The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII. Of Perjuries.
THe third Commandement (which is, Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vaine) is first and especially broken by Perjury, when God is so lightly esteemed, nay, so despised, that without any regard had to his Name, that is to say, to his Greatnesse, Majesty, Power, Divine vertue, and fearefull Iustice, (for these bee his names) men by fraud and malice abuse their Oathes, either in denying that which is true, or affirming that which is untrue, or neglecting their promises made and vowed to others: for this is neither to have respect unto his presence, who is every where, nor reverence to his Majestie, who is God of Heaven and Earth, but rather to make him beare witnesse to our lye and falshood; as if he approved it, or had no power to revenge the injury and dishonour done to him. And therefore against such, in threatning words he denounceth judgement, that He will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine. Howbeit very many over-boldly give themselves over to this sinne, making little or no conscience to cousen one another even by forswearings: whereby they give most cleare evidence against themselves, that they have very little feare of God before their eyes, and are not guided by any other rule save of their owne affections by which they square out and build their oathes, and pull them done againe at their pleasures; for let it be a matter of vantage, and then they will keepe them, but straightway if a contrary perswasion come in their braine, they will cancell them by and by: wherein they deale farre worse and more injuriously with God, than with their knowne enemies; for he that contrary to his sworne faith deceiveth his enemy, declareth that therein he feareth him, but feareth not God; and careth for him, but contemneth God. It was therefore not without good reason that all antiquity ever marked them with the coat of infamy that forswore themselves. And thereupon it is that Homer so often taunteth the Trojans by reason of their so usuall Perjuries. The Egyptians Diod. l. 2. c. 2.had them in detestation as prophane persons, and reputed it so Capitall a crime, that whosoever was convinced thereof was punished by death. The ancient Romanes reverenced nothing more then faith in publike affaires, for which cause they had in their Citie a Temple dedicated to it: wherein for a more strait bond they used solemnely to promise and sweare to all the conditions of Peace, Truces, and Bargaines, which they made, and to curse those which went about first to breake them: for greater solemnity and confirmation hereof, they were accustomed at those times to offer sacrifices to the image of faith for more reverence sake. Hence it was that Attilius Regulus, chiefe Captaine of the Romane Army against the Carthaginians, was so highly commended of all men, because when he was overcome and taken prisoner, and sent to Rome, he onelyonly for his oathes sake which he had sworne, returned againe to the enemy, albeit hee knew what grievous torments were provided for him at his returne. Others also that came with him, though they were intreated, and by their Parents, Wives, and Allies, instantly urged not to returne to Hannibals Campe, could in no wise be moved thereunto: but because they had sworne to the enemie, if the Romans did not accord to those conditions which were offered, to come againe, they preferred the bond and reverence of their promised faith, though accompanied with perpetuall captivity, before their private commodities, and neerest linke of affection. But two of these ten (for so many were they) falsified their oath, and whatsoever mist they might cast to darken and disguise their Perjury with, yet were they condemned of all men for cowards, and faint-hearted Traytors: insomuch that the Censors also nored them with infamy for the fact; whereat they tooke such griefe and inward sorrow, that being weary of their lives, they slew themselves. Now what can they pretend that professe themselves Christians and Catholickes, to excuse their Perjuries, seeing that the very Heathen cry out so loud and cleere, That an oath and Cic. offic. lib. 1.faith is so sacredly to be kept towards our enemies? This is one of the greatest vertues and commendations which the Psalmist attributeth to the faithfull man, & him that feareth God, and whom God avoucheth for his owne, Not to falsifie his oath that he sweareth, though it be to his dammage. The Psal. 15. Iosh 9.Gibeonites although they were so execrable a people, that for their great and horrible wickednesses and ahominations they might be well esteemed for Hereticks, yet the Princes of Israel, after they had sworne and given their faith unto them, would in no wise retract or goe against their oath, albeit, therein they were deceived by them, for feare of incurring the wrath of God, that suffereth not a Perjurer to goe unpunished. VponUpon what ground or example of holy Scripture then may that Doctrine of the Councell of Constance be founded, the purport whereof is, That a man ought not to keepe his faith with Hereticks? I omit to speake how these good Fathers (by Hereticks) meant those men who fearing God, relyed themselves upon his Word, and rejected the foolish and superstitious inventions of men. And under what colour can the Popes usurpe this Authority, to quit and discharge subjects of their oath wherewith they are bound to their Superiors? yet this was the impious audacity of Pope Zacharia, Pope Boniface the 8, and Pope Benedict de la Lune, who freed the Frenchmen from their duty and obedience which they ought unto their Platina.Kings. In like manner disgorged Gregory the 7 his choler and spight against the Emperour Henry, by forbidding his Subjects to be his Subjects, Enguerran de Monstrelet.and to yeeld that obedience unto him which Subjects were bound to doe.
How be it if an oath be made either against God, or to the damage and hurt of our neighbour (it being for that cause unlawfull) it behoveth us to know that we ought to revoke it, lest wee fall into the sinne of Saul and 1 Sam. 14. Marc. 6.Herod. Now what punishments God hath laid upon Perjuries, these Examples that follow shall make known unto us. Osee the last King of Israel, being made (by Gods just judgement for his sinnes) subject and tributary to Salmanazar King of Ashur, without regard to the bond wherewith 2 Kings 17.he was bound, and to his faith which he had plighted, conspired and entered league with the King of Aegypt, against him: but he discovering their seditious and privie conspiracies, assembled his forces, spoyled his countrey, and bad them warre on all sides; laying fiege to the chiefe Citie of his Kingdome, after three yeeres tooke it, together with the forsworne King, whom he put in close prison, and kept very straightly, leading him and his whole Nation captive into Syria, to end their dayes in misery: of which evill, as of all others that happened in that warre, the disloyalty and Treason of Osee was the next and chiefest cause.
Among the bed-roll of sinnes which Zedechias the last King of Iuda is noted withall in holy Scripture, Perjury is one of the count: for notwithstanding he received his Kingdome of Nabuchadnezzar, and had sworne 2 Chron. 36.fealty to him, as to his Soveraigne, yet brake he his oath in rebelling against him; which was the very cause of his destruction: for Nebuchadnezzar to be revenged on his disloyalty, sent a puissant Armie against Ierusalem, which took, spoyled, and burnt it, and overtooke the Perjurer in his flight, and first made him a beholder of the slaughter of his owne children, and then had his owne eyes bored out, and was carried in chaines to Babylon, serving for a spectacle to all posteritie, of Gods wondrous judgements upon Perjurers. And thus both the Kingdomes of Israel and Iuda were for breach and falsifying their Oath quite extinguished and rased out.
The great deceiver and most treacherous person, one of them, that ever Plutarch.Greece saw, was Lisander the Lacedemonian, a busie-body, full of cunning, subtilty, and craft, and one that performed the most of his acts of Warre, more by fraud and stratagems, than by any other meanes: this was he that said, That when the Lions skinne (meaning Fortitude) would not serve, it was needfull then to sow unto it the Foxes case (meaning subtilty) he made so little reckoning of forswearing himselfe, that he would often say, That children were to be cousened with trifles, as Dice and Cockles, and old men with Oathes: but with deceitfull tricks he was occasion of much evill, and divers murders: but at last this Foxe making warre against the Thebans, for that they had taken part with the Athenians against him, and given them succour and meanes for recovering their liberty, was taken in the trap, and slaine at the foot of their walls.
Metius Suffetius, Generall of the Albanes, procured the Fidenates to enter Livie.warre against the Romanes, contrary to his oath which he had sworne unto them, and being called by the Romanes to their succour, and placed in an out Wing to helpe if need were, whilest the rest were fighting, hee drove away the time in ordering his men, and ranging them into squadrons, to see which part should have the best, that he might joyne himselfe unto that side. But Tullus the Roman King having obtained the victory, and seeing the cowardise, subtilty, and treason of this Albane, adjudged him to a most strange and vile death, answerable to his fact: for as he had in his body a double heart swimming between two streames, and now ready to goe this way, now that, so was his body dismembred and torne in pieces by foure horses, drawing foure contrary wayes: to serve for an example to all others to be more fearefull and true observers of their oathes than he was.
In old time the Africans and Carthagenians were generally noted for perfidy and falshood above other Nations; the cause of which bruit was principally that old subtile Souldier Annibal, an old deceiver, and a notorious Perjurer, who by his crafts and cousenings which he wrought without Liv. Decad. 3. lib. 1.Religion or feare of God, raised up the evill report. This subtile Foxe having made warre in Italy sixteen yeeres, and all that while troubled and vexed the Romanes sore, after many victories, wastings of Countries, ruines, and sackings of Cities, and cruell bloodshed, was at length overcome by Scipio in his owne Conntrey; and perceiving that his Countrymen imputed the cause of their fall unto him, and sought to make him odious to the Romanes, by laying to his charge the breach of that league which was betwixt them, he fled to Antiochus King of Syria, not so much for his owne safeties fake, as to continue his warre against the Romanes, which he knew Antiochus to be in hammering, because they came so neere unto his Frontiers: but he found his hope frustrate; for King Antiochus, for the small trust he affied in him, and the daily suspition of his treachery, would not commit any charge of his Armie into his hand, although for valiantnesse and prowesse he was second to none of that Age. It came to passe therefore, that as soone as Antiochus was overthrown of the Romanes, he was constrained to flie to Prusius King of Bythinia, that tooke him into his protection: but being as treacherous himselfe, hee soone devised a meanes to betray him to Quintius, the Generall of the Romane Armie: which when Annibal understood, and seeing that all passages for evasion were closed up, and that he could not any way escape, he poysoned himselfe, and so miserably ended his treacherous life. And thus the deceit which he practised towards others, fell at length upon his owne Pate, to his utter destruction.
Albeit that Perjurers and forswearers were to the Egyptians very odious Iustine.and abominable (as wee said before) yet among them there was one Ptolome, who to bereave his sister Arsinoe of her Kingdome, stained himselfe with this villanous spot, and thereby brought his purpose to passe; for pretending and protesting great affection and love unto her in the way of marriage (for such incestuous marriages were there through a perverse and damnable custome not unlawfull) and avowing the same by solemne oath before her Embassadours, did notwitstanding soon make knowne the drift of his intent, which was to make himselfe King: for being arrived in shew to consummate Marriage, at his first approach hee caused his Nephewes (her sonnes which she had by her former husband Lysimachus, and were come forth from their mother to give him entertainment on the way) to be slaine; yea, and lest they should escape his hands, hee pursued them even to their mothers bosome, and there murthered them, and after (expelling her also from her Kingdome) caught the Crowne, and reigned Tyrant in her roome: all which mischiefe he committed by reason of the faithlesse oath which hee had taken: and although that in such a case no oath ought to bee of force to confirme so lawfull affiance (though it bee pronounced and taken by the name and in the Temple of their Idols) yet notwithanding it being done with an evill conscience, and to an evill purpose, he that did it can be no lesse then a Perjurer. But for this and other vices it came to passe, that ere long he was conquered by the Gaules, who taking him in battell, slew him and cut off his head, and having fastened it upon a Lance, carried it in signe of victory and triumph up and downe the hoast.
A most notable example of the punishment of Perjurie and falshood in Vladislaus King of Hungary and his Army destroyed by the Turkes, is set downe in Bonfinus his Hungarian History, after this manner. It fell out Bonfinus.that the King of Hungary had so well bestirred himselfe against the Turks, that Amurathes was glad (upon unequall conditions, and even to his owne hurt, and their good) to conclude a peace with him: wherein it was agreed, that certaine Provinces should be restored to the Hungarian, which otherwise could not have been recovered but by great losse of men. This league being made, and the Articles thereof engrossed in both Languages, with a solemne oath taken on both parties for the consirmation of the same; behold the Cardinall of Florence, Admirall of the Navie which lay upon the Sea Hellespont (now called Saint Georges Arme, which divideth Turkie It is so called by the French men, but more commonly, the Straits of Castile.from Greece) sendeth Letters to the King of Hungary to perswade him to disannull and repeale this new concluded peace: This practise likewise did Cardinall Iulian, the Popes Legate in Hungarie, with might and maine helpe forward: which two good pillars of the Church, inspired with on and the same spirit, wrought together so effectually with the king, that at that instance he falsified his oath, broke the peace, and sent to Constantinople to denounce Warre afresh; and forthwith whilst their Embassadors were retyring their Garrisons out of Misia, to bring them into their hands againe, and had sent forty thousand crownes for the ransome of great men which were prisoners, and had restored the Realme of Rascia and all their Captives, according to the tenour of their late league, not knowing of this new breach: in the meane while (I say) he set forward his Armie towards the great Turkes in all expedition. Now the Turkes secure and misdoubting nothing, were set upon unawares by the King, yet putting themselves in defence, there grew a long and sharpe battell, till Amurathes perceiving his side to decline, and almost overcome, pulled out of his bosome the Articles of the aforesaid peace, & lifting up his eyes to heaven, uttered these speeches: O Iesus Christ, these are the leagues that thy Christians have made and confirmed by swearing by thy name, and yet have broken them againe: if thou beest a God, as they say thou art, revenge this injurie which is offered both thee and mee, and punish those Truce-breaking Varlets. He had scarce ended these speeches, but the Christians battell and courage began to rebate, Vladislaus himselfe was slaine by the I… nizaries, his horse being first hurt; his whole Army was discomfited, and all his people put to the sword, saving a few that fled: amongst whom was the right reverend Embassador of the Pope, who as soone as he had thrust in over the eares, withdrew himselfe (forsooth) farre enough from blowes or danger. Then followed a horrible butchery of people, and a lamentable noyse of poore soules ready to be slaughtered, for they spared none, but haled them miserably in pieces, and executed a just and rigorous judgement of God for that vile treachery and perjury which was committed.