of Cyrus which he also established by the meanes of Zorobabel in pleasing the king for his probleame as it is written in Esdras But God still exercised his people with some crosses because of their stubbernes for from the time they came home vnder Zorobabel they had maried with the Gentiles and offended God vntill the comming of Esdras from Darius with authoritie to build to repaire and to inhabite Ierusalem for so doth Bucholcerus in his Chronicles write saying that Daniel doeth comprehend in two words Ierusalem inhabitabitur aedificabitur the whole summe of Esdras bookes Nowe in the time of Darius of Cambyses before him and of Cyrus before Cambyses God stirred vp diuers excellent men to helpe his people to restore his Church and to builde his city againe as Zorobabel Esdras Nehemias with others whose care delight and zeale are extant in their owne bookes which they wrote For after their returne from Babylon there was peace and tranquilitie in Iudea vntil Ochus time for Nehemias liued 130. yeres and saw being very old a new broile and a greater calamitie of his coūtrey for though the posteritie of Dauid cōtinued vntil the time of the Machabees as gouernors Iudges of the people not naming themselues kings for the reuerence and feare which they bare vnto the kings of Persia. Salathiels sonne first gouernor of the Iewes after the captiuitie of Babylon Zorobabel of whom mention is made in Zacharie ruled Israel wisely discreetly 50. yeres Resa Mesulla the 2. gouernour in whose time Nehemias and Esdras came from Babylon to Ierusalem After him succeeded Iohanna Benresa the third Iudge who gouerned Israel 53. yeres The 4. was Iudas Hircanus the first of that name and thought of Melancthon to be so called for that Ochus king of Persia brought with him a nomber of the Iewes to Hircania and therfore Iudas was sirnamed Hircanus This iudged Israel when Alexander conquered Darius raigned 14. yeres Then Ioseph the first ruled the Iewes 7. yeeres The 5. ruler after Ioseph came Abner to gouerne the Iewes in whose time Ptolomeus the sonne of Lagi the first king of Egypt after Alexander the great vnder pretence to do sacrifice vpon the Sabboth day tooke the towne spoiled the temple slew imprisoned the Iewes and brought to Egypt infinite treasure Now after this Abner the 6. Iudge since the time of Alexāder succeeded of Dauids stock frō Abner to Ianna Hircanus the 2. who was the last of 15. gouernors ouer the Israelites after the captiuitie for they cōtinued euen vnto the time of the Machabees After this Haman plaied his part and thought to haue al the Iewes slaine cōmanded a gallowes to be made for Mardocheus the historie hereof is found in the booke of Esther for about the time of Cyrus death the gouernment was then altered in Rome Consuls were made after the building of Rome 244. yeres in the 67. Olympiad in the beginning of the 9. Iubilie at what time Cambises had subdued Egypt brought them subiects to the lawes of Persia After Cambises Darius went against the Getes and ouerthrew them and his chiefe captaine Zopirus sonne Megabisus vanquished the Thracians and subdued the Peonians and tooke Perinthus During this time the Lacedemonians had warres against Policrates the tyrant of Samos The Philosopher Pythagoras and Hippocrates the Phisition liued this time While the Iewes as you heard were in planting themselues in Ierusalem againe the Graecians were busie one with another Tyrants ruled Greece and gouerned by the bloodie law of Draco for Hipparchus and Hippias vsed tyrannie in Athens and were slayne both by Hermodius and Aristogiton Aristagoras a tyrant reuolted and rebelled against Darius which mooued Darius in armes against the Ionians and ouerthrew them and tooke their chiefe citie called Miletum A litle after Miltiades the chiefe captaine of Athens by the councel of Callimachus the famous Graecian ouerthrewe Darius king of Persias lieutenant called Hippias in the battell of Marathon where he slewe 6300. Persians as both Thucidides and Iustine doe report This ouerthrow of the Persians was at that very time when Tarquinius superbus made his last battel with the Romane Dictator Posthumius where he was put to flight and after died in exile Aristides surnamed the Iust was banished this time from Greece and Alcibiades called backe to Athens from his banishment Now Nehemia causing the law of Moses to bee read as an ordinance to serue God and reproouing them for their disobedience in ioining themselues with strangers they were in some quietnesse for a time though sometime murther and slaughter were betweene themselues committed for the which cause Bagoses the generall of Artaxerxes armie vnderstanding that the high Priest slewe his brother in the Temple being a deare friend to Bagoses he plagued the Iewes againe for the space of seuen yeeres and reuenged his death with slaughter and tribute he placed Iaddus in the office of the priesthood in his fathers place This high priest had to his brother one named Manasses which was sent to Samaria by Darius the last king of Persia. A little while after this Alexander the great after that his father Philip died hauing brought his armie ouer the Grecians sea called Helespont vnto the riuer of Granicus hauing subdued the Lydians Tyre besieged and taken Thebes wasted and spoiled al Asia he ouerthrew Darius the king of Persia carying his souldiers through Caria inuaded Pamphilia came ouer Euphrates vnto Syria tooke Damascus besieged Tyre and Sidon and he wrote to Hierusalem to the hie Priest Iaddus that his souldiers might haue passage without interruption and also requiring the tribute that was paied to Darius to be paid to him and to the crowne of Macedonia for that Alexander had vanquished Darius and had caried the Empire of Persia vnto Greece they of Hierusalem were frighted and much amased what to doe But cōcluding among themselues they opened the gates and the hie Priest came out with all the Priestes the Elders and Nobles of the Citie in most solemne sort to meete Alexander out of Hierusalem vnto a place named Sapha and saluted Alexander most humbly being in precious garments and pontifical robes with his sacred mitre whereupon was written the name of the God Iehoua The solemnitie and state whereof made Alexander to light from his horse and to yeelde to the hie Priest more honour and reuerence then his countreymen the Macedonians thought wel of so great a king so mightie a cōquerour euen Alexander the great to humble himselfe to a silie priest Parmenio demaunding the cause of Alexander why he honoured the priest somuch he answered that he reuerenced God whom the hie Priestrepresented at that time for I dreamed of these men euen as I behold them nowe when I was yet in Macedonia This Priest exhorted me then to be of good courage and bade me goe forward with my armie to Persia. Thus with great honor
first yeere of Salmanasser vntill the first yeere of Nabuchodonosors raigne is 115. yeeres hee raigned but tenne yeere in the whole and then he died And after him succeeded Saneherib who dwelt in Niniue who following his fathers steppes in all tyrannie and seeking meanes to destroy the rest of Gods people came with a mightie huge armie to besiege Hierusalem against king Ezechias with most horrible blasphemies against God preferring his owne force and power being the arme of flesh before the Lord of heauen but the prayer of Ezechias the king and of the Prophete Esay was heard of God and God sent his Angels to defend his saincts and to destroy the enemies of his Church All the bragges of Sanneherib and all his horrible blasphemies the Lord at a moment with one blast blewe away his force his strength and his huge armies being one hundreth fourscore and fiue thousand were slaine by the Angell of the Lorde and Sanneherib fled to Niniue where his owne sonnes Adramelech and Sharazer slew him in the temple worshipping his god Nisroch euen before that Idole whome hee preferred before the liuing God the iust iudgement of God for blasphemie to bee slaine of his owne sonnes before the face of his god For this periured king Sanneherib sware vnto the Embassadours of Ezechias if hee might haue three hundreth talents of siluer and thirtie talents of golde hee would peaceably depart without offering of any iniurie to the Iewes this Ezechias by perswasions satisfied his demaunde but Sanneherib perfourmed not his promise but contrary to his othe returning from Egypt where hee layde siege to Pelusium in vaine fearing Tharsicos king of AEthiopia that with great power came to ayde the king of Egypt hee came as you heard and layde siege to Ierusalem but he had his reward Herodotus saith that in Egypt in one of the temples there was a statue made for Sanneherib with this sentence written in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This sentence is of some referred to Sethon king of Egypt And thus this wicked king after much mischiefe and harme done to the Church of God in the seuenth yeere of his raigne and in the 12. Olympiad died he and his father Salmanasser raigned in Assyria when Romulus and Rhemus raigned in Rome he had the ende you heard of you shall reade more of him in the second booke of Herodotus All this while Chaldea had their gouernours their lawes and all thinges free fit for the common wealth yet they payed tribute to the kings of Assyria Hitherto newe Assyria raigned as the chiefe seate of the Empire and held Babylon as subiect to their Scepter Now while this Sannehorib had in hand to conquere Iudea and thought thence to passe vnto Egypt as hee did imagining fully to subdue all those regions which his father Salmanasser thought to haue done when newes came to Babylon that all his armie was slaine at Ierusalem and himselfe killed at Niniue by his sonnes the Chaldeans being hereof aduertised tooke present occasions to set in for the Empire of Assyria Merodach being then gouernour of Babylon considering that both his two sonnes fled to Armenia after the murther of their father as Functius saith for feare of their elder brother Asserhaddon but Iosephus saith the yonger brother Nowe Asserhaddon one of the three sonnes of Sanneherib in whose time Manasses king of Iuda was borne when his father was slaine and his brethren fled he entred to his fathers seate and gouerned the Assyrians tenne yeres But Merodach the sonne of Baladan the gouernour of Babylon a discreete man looking vnto the gouernment of Asserhaddon being full of contention betweene the brethren the other two which fled before after they killed their father returne with a great armie against the king Asserhaddon their brother and helde ciuill warres within themselues so long that the Monarchie of Assyria became so weake that Merodach translated the kingdome of Assyria vnto Chaldea and brought Niniue againe subiect vnto Babylon Nowe when Merodach had raigned twelue yeeres in Babylon and after hauing the full dignitie and supremacie ouer the Assyrians and Chaldeans hee was named the first king of Babylon againe and raigned fourtie yeres in Babylon Of this Merodach there is mention made in Ieremie Capta est Babel confusus est Bel victus est Merodach which shal be more spoken of when the kingdome of Iudea is in hand Ptolomey doth call this Merodach Mardocempadus for in the Egyptian histories Herodotus differeth frō Eusebius others in the names of kings men must reade with great diligence with much care and weigh the computation of time as here betweene Metasthenes and Functius some controuersie riseth from the time of Belochus vnto Merodach But Functius following the best authoritie is best to be beleeued for he reproueth by propheticall histories the errour of Metasthenes which goeth about without warrant of Scripture to prooue histories of the Bible as these partly be for the most part both of Assyrian and Chaldean histories for after Sardanapalus time they do cōcurre with the time of the Prophets Esay doeth make mention of Merodach the sonne of Baladan who sent Ambassadours with letters vnto Ezechias with great presents to intreat of friendship and to be in league one with another where they were with all solemnitie receiued shewing vnto them all the treasures and pleasures of Ierusalem and returning to Babylon with rewards After Merodach died when hee had raigned fourtie yeeres in Babylon leauing behinde him his sonne Bemerodach who raigned one and twentie yeeres of whome litle or nothing we reade of After whom succeeded Nabuchodonosor the first father of the great Nabuchodonosor this king tooke warre in hand against Necho king of Egypt and went from Niniue to the riuer Perath which is likewise Euphrates where Necho came in person to fight against a citie of the Assyrians named Carchemish Iosias fearing Necho lest he passing through Iudea would haue taken his kingdome he not consulting with the Lord fighting with Necho was slaine in the valley of Megiddo or Magiddo as Herodotus and Functius affirme But to come to Nabuchodonosor To auoyde tediousnes I will ioyne him with his father letting the reader to the second of Herodotus where hee shall reade of this first Nabuchodonosor and his warres and for that hee ioyntly raigned two yeeres with his sonne as Functius doeth write the sonne being of greater fame and better knowen farre then the rest of the kings of Chaldea or of Assyria In the Ecclesiasticall historie I wil set downe his actions his warres his greatnes and his victories After his father had raigned 25. yeres this his sonne Nabuchodonosor the great who in the eight yeere of his raigne subdued all Syria Iudea onely excepted conquered from Euphrates vnto Pelusium and brought in subiection euen from the riuer of Egypt vnto the riuer Perath and all that pertained to the king of
admonished to stand to his faith most stoutly and dyed for the same This time againe another sedicion began in Alexandria for sooner the great Ocean could be emptied from water then Alexandria purged from sedicion Of this sedicion Dionysius wrote to Hierax byshop of Egypt and also a terrible sicknesse that then reigned in Alexandria for the rewarde of their persecution which so long and so vehement endured which was warre hunger and pestilence that they were so plagued in Alexandria for their crueltie against the Church of Christ as Egypt was for their tyrannie shewed to the Israelites These and many other things wrote Dionysius into Egypt into Affrike and to al Asia to instruct the brethren of the tumults sedicion and persecution in Alexandria and after of the warres hunger and plague that ensued the same Nowe a Synod was called at Rome to consult of the heresie of Paulus Samosatenus who denied the Diuinitie and Eternitie of our Sauiour Christ for at that time Paulus Samosatenus succeeded Demetrianus in Antiochia and for that he thought so impiously of Christ affirming in all pointes that hee was but a man a Synod also was called at Antiochia where diuers learned byshops and other godly preachers came together amongst whom Firmilianis byshop of Caesarea in Cappadocia Gregorius Nazianzenus and his brother Athenodorus which were byshops in Pontus Helenus byshop of Tarsus Hymeneus byshop of Ierusalem and Theolecnus with Maximus the one byshop of Caesarea in Palestina the other byshop of Bosteana in Arabia with many more which for breuitie sake I omit where Samosatenus was confuted by Malchion a reader of the Greeke lecture in Antiochia a subtill schooleman and a perfect good Christian so that at length Samosatenus was condemned as a heretike and driuen out of his bishoprike by the commaundement of Aurelianus the Emperour This time began one other heretike called Manes to sowe the seede of Satan of whom sprang those heretikes called the Manichees and as persecution seased some time so heresie at that very time beganne to encrease Nowe reigned this time these byshops in Rome Alexandria Antiochia and in other places 1 First in Rome after Stephanus reigned Xistus 23. Byshop of 2 Rome after him Dionysius the 24 Byshop after Dionysius 3. 4. Felix the 25. then Eutichianus the 26. Byshoppe and 5 Gaius the 27. Byshop In Alexandria after that godly Dionysius of whome you 6 heard of succeeded Maximus after Maximus succeded 7 Theonas After Demetrianus in Antioch fourteene Bishops This Paulus Samosatenus being as an Heretike condemned succeeded him Domnus Demetrianns sonne After him succeeded Timaeus After Timaeus succeeded that great and famous scholler Cyrillus In Laodicea Eusebius a learned man was Byshop and many other Byshops in other places as Hymeneus and Labdas two Byshops of Ierusalem CHAP. IIII. From Dioclesian vnder whom the vehementest persecutions of any reigned vntill the reigne of Alexand. Seuerus by whose good meanes and great trauatle persecution somewhat slackt at what time diuers Heresies beganne fresh in many places of Asia and Europe NOwe Dioclesianas the Emperour beginneth to reigne in Rome vnder whome the greatest perseucution of all fell for the like against the Christians was at no time seene for some rest they had in all places by meanes of learned mens Epistles to other emperors before this but now were Churches throwen downe sacred bookes burned and godly learned Byshops persecuted in such sort that I wish them that desire to knowe the miserie and aflictions of Christians of that time to reade Eusebius his eight booke of his Ecclesiasticall histories and there he shall reade howe that in Palestina and in Phoenicia Christians were throwen most cruelly to bee deuoured of beastes which beasts though they were such as were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet had no power to touch them though they were lyons beares wilde bulles and such others which made the people amased which thing being certified vnto the Romane magistrate Viturius he commaunded them to be slaine with the sword and their bodies to be throwen into the sea The like persecution fell in Egypt where an infinite number were haled and drawen by the head by the feete some hauing their bones broken some their sinowes stretched some hanged aliue to famine by their legges vpwarde some tortured sundry wayes in the fire with diuers other inuentions of torments that some dayes tenne some dayes twentie some thirtie and some dayes a hūdred were persecuted most tyrannically which continued not for dayes but for yeeres for it was lawful for any other man to abuse to punish and to compell Christians to Idolatrie and to obey their religion The persecution was so sore in his time that 1700. were martyred and slaine in thirtie dayes and they were the best and chiefest men in Palestina Phoenicia Egypt so was Philoromus a gouernour and a magistrate in Alexandria Phileas Bishop of Egypt and these whose names among thousands I pickt out for that they are great men and magistrates and gouernors 1 Authimus Byshop of Nicomedia 2 Lucianus Byshop of Tyrus 3 Senobius one of the elders of Sidon 4 Syluanus Byshop of Emisa who in the very towne where he was Bishop with diuers other Martyrs with him were made as baites and prayes for rauening beastes 5 Another Syluanus who was martyred with 39. other Martyrs of Palestina this Syluanus was Byshop of Gaza 6. 7. Pelus and Nilus two Byshops of Egypt with many moe were martyred with diuers torments and at last burned Pamphilus an Elder the very ornament of Caesarea died a most constant Martyr Out of Alexandria were martyred most cruelly for their profession and faith many graue learned Byshops and Elders of the Church of Christ as Petrus then Byshop of Alexandria with whome dyed Faustus Dicius and Ammonius three of the most learned and vertuous Elders of that Church After these Phileas Hesicheus Pachimius and Theodorus 4. godly Byshops ouer the Churches of Egypt perfect Martyrs of Christ Iesus and of his Church What shoulde I rehearse millions more that constantly professed Christ refused no death no torments for his sake such was the mercie of God towarde his Church that the more that tyraunts persecuted Christians to death the more the number multiplied their faith encreased and the Church florished insomuch that a noble man of Nicomedia perceiuing the tyrannie and the affliction of the Christians and the vehement persecution that nowe endured in the time of Dioclesian being a Magistrate in the very face of the Romanes brake in pieces the Emperours letters and his decree concerning further punishment of the godly though in Nicomedia then were two Emperours yet this noble man feared not for IESVS sake and his saintes not onely to breake the commaundement of Caesar his lord and Emperour but also most boldly stood to it to the death Besides diuers others at that time in Nicomedia suffered most willingly
the first king borne of those that were called Galli for hitherunto the lineal sucession of Francus endured 36 After him his sonne Robert raigned 34. yeeres In the beginning of whose time the kingdome of Hungarie beganne 37 Henry the sonne of Robert succeeded and raigned after his father 30. yeeres 38 Philippe the first of that name and sonne to Henry raigned 49. yeeres In whose time beganne the kingdome of Bohemia In the time of this Philippe the first two most famous men and worthie Captaines tooke their voyages the one named Godfrey of Bullen with an armie from Fraunce into the holy Land which was Ierusalem so called after Christs time on earth this warre is called bellum Sacrum the sacred warres against the Saracens Reade Tilius Chronicles of the French kings where you shall finde a Catalogue of the nobles peeres and gentlemen of France and of diuers other countreys that went on that voyage with Godfrey of Bullen to Hierusalem the other Captaine came to England William the bastarde of Normandie afterward called William Conquerour of whom our English chronicles can testifie But I wil briefly passe ouer the kings 39 Lewes sirnamed Crassus raigned 28. yeeres 40 Lewes sirnamed Iunior 43. yeeres 41 Philippus Augustus sirnamed Deodatus 43. yeeres In whose time the Iewes were banished out of Fraunce 42 Lewes the eight of that name 4. yeeres 43 Lewes the ninth sirnamed Holy 43. yeeres 44 Philip the 3. sirnamed Audax son to Lewes 9. 15. yeres 45 Philippus the 4. sirnamed Pulcher the faire and sonne to Philip the thirde raigned 28. yeeres In this kings raigne began the kingdome of Ottoman the Turke 46 Lewes the 10. sirnamed Vtinus king both of Fraunce and of Nauarre raigned almost 2. yeeres 47 Philip the 5. sirnamed Longus raigned 5. yeeres 48 Carolus Pulcher king of Fraunce and Nauarre 7. yeeres Now after this Philip the first of the house of Valois began in the 1328. yeere of our Sauiour whose line hath continued euen frō this Philip of Valois the first king of that house vntill Frances Valois last king of Fraunce and the last of that stocke which continued 263. yeres whose names successiuely are here set downe in Tilius Chronicles as followeth 49 Philip of Valots the first king of that name 22. yeres 50 Whose eldest sonne named Iohn was the first Dolphine of Fraunce which to this day doeth continue Hee raigned after his father king of Fraunce 14. yeeres 51 Carolus the 5. sirnamed the wise raigned 18. yeeres Whose brother named also Philip was made duke of Burgūdy About this time Iohn Wicleue opened much falshoode yet vnknown of Papistrie both disputing writing against it 52 Carolus the sixt sirnamed Bene amatus raigned 42. yeeres this ordeined first the 3. Floure deluce This time raigned in England Richard the second 53 Charles the seuenth raigned 38. yeeres This king commenced warre against England at what time Henry the 5. raigned who subdued all Fraunce and was crowned king in Paris 54 Lewes the eleuenth raigned 23. yeeres 55 Carolus the eight raigned 14. yeeres 56 Lewes the 12. raigned 17. yeres in France being the 1500. yeere of our Sauiour Christ Reade of this king Arnoldus Ferronus all his thirde booke which hee onely wrote of this Lewes the 12. At what time raigned in England Henry the 7. Thus farre briefly Iranne ouer the state of France omitting many thinges willingly and wittingly which I particularly touch in the historie of Spaine for I tooke not in hand to write at large or to set foorth great volumes of superfluous histories but onely as I saide before to note the antiquities and first beginning of kingdomes and to marke the errours of prophane histories in many things dissenting from Moses from Daniel and from the Propheticall writings who opened all Chronicles for they coulde not agree in the chiefest pointes of all true Chronicles neither the Romanes in the building of Rome from whence they ground their histories neither the Greekes by their Olympiads neither the Persians of Cyrus time neither Spaine in their accompt of A. E R. A neither the Arabians of their Hegyra In fine vnpossible it is to finde the trueth of Antiquities in prophane writers without conferring of the same with the Sacred histories of the Prophets who reueiled the trueth of time by their Iubilees A BRIEFE FOR BRITAINE SEeing that I haue written of other countreys I can not tell how to answere my countreymen well if I should not also somewhat speake of the Britains though in trueth many haue sufficiently written of the comming of Brutus vnto this land of his kingdome and succession of kings and continuance which though of some denied which do now as they then did in the time of Halicarnassaeus who after he had trauailed his histories from Sempronius Fabius Pictor and from M. Cato and proued euidently the comming of Aeneas into Italy of his kingdome and posteritie in Alba longa vntill Romulus being 17. discents after him yet some gens inuidiosa Traianis as Halicarnassaeus calleth them seemed not to allow the historie though they knewe it themselues also read it by so many proued because they would be named antiquaries and the credite of the histories should come from them Such was Polidor Virgil in his history of Britaine such was Berosus in the historie of Hetruria being two strangers and such was Manethon to write of Spaine So there were among the Iewes Talmudists who among other matters which they wrote for they were the onely men among the Iewes would also by this credit that they had amōg the people write what they listed that they became thereby very fabulous in their histories So among the Egyptians their superstitious priestes filled their bookes with lies and so of diuers other countreis men wrote rather fables then histories of their coūtreys But these are reiected from sound approued authors tanquam Mithici for in reading of histories I find nothing so readie as errors in antiquities of countreys and in original of nations And surely it is not to be wondered at concerning the antiquities of time euen from the beginning of the world and the late beginning of writers from Cyrus time or rather Alexanders time for in the first age from Adam to the flood no trueth is had nor knowen but onely by Moses in the Genesis and 1650. yeeres frō the flood vnto the time of the Olympiads men wandered in no true accompt of time nor of histories excepting that which is written in the bookes of Moses and the Prophets nothing seemed sound nor certaine but cōiectures and fained fables as in the historie of the Chaldeans Assyrians Aegyptians and diuers other nations many things are written which is named Mythycum very licentiously and to liberally and after the time of the Olympiads how vntrue prophane historians wrote vntil Daniels time who seeth it not Since which time a briefe of al true
THE CONSENT OF TIME DISCIPHERING the errors of the Grecians in their Olympiads the vncertaine computation of the Romanes in their Penteterydes and building of Rome of the Persians in their accompt of Cyrus and of the vanities of the Gentiles in fables of antiquities disagreeing with the Hebrewes and with the Sacred Histories in consent of time Wherein is also set downe the beginning continuance succession and ouerthrowes of kings kingdomes States and gouernments BY LODOVVIK LLOID Esquire PROVERB 24. Vir sapiens est fortis vir doctus robustus ¶ Imprinted at London by GEORGE BISHOP and RALPH NEVVBERIE Anno 1590. TO THE MOST REVErend IOHN Archbishop of CANTERBVRIE Primate and Metropliotane of all England and of her Maiesties most honourable priuie Counsell I Am bold most reuerend to dedicate the fruits of this my trauaile such as they be vnto your Grace who can and will defend my rash attempt in so great a cause and yet not so great an enterprise of me to accuse errours as is necessary to your Grace to defend al writers in the prouing therof I haue presumed to write of the Consent of time a charge wherein I confesse my selfe farre inferiour to those that haue herein much erred Howbeit I am the bolder encouraged by the assurance of my warrant which I take from the Sacred Histories the Centre and grounde of all beginnings and the onely proofe of all antiquities without which sayeth Eusebius no Historie can bee true For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The errours are infinite in the computation of Rome of the time of Cyrus of the destruction of Troy and specially in the accompts of the Olympiads which made all Greeke and Latine writers to go farre amisse and to faile in consent of time very much sometime twentie or thirtie Olympiads sometime more sometime lesse the deceiptfulnes thereof not onely holy Histories haue confounded but whole successions of liues haue disproued for the Greekes saith Iosephus Nō tam studio notitiaveritatis quà m suis opinionibus multa prodidere falsa And therefore Thucydides vsed rather to accompt the time by the Peloponesian warre per aestates hyemes then by the Olympiads Seeing then right reuerend that prophane writers are thus wrapped in errors by missing the true warrant of time I tooke this my best course to prooue consent of histories by succession of Patriarkes by continuance of Iudges and by the gouernment of kings euen from the creation of man vnto the deluge from the deluge to the promise made to Abraham frō the promise to the Law giuen to Moses from the Law giuen to the building of the Temple from the Temple to the captiuitie and from the captiuitie to the MESSIAS truely prooued by Moses and by the Chronicles of the kings and last by Daniel who made a perfect abstract for all Chronographers VVherein he doeth instruct all writers how to finde the order and time of histories for the three last Monarchies whose Methode I followe as much as my simple capacitie suffered me alleaging such authorities as wrote best of euery Countrey endeuouring to auoyde the name of the Olympiads as the enemie of trueth and time Thus I yeelde your Grace mine accompt of my proceeding for Consent of time most humbly beseeching your L. to accept herein my good will as one that is to my small abilitie desirous to amend things amisse Your Graces most humbly to vse LODOVV LLOYD TO THE READER I Thinke my labour well bestowed my rewarde sufficient if my trauaile and good will be herein of the reader accepted I accuse my selfe of some rashnesse to wade into those strong streames that haue caried the best learned to a labirinth of errors who in seeking consent of time by vncerteine computations of the Gentiles haue missed the square and perfect frame of the Prophets the streight and perfect line from Adam vnto Christ without the which all prophane writers most grosly erre for can any true accompt of time be made by the Romanes computation either from the building of their Citie which was from yeere to yeere or by the censure of Lustrum which the Grecians call Penteterides which was from fiue yeere to fiue yeere or by the computation of their Indictions which was from fifteene yeere to fifteene yeere when neither the time of the building of Rome or of appointing of Lustrum or of the instituting of the indictions are not yet knowen or agreed vpon In like maner the olde Grecians from the time of Ninus from the destruction of Troy and last from the Olympiads so erred and became so fabulous in histories and since frō their Olympiads that Greece it selfe is called Grecia mendax for the Olympiads is the generall cause of all errors euen in the best learned for Xenophon who florished in the chiefe time of the Olympiads yet fallax in his accusatur The like grosse error is in the computation of the Persians of the time of Cyrus To speake of the Egyptians accompt from the one flowing of Nilus vnto another from one Dynastia vnto another during which time they say 340. kings reigned from the first Pharao called Amasis vnto the last Amasis named also Pharao farre from any true consent of time it were superfluous by this meanes Hellanicus accused Acusilaus Acusilaus Ephorus Ephorus Timaeus Timaeus Herodot and Herodot accused Hesiodus In briefe one so accused another that all erred in consent of time and that by reason of their false cōputation without looking to the succession of the Patriarches continuances of Iudges reignes of kings and without respect of the Iubilees which the Hebrues so obserued that they coulde not erre which if Plinie Halicarnassaeus Polybius Diodorus and the rest had obserued they had not so disagreed in a hundred two hundred three hundred foure hundred yeeres more or lesse from the sacred histories Had they looked to the histories of the Hebrewes they had found howe to auoide many inconueniences for prophane writers of the Assyrian Chaldean Egyptian and Persian histories can not but erre for that they wrote long after the time of these kingdomes I haue therefore for the more assurance of sound warrant answered the time with the historie of the Church and haue withall followed the best authorities both in sacred and in prophane histories as farre as my simple iudgement can reache Lodowik Lloid ¶ A briefe Table contayning the Arguments of the histories of this Booke with the authorities of euery Historie therunto annexed THE HEBREVVES OF the creation of the world and of the continuance of the first age therein from Adam vnto Noah Fol. 1. Of the most auncient and true historie of the Hebrewes after called Israel of their lawes and originall gouernment called Oligarchia from Abraham to whome the promise was made vnto Moses to whom the lawe was giuen 17. Of the birth of Moses of his fauour with God of his gouernment ouer Israel for 40. yeres in the wildernesse and deliuerance
that great wisedome that he could and did name all liuing creatures and God gaue him soueraigntie and dominion ouer all the earth and all the creatures therein saying Subijcite vobis terram dominamini The possession of Adam was much to be an Emperour of the whole world a commander of all the whole earth but in the midst of this great blisse the contempt of God and vnthankfulnesse to God ouerthrew Adam for Satan taking vpon him the forme of a serpent a murtherer from his originall and a lier from the beginning the ancient enemie of Man enuying the happy estate and the great felicitie of Adam fell in friendship with Eue entising her to eate of the forbidden fruite saying If thou eate of the tree of knowledge your eies shall be open you shall know both good and bad and you shall bee as GOD himselfe Eua streight conceiued by the wordes of the serpent the destruction of man and was entised to say with the Poet Vt vidi vt perij vt me malus abstulit error tooke the fruite ate it and gaue it to Adam to eate Here sinne entered into man here death entered into the world This disobedience Ingens malorum Chaos brought Adam and all his posterities into bondage by this transgression man lost the fauour of God and the possession of Paradise for not keeping Gods commandement The image of God was obscured in man and for sinne sake the whole earth was cursed that Hinc infoelix lolium steriles dominantur auenae thus by one man sinne entered vnto the world and death by sinne This contempt of God through vnthankfulnesse lost all the benefites of God which he gaue to man in his creation The commandement broken by Adam the church deuided by Cain marriage corrupted by Lamech that which should bee a testimonie of mans obedience towards God in man was broken by man all the blessings of God which God created for man in sixe dayes Adam lost in sixe houres and for that I wrote sixe houres some of the best learned affirme that Adam fell within sixe houres after his creation some nine some twelue but all conclude that Adam fell the same day wherein hee was created and was the same day put out of Paradise for as the first man sinned and disobeyed God and became equal to the beast Caluine Plinie saith that Adam and Eue fell the same day that they were created 27. I thinke that out of Moses it may be gathered that Adam and Eue did not long retaine the dignitie they had receiued for as soone as Moses said they were created without any mention made of any other thing he passeth to the fall which was before that Adā knew his wife which is to be in Genesis read for had he dwelled with his wife any long time surely the blessings of God should not haue bene in vaine and therefore Moses signifieth they were depriued of Gods benefits before propagation of issue whereby it seemeth streight after the creation before they had accompanied their transgression fell by which they were commaunded to depart from the place of happinesse for the deuill who hath bene a murtherer a lier and a sinner from the beginning euen in the first man played his part to hasten the fall immediately after the creation of Adam and from thence neuer ceased to spred abroad his poison amongst men Diuers of the Iewes Rabbies were of opinion that Adam in Paradise continued not a night and first Abba a great doctor of the Iewes saieth when Adam and Eue were planted they were as it is written a spring of my planting the worke of my handes to be delighted in Againe it is written what day thou wast planted thou diddest wander from me for in that day they were planted in the world they were vnited and the same day they rebelled Againe in the Sabboths eue Adam was created in the which day all these things fell out in order as the Rabbie Midras setteth downe that the Sabboth comming on hastened Adam out of Paradise First God purposed the making of man Secondly that he should raigne with Angels Thirdly God gathered his clay God formed it framed and breathed life vnto it God set man in Paradise charged him with a commaundement but Adam transgressed the same day he was condemned the same day and driuen out of Paradise the same day for God came in the coole of the day to giue sentence against Adam and the Sabboth comming on did rid him thence for the Angels cried concerning him Adam in honour and dignitie will not continue a night but he became like the beast that perisheth for the same day in the which the first man was created it was committed to the extremitie The same words or the like doeth doctor Bochay rehearse The first houre Adams mould was gathered and so with those termes as Midras before rehersed the eleuenth he was iudged a transgresser the twelfth he was driuen out of Paradise and so concluded as is sayd before Adam in honour did not lodge a night he became like the beasts that perish So the Iewes Rabbies handle this in their booke called Drash at large agreeing in one opinion But some of them were more curious then need required in seeking out the very houres of Adams continuance in Paradise Some would haue it the fixt houre as Augustine writeth and holdeth it so and of this opinion is Theophilactus who saieth As man was formed the sixt day so he did eate of the tree the sixt houre Some would haue it the ninth houre as Thomas Aquinas some would haue it the twelfth houre as doctor Bochay but the day is agreed vpon and their opinion hath bene euery where receiued I will bring two or three more testimonies to confirme the wordes before Rabbi Nathan writeth thus the same day that Adam was formed the same day that his members were knit and his veines opened the same day that life was put in him the same day that he stood first on his feete the same day that Euah was maried vnto him the same day that hee gaue names to all the creatures the same day that hee entered into Paradise the same day that God gaue him the commaundement the same day Adam disobeyed and the same day he was driuen out of Paradise No doubt as soone as man was created Satan sought mans destruction and had a wicked desire to hate him he went with all his might to destroy man and working errour and rebellion in our first parents Adam and Eue hee slew all mankind The same murtherer within a while after armed Caine to destroy his brother Abel Because Adam trusted too much in his owne aboundancie and thought neuer to be mooued the Lord turned away his face from him and therefore the same day wherein Adam was made he transgressed Gods commaundement And Beda our owne countriman sayd that Adam was formed the sixt day in
figure thereof he said by the spirite of prophesie that vvhen his sonne Noah vvas borne this should comfort vs concerning our vvorke and sorovv of our hands as concerning the earth vvhich the Lord hath cursed The last man of the first age vvas Noah a iust and vpright man in his time before God hee likevvise vvalked vvith and obeied GOD in all things and therefore found fauour vvith God vvith vvhom God made his couenant established the same vvith a signe for thee only haue I found iust and righteous in this age vpon the earth for Noah vvas called the righteous preacher preaching vnto the vvicked for amendment of life and because they vvere luld in all kind of securities and feared not God Noah departed from them and vvent to another land for hee vvas vvarned of God of things that vvere not seene as yet concerning the Arke God vvas so much offended vvith the vvickednesse of the vvorld that his vvrath vvas kindled to see such iniquitie vpon earth for the whole world was corrupt before God and vvas filled with crueltie all flesh had corrupted his way and all imaginations of mans thoughts were so euil and wicked that it repented the Lorde to haue made man and as it were disauowing man to be his creature they were so addicted to intemperancie lust gluttonie and securitie the foure principall causes of the flood which for sinne destroied man and beast and yet in mercie God spared man 120. yeeres to repent before he woulde destroy the worlde No dout many things haue bene written of the olde Patriarches in the first age and thought of many writers that Adam and his sonne Seth had made two tables of stone wherein they wrote many goodly things to their posterity The best warrant is read in Iosephus for that he trauailed much in the historie of the Iewes and their other histories called Drash for their Rabbies heape many fables beside the historie of Moses in their Chronicles called Drash so Philo Iudaeus Herodot and Melancton from them affirme It is written againe that Adam and Seth foreseeing the deluge of the world caused two pillars to be set vp the one of brickes the other of brasse one to resist the violence of the water the other to endure the rage of the fire but I see no reason that Adam should prophecie the same to be from God and yet he being man sought meanes by naturall reason and waies by arte to preuent the euerlasting decree of the Almighty Iosephus might wel erre in that I thinke that many things are written of the Iewes which doe not agree with the purpose of Gods prouidence nor his counsell for the Iewes recorded in their bookes of histories called Drash any thing that might be coniectured true and which they themselues supposed in opinion to be true as the maners of their Talmudists were Iosephus a great writer of the Iewes antiquities the best Historiographer of Chaldean histories who wrote more and is more to be commended then any other and because he thinketh much amisse for any man to seeke recordes of antiquities amongest the Graecians men of late knowledge hauing their beginning and first originall from Egypt and Chaldea specially Assyria and Chaldea the first seate of man after the flood for the Greekes began to flourish in the declining age of the world when that Assyria Chaldea Egypt and other places of the East were wasted consumed with sword and fire for so it seemeth by the Philosopher Calisthenes report then being with Alexander the Great at the siege of Babylon writing vnto his cosin Aristotle who had bene his preferrer vnto Alexander to that purpose he might search out the Libraries of Babylon and to certifie Aristotle of those antiquities specially of Astrologie wherein the Chaldeans past and of their monuments wherein the Greekes were ignorant for Calisthenes sent vnto Aristotle howe that Babylon was farre more famous for all kind of learning and knowledge twelue hundred yeeres past then it was when Alexander the Great did besiege it certifying him with recordes of 19. hundred yeeres before Alexanders time Berosus an ancient writer and a man of great authoritie amongst the Chaldeans saith that Arphaxad one of the sonnes of Sem whose birth vvas 2. yeeres after the flood christened the first name of this Countrey after his ovvne name aftervvarde it vvas called Cephem and novve last named Chaldea of the situation of this Countrey and the seate of Babylon I vvill let the reader reade of it in Ptolom◅us and in Pomponius Mela. I vvill goe on vvith my historie When C ham the second sonne of Noah had begotten a sonne named Chus and Chus had begotten a sonne named Nemrad this began to take armes and to become great in his doings he became mightie in earth vsing violence and force against all people framing himselfe to be first Emperour of the vvorlde so full of crueltie and tyrannie that it grevve vnto a prouerbe as it is in the Genesis as Nemrod the mightie hunter before the Lorde his oppression vvas such that he passed not to commit crueltie euen in Gods presence This Nemrad began to rule in Babel in the land of Shinear aftervvard called Chaldea vvhere he and his companie returning from Armenia vvhere they after the flood began to build vp an high tower whose top should reach vnto heauen to get them a name vpon earth least they should be scattered ouer the whole earth thinking through pride and ambition to preferre their owne glory before Gods honor but vaine is the helpe of man their wicked enterprise was ouerthrowen for God sawe their follie and so confounded them in their deuises in their speach that one could not vnderstand another Then were they deuided and scattered then confusion of tongues began which was then in the house of Heber onely the Hebrew tongue then began people to seeke out countries and to inhabite the earth The posteritie of Sem to great Asia Persia Assyria and Chaldea and all the regions about Euphrates towards the East part of the world The posteritie of Cham went to Egypt Aethiope Libya and possessed all places about Nilus and reached towards the South vnto the furthest part of Affrica and the posteritie of Iaphet possessed all the Westcountrey the lesser Asia and all Europa of whom all the Gentiles sprang out Thus much for the first age from Adam vnto Noah 1656. Now I meane particularlie to follow my historie as the reason is offered vnto me by following the sonnes of Noah their children and posterities frō the land of Senaah vnto euery part of the earth CHAP. I. Of the most ancient and true historie of the Hebrewes after called Israel of their lawes and originall gouernment called Oligarchia from Abraham vnto Moses THE historie of the Hebrewes for that it is most ancient from Hebers time the fourth from Noah and most true for that it is written by Moses and confirmed by the
Prophets but most of all in dignitie and honour for that lineally from Sem which first builded Hierusalem the Messias and Sauiour of the world according to the flesh descended though the historie taketh no beginning but frō the calling of Abraham out of Chaldea into the land of Canaan so called first after the land of Israel thirdly of Iudea fourthly last called after Christ our Sauiours death The holy land or the land of Palestina the inhabitants thereof were called accordingly Cananites Hebrewes Israelites Iewes of whom either to speake or to write of their lawes their Iudges their Kings or of their ceremonies or of their common wealth it was not lawfull neither for the Graecians nor for the Romanes and so affirmed by Iosephus that Demetrius Phalerius did auere before Philodelphus king of Alexandria that the Greekes nor the Latinists might translate handle or so much as to presume to write of any Hebrew historie being but prophane men as Theopompus Theodecta with others which were made blind by their arrogancie and became mad An other cause doeth Eusebius alleage that neither Greekes nor Latines were in time to write of the Hebrues histories for the greatest brag of the Greekes as Iosephus saieth and the most ancient historie of the Graecians is Homers worke they began to flourish in the time of Cyrus after that the Assyrians the Chaldeans and the Egyptians and many other kingdoms of the East were decaied and their empires lost at which time the temple in Ierusalem was by Cyrus permitted to be reedified 80. yeeres before the last permission by Artaxerxes surnamed Longimanus for Plato of whom Numenius the Pithagorean doth report is called of him Moses Attica lingua loquens euen that learned Philosopher doth confesse that the Graecians had their knowledge frō the Chaldeans and from the Egyptians and began to be famous and great after these great kingdomes were destroyed The seuen Sages were the first wise men knowen or commended in Greece which was in Cyrus time at what time Solon liued 200. yeres before Plato which was the infancie of Greece and the first schoole of their Philosophie Now the Hebrewes being the most auncientest people euen from Hebers birth vntill Christes death which was after Christes death 2000. yeeres odde they inhabited the land called Syria called likewise Phoenicia and now in latter yeeres called Iudea of this countrey doeth Iosephus write at large both of the nature of the people and of the goodnesse of the soile Hecateus the Abederit a good Philosopher and a great writer flourishing in the time of Alexander the great made a booke in describing and commending of Iudaea I wil them to read the 16. booke of Strabo that would know the situation of Iudea where the Reader shall be satisfied with the ful description of Iudea Iosephus a Iew borne being taken prisoner by Vespasian the Emperor at the last destructiō of Ierusalem at the which time he wrote a great volume containing 20. bookes of the antiquities of the Iewes he wrote other 7. bookes of the warres of the Iewes a man of great industrie learned in the Hebrew and Greeke tongue and very expert in the Iewish histories saieth that Egyptians were enuious to the children of Israel for so were they called after Iacobs time which by long wrastling with the Angel of the Lord was named Israel for first they were called Hebrewes from Hebers time vntil Iacob which was 478. yeeres and odde secondarily Israel from Iacob vntill the destruction of Samaria at what time ten tribes of Israel were by Salmanassar king of Assyria Senacheribs father brought captiue vnto Assyria in the time of Osea the last king of Israel 1026. yeeres as Bucholcerus affirmeth and from the destruction of Samaria vntill the last destruction of Ierusalem by Titus Vespasian they were called Iewes 786. yeeres Now the malice of Egypt towards Israel was such that they kept them in bondage 430. yeeres and euer after they were by God deliuered they still wrought euil against them and persecuted them with continuall hatred disliking their religion abhorring their ceremonies disdaining and much enuying the felicitie of the Iewes with the which the God of Israel by power and great miracles did aduance them to the abolishing of idolatrie and contemning of their false gods which the Egyptians the Chaldeans the Assyrians did adore and therfore the blessing of God was according to the promise vpon the Hebrewes first afterwards called Israel Iewes and continued frō Abraham to whom the promise was made vntill the time of the Messias the full accomplishment of the promise So these people bathed in blisse and being but a litle countrey few people from Dan to Berseba and of no estimation became by Gods fauour strong mightie conquerors of the greatest kings of the world So he said the Lord of all out of Sion shall my Law proceed and from Ierusalem my word This litle citie of Ierusalem chosen of God to be his seate though often for sinne destroyed and the people plagued yet still comforted to the stay of Gods Church It is written that Dauid the second king of Israel gaue these words to Salomon his sonne before he died Behold Praeparaui impensas domus Domini auritalenta centum millia argenti mille millia talentûm And againe it is writtē in the Chronicles that gold and siluer were as plentie in Ierusalem as stones in the street in the time of Salomō for there was in the temple of Salomon as Budaeus noteth 27. millions in ready coyne This made other kingdomes to enuie the prosperitie of the Hebrewes for by iust account of Budaeus there was left before vnto Salomon by Dauid his father ten times more treasures and substance in Ierusalem then Darius the great king of Persia left vnto Alexander the great in Babylon when he conquered it this was the promise which God performed to Abraham and to his seed for euer This godly Patriarch to whom the promise was made was 50. yeeres of age when Noah died 40. yeeres before Sodome and Gomorrha were destroied At 75. yeeres was Abraham called from Vr a towne of Chaldea in the last yeeres of Ninus the first king of the Assyrians Now while Abraham obeied God from time to time from place to place exercising himselfe in the obedience of GOD famine grew in the land of Canaan so that he with few Hebrewes were forced to flee into Egypt where hee continued three yeeres at what time he taught them knowledge of the starres read Astronomie and taught in Egypt Artes and Sciences as Iosephus saieth for Abraham was brought vp in Astrologie with the Chaldeans where hee dwelt with his father Thare in Vr and from whence the Egyptians had their learning and knowledge for Egypt was as yet scant in the world knowen where some of the Hebrewes staied after Abrahams departure and multiplied in
writers suppose this Abesan to be the Prophet Dauids Grandfather for Ishai Dauids father was borne in the time of Iair in the which time happened inter regnum for 18. yeeres whereby the Hebrewes were compelled to serue the children of Ammon and the Philistims They were in great miserie this time vntill Israel repented which was the onely repentance acknowledging of sinnes we can reade of Israel described in the Iudges at large This Abesan had 30. sonnes and 30. daughters and he sent his 30. daughters to bring other 30. more for his sonnes and when he had gouerned 7. yeeres he died and was buried at Bethlehem Then Elon came in steede of Ieptha he was of the tribe of Zabulon and he iudged Israel 10. yeeres and died and was buried in the Countrey of Zabulon After him Abdon of the tribe of Ephraim iudged Israel 8. yeeres Of these three last Iudges there is nothing left in memorie woorth the writing During this time in Niniue gouerned Tanteus the 29. king of the Assyrians Mezentius gouerned the Tuscans but being driuen by the people called Vitulones out of his chiefe citie he fled vnto an other citie of his called Carites and from thence gathered a great armie and went in armes against Aeneas with Turnus Protheus the Egyptian a Priest of great Ianus flourished this time Likewise happened this season a great deluge in Egypt called diluuium Pharaonicum in so much that the Isle of Pharaoh was drowned with water Agamemnon reigned nowe in Mycena of whom Thucidides doth make mention in the preface of his first booke About this time Helene againe was taken away by Paris hereby the Grecians did gather a great armie for rescuing of Helene after Messengers being sent vnto Priamus and being denied of restoring of Helene the Greekes prepared for warres 1210. nauies as Dares Frigius writeth After this greatwarre the Latines beganne their kingdome ouer whome Aeneas after Latinus time was the first king hauing married Lauinia Latinus daughter All these things were done in the beginning of the sixt Iubile at which time reigned in Athens Demophon the 12. king of the Athenians and one Mopsus reigned in Cilicia of whome they were named afterwarde Mopsecrenae Then after Abdons death Israel had no Iudge for fourtie yeeres but continued in their wickednes and offended the Lorde whereby they were oppressed by the Philistims vntill the birth of Samson of the tribe of Dan whom God had blessed with many vertues as strēgth courage godlines zeale to reuenge the people of god vpō the Philistims This was the last Iudge of Israel but for that the historie is written in the 13. 14. 15. and 16. of the Iudges I will omit other things for during the time of Samson which was twentie yeeres Israel was by the Philistims much molested and fourtie yeeres after Samson when the Israelites were gouerned vnder Ely the high Priest Nowe the Iudges of Israel ended that gouernment which God deliuered them euen from Moses death vntill the birth of Samuel 357. yeeres adding thereunto 40. yeeres of Moses gouernment doeth make the continuance of the Iudges of Israel to be 380. and 17. About this time Orestes the sixt king of Mycena slewe Pyrrhus the sonne of Achilles in the Temple of Apollo for after Orestes time there reigned no more kings in Mycena but Orestes sonne named Tisamenus after whome succeeded Penthilus and after him Cometes the last king of Mycena After this Cometes descended the stocke of Heraclides which afterward came from Peloponesus and tooke Mycena Thus ended the kingdome of Mycena who beganne their gouernment in the time of Gedeon at what time the kingdome of the Argiues was translated vnto Mycena where reigned 10. kings whose names are these Perseus Stelenus Euristheus who was accompted a second Hercules for his worthines After him Atreus Theistes Agamemnon Orestes Tisamenus Penthilus And Cometes the last king The continuance of these kings was from the beginning of Gedeon vntil the beginning of Elie the high Priest which was 157. yeeres so long continued the kingdome of Mycena Now after Samsons daies the house of Israel began according to their vse not to thanke God for his benefites but stil discontented murmuring against God seeking newe Magistrates newe lawes wearie of their gouernment and of their Iudges most desirous of change stubborne people and a wilfull nation idolaters rebellious and factious alwaies by disobedience offending their God God followed their humors they had what they would and they did what they listed they had Elie the high Priest for their Iudge 40. yeeres in his time the Arke was taken by the Philistims his sonnes slaine and himselfe fell from his stoole and died After Elie the high Priest died they had Samuel for their Prophet but they still cried out for a king for neither Iudge Priest nor Prophet might please them but a King and therefore God commanded Samuel to anoint Saul to be their king But first I will lay downe the names of all the Iudges that iudged Israel from the first vnto the last After Moses and Iosua succeeded 1. Othoniel of the tribe of Iuda 2. Ehud of the tribe of Ephraim 3. Debora of the tribe of Ephraim 4. Barach of the tribe of Nephthal 5. Gedeon of the tribe of Manasses 6. Abimelech the bastard of Gedeon the tyrant that slew his 70. brethren 7. Thola of the tribe of Issachar 8. Iair of the tribe of Manasses 9. Iephthe of the tribe of Manasses 10. Elon of the tribe of Zabulon 11. Abdon of the tribe of Ephraim 12. Samson the last Iudge of the tribe of Dan. After these Ely the Priest and Samuel the Prophet Now God had commaunded Samuel to annoint Saul their king saying vnto Samuel They haue not cast thee away but they haue cast me away euer since I brought them out of Egypt to this day because they were not content with the order that God had appointed but would be gouerned as the Gentiles were CHAP. IIII. Of the third change of the common wealth of the Hebrewes first from Oligarchia vnder the Patriarchs secondly from Aristocratia vnder the Iudges now to a Monarchie vnder Kings which Israel cried out and neuer ceased vntill they had a king NOw Saul was king of Israel in the beginning of the 7. Iubile at what time Tineus gouerned the Assyrians and Melanthus gouerned Athens for though Saul Samuel gouerned together 40. yeeres yet Saul gouerned as a king as both Iosephus and Ruffinus affirmed not ten yeeres He had good successe in the beginning of his warres for God gaue him the spirit of strength and courage against the Moabites Edomites Ammonites and against the Philistines till Saul disobeied God in sparing of Agag for the which Samuel reprooued Saul and the lord reiected Saul and his kingdome was gluen to Dauid For after the great victories of Saul of those afore rehersed nations he
by Ioab to Dauid After this Dauid had foure great battels with the Philistines slew them and subdued them vnto the last Thus was Dauid deliuered by God from all daungers tyrannie and treason and saued from Saul Absalon and many others When Dauid had gotten by the sword peace and quietnesse and brought all nations subiect vnto him hee tooke his rest and thanked God in Psalmes Hymnes Odes Verses which Dauid sang vnto God in praise of victories which God gaue him But yet more troubles came on Dauid The Lord so suffered Satan to tempt him that Dauid commaunded Ioab to number all Israel and Iuda from Dan to Beersheba which Ioab did the people were in number of able fighting men 1100000. Gods wrath was kindled against Israel so that much it offended God that Dauid should trust in mē sithence onely God had oftentimes deliuered him and the Lord sent Gad Dauids seer with three things to take his choise Pestilence Famine or Warre Dauid chose rather to fal to Gods mercy then to trust to man Then fell pestilence in Israel from the one side of the countrey to the other and there died 70000. men Now after this Dauid waxed old and hee caused Salomon his sonne to bee annointed king before he died whom hee charged to walke before God vprightly exhorting him to serue God to vse iustice and iudgement in Israel Dauid commanded Salomon his sonne to kill Ioab for his murthering of Abner and Amasa and to take the like punishment of Semei which railed cursed me when saith he I was at the worst Dauid left to his sonne more welth in Israel to build a temple to the Lorde then Alexander the great had in Babylon by the conquest of Darius for Iosephus doth write that Hircanus the high priest a 1000. odde yeeres after Dauids death opened the graue of Dauid and brought 3000. talents to satisfie the rage of Antiochus Demetrius sonne who laying siege to Ierusalem was contēted to returne with some of these talents without any harme done And Dauid died being 70. yeres of age after he had bene 40. yeeres king of Israel seuen in Hebron and 33. in Ierusalem Dauid died 803. yeres after the death of Abrahā after the death of Adam 2000. after the birth of Christ 1070. During this time of Dauid raigned in Assyria Eupales the 32 king in Lacedemonia Argis the second king of the Lacedemonians Now failed the state of kings in Athens and there began a new forme of common wealth gouerned by Iudges which now began by Codrus sonne named Medon after whose name they were named afterward Medontidae for a while Latinus Sylaius raigned the 6. king ouer the Latines in Corinth raigned Ixeon the second king of Corinth About Dauids time there was builded in Asia a citie called Magnesia and another in Italie called Misene now called Cuma Salomon the sonne of Dauid the third king of Israel of the tribe of Iuda a man endued with singular wisdome in great fauour with God as soone as he had sit on his fathers throne he remembred the words of Dauid and with care and zeale he followed his fathers steps in seeking to please the Lord Notwithstanding the Israelites being froward and stubborne euer reuolting from their GOD were alwayes forgetfull of Gods benefites as after the death of Dauid fell out for in Dauids time Israel flourished and all things prospered in Iuda But scant had Salomon bene annointed king but Adoniah Salomons brother aspired to the kingdome secretly and subtillie seeking the good will of Bethsheba Salomons mother and by her meanes to haue Abishag which Dauid his father loued tenderly to wife But his craft was found out and his pretensed treason spied by Nathan the prophet and by Salomon himselfe who perceiuing that Adoniah was the elder brother and had Abiathar the priest on his side and Ioab who tooke Adoniahs part when he would haue vsurped the kingdome Salomon hereby was mooued to make sure waies and remembring his fathers charge before he died concerning Ioab and Semei he executed iustice first vpon Adoniah afterward commaunded Benaiah to fall vpon Ioab for the murthering of Abner Sauls chiefe captaine and Amasah a nigh kinseman of Dauid who enuying their fauour credite with the king slew them and was now iustly punished for sheading of bloud Now Adoniah and Ioab two great enimies of the king being dead Salomon banished Abiathar the priest and called to be a priest Sadock in the roome of Abiathar so the office of the high priest was taken away from the house of Eli and restored to the house of Phineas After that Salomon called Shemei and charged him with the breaking of his othe in passing ouer the riuer of Cedron being forbidden by the king charged him further with wickednesse against his father Dauid in reuiling and cursing of him and he was likewise slaine by the sonne of Iehoida called Benaia By this meanes the kingdome of Israel was established in Salomons hands and Salomon obeied God in all things and then he taketh Pharaoes king of Egypts daughter to wife Iosephus in his eight booke and 2. chapter saieth that the kings of Egypt were al called Pharaones from Minaeus time that builded Memphis vntil the time of Salomon which was 1300. yeeres for Minaeus raigned in Egypt many yeeres before Abraham came to Egypt this is the cause why Herodotus doth omit the names of the kings of Egypt euen 330. kings Salomon repaired the wals of Ierusalē and went to Gibeon to sacrifice for there their tabernacle was at that time there was no temple yet builded to the Lord in Ierusalem In Gibeon the Lord appeared by dreame to Salomon and gaue him wisedom more then any prince of the world had as by his sentence vpō the two harlots appeared Salomon flourished and prospered and farre excelled all the kings of the world for his wisedom was so abundant as the sand that is on the sea shore No Philosopher no Astrologer no Chaldean magi no Egyptian priest might apprehend Salomons iudgement for God was his schoolemaster Salomon was famous throughout the whole world hee wrote 3000. Prouerbes and bookes of Odes and Verses 1000. and made fiue and twentie songs which perished in Ierusalem when Israel was taken captiue vnto Babylon the temple then being burned and the citie destroyed He wrote of all kind of trees from the Cedar tree that is in Libanon vnto the Hysope that groweth on the wall He spake of beastes fowles and fishes He wrote of incantations and of other secret artes which Iosephus affirmeth at large And there came of all countries to heare the wisedome of Salomon and all the kings about him sent vnto him and sought his fauour Now coucerning the princes rulers and officers which were vnder Salomon the purueiance for victuals the number of his horses and the order of his house they
said vae mihi This Iosephus saw with his eies heard with his eares who wrote this historie A greater wonder then all these The true Messias Christ 40. yeeres before told of this yet was not beleeued Ierusalem as it was oftentimes was neuer destroied but they were warned before by the prophets of God but they would not know the time of their visitation and therfore came these euils vpon the Iewes the towne sackt and made euen to the ground their temple burned themselues slaine destroied and scattered from the face of the whole earth Now Ierusalem being thus destroyed the temple burned the people slaine and the king Zedechia taken prisoner and brought to Babylon where he died Nabuchodonosor like a fierce Lion proceedeth forward inuaded Syria subdued the Ammonites and the Moabites brought his armie to Egypt slew the king subdued the countrey and brought those Iewes backe to Babylon that had fled from Ierusalem to Egypt This was the miserie of the Iewes and the last confusion of Iuda The historie of this king concerning the last end of the Iewes no where may be better read then with the Prophets Nabuchodonosor had a sonne called Euilmerodach who after the death of his father enlarged Iechonia from prison and vsed him princely for Iechonia in respect of Ierusalem and the people therein being by Ieremie the prophet perswaded thereto yelded himself his wife his children his nobles and all the two tribes vnto the hands of Nabuchodonosor Ieremie Ezechiel and Daniel haue laid downe the ful historie of Nabuchodonosor and of Euilmerodach and of Balthasar the three last kings of the Chaldeans in whose time the empire of Babylon was had away from the Chaldeans vnto the Persians by Cyrus This was the stocke of Dauid being 21. kings after Dauid lineally from his bodie descending ended whose names are these 1 Salomon 2 Rehoboam 3 Abia. 4 Asa. 5 Iosaphat 6 Ioram 7 Ochosias his mother 8 Athalia 9 Ioas. 10 Amazias 11 Azaria 12 Iotham 13 Achas 14 Ezechias 15 Manasses 16 Ammon 17 Iosias 18 Ioachas 19 Eliacim 20 Ioachim 21 Zedechias The kingdome of Iuda caried cap◅ue by Nabuchodonosor into Babylon after it had continued After the death of Salomon 395. yeeres After the flud 1709. yeeres After the natiuitie of Abraham 1416. After the burning of Sodom and Gomorrha and the other three Cities 1317. After the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt 912. After the destruction of Troy 577. From the natiuitie of Dauid 505. From the dedicating of Salomons temple 412. And after the taking of Samaria and the destruction of the ten tribes of Israel 133. yeeres CHAP. VII Of the returne of the Iewes into Ierusalem after the captiuitie first by the decree of Cyrus after by Darius and last by Artaxerxes of the second building of the Temple by Esdras Nehemia and Zorobabel and of the gouernment vnder the high priests AFter the captiuitie of the Iewes Daniel grew in great fauour with Nabuchodonosor being by God instructed to expound the dreames of the king and to vanquish Bel and all his priests and to conuert Nabuchodonosor to acknowledge God after he saw a dreame of foure beastes which came vp from the sea one differing from another The first was a Lion which had Eagles wings and the wings thereof were pluckt off and a mans heart was giuen him meaning the Chaldeans and the Assyrians which were strong and fierce and yet their power ouerthrowen by the Persians power The second beast like a Beare which had three ribs in his mouth betweene his teeth meaning the Persians which were barbarous and cruell The third was like a Leopard which had vpon his backe foure wings of a fowle this beast also had foure heads signifying Alexander the great with his foure captains which after Alexanders death had the empire among them for Cassander was king of Macedone and Antipater after him Saleucus had Babylon and Asia the great and Antigonus had Asia the lesse and Ptolomeus had Egypt The fourth beast which Daniel sawe was fearefull and terrible it had iron teeth it deuoured and brake in pieces and stampt the residue vnder his feete This was meant by their Romane empire a monster exceeding all kind of beasts for the tyrannie and greedines of the Romanes excelled the rest for that which the Romanes could not quietly enioy in other countries they would giue it to other kings vpon condicion to take them again when it pleased the Romanes To this Daniel was the vision of the 70. weekes opened by the angel Gabriel who enformed him and instructed him of the time of the Messias comming saying 70. weekes are determined vpon the people and vpon the holy Citie to finish the wickednes to seale vp sinnes to bring euerlasting righteousnes and to annoint the most holy Now at what time the 70. weekes began some controuersie there is some from the first edict of Cyrus some from Darius and some from the time that Daniel spake it and others from the 7. yeere of Artaxerxes Longimanus which was 80. yeeres after the first commandement of Cyrus The captiuitie of Babylon fell at that time when Tarquinius Priscus raigned in Rome after whom the Romanes had no more kings after but two so that the Iewes and the Romanes were gouerned by a state called Aristocratia of the Iewes The 70. weekes and the very last yeere of the captiuitie was likewise the last yere of the Assyrians Chaldeans for euen they which saw the destruction of Ierusalem sawe also the destruction of Babylon and what spoile soeuer Nabuchodonosor brought from Ierusalem vnto Babylon the same did Cyrus in the last yeere of his raigne restore with a commaundement giuen to all the princes that ruled vnder Cyrus to suffer the Iewes againe frō all places where they were scattered to returne to Iudea to builde vp Ierusalem againe and to repaire the temple and if any were not able through pouertie to returne king Cyrus commanded that they should be furnished with necessaries for God raised vp Cyrus to bee a friend to his people and hee called Zorobabel who was the chiefe gouernour of the Iewes The nomber of them that returned from the captiuitie of Iuda with the bountifulnes of Cyrus towardes them you may in the booke of Esdras reade at large For after that Cyrus was slaine by Tomiris in the warres of the Massegits his sonne Cambyses succeeded him who by the Samaritans complaint commaunded the Iewes to staye from the building and from their repairing of Ierusalem which continued 9. yeeres after Cambyses returning from Egypt died at Damascus after hee had subdued Egypt succeeded Darius the sonne of Histaspis Hee againe in the 2. yeere of his raigne authorized the Iewes to do as Cyrus had commanded them for so Darius found in a coffer of Cyrus in Ecbatana a booke wherin the acts of the kings of Medes Persians were written and the decree
and solemne sacrifice was Alexander receiued vnto Ierusalem where Daniels prophecies were brought vnto him and where also it was read vnto him that a king of Greece shoulde bring the Monarchie of Persia vnto Greece which was himselfe After all these things were done Alexander shewed great courtesie enlarged their common wealth quieted the Samaritans their enemies and brought all the Prouinces about vnder the Iewes Againe hee graunted them what they woulde aske of him permitted them to vse their religion to obserue their owne lawes and also promised that those Iewes which were scattered amongst the Caldeans Assyrians and Medes should haue such libertie to vse their religion and lawes as they had in Ierusalem and this continued during the time of Alexander which was but short For when he died the Empire was deuided betweene his Nobles Antigonus had Asia Seleucus had Babylon Lysimachus had Hellespont Cassander had Macedonia and Ptolomeus Lagi had Egypt These successors of Alexander hauing continuall warres one with an other which continued long Ptolomeus king of Egypt came vpon the Sabbath day to Ierusalem vnder pretence to offer sacrifice to the God of Israel tooke the towne vsed the Citizens hardly handled the Iewes most seuerely and sharpely they mistrusting him not imprisoned them and brought them with him in heapes to Egypt Thus still was Ierusalem exercised with tribulations and crosses but God stirred vp this kings sonne Ptolome philadelphus to them a friende louing and beneficiall wise learned and most desirous not onely to doe them good but also most willing to admit their lawes their Religion to come to Egypt and made a decree that all the Iewes wheresoeuer they were by his father imprisoned and captiuated shoulde be enlarged be set at libertie which were aboue 100000. Iewes as Ptolome in his Epistle written to the high Priest Eleazar doeth testifie where lie entreateth Eleazar to send to Egypt sixe of euery tribe of the best wisest and skilfullest men to translate the Bible then being onely in the Hebrewe tongue into the Greeke tōgue for that Ptolome was most desirous to haue the Bible in Greeke to be in his studie where he had a hūdred twentie thousand bookes in his Librarie In the dayes of this Ptoleme Lagi florished Theophrastus the Philosopher and Theodorus Athenaeus he sent messengers for this purpose to Ierusalem Aristaeus and one Andreas captaine of the Kings garde with whome he sent 100. talents of siluer to honour the Temple and to doe sacrifice therein besides viginti phialas aureas triginta argenteas quinque crateras mensam auream which in Iosephus all at large are described and set foorth worth the reading which things being most gratefull vnto the high Priest hee receiued them most louingly and vsed them with all humanitie and fauour and sent with them 70. wise and discreete men which shoulde translate the Bible as Philadelphus request was These seuentie men came to Alexandria where after much welcome long feasting great conference and disputations so much he ioyed of their comming and delighted in their company that the king Philadelphus continued his feast 12. dayes where wisedome and learning were exercised disputations practised arguments propounded the questions whereof you may reade in a booke which Aristeus wrote only concerning the meeting and comming togeather of these learned men These seuentie interpreters so named translated the Bible from Hebrue into Greeke in the yere of the world 3695. in the 24. Iubile and in the 127 Olympiad in the 12. yeere of Philadelphus reigne About this time Megasthenes the Persian writeth his histories Aratus the great Astrologer wrote his booke entituled Pheonomenon Nowe when Philadelphus had this sacred booke thus in Greeke translated he reioyced much and thought himselfe happy to haue such a booke in his Librarie and so conferring with Demetrius mused greatly that neither Historiographers Philosophers or Poets had not translated this booke before But Demetrius tolde the cause to the king saying that the Heathens durst not attempt it for diuers were punished for their rash enterprises to meddle therein as Theopompus who for writing of some sentences of the Scriptures amongst his owne prophane writings was xxx dayes depriued of his memorie distracted of his minde vntill by a vision in his sleepe he was warned to knowe his faults and to reconcile himself for the same Euen so Theodecta the Poet for putting a sentence of Gods booke presumptuously with his owne in a tragedie which he made was mad for a time and blind This learned king Philadelphus rewarded these 70. interpreters at their departure in this sort euery one of them had two talents of gold 3. sutes of costly and rich apparell and a standing golden cup which wayed a whole talent which by Budeus computation is 600. crownes if it be golde and euery of them had of him a precious costly and delicate bed wrought with all silke Moreouer he sent by them to Eleazar the hie Priest 10. riche tables with siluer feete with all things belonging thereunto a Chalice of 30. talents a diademe or a crowne ful of precious stones two golden cuppes to be dedicated to the altar 10. sutes of purple with 100. basens and censers of gold for sacrifice Thus much doth Iosephus report of this Ptolomeus Philadelphus but within a short time after this came Antiochus magnus who had al Asia Syria vnder his sword he vexed the Iewes spoiled the countrey slue the Citizens taketh the kingdome of Iudea subdued Egypt he full of all wickednes setteth vp Idols altars groues and Chappels of Idols he polluted the Sanctuarie defiled the Sabbath and the feast hee offered vp swines flesh and vncleane beastes Antiochus thus played the part of a tyrant that Ierusalē was desolate the Citizens fled the women and their children taken captiues and Antiochus forced Israel to forsake their God and to doe sacrifice to his Idoles sending commissioners to all Iudea to see the execution of them so great difference was betweene two heathen kings Alexander the great and Antiochus the great the one honoring the hie Priest sacrificed in the Temple brought all things vnder the Iewes againe vsed great courtesie the other Antiochus the great stealed wasted robbed the Temple the Citie all the Cities of Iuda vntill Mattathias a godly zealous man borne in the citie of Madis saw how Antiochus blasphemed God committed idolatrie in all Iudea somed in blood and practised al mischiefe and wickednesse He consulted with his fiue sonnes Iohn Iudas afterwarde called Machabeus Simon Eleazar and Ionathas to whom hee opened the calamities of his countrey the defacing of Moses lawes the blasphemie and idolatrie that were vsed by Antiochus in all Syria and Iudea and where that their predecessours euen from Abrahams time defended the Church with their owne blood so now it was as necessarie to stop the rage of
great feasts were once euery yeere in these cities The first was in the citie of Bubastis in honour of Diana with such seruice and ceremonies due vnto her the second in the citie of Busiris in the honor of Isis the third in the citie of Sai in the honor of Minerua the fourth in Heliopolis in the honor of the sunne the fifth in the citie of Butis in the honor of Latona the sixt in the citie of Papremi in the honor of Mars The maner and order of their sacrifices were very strange some wounding themselues some beating and whipping themselues some with torches and lights al night with processions about the cities and some with such ceremonies as I may not well name them so horrible and so beastly as they were and yet fit sacrifices for their gods The greatest god that the Egyptians vniuersally worshipped was an Oxe marked with white spots which they called Apis. This Oxe is accompanied with a hundred priests in the citie of Memphis where he is halowed by these priests stauled as a god with yeerely feasts and dayly sacrifice The people of Egypt solemnize the birth day of Apis and that day is holden most holy and festiuall throughout all Egypt and that feast continueth seuen dayes Also in the citie of Heliopolis they worship another Oxe which they name Mneum as Apis is in Memphis In the citie of Aphodito Politana they worship a white Oxe as Strabo sayth likewise Concerning others of their gods they are too many for me to write as of Cattes to whom they attribute much honour for that they are vnder Vulcan their chiefe god to defend them from fire and therefore Cattes in Egypt are much esteemed and worshipped as gods for when any Catte is dead in Egypt specially in Heliopolis they weare mourning weedes and shaue their browes and with great solemnitie they are buried And then next to Cattes Rammes for that Iupiter would not be seene vnto Hercules in the likenesse of a god vnlesse Hercules would put on a Rammes skinne therefore in diuers partes of Egypt none might kill a Ramme but the Ramme was likewise honoured as a god So also of the Crocodile of the bird Ibis of many other beasts which the Egyptians worship as gods the which is not lawful by the lawe of Egypt to hurt much lesse to kill them In mourning for their dead they besmeare themselues with doung and dirte specially the kinswomen of the dead they be all bedaubed and bedirted raunging the streetes howling and crying for the space of seuentie dayes and then with great care diligence they burie the corpes with great solemnitie in stately and huge buildings with sharpe spires of wonderfull great height named Piramides but of the maner of their buriall I haue set downe in my diall of dayes The strange wonders of Egypt of their fishes beastes and foules of their trees fruites and of their riuers they are such and so many that if I should beginne I should not knowe when to ende as to write of bridges builded of stones thirtie foote square a piece of lakes called Chimmis and Meris bearing woods forests of 20. miles compasse about to speake of many riuers I shoulde wearie my selfe What shoulde I speake but of one which is Nilus the only riuer of the world of which the Egyptians haue as great cause to bragge as India had of Ganges or Mesopotamia of Euphrates This Nilus maketh Egypt alwayes either to laugh or to weepe for it is strange in Egypt to see raine In Egypt women pleade matters in Courtes and they looke to forraigne causes and the men spin and carde and take charge of the house at home the womē beare burthens on their shoulders and men vpon their heads women standing and men sitting doe make water in Egypt also they eate and drinke openly without the doores and doe their naturall needes within the house These with infinite more strange thinges shall you finde in Herodotus but Chronicles doe contrary Herodot in many things and therefore I passe ouer diuers of his fables and take asmuch of him as shall agree with Eusebius and others of the soundest writers for certainely the Greeke histories are farre more doubtfull then the Latine for Hellanicus differeth from Acusilaus Acusilaus from Hesiodus Hesiodus from Hephorus and Hephorus from Herodot and Herodot accused of al as most erronious and fabulous for how can Greeke histories be true when the Greekes saith Iosephus doe rather seeke fables to mainteine their opinions then to traueile in antiquitie to verifie their histories or howe is it possible for prophane writers who were borne two thousand yeeres after the beginning of some kingdoms to write truely of them specially of the Chaldeans Assyrians Scithians Egyptians and others whose kingdoms were long before scattered and destroyed if they be not by Moses instructed or haue their light or warrant from the propheticall histories such confusion is growen by their discord that their errour is great aswell for the number and names of kings as also for the time of their continuance and gouernment I said before they that are desirous to bee acquainted with fables rather then histories let them read Herodotus Diodorus Siculus vaine Berosus But I will and must vse them sometimes and especially in this historie of Egypt I must alleage Herodot for he confesseth that he wrote nothing but what he himselfe had either seene or heard in Egypt of the priestes of M◅mphis whose bookes were full of olde fables where it was written that 330. kings reigned in Egypt successiuely Of these 330. kings 18. were Ethiopian kings the rest Egyptians and one woman named Nitocris not Nitocris Queene of Babylon but an other as famous for her tyrannie in Egypt as she was in Babylon But when Abraham the Patriarch was in Egypt then Egypt did not so flourish at what time Pharao was punished by God for Sara Abrahams wife This is the first king that we reade of in trueth with warrant of the sacred histories of the Bible which is taken to be Osiris by Functius Melancthon others Of this Osiris many things are written in prophane histories as by his surnames doth appeare for Osiris is called Dionysius Olympicus Iupiter Iustus to follow further his genealogie it is vaine This Osiris taught in Egypt first and after in sundry places of the world where he did traueile to plow to sowe to plant vines and to doe many things which yet the world knew not The Egyptians honoured this Osiris so much that they caused his statue or image to be made at large in a table or pillar of Iuory his picture was made like a scepter with two eyes with all foules fishes and beasts that were consecrated vnto the gods of Egypt as monumēts of triumphs vnto Osiris with this sentēce written Ego sum Osiris Iupiter iustus qui vniuerso imperaui orbi diuers
an huge armie against the Cyprians Phoenicians and after against the Assyrians and the Medes committing the gouernment of Egypt to his brother named Armais which is also called Danaus he deliuered all Egypt vnder his brother charging him to abstaine from his concubines and not in any wise to abuse himselfe in any thing belonging to the crowne of Egypt but asâ—…oone as Sethosis tooke his voiage so soone Armais rebelled tooke the Diademe imprisoned the Queene Sethosis wife and did what he pleased in Egypt The king being of this certified returned in haste draue his brother Armais out of his kingdome and at that time named the Countrey after his owne name Egypt for so was Sethosis surnamed Egyptus Thus sarre Manethon in his owne booke of the historie of Egypt doeth write wherein hee seemeth to be fabulous in the histories of the Hebrewes and in the setting downe the names of the kings of Egypt after the departure of the shepheardes as hee tearmeth them to varie much from others but in trueth it is hard to set downe in order eyther the kings of Egypt or of Scythia for the antiquitie of time beside their close gouernment in their Dynasties which the Egyptians had in number twentie one and therefore their three hundred and thirtie kings are written in Herodot not named but past ouer in silence vnder the gouernment of so many Dynasteias neither doeth Manethon name them The like is written of Cheremon another olde writer of the Egyptian histories to whom the goddesse Isis appeared in a vision finding fault that her temple was not rebuilded and opening secrets and oracles to Cheremon Concerning their kings of Egypt of their fables and meere ignorance in their owne histories I neede not much to stand vpon but referre you to Iosephus where hee at large vnfoldeth their folly opening their owne Chronicles against themselues and therefore I will let Manethon and Cheremon and others as Herodot and Diodorus Siculus that write of the kings of Egypt to stand to their fables Wee reade in Genesis of Pharao in Abrahams time which is sufficient to discharge them both The kingdome of Egypt was as I saide before gouerned by a state called Dynasteia for after Osiris which gouerned Egypt in the sixteene Dynasteia which continued a hundred and ninetie yeeres after Osiris gouernment the seuenteenth Dynastia began as Eusebius setteth it downe and continued a hundred and three yeeres during that time of gouernment potentates and magistrates reigned and gouerned in Egypt without any mention made of kings as yet to any purpose But as the priests of Egypt haue written in their Chronicles as I saide before from Menes time the first king of Egypt as Herodot saith the priests haue recorded three hundred and thirtie kings of the which many of them haue past obscurely without any speach made of them in that kinde of gouernement called Dynastia for I find in Functius table twentie one Dynastias of the names of those that gouerned and of their gouernment during that time Eusebius and Manethon with others omitted not to write the number of these Dynasties and yet past with silence the names of their kings vntill the eighteene Dynastia the names of Pharaos were not knowen then beganne the kings of Egypt to bee surnamed Pharaos About the time of the going of Iacob into Egypt two hundred and fifteene yeeres after that Abraham his graundfather had bene there at what time reigned Baleus the younger the eleuenth king of the Assyrians then reigned in Egypt Amasis the first that was called Pharao 25. yeeres after him succeeded Chebron and Amenophis the one reigned 13. yeeres and the other 21. after these three kings reigned in Egypt Mephres 12. yeeres in whose time Ioseph died after hee had liued a hundred and tenne yeeres and of that age hee ruled and gouerned all Egypt 80. yeeres Then reigned in Assyria Mamitus the 13. king after this succeeded in Egypt two other kings the one named Mispharmutosis who reigned 26. yeeres the other named Thutemosis who gouerned Egypt 9. yeeres About this time Kittim hauing driuen his brother Hesperus who reigned then king in Celtiberia into Italie vsurped his kingdome and reigned thirteene yeeres after him ouer the Celtiberians and after that Kittim left his sonne Sicorus in Celtiberia and passed into Italie where hee reigned and was surnamed Italus whom the Greekes named Atlas of whom I wrote in the historie of Italie more at large with sufficient warrant of the Bible for hee is in diuers places of the Scripture spoken of by the name of Kittim By this time reigned king in Egypt Amenophis the second king of that name a cruel king and most tyranicall for he made a decree in Egypt that all the male children of the Hebrewes should be drowned in Nilus by a streight commandement giuen to the midwiues who notwithstanding in all points obeyed not the king for they were by God directed otherwayes as it is read of the birth of Moses and of the prouidence of God in sauing of him This Moses nowe borne within eightie yeeres after was by God appointed to deliuer his countreymen from thraldome slauerie and tyranny and to plague Egypt with most extreme punishment worthely There is a historie written of this king Amenophis called of some Memnon that his image grauen in stone continued vntill the comming of Christ which continually at sunne rising seemed to sound a voyce like a man This tyrannie continued in Egypt almost one hundred yeeres for when this cruell king Amenophis died succeeded him a more cruell king then hee named Busiris as Melancthon and Diodorus say who plagued the poore Hebrewes with death in like sort as Amenophis did and kept them in slauerie and miserie with toyle and taske to make bricke to worke monstrous huge Piramides whipping and scourging them vsing them with all bondage and slauerie some say that Mercurius Trismegistus a graue Philosopher of Egypt this time florished though by Suidas affirmed that this Mercurius liued before Abrahams time in Egypt After Busiris raigned king in Egypt Acengeres twelue yeres and after him Achorus raigned nine yeeres vsing the like tyrannie to the Hebrewes as before vntil the time of king Chencres who farre excelled his predecessors in tyrannie and blasphemie this was that Pharao that resisted God his seruant Moses and therefore was drowned in the red sea and all the peeres of Egypt with him Read of this king more in Exodus the most part of Egypt was at this time with Chencres Pharo drowned and Egypt was left very skant of any great states and therefore began to rise diuers seditions for a time in Egypt after the departure of the Hebrewes vntill Rameses time which is sirnamed Aegyptus This time began Dardanus his kingdome in Dardania afterward called Troy at what time raigned in Assyria Ascatides the eightenth king in Athens
Tarquinius Priscus was the first king of Rome This time ruled in Lydia Cressus which within foureteene yeere after was likewise vanquished by Cyrus and his kingdome translated vnto Persia. It is in Zonaras and in Iosephus otherwise written about Cyrus and Astiages they affirme that Cyaxeres was the sonne of Astiages this was of Daniel called Darius Medus of Iosephus Zonaras Zenophon and others This was vncle vnto Cyrus and heire vnto Astiages hee together with Cyrus gouerned for a time afterwarde hauing but one daughter he bequethed his daughter and the kingdome vnto Cyrus his nephew his sisters sonne who was married vnto Cambyses While this Cyaxeres liued he honoured much Daniel and had him in great reuerence Herodotus writeth in the historie of Cyrus and sayeth that Cyrus married Cassandanes the daughter of Pharnaspis so doeth Zenophon and so doeth Zonaras write The Egyptians affirme that Cyrus married a wife in Egypt and by her got Cambyses ◅but howe foeuer Chronographers agree it is certaine that hee beganne a monarchie vpon the conquering of Lydia and Media as shall bee more at large written in the historie of Persia. The Medes fed on fruites Ex amigdalis tostis panes ex malis siccis ac tritis massas conficiunt They make their drinke of certaine rootes and they vse wilde beastes and wilde fowles for their foode for they nourish no tame beast And this is the propertie of the Medes and of their king to haue as many wiue's as they woulde they might not haue vnder seuen And so their women thought it a great praise and fame to haue many husbands but they might not liue without fiue husbands as Strabo doeth write in his eleuenth Booke OF THE ANTIQVITIE OF Lydia of the originall of their Kings and of their common wealth and gouernment THE kingdome of Lydia being before called as Herodotus writeth Maeonia beganne to take name of one Lydus the sonne of Artis but that seemeth to be fabulous as Herodotus is in many of his histories Lydia is named of Lud the fourth sonne of Sem as Iosephus Zonaras and Philo Iudaeus affirme This countrey is situate in this sort it hath Eastward Phrigia on the Southside Caria and on the Northside Misia as both Strabo and Plinie affirme The riuer Meander runneth through Lydia and compasseth the most part of Lydia Eusebius in his histories faith that the kingdome of Lydia beganne in the first Olympiad and in the beginning of the 14. Iubilee about which time Romulus the first king and builder of Rome was borne of whose birth as Dionysius and Plutarch write many strange things are read Lydia was before Rome 24. yeres and after the destruction of Troy 405 yeeres When I speake of the Romanes and of their kingdome you shall haue it fully set downe The kings of Lydia the kings of Rome and the kings of Media are almost of one time for assoone as the Medes began to set vp their kingdome the Assyrians which gouerned so long all the East part of the worlde decayed Likewise the Lacedemonians ended their gouernment and their kings failed in Alcanes time the ninth king of the Lacedemonians at which time the Macedemonians elected their first king called Cranaus so some countreys nations and kingdomes beginne others ende some rise and some fall as time giueth them licence by Gods appointment But nowe of the kings of Lydia where I finde in Eusebius their first king to be named Arsidius this Functius doeth call Ardisus at what time iudged the Athenians Aesculus the twelft Iudge of Athens after the kings who had gouerned from Cecrops their first king which began in Moses time vntill Codrus the last king of Athens which ended his kingdome in the time of Dauid where raigned that while 17. kings When Arsidius raigned in Lydia Ioathan was king in Iudea and in Samaria Pecah the 17. king of Israel These people of Lydia were first very warlike stoute and a couragious nation but Cyrus brake their backs and compelled them to be caupones institores as Iustine saith to leaue off armes for that oftentimes they rebelled against Cyrus and to vse such trafiques as were of the meanest credit hereby these stoute and strong nations before came now by Cyrus pollicie to be very idle and slouthfull whereby they inuented many vnthriftie games diuers playes at dice tenise and such like and hauing nothing to doe neither durst they doe any thing for feare of Cyrus they fell as Plinie saith to exercise Artes ludicras lenocinia and so became from a strong and stoute people the most slouthfull and idle people of the world Budaeus thinketh that this region Lydia is now called Anatolia after Arsidius had raigned in Lydia 36. yeeres succeeded him Aliagtes the second king of the Lydians at the which time grew great warres of twentie yeeres continuance betweene the Lacedemonians and the Messanians the cause thereof you shall reade in Orosius Catina a citie in Sicilia at this time was builded and Messana one of the chiefest cities of the Messanians was taken then by the Lacedemonians Now raigned in Rome Romulus the first king in Phrygia Mydas in Egypt Sacalion and in Macedonia Perdicas the fourth king of that countrey of whom Herodotus doth set forth how he from a meane state became king of the Macedonians Titus Liuius writeth and so doeth Dionysius that Romulus about this time did triumph ouer the Sabines whose warres continued two yeeres with whom after hee had furnished Rome with the spoyles of the Sabines and had taken their daughters and virgins by force to the nomber of 683. he suffred Tacius Sabinus at that time king of the Sabines to gouerne with him in Rome fiue yeeres at which time the citie of Rome was much increased and more amplified by adding thereunto Mount Coelius and Mount Quirinal Now ruled in Iudea Ezechias about the 12. Olympiad and the 15. Iubilee There fell about this time in Athens a thirde alteration of their gouernment after this sort After their 17. kings gouernment then gouerned in Athens Iudges to the nomber of 13. After the Iudges there was another state agreed vpō that euery 10. yeeres there should be a new magistrate in Athens and they were called Decennales principes and this gouernment endured 70. yeres which was the whole time of 7. princes and then againe changed vnto a popular state But let vs returne to the kings of Lydia the historie that I haue in hande After that this Aliagtes had raigned 14. yeeres he died and Meles succeeded him the thirde king of the Lydians of whom Herodotus doeth make mention that he was the first that triumphed ouer the people called Sardei This Meles had a bastard borne vnto him a stoute man a great souldiour and so great that he with his posteritie ruled the Sardeans vntil Cyrus time In this Meles time
ladies were absent came the Macedonian lords in forme and shew of ladies and perfourmed the wil of Alexander in all points when they saw occasion offred At this time Pisistratus that gouerned Athens had a sonne named Hippias which was banished his countrey for his crueltie toward the citizens and was with Darius who hearing that his brother Hipparchus was slaine made meanes to Darius that hee would vouchsafe to ayde him to his countrey which was the rather granted for that Darius was offended with the Athenians for that they aided the Ionians against him in that warre called bellum Ionicum when they tooke Sardis and burned it He caused presently a hundreth thousand footemen and tenne thousand horsemen to accompany Hippias to Athens who whē they came within two mile of Athens the Athenians with these newes were sore afrighted stood in great doubt whether to yeelde or to resist them vntill Miltiades a famous captaine comforted them by the coūsell of Callimachus tooke in hand to fight with the Persians He had tenne thousand of Athens and ten thousand Platenses here was his whole force but in that battel that noble fellow Miltiades and Callimachus with his Greekes gaue the ouerthrowe to the Persians in the fields called Marathon to the nomber of sixe thousand three hundreth by the counsel of Callimachus Thus much Melancthon affirmeth but Iustinus saith that there were sixe hundreth thousande Persians of the which saith hee two hundreth thousande were slaine and the rest put to flight but this warrewas after that which was at Marathon when Darius vpon the hearing of these newes was three yeeres in preparing for it With this Miltiades flourished in this warre Themistocles a gallant yong gentleman of Athens this Themistocles was wont to say after that fielde fought in Marathon and the Persians vanquished that the victories and triumphes of Miltiades could not suffer him to sleepe but his sonne Xerxes perfourmed it as it shal be spoken hereafter In Esdras it is referred to Artaxerxes sirnamed Mnemon whom the Hebrewes tooke to be Asuerus Hitherunto Eusebius doeth agree In this warre Pisistratus two sonnes died Hipparchus and Hippias Hipparchus Plato so commended him that he was cōuersant with learned men he loued Simonides he brought Homers Iliads first to Athens caused the Grecians in any solemne meeting to sing Homers verses his delight was to preferre learned men and to reuerence wise men and for that onely cause he was esteemed the wisest man of Athens But to Darius againe whom Zonaras saide that he was the husband of Esther which in the Scripture is called Asuerus Melancthon writeth that Darius Histaspis was that Assuerus that maried Esther and here the history of Esther might be well brought in sauing it is in the Bible for Herodotus saith that Darius maried two women the one named Aristona which may be the name of Esther as wel as the name of Vasthi to be Atossa which was Cyrus daughter on whom he got Xerxes who succeeded after him though Artabazanes the eldest sonne by Aristona or Esther made claime to the kingdom and opposed himselfe against Xerxes yet whē Darius made warres with the Grecians and afterward with the Egyptiās in the which iourney Darius died he appointed Xerxes to gouerne Persia in his absence and to be king after him if he should die in warres for that his mother was Cyrus daughter and for that Cyrus was called by the Persians Pater patriae The goodnes of this king was fully proued at what time the Church was miserably afflicted by that wicked Haman and hindred by that cruel Cambyses against the decree of Cyrus he confirmed the decree and gaue licence and full libertie for the Iewes to build their temple according to Cyrus decree for God raised Cyrus Darius Artaxerxes Nabuchodonosor Euilmerodach to be pillars and defenders of his Church When Darius had raigned 36. yeeres he died in whose dayes the kings of Rome ended their kingdom and their monarchie fel to a new forme of state called Aristocratia In the time of Darius raigned Aristodemus in Cuma a towne of Italy not as king but as a tyrant with whom the barbarous nations had open warres This cōtention betwene Artabazanes Xerxes was ended by Instaphernes but Herodianus saith by Demaratus Ariston to both their liking iudging the crown to be Xerxes according to Darius will and the request of Persia and Artabazenes so satisfied that one loued another In Darius Histaspis time raigned in Madonia Alexander Amintas sonne their 10. king Herodotus also this age wrote his history which after it was read in Athens he was of more credite amongst the Grecians though Strabo called his booke Mythistoriam fabulous histories as Budeus writeth Sophocles and Euripides liued in Darius time and Socrates was borne Darius Histaspis a litle before he died after he had heard the newes of the Grecians victorie at Marathon being before offended with the Athenians for that they inuaded Sardis now ten times more kindled to reuenge these iniuries posting all Asia and sending to all his prouinces prepared such force that he was three yeeres in prouiding men and munitions against the Grecians at which the Egyptians reuolted from Darius which were by Cambyses before subdued he then had thought to make his voyage to Egypt and appoynted Xerxes his sonne by Cyrus daughter Atossa to gouerne in his absence Persia betweene whome and his brother Artabazanes some strife as you heard before grewe about the gouernment But Xerxes after his fathers death was the fourth king of Persia who taking that warre in hande against the Egyptians which his father Darius thought to haue taken had hee not bene by death preuented not yet thinking to reuenge the Greekes vntill Mardonius his aunts sonne had perswaded him He gathered such an armie as the like is not read sauing of Tamberlane the Scythian king of whom the history is publike this great preparation of Xerxes was consulted and throughly waighed before it was taken in hand for Artabanus Xerxes owne brother thought it not a necessarie warre Mardonius his neere kinseman perswaded the contrary saying that Xerxes with that force might bring all Europe subiect to the Empire of Asia Mardonius sentence preuailed Xerxes made readie his armies the nomber were so many as scant could bee accompted for hee had twelue hundreth and seuen Nauies the Scythians and the Persians the Phaenicians which dwelt in the lande of Palestine brought three hundreth nauies the Egyptians two hundreth the Cyprians one hundrerh the Silicians one hundreth and the Licians brought fiftie nauies Dores which dwell in Asia brought thirtie they of Caria brought seuentie the Ionians an hundreth nauies the Aeolians threescore and the inhabitants of Helespont brought an hundreth nauies so that Herodotus accompts the whole nomber of the nauies to be three thousand but Iustine writeth that Xerxes had in his companie towardes Greece
to the very place where the wolfe gaue him sucke first Reade Plutarch of Romulus life They vsed at this feast a sacrifice in a denne vnder mount Palatine in the moneth of Februarie in the honour of god Pan and Faunus Now Rome hauing her first foundation by Romulus and much encreased by the policie and gouernment of Romulus that the confines of Rome extended into diuers parts of Italy and so enlarged by the warres of Romulus and yet not 8 miles from the towne of Rome that Numa Pompilius who succeeded him not in blood but by election for that hee was a Sabine borne in the citie of Cures and had maried Tacia the onely daughter and heire of Tatius the Sabine who before had gouerned Rome together with Romulus This Numa was entreated to accept the kingdome by ambassadours sent vnto him from the people of Rome with one consent who after a long negatiue oration made vnto Proclus and Valesus and being vrged thereunto both by Sabines and Romanes accepted against his will the gouernment of Rome after the Senators bare rule by the space of fiue dayes which was called interregnum betweene Romulus and Numa which was accompted one whole yeere This king was vertuous godly and religious addicted altogether to gouerne Rome with peace for during the whole time of his raigne Numu waged no warre but established lawes and framed such decrees and orders as kept the people which had bene so long accustomed with warres vnder Romulus in quietnes and tranquilitie which neuer happened in Rome but onely in Numas time and once in Augustus Caesars time When Numa was consecrated king of Rome by the Augurers hee beginneth with the seruice of his gods and therefore he instituted bishops and diuers kinde of priests he erected a colledge for the vestal virgines he appointed the holy and immortal fire with honour and reuerence to be kept by the vestal virgines These ceremonies he had from Greece for the like ceremonie was in Athens by old women in watching the holy lampe and in Delphos in the temple of Apollo Hee founded diuers temples in Rome with innumerable rites and ceremonies he first corrected the Kalender though not so exactly yet he so perfected it that then the Romane yere of tenne moneths was made twelue by adding Ianuary and February Which Numa not only added to the yere of tenne moneths but he mended also the 10. moneth and the dayes of the moneths he corrected the Kalenders which was also by Romulus begunne but finished by Numa This continued from Romulus vntill Iulius Caesars time by the name of Romulus yeere who then caused the yeere to beginne in March a moneth which he consecrated to his supposed father Mars not knowing then Aemilius to be his father whom hee slewe then But to Numa in whose time a great plague raigned in Rome at what time fell from heauen a brasen or copper target and lighted betweene Numas hand called Ancylia Of this target I shal speake in another place The lawes that Numa taught then to the people being rude and ignorant were no otherwise made then the lawes of Lycurgus in Sparta or of king Minos in Creete for Numa made the people to beleeue that the lawes which he gaue were frō the gods sent into him by the nimph Aegiria with whom he had sundry times conference in mount Auentine So did Lycurgus admonish the Spartans with the lawes from Apollo which Lycurgus as he saide brought from Delphos into Greece in like fort Minos made his people beleeue that his decrees and lawes were giuen to him by Iupiter in mount Curetes So did Silla make his souldiers beleeue that hee had some spirite in a litle table that hanged about his necke that instructed him in all his warres And so did Sertorius by his white hinde make his captaines thinke that hee was sent from the goddesse Diana Now Numa a peaceable and religious prince aduanced tillage in Rome and deuided his people into diuers occupations hee limitted bonds to the territories of Rome and tooke away all factions that helde before with Romulus and Tatius and gouerned Rome with such iustice and clemencie that all warres and dissentions were forgotten in Rome the temple of Ianus was shut which was an olde custome in the time of peace which continued the whole raigne of Numa which was 43. yeeres for the Romanes had no warres in all Numas time for as Plato saith there is true gouernment and there is a happy common wealth where the minde of a wise Philosopher is ioyned to the maiestie of a king where graue counsel is giuen and good lessons taught the vertuous man rewarded and the vicious man punished This good king liued of al others most happy in peace and quietnes all the dayes of his life and the misfortune of fiue other kings which after him succeeded caused the honour of Numa to shine with more glorie for as Plutarch saith foure of them died not their naturall death three were killed with treason and the fourth was striken with a thunder bolt and burnt with lightning and the 5. driuen out of his kingdome and died in exile so that of the seuen kings Numa onely excelled of whom some say that hee had no children but one daughter called Pompilia which was maried to C. Martius Coriolanus Of this Pompilia was borne Ancus Martius the fourth king of Rome some say againe that Numa had foure sonnes named Pompo Pinus Calpus and Mamercus and of these foure descended the noblest races and most ancient houses of the Romanes Reade of this king more in Plutarch and in Dionisius Halicarnassaeus In Aethiope raigned while Numa liued and ruled Rome a king called Tarachus which came to ayde the king of Egypt against Sanaherib king of the Assyrians at what time the Empire of Egypt was deuided into twelue prouinces by equall portions betwixt 12. princes When Numa beganne his kingdome in Rome Candaules the fourth king of Lydia gouerned the Lidians whose historie both of his wife and of his life together with the fable of Giges ring is written in Herodotus at large Manasses also king of Iudea for his wickednes against the Lorde was deliuered into the hands of Benmerodach king of the Chaldeans and was caried captiue into Babylon Deioces the fift gouernour that gouerned the Medes and the first king that raigned ouer them liued this time In Athens raigned Leocrates the fift magistrate Absander the 6. magistrate and Erixias the last magistrate of Athens in that gouernment of 10. yeeres to euery magistrate appointed which continued the time of 7. seuerall magistrats which was 70. yeeres Concerning this kings death he himselfe cōmanded that his body should be burned and therfore they made two coffines of stone in the one of them Numas body was layed in the other his bookes which were written with his owne hand twelue bookes were written
neither by warre with the which hee often asfailed his Countriemen neither with treacherie which hee practised with the families of the Vitellians and the Aquillians hee coulde any way profite Then Publicola gaue himselfe fully to looke vnto Rome which was so impouerished by ciuill warres that collection of money was made for the buriall of Valerius the Consul his fellowe in office Hee first redressed thinges decayed in Rome in supplying the number of the Senators that were slaine in the warres of Tarquine in whose places hee chose newe Senators to the number of a hundred sixtie foure after he defended the Citie against Porsenna and destroyed the Countrie round about and slue of the Thuscanes fiue thousand he also vanquished the Sabines and triumphed ouer them and he subdued the Latines who were most busie against the Romanes this time for Rome was found in the time of this Publicola sore vnpeopled and poore by reason of the ciuil warres of Tarquinius and therefore all the Nations which the kings of Rome before had subdued beganne to reuoult and to wage warre freshly against the Romanes againe but they were by this valiant Romane brought to their first state and Rome much enriched by the spoyles of the Sabines Latines Thuscans and others This Publicola was Consul foure times seuerally he was a good man and a iust Romane hee made lawes and decrees within the Citie first hee ordeyned by lawe that all offendours being condemned by the iudgement of the Consuls might appeale vnto the people Hee likewise decreed that no man might exercise any office vnlesse hee came to it by the gifte of the people and he also made a lawe in the fauour of the poore Citizens that they should pay no custome nor impost whatsoeuer This hedid to winne the peoples fauour and to keepe them in hande many women then in Rome esteemed little of their life in respect of their Countrie as Cloelia Valeria and diuers others whose statues are erected vp on horsebacke in the holy streete Appius Claudius a very riche man of the Sabines came to Rome this time to dwell and brought with him fiue thousande families with their wiues and children of the most peaceable and esteemed men of the Sabines In the ninth yeere after the banishing of Tarquinius there was a newe office created in Rome called Dictatura which farre excelled in authoritie the office of the Consuls In this office Titus Largius was first instituted Dictator and in the same yeere an other newe officer called magister equitum an officer deputed to bee attendant vpon the Dictator in the which office Spurius Cassius was appointed The Dictator was not to continue in his office aboue sixe moneths for such was the authoritie of the Dictator that hee might deale in all causes and iudge of life and death without any appeale eyther to the Senate Consul or to the people and therefore the people much complaining beganne to make vproares and fel to dissension and to require for an officer to aide and defende the people and for that the Senators and Consuls as the people pretended the cause woulde haue them oppressed a cōmocion was thereby in Rome by the commons and therefore they created two men whom they called Tribuni Militum Tribunes of the people they were assigned to bee peculier Decisers and Determiners in causes belonging to the people This office continued vntil Sillas time by whom the office of Tribuneshippe was abrogated but after by Pompey the great restored In Rome dwelt a rare man of great seruice in the warres of Tarquine whom Largius the first Dictator knewe to be such as deserued great prayse then being a young man for hee was crowned with Oken leaues according to the Romanes maners in Tarquinius dayes and sithence profited Rome in diuers seruices in subduing the Volscans in winning the citie Corioles he inuaded the Antiates and often repressed the insolencie of the people insomuch that the Romanes hauing many warres in those dayes this Corolianus was at them all for there was no battell fought no warre enterprised but Coriolanus returned from thence with fame and honour But his vertue and renowme gate him much enuie for hereby hee was banished Rome by the Ediles Tribunes of the people against the Patricians will but the Romanes made a rodde to beate them selues when they banished Coriolanus for he came in armes against his owne Countrie and Citie with the Volscans being at that time their generall hee with great furie inuaded the Territories of Rome hee caused the communaltie of Rome and Nobilitie to fall to ciuill dissension hee so plagued the Romanes diuers wayes vnto the very gates of Rome he was so much moued against them that hee refused three seuerall Embassadours to heare them being his chiefe friendes sent vnto him by the Senate to entreate for peace hee refused to heare the Bishops and the Priestes Feciales He likewise denied the Augurers the sacrificers and the ministers of the goddes vntill Volumnia his mother and Virgillia his wife with their two young sonnes gotten by Coriolanus with Valeria the sister of Publicola and diuers other Ladies of Rome came to meete Coriolanus to entreate for peace vnto the Volscans campe and what time hee had compassion of his mother of his wife and of his two sonnes and of the other Ladies being his neere kinswomen then hee withdrewe his armie from Rome and yeelded to the teares of his mother but the fickle mindes of the people by the conspiracie of Tullus Aufidius were such that Coriolanus was murthered in the Citie of Antium at his very returne from that voyage What shall I say of Caius Mutius Sceuola of his noble attemptes against king Porsenna of Horatius Cocles and of diuers others whose statues at Rome and whose histories in euery booke written and in euery mans mouth can witnesse for in this very time in Rome when Cresius Fabius and Titus Virginius were Consuls three hundred noble men of the house and stocke of the Fabians tooke vpon them alone to wage battell against the Veientines offering themselues to the Senators and to the people of Rome to fight from this battell not one scaped of three hundred Fabians but one and another which was young at home not able to goe to warrefare for all the males of the Fabiaus were slaine in that battell These warres were extremely handled and prosecuted by the Hetruscans Fidenats and the Falascies against the Romanes when Rome was in most aduersitie and pouertie aswell for the late ciuill warres of Tarquine the proude as also diuers other forreigne enemies which on euery side assaulted Rome These 300. Fabians full of prowesse and valure vndertooke this warre against the Veients but being ouer charged with multitudes were all slaine sauing one to their great fame yet this followed after their death presently the Fasiliscians yeelded them selues to the Romanes the
ciuil warres betwene themselues as betwene Marius and Silla in the first warres betwene Pompey Caesar in the second warres and betweene Mar. Antonius and Octauius Augustus in the third warrs to the ouerthrow welnigh of the whole Romane empire For histories do report that in these three ciuil warres before mentioned died more Senators Consuls magistrats noblemen and gentlemen then in the three great Affricane warres the first by Hamilcar which endured 22. yeeres most cruell the second by Hanibal which endured 17. yeeres most terrible warres the thirde and last by Asdrubal which continued foure yeeres all which annoyed not Rome so much as did these three ciuil warres But let vs returne to the happie raigne of Augustus called the Prince of peace the father of the countrey and Emperor of Rome whose happie gouernment made vnhappie Rome happie and raised vp Rome from the ground vp to the heauens To this good Emperour the Persians and the Parthians sent ambassadors with presents to this the Scythians the Indians and the Garramants people that neuer heard before any speach of the Romanes sent both Legats and presents What shal be spoken more of this Emperour In his dayes in the two and fourtieth yere of this Emperours raigne the Emperour of all Emperours and King of all kings was in Bethleem a towne of Iurie borne of the Virgine Mary the onely begotten Sonne of God and the onely Sauiour of the worlde This is the true Messias sent from Heauen to earth to satisfie the wrath of his father This was the Lambe of God which tooke away the sinnes of the world And therefore Augustus was the happier for that in his time IESVS CHRIST the Sonne of God was borne as the Prophetes had before spoken Now after that this good Emperour had liued eightie sixe yeeres whose honour and loue was such in the whole world that townes were builded and named after the name of Caesar one by king Iuba in Mauritania another by Hero in Palestina and many kings left their owne kingdomes came to Rome to do seruice to Augustus He raigned fiftie and sixe yeres Emperour he died at Atella a towne of Campania was brought to be buried at Rome and was canonized after his death as a god Augustus had three things in Rome graunted the first to be Consul of Rome before he was twentie yeeres olde the second he was freed from any decree or law of the Senators and the thirde hee had his image on horsebacke set vp in the market place which was granted to none but to Silla and Caesar In this Emperours time flourished in Rome many notable learned men whose names are here subscribed Virgil this time flourished Horace also and Tibullus Propertius and Vitrimius Titus Liuius and Ouid. Valerius Maximus And Strabo When Augustus died there was peace ouer the whole world for the Sonne of God was then borne the king of all peace whose fame by miracles filled all the earth At what time raigned Tetrarche in Iudea Archelaus the sonne of that Herode who slewe so many infants thinking thereby to kill the Sonne of God and therefore spared not his owne sonnes Aristobulus and Alexandeer I haue spoken of this more in the historie of the Church In the time of this Emperour Augustus the kingdome of Fraunce beganne to be so named after the name of one Francus the sonne of Antharius king of Sicambria This Francus after that his father died made a decree that Sicambria should be called Francia after his owne name of whom I shal speake in the historie of Fraunce And now I will returne to Tiberius Caesar who was Liuia Augustus wiues sonne and Augustus sonne by adoption the successour of Augustus and the thirde Emperour of Rome of whom we reade that he was very eloquent and well learned but a great dissembler who gouerned the Empire with auarice crueltie lust and cowardlinesse for he waged battell no where himself in person but by his deputies and lieutenants He beganne his Empire in the 768. yere after the building of Rome and in the 15. yeere after Christ was borne at what time Sextus Pompeius was Consul in Rome This Tiberius had some warres with the Germanes which were before subdued by Augustus but nowe againe rebelled and brought to subiection by this Emperor Tiberius Of these warres reade Cornelius Tacitus Hee had warres before in Illyria in the time of his father in lawe Augustus ouer whom hee triumphed In the last yeere of Tiberius Nero was Domitius borne Tiberius was certified by Pilate from Hierusalem where hee gouerned vnder the Romanes of the miracles of Christ of his fame and of his life and doings Pilats letters were shewed to the Senators and Pilate was blamed and reprooued for that he suffered that IESVS to do any miracles without the consent of the Senators for Pilate put vp the Image of Tiberius in the temple at Ierusalem But in the latter ende of his raigne hee fell to great negligence of gouernment he gaue himselfe to be idle and thereby became vntemperate with inordinate lust in so much that hee was flouted and scoffed and called Biberius Mero in stead of Tiberius Nero and after he had raigned twentie and three yeeres he died in Campania as is supposed by the meanes of Caligula who succeeded him in the Empire This Caligula was sonne to Germanicus a lewde Emperour and a wicked who farre exceeded Tiberius in crueltie and in horrible life he commaunded his Images to be put vp euery where and altars to be consecrated to him and caused his Images to haue diuine honours and hee sent to Iudea and commaunded that his Image should bee set in the temple boasting of his filthie life and gouernment naming himselfe Iupiter for his incestuous life and naming him Bacchus for his drunkennesse Hee had carâ—…all copulation with all his three sisters and with his daughter whom hee begate vpon one of his sisters he defiled noble women and chaste matrones and gaue them after to others to be defiled hee was called the beast of Rome who after hee had raigned foure yeeres vsing great crueltie auarice filthie lust and horrible incest he was slaine in his Pallace by his owne souldiers as Iosephus writeth in his nineteenth booke His birth his life and his death is set foorth at large by Suetonius who also wrote of all the liues of all the Emperours most amplie omitting nothing that belonged to the Romane historie during the time of the Emperours What were done in other countreys since the death of that good Emperour Augustus what wickednesse ensued in Rome by his successours Claudius Tiberius and Caius Caligula Tacitus Suetonius Liuie and other writers haue written very largely In the time of Tiberius Nero within two yeeres of Augustus death happened such an earthquake in the night time that twelue great cities in Asia fell prostrate to the ground at what
the Emperor or displease the people they bare onely but the name of Senators and Consuls after Augustus death the which Consuls florished 447. yeeres being ayded with Dictators and Tribunes and not with Kings or Emperors for vnder Kings Rome was a seruant vnder Emperors Rome was a Captiue but vnder Consuls Rome was the onely mystresse and lady of the world Behold the state of Rome vnder the 11. last Emperours And now I beginne with the 12. one that passed the rest in pride crueltie he in all points resembled more Nero or Catigula then hee did his father Vespasian or his brother Titus though in the beginning he behaued himself with great temperācie modestie But he was not long troubled with these good qualities he was too soone infected with anger crueltie pride fleshly lust auarice he blotted out abolished the memory of his good father and brother he waxed such a tyraunt such a monster in Rome that he cōmanded by a decree to bee called a God and to haue his statues in many places of the Romane Empire adored and would not permit the Romanes to set any pictures of him vnlesse they were of gold or siluer such was his horrible pride and that ioyned with crueltie for many of the best Senators he slue and many he banished he was the only persecutor of the Christiās and therefore called the secōd Nero he expulsed the Philosophers and Mathematiciās forth of Rome which both his father and brother enterteined with annuall stipend This Domitianus though he triumphed twise ouer the Danes Cattians had subdued the Sarmatiās yet he susteined great damages sundry losses in those battels for Appius Sabinus one of the Consuls and Cornelius Fiscus captaine of the emperors gard were slaine so were his legions and captaines in Sarmatia his exercise euery day for an houre secretly in his pallace was to catch flies he also forbade to gelde any male kinde also when one knockt at his doore and asked if any man were within No saith Domitianus not so much as a flea Now when Domitianus was so long detested abhorred of God and man for diuers wickednesses he was slaine by his owne men in his pallace after he had reigned 15. yeeres liued 45. yeeres he was so hated in Rome that being slaine they haled his body through the streetes all his pictures and statues throwen downe in so much that they coulde not abide to looke vpon any monument of his neither to heare of his name Notwithstanding so much good he did to Rome that he finished sundry workes at Rome which was the Capitoll and the two galleries called by Eutropius Isiū and Serapiū he made also the tilt for men to runne in and builded a place for musicians and singing men In the sixth yeere of Domitianus gouernmēt Antoninus Pius was borne which afterward was emperor in Rome About which time the Picts came from Scythia to seeke habitation in Britanie their captaine was called Rodericus Whē Richimer reigned king in Fraunce diuers sects of heresies began this time vnder Menander one of Simon Magus disciples In the last yere of Domitianus the apostle Iohn wrote his booke of Reuelation in Pathmos Here I write the Consuls names which gouerned yeerely in Rome with Domitianus for after the emperours beganne to commaunde what they lusted in Rome they made a choise of one Consul with his brother Titus when hee was emperour after with him these gouerned his owne friendes whom he himselfe made choise of as other emperours did before him Val. Messalinus Virg. Rufus Sabinus Verus Pollio Ser. Cornelius Dolabella Lu. Minutius Rufus Fuluius which was Antoninus Pius his graundfather Coceius Nerua which succeeded Domitianus in the Empire Ac. Volusius Saturnius Vl. Traianus Crinitus This succeeded Cocceius Nerua in the Empire whom Nerua adopted after him Glabrio and Nonius Aspreanus Domitianus himselfe was the other Consul for the Emperours woulde not permit two Consuls to gouerne together vnlesse they were speciall friendes to the Emperours so that the dignitie of the auncient Consuls daily decayed by the tyrannie and greatnes of the Emperours of those last sixe Emperours I meane Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus and Domitianus which Suetonius doeth write at large It were too long a historie for me to write of all their liues howe be it I briefely touch and speake of their chiefe and most principall dealings This time within fewe yeeres the Goates which are also the Getes the Vandales and the Hungarians began to grow strong with whom the emperours of Rome had much to doe for then waxed the West part of the worlde strong as Spaine Fraunce Germanie and Britaine and were in armes against the Romanes as you shal in the historie vnderstād for as Sueton. with many other writers set forth the exploites of those sixe which I now named euen so doeth Dion write of Nerua Traiane and Adrian three of the best emperors Iu. Capitolinus an ancient writer omitteth nothing that might be spoken of Antoninus Pius in whose time Rome was like to be on fire had not the riuer Tiber with a sudden inundation stopt the rage of the fire and yet 340. houses were quite with fire consumed so by this writer were Antoninus Pius and Antoninus surnamed the Philosopher which of some is called Mar. Aurelius writtē of and likewise of the lawes exploites of these Emperors Pertinax Opilius Macrinus Claudius Albinus Maximinus Gordianus Balbinus Lāpridius wrote of Also he wrote of Comodus and Heliogabolus two wicked and cruell Emperors The Romanes wanted no writers to record their fame for in trueth as they excelled all other nations in power greatnes and dignitie so had they more notable histories written of them What kingdom what countrie what nations were not by the Romanes conquered for you haue read in the historie before how the Affricanes Spaine and Carthage with their most famous captaines Amilcar Asdrubal and Hanibal were vanquished by the Romanes howe the successors of great king Cyrus and the posterities of the great king Alexander two of the greatest kings of the whole worlde were subdued by the Romanes how the most worthy next vnto Alexander the great in prowesse Pyrrhus king of Epire howe Mithridates the king of Pontus who kept most terrible and cruell warres with the Romanes fourtie yeres how Antiochus surnamed also the great king of all Asia in fine howe the Parthians the Scythians the Sogdians the Indians the Arabians and the Egyptians were by the Romanes conquered and therefore I will as briefely passe ouer the historie as I can partly for that many haue trāslated the liues of the Emperors their exploites are here there in fragments and partly for that it were tedious to write all the Romans historie in particular for the best reading is of the Romanes historie during the reigne of the Consuls foure hundred fourtie seuen yeres all which time
their conquests were great their victories infinite but after the dignities of the Cōsuls were eclipsed by the greatnesse crueltie of the Emperours the state of Rome also beganne by a little and a little to loose her former fame and to decaye in credite for that they esteemed money more then men This vice of auarice excluded all kinde of vertues out of Rome and receiued into the Citie hidden hatred priuate wealth and yong councell whereby the lady of the whole worlde sometime is become now by auarice to be the handmaid of Spaine and Fraunce yea to be led by euery citie of Italie Thus was the glory of Rome brought vnder her owne seruants to be a captiue euen as Babylon Ierusalem Egypt and other kingdomes of whom the Prophets haue spoken prophecied the reward of their wickednesse idolatrie and horrible superstition The like destruction the Romanes must looke to haue as the Affricanes had after them the Chaldeans the Hebrewes and the Egyptians for their idolatrie and contempt of God The like ende and destruction as had the Persians the Medes the Macedonians and the Greekes must the Romanes by the prophesie of Daniel expect for I will the Reader to reade Daniel Esai Ieremie and Ezechiel of these great kingdoms before time for some destroyed and consumed and I will returne to the historie Now after that good Emperor Cocceius Nerua had reigned but one yeere foure moneths and nine dayes hee adopted Traiane to the Empire a Spaniard and not an Italian as many would haue it a godly Emperor a good man of whom many good things are written amongst the which he is most commended in two principal things sanctitas domi fortitudo for is he was patient in all traueiles and in all aduersities hee was very diligent in ciuill causes and very expert in militarie discipline hee was most liberall to his souldiers and beneficiall vnto all men he much honoured all learned men he onely of all other Emperors obserued iustice and practised the same to his people hee gouerned the weale publique in such sort that hee ought worthely to bee preserued aboue all other princes hee enlarged the borders and marches both in length and breadth of the Romane Empire which frō the time of Augustus was but defended and conserued by other Emperors vntil this time he is thus cōmended in Eutropius that his courtesie and sobrietie farre excelled his martiall feates hee was so familiar that he would ride goe and sit with his familiars hee would also banquet amongst them without esteeming of himself more then of another he openly and secretly enriched not onely his friendes but those whom he well heard of and aduaunced them to honors with whom he had small acquaintance hee infranchised many cities hee did so many great good things aswell in repairing ruinous Townes and Cities as also in building newe Cities Townes in diuers coūtries that in a maner he builded a new world againe for he builded sixe great Temples 1 To Apollo 2 To Mars 3 To Iupiter 4 To Aesculapius 5 To Ceres 6 To Berecynthia And therefore he was reputed in al the whole world of all men and likened vnto some god which had some diuine power to finish and to perfect a ruinous cōmon wealth being by his predecessors Nero Caligula Heliogabolus Domitianus and others welnigh wholy destroyed and defaced So much preuailed in him the fame of perfect goodnesse that at the election of any prince in Rome after Traians dayes the Senators and the people would wish him to be as fortunate as Augustus and in behauiour of vertue and goodnesse to be like the good Traiane who both for his goodnes vertue was also called Pater patriae as Augustus was for that hee subdued Dacia recouered Armenia which the Parthians had wonne he reduced vnder the obeysance of Rome Spaine Moscouia Arabia and the inhabitants of Cholcos hee had great warres in all the East countries and brought Assyria and Mesopotamia vnder his hand He reduced many kingdomes to be prouinces vnder the Romanes hee wanne Seleucia and Babylon and prepared a nauie for the redde Sea that thereby hee might spoyle and destroy the borders and coastes of Iudea About this time the Temple of Pantheon in Rome was burned he triumphed ouer the Danes and ouer the Scythians and brought Rome againe to her former fame and glory as it was in the time of Octauius Augustus The two mirrors of Rome liued in Rome and dyed with the like loue and fame after they had purchased great glory and renowme both for ciuill and marciall policie Traiane was canonised and was the first emperour buried within the Citie his bones were put in a golden cuppe and set vnder a pillar which mounted in height to an hundred fourtie foure foote Hee reigned nineteene yeeres whose facts and worthinesse are rife in memorie If you list to reade further of them looke in Capitolinus amongst all the emperours this you shall finde to excell the rest In Traianes time fell the fourth persecution of the Christians in whose time also dyed Iohn the Euangelist after whose death florished his scholers and disciples Papias and Polycarpus and Ignatius In Traians time happened such an earthquake that foure great Cities in Asia fell flatte to the grounde three in Galatia and two in Greece Traiane dyed of the flixe at Seleucia a towne of Isauria whē he had liued sixtie three yeeres after whom succeeded Aelius Adrianus the fifteenth emperour an Italian borne he was sisters sonne to Traiane and yet not adopted to the Empire by Traiane but by meanes of Plotina Traians wife hee was singularly learned both in the Greeke and in the Latine hee was excellently seene in Musicke and Geometrie and was so expert in Astronomie that hee made yerely Prognostications for him selfe hee excelled in diuers artes as in caruing grauing paynting cutting eyther in brasse or in marble Iustine writeth of this emperour that hee coulde write talke with his friendes aske questions and answere matters at one time hee gaue him selfe wholly to purchase peace and quietnesse and woulde often say that hee did more good in Rome by idlenesse then his predecessours by weapons for hee purchased peace during the whole time of his Empire In his time the Christians were sore persecuted vntill certeine learned of the Christians wrote bookes vnto the Emperour Adrian for mercie in sparing of Christian blood whereupon the Emperour wrote diuers Epistles to Iudea and to all prouinces belonging to the Empire of Rome that no Christian should be apprehended for religion sake at what time Ierusalem was named Aelia after that he had quieted the Iewes by his Sendrus and slue of them fiue thousand The Emperours name Aelius Adrianus for after that the Emperor Adriā wrote his letter to Minutius to stay his persecution certeine heretikes began to trouble the Church as Saturnius
Rome mainteined his apologie of Christianitie and read his writing before them and confirmed the same with his death for hee was at that time by decree of the Senate beheaded in Rome About this time Smirna a towne of Asia fell by an earthquake and the temple of Serapis in Alexandria was burned By this time raigned in Rome 13. bishops after the time of the Apostles in Alexandria tenne bishops in Antiochia eight bishops besides many bishops of Corinth of Creete of Ephesus of Caesarea in Palestina many of these bishops And specially of Hierusalem are not found in Eusebius distinctly Hitherto the Romane bishops stood constant and stoute in the faith with all humilitie and zeale after this time by degrees they waxed worse and worse vntill they became worst of all CHAP. III. Of the tyrannie of the time from the sixt persecution vnder Seuerus vnto the ninth persecution vnder Dioclesian the Emperour of the zeale and constancie of the godly in their Martyrdome and of the tyrannie and wickednesse of the kings of Persia and of the Emperors of Rome at that time in the persecution of the Church I Will passe to the Martyrs of the Church in all countreys which nowe againe beginneth what in Alexandria and in Egypt in the time of Septimius Seuerus the Emperour At what time Leonides the father of Origene was beheaded for the profession of his faith leauing his sonne a young man behinde him who vehemently perswaded his father to stande constantly to Christ and after being growen to some yeeres taught in Alexandria Christians that came vnto him as Olutarchus who to prooue his zeale and to shew himselfe a Christian became willingly a Martyr of Iesus Christ. Also his brother named Heraclas who being instructed by Origene came in time to be a bishop of Alexandria so many zealous men flocked to this vertous and good man that he gaue vp his other prophane studie as Grammer Rhetoricke which Demetrius then bishop of Alexandria committed to his charge and taught Christ to the brethren and Christians that came from â—…uery part vnto him in so much that diuers of his scholers proued themselues coÌ„stant Martyrs as these Serenus Heraclides Heron Serenus an other froÌ„ the first and Rhais a woman these were crowned as victorious Martyrs After whom folowed Potamaena a very faire vertuous virgine who together with her mother Marcella offered themselues to the like torments for Christ Iesus but being pitied of many that so faire and a beautiful virgine should die she litle regarded her beautie but said Gratior est pulchro veniens è corpore virtus and so was with her mother Marcella burned whose constant zeale mooued many in Alexandria to professe the Christian faith as Basilides a souldier and euen he who brought Potamiaena to the stake was within foure dayes after put in prison and there baptized and after beheaded as a Martyr Diuers beside by the instructions of Origen became faithfull Martyrs in Alexandria and in other places for during the reigne of Septimius the Emperour great persecution fel euery where in whose time this Origen florished amongst the Martyrs of the Church a man singularly well learned most zealous and most godly in al his life euen from his childehood whose fame grewe such that Mammea Alexander Seuerus his mother came to Antioch for to see Origen was in the tenth yeere of Alexander Seuerus made priest at Caesarea in Palestina Tertulian was in the time of Origen in the first yeere of Antoninus surnamed Caracalla where hee came to Alexandria hee commaunded that all the young men shoulde be called before him and being together in one place he gaue a signe or a watch worde to his souldiers to kill them as both Herodianus and Functius doe affirme In the time of Origen Asclepiades was the ninth Bishop of Antiochia Calixtus the fifteenth and Vrbanus the sixteenth Bishops of Rome Philetus in Alexandria the tenth Bishop At this time Nicopolis a towne in Palestina was builded being before called Emmaus In the time of Maximinius the Emperor Origen made a booke of Martyrs for during the whole reigne of this cruell emperor continued a vehement persecutioÌ„ of the Church Origen confuted many Philosophers and conuerted many heretikes disputed wrote in the face of the aduersaries insomuch that he reduced Berillus Bishop of Bosterna in Arabia after sharpe and seuere disputation in the doctrine of the true Church from his errour concerning the diuine nature of Christ his fame was such that Athinedorus and his brother Gregorie Nazianzenus with other many became his schollers Dionysius also Bishop of Alexandria in the time of Decius the Emperour which was a vehement persecutour of the Christians wrote this of himselfe in an epistle to Fabius Bishop of Antiochia howe he by Gods prouidence was wonderfully deliuered from great dangers and many of the brethren with him and howe constant in the faith many at that persecution in Alexandria continued and stood most boldly vnto the last breath as Metra a priest being taken was commaunded by the Romane Iudge to speake some wicked blasphemous words which he refused and therefore he was beaten and bruised with clubs and after pricked in the face and in the eyes with sharpe needles and at last haled drawen through the towne and stoned to death Metra Quinta a faithfull woman was likewise taken and brought into the temple and there commaunded to worship their idoles but shee lothing their idolatrie refused to obey them she was therefore bound both her feete together and drawen naked through the streetes where sharpe picked stones were for the purpose set in the way certein torturers with whips in their hands scourging her as shee was haled Appollonia a virgin of ardent zeale refusing to blaspheme her God with idolatrie and with wicked spâ—…ches after them in their temple they brake her chawe bone and all her teeth they violently knockt out and brought her vnto the stake where fire was ready kindled for her and there being demanded by the magistrates whether she would conuert from her God and from his religion shee looked on them and saide When I come from my God vnto you againe I wil answere you and withall leapt into the fire and ended her life with a glorious death and to bee short innumerable were they at that time in Alexandria that willingly confessed themselues to be Christians and so bent to offer their bodies to any torment for the proofe of the same that at that very tumult and sedition the wicked and vngodly fedde on the Christians and deuoured them as wolues or lyons deuoure their praye nay wolues lyons beares and other sauadge wilde beastes spared the people of God and had no power to touch them for God so stopt their mouthes that tyraunts and cruel murtherers might be warned thereby and for that it is infinite to prosecute the whole histories of Martyrs I passe ouer
to bee martyred yea some from the Emperours Court of his familie as Dor theus Gorgonius and other Courtiers yea they of the Emperours chamber his owne cousins being some but very young of great honour and great fauour loue and liking with the Emperor made more choise of this seruice and cruell death then of that Courtly and gallant life among whome I finde one named Petrus a young lustie prince who refused to bowe to Idoles or to doe any sacrifice vnto them hee was commaunded to bee lifted vp naked and there to be whipped and scourged vntill hee woulde willingly sacrifice to Idoles ◅hee stoode stout and constant vntill by beating vnto the very bones his fiesh from his body fell by pieces and then they tooke salt and vineger mingled together and powred it in purulentis corporis partibus as the historie sayth and yet hee yeelded not then th◅ brought him to the fire where they pinche◅ him with hote irons and pricked him with sharpe bodkins and perceiuing that hee would not recant he was commanded to be burned In this Dioclesians time all prisons were full of Christians and all Townes and Cities full of persecutions In Arabia multitudes of Martyrs were tormented with sundry inuentions as breaking of their legges pulling out their eyes cutting of their nostrels and their lippes knocking out their teeth and such vnchristian like torments In Antiochia with burning coles they tortured the Martyrs of Christ Iesus In Pontus the Martyrs were thus tortured with sharpe long and strong needles thrusting them vp vnder the nailes of their fingers and vnder the nailes of their toes To bee short in some places their right eye was put out and the left knee was cutte off in some other places in boyling leade they were by little and little tormented and in other places with all tortures in their priuie members most terrible to be spoken punished and martyred In all places all kinde of torments were most cruelly vsed against the Saintes and people of God When Dioclesianus had reigned twentie yeeres and had fomed like a bloody bore against the Church hee dyed in whose time the Christians multiplied by his tyrannie more then reason or sence can alleadge After him succeded Maxentius an Emperor who though hee dissembled for a while to gette the Romanes good will yet he shortly proued a tyraunt and so hatefull to good men that betweene Maximinus in the East coūtries with his hypocrisie and superstition and Maxentius in Rome with his filthinesse and tyrannie the Church againe and the members thereof were most miserably afflicted in such sort that neither Mazentius in Rome nor Maximinus abroade coulde neither stoppe nor staye the multitude that dayly came into Gods Church neither their murthering and killing in euery countrie could feare them any thing at all Maximinus one of the greatest persecutors sauing Dioclesian who in thirtie daies slue and martyred 1700. Christians by some diuine iustice of God fell grieuously sicke at Tarsus where despairing of his life feeling his cōscience accusing him for the great slaughter he vsed against the Christians he caused by an edict persecution to stay and to loose prisoners out of prison to set captiue Christians at libertie but this cōtinued not but while the emperor was sicke liketo die for whē he recouered his health he waxed more cruel thē before sparing neither man woman nor childe vsing all kinde of torments on the Byshops and learned men in all Countries so that his tyrannie ouer the Christians might bee well compared to the rage and furie of Pharao ouer the Israelites But he was cutte offrō this murthering slaughter of the Christians by Licinius the Emperour who then had maried Constantia sister to Constantine the great for at this time foure emperors were at once gouernors of Rome so a litle before Maxentius the other persecutour was discomfited and vanquished by Constantine the great at Miluius bridge Thus farre fomed tyraunts in Christian blood and the Church was sore afflicted euery where where the Romane Emperours gouerned And thus farre doth Eusebius his tenne bookes handle and set forth of those kingdomes and Countries where this persecution and affliction of the Church remained euen from the Apostles time vntill Constantine the great This Constantine was a godly Emperor who defended the Christians and the Church of Christ that in steade of persecution brought libertie to the Church and in steade of warre peace for after that Constantine the great had vanquished Licinius had gotten the Empire into his owne hand he established first religion and caused a Synod of Byshops at Rome to determine and to agree concerning the agreement in religion he wrote to Miltiades Byshop of Rome he sent to Affrike to his lieutenant Anilinus that Cecilianus Byshop of Carthage with the other tenne Byshops that accused him should be sent to Rome there further to examine the faults and errors of Cecilianus and to auoide that controuersie betweene these byshops that then in diuers places liued Hee wrote that bishops out of Fraunce and out of Affrike should againe come together to reason in causes of the Church and to moderate the same for during the time that Licinius his Collegue in the Empire reigned specially in the end Licinius beganne to hate Constantine and to persecute the Church waxed cruell against good byshops persecuted them most vehemently and threwe their Churches downe slue and murthered the people most miserably for then Licinius commenced not onely warre against Constantinus but also against God and his Church Hee caused Basilius Byshop of Amasia in Pontus to bee slaine with the sworde and a hundred other His furie continued not long and therefore God raysed vp this good Emperour to reuenge his people not onely nowe vpon Licinius but also vpon Maxentius and Maximinus two great persecutours of the Christians After this as you heard Constantinus studied howe hee might benefite the Church establish religion and ayde the afflicted members that long suffered sharpe persecution and were nowe scattered into wildernesses into mountaines and into such places where they might hide themselues from the sworde and from the fire This time florished Egypt with sundry learned and godly Philosophers Also in Mesopotamia the like godly men liued some in wildernesses and in mountaines as these whose names I lay downe as I founde them in Rufinus 1 Marcereus and another of that name liued in the wildernesse 2 Isidorus in a place called Scithi 3 Pembus in the desert of Egypt Moyses and Beniamin in a place called Nitria 4. 5. 6. Scyron and Helias and Paulus liued and hid themselues in Apeliote 7. 8. Poemen and Ioseph in Pispirihill these with many others that liued in diuers partes of Egypt true and sound Christians Nowe when Constantine the great had by his greatnesse enlarged the Empire of Rome farre more then any of his
17. Dynasteia of the Egyptians which endured 103. yeeres During which time the shepherds had gouernment 7 Gerion surnamed Deabus raigned 35. yeeres he inuented the vse of many good things found first the vse of mynes of gold siluer and other mettals 8 After whom succeeded his three sonnes surnamed Lomuini which builded a towne after their owne name Lomuinia they also raigned 42. yeeres after their father 9 Hispalus the sonne of Hercules Libyus and the 9. king of the Celtiberians he raigned 11. yeeres he beganne his gouernment in the 36. yeere of Baleus Iunior the II. king of the Assyrians he did nothing but builded a towne and named it after his owne name Hispalis 10 After Hispalus succeeded the tenth king named Hispanus which raigned 32. yeeres by whom the whole countrey was called Hispania This time Iacob with his children went to Egypt when the great famine was almost ouer the whole world so long the name of Hispaine continued 11 Hercules after the death of Hispanus being verie aged raigned 19. yeeres at what time Mamitus the 13. king of the Assyrians gouerned at Niniuie 12 Hesperus raigned after Hercules 11. yeeres In Egypt began this time to raigne Mispharmutosis about which time Ioseph being an hundred yeres old died in Egypt Narbon raigned in that part of Fraunce which was called Celta after whome the countrey was after called Narbon 13 Kittim called in some places Atlas after hee had forced his brother Hesperus to forsake the kingdome and to flie into Italie raigned in Spaine 11. yeeres With this Kittim beganne to raigne in Assyria Maucaleus the 14. king and ouer the Argiues Crassus the fiftking 14 Sicorus raigned after Kittim Atlas who raigned 45. yeres for Kittim hauing his sonne in his steede to gouerne Spaine went to Italie and raigned there and was called for his great vertue and excellencie of minde of that countrey Italus This maried his daughter Electra to Cambo Blaston a Prince of the Ianigenes During the time of Sicorus Kittims sonne in Spaine raigned in Egypt Amenophis a cruel king who made a lawe that all the male children of the Israelites which then were in great cruell bondage in Egypt should be drowned in the riuer Nilus at which time Moses beyng borne then in Egypt was throwen to Nilus but he was preserued by the appoyntment of God This time reigned in Assyria Spherus the 15. king 15 Sicanus the sonne of Sicorus raigned after his Father 12. yeres king of Hispaine Phorbas the sixt king of the Argiues began in his kingdome to raigne and Sparetus the 17. king of the Assyrians 16 After Sicanus succeeded Siceleus which raigned in Spaine 44. yeeres this king came with the Sicilians to aide Iasius against Dardanus who both were in armes for the kingdome of Italie and did no other great thing In the beginning of this Siceleus raigne the kingdome of Athens beganne vnder Cecrops their first king in the fourth yeere of Sparetus the seuenteenth king of the Assyrians and in the sixte yeere of Marathus the thirteenth King of Peloponesus At what time Troyphas raigned the seuenth king of the Argiues and Acengeres raigned king of Egypt Functius sayeth that Mercurius Trismegistus an Egyptian Philosopher flourished about this time a great learned Priest whose bookes yet are to this day extant though some doe doubt of the same as in so ancient a thing men may easily doubt I thinke there was not so much diuinitie then in Egypt as Trismegistus seemeth to write in his bookes 17 After that Siceleus had raigned 44. yeeres his sonne named Lusus succeeded him and reigned thirtie yeeres this dwelt in that part of Spayne which he called after his owne name Lusitania thither he brought manie from Italie and other places to inhabite This Lusus beganne to reigne in Spayne in the thirteenth yeere of Ascatades the 18. King of the Assyrians in the verie yeere that Dardanus slue by deceit his brother Iasius and after fledde to Samothracia In the beginning of the reigne of this King the Israelites were deliuered from their bondage and great miserie vnder Pharao in Egypt after they had continued foure hundred thirtie yeeres there in seruitude This time reigned in Athens Cranaus their seconde king and ouer the Argiues Crotopus their eight king 18 Siculus the eighteenth king of Spayne succeeded Siceleus and reigned 64. yeeres That time that he beganne to gouerne Spaine then Dardanus beganne to erect a kingdome in Dardania which afterwarde was called Troy which was in the last yeere of Ascatades the 18. king of Assyria 830. yeeres after the flood of Noah This Dardanus after he was fledde to Samothracia for the killing of his brother Iasius for the gouernment of Italie he sought no right in Italie but resigned the same to Turrhenius who sailed into that part of Italie called Ianigena and possessed it and reigned 51. yeeres and Dardanus began his kingdome and was the first king of Dardania after called Troy This time Faunus Priscus reigned ouer the Latines then called Aborigenes for Latinus was the fift king after Faunus after whom they were called Latins after Latinus name their first king 19 Testa succeeded Siculus in Spaine and reigned seuentie yeeres During which time Manethon which onely writeth of the first 24. kinges doeth set downe nothing worth the writing for these kings were not heard of any way out of Spaine they liued so simply vnpeopled without any war or other exploits done the best is the noting of time thereigne of other kings the histories of the East coūtreys are by this historie briefly passed ouer During the 70. yeres of these kings Bellopares the 21. king and Lamprides the 22. king of the Assyrians reigned at Niniue Menophis gouerned Egypt Minos in Creete Abas ouer the Argiues Erictheus the sixt king of the Athenians In the latter yeeres of this king Samgar which succeeded Ehud iudged Israel after Samgar Debora and Barac 20 Romus the twentieth king that gouerned in Spaine he raigned three and thirty yeeres at what time raigned in Assyria Lampares the 24. king and ouer the Argiues Agrisius their fourteenth and last king In Dardania raigned Tros their thirde king who enlarged the citie of Dardania verie much and altered the name of Dardania after his owne name and called it Troia I take little heede to Manethon for hee doeth much differ from others in manie thinges and I make as much haste as I can to come to an ende Nowe after that Romus dyed Palatinus succeeded and raygned eighteene yeeres in whose time the kingdome of the Argiues was translated into Mycena where for a long time it continued 21 This time raigned in Troy Ilus after whose name Troy was called Ilion and in Assyria gouerned Paninas their 25. king Gedeon iudged Israel This Palatinus beyng a young man was driuen out of his kingdome by Cacus into Italie from whence
and Lu. Papirius Cursor triumphed ouer the Samnites at what time he was Dictator in Rome after whome Quintu◅ Fabius being Dictator ouerthrewe the Samnites in a great battell Tritemius writeth that the Gothes commenced warre this time against the Saxons wasted and spoyled manie townes in the confines of the Saxons for at that time fiue kinges ioyned in a league of amitie with the Saxons and gaue a great ouerthrow to the Gothes to the number of a 100000. Gothes After this victorie Diocles was all the dayes of his life in fighting and wasting of Gallia and did much harme vnto them and when he had raigned 39. yeres died after whō succeeded his eldest sonne named Helenus the 2. of that name and the 6. king of Sicambria who was neither beloued of his people nor profitable to the kingdome for he was foolish in time of peace and peeuish in warre and therfore he was remoued from his kingdome for that he was not found sufficient to gouerne and his younger brother Bassanus was crowned king in Sicambria a man of great stoutnesse wisedome and iustice in so much hee spared neither friend kinne brother or sonne that violated his lawes wheresoeuer he would trauell he commanded two things to be caried before him the booke of the lawe and the sworde of punishment Tritemius writeth this historie of Bassanus that hee had a sonne named Sedanus who committed adulterie against the law was of his own father thus punished although his nobles and great men made much meanes to the king for his life yet Bassanus executed the lawe saying to his noble men in this sorte I haue made a lawe with your consent and to your contentation will you bee against your selues and against me in per◅urming of the same and turning his speech to his sonne he said My sonne I doe not kill thee but the lawes of the countrey which thou hast willingly violated and therewithall tooke him by the haires of his head with his owne hand beheaded him So iust a king was this Bassanus so seuere to wicked men so gentle to good men and so well esteemed of his people that as Amerodacus a Philosopher of their owne nation sayeth he was Appetentissimus diuinitatis Reade more of this king in Tritemius he raigned sixe thirtie yeeres and builded in memorie of his victory had ouer Taborinus king of the Tegurans a strong castle and named it Montabur While this Bassanus flourished in Sicambria Demetrius the sonne of Antigonus gouerned in Macedonia Lysimachus in Thracia and Philadelphus in Egypt at what time the Hebrew Bible was translated from Hebrew into Greek by the means of Philadelphus In the time of king Bassanus began the first warre betweene the Romanes and the Affricanes Zeno the Stoike Philosopher died this time and Eustratus the phisition flourished Nowe when Bassanus died his countreymen can onized him amongst the number of the gods and did of long time worshippe him after his death calling him Basangor after whom followed his owne sonne named Clodomirus raigned 18. yeeres in whose daies the feastes called Floralia were celebrated in Rome at what time the Romanes had peace with the Affricanes but were occupied in Bello Lygustico The Parthians which before were obscure and base people banished out of their countrey began to stablish a new kingdome and became so strōg that their kings were named Arsaces a name of dignitie as the Egyptians by their Pharoes and the Romanes by Caesars I see I shoulde bee long to speake seuerally of the rest of the kinges of Sicambria which are yet nine to write of therefore I will onely lay downe the names of these kinges from Marcomirus the first king of the Sicambrians vntil Francus the last king to auoyd tediousnes 1 Marcomirus the first king raigned 28. yeeres he made the first warres in Fraunce subdued vnto the riuer of Mosa 2 Antenor who maried Cambria the Brittaine Belinus daughter raigned 27. yeeres 3 Priamus the sonne of Antenor by Cambria raigned 27. yeere in this Kinges raigne the Sicambrians began to vse the Saxons tongue 4 Helenus the fourth king raigned 19. yeeres 5 Diocles the sonne of Helenus reigned 39. this king liued in the time of Alexander the great 6 Helenus the seconde of that name and the sonne of Diocles raigned 14. yeeres this king was abstracted and therefore he was forced to forsake his kingdome 7 Basanus the brother of Helenus reigned 36. yeeres at what time Philadelphus raigned in Egypt and Antiochus Soter in Syria This Bessanus builded a famous strong castle in memory of his victory had ouer Taborinus king of the Tegarenes and he named the castle Montabur At what time Heligastus a Priest and a Prophet amongst the Sicambrians flourished 8 Clodomirus the sonne of Basanus raigned in Sicambria 18. yeeres 9 His sonne Nicanor raigned 34. yeeres in what time the second warres of the Romanes began against the Affricanes 10 Marcomirus the second of that name and the 9. king raigned 28. yeeres 11 Clodius the tenth king of Sicambria raigned 10. yeeres 12 Antenor the eleuenth king raigned sixteene yeeres in the time of this king and his predecessor Terentius made his Comedies 13 Clodomirus the 2. of that name and the 12. king raigned 20. yeeres in whose time beganne the thirde and last warre betweene the Romanes and the Affricanes 14 Merodacus the 13. king raigned 28. yeeres this king inuaded Italie with 3000000. reade more in Plutarch of this people in the life of Marius 15 Cassander the 15. king of Sicambria raigned 21. yeeres this king ioyned with Arathius king of the Saxons and Borbista king of the Gothes entered into Germany and made a great slaughter of the Teutones 16 Antharius the sixteenth king he raigned fiue and thirty yeeres this king also played his part with the Romanes and wan Moguntia and made it euen to the grounde In whose time Iulius Caesar made his voyage to Britaine CHAP. II. From Francus the sixteenth king of Fraunce then called Sicambri vntill the time of Farabertus the 12. in number after Francus of the warres inuasions and victories of the enlargement of their kingdome from one king to another vntill Farabertus gouernement during which time they were called Franci after the name of Francus IN the yeere before the birth of Christ 245. Francus the eldest sonne of Antharius after that his father was slaine by the Gaules by the aide of the Romans succeeded in the kingdome of Sicambria became such an enemie to the Gaules that hee destroyed their townes and cities wasted their territories and spoyled the people not only the Gaules but also the Gothes and other nations insomuch that the Romanes hearing of this Francus courage and stoutnesse sent Lollius with a Romane armie who in the first battel that he gaue in Germany slue of thē 18. thousand Francus sent his sonne Clogio to aide his
towne hard by the hill Alba and named it Albalonga leauing his fathers wife Lauina in that Citie which Aeneas builded thirtie yeres before Ascanius builded Albalonga where during his life Ascanius kept his Court and it became the king of Albans Pallace at what time the names of the Latines were changed to the kings of Alba which endured foure hundred yeeres and odde vntill Tullus Hostilius the third king of Rome conquered them so that the right line and blood of the kings of Alba descended also from Aeneas by succession from the father vnto the sonne vntill Romulus time as Halicarnassaeus saith whose names are set downe orderly in Annius chronicles and in Berosus with whom Dyonis Halicar doeth in all points agree as well for the continuance of time as also for their sure naming of their kings which reigned betweene Aeneas and Romulus So doeth M. Cato in his fragments men of great credite in other histories to be skant in the Britaine historie allowed hinc liuor the cause thereof I take it in some rather negligence then ignorance for in trueth the Phisicion must study to ease his patients the Lawyer to please his client the Diuine to feede the soules so that few haue time to studie histories Yea many that read histories are to seeke in histories other wayes then the histories of Englād but I wil returne to Aeneas which is as Annius saith Imperij Romani origo and therefore I will begin from the comming of Aeneas into Laurentum in Italie Nowe as concerning the comming of Aeneas into Italie his toyles and trauailes reade Helanicus an olde auncient writer My onely purpose is to set downe the true histories of the Britaines hauing that name from Brutus euen as the Frenchmen were named of Francus and the Hispaniards from Hispanus If you reade Fab. Pictor de aureo seculo and Portius Cato you shall finde the kindred and predecessours of Romulus the first king of Rome so plainely to come out of the very house and stocke that Brutus the first king of the Britaine 's came out of so that the last king of the Latines I meane Aeneas and his sonne Ascanius the first king of Albalonga are of that antiquitie and continuance in Italie as Brutus is in Britaine now called Englande For as Romulus and the kings of Rome and after the Emperours and the Romanes were offsprings of the kinges of the Albanes and Latines and the Albanes and Latines offsprings of the kings of Troy so is it prooued that the Romanes came from Troy for Ascanius was graundfather vnto Brutus who first came into this Isle named then Albion but by Brutus after named Britaine Some take this for fables certeine it is that the beginning of antiquities seeme fabulous for that the errors of time haue obscured many things as is proued of the Romane histories whom the Grecians neuer knewe nor neuer heard of for neither Thucydides nor Xenophon two of the greatest writers in the florishing state of Greece yea and late after the foundation of Rome 360. yeeres neither Herodot after them made any mencion of Rome Euen so the Grecians were to the Persians and the Persians to the Grecians most ignorant not one knowing another before Xerxes with his huge armie thought to inuade Greece for these be the words of Strabo Nec Graeci Persas nec Persae Graecos agnorunt And as for Fraunce and Spaine they were taken but for two cities the one named Gallia the other Hesperia as Iosephus affirmeth Many men write very fables of their countries as Berosus if it be Berosus being a Chaldean priest wrote of the Chaldeans meere fables and more licencious of the kings of Assyria without any warrant of trueth not knowing the Scriptures where the best and soundest warrant of Chaldean histories are to be found In like sort Ctesias the Persian wrote of his countrie 23. bookes both vaine and foolish in setting foorth the antiquitie gouernment and greatnesse of the king of Persia then is truely prooued by true accompt of time as Plutarch affirmeth So Manethon an Egyptian priest wrote so many lies of his countrie of Egypt that accompteth 340. Pharoes successiuely from Amasis the first Pharao vnto Amasis the last Pharao but he is reprooued to his face by Iosephus in both his bookes against Appion the Egyptian and a scholemaster of Alexandria yet Manethon founde great fault in Herodot for his fables and lies of Egypt But let controuersies passe all countries haue their fables mingled with trueth and so I will returne to the histories of the Britaines whose certeintie and trueth is as sound and as true to bee prooued as either Fraunce Spaine or any other countrie whose continuance was without change of name for lōger time then many bragging kingdoms whose lawes whose kings whose countrie vnconquered longer then any of them both easie to be prooued by all sound writers for Spaine was conquered and subdued first by the Carthagineans and Affricanes secondly by the Romanes thirdly by the Vandales fourthly by the Gothes and fiftly by the Saracens who possessed almost all the kingdome of Spaine for 800. yeeres So may it be said of the change of their names as Catubales Iberians Celtiberians Hesperians and Spaniards which during the time of this change serued the Carthagineans the Romanes the Grekes the Gothes and the Saracens The Britaines neuer changed their names since Brutus time which is 2700. and odde yeeres which no one kingdome of the worlde can say so much though in some part it was subdued by the Romanes and then by the Danes and last by the Normanes yet they reserued their names vnchanged all the whole countrie of Camber the second sonne of Brutus vncōquered which of late is called Wales their auncient name vnchanged and their language vncorrupted So may I speake of the Frenchmen which were called at their first arriuall from Scythia into Germany Neumagi then were they called Sicambri thirdly Franci and fourthly Galli So were the Persians Elamites Artaeans and after Cephancs and last of all Persians so Egypt was called Oceana Nilea Aerea and last of all Egypt To conclude there is no nation that I can reade of but were subiect to diuers names therby knowē sauing onely the Britaines which continue vnto this day though the Danes beganne to call them Welsh as they call all strangers Welsh which was 1800. yeres odde as the reignes and gouernmēt of the kings of Britaine do manifestly proue whose names I neede not to write for that they be set downe to your viewe in tables printed with the pictures of all the kings of the Britaines Now after 1 Brutus 2 Locrinus 3 Madan 4 Mempricius 5 Ebrancus and 6 Brutus surnamed Viridescutum and so forward vntill Rudacus time the 20. king after Brutus at what time the kingdome was diuided into foure parts and gouerned by foure seuerall kings for fiftie yeeres Rudacus
king of Cambria which is Wales Pinnor king of Loegria which is England Saterus king of Albania which is nowe Scotland and Clotenus king of Cornubia nowe Cornewall all the kingdome after fiftie yeeres came to Dunwallus Clotenus sonne about 700. yeeres after Brutus and continued vntill Elidurus the third for the space of a 182. yeeres And after Elidurus the third it continued the reigne of thirtie three kings from Elidurus vntill Belinus the great 185. This Belinus was vncle vnto Cassibelane who reigned king in Britaine when Iulius Caesar came into Britaine about a thousand and thirtie yeeres after Brutus so long was Britaine vnconquered which as I said before for the spite of Androgeus to Cassibelan he wrote his letters to Caesar after the first great ouerthrowe of Caesar of which Lucan the Poet saith Territa quaesitis ostendunt terga Britannis Romani c. This Androgeus then Duke of Troinouant nowe called London since king Luds time promised his aide and helpe with all the Britaines which he coulde make if after the conquest he should by Caesar be restored to gouerne the Britaines but Caesar by this meanes brought the Britaines to paye tribute to the Romanes yet reigned kings in Britaine from Cassibelan lineally vnto Cadwallader for seuen hundred yeres and odde so that Britaine was gouerned from the first king vnto the last for a thousand eight hundred and odde yeeres as Guidonius affirmeth But for that the kings of Britaine are by all their names named their successiōs continuance of time writtē in diuers Chronicles of Englande beside Doctor Powel of late hath written of their ciuill warres of their kings their lawes and gouernments that I neede not further to write herein my desire is no lesse to satisfie those that will with reason and authorities bee satisfied then was M. Coruinus a learned Romane Orator willing to please Augustus Caesar for the setting foorth of his familie and his house in proouing gens Iulia which was the stocke of the first Emperour Iulius Caesar his vncle to descende lineally from Ascanius The historie is written in Coruinus de progenie Augusti in whose time Coruinus florished whome Augustus desired to traueile and to set downe the genealogie of his stocke that being so fortunate an Emperour as hee was in subduing almost all the kingdomes of the worlde and captiuating them as Prouinces vnder the Empire of Rome hee might knowe also whence gens Iulia came that hee might assure him selfe of the certeintie of his house To satisfie this Emperor Augustus being thereunto by him intreated Coruinus briefely diuided the whole earth into three seuerall partes Asia Europe and Affrike In this Asia the great is Asia the lesse conteyned in the which Countrie is a Region named Phrygia into the which one Dardanus a great prince of Creete that had the daughter of one Teucer giuen him in mariage came with a great multitude of young men and souldiers to inhabite about the time that Moses dyed where hee builded a great Citie and named it after his owne name Dardania and the inhabitants therein were called Dardanians The fame of this king Dardanus grewe so great that Teucer his father in lawe came from Creete with a number of gentlemen to visite his daughter vnto Dardania in Phrygia where Dardanus reigned three yeres after whom succeeded Ericthonius 75. yeres after Ericthonius succeded Tros the king of Dardania which reigned sixtie yeres by whom Dardania was named Troy after the kings name after Tros succeeded Ilus who reigned 54. yeres after whom succeeded Laomedon and reigned 36. yeres and after him reigned his sonne Priamus named Alexander in histories the sixt and last king of Troy in whose time Troy was destroyed by the Grecians This Messala setteth downe in his historie how Aeneas after the warres came into Italie and maried king Latinus daughter succeeded as heire of the king in his kingdom from whose body lineally descēded these many kings whose names onely I wil set downe for that I haue in the historie of the Latines written of their continuance and of the time of their gouernment vntill Romulus 1 Aeneas 2 Ascanius 3 Siluius 4 Aeneas Siluins 5 Latinus Siluius 6 Alba Siluius 7 Capetus Siluius 8 Capis Siluius 9 Calpetus Siluius 10 Tiberinus Siluius 11 Agrippa Siluius 12 Alladius Siluius 13 Auentinus Siluius 14 Procas Siluius 15 Amulius Siluius 16 Numitor Siluius which was both grādfather by the mother side vncle by the father side vnto Romulus M. Coruinus wrote vnto Augustus the whole historie of the kings of Alba vntill Romulus time and prooueth plaine in his booke that the noble Emperour Augustus proceeded from the house of Aeneas that gens Iulia came lineally from the body of Iulo which was the surname of Ascanius some affirme the contrary Yet Coruinus an auncient antiquarie liuing in the time of Augustus and writing his booke to Augustus at the earnest request of the Emperour Augustus affirmeth all this to be which Halicarnas in all pointes alloweth but what is to proue the Britaines to come from the Troians or to proue Brutus to come to Englād as much more it maketh proofe that Brutus came to this land as Aeneas came to Italie the one is prooued by a number of Romane writers the other by so many of both Romane and Britaine authours and yet Aeneas is by some enrious writers denied to come to Italie as Brutus is to come to Britaine of whom Dionys. Halic saith Scriptores partim ignorati partim inuidia dissimulati de aduentu Aeneae in Italiam The historie of Aeneas and the historie of Brutus after the destruction of Troy is one of the most auncient histories of the Gentiles though in some it bee fabulous as all prophane histories be in many pointes yet from these Troians as from the first originall of their kings and Emperours both the Romanes and the Frenchmen are by some of their owne best writers proued of whom Aemilius writes of their antiquitie It is most likely that euery Countrie hath more care of it selfe then of other countries and rather French writers are to be beleeued in the histories of Fraunce then forreigne writers so of the Romanes of the Grecians and of all other countries as Myrsillus saith Plus vicinis quà m remotis multò plus genti ipsi quà m extremis credatur and yet who seeth not but both the Romanes the Grecians the Frenchmen and all nations aduaunce their countries with best histories and passe lightly ouer many histories that makes against their Countries But as Diodorus Siculus describeth Britaine by the name of Britaine to be fertill and plentifull in corne cattell iron with diuers other commodities so doeth Strabo commende the Britaines to bee people farre bigger and taller then the Frenchmen are in these wordes Britannorum statura supra Gallos procera c. and after he reporteth of certaine Britaines which he