temple had on a garmente of .iiii. coloures Skarlet Violet Bisse and Purple Skarlet in respecte of the heanens that be aboue the firmamente Violet and Bisse coloures whiche be made of flaxe because of the earthe of which they come finally purple in respect of the sea where purple is gotten Therfore when as the priest came into the temple to minister apparailed in these .iiii. colours he saide before the almighty God I come to presente my self here in thy sighte O Lorde of the world in .iiii. kindes of coloures that do represent the partes of thy worlde and in suche wise do I appeare before theâ— as though I shoulde bring all the hole world into thy sight Moreouer the foresaid apparail was garnished with pure gold and precious stones after the likenesse of the tribes of the sonnes of Iacob who was called Israell that in that garment he might haue the souerainty before the angels that be aboue and by them preuail to bringe the vertue of the holy ghost by the which they should obteine wisdome that dwell in thee and prospere in their study and faith that they mighte haue wisdome and vnderstandinge together Hys loines also were girded with linnen sloppes wherewith he couered his secrete partes for it becommeth priestes most of al other persons to be shamfast and bashful specâ—ally when he should minister in the two sanctuaries For there are .ii. sanctuaries the vtter and thinnar which is the sanctum sactoruÌ„ or the holiest of all In the vtter the priestes minister as the hie priest commauÌ„deth theÌ„ but into the inner that is the sanctuÌ„ sanctoruÌ„ entreth no maÌ„ saue the bie priest only that but once a yeare For in it was the arcke of the couenaunt of the Lord in the which were laid vp the .ii. tables of thecouenaunt the God made with the people of Israell in the mount Sinai There is also the rod of Aaron that florished broughte forth leaues All these were in the first temple whiles it was yet standing Ouer against that saÌ„ctuary were .xiiii. stairs or steppes vpon the which apeared the miracle to kinge Chiskiahu And thou Ierusalem at that time was stronger then other cities Lady of al prouinces for greate kinges and princes builded thee Kinge Herode much exalted thee raising thy walles on height besides that also defenced thee with an other wall Antochia that he named Antochia of Antiochas a Romain who liberally gaue much mony toward the repairinge of the ruines decaies that were in thée How commeth it to passe therfore that thou art broughte thus lowe the gentils haue the rule ouer thee now and besiege thee racing thee casting thee down yea they are now in the midst of thee Wo be to vs for our sinnes for the hautines of thy strength is dashed thy sanctuary is troden vnder the fote and made a sinck of the bloud of slain persons Drinke now of thy cup O Ierusalem with thy daughter Sion drinke I say the cup of veration and grief together with her for yet the time shall come that visions shall be reueiled and redemption also it selfe that thy children shal retourne to their coastes with the healthe of their redeamer Then shal be the time of frendshippe and then shalt thou drincke the cuppe of health and consolation After this Titus wente to vewe what waye he might best assault the citye and as he deuised with him self he espied a plain on that side where the sepulchre of Iochanan the hie priest was whereas he staied a while and sent one of his captaines that were there with him called Nikanor to common with the Iewes that were vppon the walles to moue them to peace willing him to say thus vnto them Frendes my Lord Titus is desirous to spare you and to make a league with you that ye mighte be at quiet and oute of this daunger of desiruction And if you be so disposed to consent thereunto Titus shall make a league with you yet before night Nikanor wente and spake with the people in such wise as Titus hadde willed him The Iewes gaue him no word to answer but held their peace wherfore Nikanor spake vnto them againe and as he was talkynge vnto them one froÌ„ the walles stroke him with an arrowe and killed him Wherat Titus was exceadyng wrathe that they should shout at his captaine offerynge theim peace and his death grened him marueilously Wherfore he commaunded ladders brakes slynges yron rammes and other engins of warre to be brought to assaulte the towne So the souldiours brought an yron Ramme to batter the walle and planted it vppon a mounte accordynglye The Iewes seinge that were soore afrayed wherfore the three capitaynes of the sedicious sell at one and openynge the gates issued out and beat the Romaynes from their pieces and engyns that were nowe ready addressed settynge fire on them and burnyng them the ram slings al thother engines a few excepted which Titus his men saued from the fire In this coÌ„flicte the men of Alexandria that serued Titus behaued them selues like tall fellowes in the rescuinge of the slinges from the Iewes yet the Iewes preuailed and gate the vpper hand of them till Titus came with a stronge power of picked men to succoure the Alexandrians whereas twelue of the stoutest Iewes were slaine In the same skirmishe Iehochanan a captain of the Edomites that came to aide the Iewes was slain by an Arabian that came behinde him and stroke him with an arrowe whiles he was talkinge with the Romains that had entreated him to come vnto them For whome the Edomites mourned and lamented sore for he was a good man of warre The nexte nighte certaine of the seditious chieflye of Iehochanan and Schimeons companye issued oute and came to the three wodden towers that Titus hadde crected before the Walles and sette a greate Garrison of valiaunt Souldiours aboute theim to defende theim and to viewe also the toune oute of them to see what the Iewes dyd And whosoeuer were nye the touâ—es those the Iewes slew the other fled to Titus campe But the Romayns that were within the towers wiste nothing of the matter trustinge to them that were set about the toures for theyr sauegarde and therfore slept all the night The Iewes after they had slayne the Romayne watche and put them to flyght they came to the toures wyth sawes and cut the feyt a sonder so that they fell sodenly together wyth them that were wythin them whyche were very manye and slewe them euery one Titus hearynge the alarme and the crasshing of the fallynge of the towres was sore afrayed and all hys hole armye and not knowing what the matter was they durst not sturre toward it so the Iewes returned clere into the toune On the morowe Titus brought his hole power to the walles and whyles the Iewes were at their coÌ„tenciones in the toune he addressed an other Iron Ramme wherwith he sodenlye strake the vtter wall and battered it through whervppon
mouing him to toyn with the Iewes and to aid them The people also came wholly the space of .lx. miles out of the city of Ierusalem to mete him and fell down flat before him crying God saue our king Agrippa But the king studied al he might to procure quietnes and peace to the city people So he entred in to Ierusalem accoÌ„panied with a couple of noble meÌ„ of Rome worthy captains whoÌ„ he brought with him in his train And wheÌ„ he came into the midst of the city the people cried mainlye out vpon him saying Deliuer vs o king and let thy hand help be on oure side to succoure vs for we wil neuer more be vnder the Romains subiection The king hearinge this pitied the people verye muche not withstandinge he was not content that they were mineded to rebell againste the Romaine Empire Wherfore he called together the people at thentrance of the courte of the temple where were presente the elders of Israel and all the chiefe men with the hie priest Anany declared vnto theÌ„ the power of the Romaines the strengthe of their kingdome and what nations rounde aboute them they had subdued in suche sorte as no remayne of them was left Wherfore he besought â—them not to prouoke the Romaines nor to destroye the people remaining of Israel He added moreouer HarkeÌ„ my brethren saith he I knowe well inoughe that there reasteth in your heartes a greate griefe and I my selfe am ful of sorowe and anguishe that we are not of power able to withstande the Romaines All be it if ye wil be ruled by my counsell ye shall finde a redresse for this matter For vvhere as counsell is and good deliberation there is safetye and things come to prosperous successe Ye shall susteine for a while the yocke of the Romaine captaines til I maye certify Nero of the matter by mi letters and intrete him to ridde vs of these rulers I beseche you be not to hastye of libertye Manye sekinge libertye haue fallen into further captiuitie and greater bondage There be amongste oure people manye euell disposed persones whose delite is in warres for it is their whole study amongst whoÌ„ many good meÌ„ do also pearish Wherfore hear my wordes as for them that be wise maye perceiue the matter them selues they that lacke experience let them learne wisdom at my sayinges Kepe therfore silence whiche shal be as well to mine as to your owne commodity for I shal not nede to streine my selfe but speake the softlier with lesse pain and ye on the other side may the better heare and vnderstand what I say If ye holde not your peace ye shall haue two discommodities ye shall interrupte my communication and let your selues from hearinge But nowe to the purpose ye shal be content and suffer til I write to Rome of these matters that Cesar mai remoue these euill rulers and sende vs theÌ„ that be more humain and geÌ„tle If ye may haue once such then shal ye not thinke your selues in bondage but in libertie and worthilye for then only is seruitude greuous whan as the ruler is an vniuste manne and wicked Now therfore stay your selues quarell not with them for althoughe they bee wicked yet wyll they be ashamed to do wrong openly as that that they do thei do it secretly But if ye shuld accuse theÌ„ to much thei would rub their foreheads and do it openly without all shame so shoulde you make of your iudges and rulers your open enemies But it vvere farre better to suffer an vniust gouernour then a iust enemie For the one robbeth men priuely the other is an open destroier prouoke them not therfore Consider the wylde beastes that be vnder mans power and be kepte in cheynes as Lions Beares and Leopardes if a man lette them alone they are quiet and harme no man But if a man go to their dennes and anger theÌ„ then they will flee vpon hym worry him and other to that be present The same ye maye perceaue in a seuer and an agew which if a man wil go about to cure at the beginning he shall make it more greuous but if he will remedy it by leasure the seruencie of it wil easly be quenched Nowe therfore refrayne your selues take hede ye set not Caesar in your toppes the hole Romain empire Caesar coueteth not your harme neither sent he vnto you these rulers to hurt you His eies can not see froÌ„ easte to west nor his hand reatch froÌ„ Rome hether for it is flesh and bloud But if ye will abide til I may sende embassadours to Caesar I doubt not but I shal remoue these rulers and rid you of theÌ„ peaceably without any warre or bloud shed If ye be vtterly determined to resist the Romaine Empire you shal vnderstand you be in no wise able to dooe it for god is euery where on their side so that they be Lordes throughout all the worlde and all people serue them and shall till their ende also come But if ye will not dooe this for your owne sakes yet do it for your own countreis sake your children and wifes the sanctuary priestes whome ye are bouÌ„den to loue and spare least ye caste awaye and vndoe all them at once I beseche you take my wordes in good parte for I haue spoken nothyng but that that is for your wealth and that may further oure peace with the Romaines whiche I moste wishe If you will be ruled and chuse peace I will take your parte and dooe the beste I can for you but if ye wyll nedes haue warres ye shall haue it alone for me I will not medle with you With this Agrippas fell on weping and so did also all the elders with him and the men of moste wysdome the chiefe in all Israell yea Ananie the hie priest also coulde nor refreine from teares NotwithstaÌ„ding Eleasar his stoute soÌ„ne with his routes of warlike yonge men about him they wepte not at all nor would harken or geue any eare to holsom couÌ„sell but all at once with their drawen swoordes violently rushed vpon the Romayne capitaines that came with Agrippas slue theÌ„ their men al the multitude that was with him in Hierusalem Iudea The elders in Iudea with the wisest godliest Israelites seynge what was done departed froÌ„ Hierusalem fearing Nero the crueltie of the Romaines Therfore they toke the toure of Sion remained there For they woulde not be taken of the Romaines to be of the same confederacie with the other The sedicious seing that tooke the temple of the Lorde So dissention and ciuyll warres fell betwene the sedicious and the auncieÌ„tes For when Eleasar heard the elders and heades of the people were fled to the mount Sion he and his company set vpon them preuailed against them and slew a great meany of them Agrippas perceiuing the power of the sedicious grewe apace he sent oute of his campe where he laye without the towne twoo valeaunt captaines one named
knowledge therof cōmaunded a fast through out all Israel for three daies after toke muster of all his armie and made ouer them captains of thousands hundreds fifties and tennes These saide to their souldiours VVho so euer is aferde c. Wherupon many of the people returned home yet there remayned .vii. M. and fiue hundred of suche courage all that one would not haue runne awaye from an hundreth Lisias deuided his hoste into three partes committing thē vnto three capitaines Nicanor Bagris and Ptolomee But after the Israelites had once geuen a great shoute the lord beat downe the Grekes so that the Israelites destroyed nine thousand horsmen of them spoyled the whole host and they that remayned alyue tooke them selues to flight The next daye Kynge Iudas kepte his Sabboth together wyth all Israell in the campe for the battayle was vppon the sixte daye The morowe after the Israelites returned to the spoyle of those that were kylled and after to pursue other that were not able to resist but they founde none for they were fled into Astaroth Karnaiim Durynge the tyme of this warres Antiochus inuaded the land of Persia for they hadde moued warre agaynste hym and done hym iniurye Wherfore he fought against them but hauynge the ouerthrowe at their handes he retourned to Antiochia wyth great shame where also he founde hys armyes wyth an other dishonoure and foyle Wherewyth he was in suche a rage that he gathered together all the valiauntest and beste Warriours in al Grecia yea all that were able to beare weapon swearinge he woulde bringe with him suche an armye that all the grounde about Hierusalem should not suffice theim to stande vppon that hee woulde haue wyth him euen for hys sotemen onelye And so he set forwarde his horsemen with horses and wagons laden with all maner of furnitures for the warres as Bowes shieldes Targets swordes and speares brestplates and mourens besides a huge noumber of Elephantes and suche that a dosen valiant men might fight vpon one Elephant the Elephants being to them as a Fortresse But kinge Iudas toke heart to him put his truste in his God and ioyned battaile with him At length when he with the power of Israel approched to the Elephants they slew theim downe right so that the Elephantes roared the Horses and all the beastes that caried the baggage and furnitures were verie soore afrayed Kinge Antiochus also beinge mounted vppon his mare and not able to sit her in her flight was throwen downe His seruauntes therfore findyng him toke him vp and bare him a while vpō their shoulders and being a corpulent and a grose man they were not able to carye him further but cast him downe in the waie The Lorde had plaged him also and his whole hoste before with a drye scabbe or rottē mattier and with other most horrible diseases which as he saw he confessed it to be the hande of God Wherfore he made a vowe that if he escaped be woulde circumcise him selfe with all his souldiours and would conuert them to the worshippynge of the God of Israel but God heard him not He fledde therfore a fote as well as he might and died bi the way through his greuous and soore diseases and Opiter his sonne raigned in his stede Kynge Iudas with all Israell retourned wyth great ioye to the house of the Lord offered sacrifices and as they had layed wodde vpon the alter and the sacrifice vpon that they called vnto the Lorde louingly to accept their sacrifice and in the meane space fire came forthe of the aulter by the owne accorde consumed the sacrifice and the wodde the lyke neuer chaunced vnto them to this day This miracle was wrought the .xxv. daie of the moneth Elul August The Kynge made an expedicion also into Arabia to warre vpon the people thereof made of them a great slaughter brought thē into subiection and made theim tributaries In his returne he set vppon a great citie of the Grekes wanne it and raced it After that he made a roade into Grece ten dayes iourney where as came against him with a huge armye the chiefe man in king Opiters realme next his persone but Iudas discomfited him and all his people From thence he went to the citye Sipolis that was vnder the Romains where as came foorthe to meete hym Godolias with a royal present informing him that they had euer borne the Israelits good will were their neighbours shewed them pleasures The Kinge examined the matter and founde their wordes true so receiuinge their presentes departed thence After this Gorgorius a captain of the Romaines moued warre wyth Iudas but Iudas stroke a battaile wyth him and destroied his whole armye so that none escaped Opiter sonne of Antiochus hearinge what Actes Iudas did in all countreys rounde aboute he mustred all his people leuied a puissante armie wherwith he came and besieged Bethar Then cried Iudas and all Israel vnto their God with fastynge and sacrifices The night after Iudas deuided his men into certaine bandes cōmaundynge theim to geue the Grecians a Camisado and to enter their Campe whiles it was darke whiche they did and slewe verie manie of the best of the Grecians about a foure thousand preparinge neuerthelesse for the fielde againste the morowe where as also the Israelites did beat downe many of the Greekes In that battaile was slaine Eleasar sonne of Mattathias the kinges brother For when he espied one wyth a golden sworde vpon an Elephant he thought him to be kinge Opiter who had .xx. Elephants in his armie Therfore he toke hart to him and beat doun the souldiours of the Grekes on bothe sides him were they neuer so stronge till he came to that Elephant And because the Elephant was so hye that he coulde not reache them that sate vpon him he shoued his sworde into the bealy of the beast to ouerthrowe the king wherat the Elephant shronke together and fel vpon Eleasar that he died there For whose sake al Israel mourned and made great lamentation But Opiter hearinge this straite waye made suite to king Iudas for peace and a league to be made betwene them whiche after Iudas had consented vnto he returned home into Grece againe and by the way fell into the hands of his enemies that slewe him After him succeded Demetrius his enemie who was the cause of his death Ther were at the time certain euil disposed persōs of the Iewes the serued the king of the Grecians in his warres namelye one Alkimus who went to the king of the Grekes at that tyme liynge at Antiochia and stirred him to moue warre vpon Israell and king Iudas Whereupon Demetrius sent against him a capitaine called Nicanor with a stronge armye He nowe comminge to Hierusalem let Iudas vnderstande that he bare him good will and was desierous to make peace and enter into a league with him Therefore as Iudas came forth accompanied with his brethren the sonnes of Chasmonanye Nicanor met him in the waie imbrased
him and kissed him after that ledde him to his pauilion and set hym vpon his seate◠of honour Kinge Iudas also after he returned from the campe made vnto Nicanor a greate feaste callyng him and his noble men with him into Hierusalem where they eate and dranke at the kinges table Kynge Iudas was yet vnmaried wherfore Nicanor moued him to take a wife that hee might haue issue and not lose his succession whose counsaile Iudas alowed This done the lewde pickethanke Alkimus declared to kynge Demetrius the league that Nicanor hadde made wyth king Iudas Whereat Demetrius being wrothe writ vnto Nicanor that he had intelligence of his traiterous practises Nicanor was in Hierusalem when this letter was deliuered him When Iudas hearde of the contentes of the letter he fled out of Hierusalem into Samaria where he sounded a trumpet gathered Israel together Nicanor vpō these letters entred into the house of the lord to seeke Iudas but he founde him not Then he examined the Priestes who sware they knewe not where he was become After he had now sought him in euerye corner throughout Hierusalem and could not finde him in a fume he sware he woulde beate downe the temple And gathering together ai his hoste he made spede againste Iudas When he hearde of Nicanors cōming he issued out of Samaria to mete him and after they hadde stroke the battail Iudas slewe of the Grekes to the number of .xviii. thousande horsemen toke Nicanor aliue and was minded to kyll him But Nicanor besought him of pardon alledgynge that the kinge knewe well inough that he beganne not this battaile with his good will but lest he shoulde traunsgresse the commaundement of the king his maister Wherefore saieth he I humblye beseche your maiestie not to kill mee and I sweare vnto you that I wyll neuer beare armour againste you nor anoye you in any wise Vpon this the kynge made a league with hym and dimissed him So he returned to the king his master with shame inough After this Demetrius dyed and Lisia his sonne raigned in his stede Yet the wicked men ceased not but moued againe Kinge Lisia to make a voyage in his owne Persone with a puissant armye againste Iudas but hauinge the ouerthrowe of kynge Iudas he fled vnto Asdotum till he had repaired againe his armye strongelye Then came he the seconde time vppon Iudas in whiche conflicte the Israelites were put to flight King Iudas notwithstandinge fled nother one waye nor other but called to his men exhorted them to returne and sticke by him yet they would not obeye him So he abid alone with his drawen sworde in hys hand vnto whom none of his enemies durst approche nie but with charettes and horsemen they enuironned hym and archers shot at him woūding him sore till he fell downe deade vppon the ground and they that were about him were taken alyue The tyme that he raigned ouer Israel was .vi. yere Manie of the Grekes captains were slaine also in that battaile and the king him selfe so wounded that he was faine to get him into his countreye to be cured of his woundes After he hadde recouered his health he returned again came to Hierusalem and to all the cities of Israell wyth the power of the Grekes wherwith he so afflicted them at that tyme for the space of foure monethes after the death of Iudas that the like tribulation was neuer sene in Israell In the meane season the Israelites resorted to Ionathas the sonne of Mattathias and made him king in Iudas stede and were sworne vnto hym This Ionathas foughte diuers greate battails against the Grekes hauynge the aide of one Sauinus of the kinred of kyng Alexander the first who had made a league with Ionathas toke his part againste Grecia wasted and spoyled it sore till at length the king of the Grecians slewe Ionathas by a traine His raigne ouer Israel dured .vi. yere Then was Schimeon his brother king in his stede Against him Antiochus the secōd kinge of the Grecians came to warre But Schimeon met him and laied first an ambushe to entrapte the Grekes then ordered his battayles in araye against Antiochus After that he wyth his whole hoste made a face fayninge as though they fledde and retired tyll thei perceiued Antiochus who pursued them to be within their daunger then the ambushe brake foorthe vppon the Grekes made a very great slaughter After this Schimeon returned to Ierusalē with great ioye Then sent Ptolome king of Egipt an imbassage to Scimeō king of Israel offering him his daughter in mariage To his request when king Schimeon had cōsented Ptolome came to Ierusalē where was made a great feast they were alied together Whereupō Antiochus king of the Greciās writ to Ptolome king of Egipt priuily to murder Schimeō king of Israel Whō Ptolomee durst not but obey for at that time the king of Egipt was in subiection to the Grekes Therefore when Schimeon came into Egipt to se his father in lawe Ptolomee he was receiued with greate feastinge but in the same he had poyson geuen him that he died thereof Besides this also his sonne which came with him Ptolome cast in prisō These things iustly chaūced vnto Schimeon for that he hadde traunsgressed the worde of the Lorde that forbade all aliance with the Gentiles The time that he raigned ouer Israel was .xviii. yeres Then Iohn his sonne raigned in his steede who was called Hircanus in the Greke tongue The same Ptolomee king of Egipt inuaded Israel with al the power that he coulde make But Iohn the sonne of Schimeon mette him and the Lorde ouerthrewe Ptolomee wyth his whole hoste that they were slaine of the Israelites and pursued to the citye Dagon about the whiche the Israelites made trenches and beseged it Nowe within the towne thei had the mother of kyng Hircanus whom Ptolomee caused to be sette vppon the Walles and to bee scourged with whippes in the sight of her sonne When Hircanus sawe the great affliction of his mother he wold haue raised his siege and departed frō Ptolomee But his mother called vnto him and said My deare sonne Iohn regarde not my tribulation for all chasteninges come from GOD. Procede manfully with thy siege againste thys citye for it is in great distresse and reuenge me thy father and brother murdered by Ptolomee The king folowed her aduise manfully raysed a mount from the which he battered the walles with engynes of yron like charrettes till it began to shake Wherfore many of the souldiours of the towne fledde and their companies began to scatter Ptolomee seinge this commaunded to afflict hys mother yet more and to encrease her scourgynges vntill the entrails of Hircanus was moued that he could abide no lenger to see his mother so cruelly handled but left the siege let Ptolomee escape who neuerthelesse killed his mother and fled into Egipt In the fourth yeare of kinge Hircanus raigne Pius king Grece came and besieged
Ierusalem with a great power and strength whom Hircanus was not able to mete encouÌ„ter within the field suffered him selfe to be closed vp in the Citye The Kinge of the Grecians therfore raysed great Towers against the citye aparte from the wall digged a trench cast vp a mount TheÌ„ planted their engins named Rams against the gates so that the citie was hard besieged for they beat downâ—one of the turrets the stode vpon the wall wherat all Israel was afraied agreed togither to issue out skirmishe with theÌ„ whatsoeuer should come theron life or death Which although Hircanus liked not yet thei so did and slewe many of their enemies put theim also to flighte that thei were coÌ„strayned to encampe them selues furder of from Ierusalem Then the Israelites came to the towers that the Grekes had builded and raced theÌ„ to the grounde Thus they issued oute daiely skirmishynge with Pius vntill the feast of the tabernacles Then sent kyng Hircanus to Pius desierynge him that he would graunt them truice and let them be in peace while the feast lasted His request Pius graunted sent a fatte Oxe to be offered to the God of Israel coueryng his hornes with beaten golde and dressynge hym with fillets of Cristall other precious stones Clad him also in a garment of purple and diuers other precious clothes He sent moreouer plate bothe of siluer and golde full of diuers kinde of spices all to be offered vnto the Lorde When king Hircanus sawe this he went out vnto Pius and after he had made peace with him he made him and his chiefe men of warre a great feast and offred him a present of .ccc. pounde weight of golde After that he went to war with Pius in his armye to aide him againste the king of Persia that rebelled against him But sone after he was come with in the laÌ„d of Persia that time of Pentecost was at hande Wherfore kyng Hircanus and the hoste of Israel retourned but Pius and his armye of the Grecians proceaded Whom the king of the Persians met in the fielde slewe Pius hym selfe and vainquished the residue that almost none remained Whereof when tidynges came to Hircanus he was verye glad and returned to Hierusalem with peace and ioye After this Hircanus made manye great battails with the nacions aboute him and had euer the victorye He also came to the mount of Gorizim where he wanne a forte of the Sectaries and Samaritans raced downe the temple that the Sectaries hadde there as their house of Sanctuarye whiche they builded by the licence of Alexander the first king of the Grekes He that builded it was Manasse the priest brother to Schimeon the iust But Hircanus the hye priest pulled it downe .cc. yere after it was builded From thence he went to the citye of Samaria and besieged it This was the mother citye of the Samaritans and Sectaries which was brought to suche distresse by the long siege of Hircanus that they within were faine to eate the carcases of dogges The feast of Propiciation then beinge at hande Hircanus made spede to Ierusalem to execute his office in that feaste for he was the hye priest appointing for generalles of his army Aristobulus his eldest sonne and his second son Antigonus In the mean season they within the towne writ to the kinge of Grece to come to succoure theÌ„ which he did with a great power But these .ii. yong men the kings sons went to meete them with the strength of the Israelites and gaue them the ouerthrow killing them vp almost euery one to the noÌ„ber of .xxi. M. fightyng meÌ„ the rest fled That done the yong men returned to the siege of Samaria King Hircanus their father had tidings of the coÌ„ming of the Grecians against his sons so that he perceiued they shoulde haue the GreciaÌ„s of th one side of them the Samaritans Sectaries of thother But he knew nothing what was hapned for that victory chauÌ„ced the .ix. day of Tisre Septembre His hart therfore was careful for his sons for Israel Notwithstanding he proceded in his office according as the feast required So as he entred into the house of SanctuÌ„ sactoruÌ„ or the most holiest to offer inceÌ„ce to cal for mercy for his childreÌ„ for the army he heard a voice speaking vnto him Neuer trouble thy minde with thy childreÌ„ with the host of Israel for yesterday the lord of his mercy heard theÌ„ according to the greatnes of his goodnes for thi fathers sakes Let thy heart therfore be right thy haÌ„d pure So the king going out of the saÌ„ctuary declared if to the people WherupoÌ„ the next day they seÌ„t post to Samaria had word again that this was true Wherfore king Hircanus was manified greatly of all Israel for thei knewe that the blessed Lord accepted his doings inspiryng him with the holy gost and increasyng his kingdome priesthode After this he tooke his iourney to Samaria besieged it a whole yere and at length wan it slewe all also that bare life within it He raced the walles the palaice and burnt vp the citye He had warres also with the Romains and the Arabians and God prospered all that euer he toke in hande So shortly after God gaue him rest and quietnes from all that dwelt about him and from all his enemies so that Israel rested boldlye in peace tranquilitie al his time On a tyme the kinge made a feaste to all the sages of Israel that they might make good cheare with hym And being merily disposed he said I am your scholar and what so euer I do that do I bi your aucthoritie Wherfore I pray you if you see any faulte in me or if I do not as it becometh me tell me of it that I maye reforme mine euill waye Then euery man greatly extolled and commended hym saiynge Who is like vnto thee our Lorde kyng so worthye of the kingdome and priesthode so notable in good workes whose woorkes be done for the God of heauen which hast also done so much good to Israel The king was very well pleased with their aunswere and reioysed greatlye Yet was there one amongest them an vndiscrete manne called Eleaser who spake vnaduisedlye to the king And it please your maiestie it were sufficient for you to haue the crown of the kingdome ye might leaue of the crowne of â—he priesthode to the sede of Aaron forasmuch as your mother was captiue in the mount Modiit Incontinente the king was moued and soore displeased against the Sages whiche certaine of his seruauntes that hated the Sages and smelled somewhat of sectes perceiuyng one of them inâ—ourmed the king that what so euer that vndiscrete person had spoken it was not without the aduise of the Sages Whereupon the king demaunded of the Sages What law shal that man haue that in the dispiâ—e of the kinge speaketh thinges in his reproche They made answere he is worthy to be whipt Then
said one of the Saduces the matter is plaine that according to the mindes of the Sages at their bidding he vpbrayded thée therfore they would not awarde him to die Whereat the kinge helde his peace and gaue neuer a worde to answer So all the ioye was dashed and turned into sadnesse The next day at the commaundement of the king proclamations went out to all the Cities in the kinges dominions that they shoulde stande to the ordenaunce of Sadoch and Bithus and who soeuer should refence to folow their decrees or would obserue the tradicions of the Sages and obey their wil shuld suffer death This was Ihon the hie priest whiche had the priesthode xl yeares and in th end became a Saducie Notwithstandinge the Israelites obeyed not the kinges commaundement but rather priuilye followed the orders of the sages The king him selfe and all his seruantes folowed the traditions of the Saducies making inquisition for them that stake to the constitutions of the Sages and putting to deathe as many as he coulde get knowledge of By this meanes he drue much people of Israel into this opinion The time that Hircanus reygned ouer Israell was .xxxi. yere and then he died After him reigned his sonne Aristobulus for he had .iii. sonnes Aristobulus Antigonus and Alexander This Alexander was hated of his father and banished out of his presence He went therfore and made warre vpon Tire and Sidon subdued them and compelled them to be circumcised Aristobulus regarded not the high priesthode but set light by it wherfore he wold not execute the office therof but toke the kingdome vppon him and set the crowne vppon his heade and was called the great king Besides this he banished his mother and Alexander her sonne his yonger brother and wold not suffer them to dwell in Ierusalem But he loued his brother Antigonus and made him lieuetenant generall of all his warres setting him forward into the warres againste hys ennemies Wherin the yong mā Antigonus had good fortune and prospered in al thinges that he toke in hād and returned safe to Ierusalem Wheras he entred into the house of the sanctuary to pray for his brother the king which at that time was greuously sicke and also to acknowledge before the Lorde God his goodnesse and mercye towardes him in that he aided him against his enemies Then came a certain wicked person vnto the king informed him with this tale Thy brother saith he returning from the warres inquyred ▪ of thy health when it was told him thou wast sicke he saide I will go to him to day rid him out of the world When the kinge heard this he was wrothe towarde the sages commaunded his brother to be apprehēded and caried to the palaice of Starton there to be kepte in prisonne till he hadde made inquisition of his doinges In the meane space the Quene the kinges wife commaunded him to be put to death there without knowlege of the kinges minde But when the Kinge hearde that hys brother was killed he cried mainly out and wepte smiting his brest in such a sorte with his hande that he sowned and muche blud issued out of his mouth He reigned ouer Israel .ii. yere After him his brother Alexander reigned who was also called king Ianai being broughte out of prisō where his brother had put him and made king of Israel He was a mighty man and valeante in all his warres against his ennemies preuailing against thē He had warres with the Philistines namelye Azam and Ascalon whom he put to the worsse and ouercame them This man refused not the priesthode but was his priest It chaunced on a time when he stode at thaltare to offer sacrifice one of the sages cast Ceder trée vpon him wherat he lift vp his righthand vpon the altare crying geue me my sword Then the Sages kneled down before him and sware they did it not of anye contempt but rather say thei that we thus sporting before the Lord would be mery vpon the hie solempne daye But the kinges seruauntes answered roughly again saiynge Althoughe ye play and reioyie yet it is not the maner of the country to vse any such dispitful custome with the king The cōtencion waxed hot amongste them til at the length the Sages spake euil of the king castinge in his tethe that he was an vnhallowed and suspended person and that his graūdmother on the fathers side was a captiue in the mount Modiit wherby her seede was steined The king was sore moued at that in so much that he commaunded all the Sages to be slaine Therefore wher so euer they founde them in the sanctuary or in the stretes of Ierusalem they killed them forthwith Then the king commaunded that euery mā should obei the gouernaunce and tradicions of the Saducies So in those daies had the Sages great tribulatiō some fel vpon the sworde some fled awaye and some taried at home with dishonor and shame After these matters the king made an expedicion into Arabia entred the country as farre as the rocke of the wildernes against Hartam kinge of Arabia and subdued his lande After that he warred vpon Medaba and the hole lande of Moab vanquishing them and bringing them vnder tribute and so retourned with honor to Ierusalem When he had after this wel bethought him of his doings it repēted him of his euil waies wherfore he altered his minde and began to make much of the Sages submitted him to their ordinaunce and estemed their tradicions There were also at that time a kinde of secte that were called * These I take to be the same that he calleth sages before Phariseis of whom such as had escaped the kinge sente to call them home again and when they wer come into his presence he spake vnto them comfortable wordes saying My brethern ye shal vnderstand that that is once done and past must nedes be termed as it is and can not be reuoked And truth it is you can excuse the reproche that ye did me nor I can not call againe the bloud that I haue shed Notwithstanding I confesse my faulte vnto you and haue chaunged my indignation to loue praiynge you to put out of your heart all rancour and malice laye awaie also your mournynge and sorowfulnesse of your mindes reioysyng in your reconciliation and atonement with me be of good cheare But they made him answere We wil not laie away our hatred and enmitie for thou speakest but disceitfully we speake that is truthe Furthermore thou hast killed our chief men and elders neither hast thou onely done vs this iniurie but also Hircanus thy father who began such mischiefe thou hast holden on and cōtinued it Wherfore this hatred betwene thee and vs hath taken some roote neither can we leaue our sorowe and mourninge tyll thou dye and God take vengeaunce vpon thee for our sakes then shal wee reioice when we see vengeaunce So they departed from his presence neither did the kinge
euer geue them any answere But when thei perceiued the kinge to be incensed against them and by that meanes the matter mighte redounde to their owne harme after consultation had they went to the king of Grece whose name was Demetrius shewed him what Hircanus and Alexander his soÌ„ne had done vnto the Phariseis and all the Israelites that bare them good will and folowed their traditions and how thei also hated Alexander for the mischiefe that hee hathe wrought them So that if any manne would come and reueng the malice of Alexander they would be ready to aide him Demetrius folowed their aduise and assembling together all his people to the number of .xl. thousand horsemeÌ„ and fotemen without number He toke his iourney and encamped against Sichem Then kinge Alexander waged .vi. thousand horsemen to aid him But the king of the Grecians writ priuilye to the auncientes of the Sectaries that they shold not aide Alexander To the mercinary souldiours also that Alexander had hired he sent rewardes golde and siluer that they returned home to their couÌ„trey aided not Alexander Wherupon he was not able to withstande Demetrius Therfore hearing that Demetrius was remoued froÌ„ Sichem toward IerusaleÌ„ entending to take him in the citie he fled by nighte with a fewe of his men to the mountains and lurked there When the menne of Israel that were in Iudea heard the king was fled out of Hierusalem and that the citye was in hasarde to come into the haÌ„des of the Grecians they gathered them selues together stode for their liues as thoughe all had bene one man to the number of .x. thousand and set vpoÌ„ Demetrius Campe killed all his beste men of warre and spoyled his whole host that he fled from them returned home into his couÌ„trey with shame dishonour This done the king toke hart vnto him returned to his kingdom but the Pharises fled to Betshemes streÌ„gthning theÌ„ selues against the king Who hauing intelligeÌ„ce therof gathered an army went against theÌ„ wan the city and toke viii.c of the chiefest Pharisies bound theÌ„ in chains brought them to IerusaleÌ„ Then baÌ„queted he al his seruants vpon the roufe of his palaice in a very hie place where the chiefe learned men eat dranke vntil he and thei were dronke And in his merye mode he commaunded those viii.c Pharisies prisoners to be brought forth to be haÌ„ged euery man of theÌ„ vppon gallowes before him at which sight he dronke laughed hartely After this he fel sick the xxiiii yere of his raigne of a greuous disease a quartan ague that held him thre yere yet for all this he shronke not nor letted to go to the war to encounter fight with his enemies what nation so euer they were of round about him as though he had ben a hole man In the xxvii yere of his raign which was the third of his sicknes he made an expeditioÌ„ into the land of Moab against a certain city called Ragaba to get it bi force At which time he was very sicke and weake wherfore his wife Alexandra the Quene wente with him fearinge least he shuld die by the waye And as be encamped him self against the city and vrged it sore with assaultes his sicknesse increased vpon him more and more Wherfore his wife perceiuinge that he was like to die wept bitterly before him said To whoÌ„ shal I be so bold as to shew my face wheÌ„ thou art once dead seing thou haste wroughte such mischief vpon the pharisies whoÌ„ all the lande fauoureth and foloweth their traditions obeiyng their institucions If they shal be disposed to wreke them selues vppon me and thy yonge children they shal haue aid of all that dwel in the laÌ„d The king answered Wepe not nor shew any reseÌ„blance of peÌ„sifnes I wil tel the what thou shalt do if thou wilt folow my counsell thou shalt prosper and raigne thou and thy children as thou woldest desire Be it that I die there is no man in the world nede know therof Tel thou euery maÌ„ therfore that aske for me that I am sick wil not that ani maÌ„ shal come at me In the meane while anointe season me with balmes fight with a courage against this city til thou win it then return to Ierusalem with ioy and beware thou put on no mourninge apparail nor weepe but bringe me into Ierusalem and laye me vpon a bedde like a sicke man and after call together the chiefe of the Phariseis bryng them where I am and speake vnto them gentilly in this sort Alexander hath bene euer your enemy I knowe it very wel wherefore take him if ye list and cast him into the fire or to the dogges or bury him it shal be at your choise I knowe wel they are pitifull men and so ful of merci that they wil bury me honorably and shall apointe some one of my sonnes whoÌ„ they like best to be king The Quene did therfore as she was instructed of the king Whan she had won Ragaba she ioyfully returned to Ierusalem after that gathered together the elders of the Pharisies and spake to them as the king had aduised her The Pharisies hearing the king was deade and that his bodye was in their handes to do withal what they liste they answered the Quene God forbid we shoulde do this vnto our Lorde the annointed of God He was the king and hie prieste what though he were a sinner yet his deathe shal be an expiation for him of al his iniquities Therfore we wil bewaile him and mourne for him yea we wil cary his coffen our selues vpon our neckes and burye him as it becommeth a kinges magnificence and so they did The time that he reigned was .xxvii. yeares After him reigned his wife Alexandra in his stede for the Pharisies after they had finished the .vii. daies of the mourning they comitted the kingdoÌ„ vnto her She had .ii. sons by the king the elder was called Hircanus the other Aristobulus Hircanus was a iust man righteous but Aristobulus was the warrioure man of prowes besides that of a familier louing countenance He fauored also the learned men folowed their instruction But Hircanus his elder brother loued the Pharisies On a time therfore when the Quene sate in the throne of her kingdom she called the auncients of the Pharisies before her honoured them commaunded to release set at liberty al such Pharisies as the king her husband her father in lawe had cast in prison and taking the pharisies by the handes she commaunded all Israel to obey their ordinaunces TheÌ„ made Hircanus her sonne hie prieste and Aristobulus lieueteuaunte of the warres She sent also to al the landes that her husbande and father in lawe had subdued and demaunded the nâ—ble mennes sonnes for pledges which she kept in IerusaleÌ„ So the lord gaue vnto the Quene quietnesse froÌ„ al that were vnder her subiection She gaue also the Pharisies
authority ouer the learned sort puttinge them into their handes to ordre at their pleasure Wherupon straight way they founde one Dogrus a greate man amongst the learned sort whom they stewe much people besides of the auncients of that sect so that the Sectaries were in great distresse Thei gathered them selues together therfore and came to Aristobulus the lieutenaunt of the warres and with him they came to the Quene saiyng vnto her Thou knowest the enmitie that is betwene vs and the Pharisies which hate thy busband and father in lawe yea and thy children also We were his men of warre that went with him in all his affaires and ayded him now thou hast geuen vs into their handes to bee murdered and banished out of the Lande What will Hartam kinge of Arabia dooe when he heareth this that we shall forsake thee He wâ—â— come and reuenge him of all the battaile that thy husband fought agaynst him Yea the Pharisies will take his parte and deliuer thee and thy children into his handes that there shall not be left vnto Hircanus the kynge and his sonne Alexander thy husbande anye name or remnant at all The Quene gaue them no word to answer wherat Aristobulus was angrye and letted not to vtter it to his mothers face but she would not heare him Wherefore Aristobulus counseled the Sectaries to go their waies and depart oute of Ierusalem to chuse them cities in the laÌ„d of Iuda where they mighte dwel with their honor not to suffre them selues to be slain vnder the Pharisies hands Wherfore departing from Ierusalem they dwelte in the cities of Iuda Not longe after this it fortuned the Quene fel sore sicke that she was like to die Wherof when Aristobulus heard he feared least the Pharisies wold make his brother Hircanus kinge and at length apprehende him wherefore he fled away by night to the cities of the Saducies to be their heade and make war vpon his brother if he would presume to reigne He came therefore to the Prince of the Saducies called Galustius who was a good man of war And after he had gathered a stronge armye of the Saducies his mother the Quene sent vnto him that he shoulde returne vnto her which he wolde not do but rather went to war vppon the nacions that dwelt about him where he wan .xx. cities and gate him great renowne therby Now as the Quene his mother waxed sicker and sicker the chiefe Pharisies came vnto her with her sonne Hircanus weping before her and saiyng how they were afraid of her sonne Aristobulus who if he should come into Ierusalem take it he would deliuer them vp into the handes of the Saducies Vnto whome she answered I am as you see at the point of death not able to talke much with you there is here in my house great treasure that my husbande and my fathered gathered and their pareÌ„ts kings of the posterity of Chasmonani take that vnto you and make my soÌ„ne Hircanus king ouer you If Aristobulus wil perturbe him and make warre againste him ye may wage menne of war therwith and succour him as you thinke good And euen with this she fainted and died and was buried amongst her people after she had reigned .ix. yeare ouer Israel The Pharisies therfore and priestes with all the inhabitantes of Ierusalem made Hircanus her sonne king in her stede Aristobulus hearinge tidinges of these thinges assembled his army and came toward Ierusalem to fight against his brother But Hircanus met him and encountred with him nye vnto Iordane Iericho The Saducies of Aristobulus hoste were good men of warre and to strong for the Pharises Wherfore Hircanus the Pharisies had the ouerthrow at Aristobulus and the Saduces handes who with this victorye proceded forth to Ierusalem besieged it brought it to great distres Wherfore the priestes and the aunciente of the people consulted together came forth to Aristobulus fel prostrate vpon th earth afore him and besought him that he wold not scatter abrode the inheritaunce of the Lorde He condiscended vnto their desires vpon these conditions that he should enter into Ierusalem with them and be kinge and his brother Hircanus shoulde be the hie priest Wherunto they agreed Then as Aristobulus entred into IerusaleÌ„ his brother came out of the sanctuary to mete him and with embrasings he kissed him So Aristobulus was king Hircanus executed the office of the hie priest The Lord also gaue Israell rest and peace for a while But afterward the Lord sente an euil spirite amongst them which was the cause of translating the kingdoÌ„ from the stock of Chasmonani and of the destructioÌ„ of his posteritye For the sonne of Hircanus the great and the sonne of Alexander his sonne in that they shed so much innocent blud drue Israel froÌ„ thobedience of the Prophets vnto the lies trifles of the Saduces For thus it chauÌ„ced The Saduces bet into Aristobulus heade that as long as his brother Hircanus liued he nor his kingdome could neuer be stablished Wherupon Aristobulus deuised how to make awai Hircanus Which thing a certain maÌ„ called Antipater was aware of a maÌ„ of most power in al Israel therto also a wise expert learned man in all wisdome both in the lawes in the knowledge of the Greke iust of his word prudent if ani strauÌ„ge or new matters chauÌ„ced His ofspringe was not out of the children of Israell but of those Romaines which chauÌ„ced to be vainquished became subiect vnder the dominion of the Israelits being but strauÌ„gers of no noble house in Israel Phaselus He had iiii soÌ„nes Ioseph his eldest the nexte Pasilus the third Herode the .iiii. Pheroras These had also a sister called Salumith Antipater fauoured Hircanus so intirely for his iustice vprightnes sake that he opened vnto him him his brother Aristobulus the Saducies intent geuing him counsel to flee to Hartam king of Arabia but Antipater him self went before to breake the matter to HartaÌ„ of whose comminge Hartam was very glad Then Antipater declared to him how Hircanus kinge of Hierusalem was in minde to flee vnto him because of Aristobulus his brother If thou wilt helpe him saith he and let him haue speedy aide thou shalte easilye set Aristobulus besides the kingdome for all Israel is inclined to Hircanus and fauoure not Aristobulus Hartam answered I am afraied of the Iewes and their wilines Alexander his father put mee thrise to the foile in battail by his subtiltie and toke my dominioÌ„s from me TheÌ„ Antipater sware vnto him He shal be saith he thy true trustye frend to do what soeuer thy hart desiereth Thus HartaÌ„ was perswaded they made a league together Then Antipater returnyng to Hierusalem caused Hircanus to flee in the night and they both went together to the king of Arabia who muche reioyced at Hircanus commynge and receiued him honourably When they came together to entreat of the league Hartam
been for the wickednes that her doughter had coÌ„mitted thinking suerly to please the king by that meanes and to bleare his eies if peraduenture he might suffer her to liue til she might haue oportunitie to poison him Marimi thus going to execution helde her peace and looked nether to the right hand nor to the left nor yet feared death any thing knowing that she was innoceÌ„t in dede and thought and therfore God would reÌ„der her a good rewarde in the world to come Wherfore she bared her necke without feare and thei cut of her head sheding the innocent bloud But God made no delay in punishing the same for there fell a sore plague and pestileÌ„ce in the house of Herode so that his chief seruauntes his noble women and concubines died sore therof Yea throughout all Iudea reigned the pestilence vehemently whiche affliction all Israell knew well ynough chaunced vnto theÌ„ for the bloude of Marimi They cried therefore vnto the lorde saiyng Wilt thou forthe offence of one man deale so cruelly with the hole congregacion The lorde toke pitie therfore vpâ—â— the lande and withore we the plague from the people The king repeÌ„ted him also that he had shed bloud without cause and loue so grew in his harte that he was sicke and at deathes dore Then Alexandra Marimies mother soughte meanes how to poyson hym Whiche being vttered vnto the kynge he commaunded to apprehende her and to kil her In this maner dealt Herode with all the posteritie of the Machabees leauing none aliue that were called by the name He put to death also Ioseph the busband of Salumith The king hadde two sonnes Alexander and Aristobulus by Marimi his wyfe They were both at Rome when their mother suffered for their father the king had sent them thither to learne the Romain toÌ„gue When thei heard tidinges of their mothers death they wepte and mourned for her hating their father for his rcueltie Sone after the king their father recouered of his sickenes was established in his kingdome builded stronge cities and rose to great prosperitie In the. â—iii yeare of his reigne there fell a great dearth in the lande wherfore the kinge tooke out of his treasure muche gold and siluer and precious stoones wherwith he sent into Egipt and procured plentie of corne and refresâ—hyng with bread all that lackt and was in distres of huÌ„ger yea he spared not his owne propre goodes And not onely to the Israelites shewed he this liberality but also to all that came vnto him out of other straunge nations hearing of his renoume Moreouer in all his warres he had good fortune Besides thys he thought it good to renew the house of the sanctuary wherupon he deliberated with the Israelites to haue their aduise for the building of it after the same quantitie and measure that Salolomon king of Israel builded it For the Iewes returning from captiuite in the time of Coresch Cirus began to build it after the measure the Coresch prescribed theÌ„ not as it was afore The people of Israel hearing that the king was purposed to pul down the teÌ„ple to the grouÌ„d and buylde it a freshe they made hym none aunswere fearing left whan he had pulled it downe he would not bee so hasty to builde it vp againe But the the king perceauing what they feared in their mindes saide he woulde not flack the matter nor reste till he hade brought it to passe He said moreouer that he would take out of his treasure plentie of gold and syluer and geue it to grauing also precious stones stones of Thasies marble To the carpenters also and masons he would deliuer timber stones gold siluer brasse iron to make all thinges necessary to the woorke Wherefore if he pulled downe the house he was able to builde it streight waies again So he pulled downe the house and repaired it again and finished it in length a hundred cubites in bredth lykewise a hundreth cubites and in height a hundreth cubites all of white marble so that the whole height of the stone work was in all a hundreth and .xx. cubites For the foundacion was .xx. cubites within the grounde and a hundreth aboue The breadth of euery stone was .xii. cubites and the thicknes thereof .viii. cubites euery stone was of like bignesse The gates of the house he couered with fine gold and precious stoones finely sette therin the thresholdes were of siluer the tops also He made also a vine of gold a marueilous cunning pece of worcke the armes therof or bigger braunches were glittering gold the lesser braunches slips or latest shutes of gold sumwhat red al aboue was yelow gold wherupon hong clusters of cristal The vine was so great that it weied a thousaÌ„d pound weight of pure gold In all the world was not the like to be seen He made also a porche before the porche ii walles of siluer marueilous cuÌ„ningly wrought Behind the house toward the west he made a court of .c. l. cubites loÌ„g and a. C. in bredth whiche was paued with pure marble Toward the south north the length of the court was also Cl. cubites a. C. in breadth He erected in it also C. l. pillers of white marble in foure orders The length of one order was fortye cubites and euerye piller was .xl. cubites hie and three cubites thicke The pillers were all of like measure as the court of the north side and of the South was also of like measure with al the pilloures thereof Toward the east the court conteined D. ccxx cubites euen to the broke Cedron No man euer se the like building in all the world In the extreme partes of the courts he made also walkes and and galeries of such height that they the walked therin might easily se the waters running in the broke Cedron by the space of a cubit Betwene the porch and the house also as though it were a vaile or perticion the king made a wal of siluer of halfe a handful thicke In the which was a dore of beaten golde and vpon the gate a sword of golde of xii pound weight There were certain poses grauen in the sworde as this VVhat straunger so euer approcheth nie her let him die for it So the things that Herode made in the temple were wonderful nether was there euer hard of in all the worlde any king that was able to make suche a building When the worke was finished the king sente to Sarons his pastures for his Cattell from whence were broughte him thre hundreth yonge Bullâ—ckes and verye many shepe accordinge to his Princelye estate So then they dedicated and and halowed the house with great â—oy and gladnesse There was one certain day in the yeare when as the kinge was euer accustomed to make a greate feast to all his court to al his nobles sages in Israel Against that self same daye the kinge was mineded to finishe his workes whiche made bothe him
in his Vyal But the seller tolde him not what it was before he hadde bought it and paide deare for it Then whispered he in his eare tellinge him that it was a strong poison that would kil one out of hand This Vyal Antipater sente to Pheroras to be kepte vntill he retourned from Rome In the meane season Pheroras died and his wife hidde the Vyall After when Antipater came home againe from Rome Pheroras wife and he fel at variance insomuche that she obiected vnto him that he was the cause that Pheroras was banished the kinges presence the sorow wherof was his death On the other side Antipater went aboute to accuse her sowinge discorde betwene her and the king to stirre him against her He suborned also a certain Ennuch or gelded parson to go vnto the king and informe him howe that at what time as he tooke displeasure with Pheroras his brother and banished him his presence Pheroras procured a strong poisō and gaue it to his wife commaunding her to destroy the king therewith The king hearinge this was wrothe with the Ennuche and saide I searched for that venom longe a go when it was noysed that my housholde seruauntes would geue it me to drinke but I could not finde the thinge to be true Yea I haue bene to rashe in such matters for I put my wife Marimi to deaths without a cause and Alexandra my mother in law with my two children When Antipater heard that the king credited not the Ennuche he made sute to the king to send him to Octauian the secōd time for he was a fearde for the Viall that was in Pheroras wifes house He had writen also with his hande howe that he sent it intending therewith to poison the kinges sonnes children But he that prepareth a pit for another oft times falleth into it him self So desiring the kinge to sende him he let him go After this the kinge commaunded to make searche if the Ennuches woordes were true or no he sente firste for all Pheroras housholde seruauntes examined theim whether euer they coulde perceiue that Pheroras was in minde to hurte him They all sware no. Then the king cōmaunded to scourge them verye fore but they confessed nothynge althoughe some dyed vnder their handes in the examination Some he ordered with diuers kinde of torments of some he caused to pluck oute all their teethe And as he hade scourge a certaine woman seruaunt which hadde bene verye trusty to Pheroras at length when she could no lēger stand for strokes she cried out and said The holy blessed God reuēg vs of Rostios the kings wife Antipaters mother Dosis Antipaters mother which is cause of this The kinge hearyng these wordes bad let her alone she will disclose all Then spake shee Antipater made feasts euerie foote for thy Brother Pheroras and him selfe and as thei eate and dranke they deuised how to poyson thee specially when as Antipater was going to Octauian For thei said Except we destroy him he wil destroy vs as he hath done al the children of his house Moreouer he loueth the children of his sonnes that were put to deathe whiche grow apace and it is possible he maye chaunge his minde and make one of them kinge Antipater also said to thy brother The king makes as though he were much my frende but I trust him not He gaue me saith he a. C. pounde weight of golde but all that satifieth not me When the kinge heard this he told how he had geuen Antipater this gold secretely The woman said moreouer There is yet a Vyal of strōg poison in Pheroras house that thy sonne sent out of Egipte Streightwaye the king sent to Pheroras wife that she shoulde bringe him the Vyall of poison her own self When she espied the kings Ennuches come to fetche her whether she woulde or no she gate her vp to the top of the house and cast her self downe headlonge to kil her selfe because she would not see the kinge nor abide his tormentes But she died not therof whereuppon the kynges messengers brought her in a horse litter and set her afore the king Then she confessed vnto him how Antipater his sonne had cōspired with Pheroras to kil him with a strong poyson that he had bought in Egipte and sente to Pheroras when he want to Octauian And how that Pheroras being at the point of death repēted him therof charging that we shuld neuer geue that venome to Antipater but poure it out vpon the ground that the king mighte not be poisoned therewith and I did as he bad me cast it out al saue a litle that I kepte in the glase botome for I euer feared that whiche is now come to passe Then at the kinges commaundement the Vyall was broughte forthe before him and there was a litle of the venome left wherefore they gaue better creadite to her wordes so that the king was contente with her and bad his Phisitions heale her and she recouered This done the king write to Antipater to come home with spede because I am old saithe he weake vncertain how shortly I shal dye The kinge had yet also two other sonnes at Rome Archelaus Polimus So whē Antipater writ to answer his fathers letters he signified vnto him that his .ii. sōnes had diffamed the king and slaundred him vnto Octauian But the king answered him come and brynge them with thee I wil order them as thou thinkest good Notwithstandinge Antipater dalied delaied for the space of .vii. monethes to se if he might learn somwhat of his fathers doings but he could heare nothing The messengers that his father had sent lay vpon him euery day drged him to make spede Therfore at the .vii. monethes ende he toke his iourney towardes Iudea and came to Cesarea There hearde he that his father had taken displeasure with his mother and banished her the court◠but he coulde not learne what shoulde be the cause therfore he was strokē in such feare that he woulde haue gone backe again and left his iourney But they that waited vpon him beinge desirous to go home to their houses family crafted with him and perswaded him that if he shuld now return backe out of his waye he shoulde iustifye his enmies saiyngs to be true But if thou come once to thy fathers presence saye they who loueth the so intirelye thou shalt preuaile againste thy foes and get the vpper hande of them that trouble thee So he folowed their counsell and came to Ierusalem Whē he entred into the city no mā came forth to meete him nor once to bid him welcome home For al the people hated him for his lies slaūders peruers wicked coūsel but chiefly for fear of the king Yet went he forward to the court although with a fearful heart When he came to the kinges presence he fell downe and did his dutye but the Kinge turned away his face and could not abide to loke vpon him He went home
therfore to his house with a heuy hart hanging downe his head and hidynge his face There his mother toâ—de hym how their counsaile concerning the viall of poyson was bewraied and howe the king was wonderfully incensed towardes him that encreased yet his fear more and more The next daie by the kings coÌ„mauÌ„dement he was broughtâ— forth before al the chief of Israell asseÌ„bled together the king sate to iudge Antipaters cause There rehearsed the king vnto theÌ„ his sons lewdnes lies how he had seduced him stirred him to kil his children that wer of the king bloude farre better and more vertuous then he in so much that with a loude voice the king burst out and bewailed his wife Marimi whoÌ„ he put to death without a cause and his two Sonnes that they that were far of might heare him Then Antipater lift vp his head and began to speake craftely and subtilly First he forgote not to geue gentle words to pacifie his fathers wrath but that he coulde not do After he fel to intreatie in such sort that all the nobles were moued to pity and bewailed his euill Fortune not without teares saue only Niraleus the kings serretary who loued the kinges children that were put to death He rebuked them al that were sory for the calamity of Antipater crying with al his might wher are ye Alexander Aristobulus that were slaine giltlesse Lift vp your heads behold this bloudy wicked man fal into the pit which he him self made see how how his foote is catched in the net that he laid his selfe for other Marke ye not how your maker reuengeth your death and requireth yourbloude at his hande in the time of his destruction For the wicked man is spared vntil the time of his death So the king him selfe verye much infensed sent to fetch a condemned person oute of prisone who beinge brought before them and tasting a litle of the poison in the Vial fel down starke deade forthwith Then the kinge commaunded Antipater to be caried to prison to be laied in the strongest irons The .xl. yeare of his reign which was the .lxx. yere of his age kinge Herode fel sicke no remedy no phisicke could be found to helpe him Nether his seruauÌ„tes nor phisiciaÌ„s could procure him any rest so greuously came his disease vpoÌ„ him with lacke of breth through the anguish of the manifold euils that had happened vnto him by his owne folke Wheâ—upon he cried out saiyng Woe may he beâ— that hathe none left to succede him in his kyngdome nor none to go before his Coffin and mourne for him at his death Then called he to his remembraunce his wyfe Marimi and his two sonnes rehearsynge them by name howlyng and wepyng styll continually Vpon a certaine daye when his sicknes came sore vpon him he called to his seruauntes to fetche him some pleasaunt apple to see if he myght comforte his hearte and when they had brought it he axed for a knife to cut it one was brought hym Then he gathered his strength vnto him and rered hym selfe vp vpon his left arme and perceyuyng his lyfe to bee full of sorowe and lamentacion he tooke the knyfe with his right hande and fetched his way to thrust it into his bely But his seruauntes stept to him and caught his arme holdyng his handes and woulde not suffer hym to dooe it Then wepte he sore and all his seruauntes that the voyce was heard out of the courte and shortly all the cytie was in a sturre sayinge the kynge is dead the kynge is dead Antipater being in the prison heard the noyse and asked what busines is this they aunswered hym the kynge is dead Then was he glad and reioyced wonderfullye saiyng vnto the Iayloâ—â—â—â— Strike of mine irons and let me dute that I may go the palaice and Iwyll remember thee with a good turne â–ª The keper answered I feare least the kinge be yet altue I will go therfore know the truthe and come againe by and by Antipater saw he coulde not get loose wept for anger at the keper So the keper came to the court which as it was tolde to the king he commaunded him to be brought to his presence Then the kinge asked him What did Antipater I pray thee when he heard this mourning and that I was dead The keper answered He was verie glad thereof and when I woulde not smite of his irons and let him out he wept for anger The king crted out vnto his lords See howe he hateth me beinge yet in prison if he were here he would dooe what he could to kill me He would not doe as my seruauntes did make haste to wrest the knife out of my hande As true as God liueth he shal neuer haue that he gapeth for So the king commaunded he shoulde bee put to death And there was neuer a maÌ„ that wold intreatâ— for him or desier the kinge to the contrary but euery man was glad of his destruction The king commauÌ„ded the kepar to bring him forth to the market place whiche dooen his head was smiten of and so he lepte besides his purpose The kinge commaunded moreouer his body to be taken and caried to the citie of Ankalia there to be buried and not in the citie That done HircaniuÌ„ and the people returned from the buriall the king sent to call al the nobles of Israell together and enforsinge his strength he sat vp in his bedde and coÌ„maunded to call his sonne Archelaus vpon whome he layde his handes and made him kinge ouer Israell Then showted euery maÌ„ God saue the king god saue the king The king liued .v. dais after the execution of Antipater then fainted died The time that he reigned ouer Israel was fourty yeres He was a worthy warriour a wise a prudent man a goodly man of persone hauing God on his syde He loued euer the sages Hillell and Samai with their companies He enriched the seconde house more then all other kinges and was more liberall then all the kynges that were before him His giftes and rewardes were ryche for he counted gold and syluer as chaffe stones He kepte Israel in quiet and peace from al their enemies He buylded also a more royal temple then did kyng Salemon But he made the yoke of tribute and exaction in Israell heuier and gaue open eare to euill tonges He was a cruell bloudshedder of poore and innocente persones He willed before his death that they should bury hym in the citie Erodion twoo daies iourney and a halfe from Hierusalem So they put him in a coffin couered with gold sette here there with precious stones The bed vnder him was wrought with gold ful of precious stones Likewise vpoÌ„ his head was a cloth of reines powdred with precious stones vpon that a royall crowne made fast to the left syde of the coffin vpoÌ„ the right side was the regall scepter Vpon the beare was also a clothe
of reines very thicke powdred with precious stones cristal amethists and very many saphyres Then all his chief men of warre went about him in their coates of fence drawen swordes in their handes with helmes on their heades as in time of warre After theÌ„ came Archelaus his sonne that was made king Then folowed him all the people There were fiftie of his seruauntes that wente aboute the beare with euery man a chafing dishe of gold in his hande wherin they burnt swete woodes and perfumes euery foote casting vpon the herse pure miâ—rhe as many as went aboute hym He was borne by certayne great lordes noble meÌ„ of Israel vpoÌ„ their sholders going leasurably and with a maiestie til they came to ErodioÌ„ where they buried him with great honour that like was neuer done to any king These thinges done there resorted together suche as hated him were wery of their owne liues whiles Herode liued reioysyng that they hadde scaped his haÌ„des saying we haue loked till our eies bleared waytinge for the death of Herode that tirant and bloud sheder that oppressed vs with such heauy yokes left vs nothing to liue on for the great tributes taxes that he layd vpon vs. Yet now Archelaus his sonne is worse then he Wherfore thei coÌ„sulted together cast their mindes good willes toward Antipater the sonne of Salumith the kinges sister one of the bloud of Chasnonani and went with him to Oct. Augustus requesting him to translate the kingdom from Archelaus to Antipater but he woulde not graunt theÌ„ their sewte Yea rather he coÌ„firmed assured the kingdom to Archelaus Who wrought wickednes in the sight of the Lord for he maried his brother Alexanders wife that had children by Alexander coÌ„mitted other many great offences The .ix. yeare of Archelaus reigne it chaunced vpon a night he dreamed a dreame Him thought he saw .ix. eyres of corne very good full grow vpon one stalke theÌ„ came a great oxe and slopt them vp all at once at one bit by and by he waked and perceiued it was a dreame Therfore calling one of the Sages or Pharisies vnto him he shewed them his dreame The wise man said This is the interpretacioÌ„ of it The nine eyres freshe and ful be the .ix. yeres which hither to thou hast raigned The great Oxe is the great kinge Octauian Augustus This yeare thou shalt be remoued from thy kingdoÌ„ because thou hast neglected the worde of God hast maried thy brothers wife To this Archelaus answered him neither good nor bad Within fiue dayes after Octauian came toward IerusaleÌ„ and when Archelaus weÌ„t to mete him he put him in prison deposed him from his kingdom of Israel made Antipas his brother kinge in his stede He turned his name also called him Herode That done he returned to Rome whiles Antipas was king died themperor Octauian Augustus the .lvi. yere of his reigne Tiberius Cesar succeded him This Antipas also wroughte wickednesse and sundry abominations more then any that was afore him for he toke his brother Philips wife froÌ„ him which had al redy childreÌ„ by Philip. For this shamful deds rabbi Ihon the hie priest rebuked him Ihon baptist wherfor Antipas put him to death There was at that time one Iesus a wise man if it be lawful to cal him a man Iesus Christ for he was a worker of woÌ„derful straunge workes a teacher of such meÌ„ as gladly did heare the truth had many disciples both of the Iewes also of the geÌ„tils This maÌ„ was Christ whoÌ„ after he was accused of the chiefe rulers of our natioÌ„ condeÌ„ned bi Pilate to be crucified thei neuerthelesse ceased not to loue which loued him euen froÌ„ the beginning To these he appeared the. 3. day aliue according as the prophets by deuine inspiratioÌ„ had told before aswel of this as also of many other woÌ„derful thinges which should be done by him And eueÌ„ vnto this day the christiaÌ„ sect which toke their name of him doth coÌ„tinue Against this maÌ„ Antipas of whom we spake before came Tiberius Emperour of Rome to whoÌ„ whan Antipas resorted he appreheÌ„ded him laid him in irons sent him into Spaine where he died Archelaus also that was deposed before died in the time of this Tiberius reign TheÌ„ Tiberius made Agrippa the soÌ„ne of Aristobulus whoÌ„ Herode put to death Antipas brother king in his stede The time that Antipas reigned ouer Israel was .xi. yeres In Agrippas time died Tiberias Cesar Caius succeded him This Caius called him selfe a god and would suffer no man to worship anye thing in his empire but him self He coÌ„tinued not loÌ„g in his digniti but decaied died After him succeded Claudius Claudius beinge deade Nero Cesar was emperor Agrippa reigned ouer Israel xxiii yeares In his time Nero sore oppressed Israel by setting cruel presideÌ„ts ouer theÌ„ left them nothing to liue vpoÌ„ besides that punished theÌ„ with diuers tormentes vntill at lengthe they were constrayned to rebell agaynste the Romaine Empire and Nero Cesar to rid them selues from vnder his subiection And aboue all other one Pilus president and captaine of the Romain armye mooste greuouslye oppressed the Iewes and had done many things very wickedlye For not only had he shed innocent bloude rauished at his pleasure wifes and deflored maides in the cities of Iuda but also robbed with great cruelty euery man of his goodes It chaunced that Beronice king Agrippas sister came at that time to Ierusalem of deuotion to visit the holy place She seing Pilus violently to oppresse the people and for paiment of exacttoÌ„s and tollage to flea many of them euen at the entrance of the temple she came forthe wepinge vnto Pilus besechinge him to be fauourable spare the people for she pitied them very greatli Yet Pilus relented nothing but wheÌ„ she was departed from him he flouted mockt her although she were the kings sister that in the temple of the Lord. There was present at that time a valeant yoÌ„g man Eleasar sonne of Ananie the hie priest He whiles his father was executing his office could not abide to se the Israelites so ordered at Pilus handes but being enkindled with a ferueÌ„t zele souÌ„ded a troÌ„pet wherby there asseÌ„bled about him forthwith diuerse coÌ„panies bandes of yong meÌ„ good warriours by whose aid he raised a great coÌ„mocion encountred with Pilus the Romainsouldiours of whome he made a great slaughter preuailing much and getting at length thupper haÌ„d of Pilus ouerthrew al his host so that Pilus was constrained to fle alone out of IerusaleÌ„ vnto Egipt In the way as he fled he chaunsed to mete with kinge Agrippa coÌ„ming from Rome from Nero Cesar and going home into Iudea to whome Pilus declared what had happened him thorow the youth of the Iewes at Ierusalem And as Agrippa had passed Egipt and drue toward Ierusalem his sister Beronice directed her letters vnto him
Darius the other Philippus with sixe thousand men to succour those elders and sages that were desirous of peace These preuailed against Eleasar and the sedicious that tooke his parte made a great slaughter of them skirmishing for the space of seuen daies together and at the length put them to flight and pursewed them to the temple From that time forthe the warres incresed more more betwene Eleazar and his complices and Agrippas with his hoste and the Sages elders princes that toke their parte Vppon a time when the captaines of Agrippas entred the temple certaine cut throte murtherers waged by the sedicious mixte theÌ„ selues amongst the kinges bandes and getting behinde their backes wounded them with short daggers that they had hid vnder their iackes so that the kinges souldioures hauing launces and great armed swordes in their handes such as they vse in the warres could not weld them in the prease by this meanes many of them were slain and the seditious gate the victory Thus Darius Philippus with the Romaine army were put to flight the elders with the Sages that were desirous of peace departed out of the towne and fled to kinge Agrippas Then had Eleasar and the seditious the hole rule of the city and that to al their great damage For the fury of the seditious increased to such outrageousnes that thei set a fire king Agrippas house that he had in HierusaleÌ„ spoiled al his treasure al that was any thing worth thei deuided amongst theÌ„ Thei burnte his bokes of accompts billes of debts euerychone that were in his palaice Beronices house also the kings sister thei set on fice and thei slue al the cunning artificers that were masters of the kings works So their rule and power in the citie grewe euery daye more and more greuous then other IN those dayes dwelt the Iewes Aramites together in all the Cities of Siria amongst whom also warre was moued for the Cesarians brought the Romaines into the towne againste the Iewes slue theÌ„ as mani as thei could finde in the towne The Damascians also conspired together to distroy al the Iewes that dwelt amongst theÌ„ which thing thei kept secrete froÌ„ their wiues bicause for the most part thei fauoured the Iewes religion Therfore the Aramites vppon a certaine night armed for the purpose beset all the waies and entrances into the towne the houses also and slue about .x. M. of the Iewes commynge vppon them at vnwares when they were in their beddes nothinge mistrustynge any such matter WheÌ„ the Iewes of Hierusalem heard howe the Aramites had dealt with the Iewes in their countrey sodainly they put them selues in armes and in a fury and rage like as it hadde bene Lions beares that had lost their whelps they ranne to Damasco burnt their holdes slew the Damascians with the sword man woman childe eueÌ„ the very sucking babes yea their oxeÌ„ shepe camels asses with all other cattell leauinge none aliue And thus they dealt wyth many cities of the Sirians sleing and killynge them not sparyng either olde or yonge male or female but distreyinge all in most cruell wyse euen the the verye infantes and sucklyngs they haled from their mothers breastes and murthered them in so muche that all the whole Lande was full of stenche of the deade bodyes that were slayne for there was no man left to burye the carcases So the Iewes wasted all the laÌ„d of the Aramits had destroied it had not Castius a captaine of the Romains deliuered Siria the countrey of Zofa The people therfore departed wholly froÌ„ Aram to return into Iudea in the waie thei came bi Scithopolis a citie of Siria entending to besiege it for it was yet left vntouched was verie strong At that time also Iewes and Aramites dwelt together in it The Iewes therfore that were without offred peace to the Iews the dwelt in the town but thei refused it and defied them railinge at them and for their frendly offer acquited them with opprobrious wordes with inâ—uries also For those Iewes that dwelt in the foresaid citie with the Aramits loued together like brethren and for the more parte thei were of the Leuitical tribe stoute men and hardy The hoste of the Iewes without the citie saide vnto them Wee come frendly vnto you and would aide you The other Iewes within annswered Wee will neither your frendship nor aide The armie of the Iewes hearing that coÌ„sented and agreed to raise their siege to goe to Hierusalem and there to remaine For thei had a huge bootie of goulde and siluer that they had gotten together of the spoiles of Siria After this the Sirians that dwelt in Scithopolis saide one to another Putcase the Iewes returne agayne make warre vpon vs surelye if they shoulde so do these Iewes that dwell amongest vs would ioine with them and deliuer vp the Citye into their handes and then woulde they be reuenged vpon vs and distroy vs as they haue done the other cities of Siria Therfore they agreed to saye vnto the Iewes that inhabited the citye with them Wee vnderstand your countrey men will inuade vs again and make warre vpon vs wherfore departe ye forthe of the citie wyth your wiues and children and lodge in the woode nie vnto the citye till their armye be gone againe and then you shal return vnto vs. The Iewes were content to fulfil their mindes weÌ„t out of the citye and placed them selues in the woode There was amongst them a certaine yonge man named Schimeon a good man of watre fearce bigge made and verye stronge withall he in fauoure of the gentiles had slaine manye of the Iewes and solde muche of the people of God For duringe the time that the Iewes besieged Sithopolis he issued oute continuallye and skirmished with the host of the Iewes many times puttinge them to flighte and neuer would suffer them to waste the towne or to do anye harme to the inhabitauntes thereof Nowe as this Schimeon with his father Saule an honest old man and the reast of the people of the Iewes that dwelte in Scithopolis remained all together boldly in the woode withoute mistrustinge anye harme the Romaines ioyned with the Sirians in greate nomber entred the woode and slew the Iewes all that euer they could finde to the nomber of .xiii. thousande Schimeon him selfe with his father and their families had pitched their tentes nie vnto a faire fountain that was in the woode to whome when their ennemies came to slea them and to destroye their hole families Schimeon ranne vpon them with his drawne sweard made a great slaughter of theim and constreyned them to retire But when as a huge multitude inuironed him and he perceiued that all the reaste of the Iewes were slaine and he with his housholde onlye remained nether sawe he anye waye to escape he stepte vppon a little hyll wyth hys naked swearde sayinge Harken vnto me ye Sirians and Romaines and ye that dwell
some of vs be taken by the Iewes like as Iosephe is prisoner at this present with vs When Vaspasian heard his sonnes wordes it pleased him and he spared Ioseph not sufferyng him to be slaine but committed him to a certaine capitaine of his and earied him about with him through the cities together with kinge Agrippa After this Vaspasian remoued his caÌ„pe to Talmida which also is called Acho and from thence he went to Caesaria a great citie When thei of the citie saw Ioseph thei cried vnto Vaspasian kyll him kyll him or else he will one daye be an occasion to stirre great Warres against thee But Vaspasian woulde not heare theim Tidynges came to Vaspasian that they of Iapho inuaded the Isles that were subiecte vnder hys dominions with a nauie roauynge to spoile them Vaspasian therfore commaunded to laye in wait for them that they might be met withall So there was an ambushe laied withoute the towne and it came to passe that when the pyrates were gone out a roauyng Vaspasian entred the towne and toke it because their Souldiours were absente When the Citizins retourned with their Nauie and sawe the Romaines in the Citie they laboured to arriue and set a lande but by and by a huge tempest and a mightye storme droue all their Shippes againste the Rockes that were in the Sea shoare for there was no Hauen for Shippes and there they were loste manye of of them suche as swamme to Lande the Romaines slue them They that were drowned in the sea and slaine by the Romaines were in noumber .iiii. thousande good men of warre besides them were slaine in the town .xl. thousand all Iewes THis done Vaspasian set forth Valericus and Taribus two Romain captaines with his sonne Titus who wente besieged and wan the townes of defence that were in Galile And thus did Titus vse them they that yelded vnto him he saued their liues and who soeuer withstode him he slewe More ouer all the cities that belonged to Agrippas in Galile he restored them vnto him againe only Tiarua excepte which he vtterly raced and slue all the mankind specially such as were apt to the warres sold also their wiues children And this was the only city in all Galile that Titus shewed such rigor extremity vnto Vaspasian departinge thence toke his iorny to Gamala whiche is a citye vpon the top of a mountain The name therof is called Gamala of an Hebrue worde Gamal that signifieth to quite or to do a good turn because it is the best citye that belonged to Agrippas and the inhabitantes thereof were all verye riche The citye also called Selencia was not farre from it situated a country replenished with good townes Gardens brookes and all kinde of frutefull trees Agrippa besoughte Vaspasian that he woulde not destroye this citye let me go firste saithe he and offer them peace peraueÌ„ture they will take it that they may saue their liues from destruction Vaspasian was intreated sayinge vnto him go and do as thou wilte for to honoure thee I will doâ—e so muche for thy sake So Agrippa wente to them and spake frendlye and peaceablye vnto them and they receiued him in lyke manner but they mente deceite sayinge Thou arte oure LORDE and kinge to whome therefore dothe all that is of anye price to be desired in all Israell belonge but vnto thee therfore come neâ—e vnto vs and debate the matter with thy seruaunts Agrippas crediting their wordes came harde to the citye and as he listened to them that talked with him one cast a greate stone froÌ„ the wal which light iust betwene his shoulders and brake his backe with one of his armes also with suche violence that it stroke him prostrate to the grounde But his seruauntes stepte to him toke him vp and caried him to Vaspasian Who seinge him so sore hurte sware he woulde neuer go from thence til he had taken the city ordered them in like manner as he did Tiarua to leaue neuer a maÌ„ a liue ther in The Romaine Phisitions did bestow suche diligence aboute Agrippas that they cured him Vaspasian in this rage against the Selucians because thei had wounded the kinge besieged and assaulted them The Iewes within the towne encouraged one an other saâ—ing let vs sticke to it nowe and playe the men for we haue none other hope to saue our liues seinge we haue thus ordered the king Certain stout men of theÌ„ therfore issued encountring with the Romaines made a great slaughter amongst theÌ„ After that the Romains addressed their engines planted their iron Rammes that they brought with them against the walles and by that time night came battred a great parte therof down to th earth that Vaspasian and much people with him might enter at their pleasure But Vaspasian gaue commaundement to his armye that they should not enter that nighte into the towne but stande and coÌ„passe the walles vntil morow that they might see howe to win it Notwithstandinge they wold not be ruled by him but entred then the Iewes came vpon them drue the stretes with chaines and closed the waies of the city entrappinge them in such a sort that they coulde go nother one way nor other after set vp on them and bette them downe euen there so that they were all slaine saue a ten men that fled with Vaspasian a captaine named Butius one of the best men of war in all the Romaines army him the Iewes pursued and slue But Vaspasian his fled to the mountaines that he might be there in sauegarde And from thence he sent to Titus his sonne that was in Siria for the Romaine army that he had sent with him into Persia whiche Titus led into Iewrye SHortlye after Vaspasian gathered souldioures and repaired his armye ioyned with Agrippas companye and returned to Selencia wan it slue them euerye manne leauing none aliue and afterwards wente to other Cities of Galile and tooke them seruinge them in like sorte After that he came to the citye called Nascela whiche was a walled towne and of all the townes of defence throughe oute all Galile none lefte but it Thus he besieged because thither were resorted manye cutthrotes and wicked persones withoute all feare of GOD suche as were Robbers and rouers of the lande of Iudea Emongste whome was a certaine manne named Iehochanan learned wise and prudente speciallye to do mischiefe a wittye counselloure and of suche eloquence that he coulde perswade cunninglye and disswade menne from that they had purposed Besides this he was a murtherer readye to shedde bloude and to do any mischief a great robber and one that euer gaped after other mens goodes By whiche meanes he was become verye riche wherefore there resorted vnto him all vaine persones mansiears rebels and ruffains like him self geuynge hym large rewardes that they mighte be of his fraternitie his brethren and adherentes and he to be their heade Titus was sente to this citye by his father to offer them
maner that whan the ennemies marched to ioyn battail the Iewes he wold run vpon them with such force make slaughter of them that spite of their hartes he woulde driue them to retire and by that meanes his body was full of skarres of wounds and his face and his head wonderfullye mangled with the woundes that he had reâ—eiued in battails that he had ben in for the people of the Lord. Yet now because he wold not folow the most cruel villaines minde Iehochanan and take his parte Iehochanan commaunded him to be apprehended and broughte before him and when he was come said thus vnto him Make thy wil set thy house in a stay confesse thy self vnto the Lord for ther is no way with the but deathe and so they led him out of the town to kil him there least there shoulde be anye businesse about his death if they had put him to death within the towne for all the citizens of Ierusalem loued him he likewise loued them When they wer come to the place of execution Gorinion fel downe afore theÌ„ besoughte them with teares in this wise Seing ye haue so determined the ye wil nedes slea me when as notwithstandinge I haue committed no crime nor anye thinge offended and that ye will in no wise spare me although I be innocent as you know wel inough your selues yet I beseche you let me obteine this one thing at your haÌ„ds that you wold do so much at the least wise at mi request as to bury my body other fauour I desire not They made him answer If the hadst not spokeÌ„ vnto vs therof we had thought to haue done it for so we were determined with our selues But now seing thou art so bolde as to demaunde this of vs we wil flea thee but buriall gettest thou none thy body shal be cast forth vnto the beasts of th earth fouls of thair Gorion yet besoughte them to the contrary vntil the most cruel Iehochanan stroke him siue him and after threwe out his bodye to the beastes of the field this done they retourned into the city VAspasian in the meane season drue nâ—e IerusaleÌ„ for he had pitched his tentes at Cesaria where he vitailed his army and paide his souldioures greate wages wherefore they taried in that city manye daies for when Vaspasian vnderstode of the ciuill warres in Ierusalem he said vnto his people let vs make no haste to besege Ierusalem til suche time as they haue slaine one an other amongste them selues and so at length their pride will be pulled down when as they see them selues waste awaye with ciuil warres hunger and thurst For Vaspasian was a wonderful wise man in all affaires of warres and his wisdome neuer tourned him to more commoditye then in this denise onlye So he soiourned at Cesaria with his men many daies The people of Ierusalem made warre vpon Iehochanan and his complices vntill innumerable of them were destroied some of them were slain with swordes some the seditious stickte with shorte daggers For certaine of the sedicious caried short daggers secretly vnder their garmentes wher with they wold come sodenly vpon an honest and iust man thrust him to the hart that he shold faldown dead in the place without know ledge who stroke him So by thys meanes what with swordes in open fraies what with daggers secretlye very manye of the people were flaine and far mo that way then by the Romaines in so much that now very few citizens were lefte aliue Thus whan Iehochanan had gotten the vpper haÌ„d of the city he made an army out of Ierusalem to go and take the cities that had made peace with Vaspasian whiche they sacked and raced to the grouÌ„d and who so euer they founde in them Romaines or Iewes they flue them Yea Iehochanan went with them him self to aid the spoiling and cariyng away al the richesse that they founde in them They toke also the city Gerara that stode beyonde Iordane where as they remained Then the inhabitants of Ierusalem both priestes elders and the reast of the people seÌ„t embassaders to Vaspasian to desire peace with hym and succoures againste Iehochanan his wicked rabble which dailye in the towne flue very many of the people of God The citizens also of Gerara sente embassadours vnto Vaspasian saiyng If thou wilt be Lord ouer the lande of Iudea and the citye of Ierusalem and desierest to assure the rule thereof and establishe it vnto thee theÌ„ harken vnto our counsaile and come vnto vs without delaye to deliuer vs from the handes of Iehochanan and the wicked sedicious persones that with all their might endeuour to spoile al our goods and to get the dominion ouer vs oure wiues and children to none other purpose then by that meanes to distroy vs vtterly that no remnaunt of vs should be left If so be it thou wilte come and valiauntlye withstande them with thy power wee will also fight agaynste them within the towne till they be all flaine and then thou shalt be our Lord. And that done thou maiest go to Hierusalem without anye impediment or hinderaunce of any man for they also of that citie desire the same and would gladlye become Subiectes to the Romains When as therfore Vaspasian hearde the peticions of the Citizins of Gerara he tooke his iourney thither to succour them and deferred to go to Ierusalem But Iehochanan heard of his That done he retourned to Cesaria to take muster of his hole army and prepare to go to besiege Ierusalem But in the meane season came purseuants from Rome and brought him worde the Nero the Emperoure was deade and how that as he was a huntinge in the country the fire of the lord came down from heauen and fel vpon him that he died of it After whome reigned Galba not one half yeare for afore it was fully ended he was slaine by the noble meÌ„ of Rome and Vitellius created in his stede a fole yet a sore cruel man much geuen to drunkennesse so that he was in all points vnworthy of the Romain empire The noble men of Rome that were with Vaspasian hearinge this greatly disdained at the matter said Was there neuer a noble maÌ„ of Rome left to be placed in the Empire but ye muste chuse a dronken wine souffer Why did ye not rather elect the mighty prince Vaspasian that is here with vs a sage and wise man therto also moste valeaÌ„t one that coÌ„quered many cities and vanquished many nations those moste fearce What puissante kinges hathe he subdued vnder the Romaine empire howe farre and wide hathe he enlarged the dominioÌ„s of the Romains And now wheÌ„ as the empire ought to haue bene bestowed vppon Vaspasian or some one like vnto him and none such could be founde amongst you ye bestowed it vpoÌ„ a fole and a blowbole dronkard wherein ye haue done verye vndiscretely Well thempire of Rome shall haue a better emperour one day and God saye Amen
Wheruppon the princes that wer there cast their heads together and decreed to proclaim Vaspasian Emperour Therfore with one consent they wente vnto Vaspasian said vnto him Thou shalt be our head for the Empire belongeth vnto suche a one and thou shalt haue the dominion ouer vs. But Vaspasian refused to take it vpon him and would in no wise consent vnto them Notwithstanding thei compelled him and placed him vpon a throne of maiesty settinge an imperiall and far mo that way then by the Romaines in so much that now very few citizens were lefte aliue Thus whan Iehochanan had gotten the vpper hād of the city he made an army out of Ierusalem to go and take the cities that had made peace with Vaspasian whiche they sacked and raced to the groūd and who so euer they founde in them Romaines or Iewes they slue them Yea Iehochanan went with them him self to aid th◠spoiling and cariyng away al the richesse that they founde in them They toke also the city Gerara that stode beyonde Iordane where as they remained Then the inhabitants of Ierusalem both priestes elders and the reast of the people sēt embassaders to Vaspasian to desire peace with hym and succoures againste Iehochanan his wicked rabble which dailye in the towne flue very many of the people of God The citizens also of Gerara sente embassadours vnto Vaspasian saiyng If thou wilt be Lord ouer the lande of Iudea and the citye of Ierusalem and desierest to assure the rule thereof and establishe it vnto thee thē harken vnto our counsaile and come vnto vs without delaye to deliuer vs from the handes of Iehochanan and the wicked sedicious persones that with all their might endeuour to spoile al our goods and to get the dominion ouer vs oure wiues and children to none other purpose then by that meanes to distroy vs vtterly that no remnaunt of vs should be left If so be it thou wilte come and daliauntlye withstande them with thy power wee will also fight agaynste theim within the towne till they be all slaine and then thou shalt be our Lord. And that done thou maiest go to Hierusalem without anye impediment or hinderaunce of any man for they also of that citie desire the same and would gladlye become Subiectes to the Romains When as therfore Vaspasian hearde the peticions of the Citizins of Gerara he tooke his iourney thither to succour them and deferred to go to Ierusalem But Iehochanan heard of his comminge wherefore he slue the chiefe gouernoure of Gerara gate him oute of the town with his companions and toke them to their fete determining to fle into a certaine wode Vaspasian hauinge knowledge thereof made oute after them sending one Pologarus who ouertoke them made a great slaughter of them And in his return toward Gerara vpon Iordane side he light vpon muche people going to Ierusalem that they mighte escape together with the Sedicious Them Poligorus droue backe vnto the riuer where he slewe .xiii. thousand of them the reaste leaped into Iordane and were drowned to the number of lxxxxii thousand men wemen and childrē with much cattel that were all drowned together in the riuer in so much that the chanell of Iordane so stuffed and stopt with dead bodies the waters rise and ran ouer the banckes here and there into the fieldes and plaines yet at the length the waters encreased and bare the carcases downe the riuer as farre as the sea of Sedom which is the sea of pitch other wise called the salt sea al the bankes of Iordane lay ful of dead bodies After this Vaspasian toke his iourney from thence went into the land of Edom where he wan two stronge cities the one called Lagarith the other Cephar Toch and slue a ten thousande of the people therof leading the reaste away into bandage From thence he disloged and came to a towne called Chamath Gedi whiche he subdewed In this citye were wel springes of heat waters from whence the hoate bathes of Tiberiah haue their originall The naturall Philosophers and Astronomers of that countri hold an opinion that these are the heades of all the hoate well springes in that hole countrye Departinge from thence he came to Samaria and wanne it Then repaired he againe all the townes that he had subdued and made vppe their walles placinge garisons therein to aide him what time he should besiege Ierusalē That done he retourned to Cesaria to take muster of his hole army and prepare to go to besiege Ierusalem But in the meane season came purseuants from Rome and brought him worde the Nero the Emperoure was deade and how that as he was a huntinge in the country the fire of the lord came down from heauen and fel vpon him that he died of it After whome reigned Galba not one half yeare for afore it was fully ended he was slaine by the noble mē of Rome and Vitellius created in his stede a fole yet a sore cruel man much geuen to drunkennesse so that he was in all points vnworthy of the Romain empire The noble men of Rome that were with Vaspasian hearinge this greatly disdained at the matter said Was there neuer a noble mā of Rome left to be placed in the Empire but ye muste chuse a dronken wine souffer Why did ye not rather elect the mighty prince Vaspasian that is here with vs a sage and wise man therto also moste valeāt one that cōquered many cities and vanquished many nations those moste fearce What puissante kinges hathe he subdued vnder the Romaine empire howe farre and wide hathe he enlarged the dominiōs of the Romains And now whē as the empire ought to haue bene bestowed vppon Vaspasian or some one like vnto him and none such could be founde amongst you ye bestowed it vpō a fole and a blowbole dronkard wherein ye haue done verye vndiscretely Well thempire of Rome shall haue a better emperour one day and God saye Amen Wheruppon the princes that wer there cast their heads together and decreed to proclaim Vaspasian Emperour Therfore with one consent they wente vnto Vaspasian said vnto him Thou shalt be our head for the Empire belongeth vnto suche a one and thou shalt haue the dominion ouer vs. But Vaspasian refused to take it vpon him and would in no wise consent vnto them Notwithstanding thei compelled him and placed him vpon a throne of maiesty settinge an imperiall crowne vppon hys heade whiche he woulde haue put alwaye and pulled of wyth his hande because hee woulde not be Emperoure Wherefore the Romayne capitaynes drewe out their swordes and saide Thou shalte be Emperour and raigne ouer vs therefore refuse it not if thou dooe thou shalte dye vppon our swordes Vaspasian therefore seinge hym selfe constrained beynge afrayed of hys lyfe he was contente to suffer hym selfe to be proclaymed Emperour Then all the Armye was sworne vnto hym and he sate vpon the royal seat as emperour and king of kinges THE Ciuill
in suretye of my life as longe as I am in thy company and thy sonnes seing Agrippas his sonne innocently put to death by you Gaesar answered Holde thy peace Ioseph I neuer loked for anye goodnesse of Arippas and hys sonne Thou knowest not what they had wrought against my maiestie and how thei wente about to rebell Thou hast brent their bones with thy hands Doest thou not know how I honoured him and his sonne in Iewrye howe I woulde not suffer mine armye to annoy anye of his Cities I aunswered Yes I knowe it was so as your maiestie saieth Then saied he but for all this hath Agrippas requited me again with euill For what time as the nobles of Rome in Iewry went about to make me emperour thinking me somwhat more mete to rule thempire then Vitellius Agrippas persuaded wyth thē that they should not make me Emperoure affirmynge that there was nothinge in me worthye wherefore they shold promote me to that dignitie And after when he came to Rome he wente from one bishop to an other and caused them go to the hye bishop to accuse me of suche crimes as in my conscience I knewe nothinge at all By this I perceiued that Agrippas heart was ful of rancour and rebellion therefore I iudged him to death For vvhere as vvickednes is there it is mete that condigne punishment should not be slackinge And I put his sonne to death likewise For the sonne of a traytoure ought not to liue vppon the earth because that in his hart remaineth the vvorke of his father being conceiued and borne of a rebellious sede But I haue founde thee alwaies faithful and true and therfore I commend my sonne to thy wisdome With this he commaunded my yrons to be taken away from me and beinge released and at libertie he set me honorably amongst the Princes and Senatours Then saied I vnto him Is not this a great dishonour vnto me that I shoulde be deliuered from my bondes and neuertheles the Israelites that be with me to be kept in prison still Now therefore if I haue founde fauoure in thy sighte and if thou wilte do any◠thinge at my sute loose the bonds like wise of al the rest of the Israelits that be with me set them at libertye also and thou shalt be assured that I wil be thy faithfull counselloure while my life lasteth and an ennemye to thy foes to make warre vppon them that assaile thee Vaspasian graunted Iosephe his request and willed them to be let at libertye as manye as were prisoners with Ioseph Shortlye after sente he Ioseph to his sonne Titus that abode at that presente at Alexandria in Egipt to whome he writte concerninge Ioseph in this wise I send vnto thee here my beloued sonne Ioseph a prince of the Iewes a manne of experience trained in warre in whome is greate wisdome he shal be thy father and faithfull counselour thou shalt not do against his counsel nether one way nor other for he is a wise man Wherfore thou shalt reuerence and honoure him accordinge as he is worthye for the Lorde his God is with him and beleue not rashly anye man that shall defame Ioseph vnto thee Yea rather put him to deathe streighte waye that will accuse him for Ioseph is a faithfull man and a good counselloure and who so is ruled by his counsell shall haue prosperous successe in that he goeth aboute Therefore when Ioseph shall come vnto thee after he hathe refreshed him selfe a fewe daies of the laboures and trauailes of the sea then shalt thou prepare to take thy iourney againste Ierusalem to besiege it And if the Iewes receiue the peaceably and wil submit them selues vnder the Romain empire then beware thou endamage them in nothing but rather repair their cities let them be fre frō altribute for the space of .ii. yeares yet of this condition that thrise euery yere they sette a flagge with the armes of the Romaines vppon their wals that is to say at their thre solempne feastes when as all the Israelites are wonte to resort to Hierusalem to appeare before the Lorde their God Moreouer they shall offer for vs euery feast a sacrifice vpon the most holy alter that is in Hierusalem And if they refuse to make peace with thee thou shalt vtterly race their townes and whosoeuer is left aliue and escape the sworde those shalt thou leade away captiue If so be it they desire to haue Ioseph to be their king we are content therwith In any wise remember to be ruled by Iosephs counsaile he shall be thy father thou his sonne After this Ioseph departed from Rome and came to Alexandria to Titus who hearinge of Iosephs arriual was wonderous glad and al the auncient and wise men with him For Iosephe was full of the spirite of wisedome vnderstandyng counsaile valiauntnes knowledge and feare of God Wherfore he went forth to mete hym accompanied with the captaines of the Romains armye receiued him with great honour Then Ioseph deliuered to Titus his fathers letters Whiche Titus hauinge red saide vnto Ioseph What so euer my father hathe written in these letters I would haue done thē by mine own accord but now that my father admonisheth me of the same I ought to do it the more Wherefore remaine here with me and I will be thy sonne and thou shalt be my father to rule and gouerne me with thy counsel So Ioseph abode with Titus at Alexandria a hole moneth after he came from Rome Then consulted they together to go to Ierusalem and besiege it for Ioseph vnderstode wel inoughe that this came of the Lorde and that his vvorde could not be letted nor hindered Titus therfore and Ioseph with him departed from Alexandria withal their army and pitched their tentes at Nicopolis from thence they came by water to Thanisa so forthe to Iraclea and leauinge that came to Pelisis From thence they trauailed through the desert to Baale Iouim after that to Dicron so to Gaza next to Askelon then to Inboam after to Iapho and so to Cesarea In these iourneis he wan Asam Askalon Iapho withall their townes and castels lying about them THe first yeare of the reign of Vaspasian December the tenthe moneth and senenth daye of the same came Titus with Ioseph and his armye to Cesaria a famous citye built by king Herod In this city he soiourned vntil his hole host were come together as wel of Romaines as of other natione that were vnder the dominion of the Romaines and came to aide them in the siege of Ierusalem Therefore Titus armye was wonderful huge and puissant wherewith he aboade at Cesarea til the could of winter was paste and the moneth of Af drewe nye Iulye The same yeare the ciuil warres grew and encreased in Ierusalem for the Citizens slue one an other withoute anye truce reaste or quietnesse no not in winter when as warres were wonte to cease but sommer and winter both the warres neuer
the .iii. time ye haue approched the wals this is the .iii. time ye haue ben slain for your labours And al this coÌ„meth bicause ye wil not be ruled by me but transgresse your generall lords coÌ„mauÌ„dmeÌ„t But now mi brethreÌ„ take hede what ye do herafter it becometh you not to rebel agaiÌ„st mi words which yet ye haue done ofteÌ„times Do ye not remeÌ„bre a certain nâ—ble man of our couÌ„try in the wars of Augustus Caesar against the Persians how he put his own son to death bicause the contrary to his fathers commaundemeÌ„t who was grand captain of the army vnder Augustus he had fough with his enemies yea although he kild iii. PersiaÌ„s But what speke I of once ye haue oftentimes set life by my coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts skirmishing dayly with the Iewes that without al discretioÌ„ rashly out of order wherthrough your coÌ„flicts can haue no good successe If you coÌ„tinue these maners it shall redownde vnto your owne dishonours Wherefore it were better for you to leue of this and lay away your pryde contumaâ—ye and stubburunesse whiche if ye dooe thinges shall be in better sauegarde Muche more spake Titus to his men rebuking them sharpely not mencioned here but declared at large in the volume that wee writ vnto the Romains When he had said his princes and captains fel euery one prostrate to the earth besought him of pardon for their rashnes in that they had so vnaduisedlye and without order against his mind encofitred with the Iewes Then Titus taking pitie of theÌ„ pardoned them requesting theÌ„ to be ware herafter that they coÌ„mitted nothing agaiÌ„st his coÌ„maundmeÌ„t nother in word nor dede so doing theâ— shold haue his fauour auoid his displesure dauÌ„ger of deth for the coÌ„trary But if thei refused to do it whatsoeuer he wer the shold traÌ„sgres his coÌ„maundmeÌ„t he wold not spare him but put him to death geue his body to be eateÌ„ of the fouls of thayre They aunswered all with one voyce We are content with these condicioÌ„s and wil do what so euer thou shalt coÌ„maunde vs. After this Titus considering howe earnestly the Ierosolimites were set one againste an other howe they were become such cruel and morâ—al enemies that eche of them conspired others death he caused the pittes cesterns and trenches that were about Ierusalem to be damde vp and stopte with earthe that the waies mighte be leuilled for his army That don he enâ—aÌ„pt him self nearer the wals Against whiche attempte the Iewes issued not out of the town after their accustomed manner to put them backe from the walles For Schimeon was otherwise occupied he had enterteined ten thousande men of the best of the seditious Iewes and ioyned him selfe to Iacob the Edomite captaine of .ix. thousande Edomites with whome he had made a conspiracy vtterly to destroye captaine Iehochanan And settinge vppon him they coÌ„pelled him to flie into the courte of the temple where he remained in the gate of thentrance of the temple with eight thousand and .iiii. hundreth good men of war al wel appointed in â—acks Eleasar also was against him and ioyned with Schimeon becomming an enemy to him that before had saued his life and so they both together aâ—â—ailed Iehochanan neglectinge the defence of the towne By this meanes the Romaines encamped them selues aboute the walles at their pleasure raisings toures and castinge trenches to plante their iron Rammes vpon to batter the wals The coÌ„mon people of the Iewes that were vnder the rule and gouernment of the three seditious captaines namelye Schimeon Eleasar and Iehochanan which although they were ill inough al yet the tiranny of Iehochanan far passed Schimeon Schimeon was far worsse then Eleasar thoughe Eleasar was the head author and firste beginner of sedicion in al Israel were amongst them as she pe redy to be killed For the forsaid sedicious captains slew the people at their pleasures and deuided them into bandes casâ—yng lots vpon them who should haue which so that one had anothers men another man his And this did they not onelye with their owne men but also with al the rest of the people in suche wise that when the Romains made any assault then ioyned they together as one man to resist the Romayns wheÌ„ they had geuen them a repulse then wouldthey returne to their câ—uel warres fal together by the eares among them selfes Extreme and dreadfull was the ciuyll conflict at that season betwene the thre foresaid captains and so sore that the bloude streamed downe the chanel out of the gates of Hierusalem like as a broke that runneth out of a fountayne and well sprynge The Romeynes seinge it were moued with much pitie that they wept bitterly But Ioseph that was amongst theÌ„ was striken with so great heauinesse that he burst out into a sorowful lamentation liftyng vp his woful voyce in this wise ALas alas Ierusalem the citie of the great kinge howe shail I now call thee at this daye or what name shal I geue thee Sometyme thou wast called Iebus of Iebusaeus that builded thee first in all thys lande After that thy name was Zedek that is iustice wherupon thy kinge Iehoram was called Malkizedek for hee was a ryghteous kyng and because he raygned in thee wyth sustice therefore was thy name Zedek Then ryghtuousnesse hadde his abidyng in thee and thy bright starre that shined in thee was Zedek Moreouer in his time was thou called Schalem as the Scripture witnesseth and Malki zedek king of Schalem and that because the iniquitie of the people that dwelte in thee was then fulfilled For at that tyme chose Abraham oure father of worthye memorye to worship god in thee and to take thee to his enheritaunce to plant in thee the rote of good woorkes Whereupon the tabernacle of God remayneth in thee to thys daye as it was reuealed vnto the same our father Abraham In the say His the sanctuarye of the Lorde For in that place did Abraham binde his onlye Sonne vpon the toppe of one of thy hilles that is called mount Moriah holy and halowed and therfore art thou called Ierusalem because oure father Abraham of famous memory called the place of thy sanctuary Adonai ijreeh the Lorde shall see Then thy late name beinge Schelem this ioyned to it made it Ijreshalem For the Lord God shall behold the place of thy sanctuarye at what time as it shal be Schalem that is pure vncorrupte without lacke or spot but wheÌ„ so euer it is polluted and defiled as it is at this daye then wil he turne awaye his face from it Furthermore thou arte also called Ierushalaim therfore because that who so vnderstande the dignity and worthinesse of the place wherin thy sanctuary is shall bid the angelles of heauen to teache in it the doctrine of the holye ghoste and the spirite of wisdome and vnderstanding wherwith litle childreÌ„ and the vnlearned in thy lande may be made wise He also that ministred in thy
perswaded him selfe most certainly that he should promote him to the life light of the lord for as much as for the loue of God at his coÌ„maundement he should haue killed him Wey the thing that Ioschiiahu the iust kinge did who settyng at nought this wretched life aspiring to euerlastyng felicitie would not auoyde the ieopardye of hys lyfe when as as he might haue done it For althoughe Pharao Necho said he came not against him but against the kinge of the Chaldeis yet wold not Ioschiiahu heare him but rather procedinge againste Pharao in armes was slaine in the battaile and went vnto that great lights in the garden of paradise which is the lot enheritance of the iust We know that in this world no maÌ„ receiueth the reward of his righteousnesse but it is laid vp for him in the otherworld where he shall reape the frute of hys righteousnesse that he hathe sowne in this world Nether dothe longe life in this world profit a maÌ„ to thobtaining of euerlastinge blisse excepte he worke righteousnes lead his soule forthe of darknes into light like as coÌ„trariwise shortnesse of life hindreth no maÌ„ from euerlastinge happinesse if so be it hys soule haue no defecte in those thinges that pertein to the world to come For Abell whiche was slaine of hys brother liued no longe life yet whan he had ended it he obteined euerlastinge rest But Kain that liued longe in thys world was a wanderer a runnagate in this earth and after this life weÌ„t to perpetual miserye Nowe therfore my brethren if we also shal liue anye longer our life shal be a miserable life and our daies daies of vanitye and trauel yea our soule as long as it shal remain in this body it shal be tossed with great â—râ—bulation but if it once go forth then shall it reioyse and neuer be afraide And all the dayes that it is in the bodye it neuer linneth weepinge and mourninge for it is the spirite of life whiche is hedged in within the bodye sinnewes bones and other members none otherwise then if it were bounde with chaines The spirite is also that which quickneth the fleshe that is takeÌ„ of the duste of the earthe for fleshe can not quicken the spirite Besides this the spirite is that which obserueth and marketh the fleshe and searcheth the workes therof so longe as it is in the body Yea the fleshe can not se the spirite but the spirite seeth the fleshe alwayes neither is there anye member of the bodye hidde from it The eyes also of the bodâ—e caÌ„ not perceiue what time the spirite resorteth to the fleshe and departeth from the same for the spirite of manne whiche is hys soule is from heauen but the fleshe is taken from the earthe Wherefore the soule maye remaine withoute the body but not likewise the bodye wythoute the soule and when the spirite comes to the flesh it visiteth it as a neighbour is wonte to goe and see his neighboure and quickeneth it and when againe it departeth from it the fleshe dieth and if the soul wil folowe the desires of the fleshe then thys is the deathe of the soule but if it geue no eare vnto the fleshe then shall the soule come to the lighte of life and the fleshe shall dye Wherfore the soule is glad wheÌ„ it departeth out of the body like as one that hath bene bound is wel apaid wheÌ„ he is dimissed oute of prisone for all the while that the soule is kept closed in the flesh it is as it were a slaue in mooste hard greuous bondage vnder a hard master Therfore wheÌ„ it departeth froÌ„ the body it is glad because it muste go to the garden of paradise thus ye see that in this life the soule is compared to a bond seruaunt slaue Much more then this did he reason of thimmortality and blessednesse of the soule before them whiche we haue omitted here when he had done that he lamented wept moste bitterlye for the case of the city of Ierusalem saying VVhere is now the city of IerusaleÌ„ that great populous city where is that most beautiful citye of SioÌ„ that holy city which made merye the whole earth Oh thou worship of Israell the mirthe of our heartes whither is thy glory come where is thi magnificence O Ierusalem where be the hils of the doughter of Sion where be her kings and princes where be the kinges that were wonte to come to inquire of her welfare in her gates where are her sages and elders her yong and most vavaleaunt men which were iocund and mery in her stretes vpoÌ„ her sabbathes festiual daies where is her famous sanctuarye the dwelling of thalmighty god where is the house of Sanctum sanctorum the habitacion of holinesse wherin no man might set his fote but the hie priest whiche in all ages onlye once a yeare entred into it But now O Ierusalem thou wast once replenished with people renowned amoÌ„gste kinges beloued of God in thee was established the seate of the kingdome of â—ustice and iudgemente whose streetes were paued with moste precious marble whose walles glisterd and shined with the same stone whose gates euerye one were plated with golde and siluer whose wals were builded with great stones moste honorablye whose priestes in the middes of the sanctuary like to angels of God and princes of holinesse with sacrifices and burnt offerings made the lord louing to thee thy people How art thou now stuffed ful of slaine men and carcases whyche haue pearished some by the sword som by famin and how are thi sonnes that dwelt in thee the straungers also the resorted vnto thee to honor thy feastes fallen now in thee How art thou fallen from the hight of thy pride how art thou set a fire and brent euen vnto thy foundations and art left desolate solitary What eye is so hard that can beholde thee what hart so stonye that can abide to see thee How art thou become a buriyng place of carkases and how are thy stretes made void and destitute of liuing creatures they whiche heretofore were replenished wyth liuing are now stuffed with dead How hath the ashes of fire couered thee that the sunne can not come at thee Howe do the aunciente men which in times past did sit in the midst of thee in the seat of wisdom iuogment and iustice now they sit by the carcases of their childreÌ„ to driue awaye crowes and beastes froÌ„ theÌ„ hauing their hoar heades be syrinkled with dust ashes in stead of their glorye And those wemen thy doughters that are lefte they remaine in the houses of theÌ„ that made thee desolate not that they may liue but to be vnhalowed and polluted who shall see all these thinges in thee and shal desire to liue rather then to die who knowing thy magnificence that thou haddest of late and nowe shall see thine ignominye and the dishonour of the same wil not chuse
to dye And woulde God we had bene dead before the we might not haue seene in thee thy reproch or who would bring to passe the we might lacke eyes that we shuld not be compelled to see these mischeues the are in the mids of thee And behold we liue a most sorowful life for our enemies eueÌ„ now afore we be dead cast lots vpon our sonnes daughters to deuide theÌ„ amoÌ„gst theÌ„ to be their seruaÌ„tes handmaids When Eleasar had ended this lamentacion he spake to the people that was w e him thus NOw therfore brethreÌ„ frends take pitye of your selues your wiues children with old men which he with you let theÌ„ not be led into boÌ„dage with out al merci the they be not coÌ„streined to mourn vnder the haÌ„ds of their enemies for if ye do this ye leese withoute all doubte all places that are prepared for you in the world of rightousnesse neither shall ye haue any part in the light of life But rather with your owne handes kil them thus if ye wil do they shal be couÌ„ted as sacrifices most accdptable vnto God and that done we wil after issue out vpon oure enemies and fight against them till we vse valeaÌ„tly for the glory of the lord for we wil nener suffer them to bind vs with boÌ„des and cheins as bond slaues in the handes of the vncircumcised Nether wil we se our aunciente men to be haled by the berdes before our eyes most miserably nor yet oure maides wifes and doughters to be vnhalowed and defloured nor oure sonnes criynge to vs and we can not helpe them for what shal oure life auaile vs after that our land is desolate our sanctuary pulled downe the Romains rauishe our wiues doughters before our eyes and oppresse oure sonnes with a most greuous and hard yoke Nowe therfore it is better for vs to kil al our wiues and childreÌ„ whose bloud God shal accepte thankfullye as the blud of burnt offerings after â–ª we wil issue out vpon the Romains fight til we be al destroyed die for the glory of the Lord our God These menne therfore wente and gathered together their wiues and doughters embrased 〈◊〉 and kissed them saying is it not better for you to die in your holy country honorabli then to be led away into houdage with great ignomini shame into the landes of your ennemies and be compelled to die before the idols of the gentiles These saiynges wheÌ„ the people had beard thei droue forth that night in great sorow and pensifenesse weping and makinge great lamenâ—â—cion but they all confest with one accorde that they had rather chuse to die then liue Therefore assone as it was daye â–ª Eleasars companions killed their wines and children caste their bodies into the â—esterns and welles that were in Mezirah couering and stepving theÌ„ with earth Afterward issued Eleasar the priest forth of the town withal his meÌ„ and â—orced a battel vpon the Romains of wheÌ„ the Iewes killed a great forte and fought so long till they al died maÌ„fully for the Lord God BUt Titus left a remnaunt of Israel in the citye Iafnah and the villages thereabout and in the estye Bitter and Aossa their villages in whiche place Rabban Iochanan sonne of Sakkai was appointed chief Bonian the priest yonger brother to Iosephe the Prieste was put in authority by Titus for Iosephs sake ouer al the Iewes which were at Ierusalem At the same time was Rasch bag a prince of Israel put to â—â—ath â–ª and Ischmael soÌ„ne of Elischa the 〈◊〉 priest Moreouer Titus was minded to haâ—â— put Rabban Gamaliel father of Raâ—chbag to deathe but Rabban Iochanan sonne of Sakkai made sute for him and obteined to saue his life This Rabban Iochanan was he that came forthe of Ierusalem in the beginning wheÌ„ Vaspasian father of Titus came firste against Ierusalem whoÌ„ Vaspasian honoured greatly in so much as when he returned to Rome he commended this Rabban Iochanan to his sonne Titus comaunding him to honor him for he perceiued he was a verye wise man Titus reigned two yeares after he had taken Ierusalem and died He was a very eloquent man expert in the Latin and Greke tong writ diuers workes in both the tonges He loued moste intirely iustice and equitye for he wasted the city of Ierusalem against his wil being compelled therunto Yea all the mischiefe that came vpon it happened through the malice and noughtinesse of the sedicious as we haue touched before And thus far of the warres of the second house ¶ Thus endeth the destruction of Ierusalem Nn. ii ⧠The ten Captiuities of the Ievves i. THE Israelites were ten times led into captiuitie foure times by the handes of Sanherib and foure times by Nabuchadnezar once by Vaspasian and once bi supersticious Adrian First inuaded them Sanherib â—â—ennache â—â—b and traunsposed the Rubenites the Gadites and the halfe tribe of Manasse He toke awaye also the golden calfe whiâ—he Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat had made He ledde them into Halah Habur to the floud of Gozan and to the cities of the Medes This captiuitie was in the time of Pekah the sonne of Remaha ii The second Captiuitie Hoscha the sonne of Ela remained and slew Pekah the sonne of Remalia Afterwarde he became the seruant and subiect of Sanherib seuen yeares Then came Sanherib the seconde time and caried awaye the tribes of Aâ—ar Isachar Zebulon and Naphtali of whom he let go free onely one of euery eight He tâ—ke away also an other calf that was in Bethel iii. After the death of Ahaz raigned Hiz kiahu his soÌ„ne in his steede four yeres Hezekia the fourth yere of whose rain Sanherib came and entrenched Samaria beseging it .iii. yeares and at lengthe roke it in the vi yeare of the raigne of Hiskijahu So led he awaye the Israelites that were in Samaria the tribe of Ephraim and Manasse This is the .iii. captiuity iiii When Nabuchadnezar had reigned viii yeares Sanheriâ— perauenture he made warres againste Ierusalem bringynge wyth hym the Chuteans heretikes out of Babilon E. thiopia Hemates Auim and Sepharuauim and as he warred vpon Iudea he toke in that countrye a. C and. l. cities in the which there were .ii. tribes Iuda and Simeon whome he toke with him caused them forthwith to be led into Halah Habur vntil the king of the Ethiopians rebelled againste him whose kingdoÌ„ was on the hinder parts of Egipt Then taking Iuda Simeon with him he made war with the king of Ethiopia So the holye and blessed God placed them in darke mountains He re was foure captiuities whereby ten tribes went into crile by Sanherib There remained yet of Iuda Cx. thousand and of Beniamin Cxxx. thousand in Ierusalem ouer whoÌ„ raigned Hizkiahu Moreouer Sanherib came out of Ethiopia againste Ierusalem the fifte time leading with him Cx. thousand but the holye Lorde ouerthrewe hym there as it is written And the angell of the
answered nether good nor bad From that daye forwardes there was perpetual hatred betwene Alexandra Marimi and Kiparim the mother of Herode Salumith his sister that came of base seruile blud For Marimi cast in their teethe to their faces that they wer not of the sede of Israel but vnholy of base birth Notwithstāding Herode loued Marimi as his life wherfore he would neuer displease her as lōg as she liued nor say so much to her as whi saiest thou so These thinges done Marcus Antonius a noble mā of Rome next vnto Octauian Augustus kinge of kinges being sent by Augustus to war vpon the kinges of the west countries raigned in Egipt by the prouocation of his wife rebelled against Octauian Augustus made war with him both by sea land And forasmuch as Egipt is nie adioyninge to the lande of Israell Herode ioyned with him and helped him For Marcus Antonius had aided him before in such sorte that no kinge durst meddle with him for fear of Marcus Antonius Wherupon whan Marcus conspired againste hys prynce and master Herode aided him with an army with horsmen and with shippes also against Octauian In which warres Octauian gate the victorye slue Antony and all his people comming by ship to the Isle of Rhodes so into the land of Egipt Herode hearinge that Marcus Antonius was slaine and that Octauian Augustus was come into Egipte he fainted for feare of the displeasure of Octauian Yet at lengthe he tooke hearte vnto him prepared a royall presente to be caried afore him and folowed after him selfe to Octauian Augustus And setting forwardes he called Ioseph the husband of Salumnith his sister whome he made chiefe of his houshold commaundinge him that if Octauian Augustus put him to death he shuld poison Marimi his wife saying it shuld not be semely for kinges that any meane base man shuld mary with a kinges widow and sleepe wyth her vppon a kinges bedde So then he toke his iourney toward Octauian Augustus who then was at the Rhodes where he vnderstode Octauian to be displeased with him for that he had aided Marcus Antonius Therfore assone as Herode came to Octauian Augustus presence hauinge his croune vpon his head he toke it of fel down prostrate vppon the ground at Octauians feete saying Most noble emperour I confesse my trespasse against your maiesty that I loued M. Antonius my cōpanion in league who was my neighbor aided me And it is true that your maiesty sēce the time you made me king haue herd of mine affaires that haue happened vnto me but neuer succoured me This. M Antonius did not so I cōfesse therfore that in his warres against your maiesty I aided him with an army with horsmē ships Neyther went I out with him for ani warres vpō mine own borders but when so euer I wente with him I holp him to the vttermost of mi power When he was falling I bolsterd him vp whā he stōbled I raised him again Emongst al these thinges I cōfesse also that I wolde not be counted of your maiestye a breaker of leage but nowe M. Antonius is deade Wherfore whither that it shal please your maiesty to restore me to my former estate or no forasmuch as I haue kept touch with M. Antonius against your maiesty amōgst other if you put me to death you shall do me no wrong but iustice because I haue deserued death When Octauian August herd him speake so he said vnto him Arise thou kinge of Israell in peace be of good comfort and fear not for thou art worthy to be nie yea next to my person I knowe that Marcus Antonius was set on by his wife and would not folow thy counsel for if he had I dare saye he woulde neuer haue conspired against me So he commaūded the croune to be set againe vppon Herodes head and made a leage with him Then they went both together to ward Egipt to be reuenged vpō Cleopatra But that wicked woman whan she saw her city to be ouercome put on her moste precious apparaile and sitting vpon the throne of her kingdom commaūded a vipor to be brought vnto her which assone as she had suffred to sting her brest she died As Octauian August came to her palaire sawe her sit there he reioyced that he mighte be reuenged of her and commaunded to thruste her from her throne but when they that came to her founde her dead Octauian was pensife and verye sore greued In this while Ioseph Salumithes husbande disclosed vnto Marimi that the kinge had commaunded if it so fortuned him to be put to deathe by Augustus that he shoulde poyson her Wherupon Marimi conceiued yet a greater hatred towarde the kinge in so muche that when the kinge was retourned in safetye sounde and with honoure also from Octauian and that all his menne and whole houshoulde reioysed greatelye Marimi shewed no countenaunce of gladnesse no not when the kinge him selfe told her how greatlye he was magnified and honored of Octauian but alwaies she was sadde Salumith the kinges Sister perceiuing that Marimi so vexed the king she toulde him howe Ioseph her husbande had line with Marimi whiles he was with Augustus Herode saye what she could gaue no credite to her wordes knowing that she enuied Marimi vntill at length he asked the cause of Marimi whye she reioysed not as other did when he returned in safetye from Augustus but was euer sad whiche shewed her to haue some rancoure and malice in her heart to wardes him She answered Thou haste saide heretofore that thou louedst me aboue all thine other wiues and concubines yet thou didst will Ioseph thy sisters husbande to poyson me Whan Herode hearde this he was exceadinglye abashed that Ioseph had disclosed his secrete began to mistrust with him self that which Salumith had told him that he had slept with his wife in dede and vpon that had detected that secret Therfore he departed out of his palaice in a greate anger and rage wherby Salumith perceiued that he detested Marimi and therefore she accused her further hyring false accusars and forgers of lies to witnes that Marimi woulde haue poysoned the kinge whereof she had diuers argumētes also by her coūtenaunce She added moreouer if thou saith she to the king let her scape thus she wil spedely destroy thee and bereue thee of thy kingdom The lawe geueth a man this counsell If any man gooe aboute to murther thee preuent hym slea him first With this and suche like wordes she so moued the king that he commaunded to bring Marimi forthe and to be beheaded in the hie streate of the citie And as she was brought forth vnto the market place of the citie all the women of the citie folowed her Alexandra her mother also cursed and rayled at her saiyng come oute thou that haste abhorred thy husbande and conspired against thy lorde Alexandra wepte also as thoughe it hadde