II.

The Affairs not succeeding according to the Pope’s, and the King of _France_’s desire, they made Peace with the _Spaniard_ the 14th of _October_ 1557. and because it was an effect of Gods Providence, which moved the Pope’s, and the Kings hearts; the Author saith, they were _struck from Heaven_.

After this _Peace_ the Author mentions an _Earth-quake_, which is very likely considering the overflowing of the _Tyber_, which followed immediately.

The night after, that _Peace_ was proclaimed at _Rome_, on a _Tuesday_ the _Tyber_ did so overflow his Banks, that the inundation was thought the greatest that ever was, yea greater than that which happened in the year 1530. under _Clement_ VII.

There were ten or twelve Mills carried away, all the Vine-yards along the _Tyber_, from _Pontemole_ to St. _Peters_ Church, were buried under the Sands, that the water carried.

Abundance of Houses fell to the ground. In _Rome_ many Gardens and houses of pleasure were destroyed, the loss of the Wines, Hay, Wood, and Corn could not be valued.

In _Florence_ the River of _Arno_ did more mischief than the _Tyber_ at _Rome_, the History of the Genealogy of the house of _Medicis_, made by _Peter de Boissat_, mentioneth, that in some places of the City of _Florence_, the water overflowed to the heigth of eight Fathoms, and covered all the valley of _Arne_.

The damage was yet greater at _Empoly_, a Town in _Tuscany_, where, of three thousand people, there escaped but eighteen.

But to return to _Tyber_, its waters being retired into their Channel, left so much mud, where it had overflowed, that no body could walk upon it, and upon that mud near the _Tyber_, was a Serpent seen of a prodigious bigness, which was killed by the Countrey people.

This is the Authors meaning in the last Verse, _Arne, Tyber, full of Surges, Serpent cast upon the Shore_.

In the third Verse he saith, those three Princes were struck or moved from Heaven to make _Peace_, that is, from God; every one considering that this War was only for their mutual distruction.

The Vulgar impression putteth in the fourth Verse, _Pau_, _Tyber_, in stead of _Arne_, _Tyber_, which is a visible fault; for the History mentioneth only the inundation of those two Rivers in _Italy_, it may be that the likeness of those words, _Pau_ and _Arne_, is the cause of the mistake; as also because the name of _Pau_, which is the biggest River in _Italy_, is more famous in History than that of _Arne_, which is the River that passeth through _Florence_.