The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 2 · Chapter 41
CHAP. XLI. Of such as by force of armes have either taken away, or would have taken away, the goods and lands of other men.
NOw if they that oppresse their Subjects, and devour them in this manner be found guilty, then must they In this whole chapter note the nature of Ambition, and the frui… thereof.needs be much more, that are carried with the wings of their owne hungry ambitious desire to invade their lands and Seigniories, attended on with an infinite retinue of pillages, sackings, ruines of Cities and people; which are alwayes necessary companions of furious unmercifull war. There are no flouds so broad, nor mountaines so steep, nor rokces so rough and dangerous, nor sea so long and furious, that can restrain the rash and headstrong desire of such greedy minded Sacres: so that if their body might be proportioned to the square and greatnesse of their mindes, with the one hand they would reach the East, and with the other hand the West (as it is said of Alexander:) howbeit hereof they boast and glory no lesse than they that took delight to be sirnamed City-spoilers: others burners of Cities; some conquerours, and many Eagles and Faulcons, seeking as it were fame by infamy; and by vice, eternity. But to these men it often commeth to passe, that even then when they thinke to advance their Dominion, and to stretch their bounds and frontiers furthest, they are driven to recoil, for fear of being dispossessed themselves of their owne lands and inheritances: and even as they dealt, with others rigorously and by strength of weapons, so shall they be themselves rehandled and dealt withall after the same measure; according to the Word of the Prophet denounced against such as they: Cursed be th… that spoilest and dealest unfaithfully; when thou hast made an end of spoiling others, th… th… selfe shalt be spoiled; and when thou hast done dealing traiterously, then treason shall begin to be practised against thee. And this curse most commonly never faileth to seise upon these great Theeves and Robbers, or at least upon their children and successours; as by particular examples we shall see, after we have first spoken of Adonias, who not content with his owne estate of being a Kings son, which God had allotted him, went about to … the 1 Kings 12.Crowne and Kingdome from his brother Solomon, to whom by right it appertained Treason, lib. 2. cap. 3.(for God had manifested the same by the mouth of his father David) but both he and his assistants, for their overbold and rash enterprise, were iustly by Solomon punished with death.
Crassus King of Lydia was the first that made war against Ephesus, and Herod.that subdued the Greekes of Asia: to wit, the Phrygians, Mysians. Chalybeans, Paphlagonians, Thracians, Bythinians, Ionians, Dorians, Aeolians, and Pamphilians, and made them all tributeries unto him: by meanes whereof he being growne exceeding rich and puissant, by the detriment and undoing of so many people, vanted and gloried in his greatnesse and power, and even then thought himselfe the happiest man in the world, when most misery and adversity, grief and distresse of his estate and wholehouse, approuched nearest: for first and formost one of his sonnes that was dear unto him, was by oversight slain at the chase of a wilde Bore: next himselfe having commenced war with Cyrus, was overcome in battell, and besieged in Sardis the chief City of his Kingdom, and at last taken and carried captive to Cyrus, despoiled of all his late glory and dominion. And thus Crassus (as saith Plutarch after Herodotus) bore the punishment of the offence of his great Grandfather Gigas: who being but one of King Ca… daules attendants, slew his master, and usurped the Crowne at the provokement of the Queen his mistresse, whom he also took to be his wife: And thus this Kingdom decayed by the same meanes by which it first encreased.
Polycrat…s the Tyran was one that by violence and tyrannous meanes grew from a base condition to an high estate: for being but one of the Herod.vulgar sort in the City Samos, he with the assistance of fifteen armed men seised upon the whole City, and made himselfe Lord of it: which dividing into three parts, he bestowed two of them upon his two brethren, but not for perpetuity; for ere long the third part of his usurpation cost the elder of them the best part of his life, and the younger his liberty, for he chased him away, that he might be sole possessour of the whole Island. After this, he invaded many other Islands, besides many Cities in the same Land: he raised the Lacedemonians from the fiege of Samos, which they had begirt: and when he saw that all things fell out so well to his owne wish, that nothing could be more, fearing so great prosperity could not but carry in the …ail some terrible sting of adversity and mischance, attempted by voluntary losse of something of value to prevent the mischief which he feared to ensue: and this by the advice of his dear friend and allie (the King of Aegypt) therefore he threw a ring which he had of great price into the sea, to the end to delude Fortune (as he thought) thereby: …ut the ring was after found in a fishes belly, and offered as a present unto him: and this was an evident presage of some inevitable this for tune that waited for him: neither did it prove vain and frivolous; for he was hanged upon a gibbet of Sardis, by the commandment of Orates the Governour of the City; who under pretence of friendship, and colour of rendring his treasure into his hands, and bestowing upon him a great part thereof, promising also to passe the rest of his dayes under his wing, for fear of the rage of Cambyses, drew him to come privately to speak with him, and so easily wrought his will upon him.
Aristodemus got into his hands the government of C…ma, after he had made away the principall of the City: and to keep it the better being obt…ined, Dlonis. Halic. lib. 7.he first worme the vulgars hearts by presents, then banished out of the City their children whom he had put to death, and entertained the rest of the youth with such variety of pleasures and delights, that by those devices he kept himselfe in his tyrannous estate many yeares: but as soon as the children of those slain Citizens were growne to ripe yeares of strength and discretion, being desirous to revenge their fathers deaths, they set upon him in the night, so at unawares, that they put him and all his family to the slaughter.
Timophanes usurped a principality, power, and rule in Corinth a free City, and became so odious thereby to the whole people, yea and to his Plutarch.owne brother Tymoleon also, that laying aside all respect of nature, he slew him with his owne hands, preferring the liberty of his Countrey before any unity or bond of bloud. When the Cities of Greece (saith Orosius) would needs through too greedy a desire and ambition of reigne▪ get every Lib. 3. cap. 12.one the mastery and soveraignty of the rest, they all together made shipwracke of their owne liberties by encroaching upon others: as for instance, the Lacedemonians, how hurtfull and incommodious the desire of bringing their neighbour adjoyning Cities under their dominion was unto them, the sundry discomfitures and distresses within the time of that war, undertaken upon that onelyonly cause, befell them, bear sufficient record.Oros. l. 3. c. 2.
Servius Tullus, the son to a bondman, addicted himselfe so much to the Titus Livius.exploits of war, that by prowesse he got so great credit and reputation among the Romans, that he was thought …it to be son in law of King Tarquinius, by marrying one of his daughters; after whose death he usurped the Crowne, under colour of the Protectorship of the Kings …oo young sonnes; who when they came to age and bignesse, married the daughters of their brother in law Tullus; by whose exhortation and continuall provokement the elder of them, which was called Tarquinius, conspired against his father in law, and practised to make himselfe King, and to recover his rightfull inheritance, and that by this meanes: he watched his opportunity when the greatest part of the people were out of the City about gathering their fruit in the fields, and then placing his companions in readinesse, to serve his turne if need should be, he marched to the palace in the royall robes, garded with a company of his comederates; and having called a Senate, as he began to complain him of the treachery and impudency of Tullus, behold, Tullus himselfe came in and would have run violently upon him; but Tarquinius catching him about the middle, threw him headlong downe the staires, and presently sent certaine of his guard to make an end of the murder which he had begun. But herein the cruelty of Tullia was most monstrous; that not onelyonly first moved her husband to this bloudy practice, but also made her coach to be driven over the body of her father, which lay bleeding in the midst of the street, scarce dead.
Manlius, after hee had maintained the fortresse of Rome against the Parricide, lib. 2. cap. 11.Gaules, glorying in that action, and envying the good hap and prosperity of Camillus, went about to make himselfe King, under pretence of restoring the people to their antient entire libertie: but his practise being discovered, hee was accused, found guilty, and by the consent of the multitude adjudged to be throwne headlong downe from the top of the same fortresse, to the end that the same place which gave him great glorie, might be a witnesse and a memoriall of his shame and last confusion: for all his valiant deeds before done were not of so much force with the people, to excuse his fault or save his life, as this one crime was of weight to bring him to his death.
In former times there lived in Carthage one Hanno, who because he had Oros. lib. 4. cap. 6.more riches than all the Common-wealth beside, began to aspire to the domination of the Citie: which the better to accomplish, hee devised to make shew of marrying his onelyonly daughter, to the end that at the marriage feast hee might poison the chiefest men of credit and power of the City whom he knew could or would not any wayes withstand or countermand his purpose: but when this devise tooke no effect, by reason of the discovery thereof by certaine of his servants, hee sought another meanes to effect his will: Hee got together a huge number of bondslaves and servants, which should at a sudden put him in possession of the city but being prevented herein also by the Citizens, he seised upon a castle with a thousand men of base regard, even servants for the most part; whither thinking to draw the Africans and King of the Moores to his succour, he was taken and first whipped, next had his eyes thrust out, and then his armes and legs broken in pieces, and so was executed to death before all the people: his carkasse being thus mangled with blowes, was hanged upon a gallowes, and all his kindred and children put to death, that there might not one remaine of his straine, either to enterprise the like deed, or to revenge his death.
That great and fearefull warrior Iulius Caesar, one of the most hardie and valiant pieces of flesh that ever was, after hee had performed so many notable exploits, overcome all his enemies, and brought all high and haughtie purposes to their desired effect, being prickt forward with the spurre of ambition and a high minde, through the meanes and assistance of the mighty forces of the common-wealth, which (contrary to the constitution of the Senat) were left in his hands, hee set footing into the State, and making himselfe master and Lord of the whole Romane Empire, usurped a Plutarch. Suet. Eutrop.soveraigntie over them: but as he attained to his dignitie by force and violence, so he enjoyed it not long, neither gained any great benefit by it, except the losse of his life may be counted a benefit, which shortly after in the open Senat was bereft him: for the conspirers thereof, as soone as hee was set downe in his seat, compassing him about, so vehemently overcharged him on all sides, that notwithstanding all the resistance hee could make for his defence, tossing amongst them, and shifting himselfe up and downe, he was overthrowne on the earth, and abode for dead, through the number of blowes that were given him, even three and twenty wounds.
The Monarchie of Assyria was at one instant extinguished in Sardana palus; and of Babylon in Balthasar, Arbaces being the worker of the first, and Darius King of Persia, of the later; both of them receiving the wages, not of their wickednesse, but also of their predecessors, and great grandfathers cruelty and oppressions, by whom many people and nations had been destroyed.
Moreover, as the Babylonian Empire was overthrowne by Darius of Persia, so was his Persian Kingdome (in Darius the last King of that countrey his time, this mans successor) overturned by Alexander. Again, the great dominion of Alexander (who survived not long after) was not continued to any of his by inheritance, but divided like a prey amongst his greatest captaines, and from them the most part of it in short time descended to the Romanes; who spreading their wings, and stretching their greedie tallons farre and neere, for a while ravened and preyed over all the world, and enriched and bedecked themselves with the spoyles of many nations; and therefore it was necessary that they also should be made a prey, and that the farre fetcht Goths and Vandales should come upon them, as upon the bodie of a great Whale that suffers shipwreck upon the sea shore: since which time the Romane Empire went to decay, and grew every day weaker than other; yea, and many Princes setting themselves against and above it, have robbed it of the realmes and provinces which it robbed others of before. And thus wee may see how all things run as it were in a circle, and how great the uncertainetie of this world is, seeing that the mightiest are subject to so many and great changes: for if there be any thing under the Sun that may carry any shew of stability or continuance, surely it is a Monarchie or Common-wealth, grounded upon the unitie and consent of all people, maintained by the authoritie of the greatest and most mightie, and underpropped with the shores of much strength and wealth, as the Romane Empire was; and yet for all that, there was never any, though never so well reared and furnished, and deepe rooted, which at the length hath not bin demolished, ransacked, and pulled up by some notable and strange calamitie. And this is that which the spirit of God would give us to knowe, by the vision of that great image, represented to Nabuchadnezzar in a dreame, according to Daniels interpretation thereof; to wit, that the foure great and puissant Monarchies of the world should at last be ruined and dispersed, like the chaffe before the winde, till they were consumed and brought to nothing, albeit they were glorious and excellent as gold and silver, or strong and mightie as brasse and iron.
How much more foolish and evill advised are they then, that for a certaine apparant splendour and shew of worldly honour (which is as fraile as any rose, as variable as the winde, as light and vaine as a shadow or smoke, as unassured as a rotten planke) have the eyes of their minde so dazeled, and their wits so bewitched, and all their affections so transported, as to mingle heaven and earth together, to dash the East against the West, to stirre up discord and dissention betwixt man and man, and to shed so many thousand mens bloud, and all for a paltrie desire of reigne, though to their owne finall ruine and destruction.
And thus it came to passe in the time of the emperor Otho to a Duke of Sabell.Venice, called Peter Caudian, who (not content with his Dukedome) went about to usurpe a tyrannicall rule over the whole Seigniorie, and that by pride and threats, desiring rather to make himselfe terrible to the people by those bad meanes, than amiable and beloved by any meanes whatsoever; and thus daily hee grew as in age so in insolencie: he placed a garrison of men about his palace, and so fortifying himselfe, presently he shewed himselfe in his colours, namely a cruell Tyran: which when the multitude perceived, and remembred withall their libertie, which they were like to lose, they tooke up armes forthwith, in purpose to beat downe his haughtie minde: therefore they first set on fire his house, and caused him to forsake his fortresse, and to betake himselfe to his shifts: but when by reason of the stopping of the passages he could not escape, they tooke him and his young sonne also which was with him, and put them to a most cruell and sudden death, and cast their carkasses to be devoured of dogs.
In the Empire of Maximilian, Lewis Sforce, a Prince of an inconstant Bembus, lib. 2. Of the Venetian historie.and turbulent spirit, ambitious, and one that made no account of his promises nor faith, tooke upon him the governement of Milan, after the death of his brother Galeaz, Duke of Milan, who was traiterously slaine: in which action the first wrong which hee did was to his brothers widow, whom hee deposed; the second to his young nephew, his brother Galeaz son, whom he so brought up as if he never meant he should come to honour or goodnesse; for he suffered him not to be trained up either in learning or armes, but let him runne into all possible occasions that might corrupt and spoyle his tender age. Thus hee enjoyed the principalitie thirteene yeares, all the while under his nephewes reigne; to whom when Alphonsus King of Naples had given in mariage one of his daughters, and perceived what small reckoning his uncle made of restoring him his Dukedome; after he had often and instantly intreated him without prevailing, at length he fell to threaten him with warre: he fearing to have the worse, and to lose so great a dignitie, wrought so by his owne shifts and devices, together with the helping hand of Pope Alexander, that hee put in the head of Charles the eighth of France to go and conquer Naples, for the hatred which his heart possessed against Alphonsus; supposing by this meanes the better to accomplish his affaires to his owne desire. The King of France Guicciard. li. 1was no sooner entred Italie, but Lewis Sforce ministred an Italian posset to his young nephew Iohn Galeaz, that hee immediatly died upon it, and then he proclamed himselfe Prince of the Duchie, by the aid of the principall of the Councell, whom he had woon to referre that honour unto him, by deposing the young sonne of Iohn Galeaz, beeing then but five yeares old: but he declared presently his inconstant and perfidious nature, in breaking promise with the King of France, whome he had induced with so many faire speeches to undertake that voyage, and entering a new league with the Venetians both against him and the Pope, although ere long he served them with the same measure: but Lewis the twelfth, succeeding in the Crowne of France, could not brooke this injurie done to his predecessor, but pretending a title to the Duchie of Milan, he dispatched an armie thitherward, that bestirred it selfe so well, that in short space they brought under their subjection all the Cities and Townes neere adjoyning: which the citizens perceiving, began to rebell against their Duke, and killed his Treasurer: whereupon he (being not able to make his part good with the French abroad, nor daring to put any confidence in his owne at home) left his castle to the charge and custodie of a captaine, and fled himselfe with his children to Almaine, towards the Emperour Maximilians court, hoping to finde succour at his hand, as indeed he did: for he returned to Milan with five hundred Burgundians, and eight thousand Switzers, and was received againe into the Citie. Being thus refortified with these and other more troupes that came unto him, he encamped before Navarre, and by composition got the City into his hands from the Frenchmen. The French King in the meane while sent a new supplie of men into the Duchie, amongst whom were many Switzers, who so dealt with their countrimen that were on the Dukes side, that they brought them also to favour the King of France, and to forsake the Duke: which when he understood, hee presently departed the citie, and posting to the campe, hardened his souldiers, desiring them to play the men, and not to shrinke, for he meant to give battell without delay: but the captains made answer, that they might not fight against their owne nation, without especiall leave from their Lords. Now in the meane while, whilest these things were in doing, they tooke order, that the Frenchmen should approach to Navarre, and intercept all the passages, that the Duke might not escape: He therefore laid aside his horse, and marched on foot in the squadron of Switzers, now joyned to the French, in attire and armour like a Switzer, thinking by this tricke to save his life: but all his counterfeiting could not save him from being taken, and from lying ten yeares prisoner in the Tower of Loches, where he also died: and so all his high and ambitious thoughts (which scarcely Italie could containe) were pend up in a strait and narrow roome.Guicciard. lib. 4.
With the like turbulent and furious spirit of ambition have many Roman Bishops been inspired, who what by their jugling trickes, cousenages, and subtill devises, and what by force, have prospered so well, that of simple Bishops (which they were wont to be) they are growne temporall Lords, and as it were Monarchs; having in their possessions lands, cities, castles, fortresses, havens, garrisons, and guards, after the manner of Kings; nay they have exalted themselves above Kings (so intollerable is Marke 10. Luke 22.their impudence) and made them subject to their wils; and yet they call themselves the Apostles pedigree, whom Christ forbad all such domination. But what of that? It pertaineth not to them to succeed in vertue, but in authoritie the Apostles: for if that charge had concerned them, then Pope Lucius the second would never have beene so shamelesse, as to request Bal.in right of his Popeship the soveraigntie over Rome as hee did: neither when it was denyed him, to have gone about to usurpe it by force, and to bring his minde about to have layed siege to the Senat house with armed men, to the end that either by banishing or murdering the Senatours then assembled together, he might invest himselfe with the Kingly dignitie: but what got he by it? Marry this, the people being in an uprore in the Citie, upon the sight of this holy fathers proud attempt, tooke themselves to armes, and ran with such violence upon master Pope, that they forthwith stoned his Holinesse to death; but not like Stephen the Martyr for the profession of Christ Iesus, but like a vile and seditious theefe for seeking the Common-wealths overthrow.
Pope Adrian the fourteenth, a monkes sonne, succeeding Lucius both in the Papacie, and also in ambition, tooke in hand his omitted enterprises; Sabel. Bal.for he excommunicated the Romanes, untill they had banished Arnold a Bishop, that gave them counsell to retaine the power of electing their magistrate, and governing their citie in their hands (a thing repugnant to his intent) and after hee had degraded the Consuls, to make his part the stronger, he caused the Emperour Fredericke to come with an armie to the citie; whom notwithstanding hee handled but basely for his paines: for hee did not onelyonly checke him openly for standing on his feet, and holding the stirrop of his horse with his left hand, but also denied him the crowne of the Empire, except hee would restore to him Poville, which (he said) pertained unto him: how beit he got the Crowne notwithstanding, and before his returne from Rome into Germanie, more than a thousand citizens that would not yeeld nor subscribe unto the Popes will, were slaine. After Frederickes departure, the Pope seeing himselfe destitute of his further aid, first excommunicated the King of Sicilie, that in right of inheritance possessed the foresaid Poville: but when this served him to small purpose, he practised with Emanuel the Emperour of Greece to set upon him; which thing turned to his finall confusion. After this (through his intollerable pride) hee fell out with Fredericke the Emperour, and to revenge himselfe upon him, discharged his subjects from their fealtie to him, and him from his authoritie over them. Now marke his end: As he walked one day towards Aviane, a flie got in at his mouth and downe his throat so farre, that it stopped the conduit of his breath, so that for all that his physitions could do, hee was choked therewith. And thus he that sought by all the meanes he could to make himselfe greater than he ought to be, and to get the masterie of every thing at his owne will and pleasure, and to take away other mens rights by force, was cut short and rebated by a small and base creature, and constrained to leave this life, which he was most unworthy of.
Hither may be referred that which befell the Emperour Albert, Duke of Austria, and one of his lievtenants in Switzerland, for going about to usurpe and appropriat certaine lands and dominions to him, which belonged not unto him. This Emperour had many children whom he desired to leave rich and mighty, and therefore by all meanes possible he endeavoured to augment his living, even by getting from other men whatsoever he could; and amongst all the rest, this was one especiall practise, wherein he laboured tooth and nayle to alienate from the Empire the land of the Switzers, and to leave it for an everlasting inheritance to his heires: which although the Switzers would in no case condiscend nor agree unto, but contrariwise sued earnestly unto his Majesty for the maintenance of their antient liberties and priviledges which were confirmed unto them by the former Emperors, and that they might not be distracted from the Empire; yet notwithstanding were constrained to undergo for a season the yoke of most grievous tyranny and servitude imposed by force upon them: and thus the poore communaltie indured many mischiefes, and many grievous and cruell extortions and indignities at the hands of the Emperours officers, whilest they lived in this wretched and miserable estate.
Amongst the rest there was one called Grislier that began to erect a strong fort of defence upon a little hill neere unto Altorfe, to keepe the countrey in greater awe and subjection; and desiring to descrie his friends from his foes, he invented this devise: He put a hat upon the end of a long pole, and placed it in the field before Altorfe, where were great multitudes of people, with this commandement, That everie one that came by should do but dieth ere he awaketh; so mony taken in usurie, delighteth and contenteth at the first, but it infecteth all his possessions, and sucketh out the marrow of them ere it be long: Seeing then it is abhominable both by the law of God and nature, let us shun it as a toad, and flie from it as a cockatrice: But when these persuasions will not serve, let them turne their eyes to these examples following, wherein they shall see the manifest indignation of God upon it.
In the Bishopricke of Collen a notable famous Usurer lying upon his death-bed ready to die, moved up and downe his chaps and his lips, as if he Discipul. de tempore.had bin eating something in his mouth; and beeing demanded what hee eat, hee answered, his money, and that the divell thrust it in his mouth perforce, so that hee could neither will nor chuse but devour it: in which miserable temptation he died without any shew of repentance.
The same author telleth of another Usurer, that a little before his death called for his bags of gold and silver, and offered them all to his soule, upon condition it would not forsake him: But if he would have given all the world, it could not ransome him from death: wherefore when he saw there was no remedie but hee must needs die, hee commended his soule to the Divell, to be carried into everlasting torments: which words when hee had uttered hee gave up the ghost.
Another Usurer being ready to die, made this his last Will and Testament: My soule (quoth he) I bequeath to the divell who is owner of it, my wife likewise to the divell who induced me to this ungodly trade of life, and Iohanaes Anglut.my deacon to the divell for soothing me up, and not reproving me for my faults; and in this desperate persuasion he died incontinently.
Usury consisteth not only in lending and borowing, but buying and selling also, and all unjust and crafty bargaining, yea and it is a kinde of usurie to detain through too much covetousnesse those commodities from the people which concerne the publike good, and to hoord them up for their private gain, til some scarcitie orwant arise; and this also hath evermore beene most sharpely punished, as by these examples may appeare. About the yeare 1543. at what time a great famine and dearth of bread afflicted the world, there was in Saxonie a countrey peasant, that having carried his corne to the market, and sold it cheaper than he looked for, as he returned homewards he fell into most heavy dumpes and dolours of minde with griefe that the price of graine was abated: and when his servants sang merrily for joy of that blessed cheapnesse, he rebuked them most sharpely and cruelly, yea and was so much the more tormented and troubled in minde, by how much he more he saw any poore soule thankfull unto God for it: but marke how God gave him over to a reprobate and desperate sence: Whilest his servants rode before, hee hung himselfe at the cart taile, being past recoverie of life ere any man looked backe or perceived him. A notable example for our English cormorants, who joyne barne to barne, and heape to heape, and will not sell nor give a handful of their superfluitie to the poore, when it beareth a low price, but preserve it till scarcity and want come, and then they sell it at their owne rate; let them feare by this, lest the Lord deale so or worse with them.
Another covetous wretch, when he could not sel his cornesodear as hee desired, said the mise should eat it rather than he would lessen one jot of the price thereof: Which words were no sooner spoken, but vengeance tooke them: for all the mise in the countrey flocked to his barnes and fieldes, so that they left him neither standing nor lying corne, but devoured all. This story was written to Martin Luther: upon occasion whereof he inveying mightily against this cruell usurie of husbandmen, told of three misers Luther.that in one yeare hung themselves, because graine bore a lower price than they looked for: adding moreover, that all such cruell and muddy extortioners deserved no better a doome, for their unimercifull oppression.
Another rich farmer, whose barnes were full of graine, and his stacks D. Pomeranus.untouched, was so covetous withall, that in hope of some dearth and deerenesse of corne, he would not diminish one heape, but hoorded up dayly more and more, and wished for a scarcity upon the earth, to the end hee might enrich his coffers by other mens necessities. This cruell churle rejoyced so much in his aboundance, that everie day he would go into his barnes, and feed his eyes with his superfluitie: Now it fell out as the Lord would, that having supped and drunke very largely, upon a night as hee went, according to his custome, to view his riches, with a candle in his hand, behold the wine, or rather the justice of God, overcame his sences, so that he fell downe suddenly into the mow, and by his fall set on fire the corne, being dry and easie to be incensed, in such sort that in a moment all that which he had scraped together and preserved so charily, and delighted in so unreasonably, was consumed and brought to ashes, and scarce he himselfe escaped with his life.
Another in Misnia, in the yeare 1559, having great store of corne hoordedup, Ioh. Fincel li. 2.refused to succor the necessitie of his poore & halfe famished neighbours: for which cause the Lord punished him with a strange and unusuall judgement, for the corne which he so much cherished, assumed life, and became feathered fowles, flying out of his barnes in such abundance, that the world was astonished thereat, and his barnes left emptie of all provision, in most wonderfull and miraculous manner.
No lesse strange was that which happened in a towne of France called The same Author.Stenchansen, to the Governour of the towne, who being requested by one of his poore subjects to sell him some corne for his money, when there was Fides fit apud authorem.none to be gotten elsewhere; answered, hee could spare none, by reason he had scarce enough for his owne hogs: which hoggish disposition the Lord requited in it owne kinde; for his wife at the next litter brought forth seven pigs at one birth to increase the number of his hogs: that as he had preferred filthie and ougly creatures before his poore brethren, in whom the image of God in some sort shined forth, so he might have of his owne getting more of that kinde to make much of, since hee loved them so well.
Equall to all the former both in cruelty touching the person, and miracle The same.touching the judgement, was that which is reported by the same authour, to have happened to a rich couetous woman in Marchia, who in an extreame dearth of victuals, denyed not onelyonly to relieve a poore man whose children were ready to starve with famine, but also to sell him but one bushell of corne, when he wanted but a penny of her price: for the poore wretch making great shift to borrow that penny, returned to her againe, and desired her he might have the corn: but as he payed her the mony, the penny fell upon the ground by the providence of God, which as she stretched out obeisance, and vaile bonnet to the hat, and in every respect shew themselves as dutifull unto it, as to his owne person, imagining that his greatest enemies could not endure nor finde in their hearts to do it, and therefore upon this occasion he might apprehend them, and discover all their close practises, and conspiracies, which they might brew against him: now there was one, a stout hearted man, that passing everie day up and downe that wayes, could in no wise be brought to reverence the dignitie of the worthy hat, (so unreasonable a thing it seemed in his eyes) whereupon being taken, the tyran commanded him (for punishment of his open contempt) to shoot at an apple laid upon the crowne of the head of his dearest childe, and if he mist the apple, to be put to death: the poore man after many excuses, and allegations, and entreaties that he might not hazard his childes life in that sort, was notwithstanding enforced to shoot, and shooting, God so directed his shaft, that the apple was hit, and the childe untoucht; and yet for all this, he adjudged him to perpetuall prison: out of which he miraculously escaping, watched the tyrans approach in so fit a place, that with the shaft that should have beene the death of his sonne, he strooke him to the heart; whose unluckie end, was a luckie beginning of the Switzers deliverance from the bondage of tyrans, and of the recovery of their antient freedome, which ever after they wisely and constantly maintained.Nic. Gil. vol. 1.
The Emperour Albert, purposing to be revenged upon them for his injury, as also for slaying many more of his men, and breaking downe his castles of defence which he had caused to be builded in their countrey, determined to mak war upon them; but he was slaine ere he could bring it hat determination to effect by one of his owne nephews, from whom (being his overseer and gardant for bringing up) he withheld his patrimonie against all equity; neither by prayers or entreatie could be perswaded to restore it. These things (according to Nic. Gils report in his first volume of the Chronicles of France) happened about the reigne of Saint Lewis.
Hither may be referred the history of Richard the first, King of England, called Richard Coeur de Lyon: though not so much a fruite of ambition Ex Bibliotbeca Cariensi, &c.in him, as of filthie covetousnesse. This King, when as Widomarus Lord of Linionice in little Britaine having found a great substance of treasure in the ground, sent him a great part thereof, as chiefe Lord and Prince of the countrey, refused it; saying, That he would either have all or none; but the finder would not condiscend to that: whereupon the King layed siege to a castle of his called Galuz, thinking the treasure to lye there: but as he with the Duke of Brabant went about viewing the Castle, a souldier within stroke him with an arrow in the arme, the yron whereof festering in the wound, caused that the King within nine daies after died: And so because he was not content with the halfe of the treasure that another man found, lost all his owne treasure that he had, together with his life the chiefest treasure of all.