out of Egipt least they ioyned with the Affricans or with the Assirians to warre vpon Egipt or else least the number of the Hebrues should be so multiplied in Egipt as they might ouerthrow Pharao in his owne kingdome and therfore Pharao kept them in slauery and bondage vexing and molesting them and withall decreed a lawe to put himselfe out of doubts and his kingdome out of danger that all the male children of the Hebrues borne in Egipt should be presently murthered after their birth with a great charge giuē that they should bee slaine his feare was such that it did not content Pharao but least hee should be deceiued with killing of them hee made another lawe that they should be drowned in the Riuer Nilus But Pharao determined and God disposed for the Lord reuenged the house of Israel vpon Pharao with ten horrible and terrible plagues and at last Pharao the king his peeres and the most part of the nobles of his land and almost all his kingdom were drowned in the red sea to an infinite number and as Orosius saith more of the Egiptians were drowned then the number of the Hebrewes that came out of Egipt yet there is no iust number written by Iosephus who ought best to know it As the Egiptians were compared to the Romains for their crueltie so were the Hebrewes compared to the Christians for their punishment the Iewish Synagogue to the Christian Church and as the Hebrewes were plagued by the Egiptians 430. yeares in Egipt so were the Christians so long afflicted and persecuted throughout all the Empire of Rome but as Pharao and all Egipt were destroied for their vexations of the Hebrewes so Rome and the Empire of Rome was plagued for their bloudie persecutions against the Christians and therefore euery seuerall plague in Egipt shall be compared to euery seuerall persecution in Rome The Lord now being armed to mannage warre with the Egiptians and to reuenge the wrong of his people the Hebrewes hee appointed his souldiers readie and diuided them into seuerall troupes and bands He hath an armie aboue in the heauens the Sun the Moone and the Starres hee hath another armie in the aire lightning thunder haile-stones and such souldiers another in the waters whales crocodiles serpents and such monstrous creatures in the seas Another in the wildernesse and woods as Lyons Beares Wolues Tygres and the like beasts Yea the Lord hath his armies in ditches lakes as Frogges and Toades and hath also his armie euen out of the dust ashes of the earth Lice Flies and vermines The Captaine that the Lord appointed ouer these armies was Moses which was but a shepheard to dant the courage of Pharao who at the commandement of the Lord marched to Egipt with these legions of souldiers to take his people from the bōdage of Pharao threatening warres vnto Pharao and yet not without conditions of peace according to the lawe of armes if Pharao would let his people peaceably depart out of Egipt with bag and baggage Moses to whome Iehouah appeared in the bush burning was commaunded to take the charge of the Hebrues and lead them from Egipt to the lande of Canaan Moses obeyed the Lords commandemēt yet accused himselfe of some imperfection he had in his speech and therefore had Aaron his brother for his Orator who hauing done the Lords commaundement in Egipt to Pharao their message was reiected and had no audience at Pharaos hand Thē was Moses cōmanded by the Lord to stretch his rod vpon Nilus and vpon all the riuers of Egipt the pooles and standing waters that they might be turned into blood so that the Egiptians were constrained to drinke of that bloodie riuer Nilus the iust iudgement of God vpon Pharao who thirsted for blood to drink blood like so Tomyris Queen of Scythia spake to Cyrus whose head she caused to be cut off being slaine in the field and to bathe it in a great tunne full of blood saying drink Cyrus of that blood which thou didst euer thirst for So Pharao in like sort was forced to drinke of that bloody riuer where before time hee commanded all the male children of the Hebrewes to be drowned and where Moses him selfe being but three months old so long his mother kept him secretly vnknowne vnto Pharao but Amri Moses father much fearing that he his wife family should die for it according to the decree that Pharao made committed him to Gods prouidence in Nilus by whose prouidence Moses was saued to bee a captain ouer his people to lead them out of Egipt to plague Pharao and to reuenge the 430. years calamities miseries of the Hebrues in Egipt vpō Pharao his kingdom with ten such terrible plagues as was neuer heard or read of before like in all points to the ten cruell persecutions which cōtinued in all the Romane Empire during the raigne and gouernmēt of ten Emperors which persecuted the Christians in Rome as Pharao plagued the Hebrues in Egipt This first plague of the Egiptians may be cōpared to the first persecution of the Christians vnder that cruel Emperor Nero at what time there was nothing in Rome nor in Italy but as in Egipt for as Nilus all the riuers of Egipt wer turned into blood so in Rome in euery street was nothing but sheading of christiās blood vnder the tiranny of Nero by whō Paul Peter diuers others of the chief members of the church were most extreamely persecuted some beheaded some hangd some burnt so that beside his vehement persecutiōs to the Christians few escaped the cruelty of Nero otherwise he spared none no not Seneca his maister nor his mother Aggrippina but Nero like his cruell vncle Caligula wished all Rome to haue but one neck that he might with one stroke cut it of for he caused Rome to be set on fire to burn 6. daies to resemble the burning of Troy where he in his tower Maecenatiā beholding the great flames of fire recited merily certain Odes of Homer touching the burning of Troy Thus from one tyrannie to another he passed all men in tirannie that as the fish that was in Nilus and al the riuers of Egipt died stank in the riuers so the Christians were murthered persecuted by Nero whose bodies likewise stanke for want of buriall but as Nero without mercy or respect slue all spared none and at last slue himselfe being proclaimed by the Senators of Rome a traytor to his Countrey thus Nero liued and ended his life with blood and for that he could kill no more hee kild himselfe in whom also ended the whole stocke and familie of Caesar. So Abimelech the base sonne of Gedeon slue his seuentie brethren to vsurpe the gouerment by destroying the lawfull sonnes of Gedeon or like proud Hamon who sought with all meanes possible to destroy Mardocheus and all the Iewes within the hundred and seuen and twentie Prouinces of Persia. So
either the Emperours of Rome which persecuted them or the kings of Syria which tyrannized ouer them could inuēt saying that they wold onely obey the lawes which the Lorde gaue vnto them by Moses and not the commaundement of the king then were the other brethren one after another put to death with the like tortures as their elder brother was in the sight of their mother who spake to her children these words My sonnes I neither gaue you breath nor soule nor life and as you regard not your selues to die for the law es of the Lord so shall the Lord restore vnto you your soules your liues to liue for euer And thus were theyto rtured to death one brother after another and the mother after her sonnes And now I wil returne to Pharao CHAP. VI. Of the seuenth and eight plagues of the Egiptians compared with the seuenth and eight persecutions of the Christians AMd Moses was sent with his seuenth message to Pharao saying How long will it be before thou submit thy self to me saith the Lord But Pharao being marked with Cains marke who could not die though he would faine die or like Esau who would repent could not though he sought it with teares So Pharao though he yeelded victorie to Moses yet could not hee yeeld his heart vnto the Lord but refused the offers of the Lord and despised his mercy and therefore Moses was commaunded to vex Pharao with the seuenth plague which he executed vpon Pharao with thunders haile lightnings fiery soldiers of the Lord this smote the hearbs brake the trees of the field this smote al the land of Egipt both man beast the thunder the raine the haile and the fire mingled together so hurtfull and so greeuous as there was not the like in Egipt since it was a natiō and yet the land of Gosen where the Hebrues dwelt neither hard thunders nor saw fire lightnings nor rain But Pharao stil against his promise staied the Hebrues in extreame bondage in Egipt and yet with terrour and feare of the punishments requested Moses and Aaron to cease the horrible thunders and fierie lightnings which being ceased Pharao ceased not to sinne vpon sin neither gaue he himselfe to seeke the Lord for all the terrors of so many plagues past The Macedonians at any Eclipse of the Moone wold be so frighted and terrified though the naturall cause were opened vnto them of the defects thereof by many of their Captaines yet would they not but against their will at the Eclipse time enter into battell So the old Romanes were so amazed that they tooke the ebbing flowing of the sea to be wrought by some diuine power of the gods So Scipio confessed at the besieging of Carthage and said to his souldier Ducem sequimini Neptunum Though the Romanes and the Macedonians confessed the Eclipse of the Sunne Moone and the ebbing and flowing of the Seas to be the works of God yet Pharao confessed not the wonders which Moses did in Egipt This cruell marching of Pharao against the Hebrues in Egipt resembleth much the cruell persecution vnder Decius Emperour of Rome vnder whom raigned stil persecutiōs of the Christians as vnder others his predecessors But the Lord so plagued the Empire at this time euen from the East vnto the West with plagues and diuers suche sicknesses as not onely the earth was infected but the ayre corrupted with such slaughter of man and beast by sicknesse that there wanted in many places of the Empire men aliue to burie the dead iustly plagued and punished so that betweene the cruell persecutions of Christians in Antioch Caesaria and Alexandria and the multitude of the Romanes that died made the ground of Rome and Italy to stink as Egipt stunk with their bloudie water and dead frogs and as in Pharaos dayes the Hebrewes so multiplied in Egipt for all Pharaos tirany so likewise the Christians encreased in Rome and euery where in the Romane Empire in spite of the Romane Emperours though they sought euery way to deuour them with sword and fire Moses is sent againe to Pharao and to say let my people goe behold to morrowe will I bring grassehoppers into thy land and they shall couer the face of the earth in euery place and quarter of Egipt that the earth cannot be seene and they shall eate the residue which remaineth vnto you and escaped the haile they shall eate all your greene trees vpon the fielde and shall fill your houses and all your seruants houses and these threatnings and cominations of Moses could nothing moue Pharao and yet dissembled like an hypocrite to Moses saying I haue sinned against the Lord and against you forgiue me therefore and pray for me it is to be wondred that Pharao and all Egipt wold suffer such horrible plagues for the Hebrews to them a straunge nation whom they mortally hated and yet stopt and stayed them in Egipt against the lawe of Mena and Bocoris and custome of Egipt and against the custome of all countries The Lacedemonians by Lycurgus lawe would not admit any straunger to stay in Lacedemon In Athens Pericles made a decree that no straunger might dwell in Athens but such as were banished for euer from their Countrey those onely might stay in Athens bringing their gods and their goods with them Likewise the Carthagineans could not abide strangers for those that sailed into Sardinia or to Hercules pillers escaped hardly the Carthagineans handes for that they would suffer no straunger to dwell in their territories So also in India no stranger might stay among them past three daies so straight were strangers looked vnto in all Countries that the Romanes would not admit any mercenarie souldier being a stranger in their warres The Hebrewes suffered no stranger to dwel among them to vse forraine religion therfore it was not lawfull for the Samaritans to come to Ierusalem nor for the Samaritans to conuerse themselues with the Iewes Yet Pharao against the lawes and customes of all countries and against the lawe of his owne country admitted strangers his owne enemies to dwell in Egipt Pharao as I said before had Esaus mark could not yeeld and let these strange Hebrewes goe How fitly this eight Egiptian plague resembleth the eight Romane persecution vnder the Emperor Valerianus who like as Antiochus compelled the Iewes to forsake the Lord their lawes and religion so Valerianus cōstrained the Christians to Idolatrie and forced them to forsake the religion of Christ commanding by his Letters sent to his lieftenants and generalls euery where to burne to kil and to murther all the Christians that professed the name of Christ so odious was the name of the Christians among the Romanes as the name of the Hebrewes among the Egiptians And like as the grasse-hoppers in Egipt did waste spoile and eate all that was left vntouched and vnspoyled by the plague of haile-stones and lightnings before so
Ghost some denying Christ by nature to bee Cod but onely of accidentall participation of diuine properties as Arius Some affirming that Christ tooke his beginning of the Virgin Mary denying the diuine nature of Christ as Samosatenus and Photinus Others imagined that Christ had not a true and natural body borne of the Virgin Mary as the Marcionites and Manichees The Ebionites affirmed Christ to be naturally born of a woman gotten by man I will omit to speake of Simon Magus and his disciple Menander of Cerdon and his disciple Marcion and of Saturninus and a number more of this crewe who denie one Article or other of our Christian faith confounding the diuine nature of the Trinitie These heretikes possessing diuers seates as Arius in Alexandria Saturninus in Antioch Photinus in Lions and so of the rest which beeing the verie blast and breath of Sathan haue brought into their heresie many kings and princes of Asia and Europe but all these heretikes were by generall councell confuted and condemned The Nicene councell condemned Arius and his partners which denied the deitie and diuine nature of Christ this councell held vnder the Emperour Constantine where 318. Bishops met together to confute Arius and his heresie The second councell at Constantinople vnder Gratianus the Emperour against Eudoxius and Macedonius denying the holy Ghost to be God The third councell at Ephesus vnder Theodosius the great against Nestorius affirming two sonnes the one of God the other of man denying the mistery of the incarnation of Christ. The fourth councell at Calcedon vnder Martianus against Eutiches who confounded the natures in Christ for the vnity of the three persons CHAP. VIII Of the marching of the Hebrewes from Egipt vnder Moses and Aaron toward the land of Canaan Of the life of Moses in Egipt and of his victories against the Aethiopians NOw Moses and the Hebrewes beeing discharged out of Egipt where they had bin in bondage and miseries many yeares and were called Hicsos now they march like souldiers of the Lord vnder Moses and Aaron towardes the lande of Canaan but marke the hardnesse of Pharaos heart for while the Hebrewes were in Egipt beeing extreame enemies vnto Pharao yet Pharao endured tenne horrible and terrible plagues before he would let the Hebrewes goe out of Egipt vntill hee was brideled and hooked by the nosthrils as Senacharib was and compelled to let the Hebrewes goe Yet Pharao with his wonted hardened heart with all the power and force of Egipt followed after beeing two hundreth thousand footemen fiftie thousand horsemen sixe hundreth chosen chariots of the kings owne army a sufficient armie against weaponlesse and vnarmed men Notwithstanding he had infinite number of footemen horsemen and chariots out of all parts of Egipt assuring himselfe by this multitude he would make a full end of the Hebrewes hauing this aduantage the sea being before the Hebrues the mountaines on either side them and Pharao with all the force of Egipt at their back a narrower straight as Pharao supposed then the Greeks had against the Persians at Thermopyla and there Pharao thought to ende his long desired tyrannie vpon the Hebrewes It was to be wondred that after ten great victories in Egipt gotten against Pharao by no other weapon then with a rod in Moses hand durst not looke Moses in the face after these victories in Egipt durst follow Moses hauing sixe hundred thousand Hebrewes marching in his campe this was the time appointed of the Lord to do with Pharao that which Pharao thought to do to the Hebrewes for the Lord commaunded Moses to hold vp his rod and to stretch out his hand vpon the sea and to diuide the seas to let the Hebrues goe through on drie ground and to suffer the Egiptians to follow after vntil the Lord commaunded Moses againe to stretch out his hand vpon the sea a diuine straragem of the Lord to let the waters turnevpon the Egiptians ouerwhelme them So the Lord by water saued the Hebrewes his people and by water drowned the Egiptians his enemies Yet Appian most impudently affirmed Moses to haue done what hee did by Magicke whom the common people in Egipt named Tisithes and Ioshuah Peresephes Appian alleageth Manetho and Cheremon two Egiptian writers to proue his fond assertions Pliny also held that opinion that Moses was a great Magician and did many miracles in Egipt through Magick yet it is more lawfull for Pliny that wrote of so many thinges to lie in some thinges then for Manetho a poore schoole-maister in Alexandria or for Cheremon two fabulous writers of the Egiptian history onely The best Magician that helped himselfe at need was Appollonius Thianeus who beeing accused of capitall crimes before Domitianus the Emperour being demanded by the Emperour what helpe hee could do now to himselfe by his Magick nothing said he but this and vanished away out of the Emperours sight so much could not Iamnes and Iambres do to saue themselues from the botches blaines which as they say was done by Moses Magicke in Egipt And therefore I thinke it best to set downe the true history of Moses before yet he was called by the Lord to leade the Hebrewes out of the lande of Egipt into Canaan Moses the sonne of Amri was of the tribe of Leui and the seuenth from Abraham borne in Egipt brought vp by Thermutes king Pharaos daughter and heire in this childe Moses shee delighted so much being brought vp in all the learning and knowledge of the Egiptians that Moses pleased Thermutes so well that she moued her father hauing no male childe but her selfe that it might please the king to make Moses her adopted sonne least Thermutes also should be barren and want an heire to possesse the crowne This being agreed vpon betweene Pharao and his daughter Moses grew great in Egipt fauoured and well beloued amongst all the Aegiptians It happened at that time that the Aethiopians had warre with the king of Egipt hauing wonne two great victories ouer the Egiptians spoyled and wasted Egipt vnto the verie citie of Memphis The Priests of Egipt being instructed by the Oracles of Ammon to choose an Hebrew captaine to lead their armie against the Aethiopians the king being informed of this Oracle spake faire to his daughter Thermuthes through the perswasion of the Priests who vsed the like pollicie to haue Moses slaine among the Aethiopians as Saul vsed to haue Dauid slaine among the Philistines Thermutes perceiuing the daunger of her fathers kingdome which fell vnto her by succession would knowe of Moses secretly his minde therein Moses being therewith contented the kings daughter brought Moses before her father and the Priests to whom Thermutes in this sort spake Is Moyses the man whome before this time you founde by Oracles shoulde destroy Egipt and now you finde by the same Oracles to haue that man to be your captaine to saue Egipt But the Priests forgat
in Athens to lust another to shame They had also straunge kinde of altars in Delos one to Apollo made onely of the right hornes of all kinde of beastes and an other altar made of the ashes of the sacrificed men and beasts like Belesus who raised vp a promontorie in Babilon of the ashes of the citie of Niniuie destroyed to giue light to passengers that sayled by Babilon on Euphrates in the which ashes Belesus carried secretly all the wealth gold siluer and all other rich mettals melted of Niniuie into Babilon Numa Pomp. a verie prophane religious king put vp a temple to Faith another to Terminus and decreed a law for that Terminus was the god of peace and a Iudge of meares and markes betweene neighbours that whosoeuer would plough any of his neighbors markes and meares both hee and his oxen should be sacrificed and slaine to god Terminus vpon the very meare where the offence was done This temple which king Numa builded to Terminus was made vncouered and open aboue as the Greekes did vse to build their temple to Iupiter and to Anfidius which the Greeks called Hypaethra both the Romanes and the Greekes thought it not fit that that these gods should be honored and serued in close couered temples and vpon their altars no sacrifice of blood should be offered but according to Pythagoras lawes fruits cakes hony flowers and such because they were gods of peace Againe the Romanes the Greekes and the Egiptians vsed in olde time to build temples out of the cities to those gods that should watch guard the cities from the enemies And therefore Romulus builded a temple to Vulcan out of the walles of the citie of Rome so his successor king Numa builded two temples the one to Bellona the other to Mars foure miles from the gate Caâ—…ena out of Rome The Athenians to that purpose as the Romains did builded a temple to Hercules out of Athens named Cynosarges Neither would the Egiptians allow the temple of Esculapius to be in any city of theirs neither wold they allow any temple to Saturne or to Serapis within the citie supposing by their watching garding abroad they might liue more safe and sure from the enemies So among other Gentiles temples were builded to the gods of feare of pouertie and of olde age because they might pray to these gods to escape the wants and miserie of pouertie and old age and thus the Gentiles tooke patterne of the Iewes who had so many Synagogues and but one Temple for the Iewes afterwards became so Idolatrous as the Gentiles that as Ieremy said euery citie in Iudah had a god euery where in groues and hils were seuerall altars that mount Oliuet thereby was called the mount of corruption because they had made altars vnder euery groue and vnder euery greene tree to honour their Idols But now let vs returne to the Hebrues vnder Moses in the wildernesse Moses leading the armie of the Hebrewes in the wildernesse from Egipt marched with sixe hundred thousand and hauing diuers battels giuen him by the king of Arabia by Arad king of the Canaanites by Zeon king of the Ammorites and Og the king of Basan after them hauing battel with the king of Madianites and the king of Moabites whom hee conquered before Ioshua had charge of the armie and because the battels of the Lord were most miraculous in Egipt gotten by a white rod by the which Moses obtained ten victories and ten tryumphs ouer the Egiptians in Egipt So Moses in the wildernesse had the like successe not by deuised stratagems of their owne heads but by following the commandements of the Lord which are the onely stratagems of all victories After that Moses had brought the Hebrues out of Egipt into the wildernesse as to a schoole to instruct them in military discipline and to be acquainted with martiall lawes to arme themselues ready souldiers to fight the Lords battels at Ioshuahs commaundement who in the battell at Riphidim was against the Amalekites at what time Moses Aaron and Hur went vp to the top of mount Horeb and Moses held vp the rod of the Lord in his hand and praied for victorie for the battell continued vntill Sun setting and when Moses hand was weary Aaron and Hur held vp Moses hand betweene them and Ioshua preuailed ouerthrew Amelech and all his army wanne a great victorie for Moses praiers and Ioshuahs sword were both meanes by the Lords appointment to obtaine the victory for while Moses hand was vp the Hebrewes preuailed and when hee let downe his hand Amelech preuailed this great victorie was commanded by the Lord to Moses to be written in the booke of the lawe for a remembrance of so great a victorie And all other victories which they had aswell against Pharao before they came out of Egipt and against the Canaanites before they passed ouer Iorden were obtained by stratagems of the Lord in the behalfe of his people which the Lord had determined to place in Canaan King Arad hearing of the great ouerthrow that the Hebrues gaue the Amalekites their friends and neighbours came with a great army and fought against the Hebrues and for that the Hebrues serued not the Lord and were thanklesse for the last victorie king Arad preuailed slue and tooke of them many prisoners When the Hebrues cried vnto the Lord and made a vow to destroy the Canaanites if they might haue the victory the Lord vpon their promise vow deliuered the Canaanites their king Arad their cities and townes and the people vnto the hands of the Hebrues that the Canaanites were slain vtterly destroied this was the battel of the Lord for the Hebrues vanquished king Arad and the Canaanites according to their vowes which they made to the Lord. These were lawfull vowes to destroy the enemies of the Lorde by the vow of Cherim of which vowe the Lord himselfe is the author the Lord himselfe determined and commaunded the Hebrues to destroy the Canaanites as his enemies So the Prophet published a commaundement saying Vow vnto the Lord performe it the same Prophet saith Thy vowes are vpon me ô Lord I will render praise vnto thee hauing that which I required I am bound to pay my vowes of thansgiuing as I promised thee ô Lord. CHAP. XII Of the vowes and feasts of the Gentiles Of espialls sent to the land of Canaan by Ioshua with diuers other Stratagems IN all Countreys of the world as well the Gentiles as the Iewes were wont to make vowes vnto their Gods with praiers and promise to performe those things which they vowed if their gods would graunt victories in warres against their enemies or health to their Kings and Princes or to remooue any plague or sicknes from the people The Persians when they vowed any thing to the Sunne the King with his councel called Magi ascended vpon a high hill or mountaine where
Tarentum against Pirrhus vsed the like stratagem shewing a bloudy sword in his hand saying to his souldiers that it was the bloud of Pirrhus whom he slew with his owne hand thereby to moue the souldiers to greater courage to fight more manfully Souldiers ought not to be terrified with the multitude of enemies with slaughters of their Armies wherby Cities Townes and Countries reuolt to the enemies as at the battell at Canne the report of Varro the Consul of the ouerthrow of the Romanes caused all the citie of Capua to reuolt to Haniball Againe the report in Praeneste of the ouerthrowe of Sylla by Telesinus at the battell of Antemna and of the marching of Telesinus towards Rome with all his whole Army it so affrighted Offella one of Syllas Colonels that he at that time besieging Praeneste thought to raise his siege hearing such hard newes of Sylla the Generall Skilfull Generalls and wise Captaines vsed euer to couer and conceale the multitude of enemies as Milciades Themistocles and other Greeke captaines kept the innumerable multitude of the Persian Armies secret from the souldiers So did Mardonius conceale from Xerxes the great slaughter of the Persians in Greece The Romanes being besieged by the Gaules many of the chiefe Romanes to the number of a thousand fled into their Capitoll The Gaules hauing possessed the Cittie of Rome for seuen moneths expecting the yeelding of the Capitoll the Romanes also within the Capitoll hauing welnigh consumed their victuals vsed this stratagem to throwe loaues of bread in euery place out of the Capitoll in such abundance though at that time they wanted prouision of bread that the Gaules were amazed suspecting they had prouision inough to hold out that they presently fell to composition with the Romanes The Thracians beeing besieged on such a straight hill where their enemies could haue no accesse to come vnto them and readie to die for famine vsed this stratagem to feed certaine beasts with wheate and cheese and to let the beasts goe downe towards their enemies Camp which being takē of the enemies and killed they found wheate and cheese in the bowels of the beastes thinking thereby that the Thracians had bin well victualled and prouided remoued their siege Clearchus the Lacedemonian vnderstanding that the Thracians had caried sufficient prouision of victuals for themselues vp to the mountaines to their Campe the Thracians sent their Embassadors still expecting when Clearchus for want of victuals would remoue his siege Clearchus knowing that the Thracian Embassadors were comming vsed this stratagem commaunded one of the captiues to bee slaine to bee deuided in peeces and to be distributed betweene him and other tenne of his captains in his pauiliō in the very sight of the Thracian Embassadors the sight whereof made the Thracians so astonished and thereby to yeeld thinking that they that could feed on such foode might continue too long for the Thracians to endure it But the Sonne of God gaue himselfe to be slaine for his souldiers to bee their spirituall foode to feed them both in body and soule to wearie Satan which still continueth his siege against Ierusalem I shall haue occasion to write of more stratagems hereafter and therefore I returne to the battels of the Hebrewes against the Canaanites CHAP. XIII Of the great victorie had ouer fiue Kings in the plaine of Moab by Ioshua Of their vnthankfulnesse afterward disobedience and of their marshall punishment therefore A Great battell was fought in the plaine of Moab commaunded by the Lord vnto Moses where fiue Kings of the Madianites were slaine their names you may read in the margeant all their villages and citties burnt with fire all their people slaine with the sword the Hebrewes tooke all the spoile and all the pray both of men and beasts and Moses was angry with the Captains of the host for sparing the women as Samuel was with king Saul for sparing Agag king of the Amalekites and Elizeus with Achab for sparing Benhadad and caused all women that had knowne men carnally to be slaine with the sword and to saue those that were virgins that knew no man which were two and thirtie thousand whereby it appeared that innumerable was the slaughter of men women and children in this battell where two and thirtie thousand virgins were found and reserued to liue whereby also the spoyle and pray was very rich in this battell to the Hebrewes In this battell was not one slaine of Ioshuas souldiers All the Captains and Colonels of the Army came before Moses saying thy seruants haue taken the number of all the men of warre which are vnder our authoritie and there lacketh not a man of vs. This was a stratagem of Ierusalem in the battels of the Lord that not one man died of the army in so great a victory The Lacedemonians reioyced much that Archidamus had obtained a great victorie got great spoile and slew many of his enemies without the loosing of one of his souldiers and therfore called it Bellumsine lachrimis Yet the Hebrewes for their three former victories at Riphidim at Horma and in the plaine of Moab were vnthankfull vnto the Lord and murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron and after against Ioshua Caleb as at Taberah where they so murmured against Moses their Generall that the Lord was so displeased with them that he executed martiall lawes vpon them for the fire of the lande burnt them and consumed the vtmost part of theyr Army because of their disobedience Moses sister Myria for that she spake against the Generall and began to rebel in the campe martiall laws were executed vpon her she was not spared for that she was Moses sister nor Moses himselfe when he had offended the Lord at the water of Meribah shee was made leaprous and shut out of the host seuen dayes vntill shee had due punishment for her seditious mutinie and prayers made by Moses before she was receiued into the host Againe Coreh Dathan and Abiron conspired and rebelled against their Generall with two hundred and fiftie souldiers that were famous in the Congregation and men of renowme but the lawe of armes was most terribly executed the ground claue asunder vnderneath them and opened her mouth and swalowed them aliue with all their treasures and wealth and all their families Againe they murmured against Ioshua and Caleb that the whole multitude would haue stoned Ioshua Caleb so seuere was the Lord against his owne people the Hebrewes for their disobedience and murmuring that he vsed martiall lawes vpon them that all they that came out of Egipt sixe hundred thousand for their disobedience against the Lorde and rebellious mutinies from time to time from place to place at Horeb at Taberah at Massa at Riphidim at Meribah died in the wildernesse for the Lord accepteth obedience more then sacrifice And therefore Noah for that he obeyed the Lord in
making the Arke saued himselfe and his family from the deluge Abraham for that he obeyed the Lord and was readie to offer and to sacrifice his sonne Isaac the whole world was blessed in his seed therefore the Lord said to Salomon If thou do all that euer I shall commaund thee thy throne shall be established for euer in Ierusalem The Lord commends the Rechabites for their obedience to Ionadab their father because Ionadab said Non bibetis vinum Mattathias his children answered Antiochus messenger saying Wee had rather obey the lawes of the Lord giuen to Moses and to our fathers then to obey the king So the seuen brethren answered that they had rather die then disobey the lawes of the Lord. The Prophet saith Fire haile snow Ise obey the commaundements of the Lord hee commaunds seas and windes and they obey the Lord he commanded rauens to feede Elias and they obeyed Cyrus King of Persia obeyed the Lorde for Cyrus confest that hee was commaunded to set forwards the Iews to build vp the temple in Ierusalem and as obedience is vnto the Lord most acceptable so is disobedience euen in the least things extreamly punished He that gathered sticks vpon the Sabboth day was stoned to death And the man of God for that he eate bread in Bethel against the Lords commaundement he was deuoured of a lyon and Ionas the Prophet for that he fled from the presence of the Lord he was throwne for his disobedience into the sea and swallowed vp of a whale And Moses the seruant of God with that rod that strooke the rocke that water gushed out with that rod which diuided the red seas that turned all the riuers and waters of Egipt to blood that turned all the dust of Egipt into Lice brought Frogs Flies Grasse-hoppers and wrought so many wonders in Egipt yet for that Moses disobeyed the Lord at the water of Meribah the Lord was so offended with Moses Aaron for their incredulitie and disobedience before the people that the Lord told them that they should not enter into the land of promise and that Moses should die in mount Nebo and Aaron his brother in mount Hor such was the exact iustice of the Lord and his seuere punishment against wilfull and disobedient people that he spared none no not Moses his owne seruant Aaron his owne Priest Ionas his owne Prophet nor Israel his owne people CHAP. XIIII Of the martiall lawes and military discipline of the Gentiles IN all Countries among all Nations where militarie discipline was not obserued there martial lawes were executed As among the Egiptians the Souldier that brake militarie rules to forsake the ranke to goe out of the campe and would disobey the chiefe magistrates officers captaines of the armie and would any waies offend the martiall lawes he should be displaced from his place were he either Serieant Lieutenant or any other officer and be placed in the meanest place of the armie and if he should bewray the counsell of his captaine or speake any thing against the generall he should haue his tongue cut off and sowed vpon his helmet Among the Persians there was a martiall law written that if any cowardly souldier should steale secretly from the campe and become a vagabound or a runnagate frō place to place he should being taken be cloathed in a womans apparell and be chained fast with an Iron manicle vpon his hands sitting with both his legs in a paire of stocks in the midst of the campe to be flouat and scoft at of all the whole armie which in like sort the Thrasians obserued and after hee should be taken for a woman and not for a man The Romanes were somewhat more seuere against disobedient souldiers especially against seditious fugitiue souldiers and against them that forsooke theyr standart and turned their backes to the enemies and from the camp to flee to the enemie these amongst the Romanes were punished with death The law in Sparta was if any soldiers of theirs should in any great and shamefull faultes in the warres offend they should be so noted and defamed that they might not borrow so much as a cup of water or a brand of fire with their next neighbors nor light a candle besides it was not lawfull for any man that met thē in the streets to speak to them These punishmēts far differ from the former punishmēt of the Lord fire frō heauen the opening of the earth the throwing into the feas deuouring by lions such of which I shall speake in another place Now to the marching of Ierusalē vnder Ioshua to whō a charge was giuen of a new army which was borne in the wildernesse after their fathers came out of Egipt to whom the Lord said Moses my seruant is dead as I was with Moses so will I be with thee and will neuer leaue thee nor forsake thee be strong and bold feare not and shewe thy selfe stout and valiant therefore obserue and do according to all the lawes which Moses my seruant commaunded thee What is spoken here to Ioshua was spoken after Ioshua to Iudah and after Iudah to Gedeon to Dauid and others so carefull was the Lord ouer his people that they should not choose them a Generall without the consultatiō of Vrim Thummim to guide and gouerne the armie to fight the battels of the Lord. So among all nations in all ages they were very carefull to haue and to choose wise stout and skilfull Generalls For as the Romane captaine Fabritius said that it was Pirrhus skil that ouercame Leuinus the Consull and not the Epirotes the Romanes and besides the straunge sight of the Elephants which the Romanes neuer sawe before that battell at Heraclea which the Romanes called Boues Lucanias Fabritius thought it a scorne that the Romanes should be ouerthrowne by any nation in the world if they had discreet valiant stout generals The like imaginatiōs the Romanes supposed that they were ouerthrowne at the battels of Trebeia Trasimen Cannes either by the subtill and deceitfull policie of Hannibal or else for that their gods were offended with them and not by the strength of the Carthagineans nor the Affricans But Pirrhus after foure yeares warres with the Romanes was constrained to forsake Italy after his ouerthrow at the battel of Arusina to leaue his Elephants behinde to beautifie Curius Dentalus tryumphe which was the first sight of Elephants in Rome for before nothing could be seene in Rome in former tryumphes but cattels of the Volscians flocks of beasts of the Sabines broken weapons and old armour of the Samnites coaches and couerings of the old Gaules Hannibal the greatest enemy that euer the Romanes had yet after seuenteene yeares warres hee was forced to retire from Italy to Carthage and there in his owne countery to be ouerthrowne at the battell of Zama by Scypio Affrican Hannibal so straightly
THE STRATAGEMS of Ierusalem With the martiall lawes and militarie discipline as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles By Lodowick LLoyd Esquier one of her Maiesties Serieants at Armes Sap. 7. Candor lucis aeternae est sapientia LONDON Printed by Thomas Creede 1602. TO THE RIGHT Honourable Syr Robert Cecill Knight Principall Secretary to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie Maister of the Court of Wardes and Liueries One of her Highnesse most Honourable priuie Councell and Chauncellour of the Vniuersitie of Cambridge ALexander the great right Honorable thought long to write the straunge sights hee sawe in India to Aristotle the philosopher in Macedonia Caesar made haste to write the celeritie of his victorie in Pontus to his friend Anitus at Rome The like desire is in my selfe with no lesse longing to make my labour knowne to such honourable friends as will both accept and defend my trauaile herein Of whom I made choice of your honour to dedicate the Stratagems of Ierusalem as vnto one that is furnished with stratagems wisedome and knowledge of whoÌ„ I may say as Plato spake of such like Consilium eius est qui rei cuiusque peritus Such wise and graue councellors the Lord euer prouided to attend on godly and vertuous Princes as eyes and eares to preuent both home and forraigne stratagemes of enemies as Chusai with Dauid to preuent the wicked purpose of Absalon and Nathan with Salomon to finde out the trecherous intention of Adonias The Lord left not the wicked Samaritans vnprouided of Prophets councellors yea euen amoÌ„g Infidels and Pagans the Lord stirred vp Daniel to counsel Nabuchodonozer in BabiloÌ„ Ioseph to counsell Pharao in Egipt that they might confesse acknowledge God to be the Lord therfore wel said Solon Non quae suauissima sed quae optima sunt coÌ„sulenda It is not the coÌ„sultatioÌ„ of the Romains with their soothsaiers that made their Empire so to florish nor of the Persians with their Magi that got the Monarchy of the Assyrians to Persia. All stratagems victories good counsell commeth from the Lord so wisdom saith I dwel with Princes in councell and am among them that seek wisdom knowledge Plato the Philosopher could so say Omnis consultatio quiddam sacrum est and Aristotle his scholler called councell of Princes Diuinissimum consilium The kings of Persia when they admitted any into councell tooke their fignet laid it on their mouths as a seale of sileÌ„ce saying Anima coÌ„silij secretuÌ„ so AlexaÌ„ did to his councellor EphestioÌ„ Neither could any be of councel in Persia but such as were in couÌ„cell most secret in gouernmeÌ„t most wise prudent The cause why Demosthenes was so esteemed amoÌ„ng the AtheniaÌ„s was his wisdoÌ„ policie often to preuent the force stratagems of Phillip of Macedon The cause why Vlixes was iudged more worthy of Achilles armor then Aiax was his experience and councell to Agamemnon in the Grecian warres So it may be well spoken of Nestor who was preferred before all other Greeke Captaines for the like cause Multitudo enim sapientuÌ„ sanitas orbis terraruÌ„ est saith wisdom It was not the counsel of the Nimph Egeria to Numa which was ridiculous but the wisedome policie of Numa therby to establish his lawes much commeÌ„ded Neither the counsell of Iupiter in the Capitoll to Scypio which was foolish but the policie practise of Scypio therby to animate his soldiers much extolled But no councell no policie against the Lord no wisdom nor Stratagem to ouerthrow a king or a kingdom but the sins of the king the kingdome So could Cratippus the Philosopher to that effect answere Pompey the great Fata per causas agunt So could Phaetenissa the Witch answere Saul at Endor Fatum pietatis appendix So could the Idoll of Apollo aunswere Augustus Caesar at Delphos the one willing to know what should become of the kingdome of Israel the other of the Empire of Rome But such busie ambitious braines like Cornel Lentulus that dreamed he should be the third Cornelius that should gouern the Empire were banished out of Athens by the law Ostracismus such might not come in Rome in gownes or in long cloakes into the Senate house by the law of Cincius Many haue Iocobs voice but they haue Esaus hands like Balaam Qui vocem non mentem mutant These dissembling Gibeonites were found out by Ioshuah these bragging Ephraimites were tried by pronouncing the letter Schiboleth None can resist the set purpose of the Lorde who could hinder Moses of his triumph in the midst of the sea or let Ioshuah to set his trophey in the middest of the heauens euen he that commaunded the seas to be diuided and commanded the Sun to stand ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon to whom iustly belong all stratagems victories tropheys and tryumphes Your Honors alwayes readie at commandement Lodowick Lloyd To the courteous Reader ALphonsus king of Cicile gentle Reader was euer wont to say Optimos consiliarios esse mortuos meaning wise and profitable bookes both at home and abroad Lucullus one of the greatest captaines among the Romaines and PhilopomeÌ„ of no lesse fame among the Grecians the one by reading Euangelus bookes the other by reading Xenophon became excellent souldiers In so much that Cicero wondred that Epaminondas being such a singular Philosopher should become so famous a Captaine A great staine in M. Corilianus and in C. Marius though otherwise stout and valiant not to be learned Caesars Commentaries are at this time as much esteemed among the Turkes as Homers Illiads were in auntient time among the Grecians If these Polymarchies and Campmaisters confesse that by holding a penne in the one hand do profit as much as by holding a sword in the other or rather more If Fabius weakned Hanibal more by delayes then Marcellus did by the sword If Fabritius wearied Pirrhus more by counsell then all Rome could do by their warres then it is truly said that Plura auspicijs concilijs quam telis manibus geruntur So that sometimes that saying of Cicero is true Cedantarma togae an other time the saying of Lysander is as true Sileant leges inter arma So all Empires ought to be Non â—…olùm armis decorata verumetiam legibus ornata Therefore Alexander Seuerus vsed both the sword and the penne as well in decreeing of his lawes at home as in mannaging of his warres abroad Consilijs togae militiae literatos adhibere I speak not of such bookes which Plato compareth Adonijs hortis fresh and full of sauour in the morning and withered and decayed at night like the Elephants of India at their first sight in Asia were so wondred at that Antiochus the great hauing but two named the one Aiax the other Patroclus the names of two Princes but when these Elephants became so common in Rome and in Asia that they were in euery CoÌ„suls triumph they were called but Boues Lucanias a great
change frō the names of Greeke Princes to bee named oxen of Lucania Bookes are no otherwise for in auntient time when bookes were yet rare they were fellowes and companions with Kings Princes in courts it so seemed by Alexander the great who could not sleepe before he laid Homer with his dagger vnder his pillow and by Scypio Affrican who would not frō Rome to Carthage without either Panetius or Polybius in his company and now bookes being common are so little regarded rather bought for their golden tytles which the Printer giueth them for his sale then for the matter therein by the Author written for the Revder much like to Mithridates sword whose scabbard was farre more precious and richer without then the blade within Of such bookes Plato speaketh Qui subitò vno die nati celerimè pereunt therfore seldome seene in sight are most in request The Ebaine tree which Pompey the great brought in his triumph into Rome was more wondred gazed vpon then all the braue shewes of the triumph besides So fewe wise words out of a wise mans mouth are more esteemed then heapes of wordes out of an vnwise mouth like the Abderites Embassadors more desirous to heare fewe words out of Zeno the Philosophers mouth then of all the Athenians besides and therfore Pau. Aemilius after he had subdued the king and kingdome of Macedonia wrote no more to the Senators but Victus est Perseus Caesar after he had conquered king Pharnaces wrote no more words but Veni vidi vici Like the Lacedemonians whose writings and speeches were so short and briefe that they would answer either Embassadors friends or foes by writing or by mouth in two or three words And so with the like fewe words I referre my selfe to the gentle disposition of the reader rather to excuse my trauell in curtesie then to accuse my goodwill wrongfully Lodowick Lloid The first Booke of the Stratagems of Ierusalem CAAP. I. Of diuers Battels and Combats Of seuerall markes of diuers nations vpon the good and bad Of the calling of Abraham and of his praise and trauell THe whole BIBLE is a Booke of the Battels of the Lord and the whole life of a man a militarie marching to these Battells betweene the seede of the womā the Serpent which Battel was first fought in heauē betweene Michael and his Angels and the Dragon and his angels at what time Satan was ouerthrowne and cast out of heauen with all his angels with him The second Battell was in Paradise fought betweene the seede of the woman and the seede of the Serpent where likewise Sathan was ouerthrowne for then it was promised that the seede of the woman should tread downe the Serpents head thereby perpetuall warre was publikely proclaimed in Paradise to continue betweene the seed of the woman and Sathan and therefore are the battels of the Lord innumerable in respect of number for that euery liuing man must fight in this battell in his owne person for his owne life and inuincible in respect of power and force for all battels and victories are of the Lord yea euen amongst Infidels and Pagans Which if the Hebrewes had so acknowledged it and had marched truly and faithfully in the Lords battels they should haue acknowledged this to haue bin their true Oracle that all victories come from the Lord and not from the arme of man Thē the Hebrewes might haue known that Egipt where they had bene bondmen and slaues 430. yeares was giuen to them for a pray frō the Lord by the hands of Moises and Aron and after Egipt the Canaanites Edomites Moabites Ammonites Philistines and diuers other nations were also giuen into their hands they might haue acknowledged that the ouerthrow of 39. Kings was no small bootie to such simple men as were no souldiers by education but brought vp as shepheards from Abrahams time to Moises But they forgot the great armies and legions of Frogges Flies Grashoppers and such armies which the Lord prouided to fight for them while yet they were bondmen in Egipt where they had ten victories and ten tryumphs some in the midst of the land of Egipt some in the midst of the Court of Pharao and some in the midst of the red sea to the wonder and terrour of the whole world The Hebrues might likewise haue knowne that the Chaldeans were giuē to the hands of the Assyrians the Assyrians to the Persians the Persians to the Macedonians the Macedonians to the Romanes Yet all these miraculous victories which the Lorde gaue the Hebrewes ouer so many Kings and Countries could not make them to acknowledge the author thereof but what victories soeuer the good kings of Iudah got by seruing of the Lord that the euil wicked Kings both of Iuda Israel lost by their Idolatry and contempt of the Lord vntill they themselues were rooted out of their Countrey slain and ouerthrowne and their Kings taken carried captiues the one by Salmanasser to the Assirians the other by Nabuchodonozer into Babilon of whom you shall reade more of them and of their warres hereafter And now I thinke it most conuenient to speake somewhat of diuers seuerall combats which is the strongest and onely battaile for in this battaile euery man must first ouercome himselfe and after be ready armed to fight with Sathan and his souldiers the onely enemie of man against whom all men are bounde by the vow of Cherim to fight the battels of the Lord. We are commanded to be as subtill as Serpents to preuent the subtill stratagems of Sathan with spirituall weapons who from the beginning against the Lord in heauen and against man in Paradise practised his policies this is the old Dragon which Michael threw downe out of heauen this is the serpent which the seed of the woman subdued in Paradise this is that ghostly enemy which practised his stratagem by his seruant Pharo in Egypt not onely by making a lawe and decree first to kill the Hebrewes children and after by a second decree to drowne them in Nilus least he should be deceiued in the first but also with a like stratagem by his seruant Herod to kill to the number of 14000. yong Infants in Bethelem and in Iuda among the which he sought Christ therefore we are commanded to be strong and valiant as the Lord commanded not only Ioshua Dauid and others of his owne seruants but also Nabuchodonozer and Cyrus In these kinde of battels or combats euery man must be armed with such spirituall weapons as is by Paul the Apostle appointed to resist the violence of so great an enemy who doth not only assault vs abroad but in our chambers yea in our beds we must therefore wrestle with this enemy as Iacob wrestled with the Angell for the which he was named Israel as Iob wrestled with Sathan for the which the Lord called him his seruant Iob Or as Dauid did with the Gyant Goliah for the which he was annointed King
Nero sought the destruction of the Christians within all the Empire of Rome Achab was not so greedie to haue his wrath and anger satisfied vpon the Prophet Micheas nor Iezabel vpon the Prophet Elias as Nero was to haue Paul the Apostle and Peter slaine in Rome who fild all the streets of Rome with the blood of Christians as Manasses king of Iuda filled all the streets of Ierusalem with innocent blood so that Nero could not be satisfied vntill he had ended his tragedie killing his mother his wiues his sisters and after himself as Mithridates king of Pontus had done before him The second message of Moses was to command Pharao to let the Hebrues depart out of Egipt which being refused denied the Lord vsed a stratagem began to vexe them with a second plague with an vgly armie of Frogges which assaulted Pharao and his country so fiercely that all the Riuers and all the land of Egipt were couered ouer with loathsome Frogges Pharaos Court his priuie chamber his victuals vpon euery man these Frogges scrawled climbed vpon Pharao his Peeres his States and vpon all his people without respect of persons they spared none that all the force strength of Egipt could not resist the force violence of these simple creatures but were constrained to forsake their houses their beds and to seeke to escape these filthy Frogs who left no secret place vnsought but the Hebrews in the land of Gosen were free from these plagues Pharao being dismaied and fearefull to see such vgly sights terrible stratagems was forced to yeeld himselfe to Moses the Captaine and leader of this armie at what time Moses had his second tryumph in the midst of Egipt This was the second victorie and tryumph which the Hebrewes had in Egipt by an armie of Frogs weake souldiers of themselues but there is nothing so weak that the Lord cannot cause to ouercome the greatest power of man Yet Pharaos heart was so hardned that hee answered Moses message from the Lord Quis est dominus Who is the Lord saith Pharao most blasphemously much like to the blasphemy of Nicanor who doubted of the Lord being in heauen and demaunded of Iudas Machabaeus Is there a Lord in heauen that can commaund you to keepe the Sabboth day But I haue power on earth to execute the kings commaundement Nabuchodonozer besides him there is no Lord in heauen nor in earth that can defend you out of Nabuchodonozers hand but that tongue which blasphemed the Lord was cut off and cast to the sowles of the aire to be eaten the head and the hand that fought against the Lord were cut off he being slain in the battell by Iudas Machabeus and hangd vpon the Temple in Ierusalem This secōd plague may be well resembled to the second persecution vnder Domitianus the Emperor who with no lesse crueltie persecuted the Christians in Rome then Pharao did the Hebrewes in Egipt or as Nero his predecessor did in Italy but as in Egipt all men fled from their houses their beddes their tables to seeke some rest from the Frogges so in Rome and in Italy the poore Christians fled euery where frō place to place to hide themselues in secret caues and dennes to escape the cruell sword of this swelling toade Domitianus who excelled Pharao in tyrannie Pharao saide Quis est dominus Who is the Lord I know not the Lord. But Domitianus named himselfe Lord and god Domitianus and by a decree commanded so to be named of all mē in Rome and throughout the Empire of Rome and therwithall caused his Image to be set vp in the Temple at Ierusalem This cruell and blasphemous Emperour Domitianus so persecuted the Christians and so vexed the whole Empire that not only the Citizens of Rome but also all Italy sought other places in other countries as banished men to seeke to auoyd the sword of this bloodie Emperor who passed Pharao in blasphemy and Nero in tyrannie but his end was no better then Neroes for as Nero slue himself with his own hand so was Domitianus in his owne house murthered slain by his owne seruants for he that killeth many must of some be kild and so Domitianus was for blood is reuenged with blood and is one of those foure sinnes that crieth vp to heauen for vengeance but Rome was euer full of blood betweene their forrein warres abroad and their ciuill warres at home CHAP. IIII. Of the third and fourth plagues of the Egiptians compared with the third and fourth persecutions of the Christians MOyses againe after two denialls marcheth with his armie against Pharao to his third battell which was with more simple and weake souldiers then the second battell was for the Lord commaunded Moses to smite the dust of the earth with his rod that all the dust of the earth became Lice throughout all the land of Egipt and these were the armies of the Lord the which crept vpon euery man and vpon euery beast and went as in battell raie and well instructed souldiers vpon Pharao his Lords and his Courtiers and ouer all the land of Egipt this armie spared no place feared no man but the land of Gosen and the Hebrewes there dwelling To this were Iamnes and Iambres and all Soothsayers and Charmers of Egipt publikely forced to say that it was digitus dei the finger of God and Pharao after them was as afore twise now the third time constraited to yeeld to Moses but still without grace or repentance Thus euery victorie had his triumph and euerie triumph was solemnized without either a stroak giuen or a sword drawne but with a white rod in Moses hand so that it seemed rather a combat betweeene Moses and Pharao then a set battell betweene the Hebrewes and the Egiptians The third persecution vnder Traiane in Rome in all points is to be likened to the third plague vnder Pharao in Egipt for the bloud of the Christians in Rome and the plague of the Hebrewes in Egipt crie for equal vengeance and iustice vpon wicked Tyrants and murtherers vnto heauen Though Traiane was wrote vnto by Pliny the second to admonish him to mittigate the vehement persecutidus of the Christians certifying Traiane that the Christians liued soberly and quietly not offending the Romane lawes but by professing their religigion and the name of Christ. Notwithstanding Pliny could do litle good with his Letters to Traiane the Emperour in the behalfe of the Christians at Rome no more then Philo could do with his perswasions to Nero for the Iewes in Alexandria though Philo himselfe being learned and graue and of great authoritie with the Iewes spake in person to Nero and yet Appian the Egiptian being but a schoolemaister in Alexandria a man of no reputation had audience of Nero which was denied to Philo so much Rome hated the Christians Egipt the Hebrews that their plagues
persecutiōs may well bee compared together for still persecution encreased in Rome in so much that the Christians that were dispersed scattered in euery place for feare were so persecuted that vnder Traiane and vnder Sapor King of Persia infinite slaughter was made of the Christians and euery where where the Romane Emperours ruled th◅ was but sword and fire but the more the Christians were persecuted the more they were encreased the more they were hanged slaine and burned the more were they multiplied and encouraged through faith to esteeme little or nothing these tyrants or theyr tyrannie which might moue the Romanes as well to say that it was Digitus dei in the third persecution as the Egiptians did confesse in their third plague For if the Egiptians had obserued how the Hebrews in the land of Gosen had neuer heard or seene or felt any plague being in one Countrey and at one time nor so much as a dogge among the Hebrewes miscarried or if the Romanes had but considered the workes of the Lord how hee encreased the Christians to surmount the slaughters of the persecutions and strengthened the Christians to conquer the crueltie of these Tyrants that as the Hebrews multiplied in Egipt to the ouerthrow of Egipt in spite of Pharaos killing drowning so the Christians multiplyed in all the Romane Empire for all theyr slaughter and destroying of the Christians But no amendment appeared in Pharao by the three former plagues then marcheth Moses forward with his fourth Army commaunding with one message still thus saith the Lorde Let my people goe or else to bee afflicted with the fourth plague with the like simple Army of souldiers as before in the second and the third for great swarmes of flyes came into the Court of Pharao and into all the lande of Egipt so that all Egipt was corrupted by this infinite multitude of flyes but in the lande of Gosen to the great wonder of Pharao and his people were none of these souldiers seene for the Lord had seperated the lande of Gosen where his people the Hebrewes dwelt that they should not bee touched either with Frogs Flies or Lice Pharao and all his kingdome of Egipt man and beast were so bitten and infected with these swarmes of Flies and wearied with these souldiers that Pharao againe yeelded to Moses and requested Moses to do sacrifice for him vnto the Lord and promised Moses that Israel should goe out of Egipt Notwithstanding he kept no promise but still hardened his heart and prouoked the Lord to plague him his court and his kingdome It seemed the Egiptians hated the Hebrewes mortally being thus persecuted with such horrible plagues that they still yeelded but neuer repēted But no plague no calamitie could moue Pharao to yeeld obedience to the lord neither acknowledge his name but still saying Nescio dominum but by meanes made to Moses to remooue these plagues from him yeelding euer the victory to Moses but neuer yeelding his heart to the Lord. In Rome in Antioch in Alexandria in Caesaria and euery where else where the Romanes had any gouernment the Iewes were giuen to be deuoured of wild and fierce beasts as Lyons Elephants and Tygres and to fight vpon publike theaters to solemnize the tryumphs of Vespasian Titus And therefore were the Hebrues well compared to the Christians for their manifolde plagues and miseries and the Egiptians to the Romains for their tyrannie Yet the Hebrewes had some oddes more then the Christians had for they might fight on publike shewes vpō theaters with Lyons Elephants and wild beasts which Titus sent frō Ierusalem to Rome to beautifie his father Vespasians triumph to the number of 16000. Iewes but the Christians with present death with all the tortures that could be inuented executed vpon them I may not forget Pharao in Egipt for his well deserued plagues the violence whereof he could not resist nor defend himselfe frō these armies in his priuy chamber For that it was the Lords battell as Iamnes and Iambres and the charmes of Egipt before did confesse So Nabuchodonozer cōfessed after he was taken from the throne of his kingdome in Babilon to liue among beasts in the field So Manasses cōfessed after he was taken captiue from his kingdome in Iudah to become from a king a bondman in Babilon So Iulian the Apostata was constrained after he threw into the aire a handfull of his heart blood to say Vicisti Galile and so all blasphemers and tyrants confesse that the Lord is God when they are punished and plagued and cannot resist it and yet Pharao in Egipt would not confesse that it was the finger of God as Iamnes Iambres did neither acknowledging the Lord to be God as Nabuchodonozer and Manasses did neither yeelding the conquest vnto the Lord as Iulian the Apostata did and therefore Moses is sent vnto Pharao to denounce vnto him the fift plague and to giue Pharao the space of a whole day to think on it assuring Pharao the next morning it should come to passe vnlesse hee would let his people goe CAAP. V. Of the fift and sixt plagues of the Egiptians compared with the fift and sixt persecutions of the Christians BEhold the fift plague by the hand of the Lord vpon Pharao and vpon his cattell his Horses Asses Camels Oxen and Sheepe with a mightie great morraine so that all the cattel of Egipt died and of the cattell of the Hebrues died not one Pharao being with this astonished more fearefull of these plagues and losses then carefull to auoyd punishments or mindfull of repentance not acknowledging God to be the Lorde sent to the lande of Gosen to know whether any of these plagues happened among the Hebrewes being instructed and certified that there was nothing in the lande of Gosen but loue mirth and ioy none of their cattell nor of their beasts died It is the nature of wicked men to enuie vertue and godlines in good men Yet Pharao reuolted from the Lord and refused his mercies often offered though afore-hand he knew and Moses told him that the next day the Lord should bring this fift plague to passe And so before the waters were turned into blood before the Frogges the Lice and the Flies who like armed souldiers Phalanges wise assaulted Pharao of the which hee was warned before by Moses but yet it mooued not Pharao for all this to repentance though Pharao was often astonished and mooued to yeeld victorie yet not to embrace penitencie far worse then Esau who would haue repented but could not though he sought it with teares This fift plague may fitly and well be compared to the fift persecution vnder Sept. Seuerus for as in Egipt both man and beast died of the morraine so vnder this cruell Emperour as well by bloodie persecution as ciuil warres euery where blood was shead beside the Romane legions of souldiers were slain that the slaughter was infinite For like
as in Egipt their horses asses oxen camels and sheepe and all their beasts were slaine with a mightie great morraine so the Romane generals their collonels captaines and all kind of souldiers were slain as wel in Rome and Italy as euery where throughout the Romane Empire as well with wars as with diuers sicknesses diseases yet not ceasing to persecute the Christians according to their custome but the martyrs of the Lord the souldiers of God increased still in number in euery country Such euer was the prouidence of the Lord that Septimius the like were either murdered slaine in their country or else banished died out of their country as this Septimius did or as the great Antiochus Epiphanis did being the only enemies of Gods people tyrannizing against Iudah forcing them with sword fire to forsake God their religion lawes strangling men hanging some womē with their childrē about their necks other women they cast downe headlong ouer the walls with their babes hanging at their breasts making search for the bookes of Moses and burning all that he could finde written of the law of Moses prophaned the temple sacrificed swines flesh against the law of the Iews compelled the Iews to eate swines flesh to forsake circumcisiō and to adore his gods his tyrannie was such that the Samaritans sent vnto him messengers for very feare denying themselues to be Iewes but a people comming out of the Meades and Persians therin they said the truth for they were not true Iewes requesting Antiochus that the Temple which they builded in Mount Garisim should be named the Temple of Iupiter and that they would bee gouerned by Appolonius and Nichanor his Lieftenants and become Antiochus seruants Yet the Lord raised those in Iudah that esteemed not his threatnings waighed not his commaundements feared not his tortures for so the Lord said to Elias that he reserued 7000. that neuer bowed nor bended knee to Baall which kept the lawes of the Lord as Mattathias and his fiue sonnes in Modin and diuers other in Iudah not weighing Antiochus nor his Lieftenants When this cursed and cruell Antiochus sawe how little the Iewes weighed his threatnings and how they stil increased in number and how forward they were in their religion he thereby fell sicke and confessed that the euill that he did to the Temple of Ierusalem and to the inhabitants of Iudah was the cause that he must die in a straunge land for before Antiochus had proudly promised to make Ierusalē a graue for al the Iewes burial we leaue Antiochus dead out of his Countrey in Persia and turne to Moses in Egipt This was euer the commaundement of the Lord to Moses rise and stand vp before Pharao and say thy wonted message thus saith the Lord let my people goe Yet nothing moued Pharao but as a sworne enemy against the Lord stiffe necked and hard hatred refused al graces and mercies offred and therfore Moses was commanded to take the ashes out of the furnace to sprinkle it vp into the aire before Pharaos face strait out of the same ashes there brake out sores with blaines botches swellings both in man beast so that Iamnes and Iambres all the Sorcerers of Egipt could not stand before Moses forthey thēselues were plagued with botches biles which Manetho an Egiptiā historiographer falsly fained a fable that these blaines and botches which the Egiptians had to be a leprousie on the Hebrues naming Moses Osarphis a Priest a law-giuer ouer the Hebrues Yet Cheremon named him Tisithes one contrary to another and both cōtrary to the truth and as Iosephus saith both Manetho and Cheremon affirmed that what Moses had done concerning the myracles in Egipt to be done by Magicke So Pliny held the like opinion that Moses was a great Magitian and did all those myracles before Pharao in Egipt by Magicke Pliny had no cause so to say for Nero the Emperour which was instructed with the best Magicians of all the East kingdomes which Tiridates king of Armenia brought with him to Rome yet it helped not Nero at his need neither the Emperor Iulianus Apostata being well learned and throughly instructed in Magick It could do him no good no more then Iamnes and Iambres to Pharao And therefore I will set downe the true History of Moses written by Iosephus a graue a learned Iew and a gouernour of all the countrey of Galiley farre to be preferred before Appian an Egiptian Schoolmaister in Alexandria Who after their fabulous lies most impudently blasphemed their Temple affirming an Asse head all of gold by the Iewes most religiously worshipped and honoured in their temple which was found in the time of Antiochus Epiphanis when he sacked Ierusalem spoyled the temple We wil passe ouer these false Egiptiās writers come to Moses This sixt plague is likened to the sixt persecution vnder Maximinus a most cruell Emperor being puffed vp with pride insolency and wearied with vulgar persecutions proceeded forward to persecute Bishops Doctors and other learned Christians that professed the name of Christ as Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna Ignatius and such he spared no degrees within the Romain prouinces but as the Egiptians were plagued with soares botches blaines and biles so hee vexed the Christians with sword fire and extreame tortures And as nothing could moue Pharao in Egipt to acknowledge the Lorde to be God so nothing could moue this tyger Maximinus to acknowledge Christ to be the Lord but without mercy and compassion persecuted afflicted the Christians Thus not only the Emperors of Rome tyrannized against Christians but also the kings of Syria little inferiour to the Romans in tyrannie against whom the Lord did not only stirre men but women children to contemne their threatnings and to despise their crueltie as Antiochus king of Syria commanded caudrons brazen pots to be heated straitly charging that he that spake but a word with Moses law should haue his tongue cut out this could not terrifie a woman with her seuen sonnes who one after another denied the eating sacrificing of swines flesh the defiling of their temple with Images refusing to forsake the lawes of Moses and in this to liue and die The king straight commanded that the tongue of the eldest brother should be cut out to pull the skin ouer his head to pare off the edges of his hands feete and after these tortures while yet there was any life in him to be fried in the hote caudron and that in the sight of his mother and his other sixe brethren assuring them that they should suffer the like torments one after another vnlesse they would forsake the religion lawes of the Iewes eat swines flesh and offer sacrifice of swines flesh vnto Iupiter vpon the altars at Ierusalem Samaria but they esteemed the least iot of their lawe more then the greatest tortures that
this bloudie Emperour Valerianus left no place vnsought to persecute the remnant of the Christians which his predecessors could not find with sword and fire vntil he himself was taken his army ouerthrown by Sapor King of Persia who tooke him and kept him in prison all his life time in bondage and slauery vsing him as a blocke to mount on horsebacke things hard and straunge to the Romanes to haue their Emperour in such slauish seruice to become a vassal and a blocke for Sapor King of Persia to lay his foote vpon his necke to goe on horse And was not the great Turke Pazaites ouerthrown and his Army slaine at Mount Stella by Tamberlane a rude and barbarous Scithian and himselfe taken and kept in a cage vnder his table and carried him in that cage in all his warres during Tamberlanes life so that the great Emperour of Rome died as a blocke for King Sapor in Persia and Pazaites the great Turke died in Tamberlanes cage as a captiue in Scythia So Pharao in diuers battels was ouerthrowne by Moses and vsed as a blocke and at last drawne as it were by a corde like a dogge by Moses from Egipt into the redde sea and there to dye as you shall read in the two next plagues that followe CHAP. Of the ninth and tenth plagues of the Egiptians compared with the ninth and tenth persecutions of the Christians MOses is sent from the Lord to Pharao and commanded to hold out his hand vnto heauen that there was darknesse vpon all the land of Egipt such palpable darknesse that neither fire candle torch or any light might giue thē light it was such palpable darknesse that the Egiptians might feele it and this darknesse continued three daies long that one might not see an other Yet Pharaos heart was so hardned that now in his furie and rage he commaunds Moses and Aaron to goe out of his sight threatning them with death if they came any more before him though in the last plague he requested Moses and Aaron to pray for him and to forgiue him his sinnes but then were his words full of dissimulation and his repentance full of hypocrisie hee could say I haue sinned but he could not say I haue repented and beforie for his sinnes The ninth persecution vnder Aurelianus in Rome may throughly bee likened to the ninth plague vnder Pharao in Egipt The like threatnings of speech and the like words that Pharao vsed to Moses and Aaron in Egipt the like vsed Aurelianus against the Christians in Rome but it contiued not long for he was slaine as others his predecessors were And as for the great palpable darknesse in Egipt so was it in Rome when their minde was more darke then darknesse it selfe The Egiptians hated not the Hebrews so much as the Romanes hated the Christians For Pilate the Romane presidēt in Ierusalem which gaue sentence on Christ to die and sawe many myracles done by him sent Letters to his maister Tiberius the Emperor and to the Senators recyting the myracles that Christ had done before he died saying hee was worthy to bee canonized placed among the Romane goddes which all the Senators with one consent denied though Caesar requested them first and threatned them after yet Christ was not allowed to be a Romane God Tiberius without effect of his good motion died so did that wicked Emperor Aurelianus in the midst of his cruel persecutions After whō succeeded a good valiant Emperor Flam. Claudius so valiāt that he vanquished the Gothes the Illyrians and Macedonians whereby in Rome he was so honoured that the Senators sent to him a goldē Target which afterward was set vp in the shew-place and a golden statue to stand in the Capitoll but he died too timely of a sicknesse at Sirmium After him succeeded his brother Aurel. Quintilius a good moderate Emperour equall or rather to be preferred before his brother but he was slaine within 18. daies after hee was elected Emperour by the souldiers These good Emperors onely I name for that persecutions were euer executed by cruel Kings and Emperors But these cruell Emperours as they cruelly destroyed others so cruelly were they destroyed after as some of them were killed by theyr owne handes as Nero some murthered by their owne seruants as Domitianus some suddenly slaine riding by the high way as Decius some banished died in straunge Countreys as Seuerus others died captiues in bondage and slauerie as Valerianus did in Persia others eaten with cankers wormes as Maximinius others murthered one after an other as Aurel. Tacit. and Florianus Thus were those Emperours slaine and murthered that cruelly persecuted the Christians The Lorde beeing determined now to finish his plague in Egipt and to bring his people away willed euery man and euery woman to borrow of their neighbours Iewels of gold and siluer for Moses was verie great in the land of Egipt with Pharao and with the people for before this Pharao had appointed Moses Generall of the Egiptians against the king of Aethiopia which I wrote in the Historie of Moses Yet said the Lord I will bring one plague more vpon Pharao and vpon Egipt and after that he will let you goe hence for all the first borne of the land of Egipt shall die euen from the first borne of Pharao that sitteth on his seate vntill the first borne of the maide seruant that sitteth in the mill The Lord knew at that time how to saue the Hebrewes in Gosen from all the plagues in Egipt and to saue Noah from the geneall deluge in the Arke to saue Lot from fire and brimstone in Zodome and to saue the Christians from the destruction of Ierusalem in Pella As this tenth plague was the greatest and the heauiest so the tenth persecution was the greatest and the longest vnder Dioclesian in the East parts and vnder Maximianus in the West either of them persecuting and afflicting with such slaughters of martyred Christians that for the space of tenne yeares for so long continued the tenth persecution there was nothing but the wonted bloudie persecution sword and fire by the commaundements of both these Emperours with most extremitie to bee executed and as vnder Nero the first persecution began so vnder Dioclesian it ended For the Church of God so flourished the Christians so encreased and the godly martyrs so multiplyed that these tyrants were wearie to persecute them any longer At that very time when persecution ended vnder Dioclesian then heresie began to spring vnder Sathan for when one stratagem of Sathan faileth he practiseth an other Now Arius marcheth with his Antitrinitary crew and set themselues in battell against the Lord with horrible and blasphemous weapons and as the Poets faine the Gyants set themselues in battell against the Sun the Moone and the Stars so this crew of heretikes set themselues to fight against God the Father the Sonne and the holy
not when Thermutes laide the diademe vpon the childes head which Moses being but a very childe with both his handes tooke the diademe from his head and threw it to the ground and treaded it vnder his feete whereat the Priestes of Egipt were so astonished that they told the king that that childe shoulde bee the ouerthrow and destruction of Egipt they all counselled Pharao to take away the feare of Egipt and the hope of the Hebrewes Notwithstanding Moses as he was by the prouidence of God preserued saued from killing drowning being a childe so likewise then was he kept from the enuy and malice of the Priestes and of the Egiptians who sought to kill him as the Iewes thought to kill Paul but as Paul preuailed ouer the Iewes so Moses preuailed ouer the Egiptians and marched forward with this Hebrew army towards Aethiope gaue them two great battels ouerthrew them chased them and daunted the courage of the Aethiopians that they were brought lower by the Hebrewes then the Egiptians were before by the Aethiopians The Aethiopians thus being brought lowe Moses brought his armie and besieged Saba the chiefe citie of Aethiope at what time the king of Aethiope his daughter named Tharbis hauing hard such great report of Moses fortitude and prowesse went vp on the walles of the citie to behold the armie of the Hebrewes where she saw Moses manfully and valiantly fighting before his armie she much admired his courage and wondred at his prowesse doubting much the destruction of her countrey she sent some of her chiefe seruants vnto Moses by whom shee opened her fauour her loue towards Moses offering her selfe to him in marriage and to cōclude peace between the Aethiopians the Egiptians which Moses accepted vpon her oath that the citie Saba should be yeelded vp into Moses hand and peace concluded betweene Aethiope Egipt which presently was yeelded vp and the marriage performed notwithstanding Moses at his returne to Egipt his seruice was more maliciously accused and suspected then thankfully accepted such hatred malice grew in Egipt towards Moses by meanes of the Priestes and the king himselfe suspected him for his greatnesse and successe of his victories ouer the king of Aethiopia that Pharao doubted that Moses might doo the like in Egipt by these meanes traps and snares were laide to destroy Moses that Moses was in such feare of his life the rather for that he kild an Egiptiā that abused an Hebrue that he was forced secretly to flie through the wildernesse vnto the Madianites where he maried Zephora Iethro his daughter and there continued fortie yeares from whence he was called by the Lord to lead his people from Egipt to Canaan whose greatnesse then was more knowne then before as is set downe in Exodus so that Appian with his Egiptian Authors with their fained fables against Moses are worthie to be scoft at for their impudent lies for Moyses was brought vp with Thermutes the kings daughter heire of Egipt and married to Tharbis the kings daughter of Aethiope But let vs omit Appian with his fellow lyers and come to Moses marching with his Hebrew campe CAAP. IX Of certaine military lawes and marshall exercise of the Hebrewes vnder Moses in the wildernesse AFter that Pharao and the Egiptians were drowned in the red sea the Hebrewes had such rich spoyles by their dead bodies found on the sea shoares that now the Hebrewes became from poore shepheardes called Hicsos in Egipt to be rich souldiers that neither Phillip king of Macedonia had such spoyle in Delphos nor his sonne Alexander in Babilon nor Nabuchodonozer in Ierusalem as the Hebrewes had of the spoyle of the Egiptians vpon the shoare For now the Egiptians paie them their hires for the seruice and bondage of foure hundred and thirtie yeares So Philo said that the borrowing of Iewels of siluer and Iewells of Golde was nothing else but to paie the due debt vnto the Hebrewes for their long bondage and seruice So Rupertus saide the wages and hires which the Egiptians kept so long vniustly from the Hebrewes by an honest guile the Hebrewes obtained their long deteined due for the Lord commanded the Hebrues to borrowe Golde and siluer of the Egiptians and the spoyle which is gotten of the enemies is due by the lawe of armes The Hebrewes marched vnder Moses with Egiptian weapons with songs of hymnes and Psalmes for the victorie vnto the Lord. Myria Moses sister the women and virgins of Israel with violls harpes and tabrets and with great melodie gaue thankes vnto the Lord so that it was afterwardes a custome among the Virgines of Israel to sing Psalmes and Songes to thanke the Lorde for their victories and withall to aduaunce the fame of the Generalls and Captaines as they did to Saul and Dauid The Lorde sets downe certaine martiall lawes to Moses to gouerne and to rule his people commaunding him to make two siluer Trumpets to assemble the armie to call the congregation and for the remouing of the Campe and charged the sonnes of Aaron to sounde out the trumpets in any seruice onely the Priests were appointed by the lawe to sound the trumpets to carry the arke which was their office for euer When thou goest out with the host against thy enemies keep thee then from all wickednes be clean from pollution in the night for the Lorde may not abide in the hoste any souldier that is any way vncleane before he be washt with water and purified and when a souldier must serue the necessitie of nature amōg other weapons he must haue his paddle staffe to dig the earth and after to couer his excrement for the Lord would haue his people pure and holie both in soule and bodie for the Lord walketh in the midst of the campe among his souldiers The Hebrues were also commanded whē they went to any battell that the Priest should stand before the whole armie being called together with the sound of a trumpet to exhort the armie and to encourage them to feare nothing the multitude of their enemies but to fight valiantly the battels of the Lorde assuring them that the Lorde would be their Captaine and goe before them and therfore not to doubt of the victorie So the Lord promised and said to Moses I will goe before thee to Egipt against Pharao So the Lord said to Ioshua that he would goe before him and his armie to Iericho So the Lord with the like words spake to Nabuchodonozer when he went against Ierusalem And euen so he spake to Cyrus when he went against Babilon All battels victories are mine saith the Lord. As the Lord promised not only to Moses to Ioshua and to others but also to Nabuchodonozer Cyrus Heathen Princes to goe before them in his own battels and therefore the Heathen kings made their souldiers beleeue that the Gods taught them stratagems to ouercome their enemies Archidamus vsed a
stratagem against the Arcadians commaunded secretly in the night time certaine horses to goe round about his campe and in the morning hee shewed his souldiers the steps of the horses saying that it was Castor Pollux that would be readie in the next battell to take their parts and to fight with them against the Arcadians So did Epaminandas he caused the armor which did hang in the temples and were dedicated to their Gods secretly to be taken downe by this stratagem he perswaded his souldiers that the gods promised to be in those armors themselues to fight in the battell Pericles Generall for the Athenians vsed the like policie caused a comely tall man of great stature all in purple to sit on a high stately chariot drawne with goodly white horses standing in a thicke wood consecrated to Pluto where both the armies might behold him vntill the signe of the battell were giuen then he called to Pericles and willed him to goe forwards and said that the gods of Athens were at hand by this stratagem Pericles got a great victory for the enemies fled before the battell began The Gentiles the Heathens beleeued confessed that all victories good successe came to them by seruing of their gods and all their ouerthrowes calamities fell vpon them by offending their gods so much stood the Heathens in awe and feare of their gods And like as Ioshua Iosaphat Dauid returned to giue thankes to the Lord with violls harpes trumpets for their victories so the Lacedemonians with trumpets and flutes crowned with garlands made of all kinde of flowers and with a song to Castor Pollux for any victories which they had obtained The Romanes also and the Grecians not only with building of Temples and Aultars but with the great sacrifice Haecatombae did please their Gods for theyr victories In Hercules Temple in Sparta the Armours that were hanged vp and consecrated to Hercules seemed to make a sound and and a noise and at Thebes in the Temple of the same Hercules the gates of the Temple being shut were suddenly of themselues opened and the shields and the targets that were hanged vp in the roofe of the Temple dedicated to Hercules fel downe were found vpon the ground which foreshewed to the soothsayers the destruction both of Sparta and Thebes Now to the Hebrewes The Lord commaunded that hee that buildeth a new house and had not possessed it a yeare should be spared from warre Hee that planted a vineyard and not receiued the fruites thereof should also be spared from warre And he that betrothed himselfe to a wife and had not married her might in like case be spared from war After the Priest had ended his exhortation to the souldiers the Generall of the Army proclaimed that if any timerous or fainthearted souldier were within the Army hee should returne home least hee through his cowardlinesse should disanimate or discourage the rest of his Army Hence the Gentiles had the first instruction to vse the like long after this time for the lawe of Armes which the Lord gaue vnto his people the Hebrewes in the wildernesse were in all countries of the Gentiles afterwards imitated in all their warres As among the Romaines the Priestes Faeciales in like sort as the Hebrewes exhorted and encouraged the Romanes manfully to fight for their Countrey repeating the lawe of Armes of the Hebrewes So the Athenians before they cōmenced any battel their Priests called Mantes stood before the army made a speech to the souldiers of the iust cause of theyr wars and would bee further instructed by their Oracles to know of their victories The Persians likewise would take no warre nor battell in hand before they had consulted with their soothsayers which were their wise men called Magi. CHAP. X. Of the camp of the Hebrews of their exercise in the wildernesse and of the whole Army deuided vnder foure principal standarts and of placing of the Arke in the midst of the Camp THe Lord commaunded at the setting out of the Army vnto the battell that the Arke should be carried by the Leuites which Ark signified the presence of God the figure of Christ at what time Moses vsed alwaies these words at the lifting vp of the Ark rise vp Lord let thy enemies be scattered and let them that hate thee flee before thee And when the Arke rested Moses alwaies said these words Returne ô Lord to thee many thousands when the Arke was caried a cloude couered the Arke and where the cloud stayed there the Arke would rest and when the cloud remoued the Arke was also to be remoued for by the remouing of the cloud the Arke was also to be remoued The Lord commanded in the wildernesse of Sinai to Moses and Aaron with the twelue Princes of the Tribes of Israel to take muster to number thē that were able to goe to the wars frō twentie yeares vpward hence frō the Hebrewes the Gentiles tooke their instructions in numbring and mustring their souldiers Moses numbred the people and found six hundred three thousand fiue hundred fiftie able men to go to wars in the camp of the Hebrews beside the Leuites which were appointed to attend the Tabernacle For the Leuites were numbred three seuerall times the first time they were numbred at a moneth old when they were consecrated vnto the Lord The second time at 25. yeares olde when they were appointed to serue in the Tabernacle The third time at 30. yeares old to bear the burthens of the Tabernacle and to serue in the Tabernacle vntill 50. yeares and then to cease from bearing such heauie burthens and painful seruice But after that they should minister in the Tabernacle singing hymnes Psalmes instructing counselling keeping of things in order After that Moses had brought the Hebrews frō Egipt instructed them with military discipline giuen them martiall lawes then the Lord would not haue Moses to bring his people straight way to the land of Canaan but to lead them too and fro in the wildernesse to keep thē in cōtinual exercise to teach them military discipline by the law of Arms appointed for they might within 3. daies as Philo writeth haue passed frō Egipt to the lād of Canaan but that the Lord would haue thē to endure labour to be exercised in martiall discipline to become good souldiers therfore suffred the Amalekites Moabites Edomites the Philistines to be with thē as needles in their eies thornes in their sides being their professed enemies to warre to fight and to keepe them still in practise and exercise of armes The Lord suffered the Camp of the people to wander too and fro in the wildernesse backward forward to learne to endure cold and heate and all kind of hardnesse remouing their campe too and fro 42. mansions before they came to the land of Canaan Cai. Marius perceiuing his
souldiers readie to yeeld for want of drink shewed them a Riuer behind the enemies saying if you will drinke you must drinke in yonder Riuer that I shewed you either you must win it of your enemies or loose it Cyrus King of Persia brought his souldiers to a certaine wood and caused them all day to hewe downe trees vntill they were wearie the next day he prepared for them great feasts and liberall banquets and in the midst of their good cheare Cyrus demaunded of them whether they thought better of their paine and trauell in hewing of wood the day before or of their feasting and banquetting that day they preferred feasting before hewing of wood But said Cyrus you must come to the one by the other vnlesse you fight valiantly ouercome the Meades you cannot enioy the pleasures and good cheare of Persia. So Moses brought the Hebrewes to the wildernesse and said you must take paines and exercise militarie discipline to learne to fight with the Canaanites Edomites Moabites Philistines the enemies of the Lord before they should passe ouer Iorden and enioy the pleasures of Canaan the land of milke and honey for as these Nations were left as prickes and needles to vexe the Hebrewes so Satan is now left to vex to tempt and to be an enemie to Gods people withall the stratagems he can No doubt the Chaldeans the Assirians the Persians and other Nations had their first military discipline frō the Hebrews and were taught to exercise their souldiers to endure labour as it seemed the Gentiles vsed it by imitation from one Empire to an other Moses being the onely generall of so great an Army being continually vexed and molested without any vnder officers to aide him the Lord taught him and after his father in law Iethro to choose from amōg the whole army 70. wise religious valiant and iust men to rule and gouerne the people as magistrates and officers vnder Moses to guide lead them into all seruice For among the Hebrewes no Generall was chosen without consultation of Vrim and Thummim after Moses and Ioshuas time Marke the discipline and martiall lawes of the Lord to his people The Hebrews were commanded euery man to stand in his place vnder his standart throughout the whole Army of the Hebrewes but the Leuites should pitch their tents round about the Tabernacle who were three and twentie thousand in number and when any victory was gotten by the Hebrews ouer the enemies the first part of the spoile was yeelded to the Leuites who attended the tabernacle the second to the souldiers that fought in the field the third to them that remained in the campe The whole Army was deuided vnder foure generall and principall standarts The first standart vnder Iudah the second standart vnder Ruben the third standart vnder Ephraim the fourth standart vnder Dan. Euery Tribe should stand and campe by his standart and vnder euery standart were three Tribes ouer the three Tribes three captains and the number of the souldiers of the three Tribes vnder their Captaines The Tribe of Iudah had seuentie foure thousand and six hundred souldiers vnder their Captaine The Tribe of Isacher had foure and fiftie thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their captaine The Tribe of Zabulon had seuen and fitie thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their captain These three Tribes were appointed to stand by the standart of Iudah and the whole number of the host of Iudah were one hundred foure score and sixe thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their three captaines and the standart of the host of Iudah was appointed to camp on the East side of the Tabernacle Of the South side of the Tabernacle was the standart of the Tribe of Ruben the Tribe of Simeon the Tribe of Gad with their three captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Ruben were one hundred fiftie one thousand foure hundred and fiftie souldiers and this was the second principall standart The third standart of the campe of Ephraim was towards the west with the Tribe of Ephraim the Tribe of Manasses and the Tribe of Beniamin with their seuerall captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Ephraim was one hundred eight thousand and one hundred The fourth standart of the host of Dan was on the North side of the Tabernacle with their three Tribes the tribe of Dan the tribe of Asher and the tribe of Nepthali with their three captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Dan was one hundred fiftie thousand and sixe hundred In this most solemne and royall sort marched the campe of the Hebrews 40. yeares in the wilnernesse vnder these foure principall standarts where their garmēts and cloathes were not worne nor any thing they had decayed heauen gaue them bread the foode of Angels Manna and euery rocke in the wildernesse gaue them drink the Lord fed thē otherwise they were simply and slenderly prouided for so great an army but marching in the wildernesse amōgst serpents venemous beasts and yet without daunger or harme but had all things at their wils that were necessary to the wars frō the Lord. Notwithstanding all these blessings the Hebrewes wished stil to haue staied in Egipt and made diuers profers of return at any touch or triall of them they longed for the flesh pots of Egipt of which they made often mention of the oynions melons and garlecke but they made no mentiō of the slauery bondage and seruitude which they endured for 430. yeares in Egipt If you looke into the maiestie state of the Hebrew campe of the presence of the arke of the placing of their standarts of the solemnitie of their marching of their orders lawes that in a wildernesse where they had neither castles townes cities or forts to defend thē and yet they far excelled Xerxes with his innumerable army in his voyage against the Greeks the sailed on land marched on seas much doubting whether Hellespont had sufficient roome and Greece had land inough for his souldiers or the ayre had place inough to receiue his shot The Hebrew Campe farre exceeded Alexander the great who after he had subdued all Greece and the Persians tooke in hand to conquer the whole world and wept because hee heard there was two worlds Yet neither Xerxes nor Alexander the great might bee compared with the Hebrewe Campe for state and maiestie euery Tribe marching vnder his Captaine and euery Captaine vnder his standard euery standard placed to stand about the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle was placed in the midst of the camp because it might be in equall distance from each standard that all might indifferently haue recourse to the Arke where the Lord instructed Moses and instructed him frō the mercie seat for at the doore of the Tabernacle it was commaunded to Moses what he might do
and how he should gouerne the Army for the custome of the Hebrewes was to run to the Arke as to their onely Oracle where the presence of the Lord was to crie and to call for help at the Lords hand in their most danger and greatest calamitie As the Arke was made by Noah to saue himself from the deluge in such forme fashion as the Lord had cōmanded the lēgth the breadth the height so was the Tabernacle made by Moses in which the Arke was placed in such proportion as the Lord commanded Moses that the tabernacle shuld be 30. cubits long 12. broad the Arke 2. cubits a half long a cubit a half broad After the vse of the Tabernacle the Temple was appointed where Salomon and the Priests were instructed to manifest the word of the Lord vnto his people The Gentiles also ranne in any danger or doubt as to Iupiter in Hammon to Apollo in Delphos to Baall and other such Oracles where their woodden Idols and gods gaue false answeres And where the Hebrewes as I said before had no prouisions for their wars either in towns or Cities nor any place to flie vnto but the Tabernacle where the Romanes in any danger might defend themselues in the Capitall The Carthagineans to their strōg fort Byrsa The Thaebans to their Castle Cadmea And so the Argiues to their strong fort Larissa And the Syracusans to the Castle Acradina These were the forts of the Gentiles Besides the Gentiles had theyr treasures and theyr money laid vp in strong holds and forts As Tygranes king of Armenia kept his treasure in Bambinsa Olena two strong castles to warre with the Romanes Iugurth king of Numidia kept his mony in two of his strongest cities called Capsa and Thola to warre with the Romanes So likewise Mithridates king of Pontus kept his treasure in Ptera to war against the Romanes So the kings of Macedonia and all the kings of Asia had their treasures and store houses to warre against the Romanes The Hebrewes had no such store houses prepared nor mony laid vp nor prouisions readie but their foode was such from the Lord that they wanted nothing and yet they conquered more kings and subdued more countries then all they CHAP. XI Of the maner and order of the Gentiles and of their principall standards Of the setting vp of the Tabernacle and the dedication of the altar by Moses HAuing spoken something of the Hebrew camp of their seueral marching vnder their standards I thinke it not amisse to set downe the orders maners of the marching of some of the Gentiles in their campes for varietie of matters and for that men may see and vnderstand how farre inferiour were all the nations of the world to the poore Hicsos the Hebrews And first of the Egiptians who carried in their proper standard into any battel the Image of that Idoll which they worshipped in that citie as in Heliopolis an oxe in Memphis a bull in Arsinoe a crocodile and so in other cities cattes calues serpents such as they worshipped in the temples such they carried as their ensignes to the field The Persians carried in the first and principall standart the Image of the Sunne which the Persians call Mithra In their second standart they carried the picture of the eternall sacred fire which they call Orimasdes In their third standart they carried a golden spread-Eagle The old Romanes when their Empire grew strong had fiue principall standarts which were carried before their military legions The first standart before the legion was an Eagle this was chiefe in the second was carried the picture of a Wolfe in the third the picture of Minotaurus in the fourth the picture of a horse in the fift the picture of a boare The Athenians carried in their standart the Image of an Owle which was likewise printed on their coyne with the face of Minerua The Thaebans caried in their standart the picture of Sphinx into any battell The Cymbrians caried before their armies in their standart vnto the field the picture of a brazē bull so did they in the Cymbrian wars against Marius the Romane Consull The old Germains vsed to carry the picture of lightnings to lead their armies into the field in their standart Sometimes great kings for their proper standarts in their warres carried the pictures of diuers and sundrie beasts and fowles as Osiris the first king of Egipt a dog Cyrus also the great king of Persia gaue in his ensigne a cocke as Themistocles did for the day before Themistocles had battell with Xerxes by the crowing of a cocke he was sure of victorie Iulius Caesar gaue in his ensigne an Elephant for that he vanquished Iuba king of Mauritania who bare an Elephant in his ensigne and so Porus king of India bare in his ensignes the picture of Hercules The Hebrues might better haue claimed the Sunne in their ensignes then the Persians as Ioshua for that the Sun staied ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon at Ioshuaes commandement vntill he had full victorie ouer the Amalekites and therefore he might aswell haue the Image of the Sun in his ensigne being aliue as he had it set on his graue being dead So might Iudah Gedeon Dauid and others which had the sonne of God the starre of Iacob the liō of Iudah in their standarts ensignes Because we may omit nothing that the Lord commaunded Moses concerning the setting vp of the tabernacle and the dedicatiō of the altar the twelue Princes of the Tribes of Israel at the setting vp of the tabernacle after the tabernacle was anointed sanctified brought their offerings before the Lord sixe chariots couered ouer and twelue oxen one chariot for two Princes and for euery one of the Princes an oxe which they before the tabernacle offred to the lord which were deliuered to the Leuites So for the dedication of the altar after it was annointed sanctified these twelue Princes offred their offerings before the altar euery prince offered a siluer chargior of an handreth thirtie shickels weight a siluer bowle of seuentie shekels a cup of gold full of Incense a yong bullock a ramme a lambe of a yeare olde and a hee goate This was the maner of the setting vp of the tabernacle and dedication of the altar Hence grew the building of temples the dedica◅on of altars oblations and ceremonies among the Gentiles and Heathens to dumbe Idolls woodden gods It was euer the propertie of Sathan like an Ape to counterfeit and seeme to imitate the lawes of the Lord. There was nothing so rife among the Gentiles as temples and altars which made Paul full of anger to see so many altars in Athens and especially one dedicated Ignoto deo to an vnknowne God Athens excelled all Greece for the nomber of theyr gods and of their altars for they had an altar
besieged the citie Casselina that the Romanes could by no meanes send a conuoy to relieue the souldiers the Romains deuised this stratagem to fill certaine tunnes some with flower and some with meale and to let them goe downe vpon the riuer Vulturnus but the riuer being chained ouer by Hannibal this stratagem was preuented In another stratagem the Romanes deceiued Hannibal they scattered infinite numbers of Nuttes and let them goe downe with the same selfe riuer Vulturnus which neither Hannibal himselfe nor his chaine could preuent so that the souldiers of Casselina were relieued and refreshed for a time with these Nuttes Such a stratagem vsed Hircius to relieue the poore Romane souldiers in Mutina being besieged by Mar. Antonius who wanted chiefly salt Hircius let go infinit numbers of great close bowls made like litle tuns full of salt to swim downe the riuer Saniturnus so relieued Mutina So should we vse such stratagems against Satan that if Satan shuld ouerthrow vs in the first we should arme our selues with spirituall weapons to ouerthrow him in the second Againe to Ioshua The Lord commaunded Ioshua to march forward to vanquish the Canaanites because the cōquest might not be assigned vnto man the Lord commaunded Ioshua all the strong men of warres to goe round about the walls of Iericho once a day for seuen daies and seuen priests to beare seuen trumpets of Rammes hornes before the Arke and to compasse Iericho the seuenth day seuen times and then commanded the priests to blowe the trumpets and all the men of warre without shot or sword to shout with a loud great shout and then the walles of Iericho should fall flat downe to the grounde this was the Lordes stratageme at his battell at which time Ioshua saw a man stand ouer against him with a naked sword in his hand who being asked of Ioshua what he was said I am the Prince of the Lordes host and am therefore comen now to be a Captaine of the Lordes people and Ioshua bowed himselfe worshipped him and thereby acknowledged him to be Christ the sonne of God Now Ioshua being instructed of the Lorde what to do the priests and the warriours by Ioshua the walls being fallen flat downe went vnto the citie destroied both man and woman young and old oxe and sheepe with the edge of the sword after burnt the citie with fire and Ioshua cursed that man before the Lord that would build vp Iericho again to the destruction of himselfe and both his sonnes That captaine that went before Ioshua to the battell at Iericho and was present at the fall of Ierichos wall went likewise before Cyrus as himselfe said to Cyrus I will goe before thee to Babilon and I will breake their brazen gates and crush in peeces their iron barres I wil humble the glorious people of the earth in thy presence The same captaine spake to Nabuchodonozer as hee spake to Cyrus I wil send Nabuchodonozer as the staffe of my wrath and the rod of my punishment and he shall tread my enemies downe like the myre in the streets so that all victories come from the Lord euen to all good kings and to tyrants After the ouerthrow of Iericho the Lord commaunded Ioshua to besiege the citie of Ai where hee slew all that dwelt in Ai and left not one to liue and tooke their king aliue and hangd him on a tree vntill the euening and the citie was burnt and twelue thousand slaine for the Lord said to Ioshua stretch out the speare that is in thy hand towards Ai in tokē of the victory Now mark the victories of the Lord in his battels the victory at Riphidim was had by holding vp of Moses hand the victory of Iericho by sounding of Rams hornes the victory of Ai with the lifting vp of Ioshuah speare the victory at Aphec by shooting of Ioas Eastward the victory ouer the Madianites by Gedeon with the sounding of trumpets and breaking of pitcher pots these are stratagems which are often seene in the battels of the Lord. So also the Lord strengthened many of his people to vanquish ouercome their enemies in seuerall combats one man to ouercome many as Sampson with the iaw bone of an asse slue a 1000. Philistines Samgar with an oxe goade slue 600. Philistines Dauid with his fling litle stone slue the monstrous blasphemous Gyant Golias Who knoweth not that Moses rod Ioshuahs spear Gedeons pitcher pots Sampsons iaw bone Samgars goade or Dauid with his sling litle stone had bin but weake meanes to ouerthrow so many enemies had not the Lord strengthened the meanes by the men These were battels of the lord which were not fought with swords shots nor weapons but armed with spirituall armours and fought with weapons of faith vanquished theyr enemies But such victories were onely graunted to the souldiers of the Lord the people of Israel which victories at that time were to them onely peculiar The great victorie which the Lord gaue vnto Samuel by meanes of thunderboltes lightnings and earthquakes that therby the Philistines were so amazed that Samuel vnlooked for fell vpō thē slew them ouerthrew them and chased them til they came to Cortaeos which is Bethgar such stratagems vseth the Lord against his enemies as thunderboltes lightnings and earthquakes Mar. Aurelius hauing warres with the Germains and Sarmatians his Army being like to be lost for water requested the legion of Christian souldiers to pray vnto their God for helpe and they were heard of the Lord the Emperor confessed the goodnesse of God naming him Iupiter at what time their enemies were stricken with lightning and fire that they perished and therfore these souldiers were called Legio fulminea the legion of thunder by the Emperour himselfe Cornelius a Captaine of an Italian band in Caesaria a iust and a deuout man was by an Angell warned to goe to Ioppa to bee baptised of Peter and to become from a Heathen a Christian Captaine to fight in the battels of the Lord. So likewise the Centurion which was at the death of Christ Iesus in Ierusalem seeing the myracles that were then done confessed him to bee the Lord and glorified God these two were called both to be Christian Captaines In the battell that Iudas Machabaeus had with Gorgias the gouernor of Edumea where the victorie fell to Machabaeus they found vnder the coates of them that were slaine Iewels consecrated to the Idols of the Iamnites but as the Lord commaunded the Hebrewes to burne such Idolatrous Iewels destroy their gilded Images and the gods of the Gentiles and not to take the siluer and golde that is on theyr gods as Achan did against the lawe at the Cittie of Ai and dyed for it by the lawe I will proceed for to shewe in olde time in what sort and after what manner euery Nation entered into battell I thinke it not amisse as well for varietie of
matters to please the reader as also of their diuers and straunge fashions of their coming into battell being then not acquainted with so many sundry shots with such Armors of proofe but with the sword and shield the speare and launce yet euery Nation deuised stratagems and straunge meanes to terrifie the enemies and to obtaine victories The auntient Greeks vsed in their warres the skins of sea dogges for theyr helmets and for great plumes of feathers which souldiers vse now to weare they vsed the manes and tailes of horses The Affricans came to the battel with leopards horse skins The Aethiopians the Scythians with Foxe skins The Troglodites with Serpents skinnes The Cydones with Goate skinnes The Massagets with barkes of trees The people called Geloni with the skinnes of the slaine enemies in the field The old Troians came to the battel with hornes of oxen and eares of horses on their heads and all to terrifie the enemie The olde Brytaines vsed to paint their faces to looke grim and terrible vppon the enemie and to seeme cruell and fierce souldiers in the battell The Thracians vsed Foxe skinnes for their helmets and painted their faces with such markes as might make them seeme terrible to the enemies like the olde Brytaines The people of Mauritania came vnto the countries of their enemies with Elephants Lyons skins so the Arabians vpon camels and the Indians vpon Elephants came vnto the wars which before Alexanders time were not seene in Asia neither before Pirrhus time in Rome which the Romans at the first sight thought strange but after they had subdued Affrica these strange beasts elephants camels lyons such were in Rome as in India or in Affrike and vsed in Rome so familiarly and commonly vpō the Theaters to fight with other beasts with men And yet Pirrhus as I said before was the first captaine that brought Elephants to Lucania in Italy where being ouerthrowne in his last battell at Arusnia by Curius the Consul at what time foure Elephants were brought to Rome which were so straunge among the Romains that they called them Boues Lucanias the great oxen of Lucania but within fiftie two yeares after Metellus in his victorie at the battell at Panormus sent to Rome 104. Elephants or as Plyni saith a hundred fortie and two The auntient kings of Egipt were wont to weare on their helmets the likenesse of diuers kindes of heads of beasts either the head of a Lyon of a Bull of a Dragon or such which the Grecians imitated and after them the Romanes In many Countreys they vsed to weare on their helmets the likenesse of Lyons Wolues Harts Dragons Dogs Eagles and other such beasts and fowles as pleased the Generalls or Captaines to weare for a terrour to the enemie For in the Cymbrian warres against Marius it is written in Plutarch that the Cymbrian horsemen ware on their helmets the likenesse of monstrous and terrible beats wide gaping and open mouthed thinking thereby to feare their enemie And what enemie soeuer he slew in the field might by the law of Armes take the Swords Targets Helmets and all other weapons of the enemie and hang them vp as Tropheys at the doores and gates of his house the rather to moue others by the sight thereof with greater desire to armes as the Belgeans were wont sometime to cut off the head of the slaine enemie and to take off his bloudie garments and to hang them vpon postes and trees as trophies of victories Now after the old and auncient maners and strange habites of diuers nations going into wars as you haue read of the Affricans Arabians and Indians so also in numbring their souldiers you shall read the manner of diuers natiōs when they sent their souldiers to any battell and first of the Hebrewes who brought account to Ioshua of the souldiers slaine and not slaine in battell The custome among the Persians was that the souldiers that went to the wars should euery one take a shaft out of his quiuer and write his name theron and throw the same vnto great chests before the chiefe magistrates and that the souldiers that returned from the wars again aliue shuld take their arrows frō the chest that the Persians therby might know the nūber of their lost souldiers In like sort the Romans recorded the names of their souldiers in writing tables that they might know at their returne from the wars by their names written how many were slaine in the warres For among the Romanes there could be no greater reproach to the General then to be ignorant of the names of all his captaines officers and magistrates of the field and also not to be acquainted with the name of any well deserued souldier Cyrus therefore King of Persia and Mithridates King of Pontus were both much honoured and much esteemed of their souldiers Cyrus for his skill and art of memorie for he could name all the souldiers in his Army And Mithridates for his knowledge of tongues for hee could speake two and twentie languages to all those nations that serued vnder him CHAP. XV. Of diuers battels and victories which Ioshua had at Iahaz at Edrei and ouer fiue Kings at the battell at Gibeon THe Hebrewes proceeded forwards in their warres against the Canaanites for the Lord said to Moses Goe to Sehon king of Amorites prouoke him to battell and conquer his land for that he denied passage to Moses Army to goe through his land to the land of Canaan and therefore the Lord gaue Sehon King of the Amorites vnto Moses hands at the battel at Iahaz And the Army of Israel destroyed all the Cities of the Amorites with their King men and women from the Riuer of Arnon vnto Gilead there was not one Citie that escaped the Lord had cursed Canaan and therefore he commanded to spare none In like sort in the battell at Edrei the Lord deliuered Og King of Basan the Giant into Moses hands as he did Sehon King of the Amorites and the Hebrewes smote the king and all his people destroyed three score strong walled and fenced Cities the Hebrewes destroyed all the Countrey of Argob and all the kingdome of Og in Basan which was called the land of the Giants and possessed from the Biuer of Arnon to mount Hermon Og king of Basan remained onely of the Giants for the Lord said vnto Moses I will send the feare and dread of thee vpon all the Nations vnder heauen so that when they heare of thee they shall tremble and quake for feare of thee As Sehon king of Hesbon denied passage to Moses to goe through his land to the land of Canaan so the Cittizens of Ephron denied Iudas Machabaeus passage through their Countrey though he sent with peaceable words vnto them as Moses did to Sehon king of Hesbon before that he might passe through their land doing no harm but they denied him his request
wherevpon he besieged Ephron tooke it destroied it and spoiled it and slew as many as were males within the Citie Diuers kings assembled themselues against Ioshua hearing how Ioshua and the Hebrewes had conquered two great Cities Iericho and Ai fiue kings came together to fight against Ioshua at Gibeon for they feared exceedingly the report of the great battels and wonders that Moses before Ioshua had done vnto the Arabians Madianites Amalekites others for the Lord promised to send the feare and dread of the Hebrews vpon all people vnder heauen and all the Nations of the world should tremble and quake at the fame and great glorie of the Hebrewes and therfore came these fiue kings with all their Armies most strongly against Ioshua but it was the battell of the Lord for the Lord discomfited them before the Hebrewes and slew them at Gibeon with a great slaughter and the Hebrewes chaced them from Gibeon to Bethoron and the fiue kings fled with the rest that were vnslaine but the Lord cast great stones downe from heauen vpon them that more of them died by the stones that fell from heaue◅ then the Hebrues slew with the sword in the field and the fiue kings that fled into a caue in Makedah were brought before Ioshuah and he called the captaines and chiefe men of the Army and commaunded them to set their feete vpon the necks of these kings signifying vnto them that they should so ouercome all nations and vanquish all their enemies in the battels of the Lord. This Ioshuah did to encourage his captains in the setting of their feet vpon the fiue kings necks that conquerors may do what please them of kings conquered So did Sapor king of Persia vse Valerianus the Romane Emperour as a blocke to lay his foote vpon his necke to mount on horsebacke The like did Tamberlane to the great Turk Pazaites at mount Stella where he ouerthrew him and tooke him prifoner There also Pompey the great ouerthrew Mithridates K. of Pontus before where Tamberlane gaue the ouerthrow to the great Turke tooke him and kept him in a cage vnder his table and carried him about with him to his warres Obserue how the kings of the Canaanites Edomites Maobites Ammonites and Philistines knit themselues together against the Hebrewes feeling in themselues such inward fear of them as the Macedonians the Persians and all Asia were fearfull of the Romanes as you read before of Mithridates king of Pontus Tygranes king of Armenia and Iugurth king of Numidia and yet preuailed not for the Lord had determined to take the Monarchie out of the Macedonians hands giue it to the Romanes as he gaue it before from the Persians to the Macedonians Cratippus the Philosopher could say so much to Pom-Pey the great after he was ouerthrowne by Caesar at the battell of Pharsalia Pompey being desirous to know what should happen of the Empire of Rome Cratippus answered that all Kingdomes and Empires are fatall And as Sirach saith Regnum non trasferetur nisi ob in iustitiam regni regis so the kingdomes monarchies of the world passed one vnto another by the Lord appointed Now Ioshua proceedeth forward to his last battell at the waters of Merom where diuers and sundrie kings gathered together with all the force and power they had to fight with Ioshuah with as many people as the sand that is on the sea shore for multitude of men horses and chariots for in this battel al the kings ioyned their force and power together against Ioshuah at the waters of Merom for to fight against the Hebrewes but the Lord gaue them into Ioshuahs hands for they were so slaine that they fell before Ioshua and fled before the Hebrewes vnto Sidon and vnto the valley of Mispech Such a great victorie did the Lord giue vnto Ioshuah ouer these kings that the Sunne stayed ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon vntill Ioshuah had full victorie ouer the Canaanites hauing subdued one and thirtie Kings These are the stratagems of the Lord in the behalfe of Ierusalem What stratagems hath not the Lord vsed to saue his people from their enemies enuironed with so many nations against them in the wildernesse and readie to bee deuoured of so many Kings about them in Canaan for the Canaanites thought it more straunge that Ioshua should come into the land of Canaan with his poore Hebrew Army called Hicsos in scorne among the Egyptians then the Babylonians thought of Cyrus to come to Babilon with his most inuincible Persian Armye or the Carthagenians of Scypio to come to Carthage and Affrica with his Romane armie Both Cyrus Scipio vsed stratagems to winne these victories Decius Brutus being so straightly besieged by Mar. Antonius at the citie Mutina to whom Hircius the Cōsull deuised a stratagem to write certaine letters vpon lead and to send them tied about souldiers neckes that swam down the riuer Scultenna to Mutina by the which he was certified of the Consuls minde Another stratagem of Hircius who tied certaine letters about tame Doues neckes which hee kept to that purpose hungry without meate and in darknesse which were sent by some of his souldiers in the night time as nigh as they could to the citie Mutina and then to let them flie the Pigeons being hungry fled straight to the Towers and high buildings of the towne which were brought to Brutus Brutus being now instructed with this stratagem of Hircius vsed the like himselfe to feede Pigeons within the citie Mutina and to let them flee which were for a time carriers of letters betweene Hircius the Consull and Brutus It is not read that the Hebrues reuolted during the whole time of Ioshuah the Hebrues needed not to doubt of victories if they would serue the Lorde hauing the Arke in the midst of their campe where the Lord presented himselfe to giue them Oracles and therfore they might boldly commence warre or enter any battell being imboldned by the Lord as hee promised to Moses and to Ioshua that hee would goe before them with such miraculous stratagems some in the seas as against Pharao some in the Sunne Moone as against the Canaanites some with fire from heauen as against Baals false prophets and priests Some with the opening of the earth in swallowing rebellious Iewes And other such stratagems with stones lightning and thunderbolts to destroy the enemies of Ierusalem CHAP. XVI Of the order and manner of the Gentiles how they brought their wiues and concubines how they ware their best apparell and how they brought the dearest and preciousest Iewels they had in the sight of the campe before they entred into any battell because they should more manfully and couragiously fight THe kings of Asia souldiers whē they went to fight any great battel they brought into the field their most dearest things and preciousest Iewelles which they ware about them to signifie how willing glad they
manner of the Gentiles aswell in choosing their Generals as you heard as also in choosing their former auncient kings some by flying of fowles as the old Romains choosed Numa Pomp. some by neying of a horse as the Persians choosed Darius others by swiftnes and agilitie of the body as in Lybia others by strength qualities comelinesse of person as among the Meades So the Aethiopians if they wanted one of the kings stock his name they made a choise as the Meades did of one to bee theyr king of a most comely personage that excelled in strength in qualities So because the Israelites wold haue a king and were weary of those gouernours that the Lord set ouer them the Lord cōmanded Samuel to annoint Saul to be their king who was the tallest and the goodliest man in all Israel from his shoulders vpwardes And so Xerxes though an Infidel among ten hundred thousand men which hee brought in his army from Persia against the Greeks was the only tallest and goodliest man of all his hoste and so in many countries among diuers nations they made such choise of their generals of their kings that they should be such men as should haue Bonum animi and bonum corporis fit and apt qualities both in mind and body to rule and gouerne an army But so did neither the Grecians nor the Romanes for Agesilaus was lame and had one leg shorter then the other Darius king of Persia had one hand longer then another Hanibal for two eyes had but one Caesar for his baldnes was fain to couer it with a garland oflawrel yet lame Agesilaus for his many victories 〈◊〉 warlike know ledge was called Agesilaus the great Hanibal with his one eye was the only captain of his time of all men reputed called Hostis Romanis Caesar though bald yet had not his peere nor his equal in martial exploits captains that farre excelled these goodly and tall kings Saul Xerxes and farre exceeded those comely tall captains whom the Meades the Aethiopians the Lybians were wont in old time to choose to be their kings And as the Lord is indifferent in bestowing his good gifts vpon the simplest meanest that serue him aswell as vpon the comeliest and goodliest men for the Lord hath no respect to the personage of men as we reade in sacred scripture Moses was goodly tall faire of complection and of yealow haire and a seruant of the Lord. Absolon the comeliest best made man from the crown of his head to his toe and yet the seruant of Sathan Ioseph the sonne of Iacob the fairest best fauored in Egipt a godly seruant of the Lord. Saul the tallest man in all Israel frō his shoulders vpwards yet serued not the Lord. So the gifts of nature appeare vpō the good the bad as you heard So may it be said of Elias a Prophet of the Lord being rough and hairy so we read of him of Esau rough hairy like Elias but a reprobate of the Lord for so the Lord said Iacob haue I loued and Esau haue I hated In fine Elizeus was bald for so was he mocked and called baldpate but a bear came out of the wood deuoured 42. childrē in Bethel for calling the prophet bald pate Dauid the least of his brethren not able to carry Sauls armour to fight with Golias and yet valiant inough to kill Golias and to bring his head to Saul Zachaeus so litle a fellow that he could not see Christ among the presse of the people but climbed a figge tree where Christ saw him bad him quickly come down This day wil I dine in thy house said the Lord to Zacheus So that Dauid being but of litle stature Elias rough and hairy and Flizeus bald yet three chosen Prophets of the Lord. Now to the marching of Ierusalam CHAP. XVII How Iudah was elected to be the third Iudge of Israel by Vrim and Thummim of his battell at Besecke Of Ehud Deborah Gedeon with their victories togither with certaine stratagems as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles AFter Ioshua died Iudah was appointed the third captaine ouer the Israelites by the iudgement of Vrim and Thummim elected chosen to be the leader of the whole army of Israel the Lord from the beginning had appointed iudges and gouernors to lead his people frō Egipt to the land of Canaan as Moses Ioshuah after Ioshuah Iudah now the third captaine who fought the battell of the Lord in Bezeck and slew ten thousand of the Canaanites and the Perezites and tooke Adonizebech not a king but a tirant This king was by the iust iudgement of the Lord vsed in like sort as he vsed other kings for the thumbes of his hands and of his feete were cut off as he most cruelly cut off the thumbes of the handes of the feete of seuentie kings which he kept and fed with the crummes that fell from his table for so he confessed himselfe that as he had done so the Lord rewarded him for hee was brought to Ierusalem and there died Hannibal well nigh plaied the like part who vsed the poore captiue Romanes in like sort being weak wearied he cut off their thumbes pared the soales of the feete of a great number and so left them that they could neither stand nor goe Fabius Seruilianus equall or rather before these tyrants in tyrannie after he had vanquished a great number of the barbarous people of Scythia and had taken captiues Iure deditionis very many yet contrary to the faith and nature of the auncient Romanes hee cut off both the hands of fiue hundred of the principallest souldiers of them and left the poore Scythians without hands as Hannibal left the Romains without feete Thrasibulus being a tyrant for his tyrannie sent one of his chiefe men to Periander another tyrant to consult and to be aduised by him how he might liue without feare and daunger he being a tyrant among the Milesians Periander brought the messenger of Thrasibulus to a ripe corne field where with the staffe he had in his hand he did beat the eares of the corne and turnd to Thrasibulus messenger and said no more but commend me to thy maister Thrasibulus after he heard what Periander did knew his meaning was that he should destroy kill all the chiefe men citizens in Milesia if he would liue in safetie That tyrant must needs fear some of whom all men stand in feare This was such a dumbe stratagem which Periander taught Thrasibulus as Torquine the proud taught his son Sextus by a seruant which he sent to his father whom Torquine brought vnto a garden where with his staffe he beate the head of poppies This was a dumbe stratagem which Torquine sent to his sonne wherby he knew his fathers minde slew the chiefe Citizens and betrayed
the Towne to his father Though the Israelites fell to Idolatrie after Ioshuahs death who during the time of Ioshua serued the Lord and neuer forsooke him yet the Lorde at all times though they alwaies offended him deliuered them frō their enemies when they cryed vnto him for his ayde and helpe So being now vexed with their euemies the Lord sent Ehud as a Iudge and Captaine to leade them and to gouerne them as their Generall beeing a stout and a valiant Captaine who was wont to say to his souldiers follow me went boldly to Eglon king of the Moabites vsed this stratagē told the king that he had some secret from the Lord to tellhim wherevpon the chamber being auoyded and the doore shut hee out with his dagger slew Eglon the king and came out and shut the doore after him and after slew ten thousand Moabites at that time yet Ehud was left-handed and vnable to fight and therefore it was a stratagem of the Lord. Iabin king of Canaan an other enemie of the Israelites sent his generall Cisera a mightie captain with nine hundred chariots of Iron and a huge Army of souldiers to fight against Israel yet the Lord still prouided for his people and deliuered the Canaanites into the hand of Deborah a woman and Barac euen the whole Army of the Canaanites at the battell at Meroz where euen the starres in their courses from heauen fought against Cisera as Deborah confessed in her song of thanksgiuing to the Lord for the victorie For all the battels that the Lord had fought for Israell yet they sinned more and so offended the Lord that they were deliuered seuen yeares into the hands of the Madianites for their wickednesse that Israell made themselues dennes and caues in the Mountaines for feare of the Madianites and Amalekites whose tents were as thicke as Grasse-hoppers in multitude so that they their cattels and their camels were without number Yet the Lord when Israell cryed for helpe raised vp sound Iudges as Othoniel Ehud Barac and Deborah who ouercame their enemies and had many victories ouer them but still Israel offended the Lord and therefore the Lord left Sidonites Canaanites and Philistines to afflict and vex the Israelites for that they still offended the Lorde Hee left these Nations among them with their gods and Idols that should be as snares vnto Israel and as thornes in their sides and needles in their eies to trie them and to force them to call vpon the name of the Lord. The Hebrewes as they offended the Lord so were they punished by the Lord who often gaue them ouer into their enemies hands for their rebellious sedition and disobedience and therefore the Lord made choise of a wise and discreet generall whom he strengthned to rule his people sent his messenger to Gedeon a husbandman threshing his corne to bee their captaine before them who with the three hundred souldiers that laped the water by putting their hāds to their mouthes as the Lord had commaunded him by that signe and had appointed the number for him to take the Lords battel in hand to let the rest which were one and thirtie thousand and seuen hundred returne to their home which were by proclamatiō discharged The generals that the Lord made choise of to rule his people were but shepheards heardmen and husbandmen as Moses Ioshua Gedeon Saul and Dauid and of the like men he made choise for his Prophets Gedeon obeyed the message of the Lord called at the Lords hand for strength and courage to fight his battel and after deuided the three hundred men into three seuerall bands and vsed this stratagem gaue euery man a Trumpet in his hand with an emptie pitcher and lampes within the pitchers signifying by these weake meanes which the Lord vsed that the whole victorie should come from the Lord and not from man So Gedeon their generall comming to the side of the enemies with his threee bands he commaunded all the souldiers at once to sound al the trumpets together to break their pitchers and to shout crie the sword of the Lord and of Gedeon the enemies were so frighted the Lord set euery mans sword vpon his neighbour and caused the Madianites to kill one an other He made the Moabites the Ammonites Edomites in like sort one to destroy an other They tooke in that battell two Princes of the Madianites called Oreb and Zeb whom they slew and brought their heads to Gedeon from beyond Iorden as they fled from the sword of Gedeon The slaughter was an hundred and twentie thousand that were slaine with three hundred men as the Lord had commaunded Obserue the stratagem of Gedeon who commanded his three hūdred souldiers at once to sound al the trumpets together to breake their pitchers and to shout and crie the sword of the Lord and of Gedeon It so amazed the Madianites that the victory was Gedeons Ioshuah in like sort was by the Lord commaunded after he had carried the Arke round about Iericho seuen times vpon the seuenth day that the Priests should blow the rammes hornes and all the souldiers to crie aloude and to shout out all together at once that the walles of Iericho fell With a stratagem also Ioshua deceiued the king of Ai who came out of the Citie to fight with Ioshua who tooke vpon him to flye from the king but hauing laide ambushes vpon the way and about the Towne the Lord gaue both the Towne and the King to Ioshuas hand So did the Israelites deceiue the Beniamites with the like stratagems as Ioshua did who tooke vpon them to flye to draw the Beniamites from the Citie to the high wayes vntill they were compassed round about with the Israelites who destryed 25. thousand and 100. men These are diuine stratagems and to be attributed vnto the Lords doings Pericles generall of the Athenians besieging a certain Citie in Greece who vpon the sudden in the night time caused all the Trumpets to be sounded at once and all the souldiers to shout and cry as loud as they could it so terrified the Citizens within that they ranne from all parts of the Cittie vnto that place where Pericles commanded the trumpets to be sounded and that loud crye to be made thinking thereby that the enemies had entred the Citie Pericles without resistance made an entrie into the Citie in an other place Antiochus vsed the like stratagem against the Ephesians commanded certaine Rhodians which were of his Army to shout out loud and to make a sudden out crie in the dead time of the night their feare and terror was such that all went to defend that place of the Towne and left the other side of the Towne without defence to let Antiochus enter in Luc. Cornelius after he had besieged and taken many Townes in Sardinia he vsed this stratagem to take a populous strong Citie made a great number of
his souldiers to hide themselues in ambush he hauing but fewe souldiers prouoked them of the Towne to come out faining himself to flye the enemie following with great furie after Luc. Cornelius with all his hidden souldiers returned vpon the sudden with such a terrible crye that the enemies turned theyr backes and fled to the Towne and the Romanes followed after them close at the heeles and entred the Towne with them all together So Pompey the Consull Generall for the Romaine Army in Albania perceiuing the enemies both in horsmen and in footemen to be farre more in number then the Romanes practised this stratagem placed his footemen behind the horsemen being in a straight and commaunded his horsemen to couer their helmets least by the sight of the helmets they should be seene of the enemies and to take vpon them to flye to draw the enemies forwards into the midst of the Army of footemen and then the Romane horsemen to turne backe and deuide themselues and to set on both sides of the enemies By this stratagem Pompey got a great victorie ouer the Albanians Iphicrates the Athenian compared an Army in this sort the light horsemen to the hands the men of armes to the feete the battel of footemen to the stomacke and breast the captaine to the head But the Hebrewes for all the victories of Ioshuah of Iudah and of Gedeon were still vnthankful and wrought wickednesse in the sight of the Lord for all the battels that the Lord fought for them they were so well acquainted with the gods of the Gentiles yea they serued the gods of Acron the gods of Sydon the gods of Moab and the gods of the Philistines and forgat the god of Israel they serued straunge gods and attributed victories vnto their Idols and honoured them and gaue no glory vnto the Lord of Israel and therefore the Lord gaue them ouer and solde them to their enemies and were eighteene yeares sore tormented and vexed by the Ammonites and Philistines and the enemies proudly went ouer Iorden to fight against Iudah against Beniamin and against the house of Ephraim but they cryed vnto the Lorde according to theyr custome in extremitie and were aunswered by the Prophet from the Lorde Let the Gods whome you serue saue you and whom you trust vnto defend you for you waigh not me neither will I defend you and then they put away their straunge gods from among them Thus the Israelites did not onely rebell vpon the death of Ioshuah but also vpon the death of Iudah Ehud Deborah and others neither did they esteeme the victories which they got by Deborah a woman and by Gedeon a Husbandman who with three hundred souldiers slew a hundred and twentie thousand but euer forgetfull and vnthankefull to the Lord more willing to returne to Egipt to be slaues vnto Pharao then to stay in Canaan to serue the Lord. The name of Leonidas was famous among the Lacedemonians for his victorie at Thermopyle where Leonidas with three hundred ouerthrew twentie thousand of Xerxes Army being innumerable The Athenians gloried much for theyr great victorie at Marathon by Milciades and Callimachus hauing but 10000. Grecians in their army ouerthrew the generall of king Darius Army and made a great slaughter of the Persians to the number of two hundred thousand The Romanes bragge much of the victorie of Marius with fewe souldiers ouer the Cymbrians at the riuer of Xextas of Sylla ouer Mithridates at the battell of Orchomenon and of Lucullus ouer Tigranes king of Armenia being three great victories with infinite slaughter with the losse of fewe Romanes The very Schythians can boast and bragge of the ouerthrow of Cyrus hauing two hundred thousand in his Army and that by a woman which encreased the fame of the Scythians to the greatest infamy of the Persians All Nations can bragge and boast of theyr victories and be thankfull vnto their Idols and to their gods with sacrifices with vowes with games and playes with rearing of Aultars and building of Temples but the Hebrewes and the people of the Lord who had greatest cause and occasions to remember theyr victories and triumphes that they had ouer so many Kings and so many Nations before they came to the Land of Canaan by fire haile-stones thunder and great stones from heauen and though the Lords presence went before them in the Arke and the Arke among them in the midst of the campe yet were the Israelites stiffe necked people euer offensiue to the Lord seditious against theyr leaders and enuious one towardes an other so the Lord cryed out against them and said I haue nourished and brought vp children and they are fallen away from me the Oxe knoweth his Lord and the Asse his Maisters stall but Israel knoweth not me wicked children sinfull people a froward generation which are ouerladen with blasphemies Nothing could instruct them to obey the Lord neither the Arke of couenant neither the Tabernacle of Moses neither the pillar of fire where the Lord appeared vnto them and after the vse of the Tabernacle neither the Temple of Salomon nor the Prophets to whom the Lord manifested himselfe in Ierusalem yea euen in Samaria among the wicked Samaritans they had the Prophets of the Lord Elias and Elizeus to instruct them CHAP. XVIII Of Iepthas victories ouer the Ammonites and Ephraimites the ciuill warres the tyrannie of Sylla and Marius in Rome Of the slaughter of the Philistians by Sampson the reuenge of pulling out his eyes and of the battell of Saul at Mich-mash NOw after Gedeon the Lord sought out Ieptha beeing fledde and chased by his bretheren from his countrey to the Land of Tob from whence hee was called by the Lord who alwayes appointed a generall ouer Israell while they serued him to leade his people against the Ammonites which the Lord deliuered into Iepthas hand At that time Ieptha made a rash vowe to the Lorde that if hee should haue victorie ouer the Ammonites that which came out of the doores of his house when he returned home in peace shal be the Lords and he wil offer it vp a burnt offering He foolishly performed that which he rashly vowed Though some of the Rabines do excuse Ieptha that his daughter died not but was seperated to dwell by her selfe from common conuersation in a solitary place to bewaile her virginitie according to the custome and manner of the virgins of Israel to liue in prayers and to consecrate her selfe vnto the lord Yet some of 〈◊〉 best diuines as Augustine Ambrose which both were of a cōtrary opiniō that she was sacrificed according to Iepthas vow But the Lord gaue the victory to Ieptha ouer the Amonits with the ouerthrow of twentie cities and with exceeding great slaughter Ieptha againe after his first victory ouer the Ammonites had another victory ouer the Ephraimites who enuied the former victory of Ieptha most ambitiously as they before did vnto
tribute paide vnto Pharao so that Ioseph enriched Pharao by meanes of the yearely tribute and saued Pharaos life and all Egipt by Gods prouidence and his wisedome that at that time hee was called in Egipt Pater patriae but soone forgotten in Egipt as was seene after in the tyrannie of the Egiptians towards Iosephs children and the whole stocke of the Hebrewes Victories and ouerthrowes by warres gotten imposed such tribute as pleased the cōquerer For among the Romanes before their Empire grew great the Lucanians payed for their tribute but swine the Brusians oxen the Frizians the skinnes of oxen others paid diuers kindes of wine others waxe others fish and such like And as the olde Romanes tributes were but cattell corne wine fish and such so were their tryumphes had ouer the Samnites the Volscians Sabines Tarentines and olde Gaules but the weapons armors coaches garments cattells and such like of the enemies To the Persians while yet the Monarchie was in Persia the Aethiopians payed but Ebanye Iuory Elephantes teethe Frankencense and certaine measures of base gold euery third yeare So the Capadocians payed to the Persians for yearely tribute fiue hundred Horse two thousand Moyles So likewise the Townes and small Villages about Babilon were to prouide and feede the dogges of the king of Persia. But the Citie of Babilon it selfe paide for tribute to the king of Persia Artabas plenas argento certaine accounts of mony euery day The Arabians likewise paide to the King of Persia certaine measures of such sweete odours as the country did abound as Frankincense and such like These were but small tributes as swine oxen corne wine fish in former time which the Romanes had in respect of their tributes had ouer Asia Affricke and Europe afterwards which commaunded not only corne nauies horses souldiers and armours but also after this a farre greater tribute beganne in the time of Paul Aemilius who after he had subdued the Macedonians and Persius their king the Illyrians and their king Gentius hee imposed vppon the Macedonians and Illyrians halfe the tribute which they were wont to paie to their former kings So Scypio Affrican after hee had conquered Hanibal at Zama and brought the Carthagineans to such composition as pleased himselfe to paie two hundred talents yearely for fiftie yeares with such conditions that the Carthagineans should depart from Sardinia and Cicilia to restore the Romane souldiers which Hanniball brought captiue with him out of Italy and to deliuer vp their Elephants and all their nauies tenne excepted To such greatnesse grewe the tributes of the Romanes by their victories that Hispaine and Carthage were to pay yearely stipendary tributes not onely in money but also horses corne nauies armours and to maintaine stipendary souldiers And among all other conquered nations by them they had in their cities and townes places called Cripta for corne and prouisions for souldiers but especially in Egipt which was for their prouisions called the storehouse or barne of Rome But now to the victories of Dauid againe which after hee had raigned twentie yeares king quietly in Ierusalem he lost two great battels in the one he lost seuentie thousand and in the other battell hee had welnigh lost both himselfe and his kingdome in the first battell Dauid committed great faults in setting out his power his glorie his victories and his greatnesse and most ambitiously to commaund Ioab to number all Israel from Berseba euen vnto Dan as though power strength and victorie came from him and not from the Lord. Here Dauid consulted not with the iudgement of Vrim and Thummim and therefore he lost the victory and Sathan gaue him a buffet Dauid againe in the second battel was ouerthrowne by prouokemēt of the former enemie not only to looke vpon the beauty of Bethseba from the roofe of his house but also to send for her and lie with her and to hide the first wicked great fault he committed a greater he sent Letters to Ioab his captaine to put Vriah Bethsebas husband in the front of the battell to bee slaine in this battell also Dauid did not call for the Ephod nor asked counsell of the Lord as he was wont to do therefore Sathan gaue two such great buffets to Dauid that he lost the field and two victories one after an other of these buffets and stratagems Paul speakes that he was buffetted of Sathan least he should glory too much by reuelation shewed vnto him Moses also had a buffet of Sathan at the water of Meribah for his incredulitie that the Lord said vnto him that hee should not enter into the land of Canaan but dye in mount Nebo Iob also had a buffet in the land of Huz Sathan vseth many such stratagems whereby hee giueth many such buffets If Moses Iob Dauid Paul and others were thus buffeted by Sathan who can thinke himselfe free from the stratagems of Sathan wee must therefore watch if wee will not bee deceiued and wee must fight if we thinke to haue victorie our battell is not against flesh and bloud but against power and states of heauens against the prince and ruler of darknesse and against spirituall enenemies But the Prophet Nathan was sent to Dauid to open vnto him the rewards of adultery and murther that the sword should not go from Dauids house the banishment the punishment and miserie that should fall vpon him for offending the Lord. First his sonne died gotten in adultery by Bethseba the rauishment of his women by his owne sonne Absolon the incest of his daughter Thamar by her brother Ammon the murthering of Dauids eldest sonne Ammon by his brother Absolon and the rebellion of his sonne Absolon against his father the King Thus Dauid sawe the iust iudgement of the Lord and the tragicall end of his children for offending the Lord. Euen Dauid that subdued so many nations that got so many victories that fought with a beare with a lyon and with a gyant and subdued them is now subdued by a woman had Dauid after these victories so much temperance and chastitie at the sight of Bethseba as hee had faith and courage at his combat with Golias hee had conquered both alike but the Lord punished Dauid and his house The sonne of Emor for that he violately abused Dina Iacobs daughter her bretheren tooke at it such a spite that Simeon and Leui Iacobs sonnes went and slew Sichem and his father Emor and all the men within Sichem and tooke Dina theyr sister away with them Thus the gadding abroad of Dina to Sichem to see the manner and fashion of the Sichemites was the cause of the ouerthrowe of Sichem and the Sichemites The going of the Sabine virgins to the feast of Consus to see playes in Rome were rauished and taken by the Romanes to the number of six hundred were the onely cause of the warres between the Sabines and the Romanes In Siloth likewise on
that day the feast of the Lorde was kept the virgins of Siloth came abroad to daunce to sing and to play the Beniamites caught the maides of Siloth to the number of 200. and brought them to the land of Beniamin So the abuse of one woman the Leuites wife by the Beniamite cost sixtie foure thousand mens liues and more in Israel For by the taking away of Viriahs wife by Dauid Israel was plagued with the death of seuentie thousand men and the taking away of Menelaus wife from Greece cost the liues of many millions of men and the warres of tenne yeares betweene the Greekes and the Troians And for that the time of the taking away of Vriahs wife by Dauid agreeth with the historie of the taking away of Menelaus wife by Alexander otherwise called Paris After the death of Dauid and Salomon his sonne the kingdome of Israel was established vpon Rehoboam Salomons sonne he forsooke the law of the Lord and reiected his fathers wise and graue counsellors and followed rash young mens counsell and therefore the Lord raised Shesak king of Egipt against Israel and he came with twelue hundred chariots three score thousand horsemen and his footemen were without number for from Egipt came with him the Lybians the Troglodites and the Aethiopians he tooke the strong cities of Iudah and Ierusalem and all the treasures of the Lords house and all the treasures of the kings house and he carried away two hundred targets and three hundred shields of gold which Salomon made and returned to Egipt with a great spoile because Rehoboam forsooke the Lord and therefore was forsaken of the Lord. The temple that Salomon his father builded was spoiled by the negligence of Rehoboam Salomons sonne This was the first victorie that was had ouer Ierusalem by Shesak king of Israel and here began the first battell of the ciuill warre betweene the kings of Iudah and the kings of Israel and such ciuill warre if you consider the slaughter betweene Iudah and Israel and the continuance of their warres you must needs confesse that in one battell betweene Abiah and Ieroboam were more slaine of the Israelites then among the Romanes in fortie yeares to talke of the Romanes ciuill warres which was fortie yeares betweene Sylla and Marius betweene Caesar and Pompey and last betweene Octauius and Marc. Antonius or the ciuill warres of the Greekes called the Peloponesian warre which endured seuen and twentie yeares it was nothing in respect of the murther and bloud betweene Iudah and Israel for in the ciuill warres of the Romanes histories doo not record aboue the deaths of three hundred thousand Romanes Where in this battell being the first ciuill battell betweene Ieroboam king of Israel against Abiah king of Iudah at what time was slaine in the field fiue hundred thousand of king Ieroboams souldiers in one battell which neither Tamberlane nor Xerxes though they could match them in number yet could they neuer match thē in slaughter For as the Romanes were full fiue hundred yeares in conquering the Sabines the Latines the Vients the Fidenates the Samnites Tarentines Hetruscans others frō Romulus time to Scypio Affrican before the Romanes could be Lords of Italy The like may bee spoken of the Israelites in conquequering the Moabites Ammonites Amalekites Philistines and others from Moses time vnto Dauid welnigh fiue hundred yeares and as the Romans held their Empire so long a time as they were in winning of it frō Scypio Affrican who conquered Haniball and Italy vnto the Emperor Probus which was fiue hundred years at what time the whole Empire fell by degrees to decay So Israel as they subdued their enemies from Moses to Dauid fiue hundred yeares as you read before so after Dauid by ciuill warres of Iudah and Israel vnto Zedechias time which was fiue hundred yeares they lost both the kingdomes Iudah and Israel the one taken captiue by Salmanasser vnto Niniuie the other by Nabuchodonozer vnto Babilon so that now the land of Iudah called the land of milke and honey is become Athisme subiect to Pagans Infidels which continued from Abraham the first father of the faith vntill Titus Vespasian two thousand and odde yeares and al through disobedience and contempt of their Lord and God Euen so the Romanes which were wont to be called lords of the world whose Consuls at that time ruled and gouerned the most kingdomes of the world are now left without King Emperor or Consull and many cities in Italy at this day preferred before Rome now gouerned by the Pope a Bishop as Ierusalem is gouerned by the Turk an Infidel so that in all things the Romanes and the Hebrews may be compared for as the greatest enemie that euer Rome had was Italy and the dangerousest foes that the Romanes had were Italians for the Gaules the Cymbres the Carthaginians and the Affricans vexed not the Romans as the Italians did their own country men and next neighbors So Iudah had no enemies but the house of Israel So Israel had no enemies but Iudah for Ierusalem could not away with Samaria for their two Idols the one at Dan the other in Bethell so Samaria could not brooke Ierusalem for the great solemnitie of Salomons temple CHAP. III. The great battell betweene Abia king of Iudah and Ieroboam king of Israel where 500000. were slaine on Ieroboams side Of the victories of Asa and Iosaphat kings of Iudah ouer Zerah king of Aethiopia ouer the Edomites Ammonites and Maobites AS it seemed by the long oration which Abiah made to Ieroboam and his army vpon mount Zemaraim before the battell ioyned together to disswade them from the battell saying that the Lord had giuen the kingdome ouer Israel to Dauid and to his house but Ieroboam contemned Abiahs counsel and thought by his policie and subtill stratagem to haue ouercome the host of Iudah but he himself was deceiued to the losse of fiue hundred thousand of his souldiers that his power and force failed that he was not able during his life to preuaile against Iudah for Ieroboam had gathered to encrease his army all leaud idle and wicked vnthrifts to fight this battell against Rehoboam the sonne of Salomon like Cinna in Rome that made open proclamation that al bondmē wicked doers and banished men should come to Cinna the Consul they should be restored to their former libertie freedome and thus Cinna gathered al the leaud and wicked men within all Italy he then being Consul taking part with Cai. Marius against his other fellow Consull Octauius which helde with Sylla slaine at that time a number more of the citizens of Rome but between Sylla and Marius one reuenging vpon an other fomi◅g in their countries bloud that all the streetes of Rome anne of bloud These two Marius and Sylla began the first Romane ciuil warres as Ieroboam and Rehoboam did and yet were they both compared to
Scypio Affrican for their victories to their countrey though they were compared to Hanibal for the harm hurt which they had done to their countrey Had Ieroboam harkned to the counsell of Abiah king of Iudah vpon mount Zemaraim he had saued fiue hundred thousand Israelites which were slaine at the battel If the Beniamites had taken counsel of their bretheren the Israelites and to yeeld vnto them the wicked mē that abused the Leuites wife the whole tribe of Beniamin had not bin destroied It was the ouerthrow of Iudas Machabaeus by Bacchides at the battell of Laisa for that he would not be perswaded by his friends to refraine the battell for that time Had the Prophet Ieremy beene heard of Zedechiah and the princes of Iudah Zedechiah had saued the liues of his owne children slaine in his sight and had likewise saued his owne eyes in his head which presently were pulled out after he saw his children slaine and himselfe caried captiue and blind vnto Babilon Ierusalem destroyed and the kingdome of Iudah subdued by Nabuchodonozer so it may be said of Saul refusing the counsell of Samuel and so of Iosias disobeying the counsell of Necho After the great victorie that Iudah had ouer Israel by Abiah king of Iudah his sonne Asa fought with Zerah king of Aethiopia an Infidel who brought an host of ten hundred thousand men three hundred chariots from Aethiope to Iudah and came to Maresha a citie of Iudah Asa the king of Iudah came with an army of fiue hundred and foure score thousand into the valley of Zephatah and both the kings set the battel in a ray But Asa began with praiers cryed vnto the Lord by praiers for the victorie putting no trust in his own power or pollicie neither fearing the strength of the multitude of his enemies so with full confidence in the Lord he set vpō the Aethiopians the Lord smote them before Asa and before Iudah that the Aethiopians fled and the army of Iudah followed and pursued them vnto Gerer for the Lord had striken the Aethiopians with such fear that there was no life in them that the slaughter was exceeding great the spoyle exceeding much of camels sheepe and cattell And Asa after the victorie which he had giuen him by the Lord returned to Ierusalem and gaue the Lord thankes who giueth all victories so as all good kings and generals ought to pray to the Lord before they enter into battell so ought they also to giue thankes after the battell for their victories This victory was a requitall and a full reuenge vpon the Aethiopians for the sacking and spoyling of Ierusalem and of the great slaughter of the people by Shesak king of Egipt In like maner as Abiah beganne with prayers before he beganne to battell so did king Asa his sonne follow his fathers rule and order in seeking helpe and aide at the Lords hand which euery King Generall or Captaine should doo So Iosaphat Asas sonne did when it was tolde him that the Moabites Ammonites Edomites came with an infinit number to fight against him he set himselfe to seeke the Lord and to aske counsell of him and all Iudah with him prayed vnto the Lorde to aide and strengthen him to fight the Lords battel wherby hee got a maruellous victorie ouer his enemies for before he went into the battell Iosaphat caused a Psalme of thankesgiuing to the Lord to be sung before the men of armes and so entred the battell and the Lord laide ambushments and shewed such stratagems against Ammon Moab and Edom that euery one helped to destroy another and the Lord turned euery mans sword to kill his fellow Where the Lorde leadeth the armie the victorie is soone gotten so Iosaphat putting his whole trust confidence in the Lord slue all his enemies that none did escape and the spoyle was such of golde of siluer and pretious Iewels that they were three dayes in gathering and in carrying the spoyle away and then they assembled together after the victorie by Iosaphats commaundement to giue the Lord thankes for the victory and called the place where they got the victory Berachab and they returned to Ierusalem with violls harpes and with trumpets These three battels of Abiah Asa and Iosaphat were battells of the Lord and as the Lord had done at that battell at Michmash to Ionathan so the Lord did now at the battell at Beracha to Iosaphat and so the Lord in all the battels of the good kings of Iudah and Israel shewed alwaies his diuine stratagems for the defence of Ierusalem as in Egipt by Moses against Pharao by Elias at the brooke Kyson against Baals prophets by Elizeus at Dothan against king Benhadads souldiers The Gentiles in like sort commence no warre enter no battell before they sing a song vnto their gods as the Lacedemonians brought vp onely in warre from seuen yeares old vsed before they went to the warres to make solemne sacrifice to the Muses to the goddesse Feare with a song to Castor Pollux The Thrasians sing a song to their god Mars and bragge much of Mars for that he was borne in Thracia Others made vowes when they went to any warres As among the Romanes their wiues their children and their friends should make vowes and cause the same to be written in tables and to be set on that gate through the which they went out of the citie to warre that vpon their return home they might see and read their vowes and performe them The three hundred Fabians which were slaine at the battell at Crimera the gate that they went through out of Rome then was euer called after that Porta Scelerata So did the Romains likewise call the field where one of the Vestal virgins called Minutia for her incest carnall fault was buried in the field was called Sceleratus Campus according to the Romain lawes made for the Vestal virgins that so offended We leaue the prophane marching of the Romanes and the Greekes and we will returne to the marching of Israel vnder king Asa and king Iosaphat his sonne who both by praiers obtained great victories as all the Israelites preuailed more by praier then by fight As by praier Ioshua made the Sun to stand stil ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon By praier Elias made the cloudes to fall raine By praier Moses made his enemies to flie Elizeus raised the dead to life Solomon obtained wisdom So long as the Lord taketh not away thy praying so lōg he doth not take away his grace mercy from thee for a wicked man cannot pray well and he that praieth wel cannot liue wickedly And therfore praiers are compared to Sampsons haires for as Sampsons strength laie in his haires so our strength lieth in praiers Ester praied to haue that to come to proud Ammon which Ammon wished to haue done to Mardochaeus and the
but these were words to encourage their souldiers but it fel out otherwise that Iugurth was taken by Marius and sent to Rome prisoner from Numidia and Leuinus the Consul ouerthrowne by Pirrhus at the citie Heraclea by the riuer Cyris CHAP. VI. Of military discipline and reward of souldiers among diuers nations IN all nations military discipline was so taught and martiall lawes so obserued that if they deserued by theyr good seruice any preferment though hee were but a meane souldier hee should not loose the honour and dignitie of his aduancement to rise by degrees from the lowest souldier vnto the highest captaine and so in like sort by faults and offences committed they should be disgraded and casseerd from their gouernment and regiment and bee punished further by the lawes military for them therin appointed which I will intreat of when I come to speake of euery seuerall country of their warres battels and victories then you shall finde the seuerall military discipline agreeable to the skilfulnesse of the captaine the greatnesse of the victory and the nature of the place It should seem that all nations of the world had their first instruction from the Hebrewes as well their military discipline as martiall lawes for the Lord commanded Moses first in the wildernes to muster the people frō twentie yeares vpwards and likewise Moses commaunded Ioshuah to muster the Hebrewes to fight against the Moabites for that the Moabites denied them passage through their countrey into the land of Canaan Among the Persians imitating the Hebrewes their youthes from twentie to fiftie should be brought vp in warres and no longer by the Persian lawe might they continue in warres but had their maintenance and preferment after to liue at rest to teach the yong youthes of Persia military discipline hauing after their long seruice golden girdles giuen them by the king to shewe their good seruice to their countrey and their credite with the king of Persia. The like lawe among the Scythians was duly obserued and carefully examined that no souldier past fittie sixe yeares old should be chosen a fit souldier for the warres though both in Persia and in Scythia two nations euer in warres one with the other their captaines and officers were men of knowledge counsell authoritie to instruct the army by whom they should be gouerned So also the later Romanes being Polymarchies and camp-maisters of the world hauing brought all kingdomes countries vnder their gouernment were not ignorant of all forraine externall martiall lawes and military discipline but followed the Persians and the Scythians in instructing of their soldiers making choise of the fittest and yongest men from twentie to fiftie to serue the common-wealth Though Camillus in his warres against the Latines and the Volscians and Alexander the great in his warres against the Grecians and the Persians made choyce of skilfull and olde souldiers which were brought vp in warres before with Philip of Macedon his father to be in his Campe. So likewise did Caesar honour much his old souldiers In later time the kings of Syria vsed to send collers of gold robes of purple and to be called the kings friends to the chiefe captaines of the Iewes so the Iewes were wont to send to the Romanes and to the Lacedemonians targets crownes of gold to be in league fauour with the Romains so that all nations sought fauour and friendship at the Romanes So the Carthagineans sent to the Romans gifts rewards for captains generals The Romane souldiers that were of courage and knowne as Praetorian legionarie or manupular souldiers were rewarded with such gifts and presents as they were in all countries preferred and aduanced from one office to another esteemed extolled with sūdry kinds of gifts rewards as crownes garlands some crowns made of Lawrell some made of mirtle some of Popley some of Oliue and some of Pine some made of Oaken boughes for those that had saued cities or citizens There were in the later time of the Emperours new kinds of crownes inuented by the Emperour Caligula made some like the Sunne others like the starres called Exploratoriae coronae Tribunes and great Captaines had bracelets and golden ringes The Romains wanted no varietie of crownes garlands beside mony lands and other gifts Besides there were certain speciall crownes garlands called Murales coronae made like the walls of a citie for those that scaled walles as Cicinnanus for others that besieged fortes as Corilianus crowns were made of green grasse called Coronae graminea for those that saued cities or by sea fight crowns made like a ship called Coronae nauales wer giuē as to Lu. Varro by Pompey the great in his warres against the Pyrates Such crownes rewards were chiefly by the generall appointed by the law of armes to be giuen to such souldiers that had either scaled walles besieged forts saued cities or by sea fight For euen as the Consuls Generals might claime a tryumph by their victories so might the Collonels Captains and gallant souldiers claime their garlāds military rewards for them for their seruice apointed It was lawful for any Roman knight to come with his horse in his hād before the Cēsors of Rome declaring euery captaine vnder whō he serued what countries he had bin in and hauing declared an account of his victtories and seruice requesting to be dispenst with for going any lōger to the wars according to the custome of the knights of Rome he might with licence of the Censors take his ease according to the law So Lucullus gaue ouer after he had gotten many victories triumphs and much enriched Rome himself tooke his rest quietnesse according to the lawe of the Romans though after he was in scoffe called by Pompey the great the Romain Xerxes for his great fare and idle life in Rome yet he escaped thereby the tragicall ende of Pompey whom Lucullus called the great Agamemnon to requite the name of Xerxes by Pompey giuē vnto him he also escaped the tragical end of Caesar who wold not take his rest before he became Perpetuus Dictator to be slaine in the Senate So also of Crassus who could not stay in Rome being the wealthiest man in Rome and thought no man wealthy but hee that could keepe an army of his owne charge but would goe seek for more wealth into Asia to be slain in Parthia to haue gold melted in his mouth being dead among the Parthians in reproach of his auarice as Cyrus had his head bathed in blood in Scithia in reproach of his tiranny Had Scipio when he had ioyned Numantia vnto Carthage and vanquished Hanibal followed Lucullus in taking his ease after his great victories Had Cicero himselfe after he had quenched Catelines cōspiracy quieted himselfe no doubt his head had not bin brought by Popilius to Mar. Antonius Had M. Crassus bene not moued with the sight
he had bene a Captaine or a leader of the band called Agema In all countries the honor of armes was aduanced and the skilfull souldiers so esteemed that one nation practised how to excell another in feats of armes As among the nations called Auctyles people of Lybia who practised to fight in the darke with their enemies to excell others they became so prompt readie that they made no difference betweene night and day either to fight on horse or on foote The people called Arij dwelling in Russia delighted so much to fight in the darke with blacke shields and blacke apparell for that one should not see the other So we reade of the Lacedemonians because they would excell others they would in the darke night goe to the field and learne to fight in the darke one with the other to excell others in martiall knowledge Iugurth when hee would enter battell with the Romanes hee would make choyce of his time in the euening that if his souldiers should be ouerthrowne they might better escape and hide themselues in the night time then in the day time So Mithridates kings of Pontus fled from Pompey the great in the night time to saue himselfe but 40000. of his souldiers were slaine The souldiers notwithstanding of Athens might not by the law of Solon go out of their chamber in the night time without light such differing of military discipline was betweene Athens and Sparta for the busie-headed Orators at Athens often troubled and mooued the best captaines to seditions and therfore Solons lawe was obserued so that no captain might goe abroad in the night without light In like sort the Parthians as the Athenians were by lawe commaunded not to fight in the darke The Persian king had besides the souldiers called Homotimi others which were tenne thousand chosen souldiers of the best and chiefest men in all Persia named Turmae immortales the immortall band a thousand of these were elected to be the kings chiefe guard called Mellephori these had chaines bracelets ringes and girdles of gold and onely commaunded to attend vpon the kings person and were such souldiers in Persia as the guard of Romulus called Celeres were with the Romanes With the Lacedemonians their chiefe and strongest souldiers called Neodomadae which Sparta euer kept in store as their onely staie in any great battell against the Persians these plagued the Persians and therefore called of the Persians Gardates The Turke hath in his principall band called Ianizari one thousande two hundred chosen men of the greatest skill and longest experience in warre which is among the Turkes called Robur Medu◅la Turcici excercitus instituted by Amurates the second of that name and resembling much the Macedonian Armie called Phalanges for the Turke imitateth the Macedonians as the patterne of their military discipline in all martiall exployts For as that litle kingdome was much renowned by the fame fortune of Alexāder the great who brought the Empire from Persia to Macedonia so was that kingdome and other kingdomes by ciuill warres betweene his captaines destroyed within fewe yeares after Alexander Now it followeth after we haue spoken of the honour and tryumphes of nobles captaines and skilfull souldiers and after the gifts and rewards of good souldiers to speake of the punishments due to such idle insolent souldiers that were seditious rebellious within their campe CHAP. IX Of seuerall military punishments by martiall lawes both of the Iewes and of the Gentiles in diuers kingdomes and countries DIuers punishments by diuers great notable captains were inflicted vpon rebellious seditious and cowardly souldiers As first of the punishment of the Hebrewes as Chore Dathan and Abiron were so punished for their disobedience that the earth swallowed them vp aliue and many of their complices to the number of two hundred and fiftie Achan for stealing of the Babilonian garment at the citie of Ai hee his wife his children and all his family was burnt to death at the commaundement of Ioshua so seuere the lawe of the Lord was against disobedient souldiers in diuers places of the wildernesse as at Massa Riphidim and Meribah that it spared not Moses Generall of the armie and the seruant of the Lord it farre excelled the punishment of the Gentiles besides in the wildernesse they were stung and bitten with serpents and venemous beastes as also they were left among the Canaanites Amalekites and others that should be as prickes in their sides and needles in theyr eyes to punish them So the souldiers that obeyed Moses Ioshua and others were rewarded with all good blessings with Manna and Quailes from heauen and drunke of euerie rocke Besides Moses was commaunded to lift vp a brazen Serpent in the wildernesse that those that were stung bitten and daungerously hurt by Serpents by looking on the brazen serpent should be healed Thus were the Hebrewes fortie yeares in the wildernesse where their shooes were not worne theyr apparell nor theyr garments chaunged and thus were the souldiers of Moses both punished for theyr faultes and rewarded for their seruice Now to the punishment militarie of the Gentiles The Romanes which excelled all Nations for their liberalitie in rewarding good souldiers and for theyr seueritie in punishing euill souldiers had such cruell seuerall lawes to inflict punishment as farre exceeded all people As Fabius Maximus was so seuere for his military punishment that he would cut off the right hand of any mutinous or seditious souldier within the campe Aufidius Cassius being Consull and Generall in the field would cut off both the hands the feete of those souldiers that so offended saying that they should haue no hands to fight with the enemies nor feete to goe to the enemies Euen so Scipio Affrican commaunded those souldiers that were seditious to be deuoured of beastes and Paul Aemilius commaunded them to feed Elephants So Iul. Caesar thought no punishment sufficient for those that were seditious among their fellowes in the campe and fled from the campe to the enemies The Romanes woulde not suffer the least offence in a souldier vnpunished It was Caesars rule and order that his souldiers should come as braue to the field as himselfe that no man knew the difference betwixt Caesar and his souldiers It was not so with Agesilaus as great a captaine accepted among the Grecians as Caesar was among the Romanes and as much feared of the Persians and of all Asia as Caesar was feared among the Gaules and all Europe Agesilaus went as simple among his souldiers as the basest souldier he had Many great captaines imitated Agesilaus in all his discipline military who onely among the Greekes for his victories and greatnesse of minde was called great Agesilaus whose stratagems were notable for that noble captaine and great souldier Agesilaus hauing warres with Tysaphernes the king of Persia his generall faigned himselfe to remoue his campe and to go to Caria by
sum of money to betray the citie Tarentū Eoneus vsed this stratagem by the counsel of Hannibal to go out a hunting in the night time for feare of the enemies and to bring to Liuius the gouernour of Tarentum buckes boares and such other wilde beasts as Hannibal himselfe deliuered vnto him who taught him the stratageme Hannibal seeing that Eoneus was nothing suspected for that he vsed hunting caused Affrican souldiers of his to be cloathed like these hunters and to enter with these hunters into Tarentum who assoone as they entered into the Towne kilde the watch and opened the gates to Hannibal to come in Lysimachus king of Macedonia vsed the like stratagem laying siege to Ephesus the chiefe citie of the Ephesians hauing corrupted one Mandro an arch pyrate for money who often vsed to come to Ephesus with a shippe loaden with praie to relieue the Ephesians and by his often comming being not suspected brought certaine Macedonian souldiers fast bound to his shippe as Captiues taken to please the Ephesians which afterward betrayed and deliuered the towne to Lysimachus So did Marcellus take the citie Syracusa by solliciting of one Sosistratus a Syracusan whom hee wanne with money to be his friend who counselled him to be readie and to come vnder intreatie of peace vpon the Syracusans feast day called Epicides by this meanes through the counsell of Sosistratus Marcellus obtained Syracusa This great Romane enemy Mithridates king of Pontus so hated the Romanes that hee gathered together all the poore banished Romains scattered euery where in Asia Romain marchants others busied about their traffiques caused them to be slaine to the number of 50000. in one day to satisfie his wrath vpō the Romains Lucullus had also two of the most famous and renowned victories ouer two of the most mightiest greatest princes of Asia Tigranes king of Armenia Mithridates king of Pontus at mount Taurus for Tigranes armie as Lucullus himselfe wrote vnto the Senate was two hundred three score thousand men of the which number aboue a hundred thousand footemen were slaine and fewe of all the horsemen were saued and the king driuen in his flight to throwe his Diademe to some of his friends who was taken with the Diademe and brought to Lucullus It is written by Plutarche that the Sunne sawe not the like ouerthrow So Lucullus reuenged the great spite of Tigranes king of Armenia and Mithridates king of Pontus for the spite and hatred they bare to the Romanes as Cai. Marius reuenged vpon the Cymbrians and Almaines and as Camillus reuenged vpon the Gaules Ca. Marius reuenge was such and that in time for that the Cymbrians Teutons Ambrons Tygurins and Germanes had conspired and ioyned their force together after the ouerthrow of both the Consuls to the slaughter of fourescore thousand Romanes that they ioyntly marched together towards Rome at what time Cai. Marius and Luctatius his fellow Consull gaue them such a meeting that two hundred thousande of them were slain foure score thousand taken prisoners Lugius Boiorex two kings slain in the battell besides innumerable that fled from the battell hangd themselues on trees and for want of trees they tyed slipping halters about their neckes vnto the hornes and feete of their oxen and prickt them forwards with goades that they might tread trample them vnder their feete vntil they were killed besides the horrible crueltie of the womē which was most terrible in strangling their young babes with their owne handes they cast them vnder their Cartes wheeles and betweene the horses legges and at last slue themselues At what time Marius for his great fortune victories and seruice was called Pater patriae the father of the countrey After Marius had bene seuen times Consull in Rome and called the father of the counrey which was so great a name among the Romaines that none but Romulus Cicero and himselfe had it and had shewed himselfe a valiant noble captaine in diuers and sundry great battels and wanne many victories besides the victories ouer the Cymbrians Teutons and the rest ouer the Spaniards Numantines and Affricans open proclamation was made by the Senate throughout all Italy that they should apprehend Marius and either kill him wheresoeuer they found him or to bring him before the Senators of Rome aliue This was the ende of Marius marching which if you compare him with Sylla you shall finde them both firebrands to their countrey for the harme they haue done to their countrey and yet both great benefactors to their countrey before their ciuill warres For Sylla was either another Hannibal in doing harme to his countrey or another Scypio in doing good to his countrey And as concerning Marius Scypio himselfe spake that he was the only next man that should do great good or great harme to the Romains after Scypio The like words spake king Antigonus of Pirrhus that if Pirrhus should liue till he were an old man he should proue so great a captaine that he should be feared of all nations CHAP. XII Of the maners and forme of warres denounced by the Prophets of the Lord against the Canaanites and other nations which were enemies to the Hebrewes THe order and manner of the Prophets by the Lord cōmaunded to denounce warres to the Canaanites Edomites Ammonites Philistines and all other natiōs that were enemies to Israel was in this sort The Lord commaunded the Prophets as his heraulds to denounce warre after this manner Set thy face against the Idumeans and say behold ô mount Seir I come against thee and will stretch my hand out against thee I wil make thee desolate and wast all Idumea And so against the Egiptians Ezechiel was commanded as an herauld from the Lord to set his face against that dragon Pharao to publish warre and to say I will water with thy bloud all the land of Egypt and as Nilus ouerfloweth Egipt with water so will I make the bloud of thy Army to ouerflowe Nilus Against Tyre in like sort Ezechiel was commaunded with the like words Set thy face against Tyre say behold ô mount Tyre I will come vpon thee and will bring Nabuchodonozer king of kings against thee and wil make thee a desolate citie So likewise as the Prophet Ezechiel was commanded by the Lord to publish warre against the Idumeans the Egiptians and against Tyre so against Gog and Magog the Prophet was sent with the like words for it was the charge and commaundement of the Lord to all his prophets being his Heraulds to proclaime warre against the great monarches and Polymarchies of the earth enemies to his church and to his people as to the Chaldeans the Assirians Egiptians Affricans Lybians and Persians shewing vnto them their destruction before the sword of the Lord came vpon them So the Lord sent Moses his first Prophet and his Herauld long before this time to Pharao in Egipt with the like words as he did
to these Prophets now they spared not IerusaleÌ„ nor Samaria but they had their message told them by the Prophet And so much of the manner and forme of the publishing and denouncing of warre by the Lords Heraulds his Prophets And now likewise to shewe the maner and forme of the Gentiles in denouncing of warre by their Heraulds The Gentiles in olde time proclaiming their warres against their enemies in seueral sorts as the Romains by their Priests called Faecials which were first instituted by Numa Pomp. and after appointed by the Romanes to be their heraulds both for warre and peace for the law was written in these words Belli pacis faederum induciarum or atorum faeciales Iudices sunto The chiefe of theÌ„ was called Pater Patratus being crowned with a garlaÌ„d made of Verbena who went with foure of them to the coÌ„fines of the enemies reciting the iust cause of the wars which were it not by the enemies satisfied answered within 33. daies after the Faecial Priests being sent froÌ„ the Senators and Citizens of Rome should throw after the word spokeÌ„ a bloudy dart or an iron speare into the enemies lands proclaiming warre against them Iure faeciali But if the Romains had their warres farre from Rome the Faeciall Priests should goe out of the citie through the gate Carmentalis to the Temple of Mars in the which Temple there was hanging a bloudie speare vpon one of the pillars of the TeÌ„ple called Columna bellica and from that place should the Faeciall Priest throw that bloudie dart towards those natioÌ„s whom they denounced to be their enemies then after this the Consul Proconsul or Praetor should goe to the Temple of Mars and take the Targets called Ancyllia in his hande and after pricke the Image of Mars with his speare or launce and say Mars Vigila The Persians also vsed this ceremony to throwe a bloudie dart towards the confines of theyr enemies thereby denouncing warre either to haue land and water by yeelding or else to abide warre The manners and customes among the Grecians wheÌ„ they went to publish warre they vsed to send their Herauld to the confines of the enemies after the iust cause of the warre being publikely declared vnlesse they were Perius sanctum legatorum satisfied the Greekes sent a Ramme to the enemies confines to signifie that they were readie armed for their enemies for the sending of the Ramme with the Greekes did signifie as much as the throwing of the bloudie dart or Iron speare with the Romanes for the Romanes were instructed in martiall discipline by the Greekes as the Greekes were by the Persians and the Persians by the Egiptians The old Gaules vsed this manner of order that their Senators called Druydes called a councell of the chiefe men which should be all armed and therefore called among them the armed councell and after consultation had between these Priests Druydes and the armed councell that whatsoeuer was agreed vpon betweene them ther of warre or peace was established for a lawe The Scythians had strange customes in defying their enemies and in proclaiming of warre they did send by Embassadors to Darius king of Persia a bird a mouse a frogge and an arrow signifying thereby that vnlesse the enemies would flye away like a bird creepe away like a mouse or swim away like a frogge out of Scythia that an arrow should pierce them through Warres being proclaimed by the Lacedemonians warlike people the herauld should carrie in his hand a vine twig wreathed about with wooll which the enemies if they would accept and receiue vpon conditions by the herauld opened it should be a full bond of peace otherwise a denouncing of warre and withall the herauld threw the vine twigge out of his hand as in defiance The Carthagineans though they could neuer abide the Romanes yet vsed they the selfesame ceremonies Hastae proiectio as the Romanes did in pronouncing of their warres There was a strange maner and custome among some nations when they proclaimed warre they would send a herauld with a present to theyr enemies wrapped round about with the likenesse of snakes which if the present would be vpoÌ„ conditions accepted they would take away the snakes and deliuer them the present if otherwise the herauld would deliuer the enemies the snakes in defiance and bring the present away this maner of defiance against their enemies the old Corinthithians vsed with others Now that you read the maner and forme of proclaiming of warres among diuers nations you shall also obserue diuers fashions and ceremonies touching composition of peace for both proclaiming of warre and concluding of peace were in all authoritie Per viâ—…faciale but altered in ceremonies CHAP. XIII Of the maner and diuers ceremonies in concluding of peace THe concluding of peace of diuers nations was in this sort those that were sent as Heraulds to proclaime warre were againe sent as Embassadors to entreate for peace in diuers Countries for as bloud was sought by warres so by bloud peace should be reconciled For as you heard the Lord did threaten warre long before warre came to the Hebrewes the Chaldeans Assyrians and the rest by the Prophets and his Heraulds and before these nations punished the first age for their sinnes with an vniuersal deluge ouer the whole world eight persons excepted and after made a league of peace and gaue the Rainebowe as a signe in the heauens not to destroy the world any more with water and when the people againe transgressed his commaundements the Lord commaunded his Prophets to threaten the Hebrues the Chaldeans and Assyrians denouncing warre to punish them as you heard of the Egiptians the Sodomites others with a condition of peace to continue betweene him and his people which was written out in the law of Moses This league was signified confirmed also with the bloud of a lamb as the bloud of couenant between God and man the true type figure of the lambe Christ Iesus which gaue vs euerlasting peace by his bloud in the new 〈◊〉 this peace was proclaimed to the Shepheards in the field at Bethelem by legions of Angels which came downe from heauen singing glory bee to God on high on earth peace towards meÌ„ This peace Christ repeated to his disciples saying Peace be vnto you this peace he brought into the world this peace he left with his people in the world which the world caÌ„not giue for there is no peace to the wicked faith the Lord. The ceremonies of euery natioÌ„ in all countries in concluding of peace was generally by bloud and as it were confirmed by an oath in supping each others bloud or by dipping in of their swords arrowes flint-stones or wooll As the Meades drewe bloud out of theyr armes the Lydians out of their shoulders the Arabians out of their fingers that by sucking and licking of each others bloud they thought it
and famine an hundred thousand solde publikely as slaues and sixteene thousand were sent to Rome to beautifie his fathers triumph as Iosephus an eye-witnesse doth report The Iewes looked not for their destruction so nigh at hand they obserued by tradition of some of their Rabines that their Messias should come about the time of Augustus as a magnificent mighty king not as a poore man the sonne of a Carpenter whom the Iewes whipt and scourged for that he tooke vpō him to be the sonne of God made himself Messias the Iewes litle thought that he was the Messas when they cryed to Pilate to haue him crucified in Golgotha saying his bloud be vpon vs and vpon our children The greedie desire and expectation of the people was such that many tooke vpon them to call themselues the Messias as Iudas Galileus and an other called Atonges a shepheard but aboue them all one Barcozba had diuers followers was receiued for their Messas thirtie yeares but when they saw that he could not defend them from the Romanes they would no longer accept him for their Messias but slew him Titus proceedeth forward to destroy the Iewes but especially the Priests the Scribes Pharisies on whom he had no mercie saying that they chiefly ought to dye with the sword sithence the temple was burnt with fire they onely being rebellious and seditious and the cause of the destruction of the citie Titus spared none of the stocke of Herod In this warres of Titus were ten of the learned Rabbines slaine whose names I thought good to write as I found them written in Genebrardus Chronicles Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel Rabbi Ismael ben Elizei Rabbi Hanina ben Tedarion Rabbi Husiphith Rabbi Eleazer ben Samaa Rabbi Iuda ben Dama Rabbi Isbak Scribam Rabbi Iuda ben Hachinas Rabbi Iuda ben Baba Rabbi Askiba These tenne Rabbines were slaine by Titus which the Iewes record in theyr latter Talmud for tenne martyrs and after Ierusalem was thus destroied Titus appointed Rabbi Iohanan ben Zachai gouernour ouer the remnant of the Iewes in Ahua Byther Oza other pla◅es as Nabuchodonozer did appoint Godoliah gouernor of the rest of the Iewes when he destroyed Ierusalem in the time of Zedechia the king Titus also left Bonia a younger brother of Fla. Iosephus to gouerne other places in Iudah and he returned with his prisoners and captiues which he brought with him to Rome to beautifie his fathers triumphes and his This was the fift and last ouerthrow of the Iewes destruction of Ierusalem First by Shesac King of Egipt in the time of Rehoboam secondly by Nabuchodonozer in the time of Zedechias the last King of Iudah thirdly by Antiochus fourthly by Pompey the great and fiftly and last by Titus and Vespasian Thus the Iewes that subdued all natiōs before them and conquered all the Kings about them that in the time of Ioshua Dauid all the earth trembled at the naming of the Iewes whose gouernment continued from Abraham to Vespasian two thousand yeares and more though for a time while they were in Egipt 430. yeares litle spoken of vntil the Lord raised them so strengthned thē vnder Moses and Ioshua that first they ouerthrew Pharao and his kingdome after subdued the Canaanites Edomites Moabites Ammonites Philistines and the Syrians which of the Hebrewes were called Aromites the strongest nation vpon the earth at that time which were subdued notwithstanding by Dauid Thus the Iewes which were as famous and feared as much in those dayes as the Romanes were in the time of their Consuls are now so destroyed and their country subdued like wandring banished mē without king lawe or countrey The cause wherof was the sinne of Ierusalem which would neuer acknowledge the goodnesse of God towards them nor his myracles and his mercy wrought amongst them they refused his grace offered and persecuted him most violently to death Yet Dionisius Areopagita and his fellow Appollonius in the citie of Eliopolis in Egipt they both obserued by the Eclipse of the Sun at the verie houre the sonne of God suffered more then the rebellious Iewes did for all the blessings and mercies which they had receiued they cried out still vnto Pilate crucifie him his blood be vpon vs and vpon our children These learned Heathens openly confessed in Egipt that either the sonne of God did suffer death or else the frame of the whole worlde should be dissolued these two Heathens confessed and named him to bee the sonne of God but the vngratefull Iewes called and named him the sonne of Ioseph the Carpenter in contempt of him and therefore it is conuenient to set forth the great goodnesse of the Lorde in a briefe and a short catalogue what the Lord hath done to Israel since he brought them out of the furnace of Egipt where they were bond-slaues vnder Pharao 430. yeares euen from the first comming of Abraham into Egipt vntill Moses brought them out of Egipt For after Esau Iacob had diuided their fathers possession Esau went to dwell in Edumea and Iacob tooke for his part Canaan where he dwelt and his childrē vntil Iacob went to Egipt with all his family to his sonne Ioseph which was 215. yeares after the being of Abraham in Egipt and 215. yeares before Moses brought the childrē of Israel out of Egipt into the land of Canaan at what time the law was written giuen to Moses in mount Sinai to gouern the people and after the lawe was giuen the Tabernacle was commaunded by Moses to be made in the wildernesse which should stand to them for a Temple to serue the Lord and after the Tabernacle the Arke was made where the tables of the lawe were commaunded by Moses at his death to be kept where Moses gouerned the whole army of the Hebrues fortie yeares before they went ouer Iorden And Moyses before he died he deliuered the army of the Hebrewes into the hands of Ioshua with a charge from the Lord vnder whom they passed into the lande of Canaan after whose death they began to be rebellious seditious Yet the Lord fauoured thē sent thē stout and wise gouernors as Iudah Ehud Barac Iephtha Gedeō and Sampson yet stil rebelled they like Idolatrous people against the Lord that they were weary of that gouernment and reiected Samuel his gouernmēt and would haue a king the Lord denied them nothing and they had kings to rule them during which time of kings Idolatry presently crept in that the lord his lawes were forsaken and Baal with his prophets priests accepted Hence grew ciuil warres between the 12. Tribes ten against two that of one kingdom they made two so that there was nothing but slaughter and blood betweene the house of Israel the house of Iudah and that straight after Solomons death 500. thousand were slain in mount Zemaraim of the king of Israels side by the king of Iudah Againe such a slaughter of
could bee as though he were their true and lawfull king but being brought to Rome before Caesar who found by the hardnesse of his hands and rudenesse of his behauiour that hee was not brought vp like a Kings sonne and therefore Caesar hauing found his falshood bound him all his life time as a galley slaue and commaunded all his counsellors and conspirators to bee killed with the sword This house continued vntill the last destruction of Ierusalem So that the Iewes after Christ his death beeing euery where afflicted and oppressed from Babilon were forced to flie to Zeleucia the chiefe Citie in all Syria which Zeleucus Nicanor builded a Towne where Greekes Macedonians and Syrians dwelt together there also the Greekes and the Syrians conspired together against the Iewes that there dwelt and slew trecherously of them to the number of 50000. So sedition also began between the Iewes in Alexandria and the Aegiptians in Samaria betweene the Samaritans and the Iewes and all the Iewes which dwelt in Rome in Sardinia other places of the Romaine Empire were from thence banished These Iewes had not so much as a place to rest vpon the earth but were scattered like rogues vagabounds euery where without credit or loue without Prince Priest law or religion the iust iudgement of the Lord for their blasphemy against the sonne of God saying his bloud be vpon vs and our children Thus the Iewes whom Moses Aaron brought out of Egipt to the number of six hundred thousand died all in the wildernesse for their rebellious mutinie Moses and Eleazer after Aarons death numbred the people in the wildernesse where all the other died and they found sixe hundred thousand seuenteen hundred and thirtie able and sufficient men for the warres and yet not one of them which Moses Aaron numbred in the desart of Sinai after they came out of Egipt sauing Ioshua Caleb but died in the wildernesse for disobedience and stubbernesse euer preferring the cucumbers melons oynions garlicks of Egipt before Māna quailes and sweete water which they had from euery rocke in the wildernesse where neither their cloathes were worne nor their shooes spent for fortie yeares yet Egipt which should be a hel to them was their paradice The tenne Tribes of Israel raigned in Samaria 240. yeares seuen moneths and seuen daies during which time they neither obeyed the lawes of the Lord nor heard the Prophets that forewarned them of these calamities which were to come and therfore the Lord gaue them ouer they were taken prisoners their last king Osea brought captiues by Salmanasser vnto Niniuie So the kingdome of Iudah and the house of Dauid was likewise taken by Nabuchodonozer in the eleuenth yeare of Zedechiah the last king of Iudah who was taken captiue his noble men his children slaine in his sight before his eyes were pluckt out and after led in a chaine vnto Babilon where he died in prison 133. yeares after the kingdome of Israel was destroyed by Salmanasser that was the cause of his miserable end for the contempt he had to the Prophet Ieremy disdaining either to hear him or to read his booke for before any king raigned in Israel Iudges by the Lord appointed ruled 370. yeares the kings of Iudah after Solomons death raigned 395. yeares which agreeth well with Iosephus account And so of the continuance of the Bishops or high Priests euen from the building of the temple of Solomon Sadoc being their first high Priest or Bishop were seuēteene high Priests or Bishops in Ierusalem by succession of the children after their fathers The end of the second booke The third Booke of the Stratagems of Ierusalem CHAP. I. Of the care and diligence which Kingdomes and Countries tooke in military discipline to exercise their souldiers THe Romanes most carefull in all military discipline in no wise trusted strangers but euery Romaine souldier should take a military oath by the Colonell The Persiās also were in this point like the Romains for not admitting of mercenary souldiers seldome is found any constancie or soundnesse in mercenary souldiers as by too many examples the Romanes and others found Iugurth by trechery of fewe Thracians that serued the Romanes in Affrike in the night time betraied the Romanes to Iugurth and made a great slaughter of them In like sort the Thessalians were trecherous to the Athenians whom they trusted but they forsooke the Athenians at the battel of Tanagra wherby through their falsehood and trecherie to the Athenians the victorie fell to the Lacedemonians therefore neither the Romanes nor the Persians trusted any mercenary souldiers for mercenary souldiers and strangers are not to be trusted for they doo not onely forsake their friends in any danger but ioyne with the enemy for any aduantage So did the Gaules in the warres of Carthage slew the watch of the Romanes and fled to Haniball The lawe of armes in euery countrey should holde and maintain the crowne dignity of the prince by the sword so most necessary it is that subiects should be looked vnto with great care and prouision to maintain the willing forward and good souldiers due punishmēts and sharpe corrections for euill leaud wicked disposed men carelesse of their countries good How carefull euery common-wealth hath bene of this you shall read first of euery kingdome country seueral punishments by law appointed after of the rewards honor dignities of good souldiers of which Plato saith Omnis respub paena Praemio continetur Agesilaus therefore appointed gifts and rewards to draw and encourage his souldiers to shoote to throwe the dart the sling to ride to runne and with diligence and care to keepe them seuerely from faults offences and to exercise them in martiall feates which kinde of exercise among the Greekes was most commonly vsed called Pentatlon in the games of Olympia Isthmia to honor Hercules and Thesius two protectors and principall captaines that loued souldiers Alexander the great was so seuere in martiall lawes towards his souldiers that if any souldier or captain shuld lye or be any way proued a lyer hee should be depriued frō his office and place of seruice banished from his camp for so was Antigenes though a valiant captaine otherwise yet was both casseerd banished for making of a lye Alexander after he had banished all bakers cookes brewers and such like frō his campe said that marching in their armour in the night they should prouide them a dinner a stomacke to eate theyr dinner against the next morning as for a supper he said they should not looke for wine nor flesh to sleepe after it but for bread and hee would prouide for water which is the onely foode of a souldier and the most necessary care of a generall Hereby his souldiers being brought vp by Philip king of Macedonia his father were hardned with continuall paine
into prouinces some into Toparchies as Syria some into Tetrarchies as Paphlagonia Some into Tribes and some into Ethnarchies as France Gasgoyne and Brytaine were diuided into eighteene prouinces and gouerned vnder Praetors Hispaine in sixe prouinces two of them vnder Consuls gouernment the other foure vnder Proconsuls Macedonia was diuided into seuen prouinces Thracia into sixe and Illyria into seuen prouinces This might seeme strange that Consuls of Rome being but one citie should rule gouerne so many kingdomes that after they had subdued Affrica the most part of Europe before they came to Asia and had established Affrike Europe vnder Romane gouernors And as by the death of Alexander the great all the East kingdomes were left without a king that they that were then but Alexanders Souldiers diuided all the kingdomes of the East as booties and praies between them Macedonia to Antipater Egipt to Ptolomeu Asia the lesse to Antigonus and so other kingdomes were diuided betweene others of Alexander his souldiers and they that could agree vnder one captaine as fellowes friendes and souldiers of one countrey fell to ciuil warres within themselues that one destroyed another that by this meanes the Romanes subdued the kings of Asia as they subdued the kings of Affrica and Europe After the Romanes had subdued Italy their countrey-men and next neighbours they graunted to the Volsces the Tyrrhens the Samnites Lucans Tarentines Thuscans the Romane lawe called Ius Latij So did the Romanes in Cicilia which was the first people subdued and made the first prouince vnder the Romanes they had Iura Latinitatis In Carthage Leptis and diuers other cities in Affrike and Hispaine they had their freedome libertie againe and the lawes of Italy graunted them by Alexander Seuerus the Emperour so that in Affrica were fifteene Romane cities where no magistrate might gouerne but a Romane citizen and that Per ius Latinitatis The like law made Pompey in Armenia in Pontus and other cities of Asia that Romain magistrates should gouerne them as they did in Hispaine and in Affrica All Hispaine were so subiect to the Romaines that thirtie townes were made free to vse their liberties and lawes named Romane cities in one part of Hispaine and one hundred twentie townes that paid anuall stipend to the Romanes The Athenians Thessalians and all Greece were restored to their lawes liberties by diuers Emperors of Rome as by Pau. Aemilius Ti. Flaminius Lu. Silla others But other kingdomes and countries were not so For though the Romains excelled and exceeded all nations in prowise in conquests and victories yet made they all kingdomes and countries their friendes and consederates which they subdued So was Masinissa king of Numidia euer a friend to the Romanes against Hannibal while he liued and at his death made the Romane Empire his heire And Attalus king of Asia for the friendship that he found with the Romanes committed his kingdome into the Romanes tuition and made also the Empire of Rome his heire as Masinissa did And though the Cappadocians were a free nation gouerned by their owne lawe yet sought they freedome and libertie of the Romanes and would be gouerned by them onely forsaking their owne libertie so that they were ruled as the Egiptians were by Romaine knights for that the Romane knights and the Senators were of equall power at that time For no Consull Proconsull Praetor or such as had Serieants or Tipslaues before them might in no wise come into Alexandria or any part of Egipt for that the Romanes had an olde prophesie that their dignitie and iurisdicton should cease in Alexandria and also in Egipt when any Romane officer came to Alexandria hauing Serieants with Maces before them The Romanes beeing now Lords of the most part of Affrica Asia and Europe grew so proud of their fortunes of their triumphes their victories and greatnesse farre from Rome that they through ambition and enuie began one to spite an other in Rome so that there was nothing in Rome but as it was in Athens seditions tumults enuie and malice and as Iugurth spake of Rome that it was Vrbs venalis si haberet emptorem a towne soone sold if it had a chapman So Demosthenes spake of the three monsters of Athens the people the owle and the dragon these were the causes that ouerthrew Rome and Athens The Israelites in like sort as the Romanes before they conquered the Canaanites they agreed and ioyned their force together and the Lord prospered theyr warres when they serued him that from Ioshuahs time who brought them and gaue them the possession of the land of Canaan vnto Dauids time who setled the Israelites as the Lords ouer the Canaanites that the Moabites Ammonites and other nations about payed tribute to Dauid and to his successors and that there was no king no nation but feared and trembled at the name of Israel And as you heard before of the ciuill warres of the Macedonians betweene Alexanders seruants and of the Romanes so Israel likewise fell to ciuill warres which was the cause of the destruction of the Persians the Macedonians the Romanes the Israelites and others for the Hebrewes beeing the onely auntientest people which were brought vp in the military discipline of the Lord their lawe giuer and Generall of their Army vnder whom Moses Ioshua Dauid and others kept and executed the same whose fame grew so great thereby that all the kings and captaines of the earth trembled thereat The Gentiles in their warres with their enemies tooke not onely counsell of their Oracles and Soothsayers but also made their simple souldiers to beleeue that they were instructed by some diuine power sent from Iupiter or from Appollo As Sertorius a captaine no lesse famous in Affrike then Sylla was in Asia which did by a white hinde vse many stratagems whom he taught to follow him euery where euen into his bed chamber making his souldiers to beleeue that hee would consult with this white hinde in some secret place before hee would take any warres in hand and after he had consulted with this white hinde hee certainly assured his souldiers of victorie this hee vsed to encourage his souldiers in all his warres in Affrica Hereby he ouerthrew Cotta the Consull in a battell on the sea and also ouerthrewe Domitius the Romane Proconsull in Hiberia and constrained Metellus to his loss many times to yeeld vntill Pompey the great came with his legionarie army from Rome to aide Metellus against Sertorius with whom Pompey had somewhat to doo before hee ouerthrew Sertorius Thus hee encouraged his souldiers in Affrica by reason of his white hinde as Lucius Sylla did practise manye such Stratagemes in Asia who did make his souldiers beleeue by looking on the picture of Appollo which he carried about his neck in a litle close tablet that he was instructed by Appollo to take such battels in hand that Sylla
losse of many countries prouinces and cities so the Turkes marched vpon the Romanes as the Romanes marched vpon others Cyrus the great king of Persia hauing an hundred and seuen and twentie prouinces after his conquest of many kingdomes and nations marched with two hundred thousand Persians to be slaine in Scythia and that by a woman so Cyrus lost Persia seeking to winne Scythia and lost his life to get more landes Zerxes marching into Greece with such an innumerable armie that they dranke and dried vp many riuers as Scamander in Thessalia the riuer Simois in Phrygia Clidorus in Beotia Lysus in Samothracia the riuer Menalia by Hellespont yet he came from Greece home to be murthered by Mardonius his seruant in his owne kingdom Alexander the great hauing subdued the most parts of the world he also for want of men marched to India to fight with Elephants and returned from India to Babilon where he was poysoned by his owne seruants Many such crooked marchings were as well among the Iewes as among the Gentiles Saul the first king of Israel marched not as he ought to haue done against Agag king of the Amalekites and therefore was he slaine with his three sonnes in the battell at mount Gilboa by the Philistines Ieroboam marched not rightly to the battel in mount Zemaraim against Abiah king of Iudah and therfore fiue hundred thousand Israelites were slaine of his soldiers The most part of the kings of Israel because I need not to name as Acha◅ Manasses Zedechiah the rest many of the kings of Iudah for that they marched not in the path of the Lord but followed Ieroboā which made Israel to sinne and therefore marched with Ieroboa◅ to their destruction These marched not with Moses who said to the God of Israel We will not goe hence if thou goe not before vs. Nor with king Dauid who would take no warre in hand before he had consulted with the Lord. Nor with Gedeon who would not goe to any battell vnlesse the Lord had giuen him a signe before he went so the captaines of the Lorde marched no where attempted no warre or battell without consulting with the Lorde by Vrim Thummim or with some Prophet of the Lord. The Gentiles likewise would take no warre in hand without consulting with their Oracles as the Romains besought the gods of Carthage promising them Temples Altars sacrifices feasts if they would forsake Carthage and come to Rome and therfore the Gentiles were so superstitious and blinde that in many countries they would binde the Images of Hercules and Mars lest they should forsake them and goe to other nations their enemies for no doubt it should seeme that either they read or heard of Moses bookes how the Lord forsooke the Israelites and gaue them ouer to the Canaanites Philistines and other nations about them and how the Arke was taken frō them by the Philistines Here hence grew the blindnesse of the Gentiles that the Arke being taken away from Israel they feared also lest their gods should be either allured by faire promises or taken away by strength of victories CHAP. VI. Of the maner and forme of vowes as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles for their victories in warres A Bigail Nabals wife vsed a policie to please Dauid fearing least Dauid would be reuenged vpon her husband for his churlish deniall of reliefe to him and to his company went after Dauid with victualls gifts and rewards and pleased him with faire words as Iacob pleased his brother Esau who vsed the like stratagem to win his brother Esau to send him gifts and rewards to please his brother whom he much feared for Esau promised to kill his brother Iacob when his father should die For Iacob the Patriarke made a vow when he went to Mesopotamia after his vision in Luz which thē Iacob named Bethel and said If God be with me and helpe me this iourney and will giue me bread to eate and cloaths to put on he vowed of all things that the Lord would giue him that he would giue the tenth vnto the Lord. Iacobs vow is farre more godly then Absolons vow for Iacob sought but bread to eate and cloaths to put on and safe reture againe from Mesopotamia ouer Iorden but rebellious Absolon sought the kingdome of Israel from his father Dauid by a dissembling vowe saying I will goe and performe my vowes which I vowed vnto the Lorde in Hebron which vowe he made his father the king beleeue that hee vowed in Ieshur in Syria that if the Lord would bring him to Ierusalem he would performe his vowes in Hebron this is a rebellious vow like to the wicked vowes of the Iewes which vowed before they would either eate or drinke to kill Paul The Israelites after they were ouerthrowne in a great battell by Arad king of the Canaanites they vowed vnto the Lorde that if the Lorde would giue Arad and the Canaanites into theyr handes that they would truely ferue the Lorde and destroy the Canaanites theyr landes and theyr cities They bound the Lord to so many conditions that if they should obtaine victories they promised him true seruice and to fight manfully against the Cananites And againe for another victory that the Lord gaue them against the Canaanites they vowed the tenth and performed their vowe the Hebrewes wanted no victories vpon their obedience dutiful seruice to the Lord. Iephtha in his war◅es against the Ammonites vowed vnto the Lord if he should haue victory ouer the Ammonites that whatsoeuer first met him at his returne from his victory comming out of his house should be a sacrifice vnto the Lord. Asa king of Iudah vowed vnto the Lord as Abiah his father did when Shesac king of Egipt came with an infinite number Asa and all Iudah made a couenant to seeke the Lord promised sware that they that sought ◅ot the Lord small or great man or woman should die this with an oath he vowed that Iudah reioyced for the victory they had ouer Zerah king of Aethiope with all his army of tenne hundred thousand Ionas a Prophet of the Lord when he fled from Niniuie to Tharsis being in danger of shipwracke he tolde the Marriners that he was the cause of the perillous tempest and willed the Marriners to throwe him into the sea confessing the lot fell iustly vpon him saying I will performe the vow which I promised vnto the Lord. So Anna vowed vnto the Lord and said that if the Lord would bestowe a man childe vpon her she would giue him vnto the Lord and she vowed that neither razor or sheares should come vpon his head and so performed her vow and brought Samuel her sonne before the Lord. There was nothing so common among the Gentiles also as vows as you heard of the Hebrues of their vows to the gods of Israel so likewise among the Greekes and
the Romanes vpon any conditions to be performed they vowed a vow to their gods and Idols The olde Gaules hauing warres with the Romains their General Aristonicus vowed vnto Mars a rich massie chaine of gold of the spoiles of the Romans if he might win the victorie Flamminius the Consul Generall of the Romane army in the self-same war against Aristonicus vowed likewise if he should haue victory wheras Aristonicus vowed but one chaine vnto Mars Flamminius promised all the chaines that the Gaules had to put vp a trophey and to hang their swords weapons and armors vpon the trophey to honor Mars In like sort Marius Cai. Luctatius Consuls of Rom and Generals in the warres against the Cymbrians lifted vp both their hands to heauen Marius promised and vowed a solemne sacrifice vnto the gods of an hundred oxen and the other Consul Luct vowed to build a temple vnto Fortune if the Romanes might haue victorie ouer the Cymbrians At the last battell of Thrasymen Fabius vowed being Dictator elected against Hanibal and promised to sacrifice all the profits fruits that should fall the next yeare of sheep of sowes of melch kine of goates betweene the Calends of March and the Ides of May in all the mountaines champion countries riuers or meadowes of Italy also vowed to build places of musicke to haue victory ouer Hanibal such were the wicked Idolatrous vowes of the Gentiles that theyneither spared land life nor liuing to please their goddes they would haue no warres no battels without consultations with oracles or conference with sooth sayes for they thought all victories came by performing or not performing of vows The Athenians hearing of the innumerable army of Xerxes comming with such terror vnto Greece they sent to Delphos from whence they were admonished by the oracle of Appollo to erect vp an aultar to Aeolus therevpon to sacrifice with prayers and vowes to please the windes to plague the Persians to scatter and ouerthrow the infinite nauies of Xerxes The Greekes and the Romanes vsed a vowe called Haecatombae in the which they builded an hundred aultars wherevpon they offered to the gods a hundred oxen a hundred sheepe a hundred swine sometimes the Dictators Emperors of Rome the kings generals of Greece added a hundred Lions a hundred Eagles to make their vowes as they supposed of greater effect this was chiefly done for the preseruation of kings and kingdomes Emperours and Empires So Augustus Caesar would needs goe to Delphos to learne of Appollo who should raigne after him in Rome and what should become of the Empire bestowing the liberall sacrifice of Haecatombae was answered by Appollo that an Hebrue child was borne who commanded him to silence and to giue no Oracles but willed the Emperour Augustus to depart with silence from his aultar and to hold with the people his credit So Saul being reiected from the Lord for his disobediēce spake to Samuel yet honor me before the people So rebellious Absolon ro disgrace his father and to please the people wished that he were a Iudge for that the people wanted a lawe to minister vnto them iustice Many such rebellious ambitious mē are in the world which vow many things in their harts much like to Hamilcar who caused his sonne Hanibal being but a boy of eight yeares old to make a vow to take his oath to be an enemy to hold wars with the Romans during life It was the maner among the Romaines when they made choise of their Consuls to goe vp to the Capitoll and after sacrifice done there to vow building of temples of aultars and the decimation of the spoiles gotten by victories So Lucullus did promise and vow to Hercules for his victories at the riuers of Rindacus and Granicus So Pausanias general of the Lacedemonians vowed to Appollo for his victories at Marathon against Mardonius These vowes were so many and so diuers among the Gentiles that the husbandman vowed to Tellus for the seed sowne in the earth and the fruite thereof to Siluanus for their oxen and kine to Hippona for their horses and mares to Castor and Pollux for their shipwrackes for labourers to Tutanus for shepheards to Pa◅ for ◅uellers on long iournies to Hercules for theeues to steale safely to the goddesse Lauerna Thus the Gentiles serued and obeyed their Idols with vowes and sacrifices but as apes do counterfeit to imitate men so Satan would seeme to imitate the Lord. Such fond and foolish vowes were vsed among the Gentiles that if the Athenians would haue victory ouer the Thraciās Erictheus the king must sacrifice his daughter a stratagem of Satan If Agamemnon would haue sound returne from Troy to Greece he must sacrifice Iphigenia his daughter or if Marius would haue triumph ouer the Cymbrians hee mustkil sacrifice his daughter Calfurnia the very drifts and shifts of the diuell the oracles of Satan therefore in many countries they would binde their Idols with chaines and bonds So did they in Carthage binde the Image of Hercules with chaines bonds least when the Romaines made their supplications and prayers to Hercules hee should forsake Carthage and come to Rome In wicked men oftentimes the word of God is in their mouthes when the grace of God is not in theyr hearts as in Balaam who came with his full good will to Balaac to curse Israel but he was commaunded against his will to blesse Israel and therefore that which Philo saith is true of the wicked Dona dei sine deo saepe sunt in impijs for oftentimes false Prophets prophesie the truth as Balaam and Cayphas did Satan stands alwaies among the Angels before the Lord to haue licence with his present seruice to seeke whom he may deuour so that Satan is often a lying spirit in the mouth not onely of false Prophets but against the seruants of God as Iob who though Satan tooke from him his seruants his children his goods yet his malice chiefly was against Iob such stratagems he vsed before against the seruants of the Lord as Abraham Moses Dauid and others There is an other kinde of vow of the Nazarites whose vowes were but for certaine number of dayes of moneths or of yeares these Nazarites should abstaine onely from wine or from any strong drink they should let their haires grow and let no razor come on it they should not violate themselues with any mourning for the dead yet Samuel being a Nazarite mourned for Saul Ieremy being a Nazarite wept for the captiuitie of Iudah and Christ himselfe the true Nazarite wept for the citie of Ierusalem The Monasticall vowes of Monkes Benedics Franciscans and Dominics who would faine be Nazarites but that they loued wine too well and shaued theyr crownes too often for they seperated themselues from the world vowed virginitie yet had bastards vowed many things performed
nothing These were superstitious orders of Franciscans and not the vowes of Nazarites The Ethnicks likewise suffered their haires to grow because they might dedicate it either to Iupiter to Appollo to Mars or to some of their gods So did Thesius dedicate his haire vnto Appollo vpon his father Aegaeus graue So Achilles dedicated his haire vpō the tombe of his deare friend Patroclus So did Orestes consecrate his haire vpon the tombe of his father in lawe Agamemnon after he had killed him with the consent of his wife Clytemnestra So Euripides was of Archelaus king of Macedonia so honoured that hee lamented Euripides death in mourning apparell and with a shauen head and beard After the vowes of Iacob of Dauid of Asa and such godly men after the vowes of the Nazarites and of the Rechabites which was commanded from Ionadab the father vnto his children and to their posteritie was kept vnuiolated three hundred yeares These vowes were of the Lord accepted but for Heathen vowes which wilfully offer sacrifice their seruants their childrē thēselues to Moloch to satisfie the oracles of diuels speaking in dumbe Idols as vnto Curtius that rode sacrificing of a quick man which made Curtius on horseback in armor to ride into an open wide gulfe in Rome and Codrus king of Athens likewise in beggers apparell to sacrifice themselues to satisfie the oracles Yet Heliodorus was better aduised and more to be commended being sent by Seleucus king of Syria to rob and spoile the Temple of Ierusalem after he was scourged on both sides with many stripes by some diuine power hauing recouered his life by the prayer of Onias the high Priest Heliodorus offered sacrifice vnto God and made his vowes vnto the Lord which had graunted to him his life and thanked Onias confessing the name of the Lord to be great in Ierusalem Antiochus after his flight frō Persepolis in Persia thought to reuenge his wrath vpon Ierusalem aduancing himself that he would make Ierusalem a graue of all the Iewes but he was striken of the Lord that hee promised and vowed that whereas hee had spoiled the holy temple before now to garnish it with gifts to encrease the holy ornaments to become a Iew himselfe and to preach the power of the Lord through euery place of the world So Artaxerxes king of Persia so fauoured the Iewes through the goodnesse of the Lord that hee called Esdras the Priest and reader of the lawe of the Lord and willed him with all the Iewes that would goe with him to goe to Ierusalem allowed them golde and siluer and cattell to sacrifice vnto the Lord and to performe the vowes which they vowed vnto the Lord. So Nabuchodonozer Cyrus and Darius were moued by the Lord to fauour his people Israell And therefore olde Homer said that the sacrifices and oblations with all their vowes and ceremonies which the Troians offered to Iupiter were nothing of him accepted for that Iupiter rather esteemed the vowes and sacrifice of Agamemnon and the oblations of the Greckes before king Priamus and his Troians So the oracle of Ammon answered the Athenians that the gods esteemed more the vowes and prayers of the Lacedemonians with the sacrifice of milke honey frankincense cakes and wine according to Pythagoras rule then the rich spoiles and great gifts of the Athenians with the great sacrifice of Haecatombae So the Prophet answered the Iewes from the mouth of the Lord I abhorre your incense I cannot away with your new moones your sabbothes and solemne dayes I detest your ceremonies and fastings I hate although you make many praiers and offer many oblations yet do I neither heare your prayers nor accept your oblations CHAP. VII Of Oracles and soothsayings as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles THe Lord commaunded in the lawes of Moses that no soothsaying should be among the Israelites yet things conteining of necessary causes are not forbidden for signes were asked of the Israelites and giuen vnto them of victories by the Lord. Ionathas desired a signe of the Lord and he had by the spirit of the Lord a token that if the Philistins would say vnto Ionathas come ye hither vnto vs Ionathas by that signe knew he should haue victorie The like signe was giuen to Gedeon of his victorie by a fleece of wooll that should be so full with deawe that the deawe therof filled a bowle with water and drie vpon all the earth besides Elizeus bad Ioas shoote eastward in token of his good successe in Aphec And againe hee bad Ioas smite the ground and hee smote the ground thrise so many great victories against the Syrians he had Samuel caught the lap of Sauls coate and rent it saying Thus shall God rent the kingdome out of thy hand and giue it to an other So did Ahiah the Prophet take the garment of Ieroboam and rent it into twelue peeces saying So shall the Lord rent the kingdome out of Salomons hand and giue tenne of the twelue Tribes vnto thee These were signes giuen before hand by the Prophets from the Lord. A prophet of Iudah came to Bethel and cried against the Aultar of Bethel and gaue them a signe that Iosias which was borne three hundred yeares after should offer Priests of the hill altars and burne mens bones vpon the altar and this shall be a signe the altar presently shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out The being of Ionas in the Whales belly three dayes was a signe as Christ himselfe saide that the sonne of man should be three dayes in the belly of the earth It was lawfull for the Israelites to call for the Arke which was the presence of God the figure of Christ they would call for the Ephod they would consult with Vrim and Thummim before they tooke any battell in hand The Iewes required a signe the Grecians sought after wisdome but Christ crucified vnto the Iewes was euen a stumbling blocke and vnto the Grecians foolishnesse For the Greekes Persians went for Oracles to Delphos the Egiptians and Affricans to Ammon but the Hebrewes were taught to come to the doore of the Tabernacle and after the vse of the Tabernacle to consult with Vrim and Thummim to come to the Temple of Salomon or to the Prophets and there to be instructed what to doo The Hebrues tooke no warres in hand vnlesse they ◅ame to the Priest first who would stand with his Ephod◅rment ◅rment before the Arke of the Lorde and there to be ◅ught what to do So Ioshuah Generall of the Israelites vsed to stand b◅re Eleazar the Priest to take his instruction by Vrim and Thummim So Iudah the successor of Ioshua was chosen by Vrim and Thummim to be a Generall of the Hebrue army So did Samuel stand before the high Priest to receiue he Oracle of Vrim and Thummim The Hebrewes
reioyced in his great victorie ouer Darius at Arbela and his conquests ouer kingdomes and countries had hee knowne hee should haue bene poysoned in Babilon Caesar had neuer taken the ciuill warres in hand against Pompey the great had hee knowne that hee should haue beene murthered before Pompeys Image in Rome Priamus had hee knowne the slaughter of himselfe his wife his children the last destructiō of Troy his citie had not resisted the Greeks nor denied their lawfull request in restoring Helen and therefore saide Cicero Multò melius est nescire futura quam scire Ignorance is better then knowledge of thinges to come but these had no Ephod no Vrim Thummim nor prophet to tel them of things to come as Ioshua Dauid Gedeon and others had and yet Alexander had his soothsayer Aristander Caesar had Spurina Priamus was warned by his daughter Cassandra but euer when they escaped one danger they fell into another as Iob said Fugiet impius armaferrca irruet in arcum aereum So superstitious grew the Gentils with such abhominable Idolatry that in Persia by a cock in Egipt by a bull in Aethiope by a dog they tooke soothsaying in Beotia by a beech tree in Epyre by an oake in Delos by a dragō in Lycia by a wolfe in Ammon by a ramme they receiued their oracles as their warrant to commence any warre to enter any battell or to attempt any enterprise And therfore Alexander the great went to the oracle at Ammon to know the successe of his warres in India And Licurgus went to Delphos to be instructed to make lawes in in Sparta Some went to the graue of Amphiraus sacrificed a Ramme and couered the graue of Amphiraus with that Ramme skinne and sleeping vpon the same skinne all night all things should be shewed to them by oracles But to such men as come to dead mens graues to seek helpe might be spoken that which Semyramis spake to Darius king of Persia. For Semyramis had written vpon her graue that what Prince soeuer had wanted money or golde should open her tombe and be satisfied Darius being greedie of money opened her tombe and found this sentence written vpon a table O couetous wretch vnlesse thou hadst bin an vnsatiable Prince thou wouldst neuer haue opened the graue of the dead for money The like was spokē to Xerxes that opened Belus graue and found nothing but an emptie glasse with this writing on a pillar If any would open Belus graue and not fill the emptie glasse with oyle he should be vnfortunate Which being read of Xerxes he willed straight to fil the glasse with oyle which would hold oyle no more then Belides buckets held water Xerxes departed sad therefore imagining some ill lucke to come thereby as within a while after it came to passe that he was slaine in his owne pallace at Persepolis by Artabanus The Prophets of the Lorde Esai Ieremy and the rest tooke no oracles from flying of fowles from starres and such but from the mouth of the Lord saying Thus saith the Lorde giuing more certaine oracles to the Israelites then the Persians Egiptians and Grecians had by Swallowes Rauens Eagles and Cockes The Prophet Dauids manner was when he went to any battell to know of the Lord whether hee should goe or no against the Philistines Canaanites and other enemies of the Lord. So the Israelites would take no warre in hand against the Beniamites before they asked counsell of the Lord. When the Moabites denied Ioshua and his army passage through the land Ioshua was commaunded by Moses to muster a thousand of euery Tribe and to giue them battell For it was lawfull in iust warres to vse any policies stratagems and snares against the enemie as Abraham did in rescuing Lot made after the foure kings fought with them ouerthrew them and brought Lot backe againe to his owne house where he dwelt in Zodom And so Gedeon did to the men of Sucoth and to the men of Phanuel for that they denied to giue some bread to relieue his three hundred faintie souldiers at his returne from the victorie hee tare the flesh of threescore and seuenteene Elders and chiefe men of Sucoth with briers and thornes and brake downe the Tower of Phanuel and slew the men of the Towne according to his promise before tolde But let vs returne to the oracles and soothsayings aswell of the Gentiles as of the Iewes The Athenians in euery publike counsell that they tooke in hand without their Priests called Mantes were present in place to sacrifice and to offer oblations vnto their Idols nothing should be done among the Athenians Among the Lacedemonians in like manner the authoritie of soothsaying was such that in all consultations among the Senators they would conclude vpon nothing in matters of doubts without warrant frō their soothsayers The credite and existimation of soothsayers was such among the Romanes that they could dispossesse any Senator from the Senate any Consull or Praetor from their offices as is said before for the soothsayers were called in Rome Nuntij interpetres Iouis the messengers of Iupiter and his interpreters So the latter Iewes serued and sacrificed to the Idols of the Gentiles neither would they attempt any thing without oracles from Chemosh the Idoll of the Moabites from Nesroch the Idoll of the Assyrians and from Dagan the Idoll of the Philistines yet Senacherib was slaine praying in the Temple before his owne god Nesroch by his owne sonnes and the fiue Lords of the Philistines at the great feast which they made to their god Dagon were slaine by the fall of the house where they feasted Yet Israel would take no example thereby but forgat the lawe of the Lord which they obeyed vnder Ioshuah Iudah Gedeon and others but they would haue new kings new lawes to gouerne them an other forme of a common-wealth then the Lord had appointed and a new kinde of religion to serue straunge gods otherwise then the Lord had commanded them and to seeke helpe and aide of other nations which the Lord forbad them saying The strength of Pharao shall bee your shame and your trust to the shadowe of Egipt shall deceiue you neither the gods whom you serue shall saue you neither the nations whom you trust vnto shall defend you As the Ethnikes vsed dreames lots prophesies oracles soothsayings and charmes to instruct them in their warres so Nabuchodonozer consulted with his oracles asked counsel of the soothsayers and obserued the liuer of a beast for the destruction of Ierusalem but they are cursed in Gods booke that would vse sorcery or seeke helpe by any other meanes then by the Lord for what haue the faithfull to do with Infidels which were forbidden to goe to Iupiter at Hammon or to Appollo at Delphos where the Gentiles came to offer gold pearles iewels chaines crownes shields targets and Images to hang there in the temple of Appollo that
Philip king of Macedonia at the spoile thereof had as great a pray as Alexander his sonne had of Babilon or Nabuchodonozer of Ierusalem CHAP. VIII Of sanctuaries allowed to the Hebrewes and of the multitude of sanctuaries among the Gentiles SAnctuaries were priuiledged among all Nations not onely for souldiers that fled from the warres and seruants that fled from their maisters but also for those that by chance kild any man or had committed such capitall crimes without proofe these might bee succoured in sanctuaries vntill the truth were knowne and proued and therefore the Hebrewes had sixe citties of refuge by the lawe of Moses where if any man had slaine vnwittingly or vnwillingly a man he might flee to any of these sixe Cities as to a sanctuary of refuge but they that had killed a man willingly and had committed any capitall crime purposely should not onely be taken away from the sanctuarie but bee pluckt away from the aultar as Ioab was for killing of Abner and Adonias though hee pretended treason before against Salomon yet had hee the priuiledge of the sanctuarie for that fault by Salomon but when hee sought to haue Abizaig to his wife he was pluckt from the Aultar as Ioab was Those that were lawfully succoured by Moses lawe in the sanctuary it was not lawfull for them that fled thither to returne home vnlesse it were at the death of the high Priest which was a shadow of the death of Christ by whose death the regenerate turne to their eternall home The Gentiles imitating the Hebrewes had too many licentious sanctuaries with the like libertie and priuiledge in so much that in continuance of time it grew that Temples Aultars Images of Emperours and Kings and graues of dead men were allowed for sanctuaries as if any that would flye vnto the Temple of Diana at Ephesus and claimed by the right of a sanctuarie to be defended hee was made free and had his libertie graunted vnto him and that continued a sanctuarie from the time of Alexander the great who amplyfied the Temple of Diana the quantitie of a furlong which temple was burnt before by Herostratus vpon the very day that Alexander was borne vntill the time of Augustus Caesar three hundred yeares after Alexander by whom the wickednesse of that sanctuary was was abrogated and quite taken away Cadmus as some write at the building of Thaebes was the first in Greece that gaue any priuiledge to sanctuaries Others thinke that some of the posteritie of Hercules erected vp in Athens the temple of mercie where euery man might flee for succour fearing least they should be punished and plagued for the iniuries that Hercules their predecessor did to others and the Athenians made a decree that none that fled to the aultar of mercie should be pulled away Romulus imitating Cadmus at the building of Rome for the encrease of his citie graunted impunitie to all such wicked men that came to Rome whose example all other Gentiles followed after in so much that kings and kings sonnes fled vnto sanctuaries so great was the priuiledge of sanctuaries that king Pausanias fled to the Temple of Minerua in Sparta and king Cleombrotus fled to the Temple of Neptune in Taenero and Adonias King Dauids sonne fled to the Temple in Ierusalem Likewise a souldier taken in the warre if he had fled from thence to the statue of any King Emperour or great captaine he was to haue his libertie The liberties and abuse of sanctuaries grew so great among all nations that where sanctuaries were allowed chiefly first for those that slew any man by chaunce against their will for captiue souldiers that fled from prison for poore distressed seruants that were abused by their maisters in time it became dens for theeues stewes for wicked men and leawd women that whatsoeuer was done if they came to the Temple of Osiris in Egipt or to the Temple of Diana in Thracia or to the Temple of Venus in Pâ—…hos they were freed might there take their libertie but poore Demosthenes was taken from the Temple of Neptune by the tyrant Archyas and brought to Athens before his onely enemy Antipater Sanctuaries grew so common that not onely souldiers but also any offenders might fleee from theyr liberties especially in Greece to the graues of Achilles Thesius and Aiax in other places to the graue of Hercules In other places the offender if he had fallen downe at the feete of Iupiters Priest of Mars or of Vulcan at the gates of their temples he should goe free Though the old auntient Romanes could not abide a souldier taken in the wars they would neither redeem him nor allow him sanctuarie yet Agesilaus king of the Lacedemonians allowed any temple of their gods to be a sanctuary for souldiers that fled for succour So did Cyrus proclaime sanctuaries for all banished bond men in Greece in all Asia leuied therby a huge army to fight against his brother Artaxerxes So did Sertorius one of Marius sect proclaime sanctuaries to all the Romaine fugitiues in Hispaine in Affrike that he as much harmed Rome being a Romaine borne and now out of his countrey as eyther Sylla or Marius did in their countrey Hauing sufficiently spoken of these kinde of sanctuaries of theyr too much libertie that grew thereby in all kingdomes as among the Hebrewes by Ieroboam in the battell at Mount Zemaraim among the Persians by Cyrus at the battell at Conauxa among the Romanes by Cinna and among the Affricans by Scotorius who all proclaimed sanctuaries and liberties to all fugitiue and banished souldiers we leaue sanctuaries which were appointed as a refuge for those that fled thither for succour and helpe vntill the truth were knowne and speake not of those that abused sanctuaries as a cloake of their tirannie and wickednesse You heard before how Adonias and Ioab were taken from the Aultar for they had abused the sanctuary for the Lord commaunded that his lawes should be seuerely kept and that no part thereof should be broken for King Oza vsurping the Leuites office against the lawe was striken with sudden death for the vnreuerent handling of the Arke which was the Leuites office Ozias the King was striken with leprosie for burning incense against the lawe which was the Priestes office Abihu and Nadab Aarons sonnes for that they both tooke Censors in their hands put fire therevpon and incense therein offered straunge fire before the Lord contrarie to the Lords commaundement fire from heauen destroyed them for the priests were commaunded to take no fire but from the aultar neither might they offer vncleane bread vpon the Lords table nor sowe cockles for corne in the Lords fields for the Lord will be more sanctified in his ministers then others and therfore he spared not Oza for handling the Arke nor Ozias for burning incense though they were both kings for transgressing one iot of his lawes
So seuere was the Lord that he punished fiftie thousand Bethsamites for looking into the Arke It should seeme that in Rome Numa Pomp. in his prophane religion imitated the lawe of Moses he instituted orders of Priests called Flamines to Iupiter and to Mars he likewise instituted the Vestal virgins to attend the fire consecrated to Vesta to whom Numa commaunded rhat if the fire by negligence were out in the lamp they should take no other fire but from the heate of the sunne Numa also instituted the Priests called Aruales much like to the olde Priestes of the Gaules called Druydes or the Idolatrous Priests called Chemarims in Samaria who serued the golden calfe vnder Ieroboam which made Israel first to sinne so religious a King was Numa Pomp. that Romulus souldiers his predecessor were by Numa Pompilius turned from souldiers to become religious and made the olde Romanes beleeue that the Nimphe called Egeria gaue him rules and lawes to instruct his people with such sundrie and diuers ceremonies as Numa Pomp. himselfe deuised during whose raigne of fortie yeares Ianus Temple was neuer once opened He also decreed certaine seuere lawes for those that offended in religion and yet no Images were seene in Rome for 170. yeares but ceremoniall superstitious seruice of vnknowne gods which Numa decreed then in Rome And for to prophane any of the holy misteries of religion was a sacriledge as well among the Grecians as among the Romaines for so Alcibiades was accused that hee had offended against the goddesse Ceres and Proserpina for that hee counterfeited in mockery theyr holy misteries apparelled himselfe in vestiments as the Priests of Ceres called Eumolpides were wont to do with his Torch-bearer and Verger before him where none should be at this secret seruice but priests holding torches in their hands and women crowned with garlands made of the ◅ares of corne and therfore Alcibiades for his contempt herein was first banned and cursed by the Priests and Nunnes of Ceres after his goods confiscated and himselfe banished out of Athens by Eumolpides lawes In like manner Clodius was accused in Rome of the like sacriledge by Cicero with as great inuectiues against Clodius for prophaning of religion as Cicero did against Cateline for his treason towardes his Countrey For Clodius was accused that hee entered secretly into the misteries of Flora against the lawe whereby he was accused with Pompeia Caesars wife but it cost Ciceros bannishment out of Rome afterwardes by meanes of Clodius when hee became Tribune of the people at what time twentie thousand ware mourning apparell in Rome for Cicero but it cost Clodius life by degrees for Milo slew him and Cicero pleaded with all the eloquence hee had before Pompey the great then Consul in the behalf of Milo so that Alcibiades was banished from Athens and Clodius slaine in Rome for the prophaning of their religion For the like occasions grew warres betweene the Athenians and the Acarnanites for that two young men of the Acarnanites and others with them beeing not Priests came to Athens and entered into the secret misteries of the goddesse Ceres against the lawe which the Athenians tooke for a sacriledge therfore they slew the Acarnanites The Acarnanites beeing agrieued with the Athenians sought helpe of Phillip king of Macedonia against the Athenians to reuenge theyr wrong who was alwayes readye to take quarels against the Athenians So seuere and straight were the Heathens in obseruing the lawes of their religion ceremonies of their gods that euen among the Scythians a rude and a barbarous nation Anacharsis the Philosopher for that he altered the religion of Scythia being his countrey and imitated the Greekes in their ceremonies he was slaine in Scythia by his owne countrey men CHAP. IX Of the reward of souldiers Of honourable buriall of Captaines and of ambition TVllius Hostilius the next king in Rome after Numa Pomp. changed peace into warres and religiō into armes and made as many lawes for souldiers as Numa made for Priests Yet Cicero was of opiniō that the Romanes wanne more kingdomes rather by religion then by armes for the Romanes said Cicero were not equall in number to the Hispaniards neither in strength to the Gaules nor in subtiltie craft to the Affricans neither in learning and knowledge to the Grecians but only the Romanes ouercame these nations as Cicero said Pietate religione Yet Vegetius affirmeth that the Romanes became Lordes ouer all Nations through military discipline which the Romanes had from the Greekes and especially from the Lacedemonians to whom not onely the Affricans the Carthagineans and Cicilians but also the Italians and the Persians sent for skilfull Generalls and Captaines as the Syracusans had Gilippus a Lacedemonian captain against the Athenians and the Persians had Phocian the Athenian their Generall against the Lacedemonians Antalcidas was therefore much offended with Agesilaus for that he taught the Persians to conquer Greece by often and continuall warres with the Persians saying you teach women to ouercome men against Licurgus lawes So the Lygurians grew warlike skilfull souldiers by long fighting contending with the Romains And so the Thaebans became skilfull souldiers by continuall warres with the Lacedemonians that Epaminondas ouercame the Lacedemonians at the battell of Leuctres and brought the pride of Sparta vnder Thaebes Thus the warlike Lacedemonians whose aide and helpe was sought of all nations are ouerthrowne by theyr next neighbours the Thaebans Euen the Lacedemonians who thought it a shame to followe the enemies that fled from them and made a scoffe of the Persians great armies who thought neither Iewe nor Gentile equall to them are now ouerthrowne in their owne countrey by their owne countrey men We leaue the Lacedemonians in theyr losse and will speake of those great captaines that had the like care to bring vp their souldiers as the Lacedemonians had Alexander the great when any of his souldiers were maimed or hurt in the warres that they could no longer serue either being hurt or for their age he liberally rewarded them and sent them to Macedonia with his Letters vnto Antipater that they should be placed in the chiefest place of games and shewes with Garlandes of flowers on theyr heades to animate others to martiall exploytes and to embrace armes So liberall was Caesar to his souldiers that hee would haue them goe braue in apparell and feede them with gifts and rewards and would often say vnto them win gold and weare gold Agesilaus vsed his souldiers with the like martiall exercise and instructed them in all military discipline that hee appointed certaine Armours braue Targets Swordes and such military weapons that should be giuen to those Souldiers that should moste exceede others So Cai. Caesar caused not onely the olde warriors the Romane knights to traine vp the Romane youthes in martiall discipline but the Senatours themselues not only
who after he had subdued the most part of the cities of Greece he laid siege to Athens tooke it about midnight with such a noise number of hornes and sound of trumpets in order of battell with their swords drawne making such an vncredible slaughter that the greatnesse of that murther and the number of the persons that were slaine could not be knowne the noblest men of the citie were in such dispaire that they made account to liue no longer because they sawe such tirannie and crueltie in Sylla that an infinite number slew themselues before they should come to Syllas hand at which time the learned libraries at Athens were destroyed quite and burned The most famous library at Pergamus gathered together of all the vniuersities of the world by the great diligence and industry of Attalus and Eumenes kings of Asia of the which library one Euporion had the charge by the appointment of Antiochus the great which was also burnt and destroyed in the warres of Asia between Antiochus the great and the Romanes which Antiochus by the perswasiō of Hanibal would take warres in hand against the Romanes supposing by his two Elephants whom he named Aiax and Patroclus to terrifie the Romanes with these beasts Hanibal might haue tolde him he had foure score Elephants in his warres against Scypio Affrican and after Hanibal was ouerthrowne and his Elephants brought to Rome Metellus at his victorie at Panormus sent to Rome a hundred foure and twentie Elephants and fiftie yeares before Metellus Pirrhus was glad to leaue foure Elephants to beautifie the triumphes of Curius Dentatus and to forsake the Romanes and to flye to his countrie Antiòchus the great might haue knowne this well eyther by himselfe or by Hanibal but being ouerthrowne of the Romanes the library also of Pergamum was destroyed Againe the most noble library at Rome began by Asinius Pollio and finished by Mar. Varro was such that both these great learned men had their Images and statues set vp in the market place at Rome while yet they liued If the Romanes had bene as desirous of bookes and learning as they were of bloud and spoile Caesar might as wel haue brought the library frō Alexandria to Rome as he brought the pictures of Cato Petronius and others from Affrike to Rome or as Augustus brought the picture of Cleopatra Lu. Scypio might as well haue brought vnto Rome the library of Pergamus from Asia as to bring in long tables painted the forme and likenesse of 130. cities townes which he subdued and conquered in Asia And so Lu. Sylla might haue brought the library of Athens to Rome as well as he did bring all the cities of Greece set out and painted brauely in tables banners and ensignes to aduance his triumph but the Romanes esteemed nothing but victories they weighed not for bookes but for battels they banished Mathematicians and Philosophers out of Rome and out of all Italy for the Romans professed onely armes and yet many of them were learned for Cato though learned himselfe yet hee would haue no Philosophy read in Rome hee much disliked that Carneades the Academick Philosopher who came as Embassador from Athens to Rome should tarrie long there least the Romain youthes that were desirous of learning and eloquence would giue ouer the honor and glorie of Armes and yet many of the best Romaine captaines were well learned It was but the opinion of Cato for Philopomen the Greeke by talking of warres with Captaines and by reading of Cincius and Euangelus bookes became an excellent captaine Lucullus in like sort himselfe being learned as it seemed for Lu. Sylla dedicated his commentarie of 22. bookes vnto Lucullus who was as noble a Captaine as any was among the Romanes Alexander the great would neuer sleepe in his bed without the Iliads of Homer vnder his pillow So Caesars Cōmentaries at this time is no lesse esteemed with the Turkes then Homers Iliads with the Greekes It seemed in those dayes that it was not hard to find famous and learned libraries when so many learned and profound schollers wrote so much as Callimachus wrote eight hundred bookes Crisippus a stoik Philosopher wrote more then others could read so many Greekes and many Romanes wrote all the dayes of their liues but as you heard the end of warre sword and fire consumes all especially of ciuill warres Some bookes are also mentioned of the Prophets and of the Apostles in their writings which are not extant as the booke of the battels of the Lord the booke of the Iust called Iasher and the booke of the Chronicles of the kings of Iudah often mentioned in the booke of kings In the new Testament of the prophesie of Enoch and the storie of the body of Moses mentioned in the Epistle of Iude but now not extant These things are also declared in the writing of Nehemias how he made a library and how he gathered the Acts of the Kings and of the Prophets the Acts of Dauid and the Epistles of the kings CHAP. XII Of the breach of the lawe of Armes of the trechery and murther that came thereby THe Castle of Thaebes called Cadmea was taken by Phaebidas a Spartan captaine before the Thaebans mistrusted any thing for there was a league betweene the Thaebans and the Lacedemonians howbeit the Lacedemonians against the lawe of armes tooke the castle and the captaine that then kept the castle named Ismenias and sent him to Sparta as a prisoner Pelopidas and others saued themselues by flight and for that the Spartans brake their league with the Thaebans hereby grew great warres betweene the Lacedemonians and the Thaebans to the vtter confusion of the Lacedemonians and the last ouerthrowe of Sparta at the battell of Leuctres where Epaminondas Pelopidas were victors This ouerthrow fell iustly to the Lacedemonians for that they brake their league and conditions of peace with the Thaebans for the which it is lawfull among all nations to commence warre so is it great wisedome for all nations to auoyd the great harme that may fall by entreatie of peace For vnder colour of peace many haue practised means to warre so Metellus deceiued Iugurth with faire words tending to peace Philip king of Macedonia hauing a vaine hope to haue peace with the Romains thinking therby to repaire his force being before foiled by the Romanes was the second time vanquished by the Romanes thrise he rebelled and thrise he was vanquished This was not that Philip father to Alexander the great who neuer kept conditions of peace but false and trecherous in all his promises he could be as rebellious as the last Philip but not so soone subdued Cotys King of Thracia vnder colour of a league was with faire words allured to a banquet where he was slaine It was the counsel of Archidamus Agesilaus sonne to talke of peace to the Lacedemonians to prouide for warre and therefore the Romanes
the Gyants who challenged Iupiter and the rest of the gods to battell but though this be fabulous cōcerning the Gyants yet the building of Babel is written by Moses that Babel was builded so high by Nimrod both to auoyd a second deludge and to reuenge his stock and family destroyed in the first but the Lord saw their folly confounded their workes by a confusion of one language into many Philo might aske a questiō aswell now why the Lord did not ouerthrow the tower of Babel with winde tempest and thunderbolts as he did aske why the Lord did not destroy Egipt with Lyons Tygres Beares and such But as Philo answered his owne question that it was to fright them with Frogges Flies Grashoppers and suche simple vermines to shewe his mercie and to saue them to repentance and not to destroy them with wilde beasts And so with the like reason Philo or any man for Philo may now answere that the Lord would not destroy the Tower of Babel with tempest and wind to destroy the people but by diuiding of one tongue into many that they might acknowledge the Lord to be God and to confesse their owne folly If Nimrod had confessed his sinne and said I haue sinned as Dauid spake to Nathan the Prophet or with Daniel who said Peccauimus iniquitatē fecimus or with Nehemias who said I and my fathers house haue sinned to whom the Lord shewed mercy Wicked Pharao also said to Moses I haue sinned against the Lord and the Lord is iust I and my people are wicked Saul said I haue sinned and haue done foolishly So Iudas the traytor said I haue sinned in betraying innocent blood but the Lord accepteth not the fained confession of wicked men CHAP. XIII Of securitie of Generalls in warres Of celetitie in victories Of diuers dreames and names giuen TWo much securitie was in Pompey his souldiers after he had giuen two repulses to Caesars souldiers at Dyrachium as Caesar said himself the victory might haue bene Pompeys if he had followed his good fortune So againe if Pompey had followed his good lucke and had not staied the Romane youthes being fierce to goe forwards at the battell at Pharsalia he had put Caesar to greater daunger then he was at Dyrachium So Hannibal was toucht with that fault by Hamilcar the Affrican that if he had gone forwards and brought his armie after the battell at Canne before Rome as Scipio after his ouerthrow of Hannibal brought his force before Curthage Rome might haue bene in as great a daunger as Carthage was Nothing abused Pompey so much as his owne captaines flattering him and calling him the great Agamemnon king of kings by Domitius Scypio Spinther and others after the victory at Dyrachium assuring themselues soone to ouerthrow Caesars armie and contending in brauery for offices at their return to Rome drawing lots who should be Consuls Praetors Quaestors or high Bishop which Caesar himselfe was at that time It should seeme that Pompey and his captaines made no doubt of the victory for when his campe was taken his tents and pauilions were full of nosegaies and garlands of mirtle and their coaches all couered with flowers their tables full of bowles of wine as men more readie to doo sacrifice for ioy before the victorie then armed and prepared to fight for the victory At Fortuna vitrea cum splendet frangitur So also Tigranes king of Armenia was flattered with his Leiftenants Captaines and other Parasites who scoffed and flowted the Romanes they sported and made a May game of Lucullus army some deuiding the spoile and drawing lots before the battell began much like to the Cherussians the Sueuians and the Sycambrians who gathered themselues together in a great army they likewise like the Armenians little esteeming the Romaines deuided the Romane spoiles betweene them before they fought for it the Cherussians would haue all the Romane horses the Sueuians would haue all the gold siluer of the Romanes the Sycambrians all the Romain captiues taken prisoners in the wars Thus had they fully concluded before the battel began but it fell out otherwise for Drusus the Romaine Captaine ouerthrew them that their horses their cattels their chaines their gold and siluer and they themselues were a spoile and a pray to the Romanes Incerti exitus pugnarum Mars communis said Cicero it was euer found in all warres that Nimia fiducia semper noxia The like victorie had Lucullus ouer Tigranes king of Armenia whose captaines before scoffed and flowted Lucullus army deuiding the Romane spoyles before the battell beganne but they were ouerthrowne by Lucullus to the slaughter of a hundred thousand footemen and the most part of the horsemen slaine and the king himselfe hardly escaped and for that so many were slaine of the enemies and so fewe of the Romans Plutarch saith that the Sun saw not the like ouerthrow that such varietie of shews were seen of Chariots Coaches and of infinite number of Cartes that carried the spoiles of Armours of Ensignes of battering peeces besides twentie cupbords full of siluer plate thirtie cupboords full of golden vessels eight Moiles laden with golde a hundred and seuen Moiles loaden with siluer coine Crassus at the sight of this Lucullus triumph was afterwards when he was Consul with Pompey the great so beyond all measure most desirous with all celeritie to take his iourney against the Parthians with more haste then good speed In like sort the sight of Milciades triumphe mooued Themistocles in his youth to say that he could not sleepe in his bed before he had obtained the like triumph and so he proued among so many great captaines in Greece one of the greatest for he was being but a young youth at the battell at Plataea being the first battell and the first victorie that the Grecians had ouer the Persians Hee was also at the battell at Marathon with more commendatiō then he had at Plataea but in the battels at Salamina and Artemisium all Greece gaue him the honour and fame the one by sea the other by land he did all thinges with such celeritie that Themistocles himselfe would say that whatsoeuer hapned to him well hapned by celeritie But it seemed that Themistocles with all celeritie missed to borrowe money in the I le of Andria though he brought two great and mightie gods with him from Athens the one called the God of Loue the other the God of Force requesting the Andrians to lend some money to please to satisfie the want of their Gods But he was answered by the people of Andria that there were two as great goddesses with them in Andria as there were in Athens the which commaunded the Andrians neither to lend nor to giue any money to Themistocles gods saying our goddesse of Pouerty weigheth not for loue neither doth the goddesse of Impossibilitie weigh for force The Lacedemonians were not so religious as
hee was called but Agesilaus without any surname of addition among the Grecians neither other great captaines of Greece as Milciades Themistocles Cymon and others had no such surnames by their victories as the Romanes had The Hebrues also had but proper names some had their fathers name added vnto it so our Sauiour in the Gospell named Peter Simon the sonne of Ionas so was it oftentimes spoken to Esay the Prophet Esay thou sonne of Amos so all the Iewish Rabines were named after their fathers names as Iuda the sonne of Dama Simeon the sonne of Gamaliel Ismael the sonne of Elizei but among the old Hebrewes as you heard they were so named as pleased the mothers The Egiptians vsed also Greeke additions to their names as Pto. surnamed Euergetes for his good deeds and benefites to his countrey Pto. surnamed Ceraunos that is to say lightning for his quicke dispatch Pto. surnamed Aetos an Eagle for his swiftnesse and celeritie and so Philadelphus and other kings and great men of Egipt added to their own proper names Greek surnames The surnames of the last kings of Egipt began from a souldiers name who grew so great among the Egiptians that he strengthened and established the countrey being subdued and ouerthrowne before by the Persians that the Alexandrians so hououred him after his death that all his successors the kings of Egipt were called after his name Ptholomei for as all the first kings of Egipt were called Pharaones so were the last kings of Egipt called Ptolomei So Arsaces a poore Scythian borne a great souldier with a great armie of poore banished men of the Parthians ouerthrew king Zaleucus and restored the Parthians to their libertie for the which benefites he was made king and all the kings his successors were named Arsaces after his name These men seeke name and fame on earth where they haue no citie nor place permanent but houses made of clay and forget to builde immortalitie and eternitie in heauen they make sumptuous and durable tombes for their bodies like the Egiptians which make pyramides for their dead bodies to dwel for euer Some againe like the Agrigentines which build them such strōg houses as though they shuld liue alwaies and yet eate drinke as though they should die the next day But we leaue these builders that build towers in the aire with Nimrod and Iuorie houses with Achab and would lose immortalitie with Vlisses for Ithaca his country and come to Paul who would be losed from the bodie and be with Christ and with Ioshua to fixe our triumphes and tropheys in Heauen with the euerlasting Ioshua Christ Iesus the sonne of God who purchased vnto vs eternall habitations and went in bodie before vs to prepare for vs a dwelling place to him therefore with the father and the holy Ghost be all honor glory and praise for euer FINIS A Table containing a briefe summe of the whole Booke Matters contained in the first Booke THirtie nine kings ouerthrown by Moses Ioshua page 2 Of diuers combats pa. 3 Of the vow of Cherim pa. Ead. Adam rescued by the seed of the woman pa. 5 Elizeus leadeth the army of Benhadad blinde pa. 6 They that mourned in Ierusalem were marked with the letter Tau Ead. Of diuers and seuerall markes pa. 7 The time that barbours were first seene in Rome pa. 9. Abraham the first man marked pa. Ead. Abrahaham feared Abimelech and Pharao for his wife pa. 10 Abraham read Astronomie in Egipt pa. Ead. Abraham rescued the fiue kings and Lot his nephewe pa. 11 The victory and stratagem of Gedeon ouer the Madianites pa 12 Dauids victory at Bezor in rescuing his two wiues pa. Ead. Three Angels feasted at Mambre with Abraham pa. 13. Foure named before they were borne pa. Ead. The Ismaelites would not bee called Agareni of Agar but Sarazeni of Sarah pa. 14. The Tower of Babell builded by Nimrod pa. 15 Ninus the first Monarch pa. ead Alexanders voyage to India pa. Ead. Zoroastes laughed at his birth pa. 16. The first Idolatry by Ninus pa. ead Baall the first Idoll pa. 17 The male children of the Hebrews throwne to Nilus pa. 18 The tyrannie of Pharao pa. Ead. A comparison betweene the Egiptians and the Romanes pa. 19 The armies of the Lord in Egipt vnder Moses pa. Ead. The first plague of Egipt pa. 20 The comparison of the first plague with the first persecution vnder Nero pa. 21 Nero slew himselfe pa. 22. The second miracle and triumph of Moses in Egipt pa 23 The blasphemy of Nicanor punished pa. Ead. Domitianus Image set vp in the Temple at Ierusalem pa. 24 Domitianus slain in his owne house by his seruants pa. 25 Iamnes and Iambres Phoraos soothsayers pa. ead The third persecution vnder Traiane pa. 26 Philo was not heard of Nero. pa. ead The fourth army of the Lord in Egipt was swarmes of flyes pa. 27 The fighting of the Iewes with wild beasts pa. 28 The yeelding of tyrants pa. 29 Pharao and Esau compared pa. 30 Septimus and Antiochus murthered pa. 31 The tyrannie of Antiochus against the Iewes pa. ead Antiochus cōfessed the great wrong he did to the Iewes at Ierusalem pa. 32 The fable of Manetho and others concerning Moses whom he named Osarphis pa. 33 The persecution of the seuen bretheren pa. 34 The seuenth plague of Egipt 35 The comparison of the seuenth persecution vnder Decius with the seuenth plague pa. 36 Great plagues and sicknesses vpon the Romanes pa. 37 Hipocrisie of Pharao pa. ead Pericles made a lawe in Athens against straungers pa. 38 The eight persecution vnder Valerianus pa. ead Valerianus the Emperor of Rome vsed as a blocke by Sapor king of Persia pa. 39 The ninth plague of Egipt pa. 40 The dissimulation of Pharao pa. ead The ninth persecution vnder Aurelianus pa. ead Christ denied among the Romanes pa. 41 A golden target sent by the Senators pa ead The euill end of cruell Emperors pa. ead The tenth plague of Egipt pa. 42 The tenth persecution vnder Dioclesian pa. ead When persecution ended heresie began pa. 43 Arius with diuers crewes of heretiques pa. ead The foure generall Councels pa. 44 The marching of Pharao after the Hebrewes pa. 45 The drowning of Pharao in the red sea pa. ead Appians impudent lies against Moses pa. 46 The education of Moses in Egipt pa. 47 Moses chosen captaine for Pharao pa. ead Moses death sought by the Priests of Egipt pa. ead The victories of Moses in Aethiopia pa. 48 The marriage of Moses to Tharbis the king of Aethiope his daughter pa. ead Appians lyes pa. 49 Philo his speech of the Hebrewes pa. 50 The law of Armes set downe by the Lord to Moses pa. 51 The stratagems of Archidamus Epaminondas and Pericles pa. 52 Of the lawe of Armes pa. 53 Of the Priests Mantes in Athens c. pa. 54 The remoouing of the Arke pa. ead The numbring and mustering of the Hebrew army by Moses pa. 55 The Hebrewes
the wicked pa. ead The vowes of the Nazarites pa. 281 Monasticall vowes pa. ead The Rechabites vowes pa. 282 The Oracles of Ammon pa. 283 Signes of victories giuen by the Lord pa. 284 The Hebrewes consulted with Urim and Thummim pa. 285 The superstitious Oracles of the Gentiles pa. 286 The Consuls of Rome and the Kings of Sparta deposed pa. 287 Soothsaying by flying of fowles pa. 288 Cyrus and Alexander forewarned of their death by soothsaying pa. 289 Themistocles pa. ead Aristander Alexander his soothsayer pa. 290 Superstitious Oracles of the Gentiles pa. ead The greedinesse of Dacius and Xerxes of money pa. 291 Any stratageme in iust warres is lawfull pa. 292 The credit of Soothsayers pa. 293 The Idolatry of Israel pa. ead The rich spoile which Philip had in Delphos pa. 294 Sanctuaries allowed by the Lord to the Hebrewes pa. 295 Sanctuaries allowed among all nations pa. 296 Kings fledde to Sanctuaries pa. ead The abuse and ill order of Sanctuaries pa. 297 The breach of lawes seuerely punished in kings pa. 298 Numas religious lawes in Rome pa. 299 The prophanatiō of the ceremonies of Ceres by Alcibiades and Clodius pa. 300 20000. ware mourning apparell for Cicero in Rome pa. ead Ciceroes opinion of the Romaine victories pa. 301 Antalcidas saying to Agesilaus pa. 302 Alexander the great rewarded maimed souldiers pa. ead The liberalitie of Captaines pa. 303 Condemned murtherers sacrificed on Captaines graues pa. 304 Greedie Princes euer lost more the they wanne pa. 305 Of ambitious Generals and Captaines page 306. 307. 308 The Image of Iustice painted in Egipt without a head page 307 Platoes opinion against ambitious men pa. ead Philosophers slew themselues pa. 309 The victories of Sertorius page 310 Licurgus lawe allowed ambition pa. 311 Ambitious men banished from Athens pa. ead Themistocles banished pa. 312 Comparisons betweene the Romanes and the Grecians page 314 Pericles surnamed Olimpius pa. ead Pirrhus saying of Rome pa. 315 Philopomen the last Captaine of any fame in Greece pa. 316 Of diuers kindes of trumpets in warres 317. 318 Of diuers tents and sailes page 319 The watch word of diuers noble captaines in their warres page 320 Of sundrie stratagems pa. 321 Crassus slaine among the Parthians pa. 322 The ouerthrow of the Romanes by the Cymbrians pa. 323 Pub. Ventidius triumphes page 324 The victories of the Greekes at Marathon pa. 325 The victorie of the Syracusans ouer the Athenians pa. 326 The battell at Cranon pa. 327 Alexander feared in Greece pa. ead Libraries destroyed pa. 328 The librarie of Attalus and Eumenes in Asia destroyed page 329 Aiax Patroclus two Elephants so named of Antiochus pa. ead The librarie at Rome pa. ead The Romanes only professed armes pa. 330 The opinion of Cato pa. ead Callimachus and Chrysippus great writers pa. 331 The lawe of Armes broken pa. 332 Faire words deceiued many Captaines pa. ead Archidamus counsell to the Lacedemonians pa. 333 Much bloud spent in breach of faith pa. ead The breach of the lawe of Armes pa. 334. 335 Zopyrus stratagem pa. 336 Aiax foolish answere to his father pa. ead Cyrus and Agamemnons wish pa. pa. 337 The great pride of Xerxes and Nimrod pa. 338 Securitie in warres hurtfull pa. 339 Pompeys parasites pa. ead The victorie of Drusus pa. 340 The flatterers of Tigranes King of Armenia pa. ead The victorie of Lucullus ouer the Athenians pa. ead Themistocles celeritie in his victories pa. 341 30000. Archers draue Agesilaus out of Persia pa. 342 An Owle printed on the coyne of Athens pa. ead The celeritie and quick dispatch of great captaines pa. 343 Celeritie praised page 344 Astiages dreames pa. 345 Xerxes dreame pa. ead Hanibals dreame pa. 346 Ioseph enuied of his bretheren pa. ead Iosephs second dreame pa. 347 Ioseph and Daniel expounders of dreames pa. ead Isaac named pa. 348 Women among the Israelites gaue names to their children pa. ead The surnames of great Romaine captaines pa. 349 Moneths named after the name of Emperors pa. ead The surnames of great Captaines and Generals in Greece pa. 350 Arsaces the name of all the Kings in Parthia pa. 351 The Iuorie house of Achab. pa. 352 FINIS 39. Kings ouerthrowne by Moises and Ioshua Of combats The vow of Cherim Adam rescued by the seed of the womā Luke 11. Elizeus leadeth the Army of Benhadad blind frō Dothan to Samaria They that mourned in Ierusalem were marked with the letter Tau Pauls marke Iacobites marke Cains mark Esaus marke Turneb lib. 24. cap. 12. The markes of diuers nations with the letter Tau Appul lib. 9. Alex. Neapolit lib. 6. cap. 18. The time that Barbers were first seen in Rome Philip. Archidamus Abraham the first man marked Gen. 12. Abraham feared Abimelech and Pharao for his wife Abraham read Astronomy in Egipt Ioseph lib. 1. de Antiq. I◅ Abraham rescued the fiue kings and Lot his Nephew The victorie of Gedeon ouer the Madianites Iud. 7. Dauid rescued his two wiuess 1. Sam. 30. Gen. 14. Three Angels feasted at Mambre with Abraham Foure were named before they were borne Tantae virtutis est quātae difficultatis bonum esse inter malos Bernar. Epis. 25. Ismaelites would not be called Agareni of Agar but Saraceni of Sarah The Tower of Babel builded by Nimrod Cyrus army to Scythia Alexan. voyage to India Ninus the first Monarch Barsanes Diodor fic◅ lib. 3. Farnus K. of the Meades Seuen hundred thousand Zoroastes laught at his birth The first Idolatry by Ninus Baal the first Idoll Plato in T◅meo The male children of the Hebrues were thrown to Nilus The tyrannie of Pharao Oros. lib. 1. cap. 10. A comparison betweene the Egiptians and the Romanes The armies of the Lord in Egipt vnder Moses The first plague The comparison of the first plague with the first persecuton Orosi lib. 7. Nero slue himselfe Ester 3. 3. Reg. ca. 19 4. Reg. ca. 21 The second plague An armie of Frogges Exod. 8. The second tryumph of Moses in Egipt The blasphemy of Nicanor punished The comparison of the second plagne with the second persecution The horrible blasphemie both of Pharao and Domitianus alike Domitianus Image set vp in the temple as Ierusalem Domitianus slaine in his owne house by his seruants The third plague Exod. 8. Iamnes and Iambres The third persecution Pliny to Traiane Philo was not heard of Nero. Sapor King of Persia. The fourth plague The fourth yeelding of Pharao to Moses The fourth persecution The fighting of the Iewes with wilde beasts The yeelding of tyrants Blasphemers confesse the Lord to be God The fift plague Pharao and Esau compared The fift persecution Septimius and Antiochus murthered The tyrannie of Antiochus against the Iewes 1. Machab. 6. Ioseph li. 12. cap. 13. Antiochus at his death confessed the great wrong he did to Ierusalem and Iudah The sixt plague The fable of Manetho of Moses which he named Osarphis Tisithes Pliny his opinion of Moses Ioseph lib. 2. contra Appionem The sixt persecution Euseb. lib.
3. cap. 37. Polycarpus The persecution of the seueÌ„ bretheren 2. Machab. cap. 7. The seuenth plague Liui. 35. Q. Curtius lib. 4. The seuenth persecution Great plagues and sicknesses vpon the Romanes The eight plague Hypocrisie of Pharao Pericles made a decree in Athens against strangers Strangers not long entertained in Carthage The eight persecution vnder valerianus Valerianus the Emperor of Rome vsed as a blocke by Sapor king of Persia. The ninth plague The dissimulatioÌ„ of Pharao The ninth persecution Christ denied among the Romanes A goldeÌ„ target sent by the Senators The euill end of cruel Emperours The tenth plague The Lord useth all things by meanes The tenth persecution When persecutioÌ„ ended heresie begaÌ„ Arrius the first of his sect Euseb. in many of his bookes especially in the fourth at large writes of these masters Saturninus The 4. generall councels Hicsos The marching of Pharao after the Hebrewes A stratagem of the Lord. The drowning of Pharao in the red sea Appins impudent lies against Moses Appolonius Thianeus This storie is reported otherwise in the life of Apollonius The education of Moses in Egipt Moses chosen captaine for Pharao Ioseph lib. 2. cap. 5. de antiq Iudaic. Moses death sought by the Priests of Egipt The victories of Moses in Aethiopia The marriage of Moses to Tharbis Ioseph lib. 2. cap. 5. Appians lies Hicsos Philo. Exod. 12. The lawe of armes The 2. lawe of armes The 3. lawe of armes Front lib. 1. cap. 11. The strata gems of Archidamus Epaminandas and Pericles Ioshua c. Castor and Pollux Cic de diuin lib. 2. Ioseph lib. 4. cap. 8. The lawe of Armes The Priests Faecials in Rome The Priests Mantes in Athens Magi in Persia. The remouing of the Arke 1. Number The nuÌ„bring and mustring of the Hebrew Army by Moses The Hebrews were left in the midst of their enemies to practise Armes 42. MansioÌ„s Stratagems of Marius and Cyrus Front lib. 1. cap. 2. 70. Gouernors chosen vnder Moses Exod. 18. The Leuites tents about the tabernacle The foure standarts of the Hebrewes The tent of Iudah on the East The standart of Ruben on the south side The standart of Ephraim on the West side The standart of Dan on the North side The marching of the Hebrew câ—…po The state of the Hebrew campe Xerxes great Army Alexander The Tabernacle placed in the midst of the camp The Tabernacle 30. cubits long and 12. broad Exod. 26. A cubit of the Greekes two foote of the Romanes a foote and a halfe Chiefe and strong forts of the Gentiles Tygranes Iugurth Mithridates The standarts of Egipt The Hebrewes named of the Egiptians Hicsos The standarts of Persia. Viget lib. 2. cap. 6. The standarts of the Romanes Athenians Thabans The old Germaines Anubis Caesar. The setting vp of the tabernacle The dedication of the altar The multitude of altars in Athens Straunge altars in Delos Diod. fic li. 3. cap. 7. The lawes of Numa Hypaethra Open Temples aboue in the toppe Temples builded of the Gentiles Cynosarges Superstitioâ—… fondnes of the Gentiles Mount Oliuet The victories of Moses ouer diuers kings The battell of Riphidim The battell at Horma The ouerthrow of the Canaanites and Arad their king by the Hebrues Psal. 56. The vowes of the Persians The vowes of the Egiptians Appian de bello punico Caesar. lib. 〈◊〉 de bello gallâ—… Plut. in Coriliano Liui lib. 1. The vowes of the Grecians The vowes of the Ro manes The feast Bendidia The first Consualio Ancyllia Tabilustria The feast Metoichia The feasts of the Greekes in memory of their captaines The feast called Agonolia Timoleon Espialls sent by Ioshua to Canaan Caleb Fearefull reports in wars are daÌ„gerous The Stratagem of Tullius Front lib. 1. cap. 12. Varro The battel of Antemna Milciades Themistocles The Romans stratagem Front lib. 3. cap. 15. Clearchus Front lib. 3 cap. 5. Reba Eui Reken Zur Hur. DisobedieÌ„ce punished Archidamus The vnthank fulnesse of the Hebrews Nomb. 11. ca. Nom. 12. Martiall punishment Nomb. ca. 16 Six hundred thousand died for disobedience in the wildernesse Gene. 6. 3. Reg. 9. Iere. 35. Obedience of the Rechabites 1. Machab. 2. Great obedience of creatures to God Psal. 148. 3. Reg. 17. Cyrus Lib. 1. Esdr. 1. cap. 3. Reg. 13. Ionas 2. The offence of Moses Aaron at the water of Meribah The martiall lawe of Egipt The martiall lawes of Persta The martiall lawe of the Romanes The martiall lawe of Lacedemonians The charge of a new armie giuen to Ioshuah Commendaâ—…n of Generalls Pirrhus forsooke Italy Elephants first seene in Rome Hannibal Front lib. 3. cap. 14. Amiraculous ouerthrow of Iericho Ioshua cap. 6. Esâ—… 10. The destruction of Ai. Signes giuen of victories The victories of Ioshuah others in the Lords battels 1. Reg. 7. cap. Mar. Aurelius Euseb. 1. Legio fulminea In. Machab. Deut. 7. The simplicitie of souldiers in olde time Homer Illiad The strange fashions of diuers natioÌ„s in their wars Veget. lib. 3. cap. 24. Pirrhus brought Elephants to Lucania in Italy Plyni lib. 8. cap. 2. 6. Veget. lib. 1. cap. 20. Plut. in Mario The account of the Hebrews for their souldiers The custome of the PersiaÌ„s for their souldiers going to wars The maner of the Romanes for their souldiers Cyrus could name all the souldiers in his armie Mithridates could speake 22. languages to his souldiers The battel of Iahaz Deut. 28. 3. The battel of Edrei Ephron destroyed Fiue kings ioined against Ioshua The victory of Ioshua at Gibeon Sapor Oros. lib. 7. cap. 22. Tamberlaâ—…nus Monarches Cratippus saying to Pompey The last battell and victorie of Ioshua ouer the Canaanites The sunne staied ouer Gibeon The Moone ouer Ailon Front lib. 3. cap. 13. Stratagems The souldiers of Asia The souldiers of the Persians The stoutnes of the Romanes The Lacedemonians Amphictions The temple of Ianus Consilium Panaetolium Panaegyris Xantippus sent from Sparta to Carthage Pirrhus Pericles Aratus Pelopidas Philopomen Agesilaus and Epaminondas Timocheres Phillips speech Byzantium now called Constantinople Conons stratagem Front lib. 4. cap. 4. Epaminondas Front lib. 3. cap. 2. The old custome of the Romrnes and the Persians in choosing their kings Alex. Neopol lib. 4. ca. 23. Saul Xerxes Agesilaus â—…ame Darius long handed Caesars baldnesse Moses tall and slender Phryg in vita Moses Ioseph Gen. 39. Elias rough and hairie 4. Reg. 2. ca. Iudah the third captain ouer Israel The battell at Beseck The tyrannie of Adonizebech Lu. Flor. li. 2. cap. 6. 5. Oros. ca. 4. A cruell act of Fabius the Romane The figne of Periander sent to Thasibulus Dyonis lib 7. cap. 4. The stratagem of Ehud Iudge and generall of Israell Iudges 3. ca. Eglon king of Moab slaine The victory of Debora ouer Cisera at Meroz What kinde of men were generals and Iudges amoÌ„g the Hebrues Gedeon choseÌ„ Iudge in Israell Gedeons stratagem Iosua 8. Iud. 20. Pericles stratagem 〈◊〉 lib. 3. cap. 9. Antiochus stratagem Front lib. 2 cap. 3.