Christ or no. And being asked the question denied playnly that he was not Christ nor Helias neyther that Prophet whome they dreamed so much vppon but onely the voyce of a cryer in the wildernesse to make streight the waye of the Lorde For I doe Baptise sayth Iohn in water onely but there is one nowe come among you who although he came after mée was before mée whose shooe latchet I am not woorthye to vnbuckle and he it is that shall Baptise you with the holye Ghost Iohn was a constant man and liued aunsterely His garment was course cloth made of Camels hair His meate was locustes and wilde hony He was a Prophet and as Christ reporteth more than a Prophet For Iohn prophecied 7. d. c. Christ to be come pointing him with his finger vnto the people saying Beholde the Lambe of God which taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde where as all the other Prophets dyd but prophecie of his comming long before he came Finally Iohn vsing his libertie in Math. 14. a. rebuking vice without any acception of persons reprooued King Herode for kéeping his brother Philips wyfe for the which he was cast into prison and soone after lost his heade Reade the story of Herode the Tetrarch and of Herodias Math. 4. d. Iohn the Euangelist was the sonne of Zebede and brother to Iames and called from his fisher boate to be an Apostle of Christ and was of all other most entierly Iohn 13. c. beloued of Iesus who commended his mother vnto 19. c. 21. f. him at the houre of his death ¶ He wrote his Gospel agaynst Cerinthus and other Heretikes and chieflye agaynst the Ebionites which dyd affirme that Christe was not before Mary whereby he was constrayned to set foorth the diuine birth of Christ In the tyme of the Emperor Domitian he was exiled into an Isle called Pathmos where he wrote the Reuelation and after the death of Domitian in the time of Pertinax he returned to Ephesus remayning there till the time of Traianus and dyd rayse vp set in order many Churches in Asia and died thrée score yeares after the death of Christ and was buried at Ephesus S IOANNIS EVANGELISTA IN PATMOS APOCALYPSIS cap. 18. 14. ET VIDI ET ECCE AGNVS STABAT SVPRA MONTEM SION Act. 12. d. Iohn Marke When Paule and Barnabas had béene at Ierusalem to destribute the Almes sent by the Antiochians in their retourne they brought this man Iohn surnamed Marke with them to Antioche And when the holy Ghost had seperated Paule Barnabas from the other Disciples to the intent that they shoulde go and spreade abroade the Gospel among the Gentiles and those that were farre of they tooke this Iohn Marke with them to be their Minister companion who bare them company from Antioche vntill they came to Pamphilia Act. 13. b. c. and farther woulde he not go but left them there and returned to Ierusalem agayne notwithstanding the Apostles went foorth and fulfilled their office And when it came in their minds to go visite these places agayne wherein they had sowed the worde of God Barnabas gaue counsell to take Iohn with them which had béene their minister before to whose minde Paule woulde not consent forasmuch as Iohn of his owne accorde had forsaken them at Pamphilia before they had finished theyr worke And so reasoning and disputing about this matter the contencion was so sharpe betwéene these two holy men that the one forsooke the others companie And so Barnabas taking Iohn Marke with him sayled into Cypres 2. Reg. 13. a. Ionadab was the sonne of Simeah Dauids brother and a worldly wise man He loued Ammon his vnkle Dauids sonne aboue the reast of all his brethren Of the counsell he gaue to Ammon concerning his Sister Thamar Reade the story of Ammon ¶ Ionadab Voluntarie or Willing Ionas 1. cap. Ionas the sonne of Amithay was an holy Prophet commaunded of God to go to Niniue that great Citie 4. Reg. 14. d. to tel the people of their wickednesse who * The mother of this prophet was the poore wydowe of Sarepta whose Meale and Oyle Elias encreased restored hir sonne from death to life agayue notwithstanding perswaded himselfe by his owne reason that he shoulde nothing profite there séeing he had so long Prophecied among his owne Countrie men the Iewes and done no good at all Wherefore he minding to flye to Tharsus got him to Ioppa where he found a ship ready payed his fare and went with them And being on the sea a tempest rose so vehemently that the Mariners were sore afrayde crying euery man vnto his God and to lighten the shippe they cast all the wares into the Sea which nothing auayled Then went the maister of the ship downe vnder the hatches and finding Ionas fast a sléepe awoke him saying O thou sléeper what meanest thou arise and call vpon thy God that we perishe not And when no remedy coulde be had they agréed to cast lottes that thereby they might knowe for whose cause they were troubled and so dooing the lot fell on Ionas They séeing that sayde Tell vs for whose cause we are thus troubled And what thine occupasion is And what thou art And whence thou commest whither thou goest And what Country man thou art of what nation I am sayde Ionas an Hebrue borne and feare the Lord God of Heauen which made both the Sea and drye land and am fled from his presence And when they heard that they were more afrayde than before sayde what shall we doe vnto thée that the Sea may cease from troubling of vs Take me quoth Ionas and cast me into the Sea and ye shall haue rest for I wote it is for my sake that this euill is come vpon you Neuerthelesse the men being loth to committe such a déede assayed with rowyng to bring the ship to lande And when they sawe the Sea so troublous against them that it woulde not be they cryed vnto the Lorde and sayde O Lord let vs not perishe for this mans death neyther lay thou innocent bloude vnto our charge For thou O Lorde hast done euen as thy pleasure was And so they tooke Ionas and cast him into the Sea which incontinent was calme and still And a certayne great fishe prepared of the Lord receyued Ionas and swallowed him vp into his body where he laye in prayer thrée dayes and thrée nights And being then cast out agayne on drye lande The Lorde commaunded him eftsoones to go to Niniue and doe as he had charged him And when he came to the citie was entered a dayes iourney in the same he cryed out saying There are yet fourtie daies and then shall Niniue be ouerthrowne But when his Prophecie came to none effect by reason of the peoples great repentaunce he was sore displeased and in his prayer sayde O Lorde was not this my saying I praye thée when I was yet in my
in debt that hir creditors were come to fet hir twoo sonnes awaye to be their bondemen What hast thou in thy house sayde the Prophet Nothing quoth she but a little Pitcher of oyle The widowe left in debt Well saide he go thy waye home and borowe of thy neyghbours as many emptie vessels as thou canst get and poure out the oyle of the Pitcher into the emptie vessels vntill thou hast filled them all And when the woman had done all as the Prophet had commaunded hir she came backe againe and tolde him howe mightily hir oyle was increased Nowe go sayde the Prophet and sell so much of the oyle as will pay thy Creditours and then liue thou and thy children of the rest 4. Reg. 4. b. c. d. e. ¶ There was a certaine woman of great estimacion in the Citie of Sumen who hearing tell that Eliseus was come to the Citie inuited him home to hir house and made him great cheare And whensoeuer after that he came into that quarters which he haunted much he woulde euer take that Gentlewomans house in his way Then she séeing that sayde vnto hir husband I perceiue that this is an holye man that commeth so ofte by our place let vs make him a little chamber with all things Eliseus obtaineth a son for the Sunamite necessarie for the same that when he commeth this way he may lodge there and be quiet therein And when the new Chamber was made and finished the Prophete at his next comming was brought into the same there to take his rest He then considering the great prouision the woman had made and howe carefull she had bene for him sayde vnto Gehezi his man Go and aske of hir what she will haue mée to doe for hir whether it be to speake vnto the King or to the Captaine of the hoste or any thing else and I will doe it The seruaunt went and The Sunamites sonne restored from death to life brought him worde agayne that she had no chylde and hir husbande was olde Well sayde the Prophete she shall haue a sonne which in processe she had in déede And when the chylde was a fewe yeares growâ—n vp it had a desire to go and sée his Father and the Reapers in the fielde and being there in the heate of the daye it fell sodenly sicke and was caried home to his mother and dyed But for the womans sake the Prophet restored hir sonne to life agayne 4. Reg. 4. g. ¶ On a tyme Eliseus commaunded his Cooke to make a great pot of pottage for the children of the Prophetes which boorded with him and as one went out for herbes he gathered vnwares his lap full of wylde Coloquintidas Hee maketh the pottage sweete and came and shred them into the pot of pottage And when the children of the Prophets had tasted a little of the pottage they fearing least they had bene poysoned cried out saying O thou man of God there is death in the pot Then the Prophet called for Meale and threwe it into the pot and all was well and no more harme in the pot 4. Reg. 4. g. ¶ A certaine man the dearth being great in the lande came from Baal Salisa and brought to Eliseus twenty Barley loaues of the first fruites of his newe Corne the which he commaunded his man to giue to the people to satisfie their hunger How shall I sayd he set this before The loaues are multiplyed so many will it satisfie an hundred persons Well sayd Elizeus set it before them for thus sayth the Lord they shall eate and there shall remayne And so the loaues were set before the people and they did eate and left ouer according to the worde of the Lorde 4. Reg. 6. a. ¶ Eliseus had so many of the Prophetes children wyth him at boorde and downe lying that his house was to little for them all wherefore they sayde to him that they woulde go to Iordan and buylde them a bygger house to dwell in desiring him to go with them And as a certaine man was felling downe a trée to serue for the buylding the Axe heade slipt of the Helue and fell into the water Iron swimmeth Then the man cryed to Eliseus and sayde Alas Mayster helpe me to haue it agayne for it was lent me Where fell it in sayde the Prophet and when the man had tolde him Eliseus cut downe a péece of woode and cast it into the water and immediately the yron did swymme And then the man stretched forth his hande and tooke it vp 4. Reg. 8. a. ¶ He prophecied vnto the Sunamite whose sonne he had raysed from death of a great dearth which shoulde come and continue vpon the land seauen yeares giuing hir counsell therefore to go and soiourne in some other plentifull countrey till these yeares were expired whose counsell she followed and went with all hir housholde into the Philistines lande where she remayned these seauen yeares of dearth which being ended she returned home agayne And when she came to hir house another hauing possession thereof withhelde it from hir wherefore she went to the King to make hir complaynt at which time it happened the King to be talking with Gehezi The Sunamite is restored to hyr house lande agayne the seruant of Eliseus the Prophet who was declaring vnto the King what great and notable déedes hys Maister Eliseus had done and among all declared of a deade bodie which he had raysed vp from death to lyfe and as he was telling of these thinges vnto the King the woman came with hir sonne and required hir house and lande againe And when Gehezi sawe the woman he sayde O my Lorde and King this same is the woman that I tolde your Grace of â—uen nowe and this is hyr sonne that was raysed from death Then the King commaunded hir house and lande to be restored hir againe with all the rent and profites thereof from the first daye she lâ—st it â–ª till that present time 4. Reg. 13. c. d ¶ Finallye when the time drewe me that Eliseus the Prophet shoulde dye Ioas King of Israel came to visite him as he stoode before him and considered what a losse he should haue of that good man which had bene so great a defence vnto his Realme the teares ranne downe hys chéekes and sayde O my father my father the Charet of Israel and the horsemen of the same And when the Prophet sawe the King he bade him take his bowe and arrowes in his hand and make him readie to shoote The Prophet put his hande vpon the Kings hande and caused a windowe to be opened Eastwarde which was toward Siria and bade the King shoote and he shot The arrow of helth of the Lorde sayde Eliseus and the arrowe of health against Siria For thou shalt smyte Siria in Aphek till thou haue made an ende of them Nowe take thine arrowes in thine hande sayde the Prophete and smyte
brought his daughter into hir Chamber and sayde Be of good chere my daughter the Lorde of heauen giue thée ioy for the heauinesse that thou hast suffered and so went to rest Then in the morning about the Cocke crowing Raguel supposing all things to haue happened to Toby as it did to the other seauen before called vp his men and went and made ready his graue which being done he bade his wyfe sende one of hir Maydens to looke if Toby were dead that he might burye him before day light And when it was tolde him they were both sounde and fast a sléepe he praysed God and caused his men to fill vp the graue agayne and made a great feast to all his neighbours and friendes And gaue to Toby the halfe of all his goodes and made him a sure writing for the other halfe that remayned to be his also after his death And at the daye of their departure deliuered the goodes taking his leaue sayde The holy Angell of the Lord be with you in your iourney and bring you forth safe and sounde that ye may finde all things in good case with your Elders and that mine eyes my sée your Children before I dye and so kissed them and let them go Rathumus with other Officers vnder Artaxerses King of Persia writeth vnto him agaynst the Iewes on this wyse Sir thy seruaunts Rathumus the story writer Sabellius the Scribe with other Iudges of the Court in Celosiria and Phinehes Be it knowne and manifested to our Lorde the King that the Iewes which are come vp from you to vs into the rebellious and wicked Citie beginne to buylde it agayne and the Walles about it and to set vp the Temple a newe Nowe if this citie and the Walles thereof be set vp agayne they shall not onely refuse to giue Tributs and Taxes but also rebell vtterly agaynst the king And for so much as they take this in hande nowe about the Temple we thought it not méete to passe ouer such a thing but to shew it vnto our Lorde the king And to certifie him thereof To the intent that if it might please the King to cause it to be sought in the bookes of old and thou shalt finde such warning written and shalt vnderstande that this Citie hath alwayes béene rebellious and disobedient that it hath subdued Kinges and Cities and that the Iewes which dwelt therein hath euer béene a rebellious obstinate vnfaythfull and fighting people for the which cause this Citie is wasted Wherefore nowe we certifye our Lorde the King that if this Citie be buylded and occupyed agayne and the Walles thereof set vp a newe thou canst haue no passage into Celosiria and Phenices And when Rathumus and the other had receyued the Kinges aunswere they got them to Ierusalem with an hoste of men and made the Iewes cease from their buylding which was not begun agayne vntill the seconde yeare of King Darius Rebecca was the daughter of Bathuel and sister to Laban As she went on a tyme with a pitcher vpon hir heade to the common Well without the Citie to draw water it chaunced Abrahams seruaunt to stande by the Well with ten Camels lying there about And when the Mayde had filled hir pot and set it vpon hir head readye to go awaye the man desired to drinke a little of hir water who foorthwithall set downe hir pot and gaue him drincke And when he had droncken she powred out the reast into the water trough and ran againe to the Well drew water for his Camels vntill they had all droncken their fill Then the man in hope the Lorde had made his iourney prosperous tooke out a Golden earing and twoo bracelets of Golde and gaue them to the Mayde demaunding whose daughter she was I am quoth she the daughter of Bathuel the Sonne of Milca which she bare vnto Nahor Then tell mée I praye thée is there rowme in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in Yea quoth she there is both rowme and lodging and also litter and prouander ynough for your beastes Blessed be God quoth he that hath delt so mercyfullye with my Mayster and hath brought me the right way to my maysters brothers house Then Rebecca hearing him speake of hir fathers brother ranne home and tolde all thinges what the man had sayde And as Laban behelde his sister and sawe the earyngs and bracelets vpon hir handes he ranne out to the man with gentle entertaynement brought him into the house and sawe his Camels drest and prouided for also set meate before him to eate But the man woulde not eate before he had declared the cause wherefore hys mayster had sent him which being done and his request graunted he eate made mery and taryed all night And on the morrow as the man made haste to go his way the Damosell was called foorth to know whither she woulde go with the man or no and being content to go with the man he woulde not tarye but tooke the Mayde and had hir to Isaac his maysters sonne whose wyfe she became And being twentie yeares without a Childe at last she conceyued with twoo and when she felt them striue within hir wombe she made hir mone to God saying Séeing it is so why am I thus with childe God made hir answere saying There are twoo maner of people in thy wombe two Nacions shal be deuided out of thy bowels And the one Nacion shal be mightier than the other And the elder shal be seruaunt to the yoonger And so when hir tyme was come to be delyuered she brought foorth twoo twynnes the one named Esau and the other Iacob Which twoo became mightie men but Rebecca looued Iacob better then Esau and to preferre hym before the other she sayde Heare mée my sonne Iacob I haue hearde thy Father saye to thy brother go and kyll some Venison and make mée meate thereof that I may eate and blesse thée before the Lorde afore I dye Now therefore my Sonne heare my voyce in that which I commaunde thée Get thée to the flocke and bring mée thence two good kyddes that I may make meate of them for thy father such as he loueth and thou shalt bring it hym to eate that he may blesse thée before his death Then sayde Iacob My brother Esau is a rough man and if my father shall happen to féele mée I shall séeme vnto him as I went about to deceyue him and so shall I bring a curse vpon mée not a blessing Well sayde Rebecca vpon mée be thy cursse my sonne onely heare my voyce and go and fetche me them And when he had brought the Kyddes and that she had drest the meate and made it readye she fette out certayne rayment of Esaus and put it vpon Iacob and couered his hands and the smoothe of his necke with Goate shinnes and put the meate in his hande to cary to his Father by which policie of Rebecca Iacob had his brothers
make him the lyke against his comming home who being such a minister as was content to serue the Kinges turne made it with all spéede on the which Aultar the King at his comming home offered to those Idolles abolishing all the holye lawes and ordinaunces of God to stablyshe his owne wicked and vngodlye procéedings which turned to hys vtter confusion He reygned sixtene yeares and was buryed in the Citie of Dauid but not among the sepulchres of Kings leauing Hezekia his godly sonne to enioy his place Ahazia the sonne of Achab began his reigne ouer Israel in the xvlj yeare of Iosaphat king of Iuda and followed the steppes of that wicked Idolatour Achab his father in all thinges for the which the Lorde punished him two maner of wayes First the Moabites rebelled agaynst him refusing to pay any tribute Seconde as he walked vpon his house for his recreation he fell downe at a grate of the same which was made to gyue light beneath And being sore brused with the fall and in perill of death he sent to Belzebub the God of Ekrom to enquire of him whether he shoulde recouer or no. And as the Messengers were going Elia the Prophete by the prouidence of God met them and sayde is there no God in Israel to aske counsell at but your Maister must send to Belzebub returne and tell him he shall not liue The Messengers returned and tolde the king Who perceyuing by all the markes and tokens of the man that it was the Prophete Elia sent forth a Captaine with fiftie Souldiers to bring him with violence if otherwise he woulde not come And when the Captaine came to the Prophet he sayde Thou man of God come away the King hath sent for thée If I be the man of God quoth the Prophet fyre come downe from heauen and consume thée and all thy men which wordes were no sooner gone out of his mouth but fire fell downe from heauen and destroyed them all The King sent againe and they were likewyse destroyed Then went the thirde who fell downe before the Prophete and sayde O thou man of God let my life I pray thée and the life of these thy fistie seruants be precious in thy sight With this man the Prophet went boldly to the King and tolde him plainly be shoulde not recouer and so he died in the seconde yeare of his reygne and for lacke of issue his brother Iehoram succéeded Ahasuerus otherwise called Artaxarzes King of Persia reigned ouer an hundreth and twentie seauen Prouinces This King in the thirde yeare of hys reigne made a feast royall in the Citie of Susan to all his Princes and Nobles which continued an hundreth and foure score daies And these days expired he made another feast to all the people great and small for the space of seauen dayes and in the seauenth and last daye of the feast the King being mery and pleasantly disposed sent diuers of his Chamberlaines to fetch the Quéene named Vasthy and to bring hir to him with the Crowne Imperiall vpon hir heade that the people might sée hir bewtie But for so much as she woulde not come at the Kinges commaundement it was decréed that the King shoulde put hir awaye and take another at his pleasure And according to the same decrée the King was diuorsed from Vasthy and tooke Ester in hir place for whose sake he shewed great pleasure to hir nation the Iewes promoting Mardocheus which had preserued him from the danger of Treason and put downe Aman whome he had aboue all exalted Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoch with Ionathas the sonne of Abiathar stoode wayting without the Citie of Ierusalem at the Well called Rogell to beare such newes to Dauid as they shoulde heare from their fathers being within with Absalom And when they were instructed of all thinges by a certaine Mayde sent from their fathers what they shoulde doe and saye vnto Dauid they departed with spéede But being espyed by a certaine yong man who went and tolde it to Absalom Messengers were sent forth in post haste which followed them so sore that they were constrayned to slip into a certaine mans house in Bahurim which had a Well in his yarde into the which they were conueyghed and being hid in the Well the wife of the house spred a Couerlet ouer the Welles mouth and strawed corne thereon whereby the Well was not séene Then Absaloms men comming into the house demaunded of the wyfe where the two men were which came in before them They be gone sayde she ouer the brooke of water The men beleuing the woman went after and sought and when they coulde not finde them returned home againe Then Ahimaaz and Ionathas were let out of the Well who went to Dauid and did their message as they were commaunded After this when Absalom was slaine Ahimaaz desired of Ioab the Captaine that he might beare newes to the King of Absaloms death Nay sayde Ioab thou shalt be no messenger this daye bicause the Kings sonne is deade but Chusy shall go Then I pray thée quoth Ahimaaz let me go with Chusy And wherfore quoth Ioab art thou so desirous to go séeing for thy tydings thou shalt haue no rewarde whatsoeuer I haue quoth he I pray thée let me go Then go sayd Ioab And so Ahimaaz ran a nearer way than Chusy and was euer before him And as they were comming the watch man spied them and sayde to the King I sée two men running hytherwarde and me thinke the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoch Oh sayd the King he is a good man and bringeth good tydings And so Ahimaaz came to the King before Chusy and fell downe before him and sayd Blessed be the Lorde thy God which hath shut vp the men that lift vp their handes against my Lorde the King is the yong man Absalom safe sayde the King Ahimaaz aunswered When Ioab sent Chusy and me thy seruaunt I sawe much a doe but I wote not what it was Well sayde the King stande still Then Chusy came and sayd Good tidings my Lorde the King for the Lorde hath deliuered thée this day out of the handes of all that roâ—e against thée Is the yong man Absalom safe quoth the King The enimies of my Lorde the King sayde he and all that rise against thée to doe thée hurt be as that yong man is And so the King departed and mourned for his sonne Ahimelech the sonne of Ahitob the sonne of Phiâ—ehes the sonne of Eli was Priest of the Citie of Nob in whose tyme it chaunced Dauid being persecuted of king Saule to flye vnto him for succour at whose comming with so fewe wayting on him Ahimelech was sore astonied and asked him wherefore he came so alone Then Dauid bearing him in hande that the King had sent him of a secrete businesse which might not be knowne desired Ahimelech to giue him of such thinges
Hesron bare vnto him thrée sonnes Ieser Sobab and Ardon 4. Reg. 11. ca. 2. Par. 22. ca. Athalia was the daughter of Amry and wife to Ioram King of Iuda When Ioram dyed hir sonne Ahaziahu Athalia in the 4. Reg. ca. 8. is called both the daughter of Achab and the daughter of Amrye which sayth Lyra is meÌ„t thus After the death of Amry hir naturall father shee was brought vp with Achab hir brother and so in processe called his daughter or else by immitating hys maners in all kind of Idolatrie succéeded whome she entysed to all wickednesse and after his death she ruled and killed all the reast of the séede of Ioram onely Ioas excepted which was stolne awaye and hyd from hir And when she had ruled the lande most cruelly vj. yeare In the vij yeare Ioas was brought forth by Iehoiada the Priest and proclaymed King She hearing that ranne into the Temple of the Lorde with hir clothes rent crying out treason treason But at the commaundement of Iehoiada the Captaynes and souldiers tooke hir out of the Temple and slue hir ¶ Athalia Time for the Lorde Azaria the sonne * 4 Re. 15. a. b of Amaziahu King of Iuda began his reigne in the xxvij yere of Ieroboam King of Israel was xvj yere old when he was made king And so long as he gaue eare to Zacharias the Prophete and walked vprightly so long did the Lorde prosper him with great victories both of the Philistines and Arabians and made the Ammonites also tributories vnto him He ‡ Azaria is in the same chapter called also Vziah repaired Ierusalem He loued well husbandrye and had great plenty of Cattell At length he became so mightie that in his strength his heart arose to his destruction For in his pryde he went into the Temple of the Lord to burne incense which although he séemed to doe it of a zeale and good intent yet forasmuch as he vsurped the Priests office he was iustlye resisted of Azariahu the Priest and plagued of God who smote him with such a Leprosie that he went out of the Temple a Leper and so remayned all the dayes of his lyfe He reygned .lij. yeares and was buried in a part of the same fielde where his Predecessors lay but not in the same Sepulchres bicause he was a Leper ¶ Azaria Helpe of the Lorde B. BAal the sonne of Reaia was a Prince of the Rubenites and caried away with other his kinred into the lande of Assiria by Thiglath Pilneser King of the Assirians Baanah with his brother Rechab the sonnes of Rimmon were two Captaynes in the hoste of Isboseth King of Israel who when Abner their chiefe Captayne was dead went into the house of Isboseth séeming saith Lyra they had gone to fetch wheate for the King sayth he had great store of wheate which he solde to Merchants a farre of wherefore these two disguysed themselues lyke Merchants that came to buye and so entring into the house they founde where their Lorde and maister lay vpon his bed in the heate of the day fast a sleepe and slue him and tooke his heade and caryed iâ— to Dauid thinking for the same to haue had a great rewarde But for their most shamefull and trayterous acte they were both put to death and their quarters hanged ouer the poole in Hebron Baasa the sonne of Ahia conspired against 〈◊〉 King of Israel and reygned in his steade In the thirde yeare of Asa King of Iuda began Baasa to reygne ouer Israel and walked most wickedlye in all the wayes of Ieroboam whose house and posteritie notwithstanding he vtterly destroyed and left not one aliue for so it was propheried that God woulde stirre him vp one which was this Baasa for that purpose And now for as much as Baasa whome God had exalted euen out of the dust woulde styll mayntaine Ieroboams ydolatrie and cause his people to sinne he sent him worde by the Prophete Iehu that as he had rooted out the whole posteritie of Ieroboam so shoulde his be serued likewise Great warre was betwéene â–ª Baasa and Asa King of Iuda And for to stoppe the passage of Iuda that none shoulde passe out nor in safely Baasa went to builde a strong holde called Rama which he was sayne at length to leaue vnfinished and to lâ—â—se all his â—ost and traueyle to go agaynst Benhadid which had broken couenaunt with him He reygned .xxiiij. yeares and was buried in Thirza which was a place where the King remayned leauing Ela his sonne to succéede him in whose dayes the foresayde Prophecye of the rooting out his posteritie tooke place Bachides was a man of great power in the dominion of Demetrius the sonne of Seleucus And beyng the Kings faythfull friende he sent him with a great host agaynst Iudas Machabeus to reuenge him of the iniurie he had done vnto his people and in the ende slue him After whole death â–ª many of the wicked Iewes turned to Bachides whereof he made some Lordes and rulers of the lande which of enuy vttered the friendes of Iudas brought them into great veration and trouble When Bachides had giuen this ouerthrow to Iudas he sought howe he might kill Ionathas also whom the Iewes had 〈◊〉 in his brothers 〈◊〉 And méeting with Ionathas about the border of Iordan there was a great battell stricken betweene them in the which Bachides lost a thousande of his men After which conflict Bachides by occasion of Alcimus the wicked Priests death departed for that tyme so that Ionathas laye at rest two yeares after tyll a sort of vngodly men conspired against him howe they might bring Bachides vppon hym vnwares which matter being betwéene them and him concluded Bachides returned with a great power but or he came Ionathas had gotten knowledge of the Treason and put certayne of the chiefest Conspirators to death Then when Bachides came and had besieged the Citie of Bethbessen long and sawe he was not able to resist the power of Ionathas he was marueylously displeased with those wicked counsaylers which had caused him to traueyle in vaine and made him ready to depart againe whereof Ionathas hauing knowledge he sent Ambassadors to Bachides to make peace with him to the which he gladly consented and restored to Ionathas all his prisoners which he had taken in the land of Iuda and so returned home and neuer vexed Israel more Balaam the sonne of Beor or Bosor as S. Peter sayth was a couetous Prophet and for lucre sake went to the King of Moab to curse the hoste of Israel which thing God woulde not suffer him to doe but turned hys curse into a blessing Yea he was so farre ouercome with couetousnesse sayth S. Peter that he coulde not sée hys iniquitie when the tame beast speaking in mans voyce rebuked him and forbade his madnesse He caused the Israelites thorowe his counsell to commit
lesse fauour to the sonnes of Berzelai for their fathers sake than euer he himselfe had done ¶ Berzelai Made of yron or as harde as yron 2. Reg. 11. ca. Bethsabe was the daughter of Eliam and wyfe to Urias which was with Ioab in the Kings warres On a tyme as Bethsabe was washing hir selfe in hir priuye garden alone It chaunced King Dauid to looke out at a window in his palace saw hir whose bewty so rauished the King that forthwithall he sent for the woman and committed adulterie with hir and so sent hir home againe Then shortly after she perceyuing hir selfe with chylde sent the King worde thereof who then partly to hide his owne fault and partly to saue the woman from daunger of the lawe sent for Urias to come home But when Dauid sawe that Urias woulde not company with his wyfe Bethsabe he returned him backe againe to Ioab with a letter which caused Urias quickly to be dispatched out of his lyfe after whose death Bethsabe became Dauids wyfe and brought forth the chylde conceyued in adulterie which liued not long but dyed After that she 12. f. conceyued agayne and brought forth Salomon Lastly when Dauid was fallen into extréeme age and that she sawe Adonia the son of Agith begin to aspire to the kingdome of his father yet liuing she went by the counsell of Nathan the Prophet who had taught hir hyr lesson vnto Dauid hir husbande And making hir humble obeysance vnto the King as he sate in his Chamber and Abisag the Sunamite ministring vnto him he sayde vnto hir what is the matter She aunswered my Lorde thou swarest by the Lorde thy God vnto thine handmayde saying assuredly Salomon thy sonne shall reigne after me and he shall sit vpon my seate And behold now is Adonia King and thou my Lord the king knowest it not He hath offred Oxen fat Cattell and many shéepe and hath called all the Kings sonnes and Abiathar the Priest and Ioab the Captaine of the hoste But Salomon thy seruant hath he not bidden And nowe my Lorde O King the eyes of all Israell wayte on thée that thou shouldest tell them who ought to sit on the seate of my Lorde the King after him for else when my Lorde the King shall sléepe wyth his fathers I and my sonne Salomon shall be sinners The Quéene had no sooner ended hir tale but the Prophet Nathan came and confirmed hir wordes Wherevpon the King assured Bethsabe that Salomon hir son shoulde be that daye proclaymed to reigne in his steade The Quéene then humbling hir selfe with thankes desired of God that hir Lorde King Dauid might liue for euer Looke more in the historie of Adonia ¶ Bethsabe The seauenth daughter or the daughter of an Othe Exo. 31. a. 35. d. 36. 37. and 38. cap. Bezaleel the sonne of Uri of the Tribe of Iuda and Ahaliab of the Tribe of Dan were two cunning workemen most speciallye endued with the spirite of God to worke all maner curious worke that was to be wrought in Golde Siluer Brasse Woode Stone or with Néedle worke so that by these two the Tabernacle of wytnesse with all things pertayning therevnto was most artificially made ¶ Bezaleel in the shadowe of God. Gen. 29. f. 30. a. 35. d. Bilha was a yong Damosell which serued Laban the father of Rachel and when Rachel shoulde be maried to Iacob Laban gaue Bilha his mayde to Rachel his daughter to be hâ—â— seruaunt And when Rachel perceyued she coulde bâ—â—re Iacob no children she gaue Bilha hir mayde vnto him to be his wyfe who conceyued by Iacob and brought him forth two sonnes the one Dan and the other Nephtaly ¶ Bilha Olde or fading Gen. 14. a. b. Birsa was one of the foure Kinges that fought agaynst fiue other Kings in the vale of Siddim ¶ Birsa in Euill or in iniquitie or condemned or a sonne that looketh back Reade Arioch Ruth 2. 3. 4. Boos the sonne of Salomon was a great rich man dwelling in a Citie called Bethléem within the lande of Iuda Who on a tyme going to the fieldes to looke vpon his Reapers and finding there a yong Damosell a leasing demaunded of his workemen â–ª what she was To whome answere was made she was a straunger come with Naomie out of the Countrie of Moab Then went Boos to the Mayde and sayde hearest thou my daughter Here is a notable example for all riche Farmers which bee so vnmercifull y they wil not suffer their needy neyghbour to lease in their grouÌ„d wheras Boos was so mercifull to this straunger whose nation were enimies to gods people go to no other fielde a leasing I charge thée so long as Haruest tyme endureth but to myne tary here by my Maydens and gather as much as thou wilt and spare not for no man shall let thée neither yet hurt thée And when thou art hungry and a thirst go with my Maidens and eate and drinke such as they haue for they shall not denie thée And so departing from hir he went to his men seruants commaunding them to intreate hir gentlye and to leaue some sheaues on the grounde for the nonce for hir to take vp without shame Nowe after this it chaunced Boos to haue knowledge that this yong Damosell was his kinsewoman and that it was his lot to marrie hir which he was well content to doe considering hir to be a woman of good report and of much vertue But yet for as much as he knewe another to be more neare of kinne to hir than he he could not defraude him of his right therefore to knowe what he woulde doe in this matter he went and called his kinseman before the Congregation and sayde Sir we haue here a kinswoman lately returned out of the lande of Moab one Naomie and she will sell a péece of lande which was our brother Elimelechs If thou be disposed to buie it doe if not then tell me for there is none to challenge it saue thou and I next vnto thée Then sayde he to Boos I will purchase it Well sayde Boos looke what day thou buyest the lande of Naomie thou must also take * He woulde haue the land but not the woman Ruthe the Moabite to wyfe to rayse vp the name of the deade vpon his enheritance Then he reuoking his worde agayne sayde that he coulde not purchase it for marring of his owne inheritance Therefore take thou my right and purchase it and so drew of his * The maner of purchasing â–ª shooe and gaue it to Boos for that was the custome of olde in Israel concerning purchasing and chaunging of inheritaunce to plucke of his shooe and giue it to his neyghbour in witnesse that the thing betwéene them was truely bought and solde Then Boos hauing his kinsemans shooe sayd vnto the people ye are witnesses all this day that I haue bought all that was Elimelechs all that pertayned to his two sonnes *
on the hoste of the liuing god Then Saule perceyuing the power of God to be wyth Dauid put his armour vpon him But Dauid not being woont to such put it of agayne and tooke him to his olde accustomed weapon which was his slyng And so hauing that in his hande and his shepeherdes bagge about his necke with a fewe little stones prouided therin he gat him downe to the place where the Philistine stoode wayting for a man to encounter with him And as he saw Dauid drawe neare and beholding the maner of hys weapon that he bare in his hand he disdained him greatly And cursing Dauid by all his gods he sayd in a great furie Am I a Dogge that thou commest to me wyth staues come hyther my chylde and I will giue thy flesh to the foules of the ayre and beastes of the fielde Nay quoth Dauid thou commest to me with sworde speare and shielde but I am come vnto thée in the name of the Lorde of hostes the God of the hoste of Israel whome thou doest despyse and blaspheme He shall this daye deliuer thée into my handes and I shall smyte thée and take thy heade from thée and giue the carkasses of all your hoste to the foules of the ayre and beasts of the field to deuour and eate that thou and all the worlde maye knowe that there is a God in Israel The Philistyne nowe was in such a chafe that he began to buskell hym to his weapon thinking to haue dispatched Dauid wyth no great adoe But Dauid hauing his slyng prepared redy in his hande slang out the stone at his face the Lord directing the same and smote the Philistine so euen and déepe in his foreheade that he fell downe groueling vnto the earth and then ranne Dauid and smote of hys heade Thus was this monstrous Gyaunt confounded and all the hoste of the Philistines put to flight and slaine Gomer The Lorde appearing to Ose the Prophet sayde Go thy way and take an harlot to thy wyfe and get children by hir for the lande hath commâ—tted great whooredome agaynst the Lorde So he went and tooke Gomor the daughter of Deblaim who bare vnto hym two sonnes and one daughter The first sonne was called Iesrael the daughter Lornhamah and the second sonne Laâ—my Gorgias a man of great experience in warre was Gouernour of Idumea and one among other noble captaynes whome Lysias the ouerséer of all the Kings businesse sent against the Iewes to destroy them And thinking by his policie to haue stollen vpon Iudas Machabeus by night and so to haue ouercome him he was preuented so that he durst not meete Iudas in the fielde but fledde into the lande of the heathen And when Iosephus and Azarias tooke vppon them in the absence of Iudas contrary to his commaundement to go out agaynst the heathen to get them a name Gorgias issued out of the Citie of Iamnia and slue two thousande of their men and chased Iosephus and Azarias to the borders of Iewrie Finally after manye conflictes with the Iewes a certaine Captayne named Dositheus had almost taken him if rescue had not bene thorow the which he escaped and fled into Moresa and was neuer séene more Reade the Storie of Dositheus H. HAdad being but a little boye borne in the lande of Edom and sprong of the King of Edoms séede what time as Dauid went about to destroye all the men children in Edom fled wyth certayne Edomites of his fathers seruants into the lande of Egypt Where in processe he gate such fauour with Pharao King of the lande that he gaue him great possessions and maried him to the Quéenes sister who bare vnto hym a sonne called Genubath which chylde was brought vp in King Pharaos hâ—use among his children But when tidings was brought to Hadad of the death of Dauid and Ioab he went to the King and besought him to let hym depart into his owne Countrie agayne why sayde the King what hast thou lacked here with mée that thou wouldest now so fayne returne home agayne Nothing sayd Hadad but that I haue a mynde to sée my countrey and therefore I pray thée let me go And so he departed out of Egypt from Pharao for the Lorde had stirred him vp to be an aduersarie to Salomon who had turned his heart from the Lord his God serued straunge gods And so Hadad reigned ouer Siria and abhorred Israel sore and vexed them so long as Salomon reygned Hadarezer the sonne of Reob King of Zoba had long warre with Thoi King of Hamoth And at the last as he went to recouer the borders by the ryuer Pherar Dauid met with him tooke 1700. horsemen of his host and. 20. thousande footemen and cut of the hoofes of all his Charet horses sauing an 100 â–ª which he reserued to himselfe And tooke away his shyldes of Golde brought them to Ierusalem And tooke out of his Cities excéeding much Brasse whereof Salomon afterwarde made all the Brasen vessels in the Temple of the Lorde Againe when this Hadarezer withall the Kings that serued him went to rescue Hanon King of the Ammonites agaynst Dauid he lost 700. Charettes and. 4000. footemen and his Captayne generall slayne Then the Kinges which serued Hadarezer being so discomfited made peace with Dauid and serued hym and neuer woulde helpe the Ammonites more Ham was the seconde sonne of Noe. Who on a tyme séeing his Father lye vnséemely discouered in his Tent laughed hym to scorne And in derision and contempt of his father brought Sem and Iapheth his two brethren to sée the vncomely sight But they mooued with shamefastnesse and honesty couered theyr fathers secrets and woulde not looke vpon them And when Noe was awaked out of sléepe and perceyued what Ham had done He woulde not curse hym whome the Lorde had blest but sayde to Canaan his sonne which had also as some suppose deryded his Graundfather Noe Cursed be Canaan a seruaunt of seruaunts shall he be vnto his brethren Haman was the sonne of Amada and serued Ahasuerus King of Persia who so highlye promoted hym that euery man bowed the knée to Haman dyd asmuch honour vnto him in a maner as they dyd to the King himselfe And being thus exalted aboue all other Princes about the King and honoured of all men there was notwithstanding a certayne Iewe borne named Mardocheus which would neyther bowe nor bende vnto hym as other dyd which being marked of Haman he tooke so great indignacion agaynst Mardocheus that he sought his vtter destruction and purchased a licence of the King for ten thousande talents of Siluer to haue him and all the Iewes destroyed in one day But whyle the writings were a making and postes sent into all quarters for the Iewes dispatch Mardocheus gat knowledge of all Hamans wicked intents and purposes and founde the meanes to haue the same vttered vnto Quéene Hester Who then
other thing But neuerthelesse for kéeping his Othe which he had made before so many Noble men he caused the innocent mans heade to be cut of and giuen to the Wench This Herode and Pylate Lieutenant of Iewry had bene long at variaunce And for the pleasure that Pilate shewed to Herode in sending Iesus bounde vnto him to be examined he was at one with him againe For Herode had long desired to sée Iesus And hoping nowe to haue séene some myracles done by him he demaunded many questions of Iesus to the which he woulde make no answere at all Then Herode perceyuing that Iesus woulde neyther speake nor doe any thing at his pleasure he began to despyse and râ—uyle him and in mockery arayed him in a long whyte garment and sent him to Pylate agayne Act. 12. cap. Herode Tâ—is man was a great persecutour of the Apostles He beheaded Iames the brother of Iohn and This Herode was called Agrippa the sonne of Aristobolus he was nephew vnto Herode the great and brother of Herodias séeing that déede to content and pleasâ— the Iewes well he tooke Peter also and cast him into prison intending after Easter which was at hand to haue him put to death â–ª also Finally vpon a certaine day appointed to shewe himselfe in his pompe glory he made such an Oration before the assemblye that for the pleasauntnesse of hys speach the common people at the ende thereof gaue a mightie shoute saying it was the voyce of a God and not of a man And bicause he gloryed in their boasting and tooke that honour vnto himselfe which he ought to haue giuen to God he was immediatly smitten with the Wormie sickenesse whereof he most miserably dyed Rom. 16. b. Herodian was Paules kinseman vnto whome he sent commendations from Corinth on this wise Salute Herodian my kinseman ¶ Herodian the song of a yoong Virgin or of a woman conquering Math. 14. â— Herodias was wyfe to Philip Herodes brother to whome she brought forth a * Whiche daughter as Iosephus wryteth was called Salomen daughter This woman being more familiar with Herode than honestie required grew into such fauour with him that he contrarye to the lawe of Moses married hir his brother being alyue Against which vnlawfull marriage Iohn Baptist spake so much to Herodes reproofe that shée fearing least that Iohn woulde make Herode breake of the incest marriage counsayled hir daughter which daunced before him to aske the heade of Iohn Baptist And so by the wicked deuyce of this vnchaste woman Iohn lost his heade ¶ Herodias signifieth that that the woorde Herode before doth Gen. 46. b. Hesron was the sonne of Ruben and of hym came Num. 46. a. the kindred of the Hesronites ¶ Hesron the Arrowe of reioyeeing 1. Par. 2. c. Hesron the father of Caleb being come to the age of thréescore yeares tooke to wyfe the daughter of Machir who bare vnto him a sonne called Segub 4. Reg. 18. and. 19. cap. Hezakia the sonne of Ahaz was .xxv. yeares of age when he began his reygne ouer Iuda He was the godlyest Prince that euer reigned before or after among the Kings of Iuda He clensed his Countrie from all ydolatrie and brake downe the brasen Serpent which Moses had set vp as soone as he sawe it abused He brought in againe the true honouring of God and renued the Passeouer He had such a sure trust and confidence in God that at his prayer the Angell of the Lorde slue in one night of the Assirians which were come to destroye Ierusalem an hundred fourescore and fiue thousande and smote the rest into such a feare that they ran away 20. cap. After this he fell sicke and was admonished by the Prophete Esay to set his house in order for he shoulde surely dye Then he turned his face to the wall and made his peticion to God saying Oh Lord remember I beséech thée howe I haue walked before thée in truth and with a perfect heart haue done that which is good in thy sight and speaking these wordes â–ª hée * He wept not so much for his owne death as for feare that ydolatrie shuld be restored which he had destroyed wept verie sore The Lorde than mooued with his teares returned the Prophete agayne to comfort him with these newes that he shoulde receyue his health and be able the thirde day to go vp to the house of the Lorde and that he had added to his dayes .xv. yeares mo and to assure him of this his promise he woulde cause the Sunne to returne his course ten degrées backewarde At this tyme Berodach surnamed Baladad King of Babilon sent to Hezakia ambassadours to signifie vnto him howe glad and ioyfull he was of his recouery which kindenesse was so greatly estéemed of Hazakia that he thought he could not doe them to much pleasure but made them priuie to all his treasure siluer and golde and whatsoeuer he had in his house or in any other parte of his Realme he * Bicause he was mooued with ambicion and vayne glorie and semed also to reioyce in the friendship of him that was Gods enimy the Lorde was displeased shewed it freely vnto them Wherefore the Lorde not content therewith commaunded Esay the Prophet to go and tell Hezakia That forasmuch as he had made the messengers of Babilon priuie to all the commodities of his lande The dayes shoulde come that all thinges which he had in his house and whatsoeuer his Fathers had layed vp in store before him shoulde be caryed to Babylon Then Hezakia knowing the Prophete to be the true messenger of God humbled himselfe and saide Thy worde O Lord is welcome vnto mée but yet I shall desire thee not to sende those cuils in my dayes but rather peace and truth He raigned .xxix. yeares and died ¶ Hezakia the strength of the Lorde or the Lordes holding 1. Tim. 1. d. Hymeneus after he had tasted of the worde of God and béene a professour of the same he fell awaye and became an vtter enimie and a spitefull rayler agaynst the doctrine of the Gospel of Christe denying the chiefest point and foundacion of the Gospel which is that the resurrection 2. Tim. 2. c. is past wherewith he destroyed the fayth of many persons For the which errour and other his rayling and ieastinges agaynst the truth of Gods woorde Paule excommunicated him that he thorowe correction might be ashamed of his faulte and tourne agayne to Christ ¶ Hymeneus a Maryage song or Bride song 2. Reg. 5. b. Hyram King of Tyre fauoured Dauid so much that he hearing that Dauid went about to builde hym an house sent hym both Tymber Workemen to finish the same Also when Salomon after the death of Dauid 3. Reg. 5. cap. 9. b. c. d. his Father sent to this King for woodde and Timber to buylde the Lordes Temple he praysed God
them all shoulde sée that good lande but Iosua and Caleb After Iosua 1. cap. the death of Moses the Lorde encouraged Iosua to inuade the lande of promise and gaue him commaundement to exercise himselfe continually in reading the booke of the Lawe called Deuteronomie Which he dulye obserued and read it to the people that they thereby might the better learne to looue and feare God and to obey him the Lordes minister â–ª He destroyed the Citie of Iericho onely reseruing Raab and hir housholde He brent the Citie of Hai and hanged the fiue Kings of the Amorites on fiue trées at whose discomfiting it rayned stones from heauen by the which mo were slayne than with the sworde and the Sunne also stoode still in his place and prolonged the day till Iosua had vtterly discomfited his enimies He slue in all first and last .xxxj. Kings and brought the children of Israel into the lande of promission and deuided the lande to the Tribes of Israel He dyed at the age of an hundred and ten yeres in whose steade Iuda was made gouernour of the Lordes armie ¶ Iosua the Lorde Sauiour Gen. 21. a. Isaac was the sonne of Abraham by his wyfe Sara and a figure of Christ for when his father went to 22. cap. * Some say that Isaac was sacrificed of his father in the xiii yeare of his age but Iosephus affirmeth it to be done in the xxv yeare offer him vp in sacrifice and comming to the Aultar and place where he shoulde dye he willingly offered himselfe to death that his father might in him fulfill the Lordes will. But being preserued of God till he came to the age of fortie yeares he then tooke to wyfe Rebecca 25. c. the daughter of Bathuel his fathers brother who being long barren at the last by the pleasure of God brought forth Esau and Iacob at one birth After this there fell 26. cap. such a dearth and famine in his countrie that he departed into the lande of the Philistines where Abimelech was king And as he remayned in Gerar the Lorde appeared to Isaac bidding him to remayne still in that place and not to remooue into Egypt and he would multiply his sede as the Starres of heauen and bring it so to passe that all Nations of the earth shoulde be blessed therein And so Isaac remooued not But for so much as he doubted of the feare of God to be in that place he durst not auouche Rebecca to be his wyfe but sayde she was his sister Reade the storie of Abimelech King of the Philistines for the playner declaration of this matter And now whyle Isaac remayned in the Countrie of Gerar God so encreased him with abundance of cattell and ryches that the Philistynes began to enuie and hate hym and stopped all the Welles which his father Abraham had made that he shoulde haue no commoditie thereby But notwithstanding he digged vp the Welles againe and called them by the same names that his father had giuen them before and became so mightie that Abimelech made a bonde with Isaac who feasted the King and departed friendes Finally with age he became blinde 27. a. and so was deceyued in giuing his blessing to Iacob which he thought to haue first bestowed on Esau but both by the will of God â—eing blessed of their father Isaac he fell sicke and dyed at the age of an hundred and lxxx yeres and was buried in Hebron ¶ Isaac Laughter 2. Reg. 2. c. Isboseth the sonne of King Saul at the age of fortie yeares began his reygne ouer Israel Whose onely 4. cap. staye and vpholder of his Kingdome was Abner after whose death two of his owne Captaynes slue Isboseth by treason in his owne house after he had reygned twoo yeares Reade the storie of Baanah ¶ Isboseth a man of sbame .4 Felix ante alios fratres ego dicor Iuda Non mihi uerba pater inuidiosa dedit Sed me uictorem dixit forteque Leonem Hostes qui superet viribus ecce suos ¶ Of Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah which slue Gedaliah reade the storie of Iohanan and Gedaliah both 2. Reg. 15. d. Ithai was a Gethite borne and bare such loue to Dauid that he left his owne Countrey to come and sée Lyra sayeth that Ithai was the son of Achis king of Geth him and the fashion of his Court and as he continued there and sawe into what daunger Absalom had brought his father Dauid eyther to flie his Realme or to haue lost all he woulde take no part with Absalom but followed Dauid and left him not in this extremitie And when Dauid sawe him he sayd vnto him why commest thou with me Ithai returne I pray thée and bide with the King for thou art a straunger and come but yesterdaye and therefore I woulde be loth to disquiete thée Therefore returne and cary againe thy brethren and the Lorde shall she we thée mercie and truth Nay sayde Ithai as truly as God liueth and my Lorde the King lyueth in what place my Lorde the King shall be whether in lyfe or death euen there also will thy seruant be And so he went forwarde with Dauid and had rule ouer the thirde part of Dauids hoste in the suppression of Absalom ¶ Ithai Strong Gen. 29. d. 37. f. Iuda was the fourth sonne of Iacob Lea who would not consent to the death of Ioseph his brother but gaue counsell to sell him saying What shall it auayle vs my brethren to sley our brother and to kéepe hys bloude secrete let vs sell him to the Ismaâ—lites and not lay our handes vpon him for he is our fleshe and bloude â–ª After this he departed from his brethren to a place called 38. cap. Odollam where he remayned with a friende of hys called Hyra and in processe fell in loue with a mannes daughter called Sua a Canaanite borne and marryed hir who in time brought him forth thrée Sonnes The first Er The seconde Onan and the thirde Sela. The two first one after another he married to a certaine woman called Thamar but for their horrible sinne and wickednesse the Lorde slue them both Then Iuda fearing to marrye the thirde sonne vnto hir least he shoulde dye also sayde to his daughter in lawe remayne a Wydow at thy fathers house till Sela my sonne be growen she did so during which time the daughter of Sua dyed and Iuda became a wydower Nowe when the dayes of mourning were ended he went to a place called Thymnah taking his friende Hyra with him to sée his shéepe shearers Then Thamar hearing thereof and séeing Sela not giuen hir in marriage layde awaye hir Wydowes garment and disguising hir selfe lyke a common harlot went and sate hir downe in an open place by the hye wayes side going to Thymnah And as Iuda passed that way and sawe one sit muffled like an whore went vnto hir and sayde Come I pray thée let
me lye with thée What wilt thou giue me then quoth she I will quoth he sende thée a Kidde from the flocke Then leaue me a pledge quoth she till thou sende it What pledge shall I leaue quoth Iuda Thy Signet quoth she vppon thy finger thy Cloake and thy staffe He did so and laye with hir And comming to his flocke he tooke a Kid and sent it by his friende Hyra to receyue his pledges againe Who being come to the place and founde not the woman he asked of the men thereabout where the whoore was which sate in the way as they came They made him aunswere againe there was no whoore there Then he returned to Iuda and tolde him Well sayde Iuda let hir take it to hir least we be ashamed Nowe was Thamar conceyued with chylde and when she had gone thrée monthes the thing was espyed and tolde to Iuda that his daughter in lawe had played the whoore and was with chylde Then bring hir forth quoth he that she maye suffer according to the lawe And as she was ledde to the fire she sent the pledges to Iuda hir father in lawe saying by the same man to whome these things doe pertayne am I with chylde Then Iuda knowing his pledges sayde she is more righteous than I for she hath done this déede bicause I gaue hir not to Sela my sonne And so was the woman deliuered and brought him forth two sonnes at one birth Pharez and Gen. 49. b. Zarez Of this man Iuda it was prophecied that the Scepter shoulde not depart from him nor a Lawgiuer from betwéene his féete vntill * which was Christ Silo came ¶ Iuda a Praysing or Confession 1. Mac. 2. a. Iudas Machabeus the thirde sonne of Mathathias the Iewe was a valiaunt man in his fayth and of an inuincible courage In so much that he ouercame Appolonius 3. cap. Seron twoo mightie Princes of Siria which came against him And with thrée thousande men he put Gorgias to flight which stole vpon him by night and vanquished 4. cap. Lisias the Lieutenant of King Antiochus and his sonnes and with them fourtie thousande footemen and seuen thousand horsemen and slue of them fiue thousande Afterwarde in Galilea he slue of the hoste of Tymotheus 5. cap. an other of the Kinges Captaynes first thrée thousande and afterwarde eyght thousande After that by a 7. f. g. valley called Adarsa he with a thousand fought with Nicanor a Captayne of King Demetrius and nyne thousande with him at the which battell Nicanor was slayne and of the nyne thousande almost none escaped Finallye 9. a. b. to much trusting in his prosperitie in warres in going against Bachides a Captayne of King Demetrius who had a great hoste and taking with him but twoo thousand of which at the last remained with him but only .viij. hundred he fought till it was night and made a woonderfull slaughter of enimies But while he forced himselfe to come to Bachidis the which was on the right winge of the battell he fought so nobly that he escaped that winge sleying many about him Finallye being enuironed with the left winge and striken with manye woundes was slayne with much difficultie ¶ Iudas A praysing c. 1. Mac. 16. Iudas the sonne of Symon the sonne of Mathathias dyd manfully assist Iohn his brother agaynst Cendebeus a. b. c. Captaine of Antiochus host and was at the same tyme sore wounded and afterwarde most trayterously murdered with Symon his father at a Banket which Ptolomy made them at his castle called Doche. Luk. 6. c. Iudas the sonne of Alphe and brother to Iames is called in the tenth of S. Mathew Lebbeus and is surnamed Thaddeus When Christ sayde vnto his Disciples Iohn 14. c. that he woulde shew himselfe vnto them and not vnto the worlde Iudas asked him the cause why he woulde shewe himselfe vnto them and not vnto the worlde He made an Iude. 1. cap. Epistle in the which he Admonisheth all Churches generallye The last part of this historie I finde in the argument before the Epistle of Iude. Geneua to take héede of deceyuers which went about to drawe the hearts of the simple people from the truth of God whome he setteth foorth in their liuely colours shewing by diuers examples of the Scriptures that horrible vengeaunce is prepared for them Finally he comforteth the faythfull and exhorteth them to continue in the Doctrine of the Apostles of Iesus Christ Math. 10. ◠Iudas iscariote the sonne of Symon of Canaan one of the Apostles of whom it was afore hande written to be the sonne of perdicion had a great conscience in the Iohn 12. a. precious oyntment that Mary powred vppon Christes heade that it was not solde for thrée hundred pence and giuen to the poore but to sell his maister for thirtie pence Math. 26. b. c and to be guyde to them that tooke him to betraye hym with a kysse he had no conscience at all vntill he sawe his mayster condemned and then he repented and had the thirtie pence agayne vnto the hye Priestes and Elders cap. 27. 1. saying that he had sinned in betraying the innocent bloud Act. 1. c. and so departed in great desperacion and hanged himselfe whose bodye brast a sundry in the middest so that all his bowels gushed out Act. 5. g. Iudas of Galile rose vp after Theudas what time as the whole worlde was taxed by the commaundement of Augustus Cesar and taught the people that for as much as they were dedicated vnto God they ought not to paye Tribute to Emperours which were woorshippers of false goddes whereby he drewe to his faction a great part of the commons who at the last were all brought to naught and Iudas himselfe slayne Act. 9. b. Iudas a Citizen of Damasco to whose house the Lorde sent Ananias to séeke Saule of Tharsus who was hosted there Iudith 8. cap. Iudith the daughter of Merari was a bewtifull woman vnto the which was ioyned such vertue and godlinesse that all men spake good of hir Hir husbands name was Manasses who at the daye of his death left hir great riches She dwelt in the Citie of Bethulia and was a woman of great Chastitie Nowe during the time of hir widowhead it chaunced Holofernes to come and besiege the Citie of Bethulia of whome the Iewes were so afrayde that they wyste not what to doe but commit themselues to God for he had destroyed all their water condites so that they must eyther sterue or yéelde of force Then ranne the people to Osias the hye Priest crying vpon him to yéelde and giue euer the citie to Holofernes least they shoulde all perishe who exhorted them to tarye fiue dayes longer for the mercie of God and if he helped them not in that space he woulde doe as they had sayde Then Iudith who all this whyle had kept hir house in prayer
kylled hir After this hir father tooke hir from Dauid and gaue hir to * Loke in the hystorie of Psaltei howe he vsed Michol Dauids wyfe Psaltei the sonne of Lays to wyfe with whome she remayned tyll the death of Saule and then was restored agayne to Dauid by Abners meanes Finally when Dauid came dauncing before the Arke of God in his shyrte â–ª to the Citie of Dauid it chauncâ—d Michol to looke out at a window and beholding the King how he leaped and daunced before the Arke she began to despise hym in hir heart â–ª and méeting him after all thinges were done she sayde O how glorious was the King of Israel this daye which was vncouered to day in the eyes of the Maydens of his seruaunts as a foole vncouereth himselfe And for thus despising of Dauid the seruaunt of God the Lorde plagued hir with Baraynesse that she neuer â–ª had Childe ¶ Michol who is perfect 2. Reg. 4. b. Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas was lame in his féete by reason his nurse by misfortune in his infancie let him fall to the grounde out of hir armes and was brought vp and nourished after the death of his father 9. cap. in the hâ—uie of Machir tyll Dauid comming to his Kingdome tooke him from thence and restored him to all the lande of King Saule making Ziba his seruaunt chiefe ouerséer and nâ—câ—yuâ—r of the landes and to sée Micah his maysters sonne well brought vp and cherished for so much as Miphiboseth shoulde remayne with hym and eatâ— and drincke at his owne boorde â–ª Now after this when Dauid was brought into so great affliction trouble by reason of Absalom his sonnâ— Miphiboseth remayned still at Ierusalem and neuer â–ª remooued But Ziba 2. Reg. 16. â— his seruaunt went after Dauid with a present and by false report of Miphiboseth his mayster got hys lande from hym â–ª And when the King was returned and come to Ierusalem â–ª agayne then Miphiboseth who had neyther 19. â— washed his féete nor dressed his bearde nor washed his clothes from the tyme the King departed vntill he returned in peace went out to méete him and when the King sawe him he sayde Wherefore wentest thou not with mée Miphiboseth He aunswered My Lorde O King my seruaunt deceyued mée for thy seruaunt sayde I woulde haue myne Asse sadled to ryde thereon for to go with the King bycause thy seruaunt is lame Therefore Ziba hath falsely accused thy seruaunt to my Lorde the King but my Lord the King is as an Angell of God Doe therefore what it pleaseth thée for all my Fathers house were but deade mâ—n before my Lord the King and yet dydst thou set thy seruaunt amonge them that dyd eate at thine owne table What right haue I to cry any more vnto the King Then sayde Dauid â–ª why speakest thou yet in thine owne cause I haue sayde Thou and Ziba deuide the lande betwéene you Yea sayde Miphiboseth let him take all séeing my Lord the King is come home in peace ¶ Miphiboseth shame or confusion from the mouth â— Reg. 21. b. Miphiboseth the sonne of Rizpa King Sauls Concubine was of the Gibeonits with his brother Armony hanged for their fathers offence Exo. 6. c. Miriam was the daughter of Amram Iochebed and sister to Aaron and Moses When hir brother Moses 15. c. had brought the children of Israel thorow the redde Sea Miriam the Prophetesse tooke a Tymbrell in hir hande with other women following in like sorte and began ioyfully to sing and daunce their song was this Sing yée vnto the Lorde for he hath triumphed gloriously The horse and ryder hath he ouerthrowen in the Sea. After this she grudged agaynst Moses because he had taken a Num. 12. cap. woman of Inde to his wyfe wherefore the Lorde smote hir with Leprosie Then Moses partly for pittie and partly at the intercession of Aaron his brother besought the Lorde to heale hir who made hym aunswere saying If hir father in anger had spitte in hir face shoulde she not haue béene ashamed seauen dayes Let hir be shut out of the hoste seauen dayes which being doone she was restored and receyued in agayne Finallye when 20. 2. Moses and the children of Israel were come to Cades there she dyed and was buryed ¶ Miriam exalted or reaching Dan. â— b. 3. ca. Misach first called Misael was one of Daniels companions and one of the thrée which was cast into the whote burning Ouen and myraculously preserued ¶ Misach prolonging or drawing to him or compassing the waters or hedging 3. Esd 2. b. Mithridatus was King Cyrus treasurer at whose commaundement he deliuered all the holye vessels of golde and siluer pertayning to the house of the Lorde to Salmanasar the Deputie in Iewrie The number of which vessels was fiue thousand eyght hundred and thrée score ¶ Mithridatus dissoluing the lawe Act. 21. d Mnason was a certayne godlye man and a Cyprian borne who had of long tyme beléeued the Gospell in whose house Paul was hosted at Ierusalem ¶ Mnason a searcher out or promising or remembring Exod. 2. cap. Moyses the sonne of Amram and Iochebed was myraculously preserued at his byrth For where as Pharao the King of Egipt had straightly commaunded the Moses signifieth preserued from the water Mydwyues that whensoeuer they saw an Hebrue bring soorth a man chylde they shoulde cast it into the ryuer yet Moses being borne a proper childe was notwithstanding the Kinges commaundement kept secretlye thrée monthes And when his parents coulde hide him no longer they closed him in a basket made of réede or Bulrushes dawbed with slyme and pitch and layd him in the ryuer And as the childs sister stoode looking what should become of him it came to passe that King Pharaos * Hir name was Termuth daughter came awalking by the ryuer syde who séeing the basket â—leting vppon the ryuer caused one of hir folkes to take it vp â–ª And when she had opened the basket and sawe the Childe she had pittie vpon it and caused the Mayde his sister to fet hir a Nurse who went and brought his owne mother And so the childe being nursed brought vp in Pharaos house was instructed from his Childehoode in all maner cunning and wisedome of the Egiptians and became mightie in wordes and déedes Howe that Moyses impediment of speach came The king on a time for his daughters sake tooke the childe in hys armes and set the crown vppon hys heade which Moses as it were chyldishly playing hurled to the grounde and with hys foote spurned it At the whiche the Priest cryed out saying that this was he of whome it was prophecied that he should destroy Egipt Then Termuth excused the chylde alleaging his infancie and sacke of discretion And for proofe thereof caused burning coales to be put to hys mouth which the child with his tongue licked
that when the children of Israel had committed whooredome with the daughters of Moab and saw an Israelite named Zamry bring to his brethren a Madianitishe wyfe named Cozby euen in the sight of Moses and all the multitude of Israel that stoode before the doore of the Tabernacle lamenting their offence he tooke his weapon in his hande and followed the man into his Tent and thrust them both thorowe the bellyes and killed them And then the plague wherein were dead foure an twentie thousande ceased For the which déede the Lorde sayde to Moses Phinehes the sonne of Eleazar hath turned awaye mine anger from the children of Israel whyle he was gelious for my sake among them that I had not consumed them all in my gelousie Wherefore I giue vnto him my couenaunt of peace to him and to his séede after him euen the Couenaunt of the Priestes office for euer because he was gelous for his Gods sake and made attonement for the Children of Israel Pilate was Liefetenaunt of Iewrye when Annas Caiphas were the hye Priestes who with the Scribes and Elders of the Iewes sate in counsayle vppon Iesus nowe betrayed vnto them by Iudas how and by what meanes they might dispatch hym out of the waye But hauing no aucthoritie to condemne or put hym to death they brought hym bounde vnto Pylate the temporall Iudge Saying howe that they had founde him peruerting the people and forbidding trybute to Cesar and calling himselfe a king Pilate hearing this demaunded of him whither he were a King or no. Iesus neyther denying nor affirming that he was made aunswere that Pilate himselfe had sayde so Then Pilate sayde vnto all his accusers how that in examining of Iesus he coulde not sée that he had offended in anye such thing as they had charged him withall The people than more vehementlye affirmed how that he had with his teaching and preaching which he first began in Galile mooued all Iewry to follow his doctrine When Pilate perceyued the man to be of Galile and that his matter pertayned to Herods iurisdiction he sent hym foorthwith to Herode lying at Ierusalem Who of a long tyme had béene desirous to sée hym But when as Herode had demaunded many things of him and coulde haue no aunswere agayne he dispised and mocked hym and so returned hym backe agayne to Pilate clothed all in white And from that daye foorth Pilate and Herode were euermore friendes who before were enimies Then Pilate for so much as Herode had sent Iesus backe agayne and done nothing vnto hym and that neyther he nor Herode coulde finde anyething in him woorthie of death would haue chastyned Iesus and so let him go But the hyghe Priestes layed so manye thinges agaynst him that Pilate after he had reasoned a little with Iesus concerning his Kingdome and other thinges went and sate in iudgement knowing right well in his conscience that the Priestes of verye enuie had deliuered Iesus vnto him And being set downe vpon the iudgement seate his wyfe sent to hym saying Haue thou nothing to doe with that iust man for I haue suffered manye thinges this daye in a dreame by reason of hym Which counsell of his wyfe nor yet his owne knowledge did any thing the more mooue him to defende the innocencie of Christ but asked of the people which of these twoo they woulde haue quitte Barrabas or Iesus and they sayde Barrabas What shall I then doe quoth he with Iesus which is called Christ They all saide let hym be Crucified What euill or great offence hath hée done quoth Pilate that deserueth death The people being much more eager than they were before cryed out amayne to haue him Crucified When Pilate saw this that he coulde not preuayle agaynst them he tooke water and washed his handes saying I am innocent of the bloud of this iust person in the which saying he bare witnesse of his innocencie before he condemned him And so delyuering Iesus to the Souldiours they scourged him and arayed him in purple with a crowne of thorne vpon his heade In which sorte Pilate brought hym foorth agayne and sayde to the people Beholde I bring hym foorth to you that yée may knowe that I finde no fault in him And when Iesus appeared before them Pilate said Beholde the man which he spake in mockerye bicause that Christ had called him selfe a king And when the hye Priestes and Officers sawe hym they cryed out Crucifige Crucifige Then saide Pilate take him to you and Crucifie hym for I can finde no cause of death in the man They aunswered agayne and sayde It is not lawfull for vs to put any man to death but we haue a lawe by our lawe he ought to dye bycause he made hymselfe the Sonne of god When Pilate hearde this he was afrayde and went agayne into the iudgement Hall and demaunded of Iesus what he was but he made hym no aunswere Then Pilate sayde Why speakest thou not Doest thou not sée that it lyeth in my handes eyther to kyll or saue thée To that he made aunswere and sayde Thou couldest haue no power at all agaynst mée except it were giuen thée from aboue therefore he that deliuered mée vnto thée hath the more sinne from that tyme foorth Pilate sought by all meanes to deliuer hym But the Iewes cryed vppon hym saying If thou let him go thou arte not Cesars friende for whosoeuer maketh himselfe a King speaketh agaynst Cesar When Pilate hearde them say so he brought Iesus foorth and sate him downe in the Iudgement seate saying vnto the people Beholde your King they cryed awaye with him away with him crucifie hym What quoth Pilate shall I crucifye your King To that the hyghe Priestes made aunswere and sayde We haue no King but Cesar At that woorde Pilate delyuered Iesus to be crucifyed and being brought to the place of execution and spreade vpon the Crosse Pilate caused this tytle to be set ouer his heade Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes which was written in Hebrue Gréeke and Latine that all Nacions might vnderstande it With the which writing the hyghe Priests were offended sore and woulde haue had Pilate to correct it and not to write him King of the Iewes but that he sayde I am King of the Iewes Well quoth Pilate What I haue written that haue I written Priscilla looke Aquila Ptolomy King of Egipt had a fayre daughter named Cleopatra the which he gaue to Alexander the sonne of noble Antiochus in Mariage which was solemly and with great Royaltie finished in the Citie of Ptolomais But notwithstanding this great bonde of Amitie nowe knit betwéene them Ptolomy afterwarde withdrew his fauour from Alexander and sought by all meanes howe he might defeate him of his Kingdome And thinking to bring his purpose nowe better to passe whyle Alexander hymselfe laye out of his Realme he prepared a great hoste and tooke his iourney into Siria where into euerye
spéede after him who came to Paule at Corinth Silpha was hand mayde or seruaunt to Lea who being giuen by hir mystresse consent to Iacob to wyfe brought him foorth twoo sonnes Gad and Aser Siluanus was a great setter foorth of the Gospell with Paule and Timotheus as is mencioned in the first and seconde epistle to the Thessalonians first Chapters Simeon was a blessed olde man dwelling in Ierusalem which longed sore for the comming of Messias And where as he had prayed vnto God to giue hym the gift that he might but once sée him with his bodyly eyes before he departed out of this worlde he receyued an answere of the holy Ghost that he shoulde not sée death vntill he had séene Christ with his fleshly eyes which he had séene many aday before with the eyes of his fayth And when the tyme came that the Childe Iesus shoulde bée brought into the Temple by his parents Symeon by the inspiracion of the holy Ghost came into the Temple a little before them and when he had séene all things done by the Priest according to the lawe he of a godly zeale tooke the Babe in his armes also and sayde Lorde now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy promise For mine eyes hath séene thy saluasion which thou hath prepared before the face of all people A light to lighten the Gentils and the glory of thy people Israel And when he had blessed the Babe he sayde to Mary the childes mother Beholde this childe is set to be the fall and vprising agayne of many in Israel and for a signe which is spoken against And moreouer the swoorde shall pierce thy soule that the thoughtes of many hearts may be opened Symon the seconde sonne of Mathathias was a man of great wysedome and the hygh Priest among the Iewes He helped much his brother Iudas Ionathas in the warres and after the death of Iudas he discomfited Bachides and was made Captayne ouer the Iewes after the apprehension of Ionathas and ouercame Antiochus But in the ende he was of Ptolomy his sonne in lawe most trayterously murthered Symon of the Tribe of Beniamin being a Ruler of the Temple what time as Onias was the high Priest went about to worke much mischiefe in the Citie of Ierusalem And when he sawe that he coulde not ouercome Onias and the other Priestes that resisted hym he got him to Appolonius which then was Gouernour of Celosiria and Phineces and tolde him that the Treasurye in Ierusalem was full of innumerable money which dyd not belong to the prouision of the sacrifice and that it were possible that these thinges might come to the Kings hands But when this bewrayer of the money and of his owne naturall Countrye sawe the great plague that fell on Heliodorus which was sent for the money and that his cursed deuise coulde take no place then he fell to rayling and slaundering of Onias reporting of hym that he had mooued Heliodorus to that malicious enterprice yea so much increased his malice against the godly man Onias that he could not speake well of him Wherefore Onias the malice of Symon compelling him therevnto complayned on Symon to Seleucus the King to haue him reformed Symon of Ceren the Father of Alexander and Rufus was compelled to beare Christes Crosse when he went to his passion It was the custome to make hym that was condempned to carye his Crosse And forasmuch as Iesus was not able to do it for weakenesse they tooke Symon as he came out of the fielde and made hym to beare it after Iesus Simon a certaine Pharisey inuited Iesus to hys Table And Iesus sitting at meate with him there came in a certayne woman with an Alabaster bore of oyntment who stoode behinde him wéeping and beganne to washe his féete with teares and to wype them with the heares of hir heade That done she kissed them and annoynted them with hir swéete oyntment Then Simon which had well marked all hir doings spake within himselfe saying if this man were a Prophete he woulde surely haue knowen who and what maner of woman this is which toucheth him for she is a sinner To whose thought Iesus aunswered and sayde Simon I haue somewhat to saye vnto thée saye on Maister quoth he There was a certayne lender which had two detters the one ought fiue hundred pence and the other fiftie And when they had nothing to paye he forgaue them both which of them therefore tell me will loue him moste Simon sayde I suppose that he will loue him best to whome he forgaue most Thou hast truely sayde quoth he Then Iesus turning vnto the woman sayde to Simon féest thou this woman I entred into thyne house and thou gauest mée no water to my féete but she hath washed my féete with teares and wyped them with the heare of hir heade thou gaue me no kisse but she since the time she came in hath not ceassed to kisse my féete Mine heade with oyle thou didst not annoint but she hath annoynted mine heade with oyntment Wherefore I say vnto thée that many sinnes are forgiuen hir for she loued much to whome a little is forgiuen will loue a little Simon Magus which had of a long time seduced the people of Samaria with his sorcery and witchcraft was had in so great estimation among the multitude euen from the hyest to the lowest that they counted him Gods felowe and to worke all things by his power so much were they giuen to followe the illusions of Satan more than the truth of god But when Simon had heard the preaching of Philip and séene his myracles and the number of people conuerted to the fayth of Christ he was forced himselfe also by the maiestie of Gods worde to confesse the truth And so to couer his hypocrisie dissembled to beléeue and was baptised and continued with Philip. But after this when Peter and Iohn were come from Ierusalem and had layde their handes on the people by the which the holy Ghost was giuen Simon coueting to haue that gift as well as they offered the Apostles money to gyue him the power to doe the same To whome Peter sayde Thy money perishe wyth thée bicause thou wéenest that the gift of God may be obtayned with money thou hast neyther part nor followshippe in this businesse for thy heart is not right in the sight of God Repent therefore of this thy wickednesse and pray God that the thoughtes of thine heart maye be forgyuen thée for I perceyue that thou art full of bytter gall and wrapped in iniquitie Then sayde Simon pray ye vnto the Lord for me that none of these things which ye haue spoken fall on me And so they left him full of malice and deuilish poyson tyed in the bondes of Satan ¶ Of Simon the sonne of Onias whose prayse is set out Eccle. 50. ¶ Simon one of Christes kinsemen Math.
the Garpen as hir maner was with twoo of hir Maydens onely to wash hir selfe these twoo hidde themselues in the Garden agaynst hir comming And assoone as the Maydens had shut the Drcharde doores and were gone for Oyle and Sope for their Mystresse the twoo Elders came vppon Susanna and sayde The Garden doores be nowe shut that no man can sée vs and we burne in lust towardes thée therefore consent and lye with vs if thou wilt not we will beare witnesse agaynst thée that a yoong man was in the Drchard with thée and therefore thou senâ—t away thy Maydens Then Susanna sighed and sayde If I doe followe your minds it will be my death and if I consent not vnto you I cannot escape your handes It is better for mée to fall into your handes without the déede dooing than to sinne in the sight of the Lorde and with that cryed out with a lowde voyce and the Elders cryed out agaynst hir which clamour on both parties was so great that it was hearde among the Seruauntes without which ranne to the Orcharde doore and burst it open to sée what the matter was And when the seruaunts had heard the Elders report of Susanna they were greatly ashamed for there was neuer such a reporte made of Susanna before And so on the next morowe the twoo Elders full of mischieuous imaginacions declared the matter to Ioachym hir husband to bring hir to death And when she was come with hir father and mother hir Children and all hir kinne to be iudged according to the law she stoode before the twoo wicked Iudges with hir face couered who commaunded to take the cloth from hir face that at the least they might be satisfied with hir bewtie which thing being done The Iudges stoode vp and layed their handes vpon the heade of Susanna saying As we were walking in the Orcharde alone this woman came in with hir twoo Maydens whom she sent awaye from hir making fast the Orcharde doore after them Then starte their vp a yoong fellowe which laye hidde in the Garden and went vnto hir laye with hir Then we which stoode in a corner séeing this wickednesse â—anne vnto them and saw them as they were togither but we coulde not holde the fellowe for he was stronger than we and got open the doore and leaped out And when we demaunded of hir what fellow it was she woulde not tell vs This is the matter and we be witnesse of the same Then Susanna cryed out and sayde O euerlasting God thou searcher of heartes thou that knowest all things before they come â–ª to passe â–ª thou wotest that they haue borne false witnesse agaynst mée And beholde I muste dye whereas I neuer intended anye such thing as these men haue maliciously ymagined agaynst mée And as she was ledde towarde the place of execution the Lorde of Heauen which hearde hir prayer raysed vp the spirite of a little Childe called Daniel who cryed with a lowde voyce â–ª saying I am cleane from the bloude of this woman And when the people hearde that they stayed to knowe of the Childe what he ment by his woordes O yée Children of Israel sayde he are yée such fooles that without examinacion and knowledge of the truth ye haue condemned a daughter of Israel returne agayne to iudgement for they haue borne false witnesse agaynst hir Then the people went backe agayne and the Elders tooke Daniel and set him among them in iudgement Who when he had commaunded the twoo false witnesses to be seuered that he might examine them he called the one before hym and sayde O thou that arte olde in a wicked lyfe nowe thy sinâ—es which thou hast committed afore tyme are come to light Tell mée vnder what Trée thou sawest this woman and the yoong fellowe togither he sayde vnder a Mulbery Trée Now veryly quoth Daniel thou hast lyed and arte woorthy of death in that thou hast oppressed the innocent and letten the guiltie go frée contrarie to the woordes of the Lorde which sayth The innocent and righteous sée thou slay not Then he called the other and sayde O thou séede of Canaan but not of Iuda Bewtie hath disceyued thée and lust hath subverted thine heart Thus haue ye dealt with the daughters of Israel and they for feare consented vnto you but the daughters of Iuda woulde not abyde your wickednesse Now tell mée vnder what Trée dyddest thou take them companying togither He aunswered vnder a Pyne Trée Nowe verily sayde Daniel thou hast lyed also agaynst thine head The messenger of the Lord standeth wayting with the swoorde to cut thée in twoo and so to destroye you both And with that the whole assembly cryed with a lowde voyce and praysed God which so myraculously had preserued Susanna that daye And so fell vppon the twoo wicked Iudges and according to the law of Moses put them both to death ¶ Susanna one of those godly women which followed Christ and his Apostles relieuing them with hir substaunce as much as laye in hir power T. TAddeus was one of the twelue Apostles Act. 24. a. Tartullus was a certayne Dratour the which Ananias the hye Priest had brought with him to informe Felix the ruler agaynst Paule And when Paule was brought foorth Tartullus began to accuse hym saying Séeing that we lyue in great quietnesse by the meanes of thée and that many good thinges are done vnto this nacion thorowe thy prouidence that we euer alowe and in all places most mightie Felix with all thanks Notwithstanding that I be not tedyous vnto thée I praye thée that thou wouldest heare vs of thy curtesie a few words For we haue founde this man a Pestilent fellowe and a moouer of debate vnto all the Iewes thoroweout the Worlde and a maintayner of the sect of the Nazarites And hath also inforced to pollute the Temple whom we tooke and woulde haue iudged according to our law But the hygh captayne Lysias came vpon vs and with great violence tooke him away out of our handes commaunding his accusers to come vnto thée Of whome thou mayst if thou wilt inquyre knowe the certaynetie of all these thinges whereof we accuse him Tartullus a salsâ—reporter or a teller of tales a lyer Gen. 11. d. Terah was the sonne of Nahor the Sonne of Serug He at the age of seuentie yeres begot Abraham but he had before by an other wife Nahor and Haran All the dayes that Terah lyued were two hundred and fiue yere ¶ Terah Smelling ¶ Looke in the story of Abraham Rom. 16. d. Tercius was the name of him that wrote the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romaynes whyle Paule endited it saying on this wyse I Tercius salute you which wrote this Epistle in the Lord. ¶ Tercius a Latine worde 2. Reg. 13. a. b. c. d. Thamar the daughter of Dauid was so bewtiefull a yoong woman that Ammon hir brother fell sicke for hir loue And when she had visited Ammon at
with great rewardes And being mette togithers Triphon sayde to Ionathas Why hast thou caused this people to take such traueyle séeing there is no warre betwéene vs Therefore sende them home againe and choose certayne men to wayte vpon thée and come thou with mée to Ptclomais for I will giue it thée with other strong holdes for that is the onelye cause of my comming and so I must depart Then Ionathas beléeuing Triphon sent away his hoste all saue a thousande and so went with Triphon to Ptolomais And assoone as Ionathas and his men were entered the Citie the gates were shut and Ionathas put in warde all his men were 1. Mac. 13. a. b. c. d. slayne After this Triphon went into the lande of Iuda with a great hoste hauing Ionathas with hym in warde And when he had knowledge that Symon stoode vp in the steade of his brother Ionathas and that he woulde come agaynst him he sent worde to Symon that where as he kept Ionathas his brother in warde it was but for mony he ought in the Kings account and other businesse he had in hande Therefore if he woulde sende hym an hundred Talents of Siluer and the twoo sonnes of Ionathas to be their fathers suretie he would sende him home againe But Symon knewe his dissembling heart well ynough Yet neuerthelesse least he should be a greater enimie to the people of Israel and say an other daye that bycause he sent him not the money and the children therefore is Ionathas dead he sent him both the money and the Children Then Triphon hauing the money and Children kept Ionathas still and shortlye after put both the Father and his children to death Now Triphon to bring his long pretenced purpose about on a tyme as he walked abrode with the yoong King he most trayterously slue him and possessed the Realme and crowned himselfe King of Asia and dyd much hurte in the lande Finally Triphon 15. b. cap. was so behated of all men that when Antiochus the sonne of Demetrius came vpon him the most part of his owne hoste forsooke him and went to Antiochus who neuer left persecuting of Triphon till he made hym flée by shippe where he was neuer séene more ¶ Triphon a delicate and fine man. Act. 20. a. Trophimus was an Ephesian borne who went with Tichicus out of Asia to Troas to make all thinges ready agaynst Paules comming and abode there till Paule came from thence they went with Paule to Ierusalem where certaine Iewes which were of Asia mooued the people agaynst Paule complayning of hym that he 21. f. cap. had brought Gréekes with hym to polute the Temple bicause they saw Trophimus with him in the Citie whom they supposed Paule had brought into the Temple Gene. 4. c. d. Tubal was the sonne of Lamech by his wyfe Ada. And was the first that inuented the science of Musicke by the strokes and noyse of the hammers of his brother Tubalcain which was a Smith and the first finder out of Mettall and the woorking thereof Iubal was his brother by father and mother and Tubalcain onely by the Father for Zilla was his mother ¶ Tubal borne or brought or worldly ¶ Tubalcain Worldly possession V. VAsthi was a verye fayre woman and wyfe to Ahasuerus otherwise called Artaxerses King of Persia And bycause she woulde not come to the King when he sent for hir a lawe was deuised and made by the seuen Princes of Persia and Medea That forasmuch as it coulde not be chosen but that this déede of Quéene Vasthi must néeds come abrode into the eares of all women both Princes and other so dispise their husbandes and saye Thus and thus dyd Vasthi to Ahasuerus by which occasion much dispitefulnesse and wrath shoulde aryse The King shoulde therefore put hir awaye and take an other to the ende that all other women great and small shoulde holde their husbandes in more honour And so she was diuersed from the King and Hester receyued in hir place Vrban was a certayne faythfull Christian brother to whome Paule sent gréetings saying Salute Vrban our helper in Christ Vrias the Hethite was a man alwayes for the most part occupyed in the Kings warres with Ioab the Kings Captayne generall This Vrias had a fayre woman to his wyfe called Bethsabe whome King Dauid in his absence had got with childe And when the King had knowledge that the woman was conceyued he sent for Vrias to come home Who being come to the King and had tolde him of all thinges concerning Ioab and his men of warre The King bade him go home to his house and repose himselfe there a whyle with his wyfe And so Vrias being departed from the King went not home to his wyfe but laye without the Kinges gate he and all his men that night And when on the morowe the King had knowledge thereof he sent for Vrias demaunded why he went not home To whome he sayde The Arke of Israel and Iuda dwell in Tentes and my Lorde Ioab and the seruaunts of my Lorde abide in the open fields shall I than go into mine house to eate and drincke lye with my wyfe By thy lyfe and by the life of thy soule I will not doe this thing Then he was commaunded to tarye a daye or twoo more and the King wrote a letter to Ioab the Tenour whereof was this That he should set Vrias in the fore front of the battell where it was most sharpest to the intent he might be slayne And so Vrias departed from the King carying his owne death with him and was soone dispatched out of his lyfe Vriah was the hye Priest in the tyme of Ahaz King of Iuda And hauing the patterne of an Altar sent vnto hym by the King from Damasco to make hym the lyke agaynst hys comming home Vriah consented to the Kinges wicked minde and made the Altar and did whatsoeuer the King woulde haue him to doe without any regarde of the lawes of God. Vza and Ahio were the sonnes of Abinadab which wayted vpon the newe Cart whereon the Arke of God which was taken out of their fathers house to be caryed to the house of Obeth was layed And forasmuch as Vza of a good intent put foorth his hande to staye the Arke when the Oxen stumbled the Lorde smote hym for his fault that he dyed euen before the Arke Z. ZAbulon was the sixte sonne of Iacob and Lea. Of whome his father prophecied before his death saying Zabulon shall dwell by the Sea side and hée shal be an hauen for shippes his border shal be vnto Zidon Zachary was a certayne godlye Priest in the dayes of Herode King of Iewrye which came of the course or familie of Abia. And walked so perfectly in the ordinaunces and lawes of the Lorde that no man could iustly complayne on hym But he had no childe by his wyfe Elizabeth for she was barren
And when his course came to burne incense euening morning according to the lawe he went into the Temple And as he was in prayer an Angell appeared vnto him saying Feare not Zachary for thy prayer is hearde And thy wyfe Elizabeth shall beare thée a sonne and thou shalt call his name Iohn c. Whereby sayde Zachary shall I knowe this for I am olde and my wyfe olde also I am Gabriel quoth the Aungell which am sent vnto thée to shew thée these glad tydinges And beholde thou shalt be dumme and not able to speake vntill the day that these things be performed And so Zachary remayned speachelesse vntill the tyme came that his wyfe brought him foorth a sonne And when the childe shoulde be circumcised great controuersie was there about his name Some woulde haue him called Zachary some by one name some by an other and his mother woulde haue him called Iohn but to that woulde none agrée bycause there was none of the kinred so named Then they made signes to Zachary how he woulde haue his sonne called And he calling by signes for writing tables wrote therein His name is Iohn Whereat they all marueyled And immediatly the mouth of Zacharye was opened so that he spake and sayde Praysed be the Lorde God of Israel for he hath visited and redéemed his people c. Zacharia the sonne of Ieroboam King of Israel began his raygne in the eyght and thirtie yeare of Azaria King of Iuda and walked in the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat as dyd other before hym Hée had not raygned sixe monthes or that Sallum conspired against him and slue him euen in the face of the people raigned in his steade This Zacharia was the fourth and the last King of the generacion of Iehu which the Lord had promised shoulde sit on his seate after hym when he sayde Thy children vnto the fourth generacion after thée shall sit on the seate of Israel Zarah was one of the twoo twynnes which Thamar bare vnto Iuda at one birth who proffering to come forth before his brother put foorth his hande when the Mydwyfe had knit a redde thréede about it he pluckt in hys hande agayne and than his brother came out first whom they called Phares and than he with the redde thréede about his hande whome they called Zarah Zacharia the sonne of Iehoiada was an holye Prophet And when he sawe Ioas King of Iuda whome his father had trayned from his youth vp in the feare of god with all his people declined from the Lorde to the woorshipping of Idols and woulde not heare the Lordes admonicion sent by his prophets to call them home againe he stoode vp before the people sayde Why transgresse yée the commaundementes of the Lorde surelye it shall not prosper bycause yée haue forsaken the Lorde he also hath forsaken you For the which the King not regarding the kindnesse of Iehoiada his Father commaunded the people to stone him to death in the court of the house of the Lorde And as he suffered his martyrdome he desired the Lorde to reuenge his death and to requyre his bloude at their handes Zachy was a Publican and chiefe receyuer of the Kinges Tribute among them He was a very lowe man of stature And being much desirous to sée Iesus what maner a man he shoulde be made great meanes to sée him And when he sawe the prease so great that he coulde not he ranne before knowing which waye he woulde come and clymed vp into a wilde Figge trée And when Iesus saw him in the trée he sayde Zachy come downe at once for to day I must abyde at thy house And Zachy came downe receyued him ioyfully And shewing foorth the true fruites of repentaunce sayde Beholde Lorde the halfe of my goodes I giue to the poore and if I haue done any man wrong I restore him foure folde To whome Iesus sayde agayne This daye is saluacion come to this house forasmuch as thou art also become the sonne of Abraham Zaruia was Dauids sister Hir thrée Sonnes were Ioab Abisai and Asael Zedekia the fourth sonne of Iosia was one twentie yeare olde when Nabuchodonosor made him King of Iuda in the steade of Ieoacin his brothers sonne And made him take an othe of the Lorde faythfullye and truelye to serue the Chaldeis in token whereof hée chaunged hys name from Mathania to Zedekia This King suffered sinne and wickednesse so much to raygne in his lande as well among the heade rulers and Priestes as among the common sorte that God was forgotten his worde despised and his Prophets misused Wherefore the Lord styrred vp the Chaldeis with whom he had broke his league which came and destroyed the Citie of Ierusalem and the holy Temple of God with fyre as the Prophet Ieremie had sayde and tooke Zedekia the King his army being dispersed abrode in the playne of Iericho and brought him to the King of Babilon who first destroyed both his sonnes before his face and then pulled out the eyes of Zedekia and so caryed him to Babylon bounde with twoo chaynes where he dyed his people remayning in bondage vntill the dayes of Cyrus which was about thrée score and ten yeares Zedekia the sonne of Canaana was one of the false Prophets which deceyued Achab. And when Micheas the true Prophet of God spake agaynst them this Zedekia smote him on the Chéeke saying When went the spirit of the Lorde from mée to speake vnto thée Well sayde Micheas Thou shalt sée in that daye when thou shalt go from Chamber to chamber to hide thée Zelaphead the Sonne of Hepher the sonne of Gilead the Sonne of Machir the Sonne of Manasses the sonne of Ioseph had fiue daughters who forasmuch as their father dyed in the Wildernesse without male issue and was none of those that rebelled agaynst the Lorde in the Congregacion of Chore They requyred of Moses to haue a possession among their fathers brethren least the name of their Father shoulde be vtterlye taken awaye from among his kinred Whose request God alowed and bade Moses giue them a possession among their brethren and to make a law that whosoeuer dyed without a sonne his inheritaunce should turne to his daughter If he haue no daughter to his brethren If he haue no brethren to his Fathers brethren If his father haue no brethren than it shoulde turne to the next of the kinne And also to stabishe their inheritaunce that it should not be remooued thorow mariage into an other Tribe an order was taken that no Tribe shoulde marry with an other Tribe but euery Tribe shoulde mary with whom he lyst among his owne Tribe and kinred And so the daughters of Zelaphead were maryed to their Fathers brothers sonnes which were of the kinred of Manasses the Sonne of Ioseph by which meanes their inheritaunce remayned styll in the Tribe and kinred of their Father Zenas was