whom all the world hath flattered, thou hast cast out of the world and despised. Thou has drawn together all the farstretched greatness; all the pride and cruelty, and ambition of man, and covered it all over with these two narrow words, "bie jac.t." All these reputed gods have died like other men, only perhaps more untimely, and less lamented.

1. Amulius, king of the Latins, was a proud man, and at last grew to that degree of arrogant impudence, that he sought (amongst the people) to have the reputation of a god; and to that purpose he had certain machines, by the help of which he imitated thunders, made an appearance of lightnings, and cast out thunder-bolts; but by a sudden inundation of waters, near the place where he dwelt, both he and his palace were overborne and drowned.

2. Agrippa, king of the Jews, had reigned over all Judea three years, when he appointed royal shews in Cæsarea; upon the second day of which, in the morning, he entered the theatre robed in a vest of silver. The silver, irradiated with the beams of the rising sun, shone with such a lustre, as bred a kind of horror and awful dread in the spectators. His flatterers therefore straight cried out that he was a god; and besought him to be propitious to them. They said, "That they had hitherto revered him only as a man, but hereafter should acknowledge, that he was above the nature of mortality." The king, though he heard, did not reprehend these speeches, nor reject so impious an adulation; but a while after, when he had raised up himself, he spied an owl sitting over his head (he had seen the like at Rome before in his calamity, and was told it was the token of a change of his forlorn estate to great honours; but when he should see the bird in that posture the second time, it should be the messenger of his death); surprised then with that unpleasing sight, he fell into pains of the heart and stomach; and turning to his friends, "Behold, I your god," said he, am ceasing to live! and he whom you now called immortal, is dragged unto

death." While he said this, oppressed with torture, he was straight carried back to his palace, and in five days was taken out of the world, in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and seventh year of his reign.

3. Alexander the Great was very desirous to be accounted and taken as a god, and boasted amongst the Barbarians that he was the son of Jupiter Ammon: so that Olympias, his mother, used to say "That Alexander never ceased to calumniate her to Juno." Being once wounded, This," said he, "is blood, not that ichor, which Homer says is want to flow from the gods." It is reported that finding himself near unto death, he would privily have cast himself into the river Euphrates, that being suddenly out of sight, he might breed an opinion in men, that he was not departed as one overpressed with the weight of a disease, but that he was ascended to the gods from whence he first came; and when Roxana, having understood his mind, went about to hinder him, he sighing said, "Woman, dost thou envy me the glory of immortality and divinity?"

4. There was in Libya a man called Psaphon, to whom nature had been sufficiently indulgent, in bestowing upon him extraordinary accomplishments; the inward magnificence of his mind expanding itself, and prompting him to it, he used this subtle art fice to possess the inhabitants about him with an opinion of his divinity. Having therefore taken a number of such birds as are capable of the imitation of human speech, he taught them to pronounce these words distinctly: Psaphon is a great god." This done, he set them all at liberty; who filled the woods and places about with this ditty; which the inhabitants hearing, and supposing this to fall out by divine power, they fell to the adoration of him.

5. Caligula caused the statues of the gods, amongst which was that of Jupiter Olympius, to be brought out of Greece; and taking off their heads, commanded his own to be set on instead thereof; and standing betwixt Castor and Pollux, exhibited himself to be worshipped of such

as resorted thither. He farther erected a temple, and instituted both priests, and most exquisite sacrifices, to the service of himself. In his temple stood his image of gold, taken to the life, which every day was clad in the same attire as was himself. His sacrifices were phænicopters, peacocks, bustards, turkies, phcasants; which were all daily offered.

6. Philip, king of Macedon, though a contemner of the gods, had yet a great desire to be reputed one himself, and that also not inferior to any of the rest: for in the celebration of that pomp, in which he caused twelve statues of the gods to be carried, he added his own for a thirteenth, and would that it should be carried the first in order; but he was at that time stabbed and slain by the hand of Pausanias, one of his own guard.

7. Menecrates, the physician, having successfully cured divers persons of deplorable diseases, was called Jupiter; and he himself was not ashamed to take that name upon him: insomuch, that in the front of his letter he wrote in this manner : "Menecrates Jupiter sends to king Agesilaus health :" who, on the other side, to meet with his intolerable pride and vanity, returned, "King Agesilaus wisheth to Menecrates soundness.' The Greek writers affirm of him, that he took an cath of such as he cured of the falling sickness, that they should follow and attend upon him as his servants; and they did follow him, some in the habit of Hercules, and others in that of Mercury. Philip of Macedon, observing the vanity of this man, invited him, with his own gods, to supper when he came, he was placed at a higher and more sumptuous table, whereon was a fairer altar than on the rest; on this altar (while the dishes were carrying up to other tables) were made divers libations, and suffumigations, with incense; till such time as this new Jupiter, perceiving in what manner he was derided and abused, went his way, being well laughed at by all that were present.

8. Flavius Domitianus being mounted to the imperial seat, when, after divorce,

he had re-married and brought home his wife, he was not ashamed to say openly, that "she was called to his pulviner," (a bed whereon the statues of the gods are laid, during the solemn games exhi bited to them.). And upon the day when he made a great feast unto the people, he was well pleased to hear their acclamations throughout the amphitheatre, in these words:" Al happiness to our lord and lady." When in the name of his procurators, he indicted any formal letters, thus he began; "Our Lord and God thus commandeth." And afterwards it was ordered, that neither in the writing or speech of any man he should be otherwise called.

9. After Dioclesian had settled the affairs of the East, when he had subdued the Scythians, Sarmatians, the Alani and Basternæ, and had brought the necks of divers other nations under the Roman yoke: he then, grown proud, and puffed up with the glory of his victories, commanded that divine honours should be given to the Roman emperors; and therefore, in the first place, he himself would be adored, as if there was in him some celestial majesty. And whereas the emperors before him were wont to give their hands to the nobility to kiss, and then raised them with their own hands, to kiss them on the mouth; and that the manner of the vulgar was to kiss the knees of their emperor; Dioclesian sent forth his edict, that all men, without distinction, should prostrate kiss his feet; in the mean time, his shoes, or sandals, were set with precious stones and pearls, and enriched with gold. In like manner his garments, yea, his very chariot, was adorned, that he might seem more august, and be looked upon by all men as a god.

10. Lysander, the Lacedemonian general, having taken Athens, as he had arrived to a greater power than any. Grecian had hitherto obtained, so his pride was greater than the power he had gotten; for, of the Athenian spoils, he caused a brazen statue of himself to be made, which he erected at Delphos. He was the first amongst all the Greeks that had altars

built to him by the cities as a god; and sacrifices, that were appointed in honour of him. He was also the first of the Greeks who had paans sung to him; the Samians changed the name of their temple of Juno, and called it Lysandria.

11. C. Julius Cæsar had the honours of a continued consulship, the perpetual dictatorship, the censor of manners, and had the titles of emperor and father of his country. His statue was erected among those of kings; his seat in the Senatehouse was of gold; and yet, not content with these, he suffered such further honours to be decreed to him, as were beyond the condition of a man; such as temples, and altars, a priest, a couch, and other ensigns of divinity.

12. Empedocles, the philosopher, had cured Fanthias, of Agrigentum, of a deplorable disease: and perceiving that thereupon he was reverenced in a manner as if he had been a god, he became enflamed with a desire of immortality and glory; and that he might be supposed to be translated into the number of gods, he cast himself headlong into the midst of the flames of Mount Etna.

It is reported of the cruel beast called the hyana, that by his exact imitation of a human voice, he draws the unwary shepherds out of their cottages, till he hath brought them within the compass of his power, and then he falls upon them with all his fierceness, and devours them. Thus there are some brutish and evilnatured men, who by pretences of generosity, love and virtue, gain the hearts of poor innocent virgins, till they are become the masters of their fortunes and honour; which done, death itself is more desirable than that bitterness and indignity they are want to treat them with.

1. Anno Dom. 1652, in the Isle of Thanet in Kent, lived one Adam Sprackling, Esq. who, about twenty years before, had married Katherine, the daughter of Sir Robert Leukner, of Kent.

This Sprackling had a fair estate, but had exhausted it by drinking, gaming, &c. At last executions were out against him, and he forced to keep at home, and make his house his prison: this filled him full of rage, so that his wife was constrained many times to lock herself from him. But, upon Saturday night, Dec. 11, 1662, as it seems, he' resolved to destroy her; and being at ten o'clock at night in his kitchen, he sent for one Martin, a poor old man, out of his bed to him; so that there were in the kitchen Sprackling and his wife, one Ewell, and this Martin. Sprackling commanded Martin to bind Ewell's legs, which the one did, and the other suffered, thinking it had only been a ranting humour of their master. Then began he to rage against his wife, who sat quietly by; and though she gave him none but loving and sweet words, yet he drew his dagger, and struck her over the face with it, which she bore patiently, though she was hurt in the jaw. He still continuing to rage at her, she, weary and in great fear, rose up and went to the door; her husband followed her with a chopping-knife in his hand, with which he struck at her wrist, and cut the bone asunder, so that her hand hung down only by the sinews and skin. No help was near; Ewell was bound, and Martin being old and weak, durst not interpose, fearing his own life; only prayed his mistress to stay and be quiet, hoping all should be well, and so getting a napkin, bound up her hand with it. After this, towards morning, still railing and raging at his wife, he dashed her on the fore head with an iron cleaver, whereupon she fell down bleeding; but recovering herself on her knees, she cried and prayed unto God for the pardon of her own and her husband's sins; praying God to forgive him as she did. But as she was thus praying, her bloody husband chopt ber head into the midst of the very brains, so that she fell down, and died immediately. Then did he kill six dogs, four of which he threw by his wife; and after she was dead, chopping her twice into the legs, compelled Martin to wash Ewell's face with her blood; himself also dipping linen in her blood, washed Martin's face,

and

and blooded his own face with it. For all which, being apprehended and carried to Sandwich goal, at the sessions following, which began April 22, 653, he was arraign d, condemned, and hanged on the 27th day; dying very desperately, and not suffering any, either ministers or gen lemen, to speak with him after his condemnation.

2. At Argos there were two of the principal citizens, who were the heads of opposite, factions one to another in the government of the city; the one was named Nicostratus, and the other Phaulius. Now, when king Philip came to the city, it was generally thought that Phaulius plotted, and practised to attain unto some absolute principality and sovereignty in the city, by the means of his wife (who was a young and beautiful lady) in case he could once bring her to the king's bed, and that she might lie with him. Nicostratus was aware of as much; and smelling his design, walked before Phaulius's door, and about his house, on purpose to discover his intentions, and what he would do therein He soon found that the base Fhaulius had furnished his wife with a pair of high shoes, had cast about her a mantle; and set upon her head a chaplet after the Macedonian fashion, Having thus accoutered her after the manner of the king's pages, he sent her secretly in that habit and attire to the king's lodging, as a sacrifice to his lust, and an argument of an, paralleled villany in himself, who colendure to be the pander in the proSution of his own wife.

3. Periander, the Corinthian, in a high fit of passion trod his wife under foot; and although she was at that time with child, yet he never desisted from his injurious treatment of her, till such time as he had killed her upon the spot. Afterwards when he was come to himself, and was sensible that what he had done was through the instigation of his concubines, he caused them all to be burnt alive; and banished his son Lycophron as far as Corcyra, upon no other occasion, than that he lamented the death of his mother with tears and outcries.

4. Nero, the emperor, being once in censed against his wife Pop a Sabina, gave her such a kick with his foot upon the belly, that she thereupon departed this life. But though he was a man that seemed to be born to cruelty and biood, yet he afterwards so repented himself of this act, that he would not sufler her body to be burnt after the Roman manner; but built the funeral pile for her of odours and perfumes, and ordered her to be brought into the Julian monument.

5. Herod the sophist, bein, offended with his wife Rhegilla for some slight fault, commanded his freed man Alcinedon to beat her. She was at that time eight months gone with child; and (by the imprudence of him who was timployed to chastise her) she received some brewS upon her belly, which occasionc coat her miscarriage, and soon after her ceza. Her brother Frades, a person f grea: 16bity, cited her husband Herod to answer the death of his sister before the Senate of Rome; where, if he had not, it is pity but he should have received a condign punishment.

6. A malasuntha had raised Theodahi tus, at once, to be her husband and king of the Goths; but upon this proviso, that he should make oath, that he would rest contented with title of a king, and leave all matters of government to her sole cisposal. But no sooner was he accepted as king, but he fo got his wife and benefactress; recalled her enemies from banishment; put her friends and relations many of them to death; banished her unto an island in the Vulsiner lake, and there set a strong guard upon her. At last he thought himself rot sufficiently safe, so long as Amalasuntha was alive; and thereupon he dispatched certain of his instruments to the place of her exile, with order to put her to death; who, finding her in a bath, gave her no further time, but strangled her there.

7. A Frenchman of note, in the province of Languedoc, whose name is Vil-. lars, married a young, rich, and beautiful lady; but having been formerly addicted to converse with whores, as soon as the honey-moon was over, gave himself up

to