⧠The thre bokes of Cronicles whyche Iohn Carion a man syngularly well sene in the Mathematycall sciences Gathered wyth great diligence of the beste Authours that haue written in Hebrue Greke or Latine ✚ Whervnto is added an Appendix conteynyng all such notable thynges as be mentyoned in Cronicles to haue chaunced in sundry partes of the worlde from the yeare of Christ 1532. To thys present yeare of 1550. Gathered by Iohn Funcke of Nurenborough ¶ Whyche was neuer afore prynted in Englysh Cum Priuilegio ad Imprimendum solum â—o the moste excellente Prince Edwarde the syxte by the grace of God Kyng of England Fraunce and Irelande Defendour of the fayth and in earth immediatly vnder God supreme head of the church of Englande and Irelande your graces humble and obeysaunt subiect Gwalter Lynne wysheth aboundance of all grace and Godlynes wyth a long and prosperous raygne COnsyderyng that the knowledge of thynges past most excellent prince is most necessarye for such as woulde passe ouer the tyme to come in a decent and Godly order and that the greatest nombre of youre Maiesties people doo not vnderstande other languages then theyr naturall tounge I haue thought it my duetye beynge one that spendeth all hys tyme in the settynge forth of bokes in the Englyshe tounge emongest all other to set forth thys shorte Cronicle Wherein is briefly declared all that is nedefull to be knowen concernyng thynges done in tymes passed The learned haue 〈…〉 the latyne tounge and therfore my laboure maye seme the lesse profytable vnto them But yet yf my knowledge would haue serued me to haue translated it as eloqueÌ„tly as it is written in latyne I doubt not but the learned also myghte haue founde some swetnes in my laboures And not wythstandynge my rudenes most excellent Prynce I trust your maiestie wyll after your accustomed clemencye accept my good wyll whyche thynge I do not doubte shall encourage all faythfull englyshe men to embrace my laboures and gather the fruytes of the same To prayse the worcke which being set forth to be reade of all men wyll prayse it self were but a labour halfe loste for such a thing nedeth no prayse but is so manifestly good that all men that reade it shalbe forced to prayse it Other prayse therfore I wyll not geue it but that it is a worcke worthy the name of so excellent a prynce as your mayestye is and therfore worthy to be embraced of all your faythfull subiectes Whyche thynge I most hartely wyshe to come to passe to the glorye of God your Maiestyes honour and the profyte of all your faythfull subiectes Sobeit Your Graces humble subiect and dayly Orator Gwalter Lynne â–ª The 〈…〉 â—eadynge hystoryes ALthough the readyng of Hystoryes be profytable to euery man in generall for many causes as we hereafter shall declare yet doth it chyefely belonge to kynges and great men And hystoryes maye worthely be called theyr bokes because that the knoweledge of them is profytable and necessary for all them whyche are ordeyned to rule a commune welth For not onely the Heythen hystoryes do make euery where much mentyon of prynces but also the hystoryes of holy scrypture For besyde that the holy scryptures do make mentyon of the wyll of God and of hys worde and also of Christes spyrytuall kyngdome they teache also of polityke administration and set forth manye notable examples whych are necessary to be knowen in the gouernaunce of a commune weale and by the whych the myndes of Prynces may be sturred and inflamed to the endeuour of ryght pryncely vertues The hystoryes of the Heythen declare of the ofsprynge and begynnynge of great realmes and for what causes alteracyons and great chaunges do befall in realmes besides that they do conteine also preceptes of vocatyens and powres by the whych commune weales be stablyshed and preserued And for thys cause chefely are hystoryes worthy to be called the bokes of great prynces and lordes Seinge now that it is necessary that euery man had nede of two maner of powers namely the politike or external and beside this by the faith and drede toward God the examples of ether of them are propoundid and set before vs in the histories And that we maye first speake of ciuil powres Princes and all suche as are set to gouerne greate thynges must fyrste and chefelye considre and beholde those examples and histories by the which they maye be admonished howe they also maye faithfully behaue themselues in gouerning a coÌ„mune weale In this must they set befor them the examples of good princes and kinges and must learne of them by what meanes wyth what vocacions chefely they haue vsed in gouernynge or rulinge empyres that they haue had respect to nothinge saue only to the commune profyt that they haue only considered and exercised iustice and equite that they haue punished greueously sinne that they haue not warred for euery cause but that they haue oft kept peace by the polytyque forberynge of iniuryes Also in theyr defence they were of a doughtye and stronge courage they haue vsed great gentylnesse and loyalte towarde the goode and peaceable Fynallye they haue endeuoured to enuyrone their realmes wyth stronge fortresses and greate powre besyedes the anauncemente of Godlynesse and goode maners In the examples of tirauntes must they marke y e contrarye namelye that theyr endes were full of miserye and by reason of theyr crueltye perâ—yâ—yous and soo there happened deadly alterations in the commune weale Of thys wyse is it euident that Pharao peryshed by reason of tyranny and for lyke cause were the Romane kynges dryuen out Oftymes also haue Princes vndone themselues ech other by reason of pryde enuy or hatred the whych somtyme grew of a thynge of no value Lyke as Pompeius had no cause to oppresse Iulius Cesar saue only enuy The lawes of y e Graccyans amonge the Romanes do beare wytnesse that newe alteracyon or chaunge doeth oft geue occasyon of cruell warres Nother hath the Turkysh empyre hys ofsprynge by any other occasyon saue by heresy and dissentyon of learnynge and doctryne of the fayth Daungerous conspyracyons cause oft tymes that kyngdomes are ouerthrowen the whyche wytnesseth the example of the Athenians whyche loste theyr gouernaunce and goodes by reason of such leagues as they had made To obserue and marke such thynges in readyng of hystoryes doth greatly auayle them that beare rule that thereby they maye learne to beware in theyr gouernaunce lest any suche lyke do befall For such cases do dayly befall Yea though the persons do somtyme chaunge in coÌ„mune welthes neuerthelesse so much as is concernynge the equalytye of mattiers the worlde is and alwayes abydeth lyke to hymselfe Wherfore Thucydydes whych was excellent both in knowledge of Martyall affayres and had himselfe endured a great contynuall warre the which he him selfe wrote wyth dyuers other thinges said most truely Histories is a treasure which neuer ought to be layde out
wytnesse of Virgil. For he sayeth that the kyngdome of Alban dured thre hundreth yeares Of thys wyse sayeth he of that kingdome of Alban Thre hundreth yeares wholy shall be the raygne vndoutedly Before the ende of thys raygne beganne Rome to be buylded the which we shall declare afterward And if ye reken backward the nomber of the yeres ye shal find that from the tyme of the buylding of Rome vntyl the begynnynge of Salo mons kyngdome are thre C. and thre yeares And it is euident that the battaill of Troie was not long before Some history wryters do differ here whiche saye that thys battayl was of more antique but I coulde proue the contrary by many argumentes the whiche I doo now passe ouer because of brefenesse Forsoth thys one thyng is worthy to be marked that the occasyon of the Troian battayll is spronge of adultery For Paris the sonne of the Troian kyng led away Helena the wyfe of Menelaus prince of Grece the hefe of the Grekes and the cytezens takyng this 〈…〉 displeasure making a conspiracy went to Troie 〈…〉 nd besyegyng it ten whole yeares at the last they 〈…〉 anne the castel Ilium and the cytye Troye and 〈…〉 ayeng kyng Priamus the kyngdome of Troye 〈…〉 as wholy quenceed From Troye sayled Eneas 〈…〉 to Italy in y e which he possessed that part which 〈…〉 as called Latium He beganne here a new kingdome and buylded for hys sonne Ascanius whych was also called Iulus the citye Alba in the which 〈…〉 he posteryte of Eneas raigned vntyll the tyme 〈…〉 hat Rome was buylded In the battayll of Troie 〈…〉 ere many doughty and renoumed princes whose 〈…〉 ames maye be sought other wayes Out of Thesâ—alia was there Achilles of whom Hector the most 〈…〉 aliaunt capitaine of the Troianes was slayne 〈…〉 nd Achilles him selfe at the last was slayne also by 〈…〉 yle For the Troianes had maryed to hym a doughter of Priamus and as he satt knelinge in hys prayer before the altare in the temple he was strycken through wyth a dart of Parys by a decepte Of the battayl of Thebe NOt long before the battayll of Troie ther was another of Thebe much more cruel For seynge the kyngdome of Thebe was fallen of right by inheritaunce to the two brethren Ethrocles and Polinices they agreed together vpon this condition that they shuld raigne euery one a yere one after y â— other Howbeit whan Ethrocles had receaued the kingdome he woulde raigne continually contrary to the appointement Wherfore hys brother Polynices beyng constrayned fled to Adrastus king of the Argies the which as he had geuen him in mariage his doughter he woulde set him into the kingdome againe by force but Adrastus was slayne before Thebe with other princes Ethrocles and Polinices brethren meting together by chaunce in battayll were slayne wyth woundinge eche other The discorde of the bretheren was the cause of thys great and dolefull slaughter of the brethren Nother was the warre yet fynyshed for other princes beseged the cytye agayne afterward with a mighty power and gettinge it dyd at the last ouerthrowe it Of Hercules ALytle before thys tyme that is shortey before Saul was made kynge by the Iewes lyued Hercules in Grece which before other princes is chiefely praysed for hys noble vertues His elders were Amphytryo and Alcmena boren of the cytye Tyrinthus whych lyeth not farre from Argis But Amphytrio fled to Thebe because that in a discorde betwene hys brother and hym he slewe hym and for thys cause fortuned Hercules to be borne at Thebe and here he shewed the fyrst profe of his power For whan they of Minya a toune in Thessalia which at that tyme were of renoumed puyssance and raygned in the cytye Orchomenus assaulted the towne of Thebe Hercules defended it driuing the enemies of from it and toke the citye Orchomenus the dominion whereof began than to fayle This citye was most ryche whose greate prayses are in Homers worckes for her plentyfulnesse This victory gat Hercules first a great name in so much that afterwarde other prynces of Grece came frely to him therfore was he euery where a maker of peace he ayded princes and cities he reuenged and chastysed vnryghteous dedes and against them that he had holpen vsed he great mekenesse nother layed anye charge vpon them that they were not able to beare These are the thynges for the whiche he deserued so greate prayse as none other prynce the lyke Afterwarde toke he hys yourneye into Asia where he ouercame kyng Laomedon and slewe hym but in thys vyctory vsed he a very kyngly moderacion of mynde For he saued the kyngdome nother woulde destroye it but gaue the possession thereof to Priamus as to the true heyre And because he restored the kingdome to Priamus it is easye to gesse what tyme Hercules lyued Besyde thys he made the sea in Italy and Spaine safe from robbers and for this cause caused he to be raysed two rockes in the vtter coastes of Spayne and Aphrica which shuld alwaye beare wytnesse of this dede For at thys time yet are they called Hercules pyllers Charles the fyfte the most victorious or most valiant Emperour hath these at this tyme as a peculiar badge namely that he may be knowen to be sent to vs of God to the intent that in thys troublous state of the worlde he maye be in whole Europa as an Hercules to restore agayne wyth hys prowesse and stronge victorious hande peace and instyce Hether to haue we spoken of the notable thynges that are happened in Grece in the tyme of the fyrst monarchye But I shall neuerthelesse adde a few thynges besyde these For in reading of hystoryes must speciallye be consydered what state the kyngdomes were of what religions what maner of lawes Fynally what sciences they had wherein they floryshed Whan the sonnes of Noe dyed the true vnderstanding of Gods worde peryshed also in Grece though in the meane whyle they retayned of thepr fathers the maner of ceremonies and sentences of godlynesse yet neuerthelesse was the vngodlynesse encreased and otherwyles was one or other Idolatry set vp For enery one ymagyned for him selfe an order to worshyp God accordynge as hys constraint and necessite compelled hym For it is spoken of a Poet The fyrst feare that came to men mortall Caused gods that be immortall That is most euidente and true in fayninge of the wicked seruice of God For noman is so cruel of nature whyche beynge in necessyte that doeth not seke God and for so muche as he knoweth not that God must be sought by faith only in Christ he falleth to some outwarde worke and faineth some new maner of worshippyng God Of this commeth the fountayne and sprynge of all the vngodlynesses nere hande that are in the worlde Nether nedeth any man suppose that men erred so greatly that they thought Images and contrefaitures to
vttermost part of Italy which bendeth to Sicilia and was sometyme Grece In the tyme of Pythagoras raigned at Rome Seruius Tullius his scole was not occupied in Phisick and Astronomy as the other but in Arithmetick Geometry Musick Pythagoras liued a very solytary lyfe wyth his disciples and vsed sundry ceremonies taught many inconuenient thinges of the soules nature that mens soules remoue into beastes to be punyshed The Pythagorians taughte their doctrines priuatly amonge themselues and it was commaunded amonges them that noman shoulde publishe them lest by reason of a doctryne not accustomed the commune sort of men mighte be sturred ether to discorde or to a despisynge of good maners But such kynde of phylosophers dured not longe nother is it now necessary to speake more of the begynnyng of philosophers I would onely shewe iâ— here lest any man might be ignoraunt what tyme the connyng of sciences began and encreased wee shall hereafter in hys due place speake of them whych haue before all other garnyshed and had in reuerence Philosophye whereof there is not so great nomber For very few are ther that be worthy to be called wyth so excellent a name Phylosopher and therfore shall we not rehearse so many of them Of Solon THough wee studye to be brefe here yet wyll not I passeouer Solon vnrehearsed for of hym hath the ciuyll lawe of the Romanes whych is yet in vse his oryginall begynnynge Thys Solon lyued about thys tyme and was very familyar wyth Thales But whan at Athenes were spronge great debates because that the greatest of the citye had made bonde men of theyr creditours that were not able to pay them euen of pryuate wylfulnesse the whole citye of Athenes dyd agree to Solon that he shoulde take order and correcte thys wyllynglye of the greatestmen and the other misvses of the commune wealth Solon toke thys wyllynglye vpon hym and set forth manye excellente constitutions and lawes the whych are yet manyfest Now was Draco the law geuer by the Athenians before Solons lawes were not ordered with anye mercye at all for he ordeyned that all transgressions and trespasses shoulde be punished wyth the swearde and for thys cause sayde one that Dracons lawes were wrytten wyth bloude and not wyth yâ—â—k So hard and cruell constitucions were in the worlde at the begynnynge But nothyng can be durable that is to extreme and is not mitigate with the temperaunce of mercy or iustice As for Solon made a difference in these thynges or degrees and ordeined that some synnes shoulde accordynge to reason be punyshed greueously and other more mercyfullye ordeined also of geuinge trybute of weyghtes and of the seasoÌ„s of the whole yeare And specially is this lawe praysed in the whiche he ordeined that euery man should certyfy the higher officers once in the yeare how great his substaunce were and of what maner crafte he were where with he gat hys lyuynge and if there were any ydle fellow or vagabounde too dryue the same out of the cytie Of Cambyses CAmbyses began to raygne whan hys father Cyrus went to warre agaynst the Scythians He ioyned the kyngdome of the Egiptians to his fathers domynion But he was greatly vnlyke his father in vertues Whan Prexaspes one of hys chefe counselers had admonyshed hym somewhat boldelye and sayde that the Perses dyd alow hym greatly but that the same myslyked them that he was geuen to dronkennesse He caused the Peeres of hys realme to be called together and demaunded whether he might worthely be blamed in any thynge But they answered No but that he also surmounted hys father Cyrus in vertue for by hys actiuenesse was Egypte also ioyned to his kyngdome But Cresus to whom Cyrus had chefely commended his sonne Cambyses to be taughte nortured in honesty sayd the coÌ„trary CaÌ„byses quod he can not yet be compared to hys father Cyrus for he hath not left such a sonne of his begettinge as Cirus hath left Cambyses This delectable sayenge pleased Cambises at that tyme. But as the counsel departed whan none of the princes had blamed ought in him he commaunded Prexaspes to be called to him and bad him bringe his yongest sonne to him For he woulde declare howe sobre he myghte seme to be euen whan he were droncken For he woulde shute wyth a bowe at his chylde whan he was droncken and if he coulde hyt his harte with the darte than he might thynke that in drinkynge he were not besyde the capacite of his reason but if not â–ª than he might worthely be sayde to be geuen to dronkennesse But what nedeth many wordes Whan Cambyses had well dronken he shott at the chylde as at a marke and as the darte was pearced thoroughe he caused it to be rypt vp and shewed to hys father Prexaspes that the harte was shot thorough a ryght sayenge that thereby he might haue euydence that he was not dronken So barbarous cruel and tyrannicall maners bringeth dronkennesse into mens mindes though they be well taught before euen as no doute was that kynge Cambyses was from hys youth brought vp in moost honest nourture And though a dronken man can hytt a right in shoutinge yet in the meane whyle can he not vse the ryght counsels of reason and wanteth those vertues whiche communely steare men to modestye and auancement of glory Such lyke examples ought to be shewed to yonge men whiche sometyme be enclyned and geuen to dronkennesse for what ende folowed of these shall we shewe shortely hereafter He slew also hys own brother Smerdis whome he caused priuely to be put to death lest he shuld raygne at any tyme. He maryed also hys owne syster where neuerthelesse nature doth abhorre such kynde of maryage It fortuned vpon a tyme that whan kynge Cambyses sat at borde wyth the quene at y â— meale tyme set he a lyons whelpe and a strong dogge together to make a game and whan the lyon had the ouerhande by reason of hys fearcenesse strength another dogge of no lesse fearcenesse brake wyth great strength the bandes y â— he was bounde withal and holpe his brother the dogge and so was the lyon ouercome The kyng had great delyte at that game because of the faythfulnesse of the dogges But the quene moued wyth the same dede began to wepe very bytterly and whan the kynge toke that sorowfully and asked the cause of her weping she answered To my brother happened nothynge lesse than such faythfulnesse as I haue sene in these dogges helping eche other The kyng taking this answere wrothfully caused her strayght waye tâ— be had out of hys syght and â—lew her But such coâ—dicions can not longe prosper For God sayeth in the scryptures The bloud thyrsty and deceatfull shall not lyue oute halfe theyr dayes vpon earth Wherfore God stroke hym not longe after wyth a greueous and heauy vengeaunce For as he should come out of Egypte into Persia as he sat vpon
his horsse hys â—wearde fell out of hys sheeth and wounded hym so sore in the one syde that he dyed This example sheweth that God suffreth tyrauntes not very longe For he lyued not much more than one yeare after Cyrus nother left he anye heyre after hym and of thys wyse is he cleane deade It is truely a pyteous thynge and greatly to be bewayled that in so lytle a space the kingdome of the Perses is taken from the posteritie of Cyrus The rule of the empyre remayned neuerthelesse wyth Cyrus bloude For Darius had wedded Cyrus doughter the whyche neuerthelesse was also of Cyrus bloud Of the punishment of a wicked iudge NO prince is of so desperate hope which doth not at any tyme some laudable or honest thynge For God doeth garnishe the offyce of a gouernour or high officer and maketh that other whyles notable and necessary thynges are done necessarely for the conseruation of publyke administration Cambyses is alowed in all historyes for thys one â—ede for the which he is worthy to be praysed He had a gouernour in the fore part of Asia called Siâ—amnes he heard saye that this iudge iudged vniuâ—â—ly beynge corrupt wyth gyftes of mony Wherefore he caused him to be slayne and the skynne â—lain oâ— from his body commaunded he to be fastened vpon the iudges seate and ordeined in steade of the deade iudge his soâ—â—e called Otaâ—es and sat hym in the seate â—â—diciall vpon this maner and condition that by the beholdyng of his fathers skynne he shuld beware lest he should be punished lykewyse This example warneth those that are in authorytye to remembre that God will not suffre wyckednesse to be vnreuenged Of Darius Kyng of the Persians WHan Cambyses was gone into Egypte the Magi rebelled agaynst him at Susa and one of the Magies toke the name of a kyng vpon him by gyle Magi are called y â— wyse men priestes of those contryes But whan Cambyses made him now ready to returne into the kyngdome that he might punish worthely those seditious Magies euen in his yourney by a mischaunce as we haue sayd before he dyed Aâ—ter the death of Cambises the Magies beyng slaâ—â—e y â— Peers of the realme toke the kingdome to them selues after that poyntyng a day of assembly they came to treate of restoringe one into the kingedome Persy for a certayn order The peers or Princes were seuen in nomber as in the Germâ—ne empyre are seuen Electors those doutlesse were chosen and poynted by greate wysedome and counsell as the hyghest counsellers of the whâ—le empyre of Persia Whan now these seuen prynces were come together to deuise for the commune health of the realme there rose controuersy in deuisynge and of thre thynges specially One Othanâ—s counselled to chose no more kynges but that the princes bounde by an aliaunce shuld rule a lyke libertye beynge retayned of ethersyde for it were euident ynough before and proued by example that one man lord of so many and great thynges becommeth lyghtely haut and presumpteous and to fall to tyranny as it was euident that Cambyses had done The seconde Megabysus refusynge that counsell sayde that such lybertye shoulde be worsse than tyranny for the princes and cityes yf they want a Lorde can not but misvse that libertye to priuate wylfulnesse But lest anye suche do happen it were good not to choyse one onely kynge but to ordeâ—â—e some princes by whome shoulde alwaye remayne the full power of a kynge The thyrd called Darius refelling the sentence of ether of them counselled one kyng to be chosen for though in thys poynt as in all other thynges of men myght befall great and many inconueniences yet is no royalme or dominion more surer than the Monarchy that is yf one raygne in whose power and handes the chefe poynt of the raygne do consist For though these thre counsels be a lyke honest and verye good yet if they be conferred together it is most euident there can no fayrer or more profytabler thynge be founde thaâ— a Monarchye namelye whych goeth nexte to a godly kingdome Moreouer it can not be that concorde can be kepte longe amonge fre princes or yf some princes be chosen to gouerne some myghtye realme in steade of a kyng and that for the diuersytye of moost weighty causes whych myght some tyme befall in so large a dominion in the whiche the princes coulde not allwaye agree together Besydes thys that there shoulde not want amongest the princes the endeuour of souerayntye and gouernaunce aboue the other ouer the which he shoulde procure to rule as ouer subiectes or inferiors These were the causes which Darius alleged vnto whom agreed the other foure princes and ordeyned to choyse a kyng after the costumâ—ble maner But lest any debate myght aryse amonge the princes of the royalme they determyned to committe the lot of the kynges eleccion to God They agreed that the princes shoulde come together very early on horses into a certayn place and whose horsse shuld neye fyrst the same should be kyng Darius beynge come home shewed thys couâ—sell to the controller of hys court whych sayde he would easely brynge it to passe For before the euenyng of the appointed daye he dyd lead Darius horsse and a mare into the place appoynted and there letteth he go the horsse to the mare â–ª that in the mornynge the horsse comminge to the place myghte neye for the mare beyng absent And as the princes came together in the appointed a place at y â— set houre Darius horsse neyen fyrst lest they might dout whether it were Gods will that Darius should be their kinge sodenly at y â— same very tyme whan the horsse neyed was ther a lightening in an open and cleare ayer with thonderinge Forthwith the other princes lyghtynge from their horses dyd to Darius dew reuerence And by this occasion was Darius set vp in the hygh dignitie of the Persian empyre the which he gouerned after that with great praise He restored with great power the countries that were rebelled whan Cyrus dyed in Scythia to the empyre Babilon the citie also refusynge now the dominion of the Perses he recouered after longesiege and that by this meanes One zopyrus the sonne of Megabysus one of the seuen lordes or princes caused willinglye hys nose eares and lyppes to be cutt of maketh the kinge priuy of his counsell and falleth to the Babilonians as one that were fled he complayneth of the kinges cruelnesse whiche caused him to be of this wyse dismayde and toren because he gaue him counsell to forsake the cytie nother fayned he hymselfe otherwyse than to be the kynges enemy and that he were fled to the Babilonians for cause of counsel taking The Babilonians did frely receaue him and as he was made capitaine of them he slew some of Darius souldiours for so was he agreed with Darius that therby he might at the first augment the confidence of the Babilonians in
be beleued that ther haue ben such a multitude yet beare histories wytnesse ynough and also sunderye battails that were had at that tyme that Xerxes hoost was very great And now at this present time do we proue sufficiently wyth howe great an hoost howbeit lyght armoure the Turkes and other nations of the Easte do make theyr warre Daniel also wytnesseth that a kynge shall come oute of Persia againste the Grekes wyth a very great hoost of souldiours It is red also that whan thys great multitude was now gathered in one felde Xerxes weping sayd with an hâ—â—y harte The cause of mans life is very miserable for of so many thousand men can not one lyue ouer a hundreth yeare It is also sayde that whan Xerxes nowe ouerlayed the strayghtes of the see wyth brydges as there rose a tempeste he commaunded to beate the see To thys belongeth it also that it is not vnworthely sayd that in goynge forth hys hooste dryed vp floudes wyth drynkynge Wonders were also sene the which admonished the kyng to desyst of his enterpryse because of the myshappe to come For a â—aâ—â— brought forth an hare in the hoost where by was signifyed flyght Ther appeared also a comet called Ceratias the which is bowed lyke a horne Ther was also an Eclipse of the sonne And as hystoryes make mencion suche signes are not sene wythoute some vnhappynesse or hurt namely by the which God threateneth hys wrath and therfore oughte they not to be despysed but rather a pryck or sâ—ynge for vs that we do feare God for here maye be sene what alteracions of commune welthes and all estates of the worlde are ensued Xerxes wolde fyrste set vpon the Grekes wyth battayll by lande As for Grece is closed rounde about and ther is no entry into it saue by see or by some strayghtes of the mountaynes wher certayn thousands of the Grekes were set to kepe the enemyes from entrynge in of the whyche the greatest parte fled contynently as the Perses would entre only foure hundreth Lacedemonians abode which vsed greate force to resist the enemies and though they were farre lesse in nombre and weaker than that they could dryue back so great force of the enemies yet declared they such strength in fyghtynge that they slew about twenty thousande of the Perses For beynge ayded wyth the oportunite of the strayghtnesse of the mountaynes they were safe of the inuasion and oppression of the multitude of the enemies nother coulde they be enuyrouned by waytes layenge In the skyrmisse dyed Xerxes two bretheren but on the other syde died the foure hundreth Lacedemonyans wyth theyr kynge Leonides The acte is greatly praysed by reason of the courage and strength to defende the country because that they beynge so fewe in nombre were not afrayed to set them selues agaynste so great a multitude and though they had not the victory yet was the power of the enemies greately abated with thys â—yght and theyr hardenesse mynyshed Whan the Perses had the victory in thys battayll wounder it is how greatly all Grece was afrayed and in that parte of Grece did some cities yelde them selues frely to Xerxes At Athenes also one Cyrsylus or as sayeth Herodotus Lycidas counselled that the Athenians also shoulde geue themselues vnder Xerxes power for in no maner are they able to wythstande so myghty an enemy Themistocles contrary wyse counseled to defende the lyberty of the contrary For if the Perses fortune to haue dominion in Grece all honesty of maners shall be in daunger all lawe all good vertues shall peryshe The Perses shall vse all wyllfulnesse agaynst their wyues and chylderen as it were euidente they haue done agaynst them whiche were now subiect to them therfore were it more honeste to dye in the libertye than willinglye to admitte such lordes Thys counsell of Themistocles was accepted of euerye man wyth a commune consent that they shoulde defende themselues manlye agaynst the enemies The Athenians beynge wroth wyth Cyrsylus for hys wycked counsell commaunded to stone hym and the women lykewyse stoned hys wyfe because her husband had put forth such counsell the whyche if they had folowed they shoulde haue broughte all theyr chylderen to dishonesty Thys dede is praysed for the vertue and is worthy of remembraunce that they woulde rather dye for the lybertye of the contry than they shoulde yelde themselues to a straunge nacyon to ouerthrowe the state of theyr citye and all policye and honesty As the Athenians asked counsell at the aunswere of Apollo at Delphas it was aunswered them that they should haue victory with walles of wood the whiche Themistocles expounded of the defence of shyppes and he exhorted that leauynge the citye they should lead their wiues and children into the shyppes for their citie should at length not be able to wythstande the power and so great multitude of the Persians besyde that also be not the Perses very well appointed by see Thys counsell was alowed and the residue of the cities haue folowed it Sparta and Corinthus the whiche with a furnyshed nauye helde by force the straightes of the sea by the yle Salamina lest they mighte be compassed by the multitude of the shyppes that Xerxes had Whan Xerxes hearde that the Grekes had made a nauy and vnderstode that greate daunger shoulde come to hym yf the Grekes vsed the sea frely and as they had oportunitie should falle into the kyngdome it was counselled Xerxes that contrarywise he shoulde combre the Grekes wyth warre vpon the sea The same was done But as the Grekes had the victory the mooste part of the Perses was discomfyted and many shyppes were drouned This victory restored a courage to all Grece and made Xerxes feble The kynge him selfe was not in the battaill but remaininge with a fewe shyppes vpon the coast he dyd onelye beholde it All the Grecians rendred the renoume of the battaill to Themistocles onelye because that the victory beynge gotten by his counsell all Grece was saued Amonge the reste of the traynes whyche Themistocles vsed in thys warre I thoughte to rehearse thys one suttyll deuyse Whan Xerxes was abashed after the battayll he thought the kynge mighte easelye be broughte thereto that leauinge Grece he shoulde returne for alltogether into Persia wyth the reste of hys armye Therfore faynynge hym selfe humbly prostrate â–ª as wyllinge to procure fauoure by the kynge he caused to shew hym by the messenger that the Grekes deuised to breake the bridge the whyche he had caused to be layde before vpon the sea Wherefore to haue hym strayght waye oute of Grece before the occasyon of flyenge were taken him wythout he woulde cast him selfe in great daunger As he hearde thys tydynge he made him strayghte waye readye to flye But whan in flyenge he fande the bridge broken by the tempeste he passed ouer wyth a lytle boate euen wyth vtter daunger of his lyfe because the sea was troubled wyth the vehemency
or yeares But her of is ynough The table of the yeares of the worlde whiche sheweth the tyme poynted by Daniel M De. lvi vntyll the floude C C xciii vntyll Abraham was borne C C C C xxiij vntyll Moses was borne L xxx vntyll the goyng out of Egipt C C C C lxxx vntyll Salomons temple was buylded C C xxxviii vntyll kyng Ioas. C C xci vntil Ieconias was caried into Babylō Xi vntyll the wastyng of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonosor L xx dured the captiuite of Babylon C xci dured the monarchy of the Perses after the captiuitie of Babylon Vii was Alexander after Darius C xlvi dured the rule of the Grekes vntyll Iuhas Machabeus C xxvij dured the kyngdom of the Machabees as wryteth Iosephus XXX Herodes In the thyrtyeth yeare of Herode was Christe borne M. D. xxxii sence Christe our lorde and Sauiour was borne Our of this table is easely gathered the reason and maner of the yeares in Daniels wrytynge But I fynde by the Grekes the tyme after Alexanders death of this wyse In the .cxiiii. Olympias dyed Alexander Clxxxiiii Olympias began the rule of Augustus after the death of Iulius The xlii yeares of Augustus was Christ borne These yeares together sence the death of Alexāder make about cccxx yeares This nomber doth not so greatly disagre wyth the other aboue rehersed and can easely be made to gre of learned men Of Esdras A Certayne space after the cōmaundement publyshed dyd kynge Artaxerxes let Esdras the scribe returne to Ierusalem And duely not without a cause ought mētion to be made of this man in the histories for the bookes of the holy scripture that were now scattered and strowed dyd he gather agayne and set in order For this worke was worthy to be the duety of a true byshop Because that without holy scripture cannot be maynteined the true religion and worshyp of God In the tyme of this Artarerxes Longimanus began the great warre of Peloponnesus whiche the Grekes had amonge themselues in the whiche the citie of Athens at the last was vtterly destroyed This warre lasted neare hande vntyl the ende of the Persian monarchy and therfore I wyl first brefely reherse in their order the Persian kyng s. suche as are yet behynde Of Darius the bastarde DArius the bastarde reigned after Longimanus and of truth he was not the sonne of Lōgimanus but had his sister to wife and was his brother in lawe He had two sonnes At taxerxes whom they cal Mnemon and Cyrus the yonger Artaxerxes succeded his father in the empire Cyrus was made most puissaunt in Ionia Of Artaxerxes Mnemon AS Darius was deade Cyrus began to take falsly to hym the kyngdome for besyde that he ruled in a most puissaunt duchy he was apte also for all manner of thing and delited chefely in warre and therfore armed he hymself with great power against his brother Beside this had his mother more affection to hym than to his brother whiche had a modest and gentle mother wit But God did not prosper this wicked enterprise of Cyrus for in a battaill where he tought against his brother was he slaine Artaxerxes declared hymselfe not without courage in this battaill for he was greueously wonded of Cyrus and lept vpon another horse that he shoulde knowe that the victory came to hym afterwarde by God only Of Ochus OChus the sonne of Artaxerxes was moste gredy of mans bloud for beside the great tyranny that he vsed he slew also his own brothern He buylded the citie Sidon and brought Egypt againe to the Persian monarchy but they kept the loyalte of their yeldyng not very longe At the last was he slayn of one of his gouernours Of Arsames ARsames was the sōne of Ochus the same was made kyng being yet yonge by the capitain of the host which flew his father Ochus But when Arsames began now to wax great the capitain of the hoost fearyng by reason of the wycked dede that he had done he slew by a disceat this Arsames also Afterward makyng a league with Codomanus prince of Armenia he toke to hym the kyngdome also and called hym Darius Thus was the kynred of the noble prince Cyrus quenshed and the kyngdome of the Persians beyng translated from Cyrus posterite came to a foren prince Nether is that onely to be lamented that suche power and honour and so hygh gyftes of God were deleyed and put out of remembraunce within so few yeares but muche rather that Cyrus folowers beyng strayght waye vnlyke hym dyd declare their father to haue no maner of vertue the whiche appeareth in Ochus whose feates of tyranny gaue occasion that the whole kynred of Cyrus was abolyshed Of the last Darius The same was straunge from Cyrus but he was made prince of Armenia by kyng Ochus for his noble actes of chyuairy for the whiche actes also he was chosen kyng by them that had slayne Arsames left he should be reuenged of Ochus that had done hym good But being blynded by this occasion and with the hope of the kyngdome that was offered hym he forgat all the benefites that he had receaued of Ochus and hauyng the kyngdome he called hymselfe Darius that nothyng should be wanting to the royall dignitie But he was greuously punished for his vnkynonesse and disloyaltie For when he was vanquyshed of Alexander losynge all his landes and kyngdome he lost also his lyfe the whole monarchie of Persia But we shall treate more largely hereof in the begynning of the third monarchie and when we shall speake of Alexander The Warres of the cities of Grece WE haue touched before how the Grekes waxed welthy and presumptuous when the Perses were driuen out of their landes for pride and presumption do commonly folow after great prosperitie Wherfore duryng this monarchie they had great and durable warres among themselues by the whiche whole Grece went finally to naught insomuche that after ward it was open for euery man to breake in And also for the most honest gouernaūce lawes which they vsed in their cōmon welth succeded filthinesse and most corrup maner of behaueour And whome would it not greatly pitie to reade that so many great commodities or yuels and so durable and wicked warres are raysed of so lyght causes They be examples herely not onely to be wondered at but also most worthyest to be marked for they may admonyshe men that they take no warre in hand lightely and for euery lyght cause but only constrayned by great necessitie seing the warre raised amonge the Grekes for a small occasion could be in no maner nor meanes be swaged and layed downe tyll finally straunge people fallyng into Grece oppressed both partes It is not my mynde here to describe this whole warre for Theucidides Xenophon and afterward other haue written therof whole bokes But I wil reherse one thyng among all other namely what fall the citie of Athens hath had in this warre and what
to be remembred in choysynge of counsuls for it must be pertayned to him that it shoulde be so broughte to passe For if he had returned to Rome wythout there should be a consull hys enemyes were minded to oppresse him and to brynge to passe that he shoulde be exiled from Rome But Cesar brought to passe wyth the ayde of the Tribunes that the dignity of Consulshyp was promysed him the which was done wyth the consent of Pompeius the consul also But whan the tyme came to appoynte the consuls some haue stered the Senate to set themselues agaynst him nother suffre Cesar to be made consul the same alured Pompeius to be of their syde and droue out the Tribunes whyche fled to Iulius Cesar But whan Iulius perceaued that they woulde oppresse and betraye hym he laye sore vpon the promyse that was made hym and demaunded the consulshyppe besyde thys would he haue the Tribunes restored into theyr place Duryng this controuersye there were diuerse consultations Marcus Cicero brought the moost vehementes reason whiche were to be borne of ether parte For he wylled that Cesar and Pompeius should forsake theyr hoostes and that Pompeius should goo into Spayne as he was also determined and Cesar so sone as he had forsaken the hoost shoulde be consul Iulius Cesar agreed to thys but Pompeius refused it Wherfore dyd Cesar come to Rome wyth an army appoynted Pompeius takyng the flyght doth lykewise appoynt an hoost wyth all hys power But Cesar taketh in Italy Spayne and persued Pompeius vntyll Grece And though Iulius refusyd not hetherto the condicions of an appointment of peace but dyd also offre them frelye yet Pompeius ceased not to make aunswer that he would graunt nor admitte no condicions of peace before he sawe the heade of Iulius cut of and brought to hym But whan Cesar heard that he was greatly moued Though Pompeius had a more righteous cause yet oughte he to haue vsed more gentlenesse agaynste so noble a prince that offred condicions of peace and sought onelye that he might haue ben fre and withoute daunger of feare Therfore whan Cesar sawe that he muste vse counsel by constraynt he inuaded Pompeius and ouercame hym Pompeius fled into Egypte where he was slaine by an entray of the yong king whose father he hym selfe had set into the kyngedome Afterward toke Cesar Asia and Aphrica together insomuche that he alone had in all the empyre of Rome wyth great puyssaunce Thys so great alteration and misery in the commune welth of Rome began of a moste lyghte thynge for this warre was dolefull both to hygh and lowe estates of men For histories report that ther were slayne aboue thre hundreth thousand men in thys ciuill warre ⸪ The fourth and laste Monarchy namely of the Romane empyre Iulius Cesar THre thousand yeares eight hundreth and foure score and seuentene were sence the creation of the worlde Seuen hundreth and syxe yeares sence the buyldyng of Rome Seuen and forty yeares before Christ was borne began fyrst the Romane monarchy whan Iulius was made Consul and the warr agaynst Pompeius whereof we haue euen nowe spoken dyd begynne That the warre lasted fyue yeares For whan Pompeius was deade Iulius had yet much busynesse to do in Egypte Asia and Aphrica where Cato had slayne hym selfe and in Spayne where he had also slayne one of Pompeius sonnes But whan all contryes were sett in peace returned Iulius to Rome and that was in the moneth October and after that in the begynnynge of Marche was he stycked through in the Senate of Cassius and Brutus wyth their companyons Wherfore raigned Iulius in peace nomore but fiue monethes and in that season caused he the yeare to be ordered throughout all the Romane empyre according to the course of the sonne He brought also with him out of Egypt a notable and most conning man in sciences which taught by demonstracyons called a Mathematicus ▪ and was the fyrst autor◠cause that those sciences were taughte in Italy And this ordering of the yeare which is handsome and that we vse yet now at this tyme was begon◠fyrst by Iulius But how dishonestly and very cruelly those that kylled Iulius that is playn ynoug◠by theyr dedes For Cassius Brutus wyth they companions fauoured Pompeius But by the mercyfulnes of Cesar were they take in agayne into the citye and restored into their former dignitye possession of goodes For what shall I be prolixe The worlde had neuer a prince so mighty that euer vsed more gentlynesse towarde hys enemies that frely yelded thēselues He neuer shewed anye notable wrath agaynst anye man wythoute it had ben in a battaill where necessitie to fighte dyd requyre where neuerthelesse before him Marius Sylla neuer ceassed of murtheringe euen in tyme of peace But Iulius did no such thinges ye he frely toke to mercy euen the best of the cōmune welth that were Pompeius adherentes nether toke ought from them He brought agayn also the true maner of gouerning the commune welth whiche was decayed by sedition and restored it wyth no lesse wysedome than he kept it vp with authoritie But how great a thinge this is maye be gathered therby that in ciuill commotions wee se iudgementes lawes and all modestie of maners go to wrack and to nought Iulius truely was one of the most doughtyest princes whiche beynge garnished of God with most greatest vertues aboue other men that haue gouerned very great dominions Besyde this was it not possyble to retayne commune peace long after that Iulius was deade for there was noman after Iulius that had ether such authoritie or power that with very force could enterteyn the quyetnesse of the empyre for to retaine the same in great kingdomes is requisite a greate and syngular puyssaunce Moreouer it is reported that he should haue sayde That he feared not for for his lyfe but that his death should be mischeueous and deadly to the commone welth empyre But all this refrained not them from the cursed enterpryse of whom by a cōiuracion he was slaine The first beginner of this wicked dede was Cassius and that only by enuy because for Cesars sake he could not obtayne those prouinces which he coueted Brutus was a man of great wytt and therfore suffred he him lightely to be made a companyon of this wicked dede cloking it with this colour that it were not honest for the Senate of Rome to suffre a lord greater in the empyre then he Item that Cesar also was a tyraunt and that it was lawfully permitted to slaye tyrauntes With such lyke inconuenient argumentes whiche are oft wont to begyle yong and vnlearned men in lyke cases was Brutus inflamed for without his helpe had Cassius brought nothynge to passe This is the summe of this history But God suffred so great a mischeuousnesse not longe vnpunished For as manye as had conspyred to the death of Iulius were also slayne themselues not
gaue the priestes their tenthes agayne And because these are true feates of good princes therfore hath God geuen hym noble victories For when the kynge of the Assyrians besyeged HierusaleÌ„ he called vpon God for aide the citie was deliuered of the syege by the angel slaing the enemies Esaye the prophete was in the time of this kynge in great worshyp by whome the kynge was instructed in suche thinges as pertayne to the feare of God But in the syxte yeare of Ezechias gat the king of the Assyrians the citye of Samaria and led awaye the ten tribes of Israel in bondage The moost parte of thys were the people of God that were fallen from Iuda and had set vp a propre kyngdome But whan the kynges of Samaria were afrayed lest the people shoulde fall agayne to the kyngdome of Iuda the which was ordeined of God yf they shuld somtyme resorte to Hierusalem feastly to do theyr sacrifyce and to heare the word of God accordinge to the ordinaunce of the lawe they set vp a certayne peculiar or propre Gods seruice a propre doctrine and a sacrifice agaynst Gods worde and so haue they abused all thinges against the worde of God vnder pretence of Gods name to entertayne the priuate power of their kyngdome Agaynste this worship of God are sometyme sent prophetes to the sauegarde and conseruation of many in the meane season haue the mighty with al stubbernes kept their false gods seruice Wherfore God hath greuously punished these kinges wyth warres and vproures neither lasted the raigne of this empyre longe by any kyndred in so much also that at the last God suffred the kynges and people to be led away Duely oughte this example make vs afrayde that we learne to feare God For if god spared not the posterite of Abraham vnto the which happened so manifest promises and so great but hath sodenlye ouerthrowen theyr kingedome and cast them out who is so sure minded which can beleue that we shall escape fre But in myne opinioÌ„ that part of Samaria â–ª semeth to beare the figure of the churche of the East and of the Grekes for lyke as Israel caried away by the Assyrians into Samaria came neuer agayne euen so also the churche or congregacion of the East is vtterly destroied by the Saracens and Turkes And as it happened to the tribe of Iuda afterwarde I feare me lest it chaunce lykewyse also to the West parte It is to be feared truely that God shal handle vs more rygorously because of the greatnesse of our mysdedes Houbeit God woulde in the meane season blesse the sede of Abraham before all natioÌ„s Wherfore ought the godly reader consider this example by hymselfe and pray God that he wyll chasten vs with mercy and not to cast vs vtterly away This kyngdom dured only two hundreth and foure and fourty yeares That tyme verely was very shorte specially seyng thys people had soo excellent promises euen of outwarde goodes also and in the meane season had they warre also and vproures So litle doth God suffre the wicked seruice of God vnpunished The wastyng of the kyngdom of Samaria was done the thre thousande two hundreth and fourtieth yere after the creation of the world Manasse the sonne of Ezechias succeded his father in the kyngdom of Iuda and reigned fyue and fifty yeres The same restored the false Gods seruice for false zele of godlinesse he burned in sacrifice his own childreÌ„ He persecuted the prophetes Esay y â— most holy prophet hath he caused to be cut asunder with a sawe and slayne at the last was he taken oâ— his enemies and caryed awaye Howbeit whan he knowledged his trespasse and called hartyly vpon the Lorde he was taken frely to mercye and God hath set him for an example to synners that they doute not but that God shall haue mercy and asswage hys wrath vengeaunce if they turne from their wyckednesse Amon raigned two yeare he was a wycked kynge wherefore he dyed with the swearde of hys seruauntes Iosias raigned thyrty one yere he toke away the wicked worship of God He ouerthrew the chappels and Idols he coÌ„maunded to burne the bones of false prophetes In his tyme were the bokes of Moses found again which had many yeres be lost That truely is a notable example that wickednesse mens traditions doth grow so excedingly preuayle that holy scripture is so greatly despysed y â— euen the very bokes be lost But God so prouiding for seynge she is neuerthelesse at the last restored and brought to lyght This history no doute doth shewe the figure of the last times in the church to y â— which the true and sincere knowledge of the word shalbe opened euen before the ende of the worlde But though Iosias was a verye godly kynge yet wanted not he finally his errour For whan he had now liued in good peace a great whyle had done many noble actes beyng waxen hardy he thought he might haue no misfortune by reason of his godlynesse Wherfore he warred vpon the kyng of the Egiptians the whiche neuerthelesse demaunded condicions of peace But because he toke that warr by trust of mans power he dyed of a greâ—â— wounde that he had gotten in y â— battayll Ioachas raigned thre monethes and was caried awaye into Egipt Ioakim raigned two yeares In his time inuaded Nabuchodonosor kyng of Babylon all Iewry whose tributary he became many men were led away among the which was also Dauiel yet yonge Afterward whan Ioakim kepte not the bonde or treaty Nabuchodonosor came againe and takyng Ioakim caused him to be slayne at Hierusalem his body to be cast amongs y â— other dead carcases without the citie according to y â— prophesye of Ieremy which prophesyed that he shuld be buried as an asse Ioachim or Ieconias was kyng thre monethes Nabuchodonosor about this tyme beynge come agayn beseged the city Ieconias yelded him selfe frely through the counsel of Ieremy the prophet vnto whom God had reueled that HierusaleÌ„ shuld be destroyed the people caried away howbeit he shuld not wholy be destroied but y â— he shulde once come agayn Hierusalem shuld be buylded agayn Ieconias was kept in BabiloÌ„ by god because he had obeied y â— voice of the prophet the which we shall note hereafter The best of the people were led in captiuite at Babilon with â–ª Ieconias and also all the moost costlye vessels and ornamentes that were in the temple at Hierusalem Sedechias raygned eleuen yeres he fell from the kyng of Babilon whome he wolde not geue tribute for which cause Nabuchodonosor came again besieged the citie And though Ieremy counseled hym that he shuld yelde him self for it were so foreseen of god y â— the people â–ª shuld be led away and Iuda punyshed yeâ— would not he obey â—oldened and trustynge too Gods promyse that the people of Iuda should not perishe
This did Sedechias boaste and the hygh priests did interpretate the promyse of God peruerfly For God could neuerthelesse saue his people though he dyd suffre them to bee caried awaye and to be punished a certain space And thus was Ieremias prophecy despysed specially because it was so long differed nother did it so come to passe Beside this had the king of Babylon bene now thre times in Iewry yet had not profited in besieging the citie of HierusaleÌ„ Moreouer it was now y â— eleuenth yeare in the which many were fled out of the cytie the toune yet saued These thinges were the cause that after maÌ„s iudgement they stifly trusted that nothyng lesse shoulde be then that general destruction which Ieremy had prophecied Also was the citie euery where fortified with fortresses against the power of the enemies But Nabuchodonosor destroyed them wyth hunger for whan he besyeged the citie a yeare and an halfe it is saied that there was suche hunger that many did eate their owne children So stony hartâ—ed is mans nature in her purpose that where she was coÌ„strained with so great necessitie yet refuseth she to come and take succoure and consolacion of God For if they had yelded themselues after the prophetes counsayll though the banyshement had bene harde to them yet myght they haue had peace at the least waye with the aliens Finally when Sedechias toke the flyght he was taken after that sawe he his chyldren slayne in his presence but his iyes were put out the citie of Ierusalem was destroied the temple that God caused to be buylded was burnt the best of the people of the Iewes was caried awaye to Babylon into bondage this example ought earnestly admonyshe vs that God wyl not spare other kyngdomes and princes but that he wyll greueously punyshe synne seynge he hath vsed so greate rigour agaynst this kyngdome the whiche he hym selfe dyd set vp for the scripture witnesseth that God hath punyshed Iuda with innumerable kyndes of punishmentes for his synnes and added thoose synnes whiche were the chefest synnes namely despysyng of Gods worde the wicked worshyp of God tyranny agaynst the true preachers of Gods worde and prophetes The destruction of the citye happened the thre thousand thre hundreth and thre score and therten yeare sence the creation of the worlde The yeares From Dauid vntyll this spoylynge of the citie Ierusalem are fiue hundreth and sixten Hytherto remayned the kyngly name by the posteritie of Dauid amongest the whiche were many notable and renowmed kynges as the lyke in none other kyngdome For that kyngdome of Iuda had God specially created and gouerned it but because they were not without synne therfore were they punyshed of God and the kyngdome was chaunged For the kyngdome of Iuda was kept in captiuite in Babylon thre score and ten yeares howbeit in the meane season dyd God declare hymselfe so that it myght bee perceaued that hee cared for hys people and churche and that he neuer would forsake her For he sent notable prophetes as Daniel amongest the Babilonians whiche conuerted also Nabuchodonosor ye kyng For whan he was punyshed by Gods iudgement for his vngodlynesse and was become madde woodde so that he differred nothinge from a beast Daniel prayed God for him and he was restored afterward comminge to hys ryght mynde agayn from hys wyckednesse he renounced hys Idolatry and as he was taughte of Daniell he toke vpon him Gods true seruice After Nabuchodonosor raygned his sonne Euilmerodach The same commaunded to entreate Iechonias the kyng honestlye and accordinge to hys kyngly dignitye the which by the coÌ„maundemente of Ieremy the prophete yeldynge him selfe frely went also in exyle And after this wise dyd god fortunate this kyng which beleued the wordes of the prophete though he was in daunger for a season Of this wyse verelye was Dauids kynred saued from destruction by God through gods prouidence the which we shall declare at large hereafter After Euilmer odach succeded Balthasar in the kingdome The same was a despiser of godlinesse Gods word he restored of a new the old abrogate Idolatry of the Chaldeis he vsed the vessels that were caried from the temple of IerusaleÌ„ at his bankettes he mocked the God of the Iewes and for a reproche he caused to be songe that the God of the Chaldeis was a true God greater than the God of the Iewes But what happened These blasphemous voices brought the destruccion of the whole kyngdome For ther was clerely sene a hande that wrote vpon the wall that Balthasar should perysh with all his kingdome The same happened the very same night for the Medes and Persians fell sodenly vpon the Babylonians and gat the kyngedome and killed the kynge Balthasar This example witnesseth also that the blasphemies agaynste God remayne not vnreuenged Now hath the tyme of the first monarchy an ende vntyllthe Perses and kynge Cirus Betwene the byrth of Abraham and kyng Cirus are a thousand foure hundreth and four scor and fyften yeares in the which was y â— monarchy first by the Chaldeis after that by the Assyrians But whan it beganne to be alienated now preuailed the Assyrians than the Babilonians vntill the Medes and Perses dyd growe and finally gat Cyrus Babylon recouering the Monarchy and makyng all one It is chefely to be consydered that the whole kingdome of the Iewes is coÌ„prehended vnder the tyme of this fyrst monarchy where by it is euident that the Iewes are most auncient people and that only their histories are certayn and true of the first kyngdomes of the worlde Of the Grekes WE shall now note brefely the state of the Grekes in the tymes of the fyrst Monarchye where by it shalbe easely gathered that the histories of the Iewes are much more auncient than the Grekes for all their histories are written after the fyrst Monarchy Nether can the Grekes rehearse any thyng certayue or of longer space than that theyr Olympiades do shewe But the Olympiades began the eyght thertyth yere of kynge Osias And if that be diligently rekened it shall appeare to be about two hundreth yeare before the monarchye of the Peries But because of vnlearned readers I shall leaue the Olympiades and shewe brefely what hath happened by the Grekes in the tyme of the fyrste monarchye The country of Grece had no certayne kyng as other nacions but there were in it partly many prynces partly also mighty cityes sundry greate chaunges happened with the princes For the cityes encreasyng in puyssaunce coulde not well suffre Princes as we haue sene in Italy in oure dayes and as I shall afterward set some examples which are profytable to know and haue true wytnesse of hystoryes For there are fewe historyes withe the Grekes before the battayl of Troye Of the battayl of Troye THE battayll of Troie happened before the tyme of Dauid the whiche maye be proued by the
moost myghty prince shoulde be borne of her Therefore whan Cyrus the chylde was now borne Astyages feared lest his kyngdome should be remoued from the Medes to the Persians For the which cause he commaundeth his vsher Harpagus to put forth the chyld to be slayne But whan Harpagus busied to slayne it he was saued by a wonderfull destiny So vayne are mens enterpryses and studyes to hynder Gods counsels The chyide was taken to the shepeherde to beare it vpon a hyll that thete it myght dye for honger the shepeherde was also coÌ„maunded not to leaue the chyld vntil it were dead and to shewe this same to Harpagus that he might certifye the kynge the truth of the thinges and to se the chylde buryed accordynge to the dignitie But what dyd happen At the same tyme by chaunce whan the shepeherde bryngeth this chylde into his house his wyfe was delyuered of a deade chylde the which whan she herde of her husbande that thys chyld shoulde be layed abrode to perishe whome besyde the comlynesse of bewty she perceaued to declare some kyngly strength and courage and also because it was borne of the kynges bloude she counseleth and prayeth her husbande to laye hyr deade chylde in his steade and to take it her for to brynge vp for hers She admony sheth hym also to committe no murther with the kynges chylde chefely seinge no daunger can befall or happen to the realine by this chylde for asmuche as it shalbe brought vp and taken for the shepeherdes chylde The shepeherde foloweth his wyues counsell he sende worde to Harpagus that the chylde is dead Who sendeth some to see wheter it were so and causeth the chylde to be buryed and all this is sheweth the kyng for a trueth In the meane whyle is Cyrus brought vp by the shepeherde and as he grew vp by processe forth wyth appeareth in him kynggly towardnesse and sharpnesse of wyt Moreouer amonge the chyldren as the chyldreÌ„ costume is he ordeyned a kyngdome and hym that offended dyd punysh greueously But it happened by this chaunce that whan he had beaten a gentlemans chylde very rygorously for a transgression he was accused to the chyldes elders the which made complaynt to the kynge The kynge callynge and demaundynge of the chylde he maruayleth at his great graue constancye and the wysdome in answerynge than to the chyldes age Beynge streght waye astonyed in hys mynde he aduysed hym of the tyme wherein hys doughter was delyueted and as he had searched out all the circumstances of hys age the tyme and the bryngynge vp he knewe that it was his cosyn his daughters sonne the which in tyme past he had commaunded to be destroyed Knowynge hym he kept hym in hys court a certayn space and whan Astyages dyd now dout no more of hym by reason of hys syngular towardnesse honesty the whych dyd shyne in the chylde he sent hym into Persia to hys elders Howbeit the kynge was in the meane whyle greatly wroth wyth Harpagus for the deceate because he dyd not accomplyshe the kynges commaundement in slayeng at that tyme the chylde He commaundeth Harpagus yongest sonne to be brought to the court the which whaÌ„ Harpagus had done the kynge commaunded to slaye him and seethe him and to set it before Harpagus for to eate wythout hys knowledge but whan he had now eaten ynough Astyages commaunded to brynge the heade fete and handes of the chylde that were hewen of and shewe them to Harpagus that he myghte se that he had eaten the fleshe of hys owne chylde As harpagus sawe the heade he knew the kynges dede also whence the occasion came but all grefe suppressed he worshpped the kynge accordynge to hys wonted reuerence and drede thynkyng in the meane season to be once greatly reuenged of thys tyranny of the Kynge But Harpagus euer after ceased not to stere vp the chefe of Media the most puyssant nobles to fal to the Perses and to make Cyrus Kynge he sheweth it to Cyrus also and exhorteth him to inuade the kyngdome nother suffre the tyranny that the Kynge hath vsed agaynst other of them to be vnreuenged And that the enterpryse be secrete he hydeth a lettre in the belly of a holow hare and taketh him to a trustye messenger to bringe it into Persia to Cyrus and sendeth no worde els by the messenger but that kynge Cyrus him selfe doo flee the hare Cyrus fyndynge the letter and knowynge Harpagus counsell maketh continently ready an hoost and goeth agaynst the Medes Astyages on the other syde commaundeth hys army to withstande the enemy of the which he maketh Harpagus chefe captayne but whan the felde shulde be fouten he yelded both hym self and hys army wyllyngly to Cyrus Wherfore Astyages hauyng lost the kyngdome of Media was vanquyshed Howbeit Cyrus saued and kept hym and caused hym to be intreated accordynge to hys royall dignitie Thys alteration happened in the kyngdome of the Medes by reason of the kynges tyranny for the which also the whole empyre was translated to the Perses After thys warred the most ryche Cresus vpon Cyrus in the fore parte of Asia whome Cyrus metyng wyth an hoost ouercame and toke in the whole kyngdome and wynnynge the moost strongest citye Sardis toke Cresus prysoner But whan by the kynges commaundement Cresus shulde be burned and was nowe vpon the pyle of wood he cryed wyth verye pytefull waylynge O Solon Solon Cyrus woundred at this noyse and caused to demaunde for what cause he dyd so crye nowe and than wyth so greate doulfulnes Than he syghynge from the depâ—st of hys harte sayde Solon was in tymes past a moost wyse man among y â— Athenians whom I dyd somtyme greatly worshyp whan he was with me and I shewed him all my power and treasures and finally asked him whether any misfortune myght euer happen to me that were so well fortified with ryches and power against all chaunces of fortune and against the power of my enemies But SoloÌ„ answered to that with a rebuke That noman is so happyin this lyfe which before his death can be called happye of euery syde nether is anye man so mighty or puyssaunt whom an vnhappy chaunce can not make feble and ouerthrowe But that as than he beynge safe by reason of prosperitye he sayde he despysed those wordes nother coulde he drede this notable fall the which he had now proued and because that now first he vnderstode Solons sayenge therfore dyd he now name him before his death and that he wyshed al men to remembre in prosperity aduersytyes which may befall lest they become proude for the presente felicitie to enterprise or vndertake oughte that by chaunce myghte bringe mischief to them Whan Cyrus heard this he was moued with pitye toward Cresus sayenge That hereafter he woulde not entreate Cresus so cruellye which had intymes past be a moost myghty kynge for he knew that he was a man also and to hym also it myght befall to haue
of the floudes Of thys wyse dyd God turne the fortune of the dice and punyshed the pryde Great princes haue here an example sett before them whereby they must learne not to truste in their puyssaunce but that in the feare of God and trust to God must great thynges be taken in hande That he had thys shamefull ende for because this expedicion made euery man amased and also for because Xerxes dyd brynge on to Grece such a great multitude and power none otherwise than in oure tyme the Turke was constrayned to forsake the city of Vienne with great shame which came into Germany with an hoost of two hundreth thousande men Howbeit Xerxes departynge out of Grece left Mardonius the capytayne there wyth thre thousande souldyours and that for thys cause because the kynge persuaded by Mardonius counsell wente into Grece agaynste the mynde and wyll of the other Lordes And because it happened not as Mardonius promysed therefore dredinge lest beynge returned home he might lose hys heade because of the mischaunce of the warre he desyred that he might be left in Grece wyth that army to assaye all fortunes of warre yf by chaunce he coulde make feble the affayres of the Grekes Xerxes than suffred that and betoke hym to hys fortune Fyrst beganne Mardonius frendely to entreate the Grekes that hauing layde before them tolerable condicions of peace they woulde willingly yeld themselues But the Grekes beynge become more couragious by reason of the victory refused vtterly all dominion of the Perses and denyenge the leage asked that he shoulde defende hym selfe with force and fyghtynge hande Than toke Mardonius and burnt the citye of Athenes and wente thorough vntyll Thebe for they of Thebe were fallen to the Perses The Athenians and Lacedemonians makyng than agayn a fresh army by land of an hundreth thousand men met at sundry times with Mardonius in battayll at the laste Mardonius constrayned for faut of vytayls made an ende Alexander kyng of Macedony was wyth the Perses of whom we made mencion before the same shewed the Grekes before the euenynge that they should make them ready in armes on the next day for Mardonius was determined to pyche hys last felde and that was so done but the Perses beyng ouercome lost the felde Mardonius beyng slayne also whiche thynge the other counsellers of kyng Xerxes tolde him before the warre began But this was the ende of so great a settyng forth to warre and whan this warre was ended the cities of Grece began too encreace in power and enlargynge of their dominion subduyng many yles of the Perses whiche they adioyned to their dominion Moreouer the Grekes beyng become puyssauÌ„t waxed also haut and presumtuous and for desyre of dominion they procured also inwarde sedicion warre with in themselues and beyng ouercome with mutuall damages that eche had done to the other they were constrayned fynally to yeld themselues to straunge princes quenchynge and destroyeng all the estate of their common wealth and the vertues whereby they floryshed before But of this shall we treate a lytle hereafter It is necessarye to knowe Themistocles example before any thyng the whiche for so muche as he was the man by whose prouisse and counsail whole Grece was saued for the whiche thynge also hys prayses are auaunced more then of any valeaunt captaine whiche Grece had yet was he euel rewarded of his citesens for they droue him out of y â— citie This thanke geueth the commoÌ„ people for the most worthye vertues yea the deuell hymselfe blyndeth men that they do not acknowledge so hygh gyftes of God Wherfore it behoueth the best and excelleâ—t men to haue pacience before all thynges for it can not bee but they must haue grefes and all vnthankfulnesse in that state of lyfe After that fled Themistocles to Artaxerxes by whome he was had in greate honor in all thynges equall to the princes and peeres of his royalme It is wrytten also that Artaxerxes should haue sayde he coulde wyshe his enemies no more euyll but that they blinded with such madnesse dyd put awaye wyse men from them Of Artaxerxes with the longe hande AS Xerxes was deade raigned his sonne Artaxerxes whose right hande was longer than the left whereof he gat the surrname wyth the long hand Thys kynge is chefely praysed for his syngular wysedome and gentlenesse of maners and endeuour of peace Therefore do I rehearse his historye here nomore at length that wee maye finallye returne to the Iewysh hystories lest we be ignoraunce what state was in the church and spyrytuall kyngdome Of Zorobabel the Iewysh capitayne WE haue shewed before that in the Bible is one of the Persian kynges called Assuerus but the same was Darius Histaspis and as I suppose thys Darius is Assuerus which had quene Hester Herodotus doth also make mencion of Artistona the whiche Darius had besyde quene Atossa and sayeth that the same Artistona was very well beloued of Darius and it appeareth that thys same was Hester Philo writeth also that the history of Iudith happened in the tyme of this Darius and that Arphaxad whereof the history of Iudith maketh mention was captayn of y â— Assyrians after that they were now fallen from Cyrus whâ— was ouercome of the Scythyes I do not disalow thys meanynge of Philo but verely as I do suppose the history of Iudith was now already fulfilled before that Iuda was led into bondage and also before the Persians monarchy For Arbaces kynge of the Medes was before the monarchy of the Perses and Ninius was destroyed in the tyme of the Persians kyngdome and whan the Perses had the monarchy nether Ninius nor the Medes had theyr kynge Howbeit I graunt here euery man to defende hys meanynge After Darius Histaspis setteth Philo Artaxerxes wyth the longe hande passynge ouer king Xerxes but doutlesse for none other cause saue as is shewed before namely than whaÌ„ Xerxes was gone into Grece Darius wyth the long hand gouerned the royalme in the East in the meane season And this is that Darius with the longe hande whiche gaue the Iewes leaue the seconde tyme to buylde agayne the temple For though Cyrus had permitted the Iewes to returne to Ierusalem for to tyll theyr lande and to restore the kingdome the worship of God neuerthelesse in the meane season after Cyrus death â–ª were they letted by the borderers y â— the building could not goo forewarde vntill the seconde yere of Artaxerxes with the long hand whoÌ„ Philo calleth Darius with the longe hande Thesame commaunded in the second yeare of his king 〈…〉 by a commune proclamation commaundement that Ieruâ—alâ— the temple shuld be repared This was the occasion by the whiche the Iewysh natioÌ„s was restored to his libertie instituted again the gouernaunce of the royalme with the Gods seruice and builded agayne the temple and cities And though Iuda had not hetherto his kynges yet had they princes
misery she hath suffered when she was taken in And agayne how she was at the last restored againe by the vertues moderation and pacience of some good men For as hautnesse hardinesse presumption brought the state of the citie in decay euen so dyd pacience and mekenesse of maners restore the same agayne The begynnyng of the warre was aforen cause the whiche the Athenians myght easely haue esthued For the Corinthians were enemies to the citie Corcyra the which required ayde of the Athenians and optained it the easier because that the Athenians which were already strong on the see hoped that through the league and confederation of theÌ„ of Corcyra which had also great puissauÌ„ce vpon the see they should become lordes of whole Grece On the other syde y â— CorinthiaÌ„s required assistauÌ„ce of the Lacedemonians and of this wyse was Grece diuided The Lacedemonians did ioyne them selfs with the Perses of whome they were assisted with mony and victuals howbeit the Perses vsed in the meane season disloyalte or falshode lest the LacedemoniaÌ„s should become to mighty And this warre dured as sayth Xenophon eight twenty yere froÌ„ the tyme of Longimanus vntil Axtarerxes Mnemon and many cities peryshed myserably in thys warre Also may be sene a wonderfull alteration of fortune in the examples of this warre For when Alcibiades was captayne of the Athenians were the Lacedemonians greately put to the worse and slayn and that in the foure and fyue and twentieth yeare so that they despayred euer to come to their former abilitie Howbeit shortely after in the nexte yere was the worlde turned For when Alcibiades was driuen out of the citie though the enâ—â—e of some malepart or euel men were the Athenians slayen of Lysander by the citie Egos of Potanus where had happened a straunge wonder in the begynnynge of this warre For in the ayre was sene a great fyre the space of thre score and fyftene dayes Afterward fell a great stone from aboue into the cicie After this battaill was the citie of Athens enuironed with a heuy syege Many died of hunger Being demauÌ„ded to yelde them vpoÌ„ this coÌ„dicion that they should breake downe the towres fortresses of the citie they refused malepartly the coÌ„dictoÌ„s of peace remained by their purpose geuing also a common commaundement that who so should couÌ„saill to make a league of agremeÌ„t with the enemies shold be put to death As lately is happened with y â— Florentines about .ii. yeres past But after fyue monethes were the Athenians coÌ„strained with huÌ„ger to sende Ambassadours into the hoostes tentes too demaunde peace Wherevpon when they had taken deliberacion in the counsaill of thoos that had conâ—ederated themselues the Corinthians and Thebanes did constantly counsail that the citie of Athens should be ouerthrowen euen out from the foundacion and that of all their dominion should be made commune pastures But the Lacedemonians reproued that supposyng to be not honest to quenche and cast it away at once of suche wyse and to forgett the remembraunce of suche benefites wherewyth this citie had holpen whole Greke against the Medes and Perses Moreouer could not also so excellent a state of this citie be ouerthroweÌ„ without the incredible hurte of all the Grecians For they sayd that Grece seyeth with two eyes whereof the one was Sparta the other Athenes Wherfore hede must be taken lest Grece haue but one eye Wherevpon it was concluded finally that Athenes beyng saued onely the towres and walles shoulde bee cast downe and a certaine gouernaunce should bee prescribed the Athemans after the whiche they should lyue and so should peace be made on both parties The Athenians yelded themselues frely vpon these condicions and the walles were cast downe with great triumphe for with minstrelsy dyd they dauÌ„se also Part of their nauy was brent and part caried they with them This happened about the seuen twentyeth yeare when this warre had lasted Neuerthelesse were the Lacedemonians alrayd of one Alcibiades whiche was sled to the Perses when he was driuen out of Athenes Wherfore the Lacedemonians required of the Perses that they would slayn Alcibiades whiche the Perses did by a trap though the Perses had receaued Alcibiades according to the office of hospitalitie and that he had put all his trust in the faith of the Perses But it chauÌ„seth so with men that were fortune doth incline her self that waye doth mans fauour loue also Therefore ought he chefely to be ware euen of the vnfaith fulnesse offrendes whiche is out of prosperitie and he whom men do enuie and yrke for hatred of hys vertues This Alcibiades was hyghly furnished with feates of warre or chiualry but of an vnquiet minde he was cause of the breche of the peace that was many yeares before concluded betwene the Lacedemonians and Athenians He had vsed in all Grece so many wyles and so sundry craftes that it was euen commonly sayde If there had happened to be borne two Alcibiades in Grece it must nedes haue gone wholy to naught Howbeit suche endeuoure can not prosper therfore died Alcibiades fynally of this sorte And though the warres of the cities were now synyshed yet began now fyrst the destruccion of men at Athenes For seyng the citie of Athens was full of rebellions there were ordeyned of the Lacedemonians thirty men whom they called Tiranny to whom was committed aucthoritie that they should punishe the sedicious rebelles without law or iudgement and lest any man should withstande this aucthoritie with any sedicion they layed a great garnison of souldiours in the castell Of the restoryng of Athens after the destruction of it THe Lacedemonians vsed this sharpnesse to punish the common commotions and hygh necessitie constrayned them to do that The thirty men vsed their aucthorite at the first against no man saue the sedicious afterward did the olde hatred of some of them bruste out against y e best of the citie but good men did they put to death semblable examples of y e like we haue knowen in oure dayes And whan this displeased one of them named Theramenes a doughty man and iust they slew him also to cause other to be afrayed and that more is thei parted the goodes of theÌ„ that were put to death among their compainions The best of the citesens fled to Thebe and Argos where for pitie of so vnworthy mysery the were receaued euen agaynst the commaundement of the Lacedemonians whiche was that no man shoulde receaue the Athenians that fled or were banyshed Amonge these bannyshed men was one that was doughty and valiaunt in the common wealth called Thrasybulus the same ioynynge with hym the residue of the bannyshed men and a preuy ayde or subsydy of them of Thebe taketh in the castell by Athens and afterwarde goyng to Athens and pychyng a felde vanquisheth the thyrty Tyrannos â–ª and recouereth the citie The citesens that were fled were restored by this
Thrasybulus and as cōcernyng gouernaunce of policy iudgementes and lawes the state of the whole common wealth was chaunged after the olde custome Thrasybulus deserued chefely a greate prayse for his moderation of the mynde that after so notable a victory wherein he had also taken many of the enemies prisouers he woulde rather spare them then by good ryght to slaye them And when he considered that there should be no ende of puttyng to death yf thee goodes of the citesens that were taken away should be restored to euery man agayne or to the true heyres namely that were already come to the third or fourth possessor he bande them euery one with such a bande amonge themselues that no man shoulde thenceforth remembre any vengeaunce or iniury done but that euery man should kepe that he had kepyng the common peace euery man to be content with his portion or lot By this meanes and moderation was a quietnesse set in the common wealth And this is a noble example that with beneuolēce and forgenyng is procured a more durable concord in suche cinyll commotion then that euery man wyl go forth with rigour and force Afterward were the Lacedemonians become proude and haut also with this lucky chaunce For they would dryue Perses out of Asia whiche had succoured them But the Perses for that tyme made Codon capitaine of their hoost whiche was fled from Athens in the ciuill commotion of hym were the Lacedemonians discomfyted The Lacedemonians takyng greueously their misfortune layde al the fault vpon them of Thebe because they had entertained the bannyshed Athenians wherfore they fell into their contryes of the whiche rose a new occasion of warre in the whiche the Lacedemonians beyng ouercome were wholy vndone the Thebane power encreased Whan this warre was finished the Thebanes toke another warre againste the Phocians the whiche were wholye abolyshed and the residue were bannished Finally dyd Philippe kyng of Macedony discomfite and tame them of Thebe And thus were fyrst Athens after that Sparta finally Thebe destroyed and al that power of the Grekes came to naught Howbeit whan the Athenians and Thebanes dyd not kepe the conditions and appointementes of peace made with kinge Philippe he was cōstrained to inuade for to take in al Grece This is ynough spoken in brefe maner of the dolefull warres of Grece the whiche were an hundreth and thyrtye yeares after Xerxes durynge which space was lytel peace These warres are at large written by Thucidides and Xenophon and some other We haue thought it therfore sufficient yf we had opened and declared the example of the Athenians y ◠which is the principal in that history Of the Philosophers IN the meane tyme that thys befell dyd learnynge also florysh Hippocrates the Phisicion lyued from the tyme of Longimanus vntill Ochus an hundreth and foure yeares And besyde that all Grece had hym in greate estimacion he was also muche made of by the kinges of Macedony by the which also he spent great part of his lyfe Soranus wryteth that Hippocrates was sent for by kynge Perdicas because many iudged that the kynge was fallen into a consumption and was forsaken of other Phisitions But whan Hippocrates was come he perceaued that the kynge was not sycke for feblenesse of bodely strength but that he pined for loue and inwarde sorowe For he loued out of measure the handemayden of his father as oft as he sawe her chaunged both the mynde and colour in the kynge Of thys wyse perceaued Hyppocrates the cause of the sycknesse and gaue remedy to dryue it awaye Besyde this whan the pestilence raigned he caused a great woode to be sett on fyre agaynste the infect ayer whence the infection of the ayer came and of thys wyse kept he the whole contry Thessalia safe from the pestilence He was also renoumed of naturall miracles Vpon his graue were bees a greate season with whose hony were sycke chylderen healed that were anoynted therewyth About the tyme of Artaxerxes Mnemon was Socrates whych by the enuy of hys aduersaryes was poysoned and dyed in the preson He was accused to be a brynger vp of a newe learninge in the citye But by the prouidence of God were the aduersaries not longe after punished worthelye for they were put to death also Of Plato Eudoxus Aristoteles AFter these were Plato and Eudoxus a very connynge Astrologian whych also brought this science oute of Egypte into Grece After thys man was Aristoteles I suppose these to be the chefe amonge the Philosophers and after my iudgement are the chefe of thē Eudoxus Aristoteles namely because they were not only garnished with pleasaunt wordes or reasons but studious of the very thynges For they accustomed that kynde of learning as is most profytable partely to knowe the propertie of naturall thynges and partly to learne what waye men may lyue honestly It is a moost pleasaunt thyng to beholde howe God hath sett all kynde of vertues in oure owne nature Aristotele was borne of parentes not of the bafest or lowest condicion His father was Nicomachus a man of very great authoritye by Amyntas kynge of Macedony for he was hys Phisicion Hys ofspring was of Hippocrates kynred for thys cause had kynge Philippe that was sonne to Amintas Aristotele in suchreputacion afterwarde he gaue vnto him Alexander hys sonne to be taught of him his discipline and was taught of Aristotle the learninge of Philosophie that he might become more ready and wyser to make a relacion and to geue counsell Hetherto haue we spoken ynough of the Grekes affeares which happened about the tyme of thys monarchy Of Rome WHan the kynges were dryuen out of the citie the state of the common welth was chaunged The Counsuls beganne to beare rule and yearly were two chosen whose authoritie in that office was one yeare This chaunge of the commune welth happened in the tyme of Cyrus the fyrste monarche of the Perses the yeare after the worldes foundacyon thre thousande foure hundreth and fyftye and the seuenth yeare after that Babylon was wonne by Cyrus But besyde other great and innumerable affeires that befell at Rome were also horrible sedityons and chaunges in the commune wealth in the whych are examples geuen vnto vs that great cicyties and commune wealthes do endure seldome without great alterations Howbeit in this maner y t two Counsules wer chefe rulers lasted perpetually vntyll the tyme of Iulius which vsurped the monarchye There were betwene the beginnyng of the Counsels rulyng vntyl Iulius raigne foure hundreth and thre score and fyue yeares It were to long to rehearse here the Romane histories I will only recite the tyme of two notable chaunces that were befallen at Rome in the tyme of thys Monarchye In the hundreth and second yeare after that the citye was builded that is not longe after Xerxes warre aboute the beginninge of Longimanus raigne
But in the seuenth moneth after thys victory was Seleucus slayne by Ptolome Ceraunus brother to Ptolomeus Philadelphus These are dredefull examples of the settynge vp and fall of so great kynges which worthely oughte to styrre vs to feare God lest we thynke to do great thynges by mans counsell and oure wysedome Antiochus Soter the sonne of Seleucus raigned in Syria after the death of his father Antiochus Theos his sonne had fyrst to wife Laodice wherof he had two sonnes Seleucus Callinicus Antiochus which was surnamed Hierax Ptolomeus Philadelphus gaue to the same Berenice his doughter afterward to wyfe But whan Antiochus was deade Laodice constrayned Seleucus her sonne to take the kyngedome and to take his stepmother Berenice Seleucus folowed his mothers counsell besieged hys stepmother finally brought her to yelde willyngly wyth great promises But kepynge no promyse he caused that the quene was put to death very cruelly For Daniel had prophesyed openlye that the quene of Egypt should suffre such a thynge and that the kyng of Egypt should reuenge the same For whan thys cruel dede was done Ptolemeus Euergetes brother to Berenice went into Syria droue Seleucus out of the kyngdome and takynge in many cytyes returned into Egypte Afterward whan Seleucus had recouered some harte he woulde recouer the kyngdome agayne and requyred ayde of hys brother Antiochus Hierax he was very yong and trusted by this occasyon to optayne the whole kyngdome For whan peace was made betwene Ptolomeus Seleucus Hierax inuaded his brother Seleucus kyngdome to the which thynge he vsed the ayde of straunge souldyours For the Galathians which Brennus brought out of Germany into Grece went farther into Asia beynge hyred wyth those kynges wages which had diuerse warres agaynst eche other These Galathians had thaÌ„ geuen them those landes in Asia that they dwelled in Of whom they be called Galathians vnto whom S. Paule the apostle preached the Gospell Nether is it anye doubte but that they were Germanes For the Grekes dyd calle wyth one worde the Germanes and Gallies Celte by chaungyng of the worde was the name Galate set for Celte Finally ouercame Antiochus his brother Seleucus with the ayd of the Galathians but Antiochus was lykewyse vanquyshed of the kyng of Asia lesyng a great deale of the kyngdome of Syria than was he constrayned to flye to king Ptolomeus Euergetes whan he was so receaued of hym that he should go no wher he wold haue fled but whan thys counsell was perceaued he was put to death This ende finally gat Antiochus Hierax Aboute y â— tyme nearehand fell Seleucus his brother from a horsse dyed This miserable fortune end had these two bretheren which had done many wicked dedes Antiochus the great inuaded the kynge of Egypt Ptolome Philopater wyth warre but he was dryuen back Afterwarde whan Philopater was deade he returned into Egypt with an army but the Romanes had taken the child Ptolomeus Epiphanes into their wardshyp to whom he was committed as a warde This was an occasion of a great warre which was betwene the Romanes Antiochus Hanniball toke part with Antiochus which was captaine in this warre a certayn space and many more contries of Grece dyd stycke to Antiochus But beynge weakened by reason of some mishappe he was dryuen to demaunde conditions of peace Than left the Romanes hym only y â— parte of the royalme whiche lieth beyond the hyll Taurus besyde this was he constrayned to sende his sonne Antiochus Epiphanes to Rome in hostage But at the last whan Antiochus spoyled the ryche temple of Belus in Siria he was oppressed of the communalty inhabityng there whych slew hym hys company euery one This was the ende of Antiochus the great Hierusalem had metely good rest sence the tyme of Alexander vntyll Antiochus the great But whan the warre betwen these two kynges was raysed by reason the Iewes laye betwene them both they were a lytle oppressed vexed of both parties And though Ierusalem dyd hetherto stycke more to Egypte yet was it nether subiecte to Syria nor Egypte Howbeit Ptolomeus Epiphanes sent a capitayne one Scopa against Antiochus which toke in certayne townes of Syria and part of Iewry Howbeit whan Antiochus had vanquished the same by y e Iordane he went farther tyll he came at IerusaleÌ„ Than did the Iewes kneling yelded theÌ„selues frely to him makyng also a commune league betwene them and the kyng for thys cause dyd the kyng Antiochus suffer them to lyue in peace asysted them in repayryng y e citye Ierusalem And of this wyse though they semed to be in daunger in the tyme of this warre by reason of the neighburhead â–ª yet lyued they quietly vnder this Antiochus Antiochus the great left after him thre sonnes Seleucus surnamed Philopator Antiochus Epiphanes Demetrius After y e fathers death raygned Seleucus a few yeres the other two brethren were kept in hostage at Rome Whan Antiochus Epiphanes knew of his fathers death he â—led priuely froÌ„ Rome as he was come againe into Syria he was made king For Seleucus was vnmete to rule nether liued he long after his fathers death This Antiochus Epiphanes truely was a man of much subtelty hardinesse had well learned by the example of the Romanes to apply himselse to the tyme and maners of euery man For he could easely forbeare and suffre euery man that he was with he was a wyse man wyth y e wyse â–ª agaynwyth vnbrydeled youth he folowed such exercise as he knew them to delyte in He procured the fauour of the comon people with familiaritye beneuolence and whan he made any costly banket he caused great summes of mony to be cast among y e people For his vnbrydeled maners was he called Epimanes for Epiphanes For Epimanes signifieth madde but Epiphanes signifieth noble His raigne began the hundreth seuen and thyrtyeth yeare after Alexanders death And whan he possessed now hys kingdomes that came to hym by heretage he went into Egypte For about y e tyme dyed Ptolomeus Epiphanes the same had to wyfe Cleopatra the syster of Antiochus Epiphanes the which vnder that pretence began to vsurpe y e kingdome of Egipt as if he were tutor of the yong king called Ptolomeus Philometor Nether shewed he himself otherwyse but with all gentlenesse beneuolence toward his cosin willed that Memphis other great cities shuld yeld them to the kyng y â— vnder suche a pretense he mighte by lytle and lytle draw to him the whole realme Whan he had now finished all thinges he left the kingdome and went to Ierusalem that at the request of Iâ—â—oâ— which coueted the dignitye of the hygh presthode by the meane of Antiochus For so stode the case thaÌ„with the Iewes that they myghte optayne the hyghe priesthode by decepte by conspiracion offoren kynges oppressinge slayenge in the meane season
owne brothers Alexanders wyfe Finally he was accused before Augustus for his wicked dedes who depriued hym of the dominion and in steade of a punishmeÌ„t was he bannished into Gaâ—â—le that he should leade the rest of his lyfe there in exile But that parte of Iewry was afterward gouerned by Romane gouernours first by Cyrenius afterward by Pilate Herodes surnamed Antipas y â— brother of Archelaus was made prince of Galile by his father Herode The same toke hys brother Philips lawful wife from hym he being yet aliue the which happened by this occasion Herode went to Rome by the way he lodged by chaunce with his brother Philip who dwelled in y â— fore part of Iewry As Herodes and Herodias had now made acquaintaunce which Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus and sister to Herodes Agrippa they were agreed that he coÌ„ming froÌ„ Rome should leade her with him the which was done afterward Ihon Baptist rebuketh this wicked dede who was therfore beheaded Howbeit Herodes went not vnpunyshed at the last for it For by Caius Caligula was he sent in exile at Leonia in Galile with Herodias the whiche constrained hym to go to Rome require a kyngdome but commyng home without doyng ought he lost that part also of the kyngdom whiche he possessed before He reigned foure and twenty yeare in Galile Herodes Agrippa was the sonne of Aristobulus of whom we haue mencioned before for he was the sonne of the first Herode was slayn by his father But Herode Agrippa was prisoner at Rome in the tyme of Tiberius afterward was he in high fauour by Caius Caligula the emperour For he optayned by request of hym fyrst the parte of Philippe his brother and the name of a kyng afterwardâ— that lande also whiche Herodes Antipas had He optayned of Claudius Samaria and Iewry and by this occasion was whole Iewry subiecte agaynâ— to one mans dominion The Apostle Iames thâ— greater was put to death by this Herode the whiche is meÌ„cioned in the twelfe chapter of the Actes He reigned seuen yeares Agrippa the sonne of Herodes Agrippa was yet very yonge whan the father dyed for the whiche cause the Romanes Pretores or debites gouerned Iewry now agayne But Claudius gaue Agrippa afterward that part of Syria whiche is called the kyngdome of Chalcis he gaue hym that part also which Philip had possessed by Iewry Nero the emperour gaue hym also some cities of Iewry In the tyme of this Agrippa was IerusaleÌ„ destroyed and of him is mencion made in the xxi chapter of the Actes He reigned seuen and twenty yeares Philo the history Ographer sayeth that this Agrippa had a sonne whiche reigned with Ben Cosban who vsurped a kynges dominion vpon the Iewes and raysed great vproure in Syria and Iewry in Hadrian the emperours tyme. This is all Herodes kynred vntil the ouer throwyng of Ierusalem the whiche we haue brefely gathered therfore that it maye clerely bee knowen in what order they haue succeded in the kyngdoÌ„ And to know this is very necessary in the Bible Sence the tyme of the first Herode vntyll the destruction of Ierusalem are an hundreth and thre yeares Of Rome IN the thyrd Monarchie haue we made mencion brefely of the decaye of the Perses the prosperitie fall also of the Grekes and also the sundry mutatioÌ„s disturâ—nces of the Iewes Now remaineth that with yke brefenesse we reherse the tymes of the moste reatest battails that the Romanes haue had sence the great Alexander For it I woulde reherse thee whole histories it would be to great a worke We haue noted aboue that hygh monarchies are sometyme ordeined to that intent that great and moste mighty princes may be tamed that ryght should be set against great tyranny For this may be sene in all monarchies whiche are encreased by none other meanes in a maner then that they haue subdued moste mighty kynges Euen so the Romanes as sone as they began to be very mighty in Italy they inuaded first the Spanyardes and Carthaginians and had moste cruell and durable warres althoug they themselues in the meane tyme were somtyme greuously vanquished Of the Carthaginian Warre SIcily was cause of the CarthaginiaÌ„ war For kyng Hieron required helpe and aide of the Romanes against them of Carthag the whiche for as muche as they occupied now a great part of Sicily a long season they raysed many commotions Wherfore the foure hundreth and foure score yeare sence the foundacion of Rome did the Romanes appointe the first setting forth against the Carthaginians and this warre lasted twenty yeares continually As for the fyrste disconfiture whiche was very myserable suffered the Romanes when Regulus was taken This Regulus truely was sent to Rome by them of Carthago to entreate with the senate for the deliuery of the prysoners for if he could obtayne it he should be set fre at libertie If not according to his promise he should returne agayn to Carthago As sone as Regulus came to Rome it was sayed that he hymselfe counsailed in the senate that they would not suffre the exchaunge of the prysoners to be done for his sake but that they woulde rather consyder hee were an old man and feble of body whiche could lyve not muche longer What nedeth many wordes The senate at the last folowed his mynde and hee went to Carthago agayne where he was tormented with sundry and new maners of tormeÌ„tes And among the rest of his tormentes is this rehersed also that his eye lyddes beyng cut of he was trauayled with continuall wakyng First is the principall loue of this man toward the commoÌ„ welth alowed namely whose profite he regarded more than the health of hym or his His trust and faithfulnesse is praysed also because he went agayn to Carthago specially seyng he knew that moste cruel punishmeÌ„tes were appointed for hym But at the last were the Carthaginians constrained to demaunde conditions of peace of the Romanes By the Ile Egusa was a very sore felde foughten and the Romanes slew thirtene thousand Cartaginians and two and thyrty thousand taken prysoners But whan the Carthaginians required peace the prysoners were frely were dismyssed without mony These thynges happened after Alexander whan Ptolomeus Euergetes ruled in Egipt Of Haniball THe fyue hundreth and .xxxvi. yeare sence the foundation of the citie of Rome began the second warre of Carthago against the Romanes The occasioÌ„ of this warre was begonne by reason of Spayne the which whan the Cartaginians had once lost Hannibal had now subdued it agayn Nether truly had y e Romanes euer any greater discomfiture then in this warre For fortune was so contrary to them that Hannibal beyng come into Italy dyd thre tymes ouerthrowe them though the most part of the Romanes was slayn in the two first battails yet was it not to be coÌ„pared to the third battail wherin were slayn about fourty thousand Romanes
chafed by Stillico their kinge Radagasus brought two hundreth thousand Gotthies into Italy the same yeare that we haue specified a fore And as histories do make mencion here that at Rome wer great cōplaintes against Christ because that so lamentable decaye of the empyre they supposed to come of the despisynge of the goddes and small regarde of the worshyppe and honour of the former religion As for Stillico vanquished and ouercame Radagasus and hys hoost in the straytes comminge from the citye Florence goynge to Apenninum This is the fyrst history of the Gotthies in Italy After Radagasus came another hooste of Gotthies into Italy whose captayne was Alaricus With the same dyd Honorius agree that he should depart out of Italy go into Gallia the whyche at that tyme was awaystynge of y ◠Frankes Burgundions Vandales insomuche that Honorius mistrusted he could kepe Gallia no lenger therefore thought he to bringe to passe that the Barbarians shuld stryue among thēselues for it But what happened Whan Alaricus taketh his yourney vpon him Stillico doth fall vpon him vnwarres vpon Easter daye whyle the truce did yet last The next day after doth he lykewise wyth an appointed army ouerthrowe and vanquyshe Stillico and being angry vpō him he besyeged Rome Honorius was at Rauenna caused Stillico to be putt to death as one y ◠had not done faithfully willed y e empyre to be taken frō Honorius to be geuen ouer to him Wherfore there was now no captayne mete to delyuer the citye of Rome from the syege Therfore dyd Alaricus take in Rome after two yeres syege and that was about the xv yeare of Honorius the foure hundreth and twelft yeare of Christ and the thousand hundreth and thre score and fourth yere after the building of Rome That Var ro writeth of the xij rauens whiche Romulus sawe to signify that Rome should last a thousand and two hundreth yeares though thys nombre of the yeares be not farre from this rekening yet I suppose their interpretation rather to pertayne to Totilas who afterwarde in the tyme of Iustinianus dyd set Rome in fyre wholy spoyled it and that was an hundreth and syxe and thyrty yeares after Alaricus For Alaricus dyd not spoyle the citie but rather gaue a commaundement that they should be spared whyche fled to the temples of the Christians Alaricus drue back agayne out of the citie and not longe after dyed Whan he was deade Ataulphus was made kyng of the Gotthies the same came agayne to Rome and takynge to wyfe Placidia Honorius syster beynge pacified by her he spared Rome and wente into Fraunce and afterwarde into Spayne and of this wyse did finally the Gotthies leaue Italye and went into Spayne For Alaricus had before inuaded y ◠Spaniardes the Gotthies remaining in Spayne afterward had y e dominion ther. The Vandali came into Spayne after that the Suein but the Gotthies remaining ther the Vandali came into Aphrica Of these Gotthies are borne the Christē kinges in Spayne of whom hath his of springe the most famous Emperoure that now is Charles the fyft of y ◠name For though y ◠Sarraceni inuaded Spaine afterward became mighty in it yet could thei not destroy the residue of the other kinges of y ◠linage The yeare of Christe CCCC lvi The yeare of Rome M. CC. vij came out of Aphrica to Rome Genserichus the Vandall and spoiled the citye haynously But what was y ◠cause of Genserichus comminge shall we shew whan we shall haue occasyon to treate of the Vandalies Dietrichus of Berna THe Gotthies came nomore into Italy afterward saue in the tyme of Zeno the Emperoure whan Othacarus was become mighty at Rome The same was a Barbarian borne in Rugia was a souldiour vnder Augustulus being become puissaunt by that meanes he vsed great tyranny at Rome insomuch y e the Romanes required ayde against him Than was sent by Leno into Italy Dietrichus surnamed of Berna The same slayenge Othacarus raigned two thyrty yeares in Italy he loued peace out of measure and had most deserued to haue the fauoure of Italy insomuch that as histories do make menciō Italy neuer had a foren prince more frendelier and gentlyer He gaue also much goodes to the churches vse to entertayne the ministers of the word to mainteyne the doctrine of religion But he was infect with the heresy of Arrius as also the reste of y ◠Gotthies For whan y ◠Gotthies required of Valens y e Emperours prestes of whom they might be instructed in y t Christen religion he sent them Arrian doctors Howbeit y ◠most noble vertues of this Dietrichus deserued those praises which cōmonly are songe in those dityes as are vsed now adayes In thē is made mencion of giauntes which signifieth the Barbarous whō Dietrichus hath vanquished slayne He is surnamed of Berna because he was wonte to be muche at Verone wyth the court Besydes this man was also another Dietrichus a Gotthian lykewyse by whose valiauntnesse Attila was slayne but he dyed in the same felde He was so great a man that besyde him noman coulde lyghtely haue enterprysed oughte against Attila The same Dietrichus was not surnamed of Berna but he was his cosyn He was fyue and forty yeare before the tyme of Dietrichus of Berna Kynges of the Gotthies in the West in Spayne Alaricus Ataulphus Mallia Kynges of the Gotthies in the East in Hungary Dietrichus Hermerichus Ditmarus Dietrichus of Berna HImelsuitha the doughter of Dietrichus of Berna had a sonne called Adelrichus thesame raygned eight yeres at Rome in Italy after the death of Dietrichus of Berna and the mother ruled with great praise Whan her sonne was deade she delyuered the gouernaunce to her nephew Theodatus but the same not remembrynge the benefyte that he had optayned caused by a trayne her to be slayn in the tyme of Iustinian the Emperoure Dietrichus of Berna had mo doughters besydes this he had also geuen hys systers doughter in mariage to the kynge of Thuringen whyche thynge I would not passeouer here without the syngular prayse and commendacyon of the princes of Thuringen THeodatus raigned ii yeres was worthely punished For whan the moost honeste quene Himelsuith a had commended herselfe and her sōne to Iustinian the Emperoure Iustinian toke an occasion to reuenge the murther and sent Bellisarius into Italy against the Gotthies Now was Theodatus suspected because he withstode not Bellisarius as though he would betray the Gotthies the whiche Gotthies made Wittichus kyng by whose commaundement was Theodatus slayne VVitichus reigned thre yeares Against hym warred Bellisarius with greate policy For Wittichus had an appoynted army of more then twoo hundreth thousand men Bellisarius kept hymselfe within the walles of Rome whome Wittichus besyeged a whole yeare and there was a great
that he hath the full power and aucthoritie to make and depose not onely kynges but also all Emperoures at hys pleasure By thys it maye be gathered easely that the Romyshe byshop vsed so greate hatred agaynste the Emperoure for no very weyghty cause There were also about that tyme some learned men whiche openly blamed the Romyshe byshops writynges amonges these was Occam one ▪ the princes of Germany euery one as wel ecclesiasticall as of the nobilitie helde with the Emperour at the last were some compelled by the byshop of Rome to fall back and also to choyse another Emperoure Lewis had very greate vproures in Italy Galeacius of Milan and the counsayll of Rome longed for Lewis commyng into Italy Wherfore he went thether with the Emperesse which also was delyuered of a chylde at Rome that was called Lewis the Romane and was afterwarde by the Emperoure made marques of Brandenborowe At Milan was Lewis crowned of the bysh there and at Rome of the Cardinall de Columna He made also Peter of Corbaria byshop of Rome who was not longe after caried bounde to Auinion in Fraunce to Iohannes the .xxii. who cast hym into pryson wherein he dyed But whyle allthys was adoynge Lewis by no requestes coulde optayne to be released of the excōmunicacion by the byshop of Rome But forsoeth the Romysh byshop brought that to passe wyth his busy laboure at length that in an assembly or daye holden at Lucelburg the byshops of Mentz Trier and Colen the kyng of Bohemy and duke of Saxon dyd choyse another Emperour There was chosen Charles the fourth erle prouincial of Morauia the sonne of the kyng of Bohemy The same was then confirmed by Clemens the .vi. byshop of Ro. But for as muche as the cities of Aken and Colen would not knowe hym for an Emperoure he was crowned at Bon. Of Nicolaus Augustus that is Nicolas the noble that was at Rome ABout this tyme happened at Rome an example of a notable folye There was at Rome one Nicolas a towne clarke or recorder of Rome of suche power and aucthoritie that one would haue sayde he had the rule of the whole citie for at that tyme were the Romysh Byshoppes yet in Fraunce This Nicolas called hymself Tribunus Augustus that is the noble hygh officer and with open scriptures wytnessed that Rome is yet the true heade of the empyre and therfore by y e citie of Romes aucthoritie had he the hyghest power to handle maters of the empyre And by reason of this aucthoritie called he Lewis and Charles to appeare before hym and to cōmitte their matter to his arbitremēt or iudgement Lyke folyshnesse vsed he oft agaynst other cities and kynges y e space of two yeares At the last this pore Augustus being driuē out by the byshop of Romes partie fled to Charles the fourth But Charles sent the rash man to the byshop of Rome at Auiniō of whom he was kept in pryson The yeare of Christ M. cccxlv died Lewis the Bayer And then came Charles with a great hoost out of Bohemy to Regenspurg where he was knowen for an Emperoure From thence was he also receaued at Norenberg for Charles made thē beleue he had gotten a fauourable absolution of the bishop of Rome to put out the great offences wherwith they had offended in that they were adherent to Lewis When they of Basyl sent out their Burgemaisters to Charles that he in the name of the citie should aske absolution he answered he thought they had not done amisse in that they had Lewis for an Emperoure nether thought he that Lewis was an heritike yet in the meane tyme if they could be absolued of their trespasses he wold be content And thus were they absolued The yeare of Christ M. cccxlviij when Lewis was now deade there rose yet a greater discorde the byshop of Mentz the counte Palatine the marques of Brādenburg and the duke of Saxony his sonne that hath chosen Charles Emperoure assembled and refusyng the election of Charles they chose Edward the third kyng Englande to take vpon hym the maiestie Emperiall but he refused it as a thyng ful of cumbraunce After that chose they Frederick Erle prouinciall of Misen But he also forsoke that title of the empyre for he would not fyght and warre with his neyghbours the Bohemies to vndoe his countrey Guntherus Erle of Swartzburg is chosen Emperoure THe yeare of Christe M. cccl. was chosen Emperoure at Franckforde Gunterus Erle of Schwatzburg yet not with consent of all the Electors Thesame accepted the gouernaunce of the empyre and garnyshed with all defence to retayne the empyre he was armed ynough againste the force of Charles who then abode at Mentz But shortly after died Gunterus at Frāckforde sodenly poysoned Wherefore Charles was Emperoure alone He came to Franckforde and was receiued for an Emperoure After Clemens the .v. became Iohannes the xxii byshop of Rome who without a iuste cause dyd excommunicate the good Emperoure Lewis Benedictus the .xi. was made byshop of Rome after Iohannes The same neuer alowed the action of Iohannes against the Emperoure Lewis and when he was made byshop of Rome he had frely absolued hym had not the kynges of Fraunce and Naples with their threatenynges withstande hym When in the relacion the orators or embassadors of the kinges alledged that Lewis had enterprysed many haynous thynges against the byshop of Rome Benedictus answered yea we haue done against hym He liued not long in the byshopricke therefore dyd al the causes hang vndispatched Clemens the .vi. was made byshop after Benedictus The same renewined the thonder boltes cast against Lewis and persued hym moste fearcely though in the counsayll of Vienne in Fraunce were treated in the meane tyme of the condicions of peace and that Lewis declared hymselfe humble This Clemens bought the citie Auenion of Ioanna quene of Sicily and so hath the byshop of Ro. aucthoritie vpon this citie Moreouer at this tyme went about here therin in Germany and Fraunce a great nomber of men whiche did beate themselues with roddes Many of them came to Spire when the day or parliamēt was holden there pretending great holynesse For their holinesse sake were they bidden to the meales of the citesens And as the deceate of the erroure dyd not differ from the Anabaptistes supersticious opinion euen so was that secte no lesse daūgerous in those daies But at the last it was condemned Innocentius the .vi. succeded Clemens In his tyme was Charles the .iiij. crowned at Rome Charles the .iiij. the .xxxij. Germane Emperoure THe yere of Christ M. cccl. began Charles y ◠iiij to raigne after y e death of Guntherus of Schwartzburg He was a prince of y e bloud of Lucelburg the sonne of Ihon kyng of Bohemy for Iohn was y e sonne of Henry of Lucelburg Frō this yere of M. cccl. reigned Charles xxvii◠yeres The yeare M. ccclv went Charles downe into Italy
oriental corner stretchyng her blasyng tayle towardes the southwest The second day of Nouember was there a great inundacion of water brokē in into Freeseland Holland Seeland and Flaunders which was very damageable to the said countreis and to thinhabiters therof Also Christerne kyng of Norway being retourned into his said kyngdome the yeare before from the parties of lowe Ducheland where he had kept hym selfe by the space of ten yeres was required by the counsayll of Denmarke to come to Copmanhauen otherwyse called Coppenhagen against kyng Fredericke whiche was put in there by the helpe of the towne of Lubeke when the said Christerne fled out of the Realme that he myght there receyue and take in possession the kyngdome of Denmarke but when he suspected no guyle relented and put away hys souldiours and came into Denmarke the Counsayll of the Lande toke hym prisoner not regardinge the promises and saulf conduit by them made vnto hym And so they kept hym in the castel of Sunderborough oute of the whiche he came neuer as yet So that after this kinge Frederick did peaceably enioye his kingdome vntyll he dyed At Lindowe by the sea coaste was in thys yeare borne a dubble calfe wyth two heades foure eares and eighte feete hanginge alltogether In the yere of our Lord M. ccccc xxxiij when y e Emperour namely Charles the fift had stablyshed vnity and concord among the Princes and Cities of Italy and Lumbardy he departed wyth a competent and wel appointed Armada or Nauye from Genua and hauynge a prosperous passage arryued within fewe dayes after in Spayne where he was receyued of hys subiectes wyth great ioye After this by the counsayll and instigation of themperours Maiestye the Shypmaiesters and maryners of Spayne founde oute certayne Indes or Ilandes in the sea beynge vnknowen before whyche do so excedynglye abounde in ryches of golde and syluer that it is vnspeakeable These toke they in by force of armes and subdued them vnder the subiection of the emperours Maiestye In thys yeare the Pope and Frauncys the Frenche kynge helde a solempne communycatyon together at Massylya whyche lyeth in the Prouynce of Fraunce where after manye and dyuers consultacyons it was concluded that Henry Duke of Orleans sonne to the sayde Frenche kynge shuolde marye Pope Clementes cosyne the doughter of Laurence Medyce Duke of Vrbyne wyth whome the Pope hadde promysed a ryche dowrye Thus hath thys Pope Clemente alwayes endeuoured hym selfe to allure and drawe vnto hym the hyghe Potentates and Rulers of the worlde by the helpe of whome he myghte extyrpate and roote oute the pore Chrystyans whome they call Lutheryans and Heretykes But God woulde not suffer it longe as it is wrytten There is no deuice nor counsayll agaynste the Lorde but it shall come to naughte In the same yeare the myghtye bond and confederatyon of the Germayne Natyon which was called the Euangelycall confederacyon or the bonde of the Gospell beynge kepte secrete of manye was at the prouocatyon of the Frenche kynge opened and disclosed There apeared also another Comete or blasynge starre from the ende of the moneth of Iune vnto the begynnynge of Auguste in the Northe and in the sygnes of Gemyny Taurus and Aryes thoroughe the whyche sygnes she made her course in her goynge backewarde hauyng her tayle extended towardes the South And thys was the thyrde Comete or blasynge starre that hadde appered wethyn those two yeres What they portended or sygnyfyed or what alteracyon of Estates and other thynges they broughte wyth them maye a dyscreete reader gather and perceyue by the Storyes herafter folowing For suche wonderfull workes of God althoughe they come by the course of nature yet are they not wythoute theyr specyall workynge It is sayde also that in this yeare of M. CCCCC xxxiii the Deuyl burned a lyttell Toune in Germanye called Shyltagh downe to the grounde by the meanes of a certayne wythche on maundy thursdaie The fyfte daye of October in the nyghte burned at Andwarpe the Churche called our ladye Churche beynge sodaynly sette on fyre At Nurrenboroughe and in manye other places of thempyre lyenge there aboute reygned thys yeare a greate Pestylence in so muche that at Nurrenboroughe onelye from S. Margretes daye vntyll S. Martins day folowinge dyed ten thousande persons The sixtene day of Nouember was a great earthquake and an horryble tempeste of wynde whyche plaged and troubled the Townes in hygh Germany verye sore namely Cu◠Feldechurche S. Gall wyth other townes and vyllages lyenge nyghe vnto them by the Ryuer called the Rhene Thys yeare Henrye the eighte kynge of Englande c. for certayne consyderacyons hym therevnto mouynge was dyuorced from hys wyfe whiche had bene fyrste maryed to hys brother prynce Arthur and maryed another on wytsonday In the yeare of our Lorde M. CCCCC xxxiii in the moneth of Ianuary The Anabaptistes whyche had gathered them selues together out of Hollande and Freselande by preuy subteltyes and conspyracyes whych they had made with certayne burgeouses of the Cytye of Mynster in Westphale inuaded the same Cytye toke possessyon of it and expelled from thence al the Burgeoules and inhabytauntes therof that woulde not take parte wyth them and folowe theyr facultye They chose them also a kynge that was a Taylloure named Ihon of Leyden whyche ordeyned for hym selfe two specyall Counsayllours the one called Knypperdullynge and the other kreghtynge and in conclusyon they made suche a dysorder and confusyon whytin the sayde Cytye that not wythoute a cause all the people of Westephale dyd ryse agaynste them But when the ryghte noble Prynce Philyppe Landgraue of Hessen toke in hande to accorde the matter betwene the sayde Anabaptystes and the Byshoppe whome they had expelled he coulde nothynge preuayle so sore hadde the Deuyll blynded that Anabaptystycall generatyon Wherefore the sayde Byshoppe compassed the sayde Cytye wyth a greate power on euerye syede to thyntent he myghte ouercome and subdue them ether wyth the sworde or elles by famyne And althoughe there was greate scarcyte and lacke of vyctualles wythyn the saide Cyrye in so muche that at the laste they were sayne to eate lether and couerynges of bookes yet dyd they sustayne bearcoute prolonge and holde oute the sayde syege vntyll the next yeare folowynge wherof we shall speake more in place conuement In the meane season dyd Philip Landgraue of Hessen prepare hymselfe after the best maner to restore hys Vncle Duke Hulderyke of Wyrtenbergh agayne to hys Dukedome from whence he was expelled fyftene yeares before durynge the whyche tyme kynge Ferdynando had the gouernaunce and vse therof But fyrste because the sayde prince of Hessen woulde do nothynge presumptuously nor temeraryouslye he sente worde to themperoures Mayestye in Spayne and to the kynge in Austryche desyrynge them to restore hys said Vncle Duke Hulderyke to hys Landes agayn for so muche as he had nowe suffered sufficient punyshemente for hys
xlv nexte folowynge When George Marquys of Brandenburghe perceyned theyr sayde enterpryse and intent he thought that they dyd hym great iniury for he asscribed vnto hymselfe certayne ground â–ª and laude wythout the towne of Nurremborough which is neuer theles pertayning to the Empyre and claymed it as hys owne heritage wherfore he marched somtime by â–ª day as farre as the Landmark and by night vnto the towne euen hard by the forsayd buylding But when they of the towne feared some great malice and mischief they fenced theyr building with much ordenaunce and artillery kept great watch vpon the walles and in theyr turrettes When thys hyndered the people of the Marquys of theyr purpose some of them went toke certayne inhabytauntes of Nurremborough as they went a fowlynge or byrdyng in the woode and stopped certayne of theyr wagens or cartes commyng from Lipswyke and other places laden with goodes and marchaundyses and broughte them to the Castell of Bayerthorp Wherfore they of Nurremburgh being occasyoned and moued to displeasure â–ª and indignatyon by the reason of the sayde cruelues assembled a certaine nombre of â—oul dyours and layde them in the countree rounde about the town and furnished the smal townes and vyllages about them after the best mauer purposyng in case the sayd Marquys or hys men would persiste in theyrfrowardenes as they had begon to be in a readynes to defend themselues from such iniuris But yet thorough intreataunce of certaine Potentates and Princes of the Empyre the matter was qualified put in arbitrement so y e in conclusion the sayde Marquys suffered them of Nurrenburgh wythout contradiction and molestation accordynge to the tenoureof theyr lybertyes and priuyledges to buylde on the grounde of the Empyree This yeare dyed Charles Duke of Geldres in his place succeded William Duke of Cleue although he did not long enioye it as shalbe declared in place conuenient Thys yeare dyd Godde so punyshe the auaryce of marchauntes whyche occupye by the scasyede whyle they do so enhaunce the goode creatures of God in pryces that the poore are not able to bye them that thoroughe oute all the coastes of Denmarcke in harueste whyche is the best time of the yeare no hering could be taken In the kingdom of Naples y e .xxviii. day of Septemb. The Sea decreassed and fell away about the space of eight Italyan myles so that al the grounde was drye which afterwarde dyd cast certayn holes out of the which for the space of many dayes continually ascended fyre wyth ashes which dyd great hurt in many places there about at the falling do wne therof For the sayde ashes fell downe lyke snowe rounde about Naples for the space of thenne Itali an myles vntyll they lay on the grounde the thickenes of thre fingers Which is a fearful argument of Goddes wrath towardes vs wherby we ought al to be warned and specyally Italy to forsake our sinfull liuynge yf any warning would helpe But it is not regarded vntill Gods wrath lighteth vpon vs by heapes and then men would fayne repente but it is to late Wherfore let vs repente in time and lyue according to our professyon In Inglande thys yeare in December was the Lorde Marques of exceter the Lorde Montacute and Syr Edwarde Neuell beheaded for high treason duely proued IN y e yeare of our lord 1539. ThecoÌ„fede rat of y e Romane league prepared theÌ„sel ues wyth all theyr power to warre agaynst the Turcke by water but they profyted not muche For ther was greate lacke of vyctual a great dearth in Italy and at Venice â–ª For Barbarossa came wyth a great army and robbed vpon the sca and toke all that he might laye hand on so that ther myght no coarne be shypped vnto Venyce nether out of Cypers nor out of Can dye And there was also nomore prouisyon in Italy That done he shipped with a great power vnto the strong newe Castell which oure Christen men had wonne in the yeare before fortified it after the best facyon there vnto he layed seage in thre places and shot daye and night ther at wythoute ceassynge and yet wanne nothyng tyl certen of the dal macyans fell to fliyng awaye and ranne oute vnto the Turkes and tolde them where they myghte best and â—onest hurt our Christen men Then the enemye dyd accordyng to theyr councell and shotte both for tresses and walles doune so that the could assaulte them on euen grounde And although the spanyardes and the Italyans that were in the Castell defended themselues manfullye and couragy ously and slewe at the least syxtene thousand of the enemyes yet at the last because they werewery the enemyes gat euer fresch men they forsoke the Castell and loste bothe the Castell and the assault and althoughe they were ouer manned yet they fought and defended them selues so longe tyll they were all mooste all slayene Thys was done in August In the meane whyle Isabel the Emperoures Mayestyes wyfe the kynge of Portugalles doughter dyed of chylde the fyrste daye of maye the chylde was a sonne whyche lyued not longe She leaft behynde her lyuynge a sonne called Philyppe and two doughters whyche she hadde by the Emperour A none after ther was an insurreccyon ray sed at Gent amonge the commens of the Cytye so that it apeared that the cytye shulde haue bene destroyed By occasion wherof the Emperoures Mayestye was compelled to come oute of Spayn into Flaunders to appease that dissencion And as he was mynded to take his iorney toward Italy the Frenche kyng Fraunches sent an embassage to hym desyrynge hym amyably to come thoroughe Fraunce promysing that all that was in his kyngdome shulde be at his pleasure But the cause was for that they had concluded a peace to gethers as is aboue remembred the one shulde haue suspected the other if they hadde not kept frendshippe to gether And for as moche as the Frenche kyng had often broken the leaghe hys myssedoyng myghte thesoner be for gotten if the Emperoures mayesty woulde seke frendshyp at hys hande Thys thinge could by nomeanes be better or easelier done than that his maiesty for this once shuld iorney through hys lande By thys mocyon was the Emperours maiestye wyllyng to iorney thoroue Fraunce and sent hys chefe Counseller Granduel in Nouembre oute of Spayne into Fraunce to signyfye hys commyng and folowed shortlye after And when he came to S. Sebastians ther the Duke of Orliens the kynges youngest Sonne reaceaued hym And not farre from the city of S. Iohn was also the dolphyn wyth the chefe of y â— nobles of Fraunce whyche receaued the Emperoures maiesty wyth al due reuerence and dyd leadde him thorowe the lande till he came to Lochias the tenneth day of December There was the kynge in hys awne personne and Helenour hys wyfe tarynge for the Emperoure and receaued hym as it appeared for it was not all golde that
glyttered cleare as here after wyll appeare wyth all ioye and reuerence and were to gether tyll the ende of the xxxix yeare The inhabytoures of the nether parte of Austeryche of the erldome of Goertz hadde sente forth theyr ambassadours the laste daye of December from Vyenne wyth a pityfull and humble requeste and petycyon to the states and degrees of the kingdome of Behame which were at that time assembled at Preslowe that they woulde vouchesafe to helpe them agaynste the turcke whych had two yere before taken in the marqueship of Woendon and that present yeare manned it and caried from thence foureskore thousande chrysten men in to his lande and laie at that tyme hard vpon their neckes the chefe ambassadours of thys ambassage were M. Vlryche of boskawyts and. M Tscher nafor whyche were of the kynge of the Romaynes councell But what they obtayned wyth theyr peticion I can not tell at thys tyme but I suppose that they obtayned an honeste promesse and helpe For so pytyfullye as they made theyr petycyon it woulde haue made a stonye herte to meltte specially if men consider that yf they be suffred to be destroyed wythoute helpe that then theyr aduersity will be at the next time our awne In the somer in Iuly ther was a blasing ster in the eauening in y ◠Northwest in the signe of the virgin It was elles a metely good yere as touching wether other thinges y ◠happened therin but in the winter euery full mone ther was muche raine speciallye about the elue and other waters that ronne therinto Here I must sett to new tidynges that are counted true of many whych I take to be a speeyall myracle if it be so It is sayde and it is openly putt oute in prynte That the Emperour of Turckye in Iune caused all hys chefe and best learned priestes to come before hym and commaunded them vpon a great payne to tell hym whyche is the ryght true and best belefe vpon earth And when they had for feare excused themselues they had a tyme appoynted to remembre them and after were called before hymagayne Now when they were agayne monished to saye the trueth of theyr conscyence and heard the commaundement of the Tyrant they answered one after another wyth one assent that the Christen beliefe is the best and that it is a ryght and a true belefe albeit it is very much misused of the Christen For it teacheth the beste poyntes that can be as to wytte loue toward God and man whych is not so well taught in any other belefe And forther that they haue wytnesse in their lawe and alkorane that Mahomet must go to Christ for grace c. And that Christe is therefore better than Mahomet Whē they now had thus answered wythout feare the Tyrant waxed angrye and caused them all which were aboue fyfiye to beheaded And in the same place was there a syght sene as though all the headed priestes had bene together and lighted clearer than manye candellyghtes in the nyght through which miracle manye of the other priestes of Mahomet folowed theyr confessyon belefe also many of y ◠Lay people which acknowledged openly and wythout feare that those priestes were vniustly kylled for the truethes sake All thynges are possible to God so that it may well be For God cā raise vp a Daniel or an Ezechiel amōg the Babilonians Howbeit no man shall be compelled to beleue this but at his pleasure IN the yeare of our lord M. D. XL. in the beginning of the yeare dyd the Emperoures Maiestye ryde to Paris and as he rode in was excedyng royally conducted and receaued and afterwarde great and pryncely Banckettes made wyth great momeryes and daunces And the second daye after there were great Iustynges and fyghtynges made `to do hym pleasure and honour wyth all There his Maiesty abode tyll the second day after the twelueth daye Then he departeth into Flaunders wyth al his company and was conducted vnto Camerick of bothe the kynges sonnes and there with great royalty receaued of the Bishop of Camerick From thens they iorneyed to Valencyne there taryed the ladye Marye Quene of hungarye for them There also toke the kynges sonnes theyr leaue of the Emperoures mayestye and tourned home agayn But as the Emperoures Mayestye was in all places royallye receaued so was ther wayte layde falslye pryuelye and craftelye to kyll hym For as the Emperoure shulde sayell from corbe to Paryse and hadde wyth hym a Cardynall the Duke of Albuge and the kynges Marschalle to beare hym companye the water men rowed the shyppe vpon a pyele so that the shyp turned round aboute and he that hylde the rother fell oute of the boot what that meant it is easy to gesse wherof the Emperour complayneth in a letter written to Paule the thyrde byshoppe of Rome whereyn he sheweth the cause why he could not come to the councell appointed to be holden at Trente that he had perfect knowledge that the kynge of Fraunce was mynded at that tyme to take hym presoner and kepe hym in holde as it also afterwarde sufficyently appeared by the affaires of the sayde king But after the Emperours mayestye was comen in to hys awne lande he wente streyghtwayes vnto Gent and after he was suffred to come in to the cytye he fyrste earnestlye punyshed the insurrecty on raysers and caused a great parte of the citye to be broken downe and a stronge Castell to be buylded in the same place A none after cam Ferdinādus in to Flaūders to y ◠Emperours maiesty to consult with him after whatt maner they myghte wythstande the turcke and howe hys greate tyrannye agaynste vs poor Chrystyans myghte be resysted and auoyded Euen whyle these thynges were done in Flaunders ther was a communycacyon holden at Wormes at the Emperours commaundement concernynge Relygyon and the speakers of both sydes were master Philip Melanthon myne enterelye beloued master of the Gospellers syde and Doctor Iohn Ecke of Ingolstadt whyche wolde haue defended the Byshoppe of Romes parte Thys communycacion beganne the fourtenne day of Ianuarye there the Artycle of orygynall synne was specyallye intreated of whether the same syn abyde and remayne in Chrysten and holy men after baptyme And was concluded that ther yet abyede remnauntes of synne in the saynctes althoughe they raygne nott or haue the ouerhande As. S. Paule sayth let not synne raygne in your mortall bodyes But suche synnes are not imputed to the saynctes for Christes merytes sake as the Apostle forther saythe ther is nowe no condemnacyon to them that are in Chryste Iesu c. After thys treatye was that communycacyon so ended and dyffered tyl the Emperoures and the kynges mayestyes of the Romaynes were personallye presente But what sutteltye and craft Eccyus vsed in dysputacyon to adourne and garnysh hys cause maye euerye wyttye manse by the treaty it selfe whych is
and the second mornyng after they came into the towne they cried Frantza Frantza and kept them together with their wordes and other weapons Nowe in the towne was very fewe people and vnape to warr by the meanes wherof they yelded them selues This towne as men suppose dyd the Frenche kynge therfore cause to be taken in to let the turck in ther in to styrmarcke kernton and the other landes nyghe ther vnto for it was a goode hauen and meate for that purpose whyche thyng yet God hath thus longe graciously preserued vs from In the meane whyle ther was preparacion made the whole Empyre thorow and a myghtye greate armye gathered to send in to vngary as was concluded at Regensburge agaynste the turcke and ther were men sent out of all the coastes of Dutche lande whyche came to geather harde by Vyenne Nowe euen when they shulde goforwarde wyth the wholl multytude togeather whyche were aboue an hundreth thousande yet was therby the meanes of hyndraunce no greate thynge brought to passe for it was in the later ende of harueste so that it wolde be shortely tyme to prepare for theyr wynter Campe. Yet the chefe and hyghe captayn for that he woulde nott be counted to haue gone forth in vayne went forwarde and beseged Peste whyche the turcke hadde wonne the yeare before in wynter and assaulted it wyth the greatlosse of our men And as they in the citye fell often oute to feyght wyth oure men duke Mauryce of Saxon played the man and folowed after the enemyes so farre from hys awne company that he was compassed rounde aboute of the turckes and taken But because they coulde get nothyng of hym in his complete harnesse they woulde leuer haue taken hym therout alyue the whyle the Turckes were aboute hym to haue shyfted hym oute of his harnesse one of hys Ientellmen soughte so manfully to delyuer hys master tyll the reaste of the horse men myssed theyr master and came to help hym and vtterlie delyuered hym from the Enemyes But the Ientylman that fought so manfullye for him was kylled of the turckes In the meane ceason ther came a great horrible sycknesse amonge the soudyars whyche wacksed greater and greater by the meanes wherof they were compelled to brekeup the Campe and gyue the soudyars leaue to departe So that haply thorou the handyworck of God whyche wyll moare punyshe vs wyth the Turcke as we then daly wel deserue with vnthanckfulnesse and with the persequntynge of his woorde ther was no moare done but that we loste bothe our men and monye and all oure labour and made our selues mockyng stockes to the Turcke At the departynge from thence they so dyed of the afforsayde sycknesse that skant the tenth man came home agayne Thys sycknesse was so contagyouse that yf one butt blewe vpon a nother he muste dye and the whyle they laye they were full of fantesyes as though they had bene madde and as â—onâ— as that madnesse was gonne from them they dyed by and by Very fewe recouered that had this syckenesse but they that dyed not of it lay wounderouse long syck Whyle the Marquesse of Brandenburge as is â—for sayde laye wych thys multitude in Vngary in the meane whyle the famouse prynce Ihon Fryderycke Duke of Saxon. Electour c. and Philyppe Landgraue of Hesse and they that were in leaghe wyth them toke in to waghes a reasonable goode sorte of horsse men and fote men agaynste Duke Henrye of Brunswycke The occasyon of thys warre was that the Duke of Brunswycke after he hadde of shamefully and hyghly slaundred bothe the Electoure and the Landgraue wyth openlye prynted bokes dyd them of Goslar and Brunswycke whyche bothe weare in leaghe wyth the afforsayd prynces manye and greate iniuryes as that he belayed the wayes to these twoo cytyes toke theyr cytezens presoners toke raunsome for them yet killed them And although he were often commaunded to leaue those proude poyntes by the Emperoure and the kynge of the Romaynes yet woulde he not leaue hys euell purpose sayd that it shoulde coste hym hys wholle Dukedome yet he woulde leue it Nouwe in as muche as ther coulde no meane be founde to helpe the matter the aboue mencyoned Noble Prynces and they that were in leaghe wyth them were dryuen to defende ther felowes membres of the same leaghe Therefore wente they forwarde in Iuly with their soudyars whiche were aboute two and twenty thousand in to the land of Brunswick There the cities and castelles were yelde vppe one after a nother and were wyth frenshyppe gracyouslye receaued and defended and euery man suffred to kepe hys awne goodes wyth out any losse or hynderaunce But suche as wolde wyth stande were compelled to be obedyente When he of Brunswyke sawe that he manned hys beste and strongeste house called Woluenbutell whych lyeth in a flatte euenfelde wyth strong walles and water ditches wyth hys awne subiectes and wente hys waye as thoughe he woulde fetchemo men and shortely come agayne and helpe them commaund ynge them to playe the men and kepe the house tyll he came agayne They hadde also all thynges ynoughe in the Castel that was neadefull ther to yf they shoulde haue bene long beseaged Nowe when the princes came before the Castel they sent word thyther that they shuld haue peace and a safe conduyte to come oute wyth all that they hadde yf they woulde yelde vppe the Castell Ther vnto answered the captaines that were with in the Castell that they shulde come agayne thre yeare after and then woulde they geue them an Answer to that question For they trusted to kepe that Castell so longe they thoughte that it was nott possyble to wynne it if it were nott hungred oute and they hadde made prouision for thre yeares wherefore they woulde not yelde it vp Vpon thys prowde Answere the prynces and the cytye of Brunswyke treuched in thre places and pytched theyr tentes And the Land graue came so nyghe wyth hys ordynaunce that a man myghte caste a stoane in to the Castell dytche oute of hys trenche And when they hadde begonne to shote the ordynaunce the trompettoure of the Castell syttynge aboue in the tower beganne to playe thys ballatte to anger the Prynces wyth all If thy pastime repent y e than get y e home again c. Therwyth all was the Land graue so angrye that he leuelled al his ordinaunce against the tower and so shott ther at that the tower and the trompetter wyth all hys pypynge fell downe Thys fallynge downe of the tower made them that were in the Castell so affearde that they that dwellte in the countreye harde by the Castell beganne streyght wayes to come oute one after a nother swymmynge ouer the dytche by a duffhouse And when y e other mercked that many of theyr men were gonne and were to weeke to wythstande the greate power that was there agaynst them they yelded vppe
sciences Enoch is an â—â—â—mple of euerlastyng lyfe Gene. â—â— â–ª â—â—◠〈…〉 e of flesh â—â—â—st 〈…〉 ed The example of vengeaunce The proprietye of speches Sem. Cham. Iaphet Iones are â—â—â— fyrste 〈…〉 s. Wherfore Ianus hath 〈…〉 lages The Macedones Aeoles The Germanes The foure Monarchies are proposed to Daniel Dan. ij Nemroth Gods hunter Niniue The churche from Noe â—â—â—â— AbrahaÌ„m Zoroastres fynder of witchcrafte â–ª Semiramis vsed mans garment A lecherous prynce Sardanapalus wantonnesse The death of Sardanapalus The kyngdome of the Egyptians Abraham was in Ninus tyme. Thare Vr of the Chald. es The first occasion of ydolatry The true wiÌ„g of the promise made to Abraham CircumcisioÌ„ is the token of promise When the circuÌ„cision was geuen Agar Ismael Isaac a fygure of 〈…〉 st Iacob Esau The Edo 〈…〉 〈…〉 fore 〈…〉 was called Edom 〈…〉 was called Israel Ioseph a man sage and holy The cause of affliction An example of grace and goodnes An example of vengeauÌ„ce When y â— law was geuen The time froÌ„ the promyse made to Abraham vntill y â— goyng out of Egipt Princes weâ— called Iudges The institution of kyngdomes and kynâ—eâ—â—e of â—â—â— The chaungynges and renewynges of kyngdoÌ„s displeaseth God The confirmacion of ciuyll gouernaunce Saul Dauid Salmon Roboam The occasioÌ„ of the kyngdome of Samaria Abia. Asa toke away the wicked Gods 〈…〉 The Iewes are elder Iosaphat a defender of the religion Elyas was in the mydle age of the worlde Eliseus Ioram a setter vp of new Idolatry Ochosyas Athalia Example of â—eâ—geaunce Nathan Dauids sonne Ioas. Ioiada Zacharias the prophete Amasias â—usi â—â— godlinesse Ozias which also is called Azarias Ozias Amos. Micheas Ionas Ioatham Achas Ezechias â— godly kyng Esaye The waystynge of Samaria â—he wasting of Samaria The 〈…〉 a wâ—â—â—â—d worship 〈…〉 th not 〈…〉 shed The example of the feare of God Samaria iâ— a figure of the church of the East Manasse a wicked kyng The death of Esaye Manasse an example of â—â—peâ—teâ—s Amon. Iosias The bokes of Moses â—â—â— founde The figure of pure doctryne before the worldes 〈…〉 de â–ª Ioachas Ioakim Nabuchodonosor Daniel Ioachim â—â— Ieconias Sedechias An example of greate huÌ„ger An example of mens stony hertes The death of Sedechias The destruction of Ierusalem The kyngdome of Iuda Nabuchodonosor was conuerted of Daniel Euilmerodach Balthasar Blasphemyes are not vnpunished The ende of the fyrst monarchye The Iewes are most auncient The historyes of the Iewes are elder than of the Grekes Whan the Olympyades 〈…〉 The country 〈…〉 The occaspon of the battayl of Troie was aduoutry Eneas Latium Ascanius whiche also was called Iulus Achilles Hector The occasyon of the battaill of Thebes Ethrocles Polynices Adrastus Hercules of Tyrinthus Tyrynthus Minya Orchonemenus The dedes of Hercules Hercules pillers 〈…〉 of 〈…〉 after 〈…〉 The occasioÌ„ of all maner of vngodlynesse The head of Idolatry How muche an vngodly doth differ from a christian With the Grekes were pâ—â—tâ—â— firste of renowâ—â—e What tyme 〈…〉 erus ly 〈…〉 Homers bokes are a myrour of all ciuyl and princely vertues Hesiodus a prest at Helicon Hesiodus bokes 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syluia An example of vengeaÌ„ce The stryfe of Romulus and Remus for y e realme Whan Rome was â—â—yâ—deth Tullius hostilius The death of Metius Suffecius Ancus Marcius Tarquinius Priscus Seruius Tullius Whan the monarchy of of the Persians began Tarquinius Superbus Lucrecia An example of vengeauÌ„ce Balthasar kyng of Babylon The histories of the Grekes begynne at thee Persians The rekeninge of the Greâ—â—â—â— Philo. Herodotus Theusidides Xenophon Metasthenes Esdras was sâ—â—â—â—ed and â—â—â—â—ghâ— in the Persian mattâ—â—s Darius reignynge wyth Cyrus Artaxerxes Assuerus Cambyses Wherfore Darius Artaxerxes was called with the long hande Cyrus How great men ought to be folowed The father of Cyrus Astyagâ—s 〈…〉 The notable crueltye of Astyages The dede of Harpagus â—â—â—puâ—t Astâ—yes tyranny Cresus king oâ— Asia â–ª The graue â—â—â—â—â—ighty 〈…〉 â–ª â—â— trample oâ— pitye Example that princes do oft warre constrayned by no necessytye What is to be consydered in kyng Cyrus How Cyrus â—â—â— BabyloÌ„ Euphrates Babylon is the hâ—â—de citye of the monarchye How muche God careth for his churche or congregatioÌ„ What Xenophon writeth of Cyrus 〈…〉 The Philosophers were â—pâ—st â—â— Cyrus tyme. The Philosophers of Ionia and Italy Thales begynner of philosophers iâ— Grece Pythagoras begynner of philosophers of Italy Solon 〈…〉 and beg 〈…〉 of the Romane lawes Thales and Solon at one 〈…〉 Dracons lawes Solons law concernynge vagabondes Cambyses â–ª Prexaspes The 〈…〉 The 〈…〉 of Cambyses Dronkennesse bryngeth in most wycked maners The faythfulnesse of dogges The cruelnesse of Cambâ—ses toward â—is â—â—â—ster the 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Siâ—amnes a wicked iudge Otaâ—es An example of a notable inteâ—pâ—â—aÌ„ce Who were called Magi â—â—â—â—â—libâ—â—â—â—â—â— oâ— seâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—ces â—â— Pâ—râ—â— of â—â—â—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—rchy â—â—â—he beâ—t â—â—â—â—â—â— of â—â—â—â—pyâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—lâ—e Darius is made kyng of Persia The notable â—â—â—thfulnesse â—â— Zopyrus 〈…〉 Darius A graue sayenge of Darius Empyres haue theyr boundes Amyntas kyng of Macedony Alexander 〈…〉 Amyntas 〈…〉 of Alexander Sardis The sutteltye of Histieus in makinge an vproure How great settinge forth to warre vpoÌ„ Grece Darius made The counsell of Miltiades Platea The reâ—ow 〈…〉 d victory â—â— Miltiades 〈…〉 the 〈…〉 〈…〉 sonne â—â— Mâ—ltiades Xerxes How great Xerxes army was agaynst the Grekes The graue â—â—yenge of Xerxes 〈…〉 〈…〉 the Grekes is 〈…〉 The of the Lacedemonians Cyrsylus Themistocles a defender of the liberty of the countrye 〈…〉 â–ª 〈…〉 â–ª Themistocles suttyll deuyse 〈…〉 mple 〈…〉 â–ª 〈…〉 ni 〈…〉 â–ª Alexander Themisto 〈…〉 rded for 〈…〉 Themistocles flâ—â—th too Artaxerxes LoÌ„gimanus â–ª that is with the loÌ„g hand Assuerus Hester Artistona â–ª Atossa Arbaces 〈…〉 is 〈…〉 long hand Christes coÌ„myng The place in Daniel of the seuenty wekes Esdras gathered together the bookes of the Bible The warre of Peloponnesus Artaxerxes Mnemon Cyrus The warre of Cyrus agaist â—â—â— brother Cyrus kynred was queÌ„shed Darius the last An example of vnkyndnesse Most great warres raysed very lyght causes The occasioÌ„s of the ware of Peloponnesuswere light and how loÌ„g they lasted Alcibiades Lysander A woÌ„der sene in the tyme of the GreciaÌ„s warre The obstmaâ—â— and malepartnesse of y t Athenians in time of warre confirmed also with a deare Sparta and Athens are two eyes of Grece The yeldyng of the Athenians Alcibiades Ayeng to the Perses is slayn The Perses are an example of dislopalâ—â— Alcibiades â—as â—â—oble in â—eaâ—es of war but restlesse â—â—s◠〈…〉 yrauÌ„ 〈◊〉 were ordeyned at Athens Theramenes is put to death Thrasibulus The prayse of Thrasibulus â—â—orgetâ—ulnesse of iâ—â—uries is ordeined A notable exaÌ„ple to mainâ—ame v 〈…〉 e. â—odon capitayn of the Perses The LacedemoniaÌ„s â—ight with y e Thebanes and aâ—â— diâ—conâ—â—â—ed The Thebanes destroye the PhociaÌ„s Philippe destroyed the Thebanes Hippocrates Soranus wrote the life of Hippocrates Perdicas was healed of Hippocrates ☞ Socrates Plato Eudoxus Aristoteles Aristotles elders Nicomachus â–ª Whan the counsels of Rome began
those that were the true successors For which cause was this people greueously punished agayne of God This was the fyrst yourney of Antiochus to Ierusalem in the whiche he ordeined a hygh priest and spoyled the temple â–ª slew many This happened the syxte yeare of Antiochus the which was the hundreth and thre and fortyeth yeare after Alexanders death Two yeare after which was the hundreth and fyue and fortieth yeare after the death of Alexander made Antiochus ready hys seconde yourney into Egypt For the cities had yelded themselues agayne to the yonge kynge the which also had sought for ayde of the Romanes Nowe whan Antiochus inuaded Egypte the Romanes sente an ambassador Popilius which shuld shew Antiochus in the name of the Romanes to auoyde out of the coastes of Egypte nether to warre vpon the yonge kynge Philometor For the Romanes were mynded to retayne him in the kyngdome wyth theyr ayde Wherevpon answered Antiochus he would deuise wyth him selfe what he would do But Popilius wold graunt hym no space to deuise but makyng a rynge wyth hys speare aboute Antiochus commaunded hym to saye strayght waye before he went out of the cyrcle whether he wold auoyd out of Egipt or no. Antiochus being abashed with this seuerite constance of Popilius for he knew was afeared of the Romane power he promised frelye to go out of Egipt â–ª Wherfore he was constrayned to leaue Egypt the second tyme with great shame But inflamed with â—re for the impacience of the grefe he went agayne to Ierusalem and this was hys seconde yourney to Ierusalem for he was there twise and than vsed â—e his tyranny much more cruelly than before For he commaunded the Iewes to worshyp the Idols of the Heythen he commaunded to burn the bokes of the Bible and left a great deale of noughtypackes to possesse the citye Ierusalem in steade of a garnyson the which tormented then very cruelly that wolde not fall from theyr fayth and to thys thinge dyd they assist them that were deceuered from the Iewysh religion The temple also was turned to a prophane vse fore an image was sett therein of the Gentils superstition But what nedeth many wordes They busyed to roote out the worde of God and the whole lawe and in steade thereof to bringe in the maners of the Gentyls Nether dyd Antiochus vse that counsel rashly but with a great wytt policye For he perceaued that the Iewes wythstode the Heythen kynges because of theyr religion and therfore wolde he auoyde the diuersitye of religion Of thys wyse do mens thoughtes dalye in matters concernyng God and wyll set vp religion after theyr wyll iudgement Moreouer vnder y e example and figure of thys Antiochus doth Daniel also describe Antichriste that such a kyngdom shuld be where in Christen men shuld be put to distresse and Gods word shuld be quenched and lykewyse shuld be set vp a religion for a shewe which might be contrary to gods word by y â— which may be had an occasyon to optayne power great ryches Euen as it is euident that Mahomet hath set vp a false religion and vnder pretence thereof haue ordeyned a newe kyngdome And this religion semeth to be folysh religion for it doeth greatly flatter mens reason For passing ouer nearehande all the hygher sentences and articles of the fayeth it hath kept onely that doctryne whyche teacheth morall vertues Wonder it is verely howe muche that same doth flatter mans reason wherefore also it doth vse to crepe more easely into mens mindes than the doctryne of fayth As for the tyranny of Antiochus thereof is written in the bokes of the Machabees Danyel wytnesseth that the people of the Iewes had deserued thys punyshment because of theyr synnes And allthoughe God dyd punyshe hys people yet for all that he dyd not destroye them vtterly For God raysed Iudas Machabeus whych gatheryng a small army inuaded Antiochus captaynes and by Gods assistaunce ouerthrowynge the enemyes he recouered the temple the thyrd yeare after that Antiochus had sett an Idoll therein Daniel hath comprehended all this tyme of the Iewysh affliccion in two thousande and thre hundreth dayes whych make syxe yeares and syxe monethes and some dayes ouerplus For the persecution lasted from the thyrde yeare of Antiochus vntyll the eyght yere some monethes Daniel dyd vse thys diuision of the tyme also that the Idoll should stande in the temple a thousande two hundreth and nynety dayes whyche make thre yeare and syxe monethes And y â— temple was recouered an hundreth eyght and forty yeares after Alexanders death Thys was the thre hundreth and eight and fortieth yere after that the Iewes were delyuered oute of the Babylonicall bondage and the hundreth and two and fyftyeth yeare before Christes byrth But Antiochus deserued wyth hys vngodlinesse and blasphemy agaynst God not only the vtter extinguishment of hys kynred but also the ouerthrowynge of the whole kyngdome of Syria For after Antiochus death there was euer warre betwene one or other and after manye tymes for the succession in the kyngdome That it maye be playnely sene by thys example ho we begynneth matters to sprynge for the whyche kyngdomes be ouerthrowen as we se nowe a dayes to befall in Hungary Antiochus Epiphanes dyed in that yourney whyche made readye agayne to come agaynst the Iewes to reuenge the dammage done After hys death hys brother Demetrius fled from Rome toke in the kingdome kylling the yong Antiochus surnamed Eupator sonne to Antiochus Epiphanes Alexander the capitayne raysyng a sedition agaynst Demetrius slewe hym Demetrius left two sonnes after him Demetrius and Antiochus Sedetes Of this Demetrius verely was Alexander slayne lykewyse Afterward was a sedition raysed by one Tryphon agaynst Demetrius the whych droue him out of the kyngdome but Demetrius came agayne into the kyngdome and dyed stryken thorough wyth a sworde Antiochus Sedetes was slayne of the Parthes As for this Demetrius had a sonne Antiochus Gryphus Antiochus Sedetes left after him a sonne Antiochus Cyzicenus These stroue for the kyngdome of Syria and were both slayne Afterward dyd their children warre one agaynst the other for y â— kindome wyth no lesse stryfe than their elders and had at the last so febled eche other that Syria was constrayned to yeld it selfe to foren kinges For it ioyned it selfe to Tigranes kyng of Armenia And of this wyse is the kyngdome of Syria transferred from Seleucus posterity to foren princes But finally whan Tigranes was slayne by Pompeius Syria was broughte vnder the Romane power Hetherto is ynough spoken of the kyngdome of Syria Of the kynges of Egypt after Alexander PTolomeus the sonne of Lagus wherof Pausanias wryteth whych calleth hym the bastarde of Philippe father to Alexander ij Ptolomeus Philadelphus Greate prayses are of thys kynge by reason of his endeuour of peace and also because he delyted in all kynde of
offence and presumptyon by hym commytted agaynste the Empyre for he hadde taken a certayne towne pertaynynge to thempyre called Rutlynge whyche was the cause of hys expulsyon in that he hadde lacked and forborne the vse and profytes of his Landes all that space and season Whyche thynge yf they were not willynge to do he was in a readynes hym selfe to set hym in agayne parforce Althoughe he woulde be loth to vse anye carneste and rigourous fashions But whyle he was not answered accordynge to hys expectatyon and requeste he wente furthe wyth hys power into the lande of Wyrtenbergh that where bothe Prynces met together sloutelye but Philippe the Palatyne wyth hys men was put to flyghte and he him selfe wounded in hys hele wyth a shot wherfore the said Landgraue was verye sorye After thys battel the townes yelded them selues one after another so that wythin fewe dayes the sayd Duke Hulderyk brought all his Landes agayn vnder hys power and subiection But whyle the sayde Landgraue by reason of thys acte hadde nede to feare themperoures and the kynges Maiestye leaste they myghte worke oughte agaynste hym he went wyth hys armye towardes Vlmes besydes the Ryuer of Danube where he taryed eyther for an agremente and a peaceable retourne or elles for another answere In so muche that a sure peace on the Emperoures and kynges Mayestyes behalfe wyth sure appendycles and circumstances was there promysed hym by Albert Archebyshoppe of Mence Ihon Frederyke Duke of Saxon bothe Electours imperiall and George Duke of Saxon After the obtaynyng wherof he dispersed hys armye wythoute delaye and retourned home agayne into hys owne lande Here myghte I take occasyon to extoll and hyghly to prayse not onelye the bolde and reasonable deade or acte of the Landgraue in that he dyd so truelye and faythefullye helpe hys Vncle into hys owne domynyon agayne wythoute any respect hadde to the power of them that hadde the same landes of hys Vncle in possessyon more by sufferaunce then by any ryghte tytell But also the pacience and mekenes both of the Emperoures and the kynges Maiestye in that they dyd so gentlye and wyllyngly renounce the sayd Dukedome Whych they myght very easely accordynge to theyr power amonge men haue subdued and brought agayne vnder their subiection and dominatiion But forasmuch as I am not minded here to describe hole stories with al their circūstances but onely to touch brefely the principal actes and doinges I wil commet the same to another or peraduēture intreate of it my selfe herafter to my power The same yere of 1534. died Frederick kinge of Denmarke about whose corse happened a wonderful and straung thing which doubteles did signifie the sheding of bloud that folowed afterwarde in the same kingdome For when the dead corps of y e said kyng accordyng to the custome and maner was enbawmed or anoynted wyth bawme other spyces and wrapped in clene seryng clothes was inclosed in a shrine piched prepared accordinglye the same dead corps contrarye to nature beganne to blede in suche sorte that the bloude was receyued and taken vppe in vessels and immedyatelye after the people of the land were vysyted wyth warres and battayles For Chrystophore Counte of Oldenboroughe accompanyed wyth them of Lubeke whose Capytaynes were George weuer and Markes Mayer whyche afterwarde accordynge to their deseruynges were condemned and put to death inuaded the lande of Christyans Duke of holstone and toke certayne townes and Castels whyche not longeafter the sayde Duke recouered agayne puttynge them of Lubeke to great losse bothe by water and by lande vntyll suche tyme as the other Sea Townes wyth Henrye Duke of Mekelboroughe toke the matter in hande and concluded a peace and vnyty betwene the Towne of Lubeke and the Dukedome of holstone whyche peace was registred and proclamed the eyghtene daye of Nouember After thys were the Capytaynes of Lubeke moued towardes Denmarcke and consulted wyth the sayde Counte of Oldenborough howe they myghte conuenyently inuade and entre the sayde kyngdome of Denmarke and Norwaye wherof dyd ensue a newe warre as shalbe declared in the next yeare Thys yeare was also sene a wonderfull apparition in Denmarke besides the towne of Sleswyghe lyenge not farre from Lubeke whych as a certayne Secretarye of the saide place by an othe affyrmeth in hys wrytynges to the Quene dyaected apeared in the ayer the thyrd daye of Iune at after noone and was sene of a thousande persons or more as hereafter foloweth Fyrste there apeared a greate multytude of Lyons fyghtynge one wyth another Secondlye there apeared a man armed on horsebacke wyth a iustynge speare vnder his arme as thoughe he woulde haue iusted with an other hauynge a longe bearde and many busshes of fethers Thyrdelye there appeared a man with a crowne imperyall as lyke vnto themperours Mayestie that the sayd Secretary and manye of hys seruauntes thoughte none other but that it hadde ben themperoures owne lyuyng personne wherefore some of them toke of their cappes and were readye to do reuerence vnto hym Fourthelye there apeared the symylytude or Lykenes of a greate Regyon or Countree replenyshed wyth Cytyes Castels and Vyllages well distinct and set in order which were all consumed thoroughe a swyft fyre which went vp in the same Fyftly there apeared an other Regyon not vnlyke to the fyrste garnyshed wyth Cytyes Castels and vyllages and specially wyth one greate and myghtye Cytye wych Cytye was myghtelye assaulted by a greate multytude of warryours wyth gonnes and all manner of artyllerye bothe by lande and by water wyth migh tye shyppes vnder sayle There appeared also amonge the sayde warryours certayne Capytaynes whyche in swyftnes or agylyty and in length of body exceded the other Syxtelye there apeared halfe a blacke Egle whyche lepte out of the sayde horse out of whose clawes or talentes fell small Snakes among the which was one great Dragon Seuentlye there apeared afterward in the place where the greate Cyty hadde ben a Camell whyche dranke oute of a tempestuous water as thoughe it hadde ben the ragynge sea by the waues wherof the sayd beast was couered Eyghtlye there appeared after thys a certayne horse wheron noman dyd ryde but a lion whyche laye vpon hys backe hauing a crowne hangynge on hys heade and vpon the sayde lyon sate a Cocke whych by continuall pickynge and bytynge consumed the hole head of the Lyon but the skull remayned a greate while hanging vpon the horse Nyntly there appeared also a great Crosse of a bloudy colour which immediately diuyded it selse into many small and black Crosses Tentlye and last of all there apeared a fyery man wyth a crowne imperiall all armed whych helde on eyther syde of him a horse and vnder this was the for sayd Crosse But vnder al these were manye sortes of Dragons vnknowen beastes As Lyons beares and of other kyndes whych were neuer sene before for some of them hadde heades of wylde swyne wyth greate