with him to put away the straunge gods that were among them to cleanse themselues and chaunge their garments and Iacob buried and hid their Images vnder an oake by Sichem and went to Bethel and made an aultar there to his God as the Lord had commaunded him So Ninus a little before that time set vp the first Image that is read of to bee among the Gentiles to Belus his father from which time the name of Baal his prophets and his priests began to multiply so many in Niniuie and in Babilon yea in Iudah it selfe among the Israelites to whome the lawe was giuen from the Lord to Moses forbidding them to serue straunge gods Ieroboam Salomons seruant and king of Israel which made Israel first to sinne by making two golden calues theyr gods the one in Dan the other in Bethel saying to the people These be thy gods ô Israel which brought thee out of the land of Egipt Within a while after wicked Achab being not satisfied with the gods of Samaria the golden calues which Ieroboam made brought Baal froÌ„ Assyria to Iudah where he kept and maintained 450. false Prophets to instruct and teach Israel in the religion of Baal contrarie to the lawe which the Lord gaue vnto Moses for the lawe was Thou shalt haue no other gods but me so that the gods of the Moabites and Ammonites yea the gods of the Gentiles came to be worshipped in the middest of Ierusalem and Mount Oliuet was so full of Idolatry vnder euery greene tree and in euery groue that thereby it was called the Mount of corruption so that Ierusalem had as many straunge aultars in the time of Salomon as Athens had in the time of Paul The Iewes therefore were as Idolatrous and had as many gods as the Gentiles had and rather serued the dumbe Idols of the Gentiles then the liuing God of Israel So vaine and wicked were the Israelites that while Moses was in the Mount with the Lord for the lawe before he came downe from the Mount they had forced Aaron to make them a calfe of mettall as a god to go before them for so the Lord said vnto Moses vp and get thee downe quickly for the people haue made them a god of mettall at what time the Lord was so angrie that he determined to destroy all the Hebrues for their Idolatrie had not Moses earnestly praied and made intercession for them For the Hebrues before they came out of Egipt sawe the Idolatry of the Egiptians in worshipping oxen calues serpents crocodiles and other beasts as gods the lawe was not so soone giuen to Moses but it was as soone broken by the people who forsooke the Lord and his lawe and followed other gods Baalim and Ashtaroth after Ioshuahs death for during the whole time of Ioshuah he kept Israel from Idolatry and they serued the Lord but after his death they committed fornication with the daughters of Moab who brought Israel to worship and serue theyr goddes that the Lord was angrie with Israel and bad Moses take vp the chiefe men among the people and hang them vp to the Lorde against the Sunne that the Lords wrath might bee taken away So after Gedeons death Israel fell to their Idolatrie as they were wont to doo that Manasses a most wicked Idolatrous king builded aultars to all the host of heauen in the house of the Lord and he put vp an Image in the Temple of the Lord where the Lord himselfe said In Ierusalem will I put my name hee worshipped and serued them hee reared vp aultars and made groues he built high aultars which Ezechiah his father destroyed and following Achab king of Israel offered his sonne in fire so that in Ierusalem the Israelites worshipped more gods and had more aultars to their gods then the Athenians had in Athens which Paul testified who sawe so many gods and so many aultars in Athens one to lust one to shame and one among so many Ignotodeo to an vnknowne god The second Regiment of Lawes containing the contempt of religion seuerely punished among diuers nations of the sundrie sacrifices and vowes of the Heathens and of the multitude of Idols and Aultars in Israel SOcrates deriding scoffing at the multitude of the goddes and aultars of Athens was by the Athenians put to death not for breaking their aultars destroying their temples nor betraying the Citie but because he sware by a straunge god thinking thereby hee had despised the goddes of Athens and more esteemed straunge gods Plato his scholler though hee was of the like opinion as his maister Socrates was yet durst hee not openly confesse it for feare of the people though king Dyonisius knew Platos minde by his Letters therein signified that when Plato wrote to king Dyonisius of one god then hee wrote seriously and earnestly but when hee wrote of many gods hee ieasted with scoffes as Socrates did Plato was of oipnion that Poets and Painters filled Greece with all kinde of Idols for what the Poets faigned in Greece in fables the same the Painters painted in Greece in tables and therefore Plato thought good to remoue Homer crowned annointed with all reuerence out of Greece for that hee through the opinion of the Greekes had of him filled Greece with too many gods and aultars But the Lord commanded Israel to ouerthrowe the â—…ltars of the Gentiles to breake their pillars cut downe their groues and burne the Images of their goddes with fire saying Couet not the golde nor the siluer that is about the Heathens Images as Achan did least thou be snaâ—…ed thereby for it is an abhomination to the Lord. Among the Romanes they thought it a great sacriledge to contemne and prophane the religion of theyr gods for so Alcibiades was accused of sacriledge for that he offended the lawe of the Athenians despising the holy misteries of the goddesse Ceres entred with his torch-bearer and vâ—…rger before him against the lawe of Eumolpides into the secret sacrifice and misteries of Ceres for the which his goods were confiscated and himselfe banished out of Athens for his contempt So for the like Clodius was accused in Rome for that he entered secretly into the misteries of Flora where none should bee but women and the Priests of Flora but as Alcibiades was banished out of Athens so Cloâ—…ius after was slaine in Rome for that Clodius offended the lawe being rather suspected for Pompeia Caesars wife then for the zeale hee had to Floraes sacrifice So zealous were the Heathens that euen among the Scythians rude and sauage people for that Anacharsis the Philosopher brought the ceremonies of the Grecians and their religion into Scythia and vsed the same in Scythia he was slain by his owne countreymen the Scythians In like maner the Athenians vsed certaine of the Acarnanites who being not Priests prophaned the gods of Athens in their religion which was taken of the Athenians for a
sacriledge against their gods and therefore were the Acarnanites slaine in Athens If the Gentiles do this for dumbe Idols and woodden gods and allow no straunge gods to bee worshipped nor serued within their territories neither suffered their religion to bee altered how much more should Israel obserue the lawe of their Lord and God for of him through him and for him are all things and as Hillarius saith Quicquid in deo est Deus est totum quod in Deo est vnum est Hermes though a Heathen man amōg the Egiptians could say Deus est quae sunt ea quae non sunt And Plato among the Greekes could say Deum esse aequalem totum ipsum singulum Such was the blinde zeale of the Gentiles towards theyr goddes that they exceeded the Iewes for as theyr gods were innumerable so were theyr ceremonies theyr sacrifices feasts and vowes infinite they were so religious to theyr goddes that they sought neither health wealth nor any thing else without vowes made eyther to dedicate Temples and Aultars to sacrifice and make Playes as the Romaines did for the health of theyr Consuls Dictators and Emperours or for any thing else the Priestes of Iupiter called Flamines should offer the sacrifice of Haecatombae vnto theyr gods The Grecians also when their gods were offended with them vowed for their assistance and helpe to stand with them to dedicate statues Images with crownes chaines and Iewels The Egiptians when they had offended their gods they should shaue their heads and their beards and dedicate the haires thereof at Memphis with vowes made that they would build temples of marble and of Iuorie to their gods The Persians which haue neither Temples nor Images but the Sunne onely whom they worship whose Temple said they is the whole world to whom the Persians made a pile of wood offered sacrifice and powred wine milke hony which with supplication vowes they made to the Sunne for the Persians had neither Temples nor Idolls which made Xerxes when he came to Greece with his Persian armie and sawe their Goddes and Idolls so full painted and pictured on the walles of their Temples that he left neither Gods nor Temples that he could come vnto vnburned In so much that the Lorde complained by his Prophets and brings these Heathens the Romanes Egiptians Persians others in for a proofe against his people saying how these Gentiles obserue and keep the lawes of their Gods and suffer no straunge God to be worshipped among them but my people will not obey me saith the Lord. The Prophet Ieremy cried so to Israel saying Looke how many cities are in thee oh Iudah so many strange Gods do you worship within Iudah And so the Lord complained how the Rechabites kept the lawes and ordinances of their father Ionadab that commaunded them they should neuer drinke wine build no house sowe no seede plant no vines and haue no vineyards they haue kept their fathers lawes but my people will not obey my lawes nor keepe my commaundements saith the Lord. So did the sonnes of Mattathias as the sonnes of Ionadab did obeyed their fathers commaundement in obseruing the lawes of the Lord. The examples are verified in all the kings of Israel euen from Salomon for hee forsooke the Lorde and serued straunge gods and builded Aultars to Chemosh god of the Moabites and to Moloch god of the Ammonites But Dauid burnt the Images and Idolls of the Philistines in the valley of Giants so in like sort were the Idols of the Iamnites burned The Lord therefore sent Ahiah the Sylonite to Ieroboam Salomons seruant which tooke his mantle and rent it into twelue peeces thus saith the Lord so will I rent the kingdome out of Salomons hand and will giue tenne Tribes to thee although they read in the lawe of the Lord that the sword of the Lord is sent against them that worship Images as the Lorde said I will whet my sworde which shall eate the flesh of Ido◅ators and will make my arrowes drunken with ◅heyr bloud I will destroye your Aultars ouerthrowe your Images and cast your bodies vpon the ◅arkasses of your Idols yet would not Israel bee in◅tructed And therefore it was prophesied and said of Ierusalem Thou shalt serue thy enemie in hunger in thirst ◅n nakednesse and in neede and he shall put a yoake of Iron vpon thy necke vntill hee haue destroyed thee thou shalt eate the fruite of thy body euen the flesh of ◅hy sonnes and daughters during the siege and straight◅esse wherein thy enemies shall inclose thee because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord so that thorne and thistle shall grow on their aultar and they shall say to the mountaines couer vs and to the hilles fall vpon vs. And therefore Zaleucus Pythagoras Scholler the first lawe that he made among the Locreans was first to establish religion and to honour and worship the gods acknowledging all things that are good to come from diuine powers the second lawe was against contention and discord among the people exhorting one to loue an other agreeable to the lawe of nature which lawe was giuē vnto vs that we should loue others and do for others as much as for our selues Hence grew that Paradoxe of Pythagoras that all things should be common amongst friendes and friendship most common and therefore Socrates was wont to curse that man Qui primus vtilitatem a natura seiunxisset for what nation is in the world but by the law of nature loues lenitie humanitie gratitude and goodnesse and by the selfe same lawe hates crueltie pride vngratefulnesse and wickednesse It seemed that Zeleucus read Moses lawe for that his first lawe was concerning religion in the first table and his second lawe touching loue and charitie betweene neighbours in the second table Licurgus among the Lacedemonians made a lawe that no straunger might come and dwell in Sparta not in any part of Lacedemonia lest they should defile prophane their lawes and religion neither should that Lacedemonian that went out of his countrey returne to his countrey lest he should corrupt their religion So it was among the Israelites by the lawe of Moses that no straunger might match with the Israelites neither by marriage nor by any societie vnles they would become obedient to the lawe of Moses It was not lawfull in Athens to thinke much lesse to speake any thing against their gods and for that Auaxagoras the Philosopher said the Sunne was but a fierie stone he was by the Athenians put to death for that the Athenians iudged the same to be a God So carefull were the Gentiles to serue theyr Gods that Gedeons death was sought for the breaking of the aultar of Baal Ieptha was threatned to be slaine in his owne house whereby hee was forced to flie to the land of Tob. Protagoras because the Athenians found
was punished with death which lawes by Solon his successor were mittigated Among the Indians though adultery was left vnpunished as it was among the Scythians yet theft was most odious to both these Nations and most sharply to be punished by the lawes of India and Scythia In all countries among all nations theeues were diuersly punished In Egipt the lawe of Bocchoris was such against theft that if the Theefe after hee had stolne any thing had brought his stealth willingly of himselfe vnto the chiefe Priest called Princeps Sacerdotum before he was accused of it he that lost the goods should write the time the day and the houre when it was lost vnto the Priest and should haue again three parts of his goods the theefe should haue the fourth part that stole it for that he confest it before he was accused which is according to Moses lawe that if the theft be found in the theeues hands he shall restore double but if a theefe steale an oxe or a sheepe and kill it or sell it he shall restore fiue oxen for an oxe and foure sheepe for a sheepe for in the ciuil lawe it is written Propter manifestum furtum restituatur quadruplum The Romanes therefore verie carefull hereof kept in their Capitoll dogges quicke for smelling and sent and fed geese for sacrifice to Iuno quicke of hearing lest theeues should rob the Capitoll and so Manliuâ—… by geese saued not only the Capitoll but Rome it selfe from the Gaules Another lawe of Bocchoris that if any were accused falsly of theft in Egipt before a Iudge the lawe was that hee which wrongfully accused the partie should suffer that punishment which was due to him that was accused if he had committed the fault so is Moses lawe that if a false witnesse accuse a man of trespasse beforeâ—… Iudge and be not able to proue it then shall the Iudge do vnto the false witnesse as hee had thought to haue done vnto his brother Charondas made a lawe in fauour and education of Orphants that the wealth and legacies which were left vnto them by their parents should be answered to the Orphants by the next of theyr fathers kindred when they came to age and the Orphants to bee brought vp with the next of their mothers kindred therfore Charondas made this lawe least the fathers kindred or mothers kindred should deceiue the Orphants either by any fraud deceit or guile which is plaine theft The like lawe made Solon in Athens as Charondas made among the Thurians and Carthagineans least any fraude or deceit should bee practised against Infants or Orphants and therefore the Indians vsed none of the kindred or of the bloud of the Orphants but two straungers as tutors and gardens to answere to the pupuls their goods and legacies according to the lawe of India Among the Persians as among the Indians the lawe was that the patrons that deceiued their clients should die for it so was the law of the 12. Tables as wel among the Romanes as among the Grecians Patronus si clienti fraudem fecerit sacer esto The daughters of Zalphod were restored to theyr fathers heritage for the Lord commaunded Moses that hee should turne the inheritance of theyr father vnto them and gaue them a possession to inherit among their fathers bretheren this is the lawe of the Lord if a man die and haue no sonne his inheritance shall turne to his daughter if hee haue no daughter to his bretheren if hee haue no bretheren to his fathers bretheren Among the Arabians the lawe was that the eldest brother was allowed to the inheritance before the eldest sonne In Aethiopia in like manner not the kings children but his brothers childreÌ„ should succeed him in the kingdome Among the Lycians also the daughters and not the sonnes should be their fathers heires neither were they named after their fathers name but after their mothers name This is against Voconius lawe in Rome called Plaebiscita for that he was Tribune of the people by the which law it was lawful that no woman should haue though she were the onely daughter of her father but the fourth part and because women grew so rich by patrimonie and by legacies Domitianus the Emperour confirmed Voconius lawe and made a decree that no defamed woman should possesse the heritage of her father neither should she be carried in a coach were shee euer so great or so rich for the lawe was Nequis etiam census vnicam relinqueret filiam haeredem contrarie to the law of the 12. Tables which was that the Testator might dispose of his goods as pleased himselfe according to the lawe Vti legasset suae reiquisque ita ius esto Therefore the lawe commaunds iust and true dealings to be exercised and embraced as well in words as in deedes for negatiue commaundements include in themselues affirmatiues as Thou shalt doo no murther therefore thou must aide and helpe thy neighbour wherefore we must loue our neighbours in heart and wish them no more harme then to our selues and shewe the same in word and deed Such loue was in Moses and in Paul that the one wished to be put out of the booke of life to saue the people from destruction the other of meere loue wished to be accursed for their bretheren to do them good Such is the nature of perfect loue that Abraham prayed for the Zodomites and Moses for Pharao and the Egiptians though they were wicked people for that is the lawe loue your enemies and do good to them that hate you So Stephen the first martyr following the example of his maister Christ prayed for them that stoned him for all vertues haue their force power from praiers faith is strengthened by praiers loue confirmed by praiers and repentance continued by praiers In the eleuenth RegimeÌ„t is described the diuers kinds of thefts of vsurie and slaunder and of lawes prouided for the punishment of the same THe lawe commaundeth Thou shalt not steale which containeth not onely all kinde of falsehood fraude and deceit as before is spoken but also iustice equitie charitie and conscience Such was the iustice of Abraham to his nephew Lot that though their seruants contended and fell out yet they both agreed for Abraham vsed great iustice diuided their portions equally into two parts and gaue the choosing thereof to Lot The like iustice was betweene Iacob and his father in lawe Laban seperate thou or I said Iacob all the sheepe which haue great spots and little spots and all blacke lambes among the sheepe shall be my portion and wages and euery one that is not black nor 〈◊〉 ted among the sheepe and the lambes shall be the 〈◊〉 to me for my righteousnes shall answere for me Thus were they in auncient time instructed by the law of nature to loue one another and to vse iustice and charitie A Heathen man could say almost so
law-makers of the world Quibus omnes antiquae gentes quondā paruerunt both for the more credit of thēselues better authoritie of their lawes made their subiects people beleeue when their first lawes were made that the gods were so carefull that they gaue them seuerall lawes to gouerne the people So Mena one of the first kings of Egipt affirmed that he had instructions for making of his lawes and decrees to the Egiptians from god Mercurius In like sort Licurgus made the Lacedemonians beleeue that the lawes which he gaue vnto them were deliuered vnto him from Appollo in Delphos The people of Creete were perswaded fully by Minoes their first lawe-maker that the lawes which he gaue vnto them were deliuered vnto him from Iupiter that thereby the law might the more be feared and the law-makers better obeyed So did Numa Pomp. warrant his lawes which he established among the Romanes concerning religion from the Nimph Egeria for the gouernmēt which was vnder kings is by Aristotle called Primus diuinissimus principatus When the first gouernment and state of Common-wealths fell by too much seueritie of kings as among the Romaines who were wearie of kings and had no lawe but Ius regis the iudgement and sentence of the king called in Romulus time Lex curiata whose seueritie grew to be such that the second gouernment in Rome which was by Consuls and Senators tooke place by fall of the first which lawe was called Senatus Consultus which grew so great by authoritie of the Consuls that a third kind of popular gouernment vnder the Tribune of the people was authorised to suppresse the misgouernment both of the Consuls and Senators as the Ephori were among the Lacedemonians made by Theopompus to bridle the insolencie of the kings So were the wise men called Magi in Persia without whom the kings of Persia could make no lawes And so the Magistrates called Megistenes had the like authoritie with the kings of Armenia as the Ephori had in Sparta Among the Carthagineans also were two chiefe Magistrates named Suffetes the one with the other to looke to the gouernment of the kings that they should iustly and rightly minister iustice to the people The Hebrewes likewise where God placed Iudges to gouerne the people of the which they were wearie and would haue a king so that the Romanes being wearie of kings would haue Consuls and the Hebrewes being wearie of Iudges would haue kings for all nations at the beginning began with the gouernment of kings sauing the Hebrewes which were as straungers and bondmen in Egipt without eyther king lawe or libertie foure hundred thirtie yeares euen from the comming of Abraham into Egipt vntil Moses and Aaron were commaunded to bring Israel out of Egipt at what time a lawe was giuen in Mount Sinai to Moses within fiftie dayes after the Israelites came out of Egipt that they should bee gouerned thereby before they possessed the land of Canaan After they had receiued the lawe the Lorde commaunded them that they should not make gods of siluer nor gods of golde hee also commaunded that they should make him an Aultar and thereon to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings with a straight charge that they should not make him an Aultar of hewed stones like the aulter at Damascus which Achab brought to Israel for that they should doo nothing of themselues after the manner of the Gentiles but by the Lords prescript rules which are his eternall lawes Yet before this lawe was giuen to Moses there were Aultars builded and sacrifices offered by Noah after hee landed out of the Arke at Baterion by Abraham after he came to the land of Canaan at Sychem by Isaac in Bersabe by Iacob in Bethel where hee fled from his brother Esau they were instructed by the lawe of nature written in the tables of their hearts to worship the Lord to feare him euen from the creation Vnder the lawe of nature the people of God liued and were assisted by the spirit of the Lord ministred vnto them by Angels and instructed by the Patriarches and liuely tradition of the fathers to the sonnes two thousand fiue hundred yeares before the lawe written Who doubtes but what Methusalem beeing in the company of Adam aboue two hundred fiftie yeares and with the rest of the Patriarches vnto the very floud liuing vnder the lawe of nature heard of Adam but Methusalem deliuered it to Sem what Sem heard of Methusalem but hee instructed Abraham therewith what Abraham heard of Sem hee shewed it to Iacob and what Iacob heard of Abraham hee taught it to Amri who was father to Moses to whom the lawe written was giuen so that the one was instructed by the other from the father to the sonne to serue and feare the Lord by the lawe of nature So that Enoch Noah Abraham Iacob Iob and all the olde Patriarches and godly fathers liued in the feare of God by the lawe of nature No doubt many things were written of the olde fathers before the floud and left to their posterities and after the floud generally ouer the whole world before the vse of paper lawes and learning were giuē by traditions frō the parents to the children their posterities as the Indians which had no lawes written no more then the Lacedemonians but by obseruations vntill the Indian Philosophers called Brachmaines found meanes to write in Sindone fine linnen or lawne as the old Egiptians vsed to write on the inward side of the barke of the tree Biblus or as Vlpian saith the Grecians vsed to write on the barke of the tree Tilia for in auntient time from the beginning lawes were written on the inward side of barks of trees as on the barke of Beech trees Elme Ashe Palme trees and such for the great library in Alexandria by Philadelphis compiled and the library in Asia by A◅talus and Eumenes gathered together were written in Haedonis Chartis in goate skinnes During all which time there was no mention made neither of gods nor of Idols though Satan plaid the first Idolater in practising to Adam Eue saying Eritis vt dij Ye shal be like gods on earth your eies shal be opened Satan by degrees deceiued Adā first asking him questions then doubting then denying saying you shal not die which was the first lye in the world so Satan proceedeth with his stratagems as Gregorius Magnus saith in Vnoquoque lapsu a minimis semper incipitur Yet after the lawe written was giuen Idolatry was presently committed before Moses came downe from the Mount so that there was no Idols mentioned nor spoken of before Rachel Iacobs wife stole her father Labans Image and brought it from Mesopotamia in her husbands company towards Canaan where Laban accused his daughter that she stole his gods away But Iacob within a while after he came to Canaan commaunded his houshold and all that were
of 20. of the best learned Ciuilians with the aduise and consent of 50. of the grauest and wifest councellors that were within his Empire to examine whether the lawes were iust profitable for the people before they should be published but being once published as a lawe extreame punishment was appointed for the breach thereof as is before spoken without any appeale frō the lawe without some great extraordinary cause of appeale As among the Hebrewes in any citie of Iudah that if they could not rightly iudge nor discerne throughly the cause according to iustice by the Magistrates of the citie they might appeale to the Iudges named Sinadrion in Ierusalem from whence no appeale could be had So among the Grecians they might appeale from the Areopagites in Athens from the Ephories in Sparta and all other cities of Greece to the Amphictions at Trozaena which were appointed general Iudges for the vniuersall state of Greece in martiall and military causes and there to sit and determine twise a yeare of the whole state of Greece and further to heare and to iudge of some other great causes and capitall crimes from whose sentence no other appeale was to be had for out of euery citie in Greece in the Spring and in the Autumne to the Amphictions at Trozaena they sent Embassadors whom the Greekes called Pytagorae So among the Romanes a lawfull appeale might be had from the Consuls to the Senators from the Senators to the Tribune of the people and from the people to the Dictator which continued vntill the time of the Iudges called Centum viri for Sententia Dictatoris iudicia centum viralia were both lawes of life and death from whose iudgement and sentences there were no greater Iudges to appeale vnto of the like authoritie were the Decem viri from whom also there was no appeale during their gouernment So in diuine causes we may appeale to mount Sion from Mount Sinai from the lawe to the Gospell from Moses to Christ our perpetuall Dictator from whom we haue no place to appeale vnto for our eternall saluation In the fift Regiment is declared the choice of wise Gouernours to gouerne the people and to execute the lawes among all Nations and also the education and obedience of theyr children to their Parents and Magistrates ALl Nations made their choise of the wisest and chiefest men to rule and gouerne their countrey imitating Moses who was by the Lord commanded to choose seuentie wise graue men to be Iudges among the Israelites called Synadrion which continued from Moses time who first appointed these Magistrates vntill Herods time who last destroyed them for in euery citie of Iudah seuen Magistrates were appointed to gouerne and to iudge according to the law of Moses and for their further instructions in the lawe they had of the Tribes of the Leuites two in euery citie to instruct and assist the Magistrates in all actions according to the lawe The Egiptians being next neighbours to the Hebrewes though they mortally hated the Hebrewes yet theyr gouernment of Dinastia vnder thirtie Gouernours elected and chosen out of Eliopolis Memphis Pellusium Thaebes and other chiefe cities of Egipt seemed to imitate Moyses lawe vnder Aristocratia So Solon appointed in Athens certaine wise men called Areopagitae as Iudges to determine of life and death and of other criminall causes Among the old Gaules the Druydes sage and wise religious men had authoritie both in warre and peace to make lawes and to determine of the state of theyr countrey The lawes of all Nations against disobedient children to theyr parents are manifest not onely the lawe of nature among all Nations vnwritten but also the diuine lawe of the Lorde written commaundes children to bee obedient to theyr parents as the lawe sayeth Whosoeuer curseth his father or mother shall dye and his bloud bee on his owne head for that hee curseth his father or mother If a man hath a sonne that is stubborne or disobedient let his parentes bring him vnto the Elders of the Cittie and there accuse him of his faultes saying my sonne is a Ryotour a Drunkarde and disobedient vnto his parentes the lawe is that all the men of that Cittie shall stone him with stones to death This commaundement was esteemed among all Nations euen among wicked men as Esau beeing a reprobate so the Lorde saide Esau haue I hated and Iacob haue I loued yet Esau hating his brother Iacob in heart saying that the dayes of his fathers sorrowes were at hande for I will kill my brother and most like it is that he would haue done so had not the Lorde which appeared to Laban the Syrian in a dreame by night for that hee followed Iacob from Mesopotamia said to Laban Take heed to thy selfe that thou doo or speake to Iacob nothing but good as the Lorde kept Iacob from Laban so he kept him from his brother Esau. Notwithstanding Esau came to his father and said hast thou any blessing for me see that obedience and feare was in Esau towards his father Isaac though hee was a wicked man he determined not to kill his brother before his father died least Isaac his father should curse him The sonnes of Samuel the Prophet Ioel and Abiath which were made Iudges in Bersabe by rheyr father Samuel beeing olde they turned from theyr fathers wayes tooke rewards and peruerted the right the people complained to Samuel that his sonnes followed not his steppes and therefore they would haue a King to gouerne them as other nations had See the ende of Iudges in Israel by the wicked Iudges Ioel and Abiath two wicked sonnes of a good and godly father and the cause of the ouerthrowe of the Iudges in Israel The two sonnes of Eli their offences were such that their father being an olde man was rebuked of the Lord for suffering their vnthriftinesse and wickednesse which was the cause that the Priesthood was taken from the house of Eli for euer so that the gouernment of Iudges in Iudah and also of the Priesthood were taken away by the corruption and disobedience of wicked and vngodly children Obserue likewise the end of kings and kingdomes by wicked kings by Ahaz who offered his sonnes in fire to Moloch by Ioachim and his sonne wicked fathers which brought vp wicked sonnes The kings which were 21. in number continued fiue hundred and odde yeares Who would haue iudged that three such good Kings of Iudah should haue three such wicked children As Dauid had Absolon who sought most trecherously to dispossesse his father of his kingdome As Ezechias had Manasses who offered his sonne in fire to Moloch and filled Ierusalem with bloud Or as Iosias had Ioachim whose wickednesse together with Zedechiah was so disobedient to the Lord and his Prophets that he lost the kingdome of Iudah Who would haue iudged that Salomon the onely wise king of the world hauing
of the souldiers in the one oxe and the other souldier in the other oxe and left their heads out of the oxen that thereby they might speake one to an other as long as they liued Was not Abraham called from the Chaldeans because they were wicked Idolaters Did not Iacob long in Mesopotamia for the land of Canaan Did not Dauid wish to be in Iudah from among the Amalekites wicked Infidels Were not the captiue Israelites most desirous from Babilon to come to Ierusalem yet not before the time that God had appointed and determined for Elizeus could not prophesie before Elias threw his mantle vpon him neither could Dauid appeale the furie of Saul before hee played on his harpe neither could Aaron become a high Priest before his rod blossomd in the Arke The very Heathens forsooke the company countrey of wicked people as Hermadorus forsooke his countrey Ephesus for the iniquitie of the people Anacharsis left Scythia his barbarous countrey and came to Greece to learne wisedome and Philosophie in Athens Plato left Athens and went from Greece to Egipt to be taught in the religion ceremonies and lawes of the Egiptians Paul left Tharsis to goe to Ierusalem to learne the lawes of the Iewes at Gamaliel Queene Saba came from Aethiope to heare Salomons wisedome in Ierusalem It was lawfull by the lawe of Solon in Athens to kill an adulterer beeing taken in the act as among the olde Romanes the husband might kill his wife if hee found her an adulteresse but this lawe of Solon in Athens was after mitigated by Solon with a lesse punishment The Parthians supposed no offence greater then adultery neither thought they any punishment to be equall with so great a crime Among the Arabians the lawe was that the adulterer should die such a death as the partie grieued should appoint Diuers Philosophers euer thought adultery worse then periurie and without doubt greater harmes growe by adultery then periurie though the one be in the first Table against the maiestie of God to take his name in vaine and the other in the second Table against thy neighbour whom thou oughtest to loue as thy selfe and yet some of the best Philosophers as Plato Crisippus and Zeno iudged that common-wealth best gouerned where adultery was freely permitted without punishment that libertie they brought from Egipt vnto Greece where the Egiptians might marrie as many wiues as they would like the Persians Among diuers other nations adulterie was left vnpunished for that they had no lawe against adultery Histories make mention that the virgins of Cypria and of Phaenizia get their dowrie with the hire of their bodies vntil they gaue so much for their dowries that they might make choise of their husbands and be married The Troglodites the nights before they be married vnto their husbands must lye and keepe company with the next of their kin and after their marriage they were with most seuere lawes punished if they had offended It should seeme by the lawes of Licurgus in Sparta 300. yeares before the law of Solon in Athens which was 200. yeares before the law of Plato among the Cicilians which made no lawes against adultery that the Grecians tooke their instructions by imitation from the Egiptians For one after an other Solon after Licurgus and Plato after Solon trauelled to Egipt to other farre countries and brought the lawe of Bocchoris out of Egipt the lawe of Mynoes out of Creete and the lawes of the Gymnosophists out of India into Greece As among the Lesbians Garamites Indians Massagets Scythians and such that were more like to sauage beasts then to temperate people for by the lawe wee knowe sinne for I had not knowne what adultery was vnlesse the lawe had commaunded thou shalt not lust And therefore it was not lawfull by Moses lawe that a bastard or the sonne of a commonwoman should come vnto the congregation of the Lord or serue in any place of the Tabernacle or enter into the ministerie vntill the tenth generation so hatefull vnto the Lord was fornication adulterie and vncleannesse of life When Iacob had blessed all his children yet for that Ruben lay with his fathers concubine Bilha his father Iacob prophesied that he should not be the chiefest of his bretheren though hee was the eldest sonne of Iacob and the eldest of his bretheren for that he was as vnstable as water for defiling his fathers bed for among the Israelites it was a great shame and reproach for women to be barren therfore the wiues brought their maides to their husbands for childrens sake as Sarah brought her maide Agar vnto Abraham and Leah and Rachel brought to Iacob their two maides Bilha and Zilpha so Rachel gaue leaue to Iacob to lye with Bilha her maide who bare to Iacob two sonnes whom Rachel though not their mother named them as her owne sonnes Dan and Nepthali So Leah brought her maide Zilpha to Iacob who conceiued and brought him two sonnes of whom Leah was so glad that she named them as her owne sons the one Gad and the other Asar so that foure of Iacobs sonnes were borne by his maides and not by his wiues This was tollerated but not lawfull Though the Hebrewes were tollerated by the lawe of Moses to haue many wiues and concubines and Libels of diuorcement for the hardnesse of the lewes hearts as Christ said yet said our Sauiour Non fuit sic ab initio it was not so from the beginning Euen from the creation men liued vnder the law of nature for in mans heart yet not corrupted before the fall there was perfect knowledge in the lawe of nature as in the first man Adam was seene before his fall vnder the which the olde Patriarkes liued and sinnes were corrected and punished by the same lawe for it was a positiue lawe by nature set foorth and written in the hearts of men thus was the written lawe yet by Moses tollerated When it was tolde Iudah that his daughter in lawe Thamar was with childe hee commaunded that shee should be brought forth and be burnt Here the law of nature before the lawe written commaunded whoredome to be punished with death here Iudah though he detested whoredome in Thamar yet being found that the incest was committed by him found his fault greater then hers If a man be found with a woman that hath a wedded husband let them both die the death so shalt thou put euill away from Israel for the lawe is you shall maintain no harlots in Israel as the Cyprians and Locreans doo It was not lawfull among the old Romaines to call a bastard by the name of his father because he was the son of a common woman and no man knew who should be his father but they vsed for his name to write these two letters S. P. quasi sine patre as though he had neuer a father In Athens by the law of Solon a bastard
wife and daughters made Narseus to yeeld vnto the Komanes and to deliuer to the Romais hands Armenia with fiue other Prouinces and to conclude a peace See the force of vertue and power of chastitie in Heathens that Alexander Scypio and Dioclesian wanne by temperance and chastitie that which they could not conquere by armes Antigonus vnderstanding that his sonne lodged in a house where three sisters were of passing beautie wrote that he was most straightly besieged of three great enemies and therefore wished him to remoue his campe and afterwards made a decree that his son should lodge in no place but where the woman should be 50. yeares of age The lawe was among the Grecians that women should not sit among men vnlesse it were with thier husbands and among their next neighbours The like lawe was among the Romains the woman that might be found with strangers in banquets her husband might put her away and be diuorced frō her and therefore it is written in the lawe that conuiuia veneris Praeludia sunt Licurgus lawe was among the Lacedemonians that none should fare better then an other in banquets but all by lawe should be equally feasted the number was appointed in banquets from three vnto seuen among the Greekes so that it grew to be a prouerbe among the Grecians Septem conuiuium nouem conuitium facere So among the auntient Romanes not aboue foure or fiue should be allowed or admittted to a feast or banquet for the chiefe feast by Platoes lawe called Bellaria Platonis was figges berries oliues pease beanes masts of beech trees tosted and prunes for the temperate fare and thin dyet both of the olde Greekes and of the Romanes were Magis iucunda quam Profusa But after in time it grew to such excesse among the Romanes that they came to their feasts and banquets with garlands crowned and there to drinke the first draught to Iupiter as the Grecians drank the last draught to Mercurius Vnto these kinde of feasts the Romanes might not come in black or sad coloured garments but all in white Wisedome exclaimes against those that say Coronemus nos vosis ante quā marcescant vino precioso nos impleamus So likewise among the Grecians it grew to such excesse that they forgot Anacharsis lawe which was but three draughts of wine or Democritus lawe which was but foure at the most though afterward it came to a popular lawe Aut biberent aut abirent This the Greekes had frō the Persians who with their wiues and concubines consulted of state matters at their feasts Licurgus also decreed an other lawe that in any publike feast or banquet whē neighbours and friends were disposed to be merrie that the best and auntientest man of the company should speake to the rest that nothing spoken or done in this feast should passe yonder doore shewing to the company with his finger the chamber doore which they came in at These feasts were not Bellaria Platonis but rather Praeludia veneris In the eight Regiment is contained the commendation of chastitie in vertuous and godly women with the sinister means of the Gentiles to become chaste AFter lawes were made in euery countrey confirmed by diuine authoritie and executed by graue and wise magistrates these lawes for necessitie sake were sent for from one kingdome to an other to gouerne to rule theyr countreys Philadelphus king of Egipt sent three from Alexandria to Eleazarus the high Priest at Ierusalem for the lawes of Moses to bee translated from Hebrew into Greeke So the Senators of Rome sent three for the lawe of the 12. Tables to be brought from Athens to Rome So the Mazacens sent for the lawe of Charondas to Thuria and so the Grecians sent for the lawes of king Minoes into Creete Philadelphus much wondred after the reading of the Hebrew lawes being so wise and godly a lawe that welnigh for a thousand two hundred yeares no nation among the Gentiles made any mention of this lawe though before that time they must needs heare and read of it by reason of the greatnesse and authoritie of the Iewes common-wealth Demetrius and Menedemus two great Philosophers at that time answered the King that none durst attempt to mingle the diuine lawes of the Hebrewes with the prophane lawes of the Gentiles for both Theodectus and Theopompus were punished the one with madnesse the other with blindnesse for making no difference betweene the lawes of the Lord and the lawes of the Gentiles for as Dagon their god fel could not stand before the arke where the presence of God and the figure of Christ was so the lawes of the Lord suffered no prophane lawes to be ioyned with them Seeing we are commaunded by the lawe to forsake adultery wee must learne by the selfe same lawe how to become chaste not as the Priests of Athens did called Hierophantae before they should come to doo sacrifice to their goddesse Pallas they would drinke a very colde drinke made of Cicuta hemblocke to make themselues chaste sometimes vsed in Athens to poison condemned men which was the last drinke and draught of Socrates Neither like the Romaine Priests who vsed to drinke and to wash themselues often with the colde water Cicalda to become chaste to sacrifice to the Goddesse Ceres Neither as the Priests of Egipt did by shauing theyr beards and the haires of their heads by abstaining from wine women and flesh or by ofren washing or annointing of their bodies to become the more continent to serue their goddesse Ifis These Heathens all for that they knew not Christ missed in the meanes to become temperate So the Priests of Cybeles did amputare virilia because they might continue chast and religious to sacrifice and serue their goddesse Cybeles But it was commanded by the Lord to Aaron and his sonnes that they should make no baldnesse on theyr heads nor shaue off the lockes of their beards nor make any marke in their flesh as the Gentiles did It was not lawfull for them to marrie with a widowe or woman diuorced from her husband or any polluted woman but onely with a maide for the Lord would haue his Priests holy which kindle fire on his aultar and offer bread in his sacrifice If the Priests daughter play the harlot she should be burnt by the lawe though others by the lawe should be stoned to death To become chaste is to serue God and to say as Sarah Tobiahs wife said in her praiers thou knowest ô Lord how I haue kept my soule cleane without any desire or company of man Likewise to become temperate is to imitate Iudith the widdowe that sate all day long in her house in sackcloath and kept her selfe close within doores with her maides fasting all the daies of her life excepting onely the Sabboth and the feast of the new Moone not like Dina gadding to Sichem to see the manners and
lawes for it was the manner as well among the Grecians as among the Romaines euer to make lawes and neuer to keepe them And though the authoritie of the kings were taken away and derogated in many countries yet the force and power of the law stood in effect though the change thereof were dangerous For the lawe sayth Thou shalt not steale nor deale falsely heerein is included vnder the name of stealing all kinde of sacriledge falshood fraud lying one to an other and all other crimes pertaining to stealing Achan for his cunning stealing of a cursed Babylonian garmēt two hundred sickles of siluer and a toong of gold against the lawe at the spoile of Iericho was deliuered by the Lord to Ioshuahs hand who brought him with his sonnes his daughters all his cattells his Tent and all that hee had vnto the valley of Achor and there stoned Achan to death and burned them with fire the Lord euer preferreth obedience before sacrifice for the disobedience in Achan for breaking the lawe was the cause of his stoning The disobedience of Saul against the commaundement of the Lord was such that he lost both his kingdome and his life A Prophet that went from Iudah with the word of the Lord to Bethel for that he did eat bread in that place being forbidden he was killed of a Lion as he returned The man that gathered stickes vpon the Sabboth day against the commaundement the Lord commaunded he should be stoned to death We might thinke that the gathering of stickes and the eating of a peece of bread were but small faults that thereby the one should be stoned and the other killed of a Lyon had it not bene forbidden by the lawe So such men suppose Adams fault to be but little that for earing of an Apple in Paradise not onely he but his posteritie after him should loose Paradise but as the Angels in heauen by their disobedience lost heauen so Adam by his disobedience lost Paradise The Lorde spared not Kings for breach of the law as Oza and Ozias both kings the one for vnreuerent handling of the Arke vsurping the Leuites Office against the lawe was strooken with sudden death and the other for burning incense against the lawe which was the Priestes Office was strooken with leprosie The Lord spared not his owne Priest Aaron that for his incredulitie before the people he died for it in mount Hor. Neither spared the Lord his owne seruant Moses for his disobedience so that hee also died in mount Nebo that neither of them both came to the land of Canaan for their disobedience and diffidence in the Lord. So seuere the lawe of the Lord was that 50000. Bethsamites died for looking into the Arke Aarons sonnes Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire before the Lord against the lawe were destroyed by fire from heauen Hence grew the ceremoniall lawes of the Gentiles touching their religion and sacrifices to their Gods So the women that attended the fire on the aultar of Apollo in Delphos were seuerely punished if by any negligence it happened to be extinguished neither might that fire being so extinguished be kindled again by any other then by the said women and by no other fire thē by the beames of the sunne The Vestall virgins in Rome if the sacred fire of Vesta weare out by any negligence that Vestall virgine that then attended should be brought Per Regem sacrorum to the Bishop to be whipt neither might any fire be kindeled againe to the goddesse Vesta but by the heate of the Sunne neither might they sweare by any other then by the name of Vesta the like ceremonies they vsed to Minerua in Athens So among the Persians Assyrians and Chaldeans they worship their sacred fire Vt Deorum maximum on their aultars seeming to follow Moses lawe Zaleucus an auncient Lawe-maker among the Locreans brought vp with Pythagoras the Phylosopher made a lawe against adulterers that both the eyes of the adulterer should be pulled out which being broken by his eldest sonne though all the Locreans ioyntly en treated for Zaleucus sonne yet said he the lawe must nobe broken and to satisfie the lawe Zaleucus pulled one of his sonnes eyes out and an other of his owne shewing himselfe a natural father to his sonne a iust Iudge to performe the lawes which hee made to the Locreans so seuerely were they punished that brake the lawes or sought to breake the lawes among the Gentiles Those people said Alcibiades do better which keepe the lawes they haue though they be worse then often changed for better Obseruatio legum morum tutissima that plant cannot take roote which is often remoued So Augustus Caesar wrote to the Senators that what lawes soeuer they had decreed and set downe should not be chaunged nor altered for better were it not to make lawes then to make so many lawes and not to keepe them Positas semel leges constanter seruate nec vllam earum immutate si deteriores sint tamem vtiliores sunt Reipub. Lu. Papirius Cursor the Dictator for that Fabius Rutilius brake the decree of the Dictator though hee had good successe and wonne a great victorie yet the lawe was that Fabius should dye neither could the captaines entreate him for his pardon that Fabius was constrained secretly to flye to Rome and to appeale to the Tribune of the people and to the Senators the Dictator followed Fabius to Rome saying that there was no lawe that any appeale should be made from the Dictator vntill Fabius and his father fell vpon their knees with the Senators and Tribune of the people to entreat for him and that for breach of the lawe though hee was Magister equitum the greatest and next in authoritie to the Dictator for the lawe-makers themselues that brake their owne lawes were punished as Zaleucus spared not his owne eye nor Diocles his owne life for breach of the lawe The like we find in Plato comparing the lawe to medicines mingled with poyson to that ende the patient might recouer his health by the medicine so that saith Plato the law is profitable to correct and amend the offender Vt medicamentis venena miscemus salutarifine instar pharmaci haec talia vtilia esse Diocles among other of his lawes in Syracusa made a lawe that if any should come armed with weapons into any Senate Court of Councell or before any Magistrate or assembly of people sitting in lawe causes he should die for it by the lawe of Diocles. This lawe of Diocles was the cause of his own death for as he was riding into the Towne being met sent for to mitigate some contention and debates among the people he making hast forgetting his sword on his side came to the Court and opened to them the lawe made to the people to be gouerned by willed them to obey the same but hee was tolde by some
ead The lawes of Draco in Athens against theft pa. ead Bocchoris lawes in Egipt against theft pa. 102 Charondas lawe in fauour of Orphants pa. 103 Solons lawe in Athens for Orphants and Infants pa. ead The daughters of Zalphod restorea by Moses lawe to their fathers inheritance pa ead The effect of loue and praiers pa. 105 The effectes of lawes in inward and outward obedience pa. 106 The lawes of the 12. Tables against theft pa. 107 Iulius lawe against theft pa. ead Bocchoris lawe against theft pa. 108 Theft left vnpunished by Licurgus lawe pa. ead Bocchoris lawe against vsurie pa. ead Solons lawe against vsury called Sysacthia pa. 109 Lucullus and Cato banished vsurie pa. ead Moses lawe against vsury pa. 110 Solons lawe against slaunderers pa. ead Description of ill tongues page 111 The diuerse punishmeÌ„t of tongues pa. 112 Slaunderous tongues practised mischiefe pa. 113 A lawe in Athens against vngratefull men pa. 115 Diuers false Prophets reproued pa. 116 Naboth and Stephen stoned to death pa. 117 False witnesse against Christ himselfe pa. 118 Zaleucus lawe against false witnesse pa. ead The lawe of Bocchoris in Egipt against periurers pa. 119 Punishment of false witnes among the Turkes pa. ead The lawe of the twelue Tables against false witnesse page ead Diuers lawes against rebellious and trecherous seruants pa. 120. 121. 122 The law of the 12. Tables against staunderers pa. 123 Of the maner of swearing among the Hebrewes pa. 124 Of diuers ambitious men pa. 125. 126 The euill end of ambition pa. ead Zaleucus lawe against ambitious men pa. 127 Cincius lawe in Rome against ambition pa. 128 The lawe Ostracismus in Athens against ambition pa. 129 Ambitious kings in Egipt might not be buried pa. ead The Image of Iustice in Eliopolis pa. 130 Of the oaths of the kings of Mexico at their consecratioÌ„ pa. 131 The pride and insolencie of Xerxes and Antiochus pa 132 The lawe of Thrasibulus in Athens called Amnestia pa. ead The lawe Plebiscita pa. 133 The lawe of the Indian Philosophers pa. 136 Of liberties and freedomes in diuers countries pa. ead The first law of Romulus in Rome called Lex Curiata pa. 137 The second lawe in Rome called Senatus Consultus pa. ead What the Senators of Rome might do without the consent of the people pa. 138 Gracchus law in Rome called Lex Agraria pa. 139 Thirtie Senators in Carthage called Conipodes pa. 140 Aristocratia chaunged to Monarchia among the Hebrewes pa. ead Kings deposed in Sparta by the Ephori pa. 141 Platos lawe against curious men pa. ead Consuls remoued in Rome from their office by soothsayers pa 142 The lawe called Lex Auguralis pa. 143 FINIS Iob. 38. Iob. 25. The old Patriarkes liued vnder the law of nature 2. Cor 3. Iere. 31. The lawe of nature is a short repetition of the lawe written The lawe written and giuen to Moses Cic de leg lib. 1. Cic. de leg lib. 3. Cic. de diuini lib 1. Diod. sic lib. 2. cap. 5. Lex curiata Chiefe magistrates gouernors in diuers countries The Lord coÌ„maunded an aultar to bee made Exod. 20. Diuers aultars beâ—…ore the law written Septe longaeui Tylia otherwise called Phyllida Vlpian F. de leg 3. Rachel stole her father Labans Image Gen. 31. Gen. 35. The Image of Belus made by his sonne Ninus Ieroboam made two golden calues Israel made a god of mettall while Moses was with the Lord for the lawe Deut. 9. Num. 25. 4. Regâ—… Socreates poisoned in Athens for religion Platoes opinion of Poets Painters Ioseph lib. 2. contra Apion 〈◊〉 Alcibiades 〈◊〉 ed from Athens Cloâ—…ius slaine in Rome Anacharsis slaine Ioseph lib. 2. contra Apion Paul 〈◊〉 ad Rom. Hermes in Poemand Plato in Phaed. The Romains vowe Grecians Vowes of the Gentiles to their gods Persâ—… Xerxes burnt the Temples in Greece Cic. de legib lib. 2. â—…em 1â—… The Rechabites lawes Ahiahs speech to Ieroboam Deut. 32 Deut. 38. Hose 10. Zeleueus first lawes to the Locreans Diod. sic li. 12. Cic. de leg 1. Licurgus lawe that no stranger should dwell in Sparta Anaxagoras put to death Ioseph lib. 2. contra Apion Iudic. 6. Protagoras Diod. sic lib. 2. Diagoras TalentuÌ„ Atticum Cic. de natura deor lib. 1. Val. Max. de peregrin religione cap. 3. Cyrus confessed the god which the lewes worshipped 1. Eldr. 〈◊〉 Artax Nabuchodonozer Darius made a lawe that all dominions should feare the god of Daniel Agrippa Ioseph de antiq li. 19. ca. 7. Egipt the mother of all Idolatrie Dioâ—…ic lib. 2. Ioseph lib 2. conâ—… Apion Gode c. â—…n li. 2. Viget cap. 1. The Iewes obserued straitly their lawes Alex. Neapolit genial lib. 5 cap. 24. Diuers tooke vpon theÌ„ to be the Mesias Ioseph de Antiquit. lib. 20. cap 5. Torquinius Three hundred aureos Idolatrous sacrifice of the Gentiles No bloud offered in sacrifice by Licurgus lawe Cic. de leg lib 2. Arist lib. 5. polit cap. 11. Paul called Spermologos in Athens Deut. 17. 2. Reg. 21. Moloches 7. chambers Hose 10. Punishment of corrupt Iudges in Persia. Psal. 25. Law turned to wormewood c. Amos. 4. Arist. Rhet. 1. cap. 3. The lawe of the Lord set down by Esay the Prophet Esai 〈◊〉 Deut. 7. Exod. 22. Plato polit Wicked answers of kingsâ—… Ashuerus Darius Iezabels lawe for Naboths vineyard Lysander and Pompeys speech to a Lawier â—…ammius gladâ—…us Plato in Alcibiad Leuit. 13. Alex. Neapo lit gnial lib. 4. â—…a 7. Ceremoniall lawes of the Gentiles The Gentiles builded diuers temples to their gods Exod. 40. The maner of the Gentiles in dedicating their temples c. Alex. Neapo lit li. 6. cap 14. Alex. Neapo lit genial lib. 4 cap. 17. The consecration of Aaron Leuit. 8. By what authorities all nations confirmed their lawes Diod. sic lib 2. cap. 4. Plut. in Sylla The straight obseruation of the Sabboth by the Iewes Exod. 16. Luk. 23. Iohn 19. The second building of the temple by Cyrus 1. Esdr. 1. Darius Artaxerxes Neomenia The Romains Sabboths Parthians The diuers kinds of Sabboths among the Heathens Heredot lib. 6 Phillip The blasphemy of Nicanor Ioseph lib. 11. cap. 8. Ioseph lib. 12. cap 3. Certaine Romanes slaine by the Iewes Ioseph lib. 20. cap. 4. 1. Machab. 2. Plut. in Pomp. The lawe of Iud. Machaâ—… Math. 12. Among the Heathens the Sabboth of the Lord was not knowne Liui 〈◊〉 Thueyd 1. Xenoph. de expedit Cyri. 3. Plut. in Alex. Licurgus lawe for time of battell Front lib. 2. cap. 1. Before y temple was made in Ierusalem the Israelites came to Siloh Esay 45. The continuance of Licurgus lawes Charondas lawes against those that disobeyed contemned lawes Licurgus law Rheâ—…ra Plut. in Licurgo The lawe of the 12. tables Hipocrates in praecepâ—… Cicero de leg 2. Cic. de diuin lib. 1. Cic. de leg lib. 3. Alex. Neapolit genial lib. 6 cap. 23. Ioseph lib. 4. cap. 8. The diuers orders of appeales among
the Emperour to set vp his Image in the Temple of Ierusalem some of the best of the Iewes went to Caesaria to Pilate requesting with teares that hee would not violate the Temple with Images Pilate aunswered Caesars Image must be set vp or else you die for it they presently offered their neckes bare to be cut off before theyr lawe should be broken or the Temple violated with Images The like commaundement had Petronius from his maister Cai. Caesar to set vp his Image in the Temple but in like manner as before to Pilate the Iewes came with their wiues and children to entreate Petronius who told them as Pilate did that the Image of Caesar must bee set vp in theyr Temple as other Nations suffered the Romaine Emperours Images to bee set in their Temples among their gods as fellowes to theyr gods or else they must dye for it the Iewes answered Petronius that all the Iewes in Iudah men women and children shall and will dye before the lawe shall be broken Thus were they so slaine and killed betweene the Romaine Emperours and the kings of Assyria that their bloud was shed out like water on euery side of Ierusalem and yet would they not allowe Images nor haue theyr lawes broken The Romaines had no Images for 170. yeares though afterwards they had in their closets diuers Images which they worshipped as goddes they had also houshold and peculiar gods at their gates and in theyr entries besides the Images and statues of themselues and of their friends so that the Romaines so esteemed Images that in the time of the late Caesars Theodosius the Emperour thought to destroy Antiochia for the pulling downe of the Image of his friend Placilla had not Macedonius perswaded him to the contrarie So Agrippa for his woman Drusilla despised Paul Among the Iewes one Theudas a Magitian tooke vpon him to be the Messias perswaded the people that he was that Prophet which they looked for and that he was able with a word to deuide the Riuer Iorden into two and to giue him and his company place to passe through but he was slaine and his company and Theudas head brought to Ierusalem by Cuspius the Romaine President An other after Theudas called Attonges a shepheard affecting the kingdome made himselfe the Messias And after Attonges one Barcosma who tooke vpon him to be the Messias whom the Iewes so affected and followed thirtie yeares and when they perceiued hee could not keepe promise with them in vanquishing the Romanes the Iewes slew him But as the Israelites offered the bloud of beasts and sprinkled theyr Aultars according to the lawe of Moses so the Gentiles imitated the Hebrewes offered also bloud but the bloud of theyr seruants and children The Heathens thought no bloud too deare to please their gods For the Romains were admonished out of the bookes of the Sibils which they more honoured and esteemed in Rome then the bookes of the Prophets were in Iudah as it may seeme by Torquinius Priscus who bought them so deare and after were more carefully kept then Zedechiah king of Iudah kept the lawes of God for hee did burne and teare the booke which Ieremiah sent to him from the Lord without any dread or care had of the Prophet so that the bookes of the Sibils were more reuerently kept and their lawes obserued in Rome then the bookes of the Prophets in Ierusalem So Zedechiah the false Prophet was preferred by Achab before Michaeah the true Prophet of the Lord and Baals priests before the Lords Prophets The Romanes had their warrants from the bookes of the Sibils to sacrifice vnto Iuno a quicke man buried as the Grecians were wont to sacrifice to Bacchus The Phaenizians and the Carthagineans sacrificed to Saturnus with Infants bloud the Laodicians sacrificed a young virgin vnto Pallas so the Lacedemonians sacrificed to Mars with bloud the old Germanes to Mercurie with bloud These sacrifices of bloud were contrarie to the lawe of Licurgus taught among the Lacedemonians and after by Numa Pomp. imitated in Rome in all his lawes taught to him by the Nimphe Egeria as Licurgus lawes were taught to him by Apollo in Delphos Yet Pythagoras brought this lawe of Licurgus after Numas time from Greece to other parts of Italy for it was Pythagoras lawe according to Licurgus that nihil animatum dijs litetur that no bloud should be sacrificed but fruites hearbes flowers meale milke honie and wine which was the lawe of Licurgus among the Lacedemonians The Romaines as Cicero said had their Temples made to pietie faith vertue and to the minde as degrees and steppes to ascend vp to heauen but by the same lawe of Cicero they were forbidden to build any Temples to any prophane vice contrarie to the Greekes and to the Egiptians who allowed all kinde of theyr countrey gods but yet would allow no straunge gods It was the chiefest poynt among all Heathen Princes to bee carefull of their religion Oportet principem saith Aristotle ante omnia res diuinas videre curari For in Pauls time when he came to Athens and sawe so many gods and so many aultars Paul waxed angrle to see one aultar to lust an other to shame and another to an vnknowne god after he had disputed with certain Philosophers of the Stoiks and Epicures against theyr gods and their aultars he had no other commendations of the Philosophers in Athens but to be called Spermolagos a teacher of straunge doctrine Among the Iewes the punishment of Idolators was to bring them to bee stoned with stones to death beeing lawfully conuicted with two or three witnesses and the handes of the witnesses shall be first vpon them to kill them and the handes of all the people I neede not goe out of Iudah for examples to the Gentiles in following straunge gods in committing Idolatrie and in forsaking the lawes of the Lord. Manasses built aultars in the house of the Lord for all the hosts of heauen gaue himselfe to witchery and forcerie vsed them that were soothsayers and had familiar spirits and caused his sonnes to passe through fire in the valley of Hinnon Wicked Ahaz king of Iudah made an Idolatrous aultar sacrificed offered the bloud of his son through fire to Moloch So wicked Achab offered the bloud of his sonne likewise in Tophet to Moloch following the king of Moab who sacrificed his sonne that should haue raigned next after him king to please his Idoll Chemosh Thus the kings of Iudah and Israel prophaned the Lords aultar with the bloud of their owne children to please their dumbe Idols Yet Pythagoras and Vlixes two Heathens sacrificed to Vrania but with water and hony mingled according to Numa Pomp. lawe which commanded that no bloud should be offered in sacrifice but milke and hony No doubt the Gentiles imitated these wicked kings of Iudah in their sacrifices in their vowes and in the dedicatiō of their temples and
with Iuye the aultar of Hercules with Popley and of Pluto with Cypresse so were the aultars of Minerua with Oliue and of Venus with Myrtle so that there was no seruice omitted no dutie forgotten no lawe broken in the superstitious and prophane religion of the Heathens So fond and superstitious were both the Athenians and the Romaines that the Athenians builded temples out of Athens to Pouertie and old age because they would faine expell these aged and poore gods out of Athens or else to put the Athenians in remembrance that they should pray vnto them least they should come to pouertie and to want The Romans and Egiptians builded temples to those gods that might annoy their cities out of their cities as the Romanes builded the Temples of Bellona Mars foure miles out of the gate Capaena in Rome to reâ—…ist and withstand the trecherie and violence of their enemies The Egiptians builded the Temples of Saturnus and Serapis out of the cities as gods to watch ward to defend their cities from the enemies and least their gods by inuocation or supplication of the enemies should forsake their cities the Romanes bound fast the Image of Mars and the Carthaginians Hercules See how blinde men in religion are ignorant in gods seruice and yet ignorance with some late learned men was termed the mother of deuotion The Lord commaunded Israel to serue no straunge gods but him onely and to come at three appointed feasts in the yeare to one place in the citie of Ierusalem to serue him and to sacrifice in one Temple the Temple of Salomon for as the Lord made choise of one nation to be his peculiar people so hee made also choise of one place Ierusalem where his name should bee worshipped and called vpon After that the Tabernacle was set vp the arke of testimonie set therin the Lord commanded Moses to bring Aaron and his sonnes vnto the doore of the Tabernacle and there to wash them with water after to put vpon Aaron the holy garments to annoint him and 〈◊〉 him that he might minister in the Priests office The Gentiles vsed the like ceremonies at the first coâ—…crating of any teÌ„ple which they dedicated to their gods that they should lay their hands vpon the porch poste calling vpoÌ„ the name of that god to whoÌ„ they consecrated the temple for whatsoeuer the Gentiles dedicated to their gods though prophane before yet after they were coÌ„secrated they were Sacra diuino cuâ—… maÌ„cipata ciâ—…er temples aultars mony religious places or otherwise For among the Romains the Grecians the dumbe deafe blind lame or maimed otherwise by nature were reiected from any office in the temples of their gods So was it among the Persians in like sort that no blinde or maimed man should minister vnto their gods Whence had they all these originals but as it seemeth from the lawe of Moses And as Moses was commaunded that Aaron and his sons should be first washt with water before they should put on their holy garments and minister vnto the Lord so the priests of Egipt should often wash and annoint themselues before they should serue and sacrifice in the temple of Isis. So the Priests of Greece washt and annointed themselues before they would sacrifice vnto Ceres And so among the Romanes in other places they seemed though they erred much to imitate the ceremonies of the Iewes who had their warrant from the Lord and they from the diuell Moses put on Aaron the coate and girded him with a girdle cloathed him with the robe and put the Ephod on him after he put the brest-plate thereon and put in the brest-plate the Vrim and Thummim he also put the golden plate and the Miter vpon his head and vpon the Miter the holy crowne as the Lord had commaunded Moses and he powred of the annointed oyle vpon Aarons head and annointed him that the excellencie of his calling might be knowne and the dignitie of his office present the maiestie of the highest Hence the Heathens and the Gentiles tooke their platforme as an example to be followed in the annointing and crowning of their kings by the Lord warranted and particularly set downe to Moses whereby you shall find by comparison that the prophane ceremonies of the Gentiles tooke their originall from Moses lawe in the annointing of their kings In the fourth Regiment is shewed how the Gentiles confirmed their lawes by diuers authorities faining that their laâ—…s were giuen to them of their gods with the straight keeping of the same THere was no lawe among the Gentiles made nor established vnlesse they were authorized and confirmed by some diuine power to satisfie ignorant people for the Heathens most preferred that lawe and esteemed that gouernment which was commaunded and allowed as it were from the gods as by Mercurius in Egipt by Iupiter in Greece and by Appollo in Sparta as you heard before So among the Locreans their lawes were authorized by Minerua among the Getes by the Goddesse Vesta and so the lawe which Sergius compiled to the Turkes to this day the Turkes holde it authorized and confirmed from the very mouth of their great Prophet Mahomet And for that a sperhawke brought in her clawes a booke written with red letters to the Priests at Heliopâ—…lis in Egipt containing the lawes and religion of theyr gods the Priests therefore euer after ware red Scarâ—… caps like the colour of the letters the feather of a sperhawke in their caps in memorie thereof So no warre was commenced nor battell taken in hand without such policies to intice and allure the souldiers to fight as Sertorius had his white hinde which he taught to follow him in his Affrican warres by whom he made his souldiers belieue hee was instructed to dâ—… any thing he did So Lu. Sylla would take vpon him in the sight of his souldiers to consult with the picture of Appollo to make his souldiers more obedient and valorous So did Marius with his Scythian woman Martha and so of others which I spake of in my booke of stratagems and now to the Sabboth The obseruation of the Sabboth was seuerely by the lawe of the Iewes kept for the Lord blessed the seuenth day and hallowed it to rest from our workes aâ—…d to serue the Lord signifying vnto vs our eternall rest to come and therefore the Iewes gathered vpon the sixt day in the wildernesse so much Manna as serued them vpon the Sabboth because they should not breake the Sabboth As the Lord Iesus was crucified on the Sabboth eue and rested in his graue the Sabboth day so careful were the Iewes to obserue the Sabboth that the holy womeÌ„ that followed Christ with their odors ointments and spices staied from the annointing of his body vpon the Sabboth for the Sabboth was made especially that they should cease from labour and come to heare the lawes of the Lord and the voices of the Prophets
700. Queenes and 300. concubines and hauing but one sonne which is read of and that so wicked that through his wicked and cruell dealing to his people the Lord tooke 10. of the 12. Tribes of Israel away from Salomons sonne gaue them to Ieroboam Salomons seruant It was a commaundement giuen from Moses to the people that they should not forget the lawes of the Lord but teach them to their sonnes and their sonnes sonnes and therefore the lawes were commaunded to be set as frontlets betweene their eyes to bee written vpon the postes of their houses vpon their gates and to bind them for a signe vpon their hands that their children should not forget but be instructed by the sight thereof in the lawes of the Lord. For the olde Pharisies were wont to weare Philacteria which were scrolles of parchment about their heads and armes hauing the tenne commandements written on them therefore Christ pronounced so many woes against the Scribes and Pharisies for their hipocrisie Hence grew the beginning of setting vp of pictures in porches the Images of Philosophers in Schooles and Vniuersities and the Images of the goddes in the Temples and secret closets of Princes as Alex. Seuerus had the Image of Christ Abraham Orpheus and Appollonius in his closet worshipped as gods so the Heathens and Pagans had the Images of their countrie gods set vp at theyr gates galleries and closets Among the olde Romanes in auntient times they were buried in theyr gardens and in theyr houses and therefore they had their houshold godeds to doo sacrifice vnto them and to vse funerall ceremonies vnto these Idols for it was not lawfull by the lawe of the 12. tables to burie any within the citie for the lawe was Ne in vrbem sepelito and it was also Platos lawe that the dead should bee buried in the fieldes or some barren ground out of the cities least the dead bodies should infect the quicke These lawes were called Leges funerales But the Lord spake to Ioshuah Let not the booke of this lawe depart out of thy mouth see that thou doo and obserue all the lawes which Moses commaunded thee so Ioshuah did made a couenant with the people at his death set ordinances and lawes before them in Sychem and tooke a great stone and pitched it vnder an oake that stood in the Sanctuarie and said behold this stone shal be a witnesse vnto vs and a memoriall of the couenant betweene vs. So Iacob set vp a stone and said to his bretheren gather stones and make a heape which hee called Gilead and said to Laban this heape of stones be a witnesse betweene thee and me It was a custome among the olde Hebrewes as markes of witnesse and memoriall of things past to put vp stones as Samuel did in his victorie against the Philistines pitched vp a stone and named it the stone of helpe So carefull were the kings of Persia that they made choise of foure principall men in all knowledge to instruct the kings children after fourteene yeares of age and therefore the Persian lawes for education of theyr youth were not onely commended of many but of many imitated they should learne three principall lessons to take heed of lyes and onely to speake the truth secondly to deale iustly and wrong no man and thirdly to knowe what was wrong and what was iustice The children in Persia were brought vp with such reuerence to their parents that it was not lawfull for them in the presence of their parents either to sit to spit or to blowe their noses theyr children might not so much as taste wine though it were vpon their feast day which among the Persians is the most solemne feast also the children might not come to their parents sight before they were seuen yeares olde there is nothing so requisite in parents as the education of children And therefore Charondas made a lawe that the citizens which were gouerned by his lawes should bring vp their children in schooles to be taught to know good from euill and to be accustomed with vertuous education that thereby they might stand in stead to theyr countrey with wisedome iudgement and counsell The like law is set downe by Plato who saith Si Rempub. verè institues virrtus cum ciuibus comunicanda est For as euery citie hath her Phisitions to prouide for health and to care for the bodye So I thinke it rather better saide Chaerondas to haue schoolemaisters and teachers to bring vp youth in vertue and knowledge and to bee taught in the lawes of God man to serue their countrey Diuers Nations as the Carthagineans Arcadians Baeotians and Mazacens sent for Charondas lawes to gouerne their countrey and as the Romanes sent to Greece for Hermadorus to interpret the 12. Tables so the Mazacens sent for one to Thuria to interpret Charondas lawes So the Iewes after their return from Babilon appointed Esdras to read interpret the law of Moses vnto thē before whom they sware that they would turne away theyr straunge women the Ammonites and Moabites and that they would keepe the lawes of the Lord. The Lacedemonians would make their hindes and husbandmen drunken hauing roddes in their hands to whip and beat them for their drunkennesse and would bring them out before their children other youths of Sparta which was both Plato and Anacharsis order to the Grecians because their children might see the faults and beastlinesse of the seruants to terrifie the children that thereby they might loath vice and loue vertue and learne to bee obedient to their parents for the greatest care the Lacedemonians had was to bring vp their children in musicke and military discipline esteeming the education of their chidren in any thing else indifferent Nabuchodonozer king of Babilon caused foure of the kings stocke Zedechiah Daniel and his fellowes to bee brought vp in the Chaldaean discipline that they might serue the king in his chamber and at his table In auntient time the olde Romanes were not onely studious and carefull to bring vp their children to obserue the lawes of their gods at Rome but also vsed yearly to make choise often of the best mens children in Rome and to send thē to Etruria a religious nation there to be taught in the Etrurian discipline concerning religion to their gods and to learne dutie and seruice to their countrey beeing in the Latin tongue instructed first then in the Greeke tongue and after to learne wise and pithy sentences as Paradoxes and Aphorismes Charondas iudged those parents not fit to be of counsell nor worthy to be Magistrates to rule in their countrey that hauing many children by the first wife would marry a second for he supposed that they would neuer be carefull ouer their country that would not be careful ouer their children And therefore the lawes of diuers of the Gentiles were not to bee allowed in selling theyr
children to straunge Nations as the Phrygians and others did for to relieue theyr parents for necessitie sake and yet farre better then to burne kill and sacrifice theyr children to Images and Idols as Ahaz Manasses and others did Bocchoris made a lawe against idlenesse for all idle men in Egipt were compelled to write theyr names and to giue account how they liued This lawe was brought by Solon from Egipt vnto Athens where they gaue the like account in Athens as they did in Egipt before the Areopagites for we read that the figge tree because it was barren and bare no fruite was spoyled of his leaues and therefore the well exercised man is compared to the Bee that gathereth honye of euery weede and the euil sloathful man to the Spider which gathereth poison of euery flower Bocchoris made an other lawe against those that clipt any coine diminished the waight changed the form or altered the letters about the coine that both their hands should be cut off for Bocchoris lawe was that those members should be punished that committed the offence So carefull were the Hebrew women for their children that their fathers should not name them but the mothers should giue them such names as should signifie some goodnesse or holinesse to come as a memoriall to the parents to thinke vpon their children besides giuing them their names their naturall mothers should be Nurses to their childrē as Sarah was a Nurse to Isaac her son Zephorah a Nurse to her son Moses the blessed Virgin Mary a Nurse to her sonne Christ Iesus our Sauiour so the two wiues of Iacob Leah and Rachel gaue names to all their children the twelue Patriarkes the sonnes of Iacob So Iacob corrected his children kept them vnder and blessed them at his death so Iob prayed for his children and offered for his children vnto the Lord euery day a burnt offering and so was Dauid for his sonne Salomon so carefull that he committed him to the Prophet Nathan to be brought vp in wisedome and in the law of the Lord this care had the Hebrewes to bring vp theyr children in the lawe and feare of the Lord. The very Heathens euen Phillip king of Macedonia was glad to haue his sonne Alexander borne in Aristotles daies because he might be brought vp in his house with him and instructed with so great a Philosopher Agamemnon was in his youth brought vp with wise Nestor of whom Agamemnon was wont to say that if he had but ten such wise Consuls as Nestor was he doubted not but soone to subdue Troy And so was Antigonus brought vp with Zeno chiefe of the Stoik Philosophers where hee could heare see nothing but what he sawe and heard from his maister Zeno. There bee many parents in the world that weigh not how they liue themselues neither esteeme how to bring vp their children like the Troglodites whose children were named after the names of the beastes of their countrey as horse ramme oxe sheepe lambe and such alledging that the beasts were their best parents in feeding in cloathing and in all other necessary helpes and therefore they would rather bee named after these beasts that maintained them in life and liuing then after their parents who gaue them but bare birth against the lawe of nature and therfore they and such are to be called Antinomi I doubt too many of these in many places may bee called Antinomi which degenerate from their parents both in name and in nature yea from all lawes rather to be beasts then to haue the name of beasts like people in Affrica called Atlantes whose children haue no names at all but as the Troglodites were named after theyr beasts and therefore well called Antinomi so these people leaue their children like themselues without names not like beasts but beasts indeed and therefore well and truly to be called Anomi for many haue the names of beasts that be neither beasts nor like beasts for as the Troglodites that before their parents preferre beastes against the lawe of nature are called Antinomi so these Atlantes in Affrica worse then beasts are called Anomi which is without any name It is much therefore in parents to shewe good examples before their children for what children see in the parents or heare from theyr parents that lightly will they imitate for the tree is bended when it is tender the horse is broken when he is a colte and the dogge taught when hee is a whelpe so children must be instructed and brought vp when they are young for that seede which is sowed in youth appeareth in age for Vertue must haue a time to growe to ripenesse Therfore Marc Cato the Censor made meanes to remoue Manlius from the Senat house because he wantonly imbraced and kist his wife before his daughter saying that his wife durst neyther imbrace nor kisse him before his children but for very feare when it lightned and thundered Hieron King of Cicilia sharpely punished Epicarmus the Poet for that he made and read certaine light verses before his daughter So was Ouid for the like offence bannished from Rome and so was Archiloccus from Sparta for saying it was better for a souldier to loose his shield then to loose his life The children of Bethel had they bene well brought vp they would not haue mocked flouted Elizeus the Prophet they might as well haue said Ozanna in excelsis with the children of Ierusalem as to say Ascende calue vp balde fellowe But true it is as Isocrates faieth that rude and barbarous men not brought vp in Vertue from theyr youthes should neuer or seldome prooue iust or honest And so it is written that Equus indomitus euadet durus filius remissus euadet praeceps And therefore both the Romaines and the Grecians were carefull to haue graue wise vertuous and learned men to bring vp theyr children in the feare of God Among the Lacedemonians Licurgus lawe was that expert and iudiciall men should bee founde out which were named Paedonomi to instruct and teach the youth of Laced◅mon for in three things especially the Grecians brought theyr children vp in Learning in Painting and in Musicke and especially great mens children in dauncing and in singing as Epaminondas and Cimon and for that Themistocles Alcibiades found great fault for that great Captains should become dancers they were therefore reprehended and answered that Epaminondas and Cimon were as great Captaines as they The Egiptians were wont to bring vp theyr children in Arithmeticke and Geometry and the Kings children in Magicke People of Creete brought theyr children vp in three things first to learne the lawes of theyr countrey secondly to learne Hymnes and Psalmes to praise theyr gods and thirdly to learne to sing the praise and fame of their great Captaines Among the Indians theyr wise men called Brachmanes made a Lawe that theyr Children should be brought after two
monethes olde before the Magistrates and there to iudge by the sight of the children that if they were fit for warres they should be brought vp in military discipline if otherwise they should be appointed to Mechanicall occupations The Aethiopian Philosophers made a lawe that all Magistrates and Parentes should examine theyr children and the youthes of theyr Countries what labour and exercise they had done euery day before they should take meate and if it were founde that they had not exercised either Mechanicall or Militarie exercise they should goe away vndined for that day Among the Grecians all the Orators and Poets came from all parts of Greece sometimes to Thesius graue sometimes to Helicon and there the Poets to contend in verses and the Orators in Oratory with diuers kindes of crownes and garlands which exercise was vsed to draw and intice the youthes of Greece to vertue and learning and as the Romane youths had a garment like the Dictators garment called Toga praetexta in honor of armes to exercise military discipline in Martius field so the Grecians had for those youthes that excelled in learning the garment called Palladium The sixt Regiment intreateth of murther and reuenge of blood amongst all Nations against the which the Gentiles had diuers lawe-makers which made lawes to punish the same AS the Gentiles in all Countries had their lawes made to rule and gouerne them as among the Egiptians by Bocchoris among the Persians and Baetrians by Zoroastes among the Carthagineans by Charondas among the Magnesians and Cicilians by Plato among the Athenians by Solon and among the Lacedemonians by Licurgus so had they certaine Magistrates to execute the same lawe after them as the thirtie Senators in Egipt the Areopagites in Athens the Ephori in Sparta and so of the rest This is the lawe of nature written first in tables of flesh and after in tables of stone Cain the first-man born and the first murtherer he slue his brother Abel and had sentence of the Lord with a perpetual marke of torture that no man should kill Cain but to liue as a vagabound and a rogue cursed vpon the earth the witnesse that accused him was his brother Abels blood so the Lorde spake Vox sanguinis fratris tui edit clamorem ad caelum blood therefore was the first witnesse on earth against murther and called in scripture the Iudge of blood Cain for disobedience to his father and murthering of his brother became a cursed vagabound vpon the earth and all his wicked posteritie were drowned in the deludge So scoffing Cham was cursed of his father Noah and in him all his posteritie likewise accursed for the Canaanites which were of the stocke of Cham were slaine by the Israelites and the Gibionites which came from the Canaanites were made slaues to the Israelites and so the Egiptians and Aethiopians the ofspring of Cham were taken captiue by the Assyrians so that Cham was cursed in himselfe and cursed in his posteritie for the scorning of the nakednesse of his father so the parents of the Idolaters and blasphemers brought the first stone to presse their owne sonnes The second murtherer in Scripture was Lamech which killed Cain against whome the Lorde made a lawe that whosoeuer should slea Cain should be punished seuen folde for so Lamech confessed himselfe that Cain should be auenged seuen-folde but Lamech seuentie times seuen fold there shall want no witnesses against murtherers and oppressers of Orphants and widowes The witnesse against the filthie lust of the Sodomites was the verie crie of Sodome before the Lorde for so is the lawe that the Iustice of blood shall slea the murtherer Iacobs children consented all sauing Ruben and Iudah to kill Ioseph their younger brother which made Ruben speake to his brethren in Egipt that the blood of Ioseph was the cause that they were thus imprisoned and charged with theft and robberies There are foure witnesses which the Lord stirreth vp against murtherers oppressors of Orphants Infants and Widowes first the Lorde himselfe is a witnesse the seconde the witnesse of blood the thirde the witnesse of stones in the streets and the fourth the witnesse of fowles in the aire The like murther was in Esaus heart against Iacob his brother for Esau saide that the dayes of his fathers sorrowes were at hand for I will slea my brother Iacob but Iacob fled to Aran to his vncle Laban by his mothers counsell Rebecca for feare of his brother Naboth was stoned to death by false and wicked witnesse for his Vineard of Achab by his wife Iezabels counsell The like murther was in Sauls heart against Dauid practising by all meanes possible to kill Dauid first by himselfe then by his sonne Ionathan by his daughter Michol Dauids wife and by his seruants for there is three kindes of murther the first in the heart against the Lorde as in Cains heart against Abel in Esaus heart against Iacob and in Sauls heart against Dauid the seconde by the tongue either by false witnesse as Iezabel with false witnesse against Naboth for his Vineard or else by slaunder as the two Elders in Babilon slaundered Susanna the third performed by the hand of the which there are two many examples but all murthers by the hande and by the tongue proceed from the heart the enuie of Cain in his heart towardes his brother Abel was the cause that he slew his brother The murther of Naboth was the couetousnesse of Achab in his heart to haue his vineyard The murthering of Vriah came from Dauids heart by lust to Berseba Vriahs wife There be other kinde of murtherers that rise early in the morning to kill in the day and rob in the night So Iob saith Manè surgit homicida interficit egenum Pauperem Againe there bee other kinde of murtherers as the Prophet saieth Qui viduam Aduenam interficiunt So may it be said of ambition in the heart for by ambition Herod caused all the childrē in Bethelem and about Bethelem to be slain seeking to destroy him which could not be destroyed which was Christ. Against such kings tyrants the more wicked crueltie they vse the more iust punishment they shall receiue Iudicium enim durissimum ijs qui presunt fiet and the more wrong and iniurie they do to honest and iust men the greater torments they shall suffer Fortioribus fortior instat cruciatio By ambition in the heart Abimelech slew three score and eight of Gedeons sonnes his bretheren And so by the selfesame ambition Thalia caused all that were of the kings bloud to be put to death so is hee that enuieth hateth wisheth ill to his brother a man-slaughterer The punishment of murther in Cain and in Lamech was giuen by the lawe of nature of the Lorde before the written lawe was giuen to Moses as Thamar the daughter in lawe of Iudah for whoredome and
as murther and whoredome were punished first by the lawe of nature before the lawe written so all other offences contained in the Decalogue were by the same lawe punished long before the lawe was written and giuen to Moses in mount Tabor The murthering of the Prophets of the Apostles and of the martirs of God euen frō the bloud of righteous Abel vnto the bloud of Zacharias the Priest crye and call for iustice and iudgement saying How long Lord will it be before vengeance be taken vpon wicked murtherers and tyrants Of these the Prophet saith Dederunt cadauera seru◅rum tuorum in cibum anibus caeli carnes piorum bestijs terrae But when the Lord is readie to be reuenged vpon these cruell murtherers and ambitious murmurers who can quench the fire in the stubble when it beginneth to burne who can turne againe the arrow shot of a strong archer or driue away a hungry Lyon in the wood who can resist the Lord in his purpose and decree Murtherers haue their markes as Cain had such a marke that hee could not dye though hee wisht to dye Esau had such a marke that though he sought with teares to repent yet he could not repent Pharao had such a marke that he could not confesse the Lord to be God though he sought Moses to pray for him but no doubt markes of murther for Cain kild his brother Abel Esau sought and said he would kill his brother Iacob and Pharao in his heart threatned death to Moses and Aaron and to all the Hebrewes These signes and markes which these reprobates had were not outward markes seene but inward burned with hotte Irons in their consciences but the Hebrewes in the land of Gosen were marked with the letter Tau in their foreheads as signes to be saued from the plagues in Egipt they that lamented and wept for Ierusalem were marked in theyr foreheads with the letter Tau of the Angell so all Christians are saued by this letter Tau made like a crosse which we must beare in our harts and not in our foreheads The punishment of Paracides among the olde Romanes was such that the murtherer should bee put in a sacke aliue bound hand and foote together with an ape a cocke and a viper which should so byte and torment him vntill he were almost dead and then to bee throwne into Tiber with his three companions with him so was Marc. Malleolus for killing of his mother iudged so to die by the Senators The second Paracide in Rome was Histius after the second Romane warres with the Affricans with the like iudgement giuen as before this kind of punishment for Paracides continued a long time among the Romaines for in former time while yet the Romaines were poore not acquainted with money long before they knew Affrike or Asia their punishment for murther was but a ramme which the Romanes slew and sacrificed to their gods The Grecians like the Romains in auntient time punished a murtherer with a certaine set number of cattell yet in other countries they punished murther most seuerely and cruelly As in Egipt they would thrust long needles made sharpe of steele vnder the nailes of their hands of their toes and after cut the flesh of the murtherer in small peeces and throwe it by gobbets into the fire burne it in his sight while yet he had life in him A lawe was made among the said Egiptians that if any man had killed his sonne the father should be lockt together with the sonne slaine by him in one chamber without meate or drinke for three dayes beholding still before his face the dead body of his sonne by himselfe slaine with a watch that none should come to him thinking that by looking theron there could be no greater torture or punishment to the father then to see his sonne so slaine by himselfe which was his father Among the Persians a lawe was made that he that killed his father was thought that he neuer had a father for they thought it against the lawe of nature a thing vnnaturall yea and vnpossible that the sonne should kill his father and therefore he should be euer after called a bastard a greater reproach among the Persians could not be and therefore Romulus in Rome and Solon in Athens being demaunded why they made no lawes against Paracides answered that they thought none so wicked or so cruell as to thinke on such wickednesse and therefore they thought it fit that no lawe should be mentioned for so wicked a fact though by Dracoes lawe Solons predecessor the least fault in Athens was punished with death and therefore called in ieast Lex Draconis In Lusitania a Paracide should be stoned to death not within their country least the murtherers bloud should defile their countrie but they should be banished to the next confines and there to die Dauid was forbidden to build the Temple in Ierusalem for that he was a man of bloud so the Lord said Thou art a man of bloud and therefore thy sonne Salomon shall build me a Temple In the citie Elephantina in Aethiopia a murtherer should bee forced by the lawe to eate the hearbe called Ophiusa which being eaten the murtherer should be so tormented with such terrible visions and dreames that he could neuer take rest or sleepe before he had kild himselfe The Macedonians in like sort stoned them not onely to death that committed any murther or treason against their Prince and their countrey but also such as were consenting therevnto and therfore Plato in Athens made a law that the hand that slew himselfe should not be buried with the body but should either be throwne away to be eaten of dogges or else to be nailed in some publike place to be eaten of fowles of the ayre as actor of the murther In many places murther was lesse esteemed of men then of birds or of beasts as in Egipt to kill an Egiptian cat was more dangerous then to kill a Romane captain The history is written in Diod. sic at large So to kill the bird called Ibis in Egipt there was by the lawe capitall punishment for it In Thessalia none might kill a stoike neither in Athens by the lawe of Solon none might sacrifice an oxe Cai. Caligula after he had murthered so many much complained because he could not murther more oftentimes wished that all Rome had but one necke that he might with one stroake cut it off There was found in this Emperours studie after he was murthered like a sword and a dagger the one written on and named Gladius the other Pugio in the which were written the most part of the names of the chief Senators appointed by Caligula to bee slaine and in the same studie was found a chest full of cups filled vp with diuers kindes of poysons which likewise he appointed to poyson the most part of the Romane knights as well of the Senate as of the Citie which
that they hadde not slaine the Madianite women And therefore Phineas the sonne of Eleazer for his zeale against adulterie slew Coshi the Madianite harlot and Zimri the Israelite thrust them through both theyr bellies in the act for the which the Lord was so pleased that the plague ceased in the campe and the Priesthood was giuen for euer to Phineas his stocke for the Lord would not haue a whore to liue in Israel The zeale of Iehu was such that hee caused seuentie sonnes of Achab to bee slaine and caused Iezabal his wife to bee cast headlong downe out of a windowe to be eaten of dogges hee slew 42. of Achabs bretheren and destroyed all the Priests of Baal and left not one of Achabs house aliue The zeale of Iehu so pleased the Lord that his children raigned foure generations after him The zeale and faith of Abraham was such that he was readie to offer sacrifice his onely sonne Isaac to obey the Lords commandement The zeale and loue of Ioseph in Egipt was such that he preferred the lawes and loue of the Lord before the loue of his mistresse Putiphars wife Such also was the loue and zeale of Moses to Israel that hee requested to be put out of the booke of life before Israel should be destroyed of the Lorde in his anger Salomon was so zealous in the lawes of the Lord that he sought nothing but wisedome to rule his people and to know his lawes So Iob loued the Lord and his lawes that for all the losse of his goods and children and for diuers plagues and punishments of body yet he still stood constant in the lawes of the Lord. Adulterers are cryed out vpon in the scripture and often mentioned in the olde and newe Testament compared by the Prophet to stoned horses neying vpon other mens wiues Women so corrupted Salomon that hee forsooke the Lorde and worshipped straunge goddes and lost thereby tenne of the twelue Tribes of Israel Dauid his father was so punished for his offences with one woman against the Lord that he welnigh lost his kingdome by it If Dauid if Moses and Paul were buffeted by Sathan who can think himselfe free from Sathan we must therfore watch if we will not be deceiued we must fight if we thinke to haue victorie not against flesh and bloud onely but against armies of spirits infernall powers against spirituall enemies and against Sathan the prince and ruler of darknesse For many are the stratagems of Sathan with whom wee must wrestle as Iacob did with the Angell with such weapons as is taught in Paul or as Dauid did with Goliah or as Iob did with Sathan himselfe The euill counsell of Achitophel to Absolon to lye with his fathers concubines brought both Absolon and Achitophel to hanging Pharao for lusting on Sarah Abrahams wife both hee and all his house were scourged and plagued with Angels and visions The Beniamites for their abhominable abuse of the Leuites wife was the cause that three score fiue thousand died in Israel Sychem all the Sychemites for the rauishment of Dina Iacobs daughter were slain the towne ouerthrown by Simeon and Leui Iacobs sonnes The lawes of all countries and nations appointed such due seuere punishments for adulterie as in Rome Lex Iulia was as sharpely executed against adulterers as against traitors and still renewed by many of the Emperours after Iulius Caesar who made this lawe as Tiberius Seuerus and others who with great seueritie punished adulterie Lawes were made in many Countries to suppresse adulterie for concupiscence and euill affections were condemned by the lawes among the Gentiles to be the roote of all mischiefe for euill thoughts breed delectation delectation bredeth consent consent action action custome and custome necessitie for custome is as another nature Adultery was punished in Egipt by the lawe of Bocchoris in this sort the man should be beaten with rods to a thousand stripes and the womans nose should be cut off to deforme her face as a perpetuall marke of her adultery but if she were a free woman the man should haue his priuie members cut off for that member which offended the law should be punished by the law which law sometime was executed among the Romaines for so was Carbo gelded by Bibienus the Consul for his adultery the Romanes had rather make lawes then keepe the lawes which they made Therefore Charondas made a lawe to keep the good from the bad for to flie from vice is vertue that by taking away the cause the effect might also be remoued for vertue is soone corrupted with vice and a litle leauen infecteth the whole doughe and therefore an action might be had by the lawe of Charondas not onely against honest women that vsed the company of leaude men but also against men that should be often found in the societie of wicked men for Charondas saide good men become better by obedience of the lawe and become wicked by wicked company which obey no lawes for that lawe said Charondas is euer best by the which men become more honest then rich Par est eos esse meliores qui ex melioribus Lysander being demaunded what maner of gouernment he best liked said where good men are rewarded for their weldoing and euil men punished for their wickednesse as Plato said Omnis Respub paena Praemio continetur So Demosthenes euer thought that law best which prouided for good men aduancement and for euill men punishment To the like effect Zaleucus made a lawe that no honest or modest woman should goe in the street but with one maide with her and if shee had two the lawe was she should be noted for a drunkarde Neither might knowne honest women goe out of the Towne in the night time vnlesse they would be noted to goe in the company of adulterers Neither might any modest woman or sober matron be attired with braue apparell imbrodered or wrought with gold siluer bugles and such vnlesse shee would be noted by the lawe of Zaleucus that shee went abroad to play the strumpet for among the Locreans an adulterous nation people much giuen to lust and lecherie Zaleucus made a lawe that by their comely and modest apparell they should be knowne from harlots and light women which vsed to weare light garrish and all kinde of glistering garments to be looked at Aurelianus the Emperour punished a souldier found in the campe in adultery in this sort to tye both his legs to two toppes of trees bended to the earth and so his bodie by the swinge of the trees to cleaue in the midst through that the one halfe hangd on the one tree and the other halfe vpon the other tree The like or rather more horrible punishment vsed Macrinus the Emperour against two souldiers in the campe that deflowred a maide in their lodging he caused two oxen to be opened and sowed aliue one
fashions of the Sichemites neiiher like the Sabine virgins going to the feast Consualia to see playes in Rome neither like the maides in Siloh to go abroad to play to daunce and to sing What was the end of this libertie first the ouerthrow of Sichem and the Sichemites for violating Dina Iacobs daughter secondly the rauishment of the Sabine virgins which moued publike warres betweene the Sabines and the Romanes and so of the virgins of Siloh Neither like that light woman which is spoken of in the Prouerbes of Salomon saying I haue deckt my bed with ornaments with carpets and carued workes laces of Egipt I haue perfumed it with mirrhe Aloes and Synamom come and let vs take our fill of loue vntill the morning and take our pleasure in dalliance and he followed her as an oxe that goeth to the slaughter as a foole to the stockes or as a bird hastneth to the snare not knowing what danger he runneth into for can a man take fire in his bosome and not be burnt can a man goe barefoote vpon coales and his feete not be burnt so he that goeth to his neighbours wife shall not be innocent saith Salomon It was a custome among the Hebrewes that the spowse was brought to her her husband her head being couered so Rebecca tooke availe and couered her head when shee sawe Isaac in token of shamefastnesse and chastity for the way to become chast is first to be shamefaste Men must haue chaste eyes Holosernes offended and desired to sinne with Iudith at the sight of her slippers So the two Elders offended at the sight of Sufanâ—… bathing her selfe in the well This made Abraham to speake to his wife Sarah I know thou art a faire woman that when the Egiptians see thee they will kill me to obtaine thee The eye of Herod was delighted so much at the dancing of Herodias daughter that he foolishly promised whatsoeuer she would aske which hee cruelly performed with the head of Iohn Baptist. To become chast is the gift of the Lord not by vnlawfull meanes as Origen did though learned and religious yet missed in the meanes to be temperate so that he made himselfe to be made an Euenuke and his stones to be taken away thinking thereby to become continent for you shall not teare nor cut your flesh nor make any print of a marke by whipping of your bodies or burning marks any where vpon the flesh as the Heathens and Pagans did So the Prophet Elizeus commaunded Naman the Syrian to goe to wash him in Iordan to elense him of his leprosie So Christ commanded a poore cripple to goe to the water of Syloh to wash him the water wherof being stirred by the Angell many were healed I do not speake of the waters which in olde time the Romaine marchants vsed to sprinkle themselues withall called Aqua Mercurij whereby they supposed that their God Mercurius would giue them good successe great gaines Mary Magdalene trusting too much the false reports of some Rabines was deceiued in the seeking of the Messias but hauing founde whome shee sought the Messias her loue was such that shee washt his feete with the teares of repentance and dried them with the haires of her head and therefore many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued the Lord much Among the Gentiles also there were so many that made meanes to become chast as they which were called Animphi and another sort called Abij which in no sort could abide women but led a single life especially the heatheÌ„ priests in all countries they should not come and offer sacrifice vnto their gods vntil they had shaued their haires and washed their bodies ouer from top to to toe and abstained from wine and women The Gymnosophists in Aethiopia graue and wise Iudges they made means likewise to become chast by thin fare feeding on Gurgins and course bread made of the huskes of corne with Apples and Rice this was their meanes to become temperate in their prophane religioÌ„ So in India Sacedotes solis the Priestes of the Sunne thought the meanes to make themselues continent not only by abstaining from flesh wine and women as the Priests of Athens of Rome and of Egipt did but also by refraining their owne beds in their owne houses and to liue sub dio to lie in their cloathes vpon the earth Among the Romanes and the Grecians the lawes of the 12. tables commaunded commended to them chastitie in such sort that they might neither serue sacrifice nor offer vnto their gods vnlesse for a certaine time they had abstained froÌ„ wine women the words of the law were these Ad diuos adeunto castè Pietatem adhibento opes admouento How straightly the Gentiles obserued this you read before yet seeke they their warrant from Moses for the high Priest Abimelech would know of Dauid whether he and his company were pure and cleane frooÌ„ women before they should eat of the shewe bread which was lawfull for no man to eate but the Priest The lawe of Moses was that money gotten by common women might not be accepted neither in offring nor in sacrifice vpon the Lords Aultar for the law saith thou shalt neither bring the hire of a whore nor the price of a dogge into the house of the Lorde for euen both these are abhominations vnto the Lord for there shall be no whore nor whore keeper in Israel So Numa Pomp made a lawe in Rome that a strumpet or a leaud woman should not so much as touch the aultar of Iuno for it was his lawe that Pellex non tangerâ—… Innonis aram so all the Pagans and Heathens would haue cleane and pure things offered and sacrificed vnto their gods vpon their prophane aultars so it is written by Cicero Impij donis non audeant Placare deos In the ninth Regiment is signified the continuance of lawes in diuers countries and the care in keeping of their lawes AFter lawes were made and executed in all countries reuerenced with obedience and so kept with care that Licurgus lawes were kept in Sparta among the Lacedemonians fiue hundred and odde yeares the lawes of the Sybils in Rome continued welnigh fiue hundred yeares the lawes of Bocchoris in Egipt endured seuen hundred yeares the lawes of Solon in Athens continued one hundred yeares from Solons time to Xerxes at what time Athens was burnt by the Persians The lawes of the Rechabites were obserued kept three hundred yeares by the children of Ionadab but the lawes of the Iewes from the comming of Moses out of Egipt to the last destruction of Ierusalem vnder Titus continued 1500. yeares So carefull were the first age that the children of Seth hearing Adam prophesying of two destructions which should come vpon the whole world the one by fire the other by water builded vp two arches or pillars the one of bricke the other of stone in the
therefore destroyed at the brooke Kyson false witnesse is a murtherer of his neighbours false witnesse selleth bloud for money a theefe that selleth mens lands liuings and liues secretly for it is written in the lawe of Moses that thou shalt not remoue thy neighbours marke which they of olde time haue set in thine inheritance So Numa Pomp. made the selfe same lawe in Rome that whosoeuer would plough vp any of his neighbors markes or meeres both he and his oxen should be slaine and sacrificed to god Terminus vpon the very meere where the offence was done False witnesse is a defamer and slaunderer of mens credite and therefore the lawe of the twelue tables saith Siquis occentauisset aut carmen condidisset quod infamiam faceret flagitiumque alteri capitale sit If any would write slaunderous libelles or infamous verses touching a mans credite good name and fame he should die for it The selfe same lawe was by Solon made in Athens that vpon any slaunders or nicknames an action might be had before the Iudges Areopagites How much more false witnesses and periurers that seeke mens liues by false oathes are to bee punished whose conscience are burned with hotte irons of whom is said Conscientia pietatis lacinia for you shall not sweare by my name falsely saith the Lord neither shall you defile the name of your God The Lord though he commaunded his people that they should not sweare at all neither by heauen for it is the Lords throane neither by the earth for it is his footestoole for the scripture vsed the speech of the Lord for an oath Dixit Dominus it was an oath and the Lord sware by the excellencie of Iacob he sware by himselfe Per me ipsum iuraui Oathes may bee well and iustly required in lawfull causes for Abraham made his seruant to sweare by the God of heauen and earth not to take a wife to his sonne Isaac of the daughters of the Canaanites but of his owne stocke and kindred and therefore hee caused his seruant to lay his hand vnder his thigh which ceremony declareth the dutie and obedience the seruant should haue to his maister Iacob sware the like oath as his grandfather Abraham did and caused Ioseph his sonne to put his hand vnder his thigh as an oath that he should not suffer him to be buried in Egipt but to be brought from Egipt to Haebron to the field Machpelaâ—… and there to be buried with his fathers Abimelech requested Abraham to sweare Iura per deum ne noceas mihi nec stirpimeae and Abraham sware vnto Abimelech and named the place where they both sware Berseba Iacob sware vnto Laban his father in law Pertimorem in Patrissui by the feare of his father Dauid sware against Nabal and said Hocfaciat mihi dominus Thus God do vnto me if I leaue Nabal a head for that he denied me and my company a little victualls being a hungrie Salomon sware vnto his mother by the Lord Thus God do vnto me if Adoniah liue for that by seeking Abizaig he seeketh also the kingdome Elias the Prophet sware vnto Achab king of Israel Viuit Dominus as sure as the Lord liueth So Elizeâ—…s sware vnto Elias the like oath Viuit Dominus I will not forsake thee this kind of oath is often vsed in scripture as the Lord liueth or as thy soule liueth Paul the Apostle vsed this oath God is my witnesse whom I feare in an other place Testem Deum inuoco in animam meam I call God to witnesse to my soule and againe God knoweth that I lye not In the thirteenth Regiment is set downe the danger and inconveniences that hapned by ambition and what lawes diuers countries made to banish the same THe states of Princes and countries are euer in most danger where ambitious men be who fearing nothing at all secretly to speake against Princes and Magistrates ambitiously whose ambitious nature seekes not onely to rule and raigne but also to practise without feare through pollicie to vndermine states and to ouerthrowe their countrey through ambition Pacem contemnentes gloriam appetentes pacem gloriam perdunt Of these men Plato saith Siquis priuatim sine publico scitu pacem bellumuè fecerit capitale esto Ambitious men are not so glad and proud to see many follow them and obey them as they are spitefull and disdainfull against any one man that esteemes them not so ambitious and proud was Ammon that he could not endure the sight of Mardochaeus The ambition of Abimelech was such that hee slew three score and eight lawfull sonnes of Gedeon his bretheren vpon one stone to become a Iudge in Israel himselfe being but a bastard Absolon the naturall sonne of Dauid went most ambitiously about to winne the hearts of Israel from his father embracing and kissing euery one that came vnto him saying I wish there were some that would minister iustice to the people Such is the nature of ambitious men Qui honores quieta Repub desperant perturbata se consequi posse arbitrantur Can a man goe barefooted on thornes and not bee prickt can a man put coles in his bosome and not bee burnt can a man be ambitious and not be trecherous for ambition claspeth enuie as the Iuye claspeth the Oake and as the Iuye sucketh all the moysture of the Oake so enuie sucketh all the moysture of the ambitious man What was the end of Ammon for his ambition to be hanged vpon the selfe-same gallowes which he prepared for Mardocheus What got Abimelech by his ambition and murthering of his bretheren but to haue his braine panne broken and slaine and that by a woman in the Cittie of Argos The end of Absolon was no better but to be brought by his owne mule and to be hanged by the haire of his owne head in the wood of Ephraim where his mule left him Impia proditio celeri paena uindicanda Had these ambitious men obserued the three precepts which Brasidas taught his countrey men the Athenians Velle vereri obedire they might haue died a more honourable death then to be hanged and killed by those whom they sought ambitiously to destroy by their next kinred and chiefe friends These bee such men Qui suam sibi fortunam fingunt The like lawe was appointed by Plato for treason as for sacriledge Iudices istis proditoribus dantur qui sacrilegis solent for as Philip of Maecedon was wont to say Amare se prodituros non proditores so Augustus Caesar after him vsed the like wordes Proditionem non proditores amo And therefore Corah Dathan and Abiron and all their complices to the number of two hundred and fiftie were swallowed vp of the earth aliue for theyr ambitious murmuring against Moses The Lord spared neither Aaron Moses brother nor Myria his sister for the like offence so
Lacedemonians had also their Senate of eight and twentie graue and auncient wise men which by Licurgus lawe should be 60. yeares old before they should be chosen and accepted to be of councell The Carthagineans in like manner made choice of 30. of their principall and chiefe men of Carthage called Conipodes to sit and determine in secret councell of the state of their citie for the Carthagineans though they followed Charondas lawe yet they imitated the Lacedemonians in all other gouernment as well in warreas in peace So wearie were many nations of kings that when the Hebrewes sought to alter the gouernment of Iudges to haue Kings the Lord commaunded Samuel to set downe to the Hebrewes the lawes of Kings that they will take their sonnes their daughters the best of their fields of their vineards and of their Oliue trees giue them to their seruaunts and they shall take the best of their men-seruants and their maid-seruants their yong men and their asses to do their worke withall So the Vine the Figge tree and the Oliue answered the trees which would haue a king Shall we loose our fatnesse and sweetnesse to become a king Notwithstanding the bramble would be a king ouer the trees The Storke also would accept to be king ouer the the Frogges though all nations desire generally rather to be ruled by one then by many yet many that were elected kings would faine haue forsaken it Q. Cincinnatus being taken from the plough to be a Dictator in Rome to weare Togam praetextam assoone as sixe moneths were expired so long the office of the Dictatorship endured he returned again to his plough according to Salomons speech better is a morsel of bread in a poore mans house peaceably then to bee a Consul or a Dictator in Rome among vnruly people And therefore the Ephori of Sparta grew so ambitious that they began to enuie their kings and therefore deuised this lawe to expell their kings to obserue the starres euery ninth yeare in a cleare bright night which if they sawe any starre eyther shooting sliding or any way remouing from their place they with the consent of the whole colledge of soothsayers accused their kings that they had offended their gods and therefore deposed their kings so were king Agis and king Pausanias deposed from their kingdome by Lysander This was against the lawe of the Lord who said vnto Iob Where wast thou when I placed Hyades in theyr places and Plyades in their course canst thou know the course and orders of Septentriones and of other starres and of the reason thereof Nunquid Nosti rationem caeli saith the Lord Against these starre-gazers Plato writeth men should not bee too curious to seeke causes supernaturall and saith Nequè inquiri oportere nec fas esse curiosè satagere causas scrutantes That was the cause why Andronicus the Emperour hearing two learned men reasoning of the like to say if they would not leaue their curious and friuolous disputations the riuer Rindacus should be Iudge betweene them and end the controuersie for Non sapit qui nimis sapit So were the Priests called Mantes in Athens of such authoritie that nothing could be done in any publike councell concerning religion and matters of state vnlesse they were in place present The like lawe the Romaines vsed euery fiftyeare being taught and commaunded to bee obserued out of the bookes of the Sybils that vpon any appearances or sights of two Sunnes together or of three Moones or any other great causes the soothsayers might remoue either Consul or Praetor from their place The like ambition began in Persia after Cambises dyed that it was not lawfull for the kings of Persia to make any lawes otherwise then they were instructed by theyr Magi neither was there any lawe made among the auntient Romaines without the counsell of their soothsayers who were called interpretes Iouis Nuntijdeorum for these lawes were called among the Romains and the Persians Leges Augurales but of these Augural lawes I haue toucht them in my booke of Stratagems which were as much esteemed and feared of captaines and souldiers as their military lawes for both the Persians Grecians and Romains followed the counsell of soothsayers in their warres contrary to Moses lawe which forbad dreames and soothsaying to be vsed as the Gentiles did for saith the lawe Non declinetis ad magos The superstitious error of the Gentiles in their soothsayers grew to be so great that if the soothsaiers said that Esculapius beeing dead could sooner restore health and minister medicine to the sicke by dreames then Galen could do by his art aliue some would beleeue it and therefore the Pythagorians abstained from beanes when they went to sleepe because it filleth rather the minde with vaine dreames then the belley with good meate If any soothsayers would say that Serapis and Minerua through diuination could minister medicine and restore the sicke vnto health without the helpe of Phisitions sooner then the Phisitions themselues these flatterers would be as they are accepted in court countrey TanquaÌ„ Syrenes aulae the Gentiles would beleeue it which as Thucydides saith are two most noysome things in a common-wealth for nothing could be spoken so absurd but some Philosopher or other will maintaine it and defend it The Philosophers among the Indians which would either prognosticate or defend falsehood or seeme to affirme that to be true which was false they were by law for euer after commaunded to perpetuall silence The lawe of diuination was such in all kingdomes and countries eyther by fleeting of starres flying of fowles by intrailes of beasts or by dreames that whatsoeuer the soothsayers spake among the Persians Grecians and the Romaines it was taken for Maximum praestantissimum ius Reipub for the words of the lawe were Auspicia seruanto for example therof Cicero reciteth many histories and Crisippus gathered many Oracles together But if the lawe of the Gospell were so kept among Christians as the law of Augurers was among the Gentiles and the words of the Preacher were so obserued as the words of the Soothsayers among Pagans if mens affections were set on a heauenlycommon-wealth Vbi Rex est veritas lex charitas modus aeternitas as worldlings are set on an earthly habitation Vbi Rex est vanitas lex infidelitas modus breuitas As it hath bene seene in the Greeks which first florished before the Affricans in the Affricans which florished before the Romains and in the Romains which flourished before the Scythians and therefore In rebus cunctis est morum temporum imperiorum vices So that all commoâ—… wealths all kingdomes and all countries were ruled are and shall be gouerned by diuine prouidence from the beginning to the worlds ende FINIS A Table containing a briefe summe of the whole booke THe old Patriarkes liued vnder the lawe of nature