The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 2 · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. Other examples like unto the former.
THE history of the ravishment of Helene, registred by so many worthy and excellent Authors, and the great evils that pursued the same, is not to be counted altogether an idle fable, or an invention of pleasure, seeing that it Herod. l…. 2.is sure, that upon that occasion great and huge war arose betweene the Graecians and the Trojanes; during the Thucyd.which the whole Countrey was havocked, many Cities and Townes destroyed, much blood shed, and thousands of men discomfited; among whom the ravisher and adulterer himselfe (to wit Paris, the chiefe mover of all those miserable tragedies) escaped not the edge of the sword; no nor that famous city Troy (which entertained and maintained the adulterers within her walls) went unpunished, but at last was taken and destroyed by fire and sword. In which sacking, olde and gray headed King Pri…m, with all the remnant of his halfe slaine sonnes, were together murdered, his wife and daughters were taken prisoners, and exposed to the mercy of their enemies: his whole kingdome was entirely spoiled, and his house quite defaced, and well nigh all the Trojane Nobility extinguished: and as touching the whore, Helene her selfe (whose disloyalty gave consent to the wicked enterprise of forsaking her husbands house, and following a stranger) she was not exempt from punishment: for as some writers affirm, Ant. Vols. upon Ovidi epist. of Hermione to Orestes.she was slaine at the sacke: but according to others, she was at that time spared, and entertained againe by Menelaus her husband; but after his death, she was banished in her olde age, and constrained for her last refuge (being both destitute of reliefe and succour, and forsaken of kinsfolkes and friends) to flie to Rhodes, where at length (contrary to her hope) she was put to a shamefull death, even hanging on a tree, which she long time before deserved.
The injury and dishonour done to Lucrece, the wife of Collatinus, by Sextus Tit. Livius.Tarquinius, son to Superbus the last King of Rome, was cause of much trouble and disquietnesse in the City and elsewhere: for first she (not able Rape, l. 2. c. 19.to endure the great injurie and indignity which was done unto her, pushed forward with anger and despite) slew her selfe in the presence of her husband and kinsfolke, notwithstanding all their desires and willingnesse to cleare her from all blame: with whose death the Romanes were so stirred and provoked against Sextus the sonne, and Tarquinius the father, that they rebelled forthwith, and when he should enter the City, shut the gates against him, neither would receive or acknowledge him ever after for their King. Whereupon ensued war abroad, and alteration of the state at home… for after that time Rome endured no more King to beare rule over them, but in their roome created two Consuls to be their governours; which kinde of government continued to Iulius Caesars time. Thus was Tarquinius the father shamefully deposed from his crowne, for the adultery, or rather, rape of his son; and Tarquinius the son slaine by the Sabians, for the robberies and murders which by his fathers advice he committed against them; and he himselfe not long after in the war which by the Tuscane succours he renued against Rome to recover his lost estate, was discomfited with them, Plutarch.and slaine in the middest of the rout.
In the Emperour Valentinianus time, the first of that name, many women of great account and parentage, were for committing adultery put to death, as testifieth Ammianus Marcellinus.
When Europe, after the horrible wasting and great ruines which it suffered by the furious invasion of Attila, began to take a little breath and Li. 28.finde some ease, behold a new trouble, more hurtfull and pernitious than the former, came upon it, by meanes of the filthy lechery and lust of the Emperour Valentinianus, the third of that name, who by reason of his evill bringing up, and government under his mother Placidia, being too much Procop.subject to his owne voluptuousnesse, and tyed to his owne desires, dishonoured the wife of Petronius Maximus, a Senatour of Rome, by forcing her to his pleasure; an act indeed that cost him his life, and many more beside, and that drew after it the finall destruction of the Romane Empire, and the horrible besacking and desolation of the City of Rome: For the Emperour being thus taken and set on fire with the love of this woman, through the excellent beauty wherewith she was endued, endeavoured first to entice her to his lust by faire allurements; and seeing that the bulwarke of her vertuous chastity would not by this meanes be shaken, but that all his pursute was still in vaine, he tryed a new course, and attempted to get her by deceit and policie; which to bring about, one day setting himselfe to play with her husband Maximus, he won of him his Ring, which he no sooner had, but secretly he sent it to his wife in her husbands name, with this commandement, That by that token she should come presently to the Court, to doe her duty to the Empresse Eudoxia: she, seeing her husbands Ring, doubted nothing, but came forthwith, as she was commanded; where, whilest she was entertained by certaine suborned women, whom the Emperour had set on, he himselfe commeth in place, and discloseth unto her his whole love, which he said he could no longer represse, but must needes satisfie, if not by faire meanes, at least by force and compulsion, and so he constrained her to his lust. Her husband advertised hereof, intended to Rape, li. 2. cap. 19.revenge this injury upon the Emperour with his owne hand: but seeing he could not execute his purpose, whilest Actius, the Captaine Generall of Valentinianus army lived (a man greatly reverenced and feared for his mighty and famous exploits, atchieved in the wars against the Burgundians, Gothes, and Attila) he found meanes by suggesting a false accusation of treason against him (which made him to be hated and suspected of the Emperour) to worke his death. After that Actius was thus traiterously and unworthily slaine, the griefe of infinite numbers of people for him, in regard of his great vertues and good service which he had done to the Commonwealth, gave Maximus …it occasion to practise the Emperours destruction, and that by this meanes: He set on two of Actius most faithfull followers, partly by laying before them the unworthy death of their master, and partly by presents and rewards, to kill the Emperour; which they performed as hee was sitting on his seat of judgement in the sight of the whole multitude; among whom there was not one found that would oppose himselfe to Maximus in his defence, save one of his Eunuchs, who stepping betwixt to save his life, lost his owne: and the amazement of the whole City with this sudden accident was so great, that Maximus having revenged himselfe thus upon the Emperour, without much adoe not only seised upon the Empire, but also upon the Empresse Eudoxia, and that against her will, to be his wife (for his owne dyed but a little before:) Now the Empresse, not able to endure so vile an indignity (being above measure passionate with griefe and desire of revenge) conspired his destruction on this manner: She sent secretly into Africa to solicite and request most instantly Gensericus King of the Vandales, by prayers mingled with presents, to come to deliver her and the City of Rome from the cruell tyranny of Maximus, and to revenge the thrice unjust murder of her husband Valentinian; adding moreover, that he was bound to doe no lesse, in consideration of the league of friendship which by oath was confirmed betwixt them. Gensericus well pleased with these newes, laid hold upon the offered occasion, which long time hee had more wished than hoped for, and forthwith (being already tickled with hope of a great and inestimable booty) rigged his ships and made ready his armie by Sea, lanching forth with three hundred thousand men, Vandales and Moores, and with this huge fleete made straight for Rome. Maximus meane while mistrusting no such matter, especially from those parts, was sore affrighted at the sudden brute of their comming; and not yet understanding the full effect of the matter, perceiving the whole Citty to bee in dismay, and that not only the common people, but also the Nobilitie had for feare forsaken their houses, and fled to the Mountaines or Forrests for safety: hee I say destitute of succour, tooke himselfe also to his heeles, as his surest refuge; but all could not serve to rid him from the just vengeance of God prepared for him, for the murders which hee had beene cause of: for certaine Senatours of Rome, his private and secret foes, Mandat. 6. lib. 2. cap. 8.finding him alone in the way of his flight, and remembring their olde quarrels, fell upon him suddenly and felled him downe with stones, and after mangled him in pieces, and threw his body into Tiber. Three dayes after arrived Gensericus with all his forces, and entering Rome, found it naked of all defence, and left to his owne will and discretion: where (albeit he professed himselfe to be a Christian) yet he shewed more pride and cruelty, and lesse pitty than either Attila or Allaricus, two heathen Kings: For having given his souldiers the pillage of the City, they not only spoiled all private houses, but also the Temples and Monasteries in most cruell and riotous manner. All the best and beautifullest things of the City they took away, and carried a huge multitude of people prisoners to Affrica, amongst the which was Eudoxia the Empresse (with her two daughters Eudocia and Placidia) who was the cause of all this calamity; but her trechery saved not her self nor them from thraldome. And thus was Rome sacked and destroyed more than ever it was before; insomuch, that the Romane Empire could never Treason, lib. 2. cap. 3.after recover it selfe, but decayed every day, and grew worse and worse. These were the calamities which the adultery of Valeutinian brought upon himselfe and many others, to his owne destruction, and the utter ruine of the whole Empire.
Childericke King of France, son to Merouce, for laying siege to the chastity Paulus Aemil. Nic. Gil.of many great Ladies of his Realme, the Princes and Barons conspired against him, and drove him to flie for his life.
Eleonor the wife to King Lewis of France (he that first cut through the Paulus Aemil.sea surrowes towards Jerusalem, against the Turkes and Saracens) would needs couragiously follow her husband in that long and dangerous voyage; but how? Marrie, whilest he travailed night and day in perill of his life, she lay at Antioch bathing her selfe in all delights, and that more licentiously than the reputation or duty of a married woman required: wherefore being had in suspition, and evill reported of for her lewd behaviour, it was thought meet that she should be divorced from the King under pretence of consanguinity, to the end she should not altogether be defamed.
The faire daughters of Philip the faire King of France escaped not at so Fulgos. li. 6. c. 1.good a rate: for the King as soone as he smelt out the haunt of their unchastity, caused them to be apprehended and imprisoned presently: howbeit one of them (namely, the Countesse of Poictiers) her innocency being knowne, was set at liberty, and the other two (to wit, the Queen of Navarre, and the wife of Iohn de le March) being found guilty by proofe, were adjudged to perpetuall imprisonment: and the Adulterers (two brethren of the countrey of Anjou) with whom these Ladies had often lyen, were first cruelly flaine, and after hanged.
Charles, son of the aforesaid Philip the faire, had to wife the daughter of Froiss. vol. 1. cap. 22.the Earle of Artois, that also offended in the like case, and in recompence received this dishonour and ignominie to be divorced, and put in prison, and to see him married to another before her face.
In the reigne of Charles the sixth there befell a notable and memorable Frois. Vol. 3. cap. 45.accident, which was this: one Iaques le Gris, of the Countrey of Alanson being enamoured with a Lady no lesse faire than honourable, the wife of the Lord of Carouge, came upon a day when he knew her husband to bee from home, to her house; and faining as if he had some secret message to unfold unto her on her husbands behalfe (for their familiarity was so great) Rape, lib. 2. cap. 19.entred with her all alone into a most secret chamber, where as soone as he had gotten her, he locked the doore, and throwing himselfe upon her, forced her unto his lust, and afterward saved himselfe by speedy flight. Her husband at his returne understanding the injury and wrong which was done him by this vile miscreant, sought first to revenge himselfe by justice, and therefore put his cause to be heard by the Parliament of Paris; where being debated, it could not well be decided, because he wanted witnesses to convince the crime, except his owne wives words, which could not be accepted: so that the Court, to the end that there might some end be made of their quarrell, ordained a combate betwixt them; which was forthwith performed: for the two duellists entering the lists, fell presently to strokes, and that so eagerly, that in short space the quarrell was decided: the Lord of Carouge, husband of the wronged Lady, remained conquerour, after he had slaine his enemy that had wronged him so wickedly and disloyally: the vanquished was forthwith delivered to the hangman of Paris, who dragged him to mount Falcon, and there hanged him. Now albeit this forme and custome of deciding controversies hath no ground nor warrant either from humane or divine Law (God having ordained only an Oath to end doubts, where proofes and witnesses faile) yet doubtlesse the Lord used this as an instrument to bring the treacherous and cruell Adulterer to the deserved punishment and shame, which by deniall he thought to escape.
A certaine Seneschall of Normandy perceiving the vicious and suspitious behaviour of his wife with the Steward of his house, watched them so Fulgos li. 6. c. 1.narrowly, that he tooke them in bed together; he slew the Adulterer first, and after his wife for not all her pittifull cryings for mercy, with innumerable teares for this one fault, and holding up in her armes the children which she had borne unto him, no nor her house and parentage, being sister to Lewis the eleventh then King, could not withhold him from killing her with her companion: Howbeit, King Lewis never made shew of anger, or offence for her death.
M…ssel…na, the wife of Claudius the Emperour, was a woman of so notable incontinency, that the would contend with the common harlots in filthy Lanq. Chron.pleasure: at last she fell in love with a faire young Gentleman called Silius, and to obtaine more commodiously her desire, she caused his wife Sillana to be divorced; and notwithstanding she was wife to the Emperour then living, yet she openly married him; for which cause, after great complaint made to the Emperour by the Nobles, she was worthily put to death.
Abusahed King of Fez was with six of his children murdered at once by his Secretary for his wives sake whom he had abused. And it is not long sithence Paul. Iovius, Tom. 2. lib. 38. Sleid. lib. 10.the two Cities Dalmendine and Delmedine were taken from the King of Fez, and brought u…der the Portugals dominion, only for the ravishment of a woman, whom the Governour violently took from her husband to abuse, and was slain for his labour.