• Thou art more cruell farre then was Busirides the king,
• Or else then he that fretting fire, to brasen Bull did bring,
• Who as men say this Bull did geue, the cruell tyraunt to,
• Of Sycill Land: who with his wordes, did prayse the same also.
• The vse of this (O king quod he) in pryce doth farre surmount,
• The outward forme: for of the shape, make thou the least accoumpt.
• On right side lo thou open see’st, a place to stand in sight,
• Wherein put such as sley thou will, to satisfie thy spight.
• And that once done with sokinge coales, the closed man consume,
• Who like a Bull shall rore right out, with force of fretting fume.
• For which my worke a gwerdon dew, that I likewyse may haue,
• Some iust reward of thee (O Prynce) my paynefull wittes do craue.
• His tale thus done: the king stept forth, thou worker of this payne,
• Shall first (quod he) approue the same, and shall therein be slayne.
• Incontinent as he had taught, with fire hee sawe him burn’de,
• Who cruelly his manly voyce to beastly blearinge turn’de.

I know very wel, that there are many people, that take no delight to heare men speake and write thus freely, and are offended at the first worde, that any man mentioneth our afflictiōs alreadie past, as though after so many great losses, they would take away from vs our feeling and our tongue, & our speech, and libertie giuen vs to complaine withall. But herein they should doe worse vnto vs, than Phalaris did vnto them, whom he stifled and choaked in his brasen bull; for hee did not hinder them from crying, but this rather, that he would not heare their cries, as the cries of men, lest he might haue pittie vpon them, but as the bellowings of bullockes and buls, the better to disguise the sound of mans voice.

Notwithstanding, I may not with silence passe ouer a kind of cruelty, which I am perswaded Phalaris himselfe would haue wondered at, viz. that they inflicted the last and greatest torment vpon them by fire (as Phalaris did,) but first they cut out their tongues, bereauing them of the ease they might haue by speech, which Phalaris permitted to those whom he tormented: and not so only, but hauing cut out their tongues, they gagged them, that so they might make no noise at all, but be as mute as fishes. Neither was it safe for any to say, they pitied them, or to make any shew or semblance thereof, much lesse to commend the constancy of those who had the meanes left them to manifest it in the middest of their torments.

So Haman was hanged vpon the same gallowes, that he had prepared for Mordecai, Hest 7. and Perillus was first broyled in the brasen Bull that hee made for the tyrant Phalaris to torment others in. Iob sayth, The Lord taketh the wise in their craftinesse. This craftinesse is the wisedome of the world so much extolled. If a man be subtile and politike for his owne aduantage, though others be hindered and harmed thereby, and God dishonoured, yet hee is praysed, at leastwise he is highly conceited of himselfe for his wisedome. It is commonly sayd, The best gamesters haue the worst lucke, so these craftie foxes play often wilie beguile themselues For the Lord will not let their wicked imaginations prosper, lest they be too proude He that intendeth euill against the Ruler, is secret and deepe, but he first falleth into his owne pit. The sauage Papists haue afforded vs many examples hereof in this Land, for God hath giuen them vp into a foolish and reprobate minde, to make snares, traps and pits for themselues; it is all their practise, they do nothing but worke their owne woe. They rush against the rocke, and are split in peeces.

Courteous Reader, Thou maiest here bathe thy self in tears at the sad perusall of this Spanish cruelty. Here thou hast a little taste of the sad calamities and miseries of the poor Netherlands, occasion’d by this bloody Inquisition, the unparalell’d Butcheries and Massacres of poor innocent souls, with most exquisite cruelties, and only for their Religion: Here maiest thou see poor Protestants tormented with such strange cruelties as never durst be owned under the very Heathen Emperours: Here are poor Christians rack’t and torn with such strange diabolism, as they rack even cruelty it self, to make it confess a Bull of Phalaris, or some exquisite Torments in it’s bowels yet incognita, knocking at the very gates of Hell for new Tortures: But alas! I am sorry to think, that whilst they Martyr others, they have too hot a bargain for themselves.

Thursday the 28. This night their Magazine at Cottingham was fired, and nine of their great Granadoes, which they had provided for Hull, where (as Phalaris in his Brasen Bull) their firemaster generall was the first that suffered by his own Engine, and five or sixe more.

this Calf [one of the “Viperous brood of Hydra-headed Cavaliers”] is a great bleater in our Streets of London, and if let alone, will at last become a bellowing bull of Basan; but I, hope the Magistracy of this City, will take order for the bayting of this Malignant beast, whose malice like Phalaris Bull, makes that a torment first for himself, which hee hath invented to punish others.

Or if the Gentleman will needs, by an Acyrology, term the subject of those Queries, the Ordination of Ministers; then I must crave leave to inform him, that although the said Queries do not concern the Question of the Magistrates Power about matters of Religion, in the general, yet do they mainly concern a particular branch of that Power, which is asserted unto him about such matters in the Ministers Proposals; as the Reader, if he judgeth it worth his time to compare the one with the other, will readily find. But by the sence of this Anti-querist, and the Apologist touching the interposure of the Magistrates Power in matters of Religion, it appeareth sufficiently that if the Land had a Phalaris King over it, there would be found more then one Perillus to make him brazen Bulls for the tormenting of such Christians, who are either too weak, or too wise, to swim down the stream of a State Religion, or to call men, Rabbi.

The Stoickes mainteyned that a vertuous man might descend into Phalaris bull, without the interruption of his happines. We Christians are taught, and disciplined to rejoyce even in tribulation, and marke well our bow stringes, because tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed in our hearts by the Holy Ghost that is given unto us.

Yea, if from these holy ones, thou shalt turn thine eyes to some meer Pagans, let me shew thee the man whom we are wont to account infamous for voluptuousness; Epicurus, the Philosopher; who on his dying day, when he lay extremely tormented with the stone in the bladder, and a tearing Collick in his bowels, as it were gasping for life; yet even then writing to his Idomeneus, can out of the strength of his resolutions profess his chearfulness; and can style even that day blessed. It was the same mouth that could boast, that if he were frying in the brazen Bull of Phalaris, he could there finde contentment.

Conscience which is the invisible Iudge that sits upon the Tribunall of our Soules, sentencing our good and bad actions; shewing us what is to be done, what to be undone; a witnes either excusing or accusing us; a schoolemaster having in one hand a booke to instruct us, in the other a rod to to correct us: and like a Horsman having a bit to curbe us, that we may not run out, and a whipe to slash us when wee are unruly: which the Poets expressed by the snakie haired Furies, by the raven of Prometheus, continually eating up his heart, and by the dart that sticks in the side of the wounded Deere. This Conscience I say, is an act (not a habit) of the reason, or intellect (not of the will) by which it prescribes what is good or evil, right or wrong, to be done or undone; if we do wel it affords us a continuall Feast; if evill, Phalaris his brasen Bull is not such a tormentor; & somuch the crueller in that it is unavoydable, accompanying us where ever we go, as the shaddow doth the body as the evill spirit haunted Saul.

As for Perillus, there is no man commendeth him for his workmanship, but holdeth him more cruell than Phalaris the Tyrant, who set him a work, for that he deuised a brasen Bull, to rost & frie condemned persons in; assuring the Tyrant, that after the fire was made vnder it, they would when they cried seeme to bellow like a Bull, & so rather make sport than moue compassion: but this Perillus was the first himselfe that gaue the hansell to the engine of his own inuention, & although this was cruelty in the Tyrant, yet surely such a workman deserued no better a reward, & justly he felt the smart of it: For why? The art and cunning foundery, which of all others is most ciuile & agreeable to our nature, and which had beene emploied ordinarily in representing the personages of men and gods, this monster of men abused, and debased to this vile and vnnaturall ministery of tormenting man. Would one haue euer thought, that after so many witty & worthy men who had trauelled in this science to bring it to some perfection, all their labours should turne in the end to this proofe, for to make instruments thereby of torture? And certes, there being many pieces of his workmanship, they be kept and saued for this cause onely, that as many as see the same, may detest and abhor the wicked hand that made them.

Some snared with their owne deuises. As Perillus, who gaue the brazen Bull to the Tyrant Phalaris, who caused the said Perillus to be first pained and tormented in the same engine, which he had inuented: Euen so some doo fall into the pitte and snare which they had made and deuised for other. Psal. 57.6. Pro. 26.2. Eccle. 10.8.

the Sergeant1 woulde not suffer them to die so easie a death: but himselfe putting bullets in their mouth to the ende they should not crie, rosted them softly after his desire. If at any time by due order and formall processe of lawe, a malefactor being a Spaniard were put to death by the Indians, the Spaniards ordayned a decree among them selues, that for one Spaniard they were to flay an hundred Indians. A certaine Indian Lord flying from out the Ile Hispaniola into the Ile Cuba, was by the Spaniards so continually pursued, that at last they apprehended him, and burned him with the rest of his company. When he was bound to the stake, a Franciscan Frier began to common with him touching the knowledge of God & principles of Christian faith.

Perillus, was an artifycer, which made a bul of brasse wherinto (being glowing hotte) men shuld be put, that in tourmentynge of them, by theyr crienge, a noyse shulde issue out lyke the mowynge or belowynge of a bulle, the whiche engine whanne Perillus hadde gyuen to Phalaris, the cruell tyraunt, he caused the craftes manne to be fyrste putte into it, to proue his owne experience.

In kynge Cyrus tyme Phalaris a tyrant of Scicilia punysshed men ofte rightfully though he were hym self vnrightfull ¶ Than one Parilius a craftes man of bras desired to plese the tyrant and made hym a brasen boole with a dore in the riyhtsyde where men that were dampud shold goo in to the boole for to be tormented and whan they were within and the dore closed and fyre made ther vnder the noyse and crye of hem that were tormented shold passe by dyuerse wyndinges and tornynges so that it shold seme grisely roryng of booles and of beestes and not mannes gronyng But Phalaris the tyrant was wele apayed with the dede and wroth with the doer and made hym first essaye the torment that he had wickedly brought vp to torment other men and punysshed the craftes man by the craft that he had founden.

1. Unhurt, untoucht did I complain;
   And terrifi’d all others with the pain:
   But now I feel the mighty evil;
   Ah, there’s no fooling with the Devil!
   So wanton men, whilst others they would fright,
   Themselves have met a real Spright.
2. I thought, I’ll swear, an handsome ly
   Had been no sin at all in Poetry:
   But now I suffer an Arrest,
   For words were spoke by me in jest.
   Dull, sottish God of Love, and can it be
   Thou understand’st not Raillerie?
3. Darts, and Wounds, and Flame, and Heat,
   I nam’d but for the Rhime, or the Conceit.
   Nor meant my verse should raised be,
   To this sad fame of Prophesie;
   Truth gives a dull Propriety to my stile,
   And all the Metaphors does spoile:
4. In things, where Fancy much does reign,
   Tis dangerous too cunningly to feign.
   The Play at last a Truth does grow,
   And Custom into Nature go.
   By this curst art of begging I became
   Lame, with counterfeiting Lame.
5. My Lines of amorous desire
   I wrote to kindle and blow others fire:
   And ’twas a barbarous delight
   My Fancy promise’d from the sight;
   But now, by Love, the mighty Phalaris, I
   My burning Bull the first do try.

• But all his praises could not now appease
• The provoked author, whom it did displease
• To hear his verses, by so just a curse
• That were ill made condemned to be read worse:
• And how (impossible) he made yet more
• Absurdities in them than were before.
• For he his untuned voice did fall or raise
• As a deaf man upon a viol plays,
• Making the half points and the periods run
• Confus’der than the atoms in the sun.
• Thereat the poet swelled, with anger full,
• And roared out, like Perillus in’s own bull;
• ‘Sir, you read false.’

• Marke and behold yee bloudy Irish Nation
• This Heavenly Figure; where my contemplation
• Hath beene implyoyed: Your horrid deedes, mee thought
• Would into question in short time be brought.
• Bloud cries for Bloud: mee thinks I feare each houre
• God will his vengeance on that Island powre.
• See Meger, Palefac’d, Saturne, Furious Mars,
• In Taurus, Irelands Signe, most dismall Starres,
• By God appointed; for to doe his will.
• Fire, Famine, Sword, the Plague: of bloud their fill
• Shalbe their portion: Phalaris did frame
• A brazen Bull, But when the burning flame
• Had heate the Engine, He himselfe first felt
• The cruell torments, which he would have dealt
• To others: Irelands case is farre more worse
• The children yet unborne that folke will curse.
• Though Spaine and France: The Pope, that man of sin
• With his adherents you to ayde begin.
• And bring you succour, Vengeance cries aloud
• Tis heap’d as raine into a fearefull cloud,
• Vnlesse that God restraine Heavens menaceing
• This sad position will your ruine bring.

• Perillus an excellent Artificer (being then famous for excellent inuentions) to satisfie the inhumane disposition of the tyrant Phalaris, as also in hope to be highly rewarded for his ingenious deuice: made a bull of brasse for a new kind of torment, presenting it to Phalaris, who made, triall thereof by tormenting Perillus first therein. From this Argument or subiect of reuenge, we may obserue two speciall motiues of Morall instruction or humane Caution. The first is, to deterre vs from humoring or soothing such, on whom we haue dependence, in irregular or sinister respects. For the vertuous, whose comfort is the testimonie of a good conscience, scorne to hold correspondence with vicious men, whose commands euer tend to depraued and enormious ends. The second is, a notable example of reuenge in Perillus suffering, & in Phalaris inflicting. Much was it that this curious Artizan expected, but with equall & deserued censure was he rewarded: for inglorious seconded by like ends. Hence the Satyre displayeth such in their natiue colours, who rather then they will lose the least esteeme with men of high ranke or qualitie, vse to dispence with faith, friend, and all, to plant them firmer in the affection of their Patron. But obserue the conclusion, as their meanes were indirect, so their ends sorted euer with the meanes. They seldome extend their temporizing houres to an accomplished age, but haue their hopes euer blasted, ere they be well bloomed: their iniurious aimes discouered, ere they be rightly leuelled: and their wishes to a tragicall period exposed, as their desires were to all goodnesse opposed. May all proiectors or stateforragers sustaine like censure, hauing their natures so reluctant or opposite to all correspondence with honour. Longer I will not dilate on this subiect, but recollect my spirits, to adde more spirit to my ouer-tyred Satyre, who hath bene so long employed in the Embassie of Nature, and wearied in dancing the Wilde mans measure, that after Perillus censure she must repose ere she proceede any further; and take some breath ere I dance any longer.

• Braue Enginer, you whose more curious hand
• Hath fram’d a Bull of brasse by choycest art,
• That as a Trophie it might euer stand,
• And be an Embleme of thy cruell heart:
• Hearke what’s thy tyrant Phalaris command,
• Whose will’s a law; and hauing heard it well,
• Thy censure to succeeding ages tell.
• Thou must (as it is iust) be first presented
• A sacrifice vnto the brazen Bull,
• And feele that torture which thy art inuented,
• That thou maist be rewarded to the full;
• No remedy, it cannot be preuented.
• Thus, thus reuenge appeares which long did smother,
• He must be catcht, that aimes to catch another.
• Iust was thy iudgement, Princely Phalaris,
• Thy censure most impartiall; that he
• Whose artfull hand that first contriued this,
• To torture others, and to humour thee,
• Should in himselfe feele what this torture is.
• Which great or small, he must be forc’d to go,
• May such tame-beasts be euer vsed so.
• Like fate befell vnhappie Phereclus,
• Who first contriu’d by cunning more then force,
• To make once glorious Troy as ruinous
• As spoile could make it: therefore rear’d a Horse,
• Framed by Pallas art, as curious,
• As art could forme, or cunning could inuent,
• To weaue his end, which art could not preuent.
• See ye braue state-proiectors, what’s the gaine
• Ye reape by courses that are indirect:
• See these, who first contriu’d, and first were slaine,
• May mirrors be of what ye most affect!
• These labour’d much, yet labour’d they in vaine;
• For there’s no wit how quicke soere can do it,
• If powers diuine shall make resistance to it.
• And can ye thinke that heauen, whose glorious eye
• Surueyes this Uniuerse, will daigne to view
• Men that are giuen to all impietie?
• You say, he will; he will indeed, it’s true;
• But this is to your further misery.
• For that same eye which viewes what you commit,
• Hath sight to see, and power to punish it.
• To punish it, if hoording sin on sin,
• Ye loath Repentance, and bestow your labour,
• Onely to gaine esteeme, or else to win
• By your pernicious plots some great mans fauour;
• O I do see the state that you are in,
• Which cannot be redeem’d, vnlesse betime
• With sighs for sins, you wipe away your crime!
  
• For shew me one, (if one to shew you haue)
• Who built his fortunes on this sandie ground,
• That euer went gray-headed to his graue,
• Or neare his end was not distressed found,
• Or put not trust in that which did deceiue!
• Sure few there be, if any such there be,
• But shew me one, and it sufficeth me.
• I grant indeed, that for a time these may
• Flourish like to a Bay tree, and increase,
• Like Oliue branches, but this lasts not aye,
• Their Halcyon dayes shall in a moment ceasse,
• When night (sad night) shall take their soules away.
• Then will they tune their strings to this sad song,
• Short was our sun-shine, but our night-shade long
• Ye then, I say, whose youth-deceiuing prime,
• Promise successe, beleeue’t from me, that this,
• When time shall come (as what more swift then time)
• Shall be conuerted to a painted blisse,
• Whose gilded outside beautifide your crime;
• Which once displaide, cleare shall it shew as light,
• Your Sommer-day’s become a winter night.
• Beware then ye, who practise and inuent,
• To humour greatnesse; for there’s one more great,
• Who hath pronounc’d, like sinne, like punishment;
• Whom at that day ye hardly may intreat,
• When death and horror shall be eminent:
• Then will ye say vnto the Mountaines thus,
• And shadie groues, Come downe and couer vs.
• But were ye great as earthly pompe could make ye,
• Weake is the arme of flesh, or mightinesse,
• For all these feeble hopes shall then forsake ye,
• With the false flourish of your happinesse,
• When ye vnto your field-bed must betake ye;
• Where ye for all your shapes and glozed formes,
• Might deceiue men, but cannot deceiue wormes.
Richard Brathwaite, “Of Revenge [Satyre 16],” in Natvres Embassie (London, 1621), 160–4.

• To Thomas Tur. by the example of Perillus, alluding to Quod tibi non vis fieri, alterine feceris.
• Had not the cruell bloody kinde, imbrued it selfe with blood,
• No doute the life of Phallaris, might soone haue doone much good.
• For why? yll manners did corrupt, and banisht ciuell kinde,
• And gasping thirst of humaine blood, defilde a worthy minde.
• Whose workes be yet this day, to see how much hee stood in awe,
• Of Sages wise, whom hée estéemde, which did neglect the law.
• Of him and of his Tortures great, all voyde of sparkes of loue,
• Who hath not read, and yet once red, whose harts doth hée not moue?
• Did not Perillus bloody wretch (whose factes my gréefe renew)
• From Athens bring the brazen Bull, if Poets workes be trew?
• Hoping of him which loued the same, for to obtaine the prise,
• Whose wordes did soone bewray his Art, and vttered his deuise.
• Oh noble Kinge (quoth hée) beholde, in Athens where I dwell,
• Thy fame is spred, for why eche one, thy tyranny doth tell.
• The Brute wherof vnto my eare, by chaunce did come of late,
• As well of thee as of thy life, and of thy prosperous state.
• And by my trade (oh noble Kinge) I vse to worke in Brasse,
• Loe here a worke, which of good will, I offer to your grace.
• The like to it since Saturns dayes, was neuer wrought before.
• Nor as I thinke by mortall hands, can neuer bee made more.
• For loe, the Torture is so strange, the torment is such paine,
• The like to it you haue not had, nor shall not haue againe:
• These wordes inflamed his furious hart, which thirsted after blood,
• And to Perillus furiously, hée spake with raging moode.
• And sayd, Perillus shew the vse, cease not for to declare,
• And I will well reward thy paines, Perillus doo not feare.
• The Bull is hollow (noble Prince) a man therin may lye,
• Aslender flame beeing made with out, hée shall consume and fry.
• His spéech shall turne like to the noyse, that liuing bulles doth make,
• And for a terror to thy foes, I made it for thy sake,
• Possesse the same: which done, the Kinge his glosing wordes to try,
• First put Perillus in the Bull, where hée him selfe did die.
• And after him that cursed Bull, to many brought great smart,
• And Phallaris did ende his life, within Art.
• By whose cruell end, I doo perceiue that counsell wise to bée,
• Doo thou no worse to other men, then they all doo to thee.