examples of the same subject.
IF wee descend from antiquities to histories of later and fresher memory, wee shall finde many things worthy report and credit: as that which happened in the yeere Euguerran de Monstr. Vol. 1.1405 betwixt two Gentlemen of Henault; the one of which accused the other for killing a neere kinsman of his, which the other utterly & stedfastly denied: whereon DWilliam, County of Henault, offered them the combat in the city of Quesney to decide the controversie, when as by law it could not be ended: whereunto they being come, and having broken their speares in two, and encountered valiantly with their swords, at length he that was charged with and indeed guilty of the murder, was overcome of the other, and made to confesse with his mouth in open audience the truth of the fact: Wherefore the Country adjudged him in the same place to be beheaded; which was speedily executed, and the conquerour honourably conducted to his lodging. Now albeit this manner of deciding controversies be not approved of God, yet we must not think it happened at all adventures, but rather that the issue thereof came of the Lord of Hosts, that by this meanes gave place to the execution of his most high and soveraigne justice, by manifesting the murderer, and bringing him to that punishment which he deserved.
About this very time there was a most cruell and out ragious riot practised and performed upon Lewis Duke of Orleance, brother to Charles the Enguerran de Monstr. Vol. 1.sixth, by the complot and devise of Iohn Duke of Burgundie, who (as hee was naturally haughtie and ambitious) went about to usurpe the government of the realme of France, for that the king by reason of weakenesse of his braine was not able to mannage the affaires thereof, so that great trouble and uncivill warres were growne up by that occasion in every corner of the realme. As therefore he affected and gaped after the rule, so hee thought no meanes dishonest to attaine unto it, and therefore his first enterprise was to take out of the way the Kings brother, who stood betwixt him and home. Having therefore provided fit champions for his purpose, he found opportunity one night to cause him to come out of his lodging late by counterfeit tokens from the king, as if he had sent for him about some matters of importance: and being in the way to S. Pauls hostle, where the kings lodging was in Paris, the poore Prince suspecting nothing, was suddenly set upon with eighteen roisters at once, with such fury and violence, that in very short space they left him dead upon the pavement, by the gate Barbet, his braines lying scattered about the street. After this detestable and odious act committed and detected, the cruell Burgundian was so farre from shaming, that he vanted and boasted at it, as if he had atchieved the most valorous and honourable exploit in the World (so farre did his impudencie outstretch the bond of reason.) Neverthelesse, to cast some counterfeit colour upon this rough practise, he used the conscience and fidelitie of three famous Divines of Paris, who openly in publike assemblies approved of this murder; saying, That he had greatly offended, if he had left it undone. About this device he imployed especially M. Iohn Petit, a Sorbonist Doctor, whose rashnesse and brasen-facednesse was so great, as in the councelhouse of the King, stoutly to averre, That that which was done in the death of the Duke of Orleance was a vertuous and commendable action, and the author of it to be void of fault, and therefore ought to be void of punishment. The preface which this brave Orator used, was, That he was bounden in duetie to the Duke of Burgundie, in regard of a goodly pension which he had received at his hands, and for that cause he had prepared his poor tongue in token of gratitude to defend his cause. He might better have said thus, That seeing his tongue was poore and miserable, and he himselfe a sencelesse creature, therefore he ought not to allow or defend so obstinately such a detestable & traiterous murder committed upon a Duke of Orleance, and the same the Kings brother, in such vile sort; and that if he should doe otherwise, he should approve of that which God and man apparently condemned, yea the very Turkes and greatest Paynims under heaven; and that he should justifie the wicked, and condemne the innocent, which is an abomination before God; and should put darkenesse in stead of light, and call that which is evill, good: (for which the Prophet Esay in his fifth chapter denounceth the jugdements of God against false prophets) and should follow the steps of Balaam, which let out his tongue to hire for the wages of iniquity: but none of these supposes came once into his minde. But to returne to our History: The Duke of Burgundy having the tongues of these brave Doctors at his commandement, and the Parisians who bore themselves partially in this quarrell (generally favourers of his side) came to Paris in armes, to justifie himselfe, as he pretended, and strucke such a dreadfull awe of himselfe into all mens mindes, that notwithstanding all the earnest pursuit of the Dutchesse, the widow of Orleance, for justice, he escaped unpunished, untill God (by other meanes) tooke vengeance upon him: which happened after a while, after that those his complices of Paris (being become lords and rulers of the citie) had committed many horrible and cruell murders, as of the Constable and Chancellor, two head officers of the realme, whose bodies fast bound together, they drew naked through the streets from place to place in most despightfull manner: for the Daulphin escaping their hands by night, and safegard in his castle, after that he heard of the seisure of the citie; found meanes to assemble certuine forces, and marched to Montereaufautyon with 20000 men, of purpose to be revenged on the Duke for all his brave and riotous demeanors: hither, under colour of parling and devising new means to pacifie these old civill troubles, he enticed the Duke, and being come, at his very first arrivall, as he was bowing his knee in reverence to him, he caused him to be slaine. And on this manner was the Duke of Orleance death quitted, and the evill and cruelty shewed towards him, returned upon the murderers owne necke; for as he slew him trecherously and cowardly, so was he also trecherously and cowardly slaine, and justly requited with the same measure that he before Treason, lib. 2. cap. 3.had measured to another: notwithstanding herein the Daulphin was not free from a grievous crime of disloyaltie and truth-breach, in working his death without shame of either faith-breach or perjury, and that in his owne presence, whom hee had so often with protestation of assurance and safetie, requested to come to him. Neither did he escape unpunished for it; for after his fathers decease he was in danger of losing the Crowne, and all for this cause: for Philip Duke of Burgundie taking his fathers revenge into his hands, by his cunning devices wrought meanes to displace him from the succession of the kingdome, by according a marriage betwixt the King of England and his sister, to whom he in favor agreed to give his kingdome in reversion after his owne decease. Now assoone as the King of England was seised upon the governement of France, the Daulphin was presently summoned to the marble Table, to give answere for the death of the old Duke: whither, when he made none appearance, they presently banished him the realme, and pronounced him to be unworthy to be succeeder to the noble Crowne: which truely was a very grievous chastisement, and such an one as brought with it a heape of many mischiefes and discomfitures, which happened in the warre betwixt England and him, for the recovery of his kingdome.
Peter, sonne to Alphonsus King of Castile, was a most bloudy and cruell F…ois. lib. 1. hist.Tyran: for first he put to death his owne wife, the daughter of Peter Duke of Burbon, and sister to the Queene of France: next hee slew the mother of his bastard brother Henrie, together with many Lords and Barons of the realme, for which he was hated not onelyonly of all his subjects, but also of his neighbor and adjoyning countries: which hatred moved the foresaid Henrie to aspire unto the Crowne; which, what with the Popes avouch, who legitimated him, and the helpe of certaine French forces, and the support of the Nobility of Castile, he soone atchieved. Peter thus abandoned, put his safest gard in his heeles, and fled to Bordeaux, towards the Prince of Wales, of whom he received such good entertainment, that with his aid he sonne re-entred his lost dominions, and by maine battell chased his bastard brother out of the confines thereof: but being re-installed, whilest his cruelties ceased not to multiply on every side, behold Henrie (with a new supply out of France) began to assayle him afresh, and put him once again to his shifts: but all that he could doe, could not shift him out of Henries hands, who pursued him so hotly, that with his owne hands hee soone rid him out of all troubles, and afterwards peaceably enjoyed the kingdome of Castille.
But above all the horrible murders and massacres that ever were heard or read of in this last age of the World, that bloudy massacre in France, under the reigne of Charles the ninth, is most famous, or rather infamous; wherein the noble Admirall, with many of the nobility and gentrie, which were Protestants, were most traiterously and cruelly murdered in their chambers and beds in Paris, the foure and twentieth of August, in the night: in this massacre were butchered in Paris that very night ten thousand Protestants, and in all France, (for other cities followed the example of Paris) thirty, or as some say, forty thousand. I will not stand to relate the particular circumstances and manner thereof, it being at large described by divers writers both in French and English: only to our purpose, let us consider the judgements and vengeance of Almightie God upon the chiefe practisers and plotters thereof, which were these: Charles the ninth then King, by whose commission and commandement this massacre was undertaken; his brother and successour the Duke of Aniou; the Queene mother, his bastard brother, and the Duke of Guise, yea the whole towne of Paris; and generally all France was guilty thereof. Now observe Gods just revenge: Charles himselfe had the thred of his life cut off by the immediat hand of God, by a long and lingring sickenesse, and that before he was come to the full age of 24 yeres: in his sicknesse bloud issued in great abundance out of many places of his body, insomuch that sometimes he fell and wallowed in his owne bloud: that as he had delight to shed the bloud of so many innocents, so he might now at the latter end of his dayes be glutted with bloud. And surely by this meanes the Lord did put him in minde of his former bloudy murders, to draw him to repentance, if it were possible. The Duke of Anjou, who succeeded this Charles in the Crowne of France, and was called Henrie the third, was murdered by a young Iacobine Monke, called Frier Iaques Clement, at the instigation of the duke de Maine and others of the league, and that (wherein appeareth manifestly the hand of God) in the selfe same chamber at S. Cloves wherein the Councell for the great massacre had beene taken and plotted, as it is constantly affirmed. The Duke of Guise, in the yeare 1588, the 23 of December, was murdered by the kings owne appointment, being sent for into the kings chamber out of the councell chamber, where attended him 45 with rapiers and poniards ready prepared to receive him. The Queene mother soone after the slaughter of the Duke of Guise, tooke the matter so to heart, that shee went to bed, and dyed the first of Ianuarie after. Touching all the rest that were chiefe actors in the tragidie, few or none escaped the apparant vengeance of God: and as for Paris and the whole realme of France, they also felt the severe scourge of Gods justice, partly by civile wars and bloudshed, and partly by famine and other plagues; so that the Lord hath plainly made knowne to the world, how precious in the sight of his most Holy Majestie, is the death of innocents, and how impossible it is for cruell murderers to escape unpunished.