shall ye stablishe your selues a sure quiete in your blisse And that your nature leade ye not to the worse for lacke of knowledge of the bettre I haue bothe made vnto you Lawes as I learned thē at the mouthe of the lorde also an ordre of publique discipline Acordyng to the ordenaunces whereof if ye shall directe your liues ye shal be iudged of all people the moste happie Hauyng spoken these thynges he deliuered vnto thē the lawes and the ordre of their cōmune wealth writtē in a boke But thei vniuersally wepte and greatly lamented the departure of their capitein that so fast approched Remēbring what daungters and carcke he had suffred for their sauftie muche distrustyng what should aftrewarde come of theim As the people that neuer was like to haue suche a gouernour again And muche fearyng least God would withdrawe his tendrenes towarde theim when there lacked a Moses to entreate And thei bewailed with greate repentaunce the thynges whiche in their angre thei had done vnto hym in the deserte So that the teares of the people their dole and sobbyng complaintes ware greater then could be recomforted with wordes Although Moses did what in hym laie to perswade thē that there was no cause why thei should bewaile hym But rather remembre to put in vse the ordre of the cōmune welth that he had giuen theim And so he dissolued the assemblie These woores be spokē a the person Iosephus Now then afire what tyme I shall haue shewed ye thordre of the communewealth miete for the worthines and vertue of Moses and shall haue described the same that it maie appere vnto al men beyng willyng to reade what our state hath bene in times paste I will procede to the declaracion of the other thynges With suche faithe that I neither wille penne any thyng other wise then he lefte it ne adde either for settyng out of the matier or other wise any title of myne owne Sauyng onely those that he lefte written by piecemeale as he receiued thē at the mouthe of God we haue framed toguether into one ordenarie treatise Wherof I thought good to giue warnīg least some of our bloude happenyng vpō these might by occasion saie that we had swarued from the truthe The lawes then perteinyng to the instituciō of our citie are suche as followe But suche as he lefte vs cōmune among our selues those haue I deferred vntill I putte furthe my booke A booke of Iosephus so named De moribus causis whiche I haue purposed God willyng to go in hande with next aftre this Moses speaketh againe * What time then ye shall haue achieued the land of Chanaan and as menne that haue founde laisure to vse their goodes shal determine from thencefurthe to builde cities if ye shall accomplishe these thinges ye shall bothe haue bone a thing acceptable vnto God and shall winne to your selues a grounded wealthe See that there be one holie citie in the mooste goodlie place of all the lande of Chanaan See that ther be but one churche in it and one altare of stones neither squared nor karued ne yet framed by Masonrie but hande somely heaped together as thei be gathered And lette the same be so plastered ouer that it maie appere to the sighte a plaine and comely Altare But se there be none ascence ther vnto by staiers but onely a faire vp goyng by a slope bancque of Turfes In any other of your cities se there neither be Churche ne Altare For God is but one and the people of the Hebrues but one Whosoeuer shal haue spokē * villanie against God Blasphen let hym be stoned and hanged fro morowe till nighte and vilely be bewried withoute anye solempnitie Thrise a yere the people shal assēble into the citie where the churche is fro farre and niere through the whole lande that the Nebrues shal possesse Bothe to rendre thanckes to GOD for that he shall haue sent them to make supplicaciō for thinges that are to come And further to th ende that with often hauntynge one with another and festing together there maie be a friendship engēdred emongest theim For truely it is miete that menne of one nacion and bloude and coupled in one trade of lawes should be acqueinted one with another as by suche fellowshippeit shal come to passe and that thei should cause a remembraūce to remaine one of another emōgest them with suche repaire and cōpanieng together Without the whiche ye shall seme one to a nother moste straunge Ye shall also reserue aparte a tenthe of all the fruictes of the earthe beside the tenthe appoincted to be giuen to the priestes and Leuites The whiche ye shall selle eche man at home in his countrie But the profecte comyng thereof shal be spent vpō the feastes and sacrifices to be made in the holy citie For so is it mete that men take parte of the fruictes comming of the londe whiche the Lorde shall giue them to the honour of the giuer The price that commeth of the commune har lot shalt thou not conuerte vnto the vse of Sacrifice For God delighteth not in the fruites of any kinde of iniquitie and nothing is more abhominable then such lewdenes of the body Likewyse yf anye manne require eyther thy dogge for the folde or for the chace to lime his bitche the price comming therof shalte thou not conuerte to the sacrifice of the Lord. No man shall rayle against those that other cities holde for their goddes Neither shall ye spoyle or robbe churche or chapell of any foreine Idolle ne take away any gifte consecrate to them See that none of you be apparelled with a garmente * of linnen and wollen meinte Linsy wolsy for that apperteineth onely to the priestes And when the multitude shal be assēbled into the holy citie to celebrate the seuēth yeres sacrifices at suche time as the feast of the Bowthes draweth nighe lette the bysshoppe standing in some place alofte made for the purpose fro whence he may wel be harde recite the lawes vnto them all Withholdinge neither woman ne childe no not the bondeman from hearing of them For it behoueth them to haue them writen in their hartes mindes that thei may be kepte neuer to perisshe For by that meanes shall it come to passe that thei shall not offende when thei shal haue none ignoraunce to excuse them in the ordinaunces and lawes and the lawes shal haue the greater authoritie vppon the offendours in that thei haue warned them afore of the penaltie and by hearing haue grauen in their mindes what thinges thei commaunde That thei maye haue the effecte of their meaninge euen dwelling within them The whiche neclegted thei shal offende and be the cause of their owne euilles Yea and let the very children learne the lawes fro their youthe as being a most good lye discipline and the cause of blessed wealthe Twise a daye also bothe in the morning and at the houre of
partely for the vse and commoditie of their priuate life For thei neither thincke it mete that any parte of the honour of the Goddes shouâ—d bee omitted or that thei whiche are Ministres of the commune counsaill and profecte should be destitute of necessary commodities of the life For these menne are alwate in matters of weighte called vpon by the nobles for their wisedome and counsaille And to shewe as thei can by their coÌ„nyng in the Planettes and Starres and by the maner of their Sacrifices the happe of thinges to come Thei also declare vnto theÌ„ the stortes of men of olde tyme regested in their holy Scripture to the ende that accordyng to theÌ„ the kynges maie learne what shall profighte or disprofighte For the maner is not emong them as it is emong the Grecians that one manne or one woman should attende vpon the sacrifices and Ceremonies alone but thei are many at ones aboute the honour of their Goddes and teache the same ordre to their children This sorte of menne is priuilged and exempte from all maner of charges and hath next vnto the kyng the second place of dignitie and honour The second porcion cometh to the king to mainte in his owne state and the charges of the warres and to shewe liberalitie to men of prowesse according to their worthinesse So that the Communes are neither burdoned with taxes nor tributes The thirde parte do the pencionaries of the warres receiue and suche other as vpoÌ„ occasions are moustered to the warres â–ª that vpon the regard of the stipende thei maie haue the better good wille and courage to hasarde their bodies in battaile Their communaltie is deuided into thre sortes of people Husbande men Brieders of cattle and men of occupariâ— The Husbandmen buyeng for a litle money a piece of grounde of the Priestes the king or the warriour al daies of their life euen from their childhode continually applie that care Whereby it cometh to passe that bothe for the skoolyng that their haue therin at their fathers handes and the continuall practisyng fro their youthe that thei passe all other in Husbandrie The Brieders aftre like maner learnyng the trade of their fathers occupie their whole life therabout We see also that all maner of Sciences haue bene muche bettred yea brought to the toppe of perfection emong the Egiptians For the craftes men there not medlyng with any commune matiers that mighte hindre theim emploie theim selues onely to suche sciences as the lawe doeth permit them or their father hath taught theÌ„ So that thei neither disdaine to be taughte nor the hatred of eche other ne any thing elles withdraweth them froÌ„ their crafte Their Iudgementes and Sentences of lawe are not giuen there at adueÌ„ture but vpon reason for thei surely thought that all thinges well done muste niedes be profitable to mannes life To punishe the offendours and to helpe the oppressed thoughte thei the best waie to auoide mischiefes But to buye of the punishemente for money or fauour that thought thei to be the very confusion of the commune welfare Wherefore thei chase out of the chief cities as Heliopole Memphis and Thebes the worthiest men to be as Lordes chief Iustice or Presidentes of IudgemeÌ„tes so that their Iustice henche did sieme to giue place neither to the Areopagites of the Athenienses ne yet to the Senate of the Lacedemonians that many a daie after theim ware instituted Aftre what tyme these chief Iustices ware assembled thirtie in noÌ„bre thei chase out one that was Chauncellour of the whole and when he failed the citie appoincted another in his place All these had their liuynges of the kyng but the Chauncellour more honorably then the rest He bare alwaie about his necke a tablette hangyng on a chaine of golde and sette full of sundrie precious stones whiche thei called Veritie and Truthe â–ª The courte beyng set and begunne and the tablet of Truthe by the Chauncellour laied furthe theight bookes of their lawes for so many had thei brought furth into the middes emong them it was the maner for the plaintife to putte into writyng the whole circumstance of his case and the maner of the wrong doone vnto him or how muche he estemed himself to be endamaged thereby And a time was giuen to the defendant to write answere again to euery poinct and either to deny that he did it or elles to alledge that he rightfully did it or elles to abate the estimate of the damage or wroÌ„g Then had thei another daie appointed to saie finally for theÌ„ selues At the whiche daie wheÌ„ the parties on bothe sides ware herd and the fudges had conferred their opinions the ChauÌ„cellour of the Iudges gaue sentence by pointyng with the tablet of Veritie toward the parte the semed to be true This was the maner of their iudgemeÌ„tes And for asmuche as we are fallen into mention of their iudgementes it shall not be vnsyttyng with myne enterprise to write also the aunciente Lawes of the Egiptians that it maie be knowen how muche they passe bothe in ordre of thynges and profite Fyrst to be periured was headyng for they thought it a double offence One in regarde of coÌ„scieÌ„ce not kept toward god and another in gyuynge occasion to destroy credite among men whiche is the chiefest bonde of their felowship If any wayfaryng man shuld espy a man sette vppon with thieues or otherwyse to be wronged and dyd not to his power succour ayde hym he was gyltie of death If he ware not able to succour and to reskewe hym then was he bounde to vtter the thieues and to prosecute the matter to enditement And he that so dyd not was punyshed with a certayne nombre of stripes and was kept thre days without meate He that shuld accuse any maÌ„ wrongfully if he fortuned afterward to be broughte into iudgement he suffered the punishement ordeyned for false accusers All the Egyptians ware compelled to brynge euery man their names to the chiefe Iustices and the facultie or science wherby they liued In the which behalfe if any man lyed or lyued with vnlaufull meanes he felle into penaltie of death If any man willyngly had slaine any man free or bond the lawes condemned hym to die not regardynge the state of the man but the malicious pourpose of the diede Wherby they made men afrayd to doe mischief and death beynge erecuted for the death of a bondman the free myght goe in more sauftie For the fathers that slewe their chyldren there was no punyshement of death appoynted but an iniunction that they shoulde stande thre daies and thre nyghtes togither at the graue of the deade accompanied with a common warde of the people to see the thyng done Neyther dyd it sieme them iuste that he that gaue life to the childe should lose his life for the childes death but rather be put to continual sorowe and to be pyned with the repentance of the diede that other myght therby be withdrawen from the like wyckednes But
christians aftre the fourme of the Greke Churche Thei ware neighbours to the Persians Their dominiōs stretched out a great length from Palestine in Iewrie to the mounteignes called Caspij Thei had eightene Bishopries and one Catholicque that is to saie one generall bishoppe whiche was to them as our Metropolitane to vs. At the firste thei ware subiecte to the Patriarche of Antioche ▪ Menne of greate courage and hardinesse Thei all shaued their crounes the Laietie square the Clercques rounde Their women certeine of theim had the ordre of Knighthode and ware trained to the warres The Georgianes when thei ware sette ordered and raunged in the fielde and ware at poinct to ioyne the batteill vsed to drincke of a gourdfull of strong wine aboute the bigguenes of a mannes fiste And to sette vpon their ennemies muche amended in courage Their Clercques whiche we calle the Spiritualtie mighte vse bothe Simonie and vsurie at their wille There was continuall hatred betwixte Tharmenians and them For the Armenians ware also christians before the Tartarres had subdued the Georgianes and thē But thei differed in many thinges from the belief and facions of the true Churche Thei knewe no Christemas daie no vigilles nor the fowre quartre fastes whiche we call Embryng daies Thei fasted not on Easter euē because saie thei that Christ rose that daie aboute euen tide Vpon euery Saturdaie betwixte Easter and Whitsontide thei did eate flesshe Thei ware greate fasters and beganne their Lēte thre wekes afore vs and so streightly fasted it that vpon the Wedensdaie and Fridaie thei neither eate any kinde of fisshe ne aughte wherin was wine or oile Belieuing that he that drancke wine on these twoo daies synned more then if he had bene at the stewes with a whore On the Monedaie thei absteined from all maner of meate On Tewsdaie and Thursdaie thei did eate but one meale Wedensdaie and Fridaie nothyng at al. Saturdaie and Sondaie thei eate fleshe and made lustie chiere Throughe their whole Lente no manne said Masse but on Saturdaies and Sondaies Nor yet on the Fridaies throughout the whole yere for thei thought then that thei brake their fast Thei admitted to the houseale aswell children of two monethes olde as all other indifferently When thei went to Masse thei vsed to put no watre in the wine Thei absteined from Hares fleshe Beaws fleshe Crowes and suche other as the Grekes did and Iewes do Their Chalices ware of Glasse and of Tree Some said Masse without either albe or vestement or any maner suche ornamēt Some onely with thornamētes of Deacon or Subdeacon Thei ware all busie vsurers and Simonites bothe spirituall and Tēporall as the Georgianes ware Their priestes studied Sothesaieng and Nigromancie Their Spiritualtie vsed Iunckettyng oftener then the Laietie Thei maried but aftre the death of the wife it was not lawefull for the housebande to marie againe nor for the wife aftre the death of the housebande If the wife ware a whore the Bisshoppe gaue hym leaue to put her awaie and marie another As for the fire of Purgatorie thei knewe nothing of it Thei denied also verie stifly that there ware two natures in Christe The Georgianes saied that thei swarued from the truthe of Christes Religion in thirtie poinctes or articles ¶ The .xi. Chapitre ¶ Of Turcquie and of the maners ▪ Lawes and Ordenaunces of the Turcques THE lande whiche now is called Turcquie hath on Theaste Armenia the more ronneth endelong to the Sea of the Cilicians hauyng on the Northe the Sea named Euxinus There are in it many coūtries conteined As Lichaonia whose heade citie is Iconium Cappadocia with her heade citie named Cesarea Isauria whiche hath for the chief citie Seleucia Licia whiche now is called Briquia Ionia now called Quisquoun in the whiche standeth Ephesus Paphlagonia and in it Germanopolis And Leuech that hath for the heade Citie Trapezus All this countrie that now is called Turcquie is not enhabited by one seuerall nacion but there be in it Turcques Grekes Armenians Saracenes Iacobites Nestorians Iewes and christians Whiche liue for the moste parte acording to the Tradicions and Ordenaunces that Mahomet the countrefeict Prophete gaue vnto the Saracenes a people of Arabie the yere of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christe .vi. hundred and .xxix. A manne whome I can not telle whether I maye calle an Arabiane or a Persiā For ther be aucthorities of writers on either behaulfe His father was an idolastre after the maner of the heathen His mother an Ismalite leaning to the lawe of the Iewes And whilest in his childehode his mother taught him aftre one sorte his father aftre another thei printed in hym suche a doubtfull belief that when he came to age he cleaued to neither But as a manne of subtyle and guilefull witte aftre what time he had bene longe conuersaunte amongest menne of the Christian religion he draue a drifte deuised out of both lawes the olde and the newe how he mighte notably enfecte the worlde He said the Iewes did wickedly to denie Christe to be borne of the virgine Mary seinge the prophetes mē of great holinesse enspired with the holy ghost had foreshewed the same warned mē of many yeres passed to looke for him Contrariwyse he said to the Christians thei ware very fonde to beleue that Iesus so dierly beloued of God and borne of a virgine would suffre those vilanies and tormentes of the Iewes Martinus Segonius nouomōtanus in his booke of the Sepulchre of Christe our king writeth that the Turkes and Saracenes by an auncient opinion receiued from Machomet do laughe Christian menne to skorne that seke thether with so greate reuerence Sayeng that Christ the prophet of all prophetes endewed with the spirite of God and voyde of all earthly corruption had ther no sepulchre in very diede for that he being a spirituall body cōceiued by the breathe of the holy ghost coulde not suffre but should come againe to be iudge of the Gentiles This saieth Segonius and many other thinges sounding to like effecte whiche the Mahometeines are wōte to throwe out against the christians bothe foolisshely and wickedly When this countrefeicte prophet had saused his secte with these wicked opinions he gaue them his lawe and sorte of religion Against the whiche lesse any man of righte iudgemente should aftrewarde write or dispute as against a pestilent and filthie perswasion he wrote a lawe in his Alcorane that it shoulde be deathe to as many as should reason or dispute vppon it Wherby he euidentlie declared that ther was nothing godly or goodly therin For why should he elles haue so raked it vp in the asshes and for bidden it to be examined so that the people coulde neuer come to knowledge what maner of thinge it is that thei beleue in In the giuing of his lawe he vsed muche the counselle helpe of the mōche Sergius of the wicked secte of the Nestorianes And to the ende it might please the more vniuersally he
without sedicion shall aduaunce and enhaunce it Let the time neuer be sene that shall altre any one of these and chaunge theim into contrarie But forasmuche as there â—s no remedie but that menne shall falle into busines and troubles either willinglie or vnwillinglie Lette vs also deuise some what in that be haulfe that through foresighte of thinges miete to be done ye maie haue wholesome remedies when nede is and not be driuen to sieke remedie at vnsette steuin when the daungier lieth in your lappes But that ye maie possesse and enioie the lande that GOD hath giueÌ„ ye banishyng sluggardise and kieping your mindes in continuall exercise to the practise of vertue and manhod euen wheÌ„ ye haue gotten it that ye maie liue there without thencursions of strauÌ„gers and without any ciuile discencion to vere ye or trouble ye Throughe the whiche tiuâ—le discorde if ye shall falle to doyng thinges contrarie to your forefathers and lette stippe their ordenaunces and rules or shall not continue in the lawes whiche the Lorde veliuereth vnto you moste assur edly good for what so euer affaires of warre ye shal haue either now in your time or your children aftre you the Lorde shall throwe the breakers of the same cleane out of his fauour and protection When ye are in minde to warre vpon any people and to shewe your force vpon them sende firste your Heralde vnto theÌ„ though thei be neuer so muche bent to be your enemies For before ye lift vp weapon against theim it behoueth ye to vse communicacion with theim declaryng that although ye haue an armie of great power and horses harneis and weapoÌ„s and that whiche farre passeth all these God your fauourer helper yet by your good willes ye woulde haue no warre with theÌ„ Neither that it ware any pleasure to you to enriche your selues with the spoile of their substance but rather a thing that ye hate if it maie otherwise be If thei shall leane vnto you then it becometh ye to kiepe peace Thincking with your selues that thei are your bettres in streÌ„gth But if thei wille endamage you then leade ye your armie against theim vsyng God for your heade capiteine and gouernour but for your chiefteine vndre him make ye some one of passyng wisedome and courage For where there are many gouernours beside the hinderauÌ„ce that it causeth when a mannes necessitie moueth him to vse spiede it is wonte also not to be verie prosperous to theim that vse it Lette your armie bee piked of the strongest and hardiest of courage â—leaste tournynge their backes when it cometh to stripes thei profite more your ennemies then you Thei that late haue builded and not yet taken one yeres commoditie of thesame and thei that haue planted either vineyarde or horteyard and not recemed as yet any fruictes therof lette theim bee suffred at home Like wise those that are trouthplite towarde mariage or suche as are newly maried least vpon longing aftre their desires thei be to rendre ouer their liues And sparing theim selues to enioie their pleasure shrincke backe for the nones and abasse the courage vppon regard of their wiues And when ye shal be assembled into campe lette it be foresene that nothing bee done out of course to muche against curtesie And when ye shall besiege any fortresse or toune of defence and lacke Timbre for the making of your engines and deuises pille ye not the countrie cutting doune the trees aboute the citie or fortresse what so euer it be but sparingly vse theÌ„ RemeÌ„bring that the earthe bringeth theim furthe for the commoditie of manne and that thei would laie to your charge if thei coulde speake that vndeseruedly ye hurte them As no whitte occasion of the warre and those that gladly would haue giueÌ„ place and passed into some other quartre if it had bene possible for them WheÌ„ ye shall haue ouercomen theim in the fielde flea ye as many as stande in the battaile against ye The residue reserue ye to paie tribute vnto ye the Cananites excepted for those it behoueth ye to destroie euery mothers sonne And haue ye a specialle regarde in the skirmishe or battaile that no woman either vse the appareille of menne or any manne the appareille of women Suche then was the ordre of the commune wealthe that Moses left Beside these he deliuered them lawes in writing fouretie yeres afore of the whiche we will treate in another booke Aftre this in the daies folowynge for he euery daie continually preached vnto theim he deliuered them praiers of blessinge and banning the one for the fulfillers the other for the trangressours of the lawe TheÌ„recited he vnto theÌ„ the verses that he lefte in the byble consistnge eche one of .xii. measures the piece and conteining the forewarning of thinges to come acording to the whiche all thinges haue happened and happeÌ„ at this present So to the poincte that it can not be said that he missed the truthe in any thing These bookes deliuered he vnto the priestes and the Arcke In the which he left the ten articles of the lawe whiche we commenly calle the .x. coÌ„maundementes written in two tables and the Tabernacle also And he gaue a lesson to the people that when thei had conquered the lande and ware satled in the same they should not forgette the iniury of the Amalechites but that thei should make a voyage against them and take reuenge vpon them for the damage and displeasure thei did them when thei ware in the deserte And that when thei should enioye the contrie of Cananie and should haue destroyed the whole multitude of it as it behoued and was miete for them thei should buylde vp an altare looking towarde the Easte in some place not farre from the citie of the Sichemites betwene the two mounteines Garised on the right hande and Gibalo on the left haÌ„de And that thei should place their whole multitude vppon those two mounteines beinge deuided into two equalle partes That is to say on eche hille vi tribes with the leuites and priestes and all And that thei first that ware in the mounte Garisin should wysshe all felicitie and blessednes vnto those that ware deuoute in the religion of GOD and the keping of the lawes threwe not at their hieles those thinges that Moyses had taughte them And that then the other in Gibalo aftre what time thei had luckely giuen their good consent vnto theÌ„ should also wishe like prosperitie and like blessednes to the like doers answerably to the former Wherunto the firste should againe giue like lucky consente with praisinge them That done he willed them in like sorte to do with the cursinges answering one another for the establisshing of the lawes that should be giuen them And that the maner and discipline of this blessinge and cursing mighte neuer falle oure of vse he wrate them out the order of bothe with the praiers and curses therto appertinente The whiche also when he died he wrate vppon
the people that onely of all other may chalenge the honour of auncientie This is the people alone that mighte haue glorified in the wisedome and vnmedled puritie of Language as beinge of all other the firste This is the people that was mother of lettres and sciences Amonge these remained the knowledge of the onely and euerliuinge God and the certeintie of the religion that was pleasaunte in his eies Among these was the knowledge and foreknowledge of al sauinge that Helas they knewe not the visitour of their wealthe and the ende of their wo Iesus the sauioure of all that woulde knowe him and sieke life in his deathe But him whome thei knew not when by reason thei should him shal thei yet ones knowe in time when the father woulde The Israelites the Hebrues or the Iewes for all in effecte soundeth one people liue aftre the rule of the lawes whiche Moses their worthy duke and deuine chiefteine declared vnto theim Withoute the whiche also or anye other written thei liued holily hundred of yeares before atteininge to the truthes hidden from other by a singuler gifte aboue other That Philosophre of Philosophers and deuine of deuines Moses the merueilous waienge in his insight that no multitude assembled coulde be gouerned to continuaunce without ordres of equitie and lawes when with rewardes to the good and reuenge vpon the euill he had sufficiently exhorted and trained his people to the desire of vertue and the hate of the contrarie at the last beside the two tables receiued in the mounte Sinah added ordres of discipline and ciuile gouernaunce full of all goodlines and equitie Whiche Iosephus the Iewe a manne of greate knowledge and eloquence aswel in the Hebrewe his natural toÌ„gue as in the Grieke amonge whome he liuen in notable fame not a fewe yeres hath gathered and framed into one seuerall treatise Out of the which because I rather fansie if I maye with like commoditie to folowe the founteines of the first Authours then the brokes of abredgers which often bring with them much puddle I haue here translated and annexed to the ende of this booke those ordres of the Iewes commune welthe seÌ„ding the for the reste to the Bible And yet notwithstanding loke what I fouÌ„de in this Abredger neither mencioned in the bible nor in that treatise the same thus ordrely foloweth The heathen writers and the Christianes do muche diffre concerninge the Iewes and Moyses their chiefteine For Cornelius the stylle in his firste booke of his yerely exploiâ—tes called in Latine Annales dothe not ascribe their departure oute of Egipte to the power and coÌ„mauÌ„dement of God but vnto necessitie coÌ„strainte with these wordes A great skuruines and an ytche saieth he beinge risen throughe oute Egipte Borchoris the king sekinge remedye in the Temple of Iupiter Haminon was willed by responcion to clense his kingdome And to sende awaye that kinde of people whom the goddes hated he meaneth the Iewes into some other coÌ„trey The whiche when he had done and they as the poompe of al skuruines not knowing wher to become laye cowring vndre hedges and busshes in places desert and many of them dropped away for sorowe and disease Moyses whiche also was one of the outecastes saieth he counseiled them not to sitte ther awaytinge aftre the helpe of God or of man whiche thei ware not like to haue but to folowe him as their capteine and lodesman and committe them selues vnto his gouernaunce And that hervnto thei all agreinge at wilde aduentures with oute knowing what thei did tooke their iorney In the which thei ware sore troubled and harde bestadde for lacke of water In this distresse wheÌ„ their ware now ready to lye them downe die for thirst Moyses espienge a great heard of wilde Chamelles comming fro their fiedinge and going into woddie place ther beside folowed them And iudginge the place not to be without watre for that he sawe it fresshe and grene digged and founde plenty of watre Wherwith when thei had releued theÌ„ selues thei passed on of daies iourney and so exployted that the seuenth daye thei had bearen our all the enhabitauntes of the contry where thei builte their Citie their temple Moyses then to the entent he might satle the peoples hartes towarde him for euer deuised them newe ordres and ceremonies cleane contrary to all other nacions For saieth Cornelius Looke what so euer is holy amonge vs the same is amonge them the contrary And what so euer to vs is vnlawfulle that same is compted lawefull amonge theim The ymage of the beaste that shewed them the waye to the waters and the ende of their wanderinge did thei set vp in their chambres and offre vnto it a rambe in the despight of Iupiter HammoÌ„ whom we worship in the fourme of a Rambe And because the Egiptians worshippe their goddesse Apis in the fourme of a cowe therfore thei vse to slea also in sacrifice a cowe Swines flesshe thei eate none for that thei holde opinion that this kynde of beaste of it selfe beinge disposed to be skoruie mighte be occasion againe to enfette them of newe The seuenth daye thei make holy day That is to say spende awaie in ydlenes and rest for that on the seuenth daye they founde reste of theyr wandering and misery And when they had caughte a sauour in this holye daye loytering it came to passe in processe of tyme that thei made a longe holydaye also of the whole seuenthyere But other holde opinion that thei do obserue suche maner of holye daies in the honour of Saturne the god of fasting and famine with whose whippe thei are lothe againe to be punisshed Their breade is vnleauened These ceremonies and deuises by what meanes so euer they ware brought in amonge them thei do stiffely defende As thei are naturally giuen to be stiffe in beliefe and depe in loue with their owne althoughe towarde al other thei be most hatefull enemies So that thei neither will eate ne drincke with them no nor lye in the chambre that a straunger of a nother nacion lyeth in A people altogether giuen vnto leachery and yet absteining from the enbrasinges of the straunger Emonge them selues thei iudge nothinge vnlawfull Thei deuised to rouÌ„de of the foreskinne of their yarde whiche we call circumcision because thei would haue a notable knowledge betwene theÌ„ and other nacions And the firste lesson thei teache vnto their children is to despise the goddes The soules of those the die in tormentes or in warre thei iudge to be immortall A continuall feare haue thei a regard of heauen and helle And wherâ— the Egiptians honour many similitudes and Images of beastes and other creatures whiche thei make them selues the Iewes onely doe honour with their spirite and minde and conceiue in their vndrestandyng but one onely Godheade Iudging all other that worshippe the Images of creatures or of manne to bee vngodlie and wicked These and many other thinges doth Cornelius write and Trogus also in his xxxvi
booke There ware amonge the Iewes thre seueralle sectes differyng in life from the reast of the people The Phariseâ—s the Sadduceis and the Esse is The Phariseis vsed a certeine rough solempnesse of appareille and a very skante fare determinyng the Tradicions of Moyses by certein ordâ—naunces and decrees whiche thei them selues sette vp Thei caried vppon their foreheades and on their lefte armes pretie billettes of Paper facioned for the place wherein ware written the tenne preceptes of the two Tables And this did thei for that the lorde saieth And these shall thou haue meanyng the commaundementes as a remembraunce haÌ„ging before thine eyes and alwaie ready at thine hande These ware called their Philacteries of these two woordes Phylexi and Thorat wherof the former signifieth to Kiepe and the other the Lawe These menne also hauyng vppon their skirtes muche broder gardes then other stacke them full of Thornes whiche beatyng and prickyng them on the hieles as thei wente might putte them in remembraunce of the coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes of God Thei attributed all thynges vnto God and destenie whiche thei call Emarmeni Neuertheles thei graunted that it laie muche in the free choise of manne either to doe or not to doe the thinges that are iust and godlie but yet destenie to helpe in al cases Whiche destenie thei thought to depende of the influence of the bodies aboue Looke what their superiours and Elders had saied or answered to any demaunde thei neuer woulde contrarie it Thei belieued that GOD should come to Iudge the worlde and that all soules ware euerlastyng And as for the soules of the good thei helde opinion that thei passed from one bodie to another vntill the daie of the generall resurrection But the soules of the wicked to be plonged in to euerlasting prison doÌ„ geoÌ„ The name of Pharisei was giueÌ„ vnto them for that thei ware disguised fro the coÌ„mune maner of other as ye would saie Sequestred The Saddeiects denied that there was any destenie but that God was the beholder of all and that it laie in the choise of manne to doe well or euill And as for ioye or sorowe that the soule should suffre aftre this life thei denied Neither belieued thei any resurrection because thei thoughte the soule died with the bodie Thei would not belieue that there ware any spirites good or bad Neither would thei receiue more of the Bible then the fiue bookes of Moses Thei ware sterne men and vncompaignable not so muche as ones kepyng felowshippe one with another For the whiche sternesse thei named theim selues Sadduceis that is to saie â—uste menne The Esse is ware in all poinctes verie like vnto our cloisterers abhorryng mariage and the companie of women Not for that thei condempned Mariage or the procreacion of issue but for that thei iudged a manne ought to be ware of the intemperauncie of women And that no woman kept her self true to her husbaÌ„de Oh shameful opinion and muche better to be reported by the dead then to be credited of the quicke bee it neuer so true Thei possesed all thinges in commune As for checkes or reuilinges was to theÌ„ muske and Honie and slouenly vndaftinesse a greate comelinesse So that thei ware alwaie in a white surcote all was well Thei had no certein abiding in any one citie but Celles ouer all where so euer thei became Before the risyng of the Sonne thei spake nothyng that touched any worldly affaire but prated the sonne to rise Aftre whose vprijste thei laboured vntill eleuen of the clocke And then washyng firste their whole bodie in water thei satte doune together to meate in solempne silence euery manne Swearing thei compted for swearyng Thei admitted no manne to their secte vndre a yere of probacion And aftre what time thei had receiued him yet had thei two yeres more to proue his maners and condicions Suche as thei tooke with a faulte thei draue fro their coÌ„paignie Enioyned by the waie of penaunce to go a grasing like a beast vntill his dieng daie When tenne ware sette in a companie together no one of them spake without the conseÌ„te of the other nyne Thei would not spitte within the precincte of the compaignie emong theim ne yeat on their righte side Thei kept the Sabboth with suche a precisenesse that thei would not that daie ease nature of the belie burden And wheÌ„ vpon other daies nature forced theim to that easemente thei caried with theim a litle spade of woodde wherwith in place moste secreate thei vsed to digge a litle pit to laie their bealie in And in the time of doyng thei also vsed a very greate circumspection that their clothes laie close to the grounde rounde aboute theim for offendyng saied thei of the Maiestie of God Vpon whiche respecte thei also conered and bewrted it assone as thei had bone that nature required Thei ware of verie long life by the reason of the vnifourme diete that thei vsed alwaie aftre one rate of fare whiche was onely the fruicte of their countrie Palme Thei occupied no money If any manne suffered for wel doyng or as wroÌ„gfully condempned that thoughte thei the beste kinde of death Thei helde opinion that all soules ware made in the beginnyng and put in to bodies from tyme to tyme as bodies did niede theim And for the good soules beyng ridde of their bodies againe thei saied there was a place appoincted beyond the weast Occean where thei take repose But for the euill thei appoincted places toward the East as more stormie colde vnpleasante Ther ware amoÌ„ge them that prophecied thinges Some of them gaue themselues to wedlocke least if thei should be of the oppinion that men oughte to absteine vttrely from women mankinde should fade and in processe be extincte â–ª yeat vsed thei the compaignie of their wiues nothing at rioce The lande of Siria whereof we haue named Iewrie a parte is at this daie enhabited of the Grekes called Griphones of the Iacobites Nestorians Sarracenes and of two christian nacions the Sirians and Marouines The SiriaÌ„s vse to saie Masse aftre the maner of the Grekes and for a space ware subiecte to the churche of Rome The Marouines agre in opinion with the Iacobites Their lettres and congue are al one with the Arabique These christianes dwelle at the Mounte Libanus The Sarracenes whiche dwelle aboute IerusaleÌ„ a people valeauÌ„t in warre delighte muche in housbandrie and tilthe But contrary wise thei that enhabite Siria in that poincte are nothing worth The Marouines are feawe in nombre but of all other thei are the hardieste ¶ The. v. Chapitre ¶ Of Media and the maners of the Medes MEdia a countrie of Asia as Solinus writeth toke the name of one Medus the sonne of Medea Egeus kyng of Athenes Of whoÌ„ the people ware also called Medes But Iosephus affirmeth that it was so named of Medius the soÌ„ne of Iapheth This countrie as it is sene in Ptolomie hath on the Northe the sea named Hircanum on the West