vexed him full often times and did him so molest That for the time of all his wittes he was quite dispossest Which gréeued sore his men to sée wherefore they gan to say Behold how this most wicked wight doth hauÌ„t thée day by day Let there be sought a cunning man of good and perfect skill On harpe or other instrument some comfort bring it will. Prouide me then of such a one go search both â—arre and nere Where that the best is to be had and bring him to me here Then one did say that Isai had a sonne that did excell In musike and vpon the harpe he played passing well A strong and valiaunt man of warre well made of bone lim Excéeding wise in his affayres and hath the Lorde with him Then sent the king and made request that Isai would him send His yongest sonne that on his shéepe and shepefold did attend Who at the kings commaundement prepared therewithall A simple present with his sonne and sent him vnto Saul So Dauid serued now the king and in the Court remaynd Where he was well accept of Saul and gently entertaynd His harnesse bearer he became The king sent once agayne To Isai that Dauid should with him a while remayne Then Dauid great atendance gaue vpon his master Saul To be at hande if that the sprite should chaunce on him to fall As now and then it came to passe then Dauid gan to play Upon his harpe so pleasauntly that soone it went away Now after this the Philistines came with a mightie hoast To warre agaynst the Israelites pitcht in Dammims coast Then Saul the king of Israel them to resist he goes And camped in the vale of Oke in sight of all his foes The Philistines stoodâ— on an hill the Israelites were séene To stand vpon an other hill a valley them betweene And while the hoast stoode at a stay a Philistine came downe Into the bottome of the vale a strong and mighty clowne His name it hight Goly of Gath so bigge and huge a man As was in length from top to toe six cubites and a span An helmet on his head he had of hard and massy brasse A coate of male vpon his backe of passing weight it was A shield bootes of brasse likewise which he was woÌ„t to weare And scarsly could a weauers beame well couÌ„terpeise his speare Now hauing one to beare his shield and waite vpon the same Agaynst the hoast of Israel with voyce he gan proclame Why come ye out in battayle ray behold I am but one Send out a man that dare assay to fight with me alone If he do beate me in this place then we will all be yours If I preuayle with force and might then you shall all be ours This day the hoast of Israel I do it all defye Send out a man that we may fight and here the matter trye When Saul and all the Israelites had heard and séene his spite They were with feare astonished and out of courage quite Here now to Dauid Isais sonne our talke returnd shal bée An Euphratite of Bethleem a man of good degrée This Isai had vnto his sonnes in number eight in all And he himselfe well stept in yeres now in the dayes of Saul With whom thrée of his eldest sonnes into the warres did go Both Samma and Abinadab and Eliab also But Dauid went not out with Saul for he was gone before To féede his fathers shéepe agayne and came to Saul no more His father nowe an aged man and of the warres afrayd Bethought him of his sonnes with Saul and thus to Dauid said Come forth my sonne I le send thée now into the hoast of Saul To sée thy brethren how they fare and what thing iâ— befall Go carie them this parched corne these ten loaues of bread For in their hunger it perhaps may stand them in some stead And to their capteine vnder whom their lotte is for to serue Present these chéeses in my name that he may them deserue If néede haue forsoe thy brethren so that â—â—ey haue gages layde Redéeme their pledge and sée that all their creditors be payde Then Dauid early gat him vp committing all his shéepe Unto an other skilfull man to tende them and to kéepe So going forth he came vnto the hoast that lay about Where as he heard the noyse of warre people make a shout For both the hoasts were in aray and stood in others sight Ech one with weapon in his hand as ready for to fight TheÌ„ leauing al his gere with one that mo things had in charge He ran and found his brethren out saluting them at large And as he stood in talk comes forth great Goly with his vauÌ„ts Prouoking still the Israelites with spitefull bitter tauntes Whose vgly shape and mighty corps did so the people fray That they durst not abide his looke but ranne from him away Ech one to other saying thus saw you this fiend of hell His comming vp is to revile the hoast of Israel Who so can him depriue of life and master in the field To him the king his daughter deare great rewards wil yéeld And furthermore he will also his fathers house to bée In all the land of Israel from tax and payments frée Now Dauid hearing all the brags the Philistine had made His heart was moued so within that he brast out and sayde What shal be done vnto the man what honour to his name That beateth yonder Philistine to saue the land from shame For what is this vncircumcisd what power is in his rod That he should thus reuile the hoast of the true liuing God The people sayd to him agayne as they had sayd before That so it should be done to him with prayse for euermore Which thing his brother Eliab tooke in such spite and hate That he offended with his talke began him all to rate What hast thou here to do quod he go home tend thy shéepe Which thou hast left in wildernes without a guyde to kéepe I know the malice of thy heart which so in thée hath wrought That it pride hath brought thée down to sée the battel fought Then Dauid saide what haue I done there is some cause certaine And so departing farther of he spake the same againe To whom the people as before assured him of all But some that noted well his words rehearsed them to Saul Who caused him for to be fet that he might sée the man And being brought immediatly to speake he thus began Let not the king dismayed be let no mans heart him fayle For yonder bragging Philistine I shall God will assayle Thou art not able quod the king to cope with him in hand So farre aboue thy power he is thou mayst him not withstand Thou art but yet a boy in age and he a man of might Brought vp traded from his youth in warre warlike fight Then Dauid to encourage Saul in Gods great
power and ayde Gan to declare what he of late had done by him and sayde Thy seruant kept his fathers shéepe that they should not astray Among the which a Lion came to féede vpon his pray I ranne caught him by the beard shooke him by the iawes So that I rid him of his life for all his ramping pawes A Beare likewise with gréedy paunch came to deuour his pray Whom I by strength did onely kill before I went away And as thy seruant now hath done to these two beasts in déede I doubt not but this Philistine shall haue no better spéede I mind God willing to remoue the infamy and shame And to reuenge this wicked talke agaynst Gods holy name And as the Lord defended me from Lion and from Beare So from this bosting Philistine he will I do not feare The king well pleased with his talke gaue leaue bad him go Beséeching God to be his guyde and shield him from his fo And gaue a charge to put vpon the armour of the king His sword his head peece and his shield and euery other thing Then Dauid did assay himselfe how well that he could do For he had neuer proued them ne wonted him thereto Wherfore he turned to Saul and sayd I can not go with these So out of all he stripped him to haue his armes at ease With staffe in hand he gat him forth vnto a litle brooke Out of the which fiue pibble stones into his bagge he tooke And so from thence he made his way apace vnto the man No other weapon but a sting he had to fight with than The Philistine then drue him neare to view him that was sent A page before him bare his shield as he to Dauid went. Now when he saw so yong a man so nakedly arayed Disdaynefully on him he cast his eye and to him sayd Am I a dogge that with a staffe thou commest me to beate So cursing him by all his goddes he gan to fume and freate Come on my childe quod he I will dispatch thée in this houre And giue thy flesh vnto the beasts and birds for to deuoure Then Dauid not afrayd of him nor any thing he saw Did vse suche talke as he might sée he wayed him not a straw Thou cōmest to me with speare shield wherin is all thy trust But in the name of God I come to thée in quarrell iust The Lord whose name with wicked mouth thou hast blasphemed so This day will vse me as a meane to be thine ouerthrow And minds your very carkasses to scatter so on ground That to the foules rauening beasts a pray you may be found That al the world both farre and neare may know it very wel How that there is a mighty Lord and God in Israel And eke the whole assembly here shall perfect notice haue That neither sword nor speare it is wherwith the lord doth saue For sure the battell is the Lords that ruleth in all lands He will this day confound you all and put you in our hands With that he stepped forth and came with weapon in his fist The other gan to buckle him his malice to resist A stone he had already set and folded in his sling Which at his head he hurled out as hard as he could fling Which through the Lord light full vpon the forepart of his head And sanke so déepe into his brayne that downe he fell as dead Then Dauid ran the groueling corps there lying to bestride And from the body with his sword his head he did deuide A sight no doubt that pleased much the Israelites that day But so dismayed the Philistines that they did runne away Then all the hoast of Israel they shouted at that sight Pursuing them with bloudy swords slue them in the flight And chasing them to Ekron gates they gaue them such a foyle That they returned ioyfully and brought away the spoyle Now whē as Dauid had in God this mighty cōquest wrought He was by Abner vnto Saul before his presence brought And standing with the bloudy head of Goly in his hande The king gan say whose sonne art thou giue me to vnderstād My soueraigne lord I am quod he the yongest sonne of all Of Isai the Bethleemite most faythfull vnto Saul This sayd the soule of Ionathas to Dauid did apply And firmly sought to knit with his by secret sympathy Whom tenderly he did so loue with inward fancy then That greater loue could not be wisht amōg the sonnes of men The king also for this his act did cause him to remayne And in no wise would suffer him to make returne agayne With Dauid and with Ionathas a faythfull bond was made That ech of them while life did last should be ech others ayde At which time Ionathas did giue vnto his friend so deare Both cote and cloke his bow his sword girdle he did weare Now Dauid so behaued him that all men gaue him prayse So faythfull and so circumspect he was in all his wayes The king so well estemd of him that he put him in trust To rule and guyde his men of warre and leade them as he lust His name was praysed eury where his honour to enhaunce The women also set him forth with timbrell in their daunce As they the king met at returne from slaughter of his foes They sung this song of victorie in méeter as it goes King Saul to his great laude and prayse his thousande men hath slaine But Dauid hath ten thousand times so many kild againe With this the king was very wroth and eke displeased sore That vnto him they gaue so much and to the king no more For they quod he haue set him vp ten times aboue my one And what can he haue more except the kingdome all alone From that time forth he cast an eye on Dauid somwhat straūge Rewarding all that he had done with hatred for exchaunge It so befell the morow next the king to be torment With that ill sprite which oftentimes the Lord had to him sent Then Dauid as his custome was to be before his grace Stood playing on his pleasant harpe to ease him in that case The king beheld him earnestly and to him selfe did say I mind this iauelin here of mine shall rid him cleane away So in his rage and madding moode at Dauid forthwithall He hurld the Iauelin in his hand to nayle him to the wall But Dauid to auoyde the stroke as one that was full wise Conueyed him selfe and did escape his daunger once or twise The king no doubt was much afraide to sée his purpose fayle And Dauid such defence to haue that nothing could preuayle Wherfore he sought all meanes he could his honour to abase Withdrew his charge and him remoud into a meaner place This notwithstanding prudently he walkt in all his wayes As one that had the Lord with him for to prolong his dayes The king perceiuing how that he in fauour dayly grew
Was still afrayd that daunger might thereby to him ensue For Israel and Iuda both to Dauid cleaued sore And eke their loue to him ech day increased more and more Then Saul attempted Dauid thus I will on thée bestow My daughter Merob whom thou hast deserued well I know Which thing he spake of no good will as he did then pretend But ment thereby the Philistines might bring him to his end When Dauid had considered the offer Saul had made Then he agayne with reuerence to him most humbly sayde O what am I what is my life my stocke or my degregrée That I so vile and base a wight thy sonne in law should bée But how so ere the matter went when Dauid should enioye His wife of Saul he had conceyud in mind an other toye And minded to defeate him cleane whom he entised so Entending his forenamed childe on Adriel to bestow Then was it vnto Saul declard what fauour Michol had To Dauid as it did appeare whereof the king was glad She shal be his and by her meanes he shal be caught in snare And fall into the Heathens hands before he be aware Pretending then as he would séeme his very friend to be My yongest daughter thou shalt haue be my sonne quod he And turning him vnto his men in secret to them sayde Perswade him if ye can to cast his fancy on the mayde And say to him behold the king doth greatly fauour thée In thee it lyes refuse it not his sonne in law to bée Also his seruants loue thée well they wish thée for to stay Thy selfe vpon the kings request and to his will obay The seruants went all these things they put in Dauids head Whose answer shewd he would not be by their persuasiōs led Doth it saide he séeme vnto you so small and light a thing For me to be the sonne in law to such a mighty king I am a man both poore and base of reputation small And haue no dowry for to giue her to enrich withall The men returned back agayne and made a true report Of all the answer Dauid gaue to them and in what sort Go yet quod he and tell him thus the king doth nothing craue But of one hundred Philistines their foreskins for to haue That throgh his corage to his name immortall praise may rise And I vpon my deadly foes may be reuengd likewise Now Sauls intent was only this to bring him into thrall And daunger of the Philistines to loose both life and all The messengers to Dauid went and told him how it stood What dowry he must séeke to giue to match in Royall blood Now hauing good occasion giuen with Philistines to mell To be the sonne in law to Saul it pleased Dauid well Not many dayes were past when he his promise had fulfild And slayne two hundred Philistines as he thereto was wild Whose skins were brought giuen to Saul by Dauid his men So that of right he might not hold his daughter from him then Wherfore the king did Michol giue to Dauid as his wife Who loued him full tenderly euen as she loued her life Now hauing both the Lord with him Michols heart in holde It made the king the more afrayd of him an hundred folde So déepe a roote had malice caught within his heart and eye That vnto Dauid he became a deadly enemie But Dauid so behaued him with wisedome as it séemd That none among the men of Saul aboue him was estéemd Wherfore now Sauls hipocrisie which he so long had hid Brast out in open crueltie and caused him to bid Both Ionathas and eke his men that Dauid they should kill Who were full sory in their hearts and loth to do him ill When Ionathas perceyued well his father sought to wreake His malice on the innocent with Dauid he did breake And said my father meanes deceite and séekes thine ouerthrow Lake héede therfore it stāds thée on thy wisdome now to show Go hide thée in some secret place and kéepe thée out of sight Untill the morow day put forth the comfort of his light And I will stand my father by in field where that thou art And do the best I can with him to féele and grope his heart And as I find him bent to theée to kill or eke to saue Doubt not but I wil find the meanes that thou shalt knowledge haue As Ionathas was in the field and by his father stood And hauing talke of Dauid there he spake of him much good Let not the king sayd Ionathas agaynst thy seruaunt sin For he hath not offended thée without nor yet within Did he not kill the Philistine with daunger of his life And brought therwith to Israel great peace in place of strife Thou saw it well and did reioyce now therfore take a pause And do not hurt the innocent nor kill without a cause Then Saul gaue eare to Ionathas God wot full faynedly Although he swore vnto the Lord that Dauid should not dye Yet Ionathas vpon his othe did Dauid to him call Declaring how the matter stood and brought him vnto Saul With whom he was and serued him as he had in times past But enuy bare such rule in him that long it did not last For now the warres began a fresh and Dauid by Gods might Slew many of the Philistines and put the rest to flight The king enuying this good lucke which God had Dauid sent Was through the wicked sprit possest againe to mischiefe bent For as he sate his full intent was Dauid to haue slayne At whō he threw with mighty force his Iauelin but in vayne For Dauid shund the deadly stroke and durst not bide in sight But gat him home vnto him wife who saued him that night For Saul had sent his men of armes to garde his house about With charge to sée him there dispatcht before that he came out Then Michol like a faythfull wife gaue counsell very good And bad him saue himself that night for sure they sought his blood No other shift she had to make their purpose to preuent But at a window let him downe and so away he went. Who béeing gone she tooke and layd an image in his bed A pillow stuft with Gotish héere she put vnder his hed Declaring to the messengers that came their lorde to please How that in bed her husband lay not very well at ease Of this they made certificate to Saul to know his will Who bad them bring him bed and all that so he might him kill But when the men were entred in and stoode by his bedstocke They foūd not Dauid whō they sought but in his place a block Then Saul of Michol made demaund wherefore she had done so Deluding him and all his men to let his enemie go Alas quod she I could not choose I so enforced was He threatned me with present death vnlesse I let him passe Thus Dauid being fled away was gone to
Samuel To whom he had declared all the case as it befell From Rama then to Naioth with Samuel he went Remayning there although that Saul his messengers had sent For they with other Prophets mo gan now to prophecie So that they had no mind to séeke for Dauid earnestlie But when as Saul himselfe was come to Naioth where he was He then for feare departed thence and fled to Ionathas Complayning thus O Ionathas what cause giue I of strife That still thy father and my lord so séeketh for my life Now God forbid quod Ionathas he deale so cruelly Expell all feare pull vp thine heart trust me thou shalt not dye For well I know my father will no one thing take in hand But or he doth attempt the same I shall it vnderstand And will he now hide this from me he is not so vnkinde To worke thy death so secretly and show me not his minde Oh Ionathas thy father knowes and playnly this doth sée What faithfull loue and tender heart thou bearest vnto me Therfore perhaps he will it hide as though it were not so To stay thy heart from pensiuenes and filling it with wo But truly as the Lord doth liue and thou dost liue with breath One step there is and scarcely that betwéene me and my death What wilt thou haue me do quod he declare to me thy minde For both in wealth and bitter wo thou shalt me faithfull finde Behold quod he to morow next the king doth hold the feast Where I should sit at boord with him my roome to fill at least But let me go into the fields and kéepe me out of sight Till all the feast be done and past the third day towards night If Saul thy father speake of me demaunding to and fro Say then I craued leaue of thée to Bethleem to go Where once a yere a solemne feast is holden there within For all the stocke and progenie of me and all my kinne If he be pleased there withall thy seruant shall haue peace But if he do intend me hurt his malice will not cease Then shall thy mercy do me good and with thy bond accord Which to thy seruant thou didst make promise in the Lord For if in me there can be found offence in all the land Then let me neuer farther go but kill me with thy hand God thée defend quod Ionathas for if I did it know That any harme were toward thee of truth I would it show Then Dauid sayd how shal I learne what Saul doth say to thée Or who shall tell me if my lorde do answere cruelly Come let vs go into the field and so they tooke their way Where Ionathas brast out in words and gan to Dauid sâ—â—â— O Lord the God of Israel when I haue gropen out My fathers minde or that all these thrée dayes be gone about If all things touching thée be well word shal be brought to thée And if I kéepe not touch therin the Lord then punish mée And also if my father Saul do séeke thy blood to shed I will my selfe be thy defence till thou away be fled And so the Lord kéepe and defend thée where so ere thou goes And be with thée as he hath bene with Saul agaynst his foes Now this request of thée I craue which grauÌ„t thou wilt I trust That I may liue my dayes in peace to make thy couenant iust And when I haue ronne out my course theÌ„ for my sake to mine Thou wilt not cut thy mercy off when that the sword is thine No not euen when the Lord aboue thy foes hath all confounde And left thée not an enemie aliue vpon the ground So Ionathas renued his bond and to the Lord he spoke That Dauids foes might it reuenge if that the same were broke And further sware to kepe the bond that was betwene theÌ„ sowne For Dauids body life and soule he loued as his owne Then Ionathas to Dauid sayd to morow doth begin The feast whereas the king will spye thy place no man therin Therfore go hide thée out of sight till thrée dayes passe no more Make haste get thée to that place where thou was put before Euen when the matter was in hand and there remayne and ly By Ezel stone which doth direct the way for passers by And I will come shoote thrée shafts and they shall light beside As though my marke were therabout where thou thy selfe dost hide Then will I say vnto my boy go hence tary not Séeke out with spéede gather vp the shafts that I haue shot And if I call and say to him they be on this side thée Then all is well be not afrayde to shew thy selfe to me But if I say they are beyonde why standest thou so still The Lord hath sent thée then away and saued thée from ill As touching this and all that we haue spoken of before Betwéene vs two the Lord shall be a witnesse euermore So Dauid hid him selfe abrode when Saul the feast began Where all the lords saue he alone were placed eury man. 〈◊〉 Saul did note full wel and marke yet nothing did he say But thought some one or other let did kéepe him then away But on the next day when he saw his place was voyde agayne Of Ionathas he did demaund the cause of his refrayne Where is the sonne of Isai What is the cause I say He doth absent him from the feast both now and yesterday Then Ionathas made his excuse and sayd that he was gone To Bethleem towne askt him leaue for that it stoode him on For all his kinred there did méete an offering to present Unto the Lord and therfore had his brother for him sent This is the cause that doth him let to come and kéepe his place Among the péeres that present be at table with your grace Then Saul fell out with Ionathas at boord before them all The sonne of his rebellious wife he did him name and call I know that thou and Dauid both are ioyned in one frame Which will be thy confusion and eke thy mothers shame For be thou sure so long as he doth liue vpon the earth The kingdome thou shalt not possesse whilst thou hast any breath Wherfore go séeke and fet him out where euer he be now By force or any other meane for sure his death I vow What hath he done quod Ionathas with eyther hand or breath Agaynst your royall Maiestie that you haue sworne his death That said he shooke his speare at him with discontented brayne Which was a signe to Ionathas that Dauid should be slayne Whose hart did bléede his friends estate and danger to coÌ„ceiue No meate could downe and therupon he rose tooke his leaue So on the morow which was now his iust appoynted day He made his walke into the field and place where Dauid lay And while he tried his shafts to shoot he bad his page make hast and runne marke
call vnto the Lord and thus he him besought O Lord the God of Israel thy seruant heares report That Saul with might and power intends to Keilah to resort The same for my sake to destroy good Lord I aske of thée Will they that dwell in Keilah to Saul deliuer me Will he come downe as it is sayd good Lord thy seruaunt tell He will quod he come downe and bring the hoast of Israel But will the men of Keilah deceiue both me and all Yea sayd the Lord they will of truth betray thée vnto Saul Then Dauid out of Keilah departed by and by And sought abrode to finde a place where he might safely ly At last within the wilds of Ziph he got a place and lay Where Saul for him did hunt about but yet he mist his pray As Dauid lay with fearefull heart within the wildernes Came Ionathas to comfort him in his great heauynes Feare not quod he in any thing nor trouble not thy minde My fathers hande assure thy selfe thy presence shall not finde Thou shalt be king of Israel and I next after thée The which my father knoweth well and oft hath tolde it me And so the band was once agayne renued on their partes Then ech of other tooke his leaue with heauy carefull hearts Now while that Dauid lay in Ziph the Ziphits tolde to Saul How that both he eke his men lay in the thicket all Graund mercies said the king my friends but this you must me graūt If all be true he lacks no shifts and therfore marke his haunt And search me out his lurking dens the wildernes about And him with well appoynted men I minde to ferrit out But Dauid béeing ware of this preuented all his foes And so vnto the wildernes of Maon forth he goes Where he had not bene very long or that he heard it sayde How Saul was comming after him or whom he was afrayde And gat him vp vnto the rocke to kéepe him out of sight The king pursuing him at hand with his great power might So much that they were almost met and of ech others seéene But that it so fell out by chaunce a mount was them betwéene Which Saul had almost compassed with armed men about That neither he nor yet his men could any way get out Thus taking thought how to escape his cruell enemie The Lord prepared present helpe in his extremitie Word came the king should home returne with al the spéede he could The Philistines were in his realme and made what spoyle they would Then Saul left of to persecute Dauid gat him thence To wildernes of Engadi a place of sure defence When Saul was come from folowing the Philistines agayne And was informed credibly where Dauid did remayne He tooke thrée thousand chosen men and went to Engadi To séeke out Dauid and his men which lay in rocke on hye But by the way it fortuned the king to steppe aside Into a caue to ease him selfe which was both large and wide Where in the inward parts therof lay Dauid and his bande Behold sayd they thine enemie is now within thy hande According as the Lord did say and promise long ago That he would giue him vnto thée thy will with him to do Then Dauid rose with stealing steps and got behinde the king And from his garment cut a lap and did none other thing This béeing done forthwith he felt a pricke of conscience As though agaynst his lord and king he had made some offence The Lorde quod he vnto his men defend me from this thing And graunt that I lay not my hande on Gods annoynted king As truely as the Lord doth liue till God his time hath sent I will not lay my hand on him nor yet thereto consent So stopped he away his men from doing hurt to Saul And would not suffer ought of them vpon the king to fall When Saul was gone out of the caue then Dauid did not slack But went and cryed after him whereat the king lookt back To whom with all obedience as subiects ought to do He stouped downe vnto the ground and spake him thus vnto My lord and king what credite hath the words of them that say How Dauid goeth about thy hurt in all that ere he may Behold this day thine eyes haue séene how that the Lord thée gaue Into my hands if that I would when thou wast in the caue Some bad me kill thée out of hande but yet I did refrayne And would not lay my hands on him who in the Lord did reigne Behold and sée within my hand a piece of thy coate lap I might as well haue killed thée when this to thée did hap Therfore thou mayst consider well no wickednes in me And that I neuer in my life committed fault to thée And yet thou huntest after me away my soule to take The Lord be iudge betwene vs both my venger him I make But God forbid agaynst my lord that I should once but thinke In subiects hearts such wickednes ought neuer for to sinke Then after whom art thou come out to hunt so cruelly A dogge that hath no life in him or eke a séely flye The Lord which is a righteous God be iudge plead my cause And kéepe me from all violence that I offende no lawes What voice quod Saul is this that so is come vnto mine eares I st thine my sonne and therwithall he poured forth his teares Thy goodnes farre surpasseth mine thou hast done good for ill And thou hast put my lot aside whom thou mights easily kill For who is he that of his foe that vauntage hath to slay And yet will suffer him vntoucht in peace to go his way Wherfore the Lord reward it thée and make thée recompence For that thou suffredst none at all to do me violence I know full well and do confesse the kingdome of this lande Shall after my decease be thine and come into thy hande And that I may make sure account of thy good will to mée Sweare that my name that my séede shall not be hurt by thée Then Dauid made a bond with him to kéepe it constantly And so departed to an holde from Saul his enemie And after that he went vnto the forrest of Pharan Where Nabal his abiding had a riche and welthy man Who had a thousand gotes by tale eke thrée thousande shéepe Which were defended all by him and those that did them kéepe For all the while those shepheards lay by Dauid thereabout They mist no goods nor had no harme by Dauid nor his route Wherfore he béeing in distresse and want of things to eate Did send to Nabal shearing shéepe for vittels to intreate Who then refused churlishly to helpe him at his néede And moued Dauids patience agaynst him to procéede Intending to destroy his house his cattell shéepe and all And for to leaue not one aliue to pisse agaynst the wall Had it not béene
that Nabals wife Abigael by name With wisdome and discretion had well appeasd the same In whom he blessed God that day that her to him had sent To kepe him from his owne reuenge from the thing he ment Which woman was of such a grace and of so pure a life That Dauid after Nabals death did take her to his wife And tooke an other of the stocke of Israel also For Saul vpon one Psaltiel his Michol did vestow When Dauid had bene after this among the Ziphits spid They went to Saul and made report where he and his were hid And thervpon he tooke to him thrée thousand of his men And went vnto the wildernes to séeke for Dauid then And pitched vp his tents vpon the hill of Achila Which lieth ouer Iesimon hard by the common way Then Dauid sent about his spies to know the certayntie If that the king were come or no with such a companie The thing now being vnto him affirmed to be true He made him selfe a priuy spye and went the hoast to viewe Beholding well his Lord and king and Abner how they lay With all the people round about so gat him soone away And asked both Abimelech and eke Abisai Who would into the hoast of Saul go with him priuily Abisai offred him selfe and preased forth in sight So went they forth as secretly as they could go by night Into the hoast when they had put them selues in hazarde déepe Behold the king with all the rest lay hard and fast asléepe Then sayd to him Abisai God hath deliuerd now Thine enemie into thy hands in forme as thou séest how Giue leaue therefore that I may giue but one stroke with my speare And he shall neuer after this put thée in any feare No God forbid sayd Dauid then for who can more or lesse Lay hand vpon the Lords anoynt and be therein giltlesse As truely as the Lord doth liue the Lord shall doo his will In battell or by other meanes before I doo him kill The Lord me kéepe both now and ay my hand I neuer moue Against the Lords annoynted king whom I am bound to loue Then Dauid fayre and softly went till he came vnto Saul And tooke his speare and water cruse and went away withall No man then saw ne marked it ne tooke thereof no kéepe For God had cast vpon them all a dead and heauy sléepe Then Dauid gat him to an hill where he aloude did call Unto the people in the hoast and Abner most of all O Abner Abner hearst thou not howe I do call to thée Whos 's that quod he that so doth cry vnto the king and me O Abner art not thou a man most chiefe in gouerning Why hast thou then no better kept this night thy lorde king For one there was that entred in this night thy lorde to slay Whose enterprise by weapon strong thou didst not séeke to stay In this ye haue offended all and worthy are to dye In that ye haue not kept your Lorde with more securitie Beholde sée your masters speare which at his head did stande And eke the cruse of water both they are now in my hande My son quod Saul is this thy voyce that cōmeth to mine eare It is thy seruauntes voyce said he that liueth in great feare Why doth my lorde thus persecute his seruaunt so at large In whom there can no fault be found him iustly for to charge If that the Lorde hath stirred thée to worke me all this smart Then let him smell a sacrifice out of a patient hart But if from wicked men do come the cause of this discorde Then they and their deuises be accurst before the Lorde For they haue wronged me and séeke to dispossesse in fine Of that which in my Lorde my God is due to me and mine Séeke not therfore to suck my blood thou séekest but a flye As he that séekes the séely birde to murder cruelly Then Saul confessed his offence and wrong that he had done Desiring Dauid to returne and called him his sonne And said he would him hurt no more nor vse extremities Because his life that night had bene so pretious in his eyes And that with griefe he felt remorse of folly did him touch And played the foole and in his wayes had erred very much But Dauid knowing Saul to haue his promise broke before Would not returne his sugred words to credite any more But bad the king behold his speare which he helde vp full trim And wild him send and it should be deliuered vnto him The Lord my God reward ech man and eury man preserue As his vpright and honest déedes and fayth shall best deserue For though the Lord deliuered thée into my hands this day Yet on the Lords annoynted king my hand I would not lay As I haue alwayes pitied thée and neuer bene thy foe Euen so the Lord be mercifull to me in all my woe Then he departing to him selfe complayned inwardly And said no doubt the day will come that he will murther me And I no better way can finde this mischiefe to withstande Then flye vnto the Philistines for succour in their lande So he from Ziph to Geth that time his iourney did addresse To make his suite to Achis king for helpe in this distresse Where Dauid with his company and his two comely wiues Did place thē selues minded there to passe spend their liues But yet misliking to remayne in Geth that Citie great Some countrey place for to possesse he did the king intreate At whose request he gaue to him the towne of Zikleg then Whereto he went and dwelled there both he and all his men Which towne had euermore the name and counted to perteine Unto the kings that wonted were in Iuda for to reigne He and his men had there remaynd not fully halfe a yere When he played rex and ouerranne the countrey eury where The Gersurites Amalekites the Gersites did he driue Out of the lande and slue the rest not leauing one aliue And kept them so they could not passe to Geth no maner way To tell the king how that he did them vse from day to day And often béeing lade with spoyles to Geth he would thē bring And make presentmēt of the same in presence of the king Who musing much frō whence such store of spoyles prayes he brought Would aske what country he had roud for the same had sought Among the Iewes and such quod he as Southwardly are set I haue bestowd my selfe the spoyles and booties for to get Thus making Achiz to beléeue he hated Israel Became his man and was retaynd with him for aye to dwell It so befell the Philistines to battell did addresse Them selues against the Israelites and sought them to oppresse Then Achis vnto Dauid sayd thou shalt go forth with me Unto the battell thou and all the men that are with thée If thou sayd he vnto the king be pleased I shall go
two wiues the one a Iezralite The other Nabals wife that was the welthy Carmalite He tooke the men also with him that of his troubles felt Who with their housholds al within the towne of Hebron dwelt Then came the men of Iuda forth to him with one accorde And did annoynt him for to be their king and soueraigne lorde And told him of the faithfulnes of Iabes done of late In burying Saul as did become a prince of high estate Then Dauid sent Ambassadours the Iabites to commende For their great loue and kindnes shewd to Saul at his last ende The Lord quod he do blesse you all with mercy for your fact And I will do the like to you for this your godly act Therfore now let your hands be strong turne your hearts to me For Saul is dead Iuda hath me chose their king to be So Iuda onely claue to him the rest of Israel To Isboseth the sonne of Saul they stacke to him aswell Now Dauid Ioab did appoynt his generall to bée And Isboseth did Abner choose his men to ouersée The wars betwéene these houses two increased more more But Dauid had the stronger hande the other weakned sore For Abner went from Isboseth vpon displeasure take And with king Dauid secretly a faythfull bande did make And Michol he brought home agayne the kings beloued wife Whom Psaltiel did neuer touche by way of spotted life But or he could the rest all bring about effectually He was by Ioab murdered and that most Iudasly Which sore agréeued Dauids heart as one that giltles was Of Ioabs shamefull wicked act which he had brought to passe Wherfore to Ioab then he wisht that for his small regard Both blood and plagues on him his might fal for his rewarde And that he should go with the rest bring the coarse to graue In sackcloth in mourning wede he straite cōmandemēt gaue Him selfe all full of heauynes with sad and heauy chéere Came after Abner as he went euen next vnto the béere And as they layd him in the graue according in Hebron The king and people all they wept to sée the earth put on But Dauid mourned most of all since treason did him kill And knowing that by natures course he might haue liued still Now when the people came to feast as they were wont to do At burials the king to eate they could not bring vnto By that they knew that Abners death the king had neuer ment But Ioabs grudge did worke it out without the kings consent It so befell that Baana and Rechab sought the way How they their lord king Isboseth might craftely betray The meane was this they faynd thē selues gret marchants for to bée Came to the pallace of the king his corne grayne to sée Where they by chaunce found him a sléepe slue him as he lay Upon his bed brought from thence his head with them away To Hebron where king Dauid was and sayd beholde and sée Here is the head of Isboseth thy mortall enemie For through the might that god hath giuen in working of this déede Thou art auenged both of Saul also of his séede Then Dauid sayd vnto the men that brought to him the head As truely as the Lorde doth liue ye are as good as dead As you do now so one did once Sauls death to me report And made account such newes as those should please me in like sort And looked for some great reward for the good newes he brought But al the matter went awry agaynst his meane and thought For he was slayne and put to death for his most wicked prank And so he lost both life and all his labour and his thanke So shall the wickednes of you which haue the righteous slayne Upon his bed be recompencd with blood for blood agayne Then hauing féete and hands cut off for eury man to sée Were hanged ouer Hebrons poole as other felons be As for the head of Isboseth the kings good pleasure wilde It should in Hebron be entombd with Abner that was kilde Then came the Tribes of Israel to Dauid flockingly As to their king and soueraigne lord with him to liue and dye So béeing now the lorde and king of all the Israelites He gat him to Ierusalem and to the Iebusites Who bragging much vpon their hold of Sion where they dwelt By force of armes he wanne the same as many of them felt The Philistines now hearing tell of Dauids power and might Came to the vale of Raphaim agaynst him for to fight Who then demaunded of the Lorde to know his will therein And whether that the Philistins or he should honour win Go vp sayd God and linger not while they be in thy lande For I assuredly will giue them all into thy hande So Dauid went him forth and came to Baal Perazim Where that he smote the Philistines as God had said to him Then gan he say O Lorde my God thou hast mine enemies all Deuided them as waters do deuide them when they fall The Philistines for hast do leaue their Idols all behinde And Dauid and his men do burne as many as they finde Yet once agayne the Philistines came forth to fight with him And brought their armie whole into the vale of Raphaim Now compasse thē behinde said God watch thē well when They come against the Mulbery trées the onset giue you then So Dauid then obeying God a conquest did obteine From Geba vnto Gazer towne the Philistines were slayne Soone after this the king prepard to fet the Arke of God With thirty thousand chosen men of Israel and od And so out of Ierusalem he went his men with him To set and bring away the Arke from Kiriath Iarim And that he set with carefull héede vpon a Charret new And from Abinadab his house he decently it drew Two of his sonnes draue forth the same Vza and Ahio The one before thother behinde the Chariot did go The king and all the Israelites made melody and played Triumphantly before the Lorde as they the Arke conuayed But when the king did sée the hande of God on Vza light And strike him dead because he toucht the Arke that wēt not right He was aferd and durst not séeme to driue it as before But left it Edom for to kéepe till he had learned more Where it remaynd about thrée months wherby both him his The Lord of hoasts with great increase abundantly did blis Then was it tolde to Dauid how the Lord had Edom blest And all his house since that the Arke of God had bene his gest Then Dauid went and brought the Arke of God frō him away With all the triumph and the ioy that could be had that day For as the Leuites bare the Arke and had sixe paces gone An Oxe and eke a fatted beast was offred vp alone And Dauid daunst before the Arke as it was driuen there And had a linnen Ephod
your two faythfulnes Then Sadoch and Abiathar as Dauid willed them Returned with the Arke of God vnto Ierusalem Then Dauid full of griefe and care as one that was distrest Upon the mount of Oliuet went wéeping with the rest With bared head and féete vnshod and teares that trickled so That they bedewed all the place as they went to and fro As they and he did thus lament a messenger doth come With heauy chere heauy newes wherof this was the somme Achitophel had ioynde him selfe with Absalon as than And of his counsell and deuise was now his chiefest man. O Lord quod he let be thy will in this my great distresse That all this traytor shall deuise may turne to foolishnesse And béeing now ascended vp vnto the mount on hye He worshipped the Lord his God in fayth vnfaynedly There came to him immediatly but as a man forlorne With clots of earth vpon his head and garments all to torne One Chusai a faithfull friend and with well meaning hart Made offer in this time of néede his seruice to impart If thou quod Dauid shouldst remayne and tary here with me It would be but a charge to both as I do playnly sée But if thou wilt returne and go to Absalon the king And make as though thou didst me not regard in any thing But say thou wilt him only serue as thou his father did And that thy faythfull heart to him at no time shall be hid Thy wisedome and thy secretnesse may stand me in good stéede And be a meane their practises may not at all procéede But Sadoch and Abiathar thou shalt before thée finde To whō as to my faithful friends thou maist disclose thy mind And whatsoeuer thou shalt heare determined in hande That I with all conuenient spéede may thereof vnderstande For both their sonnes Ahimaas and Ionathan no doubt Giue their attendance for to come if any thing fall out So Chusai departed there as Dauid had him sent The wickednes of Absalon and treason to preuent When Dauid was a litle past the highest of the hill The false and flattering Ziba came with heart all bent to ill Against his Lord Miphiboseth with presents that he brought His master to defeate of all was his intent and thought Now as the king beheld him well and stoode himselfe to ease I pray thée Ziba then quod he what meanest thou with these I haue quod Ziba asses brought thy men thereon to ride With bread and meate for such as are with thée to eate beside And where as many of thy folke be fayntie as I think To quench their thirst I haue here brought good wine for thē to drink Then Dauid minding Ionathas and pleasures to him done Did aske of Ziba sodenly where was his masters sonne Then Ziba falsly gan accuse his master to the king How in Ierusalem he lay in hope of some good thing This day the house of Israel I heard him say quod he The kingdome of my father shall restore agayne to me Then Dauid blinded with the gifts that Ziba to him gaue Bad take to him his masters lande for he the same should haue Whose swift hasty iudgement might haue better bene deferd Then so to credite Zibaes words the other yet vnherd But Ziba now had that he sought and fell vpon his knées With geuing thanks that he had found such fauour in his eyes Now when the king was past the hill to go to Bahurim A kinsman of king Sauls came foorth and all to cursed him Whose name was called Semei a spitefull rayling man Whose hands tong ran all at large and out of order than Not only rayling to his face with bitter crooked talke But also hurling stones at him as he and his did walke And said Come forth thou bloodshedder thou man of Belial The Lord hath brought on thée the blood of all the house of Saul Whose kingdome thou vsurpest yet but long thou shalt not reigne For God hath gin it Absalon to whom it doth perteine And so thou like a murtherer art into mischiefe brought Because that thou hast heretofore the blood of many sought Abisai so moued was with this his rayling tong That he could not withholde him selfe but to the king he flong And asked leaue that he might go that varlets tong to tame So foule a mouthed Curre to barke to suffer was a shame But Dauid full of patience in no wise would permit That any should gaynsay his talke or that he should be smit And said that railing tong of his the Lord him selfe had sent And therfore no man ought repine or he be discontent And sée you not how Absalon my sonne is set on strife And séeketh meanes to take away my kingdome and my life If that my sonne dare this to doo what maruell is to sée The sonne of Iemini to curse and rayle so sore on me Therfore I pray you suffer him to rayle and curse his fill For so the Lord hath bidden him to execute his will. It may be that the Lord will looke on mine affliction And do me good for this his curse and malediction So Dauid going with his men forth still vpon his way The spitefull tong of Semei would neuer stint nor stay But cursed him and tooke vp stones and durt and earth to fling And voyde of order feare and wit he hurles them at the king So Dauid béeing with his men all weary thought it best Within the towne of Bahurim to stay and take his rest And in meane while came Absalon vnto Ierusalem With all his route Achitophel for his part ayding them Then Chusai the Harachite to Absalon doth go And pressing neare vnto his seate he gan salute him so God saue the king God saue the king And i st quod he euen so Is this the kindnes that thou wilt vnto king Dauid show Why dost thou now forsake him thus come cleaue to me Why dost thou not stick to thy friend that stāds in néede of thée Not so quod he for whom the Lord and all the people chuse I will obey and serue with heart and neuer him refuse To whom if not to thée his sonne should I my duety vowe On thée my seruice to bestow I minde God willing nowe Then Absalon to counsell went and first he sayd vnto Achitophel declare thy minde what we were best to do Go take quod he the Concubines that Dauid left behinde And kéepe them to thy proper vse and vse them to thy minde Then will thy father thée abhorre and those be firme to thée Which take thy part when they perceyue you two do disagrée This counsell pleased Absalon and he perfourmd the same And vsed them in open sight vnto king Dauids shame And well it was allowed off of all men more and lesse Because they saw it commonly to haue so good successe Graunt me then said Achitophel twelue thousād mē of might And I will after Dauid go and fall on
fight within the wood of Ephraim Where Dauids hoast a slaughter made of twenty thousand meÌ„ That tooke the part of Absalon agaynst his father then And by the wood and such mishaps as in the wood did light As many did miscary as did perish in the fight And Absalon when that he could not make his party good With Dauids men was put to shifts and fled into the wood Where he was hanged by the heare vpon an Oken bow His horse was gone and to vnloose him selfe he knew not how A man of Dauids riding by and chauncing him to sée Tolde Ioab how that Absalon was hanging on a trée And why quod Ioab didst not thou dispatche him at a blow Ten sicles should be thy reward if thou hadst done but so I do quod he much more the kings commaundement regarde Then all the sicles which thou wouldst giue me for my reward For if to me were giuen so much as any house could fill Yet would I not stretch out my hand king Dauids sonne to kill For I did heare vnto his men when he did say thus much Beware ye hurt not Absalon nor yet the yong man tutch â—nd if I had I know full well it would haue cost my life Yea thou thy self wouldst first of al haue slayne me with thy knife Then Ioab saide I may not here with thée thus trifling stande â—nd so he gat him forth apace with thrée dartes in his hande â—nd thrust them into Absalon as he came vnderneath â—nd other ten did lay him on as long as he did breath Then Ioab blew his trompet vp the people for to spare â—nd pitied them for that he saw how they seduced were The bloody corps of Absalon they threw into a pit â—nd layde thereon an heape of stones to be a marke for it To Ioab came Ahimaaz he knowing of this thing â—et me quod he I pray thée go with newes vnto the king Thou art no man quod he agayne this tidings now to beare Thou shalt therby displeasure get as I do greatly feare But Ioab said to Chusai go thou and tell the king Of this conflict and make report of this and eury thing He thanked him with reuerence and as a ioyfull man Departed thence with his dispatche and vnto Dauid ran Ahimaaz to Ioab said I pray thée hartely That I may at this time also runne after Chusai And why quod Ioab wilt thou run it is not worth thy payne For neither thanks nor yet reward thou shalt receiue agayne Well what so ere befall quod he yet let me go I pray If thou quod he wilt néedes be gone I will not say thée nay Ahimaaz a nearer way had found and ranne so fast That he gat ground of Chusai although he came out last Now as the king sate in the gate euen of Mahanaim With other mo such as he had appoynted there with him The watchman watching ore the gate at last he spied one Where he came forth apace apace and running al alone With that the watchman cryed downe and tolde it to the king Who said it was some person sent him tidings for to bring The watchman sawe one other come and thereof gaue a signe Who said it is some messenger with newes of me and mine The watch againe said to his grace me thinke the formost man Doth séeme to me as though it were Ahimaaz that ran The king which had experience of his fidelitie Gan say he is a godly man and wisheth good to me Then came Ahimaaz and said to thée O king be peace That many dayes and yeres thy life in honour may increase And falling downe vnto the earth he saith the God of might Be blessed now and euermore which puts thy foes to flight And shuts them vp into thy hande as birds within a net That now I trust my lord the king securitie shall get But is the yong man Absalon quod he all safe and well Ahimaaz said somewhat then but would not playnly tell When Ioab bad thy seruaunts come both Chusai and me I can no more but thus much say a tumult did I sée Well quod the king then stand aside turning him he stayde And therevpon came Chusai and thus to him he sayde Good newes my lord good newes I bring the rebels of thy land Which rose agaynst my lord the king are fallen into thy hand But is the yong man Absalon quod he all safe and sounde Both he and his confederates lye dead vpon the grounde Then was the king so much agréeud that vp on foote he stept Into his chamber where alone for Absalon he wept And béeing but vpon the steppes his teares for griefe burst out O Absalon my sonne my sonne resounding round about Would God quod he with sobbing voyce for thée I might haue dyed O Absalon my sonne my sonne still blubbering he cryed Then was it vnto Ioab tolde how Dauid much bewaylde The death of Absalon his sonne which nothing him auaylde Whereby the day of victorie when they intended most To haue reioyced did become a mourning to the hoast The people went and stole away as men in daungers déepe Do flye in battell and bethinke where they may safely créepe The king by this time hid his face and cryed out amayne As one that would giue vp the goast because his sonne was slaine Then Ioab standing in some feare his men would all away He boldly prest vnto the king and thus to him did say Thou shamest all thy men of warre and makest them to muse Whose faythfull harts for thy defence no daungers did refuse Thou liuest thy sons do liue we do liue thy men Thy daughters wiues concubines what meanes this mourning theÌ„ It séemeth that thou louest them who sought thine ouerthrow And wayest not thy friends a whit that stucke vnto thée so For this thy mourning doth declare that thou regardest not Thy princes neither yet the men that honour haue thée got If Absalon had scaped death I do perceiue and sée And we thy men our liues had lost that had well pleased thée Up get thée forth abrode in sight and do thy seruaunts cheare With gentle and with louing words or else by God I sweare Thou wilt not haue a man this night for they will thée forsake And be agaynst thée eury where with all that they can make Which will be worse then all the harmes that yet vpon thée fel Euen from thy youth or since thou wast first king of Israel Then Dauid gat him downe to shew him selfe among his men And they that stept before aside came flocking to him then For all the Tribes of Israel among them did contende Who first should bring king Dauid home vnto his iorneys end Then such as by the crafty meanes of Absalons aspire Seduced were by simplenesse and knew not his desire Gan thus to reason with them selues full well we vnderstand That Dauid hath preserued vs our wiues our goods and land And that he hath in
our defence withstoode our mortall foes And for our better quietnes hath giuen them ouerthrowes And that he is our lawfull king whom we did once annoynt Whom Absalon of life and realme did séeke to disappoynt Since Absalon is dead therfore why take we not the payne To wayte vpon our Lord king and bring him home agayne The people reconciled thus the king to Sadoch sent And to Abiathar the priest declaring his intent Which was to go and séeke with those of Iuda to perswade Who ioynd themselues with Absalon in his attempts he made And say to them why haste ye not king Dauid to restore As do the men of Israel who ready are therefore Ye are by nature kinne to vs our brothers as ye know Why do ye linger last of all your loyaltie to show And thus much say to Amasa of all that may be found He is the nearest kinne I haue that liueth on the ground And that I sweare by God aboue I minde he shall succéede And be my Capteine generall to rule in Ioabs stéede This talke of theirs did so perswade with Iuda that they went And graunted him their present ayde that with one consent And thervpon they sent him word to let him vnderstand That he and his might safely now returne into that land So Dauid going with his trayne euen toward Iordane shore All Iuda met him by the way for to conduct him ore And Semei who had the king reuiled to his face Came now with Iuda for to séeke his mercy and his grace Who comming out of Bahurim with Iuda for to go A thousand of the Beniamites he brought with him also And Ziba of the house of Saul with all his sonnes fiftéene And twentie seruauntes in a rowe was there among thē séene Who gat them ore the water brooke of Iordane to abide The spéedy passage of the king to méete him on that side The king now béeing passed ore but euen a litle while There came before him Semei him selfe to reconcile And falling flat vnto the ground in mild and humble plight Besought him pardon for his faultes and his great ouersight Impute not now the wickednesse that then thy seruaunt did And lay it not vnto my charge but let it all be hid I did misuse full wickedly my lord king Dauid when He from Ierusalem went out and fled with all his men I do it know and now confesse that I haue done amisse Beséeching thée my lord and king to pardon me for this And now behold I am the first of Iosephs house this day That am come down to méete my lord bring him on his way Abisai with grudging heart offended at his worde Said to the king shall not this dogge now dye vpon the sword That matter doth not apperteine to you quod Dauid than I say this day in Israel there shall not dye a man. For I am king I know it well therfore to Semei He spake gaue him gentle words and said he should not dye So forth he went vntill he came Ierusalem vnto Where that Miphiboseth him met as well as he could go Who neither trimmed vp his beard nor yet did wash his féete vntill the king in quiet peace returning he did méete Then Dauid said as soone as that he cast on him his eye Miphiboseth how chaunced it thou wentst not out with me O my most deare and soueraigne lord my seruaunt was vniust For falsly he deceyued me that put in him my trust I wild him to prepare mine Asse and all things for the same To ride vpon with thée my lord thy seruaunt béeing lame But with his subteltie he hath thy seruaunt sore abusde And vnto thée my lord and king vniustly me accusde My lord thou as an Angell art that can iudge all things right And therfore do as thou shalt thinke most méetest in thy sight For where as all my fathers house was worthy for to dye For that with thée and thine king Saul did deale so cruelly Yet was thy mercy vnto me thy seruaunt then so great That at thy table with thy sonnes thou settest me to eate But séeing mine inheritaunce by thée is giuen away What right haue I to come before the king or more to say Thou néede no more to speake quod he we will that this ye do That thou and Ziba shall deuide the land betwéene you two Since that my lord quod he agayne is now returnd in peace Let Ziba take all to him selfe and make his best increase From Roglim comes Berzelai to méete the king also In well appoynted wise to wayte and with his grace to go Who for the space the king did lye within Mahanaim Did friendly of his store conuay all néedefull things to him For God had blest him very well with riches and with wealth And he wisht Dauid great increase of honour and of health The king requested that he would go with him if he might And he would by all meanes he could his curtesie requite I haue not long to liue quod he and néedfull t is that I Should not so much for honour séeke as learne how well to dy For I am stept so farre in yéeres that I haue no good skill To iudge or yet discerne betwéene the good and that is ill My stomacke is so weake it can away with litle meate Thy seruaunt hath no tast at all of that which he doth eate In musike I haue no delite nor yet in skilfull man Why should I to your maiestie be such a burthen then Thy seruaunt will a litle bring the king forth on his way And will beséech my lord that then returne agayne I may Unto the lande where I was borne and there to lay my bones Euen with my parents in the graue among the grauell stones But if it please my lord the king Chimham my sonne shal be Thy seruaunt vnto whom thou mayst do what it pleaseth thée Then said the king and for thy sake I will him so rewarde That thou shalt well perceiue I do thy kindnes much regarde So all the people passed foorth the king with all his trayne Berzelai then tooke his leaue and turned backe agayne When Iuda and halfe Israel were passed Iordans bankes And had the king to Gilgal brought as men most worthy thanks Then came the rest of Israel to Dauid and gan say Why hath all Iuda stole thée now so secretly away And brought the king with al his house past Iordan riuer thus And made not priuie therevnto so much as one of vs Then Iuda hearing Israel this great complaynt to make Did shape an answere out of hand to them and thus they spake The king is neare of kin to vs we haue him therfore brought Of loue and not for great reward or honour that we sought They said againe our part in him is ten times more thē yours And being ten to one we say the greatest part is ours Ye did not well for to despise our
bene hanged vp on hye That day that Saul did loath his life and willing was to dye And so the seuen that hanged were and eke the bones of Saul With those of Ionathas his sonne he did conuay them all Into the lande of Beniamin and put them in a pit Where Cis the father of king Saul lay buried in it When this was done as Dauid did commaund giue a charge The Lord withdrew the plague of derth plenty sent at large Now after this God gaue to him alway the vpper hande Of all his foes the Philistines which warred in his lande He bet them downe in battels foure slue the Giantes stoute Which to his prayse and honour great was noysed all about Then Dauid for the victories which in his latter dayes God gaue to him he thus began to giue him laude and prayse O Lord thou art my rocke and fort that doest me well defende My onely safe deliuerer from those that ill pretende God is my strength in him I will put all my hope and trust For I do finde him vnto me both mercifull and iust He is my shield the horne of health my tower that is so strong My refuge and my sauiour from taking any wrong I will on him call day and night who worthy is of prayse Not doubting then but that I shall preserued be alwayes The pangs of death gat me about and griped me full sore The flowing floods of wicked men did fray me more and more The sorrowes of the hell or graue me compassed about The snares were set to trappe me in that I should not get out Then in my trouble did I call vnto the Lord on hye Who from out of his holy place gaue eare vnto my cry God béeing wroth he made the earth to tremble and to quake And all the bottome of the mount to totter and to shake A smoke out of his nosethrils came whē he to wrath was bent Consuming fyre with kindled coles out of his mouth he sent He bowed heauen as he came down mine enemies to confound The misty cloudes beneath his féete made darknes on the groūd He rode vpon the Cherub and the Cherubin also And on the wings of all the winds his flight was to and fro He framed darknes as a tent him round about to be With waters gathered into clouds that no man might him sée But when he list his presence shew and to appeare in sight Then with the haile flashing fire the clouds he maketh bright God with his sundry thunder claps and fyrie dartes sent out With soden lightnings maketh them to feare him all about O Lord the sea vncouered was whose surges rise and fall At thy rebuke and at a blast thy foes were drowned all The Lord hath frō the heauen aboue his help to me sent downe And drawen me out of waters great which came on me to drowne He by his might deliuerd me frō all my foes ech one When I was weake and not of power to cope with thē alone They went about me to preuent in my most heauinesse But yet the Lord so wrought therin they could me not oppresse He brought me foorth in open place to haue my scope at will And of his fauour and his loue preserued me from ill And as I was a giltlesse man and voyde of all offence So to the cleannesse of my hands I gaue no recompence For that I kept the wayes of God and walked in the same Nor did not speake agaynst my Lord nor yet his holy name But had an eye vnto his lawes to kéepe them in my hart His statutes did I not cast off nor from them once depart An vpright life the eyes of God delighteth much in it From wickednes I did refrayne and would it not commit Therfore the Lord requited all my doings done aright According to my righteousnes appearing in his sight The Lord with him that godly is will godly be also And with the man that is vpright vprightly will he go With those that are elect and pure he will with them so be And with the froward he will deale with them as frowardly The méeke and simple man of heart thou wilt not sée confound As for the proude and lofty man thou pullest to the ground Thou art O Lord my light guyde to walke in all thy wayes Thou wilt my darknes make to shine as clere as the noone daies For by thy helpe an hoast of men I shall them make to fall And through my God shall batter downe the hard stony wall The wayes of God are vncorrupt his worde must triall haue and to the stedfast faythfull man he is a shield to saue For who is God except the Lord which made both heauē earth There is none other God but he that giveth life and breath He is the God that girdeth me with strength to go to warre And maketh playne the way and path that I may sée a farre My féete he maketh like the hindes in swiftnes for to go And setteth me vpon my place as pleaseth him also My hands he teacheth for to fight mine armes he makth strong To draw and breake a bow of stéele in compasse short or long By thy good sure protection and by thy sauing health And by thine ayde and mightie strength I do increase in wealth Thou hast enlarged all my steps in stretching them awide And eke my treadings made so playne my foote it can not slide My foes I fiercely did pursue and turned not agayne Untill I had put all to flight and many of them slayne I bet and wounded so my foes that in no maner wise Once vnder foote they could agayne be able to arise Thou didst me girde about with strength in battell for to fight And hast dispersed all my foes abrode out of my sight The neckes of mine ilwillers Lord thou didst bow downe and bend That I on them might worke my will and pleasure in the end They looked round about for helpe but no man did appeare To God they cried in their distresse yet would he not thē heare I bet them still as small as dust that winde doth blow away And trode on them as men do treade vpon the myre and clay O Lord thou hast deliuerd me from all seditious bandes And made me to be gouernour and head of diuers landes A people straunge and eke vnknowen will humbly me obay Where as mine owne will ouerthwart and stubbornly say nay Now blessed be the liuing God and praysed be his name The God of my saluation that worthy is of fame It is the Lord that gaue me power reuenged for to be And brought the people all into subiection vnder me He saued me from all my foes and set me vp aloft Aboue the wicked cruell men that rose agaynst me oft I will therfore prayse thée O Lord among the Gentiles all And sing vnto thy holy name and thereon dayly call Thou hast for thine anoynted king such mercies
great in store And them to Dauid and his séede hast giuen for euermore When Dauid had now ended this his Psalme of thāks praise He speaketh certaine sentences for to conclude and sayes King Dauid which is cald the sonne of Isai hath sayde And the annoynted man of God whose kingdome sure is layde The holy spirite of the Lord my speach he doth it guyde For to my tong his sacred worde is fast and surely tyde The Lord my God of Israel hath this by promise made That in his feare and loue I shall the iust men guyde and ayde As morning light when sunne is vp voyde of clowde rayne So shall my house in shining bright clearnesse still remayne For by his euerlasting bonde it shall so stande alway That it may grow but not as grasse that hath his quick decay But wicked and vngodly men shall be like thornes that pricke Pluckt vp and not be suffered within the ground to sticke But yet the man that toucheth them he must be in that case Desenced well that he may take and burne them in their place It came now into Dauids minde his people for to somme To sée what number in his lande would rise thereof and come Commaunding Ioab for to go throughout all Israel And take a view of all his men that vnder him did dwell The Lord thy God increase quod he thy people in thy lande But what doth moue my lord the king to take this thing in hand The king would not be turned from his purposed intent And therefore for to view his men his lords abrode he sent And passing ouer Iordan brooke vnto the vale of Gad They went and summed eury man from thence to Gilead From thence to Iaan and so foorth to Sidon and to Tyre The Heuites and the Cananites their numbers to enquire And so from thence to Iuda lande which in the south is plaste And therein made to Beerseba their progresse at the laste Now when they had bene thus abrode nine monthes twenty daies Thē home vnto Ierusalē they turne againe their waies Where Ioab vnto Dauid gaue the summe of Israel Which were eight hundred thousand men as he did count tel All fighting men besides all those which Iuda well could yéeld Which were fiue hundred thousand men all able for the field When this was done within his heart the king conceiued then A great misliking of his déede for numbring of his men Wherfore with heauy hart and voyce vnto the Lorde he cryes That he would pardon this offence committed in his eyes That night the Lord commaunded Gad the Prophet for to go And breake with Dauid for his fault and tell him so and so And whē thou hast in eury point these plagues before him laide Then will him for to make his choyse as I to thée haue saide When Gad was come vnto the king the Lords will is quod he That of such plages I shall recite thou make thy choyse of thrée Wilt thou haue hunger seuen yeres space to ouerpresse thy lād Or els thrée monthes to féele the smart of wars mighty hand Or with the plague of pestilence be visited thrée dayes Choose which thou wilt I wil make report of that thou sayes Hard is the choyce O Lord quod he yet Lord let be thy will That I may fall into thine hands to saue or els to kill Then did the Lord for thrée dayes space a pestilence prouide Wherin of Dauids whole account a seuenty thousande dyed But when vpon Ierusalem the Angell now began To smite and to destroy the same the Lord repented than Of all the former faults commit and bad him hold his hand For he would haue compasson and pitie on the land Then Dauid with a sory heart laments that grieuous case And to the Lord with teares he cals for mercy and for grace The people sinned not O Lord to haue this plague of thine These shéepe alas what haue they done the sinne O Lord is mine Let not the harmles innocent be plagued now therfore But me and all my fathers house destroy for euermore The Prophet Gad to Dauid came him willing in this case To go and reare an Altar vp in Ornans threshing place And when that Ornan saw the king and all his men so nye He met him and with reuerence fell downe vpon his knée And said to him why doth my lord come vnto me this houre In sooth quod he it is to buy of thée thy threshing floore To make an Altar to the Lorde and pray to him for peace That this great plague of pestilence may from the people cease My lord quod he take what thou wilt and do as séemeth good Take Oxen Charrets with them the instrumentes for wood I fréely giue them to my lord and do beséeche thy God That he accept thée in his sight and do withdraw his rod. Not so quod he I will it shall be truely solde and bought I will not offer to the Lord the thing which cost me nought So Dauid bought the threshing floore and Oxe for sacrifice And gaue to Ornan for the same as they agréed of price Then offring vp peaceofferings vpon that Altar now The plague did cease and God the same did very well allow Now Dauid béeing old weake with yeres troubles past Could not in bed get any heate with clothes vpon him cast His seruauntes then did counsel him some yong tender thing Whose liuely blood with pleasant heat might cherish vp the king Should lye by him vpon his brest not meaning any harme But rayse a vitall heate in him and make his body warme And so they made a carefull search throughout all Israel And found at length one Abisag in Sunam that did dwell Who béeing brought vnto the king her seruice did imploy To call agayne that liuely heate which yeres and age destroy And now began Adonia for to aspire on hye As had his brother Absalon before vsurpingly And gan all things for his estate both horse and men to séeke His father did not séeme at all with any thing mislike The Capteine Ioab tooke his parte and eke Abiathar As chiefe of counsell eury way his matters to preferre But faithfull Sadoch that good priest would neuer take his part Nor Nathan nor Banaia would that way bend their hart At Rogel was his sacrifice and all prouision had And there vnto his brothers all and Iuda to he bad But Nathan nor Banaia nor other mightie men Nor yet his brother Salomon he called with him then And herevpon to Bethsabe the Prophet Nathan goes And what he sées and what he heares to her he playnly showes Hast thou not heard what wicked séede Adonia hath sowen And yet vnto our lord the king his purpose is vnknowen But if you loue your owne estate or Salomon your sonne Then marke what counsell I will giue and sée that it be done Go get thée forth vnto the
on vpon his other gere So all the house of Israel brought forth the Arke with shoute And trompet blowing as they went the noyse rang all about But when as Michol Dauids wife saw him so daunce spring She grew in great disdayne therat and did mislike the thing Yet notwithstanding when the Arke was setled in his place He made his offrings to the Lord of mercy peace and grace Which béeing done and finished the people he did blesse And to them all of banquet meate dealt something more or lesse Then he dismissing all the folke assembled in that place Returned home vnto his house to blesse it in like case Wher Michol méeting him could not forbeare but thus did say Good God how glorious was the king of Israel this day Which séemed in thy maidens eyes vncouered like a sot Wherby of them and other mo great hatred thou hast got It was before the Lord quod he that I did daunce and sing Who ouerthrew thy father Saul and chose me to be king And made me ruler ouer all the people Israel Reiecting Saul and all his house as thou thy selfe canst tell And yet if my humilitie be grieuous in thy sight I will be méeke in mine owne eyes before the Lord of might And of the mayden seruauntes here which thou hast spoken of I shall be had in honour great when they at thée shall skoffe When God had setled Dauids raigne and him his had blest And with all Princes rounde about had giuen him peace rest Gods glory to aduaunce he sought and bended all his heart And to the Prophet Nathan then his minde he did impart Behold quod he how that my house is buylt with Cedre trées And yet the Arke hath nothing els but curteins as thou sées The Prophet sayd do what thou hast determined to do For God which hath respect to thée will set his hande thereto Thus Nathan spake before he knew what Gods good pleasure was And did receiue a coūtermaund before the night did passe That wild him go vnto the king and do him vnderstand That Salomon should buyld Gods house he not ta kt in hand When Dauid béeing certified what God him selfe did say He sat him downe before the Arke and thus began to pray O Lord my God what great account of me and mine hast thou That to such Royall dignitie hast me exalted now And yet O Lord I know thou art of such a power and might That greater things to bring to passe is nothing in thy sight Thou spakest of thy seruaunts house a great long while ago Which vnto men doth not perteine but vnto thée I know To kéepe thy word promise sure and make it to be knowne Not for thy seruaunt Dauids sake O Lord but for thine owne Thou art O Lord the onely God that euermore hast bene None comparable to thy selfe was euer heard or séene And what one people in the earth or nation who can tell Is better and beloued more of thée then Israel Thou wentest and redéemedst them out of captiuitie That they might magnisie thy name and make it great to bée With mightie signes tokens out of Egypt thou hast brought Thy people from the nations and from their Gods of nought Thou hast elect and chosen them to be thy people ay Aud art become their onely God to serue thée and obay And now O Lord the word thou hast of me thy seruant spoke And of his house make thou it good let not the same be broke So shall thy name be magnified and eury man shall say The Lord of hoastes he is the God of Israel for ay For thou Lord God of Israel hast thus reueald to me And said I will now buyld thy house and make it sure to be And therfore hath thy seruaunt found now in his heart to pray this simple prayer vnto thée to be my helpe alway Let all thy words therefore be true that thou thy seruaunt told And kéepe thy promise vnto him which thou hast made of old And let it please thée for to blesse thy seruants house with grace That it for euer may abide and stande before thy face For thou my God hast spoken it let it be done therfore That thou thy seruaunt Dauids house do blesse for euermore Now after this the Philistines he vanquished by strength And thereby rid all Israel from bondage at the length He smote also the Moabites and meate them with a line And cast them flat vpon the ground and made the rest incline And being thus subdued to him to him they tribute payed In token that they were his men his Maiestie to ayde He fought with Hadarezers hoast and made a number fall As well of horsemen as on foote beside his Charrets all The Syrians which ayded him and came his parte to take Of two and twenty thousande men a slaughter did he make Thus Dauid by the might of God did conquer all the lande So mercifull was God to him in all he tooke in hande Now after these great victories the king of Hamath sent His sonne to Dauid with great gifts therwith him to present For that he had Hadarezer his enemie subdued Who oftentimes with him and his had open warre renued As for the spoyles that he did get of siluer golde or brasse He gaue it to the house of God what euer thing it was Thus Dauid hauing got a name through honor he had wonne Sat in his seate and iudged right to eury mothers sonne And calling now to memory the bond that he did make With Ionathas the sonne of Saul thus openly he spake Doth any yet remayne quod he of all the house of Saul That I for Ionathas his sake may him to honour call One Ziba then his seruaunt old was brought vnto the king That he by talke might sée what he could say to eury thing Of whom the king demaunded then if Ziba were his name Yea sir quod he thy seruant is the selfe and very same Is there quod he yet any left of Saul his line or blood To whom I may shew mercy too or do him any good Yea Ionathas quod he hath yet a sonne aliue I know But he is lame vpon his féete so that he can not go And where is he quod Dauid then hide not if thou canst tell He is quod he in Machirs house the sonne of Amiel Now then whē that Miphiboseth was brought to Dauids sight He fell to ground and so did make such reuerence as he might Then Dauid said Miphiboseth be not afrayde of me For I will for thy fathers sake be mercifull to thée Thou shalt enioy thy fathers lands that did to Saul perteine And at my boord thy foode to eate I will thée enterteine Miphiboseth fell downe and said what is thy seruaunt Lorde That thou wilt looke on such a dogge and set him at thy borde Then Dauid said to Ziba thus the lands and rents of Saul Unto thy
masters sonne I giue both vineyard fieldes and all Therfore thou the men with thée do husband wel the ground That foode for Micahs maintenance with plentie may be found For now thy lord Miphiboseth shall eate his bread with me As though he were one of my sonnes and be no charge to thée Now after this it so befell king Ammon for to dye A friend of Dauids in distresse that shewd him curtesye Wherfore he thought it reason good to recompence his sonne In this respect for that he had his raigne but new begonne And therevpon an Embassy to this yong king he sent To comfort him in heauynes and for no worse intent His Lords and his Nobilitie suspected Dauids men And therfore came vnto the king and said vnto him then What dost thou thinke that Dauid doth intend to thée none ill Or to thy father that he doth this honour of good will His meaning is thy land strength to search with priuy spies And thervpon with might and maine thy kingdome to surprise The king gaue credite to their talke and thought it verely And therevpon deuised how to worke them villany And so for spite and open shame to Dauid and his land The one halfe of their beards he shaues lets the other stand And did their garments all to cut accordingly with tooles Hard to the buttocks of the men and sent them home like fooles When Dauid heard this misdemeane he willed some to go And méete his mē who were ashamd that any should thē know So they abode at Iericho vntill their beards were growen And then returning home agayne it was no farther knowen This spite could Dauid not digest for ought that they could doo But sought reuenge by open warre and did performe it too The next yere Zibba to besiege he sent his souldiours prest But he within Ierusalem abode and tooke his rest It chaunced so that on a time with some delightfull sightes He walkt vpon his house aboue to recreate his sprites Where he a passing goodly wight espied from aboue As she was bathing of her selfe with whom he fell in loue And thervpon he sent his man and bad him word to bring What was her name whose wife she was eury other thing Word was returnde t was Bethsabe and one Vrias wife Who in the warfares of his grace was ventring of his life He sent for her and when she came his heart was so inflamd With her to ioyne in filthynes he nothing was ashamd And she returning to her house by Dauid thus defilde Did send him word of certentie howe that she was with childe Then Dauid to auoyde the crime which he apparant saw Deuised meanes her to defende from rigour of the law To Ioab straight he did dispatche a post and bad him tell That he should send Vrias home to make the matter well And when Vrias came before the presence of the king And had discoursed of the warres and eury other thing The king did will him to go home and with his wife to rest To washe his féete and recreate him selfe as he thought best Vrias tooke his leaue and home as Dauid thought he went Who for his seruice in the warres a recompence him sent But yet in déede Vrias did not moue one foote away But for that night before his gates vpon the grounde did stay Which thing when Dauid knew he askt what was the cause why He went not home vnto the house with his wife did ly And rest him there a while with her and eke his friends among Untill he had refresht him selfe vpon his iourney long Vrias said our soueraigne Lord the Arke of Israel The tribes of Iuda they also in tentes and boothes do dwell My Capteine Ioab with his men in open fieldes they lye Abiding hard aduentures there in wether wet and drye And shall I now go to my house there for to eate and drinke And haue the pleasure of my wife I did it neuer thinke I make an oth euen by thy life and by thy soule O king So long the Arke doth lye abrode I will not do this thing Then Dauid wild he should remayne and tary one day mo And on the morow should haue leaue for to depart and go That night he made Vrias dronke him to prouoke thereby To haue a minde vnto his wife and with her for to ly But as before so now agayne vpon the grounde he lay And would not go vnto his house what euer he did say Upon the morow Dauid wrote to Ioab his intent Which lettor sealed surely vp he by Vrias sent The summe wherof was onely this he should Vrias trayne Unto some péece of seruice there where that he might be slayne Which thing of Ioab béeing done and Dauid thereof tolde He thought him selfe now safe inough that he might be bolde Then sent he for the woman home and she became his wife But God was very sore displeasd with this his sinfull life Now Dauid béeing wrapt in sinne the Lord his Prophet sent Who did propose this parable to make him to repent Two men quod he vpon a time within one towne did dwell The one but poore the other God had blessed very well The rich man had excéeding store of cattell oxe and shéepe The poore man had in all the world but one poore lamb to kéepe Which he had fostred brought vp with him from day to day Till it grew vp and with his babes gan pleasantly to play It eate and dranke with him at home and in his bosome slept And as a daughter deare to him he causde it to be kept Unto the rich mans house there came a straunger as a gest Of all his shéepe he would not let so much as one be drest But tooke the poore mans lambe away who had no mo but one And so prepard it for his gest and let his owne alone The king was moued with this talke and grew in choler than And thought no payne or punishment to much for suche a man. And made an oth that vnreuengd that man should neuer go But should fourefold repay to him whom he had wronged so Thou art said he the very man euen thou thy selfe art he The Lord therfore hath bid me come and say thus much to thée He made thée king of Israel and of his people all And did also deliuer thée out of the hand of Saul And gaue to thée thy masters house and eke his wiues also And gaue thée Iuda Israel and might haue giuen thée mo Why hast thou thē so soone forgot the Lord his power might And fearing not what great offence thou dost before his sight Thou hast Vrias murdered and spoild him of his wife And thinkest now by marying her to cloke thy sinnefull life From thée therfore from thy house the sword shall not depart And thou shalt sée féele those plagues rue thē with thy hart And furthermore he will stirre
vp of thine owne stock and race Such as shall take by violence thy wiues before thy face And giue them to thine enemie who shall in thy despight Misuse them to thine vtter shame yea openly in sight Thou diddest thy sinne most secretly to hide the same from me But I will do this openly that all the world shall sée Here Dauid with repentant hart his wickednes confest And prayed God to send him grace to rectifie the rest Then Nathan béeing at his hande said to him by and by The Lord hath put away thy sinne be sure thou shalt not dye Yet since by thée and thy default thy God sustayneth shame The child that now is borne to thée shall dye beare the blame And Nathan so departing home the child did sicken sore Whose paine and griefe in eury place increased more and more Then Dauid fasting for the child besought the Lord with teares To giue it health and life withall to runne his race of yeares Great mourning made he for the childe none could him intreate To rise from ground but there he lay absteining frō his meate The seuenth day came then the child did end his fatal thread But none durst signifie so much or tell that he was dead For al the while he was aliue he would not heare them speake And now to tel him of his death would cause his hart to breake But Dauid through the whispering he saw among his men Perceiued well the child was dead and asked of them then If that the child did liue or no who told him how it was How God had wrought his will in him frō life to death to pas Then from the earth he lift him vp and washed all away Annoynting him and putting on apparell fresh and gay And gat him first vnto the house of God to giue him prayse And béeing turned home to eate his seruauntes to him sayes We maruell why thou didst lamēt thy child while it was here And now that he is gone from hence to be of so good chere So long quod he as it had life I did both fast and wéepe For this I thought that God alwaies doth mercy with him kéepe And who could tell if that he would his mercy to him show And saue the child from cruell death if that his will were so But now he is departed hence it booteth not to fast Nor yet to wéepe for nothing here on earth is made to last I can not bring his life agayne but rather I shall go To him then he shall come to me no doubt the truth is so Then Dauid knowing Bethsabe to be in heauynesse Went in to her and sought the meanes her sorowes to redresse Who at her time brought forth a sonne one Salomon to name Whom God appoynted to him selfe his temple for to frame While Ioab Rabba to besiege with all his army lay He sent to Dauid messengers thus willing them to say How he had take the chiefest place of all the Citie strong Where that the pallace of the king and Condites lye along Wherfore he willed Dauid now to come and giue the fall That he might haue the prayse him selfe and Ioab none at all Then Dauid with an armie went to Ioab his true man And ioyning both the hoastes in one the Citie so he wanne When he had now the Citie got and eke the king in holde He tooke the Crowne of from his head a talent weight of golde And therwith crounde him selfe as king to thē whō he did foyle As for the riches of the lande his souldiours had the spoyle And calling to his mind the shame which to his mē they wrought By all the meanes he could deuise a iust rewarde he sought And plaged them with sundry deathes for to increase their wo With sword with saw with fire with rope many tormentes mo Now Dauid as a conquerer returned with his pray Unto Ierusalem the place where most he made his stay Now after this the Lord began to stirre his sonnes to strife And him to plague for his offence commit with Vries wife For Ammon with his sister fayre whom Thamar they did call Did fall so farre in loue that he was very sicke withall And could no maner way deuise his purpose to obtaine For that within her fathers house she alwayes did remayne Then Ionadab a friend of his and one of subtill witte Came vnto him and counsell gaue for such a purpose fit How commeth this to passe quod he that thou art wasted so With inward pensiuenes of minde and will not let me know Then Ammon said O Ionadab I am in loue so sore With Thamar as no earthly man can be with woman more Why then quod he do fayne you sicke and kepe your chāber to And when the king your father comes to sée you how you do Then aske him leaue that Thamar may on you attendāce giue And dresse good meates to nourish you if he will haue you liue This counsell his good friend did giue and he did like the same And so he lay and kept his bed vntill his father came Whom he in humble wise besought his sister might take payne To dresse him some good prety meates to get his health agayne The king did graunt and did commaunde the maiden so to do And bad her dresse such holesome meates as he had phansy to So Thamar came vnto his house and tooke a litle paste Wherwith she made him deinty meate that had a pleasant tast And came brought the same to him where he was laide alone For he of purpose order tooke that eury man was gone Then Ammon said come lye with me good sister I thée pray No man is here that can vs sée thou shalt not say me nay O good my brother force me not that were too foule a fact And neuer yet in Israel was heard of such an act This would be such a blot as I should neuer purge the same And thou likewise a great reproch shuldst purchase to thy name Yet rather speake vnto the king we may in wedlocke dwell And liue according to the law and then it will be well But Ammon stroue and would not cease vntill that he had got His filthy pleasure satisfied would she or would she not And after this vngodly fact all fansy gan abate His loue was not before so much but more was now his hate For when he had defiled her he made no longer stay But in a fume and chasing heate he had her packe away This spitefull vsage of thy part is very much quod she And is as ill as was thy force and worse if worse may be He gaue no eare vnto her talke but like a Bedlem brayne He turnes her out lockes the doore least she returne agayne And so poore soule away she goes as one without reliefe With ashes cast vpon her head and crying out for griefe Then said her brother Absalon hath Ammon bene with thée Well
him this night I will vpon him sodenly while that he lyeth at rest Who is but weake and all his men with wearines opprest So shall thy father be afrayde the people will be gone Then shall I ridde him of his life when he is left alone And bring agayne the people all to thée with one accord Who when they find him dead will come and serue thée as their lord This saying pleased Absalon his father should not liue The rest they thought no man on earth could better coūsel giue Yet let vs heare quod Absalon what Chusai will say It may so fall that he perchaunce will take an other way And when he came he brake to him Achitophels intent And bad him fréely speake his mind and he would then consent Forsooth quod he if I may speake my phansy from the rest The counsell of Achitophel at this time is not best For as thou knowest thy father and his men be very strong And béeing chafed in their minds as they haue bene so long Are now become like cruell beares all robbed of their whelpes So that their fiersnesse will not passe on thée nor on thy helpes Thy father is a man also well practised in warres He will not tary long in place for feare of soden scarres And for my life he lieth hidde within some caue or denne Or other place where is with him a number of his men If some of those he left behinde at first be ouerthrowen Yet that thy men haue got the worst it will abrode be blowen So shall the ftoutest of thy route when they thereof do heare Be faynt shrinke as though they were all out of hart for feare Wherfore my counsell now is this from Berseba to Dan That all the people may be prest in armour eury man So shall thy men as farre excéede as doth the seaish sande And when thou comst into the field he fall into thy hande For we shall come on him as thicke as dew vpon the ground So that there shall not one of all his men aliue be founde And furthermore if that he be in citie or in towne We shall with ropes strength of men pul al that citie downe And draw it to the riuer side and cast it stone by stone Into the sea vntill we haue not left remayning one This counsell pleased Absalon and all the other well Who thought he gaue more sound aduise then did Achitophel To Sadoch and Abiathar then Chusai doth come And of Achitophels deuise he vttereth the somme But thus and thus did I quod he his counsell ouerthrow And therfore wish some messenger to Dauid now did go And bid him get away this night out of the wildernesse And passe the water otherwise he will be in distresse Then Sadoch and Abiathar herein had great respect How that their sonnes might know of this the matter vnsuspect Wherfore the message they commit vnto a wenche that goes To Rogels wel as though she went to water there her clothes Where that their sonnes Ahimaas and Ionathas did lye That none within Ierusalem should sée or them espye So they receyuing of the mayde the message to them sent Made hast and tracted not the time but forth away they went. Yet of a ladde they were espied who tolde it Absalon That such two men were passed forth and out of Rogel gone But they before the messengers that he sent out from him Were got into an house within the towne of Bahurim Wheras their host to saue their liues within his well them hid And made his wife to couer it that they should not be spid Who tooke a cloth and spred it forth vpon the well on hye With wheate theron as though it were set out abrode to drye And when those came that after them did narrowly pursue And made enquiry where they were and bad her answere true They are quod she gone ore the brooke but euen a while agoe If you make spéede and follow them they cannot scape I know The men with this delusion went forth and sought in vayne Who in the end not finding them returned home agayne This béeing knowen the messengers were let out of the well And came to Dauid and began their message for to tell Go get you ore the water brooke as quickly as you can Achitophel is purposed to kill you eury man. Then Dauid béeing certified of all was done and what He slacked not but hasted forth and ouer Iordan gat So going forth he came vnto the towne Mahanaim Belonging to the tribe of Gad where he refreshed him And lying there his very friends whom he had tryed long Came in to sée and visite him and for to make him strong Who brought him beds to lye vpon presents méete for kings With erthen vessels for the vse of other néedefull things Of barley floure and parched corne of beanes and also wheate Of honey butter shéepe and chéese for all his men to eate For weary hungry and a thirst was he and all his trayne And their intent was to refresh and ease them of their payne Now Absalon with all his men as ye haue heard before Pursued Dauid and was come the water Iordane ore But destitute of his chiefe stay and staffe Achitophel Who hangd him self when that he saw his counsell go not well And béeing come within the coast and lande of Gilead He camped there and Israel with all the men they had Preparing in a readynes his army in that coast He made Amasa gouernor and Capteine of his hoast And Dauid also now began his numbers to deuide Into thrée armies seuerall with Capteines them to guide The first to haue in gouerning to Ioab he commit The seconde to Abisai to take the charge of it The third he put vnder the hande and rule of Ithai Who neuer would forsake the king but liue with him and dye Thus when he had in order set his armies for to go He told the people he him selfe would go with them also Thou shalt not go the people sayd for if we chaunce to flye They will not care nor greatly passe because they hunt for thée Nor yet regard vs any whit though halfe or more were flayne So long as thou art not in reach their labour is in vayne Wherfore in Citie do abide for thée it shall be best And if we neede do succour vs of God thou shalt be blest Then said the king looke what ye will in this thing haue me do I am content to frame my selfe according therevnto Now as the king stoode in the gate to sée the people passe For disobedient Absalon his heart full heauy was And as the Capteins passed by vnto them all he spake Intreate the yong man Absalon most gently for my sake The people heard what charge the king vnto the Capteins gaue Concerning Absalon his sonne how that they should him saue So forth to battell all they went out of Mahanaim And gan the field to