the sonne of Arsanes who was the brother of Ochus yet Iustine in his 10. booke nameth him Codomanus Against this Darius Alexander the great made warre hauing transferd to him the power and Monarchie of the Persians according as it was appointed by God and foretolde to come to passe in Daniels visions that we may thinke no change in gouernments nor in the rest of our life to bee without the prouidence of God These therefore are the Kings of Persia knowen vnto vs partly out of the holie Scripture partly out of the prophane Historie of Herodotus Thucidides Xenophon Ctesias Diodorus Siculus whom also Eusebius doth otherwise order and name wee will yet neuerthelesse stand to the iudgement of those forenamed authors and will insist in this description and Catalogue From the holie Scripture acknowledged these are the fiue former Kings of Persia 1 Cyrus Maior 2 Assuerus Artaxerxes 3 Darius Assyrius 4 Artaxerxes Pius 5 Xerxes the terror of Graecia The rest from prophane stories are made knowen to vs vnder these names 6 Artaxerxes Longimanus 7 Darius Nothus 8 Artaxerxes Memor 9 Ochus 10 Arses who also is Arsanes 11 Darius Codomanus the sonne of Arsanes the brother of Ochus These eleuen Kings gouerned the Persian Monarchie for a hundred and thirtie yeares as before hath been declared But to these Kings we doo not adde their yeares because we want the certaine knowledge of the Persian historie For albeit in the holy scriptures certaine yeares are reckoned of the former Kings to wit of Cyrus Assuerus Artaxeres Darius Assyrius and Artaxerxes Pius yet we cannot from these certainlie define the yeares of their gouernment because that is not the purpose of the Scripture to teach how long they reigned therefore it is not greatly necessarie to enquire more curiouslie after them But because our time vseth much Iosephus in these histories as also Metasthenes and I know what fragments added to him of incertain authors scarce of good credite therefore they are especiallie to bee admonished of those errors which Iosephus admitteth in this Historie in the eleuenth booke of his antiquities or old affaires For partly out of Herodotus who did not so much purpose to write a historie as to reteine and recreate the Reader with pleasant narrations partlie out of authors I know not what for they are almost infinite who haue handled Persian affaires they reckon the Persian Kings in this sort first Cyrius then Cābises the sonne of Cyrus then Magus after him Darius the sonne of Histaspis then Xerxes after Xerxes they name another Cyrus whome he will haue to be the sonne of Xerxes who amongst the Graecians is said to be Artaxerxes vnder whom hee saith the historie of Ester fell out From thence he passeth to Alexander the great who subdued Darius the last King of the Persians which how discordant they be from holy scripture is manifest from those things which before haue been spoken that there neede be no stay made to confute this Furthermore as before we haue said neither Herodotus nor Ctesias or they from who these broached their stories we haue followed in the enumeration of the former Kings of Persia because we haue certaine testimonies out of the Scriptures of these kings who reigin Persia vnto Xerxes So after Cyrus we doo not name Cambyses nor after him Magus nor after him Darius Histaspis which names because they are neuer found in Scripture by vs are pretermitted For we must wholly rest in the authoritie of holie Scripture which handleth the historie of these times neither to Herodotus nor anie other whosoeuer hee bee that saith he bringeth a true Historie from the Persian Records as Ctesias is bolde to professe of himselfe Who being taken in the warre of Cyrus the lesser by Artaxerxes Memor because he was a Phisician was admitted into the Kings Court in the which liuing long he grew more skilfull as he himselfe saith of the Persian estate than either Herodotus or any other who before him intreated of the Persian affaires yet he after Xerxes nameth Artaxerxes the sonne of Xerxes whom they call Longimanus after whom they reckon Xerxes the sonne of Longimanus who when he reigned some moneths was slaine by the treacherie of Secundianus another sonne of Artaxerxes but a bastard who therefore reigned after Xerxes the second but yet a short time because another sonne of Artaxerxes Longimanus called Darieus or Darius made him away by the same pollicie as he made away his brother For they say that Darius the sonne of Artaxerxes by his concubine trusting to the learning of the Persians contended for the Kingdome with Isogeus the legitimate sonne of Artaxerxes Longimanus and that both of them referred the cause to the Councell of Persia in the which Darius Nothus or bastard became victor and got the vpper hand from whom afterwards the Persian Kings are lineallie deriued For Artaxerxes was the sonne of this Darius Nothus named Memor for a difference from the other called Longimanus then Ochus the sonne of Artaxerxes Memor whō Arses succeeded surnamed by Iustine Codomanus as before we haue said In the rehearsing of the genealogie of the Kings of Persia wee haue pretermitted Xerxes the second and Secundianus whom some cal Sogdianus because either of them reigned but a few moneths although Diodorus Siculus remembreth thē out of Ctesias whom neuerthelesse others passe ouer The yeares of these Kings vncertaine ill reckoned in prophane historie we haue not particularlie remembred because the Historiographers confound them Therefore we are cōtent with the somme of their yeares which they reigned in all which wee haue obserued to be certain from those things which before haue been propounded But before we giue ouer this historie of the Kings of Persia because there is nothing in it so illustrious as Xerxes going downe into Graecia let vs see in what Olympiade he by war inuaded Graecia for this is handled by manie Greeke Historiographers but how truely that we are now to see Pausanias setteth down in Arcadie that then Xerxes passed ouer into Graecia with that infinit hoast which the Historians report of that the Medes at one dinner dranke vp all the Riuers when Gelon gouerned in Syracusa whom the Athenians and the Laced aemonians by their Embassadors sollicited to take part with them against Xerxes as it is in Herodotus in his 7. booke The same Pausanias in Eliac affirmeth the same Gelon to haue obtained the gouernement of Syracusa in the second yeare of the seuentie two Olympiade Moreouer he affirmeth in his Eliac that those Persians which Xerxes left behinde him in Graecia with Mardonius were ouerthrowen at Platea in the 75. Olympiade But Diodorus Siculus in the eleuenth booke of his Librarie affirmeth Xerxes to haue mooued war against the Graecians in the 75. Olympiade in which time he saith Gelon gouerned in Syracusa Polybius Megapolitanus is of the same opinion in his 5. booke with Diodorus Siculus who saith that the Romanes
are said in the beginning of the reigne of Assuerus to haue written an accusation against the Inhabitants of Iuda and Ierusalem whereby it came to passe that thorough the Edict of the same Assuerus to whom wee haue added the surname of Artaxerxes because afterward the scripture nameth him by the same name the worke of the house of God ceased Now there is often and vsuall mention of this Assuerus Artaxerxes in the booke of Ester whoÌ„ by this we vnderstand to succeede immediâ—â—lie Cyrus in gouernment because in the 4. of Esdr the 5. vers the work of the house of the Lord is said to be hindred vnder Assuerus all the dayes of Cyrus King of Persia euen to the reigne of Darius the King of Persia Now that this Assuerus succeeded Cyrus in gouernment whose Viceroy before he had been in Persia and Vicegerent in Cyrus name we may gather out of the beginning of the first of Ester Where in the first chapter and third verse according to the Hebrew it is said that the strength of Persia and Media was before him and it is said that there were in presence before him in his Court Noble men and Princes or Rulers ouer Prouinces 127. ouer whom hee gouerned whome many moneths he entertained with princely entertainment But the greater and more able part of the strength of Persia and Media which was then said to be in the Court of Assuerus was before in expedition with Cyrus the greater Now after Assuerus wee place Darius whom we haue named Assyrius for a difference from others who are called in the said Monarchie Darius because in the 6. of Ezra the 11. the Iewes are said to haue kept a solemn feast of sweete bread seuen dayes in mirth because the Lord had made their hearts glad and had turned the hart of the King of Assur towards them to helpe their hands in the work of the house of the God of Israel But this Darius Assyrius is mentioned in the beginnings of the prophecies of Aggey and Zacharie vnder whom the building of the temple of God was begun anew Whose praise is that the building of the temple intermitted vnder Assuerus Artaxerxes by his authority was begun againe and finished Which we gather from the Prophecie of Aggey and Zacharie but chieflie we vnderstand it from the historie of Esdras for in the fourth chapt 24. verse it is said that the house of the Lord was intermitted vnder Asserus nor begun againe before the 2. yeare of Darius the King of Persia but in the 6. chapt 14. vers it is thus spoken of the house of God built vnder Darius Assyrius But the Elders of Iuda built and prospered according to the prophecie of Aggey the prophet and Zacharie the sonne of Addo and they edified and built the God of Israel commaunding them and Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes Kings of Persia Now he in this verse who is in the last place called Artaxerxes seemeth to be Assuerus Artaxerxes by whom it hath been saide before the worke of the Lord was hindred vnlesse our coniecture deceiue vs because by reason of Hester and Mardochey he fauoured the proceedings of the people of GOD the which before he greatly misliked For peraduenture when he now waxed old Darius Assyrius beeing consorted in gouernment with him he also commaunded the temple of God to be built Darius chieflie busying himselfe thereabouts as the diuine Oracles haue witnessed to vs. Also that Artaxerxes may be he whom we name Pius vnder whome by Nehemias the Citie was compast about with a wal and the temple obtained his ornaments Others referre the word Artaxerxes to Darius Assyrius as if and were put in stead of of that is to say because the surname of Artaxerxes was proper to the kings of Persia as Caesar was a common name to the Emperours of Rome and Pharao to the auncient Kings of Egypt as after Alexander the great the name of Ptolomey was attributed to all the Kings of Egypt till Egypt was reduced to the form of a prouince by the Romanes But to Darius Assyrius wee adioyned in succession Artaxerxes Pius of whoÌ„ there is mention made as it were in a new historie in the seuenth chapter and first verse after this manner After these words In the kingdome of Artaxerxes the King of Persia Esdras the sonne of Seraias there is added This Esdras went vp from Babilon and he was a sleight Scribe in the lawe of Moses which the Lord God gaue to Israel And the King gaue vnto him all his request according to the hand of the Lord which was vpon him For as it shalbe touched afterwards Iudea did then seeme Zorobabel being dead to want a Ruler For which cause in the seuenth yeare of Artaxerxes Pius Esdras is sent into Iudea with commaundement to compound the causes of the people of God For so in the said 7. chap. 24. vers it is said But thou Esdras according to the wisedome of thy God which is in thy hand appoint Iudges and Gouernours to iudge the people which is beyond the Riuer to wit those that knowe the Lord yet also teach freelie those which are ignorant From the same Artaxerxes Pius afterwards Nehemias is sent into Iudea to compound ecclesiasticall causes in the tweÌ„tieth yeare as it is largely expounded in the second of Nehemias Seeing therefore Artaxerxes Pius is thus knowen vnto vs out of the Historie of Esdra Nehemia we haue made him to succeede Darius Assyrius Wherefore we know from the holie Scripture these Kings to wit Cyrus Maior Assuerus Artaxerxes Darius Assuerus Artaxerxes Pius whom Xerxes the terrour of Graecia succeedeth the fifth in succession from Cyrus Maior And thus we haue named the former kings of Persia staying our selues vpon the authoritie of holie Scripture carelesse in the meane while of Herodotus and Ctesias and of others who follow Herod or Ctesias of whom we wil speake afterwardes Now who those Kings were who succeeded this Xerxes in Persia we collect out of the prophane storie Xerxes was the sonne of Artaxerxes Macrochir that is the long handed whome hee succeeded in the Kingdome From whose twentie yere they who reckon the beginning of Daniels Seuens may now perceiue how far they are from the truth when they take this Artaxerxes Longimanus the sonne of Xerxes for Artaxerxes Pius who peraduenture was the grandfather of Artaxerxes Longimanus But after Artaxerxes Longimanus Darius Nothus begotten by him succeeded in the Kingdom Artaxerxes Mnemon that is by surname the Rememberer succeeded Darius Nothus beeing his bastard whose brother was Cyrus called the lesser famous in the Greeke historie and in Xenophon who was fellow in Armes with him against Artaxerxes After Artaxerxes Mnemon Ochus his sonne reigned ouer the Persians Then Arses the sonne of Ochus who being destroyed with his whole familie had for his successor Darius the last king of Persia whom Diodorus Siculus in his 17. booke sayth to be
saw this who in his booke of the account of times the 7. chapter writeth after this manner Christ was not staine immediately after the 62. seauens but in the ende of the seuentieth seauen which so farre as we can coniecture he separated from the other because he was to speak more of this hereafter For both Christ was crucified in that and of a faithlesse people he was denied not onely at his passion but continuallie from the time when Iohn began to preach him The halfe of the last seauen was the 15 yeare of Tiberius Caesar when after the baptisme of Christ the cleansing by sacrifices amongst the faithfull began to be contemned Thus farre Beda More of Bucholcerus the Reader may fetch frō himself The Conclusion This Treatise was thought needfull in this time wherein some would make this Prophecie of Dan. 9 to bee worse than nothing as speaking of a certaine number of yeres to mens opinion hethertoo but not so to bee vnderstood Therein the Iewes woulde triumph ouer all Christians that viged this prophecie for describing Christs time and Christian should ken small thankes for that newe opinion as also little to them that cannot see this point to be of speciall vse Here Strangers opinions were brought to stay the rashnes of the vnlearned who thinke all things new that they know not The Writer of the obseruations vpon this translated by I A. a friend of his in an Apologie of his owne writeth more at large vppon that The Lord giue iudgement in all points FINIS * Rather from Darius named in vers 1. * That he was the 4. it shalbe shewed hereafter There be seuerall Kings of those names but for time in this order Artaxerxes to whom an epistle was writtenn against the Iewes soone after their returne Assuerus and Darius Artaxerxes There Artaxerxes Assuerus are seuerall men and the former is named last because to him was ioyned the narration of the letter which caused the temples worke to bee staied The Ebrewes who shoulde haue skill in their owne stories hold this Darius to bee the sonne of Ester This Artaxerxes and Assuerus whom being two he nameth one person may bee known not only by this Authour but also by Dan. 10. 11 to haue had a short reigne and Darius vnder whom the Temple was built was of antiquitie holden most commonly excepting some one or two learned to begin his reigne no whit aboue thirtie yeares from Babels fall but rather shorter much though a shorter time should hardly be graunted But 107. yeares frō Cyrus as some would should be too much for 50000. being men at Cyrus Monarchie to be workefull for the Temple * Heere And might be held as the Hebrues holde it for which is Here his iudgmēt staggreth Any man may know by the text and the time that Darius also Arraxerxes grāting authoritie to build the temple the worke being finished in Darius sixt yeare after that Ezra the the sonne of Saraiah comming to Ierusalem frō Babel is the seauenth of Artaxerxes either the two termes must needes as Hebrues assuredly hold signifie one person or the two must reigne at once * This is most holden and plaine The selfe same man as by the Scripture examined anie may see and Hebrues with maine Latines holde * The time for the yeare seauenth vpon the sixt and the name of Artaxerxes that went before in the second of Darius graunting the building of the Temple show the two names signifie but one King as was touched before Seraias case best discusseth the whole time of the Persiās For seeing Seraias was killed by Nabucadnezzar 52. yeares before Cyrus tooke Babylon and Esdras is commonly graunted to haue seene the Persians last reigne It is as much as olde age can suffer in one mans life aged 50. yeares before that the Persians should reigne in that mans life 130 yeares more For so he must match Isaacks yeares 180 and that so hee did or came neare it may be proued by manie likelihoods It is but a bare conjecture for to imagine that Esdras omitted his father or grandfathers two or three betwixt him and Seraias No man hath authoritie to forme more than is to the Bible “ Zorobabel was aliue the yere before and yonger than he Who was also Darius Pius Longimanus seemeth to be that brother of Xerxes of whose quiet reigne Iustine writeth Herodotus writeth that the sonne of Atossa Ester is she gate the Kingdom though he took one brother for the other * This would not soone be graunted nor at all he was elder than Lōgimanus and ruler of the wars of Greece and not with the Iewes Ezra 4. * The particular Kings of Persia neuer were neuer will be knowen by Writers For times touching scripture of 49. yeares for the chiefe worke of walling lerusalem to that Aben Ezra wilagree and no Hebrue wil grant that they reigned aboue 130. yeres but rather cōe farre short And flout manie closely in Seder Olam as grosely deceaued that giue the Persians 250. yeares though not the most part were so much deceiued The fiue generations of Iosuahs posteritie to Iuddue will compell them to graunt nere that somme but to more than that no likelihood can vrge “ This somme will not soone be disprooued though the particular Kings be not agreed vpon which yet 〈◊〉 neuer agreed vpon not anie learned Christians for the Bible is compelled to take notice of Metastenes a forged author yet deceaued manie * Not all the Kings because they touch not the common weale * To teach the vanitie of this consent wee may mark out of Pausanias other accounts for men of that age as Oebotas is in Olympiade the sixt and Xenophō in 25. but in Triclinius in 79. both winners of the footerace Of Xenophō Pindarus made an Ode Infinite varietie of Writers disanulleth this cōsent Nay rather later in part than he for he seemeth to touch the Persiās ouerthrow to haue been for hindring of the Temple Ezra 6. 13. Dan. 11. The power of Persia raised against Greece was to look for a sharp punishment frō him whose eies were a flame of fire for the sorrow caused to Daniels people * The terme weekes much entangleth the weake and requireth a comment in English for a terme plaine in Ebrue or Greeke * Daniel praied for restoring of the Citie and the Angel accordingly ioineth to the grant ofreturne the building of the Citie that wee should not seek for sundrie times to take the beginning of our account vnles whē God maketh a thing plaine we will be finding out inuentions The very matter dooth still driue him to grāt these two names to mean one King or two beginning reigne together Esters sonne he shuld be thoght that so fauored the Iewes If any cā speak better thā this to the text of Daniel he shall doo verie well to helpe the world with it Iosephus regarded custom of speach rather thā truth sometimes vnwares he