The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 2 · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Of Adulteries.
IT followeth by the order of our subject now to touch the transgression of the third Commandement of the second Table; which is, Thou shalt not commit Adultery: in which words, as also in many other Texts of Scripture, Adultery is forbidden, and grievous threatnings denounced against all those that defile their bodies with filthy and impure actions, estrange themselves from God, and conjoyne themselves to whores and ribauds.
This sin did the Israelites commit with the woman of Madian, by means whereof they were to follow strange gods, and to fall into Gods heavie displeasure, who by a cruell Plague destroyed 24000. of them for the same sin. And forasmuch as the Madianites (through the wicked and pernicious counsell of Balaam) did lay this snare for them, and were so villanous and shamelesse, as to prostitute and be Bauds to their owne wives; therefore they were by the expresse Commandement of God discomfited, their Kings and false prophets, with all their men and women, except onelyonly their unpolluted virgins that had knowne no man, slain: and all their Cities and dwellings burned and consumed to ashes. As every one ought to have regard and care to their honesty, so maides especially, whose whole credit and reputation hangeth thereupon; for they that make no account thereof, but suffer themselves to be polluted with any filthinesse, draw upon them not onelyonly most vile infamy, but also many great miseries: as is proved by the daughter of Hippomenes Prince of Athens, who being a whore, her father shut up in a stable with a wilde horse, giving him no provender, nor other meat to eat, that the horse (naturally furious enough, but more enraged by famine) might tear her in pieces, and with her carkase refresh his hunger, as he did. Pontus Aufidian understanding that his daughter had been betrayed and sold into a lechers hands by a slave of his that was her schoolmaster; put them both to death. In like manner served Pub. Atilius, Falisque his daughter, that fell into the same infamy. Vives reporteth, that in our fathers Lud, Vives.dayes, two brothers of Arragon perceiving their sister (whom they ever esteemed for honest) to be with childe, (hiding their displeasure untill her delivery was past) came in suddenly, and stabbed her into the belly with their daggers, till they killed her, in the presence of a sage matron that was witnesse to their deed. The same Authour saith, That when he was a young man, there were three in the same Countrey, that conspired the death of a companion of theirs, that went about to commit this villany, and as they conspired, so they performed it, strangling him to death with a napkin, as he was going to his filthinesse. As for Adulterers, examples are infinite both of their wicked lives and miserable ends. In which number many of them may be scored, that making profession of a single life; and undertaking the vow of chastity, shew themselves monstrous knaves and ribauds, as many of the Popes themselves have done. As we reade of Iohn the Eleventh, Petr. pramonst.bastard son to Lando his predecessour, who by meanes of his Adulteries with Theodora, then Governesse of Rome, came by degrees to the Papacy; so he passed the blessed time of his holy Popeship with this vertuous Dame, to whom he served instead of a common Horse to satisfie her insatiable and disordinate lust: but the good and holy father was at last taken and castin prison, and there smothered to death with a pillow. Benedict the Eleventh, di…ing on a time with an Abbesse, his familiar, was poysoned with Bal.certain figs that he eat. Clement the Fifth was reported to be a common Bawd and a protectour of whores: he went apart into Avignion, and there stayed of purpose to do nothing but whore-hunt: he died in great torment of the bloudy flux, plurisie, and grief of the stomacke.
In our English Chronicles we reade of Sir Roger Mortimer Earl of March, in the time of Edward the Third, who having secret familiarity with Isabel, Edward the Seconds wife, was not onelyonly the cause to stir her up to make war against her husband, but also when he was vanquished by her, and deposed from his Crowne, his young son being installed in his Throne, caused him most cruelly to be put to death, by thrusting a hot spit into his body, at his fundament. He also procured the Earle of Kent, the Kings uncle, to be arraigned and beheaded at Winchester, for that he withstood the Queenes and his dealings, and would not suffer them to do what they listed. All these mischiefes sprung out from the filthy root of Adultery. But the just judgement of God not permitting such odious crimes to be unpunished nor undetected, it so fell forth at the length, that Isabel the old Queen was discovered to be with childe by the said Mortimer: whereof complaint being made to the King, as also of the killing of King Edward his father, and conspiring and procuring the death of the Earle of Kent the Kings uncle, he was arreigned and indicted, and by verdict found guilty, and suffered death accordingly like a Traitor, his head being exalted upon London-bridge, for a spectacle for all murderers and adulterers to behold, that they might see and fear the heavy vengeance of God.