High-Priest worshipeth for in my sleep I saw him in such an habit when I was in Macedonia consulting with my self how I might conquer Asia and he bad me to make no delay assuring me that he would both guide me and my Army and would deliver the Empire of the Persians into my hands Then gave he the High-Priest his hand and went with him to the City and comming to the Temple he offered sacrifice according to the direction of the High-Priest then did Jaddus shew him Daniels Prophecy wherein his victories over the Persians and his Monarchy were foretold which much rejoyced Alexander then did he command the Jews to ask some favours at his hands the High-Priest requested onely that they might live after the Ordinances of their forefathers and that every seventh year they might be exempted from taxes and tributes which he fully granted they besought him likewise that the Jews which were in Media and Babilon might be permitted to live after their own Laws which he willingly promised and so departed this was about the year of the world 3632. and before Christs nativity 332. After the death of Alexander his Kingdom was divided amongst his Captains amongst whom Ptolemy the son of Lagus held Egypt who falling out with Antigonus that held Asia minor there grew great wars between them wherein Ptolemy won from him all Syria and going to Jerusalem on a Sabbath day under pretence to offer sacrifice the Jews suspecting nothing he surprised the City carrying away many of the Jews into captivity into Egypt but after his death his son Ptolemy Philadelphus at his owne cost redeemed an hundred and twenty thousand of them paying twelve Crowns apeece for each of them and sent them back into their owne countrey He sent also by them fifty talents of gold for the temple and obtained of Eleazer the High Priest the Law of the Jews and 72 Interpreters out of every Tribe some who translated it into Greek in 72 daies and having finished their work Ptolemy returned them with great rewards for themselves and with many rich presents to Eleazer Antiochus and Ptolemy being at war each against other the Jews suffered much by them Mach. 1. Collected out of Josephus CHAP. III. The persecution of the Church of God under Antiochus Epiphanes before the nativity of Christ about 168 years AFterwards the Jews being divided amongst themselves one part of them went to Antiochus telling him that their purpose was to forsake the Religion and Ordinances of their forefathers and to follow that of the Kings and to live after the manner of the Greeks entreating him to license them to live in Jerusalem which Antiochus assenting to they went to Jerusalem where they behaved themselves very wickedly but finding opposition from the other party of the Jews they sent for Antiochus who led his army against Jerusalem and encamped before it and by his faction within had the gates opened and the City betraied to him about the year of the world 3796. and before the nativity of Christ 168. Being entred Jerusalem he slew many of the faithfull Jews and having taken great spoils he returned back to Antioch Two years after he came to Jerusalem again and having seen what quantity of gold was in the Temple and what a huge number of Presents and precious Ornaments were in the same he was so overcome with covetousness that he violated all conventions and conditions formerly made equally raging against his own and the adverse party sparing neither friend nor foe then he spoiled the Temple and carried away the Vessels dedicated unto God the golden Table the golden Candlestick the Censers c. leaving nothing behind him of any value yea he inhibited the godly Jews from offering their usual and dailie sacrifices to God and having spoiled the whole City he slew many of the Inhabitants and carried the rest away into Captivity with their Wives and Children to the number of ten thousand He also burned the fairest buildings of the City and brake down the wals and raised a Fortress in the lower City and having inclosed it with high wals he planted a Garison of Macedonians therein with whom remained the scum of the Apostate Jews He also caused an Altar to be erected in the Temple on which he commanded swine to be offered in Sacrifice contrary to the Law He constrained the Jews to forsake God and adore those Idols which himself vvorshiped he forbad them to circumcise their Children and appointed Over-seers to constrain them to fulfill his Commandments so that many for fear of punishment conformed themselves to his will But such as were of upright hearts and valiant minds little respected his menaces whereupon they were beaten and exposed to cruel punishment many days together in the midst of which they yielded up the ghost for after they were whipt and maimed in their bodies they were tortured and crucified the women vvere strangled and the circumcised children vvere hung up about the necks of their parents and vvhere any books of the sacred Scriptures vvere found they defaced and burnt them and such with vvhom they vvere found vvere put to most cruel deaths At this time there dvvelt at Modin a Village of Jury one vvhose name was Matthias a Priest of the rank of Joarib that had five sons John called Gaddis Simon called Matthes Judas called Maccabeus Eleazer called Aaron and Jonathan called Apphas This Matthias often complained to his sons of the miserable state of their Countrey of the sacking of their City the profanation of the Temple and the miseries of the people telling them that it was better for them to die for the Law then to live in Ignominy When therefore the Kings Commisaries came unto Modin and commanded the people to sacrifice according to the Kings Edict they first applied themselves to Matthias as to the most Honourable person amongst them requiring him first to offer sacrifice that others might follow his example promising that the King vvould much honour him for it Matthias ansvvered that he vvould by no means commit that Idolatry assuring them that though all other Nations either for love or fear should obey the Edicts of Antiochus yet that he nor his children could be induced to forsake the Religion of their fathers As soon as he had thus spoken a certain Jew stepped forth to offer sacrifice according to the command of the King wherewith Matthias inflamed with zeal was so displeased that he and his sons fell upon him and with their swords hewed him to pieces he also slew Apelles the Kings Captain and some other souldiers who would have withstood him Then he overthrew the Altar and with a loud voice he said If any one be affected to the Laws of their fathers and to the service of God let him follow me and so he retired into the deserts with his sons the like did the rest with their wives and children hiding themselves in caves and
of Tholouse sent some Deputies to Earl Simon to profer him the keyes of their City whom he received honourably and presently wrote to Lewis son of King Philip that the City of Tholouse was offered to him but his desire was that he should come and have the honour of taking it The Prince went thither immediately and had Tholouse delivered to him Yet the Legate resolved that the pillage of it should be given to his Pilgrims and the City dismantled which was presently executed though contrary to the promise made to the Citizens that no wrong should be done to the City Then came there a new Legate of the Popes called Bonaventure with those that had taken on them the Crosse. Viz. the Earle of Saint Paul the Earle of Savoy the Earle of Alenzon the vicount of Melun Mathew de Montmorency and other great Lords The Legate seeing so many Pilgrims feared least Prince Lewis should take upon him to dispose of divers places held by the Albingenses to the prejudice of the Church Whereupon he presently sent to all those places Absolution and protection so that when the Prince came against them they shewed that they were under the protection of the Church Yea the Legate told the Prince that since he had taken upon him the Crosse he was to be subject to his commands because he presented the person of the Pope whose Pardons saith he you come to obtaine by obeying the Church and not by commanding as the son of a King The Prince dissembled his displeasure at this audaciousnesse and the poore Albingenses were so oppressed by new Armies of Pilgrims that they sunk under the burthen of it The Prince when his fourty daies service were expired retired himself being much discontented to see so much tyranny exercised against the Albingenses Then did Earl Simon besieg the Castle of Foix but having lain ten dayes before it he found to his cost that the place was not to be won by him For where as Earl Simons brother quartered at varilles the Earl of Foix dislodged him and slew him with his launce putting to flight all his men News hereof being brought to Earl Simon he swore that he would drive the Earl of Foix behinde the Pyrenaean Mountaines but presently he had intelligence that a great Army of the Arrogonois and Catalunians were come into the Earldom of Beziers threatning to be revenged on him for the death of their good King where upon he levied his siege in hast and marched thitherwards But the Earle of Foix who knew the passages better then he lay in ambush for him in a place fit for his turne and suddenly setting upon his Pilgrims slew a great number of them only Earl Simon with a few others escaped and went to Carcasson but before he came thither the Arrogonois were gone else might they easily have discomfited him yet shortly after they returned again and Earle Simon was foundly beaten by them so that he was forced to shut himself up in Carcasson till he had a new supply of Pilgrims Shortly after came Remund the son of Earl Remund out of England where he had been bred under his uncle King John with an Army and quickly made himself Master of the City of Beaucaire and almost famished them that held the Castle so that they yeelded it up to depart with their baggage There Earl Simon lost a hundred Gentlemen that he had laid in ambush neer unto the City whom young Remund in a sally cut in pieces Anno 1214. The Legate called a Councel at Montpelier for renuing of the Army of the Church and to confirm the authority of Earle Simon where they declared him to be Prince of all the Countries conquered from the Albingenses which title was confirmed to him by the Pope also Who stiled him the active and dexterous soldier of Jesus Christ and the invincible defender of the Catholick Faith But whilest Earl Simon was in the Council receiving this his new honour a great rumour was heard in the City and a messenger brought word that the people hearing that Earl Simon was there betook themselves to their Arms purposing to kill him whereupon he stole away by the walls of the City on foot without any company and so escaped so that in one houre he saw himself honoured as a God and flying disguised hiding himself like a base scoundrell for feare of the rascall multitude Anno Christi 1215. Their was a Councill held by the Pope at Lateran where they gave the Inquisitors such power against the Gospellers that poor people were every where horribly tortured that were but suspected for Heresie and as Tritemius saith Frier Conradus of Marpurg the Popes Inquisitor if he but suspected any as guilty of Heresie vsed to trie them by the judgment of red hot irons and such as were burned by the irons he delivered as Hereticks to the secular power to be burned in the flames whereupon most of those that were accused were by him condemned to be burnt few escaping the hot irons In so much as Noble Ignoble Clerks Monks Nuns Burgesses Citizens and countrymen were under the name of Heresie by too headlong a sentence of the Inquisitor on the same day where on they were accused cast into the cruell flames no refuge of appeale or defence doing them any good By the same Lateran Councill Earle Simon had the forementioned lands of the Albingenses confirmed to him and thereupon he hastened to the King of France to receive investiture and as he went saith the Monk of Sernay in every City and towne the Popish Clergy and people met him crying Blessed is he that commeth to us in the name of the Lord and every man thought himself happy that could but touch the hem of his garment When he had recived his Investiture from the King of France being attended with an hundred Bishops that had preached the Crosse in their Diocess and with an exceding great Army of Pilgrims he hasted to make himself Lord of all those countries which the Pope had given him So that all men trembled at his reproach and with this great Army of Pilgrims he took in divers places using great cruelty putting men women and children to the sword Then was he marching to Tholouse purposing to pillage and raze it to the ground But by the way his wife sent him word that he must speedily come to her relief being besieged in the Castle of Narbonnes by the Earl of Tholouse but by this time many of his Pilgrims were returned into France Yet Earl Simon hasted to the relief of his wife and being come before Tholouse the people by their frequent sallies made that place too hot for his abode The Legate perceiving that he was much astonished at it said unto him Fear nothing we shall quickly recover the City and then we will destroy all the inhabitants and if any of our Pilgrims are in the fight they
over other Churches sought to obtrude his superstitions upon the Bohemians also but especially he commanded that all their sacred service should be in the Latine tongue and that they should not have the cup in the Sacrament the Bohemians sent two Ministers and four others to Rome Anno 977. to the Pope desiring to be eased of these grievances and at last obtained their request Yet afterwards they were againe inhibited the use of their own language in holy services whereupon Urateslaus Duke of Bohemia who shortly after for his valiant service to the Roman Empire was created King sent Embassadors to Rome requesting a confirmation of the Liberties formerly granted to them but the Pope Hildebrand absolutely refused it Anno 1197. Pope Celestine sent a Cardinall into Bohemia to inhibit Ministers marriage and to divorce such as were married but the Bishop and Ministers almost stoned him to death Also when afterwards the cup was taken away in the Sacrament there were many that opposed that sacriledg and amongst the rest John Melicius of a noble family and fervent spirit much honoured for his rare learning and holinesse of life in his ministry he earnestly exhorted his auditors to a frequent communicating in both kindes at last he was much moved in spirit to go to Rome and there to testifie that the great Antichrist was come and did then reign He prayed unto God with fasting and teares desiring that unlesse these thoughts came from Gods Spirit he might be delivered from them but when yet he could finde no inward quiet he went to Rome and wrote upon the Cardinals doors Antichrist is come and sitteth in the Church He also in his conferences with many asserted the same For this the Pope imprisoned him and excommunicated both him and his auditors Mr. Mathias of Prague also was a zealous defender of the Communion in both kindes Anno 1375. He with some other learned men went to King Charles that then raigned requested him to call a Oecumenicall Counsel for the reformation of the Church Charles sending to the Pope about it he was so incensed at the message that he commanded the King to punish those rash and Hereticall men Whereupon Mathias was banished the Kingdom and then was the use of the Sacrament in both kindes prohibited through all Bohemia so that the godly could not administer and receive it but in private houses in woods and caves and yet neither so but with the hazard of their lives for they were set upon in the high-waies plundred beaten and drowned in rivers so that at last they were necessitated to go together in companies and armed and this continued to the daies of John Husse Concerning the persecution of John Husse and Jerome of Prague See in my first part their lives But when these holy men of God were so unjustly burned at Constance the adversaries were not satisfied with their bloud but took further counsell for the destruction of the whole Nation for when fifty eight of the chief Nobles of Bohemia in the name of all the Commons Anno 1416. had sent Letters from Prague to the Council complaining that their Pastor an innocent and holy man and faithful teacher of the truth was unjustly condemned the Council instead of answering them wrote their Letters to some violent Papists who were in authority to assist their Legate in oppressing the Hereticks Thus the Bohemians were incited more and more to mutuall contentions the Priests daily from the Pulpits divulged their excomunications and execrations against the Hussites and to stir up the greater hatred against them they used lying signs for putting dirt about the wicks of their Tapers when the flame had burned the wax to the dirt the Taper went out Then cried they out That God by miracles declared his hatred of those wicked Hereticks who were unworthy to enjoy the light and thereupon they persecuted them all manner of waies and they used such violence as raised a tumult at Prague Anno 1419. wherein the enraged multitude threw twelve Senators of Prague with the Maior out of the windows of the Senate-house who fell upon the points of spears After this the Pope publikely excommunicated the Bohemians at Florence exciting the Emperour Kings Princes Dukes c. to take up Arms against them entreating them by the wounds of Christ and their own salvation unanimously to fall upon them utterly to extirpate that cursed generation promising universal remission of sins to the most wicked person if he did but kill one Bohemian Hereupon great wars were raised against them but it pleased God still to give them the victory under that brave Captain Zisca Whereof see more in my second Part in Zisca's Life Yet still as the Popish party prevailed at any time they exercised all manner of cruelty upon the poor servants of Christ insomuch that at Cuttenburg where were deep mettall-mines Anno 1420. they threw into one of them a thousand and seven hundred persons and into another a thousand thirty eight and into a third a thousand three hundred thirty four persons Also a Merchant of Prague coming to Preslaw in Silesia the Emperour and Popes Legate being their was in his Inne drawn into discourse where pleading for Husse and the Sacrament in both kindes he was cast into prison the next day a Student of Prague was cast into the same prison The Merchant exceedingly encouraged him saying Oh my Brother What an honour is it that we are called thus to bear witness to the Lord Jesus Let us undergo the trouble with cheerfullnesse the fight is but short the reward is eternall Let us remember the Lord what a cruel death he under went for us and with what guiltlesse bloud we are redeemed and what torments the Martyrs have patiently endured c. But when they were brought to execution and the ropes by which the horses were to drag them through the streets were fastened to their feet the Student affrighted with the terrors of death and allured by the fair promises of the Legate recanted But the Merchant like an unshaken rock told them that their hopes of any recantation from him were but vain I am ready to die saith he for the Gospell of the Lord Jesus And so being drawne slowly through the streets he was brought to the place of execution and there burnt Anno 2420. Pichel the chief Magistrate of the City of Litomeritia having taken twenty four of the chief Citizens and amongst them his son in law put them in an high Tower and at last he brought them out half dead with hunger and cold and adjudged them to be drowned When they came to the river Albis their wives children and friends greatly mourning the Majors own daughter came wringing her hands and falling at her fathers feet beseeched him to save her husbands life but he harder then a rock bad her give over saying What can you not have a worthier husband