nede of an other mans helpe and mercye After thys commaunded he Cresus to be brought to him and had him in greate reuerence as a great prince and vsed hys counsel in gouernaunce Cyrus demaunded of hym also by what cause he had taken this warre whether he were moued by the answer of Apollo whome he had asked counsell before To this answered Cresus sayenge That Apollo counselled him right well with these wordes Knowe thy selfe and all thyng shall prospete He dyd not refuse thys counsell of Apollo For whan his hoost had gotten the worsthande in aydinge the Assyrians he had purposed thenceforth to lyue in rest and peace chefely for so muche as he sawe Cresus to haue such prosperitie and power in bringinge all thinges to passe But whan he was praysed of the cityes that laye rounde aboute and of his great princes for his power and conning of warrfaringe he was agayne deceaued by pryde and vaine glory of him selfe and was so by the other princes made capitaine of the warre agaynst Cyrus And that by these praises he was brought to take the answer of Apollo otherwyse and that he thought he was suche a one in dede as he was praised namely that he was no lesse in power than king Cyrus and by these meanes had he taken the warres in hande But hetherto is ynough spoken of Cresus Hereof maye notable examples be taken that princes be oft brought to warre by no constraynt of necessytie and to theyr greate hynderaunce by the counsell and flattery of them which can falsely persuade and extolle with vaine prayses theyr power and vertues In king Cirus is chefely to be considered that in so great prosperities of all thynges he vsed great moderation of minde and that in so great violence of victories he swaged tyranny wyth mekenesse Cyrus than toke in all the kyngdomes from Persia vntyll the fyrste borders of Ionia from thence beynge returned he besieged the cytye Babylon which semed moost strongest against all force of mans power But Cyrus wanne her and that by this meanes The floude Euphrates runneth through the citye by some ryuers dyggynge thorough hys caucyes he ledde the course of the water another waye and as the floud was dryed men myght safely go into the toune on foote Besyde that had he hys espyals whych shewed what tyme the Babylonians were at reste and so broughte he hys army into the cytye in the styll of the nyghte whan they douted nothyng lesse But what nedeth here to prayse and auaunce much the prosperytie of Cyrus seynge it maye easely be thought and consydered that it is Goddes worke and not of mans wysedome or power that so many and so stronge tounes and kynges be subiect to hys kyngdome vnto whome it semeth no mans power nearehande myght wythstande For those hygh monarchies are ordeined conserued by an heauenly power for to preserue the state of a coÌ„mune wealth agaynst the will of Satan Moreouer after that Babylon was wonne than began that kyngdom of the Perses fyrst to be called a monarchy For the heade citye or see of the monarchy was Babylon and the kyngdomes of Chalde Assyria Medes and Persians be now brought vnder one empyre The moost parte of Asia was ioyned thereto also and other great countries which border vpon these kyngdomes Cyrus gouerned these kyngdomes with great prayse insomuch that no princes prayses wherof historyes do make mencyon can be compared wyth his commendacions and â—uauncementes I suppose that thys monarchy began after that Babylon was wonne in the thre score and tenth yeare after that the Iewes were ledde into captyuyte in Babilon But sence the creation of y â— world the yere of thre thousand foure hundreth and thre and forty and before Christus byrth the fyue hundreth and one yeare Whereby it maye easely be gathered that those histories of the Grekes that begynne at Cyrus be not very olde Of the Iewes delyuered out of the Babylonycall captiuite HEtherto haue we spoken of the state of the commune wealth and empyre of those tymes nowe resteth it that we speake also of the spyritual kingdome of God and of the churche After that Cyrus had subdued the Babylonians he set the Iewes free and at libertye out of all his kyngdomes and restored them into the kyngdome of Iewry This example wytnesseth howe muche God doeth care for the church or congregacion of the godly and howe lytle he doth forget them For that the church myght be released from the seruice bondage it was necessary that Babilon the citye shuld be taken and peryshe For a prince must not be a cowarde to represse the force of his enemies Herodotus wryteth also that some do suppose otherwise of Cyrus death and Xenophon writeth that he dyed in his bedde and that before his death he exhorteth his childeren to the feare of God to vnitie and loue to eche other and that with a greate relation and manye wordes he admonished them to remembre that mens soules dye not with the bodies but that they remayne immortall and that the godlye after thys lyfe enioye an euerlastinge reste wyth God and that contrary wyse the wicked shalbe greueously punished And to this is it saied that he shoulde haue added a substanciall euidence of mans reason concerning euyll doers the which in this lyfe haue a great inwarde drede in their minde for the conscience of theyr wicked dedes and that therby may be gathered that the soule hath a certayne beynge and that seynge this feare is beaten in by God it is euidente that God will be reuenged of all thynge that is vniustly committed Hetherto is ther ynough saide of thys moost holy kinge Cyrus In what tyme the Philosophers were fyrst in Grece BEfore haue we shewed that by the Grekes were the Poetes fyrst in high reputation by reason of ther learning afterwardes in Cyrus tyme began another kynd of learned men whiche were called Philosophers of them were two sectes at one time for some were philosophers of Ionia some were called philosophers of Italy The philosophers Ionici were in Ionia they vsed greate diligence in naturall thinges and searchinge out the course of starres The beginner of them was Thales which diuided first for the Grekes the yere in thre hundreth and thre score daies For though they had before twelue monethes yet were they constrayned to brynge the mouynge of the sonne to the course of the mone Thales did also shew first of the Eclypse in Grece and found the poynte whan the daye and nyghte are equall the which was no small conning He had learned these thinges of the Egiptians with whom God had kept this science These Thales taught also that the soules are ymmortall and he is the fyrste and true begynner of the philosophers of Grece The other parte of the philosophers whyche are called the Italians began by Pythagoras for the same lyued also aboute the tyme of Cyrus in that
spyrituall kyngdom LEst we be ignorant in what state the word of God and the church was we must also speake of the spirituall kyngdome Abraham was in the time of kyng Ninus For when he was old about fifty yeares the first twoo thousande yeares had an ende and the kyngdome of the Assyrians was already begonne And that more is whan now the true worshyp of God and his worde began to come out of vse in the kyngdome of Babylon There weÌ„t out of Chaldea into Mesopotamia with his two sonnes Abraham and Loth lest he also myght bee stayned with the wickednes of the superstition that the Chaldees vsed This idolatry doth the scripture cal Vt Chaldeorum that is the Chalde fyre For when in the sacrifice of the true Godly the fyre fallyng downe from heauen kyndled the oblacions the wicked folowyng their examples kyndled a fyre and so set vp a newe Gods seruice that with suche a worke they might serue God without the expressed worde of God without the knowledge of the promyse of Christ to come Hereafter also in the histories is the same fyre called Orimasda that is holyfyre the whiche kynges caused also to be caried before them vpon a horse The first occasioÌ„ of ydolatry among men began by this fyre before Images were vsed But lest y â— worde of god should vtterly be quenched God renewed afreshe the promyse of Christe and added a new ceremony too the worde the which as a token should kepe the remeÌ„braunce of the worde in mens myndes For true doctrine is lightely put out of mens mindes without it bee beaten into the peoples myndes by outward tokens and ceremonies To that was Abraham chosen of God the whiche when he was olde thre score and fyften yeares he was commaunded of God to go into Chalde leauyng Mesopotamia where a new promise was made hym that the sede of Abraham should possesse the lande of Canaan should beare rule in it and also that the sede of Abraham namely Christ should come by the whiche God woulde blesse all nacions that is that GOD would be appeased by that sede and takyng awaye the power of synne and death geue lyfe euerlasting To this promyse hath God added circumcision the whiche should be a sygne of promission and a prouocation to beleue And therfore remayned alway afterward in the churche or congregacion the worde and spirituall kyngdome of Christ among a certain people that is in Abrahams posterite amonge the whiche it was necessary to haue bene alway some whiche were true beleuers and Godly As for the whole history of Abraham is fully written in the holy Bible In this place suffiseth it to shewe in what tyme Abraham hath bene and what chaunges 〈…〉 gion are happened in the meane season But the promyse was other whyles repeted to Abraham As for the circumcision was geuen hym when he was foure score yeare olde and nyne thee yeare from the creation of the world two thousand and seuen and fourty some count it to our Iubile two thousande and fifty Abraham had of Agar his handmayden a some called Ismael the same began to growe in strength and puisaunce by the Arabians and the Agareny in Arabia beare the name of this Agar of whome we shall speake afterwarde Of the destruction of Sodome THE foure score and nyntenth yeare of Abrahams age hath GOD for thee abhominable euyll dedes horrible and vncomly lecheryes destroied fyue cities Sodome and Gomorre and the other cities lyeng therby burnyng them with fyre from heauen The place where the cityes were is become a great marasse whose length and bredth conteyneth the space of certain miles euen yet at this time as though it were ful of pitche doth burne with coÌ„tinual smoke and vapor for a token of Gods indignacion vengeaunce for so greate synnes This happened the thre hundreth and fourscore eleuenth yere after the floude after that Noe was deade the fourtieth and one Of thys wyse hath God other whyles wytnessed to the worlde that he wyll bee auenged and iudge synners Of Isaac AFter this was a sonne borne to Abraham of his wyfe Saâ—a called Isaac of whose sede is Christ For he dyd beare hys fygure whan God commaunded that he should be offered of hys father wherby is signifyed that Christ should bee a sacrifice with the whiche should synne and death be disamilled And by this example it is signifyed agayne that God wyl forgeue synnes rayse the dead and geue euerlastyng lyfe to the beleuyng Isaac had two sonnes Iacob and Esau Of Esau haue the Edomites in Arabia their begynnyng for Esau was called Edom that is reddish because he solde his brother y â— ryght of y â— fyrst borne the which God hath blessed for a messe of potage y â— was somwhat reed despysynge the blessyng of God and his benefyte for loue of hys belly But Iacob was surnamed Israel that is prince of God of whom the people Israel haue their of sprynge But for al theese thynges must the Bible be loked Of Ioseph Iacobs sonne BEcause Ioseph is rehersed amoÌ„g the chiefe and moost wysest gouernours we do worthely here make mencion of hym For he taught the Egyptians both the religion and ciuyll maners and aboue all is it worthy to bee marked that the man whiche was endued with holynesse the holy ghost had set vp a very hard and rigorous maner of rulyng and that where the whole kyngdome of Egypte was large and wyde he ioyned them together as members of one body so that we may learne thereby that rygour is most nedeful to entertayn the people in there office or duety alowed of God For the common people is commonly destroied by lybertie But for because he came into Egypte by the conspiration of his brethren that he was solde of them and also what chaunce he had in Egypte of all this is there fully wrytten in the Bible For by thys wonderfull occasion God wylled hym to come into Egypt that in the same kyngdom also myght be taught the true worshyp of God and that the promyse of Christes commyng myght bee made manifest For God would euer haue his word preached euen in the greatest kyngdomes also that by this occasion God might fede Iacob and his posterite in the tyme of derth Of Moses and of the punyshment of the tyraunt Pharao ALthough God had promysed to the posterite of Abraham the possession of the lande of Canaan yet hath he differred the promyse a long season that through the word they myght haue in the meane while wherewith to exercyse their faith ye he suffred them before to be sore punished in Egypte For as saith the booke of Genesis Iacob and his chyldren fled into Egypte in the tyme of derth where they dwelled a longe season the which we shal note hereafter But when Pharao ouercharged the people without measure and remission and vsed tyranny insom uche that
the commaundement of God geuen they fell into the daunger of synne and death But forasmuch as all this is clearly written in the holy Bible out of the whiche they oughte to be learned it is invaine to speake thereof here it is sufficient onelye to aduertish the reader that the worlde standeth by these beginninges and that Adam and Heua are created of God whyche are the ofspringe of all mankinde Moreouer about the very time of creation dyd God institute the ciuyll adminystratyon when he gaue Adam power ouer all those thynges that are in the earth and sea that he shoulde vse them and should sett a good order in all those thinges that are exteriour That commaundemente of God is the springe and beginninge of all lawes and whatsoeuer ciuile ordinaunces there are are begonne of it the whiche are approued and alowed of God by reason of this commaundemente geuen to Adam The churche hath her begynnynge here also For the commaundemente wherein they shoulde exercyse theyr fayeth and feare before God was here geuen but whan they began to synne hath God disclosed the power of Sathan and against it hath promysed the Gospell or glad tydynge of the womans sede that is of Christe that Christe shoulde come and wayst Sathans kyngdome and shoulde delyuer vs from synne and death into liberte Thys was the fyrst preachinge of the Gospell whiche beganne the churche and Christus kyngdome For in the churche muste not onely be preached the commaundementes of good workes but also the forgeuenesse of synnes by Christ for thereby onelye are we reconciled to God and endure agaynst death and all maner of temtation whan by fayth we take the promyse of forgeuenesse of synnes And of thys wyse toke Adam and Heua consolacion out of the word that Christe was promysed and of these two persons is the churche fyrste begonnne Besyde thys was it necessary also they should suffer temporall afflictions for they were dryuen out of paradyse that is they were subiecte to death and all maner of other myseries and so lyued theyr dayes in laboure and trauayl in that lande which the Iewes possessed afterwarde For it is written that they were created by the cytye Damascus Of Cain and Abel SCrypture sayth that Adam and Heua broughte forth children and that Cain slewe hys brother Abel And here begynneth the persecution of the sayntes of the wicked men and is and example very dredefull For thys manslaughter happened for none other cause than for y â— seruice of god the which whan it is done purely Sathan can not abyde it for the whyche cause he sturreth Cain to slaye his brother that the worde of God and syncere doctrine maye be quenched And this dede sheweth howe vehement is the ire of Sathan and rage also what mannes fraylnesse and blindnesse is There are by the waye rehearsed in this history weyghty and graue preachinges of the iudgement of Christ to come of the dredefull vengeaunce for sheddinge of bloude the whiche to rehearse here were to longe Cain after that he fled hys fathers sight he began to buylde the citye called Enoch Hys chyldren inuented all maner of handycraftes and sciences Finally for the manslaughter was he punished for he dyed a lyke kynde of death Of Seth. AFter this was Seth boren to Adam thys man beynge famous and renomed for his endeuour of honest and godlynesse enforced after Abel to auaunce and augment Gods kyngdome Of this Seth were afterward engendred holy fathers and the remnaunt of thys kynred remayned But the posterytie of Cain was whole drowned in the floude Iosephus wytnesseth that Adam and Seth made two tables the one of brasse the other of stone and that in them wer grauen the worde of God and prophesyes by the whiche the worde of God was kepte He wryteth moreouer that they diuided the yeare into twelue monethes and that they obserued fyrste the course of starres and taught it For it had not bene possible that the minde of man coulde haue attayned to the searching of so high and wounderfull things without God had opened them the knowledge of them Wherfore to Adam and Seth we must ascribe the word of god the figures of the letters and the greatest sciences Ther are also many witnesses among the Grekes that the writinge and all sciences are come of the Iewes aunceters For Herodotus writeth in his fyfte boke that the Grekes haue receaued theyr sciences and letters of the Phenices The age of Adam was nyne hundreth and thirty yeares and reached vntill the time of Noes father but he dieth hundreth and. 26. yeares before Noe was borne But in this tyme is written to be happened nothinge worthy of rehearsall vntyll Noes tyme saue only genealogy that in the meane whyle we maye know surelye of whom it behoued Christ to be borne But neuerthelesse by the waye maketh scripture mention of the death of Enoch that he be taken vp by God the whiche dede God hath sett before the worldes eyen that it mighte know and beleue that there is immortalitie after thys lyfe and that God shall iudge and saue the good truely but punish the wycked Of the Floud THE scripture maketh mention that the worlde was punished of God and ioyneth therto the occasions thereof namely that it begann to peier and amonge the chefest of the euels are named the despisynge of God aduoutry and tyranny in the which is vsed all maner of wylfulnesse and wantonnesse For of this wyse saieth the text The childeren of holy men beganne to become tyrauntes vpon earth by the which is signified that whan Gods worde was despised and hys worshyp they liued vnmaneredly and an vnbrydeled lyfe they oppressed the weake and poore accordinge to their pleasure and vsed wylfulnesse of rulinge as they would For cause of these thinges did God threaten the worlde wyth the floude and before the same should come he wylled Noe to preach it an hundreth yeare before that some beynge conuerted mighte be saued Whan Noe was sixe hundreth yeare olde came the floude and accordinge to Goddes commaundement went he into the arcke with his wyfe and his thre sonnes Sem Cham and Iaphet taking with them their wiues and was saued The residue of men and beastes hath the floude taken awaye and destroied And are from the creation of the world vntyll the tyme of the floude thousand sixe hundreth and sixe and fiftye yeares Of the tyme after the Floude WHan Noe had now ben aboue an half yeare in the arcke and that the floud mynyshed the arcke rested vpon the hyghesthyl of Armenia and after the yeres ende whan the earth beganne to drye Noe was commaunded of God to leaue the arcke wherein he had now ben a whole yeare Than dyd God ordeine as it were a new worlde agayne For fyrst he gaue hys worde by the which he promysed not to drowne the world agayne and in token of certayntye he gaue the Raynebowe which shulde admonysh
of theyr religion the whych taught hym also the prophesy of Daniel that the kyng of the Grekes shuld rule in Asia and amonge the Perses Whereof was Alexander not a lytle coraged and geuinge the Iewes great lybertye he enryched the temple also wyth great and noble gyftes He returned to Babylon according to the prophecy of Ieremy Of thys wyse saued God hys weake churche at that tyme whan for so notable mutation of dominions was warre nearehande in all countryes The diuision of the realmes after Alexander ALexander had maryed Roxane the doughter of a prince in Persia whiche was great wyth chylde whan the kyng dyed Whan the kynge was deade and there was none other true heyre of the kyngdome than the kynges chylde the princes toke counsel among them how to gouerne the kyngdome a ryghte First they thought it good to appoint certayne gouernours vntyll the quene were delyuered yf a man chylde were borne the same should be kyng by inheritaunce and succession Contrarywyse dyd some among whom was Perdicas one choyse in the kynges steade Arideus brother to Alexander a man fearfull and syckely and to this agreed the moste parte Neuerthelesse were the princes constrayned to choyse men by whome the kyngdome should be gouerned but amonge the gouernoures was Perdicas the chefe and that in the name of Alexanders brother vnder which pretense he procured in the meane season that he myght by lytle lytle optaine the whole kyngdome and than began he to assaye fyrst wyth honcste engyns afterwarde with open force also For he woâ—d Cleopatra the syster of Alexander and trusted by that meanes easelye to optayne the kyngdome But Antipater that was gouernour in Macedonia feling this gyle of Perdicas dyd hynder thys weddinge wherfore dyd Perdicas on the other part his diligence that Antipater might be taken and cast into preson This is to be brefe nearehande the cause of the warre whych was rysen amonge Alexanders princes For Perdicas had hys rebellions againste him on the other syde conspyred Antypater Antigonus Ptolomeus And Perdicas inuaded Ptolome first in Egypte where he was forth wyth slayne of hys owne souldiours This was a worthy punishment the which he deserued that was fyrst begynner of the sedicion amonge Alexanders princes But ther could be no ende made of this tragedy nother was there any hope of peace without the adherentes of Perdicas were fyrst oppressed also yee there coulde no stedfast peace be hoped for in the worlde seyng whan Alexander was deade the world was as headlesse Nother appeared any thyng els in so great a perturbation of all thinges than that al honestye and gouernaunce beynge wholy ouerthrowen there shoulde be a continuall willfulnesse oâ— murthuringe amonge men So lytle can lawfulâ— gouernaunces last in this worlde without they be institute and preserued of God But it semed to God that oute of Alexanders kyngedome shouldâ— sprynge foure mighty princes For so was it prophesyed of Daniel to come to passe namelye thaâ— whan the bucks whiche signified Alexander onâ— horne shoulde peryshe foure other hornes shouldâ— growe the whiche the angell expoundeth of thâ— foure kyngdomes institute after Alexander Buâ— it is chefely to be maruayled at that God woulde the realmes to come to those princes which by degre of bloude were neare to Philippe and Alexander Perdicas which was not of the kinges bloud was in the meane season depryued of this honor For so doth it most commonely come to passe that he which coueteth the common gouernaunce without a lawfull callynge putteth himselfe in greate administrations of hys owne swynge is reiected of God as we se what happened to Absalon some other Moreouer these kyngdomes are diuided amonge those princes which before were made debities in the kyngdome by Alexander Seleucus was made kynge of Syria Ptolemeus was made kyng of Egypte To Antigonus befell the kyngdome of Asia Cassander ruled in Macedonia and Grece These kynges had cruel warres for the monarchye the which euery one coueted But in Macedonia was the greatest slaughter Cassander caused to put to death the moost honest quene mother to Alexander the whiche in dyenge shewed a very wounderful token of chastitye and constancy For meting the hangeman frely wyth a coragious contenaunce aboue the costume of women she toke hym her heade to cutt of and whan she fell doune she couered her so wyth her rayment that her body should no where be disclosed dishonestly As for Roxane Alexanders wyfe caused Cassander to be taken kept But this vnfaythfulnesse hath God punyshed ryght well whaÌ„ after Cassanders death hys two sonnes Antipater Alexander disquieted eche other wyth warres for the kyngdome of Macedonye Antipater one of them drewe to hym Lysimachus which raygned by Hellespontus whose doughter he had wedded also But the other brother Alexander requyred ayde of Demetrius the sonne of Antigonus But ether of them was slayn of hys companyon of whom they trusted to haue ayde Antipater of hys father in law Lysimachus and Alexander of Demetrius Fynallye besell the kyngdome of Macedonye to Demetrius sonne to Antigonus for he was an honeste and lucky prince in gouernaunce Of this Demetrius haue all the other kynges of Macedony theyr ofspringe vntyll these tymes whan the laste of hys kynred was taken of the Romanes in whom also ended the kingdome of Macedony I set forth here the history brefely and as it were eueÌ„ in passing away out of the which thesage reder may easely coÌ„sider that in Grece whan they destroied themselues vsed now the assistaunce of foren princes peryshed all honesty of good maners wyth the dominion and commone welth For this Demetrius of whom we haue now made mencion whan he was oft conuersaunt wyth the Athenians they slattered him so shamefullye that they called hym God and wyth prayenge dyd hym godly worship yea and in theyr sacrifice vsed they a seuerall songe of him sayenge that the other goddes were a slepe only Demetrius was a true God whych dyd watche for theyr health These vngodly and dredfull voyces testifye that at Athenes was vtterlye quenched and lost all honesty and godlynesse Now resteth it that passinge ouer the kynges of Macedony I rehearse the names of suche kynges as haue raygned in Syria and Egypte For these kyngdomes were the mightiest among those foure and to knowe the order of these kynges doeth greatly auayle also in holy scrypture wherein often tymes is made mencion of them For the Iewes had great conuersacion and occupyenge wyth these two kyngdomes Of the kynges of Syria SEleucus was a prince borne in Macedonie on whose thingh appeared a naturall token in maner of an anker the which had also all his posterity He toke the citye Babylon by stronge hande Afterwarde were Antigonus and Demetrius hys sonnes kynges of Asia ouercome of him Antigonus was pearsed through Demetrius dyed in preson After this discomfyted Seleuchs Lysimachus
by Iulius but longe after was he commaunded to be put to death at Antiochia by Antonius euen the third yeare when Herode was made kyng And yf the whole tyme that Hircanus was high priest bee wel rekened it shalbe euen foure and thirty yeares finally was he put to death by Herode It is a dredful thyng verely to senerehande in al histories that not only the moste renow medest kynreds and families amonge men decay but that also the successours of holy men cleane doth degenerate from the honestie of there elders and fall to all fylthynesse of mische ue and synne What tyme the Phariseys and the other sectes began with the Iewes WHen now the soueraintie and priesthode by the Iewes began to be toren and pulled asunder by the tyraÌ„ny the warres of Antiochus I passe ouer that the Machabees ioyned them with Heythen kynges the which ordeined or deposed princes high priestes at their pleasure the whiche cared for nothing lesse then the endeuour of the religioÌ„ it could not be â—â—â—t that sectes and sundry dissensions must yse in the Iewysh religion For uedes must it happen so wheÌ„ether we want a certain head in the religion or wheÌ„the heades of the churche or congregatioÌ„ do not regarde the studies of Godlinesse and seke onely outward puyssaunce as prophane nacions do The sectes that were sprong vp were of thre sores the first wer called Phariseis that is Seuered of the word Phares These vsed for they were better learned then the other certain constitutions of men aboue the lawe of Moses whereby they were seuered from the other people Howbeit their doctrine was a litle better righter theÌ„ the other For they taught immortalitie after this life that God will punysh synnes they beleued also that Messias should come a saueour for the faithfull and a iudge for the synnes To the men of this secte also was coÌ„mitted the coÌ„mon welth before other and they wee of more aucthoritie The second secte was of the Sadduceis These hidde their wickednesse with a very noble not able callyng theÌ„selues For zaddik signifieth righteous Sadducei they that be righteous or holy So is it moste commonly receaued in vsage in this worlde that those that be moste wycked of all do cloke their couetousnesses wyth moste honeste names They taught that after death was no lyfe That God had onely geuen the lawe to the intent we shoulde liue honestly quietly receiuing of God in y â— meane season in this lyfe the rewarde of righteousnesse They did expounde y â— scriptures wholy according to mans iudgemeÌ„t nether would they heare ought els as concernyng for the maners that appertaâ—ned vnto man very Epicures that is to saye suâ— as did put the principall goodnesse in voluptuoâ—â—tie as Epicurus the Philosopher dyd And thaâ— more is when they at the length had gotteÌ„ power â–ª they troubled not a litle the Phariseis It is a fearfull thyng verely to heare that among the peculiar and chosen people of God are crept in euen heythenysh doctrines insomuche that coÌ„stantly they were not ashamed euen openly to teache and saye that after this lyfe was none other lyfe The thirde were Essey the whiche when they perceiued that both the Phariseyes and Sadduceyes folowed their appetites vnder the coloure of honest titles nether did ought in a maner that were worthy their profession therfore semed it them good to declare the straitnesse and seueritie of lyfe with the dede and would be called Essey that is workers or doers For Assa whence the name Essey commeth sygnifieth to worke as in these times the Anabaptistes do reproue bothe the Lutherians and papistes and endeuour to seme more holier then ether of them For the Essey lyued in a maner in all thinges as the Anabaptistes lyue they maryed not and woulde haue all thynges common among them This was an vtter foolysh and dotish supersticion of monkerye and whiche could not last long Of this wyse nerehand is the church deuided in thre partes also now a dates for because y â— second commyng of Christe also is harde by The Anabaptistes resemble the Esseyes and on the other parte some be Phariseyes some are Sadduceyes For the thniges that happened amoÌ„g the Iewes â—â—e a figuce of the ChristeÌ„ religion These sectes rose first among the Iewes vnder Ioannes Hircamus the sonne of Simon before the byrth of Christ an hundreth and fyue and twenty yeares Of Herodes kynred WHen Iulius Cesar had warre in Egypt that was euery where full of daunger Antipater prince of Idumea ayded him very faithfully and for a remembraunce of this benefite made hym Iulius gouernoure of Iewry the whiche was now constrayned to obey foren and straunge princes in her owne royalme The Iewes set themselues agaynst it with great force at the first sufferyng very disdainfully the rule of the Idumean prince insomuche that he was poysoned at the last by a Iewe called Malchus and dyed Herodes reuenged the death of his father Antipater and demaunded the succession of the Iewysh kyngdome of Augustus and Antonius in the hundreth foure score and seconde Olympias and this was after Alexander two huÌ„dreth foure score and twelue yeares This was the occasion wherby Iewry receuied foren kynges out of Idumea and afterlong siege compelled Herode them of Ierusalem to yelde theÌ„selues nether was there litle bloud shedde before the Iewes yelded themselues frely to Herodes dominion As for Christ was borne in the thirtieth yeare of Herode These are nerehand the greatest and chefest mutations of the kyngdom brefly comprehended the whiche happened in Iewry in the tyme of this monarchie vntill the last monarchie and the tyme of Christes birth And though it is euident ynough that the Iewysh kynges after Christes birth were of Herodes kynred yet wyll I set them euery one orderly that the reader may more easely knowe how the one is borne of the other and haue ruled the kyngdome lawfully by a certayn succession vntyll the destruction of the citie Ierusalem though as concernyng the iust order of the historie I am not come so farre For I haue yet to reherse these thynges of the Romanes which happened in the tyme of the Grecian monarchie Herode the first whiche was also called Ascalon had many children among the whiche he hymselfe caused thre to be slame Aristobulus Alexander and Antipater by reason of a conspiracy that they had made against their father But after him remained aliue Archelaus Herodes whiche was surnamed Antipas and Philippus These parted the kyngdome amonges them Archelaus was chosen by a testament to succede his father Herode in the kyngdome but Augustus the emperour would not confirme or ratifye thys wyl of the father but made hym prince howbeit vnder this hope that he should be made kyng yf he ruled honestly And so ruled he nyne yeares and vsed great tyranny he set vp and deposed high priestes and rauyshed his
quene Valens wedowe geuynge them large mony refrayned them from the destructyon of it Whan Liberius was dead Damasus was made the xxxix byshoppe of Rome By this man was S. Hierome in his youth lyke a notarye After Damasus was Siricius bysh the xl The yeare of Christe CCC lxxxiii GRatyanus the xlii Emperoure raygned after the deathe of Valens syxe yeares This same was the eldest sonne of Valentynianus and taken in the felowshype of the empyre by hys fathers lyfe But whan the father was deade he toke for hys companyon into the empyre hys yonger brother Valentinianus But seynge the empyre was here and there troubled by reason of many vproures nether couldbe gouerned without some sage and fortunable prince he chose Theodosyus for a companion in the empyre and sente hym into the Easte where he ouercame the Gotthyes by Constantynople and droue them out of Thracya Gratyanus was slayne by intrappe in Fraunce of hys gouernoure Maximus who made hymselfe Emperour by tyranny Gratyanus was a prince excellente both in honestye and learnynge and a true maynteyner of Christen relygyon he sent the knowledge of his fayth in wrytyng to S. Ambrose Valentinianus hys brother was also slayne by a trayne of hys gouernoure Arbogastes but Theodosyus gatheryng a greate army ouerthrew both Maximus and Arbogastes Maximus beynge taken was put to execucyon Arbogastes slew hymselfe Wherfore Theodosius had the Empyre alone The yeare of Christe CCC lxxxviij THeodosyus the xliij Emperour raygned after that Gratianus was slayn by Maximus xi yeares He was a spanyarde and set all the Empyre in quyet from Germany vntil Egipt He was fyrst in Germany but beynge called into Thracya by Gracyanus afterwarde was Styllico sent in to Germany by Theodosyus who compelled the Frankes and Saxons to kepe peace Besides this restored he peace also to the church He gathered commune conuencyous and willed the doctrine of relygyon to be publyshed in all contryes S. Ambrose bewayled his death amonge other wordes he sayeth I loued the man whan he dyed for he was more combred for the state of the churches than for hys owne daungers To be combred so greatly wyth cares for the relygyon that be verily true vertues worthy for goode princes Anastasius the fyrst of that name the .xli. bysh of Rome succeded Syricâ—us Innocentius the fyrst of that name the xlii bysh of Rome succeded Anastasius Of Pelagius the heretike IN the tyme of thys byshop of Rome one Pelagius liued in Britanne The same taughte that we are not iustyfyed and saued by the mercy of God for Christes sake wythout our deseruynge but by oure owne workes and naturall vertues is true and sounde ryghteousnesse purchased by God and remyssyon ofsynnes optayned not by the fayth of Christe but by oure workes and procuracyons Agaynste thys man hath S. Augustine wrytten moost substancially and hath bickered fearcely wyth this sentence and hath defended it agaynst hym that we are saued by fayth wythout oure deseruynge and that we optayne remyssyon ofsynnes by the mercy of God only yf we do truste to it For yf remyssyon or forgeuenesse of synnes came by oure workes the conscience should neuer be in quâ—er and assured but should alwaye be in doubte For mans endeuoure is to weake than that God beynge displeased can be apeased therewyth and the drede of death taken awaye Neuerthelesse God requyreth of vs obedience and good worckes and that the conscyences be sure we doo please God that he wyll heare them that call vpon hym and saue vs. Howbeit that thys doth not stande in the worthynesse of oure worckes but in the promyse and mercy of God Thys mynde of S. Augustyne whan it is knowen doth brynge greate comfort to the consciences of the godlye and teacheth what the true fayth is and that God in the meane season requireth good workes of vs. The same veryly doth he requyre of vs but by fayeth onely wyll he haue vs to receaue the forgeuenesse ofsynne without regarde of oure deseruynges The doctryne of Pelagius is condempned in some councels of our tyme. The spoylyng of the fourth Monarchy The yeare of Christ CCC xâ—viij ARcadius the sonne of Theodosius raigned thyrtene yeare in the East at Constantinople Honorius hys brother raygned in the Weste wyth lyke authoritie nyne and twenty yeares â–ª both whyle hys brother was alyue and whan he was deade for whan Arcadius was deade Honorius was yet alyue Of the Gotthies The yeare of Christe CCCC v. The yeare of Rome M. C. lvii The yeare of the worlde MMMM CCC xlix ABout thys tyme came the Gotthy fyrste into Italy wyth a greate and dredeful army But for asmuche as euerye where is made muche mencyon of the Gotthyes â–ª we shall here summarely draw the histories of theyr of spryng and actes The Gotthi Vandali Rugiani and Hunni be not estimed to be one people but the Gotthi are Dutchmen out of the Ile Godtlande which dwelt in a parte of Lislande and Littowe For ether of these contryes lyeth ouer against Godtland by the seasyde And therefore doth Procopius call them aryght Cimmeâ—ij and Gethe These than in the time of the Romanes were gone into Thracia and Hungary and the Romysh Emperours assayed to dryue them out agayne but all was in vayne In the rehearsall of Decius haue we touched the begynnyng of their history For the fyrst great battail of the Romanes agaynst them was vnder Decius wherein also Decius was slayne But afterwarde though the Romane Emperours made the Gotthies haue much ado yet remayned they in Thracia and Hungary and in Asia about Constantynople they toke in certayn contryes It is sayde that yet now adayes dwell Gotthy in the half Ile Taurica which speake Dutche and call themselus Gotthi Howbeit they lefte Hungarye and also Thracia so at the laste that of theyr free wyll they went fyrst into Italy and afterward into Spayn Afterwarde were the rest of the Gotthies destroyed by the Vandalyes and Hunmes commyng out of Scythya The Hunny made theyr dwellinge place in Hungary But the contryes that lye partly vnder partly aboute Hungary haue the Vandaly taken in But in the tyme of Arcadius and Honorius are the Gotthy come into Italy The mooste noble Emperoure Theodosius ordeined to his sonnes two capitaines Rufinus and Stillico and wylled them to care for the Emperours yong sonnes but the one was disloyal to hys lorde Rufinus was of Gallia the same enticed the Gotthies against Arcadius and hoped to optayne the kyngdome by that meane but he was frustrated of his purpose for he was slaine by Stillico As for Stillico was a Vandale and whan some of the Gotthi were come agaynst Arcadius Stillico broughte to passe that the Gotthi which Theodosius hadde taken in wages were letten go Beside that did Stillico sett the Vandalies against the Gotthies and so whan the Gotthies were fyrste angered thorough Rufinus and than