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
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
Sicilia to Rome and Scypio Affrican was the first that shaued his beard in Rome It is written that Caesar the first Emperor of Rome so hated hairie heads that whersoeuer he met them he caused the hinder part of their head to be shaued that they might seeme bald because hee was bald himselfe Phillip king of Macedon vnderstanding that one of his Captaines died the haire of his head beard disgraded him from his place The like did Archidamus king of Sparta when he sawe one with coloured haire exhorting and animating the people forbad him straight to speake saying he could not haue a true tongue that had a false coloured head yet both Pirrhus and Hannibal in Italy coloured their haires but it was a stratagem to deceiue the enemies that they should not be knowne I come to speake of greater markes the markes of calling of Gods people both of the Iewes and of the Gentiles For as Abraham was the first man of the stocke of the Hebrewes that is called the Father of the faithfull so was he the first man marked amōg the Hebrewes to confesse the name of the Lord to whom the first promise was made who beeing admonished by an Oracle at 75. yeares of age to leaue the Chaldeans remoued to Carres a Citie of Mesopotamia where he buried his olde father Thare from thence Abraham remoued and went to dwell in the land of Canaan where so great a famine began that Abraham with his wife were forced to flie to Egipt where likewise he doubted that the beautie of Sarah should put him into much perill and daunger and therefore hee named her his sister and not his wife for he feared Pharao as he feared Abimelech king of Ierar saying to his wife Sarah I know thou art a faire woman and therefore they will destroy me for thy sake for I know the feare of God is not in these places But the Lorde deliuered Abraham from all this care and feare and vexed both king Pharao and Abimelech for their wicked thoughts and intention against Sarah with such terrour and feare by visions and vexations both of themselues of their people that they were warned by their owne Oracles to reuerence and to honour Abraham as a Prophet after which time Abraham continued in Egipt 3. yeares taught the Egiptians true religion and read Astronomy so long there in the which Science he being instructed in his owne Countrey among the Chaldeans the first learned Nation and Empire of the world Of this Abraham Berosus the Chaldean writer reporteth these words Post diluuium decimae aetate apud Chaldeos erat quidam iusticiae cultor Vir magnus syderalis sciētiae peritus And Damasenus also reporteth that Abraham dwelt in Damascus that at the time of Iosephus not only his name was much spoken of but also his house well knowne where hee dwelt in Damascus and therefore we will speake something of the Hebrewes of whom Abraham was the first Father of the faithful I am not ignorant that Heber was the first of the Hebrewes name before Abraham In those dayes seldom was seene any battel for the first and greatest onely battell among kings that we read of at that time was the battell at Siddim which was fought in the time of Abraham CHAP. II. Of the Battell at Siddim where foure kings were ouerthrowne by Abraham and Lot rescued IN this Battell met nine Kings togither to ioine battel foure against fiue the king of Shinaer the king of Ellasar the king of Elam and the king of the nations against the fiue kings of Pentapolis In this battell were Rephaims Emims and Horims Gyants which liued of theft and robbery in mount Seir and in other places yet in this battell the fiue kings of Pentapolis were ouerthrowne by the foure kings and fled and Lot the Nephew of Abraham was taken prisoner in this battell by the Assirian kings besides they tooke all the wealth and substance of these fiue kinges for a spoyle to the souldiers they were such kings at that time as had the whole Empire of Asia betweene them foure Abraham hearing this hard news of the ouerthrow of these kings his neighbors of Lot his nephew vsed this stratagem made strait after thē in the night time with his onely houshold seruants which were three hundred and eighteene came suddainly and set vpon them fought with them ouerthrew them and chased them to Dan where Abraham gaue them another battell recouered Lot the men the women captiues and all the wealth of the fiue Cities called Pentapolis and deliuered all the wealth to the kings of Zodom and Gomorrah the owners therof and kept no part to him nor to his souldiers This was a battell of the Lord that Abraham being but a priuate man with his houshold seruants ouerthrew foure of the greatest kings of Asia for in these battels of the Lord numbers are not respected As Gedeon marched with three hundred Souldiers against the Madianites and Amalekites who were like Grashoppers in number and like sandes of the sea in multitude yet were they ouerthrowne chased and slaine an infinite number by Gedeon and his three hundred souldiers with the like stratagem as Abraham did the Assirians So Dauid with foure hundred souldiers marched after the Amalekites after they had burned Ziclags and had taken Dauids two wiues with al the rest captiues slue ouerthrew them and rescued his wiues at Bezor with all the men women cattel wealth and all the spoyle which the Amalekites tooke away frō Ziclags But yet Dauid according to his maner wold neuer begin battel before he had consulted with the Lord commanded Abiather the Priest to bring him the Ephod and was assured thereby of the victorie ouer the Amalekites at Bezor as Gedeon was of his victorie ouer the Madianites So Abraham rescued Lot his Nephewe at the battel of Siddim where Melchisedech king of Salē for the victory therof met Abrahā entertained him his soldiers with great liberalitie Melchisedech offered gifts vnto Abrahā and sacrifice vnto the Lord with thanks for the victorie and Abraham gaue Melchisedech tythes of all the spoyles hee had by the victorie and deliuered it to the king of Zodom and the rest of the kings their wiues and all the men and women captiues which the foure kings tooke away and Abraham refused to take the worth of a shoe latchet at the king of Zodoms hand least he should say I haue made Abraham rich So that Abraham was in his own person in the first and greatest battel where nine kings met in battell after this Abraham returned to Canaan and dwelt in Hebron vntill Zodome and the rest of the fiue cities were destroied with fire from heauen in the sight of Abraham who but fewe yeares before defended Zodom from the foure kings of Assyria And at that time Abraham staied the Angels as they went to destroy Sodom vnder the oake of
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
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
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
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
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
God mightie in heauē that commands to keep the Sabboth day and I am mightie on earth that comcommaunds the contrary but his head his hands and his blasphemous tongue were cut off and hanged vpon the pinacles in the temple at Ierusalem And so the blasphemy of the Scribes and Pharisies saying that Christ the Lord did not cast out diuels by his owne vertue but by the power of Belzebab but the Lord left not them vnpunished The blasphemy of Benhadad saying that the Lord was the God of the mountaines onely not God of the valleys was not he strangled by Hazael his owne seruant in his owne house and in his owne bed Yet the Syrians prepared such a number for the second battel after they had escaped hardly from the first battell that they filled all the countrie and the children of Israel were like to little flockes of Kids in respect of their number but the Lord sent his Prophet to Achab saying Because the Syrians haue said that the Lord is the God of the mountaines and not God of the valleys behold this great multitude of men and Benhadad the King himselfe withal the two and thirtie Kings besides will I deliuer to thine hand and he shall know that I am the Lord as well of the valleys as the mountaines And so the Lorde brought it to passe that in that battell an hundred thousand footemen were slaine of the Syrians and seuen and twentie thousand that fled from the field to Aphec to saue themselues were killed by the fall of a wall that crushed them to death and Benhadad the King fled to the citie from chamber to chamber and hid himselfe according to the Prophets saying vntill many of his chiefe Princes that escaped hardly from the battell came with sackcloath about their loynes and ropes about their neckes in token of submission to entreate Achab king of Israel for the life of Benhadad which he graunted contrary to that which he was by the Lord commaunded for to do as Saul did by Agag king of the Amalekites so Achab did by Benhadad but it was told Achab by the Prophet that his life should goe for his life and his people for his people This Achab a wicked and Idolatrous King had such two great victories for that the Lord alwayes would haue Israel to forsake their calfe in Bethell and their Idolatry to Baall in Samaria but sinne was written in the table of their hearts and grauen vpon the edges of their Aultars with a penne of Iron and with an Adamant clawe said the Prophet that there was nothing among them more pretious then woods thicke trees groues mountaines hills and fields for altars to serue their Idolatrous woodden goddes so greatly they offended the Lord that he asked the Heathens if any heard such horrible things as his people had done yea the Priests to whom the lawe was committed the Prophets which wanted not the word of the Lorde and the graue wise Senators So that Israel would not be instructed neither take warning by the Prophets before the finall end and suddaine destruction of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonozer king of Babilon though the Lord commaunded the Prophet Amos to strike the lintell of the doore that the postes might shake signifying the threatning of the Lorde against Israel So was Ezechiel commaunded to take a bricke and to purtray the citie of Ierusalem vpon the bricke with a sharpe knife to signifie the destructiō of the people and of the citie and the ◅ame selfe Prophet sheweth the destruction of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonozer king of Babel by a parable of a seething potte and the day was commaunded to be written by the Prophet Ierusalem the the valley of vision so named because of the Prophets which were also called seers The Lorde said that hee would bring such a plague vpon Ierusalem that the eares of them that should heare it should glowe for I wil send many fishers to take them many hunters to hunt thē from all mountaines and hilles and out of the caues of stones saith the Lord. Yet though Ierusalem was so seuerely prophesied by Amos Ezechiel and other Prophets to be destroyed yet they were comforted by the Prophet Ieremy againe that they should returne frō their captiuitie after seuentie yeares and rebuild Ierusalem And as by Ieremy by hiding of his leather girdle by the riuer Perah as the Lord had cōmaunded him signifying that by the rottēnes of the girdle Ierusalē shuld be rebuilded after seuentie yeares And by the selfesame Prophet they were assured by his buying of the field Anothot and by the hiding of his writing of possession thereof in signes and tokens of their libertie againe and that Ierusatem should be builded againe and inhabited this was but the second ouerthrow of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonozer This was like Noah that preached the destruction of the world by a deluge before the deluge and yet married a wife much like to the Prophet Ieremy that preached the destruction of Ierusalem and yet bought lands The Prophets vsed many of these signes as eye-witnesses to confirme their memory better and to expect with more faith the words of the Prophets The Prophet Ieremy proceedeth forward to denounce the ouerthrow of those proud kingdomes that reioyced much at the destructiō of Ierusalem as Egipt and Babilon and all the euill that should come vpon Babilon Ieremy wrote it in a booke sent Sheraiah with his booke to read it and when he had done reading Ieremy commaunded him to binde a stone to the booke and to cast it into the midst of the riuer Euphrates and then to say thus shall Babilon be cōfounded thus the Prophets vsed besides their prophesies to adde some action to make the words the more to be remembred So also the Prophet Ezechiel prophesied against Egipt and against their great cities saying The sword of the Lord shall come to Memphis to Pellusium and to Alexandria I will ouerthrow Memphis saith the Lord I will destroy Pellusium the strength of Egipt and I will make a great slaughter of all the men in Alexandria For as Babilon was taken Maradach ouerthrowne and Bel cōfounded so was the strength of Egipt the arme of Pharao destroyed without any recouery of their Empires againe but so was not Ierusalem Nabuchodonozer in like sort as he ouerthrew Ierusalem and made a conquest of the countrey euen so his great citie of Babilon was caried by Cyrus away into Persia within seuentie yeares after he tooke Zedechiah the last king of Iudah captiue in Babilon so Egipt was taken by the Persians and last by the Romanes But Ierusalem as you heard by Ieremy should not bee so destroyed but should be defended against all her enemies and the Lord shall destroy all nations that come against Ierusalem for the Lord hath deliuered Israel out of the fierie furnace of Egipt and from all the stratagems of the Heathens I will
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
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
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
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.