The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Of those that in our age have persecuted the Gospell in the person of the Faithfull.
AS the Religion of Christ hath beene hitherto cruelly crossed and besieged by the mightiest captaines of this world (as hath been partly declared) so it hath not been any better entertained by the Potentates of this age, that ceased not to disturbe the quiet, and pursue to death the lives of Gods children for their professions sake and to bring them utterly to ruine: to addresse all the engines and subtilties of their malicious and wicked counsels, without leaving any one device unthought of that their wit could imagine, or their power afford; they joyned craft with force, and vile treason with horrible cruelty, thereby to suppresse the truth, and quench that faire and cleere light, which God after long time of blindnesse and ignorance, had caused of his infinite mercy to shine upon us. There fires were kindled every where with the bones of Martyrs; whilest for the space of forty yeares or thereabouts they never ceased to burne those that were followers of that way. Now when they saw that all their butcheries and burnings were not able to consume this holy seed, but that the more they went about to choake it, the more it grew up and increased, they tooke another course, and raised up troubles and seditions in all quarters, as if by that means they should attaine the end of their purpose. Hell vomited up all her Furies of warre, the whole earth was in a tumult, young and old with tooth and naile were imployed to root out the Church of Christ, but God stretching forth his arme against all their practises, shewed himselfe not only a Conqueror, but also a most sharpe revenger of all his adversaries. This is most apparent in that which happened to Thomas Arondel an English man, Archbishop of Canterbury, an enemy and persecutor of the Truth of Christ: who having put to death divers holy and upright men, thinking that all he did was History of Martyrs, …. 1.gain, was rooted out at last himselfe, by a most strange and horrible death; for he that sought to stop the mouth of God in his Ministers; and to hinder the passage of the Gospell, had his owne tongue so swolne, that it stopped his owne mouth, that before his death hee could neither swallow nor speake, and so through famine died in great despaire.
Foelix Farle of Wartemberg, one of the Captaines of the Emperour Charles the fifth, being at supper at Ausburg with many of his companions, Illirle….where threats were blowne out on every side against the Faithful, swore before them all, That before he died he would …ide up to his spurs in the bloud of the Lutherans. But it hapned in the same night, that the hand of God so stroke him, that he was strangled and choaked with his own bloud: and so he rode not, but bathed himselfe, not up to the spurs, but up to the throat, not in the bloud of Lutherans, but in his owne bloud, before he died.
In the raign of Francis de Valois of late memory, the first King of France of that name, those men that shewed themselves frowardest, sharpest, and History of France.most cruell in burning and murthering the holy Martyrs, were also forwardest examples of the vengeance of God prepared for all such as they are. For proofe whereof, the miserable end of Iohn Roma a Monke of the Order of the White Friers, may serve; who although in regard of his hood and habit ought not to be placed in the number of men of note, yet by reason of the notable example of Gods vengeance upon him, wee may rightly place him in this ranke. This man therefore, at that time when the Christians of Cabrier and Merindol began to suffer persecution, having obtained a Commission from the Bishop of Provence and the Embassadour Avignion, to make inquisition after and seise upon the bodies of all them that were called Lutherans; ceased not to afflict them with the cruellest torments he could devise: Amongst many of his tortures this was one, To cause their boots to be filled with boiling grease, and then fastning them overthwartwise over a bench, their legs hanging over a gentle fire, to seeth them to death. The French King advertised of this cruelty, sent out his Letters Patents from the Parliament of Provence, charging, That the said Iohn de Roma should be apprehended, imprisoned, and by processe of law condemned. Which news when the Caitife heard, he fled backe as fast as he could trot to Avignion, there purposing to recreate and delight himselfe with the excrements of his oppression and robbery which hee had wrung out of the purses of poor people: but see how contrary to his hope it fell out; for first he was robbed of his evill gotten goods by his owne servants; and presently upon the same hee fell sicke of so horrible and strange a disease, that no salve or medicine could be found to asswage his paine; and beside it was withall so loathsome, that a man could not endure his company for the stinke and corruption which issued from him. For which cause the white Fryers (his Cloysterers) conveyed him out of their Covent into the hospitall; where increasing in ulcers and vermine, and being become now odious, not onelyonly to others, but to himselfe also, hee would often cry, either to be delivered from his noysomnesse, or to bee slaine, being desirous, but not able to performe the deed upon himselfe. And thus in horrible torments and most fearfull despaire he most miserably died. Now being dead, there was none found that would give Sepulture to his rotten carkasse, had not a Monke of the same Order dragged the carrion into a ditch, which he provided for the purpose.
The Lord of Revest, who a while supplied the place of the chiefe President in the Parliament of Provence, by whose meanes many of the Faithfull Ibid.were put to death, after hee was put beside his office, and returned home unto his owne house, was attached with so grievous a sicknesse, and such furious and mad fits withall, that his wise and neerest allyance not daring to come near him, he like a frantick bedlam, enraged and solitarily ended his life.
A Counsellor of the same Court called Bellemont, was so hot and zealous in proceeding against the poor prisoners for the Word of Gods sake, that to the end to pack them soon to the fire, he usually departed not from the Judgement Hall from morning to evening, but caused his meat and drinke to bee brought for his meales, returning not home but onelyonly at night to take his rest. But whilest hee thus strongly and endeavourously imployed himselfe about these affaires, there began a little sore to rise upon his foot, which at the first being no bigger, than if a waspe had stung the place, grew quickly so red and full of paine, and so increased the first day by ranckling over all his foot, and inflaming the same, that by the judgement of Physicians and Chirurgions, through the contagious fire that spread it selfe over his whole body, it seemed incurable, except by cutting off his foot, the other members of the body might be preserved: which hee in no case willing to yield unto, for all the medicines that were applied unto it, sound the second day his whole leg infected, and the third his whole thigh, and the fourth day his whole body, insomuch that he died the sameday, his deadbody being all partched as if it had been rosted by a fire. And thus he that was so hot in burning poore Christians, was himselfe by a secret flame of Gods wrath, as by slow and soft fire, burned and consumed to death.
Lewes du Vaine, brother in law to Meni…r the President of the said Parliament History of Martyrs, lib. 2.of Provence, with the brother and son of Peter …urand, chiefe butcher of the city Ajax, the evening before the horrible cruelty was executed at Merindoll, fell at debate amongst themselves, and the morrow, as instruments of Gods judgements, slew one another.
The Judge of the City Aix (one of that wretched crew) drowned himselfe in his returne, as he passed over the river Durance.
As for the chiefe Judge that was principall in that murtherous action, Ibid.touching the condemnation of those poore soules of Merindoll and Cabrieres, he likewise suddainly died before he saw the execution of that decree which himselfe had set downe.
Iohn Mesnier Lord of Oppede, another chiefe Officer of the aforesaid Ibid.Parliament, that got the leading of the murthering Army against the poore Christians aforesaid, committing such excesse of cruelty, that the most barbarous heathen in the world would have yearned to doe. For which cause hee was also summoned to appeare personally at the Parliament of Paris, there to answer those extortions, robberies, and oppressions, which were layd to his charge; and being convinced and found guilty theieof, was neverthelesse released and set at liberty; and that which is more, restored to his former estate. Howbeit, though hee escaped the hands of men, yet was hee overtaken by the hand of God, who knew well enough the way how to entrap and abate his proud intents: for even then when hee was in the height of worldly prosperity, and busier than ever, in persecuting Christians, even then was hee pulled downe by a flux of bloud, which provoking his privy parts, engendred such a carnositie and thicknesse of flesh therein, and withall a restraint of urine, that with horrible outeries and raving speeches hee died; feeling a burning fire broyling his entrailes from his navill upwards, and an extreme infection putrifying his lower parts, and beginning to feele in this life, both in body and soule, the rigour of eternall fire, prepared for the devill and his angels.
Iohn Martin Trombant of Briqueras in Piemont, vaunting himselfe 2. Booke of Martyrs.every foot in the hinderance of the Gospell, cut off a Ministers nose of Angrogne in his bravery; but immediately after was himselfe assayled by a mad Woolse, that gnawed off his nose as hee had done the Ministers, and caused him like a mad man to end his life: Which strange judgement was notoriously knowne to all the countrey thereabout; and beside, it was never heard that this Woolfe had ever harmed any man before. Caspard of Renialme, one of the Magistrates of the City of Anvers, that adjudged to death certaine poore faithfull soules, received in the same place, ere hee removed, a terrible sentence of Gods judgement against himselfe; for he fell desperate immediately, and was faine to be led into his house halfe beside himselfe, where crying that he had condemned the innocent bloud, he forthwith died.