vnto the graue end ar thy pleasures departed like ours and is the worme spred vnder thee and do the wormes couer thee also how art thou falen from heauen O Lucifer sonne of the morning which hast cast lots vpon the Nations and saidst in thine heart I wil ascend into heauen and exalt my throne aboue besides the starrs of God and I wilsit vpon the mount euen the holy mount of his Sanctuarie and Congregation I wil ascend aboue the height of the clouds and wil be like the most High And al hel which once did wonder worship and kisse thy feet beholding now thy nakednes thy shame and iudgment shal die for greefe of mind and dying shal say Is this the man that made th' earth to Esay 14. tremble and with his word did shake the Kingdoms that made the world a wildernes and a wast of the Cities therof Then shalt thou lying in torment death gnawing on thee answer them and say We haue erred Wisd 5. from the way of truth and the light of righteousnes hath not shined vpon vs nor hath the Soone of vnderstanding risen ouer vs. We haue wearied our selues in the waies of wickednes and we haue gone through dangerous pathes but the way of the Lord we haue not knowen What hath pride profited vs or what profit hath the pomp of riches brought vs al these things are vanished like a shadow and as a post that passeth by And casting vp thy eie to heauen shalt see the righteous stand in great boldnes before thee and before the face of such as tormented thē and took away their labors and thou shalt feare exceedinglie at the sight of them and be amased at their wonderful deliuerance and die for greefe of mind and dying shalt say These are they whome we sometime had Wisd 5. in derision and in a parable of reproche we◠fooles thought their life madnes and their end without honor But how ar they counted among the children of God and their portion among the Saintes That al the earth may be refreshed Verse 46. and come againe as one deliuered from thy violence that she may hope for the iudgment mercy of him that made her And thy death shal comfort and refresh the earth and deliuer Syon from her great and violent oppression but their prosperities may not long endure as testifieth the Chap. 12. 12. Ezech. 39 Prophet Daniel For may Israel dwel safe and the Kings of th' east not know it Nay verily they shal arise and come down like a storme and like a cloud shal couer the earth and compas round the tents of the Saintes and the beloued Citie til fire discend from God out of heauen as it is Reuel 20. 9. written and deuour them And in those daies shall be finished the mistery of God fore-declared to his seruants the Prophets and witnessed by the mighty Angel which came downe from heauen and stood vpō the Sea and vpon th' earth and raysed vp his hand voice to heauen and sware by him that liueth for euer and euer Reuel 10. Ezech. 39. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beholde it is come and it is done saith the Lord this is the day whereof I haue spoken For the hope of which day the stones of Syon die day by day tho litle esteeming seuen thousand deaths in regarde of the precious assurance ingrauē in their brests that they shal then and in that day behold the L. that hath so mercifully gathered thē frō among the Nations That hath so wonderfully preserued them from the sorcerie of Babylon which hath destroyed all th' earth That dayly leadeth them in and out before the skorners the couetous foolish wise of this world so prudently and so inuisibly that they seeing are not seene lyuing are not knowen That hath bestow'd on thē a thousand treasors more then these so secreatly as no man suspecteth but they that haue thē That hath so surely fully perswaded them that tho they now goe on their way weeping yet they shal then returne againe with ioy bring their sheafs with them and all the earth shall then knowe which now is hid howe much the Lord their Redeemer loued them and night and day shal praise and magnifie the iust iudgment and mercie of him that hath done al these things for them Which day in due time He that is Highest shal manifest to al He that is Prince and Lord aboue al who only hath immortalitie and dwelleth in the light which none can attaine vnto whom no man euer saw nor can see vnto whom be al honor and power euerlasting Amen Zacha. 2. 7 Saue thy selfe O Zyon thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babel ANd thus my L. at length I am come a shore deliuerd from a dangerous and scopulous Sea as any is in al the Ocean of the Scriptures praying if I haue made too bolde t' impart my Voyage to your Lordship you would be pleased t'ascribe it to the common humor of trauelers who cannot chuse but tel what aduentures they haue past and what wonders they haue seene strang and long were it to tel your Ho. al I saw and I fear in respect of your hours I haue bin to long to tel so much too much doubtles in regard of my pen which is so sad and so vncourtly as were it not for that natural ingrauen noble curtesie wherwith your Lp. is beautified aboue al cōparison your H. might not endure her plain and careles apparation And so most humbly cōmending my Seruice to your H. disposing take a shorter leaue then els I would because I am setting foorth to Sea againe in hope God-willing if breade and water faile me not to discouer the Reuelation and to make knowen to my Gratious Soueraigne Princes that I also amongst the rest may be bolde to speake tho I care not to be knowen
BABYLON IS FALLEN Ierimie 20. 10. For I heard their aylings of many and how they wacht for my halting saying It may he that he is deceiued LONDON Printed by Edward Allde 1597. TO THE RIGHT honorable Robert Lord Deuoreux Earle of Essex REading of late my Lord a Chapter of Esdras folding vp in a misticall and darke discoursâ— a liuing representation of a long time wherof the most is past and soâ—e little to come I thought it no lost labour to take my pen and vnfolde the same that therâ—n we may beholde which naturally all desire to see as well the issues of thinges to come as what is past or is in being and therafter to qualifie and moderate our hopes and call our troubled thoughts which otherwise runne with raines on neck within the circle and lâ—mitation bounded and drawen from aboue And finding this prophesie written by a man greatlye beloued of God and therto which rare is a Princes fauourite high in grace with a King of Persia I presumed the rather to commend my labour to your honorable L. as vpon whome God hath vouchsafed like great and rare graces Suffiseth that your Honor reade it greater fauor Esdras seekes not He labors not to praise or please which now a daies findes many frends but to admonish and forewarne which fataly findes none til be to late He feares not the learned and noble reprouer of supposed Predictions for he hath heard him honor the Prophesies of Holy writ wherin him-selfe hath no lesse honor gotten then giuen His other enemies hath wild me to conceal and to reserne them to a more open hearing But Esdras is at the next leafe my Lord and craues your Honors patience for an hower BABYLON is fallen Esdras 4. Chap. II. Then I sawe a dreame Verse 1. AFter this the Prophet sawe a vision concerning the beginning continuance and fall of th' Empire and supremacye of Rome And this vision was she wed him in the dayes of Artaxerxes King of Persia about 400. yeares before the firste stone of her Empire was laide In. Caesar And behold there arose from the Sea an Eagle And there arose among the Nations the fierce and fearefull Kingdome and Empire of Rome seene in vision by the Prophet Daniel some few yeares before Which had 12. fethered winges Wherein should arise and reigne 12. Emperors which shuld spred their power like winges ouer all the earth in great feare sitting on it And it seemed good vnto the Prophet to touch by an intellection these 12. only both for they are a Lewrye sufficient to argue the whole suite of Emperors which did arise and raigne in her as also because they only were natiue Romans descended of the Iulii Seruii Saluii Flauii c. vnlike therein vnto the rest which were all or almost all like changeable stuffe of diuers colours so of diuers Nations Their rising continuance and end is toucht in their proper place And three heads Her three heads are three Kingdomes fore-ordained to vpholde and maintayne the power of her pride when al her wings and feathers should faile her And are reserued to execute her last will and finishe her funerals as shal be here after more at full declared And I saw and beholde she Verse 2. spread her winges ouer all the earth and all the windes of the ayre gathered themselues and blew on her By the windes are meant her prosperous and happie successe in all her proceedings And of necessitie it must goe well with her whom euery winde doth blowe to good Witnes the limits of her territories from Ganges to Gades and from the Scithian sea vnto the Cape of hope as testifieth one of her own which saith that she extended her tents to the borders of the Ocean and the feare of her name vnto the heauens And I saw that out of her fethers Verse 3. grew vp other contrarie fethers but they became litle fethers and smale And the Prophet saw that among the Princes and gouernors which ruled in her ther arose and grew vp certain Kings which were contrary vnto her marking such as intended to root vp the crown and dignitie of her Empire to plant themselues therin and their house for euer But their thoughts preuailed not for as the verse concludeth their power waned and they perishedlike the reste what those contrary Kings were their number names attempts and end shal be deliuered in their place But her heads rested and the Verse 4. head in the midst was greater then th' other heads yet rested it with them But the three kingdomes fore-apointed t' accomplish and finish the wickednes of this great Citie were quiet and at rest as not yet during the reigne of her fethers conceaued and brought forth And the Prophet obserued that th' one of those Kings was greater in power then both his fellowes yet rested it with them Concerning these three Kings their names their greatnes and al that appertaineth shal be spoken in due place Then I saw and behold the Verse 5. Egle flew with her fethers and reigned vpon earth and ouer them that dwelt therin And I saw that al things vender Verse 6. heauen were subiect vnto her and no man spake against her no not one creature vpo earth And the Prophet beheld that this proud citie flew with her Emperors and Legions ouer al her neighbors fubiecting al the dwellers on earth vnder her in such sort as there was not a Nation or People to be found vnder heauen that was not either rooted out by her or inforced to receiue their Gouernors from her And I saw that the Egle stood Verse 7. vp vpon her clawes and spake to her fethers saying Watch not altogether sleepe Verse 8. euery one in his own place and watch by course But let the heads be preserued Verse 9. for the last And the Prophet obserued that this powerful Citie in the daies wherein ouergorged with pride she stood vpon terms ofher counsell and armes tooke such order for in euill she was very methodicall that her Kings and Kaysers shuld neither sleepe nor watch that is neither perishe nor rule all at once but rise in a successiue course as in the verses following is manifested And she further commanded that the tâ—â—ree last Kingdoms ordeined to conclude the number of her sinnes should take their ease and not awake till their time appointed Neuerthelesse I sawe that the Verse 10. voice went not out of her heads but from the middest of her bodye As hee that yndertakes a dangerous leape doth first retire the better t' aduance his strength so to bound fairlye ouer the darke vnderstanding of these wordes we must of necessitie looke back and carrye before vs the true birth and perfect nature of this Empire which the Prop het Daniel in his vision designeth vnder the forme of a ten-horned beast signifying thereby that it should be a power vpheld by a succession of many Kinges for
resemblance to be obserued is his power set forth in these words And he reigned ouer all the earth For after he had subdued France broken the heart of Germany made his name knowen to England he returned into Italiâ— ouerthrew the great Protector of the liberty Sr. Pompey and his host in the fields of Pharsalie And like the fire of heauen as one of her Poets saith with such celeritie drew after the reliques of that stricken faction both in Africa and Spaine that in two yeres space he brought to pas that nether citie nor creature durst opeÌ„ against him which done he ascended into Italie and took vpon him as Lord therof triumphing in the spoiles of the world and the blood of his country And knowing that the name of a King which he so much affected was odious to the quality and nature of that People inuaded the gouernment vnder the maske of a perpetuel Dictator preseruing therunder for he was wise aboue al the fethers some hope of recouering their late slaine liberty but indeed establishing a kingdom from which it could neuer redeeme it selfe againe And when it had reigned the Verse 13. end of it came and the place therof appeered no more But this new-borne prosperitie as is the nature of all this worldes felicitie lasted but a while for in the third yere of his Dictatorship he was saine in the Senat by the conspiration of 24. of whom the most both in his own so dangerous is the name of trust and other mens opinions were thought his cheefest frendes And thus was this fether blowen awaye after it had inioyed his pleasure 56. yeres and raigned 3. A man for letters armes and counsell famous far-aboue all his succeeders and in discreete bounty and Princely clemencye rare vertues in such a fortune without controuersie surpassing all Princes made of earth So the next stoode vp and Verse 14. reigned and it continued a long time but after it had reigned his end also came and as the first it appeered no more Next after him arose Octauius the adopted sonne of Julius otherwise also neere him in blood as being the sonne of his neece Accia who hauing taken reuenge vpon the murtherers of his father and obtained in all his warres forreine and at home triumphed Lord ouer all adding to his fathers pomp which he had bought so deer th' honors of Parens patriae and Augustus And this fether continued as the Prophet saw a long time for it reigned Triumuir with Anthonie and Lepidus two yeres as Duumuir with Anthonie alone ten yeres and then deuouring his fellow in a Sea-fight at Actium reigned al alone 44. yeres But after it had reigned his end also came and as the Prophet concludeth he discended like the first and appered no more For by the treason of Liuia his wife impatient to tarie th'inthronizing of her sonne as is the nature of ambition the nerer the goal the faster it runnes his lingring soul was taken from him at Nola in the 70. and sixth yere of his transgression when he had reigned 20. lesse Then there came a voice vnto Verse 15. it and said Hear thou that hast kept Verse 16. th' earth so long this I say vnto thee before thou beginst t' appeere no more Ther shal none after thee attaine Verse 17. vnto thy time nor yet to the halfe therof That we may know ther is no God like vnto the Highest who only holdeth the measures and times of al thinges in his hand the Prophet foresheweth that none of the twelue should continue like to Octauius nor yet attaine vnto halfe his time which according to the word of the Lord was accomplished for his sonne Tiberius of al the rest reigned longest and longer by eight yeres then any of the rest and yet could not attaine to halfe the time of his father which discended before him That God only might be honored in al his workes and iustified when he spealâ—â—â— Then arose the third and Verse â—â— reigned as th' other afore and it appeered no more also Then stept vp Tiberius and reigned in great abhomination as did his fathers before him but after a while he discended also and appeered no more No al his skil in sortilege and wisdom mathematical wherunto he had sold him-self from hisyouth could ether fore-tel or fore-warn him of Caius his nephew by whome he was poisoned in the 70. and 8. yere of his mortalitie and three and twentith of his raigne And so came it to al th 'others Verse 19 one after an other so that euery one reigned and then appeered no more In like soâ—â— saith the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 al the rest which of the 12. remained sucâ—â—â—â—â—â—ely â—se reigne and perish Of whome the first in blasphemy exâ—â—â—â—â—g â—â—ligula was 〈◊〉 by the Captaine of his guard after he had sat in the chaire of the scorneful 29. yeres and in the throne of his fathers almost 4. The second only wise in â—uil was poysoned â—laudins by his incestuous wife his neece Agriâ—â—ina in the 64 yere of his 〈◊〉 and 14. of his reigne The third a monster deformed in life Nero. in mariage and end his life scornefull to the height of his fathers his mariage thrice more detestable his end more vnnatural then any of thâ—â—rs for after he had reigned in sinne fourteene yeres and sinne in him eighteene more fel by his own sword into the graue of his fathers and in him des 〈◊〉 the house of the Iulâ—â— The fourth was of an other extraction â—alba but not of a better descended of th' antient 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rose vp laâ— but perished early for he was 60. and 3. yeres olde before he tasted th' Empire which he got and lost in 7. moneths The 〈◊〉 like wise of a new house but â—thâ— of th' old building got possession by the bloud of his Predecessor and by spilling his owne in three moneths and od daies lost it againe after he had walkte in the abhomination of his fathers eight and thirtie yeres The sixt also was new and olde in nothing saue gluttony excelling his fellowes Vitellius thing saue gluttony excelling his fellowes in life and death like filthie descended in the eight moneth of his tyrannie after he had wearied himselfe in the pleasures of Capriâ—â—um whâ—â— first his youth was branded 7. and 10. yeres After him arose the seuenth who Vespatian bought the crowne with the bloud of his Mr. and ware it in base couetousnes ten yeres but then was likewise blowen down hauing fulfild the pleasures of 59. more The eight was he which executed the Titus vengeance due to the great murtheres th' earthly Hierusalem who in the 40. yere of his pleasure after he had reigned 2. yeres and so many moneths was also blowen down not without the suspected treason of his brother and successor The ninth and last and if it 〈◊〉 possible Domitian the worst of all who