A Mirror both for Saints and Sinners, Treatise · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV. Examples of Gods Iudgements upon common Swearers.
BIshop Ridly in a Sermon at Pauls Crosse related a story of a young Gentleman of Cornwall in the dayes of King Edward the sixth, who riding in the company of other Gentlemen began to swear, and swagger, and being reproved for it he swore the more, and raged worse: to whom one Master Haines, a Minister, with gentle words said, that he should one day give an account thereof: whereat the Gentleman being in a fume, bade him take no thought for him, but to prepare for his own Winding-sheet: Well, said the other, amend, for death gives no warning: Gods wounds (said he) care not thou for me, still raging worse and worse, till coming to a bridge (which passed over an arme of the Sea) the young Gallant so spurred, and switched his horse, that he leaped over with him into the water, who as he was going cried: Horse, and man, and all to the devil. Act. & Mon.
A Serving-man in Lincolnshire for every trifle used to swear by Gods precious blood, and would not be warned by his friends, till at length falling into a grievous sicknesse, he was again much perswaded by his friends to repent, which counsel he still rejected, and hearing the Bell to toll, in the very paines of death he start up, swearing, Gods wounds the Bell tolles for me, but he shall not have me yet: whereupon the blood issued out in a most fearful manner from all the joynts of his body, from mouth, nose, wrists, knees, heeles, and toes, and other parts of his body, and so he died. Mr. Perkins.
Michael a Jewish Rabbin, as he was swearing, and blaspheming the Name of Iesus, fell down, and brake his neck. Socrat. Eccl. Hist.
Three Souldiers passing through a Wood in the Countrey of Samurtia, there arose a tempest of thunder and lightning, and one of them to shew his contempt of God and his judgements, burst forth into swearing, and blasphemy, but the tempest tearing up an huge tree, it fell upon him, and crushed him to peeces.
One who for twelve or sixteen years together used to sweare by Gods Armes: In the end his own arme being hurt with a knife, could not be healed by any means, but wrankled, and festered from day to day, and at last so rotted, that it fell away peece-meale, and himself through anguish, and paine thereof died. Phil. Stubs.
I my selfe (saith a godly Divine, that wrote lately) knew two most notorious swearers, that brake their necks, the one with a fall down a paire of staires, the other from his horse.
Another relates of a swearing Courtier at Mansfield, who in the middest of his blasphemous oaths was taken up, and carried away by the devil.
At a Village called Benevides in Spaine, two young men being together in the field, there suddenly arose a terrible tempest, and withal so violent a whirlewinde, that it amazed the beholders: The two young men seeing the fury of it coming towards them, ran as fast as possibly they might, but yet it overtook them, and they fearing to be hoisted up into the Aire by it, fell down flat upon the earth, where the Whirlewinde whisked round about them for a pretty while, and then passed forwards: the one of them arose in such an agony that he was scarce able to stand: the other lying still and not stirring, some other that stood under an hedge a far off, went to see how he did, and found him stark dead, with his bones so crushed, that the joynts of his armes, and legges turned every way, as though his body had been made of Mosse: his tongue also was pulled out by the roots, and could never be found, which was the more remarkable, because he was noted to have been an outragious swearer, and blasphemer of Gods holy Name. Anth. de Torquem.
At Tubing in Germany a desperate boy used to invent such new oaths as were not common: but the Lord sent a Canker or some worse disease that did eat out his tongue, the instrument wherewith he blasphemed. G…m. Hist.
A certain man who in his life-time was given exceedingly to the fearful sinne of swearing: had his heart on his death-bed so exceedingly filled with enraged greedinesse after it, that he desperately desired the standers by to help him with oaths, and to sweare for him: though himself in the mean time swore as fast, and furiously as he could, Mr. Bolton.
Destructorium vi…iorum tells of an Harlot who had three sonnes, and told her husband that only one of them was his, whereupon at his death he bequeathed his estate to him that should be found to be his true son▪ Upon this the sons contend, & the Judges to decide it, commanded the fathers dead body to be set up against a tree, and that he of the three that could shoot nearest to his heart should be his heire: The two bastards shot, the third refused, and was offended with the other for doing it: By which natural love they concluded him to be the natural son, and gave him the inheritance: Surely they are bastards, and no sonnes that wound God at heart, and teare him in peeces by oaths, &c.
Charilaus a Pagan being asked why the Images of the gods in Sparta were armed? To the end, saith he, that men may fear to blaspheme the gods, knowing that are armed to take vengeance upon their enemies.
Chrysostome whilest he was at Antioch spent most of his Sermons against swearing that if not the fear of God, yet his importunity might make them a weary of that sin.
Philip King of France ordained that whosoever by swearing blasphemed God, though in a Tavern, yet he should be straightway drowned.
Maximilian the Emperour decreed that every vain swearer should pay thirteen shillings and four pence, which who so refused to pay, and repented not of his wickednesse, should lose his head.
Henry the first, King of England appointed the payment of fourty shillings, twenty shillings, ten shillings, and three shillings four pence, according to the degree of the swearer, to be given to the poore.
Anno Christi …649. about the end of June there was a souldier at Ware going with some others to wash himself in the river: but finding the water shallow, he asked if there was no deeper a place for him to swim in: Some told him that there was not farre off a deep pit but that it was very dangerous, and therefore advised him to take heed how he went into it: to whom he answered: God damn me, if it be as deep as hell I will go into it: which accordingly he did, but immediately sunk to the bottome, never rising again, but was there drowned.
To swear by their Faith was the Romanes greatest oath, which they kept inviolably. Plut.
King Charles the ninth of France entertained into his favour one Albertus Tu…us an Hucks…ers sonne, to whom in five years space (besides other honoures) he gave six hundred thousand crownes, though all the good the King gat by him, was to learn to swear by the Name of God. Camerar. med. Hist. c. 4.
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: But let your Yea be yea, and your Nay…, nay, lest ye fall into condemnation.
Jam. 5. 12.