sword for few people knew then contention for they had more countreys then they had men to inhabite but with people for no warre was yet knowen any where but with the Assyrians who first vsed to trespasse vpon other nations about them euen from Nimrads time In Iubaldas time Hercules Libyus florished before the Hercules of the Greekes welnigh 700. yeres In this Iubaldas time died Noah the righteous preacher whom prophane writers cal Bifrons Ianus and so is in euery countrey painted and set forth in histories This Noah forsaw the great miserie and calamitie of Gods iustice for sinne in the first age the general plague that folowed the destructiō of the whole world with a flood and after he sawe himselfe dispised of his wicked sonne Cham and cōtemned of his posterities in the second age at the building of the tower of Babylon where he saw the pride disobedience and impietie of his owne people that came out of his owne bodie who to seeke immortalitie vpon earth sought to auoyd God and his power and to seeke to skale through too much follie the skies but they were cōfounded and their deuises brought to nothing No doubt hee sawe more miserie come to man and more wickednes committed by man against God then any man euer could see He died 350. yeres after the flood In Assyria raigned Zamisnenias which in Genesis is called Amraphael the fift king of Assyria Abraham was called from Vr in Chaldea to the land of Palestina and after three yeeres driuen to Egypt for that the famine was so great in the land of Canaan This time gouerned in Egypt Osiris which was that Pharao that tooke Sara Abrahams wife away but was warned in his sleepe not to touch her and cōmanded by God to restore her to her husband againe During the time of this king Iubalda Sodom Gomorrha Zeboim Adama and Segor fiue noble cities of Canaan were destroyed by fire frō heauen for their abominable wickednes and there remaineth in memorie of their filthie vitious liues in the place of these fiue cities a stinking horrible great lake called Stagnum Asphaltidis The 4. king that succeeded Iubalda in Celtiberia was named Brigus he began to raigne in the 4. yeere of Arius the 6. king of Assyria at what time Hyarbas Priscus beganne to gouerne in Libya a stout and a fierce king in armes and therfore the Numidians would be called after him Hyarbae for stoute and warlike people This Brigus builded many strong castles in Celtiberia in that prouince of Lusitania he builded 2. great castles and called them after his owne name Laccobryga and Mirobriga and he builded also Brygantum in the prouince of Taracon This time gouerned the Celtes an expert skilful man a man in those dayes of most honor for his wisdome and iudgement in all things named Drius after whose death the priests of the Celtes were named Druydes of whom mention is made in Caesar and in Plini The authoritie and credite of these priestes in their dayes was great they were honoured and reuerenced of all people their wordes were had in such estimation as though they had bene Oracles giuen for at this time it was rare to see a wise man or to talke with a learned man for the Magi of Chaldea and the priests were not heard of no philosophie spoken of no Art taught few scholes or none knowen in so much that almost 300. yeeres after the flood there raigned no malice no pride no ambition no warre in the most part of the world and therefore it was called Aureum seculum for the simplicitie of the people and of the plentie of al things which was cōmon among all men sauing in Assyria where the first Monarchie began and quarrels grewe as you shall heare betweene the Chaldeans and the Assyrians and after betwene the Assyrians and the Egyptians So that nothing is to be written of any great exploit done in Celtiberia all this time neither in any place else sauing to set downe the names of those kings that then raigned and to know the agreement of time which is the touchstone of trueth In this Brygus time Abraham offered his sonne Isaac at what time God blessed all the nations of the worlde in the seede of Abraham One Bardus raigned this time in Celta which was of great authoritie with them for his first finding of Musike and meeter In this Brigus time Araunus the sōne of Cranus which was the sonne of Ianus builded a temple in Vetulonia and dedicated the same vnto Ianus which they also called Vertumnes and therein he erected vp the image of Ianus and after he builded a chapell to the god Razenus in Vetulonia so that now idolatrie began in euery countrey the nomber of the gods so encreased that superstition had the better hand of true religion euery where sauing in Gods owne Church those 2. Patriarches Abraham and his sonne for Sara was now dead But I wil passe to the fift king of Celtiberia named Tagus sirnamed Orma of this king the riuer Tagus taketh her first name Of this I reade nothing worth the nothing but as his predecessors he raigned by the name of a king without resistance with whom raigned together in other kingdoms Baleus Xerxes the eight king of Assyria this encreased the kingdome and conquered euery where vntill the Indians for he was valiant and couragious very fortunate in all his affaires In the beginning of this Tagus raigne the Argiues kingdome began where Inachus raigned their first king Phaeton came this time to Italy at what time many townes and cities were burnt about the riuer Ister and about the Cymerians and Vesunians and the places burned to this day are named Palestina that is to say the coūtrey burnt recorded with writers Phaetontis incendium Esau and Iacob were borne this time and a litle after their grandfather Abraham the patriarch died 101. yeres after he was called from the Chaldeans and in 175. yere of his age After Tagus succeeded Belus the 6. king of Celtiberia he began to raigne in the 482. yeere after the flood and raigned in Celtiberia 31. yeres at what time Eusebius setteth down the 17. Dynastia of the Egyptians where shepheards gouerned bare rule in Egypt which gouerment cōtinued 303. yeres in Egypt With this Belus began Armatrites to raigne the 9. king of Assyria a king giuen to idlenes to al kinde of pleasures About this time died Sem the sonne of Noah who likewise saw as his father did before much wickednes and abomination he died 35. yeres after Abraham was dead Sem liued 600. yeres Pharoneus the 2. king of the Argiues of whom Plato maketh mention in the beginning of his booke made lawes to the Argiues and was of them greatly honoured after his death In this kings time Nilus did ouerflowe all the countrey of Egypt and Osiris
of these scepters were made put in tables of Alabaster Iuorie Ebony in diuers coūtries where he traueiled leauing behind him his sister his wife Isis to gouerne Egypt This time began the 16. Dynasteia of Egypt which were potētates states who gouerned Egypt in many places some endured 100. some 200. yeres some 300. yeeres some more some lesse they were in Egypt as the Chiliarchi were with the Hebrewes as the Amphictions with the Grecians and as the Senators with the Romanes but when the kings of Egypt began to be mighty strong the state of the potentates began to be diminished but it stil continued vnder the kings of Egypt as chiefe gouernours which the Grecians called Polemarchi I will begin of Osiris the first king of Egypt yet Diodorus nameth Mena the first king of Egypt which Berosus cal Oceanus which is Mizraim with the Hebrewes This Osiris was maried to Isis called Iuno Egyptia for prophane writers name the first kings queenes of euery countrey by the name of Satur. Iupiter Iuno Ceres c. This Isis is supposed to be called Ceres for that she affirmeth of her self this sentence writtē vnder diuers pictures of Isis in tables pillars set vp in Egypt Ego sum Isis Egypti Regina à Mercurio erudita vxor Osiridis mater regis Ori gaude Bubastia gaude Egypte quae me nutristi these words were graued in a pillar of brasse called Columna Isidis read of this more in Dio. Sic. Orus the 2. king of Egypt succeeded his father Osiris this taught the Egyptiās many things read lectures of Astronomy and the first that instructed the rude people to obserue the orders course of the stars likewise he made many good lawes amongst the Egyptians and made them acquainted with the true God whō Abraham being then in Egypt confessed preached with whō king Orus seemed to haue conference was taught by Abraham to acknowledge the power of God hauing had sensible trial therof of his fathers punishment the plague thereby that happened by his iniurious dealing with Sara this made this king to honour Abraham much yet in his fathers dayes Abraham made no long stay in Egypt It seemed that Abraham had some liking to this Orus before he was king to whō he reuealed instructions both to know God his creatures whereby after he was made king and he taught in Egypt those good things which Abraham instructed him whereby he was called in Egypt Orus the great Melanthon saith he had a sonne called Bocchoris after Bocchoris Busiris who builded Thebes in Egypt setting forth the kings of Egypt Herodotus doth not obserue lineally their succession nor Functius in his table nor Manethon an Egyptian priest onely chronographer for the kings of Egypt wherein no true lineall successe may be set downe of the old kings of Egypt vntil Amasis where Herodotus omitteth many things of Egypt beginneth to make relation of the kings of Egypt from Chiopes the first yere of Persusennes which was in the beginning of the 11. Iubilee after Moses Menathon the historie is mentioned by Iosephus the names of the Egyptiā kings laide downe to Ramases which with him is Sethosis beginneth from Ramesses surnamed Egyptus who vsurped the kingdome hauing banished thence his brother Danaus Hee setteth downe that the lande of Egypt was then the fourth time called Mizraim at what time as Cornelius Tacitus and others say the names of Pharoes first began so Manethon affirmeth But it doth appeate by Iosephus against Appian a schoolemaster of Alexandria that the historie of Egypt is patched and forged by Manethon Cheremon two chiefe ancient Chronographers that for true histories generally remaine but fables he laieth downe the errors of Manethon written by himselfe in these wordes At what time Timaus reigned king in Egypt saith Appian came certeine people a base nation from the East and began to inhabit to build to growe strong in Egypt so that they made them a king to gouerne them the which was called Saltis this came to Memphis to Sais two great townes in Egypt seated himselfe in those townes and brought the princes about to pay to them tribute vsed great crueltie slue made hauocke of much people in Egypt After that Saltis reigned nineteene yeeres in Egypt he died after whom succeeded fiue other kings which in all were sixe whose names I set downe to your viewe 1 Saltis which reigned 19. yeeres 2 Baeon which reigned 44. yeeres 3 Apachnas which reigned 36. yeeres 4 Iamas reigned 50. yeres 5 Apochis reigned 61. yeeres 6 Assis reigned 49. yeres These sixe kings reigned first ouer these base people as Manethon writeth which were called in Egypt Hicsos shepheards they and their posteritie after them reigned in Egypt fiue hundreth and eleuen yeeres vntill the time of Alisfragmutosis by whom they wererepulsed and constrained to dwel within a place called Auaris the proportion of tenne thousand acres this compasse they held fortified many strong walles and fortes these shepheards as Manethon saith stood vpon their defence vntil Temosine the kings sōne to Alisfragmutosis laid siege to their fortes with foure hundred eight score thousande readie in armes against these Hicsos with whom the king of Egypt concluded peace vpon condition to depart whither they woulde without harme or hurt so that they would depart out of Egypt These people forced in this sort to the number of two hundred fourtie thousand to passe through Egypt with al their possession with them tooke their iourney through the deserts of Syria and fearing the power of the Assyrians which at that time gouerned al Asia they builded a Towne for them to dwell in in Iudea called Ierusalem this nation was called in Manethon Hicsos Pastores reges this squareth farre from the historie of Moses concerning their dwellings being of the Hebrewes in Egypt After the departure of these Hebrewes out of Egypt these many kings reigned successiuely as Manethon orderly setteth them downe 1 Alisfragumtosis 2 Temusi 25. yeeres 3 Chebron 13. yeeres 4 Amenophis 20. yeres 7. moneths 5 Amesses the sister of Amenophis gouerned Egypt after her brother 21. yeeres 6 Mephres 12. yeeres and 9. moneths 7 Mephramutosis reigned 25. yeeres 8 Thmosis 9. yeres and 8. moneths 9 Amenophis the 2. of that name reigned 30. yeeres 10. moneths 10 Orus 3. yeeres and 5. moneths 11 Acencheres Orus daughter after her father reigned 12. yeres 12 Rathotis reigned 9. yeeres 13 Acencheres 12. yeres 14 Acencheres the 2. reigned 12. yeeres and 3. moneths 15 Armais reigned 4. yeeres 16 Armesis reigned one yeere 17 Armesesmiamus reig ned 66. yeeres 18 Amenophis the 3. of that name 19. yeeres 19 Sethosis was the 19. king of Egypt after the going out of these Shepheards out of Egypt which was 393. yeeres from Tomusis vntill Sethosis This Sethofis was mightie strong on sea and vpon land he prepared
was two discents after Iacobs children but as I sayd before hard it is to correct an errour of such antiquitie for where true records want then coniectures of men doe grow About this time Isaac died and was buried in Hebron hard by Rebecca his wife hee was accepted of God and walked in his wayes vertuous and godly he liued one hundred eightie yeeres three yeeres longer then his father Abraham liued Which Isaac liued With Sem 110. yeeres With Sara his mother 37. Arphaxat 48. Sarug one yeere Salah 78. Iacob his brother 120. Heber 139. Ismaeel his halfe brother by Abraham liued with Isaac 75 Agar 123. Thare his grandfather 35. Ioseph 29. Isaac sawe the prosperitie of his sonne Esau which gouerned all the land of Seir for the appointment of GOD was Maior seruiet Minori when Iacob had no certaine place in the world but tossed from one affliction to an other Isaac before he died saw the trauell and triall of Iacob About this time was Ioseph sold by his brethren and laied in prison in Egypt euen then Tiphon the Egyptian conspired the death of his brother Osiris with the helpe of certaine tyrants Busiris of Phoenicia Antens of Lybia Melinus of Creete with others hee killed the king vsurped the kingdome and was called thereby as Berosus affirmeth Tiphon tyrannus but he was well requited and all his confederats for they all were slaine by Orus Magnus Osiris sonne in a towne of Arabia named Anteos Rhodes was builded about this time which was named before Opheinissa the great famine of the 7. deere yeres in Egypt and in all the world began likewise about the time of Isaacs death In Assyria reigned Baleus the 11. king a man of the greatest fame after Semiramis in the 41. yeere of this Kings reigne Hercules surnamed Lybius draue all cruell tyrants and gyants out of Italy for he with continual warres for 10. yeres space wearied them and subdued them and afterward reigned peaceably 20. yeeres as both Berosus and Functius doe affirme In the 18. Dinasteia of Egypt began the Kings of Egypt to be called Pharaones a name of great dignitie not proper names but as the Romanes Alexandrians the Latines with other kingdomes vsed to name their kings Caesars Siluij Ptolomeis Arsaces so like wise the Egyptians named their kings Pharaones which began about the latter end of Isaac Sparta a famous towne amongst the Lacedemonians was builded of Pharoneus sonne whose name was Sparta and therefore after his owne name named it Sparta Alitle after this time the going of Iacob vnto Egypt was in the 130. yeres of his age where he continued with his sonne Ioseph 17. yeeres in great fauour with Pharaoh and then died after Abrahams being in Egypt 215. yeeres and before Moses went to Egypt to deliuer the children of Israel out of bondage 215. yeeres Nowe while Iacob and his familie were in Egypt with his sonne Ioseph who was solde by his brethren and by his father thought to be slaine then dwelled in Iudea Hethits Iebusites Amorites Chananites Amalakites and Pheresites this land flowed with milke and hony fertile and full of all plentifulnes for after Ioseph died in Egypt Moses was borne within 65. yeeres and in the fourescore yeere of Moses age the 145. after Ioseph died and were in the wildernesse fourtie yeeres and after had the possession of the lande of Chanaan as it shall bee hereafter said But for that the histories of the Patriarches are written in the Genesis at large and in Iosephus and specially Frigius Mosaicus in his booke De historijs patrum leaueth nothing vntouched I will forward to the birth of Moses CHAP. II. Of the birth of Moses of his fauour with God of his gouernment ouer Israel for 40. yeeres in the wildernes and deliuerance of them from Pharaoh by the direction and inctruction of God of Ioshua his successor and of his warres and victories and of his good gouernment ouer Israel for 32. yeeres and of the Common-wealth of the Hebrewes during the time of Moses and Iosua which were 72. yeeres MOses the sonne of Amri being borne in Egypt in the time of Israels bondage and throwen according to the commandement of Pharaoh vnto Nilus but by the prouidence of God Pharaohs daughter named Thermutis walking for her pleasure with her maides about the bankes of Nilus beheld a thing houering vpon the water commaunded her maide to see what it was there Miria Moses sister tended to see what should become of the childe when Pharaohs daughter sawe that it was a goodly child she much delited in him and caused an Egyptian woman to giue him dugge which the childe refused his sister Miria said Ifan Hebrew woman were there he would sucke Thermutis willed her straight to bring one and she brought the mother of Moses to whome the Kings daughter saide Take this childe and bring him vp for me and she adopted him her sonne This childe grewe both goodly and godly of whom many things are written of while yet he was in Egypt being but a childe in Thermutis armes she put the Kings diademe vpon the childes head and he threwe it to the dirt not esteeming pompe and regall shewe But after he grewe to be a man he was made a Captaine ouer the Egyptians against the Aethiopians and he ouerthrewe the Aethiopians where the kinges daughter of Aethiope called Tharbis beholding his magnanimitie with admiration of his great actions fell in loue with Moses offred him mariage and to be a kings sonne and a king himselfe afterward of Aethiope the condition he accepted vpon yeelding vp of the towne to spare blood which was done But enuie of the Aegyptians against Moses disgrasing and disdaining his fortune and threatning him to the death after the killing of the Aegyptians fearing it should come to light fled vnto the Madianits wher he maried Iethroes daughter and continued fourtie yeeres vntill the Angell appearing in a flaming bush commaunded him to goe to Pharaoh to deliuer Israel from captiuitie with whome Aaron his brother which was the first Priest after the lawe giuen was ioyned with Moses in commission to execute the commaundements of God for to Moses was granted wisedome counsel and power to doe miracles to Aaron eloquence learning and power to speake what he would Nowe by Gods mercie which to the Israelites was alwaies great and by the which they were nowe deliuered from the handes of Pharaoh after many miracles done which Nazianzenus setteth forth in few Greeke verses in Latine by Frigius Mosaicus briefly written in two lines the ten plagues of Egypt in these wordes Sanguis Rana Culex Muscae Pecus Vlcera Grando Vermes Tenebrae Pestis primogenitorum Euen then Moses caried the bones of Ioseph to be buried in Hebron by his progenitors as Ioseph had commanded when he prophecied of an other Pharaoh which shoulde entreate Israel euill This
singular man of God Moses to whome the lawe in Mount Sinai was giuen and by whome the lawe had full execution with whome GOD talked so familiarly that hee alone continued with GOD fourtie dayes in Mount Sinai the moste auncient Chronographer of the worlde the verye light of prophane Histories and the onely teacher of time as by his 5. bookes appeare but for that Moses must be spoken of almost in euery place for the recourse and triall of time I will nowe goe forward with the historie Nowe reigned ouer the Assyrians Ascatades the 18. king in Niniue and in the 8. yeere of this Ascatades Cancres Pharaoh the king of Egypt with all his great armie were drowned in the red sea In Moses time happened two great floods the one called Deucalion flood 784. yeeres after Noahs flood the other in Thessalia after which followed such earthquakes in Thessalie that many thousands of beasts men women and children townes and cities were destroied as both Berosus and Xenophon doe agree After which earthquake fire wasted many townes and cities in Greece called incendium Phaetontis In Moses time the kingdome of Athens beganne wherein Cecrops was the first king of Athens 350. yeeres before the destruction of Troy From Abraham to Moses 450. from Moses to the first building of the Temple 480. yeeres Thus farre Berosus writeth euen from the beginning of Noah out of the arke vntil the going of the Israelites out of Egypt yet a litle farther vntill the falling of Dathan with 250. more which held with Abiran and Chore for their murmuring against Moses After this went Moses vp from the plaine of Moab to mount Nebo where the Lorde shewed vnto Moses all the lande of Canaan according to his promise saying thou shalt see the lande of Canaan with thine eies but thou shalt not goe ouer thither and there Moses the seruant of the Lorde died for whome Israel wept 30. daies and after whome Iosua succeeded Moses was 120. yeeres of age when he died Nowe you must vnderstande that when Ioseph was dead and the Hebrewes began to be multiplied the Egyptians both feared and hated them oppressed them as you heard with all toile and slauerie and not yet contented but a law was made among the Egyptians that euery male childe of the Hebrewes should be throwen to Nilus This lawe continued from Moses birth and before vntill their God deliuered them by Moses God had appointed with Moses and after with Iosua wise and graue men as Elders Iudges Magistrates to gouerne the Common-wealth of the Hebrewes vnder Moses as Iethro his father in lawe had councelled him the head of any tribe or of any citie Conuocauit populos Israel Senatum eorum principes eorum iudices eorum Ios. 23. Hee had also the Leuites the Priest and the high Bishop a state of Common-wealth chaunged from Oligarchia which was in Abrahams time into Aristocratia by the expresse commandements of God in all the lawes of the Hebrewes Morall and Iudiciall And after God gaue the Ceremoniall Lawes to Moses at mount Sinai for the Common-wealth of the Hebrewes were of all others most principally to be allowed for that God ordeined all their lawes ordered their Iudges al their Kings and their high Priestes for these three states gouerned the Hebrewes from Moses the first Iudge vntil the last high Priest though by Moses other officers were appointed as Tribunes Centurions and Captaines some ouer a 1000. some ouer a 100. some ouer 50. by the Greekes named Chiliarchi Hecatontarchi Pentecontarchi Decatarchi The offerings which were gold siluer and brasse blewe silke purple and scarlet fine linnen Goates haire and Rammes skinnes coloured red oile spices perfumes of sweete sauour the Tabernacle the Arke the stone table and the rod of Aaron and Manna which were testimonies of Gods presence Read of these Ceremoniall lawes in Exod. 25. About this time reigned in Egypt Ramesses afterwards hauing vanquished his brother Danaus from Egypt Egyptus vsurped the kingdom of Egypt named it Egyptus after his owne name Amongst the Argiues Stelenus their 9. King and after him succeeded Danaus being driuen out of Egypt by the foresaid Egyptus his brother giuing that name to the Countrey of Egypt being before named Mizraim Nowe in Creete gouerned Axit and in Athens the 4. king Ericthonius in these daies Nowe Memphis in Egypt of one Epaphus as Eusebius doth name was builded Dardanus builded Dardania in the sixt yeere of this king Egyptus this afterwarde was called Troy-Cyrene at this time was likewise builded in Libya and Nisa a great citie in India by Dionysius In Niniue Amintes the 19. king of the Assyrians gouerned It is written by Orosius that Danaus king at this time of the Argiues hauing fiftie daughters who being married to fiftie brethren sonnes to his owne brother Egyptus wrought meanes by these his daughters to requite the iniurie of his brother they agreeing with their father conspired the deathes of their husbandes and slewe them all in one night This historie is diuersly written which I leaue to euery mans iudgement After that Moses had gouerned the people of God 40. yeeres in the wildernes hee made choise of Iosua as you heard to be their Gouernour and Iudge for there was no succession of Gouernors no election of states no Prince no Iudge to claime right amongest the people of Israel but the lawe of God was the Iudge that gouerned Israel So Gedeon saide Non dominabor vestri nec dominabitur vestri filius meus sed Dominus he was the onely ruler so they prospered all the time of good Iudges This Iosua the second Iudge of Israel whome God raised after Moses was adorned with excellent giftes as with counsell to gouerne Israel and with strength to defend Israel this bringeth them after all difficulties vnto the land of Canaan which Iosua diuided among the people he appointed their borders he established lawes and ordinances assuring them of Gods fauour if they would obey God and contrariwise of his plague and vengeance by disobedience To this good Iosua God saide my seruant Moses is dead nowe therefore arise goe ouer Iordan thou and all this people vnto the lande which I gaue them for euery place where you shall tread vpon haue I giuen you there shall be no man able to withstande thee all the daies of thy life bee thou strong and be of good courage I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee This was great comfort to Iosua to haue God to be with him to assist him to strengthen him to defend him Then Iosua commanded his hoste with their Captaines and officers to passe ouer Iordan he exhorteth the Rubenites the Gadites and the halfe tribe of Manasses to execute their charge saying the Lord your God hath giuē you this land which was somtime in the possession of Sihon king of the Amorites and in the hands of Og king of Bashan goe you
forward God shal go before you and cast out the Cananites the Hittites the Iebusites Girgashites Perisites and the Amorites so they passed ouer Iordan drie the water staied and gaue them place in like sort as the red sea did The walles of Iericho fell downe and gaue them place to enter vnto the citie without strokes Nowe Iericho being burned diuers kings countreies and cities hearing how Iericho and Ai were destroied gathered their forces together one to helpe an other but in vaine for the Lorde fought for Israel for fiue kings rose against Iosua which were destroied and discomfited and as it is written in the 12. of Iosua thirtie kings were vanquished ouerthrowen and slaine whose names you may reade in Iosua This godly Iosua was an other Moses ruled Israel in all obedience of the Lorde conquered and possessed the land of promise and kept Gods people all his time in peace liued 110. yeeres and gouerned Israel two and thirtie yeeres Eusebius saieth thirtie and hee died two hundred yeeres after Iosephs death CHAP. III. Of the Iudges of Israel after Iosuas death vntill Saul the first king of Israel of their gouernment warres and continuance THe Hebrewes had none to gouerne them 8. yeeres after so long inter regnum continued whereby the Israelites euer rebelling against God cōtemned the lawes despised religiō quiteforgat Moses Iosua the benefits of God toward thē a thing almost incredible that so soonefrō God they would fall hauing tasted of his goodnes and mercie so long for after they had entred into the lande of Canaan and had seene the promise of God performed insteed of thanks for the same they rebelled and prouoked God to anger for he suffered them to be vexed and tormented by tyrants he tooke their libertie away from them and left them destitute of all comfort and helpe yet God raised from time to time such as should defend them if they would be obedient and thankefull vnto God and although the Israelites fell to idolatrie after Iosuas death and thereby were giuen vnto their enemies handes as the tribe of Beniamin 1005. in one day slaine and so the tribe of Dan with others yet God left them not for all their ingratitude but stirred good and godly Iudges as Othoniel Ehud Gedeon and others to deliuer them in extremities The Lorde pitied them and raised Othoniel of the tribe of Iuda the yonger brother of Caleb which gouerned the Israelites 8. yeeres animated them againe to goe to warre against the king of Syria whom God deliuered to the hands of Othoniel and brought them to the fauour of God that Israel had rest 40. yeeres 32. vnder Iosua and 8. vnder Othoniel yet still Israel offended God and committed wickednes before the Lord so long vntill that Eglon king of Moab was by God appointed to bee their scourge Hee smote them and afflicted them and kept them vnder him 18. yeeres vntill Ehud of the tribe of Beniamin a man whome God appointed to defende and to deliuer his people euen he ouerthrewe the Moabites slewe 10000. at one time and killed Eglon the king of Moab and caused Israel to haue rest 80. yeeres the whole time of his gouernment But when this good Iudge died the children of Israel againe fell from the Lord. Then Iabin the king of Canaan had them in his power troubled and persecuted them extremely for God had sold them for their wickednes vnto the handes of Iabin and Sisera his Generall yet still his mercie continued with them for Debora and Barach of the tribe of Nephthali were of God appointed to defend the Hebrewes for Israel preuailed against Iabin king of Canaan and prospered vnder Debora and Barach while Debora and Barach gouerned which was fourtie yeeres Some writers doe interpose Shamgar to be the thirde Iudge of Israel compting Othoniel to be first Iudge that deliuered Israel after Iosua Ehud the seconde Iudge that killed Eglon and then Shamgar which slewe of the Philistims sixe hundred with an Oxe goade Nowe while these thinges were done amongest the Israelites reigned in Niniue Pannias in Athens reigned Pandion the 8. king of the Athenians About this time Bithinia was builded Gedeon the first Iudge one of the tribe of Manasses after that Israel committed wickednes was sent by God to deliuer them from the Madianites who at that time oppressed Israel miserably but they alwaies in great extremities at the last pinch when necessitie forced them and miserie oppressed them according to their wonted maner cried vnto the Lorde and he heard them and helped them by Moses in Egypt and in the wildernes by Iosua to come to the lande of Canaan and in the lande by Othoniel in often deliuering Israel from the king of Syria by Ehud in sauing them from Eglon the king of Moab whome Ehud most boldely and zealously killed in his priuie chamber by Shamgar in defending them from the Philistims of whome he slewe sixe hundred with an Oxe goade by Barach and Debora from Iabin king of Canaan and Sisera and nowe by Gedeon whom God raised to defend them and to deliuer them from the Madianites who preuailed much against Israel for both the Madianites and the Amalekites brought Israel into so great misery that they made them dennes in the mountaines and caues to hide themselues from the Madianites After seuen yeeres oppression and affliction then they cried vnto God when they were most afflicted and persecuted and not before But the mercie of God was with them for all their vilenes and stubbornes Gedeon was called by God to be their aide who ouerthrewe the Madianites and ouercame the Amalekites not by strength or force of Israel but by the workes and wonders of God as you may reade in the Iudges at large for with three hundred Gedeon slewe one hundred and twentie thousand of the Amalekites Madianites and Arabians And though Ephraim murmured against Gedeon yet he appeased them and reuenged him selfe on them of Succoth and Penuel Reade the 8. of the Iudges you shall be satisfied By Gedeon nowe againe Israel was restored to the former libertie and dignitie hauing vanquished the Madianites and slaine Oreb and Zeeb two of their princes and their heads brought to Gedeon beyond Iordan Nowe reigned Panninas in Niniue the fiue and twentieth king of the Assyrians Pandayon of that name the second king after Cecrops reigned in Athens Euristheus the first king of Mycena this was that king whose fame was great in Greece he brought the Argiues and their kingdome subiect vnto Mycena which kingdome continued from Iacobs birth vntill Gedeons time fiue hundred and fiftie yeeres during which time reigned foureteene kings ouer the Argiues About this time reigned in Troy Ilus the fourth king of this kings name Troy was called Ilion being first called Dardania by Dardanus who first builded it in the last yeere of
last by the Romans Cornelius Festus Sillas sonne and Furus Centurio entred first the Citie and after the whole Romane armie rushed in and slew 22. thousand Iewes spared the temple and the sacred treasures therein defiled not the Sanctuarie neither touched Pompey the golden table neither tooke away with him one penie of the 2000. talents which was the treasure of the temple But Crassus in short time after going against the Parthians in his voyage spared neither treasure nor the temple Ierusalem was builded in Iudea by Sem the sonne of Noah and was by him first named Solima or Salem a citie most famous and the soile it selfe most fertile and so by God blessed and preserued from the first building in the time of Sem vnto the last ouerthrowe of the same by Titus the Romane Emperour being 2177. yeeres Iosephus doeth describe the situation and building of this towne that it was builded vpon two hilles the one hill higher then the other Dauid the first king of the tribe of Iuda in whose time for that he fortified the higher hill after his dayes it was called Castellum Dauid the lower hil was called Acra ouer against this hil Acra they began afterwards to drawe another hill to enlarge this citie and to ioyne the temple within the same for the temple was builded on a hard high rocke for that it might the better be seene that the state and magnificence thereof might be beholden and seene aboue the towne and aboue the high towres of the walles for Hierusalem was compassed with three seuerall walles fronted one against another with such high strong towers that some of them were 70. cubites higher then the walles as the tower called Psephina likewise the tower of Hippicos was fourescore and fiue cubites high The second towre called Phasaelis after Herods brothers name was fourescore and tenne cubites high the thirde named after his wiues name Mariannes which farre excelled the rest whose large descriptions you shall reade in Iosephus a Iewe borne and brought vp in Ierusalem vntil the destruction thereof where he was taken prisoner by Titus there it is set forth to the ful the situation of the citie the beautie of the temple the strength of the walles the height and largenesse of the towres the port and state of the gates the full description of the foure hilles which Hierusalem was builded on and other things which now I omit for the circuite of Hierusalems walles was no more but thirtie and nine furlongs This towne was nothing like in bignesse to Babylon or to Niniue but farre greater in fame and in victories for Hierusalem had triumphed and sawe the ende and last destruction of the Caldeans Assyrians Egyptians Arabians and Persians for litle Iudea endured the force and power of the three first Monarchies which was the Assyrians the Persians and the Grecians though it was before conquered fiue seuerall times by the iust iudgement of God for their transgression and sinne yet by the mercie of God saued and preserued as is before mentioned vntil thirtie eight yeres after Christs death All that while that they serued God and followed the steppes of their forefathers I meane Abraham Isaac Iaacob Daniel Iosaphat Ezechias and Iosias they preuailed against all nations they conquered all Countreys and brought all the kingdomes of the worlde to admire their vertues to feare their force and to seeke fauour and friendship at their handes though they were sometime touched for their stiffenecked stubbernes and too much iniquities as in Egypt in the wildernes and after they had possessed the land of Promes for still they offended the Lorde for the which these seuerall fiue conquests were had ouer them The first was by Nabuchodonosor the great king of Babylon the second by Asocheus king of Egypt the thirde time by Antiochus the great king of Syria the fourth by Pompeius the great and the fift and last was by Titus Vespatian In the which last subuersion and ouerthrowe of Hierusalem wee reade in Iosephus being then a present souldier in the warres the calamities and great miseries that then fel on the citie of Ierusalem and on the inhabitants thereof Their hunger and famine was so great that one did eate an others vomite the fathers did eate their children and the mothers fed on their owne babes in the cradle in so much that stinking carions and dead bodies which died for hunger in the streete was meate of great daintines in Ierusalem They were constrained to eate beastes dung dried leather girdles shoes and skinnes which couered their shields yea they sought their foode in Iakeses many slewe and butchered one another in the citie Besides this the plague was so hote amongst them that lodgings houses temples and all the streetes in Ierusalem were filled with dead bodies The slaughter was such as within 18. moneths siege 110000. were slaine within the citie and most of them strangers and Gentiles which came vp to the feast according to the custome of the Iewes where suddenly they were taken and besieged you must thinke by famine and by the sword During which time 97000. were taken prisoners and captiues there were found of the Iewes in priuies and Iakeses and hiding themselues in caues sinkes and holes of the earth aboue 2000. Some sent of these to the nomber of 70. thousand to Egypt as bond slaues there to moile like beastes in intollerable toile some solde more cheape then dogs for Egesippus witnesseth that 30. Iewes were solde for a penie and those were yong boyes vnder sixteene yeeres OF THE FIRST ORIGInall of the CHALDEANS first called Arphaxades after the name of Arphaxad the thirde sonne of SEM which was the first kingdome of the world of their continuance gouernment and last destruction by Darius Medius and Cyrus NOw hauing ended the historie of the Hebrewes the posteritie of Arphaxad the thirde sonne of Sem I will followe Assur the second sonne of Sem who builded Niniue from whom and after whose name the Assyrians are called whose history I haue now in hand In the hundreth thirtie and one yeere after the flood when people had multiplied in the land of Shinear olde Noah taught the people to seeke new seates and dwellings instructed the newe worlde the first age after the flood in the course of the Sunne the Moone and the starres and in all other things wherein Noah was most perfite hee declared to his people what he knewe and sawe in the first age and deuided the world into three parts Asia Africke and Europe and sent his sonnes to seeke aduentures Cham he sent to Egypt and to Africke with his company Sem to Asia and Iaphet with his people to Europe of whom I will speake where their historie is handled Now I will begin the historie of the Chaldeans who after that the people were dispersed at the building of Babel and had scattered into euery partes of the worlde were the first that
Egypt so that the king of Egypt came no more out of his lande as it is written against the king of Babylon hee layde siege to Tire and wasted all the regions there about he brought vnder the king of Babylon all Libya the most part of Asia vnto the land of Armenia This king grewe so great that Philostratus doeth so set him in his histories that he passed Hercules in force and power Strabo saith that the Chaldeans esteemed more of Nabuchodonosor then the Grecians did of Hercules Nabuchodonosor made kingdomes to shake the earth to tremble and the whole worlde a forest and left almost no where vnconquered but Iudea where after all his other warres and conquests hee sendeth his deputie Nabuzaradan generall of his armie he commeth with a huge armie of the Chaldeans a great band of Aramites of Moabites of Ammonites for Nabuchodonosor had heard that Iehoiakim had rebelled after hee had payed tribute for three yeeres This was the cause of the destruction of Iehoiakim after he had raigned three yeres he was deceiued much trusting to haue ayde by Necho king of Egypt and so lost both the kingdome and himselfe This was the iudgement of God for the sinnes of Manasses and the idolatrie of Iuda not weighing the crying out of Ieremie though night and day he perswaded them to yeelde vp the Citie and to followethe Lorde for Ierusalem was full of innocent blood and therefore God vsed these wicked tyrants to execute his commandement After this Iehoiakin the sonne of Iehoiakim when he had reigned three moneths being 18. yeeres of age Nabuchodonosor fearing least he shoulde become false and so reuenge his fathers death came against him he and his mother his princes and his seruants yeelded to Nabuchodonosor by the councell of Ieremie And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah king in stead of his nephewe Iehoiakin and changed his name to Zedechia who likewise offended the Lord and would not be councelled by Ieremie but hee and his people mocked the messengers of God despised his word and misused his Prophets so long that Nabuchodonosor came and slue their young men with the sworde kild all and spared none But for the rest of Nabuchodonosors tyranny his crueltie and slaughter specially of Iewes they are read in the fourth booke of Kings Chap. 24. and 25. in in Esai in Ieremie This king is euery where mentioned with the Prophets and in Ecclesiasticall histories Likewise Iosephus orderly setteth downe his seuerall warres against Ierusalem first in the eleuenth yere of Iechonias he came with great force and slue the most part in Ierusalem killed the king and buried him in sepulchro asini threw him dead vnburied out of the Citie according to the prophecie of Ieremie saying Iehoiakim shal be buried as an asse is buried euen drawne and cast foorth without the gates of Ierusalem like a carrion neither shall any lament him neither mourne for him he tooke also the chiefe men of the Citie euen 3000. and carried them vnto Babylon amongst whom Ezechiel being yet a very young man was lead likewise captiue This was before tolde of by Ieremie the Prophet but not beleeued The second time hee came against Iehoiakin whom Nabuchodonosor aduaunced vnto his fathers seate but fearing hee would reuoult by being mindfull of his fathers death hee tooke him his mother his familie his nobles and others to the number of tenne thousand eight hundred thirtie and two and carried them vnto Chaldea yet Nabuchodonosor sware to the king to his counsell that he would spare them vpon their submission to the which the king by the perswasions of the Prophet Ieremie yelded but the tyrant kept no promise With this king Daniel Anania Azaria and Misael being of the kings stocke were taken prisoners and commaunded by the king that they shoulde bee brought vp in the Chaldean tongue to serue the king afterward The third and last comming of Nabuchodonosor was against Zedechia the last king of Iuda hee layde siege to Ierusalem eighteene moneths during which time great famine and plague with manifolde miseries more befell them and at last the destruction of the Citie men women and children slaine before the King his Princes and Nobles put to the sworde the wealth and treasure of the Citie caried to Babylon the Temple burned the King himselfe taken his children killed before the kings face then his eyes put out and caried in chaines to Babylon where hee died most miserably in prison Thus God did put his sworde in Nabuchodonosors hand as an instrument of his wrath to punish sinne Of this matter more is spoken of in the historie of the Iewes otherwayes called the Hebrewes When Nabuchodonosor had reigned fourtie three yeeres Metasthenes saith fourtie fiue yeeres the Chaldean historie reporteth that hee prophecied the destruction of Babylon being by Daniel taught and by God called to bee one of his chiefe instruments in his Church In a little before hee died hee confessed the glory and maiestie of God saying I giue thankes vnto the most High I prayse and honour him that liueth for euer who restored vnto me my kingdome my honour and my vnderstanding whose works are all trueth and his wayes iudgements for nowe I confesse that he is able to abase those that walke in pride he liued in Tarquinius Priscus time the fift king of Rome and in the eighteene Iubilee of the Iewes and in the fourtie nine Olympiads In the time of Nabuchodonosors father Dracos lawes was written in Athens Solon Thales Milesius florished the seuen Sages of Greece liued this time the Prophet Ezechiel beganne to prophecie in Babylon the fift yeere of the captiuitie For as you shall reade of the Medes and Persians and of the Romanes that they were made by God executours instruments and hammers for so the Lord spake of them saying Thou art my hammer and weapons of warre for with thee will I breake the nations and with thee will I destroy kingdomes by thee will I breake man and woman and by thee will I breake young olde you shall finde this phrase often rehearsed by God in the mouthes of the Prophets so God calles Nabuchodonosor his seruant saith I wil put my sword in Nabuchodonosors hand so Senaherib so Salmanasser and so Satan himselfe is Gods seruant to worke his will to obey his commandement and to execute his iudgements After this Nabuchodonosor succeeded his sōne Euilmerodach he reigned 30. yeres he reigned one yere together with his father it seemeth that this Euilmerodach was instructed by Daniel to feare God for after that Nabuchodonosor had turned to the Lord began to be a benefactor to the Church to the mēbers thereof this his sonne likewise when he became king of Babylon after his father in the first yere of his reigne brought Iehoiakin king of Iuda out of prison hee restored him to libertie and aduanced him to
honor he gaue him princely apparel did set his throne aboue the throne of the kings that were then in Babel he had allowance in the Court for his diet he had rest quietnes continued in fauour with the king all the daies of his life Thus by Gods great prouidēce the seede of Dauid which in king Zedechias was extinguished yet in Iehoiakin was reserued euen vnto Christ for after 37. yeeres imprisonment so long was Iehoiakin his wife his children in Babylon by the councell of the Prophet Ieremie he was of king Euilmerodach so esteemed that hauing a sonne named Mesezabel surnamed Salathiel who likewise had a sōne borne in Babylon his name as Philo Iudaeus saith was Mesezebel this Salathiel had a sonne called afterward Barachias or Zorobabel a great man of authoritie amongst the Iewes beloued of God and by whom God brought his people againe to reedifie his temple This Euilmerodach is called in Herodot Labynitus where you shall reade that his wife Nitochris being a discreete wise woman and of such commendations for her diligence policie and wonderful great workes buildings in Babylon that she was coūted another Semiramis did much aduance her husbands fame for her great actions that she did in Babylon farre otherwayes then Zenophon Zonaras or Iosephus writes reade the first of Herodot There reigned after this Euilmerodach the last king of Assyria a great Idolater named Balthasar this contemned God despised his commandements disdained the instructions of Daniel though hee sawe the workes of God dayly and heard by Daniel of the wonders hee shewed vpon Nabuchodonosor yet he feasted he banqueted and commaunded to bring him the golden and siluer vessels which his graundfather Nabuchodonosor had brought from the Temple in Ierusalem that hee his wiues and his concubines might drinke therein This Balthasar did in great contempt of God commit all euill and all idolatrie which for his ingratitude and forgetfulnesse Daniel tolde him what should become of his kingdome repeating the great goodnesse of God vnto Nabuchodonosor the maiestie honour glory and many kingdomes which God gaue him yea all people nations and languages trembled and feared Nabuchodonosor vntill he puft vp himselfe in pride and hardened his heart against God then his glory fell his honor forsooke him his kingdomes lost himselfe made like a beast and his dwelling was with wilde asses All this did Balthasar knowe and yet he humbled not himselfe to God for the which Gods iudgement fell vpon him and vpon his kingdome for he was slaine and his kingdome had Cyrus king of Persia for that was the full effect of this sentence Mene Thekel Phares written vpon the plaister of the wall of the kings palace by the finger of God the last destruction of the Chaldeans and the end of the seuentie yeeres captiuitie before told of Daniel and prophecied by the rest of the Prophets here Nabuchodonosor and his posteritie ended and the kingdome of Chaldea translated first vnto the Medes and afterward to the Persians OF THE ORIGINALL beginning of the Egyptians and of their continuance of their Kings and gouernments why Egypt was called Oceana or Nilea NOwe I will goe from Assur the sonne of Sem and followe Mizraim the sonne of Cham into Egypt for from Chus and Mizraim came the Ethiopians and the Egyptians After that Chus and Mizraim and their children at the building of Babel in the land of Shinear had come into Afrike Chus went to Ethiopia with his companie Mizraim possessed Egypt with all his familie this Mizraim is called in histories Oceanus after whose name Egypt was first named Oceana though in the Scripture and in the Hebrewe histories it was named Mizreia after the name of Mizraim the sonne of Cham. I reade in Manethon and in others that from the first comming of Mizraim into Egypt vnto Osiris time which was 280. yeeres Egypt had three seuerall names first Oceana after the name of Oceanus in Berosus in Scripture Mizraim the second name was Aeria after the name of the riuer Nilus the third Aeria which continued vntill Osiris time and after Osiris time named Osiriana according to his name at what time Abraham was in Egypt vntill Ramesses time surnamed Egyptus about the time that the Israelites left Egypt after Abrahams being in Egypt foure hundred and thirtie yeres During which time of these foure seueral names Egypt was gouerned by states and potentates of Dynasteia a forme of a common wealth like vnto the state of the Hebrewes gouernment by the councel of Sanhedrin or like the Grecians ruled by their Amphictions But first to speake of the fertilitie of the soile the maners of the people the antiquitie of the countrey the greatnes of their gouernment specially of many rare wonders which are in Egypt more then in any kingdome of the world for the description of Egypt I referre you as you haue read before of other coūtries to Strabo Pomponius Mela and Solinus Egypt was diuided i◅to sixe seueral kinds of people the first three which were kings priests and souldiers gouerned the state and cōmon wealth of Egypt the other three serued in the countrey to vse things necessary for the kingdome for the state which were husbandmen craftesmen shepheards Concerning the antiquitie of the Egyptians they contended therein with the Scithians and with the people of Phrygia for this opinion the Egyptians hold of their antiquitie and that registred in ancient chronicles that during their cōtinuance in Egypt the starres haue foure times altered their courses and the sunne twise likewise they haue recorded 330. kings to haue reigned in Egypt before king Amasis time which was king of Egypt when Cyrus was king of Persia. The vaine assertion that the Egyptiās held of their antiquitie was of continuance aboue 13 thousand yeeres you must vnderstand Lunares annos Of their superstitious religion to their gods it is set foorth by Herodot in all pointes howe two blacke pigeons the one flying to Libya cōmanded them to builde a temple vnto Iupiter surnamed Hamon to receiue oracles and to be instructed thereby aswell by ceremonies in the religion of their gods as also in maners liuing of their countrey the other pigeon in Thebes a Citie of Egypt in like sort cōmanded an other temple to be builded where the like oracles also should be deliuered to them of Thebes The olde priestes of Egypt hauing these warnings as they supposed by some power diuine being of greater authoritie in the beginning then the kings of Egypt were they began to worship as many gods as they thought good and yet not to erect images idols in their temples for in the greatest ancientest cities of Egypt the princes nobles of the countrie contended sundry times in the yeere to offer sacrifice and to celebrate feastes to these gods with such solemne rites and ceremonies as were by the oracles commaunded these
Cranaus the second king And ouer the Argiues Crotopas their eight king CHAP. II. Of the kings of Egypt after Ramesses time sirnamed Aegyptus ' at what time Oceana was called Egypt after the name of Aegyptus before Mizreia NOw after the great ouerthrowe of the Egyptians in the red sea after a while began to raigne in Egypt Ramesses sirnamed Aegyptus after whose name Egypt was then called as Manethon writeth for at the first Egypt was named Oceana or Mizreia and the second time it was named Aerea and nowe the thirde time called Egypt as you reade before This Aegyptus after hee had vanquished his brother Danaus he vsurped vpon the Egyptians and raigned king of Egypt 68. yeeres for Egypt had not recouered her former state as yet since the ouerthrowe of Chencres and all the states of Egypt who perished in the red Sea pursuing the Israelites Of this Manethon seemeth most ignorant saying that the shepheards were driuen out of Egypt for some natural foule filthie disease as leprosie which the Israelites had affirming that Moses was an Egyptian borne in the citie of Heliopolis and that he was named Onarsiphus and became leprous and then went to the Israelites which euery where Manethon nameth Hicsos shepheards or captiues and became conuersant with them and was driuen out of Egypt with them In the beginning of this Aegyptus raigne Moses died after whom succeeded Iosua the second Iudge of Israel This time raigned in Assyria Amintes their 19. king Also Dionysius otherwise Bacchus whom the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subdued India and builded a towne after his owne name called Nisa in remembrance of his great victories that he had ouer the Indians Now succeeded in Egypt Myris or Moeris as Herodotus doth call him this king restored Egypt againe and recouered strength and great power and builded many notable and famous monuments worthy to be remembred he brought the riuer Nilus being out of hope to be repaired in course againe he made the lake Miris of such wonderfull bignes that he farre excelled the rest of the kings before him This Myris made the Labirinths of Egypt which after Dedalus taking an example of those Labirinths made the like in Creete imitating Myris in all points he builded such monuments for Vulcan in Egypt as Herodotus calleth them Digna Vulcano vestibula where you may reade more This king raigned fourtie yeeres in Egypt and had a sonne succeeded him of no lesse fame then himselfe named Sesostris of whom the priestes of Egypt spake much he began to augment the kingdome of Egyyt with diuers victories ouer the Syrians Phoenicians Thracians Scithians and the most part of Asia This king onely conquered Aethiopia and was king proclaimed both of Egypt and Aethiopia this king waxed strong on land and sea he made more monuments of his victories in diuers strange kingdoms leauing behinde him his statues and Images erected vp in forraine countreys some of them Herodotus doeth affirme to haue seene in his dayes which liued about Xerxes time one he saw in Palestina cut in a large stone with letters written round about his picture And about Ionia he saw two statues or pictures of this king Sesostris the one betweene Ionia and the citie of Ephâ—…sus the other as men goe from Sardinia into Smirna he was cut in two great high stones of fiue cubites length holding in his right hand a speare and in the left hande a bow being in all points of his apparell armed like an Egyptian with this sentence written betweene his two shoulders in the Egyptian tongue I haue caried this Countrey vpon my shoulders Some take these statues to be Memnon but the priestes of Egypt affirmed that it was Sesostris in his returne from his victories into Egypt euen he that caried kings captiues bound to his chariot from towne to towne from countrey to countrey In Aethopia and Egypt he had many of these pictures and many statues set vpon pillars and arches according to the maner of Egyptian triumphes This king was so honoured in Egypt and his statues after his death so esteemed that wheÌ„ Darius Histaspis long after that time came into Egypt being by his predecessor Cambyses conquered brought into subiection vnder the Persians yet he was not suffred by the priests of Vulcan to put his statue aboue the picture of Sesostris in Memphis affirming that Sesostris had conquered as many countreis and gotten as many victories as Darius had and beside Sesostris had ouerthrowne the strong and inuincible Scithians which Darius neuer could which speaches Darius tooke in good part and would not reuenge though well he might This Sesostris is named in Functius table Amenophis imitating Manethon the Egyptian writer where he is set downe to be the thirde in that gouernment Dynastia Larthes is a name likewise of dignitie as were Pharaos before the gouernours and potentats for in the first gouernment of Larthes which endured 194. yeres Zetus was the first as Manethon affirmeth and raigned 55. yeres After Zetus succeeded in this kinde of gouernment Ranses Larthes which gouerned 66. yeres after whom succeeded this king Sesostris the thirde Larthes which raigned 40. yeeres The fourth Larthes was named Phero the sonne of this Sesostris of which I spake last Herodotus reciteth a historie of this Phero that it happened to him to become blinde and so continued 11. yeeres at what time he was instructed by the oracle of Butis to finde out a temperat chaste woman which had neuer knowen carnalitie but onely one man and that hee should wash his eyes with this womans vrine and hee should receiue againe his sight This Phero Larthes making great speach and search for such a woman after many vaine trials he found one woman whose vrine healed him whom after he had his sight hee maried and caused all those women whose water could not helpe him to bee brought into the citie called Rubragleba red clay where both they and the citie were commaunded by the king to be burned After this Phero Larthes succeeded Thuoris the fift and last Larthes of those Potentates this king is named in Diodorus Cetes which the Greekes as Melancthon saith called Proteus for diuers illusions which he vsed in magicke whose temple was long seene after his death in Memphis To this king came Paris Priamus sonne at what time hee rauished Helen Menelaus wife from Sparta to Greece and was driuen of force into Egypt of his hard welcome there and of the kings-commandement to Alexander to depart from Egypt with threatning of death vnlesse he would be gone within three dayes with all Grecians with him sauing that the king stayed Helen in Egypt where Menelaus came after the siege of Troy and was honourably receiued by Proteus the king and welcoÌ„med of his wife Helen Others write that Menelaus and Helen went both together after Troy was destroyed by force of tempest into
table from Osiris which was that first Pharao vnto the last Pharao named Amasis 1 The first king of Egypt Amasis named Pharao 25. yeeres 2 The second king was Chebron which reigned 13. yeeres 3 After whom reigned Amenophis 21. yeeres 4 Then Mephres reigned 12. yeeres 5 Mispharmutosis 26. yeres 6 Thutemosis reigned 9. yeeres 7 Amenophis the 2. of that name reigned 31. this king made a lawe that assoone as any Hebrewe shoulde bee borne he should be drowned in the riuer of Nilus 8 Orus surnamed the great reigned 38. 9 Acengeres reigned 12. yeres in this kings time the kingdome of Athens began by Cecrops 10 Achorus reigned 9. yeeres 11 Cenchres reigned 16. yeres this was that Pharao that resisted God and contraried Moses sent from God for the deliuerance of his people at what time the tenne great plagues happened in Egypt and after the ouerthrowe of the king and the whole kingdome in the red Sea After that Israel had left Egypt and the King and all his Nobles and peeres and forces were drowned in the redde sea these many kings reigned that helde still the names of Pharoes as 12 Acheres reigned king 8. yeeres 13 Cheres reigned fifteene yeeres 14 Armeus which is also Danaus 5. yeeres 15 Ramesses surnamed Egyptus reigned 68. yeeres after whose name the land before called Oceana Mizreia or Oseriana was called Egypt 16 Menophis of some named Miris reigned 40. yeeres this made the first Labirinth for his buriall in Egypt whose patterne was by Dedalus caried into Creete 17 Zetus reigned fiftie fiue yeeres 18 Ranses reigned sixtie sixe yeeres 19 Amenophis the third of that name reigned fourtie yeeres 20 Amenophis the fourth of that name reigned twentie yeeres 21 Thuoris reigned seuen yeeres the fiue last kinges gouerned by the names of fiue Larthes during whose time endured that kinde of gouernment called Dynasteia Larthum for a hundred ninetie foure yeeres After succeeded another Dynastie which endured a hundred seuentie seuen yeeres during which time Functius named no king in his table but were ruled with Gouernours in euery principalitie of Egypt as Sanhedrin with the Iewes or Amphictions with the Grecians 22 Then succeeded Smendes to whom Ieroboam fledde which in the Scripture is called Sesach hee reigned 26. yeeres 23 Pseusenses reigned fourtie one yeeres 24 Nepher Cheres 4 yeeres 25 Amenophis the 5. reigned 9. yeeres 26 Osochorus reigned 6. yeres 27 Spinaces 9. yeeres 28 Pseusennes 35. yeeres 29 Cheopes reigned 50. yeres 30 Cephenes reigned 56. Eusebius saith that after Cephenes Seustoris reigned in this Cephenes time began the kingdom of Macedonia 31 Micerinus Chcopes sonne reigned sixe yeeres 32 Asichis reigned 6. yeeres 33 Sabachus reigned 50. 34 Spethon reigned 33. After these thirtie foure kings the kingdome of Egypt was gouerned by twelue Magistrates of equall authoritie which ruled the realme of Egypt for fifteene yeeres After these twelue Magistrates had ended their time of fifteene yeeres one of the twelue named Psameticus reigned fiftie foure yeeres Then Necho reigned seuenteene yeeres this king slue Iosias in Mageddo was himselfe slaine by Nabuchodonosor After Necho reigned Spamnus sixe yeeres After Spamnus Apries and after Apries reigned Amasis the last of the name of the Pharaos Eusebius setteth these kings downe in another sort and addeth some other names which I omit to auoide tediousnesse Many things I omit willingly which the olde Egyptians vsed for as we hang at our doores signes of beastes fowles and fishes that strangers might know our houses the Egyptians vsed those signes at their eares that by the markes and figures of such beasts foules fish as they had at their eares they might knowe of what qualitie or condition they were For if an Egyptian did excell in running he should haue the figure of an hare hanged at his eare if he were slouthfull and heauie he should be marked with a Crocodile if he were liberal and franke he should haue the picture of an open hand at his eare if he were couetous he had hanged at his eare a close hand shut if hee were quicke of hearing the picture ofa Serpent if he were iust honest he had the likenes of an eye at his eare if hee were craftie and subtill the figure of a foxe if enuious of an eele and so of the rest The chiefe Cities and great Townes of olde Egypt were thus named 1 Memphis 2 Sais 3 Bubastis 4 Thebes 5 Papremos 6 Butis 7 Leontina 8 Elephantina 9 Alexandria 10 Heliopolis with many others These are the names of all the ancient kings of Egypt that I could find and for that I neither foūd them in Manethon Eusebius Diodorus nor in Herodot orderly set downe I haue cōferred the state gouernment of the potētates called Dynastia Egyptiorum haue as nigh as I could placed them for it cannot bee in such antiquities but many errors happen as I haue sundrie times said of the Chaldeans Assyrians Scithians Egyptians and other auncient nations whereof no mention is made in the sacred histories neither can bee made truely in prophane histories for that nothing was knowen to prophane writers before Cirus time or rather after Alexander the great at what time prophane Historiographers beganne to recorde antiquities and thus much vntill Cambyses who was the first conquerour of Egypt by whom the Persians had gouernment ouer Egypt a hundred thirtie fiue yeeres vntill the reigne of Darius Ochus for in the sixt yeere of this king the Egyptians reuoulted and these many kings afrer reigned in Egypt 1 Amirtes Saites reigned 6. yeeres 2 Nepherites reigned sixe yeeres 3 Achoris reigned twelue yeeres 4 Nectanabus reigned 18. 5 Nepherites one yeere 6 Mectanabus againe reigned 18. yeeres this was the last before the comming of Alexander the great CHAP. IIII. Of the second conquest of Egypt by Alexander the great of their kings afterward called Ptolomeis vntill the time of Caesar Augustus by whom all Egypt was last conquered and made a Prouince subiect to the Romane Empire THe Egyptians as you heard hauing great warres first with the Assyrians and after by the Persians vntill Cambyses time by whom they were made to pay tribute vnto the Kings of Persia vntill they waxed strong againe that they reuoulted from the Persians in the time of Darius Nothus vntill by many sharpe battailes they were againe by Ochus the eight king of Persia vanquished who vsed in Egypt great crueltie so that the later kings of Egypt were for eight and thirtie yeeres vnder the Persians but after that the Persians were vanquished and their Monarchie taken from Persia into Macedonia by Alexander the great the Egyptians willingly yeelded themselues to Alexander as to a second conquerour hee vsed them with great clemencie permitting them to haue their former liberties and lawes appointed ouer them certaine Magistrates of the Grecians called Nomarchas and ouer them two Superuisors called Episcopi to see that none of the aforesaid Magistrates
idolatrous superstition giuen to all errours onely acquainted with the Egyptian tongue Now Philadelphus with greater care and zeale of his countrie then any of his predecessours had before kept with him diuers and sundrie learned men as Aratus Callimachus Apollonius Theocritus Hipparchus the Mathematician and Demetrius Phalerius the Philosopher which at that time was banished from Athens and receiued in Egypt Philadelphus a prudent and a learned prince and cōuersant with learned men knewe well that the Iewes religion their lawes their maners and their seruice of God did farre excell all the nations of the world he sent great presents and giftes to Eleazr the hie Priest then being at Ierusalem entreating him to send learned men of the Hebrewes that coulde translate the bookes of Moses and the Prophets into the Greeke tongue that Egypt might be acquainted with the worde of God aswell as Iuda to whom Eleazar sent seuentie two learned men to interprete and to translate the Bible After this hee prouided in Alexandria such a famous Librarie to the common vse of learned men as farre excelled all other Libraries And as Melancthon sayth hee caused many other thinges to bee translated into the Greeke tongue hee restored the poore Iewes that dwelt captiues in Egypt into libertie hee sent for learned men into all Regions hee honourably mainteined them and louingly vsed them that Egypt florished with sound doctrine and vertuous men for euen then Iesus the sonne of Sirach gathered in Egypt together many wise sentences and godly speaches many learned and vertuous lessons which his graundfather before had written in Ierusalem which hee nowe augmented with care and diligence and compiled in a booke which is reserued in the Church to great vse This king excelled all the Pharaos before him and all the Ptolomeis after him and during his reigne he studied to mainteine peace and to auoide warre and therefore bestowed his daughter Berenices to Antiochus surnamed Theos who offered diuers iniuries to mooue warres against Egypt but while Philadelphus liued Egypt prospered florished with all good successe but after that Philadelphus died his sonne Ptolomei Euergetes reigned twentie sixe yeeres of whom Daniel saide that the kings daughter of the South which was Berenices Philadelphus daughter and this king Euergetes sister shoulde come to the king of the North to make agreement but Daniel saide it shoulde not continue for shee shoulde bee deliuered to death and out of the budde of her rootes shall one stande vp named Euergetes and shall enter with an armie into the fortresse of the king of the North which is called Antiochus Theos and doe what hee list and shall preuaile Hee plagued the Syrians and reuenged Berenices his sister with diuers victories for hee caried captiues into Egypt their goddes with their moulten images and their precious vessels of siluer and golde for after Seleucus had lost his Nauies by a tempest on the sea hee geathered an armie by lande and gaue battaile to Ptolomei but the like misfortune fell then vnto him and the victorie happened to Ptolomei for hee was driuen to flee to Antiochia and from thence to craue his brother Antiochus helpe which then gouerned Cicilia Ptolomei hearing of these newes concluded a peace with Seleucus and returned into Egypt after he had fully requited his sisters death vpon the Syrians During Euergetes reigne the Parthians beganne their kingdome who were all named Arsaces as nowe the kings of Egypt were called Ptolomei this time the warres of Africke beganne betweene the Carthagineans and the Numidians at that time Amilcar was sent captaine generall into Spaine for Carthage in this Euergetes time certeine enterludes were appointed by the oracle of Sibilla in Rome named Floralia the fourth kalends of May in the honour of the goddesse Flora for faire weather and fruites of the earth like vnto the feast named Rubigalia which Numa Pompilius instituted the seuenth kalends of May in Rome After this Ptolomei Euergetes had reigned twentie sixe yeres he died whom succeeded his sonne Ptolomei surnamed Philopater a cruell beast and not a king but a monstrous tyrant a murtherer both of his wife and his sister Euridices whose filthy and lewde life is better to passe with silence then to expresse in writing of whome Iustine saide Noctes in stupris dies in conuiuijs consumsit letting his strumpet Agathocles and her mother Euanthea to rule and gouerne Egypt as pleased them for none might lesse commaunde in Egypt then the king nor none might doe more in Egypt then women for nothing delighted Philopator but women and dauncing and whatsoeuer Agathocles would that also Philopator would Against this king Antiochus the great king of Asia and Syria came towarde Egypt and beganne to take and spoile those Cities of Syria which held with Philopator the king of Egypt Antiochus comming forwarde towarde Egypt Ptolomei Philopator mette him and gaue him battell at Raphia a Towne in the Confines of Palestina where Antiochus the great was ouerthrowen and put to flight and forced to intreate for peace at Philopators hande and so Philopator king of Egypt gotte the victorie ouer Antiochus and recouered those Townes of Syria which Antiochus had woonne before This victorie was well gotten but not well vsed for Philopator was so puffed vp with pride and insolencie that hee thought hauing ouerthrowen Antiochus the great hee might well also ouerthrowe IEHOVAH the great entred Ierusalem spoyled the Temple slue the Citizens and made hauocke of Gods people some to bee deuoured of beastes and some to bee quartered by men Reade the Machabees further of this but specially reade the eleuenth of Daniel where the whole historie of the kings of Syria and Asia of Egypt of Persia of Greece and of the Romanes are before spoken by the Prophet There it said was by Daniel that Antiochus and all his armie should be deliuered into the handes of Philopator and after that victorie it was by the Prophete saide that Philopator shoulde waxe arrogant and proude and that he shoulde contemne and blaspheme the Lorde of Israel and the God of Iacob that hee shoulde prophane the Temple destroy the people and in his furie excell in tyrannie but at length hee shoulde not preuaile for hee was poysoned and so died after his most wicked and incestuous life leauing behinde him a sonne by his sister Euridices of fiue yeeres olde when hee had reigned seuenteene yeeres I passe briefely these Histories of Egypt for that in the historie of the kings of Syria and Asia the kings of Egypt are likewise spoken of and in the Machabees also you may reade further of this Antiochus for since the death of Alexander the great the kings of Syria and Asia could not agree with the kings of Egypt vntill the last destruction of both the kingdomes by the Romanes and therefore assoone as euer Philopator died Antiochus streight againe sought to inuade Egypt vnderstanding this Ptolomei
fire vestall virgines and religious men and priestes of diuers orders as Salij Faeciales and Flamines which he instituted to serue his gods for hee was vertuous and good for when Rome was builded by Romulus Numa was borne The Cimmerians were now at this time ouerthrowen by the Scythians the Scythians entred vnto Asia and tooke Sardis the chiefest citie of the Medes and came conquering countreys and regions as farre as Palestina About this time Necho king of Egypt who a little before ouerthrewe the good and godly king Iosias is now by Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians vanquished by the riuer of Euphrates CHAP. II. Of the rest of the kings of Lydia from Ardis the sixt king vntill Craesus the last king of Lydia and of their destruction by Cyrus and the kingdome brought subiect to Persia. NOw succeeded Ardis his sonne named Sadaites the 7. king of the Lydians who as Herodot saith raigned 12. yeres but Functius saith 15. yeres Of this king nothing is mentioned with Historiographers but that in his time Ancus Martius the fourth king of Rome brought a huge armie against the Veientines which being by Martius ouerthrowen had his triumph graunted vnto him by the Senators This Martius made vpon Tiber a hauen called Hostia foure or fiue leagues from Rome and a passage frō thence to the sea The Sabines were ouerthrowen by this king as before oftentimes by his predecessors This time was Dirachium builded and Perosina Aulus Gelius an ancient writer reporteth an historie of one Arion a Lesbian borne a man of great skil in musicke a deare friend of Periander king of Corinth trauailing Sicilia and Italy he grew in great fauour with all men in all countreys and hauing in time heaped great wealth by his arte longed againe to be with Periander in Corinth Now being shipped and well forward toward Greece the mariners vnderstanding that he had much money spoyled and robbed him of his money and after being ready to kill him he befought them with teares to spare him so much time vntil he had attired himselfe in his best apparell and to licence him to play vpon his lute and to sing two or three songs before he died to the Muses which being graunted he prepared to play and sing very loude and in the midst of his song he leapt as farre as he could into the sea where the great Dolphine a fish as histories record very much entised with musicke greatly delighted with mans voyce caried him cleane vpon his backe from the water and brought him vnto an hauen of Lacedemonia called Tenarum from whence he trauailed to Corinth and opened to Periander the king the whole course of his fortune About this time Tarquinius Priscus the fift king of Rome began his gouernment in the 41. Olympiad as Dionysius writeth in the which Olympiad Cleonides a captaine of Thebes got the victorie in the games of Olympia After Sadaites folowed Haliates the 8 king of Lydia he raigned 49. yeeres in whose time though he himselfe did nothing worth the writing yet the most part of the kings of the worlde were busie the king of Assyria was in warie with the king of Egypt This time raigned in Babylon Nabuchodonosor to whose gouernment not only Assyria but al the East kings were broght vnder his becke Likewise about this time a great band of the Scythians were driuen to flee to the Medes where they were kindly harboured much made of and well intertained vntil such time as by some cōspiracie they were found rebellious vnto the king of the Medes then they fled from thence vnto Lydia to this king Haliates and being by him there succoured great warres grew thereof betweene the king of Media and the king of Lydia and continued vntil Astiages maried the daughter of Haliates vpon the which peace and great affinitie began to be betweene the Medes and the Lydians Herodotus who writeth this historie is thought of Functius and others to erre in the time In Egypt there raigned Apries whom Ieremie calleth Hophra whose name he ought to knowe for by this king Ieremie was put to death in Egypt In the 7. yeere of this king Haliates this Apries king of Egypt in the middest of his tyrannie God gaue him into the hands of his enemies so the Lord said I wil giue Pharao Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies as I gaue Zedechias king of Iuda And in another place the Lord saith I will giue the land of Egypt vnto Nabuchodonosort king of Babylon and Egypt shal be the wages for his armie to spoyle her spoyle and to take her praye For to Egypt flead Iuda for succour where they were put to the sword and not one escaped Now againe in Rome beganne Tarquinius Priscus the fift king of the Romanes he on the other side beganne to lay on about him with the Latins and with the Sabines that after he had brought the Latines with long warre to seeke fauour at his hande and being driuen out of the countrey by Tarquinius were forced to intreate for peace and to craue the Romanes friendship who by this time waxed so strong that all the West part of the world began to heare of the Romanes Now after that the Latins were vanquished the Sabines againe being olde auncient enemies of Rome a very warlicke nation with all force came against Tarquinius at what time their bridge was burned their tentes taken and themselues slaine and forced to intreat for truce for six yeres After the Sabines the Hetruscanes armed them against Tarquinius whose warre continued 9. yeres About this time the seuen sages of Greece florished whose names I thought good to put downe together for that they liued at one time Solon of Athens Thales of Milesia Pitacus of Mitilena Periander of Corinth Bias of Prienna Chilo of Sparta and Cleobulus of Lindia These singular wise men were in those dayes esteemed the rarest men of the world In this time the kingdome of Corinth failed in Periander the last king or rather the last tyrant and the gouernment was altered to a popular estate About that time Polymnestor a very yong man and as the historie hath termed him a boy being a feeding his fathers goats a hare by chance rūning by the boy folowed ranne so swiftly that he ouertooke the hare and brought her home to his father declaring the race the running betweene him and the hare to his father The matter being spread abroad the yong man was brought to the games Olympical where he wanne the victory in running and had a garland on his head as Solinus doth write Ciaxeres sōne vnto Astiages some say his father as Zonoras in his first booke but Zenophon likewise affirmeth with Iosephus that this Ciaxeres was Astiages sōne called by the name of Darius Medus of Daniel and of Iosephus but the Grecians named
made his Court and gathered together the scattered Macedonians into one place and began to reigne there as a king At what time Procas Siluius reigned ouer the Latines Ozias reigned ouer the Hebrewes Ieroboam in Israel was king and Alexander reigned king in Corinth this time Arbaces translated the Monarchie of Assyria vnto the Medes hauing giuen the ouerthrow to Sardanapalus whereby both the kingdomes of the Medes and of Macedonia beginne at one time for nowe the kings of Lacedemonia ended 〈◊〉 gouernment and these kingdomes beganne to florish 37â—… yeeres after the destruction of Troy in the beginning of the thirteene Iubilee of the Iewes before the Olympiads the space of one whole Iubilee which is fiftie yeeres This Cranaus the first king of the Macedonians reigned twentie eight yeeres whose successor I reade in Eusebius and Glareanus was Caenus he reigned the second king of Macedonia twelue yeeres at what time Amulius Siluius the fifteene king of the Latines reigned this Amulius the yonger sonne of Procas Siluius draue Numitor his elder brother out of his Countrie and also Numitor had a daughter whom hee caused to be a vestall virgine to auoyde mariage but notwithstanding shee was gotten with childe of two children in steade of one which were called Romulus and Remus of whose education and strange bringing vp how they slue Amulius and restored their graundfather Numitor to the kingdome againe and howe they both builded Rome you may reade in the histories of the Romane kings after whom succeeded the Romane kings In Egypt reigned this time Sabachus this is named in Scripture Sech the third king of Macedonia was Tyrimas who succeeded in the kingdome in the time of the second Olympiad as Eusebius and Glareanus do witnesse whom I folow chiefely in placing the kings of Macedonia though Iustine Sabelicus say otherwaies that one Telegonus reigning in Paeonia which is a piece of Macedonia and one Europus who likewise on the other side of Paeonia gouerned These two bare most sway in Macedonia vntil Caranus came with a great number of Greekes by the Oracle commaunded to seeke a seate in Macedon who by force expelled Mida which gouerned in a part of Macedon and forced other gouernours which then ruled diuers countries about Macedonia which was no large kingdome in the beginning but Caranus by this meanes augmented much the Countrie of Macedon After this Caranus Iustine setteth downe Perdiccas with whom agreeth Soliâ—… and saith that this Perdiccas was the first that bare the 〈◊〉 of a king in the twentie two Olympiad who liued in such liking and loue of his subiects that his life seemed a lawe and his death an oracle for which hee died being an olde man hee called his sonne named Argeus and shewed him a secrete place where hee woulde haue his body buried and his successours the kings of Macedonia after him This superstitious buriall the kings of Macedonia helde as by an oracle commaunded vntill the time of Alexander the great who was the ninteenth king after this Perdiccas Argeus succeeded his father and was a modest prince hee did minister iustice to his subiectes and liued in Ioue and fauour with his people leauing behinde him to gouerne the Macedonians his heire Philip who died in his youth and left the kingdome to Europus a young childe in whose time the Thracians and the Illyrians had continuall warres with the Macedonians The Illyrians vexed and ouerthrewe the Macedonians in a great battel despising the infancie of their king and litle waiing the Macedonians in respect of their king they were hereby much mooued to fight againe and gathered a huge hoste brought their king in his cradle to the field and gaue battell to the Illyrians ouerthrewe them vanquished them and slue the most of them for the sight of their young king made them like lyons hungrie of their praye with double courage to fight But I will returne to Eusebius and Glareanus where I beganne and whom I chiefely imitate though Solinus and Iustine wrote otherwaies for it is no rare thing to haue writers to varie specially in histories of long time for here Perdiccas is placed to be the fourth king which both Iustine and Solinus wrote to be the first king of Macedonia in this Functius in his table of the kings of Macedon a singular Chronographer following the best learned and next agreeing with the Scripture doth set this Perdiccas to be the 4. king who came of a meane state to be a king of Macedon where he reigned 51. yeeres This time Romulus had great warres with the Sabines which continued three yeeres with whom Tatius Sabinus reigned in Rome together with Romulus fiue yeeres About this verie season Saneherib was ouerthrowen for his great blasphemie against God with a hundred fourescore and fiue thousand slaine in one night by the Angel of the Lord while this Perdicas reigned in Macedon Merodach the sonne of Baladan after hee had gouerned Babylon twelue yeeres and ouercame the Assyrians and brought the Monarchie againe to the Chaldeans about the thirtie yeere of Perdicas Egypt was gouerned by twelue Magistrates of equall authoritie After Perdicas succeeded Argeus his sonne the fifth king of Macedonia of whom you reade before by Iustine set downe to be the second king Philip the sixt king of Macedon reigned thirtie eight yeeres in the 34. Olympiad in whose time happened in Rome great warres betweene Tullius Hostilius the third king of Rome and the Sabines The Latines likewise beganne warres with the Romanes which continued fiue yeeres this time reigned in Egypt Necho who had warres with the Chaldeans at what time hee ouercame the Syrians and slue Iosias in Mageddo the Messenians reuoulted from the Lacedemonians and the rude barbarous Scythians entred into Asia spoyled and wasted all the Countrie vntill they came vnto the land of Palestine This time Periander reigned in Corinth whose life you may reade in Herodot of whom is also written a historie of this time of Phaortes the sixth king of the Medes who was slaine at the siedge of Niniue by the Assyrians with all his companie In these dayes Tullius Hostilius with al his familie were burned in his owne house in the thirtie fiue Olympiad many great warres and blooddy battels fell in the time of this Philip for both Ieconia with all his friendes likewise Daniel with his fellowes were caried away captiue vnto Babylon and within a while after Ierusalem was besieged and made euen to the ground and the Iewes caried captiues vnto Chaldea Againe Ciaxeres which is by Daniel and others named to be Darius Medus had great warres thus the Assyrians tooke the citie of Niniue and reuenged the death of Phaortes and so the Assyrians were quite destroyed brought the monarchie vnto the Medes All the warres that Ancus Martius the fourth king of Rome had with the Latins Fidenats the Sabins the Veiens the Volscans and
in reuerence This proude king entred into the temple of Salomon after hee had made such a slaughter of yong and olde of women and children that within three dayes 80. thousand were slaine and 40. thousand taken prisoners Menelaus the traitour the high priest a murtherer before of Onias and now a traitour to his countrey brought Antiochus into the citie guided him from place to place that after hee had taken 800. talents away from the temple he gate him away to Antiochia thinking in his pride to make men saile vpon the drie land and to walke vpon the sea The filthinesse and abomination of this beast is set foorth in the Macabees in the second booke the fift and sixt chapters from the beginning vnto the ende This was the second comming of Antiochus to Iudea and to Ierusalem in the eight yeere of his raigne two yeeres after his first being in Ierusalem whose comming and whose doings were by the Prophet Daniel before spoken for he saide that this tyrant should continue 3500. dayes in wasting and spoyling of Iudea in prophaning the temple in killing and murthering of Gods people The nomber of these dayes are sixe yeeres and sixe monethes so long endured this wolfe After this Habuit mercedem God rewarded him for he died in such torments that his bowels were eaten with wormes and himselfe brought in such miserie that he died according as he liued after hee had raigned twelue yeeres During his time the warres continued in Macedonia betweene Perseus the last king and Titus Aemilius the Consull and at length the conquerour of Perseus Prusias king of Bythinia came with his sonne Nicomedes to Rome where he commended his sonne to the Senators About this time Terentius flourished Nowe when Antiochus surnamed Eupator had entred in his fathers seate in the 150. yeere of the Greekes being in Syria and in the beginning of the 26. Iubilee he folowed his fathers steppes came with an armie to Ierusalem and besieged the castle of Sion but while he laied siege his generall Lysias tolde him that his kingdome was inuaded by the enemies Then he concluded peace with Iudea and returned in all haste into Syria brought Menelaus that wicked and cruell high priest with him who after much mischiefes done died at Beroea a towne of Syria Antiochus had not reigned but one yeere but Demetrius Soter fledde from Rome where he had bene a pledge during the whole gouernment of his brother Antiochus Epiphanes which was twelue yeeres and during some yeeres of his graundfather Antiochus the great he came to Syria entred the Citie of Tyrus where his souldiers apprehended both the king and his generall Lysias whom Demetrius commaunded to be killed before hee should see them though Eupator was his sisters sonne This Eupator ended his life after hee had reigned but two yeeres In the meane time Onias the sonne of Onias the high priest which was also slaine by Menelaus who succeeded him this Onias being of the Iewes surnamed the iust lamenting much the miserable estate of Iudea fled into Egypt to king Pto. Philometor and hauing licence of the king he builded a temple in the citie of Heliopolis to the likenesse of the temple in Ierusalem according to the saying of Esai In that day shall the altar of the Lord be in the middest of the land of Egypt and the Lord shal be knowen of the Egyptians and the Egyptians shall knowe the Lord. In that day Assur shall come to Egypt and Egypt into Assur This Demetrius sent Alcimus against Iudas Machabeus who by flatterie entred into Ierusalem and slue three score of the chiefe and greatest men of the citie after gathered a number of wicked persons together who did much harme in Iudea to whome king Demetrius sent Nicanor with an hoste of souldiers to ayde Alcimus This Nicanor blasphemed God prophaned the temple threatned the Iewes and came to Bethoron where Iudas Machabeus gaue him battell and ouerthrewe him This Demetrius was no lesse cruell to the Iewes then either his father or his brother were before him hee played the beare vntill Alexander Epiphanes Antiochus Eupators sonne came to the Citie of Ptolomais Iustine saith that this Alexander was a base man borne named Prompalus and that hee was made by others to take this name vpon him and to say that he was Antiochus sonne Atalus king of Asia Ptolome Philometor king of Egypt and Ariarathes king of Capadocia counselled Prompalus to inuade Demetrius kingdome which was done and a battell giuen in the which Demetrius was slaine after he had reigned tenne yeeres Now after Alexander had the victorie of Demetrius he claimed to be the king of Syria by succession fayning himselfe to be Antiochus Eupators sonne hee maried Cleopatra king Philometors daughter of Egypt the mariage was celebrated in the Citie of Ptolemais This Alexander was not ayded by these kings for any great affection they bare him but for the hatred they had towardes Demetrius who was so ambitious proude and cruell in the beginning of his reigne that these three kings of Egypt of Asia and Arabia had susteined losse and harme before Demetrius was ouerthrowen by Alexander he had two sonnes whom hee sent with great treasures to a friende of his named Gindius to auoide the daunger of the warres the elder of them was named Demetrius after his fathers name who hearing of his fathers death and of the riot and lust of this Alexander a man giuen to al vices and wickednesse came into Syria being aided by the king of Creete and possessed certeine Cities in Syria he appointed his generall one Appolonius who too much trusting his owne force and courage was in the first battell by Ionathas ouerthrowen Ptolome within a short time came with a great armie to see his sonne in lawe in Syria to whom all the cities opened their gates to welcome their king of Egypt they rather thinking that hee came to make peace betweene Demetrius and Alexander but Ptolome imagined howe hee might deceiue them both for a kingdome hee placed his souldiers in diuers Cities of Syria and because Alexander was then in Cicilia hee tooke occasion to offer him warres by taking his daughter away from him whome hee gaue in mariage againe to Demetrius Alexander hearing that his wife was taken from him and maried to Demetrius his mortall enemie summoned his father in lawe to battell wherein he had the ouerthrowe and was forced to flie to Arabia where Alexander was taken and slaine and his head sent by the king of Arabia to Egypt to king Ptolome Thus was Prompalus otherwaies named Alexander throwen downe from the throne of his kingdome deceiued by fortune and reuenged by iustice This reward he had to faine him selfe Antiochus sonne and falsely to alter his name from Prompalus vnto Alexander that Ptolome who ayded him to the kingdome and gaue his daughter in mariage to him the same Ptolome
himselfe sawe at Rome in the time of Augustus Caesar of bigger bodies and of taller stature then any Romane by halfe a foote for saith Strabo Vidimus puberes Britannos longissimi corporis nostris indigenis semipede celsiores But to be short as it was among the Iewes permitted to the Talmudistes to write their countrie histories to the Indians Gymnosophists to write of India the olde Gaules committed the olde recordes and Chronicles of their Countries to their wise men called Druydes the olde Hispaniards during the time of their kings and long after euen vnto the Romanes time had the antiquaries called Turdetani to write the Chronicles of their Countries and euen so among the olde Britaines were called Bardi to recorde their antiquitie and their histories men of like credite and estimation among the Britaines as were these before named in their Countries without whose consent and councell if any man wrote concerning the state and antiquitie of their countrie hee should be punished according to the custome of the Countrie It is easily spoken there was no Troy but all countries haue allowed it time hath confirmed it both Greeke and Latine histories haue written of it It is soone saide There was no such Brutus but continuance of time succession of kings possession of the countrie doe proue the contrary If neither Geraldus being of the time of Richard the second neither Gildas long before Geraldus liuing in the time of Claudius Augustus the Emperour both singularly learned if neither consent of time succession of kings the antiquitie of the historie nor the affinitie of tongues which no Grecian can denie for we holde the auncient names of riuers townes mountaines and other monuments euen from Brutus time in the selfe same tongue that Brutus spake Let them giue some credite to Pont. Varunnius Iulius Caesar who said Gens ex nostra prosapia est being proued by M. Coruinus and Halicarnassaeus lineally to descend from Aeneas What shoulde I write more Inuidia serra animae and truely is that spoken that three good vertuous mothers had three wicked vicious daughters Familiaritie the mother of contempt Peace and quietnesse the mother of idlenesse And Trueth the mother of hatred Yet in spite of that scorpion Suâ—…s ex merito quemque tuetur honor The historie of Belinus the great whose daughter named Cambra was maried to Marcomirus sonne the first king from whom the Frenchmen since their comming to Germany florished by the name of Sicambri after the name of Cambra the Britaine the historie of Brenus his brother are wel knoweÌ„ with forreigne writers so of Rodericus the great of Leoninus the great who are in the Britaine historie as much coÌ„mended as Pompey the great or Constantine the great among the Romanes for as Pyrrhus saide Italie was not to be subdued but by Italians neither Rome but by the Romanes euen so the Britaine 's were not to be ouerthrowen but by Britaines And here I end 10. Praep. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CHAP. 1. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CAP. 1. 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 CAP. 1. 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 CAP. 1. 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CAP. 1. 2 3 4 CAP. 1. 2 3 1 2 3 1 CHAP. 1. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CAP. 1. 2 3 4 CHAP. 1. 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 The creation of the world Isido lib. 5. â—…saedri Tetraedri Octoedri Dodecaedri Read Plato and Io. Phrig Cicero lib. denat deorum Iob 38. The creation of man Man placed in Eden â—…oph iâ—… 〈◊〉 Pisâ—…hon Giâ—…on Childekel Phrat Pytlâ—…go letter Plato in Craâ—… Iohn 7. Rom. 5. The opinion of the learned concerning Adams continuance in Paradise before his fall Clemens fol. 128 Gen. 4. Loar fol. 109. Midras 〈◊〉 Psal. 92. Rabbi Menahem fol. 9. vpon Moses Theoph. August sixe houres Thom. Aquinas nine houres Bochay twelue houres Rabbi Nathan Cedrenus Mariaenus Scotus Adam was buried in Golgatha Rabbi Isaac Our portion held by the first Adam Paul Gen. 3. The first sacrifice vnto God Gen. 4. Heb. â—…1 Henoch was borne Gen 4. Diodorus lib. 5. Iosephus Belus Image a sanctuary to all wickednes lib. 10. cap. 3. de prae Diodorus lib. 11. Genes 4. The sonnes of God maried with the daughters of men Melancthon Fregius in histo Adami Fregius in histo Adami Iud. 1. Heb 11. Henoch walked with God Genes 9. Noah the righteous preacher 〈◊〉 lib. 1. Zonaras lib. 1. Talmudists Ioseph lib. 1. cap. 14. Koâ—…rus lib. 1. cap. 4. Tabula 4. Asiae lib. 3. Genes cap. 10. Genes 1. The confusioÌ„ of tongues in the time of Peleg Sabellicuâ—… lib. 3. The antiquity of Greece The praise of Plato The infancie of Greece Ioseph lib. contra Reede Stabo 16. booke First Hebrewes 478 Then Israel 1026 Thirdly Iewish 786 A egyptians most enuious to the Iewish The mercie of God towardes his people The goodnes of God to his people 3. Regum cap. 10 De Asse 4. Ioseph 8. Abrahams age when Noah died Gene. 18. 20. 47. Abrahams going to Aegypt The bondage of Israel in Aegypt 430. yeeres Moses the fift from Abraham Gene. cap. 14. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrha ouerthrown by the king of Shinar Ismael borne by Agar the the bondwoman Lot with his two daughters escaped Iosephus lib. 1. cap. 12. Lots incest with his two daughters Genes 19. The birth of Isaac Isaac the child of promise borne 14. yeres after Ismael Ioseph lib. 1. cap. 15. Sara died and is buried in Hebron A ficide doth coâ—…tune 4. Dâ—…achmes Lib. cap 16. Abraham dieth Esau and Iacobâ—… birth Iacob was the true tipe of the Church Lib. 1. cap. 18. 19. Diodo de fab 〈◊〉 lib. 2. Functius in tabula patrum Isaac dieth and is buried in Hebron Isaac saw the prosperity of Esau and the affliction of Iacob Diodo lib. 1. Iustin. lib. 36. Bâ—…sius lib. 1. cap 8. Iustine lib 36. Orosius lib. 1. cap. 8. The 18. Denasâ—…na of Aegypt Sparta builded The going of Iacob vnto Egypt Ioseph died 65. yeeres before Moses was borne The maner of Moses birth Thermutis Pharaohs daughter Moses threwe the diademe of Aegypt to the dirt Moses made captaine ouer the Aegyptians against the Aethiopians Reade Fregius of Moses life Moses Aaron sent by God to Aegypt The tenne plagues of Aegypt Iosephs bones brought by Moses out of Aegypt Cancres king of Aegypt drowned in the red sea Deucalion flood The kingdome of Athens Berosus endeth his hystory Moses death Israelites toile and slauery Chiliarchi Hecatontarchi Pentecontarchi Decatarchi Ramesses was surnamed Egyptus Cornelius Tacitus lib. 2. Crosius lib. 1. cap. 11. Iosua deuideth the land of Chanaan Iosua made orders lawes Iosua coÌ„mandeth his host to passe Iorden Iordan gaue place to Iosua and to the Arke The walles of Iericho fell Iosua cap. 12. Melanthon 〈◊〉 de Hebreâ—…ruÌ„ admin The mutabiliue of the Israelites Eglon king of Moab afflicteth Israel Ehud killeth Eglon. Iabin
first yeere of Salmanasser vntill the first yeere of Nabuchodonosors raigne is 115. yeeres hee raigned but tenne yeere in the whole and then he died And after him succeeded Saneherib who dwelt in Niniue who following his fathers steppes in all tyrannie and seeking meanes to destroy the rest of Gods people came with a mightie huge armie to besiege Hierusalem against king Ezechias with most horrible blasphemies against God preferring his owne force and power being the arme of flesh before the Lord of heauen but the prayer of Ezechias the king and of the Prophete Esay was heard of God and God sent his Angels to defend his saincts and to destroy the enemies of his Church All the bragges of Sanneherib and all his horrible blasphemies the Lord at a moment with one blast blewe away his force his strength and his huge armies being one hundreth fourscore and fiue thousand were slaine by the Angell of the Lorde and Sanneherib fled to Niniue where his owne sonnes Adramelech and Sharazer slew him in the temple worshipping his god Nisroch euen before that Idole whome hee preferred before the liuing God the iust iudgement of God for blasphemie to bee slaine of his owne sonnes before the face of his god For this periured king Sanneherib sware vnto the Embassadours of Ezechias if hee might haue three hundreth talents of siluer and thirtie talents of golde hee would peaceably depart without offering of any iniurie to the Iewes this Ezechias by perswasions satisfied his demaunde but Sanneherib perfourmed not his promise but contrary to his othe returning from Egypt where hee layde siege to Pelusium in vaine fearing Tharsicos king of AEthiopia that with great power came to ayde the king of Egypt hee came as you heard and layde siege to Ierusalem but he had his reward Herodotus saith that in Egypt in one of the temples there was a statue made for Sanneherib with this sentence written in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This sentence is of some referred to Sethon king of Egypt And thus this wicked king after much mischiefe and harme done to the Church of God in the seuenth yeere of his raigne and in the 12. Olympiad died he and his father Salmanasser raigned in Assyria when Romulus and Rhemus raigned in Rome he had the ende you heard of you shall reade more of him in the second booke of Herodotus All this while Chaldea had their gouernours their lawes and all thinges free fit for the common wealth yet they payed tribute to the kings of Assyria Hitherto newe Assyria raigned as the chiefe seate of the Empire and held Babylon as subiect to their Scepter Now while this Sannehorib had in hand to conquere Iudea and thought thence to passe vnto Egypt as hee did imagining fully to subdue all those regions which his father Salmanasser thought to haue done when newes came to Babylon that all his armie was slaine at Ierusalem and himselfe killed at Niniue by his sonnes the Chaldeans being hereof aduertised tooke present occasions to set in for the Empire of Assyria Merodach being then gouernour of Babylon considering that both his two sonnes fled to Armenia after the murther of their father as Functius saith for feare of their elder brother Asserhaddon but Iosephus saith the yonger brother Nowe Asserhaddon one of the three sonnes of Sanneherib in whose time Manasses king of Iuda was borne when his father was slaine and his brethren fled he entred to his fathers seate and gouerned the Assyrians tenne yeres But Merodach the sonne of Baladan the gouernour of Babylon a discreete man looking vnto the gouernment of Asserhaddon being full of contention betweene the brethren the other two which fled before after they killed their father returne with a great armie against the king Asserhaddon their brother and helde ciuill warres within themselues so long that the Monarchie of Assyria became so weake that Merodach translated the kingdome of Assyria vnto Chaldea and brought Niniue againe subiect vnto Babylon Nowe when Merodach had raigned twelue yeeres in Babylon and after hauing the full dignitie and supremacie ouer the Assyrians and Chaldeans hee was named the first king of Babylon againe and raigned fourtie yeres in Babylon Of this Merodach there is mention made in Ieremie Capta est Babel confusus est Bel victus est Merodach which shal be more spoken of when the kingdome of Iudea is in hand Ptolomey doth call this Merodach Mardocempadus for in the Egyptian histories Herodotus differeth frō Eusebius others in the names of kings men must reade with great diligence with much care and weigh the computation of time as here betweene Metasthenes and Functius some controuersie riseth from the time of Belochus vnto Merodach But Functius following the best authoritie is best to be beleeued for he reproueth by propheticall histories the errour of Metasthenes which goeth about without warrant of Scripture to prooue histories of the Bible as these partly be for the most part both of Assyrian and Chaldean histories for after Sardanapalus time they do cōcurre with the time of the Prophets Esay doeth make mention of Merodach the sonne of Baladan who sent Ambassadours with letters vnto Ezechias with great presents to intreat of friendship and to be in league one with another where they were with all solemnitie receiued shewing vnto them all the treasures and pleasures of Ierusalem and returning to Babylon with rewards After Merodach died when hee had raigned fourtie yeeres in Babylon leauing behinde him his sonne Bemerodach who raigned one and twentie yeeres of whome litle or nothing we reade of After whom succeeded Nabuchodonosor the first father of the great Nabuchodonosor this king tooke warre in hand against Necho king of Egypt and went from Niniue to the riuer Perath which is likewise Euphrates where Necho came in person to fight against a citie of the Assyrians named Carchemish Iosias fearing Necho lest he passing through Iudea would haue taken his kingdome he not consulting with the Lord fighting with Necho was slaine in the valley of Megiddo or Magiddo as Herodotus and Functius affirme But to come to Nabuchodonosor To auoyde tediousnes I will ioyne him with his father letting the reader to the second of Herodotus where hee shall reade of this first Nabuchodonosor and his warres and for that hee ioyntly raigned two yeeres with his sonne as Functius doeth write the sonne being of greater fame and better knowen farre then the rest of the kings of Chaldea or of Assyria In the Ecclesiasticall historie I wil set downe his actions his warres his greatnes and his victories After his father had raigned 25. yeres this his sonne Nabuchodonosor the great who in the eight yeere of his raigne subdued all Syria Iudea onely excepted conquered from Euphrates vnto Pelusium and brought in subiection euen from the riuer of Egypt vnto the riuer Perath and all that pertained to the king of