king and thus vnto him say My lord O king didst thou not make an oth to me for aye That Salomon my sonne should sit vpon thy kingly seate And now thy sonne Adonia thereof doth him defeate And while thou talkest with the king about thy sonne alone I will come after and confirme thy sayings eury one So Bethsabe to Dauid went into his chamber bolde Where Abisag was ministring because the king was olde She bowing downe with reuerence and great humilitie He then demaunded what the cause of her repayre should be My lord quod she thou didst loÌ„g since vnto thine haÌ„dmaid sweare That Salomon should after thée as king the scepter beare And now beholde Adonia he is proclaymed king And thou my lord vnto this houre not priuy to the thing His Oxen are all offred vp his shéepe and cattell fat And hath both Ioab and his priest Abiathar thereat And all thy sonnes be there with him saue Salomon alone With many other mightie men that vnto him are gone And now my lorde the eyes of all the people Israel WhoÌ„ thou wilt haue succéede do looke that thou thy self should tel For els when that my lord doth rest both Salomon and I We shall trausgressours counted be as worthy so to dye And while she thus stoode with the king debating to and fro The Prophet Nathan commeth in his pleasure for to know And when he had with reuerence obeisance duely made He told his tale and with the king gan wisely to perswade My lord O king hast thou commaunde or so ordeined it That after thée Adonia vpon thy seate shall sit For he hath made his kingly feast and thereto hath he bid Thy sonnes Capteins of the hoast which thing to thée is hid Abiathar with many mo in bankets cheerefully God saue our king Adonia God saue our king they cry But me and Sadoch that good priest nor Salomon thy sonne Nor yet Banaia they cald to this they haue begonne Is this the kings good pleasure now and made to me so dim That of my lord I may not know who shall reigne after him Then Dauid called Bethsabe and thus vnto her sware As God doth liue who hath me rid from trouble and from care Assure thy selfe that Salomon thy sonne shall after me Sit on the seate of Israel and thereof king shall be The Quéene then yéelding harty thanks bowing him before To God she prayde that he might reigne and liue for euermore The king did call Banaia and Sadoch to him than And Nathan to and then his minde to breake he thus began Go forth and take with you my men and set vp Salomon Upon the mule whereon I rid and leade him to Gihon And there let Sadoch him annoint with truÌ„pets blowing braue And then with trumpets do you cry king Salomon God saue Then come you all and follow him and set him on my throne For I haue sworne and do appoynt he shall be king alone Amen then said Banaia the liuing Lorde permit That on thy seate a happy king he many dayes may sit And as the Lord hath bene with thée so let him giue his streÌ„gth Unto the seate of Salomon and stretch it more in length So they departed from the king and set vp Salomon vpon the Mule as they were bid and brought him to Gihon Where Sadoch then anoynted him and vp the trumpets blow God saue our lord king Salomon the peoples voyce doth go And comming after him with pipes they ioyfully do sing Whose sound of voyce instrumeÌ„ts made all the earth to ring The voyce was such that it did come to Adonias place And made his gests to turne chaunge the colour in their face But Ioab gan to stirre said what meanes this passing noyse Of trumpet blowing in the towne and sound of men boyes He had no sooner spoke the word but in came Ionathan Who in the presence of them all to tell him newes began Our lord and king assuredly vpon some weightie thing Hath caused Salomon his sonne to be proclaymed king They haue him brought on Dauids Mule to Gihon regally Where Sadoch hath annoynted him our king and lord to be Wher at the people shoute for ioy that he shall ore them reigne Which is the noyse sounde ye heare of him and all his trayne And furthermore the people hath giuen thanks to Dauid great And pray to God the sonne may passe the father in his seate The king likewise hath praysed God whose mercy brought to pas That in his seate before he dyed his sonne inuested was Then all the gestes Adonia had feasted that same day Were sore afrayde and made great haste to rise and get away And he him selfe as one that feard the sight of Salomon Did flée and catch the Aulters hornes to saue him selfe thereon Then one comes vnto Salomon and humbly doth begin To tell the daunger and the feare Adonia is in Add makes request that he would sweare promise by his word That he would not his seruaunt put that day vnto the sword If that he may quod Salomon to me be faythfull founde No haire that is vpon his head shall fall vnto the grounde But if I finde vntruth in him or wickednes espye He may make his account thereof that he shall surely dye So béeing brought to Salomon he did him selfe submit And home was sent vnto his house there quietly to sit Now came the time that Dauid should passe froÌ„ this world away Wherfore he called Salomon and thus gan to him say My time drawes on for me to dye and passe an other way Shew thou thy selfe a man therfore and on the Lord thée stay Kéepe thou his watch with careful eye walke in al his waies That thou in all thy good attempts mayst prosper all thy daies So shall the Lord make good his worde promise firmely laide Unto his seruaunt long ago when thus to me he saide If that thy children take good héede and guyde their steps aright And walke before me in the truth with all their heart might Then shalt thou neuer want a man to sit vpon thy throne To rule and gouerne Israel when thou art dead and gone And furthermore thou knowest right well how Ioab serued me And with a couple how he dealt farre better men then he How Amasa and Abner to he falsly did betray And shed their blood most cruelly and cast them both away Deale thou therfore with Ioab as thy wisdome shall increase And let not his hore head be brought downe to the graue in peace But let the sonnes of Berzella be at thy table fed For they came to me when away from Absalon I fled Thou hast with thée one Semei a man of Bahurim Who curst me all the way I went vnto Mahanaim But yet at my returne he came and brought me home agayne Wheras I made an othe to him that he should not be slayne Yet shalt thou not him giltlesse count but by thy wisdome good Sée that his hore head downe be brought vnto the graue with blood Thus now wheÌ„ Dauid in his reigne had runne out al his race His soule departed vnto God and left his sonne in place FINIS Cap. 17. Isai sent Dauid to releue his brethreÌ„ but God sent him for the deliuerance of Israel Cap. 18. The vnmoueable loue of Ionathas and Dauid Cap. 19. The firste profe of Ionathas fidelitie to Dauid The faithfâ—nnesse of Michol to her husband Dauid â—he secondeâ—â—ofe of Ioâ—â—thas ' fideâ—â—tie Cap. 21. Now Dauid feigned him selfe to be madde The Priests of Nob are slayne Cap. 23. Dauid saued the towne of Keilah The thirde profe of Ionathas fidelitie Cap. 24. The great gentlenes of Dauid compelled Saul his enemy to yéelde Cap. 25. Of the churlish parte of Nabal Cap. 26. Of Dauids faythfulnes to Saul Cap. 28. Cap. 29. 2. Regum Cap. 1. Here Saul is slayne Cap. 2. Cap. 3. Cap. 4. Here Isboseth is slaine trayterously Cap. 5. Dauid is annoynted king Cap. 6. Michol despiseth Dauid for dauncing before the Arke Cap. 7. Dauids prayer Cap. 8. The victorie that God gaue to Dauid ouer the Philistines and other straunge nations Cap. 9. The restoring of Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas Micah was Miphiboseths sonne Cap. 10. Cap. 11. Dauid committeth adultery and homicide Cap. 12. Dauid is reproued for his adultery and homicide A rare example in a Capteine The ingratitude of the Ammonites punished Cap. 13. Ammon rauisheth his sister Thamar Ionadab was the sonne of Simeah Dauids brother Ammon is slayne Thalmai was the king of Gesur father to Maacha Absolons mother Cap. 14. Cap. 15. Absalon aspireth to the kingdome Dauid flieth froÌ„ his sonne Absalon The fidelitie of Ithai the sonne of Achis king of Geth as some do write Sadoch foloweth after Dauid with the Arke is sent backe agayne Chusai commeth to Dauid who sendeth him to Absalon Cap. 16. Ziba coÌ„meth to Dauid to deceiue Miphiboseth his master Semei curseth Dauid Achitophels counsell agaynst Dauid Chusai ouerthroweth the counsell of Achitophel Ahimaas Ionathan are hid in a well Cap. 18. Achitophel hangeth him selfe Dauid mouâ—â—neth for his sonne Absalon Cap. 19. The wilines of Semei Miphiboseth meeteth the king in Ierusalem Berselai méeteth king Dauid A strife betwéene the men of Israel and the men of Iuda for king Dauid Cap. 20. Seba maketh an insurrectioÌ„ against Dauid Dauid shutteth vp his Concubines Ioab slue Amasa some think he did it for that Amasa tooke parte with Absalon and that Dauid had made him captein generall in his stead Cap. 21. The dearth that fell in Dauids time Cap. 22. Dauid for his victories prayseth God. Cap. 23. Here Dauid numbreth his people Dauid is plagued for numbring his people 3. Regum Cap. 1. Adonia aspireth to the kingdome Salomon is proclaymed king Cap. 2.
power and ayde Gan to declare what he of late had done by him and sayde Thy seruant kept his fathers shéepe that they should not astray Among the which a Lion came to féede vpon his pray I ranne caught him by the beard shooke him by the iawes So that I rid him of his life for all his ramping pawes A Beare likewise with gréedy paunch came to deuour his pray Whom I by strength did onely kill before I went away And as thy seruant now hath done to these two beasts in déede I doubt not but this Philistine shall haue no better spéede I mind God willing to remoue the infamy and shame And to reuenge this wicked talke agaynst Gods holy name And as the Lord defended me from Lion and from Beare So from this bosting Philistine he will I do not feare The king well pleased with his talke gaue leaue bad him go Beséeching God to be his guyde and shield him from his fo And gaue a charge to put vpon the armour of the king His sword his head peece and his shield and euery other thing Then Dauid did assay himselfe how well that he could do For he had neuer proued them ne wonted him thereto Wherfore he turned to Saul and sayd I can not go with these So out of all he stripped him to haue his armes at ease With staffe in hand he gat him forth vnto a litle brooke Out of the which fiue pibble stones into his bagge he tooke And so from thence he made his way apace vnto the man No other weapon but a sting he had to fight with than The Philistine then drue him neare to view him that was sent A page before him bare his shield as he to Dauid went. Now when he saw so yong a man so nakedly arayed Disdaynefully on him he cast his eye and to him sayd Am I a dogge that with a staffe thou commest me to beate So cursing him by all his goddes he gan to fume and freate Come on my childe quod he I will dispatch thée in this houre And giue thy flesh vnto the beasts and birds for to deuoure Then Dauid not afrayd of him nor any thing he saw Did vse suche talke as he might sée he wayed him not a straw Thou cōmest to me with speare shield wherin is all thy trust But in the name of God I come to thée in quarrell iust The Lord whose name with wicked mouth thou hast blasphemed so This day will vse me as a meane to be thine ouerthrow And minds your very carkasses to scatter so on ground That to the foules rauening beasts a pray you may be found That al the world both farre and neare may know it very wel How that there is a mighty Lord and God in Israel And eke the whole assembly here shall perfect notice haue That neither sword nor speare it is wherwith the lord doth saue For sure the battell is the Lords that ruleth in all lands He will this day confound you all and put you in our hands With that he stepped forth and came with weapon in his fist The other gan to buckle him his malice to resist A stone he had already set and folded in his sling Which at his head he hurled out as hard as he could fling Which through the Lord light full vpon the forepart of his head And sanke so déepe into his brayne that downe he fell as dead Then Dauid ran the groueling corps there lying to bestride And from the body with his sword his head he did deuide A sight no doubt that pleased much the Israelites that day But so dismayed the Philistines that they did runne away Then all the hoast of Israel they shouted at that sight Pursuing them with bloudy swords slue them in the flight And chasing them to Ekron gates they gaue them such a foyle That they returned ioyfully and brought away the spoyle Now whē as Dauid had in God this mighty cōquest wrought He was by Abner vnto Saul before his presence brought And standing with the bloudy head of Goly in his hande The king gan say whose sonne art thou giue me to vnderstād My soueraigne lord I am quod he the yongest sonne of all Of Isai the Bethleemite most faythfull vnto Saul This sayd the soule of Ionathas to Dauid did apply And firmly sought to knit with his by secret sympathy Whom tenderly he did so loue with inward fancy then That greater loue could not be wisht amōg the sonnes of men The king also for this his act did cause him to remayne And in no wise would suffer him to make returne agayne With Dauid and with Ionathas a faythfull bond was made That ech of them while life did last should be ech others ayde At which time Ionathas did giue vnto his friend so deare Both cote and cloke his bow his sword girdle he did weare Now Dauid so behaued him that all men gaue him prayse So faythfull and so circumspect he was in all his wayes The king so well estemd of him that he put him in trust To rule and guyde his men of warre and leade them as he lust His name was praysed eury where his honour to enhaunce The women also set him forth with timbrell in their daunce As they the king met at returne from slaughter of his foes They sung this song of victorie in méeter as it goes King Saul to his great laude and prayse his thousande men hath slaine But Dauid hath ten thousand times so many kild againe With this the king was very wroth and eke displeased sore That vnto him they gaue so much and to the king no more For they quod he haue set him vp ten times aboue my one And what can he haue more except the kingdome all alone From that time forth he cast an eye on Dauid somwhat straūge Rewarding all that he had done with hatred for exchaunge It so befell the morow next the king to be torment With that ill sprite which oftentimes the Lord had to him sent Then Dauid as his custome was to be before his grace Stood playing on his pleasant harpe to ease him in that case The king beheld him earnestly and to him selfe did say I mind this iauelin here of mine shall rid him cleane away So in his rage and madding moode at Dauid forthwithall He hurld the Iauelin in his hand to nayle him to the wall But Dauid to auoyde the stroke as one that was full wise Conueyed him selfe and did escape his daunger once or twise The king no doubt was much afraide to sée his purpose fayle And Dauid such defence to haue that nothing could preuayle Wherfore he sought all meanes he could his honour to abase Withdrew his charge and him remoud into a meaner place This notwithstanding prudently he walkt in all his wayes As one that had the Lord with him for to prolong his dayes The king perceiuing how that he in fauour dayly grew
counsell in this thing Ye might haue made vs priuie of restoring home the king Thus they debated to and fro this quarrell of some grudge But Iuda did preuayle therein as eury man might iudge But now a man of Belial one Seba cald by name Had got to him all Israel and gan it to proclaime How they no part in Dauid had the sonne of Isai Nor yet inheritaunce in him and spake it scornefully So when as Seba blew his trumpe ech man gat to his tent All ready for to follow him which way so ere he went. But Iuda stucke to Dauid fast and not a man did mis From Iordan to Ierusalem were full and wholly his Now while this geare a working was with them of Israel King Dauid in his house at home not finding all things well Among his women Concubines who had offence commit With Absalon while he was out gan now to punish it Yet not with death as was the law but shut them all vp fast In prison close allowing foode so long as life did last Then hearing of these mutinies and stirres in eury place Sent out all Iuda to prepare and that in thrée dayes space And gaue that charge to Amasa but when he brake his day He grew in feare of some mishap and thus began to say Now Seba in this faction shall hurt and harme vs more Then did my deare sonne Absalon in his attempts before Take thou therfore Abisai of Ioabs men a band And presse on Seba least he get some succour out of hand And Ioab tooke with him also his men the Corethites With many from Ierusalem beside the Philethites And as he marched on his way this Seba for to get Euen at the stone of Gibeon with Abasa he met Who brotherly saluted him as nothing were amisse And made as though he would him take about the necke to kisse But sodenly he smote him in the bely with his knife That all his bowels gushed out so ended he his life Then Ioab and Abisai who were together met To follow Seba at the backe away apace they get And came to Abel where he was got in with all his route Which Citie Ioab with his hoast besieged round about And thrusting at a certayne place to ouerthrow the wall A prudent woman came and gan aloude to crye and call Unto the people praying them they would it not deferre Their Capteine Ioab so desire to come and speake with her Who béeing come she him beheld and askt him if t were he I am quod he good wife the same say what thou wilt to me Then heare thine hādmaide what she saith He said I heare thée wel And wil giue good attētiue eare to that that thou shalt tel It was the vse of olde quod she and Marshall law I know Before a peace be offered no towne to ouerthrow The Citie here that I am in which called is Abel Hath alwayes kept fidelitie with kings of Israel And yet thou goest about with power a Citie to subuert Who as a faythfull mother peace doth nourish in her heart O Ioab this thy tyrannie with right doth not accorde So to destroy the heritage perteining to the Lorde God shield quod he I should attempt this Cities ouerthrow It neuer came into my thought that crueltie to show But this it is there is a man one of mount Ephraim One Seba who remaynes with you our quarrell is to him Who doth rebell agaynst my lord king Dauid forceably Deliuer him and we will then depart hence quietly Then let my lorde but stay a while and I will forthwithall Prouide quod she ye shall receyue his head cast ore the wall Then she with wisdome of her words among them in the towne Did cause his head be smitten off and hurld to Ioab downe A trompet then he made to blow and from the Citie went With all the hoast he brought with him ech mā home to his tēt And Ioab to Ierusalem returned to the king And told him of his good successe and eury other thing Now after these seditions the king new order takes Among his chiefest officers and first of all he makes Ioab the sonne of Zaruia chiefe capteine of the hoast Among the men of Israel to leade in eury coast Banaia a warlike man and one of perfect skill The Corethites and Phelethites to guyde it was his will. The tribute which he had among the nations won with fame He did commit to Aduram to gather vp the same Now Iosaphat Recorder was to note vp eury thing And Seua Scribe to write all that perteined to the king But Sadoch and Abiathar were priestes of high degrée And Ira was chiefe counsellor and great in dignitie Now after this an hunger great the people fell among Which dured in king Dauids time the space of thrée yeres long The king enquired what the cause of this great plague should be The Lord made answere t was for Saul and his great crueltie Which he had shewd the Gibeonites with whō duke Iosua made A couenaunt both of peace and life and bound them to a trade Which trade they did obserue yet he sought their ouerthrow Both Iuda and the Israelites he sought to pleasure so None of the séede of Israel were now the Gibeonites But were a certayne remnant left of all the Amorites Of whom then Dauid did demaund what he for them should do Or what attonement shall I make that ye will grée vnto We will quod they no siluer haue nor gold of thée at all Nor any man to dye for vs but of the house of Saul Looke what ye will quod Dauid then haue me for you to do Disclose your minde and you shall haue me ready therevnto We do request that of the line and kinred of king Saul In Gibeah before the Lord seuen may be hangd for all The king had great compassion on Ionathas and his And would not for his oth of olde his sonne should do amis And was excéeding glad because they did no mo request That he might saue Miphiboseth from hanging with the rest Frō Rizpa her two sonnes he tooke which she did beare to Saul Miphiboseth and Armoni these two and they were all From Merob other fiue he tooke which she by Adriel Had in her life and after were by Michol brought vp well Thus plaged were the sonnes of Saul euen for their fathers sin Who did destroy the Gibeonites and had delite therein But Rizpa that was wife to Saul made spéede without delay To pitche her tent vpon the hill to kéepe the beates away And would not suffer beast nor foule to touch her sonnes at all Frō haruest time till God did make his rayne frō heauē to fall The king when he did vnderstand her motherly intent Their bodies to remoue away he caused one be sent The bones of Saul and Ionathas he likewise brought away From Iabes who did stealingly from Bethlem them conuay Where they had by the Philistines
them where they light gather theÌ„ as fast The boy made hast and Ionathas shot out a shaft or two Beyond the place were Dauid lay as he did thinke to do And when the boy was at the marke where Ionathas had shot He called vnto him and sayd with heauy heart God wot Are not the shafts beyond thée now make hast stand not still The boy with spede them brought to him according to his will. Then with his bow and furniture away the boy was sent Not knowing ought of that was done or what his master meÌ„t The boy no sooner home returnd with his artillery But Dauid came and to the ground fell thrise vpon his knée With wéeping eyes ech other kist their harts did melt bléede They wept so long together both that Dauid did excéede Then Ionathas to Dauid said depart and go in peace And let the bond betwene vs two stand fast and neuer cease So Dauid to Abimelech Nobs priest his iorney tooke Whose soden sight appald him much so that for feare he shooke And for to know the cause therof demaunded by and by What is the matter thou art come and hast so few with thée The king quod he hath secret things committed to my charge That none may know wherfore I haue left all my meÌ„ at large If thou hast any bread or meate or ought vnder thy hande I pray thée giue it vnto me for here I may not stande Then he for lacke of common bread did with himselfe deuise To giue him of the holy loaues his hunger to suffise Well yet sayd Dauid one thing more I shall of thée require My harnesse haue I left behinde my weapons be not here If thou haue any better store I pray thée lend me one The king did send me in such hast that I prouided none Here is quod he great Golies sword shewd him where it lay If that may haply serue your turne then spare it not I pray 〈…〉 etter sure quod he then that and therefore made no stay But tooke it vp and to the king of Geth he went his way Whose court did know him by and by and therefore gaue it out That this was Dauid who was king of Iuda round about Whose prayse the women did set forth aboue all other men Ascribing vnto Saul but one and vnto Dauid ten Which saying Dauid noted well and put them in his brest But yet as one that stoode in feare least he should be opprest Wherfore his speach he counterfeit played such madding fits That all that saw him did beléeue that he had lost his wits From mouth to beard with lothsome sight his filthy spettle ran And scrauld about from dore to dore much like a Bedlem man. Then Achis sayd vnto his men ye sée it is of troth This man to be beside him selfe and wots not what he doth Wherfore theÌ„ haue ye brought him me as though great nede I had Of frantike felowes in my sight so foolish so mad Away with him and get him hence and trouble me no more My pleasure is such frantike men come not within my dore When Dauid had escapde the king by this deuised guyle Within Odollams hollow caues he did him selfe a while Who was no sooner there and knowen but thither did resort His brethren with his fathers house him onely to support And those that were intangled then with det or els with law And such as were disquieted all such to him did draw And those that so had flockt to him foure hundred were in all And he as capteyne ruled them they ready at his call And from that place with all his men he gat him to Mizpa A place among the Moabites where he with fauour lay And made request vnto the king his good will to obteine That vnder his protection his parents might remayne A while with him for their solace till he did sée and know What God would do for him and his in theyr distresse and wo. The king was well content and glad that Dauid was so bold And kept them all the while he lay within the fence and hold Where he was warned of the Lorde euen by the Prophet Gad That into Iuda he should go with all the men he had TheÌ„ marching forth came to the wood of Hareth where he â—â—eâ—d At whose approching Saul began as one somewhat dismaid Some meanes to séeke as he might best his state honour saue And leaning to his speare forthwith began such talke to haue O heare ye sonnes of Iemini what haue ye take in hande Thinke you the sonne of Isai will giue you house and lande Will he in office you promote great Capteins for to be That ye haue thus with him conspirde none doth tell it me And where as Ionathas my sonne with him hath made a bonde Yet none of you will mourne with me nor let me vnderstonde Then Doeg start him vp and sayd Abimelech the priest Had holpen Dauid in his néede agaynst the king most hiest Wherfore the king put him to death with all the priests ech one Saue only that Abiathar to Dauid fled alone Declaring how that wicked Saul his fathers blood had shed For that he had sustayned him and in his hunger fed I thought no lesse quod Dauid then but such a thing would fall That Doeg would in time accuse thy father vnto Saul I am the cause of all this death and great destruction Thy fathers house by me are brought to their confusion Abide by me and feare thée not where euer that I go For he that séeketh for my life shall séeke for thine also It so befell the Philistines their force and might had bent Agaynst the towne of Keilah whose vtter spoyle they ment Which thing when Dauid knew he sought the Lords good wil to know Who wild him with good corage fight giue the ouerthrow Then sayd his men be we not all afrayde in Iuda héere How much the more shall we to sée the Philistines appéere He asked then the Lord agayne who did him vnderstand He should go downe for he would giue them all into his hand So Dauid with his crue of men made hast vnto the towne And fought agaynst the Philistines till he had bet them downe And spoyled them of all their goods and eury thing they had And saued the inhabitants and made the people glad Of this the king was certified and farther to him tolde How Dauid with his bond of men tooke Keilah for his holde Whereat the king did much reioyce and made his reckning so That God had now deliuerd vp to him his mortall fo For that he was within a towne that was of such a strength To hold him fast so that he might dispatch him at the length And so prepared him an hoast of warlike men and stoute To take his way to Keilah the towne to siege about Now Dauid béeing ware of all the mischiefe Saul had wrought Began to
vp of thine owne stock and race Such as shall take by violence thy wiues before thy face And giue them to thine enemie who shall in thy despight Misuse them to thine vtter shame yea openly in sight Thou diddest thy sinne most secretly to hide the same from me But I will do this openly that all the world shall sée Here Dauid with repentant hart his wickednes confest And prayed God to send him grace to rectifie the rest Then Nathan béeing at his hande said to him by and by The Lord hath put away thy sinne be sure thou shalt not dye Yet since by thée and thy default thy God sustayneth shame The child that now is borne to thée shall dye beare the blame And Nathan so departing home the child did sicken sore Whose paine and griefe in eury place increased more and more Then Dauid fasting for the child besought the Lord with teares To giue it health and life withall to runne his race of yeares Great mourning made he for the childe none could him intreate To rise from ground but there he lay absteining frō his meate The seuenth day came then the child did end his fatal thread But none durst signifie so much or tell that he was dead For al the while he was aliue he would not heare them speake And now to tel him of his death would cause his hart to breake But Dauid through the whispering he saw among his men Perceiued well the child was dead and asked of them then If that the child did liue or no who told him how it was How God had wrought his will in him frō life to death to pas Then from the earth he lift him vp and washed all away Annoynting him and putting on apparell fresh and gay And gat him first vnto the house of God to giue him prayse And béeing turned home to eate his seruauntes to him sayes We maruell why thou didst lamēt thy child while it was here And now that he is gone from hence to be of so good chere So long quod he as it had life I did both fast and wéepe For this I thought that God alwaies doth mercy with him kéepe And who could tell if that he would his mercy to him show And saue the child from cruell death if that his will were so But now he is departed hence it booteth not to fast Nor yet to wéepe for nothing here on earth is made to last I can not bring his life agayne but rather I shall go To him then he shall come to me no doubt the truth is so Then Dauid knowing Bethsabe to be in heauynesse Went in to her and sought the meanes her sorowes to redresse Who at her time brought forth a sonne one Salomon to name Whom God appoynted to him selfe his temple for to frame While Ioab Rabba to besiege with all his army lay He sent to Dauid messengers thus willing them to say How he had take the chiefest place of all the Citie strong Where that the pallace of the king and Condites lye along Wherfore he willed Dauid now to come and giue the fall That he might haue the prayse him selfe and Ioab none at all Then Dauid with an armie went to Ioab his true man And ioyning both the hoastes in one the Citie so he wanne When he had now the Citie got and eke the king in holde He tooke the Crowne of from his head a talent weight of golde And therwith crounde him selfe as king to thē whō he did foyle As for the riches of the lande his souldiours had the spoyle And calling to his mind the shame which to his mē they wrought By all the meanes he could deuise a iust rewarde he sought And plaged them with sundry deathes for to increase their wo With sword with saw with fire with rope many tormentes mo Now Dauid as a conquerer returned with his pray Unto Ierusalem the place where most he made his stay Now after this the Lord began to stirre his sonnes to strife And him to plague for his offence commit with Vries wife For Ammon with his sister fayre whom Thamar they did call Did fall so farre in loue that he was very sicke withall And could no maner way deuise his purpose to obtaine For that within her fathers house she alwayes did remayne Then Ionadab a friend of his and one of subtill witte Came vnto him and counsell gaue for such a purpose fit How commeth this to passe quod he that thou art wasted so With inward pensiuenes of minde and will not let me know Then Ammon said O Ionadab I am in loue so sore With Thamar as no earthly man can be with woman more Why then quod he do fayne you sicke and kepe your chāber to And when the king your father comes to sée you how you do Then aske him leaue that Thamar may on you attendāce giue And dresse good meates to nourish you if he will haue you liue This counsell his good friend did giue and he did like the same And so he lay and kept his bed vntill his father came Whom he in humble wise besought his sister might take payne To dresse him some good prety meates to get his health agayne The king did graunt and did commaunde the maiden so to do And bad her dresse such holesome meates as he had phansy to So Thamar came vnto his house and tooke a litle paste Wherwith she made him deinty meate that had a pleasant tast And came brought the same to him where he was laide alone For he of purpose order tooke that eury man was gone Then Ammon said come lye with me good sister I thée pray No man is here that can vs sée thou shalt not say me nay O good my brother force me not that were too foule a fact And neuer yet in Israel was heard of such an act This would be such a blot as I should neuer purge the same And thou likewise a great reproch shuldst purchase to thy name Yet rather speake vnto the king we may in wedlocke dwell And liue according to the law and then it will be well But Ammon stroue and would not cease vntill that he had got His filthy pleasure satisfied would she or would she not And after this vngodly fact all fansy gan abate His loue was not before so much but more was now his hate For when he had defiled her he made no longer stay But in a fume and chasing heate he had her packe away This spitefull vsage of thy part is very much quod she And is as ill as was thy force and worse if worse may be He gaue no eare vnto her talke but like a Bedlem brayne He turnes her out lockes the doore least she returne agayne And so poore soule away she goes as one without reliefe With ashes cast vpon her head and crying out for griefe Then said her brother Absalon hath Ammon bene with thée Well