quired in a great person; he was beloved at home, and feared abroad. He was possessed of a great part of Italy, which he had gained with much honour; so that he was thought superior, rather than equal, to some christian kings. This man left his son John to succeed him, than whom Phalaris himself was not more cruel. What his father had got by blood and valour, this mad-man lost, (at least the greater part thereof) laughing: so that at last, growing hateful and contemptible to his own people, he was slain by them. And his other son Gabriel having lost Pisa, whereof he was possessed, was openly beheaded at Genoa.

10. Franciscus Sfortia, Duke of Milan, amongst Christian princes excelled in all kind of virtues; he was not inferior to Trajan for humanity; and to the degree of his fortune was reputed as liberal as Alexander the Great; but his sons did mightily degenerate from the great virtue of their father. Galeacius, the elder, was ambitious and lustful, proud of the least successes, and extremely dejected when any adversity befel him. Philip, the second son, was corpulent, foolish, and a coward. Ludovicus was profane, saying, "That religion and justice were fictions, invented to keep the people in order" he was of a haughty mind, covet ous, lustful, broken in adversity, and cowardly at the appearance of danger: for though he had greater forces than his enemy, he lost that dukedom to Lewis the Twelfth, King of France, in sixteen days, which his father had gained by arms, and kept, with the singular love and benevolence of all men, to the day of his death.

A

11. Phocion was an excellent person; but his son Phocus was so dissolute, and so resigned up to intemperance and excessive drinking, that he could not be reclaimed by the Spartan discipline itself. When Menyllus had presented Phocion with a great gift, and he had refused it, he requested that he would, at least, permit his son Phocus to receive it. said he, "my son Phocus reforms himself, he will have a patrimony sufficient to maintain him; but, as he now behaves,

"If,"

himself, there is nothing that can be enough for him."

12. Marcus Tullius Cicero, the famous orator, had a son of the same name, but of a very different nature: for, whereas his father was of a temperate and abstemious person, his son was so addicted to wine, that he would swallow down two gallons at once; and in one of his drunken fits, he so far forgot himself, that he struck M. Agrippa upon the head with a pot.

13. Theodosius the Great was a most happy and fortunate Emperor, but in this one thing unfortunate; for he left behind him two sons, Honorius in the west, and Arcadius in the east, both Emperors, but both so slothful and unlike their father, that partly by that, and partly by the treachery of Ruffinus and Stilichon, the empire was miserably torn to pieces by the Goths, Hunns, and Vandals.

14. The sons of the Emperor Constantine the Great were as much below the genius of their father, in all praise-worthy things, as he did surpass all other princes in piety and true greatness of mind. For, in respect of the government of his life, no man was more heedless than his son Constantinus. Constans, the second son, was a man much addicted to unseemly pleasures: pleasures and Constantius, the third son, was yet more intolerable by reason of his inconstancy and arrogance.

15. Casimirus was brought out of a monastery and made King of Poland, a man of great virtue; but his son Boleslaus, who succeeded him in the kingdom, did much degenerate from the noble example of his father. For he was a despiser and contemner of religion, a neglecter of the administration of justice, and of a cruel nature and disposition. He slew Sanctus Stanislaus, the Archbishop of Cracovia; and at last died himself an exile from his country.

16. Herodes Atticus, the Sophist, in respect of his wit and eloquence was second to none of his time; yet he had a son of his, called Atticus, who was of so dulk and stupid a nature, that he could never be made capable of understanding the first rudiments and elements of learning.

CHAP

CHAP. V.

Öf Children undutiful and unnatural to their Parents.

SOLON would never establish any law against parricides, or parent-killers, saying, The gods forbid that such monsters should ever come into our commonwealth:" and certain it is, that six hundred years from the building of Rome were past before so much as the name of that crime was known amongst them. The first that killed his father, and stained his hands in the blood of him that gave him life, was Lucius Ostius, a person afterwards detested throughout all ages. "P. Malleolus was the first," says Livy, "amongst the Romans who was known to have killed his mother, and who underwent that punishment which was institued by the ancients in that case." They ordained that the parricide should be first scourged till he was flayed, then sown up in a sack, together with a dog, a cock, a viper, and an ape, and so thrown headlong into the bottom of the sea. But notwithstanding the severity of this law, and those of other nations, against a crime of this nature, there are too many instances of unnatural children, as in part will appear by what follows.

1. Antiochus, a Jew, accused his own father, and some other Jews, then living at Antioch, that they had plotted upon a certain night to set fire to the whole city. The Antiochians, who, for other causes, had no kindness for the Jews, gave credit to this accusation of his, and were so exasperated against them, that, taking arms, they resolved upon a sharp revenge. A great tumult there was, and therein many thousands of men, Jews and others, slain; and, amongst the rest, the ungracious ac cuser himself did miserably perish.

2. L. Vibius Serenus was drawn out of the place of his exile and bound with chains, was made to attend in open court, where he was accused by his own son, that he had conspired against Tiberius the Emperor, and had privily sent such into France as might kindle a war against him; and to put the better colour upon this accusation, he added, "That Cæcilus Cor

nutus, a Prætorian person, was conscious to the plot, and had also lent out a considerable sum for the advancement of the war." Serenus, hearing this grand ac cusation of his son, not at all affrighted, though in hazard of his life, with a mind unappalled, and a threatening look, began to shake his chains, and to call upon the revenging deities, "that they would return him to his banishment, and execute just punishment upon his ungrateful and wicked son." All men thought the accu sation was false, in regard he named but one single man as the associate in so great an enterprize. The son then named two others, Cneius Lentulus and Seius Tubero; but, in regard both of them were the intimate friends of Cæsar, the one extreme old, and the other infirm of body, they were both adjudged innocent. The servants of Serenus, the father, were put to torture, wherein, notwithstanding, they gave contrary evidence: so that the accuser, stung with the sense of his villany, and withal affrighted with the menaces of the people (threatening the gallows, stoning, or the punishment of a parricide), fled out of the city, but was brought back from Ravenna, to prosecute his accusation. The success was, Serenus was banished to the island of Amorgus; and the son, though he was in favour with Tiberius, who too much indulged informers, was hated by all sorts of people, and held infamous amongst all persons as long as he

lived.

3. Justin tells us of a certain African, called Cartallus, who, by the suffrage of the people, was raised to an eminent degree of dignity, and casually sent upon some solemn embassy into a place where his father, with many others, were ba nished; he, looking upon himself at that time like a peacock, gloriously furnished out with the rich ornaments of his employment, thought it was not suitable with his honour to admit that his father should so much as see him, though he sought it with earnestness. The unfortunate father became so much enraged with this contempt of himself, and the proud refusal of his son, that he instantly raised a sedition; and mustering together a tumultuous army of exiles, he fell upon his son, and, although a magistrate, took him, and co

demned

demned him to death. He presently prepared a high gibbet, and attired as he was, in gold and scarlet, with a crown on his head, caused him to be fastened to this fatal tree for a public spectacle.

4. There was a young Duke of Gelders, named Adolph, who took his father, Duke Arnold, one night as he was going to bed, and led him five Dutch miles on foot, bare legged, in a marvellous cold night, and laid him in a deep dungeon, for the space of six months, where he saw no light but through a little hole. Wherefore the Duke of Cleves, whose sister the old Duke (being prisoner) had married, made a sharp war upon this young Duke Adolph. The Duke of Burgundy sought divers means to reconcile them; but in vain. In the end, the Pope and the Emperor began to stir in the matter, and the Duke of Burgundy was commanded to take the old Duke out of prison, which he did accordingly, the young one not being able to withstand him. "I have often seen them both together in the Duke of Burgundy's chamber, pleading their cause before a great assembly; and once I saw the old man offer combat to his son," says Comines. The Duke of Burgundy, desirous to make them friends, offered the young Duke, whom he favoured, the title of Governor of Guelderland, with all the revenues thereof, excepting a little town, near to Brabant, called Grave, which should remain to the father, with the revenues of three thousand florins and the title of Duke, as was but reasonable. "I," says Comines, "with others wiser than myself, were appointed to make report of these conditions to the young Duke, who answered us," That he had rather throw his father headlong into a well, and himself after him, than agree to such an appointment; alleging, That his father had been Duke forty-four years, and that it was now time for him to govern; notwithstanding, he would agree to give him a yearly pension of three thousand florins, with condition he should depart the country, as a banished man, never to return: "and such other undutiful speeches he used." Soon

after the young Duke, in disguise, left the Duke of Burgundy's court to repair home to his own country; but as he ferried over a water, near Namur, he paid a guilder for his passage; whereupon a Priest, there present, began presently to mistrust him, and soon after knew him ; so that he was taken, and led to Namur, where he remained a prisoner till the Duke of Burgundy's death; after which, by the men of Gaunt, he was set at liberty, and by them carried before Tournay; where, being weakly accompanied, he was miserably slain in a skirmish, in full revenge for his impiety towards his father.

5. Tullia was the daughter of Servius Tullius, King of the Romans. She was married to Tarquinius Superbus, and, together with her husband, conspired against her father, who by his son-in-law, was one day in the Senate-house thrown from the top to the bottom of the stairs; he was taken up half dead; and as they hasted with him towards his own house, he was slain in the Cyprian street. In the mean time, Tullia had been at the Senate, to salute her husband with the name of King, and was sent home by him; and chancing to return that way, the coachman, perceiving the dead corpse of the King lie in the street, stopped his horses in a fright. Tullia looked out of her chariot, and being informed what was the matter, she commanded him to drive the wheels of her chariot over the body of her dead father.

6. Nero, the Emperor, had tried to poison his mother Agrippina three times, and still found she was fortified with antidotes; he then prepared false roofs, that being loosed with an engine, might fall upon her as she slept in the night. When this was discovered, he made a ship that should be taken in pieces, that so she might perish, either by wreck or the fall of the decks upon her; but she escaped this danger also by swimming: which when Nero understood, he commits the slaughter of his mother to Anicetus the Centurion; who taking along with him (to the villa of Agrippina) persons

fit

fit for the employment, compassed the house, broke open the door, and with his drawn sword presented himself, with the rest of the murderers, at her bedside. Apprehending his intention, she shewed him her belly, and bade him strike there: "This womb of mine," said she, "is de servedly to be digged up, that has brought forth such a monster ;" and so, after many wounds, died. It is said, that Nero came thither to behold the corpse of his mother, that he took her limbs into his hands, and commended this, and dis praised that other, as his fancy led him. He caused her belly to be opened that he might see the place where once he had lain. While this was doing, finding himself thirsty, he was so unconcerned as to call for drink, without leaving the place, saying, "He did not think he had so handsome a mother,"

7. Bajazet, the second of that name, being thrust out of his mighty empire by his son Selymus, when he was near fourscore; broken with years and grief, he resolved to forsake Constantinople before he was forced to it by his son, and to retire to Dymotica, a small and pleasant city in Thrace, where he had formerly bestowed much cost for his pleasure, and now thought it the fittest place wherein to end his sorrowful days. But the cursed impiety of Selymus had provided other wise for him: for which the promise of ten ducats a day, during life, and threats of a cruel death in case it was not performed, he prevailed with Haman a Jew, chief physician to the old Emperor, to make him away by poison, as he was upon his journey; so that with horrible gripings and heavy groans he gave up the ghost in the year 1512, when he had reigned thirty years. The perfidious Jew, apon the delivery of the poisonous potion, had hastened to Constantinople to bring Selymus the first news of it, who commanded his head to be presently struck off, saying, "That for the hopes of reward, he would not stick to do the same to Selymus himself."

8. Orodes was the King of Parthia, the same who had overcome Crassius's army, and slain him in the field; he was

grown old in grief for the death of his son Pacorus, slain by Ventidius, and was fallen into a dropsy, and not likely to live long. His son Phraates thought his death too slow, and did therefore determine to hasten it by poison; which being administered, had an effect so contrary, that only putting him into a looseness, it carried the disease away with it; and instead of a messenger of death, it proved a medicine of health. His son, incensed at so strange a miscarriage of his design, passed from secret to open parricide, and caused the old king his father to be openly smothered. He mounted the throne, and sending back the ensigns and spoils of the defeated army of Crassus, he was much in the favour of Augustus, that he sent him a beautiful Italian lady for his concubine. Of her he begat Phrataces, who, when he was grown up, with the privity and endeavours of his mother, became the murderer of his fa ther, making him the example of the same impiety, whereof, in times past, he had been the detestable author.

SO

9. Eucratides, king of the Bactrians, in all his wars behaved himself with much prowess: when he was worn out with the continuance of them, and was closely besieged by Demetrius, king of the Indians, although he had not above three thousand soldiers with him, by his daily sallies he wasted the enemy's forces, consisting of sixty thousand; and being at liberty in the fifth month, reduced all India under his command. In his return homewards he was slain by his own son, whom he had made joint-partner with him in the kingdom. He did not go about to dissemble or smother his parricide, but drove his chariot through the blood, and commanded the dead corps to be cast aside into some by-place or other unburied, as if he had slain an enemy and not murdered a father.

10. "When," saith Howell, "I was in Valentia in Spain, a gentleman told me of a miracle which happened in that town: which was, "That a handsome young mau under twenty, was executed there for a crime, and before he was taken down from the tree, there were many

grey