CHAP. VI.
Priestes and Moncks fained themselues to be Spirites: alsohowMundusvnder this colour defiledPaulina,andTyrannusabused many noble and honest matrones.
TO these thinges may bee added, that there haue bin in all ages certaine Priests, which practising strange deuises, and giuing themselues to Necromancie, haue bewitched foolish men that highly estéemed them, to the ende they might thereby encrease their riches, and follow their lustfull pleasures. Touching which matter, to the ende godly disposed men may be the more héedfull, I will rehearse a fewe histories.
Iosephus de antiquitatib.
Iosephusa writer of histories, in his 18.booke and 4.chap. of Antiquities, remembreth a notorious deed which hapned atRome, in the time ofTyberius Cesarvnder the pretence of sacrificing to the goddesseIsis. I will record the historie as it is translated byGalenius, a very learned man.
Paulina and Mundus.
There dwelled atRomea woman namedPaulina, no lesse renoumed for honestie of life, than for the nobilitie of parentage: She was also very rich and excéeding beautful, as one that was now in the floure of her age, and especially adorned with the great vertue of chastitie, and married she was to oneSaturnius, a man worthie of such a wife. It chaunced thatDecius Mundus, a famous yoong knight, became very much enamored with her: and because she was a woman of greater wealth than that she might be won with rewardes and money, so much the more was this louers madnesse inflamed, in so much that he stuck not to proffer her for one night .200000. groates. The Atticke groat and the Romain peny are by common valuation all one.Budeusaccounteth one of them worth 8. Crusados: so this summe according to his reckoning, amounteth to 26000. Florens.
Ruffinus.
And yet not being able by these means to moue her constant mind, bicause he could not endure the rage of his loue, he determined, by abstinence and hunger to make an ende both of life and loue togither. This determination was not vnknowne toIde,MundusFathers bondseruaunt, a maide cunning in many artes, but such as were not to be liked. She maruellously gréeued with the yoong mans wilfulnesse in absteining frō meat, talking with him, by swéete and flattring words began to encourage him, assuring him that she would bring to passe, that he should at his pleasure embracePaulina. After that he had gladly condiscended to her entreatie, she telleth him she must néedes haue fiftie thousand groates to ouerthrow the Gentlewomans chastitie. So putting the yoong man in good hope, and receiuing as much mony as she required, because she wel knewPaulinacould not be wonne with mony, she deuiseth a new way to deceiue her. Vnderstanding therefore that she was maruellously addicted to the worshipping ofIsis, she inuenteth these meanes: She talketh with some ofIsisPriests, and hauing receiued sure promise of them to kéepe all things secrete, and (which is most effectuall) hauing shewed their reward, promising presently 25000. groates, and when they had done the déed, other 25000. she openeth vnto them the yoong mans loue, beséeching them to helpe by al means possible, that shée might enioy the same. They touched at the heart with desire of the mony, gently promised their helpe. Wherefore the eldest of them spéedily goeth toPaulina, and being admitted to her spéech, after hee had obtained to talke with her in secrete, he declareth that he is come vnto her being sent by the great GodAnubis(thisAnubishauing a head lyke to a Dogge, was worshipped togither in one Temple withIsis) who is maruellously in loue with her beautie, and doth commaund her to repaire vnto him. She ioyfully receiued the message, and forthwith vaunteth among her familiar acquaintaunce, that the GodAnubishath vouchsafed to loue her: And shée telleth her husband, that shée must suppe and lye with him. Which thing was so much the more easily graunted vnto her, for that her husband had had good experience and knowledge of her chastitie. Whereupon shée goeth to the Temple, and after supper when time of rest drew neare, being shut in by the priest, shée méeteth withMundus, who had priuily hidden himselfe there, the darkenesse bringing them togither, without any suspition. And so all that night shée satisfied the yong mans desire, supposing she had done pleasure vnto the God. Afterwards he departing from hir,Paulinaearly in the morning, before the priestes (who were priuie to this deceit) were stirring, returned home to her husband, to whome she recounteth her meeting withAnubis, and also with great words setteth out the same amongst her gossips and friends. They could not beléeue her, considering the nature of the thing, and yet could they not chuse but maruell, waying the great chastitie of the woman. Thrée dayes after the déede done,Mundusméeting by chaunce with his beloued, saide vnto her: O well donePaulina, thou hast saued me 200000. groats wherewith thou mightest haue encreased thy riches, and yet notwithstanding thou hast fulfilled my desire, for I way it not that thou hast despisedMundus, sith vnder the title ofAnubis, I haue enioyed my desired lust, which words said, he departed. But the woman then first perceiuing this villany, began to teare her garments, and opening the whole matter vnto her husband, beséecheth him that he suffer not such a notorious mockery to go vnpunished. Her husband then declareth the whole matter to the EmperoureTiberius: who after he had learned all things by diligent examination, trusseth vp these iugling priests on the gallowes, togither withIde, the author of all this mischiefe, by whose meanes chiefly the chastitie of this noble Gentlewoman was defiled: and ouerthrowing their temple, he commaundedthe Image ofIsisto be sunke in the riuer ofTibris. But it pleased him to chastenMunduswith banishment, a more gentle kind of punishmēt, ascribing his fault to yͤ weaknes of his immoderat loue. By this history it may easily be gathered how sathan in times past bewitcht the Gentils, and how their priests persuaded them yͭ their Gods appearing in visible forme spake this or yͭ vnto them, which notwithstāding were very false. Vnder the pretence of worshipping their gods, they gaue thēselues to wicked deuises. For how often may we wel thinke they cōmitted abhominable mischief (although indéed yͤ matter it selfe neuer came to light.) If they brought it to passe, yͭMundusby their meanes enioyed his desired loue, surely there is no doubt, but yͭ they thēselues vnder the colour of holinesse defloured other mēs daughters & wiues: for otherwise this deuise could neuer haue bin so ready in mind. This matron would neuer haue bin so wel cōtent, vnles yͤ very same had bin practised with other dames before. Neither yet wold her husbād haue suffered her to lodge in the Church all night. What néed was there for yͤ gods to haue beds prepared for thē in yͤ Church, whē it was most aparant they neuer lodged in thē. Princes also may learne by yͤ example ofTiberius, although he were a wicked tyrant, how such varlets are to be restrained. To this purpose maketh yͭ historie whichRuffinusa Priest ofAquiliareporteth inLi.11.ca.25. of his ecclesiasticall history.
Tyrannus a wicked priest.
There was a priest inAlexandriainEgipt, vowed toSaturn, whose name wasTyrānus. This mā as it had bin frō the mouth of god, vsed to say vnto al such noble & principall men, whose Ladies he liked & lusted after, thatSaturnehad cōmanded, yͭ such a ones wife shuld lie al night in the temple. Then he which heard yͤ message, reioycing much yͭ the god vouchsafed to call for his wife, decking her vp brauely, & giuing her great gifts (forsooth lest she shuld be refused bicause she came emptie) sent her foorth vnto yͤ temple, where the woman being shut vp in the presence of al men,Tirannuswhē he had fast locked the doores, surrendring the keyes departed his wayes. Afterwards in great silence passing through priuie caues vnder the ground, he issued foorth out of the open holes into the image ofSaturne: which image was made hollow in the backe, and cunningly fastned to the wall. And as the candles burned within the Church, he spake sodeinly vnto the woman (giuing great care, and praying deuoutly) through yͤ image made of hollow brasse, in such sort that the vnhappie woman, trembled betwéene feare and ioy, because she thought her selfe worthie of the spéech of so great a god. Now after the baudie god had talked his pleasure to bring her in great feare, or to prouoke her to lust and wantonnesse, sodeinly all the lightes were put out with the spreading abroad of shéets, by a certain cunning deuise. And then descending out of the image, he committed adultery with the woman much abashed and afraid, vsing most profane and wicked gloses vnto her. When he had thus dealt a long season, almost with all the wiues of these silly Gentlemen, it chaunced in the end, that a certain chast Gentlewoman began to abhorre and loath the deede, and marking the matter more héedfully, knew it to beTyrannusvoice: and there vpon returning home againe, declared the slie conueiance of this horrible déed vnto her husband. He being set on fire with rage for the iniurie done vnto his wife, or rather vnto his selfe, apprehēdedTyrannus, & brought him to yͤ place of torments, where being conuicted he cōfessed al yͤ matter, & thē other deceits being likewise detected, al shame & dishonor was spred throughout the houses of yͤ Pagans: the mothers were found adulterers, fathers incestuous persons, and their children illegittimate and bastardes. Which thing so soone as it was brought to light and noysed abroad, togither both Church and image, and wickednesse, and all was vtterly subuerted and destroied. We reade thatNuma Pompiliusbare the people ofRomein hande that hée hadde familiar company withEgeriaa Goddesse of the waters, to the ende he might purchase credit and authoritie to his lawes.