A Metrical History of Christianity

A dreadfull Earthquake in September rose
The whole New City nigh all over throws
All stately, Costly built, no ground lay wast
The Palace-Gates, four Porches, Turrets brac'te,
The Galleries and Porches stately fine
The Baths of Trajan, others too that joyn
Nigh to the Ostracine in part well known
And Palace lodgens utterly orethrown.

Now at Constantinople out there brake
A fire by some accurst Demomake
Or Demon lighted in the Ox street North
And burnt all down before it going forth
Unto the Temple old of old Apollo
South Julians Bay to Concords Church did swallow
Up all like straw, Timber or Stone, to ashes
Five furlons long and fourteen broad it passes.

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The East's infested with a Scythian War,
In the Byzantick field a Cloudy Car
That lookt like perfect fire did mannure poure
Ashes an hand breadth thick such rain't did showre
Upon the back of a dread Earthquake, fall
Thrace Hellespont, Ionia, and all
The fifty Cyclads ilands, Cnidos, Coe
A dancing, and much building down doth goe.
And at Constantinople also in
Bythinia three or four dayes do bring
Taps to the Clouds, their spouts like rivers run
Mountains and Hills knockt down, do lie undone
And all made plains. Villages overflown
The Lake by Nicomedia called Boan
With heaps of rubbish pild therein doth seem
So many Ilands in it forth to teem.

The Western part distracted all doth ly.
Rome is a shambles made, or butchery
And Emperours the Bullocks fetted fell,
Anthemius, Olymbrius as Well.

Leo now Ardaburius takes to task,
And Aspar too his son, mere Vandalll Cask
With Arian dregs grown musty troubling
The Churches, and against the Counsills fling
Of Nice and Chalcedon and threaten do
The Empire on Genserick to bestow.
Hence off he takes them. Ardaburius first,
And Aspar sighing o're his Corps, out burst
Into these words. The old man truly beares
Destruction much becoming his gray haires;
Who vanely gloried and would not take
My warning; for I oft thus to him spake
Let's eate up Leo first, before in health
He dish us up a dinner for himselfe.

But now my pen doth weep to lay before yee
The Dismall things it finds: attend the story.
God pinches them in Affrick with sore draught
That Wells are emty, mighty Rivers brought
To suffer thirst, a Dreadfull famine grows
Now hunger makes them seek grass roots like those
Poore bruits whose snouts are fitted for the same.
The Vandalls guts under this fine forth came
It tumbled down whole troops; the wayes it straws
With Carkasses, a dinner lean for daws,
None being found at all to bury them
And many places were devest of men.
But yet Hunericus doth set his speare
Against Gods Saint as Vacant of Gods feare,
He set his hawks at Carthag Temple doore
With toothed staves that should all such as wore

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Vandallick garbs lay on amight and maine
Upon their heads, wherewith a many ta'en
Had hair and skin halld off their heads by th'teeth
Upon their staves: some eyes out di'de with griefe
Then to another trick he consilld is
By's Arian Dons and it indeed was this,
To purge his house of such Catholick mire
As would not tune unto the Arian Lyre,
And this he doeth, but this is gentle Sir,
Now under shew of jealosie goes far,
Calls pious virgins forth: and midwives must
Openly search in presence of unjust
Vile men, all naked, lest they be with child,
Alas poore hearts! they are by him beguild,
He hangs them up, great weights hangs at their feets
Claps to their Backs, Sides, Breast and Bellies, sheets
Of red hot iron, to make them Arian turn
But firy arguments their faith can't burn.

Then nigh five thousand persons of all rancks
Are brought for banishment hookt in his Cranks,
Mongst whom was Felix by the Palsy ta'en
Whose feeling's lost and speech, for whom they fain
Would have the King vouchsafe him leave to stay
At Carthage till his breath was gone away.
But all the gain was packt in this reply
With swelling stomach, to a rope Ile ty
And draw him there with oxen where they go
If on a beast he cannot ride thereto.

At Siccens and at Larens all now stay,
And gi'ne to Maurs to take them all away,
Who by some Noble knights with speeches kinde
Entreated are to weathercock their minde,
To whom they all, as one, replying said
We Christian are and this Confession made,
And God Confess to be Triune and hee
We ever hold this One Gods Trinity
Then in the jaole they're cast, yet not denide
Their friends access, by whom they are supplide,
For which their keepers Cudgelld are, and they
Unto a Pound so streight are had away
They're cast as Corns of Wheate all into heaps
Without all room privy to nature's leaks
The which no royall Edict plug up could,
Necessity its law obey it would
And its obedience shewd spite of their teeth
In its Eruptions from them to their griefe
Ly they or stand: untill the place did flow
With what necessity constrain'd to go.
One Cyprian bishop of Vinzibire
With many tears them Comfort and raise higher

129

Their state observd, they from their Jaquy Pound
Are brought ore plasterd heads, face, Robes abound
With humane fiants yet sung in these paints
This Psalm, to wit, This glore have all his saints.
Now in their grievous and long journey some
Were tired out, and these they goad along:
With spears untill thy can no longer goe
Then them with Coards tide to their feet they tow
Ore Rocky places till they're torn and dy
Whose graves like mole hills all the way ore ly,
And when the rest are come unto the place
Design'd, they're kept with barly for a space
Like beasts, but long this bread doth not abide.
It is too good for some, hence is denide.

And after this he set a trap, and baits
With hony saps, To bring all out of straits
He calls a Counsill that shall now Dispute
The Point with arguments fetcht from Gods book
At Carthage, but before they came, he sent
Some others Orthodox in t'banishment.
Others he Cudgelled. But when they came
Together, he burnt Laetus in red flame
Then he the Roman Laws imperiall
Gainst Arrians made and men hereticall,
Doth weld upon his anvill, sets thereon
An Homoiousian edge on's Grindleston
Untill it will all orthodox avoide
This is the sword hung at the Arrians side
Which flowrisht at Carthage Calends the Sixth
Of March the seventh year his reign hath pitcht.
But by this Edict all the Orthodox
At Carthage met in Counsill he down knocks
Ships beare of all, house, harbour, wealth, and friends
Thrust out of City, and if any spend
Respect upon them, forthwith shall the same
Have's house with all therein burn'd into flame.
Amaizd hereat these good Professors stand
If in they go, all lost is out of hand,
If they withdraw, they fear the foe will say
They to avoide Dispute did run away.
Hence in the Sun under the Walls they ly
Implorying God with sighs profound they cry.
But when the King passt by, they to him runn
Grievously urge, sir, why are we undone?
What have we done that we such things must beare?
Are we calld here to argue? Why then are
We of our Wealth, Homes, Families, nay more
Churches and Human Consort spoild therefore

130

Why do we perish here thus wretchedly
By Famine greate and by great poverty?
He on them then Casting a Crabbid looke
Did bid this troop to tread them under foot.
The which they did that many thus were slain
And all ore affrica this fury came.
Some banisht were, some beaten were with staves
Some Hang'd, some burn'd, and so beguild the graves
Some had their Right hands and their Tongues off Cut
And at Calusitan the tyrant put
A mighty multitude to martyredome
At Tambriens also: none gives the Sum.
At Tipasensis of great Mauritane
Hearing this news, a man of Arrian strain
Was coming on to be their pastor most
Of all the Church saild to the Spanish coast;
And such as stayd behind because they would
Not heare the Arian, their Case was told
Unto the King who sent a Knight who Cut
Their Tongues and right hands off. But yet no stut
Was in their mouths: but they distinctly spoke
As Victor saith and other of good note.

But now return we to the Tyrant vast
Behold him in the Shackles justice Cast
Him in before the Sun had rounded in
An annuall Circle round his Carthage din.
A Burning Ulcer on his Carrion rose
In boyling torment long and slowly goes
Till all Corrupt and rotten worms out Crawle
And rotten lumps of flesh off from him fall,
And Gregory of Tours doth further adde,
A Divell ceisd him, and his own-hands had
The Honour now his Carcass all to rend
And in horrendous gripes his life to end.
That not his Corps but scraps thereof do fall
To have the honour of a buriall.

University of Virginia Library

In the Reign of Leo which begun 464/ Severus and Anthemius, etc.