some shall depart from the fayth lystening to false spirites and to the doctrine of Diuels by the hypocrisie of vayne speakers whose conscience is marked with a hot iron they forbyd to marrye they commaund to abstaine from meates which are created of God to be eaten of the faythfull and of those which knowe the truth with thankefulnes And a little before he taught a Byshop must be the husband of one wyfe To these woordes of the Apostle the decrees of Popes are cleane opposit which doo forbyd Byshops Priests and all the Clergie to marrie with this interdiction that if they doo so they must be remoued from the Ecclesiasticall calling and which is more if they haue alreadye contracted Matrimonie without any respect of irregularship they must be seperated and shal be compelled by the Ordinarie and remedies of excommunication to refuse their wiues c. By which it is apparant that the Papistes are those which in the latter dayes should depart from the faith and by the Diuels prouoking vnder hypocrisie and with many of the chiefest of them haue not vnder the cloake of ouermuch chastitie forbyd pure and chaste Matrimonie which the holye ghost dooth singuâ—arly commend and also receyuing of certaine meates which as Paule dooth witnes God hath created for the faithfull to be eaten with thankesgeuing And yet notwithstanding these as I said before decrees of Popes although they be cleane contrarie to the wyll of God haue had more aucthoritie among men than the eternall woord of god Bycause those although in deede wicked and vngodly yet haue been called holy and Catholike and they which haue been conuersant in them our chiefe masters and doctors were counted to whom the sacred Scripture was most vnsauerie So that to take an honest woman to wyfe which Paule commaunded his Byshops to doo was dishonestie and more dishonestie than either openly to vse a concubine or secretly to commit adulterie Also on the Friday to eate flesh was a great sinne and heresie and yet on that day to follow drunkennes and carnalitie was no shame but highly commended Likewyse to heare the blasphemous Masse to reuerence an Idolatrous peece of breade and to carry the same about with a pompous Procession was no impietie but good Religion and yet to celebrate the Supper of the Lord soberly according to his institution was no godlynes but great abhomination At a woord the doctrine of Christ a good and godly conuersation was of them suspected as erronious yet forsooth their deuilish decrees and damnable doctrine was holy and nothing pernicious Their impuritie great pietie their hypocrisie great holynes their damnable ceremonies was the diuine seruice of god So that all Christian Religion was vtterly banished and no token of the true seruice of God could be seen But now in the yeare of the Lorde a thousand fyue hundred ninetie and three after Christes birth which is the fyue thousand fyue hundred and fiue yeare after the world was made that expiring of fyue hundred yeares draweth nygh in which these decrees of Popes gathered together by publike aucthoritie to the great defacing of Gods woord and the merites of Christ shall haue theyr ende Wherefore a woonderfull and vndoubted hope of things to come may be conceyued of things past that about that tyme shal be that vniuersall destruction of all the worlde and glorious comming of the Lorde by which all these Popishe decrees shall come to naught and by the iust iudgement of God as erroneous and blasphemous be cast into eternall fire because they haue wickedly burned all the true interpretations of the Propheticall and Apostolicall scriptures and cruelly martyred the learned ministers and true professors of Christes Religion Vndoubtedly that number of fyue hundred yeeres in lyke manner as the others spoken of before doo presage the same lyke thing the Prognostications of the starres as may be gathered by that which is spoken take their effect about the same tyme The preaching of the Gospell and other tokens mentioned of Christ is gonne before and the Iustice of God especially dooth exacte the same ¶ Of the double equalitie of numbers which is represented in the number of yeares of the worlde happening â—n the eyghtie eyght and ninetie thâ—â—e yeare next ensuing NOwe what should I thinke and saye of that course of yeares from the beginning vntill the ninetie three nowe at hand Which is the yeare of the world fyue thousand fyue hundred fiftie and fyue dooth it foreshowe any wonderfull or signifie any perfect thing or no Certainly I find the same to be altogether of lyke proportion as by that which is spoken may appeare euen with the eightie eyght now at hand because it is in his qualitie the fiue thousand fiue hundred and fiftie yeere The Pythagorians and Platonistes men of great aucthoritie haue thought many things to consist in these and haue wondred therat for the lowest number in the highest hath in it selfe a perfect Arithmeticall proportion and from the lowest to the highest it comprehendeth with in it a perfect Geometicall equalitie And Plâ—to in another place greatly dooth wonder at the Arithmeticall and saith that the same dooth make the mynd apt for alâ— speculation and practise And he dooth adde moreouer that numbring is giuen of God himselfe to man as a necessarie instrument of reasoning and discoursing without whiâ—h the mynde should appeare without a mynde and all artes and knowledge would vanish Here I confesse my selfe to haue certaine singular imaginations those not vayne but of waight and agreable to the woord of God as I thinke And thereâ—ore for the profit of all and that I may giue an occasioÌ„ to the learned more deepely to thinke of this matter I will not bury this my talent whatsoeuer it be but wyll set it abrode for commoditie and bring it foorth without any regard of the ouer curious the rather because I knowe that these things if els where perchance I slide doo containe no daunger or heresie within them but rather by occasion many profitable instructions and those sweete and necessarie And that we may returne to Plato he sayth in another place very well That God is an eternall spirit and cause of all goodnes in the world Because in the creation of good things he shewed his vnspeakeable power wisedome and goodnes and iâ— the conseruatioÌ„ of things created his eternal prouidence a wonderful consent and order of al things that by the contemplation thereof man which was made to the image of God should also continue according to the woord reueâ—led in acknowledging and calling on his Maiestie and not as a brute beast beholding the earth should seeke after vayne and transitorie things but should in minde ascend into heauen to beholde things celestiall and of continuance as also the Scripture euerie where doth teach vs Also what kind of meÌ„ would Plato in his Phedrus and Phedon haue in his common weale Forsooth euen such as through contemplating of
prooued by the Decrees and Decretals of the Popes if any man thinke we say not the truth Heare what his most impudent fauourers on his behalfe haue reported The Pope say they is called as it were wonderful from Pape the Interiection of woondring because he is Christes Vicar and Gods whose the fulnesse of the earth is And Iohn Andr. vpoÌ„ this woord Pope in the Proeme of Clement speaketh thus Papa dictus est quasi pater Patrum c. The Pope is called as it were the father of all fathers hauyng onely the fulnesse of power Also Thomas of Aquine saith that in spirituall matters and temporall he hath the chiefest degree equally to Peter the Apostle At a woord they make hym a Mungrell as partly God and partly man They call hym The Spouse of the Church The mother of the faythfull which cannot erre whose voyce is heauenly euen as Peters was and therfore that he is the chiefest Iudge whose wickednes as the murders of Sampson the spoyles of the Hebrues the adulterie of Iacob are to be iudged of none for there is one and the same seate say they both of God and the Pope The Popes wyl is said to be a heauenly wyll and therfore is of power to chaunge the nature of things to apply that vnto one which belongeth to another and of nothyng to make somewhat Are not these and such like Rules of the Canonistes formally recited marueilous things which with blasphemous and wicked lyppes vnder the Popes pâ—rson accordyng to Daniels Prophesie speake agaynst the God of Gods. And as the Occidentall Empyre of the great Pope in the tyme of Charles the Great was diuided from the Orientall so likewise the Empire at Constantinople which sometyme was called also the Orientall Empire of Rome afterwards was greatly diminished by the great Turke Sarasins whose power afterward increased more and more and that mightily Afterward a litle before the raigne of Carolus Caluus Cousin to Charles the Great the Tartarian Turkes by occasion they were requested to assist the Persians against the Sarasins obteyned all Asia and these embracing the Mathematicall sect at the length came to be of greatest power So that these two wicked and Antichristian kingdomes tooke their beginnyng when the Romane Empire in Phocas tyme and Heraclius was impayred and in the raigne of Charles the Great the Empyre almost subuerted they dayly more and more mightily increased in this weake and diuided kingdome whose feete were become partly of yron and partly of earth Afterward by lyes backslidings and slaughter which are the properties of the Antichristians their rulyng and Religion was confirmed and the Saintes of God by myngling earthly with heauenly things were vexed as Historiographers and the Chronicles of Iohn Auentine euery where do witnesse And therfore both of them by the glorious commyng of the Lord shall be abolished and shal receyue one and the same destruction If therfore to the consolation of all the godly and confirmation of our faith the holy Ghost hath had a great care to dâ—liuer vnto vs by the Prophets certayne foresignes by which might be coniectured when the commyng of Christ in the fleshe was nigh at hand whose commyng should yet before the world be base and very simple and yet of sufficient power to saue our soules froÌ„ the heauy curse and displeasure of God And if the holy Ghost hath been so carefull in giuyng to the Church and the chosen of God certaine signes and tokens of the commyng of Antichrist no doubt he dyd the same that the better they might shun and forsake all his vntrue teachings and blasphemies by the helpe of Gods woord And therfore hath the holy spirit of God been the more diligent to shew to the Church many and manifest signes of the Lords commyng to iudgement that so he might driue vs from all securitie of this lyfe and wake vs out of the deepe slepe of our deadly sinnes least by the speedy commyng of the Lord to iudgement we sodainly perish and that in all afflictions with which the Church is continually vexed we might haue a sure trust and confidence in the mercy of god And therfore the sonne of God him selfe in the last preaching before his death through a great goodwyll gaue vs many signes and earnestly charged vs taking his parable from the Fyg tree that beholding those tokens immineÌ„t we should carefully and readily attend the commyng of our Brydgrome For that commyng to all the godly and chosen of the Lord shal be ioyfull and comfortable In which the Sonne of God shall appeare in power mighty in glory woonderfull and shew hym selfe to his foes terrible to vs comfortable to them seuere gentle to vs to them a Iudge and condemner to vs an Aduocate and Redeemer to them an enemy and destroyer to vs an assured friend and defender so that he shall recompence them with fire continuall among the Diuels but vs he shal reward with his fauour perpetual in the societie of Angels and celestial habitation And therfore doth Ioel cal that day of the Lord a great day and terrible to the wicked when all from the worlds creation shall be made to stand before the tribunall seate of God. Aboue I haue shewed that the chiefest signe of the comming of the sonne of man was the preaching of rhe Gospell which Paule termeth the spirit of the Lords mouth also I haue declared how that signe is euident in these dayes and that Antichrist by the breth of the mouth of the Lord is ouerthrowen and strangled with lynnin as Sebyl Erithraa speaketh that is with interpretations of holy Scripture imprinted in Paper made of linen it is manifest to all godly and men instructed in true religion Now what what other thing remayneth But the consummatâ—on of the world and that glorious comming of the Lord by which that wicked and damned sonne shal be abolished according to Christes woordes Hytherto that coniunction of all Planets which was a litle before the birth of Christ and in the time of Charles the great in the beginning both of the Turkes tyrannicall dominion and rhe Popes Antichristian religion which shal ensue very shortly dooth belong As if the Lorde would say Behold the chiefest signe of my comming according to my promise the preaching of the Gospell is come already you see the power of Antichrist my sworne enemie is greatly weakned now shall you see the very signes in heauen which foretold my former comming in the flesh and the comming of my aduersary by which you may gather my commyng wherby I wil vtterly abolish his vsurped gouernment and abandon him from the godly to that bottomlesse pyt of hell And therefore take you heede and be circumspect for the tyme of your deliuerance is at hand Neither can we doubt sith the Starres are of the Lord God created for signes vnto vs but that marueilous coniunction of the Planets doth foreshew a wonderfull and incredible alteration of all things
And what other change may we looke for I pray you But euen the vtter destruction of the world and the triumphant appearing of the lord For the sixe thousand yeere which is the last daye draweth to the euening course of tymes and their foretold agreement declare the end to be at hand the preaching of the Gospell shineth the Pope of Rome by the breath of the Lord perisheth and we are in Religion colde carelesse and contemne his preachers which the Lord God cannot suffer long to go vnpunished Also this fearfull inclination of the Starres the dayly talke of warres the direful ciuill contentions the cruell dissention in Religion the great plagues the miserable hunger the straunge tempestes the woonderfull risings of the Sea and other signes which many tymes haue come after the preaching of the Gospell and dayly do more increase are out of doubt the euident signes of the worldes speedy ouerthrow and hasty commyng of our Lord Iesus Christ the sonne of God to iudge the quicke and the dead ¶ Of the fifteene hundred yeares after the Apostles tyme vntyl the last iudgement THere are besides these many other sweete and verye probable coniectures of the suddaine comming of the Lord to iudgement Which containe many and profitable instructions and will be wonderful and strauÌ„ge perchaunce to many for the small consideratioÌ„ they haue of them which if they were well wayed myght bring vs into a great admiration of Gods prouidence It is well knowen to all the learned and not doubted but that all gouernments according to the Princes of Philosophie Platoes and Aristotles doctrine haue their certaine conclusions and it may be for truth that euery fiue hundred yeares there happen wonderfull alterations both in Religion and common Weales as there appeared three in Moses Kingdome For from the comming out of Egypt vnto Salomon there was about fiue hundred yeares from thence vnto the captiuitie at Babylon other fiue hundred and from the returning vnto the last subuersion fiue hundred moe which last periode doth greatly agree with those seueÌ„ weekes of Daniell because they are in number foure hundred foure score and tenne And therfore by a briefe marking of the tymes and things brought to passe we will make it euident that the last fiue hundred yeares from the Apostles tyme fully shal be expired in this Monarchie of the Pope which now threateneth a great ruine and perchance an vtter downefall about the eightie eyght and ninetie three yeere the former inclinations of the starres and other ensuing foreshewing dyrefull thinges euen vntill the sixe thousand and a hundred yeere Which Monarchie is called of Iohn in his Reuelation the image of the beast by reason of a certaine likenes it hath wyth the olde Monarchie which by a like tyrannie against the Christians and manner of gouernment by their ecclesiasticall Senate and by the secular power as they saye to the satisfying of their myndes in oppressing the Christian veritie through all the world they doo exercise So that by a great and infallible supposition it may be gathered that the noble comming of the Sonne of God is nygh at hande sith the preaching of the Gospell now goeth before by which this Monarchie hauing his aucthoritie from the Dragon at the length ruinous beginneth to stoupe but cannot vtterly be abolished according to Paules doctrine vntyll the Lord come for altogether For by histories we know Iohn the Euangelist to haue lyued longer time than any of the Apostles to haue written his Gospel at Ephesus and afterward when as none of the Apostles were no not many dayes before liuing it is well knowen that he was sent of Domitian into the Iland Pathmos where he committed his Reuelation to writing and that was about the dayes of Traian the Emperour which the hundred yeare from Christs natiuitie beyng adopted by Nerua came to the Imperiall throne from whom for causes ensuing I will begin to recite three notable chaunges and alterations both in Religion and in the Empire which differ one from another according to the true accompt of yeares but fiue hundred yeares a peece Now these hundred yeares from the birth of Christ vnto the tyme of Traian beyng expired so straunge things and myraculous both in the Church and common Weales happened as from the beginning of the worlde such and so great neyther haue neither shall come to passe except onely in the last comming of the Lorde at what tyme he shall call the dead before hys tribunall seate that so the whole vngracious worlde may be brought vnto perpetuall shame and the vertuous to euerlasting glory for first oâ—r Lord and Sauiour Christ was borne of a virgin perfect man the Messias promised to the Patriarches the sonne of one substance with his eternall father by whom God hath made of nothing al things both in heauen aboue and in earth belowe and redeemed mankynd which was fallen from sinne and wickednes for in the behalfe of vs all he hath suffred a most reprochfull death of the Crosse to that ende that death and the Diuell beyng vanquished he myght rid all beleeuers from eternall death and the intolerable yoke of Satan He hath also rysen lyke a conquerour in glory from the dead and ascended into heauen that he myght prepare a waye for vs to his almightie father whose anger by his righteousnes he had appeased and reconciled him vnto vs. Finally also at the feast of Penticost God miraculously and without meane according as it was long before promised by the Prophetes did powre out his holy spirit full of all grace and goodnes vppon his Apostles that in all Nations they myght be able to glorify God and by euery speache declare their message of glad tydings as also Mangre the diuel and his Adherentes the same notwithstaÌ„ding the outragious cruelty of Nero and Diomitian was preached published throughout all the world Lastly what wonderfull things haue happened from the byrth of Christ vnto the hundred yeere after the same at which tyme Traiane fyrst receyued the Emperiall Diâ—deme I mynde not to prosecute euery thing particulerly least by that meanes contrary to my purpose I proceede Amongst other things those woordes forespoken of Christ and the Prophets teaching the ouerthrowe and vtter destruction of the Iewes and Hierusalem take effect and also vnder Traiane the Emperour there happened a great alteration in religion For although the Empyre was of Rome yet was not the Emperour a Romane borne but a Spaniard and adopted to that dignitie of Nerua which was a Romane And therfore by these it plainely doth appeare that the Apostles beyng dead there was now a new face of the Church and that nothing so beautifull as the former and also new state of Empire presignifyed of Iohn in his Reuelation Because that Traian was the eyght from the seuenth who was Nerua which was the seuenth from Nerc the last of the stocke of Caesars from whom Iohn beginneth to number the seuen Kings which
Sonne of God hym selfe receyued a name from the Angell and was called Iesus that is a Lord and Sauiour redeeming the worlde from sinne which afterward receyued a name according to his office â–ª and was called Christ that is Annoynted annoynting vs with his holy spirit that so we might acknowledge him to be our christ Wherfore let it not seeme straunge vnto vs if those letters by the diuine prouidence of God doo containe many and great mysteries within them For the Lorde God by a certaine incomprehensible prouidence not according to mans wisedome or foreknowledge of things to come doth gogouerne the thoughtes and tongues of men that many men and Cities in which the Lord God wyll shewe eyther his singular fauour and marueilous woorkes of mercie or his anger and heauie displeasure should receyue fatall names accordingly And therefore by this reason it came to passe no doubt that king Dauid which signifyeth well beloued should receyue a proper name as also the Prophet Daniell his signifying the iudgement of the Lorde Because in him the Lord God dyd shewe foorth his singular kindnes manye wayes and in this his secrete iudgement concerning the Empyres of the world and their endes and of the two commings of Christ the first vyle in the fleshe the second victorious to iudgement So likewyse Babylon receyued a fit name but in a diuers respect not onely because that in her there was made a confusion of tongues but especially because of the confounding of manners and wickednes of Religion and Idolatry together Wherefore at the length it vtterly came to naught and there is become a meere confusioÌ„ in deed of all beastes and serpents By a contrary ende IerusaleÌ„ tooke her name because she should see the peace of God in Christ which afterward she dyd furiously dispise I haue heard moreouer of Melanthon which also in a certaine booke he dyd publish that that name Emda a towne of the Orientall Frisia and my natiue countrey hath her dâ—riuation from truth and firmenes according to the force of the Hebrew woord Est enim illa vrbs amans veritatis For sayth he that citie is a louer of the truth And howe this name agreeth to that Citie in these our dayes the Lord God hath abundantly declared in this that he hath myraculously kept vs among these so daungerous tempests constant in the true doctrine of hys Gospel against the manifolde subtilâ—ies of the Diuell God graunt we may perseuer to the end in all truth and simplicitie of hart and that this naturall falling may firmely be vpholden and stayed least otherwise it pretend an euill fortune and so we be called no longer Emdani that is constant in the truth but Valdarini â–ª that is Babilonians which thing God of his mercy turne away from vs Sibâ—l also Erithina plainely telleth of Rome that her name doth comprehend many wofull destinies and that in these verses translated out of Greeke into Latin by Castilion Porro quater decies complebis terque trecentos Annos atque octo cum te pertingere metam Tristia fata â–ª tuo completo nomine cogent Thy ende thy name fulfyld and fates shall cause then for to come Of yeares nine hundred fortie eyght When seene shal be the summe Nowe after what sort that Prophesie is fulfylled Castalion shewes in his annotations vppon the same place to which I send the Reader And that Rome els where hath a name according to her nature it is apparant by a certaine answere of Pasquil Roma quid est quod te docuit praeposterus ordo Quid docuit iungas versa elementa scies Roma amor est amor est qualis praeposterus vnde hoc Roma mares Noli dicere plura scio Hereof also in respect of her outward whoordome which is linked oftentymes with the spiritual fornication she is worthely called in holy Scripture an Harlot and Babylon Sodome and Gomorrhe secret malice and a people rebellyng against God. ¶ Of the round and square figure of the Climacterian yeares and of the Golden number IF nowe these and that which folowes be rightly considered and compared together they wyll sufficiently shewe themselues to be neither coÌ„trary to the Scriptures nor impertinent to my purpose but rather such as if they be compared with that before mentioned may well bring vs into the remembraunce of the latter dayes especially sith they doo as it were in colours liuely place before our eyes the perfect end of this world and commyng of the Lord to iudgement As also the fiuefold figure doth not only represent the Greeke letter χ. or being somewhat turned the crosse but also both the squate figure and the round For the crosse by equall distance in the plaine dooth fyll the circle and representes the round forme but the Greeke letter χ. rather betokeneth the quadrangle figure But this I speake by the way if vnto the fiuefolde figure noted by fiue vnities on either side contrary to the myddle number of fiue the foure figures comprehended in the fifth euen to the perfect number were set vnder then these nyne vnites may so by Art be disposed that euery way we may see fifteene as by the figure here vnderneath may appeare  15 15 15 15 15 2 9 4  15 7 5 3  15 6 1 8      15 So that this number of fyue in the threefold according to Arithmetike may seeeme the most perfect and by many figures as it were to represent those three alterations of tyme of which before we made mention whose end in a iust quantitie of numbers perfectly set of God hym selfe ought certainly to be looked for Neither can any doubt but that this figure contaynyng a marueilous equalitie and agreement of numbers in a very great inequalitie as it may seeme doth signifie some great mysteries as well Diuine as Philosophical the which least in these which may perchaÌ„ce seeme more darke then many of Platoes numbers I be ouer tedious to the Reader I leaue to the consideration of the studious But that we may somewhat returne to that we haue in hand although the circular and round figure be of all others in sight most fayre yet as is the whole world is it very vnstable subiect to alteration and full of troubles But the square forme is firme constant and stable and howe soeuer it be placed is alwayes one and the same And therefore dooth Aristotle compare the same to a good and honest man whom he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the which howsoeuer with Aristotle we imagine hym we shall not finde Christ onely the Rocke and true corner stone refused of the buylders and workmen of this world onely excepted but in the lyfe to come wee shall be such with Christ hym selfe And therefore dooth Iohn describe the holy Hierusalem descending from heauen to be foure square in which her perfection constancie and continuance is noted Because by no yll fortune it shal be
weakened there shal be no lamentation no sorow no death but perfect ioy great myrth and a lyfe endued with all spirituall riches and euerlasting of which the faithfull in the commyng of the Lord shal be partakers Whose most ioyful comming about those notable tymes aboue mentioned we looke for and long exceedingly for our redemption To these may be added that in the yeare .88 which is the yeare of the world 5550. such a yeere shall ensue as it is from the creation of the world by seuens as it were by degres steps we may ascend as also the yere before that 87. which is the yere .5549 to which number auncient writers haue ascribed much partly because it is a square number of which aboue it is spoken partlye also because it ariseth of seuen seuen times dubbled But experience and the assertion of the learned proues that euery seuen yeere from their byrth to their death is very daungerous contrary to noble wits and notable men of the best nature by a certaine agreement they haue with their maker For sith all that is made hath been created by the wonderfull wisedome of God and by a certaine secret power ingrafted tendes to his natural conseruation seekes that is best for his good estate it very likely appeares that famous men haue a more affinitie with theyr second byrth the most artificiall nature beyng made of God than eyther beast or beastly men and therefore that they are of God more tyed wyth nature her self to a certaine tyme But these are counted especially climacterian yeeres which by seuenfolde ascend as is the 21. yeere which dooth consist of three times seuen such be .42 and 63. yeeres counting aswell by nynes as by seuens and therefore be they iudged to be very hurtfull to notable fellowes For in that yeare of their lyfe dyed Luther Melanthon Martyr and other excellent men in all ages as also Erasmus is thought to haue left this world in the 70. yeare of his age But whether the lyke yeeres be fatall to all the worlde as they are to particular men we leaue it to the iudgement of others Yet if these things mentioned for a certaine lyke proportion of members do include any secrete reason bycause as Plinie sayth harmonia rerum naturā sibi ipsam congruere cogit the concente of things makes nature to agree to her selfe it is credible and lykely that the last ende of the world and of all mankind dooth consist of lyke proportion of numbers as dooth a part Because man is in deede a part of the world and therefore is rightly called of the Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Againe of thinges past thinges to come are gathered since the course of tyme the inclinations of the starres the circuite of fiue hundred yeares and that singuler proportion of numbers in the number of fyue of which hetherto we haue spoken come to passe about the same tyme altogether and consist of one reason All which to speake the truth were coniectures of no waight and could proue nothing did not Christ and Paule in plaine woordes signifie vnto vs that the worldes ende together wyth the glorious comming of the sonne of God to iudgement are at hand and as it were at our doores when we shall plainely perceiue the Gospell of the kingdome of Christ to be preached throughout all the world and the sonne of perdition by the spirit of Gods mouth to be so confounded that nothing shal seeme to be behind but his vtter defamation and to this purpose finally doo serue other coniectures as is aboue declared Here by reason of numbers one thing more worthy to be marked because it agrees with that aboue mentioned comes into my mynde the which was told me by an honest man skilfull in Astronomy and Geometrie and of good credit For he sayd that in the .1568 when Ericus King of Suethland which then was in armes had by force taken from the Liuonians a certayne Castle situated in the Iland Osila called Sonenborch he by good fortune was lodged with a certayne noble Astronomer with whom by reason of their studies he was very familiar Being in talke one day he brake out into these words and said O miserable and hotrible dayes which from the yeare .1570 now at hand shall ensue and continue many yeares His guest asked him how so He aunsweared Because when the number of the yeares of Christes Natiuitie dooth containe within it for certayne yeares the Golden number of euery yeare which is seldome seene then it hath of long tyme been obserued and histories doo witnes the same that infinite calamities and intolerable troubles haue chaunced But now from the 70. yeare now at hand vntill the yeare .77 there shal be among the yeares of the birth of Christ and between the golden number of euery yeare such an agreement as .1.5.7 which being ioyned togeather by addition do make .13 Now this number .13 is the Golden number of the yeare 1570. in the six other immediatly ensuing And therfore he did affirme that in that yeare the watrie Element should gouerne and should presage great ouerflowings of water But in the yeare 73. which is the middle of these seuen the Earthy Element for some notable cause should lose of his vertue by reason whereof a wonderful scarsetie of all things should ensue as afterward it came to passe Moreouer he said that in .76 yeare the aire should be corrupt and the plague should be in euery place After which should succeede three yeares the first of which .1577 dooth by the fore sayd reason comprehend in it twentie in number and if from this number .19 which is the chiefest goldē number and the golden number to the yeare going befor◠were taken away then one which is the beginning of the number and the golden number of thys yeare dooth remayne and so in the other two following and no further And therefore in the yeare .77 the firie Element shall trie his force and breede discention and warres and agayne in the yeare .78 a greeuous pestilence shall dispatch verye many And in the yeare .79 agayne shall come great scarsetie of all fruit Finally he sayd because .19 is the highest golden number it shal be found that that number from the .70 yeare when this first agreement began counting .19 shall as it were by a finger poynt vnto the .88 yeare For from the .70 yeare to the .88 so many yeares come betweene about which tyme according to the opinions almost of all Mathematicions verie dyreful and miserable things shal be come to passe Because by good experience he boldly sayd that the Lord God maker and keeper of all order did orderly by a certain number measure and aspect of the starres rule and gouern the whole Firmament of heauen And therefore because of these things which haue ben spoken we do wel ynough and sufficiently know that the kingdome of God is at hand let vs lyft vp our heades to
the Pope became the chiefe Monarch of all the worlde ruled all kyngs and obteyned all authoritie of chusing Bishoppes Also howe that third Periode of fiue hundred yeares about the yeare of our Lord one thousand and sixe hundred should be fully perfect that so without all doubt we may looke for a new Metamorphosis of these things if things to come may well be gathered of things past already And what other I beseech you can we looke for but euen that which was seene and heard of Iohn in his Reuelation from hym which sate on the Throne among the foure and twenty Elders saying Behold I make al things new a newe heauen a newe earth behold the Tabernacle of God with men and he shall dwell with them and they shal be his people and he shall be a God with them euen their God. But when those vngodly Decrees and blasphemies which the Romanes froÌ„ the fifty seuen vnto the thousand one hundred yeare in all the tyme that Henrie the fourth raigned by litle and litle brought in are considered and withall compared with our dayes we shall find all those things continually to haue had as it it were peculiarly their fiue hundred yeares a peece Wherefore in my iudgement by the tymes past and state of things present I am the more confirmed to thinke the full and perfect end of all vngodlynesse to be very nigh at hand after which shall ensue that perpetuall and euerlasting world in which the Lord God shall raigne and rule in iustice truth and mercy for euer In the tyme of Henry as out of histories we gather these Decrees of the Bishoppes were published first that the Emperours shoulde haue no aucthoritie to chuse Bishoppes nor Pope for which cause the Senate of Cardinals to whom was geuen that power was instituted and preferred to great honour then also they tooke vppon them to chuse and refuse Emperours at their pleasure as plainly appeared by Hildebrandes electing of Rodolph and displacing of Henry Moreouer vnder this Emperour that horrible Idolatrie of the woorshippyng and carrying about of the bread came into the Church Lastly in the yeare one thousand nyntie and three al the lawes of Popes were gathered set forth by one Iuon B. of Carnot And therfore no doubt but the Lord God also at his certayne tyme wyll briâ—g to nought cut of and by his commyng to iudgemeâ—t to the perpetuall shame of all papistes vtterly abolish all that impietie and wickednes which the Diuell by his ministers to the reproch of God hath caused increased and confirmed For we haue examples both in the people of the Iewes and Gentiles For when as their superstition and obstinate vngodlynes was come to the top then sprang vp the true doctrine and preaching of the Gospell by which their false doctrine was reproued yet in the meane while through the iust and horrible displeasure of God against them most greeuously were they plagued euen as also happened to the Iewes by Ierusalems destruction and also to other nations and lastly to Rome in the miserable spoyling of the Gothes and vandolles But if the tyme since the preaching of the Gospell were well marked we shâ—ll see most euident beginnings of the ruine and ouerthrow of the Pope and Papacie which perchance eyther shall go before the last end of tyme or els in that third space of fyue hundred yeeres or somwhat after by the Lords comming shall come to naught So doo I perswade my selfe thinke you what you will at your pleasure and yet take heede ye rhinke not falsly But if in other places I erre the matter is not great For it is certayn out of the word of God that this errour shall not long continue For Christ is the very truth and cannot erre But let vs note what hath happened and dayly dooth happen among Christians in this our age and playnly and euidently we shall see all things forespoken to haue and daily to come to passe about this very tyme of fiue hundred yeeres For we haue a notable example hereof in the Electors and states of the Empire which in the yeere one thousand fiue hundred fiftye and eight which was about the fiue hundred yeere after the Popes began their tyranny ouer Kings and Princes did chuse Ferdinandus the Emperor maugre the Pope and for euer disanulled that decree of the Cardinals for the confirmation of his election How I beesech you hath Lotharinge a Guisian Caâ—dinall in Fraunce and Granuellus another Cardinal in Belgia for al their Cardinalshippes preuayled in their laboring to confirme the Popes authoritie and to bring in the Spanishe Inquisition haue not the Frenchmen and Belgians by that meane rather rebelled agaynst them cast froÌ„ their shoulders that intollerable yoke of the Popes bondage By which no doubt it is euident that that space of fiue hundred yeeres in which the Cardinals bare the swaye is now passing and will shortly be expired euen as the other peeuish and idolatrous doctrine of the Papistes is well and to their perpetuall prayse banished out of the Dominions of manye good Kings and Princes And now ye Princes deale wisely and with iudgement consider how that Antichrist of Rome hath most shamefully abused your authoritie to the suppressing of the truth and persecuting of innocentes Beare in minde how long you haue been Ministers and slaues to that blooddie beast in crucifying Christ agayne in his members Be learned ye Iudges of the earth be sorye for these things Serue the Lord in feare and reioyce with trembling For the horrible day of the Lord hangs vppon your shoulders Therefore kisse the Sonne least he be angry and so ye perish when his fury shalbè but a little kindled Blessed are all they which trust in the Lord. Now if in that spoken already and other particular lawes the number of fiue hundred yeeres be so rightly filled what shall we iudge of the whole body of all the Popes decrees which afterwarde by Iuon Byshoppe of Carnot after whom Gratian followed in the yeere of the Lord one thousand nintie and three at the commaundement of the Pope was truly collected into one booke as it were by imitating Iustinian the Emperour which by the ayde of Tribonianus and other noble men gathered the Ciuill lawe into an order and made thereof a newe booke But how with absurdities in number infinite blasphemies not to be vttered those decrees of the Pope doo filthily deface the woord of God none of a ryght iudgement is ignorant And yet alas these haue had more aucthoritie now many yeares than the very immutable worde and will of god Which things although they doo agree very well together yet for the sakes of the ignorant we will proue the same both by a Canon of holy Scripture and the Popes decrees manifestly contrarie between themselues Paule sayth to Timothie Spiritus disertè dicit fore c. That is The Spirit saith plainly that in the latter tymes