THE FIRST BOOK OF THE Miseries of Man, And the many vice which are Predominant at this day amongst all degrees and condition of Persons, and in which he is compared with other Creatures, and how in many thing [...] they excell him.

SOme of the antient Philosophers Greeks, Latines, and others; after that they had diligently searched out, and seriously contemplated the nature and kinds of all Creatures, and discussed, the being, the vertues and proper­ties of them all, and comparing theirs with ours; said, that Man is more miserable, then all things that breaths or walks upon the face [Page 2] of the whole Earth, and that his condition is worse, being subject to so many and great misfortunes; others that are more rigorous Judges and Censurors of the works of nature, do call her a cruel Step-mother, that is not in any respect favourable to mankind, and utter­ed a thousand other blasphemies, (as I may say) against her, some others of them all their lives long bewayled the Calamities and Mise­series of humanity, not ceasing a moment to re­frain from tears as Heraclitus, continually per­swading a [...]en, that this life was nothing else but a The [...]e of miseries and sorrows, that all things that Men can behold under the Hea­vens, are meerly a Sea of passion, which re­quires nothing less then our continual Tears, Sights, and Groans. Others again, like Demo­critus laughing, jesting, and mocking, made a bloudy war against the vices that then raigned in the World; if he, I say, should arise from the Grave, and see the disorderly and confu­sed vices, that are so risen amongst us Christians now a dayes, he would find far more cause of laughter and derision, then he had in his days. There was another kind of Philosophers that were far more disdainful and strange, that did not content their fantastical humours, only to murmur against nature, or complain of her works and effects; but with so great, mortall, and unnatural hatred did persecute man, as if they thought he was born for the onely mark [Page 3] of white, at which they were to discharge, or let flye all their Arrows, Darts, and shots of curses, miseries, and calamities, that they or all other Creatures could let loose upon him; Of whom I shall give one for an example: Ti­mon an Athenian Philosopher, who was the In­ventor, Fomenter, and most rigorous setter forth of this opinion, for he did not only de­clare himself a capital enemy of mankind, and tell it to all mens faces; but his actions con­firmed his words; for he would not converse, or have any dealing with, or dwell amongst men, but rather live in the desert amongst bruit beasts, far from any neighbourhood, or Town, that he might be troubled with no vi­sits, and living as he did, he did shun ever to be seen or spoken with, much less to be visited by any, except one an Athenian Captain, na­med Alcibiades, and his familiarity with him, was not for any love or friendship towards him; but he understood the said Captain was like to be a scourge to men, and that he was born to be a torment & trouble to them; for (by some divination) he certainly knew that his Athenian Neighbours were to suffer many afflictions and vexations for his sake; nay, he did not content himself to let loose the reigns of his malice: Thus far against man his own kind, only to flye from, as from some cruel and fearce beast, but he did endeavour to do him all the mischief that lay in his power to [Page 4] procure even to destroy and ruin all mankind, inventing new wayes how to bring to the ground, and end their dayes, to accomplish which he caused to be set up in his Orchard many Gallowses, to the end all desperate Per­sons, that might be wearied with the troubles of this life, should go thither and destroy them­selves; Now some few years afterwards for his own accomodation, or to enlarge the place of his habitation, it was necessary for him to take down those Gallowses, so without any premeditation, of what might succeed him, and withal to shew his farther malice, he went to Athens, whether being come, without any shame; he called the people together by lift­ing up his voyce in the streets, as a common Cryer doth when he proclaims any novelty, the Citizens hearing the Hoarse, and strange voyce of that foul and horrid Monster, and knowing long before the sordid humour and opinion that possest his minde; they instantly gathered themselves to him, hoping to hear some novelty or wonder, he seeing the great­est part of the Citizens, as well principal as common, congregated to hear him, began to speak with an audible voyce; saying, know Citizens of Athens, that for a certain necessa­ [...]y occasion which hath hapned to me, I am re­ [...]olved to pull down the Gallowses that are in my Garden; therefore if any man be so weary [...]f [...]his world, or be so desperate as to hang [Page 5] himself, let it be presently, before I pluck them down, after he had ended this his so af­fectionate offer, without making any farther discourse; he returned to his House, where he dyed in this his vain opinion, but continu­ally musing and contemplating Mans Misery, and when the pangs of death seased on him, to shew the Odium he bare to Man; even to his last gasp, he commanded expresly, under hea­vy curses, that his Corps should not be bur­ried in the Earth; because (said he) it is the element upon which men do commonly take their quiet repose, and in the bowels of which humane bodies were buried, and all this for fear his bones should be seen of men, or the dust of his Carcas should touch or be mixed with theirs; but that they should cast him in­to the Sea, where the fury of the swelling waves might not only hinder, but defend the passage of any Creature in their approach to this his elected Tomb, and he commanded the following Epitaph to be written of him, which Plutarch makes mention of, and was learnedly translated by Claudio Gruget.

Here you see this spiritually poor, though naturally wise Philosopher, having throughly examined humane frailty in this world, harti­ly wished he had not been born a man; but much rather that he had been brought forth, by, or transformed into some bruit beast, and meerly upon the deep sence and understand­ing he had of the invetterate malice that dwells in the hearts of men.

But now let us leave this our ancient Philo­sopher Timon to his malicious complainings, and briny Sepulcher, that we may give way to a serious view of some of the expressions of of Marco Aurelio, a Roman Emperour, to this effect; who as great a Philosopher as an Em­perour considering, the weak miserable and fragil condition, which continually attends the poor and short life of Man; said, the Battel of this World is dangerous, the end of which is so wonderfully terrible, that I am very cer­tain, that if any one of our fore-fathers should arise from the dead; truly relate, and give us a perfect view of his whole life past from the time he came from his Mothers womb, even to his last breath, giving at large another of [Page 7] the great pains and griefs his body hath suffered, and seriously discovering the strange alarms & various successes, with which fortune hath persecuted him, it would cause admi­ration in all men, to consider the body that hath suffered so many torments, and the heart that hath so valiently conquered so great diffi­cult war-fares; and I my self do freely confess to have found the same to be true, which though it be to my disgrace; yet for the pro­fit that may redoun'd to after ages (I will re­late) in fifty years that I have lived, I resolved to make tryal of all the vices and evills of this life, that I might understand whether the ma­licious wickedness of men had any limits or bounds, but finds experimentally, after a se­rious speculation and consideration, that the more I drink, the more I thirst; the more I sleep, the more I desire; the more rest I enjoy, the more weary I am, the more I have, the more I desire, the more content I have in seek­ing, the less in enjoying: finally, there is no sublunary thing that I obtain, with the which I am not quickly cloyed, as suddenly abhor it, and desire another thing; O how excellently did that famous Greek Doctor St. John Chri­sostome, contemplate after he had meerly out of compassion bewayled the Calamities of man, and that dark obscurity with which they are encompassed, when he cryed out; Oh, who could obtain the benefit of a Watch-Tower [Page 8] which were so convenient and skill­fully built, that from thence he might easily see all men, and that he could enjoy so great, and audible a voyce, that from thence being heard and understood of all he might proclaim, the high sentence expressed by that Royal King and Prophet David, how long will your hearts be hardned: Oh, ye Sons of men, and not without great cause and good reason, did this holy man St. Chrisostome use these zealous expressions, for let any man after a sound and mature Judgment; but seriously consider the miserable estate and condition that the whole World lyeth under at this day, the many traps, cozenages, cheats, blasphemies, adulte­ries, roberies, incests, wars, dissentions and effusions of bloud; violencies, rapines, ambiti­ons, covetousnesses, hatreds, rumources, mali­ces, desires of revenge, &c. With which the u­verse lyeth drunk, nay, even drowned in; May say, that we are come very neer the time, which was so much abhor'd and abominated by the Holy Prophet, Isai. 59. cha. 2. v. Who hath said, your iniquities have seperated be­twixt you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear, for your hands are defiled with bloud, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lyes, and your tongue hath muttered pervers­ness, none called for Justice, nor any pleadeth for truth, they trust in vanity and speak lyes; [Page 9] they conceive mischief, and bring forth ini­quity, they hatch Cockatrice Eggs, and weave the Spiders Web, he that eateth of their Eggs dyeth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper, their Webs shall not become garments, never shall they cover themselves with their works, for their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands, their feet run to evil, and they make hast to shed innocent bloud; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, wasting and destru­ction are in their paths, the way of peace they know not, and so on: And indeed, our wic­kedness doth multiply, and our sins are our capital enemies, and give the greatest testimo­ny what we are.

St. Bernard in one lamentation that he makes upon the miseries of our life, sets forth to us, how much the sad and debil condition of man is, to the end that without any farther dis­course, he might bring him to understand his own weak and fragil condition, which he be­gins to tell as followeth: Oh man, both blind and naked, consisting of humane flesh and a reasonable soul; awake thou that art so for­getfull, call to remembrance; consider what thou art, wherefore dost thou wander so vain­ly from thy self, even drunk and besotted with things that are subject to so suddain & perisha­ble a mutability, sleeping so securely amidst the vanities of this World; nay, rather drown­ed [Page 10] in the weak and fregil delight which the Earth sets before thee; dost thou not plainly perceive that the nearer thou makest thy ap­proache [...] to the World, the farther thou art parted from thy God; by how much the more thou seemest to gain of these outward vani­ties, so much thou lovest of those things, which thou oughtest to set a higher price up­on; the more carefull thou art to enrich thy self in things corporal, so much the poorer & beggerly wilt thou find thy self in things spi­ritual, thou judgest and correctest other mens actions, whilest thou art forgetfull to reform thine own; there is no Creature thou takest in hand but thou tamest, only thy self remains unbridled, thou art very watchfull and solici­tous to espie out the faults of others, but art very floathfull and backward to look how and amend thine own; thou hast a boyling desire of these sublunary things in thy heart; but what a luke-warm, nay cold entertainment finds coelestials in thy mind, consider the near­er thou drawest to death, the farther repera­tion thou makest betwixt thee and thy salva­tion; all thy content is to provide for, dight, cocker and delight thy body, which is nothing else but a lump of earth, a sepulcher full of vermine; and leavest thy poor soul, which is the lively image of God alone, comfortless, unfed, nay dead with famine, these and many other the like sorrows, did this holy man, (be­ing [Page 11] in the desert) express against the ingrati­tude of men, which we place here amongst the rest, that it might be a deep perswasion to man, to consider and contemplate his vile con­dition, that by retiring into himself, he should by a serious meditation be induced to under­stand the sad and miserable being, and that thereby he might see, the great need he stands in of his God, in whose hand it is either to make him happy, or miserable, or full of evils and perpetual torments, without doing him the least injustice or injury, more then doth the Potter to the piece of Earth, or Clay, in his hands breaking and molding of it; either to make any vessel thereof, or to let it remain in a confused lump not having any forms; for indeed man is no other thing, but a statute of Clay placed in this World, (which is the mouth and ware-house, wherein is declared the wonderfull works of God) and that if one should encounter it sharply, there is no doubt but it would fall to the ground in pieces; and although he is compassed with so many evills and infirmities, and sees himself subject con­tinually to the hazard of death; yet he is for­getful, & never takes care truly and humbly to submit to his God, nor ever would willingly be his true Subject.

Now that we have in general considered the estate of man, it will be convenient that we treat thereof more particularly and amp­ly, [Page 12] that all men might be perswaded to hum­ble themselves under the mighty hand of God, and that by a more narrow search into them­selves, and a nearer speculation, every man into his own debill, and fragill condition; and because of all the heathen Philosophers Pliny hath written (as I conceive) the best, therefore I will in this place declare his opinion, to the shame and confusion of Christians, that they should be tought in these things of a Pagan, one that knew not God, without law, or the least light of those Holy and Evangelical miste­ries declared to us, which addeth to our grea­ter reproach; consider a while (saith he) how man is necessitated to hide, cover, and cherish his frail body, at the cost of other Creatures, for the which nature hath with a large hand plentifully provided, some with feathers, o­thers skins, furres, scales, and fleeces; Nay, even the Trees are is no sooner sprung up but they have a coat bestowed on them, of bark to de­fend them from the violence of the suns heat, and winters storms, but to set forth the bet­ter; what a small vallue or esteem she had for man, he alone is cast into the World naked, like an abortive or rejected thing, and is no sooner born, but she furnishes him with sobs and tears, for a lawfull inheritance; as a sign, of those miserable calamities he is to undergo, for those tears which man sheds at his birth, are the heralds and discoverers of that field [Page 13] of dangerous evills, into which he enters; Here thou seest (gentle Reader) the begining of the fairest and most principal of the works which God created, in the first six days of the World for whose respect all Creatures have their being, yet of himself is of so little validi­ty, that if they do not cherish, succor, defend, & protect his nakedness; he would be subject to the violence of every Creature; do but behold him after he is taken from his mothers womb, and they will see him bound, wrapped up, lying down; and like the trunk of a Tree not able to raise himself up without assi­stance; Here you may look upon, and con­template this so proud a Creature; (who by his appearance, would cause us to believe that he came into the World meerly to swell and be puffed up with pride and vanity, see his beginning is in sorrow.

But now let us consider: When will he be­gin to use his feet? When will he begin to use his tongue? To how many infirmities is he subject? All other Creatures, when they are first brought forth understand somthing of the actions of their nature, some do succour themselves with their swiftness; others with their strength: Only man knows nothing un­less he be taught, the most certain natural knowledge that possesseth him at his birth is to weep; he onely amongst all Creatures is subject to labours, troubles, passions, plea­sures, [Page 14] delights, ambitions, courtuousness; and indeed, to all disorderly appetite of this life, he only is born to serve his own concupisence, and thereby to suffer extream anguish and sor­row, and to be short, he is the most subject to entertain emnities and odioms, against those of his own kind; all other Creatures live at peace with those of their kind, the Wolves do no hurt, nor do prey upon each other; but live in love and amity one with another, only man is a capital enemy to man, and worse if it could be expressed; & for s [...]me sign of favor to other Creatures more then to Man; but (as! conceive,) to do him a more favourable cour­tesy by his contemplation thereof, Dame na­ture hath provided for them of Houses fit to shelter, and protect them from the inclemen­cy of the Heavens, and from the vehemencies of frosts, snow, and storms; bestowing upon the greatest of them, dennes, and caves, and to the lesser Houses proper for them, which they carry upon their backs, as Tortoise, the Cockle, the Snail, &c. and to all other small Creatures; such accomodation as is most be­fitting their kind and being; Also I cannot be unmindfull of the Fruit & Seed of the ground how she hath provided for them, cases, rindes, prickles, thorns, and huskes; in the which to retire defend and preserve their kind; but man hath nothing, unless he doth procure it by the hard labour of his body, and the sweat [Page 15] of his brows; nay, many times even drops of bloud, before he can obtain either to satisfy his hungry appetite; or cloath his naked body.

Now, if we do but consider the health, and good constitution of body, that other Crea­tures enjoy; compared with ours: We shall clearly see what advantage they have of us, for it doth appear. Man is naturally formed, and as it were guilded over with a beautifull complexion, but it is so weak and subject to such diversity of infirmities, that it would be accounted a wonder in the World to find a Man whose beauty is not fading, and changing. And farther then this, Nature hath purcharg­ed Men with such an unsatiable and hungry appetite, that we never cease, seeking after and desiring the choysest viands: to supply our emptiness, and if in case we find any thing that seems pleasing to our palate, we cannot refrain only to suffice, but overcharge nature, by devouring so much thereof; from which superfluities are ingendred Catarres, Flegms, Apoplexes, and a thousand other diseases. Other Creatures do not so, for they content themselves with what nature hath provided for them, eating it as it is, without boyling, roasting, or otherways dressing it, to content their appetite or pleasing their fancies; and with this she hath bestowed upon them such a regulated contentment, that they eat or drink [Page 16] not more then what is needfull for the main­taining life; but Man had he all the fruits of the earth, the flesh of all cattle in the World, of all the fishes in the Waters, of all the fouls of Heaven, all would not be sufficient to satis­fie his greedy desire, in the spoyling, consum­ing, and destroying them onely; but he must have them masked, dressed, seasoned, and so­phisticated brought into, several dissimulated gustos, meerly to invite and draw his stomack and gluttonous appetite to devour more then nature requires, even to the overcharging the ship, and causing her to sink under her lading; nay, they fill their stomacks so brim­full with these pleasing viands; that they in­toxicate their beste part, insomuch that there is not one of their senses, but is disabled to do any true service to the bodies use; and truely, with grief and shame enough I speak it; that the superfluous vices of glottony and drun­kenness which at this day is so predominant amongst Christians, causeth many utterly to loose their shame, and to prostrate their bo­dies to all sorts of vices, be they never so execrably wicked, even to the committing of Whoredomes, Thieveries, Murders, Poyson­ings, and in toxicating Witch-crafts, and I do much wonder, how that the entrails of very many are not rotted, and their Livers burnt up and putrified, with the excess of meats and drinks; when behold poor Lazarus lying at [Page 17] the door; even perishing with hunger, and cannot obtain a morsells of what remains in fragments, or procure the least crum that falls from their Tables; for which cause the Pro­phets cal these men Fat Calves, Belly-gods, &c. Certainly, they are justly compared to bruit beasts, for the soul (which is the principal part of man) that doth inhabite such bodyes, lyeth embalmed as it were with wines, sauces and pleasant viands, she lyeth as in a dark and ob­scure Prison, drowned and overwhelmed as in a full Sea; also the five Senses, which should be at her command, and serve her as wayting-Gentlemen, they cannot attend her; being burried as in the entrails of bruit beasts; a­gainst such gluttons as these, who make a God of their bellyes. The Prophet expresses a curse; saying, wo be to thee that rise up early to drink, and remain unto the evening, till Wine hath inflamed thee; This sort of vice, for our sins, is so rooted, so common, and made so familiar amongst all Nations, that there is none but have a touch thereof, and none but are in some measure infected there­with; and which is worse, and preceeds far­ther, is, that it's counted a glorious Exploit for a Man to exceed in drinking, and most Men do account it a fame to be taken for g [...]d T [...] ­pers. The Tarters, the Persians, and [...] Greeks, held it to be the highest glory to [...] high, they erected triumphant Trophies [...] [Page 18] those that did excel: The Macedonians learned this vice of Alexander their Emperor, but the Italians bore away the bell, and carryed away the prize from all the rest, for emptying the Bowls, (I could wish England did not excel, or strive to excel herein our time.) Pliny writes, that drunkenness in his time did arive to such a height, that Men did not content themselves to take turns in their healths each with other, but they caused their flocks and heards to drink Wine without measure. Pau­lo Diacano in his History, relates a strange sto­ry of this monstruous and horrid vice of drun­kenness; saying, there were four old Men a­greed to meet together at a Colation, in the which they resolved to drink each Man the years of his age, and made a challenge two and two; in the which every Man was to drink so many times as he had lived years; the young­est of them was 58. years of age, the second 64. the third 87. and the fourth 92. years old; we do not certainly know whether they eat little or much at that banket; but this is known, that he that turned up least, drank 58. cups, and the most 92. Considering this, and knowing the wrong that superfluity of Wine doth to Men, not without cause did Plato say, that in some measure it appeared that the Gods did send the Wine to mankind, or ra­ther create the Juyce of the Grape in the World, for a chastisement and vengance upon [Page 19] Man for his sins; for when they are once drowned in this sweet liquor, they attempt all vice, they fight, and many times kill and destroy each other; the which was contem­plated by Cyneas the Embassador of the Great King Pyrrus; the first day of his arrival in Aegypt, when he saw the excessive Grandure of the Plants, and great height of the Wines of that Country, said very justly may such a mo­ther deserve a severe punishment, that produ­ceth such a vitious Son as Wine is; and the same consideration caused Anedrocides to pro­phecy to that Great Monarch Alexander, that Wine was the bloud of the Earth, and that he should be carefull to refrain from it; the which he contradicting, and being at several times distemperd with it, he killed Clito his friend; burnt the City of Percepolis, and caused his best Physitian to be set upon a Stake, these and o­their enormions, uncomely & excessive crimes did he commit in that condition, which me thinks cannot but cause a loathing in the soul of every good Christian of the vice of drun­kenness; considering how it layeth him open to all wickednesses, and to the commission of such horrid evills, and afterwards causeth a sad heart to remember them, and many tears to repent them.

These two vices of glottony and drunken­ness did not begin to take root in our dayes, but they made their entrance into the World [Page 20] at the beginning: The desire to eat and tast of choice fruit, was the cause of our Fore-father Adam and Eve their fall, and the shutting us out of Paradise: By the glotony of Herod (that is after he had eaten and drunk liberally) he made that promise by which St. John Baptist lost his head; the rich Gutton for minding his Belly more then any thing else, was condem­ned for it; The Text saith, he fared deliciou­sly every day: as he buried himself in delights, not conside [...]ing the poor, so was he afterwards drowned in torments, and buried unpittied. Noah being overcome with Wine discovered his nakedness, to the derision of one of his Sons; Lot in his Wine lyeth with both his Daughters, and unknown; what a stupidity doth it bring upon us, even to the forgetting of our selves, our condition, and our nature; Here you see plainly how Dame Nature hath bestowed her favours more to other Crea­tures then to us; for they know to with-hold, rule, and put such bounds to their appetites, that they seldom pass them, alwayes satisfying themselves with what is necessary to maintain nature, and preserve health; for which cause they seldome are afflicted with thus many and great infirmities, which do continually war against us; and if in case any dolours or cala­mities do trouble or molest them, nature hath endowed them with such a knowledge as to seek out peculiars and proper remedies for [Page 21] their diseases, without any necessity of running to Doctors, who many times instead of put­ting recipe, put decipe, changing r. for d. and for there rrecipe often we pay very dear, and give our money freely to such as destroy us; because their Medicines for the most part are mixtures composed rather to the decaying, then the upholding of nature, and are very dangerous; the which other Creatures are free of, because they have some understanding what is fittest for their cure: as the Wild Pi­gions, Jayes, Black-Birds, Partriges, &c. do purge their superfluities with Laurel-leaves; the tame Pigions, Turtles, and Chickens, with the hearb Pelitory; Doggs and Cats when they find themselves much overcharged, do cleanse by eating the Grass that's watred with the morning dew; the Red-Deer when he is wounded, understands so much as to procure Dittany for his cure; the Weesel when he in­tends to encounter with the Rat, eats Rue, by which he finds himself more strengthened and couragious; The Wild Boares cure them­selves with Ivy; The Bears with Mandrake; and the Eagles knowing with what difficulty and pain they lay their Eggs, by reason of the straightness of their passage, they seek out a stone called Tiles; which the French and Spa­nish call the Eagles Stone, by vertue of which they enlarge the passage, and lay their Eggs with more ease; which sort of Stone is made [Page 22] use of by many Ladyes in Italy to this day, for their easie delivering.

Also there are many Creatures which may serve not onely for Doctors, but Medicines; There is a Bird called Colio, which Aristole speaks of in his Book of Creatures, that a Man that hath Jaundice looking upon him, is pre­sently healed, and the Bird dyes; The Swal­lows, if in case (as some times they do) they find their young ones blind with the smoak of the Chimny, wherein often they build their nests; they search out for the Herb Celandine, or Tetterwort, by means of which they quickly recover their sight; The Snakes, and several o­ther the like creeping things, finding age and a dimness of sight to creep upon them to pre­vent it, and also that they may renue both, eat Fennil, and remain as youthful and quick sighted as at the first; the Pelican doth not on­ly wound, but many times dye of those hurts, with which they peirce their breasts, with their own heart bloud to cure their young ones, being stung by malicious Serpents: It is confessed on all hands, that the Apothecary was taught by the Stork, the use of Glisters, for when he finds himself obstructed, he thrusts into his fundament the Moss of Trees, and somtimes Herbs and Grass. Plutarch being elevated with admiration, considering the great favours and gifts naturally is bestowed upon other Creatures, more then upon Man; [Page 23] doth undertake to affirm, that the Animals have a knowledge of all the three parts of Phy­sick; for after he hath proved (as I have said) that they understand the greatest part of Sim­ples, and know how to use them for their own benefit; Also (saith he) they observe the se­cond part, which is moderation in dyet; for when they find themselves so satisfied, that they grow too fat thereby, then they eat more sparingly, and sometimes fast; Instance the Lyons and Wolves, when they find that they increase overmuch in fat, eat no flesh, but su­stain themselves for a convenient time, onely by sleeping in their Caves and Dens, till they are come to their former stint of flesh, and a­gility of body; For the third part of Medi­cine, which is Chyrurgery, it is held for a cer­tain opinion, that the Elephants have some knowledge, and make some use thereof, for they understand how to pluck out the Ar­rows, Darts, and Spears that are shot, or thrown at them, without benuming the wounded part, or doing it any damage, and this instinct nature freely bestoweth on them, without being otherwayes taught.

All which being deeply considered by that Greek Philosopher Herophite, caused him sad­ly to complaine, of the low and miserable condition of man, who in reallity was made Lord of all the Creatures, yet in many things is forc'd to be seemingly preatice to some of the [Page 24] most depicable of Aninals; Wilt thou see, saith he, the truth hereof, the Swallowes taught him how to frame and build houses, behold the art they use in making their nests, wherein to lay their Eggs, they put the strongest ma­terialls at the bottome for a foundation, and their uppermost are made thinner, and for within delicate soft things; and if in case they cannot finde out durt or clay for their fa­bricke, (as in many hot Countryes they can­not) then they repaire to some Brook, and dip themselves till they are all over wet, they seek out a convenient sort of earth, and mix­ing it with the water, make claye fit for their occasions, with as perfect dexterity as the best Mason; also they build their nests round and not square, insimilitude to the spherial Globe, the better to defend them from stormes and tempests, and from the assaults and charmes of other birds, all which is a wonderfull and strange architecture, and as certainly true as strange.

But to proceed farther, what shall we say of that marvellous and ever to be admired spin­ning and weaving of the Spider, which taught women that act; nay those that pretend most still were her prentices, and even the fowlers learnt their art, and fishermen to make their nets of them; but their is a vost different be­twixt the workes of man and these creatures, whose webs are made so pure, as there is not [Page 25] the least knot appeares, nor one thrid bigger then another, and all comes out of the small body of the female, for its she only that spins, and makes the web alone, she is like the good houswife stayes at home, whilest the Male, like a carefull Husband employes himselfe in catch­ing flies, and to maintaine himselfe and mate, he seldome leaves his standing, but is waiting for the Prey that shall fall into his Net; and many times though his body be no bigger then a Pea, he catcheth in his toyles great flyes, small lizards; he also observes his times and seasons in his gain, as if he understood a little of Astrology, for he doth not waite as we do for fair weather, but rather when it it is most cloudy his sport is best, by which many times he would Prognosticate raine to us, for then he catcheth more cunningly and quicker, as Aristotle expresseth in his Book of Animals. Now tell me sinceerly, Gentle Reader, who would not wonder at that kind of supernatu­rall industrie, of that Raven which Pliny a­vers he had seen in Asia, being much vexed and greived for want of water, and not finding any, but at the bottom of a Bucket hanging in a well, which was so little in quantity that he could not reach to drinke thereof; at length he fetched so many stones and cast into the Paile that the water rose up so high as that he could come to satisfie his thirst; after the same manner did a dog do, which was left a­lone [Page 26] in a ship by the Mariners, that he might come to the oyle that was in the bottom of a Jarre, he cast in many pemble stones and so purchased his will and eat it up; Who taught these Creatures this secret and who taught them this small point of Philosophy, that light things cannot remaine under heavie, but they get uppermost: And truly if we do but seri­ously consider the weaknesse of Mans under­standing naturally, we shall find that the most despicable Creatures, even those we dayly tread under foot, know in some sense more then we do, that it may seeme there is some secret vertue is within them, by which they do so handsomely take advantage of us, as in pru­dence, strength, courage, clemencie, rigour, nurture, knowledge and understanding which they have in and amongst themselves, as to de­sire those things that are good and usefull and to avoide those that are bad, to flee danger and as it were to make a jest or scoffe at mans understanding; they pretend to know, or do in some measure foresee what is to come, they provide in the seasons those things that are convenient for their maintenance & succor in time of need: All which and more being con­sidered, contemplated, and disputed amongst many of the antient Phylosophers, they bold­ly undertook, without any equivocating lan­guage, to perswade all, that the anmials had some part of mans Reason placed in them.

Let us now leave the Physick, Chirugery Architecture, and other Mechanick arts which I have not only proved are known by other Creatures, but that they have been Masters instructing men therein; and we will seek out somthing that may seem more dilightfull and and pleasant to content such apetites as will not read other mens writings, unlesse they find somthing of solace and pleasure in them, or unlesse they meet with some buzzing vani­ty to awaken their mindes thereto.

What Man is their that can be so dull witted, so slow an Ignoramus, or of so grosse an ap­prehension; as not to admire, nay be almost at an extasie in his senses to hear the rare melo­dy of the ravishing Nightingale? who can but wonder to hear a voice so near to a mans, so sweet, and so harmonious, to proceed out of so small a compasse? and which is more to be admired is, that at some time he is so delighted nay ravished with his own songs; that to see him strain, one would imagine each note would be his last breath, or as if his life would expire before his voice, and that with so much dexterity, that many times would make a man to think he had been taught by some great and skilfull Master in the science of Musick, ringing from a base to a meane, and so as his warbling Sonnet requires, raising his voice to such a height, as is beyond mans imitation or reach; and being sufficiently wearied with his own [Page 82] chanting Language, after a small pace he imi­tateth, and counterfeiteth his own voice, with such an artificial harmonie, that thou wouldest not imagine but that it were some other bird that sings his tune; and many times on a su­dain, he makes with his courtouse art in his throat such sweet and malodious streames of Musick, that he himselfe becomes astonished with the delight of his sweet sounding voice; and gives not only admiration to men, but also to all other birds with his inchanting and be­witching tongue, causing them to stand mute in admiration, and somtimes forces them to a striving which can best excell in the imita­ting, counterfeiting and stealing, the notes of his unparalel'd Musick; and not contenting himselfe with this; he proceeds further to the teaching his yong ones, inviting and provoking them with the harmony of his own voice, to imitate the same, instructing them, and giving them fully to understanding the notes to sing, put into musicall order, and to go through with them without any space of taking breath; some long, others sharp and short, sometimes turning and winding the whole strains, other whiles making pauses or rests, with minnums crochets sudenly changing to a teill, then mo­derating his voice, and as it were in an instant changing it into so many and divers guyses, that its impossible for any art of man to imitate let him study and use the best endeavours he [Page 29] can. Aristophenes in the Comedy of the singing of the birds in generall, never could arive to counterfeit this, by reason of which and De­mcritus having many yeares heard the chanting melody of a Nightingale, publiquely confessed, that the Swans and Nightingales, were the masters that taught men the harmonious science of Musick, and that all the most ra­vishing passage thereof, were stolen from the birds; the wise Solomon considering the ad­vantage that other Creatures have of, or how far they do surpasse man in naturall under­standing; sends him to their Schools and Uni­versity, saying in his Book of the Proverbs 30. Chap. 24. ver. there be four thing which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise; the Ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; and the Co­nies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rockes; The Locusts have no King, yet they go forth all of them by squa­drons, or bands; The Spider worketh with her hands, and is in Kings Palaces.

The Second BOOK OF THE Theatre of the World.

WE have in the first Book treated of Mans condition, as he is com­pared with other Creatures; and shewed, he hath not onely no cause wherefore to wax arrogant, extol or set a higher esteem of himself then they, but that he is in many things more useless and un­profitable then they. And now having laid this shallow foundation, and commenced, as in a foul Copy, to draw out a Tract of his [Page 47] miseries; it is convenient for prosecuting our Discourse, to enter more deeply into this matter, by continuing this sad and Tragical discourse of the miseries of the life of Man: First looking upon his beginning and origi­nal generation; and going on discoursing of all his several ages, and particular passages of his life, until we conduct him to his grave, where all troubles are ended.

And first let us consider the matter of which he is engendred; Is it, think you, any thing else but a kinde of filthiness and corruption? and the place of its conception, what is it but like a foul and loathsome prison? all the time that he continues in the belly of his Mother, what is he, but like a little lump of flesh without knowledge, or being?

After this manner is the original of mans being: When the Mother hath received and retained those two different seeds in her bo­dy, which by a natural heat is compacted, there encreases a tender skin over the same, much like to that which thou shalt finde in an egg that is half boiled; so that it appears more like an egg that is addle (or like an un­timely birth, then any other thing;) some few days after, the blood doth mix [...] with the vitals, which being joyned, they begin to boil the faster; and from this seething heat is produced, three small swellings or risings; [Page 48] of the which afterwards are formed the three principal parts of the body, and the chiefest pieces of harness that adorn this proud Creature Man, which are the Liver, the Heart, and the brain; which last, is the most excellent part of this Edisice, the scituation and abode of all the offices belonging to the body, and the true fountain from whence flows those five waiting-Gentlemen that at­tend in this Palace, upon those faculties of Understanding, Wit, and Memory; it is the true Register of Reason; and if consequent­ly we should consider the order of the Creation, of the other parts of the body, how and when they are formed and fashion­ed; and how the Creature, being in the Mo­thers belly, begins to evacuate a kinde of urine, thorow those small pores of the na­vel; and how the said urine is evacuated in­to another small vessel, a little divided from the Creature, whiah is ordained by Nature for the said purpose; also how it doth not make its digestion in the usual part, for it doth not eat nor receive its nutriment by the mouth; nor doth the stomack, or the place of digestion, exercise their duties as yet; by which means, the guts receive no excrement: Also, the first six days it is like curdled milk, the next nine it appears like blood, the other twelve it converts to a ten­der flesh; and in the eighteen days follow­ing, [Page 49] the soul (or a kinde of living breath▪ is infused into it: If Reader, thou dost but feriously ruminate upon the foregoing de­scription of the Principium of man by Na­ture; where shall I finde such a Diamantin [...] heat, that will not break out into the height of sorrowful expressions, to behold a thing so miserable, a spectacle so strange and grievous? Its very little what we have ye [...] said, if we make a neerer approach to con­sider mans frailty, if we make a farther en­trance in contemplation into what follows concerning his condition, who can but be a­stonish'd to consider by what strange ways it is nourished in the Womb, by what exquisite means the sustenance is conveyed into it, be­cause it cannot receive it at the mouth: Also if we do but seriously look into the feeble, weak, and tender condition of it there; if thou doest but in the least jostle or strike the Mother, or doth extinguish (as some hold) a Light before her, the Creature suddenly stiflles and dies, meerly with the scent of that stinking vapour; all which was considered by Pliny, where bewailing the miseries and cala­mities of Humane frailty, he sayes; Though I am much perplexed with sorrow, yet am more possessed with shame then grief, when I contemplate the frail debt and contem­ptible Original of the stateliest and proudest of all Creatures, that many times putting [Page 50] out a Candle before the Mother, the foul smoak thereof should cause her to miscarry, but being come to some Riper perfection in the Mothers Belly, do but consider with me what delicate viands Nature hath provided for its sustenance.

If the manner of the Creation of it was a wonder to us, a thing of greater admiration, will its food and means of maintenance repre­sent to our contemplation? Is it not strange that it is maintained and fed with that mon­strous blood, which the Mother should purge out every Moneth, which is a sort of Food so detestable and noisome, that I am troubled and even ashamed to declare it, although the Phylosophers and Physitians that write con­cerning these secrets of Nature do express it: Those that are curious and desirous to under­stand these things, let them read Pliny's Na­tural History; and there they will finde what many others have written hereof before him. But to return to our purpose:

After the Creature hath eaten and main­tained it self a long time with that kind of Ve­nemous sustenance, and is arrived to more then fitting, and to a reasonable bulk of body, having need of more Food to maintain it, and not being able by the Navel to receive so much sustenance as Nature requires, it turns it self with a great violence to seek out for maintenance; and with tumbling this way and [Page 51] that way, it breaks all those tender mantles and thin skins with which it was till then en­closed: But the Mother not being able to suffer the dangerous pangs that proceeds from this, would not willingly retain within her Body so troublesome a Guess, strives to turn it out, and opens her body as much as is pos­sible, by which passage the Creature craving an Air, strives to get to it, and overturns it self towards the out-let of the Womb, and so enters into the light of this World, but not without grievous throws and pangs, and suf­ficient shrieks and groans of the poor Mother, and not without danger, toil, and some hurt to the tender body of the Infants; and in the time of the nine Moneths what griefs, what anguishes, and sorrowes do many Mothers feel? which the Creature causeth, and with­out making any long stories of many Women, who being with Child loose their stomacks, and cannot eat or digest their food, but are possessed with divers strange appetites and longings, some of which (for Example) have desired to eat humane Flesh, coveting to eat the meat out of their Husbands mouths, and the like; which many times hath caused men to flie, and absent themselves from home.

Many Histories are full of Example of this Nature; others again, are extream desirous to feed upon Ashes, Coals, Cinders, and the [Page 52] like; according to the quantity of ill and cor­rupted Humours which are predominant in their bodies.

Furthermore, with what pangs and tor­tures many times are the sad Mothers per­plexed? And in what hazard do they see themselves when they come to the bringing forth of the Infants. Some come with their Armes for most, others with their Feet, o­thers with their Knees, and others come a­thwart, or double: But what is worse and most sad and woful, is a thing which cannot well be expressed without terror both to the Speaker, (or Writer) and the Hearer; which is, That sometimes there is a necessity to send for Physitians and Chirurgeons instead of Midwives, to tair, dismember, and cut in pieces the Creatures, to get them out of the Mothers body to save her life; and too often its of necessity to cut up and anotomize the poor innocent Mother with several instru­ments, to beat and stir the body to get out the tender Fruit: Some Humane Creatures are born sougly, and prodigiously unshapen, that they seem rather to be abominable Mon­sters then Men, others are produced with two Heads and four Leggs, as one was so born in Paris at the time the learned Author was com­posing this Treatise. Some Twins have been brought forth that have cleaved, and been joyned together, as it was seen in France, two [Page 53] Females joyned fast to each other by the Shoulders, one of the which (after they had lived together some time) died, and after made a putrifaction in the other, and caused its death.

Polidorus writes, That little before Hani­bal went and joyned Forces with Marcello, there was a Woman delivered of a Child with a Head like an Elephant, and another was born with four feet like a Beast.

The Modern Historians write to this pur­pose, That in the Year one thousand five hun­dred and eighteen, a Roman Curtezan was delivered of a Creature, one half like a Dog and the other half like a Man.

All that have undertaken to write the Hi­stories of the Indies, do affirm; That there are at this day many that bear the shape of half Men and half Beasts, occasioned by that hateful, bruitish, beastiality, that raigns a­mongst those people, who take delight in committing such execrable Vices: Others a­gain are born Blinde, Deaf, Dumb, Maimed, Lame, and some wanting a Member; for which the Relations are sorry, the Mothers ill spoken of, and the Fathers ashamed; so that if we do but with attention consider the many and sad casualties and miseries that at­tend our Births, we shall finde the old Pro­verb to be very true, That our Mothers do conceive us in filthy loathsomness, bring us forth [Page 54] in grief and sorrow, and do nourish and educate us with great pains and care.

This is the first Scene, or Act, in the Tra­gedy of our Humane Life: Here you have seen what Government and Order it natural­ly observes, being enclosed in the Prison of the Mothers Womb. Now let us contemplate a little.

What can man be compared to after he is gotten out of this close Prison, and put upon firm ground? Truly I can fancy him like no­thing so much as a Worm that creeps out of a Dung-hill: Oh what a gentle habit he brings to make his first entrance into the World; al­so to cover this stately Fabrick, and to grace his pompuous entrance; what necessary Gar­ment think ye doth he bring with him? no o­ther but the filth and blood, with which he comes covered and bathed all over, which is nothing else but a lively representation to us of that Original sin with which the Child is bespotted, as holy Scripture teaches us: O sad and weighty necessity; O miserable and deplorable condition: O what a sorrowful and pitiful shame is this, that before this crea­ture hath sinned, or is in a capacity actually to offend, that it should be bound with the shame of Original corruption, and be a bond-slave to Satan, and be subject to evil before it knowes how to do ill. All this proceeds from that Fruit which was so fair to the Eye, sweet [Page 55] to the taste, but bitter in effect to our fore­fathers: Or from that cluster of bitter Grapes which the Prophet Jeremiah speaks of, That the Fathers have eaten bitter Grapes and the Childrens teeth are set on edge; A bitter Fruit indeed!

What is the first musical note that he ex­presses at his first coming into the World? What are they but cries, tears, sighs, sobs, and groans, which are certain Messengers, Discoverers, and Fore-tellers of the calami­ties which afterwards he is to undergoe, the which he not being able to express in words, endeavours to put us in minde of them with weeping tears.

All the Emperors, Monarchs, Princes, and great Lords which commands the World, and turns it upside down at their pleasures; these at their birth sing the same Song, are subject to the same frail condition.

The least Creature that Nature produces, so soon as they be born begin to creep about, and seek out for provisions and necessaries to maintain life. The Chicken so soon as it gets out of the shell, findes it self free of that en­closure, there's no such need of washing and cleansing as there is of man, it presently runs after the Hen, understands when she calls, and begins to pick and eat, it flies, and fears the Kite, although it never received nor saw any hurt by him, but meerly by instinct of Na­ture [Page 56] it knowes to avoid danger; now do but consider and contemplate man when he is first born, and he will appear to be like a mon­strous lump of Flesh, which many other Creatures might easily devour, he not having any strength or power to move or defend himself, he would die with hunger, not be­ing able to take the Breast, but would as soon suck a sweetned poysonous potion as that, and would as soon take red fire hot Iron in his hand as any eatable thing, not being of capa­city to know good from evil: If thou lea­vest him in the Cradle, there will he nestle in his own Dung, and batten in his own Urine, not being able to cast those Natural excre­ments from him, nor cleanse himself, as the least of all other animals can do.

These are the sweets and odiferous scents, with which Nature doth perfume man, with such sort of stuffe doth she perfume and adorn this little room, wherein is contained so much presumption and haughtiness of spirit, that he esteems himself to be so valiant and strong, as if he deserved to be Lord of all the other Creatures, when many of them are more va­liant and stronger then he: But let's trace his farther progress.

After he is lanched forth into this Gulf of miseries and sorrowes, how its needful to suckle him, and give him Food to maintain life? for if they do not give it him he knowes [Page 57] not where to finde it. This care is to be the Mothers; for this reason Nature hath given them 2 Breasts like two small round Gourds, proper places and fit, to contain the Milk for the sustenance of their Children; but how many Mothers are there at this day, (if the truth were spoken) who are contented and think they have done too much for their Chil­dren by bringing them forth onely, and that many times Abortives, and oust out from their Entrails, and are presently sent out to some Village to be nursed, without either seeing or hearing of them at all, for which cause there is many times a poor Child sent them instead of their own. Such Women do rather take pleasure and contentment in a Foisting-hound or Lap-dog, and with much more shameless delight do they kiss, hugge, and embrace it, then if it were their own natural Child, which they count a shame to feed, cleanse, swathe, or take into their armes.

Most part of the other animals do not use this practice, nor are so unnatural to their young ones; they never commit them to any other, although they have never so many, but are a continual shield of defence and protecti­on to them, for they will not forsake them until they see them of sufficient strength and capacity to guide for the present, and defend themselves from danger: And which is more strange, there is often strifes, debates, and [Page 58] emulacions betwixt the Males and Females which shall do most for them: The truth of which hath not onely been experimentally demonstrated in the Apes, but more in the Beares, a sort of cruel, fierce, and ravenous Beasts, which love their young ones so much, that they doe not onely content them­selves with cockering and giving them the teats, but seeing that they are cast out without any form or shape, they labour with a weari­some toil, continually licking them until they have brought them to a Natural figure or likeness.

Also the Birds, although they have many times 5, 6, or a dozen under their Wings, pos­sess no Gainers of Corn, yield no Milk, nor have any store laid up to feed them, yet they never leave nor forsake them, but finde out new wayes, force strength out of weakness, and act as far as nature hath taught them, that they may comply with Natures obligation, and hatch and bring up their young ones: But where can we finde a better or more sollide reason of humane misery? then this, That the poor Wretch is no sooner born, but he is deprived of that which of just right doth be­long unto him, and Nature hath provided for him: He is forced to suck the Milk of a strange person; and often, if it be a cheap Nurse, they do not look whether she be croo­ked, maimed, or lame, or whether she be in­fected [Page 59] with any foul vice or infirmity, either in body or condition, from the which they receive so much prejudice and hurt, that it were far better they should be brought up in the Desart, then come into the hands of such Nurses? and if it were onely the body that received this damage, it would not behalf so bad; it's not that onely that's interested, spoiled, and hindered, as formerly it was seen in Titus the Son of Vespatian the Emper­or, and many others, who being brought up and suckled by an infirm Nurse, passed the few dayes of his life in a weak, sickly, and un­fortunate condition, as Lapriadus writes.

But all this is nothing in comparison of the detriment and prejudice the Soul receives from that evil Character which is stamped therein, by the lewd breeding and the wicked life of the Nurse.

Dion a Greek Historian, in the life of Cayus Caligula the third Emperor of Rome, writes, That they did not impute to his Parents the wicked, infamous, and mischievous Nature of this lewd and blood-thirsty Emperor, be­cause it was certainly known he had suckt it with the Milk: For the Nurse that gave him suck was of a wicked and cruel disposition by nature, and had a custome to dip her Niple in blood, and then give the Child the Teat; from which he commenced to be such an in­humane and appetitious glutton as to eat [Page 60] mens blood; for afterwards he not satisfying himself with continual Deaths, Woundings, and Wicked Actions, which he committed, but would suck and lick the Swords and Dag­gers with which he had slain men. And far­ther:

Not being able to satisfie his wicked appe­tite with humane blood, he wished, That there were no more Heads in the World but one, that he might take it off, and consequent­ly remain absolute Lord of the whole World.

Is it not sufficient then the great troubles and torments which the poor Creature hath suffered in the Womb of his Mother, but ye must provide new sorrowes, add new afflicti­ons to his misery, as soon as he is born into the World; and that sometimes for delicacy, or by ungrateful, hard-hearted, and unadvi­sed disaffection of the Mothers, who unnatu­rally denying them their own Breasts, expose them to more anger then they are aware of; for often Nurses do either change them, or feed them with rotten, diseased, and corrup­ted Milk, from whence it proceeds they come to live infirm, sickly, and impotent, (as it hath been experimented by many learned Physitians,) and that with a full damage the poor Creatures, and infamy to the Mothers of them; for there is nothing more certain, that if the Nurse be blear or squint Ey'd, the Creature will be so. This is not from the [Page 61] Milk it sucks, but from a continual converse and custome the Child takes looking upon his Nurse, and if she be given to much drinking, makes it of a faint and feeble complexion, and causes it to love Wine and strong drink, as we read in the life of the Emperor Tiberio, who was much given to this Vice; for the Nurse that gave him suck did not onely drink to excess her self, but often fed him with sops in Wine.

Here you see how the dispositions and cu­stomes of Nurses do work upon, nay are pre­dominant over the weak natures of Children: If she be given to drunkenness, so will it; if she be infirm the like will it be, and if she be bad the Creature often proves worse: But suppose we have him in the tuition of a wake­full. wholesome, and careful Nurse, and he seems to be out of danger: O sad and unfor­tunate animals, even then he seems to be most surrounded with troubles: I say, even then thou canst not but consider him most environ­ed and encompassed with miseries and calami­ties; with what labour and pains do the un­fortunate Nurses bring them up, many do burst themselves meerly with weeping and shrieking, insomuch that they need no other larum to keep them from their quiet repose even at midnight, then what these do appear to be; others do stumble, fall, and catch wounds, not understanding, how nor which [Page 60] [...] [Page 61] [...] [Page 63] way; so that there remains hardly a joynt of the frail body, but hath received some detri­ment or maim, and if I should take in hand to relate the infirmities, which very many poor creatures do naturally inherit from the loath­some and putrifactious diseases of the Parents, it would be an endless work, as also if I should begin to declare the multitude of toyes and fooleries they busie and imploy themselves within this their tender infancy: With what childish sports do they spend their time, with continual pratling, running into the Water like a Frog, building little houses of Clay, wallowing and drailing in the dirt, other whiles tumbling in the dust, riding on a stick, coveting and riding the Ring, and galloping and changing Horses, as if he were a Squire of the Stable Royal, often playing with, and fol­lowing Dogs and Cats, grow suddenly angry, and is as soon pleased, will laugh with one, and cry with another, and that in a breathing while.

Who would ever think or believe that so vile and dejected a Creature, who is as it were overwhelmed with miseries and calamities, and thereby in every sore and sad condition, should change minde and forget himself so much, as to swell with pride, grow haughty, and vain-glorious, and that in a short time, which consideration being well pondred by that Tragick Poet Euripedes, caused him to [Page 62] say, That we ought to weep and lament at the Birth of a humane creature, for why? he is not born but to be poor, miserable, na­ked, surcharged with sorrowes and griefs, and then die.

Here ends all his sighs, groans, and angui­shes: Of what salidity is it for miserable man to live? or what profit doth this unhappy Creature reap from the Worlds light: But a far better, more sublime, and holy use, did that heavenly Prophet Job make of this con­sideration when he was in that grievous con­flict by Gods commission, when he said, Job 10. 9, 10, 11. Remember (I beseech thee) that thou haste made me as the Clay, and wilt thou turn me into Dust again: Haste thou not poured me out as Milk, and curdled me like Cheese? Thou hast cloathed me with Skin and Flesh, and haste fenced me with Bones and Si­news; thou haste given me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved me.

If that Prophet Jeremias out of pure com­passion bewailed the miserable estate of Israel, being Captive in Babilon: If Anthises lament­ed the destruction of the proud City of Troy, the Consul Marcello the ruine of Saxagosa in Scicilia, and Salustrus of his Roman Citizens; then it may be lawful for us, and we may ve­ry well with so many and so good surely la­ment and bewail the miserable entrance that man makes into the Theatre of this World; [Page 64] sad and unprofitable gain, and dangerous con­verse that meets within this life, and the sad and deplorable end he makes at his death, the which being deeply contemplated by the Pro­phet Esaias, he had rather been breathless and died in his Mothers belly, cursed the Breasts that gave him suck, the knees that sus­tained him sucking.

For the same reason the Prophet Jeremias considering that man was made of the dust of the Earth, conceived in sin, born to sorrow, and in the end to be food for Wormes, he wi­sheth that his Mothers Womb had been his Grave, that it had been the Tomb on which his Epitaph had been written.

But let us now further consider the excel­lent Anatomy that the holy Prophet JOB makes of Man, how he doth cloath and array him; also how he sets him forth in his perfect Colours, saying; Man that is born of a Wo­man is of few dayes, and full of trouble; he co­meth up like a Flower, soon withers, and is like a shade, that never stayes in one being.

Prithe Reader lets more seriously contem­plate and consider these words, and that without giving discontent to any man, lea­ving every one to the strength of his own judgement and argument; yet that we may discern how all the Sentences and Sayings of the Heathen Phylosophers are but a kinde of babling, compared with those of the holy [Page 65] Spirit of God; they are but a Dream; nay, a Scipher, in respect of the least point of Grace which the Lord our God puts into the heart of man when he would have him to know and acknowledge his humble and low condition.

Man (sayes he) that is born of a Woman, or the Son of a Woman: It may be these last Words may appear to be superfluous, and that they were not fitly placed; but truly they are wisely set down, and very significant­ly do point at the frail principium of this proud Creature Man, for why? he is born of a Woman, and amongst all the Creatures that God made, there is none so subject to mise­ries and infirmities as they are, and especial­ly those that are most fruitful: They seldome have a months quiet throughout the year, and that not without fears, terrours, cares, and continual tremblings.

Now after so miserable and deplorable a beginning; if this life were long and healthy he could the better pass it over: But Job saith presently after (He is of few dayes, and those full of misery.) There are few creatures that have a life so short as man, nor any so ea­sily taken away, therefore what need instru­ments, Poysons, Graves, and Swords, and the like, do but stop his breath for a short time, and he will fall down dead, and lie like a Log of Wood, his life being onely an Airy [Page 66] breath which inhabits the body, and quickly flieth away.

Theophrastus and other ancient Phyloso­phers, murmured against Nature, because she had given so large lives to the Harts, Ra­vens, and other animals, which serve for lit­tle in this World, and Man which is Emperor and King of all the Creatures, and absolute Lord over them, his is but short and brief, though he have honourable and caelestial im­ployments here; and what is worse, she clips and cuts from this short life which is bestow­ed upon him, a great part with Sleeps, Dreames, Angers, Cares, Troubles, Los­ses, and other misfortunes, which attend, molest, and abreviate this short life, these our few dayes; and if we should well cast up and consider the pains, labours, and troubles we undergo, the many anguishes and cares thereof, and how they waste us and hasten us to our ends, we shall finde that few are the dayes of our sorrowful Pilgrimage here, which brings us to the comparison of which the Pro­phet makes of man with the shade.

What (sayes he) is the shadow, but onely an appearance which deceives the sight of man, a fancy, a figure without being or substance, the which sometimes appears grea­ter, sometimes lesser, even so is man, which sometimes seems to be something, and in ef­fect [Page 67] nothing; for when he is most elevated, most raised up, and at his highest, on a sud­den there is no more memory nor trace of him then of a shadow when night is come; it's with him as the Royal Prophet David sayes, 37 Psalm 35, 36. verse. I have seen the wicked Man in great power, and spreading himself like a green Bay Tree; yet he passed away, and loe he was not; yea, I saught him, but he could not be found, the Memory of wicked Men shall rot.

Here thereto have we with as much brevi­ty as possible could be, set forth through how many troubles, stormes, and shipwracks, mi­serable Man passeth before he arriveth at the Haven of Youth, and gets out of the tuition of Nurses, and from that Labyrinth of Child­hood, in which he must be assisted and looked after with so much care and diligence.

Let us now consider and contemplate him being grown bigger and of a more comely stature, and see whether his miseries and sor­rowes have end here.

Verily, (if we will be impartial Judges) we shall finde that his calamities and labours do not onely terminate, but that he falls in­to, and launcheth forth into a more spacious Sea of Dangers and Afflictions: For by this time Nature hath provided for him a thou­sand Combats and Assaults, stronger and more fiercer then the former; his blood begins to [Page 68] boil, the Flesh allures and invites with her delights, sensuallity shews the way how to put them in practice, the World and the Devil tempt and beguile the disordered Appetite of his Youth, with inviting to him such drest and well prepared delicates, that it's impossi­ble that he who is assaulted, surrounded, and stormed with so strong and so many Ene­mies, but that he should be conquered, if he receive not succour from some good and friendly Angel, by the particular Grace and Favour of God; for in that body which en­joyes Riches, Liberty, and Youth without restraint, so generally lodge, dwell, and in­habit all sorts of Vice in the World.

The Emperor Marcus Ancilius said, I am not in charity with our Step-mother Nature, who seems not to have satisfied her revenge upon poor man at his beginning, and his being unnaturally fed with the Milk of a strange Breast, but strives farther to load him with all sorrows she can: Now he must also learn his Trade, Occupation, or Science, from a strange hand, for which cause she produces few Catoes, who will take care to teach their own Children; but rather she tauses Fathers now a dayes to disdain and count it an under­valuing to do it, and so leave them to taste of the bitter Potion of cruel and neglective School-masters, which often discourages them [Page 69] at the first entrance to learn the liberal Arts [...]nd Sciences.

[...]s certain there is no ground be it never so fertile, fat, and fruitful, that is not mar'd [...] wasted, and will bring forth Berries and Thistles sooner then other Grass, if it be not well manured in all respects; and the more Fertile it is, the greater quantity of unprofit­able Weeds it puts forth, if they neglect to Plough, Sow, and Dung it; so it is with Youths, they are apt to grow worse then bet­ter, though they be never soingenuous, un­less the Parents seek out trusty and careful Masters to teach, and moderately correct them, or do it himself, which is all very con­venient.

If Man desires to gather good Fruit from Trees and Plants, it will be necessary when they are young and tender, that he do cut, prune, and dig about them, and take off the superfluous Branches: Even so he that de­sires from the Youth and tender disposition of the Children to gather good Fruit, and not meet with vexations from them in his old age, had need to cut short, prune, and hinder the growing and encreasing of Vices, and all oc­casions thereof, which too commonly do bud forth in their young dayes, and to avoid all scandal and discredit, the neglect hereof may bring upon himself, and be a perpetual sor­row [Page 70] to Parents and Friends. How many Fa­thers and Mothers have there been, and are in this World, who for neglect of bringing up their Children when young, and giving them good instruction and learning, have had a thou­sand vexations, troubles, afflictions, and dis­contents from them in their old age? And how many Mothers be there, that instead of instructing in vertue, and teaching modest re­tirement to their Daughters, do bring them up to too much daintiness, ease, and liberty, onely shewing them how to follow their own delicious Appetites, the which we may call Mothers and Nurses of the Body, but cruel Step-Mothers to the Soules of their poor Daughters.

If that High Priest Eli was Heavenly chasti­sed and his Sons destroyed, because he did not reprehend and chastise them with that rigour and severe Authority which he ought, what can they expect from God? What chastise­ment must their Parents fear, that instead of being Reformers and Correctors, shall be Corrupters of their Children? Such may be compared to Munckies, who do so love their young ones, that they are ever making much of, and hugging them in their Armes, by which means they often fall into the hands of Hunters: Even so it is with Parents, who for want of chastising, and putting their Chil­dren [Page 71] from them, and putting them ou [...] learn Lawful employments, come to fall [...] the hands of Justice, and to ill ends, with disgrace enough to their Family, grief and shame to their neglective Parents and Friends.

The ancient Romans so much abhorred the Parents that did not correct their Children, that for this cause alone they made a Law, in the which they ordered and commanded, That the Son that was taken in any offence should be for the first time reproved, for the second punished severely, and for the third hanged, and the Father banished, as a party in the fault, because he did not sufficiently re­prove and chastise him.

The Third BOOK OF THE Theatre of the World.

LETS leave the Estates, conditions and degrees of men in their labours, travels, sorrows, and dealings, cast­ing their nets and hookes in the maine Ocean of the World, and return to our com­menced purpose of the miseries of Mankind; that we may more particularly give account of the remaining scourges, and afflictions with which nature doth chastise, whip, and torment Men; with which engines she endeavours to draw this vessel of Earth to the knowledge and love of God, were it not just, that man seeing the corruptions of all estates and de­grees of the World, their contemptible and loathsome [Page 150] conditions and beings, that dead he is, nothing but a harbour for Wormes, a Corps, and being cast into the Grave, if after a time it be opened, gives such a horrible and con­tagious scent, that all that come neer or passe by stop their noses, that they may not be in­fected with it: were it not just, that affliction should come upon him, asswage his pride and allay the wicked motions of his heart, and bring him to a contemplation of his frailty, and thereby be afraid to offend his God; for our vile and impudent nature is grown to such a height that we do put our selves in de­fiance with God, as if we would fight the field with him, we break the fences, and cut through his true established Uniformity of Religion and worship, and by necessities born of our own fantastical braines, (as many see­ming wise men do in our dayes) willfully and not for conscience withstand it, and do there­by (God send it be not laid to their charge) keep the people from unity, love and quiet­nesse: St. Jerome and St. Austin do affirme, that in their days the Word of God was in great esteeme, and published, that there was hardly a Nation in the World where there were not some Christians, even in the remo­test parts thereof, but in our dayes, for our ingratitude and our manyfold transgressions, God hath been pleased to turne his back upon us, overclouding the light of his Gospell, so [Page 151] that it appears in luster, only in the least quarter of the World our Europe, where it hardly enlightens two parts of three, and what is more to be lamented? is the multi­tude and diversity of Opinions which dayly are broached and fomented amongst Christi­ans? in the which we find our selves every day more involved, for what one saith is white, others say is black, what some hold for day, others say is night, in fine there wants not those, who do make a lie, and Antichristi­an faith, of the truth of Jesus Christ, from which proceeds a great and strange evil, which is an exceeding cause of offence to ignorant persons, seeing some wise men affirme what others deny, knowing as they do that there is but one only truth, & that I can find it in no place more transparent then in the Church of England: For what others can say against her is not against any fundamentall truth, but against her decent Ornaments, and Divine order; God is the God of order; and apoin­ted distinct Vestments for the Priests that ser­ved before Him in his Temple at Jerusalem; so that all ignorant people as well as knowing ought to shut their eyes and eares against all novelties, and stand stedfast first in the faith, but next in the practice of their forefathers, for had there been any error of consequence, so many wise men as lived in those days would have amended them, its true the Church may [Page 152] to appearance run a great hazard in the depths of affliction, but shall never be de­voured, drowned or destroyed, which as a miracle we have seen of our Church in her persecution and restauration; these Sects and Heresies going on as they do, well may we say that the fences of the pasture where the Flock of Jesus Christ were wont to be gather­ed together and fed, are broken down, and that Wolves are entred in, to destroy, dis­perse and devour the innocent Sheep, and all proceeds from the carelesseness of their un­watchfull and disagreeing Pastors, who neg­lect to stop the gaps, mend up the fences, dis­cover, withstand and hinder the growth and increase of this tamelesse devouring and poy­soning beast of Heresie; from whence it pro­ceeds that many of the sheep have fled, and gone astray without a Shepherd; others are fed of ignorant and blind Shepherds, which are hired for a small matter of money, and are in danger of being lost, because the chiefe Pastors take no care to overlook them, and for those that remain together in the fold and pasture of Christ, are at the point of ha­zard to be parted and mislead from the true way; and certainly if we could see with our corporall eyes at once, the great and apparent danger that all Christendome is in at this day, if it were possible to number the multitude of Soules which are dayly in danger to be [Page 153] lost by these Sects, Schismes, & Heresies, it must needs make a mans haire stand upright, with amazement,

Tell me truly Gentle Reader, is there any manner of chastisement, scourge, torment, an­guish, or sorrow? of which we have not tast­ed in our dayes, with which God hath not assayed to awaken us.

I will not refraine to wright somewhat, and begin with the cruell wares and great effusions of Blood which hath been amongst us within this fifty or threescore yeares; al­though I have written thereof in another Treatise, and the memorial thereof is so fresh that the blood is hardly stenched of the wounds which hath been so deeply cut a­mongst Christians; the great multitude of people (as well men as women) which wander as vagabonds from Country to Province and from Citty to Village, forcibly banished from their Countrys, Parents, and houses, with the distressed Mothers laden with their sad Orphans, who by the diligence, fury, and cruelty of their Enemies; are forced to fly from the burning flame, and to seek out some ease, house, or repose for themselves, and their hunger bitten infants, nay, and often cannot find it, these may be sufficient witnesses of the many strange and bitter evils which attend War, what greater griefe then to see the streetes filled with such kind of sorow­full [Page 154] and afflicted people; what conscience, or continency of life can they have, who are the cause of such Tragedies, when they shall here the teares, sighs, and out-cryes of such miserable Creatures; especially when they shall consider that there is a full and particu­lar account to be given of all the blood that unjustly or maliciously hath been or shall be shed, from Abell who was the first man that dyed, unto the last that shall die in the World, as the holy spirit of God teacheth us in the Sacred Scriptures.

If we have felt the fatal stroke of War a­mongst us, which is one of the principall messengers of Gods wrath, there is another which is the Pestilence, which hath not been wanting in our dayes, for God according to our hardnesse of heart and impenitence pro­ceeds with us by degrees, either increasing or diminishing the chastisement: I have read of the most strange wonderfull Plagues, and contagions that have hapned in former ages, the which we will compare with those of our times; that we may come to see and under­stand that when God is highly offended, whets and sharpens the sword of his anger and fury against us, all other Creatures are overtaken with the irefull stroke thereof; Many Authors worthy of Credit, have written that the Citizens of Constantinople were visited, with such a strange kind of horrible Pestilence, [Page 155] that those that were smitten therewith, they imagined that they were slaine by the hand of a neighbour or friend, and being fallen into this frenzie, they dyed distracted, being only posses'd with this fear, that they believd their deaths wound proceeded from another man: There was in the dayes of Heraclius such a mortall Plague in Romania, that in few dayes there dyed many thousand men, the fury and frenzie of the contagion was so great, that the most part of those that were stricken therewith cast themselves into the river Tiber to asswage the exceeding heat, which like a red hot Iron, consumed their very entrailes.

Tucidides a Greek Author, writes that in his time there happened in Grecia such a con­tagious corruption of aire, that an infinite number of people dyed, without any reme­dy that could be found to mittygate or cure the disease; and relates another thing more admirable and strange, that if any one reco­vered health and escaped that venemous in­firmity, they remained without any remem­brance of what was past, even to the forgeting of Fathers Children, & of Childrens Parents.

Marcus Aurellius an Author worthy of cre­dit, wrights that there happened in his dayes so great a Plague in Italy that the Historians attempting to wright thereof, said it was more easie for them to number those that were living, then to give account of how [Page 156] many dyed, the Souldiers of Avidius Cassuis (a Generall under the Emperour Macro An­tonio,) being in Seleucia a Citty appertaining to the Empire of Babilon; they made en­trance into the Temple of Apollo, and finding there a certain Chest, they opened it, (expect­ing to find a great Treasure in it;) from which proceeded such a stinking corrupted pestiferous aire, that almost destroyed the re­gions of Babilon, from thence it flew to Greece, and thence to Rome, putrifying after such a manner the aire, that one third part of the people did not escape where it came; but to leave the antient Histories, and examine what hath happened since their time, and in our dayes, that we who do hold our selves to be Christians may learn to understand our own frailty & the great miseries to which we are subject with the scourges & great afflicti­ons which God layeth upon us, and that God when his anger is kindled against our offences and extreame iniquities, lets fly the most cruell Darts and Arrowes of his justice a­gainst these Creatures, not omitting any kind of evils, afflictions, and torments, whereby to execute his wrath and vengeance, what better or greater proofe can we have of this then that which we saw in the year 1628. in the French Army, which at that time beseiged Naples, that men dyed before they thought they had been stricken with death, and this [Page 157] curse or Pestilence did not light upon the common souldiers alone, but executed its fury against the most choice commanders, that the Lords Lautree, of Vandemon, of Moloac, of Laval, of the Chatrinera Grandmont, and many other Persons of great quality, who I cannot call to mind without teares, the very same thing happened to the English when they took Buloigne from the French, that there arose such Pestilential disease amongst them in the Citty, that the living were not sufficient to bury the dead, for which cause the King of England could not find a Souldier in all his Country would go thither volunta­rily but such as were prest & forced thither as offenders, for the more fresh men entered, so many more dyed, so that every corner of the streets was infected and corrupted with the stench of the dead Corpes which lay in every part of the City; A year after that King Francis of France marryed with Donna Leono­ca de Austria, there reigned in Germany such a mortall Plague, that all that were smitten therewith dyed within twenty four houres, swetting a most contagious humor, and a most horrid stinking matter, and al­though this evil begin at the West end of the Empire, yet afterwards it extended it selfe throughout all Germany like a sweeping net that will catch all as it goes along, for before it pleased God to send a remedy, there dyed [Page 158] so many thousands, that many Provinces re­mained deserted, and uninhabited, for so great was the putrifaction of the aire that it left neither Creatures alive; and they write that at the same time that the Pestilence reigned, with the like fury it was predomi­nant in England, in so much that with the venemous strength thereof, it did not only overcome & destroy men, but the Birds for­sooke their Nests, Eggs, and young ones, the beasts their dens, and Caves, the Snakes and Moles went together in squadrons and com­panies, not being able to suffer the venemous infection that had entred even into the bo­wells of the earth; in the year 1546. the last day of May, in Stife a city in Province, began a most cruell and Pestilential contagion, which lasted nine moneths, and there dyed great multitudes of people of all sexes and ages, in so much that all their Churchyards were so fill'd with dead Corps, that there was no roome to receive any more, the greatest part of those that were infected the second day became frantick, and cast themselves into wells, or else from windowes, to others it gave a flux of blood from the nose, with vio­lence like a running stream, the stopping of which & ending the life was all at once; it ariv­ed to such a height of dissolution, that women great with child cast forth untimely births, at four moneths, both they and their innocent [Page 159] babes dyed, being found full of tokens, and on one side black and blew like brused blood; in conclusion the contagion was so great that fathers left their children, and the women forsooke their husbands; mony and riches could not yeeld remedy to save the owners thereof from dying of famine, because it was hard to get a peice of bread, or a cup of wa­ter for money; and if in case they could pro­cure food for sustenance, the Plague was grown so violent, that many were taken away with the meat in their mouthes, the fury of the evil was so great, that only looking upon one that was stricken; the infection instantly cleave to the party viewing and he dyed; so great was the contagion of the disease, and the corruption of the aire of the City, to what member of the body the venemous breath or vapour did come, there arose great sweling, carbuncles, mortally wounding sores, Oh what a horrible and lamentable thing it was to heare the sad storyes that a Physician tells, one who was ordered by the Gover­nours to heal the sick; this contagion saith he was so sharp and perverse, that it could not be stopped, with blooding, Physick, medicines or any cordialls whatsoever; but it cut down destroyed and killed all it took hold of, in so much as he that was stricken therewith could expect nothing but death; for which cause there were several, that when they preceived [Page 160] themselves wounded with this mortal infect­ion, they sowed themselves up in their winding sheetes; there thou mightest see ten thousand lye after that manner, expecting their last hour, that forced divorce; O sad parting, of those two so loving consorts the Soul and Body; all which he affirmed to have seen often done by many Persons, of all de­grees; I my selfe in the year 1648. being in Spain (where many hundred thousands dyed that year) in several Provinces, but living in the City of Sevill there breake out about March a fearfull contagion or Plague; (where I was visited therewith;) to omit the relati­on of every particular sad spectacle I saw dayly, I shall only hint upon the principal passages, by which ye may judge the rest, there was every morning to be seen, not a street without many dead Corps in it cast out, not a house uninfected, so that the most retyred Carthusian Fryers which came neer none, dy­ed thereof; the Birds dyed in the cages, not for want of food, but of the infection; in one Hospital I was told by one that helped to bury the dead there, that they all judged there dyed in one night four thousand per­sons; it raged so much, and carried away so many people that all their burying places be­ing filled, they were forced to load continual­ly dead Corps in Carts, and bury them in the common fields, where they had four several [Page 161] burying places, on each side of the City one; afterwards I had occasion often to take parti­cular notice of one of them, (where some of our English were buryed) it was neer alone Church in the fields, called St. Sebastiam, over the door whereof I have many times read in Spanish, but in large legible Characters; without the bounds of this Church lieth bury­ed in fifteen graves, forty and three thousand, many judged that in above four or five moneths there dyed three hundred thousand, but those that are more moderate write two hundred and odd thousand, it swept so cleer, that when they came to clense the City, they found in very many houses the last Person dead, and with the heat of Summer almost rotted in their beds; this Relation may ap­pear to some a story, that in such a City as that, being but twenty three Parishes, should be such a mortality, truly I was eye witnesse to most of what is related, as many Merchants of our English Nation can affirme, and have no reason to give a false relation of that in which God hath been pleased to grant me so great a deliverance, for which ever magnifi­ed be his Holy Name.

But to proceed on our purpose there re­maines no other thing but to contemplate the other principal sc [...]ge of God, famine, a cer­tain and diligent [...]ecutioner of his justice, as he affirmes by the Prophets and Apostels, [Page 162] that he will make their Land barren, and un­profitable; so also our Saviour Jesus Christ telling his Disciples the sign that should fore­go the last day, after he had sayed men should kill one another, and one [...]ingd [...]me should rise up and make War agai [...]st a [...]t [...]er Nation, he addeth as a thing of greater degree of pu­ni [...]hment, that there shall be g [...]eat Pestilencies and mortall famines over all the World, for War, Pestilence, and famine are the strokes with which God commonly avengeth himself of wicked men, when he growes weary of of waiting for their too often late repenta [...]ce.

Lets now see whether we have escaped the last, more then the first; I will not go about to write of the famines which commonly is known to have happened in Europe, Asia, and Africa, but will only relate the most memo­rable, which I find in the Historie both Di­vine and Pagan, to the end that they that live in this World, as in a Pallace of delights, pleasures and pastimes, without tasting in the least of the calamities and miseries to which man is subject, may (when they see God shoot the arrows of his wrath against his Crea­tures) consider and understand the soveraign power and Omnipotency of their Creator; and contemplate the pittyfull and sad conditi­on of our nature which [...]ubject to so many miseries: Lets begin with that which the Romans suffered at the generall destruction of [Page 163] Italy, when Alarico a capital enemy to Man­kind besieged Rome, they were brought to such a poor, low and famished condition, and to such an exceeding want of all things neces­sary, that they began first to eat the Horses, Dogges, Cats, Rats and Mice, and all other sorts of vermine they could find, and when these failed, they eat one another, the stron­gest devoured the weakest; it is a certain and wonderfull thing to consider, that when the justice of God, followes, and puts us to a streight, that necessity brings us to such a point or resolution not to pardon even our best friends, the Father, the Son, or the Mo­ther, the fruit of her Womb; The like hap­ned in the siege of Jerusalem, as Eusebus sets it forth at large, but a more horrid and strange story followes, when Scipio besieged the City of Numancia, after he had attacked and cut off reliefe from them, he put them to such an exstream necessity, and mortal and canine fa­mine; that every day they sallied out and went to chase the Romans, (their besiegers) as hungry Dogs do savage beasts, to eat them; so that without any loathing they eat the flesh, and drank the blood of the Romans which they took, (not sparing one of them) with as great appetite as others would eat Beefe or Mutton, or drink at a cleer Fountain, even so he that fell into their hands, was presently riped open, cleansed and quartered, and sold [Page 164] in their Market by peices or retaile; so that one Roman amongst them, dead, was of more value then alive; in the 2. Kings 6. Chap 24. ver, &c. There is made mention of a great famine in Samaria in the time of Elisha the Prophet, (which exceeded that before men­tioned) where there was such want of suste­nance, that an Asse head was sold for fourscore peices of Silver, and the fourth part of a kab of Pigions dung for five peices of Silver, but what was worse, and most inhumane of all, that having eaten all the provision they had, the Mothers eat their own Children; in so much that a woman of the City, complained to the King of Israel, as he went upon the Wall, that her neighbour would not stand to an agreement made betwixt them, which was to eat the first day her Child, and the next day the other womans; the which (saith she) I ac­complished, for we boyled my son, and did eat him; I said unto her on the next day, give thy Son that we may eat him, and she hath hid him, the which the King hearing, rent his clothes, and behold he had Sackcloth within upon his flesh, &c. Josephus in his seventh Book of the Warres of the Jewes, in the third Chapter, relates another accident much like this, but executed with more fury, and after a more strange manner; there was (saith he) in Jerusalem when it was beseiged a Woman both noble and rich, which had hidden in a [Page 165] certain house of the City part of her riches, and fed sparingly on what she had, which she could not long do in quiet, for the Souldiers of the Garrison in a short time robed her of what she had layed up in store; and if she in­treated and begged for any thing to supply nature, and some did give her any, others immediately took it out of her hands; and even force the bit out of her mouth, then she seeing her selfe in such distresse, ready to dye for hunger, and without any hopes of re­medy for to supply her necessity, she without consideration of what might appear best, be­gan to arme her selfe against the wholsome lawes of nature, and considering a Child she had then at her breast began to cry out, say­ing, Oh unhappy and unfortunate Babe, or rather miserable mother, what can I do with thee? where shall I preserve thee? things run, and are so out of order, that if I save thy life, thou wilt be a slave to the Romans, therefore it will be better that thou maintain and relieve thy Mother, and afright the cursed Souldiers who have left me no hopes of remedy or comfort, be thou an ex­ample of pitty to ages to come, & move com­passion in the hearts of those that shall be hereafter borne; these words being ended, she beheaded her Child, parted him in the midle, and put halfe on a Spit, roasted and eat it, and layed up the other halfe for another [Page 166] time; she had no sooner ended this Tragedy, but the Souldiers came and smelling the roasted flesh, began to threaten her with pre­sent death, if she did not produce it, but she was so mad and besides her selfe, for what she had done, that without fear she desired no­thing more then to accompany her Son in death, therefore she boldly said, be patient friends, for we have devided like brethren; which saying and doing, she brought forth the other halfe of the Child, and set it on the Table before them, with which sight the Souldiers being frighted, astonished, and con­fused, they felt such sorrow and pitty to pos­sesse their hearts, that they could not speak a word for very shame; she on the contrary with a furious, and discomposed aspect, and cruel countenance, with a hoarse, and untu­ned, or unaccustomed voice, said to them, Sirs what is this, is it not the fruit of my body; is not here seen my wicked fact, why do not ye fall too, for I eat first? is it more irksome to you then to me, are ye more scrupulous then I, are ye more timerous, more mercyfull then the mother that bare him, will not ye eat of what I have first tasted, and now will eat with you? but they not having power to see, and gaze upon so horri­ble and abominable spectacle, got out and fled, and left the miserable mother alone, with that small part which remained of her [Page 167] Son, which was the only thing she had remai­ning of all her Goods; this i [...] the perfect re­lation of Josephus t [...]a [...]slated word by word.

But there are many who will not be moved by the examples of Antient Heathen stories, beleiving only what they see with their eyes, and touch with their own hands; such reape as much benefit by the reading or hearing an­tient Histories read, as a deaf man doth by Musick, I shall make it appear palpably here how God doth not spare us more then he did the ancients; especially when we provoke him with our sins, as we may see clearly in the following discourse, written by Guillam Paradin a man of great learning, and exquisit Doctrinall parts; in the Collection and re­conciling of Histories, treating of the most memorable things of our times, saith; in the year 1528. men let loose the reines of their appetites to all manner of vices, and did so surround themselves therewith, that they utterly neglected to humble themselves, and turne to the Lord their God, although they felt the stroke of his justice upon them, in cruel and bloudy Warre and effusions of blood, but rather they grew dayly more wicked, even to the height of all evils; for which cause God being angry with them, be­gan to discharge the sharpest arrowes, and Darts of his wrath; he let five the shafts of his anger against France, with such a fury, that [Page 168] every one thought final destruction was come upon that Kingdome, for there was so much want, so much necessity, such and so many calamities and miseries, that there is no Histo­ry or memorial doth declare that ever any suffered so much affliction and want, as well of Bread and Wine, as of all other fruites of the earth, for the Plague came to such an ex­streame, that in five whole years, from 1528. not any of the four Seasons kept their natural course and order; and on the contrary there was such a confusion in them, that the spring came in Autumne, and Autumn in the Spring, the Summer in the time of winter, and winter in Summer time, yet Summer with his power­full heat was of more force, and overcame all the other parts of the year; and put forth a double strength against its greatest opposite cold; so that in the most sharp and cold time of Winter, which is Decemb. Janu. Febru. when the ground should enjoy a quiet repose, while the seed roted in it, when it expected its natu­ral season of cold, then there was so much heat, and the earth was so kindled, dryed, and set on fire, that it was a very prodigious thing to see; for in all those five years, there was not the least Frost that lasted above two days, neither was it of so much strength as to freez the Water in the least; with this unusuall heat, there bred multitudes of vermine in the very Bowels of the Earth, as Wormes, Snailes, [Page 169] Locusts, and many others; which devoured the tender grain before it did spring forth, before it came out of the shell, which was the cause that those Graines of Wheat which should multiply, and put forth each many stalkes, there sprung from them but one or two at most, and those so withered, weak, and dry, that in time of Harvest they did not gather the halfe of that quantity was sowed, and sometimes nothing, this famine held full five years without intermission; a thing so pityfull, sad and miserable, that its impossible to imagine, unlesse one had seen it; by meanes of which it happened that they sold in the Countrys of Leon, Florest, Auvernia, Beaujolos, Borgonia, Savoy, Dolphin, and other Provinces of France at fourteen, six­teen and eighteen livers of torney, each liver being three shillings, for a horse load of wheat, that the poor people were so afflicted, and tormented with this mortall famine, and many other evils which it commonly brings along with it, that it was great pity to see it, for they that had an orderly and reasonable com­petency, with some small yearly rent, were forced for want of subsistance, to leave their Houses and Countryes, and wandred like Rogues and beggers from door to door, and there was a dayly encrease of the number of the poor, in so much that it was wonderfull to see the multitudes of them, and impossible [Page 170] to apply a remedy, but dangerous to stay and suffer their insolencies, a continual hazard of being robed, the which necessity might force them, what an unsavory stench, and corruption of aire proceeded from amongst them, by reason of their breath, &c for they (to kill that would destroy them) hunga) eat of all sorts of Roots, fruits, and Herbs, both good and bad, wholsome and unwhol­some, not leaving any sort of weed in Garden, Orchard, or common field, which they did not make use of for food, even to roots and stalks of Colwarts and other herbes, when they could get no more out of Gardens, they ran to the fields and Meddows for wild herbs; many of them boild great Pots of Mallowes, and Ca [...]dus, mixing therewith a handfull of Bran, if they could get it, and with this and the like sort of viands, they filled their paunches like Hogs, it was an exquisite way, and worthy the taking notice of, to see the ways they took to make bread of the seeds of herbs and trees, as of the Acorn, and the hay seed; being forced and taught by famine, master of all arts and inventions, by which we perceive to be true what is commonly said by old Women, that want and necessity, makes men to seek out unexpected remedies; as those poor men were forced to do willingly to be­guile the Swine of their food and sustenance; the which doth manifestly declare the excee­ding [Page 171] wrath of God against the filthinesse and beastyallity of our sins; considering he is pleased to permit men to be brought to such a streight, that they should eat and make their banquets with the swine; from which un­wholsome and unnaturall sort of diet there bred an infinite number of infirmities, which brought men to their last refuge; and made the stoutest heart to tremble, there mightest thou see great companies of men women and children, and aged fathers; people of all ages going in the streets naked, pale, and shaking with cold, some swollen up as with Dropsie, others lying on the ground halfe dead, resign­ing up their last breath; of this sort of people many barnes, stables, and dunghills were full, there were others, so weak and faint, that they had not ability to cast the word from their mouths to declare their malady and ex­stream necessity, there were others also taken with trembling, that appeared more like spi­rits, and fantasies then men; but above all it was a spectacle of greatest griefe to see many thousand mothers; pale, leane, rejected; surrounded and burdened with many young children, the which being almost dead with famine, could not cry nor ask succour from their sad and afflicted mothers; and they in­stead of affording a remedy to their necessity could only look on them, and that with ex­stream greife of heart, witness those over­flowing [Page 172] streames of teares which fell from their sorrowfull eyes; and truly in my opini­on, this was the most deplorable representa­tion of all the passages demonstrated in this tragick story, when we consider how great a shew of compassion, the poor dissolate mo­thers expressed towards their poor helpless children; the same Paradin relates further, that he saw in one Village called Longhaas in Burgonia, a poor Woman, who by exstream dilligence had gotten a peice of bread; and being about to eat it; a young child not full a year old which was sucking at her breast snatcht it out of her hand; at which the doleful mother being astonished, she stood stil, observing how saverly the poor child made a shift to eat that mouthfull of dry, hard, and black bread, as if it had been the finest morsel, and when the mother would have picked up the crumbes that fell from its mouth, the child gave so many screekes and so many throngs, that the mother was forced to let it alone, as if it had sure some certain under­standing of what natures necessity required, therefore it would admit of no company; Oh Omnipotent God, whose heart would not be ready to break with griefe to behold such a sad and dolefull spectacle as this; The same Author relates that in another Village adja­cent to the former two women, not being able to find out any thing whereby to asswage [Page 173] their hungar, they fed upon a poysonous root, not understanding the malicious property thereof; they were poysoned therewith (in such a manner) that all their parts, both hands and feet were changed into a green like a Lizards skin, and there came forth a contagi­ous substance from betwixt the flesh and the nailes, in so much that by reason of the venome thereof; no remedy could befound to save them, but they dyed; in so much that at that time there was nothing within its de­gree and kind, was not an executioner of Gods wrath against man for his sins; in con­clusion these miseries, afflictions and calami­ties, continuing so many yeares, the poor far­mers, and labourers, were forced to leave their Countries, Townes and Villages, and go to seek succour from the rich Merchants, which long before had provided and laid up great quantity of Wheat in their Warehouses and Granaries; from whom they bought their bread at dear and excessive prises, and wanting money, they sold, trucked, and paw­ned their Lands and inheritances at very low and invallied rates, for that parcell of Land, or houses which were worth a hundred, they sold often for under ten, so great was their cursed covetousness and excesse of lucre; as if it were not sufficient for men to be chastised with the sharp and hard scourge of Gods an­ger, when even all the Elements, and Creaturs [Page 174] rose up against them, but that man should be a persecutor, afflicter and tormentor of man; those ingardly, covetuous and Usurous wret­ches, foreseeing the occasion for them to do their business, and to make hay whilest the Sun shines, (at least upon their vices, as they thought) they would not loose it; but had their Factors and Brokers in the Villages, to buy the Lands, even at their own prises, the which the poor Country-men made over with a good will, that they might get where­withall to eat, and supply their necessity, and with them and their furniture and houshold stuffe, and apparell, and with a free will would pawne even their very entrailes and liberty, that they might not perish with famine; there was a worse thing then this, and it was that they were forced to take their Corn, without measure, and as the Sellar pleased to deliver it, to be at adventure; and buy as the Proverb is, gato por liobre, a Cat for a Hare; I cannot omit to declare, that there were Usu­rers that bought Lands cheaper then a Scri­vener takes for a Bill of sale, this is certainly known to be true, but after these manifold and manifest evils, you might see the poor people cast out of their houses with their wives and children, and dying in Hospital; for want of food, and all by meanes of these rigid Usurers, and false purchasers; causers of their ruines and deaths; and I fear they [Page 175] must one day give account of them, as if they had been their actuall murderers; and that be­fore that righteous and just Judge, from whom no secret can be hid.

Now having particularly given ye an ac­count of three principal ways of punishment, with which God (being inceased) with us for our many sins and transgressions) useth to chastise his Creatures, and especially when he sees them obstinate, impenitent, hardened, and wallowing in their vicious wickednesse; but all this is not so much, when we consider the multitude of other infirmities to which humane bodies are subject every moment, which puts the life in hazard upon every occasion; Plynie and many other Greeke, and A [...]be Phisitians writ, that in two thousand yeares, there had been discovered above three hundred kinds of infirmities and maladies, in­cident to mens bodyes, besides such as are dayly discovered, amongst which there are some so cruel and insupportable, that they cannot well be set down without terrour to the apprehension of nature; besides those which commonly are cured by cauterizing, sawing off of Limbs; taking out peices of Skull and Guts out of the belly, as if they would take an inventory, or anothomize the body alive, also those which are cured by great strictness of dyet, by reason of the fury and vigour of the disease; as Cornelius Celsus [Page 176] writes, that they have been forced to drink their Urine to quench their thirst, and many even to eat their Plasters to satisfie their hun­gry appetites; others were perswaded that they had swallowed alive Snake, and told that they could not be cured to affright them; that fear might facilitate their cure, and then they would secretly put a live Snake into the close stool, telling them that they had cast that out of their bodyes; Alexander Trali [...]nus, relates that a young Maid was cured after this man­ner, perswading her that she had swallowed a Snake being asleep; others are taken with a Frenzie, and that in so strange a manner; that they fancy themselves to be metamorphosed into the shape of some bruit beast; as he of whom Galen makes mention of, who thought he had been transformed into a Cock, and ordinarily marched amongst the Poultry, and when he heard them crow he strived to im­mitate them, and when he saw them rise up and shake their wings, he would shake his armes and beat himselfe with them; others there were perswaded in their minds that they were turned into Wolves, & never rested at nights, but ran through the Mountaines, Desertes, Vallies and Rockes, after the how­lings of the Wolves; imitating them as neer as they possible could, and they had this foolish infirmity upon them only at nights, such were called in France Loups garans, in [Page 177] Spanish lobos des carriados, the Greeks lycan tropia, and the English straying or wandring Wolves, which no Man can take for a tale of old Wives fable; who hath red and consider­ed the sad transformation and conversion of Nebuchadnezzar, who was turned into a beast and lived amongst them seven yeares, eating grasse, that he might be brought to know his God; others (as Galen sayes) think that they are changed into some brittle earthen Vessel, and used to walk alone in the Medowes, and if they saw a Tree neer, they flew from it, least touching upon it, they should break to peeces; others have been three yeares toge­ther, and have not slept nor closed their eyes, as it is reported of the good Micenas, others are so persecuted and afflicted with sicknesse, that they are so far out of their sences, that they run their heads against Walls; as that Learned man Angelo Policano did even lately, to others, it happens as it did to the Philoso­pher Phececides, out of whose body it's repor­ted came many Snakes; others breed so many Lice all over their bodyes, that at last they eat and consume the flesh, without any possibility to find a remedy against them; I could easily call to mind, with all these, many other evils and infirmityes, procured and in­vented by men against themselves to shorten their own lives, and that of their neighbours, as if those natural and inherent miseries vvhich [Page 178] dayly succeed them, were not sufficient to de­stroy and bring them to their untimely ends; they are venemous poysonous potions, which men at this day know how so well to hide, dis­semble, and order, that a man can hardly find aremedy or way to escape, neither is there any security amongst men, (especially in Ittaly) the best remedy is to fly to the deserts, and live amongst the bruit beasts; in whose company is more security then amongst men of evil minds; Orpheus, Orus Medesius, Heleodorus, and Frato, with many other ancient Authors, taught the way to use and mix five hundred sortes of Poysons to prepare and dissemble them; and others since have increased the number; but if they should live in our dayes they would be taken for simple, and unlear­ned, and unskilfull, according as the malice of men is increased in these practices, in times past when they would use any drug or any kind of poyson, as Ptolomie, writes of that sort called Marmacia, which is so contagious and pestilen­tial that the quantity of a Grain of Wheat would kill a man in a moment; it was then sould for a hundred Crowns an Ounce; and so many more of custome he paid that bought it; and with this consideration; first they made him swear that he should not make use there­of in that Province or Country, nor give is to any of the friends thereof, but to the eni­mies, and such as lived afar of; But Oh God, [Page 179] how hath the divel possessed himselfe at this day, of the Bodies, Hearts, and sences of men; and made them so understanding and expert to act evil, that they do not only give poy­sons by the smell, as one Competitor gave to another in the City of Sena; who having smelt on a Nosegay of flowers presented him by his adversary, dyed suddenly; A Gentle­man of Florence took of his Helmet to take a little fresh Aire and rest himselfe a while, in the mean time an adversary of his anointed it within with some kind of poyson, with the force of which he no sooner put it on again, but his soul parted from his body; there is not a Candle nor a Torch in the which they know not how to dissimulate and gloss over any sort of Poyson, so that the very smoke or vapour shall destroy all that scent it; in so much that if thou hast any enemies, thou da­rest not light a Torch by night, even for thy Recreation; it's accounted nothing to give a venemous potion in meats or drink, this (in these latter dayes) is accounted a revenge fit to be used by simple maids, or ignorant ser­vants, though informer times the most wise knew no better; but now in our dayes, with sufficient shame I speak it: I shall relate a story which I have read in an Author both grave, wise, and famous, that men have in­vented a way to poyson Sadles, and raines of Horses, Boots and Spurs, and Sturups, and [Page 180] which is worse giving the hand & in delivering closed papers and letters, in opening them, there proceeds an incinuating vapour to the Nostrils by little and little, which in time pea [...]eth the sences and kills; such know the practice which Theophrastus makes mention of; that poyson may be so counterfeited and masked, that it shall not destroy but when he that mixeth it pleaseth; for if he will the party shall live three moneths, six moneths, or a year according to the strength of the mixture; and farther as I understand from persons that know artificially how to pre­pare the potion, that they can make it so that it shall endamage no more then one member, a Leg or an Arme according as they please, which was experimented in a venemous Fountaine on the other side of the River of Reine neer the Sea; that in all the German Army there was not a man that drank there­of but lost all his teeth; it's a strange thing, that is written by a modern Author that in our dayes men have invented a way to forge a kind of steel Coller, and to temper it with such kind of enchantments, that being put a­bout the neck of a Debtor by a Creditor, it's impossible to take it off again till the debt be satisfied, or the party take it off; he farther declares that one Zafarano a Citizen of Mil­lan dyed of this sort of plot, being betrayed by his Creditor.

What doth there want more to the bring­ing of man to the highest pitch of calamity and miseries, considering also that all the E­lements in their turns do wage a mortall war against them, even as a testimony of Gods an­ger against his sins, and the great hatred he hath against our detestable iniquities.

Is there any thing more usefull and neces­sary then water in this life, for neither men nor beast can passe without it; to wave a large discoursing what an Ornament it is to the beautifying the Globe of the Earth; and how that it is the most ancient and powerfull Ele­ment of all the Four, as Isidore and Pliny writs, it will undermine and pull down great Hills and Rocks, it is predominant in the Earth; it quencheth the fire, and being exhaled and converted into vapours, it pearceth into the Region of the Aire above, where it ingenders and multiplieth that it may distill and come down again, and causeth the Earth to pro­duce all things; yet many times the Earth hath been (for mans sake) punished with it; and often hath tasted the rigour of this Ele­ment, especially when that great quantity of waters drowned all the earth, that there fell from the poares & veines of the Heavens such streames for forty dayes, which by their in­undations prevailed 15. Cubits above the highest Mountaine, and destroyed all Crea­tures, except what was preserved in the Arke [Page 182] with good Noah: How often hath Egypt been drowned by the inundation of the River Ni­lus? How many thousand men have been de­voured and destroyed in the waters? How many have been buryed in the Bowels of fishes? what greater testimony of the fury of this Element can be desired then that parti­culer deluge of Greece when the water devou­red the Mayor part of Ibesalie, in so much that they expected a second general destructi­on of Mankind, according to the threatning rage, fury, and malice of it, what a torment scourge and damage did the Romans find in the year 1530. by reason of the supernaturall overflowing of the River Tiber, that covered the highest Towers, &c. of the City beside the losses of the Bridges, Gold, Silver, Wheat, Barly, Moveables, Furniture, rich Hangings of Silke, Gold and Silver, which it carryed a way, and Oyles spoyled, and many other things with which were valued at above three Millions, and there were drowned above three thousand Persons, little and great, men and women all destroyed in this imindation and by the force and fury of the waters, as all modern Writers do affirme; Garpa Contar in his Book of the four Elements writes that Valencia a City of Spain was at the point to be overwhelmed with all the Citizens there­of, it's not many years since, and if it had not been succoured by extraordinary meanes and [Page 183] diligence it had been utterly destroyed by the fury of the swelling waters; and if we should particularize and cast into reckoning the great losses and damages, by extraordina­nary Flouds, Raines, Hailes and Snowes, in five or six thousand yeares, which is the Worlds age, it were never to make an end? what thing is there in nature more admirable then Fire, by vertue and operation of which all our stately Bankets, Feasts, and ordinary food is prepared and made savory to our Pa­lats, it preserves the life of many Creatures, by meanes thereof all mettals are Colinated and made plyable for mans use, it overcomes and softens stones, &c. with which we build Stately Palaces and Houses; yet for all these and many other benefits which every hour we receive thereby; how many famous Ci­ties do we see destroyed, made desolate and consumed to ashes by the furious rage of fire? the most ancient testimony that can be pro­duced to this effect, is the holy writ, which a­vers how that God Rained Fire and Brim­stone from Heaven upon the Cityes of Sodome and Gomorrah; The final destruction of the whole Earth, we read and do believe shall be by fire, and that the fury of this Element shall be the principal executioner of the Eternal Justice of God; so the Prophets do declare, and the Apostles affirme unto us; if I would write and set down here in order the great [Page 184] number of famous Cityes which have been ruinated and destroyed throughout the World, by reason of cruel Warres, fire and sword as well in our dayes as in former time, it would be an exceeding Tragick Story; those that are curious and desirous to read and understand such things, let them read the twelfe Book of Strabo, also Rufino in the Apen­dix of Eusebus, and the Triparty History of Amiano Marcelino, and they shall find examples how there hath issued Fire, Brimstone, and Flames out of the tops of Mountaines, the Bowells of the earth, & have consumed great Cityes with all their people: In time of Lu­cius Marcius and Sextus Julius, Consalls, there brake forth so great a fire from a Cave be­twixt two Mountaines that it burnt up and destroyed many Towns and Villages; also with its fury it scortched and choaked the greatest part of the inhabitants thereof; I could spend much time to relate the Storyes of very many famous Persons which have felt the fury, and been suddenly destroyed by Rayes, Thunders, and Lightnings, as Zoroastes King of the Backtrians, Captain in the War of Thebes; Ajax after the destruction of Troy, the Emperour Anastasius in the 27. year of his Raigne, with many other Emperours and Kings and Captains who dyed, being smitten and consumed to ashes by the rage and fury of fi [...]y flashing lightning.

The Aire is a thing so necessary for the conservation of life, that there is no Creature can live a moment without it, yet often it hapneth to be so pernicious and cruel an eni­my to Mankind when it corrupts and taints, so that the greatest part of the Pestilences and raging sickness which I have spoken of, have proceeded from the putrifaction and corruption of the Aire.

The Earth which is more affable and kind then all the rest, the general Mother of us all, for being born it nurses, maintains, & sustaines us, and at last receives and wraps us in her Bosome againe, as if she were carefull to pro­vide us a bed wherein to repose and take our last sleep in, till God shall be pleased to call and set us before his Divine Majesty in that great day of his Judgement, yet it is conti­nually producing venomous poysons and un­wholsome fruits, by means of which our lives are many times cut short and brought to un­timely ends, how often hath it hapned by Earthquakes, many Town [...] ▪ Villages, and strong Fortifications have been overthrown, how often hath she opened her mouth, and swallowed up Cities, Townes, Men and whole heards of Catle, so that no appearance or hardly memory hath remained of them; but as the Spainyard saith, (aqui fue Troyo) here was a famous City once, now Corn fields; in the dayes of Mithridates there was an Earth­quake [Page 186] so stronge and furious, that besides the sinking downfall of many Cities and Townes there were stifled, overwhelmed and destroied above a hundred thousand Persons; In the Reign of Constantine Son of the Emperor or Constantine the great, there were in Asia sunk and swallowed up into the most hidden Bo­wells of the Earth, so many Townes that the Historians could hardly give account of their number; in the dayes of Isocrates and Plato, there opened in Europe so great Caverness in the Earth, and that with such an infernall force and fury that two of the most Populous and greatest Cities thereof were devoured with all their inhabitants, and were never more seen; there is not known, nor do we read of a more wonderfull and horrible Earthquake then that which succeeded in the time of Tiberius Caesar, with the which the [...]e were devoured and destroyed in one night twelve great Cities with their Inhabitants, amongst the which were Apolina, Ephesus, Cesaria, Philadelphia, &c.

There is another thing both wonderfull and strange; which confounds, abates, and pulls down the vanity and pride of man, it is this, nature produceth many small and weak Creatures which do often manage so fearce a Warre against Mankind that it makes them fly and forsake their own natural Country and places of abode, which might seem to many [Page 187] to be a Fable if it were not backed with many grave, true and Learned Historians which af­firme it; Eliano, writes that in some part of Italy there was such multitudes of Rats which devoured the Roots of Trees and Herbs, that they caused a mortall Famine in the Province where they were, by reason whereof all the Country thereabouts was left destitute of People, also because there was no remedy to be found against them; Marcus Varron one of the most grave Latine Authors relates that there was in Spain a great Town situate and build upon a Sandie ground in the which there was an exceeding increase of Coneys, which with their diging undermined the Town so that the Inhabitants were forced to go away and settle in another place for fear they and their Houses should have been en­tered, in the vast beroes which those timo­rous Animalls had made; the same Authors do write that in France there was a Village depopulated by reason of the multitude of Froges which bred therein; In Africa hapned the like by Locusts; Theophrastus makes men­tion of a Province in the which was left desti­tute of People caused by the multitudes of Caterpillers which bred in the Vinyards; Plinie tells us of a Province on the confines of Ethiopia that the Ants, Scorpions and other vermine banished the inhabitants; A won­derfull number of flies caused the Megarenses [Page 188] in Greece to fly and forsake their Country; and the Wasps did the like to those of Ephesus; Anthenor writes that a vast quantity of Bees forced the Inhabitants of a Village from their dwellings, and made Hives of their Houses: What dost thou think now Courteous Rea­der of the great pride, valour and vanity of men, what little cause they have to be so; and what better School then this for man to learn; consider and understand his own frail­ty, his feeble and weak estate naturally, but Oh how great and wonderfull are the secrets of our Omnipotent God, how fearfull and terrible are his Judgements, that when he seeth man raise up himselfe, and steer his course contrary to his command and will, he quickly represseth, reproves, and puts a bridle in his mouth, a hook in his nostrils, thereby to restraine and vanquish his foolish audacity and vicious wantonness, not only by sending those his Messengers, and Heralds or discovers of his irefull host, which are Warre, Famine, and Pestilence, but if man forgets himselfe and sleeps security in the bosome of his beloved iniquties, then he sends his Armyes in full bodyes of Creatures both sencible and insen­cible, the Elements, Animalls and vermine; all which do joine and rejoyce at their em­ployment, to be executioner of the Divine justice to ruinate obstinate and rebellious sin­ners; as we have seen by strange examples [Page 189] out of Heathen Histories, and from the Sa­cred Scriptures, especially in those Plagues of Egypt when the Locusts and Frogs left their own naturall habitations to go up to the Chambers of King Pharaoh; Hitherto we have drawn out at large mans Condition, so that were not he made as of Iron, or his Heart hardned like a Diamond; considering the many miseries, calamities, and afflictions which do surround him, that it seems impossible he should live out halfe his dayes, but that he must stoop and fall under so great and (with­out Gods gracious assistance) insufferable loades of punishments, anguishes, sorrowes and tribulations, and those without intermis­sion, yet for all these sadnesses and burden­some calamities man will not, (or hardly will) be brought to the true knowledge of God to obey his will, nor unfainedly to humble him­selfe under his mighty Hand, or with a willing mind to come under or take up the light yoak of his Creator; for the which and not with­out desert, God reprehends him by the Pro­phet that he hath a face of brass, a necke of I­ron, and a heart of steel; these gulfes of mise­ries in which men fall and are even choaked from their births to their deaths, being mis­understood and mis-interpreted by Plato and Pliny caused them to chide against nature, cal­ling her a Usurer and a Step-mother to men, because she exacts so great Intrests, Cambioes, [Page 190] and Recambios, from the excellency and dig­nity which hath been lent them, holding that any of the bruit Animals were more happy, and received more favours from her then men, but both the one and the other, (sure did lit­tle understand) that under this denomination of nature they did blaspheme and foully charge the just and true God, of cruelty and injustice for all these evils, and this wide Sea of miserys, in which we see Mankind launched and tossed; and with which we publickly de­clare him to be subjected and laden, doth not proceed from a hatred or ill will that God hath against mortalls, but our own proper malignity and wickednesse of will are the cause thereof; for when man would aspire to equalize himselfe with his Maker, he then lost his ancient and inherent Nobility and Dignity, he bloted out that sacred effigies and Image of God which was stamped in him, and changed it to that of the divel; it hapned to him as the Royal Prophet David speakes, man was in honour, but he was so bestial that he knew not how to preserve himselfe in that e­state; for the which he is compared to the beasts that perish; from which we may easily gather that the pride, haughtiness, and hard­nesse of the first man, were the sword with which all Mankind born or to be born, were, are, and shall be wounded; for if our first Father Adam had not been ambitious of [Page 191] knowledge more then he ought, we had all been innocent like the Angels of God, cove­red with Honour and Glory even as those shall be hereafter that lead holy lives in this World.

But there is no ground for us to dwell any longer upon the infermities and afflictions of the outward man, which are familiar, depen­dent and incident to the bodies of men, but these calamities are but for a short time, and are nothing in comparison of those of the Soul, which are far more dangerous then the others; that this is truth is manifest, as Plu­tarch expresses, for the infermities of the body give apparent sumptomes of themselves as soon as they begin to breed, either by the colour of the face, the alteration of the pulse, or by some disequallity of the humours and corporal greifes, aches and paines, which being presently understood, the Phisitian makes use of his Art and skill to stop, temper, and cure that part which is deprived; But the Mala­dies of the Soul are not to be known by sumptomes or appearances, and that because the spirit, that should take cognisance, judge and accuse, is infirme and out of order; so the Patient not understanding or being sensi­ble of its infermity seeks no remedy, there is in this matter a thing that is very prejuditial, and that is, those that suffer any corporal ca­lamities, we give them names derived from [Page 192] the nature and name of the diseases, as those that are taken with a Frenzie or a Lithurgie▪ we call franticke, those that have a stifness o [...] joints we call Goutie, and those that have a Feaver or Ague we-call feaverish or aguish: but Oh God, how contrary is it with the in­fermities of the Soul, those that are haughty & cholerick so that they do even wast their spi­rits, and in the fire of revengefull anger d [...] beat and abuse some, and murther others, we call magnanimous, couragious, and such [...] understand what is honour, those that go a­bout to abuse silly Marryed woman, and to destowre Virgines we call amorous and cour­teous; [...]ot the lesse esteeming them though they pursue dishonest and lustfull loves, those that are ambitious who watch nights and dayes, and care not to make use of the waye [...] of God▪ or the divel, to encrease their aspi­ring Dignity and Honours, we call honourable grave diligent and experient men; those that are averitious which in a short time by their Neighbours detriment or downfall do grow rich, uncovering, disclosing, and publishing even to the utmost their faults and imperfecti­ons, not scrupeling or pardoning any thing either sacred or prophane; we say they are good Husbands, thrifty in all, and men that know how well to manage their negotiations, and so by consequence we do dissimulate and maske all the other vices of the Soul, for [Page 193] from these and the like habits, with which we do adorn our wicked vi­ces; proceeds, we do onely by a gay glosse, and bare name, make that praise worthy; which in its own nature is evill, and worthy of reprehension: If I should endeavour to proceed so distinct­ly to relate the great, manifold & dan­gerous infirmityes, which do torment and afflict the soules of men; as I have those of the body: What tongue or what eloquence would it require? What dolefull sentences ought to be expressed to set it forth? For by Gods Eternal decree we live in an age so over­whelmed in vices, and all manner of wickednesses, that it may be compa­red to a Sink or Common-shore; into which all the filthy and enormous wickednesses of former Ages, is evacua­ted.

We will begin with Covetuousnesse, who ever saw it more Predominant, or more embraced then now it is, amongst all estates, conditions and degrees of men; What are all the Cities, Repub­likes, Provinces and Kingdomes of the world? but meere Burses, Shops and Warehouses of Avarice; if we do seri­ously consider their Trafficks and dea­lings, [Page 192] [...] [Page 193] [...] [Page 194] its certainly the time the Pro­phet Esaiah speaks of; The Earth is full of Gold and Silver, so that there is no end of the great Treasure thereof; of these days the Prophet speakes when he saith, they joyne house to house, and field to field, till they have gained to themselves, and inclosed all the bounds of their Countries, as if they alone were to inhabit and enjoy it; from this Pe­stilential root, as from so naturall a veine, do spring so many evills, as we see do boyle and bubble up in all parts of the earth; from thence proceed and take their beginning: The major part of our Warrs and great effusions of blood, with which we see the earth too often bathed; from thence comes the multi­tude of Murders, Treasons, Sacrileges, Thefts, Roberies, Usuries, Cheats, Perjuries, Pride and suborning of false witnesses, and procuring depraved or corrupt sentences; from thence comes the power to hide and interre the vices and knaveries of some men; and to imprison, chastise, and evill intreat o­thers; from thence comes the great Prolixity or tediousnesse, of those ne­ver to be ended Law-suites which are daily prosecuted in the Courts of Christian Princes; to conclude, from [Page 195] thence proceeds all kindes of corrup­tion and evill: yet for all this, it is a sin, and infirmity so familiar and com­mon to all, that there is no Estate, or condition of man that is not entangled therewith, even to Ecclesiasticks; Ju­das and Simon Magus were the first that trode the way; which men have so ex­actly learnt, that many have eaten and will certainly eate of its fruit.

In the Primitive times, when the Church was poore, captivated and per­secuted by Heathenish Tyrants, when poore Fishermen, were her Governours, they were carefull to provide for such as were in danger, necessity and suffer­ed tribulation, sustained and maintai­ned many poore; they permitted not any to suffer want, that were in the bo­some of the Church; but now that she is in the highest estate and degree of riches, and is governed by great, rich and powerfull Prelates and Presbyters, they make no account of the need of their poore Brother; no notice or com­passion of the dejected members of Je­sus Christ; for which cause we doe not see the Hospitals adorned with Tapes­tries, or decently decked, but with deep wounds, rotten members, and bruised [Page 196] bodies; consumed with Poverty, with an infinite number of Widdows, &c. banished; or forced from their livings and habitations; by the cruelties of mercilesse Wars; with many young and helplesse children. In the interim that these Passe through their misfortunes; these Grandees doe enjoy with great triumph the revenues of the Church; the goods, the surplus of which belongs to the Brethren and Believers; these strive to invent new delights, and how they shall enjoy their wished pleasures, others there are which heap up riches, and lay them closely up with much care and diligence; but they will let the poor dye with famine at their gates, unrelieved; for proof of which I will re­late a story, although I may do it with shame enough to mankinde: Of a Person constituted in one of the places of the highest dignity in the Roman Church, who was so strait and covetuous, so bewitched with his avarice, that every night, by a private con­veyance he went down to steal the Provender from his own Horses, which custome he con­tinued so long, that the Groom seeing his horses grow so lean, resolved to watch if any thief stole away their corn, he catching him in the action, cudgeld him so soundly, that [Page 197] the poore bastinadoed Gentleman, not to end his dayes, told who he was; so they bare him to his Chamber well beaten, nay half dead, which was a deserved punishment for his dis­ordinate coveteousnesse. Truly, I should have counted it for a Fable, had not Joviano Pontano, and Philadelphia affir­med it, and their Book of Liberty. Here you may see the good, these are the gains and profits which arise, from the covetuous keeping of Riches, which men gather together, with so much sweat and travell; keep with so much care and anguish, and leave behinde them (after a very short enjoyment) with double griefs, sighs and tears: I would desire no better testimony here­of, than the ancient Romanes, if we should pro [...]uce [...]hem for it, they will tell us, That when their Republique was governed by poore Magistrates, it alwayes in­creased, and grew greater & better, but after that they swelled and grew high, proud with [...]he victories of their predecessors; with the destruction of Corinth, Achaia, Antioch, France, Greece, Italy Aegypt and Spain, then it began to grow worse and worse, and faile of its precedent lustre, glory, magnificence and power; For the great Victories, Roberies, Spoyles and prizes [Page 198] that they made; abaited, tainted and corrupted their good and wholsome Laws and Customes, both Civill and Martiall, and were cause and occasion of cruell civill Warrs amongst them, so those that could not ever be conquered in Battell, were overcome by luxury, ease and superfluities; in so much that the ill purchased riches, were the avengers of their own, or their right owners cause upon them; and it hap­ned to them, as to Cloth which breeds the Moth that devours it, or the Corne which produceth the Worm that eats and destroys it; concerning which, it will not be unreasonable, to use the say­ing of wise King Solomon, who being an experienced enjoyer, may prove an ex­pert Chyrurgion to cure this Maladie; who after he had gathered together and treasured up so much Riches, that his Treasure was more, and his Glory greater then all the best and greatest lustre of other Kings in the World; ha­ving sufficiently tasted and tryed the delights and pastimes, which attend Greatnesse and Riches, left his opinion thereof in wrighting to after Ages, say­ing, viz. in the second of Ecclesiastes, the fourth verse, I made me great workes, [Page 199] I builded me Houses, I planted me Vineyards, I made me Orchards, and Planted Trees in them of all kindes of Fruits, I made me Pools of Water, therewith to water the wood that bringeth fourth trees, I got me Servants and Maidens, and had servants borne in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small ca [...]tell, above all that were in Je­rusalem before me; I gathered me also Sil­ver and Gold, and the peculiar treasures of Kings and of Provinces; I got me men-sin­gers, and women-singers, and enjoyed the de­lights of the sonns of men, more than any man living; so I was so great, and increased more than any of my predecessors, and what­soever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them, I with-held not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoyced in all my labour; then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had labou­red to do; and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sunne: Let us likewise consider what the Prophet Baruch saith, who ap­plies not so charitable a medicine, as the former to those that put their trust in, & aime at nothing else but Delights and Riches, which is of the Princes and Governours of the earth; which do heap up Treasures, and hide the Gold [Page 200] and Silver from the fight of the Sunne; in the which most men put their confi­dence, such who desire to attain, get and keep wealth is endlesse; are conti­nually carefull, and no man can dive into their secrets, wilt thou understand where they are? (saith he) alive in Hell; and there remaines no trace or memorial of them, &c. Their covetuous Plots, Designes, or ill gotten Riches: But its time to leave these avaritious Muck-wormes, Idolizing and adoring their Treasures, with the Patrocho, mentioned by Aristophanes, the Pigmalion of Virgil, the Polinestor of Persio, the O­vid of Horace, the Galerano of Martial, and the memorable Rich Glutton in the holy Gospel; for the souls of men which are naturally Celestial & Divine, make no more account of the Mettalls of gold and silver, then of the other excre­ments of the earth, for certainly they are the superfluity and drosse there­of.