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
or yeares But her of is ynough The table of the yeares of the worlde whiche sheweth the tyme poynted by Daniel M De. lvi vntyll the floude C C xciii vntyll Abraham was borne C C C C xxiij vntyll Moses was borne L xxx vntyll the goyng out of Egipt C C C C lxxx vntyll Salomons temple was buylded C C xxxviii vntyll kyng Ioas. C C xci vntil Ieconias was caried into Babylō Xi vntyll the wastyng of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonosor L xx dured the captiuite of Babylon C xci dured the monarchy of the Perses after the captiuitie of Babylon Vii was Alexander after Darius C xlvi dured the rule of the Grekes vntyll Iuhas Machabeus C xxvij dured the kyngdom of the Machabees as wryteth Iosephus XXX Herodes In the thyrtyeth yeare of Herode was Christe borne M. D. xxxii sence Christe our lorde and Sauiour was borne Our of this table is easely gathered the reason and maner of the yeares in Daniels wrytynge But I fynde by the Grekes the tyme after Alexanders death of this wyse In the .cxiiii. Olympias dyed Alexander Clxxxiiii Olympias began the rule of Augustus after the death of Iulius The xlii yeares of Augustus was Christ borne These yeares together sence the death of Alexāder make about cccxx yeares This nomber doth not so greatly disagre wyth the other aboue rehersed and can easely be made to gre of learned men Of Esdras A Certayne space after the cōmaundement publyshed dyd kynge Artaxerxes let Esdras the scribe returne to Ierusalem And duely not without a cause ought mētion to be made of this man in the histories for the bookes of the holy scripture that were now scattered and strowed dyd he gather agayne and set in order For this worke was worthy to be the duety of a true byshop Because that without holy scripture cannot be maynteined the true religion and worshyp of God In the tyme of this Artarerxes Longimanus began the great warre of Peloponnesus whiche the Grekes had amonge themselues in the whiche the citie of Athens at the last was vtterly destroyed This warre lasted neare hande vntyl the ende of the Persian monarchy and therfore I wyl first brefely reherse in their order the Persian kyng s. suche as are yet behynde Of Darius the bastarde DArius the bastarde reigned after Longimanus and of truth he was not the sonne of Lōgimanus but had his sister to wife and was his brother in lawe He had two sonnes At taxerxes whom they cal Mnemon and Cyrus the yonger Artaxerxes succeded his father in the empire Cyrus was made most puissaunt in Ionia Of Artaxerxes Mnemon AS Darius was deade Cyrus began to take falsly to hym the kyngdome for besyde that he ruled in a most puissaunt duchy he was apte also for all manner of thing and delited chefely in warre and therfore armed he hymself with great power against his brother Beside this had his mother more affection to hym than to his brother whiche had a modest and gentle mother wit But God did not prosper this wicked enterprise of Cyrus for in a battaill where he tought against his brother was he slaine Artaxerxes declared hymselfe not without courage in this battaill for he was greueously wonded of Cyrus and lept vpon another horse that he shoulde knowe that the victory came to hym afterwarde by God only Of Ochus OChus the sonne of Artaxerxes was moste gredy of mans bloud for beside the great tyranny that he vsed he slew also his own brothern He buylded the citie Sidon and brought Egypt againe to the Persian monarchy but they kept the loyalte of their yeldyng not very longe At the last was he slayn of one of his gouernours Of Arsames ARsames was the sōne of Ochus the same was made kyng being yet yonge by the capitain of the host which flew his father Ochus But when Arsames began now to wax great the capitain of the hoost fearyng by reason of the wycked dede that he had done he slew by a disceat this Arsames also Afterward makyng a league with Codomanus prince of Armenia he toke to hym the kyngdome also and called hym Darius Thus was the kynred of the noble prince Cyrus quenshed and the kyngdome of the Persians beyng translated from Cyrus posterite came to a foren prince Nether is that onely to be lamented that suche power and honour and so hygh gyftes of God were deleyed and put out of remembraunce within so few yeares but muche rather that Cyrus folowers beyng strayght waye vnlyke hym dyd declare their father to haue no maner of vertue the whiche appeareth in Ochus whose feates of tyranny gaue occasion that the whole kynred of Cyrus was abolyshed Of the last Darius The same was straunge from Cyrus but he was made prince of Armenia by kyng Ochus for his noble actes of chyuairy for the whiche actes also he was chosen kyng by them that had slayne Arsames left he should be reuenged of Ochus that had done hym good But being blynded by this occasion and with the hope of the kyngdome that was offered hym he forgat all the benefites that he had receaued of Ochus and hauyng the kyngdome he called hymselfe Darius that nothyng should be wanting to the royall dignitie But he was greuously punished for his vnkynonesse and disloyaltie For when he was vanquyshed of Alexander losynge all his landes and kyngdome he lost also his lyfe the whole monarchie of Persia But we shall treate more largely hereof in the begynning of the third monarchie and when we shall speake of Alexander The Warres of the cities of Grece WE haue touched before how the Grekes waxed welthy and presumptuous when the Perses were driuen out of their landes for pride and presumption do commonly folow after great prosperitie Wherfore duryng this monarchie they had great and durable warres among themselues by the whiche whole Grece went finally to naught insomuche that after ward it was open for euery man to breake in And also for the most honest gouernaūce lawes which they vsed in their cōmon welth succeded filthinesse and most corrup maner of behaueour And whome would it not greatly pitie to reade that so many great commodities or yuels and so durable and wicked warres are raysed of so lyght causes They be examples herely not onely to be wondered at but also most worthyest to be marked for they may admonyshe men that they take no warre in hand lightely and for euery lyght cause but only constrayned by great necessitie seing the warre raised amonge the Grekes for a small occasion could be in no maner nor meanes be swaged and layed downe tyll finally straunge people fallyng into Grece oppressed both partes It is not my mynde here to describe this whole warre for Theucidides Xenophon and afterward other haue written therof whole bokes But I wil reherse one thyng among all other namely what fall the citie of Athens hath had in this warre and what
those that were the true successors For which cause was this people greueously punished agayne of God This was the fyrst yourney of Antiochus to Ierusalem in the whiche he ordeined a hygh priest and spoyled the temple â–ª slew many This happened the syxte yeare of Antiochus the which was the hundreth and thre and fortyeth yeare after Alexanders death Two yeare after which was the hundreth and fyue and fortieth yeare after the death of Alexander made Antiochus ready hys seconde yourney into Egypt For the cities had yelded themselues agayne to the yonge kynge the which also had sought for ayde of the Romanes Nowe whan Antiochus inuaded Egypte the Romanes sente an ambassador Popilius which shuld shew Antiochus in the name of the Romanes to auoyde out of the coastes of Egypte nether to warre vpon the yonge kynge Philometor For the Romanes were mynded to retayne him in the kyngdome wyth theyr ayde Wherevpon answered Antiochus he would deuise wyth him selfe what he would do But Popilius wold graunt hym no space to deuise but makyng a rynge wyth hys speare aboute Antiochus commaunded hym to saye strayght waye before he went out of the cyrcle whether he wold auoyd out of Egipt or no. Antiochus being abashed with this seuerite constance of Popilius for he knew was afeared of the Romane power he promised frelye to go out of Egipt â–ª Wherfore he was constrayned to leaue Egypt the second tyme with great shame But inflamed with â—re for the impacience of the grefe he went agayne to Ierusalem and this was hys seconde yourney to Ierusalem for he was there twise and than vsed â—e his tyranny much more cruelly than before For he commaunded the Iewes to worshyp the Idols of the Heythen he commaunded to burn the bokes of the Bible and left a great deale of noughtypackes to possesse the citye Ierusalem in steade of a garnyson the which tormented then very cruelly that wolde not fall from theyr fayth and to thys thinge dyd they assist them that were deceuered from the Iewysh religion The temple also was turned to a prophane vse fore an image was sett therein of the Gentils superstition But what nedeth many wordes They busyed to roote out the worde of God and the whole lawe and in steade thereof to bringe in the maners of the Gentyls Nether dyd Antiochus vse that counsel rashly but with a great wytt policye For he perceaued that the Iewes wythstode the Heythen kynges because of theyr religion and therfore wolde he auoyde the diuersitye of religion Of thys wyse do mens thoughtes dalye in matters concernyng God and wyll set vp religion after theyr wyll iudgement Moreouer vnder y e example and figure of thys Antiochus doth Daniel also describe Antichriste that such a kyngdom shuld be where in Christen men shuld be put to distresse and Gods word shuld be quenched and lykewyse shuld be set vp a religion for a shewe which might be contrary to gods word by y â— which may be had an occasyon to optayne power great ryches Euen as it is euident that Mahomet hath set vp a false religion and vnder pretence thereof haue ordeyned a newe kyngdome And this religion semeth to be folysh religion for it doeth greatly flatter mens reason For passing ouer nearehande all the hygher sentences and articles of the fayeth it hath kept onely that doctryne whyche teacheth morall vertues Wonder it is verely howe muche that same doth flatter mans reason wherefore also it doth vse to crepe more easely into mens mindes than the doctryne of fayth As for the tyranny of Antiochus thereof is written in the bokes of the Machabees Danyel wytnesseth that the people of the Iewes had deserued thys punyshment because of theyr synnes And allthoughe God dyd punyshe hys people yet for all that he dyd not destroye them vtterly For God raysed Iudas Machabeus whych gatheryng a small army inuaded Antiochus captaynes and by Gods assistaunce ouerthrowynge the enemyes he recouered the temple the thyrd yeare after that Antiochus had sett an Idoll therein Daniel hath comprehended all this tyme of the Iewysh affliccion in two thousande and thre hundreth dayes whych make syxe yeares and syxe monethes and some dayes ouerplus For the persecution lasted from the thyrde yeare of Antiochus vntyll the eyght yere some monethes Daniel dyd vse thys diuision of the tyme also that the Idoll should stande in the temple a thousande two hundreth and nynety dayes whyche make thre yeare and syxe monethes And y â— temple was recouered an hundreth eyght and forty yeares after Alexanders death Thys was the thre hundreth and eight and fortieth yere after that the Iewes were delyuered oute of the Babylonicall bondage and the hundreth and two and fyftyeth yeare before Christes byrth But Antiochus deserued wyth hys vngodlinesse and blasphemy agaynst God not only the vtter extinguishment of hys kynred but also the ouerthrowynge of the whole kyngdome of Syria For after Antiochus death there was euer warre betwene one or other and after manye tymes for the succession in the kyngdome That it maye be playnely sene by thys example ho we begynneth matters to sprynge for the whyche kyngdomes be ouerthrowen as we se nowe a dayes to befall in Hungary Antiochus Epiphanes dyed in that yourney whyche made readye agayne to come agaynst the Iewes to reuenge the dammage done After hys death hys brother Demetrius fled from Rome toke in the kingdome kylling the yong Antiochus surnamed Eupator sonne to Antiochus Epiphanes Alexander the capitayne raysyng a sedition agaynst Demetrius slewe hym Demetrius left two sonnes after him Demetrius and Antiochus Sedetes Of this Demetrius verely was Alexander slayne lykewyse Afterward was a sedition raysed by one Tryphon agaynst Demetrius the whych droue him out of the kyngdome but Demetrius came agayne into the kyngdome and dyed stryken thorough wyth a sworde Antiochus Sedetes was slayne of the Parthes As for this Demetrius had a sonne Antiochus Gryphus Antiochus Sedetes left after him a sonne Antiochus Cyzicenus These stroue for the kyngdome of Syria and were both slayne Afterward dyd their children warre one agaynst the other for y â— kindome wyth no lesse stryfe than their elders and had at the last so febled eche other that Syria was constrayned to yeld it selfe to foren kinges For it ioyned it selfe to Tigranes kyng of Armenia And of this wyse is the kyngdome of Syria transferred from Seleucus posterity to foren princes But finally whan Tigranes was slayne by Pompeius Syria was broughte vnder the Romane power Hetherto is ynough spoken of the kyngdome of Syria Of the kynges of Egypt after Alexander PTolomeus the sonne of Lagus wherof Pausanias wryteth whych calleth hym the bastarde of Philippe father to Alexander ij Ptolomeus Philadelphus Greate prayses are of thys kynge by reason of his endeuour of peace and also because he delyted in all kynde of
it confirmed with letters geuen there vpon The yeare M. CC. xxxviij Whan Fridericke went agayn into Italy they of Milan rose agaynst him and many other strong cityes To Milan dyd Friderick great harme for the which cause the city es makynge an aliance wyth the byshop of Ro. con spired against Friderick the Emperour whome for this cause Gregorius the Romysh byshop doth excommunicate the third time and condemneth him for an heretike stearing also the Venecians to war vpon him Friderick with opē writynges dyd complain of the iniury done to hym and in the meane tyme dyd he also humbly require absolution of the byshop of Ro. Ther were many of the Cardynals whiche alowed not the bysh of Romes counsels But whan Frederick could by no meanes optayne pardon of Gregorius necessitye compelled Frederyck to defende hymselfe he had also his faction or diuision For at that tyme was Italy diuyded in Guelphies and Gibelines the Gibelini were for the Emperoure and the Guelphi were wyth the Byshop of Ro. Ether name beynge brought vp in Germany was translated and brought ouer into Italy For the kynred of the Guelphi had continuall hatred agaynst Fredericks bloude Whereof also they were called Guelphi as alwaye hatefull enemyes of Fredericke As for the spring of Fredericks kynred was of the Weiblings whereof they are called Guiblings which the Italians chaunginge the name do call Gibelini The bysh of Ro. constrayned by great necessitie dyd proclayme the crosse and pardon agaynst Friderick the Emperoure as though he were manyfestly vngodly and destroyer of the religion Friderick toke that very euell he besyeged Rome but drue back agayne wythout takyng it and toke the citye Rauennas The yeare of Christ M. CC. xlv Innocentius the iiij holding a councel at Lyons in Fraunce deposed Friderick of the empyre vsynge therto the Frenchmens ayde and by letters he shewed the princes Electors to choyse another Emperoure But they made Emperoure Henry the Landtgraue of Thuringen The same was slayne before the citye Vlme wyth an instrument of warre Friderick buylded a new citye in Italy whiche was called Victoria Whan he wanted syluer he caused to make a coyne of lether y ◠he mighte haue where wyth to pay his men of warre but so soone as he had gotten syluer he shulde geue them good and lawful mony for the lether coyne which thing he dyd liberally But now whā he could loke for no more ayde out of Germany and that besydes thys hys sonne Encius was taken who also dyed in the preson he was sore distressed and went into Apulia were he also dyed the yeare M. CC. l. Some wryt that he was poisonned Yee surely the moost holy fathers coulde not rest without they sawe the good prince clene rydde out of the waye The kingdome of Naples left he to hys sonne heyre Cunradus As for Italy remayned alwaye after diuyded For one part helde wyth the empyre another wyth the byshop of Rome vntyl the powers of the Venecians and of them of Mylane beganne after to growe and increase Honorius the .iij. succeded Innocentius the .iij. of whome Friderick the .ii. was crouned and after warde excommunicated Gregorius y ◠.ix. was after Honorius of whome was Friderick lykewyse accursed After Gregorius was Celestinus the .iiij. bysh of Rome After Celestinus was Innocentius the .iiij. Thesame deposed Friderick from the empyre and accursed hys sonne Cunradus Cunradus the .iiij. the xxv Germane Emperour THe yeare of Christ M. CC. l. raigned Conradus the sonne of Fridericke after hys fathers deceasse but he was excommunicated by Inocentius the .iiij. Henry the Landtgraue of Thuryngen ouercame hym by Francoforde whyle hys father Frederick was yet alyue Some wryte that thys warre was after hys fathers death by Wyllyam the Landtgraue But whan Conradus perceaued that he was destitute of the Germane princes ayde he gat him into his hereditary kyngdome Naples and there he dyed the yeare M. CC. liij The ende of the dukes of Schwaben CVnradus of whome we haue now spoken had a wyfe of the Baiers bloude of the whiche he had a sonne Conradinus who was nouryshed and brought vp in hys hereditary duchy of Schwaben and after hys fathers deceasse wolde go to Naples hys heredytary kyngdome But Clemens the bishop of Rome called Charles the Frenche kynges brother into the realme of Naples agaynst hym Conradynus for so muche as he was duke of Schwaben had a greate bende and hooste of Germanes about hym and at the begynnynge had he greate vyctoryes But at the laste were Conradinus the sonne of Conradus and Fryderyck duke of Eastenriche taken by a trayne Besydes thys were they entreated more vnsemelye than was pertaynynge and put to shame At the laste were they beheaded throughe the counsell of the Romyshe byshop O notable crueltye He must be euen as harde as a stone verely whome the examples of so great cruelty dyd not moue namelye so noble a kynge borne ofso many Emperoures to be so shamefullye put to death by Clemens the Romysh byshop without any ryghte or reason Ther are yet euen at thys houre writinges which were written at that time in the which the good prince complayneth of the iniury and rehearseth at length the whole matter orderly so that it is no doute the bishoppes of Rome haue vsed playne tiranny against Conradinus Wiliam the xxvi Germane Emperour THe yeare of Christ M. C. C. liiij was chosen Emperoure Wylyam counte of Holland It is sayde he was an honest manered prince and of notable innocency of life but he was slayn by the Friselanders the yerre 1256. Vacation of the Empyre WHan thys Wiliam was dead the empire stode with out a certayne emperoure seuentene yeares and that not wythout great destruction of the Germane nacion Thys mischaunge grewe by the cyuyl warres that were raysed in the empyre by the bysh of Ro. Now whan the debate was rysen amonge the Electors for the choyse some chose Alfonsus kyng of Spayne Emperoure because he was a very wyse man and endued with notable vertues As for thys Alfonsus is he who not only had hys pleasure in the science of Astronomye but also augmented and amēded the study thereof with many bokes wrytten Thoughe Alfonsus was admonyshed by the byshop of Rome to take vpon hym the Emperyall maiestye yet refused he it earnestly because of the vncertayn faythfulnesse and vnstable concord of the Romysh Byshops wyth the Emperours The other parte of the Electors chose Richard the king of Englandes brother and brought hym vntyll Basyll but he was not accepted of the Empyre Alexander the .iiij. succeded after Innocentius At thys time lyued Albertus the greate and Thomas Aquinas Vrbanus the .iiij. was after Alexander Clemens the .iiij. succeded Vrbanus Thyssame caused Conradynus Conradus sonne to be beheaded Whan Clemens was deade was the see voyde two yeares through the dissension of choysynge a Byshop at the last was Gregorius the .x. chosen
Capitayne â–ª and the .xxvij. daye of August it was ended foure thousand beyng slayne the victory geuen through goddes grace by the handes of Iohn the noble Erle of Warwyke At the same tyme the Cornysh and Deuonshyre men were ouercome and very many of them slayn besydes many of their gentilmen taken This yere also Bonner byshop of London was put from his byshoprike for his stubborne Popyshnes the first day of October and for certainte obstinate articles coÌ„mitted to the Marshalsee the people muche reioysyng at it In this moneth the Duke of Somerset was coÌ„mitted to the toure to the great lamentacion of very many In this moneth also died the Pope of Rome called Paule the thyrde This yere the weke before Whitsontide thre honest marchauntes and a younge lad beinge honest mens sonnes of Brunswyke yourneyed from Andwarpe to Brunswyke there to heare at that feast goddes word preached And as they rode on Whitson euen after midnight halfway betwene Celle Brunswyke on a heath ouer gainst a certayn farme they nor yet Christ hymselfe dyd knowe namely howe a man can serue twoo maisters at ones God and the wicked worlde Item howe we can be good Christianes yet knowledge not Christ nor helpe hym to beare his crosse yea rather persecute hys poore membres God geue vs grace to knowledge his son ne a ryght suffre paciently all miuries and endure to the ende that he may also at the great and fearefull day of the lorde knowledge vs before hys heauenly father and hys vniuersal churche and before all hys aungels Amen IN the yere of oure Lorde 1550. the xix daye of Ianuary Capitayne Gambolde who was Capitayne of the Spanyardes that serued the kyng of Englande in his warres and an other Capitaine was slayne without Newe gate in an euenyng by a Spanyarde whiche was taken and hanged the. xxiiiâ— daye of Ianuary and thre more with hym the .xxviij. day of the same moneth was Humfrey arundell and Bury with two other mo drawne hanged and quartered for because they were the these capitaynes and mayntayners of the rebellion among the Cornyshe and Deuonshyre men The sixt day of February came the Duke of Somerset out of the Tower with greate reioyiyng of muche people In the same moneth went out of Englande certayne lordes of the counsaill to Buileine where certayne of the Frenche counsayll met with them and after long consultacion had and dyuers metynges betwene them there was a generall peace conciuded whiche peace was proclaimed the .xxix. daye of Marche folowyng Also about the .xxv. day of Apryll folowyng the towne of Bullayne with the fortresses thereto belongyng was delyuered by the Englyshemen into the Frenchemens handes The second daye of May was brent at London in smythfielde a certayne woman called Ione Boocher otherwyse called Ione of Barkyng for the horrible heresy of the Apellites Cerdonians proclianites Valentinians Manichees Timotheans Apolinarianes Nestorianes sedicious Anabaptistes of our tyme whiche she helth commen with all them of a set wilfulnesse for all those hereticall patriarkes was she sure to haue as maisters and doctours of her pernicious errour that Christ toke no fleshe of the virgine as largely apeareth in the cronicles About this tyme there were certayne lyght persones pretendyng a newe commotion in Kent but they were appreheÌ„ded and dyuers of them for that trespas hanged It is sayde that this yere the .xxi. daye of Marche in the countie of Carinte besydes the Lande of Bauariam Austryche by and aboute a lyttel towne called Claghenforth it rayned corne out of the element by the space of two houres which rayne stretched in lenght .vi. Germayn myles and in breedth halfe a Germayne myle in some places so that the sayd corne beyng some white and some browne lay in some places the thickenes of an hand broade vpoÌ„ the grouÌ„de WhereupoÌ„ the people of the lande came and gathered of the sayde corne and brought it to the mylles and baked thereof good sauery bread the significacion of whiche mistery is reserued to God alone to whome be honoure glory and prayse in all thynges for euer and euer Amen This yere the kyng of Spayne went home agayne out of Flaunders This yere also there was a cruel proclamatioÌ„ set furth by the vniuersitie of Louayne in the name of the Emperoures Maiestie for the persecution of the faithfull Christianes condempning al maner of scripture bookes as well Bibles as other in what tonge so euer they were written or translated that had bene printed within the space of .xxx. yeres before with moste extreme death prosecutinge all the fauourours of the doctrine set furth by Martine Luther Iohn Ecolampadius Hulderike zwinglius Iohn Caluine or their ad herentes and condempning them for heretikes and their doctrine for moste pernicious and pestilent heresy without any probable argumentes or good reasons After this themperoure went vp agayne into Germany The ende of this cronicle The conclusion THus haue I Christen reader brefeâ—â— comprehended the principall Storie â— whiche I haue founde and thought necessary as they haue bene done here there thoroughout Christendom these xviij yeres last past Howe be it if ought seme to be omitted and left out whiche is a thyng that may lyghtely chaunce to any man I beseche you that it be not interpretated in the worst parte coÌ„sideryng that I haue done my diligence to set furth y â— truthe Wherfore yf I haue bene truely infourmed it is wel Also if it fortuned y â— in the sayd Story were made meÌ„cion of any man vnto whoÌ„ it might apeare that iniury were done vnto hym in that he is not so muche coÌ„mended as some other woulde therefore be angry let hym remembre iâ— at the faulte is not in me but in hymselfe For it becometh an historiographer or Story writer to declare the truthe in all thynges Wherfore if men vse honestie their prayse shalbe the more but if they walke inordinately they deserue no prayse at all For the actes and histories that are written ought to edifye and profyte them that come after that they maye thereby learne what ought to bee eschued and what to be folowed whiche thynge without sure and certayne declaracion of the truth can not be done Therefore let suche men be angry wyth them selues yf they bee greued at the matter consideryng that they haue done nothyng and â—thy of commendacion And let them from henthe â—rth endeuoure them selues by honest conuersathe siâ— and Christen behaueour to couer their shame Godâ— then shall all thynges be counted vnto them coÌ„uâ—â—endable for somuche as euery thynge that is past is rather imputed to the tyme and to fortune then to the will of the person when the same is perceiued and knowen to haue forsaken the euyll whiche he vsed in tymes past and to folowe honestie and goodnes And although I haue abstayned from all that myght be tedious and bitter as muche as the truth myght suffre
thesame maye easely laye together the nomber of the Grekes with these CxCi. yeares Iesus the high prest xxxvi Ioakin his sonne in his fathers absence viii Iesus beynge returned xx Ioakin agayne xlviii Eliasib xxi Ioiada xxiiii Ioathan xxiiii Iaddus x. Summa of the yeares is CxCi. Iosephus wytnesseth that Iaddus lyued whan Alexander wente into Asia The Persian kynges as the Grekes do reken them Cyrus xxix Cambises vij and. v. moneths Darius Hystaspis sonne xxxvi Xerxes xx Artaxerxes with the longe hande xl Darius the bastarde xix Artaxerxes Mnemon xl Ochus xxvi Arsames iij. Darius vi The order of the tymes doth for the mooste parte allowe this nombre For as the historye wryters haue lyued at sundery tymes euen so hath euery one made mencion of hys kynge that raygned at hys tyme euen as Herodotus maketh mencion of xerxes Theucydides of Artaxerxes with the longe hande after these made Xenophon mencion of Darius the bastarde and his yonger sonne Cyrus he wrote also of Artaxerxes Mnemon Xenophon went a warrefare also in those warres that were vsed at these tymes Therfore the late wryters do greatly erre of the Iewes they be very dull asses which set but four Persian kinges lesing more thē an hundreth yeares in this euident counting of the worldes yeares of the whiche do spryng more greueous errours In Daniel and Esdras is mencion made of the Persian kynges but they varye in some names from the Grekes As for me that all thynges may be knowen more manyfestly I wyll brefely shewe what my mynde is Metasthenes is of some reiected because he nameth some Persian kynges other wyse then the Grekes But for so muche as Esdras and Philo do not disceuer from hym I do not reiect those kynges whiche Metasthenes reherseth For it is no doubt but that Esdras was perfecte of the kyngdome and state of the Persians for so muche as it is euident that hee was one of the chefe of the realme and of the kynges counsayll Metasthenes doth set in this order the Persian kynges and these be the fyrste wherein they vary but Philo and Esdras kepe the same order Darius and Cyrus to gether twoo yeres and after that Cyrus alone xxij Artaxerxes Assuerus xx Darius Artaxerxes with the long hand xxxvij Darius the bastarde xix Artaxerxes Mnemon lv Ochus xxvi Arsames iiij Darius vi This variaunce after my mynde may easely bee iudged Of the fyrst Darius whiche reigned with Cytus haue the Grekes no certainte for so much as saieth Daniel he neuer reigned and therefore was his name all together vnknowen to men of straunge nacions And Daniel hath separated this Darius from Cyrus For he sayeth that Darius of Media was Cyrus of Persia Now do the Grekes reken only the Persian kynges nother do they myngle with them the Medians affeirs whose kyngdome was already translated too the Persians therfore do the Greke wryters dissent nothyng from the holy scriptvres though they leaue out Darius seynge they counte onely the Persian kynges Iosephus wryteth that this Darius were Cyaxares the sonne of Astyages of whome Xenophen wryteth the whyche I wyll not stryue wythall The seconde Artaxerxes Assuerus is Darius Hystaspis sonne and Cambyses is passed ouer because hee reigned hys father yet lyuynge or not long after his fathers death For the Persians had this custome that whan y e kyng went forth on war they ordeined another before which shuld supplie y e kings rowme being absēt And by this occasiō was Cambyses ordeined kyng gouernour of y ◠realme of Cyrus hys father whan he made warre agaynst the Scythyans wyth the which he hadde warre syxe yeares and for this season dyd Cambises raigne whome the Grekes saye to haue raygned seuenyeare the which must be vnderstande of that time wherein the father was yetlyuing And the historyes of Assuerus do wytnesse that he was Darius because Philo wryteth that these kyngdomes be recouered of hym agayne by warre whiche were fallen back and rebelled whan Cyrus had foughten wyth the Scythes hauing no goodlucke The thyrde was called Darius Artaxerxes wyth the longe hande the same do the Grekes simply call Artaxerxes wyth the longe hande and he had the name thereof that hys ryght hande was longer than the left whome Metasthenes calleth Darius Esdras doth call hym Darius and Artaxerxes indifferently for they vsed these names none otherwyse than oure Emperours vse the names of Cesar and Augustus But that Artaxerxes doth strayght waye folow Darius in order that is happened for thys cause that Xerxes forthwyth in the begynnynge of hys raygne wente in to Grece and that in the meane space Artaxerxes ruled the kyngdom in the East And because Xerxes remayned not at hande in the East therfore do not the Iewes make mention of hym but holde Artaxerxes for the kynge seynge he beynge made gouernour of the kyngdome ruleth so longe as Xerxes was from home After thys is ther no varyaunce more and of thys wyse maye the hystoryes of the Byble and Grekes be made very well to agre The disagreynge of the yeres ryseth therof y ◠some Kynges gouerned the other yet lyuinge and ther by is it come that some other haue gathered the yeares otherwyse Of Cyrus CYrus the fyrst Prince of the Monarch of the parsiansis rekened one amonge the moost doughtyest Kynges lordes of the worlde For besyde the manyfold excellent and very princely vertues had God geuē and endued hym wyth sundery luck and fortune in rulynge and very excellent vyctoryes of hys enemies yea he fortuned to be taught and instruct also by Daniel the prophet in godlynes and in the trew worshyp of God as holy scriptures do wytnesse Such kynde of Princes beinge so garnyshed wyth the vertues of God ought we to honoure as noble gyftes of God by the whych God wyll helpe the worlde retayne men in theyr vocacion haue modestye kept and peace finally to haue lawes ordeyned And seynge it is so it is a very vngodlynesse ether to despise or to set nought by suche Princes as the commune sort of people do But this Cyrus is worthtely to be counted among such ministers of God and very excellent Princes of the worlde Nother can the noblenesse of kynred be requyred in hym For it so pleasyd God that the worthynesse of gouernaunce be kept and maynteyned and by men auanced wyth moost hyghe vertues and renowme of theyr auncerters And for so much as God hath preferred with so high honors therfore ought they lykewyse to be honored of vs as a most excellēt gyfte of God The father of Cyrus was a prince or a gouernour of Persia borne of the ofsprynge of Sem his mother was borne of the kynges blude of Medes And Herodotus wryteth that Astyages kynge of the Medes sawe in a dreame out of hys doughters wombe to grow a vyne whose sprynge should ouer shadowe whole Asia Of this was the coniecture taken that a
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