I call it in regard of all that which for declaration of other matters might bee sayd herein which were the worke of a huge volume and great toyle These writers then for many partes of Scripture are diligently to be sought into and not as some rash braines imagine to bee cast away as vnprofitable in the Lordes schoole house but especially for Daniell aboue all In other places they may seeme profitable but heere they are necessary euen by Hieroms iudgement who in a preface to his commentaries on this booke affirmeth the manifold Histories of Greeke and Latine Authors to bee necessary for the vnderstanding of Daniels Prophesies These helpes therefore I minde to vse for vnfolding the 4. last verses of the 9. Chapter of Daniell containing an entire prophesie of the estate of the holy City after the Iewes returne from the building thereof vnto the vtter destruction of the same by Vespasian the Emperor of Rome and therein of the comming of Iesus Christ the Lord of life aboue 500. yeres before Which is a most certaine argument of Diuine wisedome in Daniell from heauen and a proofe of that which Balthasar had heard that the spirit of the holy Gods was in him whereby also he foreshewed many yeares before the destruction of the Babylonian Empire by the Medes and Persians the Persians ouerthrow by Alexander and the great troubles which long after that time the Iewes suffered vnder Antiochus Epiphanes All this skill came from God for the knowledge and foretelling of thinges to come is that which God onely hath left in his owne power and challengeth to himselfe in the Prophet Esay I make knowne those things saith God which haue not yet hapned The Heathen Poet Sophocles could see this thus writing in the Tragedie of Aiax the whip bearer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Many things saith hee may bee knowne of men when they see them come to passe but of thinges to come yet vnseene there is no prophet I am not ignorant that Porphyrius a Tyrian Philosopher a wicked and vngodly Iew of the kindred and sect of the Sadduces an Infidell an enemie of Christ a hater of God and his word who wrote fifteene bookes against the Christians to weaken and extenuate the trueth and authoritie of Daniels Prophesie deuised this shift to say that the Iewes long afore Daniels time seeing these thinges done committed them to writing vnder Daniels name thereby to win credit to their bookes This fine deuise of Porphyrie is nothing else but a vaine cauill For it is well knowne that the comming of Christ is spoken of by Daniell in diuers places which can not bee saide to haue beene written by the Iewes who first had seene the comming of Christ seeing that they neyther at that time when hee came acknowledged him and euer since haue beene so farre from beleeuing in him that vsually to this day they euen curse his memorie Porphyrius herein hath beene answered at large by the learned Fathers Methodius Eusebius Caesariensis and Apolinarius withstanding his blasphemie And Hierome for learning as noble as any in one short sentence most wittily and pithilie turneth all his reasoning against Daniell for Daniell against himselfe Porphirii impugnatio testimonium veritatis est Tanta enim in hoc Propheta dictorum fides inuenta est vt propterea incredulis hominibus videatur non futura dixisse sed praeterita narrasse Porphyrie his impugning of Daniell saith Hierome is a testimonie of his trueth because the sayings of this Prophet haue beene found so certaine and of so great credit that therefore vnbeleeuers haue iudged him rather to tell things past thē to speak of things to come But if there were nothing else at all to be saide yet euen this one prophesie of Daniell which I haue in hande touching the desolation of Ierusalem the trueth and certaintie whereof was at the length verified by the euent it selfe at such time as Titus destroyed the Temple and Citty were enough to stoppe the aduersaries mouthes Yea though all the Infidell Porphyries in the world with all their cunning shifting stand together they shall neuer be able to auoid the force of this prophesie but that it must needes argue a diuine spirit in Daniell For they cannot here say that the Iewes after they had seene the Temple destroyed by the Romanes forged a prophesie thereof in Daniell his name Because euen Christ himselfe in the 24. of Matthew alleadgeth this prophesie of Daniel concerning the desolation of the holy Citie in the flourishing time thereof about 37. yeares before it was fulfilled Whereby it is euident that this prophesie was commonly knowne read in the Church of God among the Iewes as written by Daniell long before the euent had shewed the trueth thereof So Daniell yet standeth a diuine prophet of the Lord inspired with heauenly knowledge of thinges to come from aboue and seeing that in one thing truely foretold this is prooued of him there is no cause at all to doubt of the rest This is a sure foundatiō of diuinitie a sound stay of religion a strong prop of faith to be reposed in the vndoubted trueth of GOD his word a mightie vpholder of the prouidence of God against all the Atheistes and Epicures of the world Which Josephus verie well perceiuing and in the end of his 10. booke of antiquities disputing against this kind of men fetcheth his reason from the sure truth of Daniels Prophesies The errour saith hee of the Epicureans hereby is reprooued which take Gods prouidēce in gouerning things out of this life beleeuing the world to be carried by his owne force without a guide or ouerseer Wherefore considering Daniels prophesies I cannot but condemne the foolishnes of those men which deny that God hath any care of mens affaires For how could it come to passe that the euent should answere his prophecies if all thinges in the world were done by chance Caluin also in the first book of his institutions Doth not Daniell saith he so prophesie of thinges to come by the space of 600. yeares as though he wrote an Historie of things alreadie done and commonly knowne Good men by the diligent meditation hereof shall bee abundantly furnished to quiet the barking of the vngodly for this euidence is clearer then that it can be subiect to any cauils This was the iudgement of Iosephus Caluin against Atheists and prophane Epicures to their shame and ouerthrow taken from the certaintie of Daniels foreshewing things to come Euen this one prophecie of Daniels weekes is a verie hammer to beate them downe to the ground and a wier scourge as it were to teare them all in peeces And therefore of all true Christians to be had in great reuerence and the vnderstanding therof to bee desired as pearles and diligently sought for as hid treasure To the finding out hereof two thinges are most requisite the one is a iust account of the times the other a true interpretation of the wordes in the
of Priene Cleobulus of Lindia or Caria and Periander the Corinthian all much of one standing about the time of Cyrus Besides them Pherecides the Syrian and Pythagoras both for deepe knowledge wondered at Zenophanes Anaximander Heraclitus Anaximines Philosophers Aeschilus Anacreō Pindarus Simonides Poets Theagines Hecataeus Dionisius Herodotus Storie writers Partlie in the dayes of Cambyses and Darius partly in the time of Xerxes Then Socrates Thucidides Euripides Sophocles Democritus Hippocrates vnder Artaxerxes and his sonne Darius Nochus about the times of the Peloponesian war Plato and Xenophon were Socrates his schollers who continued towards the end of the Persiā Monarchie with Isocrates whose schollers were Theopompus and Ephorus both historiographers so contrarie one to another by their masters censure that the one needed a spur to set him on the other a bridle to hold him in Aristotle and Demosthenes saw the end Many of these were borne dwelling in those places which were vnder the Persian gouernment and payed tribute vnto them In these places and times so furnished and bewtified with these worthy ornaments marke the wayes and meanes whereby the kings of Persian made their names known preserued their memorie By proclamation whereof we haue an example in the first of Esra Thus sayeth Cyrus king of Persia and so forth By letters to and fro wherof are to be seene in the same book and Thucidides and other making mention by name who sent them and to whom By immunities priuiledges as in the seuenth of Esra By ambassage whereof manie examples are reade in Herodotus Cambyses sent to the Aethiopian king and Darius to the Grecians By leagues and couenants of peace as we read in Thucidides By coynes as the peeces of gold coyned by Darius Histaspis thereof called Darikes By erected monumentes The same king going to war against Scithia erected at Bosphorus two pillers with two inscriptions one in Greeke the other in the Assyrian language thereon engraued declaring the Nations which went with him And at the riuer Toarus in Thracia an other with this inscription HITHER CAME DARIVS THE SONNE OF HYSTASPES KING OF THE PERSIANS LEADING HIS ARMIE AGAINST THE SCYTHIANS as Herodotus declareth in Melpomine By Cities and Riuers called of their names Cyropolis of Cyrus Cambysene of Cambyses Xerxene of Xerxes Cyrus a riuer in Scythia Cambyses an other In Volaterranus Pomponius Mela Plinie Strabo by their pictures Mandrocles painted Darius sitting in a thorne after the manner of the Medes and conueying ouer his Armie which he dedicated to the Temple of Iuno with mention of Darius his name By their Images and those remayning many ages after Plutarch in Alexanders life telleth that Alexander seeing the Image of Xerxes throwen downe by the company pressing into the kinges Pallace of Persia stayed at it and spake vnto it as it had beene aliue Lastly by their Tombes testifying their names to the worlde after their death being a thing desired of al euen of meane account and willinglie yeelded of kinde posteritie that the memorie of their name may endure and not die with themselues Strabo in the fifteenth booke of his Geographie from Aristobulus and Onesicritus recordeth that the toombe of Cyrus was found by Alexander so many yeares after his death preserued with an inscription testifying who he was And that Darius also had the like memoriall The names then of the Persian kings could not possibly bee hid by so many meanes being made knowne in flourishing times and learned ages and places of knowledge and withall their Courtes frequented with many noble Grecians for vertue and birth Hippias and Demaratus whereof the one had been king of Sparta the other tyrant of Athens Metiochus the eldest sonne of Miltiades Democedes a famous Phisition of Croton in Italie who healed king Darius and his wife Atossa of grieuous paines and diuers other which were too long to rehearse to omit many braue soldiers of Greece seruing them in their warres Now let the Reader vse his skill for choice of the names and number of the kinges betwixt Cyrus and Xerxes Whether with Beroaldus he wil haue these three Assuerus Artaxerxes Darius Assyrius and Artaxerxes Pius in so many ages neuer knowne or read of in any author of reckoning or only these two Cambyses and Darius Histaspis from Theagines of Rhegium and Hecateus of Miletus storie writers the one vnder Cambyses the other vnder Darius deliuered vnto vs by continual succession from age to age by the space of two thousand yeares and more by the carefull diligence of the best historiographers that euer haue bin in the world without any disagreement or controuersie amongst them Thus much for the kings now concerning their yeares That the beginning of Cyrus was the first yeare of the 55. Olympiad is agreed of all the first yeare of Cyrus sayeth Codomon in his chronicles of all writers is applied to the first of the 55. Olympiad Ioseph Scaliger prooueth it by two testimonies in his fift booke de emendatione temporum How manie ancient and learned writers so euer saith Scaliger haue accounted times euery one of them hath cast the first of Cyrus to the first of the 55. Olympiad Diodorus Siculus Thallus Castor Polybius Phlegon as the most auncient and learned Author Tatianus writeth Africanus also in Eusebius testifieth the same in these wordes After the 70. yeres of captiuitie Cyrus raigned ouer the Persians that yeare wherin the 55. Olympiad was celebrated as may appeare by the Libraries of Diodorus and the Histories of Thallus and Castor and besides of Polybius and Phlegon yea of other also who regarded Olympiads for the time is agreed vpon of all This therefore for the beginning of the Persian Monarchie beeing so generally testified may suffice If any here doe aske in what part of that yeare Cyrus began to raigne it is gathered from the same Africanus probablie in the third booke of his Chronicles where as Eusebius testifieth of him in his tenth booke de praeparat Euang. hee reckoned from the first Olympiad to Cyrus 217. yeres Which is not otherwise true except Cyrus begin toward the end of that yeare Againe in the fift booke of his Chronicles making the fourth yeare of the 83. Olympiad the fifteenth of the Persian Monarchie as we read in the same Eusebius his eight booke de demonstrat Euang. he leaueth the beginning of Cyrus to the first yeare of the 55. Olympiad nere the end thereof as euery one may easily perceiue The beginning thus made manifest wee are now further to search the end of that Empire Which beeing once likewise founde maketh knowne the continuance thereof Alexander the great was the man which ouerthrew that Empire whose death by the testimonies of Diodorus Siculus in the seuenteenth book of his Historicall Liberarie Arrhianus in his seuenth booke and Eusebius in his Chronicles is set in the hundred and fourteenth Olympiad What say I Diodorus Arrhiamus Eusebius when as all whosoeuer wrote of those times agree herein by Gerardus
Moone yeres to cut short the time of Daniels prophesie by 13. yeares that is two whole weekes of the 70. within a yeare Seeing that they can neither serue to fill vp the distance from Artaxerxes his 20. yeare to the suffering of Christ for which they are brought nor yet the custome of the Hebrewes reckoning in holie Scripture will beare them The other shift is as bad and sillie as that if not more For some who could not abide that forced wresting of Moone yeares where there is no likelihood of such to be ment went another way to worke making two beginnings and thence two twentieth yeres of Artaxerxes his raigne One beginning was immediatly after the death of his father Xerxes in the 4. yeare of the 78. Olympiad The other nine yeares before in the 4. of the 76. Olympiad wherein he was appoynted king by his father yet liuing nine yeares before his death from which the 20. is the 3. of the 81. Olympiad for the beginning of Daniels weekes sayth Gerardus Mercator Wherein notwithstāding he was greatly deceiued by what error I know not For reckoning from the third of the 81. Olympiad to the last of the 202. wherein Christ dyed wee shall finde no more but 486. yeares at the most And therefore I see not by what reason he sayth that the 70. weekes contayning 490. yeares beginning at that twentieth of Artaxerxes expired in the death of Christ Temporarius therefore making two beginnings and two 20. yeares of Artaxerxes as he doth accounteth from the first twentieth 483. yeares to Christ his baptisme which was aboue three yeares before his passion and so endeth the death of Christ three yeares and more before the end of Daniels weekes But what reason had Mercator and Temporarius to thinke that Artaxerxes begun to raigne whilest his father was yet aliue so long before his death This is a matter worth the examination being the ground of a great errour The reason which they bring is in this manner Themistocles the Athenian in the second yere of the 77. Olympiad being expelled out of Athens by his vnthankfull countrie men and citizens notwithstanding the great and wonderfull deliuerance of all Greece from the power of Xerxes king of Persia by his wisedome and prowesse especially wrought fled to the same Xerxes as Ephorus Deino Cleitarchus Heraclides Diodorus Siculus and other storie writers declare Againe that Artaxerxes the sonne of Xerxes raigned in Persia at such time as Themistocles fled to the king thereof for succour it is testified by an ancient author of credit euen Thucidides himselfe in his first booke of the Pelopōnesian warre writing that Themistocles flying by sea to Ephesus after going higher into Asia with a certain Persian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is sent letters to king Artaxerxes the son of Xerxes who a little before begun to raigne If Themistocles flying came to Xerxes king of Persia and sent letters to Artaxerxes his sonne then raigning also in Persia it must needes be that Artaxerxes had been made king a good while before his fathers death for that happened about sixe or seuen yeares after the banishment of Themistocles This is the force of their argument I haue heard it reported of one Doctor Medcalfe who sometime was master of Saint Iohns Colledge in Cambridge a man of no great learning himselfe but for care and earnest endeuour euery way to aduance learning giuing place to none Whereby it maye bee thought that that famous Colledge hath by his meanes the better prospered and flourished euer since with so great a companie of excellent Diuines and skilfull men in other knowledge I haue I say heard it reported of him that hauing on a certain day at supper with him some of the chiefe Seniors of the Colledge hee sent for two Sophisters to dispute before them The one tooke vpon him to proue that his fellowes blacke gowne was greene requiring this only first to be granted vnto him that if there were any greene gowne in that chamber it was on his backe Which was not thought vnreasonable because it was euident that there was none else had any This then being once granted he framed the rest of his proofe in this maner That saith he poynting to a greene carpet on the table there is a greene in this chamber all our eyes witnesse and that there is gowne in it your owne vpper garment on your backes proueth whereof it followeth that here amōgst vs in this chamber there is a greene gowne Doctor Medcalfe hearing this was greatly delighted and affirmed in good sadnesse that it was a good reason withall asked the iudgement of the Seniors there present who smiling commended the schollers wit Such a sophistication is here brought by ioyning things together which ought to bee sundred For neither they which tell of Themistocles flying to Xerxes once euer dreamed of Artaxerxes raigning at the same time nor Thucidides speaking of his cōming to Artaxerxes had this in his mind to think that Xerxes should bee then aliue which I will prooue by good witnesse For Plutarch in the life of Themistocles writeth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucidides saith Plutarch and Charon Lampsacenus tell that after Xerxes was dead Themistocles came to his sonne Aemilius Probus confirmeth it in these wordes Scio plaerósque ita scripsisse Themistoclem Xerxe regnante in Asiam transiisse sed ego potissimū Thucididi credo quòd aetate proximus crat I know saith Probus that many writers report Themistocles to haue passed into Asia whilest Xerxes was yet aliue but I rather beleeue Thucidides who was neere those times Lastly Lawrence Codoman in the second booke of his Chronologie is as plaine for it as may be That sayth he which Thucidides testifieth in his first booke that Themistocles fled to Artaxerxes of late hauing begun to raigne must bee vnderstoode of the Monarchie of Artaxerxes begun after his fathers death There was some difference betweene them I grant in regard of the persons to whom and the time when Themistocles came some thinking it to bee done when Xerxes was king before the raigne of his sonne Other when Artaxerxes raigned after the death of his father But all agreed in this that at such time as Themistocles fled out of Greece there was not two but only one king of Persia which is most certainly true Let the record of all histories bee sought for the whole time of the Persian Monarchie from the beginning to the ende it shall neuer bee found that the father and his sonne raigned together Herodotus indeed in Polymnia not far from the beginning telleth of a custome and lawe of the Persians that their king going to warre first appoynted an heire who was to succeede him in the Empire And that Xerxes was so appoynted by his father Darius hauing prepared all things readie for his voyage agaynst Aegypt to be next king after him Yet he neuer raigned till his father was dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when
then he yet so as he hath likewise done that for other which Scaliger did for him that is left somewhat behind to bee vnderstood of other which himselfe neuer attained Especially in the 26. verse where it is said that after those 62. weekes Messias shall be cut off Where Master Iunius vseth some wresting by turning the future tence into the preterperfect and leauing out some coniunctions and changing other thereby making the accusatiue case of the nominatiue reiecting the ancient interpretations Greeke and Latin without any cause These inconueniences they are of force driuen vnto who by the word Messias doe not with Eusebius and the Hebrew expositors vnderstand the anointed gouernours Some may here say vnto mee Is it not plaine by the 24. verse that Daniel in this prophesie speaketh of Iesus Christ the redeemer of the worlde of whose death so many singular and notable effects are declared therein of abolishing sinne of reconciling sinners vnto the fauour of God and bringing euerlasting righteousnesse and fulfilling whatsoeuer had been foretold by the former Prophets of him I answere to this that of all other places in the old Testament touching the comming of Christ whereof there is great store that verse of Daniel is most excellent and cleere yet withall I deny that by the name of Messias in the verses following Christ our Sauiour is vnderstood For neither the true account of yeares will suffer it nor the text of holie Scripture beare it But how then is it here sayd that 70. weekes were decreed for abolishing sinne and making attonement if Christ came not in the ende of those 70. weekes The meaning is that within the space of those 70. weekes Christ by his passion should worke that redemption and saluation from sinne and wrath to the world As Tertullian speaketh in his booke against the Iewes where writing of the passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ he saith that it was perfected in the time of Tiberius Caesar Intra tempora septuaginta hebdomadarum within the times of the seuentie weekes I am not ignorant that by the Hebrew writers it is a thing acknowledged and granted that Christ came in the verie ende of those weekes For they held that their Messias should begin to raigne at the destruction of Ierusalem And therefore Rabbi Leui ben Gershom expounding those wordes of this text to bring euerlasting righteousnesse and to seale vp vision and prophet referreth the fulfilling thereof to the kingdome of Christ which hee calleth the fift kingdome because it was to succeede the other foure spoken of before in the second and seuenth chapters of this prophesie It was an olde tradition amongst the Hebrews of auncient time receiued from the schoole of Elias declared in their Talmud in the treatise Sanhedrim the eleuenth chapter and diuers other places that the world should endure sixe thousand yeres whereof two thousand should bee voyd without the lawe two thousand vnder the law and two thousand the time of Christ Whereby the iudgement appeareth concerning the comming of Christ that it should be at the desolation of the holie citie immediatly after the ceasing of the law For the law then ceased and all the ceremonies thereof ended when Ierusalem the seat of God his worship according to that lawe was destroyed by Titus and neither place nor people there left anie longer for the law-seruice of God Diuers such testimonies of the auncient Hebrewes are recorded by Philip of Morney Lord of Plessie in his book of the truth of Christian Religion the 29. and 30. chapters wherby he gathereth that it was a common opinion among them that the Messias should come about the destruction of the Temple R. Hama the sonne of Hauina in the same chapter of the Talmudicall treatise before alleadged sayd that the sonne of David should not come so long as any soueraigne authoritie were it neuer so small remained in Israel Also R. Mili alleadging Rabbi Eliezer the sonne of Simeon sayd that Christ should not come vntill there were a cleane riddance of all Iudges Magistrates in Israel And R. Moses Haddarsan vpon the 49. of Genesis gaue this iudgement of the Iewes Senate consisting of seuentie Elders or Iudges called Sanhedrim that they were not to cease before the comming of the Messias Let vs then examine when the authoritie of those Iudges and all gouernment ceased in Ierusalem that thereby wee may know the time of Christ his comming by the Hebrew writers opinion That honorable Lord of Plessie in his booke before mentioned hauing cited the testimonie of Philo in his booke of Times to proue that Herod slew al the Sanhedrim about the 30. yeare of his raigne affirmeth that to be the time wherein the soueraigntie and iurisdiction of Iuda did cease not for a few dayes or yeares but for a continual time How this may stand for trueth I cannot perceiue For to say nothing of that fained Philo an author forged in the shop of Annius his toying braine it is well knowne that the common-wealth of Ierusalem and Iewrie flourished with princely rule and other gouernment of Magistrates yea of the very Sanhedrim themselues aboue three score and ten yeares after that time euen to Ierusalems desolation Christ in the 30. yeare of Herod was yet vnborne who about the 33. yeare of his age in the sixteenth of Matthew foretold to his Disciples what he was to suffer of the Elders and chiefe Priests and Scribes All these were gouernours and rulers of the citie and by the name of Elders the best interpreters haue especially vnderstood those Sanhedrim hauing great reason for it For these Sanhedrim were nothing els but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 70. Elders of the great Consistorie or iudgemeat place in Ierusalem As by Elias Leuita they are described in his Tishbi The old Rabbins in their Talmud haue borowed from the Greeke tongue many words whereof this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanhedrim is one signifying a sitting of Iudges or Senatours together in councell or iudgement So it is taken in the 107. Psalme the 32. verse by the Chaldie interpreter where for these Hebrew wordes there vsed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let thē praise him in the sitting that is the assemblie of the Elders The Targum hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Let them praise him in the sitting together of the wise expressing the word of sitting by Sanhedrim as Synedrion in Greeke is taken Christ therefore in the fift of Matthew saying Whosoeuer calleth his brother Raca 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be bound ouer to a sessions or sitting meaneth the sitting in iudgement of the Sanhedrim applying his speech to the manner of the ciuill iudgements in Ierusalem Iosephus in his 20. booke of Antiquities the eight chapter telleth that when Festus the Romane gouernour was dead Ananus the high priest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made the assemblie of the Iudges to sit by whom Iames the brother of Christ was adiudged to be stoned This happened
originall tongue If wee faile in either of these there is no hope to knowne what Daniell meant by his weekes For neither good interpretation alone is enough without exact chronologie nor this without the other serueth much to purpose The sundring of these two things which must needes stand together hath beene the cause of such turning and tossing this excellent peece of Scripture in so many mens heades so many waies therefore in these two thinges especially shall be the imployment of my paines if happily thereby this noble text of Scripture may receaue some light to the clearer perceauing thereof Marcus Varro a learned Roman as Censorinus telleth in his booke De die natali measured all time by three spaces whereof one was from the beginning of men to the first flud for the ignorance of the things which happened therein called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnknown The second from that floud to the first Olympiad for many fables and tales therein reported tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fabulous The third last from the first Olympiad to his age containing more certaine truth of historie therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 historicall This was Varro his iudgement commended by Cicero also in his first booke of Academicall questions where speaking to Varro hee vseth these words Thou haste opened the age of thy countrey and ordering of times Vnto Varro herein agreed Iulius Affricanus in his third booke of Chronicles As Eusebius witnesseth in his tenth book De praeparatione Euangelica vntill the time of the Olimpiads saith Affricanus there is no sure knowledge in the Greeke Historie all thinges beeing confusedly written without agreement betweene themselues But the Olimpicke times haue beene exactly handled of the Grecians by reasō of regestring their acts and records therein of no longer time then euery foure yeares space Censorinus after him speaking of the time from the first Olimpiad In this space saith he was neuer any great dissentiō or controuersie among writers for computation of time except in some sixe or seauen yeares at the most And euen this little that was Varro himselfe by his great skill and diligent paines at the length discussed and founde out the truth and shewed cleare light by which the certaine number not of yeares onely but euen of daies might be perceaued The Grecians saith Chitraeus in his Chronicle haue no certaine computation of times and order of yeares before the Olimpiads This was the iudgement of the best learned in all times in all countries for all kinde of skill concerning the certaine accoūt of time by Olimpiads vsed of the Grecians receaued of the Romanes followed and commended of Christians euen the flower of thē the most ancient Fathers Clemens Alexandrinus Eusebius Hierome Orosius and other for knowledge of Gods worde most famous and renowned continued kept from age to age not contradicted with reason of anie Except peraduenture some to shew the finenesse of their wit by Sophistrie might cauill against it For the better vnderstanding of that which hath bin and shall hereafter be said of Olympiads it shal not be amisse here to shew what is meant thereby Olympia was a certaine place of Greece where games of running wrestling leaping such like were instituted by Hercules in honor of Iupiter Olympius wherof the place was called Olympia and the games Olympiads Olimpiac games the sports of Olympia which after Hercules for a long time beeing discontinued were at the length renewed againe by Iphitus King of that countrie about seauen hundred seauentie and fiue yeares before the birth of our Sauiour Christ Beeing so reuiued they were from that time forward continued by the space of a thousand yeres and more after euery foure yeares in sommer about the month of Iuly solemnized This foure yeares space was called Olympias By these Olympiads the Grecians numbred their yeares counting from that time wherein they were begun againe by Iphitus As appeareth by Velleius Paterculus Solinus Phlegon Pausanius Censorinus who all referre the beginning thereof to Iphitus neyther for this matter that I know of amongst writers is there any doubt at all Beyond Iphitus I cannot warrant any certaine account of yeeres among the heathen greatly meruailing at the folly of those men who busie themselues in searching for sure knowledge by ordered times many ages before A Christian Prince not long agoe standing much vpon his parentage by this kinde of men was seduced A trifling Courtier perceiuing his humor made him beleeue that his petigree in ancient race of royall blood might be fetched from Noa his Arke wherewith being greatly delighted forthwith he laid all busines aside and gaue himselfe wholly to the searche of this thing so earnestly that hee suffered none to interrupt him whosoeuer no not Embassadors themselues which were sent to him about most waightie affaires Many meruailed heereat but none durst speake their mind till at the length his Cooke whō he vsed sometime in stead of a foole told him that the thing which hee went about was nothing for his honor for now saith he I worship your Maiestie as a God but if we goe once to Noas Arke wee must there your selfe and I both be a kinne This saying of his foolish Cooke cast him in a dumpe and stayed the heat of his earnest studdy and brought him to a better mind from his vaine error in deceiueable times farre beyond the compasse of truth which as before hath bin shewed was limited from the first Olimpiad downeward within these limits of time by the testimonie of Varro Affricanus Censorinus the Iudgements of manie other learned men in all ages being certaine and void of error is the reach of Daniels weekes yea to come nearer home by 200 yeares and more within that part thereof which by the learning wisedome and knowledge of excellent men hath beene made most famous that is to say from the Persian Monarchie in the first yeare of Cyrus to the second of Vespasian Emperour of Roome wherein the Cittie of Ierusalem was destroyed and the Iewes common wealth ouerthrowne within the lists and compasse whereof the fulfilling of this Prophesie is contained euen Beroaldus himselfe though an aduersarie of the receaued Grecians Chronologie in his 2. booke and 2. chapter where hee saith that before the times of Cyrus the Greek Histories haue no certainty seemeth to acknowledge some truth of Historie afterward whereof he giueth this reason because in Cyrus his age were the 7. sages of Greece liuing together one of them beeing Colon the Athenian acquainted with Croesus King of Lydia who fought against Cyrus This whole space from the beginning of Cyrus his raigne to the destruction of the holy Cittie by Titus containeth 629. yeares from the Olimpiad wherein Cyrus began to the same season of that yeare wherein Ierusalem Temple and Citie was set on fire For the Persian kings raigned by the space of 230. yeares From the death of the last King of Persia to the birth of Christ
changelinges Pererius reprooueth Annius his childish ignorance follie rashnesse arrogancie and the writinges themselues he termeth false erroneous fained lies deceits with this conclusion in the end Valeat igitur in perpetuū valeat haec Anniana Chronologia quae toties a viris doctis profligata iugulata est iaceat in posterum sempiterna hominum obliuione sepulta nec sit post hac qui eam exhumare ad fidem aliquam atque authoritatem quasi ad vitam reuocare audeat Sat sit adhuc eam cum non erat bene nota imposuisse multis nunc detectis atque in apertum prolatis fucatis eius mendaciis fallaciis si quem circumuenerit ac deceperit nimis profecto stupidū vecordemeum fore necesse est That is Let this Chronologie therfore of Annius farewell yea for euer let it farewell and that which hath often bin cast down and the throte thereof cut let it hereafter lie buried in euerlasting forgetfulnesse neither let any take it out of the graue and call it backe againe into credite authority as it were to life Let this be sufficient that it hath alreadie deceaued many whilest it was not thoroughlie known but now the coloured lyes and deceits thereof being detected and brought to light If hereafter any be deceaued thereby he must needes bee too too blockish and witlesse This is Pererius his censure no otherwise in my iudgement then such forgerie and falsehood hath deserued whereof take this as a manifest argument Iosephus in the tenth booke of his Antiquities the 11. Chapter writeth that Megasthenes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in the fourth book of his Indian affaires making mention of Nabugodonosor went about to prooue him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to haue passed Hercules in prowesse and greatnes of acts which place Peter Comestor in his Scholastical Historie vpon Daniel vsing to proue Nabugodonoserum fortitudine actuum magnitudine Herculem transcendisse that Nabugodonosor went beyond Hercules in valour and great acts citeth Megasthenes for it in his booke of Iudgements reading Iudiciorum by some corruption in the translation of Iosephus crept in for Indicorum Hereupon Annius transforming first Megasthenes into Metasthenes and then Indica that is Indian affaires into Iudicia which signifieth iudgements made this the title of his forged stuffe Metasthenes his booke of the iudgement of times This I hope is enough if any thing can bee enough to keepe men which haue eyes from taking hurt at this blocke An other much like vnto it hath bin the conceited fancie of Mathew Beroald in the thirde booke of his Chronologie the eight Chapter setting downe the Persian Kinges in this order The first Cyrus the next Assuerus Artaxerxes the third Darius Assirius the fourth Artaxerxes Pius the fift Xerxes And then after him the other sixe in order as they haue beene declared and named by other Of these eleuen Kinges how many yeares particularlie euerie one raigned it is vncertaine saith Beroaldus but generally the whole time of all was 130. yeares beginning with Cyrus in the 3. yeare of the 80. Olympiad the 295 of Rome This is Beroaldus his opinion for the kings and time of that Empire much like that of Annius In maner it is more honest beeing not fathered on other in matter as absurde and ridiculous if not more making more kinges and fewer yeares thrusting in such as neuer were knowne and fayning names which neuer were heard of For where was Assuerus Artaxerxes Darius Assirius and Artaxerxes Pius euer spoken of by any Author of credit diuine or prophane Who euer besides himself once dreamed of an Artaxerxes Pius to be Father to Xerxes Or that Xerxes made warre against Greece before his Fathers death Aeschilus a learned Poet who florished euen in those verie times in his Tragedie called Persa might soone haue taught him a better lesson raysing his father Darius long before dead out of his graue to tell newes Doeth not such stuffe as this deserue the tearmes of monsters dregs dreames lyes toyes as well as that opinion of Annius which euen Beroaldus himselfe reprooueth Is it not worthy of such a farewel as that wherewith Pererius biddeth Annius his Chronologie adew These be the opinions which in the course of Chronologie haue to diuers learned men been occasions of error The vanity whereof shall yet better appeare by that which followeth beeing layde vnto them For as diuers sorts of cloath compared together and held to the light are quickly by the eye discerned the course from the fine So the approoued true historie of ancient time beeing laied to these latter conceits will leaue an easie view for reason and the eye-sight as it were of the minde to iudge which is best First for the kinges of Persia who they were that raigned therein The name of the first to be Cyrus is agreed of all The second was Cambyses heire thereunto as wel by birth as his fathers will The next lawfull king after him was Darius whose father Histaspis as Seuerus Sulpitius in his second booke of the holy Historie writeth was cosen German to Cyrus The fourth king succeeding to the imperiall Crowne of Persia was Xerxes the sonne of the same Darius Then the other sixe in order of whom amongst writers that I know of there is no controuersie at all The first foure kinges here named in that order succeeding one another haue beene so recorded by those names vnto vs of most ancient Poets and noble Historiographers which eyther liued in the dayes of the said kinges or els came very neare vnto them and so haue bin deliuered from hand to hand and from age to age to this day continued by a long successiō of the most skilfull men for learning that euer haue beene whether rightly or no let reason scan First the dominion of the Persians was large and wide and contained manie countries A great part of India all Medea Parthia Babilonia Chaldea Hyrcania Armenia Arabia Mesopotamia Phaenicia all the land of Israell and Iuda all Egypt and much of Lybia all Syria and the lesse Asia wherein also they had their imperiall seate at Sardes a Cittie of Lydia the kinges of Persia oftentimes making their abode therein And continuallie theyr deputies in their absence most of the Kinges blood or alliance Besides Cyprus and manie other Ilands To be short it reached from Persia all a long so neare Greece and Europe that there was no land left to part them but the Sea called Aegeum And that in some place so narrow as a bridge hath beene made ouer it from brinke to brinke not a mile long with continual recourse and traffique betweene them These were the places of this Monarchie of all other for wisedome and prowesse most famous The times therof by the singuler knowledge vertues of excellent mē were no lesse noble The seauen wise men of Greece so renowmed Thales of Miletus Solon the Athenian Chilon the Lacedaemonian Pittacus of Mytilene Bias
who of all the rest had the hardest hap in his imperiall state receiued by wrong continued in toyle ended in woe after sixe yeares which by Eusebius Isidorus Hierom and others was the time of his raigne The whole number and generall summe of all from first to last is two hundred and thirtie yeares so by this reckoning of euerye seuerall kings raigne is found nine or ten monethes in the whole aboue the Olympick account from the end of the first yeare of the 55. Olympiad These months must bee taken partly from the one and twentieth of Xerxes beeing not fullie expired as appeareth by Diodorus Siculus giuing him not ful one twentie yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more than twentie And partlye from Arses whome Bagous a faithles Eunuche poysoned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is nowe raigning the third yeare saith Diodorus about the beginning of his seuenteenth book thereby signifying that it was not fully compleat and partly also from the sixt of the last Darius which was not whollie perfectly finished For Artaxerxes Mnemon begun his raigne in the end of the Peloponnesian warre or a little after in the month of Aprill as may bee gathered by Diodorus Siculus in the end of his thirteenth booke compared with Thucidides Thucidides saith it begun in the beginning of the spring two months before the yeares end which time by Codoman and others skill fell to the first of Aprill It lasted saith Thucidides seuen and twentie yeares and some few dayes more Darius died after the peace made betweene the Athenians and the Lacedemonians saith Diodorus Siculus meaning that peace which made an end of the warre Giuing therefore him three and fortie and Ochus three and twentie and Arses three all perfect they must end about that season in the first yeare of the hundred and eleuenth Olympiad Arses I graunt reached to that yeare yet not to that moneth of Aprill by a good while For Philip king of Macedonia was slaine by Pausanias in that hundred and eleuenth Olympiad the first yeare thereof witnesses Arrhiames and Diodorus and that in winter about the foure and twentie of Ianuarie as Chitraeus affirmeth in his Chronologie But Arses was poysoned and Darius had succeeded him while Philip was yet a liue and had purposed to haue made warre against him as Diodorus writeth Hereby it is euident that neither Arses his three yeares nor Codomans sixe yeares could be fully ended seeing that he was slaine in summer about the beginning of the third yeare of the hundred and twelfth Olympiad as appeareth by Arrhiames Thus are found from the beginning of the fiue and fiftieth Olympiad to the death of the last Monarch of Persia two hundred and thirtie yeares And from Cyrus thither two hundred and nine and twentie yeares and more by gesse about two or three moneths And lastly from Cyrus to Darius now the second time by Alexander vanquished in which conquest many make an ende of the Persian Empire two hundred and eyght and twentie yeares and a halfe These times of the Persian Monarchie being I know not by what mishap brought into question and great controuersie among the learned and withall of great importance for the vnderstanding of God his word haue neede to bee strengthened with all force that may bee And therefore I will yet make further search for stayes and props as it were to vpholde them Eusebius in his tenth booke de Preparatione Euangelica saith that the second yeare of Darius Hystaspis was the first of the threescore and fift Olympiad so found iust by the former reckoning The warre of Xerxes that Darius his sonne and Nephew to Cyrus of all other was the most famous Who led against Greece the greatest armie that euer was heard of before or after of twentie hundred thousand fighting souldiers for the huge multitude thereof drinking running riuers drie and as Cicero saith walking vpon the Seas and sayling on the land because that hee digged through great mountaines to make the seas meete for his nauie to passe And in other places of the sea made bridges to goe ouer a foote Leonides a valiant king of Sparta to the wonder of all ages following onely with foure thousand men encountred resisted and fought with that powerfull hoste at the straights of Thermopylae Xerxes at the first sent fifteene thousand then twentie thousand and last of all fiftie thousand against them At euery time making choyce of better men then before First begun the Medes bearing hatefull mindes against the Grecians with desire of reuenge for the slaughter of their kinsemen a little before at Marathon Next after them fought the Persian souldiers themselues in whom the Persian king of all other nations vnder him reposed most confidence Yea of these Persians were chosen the most valiant men amongst them all called the immortals because their number neuer decayed Last of all was a choyce companie of the chiefest men of all the whole hoast for stoutenes valour and courage picked out from the rest And they also stirred vp by great promises of rich rewards All these fighting against that handfull of the Grecians had like successe a great number was slaine many wounded the rest put to flight Xerxes maugred thus stayed by a few from passing further into Greece was at his wits ende till such time as one of that countrey had informed him of another way by which some of the armie came vpon the backe of Leonides and so inclosed him on both sides which Leonides hauing intelligence of by a secret friend a little before sent all the rest of his companie home sauing fiue hundred These he encouraged and the more to enable them for battell exhorted them to dine before with resolued mindes to take their supper among the dead Which done and night come they inuaded the Persian campe came to the kings Pauilion slew all that were in it wandred to and fro seeking the king who a little before had got himselfe away and killing on both sides as they went The Persians in the darke not discerning the matter were greatly amazed ran out of their tents they wist not whether fearing nothing so much as this that the whole power of Greece had set vpon them In this hurlie burlie they slew one another till the day light bewrayed the trueth when Leonides with his souldiers fought still At the length wearied with ouercomming and oppressed on euery side with mayne force of that powerfull number they dyed in the middest of their enemies with glorie hauing slaine to the number of twentie thousand The battailes wherein Xerxes had this welcome into Greece many olde writers with great agreement refer to the beginning of the seuentie and fiue Olympiad Diodorus in his eleuenth booke writeth that Xerxes warred against Greece in the first yeare of the seuentie and fiue Olympiad Callias then being Maior of Athens Dyonisius Halicarnassaeus in the beginning of his ninth booke agreeth hereunto naming that very yeare of the same Olympiad and the
their hauen Pyreus by the Lacedemonians and their associates Of this had gone a Prophesie long before in many mens mouthes which himself with his owne eares many times had heard that it should endure thrise nine yeares which is confirmed by Diodorus Siculus very plainely affirming that war to haue lasted 27. yeares in two places first in his twelfth booke treating of the beginning of that war and after in his thirteenth booke speaking of the last yeare thereof which hee saith was the last of the 93. Olympiad as in deede it was for 27. yeares added to the first of the 87. Olympiad wherein it began make an end of it in the fourth of the 93. After Thucidides followed Xenophon who from the one and twentie yeare of that warre where Thucidides left continued in writing the course of that Historie to the ende a man liuing in those dayes carefull of the truth and skilfull in Historie commended euen by Beroaldus himselfe though otherwise an aduersarie of the true ancient Chronologie and Historie of those times In the fifth Chapter of his fourth book Xenophon saith Beroaldus writeth that the gouernment of Athens was committed to a few in that Olympick yeare wherein Crocinus the Thessalian won the race but which Olympiad it was in number hee declareth not Which if he who then liued and prepared himselfe for seruice had done hee had rid vs of much trouble Let vs see therefore what help is giuen by this excellent writer to ease vs herein In his first booke of Greeke affaires this first hee setteth downe verie flatlie that the yeare wherein Enarchippus at Sparta and Enctemo at Athens were Maiors was the first of the 43. Olympiad wherein Eubotas the Cyrenian won the race and a new game of yoaked horses called Synoris was first ordayned at that time won by Enagoras of Elis where lest anie might think Xenophon to haue bin deceiued we haue for further warrant the testimonie of Pausanias in the first booke of Eliacx The running saith hee of two horses of ripe age called Synoris was instituted in the 93. Olympiad wherin Euagoras the Elian got the victorie Nowe this being made plaine by Xenophon that Enarchippus was gouernour of Sparta in the first yeare of the 93. Olympiad if it can bee further shewed by him in what yere of the Peloponnesian warre the same Enarchippus ruled at Sparta we shall easilie perceiue by euident direction from this worthie Author to what yeare of euery Olympiad the beginning midst ending and euery particular yeare of that war appertaineth To shew this we haue a Catalogue of all the chiefe Spartan Magistrates which bare Office in euery yeare of that warre called Ephori set downe by Xenophon in order by their names in the second booke of his Greeke Historie in these words The first saith Xenophon was Aenesias vnder whome the warre began in the 15. yeare of the 30. yeares league made after the taking of Eubaea After him succeeded these Borasidas Isanor Sostratidas Exarchus Agesistratus Agenidas Onomacles Zeuxippus Pityas Pleistolas Cleiomachus Ilarchus Leon Chaeridas Patesiades Cleosthenes Lycarius Exeratus Onomantius Alexippidas Misgolaidas Isias Aracus Enarchippus Pantacles Piteas Archytas Endius In whose time Lysander hauing done the exploits before rehearsed sayled home By this Catalogue of the Lacedemonian Maiors it is manifest that Xenophon for account of time in this warre agreeth most exactly with Thucidides The war began in the nine months end of Aenesias the first Ephorus and ended at the pulling downe the walles of Pyreus 27. yeares after which reach to the nine months end of the 28. Ephorus so that from the beginning of the second Ephorus neere three months after the beginning of the warre to the end of the 28. Ephorus nere three months after the end of that war are likewise iust 27. yeares perfectly and fully compleat And is it not euen so by Xenophon doth not hee declare the throwing downe the walles in the hauen Pyraeus to haue happened toward the end of Archytas his gouernment at Sparta And are there not full and euen 27. yeares from the beginning of Brasidas the second Ephorus to the end of Architas who by Xenophons number in that Catalogue was the 28 Is there any beetle so blind which cannot perceiue this exact agreement betwixt Xenophon and Thucidides for the account of those yeares The Peloponnesian warre as may be gathethered by Thucidides begun with the spring about the first of Aprill toward the end of Aenesias his yere Brasidas succeeding him begun his yeare about the beginning of the next sommer beeing the first of that warre The second sommer fell to the third Ephorus and so in order with the rest The eleuenth Ephorus by Xenophons beadroule was Pleistolas for the tenth sommer which is verified also by Thucidides in his fift booke speaking of a league made betwixt the Athenians and the Lacedemonians in the end of Pleistolas his Maioraltie at Sparta before the sommer of the eleuenth yeare The 21. Ephorus recited by Xenophon for the 20. sommer is Alexippidas The trueth whereof is witnessed and confirmed by Thucidides likewise in his eight booke wherein hee telleth that in the twentieth yere of the Peloponnesian warre a peace was concluded betweene Tissaphernes Lieutenant of Asia and the Lacedemonians in the plaine of Meander Alexippidas then being Ephorus of Sparta The next after Alexippidas for the 21. yeare there named is Misgolaidas for the 22. Isias for the 23. Aracus Then after them followeth Enarchippus the fiue and twentieth Ephorus for the 24. yeres sommer This Enarchippus being first placed in the beginning of the 93. Olympiad and after by his Catalogue found in the 24. yeare of the Peloponnesian war leaueth this cleere by Xenophons meaning that the 24. yeare of that war beginning with sommer was the first of the 93. Olympiad The three Ephori after Enarchippus succeeding in the other three yeares of that Olympiad set downe by Xenophon in order not onely in his table but euen in the context of his Historie for three seuerall yeares are these Pantacles Pyteas Archytas in whose time the Athenians beeing conquered by Lysander were driuen to yeeld The next yeare after was the first of a new Olimpiad so acknowledged most truely and verie orderly by Xenophon himselfe in his second booke where hauing declared the thinges done vnder Archytas In the yeare following saith hee was that Olympiad wherin Crocinus the Thessalian won the race Endius then bearing office at Sparta and Pythodorus ruling at Athens Now if anye aske which Olympiad this was in number that most manifestlie appeareth by the former namely expressed to haue beene the 93 so that it needed not againe for the next expresly to say that it was the 94. which had bin nothing els but recocta crambe according to the prouerb Colworts sodden againe Furthermore Xenophon not far frō the begining of the 2. book writeth that the nauie of the Lacedemoniās was deliuered to Lysander Whē 25. yeres of the war
were past and gone which must needes be in the 29. yeare Immediatlie after hee addeth that in that yere Cyrus killed two of his kinsemen for not holding their handes within a muffe when they met him as was vsed to be done to kings in token of honour and loyall dutie for their greater securitie that they might bee void of all suspition feare of harme And then followeth that the next yeare after which must needes bee the 27. and last Archytas was Ephorus of Sparta Thus from Xenophon wee learne that which Beroaldus wished the 24. and 27. yeres of the Peloponnesian warre yoaked the one with the first the other with the last of the 93. Olympiad which for sound knowledge of the Persian times to discerne them a right is very material and a sure bulwarke for defence of my former Chronologie Whereby was proued that Cyrus begun in the first of the 55. Olympiad towarde the end from which time to the fourth of the 93 nere ended are 155. yeares That is to say 30 of Cyrus 8 of Cambyses 36 of his successor of Xerxes 21. of Artaxerxes 40. with that of Xerxes and Sogdianus included 20. of Darius Nothus whose raigne ended almost together with the Peloponnesian warre as before hath beene declared by the testimonie of Diodorus Siculus and appeareth by Thucidides making his thirteenth the twentieth of the warre Erastosthenes an auncient writer in the time of Ptolomeus Euergetes a man to vse Plinie his terme cunning in the subtiltie of all learning and approued of all so Plinie testifieth of him in his second booke set forth certaine rules of Chronologie which Dionisius Halicarnasseus for the truth thereof exact reckoning greatly commendeth in his first book of Roman antiquities These rules haue beene preserued vnto this age by the carefull diligence of the ancient learned father Clemens Alexandrinus 1. Strom. From the first Olympiad to Xerxes passing into Greece he accounted 297. yeares thence to the beginning of the Peloponnesian warre 48. and after to the end and dissolution of the Athenians common wealth 27. all these gathered together are 372. from the first Olympiad so saieth Eratosthenes agreeing with Xenophons reckoning to Archytas his Maioraltie at Sparta ended with that warre and the fourth of the 93. Olympiad For 93. Olympiads are fourescore thirteene times foure yeres that is the number of Eratosthenes 372. From which summe 54. Olympiads contayning 216. before that wherein Cyrus begun being taken awaie with almost one yeare more from the beginning of it to Cyrus there remaineth for the Persian Monarchie to the end of the Peloponnesian warre 155. yeares before spoken of Diodorus Siculus was a man of wonderfull paines and exceedingly precise in exact computation He spent thirtie yeares in making his Historie from Sicilie his natiue countrie hee trauailed into Egypt and the greatest part of Asia and Europe to search the trueth of those thinges which hee wrote A diligent reader of all the auncient writers before him from Herodotus and other before and after succeding in order whom hee hath followed in the matters which he telleth And therefore not vnfitly the title of his worke is called not a Historie but a Librarie Iustinus Martyr called him the most famous Historiographer of the Grecians Eusebius commendeth him by the name of a notable man in great request among the learned But Henry Stephen aboue all other praiseth him exceedingly giuing him that place degree amongst the learned Historiographers which the sunne hath amongst the starres in regard of exact defining those thinges which he writeth of by ordered times This writer therefore confirming all those thinges before spoken of touching the kings of Persia and the time of their raigne may be in steed of many so as in him alone we may see the iudgement not onely of Herodotus Thucidides Xenophon but also of Callisthenes Duris Timaeus Philiscus Theopompus Ephorus and other by him diligentlie read perused and cyted which at this day are not any where found It were infinite to bring all that might bee said out of Authors for the verefying of this Chronologie tedious to be read toylesome to be written Therefore passing ouer many testimonies of diuers writers I will now come to the Roman Storie to see if it likewise by agreement of time may auaile any thing to fortifie those limits and bounds which haue beene set for the Persian kings The Romanes in continuance of time became Lordes of Greece where the Olympicke sports were celebrated And therefore it could not otherwise bee but that they knew well enough how the yeares of their Citie were answerable to the Olympick reckoning of the Grecians Polybius of Megalopolis a Cittie in Arcadia neere as auncient as Eratosthenes by Cicero accounted amongst the best authors for worthinesse credit commended by Iosephus by Velleius Paterculus honoured with this testimonie that he was a man excelling in wit had in great estimation and followed by Liuie and other in the third booke of his historie affirmeth that the first Consuls of Rome were 28. yeares before the passage of Xerxes into Greece which was in the end of the last yeare of the 74. Olympiad as appeareth by that which before hath bin declared Hereof it followeth that the first of the 68. Olympiad beeing the 14. of Darius Histaspis was that wherin the new gouernment of that Cittie by Consuls was established Whereas before it had bin gouerned by kings for the space of 244. yeares from the first building thereof vnto this time adding 28. yeares or seauen Olympiads more We come toward the end of the last yeare of the 74. Olympiad being the 272. of Rome wherin Xerxes passed into Greece as Polybius testifieth the next yeare after was the first of the 75. wherein Xerxes with his great armie was ouercome as before hath bin prooued The truth hereof is verified by A. Gellius in the last chapter of his seuenteenth book where he writeth that Xerxes was ouercome by Themistocles at Salamis foure yeres before the consulship of Menenius Agrippa and Horatius Puluillus wherein a great kinred of noble Romans called Fabij to the number of 306. hauing taken vpon them at their owne charge to fight against a certaine people were slaine by the subtiltie of their enemies circumuented at the riuer Cremera for this is declared by the Romane histories to haue fallen out in the 277 yeare of Rome and the 33. from the banishment of the kings Dionysius of Halicarnassus in his fift booke of Romane antiquities reckoneth sixteene yeares betwixt Brutus one of the first Consuls death in the end of his yeare and the Marathon fight referring the battaile at Marathon to the seuenteenth yeare after Brutus his buriall and the eighteenth after the kings driuen out of the Citie wherein Gegainus Macerinus and Minutius Augurinus were Consuls In his 7. Booke Which by constant agreement of almost all authors hee sayeth was in the second yeare of the 72. Olympiad So he maketh the 31.
a skilfull and learned Astronomer as Ptolomie in the third booke of his Almagest declareth in the 316. yeare of Nabonasar the 21. daye of the Aegyptian moneth Phamenoth answerable by our computation to the 28. day of Iune Apsendes then ruling at Athens obserued the Astronomicall poynte of summers beginning called Solstitium which in this our age is about the eleuenth of that moneth the Sunne then entring into the tropicke of Cancer So great alteration in the space of 2020. yeares is bred betwixt our time and theirs for want of exact appoynting and right ordering of the leape yeare From that time to the end of the 50. yeare of Calippus his first period Hipparchus an excellent Mathematician a man whome nature made partaker of her secrets as Plinie writeth of him gathered a perfect summe of 152. yeares That this period of Calippus began with the third yeare of the 112. Olympiad it is agreed by cleere consent of many writers For about that time Darius was slaine and thereby this period of Calippus began together with Alexanders Monarchie now by the death of Darius established in his hands without clayme of any In memorie whereof this period was ordayned and the account of yeares after taken from that head The 50. yeares then of this period being taken from the former summe there remaynes 102. yeares from the end of Apsendes his gouernement to the death of the last king of Persia which by the recorde of auncient writers is so acknowledged and verified placing Apsendes in the last of the 86. Olympiad which was the 32. yeare of Artaxerxes the long handed and the slaughter of Darius in the third of the 112. These 102. with 127. and some odde moneths from Cyrus to the 32. of that Artaxerxes included containe the receaued time of the Persian kings 229. yeares with some few moneths more to the beginning of Alexanders Monarchie at the last Persian kings death Which euen that most famous eclipse of the very next yeare before wherewith Alexanders souldiers were scared eleuen dayes before his last battaile against Darius putteth out of doubt For from that in the seuenth of Cambyses before spoken of to this Astronomical comming by exact calculation findeth 192. yeares and 66. dayes Which with the time following from the last eclipse to Darius his death and the yeares of Cambyses and Cyrus before the first Eclips make vp that full reckoning Thus the glorious seruant of all the worlde the Sunne which among other seruices to the vse and behoofe of men whereof he tooke his name in the holy tongue to be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a minister or seruant according to that in the fourth of Esdras God commanded the Sunne the Moone and Starres that they should serue man hath this for one appointed vnto him to be for times and yeares and dayes Euen this Chronologer I say of all other without exception most true and sure witnesseth for Herodotus Thucidides Xenophon Eratosthenes Polybius Diodorus and other writers of auncient time if they bee not for credit sufficient of themselues that their Chronologie of the Persian yeares is good the mouth of Heauen which cannot lie hath approued it The trueth for this poynt being thus opened it now remayneth to see what may be brought against it and to remoue some doubtes as it were mists from the readers eyes Dionysius Halicarnassaeus in the preface to his first booke of antiquities affirmeth that the Persians continued not aboue 200. yeares in their soueraigntie It is true being accounted from the death of Cyrus who by the space of thirtie yeares was occupied in winning that Empire and being once wonne they kept it neere 200. yeares after Ioseph Scaliger a man of rare giftes a great light of this age one whome the Churche of GOD for his paines is much beholding to in his fift booke de emendatione temporum speaking of Xerxes his passage into Greece is so vncertaine and wauering in this poynt that it is hard to finde in what iudgement he rested For first hee maketh it a thing vndoubted that Xerxes passed into Europe in the ende of the fourth yeare of the 47. Olympiad and in the beginning of the 75. fought at Thermopylae then a little after hee thinketh that passage of Xerxes to haue happened the yeare before that is to saye in the end of the third yeare of the 47. Olympiad being moued thereunto by the authoritie of Herodotus and Thucidides The one euen Herodotus in Polymnia making mention of an eclipse of the Sunne at such time as Xerxes marched forward with his hoast from Sardes toward Europe in the spring time of the yeare which by Scaligers calculation fell to the third yeare of the 74. Olympiad and so Xerxes his battailes in Greece to the fourth yeare of it The other that is Thucidides in his first booke writing that the Persians once againe inuaded Greece in the tenth yeare after the Marothon field which being fought in the second yeare of the 72. Olympiad the tenth after it is the fourth of the 74. Againe contrarie to both these sentences he yet alleageth another from Eratosthenes Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch three worthy men for skil who referred Xerxes his passage into Greece to the first yeare of the 75. Olympiad and this he approueth most of al in the chapter of the first Consuls Thus Ioseph Scaliger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is dissoluing one doubt by another as one saieth leaueth his reader in the briers which I will assaye to helpe him out of either all or some if happely I can First therefore concerning Herodotus it is euident and playne by his testimonie that Xerxes fought his battailes in Greece in the first yeare of the 75. Olympiad because he maketh account of 80. yeares from the first of Cyrus thether and if this bee not enough the same Author in playne wordes declareth that the games of Olympia were celebrated about that very time wherein Leonides resisted his huge hoast and stopped their passage First in Polymnia speaking of this matter he sayeth that the time of the Olympiad fell out together with that busines Againe in Vrania he confirmeth it telling that as Xerxes marched forward from Thermopylae certaine Grecians came vnto him offering their seruice who being asked what the Grecians then were about answered that they kept and beheld the Olympian games the winners whereof receiued an Oliue crowne which one Tigranes a noble Lord of Persia hearing presently burst forth into this speech What worthie men are wee brought to fight against which striue not for money but vertue and prowesse This then by Herodotus his owne mouth being thus made cleere that the yeare of Xerxes fighting in Greece was an Olympicke yeare it could not possibly be in Herodotus iudgement as Scaliger would haue it the fourth yeare of the 74. Olympiad Moreouer Herodotus writeth in Vrania that Callias was then Maior of Athens when Xerxes tooke that Citie and burned it which yeare of Callias his
of Pisistratus himselfe and 18. after of his children And so is Herodotus to be vnderstoode giuing them 36. in all onely differing from Aristotle in a yeare Whereby it may be thought that Pisistratus raigned some few moneths more aboue 17. yeares so his reckoning comes short by almost twentie yeares Againe there was another Pisistratus the sonne of Hippias and Grand childe to the elder Pisistratus before spoken of who in the yeare of his Maioraltie dedicated in the market place at Athens the Altar of the twelue Gods as Thucidides writeth of him in his sixt booke And this in my iudgement is the man to whome that Historie in Aelianus may be fitly applied and stand very well with that which Iustin hath concerning Themistocles fighting at Marathon Yea but Plinie in his 34. booke writeth that the Athenians the same yeare wherein the kings of Rome were driuen out being the fourth of the 67. Olympiad set vp the images of Harmodius and Aristogiton who had killed Hipparchus the tyrant farre wide from that which Dionysius telleth in his sixt booke that Hipparchus was ruler at Athens in the 71. Olympiad What say you to that Nothing but that Beroaldus being belike ashamed of his follie in bringing such an argument calleth it in againe as it were by answering that it was another Hipparchus which Dionysius speaketh of Another argument he taketh from Dionysius Halicarnassaeus in his fift booke making the warre at Marathon later by sixteene yeares then the death of Brutus thereby referring the yeare to the fourth of the 71. Olympiad which by Cicero seemeth cast to the 73. wherein Coriolanus a Senator of Rome made warre against it Here we haue nothing but vntrueth vpon vntrueth fit groundes for such a rotten building for sixteene yeares after that of the first Consuls which was by Dionysius the first of the 68. Olympiad in the end whereof Brutus was slaine reach not to the fourth of the 71. but to the second of the 72. Olympiad wherein the same Dionysius in plaine words placeth that warre As for that of Coriolanus against Rome it happened in deed in the first of the 73. Olympiad onely three yeares after the other And therefore Cicero in his Brutus affirming not that this of Coriolanus was at the same time with that other of the Persians but almost at that time speaketh a trueth dissenting nothing at all from Dionysius It followeth in Beroaldus the same Dionysius in his ninth booke Diodorus Siculus agreeing vnto him saith that Xerxes went to warre against Greece in the 75. Olympiad when Callias gouerned Athens that is twelue yeares after the Marathon fight being past to that of Xerxes at Salamis Glossa corrumpit textum the glosse here marreth the text with a manifest vntrueth for neither Dionysius nor Diodorus maketh aboue eleauen yeares distance betwixt those battailes the one placed in the second of the 72. Olympiad the other in the first of the 75 almost in the beginning thereof Now let any man count the distance betweene on his fingers ends and see if he can finde twelue yeares But to omit this and come to the purpose Gelo was at the time of Xerxes his warre by Pausanias and Herodotus tyrant of Syracusae And Gelo tyrant of Syracusae by Plutarch in the life of Lysias the Orator in the second of the 82. Olympiad So the war of Xerxes must by this reckoning come backe neere 30. yeares after the 75. Olympick sport Plutarchs words are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is in English thus much Lysias an exceeding rich man was the sonne of Cephales grand childe of Lysanias the sonne of Cephales his father Cephales was a Syracusian borne and flitted to Athens for loue partly of the citie and partly of Pericles the sonne of Xanthippus who perswaded him thereto being his friend and host or as some say for that hee was driuen from Syracusae at such time as it was subiect to the tyrannie of Gelo. He meaneth that Lysias was borne Being borne at Athens vnder Philocles the next ruler after Phrasicles hee was first brought vp with the noblest children of the Athenians about the second yeare of the 83. Olympiad Afterward being fifteene yeares olde he went to Thuriae a citie of Italie Praxiteles then being Maior of Athens as followeth there in Plutarch Philocles was Maior at Athens in the second yeare of the 80. Olympiad as Diodorus declareth Then was Lysias borne and being about eyght yeres olde in the second yeare of the 82. Olympiad he was brought vp with other noble mens children in Athens and therein continued till the yere of Praxiteles his gouernement which was the first of the 84. Olympiad as we reade in the same Diodorus and the fifteenth of Lysias his birth Where can Beroaldus now finde in this place of Plutarch that Gelo was tyrant of Syracusae in the second yeare of the 82. Olympiad What meant he so cōfidently to burst forth into this cōplaint Tam incerta sunt apud aut hores rerum istarum tempora So vncertaine are the times of these matters what reason had hee for it For hee that vnderstandeth Greeke and compareth Plutarchs owne words with that which Beroaldus gathereth by them will bee ashamed I beleeue of such an interpreter being so blinded with conceited affection that hee seeth not what is written and careth not what he saith Plutarch doth notablie in this place confirme the receiued ancient Chronologie of the Greekes so farre he is by any disagreement from weakening their credite Let vs now examine one or two other places of Beroaldus concerning the time of Xerxes fighting in Greece In the eyght chapter of his third booke Pausanias sayth Beroaldus telleth in his Arcadikes that Xerxes then passed into Greece when Gelo gouerned at Syracuse which is likewise witnessed by Herodotus in his seuenth booke But that same Pausanias in his Eliaca affirmeth that Gelo held the gouernment of that citie in the second yeare of the 72. Olympiad Except it be a strange thing that one king should continew his raigne by the space of twelue yeares This argument of Beroaldus is not worth a rush to proue disagreement betweene ancient writers referring Gelo his tiranie some to the second of the 72. Olympiad other to the first of the 75. when Xerxes passed into Europe for the beginning of his dominion was about the second of the 72. Olympiad as Dionisius Halicarnassaeus declareth in the seauenth booke of his Roman Antiquities And the end thereof in the 75. Olympiad the thirde yeare thereof as Diodorus witnesseth in the eleauenth booke of his Historicall librarie So both might stand together well enough Beroaldus hath yet more matter from Pausanias in his Eliaca who referreth the ouerthrow of Mardonius at Plateae the next yeare after Xerxes inuaded Greece to the 75. Olympiad whereas Diodorus Siculus saith that Xerxes in that Olympiad inuaded Greece both can not bee true The worde Olympias pertaineth sometime to the game itselfe celebrated euerie first yeare of
he remooueth it two yeares off placing one whole yeare betwixt them as I doe yet differing herein that he placeth Pantacles in the 21. yere which was his error as more plainly by God his assistance shall appeare hereafter But the testimonie of Diodorus Siculus an auncient Historiographer is much more notable who in his thirteenth booke referreth these acts which heere in Xenophon begin after the 22. yeare of the warre to the 23. of the same two yeares before the Magistracie of Pantacles which by Diodorus is set downe in the 25. yere thereof which without all question is most vndoubtedly true and shewed by Xenophons table of the Spartan gouernours euidently and plainely as euery one whose sight is not dimme with a cauelling affection and wilfull wrangling may very clearely see it If any thing in the writing of Xenophons historie by corruptiō of numbers be amisse as for my part I thinke there is none at all if hee bee well vnderstood yet for one thing amisse another which is true must not bee forsaken Let that which is right be so still and not cast away for that which is wrong Xenophons table is sure and hath the consent of excellent Authors to approue it Thucidides from the Marathon war which by the learned is set in the second sommer of the 72. Olympiad to the end of the Peloponnesian warre maketh account of 87. yeares that is to say 10. to Xerxes inuading Greece and 50. thence to the Peloponnesian war with 27. more to the end thereof which from the second of 72. fill vp Xenophons number of 93. Olympiads In the last whereof by Xenophon were gouernours of Athens first Enctemo then Antigones next Callias the fourth and last Alexias Let vs here a little examine how Dionysius Halicarnassaeus in the seauenth booke of his Roman Antiquities agreeth to these there hee writeth that Callias ruled at Athens in the third yeare of that 93. Olympiad which is so by Xenophon Moreouer that the next before Callias for the second yere of that Olympiad was Antigenes found true in the like manner by Xenophon and lastlie from the second yere of the 72 Olympiad wherein the Marathon battell was fought to that yeare of Callias he gathereth 85. yeares which with that yeare of Callias the other following of Alexias make vp exactly the iust reckoning of Thucidides his 87. Diodorus Siculus for Xenophons meaning may take all doubt away end the controuersie who agreeing with Xenophon in the number as well of Olympiads as yeares of the Peloponnesian warre referreth the 24. of that war to the first of the 93. Olympiad as Xenophon doeth and in all the other yeares thereof writeth accordingly wherefore the opinion of Beroaldus concerning the corruption of Xenophons numbers I hold as true as his interpretation of 22. yeares for the next after 22. beeing past Now touching the second place of Xenophon making the warre of longer continuance then Thucidides doeth it no way hindereth the agreement of the Chronologie of those times if his wordes be well waied in the second booke of his Greeke Historie where after hee had declared in the last yeare of that warre the glorious victorie of Lysander against the Athenians at Gotes floud and the besiege of that City by sea and by land whereby they were driuen to yeeld and giue vp their shippes to the Lacedemonians and to throw downe their long wals in the hauen Pyreus hee addeth that the next yeare after happened that Olympiad wherein Crocinas the Thessalian won the race and Endius in Sparta Pythodorus in Athens were chiefe officers In which the fame of the Athenian common wealth was changed and the gouernment of the Cittie committed to thirtie who by their cruell tyrranie in the space of eight months killed more than before by warre had died in ten yeares This being done saith Xenophon Lysander sayled to Samus and tooke it and restored the old inhabitants and driue out the new after returned home to Lacedemonia with a great bootie in the end of summer 28. yeares and sixe months of that warre being then expired In which time were 29. Magistrates called Ephori The first of them being Aenesias vnder whō the war began the last Endius in whose time Lysander sayled home Here Xenophon fetcheth the beginning of that warre further than Thucidides euen from the beginning of the first Ephorus and for the end most apparantly goeth likewise beyond him to Lysanders winning of Samus setting order in it in the yeare of the 29. Ephorus yea further yet hee stretcheth it euen to Lysanders comming home vnto which time reckoning from the beginning of Aenesias wee finde 28. yeares and a halfe Againe Beroaldus obiecteth dissention of Authors touching the beginning of Dionysius his tyrranie some referring it to the third of the 93. Olympiad some to the fourth A waightie reason sure for a little difference of one yeare in Xenophon from other in one thing to ouerthrow the credit of all ancient writers in an other by vniuersall consent established agreed vpon and yet this little difference may bee rather in shew then indeede seeing it is a thing well knowne and confessed that diuers writers begin their yeares diuerslie some halfe a yeare some verie nere three quarters before other as Gerardus Mercator prooueth in his Chronologie but howsoeuer it were graunted that here in one yeare there were flatte contradiction betweene them yet it is a ridiculous toy by one yeres difference to cut off a hundred from the Persian Monarchie I but A. Gellius hath yet a contrarie opinion to both the former laying the gouernment of Dionysius on the 346. yere of Rome which was the second of that Olympiad In Gellius we reade not 346. but 347. so that if the 346. of Rome be the second of the 93. Olympiad then the 347. is the third thereof and therefore good agreement between the Storie writer of Halicarnassus and him The Attick nights were belike too dark for Beroaldus his eyes to see what the enditer layed vp in that place whereunto I haue giuen light before to perceiue his minde It followeth in Beroaldus It is reported of Euripides and Sophocles that they both died in one yeare that is the fourth of the 92. Olympiad whereof may be gathered the 30. tyrants set ouer Athens by Lysander and the ende of the Peloponnesian warre to haue beene in the first of the 93. because the death of Sophocles is knowne to haue happened about that time By whome is this reported It were to bee wished that he had beene named Manie I am sure they cannot be and I thinke no one ancient Author at all can be found who plainely hath said it so as it may appeare to haue proceeded of iudgement in him and againe if any can bee founde who of iudgement set them both together so high yet that might bee well enough without misplacing the thirtie tyrants from the first of the 94. Olympiad to the first of the 93.
Let vs goe on to the rest Solinus telleth that Pythagoras came into Italie in the time of the first Consuls Gellius in the time of Tarquinius superbus which might bee the yeare before Dionysius saith that hee taught in Italie after the 50. Olympiad which dissenteth neyther from that former saying of Solinus nor the other of Gellius because the times by them named were both after the 50. Olympiad Diogenes Laertius writeth that hee flourished in the 60. Olympiad All this touching the time of Pythagoras wherein he liued taught may stand well enough without disagreement Plinie putteth him backe from the time named by Solinus an hundred yeares and more And Beroaldus bringeth him as many or more forward euen to the Peloponnesian warre by his opinion begun about the 94. Olympiad which beeing so needes must Cyrus also bee pulled forwarde in some proportion from the 55. Olympiad to the 80. Betweene these two extreamities of opinion concerning the age of Pythagoras the one of Plinie the other of Beroaldus in my iudgement medium tenuêre beati the merry meane is best as we see especially beeing approoued by a farre greater number of the learned But let vs examine his proofe that Pythagoras was so late His first reason is brought from the authoritie of Eusebius who in his tenth book De praeparatione Euangelica writeth that Xenophons and Pythagoras were in the same times with Anaxagoras who came within the compasse of the Peloponnesian war If an old man may liue at the same time with a young man this is no good proofe to bring Pythagoras to the Peloponnesian warre because Eusebius sayde that Anaxagoras in whose time Pythagoras liued was in it Let Eusebius bee his owne interpreter in his Chronicles where hee putteth the matter out of doubt setting the death of Pythagoras threescore and foure yeres at the least before the beginning of the Peloponnesian war yet withall making Anaxagorus who saw that war to flourish in his dayes Another reason of his much like to the former is this Pythagoras with diuers of his acquaintance beeing in the house of Milo certaine enemies in desire of reuenge vppon some conceiued griefe burned it ouer their heads where Lysis Archytas two of Pythagoras his schollers at that time escaped This Lysis after became teacher of Epaminondas the valiant Theban Captaine who fighting at Mantine in the second yeare of the 104. Olympiad aboue 40. yeres after the Peloponnesian war was slaine And what of all this I know his conclusion that this being so late an age wherein Epaminondas died whose master was Lysis one of Pythagoras his schollers It must needes be that Pythagoras himselfe reached to the time of the Peloponnesian warre somewhat nere to Epaminondas and when was that warre the end of it if we may beleeue Beroaldus was about the 100. Olympiad and by that meanes Pythagoras must bee brought to the 94. at the least wherein it began not much aboue 40. yeares before the raigne of king Phillip of Macedonia the Father of Alexander the great If I should stand to number all the absurdities which would follow of this position according to that which Aristotle saith that one absurde thing graunted many other follow vppon it it were a tedious thing to write or read except peraduenture that beeing so ridiculous in themselues the moouing of laughter might some way ease the readers toyle But leauing this I will declare that the distance of time made by auncient writers betweene Pythagoras his teaching and Epaminondas his learning of Lysis can no way hinder but that Pythagoras may stand well enough still in that place where they haue set him His death by Eusebius is put in the last yere of the 70. Olympiad At which time Lysis his scholler might bee 16. yeares of age and liue fourescore and eight yeares after till hee was 104. yeares old in the beginning of the 93. Olympiad When Epaminondas might be of the age of sixteene yeares instructed before of Lysis in his old age What one thing is there heere incredible or not vsuall in those times Gorgias Leontinus much about the same times with Lysis liued a hundred and nine yeares which before hath beene shewed with diuers other like examples and Aemilius Probus in the life of Epaminondas testifieth of him that beeing a yong man hee was instructed in Philosophie by Lysis in the time of his graue and seuere old age Philosophiae praeceptorem habuit Lysim Tarentinum Pythagoreum cui quidem sic fuit deditus vt adolescens tristem seuerum senem omnibus aequalibus suis in familiaritate anteposuerit saith Aemilius Thus Beroaldus his sharpe assault against the Chronologicall forte of the Grecians account hath not so preuailed to batter it but that it can defend it selfe against the enemie Let vs now see with what successe hee hath oppugned the Latine Storie against this hee fighteth with two weapons one taken from the Roman Decemuirs the other borrowed of the Frenchmen at their sacking of Rome in the 302. yeare of Rome wherein L. Menenius P. Sestius were Consuls towardes the ende of their COnsulship certaine Commissioners called Decemuiri were chosen by the people to the gouernment of the Citie and the making of Lawes against the next yere now approching beeing the 303. of the Citie Hereof is that difference and dissention of some Authors betweene themselues alleadged by Beroaldus some referring the Decemuirs to the 302. yeare of Rome respecting the time wherein they were elected as Solinus and Liuie some to the 303. because that was the yeare wherein they first executed that new authoritie beeing appointed and chosen vnto it in the end of the former yeare As Dionysius Halicarnassaeus in his eleuenth booke declareth Besides Varro Onuphrius As for A. Gellius and some other naming the 300. yeare of Rome for the Decemuirs the cause thereof is manifest that some make the time of the kings of Rome not 244. but onely 241. yeres and those began from the second of the seauenth Olympiad not the first that is from the end of the building of Rome when Romulus tooke vpon him to be king By their opinion there are two yeres fewer than other account of so that their 300. is the 302. of other whereof I haue spoken before by reason of some like examples in Gellius who followed that reckoning so there is no difference betweene these indeed but onely in shew and diuers respects These ten Commissioners held that authority by the space of two whole yeres In the latter whereof being the 304. of the Citie Virginia a beautifull maide of Rome was slaine by her own Father with a butchers knife taken from his stall in the open streete rather then that shee should satisfie the filthie lust of Appius Claudius one of the ten who by great violence and open wrong went about it Cicero in his second booke de finibus writeth that this happened in the threescore yeare after the beginning of the first Consuls
is true yet making it the 72. of Christs birth he therein erreth and is at strife with himselfe for how can this possibly stand that the second sommer of the 212. Olympiad should be the 72. yere from the third winter of the 194 Olympiad wherein Christ was borne H. Bunting in his Chronologie did hit the marke right affirming that Ierusalem was destroyed in the 71. yeare of Christ the 822. of Rome Vespasian the second time and his Son Titus being Consull the second yere of the 212 Olympiad The day wherein the Temple was set on fire by Iosephus is obserued euen the 10. of August Conflagrante nouissimo templo numerabantur a nauitate Christi 70. anni cum diebus 221. From the natiuitie of Christ to the burning of the last Temple were 70. yeres and 200. and one and twentie dayes saith Laurence Codoman in his Chronicles of holy scripture which is most certainely true and confirmed of him againe in the fourth booke of his chronologie toward the end of the 29. chapter where notwithstanding he also hath his errour in numbring 105. yeres to that time from the beginning of Herods raigne at his taking of Ierusalem beeing at the least 106. full yeares with three weekes ouer For Ierusalem was taken of him about the beginning of the fourth yeare of the 185. Olympiad Wherein M. Agrippa and Canidius Gallus were Consuls the seauenteenth day of the Iewes fourth month called Tamuz answering in parte to our Iune and partlie to Iulie as appeareth by Iosephus in the end of his fourteenth book of antiquities compared with Ben Gorion his fourth booke the 23. chapter The Temple by Titus his souldiers was fired the ninth day of their next moneth called Ab as we read in the end of his seder olam rabba and the eight day of the next moneth following the Citie it selfe was set on fire by them Vnto which time Iosephus from Herods beginning before mentioned counteth 107. yeares in his 20. booke of Antiquities the eight chapter beeing no more but 106. yeres with seauen weekes more Therefore according to the vsuall custome of Historiographers he reckoneth a part of the last yeare for the whole and his meaning is that the burning of the citie hapned in the 107. yere after Herods beginning to raigne and that the distance betwixt the one and the other was 107. yeres running on so as the last of them was not yet compleat By that which hitherto hath beene prooued it appeareth that from the beginning of the Persian Monarchie and the first yeare of Cyrus to the end of the Iewes common wealth in the second of Vespasian were 628. yeares so much time more as had past partly before the second yeare of the 55. Olympiad to the beginning of Cyrus and partlie after the end of the first yeare of the 112. Olympiad to the eight of September following wherein the holie City of God Ierusalem was set on fire that if account be made from the entrie of that 55. Olympiad to the time wherein the Citie was burned the whole space is euen 629. yeres with some two monethes more or there abouts Thus I end my reckoning of the times within the compasse whereof Daniels weeks haue runne out their course which is the first help requisite to the vnderstanding of Daniels meaning The second now followeth that is a true interpretation of his wordes for though the fulfilling of those weekes is contained within the reach of those 629. yeares and odde monethes before spoken of yet in what time thereof they began or ended that is a controuersie to the discussing whereof this second help may happely bring some light THE NINTH CHAPTER OF DANIEL THE 24. verse Vers 24. Seuentie weekes are determined vpon thy people and vpon thy holy Citie to sinish wickednesse and to ende sinne and to make reconciliation for iniquitie and to bring righteousnesse euerlasting and to seale vp vision and Prophet and to annoynt the holy of holies Vers 25. Know then and vnderstand from the going forth of the worde to builde againe Ierusalem vnto Messias the Gouernour shall be seuen weekes and threescore and two weekes it shall be builded againe streete and wall and in troublesome times Vers 26. And after those threescore and two weeks shal Messias be cut off and he shal haue no being and the citie sanctuarie shall the people of the come gouernour destroy the end thereof shall be with a flood and vnto the ende of the warre shall be a precise iudgement of desolations Vers 27. And he shall make a sure couenant to many one weeke halfe that weeke he shall cause sacrifice and offering to cease and for the ouerspreading of abominations shall be desolation which to vtter and precise destruction shall be powred vpon the desolate FOr the plainer vnderstanding and proofe of this interpretation I haue thought good to set downe cerraine annotations thereon where need shall require In the 24. verse weekes The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a weeke or as wee also terme it a sennet or seuenet which better fitteth the Hebrew hauing that force as likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greeke and septimana in Latine all so called of the number of seauen but it is to bee obserued that the Hebrew word here vsed signifieth sometime the space of seauen dayes as here in this prophesie the tenth chapter and second verse where Daniel saith that hee mourned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 three weeks or seuenets of dayes and in the sixteenth of Deuteronomie the ninth verse where commandement is giuen from Easter to Whitsontide to number seuen weeks or seuenets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And sometime it containeth seuen yeres as in the 29. chapter the 27 verse of Genesis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fulfill her seuenet and then shee also shall bee giuen vnto thee for the seruice which thou shalt serue me yet seuen yeares more The Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in approued Authors is in like manner vsed not onelie for seauen dayes but also euen for seuen yeares space and namely in the end of the seauenth booke of Aristotles politikes where mention is made of such as deuided ages by seuenets of yeares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 M. Varro also in his first booke of Images writing se iam duodecimam annorum hebdomadam ingressum esse That hee had now entred into the 12. sennet of yeares expresseth it more plainely and fullie In this signification I take the worde in this place vnderstanding by 70. seuenets 490. yeares hauing proofe thereof from holy Scripture and prophane writer As for those which stretch the worde further to a seuenet of tents or Iubilies or hundreds of yeeres as some haue done their opinion hath neither warrant from God his word nor any likelihood of trewth Are determined The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth properly to cut and by a metaphor from thence borowed to determine as hereafter I shal haue occasion to declare
Bikeathauen him that holdeth the Scepter out of Betheden and the people of Aram shall goe into captiuitie vnto Kir saith the Lord. And hee shall haue no beeing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And there shall not bee vnto him that is hee shall not be He shall haue no beeing he shall be extinct and gone Much like hereunto is that in the 42. of Genesis the 36. verse Simeon is not Ioseph is not where the meaning is that neither of them was remaining aliue or had any being Ieremie 31. Rachel mourned for her children because they were not Genesis 5.24 Enoch was not because the Lord tooke him away That is hee had no longer being among the liuing a speach vsed in prophane authours Homer 2. Iliad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is For the sons of valiant Oeneus were not any lōger neither was he himself yet And more plainly in the Tragedie of Euripides called Hecuba where she bewailing the death of her son Polydorus I vnderstand now saith she the dreame 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I saw touching thee my child not being anie longer in the light of heauen Therefore the Hebrew scholiast Solomon Iarchi thinking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here to be alone with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in other places of all other interpreters iudged best and the same which my selfe approoued before euer I read it in him or any other As likewise master Fox in a sermon of his entituled De Oliua Euangelica vnderstandeth it so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee is an Hebrew phrase whereby is signified mans life taken away and therefore he giueth this interpretation thereof Et vita priuabitur Hee shall be depriued of life His iudgement touching the force of the worde to bee all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall not be is all one with mine and that of Rabbi Solomon yet as I vnderstand the word of cutting off somewhat more largelie of thinges abolished otherwise then by death So this not beeing may bee referred to the gouernment ceasing and extinguished of the gouernour taken away though not dead Of the come Gouernour A come gouernour I call Presidem aduenam a deputie stranger called here in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ruler which is come for in the times before the destruction of Ierusalem by the Romans there were two rulers of the Citie one of their owne people a Iew by profession or birth after their manner annointed to the gouernment of the common wealth amongst them here named in the verse afore going 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the annointed Prince the other a stranger appointed Deputy by the Roman Emperour called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ruler not borne in the country or one of the same Nation but a stranger come from another place In which sence the same worde seemeth sometime otherwhere to be vsed In the 42. of Genesis the fift verse The sonnes of Israell came to buy foode 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among the commers meaning other strangers which were come to Egypt In the second booke of Chronicles the 30. chapter and 25. verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strangers which were come frō the Isralites are opposed to the inhabitants of Iudea Also in the fift of Nehemias the 17. verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commers of the gentiles are set against such as were Iewes borne With a floud Vespasians hoste the mightie power of the Roman enemies with great force inuaded and went through the whole land of Israell and Iuda and as it were ouerflowing waters ouerwhelmed all A metaphor taken from flouds as in the 11. of this prophesie the 40 verse The king of the north shall come against him with Chariots and Horsemen ouerflow and passe through Vnto the end of the warre shall bee a precise iudgement of desolations In the time and continuance of that warre partly by the forraine enemies partly by the ciuill dissentions within the citie a great desolation of Ierusalem Iuda was made many of the Iewes for the intollerable miserie of those times leauing their Citie and flying as far as their legges could beare them from their owne natiue countrie into strange landes which likewise happened in the former destruction of that land and Citie by Nabugodonosor and the Chaldeans Ierem. 42.14 We will goe into Egypt that wee may see no more war nor heare the sound of the Trumpet nor haue hunger of bread and there wil we dwell This is it which the same Prophet bewaileth in his Lamentations the first chapter and third verse Iudah went away because of affliction and great seruitude Besides these which fled many were slaine a great number perished by famine All the places about the Temple were burnt vp and the Citie was made a Wildernesse and a solitarie floore as Iosephus writeth who knew it so well as no man liuing better The same Author testifieth that the land which before had beene beautified with goodlie trees and pleasant gardens and orchards became so desolate that none which had seene Iudea before with the faire buildings therein at the sight of such a wofull change thereof could haue contained himselfe from weeping and lamenting For all the beautifull ornaments had beene destroyed by warre so that if any which had knowne the place before comming then againe vnto it on a suddaine could not haue knowne it but would haue asked where Ierusalem was though present in it This wee read in Iosephus his seuenth booke of the Iewes war the first chapter and the sixt book the first chapter some other places therfore the speaking of desolations in the plurall number here wanteth not his force to note the multitude thereof They were manifold comming fast one vpon an other first in one place then in another till all was wasted The 27. verse One weeke This seemeth to pertaine not only to the couenant confirming next before in this verse mentioned but also to all the thinges spoken of in the former verse touching Messias to be cut off and the enemies wasting of the Citie by continuall war to the vtter desolation and ruine thereof All these thinges came to passe in the last weeke of the 70. Halfe of that weeke That is of that last weeke mentioned in the next wordes afore going and not a new halfe of an other weeke besides the 70. For this cause the demonstratiue Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ha is set before the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie no other but the same weeke spoken of before according to the Hebrewes custome and manner of speaking obserued also and retained in the Greeke tongue as the learned knowe A like example wee had in the beginning of the next verse afore going in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hauing the same Article and referring vs to those same 62. weekes before spoken of and no other Touching this couenant sacrifices abolished I will by God
that reason which he bringeth for it that is by the custome of the Hebrewes be approued Their moneths I graunt were in some sort taken by the course of the Moone But the continuance of their yeres was euer directed by the Sunne and that as well before the captiuitie of Babylon as after as may by good arguments out of holie Scripture be proued They were commaunded to celebrate their feast of vnleauened bread yearely from the 14. day of the first moneth to the 21. thereof answerable to our Aprill in part This was according to the course of the Moone And withall to keepe it yearely in that season of the yeare wherein their barlie haruest begun as is euidently to bee seene in the 23. chapter of Leuit. the 10. verse When yee bee come into the lande which I giue vnto you and reape the haruest thereof then ye shall bring a sheafe of the first fruites of your haruest vnto the Priest Which could not bee but by the course of the Sunne Likewise seuen weekes after that feast ended was appoynted the celebration of Whitsontide at the end of their haruest which for that cause is named the Haruest feast and the feast of first fruits whereof an offering was brought to the Lord Exod. 23.16 Lastly their feast of Tabernacles euery yeare was kept in the 15. day of the 7. moneth and withall in the ende of the yeare after their vintage in Autumne when all their grapes and other fruites of that season were gathered Exod. 23.16 Deut. 16. vers 13. It could not possiblie be that the end of their haruest should be euery yere 7. weekes after Easter and the end of their vintage called the end of the yeare alwayes from time to time in the 15. day of the 7. moneth but by the yeare of the Sunne whose course being finished brought it to passe Now that it seme not strange which I haue brought concerning the Iewes haruest beginning in Aprill and ending seuen weekes after toward the ende of Maye or not long after the beginning of Iune because in our countries it is much latter about August we are to knowe that Iewrie being a hotter countrie as nearer to the equinoctiall line and the sommer tropick then ours by 20. degrees hath the haruest by reason thereof much sooner then with vs is accustomed euen in their first month and the spring of the yeare The Isralites went ouer Iorden the 10. day of the first month being the time of haruest foure daies before their passe-ouer The disciples of Christ in the 6. of Luke the first verse Ios 3.15 and 4.19 and 5.10 a little after Easter walking through the corne plucked the eares of corne and rubbed them in their handes and did eate them VVhich argued the ripenesse of corne at that season Plinie in his 18. booke and 18. chapter speaking of the Egiptians which are neere vnto Iudea telleth that they goe into their fieldes with the sicle a little before Aprill and finish their haruest in May. These feastes then euery yeare falling to the time of haruest bring manifest proofe for the yeare of the Hebrewes that it was ordained by the course of the Sunne The time of the children of Israels eating Manna in scripture is accompted 40. yeares in the end of the 16. chapter of Exodus reckoned from their departure out of Egypt Nombres the 33. chapter the 38. vers Which number from the same season of the yeare to the same by the yeares of the sunne is most exact For they came forth of Egipt the 15. day of the first month in the beginning of barly haruest And the very same day of the same month in barly haruest their Manna ceased Ios 5.12 In the 25. chapter of Leuiticus the Isralites are commaunded to sow their feeld and cut their vineyardes and gather the fruites thereof 6. yeares and to let the 7. rest as a sabbath yeare to the Lord. And 7. of those sabbaths are accompted 49. yeares at the end whereof in the 10. day of the 7. month began the Iubelie These yeares most manifestly were yeares of the sunne Otherwise all the fruites of those yeares could not haue been gathered in haruest and vintage as God appointed For 49. yeares of the moone would verie neere haue cut off one and a halfe the last expiring in winter before anie corne or other fruite were redie to be gathered therein Daniell himselfe toward the beginning of this chapter made mention of the 70. yeares of captiuitie VVhere no one that euer I heard of vnderstood other yeares then of the sunne It were a strange thing if in one chapter first speaking of 70. yeares and after of 70. weekes of yeares he should vnderstand diuers sortes of yeares one of the sunne and an other of the moone Augustine in his 15. booke de ciuitate Dei the 14. chapter disputing against the opinion of some who were perswaded that the yeares of the ancient fathers which liued in the first age were not of the Sunne vseth these wordes Tantus tunc dies fuit quantus nunc est Tantus tunc mēsis quantus nūc est quem luna caepta finita conclusit Tantus annus quantus nunc est quem 12. menses lunares additis propter cursum solis 5. diebus quadrante consummant The daye was as great then sayth Augustine as it is now The moneth as great then as now contained within the compasse of the Moones course from the beginning to the end The yeare was then as great as now perfected by twelue moneths of the Moone with fiue dayes and a quarter added Twelue moneths of the Moone with fiue dayes and a quatter more make vp the Sunnes yeare the same which wee now vse at this day For euery moneth in old time by Augustines iudgement contained iust thirtie dayes as is to bee seene in his fourth booke De Trinitate the fourth chapter where he writeth thus Si 12. menses integri considerentur quos triceni dies complent talem quippe mensem veteres obseruauerunt quem circuitus lunaris ostendit That is if the twelue moneths whole bee considered which containe thirtie dayes a peece Such was the moneth by men of olde time obserued euē that which the course of the moone shewed This is manifest by the historie of Noes floud in the seuen and eight chapters of Genesis where we are taught that the floud begun the seuenteenth day of the second moneth and the Arke rested on a mountaine of Ararat in the seuenteenth day of the seuenth moneth Which space there by Gods holy spirit is counted 150. dayes which reckoning giueth to euery moneth thirtie daies a peece neither more nor lesse I might bring other testimonies to confirme this custome of the Hebrewes yere ordered by the compasse of the Sunnes mouing if it were needfull but I hope that which hath been sayd alreadie is sufficient to improoue the first shift of Africanus and other deuised by 490. short
Darius was dead sayth Herodotus the kingdome came to his sonne Xerxes So that if Artaxerxes as they say were appoynted king by his father Xerxes in his life time it was but for the next place after his fathers death to be an heire apparant and successor Farre from that imperiall maiestie which Thucidides giueth to him calling him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a king newly come to his kingdome But for my part weighing all circūstances I see not any colour that Artaxerxes should be chosen so much as heire apparant by his father yet liuing much lesse king He had three sons by his chiefe wife Queene Amestris first of all Darius then two yeares after another called Hystaspes and last of all this Artaxerxes besides two daughters as Ctesias declareth By the custome of the Persians it must needes bee that he named his next heire and successor to the crowne before his famous voyage into Greece And who was then to be named before his eldest sonne Darius For Gerardus Mercator in his Chronology maketh it a thing past doubt that Artaxerxes was at that time vnborne Whereunto agreeth that which wee reade in Iustin in the beginning of his third booke concerning the age of Artaxerxes at his fathers death which happened about 16. yeares after his going foorth agaynst Greece For there by Iustin he is termed admodum puer a very child If he had then been borne yet there is no likelihood that he should haue been preferred either before Darius the eldest of all or the next that is Hystaspes being elder then he This deuise therefore of two beginnings and two 20. yeares of Artaxerxes to helpe out the want of so many yeares betwixt the twentieth yeare of Artaxerxes and the death of Christ is a very poore shift and altogether friuolous If plaine proofe had been brought by the testimonie of ancient writers that the kingdome and monarchie of Artaxerxes begun whilest his father liued and that they raigned both at once many yeares together they had sayd somewhat to the purpose But that is not done It is fetched about I know not how by vaine coniectures and gessing and childish wrangling and sophistrie The reasons to work it are deceitfull and haue nothing at all in them but a colourable shew without substance That therefore which Iulius Africanus writeth in his Chronologie the 5. booke that if we begin to number Daniels 70. weekes from any other beginning then the 20. of Artaxerxes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither the time will accord and many absurdities follow is true as well in that yere which he excepteth as any of the rest Neither doe I see how by iust chronology of the times either the yeare of Christ his birth or his baptisme or his death may serue for the 490. yeares of Daniels 70. weekes to bee accounted vnto from any commandement and decree giuen out by the Persian kinges to build Ierusalem or how the word Messias in this place can bee applied to our Sauiour Iesus euen by their owne exposition for if the 70. weekes expire in the death of Christ as Beroaldus with the most part and best learned thinke why doeth Daniel reckon onely threescore and nine to Messias except they will say that Messias is here taken for the seauenth yeare before the death of Messias which were a strange kinde of interpretation And as Chronologie here fitteth not for Messias to be vnderstood of Christ our Lord so the verie text it selfe is against it which maketh onlie seuen weekes that is 49. yeres distance from the cōmandement to Messias in plaine speech so that it cannot bee applied to our blessed Sauiour without strayning and wresting which they who so vnderstand it of Christ Iesus are driuen vnto They are faine to vse chopping and changing adding and taking away contrarie to the expresse commandement of God For first whereas the original text after these words seauen weekes hath a rest yea that rest which is vsuall in the middest of a sentence to signifie a pause after halfe the verse now alreadie ended this pause by them is taken away and the wordes without anie rest at all continued with the next following and the pause or stay made at 62. weekes in this manner From the out going of the word to build againe Ierusalem vnto Messias the gouernour shal be seauen weekes 62. weekes Againe because in that interpretation of theirs the wordes and 62. weekes are seuered from the other following wherewith they should be ioyned as in my interpretation before deliuered may appere by that meanes the sence so darkned that of it selfe in any plaine construction of sence it cannot stand To make somewhat of it they are faine to thruste in words of their own inuention as for that which God sayeth it shall bee builded againe they say it shal be builded againe thrusting in the coniunction more than ought to bee Some put in other wordes some change verbes into Participles and all to make 483. yeares distance betwixt the decree and the Messias heere spoken of in steed of onlie 49. Here is great ods what is this els but to make Gods word a wax nose to turne which waie a man list at his pleasure How is it possible that by such kind of dealing diuine scripture should be rightly vnderstood Howe shall the Iewes by such wresting of texts bee made Christians and brought to beleeue that Christ is come Here it may bee some will say vnto mee you make more a doe about distinctions pauses and pointes then is need those are small matters and not so streightlie and preciselie to be looked into I may giue men leaue to thinke as they list but the truth is that euen these small matters of distinctions and rests are of great weight importance to the true vnderstanding of God his holie word yet bee it graunted that as small matters they may bee neglected Is that also a small matter to put in wordes of their owne which the custome of the originall tongue will not beare Well let that bee yeelded to be it a trifle not to bee stood vppon Though all this were graunted and though there were no vowels nor points at all yet euen the verie manner of the speech it selfe were enough to reproue their interpretation for who euer read in the Hebrew Bible this kinde of speech Seuen and threescore and two for threescore and nine It is not the custome of the holie Ghost to speake after that manner If all the Hebrew scripture from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Malachie be sought throughout no one cleare example of the like can bee found As for that which Pererius bringeth from the twelfth verse of the 45. chapter of Ezechiell Tremellius will soone teach him that it is in another kinde If therefore neither agreement of time nor text of holy scripture permit the name Messias in this place to be referred to Iesus Christ we are to examine what other signification of this
iudges of their owne choyce for their turne and creating hie priests whom they list vile and vnworthie men and those of such tribes as by Gods commaundement were forbidden that holie seruice Thus was it fulfilled and verified which Daniel here foretold of Messias to bee cut off after 62. weekes in the last of the 70. Whereunto he also addeth this more that in the same weeke the citie and Temple should bee destroyed by the come gouernours people meaning the Romane armie which wasted Ierusalem and Iudea by the space of foure yeres together continually from the 12. yeare of Nero to the end of the warre First Florus the Romane deputie begun by his intollerable couetousnes and merciles oppression turning the peoples hearts against him to complaine of their wrongs by him sustained Which so stirred him that forthwith hee sought a new quarrell of greater reuenge and sent vnto Ierusalem for 17. talents of siluer to be giuen him forth of the holie treasurie Which being denied he made no more adoe but came against Ierusalem with an host of horsemen and footmen by force and armes to obtaine his wil and reuenge himselfe of such as had spoken against him Being entred within the citie into the Deputies pallace he cryed to his souldiers commaunding them to spoyle the citie and slay whomsoeuer they met Thus Ierusalem was giuen for a prey and the inhabitants slaine man woman and childe to the number of 630. and many of the Nobles whipped and torne with scourges and crucified And not herewith content a little after he sent for new souldiers who once againe killed the poore Iewes in peaceable manner going foorth of their citie to meete and receiue them with a friendly welcome Some were beaten downe with clubs some troden vnder the horses feete some choked in the great prease at the gates many slaine with the sword And after that by the same Florus was a new slaughter made of the Iewes in Caesarea After all these troubles Florus not yet contented made a great complaint of the Iewes to Cestius the gouernour of Syria who for that cause brought a great armie against Iudea and destroyed many townes and villages therein giuing the spoyle thereof to his souldiers At the last he brought his armie in battel aray into Ierusalem and burned diuers streets thereof and made hauocke of the Iewes Thus was the Lords inheritance consumed and destroyed by the cruell Romanes til at the length Vespasian and Titus sent by the Emperour Nero wasted all the whole lande and brought vtter desolation vpon the Temple and citie both burnt with fire thereby fulfilling Daniels prophesie and making an ende of his 70. weekes being yeares 490. From the third of Darius Nothus wherein the decree went out to build Ierusalem to the ouerthrow thereof that was the third of the 89. Olympiad this the first of the 112. both almost expired the space betweene is 490. yeares Yet for all this crueltie and hot warre of the Romanes against the Iewes diuers of the deputies and generals in most friendly manner were content to make couenants of peace with many of the Iewes who being quietly minded in fauour to the Romanes and detesting the disorder and lewd doings of the seditious rebels sought their friendship Cestius Gallus in the beginning of that warre offered a league of friendship to the citizens of Ierusalem which many leauing that rebellious rout embraced and fled out of the citie vnto him Likewise Vespasian and Titus diuers and sundrie times receiued many into their friendship comming vnto them and most louingly offered a faithfull league of sure peace to anie whosoeuer were desirous of it in loue and good meaning to the Romane gouernment and hatred of the rebels Of which sort desiring peace and parties of that league was a great number not only in Ierusalem but diuers other places All this is faithfully recorded by Josephus an eye-witnesse of those times Dauisons historie also confirming the same And this it is which the Prophet Daniel seemeth to meane where he speaketh of a couenant to be established to many one weeke as some expositors haue vnderstood it and namely R. Salomon surnamed Iarchi Rabbi Leui the sonne of Gershom Aben Ezra and R. Abraham in his Cabbala But for my owne part I thinke rather that it is to bee referred to the new couenant of the Gospell of Christ by the preaching whereof in this last weeke the beleeuing Iewes were especiallie at that time aboue al other when so great miserie of woful destructiō was now at hand to be confirmed more and more in the true faith And many also thereby then called and wonne anew vnto it whom it pleased the Lord of life by offering that gratious league of saluation vnto them not only to rid from those horrible indeede yet temporall troubles approching but also to saue euerlastingly For there was no doubt at that time a great companie of holie Saints in Ierusalem and Iewrie which beleeued in Christ of whose deliuerance at that time the Lord had especiall care Although this is a thing not to bee doubted of yet by the prouidence of God that thereby his prouidēce ouer his church may be knowne wee haue a notable record thereof in Eusebius the third booke of his Ecclesiasticall historie the fift chapter The Church sayth Eusebius which was gathered together at Ierusalem was commanded by an oracle from God to flit out of it to a certaine towne beyond Iorden called Pella to the entent that those good and holie men being taken out of the citie place thereby might be giuen to the vengeance of GOD against it and the wicked Iewes by the destruction and ouerthrow thereof If any here aske who there is before mentioned to whom these words he shall make a sure couenant may be referred but the Romane generall I answere that it is no new thing in the Hebrew tongue for the person of the doer to bee vnderstood though not expressely spoken of before when the transitiue verbe hath an impersonall notion A hundred such examples might be brought some out of the olde Testament some out of the new some out of prophane authors which I will not stand vpon being a thing well knowne and taught euen in the Grammer rules of the holie tongue The meaning is that before the vtter destruction of Ierusalem a holie and sure couenant should be made vnto the faithfull number of the Iewes chosen to saluation by such ministers and instruments as it should please God to vse for that worke in that last weeke of Ierusalem in the one halfe or middest whereof the sacrifices appoynted in the law of God and accustomed begun to be neglected and cease First they reiected al sacrifices and oblations for any stranger which was not a Iew being before vsually from time to time wont to bee offered And a little after in the 13. yere of Nero when Vespasian was come into Iudea and wasted the countrie then the vnrulie rebels in Ierusalem abolished
the lawfull custome of sacrificing appoynting priests of the common people and countrie clownes a thing forbidden by Gods lawe They held the Temple and holie places keeping themselues therein as a castle of defence and at the length partly by the sedition within and partly sharpe warre without it came to passe that the priests in time of their sacrificing were slaine by darts and stones hurled from the rebels and in the ende for want of men there was no daily oblation any more offered This Iosephus declareth in the 2. booke the 17. chapter the 4. booke the 5. chapter the 5. booke the 9. chapter the 6. booke the first and fourth chapters the seuenth booke the fourth chapter of the Iewes warre Wherfore not without cause in my iudgement may those words of Daniel touching the sacrifices ceasing in the middest of the last weeke bee referred vnto these times of this warre wherein by meanes thereof the sacrifices of the Lords house were hindered so many wayes some were quite abolished and others done either not by those to whom they pertained or not so safely and freely as they ought Yea I see not how any at all many dayes could bee offered by reason of the seditious hurlie burlies in the citie and the warre without the sacrificers themselues oftentimes being slaine or wounded in the middest of their offering Master Iunius though hee thinke Christ Iesus to bee the agent and worker of these abolished sacrifices yet for all that partly he referreth the working thereof to the time of Ierusalems besieging Impijs sacrificium munus abolebit ex facto quia premente obsidione vrbis destituentur commoditatibus sacrificiorum He shall abolish sayth Iunius speaking of Christ sacrifice and offering in regard of the wicked by deede because that the besieging of the citie pressing them they shall bee bereaued of the profits of sacrifices This exposition is not strayned it is plaine without any wresting turning adding or taking away the course of Heauen and holy Scripture and prophane storie all make one account they all agree in the same reckoning if it bee not new all is well For this is well sayde of an Hebrew writer and worth the bearing in minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Better is the grape gleaning of the auncient then the gathering of the later Neither is it lightly to be regarded which Iosephus in his second booke against Apion affirmeth that length of time is a most sure proofe For my owne part I reuerence antiquities gray heares as much as any other who beareth but this indifferencie to thinke that good reason is aboue all For without it I would not haue her contradicted Wherefore least this opinion of newnesse discredite my iudgement I am to let the reader vnderstand that though it be not so rife as other yet it is more ancient then peraduenture may be thought Tertullian was one of the Latine Fathers most auncient and very neere the Apostles flourishing in the raigne of Seuerus the Emperor about 200. yeares after Christes birth and not past one hundered after the death of Iohn the Euangelist Who in a booke of his written against the Iewes expounding this prophecie of Daniels weekes beginneth the reckoning thereof from a Darius which raigned nineteene yeares after whome these foure succeeded one after another to the ende of the Persian Monarchie First Artaxerxes then Ochus after him Arses and last of all another Darius who was ouercome by Alexander Whereby it is manifest that he meaneth the same Darius that I doe for the beginning of this 490. yeares Onely herein he was deceiued that he supposed this Darius to be the same which is mentioned in the ninth of Daniel and raigned ouer the Medes when this message was brought vnto him by the Angell Gabriell And for the ende thereof hee bringeth it to the first yeare of Vespasian making this conclusion of all his account Ita in diem expugnationis suae Iudaei impleuerunt hebdomadas 70. praedictas in Daniele So the Iews saith Tertullian at the daye of their subdewing fulfilled the 70. weekes foretolde by Daniel Thus for the Persian king vnder whom Daniels weekes begun there is no great difference betweene Tertullian and me and for the time wherein they ended none at all After Tertullian Seuerus Sulpitius of the same standing with Augustine Epiphanius Chrysostome a writer for skil in the Persian storie deseruing great commendation and to the true vnderstanding of Ezra and Nehemias Daniels weekes bringeth such light as is not in any ancient writer that euer I read to be found the like This Father in the second booke of his holy history speaking of Cyrus saith that hee gaue the Iewes leaue in the beginning of his raigne to build the Temple wherein they went a little forward till such time as they were hindered by their enemies nere a hundred yeres after in the raigne of Artaxerxes who forbad them to meddle any more in that worke which by that meanes ceased till the second yeare of Darius The same Author after Cyrus hauing spoken of Cambyses Darius Hystaspis and Xerxes placeth next him that Artaxerxes Qui templi aedificationē inhibuit which forbad the building of the Temple and then hauing set another Xerxes with his brother Sogdianus betweene commeth to that Darius vnder whom the temple was restored and the building thereof perfected in the sixt yeare of his raigne From which time to the destruction of the Citie by Vespasian he numbreth 483. yeares His words be these Caeterum â restitutione templi vsque in euersionem quae sub Vespasiano Consule Augusto per Titum Caesarem consummata est anni 483. Praedictum id olim est a Daniele qui ab instauratione templi ad euersionem eius 69. hebdomadas futuras pronunciauerat But from the restoring of the Temple saith Seuerus to the ouerthrow of it which by Titus Caesar was finished vnder Vespasian then beeing imperiall Consull were 483. yeares That was by Daniel long agoe foretold who had before declared that from the restoring of the Temple to the ouerthrow of it should bee 69. weekes whereas hee saith that Daniel foretold 69. weekes to bee from the restoring of the Temple to the destruction thereof it is true beeing vnderstood from the commandement going out concerning that restoring to the time wherein the desolation of the Citie the ouerthrow of the Iewes common wealth begun for Daniel in plaine words foreshewed that after 69. weeks counted from that commandement Messias should be cut off the Citie and Temple destroyed leauing the last week of the seuenty for the accomplishing thereof wherein by certaine degrees by little and little it was wrought by the Romans The ruine begun vnder Albinus his gouernment strait after the 69. weekes as before hath beene prooued by one or two euident testimonies of Iosephus It continued and increased more and more vnder Florus till at the length Titus vnder his father Vespasian made a finall end and vtter vndooing of all
to go Or if it were so great a matter and a worke of so long time could so Godly and so zealous a priest be so negligent in the Lordes businesse that hauing a yeares warning to gather a little companie together hee should forget the Leuites which of al other were most necessarie in regard of Gods seruice in the temple of Ierusalem For when al were come together no Leuit was found among them the chiefest of all in a whole yeares space were neuer thought vpon till he was in some forwardnesse on his way then on a sudden hee sent to seeke for them Read the 8. chapter of Esdras the 15. verse and see how that which is there told can beare any such coniecture But to let that passe it is not a yeares matter that can serue Ioseph Scaligers turne to helpe out his deuise and to bring this geare about For by the iudgement almost of all the best writers by the space of this twelue hundred yeares our blessed Sauiour suffered toward the end of the last yeare of the 202. Olympiad at which time was obserued euen by prophane Authors the strange eclipse of the Sunne which happened at the passion of Christ Phlegon by the iudgement of Eusebius an excellent accounter of Olympiads in his foureteenth book writeth thus In the fourth yeare of the 202. Olympiad was an exceeding great eclipse of the Sunne aboue all other that euer happened before The day at the 6. houre that is high noone was so turned into darke night that the starres were seene in heauen and an Earthquake ouerthrew many houses in Nice a citie of Bythinia This Eusebius testifieth of Phlegon and it agreeth notably to the testimonie of the Euangelists touching the Sunnes darkening from the 6. houre to the 9. when Christ was crucified Thence therefore numbring backward 434. yeares from the 202. Olympiad almost at an end we come to the second yeare of the 94 Olympiad drawing to an ende at which time euen by Scaligers own opinion the third yeare of Artaxerxes Memor begun By this meanes not one as Scaliger sayth but foure full yeares at the least that is the third fourth fift and sixt yeares of Artaxerxes should haue been betweene the decree and the going of Esdras to Ierusalem I know that Scaliger putteth off the time of Christs passion a yeare further then other But if that were granted him yet should the decree goe ful three yeares before Esdras his comming to Ierusalem A thing vncredible and beyond all sence of reason that leaue should be giuen Esdras to goe to the house of God and a solemne decree by the kings authority published for it and he linger and protract the time of his going three yeares after Besides euen the Prophets owne words are altogether against this interpretation of Scaliger and will no wayes suffer it For first hauing expounded the generall summe of 70. weekes for the state of Ierusalem he deuideth them so into three parts as that the first should bee to the building of the walles and citie finished and then 62. for the continuing thereof so builded and after all them one more Who hauing the reason of a man in him can gather any other thing by Daniels words but that those 62. weekes spoken of should immediatly follow after the first seuen and goe next before the last one Which being so needes must they begin after the 32. of Artaxerxes and end seuen yeares before the vtter ruine of Ierusalem brought vpon it by Titus Moreouer it is to be obserued that after the first seuen set for the restoring and building of the citie he sayth that the citie should be builded 62. weekes streete and wall and that after not some other but euen these very same 62. weekes before spoken of should Messias bee cut off and the citie made desolate For the demonstratiue article in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath this force to referre vs to a knowne thing spoken of which is likewise vsuall in the Greeke tongue What thē can Scaliger make of this that Christ should be killed after those 62. weekes wherein the citie of Ierusalem continued builded street and wall For it is well knowne that Ierusalem continued so builded streete and wall aboue thirtie yeares after the passion of Christ before it begun to bee made desolate and in all that time greatly flourished This interpretation therefore of Scaliger hath no successe for probabilitie Another thing in Scaliger troubled me more then this by reason of the excellencie of the man not making any doubt of his account Hebdomades incipientes ab edicto instaurandi templi desinunt in initio abominationis hoc est circa initia belli Iudaici quo primum caedes in vrbe patrari coeptae ac templum pollui quod tempus incurrit in finem vndecimi initium duodecimi anni Neronis The weekes saith Scaliger beginning from the decree to restore the temple doe end in the beginning of the abomination that is about the beginnings of the Iewes warre when slaughters first begun to be committed in the citie and the Temple to bee polluted which time met with the end of the eleuenth and beginning of the twelfth yeare of Nero. This saying of Scaliger made mee maruell till such time as I made some doubt of his reckoning and called it into question For if the 70. weekes of Daniel were as hee sayth ended in the beginning of Nero his twelfth yeare my account cannot possiblie stand drawing them on further to the vtter destruction of the holie citie by Titus which happened foure yeares after This therefore is to be examined Darius Nothus died a little before the end of the 93. Olympiad This is agreed betweene vs that frō the decree to his death had passed seuenteene yeares it is likewise agreed For Scaliger numbring the first seuen weekes sayth that after the second yeare of Darius seuenteene yeares are left to the beginning of Artaxerxes Memor whereunto 32. being added the summe is 49. yeres being the distance from the decree to the streetes ordered By this meanes the decree being made 17. yeares before the death of Darius and that by his owne iudgement must needes fall toward the end of the third yeare of the 89. Olympiad from which time to the first yeare of the 212. Olympiad almost expired when Titus destroyed the suburbs of the citie and battered the walles with his iron rammes about the 22. day of Aprill as Paulus Eberus writeth in his Iewish storie about a fortnight after which time in the beginning of May one of their wals was broken and part of the citie entred and won were full 490. yeares and not 494. as Scaligers deceitfull account would make it Scaliger therefore rather prepared a way for others to come to the trueth then came himselfe vnto it and gaue some light to other to see the right meaning of Daniels prophesie which himselfe neuer perfectly saw By his helpe Junius sawe somewhat more and came neerer vnto it
vnder the gouernour Albinus not long before the destruction of the citie Whereby may bee gathered that magistracie iudgement and gouernment yea the authoritie of the 70. Iudges called Sanhedrim continued long after Herods 30. yere and was not cut off till the desolation of Ierusalem brought it to an end For when the warres begun to worke the desolation thereof then king Agrippa by seditious rakehels was driuen out of it then were the Sanhedrim deposed at the rebels will and other base men set vp in their stead as Josephus telleth in the fift book of the Iewes warre the first chapter Then was the Priesthood and all good order made a mockerie The rebellious cutters did what they list no lawes to restraine them no magistracie to punish them no authoritie to bridle them They ruled al at their own pleasures themselues as they would good gouernment was turned into anarchie and disorder and Ierusalem became as Iosephus termeth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a citie without a guide And this it is that Daniel sayth touching Messias to bee cut off in the last weeke of the seuentie meaning the rule and authoritie of the annointed gouernour as before I haue expounded the place Thus by the iudgement of the Hebrew writers in their auncient monuments the comming of Christ falleth to the fall of the Iewes common-wealth in the ouerthrow of Ierusalem when gouernment and authoritie ceased therein which long before had been foretold by the Patriarch Iacob in the 49. of Genesis in that old prophesie of his concerning the comming of Christ The scepter shall not depart from Iuda nor a law giuer from betweene his feete till Shiloh come and him shall the people gather themselues vnto For together with this diuine oracle of Daniel that other most ancient and excellent prophesie of Iacob hitherto not perfectly and cleerely according to the true meaning therof declared of any that I know of may receiue light Many haue sought the fulfilling of that prophesie in the first comming of Christ at his birth but without straying it could neuer yet be there found For the meaning of it was that in the tribe of Iuda should bee royall supremacie and gouernmēt of Magistrates for the good of the Iewes vpholding of their Common-wealth till the comming of Christ whose new spirituall raigne by the preaching of the Gospell should abolish their old earthly kingdome and outward policie So was the place vnderstood by the Hebrew Doctors aforenamed R. Hama R. Mili R. Eliezer The Chaldie paraphrasts both of them most excellently expound the place which themselues vnderstood not being like therein vnto Virgils Bees which make honey for other and not themselues First Onchelos interpreteth it in this manner A Magistrate exercising authoritie of the house of Iuda shall not depart nor a Scribe of his posteritie for euer till Christ come to whom the kingdome pertaineth and him shall the people obey The other called the interpreter of Ierusalem thus Kings of the house of Iuda shall not faile neither skilful law-teachers of his posteritie vnto the time wherein the king Christ shall come vnto whom the kingdome pertaineth and all the kingdomes of the earth shall be subdued vnto him If Christ came when authoritie was gone and authoritie went away at Ierusalems fall needes must one comming of Christ bee referred to the ouerthrow of that citie R. Moses of Tyroll Bioces looked for the comming of Christ towards the end of the second Temple being led thereunto partly by their owne reckoning vpon Daniel and partly by a text in the last chapter of the prophet Esay the seuenth verse where it is sayd Before her throwes came vpon her she was deliuered of a manchilde Some of the Rabbines sayd Messias was borne the very same day that the second temple was destroyed in supposing that scripture of Esay to be therein fulfilled In their book called Bereshith Rabba is read this parable As a certaine Iew was at plow an Arabian passing by hearing one of his oxen low bad him vnyoke because the destruction of the Temple was at hand And by and by hearing also the other low bad him vnyoke out of hād because the Messias was alreadie come R. Abon in another place telling the same What neede we saith he to learne it of the Arabians seeing the text it selfe declareth it Iosephus in the seuenth booke of the Iewes warre the twelfth chapter writeth that in the holie Scripture was found an olde prophesie that at the time of the ouerthrow of Ierusalem a king should come out of Iewrie who should raigne ouer all the world which he by flattering falshood interpreted of Vespasian This prophesie in those daies was bruted abroad in many mens mouthes euery where yea some write that it was engrauen in an open place of the castle at Ierusalem which as Iosephus writeth made the Iewes at that time so readie to rebell And this was the cause that so many fained themselues to be the Messias about that time of the destruction of the Temple Vnder Cuspius Fadus one Theudas a iugler made the people beleeue that he was a prophet would deuide the waters of Iordan that they should goe ouer drie as they had done long before miraculously in the time of Ioshua by the power of God And when Felix was the Romane gouernour of Iudea one comming out of Egypt fayning himselfe to bee a prophet perswaded the people if they would follow him to mount Oliuet they should see the walles of Ierusalem fall downe And afterward one Barcozba so called of his lying tooke vpon him to bee the Messias and seduced many but in the end performing not the deliuerance looked for at his hands he was knocked on the head for his lying and slaine All these tooke aduantage of the time being answerable to their intent and of the peoples disposition then looking for their promised Christ Moreouer there was yet another prophesie bruted amongst them that Doctor Hillels schollers should neuer faile till Christ were come The youngest of them was R. Iochaman the sonne of Zacheus who liued to see the destruction of the Temple and also the miracle of a great gate thereof a little before opening of it selfe which Iosephus speaketh of in his seuenth booke and twelfth chapter of the Iewes warre Whereat this R. Iochaman being amazed remembred this saying of the Prophet Zacharie in the beginning of his 11. chapter Open thy gates O Libanus and let fire consume thy cedars applying the place to the comming of Christ Furthermore they had amongst them these olde traditions touching the tokens of Christes comming When Christ the sonne of Dauid cōmeth sayth R. Iudas there shall be few wise men in Israell and the wisdome of the scribes shall stinke and the schooles of diuinitie shall become brothelhouses R. Nehorai sayd that good men in Israell should bee abhorred and mens countenaunces past shame at Christes comming And R. Nehemias sayd that wickkednesse should bee multiplied without measure