last dieth dreaming of his guilders. Narrative." This year," saith he, " died at Ingoldstadt, Dr. Eckius, à faithful Eckius's servant and champion of the pope, and a defender of the abominable words; he papacy. But as his life was full of all ungodliness, uncleanness, and blasphemy; so was his end miserable, hard, and pitiful, insomuch that his last words (as it is noted of many credible persons) were these: in case the four thousand guilders were ready, the matter were dispatched,' etc. (dreaming belike of some cardinalship that he should have bought). Some say that the pope had granted him a certain deanery, which he should have redeemed from the court of Rome with the foresaid sum." Now what a heavenly end this was of master Eckius, I leave it to the reader's judgment. God's judgment John shoulted of Ant werp, a tor. In the city of Antwerp was (as they term him there) a shoulted (that is to say, the next officer to the margrave), one named John Vander Warfe, bastard son of a stock or kindred called Warfe, of Warfe, good estimation amongst the chiefest in Antwerp; who, as he was of nature cruel, so was he of judgment perverse and corrupt, and a sore persecu- persecutor of Christ's flock, with greediness seeking and shedding innocent blood; and had drowned divers good men and women in the water, for the which he was much commended of the bloody generation. Of some he was called a blood-hound or bloody dog. Of other he was called shilpad,' that is to say, shelt-toad; for that he, being a short grundy, and of little stature, did ride commonly with a great broad hat, as a churl of the country. This man, after he was weary of his office (wherein he had continued above twenty years), he gave it over; and because he was now grown rich and wealthy, he intended to pass the residue of his life in pleasure and quietness. During which time, about the second year after he had left his office, he came to Antwerp, to the feast called our Lady's Oumegang, to make merry; which feast is usually kept on the Sunday following the Assumption of our Lady. The same day in the afternoon, about four of the clock, he being well laden with wine, rode homewards in his waggon, with his wife and a gentlewoman waiting on her and his fool. As soon as the waggon was come without the gate of the city, called Cronenberg-gate, upon the wooden bridge, being at that time made for a shift with rails or barriers on both sides for more surety of the passengers (half a man's height and more), the horses stood still, and would by no means go forward, whatsoever the guider of the waggon could do. Our Lady's drunken feast. Then he, in a drunken rage, cried out to him that guided the waggon, saying, "Ride on, in a thousand devils' names; ride on !" Whereat the poor man answered, that he could not make the horses to go forward. By and by, while they were yet thus talking, suddenly rose, as it were, a mighty whirlwind, with a terrible noise (the weather being very fair, and no wind stirring before), and tossed the waggon over the bar into the town ditch, the ropes whereat the horses had been tied, being broken asunder in such sort, as if they had been cut with a sharp knife; the waggon also being cast upside down, with the fore end thereof turned toward the town again, and he drowned in the mire and when he was taken up, it was found, that his neck also was broken. His wife was taken up alive, but died also within three days after. But the gentlewoman and the fool, by God's (1) Shilpad, a kind of shell-fish, fashioned like a toad, with a hard and a broad shell upon his back. mighty providence, were preserved and had no harm. The fool, hear- Narrative. Fraet, the ing the people say his master was dead, said, "And was not I dead? was not I dead too?" This was done, anno 1553.-Witness hereof Francis not only the printer of the same story in Dutch, dwelling then in printer Antwerp, whose name was Francis Fraet, a good man, and afterward and witfor hatred put to death of papists, but also divers Dutchmen here now of, a good in England, and a great number of English merchants, which then martyr. were at Antwerp, and are yet alive. ness here man and Of the sudden death of Bartholomew Chassanees, or Chassanus, Barthopersecutor, read before.1 lomew Chassa Minerius Of Minerius the bloody persecutor, or rather tormentor of Christ's nees and saints, how he died with bleeding in his lower parts, ye heard before. plagued. And what should I speak of the judge which accompanied the said A judge Minerius in his persecution, who a little after, as he returned home- persecuward, was drowned; and three more of the same company killed one plagued. another, upon a strife that fell amongst them? with three tors ven John de Johannes de Roma, a cruel monk, whom we may rather call a hell- Terrible hound than persecutor, what hellish torments he had devised for the geance of poor Christians of Angrogne, the contents of the story before doth God upon express. Again, with what like torments afterward, and that double- Roma. fold, the Lord paid him home again, who, in his rotting and stinking death neither could find any enemy to kill him, nor any friend to bury him; who neither could abide his own stinking carrion, nor could any man else abide to come near him. Hereof read also before.? of Revest Such a like persecutor also the same time was the lord of Revest, The lord who likewise escaped not the revenging hand of God's justice, being plagued. stricken, after his furious persecution, with a like horrible sickness, and such a fury and madness, that none durst come near him, and so most wretchedly died: whereof read before. Touching the like grievous punishment of God upon one John John Martin a persecutor, read before.3 Martin plagued. punish. ment noble man in Erasmus, in an Epistle or Apology, written in defence of his Colloquies, inferreth mention of a certain noble person of great riches and possessions, who, having wife and children, with a great family at home (to whom by St. Paul's rule he was bound in conscience principally above all other worldly things to attend), had purposed before his death to go see Jerusalem. And thus all things being set in God's order, this nobleman, about to set forward on his journey, committed the care of his wife (whom he left great with child), and of his lord- upon a ships and castles, to an archbishop, as to a most sure and trusty father. gentleTo make short, it happened in the journey this nobleman to die; going a whereof so soon as the archbishop had intelligence, instead of a father, pilgrimhe became a thief and a robber, seizing into his own hands all his lordships and possessions. And moreover, not yet contented with all this, he laid siege against a strong fort of his (unto the which his wife, for safeguard of herself, did flee), where in conclusion she, with the child that she went withal, was pitifully slain, and so miserably perished. Which story was done (as testifieth Erasmus) not so long before his time, but that there remained the nephews of the nobleman then alive, to whom the same inheritance should have fallen, but they could not obtain it. (1) Vol. v. p. 499.-ED. (2) Vol. iv. p. 476.—ED. (3) Vol. iv. p. 508.-ED. age. Admoni Narrative. What cometh of blind superstition, when a man not containing himself within the compass of God's word, wandereth in other bye-ways tion. of his own, and not contented with the religion set up of the Lord, will bind his conscience to other ordinances, prescriptions, and religions devised by men, leaving God's commandments undone for the constitutions and precepts of men, what end and reward (I say) cometh False de- thereof at length, by this one example, beside infinite others of the ver like sort, men may learn by experience: and therefore they that yet. thing. will defend idolatrous pilgrimage and rash vows, let them well conidolatrous sider hereof. It is rightly said of St. Jerome, "To have been at Jerusalem is no great matter; but to live a godly and virtuous life, that is a great matter in very deed." perilous Against pilgrim age. A wonderful judgment In the year of our Lord 1565, there was in the town of Ghent in example Flanders, one William de Wever, accused and imprisoned by the of God's provost of St. Peter's in Ghent (who had in his cloister a prison and at Ghent. a place of execution); and the day when the said William was called to the place of judgment, the provost sent for master Giles Brackleman, principal advocate of the council of Flanders, and boroughmaster and judge of St. Peter's in Ghent, with other of the rulers of the town of Ghent, to sit in judgment upon him, and as they sat in judgment, the boroughmaster, named master Giles Brackleman, reasoned with the said William de Wever upon divers articles of his faith. The one whereof was, why the said William de Wever denied that it was lawful to pray to saints: and he answered (as the report goeth) for three causes. The one was, that they were but creatures, and not the Creator. The second was, that if he should call upon them, the Lord did both see it, and hear it: and therefore he durst give the glory to none other, but to God. The third and chiefest cause was, that the Creator had commanded in his holy word to call upon him in troubles, unto which commandment he durst neither add nor take from it. Three causes why saints are not to be prayed unto. denied. God upon Brackle The boroughmaster, master Giles Brackleman, also demanded, whether he did not believe that there was a purgatory which he should go into after this life, where every one should be purified and cleansed. Purgatory He answered, that he had read over the whole Bible, and could find no such place, but the death of Christ was his purgatory with many other questions proceeding after their order, until he came to pronounce his condemnation. But ere the said condemnation was read The judg- forth, the judgment of God was laid upon the said boroughmaster, menon who suddenly at that present instant was struck with a palsy, that his Giles mouth was drawn up almost to his car; and so he fell down, the rest man, the of the lords by and by standing up and shadowing him, that the people could not well see him; and also the people were willed to depart, who, being still called upon to depart, answered, the place was so small to go out, that they could go no faster. Then the boroughmaster of the town, being taken up, was carried to his house, and it William is not yet understood, nor commonly known, that ever he spake word dere after he was first struck, but was openly known to be dead the next burnt at day following. And yet notwithstanding that this was done about anno1565. ten of the clock, they burnt the said William de Wever within three hours after, on the same day. borough master. martyr, Ghent, The 4th day of March, 1566, the like example of the Lord's 1 terrible judgment sir Garret gentle terrible judgment was showed upon sir Garret Triest, knight, who had Narrative. long before promised to the regent to bring down the preaching for the which act (as the report goeth), the regent promised again to make him a 'grave, which is an earl. Of the which sir Garret it is also Another said, that he, coming from Brussels towards Ghent, brought with him example the death of the preachers; and being come to Ghent, the said sir of God's Garret with other of the lords having received from the regent a com- against mission to swear the lords and commons unto the Romish religion, Triest, the said sir Garret, the 4th day of March above noted, at night being at supper, willed the lady his wife to call him in the morning one hour then sooner than he was accustomed to rise, for that he should the next of Ghent, day have much business to do in the town-house, to swear the lords cutor, and people to the Romish religion. But see what happened. The anno1566. said sir Garret, going to bed in good health (as it seemed), when the lady his wife called him in the morning, according to his appointment, was found dead in the bed by her, and so unable to prosecute his wicked purpose. 1 man, and alderman a perse of God's upon Pester, secre Ghent, a tame an abbey The 5th of March, 1556, which was the day that sir Garret Triest Another appointed to be there, and the lords of Ghent were come into the example town-house (as they had afore appointed), to proceed and to give the judgment oath, according as they had their commission, and master Martin de Martin de Pester, the secretary, being appointed and about to give the oath, as one of the the first man should have sworn, the said Martin de Pester was principal struck of God with present death likewise, and fell down, and was taries of carried away in a chair or settle, and never spake after. Witnesses anno1566. hereof: Peter de Bellemaker, Abraham Rossart, Maerke de Mil, Liven Hendrickx, Jahn Coucke, Rogeyr Van Hulle, Joys Neuehans, Lyavin Neuchans, William Vanden Boegarde, and Joys de Pytte. About the borders of Suabia in Germany, not far from the city of A story of Uberlingen, there was a certain monastery of Cistercian monks called devil conSalmesville, founded in the days of pope Innocent II., by a noble jured in baron nained Guntherame, about the year of our Lord 1110.2 This cell in Suabia. thus being erected, in process of time was enlarged with more ample possessions, finding many and great benefactors and endowers liberally contributing unto the same; as emperors, dukes, and rich barons. Amongst whom most especial were the earls of Montfort, who had bestowed upon that monastery many new liberties and great privileges, upon this condition, that they should receive with free hospitality any stranger, both horseman or footman, for one night's lodging, whosoever came. But this hospitality did not long so continue, through a subtle A subtle and devilish device of one of the monks, who took upon him to coun- of the terfeit to play the part of the devil, rattling and raging in his chains, monks, to where the strangers should lie, after a terrible manner in the night-time, their to fray away the guests; by reason whereof no stranger nor traveller durst there abide; and so continued this a long space. At length (as God would) it so happened, that one of the earls of the said house of Montfort, benefactors to that abbey, coming to the monastery, was there lodged, whether of set purpose, or by chance, it is not known. When the night came, and the earl was at his rest, the monk after his wonted manner beginneth his pageant, to play the (1) "Salmesville," or Salamonis villa, hod. Salmansweyler.-ED. device guests. Narrative. tame, yea rather the wild devil. There was stamping, ramping, spitThe pu- ting of fire, roaring, thundering, bouncing of boards, and rattling of nishment chains, enough to make some men stark mad. The earl, hearing the upon a sudden noise, and being somewhat, peradventure, afraid at the first, of God monk that would counter feit the devil. French king against the Lutherans, never although he had not then the feat of conjuring, yet taking a good heart unto him, and running to his sword, he laid about him well favouredly, and following still the noise of the devil, so conjured him at last, that the monk which counterfeited the devil in jest, was slain, in his own likeness, in earnest.1 After the imprisonment of the congregation, which were taken hearing God's word in St. James's-street in Paris, anno 1558 (as is above storied), was a letter written to the king, which was divulgate abroad, proving and declaring by divers histories, what afflictions and calamities from time to time, by God's righteous judgment, have fallen upon such as have been enemies to his people, and have resisted the free passage of his holy word. In which letter, forasmuch as besides the said examples much other good fruitful matter is contained, worthy of all men to be read, and especially of princes to be considered, I thought good here to copy out the whole, as the French book doth give it; the translation of the which letter into English, is after this tenor, as followeth. A Letter translated out of French into English, written to King Consider, The dopray you, sir, and you shall find that all your afflictions have ings of come upon you, since you have set yourself against those which are called Henry II. Lutherans. When you made the edict of Chateau-Briant, God sent you wars; but when you ceased the execution of your said edict, and as long as ye were enemy unto the pope, and going into Almany for the defence of the Germans afflicted for religion, your affairs prospered as ye would wish or desire. On the contrary, what hath become upon you since you were joined with the pope prospered again, having received a sword from him for his own safeguard, and who was with him. it that caused you to break the truce?? God hath turned in a moment your prosperities into such afflictions, that they touch not only the state of your own The cruel person, but of your kingdom also. To what end became the enterprise of the duke purpose of of Guise in Italy, going about the service of the enemy of God, and purposing the duke after his return to destroy the valleys of Piedmont, to offer or sacrifice them to disap- God for his victories? The event hath well declared, that God can turn upside pointed. down our counsels and enterprises; as he overturned of late the enterprise of the constable of France at St. Quintin's; having vowed to God, that at his ed vow of return he would go and destroy Geneva, when he had gotten the victory. Have the con- you not heard of L. Ponchet, archbishop of Tours, who made suit for the erecstable of tion of a court called Chamber-Ardent, wherein to condemn the protestants to defeated. the fire? who afterwards was stricken with a disease, called the fire of God, of Guise The wick France God's fearful which began at his feet, and so ascended upward, that one member after another had to be cut off, and so died miserably without any remedy. Also one Castellane, who having enriched himself by the gospel, and forsaking the pure dochand up- trine thereof to return unto his vomit again, went about to persecute the Christians at Orleans, and by the hand of God was stricken in his body with a sickness unknown to the physicians, the one half of his body burning as hot as fire, and the other as cold as ice; and so most miserably crying and lamenting, ended his life. on Castel lane, per secutor. There be other infinite examples of God's judgments worthy to be remembered; as the death of the chancellor and legate Du Prat, which was the first that opened to the parliament the knowledge of heresies, and gave out the first commissions to put the faithful to death, who afterwards died at his house at (1) Ex Gasparo Bruschio, in Chronologia Monasteriorum Germaniæ. (2) This truce was between the French king and the emperor; which the pope caused to be broken. |