to haue obteyned a member of his bodie as the wordes of the text make mention in the 42. chapter of Genesis 36. Then Iacob their father saide to them yee haue robbed me of my children Ioseph is not and Simeon is not and yee will take Beniamin all these things are against me And although Reuben offered the pawne of his two sonnes euen to the sworde conditionally yet Jacob replyed saying My sonne shall not goe downe with you for his brother is dead he is left alone if death come to him by the way which ye goe then ye shall bring my gray head with sorrowe vnto the graue whose sharpe wordes of a father and a Prince too as hee may bee called in respect of the Church then had bin ynough to haue discouraged any had hee not beene bolde spirited and to haue caused the suite to fall vnto the grounde but the wayghtines of the matter being such and the preseruation of Gods Church in Jacobs house nowe requiring it Iudah also steps forth who in renewing his brothers sute receyued some further checkes at Iacobs hande as Ruben before had done and yet the extremitie of the daungers wherein Iacob and his whole house stoode beyng by him in the ende throughly wayghed the sute with much a doo at length was obtayned Vnto the which zealous and strict manner of proceeding in this or such a like discouerie wherein thou hast not thy liberty the perils and daungers whereinto the safetie of the Church Prince and Countrey by thy too remisse dealing in so serious a matter may bee an argument of sufficient wayght to draw thee But to leaue the manner of this earnest prosecuting the cause of so great a villany which yet may teach this age which in bad thinges and concerning priuate pleasure or profite is bolde enough but concerning publique affayres tending to the benefit of Prince Countrey are soone snybbed to be therein more bold and to proceede in the matter Moreouer Iohanan and all the Captaynes of the host came vnto Gedaliah vnto Mizpah and sayd vnto him Knowest thou not c. In the second place is to be weighed the phrayse of speech Knowest thou not the rather because herein he seemes to be rude vnciuile homely preposterous as though he knew not how to beare himself in Court in the presence of a Prince Knowest thou not whereas in deede it is a speech very forcible sent foorth from a vehemency of spirit studious both of the welfare preseruation of the Prince and zealous of the Princes not being sufficiently carefull for his owne safety as though he shold say it is a rumour cōmon in al mens mouthes concerning Ishmael his conspiracy and is it hid frō thee whom it most concernes is he so trecherous so villanous and of so murthering a spirit and dost thou as yet harbour in thy bosome the serpent that wil sting thee to death Knowest thou not sayth he art thou so blinded in him art thou so deceyued by his dissembling canst thou not at any time either by face or countenance or by his behauiour or priuate conference discry him for to say the truth it belongeth to Kings Princes although they according to Gods ordinance are by noble wise graue learned Counsellors to be aduised yet themselues are to carry knowledge wisedome in their own breasts wherby they may be able to discerne spirits and iudge causes and discrie countenaunces if it were possible In deede good Counsellors are the speciall props and pillers of Kings and Princes thrones and the onely preseruatiue of Countryes according to Salomon his speech in the 11. of his Prouerbes Where many Counsellers are there is health And againe in the 15. Prou. In the multitude of Counsellers there is stedfastnesse In the which most diuine sentences the holy Ghost in his seruant Salomon opposeth himselfe to a most diuelish conclusion of Machiauill to whom our age I feare is ouermuch addicted wherein yet hee would seeme to colour out the matter with some shew of truth within his booke intituled Machiauilli princeps he thus setteth downe Principi qui per se non sapit recte ei consilia dari non facile posse vnto a Prince not sufficiently wise of himselfe it is no easie matter rightly to giue counsell or aduise his first reason is this Perhaps it may be sayth hee that a Prince may well bee gouerned that shall resigne himself fouer to some one of trust for that purpose But he were like to bee but a while quiet in the same because that protector of him will not sticke foorthwith by violence to thrust him out of that his seat of gouernment Likewise he improueth a Prince that shall suffer himselfe to be counselled of many for sayth he if an vnwise Prince shal admit into the counsell of his affayres more then one they will seeldome agree in counsell and hee himselfe will be farre vnmeete to reconcile them and againe sayth he they will be too studious of their owne commodities as though a Prince hauing some euill as amongst many some such often fall out to be must therfore abandon all others how good wise and faithfull soeuer and so in the end hee necessarily concludeth that good counsayles must proceede from the Princes owne wisedom and in any wise not the wisedome of the Prince to be deriued from good counsayle which conclusions of his though they seeme to be somewhat yet are they of no waight for alas what Machiauels pollicies are who that readeth may finde euen cōclusions abandoning all christian religion which consisteth in trueth without dissimulation they seruing to no other end but to puffe vp Princes with pride and self loue selfe lyking of their owne wisdomes though they do turn in th'ende to the ruine of thēselues and of the state of their whole Country Indeede as Salomon saith in the 25. Pro. The Kings honor is to search out a thing wherein his meaning is not as Machiauell in another of his speculatiue contemplations for th'auoiding of flatterers saith that Princes shall proclaime by publicke Edict that no one of his freendes or counsellers shall perswade him to any thing neither conferre with him of any matter vnlesse it be of that whereof he himselfe shall offer voluntarilye to speake Which opinion of his had his first originall in the very sinke of Hell and is contrary to the doctrine of Salomon before mentioned to the examples of all godly Kinges in the time of the Law and Christian Princes since the gospell who haue alwaies retained about them wise learned and good counsellers but rather Salomon ment that a King or sole gouernour should not so far adict themselues vnto their vanities and sensuall delights as not at all to examine the dealings yea of their Iudges and other inferiour powers towards their people but herein to spare some time wherin both diligently and seriouslye they ought to see into both the causes and
and smote Gedaliah the Sonne of Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan with the sworde and slewe him whome the King of Babel had made gouernour ouer the land verse 3 Ishmael also slew all the Jewes that were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and all the Caldeans that were found there and the men of warre 4 Now the second day that he had slaine Gedaliah and no man knew it SO infinite is the worde of GOD according to Dauids praise of it in the 19. Psalme as that no euill or good in the world can hide or conceale themselues from the light thereof but that it manifesteth them in the holye Scriptures being by the holye men of God indited and to that ende and purpose by the Church from age to age retained Yea there are no vices of any kinde how abhominable soeuer committed by the euill nor christian vertues how commendable soeuer doone and practised by the good which the holy Scriptures touch not and the seruantes of God in them in one place or other teache not whereof amongst the rest this place of Jeremiahs Prophecie is a manifest witnes wherin the Prophet led by the spirite of God most learnedlye both for the matter and compendiouslye for the manner doth lay downe leaue to all ages vnto the worlds end to be recorded memorable historye and a diuine canonized for the benefit of his church concerning Princes and people teaching Princes first what care they are to haue of their owne safetye and then how to demeane themselues towards their Cuntry and people likewise laying forth of people two sorts one gody good carefull for Prince church and Country the other wicked and rebollious The summe of which Historye is this Ierusalem with the King Zedekiah Princes and people thereof it being forewarned the Iewes insundrye of the Prophet Jeremiah his prophesies is taken captiue by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel Zedekiah his owne eyes put out his nobles some slaine and other some carried as bondslaues into Babel Yet according to Gods promise a remnant must escape it escapeth The meanes of their preseruation and more security is a Iewe named Gedaliah by Nebuchadnezzer according to Gods prouidence for his people in the time of their wofull distresse made a Lord Deputy or Lieutenant by which meanes some time of breathing is had But loe what ease breedeth Ease saith Salomon slayeth the foolish certaine busie bodies or busie heads rather become Male-contents with the state not bearing the yoke though otherwise light and easie in comparison of their other bretheren they set their heads on mischeefe one especiall amongst them a Iew becomes a Traitor the text cals him Ishmaell he conspires Gedaliahs death and to that purpose becomes an hireling to Baalis King of the Ammonites Now then Gedaliah is enuied treason against him conspired yet loe God of a speciall loue forewarnes Gedaliah by a certaine trustie harted Subiect one aboue the rest named Johanan he reueales it But where God wil punish what warning will serue The Prince Gedaliah beleeues it not the Danger he stands in foretolde he preuents not for his owne safety he prouides not and execution of iustice vpon this Traitor demaunded he in any wise willes not and what then befalles contempt of Gods warninges immediatly go before his iudgemēts Gedaliah the Prince is forewarned Johanan the trustie subiect is not beleeued Ishmael the traitor therby is hartened Ishmael vpon Gedaliah his securitie makes his aduantage he looses no time opportunitie is watched when the Prince in the midst of his securitie maye be taken The good gouernour he eates he drinkes he is merrilye feasting with this Archtraitor and ten other Leaguers his associates Gedaliah the Prince in the middest of the feast being carelesse Ishmael killeth his captaines and other of the Iewes his seruants at bourde he butchereth and foure score other men zealous after Gods seruice comming to Gedaliah he massacreth and finallye himselfe being extremely pursued by Johanan flying vnto the King of the Ammonites escapeth This is the summe the partes are these three that follow 1 The faithfulnes of Johanan and his associates in discouering the treasons of Ishmael and his zeale in prosecuting him to death and the causes thereof 2 The incredulity of Gedaliah in not beleeuing his faithfull seruant Johanan and the carelesnes ouer his own safety 3 The execution of Ishmaels treason and the manner of it c. The first part which is the faithfulnes of Johanan and those that were with him in discouering the treason of Ishmael is set down in these words of the text verse 13 Mooreouer Johanan the Sonne of Kareah and all the Captaines of the hoste that were in the fields came to Gedaliah to Mizpah verse 14 And saide to him Knowest thou not that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah to slay thee and againe verse 15 Then Johanan the sonne of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly saying Let me goe J pray thee and I will slay Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah and no man shall know it Wherfore should he kill thee that all the Iewes which are gathered vnto thee should be scattered and the remnant in Iudah perrish Moreouer Johanan c. First then the manner of Jonanan his disclosing of the treason of Ishmaell is to be obserued Who notwithstanding by Gedaliah he be vniustly repelled as though he had beene a knowne flatterer and a clawbacke not respecting whom nor how he slaunders any so hee might insinuate himselfe into fauour by curry-fauouring of the Prince of which sortes of persons Kinges and Princes Courtes are ouer fraught many times yet Johanan his conscience cleering him and it being trueth that hee vttered and hie time that it were vttered he therefore proceedes in prosecuting the discouerye with a zeale and therewith becomes an humble suter for speedye execution of iustice against the traitor Wherin all sorts of men whether of hye or lowe place the time especially and the glory of God the good of the Church the preseruation of the Prince requiring What nippes taunts checks and bitter reproofes soeuer are giuen thee be it by Princes themselues whose good the discouery concerns yet constancy in a knowne trueth by lawe of God by law of nature and law of nations requisite to be reuealed must firmelye be helde and in that which may make for the preseruation of the Church Prince and Countrye thou must proceede although it be with hazard of thy selfe or of thine Heereunto may encourage thee the boldnes of Iacobs sons after their first returne out of Egypt hauing left Simeon dearely beloued vnto Jacob their father behind them when necessitie being imposed vppon them that so it must be that eyther Beniamin the youngest and the darling of all must be taken from Iacob their father or else Simeon could not be recouered agayn neyther durst they any more shewe their faces in Egypt whose sute also was such to their father as that it had beene as easie
his foote no flying ground no giuing way the one companye of Traytors with their swordes prouided for the turne the other their meate in their mouthes and the cuppes in their handes without any suspition of euill eating drinking and making merrie bidding welcome to these farre trauellers out of the coast of the king of the Ammonites where and with whome they had layd their plot for the executing of this treason But such a like manner of proceeding doe all Traytors take with whom if a man should but enter parle a while concerning magnanimitie and cowardise oh you should finde them in their owne conceites the odde men in the world like to the worthies of Dauid of whom as the holy Ghost reporteth 1. Chron. 12. 14. speaking of the sonnes of Gad of whom one of the least could resist an hundreth and the greatest a thousande But bring their manhood to the touch and you shall find all their bragging to be nothing but meere wordes and cowardlinesse white-liuered gentlemen such as in the reuenge of a quarrell holde it the best way by treachery and behinde the backe of their aduersarie to make the onset and not the worst point of their manhoode to end the matter with a sure stab without fighting a blow and after for them the best defence is foure legs are better then twayne a most horrible thing that the bloud of man is so little regarded in these dayes of the Gospell and that there should be any escape or pardon of life graunted to any one of so bloudie mindes for whom the law of God hath prouided no refuge who in their owne heartes carry the guiltines of the bloud of them to their graue Salomon Prou. 28. 17. describeth them A man that doth violence against the bloud of a person shall flee vnto the graue and no man shall stay him that is let no man pittie him nor once take compassion on him Exod. 21. 14. But if a man come presumptuously vpon his neighbour to slay him with guile sayth Moses thou shalt take him from mine alter that he may die Examples of such villanies committed we haue in the holy hystorie some in the 16. chap. 1. Kings 9. we read of Elah the sonne of Baasha who beeing King ouer Israell was by Zimri his seruant Captaine of halfe his Chariotes conspired against him as hee was in Tirzah drinking till he was drunken in the house of Arza steward of his house And Zimri came and smote him and killed him and what the end of Zimri was as followeth 18. verse And when Zimri sawe that the Citie was taken he went into the pallace of the kings house and burnt himselfe and the kinges house with him These kinds of cruell murthering men at vnwares the holy scripture condemneth of most impious crueltie in the 2. Sam. 20. 9. It is recorded that Ioab the Captaine of the hoste the cause being as it seemed in that Dauid had giuen the promise of his place to Amasa as appereth 2. Sam. 19. 13. therfore Ioab pretending peace came to him and sayd Art thou in helth my brother And Joab tooke Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kisse him But Amasa tooke no heede to the sworde that was in Joabs hand for therewith hee smote him in the fift ribbe and shed out his bowels to the ground and smote him not the second time so he died In the like bloudie manner dealt Joab with Abner pretending to speake peaceably with him in the gate 2. Sam. 3. 27. Concerning which treacherous manner Dauid left order with Salomon his sonne as is to see 1. Kings 2. 5. to the which order Salomon agreed and caused Benaiah to smite Joab hauing caught hold on the hornes of the Alter and there hee died In the like treacherous sorte dealt Absolon with Amnon 2. Sam. 13. making a great feast at a sheep-shearing whither as they his brethren the sons of Dauid were inuited by him and Absolon had giuen charge concerning Amnon to his seruants that when they saw Amnons heart merry with wine they should smite him and so they did In which acte although Amnon had done wickedly in defiling Thamar his sister who gaue Absolon any such commission in steede of publique iustice to be passed on him that he should so bloudily reuenge it as his owne priuate quarrel Some like feastes such hipocrites make and in the middest of their cups their hearts are most bloudy To omit the butchery of Abimilech vpō his brethren for the placing of himselfe in the kingdome Iudg. 9. 5. verse To omitte only glauncing wise to speake of thē the poysoning of King Iohn King of England by a Munke of Swinsthead Abbey the murther fresh in memory done by a Fryer most bloudely vpon Henry the late King of France the villanous attempt vpon the Prince of Orange To passe ouer the abhominable crueltie of the Guizians bathing thēselues in bloud in the time of the Massacer that practise against the Lord Chastillon the high Admirall of France And finally to omit to speake of Bothwell his villany not a whit behinde any of the rest in sauage crueltie for his treson against the late King of Scots And to draw to an end of this treatise wherin you haue seene layd forth the duties of faithful subiects towards their Princes especially cōcerning their outward estate and towardes all other Magistrates as also the partes and duties of Princes on the other side towardes their subiects and people And finally the manner and forme of Traytors in the execution of their villanyes whēce I am first to craue humbly of so many as this treatise shal come into their hands to be seene and read that they will especially consider the excellency of the history how it agrees with the present estate of this age vniuersally thorough out al the parts of Christendom requiring all of euery condition in the feare of God that according as they finde the truth set downe before their eyes they wil lay it to their hearts and make profite therof and with greater care of practise to proceed vnto a more full purpose of obedience vnto our Prince Counsellers and Magistrates in not only bridling their owne tongs from speaking or hearts from conceiuing ill against the Prince being expressely against the lawe of God prooued but also they will care not to giue their eares to heare ought frō others especially those runagates about the lande the Seminary men that eyther tendeth or may tend to the impeachment of the glory credite and estimation of her Maiestie and of her royall Crowne dignitie But with all their care and diligent endeuour they wold hence learne to discry these Seminaries and seedes men of high treasons that by discouering them and that in all conuenient time thereby they may stoppe the cause of any ill concerning reports or other mischiefes pretended against the present state of her Maiesty and people not giuing themselues
persons and so to heare and see into them as that they might be able to discearne betweene matter and matter counsaile and counsaile iudgement and iudgement and accordinglye to knowe what to leaue and what to take so farre-foorth not as pleaseth themselues but as they shall see serue for the glorye of God the prosperity and safety of their own person Church and Country to the fitting of them wherunto Moses in the 17. Deut. 18 19. ver teacheth what ought to be the exercise of Kings and Princes continually for the increase of their knowledge in al matters So that to some purpose serueth this plain and blunt speech of Ionathan that thereby Gedaliah being warned might take knowledge of that which might keep him from capitall danger and his people from vtter ouerthrow concerning whose faithfulnes in discouery of this high treason we are taught especiallye the discharge of the duety of subiectes to their prince sole gouernours as also to all inferiour magistrates verye necessary to be laid forth in these dangerous daies wherin Sathan seekes by this most foule sin and abhominable of treasons and disloyalties without remorse in euery nation practised comitted most villanously to send many thousands of soules to the deuill This then is the doctrin that we must euery one of vs learne lay vp in our harts that is that it is not sufficiēt to abstain our handes from blood but our harts also frō the consent of any matter tending thereunto the reasons to inforce this doctrine may be first that the law of nature abhorreth it whereby they that neuer knew God aright are made inexcusable notwithstanding before him being led by the instinct thereof onely into a feeling and knowledge of the same how much more then doth that sin become more sinful to vs whō the lawe of nature not only directeth but the written lawe of God also as a sound reason to draw vs to an execrable detestatiō therof doth by the ministery of the word by the power of the spirite teach vs and the same God hath included this sin amongst many others within the secōd table of those great and ten cōmaundements wherof the negatiue preceptes forbidding whatsoeuer vice doth infer the commaunding whatsoeuer contrarye vertues and again whatsoeuer people amongst them affirmatiue teaching and cōmaunding any holy or christian vertue doth therupon infer a flat forbidding of the vice cōtrary therunto as in one among the rest the 6. in number being a negatiue precept and aiming at the matter now in hand Thou shalt not kill wherin this point generally taught that not onelye he that layeth violent handes vpon a man but he also that stoppeth not bloodshed when he may Naye he that by negligence dooth omit the dutifull care of preseruing his neighours life is a mankiller before God and is by the law of God so to be deputed and reckoned before men to this purpose speaketh Salomon Eripe raptos ad mortem c. Deliuer thē that are drawen to death and wilt not thou preserue them that are ledde to be slaine wherein the holy Ghost censureth not onely princes Iudges and Magistrates for suffering which falles out many times the innocent to be punished vnworthily But all sortes of men who not laying violent handes vpon their neighbours to kill them but who seing their neighbours in any sort distressed vnto death and for want of comfort like to perish vnder their noses when as they haue not onelye a sufficiencie but a superfluitie rather or outward blessings for their releefe yea and not denying the same but neglecting onlye and deferring to help thē of these it may wel be saide though thou hast not murdered with thy hand yet Tot occidisti quot Succurrere quum potuisses neglexeris ofso many hast thou bin a cruell murderer being distressed thou didst meerlye neglect to releeue them when thou haddest sufficient therunto a very necessarye thing against the vnmercifulnes of these our daies and the hard har tednes of the richer sort of people amongst vs who neither one waye nor other can be brought to that charitable consideration of their poore miserable and distressed neighbours ready to perrish euen at their dores either by the superfluitye of their meats drinks or cloth to comfort them or otherwise by withdrawing from their own store some good portion of their gold and siluer towards the setting on work the swarmes of men women children that neither haue meate drinke nor cloath in any good measure to feed and clothe themselues neither yet any thing to imploy their labors vpō that therby yet though they wil not freely giue thē to their releef yet they might prouide that by their meanes at the least the poore by the sweate of their browes vnder them might more honestly and competently True then they do wherunto each man is not onely in conscience bound by the law of God and the law of our land by statute prouided though by default of them who should see the execution of it this charitable duetie be to the dishonor of God in not prouiding against idlenes vtterly omitted Is this true in general betweene man and man and is it not more true against them when not in outrage as too manye of that sorte our late yeeres haue yeelded forth a fruite vntimely to passe ouer the actes done by the like villanous minded in other nations and to speake of those that at home proudlye and presumptuouslye haue attempted the same against the life of our naturall and most mercifull Soueraign is the not releeuing the distressed the oppressing of the widow and fatherlesse the cruel withholding the hire from the poore labourer is the taking of thy neighbours pledge the taking of Vsury of the decaied and the labour of thy neighbour without wages is this murder with God nay as it is indeed to take pleasure at other mens miseries is it cruelty is not this then murder in the highest kinde to conseale a pretēded mischeef against a Prince whose life is thy life my life or the life by Gods prouidence he will so haue it of all men within this and her territory Nay shall the prince be culpable before God for not releeuing thee with iustice in any cause of thy distresse wilt thou hold it to be crueltie in a magistrate whē as it may be thou alone shalt but suffer or some one house or family with thee shalt not thou be reckoned in the highest degree of murtherers who when it is in thy power by disclosing some pretended mischeefe against the state of a prince thou concealest it altogither or else disclosest it when it is too late When as vpon the safety of a prince relieth the prosperitie peace and security of not an house not a Towne not a prouince not a shire not a land but of many Lands and Countries Shires and prouinces Townes and Citties most populous So that you see the point to be obserued wherein those especially