from mount Ephraim and now followed the enemies vnto Bethauen the victory was great which Saul got ouer the Philistines Saul in this battel did binde the souldiers by oath not to eate till euening and cursed him that would eate any foode till night for Ionathan tasted a little hony with the end of his rod and Saul his father would haue put him to death sauing that the souldiers rescued and deliuered him for the Lord had giuen a great victory by Ionathan ouer the Philistines CHAP. XX. Of the victorie of Saul at Iabesh Gilead and after how he was ouerthrowne by the Philistines and slew himselfe in mount Gilboa and of the reward of diuers treasons AFter the battel at Michmash Saul had an other victorie ouer the Ammonites where the Ammonites were slain at Iabesh Gilead the Lord prospered Saul and endued him with such vertues as were meete for a K. yet Saul disobeyed the Lord being commanded to destroy the Amalekites and sley both man and woman both infant and suckling both oxe and sheepe both camel and asse yet he spared Agag king of the Amalekites and the fat beasts and the lambes the sheepe and the oxen that were good against the commaundement of the Lord and therefore Samuel reproued him and tolde him that the Lord had reiected him and that his kingdome should bee giuen to an other and vpon Sauls disobedience Samuel was commaunded to annoint Dauid king ouer Israel so Saul wonne the victory but lost his kingdome and his life in the next battell Saul being forsaken of the Lord for his disobedience the Philistines preuailed against him in diuers battels for Saul was more desirous to kill Dauid the seruant of the Lord then to destroy the Philistines the enemies of the Lord. But Dauid was reserued and ordained to fight the battels of the Lord to destroy the Amalekites the Philistines the rest of the Lords enemies whom Saul spared being commanded to the contrary therfore the Lord gaue Saul to the hands of the Philistins at the battell in mount Gilboa that the Israelites fled and fell before the Philistines and the three sonnes of Saul were flaine and Saul himselfe sore wounded Such was his cruell life seeking to kill Dauid that he had a desperate death for he slew himself with his owne sword seeing the battell so sore against him his sonnes slaine his souldiers killed and all the rest of his army fled This was the end of Saul the first K. of Israel like the end of Zedechia the last king of Israel And whē the Philistins came to the spoyle of them that were slaine they found the body of Saul and his three sonnes in mount Gilboah slaine in the battel and they cut off Sauls head and stripped him out of his armour and they laid vp his armour in the Temple of their god Astaroth and hanged vp his body on the wall of Bethshan in token of victorie and triumph and they sent the head of Saul vnto the land of the Philistines that they might shew it in their cities and publish it in the Temples of their Idols among the people and after to set vp Sauls head in the Temple of Dagon This was the end of Saul whom the Lord raised from keeping his fathers asses to be a king ouer his people for not obeying the commaundement of the Lord thus euer the Lord punished disobedience in Saul in Rehoboam Achab Manasses and Zedechiah that the Lord deliuered Ierusalem and the kingdome of Iudah to the hands of Nabuchodonozer king of Babilon Saul being now slaine in mount Gilboa the Amalekite which brought to Dauid Sauls crowne and his bracelets and tolde Dauid that hee himselfe slew Saul which was a lye for Saul slew himselfe thought to haue a great reward for such good newes but Dauid commanded him to be slaine The like reward had Rechab and Banah that brought Isbosheths head vnto Dauid who disguised themselues as Marchants to buy wheate and went to Isbosheths house who slept on his bed at noone and they slew him tooke his head with them and presented it vnto Dauid at Hebron supposing they should bee better rewarded then the Amalekite was but Dauid rewarded them in this sort that their hands and their feete were cut off hanged vp ouer the poole in Hebron The recompence of such treacherous seruants were euer so rewarded as Bessus the onely chiefe captaine vnder Darius who after he fled from the battell at Arbela was slaine by Bessus and his head cut off and brought vnto Alexander who thought to be aduanced for his trecherous seruice but Alexander commaunded that he should be tyed to the tops of two young trees bending to the ground that he by the swinge and lifting vp of the trees might be torne in peeces So Septimius and Achillas commaunded by Ptolomeus king of Egipt to kill Pompey and to present his head vnto Caesar from him though Pompey before time had restored Ptolomeu his father to his kingdome in Egipt and Septimius had beene Pompey his souldier in diuers warres yet they slew him most trecherously in his boate at Pellusium and cut off his head to please Caesar but they were rewarded of Caesar as Bessus was of Alexander for the king was slaine and his kingdome giuen to Cleopatra his sister When Antigonus sawe Pirrhus head presented vnto him by his sonne though they were both enemies and in the field in armor one against an other yet he couered Pirrhus head with his hat discommending the crueltie of his sonne with such a reward that he made his bloud run about his eares saying how durst thou like a sauage beast bring Pirrhus head from his body being dead whom no prince or captaine in Asia or in Europe durst in the face meet in the field aliue Yet most men think that trecherie is allowed though traitors be not accepted I do not thinke but the head of Darius brought to Alexander by Bessus and the head of Pompey to Caesar were as gratefull as Ciceroes head was to Marc. Antonius brought by Popilius or as Marc. Crassus head sent by Surena to Horodes for thereby had Alexander the kingdome of Persia Caesar the Empire of Rome treason hath better successe then traitors haue To this effect spake Iezabell to Iehu Had Zimri peace which slew his maister Elah as though she should say can traitors haue good successe but she was rewarded by Iehu for that Naboth was stoned to death by her meanes for his vineyard as the rest were Euen cruel Sylla the Romane the enemie of Marius and all his well-willers and especiall of Sulpitius Syllas mortall foe Yet when Sulpitius seruant would haue betrayed Sulpitius his maister vnto Sylla Sylla caused him to bee throwne headlong downe from the rocke Tarpeia So much the olde Romanes hated traitors and treasons that when Viriatus an other Haniball and a great enemie of the Romanes for 14.
the Towne to his father Though the Israelites fell to Idolatrie after Ioshuahs death who during the time of Ioshua serued the Lord and neuer forsooke him yet the Lorde at all times though they alwaies offended him deliuered them frō their enemies when they cryed vnto him for his ayde and helpe So being now vexed with their euemies the Lord sent Ehud as a Iudge and Captaine to leade them and to gouerne them as their Generall beeing a stout and a valiant Captaine who was wont to say to his souldiers follow me went boldly to Eglon king of the Moabites vsed this stratagē told the king that he had some secret from the Lord to tellhim wherevpon the chamber being auoyded and the doore shut hee out with his dagger slew Eglon the king and came out and shut the doore after him and after slew ten thousand Moabites at that time yet Ehud was left-handed and vnable to fight and therefore it was a stratagem of the Lord. Iabin king of Canaan an other enemie of the Israelites sent his generall Cisera a mightie captain with nine hundred chariots of Iron and a huge Army of souldiers to fight against Israel yet the Lord still prouided for his people and deliuered the Canaanites into the hand of Deborah a woman and Barac euen the whole Army of the Canaanites at the battell at Meroz where euen the starres in their courses from heauen fought against Cisera as Deborah confessed in her song of thanksgiuing to the Lord for the victorie For all the battels that the Lord had fought for Israell yet they sinned more and so offended the Lord that they were deliuered seuen yeares into the hands of the Madianites for their wickednesse that Israell made themselues dennes and caues in the Mountaines for feare of the Madianites and Amalekites whose tents were as thicke as Grasse-hoppers in multitude so that they their cattels and their camels were without number Yet the Lord when Israell cryed for helpe raised vp sound Iudges as Othoniel Ehud Barac and Deborah who ouercame their enemies and had many victories ouer them but still Israel offended the Lord and therefore the Lord left Sidonites Canaanites and Philistines to afflict and vex the Israelites for that they still offended the Lorde Hee left these Nations among them with their gods and Idols that should be as snares vnto Israel and as thornes in their sides and needles in their eies to trie them and to force them to call vpon the name of the Lord. The Hebrewes as they offended the Lord so were they punished by the Lord who often gaue them ouer into their enemies hands for their rebellious sedition and disobedience and therefore the Lord made choise of a wise and discreet generall whom he strengthned to rule his people sent his messenger to Gedeon a husbandman threshing his corne to bee their captaine before them who with the three hundred souldiers that laped the water by putting their hāds to their mouthes as the Lord had commaunded him by that signe and had appointed the number for him to take the Lords battel in hand to let the rest which were one and thirtie thousand and seuen hundred returne to their home which were by proclamatiō discharged The generals that the Lord made choise of to rule his people were but shepheards heardmen and husbandmen as Moses Ioshua Gedeon Saul and Dauid and of the like men he made choise for his Prophets Gedeon obeyed the message of the Lord called at the Lords hand for strength and courage to fight his battel and after deuided the three hundred men into three seuerall bands and vsed this stratagem gaue euery man a Trumpet in his hand with an emptie pitcher and lampes within the pitchers signifying by these weake meanes which the Lord vsed that the whole victorie should come from the Lord and not from man So Gedeon their generall comming to the side of the enemies with his threee bands he commaunded all the souldiers at once to sound al the trumpets together to break their pitchers and to shout crie the sword of the Lord and of Gedeon the enemies were so frighted the Lord set euery mans sword vpon his neighbour and caused the Madianites to kill one an other He made the Moabites the Ammonites Edomites in like sort one to destroy an other They tooke in that battell two Princes of the Madianites called Oreb and Zeb whom they slew and brought their heads to Gedeon from beyond Iorden as they fled from the sword of Gedeon The slaughter was an hundred and twentie thousand that were slaine with three hundred men as the Lord had commaunded Obserue the stratagem of Gedeon who commanded his three hūdred souldiers at once to sound al the trumpets together to breake their pitchers and to shout and crie the sword of the Lord and of Gedeon It so amazed the Madianites that the victory was Gedeons Ioshuah in like sort was by the Lord commaunded after he had carried the Arke round about Iericho seuen times vpon the seuenth day that the Priests should blow the rammes hornes and all the souldiers to crie aloude and to shout out all together at once that the walles of Iericho fell With a stratagem also Ioshua deceiued the king of Ai who came out of the Citie to fight with Ioshua who tooke vpon him to flye from the king but hauing laide ambushes vpon the way and about the Towne the Lord gaue both the Towne and the King to Ioshuas hand So did the Israelites deceiue the Beniamites with the like stratagems as Ioshua did who tooke vpon them to flye to draw the Beniamites from the Citie to the high wayes vntill they were compassed round about with the Israelites who destryed 25. thousand and 100. men These are diuine stratagems and to be attributed vnto the Lords doings Pericles generall of the Athenians besieging a certain Citie in Greece who vpon the sudden in the night time caused all the Trumpets to be sounded at once and all the souldiers to shout and cry as loud as they could it so terrified the Citizens within that they ranne from all parts of the Cittie vnto that place where Pericles commanded the trumpets to be sounded and that loud crye to be made thinking thereby that the enemies had entred the Citie Pericles without resistance made an entrie into the Citie in an other place Antiochus vsed the like stratagem against the Ephesians commanded certaine Rhodians which were of his Army to shout out loud and to make a sudden out crie in the dead time of the night their feare and terror was such that all went to defend that place of the Towne and left the other side of the Towne without defence to let Antiochus enter in Luc. Cornelius after he had besieged and taken many Townes in Sardinia he vsed this stratagem to take a populous strong Citie made a great number of
losse of many countries prouinces and cities so the Turkes marched vpon the Romanes as the Romanes marched vpon others Cyrus the great king of Persia hauing an hundred and seuen and twentie prouinces after his conquest of many kingdomes and nations marched with two hundred thousand Persians to be slaine in Scythia and that by a woman so Cyrus lost Persia seeking to winne Scythia and lost his life to get more landes Zerxes marching into Greece with such an innumerable armie that they dranke and dried vp many riuers as Scamander in Thessalia the riuer Simois in Phrygia Clidorus in Beotia Lysus in Samothracia the riuer Menalia by Hellespont yet he came from Greece home to be murthered by Mardonius his seruant in his owne kingdom Alexander the great hauing subdued the most parts of the world he also for want of men marched to India to fight with Elephants and returned from India to Babilon where he was poysoned by his owne seruants Many such crooked marchings were as well among the Iewes as among the Gentiles Saul the first king of Israel marched not as he ought to haue done against Agag king of the Amalekites and therefore was he slaine with his three sonnes in the battell at mount Gilboa by the Philistines Ieroboam marched not rightly to the battel in mount Zemaraim against Abiah king of Iudah and therfore fiue hundred thousand Israelites were slaine of his soldiers The most part of the kings of Israel because I need not to name as Acha◅ Manasses Zedechiah the rest many of the kings of Iudah for that they marched not in the path of the Lord but followed Ieroboā which made Israel to sinne and therefore marched with Ieroboa◅ to their destruction These marched not with Moses who said to the God of Israel We will not goe hence if thou goe not before vs. Nor with king Dauid who would take no warre in hand before he had consulted with the Lord. Nor with Gedeon who would not goe to any battell vnlesse the Lord had giuen him a signe before he went so the captaines of the Lorde marched no where attempted no warre or battell without consulting with the Lorde by Vrim Thummim or with some Prophet of the Lord. The Gentiles likewise would take no warre in hand without consulting with their Oracles as the Romains besought the gods of Carthage promising them Temples Altars sacrifices feasts if they would forsake Carthage and come to Rome and therfore the Gentiles were so superstitious and blinde that in many countries they would binde the Images of Hercules and Mars lest they should forsake them and goe to other nations their enemies for no doubt it should seeme that either they read or heard of Moses bookes how the Lord forsooke the Israelites and gaue them ouer to the Canaanites Philistines and other nations about them and how the Arke was taken frō them by the Philistines Here hence grew the blindnesse of the Gentiles that the Arke being taken away from Israel they feared also lest their gods should be either allured by faire promises or taken away by strength of victories CHAP. VI. Of the maner and forme of vowes as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles for their victories in warres A Bigail Nabals wife vsed a policie to please Dauid fearing least Dauid would be reuenged vpon her husband for his churlish deniall of reliefe to him and to his company went after Dauid with victualls gifts and rewards and pleased him with faire words as Iacob pleased his brother Esau who vsed the like stratagem to win his brother Esau to send him gifts and rewards to please his brother whom he much feared for Esau promised to kill his brother Iacob when his father should die For Iacob the Patriarke made a vow when he went to Mesopotamia after his vision in Luz which thē Iacob named Bethel and said If God be with me and helpe me this iourney and will giue me bread to eate and cloaths to put on he vowed of all things that the Lord would giue him that he would giue the tenth vnto the Lord. Iacobs vow is farre more godly then Absolons vow for Iacob sought but bread to eate and cloaths to put on and safe reture againe from Mesopotamia ouer Iorden but rebellious Absolon sought the kingdome of Israel from his father Dauid by a dissembling vowe saying I will goe and performe my vowes which I vowed vnto the Lorde in Hebron which vowe he made his father the king beleeue that hee vowed in Ieshur in Syria that if the Lord would bring him to Ierusalem he would performe his vowes in Hebron this is a rebellious vow like to the wicked vowes of the Iewes which vowed before they would either eate or drinke to kill Paul The Israelites after they were ouerthrowne in a great battell by Arad king of the Canaanites they vowed vnto the Lorde that if the Lorde would giue Arad and the Canaanites into theyr handes that they would truely ferue the Lorde and destroy the Canaanites theyr landes and theyr cities They bound the Lord to so many conditions that if they should obtaine victories they promised him true seruice and to fight manfully against the Cananites And againe for another victory that the Lord gaue them against the Canaanites they vowed the tenth and performed their vowe the Hebrewes wanted no victories vpon their obedience dutiful seruice to the Lord. Iephtha in his war◅es against the Ammonites vowed vnto the Lord if he should haue victory ouer the Ammonites that whatsoeuer first met him at his returne from his victory comming out of his house should be a sacrifice vnto the Lord. Asa king of Iudah vowed vnto the Lord as Abiah his father did when Shesac king of Egipt came with an infinite number Asa and all Iudah made a couenant to seeke the Lord promised sware that they that sought ◅ot the Lord small or great man or woman should die this with an oath he vowed that Iudah reioyced for the victory they had ouer Zerah king of Aethiope with all his army of tenne hundred thousand Ionas a Prophet of the Lord when he fled from Niniuie to Tharsis being in danger of shipwracke he tolde the Marriners that he was the cause of the perillous tempest and willed the Marriners to throwe him into the sea confessing the lot fell iustly vpon him saying I will performe the vow which I promised vnto the Lord. So Anna vowed vnto the Lord and said that if the Lord would bestowe a man childe vpon her she would giue him vnto the Lord and she vowed that neither razor or sheares should come vpon his head and so performed her vow and brought Samuel her sonne before the Lord. There was nothing so common among the Gentiles also as vows as you heard of the Hebrues of their vows to the gods of Israel so likewise among the Greekes and
king and his battell at Michmash AFter Sampson the last Iudge in Israel died Eli was appointed high Priest to gouerne them who though a godly man himselfe yet brought not vp his sonnes in vertue in the fear of God therefore the Lorde rebuked Eli and said to Samuel I haue sworne that the wickednesse of Eli his house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for euer for the Lord tooke away the priesthood from Eli and from his house for the transgression of his children Likewise the Prophet Samuels sonnes for that they followed not their fathers steps but looked after lucre and tooke rewards were reprehended for corruption and bribery For Samuel being olde not able for age to execute his office he appointed both his sonnes to be Iudges in Bersabe but they loued rewards and bribes and therefore the people complained to Samuel of his sonnes refusing to be gouerned by them but would be gouerned by a king as other nations were Therefore was the Priesthood taken away from the house of Eli for the wickednesse of his children Ophnes and Phineis So was the gouernment taken from Samuel and from his house for euer through the corruption and briberie of his sonnes Ioell and Abiah Who would thinke that so good a King as Dauid should haue so wicked a sonne as Absolon that kild his brother Ammon in his owne house and sought the crowne of Iudah euen from his fathers head a murtherer of his Brother and a notable Traytour to his Father Who would thinke that good king Ezechiah should haue so wicked a sonne as Manasses to succeed him that sawed the prophet Esay in the midst and filled the streets of Ierusalem with blood And againe who would iudge but Salomon being the onely wisest king of the world hauing a thousand Queenes and concubines yet had but one sonne Rhehoboham that he was so brought vp to offend the people that ten of the twelue Tribes forsooke him and went to Ieroboam his fathers seruant Such was the care of kings among all nations that Philip king of Macedonia was glad to haue a sonne born in Aristotles time by whom hee might learne to knowe how to be a king and of whome Alexander the great himselfe was wont to say that he was as much bound to Aristotle his maister for his learning as he was to Philip his father for his birth And therefore Cyrus commaunded his sonne Cambises at his going to warres to Scithia to followe the counsell of Craesus to be ruled and gouerned by him For Cyrus knew Craesus to be so wise that by naming of Solons name he saued his owne life In like sort king Antigonus commaunded his sonne Helenus to be aduised and counselled by Aratus whom he knew to be a great learned man a noble captaine for that he was chosen to be seuenteene times Generall ouer the Achaians The cares of the kings of Persia was such for their children that they made choise of foure principall men in all knowledge to instruct them and to bring them vp The first schoole-maister should teach them the seruice of the gods with their sacrifice and ceremonies The second should instruct their children in the auncient lawes and customes of the kings of Persia. The third should bring them vp in sobrietie temperancy to vanquish lust and incontinency And the fourth should learn them to be valiant and hardy and to be acquainted with military discipline And therfore Alexander the great brought vp three thousand Persian youthes in the martiall discipline of the Macedonians And so Sertorius brought vp all the noble mens sonnes in Hispaine in martiall discipline of the Romanes This much I thought good to write of the good bringing vp and education of children for by the wickednesse of Eli his sonnes and corruption of Samuels sonnes the Priesthood was taken from the one and the gouernment taken from the other and therefore Israel cried for a king therat Samuel was much displeased but the Lord said vnto him heare the voyce of the people they haue not cast thee away but me that I should not raigne ouer them yet saith the Lord Tell them the nature of a king that he will take their sonnes to runne before his chariots to eare his ground to gather in his haruest and the king wil take their daughters and make them dressers of his oyntments his cookes and bakers the king shall take the best of their fields of their vineyards and of their oliue trees and giue them to his seruants he shall take the tenth of their seed and of theyr vines the best of their men seruants and maid seruants their young men and their asses to doo his worke yet though Samuel told al this to Israel from the Lord they would haue a king much like the fable of the frogs The frogs would haue a king being refused of many they came to the storke and would haue him to be their king which he accepted he got him a block as a seate to sit on to heare their causes and to giue iudgement but when the frogs came before their king to complaine he began with his bill to pricke them and after to wound thē that some were wounded some slain some made hast away So Samuel spake to the Israelites to that effect as they found in Saul Ieroboam Achab Manasses others such wicked kings The Apology of Iothan may be now well mentioned who spake in a parable to the Sychemites that the trees would haue a king but the vine the figge and the oliue trees refused to be their king then would the trees haue a bush or a gorsse to be their king who did accept of it This bush or gorsse would easily take fire and burne all the Sychemites in Sychem and did not Abimelech so after hee killed 70. sonnes of Gedeon his bretheren he destroyed Sychem and slew all the Sychemites and sowed salt in that place to make it barren for euer for salt as Pliny saith makes ground barren and vnapt to bring any thing When the Philistines heard that Israel had a king they gathered themselues together to fight against Israel thirtie thousand chariots six thousand horsemen and the footemen were like the sand by the sea side in multitude and they pitched their camp in Michmash and the Philistines seemed so many vnto the Israelites that the Israelites hid themselues in holtes in towers caues rockes and pits and many of them fled ouer Iorden yet the Lord deliuered the Philistines into Ionathans hand Sauls sonne that Israel might know that victorie consists not in multitude nor armour of men but onely in the arme of the Lord and therfore Ionathan smote the Philistines and the Lord turned euery mans sword vpon his fellow so that there was a very great ouerthrow and the battell continued vntill they came that fled for feare of the Philistines
yeares space gaue diuers ouerthrows to some Romane Praetors Consuls as Cai. Vetulius Cai. Plantius and others that he waxed so proud and insolent of his victories ouer the Romans that he hanged vp the Romane Ensignes on high hilles and mountaines as trophies to shewe his victories ouer the Romanes but Viriatus was betrayed and slaine by some of his souldiers by meanes of Caepio the Consul against the manners of the olde Romanes which neuer allowed trechery thinking to haue a great reward of the Romanes for his trechery but they according to their manners sent him backe bound vnto Hispaine as a traytor to his captaine and countrey as they did to Timocheres Pirrhus Phisition who offered the Romanes if they would to poison his maister Pirrhus So Camillus sent the schoolemaister of the Phaelicians who brought all his schollers beeing noble mens sonnes to betray the Towne backe naked before his schollers euery scholler hauing a rodde in his hand to whip his master for betraying their fathers their frends and the citie so that neither Viriatus seruant that slew his maister neither Pirrhus Phisition that would haue poisoned his maister nor the schoolemaister that would betray his citie could get any rewards at the Romanes hands for trechery Now to Dauid whose example of warres and victories vpō the Amalekites Canaanites and the rest as in this the next booke shal be mentioned The end of the first booke The second Booke of the Stratagems of Ierusalem CHAP. I. Of Dauid the second King of Israel and his great victories and good successe which hee had in all his warres against the Canaanites Edomites Moabites Ammonites Philistines and others DAuid a man whom the Lord found to his owne heart a second Ioshuah of Israel hee fought many battels of the Lorde and wonne many victories for when the Philistines heard that Saul was dead they sought for Dauid to fight with him and Dauid asked counsell of the Lord before hee would take any battel in hand which made his victories so many and himselfe so famous that all his enemies feared him So should all Kings Generalls and Captaines hold that rule for a principall part of theyr charge and not to commence warre without a iust cause and lawful meanes to be executed Iosias had no good cause to fight with Necho king of Egipt who commaunded his souldiers not to fight with Iosias but against Charchemish a citie of the Assirians So the King of Syria charged his souldiers to fight with none but with Achab king of Israel at what time Iosaphat king of Iudah was spared and therefore returned safe and sound to Ierusalem by the counsell of the king of Syria Had Iosias followed the counsell of Necho king of Egipt as Iosaphat followed the counsell of the king of Syria Iosias had saued his life as Iosophat did Dauid fought with the Philistines smote scattered them and slew them that they fled before Dauids face in the valley of Gyants which is the plaine of diuision because of their victories and there they left their Images and Idols and Dauid burned them much like to the Iamnites who carried the Images of their Idols in theyr bosomes to the battell and tyed them about theyr neckes for they were so found after the Iamnites were slaine as in auntient time the Egiptians carried their gods and their Idols painted on their Ensignes and Banners into the field as their standarts Againe the Philistines gathered their force against Dauid at Rephaim which is called the valley of Gyants and Dauid ouerthrew the host of the Philistines chased them from Geba vnto Gazar An other battell of the Lord against the Philistines fought by Dauid and he againe subdued them tooke the strong citie of Gath which they called the bridle of bondage out of the hands of the Philistines This citie kept the countrey round about in subiection and bondage Thus all wise and skilfull generals ought to imitate Dauid herein to seize by all warlike policie vpon those strong citties and fortes that can commaund the countrey So Hanibal thought himself sure of Rome hauing gottē Capua and Tarentum two of the strongest citties in Italy into his hand So the Romanes hauing gotten Syracusa doubted not to take Carthage and hauing Carthage in their hands they soone cōquered all Affrike and hauing Affricke they made no account to win Asia for at that verie time the best souldiers of the worlde were in the West kingdomes For Antiochus the great the greatest king at that time in all Asia was soone ouerthrowne by a Consull of Rome So Dauid went forward in his victories after he had gotten the strong citie of Gath he smote Moab and measured them with a cord he slue them cast them down to the ground he ouercame whom he would and saued whom hee listed so that the Moabites became Dauids seruants and brought him gifts and presents that the Lord made Dauid famous throughout all the world During the time of Dauids warres against the Canaanites and other nations their associates there was no great warre then among the Syrians neither in any part of Asia and especially in Europe which was scant throughly inhabited in Dauids time and therfore there was no such warre to be written of as was thē between the Israelites and the Canaanites in the time of Dauid For as Ioshua slue the Canaanites and gaue the possession of the land vnto Israel so Dauid rooted them out slue their gyants and brought all the land tributary vnto Salomon his sonne who gouerned Israel fortie yeares in peace and quietnesse without warre Hadarezer king of Zobah hearing of the name and fame of Dauid went to establish his borders by the riuer Euphrates with a great army with him where Dauid gaue him battell fought with him ouerthrew him and tooke from him a thousand chariots seuen thousand horsmen and twentie thousand footemen Dauid destroyed all the chariots and hought all the horses but reserued an hundred chariots for himselfe so that the Lorde was with Dauid wheresoeuer he went and whatsoeuer he tooke in hand The Aramites hearing what great ouerthrow Hadarezer king of Zobah had by Dauid came from Damascus with a very great army to succor the king of Zobah for they knitted themselues against Israel with all theyr force and power but they had the like welcome as the Philistines the Moabites and the king of Zobah had Dauid slue of the Aramites two twenty thousand Dauid put a garrison in that part of Syria where Damascus was and the Aramites became Dauids seruants and brought him presents gifts Dauid so plagued the Aramites which are also named Siriās that they bare such mortall hatred to Iudah for they euer ioyned themselues after with the Ephraimites against ' the Tribe of Iudah Obserue the martiall proceedings of the Israelites to put garrison in euery strong Citie and fort where they had subdued
reioyced in his great victorie ouer Darius at Arbela and his conquests ouer kingdomes and countries had hee knowne hee should haue bene poysoned in Babilon Caesar had neuer taken the ciuill warres in hand against Pompey the great had hee knowne that hee should haue beene murthered before Pompeys Image in Rome Priamus had hee knowne the slaughter of himselfe his wife his children the last destructiō of Troy his citie had not resisted the Greeks nor denied their lawfull request in restoring Helen and therefore saide Cicero Multò melius est nescire futura quam scire Ignorance is better then knowledge of thinges to come but these had no Ephod no Vrim Thummim nor prophet to tel them of things to come as Ioshua Dauid Gedeon and others had and yet Alexander had his soothsayer Aristander Caesar had Spurina Priamus was warned by his daughter Cassandra but euer when they escaped one danger they fell into another as Iob said Fugiet impius armaferrca irruet in arcum aereum So superstitious grew the Gentils with such abhominable Idolatry that in Persia by a cock in Egipt by a bull in Aethiope by a dog they tooke soothsaying in Beotia by a beech tree in Epyre by an oake in Delos by a dragō in Lycia by a wolfe in Ammon by a ramme they receiued their oracles as their warrant to commence any warre to enter any battell or to attempt any enterprise And therfore Alexander the great went to the oracle at Ammon to know the successe of his warres in India And Licurgus went to Delphos to be instructed to make lawes in in Sparta Some went to the graue of Amphiraus sacrificed a Ramme and couered the graue of Amphiraus with that Ramme skinne and sleeping vpon the same skinne all night all things should be shewed to them by oracles But to such men as come to dead mens graues to seek helpe might be spoken that which Semyramis spake to Darius king of Persia. For Semyramis had written vpon her graue that what Prince soeuer had wanted money or golde should open her tombe and be satisfied Darius being greedie of money opened her tombe and found this sentence written vpon a table O couetous wretch vnlesse thou hadst bin an vnsatiable Prince thou wouldst neuer haue opened the graue of the dead for money The like was spokē to Xerxes that opened Belus graue and found nothing but an emptie glasse with this writing on a pillar If any would open Belus graue and not fill the emptie glasse with oyle he should be vnfortunate Which being read of Xerxes he willed straight to fil the glasse with oyle which would hold oyle no more then Belides buckets held water Xerxes departed sad therefore imagining some ill lucke to come thereby as within a while after it came to passe that he was slaine in his owne pallace at Persepolis by Artabanus The Prophets of the Lorde Esai Ieremy and the rest tooke no oracles from flying of fowles from starres and such but from the mouth of the Lord saying Thus saith the Lorde giuing more certaine oracles to the Israelites then the Persians Egiptians and Grecians had by Swallowes Rauens Eagles and Cockes The Prophet Dauids manner was when he went to any battell to know of the Lord whether hee should goe or no against the Philistines Canaanites and other enemies of the Lord. So the Israelites would take no warre in hand against the Beniamites before they asked counsell of the Lord. When the Moabites denied Ioshua and his army passage through the land Ioshua was commaunded by Moses to muster a thousand of euery Tribe and to giue them battell For it was lawfull in iust warres to vse any policies stratagems and snares against the enemie as Abraham did in rescuing Lot made after the foure kings fought with them ouerthrew them and brought Lot backe againe to his owne house where he dwelt in Zodom And so Gedeon did to the men of Sucoth and to the men of Phanuel for that they denied to giue some bread to relieue his three hundred faintie souldiers at his returne from the victorie hee tare the flesh of threescore and seuenteene Elders and chiefe men of Sucoth with briers and thornes and brake downe the Tower of Phanuel and slew the men of the Towne according to his promise before tolde But let vs returne to the oracles and soothsayings aswell of the Gentiles as of the Iewes The Athenians in euery publike counsell that they tooke in hand without their Priests called Mantes were present in place to sacrifice and to offer oblations vnto their Idols nothing should be done among the Athenians Among the Lacedemonians in like manner the authoritie of soothsaying was such that in all consultations among the Senators they would conclude vpon nothing in matters of doubts without warrant frō their soothsayers The credite and existimation of soothsayers was such among the Romanes that they could dispossesse any Senator from the Senate any Consull or Praetor from their offices as is said before for the soothsayers were called in Rome Nuntij interpetres Iouis the messengers of Iupiter and his interpreters So the latter Iewes serued and sacrificed to the Idols of the Gentiles neither would they attempt any thing without oracles from Chemosh the Idoll of the Moabites from Nesroch the Idoll of the Assyrians and from Dagan the Idoll of the Philistines yet Senacherib was slaine praying in the Temple before his owne god Nesroch by his owne sonnes and the fiue Lords of the Philistines at the great feast which they made to their god Dagon were slaine by the fall of the house where they feasted Yet Israel would take no example thereby but forgat the lawe of the Lord which they obeyed vnder Ioshuah Iudah Gedeon and others but they would haue new kings new lawes to gouerne them an other forme of a common-wealth then the Lord had appointed and a new kinde of religion to serue straunge gods otherwise then the Lord had commanded them and to seeke helpe and aide of other nations which the Lord forbad them saying The strength of Pharao shall bee your shame and your trust to the shadowe of Egipt shall deceiue you neither the gods whom you serue shall saue you neither the nations whom you trust vnto shall defend you As the Ethnikes vsed dreames lots prophesies oracles soothsayings and charmes to instruct them in their warres so Nabuchodonozer consulted with his oracles asked counsel of the soothsayers and obserued the liuer of a beast for the destruction of Ierusalem but they are cursed in Gods booke that would vse sorcery or seeke helpe by any other meanes then by the Lord for what haue the faithfull to do with Infidels which were forbidden to goe to Iupiter at Hammon or to Appollo at Delphos where the Gentiles came to offer gold pearles iewels chaines crownes shields targets and Images to hang there in the temple of Appollo that