The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 2 · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. Of such as exercise too much rigour and severity.
FUrthermore we must understand, that God doth not only forbid murder and bloudshed, but also all tyranny and oppression; therein providing for the weak against the strong, the poor against the rich, and bondslaves against their masters: to the end that none might be trode under foot, and oppressed of others, under pain of his indignation. Insomuch therefore as the Romans used such rigour towards their servants, it came to passe by a just judgement of God, that they being Lords over all the World, were three sundry times driven by their servants into great extremities. As first in Rome within the wals, at the sametime when they also were troubled with the seditious factions of their Tribunes. Secondly in Sicily, where they horribly laid waste the whole Countrey: the cause of which commotion was, because the Romans had chained a multitude of slaves together, and in that order sent them to ma…ur and till the ground: for a certain Syrian first assembled two thousand men of them that came next hand, then breaking up the Prisons, multiplied his Army to fourty thousand, and with them pulled downe Castles, rased up Townes, and destroyed every where. The third undertaken by a Shepherd, who having killed his master, set at liberty all the …ondmen, and prepared an Army of them, wherewith he spoiled Cities, Townes, Castles, and discomfited the Armies of Servilius and Lucullus who were pretors at that time: but at last they were destroyed and rooted out by little and little: and this good service got the Romans at their servants hands.
As every Nation hath his proper vertue and vice ascribed to it, so the Spaniards for their part are noted famous for cruelty towards their subjects and vassals, insomuch that (as experience in many witnesseth) they are intolerable in that kinde: for which cause they have bor… the markes of Gods Justice, for their rigorous and barbarous handling of the poor West Indians, whom they have brought to that extremity by putting them to such excessive travels in digging their mines of Gold (as namely in the island Hispagnola) that the most part by sighes and teares wish by death to end their miseries: many (first killing their children) have desperately Benzon. Milan. of the new world.hung themselves on high trees; some have throwne themselves headlong from steep mountaines, and others cast themselves into the sea to be rid of their troubles; but the Tyrans have never escaped scot-free, but came alwayes to some miserable end or other: for some of them were destroyed by the inhabitants, others slew one another with their owne hands, provoked by insatiable avarice: some have been drowned in the sea, and others starved in the Desart; in fine, few escaped unpunished.
Bombadilla, one of the Governours of Hispagnola, after he had swayed there a while, and enriched himselfe by the sweat and charge of the inhabitants, was called home again into Spain: whitherward (according to the commandment received) as he imbarqued himselfe, shipping with him so much treasure as in value mounted to more than an hundred and fifty thousand duckats, beside many pieces and graines of Gold, which he carried to the Spanish Queen for a Present, whereof one weighed three thousand duckats, there arose such a horrible and outragious tempest in the broad sea, and beat so violently against his ships, that four and twenty vessels were shivered in pieces, and drowned at that blow: there perished Bombadilla himselfe with most of his Captaines, and more than five hundred Spaniards, that thought to returne full rich into the Country, and became with all their treasures a prey unto the fishes.
In the year of our Lord 1541. The eight day of September, there chanced in the City Guatimala (which lyeth in the way from Nicaragna Westward) The same Authour.a strange and admirable judgement. After the death of Alvarado, who subdued this province, and founded the City; and was but a little before slain in fight, it rained so strangely and vehemently all this whole day and night, that of a sudden so huge a deluge and floud of waters overflowed the earth, streaming from the bottom of the mountains into the lower grounds, with such violence, that stones of incredible bignesse were carried with it; which tumbling strongly downewards, bruised and burst in pieces whatsoever was in their way. In the mean while there was heard in the air fearfull cries and voices, and a blacke Cow was seen running up and downe in the midst of the water, that did much hurt. The first house that was Overthrowne by this tempest, was dead Alvarado's, wherein his widow (a very proud woman, that held the Government of the whole Province in her hand, and had before despited God for her husbands death) was slain with all her houshold, and in a moment the Citie was either drowned or subverted: there perished in this tempest of men and women sixscore persons: but they that at the beginning of the floud …ted, saved their lives. The morrow after the waters were surceased, one might see the poor Spaniards lie along the fields, some maimed in their bodies, other with broken armes or legs, or otherwise miserably wounded. And thus did God revenge the monstrous Spanish cruelties exercised upon those poor people, whom instead of in…icing by fair and gentle meanes to the knowledge of the true God and his Son Christ, they terrified by extraordinary tyranny (for such is the Spanish nature) making them thinke that Christians were the cruellest and most wicked men of the earth.
In the year of our Lord 1514. happened the horrible sedition and butchery of the Croysadoes in Hungary: the story is this, There was a generall discontent amongst the people, against the King and chiefest of the Realme, because they went not about to conquer those places again from Ioach. Curcu… in his Annales of Silesia.the Turke which he held in Hungary. Thereupon the Popes Legate published Pardons for all those that would crosse themselves to go to war against the Turke. Whereupon suddenly there gathered together a wonderfull company of thieves and robbers, from every corner of Hungary, who together with great multitudes of the common people that were oppressed by the insolency of the Nobility (creating themselves a Generall) committed a most horrible spoil almost over all Hungary; murdering all the Gentlemen and Bishops they could meet withall: the richest and those which were noblest descended, they empailed alive. This cruell rage continuing, at last the King raised Forces against them, and ere long they were defeated in a set battle, by Iohn the son of Vayvod Stephen, who having cut the most of them in pieces, took their Leaders, and put them to death by such strange torments as I have horrour to remember: for the Generall of this seditious troop, called George, he caused to be stript naked, and a Crowne of hot burning iron to be set upon his head; then some of his veines to be opened, and made Lucatius his brother to drinke the bloud which issued out of them. After that, the chiefest of the Peasants, who had been kept three dayes without meat, were brought forth, and forced to fall up on the body of George (yet breathing) with their teeth, and every one to tear away and eat a piece of it. Thus he being torne in pieces, his bowels were pulled out, and cut into morsels, whereof some being boyled, and the rest roasted, the Prisoners were constrained to feed on them: which done, all that remained were put to most horrible and languishing deaths. An example of greater cruelty can hardly be found since the world was a world, and therefore no marvell if the Lord hath punished the King and Realme of Hungary, for such strange cruelties, by suffering the cruell Turkes to make spoil of them. Cruell chastisements are prepared for them that be cruell and inhumane.
During the Peasants war in Germany, in the year 1525. a certain Gentleman not content to have massacred a great number even of those which had humbly craved pardon of him, used in all company to glory of his exploits, and to tell what murders and thefts he had committed. But some moneths after he fell sicke, and languished many dayes of an extreme pain in the reines of his back; through the torment whereof he fell into despair, and ceased not to curse and deny his Creatour, who is blessed for ever, untill that both speech and life failed him. Neither did the severity of Gods justice here stay, but shewed it selfe on his posterity also; for his eldest son seeking to exalt the prowesse and valour of his father, vaunted much of his fathers exploits in an open assembly at a banquet; wherewithall a countriman being moved, stabbed him to the heart with his dagger: and some few dayes after the Plague fals among the residue of his Family, and consumeth all that remaineth.