his souldiers to hide themselues in ambush he hauing but fewe souldiers prouoked them of the Towne to come out faining himself to flye the enemie following with great furie after Luc. Cornelius with all his hidden souldiers returned vpon the sudden with such a terrible crye that the enemies turned theyr backes and fled to the Towne and the Romanes followed after them close at the heeles and entred the Towne with them all together So Pompey the Consull Generall for the Romaine Army in Albania perceiuing the enemies both in horsmen and in footemen to be farre more in number then the Romanes practised this stratagem placed his footemen behind the horsemen being in a straight and commaunded his horsemen to couer their helmets least by the sight of the helmets they should be seene of the enemies and to take vpon them to flye to draw the enemies forwards into the midst of the Army of footemen and then the Romane horsemen to turne backe and deuide themselues and to set on both sides of the enemies By this stratagem Pompey got a great victorie ouer the Albanians Iphicrates the Athenian compared an Army in this sort the light horsemen to the hands the men of armes to the feete the battel of footemen to the stomacke and breast the captaine to the head But the Hebrewes for all the victories of Ioshuah of Iudah and of Gedeon were still vnthankful and wrought wickednesse in the sight of the Lord for all the battels that the Lord fought for them they were so well acquainted with the gods of the Gentiles yea they serued the gods of Acron the gods of Sydon the gods of Moab and the gods of the Philistines and forgat the god of Israel they serued straunge gods and attributed victories vnto their Idols and honoured them and gaue no glory vnto the Lord of Israel and therefore the Lord gaue them ouer and solde them to their enemies and were eighteene yeares sore tormented and vexed by the Ammonites and Philistines and the enemies proudly went ouer Iorden to fight against Iudah against Beniamin and against the house of Ephraim but they cryed vnto the Lorde according to theyr custome in extremitie and were aunswered by the Prophet from the Lorde Let the Gods whome you serue saue you and whom you trust vnto defend you for you waigh not me neither will I defend you and then they put away their straunge gods from among them Thus the Israelites did not onely rebell vpon the death of Ioshuah but also vpon the death of Iudah Ehud Deborah and others neither did they esteeme the victories which they got by Deborah a woman and by Gedeon a Husbandman who with three hundred souldiers slew a hundred and twentie thousand but euer forgetfull and vnthankefull to the Lord more willing to returne to Egipt to be slaues vnto Pharao then to stay in Canaan to serue the Lord. The name of Leonidas was famous among the Lacedemonians for his victorie at Thermopyle where Leonidas with three hundred ouerthrew twentie thousand of Xerxes Army being innumerable The Athenians gloried much for theyr great victorie at Marathon by Milciades and Callimachus hauing but 10000. Grecians in their army ouerthrew the generall of king Darius Army and made a great slaughter of the Persians to the number of two hundred thousand The Romanes bragge much of the victorie of Marius with fewe souldiers ouer the Cymbrians at the riuer of Xextas of Sylla ouer Mithridates at the battell of Orchomenon and of Lucullus ouer Tigranes king of Armenia being three great victories with infinite slaughter with the losse of fewe Romanes The very Schythians can boast and bragge of the ouerthrow of Cyrus hauing two hundred thousand in his Army and that by a woman which encreased the fame of the Scythians to the greatest infamy of the Persians All Nations can bragge and boast of theyr victories and be thankfull vnto their Idols and to their gods with sacrifices with vowes with games and playes with rearing of Aultars and building of Temples but the Hebrewes and the people of the Lord who had greatest cause and occasions to remember theyr victories and triumphes that they had ouer so many Kings and so many Nations before they came to the Land of Canaan by fire haile-stones thunder and great stones from heauen and though the Lords presence went before them in the Arke and the Arke among them in the midst of the campe yet were the Israelites stiffe necked people euer offensiue to the Lord seditious against theyr leaders and enuious one towardes an other so the Lord cryed out against them and said I haue nourished and brought vp children and they are fallen away from me the Oxe knoweth his Lord and the Asse his Maisters stall but Israel knoweth not me wicked children sinfull people a froward generation which are ouerladen with blasphemies Nothing could instruct them to obey the Lord neither the Arke of couenant neither the Tabernacle of Moses neither the pillar of fire where the Lord appeared vnto them and after the vse of the Tabernacle neither the Temple of Salomon nor the Prophets to whom the Lord manifested himselfe in Ierusalem yea euen in Samaria among the wicked Samaritans they had the Prophets of the Lord Elias and Elizeus to instruct them CHAP. XVIII Of Iepthas victories ouer the Ammonites and Ephraimites the ciuill warres the tyrannie of Sylla and Marius in Rome Of the slaughter of the Philistians by Sampson the reuenge of pulling out his eyes and of the battell of Saul at Mich-mash NOw after Gedeon the Lord sought out Ieptha beeing fledde and chased by his bretheren from his countrey to the Land of Tob from whence hee was called by the Lord who alwayes appointed a generall ouer Israell while they serued him to leade his people against the Ammonites which the Lord deliuered into Iepthas hand At that time Ieptha made a rash vowe to the Lorde that if hee should haue victorie ouer the Ammonites that which came out of the doores of his house when he returned home in peace shal be the Lords and he wil offer it vp a burnt offering He foolishly performed that which he rashly vowed Though some of the Rabines do excuse Ieptha that his daughter died not but was seperated to dwell by her selfe from common conuersation in a solitary place to bewaile her virginitie according to the custome and manner of the virgins of Israel to liue in prayers and to consecrate her selfe vnto the lord Yet some of 〈◊〉 best diuines as Augustine Ambrose which both were of a cōtrary opiniō that she was sacrificed according to Iepthas vow But the Lord gaue the victory to Ieptha ouer the Amonits with the ouerthrow of twentie cities and with exceeding great slaughter Ieptha againe after his first victory ouer the Ammonites had another victory ouer the Ephraimites who enuied the former victory of Ieptha most ambitiously as they before did vnto
from mount Ephraim and now followed the enemies vnto Bethauen the victory was great which Saul got ouer the Philistines Saul in this battel did binde the souldiers by oath not to eate till euening and cursed him that would eate any foode till night for Ionathan tasted a little hony with the end of his rod and Saul his father would haue put him to death sauing that the souldiers rescued and deliuered him for the Lord had giuen a great victory by Ionathan ouer the Philistines CHAP. XX. Of the victorie of Saul at Iabesh Gilead and after how he was ouerthrowne by the Philistines and slew himselfe in mount Gilboa and of the reward of diuers treasons AFter the battel at Michmash Saul had an other victorie ouer the Ammonites where the Ammonites were slain at Iabesh Gilead the Lord prospered Saul and endued him with such vertues as were meete for a K. yet Saul disobeyed the Lord being commanded to destroy the Amalekites and sley both man and woman both infant and suckling both oxe and sheepe both camel and asse yet he spared Agag king of the Amalekites and the fat beasts and the lambes the sheepe and the oxen that were good against the commaundement of the Lord and therefore Samuel reproued him and tolde him that the Lord had reiected him and that his kingdome should bee giuen to an other and vpon Sauls disobedience Samuel was commaunded to annoint Dauid king ouer Israel so Saul wonne the victory but lost his kingdome and his life in the next battell Saul being forsaken of the Lord for his disobedience the Philistines preuailed against him in diuers battels for Saul was more desirous to kill Dauid the seruant of the Lord then to destroy the Philistines the enemies of the Lord. But Dauid was reserued and ordained to fight the battels of the Lord to destroy the Amalekites the Philistines the rest of the Lords enemies whom Saul spared being commanded to the contrary therfore the Lord gaue Saul to the hands of the Philistins at the battell in mount Gilboa that the Israelites fled and fell before the Philistines and the three sonnes of Saul were flaine and Saul himselfe sore wounded Such was his cruell life seeking to kill Dauid that he had a desperate death for he slew himself with his owne sword seeing the battell so sore against him his sonnes slaine his souldiers killed and all the rest of his army fled This was the end of Saul the first K. of Israel like the end of Zedechia the last king of Israel And whē the Philistins came to the spoyle of them that were slaine they found the body of Saul and his three sonnes in mount Gilboah slaine in the battel and they cut off Sauls head and stripped him out of his armour and they laid vp his armour in the Temple of their god Astaroth and hanged vp his body on the wall of Bethshan in token of victorie and triumph and they sent the head of Saul vnto the land of the Philistines that they might shew it in their cities and publish it in the Temples of their Idols among the people and after to set vp Sauls head in the Temple of Dagon This was the end of Saul whom the Lord raised from keeping his fathers asses to be a king ouer his people for not obeying the commaundement of the Lord thus euer the Lord punished disobedience in Saul in Rehoboam Achab Manasses and Zedechiah that the Lord deliuered Ierusalem and the kingdome of Iudah to the hands of Nabuchodonozer king of Babilon Saul being now slaine in mount Gilboa the Amalekite which brought to Dauid Sauls crowne and his bracelets and tolde Dauid that hee himselfe slew Saul which was a lye for Saul slew himselfe thought to haue a great reward for such good newes but Dauid commanded him to be slaine The like reward had Rechab and Banah that brought Isbosheths head vnto Dauid who disguised themselues as Marchants to buy wheate and went to Isbosheths house who slept on his bed at noone and they slew him tooke his head with them and presented it vnto Dauid at Hebron supposing they should bee better rewarded then the Amalekite was but Dauid rewarded them in this sort that their hands and their feete were cut off hanged vp ouer the poole in Hebron The recompence of such treacherous seruants were euer so rewarded as Bessus the onely chiefe captaine vnder Darius who after he fled from the battell at Arbela was slaine by Bessus and his head cut off and brought vnto Alexander who thought to be aduanced for his trecherous seruice but Alexander commaunded that he should be tyed to the tops of two young trees bending to the ground that he by the swinge and lifting vp of the trees might be torne in peeces So Septimius and Achillas commaunded by Ptolomeus king of Egipt to kill Pompey and to present his head vnto Caesar from him though Pompey before time had restored Ptolomeu his father to his kingdome in Egipt and Septimius had beene Pompey his souldier in diuers warres yet they slew him most trecherously in his boate at Pellusium and cut off his head to please Caesar but they were rewarded of Caesar as Bessus was of Alexander for the king was slaine and his kingdome giuen to Cleopatra his sister When Antigonus sawe Pirrhus head presented vnto him by his sonne though they were both enemies and in the field in armor one against an other yet he couered Pirrhus head with his hat discommending the crueltie of his sonne with such a reward that he made his bloud run about his eares saying how durst thou like a sauage beast bring Pirrhus head from his body being dead whom no prince or captaine in Asia or in Europe durst in the face meet in the field aliue Yet most men think that trecherie is allowed though traitors be not accepted I do not thinke but the head of Darius brought to Alexander by Bessus and the head of Pompey to Caesar were as gratefull as Ciceroes head was to Marc. Antonius brought by Popilius or as Marc. Crassus head sent by Surena to Horodes for thereby had Alexander the kingdome of Persia Caesar the Empire of Rome treason hath better successe then traitors haue To this effect spake Iezabell to Iehu Had Zimri peace which slew his maister Elah as though she should say can traitors haue good successe but she was rewarded by Iehu for that Naboth was stoned to death by her meanes for his vineyard as the rest were Euen cruel Sylla the Romane the enemie of Marius and all his well-willers and especiall of Sulpitius Syllas mortall foe Yet when Sulpitius seruant would haue betrayed Sulpitius his maister vnto Sylla Sylla caused him to bee throwne headlong downe from the rocke Tarpeia So much the olde Romanes hated traitors and treasons that when Viriatus an other Haniball and a great enemie of the Romanes for 14.
Scypio Affrican for their victories to their countrey though they were compared to Hanibal for the harm hurt which they had done to their countrey Had Ieroboam harkned to the counsell of Abiah king of Iudah vpon mount Zemaraim he had saued fiue hundred thousand Israelites which were slaine at the battel If the Beniamites had taken counsel of their bretheren the Israelites and to yeeld vnto them the wicked mē that abused the Leuites wife the whole tribe of Beniamin had not bin destroied It was the ouerthrow of Iudas Machabaeus by Bacchides at the battell of Laisa for that he would not be perswaded by his friends to refraine the battell for that time Had the Prophet Ieremy beene heard of Zedechiah and the princes of Iudah Zedechiah had saued the liues of his owne children slaine in his sight and had likewise saued his owne eyes in his head which presently were pulled out after he saw his children slaine and himselfe caried captiue and blind vnto Babilon Ierusalem destroyed and the kingdome of Iudah subdued by Nabuchodonozer so it may be said of Saul refusing the counsell of Samuel and so of Iosias disobeying the counsell of Necho After the great victorie that Iudah had ouer Israel by Abiah king of Iudah his sonne Asa fought with Zerah king of Aethiopia an Infidel who brought an host of ten hundred thousand men three hundred chariots from Aethiope to Iudah and came to Maresha a citie of Iudah Asa the king of Iudah came with an army of fiue hundred and foure score thousand into the valley of Zephatah and both the kings set the battel in a ray But Asa began with praiers cryed vnto the Lord by praiers for the victorie putting no trust in his own power or pollicie neither fearing the strength of the multitude of his enemies so with full confidence in the Lord he set vpō the Aethiopians the Lord smote them before Asa and before Iudah that the Aethiopians fled and the army of Iudah followed and pursued them vnto Gerer for the Lord had striken the Aethiopians with such fear that there was no life in them that the slaughter was exceeding great the spoyle exceeding much of camels sheepe and cattell And Asa after the victorie which he had giuen him by the Lord returned to Ierusalem and gaue the Lord thankes who giueth all victories so as all good kings and generals ought to pray to the Lord before they enter into battell so ought they also to giue thankes after the battell for their victories This victory was a requitall and a full reuenge vpon the Aethiopians for the sacking and spoyling of Ierusalem and of the great slaughter of the people by Shesak king of Egipt In like maner as Abiah beganne with prayers before he beganne to battell so did king Asa his sonne follow his fathers rule and order in seeking helpe and aide at the Lords hand which euery King Generall or Captaine should doo So Iosaphat Asas sonne did when it was tolde him that the Moabites Ammonites Edomites came with an infinit number to fight against him he set himselfe to seeke the Lord and to aske counsell of him and all Iudah with him prayed vnto the Lorde to aide and strengthen him to fight the Lords battel wherby hee got a maruellous victorie ouer his enemies for before he went into the battell Iosaphat caused a Psalme of thankesgiuing to the Lord to be sung before the men of armes and so entred the battell and the Lord laide ambushments and shewed such stratagems against Ammon Moab and Edom that euery one helped to destroy another and the Lord turned euery mans sword to kill his fellow Where the Lorde leadeth the armie the victorie is soone gotten so Iosaphat putting his whole trust confidence in the Lord slue all his enemies that none did escape and the spoyle was such of golde of siluer and pretious Iewels that they were three dayes in gathering and in carrying the spoyle away and then they assembled together after the victorie by Iosaphats commaundement to giue the Lord thankes for the victory and called the place where they got the victory Berachab and they returned to Ierusalem with violls harpes and with trumpets These three battels of Abiah Asa and Iosaphat were battells of the Lord and as the Lord had done at that battell at Michmash to Ionathan so the Lord did now at the battell at Beracha to Iosaphat and so the Lord in all the battels of the good kings of Iudah and Israel shewed alwaies his diuine stratagems for the defence of Ierusalem as in Egipt by Moses against Pharao by Elias at the brooke Kyson against Baals prophets by Elizeus at Dothan against king Benhadads souldiers The Gentiles in like sort commence no warre enter no battell before they sing a song vnto their gods as the Lacedemonians brought vp onely in warre from seuen yeares old vsed before they went to the warres to make solemne sacrifice to the Muses to the goddesse Feare with a song to Castor Pollux The Thrasians sing a song to their god Mars and bragge much of Mars for that he was borne in Thracia Others made vowes when they went to any warres As among the Romanes their wiues their children and their friends should make vowes and cause the same to be written in tables and to be set on that gate through the which they went out of the citie to warre that vpon their return home they might see and read their vowes and performe them The three hundred Fabians which were slaine at the battell at Crimera the gate that they went through out of Rome then was euer called after that Porta Scelerata So did the Romains likewise call the field where one of the Vestal virgins called Minutia for her incest carnall fault was buried in the field was called Sceleratus Campus according to the Romain lawes made for the Vestal virgins that so offended We leaue the prophane marching of the Romanes and the Greekes and we will returne to the marching of Israel vnder king Asa and king Iosaphat his sonne who both by praiers obtained great victories as all the Israelites preuailed more by praier then by fight As by praier Ioshua made the Sun to stand stil ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon By praier Elias made the cloudes to fall raine By praier Moses made his enemies to flie Elizeus raised the dead to life Solomon obtained wisdom So long as the Lord taketh not away thy praying so lōg he doth not take away his grace mercy from thee for a wicked man cannot pray well and he that praieth wel cannot liue wickedly And therfore praiers are compared to Sampsons haires for as Sampsons strength laie in his haires so our strength lieth in praiers Ester praied to haue that to come to proud Ammon which Ammon wished to haue done to Mardochaeus and the
die Ieremies speech was performed to the ouerthrow of the whole kingdome of Iudah neither could it be otherwise considering they sinned still against the Lord and the long ciuill warres betweene themselues which continued so long from Ieroboams time who caused Israel first to sinne vnto the last king of Israel Elias after he had destroied two captains one after another with their 50. souldiers seuerally with fire froÌ„ heauen after he had subdued 450. of Baals Prophets after all these great conquests and many other such he feared so much one woman that for very feare hee fled from place to place from her being wearie of his life he lay vnder a Iuniper tree wishing to die and prayed to God that hee might die complaining vnto the Lord that there was none left of the Prophets of the Lord but himselfe but hee was aunswered by the the spirite of God that there was seuen thousand more in Israel that yet neuer once bended theer knees vnto Baall The like may bee spoken of Ionas beeing like Elias wearie of his life hee sought meanes to forsake his Countrey and to flye by sea to other Countreys but the sea could not brooke him but deliuered him to be deuoured of a whâ—… and the whale could not keepe him but was compelled to vomit him vp from the bottome oâ—… his bâ—…y to goe to preach to Niniuie so that Elias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 die vnder the Iuniper tree and Ionas would 〈◊〉 be throwne and drowned in the Sea â—…leane contrary to the purpose and prouidence of the Lord. Eâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…ly of his life to see the Prophets of the Lord so destroyed and Ionas to see his labour in preaching profit nothing that he should be â—…pured a false Prophet the Lord not destroying the Citie after fortie daies according to his word but sparing it in mercie as he did pittie the gourd in mercy After the Lord had giuen great victories to many of the kings of Iudah to Asa ouer Zerah king of Aethiope to Iosaphat ouer Shesak king of Egipt to Ezechiah ouer Senacherib yet Iudah still forsooke the Lord though Ieâ—…emy tolde them from the mouth of the Lord their destruction when they rather threatned then beleeued But neither Ioachim nor Zedechias would neither heare nor beleeue the Prophet and therefore the Lord deliuered them both into Nabuchodonozers hands the one was slaine in Ierusalem and his body commaunded to be cast out of the citie and to be left vnburied like an asse the other Nabucho tooke prisoner and caused his owne children all his chiefe friends to be slaine in his sight and after hee sawe this tragicall sight with his eyes Nabuchodonozer being then in Rebla before whom Zedechia was brought after he reprehended him for his periurie and trecherie and accused him for his falsehood caused his eyes to be put out and so bound in a chaine and carried prisoner to Babilon where hee lay and dyed in prison being the last king of the line of Dauid and the twentieth king after Saul There was a mightie king in Damascus ouer the Syrians called Adad who after many great battels with Dauid was subdued in a great battell at Euphrates This Adad was so great for his great victories among the Syrians that they named euery king after his name Adad to the number of tenne and the tenth king was that Benhadad which besieged Samaria in the time of the Prophet Elizeus whom this king Adad could no better fauour then Adad his predecessor could fauour Dauid or king Achab did Elias After this great victorie Dauid imposed tributes vpon the Syrians as he did before vpon the Idumeans Moabites and others hee returned to Ierusalem dedicated and consecrated as a trophey of his victorie the armours and rich spoile of Adad king of the Syrians in Ierusalem to the Lord. So the Philistines vsed the body of Saul slaine in mount Gilboa after they had sent his head to the Land of the Philistines and hanged his body on the wall of Bethshan they would be sure to lay vp his Armour in the temple of their god Ashtaroth according to the customes and manners of the Gentiles for they vsed to hang the armors and spoiles of their victories in their Temples to their Gods CHAP. IIII. How Achab though a wicked king had two great victories against Benhadad king of Syria who had 32. kings in his armies Of diuers great blasphemers punished Of the Idolatry of Israel And of the prophecying against Ierusalem BEnhadad king of Aram assembled an army against the Lorde hauing two and thirtie kings which were gouernours and rulers of prouinces with horses and chariots without number came and fought against Achab king of Israel a most wicked king And yet the Lord seeking to winne this wicked king as well by victories now as by myracles before sent a Prophet to Achab promising him ouer Benhadad king of Aram a great victorie For the army of the Syrians were so many that Benhadad sent a Herald vnto Achab commaunding him to deliuer vp to his hand Samaria and all the cities of Israel or else hee would come with such an armie that the dust of Samaria should not be inough for euery souldier a handfull much like Xerxes king of Persia for his vaunts and bragges who doubted that the sea Hellespont had not roome ynough for his nauies nor Greece had land inough for his armies nor the aire wide inough for his shottes but Xerxes was answered by Demarathus the Philosopher as Benhadad was by Achab Let him not brag that putteth on his harnesse as he that puts it off but the king of Syria bragged as Xerxes did before he wan the victory for the Lord gaue the victory to Achab and such a victory by slaughter by chasing by taking of men horses and chariots that the king of Syria fled and escaped narrowly with fewe horsemen that were his guard and said that the gods of Israel were the gods of the mountains therfore they ouercame vs chalenged a battel with Israel in the valleys where they assured themselues of victory thus they blasphemed the Lord in their furie but to their losse great ouerthrow The blasphemy of Rabsacis of his maister Senacherib king of the Assirians saying to king Ezechiah let not thy god deceiue thee in whom thou hopest and puttest thy trust was not he slaine praying before his god Nesroch in Niniuie by his owne two sonnes The blasphemy of Nabuchodonozer saying What God is hee that is able to take you out of my hands was not he punished with the losse of his kingdome and to liue among beasts like a beast and not like a king vntil he acknowledged the Lord The blasphemy of Holofcrnus saying there was no god but his maister Nabuchodonozer was not his head cut off by Iudith a womaÌ„ put vpoÌ„ the wals of Bethulia And likewise the blasphemy of Nicanor which said is there a
God mightie in heauē that commands to keep the Sabboth day and I am mightie on earth that comcommaunds the contrary but his head his hands and his blasphemous tongue were cut off and hanged vpon the pinacles in the temple at Ierusalem And so the blasphemy of the Scribes and Pharisies saying that Christ the Lord did not cast out diuels by his owne vertue but by the power of Belzebab but the Lord left not them vnpunished The blasphemy of Benhadad saying that the Lord was the God of the mountaines onely not God of the valleys was not he strangled by Hazael his owne seruant in his owne house and in his owne bed Yet the Syrians prepared such a number for the second battel after they had escaped hardly from the first battell that they filled all the countrie and the children of Israel were like to little flockes of Kids in respect of their number but the Lord sent his Prophet to Achab saying Because the Syrians haue said that the Lord is the God of the mountaines and not God of the valleys behold this great multitude of men and Benhadad the King himselfe withal the two and thirtie Kings besides will I deliuer to thine hand and he shall know that I am the Lord as well of the valleys as the mountaines And so the Lorde brought it to passe that in that battell an hundred thousand footemen were slaine of the Syrians and seuen and twentie thousand that fled from the field to Aphec to saue themselues were killed by the fall of a wall that crushed them to death and Benhadad the King fled to the citie from chamber to chamber and hid himselfe according to the Prophets saying vntill many of his chiefe Princes that escaped hardly from the battell came with sackcloath about their loynes and ropes about their neckes in token of submission to entreate Achab king of Israel for the life of Benhadad which he graunted contrary to that which he was by the Lord commaunded for to do as Saul did by Agag king of the Amalekites so Achab did by Benhadad but it was told Achab by the Prophet that his life should goe for his life and his people for his people This Achab a wicked and Idolatrous King had such two great victories for that the Lord alwayes would haue Israel to forsake their calfe in Bethell and their Idolatry to Baall in Samaria but sinne was written in the table of their hearts and grauen vpon the edges of their Aultars with a penne of Iron and with an Adamant clawe said the Prophet that there was nothing among them more pretious then woods thicke trees groues mountaines hills and fields for altars to serue their Idolatrous woodden goddes so greatly they offended the Lord that he asked the Heathens if any heard such horrible things as his people had done yea the Priests to whom the lawe was committed the Prophets which wanted not the word of the Lorde and the graue wise Senators So that Israel would not be instructed neither take warning by the Prophets before the finall end and suddaine destruction of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonozer king of Babilon though the Lord commaunded the Prophet Amos to strike the lintell of the doore that the postes might shake signifying the threatning of the Lorde against Israel So was Ezechiel commaunded to take a bricke and to purtray the citie of Ierusalem vpon the bricke with a sharpe knife to signifie the destructiō of the people and of the citie and the ◅ame selfe Prophet sheweth the destruction of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonozer king of Babel by a parable of a seething potte and the day was commaunded to be written by the Prophet Ierusalem the the valley of vision so named because of the Prophets which were also called seers The Lorde said that hee would bring such a plague vpon Ierusalem that the eares of them that should heare it should glowe for I wil send many fishers to take them many hunters to hunt thē from all mountaines and hilles and out of the caues of stones saith the Lord. Yet though Ierusalem was so seuerely prophesied by Amos Ezechiel and other Prophets to be destroyed yet they were comforted by the Prophet Ieremy againe that they should returne frō their captiuitie after seuentie yeares and rebuild Ierusalem And as by Ieremy by hiding of his leather girdle by the riuer Perah as the Lord had cōmaunded him signifying that by the rottēnes of the girdle Ierusalē shuld be rebuilded after seuentie yeares And by the selfesame Prophet they were assured by his buying of the field Anothot and by the hiding of his writing of possession thereof in signes and tokens of their libertie againe and that Ierusatem should be builded againe and inhabited this was but the second ouerthrow of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonozer This was like Noah that preached the destruction of the world by a deluge before the deluge and yet married a wife much like to the Prophet Ieremy that preached the destruction of Ierusalem and yet bought lands The Prophets vsed many of these signes as eye-witnesses to confirme their memory better and to expect with more faith the words of the Prophets The Prophet Ieremy proceedeth forward to denounce the ouerthrow of those proud kingdomes that reioyced much at the destructiō of Ierusalem as Egipt and Babilon and all the euill that should come vpon Babilon Ieremy wrote it in a booke sent Sheraiah with his booke to read it and when he had done reading Ieremy commaunded him to binde a stone to the booke and to cast it into the midst of the riuer Euphrates and then to say thus shall Babilon be cōfounded thus the Prophets vsed besides their prophesies to adde some action to make the words the more to be remembred So also the Prophet Ezechiel prophesied against Egipt and against their great cities saying The sword of the Lord shall come to Memphis to Pellusium and to Alexandria I will ouerthrow Memphis saith the Lord I will destroy Pellusium the strength of Egipt and I will make a great slaughter of all the men in Alexandria For as Babilon was taken Maradach ouerthrowne and Bel cōfounded so was the strength of Egipt the arme of Pharao destroyed without any recouery of their Empires againe but so was not Ierusalem Nabuchodonozer in like sort as he ouerthrew Ierusalem and made a conquest of the countrey euen so his great citie of Babilon was caried by Cyrus away into Persia within seuentie yeares after he tooke Zedechiah the last king of Iudah captiue in Babilon so Egipt was taken by the Persians and last by the Romanes But Ierusalem as you heard by Ieremy should not bee so destroyed but should be defended against all her enemies and the Lord shall destroy all nations that come against Ierusalem for the Lord hath deliuered Israel out of the fierie furnace of Egipt and from all the stratagems of the Heathens I will
THE STRATAGEMS of Ierusalem With the martiall lawes and militarie discipline as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles By Lodowick LLoyd Esquier one of her Maiesties Serieants at Armes Sap. 7. Candor lucis aeternae est sapientia LONDON Printed by Thomas Creede 1602. TO THE RIGHT Honourable Syr Robert Cecill Knight Principall Secretary to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie Maister of the Court of Wardes and Liueries One of her Highnesse most Honourable priuie Councell and Chauncellour of the Vniuersitie of Cambridge ALexander the great right Honorable thought long to write the straunge sights hee sawe in India to Aristotle the philosopher in Macedonia Caesar made haste to write the celeritie of his victorie in Pontus to his friend Anitus at Rome The like desire is in my selfe with no lesse longing to make my labour knowne to such honourable friends as will both accept and defend my trauaile herein Of whom I made choice of your honour to dedicate the Stratagems of Ierusalem as vnto one that is furnished with stratagems wisedome and knowledge of whoÌ„ I may say as Plato spake of such like Consilium eius est qui rei cuiusque peritus Such wise and graue councellors the Lord euer prouided to attend on godly and vertuous Princes as eyes and eares to preuent both home and forraigne stratagemes of enemies as Chusai with Dauid to preuent the wicked purpose of Absalon and Nathan with Salomon to finde out the trecherous intention of Adonias The Lord left not the wicked Samaritans vnprouided of Prophets councellors yea euen amoÌ„g Infidels and Pagans the Lord stirred vp Daniel to counsel Nabuchodonozer in BabiloÌ„ Ioseph to counsell Pharao in Egipt that they might confesse acknowledge God to be the Lord therfore wel said Solon Non quae suauissima sed quae optima sunt coÌ„sulenda It is not the coÌ„sultatioÌ„ of the Romains with their soothsaiers that made their Empire so to florish nor of the Persians with their Magi that got the Monarchy of the Assyrians to Persia. All stratagems victories good counsell commeth from the Lord so wisdom saith I dwel with Princes in councell and am among them that seek wisdom knowledge Plato the Philosopher could so say Omnis consultatio quiddam sacrum est and Aristotle his scholler called councell of Princes Diuinissimum consilium The kings of Persia when they admitted any into councell tooke their fignet laid it on their mouths as a seale of sileÌ„ce saying Anima coÌ„silij secretuÌ„ so AlexaÌ„ did to his councellor EphestioÌ„ Neither could any be of councel in Persia but such as were in couÌ„cell most secret in gouernmeÌ„t most wise prudent The cause why Demosthenes was so esteemed amoÌ„ng the AtheniaÌ„s was his wisdoÌ„ policie often to preuent the force stratagems of Phillip of Macedon The cause why Vlixes was iudged more worthy of Achilles armor then Aiax was his experience and councell to Agamemnon in the Grecian warres So it may be well spoken of Nestor who was preferred before all other Greeke Captaines for the like cause Multitudo enim sapientuÌ„ sanitas orbis terraruÌ„ est saith wisdom It was not the counsel of the Nimph Egeria to Numa which was ridiculous but the wisedome policie of Numa therby to establish his lawes much commeÌ„ded Neither the counsell of Iupiter in the Capitoll to Scypio which was foolish but the policie practise of Scypio therby to animate his soldiers much extolled But no councell no policie against the Lord no wisdom nor Stratagem to ouerthrow a king or a kingdom but the sins of the king the kingdome So could Cratippus the Philosopher to that effect answere Pompey the great Fata per causas agunt So could Phaetenissa the Witch answere Saul at Endor Fatum pietatis appendix So could the Idoll of Apollo aunswere Augustus Caesar at Delphos the one willing to know what should become of the kingdome of Israel the other of the Empire of Rome But such busie ambitious braines like Cornel Lentulus that dreamed he should be the third Cornelius that should gouern the Empire were banished out of Athens by the law Ostracismus such might not come in Rome in gownes or in long cloakes into the Senate house by the law of Cincius Many haue Iocobs voice but they haue Esaus hands like Balaam Qui vocem non mentem mutant These dissembling Gibeonites were found out by Ioshuah these bragging Ephraimites were tried by pronouncing the letter Schiboleth None can resist the set purpose of the Lorde who could hinder Moses of his triumph in the midst of the sea or let Ioshuah to set his trophey in the middest of the heauens euen he that commaunded the seas to be diuided and commanded the Sun to stand ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon to whom iustly belong all stratagems victories tropheys and tryumphes Your Honors alwayes readie at commandement Lodowick Lloyd To the courteous Reader ALphonsus king of Cicile gentle Reader was euer wont to say Optimos consiliarios esse mortuos meaning wise and profitable bookes both at home and abroad Lucullus one of the greatest captaines among the Romaines and PhilopomeÌ„ of no lesse fame among the Grecians the one by reading Euangelus bookes the other by reading Xenophon became excellent souldiers In so much that Cicero wondred that Epaminondas being such a singular Philosopher should become so famous a Captaine A great staine in M. Corilianus and in C. Marius though otherwise stout and valiant not to be learned Caesars Commentaries are at this time as much esteemed among the Turkes as Homers Illiads were in auntient time among the Grecians If these Polymarchies and Campmaisters confesse that by holding a penne in the one hand do profit as much as by holding a sword in the other or rather more If Fabius weakned Hanibal more by delayes then Marcellus did by the sword If Fabritius wearied Pirrhus more by counsell then all Rome could do by their warres then it is truly said that Plura auspicijs concilijs quam telis manibus geruntur So that sometimes that saying of Cicero is true Cedantarma togae an other time the saying of Lysander is as true Sileant leges inter arma So all Empires ought to be Non â—…olùm armis decorata verumetiam legibus ornata Therefore Alexander Seuerus vsed both the sword and the penne as well in decreeing of his lawes at home as in mannaging of his warres abroad Consilijs togae militiae literatos adhibere I speak not of such bookes which Plato compareth Adonijs hortis fresh and full of sauour in the morning and withered and decayed at night like the Elephants of India at their first sight in Asia were so wondred at that Antiochus the great hauing but two named the one Aiax the other Patroclus the names of two Princes but when these Elephants became so common in Rome and in Asia that they were in euery CoÌ„suls triumph they were called but Boues Lucanias a great
change frō the names of Greeke Princes to bee named oxen of Lucania Bookes are no otherwise for in auntient time when bookes were yet rare they were fellowes and companions with Kings Princes in courts it so seemed by Alexander the great who could not sleepe before he laid Homer with his dagger vnder his pillow and by Scypio Affrican who would not frō Rome to Carthage without either Panetius or Polybius in his company and now bookes being common are so little regarded rather bought for their golden tytles which the Printer giueth them for his sale then for the matter therein by the Author written for the Revder much like to Mithridates sword whose scabbard was farre more precious and richer without then the blade within Of such bookes Plato speaketh Qui subitò vno die nati celerimè pereunt therfore seldome seene in sight are most in request The Ebaine tree which Pompey the great brought in his triumph into Rome was more wondred gazed vpon then all the braue shewes of the triumph besides So fewe wise words out of a wise mans mouth are more esteemed then heapes of wordes out of an vnwise mouth like the Abderites Embassadors more desirous to heare fewe words out of Zeno the Philosophers mouth then of all the Athenians besides and therfore Pau. Aemilius after he had subdued the king and kingdome of Macedonia wrote no more to the Senators but Victus est Perseus Caesar after he had conquered king Pharnaces wrote no more words but Veni vidi vici Like the Lacedemonians whose writings and speeches were so short and briefe that they would answer either Embassadors friends or foes by writing or by mouth in two or three words And so with the like fewe words I referre my selfe to the gentle disposition of the reader rather to excuse my trauell in curtesie then to accuse my goodwill wrongfully Lodowick Lloid The first Booke of the Stratagems of Ierusalem CAAP. I. Of diuers Battels and Combats Of seuerall markes of diuers nations vpon the good and bad Of the calling of Abraham and of his praise and trauell THe whole BIBLE is a Booke of the Battels of the Lord and the whole life of a man a militarie marching to these Battells betweene the seede of the womā the Serpent which Battel was first fought in heauē betweene Michael and his Angels and the Dragon and his angels at what time Satan was ouerthrowne and cast out of heauen with all his angels with him The second Battell was in Paradise fought betweene the seede of the woman and the seede of the Serpent where likewise Sathan was ouerthrowne for then it was promised that the seede of the woman should tread downe the Serpents head thereby perpetuall warre was publikely proclaimed in Paradise to continue betweene the seed of the woman and Sathan and therefore are the battels of the Lord innumerable in respect of number for that euery liuing man must fight in this battell in his owne person for his owne life and inuincible in respect of power and force for all battels and victories are of the Lord yea euen amongst Infidels and Pagans Which if the Hebrewes had so acknowledged it and had marched truly and faithfully in the Lords battels they should haue acknowledged this to haue bin their true Oracle that all victories come from the Lord and not from the arme of man Thē the Hebrewes might haue known that Egipt where they had bene bondmen and slaues 430. yeares was giuen to them for a pray frō the Lord by the hands of Moises and Aron and after Egipt the Canaanites Edomites Moabites Ammonites Philistines and diuers other nations were also giuen into their hands they might haue acknowledged that the ouerthrow of 39. Kings was no small bootie to such simple men as were no souldiers by education but brought vp as shepheards from Abrahams time to Moises But they forgot the great armies and legions of Frogges Flies Grashoppers and such armies which the Lord prouided to fight for them while yet they were bondmen in Egipt where they had ten victories and ten tryumphs some in the midst of the land of Egipt some in the midst of the Court of Pharao and some in the midst of the red sea to the wonder and terrour of the whole world The Hebrues might likewise haue knowne that the Chaldeans were giuē to the hands of the Assyrians the Assyrians to the Persians the Persians to the Macedonians the Macedonians to the Romanes Yet all these miraculous victories which the Lorde gaue the Hebrewes ouer so many Kings and Countries could not make them to acknowledge the author thereof but what victories soeuer the good kings of Iudah got by seruing of the Lord that the euil wicked Kings both of Iuda Israel lost by their Idolatry and contempt of the Lord vntill they themselues were rooted out of their Countrey slain and ouerthrowne and their Kings taken carried captiues the one by Salmanasser to the Assirians the other by Nabuchodonozer into Babilon of whom you shall reade more of them and of their warres hereafter And now I thinke it most conuenient to speake somewhat of diuers seuerall combats which is the strongest and onely battaile for in this battaile euery man must first ouercome himselfe and after be ready armed to fight with Sathan and his souldiers the onely enemie of man against whom all men are bounde by the vow of Cherim to fight the battels of the Lord. We are commanded to be as subtill as Serpents to preuent the subtill stratagems of Sathan with spirituall weapons who from the beginning against the Lord in heauen and against man in Paradise practised his policies this is the old Dragon which Michael threw downe out of heauen this is the serpent which the seed of the woman subdued in Paradise this is that ghostly enemy which practised his stratagem by his seruant Pharo in Egypt not onely by making a lawe and decree first to kill the Hebrewes children and after by a second decree to drowne them in Nilus least he should be deceiued in the first but also with a like stratagem by his seruant Herod to kill to the number of 14000. yong Infants in Bethelem and in Iuda among the which he sought Christ therefore we are commanded to be strong and valiant as the Lord commanded not only Ioshua Dauid and others of his owne seruants but also Nabuchodonozer and Cyrus In these kinde of battels or combats euery man must be armed with such spirituall weapons as is by Paul the Apostle appointed to resist the violence of so great an enemy who doth not only assault vs abroad but in our chambers yea in our beds we must therefore wrestle with this enemy as Iacob wrestled with the Angell for the which he was named Israel as Iob wrestled with Sathan for the which the Lord called him his seruant Iob Or as Dauid did with the Gyant Goliah for the which he was annointed King
Sicilia to Rome and Scypio Affrican was the first that shaued his beard in Rome It is written that Caesar the first Emperor of Rome so hated hairie heads that whersoeuer he met them he caused the hinder part of their head to be shaued that they might seeme bald because hee was bald himselfe Phillip king of Macedon vnderstanding that one of his Captaines died the haire of his head beard disgraded him from his place The like did Archidamus king of Sparta when he sawe one with coloured haire exhorting and animating the people forbad him straight to speake saying he could not haue a true tongue that had a false coloured head yet both Pirrhus and Hannibal in Italy coloured their haires but it was a stratagem to deceiue the enemies that they should not be knowne I come to speake of greater markes the markes of calling of Gods people both of the Iewes and of the Gentiles For as Abraham was the first man of the stocke of the Hebrewes that is called the Father of the faithfull so was he the first man marked amōg the Hebrewes to confesse the name of the Lord to whom the first promise was made who beeing admonished by an Oracle at 75. yeares of age to leaue the Chaldeans remoued to Carres a Citie of Mesopotamia where he buried his olde father Thare from thence Abraham remoued and went to dwell in the land of Canaan where so great a famine began that Abraham with his wife were forced to flie to Egipt where likewise he doubted that the beautie of Sarah should put him into much perill and daunger and therefore hee named her his sister and not his wife for he feared Pharao as he feared Abimelech king of Ierar saying to his wife Sarah I know thou art a faire woman and therefore they will destroy me for thy sake for I know the feare of God is not in these places But the Lorde deliuered Abraham from all this care and feare and vexed both king Pharao and Abimelech for their wicked thoughts and intention against Sarah with such terrour and feare by visions and vexations both of themselues of their people that they were warned by their owne Oracles to reuerence and to honour Abraham as a Prophet after which time Abraham continued in Egipt 3. yeares taught the Egiptians true religion and read Astronomy so long there in the which Science he being instructed in his owne Countrey among the Chaldeans the first learned Nation and Empire of the world Of this Abraham Berosus the Chaldean writer reporteth these words Post diluuium decimae aetate apud Chaldeos erat quidam iusticiae cultor Vir magnus syderalis sciētiae peritus And Damasenus also reporteth that Abraham dwelt in Damascus that at the time of Iosephus not only his name was much spoken of but also his house well knowne where hee dwelt in Damascus and therefore we will speake something of the Hebrewes of whom Abraham was the first Father of the faithful I am not ignorant that Heber was the first of the Hebrewes name before Abraham In those dayes seldom was seene any battel for the first and greatest onely battell among kings that we read of at that time was the battell at Siddim which was fought in the time of Abraham CHAP. II. Of the Battell at Siddim where foure kings were ouerthrowne by Abraham and Lot rescued IN this Battell met nine Kings togither to ioine battel foure against fiue the king of Shinaer the king of Ellasar the king of Elam and the king of the nations against the fiue kings of Pentapolis In this battell were Rephaims Emims and Horims Gyants which liued of theft and robbery in mount Seir and in other places yet in this battell the fiue kings of Pentapolis were ouerthrowne by the foure kings and fled and Lot the Nephew of Abraham was taken prisoner in this battell by the Assirian kings besides they tooke all the wealth and substance of these fiue kinges for a spoyle to the souldiers they were such kings at that time as had the whole Empire of Asia betweene them foure Abraham hearing this hard news of the ouerthrow of these kings his neighbors of Lot his nephew vsed this stratagem made strait after thē in the night time with his onely houshold seruants which were three hundred and eighteene came suddainly and set vpon them fought with them ouerthrew them and chased them to Dan where Abraham gaue them another battell recouered Lot the men the women captiues and all the wealth of the fiue Cities called Pentapolis and deliuered all the wealth to the kings of Zodom and Gomorrah the owners therof and kept no part to him nor to his souldiers This was a battell of the Lord that Abraham being but a priuate man with his houshold seruants ouerthrew foure of the greatest kings of Asia for in these battels of the Lord numbers are not respected As Gedeon marched with three hundred Souldiers against the Madianites and Amalekites who were like Grashoppers in number and like sandes of the sea in multitude yet were they ouerthrowne chased and slaine an infinite number by Gedeon and his three hundred souldiers with the like stratagem as Abraham did the Assirians So Dauid with foure hundred souldiers marched after the Amalekites after they had burned Ziclags and had taken Dauids two wiues with al the rest captiues slue ouerthrew them and rescued his wiues at Bezor with all the men women cattel wealth and all the spoyle which the Amalekites tooke away frō Ziclags But yet Dauid according to his maner wold neuer begin battel before he had consulted with the Lord commanded Abiather the Priest to bring him the Ephod and was assured thereby of the victorie ouer the Amalekites at Bezor as Gedeon was of his victorie ouer the Madianites So Abraham rescued Lot his Nephewe at the battel of Siddim where Melchisedech king of Salē for the victory therof met Abrahā entertained him his soldiers with great liberalitie Melchisedech offered gifts vnto Abrahā and sacrifice vnto the Lord with thanks for the victorie and Abraham gaue Melchisedech tythes of all the spoyles hee had by the victorie and deliuered it to the king of Zodom and the rest of the kings their wiues and all the men and women captiues which the foure kings tooke away and Abraham refused to take the worth of a shoe latchet at the king of Zodoms hand least he should say I haue made Abraham rich So that Abraham was in his own person in the first and greatest battel where nine kings met in battell after this Abraham returned to Canaan and dwelt in Hebron vntill Zodome and the rest of the fiue cities were destroied with fire from heauen in the sight of Abraham who but fewe yeares before defended Zodom from the foure kings of Assyria And at that time Abraham staied the Angels as they went to destroy Sodom vnder the oake of
Nero sought the destruction of the Christians within all the Empire of Rome Achab was not so greedie to haue his wrath and anger satisfied vpon the Prophet Micheas nor Iezabel vpon the Prophet Elias as Nero was to haue Paul the Apostle and Peter slaine in Rome who fild all the streets of Rome with the blood of Christians as Manasses king of Iuda filled all the streets of Ierusalem with innocent blood so that Nero could not be satisfied vntill he had ended his tragedie killing his mother his wiues his sisters and after himself as Mithridates king of Pontus had done before him The second message of Moses was to command Pharao to let the Hebrues depart out of Egipt which being refused denied the Lord vsed a stratagem began to vexe them with a second plague with an vgly armie of Frogges which assaulted Pharao and his country so fiercely that all the Riuers and all the land of Egipt were couered ouer with loathsome Frogges Pharaos Court his priuie chamber his victuals vpon euery man these Frogges scrawled climbed vpon Pharao his Peeres his States and vpon all his people without respect of persons they spared none that all the force strength of Egipt could not resist the force violence of these simple creatures but were constrained to forsake their houses their beds and to seeke to escape these filthy Frogs who left no secret place vnsought but the Hebrews in the land of Gosen were free from these plagues Pharao being dismaied and fearefull to see such vgly sights terrible stratagems was forced to yeeld himselfe to Moses the Captaine and leader of this armie at what time Moses had his second tryumph in the midst of Egipt This was the second victorie and tryumph which the Hebrewes had in Egipt by an armie of Frogs weake souldiers of themselues but there is nothing so weak that the Lord cannot cause to ouercome the greatest power of man Yet Pharaos heart was so hardned that hee answered Moses message from the Lord Quis est dominus Who is the Lord saith Pharao most blasphemously much like to the blasphemy of Nicanor who doubted of the Lord being in heauen and demaunded of Iudas Machabaeus Is there a Lord in heauen that can commaund you to keepe the Sabboth day But I haue power on earth to execute the kings commaundement Nabuchodonozer besides him there is no Lord in heauen nor in earth that can defend you out of Nabuchodonozers hand but that tongue which blasphemed the Lord was cut off and cast to the sowles of the aire to be eaten the head and the hand that fought against the Lord were cut off he being slain in the battell by Iudas Machabeus and hangd vpon the Temple in Ierusalem This secōd plague may be well resembled to the second persecution vnder Domitianus the Emperor who with no lesse crueltie persecuted the Christians in Rome then Pharao did the Hebrewes in Egipt or as Nero his predecessor did in Italy but as in Egipt all men fled from their houses their beddes their tables to seeke some rest from the Frogges so in Rome and in Italy the poore Christians fled euery where frō place to place to hide themselues in secret caues and dennes to escape the cruell sword of this swelling toade Domitianus who excelled Pharao in tyrannie Pharao saide Quis est dominus Who is the Lord I know not the Lord. But Domitianus named himselfe Lord and god Domitianus and by a decree commanded so to be named of all mē in Rome and throughout the Empire of Rome and therwithall caused his Image to be set vp in the Temple at Ierusalem This cruell and blasphemous Emperour Domitianus so persecuted the Christians and so vexed the whole Empire that not only the Citizens of Rome but also all Italy sought other places in other countries as banished men to seeke to auoyd the sword of this bloodie Emperor who passed Pharao in blasphemy and Nero in tyrannie but his end was no better then Neroes for as Nero slue himself with his own hand so was Domitianus in his owne house murthered slain by his owne seruants for he that killeth many must of some be kild and so Domitianus was for blood is reuenged with blood and is one of those foure sinnes that crieth vp to heauen for vengeance but Rome was euer full of blood betweene their forrein warres abroad and their ciuill warres at home CHAP. IIII. Of the third and fourth plagues of the Egiptians compared with the third and fourth persecutions of the Christians MOyses againe after two denialls marcheth with his armie against Pharao to his third battell which was with more simple and weake souldiers then the second battell was for the Lord commaunded Moses to smite the dust of the earth with his rod that all the dust of the earth became Lice throughout all the land of Egipt and these were the armies of the Lord the which crept vpon euery man and vpon euery beast and went as in battell raie and well instructed souldiers vpon Pharao his Lords and his Courtiers and ouer all the land of Egipt this armie spared no place feared no man but the land of Gosen and the Hebrewes there dwelling To this were Iamnes and Iambres and all Soothsayers and Charmers of Egipt publikely forced to say that it was digitus dei the finger of God and Pharao after them was as afore twise now the third time constraited to yeeld to Moses but still without grace or repentance Thus euery victorie had his triumph and euerie triumph was solemnized without either a stroak giuen or a sword drawne but with a white rod in Moses hand so that it seemed rather a combat betweeene Moses and Pharao then a set battell betweene the Hebrewes and the Egiptians The third persecution vnder Traiane in Rome in all points is to be likened to the third plague vnder Pharao in Egipt for the bloud of the Christians in Rome and the plague of the Hebrewes in Egipt crie for equal vengeance and iustice vpon wicked Tyrants and murtherers vnto heauen Though Traiane was wrote vnto by Pliny the second to admonish him to mittigate the vehement persecutidus of the Christians certifying Traiane that the Christians liued soberly and quietly not offending the Romane lawes but by professing their religigion and the name of Christ. Notwithstanding Pliny could do litle good with his Letters to Traiane the Emperour in the behalfe of the Christians at Rome no more then Philo could do with his perswasions to Nero for the Iewes in Alexandria though Philo himselfe being learned and graue and of great authoritie with the Iewes spake in person to Nero and yet Appian the Egiptian being but a schoolemaister in Alexandria a man of no reputation had audience of Nero which was denied to Philo so much Rome hated the Christians Egipt the Hebrews that their plagues
persecutiōs may well bee compared together for still persecution encreased in Rome in so much that the Christians that were dispersed scattered in euery place for feare were so persecuted that vnder Traiane and vnder Sapor King of Persia infinite slaughter was made of the Christians and euery where where the Romane Emperours ruled th◅ was but sword and fire but the more the Christians were persecuted the more they were encreased the more they were hanged slaine and burned the more were they multiplied and encouraged through faith to esteeme little or nothing these tyrants or theyr tyrannie which might moue the Romanes as well to say that it was Digitus dei in the third persecution as the Egiptians did confesse in their third plague For if the Egiptians had obserued how the Hebrews in the land of Gosen had neuer heard or seene or felt any plague being in one Countrey and at one time nor so much as a dogge among the Hebrewes miscarried or if the Romanes had but considered the workes of the Lord how hee encreased the Christians to surmount the slaughters of the persecutions and strengthened the Christians to conquer the crueltie of these Tyrants that as the Hebrews multiplied in Egipt to the ouerthrow of Egipt in spite of Pharaos killing drowning so the Christians multiplyed in all the Romane Empire for all theyr slaughter and destroying of the Christians But no amendment appeared in Pharao by the three former plagues then marcheth Moses forward with his fourth Army commaunding with one message still thus saith the Lorde Let my people goe or else to bee afflicted with the fourth plague with the like simple Army of souldiers as before in the second and the third for great swarmes of flyes came into the Court of Pharao and into all the lande of Egipt so that all Egipt was corrupted by this infinite multitude of flyes but in the lande of Gosen to the great wonder of Pharao and his people were none of these souldiers seene for the Lord had seperated the lande of Gosen where his people the Hebrewes dwelt that they should not bee touched either with Frogs Flies or Lice Pharao and all his kingdome of Egipt man and beast were so bitten and infected with these swarmes of Flies and wearied with these souldiers that Pharao againe yeelded to Moses and requested Moses to do sacrifice for him vnto the Lord and promised Moses that Israel should goe out of Egipt Notwithstanding he kept no promise but still hardened his heart and prouoked the Lord to plague him his court and his kingdome It seemed the Egiptians hated the Hebrewes mortally being thus persecuted with such horrible plagues that they still yeelded but neuer repēted But no plague no calamitie could moue Pharao to yeeld obedience to the lord neither acknowledge his name but still saying Nescio dominum but by meanes made to Moses to remooue these plagues from him yeelding euer the victory to Moses but neuer yeelding his heart to the Lord. In Rome in Antioch in Alexandria in Caesaria and euery where else where the Romanes had any gouernment the Iewes were giuen to be deuoured of wild and fierce beasts as Lyons Elephants and Tygres and to fight vpon publike theaters to solemnize the tryumphs of Vespasian Titus And therefore were the Hebrues well compared to the Christians for their manifolde plagues and miseries and the Egiptians to the Romains for their tyrannie Yet the Hebrewes had some oddes more then the Christians had for they might fight on publike shewes vpō theaters with Lyons Elephants and wild beasts which Titus sent frō Ierusalem to Rome to beautifie his father Vespasians triumph to the number of 16000. Iewes but the Christians with present death with all the tortures that could be inuented executed vpon them I may not forget Pharao in Egipt for his well deserued plagues the violence whereof he could not resist nor defend himselfe frō these armies in his priuy chamber For that it was the Lords battell as Iamnes and Iambres and the charmes of Egipt before did confesse So Nabuchodonozer cōfessed after he was taken from the throne of his kingdome in Babilon to liue among beasts in the field So Manasses cōfessed after he was taken captiue from his kingdome in Iudah to become from a king a bondman in Babilon So Iulian the Apostata was constrained after he threw into the aire a handfull of his heart blood to say Vicisti Galile and so all blasphemers and tyrants confesse that the Lord is God when they are punished and plagued and cannot resist it and yet Pharao in Egipt would not confesse that it was the finger of God as Iamnes Iambres did neither acknowledging the Lord to be God as Nabuchodonozer and Manasses did neither yeelding the conquest vnto the Lord as Iulian the Apostata did and therefore Moses is sent vnto Pharao to denounce vnto him the fift plague and to giue Pharao the space of a whole day to think on it assuring Pharao the next morning it should come to passe vnlesse hee would let his people goe CAAP. V. Of the fift and sixt plagues of the Egiptians compared with the fift and sixt persecutions of the Christians BEhold the fift plague by the hand of the Lord vpon Pharao and vpon his cattell his Horses Asses Camels Oxen and Sheepe with a mightie great morraine so that all the cattel of Egipt died and of the cattell of the Hebrues died not one Pharao being with this astonished more fearefull of these plagues and losses then carefull to auoyd punishments or mindfull of repentance not acknowledging God to be the Lorde sent to the lande of Gosen to know whether any of these plagues happened among the Hebrewes being instructed and certified that there was nothing in the lande of Gosen but loue mirth and ioy none of their cattell nor of their beasts died It is the nature of wicked men to enuie vertue and godlines in good men Yet Pharao reuolted from the Lord and refused his mercies often offered though afore-hand he knew and Moses told him that the next day the Lord should bring this fift plague to passe And so before the waters were turned into blood before the Frogges the Lice and the Flies who like armed souldiers Phalanges wise assaulted Pharao of the which hee was warned before by Moses but yet it mooued not Pharao for all this to repentance though Pharao was often astonished and mooued to yeeld victorie yet not to embrace penitencie far worse then Esau who would haue repented but could not though he sought it with teares This fift plague may fitly and well be compared to the fift persecution vnder Sept. Seuerus for as in Egipt both man and beast died of the morraine so vnder this cruell Emperour as well by bloodie persecution as ciuil warres euery where blood was shead beside the Romane legions of souldiers were slain that the slaughter was infinite For like
as in Egipt their horses asses oxen camels and sheepe and all their beasts were slaine with a mightie great morraine so the Romane generals their collonels captaines and all kind of souldiers were slain as wel in Rome and Italy as euery where throughout the Romane Empire as well with wars as with diuers sicknesses diseases yet not ceasing to persecute the Christians according to their custome but the martyrs of the Lord the souldiers of God increased still in number in euery country Such euer was the prouidence of the Lord that Septimius the like were either murdered slaine in their country or else banished died out of their country as this Septimius did or as the great Antiochus Epiphanis did being the only enemies of Gods people tyrannizing against Iudah forcing them with sword fire to forsake God their religion lawes strangling men hanging some womē with their childrē about their necks other women they cast downe headlong ouer the walls with their babes hanging at their breasts making search for the bookes of Moses and burning all that he could finde written of the law of Moses prophaned the temple sacrificed swines flesh against the law of the Iews compelled the Iews to eate swines flesh to forsake circumcisiō and to adore his gods his tyrannie was such that the Samaritans sent vnto him messengers for very feare denying themselues to be Iewes but a people comming out of the Meades and Persians therin they said the truth for they were not true Iewes requesting Antiochus that the Temple which they builded in Mount Garisim should be named the Temple of Iupiter and that they would bee gouerned by Appolonius and Nichanor his Lieftenants and become Antiochus seruants Yet the Lord raised those in Iudah that esteemed not his threatnings waighed not his commaundements feared not his tortures for so the Lord said to Elias that he reserued 7000. that neuer bowed nor bended knee to Baall which kept the lawes of the Lord as Mattathias and his fiue sonnes in Modin and diuers other in Iudah not weighing Antiochus nor his Lieftenants When this cursed and cruell Antiochus sawe how little the Iewes weighed his threatnings and how they stil increased in number and how forward they were in their religion he thereby fell sicke and confessed that the euill that he did to the Temple of Ierusalem and to the inhabitants of Iudah was the cause that he must die in a straunge land for before Antiochus had proudly promised to make Ierusalē a graue for al the Iewes burial we leaue Antiochus dead out of his Countrey in Persia and turne to Moses in Egipt This was euer the commaundement of the Lord to Moses rise and stand vp before Pharao and say thy wonted message thus saith the Lord let my people goe Yet nothing moued Pharao but as a sworne enemy against the Lord stiffe necked and hard hatred refused al graces and mercies offred and therfore Moses was commanded to take the ashes out of the furnace to sprinkle it vp into the aire before Pharaos face strait out of the same ashes there brake out sores with blaines botches swellings both in man beast so that Iamnes and Iambres all the Sorcerers of Egipt could not stand before Moses forthey thēselues were plagued with botches biles which Manetho an Egiptiā historiographer falsly fained a fable that these blaines and botches which the Egiptians had to be a leprousie on the Hebrues naming Moses Osarphis a Priest a law-giuer ouer the Hebrues Yet Cheremon named him Tisithes one contrary to another and both cōtrary to the truth and as Iosephus saith both Manetho and Cheremon affirmed that what Moses had done concerning the myracles in Egipt to be done by Magicke So Pliny held the like opinion that Moses was a great Magitian and did all those myracles before Pharao in Egipt by Magicke Pliny had no cause so to say for Nero the Emperour which was instructed with the best Magicians of all the East kingdomes which Tiridates king of Armenia brought with him to Rome yet it helped not Nero at his need neither the Emperor Iulianus Apostata being well learned and throughly instructed in Magick It could do him no good no more then Iamnes and Iambres to Pharao And therefore I will set downe the true History of Moses written by Iosephus a graue a learned Iew and a gouernour of all the countrey of Galiley farre to be preferred before Appian an Egiptian Schoolmaister in Alexandria Who after their fabulous lies most impudently blasphemed their Temple affirming an Asse head all of gold by the Iewes most religiously worshipped and honoured in their temple which was found in the time of Antiochus Epiphanis when he sacked Ierusalem spoyled the temple We wil passe ouer these false Egiptiās writers come to Moses This sixt plague is likened to the sixt persecution vnder Maximinus a most cruell Emperor being puffed vp with pride insolency and wearied with vulgar persecutions proceeded forward to persecute Bishops Doctors and other learned Christians that professed the name of Christ as Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna Ignatius and such he spared no degrees within the Romain prouinces but as the Egiptians were plagued with soares botches blaines and biles so hee vexed the Christians with sword fire and extreame tortures And as nothing could moue Pharao in Egipt to acknowledge the Lorde to be God so nothing could moue this tyger Maximinus to acknowledge Christ to be the Lord but without mercy and compassion persecuted afflicted the Christians Thus not only the Emperors of Rome tyrannized against Christians but also the kings of Syria little inferiour to the Romans in tyrannie against whom the Lord did not only stirre men but women children to contemne their threatnings and to despise their crueltie as Antiochus king of Syria commanded caudrons brazen pots to be heated straitly charging that he that spake but a word with Moses law should haue his tongue cut out this could not terrifie a woman with her seuen sonnes who one after another denied the eating sacrificing of swines flesh the defiling of their temple with Images refusing to forsake the lawes of Moses and in this to liue and die The king straight commanded that the tongue of the eldest brother should be cut out to pull the skin ouer his head to pare off the edges of his hands feete and after these tortures while yet there was any life in him to be fried in the hote caudron and that in the sight of his mother and his other sixe brethren assuring them that they should suffer the like torments one after another vnlesse they would forsake the religion lawes of the Iewes eat swines flesh and offer sacrifice of swines flesh vnto Iupiter vpon the altars at Ierusalem Samaria but they esteemed the least iot of their lawe more then the greatest tortures that
this bloudie Emperour Valerianus left no place vnsought to persecute the remnant of the Christians which his predecessors could not find with sword and fire vntil he himself was taken his army ouerthrown by Sapor King of Persia who tooke him and kept him in prison all his life time in bondage and slauery vsing him as a blocke to mount on horsebacke things hard and straunge to the Romanes to haue their Emperour in such slauish seruice to become a vassal and a blocke for Sapor King of Persia to lay his foote vpon his necke to goe on horse And was not the great Turke Pazaites ouerthrown and his Army slaine at Mount Stella by Tamberlane a rude and barbarous Scithian and himselfe taken and kept in a cage vnder his table and carried him in that cage in all his warres during Tamberlanes life so that the great Emperour of Rome died as a blocke for King Sapor in Persia and Pazaites the great Turke died in Tamberlanes cage as a captiue in Scythia So Pharao in diuers battels was ouerthrowne by Moses and vsed as a blocke and at last drawne as it were by a corde like a dogge by Moses from Egipt into the redde sea and there to dye as you shall read in the two next plagues that followe CHAP. Of the ninth and tenth plagues of the Egiptians compared with the ninth and tenth persecutions of the Christians MOses is sent from the Lord to Pharao and commanded to hold out his hand vnto heauen that there was darknesse vpon all the land of Egipt such palpable darknesse that neither fire candle torch or any light might giue thē light it was such palpable darknesse that the Egiptians might feele it and this darknesse continued three daies long that one might not see an other Yet Pharaos heart was so hardned that now in his furie and rage he commaunds Moses and Aaron to goe out of his sight threatning them with death if they came any more before him though in the last plague he requested Moses and Aaron to pray for him and to forgiue him his sinnes but then were his words full of dissimulation and his repentance full of hypocrisie hee could say I haue sinned but he could not say I haue repented and beforie for his sinnes The ninth persecution vnder Aurelianus in Rome may throughly bee likened to the ninth plague vnder Pharao in Egipt The like threatnings of speech and the like words that Pharao vsed to Moses and Aaron in Egipt the like vsed Aurelianus against the Christians in Rome but it contiued not long for he was slaine as others his predecessors were And as for the great palpable darknesse in Egipt so was it in Rome when their minde was more darke then darknesse it selfe The Egiptians hated not the Hebrews so much as the Romanes hated the Christians For Pilate the Romane presidēt in Ierusalem which gaue sentence on Christ to die and sawe many myracles done by him sent Letters to his maister Tiberius the Emperor and to the Senators recyting the myracles that Christ had done before he died saying hee was worthy to bee canonized placed among the Romane goddes which all the Senators with one consent denied though Caesar requested them first and threatned them after yet Christ was not allowed to be a Romane God Tiberius without effect of his good motion died so did that wicked Emperor Aurelianus in the midst of his cruel persecutions After whō succeeded a good valiant Emperor Flam. Claudius so valiāt that he vanquished the Gothes the Illyrians and Macedonians whereby in Rome he was so honoured that the Senators sent to him a goldē Target which afterward was set vp in the shew-place and a golden statue to stand in the Capitoll but he died too timely of a sicknesse at Sirmium After him succeeded his brother Aurel. Quintilius a good moderate Emperour equall or rather to be preferred before his brother but he was slaine within 18. daies after hee was elected Emperour by the souldiers These good Emperors onely I name for that persecutions were euer executed by cruel Kings and Emperors But these cruell Emperours as they cruelly destroyed others so cruelly were they destroyed after as some of them were killed by theyr owne handes as Nero some murthered by their owne seruants as Domitianus some suddenly slaine riding by the high way as Decius some banished died in straunge Countreys as Seuerus others died captiues in bondage and slauerie as Valerianus did in Persia others eaten with cankers wormes as Maximinius others murthered one after an other as Aurel. Tacit. and Florianus Thus were those Emperours slaine and murthered that cruelly persecuted the Christians The Lorde beeing determined now to finish his plague in Egipt and to bring his people away willed euery man and euery woman to borrow of their neighbours Iewels of gold and siluer for Moses was verie great in the land of Egipt with Pharao and with the people for before this Pharao had appointed Moses Generall of the Egiptians against the king of Aethiopia which I wrote in the Historie of Moses Yet said the Lord I will bring one plague more vpon Pharao and vpon Egipt and after that he will let you goe hence for all the first borne of the land of Egipt shall die euen from the first borne of Pharao that sitteth on his seate vntill the first borne of the maide seruant that sitteth in the mill The Lord knew at that time how to saue the Hebrewes in Gosen from all the plagues in Egipt and to saue Noah from the geneall deluge in the Arke to saue Lot from fire and brimstone in Zodome and to saue the Christians from the destruction of Ierusalem in Pella As this tenth plague was the greatest and the heauiest so the tenth persecution was the greatest and the longest vnder Dioclesian in the East parts and vnder Maximianus in the West either of them persecuting and afflicting with such slaughters of martyred Christians that for the space of tenne yeares for so long continued the tenth persecution there was nothing but the wonted bloudie persecution sword and fire by the commaundements of both these Emperours with most extremitie to bee executed and as vnder Nero the first persecution began so vnder Dioclesian it ended For the Church of God so flourished the Christians so encreased and the godly martyrs so multiplyed that these tyrants were wearie to persecute them any longer At that very time when persecution ended vnder Dioclesian then heresie began to spring vnder Sathan for when one stratagem of Sathan faileth he practiseth an other Now Arius marcheth with his Antitrinitary crew and set themselues in battell against the Lord with horrible and blasphemous weapons and as the Poets faine the Gyants set themselues in battell against the Sun the Moone and the Stars so this crew of heretikes set themselues to fight against God the Father the Sonne and the holy
not when Thermutes laide the diademe vpon the childes head which Moses being but a very childe with both his handes tooke the diademe from his head and threw it to the ground and treaded it vnder his feete whereat the Priestes of Egipt were so astonished that they told the king that that childe shoulde bee the ouerthrow and destruction of Egipt they all counselled Pharao to take away the feare of Egipt and the hope of the Hebrewes Notwithstanding Moses as he was by the prouidence of God preserued saued from killing drowning being a childe so likewise then was he kept from the enuy and malice of the Priestes and of the Egiptians who sought to kill him as the Iewes thought to kill Paul but as Paul preuailed ouer the Iewes so Moses preuailed ouer the Egiptians and marched forward with this Hebrew army towards Aethiope gaue them two great battels ouerthrew them chased them and daunted the courage of the Aethiopians that they were brought lower by the Hebrewes then the Egiptians were before by the Aethiopians The Aethiopians thus being brought lowe Moses brought his armie and besieged Saba the chiefe citie of Aethiope at what time the king of Aethiope his daughter named Tharbis hauing hard such great report of Moses fortitude and prowesse went vp on the walles of the citie to behold the armie of the Hebrewes where she saw Moses manfully and valiantly fighting before his armie she much admired his courage and wondred at his prowesse doubting much the destruction of her countrey she sent some of her chiefe seruants vnto Moses by whom shee opened her fauour her loue towards Moses offering her selfe to him in marriage and to cōclude peace between the Aethiopians the Egiptians which Moses accepted vpon her oath that the citie Saba should be yeelded vp into Moses hand and peace concluded betweene Aethiope Egipt which presently was yeelded vp and the marriage performed notwithstanding Moses at his returne to Egipt his seruice was more maliciously accused and suspected then thankfully accepted such hatred malice grew in Egipt towards Moses by meanes of the Priestes and the king himselfe suspected him for his greatnesse and successe of his victories ouer the king of Aethiopia that Pharao doubted that Moses might doo the like in Egipt by these meanes traps and snares were laide to destroy Moses that Moses was in such feare of his life the rather for that he kild an Egiptiā that abused an Hebrue that he was forced secretly to flie through the wildernesse vnto the Madianites where he maried Zephora Iethro his daughter and there continued fortie yeares from whence he was called by the Lord to lead his people from Egipt to Canaan whose greatnesse then was more knowne then before as is set downe in Exodus so that Appian with his Egiptian Authors with their fained fables against Moses are worthie to be scoft at for their impudent lies for Moyses was brought vp with Thermutes the kings daughter heire of Egipt and married to Tharbis the kings daughter of Aethiope But let vs omit Appian with his fellow lyers and come to Moses marching with his Hebrew campe CAAP. IX Of certaine military lawes and marshall exercise of the Hebrewes vnder Moses in the wildernesse AFter that Pharao and the Egiptians were drowned in the red sea the Hebrewes had such rich spoyles by their dead bodies found on the sea shoares that now the Hebrewes became from poore shepheardes called Hicsos in Egipt to be rich souldiers that neither Phillip king of Macedonia had such spoyle in Delphos nor his sonne Alexander in Babilon nor Nabuchodonozer in Ierusalem as the Hebrewes had of the spoyle of the Egiptians vpon the shoare For now the Egiptians paie them their hires for the seruice and bondage of foure hundred and thirtie yeares So Philo said that the borrowing of Iewels of siluer and Iewells of Golde was nothing else but to paie the due debt vnto the Hebrewes for their long bondage and seruice So Rupertus saide the wages and hires which the Egiptians kept so long vniustly from the Hebrewes by an honest guile the Hebrewes obtained their long deteined due for the Lord commanded the Hebrues to borrowe Golde and siluer of the Egiptians and the spoyle which is gotten of the enemies is due by the lawe of armes The Hebrewes marched vnder Moses with Egiptian weapons with songs of hymnes and Psalmes for the victorie vnto the Lord. Myria Moses sister the women and virgins of Israel with violls harpes and tabrets and with great melodie gaue thankes vnto the Lord so that it was afterwardes a custome among the Virgines of Israel to sing Psalmes and Songes to thanke the Lorde for their victories and withall to aduaunce the fame of the Generalls and Captaines as they did to Saul and Dauid The Lorde sets downe certaine martiall lawes to Moses to gouerne and to rule his people commaunding him to make two siluer Trumpets to assemble the armie to call the congregation and for the remouing of the Campe and charged the sonnes of Aaron to sounde out the trumpets in any seruice onely the Priests were appointed by the lawe to sound the trumpets to carry the arke which was their office for euer When thou goest out with the host against thy enemies keep thee then from all wickednes be clean from pollution in the night for the Lorde may not abide in the hoste any souldier that is any way vncleane before he be washt with water and purified and when a souldier must serue the necessitie of nature amōg other weapons he must haue his paddle staffe to dig the earth and after to couer his excrement for the Lord would haue his people pure and holie both in soule and bodie for the Lord walketh in the midst of the campe among his souldiers The Hebrues were also commanded whē they went to any battell that the Priest should stand before the whole armie being called together with the sound of a trumpet to exhort the armie and to encourage them to feare nothing the multitude of their enemies but to fight valiantly the battels of the Lorde assuring them that the Lorde would be their Captaine and goe before them and therfore not to doubt of the victorie So the Lord promised and said to Moses I will goe before thee to Egipt against Pharao So the Lord said to Ioshua that he would goe before him and his armie to Iericho So the Lord with the like words spake to Nabuchodonozer when he went against Ierusalem And euen so he spake to Cyrus when he went against Babilon All battels victories are mine saith the Lord. As the Lord promised not only to Moses to Ioshua and to others but also to Nabuchodonozer Cyrus Heathen Princes to goe before them in his own battels and therefore the Heathen kings made their souldiers beleeue that the Gods taught them stratagems to ouercome their enemies Archidamus vsed a
souldiers readie to yeeld for want of drink shewed them a Riuer behind the enemies saying if you will drinke you must drinke in yonder Riuer that I shewed you either you must win it of your enemies or loose it Cyrus King of Persia brought his souldiers to a certaine wood and caused them all day to hewe downe trees vntill they were wearie the next day he prepared for them great feasts and liberall banquets and in the midst of their good cheare Cyrus demaunded of them whether they thought better of their paine and trauell in hewing of wood the day before or of their feasting and banquetting that day they preferred feasting before hewing of wood But said Cyrus you must come to the one by the other vnlesse you fight valiantly ouercome the Meades you cannot enioy the pleasures and good cheare of Persia. So Moses brought the Hebrewes to the wildernesse and said you must take paines and exercise militarie discipline to learne to fight with the Canaanites Edomites Moabites Philistines the enemies of the Lord before they should passe ouer Iorden and enioy the pleasures of Canaan the land of milke and honey for as these Nations were left as prickes and needles to vexe the Hebrewes so Satan is now left to vex to tempt and to be an enemie to Gods people withall the stratagems he can No doubt the Chaldeans the Assirians the Persians and other Nations had their first military discipline frō the Hebrews and were taught to exercise their souldiers to endure labour as it seemed the Gentiles vsed it by imitation from one Empire to an other Moses being the onely generall of so great an Army being continually vexed and molested without any vnder officers to aide him the Lord taught him and after his father in law Iethro to choose from amōg the whole army 70. wise religious valiant and iust men to rule and gouerne the people as magistrates and officers vnder Moses to guide lead them into all seruice For among the Hebrewes no Generall was chosen without consultation of Vrim and Thummim after Moses and Ioshuas time Marke the discipline and martiall lawes of the Lord to his people The Hebrews were commanded euery man to stand in his place vnder his standart throughout the whole Army of the Hebrewes but the Leuites should pitch their tents round about the Tabernacle who were three and twentie thousand in number and when any victory was gotten by the Hebrews ouer the enemies the first part of the spoile was yeelded to the Leuites who attended the tabernacle the second to the souldiers that fought in the field the third to them that remained in the campe The whole Army was deuided vnder foure generall and principall standarts The first standart vnder Iudah the second standart vnder Ruben the third standart vnder Ephraim the fourth standart vnder Dan. Euery Tribe should stand and campe by his standart and vnder euery standart were three Tribes ouer the three Tribes three captains and the number of the souldiers of the three Tribes vnder their Captaines The Tribe of Iudah had seuentie foure thousand and six hundred souldiers vnder their Captaine The Tribe of Isacher had foure and fiftie thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their captaine The Tribe of Zabulon had seuen and fitie thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their captain These three Tribes were appointed to stand by the standart of Iudah and the whole number of the host of Iudah were one hundred foure score and sixe thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their three captaines and the standart of the host of Iudah was appointed to camp on the East side of the Tabernacle Of the South side of the Tabernacle was the standart of the Tribe of Ruben the Tribe of Simeon the Tribe of Gad with their three captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Ruben were one hundred fiftie one thousand foure hundred and fiftie souldiers and this was the second principall standart The third standart of the campe of Ephraim was towards the west with the Tribe of Ephraim the Tribe of Manasses and the Tribe of Beniamin with their seuerall captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Ephraim was one hundred eight thousand and one hundred The fourth standart of the host of Dan was on the North side of the Tabernacle with their three Tribes the tribe of Dan the tribe of Asher and the tribe of Nepthali with their three captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Dan was one hundred fiftie thousand and sixe hundred In this most solemne and royall sort marched the campe of the Hebrews 40. yeares in the wilnernesse vnder these foure principall standarts where their garmēts and cloathes were not worne nor any thing they had decayed heauen gaue them bread the foode of Angels Manna and euery rocke in the wildernesse gaue them drink the Lord fed thē otherwise they were simply and slenderly prouided for so great an army but marching in the wildernesse amōgst serpents venemous beasts and yet without daunger or harme but had all things at their wils that were necessary to the wars frō the Lord. Notwithstanding all these blessings the Hebrewes wished stil to haue staied in Egipt and made diuers profers of return at any touch or triall of them they longed for the flesh pots of Egipt of which they made often mention of the oynions melons and garlecke but they made no mentiō of the slauery bondage and seruitude which they endured for 430. yeares in Egipt If you looke into the maiestie state of the Hebrew campe of the presence of the arke of the placing of their standarts of the solemnitie of their marching of their orders lawes that in a wildernesse where they had neither castles townes cities or forts to defend thē and yet they far excelled Xerxes with his innumerable army in his voyage against the Greeks the sailed on land marched on seas much doubting whether Hellespont had sufficient roome and Greece had land inough for his souldiers or the ayre had place inough to receiue his shot The Hebrew Campe farre exceeded Alexander the great who after he had subdued all Greece and the Persians tooke in hand to conquer the whole world and wept because hee heard there was two worlds Yet neither Xerxes nor Alexander the great might bee compared with the Hebrewe Campe for state and maiestie euery Tribe marching vnder his Captaine and euery Captaine vnder his standard euery standard placed to stand about the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle was placed in the midst of the camp because it might be in equall distance from each standard that all might indifferently haue recourse to the Arke where the Lord instructed Moses and instructed him frō the mercie seat for at the doore of the Tabernacle it was commaunded to Moses what he might do
and how he should gouerne the Army for the custome of the Hebrewes was to run to the Arke as to their onely Oracle where the presence of the Lord was to crie and to call for help at the Lords hand in their most danger and greatest calamitie As the Arke was made by Noah to saue himself from the deluge in such forme fashion as the Lord had cōmanded the lēgth the breadth the height so was the Tabernacle made by Moses in which the Arke was placed in such proportion as the Lord commanded Moses that the tabernacle shuld be 30. cubits long 12. broad the Arke 2. cubits a half long a cubit a half broad After the vse of the Tabernacle the Temple was appointed where Salomon and the Priests were instructed to manifest the word of the Lord vnto his people The Gentiles also ranne in any danger or doubt as to Iupiter in Hammon to Apollo in Delphos to Baall and other such Oracles where their woodden Idols and gods gaue false answeres And where the Hebrewes as I said before had no prouisions for their wars either in towns or Cities nor any place to flie vnto but the Tabernacle where the Romanes in any danger might defend themselues in the Capitall The Carthagineans to their strōg fort Byrsa The Thaebans to their Castle Cadmea And so the Argiues to their strong fort Larissa And the Syracusans to the Castle Acradina These were the forts of the Gentiles Besides the Gentiles had theyr treasures and theyr money laid vp in strong holds and forts As Tygranes king of Armenia kept his treasure in Bambinsa Olena two strong castles to warre with the Romanes Iugurth king of Numidia kept his mony in two of his strongest cities called Capsa and Thola to warre with the Romanes So likewise Mithridates king of Pontus kept his treasure in Ptera to war against the Romanes So the kings of Macedonia and all the kings of Asia had their treasures and store houses to warre against the Romanes The Hebrewes had no such store houses prepared nor mony laid vp nor prouisions readie but their foode was such from the Lord that they wanted nothing and yet they conquered more kings and subdued more countries then all they CHAP. XI Of the maner and order of the Gentiles and of their principall standards Of the setting vp of the Tabernacle and the dedication of the altar by Moses HAuing spoken something of the Hebrew camp of their seueral marching vnder their standards I thinke it not amisse to set downe the orders maners of the marching of some of the Gentiles in their campes for varietie of matters and for that men may see and vnderstand how farre inferiour were all the nations of the world to the poore Hicsos the Hebrews And first of the Egiptians who carried in their proper standard into any battel the Image of that Idoll which they worshipped in that citie as in Heliopolis an oxe in Memphis a bull in Arsinoe a crocodile and so in other cities cattes calues serpents such as they worshipped in the temples such they carried as their ensignes to the field The Persians carried in the first and principall standart the Image of the Sunne which the Persians call Mithra In their second standart they carried the picture of the eternall sacred fire which they call Orimasdes In their third standart they carried a golden spread-Eagle The old Romanes when their Empire grew strong had fiue principall standarts which were carried before their military legions The first standart before the legion was an Eagle this was chiefe in the second was carried the picture of a Wolfe in the third the picture of Minotaurus in the fourth the picture of a horse in the fift the picture of a boare The Athenians carried in their standart the Image of an Owle which was likewise printed on their coyne with the face of Minerua The Thaebans caried in their standart the picture of Sphinx into any battell The Cymbrians caried before their armies in their standart vnto the field the picture of a brazē bull so did they in the Cymbrian wars against Marius the Romane Consull The old Germains vsed to carry the picture of lightnings to lead their armies into the field in their standart Sometimes great kings for their proper standarts in their warres carried the pictures of diuers and sundrie beasts and fowles as Osiris the first king of Egipt a dog Cyrus also the great king of Persia gaue in his ensigne a cocke as Themistocles did for the day before Themistocles had battell with Xerxes by the crowing of a cocke he was sure of victorie Iulius Caesar gaue in his ensigne an Elephant for that he vanquished Iuba king of Mauritania who bare an Elephant in his ensigne and so Porus king of India bare in his ensignes the picture of Hercules The Hebrues might better haue claimed the Sunne in their ensignes then the Persians as Ioshua for that the Sun staied ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon at Ioshuaes commandement vntill he had full victorie ouer the Amalekites and therefore he might aswell haue the Image of the Sun in his ensigne being aliue as he had it set on his graue being dead So might Iudah Gedeon Dauid and others which had the sonne of God the starre of Iacob the liō of Iudah in their standarts ensignes Because we may omit nothing that the Lord commaunded Moses concerning the setting vp of the tabernacle and the dedicatiō of the altar the twelue Princes of the Tribes of Israel at the setting vp of the tabernacle after the tabernacle was anointed sanctified brought their offerings before the Lord sixe chariots couered ouer and twelue oxen one chariot for two Princes and for euery one of the Princes an oxe which they before the tabernacle offred to the lord which were deliuered to the Leuites So for the dedication of the altar after it was annointed sanctified these twelue Princes offred their offerings before the altar euery prince offered a siluer chargior of an handreth thirtie shickels weight a siluer bowle of seuentie shekels a cup of gold full of Incense a yong bullock a ramme a lambe of a yeare olde and a hee goate This was the maner of the setting vp of the tabernacle and dedication of the altar Hence grew the building of temples the dedica◅on of altars oblations and ceremonies among the Gentiles and Heathens to dumbe Idolls woodden gods It was euer the propertie of Sathan like an Ape to counterfeit and seeme to imitate the lawes of the Lord. There was nothing so rife among the Gentiles as temples and altars which made Paul full of anger to see so many altars in Athens and especially one dedicated Ignoto deo to an vnknowne God Athens excelled all Greece for the nomber of theyr gods and of their altars for they had an altar
in Athens to lust another to shame They had also straunge kinde of altars in Delos one to Apollo made onely of the right hornes of all kinde of beastes and an other altar made of the ashes of the sacrificed men and beasts like Belesus who raised vp a promontorie in Babilon of the ashes of the citie of Niniuie destroyed to giue light to passengers that sayled by Babilon on Euphrates in the which ashes Belesus carried secretly all the wealth gold siluer and all other rich mettals melted of Niniuie into Babilon Numa Pomp. a verie prophane religious king put vp a temple to Faith another to Terminus and decreed a law for that Terminus was the god of peace and a Iudge of meares and markes betweene neighbours that whosoeuer would plough any of his neighbors markes and meares both hee and his oxen should be sacrificed and slaine to god Terminus vpon the very meare where the offence was done This temple which king Numa builded to Terminus was made vncouered and open aboue as the Greekes did vse to build their temple to Iupiter and to Anfidius which the Greeks called Hypaethra both the Romanes and the Greekes thought it not fit that that these gods should be honored and serued in close couered temples and vpon their altars no sacrifice of blood should be offered but according to Pythagoras lawes fruits cakes hony flowers and such because they were gods of peace Againe the Romanes the Greekes and the Egiptians vsed in olde time to build temples out of the cities to those gods that should watch guard the cities from the enemies And therefore Romulus builded a temple to Vulcan out of the walles of the citie of Rome so his successor king Numa builded two temples the one to Bellona the other to Mars foure miles from the gate Caâ—…ena out of Rome The Athenians to that purpose as the Romains did builded a temple to Hercules out of Athens named Cynosarges Neither would the Egiptians allow the temple of Esculapius to be in any city of theirs neither wold they allow any temple to Saturne or to Serapis within the citie supposing by their watching garding abroad they might liue more safe and sure from the enemies So among other Gentiles temples were builded to the gods of feare of pouertie and of olde age because they might pray to these gods to escape the wants and miserie of pouertie and old age and thus the Gentiles tooke patterne of the Iewes who had so many Synagogues and but one Temple for the Iewes afterwards became so Idolatrous as the Gentiles that as Ieremy said euery citie in Iudah had a god euery where in groues and hils were seuerall altars that mount Oliuet thereby was called the mount of corruption because they had made altars vnder euery groue and vnder euery greene tree to honour their Idols But now let vs returne to the Hebrues vnder Moses in the wildernesse Moses leading the armie of the Hebrewes in the wildernesse from Egipt marched with sixe hundred thousand and hauing diuers battels giuen him by the king of Arabia by Arad king of the Canaanites by Zeon king of the Ammorites and Og the king of Basan after them hauing battel with the king of Madianites and the king of Moabites whom hee conquered before Ioshua had charge of the armie and because the battels of the Lord were most miraculous in Egipt gotten by a white rod by the which Moses obtained ten victories and ten tryumphs ouer the Egiptians in Egipt So Moses in the wildernesse had the like successe not by deuised stratagems of their owne heads but by following the commandements of the Lord which are the onely stratagems of all victories After that Moses had brought the Hebrues out of Egipt into the wildernesse as to a schoole to instruct them in military discipline and to be acquainted with martiall lawes to arme themselues ready souldiers to fight the Lords battels at Ioshuahs commaundement who in the battell at Riphidim was against the Amalekites at what time Moses Aaron and Hur went vp to the top of mount Horeb and Moses held vp the rod of the Lord in his hand and praied for victorie for the battell continued vntill Sun setting and when Moses hand was weary Aaron and Hur held vp Moses hand betweene them and Ioshua preuailed ouerthrew Amelech and all his army wanne a great victorie for Moses praiers and Ioshuahs sword were both meanes by the Lords appointment to obtaine the victory for while Moses hand was vp the Hebrewes preuailed and when hee let downe his hand Amelech preuailed this great victorie was commanded by the Lord to Moses to be written in the booke of the lawe for a remembrance of so great a victorie And all other victories which they had aswell against Pharao before they came out of Egipt and against the Canaanites before they passed ouer Iorden were obtained by stratagems of the Lord in the behalfe of his people which the Lord had determined to place in Canaan King Arad hearing of the great ouerthrow that the Hebrues gaue the Amalekites their friends and neighbours came with a great army and fought against the Hebrues and for that the Hebrues serued not the Lord and were thanklesse for the last victorie king Arad preuailed slue and tooke of them many prisoners When the Hebrues cried vnto the Lord and made a vow to destroy the Canaanites if they might haue the victory the Lord vpon their promise vow deliuered the Canaanites their king Arad their cities and townes and the people vnto the hands of the Hebrues that the Canaanites were slain vtterly destroied this was the battel of the Lord for the Hebrues vanquished king Arad and the Canaanites according to their vowes which they made to the Lord. These were lawfull vowes to destroy the enemies of the Lorde by the vow of Cherim of which vowe the Lord himselfe is the author the Lord himselfe determined and commaunded the Hebrues to destroy the Canaanites as his enemies So the Prophet published a commaundement saying Vow vnto the Lord performe it the same Prophet saith Thy vowes are vpon me ô Lord I will render praise vnto thee hauing that which I required I am bound to pay my vowes of thansgiuing as I promised thee ô Lord. CHAP. XII Of the vowes and feasts of the Gentiles Of espialls sent to the land of Canaan by Ioshua with diuers other Stratagems IN all Countreys of the world as well the Gentiles as the Iewes were wont to make vowes vnto their Gods with praiers and promise to performe those things which they vowed if their gods would graunt victories in warres against their enemies or health to their Kings and Princes or to remooue any plague or sicknes from the people The Persians when they vowed any thing to the Sunne the King with his councel called Magi ascended vpon a high hill or mountaine where
Tarentum against Pirrhus vsed the like stratagem shewing a bloudy sword in his hand saying to his souldiers that it was the bloud of Pirrhus whom he slew with his owne hand thereby to moue the souldiers to greater courage to fight more manfully Souldiers ought not to be terrified with the multitude of enemies with slaughters of their Armies wherby Cities Townes and Countries reuolt to the enemies as at the battell at Canne the report of Varro the Consul of the ouerthrow of the Romanes caused all the citie of Capua to reuolt to Haniball Againe the report in Praeneste of the ouerthrowe of Sylla by Telesinus at the battell of Antemna and of the marching of Telesinus towards Rome with all his whole Army it so affrighted Offella one of Syllas Colonels that he at that time besieging Praeneste thought to raise his siege hearing such hard newes of Sylla the Generall Skilfull Generalls and wise Captaines vsed euer to couer and conceale the multitude of enemies as Milciades Themistocles and other Greeke captaines kept the innumerable multitude of the Persian Armies secret from the souldiers So did Mardonius conceale from Xerxes the great slaughter of the Persians in Greece The Romanes being besieged by the Gaules many of the chiefe Romanes to the number of a thousand fled into their Capitoll The Gaules hauing possessed the Cittie of Rome for seuen moneths expecting the yeelding of the Capitoll the Romanes also within the Capitoll hauing welnigh consumed their victuals vsed this stratagem to throwe loaues of bread in euery place out of the Capitoll in such abundance though at that time they wanted prouision of bread that the Gaules were amazed suspecting they had prouision inough to hold out that they presently fell to composition with the Romanes The Thracians beeing besieged on such a straight hill where their enemies could haue no accesse to come vnto them and readie to die for famine vsed this stratagem to feed certaine beasts with wheate and cheese and to let the beasts goe downe towards their enemies Camp which being takē of the enemies and killed they found wheate and cheese in the bowels of the beastes thinking thereby that the Thracians had bin well victualled and prouided remoued their siege Clearchus the Lacedemonian vnderstanding that the Thracians had caried sufficient prouision of victuals for themselues vp to the mountaines to their Campe the Thracians sent their Embassadors still expecting when Clearchus for want of victuals would remoue his siege Clearchus knowing that the Thracian Embassadors were comming vsed this stratagem commaunded one of the captiues to bee slaine to bee deuided in peeces and to be distributed betweene him and other tenne of his captains in his pauiliō in the very sight of the Thracian Embassadors the sight whereof made the Thracians so astonished and thereby to yeeld thinking that they that could feed on such foode might continue too long for the Thracians to endure it But the Sonne of God gaue himselfe to be slaine for his souldiers to bee their spirituall foode to feed them both in body and soule to wearie Satan which still continueth his siege against Ierusalem I shall haue occasion to write of more stratagems hereafter and therefore I returne to the battels of the Hebrewes against the Canaanites CHAP. XIII Of the great victorie had ouer fiue Kings in the plaine of Moab by Ioshua Of their vnthankfulnesse afterward disobedience and of their marshall punishment therefore A Great battell was fought in the plaine of Moab commaunded by the Lord vnto Moses where fiue Kings of the Madianites were slaine their names you may read in the margeant all their villages and citties burnt with fire all their people slaine with the sword the Hebrewes tooke all the spoile and all the pray both of men and beasts and Moses was angry with the Captains of the host for sparing the women as Samuel was with king Saul for sparing Agag king of the Amalekites and Elizeus with Achab for sparing Benhadad and caused all women that had knowne men carnally to be slaine with the sword and to saue those that were virgins that knew no man which were two and thirtie thousand whereby it appeared that innumerable was the slaughter of men women and children in this battell where two and thirtie thousand virgins were found and reserued to liue whereby also the spoyle and pray was very rich in this battell to the Hebrewes In this battell was not one slaine of Ioshuas souldiers All the Captains and Colonels of the Army came before Moses saying thy seruants haue taken the number of all the men of warre which are vnder our authoritie and there lacketh not a man of vs. This was a stratagem of Ierusalem in the battels of the Lord that not one man died of the army in so great a victory The Lacedemonians reioyced much that Archidamus had obtained a great victorie got great spoile and slew many of his enemies without the loosing of one of his souldiers and therfore called it Bellumsine lachrimis Yet the Hebrewes for their three former victories at Riphidim at Horma and in the plaine of Moab were vnthankfull vnto the Lord and murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron and after against Ioshua Caleb as at Taberah where they so murmured against Moses their Generall that the Lord was so displeased with them that he executed martiall lawes vpon them for the fire of the lande burnt them and consumed the vtmost part of theyr Army because of their disobedience Moses sister Myria for that she spake against the Generall and began to rebel in the campe martiall laws were executed vpon her she was not spared for that she was Moses sister nor Moses himselfe when he had offended the Lord at the water of Meribah shee was made leaprous and shut out of the host seuen dayes vntill shee had due punishment for her seditious mutinie and prayers made by Moses before she was receiued into the host Againe Coreh Dathan and Abiron conspired and rebelled against their Generall with two hundred and fiftie souldiers that were famous in the Congregation and men of renowme but the lawe of armes was most terribly executed the ground claue asunder vnderneath them and opened her mouth and swalowed them aliue with all their treasures and wealth and all their families Againe they murmured against Ioshua and Caleb that the whole multitude would haue stoned Ioshua Caleb so seuere was the Lord against his owne people the Hebrewes for their disobedience and murmuring that he vsed martiall lawes vpon them that all they that came out of Egipt sixe hundred thousand for their disobedience against the Lorde and rebellious mutinies from time to time from place to place at Horeb at Taberah at Massa at Riphidim at Meribah died in the wildernesse for the Lord accepteth obedience more then sacrifice And therefore Noah for that he obeyed the Lord in
besieged the citie Casselina that the Romanes could by no meanes send a conuoy to relieue the souldiers the Romains deuised this stratagem to fill certaine tunnes some with flower and some with meale and to let them goe downe vpon the riuer Vulturnus but the riuer being chained ouer by Hannibal this stratagem was preuented In another stratagem the Romanes deceiued Hannibal they scattered infinite numbers of Nuttes and let them goe downe with the same selfe riuer Vulturnus which neither Hannibal himselfe nor his chaine could preuent so that the souldiers of Casselina were relieued and refreshed for a time with these Nuttes Such a stratagem vsed Hircius to relieue the poore Romane souldiers in Mutina being besieged by Mar. Antonius who wanted chiefly salt Hircius let go infinit numbers of great close bowls made like litle tuns full of salt to swim downe the riuer Saniturnus so relieued Mutina So should we vse such stratagems against Satan that if Satan shuld ouerthrow vs in the first we should arme our selues with spirituall weapons to ouerthrow him in the second Againe to Ioshua The Lord commaunded Ioshua to march forward to vanquish the Canaanites because the cōquest might not be assigned vnto man the Lord commaunded Ioshua all the strong men of warres to goe round about the walls of Iericho once a day for seuen daies and seuen priests to beare seuen trumpets of Rammes hornes before the Arke and to compasse Iericho the seuenth day seuen times and then commanded the priests to blowe the trumpets and all the men of warre without shot or sword to shout with a loud great shout and then the walles of Iericho should fall flat downe to the grounde this was the Lordes stratageme at his battell at which time Ioshua saw a man stand ouer against him with a naked sword in his hand who being asked of Ioshua what he was said I am the Prince of the Lordes host and am therefore comen now to be a Captaine of the Lordes people and Ioshua bowed himselfe worshipped him and thereby acknowledged him to be Christ the sonne of God Now Ioshua being instructed of the Lorde what to do the priests and the warriours by Ioshua the walls being fallen flat downe went vnto the citie destroied both man and woman young and old oxe and sheepe with the edge of the sword after burnt the citie with fire and Ioshua cursed that man before the Lord that would build vp Iericho again to the destruction of himselfe and both his sonnes That captaine that went before Ioshua to the battell at Iericho and was present at the fall of Ierichos wall went likewise before Cyrus as himselfe said to Cyrus I will goe before thee to Babilon and I will breake their brazen gates and crush in peeces their iron barres I wil humble the glorious people of the earth in thy presence The same captaine spake to Nabuchodonozer as hee spake to Cyrus I wil send Nabuchodonozer as the staffe of my wrath and the rod of my punishment and he shall tread my enemies downe like the myre in the streets so that all victories come from the Lord euen to all good kings and to tyrants After the ouerthrow of Iericho the Lord commaunded Ioshua to besiege the citie of Ai where hee slew all that dwelt in Ai and left not one to liue and tooke their king aliue and hangd him on a tree vntill the euening and the citie was burnt and twelue thousand slaine for the Lord said to Ioshua stretch out the speare that is in thy hand towards Ai in tokē of the victory Now mark the victories of the Lord in his battels the victory at Riphidim was had by holding vp of Moses hand the victory of Iericho by sounding of Rams hornes the victory of Ai with the lifting vp of Ioshuah speare the victory at Aphec by shooting of Ioas Eastward the victory ouer the Madianites by Gedeon with the sounding of trumpets and breaking of pitcher pots these are stratagems which are often seene in the battels of the Lord. So also the Lord strengthened many of his people to vanquish ouercome their enemies in seuerall combats one man to ouercome many as Sampson with the iaw bone of an asse slue a 1000. Philistines Samgar with an oxe goade slue 600. Philistines Dauid with his fling litle stone slue the monstrous blasphemous Gyant Golias Who knoweth not that Moses rod Ioshuahs spear Gedeons pitcher pots Sampsons iaw bone Samgars goade or Dauid with his sling litle stone had bin but weake meanes to ouerthrow so many enemies had not the Lord strengthened the meanes by the men These were battels of the lord which were not fought with swords shots nor weapons but armed with spirituall armours and fought with weapons of faith vanquished theyr enemies But such victories were onely graunted to the souldiers of the Lord the people of Israel which victories at that time were to them onely peculiar The great victorie which the Lord gaue vnto Samuel by meanes of thunderboltes lightnings and earthquakes that therby the Philistines were so amazed that Samuel vnlooked for fell vpō thē slew them ouerthrew them and chased them til they came to Cortaeos which is Bethgar such stratagems vseth the Lord against his enemies as thunderboltes lightnings and earthquakes Mar. Aurelius hauing warres with the Germains and Sarmatians his Army being like to be lost for water requested the legion of Christian souldiers to pray vnto their God for helpe and they were heard of the Lord the Emperor confessed the goodnesse of God naming him Iupiter at what time their enemies were stricken with lightning and fire that they perished and therfore these souldiers were called Legio fulminea the legion of thunder by the Emperour himselfe Cornelius a Captaine of an Italian band in Caesaria a iust and a deuout man was by an Angell warned to goe to Ioppa to bee baptised of Peter and to become from a Heathen a Christian Captaine to fight in the battels of the Lord. So likewise the Centurion which was at the death of Christ Iesus in Ierusalem seeing the myracles that were then done confessed him to bee the Lord and glorified God these two were called both to be Christian Captaines In the battell that Iudas Machabaeus had with Gorgias the gouernor of Edumea where the victorie fell to Machabaeus they found vnder the coates of them that were slaine Iewels consecrated to the Idols of the Iamnites but as the Lord commaunded the Hebrewes to burne such Idolatrous Iewels destroy their gilded Images and the gods of the Gentiles and not to take the siluer and golde that is on theyr gods as Achan did against the lawe at the Cittie of Ai and dyed for it by the lawe I will proceed for to shewe in olde time in what sort and after what manner euery Nation entered into battell I thinke it not amisse as well for varietie of
wherevpon he besieged Ephron tooke it destroied it and spoiled it and slew as many as were males within the Citie Diuers kings assembled themselues against Ioshua hearing how Ioshua and the Hebrewes had conquered two great Cities Iericho and Ai fiue kings came together to fight against Ioshua at Gibeon for they feared exceedingly the report of the great battels and wonders that Moses before Ioshua had done vnto the Arabians Madianites Amalekites others for the Lord promised to send the feare and dread of the Hebrews vpon all people vnder heauen and all the Nations of the world should tremble and quake at the fame and great glorie of the Hebrewes and therfore came these fiue kings with all their Armies most strongly against Ioshua but it was the battell of the Lord for the Lord discomfited them before the Hebrewes and slew them at Gibeon with a great slaughter and the Hebrewes chaced them from Gibeon to Bethoron and the fiue kings fled with the rest that were vnslaine but the Lord cast great stones downe from heauen vpon them that more of them died by the stones that fell from heaue◅ then the Hebrues slew with the sword in the field and the fiue kings that fled into a caue in Makedah were brought before Ioshuah and he called the captaines and chiefe men of the Army and commaunded them to set their feete vpon the necks of these kings signifying vnto them that they should so ouercome all nations and vanquish all their enemies in the battels of the Lord. This Ioshuah did to encourage his captains in the setting of their feet vpon the fiue kings necks that conquerors may do what please them of kings conquered So did Sapor king of Persia vse Valerianus the Romane Emperour as a blocke to lay his foote vpon his necke to mount on horsebacke The like did Tamberlane to the great Turk Pazaites at mount Stella where he ouerthrew him and tooke him prifoner There also Pompey the great ouerthrew Mithridates K. of Pontus before where Tamberlane gaue the ouerthrow to the great Turke tooke him and kept him in a cage vnder his table and carried him about with him to his warres Obserue how the kings of the Canaanites Edomites Maobites Ammonites and Philistines knit themselues together against the Hebrewes feeling in themselues such inward fear of them as the Macedonians the Persians and all Asia were fearfull of the Romanes as you read before of Mithridates king of Pontus Tygranes king of Armenia and Iugurth king of Numidia and yet preuailed not for the Lord had determined to take the Monarchie out of the Macedonians hands giue it to the Romanes as he gaue it before from the Persians to the Macedonians Cratippus the Philosopher could say so much to Pom-Pey the great after he was ouerthrowne by Caesar at the battell of Pharsalia Pompey being desirous to know what should happen of the Empire of Rome Cratippus answered that all Kingdomes and Empires are fatall And as Sirach saith Regnum non trasferetur nisi ob in iustitiam regni regis so the kingdomes monarchies of the world passed one vnto another by the Lord appointed Now Ioshua proceedeth forward to his last battell at the waters of Merom where diuers and sundrie kings gathered together with all the force and power they had to fight with Ioshuah with as many people as the sand that is on the sea shore for multitude of men horses and chariots for in this battel al the kings ioyned their force and power together against Ioshuah at the waters of Merom for to fight against the Hebrewes but the Lord gaue them into Ioshuahs hands for they were so slaine that they fell before Ioshua and fled before the Hebrewes vnto Sidon and vnto the valley of Mispech Such a great victorie did the Lord giue vnto Ioshuah ouer these kings that the Sunne stayed ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon vntill Ioshuah had full victorie ouer the Canaanites hauing subdued one and thirtie Kings These are the stratagems of the Lord in the behalfe of Ierusalem What stratagems hath not the Lord vsed to saue his people from their enemies enuironed with so many nations against them in the wildernesse and readie to bee deuoured of so many Kings about them in Canaan for the Canaanites thought it more straunge that Ioshua should come into the land of Canaan with his poore Hebrew Army called Hicsos in scorne among the Egyptians then the Babylonians thought of Cyrus to come to Babilon with his most inuincible Persian Armye or the Carthagenians of Scypio to come to Carthage and Affrica with his Romane armie Both Cyrus Scipio vsed stratagems to winne these victories Decius Brutus being so straightly besieged by Mar. Antonius at the citie Mutina to whom Hircius the Cōsull deuised a stratagem to write certaine letters vpon lead and to send them tied about souldiers neckes that swam down the riuer Scultenna to Mutina by the which he was certified of the Consuls minde Another stratagem of Hircius who tied certaine letters about tame Doues neckes which hee kept to that purpose hungry without meate and in darknesse which were sent by some of his souldiers in the night time as nigh as they could to the citie Mutina and then to let them flie the Pigeons being hungry fled straight to the Towers and high buildings of the towne which were brought to Brutus Brutus being now instructed with this stratagem of Hircius vsed the like himselfe to feede Pigeons within the citie Mutina and to let them flee which were for a time carriers of letters betweene Hircius the Consull and Brutus It is not read that the Hebrues reuolted during the whole time of Ioshuah the Hebrues needed not to doubt of victories if they would serue the Lorde hauing the Arke in the midst of their campe where the Lord presented himselfe to giue them Oracles and therfore they might boldly commence warre or enter any battell being imboldned by the Lord as hee promised to Moses and to Ioshua that hee would goe before them with such miraculous stratagems some in the seas as against Pharao some in the Sunne Moone as against the Canaanites some with fire from heauen as against Baals false prophets and priests Some with the opening of the earth in swallowing rebellious Iewes And other such stratagems with stones lightning and thunderbolts to destroy the enemies of Ierusalem CHAP. XVI Of the order and manner of the Gentiles how they brought their wiues and concubines how they ware their best apparell and how they brought the dearest and preciousest Iewels they had in the sight of the campe before they entred into any battell because they should more manfully and couragiously fight THe kings of Asia souldiers whē they went to fight any great battel they brought into the field their most dearest things and preciousest Iewelles which they ware about them to signifie how willing glad they
were to offer their liues and all that they had in the defence of the country of Asia The Persians brought not onely into the field their Iewels treasures and wealth but also their wiues their concubines which the Persians esteemed and preferred before all the treasures of the world that by looking on their wiues and concubines they should the more be encouraged kindled manfully to fight for their country for their wiues and for their concubines The Romane souldiers vsed to put all the money and gold they had in bagges sealed and to laie them vnder the principall standart of the Generall as pawnes and pledges that they would fight the battell lustily and valiantly like Romanes The Lacedemonians the onely souldiers of Greece before they would goe to any battell they would wash themselues weare the best apparel they had they would trim their beards and kembe their heads and therefore called Comati milites entred into any battel as though they should goe to the games of Olimpia or to the plaies of Histmia but all these nations could not bring such a treasure nor such a Iewell into the field as the Hebrues did which was the arke where the presence of the Lord was and continued with them in the middest of the campe Now after all these victories ouer the Canaanites Iosuah returned to Gilgal where the Campe was and where the Arke remained to giue thanks vnto the Lord for so many great victories he had ouer so many kings and so many nations After that Ioshuah was dead the manner of the Hebrues was to consult with the Lord and to take counsell by Vrim and Thummim of their further proceedings and choosing of a Generall to leade gouerne them in their warre as the like in all countries were vsed The Iudges of Greece called Amphictiōs assembled together for the whole state of Greece to consult of martiall causes and matters concerning the state in the temple of Neptune at Trozena So among the Latines before the Romanes time they met at the woods Ferentina to decree and determine of matters of warres after the Romanes had subdued the Latins they agreed vpon all causes of warres in the temple of Ianus in Rome The Lacedemonians when they had any warres in hand they met in the temple of Diana in the confines of Laconia with the Messenians and others to conclude of great warlike causes and to prouide for their Generalls The Aetolians would allow no decree nor no lawe passed vnlesse it were done in their counsell house Panaetolium with the consent of the whole state So the Senators of the Athenians met in Panaegiris to consult of warlike causes there was no countrey or citie in Greece but they had their Senate and Councell house to determine of warres and other matters of state concerning their Countrey for at that time all Greece was in armes one citie against another through ciuill warres As among all nations they euer sought wise stout discreet and godly captaines for the whole force of the armie dependeth vpon a wise resolute and stout captaine And therfore the Carthagineans and the Affricans sent in any great warres to Sparta for a Lacedemonian captaine And so the Carthagineans had Xantippus sent to them for their Generall So the Tarentines sent for Pirrhus to be their Generall against the Romanes skilfull Generals were so esteemed in Greece that the Athethians made Phocian twentie seuerall times their Generall and Pericles nine times That made the Achaians to appoint Aratus seuen times their Generall So the Thaebans made Pelopidas thirteene times their Generall And the Achaians made Philopomen eight times their Generall So that it was not hard among the Grecians to finde skilfull Generalls that knewe how to ouercome theyr enemies though not by force and multitude of many souldiers yet with stratagems and pollicie of fewe As by the stratagem of Leonidas at Thermopyla and the stratagem of Themistocles at Salamina with fewe Grecians ouerthrew many thousands of the Persians The Greekes for that they were wise politique and learned far exceeded the Romanes in stratagems especially Agesilaus and Epaminondas two great noble captaines whose greatnes was such that the one enuied the other as much as Caesar enuied Pompey or Pompey Caesar though the Romanes farre excelled the Grecians in armes yet were the Romanes inferiour to the Grecians in policies and stratagems the Romanes accepted no trecherie to ouercome their enemies but by armes they refused to giue money to Timocheres Pirrhus Phisition though he offered to Fabritius to poyson his maister for money for Fabritius thought it an infamie to the name of the Romanes any way to accept trecherie therein they farre excelled the Grecians or Macedonians For Philip king of Macedonia got as many victories by corruption and fraud as he did by armes and therefore he was wont often to say that there was no citie so inuincible but an asse loaden with gold might enter in through the strongest gate of that citie nor no wall so high but a ladder of gold might scale it so Philip tooke Byzantium and so Lysimachus Philips successor tooke Ephesus Conon Generall of Athens hauing ouerthrowne the Persian nauie in the I le of Cyprus hee caused his owne souldiers to put on the armours and cloathes of the Persians whom he ouerthrew and placed them in Persian nauies and sailed to Pamphilia to another Persian army on the land the Persians doubting nothing seeing their owne ships and their owne souldiers as they supposed Conon landed with his Grecian armie cloathed with Persian garments and gaue them such a battell at the riuer Eurimedon that he obtained by this stratagem two victories ouer the Persians the one on sea in Cyprus the other on land at the riuer Eurimedon The like stratagem vsed Epaminondas vppon a Feast day in one of the cities of Arcadia the womē virgins of the citie comming to solace themselues abroad Epaminondas caused certaine of his souldiers to be cloathed in womens apparell in like garments as the women of Arcadia had and to goe and mingle themselues among the citizens of Arcadia and entered the towne among other women as though they had bene citizens wiues and in the night time slue the watche and opened the gate to let Epaminondas and his armie come in As Epaminondas vsed Arcadian garments to deceiue the Arcadians So Conon vsed Persian garments for a stratagem to deceiue the Persians So Hanibal deceiued the Tarentines with hūters garmēts like the Tarētines So the Gibionites deceiued Ioshua but we must deceiue Sathan with a contrary garment we must put off the old garments of the first Adam and put on the garments of the second Adam which is Christ. If we meane to obtaine victories ouer Sathan wee must put on our wedding garment if wee mean to come to the banket Note also the custome and
manner of the Gentiles aswell in choosing their Generals as you heard as also in choosing their former auncient kings some by flying of fowles as the old Romains choosed Numa Pomp. some by neying of a horse as the Persians choosed Darius others by swiftnes and agilitie of the body as in Lybia others by strength qualities comelinesse of person as among the Meades So the Aethiopians if they wanted one of the kings stock his name they made a choise as the Meades did of one to bee theyr king of a most comely personage that excelled in strength in qualities So because the Israelites wold haue a king and were weary of those gouernours that the Lord set ouer them the Lord cōmanded Samuel to annoint Saul to be their king who was the tallest and the goodliest man in all Israel from his shoulders vpwardes And so Xerxes though an Infidel among ten hundred thousand men which hee brought in his army from Persia against the Greeks was the only tallest and goodliest man of all his hoste and so in many countries among diuers nations they made such choise of their generals of their kings that they should be such men as should haue Bonum animi and bonum corporis fit and apt qualities both in mind and body to rule and gouerne an army But so did neither the Grecians nor the Romanes for Agesilaus was lame and had one leg shorter then the other Darius king of Persia had one hand longer then another Hanibal for two eyes had but one Caesar for his baldnes was fain to couer it with a garland oflawrel yet lame Agesilaus for his many victories 〈◊〉 warlike know ledge was called Agesilaus the great Hanibal with his one eye was the only captain of his time of all men reputed called Hostis Romanis Caesar though bald yet had not his peere nor his equal in martial exploits captains that farre excelled these goodly and tall kings Saul Xerxes and farre exceeded those comely tall captains whom the Meades the Aethiopians the Lybians were wont in old time to choose to be their kings And as the Lord is indifferent in bestowing his good gifts vpon the simplest meanest that serue him aswell as vpon the comeliest and goodliest men for the Lord hath no respect to the personage of men as we reade in sacred scripture Moses was goodly tall faire of complection and of yealow haire and a seruant of the Lord. Absolon the comeliest best made man from the crown of his head to his toe and yet the seruant of Sathan Ioseph the sonne of Iacob the fairest best fauored in Egipt a godly seruant of the Lord. Saul the tallest man in all Israel frō his shoulders vpwards yet serued not the Lord. So the gifts of nature appeare vpō the good the bad as you heard So may it be said of Elias a Prophet of the Lord being rough and hairy so we read of him of Esau rough hairy like Elias but a reprobate of the Lord for so the Lord said Iacob haue I loued and Esau haue I hated In fine Elizeus was bald for so was he mocked and called baldpate but a bear came out of the wood deuoured 42. childrē in Bethel for calling the prophet bald pate Dauid the least of his brethren not able to carry Sauls armour to fight with Golias and yet valiant inough to kill Golias and to bring his head to Saul Zachaeus so litle a fellow that he could not see Christ among the presse of the people but climbed a figge tree where Christ saw him bad him quickly come down This day wil I dine in thy house said the Lord to Zacheus So that Dauid being but of litle stature Elias rough and hairy and Flizeus bald yet three chosen Prophets of the Lord. Now to the marching of Ierusalam CHAP. XVII How Iudah was elected to be the third Iudge of Israel by Vrim and Thummim of his battell at Besecke Of Ehud Deborah Gedeon with their victories togither with certaine stratagems as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles AFter Ioshua died Iudah was appointed the third captaine ouer the Israelites by the iudgement of Vrim and Thummim elected chosen to be the leader of the whole army of Israel the Lord from the beginning had appointed iudges and gouernors to lead his people frō Egipt to the land of Canaan as Moses Ioshuah after Ioshuah Iudah now the third captaine who fought the battell of the Lord in Bezeck and slew ten thousand of the Canaanites and the Perezites and tooke Adonizebech not a king but a tirant This king was by the iust iudgement of the Lord vsed in like sort as he vsed other kings for the thumbes of his hands and of his feete were cut off as he most cruelly cut off the thumbes of the handes of the feete of seuentie kings which he kept and fed with the crummes that fell from his table for so he confessed himselfe that as he had done so the Lord rewarded him for hee was brought to Ierusalem and there died Hannibal well nigh plaied the like part who vsed the poore captiue Romanes in like sort being weak wearied he cut off their thumbes pared the soales of the feete of a great number and so left them that they could neither stand nor goe Fabius Seruilianus equall or rather before these tyrants in tyrannie after he had vanquished a great number of the barbarous people of Scythia and had taken captiues Iure deditionis very many yet contrary to the faith and nature of the auncient Romanes hee cut off both the hands of fiue hundred of the principallest souldiers of them and left the poore Scythians without hands as Hannibal left the Romains without feete Thrasibulus being a tyrant for his tyrannie sent one of his chiefe men to Periander another tyrant to consult and to be aduised by him how he might liue without feare and daunger he being a tyrant among the Milesians Periander brought the messenger of Thrasibulus to a ripe corne field where with the staffe he had in his hand he did beat the eares of the corne and turnd to Thrasibulus messenger and said no more but commend me to thy maister Thrasibulus after he heard what Periander did knew his meaning was that he should destroy kill all the chiefe men citizens in Milesia if he would liue in safetie That tyrant must needs fear some of whom all men stand in feare This was such a dumbe stratagem which Periander taught Thrasibulus as Torquine the proud taught his son Sextus by a seruant which he sent to his father whom Torquine brought vnto a garden where with his staffe he beate the head of poppies This was a dumbe stratagem which Torquine sent to his sonne wherby he knew his fathers minde slew the chiefe Citizens and betrayed
king and his battell at Michmash AFter Sampson the last Iudge in Israel died Eli was appointed high Priest to gouerne them who though a godly man himselfe yet brought not vp his sonnes in vertue in the fear of God therefore the Lorde rebuked Eli and said to Samuel I haue sworne that the wickednesse of Eli his house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for euer for the Lord tooke away the priesthood from Eli and from his house for the transgression of his children Likewise the Prophet Samuels sonnes for that they followed not their fathers steps but looked after lucre and tooke rewards were reprehended for corruption and bribery For Samuel being olde not able for age to execute his office he appointed both his sonnes to be Iudges in Bersabe but they loued rewards and bribes and therefore the people complained to Samuel of his sonnes refusing to be gouerned by them but would be gouerned by a king as other nations were Therefore was the Priesthood taken away from the house of Eli for the wickednesse of his children Ophnes and Phineis So was the gouernment taken from Samuel and from his house for euer through the corruption and briberie of his sonnes Ioell and Abiah Who would thinke that so good a King as Dauid should haue so wicked a sonne as Absolon that kild his brother Ammon in his owne house and sought the crowne of Iudah euen from his fathers head a murtherer of his Brother and a notable Traytour to his Father Who would thinke that good king Ezechiah should haue so wicked a sonne as Manasses to succeed him that sawed the prophet Esay in the midst and filled the streets of Ierusalem with blood And againe who would iudge but Salomon being the onely wisest king of the world hauing a thousand Queenes and concubines yet had but one sonne Rhehoboham that he was so brought vp to offend the people that ten of the twelue Tribes forsooke him and went to Ieroboam his fathers seruant Such was the care of kings among all nations that Philip king of Macedonia was glad to haue a sonne born in Aristotles time by whom hee might learne to knowe how to be a king and of whome Alexander the great himselfe was wont to say that he was as much bound to Aristotle his maister for his learning as he was to Philip his father for his birth And therefore Cyrus commaunded his sonne Cambises at his going to warres to Scithia to followe the counsell of Craesus to be ruled and gouerned by him For Cyrus knew Craesus to be so wise that by naming of Solons name he saued his owne life In like sort king Antigonus commaunded his sonne Helenus to be aduised and counselled by Aratus whom he knew to be a great learned man a noble captaine for that he was chosen to be seuenteene times Generall ouer the Achaians The cares of the kings of Persia was such for their children that they made choise of foure principall men in all knowledge to instruct them and to bring them vp The first schoole-maister should teach them the seruice of the gods with their sacrifice and ceremonies The second should instruct their children in the auncient lawes and customes of the kings of Persia. The third should bring them vp in sobrietie temperancy to vanquish lust and incontinency And the fourth should learn them to be valiant and hardy and to be acquainted with military discipline And therfore Alexander the great brought vp three thousand Persian youthes in the martiall discipline of the Macedonians And so Sertorius brought vp all the noble mens sonnes in Hispaine in martiall discipline of the Romanes This much I thought good to write of the good bringing vp and education of children for by the wickednesse of Eli his sonnes and corruption of Samuels sonnes the Priesthood was taken from the one and the gouernment taken from the other and therefore Israel cried for a king therat Samuel was much displeased but the Lord said vnto him heare the voyce of the people they haue not cast thee away but me that I should not raigne ouer them yet saith the Lord Tell them the nature of a king that he will take their sonnes to runne before his chariots to eare his ground to gather in his haruest and the king wil take their daughters and make them dressers of his oyntments his cookes and bakers the king shall take the best of their fields of their vineyards and of their oliue trees and giue them to his seruants he shall take the tenth of their seed and of theyr vines the best of their men seruants and maid seruants their young men and their asses to doo his worke yet though Samuel told al this to Israel from the Lord they would haue a king much like the fable of the frogs The frogs would haue a king being refused of many they came to the storke and would haue him to be their king which he accepted he got him a block as a seate to sit on to heare their causes and to giue iudgement but when the frogs came before their king to complaine he began with his bill to pricke them and after to wound thē that some were wounded some slain some made hast away So Samuel spake to the Israelites to that effect as they found in Saul Ieroboam Achab Manasses others such wicked kings The Apology of Iothan may be now well mentioned who spake in a parable to the Sychemites that the trees would haue a king but the vine the figge and the oliue trees refused to be their king then would the trees haue a bush or a gorsse to be their king who did accept of it This bush or gorsse would easily take fire and burne all the Sychemites in Sychem and did not Abimelech so after hee killed 70. sonnes of Gedeon his bretheren he destroyed Sychem and slew all the Sychemites and sowed salt in that place to make it barren for euer for salt as Pliny saith makes ground barren and vnapt to bring any thing When the Philistines heard that Israel had a king they gathered themselues together to fight against Israel thirtie thousand chariots six thousand horsemen and the footemen were like the sand by the sea side in multitude and they pitched their camp in Michmash and the Philistines seemed so many vnto the Israelites that the Israelites hid themselues in holtes in towers caues rockes and pits and many of them fled ouer Iorden yet the Lord deliuered the Philistines into Ionathans hand Sauls sonne that Israel might know that victorie consists not in multitude nor armour of men but onely in the arme of the Lord and therfore Ionathan smote the Philistines and the Lord turned euery mans sword vpon his fellow so that there was a very great ouerthrow and the battell continued vntill they came that fled for feare of the Philistines
yeares space gaue diuers ouerthrows to some Romane Praetors Consuls as Cai. Vetulius Cai. Plantius and others that he waxed so proud and insolent of his victories ouer the Romans that he hanged vp the Romane Ensignes on high hilles and mountaines as trophies to shewe his victories ouer the Romanes but Viriatus was betrayed and slaine by some of his souldiers by meanes of Caepio the Consul against the manners of the olde Romanes which neuer allowed trechery thinking to haue a great reward of the Romanes for his trechery but they according to their manners sent him backe bound vnto Hispaine as a traytor to his captaine and countrey as they did to Timocheres Pirrhus Phisition who offered the Romanes if they would to poison his maister Pirrhus So Camillus sent the schoolemaister of the Phaelicians who brought all his schollers beeing noble mens sonnes to betray the Towne backe naked before his schollers euery scholler hauing a rodde in his hand to whip his master for betraying their fathers their frends and the citie so that neither Viriatus seruant that slew his maister neither Pirrhus Phisition that would haue poisoned his maister nor the schoolemaister that would betray his citie could get any rewards at the Romanes hands for trechery Now to Dauid whose example of warres and victories vpō the Amalekites Canaanites and the rest as in this the next booke shal be mentioned The end of the first booke The second Booke of the Stratagems of Ierusalem CHAP. I. Of Dauid the second King of Israel and his great victories and good successe which hee had in all his warres against the Canaanites Edomites Moabites Ammonites Philistines and others DAuid a man whom the Lord found to his owne heart a second Ioshuah of Israel hee fought many battels of the Lorde and wonne many victories for when the Philistines heard that Saul was dead they sought for Dauid to fight with him and Dauid asked counsell of the Lord before hee would take any battel in hand which made his victories so many and himselfe so famous that all his enemies feared him So should all Kings Generalls and Captaines hold that rule for a principall part of theyr charge and not to commence warre without a iust cause and lawful meanes to be executed Iosias had no good cause to fight with Necho king of Egipt who commaunded his souldiers not to fight with Iosias but against Charchemish a citie of the Assirians So the King of Syria charged his souldiers to fight with none but with Achab king of Israel at what time Iosaphat king of Iudah was spared and therefore returned safe and sound to Ierusalem by the counsell of the king of Syria Had Iosias followed the counsell of Necho king of Egipt as Iosaphat followed the counsell of the king of Syria Iosias had saued his life as Iosophat did Dauid fought with the Philistines smote scattered them and slew them that they fled before Dauids face in the valley of Gyants which is the plaine of diuision because of their victories and there they left their Images and Idols and Dauid burned them much like to the Iamnites who carried the Images of their Idols in theyr bosomes to the battell and tyed them about theyr neckes for they were so found after the Iamnites were slaine as in auntient time the Egiptians carried their gods and their Idols painted on their Ensignes and Banners into the field as their standarts Againe the Philistines gathered their force against Dauid at Rephaim which is called the valley of Gyants and Dauid ouerthrew the host of the Philistines chased them from Geba vnto Gazar An other battell of the Lord against the Philistines fought by Dauid and he againe subdued them tooke the strong citie of Gath which they called the bridle of bondage out of the hands of the Philistines This citie kept the countrey round about in subiection and bondage Thus all wise and skilfull generals ought to imitate Dauid herein to seize by all warlike policie vpon those strong citties and fortes that can commaund the countrey So Hanibal thought himself sure of Rome hauing gottē Capua and Tarentum two of the strongest citties in Italy into his hand So the Romanes hauing gotten Syracusa doubted not to take Carthage and hauing Carthage in their hands they soone cōquered all Affrike and hauing Affricke they made no account to win Asia for at that verie time the best souldiers of the worlde were in the West kingdomes For Antiochus the great the greatest king at that time in all Asia was soone ouerthrowne by a Consull of Rome So Dauid went forward in his victories after he had gotten the strong citie of Gath he smote Moab and measured them with a cord he slue them cast them down to the ground he ouercame whom he would and saued whom hee listed so that the Moabites became Dauids seruants and brought him gifts and presents that the Lord made Dauid famous throughout all the world During the time of Dauids warres against the Canaanites and other nations their associates there was no great warre then among the Syrians neither in any part of Asia and especially in Europe which was scant throughly inhabited in Dauids time and therfore there was no such warre to be written of as was thē between the Israelites and the Canaanites in the time of Dauid For as Ioshua slue the Canaanites and gaue the possession of the land vnto Israel so Dauid rooted them out slue their gyants and brought all the land tributary vnto Salomon his sonne who gouerned Israel fortie yeares in peace and quietnesse without warre Hadarezer king of Zobah hearing of the name and fame of Dauid went to establish his borders by the riuer Euphrates with a great army with him where Dauid gaue him battell fought with him ouerthrew him and tooke from him a thousand chariots seuen thousand horsmen and twentie thousand footemen Dauid destroyed all the chariots and hought all the horses but reserued an hundred chariots for himselfe so that the Lorde was with Dauid wheresoeuer he went and whatsoeuer he tooke in hand The Aramites hearing what great ouerthrow Hadarezer king of Zobah had by Dauid came from Damascus with a very great army to succor the king of Zobah for they knitted themselues against Israel with all theyr force and power but they had the like welcome as the Philistines the Moabites and the king of Zobah had Dauid slue of the Aramites two twenty thousand Dauid put a garrison in that part of Syria where Damascus was and the Aramites became Dauids seruants and brought him presents gifts Dauid so plagued the Aramites which are also named Siriās that they bare such mortall hatred to Iudah for they euer ioyned themselues after with the Ephraimites against ' the Tribe of Iudah Obserue the martiall proceedings of the Israelites to put garrison in euery strong Citie and fort where they had subdued
So by these meanes Dauid and Ioshua before him brought the Moabites the Edomites and the Philistines and all theyr enemies round about to be vnder their gouernment So after Dauid all nations did the like a principall point in all good Generalls to strengthen themselues with garrison in strong places Herein the Remanes excelled all nations that whersoeuer or whosoeuer they subdued there they placed Romane Magistrates to gouerne As Scypio and Pompey the great did in Asia Titus and Sylla in Greece this made the Romanes to be feared and dreaded among all nations of the worde For after the Romaines had subdued the Carthagineans they made Carthage a prouince to bee gouerned vnder a Proconsull of Rome After they had subdued Numidia and Lybia they were made prouinces and gouerned vnder a Consul of Rome So Egipt and Mauritania were in like sort gouerned vnder Romane Presidents So Sardinia Cicilia Achaia and many others were made Praetorian prouinces and gouerned vnder the Romanes But wee will proceede forward with the warres of Dauid euery where vnder his Generall Abishai Ioabs brother who slue eighteene thousand of the Edomites in the salt valley and he put garrion in Edom and all the Edomites became Dauids seruants so that Dauids enterprises and his battels which hee fought against the enemies of the Lord had wheresoeuer he went good successe Dauid euer vsed martiall lawes vpon the Lords enemies when Rabbah was taken by Ioab he was presently commaunded by Dauid the king to put all the people to cruell death and for that they were malicious enemies vnto the Lord he put them to such tortures as vnder sawes Iron harrowes Iron axes and cast them into the tylekilne so cruell and greeuous were the punishments of the Lord vpon the cities of the Ammonites The fame of Dauid grew so great that all the kings about him enuied him much that Hamnon king of the Ammonites prepared an army against Dauid vnderstanding that Dauid would reuenge the iniury hee did vnto his Embassadors whome Dauid sent to Hamnon of meere kindnesse and courtesie the cause was that Dauids Embassadours by the King of Ammon and the counsell of his Princes and Lords had the halfe of their beards shaued and their garments cut off in the middle euen vnto their buttockes and so sent them away which among the Israelites was the greatest reproach that might be Thus the Embassadors of Dauid against the law of armes were disfigured to make them odious vnto others but they were commaunded by Dauid to stay in Iericho to auoid the obloquy of so fowle a fact vntill they were prouided for Alcibiades Generall ouer the Athenians laying siege to the chiefe citie of the Aggregentines which was so strongly euery way defended with forts and trenches that Alcibiades deuised a new stratageme and thereby sought meanes to haue a conuenient place of parley to talk with them before he would lay siege to the towne which being graunted Alcibiades appointed certaine captaines while hee held the Aggrentines in parley of peace to take the citie Ionathan after that Iud. Machabaeus his brother was slaine in the field by Bacchides and after that the children of Amri tooke Iohn Ionathans brother he vsed this pollicie to reuenge his brother vpon the mariage day of a daughter of one of the noblest Princes of Canaan Ionathan his men hid themselues and laie in ambush vnder the couert of a mountain that when the children of Amri came out of Medeba with tymbrels Instrumēts of musicke and great pompe Ionathan set vpon them slue the most part and the rest fled so that their mariage was turned into mourning and the noyse of their melodie to lamentation thus Ionathan reuenged his brother at Medeba Cymon the sonne of Milciades a noble Greeke Captaine at the besieging of a citie in Caria vsed this stratagem to burne the temple of Diana which goddesse the Carians most religiously worshipped the temple being builded without the walles of the towne all the citie ranne to defend Dianaes temple from burning Cymon with his Athenian armie entered and obtained the citie while they were busie about the temple The like policie vsed Demetrius to deceiue Ionathan who hearing that Ionathan came in the night time with his men armed Demetrius and all his armie feared and trembled in their hearts and kindled great fires in theyr Tents and fled away which Ionathan suspected not that they fled because they saw the fire burning in the tents and so Demetrius by this strageme of fire passed ouer the flood Eleutherus and escaped from Ionathan Many such stratagems haue bene vsed by fire to deceiue the enemie as Hannibal by fire tyed to Oxens hornes in the night time against the Romaines Sampson by tying of firebrands to Foxes tayles to burne the corne of the Philistines So Absolon vsed the like stratagem against Ioab with many such Now hauing heard that Ioabs chiefe captains came in that Dauid was comē ouer the riuer Iorden fiue kings came against Ioab and pitched their tents before Medeba a citie of the Tribe of Ruben but when the battell ioyned together the Ammonites and the Aramites fled and fell before Israel so that the victorie was Ioabs and yet had they two and thirtie thousand chariottes and fiue kings set in battell-raie to fight against Dauid but it was the Lords battell and therefore too fewe if they had had tenne times as many And therefore the Aramites the Ammonites were sore greeued at the good successe of Dauid that they gathered their whole force and power together and sent messengers beyond Iorden to draw all the enemies of Israel to fight another battell against Dauid and Dauid hearing of their great armies came ouer Iorden to Hel◅ and fought with them and the Aramites fled before him and Dauid destroyed of the Aramites seuen hundred chariots fortie thousand footemen and killed Sophach Generall of the hoste Dauid at length made a generall conquest of the Philistines destroyed the Ammonites and theyr chiefe citie Rabbah slue their King and Princes and cut the people in peeces with sawes with harrowes of Iron and with axes and Dauid requited fully the spitefull malicious wrong they did vnto his Embassadors And as Ioshua brought them ouer Iorden and placed them in Canaan and destroyed their enemies before them and gaue the Hebrewes the possession of Canaan so Dauid rooted these nations out and made a full conquest of them and left Israel in peace and quiet to his sonne Solomon and Salomon to his sonne Rehoboam so that the Edomites Moabites and Ammonites became Dauids seruants and paied tribute vnto Solomon during his whole life CHAP. II. Of tributes paide to the kings of Egipt And what manner of tributes the old Romanes and Persians receiued The rewards of adultery SO Ioseph made a lawe in Egipt that the first part of all the land of Egipt should be as a yearely
tribute paide vnto Pharao so that Ioseph enriched Pharao by meanes of the yearely tribute and saued Pharaos life and all Egipt by Gods prouidence and his wisedome that at that time hee was called in Egipt Pater patriae but soone forgotten in Egipt as was seene after in the tyrannie of the Egiptians towards Iosephs children and the whole stocke of the Hebrewes Victories and ouerthrowes by warres gotten imposed such tribute as pleased the cōquerer For among the Romanes before their Empire grew great the Lucanians payed for their tribute but swine the Brusians oxen the Frizians the skinnes of oxen others paid diuers kindes of wine others waxe others fish and such like And as the olde Romanes tributes were but cattell corne wine fish and such so were their tryumphes had ouer the Samnites the Volscians Sabines Tarentines and olde Gaules but the weapons armors coaches garments cattells and such like of the enemies To the Persians while yet the Monarchie was in Persia the Aethiopians payed but Ebanye Iuory Elephantes teethe Frankencense and certaine measures of base gold euery third yeare So the Capadocians payed to the Persians for yearely tribute fiue hundred Horse two thousand Moyles So likewise the Townes and small Villages about Babilon were to prouide and feede the dogges of the king of Persia. But the Citie of Babilon it selfe paide for tribute to the king of Persia Artabas plenas argento certaine accounts of mony euery day The Arabians likewise paide to the King of Persia certaine measures of such sweete odours as the country did abound as Frankincense and such like These were but small tributes as swine oxen corne wine fish in former time which the Romanes had in respect of their tributes had ouer Asia Affricke and Europe afterwards which commaunded not only corne nauies horses souldiers and armours but also after this a farre greater tribute beganne in the time of Paul Aemilius who after he had subdued the Macedonians and Persius their king the Illyrians and their king Gentius hee imposed vppon the Macedonians and Illyrians halfe the tribute which they were wont to paie to their former kings So Scypio Affrican after hee had conquered Hanibal at Zama and brought the Carthagineans to such composition as pleased himselfe to paie two hundred talents yearely for fiftie yeares with such conditions that the Carthagineans should depart from Sardinia and Cicilia to restore the Romane souldiers which Hanniball brought captiue with him out of Italy and to deliuer vp their Elephants and all their nauies tenne excepted To such greatnesse grewe the tributes of the Romanes by their victories that Hispaine and Carthage were to pay yearely stipendary tributes not onely in money but also horses corne nauies armours and to maintaine stipendary souldiers And among all other conquered nations by them they had in their cities and townes places called Cripta for corne and prouisions for souldiers but especially in Egipt which was for their prouisions called the storehouse or barne of Rome But now to the victories of Dauid againe which after hee had raigned twentie yeares king quietly in Ierusalem he lost two great battels in the one he lost seuentie thousand and in the other battell hee had welnigh lost both himselfe and his kingdome in the first battell Dauid committed great faults in setting out his power his glorie his victories and his greatnesse and most ambitiously to commaund Ioab to number all Israel from Berseba euen vnto Dan as though power strength and victorie came from him and not from the Lord. Here Dauid consulted not with the iudgement of Vrim and Thummim and therefore he lost the victory and Sathan gaue him a buffet Dauid againe in the second battel was ouerthrowne by prouokemēt of the former enemie not only to looke vpon the beauty of Bethseba from the roofe of his house but also to send for her and lie with her and to hide the first wicked great fault he committed a greater he sent Letters to Ioab his captaine to put Vriah Bethsebas husband in the front of the battell to bee slaine in this battell also Dauid did not call for the Ephod nor asked counsell of the Lord as he was wont to do therefore Sathan gaue two such great buffets to Dauid that he lost the field and two victories one after an other of these buffets and stratagems Paul speakes that he was buffetted of Sathan least he should glory too much by reuelation shewed vnto him Moses also had a buffet of Sathan at the water of Meribah for his incredulitie that the Lord said vnto him that hee should not enter into the land of Canaan but dye in mount Nebo Iob also had a buffet in the land of Huz Sathan vseth many such stratagems whereby hee giueth many such buffets If Moses Iob Dauid Paul and others were thus buffeted by Sathan who can thinke himselfe free from the stratagems of Sathan wee must therefore watch if wee will not bee deceiued and wee must fight if we thinke to haue victorie our battell is not against flesh and bloud but against power and states of heauens against the prince and ruler of darknesse and against spirituall enenemies But the Prophet Nathan was sent to Dauid to open vnto him the rewards of adultery and murther that the sword should not go from Dauids house the banishment the punishment and miserie that should fall vpon him for offending the Lord. First his sonne died gotten in adultery by Bethseba the rauishment of his women by his owne sonne Absolon the incest of his daughter Thamar by her brother Ammon the murthering of Dauids eldest sonne Ammon by his brother Absolon and the rebellion of his sonne Absolon against his father the King Thus Dauid sawe the iust iudgement of the Lord and the tragicall end of his children for offending the Lord. Euen Dauid that subdued so many nations that got so many victories that fought with a beare with a lyon and with a gyant and subdued them is now subdued by a woman had Dauid after these victories so much temperance and chastitie at the sight of Bethseba as hee had faith and courage at his combat with Golias hee had conquered both alike but the Lord punished Dauid and his house The sonne of Emor for that he violately abused Dina Iacobs daughter her bretheren tooke at it such a spite that Simeon and Leui Iacobs sonnes went and slew Sichem and his father Emor and all the men within Sichem and tooke Dina theyr sister away with them Thus the gadding abroad of Dina to Sichem to see the manner and fashion of the Sichemites was the cause of the ouerthrowe of Sichem and the Sichemites The going of the Sabine virgins to the feast of Consus to see playes in Rome were rauished and taken by the Romanes to the number of six hundred were the onely cause of the warres between the Sabines and the Romanes In Siloth likewise on
that day the feast of the Lorde was kept the virgins of Siloth came abroad to daunce to sing and to play the Beniamites caught the maides of Siloth to the number of 200. and brought them to the land of Beniamin So the abuse of one woman the Leuites wife by the Beniamite cost sixtie foure thousand mens liues and more in Israel For by the taking away of Viriahs wife by Dauid Israel was plagued with the death of seuentie thousand men and the taking away of Menelaus wife from Greece cost the liues of many millions of men and the warres of tenne yeares betweene the Greekes and the Troians And for that the time of the taking away of Vriahs wife by Dauid agreeth with the historie of the taking away of Menelaus wife by Alexander otherwise called Paris After the death of Dauid and Salomon his sonne the kingdome of Israel was established vpon Rehoboam Salomons sonne he forsooke the law of the Lord and reiected his fathers wise and graue counsellors and followed rash young mens counsell and therefore the Lord raised Shesak king of Egipt against Israel and he came with twelue hundred chariots three score thousand horsemen and his footemen were without number for from Egipt came with him the Lybians the Troglodites and the Aethiopians he tooke the strong cities of Iudah and Ierusalem and all the treasures of the Lords house and all the treasures of the kings house and he carried away two hundred targets and three hundred shields of gold which Salomon made and returned to Egipt with a great spoile because Rehoboam forsooke the Lord and therefore was forsaken of the Lord. The temple that Salomon his father builded was spoiled by the negligence of Rehoboam Salomons sonne This was the first victorie that was had ouer Ierusalem by Shesak king of Israel and here began the first battell of the ciuill warre betweene the kings of Iudah and the kings of Israel and such ciuill warre if you consider the slaughter betweene Iudah and Israel and the continuance of their warres you must needs confesse that in one battell betweene Abiah and Ieroboam were more slaine of the Israelites then among the Romanes in fortie yeares to talke of the Romanes ciuill warres which was fortie yeares betweene Sylla and Marius betweene Caesar and Pompey and last betweene Octauius and Marc. Antonius or the ciuill warres of the Greekes called the Peloponesian warre which endured seuen and twentie yeares it was nothing in respect of the murther and bloud betweene Iudah and Israel for in the ciuill warres of the Romanes histories doo not record aboue the deaths of three hundred thousand Romanes Where in this battell being the first ciuill battell betweene Ieroboam king of Israel against Abiah king of Iudah at what time was slaine in the field fiue hundred thousand of king Ieroboams souldiers in one battell which neither Tamberlane nor Xerxes though they could match them in number yet could they neuer match thē in slaughter For as the Romanes were full fiue hundred yeares in conquering the Sabines the Latines the Vients the Fidenates the Samnites Tarentines Hetruscans others frō Romulus time to Scypio Affrican before the Romanes could be Lords of Italy The like may bee spoken of the Israelites in conquequering the Moabites Ammonites Amalekites Philistines and others from Moses time vnto Dauid welnigh fiue hundred yeares and as the Romans held their Empire so long a time as they were in winning of it frō Scypio Affrican who conquered Haniball and Italy vnto the Emperor Probus which was fiue hundred years at what time the whole Empire fell by degrees to decay So Israel as they subdued their enemies from Moses to Dauid fiue hundred yeares as you read before so after Dauid by ciuill warres of Iudah and Israel vnto Zedechias time which was fiue hundred yeares they lost both the kingdomes Iudah and Israel the one taken captiue by Salmanasser vnto Niniuie the other by Nabuchodonozer vnto Babilon so that now the land of Iudah called the land of milke and honey is become Athisme subiect to Pagans Infidels which continued from Abraham the first father of the faith vntill Titus Vespasian two thousand and odde yeares and al through disobedience and contempt of their Lord and God Euen so the Romanes which were wont to be called lords of the world whose Consuls at that time ruled and gouerned the most kingdomes of the world are now left without King Emperor or Consull and many cities in Italy at this day preferred before Rome now gouerned by the Pope a Bishop as Ierusalem is gouerned by the Turk an Infidel so that in all things the Romanes and the Hebrews may be compared for as the greatest enemie that euer Rome had was Italy and the dangerousest foes that the Romanes had were Italians for the Gaules the Cymbres the Carthaginians and the Affricans vexed not the Romans as the Italians did their own country men and next neighbors So Iudah had no enemies but the house of Israel So Israel had no enemies but Iudah for Ierusalem could not away with Samaria for their two Idols the one at Dan the other in Bethell so Samaria could not brooke Ierusalem for the great solemnitie of Salomons temple CHAP. III. The great battell betweene Abia king of Iudah and Ieroboam king of Israel where 500000. were slaine on Ieroboams side Of the victories of Asa and Iosaphat kings of Iudah ouer Zerah king of Aethiopia ouer the Edomites Ammonites and Maobites AS it seemed by the long oration which Abiah made to Ieroboam and his army vpon mount Zemaraim before the battell ioyned together to disswade them from the battell saying that the Lord had giuen the kingdome ouer Israel to Dauid and to his house but Ieroboam contemned Abiahs counsel and thought by his policie and subtill stratagem to haue ouercome the host of Iudah but he himself was deceiued to the losse of fiue hundred thousand of his souldiers that his power and force failed that he was not able during his life to preuaile against Iudah for Ieroboam had gathered to encrease his army all leaud idle and wicked vnthrifts to fight this battell against Rehoboam the sonne of Salomon like Cinna in Rome that made open proclamation that al bondmē wicked doers and banished men should come to Cinna the Consul they should be restored to their former libertie freedome and thus Cinna gathered al the leaud and wicked men within all Italy he then being Consul taking part with Cai. Marius against his other fellow Consull Octauius which helde with Sylla slaine at that time a number more of the citizens of Rome but between Sylla and Marius one reuenging vpon an other fomi◅g in their countries bloud that all the streetes of Rome anne of bloud These two Marius and Sylla began the first Romane ciuil warres as Ieroboam and Rehoboam did and yet were they both compared to
poore Iewes Iudith praied at the striking and the cutting off of Holofernes head which blasphemed the Lord and wold preferre Nabuchodonozer before the God of Israel Susan praied vnto the Lord for her innocēcy against the false Iudges at Babilō that accused her of incōtinency and they were stoned to death by meanes of Daniel We read also of Iud. Machabaeus a noble captaine of the Iewes that he neuer entred into any battell before he praied yet was hee in twelue set battels and in euery one obtained victorie sauing at the last at what time some write hee praied not where hee was slaine in the field by Bacchides and his people ouerthrowne As you heard of good kings by praiers that wanne victories so also shall you heare of wicked Idolatrous kings as Achas who caused an Idolatrous Altar to be made in Iudah like the Altar at Damascus and consecrated his sonne in fire and offered him to Moloch In like sort the king of Moab supposing his Idol Chemosh to be angry with him slue and sacrificed his eldest sonne that should haue raigned next after him King and offered him as a burnt offering to his God Chemosh vpon the walles of the Towne As Achab and Manasses Kings of Iudah did sacrifice their children in the valley of Hynnon to Moloch for Achab was one of the first kings that brought the name of Baal into Israel and mainteined betweene him and his wife Iezabel foure hundred and fiftie false prophets of Baal Achas had good king Ezechias to his sonne but Achas the father walked not vprightly before the Lorde as his sonne Ezechias did but made moulten Images for Baalim and burnt Incense in the valley of Benhynnon sacrificed his sonnes and burnt them with fire and offered them vnto his god Moloch and sought helpe at the gods of Damascus at Chemosh god of the Moabites Milcombe god of the Ammonites and other straunge gods and therefore the Lord gaue him ouer and deliuered him into the hands of the king of the Aramites and he smote him and slue a great number of his soldiers brought many prisoners of Iudah with him to Damascus Againe the Lord deliuered Achas into the hand of the king of Israel Phaekah and he slue in one day six score thousand in Iudah and tooke two hundred thousand prisoners of women sonnes daughters and brought them into Samaria with all the spoyle The Edomites slue of them of Iudah a great number and carried many captiues away Marke what mischiefe happeneth where an euil king doth raigne The Philistines also inuaded the cities of Iudah and tooke Aialon Gederith and other cities of Iudah and thus were they vexed by the Aramites Edomities and Philistines and by the Israelites being their owne nation for that Achas king of Iudah forsooke the Lord and sought helpe at strange gods and not at the hands of the god of Israel After wicked Achas the good king Ezechias his sonne succeeded he was to commence a battell with Senacherib who blasphemed the Lord and threatned destruction to Ierusalem but the Prophet Esay had instructed Ezechiah that this was the Lords battell that he would be reuenged vpō the blasphemy of Senacherib for proud Ashur challenged the Lord into the field to fight with him saying what god could take Iudah out of his hand he numbred the kings and their gods which he and his fathers destroied and with horrible blasphemy perswaded the king of Iudah not to trust to his god but to yeeld vnto him but the lord did put his hooke in his nosthrils and his bridle in his lips as the Lord had told Ezechiah the king by Esayas the prophet that Senacherib with all his army should not come to Ierusalem nor shoote an arrow there for the battel is mine saith the Lord. And hee sent his Angels that night which destroyed all the princes all the captaines and all the valiant men of Ashur and all the whole army of Senacherib to the number of an hundred foure score and sixe thousand without the drawing of one sword of Iudah and Senacherib fled with tenne men with him some thinke that Nabuchodonozer was one but I thinke time will not so allow for he was at that time but a very childe But Senacherib fled to Niniuie where he was slaine in the temple praying before his Idoll Nisroch whom he preferred before the liuing God that by his two sonnes the iust iudgement of the Lord for his blasphemy to be slaine before his owne god before whom he worshipped and prayed when he was slaine by his owne sonnes and thus we see in all iust battels whē we serue the Lord trust onely in him that victories come not by man but by the Lord. Iosaphat a good king had Ioram an euil king to his son a murtherer of his bretheren Ezechias a good king in Ierusalem had Manasses to his sonne a wicked Idolater who filled all the streets of Ierusalem with bloud Iosias a good godly king had to his fonnes Ioachas and Ioachim who were taken captiues by Nabuchodonozer into Babilon for their transgressions and sins at what time Daniel was taken captiue and many other gentlēmen of Iudah euen Ierusalem whom the Lord had defended frō the sword of Senacherib and from all the kings of Egipt and Ashur yet when the sinnes of Ierusalem were ripe it was deliuered into the hand of Nabuchodonozer to be carried captiue into Babilon as Samaria was to Niniuie by Salmanasher one hundred thirtie and three years before Iudahs captiuitie After Ashur had taken the ten tribes of Israel away he brought from Bethel from Cutha from Anah and frō Amath straunge people and placed them in the cities of Samaria in stead of the children of Israel and of these people came the Samaritans of whom mention is made often in the gospel with whom the Iews would haue no societie for so the woman spake to Christ at Iacobs well that why he being a Iew should aske water of a Samaritan This time Zedechiah the king gaue no hearing to the Prophet Ieremy who forewarned the king of their destruction to be at hand for the which the Prophet was imprisoned first by Fashur high bishop of the tēple who smote Ieremy and put him in the stockes strooke him as Zedechiah the false Prophet strook Micha who was after commaunded by Achab to be imprisoned as Ieremy the Prophet was and by meanes of the nobles of Iudah to king Zedechiah Ieremy was imprisoned in a dirtie dungeon Ieremy notwithstanding spared not to tell them that they should die an horrible death and should lie as dung vpon the earth and no man to burie them wherat they were so moued saying let vs not regard his words and let vs cut out his tongue The citizens of Anathot commaunded Ieremy not to preach vnto them in the name of the Lord if thou do thou shalt
make the Princes of Iudah like coales of fire among the wood and like a firebrand in the sheffe and they shall deuour all people round about them saith the Lord. The foure hornes which Zachary saw which scattered Ierusalem Iudah and Israel but the Lord appoints Carpenters and Smiths with mallets and hammers to breake the hornes of those enemies for Iacob the Patriarke prophesied that the scepter should not depart from Iudah vntill Siloh should come so that after the destruction of Ierusalē vnder Nabuchodonozer to the last destruction of the same vnder Titus Ierusalem cōtinued her gouernment according to the prophesie of Iacob so that neither force power nor strrtagems could preuaile against Ierusalem CHAP. V. Of Semiramis stratagems in India and of Tomiris in Scithia Of the victories of Alexander the great Of Pyrrhus warres in Italy and of the ouerthrow of Xerxes armie in Greece by Leonidas at Thermopyles and by Themistocles at Salamina THe stratagems which Ierusalem vsed in the battells of the Lord were nothing like to the stratagemes of the great Monarchies and Polymarchies of the world who reposed their trust in their dumbe Idolles and woodden gods and in multitude of men and beastes as Semyramis did a woman of great fame and report in histories willing to excell men in martiall actions tooke her voyage into India with such innumerable armies that Staurobates king of India was so frighted with the report thereof that he caused all his Elephants to be brought and to be set in the most shewe to terrifie the Assirians that it made the Assirian armie more willing to returne backe then to goe forwards Semyramis perceiuing that the Assirians were afrighted and amazed at the sight of so many Elephants and that the king did purposely set his Elephants in sight to amaze the Assirians which was the order of the Indiās to terrifie all Princes with the sight of their Elephants she vsed this stratageme caused 300. thousand great oxen to be slaine and their skinnes to be stuffed filled with heye and to be framed in forme and fashion like Elephants in euery one of these she put in a Camell and a man vpon his backe which she placed in the forefront of the battell to terrifie the Indians and their king Staurobates for as Semyramis thought the Indians supposed that all the world could not bring more Elephants into the field then the Indians could After these fained elephants she placed such an infinit number of camels behind the armie that the sight therof much terrified Staurobates his army that Semyramis by this stratagem got two great victories in India But after these fained elephants were betraied by one of Semyramis Captaines taken in the warres who by torture confessed the secresie of Semyramis stratageme that she was glad to leaue India and to returne to her Country Euen so Tomyris Queene of Scythia to requite Cyrus stratageme by a banquet which he made purposely to deceiue the Scythians fained to flie for feare and left his tents full of wine and good cheare and sodainly returning found the Scythians banquetting and feasting and so charged with wine that they were more readie to sleep then to fight whereby Cyrus slue Sargapises Tomyris sonne with two hundred thousand Scythians The like stratagem vsed the Lorde against the Aramites when an Asse head was solde in Samaria for fiftie sickles that such plentie was in Samaria as Elizeus said before that the Aramites left their Tents with all prouisions and fled without any shewe or likenesse to bee done against them but this was a diuine stratagem by the Lord. Tomyris after her great losse which she had by Cyrus of her sonne and her people caused trenches deepe ditches and sharpe stakes to be made secretly and placed armed souldiers in the same being in narrow straight places dissembling that she was not able to giue a secōd battell to Cyrus but faigned her selfe to flie and al her army with her to draw the Persians after her vntill shee brought thē vnto these trenches ditches narrow places where she had set in wait an innumerable multitude of armed Scythiās round about Cyrus hisarmy which vpon the sudden fel vpon the Persians slew two hundred thousand of them that there was not one left aliue to bring tidings vnto Persia of Cyrus death thus Cyrus the great king of Persia was ouerthrowne with all his army by Tomyris Queen of Scythia a woman with the like stratagem as he ouerthrew Tomyris before Sampson who ouerthrew 6000. of the Philistines at one time by the fall of a house at an other time slew 1000. of them with a Iawe bone of an asse who burned theyr rickes and their corne destroyed their vines plagued them euery way Yet this Sampson was taken bound his eyes pulled out solde and deliuered to the Philistins his enemies by a stratagem of a woman Dalyla his wife Moses being chosen general ouer the Egiptians against the Aethiopians hearing by reports of the dangerous passage through the wildernesse frō Egipt vnto Aethiope deuised a stratagem to passe through the wildernesse full of noisome serpēts where Moses must needs passe through he made certain chests of bull-rushes caried out of Egipt with him a number of the birds called Ibes which bird to kill in Egipt was a capitall crime by law made for that they were so beneficiall to Egipt whose naturall hatred is such against serpents that when serpents assaulted Moses in the wildernesse he would let out his birds Ibes who assaulted them chased them slew them that Moses by this means passed safe through the wildernesse to the wonder of both the Egiptians Aethiopians and therby had two victories ouer the Aethiopians Alexander the great twelue hundred yeares after Semyramis taking his iourney with his Armye into India where when his army sawe so many Elephants set in battell raie along vpon the riuer of Ganges side it so amazed the Macedonian army that they told Alexander that they came not to fight with beasts but with mē so fearfull at the sight of the Elephants that the Macedonians would goe no further Alexander being of inuincible courage that nothing could feare him without stratagems but of meere magnanimitie requested the Macedonians the Persians that were in his army not to leaue him their king to such shamefull reports as the sight of a few Elephants might terrifie Alexander the great and his inuincible army The Argyraspides his principall souldiers hauing perswaded the most part of the army to auoyd shame infamy and to stick to their captain Alexander whose only request was to haue them altogither at once to shoote at Porus King of India which being perswaded hardly thervnto were forced for shame to perform the request which Alexander sought at their hands which they performed that so many shots lighted vpō the king at once that he fell to the ground from his
sum of money to betray the citie Tarentū Eoneus vsed this stratagem by the counsel of Hannibal to go out a hunting in the night time for feare of the enemies and to bring to Liuius the gouernour of Tarentum buckes boares and such other wilde beasts as Hannibal himselfe deliuered vnto him who taught him the stratageme Hannibal seeing that Eoneus was nothing suspected for that he vsed hunting caused Affrican souldiers of his to be cloathed like these hunters and to enter with these hunters into Tarentum who assoone as they entered into the Towne kilde the watch and opened the gates to Hannibal to come in Lysimachus king of Macedonia vsed the like stratagem laying siege to Ephesus the chiefe citie of the Ephesians hauing corrupted one Mandro an arch pyrate for money who often vsed to come to Ephesus with a shippe loaden with praie to relieue the Ephesians and by his often comming being not suspected brought certaine Macedonian souldiers fast bound to his shippe as Captiues taken to please the Ephesians which afterward betrayed and deliuered the towne to Lysimachus So did Marcellus take the citie Syracusa by solliciting of one Sosistratus a Syracusan whom hee wanne with money to be his friend who counselled him to be readie and to come vnder intreatie of peace vpon the Syracusans feast day called Epicides by this meanes through the counsell of Sosistratus Marcellus obtained Syracusa This great Romane enemy Mithridates king of Pontus so hated the Romanes that hee gathered together all the poore banished Romains scattered euery where in Asia Romain marchants others busied about their traffiques caused them to be slaine to the number of 50000. in one day to satisfie his wrath vpō the Romains Lucullus had also two of the most famous and renowned victories ouer two of the most mightiest greatest princes of Asia Tigranes king of Armenia Mithridates king of Pontus at mount Taurus for Tigranes armie as Lucullus himselfe wrote vnto the Senate was two hundred three score thousand men of the which number aboue a hundred thousand footemen were slaine and fewe of all the horsemen were saued and the king driuen in his flight to throwe his Diademe to some of his friends who was taken with the Diademe and brought to Lucullus It is written by Plutarche that the Sunne sawe not the like ouerthrow So Lucullus reuenged the great spite of Tigranes king of Armenia and Mithridates king of Pontus for the spite and hatred they bare to the Romanes as Cai. Marius reuenged vpon the Cymbrians and Almaines and as Camillus reuenged vpon the Gaules Ca. Marius reuenge was such and that in time for that the Cymbrians Teutons Ambrons Tygurins and Germanes had conspired and ioyned their force together after the ouerthrow of both the Consuls to the slaughter of fourescore thousand Romanes that they ioyntly marched together towards Rome at what time Cai. Marius and Luctatius his fellow Consull gaue them such a meeting that two hundred thousande of them were slain foure score thousand taken prisoners Lugius Boiorex two kings slain in the battell besides innumerable that fled from the battell hangd themselues on trees and for want of trees they tyed slipping halters about their neckes vnto the hornes and feete of their oxen and prickt them forwards with goades that they might tread trample them vnder their feete vntil they were killed besides the horrible crueltie of the womē which was most terrible in strangling their young babes with their owne handes they cast them vnder their Cartes wheeles and betweene the horses legges and at last slue themselues At what time Marius for his great fortune victories and seruice was called Pater patriae the father of the countrey After Marius had bene seuen times Consull in Rome and called the father of the counrey which was so great a name among the Romaines that none but Romulus Cicero and himselfe had it and had shewed himselfe a valiant noble captaine in diuers and sundry great battels and wanne many victories besides the victories ouer the Cymbrians Teutons and the rest ouer the Spaniards Numantines and Affricans open proclamation was made by the Senate throughout all Italy that they should apprehend Marius and either kill him wheresoeuer they found him or to bring him before the Senators of Rome aliue This was the ende of Marius marching which if you compare him with Sylla you shall finde them both firebrands to their countrey for the harme they haue done to their countrey and yet both great benefactors to their countrey before their ciuill warres For Sylla was either another Hannibal in doing harme to his countrey or another Scypio in doing good to his countrey And as concerning Marius Scypio himselfe spake that he was the only next man that should do great good or great harme to the Romains after Scypio The like words spake king Antigonus of Pirrhus that if Pirrhus should liue till he were an old man he should proue so great a captaine that he should be feared of all nations CHAP. XII Of the maners and forme of warres denounced by the Prophets of the Lord against the Canaanites and other nations which were enemies to the Hebrewes THe order and manner of the Prophets by the Lord cōmaunded to denounce warres to the Canaanites Edomites Ammonites Philistines and all other natiōs that were enemies to Israel was in this sort The Lord commaunded the Prophets as his heraulds to denounce warre after this manner Set thy face against the Idumeans and say behold ô mount Seir I come against thee and will stretch my hand out against thee I wil make thee desolate and wast all Idumea And so against the Egiptians Ezechiel was commanded as an herauld from the Lord to set his face against that dragon Pharao to publish warre and to say I will water with thy bloud all the land of Egypt and as Nilus ouerfloweth Egipt with water so will I make the bloud of thy Army to ouerflowe Nilus Against Tyre in like sort Ezechiel was commaunded with the like words Set thy face against Tyre say behold ô mount Tyre I will come vpon thee and will bring Nabuchodonozer king of kings against thee and wil make thee a desolate citie So likewise as the Prophet Ezechiel was commanded by the Lord to publish warre against the Idumeans the Egiptians and against Tyre so against Gog and Magog the Prophet was sent with the like words for it was the charge and commaundement of the Lord to all his prophets being his Heraulds to proclaime warre against the great monarches and Polymarchies of the earth enemies to his church and to his people as to the Chaldeans the Assirians Egiptians Affricans Lybians and Persians shewing vnto them their destruction before the sword of the Lord came vpon them So the Lord sent Moses his first Prophet and his Herauld long before this time to Pharao in Egipt with the like words as he did
the king of Iudahs side by the king of Israel that two hundred thousand of womē and children were taken prisoners in Samaria so that they wasted and spoyled one another in such sort that frō a happy populous people by forsaking their Lord and God they became a most miserable Idolatrous people to serue strange gods For during the time of Dauid which was 40. yeares the kingdome of Israel was the most famous renowned kingdome of the world For so the Lord spake I will make the Princes of Iudah like coales of fire among the wood and like a fire-brand in the sheafe and they shal deuour all people round about them So Dauid brought all the kings nations about subiect tributary vnto Israel whose happie whole gouernment was such that at his death hee left a hundred thousand talents to his sonne Solomon to build a temple to the Lord which he himself had determined to build but that the Prophet Nathā warned him from the Lord that he should not for that he was a man of blood but that Solomon his sonne should build him a house This kingdom of Israel being so happy as you heard in king Dauids time and in Solomons time so glorious a temple builded and so richly furnished vnto the Lord that in Solomons time such plentie was in Ierusalē mony was no more esteemed thē stones in the streets yet presently vpō Solomons death in the time of Rehoboham his sonne the state of Ierusalem was so obscured altered that the citie was sackt and the temple robd with great slaughter of people by Shesac king of Egipt so that the wealth and treasure of Ierusalem and of the temple was carried by Shesac into Egipt Againe the kings of Israel became so Idolatrous that there were no gods among the Heathens but they were as gods worshipped in Israel so that they were far worse then the Grecians or the Romans who would allow no strange gods to raigne neither in Athens nor in Rome and therefore for that they forsooke the Lord the Lord forsooke them and gaue them ouer and their kingdome to the Assirians by the hand of Salmanasser and so Samaria and other townes in Israel were inhabited by strangers So the kings of Iudah after Israel within 133. yeares after were carried captiues into Babilon by Nabuchodonozer yet the Lord gaue them not ouer but brought them within 70. yeares after againe to Ierusalem stirred vp Cyrus Darius and Artaxerxes three great kings of Persia to fauour and to aide them with license to returne to their countrey to inhabit Ierusalem with money and much treasure to build vp the Temple redeliuering vnto them all the rich vessels of gold and siluer which Salomon left in the Temple at his death and which Nabuchodonozer tooke away from the Temple and brought to Babilon After Cyrus and these kings of Persia the Lord stirred vp a great Heathen Prince Alexander the great who when he came to Ierusalem lighted off his horse and came to meet the high Priest and reuerenced him with great obeysance where were read vnto him the prophesies of Daniel where it was found that a Grecian Prince should subdue the Persian kingdome which Alexander acknowledged to be himselfe and therefore went into the temple sacrificed to the God of Israel and not only freely granted to the high Priest whatsoeuer he would aske but commaunded him to aske what he would haue him do the high Priest asked nothing but that the Iewes that dwelt in Babilon in Medea and in other countreys about vnder his gouernment might enioy and liue according to the lawes of their countrey which Alexander graunted besides his great and liberall gifts which he bestowed vpon the Priest the temple Nabuchodonozer vsed himselfe otherwise then Alexander did against Iudah for he commanded Holofernus to spare no people no kingdome saying Non Parcet oculus tuus vlliregno The terror of Holofernus army therby was such that they came out of euery citie crowned with crownes on their heads and lamps in their hands to receiue him with all kind of musicke and with dauncing songs to please him yet could they not mittigate the fiercenesse of his fury After Alexander the Lord stirred vp Pthol Philadelphus so to fauour the Israelits to loue their lawes that he had the lawes of Israel written in the Greeke tongue in Alexandria and released many prisoners and captiues of the Iews to the number of 120000. which Ptol. Lagus his precessor had brought from Iudah to Egipt with as great bountifull rewards gifts as Alexander did So Zeleucus shewed such fauour to the Iewes dwelling in Antioch in Ionia in Ephesus that he graunted to them the liberties lawes of their countrey After Zeleucus the Lord stirred vp Antiochus the great being before a great enemy of the Iewes after Antiochus many of the kings of Asia so to fauour them that all the cities of Asia where the Iewes dwelt should suffer them to liue according to the laws of their country and to enioy the benefites of the same and though many of the Assirian kings troubled and molested them with great warres which ioyned themselues with the Samaritans to subdue the kingdome of Iudah Yet the Lord raised vp the house of Assamonias Mattathias to resist the violence of the Assyrians and after him his sonne Iu. Machabaeus who slew of the enemies Edumeans and Assyrians that sought the ouerthrowe of his countrey two hundred thirtie sixe thousand and seuen hundred in the defence of Ierusalem and after him his other foure bretheren forsooke not the lawes of the Lord for all the tyrannie of the Romane Emperors and the Assyrian Kings But the Iewes from time to time so reuoulted from the Lord that Aristobulus the sonne of Hircanus made himselfe a King 481. yeares after the returne of the captiuitie of the Iewes from Babilon but hee enioyed his kingdome but one yeare after he famished his mother and killed his brother for in Iudah their kings had no better succession then the kings of Rome had though in both the kingdomes they made great meanes to become kings After this Aristobulus there was no king among the Iewes vntill Herod who was made by the Senators of Rome with the consent of Augustus Caesar and Mar. Antonius both Emperours of Rome vnder whom Iudah was a Prouince Yet one false Alexander a Iew most subtilly adopted himselfe being very like to Herod to be of the stock and family of Herod and brother to Aristobulus and thereby claimed to bee king of Iudah saying that he was Herods sonne as false Philip faigned himselfe in Macedonia to be Persius sonne king Philips brother and as the common people there reuerenced false Philippe in Macedonia so likewise in all parts of Iurie was this false Alexander carried in coach from Cittie to Cittie with all the reuerence and honour that
into prouinces some into Toparchies as Syria some into Tetrarchies as Paphlagonia Some into Tribes and some into Ethnarchies as France Gasgoyne and Brytaine were diuided into eighteene prouinces and gouerned vnder Praetors Hispaine in sixe prouinces two of them vnder Consuls gouernment the other foure vnder Proconsuls Macedonia was diuided into seuen prouinces Thracia into sixe and Illyria into seuen prouinces This might seeme strange that Consuls of Rome being but one citie should rule gouerne so many kingdomes that after they had subdued Affrica the most part of Europe before they came to Asia and had established Affrike Europe vnder Romane gouernors And as by the death of Alexander the great all the East kingdomes were left without a king that they that were then but Alexanders Souldiers diuided all the kingdomes of the East as booties and praies between them Macedonia to Antipater Egipt to Ptolomeu Asia the lesse to Antigonus and so other kingdomes were diuided betweene others of Alexander his souldiers and they that could agree vnder one captaine as fellowes friendes and souldiers of one countrey fell to ciuil warres within themselues that one destroyed another that by this meanes the Romanes subdued the kings of Asia as they subdued the kings of Affrica and Europe After the Romanes had subdued Italy their countrey-men and next neighbours they graunted to the Volsces the Tyrrhens the Samnites Lucans Tarentines Thuscans the Romane lawe called Ius Latij So did the Romanes in Cicilia which was the first people subdued and made the first prouince vnder the Romanes they had Iura Latinitatis In Carthage Leptis and diuers other cities in Affrike and Hispaine they had their freedome libertie againe and the lawes of Italy graunted them by Alexander Seuerus the Emperour so that in Affrica were fifteene Romane cities where no magistrate might gouerne but a Romane citizen and that Per ius Latinitatis The like law made Pompey in Armenia in Pontus and other cities of Asia that Romain magistrates should gouerne them as they did in Hispaine and in Affrica All Hispaine were so subiect to the Romaines that thirtie townes were made free to vse their liberties and lawes named Romane cities in one part of Hispaine and one hundred twentie townes that paid anuall stipend to the Romanes The Athenians Thessalians and all Greece were restored to their lawes liberties by diuers Emperors of Rome as by Pau. Aemilius Ti. Flaminius Lu. Silla others But other kingdomes and countries were not so For though the Romains excelled and exceeded all nations in prowise in conquests and victories yet made they all kingdomes and countries their friendes and consederates which they subdued So was Masinissa king of Numidia euer a friend to the Romanes against Hannibal while he liued and at his death made the Romane Empire his heire And Attalus king of Asia for the friendship that he found with the Romanes committed his kingdome into the Romanes tuition and made also the Empire of Rome his heire as Masinissa did And though the Cappadocians were a free nation gouerned by their owne lawe yet sought they freedome and libertie of the Romanes and would be gouerned by them onely forsaking their owne libertie so that they were ruled as the Egiptians were by Romaine knights for that the Romane knights and the Senators were of equall power at that time For no Consull Proconsull Praetor or such as had Serieants or Tipslaues before them might in no wise come into Alexandria or any part of Egipt for that the Romanes had an olde prophesie that their dignitie and iurisdicton should cease in Alexandria and also in Egipt when any Romane officer came to Alexandria hauing Serieants with Maces before them The Romanes beeing now Lords of the most part of Affrica Asia and Europe grew so proud of their fortunes of their triumphes their victories and greatnesse farre from Rome that they through ambition and enuie began one to spite an other in Rome so that there was nothing in Rome but as it was in Athens seditions tumults enuie and malice and as Iugurth spake of Rome that it was Vrbs venalis si haberet emptorem a towne soone sold if it had a chapman So Demosthenes spake of the three monsters of Athens the people the owle and the dragon these were the causes that ouerthrew Rome and Athens The Israelites in like sort as the Romanes before they conquered the Canaanites they agreed and ioyned their force together and the Lord prospered theyr warres when they serued him that from Ioshuahs time who brought them and gaue them the possession of the land of Canaan vnto Dauids time who setled the Israelites as the Lords ouer the Canaanites that the Moabites Ammonites and other nations about payed tribute to Dauid and to his successors and that there was no king no nation but feared and trembled at the name of Israel And as you heard before of the ciuill warres of the Macedonians betweene Alexanders seruants and of the Romanes so Israel likewise fell to ciuill warres which was the cause of the destruction of the Persians the Macedonians the Romanes the Israelites and others for the Hebrewes beeing the onely auntientest people which were brought vp in the military discipline of the Lord their lawe giuer and Generall of their Army vnder whom Moses Ioshua Dauid and others kept and executed the same whose fame grew so great thereby that all the kings and captaines of the earth trembled thereat The Gentiles in their warres with their enemies tooke not onely counsell of their Oracles and Soothsayers but also made their simple souldiers to beleeue that they were instructed by some diuine power sent from Iupiter or from Appollo As Sertorius a captaine no lesse famous in Affrike then Sylla was in Asia which did by a white hinde vse many stratagems whom he taught to follow him euery where euen into his bed chamber making his souldiers to beleeue that hee would consult with this white hinde in some secret place before hee would take any warres in hand and after he had consulted with this white hinde hee certainly assured his souldiers of victorie this hee vsed to encourage his souldiers in all his warres in Affrica Hereby he ouerthrew Cotta the Consull in a battell on the sea and also ouerthrewe Domitius the Romane Proconsull in Hiberia and constrained Metellus to his loss many times to yeeld vntill Pompey the great came with his legionarie army from Rome to aide Metellus against Sertorius with whom Pompey had somewhat to doo before hee ouerthrew Sertorius Thus hee encouraged his souldiers in Affrica by reason of his white hinde as Lucius Sylla did practise manye such Stratagemes in Asia who did make his souldiers beleeue by looking on the picture of Appollo which he carried about his neck in a litle close tablet that he was instructed by Appollo to take such battels in hand that Sylla
losse of many countries prouinces and cities so the Turkes marched vpon the Romanes as the Romanes marched vpon others Cyrus the great king of Persia hauing an hundred and seuen and twentie prouinces after his conquest of many kingdomes and nations marched with two hundred thousand Persians to be slaine in Scythia and that by a woman so Cyrus lost Persia seeking to winne Scythia and lost his life to get more landes Zerxes marching into Greece with such an innumerable armie that they dranke and dried vp many riuers as Scamander in Thessalia the riuer Simois in Phrygia Clidorus in Beotia Lysus in Samothracia the riuer Menalia by Hellespont yet he came from Greece home to be murthered by Mardonius his seruant in his owne kingdom Alexander the great hauing subdued the most parts of the world he also for want of men marched to India to fight with Elephants and returned from India to Babilon where he was poysoned by his owne seruants Many such crooked marchings were as well among the Iewes as among the Gentiles Saul the first king of Israel marched not as he ought to haue done against Agag king of the Amalekites and therefore was he slaine with his three sonnes in the battell at mount Gilboa by the Philistines Ieroboam marched not rightly to the battel in mount Zemaraim against Abiah king of Iudah and therfore fiue hundred thousand Israelites were slaine of his soldiers The most part of the kings of Israel because I need not to name as Acha◅ Manasses Zedechiah the rest many of the kings of Iudah for that they marched not in the path of the Lord but followed Ieroboā which made Israel to sinne and therefore marched with Ieroboa◅ to their destruction These marched not with Moses who said to the God of Israel We will not goe hence if thou goe not before vs. Nor with king Dauid who would take no warre in hand before he had consulted with the Lord. Nor with Gedeon who would not goe to any battell vnlesse the Lord had giuen him a signe before he went so the captaines of the Lorde marched no where attempted no warre or battell without consulting with the Lorde by Vrim Thummim or with some Prophet of the Lord. The Gentiles likewise would take no warre in hand without consulting with their Oracles as the Romains besought the gods of Carthage promising them Temples Altars sacrifices feasts if they would forsake Carthage and come to Rome and therfore the Gentiles were so superstitious and blinde that in many countries they would binde the Images of Hercules and Mars lest they should forsake them and goe to other nations their enemies for no doubt it should seeme that either they read or heard of Moses bookes how the Lord forsooke the Israelites and gaue them ouer to the Canaanites Philistines and other nations about them and how the Arke was taken frō them by the Philistines Here hence grew the blindnesse of the Gentiles that the Arke being taken away from Israel they feared also lest their gods should be either allured by faire promises or taken away by strength of victories CHAP. VI. Of the maner and forme of vowes as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles for their victories in warres A Bigail Nabals wife vsed a policie to please Dauid fearing least Dauid would be reuenged vpon her husband for his churlish deniall of reliefe to him and to his company went after Dauid with victualls gifts and rewards and pleased him with faire words as Iacob pleased his brother Esau who vsed the like stratagem to win his brother Esau to send him gifts and rewards to please his brother whom he much feared for Esau promised to kill his brother Iacob when his father should die For Iacob the Patriarke made a vow when he went to Mesopotamia after his vision in Luz which thē Iacob named Bethel and said If God be with me and helpe me this iourney and will giue me bread to eate and cloaths to put on he vowed of all things that the Lord would giue him that he would giue the tenth vnto the Lord. Iacobs vow is farre more godly then Absolons vow for Iacob sought but bread to eate and cloaths to put on and safe reture againe from Mesopotamia ouer Iorden but rebellious Absolon sought the kingdome of Israel from his father Dauid by a dissembling vowe saying I will goe and performe my vowes which I vowed vnto the Lorde in Hebron which vowe he made his father the king beleeue that hee vowed in Ieshur in Syria that if the Lord would bring him to Ierusalem he would performe his vowes in Hebron this is a rebellious vow like to the wicked vowes of the Iewes which vowed before they would either eate or drinke to kill Paul The Israelites after they were ouerthrowne in a great battell by Arad king of the Canaanites they vowed vnto the Lorde that if the Lorde would giue Arad and the Canaanites into theyr handes that they would truely ferue the Lorde and destroy the Canaanites theyr landes and theyr cities They bound the Lord to so many conditions that if they should obtaine victories they promised him true seruice and to fight manfully against the Cananites And againe for another victory that the Lord gaue them against the Canaanites they vowed the tenth and performed their vowe the Hebrewes wanted no victories vpon their obedience dutiful seruice to the Lord. Iephtha in his war◅es against the Ammonites vowed vnto the Lord if he should haue victory ouer the Ammonites that whatsoeuer first met him at his returne from his victory comming out of his house should be a sacrifice vnto the Lord. Asa king of Iudah vowed vnto the Lord as Abiah his father did when Shesac king of Egipt came with an infinite number Asa and all Iudah made a couenant to seeke the Lord promised sware that they that sought ◅ot the Lord small or great man or woman should die this with an oath he vowed that Iudah reioyced for the victory they had ouer Zerah king of Aethiope with all his army of tenne hundred thousand Ionas a Prophet of the Lord when he fled from Niniuie to Tharsis being in danger of shipwracke he tolde the Marriners that he was the cause of the perillous tempest and willed the Marriners to throwe him into the sea confessing the lot fell iustly vpon him saying I will performe the vow which I promised vnto the Lord. So Anna vowed vnto the Lord and said that if the Lord would bestowe a man childe vpon her she would giue him vnto the Lord and she vowed that neither razor or sheares should come vpon his head and so performed her vow and brought Samuel her sonne before the Lord. There was nothing so common among the Gentiles also as vows as you heard of the Hebrues of their vows to the gods of Israel so likewise among the Greekes and
nothing These were superstitious orders of Franciscans and not the vowes of Nazarites The Ethnicks likewise suffered their haires to grow because they might dedicate it either to Iupiter to Appollo to Mars or to some of their gods So did Thesius dedicate his haire vnto Appollo vpon his father Aegaeus graue So Achilles dedicated his haire vpō the tombe of his deare friend Patroclus So did Orestes consecrate his haire vpon the tombe of his father in lawe Agamemnon after he had killed him with the consent of his wife Clytemnestra So Euripides was of Archelaus king of Macedonia so honoured that hee lamented Euripides death in mourning apparell and with a shauen head and beard After the vowes of Iacob of Dauid of Asa and such godly men after the vowes of the Nazarites and of the Rechabites which was commanded from Ionadab the father vnto his children and to their posteritie was kept vnuiolated three hundred yeares These vowes were of the Lord accepted but for Heathen vowes which wilfully offer sacrifice their seruants their childrē thēselues to Moloch to satisfie the oracles of diuels speaking in dumbe Idols as vnto Curtius that rode sacrificing of a quick man which made Curtius on horseback in armor to ride into an open wide gulfe in Rome and Codrus king of Athens likewise in beggers apparell to sacrifice themselues to satisfie the oracles Yet Heliodorus was better aduised and more to be commended being sent by Seleucus king of Syria to rob and spoile the Temple of Ierusalem after he was scourged on both sides with many stripes by some diuine power hauing recouered his life by the prayer of Onias the high Priest Heliodorus offered sacrifice vnto God and made his vowes vnto the Lord which had graunted to him his life and thanked Onias confessing the name of the Lord to be great in Ierusalem Antiochus after his flight frō Persepolis in Persia thought to reuenge his wrath vpon Ierusalem aduancing himself that he would make Ierusalem a graue of all the Iewes but he was striken of the Lord that hee promised and vowed that whereas hee had spoiled the holy temple before now to garnish it with gifts to encrease the holy ornaments to become a Iew himselfe and to preach the power of the Lord through euery place of the world So Artaxerxes king of Persia so fauoured the Iewes through the goodnesse of the Lord that hee called Esdras the Priest and reader of the lawe of the Lord and willed him with all the Iewes that would goe with him to goe to Ierusalem allowed them golde and siluer and cattell to sacrifice vnto the Lord and to performe the vowes which they vowed vnto the Lord. So Nabuchodonozer Cyrus and Darius were moued by the Lord to fauour his people Israell And therefore olde Homer said that the sacrifices and oblations with all their vowes and ceremonies which the Troians offered to Iupiter were nothing of him accepted for that Iupiter rather esteemed the vowes and sacrifice of Agamemnon and the oblations of the Greckes before king Priamus and his Troians So the oracle of Ammon answered the Athenians that the gods esteemed more the vowes and prayers of the Lacedemonians with the sacrifice of milke honey frankincense cakes and wine according to Pythagoras rule then the rich spoiles and great gifts of the Athenians with the great sacrifice of Haecatombae So the Prophet answered the Iewes from the mouth of the Lord I abhorre your incense I cannot away with your new moones your sabbothes and solemne dayes I detest your ceremonies and fastings I hate although you make many praiers and offer many oblations yet do I neither heare your prayers nor accept your oblations CHAP. VII Of Oracles and soothsayings as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles THe Lord commaunded in the lawes of Moses that no soothsaying should be among the Israelites yet things conteining of necessary causes are not forbidden for signes were asked of the Israelites and giuen vnto them of victories by the Lord. Ionathas desired a signe of the Lord and he had by the spirit of the Lord a token that if the Philistins would say vnto Ionathas come ye hither vnto vs Ionathas by that signe knew he should haue victorie The like signe was giuen to Gedeon of his victorie by a fleece of wooll that should be so full with deawe that the deawe therof filled a bowle with water and drie vpon all the earth besides Elizeus bad Ioas shoote eastward in token of his good successe in Aphec And againe hee bad Ioas smite the ground and hee smote the ground thrise so many great victories against the Syrians he had Samuel caught the lap of Sauls coate and rent it saying Thus shall God rent the kingdome out of thy hand and giue it to an other So did Ahiah the Prophet take the garment of Ieroboam and rent it into twelue peeces saying So shall the Lord rent the kingdome out of Salomons hand and giue tenne of the twelue Tribes vnto thee These were signes giuen before hand by the Prophets from the Lord. A prophet of Iudah came to Bethel and cried against the Aultar of Bethel and gaue them a signe that Iosias which was borne three hundred yeares after should offer Priests of the hill altars and burne mens bones vpon the altar and this shall be a signe the altar presently shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out The being of Ionas in the Whales belly three dayes was a signe as Christ himselfe saide that the sonne of man should be three dayes in the belly of the earth It was lawfull for the Israelites to call for the Arke which was the presence of God the figure of Christ they would call for the Ephod they would consult with Vrim and Thummim before they tooke any battell in hand The Iewes required a signe the Grecians sought after wisdome but Christ crucified vnto the Iewes was euen a stumbling blocke and vnto the Grecians foolishnesse For the Greekes Persians went for Oracles to Delphos the Egiptians and Affricans to Ammon but the Hebrewes were taught to come to the doore of the Tabernacle and after the vse of the Tabernacle to consult with Vrim and Thummim to come to the Temple of Salomon or to the Prophets and there to be instructed what to doo The Hebrues tooke no warres in hand vnlesse they ◅ame to the Priest first who would stand with his Ephod◅rment ◅rment before the Arke of the Lorde and there to be ◅ught what to do So Ioshuah Generall of the Israelites vsed to stand b◅re Eleazar the Priest to take his instruction by Vrim and Thummim So Iudah the successor of Ioshua was chosen by Vrim and Thummim to be a Generall of the Hebrue army So did Samuel stand before the high Priest to receiue he Oracle of Vrim and Thummim The Hebrewes
were instructed by the word of the Lord in the mouth of the Prophet or else they were answered at the mercy seate or counselled by Vrim and Thummim So soothsayings oracles were so had in reuerence among the Gentiles that nothing should be taken in hand neither in peace nor in warres without consulting with the soothsayers and oracles So that at any Eclipse of the Moone the Romanes would take their brazen pots pannes and beat them lifting vp many Torches and Linckes lighted and firebrandes into the aire thinking by these superstitious meanes to reclaime the Moone to her light So the Macedonians were as superstitious as the Romanes were at any Eclipse of the Moone Nothing terrified the Gentils more in their warres then the Eclipse of the Sunne and the Moone The like vsed the Thracians when it thunders they take theyr bowes and arrowes and shoote vp to the cloudes against the thunder imagining by theyr shooting to driue the thunders away Cabrias the Generall of Athens beeing readie to strike a battell on sea it suddenly lightened which 〈◊〉 terrified the souldiers that they were vnwilling to figâ—… vntill Cabrias said that now is the time to fight whâ—… Iupiter himselfe with his lightening doth shewe a sigâ—…e that he is readie to goe before vs. So Epaminondas at his going to battell it suddenly lightned that it so amazed his souldiers that Epaminondas comforted them and saide Lumen hoc Numina ostendunt by these lightnings the gods shew vs that we shall haue victories but we may better say so througâ—… our Lord and Sauiour then Epaminondas or Cabriâ—… sith we haue the great light of the Gospell to lighten vs and to goe before vs to attempt any warre or to commence any battel against Sathan and his armies whose will is euer to destroy though his power cannot Cuius semper iniqua voluntas licet nunquam iniusta potestas In Rome the Dictator the Consul the Praetor and other Magistrates were to be remoued from their offices if the soothsayer sawe any occasion by lightning thundering by remouing of starres by flying of fowles by intrailes of beasts by Eclipse of the Sun Moone So that there was a lawe in Sparta that euery ninth yeare the chiefe magistrates called Ephori would choose a bright night without Moone light in some open place to behold the starres and if they had seene any star shoot or moue from one place to another straight these Ephori accused their kings that they offended the gods and therby deposed them from their kingdome So did Lysander depose king Leonidas So likewise the Romains were perswaded that their ouerthrow at the battels of Thrasimen Trebeia and Canne by Hannibal were for that they supposed they offended the gods either in not performing their vowes or in not doing of sacrifice or else for the vnskilfulnesse of theyr Generalls So did they suppose theyr ouerthrowes by the Cymbrians to be by the vnskilfulnesse and ouersight of Quin. Scaepio their Generall but Cai. Marius afterward reuenged the ouerthrowes of the Romaines with the greatest ouerthrow that euer the Cymbrians had By these meanes the Consuls were oftentimes remoued displaced from their offices of Consulship by the Senators as Varro Mansinus Leuinus others as the kings and Generals were in Sparta by meanes of their magistrates called Ephori such sure trust and confidence they had in their soothsayers that without the counsell of soothsayers in Rome or the counsell of Magi in Persia or of the Ephori in Sparta the kings of Rome of Persia and of Sparta would attempt nothing concerning the state of the countrey And therfore the Macedonians made a decree that no monument of triumph should be made within their kingdome for that a Lyon had raised vp a pillar which was set vp in memorie of a great victory gotten they thought the gods to be offended with them and therefore the decree was made So the Romanes after Carthage was destroyed and after restored againe when the Romanes had diuided and measured their lands and limited their meeres and markes by the pole for the Romaines to inhabite there for that the marks limits were bitten gnawed with wolues the Romanes paused staied before they had consulted with Oracles The first king of Rome Romulus builded his kingdom by flying of fowles and soothsaying So Numa Pompil was chosen second king of Rome by flying of fowles So Torquinius Priscus an Eagle tooke his cappe from his head and fled vp on high to the skies and after descended and let his cappe fall on his head againe signifying thereby that he should be king of Rome Pau Aemilius Consul and Generall of the Romanes in Macedonia at what time he sacrificed vnto the gods in the citie of Amphipolis it lightned whereby he was perswaded it pretended the ouerthrow of the kingdom of Macedonia and his great victory and tryumphe of the same at Rome Swallowes followed king Cyrus going with his army from Persia to Scythia as rauens followed Alexander the great returning from India and going to Babilon but as the Magi tolde the Persians that Cyrus should die in Scythia so the Chaldean Astrologers told the Macedonians that Alexander the great their king should die in Babilon without any further warrant but by the Swallowes that followed Cyrus to Scythia and by the rauens that followed Alexander to Babilon By Swallowes also lighting vppon Pirrhus Tents and lighting vpon the mast of Mar. Antonius ship sayling after Cleopatra to Egipt the soothsayers did prognosticate that Pirrhus should be slaine at Argos in Greece and Mar. Antonius in Egipt The Arabians Carians Phrygians and Cilicians do most religiously obserue the chirping flying of birds assuring themselues good or bad euents in their warres Themistocles was assured of victory ouer king Xerxes and his huge army by crowing of a cocke going to the battell at Artemisium the day before the battell began who hauing obtained so great a victory gaue a cocke in his ensigne euer after So Iu. Caesar gaue an elephant in his ensigne after he had subdued Iuba king of Mauritania The Lydians Persians and Thracians esteeme not soothsaying by birds but by powring of wine vpon the ground vpon their cloathes with certaine superstitious praiers to their gods that their warres should haue good successe Pau. Aemilius was assured of victory ouer Persius king of Macedonia by a word pronounced by his little girle Tertia saying to her father that Persius the dog and her play-fellow was dead Aristander the soothsayer in the battell at Arbela being the last against Darius was then on horse backe hard by Alexander apparelled all in white and a crowne of golde vppon his head encouraging Alexander by the flight of an Eagle the victorie should be his ouer Darius Both the Greekes the Romaines and the Lacedemonians had theyr soothsayers hard by them in their warres Alexander the great had not
reioyced in his great victorie ouer Darius at Arbela and his conquests ouer kingdomes and countries had hee knowne hee should haue bene poysoned in Babilon Caesar had neuer taken the ciuill warres in hand against Pompey the great had hee knowne that hee should haue beene murthered before Pompeys Image in Rome Priamus had hee knowne the slaughter of himselfe his wife his children the last destructiō of Troy his citie had not resisted the Greeks nor denied their lawfull request in restoring Helen and therefore saide Cicero Multò melius est nescire futura quam scire Ignorance is better then knowledge of thinges to come but these had no Ephod no Vrim Thummim nor prophet to tel them of things to come as Ioshua Dauid Gedeon and others had and yet Alexander had his soothsayer Aristander Caesar had Spurina Priamus was warned by his daughter Cassandra but euer when they escaped one danger they fell into another as Iob said Fugiet impius armaferrca irruet in arcum aereum So superstitious grew the Gentils with such abhominable Idolatry that in Persia by a cock in Egipt by a bull in Aethiope by a dog they tooke soothsaying in Beotia by a beech tree in Epyre by an oake in Delos by a dragō in Lycia by a wolfe in Ammon by a ramme they receiued their oracles as their warrant to commence any warre to enter any battell or to attempt any enterprise And therfore Alexander the great went to the oracle at Ammon to know the successe of his warres in India And Licurgus went to Delphos to be instructed to make lawes in in Sparta Some went to the graue of Amphiraus sacrificed a Ramme and couered the graue of Amphiraus with that Ramme skinne and sleeping vpon the same skinne all night all things should be shewed to them by oracles But to such men as come to dead mens graues to seek helpe might be spoken that which Semyramis spake to Darius king of Persia. For Semyramis had written vpon her graue that what Prince soeuer had wanted money or golde should open her tombe and be satisfied Darius being greedie of money opened her tombe and found this sentence written vpon a table O couetous wretch vnlesse thou hadst bin an vnsatiable Prince thou wouldst neuer haue opened the graue of the dead for money The like was spokē to Xerxes that opened Belus graue and found nothing but an emptie glasse with this writing on a pillar If any would open Belus graue and not fill the emptie glasse with oyle he should be vnfortunate Which being read of Xerxes he willed straight to fil the glasse with oyle which would hold oyle no more then Belides buckets held water Xerxes departed sad therefore imagining some ill lucke to come thereby as within a while after it came to passe that he was slaine in his owne pallace at Persepolis by Artabanus The Prophets of the Lorde Esai Ieremy and the rest tooke no oracles from flying of fowles from starres and such but from the mouth of the Lord saying Thus saith the Lorde giuing more certaine oracles to the Israelites then the Persians Egiptians and Grecians had by Swallowes Rauens Eagles and Cockes The Prophet Dauids manner was when he went to any battell to know of the Lord whether hee should goe or no against the Philistines Canaanites and other enemies of the Lord. So the Israelites would take no warre in hand against the Beniamites before they asked counsell of the Lord. When the Moabites denied Ioshua and his army passage through the land Ioshua was commaunded by Moses to muster a thousand of euery Tribe and to giue them battell For it was lawfull in iust warres to vse any policies stratagems and snares against the enemie as Abraham did in rescuing Lot made after the foure kings fought with them ouerthrew them and brought Lot backe againe to his owne house where he dwelt in Zodom And so Gedeon did to the men of Sucoth and to the men of Phanuel for that they denied to giue some bread to relieue his three hundred faintie souldiers at his returne from the victorie hee tare the flesh of threescore and seuenteene Elders and chiefe men of Sucoth with briers and thornes and brake downe the Tower of Phanuel and slew the men of the Towne according to his promise before tolde But let vs returne to the oracles and soothsayings aswell of the Gentiles as of the Iewes The Athenians in euery publike counsell that they tooke in hand without their Priests called Mantes were present in place to sacrifice and to offer oblations vnto their Idols nothing should be done among the Athenians Among the Lacedemonians in like manner the authoritie of soothsaying was such that in all consultations among the Senators they would conclude vpon nothing in matters of doubts without warrant frō their soothsayers The credite and existimation of soothsayers was such among the Romanes that they could dispossesse any Senator from the Senate any Consull or Praetor from their offices as is said before for the soothsayers were called in Rome Nuntij interpetres Iouis the messengers of Iupiter and his interpreters So the latter Iewes serued and sacrificed to the Idols of the Gentiles neither would they attempt any thing without oracles from Chemosh the Idoll of the Moabites from Nesroch the Idoll of the Assyrians and from Dagan the Idoll of the Philistines yet Senacherib was slaine praying in the Temple before his owne god Nesroch by his owne sonnes and the fiue Lords of the Philistines at the great feast which they made to their god Dagon were slaine by the fall of the house where they feasted Yet Israel would take no example thereby but forgat the lawe of the Lord which they obeyed vnder Ioshuah Iudah Gedeon and others but they would haue new kings new lawes to gouerne them an other forme of a common-wealth then the Lord had appointed and a new kinde of religion to serue straunge gods otherwise then the Lord had commanded them and to seeke helpe and aide of other nations which the Lord forbad them saying The strength of Pharao shall bee your shame and your trust to the shadowe of Egipt shall deceiue you neither the gods whom you serue shall saue you neither the nations whom you trust vnto shall defend you As the Ethnikes vsed dreames lots prophesies oracles soothsayings and charmes to instruct them in their warres so Nabuchodonozer consulted with his oracles asked counsel of the soothsayers and obserued the liuer of a beast for the destruction of Ierusalem but they are cursed in Gods booke that would vse sorcery or seeke helpe by any other meanes then by the Lord for what haue the faithfull to do with Infidels which were forbidden to goe to Iupiter at Hammon or to Appollo at Delphos where the Gentiles came to offer gold pearles iewels chaines crownes shields targets and Images to hang there in the temple of Appollo that
Philip king of Macedonia at the spoile thereof had as great a pray as Alexander his sonne had of Babilon or Nabuchodonozer of Ierusalem CHAP. VIII Of sanctuaries allowed to the Hebrewes and of the multitude of sanctuaries among the Gentiles SAnctuaries were priuiledged among all Nations not onely for souldiers that fled from the warres and seruants that fled from their maisters but also for those that by chance kild any man or had committed such capitall crimes without proofe these might bee succoured in sanctuaries vntill the truth were knowne and proued and therefore the Hebrewes had sixe citties of refuge by the lawe of Moses where if any man had slaine vnwittingly or vnwillingly a man he might flee to any of these sixe Cities as to a sanctuary of refuge but they that had killed a man willingly and had committed any capitall crime purposely should not onely be taken away from the sanctuarie but bee pluckt away from the aultar as Ioab was for killing of Abner and Adonias though hee pretended treason before against Salomon yet had hee the priuiledge of the sanctuarie for that fault by Salomon but when hee sought to haue Abizaig to his wife he was pluckt from the Aultar as Ioab was Those that were lawfully succoured by Moses lawe in the sanctuary it was not lawfull for them that fled thither to returne home vnlesse it were at the death of the high Priest which was a shadow of the death of Christ by whose death the regenerate turne to their eternall home The Gentiles imitating the Hebrewes had too many licentious sanctuaries with the like libertie and priuiledge in so much that in continuance of time it grew that Temples Aultars Images of Emperours and Kings and graues of dead men were allowed for sanctuaries as if any that would flye vnto the Temple of Diana at Ephesus and claimed by the right of a sanctuarie to be defended hee was made free and had his libertie graunted vnto him and that continued a sanctuarie from the time of Alexander the great who amplyfied the Temple of Diana the quantitie of a furlong which temple was burnt before by Herostratus vpon the very day that Alexander was borne vntill the time of Augustus Caesar three hundred yeares after Alexander by whom the wickednesse of that sanctuary was was abrogated and quite taken away Cadmus as some write at the building of Thaebes was the first in Greece that gaue any priuiledge to sanctuaries Others thinke that some of the posteritie of Hercules erected vp in Athens the temple of mercie where euery man might flee for succour fearing least they should be punished and plagued for the iniuries that Hercules their predecessor did to others and the Athenians made a decree that none that fled to the aultar of mercie should be pulled away Romulus imitating Cadmus at the building of Rome for the encrease of his citie graunted impunitie to all such wicked men that came to Rome whose example all other Gentiles followed after in so much that kings and kings sonnes fled vnto sanctuaries so great was the priuiledge of sanctuaries that king Pausanias fled to the Temple of Minerua in Sparta and king Cleombrotus fled to the Temple of Neptune in Taenero and Adonias King Dauids sonne fled to the Temple in Ierusalem Likewise a souldier taken in the warre if he had fled from thence to the statue of any King Emperour or great captaine he was to haue his libertie The liberties and abuse of sanctuaries grew so great among all nations that where sanctuaries were allowed chiefly first for those that slew any man by chaunce against their will for captiue souldiers that fled from prison for poore distressed seruants that were abused by their maisters in time it became dens for theeues stewes for wicked men and leawd women that whatsoeuer was done if they came to the Temple of Osiris in Egipt or to the Temple of Diana in Thracia or to the Temple of Venus in Pâ—…hos they were freed might there take their libertie but poore Demosthenes was taken from the Temple of Neptune by the tyrant Archyas and brought to Athens before his onely enemy Antipater Sanctuaries grew so common that not onely souldiers but also any offenders might fleee from theyr liberties especially in Greece to the graues of Achilles Thesius and Aiax in other places to the graue of Hercules In other places the offender if he had fallen downe at the feete of Iupiters Priest of Mars or of Vulcan at the gates of their temples he should goe free Though the old auntient Romanes could not abide a souldier taken in the wars they would neither redeem him nor allow him sanctuarie yet Agesilaus king of the Lacedemonians allowed any temple of their gods to be a sanctuary for souldiers that fled for succour So did Cyrus proclaime sanctuaries for all banished bond men in Greece in all Asia leuied therby a huge army to fight against his brother Artaxerxes So did Sertorius one of Marius sect proclaime sanctuaries to all the Romaine fugitiues in Hispaine in Affrike that he as much harmed Rome being a Romaine borne and now out of his countrey as eyther Sylla or Marius did in their countrey Hauing sufficiently spoken of these kinde of sanctuaries of theyr too much libertie that grew thereby in all kingdomes as among the Hebrewes by Ieroboam in the battell at Mount Zemaraim among the Persians by Cyrus at the battell at Conauxa among the Romanes by Cinna and among the Affricans by Scotorius who all proclaimed sanctuaries and liberties to all fugitiue and banished souldiers we leaue sanctuaries which were appointed as a refuge for those that fled thither for succour and helpe vntill the truth were knowne and speake not of those that abused sanctuaries as a cloake of their tirannie and wickednesse You heard before how Adonias and Ioab were taken from the Aultar for they had abused the sanctuary for the Lord commaunded that his lawes should be seuerely kept and that no part thereof should be broken for King Oza vsurping the Leuites office against the lawe was striken with sudden death for the vnreuerent handling of the Arke which was the Leuites office Ozias the King was striken with leprosie for burning incense against the lawe which was the Priestes office Abihu and Nadab Aarons sonnes for that they both tooke Censors in their hands put fire therevpon and incense therein offered straunge fire before the Lord contrarie to the Lords commaundement fire from heauen destroyed them for the priests were commaunded to take no fire but from the aultar neither might they offer vncleane bread vpon the Lords table nor sowe cockles for corne in the Lords fields for the Lord will be more sanctified in his ministers then others and therfore he spared not Oza for handling the Arke nor Ozias for burning incense though they were both kings for transgressing one iot of his lawes
the Athenians were for Agesilaus tooke another course thē Themistocles did when he wanted money he went to the confines of Persia to spoile and to plague the Persians for the Persians euer feared the greatnesse of Agesilaus and yet was he but a litle lame man of stature that hee was satisfied with golde and siluer to returne to his countrey that Agesilaus would often iest and say that thirtie thousand Archers did driue him out of Asia which was the Persian coine that was stampt with the print of an Archer with these Archers the Persians caused oftentimes Agesilaus to returne frō Persia into Greece againe The like iest did Gilippus seruant he told the Ephories of Sparta that his maister Gilippus had vnder the roofe of his house more Owles then all Athens for the coine of Athens was stampt with the print of an Owle as the Persians was with the print of an Archer for Gilippus had taken from his maister Lysander much money and hidden them vnder the shield of his house and so by his seruant was in a iest betraied Thus leauing Agesilaus with his Archers and Gilippus seruant with his Owles I will returne to Themistocles to whom Marcellus shall be compared in celeritie of whom Hannibal said that Marcellus could not be quiet neither with good fortune nor bad neither victor nor conuicted Scypio Affrican with such celeritie after he had conquered Hannibal at the battell at Zama soone subdued Carthage Pau. Aemilius with great celeritie subuerted the whole Empire of Macedonia and brought their king Persius and Gentius king of the Illyrians both prisoners vnto Rome in his tryumphe Pompey the great vsed such celeritie that within fortie daies he vanquished all the Pyrates who had a thousand ships on the seas and taken aboue foure hundred townes they robd and spoyld all marchant venturers rifled and destroyed all the Ilands and townes vpon the sea coast and destroyed many Temples they feared no force neither weighed for kings nor subiects and grew so strong that they ruled both land sea without lawe But Pompey had such victory ouer them that after the great slaughter in the battell at the citie Coracesium he tooke twentie thousand persons prisoners and thus in lesse then three moneths Pompey ended and quite vanquished the Pyrates Caesar in all his warres excelled all men in expedition and celeritie in the which he had such wonderfull good successe against Pompey in Pharsalia against his sonne in Affrica against Affranius in Hispaine against Cato in Vtica with such expedition that he became as you read being one that was denied to be Consul to be Perpetuus Dictator and the first Emperour of Rome Clau. Nero the Consul considering that Italy was plagued by Hannibal in Lucania and by Asdrubal his brother in Vmbria made such secret great hast that before Hannibal knew he went out of his campe in Lucania he was in Vmbria and before Asdrubal knew he was in Vmbria he was with his fellow Consul at the battell of Metaurus where Asdrubal was slaine his armie ouerthrowne and his head sent to his brother Hanibal in Lucania so that by one Romane stratagem the two great Romane enemies Hanibal and Asdrubal were ouerthrowne the one slaine at the Riuer Metaurus and the other driuen from Italy into Affrike Celeritie vpon deliberation is most necessarie at all times therefore the chiefe guard about Romulus person were called Celeres for their quicknesse and celeritie in executing Romulus commaundement Dauid king of Iudah had such resolute men called Cerethites about his person readie with such celeritie to effect any thing the king would commaund them that when they heard the king longing for some water out of the well of Bethelem they presently ventured theyr liues through the campe of the enemies and brought water to the king from Bethelem before the king missed them but Dauid sacrificed the water vnto the Lord and would not drinke of it because his men offered theyr liues for it Caleb vsed such expedition after he had viewed and trauelled all the land of Canaan that he returned within fortie dayes to the Hebrew campe with a full resolution perswading Ioshua to take the warres in hand Ehud one of the Iudges of Israel who was wont to say to his souldiers follow mee went fully resolued to Eglon king of Moab an enemie of the Lord and therefore slew him in his chamber Many souldiers of the Lord are resolued through faith to effect many things with celeritie and zeale so Phineas slew Zimri the Israelite Cosbi a Lords daughter of the Madianites for that they offended the Lord in the campe and therfore Phineas thrust them through both with his speare Iehu though a wicked man yet much commended for his resolute zeale for that he ouerthrew Achabs house slew Baals prophets and destroyed Baals temple and his aultars The great kings of the world are resolued to hazard theyr liues to winne fame and glory eyther by parasites or flatterers moued therevnto or by oracles of theyr Idols or by visions and dreames especially as Astiages king of the Meades dreamed that his daughter Mandanes which was Cyrus mother made water that ouerflowed all Asia Astiages dreamed the second time that a vine grew out of his daughters wombe whose braunches couered all Asia therefore hee called all his wise men and soothsayers of his kingdome together to interpret him these two dreames who tolde him that his daughter should haue a sonne that should bee such a king that hee should rule ouer all Asia which made Cyrus so ambitious and proud that he could not be content with all the kingdomes of Asia but must goe to be slaine in Scythia The like dreame sawe Xerxes before his voyage in to Greece that in his dreame hee thought hee sawe an Oliue tree crowned whose boughes and braunches couered the whole earth and withall suddenly vanished away The same Author writeth that Iulius Caesar dreamed that he lay with his mother and by these meanes he was flattered by his soothsayers that hee should subdue the whole earth Euen so Hamilcar Generall of the Carthagineans thought hee heard in his sleepe a voyce that hee should the next night suppe in Syracusa but he was so glad of his speech that he was deceiued of his hope and yet he supt in Syracusa not as a conqueror but as a prisoner but was deceiued as Xerxes was by the hope of his crowned Oliue or as Caesar was by his mother Hannibal after the taking of Saguntum dreamed that Iupiter should call him into councell with the goddes where hee was commaunded to take warres in hand against the Romanes there hee seemed that Iupiter had giuen him a captaine to goe before him euen from the councell house one of the company of the gods and looking behinde him hee thought he sawe a terrible monstrous Serpent which Hannibal in his sleepe asked Iupiter what monster that was
the wicked pa. ead The vowes of the Nazarites pa. 281 Monasticall vowes pa. ead The Rechabites vowes pa. 282 The Oracles of Ammon pa. 283 Signes of victories giuen by the Lord pa. 284 The Hebrewes consulted with Urim and Thummim pa. 285 The superstitious Oracles of the Gentiles pa. 286 The Consuls of Rome and the Kings of Sparta deposed pa. 287 Soothsaying by flying of fowles pa. 288 Cyrus and Alexander forewarned of their death by soothsaying pa. 289 Themistocles pa. ead Aristander Alexander his soothsayer pa. 290 Superstitious Oracles of the Gentiles pa. ead The greedinesse of Dacius and Xerxes of money pa. 291 Any stratageme in iust warres is lawfull pa. 292 The credit of Soothsayers pa. 293 The Idolatry of Israel pa. ead The rich spoile which Philip had in Delphos pa. 294 Sanctuaries allowed by the Lord to the Hebrewes pa. 295 Sanctuaries allowed among all nations pa. 296 Kings fledde to Sanctuaries pa. ead The abuse and ill order of Sanctuaries pa. 297 The breach of lawes seuerely punished in kings pa. 298 Numas religious lawes in Rome pa. 299 The prophanatiō of the ceremonies of Ceres by Alcibiades and Clodius pa. 300 20000. ware mourning apparell for Cicero in Rome pa. ead Ciceroes opinion of the Romaine victories pa. 301 Antalcidas saying to Agesilaus pa. 302 Alexander the great rewarded maimed souldiers pa. ead The liberalitie of Captaines pa. 303 Condemned murtherers sacrificed on Captaines graues pa. 304 Greedie Princes euer lost more the they wanne pa. 305 Of ambitious Generals and Captaines page 306. 307. 308 The Image of Iustice painted in Egipt without a head page 307 Platoes opinion against ambitious men pa. ead Philosophers slew themselues pa. 309 The victories of Sertorius page 310 Licurgus lawe allowed ambition pa. 311 Ambitious men banished from Athens pa. ead Themistocles banished pa. 312 Comparisons betweene the Romanes and the Grecians page 314 Pericles surnamed Olimpius pa. ead Pirrhus saying of Rome pa. 315 Philopomen the last Captaine of any fame in Greece pa. 316 Of diuers kindes of trumpets in warres 317. 318 Of diuers tents and sailes page 319 The watch word of diuers noble captaines in their warres page 320 Of sundrie stratagems pa. 321 Crassus slaine among the Parthians pa. 322 The ouerthrow of the Romanes by the Cymbrians pa. 323 Pub. Ventidius triumphes page 324 The victories of the Greekes at Marathon pa. 325 The victorie of the Syracusans ouer the Athenians pa. 326 The battell at Cranon pa. 327 Alexander feared in Greece pa. ead Libraries destroyed pa. 328 The librarie of Attalus and Eumenes in Asia destroyed page 329 Aiax Patroclus two Elephants so named of Antiochus pa. ead The librarie at Rome pa. ead The Romanes only professed armes pa. 330 The opinion of Cato pa. ead Callimachus and Chrysippus great writers pa. 331 The lawe of Armes broken pa. 332 Faire words deceiued many Captaines pa. ead Archidamus counsell to the Lacedemonians pa. 333 Much bloud spent in breach of faith pa. ead The breach of the lawe of Armes pa. 334. 335 Zopyrus stratagem pa. 336 Aiax foolish answere to his father pa. ead Cyrus and Agamemnons wish pa. pa. 337 The great pride of Xerxes and Nimrod pa. 338 Securitie in warres hurtfull pa. 339 Pompeys parasites pa. ead The victorie of Drusus pa. 340 The flatterers of Tigranes King of Armenia pa. ead The victorie of Lucullus ouer the Athenians pa. ead Themistocles celeritie in his victories pa. 341 30000. Archers draue Agesilaus out of Persia pa. 342 An Owle printed on the coyne of Athens pa. ead The celeritie and quick dispatch of great captaines pa. 343 Celeritie praised page 344 Astiages dreames pa. 345 Xerxes dreame pa. ead Hanibals dreame pa. 346 Ioseph enuied of his bretheren pa. ead Iosephs second dreame pa. 347 Ioseph and Daniel expounders of dreames pa. ead Isaac named pa. 348 Women among the Israelites gaue names to their children pa. ead The surnames of great Romaine captaines pa. 349 Moneths named after the name of Emperors pa. ead The surnames of great Captaines and Generals in Greece pa. 350 Arsaces the name of all the Kings in Parthia pa. 351 The Iuorie house of Achab. pa. 352 FINIS 39. Kings ouerthrowne by Moises and Ioshua Of combats The vow of Cherim Adam rescued by the seed of the womā Luke 11. Elizeus leadeth the Army of Benhadad blind frō Dothan to Samaria They that mourned in Ierusalem were marked with the letter Tau Pauls marke Iacobites marke Cains mark Esaus marke Turneb lib. 24. cap. 12. The markes of diuers nations with the letter Tau Appul lib. 9. Alex. Neapolit lib. 6. cap. 18. The time that Barbers were first seen in Rome Philip. Archidamus Abraham the first man marked Gen. 12. Abraham feared Abimelech and Pharao for his wife Abraham read Astronomy in Egipt Ioseph lib. 1. de Antiq. I◅ Abraham rescued the fiue kings and Lot his Nephew The victorie of Gedeon ouer the Madianites Iud. 7. Dauid rescued his two wiuess 1. Sam. 30. Gen. 14. Three Angels feasted at Mambre with Abraham Foure were named before they were borne Tantae virtutis est quātae difficultatis bonum esse inter malos Bernar. Epis. 25. Ismaelites would not be called Agareni of Agar but Saraceni of Sarah The Tower of Babel builded by Nimrod Cyrus army to Scythia Alexan. voyage to India Ninus the first Monarch Barsanes Diodor fic◅ lib. 3. Farnus K. of the Meades Seuen hundred thousand Zoroastes laught at his birth The first Idolatry by Ninus Baal the first Idoll Plato in T◅meo The male children of the Hebrues were thrown to Nilus The tyrannie of Pharao Oros. lib. 1. cap. 10. A comparison betweene the Egiptians and the Romanes The armies of the Lord in Egipt vnder Moses The first plague The comparison of the first plague with the first persecuton Orosi lib. 7. Nero slue himselfe Ester 3. 3. Reg. ca. 19 4. Reg. ca. 21 The second plague An armie of Frogges Exod. 8. The second tryumph of Moses in Egipt The blasphemy of Nicanor punished The comparison of the second plagne with the second persecution The horrible blasphemie both of Pharao and Domitianus alike Domitianus Image set vp in the temple as Ierusalem Domitianus slaine in his owne house by his seruants The third plague Exod. 8. Iamnes and Iambres The third persecution Pliny to Traiane Philo was not heard of Nero. Sapor King of Persia. The fourth plague The fourth yeelding of Pharao to Moses The fourth persecution The fighting of the Iewes with wilde beasts The yeelding of tyrants Blasphemers confesse the Lord to be God The fift plague Pharao and Esau compared The fift persecution Septimius and Antiochus murthered The tyrannie of Antiochus against the Iewes 1. Machab. 6. Ioseph li. 12. cap. 13. Antiochus at his death confessed the great wrong he did to Ierusalem and Iudah The sixt plague The fable of Manetho of Moses which he named Osarphis Tisithes Pliny his opinion of Moses Ioseph lib. 2. contra Appionem The sixt persecution Euseb. lib.