is father lately died and left him sole heir of
his goods and lands." This is not amongst your dust-worms alone, poor
snakes that will prostitute their souls for money, but with this bait you
may catch our most potent, puissant, and illustrious princes. That proud
upstart domineering Bishop of Ely, in the time of Richard the First,
viceroy in his absence, as [5050]Nubergensis relates it, to fortify
himself, and maintain his greatness, _propinquarum suarum connubiis,
plurimos sibi potentes et nobiles devincire curavit_, married his poor
kinswomen (which came forth of Normandy by droves) to the chiefest nobles
of the land, and they were glad to accept of such matches, fair or foul,
for themselves, their sons, nephews, &c. _Et quis tam praeclaram
aflinitatem sub spe magnae promotionis non optaret_? Who would not have
done as much for money and preferment? as mine author [5051]adds. Vortiger,
King of Britain, married Rowena the daughter of Hengist the Saxon prince,
his mortal enemy; but wherefore? she had Kent for her dowry. Iagello the
great Duke of Lithuania, 1386, was mightily enamoured on Hedenga, insomuch
that he turned Christian from a Pagan, and was baptised himself by the name
of Uladislaus, and all his subjects for her sake: but why was it? she was
daughter and heir of Poland, and his desire was to have both kingdoms
incorporated into one. Charles the Great was an earnest suitor to Irene the
Empress, but, saith [5052]Zonarus, _ob regnum_, to annex the empire of the
East to that of the West. Yet what is the event of all such matches, that
are so made for money, goods, by deceit, or for burning lust, _quos foeda
libido conjunxit_, what follows? they are almost mad at first, but 'tis a
mere flash; as chaff and straw soon fired, burn vehemently for a while, yet
out in a moment; so are all such matches made by those allurements of
burning lust; where there is no respect of honesty, parentage, virtue,
religion, education, and the like, they are extinguished in an instant, and
instead of love comes hate; for joy, repentance and desperation itself.
Franciscus Barbarus in his first book _de re uxoria, c. 5_, hath a story of
one Philip of Padua that fell in love with a common whore, and was now
ready to run mad for her; his father having no more sons let him enjoy her;
[5053]"but after a few days, the young man began to loath, could not so
much as endure the sight of her, and from one madness fell into another."
Such event comm