Prophets but most of all in dignitie and honour for that lineally from Sem which first builded Hierusalem the Messias and Sauiour of the world according to the flesh descended though the historie taketh no beginning but frō the calling of Abraham out of Chaldea into the land of Canaan so called first after the land of Israel thirdly of Iudea fourthly last called after Christ our Sauiours death The holy land or the land of Palestina the inhabitants thereof were called accordingly Cananites Hebrewes Israelites Iewes of whom either to speake or to write of their lawes their Iudges their Kings or of their ceremonies or of their common wealth it was not lawfull neither for the Graecians nor for the Romanes and so affirmed by Iosephus that Demetrius Phalerius did auere before Philodelphus king of Alexandria that the Greekes nor the Latinists might translate handle or so much as to presume to write of any Hebrew historie being but prophane men as Theopompus Theodecta with others which were made blind by their arrogancie and became mad An other cause doeth Eusebius alleage that neither Greekes nor Latines were in time to write of the Hebrues histories for the greatest brag of the Greekes as Iosephus saieth and the most ancient historie of the Graecians is Homers worke they began to flourish in the time of Cyrus after that the Assyrians the Chaldeans and the Egyptians and many other kingdoms of the East were decaied and their empires lost at which time the temple in Ierusalem was by Cyrus permitted to be reedified 80. yeeres before the last permission by Artaxerxes surnamed Longimanus for Plato of whom Numenius the Pithagorean doth report is called of him Moses Attica lingua loquens euen that learned Philosopher doth confesse that the Graecians had their knowledge frō the Chaldeans and from the Egyptians and began to be famous and great after these great kingdomes were destroyed The seuen Sages were the first wise men knowen or commended in Greece which was in Cyrus time at what time Solon liued 200. yeres before Plato which was the infancie of Greece and the first schoole of their Philosophie Now the Hebrewes being the most auncientest people euen from Hebers birth vntill Christes death which was after Christes death 2000. yeeres odde they inhabited the land called Syria called likewise Phoenicia and now in latter yeeres called Iudea of this countrey doeth Iosephus write at large both of the nature of the people and of the goodnesse of the soile Hecateus the Abederit a good Philosopher and a great writer flourishing in the time of Alexander the great made a booke in describing and commending of Iudaea I wil them to read the 16. booke of Strabo that would know the situation of Iudea where the Reader shall be satisfied with the ful description of Iudea Iosephus a Iew borne being taken prisoner by Vespasian the Emperor at the last destructiō of Ierusalem at the which time he wrote a great volume containing 20. bookes of the antiquities of the Iewes he wrote other 7. bookes of the warres of the Iewes a man of great industrie learned in the Hebrew and Greeke tongue and very expert in the Iewish histories saieth that Egyptians were enuious to the children of Israel for so were they called after Iacobs time which by long wrastling with the Angel of the Lord was named Israel for first they were called Hebrewes from Hebers time vntil Iacob which was 478. yeeres and odde secondarily Israel from Iacob vntill the destruction of Samaria at what time ten tribes of Israel were by Salmanassar king of Assyria Senacheribs father brought captiue vnto Assyria in the time of Osea the last king of Israel 1026. yeeres as Bucholcerus affirmeth and from the destruction of Samaria vntill the last destruction of Ierusalem by Titus Vespasian they were called Iewes 786. yeeres Now the malice of Egypt towards Israel was such that they kept them in bondage 430. yeeres and euer after they were by God deliuered they still wrought euil against them and persecuted them with continuall hatred disliking their religion abhorring their ceremonies disdaining and much enuying the felicitie of the Iewes with the which the God of Israel by power and great miracles did aduance them to the abolishing of idolatrie and contemning of their false gods which the Egyptians the Chaldeans the Assyrians did adore and therfore the blessing of God was according to the promise vpon the Hebrewes first afterwards called Israel Iewes and continued frō Abraham to whom the promise was made vntill the time of the Messias the full accomplishment of the promise So these people bathed in blisse and being but a litle countrey few people from Dan to Berseba and of no estimation became by Gods fauour strong mightie conquerors of the greatest kings of the world So he said the Lord of all out of Sion shall my Law proceed and from Ierusalem my word This litle citie of Ierusalem chosen of God to be his seate though often for sinne destroyed and the people plagued yet still comforted to the stay of Gods Church It is written that Dauid the second king of Israel gaue these words to Salomon his sonne before he died Behold Praeparaui impensas domus Domini auritalenta centum millia argenti mille millia talentûm And againe it is writtē in the Chronicles that gold and siluer were as plentie in Ierusalem as stones in the street in the time of Salomō for there was in the temple of Salomon as Budaeus noteth 27. millions in ready coyne This made other kingdomes to enuie the prosperitie of the Hebrewes for by iust account of Budaeus there was left before vnto Salomon by Dauid his father ten times more treasures and substance in Ierusalem then Darius the great king of Persia left vnto Alexander the great in Babylon when he conquered it this was the promise which God performed to Abraham and to his seed for euer This godly Patriarch to whom the promise was made was 50. yeeres of age when Noah died 40. yeeres before Sodome and Gomorrha were destroied At 75. yeeres was Abraham called from Vr a towne of Chaldea in the last yeeres of Ninus the first king of the Assyrians Now while Abraham obeied God from time to time from place to place exercising himselfe in the obedience of GOD famine grew in the land of Canaan so that he with few Hebrewes were forced to flee into Egypt where hee continued three yeeres at what time he taught them knowledge of the starres read Astronomie and taught in Egypt Artes and Sciences as Iosephus saieth for Abraham was brought vp in Astrologie with the Chaldeans where hee dwelt with his father Thare in Vr and from whence the Egyptians had their learning and knowledge for Egypt was as yet scant in the world knowen where some of the Hebrewes staied after Abrahams departure and multiplied in
Heraclides into Peloponesus Read of this further in Herodotus Homerus surnamed Chius a great Magitiā flourished in Sauls time the kingdom of Corinth together with the Lacedemonians began a litle before the eight Iubilee in the yeere of the world 2865. But to goe forward in the historie Saul being dead and Dauid the last time annointed the kingdome of Israel not yet came to Dauids handes for some of Sauls sonnes liued and withstood Dauid as heires to Saul and held all the tribes of Israel saue the tribe of Iuda ouer whom Dauid was the second time annointed king and Dauid dwelt in Hebron 7. yeeres Ishboseth the sonne of Saul was likewise annointed king ouer the house of Israel hence grew great warres betweene the house of Saul and the house of Dauid for Abner the chiefe captaine of Saul and the master of Sauls horses thought it not fit that any should gouerne Israel but Sauls sonne who was right heire to the kingdome perswading the people thereunto and gathering force together and would by the sword make Ishboseth king of Israel who kept then his court at Manahim vnder whom all the Hebrewes sauing the tribe of Iuda were ruled Dauid this time lying in Hebron and hearing of Abners preparation to warres consulted with the Lord and sollicited his owne cause carefully he appointed Ioab to be his Lieutenant These two great captains Abner and Ioab full of indignation and willing to trie the kingdome by battell they met by the poole of Gibeon where Abner and Ioab fell to the sword and the battell was exceeding sore that same day But Abner and the men of Israel fell before Ioab so that 360. men were slaine Thus God would confirme Dauid in his kingdome by ouerthrowing of his aduersaries These warres continued long for Abner made all his power for the house of Saul But God wrought otherwise to bring his purpose to passe while Saul liued hee had a concubine named Rizpha with whom Abner kept companie and consumed more time with Rizpha then he did in the seruice of Ishboseth The king being moued with some choler charged Abner with his fault concerning his fathers concubine this checke could not be wel disgested of Abner and therefore he communed with the elders of Israel and perswaded them to take Dauid for their king and after that Abner went to Hebron to Dauid and promised him that he would bring all Israel vnder his gouernment and all this Abner did rather for malice hatred that he bare to Ishboseth then for any good will he bare to Dauid Notwithstanding Dauid accepted in good part his cōming to him thogh Ioab would haue had the king to slay Abner for his priuate grudge which was the killing of Asahel Ioabs brother which within a while after Ioab reuenged for he killed Abner vnknowing to Dauid whose deth Dauid lamēted much When these newes came to Sauls sonne that Abner was dead in Hebron he was discouraged and all Israel was afraid with him and so within a while after he was slaine by Banah and Rechab two men that were captaines of bands this they both did in hope of lucre and fauour with Dauid and they were rewarded as he that slew Saul for in as much as neither the example of him nor dutie to their master nor innocencie of the person nor the reuerence of the place did feare them they died for it Now Dauid was made king ouer all Israel after he had raigned seuen yeeres ouer Iuda in Hebron he went with all his armie to Ierusalem vnto the Iebusites the inhabitants of the land at that time and tooke the forte of Zion and dwelt there and builded round about it Hiram king of Tyrus sent Cedar trees and carpenters and masons they builded a house for Dauid Againe the Philistines came vp against Dauid and he smote them from Geba to Gazer The arke was not yet come from the house of Abinadab in Gibeah whither Dauid with 3000. chosen men of Israel went to bring the arke to the citie of Dauid When Dauid had subdued the Iebusites Philistines other diuers nations as the Syrians Phoenicians Edomites Ammonites Moabites and Mesopotamia vntill the riuer of Euphrates so that Dauids fame spred farre his kingdome prospered his people grew strong and himselfe in all his enterprises most happy Then Dauid ruled and raigned ouer all Israel and executed iudgement and iustice to his people And being at rest from his enemies with great quietnes in Ierusalē behold both his fortune and his great fame forsooke him for he committed adulterie with Bethsabe Vrias wife and wrote his letters to Ioab his lieutenant with Vrias in this sort Put Vrias in the forefront of the battell and cause the souldiers to recule backe from Vrias that he may be smitten and die Which being done the king was glad and tooke Vrias wife to his house and maried her but the Lord was angry with Dauid and sent Nathan to accuse him of adulterie and murther What grew of this cruell dissention betweene Dauid and his children God gaue ouer Dauid to be afflicted and tormented on both sides inward and outward For Amnon defiled his sister Tamar and Absalon killed Amnon such was the wrath of God vpon the house of Dauid that one wickednesse fell on the necke of another Absalon fled vpon the killing of his brother and went to Geshur and then Absalon practised to aspire to the kingdom and laid snares to entrap his father the king Absalon gathered force to dispossesse Dauid for Achitophels councell is alwayes readie in matters of treason Now Dauid felt the anger of God for sinne hee confessed that he had deserued this plague for Dauid was faithful and obedient to God and shewed himselfe contented with these afflictions Absalon goeth forward with his armie and Dauid fled ouer Iordan to Mahanaim Absalon passeth likewise ouer Iordan and followed fast as Achitophel had councelled him so Israel and Absalon pitched in the land of Gilead God raised fauorers vnto Dauid in euery place where he came for certain of the Reubenites and Gadites could not beare the insolencie of the sonne against the father and therefore with all the power they had they ioined with Dauid and the battell began so there was a great slaughter of Absalons side to the nūber of 2000. Israel fled before Ioab and Absalon was caught by the haire of his head vnder a bough of an oke where he hanged till Ioab came and killed him and so Dauid againe was restored to his kingdom being persecuted of Achitophel for his counsell of Semei for his threatning and cursing and of Absalon for his treason Now this warre being ended new warres againe began betweene Iuda and the tenne tribes of Israel more cruel then the warres of Absalon for Sheba a man of Ephraim he now again raised Israel against Dauid and made the Israelites to forsake Dauid and to follow Sheba but his head was caried
which he sinned and therefore died for it was meete in reason that the same day the second Adam for the saluation of mākind should sanctifie vnto himselfe his spouse the Church in which he had created the first Adam the father of mankind taking a ribbe out of his side made a woman for as man was formed the sixt day and did eate of the tree the sixt houre so the Lord Iesus reforming man is fastened to the tree the sixt day and sixt houre and that day wherein Christ was killed and slaine in the flesh and in the which day he was made a redeemer and a Sauiour to man that had perished It is so euident that that day the Lord obeying his father suffered death wherein Adam being disobedient vnto God died for as Adam by eating of the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge brought death to the world so Christ our Sauiour dying vpon the tree of the crosse gaue life vnto man And againe as Christ was crucified in Golgotha for the sinne of man so Adam was dead and buried in that place before by transgressing the commaundements of God Looke in what day Adam transgressed in the coole of the day was hee condemned and put out of Paradise so faith Rabbi Isaac that the creating of Adam and the commandement and the fall and the driaing out of Paradise all befell the selfe same day Many of these Analogies seeme probable for the confirming of these opinions afore spoken For as it was kept in the tree which was the instrument of life and death so is it also kept in time and place But thanks be vnto God who deliuered vs from the fal from the curse from death hell damnation and from going out of Paradise which was our portion held by the first Adam but now all things are made manifest by the second Adam by the appearing of Messias who hath abolished sinne and death and hath brought life and immortalitie vnto light through the Gospel for as Eue being a virgin and incorrupted when she had conceiued the words of the serpent brought foorth by disobedience death so the virgin Mary full of faith and gladnesse embracing the salutation of the Angel Gabriel restored life through Christ who redeemed man from thraldome So was the promise of God before Adam was brought out of Paradise that the seed of the woman the Messias and Sauior in whom and by whom we haue eternall life should tread the Serpents head This comfort was very great vnto Adam and continued from Adam the first man vnto Abraham 1949. yeeres the first Patriarch wherein the children of God were instructed by this promise and saw through faith the redemption of man Now by the sentence of God Adam was sent from the garden of Eden to till the earth whence he was taken and being cast out at the East side of the garden of Eden the Lord God set Cherubins and the blade of a sword shaken to keepe the way of the tree of life Afterward Adam knew his wife which conceiued and bare Caine an argument to prooue of no long continuance of Adam in Paradice And againe Eue conceiued and had another sonne and called him Abel for yet the blessings of God the state of mariage and mans nature were not vtterly abolished through sinne but the qualitie and the conditions thereof was chaunged Caine was a tiller of the ground and Abel was a shepeheard they offred both to the Lord sacrifice and it is plaine by their oblation that how Adam instructed his children in the knowledge of God and how God gaue them sacrifices to signifie their saluation for so Adam confessed the Lord to be God saying I haue obtained a man by the Lord when Caine was borne God tooke not his spirit frō his elect neither did absent himselfe frō the church For the first godly Fathers had the law writē in their hearts by the spirit of God The first table where the cōmādemēts were grauē was flesh which was in Adam the secōd was giue in tables of stones to Moses But as cōcerning their oblations Caine offered vnto God of the first fruite of the groūd Abel likewise offered the first fruit of his shepe Abel with his sacrifice was accepted of the Lord and Caine with his oblations was reiected For so Paul saieth that Abel offred vnto God a greater sacrifice then Caine by the which he obtained witnesse that he was righteous because GOD receiued him to mercy and therefore imputed righteous God testifying of his gifts by the which being dead yet liueth wherefore Caine was angrie and exceeding wroth and his countenaunce fell downe because he was an hypocrite and offered onely for outward shew without sinceritie of heart yet God gaue vnto Caine the dignitie of the first borne ouer Abel But Cain contemning despising God whē he was reproued of God for the murthering of his brother Abel whom he entised to walke to the fields to be killed whose blood euen from earth cried vp vnto heauen for reuenge at Gods hand at that time the curse of God was pronounced against Caine and he went from the presence of the Lord wandring from place to place with tortures of a guiltie conscience according to Gods sentence as domesticall furies night and day seeking meanes to hide himselfe with the like guiltie conscience as Adam had when he fled from the face of God when hee was called of Iehoua in Paradise Where art thou Adam Caine went to the land of Node thinking by being farre from God he should haue lesse occasion to feare him Caine had some visible marke to be knowen of all men for God said he should not be slaine not that he loued him but for that God abhorreth murther and would haue a murtherer knowen Caine knew his wife which conceiued and bare Henoch and builded a citie and called it after his sonnes name Henoch this was the first citie of the world there hee dwelt with his wife To Henoch was borne Irad and Irad begate Mehimal and he begate Methushael and Methushael begate Lamech these children grew vngodly and wicked as most naturall and like children to Caine the last worse then the first for this contemptuous Lamech tooke to him two wiues the one named Adah the other Zillah thereby he first corrupted the lawfull institution of mariage which was that two should be one flesh Afterward he mocked scoft at Gods sufferāce in Cain saying If Cain shal be auenged seuen fold truly Lamech shall be auenged seuentie times seuen fold as though God would suffer none to punish him albeit hee was most contemptuous of good liuing most vngodly and wickedly hauing 76. children in adulterie as Iosephus writeth but by Adah he had a sonne named Iubal who was the first that taught to make tents and to dwell therein and he was the first father of such as had cattell Lamech had a sonne named Iubal who was the first
writers suppose this Abesan to be the Prophet Dauids Grandfather for Ishai Dauids father was borne in the time of Iair in the which time happened inter regnum for 18. yeeres whereby the Hebrewes were compelled to serue the children of Ammon and the Philistims They were in great miserie this time vntill Israel repented which was the onely repentance acknowledging of sinnes we can reade of Israel described in the Iudges at large This Abesan had 30. sonnes and 30. daughters and he sent his 30. daughters to bring other 30. more for his sonnes and when he had gouerned 7. yeeres he died and was buried at Bethlehem Then Elon came in steede of Ieptha he was of the tribe of Zabulon and he iudged Israel 10. yeeres and died and was buried in the Countrey of Zabulon After him Abdon of the tribe of Ephraim iudged Israel 8. yeeres Of these three last Iudges there is nothing left in memorie woorth the writing During this time in Niniue gouerned Tanteus the 29. king of the Assyrians Mezentius gouerned the Tuscans but being driuen by the people called Vitulones out of his chiefe citie he fled vnto an other citie of his called Carites and from thence gathered a great armie and went in armes against Aeneas with Turnus Protheus the Egyptian a Priest of great Ianus flourished this time Likewise happened this season a great deluge in Egypt called diluuium Pharaonicum in so much that the Isle of Pharaoh was drowned with water Agamemnon reigned nowe in Mycena of whom Thucidides doth make mention in the preface of his first booke About this time Helene againe was taken away by Paris hereby the Grecians did gather a great armie for rescuing of Helene after Messengers being sent vnto Priamus and being denied of restoring of Helene the Greekes prepared for warres 1210. nauies as Dares Frigius writeth After this greatwarre the Latines beganne their kingdome ouer whome Aeneas after Latinus time was the first king hauing married Lauinia Latinus daughter All these things were done in the beginning of the sixt Iubile at which time reigned in Athens Demophon the 12. king of the Athenians and one Mopsus reigned in Cilicia of whome they were named afterwarde Mopsecrenae Then after Abdons death Israel had no Iudge for fourtie yeeres but continued in their wickednes and offended the Lorde whereby they were oppressed by the Philistims vntill the birth of Samson of the tribe of Dan whom God had blessed with many vertues as strēgth courage godlines zeale to reuenge the people of god vpō the Philistims This was the last Iudge of Israel but for that the historie is written in the 13. 14. 15. and 16. of the Iudges I will omit other things for during the time of Samson which was twentie yeeres Israel was by the Philistims much molested and fourtie yeeres after Samson when the Israelites were gouerned vnder Ely the high Priest Nowe the Iudges of Israel ended that gouernment which God deliuered them euen from Moses death vntill the birth of Samuel 357. yeeres adding thereunto 40. yeeres of Moses gouernment doeth make the continuance of the Iudges of Israel to be 380. and 17. About this time Orestes the sixt king of Mycena slewe Pyrrhus the sonne of Achilles in the Temple of Apollo for after Orestes time there reigned no more kings in Mycena but Orestes sonne named Tisamenus after whome succeeded Penthilus and after him Cometes the last king of Mycena After this Cometes descended the stocke of Heraclides which afterward came from Peloponesus and tooke Mycena Thus ended the kingdome of Mycena who beganne their gouernment in the time of Gedeon at what time the kingdome of the Argiues was translated vnto Mycena where reigned 10. kings whose names are these Perseus Stelenus Euristheus who was accompted a second Hercules for his worthines After him Atreus Theistes Agamemnon Orestes Tisamenus Penthilus And Cometes the last king The continuance of these kings was from the beginning of Gedeon vntil the beginning of Elie the high Priest which was 157. yeeres so long continued the kingdome of Mycena Now after Samsons daies the house of Israel began according to their vse not to thanke God for his benefites but stil discontented murmuring against God seeking newe Magistrates newe lawes wearie of their gouernment and of their Iudges most desirous of change stubborne people and a wilfull nation idolaters rebellious and factious alwaies by disobedience offending their God God followed their humors they had what they would and they did what they listed they had Elie the high Priest for their Iudge 40. yeeres in his time the Arke was taken by the Philistims his sonnes slaine and himselfe fell from his stoole and died After Elie the high Priest died they had Samuel for their Prophet but they still cried out for a king for neither Iudge Priest nor Prophet might please them but a King and therefore God commanded Samuel to anoint Saul to be their king But first I will lay downe the names of all the Iudges that iudged Israel from the first vnto the last After Moses and Iosua succeeded 1. Othoniel of the tribe of Iuda 2. Ehud of the tribe of Ephraim 3. Debora of the tribe of Ephraim 4. Barach of the tribe of Nephthal 5. Gedeon of the tribe of Manasses 6. Abimelech the bastard of Gedeon the tyrant that slew his 70. brethren 7. Thola of the tribe of Issachar 8. Iair of the tribe of Manasses 9. Iephthe of the tribe of Manasses 10. Elon of the tribe of Zabulon 11. Abdon of the tribe of Ephraim 12. Samson the last Iudge of the tribe of Dan. After these Ely the Priest and Samuel the Prophet Now God had commaunded Samuel to annoint Saul their king saying vnto Samuel They haue not cast thee away but they haue cast me away euer since I brought them out of Egypt to this day because they were not content with the order that God had appointed but would be gouerned as the Gentiles were CHAP. IIII. Of the third change of the common wealth of the Hebrewes first from Oligarchia vnder the Patriarchs secondly from Aristocratia vnder the Iudges now to a Monarchie vnder Kings which Israel cried out and neuer ceased vntill they had a king NOw Saul was king of Israel in the beginning of the 7. Iubile at what time Tineus gouerned the Assyrians and Melanthus gouerned Athens for though Saul Samuel gouerned together 40. yeeres yet Saul gouerned as a king as both Iosephus and Ruffinus affirmed not ten yeeres He had good successe in the beginning of his warres for God gaue him the spirit of strength and courage against the Moabites Edomites Ammonites and against the Philistines till Saul disobeied God in sparing of Agag for the which Samuel reprooued Saul and the lord reiected Saul and his kingdome was gluen to Dauid For after the great victories of Saul of those afore rehersed nations he
was commanded by Samuel to take armes against the Amalekites to spare neither man woman or child cattell or beasts but for sauing of Agag the king and few of the fattest beasts for sacrifice Saul lost his kingdome disobedience was the cause thereof Some may thinke the cause to be small that Saul did to be reiected from his kingdome the sparing of a kings life So likewise may they iudge of the men of Bethshemesh who because they had looked into the Arke of the Lord he slew 50. thousand three score and ten men for it was not lawfull for any either to touch the Arke or to looke within it saue only to Aaron the high priest and to difobey GOD and to breake Gods commaundement is a thing most terrible Now though Saul spared Agag disobeying God yet Samuel most zealously without any further delay hewed him in pieces After this Samuel returned to his house to Bethleem where he was commaunded to annoint one of the sonnes of Ishai king of Israel and hauing all the seuen sonnes of Ishai before him saue the yongest which was Dauid who kept his fathers sheepe in the fieldes Samuel commaunded Dauid to be sent for at whose comming the Lord said to Samuel Arise annoint him for this is hee And Samuel tooke the horne of oile and annointed him king in the middest of his brethren and the spirite of the Lord came vpon Dauid from that time forward and the spirite of the Lord departed from Saul And now though Dauid was annointed king by Samuel the Prophet yet GOD would haue Dauid to be exercised in many things before hee should haue the vse of the kingdome After this Samuel went to Ramah to his house and came no more to see Saul vntill Saul died Samuel loued Saul much and mourned much for him and God therefore reprooued Samuel Samuel was a godly Iudge ouer Israel who with great care and diligence serued God and gouerned his people keeping his circuite once euery yeere from Bethel to Galgala and from Galgala to Masphat and from Masphat to all townes vpon his wayes to Ramah where Samuel dwelt and there hee set vp an altar vnto the Lord and iudged Israel Euen so did Debora sit vnder a Palme tree betweene Ramah and Bethel iudging and determining causes of the people This Prophet gouerned Israel fortie yeeres Saul being deposed and throwen from his kingdome hee fell vnto great melancholie imagining how he might compasse and bring things to passe with troubled minde for the euill spirite of the Lord came vpon him that hee oftentimes was molested and vexed with troublesome thoughts And to ease the king of these agonies instruments of Musike with all kind of harmonie were thought very necessarie of his counsell Dauid was called and sent for by Saul to plaie vpon the harpe before Saul for hee was skilfull in Musike so Saul loued Dauid and made him his armour bearer While Saul was in this melancholie moode the Philistines were againe in armes against Israel wasted their countrey destroyed their Cities and prouoked the Hebrewes to warre Saul made readie his hoste but while yet they were preparing for the battell Goliah a mightie huge man a great Giaunt vaunted forward from the hoste of the Philistines by himselfe cried and called for a combate if any one man of the Hebrewes durst defying Israel and blaspheming their God But GOD prepared Dauids heart mightie and valiant and with a sling to bee able to ouerthrowe this Giant for Dauid by the experience which hee had in time past by Gods helpe nothing doubteth the danger of Goliah sithence hee killed a Lion and a Beare before this time being but a shepeheard in the field Hee was fullie perswaded by Gods spirite to haue the victorie ouer Goliah being mooued with a feruent zeale to be reuenged vpon this blasphemer But true it is Comes virtuti inuidia Here Saul began to enuie Dauid and to laie snares to kill him for great actions are full of dangers But there is no danger where God defendeth and saueth the vertues of Dauid purchased much enuie much daunger which Dauid escaped by the prouidence of God But Saul still deuised his destruction vsing all policies and inuenting many stratagemes to ouerthrow Dauid promising Dauid his daughter Michol to wife seeking at Dauids handes nothing but valiant courage and seruice agaynst the Philistines But the more victories Dauid wanne the more danger ensued him the greater seruice he did the more he was enuied and hated for Saul feared Dauid seeing the Lord was with him and Ionathan the sonne of Saul told Dauid the wicked purpose of his father so that Dauid was driuen to flee from Saul and to hide himselfe in a Caue Samuel the Prophet about this time died and was buried in Ramah his owne citie Dauid being still persecuted of Saul wandred and fled from Saul to Achis king of Gath where hee should haue a charge vnder the king to fight against Israel which troubled him not a litle yet such was the infirmitie of Dauid that he durst not denie the king Now Saul all this while following his wicked purpose consulted with a witch to know of Samuels spirite the successe of his kingdome by whom I meane not Samuels spirit but the spirit of Satan he was fully certified of his ruine and of the end of his kingdom which happened to Saul and to his children for it fell out that Saul killed himselfe and his children were slaine in the battell a cruell life hath a desperate end After the Philistines found Saul Ionathan Abinadab and Malchishua his three sonnes lying dead in mount Gilboa after the victorie and the Philistines cut off Sauls head and stripped him out of his armour and they laied vp his armour in the house of Ashtaroth their idole and hanged his bodie on the wall of Bethshan in token of victorie and triumph Saul died after the deliuerance of Israel from Egypt 473. yeeres after the calling of Ioseph into dignitie in Egypt 660. yeeres and after the flud 1234. yeeres Thus the wicked in their pompe and pleasure consider not the iudgement of God During this time raigned Dircillus ouer the Assyrians the 31. king and Aeneas Siluius the 4. king of the Latines In Athens this time raigned Codrus the last king of the Athenians betweene whom and the Peloponesians grew great warres and continued vnto the last destruction of all Greece In the time of Saul certaine people were driuen out of Thessalia called Boeotij they found a land to inhabite which at this day is called Boeotia before named Cadmeia The The kings of Sicyonum called otherwise Peloponesus ended in Sauls dayes euen when Israel began their kingdom About this time the kingdom of Lacedemonia began where first raigned Euristhenes of whom descended Leonidas and Cleomenes two valiant captains which ouerthrew the Persians in the great battell at Thermophila About this time descended the stocke of
by Ioab to Dauid After this Dauid had foure great battels with the Philistines slew them and subdued them vnto the last Thus was Dauid deliuered by God from all daungers tyrannie and treason and saued from Saul Absalon and many others When Dauid had gotten by the sword peace and quietnesse and brought all nations subiect vnto him hee tooke his rest and thanked God in Psalmes Hymnes Odes Verses which Dauid sang vnto God in praise of victories which God gaue him But yet more troubles came on Dauid The Lord so suffered Satan to tempt him that Dauid commaunded Ioab to number all Israel and Iuda from Dan to Beersheba which Ioab did the people were in number of able fighting men 1100000. Gods wrath was kindled against Israel so that much it offended God that Dauid should trust in mē sithence onely God had oftentimes deliuered him and the Lord sent Gad Dauids seer with three things to take his choise Pestilence Famine or Warre Dauid chose rather to fal to Gods mercy then to trust to man Then fell pestilence in Israel from the one side of the countrey to the other and there died 70000. men Now after this Dauid waxed old and hee caused Salomon his sonne to bee annointed king before he died whom hee charged to walke before God vprightly exhorting him to serue God to vse iustice and iudgement in Israel Dauid commanded Salomon his sonne to kill Ioab for his murthering of Abner and Amasa and to take the like punishment of Semei which railed cursed me when saith he I was at the worst Dauid left to his sonne more welth in Israel to build a temple to the Lorde then Alexander the great had in Babylon by the conquest of Darius for Iosephus doth write that Hircanus the high priest a 1000. odde yeeres after Dauids death opened the graue of Dauid and brought 3000. talents to satisfie the rage of Antiochus Demetrius sonne who laying siege to Ierusalem was contēted to returne with some of these talents without any harme done And Dauid died being 70. yeres of age after he had bene 40. yeeres king of Israel seuen in Hebron and 33. in Ierusalem Dauid died 803. yeres after the death of Abrahā after the death of Adam 2000. after the birth of Christ 1070. During this time of Dauid raigned in Assyria Eupales the 32 king in Lacedemonia Argis the second king of the Lacedemonians Now failed the state of kings in Athens and there began a new forme of common wealth gouerned by Iudges which now began by Codrus sonne named Medon after whose name they were named afterward Medontidae for a while Latinus Sylaius raigned the 6. king ouer the Latines in Corinth raigned Ixeon the second king of Corinth About Dauids time there was builded in Asia a citie called Magnesia and another in Italie called Misene now called Cuma Salomon the sonne of Dauid the third king of Israel of the tribe of Iuda a man endued with singular wisdome in great fauour with God as soone as he had sit on his fathers throne he remembred the words of Dauid and with care and zeale he followed his fathers steps in seeking to please the Lord Notwithstanding the Israelites being froward and stubborne euer reuolting from their GOD were alwayes forgetfull of Gods benefites as after the death of Dauid fell out for in Dauids time Israel flourished and all things prospered in Iuda But scant had Salomon bene annointed king but Adoniah Salomons brother aspired to the kingdome secretly and subtillie seeking the good will of Bethsheba Salomons mother and by her meanes to haue Abishag which Dauid his father loued tenderly to wife But his craft was found out and his pretensed treason spied by Nathan the prophet and by Salomon himselfe who perceiuing that Adoniah was the elder brother and had Abiathar the priest on his side and Ioab who tooke Adoniahs part when he would haue vsurped the kingdome Salomon hereby was mooued to make sure waies and remembring his fathers charge before he died concerning Ioab and Semei he executed iustice first vpon Adoniah afterward commaunded Benaiah to fall vpon Ioab for the murthering of Abner Sauls chiefe captaine and Amasah a nigh kinseman of Dauid who enuying their fauour credite with the king slew them and was now iustly punished for sheading of bloud Now Adoniah and Ioab two great enimies of the king being dead Salomon banished Abiathar the priest and called to be a priest Sadock in the roome of Abiathar so the office of the high priest was taken away from the house of Eli and restored to the house of Phineas After that Salomon called Shemei and charged him with the breaking of his othe in passing ouer the riuer of Cedron being forbidden by the king charged him further with wickednesse against his father Dauid in reuiling and cursing of him and he was likewise slaine by the sonne of Iehoida called Benaia By this meanes the kingdome of Israel was established in Salomons hands and Salomon obeied God in all things and then he taketh Pharaoes king of Egypts daughter to wife Iosephus in his eight booke and 2. chapter saieth that the kings of Egypt were al called Pharaones from Minaeus time that builded Memphis vntil the time of Salomon which was 1300. yeeres for Minaeus raigned in Egypt many yeeres before Abraham came to Egypt this is the cause why Herodotus doth omit the names of the kings of Egypt euen 330. kings Salomon repaired the wals of Ierusalē and went to Gibeon to sacrifice for there their tabernacle was at that time there was no temple yet builded to the Lord in Ierusalem In Gibeon the Lord appeared by dreame to Salomon and gaue him wisedom more then any prince of the world had as by his sentence vpō the two harlots appeared Salomon flourished and prospered and farre excelled all the kings of the world for his wisedom was so abundant as the sand that is on the sea shore No Philosopher no Astrologer no Chaldean magi no Egyptian priest might apprehend Salomons iudgement for God was his schoolemaster Salomon was famous throughout the whole world hee wrote 3000. Prouerbes and bookes of Odes and Verses 1000. and made fiue and twentie songs which perished in Ierusalem when Israel was taken captiue vnto Babylon the temple then being burned and the citie destroyed He wrote of all kind of trees from the Cedar tree that is in Libanon vnto the Hysope that groweth on the wall He spake of beastes fowles and fishes He wrote of incantations and of other secret artes which Iosephus affirmeth at large And there came of all countries to heare the wisedome of Salomon and all the kings about him sent vnto him and sought his fauour Now coucerning the princes rulers and officers which were vnder Salomon the purueiance for victuals the number of his horses and the order of his house they
who caried them prisoners vnto other strange countreies and set strangers to dwell in Samaria CHAP. VI. Of the continuance of the kings of Iuda after the kingdome of Israel was destroied Samaria taken and the 10. tribes of Israel carried captiue by Salmanassar into Assyria THis time reigned in Ierusalem Ezechias a godly zealous king who destroied idols and brake in peeces the brasen serpent he tooke away the high places cut downe the groues the altars their images and idols and walked before God vprightly and in the 14. yeere of his reigne came Senaherib with an huge host to Iuda spoiling and destroying Libna Lachis and other cities laide siege to Ierusalem threatned the king and blasphemed God most horribly challenging the gods of the nations and defying the God of Israel preferring the armies of flesh and the strength of his hoste But his bragging boasting was sharply punished by the Angel of God who slew at that time of the Assyrians an hundreth foure score and fiue thousand and Senacherib him selfe before his idoll Niseroch whom he worshipped preferred before the liuing God was slaine of his owne sonnes Adramelech Sarezer the iust iudgement of God for blasphemie After this Ezechias fell sicke and was restored to health in signe whereof God brought the Sunne 10. degrees backe in Achas diall this good king repaired the Temple instructed the Leuites in the religion he and all his princes of Iuda frequented the Temple sacrificed daily to their God oblations of thanks giuing and he commanded all the Nobles of Israel and Iuda from Dan to Bersheba to repaire to Ierusalem to keepe the Passeouer to the Lorde which Passeouer was so great that the like was not in Israel This Passeouer vnder Ezechias was 775. yeeres after the Passeouer of Moses and 775. yeeres before the Passeouer of Christ our Sauiour in the Newe Testament Now after that Ezechias had destroied idolatrie and had appointed Priestes and Leuites according to the commandement of God praied for his people and prouided for the Leuites liuings and ordained ouerseers to distribute to euery Leuite his portion Israel prospered all the daies of Ezechias and all things went well with Iuda But Ezechias being deade Manasses his sonne succeeded him not in religion nor in godlines for he followed not his father Ezechias in vertue but his Grandfather Achas in all kinde of vices for this most wicked king restored idolatrie in Israel vsed great crueltie and he erected altars to Baal and set vp images in groues he practised witchcraft and sorcerie and frequented the companie of them that had familiar spirits and those that were soothsayers This king did much euill in the sight of God he martyred the Prophet of God Esay and consecrated his sonne in fire to his idoll he shed innocent blood and filled Ierusalem with iniquitie Beholde such a good father to haue such a wicked sonne But the Lord God stretched ouer Ierusalem the line of Samaria the plummet of the house of Achab and promised to destroy Iuda as he had destroied Israel so he did with Manasses and gaue him to Assur and to his Captaines who brought him in fetters and bound in chaines to Babylon But when he was in tribulation in Babylon he called then vpon God and God heard him and deliuered him and restored him to his kingdome so merciful is God when he is called vpon for by this God instructed him to know him selfe and to humble him selfe before God whome he much abused You may read in the bookes of the Kings in the Chroniches the histories of the kings of Israel at large Manasses died and left behind him Amon his sonne who reigned 2. yeeres in Ierusalem he forsooke God also walked in the waies of Achas and he was slaine by his owne seruants which conspired against him in his owne house the people made Iosias his sonne king ouer Iuda who beganne to reigne in Ierusalem in the 8. yeere of his age and in that age he was instructed by God to haue care ouer the people of Israel he sent messengers vnto all the townes cities and countries territories to cal the Priests the Leuits the Nobles and all men of what degree soeuer to come to Ierusalem where he him selfe read the bookes of Moses vnto the people with oblations and sacrifices vnto God for the sinnes of Israel and those Priests that were not of Aarons stocke that serued idols and images he commanded them to be slaine and whatsoeuer he found in Israel of the reliques of Ieroboam he destroied and burned the bones of the false prophets vpon the altars that Ieroboam erected his zeale was prophesied of by Iaddo 300. yeeres before Iosias was borne Iosias hauing repaired the Temple and hauing found the booke of the Law he maketh a couenant with the Lord that he and his people should walke before God vprightly and iustly After that he killed their Priestes he brought downe their idols he slew the coniurers sorcerers and soothsayers and he burned the Priestes of Baal called Chemarims whome the kings of Iuda had founded to burne incense in high places euery place of Iuda to the Sunne to the Moone to the planets and to all the hostes of heauen His zeale encreased more and more he threw downe the altars of Achas and the altars of Manasses hee had put also downe the horses the charets which the idolatrous kinges had dedicated to the Sunne he ouerthrewe the abominable idolatrie of Salomon in the mount of Oliues called also in the Chronicles the mount of corruption where Salomon builded vp altars and groues to Ashtaroth the idoll of the Sidonians for Chemosh the idol of the Moabites for Milchom the idol of the Ammonits In Iosias time all Iudea flourished with the seruice of God and the lawes of the Countreies were put in practise for there was in euery citie among the Hebrewes a chiefe Magistrate as a Prince or Iudge to determine causes in equitie iustice among the people But in the Metropolitane Citie which was Ierusalem were 70. wise graue men whose court or consistorie was kept in Gazith The Iewish Talmudists named these Sanhedrin these passed both in nomber in dignitie other Magistrates these first gouerned in Silo after in Ierusalem elected by Moses by the expresse word of God these were Iudges for life death according to the custome lawes of the Hebrewes they were to condemne offendors 4. kind of waies by running vpon a man to death by stoning by burning and by strangling That day that these iudged any offender to death they obstained from meate These Councellers continued vntill Herods time and kept their Court at Gazith Beside these Sanhedrioth which were 71. were also twelue Princes ouer the people of euery tribe of Israel one which gouerned the whole twelue tribes of the people Some write that in euery Citie were
last by the Romans Cornelius Festus Sillas sonne and Furus Centurio entred first the Citie and after the whole Romane armie rushed in and slew 22. thousand Iewes spared the temple and the sacred treasures therein defiled not the Sanctuarie neither touched Pompey the golden table neither tooke away with him one penie of the 2000. talents which was the treasure of the temple But Crassus in short time after going against the Parthians in his voyage spared neither treasure nor the temple Ierusalem was builded in Iudea by Sem the sonne of Noah and was by him first named Solima or Salem a citie most famous and the soile it selfe most fertile and so by God blessed and preserued from the first building in the time of Sem vnto the last ouerthrowe of the same by Titus the Romane Emperour being 2177. yeeres Iosephus doeth describe the situation and building of this towne that it was builded vpon two hilles the one hill higher then the other Dauid the first king of the tribe of Iuda in whose time for that he fortified the higher hill after his dayes it was called Castellum Dauid the lower hil was called Acra ouer against this hil Acra they began afterwards to drawe another hill to enlarge this citie and to ioyne the temple within the same for the temple was builded on a hard high rocke for that it might the better be seene that the state and magnificence thereof might be beholden and seene aboue the towne and aboue the high towres of the walles for Hierusalem was compassed with three seuerall walles fronted one against another with such high strong towers that some of them were 70. cubites higher then the walles as the tower called Psephina likewise the tower of Hippicos was fourescore and fiue cubites high The second towre called Phasaelis after Herods brothers name was fourescore and tenne cubites high the thirde named after his wiues name Mariannes which farre excelled the rest whose large descriptions you shall reade in Iosephus a Iewe borne and brought vp in Ierusalem vntil the destruction thereof where he was taken prisoner by Titus there it is set forth to the ful the situation of the citie the beautie of the temple the strength of the walles the height and largenesse of the towres the port and state of the gates the full description of the foure hilles which Hierusalem was builded on and other things which now I omit for the circuite of Hierusalems walles was no more but thirtie and nine furlongs This towne was nothing like in bignesse to Babylon or to Niniue but farre greater in fame and in victories for Hierusalem had triumphed and sawe the ende and last destruction of the Caldeans Assyrians Egyptians Arabians and Persians for litle Iudea endured the force and power of the three first Monarchies which was the Assyrians the Persians and the Grecians though it was before conquered fiue seuerall times by the iust iudgement of God for their transgression and sinne yet by the mercie of God saued and preserued as is before mentioned vntil thirtie eight yeres after Christs death All that while that they serued God and followed the steppes of their forefathers I meane Abraham Isaac Iaacob Daniel Iosaphat Ezechias and Iosias they preuailed against all nations they conquered all Countreys and brought all the kingdomes of the worlde to admire their vertues to feare their force and to seeke fauour and friendship at their handes though they were sometime touched for their stiffenecked stubbernes and too much iniquities as in Egypt in the wildernes and after they had possessed the land of Promes for still they offended the Lorde for the which these seuerall fiue conquests were had ouer them The first was by Nabuchodonosor the great king of Babylon the second by Asocheus king of Egypt the thirde time by Antiochus the great king of Syria the fourth by Pompeius the great and the fift and last was by Titus Vespatian In the which last subuersion and ouerthrowe of Hierusalem wee reade in Iosephus being then a present souldier in the warres the calamities and great miseries that then fel on the citie of Ierusalem and on the inhabitants thereof Their hunger and famine was so great that one did eate an others vomite the fathers did eate their children and the mothers fed on their owne babes in the cradle in so much that stinking carions and dead bodies which died for hunger in the streete was meate of great daintines in Ierusalem They were constrained to eate beastes dung dried leather girdles shoes and skinnes which couered their shields yea they sought their foode in Iakeses many slewe and butchered one another in the citie Besides this the plague was so hote amongst them that lodgings houses temples and all the streetes in Ierusalem were filled with dead bodies The slaughter was such as within 18. moneths siege 110000. were slaine within the citie and most of them strangers and Gentiles which came vp to the feast according to the custome of the Iewes where suddenly they were taken and besieged you must thinke by famine and by the sword During which time 97000. were taken prisoners and captiues there were found of the Iewes in priuies and Iakeses and hiding themselues in caues sinkes and holes of the earth aboue 2000. Some sent of these to the nomber of 70. thousand to Egypt as bond slaues there to moile like beastes in intollerable toile some solde more cheape then dogs for Egesippus witnesseth that 30. Iewes were solde for a penie and those were yong boyes vnder sixteene yeeres OF THE FIRST ORIGInall of the CHALDEANS first called Arphaxades after the name of Arphaxad the thirde sonne of SEM which was the first kingdome of the world of their continuance gouernment and last destruction by Darius Medius and Cyrus NOw hauing ended the historie of the Hebrewes the posteritie of Arphaxad the thirde sonne of Sem I will followe Assur the second sonne of Sem who builded Niniue from whom and after whose name the Assyrians are called whose history I haue now in hand In the hundreth thirtie and one yeere after the flood when people had multiplied in the land of Shinear olde Noah taught the people to seeke new seates and dwellings instructed the newe worlde the first age after the flood in the course of the Sunne the Moone and the starres and in all other things wherein Noah was most perfite hee declared to his people what he knewe and sawe in the first age and deuided the world into three parts Asia Africke and Europe and sent his sonnes to seeke aduentures Cham he sent to Egypt and to Africke with his company Sem to Asia and Iaphet with his people to Europe of whom I will speake where their historie is handled Now I will begin the historie of the Chaldeans who after that the people were dispersed at the building of Babel and had scattered into euery partes of the worlde were the first that
cities and countreis hauing 24. kings by succession which continued vntil 75. yeeres after the destruction of Troy continued so vntil the Carthaginians began to flourish whom the Romanes afterward cōquered At this time one Pypinus gouerned the Thuscanes and raigned as Manethon writes 56. yeres In the last yeres of this king Tyneus the Prophet Dauid was borne 407. yeres after the children of Israels going out of Egypt and in the 7. Iubile after Moses then began to raigne in Assyria Dercillus he raigned 40. yeres In his dayes began the kingdome of Lacedemonia 83. yeres after Troys destruction the first king of Lacedemonia was called Euristenes who raigned 42. yeeres of him came lineally 2. noble and valiant captains Cleomenes and Leonidas who in their time were most famous for they inuaded the Persians and ouerthrew them at Thermophila About the same yere the Corinthians began likewise to establish a kingdome for the Lacedemonians and the Corinthians began at one time to raigne the first king of Corinth was Alethes and he raigned 35. yeres In the 10. yere of king Dercillus the Arke of the Lord was taken by the Philistines and caried vnto Ashdod one of their fiue principal cities they kept the Arke 7. moneths For when the Israelites were ouercome by the Philistines and the arke taken away Ely the priest hearing that the Israelites were ouerthrowen the arke taken and his two sonnes slaine fel down frō his stoole brake his necke for so the Lord told Samuel before what should become vpō Ely his house Israel stil offended God now not contented with the gouernmēt which God appointed them but cried out for a king God cōmanded Samuel to anoint Saul their king About this time great warres grew betwene the Peloponesians and the Athenians Codrus at that time liued was the last king of Athens for after Codrus there was no king there but gouernours called Metontidae Codrus sonne called Medon was the first Iudge in Athens after the kings Codrus according to the Oracle giuen that the Athenians should haue no victories vnlesse their king were slaine in the battell he disguised himselfe like a common souldier rushed into the midst of the battaile purposely to be slaine that his countrey might haue victorie being the last of the 17. kings hauing ruled Athens 21. yeeres ended his life and his kingdome About this time Samuel was commanded to anoint Dauid king ouer Israel and many learned men would haue Homer about this time to be borne some controuersie is of Homers time Eratosthenes thought it within 100. yeeres after the destruction of Troy and so saith Aristarchus and Cornelius Nepos both affirme that Homer flourished 100. yeeres before the first Olympiad Budaeus saith that Homer liued in the latter yeres of king Dauid so they square about 80. yeres of Homers birth During this time raigned ouer the Latines AEneas Siluius their fourth king After this raigned in Assyria Eupales 38. yeeres in whose time the Peloponesians againe mooued warres against the Athenians Now about this time the promise is made to Dauid that the continuance of his kingdome should for euer endure but with crosses and afflictions for Absalon killed his brother Amnon a litle after and fled vnto the king of Gessur and taried there three yeere By this time Salomon was borne of Bethsaba the wife of Vrias Nathan and Gad were in those dayes Prophets of the Lord. Now raigned in Athens Medon the first Iudge the sonne of Codrus the last king of Athens in Lacedemonia Argis the second king raigned one yeere Arcestratus succeeded the third king of Lacedemonia and gouerned the Lacedemonians 35. yeeres in Corinth likewise Ixon the second king raigned 37. yeeres for both these kingdomes had one beginning and therefore their kingdome is accordingly to be handled for in the last yeres of the kings of Assyrians histories the Grecians began for this vnderstand that the Caldeans Assyrians Egyptians and all the East part of the world which were first inhabited after the flood were euen consumed with sworde and fire before the Grecians or the Romanes were acquainted with the world and therefore the lesse to be spoken of these olde auncient people for want of authorities and had not the holy Ghost lightened prophane histories with true records of the Scripture all antiquities had almost bene put to obliuion for all that are in trueth learned in histories take their light from Moses he is the grand scholemaster of all writers About this time Nicius Fesulanus gouerned the Thuscanes 47. yeres he expelled the people called Phocenses out of Corsica and Nicius builded a towne and named it Nicea after his owne name By this time Salomon grewe great in Gods fauour began to make the temple in Ierusalem excelled all the princes of the world in wisdome gouernment Hiram king of Tyrus at that time sendeth to Salomon and Salomon to him purposing to builde the house of God which temple began to be builded the fourth yeere of Salomons raigne and the 12. of Hiram king of Tyre Salomons friend who procured workemen to worke in Libanon and after the going of Israel out of Egypt 480. yeeres Some thinke that Carthage was builded by Charcedon at that time some thinke of Dido others say otherwise both of the building of Carthage and of the time of building as in the building of Troy and in the building of Rome the like controuersie is that sub iudice lis est Laosthenes the 33. king of the Assyrians is the next king after Eupales and is now in hand to be spoken of in whose time Alba Siluius gouerned the Latines the sixt king for the sirnames of the Latin kings were called Siluij as the kings of Alexandria were called Ptolomei as before I told you of the Caesars of Rome and Pharaos of Egypt About this time the kingdome of Israel for the idolatrie of Salomon was deuided and the ten tribes caried from Rehoboam the sonne of Salomon king of Iuda vnto Ieroboam king of Israel who inuented many wicked things in Israel idolatrie new religion contempt of the true God putting vp for their god the golden calfe thus he and his posterities continued from the fourth yeere of Rehoboam vntil the 19. yeere of Nabuchodonosor which was 390. yeeres at what time the last destruction of Ierusalem and the captiuitie of Iuda was Archippus the third Iudge atthis time ruled Athens where he gouerned 19. yeeres vnder whom flourished Sextus Homerus a citizen of Athens this man gaue new lawes to the Athenians The Thracians were strong by this time and became great on land and seas Smendes king of Egypt to whom Ieroboam fled and with whome he staied vntil Salomon died this Smendes is named in Scripture Sesac this came vp against Ierusalem the fift yere of Rehoboam destroyed the citie spoiled the temple and
much the more the Scithians were more ignorant then the Greekes so much the more the Scithians excelled the Greekes in vertue their hardinesse and courage in warres was such that they were accompted amongst all other nations the most inuincible people of the worlde that it is doubtfull as Iustine saith whether the men or the women of Scithia be more famous they attempted no lesse Signiories then the whole Empire of Asia which Empire they so tamed with often inuasions that the Scithians were lords of Asia eight and twentie yeeres For at what time Ciaxares otherwise called by the Prophet Daniel Darius Medus layde siege to Niniue the chiefest citie of Assyria and being euen then readie to take Niniue the king of Scithia whose name was Madies came with a great armie of Scithians set vpon the Medes ouerthrew them spoyled and wasted at that time in their returne to Scithia all Asia and kept Asia vnder the kingdome of Scithia for the space of eight and twentie yeeres And againe before this time the Scithians brought Asia to pay them tribute at what time Tanais king of the Gothes was their general and againe before that time the Egyptians who with an armie set forward toward Scithia at what time Vexores raigned king in Egypt the Scithians hauing intelligence of their ambassadors comming answered in this sort that they marueiled much that so famous a prince as the king of Egypt should come to fish with golden hooks to Scithia so barren a countrey saying further that the Scithians had rather come to offer warres into Egypt then to welcom them into Scithia but such rude welcome as rude people can yeelde the king of Egypt shall haue and therewithall gaue to Vexores such a battell that he was ouerthrowen and cōstrained to take his flight to Egypt againe and was so folowed at the hard heeles that if bogs and marish ground had not stayed the Scithians they would haue giuen him battel in Egypt as they did comming home through Asia spoiling wasting and destroying it the thirde time Iustine writeth this historie at large That time the Scithians absented themselues from their countrey in Asia so long vntill their wiues sent vnto them threatning them that vnlesse they would out of hande returne home they would take their next neighbours for their husbandes and further they should not come when they would for after they did marrie their seruants that were left as shepheards and swineheards at home which resisted their owne masters to haue their wiues their houses and their owne countreis The like historie is written of the Amazones women of Scythia who gouerne and rule their coūtrey without men with such fame as Hercules Cyrus and Alexander the great can witnes of them The custome of these Amazones lest their stocke should perish was once a yere to accompany with people of their next confines for multiplication sake And thereby being with child if it should be a male child they presētly kil him or send him to his father if it should be female she was exercised frō her cradle in al martial exploits both on horsebacke and on foote she had the right dug or breast cut off wherby they might exercise their bowes Two Queenes raigned of the Amazones of passing great reports named Marpesia Lampedo of whom both Asia Europe haue tasted of their darts these two Queenes after they had won diuers townes in Asia and also had builded other townes in Asia they died vncōquered in their countrey After them succeeded Otrera the daughter of Marpesia who raigned together with her sister Antiopa Otrera or Oreithia hauing an armie out of Scythia leauing her sister Antiopa to defend Scythia the fame and renowne of these two Ladies kindled Hercules and his felow Theseus with diuers yong gallants of Greece to saile to Hircania a part of Scythia who vpon the sudden vnlooked for of Antiopa with some slaughter of the Amazones Hercules tooke Menalippe and Theseus tooke Hippolite both the Queenes sisters Otrera hearing of these newes returned home with all hast asked ayde of Sagillus king of Scythia to reuenge the wrong done by Hercules and Theseus against both her sisters saying also that the Amazones were Scythians aswel as he therfore not to deny ayde promising the king that women should be as wel in the foreward of the battel as men but Hercules restored Menalippe to the Queene her sister againe and Theseus married the other by whom he got Hippolitus After Otrera succeeded Penthesileia whose valiant acts and deedes in the Troyans warres against the Greekes who knewe them not After Penthesileia they succeeded orderly vntil the time of Alexander the great at what time Thalestris raigned Queene of the Amazones I will leaue this part of Scythia thus much commended by the Amazones and will briefly speake of other nations in Scythia as the Massegits a people of wōderful courage as by their warres against Cyrus might appeare for after that Cyrus had brought the Medes Chaldeans Assyrians Lydians and all Asia vnder the Empire of Persia hearing of the great harme and the inuasions that the Scythians had often done in Asia and Europe hee leuied a huge armie and passed towards Scythia at what time Tomiris raigned Queene ouer the Massegites who hearing of Cyrus cōming though he was then the onely monarch and conquerour that brought all the East kings vnder Persia yet she permitted him with al his armie to passe the riuer of Oraxis and to come and to make choise to set his campe as pleased him best Cyrus at that time vsed a stratagem left his tents full of all delicate and daintie banquets with all maner of wine and fained to take his flight for feare of the enemies The Queene hearing of Cyrus flight cōmanded her sonne named Spargapises out of hand to follow Cyrus with an armie of Massegetes The yong Scythian being not acquainted with such galant banquets in Scythia began to assaile Cyrus wine but hee and all his armie were ouerthrowen without any sword drawen or a blow giuen When Cyrus had returned and found the Scythians some drinking some sleeping some dauncing and all drunken he slew them with the sword and thought thereby that God fauoured much his cause to haue such a victorie ouer the Scythians without blood of the Persians and therefore he erected a temple to the goddesse of that countrey appointed that day a solemne feast called Sacaea which Cyrus consecrated in remembrance of his happie victorie When Queene Tomyris heard that her sonne Spargapises was slaine by Cyrus and al his army she leauied a great nomber of the Massegetes together and went in person her selfe to the battell that to the only battell that euer was in Scythia the greatest and the terriblest for two hundreth thousand Persians were slaine and Cyrus himselfe killed in that battel Of Cyrus burial his graue and his
epitaph and also the crueltie of Thomiris to Cyrus being dead I will write in the historie of Persia. After this great victorie of Tomyris the Scithians had peace vntil Lanthinus time king of Scithia After Cyrus time Darius Histaspis came to Scithia who being denied of king Lanthinus daughter in mariage he returned his loue to hatred he waged battel against Lathinus and brought to Scithia seuen hūdred thousand Persians of whom he left behind him slaine in Scithia fourescore tenne thousand and Darius himselfe constrained to take his flight with no lesse feare then danger into Persia againe In like sort the Scithians vsed Zopirona a general of Alexanders the great in a battel giuen by the Macedonians to the Scithians with such slaughter that the whole armie of Zopirona was ouerthrowen and himselfe hardly by flight escaped as Vexores king of Egypt Darius king of Persia had done before of such inuincible courage the Scithians were being frō their birth acquainted brought vp in hardines that life and death were esteemed alike they made no accompt of victory for wealth and treasure but for honour Alexander the great who had better successe in Scithia then any of his predecessors liked the people so wel for their hardy and valiant enterprises that he builded a city and named it Alexandria which was the first citie that he builded in Scithia which name was after raced by the Barbarians and repaired againe by Antiochus the sonne of Seleucus who according to his progenitors name called it Seleucia Into this citie saith Solinus Orodes king of Parthia conueyed the Romans that were taken at the slaughter of Crassus Strabo writeth that Alexander the great builded 8. great townes amongst the Bactrians and amongst the Sogdians two large countreys of Scithia also he saith that Alexander destroyed certaine cities in Bactria a citie called Cariata where Callisthenes the Philosopher was imprisoned by Alexander in Sogdiana he destroyed a citie which Cyrus builded after his owne name called Cira hard by the riuer Iaxartes I reade of none sauing of Alexader which ventured so much in Scithia as the Scithians haue done in other countreis you shall reade that the Scithians haue thrise inuaded Asia haue driuen the Cimerians out of Europe haue giuen to the Medes diuers ouerthrowes specially in a great battell at Mount Caucasus and after came into Media their owne countrey wasted it spoyled it and did possesse it as lords and rulers thereof vntill by a stratagem of the Medes the Scithians were slaine being drunken After the Medes the Egyptians were ouerthrowen with their king Vexores and put to flight After the Egyptians Phrahartes king of Parthia with all his Parthian armie and almost all the countrey of Parthia were at that time wellnigh conquered by the Scithians The Persians were twise by the Scithians ouercome vnder Darius Histaspis who was discomfited with all his armie and himselfe glad to take his heeles and vnder Cyrus the great king who also after two or three battels was slaine amongst the Scithians It was thought a thing most renowmed to make an armie and to enter Scithia Liber Pater was the first that trauailed into Scithia as farre as Panda a citie of the Sogdians where the first altar was erected in testimonie of so famous an enterprise The second altar was made euen in that place by Hercules The thirde by Semiramis Queene of Assyria The fourth and last altar was erected by Cyrus and therefore it was compted one of the greatest commendations of Alexander the great to make his voyage so farre whereby hee had the name of the fift that also erected his monument so inuincible were the nations of the Scithians that they would take no iniurie at home neither offer iustice abroade The antiquitie of the Scithians is such that there is no great certaintie of their time nor no sounde histories haue declared any thing formally neither of their kings nor of themselues and therefore I wil briefly ende their historie in this place onely setting downe the names of such kings as I found scattered in diuers histories of other kingdomes 1 Scytha the first king of Scythia of whose birth and beginning the Scythians do much bragge Reade Diodorus 2 Napis 3 Pluto 4 Sagillus 5 Targitaus 6 Plinos 7 Scolopithus 8 Penaxagora filius Sagilli 9 Tanais 10 Indathirsus 11 Saulius This king killed the Philosopher Anacharsis for that hee found him in Grecian robes executing the rites and ceremonies of the Greeks in a sacrifice to Berecynthia against the customes and lawes of Scythia 12 Spargapithus 13 Aripethes 14 Sciles This king was in like maner driuen out of his kingdom for imitating the Grecians in their sacrifice to Bacchus for the Scythians did mocke and floute the Greekes to alter themselues like faunes or Satires some like men some like women and some like beasts with darts in their hands and Yuie crownes on their heades after the maner of the Grecians which the Scythians could not abide 15 Octomasades 16 Lanthinus which raigned in Scythia when Darius king of Persia came with an army of seuen hundreth thousand and was ouerthrowen of the Amazones Sogdians Hircanians and of diuers other nations which dwel in Scythia which to write itwere but labour in vaine But a few of the Amazones Queenes I will set downe as Pēthisileia which came to the Troyan warres against the Grecians Menalippe that gaue battell to Hercules Hippolite that gaue battel to Theseus Tomiris that gaue battell to Cyrus and ouerthrew him Antiopia and Marpesia Otrera and other warlik Queenes But of Tamberlanes greatnes of his armie and victories against the Turke how he toooke him caried him in a cage with him to all his warres and howe he vsed to tread vpō his necke as a blocke to mount on horsebacke lute histories euery where are written OF THE ORIGINAL OF the Parthians and of the beginning of their kingdome and how long it continued of their kings gouernment and last destruction by the Romanes in the time of Augustus Caesar. THe Parthians were sometime people of Scythia and driuen frō thence as banished men weried and ouerthrowen and after by long warres they came to the deserts of Hircania and possessed the cōfines of those nations called Daces and Maiani for in the Scythian tongue the Parthians doeth signifie banished men so that the Parthians were first obscure and base people banished out of their countrey of Scythia in the time that the Asyrians the Medes flourished and long after that the Persians had gotten the monarchie from the Medes The Parthians were very rude without lords or lawes to rule them vntil the empire of Macedonia had gotten the masterie ouer the Persians for at what time Alexander the great died no Maccdonian would vouch safe to be king in Parthia the successors of Alexander made no accompt of the Parthians but as rude people and mercenarie souldiers neither esteeming them
kings of Sparta Heraclides And so the Emperors of Rome named first Caesares then were they called Augusti and the third time they were named Antonini Thus in these coūtries none might be king elected but of these houses families yet in other kingdoms they were otherwayes elected as The Ethiopians made choise of the most likeliest man in sight The Medes in like maner vsed to make choise of no king but such as excelled in talenesse of person and strength of body In Libya none should be king but he that could winne it with running for he that was most swift should be king in Libya and so according to custome and to the maners of euery Countrey or kingdome any prince or king was elected and chosen Againe there be in Persia two other nations called Cirtij and Marai beside a sect of people named Magi. The chiefe Cities of Persia before Babylon was by Cyrus wonne to bee a Persian Citie were Susa Parsagardia Persepolis and Gaza for there the Persian kings had their monuments in Gaza there lay there treasure and wealth Beroaldus in his Chronicles Suetonius and Tranquillus in August say that the Persians were called of the Greekes in ancient time Cephenes but they bragged and boasted of a more auncient name and called them selues Artaei But after that Perseus the sonne of Iupiter and Danaes had maried Andromada the daughter and heire of Cepheus and had by his wife a sonne named Perses after whose name then they being called Cephenes are nowe called Persis after the name of their king Persis This region of Persia was diuided vnto a hundreth twentie Prouinces in the time of Darius Hystaspis the third king of Persia appointing to euery Prouince a gouernor that should pay certeine tribute vnto the king Iosephus saith Elam the eldest sonne of Sem was the first original of the Elamites now called Persians a countrie most fertile and most florishing which had soueraigntie ouerall Asia After that Cyrus from a priuate man brought vp by a heardman in an obscure place in Media became lord of all Asia king of the greatest part of the Eastkingdomes and the conquerour of Astyages king of the Medes and of Croesus king of the Lydians and last of Balthasar the last king of Babylon and the last successour of Nabuchodonosor the great hee fortified himselfe with strength of munitions commanded garisons readie in euery great citie of Persia appointed races of horses to bee had in all the Empire of Persia and euery gouernour of euery Prouince to furnish the king with horses and men necessarie to defende the countrie for the Medes Assyrians Chaldeans Lydians and Egyptiās were by this time brought subiects vnder the Persiās And therefore their wealth must be infinite for in Artaxerxes time there was an hundreth and twentie Prouinces vnder the Monarchie of Persia as Iosephus writeth Ctesias and Dionisius two great writers of Persian histories affirmed that the king of Persia was woont to haue in his Pallace fifteene thousand euery day to dinner and supper for they receiued out of Asia euery yeere fourtie thousand and fiftie talents For when Alexander the great had conquered Persia and had taken Babylon he found a hundred fiftie and seuen thousand talents and yet not so much as Cyrus left behind him as Strabo saith and no maruell for Cyrus had all the wealth of Iudea and the treasure had in the Temple at Ierusalem which was infinite of Assyria Chaldea Lydia and Media and therefore Herodot called him Cyrus the great king and after Cyrus time all the kings of Persia would be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great kings For in all the histories you shall not reade that the Romanes who afterward likewise mastered the whole worlde had so much treasure at one time as either Cyrus had left in Persia or as Alexander had found in Persia yet Persia before Cyrus time was obscure and of no fame subiect vnto the Medes for Cyrus had long warres many battels with Euilmerodach in Assyria with Croesus in Lydia with Astyages in Media with many kings before he had rest and before hee had brought the Monarchie vnto Persia and to be called the great king Cyrus began his Empire at Babylon at what time Seruius Tullius the sixt king of the Romanes reigned in Rome and Amasis gouerned Egypt In Cyrus time the temple of Apollo was burned in Delphos the second time Cyrus obteined the kingdome of Persia in the beginning of the eighteene Iubilee and in the third yeere of the eightie Olympiad which much differ from Diod. Siculus who affirmeth that Xerxes the fourth king after Cyrus tooke his voiage into Greece in the seuentie fiue Olympiad from Polybius that affirmeth Xerxes went into Greece in the 74. Olympiad in the like error is Halicarnasseus Herodot and others some affirming Cyrus to begin his Empire in the 50. Olympiad some in the 54. some in the 57. some in the 60. Olympiad thus they erre some 30. Olympiads some 20. some more and some lesse of the true time of Cyrus for in the sacred historie by sound testimonie it was laid downe by Daniel and in Nehemias the very time of Cyrus Now after that Cyrus had brought all these kingdoms vnder the monarchie of Persia he tooke Armenia in hand hauing conquered the king the countrie of Armenia Tigranes the kings sonne of Armenia a familier old friend of Cyrus hearing of Cyrus victorie ouer his father he then being farre frō Armenia returned home with all haste and besought Cyrus not to thinke of the warres betweene his father and him but to remember the amitie familiaritie which was betweene them both and therefore Tigranes entreated Cyrus to haue the crowne after his father paying vnto Cyrus such tribute as he would appoint to which request Cyrus consented appointing fiftie talents yerely to be paid to the kings of Persia which is three thousand crownes After the conquest of Armenia Cyrus passed with his army vnto Phrygia Cappadocia and Arabia who coulde not long hold out but partly yeelded and partly conquered were brought subiect and to pay tribute vnto Cyrus Cyrus was woont before he entred into battell to sing a song to Castor and Pollux and to march as the olde Spartanes with hymnes and odes to the muses to solace their hearts and to auoide feare that might occupie their heads otherwayes Cyrus his garde or chiefe souldiers about him were called Homotimi as the best souldiers vnder Alexander the great were call Argyraspides vnder Achilles named Myrmidones vnder Pyrrhus called Dolopes and so of other great conquerors which had a peculiar name of their chiefe souldiers Nowe the last and the greatest victorie was ouer the Babylonians which he attempted not before he grew great and strong by other victories for truely before Babylon was wonne the monarchie was in Assyria We reade of no king that conquered so
of whom many heritikes flowed in Affricke Constantine though he could keepe the Church from tyrannicall persecution by restoring of peace yet hee could not stop the rage of heretikes which in his dayes were many as the Sabellies the Manichees the Donatists the Arrians and the Nouatians yet God raised singular learned men to defend his Church as Origene who suppressed them disputed against them in Arabia and in Affrica After him Cyprian bishop of Carthage Lactantius a very eloquent man and Ambrose bishop of Millaine but of this you shall reade more where I entreat of Councils and Synods in the March of Martyrs But now to the kings of Persia. Artaxerxes succeeded Sapores in Persia the tenth king and raigned 11. yerees of whom as of the rest litle or nothing is to be written for then the kings of Persia were not of such fame or of such force as before while they ruled as lords ouer the worlde for two hundreth and thirtie yeeres Now they had much to doe to defend themselues from inuasions the monarchie had passed away to Macedonia their wealth power and countrey were brought to nothing by Alexander the great the kingdome of the Gothes and the Vandales began first their gouernment together with this Artaxerxes the first kingdome of Hunni and of Lombardie began also now to take footing in the yeere of our Lord three hundreth seuentie and fiue This time a nomber of Christians were againe restored to their countrey which had bene banished before likewise more then fourescore thousand of Burgundines which inhabited about the riuer Rhene became Christians at once at what time Theodosius the Emperour gaue two or three battels to the Gothes ouerthrew them and constrained them to goe out of Thracia with their king Athanaricus This time liued Ambrose bishop of Millaine and Gregorie Nazianzenus died two famous learned men in whose time two Councils were called the one in Rome and the other in Constantinople Theodosius the Emperour hearing that Maximus was proclaimed Emperour by his owne souldiers in Armorica which is called now litle Britaine made an armie against Maximus who now had taken Gratianus and slew him at Lugdunum and had driuen Valentianus from his gouernment in the West part to flee to Theodosius By this time stept to be king in Persia Sapores the second of that name and the eleuenth king of the Persians he raigned fiue yeeres who without any warres liued his time in rest In his dayes were signes seene in heauen in the likenes of a doue which burned and appeared for thirtie dayes as Eusebius reporteth which I omit Litle is to be mentioned of the last kings of Persia for that the Romanes kept them stil downe About this time Theodosius went with his sonne Honorius to Constantinople leauing behind him in Rome Valentianus to gouerne who within a short time by false conspiracie of Eugenius was destroyed whereby Eugenius vsurped the Empire of this you shall reade more in the Romane Empire Augustine a great clearke and one of Ambrose disciples was now bishop of Hippo in Affrica I thought good once for that I finde little or nothing worth the writing of the kings in Persia in those dayes for that the Macedonians and after them the Romans had brought Persia and all other kingdoms to subiection for a long time to set the sects and sundry sorts of heretikes that began like monsters to trouble the Church to write of councils had herein by generall consent of the opinions sprong of that time and of their consultation yet for that we hasten to end the historie of these later kings of Persia of whom as I haue said litle is to be written sauing of some few kings as Artaxerxes the first that restored to the Persians their kingdome after he had slaine Artabanus king of the Parthians Againe Sapores the second king of Persia Narses the seuenth king and Sapor the ninth king of Persia these kept tacke with the Romanes vexed Mesopotamia Armenia and other countreis as you heard before persecuted the Christians and did some actions that they seemed to shew a shadow of the olde PerPersiaus but to small effect for the Saracens as before you heard haue fully mastered them and quite destroyed them and so they came to their decay first by Cyrus then by Alexander and by the Macedonians and the thirde time by the Romanes and last by the Saracens After Sapores the eleuenth king of Persia entred Varanes the twelft king who raigned twelue yeeres in whose dayes were many signes in heauen much earthquake in sundry places of the world herefies contentions and many straunge questions demanded as An Deus habeat corpus membra and such other absurd and blasphemous quarels grew Euen this time Auricular confession was abrogated by Nectarius then bishop of Constantinople for filthie and many fornications cōmitted in those dayes by priests and deacons The Frenchmen denied tribute vnto the Romans also this very time vpon which occasion warre grew againe new betweene the Romanes and the Frenchmen in the time of Valentianus the Emperor Hunni were most busie in diuers parts of the East spoiling Armenia and Pannonia passing ouer the riuer Ister entred Thracia wasting and destroying al places that they came vnto About this time Nectarius of whom you read a litle before being bishop of Constantinople died in whose place succeeded Chrysostom a famous learned man of no lesse learning then vertue who in the Council gathered at Cyprus where Origens bookes were condemned by the auctoritie of Epiphanius and Theophilus two great learned men and for that Chrysostome would not subscribe thereunto he was put out of Councill and banished from his bishopricke howbeit he was with great honour receiued againe vnto Constantinople within a short space after But to hasten out of the history of Persia. Isdigertes the thirteenth king raigned 21. yeeres in Persia of whom wee reade nothing but that he vexed and molested the Christians and especially those he persecuted whom he found in any territorie of his and yet within a while the Christians had good successe in Persia and the king much contented with them pleasured and aduanced them vsing them courteously and gently Honorius now Emperour of the Romanes associating himselfe with Constantius whom hee sent to Fraunce and by whom Constantine then was slaine who gouerned at that time in Britannie to whom Placidia Theodotius daughter was committed and againe from Honorius giuen to his friend Constantius in mariage by whom Constantius got Valentinus the thirde of that name Constantius grew in such fauour with Honorius the Emperour by his great seruice in Fraunce and in Hispaine that he was taken and chosen by Honorius himselfe to be his associat in the Empire About this time all the Iewes that were cōmorant in Alexandria were thence expulsed with much blood and great slaughter and this was done by Cyrillus then bishop
the Scythians who likewise had no houses but their wagons in the which they carie their wiues their children and themselues into any coūtrey where they take warre in hand Nowe of the Arabians trafique and marchandise and of their frankincense myrrhe and many other kinde of spices of their birdes Phoenix and Cynomolgies of their precious stones of their hilles sweete riuers and other rare things in Arabia I referre you to Strabo he leaueth nothing vntoucht within Arabia But I wil returne to Mahomet a poore man of a base and meane parentage brought vp a seruant to feede and to attend camels a young man of a wonderfull craftie subtile wit hauing married his mistresse and thereby growen wealthie he vsed the company of one Sergius a Monke with whom he was taught to accuse the Iewes as wicked cruel tyrants to kill a great Prophet and to accuse the Christians of ignorancie and of much simplicitie scoffing them for their superstitious ceremonies and meere fantasies in their religion as he said of their God Christ. This Mahomet vomited his malice in such sort that not onely Asia but Affricke and Europe were by him infected hee settled himselfe in the richest regions of all Arabia named Scenites where in short time through the craft and subtiltie of his fained religion and by the dayly accesse of a white pigeon in the eare to eate graines of wheat which he vsed to deceiue the simple supposing the pigeon to bee some spirit from God that instructed Mahomet in all good discipline and religion that whatsoeuer Mahomet did it was taken as done by a prophet He grew of such credite within Arabia that he made lawes and decrees he altered the whole course of the Arabians gouernment and brought the Saracens to beginne their yeeres and their accompt from the beginning of Mahomets raigne For as the Grecians were wont to nomber yeeres by their Olympiads the Romanes by their Lustrum so the Arabians and the Saracens vsed their accompt by Hegira begunne in the time of Mahomet at what time he escaped hardly the hands of the chiefe men in Arabia called Philarchi who thought to kill Mahomet for his newe doctrine against the religion of the Arabians But after he had escaped he gathered a great armie by meanes of many that tooke him and honoured him as a diuine prophet and entred with force and maine strength againe vpon his enemies and had the victory ouer them From the which time the Arabians beganne to accompt their yeeres in memorie of the escape of Mahomet by flight which the Arabians call Hegira and after by Mahomet commaunded in the time of Heraclius the Emperour and Pope Honorius in the yeere of our Sauiour sixe hundreth twentie and one to bee kept of the Saracens and of the Arabians in great honour and accompt and to beginne all their accompts trafiques and marchandise by Hegira And as wee vse the yeere of our Lorde at the very day that he was conceiued in the wombe of the Virgine by the holy Ghost so the Arabians from the time of this Hegira by Mahomet commaunded vsed their yeeres MAhomet the great prophet and the only Prince of Arabia began his gouernment in the yeere of our saluation 624. At what time Heraclius gouerned as Emperour in Constantinople he raigned nine yeres died and was honoured as a God to this day among the Saracens After this Mahomet raigned in Arabia Ebubezer three yeeres during which time he subdued the citie of Gaza and brought that prouince altogether vnder the Arabians who at this beganne to be sirnamed Amiras a name of dignitie as Caesars among the Romanes or Pharaos among the Egyptians this raigned the first Amiras The second Amiras was called Haumar which raigned 12. yeeres this enlarged the countrey of Arabia from Egypt vnto the riuer Euphrates this brought Persia subiect to Arabia and forced Hormisda their last king to take his flight and to leaue behinde him all his treasures and all the wealth of Persia. This Amiras tooke Caesarea a citie in Palestina after he had besieged it seuen yeeres by his lieutenant Muhanias who was his Generall from the confines of Egypt vnto Euphrates This Haumar after hee had destroyed the temple of Hierusalem caused the Crosse which hee found in the temple to be set vp in Mount Oliuet to scoffe there the Christians who beganne at that very time to worship euery where the Crosse that was the first Crosse and the first time that the vse of Crosses beganne from that in Mount Oliuet But after much harme done by this Haumar hee was slaine by a Persian woman named Margaret as hee was praying kneeling before the newe erected idole of Mahomet After this Haumar succeeded Hotaman the fourth Amiras this inuaded Affrica possessed diuers places and filled many townes with Saracens at what time Muhanias the chiefe Generall of all the Arabians territories sailed with a great nauie into Cyprus inuaded the whole Isle and tooke the citie Constantia and the citie Aradus and at his returne came to Rhodes destroyed the huge and monstrous image of Phoebus called Colossus Solis accompted one of the seuen wonders of the world While Muhanias was in warres with the Cyprians and the Rhodians the very same time another Prince of Arabia named in the Chronicles Busor inuaded Isauria destroyed the countrey made a great slaughter of the people and brought fiue thousande captiues prisoners into Arabia but within fewe dayes Hoaman was slaine through the treasonof his owne housholdes and chiefe friends This time raigned king in Fraunce Clodoueus the second of that name which Clodoueus was called Lewes the first and in Constantinople raigned Emperour Constans which was sonne to Constantius the third who had a great ouerthrowe in battell by sea by Muhamias with his armie of Saracens Eugenius then was elected the tenth Pope of Rome Hali who gouerned the Saracens after Hoaman with Muhamias for 3. yeeres at what time he was slaine by a conspiracie of souldiers after whose death Muhanias became the fift Amiras ouer the Arabians who gouerned foure and twentie yeeres and kept his court all that time at Damascus This Muhanias grew mightie and strong inuaded Affrica slew fourescore thousand Africanes spoyled the territories of the Romanes entred into their confines but the Romanes forced him to flee pursued him and compelled him to seeke the Romanes fauour paying three thousand pound in golde and fiftie Saracens for yerely tribute Constantine the fift sirnamed Pogonatus held then the Empire at Constantinople Gizid the sonne of Muhanias succeeded his father and raigned after him 3. yeeres this had not such successe as Muhamias his father had but after Gizid succeeded Habdella the seuenth Amiras against whom Marnan was elected the eight Amiras who died within nine moneths after and left his sonne Habdimelech to be the ninth Amiras this raigned two and twentie yeeres The Saracens about this time inuaded so
Emperour of Germanie in Englande Henrie the fourth flourished This Mahomet left to succeede him a sonne named Amurates the second of that name and the sixt king ouer the Turkes this Amurates farre excelled all his predecessours in his warres hee beganne to warre with the people called Mysores and their prince which nowe are named Seruij hee tooke their Cities Scopia and Nouemontum and tooke the Kings two sonnes and his daughter hee caused the Kings sonnes eyes to be pluckt out and yet maried their sister and thereby restored the Citie Nouemontum to the king againe After this hee commenced warres against the Germanes Hungarians and Valaches spoyled their territories and wasted their Countries and vsed great extremitie hee passed thence to Epire laide siege to Croia tooke it and possessed it After truice made and peace concluded betweene the Turke and the Hungarians Amurates against his promise and othe by perswasion of Pope Eugenius the fourth entred in armes and gaue two terrible battels to the Christians in the which many Nobles dyed and were taken In these two great victories the one at Varna the other at Basila he slue an infinite companie of Hungarians Polonians Hunnes and others of Germanie for in this warre at Varna Ladislaus king of Polonia was slaine and Cardinall Iulian with all their captaines and men of armes in the other at Basila all the Princes of Hungarie and many of the Nobles and Peeres of Germanie Thence hee returned into Asia after hee had subdued and conquered all places as hee traueiled and hauing had sufficient triall of his good fortune with some diffidence of further successe by some change of fortune hee committed the kingdome vnto his sonnes charge while yet hee liued being willing to take his rest and to see the euentes of the succession in the kingdome by his sonne ouer whom he appointed Tutour and Gouernour for that Mahomet his sonne was yet young a Turke named Calibassa but this during the time of thirtie foure yeeres did no great exploite but made one voiage to Epirus and besiged the Citie of Croia but in vaine for that valiant and noble captaine Scanderbeg draue him quickly with losse and shame from Epyrus and for very griefe hee dyed after his returne Of this Scanderbeg Prince of Epirus the historie is set foorth according to his desertes in Barletius In the time of this Mahomet Constantine the last of that name and the last Emperour of Constantinople reigned Soldan Zeledim Emperour of the Tartarians dyed in this time Nowe reigned Emperour of Germanie Albertus the second of that name which was both king of Hungaria and Bohemia hee reigned Emperour but two yeeres after whom succeeded Fredericke the third Archduke of Austria to be Emperour of Germanie which reigned Emperour fiftie foure yeres But to come to Mahomet the second of that name and the seuenth king of the Turkes This for his greatnesse and good successe in his warres was named Nouus Othomanus an other newe Othoman for as in the first Othoman the kingdome of the Turkes beganne so nowe by this Mahomet the Empire of the Turkes beganne and therefore he was called Othoman the great He subdued two Empires twelue kingdomes two hundred Cities and great Townes hee tooke from the Venetians the Isles of Chalcidis and Scodra hee tooke diuers Cities in Greece as Corinthus and Mitilena The Turkes inuaded Syria wasted and destroyed Hungaria and tooke al Euboca he tooke Capha a Citie in Pontus and Hydrantes in Italie hee tooke in battell by treacherie saith Functius Stephanus king of Mysia whom he vsed as Cambyses vsed Sisamnis he flayed him and banished him from his kingdome he destroyed all the prouince of Carinthia Quae quantae huius victoriae totus vix dies explicet the very wordes of Egnatius This Turke so plagued the Christians that yet to this day they coulde not recouer the losse howe be it hee was ouerthrowen by Scanderbeg in a great battell where hee lost an infinite number of his Turkes by Hussa Cassanus king both of Armenia and of Persia who also gaue a great ouerthrowe to Mahomet by Stephanus Prince of Valachia who gote ouer the Turkes a great victorie by Pope Sixtus the fourth who gaue battell by sea vnder the Cardinall of Aquileia by the Rhodians and by the Christians at a place called Alba Graeca hee was discomfited and diuers times ouerthrowen but still hee preuailed with more gaine then losse and with fame renowne that he is now Emperour of Constantinople and of Trapezuntium and king of many kingdomes lord and gouernour of so many Prouinces and Regions that he thereby is nowe named the great Turke Nowe after this Turke had reigned thirtie one yeeres he dyed in the yeere of our Lord God 1481. on the fift nones of May. After whose death great ciuill warres grew among the Turkes and continued for a time which being done Pazaites the second of that name and the eldest sonne of the last Mahomet hauing vanquished his younger brother obteined the Empire armed his men and himselfe out of hand assaulted the Castle of Valachia and tooke it after hee marched against the Soldan of Egypt by whome hee had sundry ouerthrowes that the Turke and the Soldan entred into a league and concluded a peace After he returned and went against the Germanes whom he by continuall warres brought vnder the Turkes seruitude and at that very time he so plagued the Venetians that he subdued Methon Dyrrhachium and Naupactum three strong great cities The Turkes vnder this Pazaites conquered and subdued many places for this Emperour vanquished the Polonians which people were called before Gelas and subdued many people inhabiting about Meotida hee destroyed the Citie of Craocia but constrained by the armie of Maximilian the Emperour to forsake their Fortes hee was also put to flight Reade Chromerus Chronicle of this Pazaites warres against the Venecians at what time hee returning from the ouerthrowe and subduing of Modon the Sophi king of Persia for so nowe all the kings of Persia are called Sophi gaue the Turkes a great ouerthrowe Thus farre doeth Egnatius prosecute the Turkes historie vntill Selimus time the ninth Emperour of the Turkes at what time reigned Emperour in Germanie Maximilian sonne to Frederike the third and in Fraunce Lewes the twelfth of that name This Pazaites after hee had reigned thirtie one yeeres died after whom succeeded Selimus the ninth Emperour of the Turkes who liued seuen yeeres in the Empire this had a great ouerthrowe in Armenia the great by the Sophy of Persia how be it afterward he recouered his strength and gathered an armie passed into Egypt gaue battell to the Soldan whom hee tooke as prisoner and at that time subdued all Egypt and Syria for nowe the kings of Egypt are called Soldani as the kings of Persia are Sophy But to come to Soliman the tenth Emperour of the Turkes who reigned
furie of Cyrus souldiers and Artaxerxes himselfe had a wound giuen him by Cyrus his one hande but afterwarde Cyrus was taken and was bound with fetters of golde and had at that time died if his mother had not most earnestly entreated for him Cyrus by his mothers meanes being let at libertie with great furie followed his first purpose gathered a farre greater armie wherein were tenne thousand Grecians vvell and strongly furnished which came out of Greece to ayde Cyrus To be short it was in vaine Cyrus was slaine in that battell and his armie ouerthrowen yet Iustine saith that the Grecians valiantly stoode to it vnconquered in that wing of the battell where they stood Of this warre doeth Xenophon most amplie entreate with whom Cyrus the yonger himselfe was brought vp of this Cyrus and of his actes Xenophon wrote sixteene bookes eight of discipline militarie and other eight of his warres Now to Athens againe where tyrannie all this while gouerned but Thrasibulus was not carelesse how to represse these tyrants whome Ismenias a prince of Thebes secretly ayded and when that Sparta had made a decree that no citie of Greece should suffer any exiled Athenians to enter into it the Thebans resisted the decree and they also made not onely a decree within Thebes and in all Boetia that no house should be shut to the Athenians but ayded them with men and money Likewise Lysias an oratour of Syracusa bestowed 500. readie and well furnished souldiers to ayde Athens When this preparation was heard of in Athens the Tyrants sent to Pausanias king of Sparta to defende them which hee with some conscience refused for the which afterwarde Pausanias was accused by the Lacedemonians In the meane season Thrasybulus gaue battell to the thirtie Tyrants ouerthrewe them and tooke the citie of Athens restored libertie to the citizens at what time hee brought in Solons lawe to forget the iniuries past of friendes of parents and of children which were slaine in Athens vnder these thirtie Tyrants This lawe of Thrasybulus was reuiued by the Senatours of Rome which were in the time of Trium viri which were Octauius Augustus Marcus Antonius Lepidus Aemilius when Iulius Caesar was slaine to forget the reuenge of Caesars death to auoyde ciuill warres within Rome A litle after this Conon againe scattered the force of Sparta and after much hurt to the Lacedemonians he came to Athens and ioyned with Thrasybulus by whose courage and valure Athens by degrees reuiued for yet the ciuill warres in Greece were not ended for as these afflictions and miseries happened to Athens by ciuill warres so after to euery citie of Greece the like happened that of the onely countrey of the worlde it was brought into a most miserable destruction And for that you may reade the strength and force of Greece while they held together I wil set downe the warres and the victories which the Grecians haue had ouer the Persian kings and ouer all other barbarous princes in Asia and in all partes of the East at that time when that the Persians were lords and princes of the whole worlde and helde the Monarchie onely without resistance of any king or countrey yet in the most flourishing time of the Persians the Grecians had these victories of them which are layde downe before you viz. THe great battell at Marathon where Miltiades got the victorie ouer Darius Histaspis the thirde king of Persia. The famous enterprise and victorie of Leonidas at Thermopila where hee slewe twentie thousande Persians with three hundred Grecians The two terrible battels at Salamina where Themistocles and Aristides had the victorie against Xerxes both by sea and land The battell fought before Platea against Mardonius where was slaine sixe and twentie thousande and Mardonius the king of Persias lieutenant The victorie hereof was giuen to the Athenians yet the honour of the victorie by common report yeelded to the Plateans at what time Aristides was generall of Athens and Pausanias king of Sparta was generall of all Greece The warres of Chalcedon against Pharnabasus where Alcibiades wanne the victorie The warres betweene Ptolomey king of Egypt and Alexander king of Macedon the sonne of Amintas pacified and ended by Pelopidas and tooke the kings brother called Philippe which was Alexander the great his Father and thirtie more of the noblest mens sonnes in Macedon to Ostage and brought them to Thebes to let the worlde see the reputation of Greece then The victorie of Aristides gotten at Psittalia where he tooke three Persian lordes sonnes to Sandauce king Xerxes sister and the Grecians were of one minde and thought with such courage to bring Asia vnder the Empire of Greece The victorie of Cimon in the countrie of Thracia where he vanquished certeine great men of Persia allied to the king himselfe and kept the Citie of Eronea vpon the riuer of Strymon ouerthrewe the barbarous people inuaded the Thracians droue the Persians away and possessed al Thracia and appointed Grecians to inhabite the Countrie thus had the Greekes victorie out of Greece before their ciuill warres began this Cimon plagued the Persians past into Asia and returned with diuers victories into Greece againe When Nicias wanne the hauen of Syracusa and besieged the Citie in such sort that Euripides made an Epitaph vpon the graue of Nicias and had gotten eight seuerall victories ouer the Cicilians The victorie which Agesilaus had of Sardis the chiefe Citie of Lydia and the victorie ouer Tisaphernes lieutenant of all Persia who gaue battell to the Nation that dwell in Acarnea ouerthrewe them and destroyed them and had victorie and after went to Egypt being an olde man to Tachos king of Egypt where hee vsed a Stratageme that hee gote victorie of Tachos vnto Nectanebus nowe when Persia Asia Egypt Lydia felt the force of Greece then was Greece renowmed The victorie of Phocion in the Isle of Naxes in a battell by sea and another victorie of the Macedonians in a battell that Phocion had with Antipater where Leonatus who came out of Asia to ioyne with Antipater was killed The battell at Mantinea the chiefe Citie of Arcadia the victorie hereof fell to Epaminondas and to the Thebans CHAP. VII Of the last destruction of Greece by the Macedonians by meanes of ciuill discorde and the Peleponesian warres the onely cause of their ruine and confusion at what time king Philip brake their backes and his sonne Alexander their neckes and after them the Romanes kept them in perpetuall seruitude WHat should I write of the victories of Epaminondas Agis Cleomenes or of others which fell before the ciuil dissension of Greece I meane chiefely the Peloponesian warres though some of those victories were after the warres of Peloponesus yet certeinely while the Grecians helde as some time they woulde then was Xerxes driuen out of Greece and beaten in his owne
others were in this kings time After this Philip succeeded Europus the 7. king of Macedonia of whom as of the rest nothing is to be written worth the memorie for yet the name of Macedonia was no further knowen then to their neighbours which were the Thracians Illyrians Thessalians for all the fame and report of the whole world the Chaldeans and the Assyrians had for they helde the monarchie so long that though the Egyptians flourished at one time and gaue them sundrie battels at their noses in Assyria and likewise the Hebrewes gaue diuers ouerthrowes in Iosaphats time Ezechias and Iosias kings of Iuda yet they continued welnigh thirteene hundreth yeres lords and monarches of the world vntil the Medes began to plague them and had taken the monarchie from them And then the Persians tooke it frō them of whom al writers were busie to write their warres their battels and of their conquest vntill the time of Alexander the great which is yet to come in the hundreth and fourteene Olympiads and now I entreat of histories of those kingdomes done in the 43. Olympiad which is 300. yeres for so long was betweene the first of Nabuchodonosor which was in the 17. Iubilee and the last of Alexander which was in the 23. Iubilee which is sixe Iubilees which is 300. yeeres for euery Iubilee is 50. yeeres It doeth agree with the Olympiads so farre am I behind to speake any great matter of the Macedonians sauing of Philippe Alexanders father a historie of two hundreth yeeres and therefore I will hasten to runne ouer the names of the first kings Alcetas the 8. king of Macedonia raigned 29. yeeres after whom succeeded Amintas the ninth king of Macedonia which raigned 50. yeeres Of this Amintas Iustine writeth a historie that when the Persians had sent ambassadours into Macedonia to entreate of peace in their wine they began wantonly and rudely to handle certaine ladies and gentlewomen of Macedonia Alexander the sōne of Amintas a yong galant prince being hereby much moued entreated his father an old man to take his rest that night said he would entertaine and keepe company with the ambassadors of Persia who were wel whittled with wine the ladies being desirous to depart were kept against their will vnder Alexander the yong prince promised other ladies to beare them company the rest of the night Now Alexander got certaine yong gentlemen in the habit forme of women hauing vnder their long clothes their naked daggers and commanded them that when the Persian ambassadours should abuse them or offer them any villany they should out of hand stabbe them which was accordingly brought to passe vpon this occasion warre was proclaimed betweene the Persians and the Macedonians Bubares was sent with an armie of Persians into Macedonia who after hee had seene Cygaea the daughter of king Amintas he was more prone to loue then bent to warre he maried Cygaea thereby peace was had betweene the Macedonians and the Persians About this time the Lacedemonians had warres against Polycrates the tyrant of Samos of this Polycrates successe happines and great fortune of his raigne read Herodotus The same time were the most part of kings called tyrants they were so ful of blood Tarquinius superbus the seuenth and last king of the Romanes for his great tyrannie and outragiousnes and for the wicked abuse of Lucretia by his sonne was odious hatefull to the Romans and became an enemie to Rome Cyrus was in his greatnes this time the only great man of the world for he wanne the Assyrians the Chaldeans and the Medes and brought them vnder the Empire of Persia he ouercame also the great and mightie Croesus king of Lydia In Macedonia raigned after Amintas his sonne Alexander this king was accompted riche and not without cause for he had so good successe in encreasing his substance that he first of al sentimages of cleane gold for a gift one to Apollos at Delphos another to Iupiter at Elis. He was greatly giuen to delite his eares in so much that he entertained many that were cunning vpon instruments amongst whom was Pindarus the harper Iu. Solinus saith that Archelaus had the kingdome of Macedonia at this mans hand he was politike in feates of warre and iudged the first deuiser of battel vpon the sea This Archelaus affected the companie of learned men hee so much delighted in learning that hee called Euripides the tragical Poet to be one of his priuie council for whose death afterward Archelaus long mourned and shaued both his head and beard at his funerall After this king the state of Macedonia being much troubled with dissention by the space of 10. kings gouernments was stayed at last in the raigne of Amintas which was father vnto Philip who was father vnto Alexāder the great and for that there is not much to be written of the most part of the kings of Macedonia vnto Philips time I haue set down their names according to Eusebius and Herodot The names of the kings of Macedon according to Eusebius The names of the kings of Macedon according to Herodotus Cranans and Caenus Alexāder the sonne of Amintas Tyrimas and Perdicas Amintas the sonne of Alceta Archaeus and Philippus Aloeta the sonne of Aeropus Europs and Alcetas Aeropus the sonne of Philip. Amintas Alexander Philip the sonne of Argaeus Perdicas and Orestes Argaeus the sonne of Perdicas Archelaus and Pausanias  Armintas and Argaeus  Alexander and Ptolomeus  And Philip Alexand. father  Of these are not much to be spoken as I said before therefore I will begin here with the raigne of Philippe of whom Macedonia had such expectation that they saw in him a light and such readie proofe of him as of one brought vp for three yeeres for an ostage of the king of the Macedonians in one of the chiefest cities of Greece and that in the house of Epaminondas the rarest Philosopher and the greatest captaine of those dayes Now the cities of Greece being full of ciuil warres some of them made meanes to Philip to ayde them and thereby elected him their chiefe generall in short time the occasion being thus offered to Philip he encreased his owne kingdome of Macedonia with the ruine of Greece for first he beganne to make warre vpon the Athenians the second citie of Greece a famous citie and full of ciuill discord which Philip well perceiued and therfore he vsed great celeritie to winne Athens and great policie to keepe Athens being wonne for he fauoured them when he could haue spoiled them he let them goe free without ransome that he tooke in the warres After he had brought Athens to his bow he tooke the most noble citie of Larissa and subdued all the countrey of Thessalie being the next ioyned countrey to Macedonia he fedde diuers captaines secretly in Greece to mooue ciuill seditions knowing that diuision in a kingdome
in reuerence This proude king entred into the temple of Salomon after hee had made such a slaughter of yong and olde of women and children that within three dayes 80. thousand were slaine and 40. thousand taken prisoners Menelaus the traitour the high priest a murtherer before of Onias and now a traitour to his countrey brought Antiochus into the citie guided him from place to place that after hee had taken 800. talents away from the temple he gate him away to Antiochia thinking in his pride to make men saile vpon the drie land and to walke vpon the sea The filthinesse and abomination of this beast is set foorth in the Macabees in the second booke the fift and sixt chapters from the beginning vnto the ende This was the second comming of Antiochus to Iudea and to Ierusalem in the eight yeere of his raigne two yeeres after his first being in Ierusalem whose comming and whose doings were by the Prophet Daniel before spoken for he saide that this tyrant should continue 3500. dayes in wasting and spoyling of Iudea in prophaning the temple in killing and murthering of Gods people The nomber of these dayes are sixe yeeres and sixe monethes so long endured this wolfe After this Habuit mercedem God rewarded him for he died in such torments that his bowels were eaten with wormes and himselfe brought in such miserie that he died according as he liued after hee had raigned twelue yeeres During his time the warres continued in Macedonia betweene Perseus the last king and Titus Aemilius the Consull and at length the conquerour of Perseus Prusias king of Bythinia came with his sonne Nicomedes to Rome where he commended his sonne to the Senators About this time Terentius flourished Nowe when Antiochus surnamed Eupator had entred in his fathers seate in the 150. yeere of the Greekes being in Syria and in the beginning of the 26. Iubilee he folowed his fathers steppes came with an armie to Ierusalem and besieged the castle of Sion but while he laied siege his generall Lysias tolde him that his kingdome was inuaded by the enemies Then he concluded peace with Iudea and returned in all haste into Syria brought Menelaus that wicked and cruell high priest with him who after much mischiefes done died at Beroea a towne of Syria Antiochus had not reigned but one yeere but Demetrius Soter fledde from Rome where he had bene a pledge during the whole gouernment of his brother Antiochus Epiphanes which was twelue yeeres and during some yeeres of his graundfather Antiochus the great he came to Syria entred the Citie of Tyrus where his souldiers apprehended both the king and his generall Lysias whom Demetrius commaunded to be killed before hee should see them though Eupator was his sisters sonne This Eupator ended his life after hee had reigned but two yeeres In the meane time Onias the sonne of Onias the high priest which was also slaine by Menelaus who succeeded him this Onias being of the Iewes surnamed the iust lamenting much the miserable estate of Iudea fled into Egypt to king Pto. Philometor and hauing licence of the king he builded a temple in the citie of Heliopolis to the likenesse of the temple in Ierusalem according to the saying of Esai In that day shall the altar of the Lord be in the middest of the land of Egypt and the Lord shal be knowen of the Egyptians and the Egyptians shall knowe the Lord. In that day Assur shall come to Egypt and Egypt into Assur This Demetrius sent Alcimus against Iudas Machabeus who by flatterie entred into Ierusalem and slue three score of the chiefe and greatest men of the citie after gathered a number of wicked persons together who did much harme in Iudea to whome king Demetrius sent Nicanor with an hoste of souldiers to ayde Alcimus This Nicanor blasphemed God prophaned the temple threatned the Iewes and came to Bethoron where Iudas Machabeus gaue him battell and ouerthrewe him This Demetrius was no lesse cruell to the Iewes then either his father or his brother were before him hee played the beare vntill Alexander Epiphanes Antiochus Eupators sonne came to the Citie of Ptolomais Iustine saith that this Alexander was a base man borne named Prompalus and that hee was made by others to take this name vpon him and to say that he was Antiochus sonne Atalus king of Asia Ptolome Philometor king of Egypt and Ariarathes king of Capadocia counselled Prompalus to inuade Demetrius kingdome which was done and a battell giuen in the which Demetrius was slaine after he had reigned tenne yeeres Now after Alexander had the victorie of Demetrius he claimed to be the king of Syria by succession fayning himselfe to be Antiochus Eupators sonne hee maried Cleopatra king Philometors daughter of Egypt the mariage was celebrated in the Citie of Ptolemais This Alexander was not ayded by these kings for any great affection they bare him but for the hatred they had towardes Demetrius who was so ambitious proude and cruell in the beginning of his reigne that these three kings of Egypt of Asia and Arabia had susteined losse and harme before Demetrius was ouerthrowen by Alexander he had two sonnes whom hee sent with great treasures to a friende of his named Gindius to auoide the daunger of the warres the elder of them was named Demetrius after his fathers name who hearing of his fathers death and of the riot and lust of this Alexander a man giuen to al vices and wickednesse came into Syria being aided by the king of Creete and possessed certeine Cities in Syria he appointed his generall one Appolonius who too much trusting his owne force and courage was in the first battell by Ionathas ouerthrowen Ptolome within a short time came with a great armie to see his sonne in lawe in Syria to whom all the cities opened their gates to welcome their king of Egypt they rather thinking that hee came to make peace betweene Demetrius and Alexander but Ptolome imagined howe hee might deceiue them both for a kingdome hee placed his souldiers in diuers Cities of Syria and because Alexander was then in Cicilia hee tooke occasion to offer him warres by taking his daughter away from him whome hee gaue in mariage againe to Demetrius Alexander hearing that his wife was taken from him and maried to Demetrius his mortall enemie summoned his father in lawe to battell wherein he had the ouerthrowe and was forced to flie to Arabia where Alexander was taken and slaine and his head sent by the king of Arabia to Egypt to king Ptolome Thus was Prompalus otherwaies named Alexander throwen downe from the throne of his kingdome deceiued by fortune and reuenged by iustice This reward he had to faine him selfe Antiochus sonne and falsely to alter his name from Prompalus vnto Alexander that Ptolome who ayded him to the kingdome and gaue his daughter in mariage to him the same Ptolome
Empire decayed For as the Romanes were strengthened by the subduing of the Latines and Albanes Crescit Roma Albae ruinis euen so Fraunce became strong by the ruine of Rome 1 After Farabertus succeeded his sonne Sunno and raigned 28. yeeres 2 Hildericus the sonne of Sunno 40. yeeres 3 Batherius the sonne of Hildericus 18. yeeres 4 Clodius the sonne of Batherius 27. yeeres 5 After Clodius succeeded his sonne Walterius and raigned 8. yeeres 6 After Walterius raigned his sonne Dagobertus or Degenbertus 11. yeeres 7 After him his sonne Clogio 2. yeeres 8 After Clogio his brother Clodomirus raigned after him 18. yeeres 9 After Clodomirus his sonne Richimerus raigned 13. yeeres 10 After him raigned Theodomirus 10. yeeres 11 After him raigned Clogio 18. yeeres 11 After Clogio Marcomirus the thirde of that name CHAP. IIII. From Faramundus the first king that had all Fraunce in his hand and from whom all Historians and Chronographers beginne the historie of Fraunce who beganne his raigne in Fraunce in the yeere of our Lord and Sauiour 420 of the lawes gouernment and warres from that time vnto Clodouaeus the first Christian king of Fraunce and so vntill Clodouaeus the second of that name and the 12. king after Faramundus NOw this Faramundus the sonne of Marcomirus the great when hee was made king of Fraunce he cōmitted the charge of his former gouernment which hee had in the East Fraunce to his brother Marcomirus he gouerned the Frenchmen in Gallia 7. yeeres and he augmented the crowne of Fraunce with more territories as Mosellana Augusta and other places He instructed the rude people and brought them from rudenesse to ciuilitie taught them to liue vnder a lawe made decrees and statutes to gouerne his countrey Here the crie of Chronicles for Pau. Aemilius writeth this historie farre otherwise so doeth Langaeus and hee saith that the Frenchmen were named Franci of one Francio the sonne of Hector But the trueth of this historie is found rather in Tritemius and Hunebaldus with whom both Functius and Lazius doe agree In this they agree all that from Faramundus time the kings of Gallia were nombred Iulius Caesar who long serued vnder the Romans in France deuided Gallia into three countreys from the riuer of Rhein vnto the riuer Sequana and that countrey is called Gallia Belgica from the riuer of Sein vnto Garumna that countrey is called Celtica and from Garumna vnto the mountaines Pyrenei which is called Aquitania which was before called Amorica With this Plini doeth accord All these people were in ancient time called Celtae Reade Strabo and Plini in the description of Gallia from mount Pyrenei to the riuer Garumna lieth Aquitania from thence to Sequana dwelt the Celtes and frō thence to the riuer Rhein the Belgians I will passe to the kings who beginne in this Faramundus time to be kings of Gallia after 870. yeeres warres by his predecessors before he raigned seuen yeeres and others affirme 11. yeeres In this Faramundus time the Lawe called Salica was made After whome succeeded Clodius his sonne sirnamed Crinitus or Comatus the second king of all France which was called then Gallia he raigned 28. yeeres and plagued the remnant of the Gaules which dwelt in Gallia vnconquered He gaue diuers sharpe battels to the Romanes and commaunded by an Edict that the Frenchmen should let their beards and the haires of their head grow and so to combe keepe it without cutting because they might bee knowen hereby to be the Frenchmen and to make a difference betwene them and others that dwelled within Gallia wherefore he was sirnamed Clodius Crinitus In the sixt yeere of his raigne he ouercame those people called Senouenses and Aurelionenses which dwelt about Lutetia and ioyned them to the kingdome of Fraunce He likewise in the ninth yeere of his raigne subdued the Saxons the Trentones the Doringes and brought all that part of Fraunce bordering vpon the sea into subiection and in the thirtieth yere of his raigne he also brought Bataui Tungri Menaxij and diuers other people that were cōmorant in the edge of France at what time the Gothes had done great harme in that part of Fraunce called Aquitania and also the Burgundians subdued much in Lugdunum This time the Scots and the Pictes inuaded Britaine and spoiled the countrey and did much harme About this time Atala king of that nation called Hunni in Germanie had much to doe with the Romanes and both gaue and tooke diuers repulses This Clodius when hee had enlarged the kingdome of Fraunce with the most part of Gallia and had raigned twentie yeeres some say 17. yeeres hee died in whose time Valentinianus had married Eudoxia the daughter of Theodosius the Emperour by whom Valentinianus was made Augustus This time Theodosius waged warres against the Vandols who had a king named Giezirichus who had license by Valentinianus to dwel in Affrica who had dwelt there in despite of the Romans for the space of 95. yeeres vntil by Iustinianus the Emperour they were thence expelled and driuen out and at that very time the Hunnes entered and spoiled Thracia and Illyrica and subdued with sword and fire vntill they came to Thermopila Likewise in the foureteenth yeere of this Clodius the Gothes brake their league against Spaine and possessed with the sworde the next territories to Spaine and besieged the citie of Narbon This time Patricius was sent from Celestinus then bishop of Rome to Ireland to instruct the Irishmen in the Christian faith of this Patricke the Irishmen bragge much In the time of this Clodius Vortigerus with the Saxons by deceit and craft inuaded Britaine for hitherto the Britaines kept tacke with the Romanes sometime in warre with them and sometime in peace Reade more of this in Beda This was in the yere after Christ 446 at what time great persecution was in Affrike vnder king Giezirichus the Vandole and the heresie called Eutichiana beganne to rise in Constantinople This time raigned in Persia Vararanes the fift of that name and fifteenth king of Persia. After this time we reade of no mention made of any Olympiad though long before they were little vsed for the Olympiads flourished vntill the time of Lucius Silla the Dictator yet vsed for computation sake but with most absurd and grosse errours both of Zenophon and Thucydides who little vsed them and yet erred in them though they liued and wrote then when the Olympiads most flourished and it made me also oftentimes to auoyd the Olympiads in my histories for that I found great errors in them But I will come to the thirde king of Fraunce Meroueus the sonne of Clodius who succeeded his father and raigned 12. yeeres others say but 10 and so the errour which was in the yeeres of Faramundus is corrected and amended This king lost nothing which his father got He did not onely defend and maintaine all
against Israel Debora and Barac ouerthrew him Functius and Râ—…fin Gedeon Iosephus lib. 5. cap. 7. Othoniel Shamgar Barac and Debora The great misery of Israel Iudg 7. Oreb and Zeeb 2. princes of Madianites slaine Euristheus Diuers names of Troy Dardania Troiae Ilion Zeneph de equiuecis The tyrannie of Abimalec Iotham escapeth Miletum buylded Tyre is builed Thola Iudge in Israel Hercules borne Iair the 8. Iudge of Israel Iairs 30. sonnes Iairs 30. sonnes possessed 30. Cities Israel oppressed 1. Reg. cap. 10. Ieptha is appointed their captayne Ieptha ruled 6. yeeres and died Minotaurus Androgeus sonne to Minoes king of Creete slaine Theseus sayled to Creete Minotaurus slayne The games of Olympia Theseus rauished Helen Iustin. lib. 2. Abesan supposed to be Boaz the husband of Ruth Iudic. 10. Elon Abdon Herodot lib. 2. Diodo lib. 2. The second rauishment of Helen Eusebius Samson 20. yeeres Elie 40. yeeres Orestes slewe Pirrhus Heraclides Mycena The vilenesse of the Iewes Their crie for a prophet and for a king Samuel anointed Saul Saul was chosen king of Israel Saul spared Agag and was reprooued by Samuel 50000. Bethshemites slain forlooking into the Arke of the Lord. Samuel hewed Agag The first anointing of Dauid king of Israel Debâ—…ra Dauid sent for by Saul Goliah Dauid slue the great Giant Goliah Sauls enuie to Dauid Samuel died at Rama in his own City 1. Sam. 2. 8. Saul killed himselfe iu Gilboa 1. Sam. 31. 2890 The triumph of the Philistines ouer Saul Dauid the last time after Sauls death anointed king ouer all Israel 2. Sam. cap. 5. A battaile betweene Abner the chiefe captaine of Saul and Ioab the chiefe captaine of Dauid Ioab killeth Abner 2. Sam. cap. 3. The Moabites and the Philistines are ouerthrown by Dauid and are tributaries to Israel 2. Sam. cap. 8. 2 Sam. 11. 12. Ioab was sisters sonne to Dauid Nathan the Prophet sent to accuse Dauid of adultery and murther Aâ—…hitophels councell Absalon killed Foure battels with the Philistines Ioab nombred all Israel by the commandement of Dauid 2. Sam. 24. Troubles in Israel againe Gad the prophet sent to Dauid Dauids counsell to Salomon Dauid dieth The kings of Athens ended Salomons raigne Adoniah Salomons elder brother aspired to the kingdome Salomons sentence vpon Adoniah Adoniah slaine Ioab slayne Abiathar the priest banished The office of the high Priest was taken from Elies house Salomon maried the daughter of Pharaoh Salomon florished Salomon wrote 3000. prouerbs and parables He wrote of trees from the highest to the lowest Ioseph lib. 8. cap. 2. 1. Reg. cap. 4. 40000. horses 2. Cron. 9. The hospitalitic of Salomon The building of the Temple 1. Reg. cap. 7. The Lord appeared to Salomon the second time Saba Salomon had 300. wiues 700. concubines Salomon an Idolater Salomon died What kings raigned in other countreis Salomon began his kingdome in the yere of the world 2930. Roboham despised counsel Ieroboam sent for into Egypt Ioseph lib. 8. cap. 3. Idolatry in Dan and Bethel The people of Israel deuided Roboham had 18. wiues 60. concubines Susack came vp against Ierusalem Susacks armie The first time that Ierusalem was taken by Susack Roboham died Abia moned wars against Ieroboam The greatest battaile that euer was in field and the greatest slaughter 〈◊〉 Cron. cap. 13. Ieroboam died Nadab the 2. king of Israel Asa the sixt king of Iuda Warres betweene Israel and Iuda 2. Cron. cap. 15. The praise of a good king Zareus king of the Aethiopians great armie Asa his victory Eutrop. lâ—…b 1. Nepher king of Egypt Iericho reedified Nadab slaine by Baasha Ela slaine by Zimri Zimri burned himselfe Ioseph liâ—… 8. cap. 9. Omri buylded Samaria Omri dyed Achab his sonne succeeded him Melancthon Chron. 2. Asa king of Iuda dyed Iosaphat a good king Menander in his Chronicles of the kings of Tyre The Rauens fed Elias The famine of Samaria 400. false prophets slaine Wicked Iezebel 1. Reg. cap. 22. Ioseph lib. 8. cap. 8. Achab slaine and is buried in Samaria The peace and quietnes in Iosaphats dayes Ammonites Moabites Idumeans by Iosaphat ouerthrowne Ioram succeeded Iosaphat his father Edom rebelled against Iuda The Philistines were stirred vp against Ioram Idolatry rewarded Ioram fought against Hazael king of Siria Iehu slue Hazael Iehu brake Iezabels necke Ochosias liued but one yere Athalia a cruel Queene Athalia destroyed all the kings seede only Iâ—…as saued 2 Cron. 23. 2. The stocke of Salomon perished False Prophets nouri shed priests to maintaine Idolatrie in Iuda Ioas began to roote out Idolatrie Ioas wanted good counsell and therefore followed flatterers Ioas killed Zachary the sonne of Iehoiada The king of Aram came with a small company against Ioas Iuda and Ierusalem Elizeus the Prophet died Persusennis Cheopes kings in Egypt Mezades Tiber first cal Albula Carthage buylded Amazias king of Iuda He reuenged his fathers death He ouer commeth the Edomites He committeth Idolatrie Amazias slaine by conspiracy Sardanapalus Vzias 2. Cron. cap. 26. Vzias leprosie Esai prophecied Kittims the Romans Manahem Pekahiah Ioatham king of Iuda The Olympiads began Ezechias and Romulus borne 2. Reg. 16. 3215 Hosea the last king of Israel Samaria taken 212. after it was builded by Omri Israel caried to Babylon 262. Sinne the cause of Gods wrath Ezechias Senaherib laid siege to Hierusalem 185. thousand slaine of the Assyrians by the Angel Sanacharib slaine by his sonnes before his Idoll in the temple 2. Cron. cap. 30. Ezechias Passeouer Ezechias died Manasses succeeded him Manasses Idolatrie Manasses againe restored to his kingdome Amon king of Iudah Iosias king of Iudah Iaddo the Prophet Chemarims Baals priests 2. Reg. 23. Ashtaroth Chemosh and Milcom Sanheâ—…rin Silo. Ieremie began to prophecie the 13. of Iosias Media Lidia and Rome welnigh oâ—… one continuance Beroald lib 3. Herodot lib. 4. Iosias slaine Ioachim brought captiue to Babylon Necho slaine by the king of Chaldea Iere. 36. Ioseph lib. 10. c. 8. 9. Some varie about the time of the captiuitie 21. Kings of Israel Ioseph lib. 7. cap. 12. The first wonder The 2. wonder The 3. wonder The 4. wonder The 5. wonder The 6. wonder The 7. wonder The 8. wonder The misery of the Iewes Euilmerodach The captiuity of Babylon The Chaldeans and the Assyrians The Medes and Persians The Macedonians and Grecians The fourth beast the Romans 〈◊〉 weekes The kings of Iuda and the kings of Rome ended almost about one time The first returne of the Iewes in Cyrus time Ioseph lib. 7. cap. 3. Ecbatana the chiefe citie of the Medes Esdras cap. 6. Zorobabel Melancthon lib. 2. Chron. Hircanus 2. the last of 15. gouernours Herodot lib. 4. Cambyses went against the Getes Herodot 6. Thucidides 1. Iustin. lib. 2. Ioseph lib. 11. cap. 7. Alexander the great Tribute to Alexander The solemne receiuing of Alexander the great vnto Ierusalem The reuerence of Alexander to the high Priest The benefits and good turnes of Alexander Alexanders benefits The succession of