beast For all y â— letters of the Hebrewes designe certaine noumbers as do our Latyn letters M. D. V. C. X. L. signifye our noumbers as M. a thousand C. an hundred c. But with the Hebrewes euery wryting or scri pture euery worde is a certein noumber Now sith this beast by hir comon name in the Hebrew tongue is called the Rhomane kingdom this name kingdoÌ„ be comon to hir with other beastes it is manifest the very true and proper name of this beast to be Rhomanum imperiuÌ„ where thou seest how diligent this autor was in his speche to hyde hir name vnder these letters lest meÌ„ should then haue espied him to haue spokeÌ„ of Rome or she had ben reueled by hir owne factis no where openly naming Rome because he wold not at first exasperat hir tyll nowe hiâ— wickednes be full rype and she hath vttered herself declaring her last deadly wounde in resistyng Gods holye Gospell He calleth thys name of the beaste y e noumber of a man ether because it is a known name whiche all men comonlye vse or els because of a man whiche was Rhâ—mulus the citie had her fyrst name The greke letters wherewith this nouÌ„ber â–ª cccccc lxvi is written make also this worde Latinos which name also Virgil geueth to Rhome But the Hebrewe letters make Rhomah whiche signisyeth a proude beast The marke therfor of this name they are sayde to receyue in theyr fore headis which in all theyr vtwarde supersticiouse proude habits and gesture and anon in theyr firste froâ—te as they say they shewe it euen in their first prowd solempne countenaunce and hyghe lookis and crownes declare they themselues to be sworne subiectes seruauntes to the Romyshe beast as do these hoo ded fryers and monkes and shorne polled priestes and Bysshops And in theyr ryght handes they bere his mark which by some certayn Popysh workes of hys commaundementes rytes and institucions testifie theÌ„selues to be obedient to y e Pope as in certayne dayes not to eate fleshe to confesse in lent into the priestes eares to misse and moÌ„ble vp a payer of matens not vnderstanden c. For vnto suche an vtward kynd shew of obedi ence are they conitrayned anon fro their yougthe For they that haue not suche a mark nor wil not receyue it they be takeÌ„ as haitheÌ„ miscreants But yf they conteÌ„p ne it then be thei accursed and excluded out of all mens company And yf the comon people wold not estiewe theÌ„ then y â— Pope interdicteth theyr churches no diuine seruice there to be sayd ne song And so in dede myght thei nether bye nor sell which had not this Romith beastis bron de Also that we maye somwhat vnderstand of the last end destruccyoÌ„ of this abominable beast I shal yet bryng forth a fewe mo wordis of the Aungell interpreting this vision saying The x. horns which y u sawest are x. Kynges these shal fyght with the loÌ„b that is they shal persecute y â— true doctrine partly of ignoraÌ„ce seducte of the Pope and partely for hys money and ayed to do hym pleasures whome they couet greatly to please as now of late doeth Themperour But y e lombe shal ouercome them For he is the Lorde of Lordes and Kyng of Kynges And the called and chosen faythful whiche be with hym shal fight agaynst this beast For Christ shall not fyghte but w t suche instrumentes not with swerd figh tyng but with the worde of God and w t iuste argumentes taken out of the scriptures especyally nowe in thys our tyme wherin after the .xxx. iubiley of the churche Christe beginneth agene to preache as we sayd in the third coÌ„iecture And y e Kynges by litle and litle shalbe ouercomen as euen nowe be many rulers and Kynges ouercomen and with the moost laude and prayse haue they geuen place to the trouth nowe knowne So that there is very good hope the reste also to geue place to the most euydent truth yf we now stroÌ„gly fyght with prayers Wherof at last it shall folow that they shall hate thys whore euen the court of Rome for her abominacyons and seduccyons shall make her desolate and naked eate vp her fleshe that is hyr ryches and robbe her of all her possessions and substauÌ„ce and burne vp her citie as it was once before burned For God sayth the Aungell hathe geuen it into their hartes so to do his pleasure and to do the same wyll that they shulde geue theyr kingedome to the beast tyll the wordes of god be ended And here oh reader I wolde thou shuldest diligently waye the wordes of the Aungell as they be most worthye to be noted For where before he spake of y e tenne Kynges then to haue one counsell and sentence to delyuer theyr strength power to the beaste he sayth it not to be the counsell and sentence of God but here where he sayth them to robbe y e whore and to burne hir vp with fyer he saieth that this thing god did geue it into their hertis to do the mynde sentence of him For in that thei in tymes past extolled y e pope thei did it by their owne proper pri uate counsell pleasure But where thei a litle after shall spoile and burne hir y t shal thei do by the counsell and pleasure of God Bothe of them yet notwithstanding that is to weit that thei in time past extolled hir and that thei shal robbe hir flowde forth of the hidde iudgemente of God For the first that is that they exal ted reuerenced magnifyed the Pope gaue hym their autoritie streÌ„gth powr they did it verely by the priuate counsell of God which yet tended to this ende y t the wordes of God shulde be fulfylled which the holy ghost spake before by the mouth of Paule the Apostle euen thus Because many shall not receyue the loue of the truthe that thereby they myght be saued therfor shall God send them men teachyng errours and workyng false mi racles that they beleue lyes and be condempned all that beleue not the truthe but consent to wickednes Also last of all that they shall robbe and spoyle the Pope and burn vp the citie This shall they not do tyl God put it into theyr hertis by hys word and so illumine them that they shall vnderstand and knowe themselues rightly and in dewe order to do it and to fulfill the wyll of God in vtterly subuer tyng ouerthrowyng y e popedoÌ„ Wherfor it is lyke that the Turke shall not be the instrument to destroye the popedom as some men thinke For one deuill shall not cast out an other nether any that is not of the nouÌ„ber of those x Kinges shal go agaynst the Pope to destroy hym w t batayl For it is geuen hym to ouercome the holy faythfull vntyll the wordes of God be fulfyllled whiche be nowe thys day almost fulfilled all But yet
beastis was done when Christ went and ascended to hys Father in the cloudis from the erthe the laste shalbe done when Christe shall returne in the cloudis wyth grete maiestye into the erthe And to be short there is nothing in this place of Daniel that thou maist wreste vnto the last iugment except thou woldest obscure and depraue the hole vision Da. I went to one of the bystanders asking him the trwthe of all these thinges whiche interpreted to me these thinges saing These iiij beastis be iiij Kyng domes whiche shall ryse out of the erth Osi. That is to saye The Babylonik the persik the greke and the Romane Da. And the most hyghe faythfull of God shall receyue and obtayne their Kingdome for euer and euer Osi. That is the former Dominacyon of Rome ended not only Christe but his faythfull with hym shall reygne for the godheyt of Christe once declared by the preachyng of the Gospell and throwing downe of the olde Idolatry there began Christen magistratis to rule and thence forth all imperies were holden to obeye hym Also sith Christ wolde raygne not by violence and weapeÌ„ but by hys word and holy ghoost hym self then not spekynge presentely but only by hys holye faythfull it followeth these faythfull to raygne with Christe because they teache and interprete the word and wyl of god wherfor he sayd Who so heare you heareth me and who so despyse you despyseth me Wherfore whatsoeuer any one of the leaste of the very faythfull shall teache by Christes worde hys spirite shall commaunde or forbydde euen the same also ought not the hygh monarchies of the worlde more to contempne or transgresse then yf Christ hym selfe presently hath commaunded it them in hys owne persone And except they obeye it doutles they shall suffer therfore other her or to come Note also that Daniel cal leth the holy faythfull the most highe for so is it in the hebrwe as thoughe he wold saye I speke not of euery called ho ly one but of the very holy heuenly whiche be sanctifyed wyth the word and spyryte of Christe for there be some holy ons in a certayne externe chosen holynes because they be shauen anointed and oyled of whome we haue called manye the moost holye hyghest fathers in Christe when they be the mooste prophane accursed execrable wretches and abominacyon before God Da. After thys I wold haue lerned diligently concernynge the fowerth beaste which was so muche vulyke all the other and so hugly terryble whose tethe klawes were yerney he eatyng and crasshyng the bones and fleshe and treadyng the rest vnder hys fete And of the .x hornes whiche he had in his head and of the tother that sprange vp before whome the iij. hornes dyd fal euen of the horne that had eyes and a mouth speakyng stought arrogant wordes and was greater then the other I beheld it and lo thys horne made battayll agaynste the holye faythfull Osi. I had behelde the beaste ere he was iudged to death c. Da. And he preuayled agaynste them tyll the olde aged came and gaue the iudgemente to the hyghe sayntes and the tyme came that these holye ons obteyned the kyngedome And he sayd thus Osi. That is to saye The Aungell so sayde whiche was one of the by standers Da. The fourthe beaste shall be the fourth kyngedome vpon the earthe greater then al the other kyngdomes and shall deuoure the vniuersall earthe and trede it downe to duste Also the tenne hornes shalbe tenne Kynges Osi. After the Hebrew maner he calleth them the ten Proconsuls gouernynge the Romane citye and empyre with the moost hyghe administracyon Da. And another shall aryse after them Osi. That was the Emperoure Cesar and Monark Ye must by thys horne changed into the heade vnderstande all the Romane Emperoures reygnynge in contynuall successyon as by euerye one of the tenne hornes all the proconsuls one after another succedyng gouernyng the same prouince Da. And he shal be mightyer then the former And the .iij. Kynges Osi. They be the .iij. counsellers beryng the moâ—st hyghe imperye that is the two counsayllers of the citie and Pompeius Da. He shall brynge them ful law Osi. Thou seyst here that he shal not dissolue the dignitie and power of the x. but only the persons shall he ouercome so y t they humbled and brought vnder shal grauÌ„t hym the imperyall or as Cicero calleth it the kyngly dominioÌ„ Da. And he shall speke wordes agaynst the hyghe God breke downe the moste hyghe holymen and shall thynke to maye change tymes and lawes Osi. That is to oppresse and extirpe the christen religion For the Hebrew hath times and the maner of the re ligyon that is the name remayninge brynge the religion of Christ into a daÌ„pnable supersticiouse abuse To chaÌ„ge the tymes is of eatynge dayes to make fastynge of merye and glad dayes to make sorrouful and sadde dayes of work dayes to make ydle dayes And so to alter Goddes determined tymes as to thynke to preuent with swerde and fyre and to dispoint God of hys immutable infalli ble prouidence which al yet do Thempe rours Popes Kynges Da. And they shalbe delyuered into his hand vnto a ty me and tymes and to half a tyme. That is D. xxxij yeares after Christes ascensyon M. CC. Xl. yeares after the buyldyng of Rome which is vnto thende of the firste dominacyon of Rome For Rome stode fyest vpon Kynges senatours counsayllers and Emperours M. cc. xl yeares vntyll the yeare of Christ. ccccc li. and sence that time put to the first nouÌ„ber of D. xxxij yeres and so haue we froÌ„ Christ. c. lxxxiij but from the beginninge of y e fyrst duminacyoÌ„ we haue M. ccccccc lxxij but let vs heare theautor Osi. This must be vnderstanden after the maner of the holye scripture not that thys onelye horne hauing eyes and mouth shal dure so long But the hole dominicacyoÌ„ of the Romane citye from her fyrst buyldyng vnto thende of her former dominicacion As in the boke of the iuges the scripture sayth Cap. iij. The children of Israel did euyll in the sight of God forgote theyr God seruyng Balim and ast aroth And the Lorde bent hys anger agaynst Israell deliueryng them into the handes of Cusan Rasatham Kynge of Mesopotamye whome they serued viij yeres And they cryed to the Lorde which stered theÌ„ vp a sauioure and delyuered them and the lond had reste xl yeres For this can not be vnderstanden that after theyr delyuerauÌ„ce they had peace xl yeres coÌ„tinu ally but all this together that they synned y t they forgote God serued ydols were delyuered vp to theyr enemies cryed to y e Lord were delyuered had peace for a certain time was done in xl yeares Likewyse here of Rome it may not be vnderstandeÌ„ y t this one horne dured so long tormeÌ„ting the holy meÌ„ but this holy tyme altogether wherin the Romane impery sprang vp grewe so that it was
the name of blasphemie Osi. That is blasphemouse names titles For when they had herd anon out of the prophetis and Sibils of the kingdom y t shuld be eternall to spring vp out of the erth which was Christ with his KingdoÌ„ and gospel then applied they the same saluacion to their Romish churche and Bisshop of Rome and to his antichristen Kingdom Wherof Iupiter in virgill sayth I haue geuen the an empire without ende and ayen vnto it will I nether limites ne tyme put therto A great blasphemye veryly is it arrogantly to vsurpe the honor prayse and maiestie of the euerlasting imperie and Kingdom of Christ dewe only to the sone of God to applie and adioine them to the vngod ly wiked tyranye of the Romishe citie prophane courte of Rome I might here speke other thigs of this blasphemy but because it is certain non of these vij headis to be sene in the later dominacion but onely the aight head whiche is the pope as we shall hereaftir se the blasphemies of the later beast ought not to be applied to the former Ioan. And the beast whom I sawe was lyke a leoparde and his fete like the fete of a bear and his mouthe like a lyons mouth and the dragon gaue him his own strengthe his owne seat and also great power Osi. For as the dragoÌ„ is called of Christ the prince of this worlde and reigneth all spiritually and inuisibly vnder heueÌ„ with his other wyked sprites the rulers of those derkenesses euen so geueth he his streÌ„gth seate and powr to this beast the pope that she by the moeions and instigacions of this dragon aftir hys maner and will might reigne also bodely and visibly Io. And I sawe one of hir headis as it were smiteÌ„ to death but that deadly wound was healed Osi. This head was first y e Monarchie of y â— Cesars which spraÌ„g vp in C. Iulio Cesare which wheÌ„ he was smyten w t. xxiii woundis and slayne of the coniured agenst him the monarchie semed vtterly to be subuerted and perished which yet was not so but it waxed strong ayen was stablisshed more mightely in Octa uio Augusto Io. And all the erth with admiracion beheld the beast and worshiped the dragon which gaue hir that power And they fil downe before the beast sayinge Who is lyke this beast and who may fight with hir Osi. As I sayd tofore the fame was spred ouer al the world euen the same whiche had hir originall out of the prophetis and â—ibillis that there shuld arise in y e erth about that tyme an euerlasting kingdoÌ„ whiche semed to the vngodly to be fulfilled in this Romane monarchie of Octauian Auguste namely sith it was vnder him so happely stablysshed and all the hole world so prosperously set in peace wher fore they thought it to be so done by the singulare couÌ„sel of the most highe God But the very God wold reserue this glo rye and maieltie of theternal imperie for his own sone and not to geue it to the traÌ„ sitorie imperie of Rom. Wherfor it was so that when the vngodly in their hertis and thoughtis worshiped y t God which now stablesshed the Romane monarchie as they iuged they worshipped not the very God as they semed to theÌ„ selues For the very God in nowise had stablis shed the Romane imperie which a lytle aftir he thought to destroie as y t prophe tis foresaid it and the finall fall therof proued it But they worshiped satan and their own vain imaginacion which strewed and spred this monstrose opinion of the eternal empire of rome into y t world which satan therfore had promoued the monarchie of the same and geuen hir his powr that by one Kyngdom he mought the soner and cruellier tame his tirannouse wodnes vpon the christians For if the hyghest empyre had standen vpon the. xii counsellers Senators they had neuer haue had ben caried and concited of the deuill with so great wodnes and furye ayenst the christianes as eft sone were Nero Domiciane and such lyke en censed agenst them They also fil downe before the beast For they had wendt y t the empyre had ben nowe constituted of God by oracles and they made goddis of the Cesars ether by the most fowle flatering of them or by extreme blindnes For when they sayde Oh who is lyke the beast It is asmich to say as this beast is God For this can not be said but of God only Who is like y t oh lord And when they saye who may fight w t hir they make hir inuict and constituted of God And because he maketh men cioÌ„ of batail he she wed him self to haue had painted hitherto the citie of Rome by the markis of the former dominacion For the later flouresshed not by armour in batail but by colourable collusions and fayned pretences of holines So that Ioan hitherto said nothing els then that this citie builded vpon vn hillis hauing vii kyndes of the most highe magistrates euen the impery ouer the x. prouinces as it were destributed into Kingdoms which also by a blasphemou se presumpcion thought hir self perpetually and euermore to raigne In whiche most mightye monarchie of Cesars ayenst the wyll of S. P. Q. K. it sprang vp with great admiracion of all men And when she was deadly wounded in Iulio Cesare yet was she so restored and stablisshed in Octauio Augusto that the thyng apered to the vnwyse and ongodly to be done of God For that same citie I say aftir she was vtterly set of from all her former dominacion and vtterly extynct yet aftyr that deadly wounde and head destruccyon she did putvp hir head ayen And whilis Satan made hir mighty and armied hir into the persecucion and destruccion of bodys soulis but cheifly into the persecucion of the christians aftir a new maner came she agene to hir most highe dominacion Which thing he might haue said in fewer and clearer wordis if he wold haue openly and plainly named y â— Rome citie But that was not then expedient for the churche as we tolde you before Nowe therfore there remayneth y â— we hear what maner one this beast is howe she did put vp hir head agen which thing y e aungel y e interpretor of y e vision clerely teacheth vs saing The beast whoÌ„ thou sawest was is not shal ascende out of the depe derke pitte and shall go in to his own destruccion that is into euerlasting dampnacion whose cause we shall hear afterward and the inhabitors of the erth shall meruell therat whose names be not writen in the boke of life from the creation of the world seing the beast that was and is not that is when she did put vp hir head ayen For as the gentyles some tym merueled at the monarchie of the Cesars so now meruell the supersticiouse and y e vngodly at this last dominacioÌ„ of Rome