were left in the midst of their enemies to practise armes pa. ead Stratagems of Marius and Cyrus pa. 56 Seuentie gouernours chosen vnder Moses pa. 57 The Leuites tents about the Tabernacle pa. ead The placing of the foure Standarts of the Hebrewes page 58 The marching of the Hebrue camp pa. 59 Xerxes great army pa. ead Chiefe and strong forts of the Gentiles pa 60 The Hebrewes named of the Egiptians Hicsos pa. 61 Of the seuerall standarts of the Gentiles pa. 62 The setting vp of the Tabernacle and dedication of the Aultar pa. 63 The multitude of Temples and Aultars among the Gentiles pa 64 Superstitious fondnesse of the Gentiles pa. 65 The victories of Moses and diuers kings pa. 66 The battell at Riphidim pa. ead The ouerthrowe of the Canaanites and Arad their king by the Hebrewes pa. 67 Of diuers and sundrie vowes of the Gentiles pa. 68. 69 Of diuers Heathenish feasts pa. 70 Espialls sent by Ioshua to Canaan pa 71 Fearful reports in warres are dangerous pa. 72 Diuers stratagemes pa. ead A Romaine Stratagem pa. 73 The stratageme of Clearchus pa. 74 Disobedience punished pa. 75 The vnthankefulnesse of the Hebrewes for so many great victories pa. 76 Martiall punishment pa. ead 600000. died for disobedience in the wildernesse pa. 77 The great obedience of all creatures to God pa. ead The offences of Moses and Aaron at the water of Meribah pa. 78 The martial lawes in Egipt pa. ead The martiall lawes in Persia pa. 79 The martiall lawe of the Romanes and of the Lacedemonians pa. ead The charge of a new army giuen to Ioshua pa. 80 Commendations of Generalls among all nations pa. ead Pirrhus forsooke Italy pa. ead Elephants first seene in Rome pa. ead A stratagem of Hanibal against the Romanes pa. 81 A stratagem of the Romanes against Hambal pa. ead The ouerthrow of Iericho by sounding of rammes hornes pa. 82 Signes giuen of victories pa. 83 Logio fubinnea pa. 84 The straunge fashions of diuers nations in their warres pa 85 Pirrhus brought elephants to Lucania in Italy pa. 86 The numbring of the Hebrewes of their souldiers pa. 87 The maner and custome of the Romanes and Persians when their souldiers goe to warres pa. ead The battels at Iahaz and Edzei pa 88 Cyrus for his languages and Mithridates for his memorie pa. Ead. Fiue kings ioyned against Ioshua pa. 89 The victory of Ioshua at Gibeon pa. ead Valerianus taken by Sapor king of Persia pa. 90 Pazaites the Turke takē by Tamberlane pa. ead Cratippus saying to Pompey pa. 91 The sunne stayed ouer Gibeon pa. ead Stratagems of Brutus and Hircius pa. 92 The diuers orders of the Heathens going to their warres pa. 93 Amphictions Iudges of Greece pa. 95 Xantippus sent from Sparta to Carthage pa. ead Conons stratagem pa. 96 Byzantium now called Constantinople pa. ead The olde custome of the Romanes and Persians in choosing theyr kings pa. 97 Description of Xerxes Agesilaus Caesar Darius and others pa 98 The battella◅ Besecke pa. 99 The tyrannie of Adonizebech pa. 100 A signe of Periander sent to Thrasibulus pa. ead The stratagem of Ehud Iudge of Israel pa. 101 What kinde of men were Generals and Iudges in Israel pa. 102 Gedeon chosen Iudge and General in Israel pa. ead Gedeons stratagē against the Madianites pa. 103 Stratagems of Antiochus Pericles pa. 104 Pompeys stratagem pa. 105 The vnthankefulnesse of the Israelites pa. 106 The victory at Marathon pa. 107 The Romanes brag of their victorie by Marius ouer the Cymbrians pa. ead The Scythians brag of their victorie ouer the Persians pa. ead The arke of couenant pa. 108 Iephtha threatned to bee burned pa. 109 42000. of the Ephramites slaine pa. ead The tyrannie of Cynna and Maririus pa. 110 Kings sacrificed their daughters to please their Idols pa. ead Difference of sacrifices pa. 111 The great sacrifice of Sampson pag. 112 The Priesthood taken from the house of E◅ pa. 113 The gouernment taken from the house of Samuel pa. 114 Tenne Tribes forsooke Rhehoboam pa. ead The care of all nations for education of their children pa. 115 Israel cryed for a king pa. 116 The trees and frogs would haue a king pa. ead Ionathans victorie at Michmash pa. 117 The disobedience of Saul pa. 118 Saul slew himselfe in mount Gilboah pa. 119 Sauls head set vp in the temple of Dagon pa. ead Traitors rewards pa. 120 Treason hath better successe then traitors haue pa. 121 Traitors odious to the olde Romanes pa. ead Uiriatus named the second Haniball pa. 122 Matters contained in the second Booke VNiust and vnnecessary warres page 123 Dauid the second king of Israel his battels and victories pa. 124 Pollicie of Generals and Captaines pa. 125 Europe scant inhabited in Dauids time pa. ead The Aromites and Philistines brought vnder Dauid pa. 126 The Romane Gouernors vnder diuers Prouinces pa. ead Dauid put garrison in Edom. pa. 127 The lawe of Armes broken by the Ammonites against Dauid pa. 128 Alcibiades and Ionathans stratagem pa. ead Demetrius stratagem and others pa. 129 Tributes paide to Israel by the Edomites and others pa. 130 Tributes paid to the kings of Egipt by Ioseph pa. 131 What manner of tributes the olde Romanes and latter Romaines had pa. 132 Tributes paid to the Persians pa. ead Composition of peace betweene the Romanes and the Carthagineans pa. ead The sinnes of Dauid punished pa. 133 The tragicall ende which Dauid sawe on his children pa. 134 Diuers stratagems in rauishing of virgins pa. 135 The first sacking of Ierusalem by Shesac pa. 136 The first battell of ciuill warres between Iudah Israel pa. ead Fiue hundred thousand Israelites slaine pa. 137 The comparison of the Hebrewes with the Romanes pa. ead The enemie of Rome was Italy pa. 138 The enemie of Iudah was Israel pa ead The crueltie of Marius and Sylla in Rome pa. 139 Good counsell of the Prophets not obeyed pa. ead The great victory of the king of Iudah ouer the Aethiopiās pa. 140 Good kings prayed for victories pa. 141 The victory of Iosaphat pa. ead Three hundred Fabians slaine at the battell of Crunera pa. 142 Praiers commenaed compared pa. 143 Iudah vexed by the Aromites pa. 144 The blaspemy of Senacherib punished pa. 145 Ieremy and Michah both striken and put in prison pa. 146 Elias fled from Iezabel pa. 147 Two and thirtie kings came with Benhadad against Achab. pa. 150 Achabs words to Benhadad pa. ead Diuers great blasphemers punished pa. 151 The second victory of Achab ouer Benhadad pa. 152 Ieremy preached the destruction of Ierusalem pa. 154 The foure bornes which Zachary sawe pa. 155 Semyramis stratagem in India pa. 156 The stratagems of Cyrus and Tomyris in Scythia pa. 157 Moses stratagem pa. 158 Alexander his victory ouer king Porus pa. 159 The great treasure which Alexander found in Persia pa. 160 Xerxes pallace burnt in Persepolis pa. ead Of Elephants and Camels vsed in warres pa. 161 Hanibals tropheys in Italy pa.
of Israel In these kinde of combats the Prophets Martyrs of the Lorde win many victories of Sathan and his souldiers as Esay that was sawed in peeces by Manasses in Ierusalem Ieremy that was stoned to death at Taphnis in Egipt by the people Ezechiel whose brains were beaten out in Babilon and infinite numbers of the Martyrs of the Lord which fought in these battels of the Lord with legions of diuels and armies of spirits and got glorious victories and were crowned not with the Oliue of Olimpia nor with the Lawrell of the Romanes but with Crownes and Garlandes made of the tree of knowledge and of the tree of life crownes of immortalitie and garlands of eternitie These might say with Paul We haue runne a good race and fought good combattes farre greater combattes then Romulus had with Acron and yet it was for two kingdoms greater then the combat that Artaxerxes had with his brother Cyrus for the great kingdome and Empire of Persia or the combattes betweene Hector and Aiax where many Kings and kingdomes were ouerthrowne but the only combat which makes euery souldier stout and valiant was by the seede of the woman who rescued Adam from the bondes of Sathan and restored him to libertie and wanne a greater victory to Adam then Adam had lost to Sathan this is the strong armed man that is spoken of in the Gospell of Saint Luke that did binde Sathan and tooke his rich spoyle out of his clawes restored to Adam his life and libertie with a condition to stand out and resist Sathan and to fight stoutly against Sathan in these combattes and battailes of the Lorde for Adam was first a murtherer of his children before he had children and Adam was the cause that Christ was slaine for him thereby to saue him and his children Vnder this strong armed Captaine all men must march armed to fight the Lordes battaile as Elias did who marched himselfe against 450. false Prophets of Baal in combat of life death whom hee ouercame and slue for theyr Idolatry at the brooke Kyson In like sort marched Elizeus and led the whole Army of Benhadad from Dothan to Samaria blinde among their enemies for Benhadad king of Syria had sent to bring Elizeus from Dothan to Damascus as Achab sent Captaines with 50. souldiers to take Elias in mount Carmel but Elias commaunded fire from heauen to destroy them as he destroyed Baals Prophets thus the Prophets of God are for theyr victories ouer Kings crowned for the Lord raised among all Nations some faithfull seruants of his to fight in these combats as Ioseph in Egipt Daniel in Babilon Iob in the land of Huz and many such were crowned victors and triumphed ouer Sathan for none shall bee crowned saith Bernard but hee that obtaineth victorie none obtaineth victory but he that fighteth no man fighteth but with him that is his is enemie so the Lord reserued as he said to Elias 7000. in Israel that neuer bowed nor bended knee to Baal for the Lord hath marked his people in all Countreys with the letter Tau in their foreheads So hee marked the Hebrewes in the land of Gosen to be saued from the plagues in Egipt the Angell also was commaunded of the Lord to marke the doore postes of the houses in Egipt with the sprinkling of the bloud of a lambe as a mark to spare his people So the Lord commaunded his Angels to goe through the whole Cittie of Ierusalem that those that wept and lamented for Ierusalem should bee marked in theyr foreheads with the letter Tau The Lord also charged those Angels that had power to hurt the earth and the sea not to hurt the earth vntill the seruants of the Lord were sealed and marked in their foreheads Paul as himself said bare the markes of the Lord Iesus in his body opposing the markes of those stripes which hee bare for his maister Christ as a mark of his Apostleship against the outward circumcision of the Iewes these were externall markes by the Prophets set downe in the olde Testament but in the new Testament the seruants of the Lord were marked with the bloud of the Lambe Christ Iesus a true marke of our saluation There is a Nation in the East Countrey dwelling in some part of Armenia called Iacobites both circumcised and baptised that are marked both in their forehead and in their breast with the character or likenesse of the crosse The wicked also haue their inward and outward markes Cain had his marke not outwardly seene by men but inwardly so felt of Cain that hee oft did wish to die and could not for that was his marke that whosoeuer kild Cain should bee seuen folde punished Esau had also his marke and such a marke that all the Edomites that came of him had also Esaus mark whose marke was that hee could not repent though he sought it with teares So had the false Prophets their markes as the messengers of Sathan to speake lies to the people and so Heretiques had their marks for blaspheming the name of the Lord denying one article or other of our faith I leaue these inward marks to such as be marked in cōscience with hot Irons come to the external marke of the Romans who marked men cōdemned to die with two letters Cappa Thita as marks of death and those that should be saued with T. and a. as markes to liue this letter Tau was vsed in many Countries for a marke to liue so souldiers that escaped the daungers of warres were likewise marked with this letter Tau As among the Romanes by the decrees of Honorius and Arcadius both Emperours of Rome the souldiers were marked vpō their armes The Thracians were marked in their foreheades whereof they were so proud and reioyced so much of these markes to terrifie their enemies like the old Britaines who painted themselues that they might seeme terrible in their warres Of these markes of souldiers I shall haue occasion to speake of when I entreat of military discipline to souldiers omitting now further to speake of letters written in seruaunts foreheads of rings on bondmens feete and haires of the head halfe shaued Of which Appulius writes Frontes literati Pedes annulati c. So that among diuers nations they were marked on the breast foreheads hands and armes As the Syracusans burned their seruants in the forehead with the print of a horse to be knowne as bondmen so the Sameans burned the Athenian souldiers taken captiue in the warres in the forhead with the print of an Owle And in like sort the Athenians burned the captiue souldiers of Samana in the forehead with the likenesse of a ship Among the Lacedemonians and in most part of Greece it was not lawfull for bondmen to weare haire neither on head nor face Among the Romains for 454. yeares there was no Barbers seene nor knowne Pub. Tycinius was the first that brought Barbers f◅om
they made two piles of wood one vpon an other for sacrifice and vpon the same powring wine milke honey frankenscense with other sweete odours for a sacrifice to the Sunne the King himselfe with his soothsayers called Magi with their song Theogonia fired this pile of wood for the Kings of Persia would offer no sacrifice without theyr Magi were present nor the auntient kings of Rome without their soothsayers which they called Augures The Egiptians vsed when they vowed to bring the swords the shields the rotten ships chariots with all the armours ensignes of war of the enemies vnto one place laying thē all vpō a pile of wood the generall holding a firebrand in his hand kindleth the pile of wood the souldiers standing about the pile according to the Egiptian maner with songs mirth and ioyes for the victories In like sort the olde Gaules burned and sacrificed to Mars and Minerua as the Egiptians did their targets and old armours No victorie was had among the Gentiles but some of the spoyles therof were burned and sacrificed to their Gods some hanged vp to honour and beautifie their Temples So Alexander the great sacrificed consecrated some of the spoiles of his victorie ouer Tyre to Hercules The Romanes after any victory hanged vp some of the spoiles thereof in the Temple of Castor and Pollux the Egiptians in the Temple of Vulcan according to the old auntient lawe Vulcano armaius esto The Grecians when they prayed for victories to their Gods they promised and vowed to present their Gods with Images statues chaines iewels crowns and garlands with songs of Paeana The Romanes also promised and vowed to Iupiter and to Mars to build them Temples to make them places to sacrifice the tenth man and the tenth beast taken in the wars and to keepe an annuall feast in the Capital in memorie of their victories This vow the Dictator Consul Praetor the high Bishop going before them was made in the Capital before they went to the wars For both the Romanes and the Greekes vpon any great victories obtained celebrated the great feast Hecatombeon The Athenians for any prize they brought into the Hauen Pyroea celebrated a feast where many Orators and great Captains came once in a yeare to solemnize this feast for in sea victories Athens excelled all cities of Creece The old Romanes had an auntient feast called Consualia in memorie of Romulus watchword Talassa at the rauishment of the Sabine virgins They had an other feast called Anoyllia in memorie of Mamurius Targets that he made in Rome like the Nymphe Egerias Target which shee gaue to Numa Pomp. The Romanes had an other feast in Rome called Tubilustria in the which the magistrates met in the Capital and celebrated a solemne sacrifice vnto Vulcan with sounding of Trumpets about the citie to purge the citie of their crimes and offences against their gods The Athenians had diuers feastes they had one in memory of Thesius for his victorie ouer the Amazons an other in memorie that he brought diuers men out of Achaia to dwell in Athens being straungers who celebrated an annuall feast to honour Thesius as Milciades had a feast in memorie of his victories at Marathon Themistocles had an other feast for his victorie ouer the Persians at Salamina And Thrasibulus for his victorie ouer the thirtie tirants at Athens these were the tirants that vsed such crueltie that made the children of Athens to daunce in their fathers bloud The like feasts they vsed in Achaia in the citie Cycionium yearely in the honour of Aratus victories A feast celebrated among the Romane youths called Agonalia wherin they cōtēded about mastry in all kinds of exercise for triall of agilitie courage and strength hauing therevnto many kindes of crownes and garlandes appointed for rewards vnto the victors imitating the manners and orders of warre in scaling of walles in assaulting of forts in fighting of battailes and such other militarie discipline that some were crowned with Lawrell some with Pine some with okē boughes euery victor bearing in his hand a braunch of Palme in token of victorie In Syracusa also they held an annuall feast to honour Timoleon in memorie of many benefites and greate victoryes that hee obtained to the Syracusans For among the Grecians and the Romanes diuers feastes were celebrated and triumphes solemnized in memory of victories to stirre vp and kindle young souldiers mindes to embrace armes and to imitate the examples of their predecessors Hauing spoken something of the vowes and feasts of the Gentiles we must returne to the Campe of the Hebrewes marching vnder Ioshua beeing readie to passe ouer the Riuer Iordan who sent certaine espialls to view the land of Canaan one of euery Tribe twelue in number that should instruct him of the state scituation strength and manners of the people which beeing returned after fortie dayes with such fearefull newes of theyr strong and lustie men of theyr walled Citties strong Fortes huge and monstrous Gyants of the strength and inuincible scituation of the Countrey that brought the Armie to such terrour and feare that they were more willing to returne to Egipt then to goe forwards to conquer the Canaanites vntill Caleb ouerthrew theyr speeches and founde great faultes in his fellowes and consociates of his iourney to disanimate the Armie It dooth much amaze souldiers to see or to heare terrible reports for at that time the people were ready to stone Caleb and Ioshua to force them to fight against such a strong Nation fearefull reports to terrifie the souldiers were euer dangerous and therefore wise Generalls and Captaines inuented and framed many subtill stratagems to conceale and hide the multitude of enemies to keepe terror and feare away from the souldiers Tullius Hostilius vsed a skilfull stratagem to annimate his souldiers against the Fidenates who stood in feare as well of the multitude of their enemies before them as also the report they heard of Messius Generall of the Albanes lying in some secret ambush for his aduantage being indifferent to set either vpon the Romanes or vpon the Fidenates Tullius the Romane Generall perceiuing the terror of his souldiers spurred his horse forwards before the Army and told them they need not to feare Messius for he was gone neither to feare the enemies which being a scattered Army to make themselues seeme a great multitude were more readie to flye then to fight So Iugurth in his warres at Nunudio against Cai. Marius spurd his horse forwards rode to euery part of the battell crying aloud in Latine as he rode from place to place in the battell go on forward souldiers I slew Cai. Marius with my owne hand whereby the Nunudians were so animated and encouraged to fight the more lustily that Iugurth by that stratagem obtained a great victorie ouer the Romanes Val. Leuinus the Consull in his wars at
Tarentum against Pirrhus vsed the like stratagem shewing a bloudy sword in his hand saying to his souldiers that it was the bloud of Pirrhus whom he slew with his owne hand thereby to moue the souldiers to greater courage to fight more manfully Souldiers ought not to be terrified with the multitude of enemies with slaughters of their Armies wherby Cities Townes and Countries reuolt to the enemies as at the battell at Canne the report of Varro the Consul of the ouerthrow of the Romanes caused all the citie of Capua to reuolt to Haniball Againe the report in Praeneste of the ouerthrowe of Sylla by Telesinus at the battell of Antemna and of the marching of Telesinus towards Rome with all his whole Army it so affrighted Offella one of Syllas Colonels that he at that time besieging Praeneste thought to raise his siege hearing such hard newes of Sylla the Generall Skilfull Generalls and wise Captaines vsed euer to couer and conceale the multitude of enemies as Milciades Themistocles and other Greeke captaines kept the innumerable multitude of the Persian Armies secret from the souldiers So did Mardonius conceale from Xerxes the great slaughter of the Persians in Greece The Romanes being besieged by the Gaules many of the chiefe Romanes to the number of a thousand fled into their Capitoll The Gaules hauing possessed the Cittie of Rome for seuen moneths expecting the yeelding of the Capitoll the Romanes also within the Capitoll hauing welnigh consumed their victuals vsed this stratagem to throwe loaues of bread in euery place out of the Capitoll in such abundance though at that time they wanted prouision of bread that the Gaules were amazed suspecting they had prouision inough to hold out that they presently fell to composition with the Romanes The Thracians beeing besieged on such a straight hill where their enemies could haue no accesse to come vnto them and readie to die for famine vsed this stratagem to feed certaine beasts with wheate and cheese and to let the beasts goe downe towards their enemies Camp which being takē of the enemies and killed they found wheate and cheese in the bowels of the beastes thinking thereby that the Thracians had bin well victualled and prouided remoued their siege Clearchus the Lacedemonian vnderstanding that the Thracians had caried sufficient prouision of victuals for themselues vp to the mountaines to their Campe the Thracians sent their Embassadors still expecting when Clearchus for want of victuals would remoue his siege Clearchus knowing that the Thracian Embassadors were comming vsed this stratagem commaunded one of the captiues to bee slaine to bee deuided in peeces and to be distributed betweene him and other tenne of his captains in his pauiliō in the very sight of the Thracian Embassadors the sight whereof made the Thracians so astonished and thereby to yeeld thinking that they that could feed on such foode might continue too long for the Thracians to endure it But the Sonne of God gaue himselfe to be slaine for his souldiers to bee their spirituall foode to feed them both in body and soule to wearie Satan which still continueth his siege against Ierusalem I shall haue occasion to write of more stratagems hereafter and therefore I returne to the battels of the Hebrewes against the Canaanites CHAP. XIII Of the great victorie had ouer fiue Kings in the plaine of Moab by Ioshua Of their vnthankfulnesse afterward disobedience and of their marshall punishment therefore A Great battell was fought in the plaine of Moab commaunded by the Lord vnto Moses where fiue Kings of the Madianites were slaine their names you may read in the margeant all their villages and citties burnt with fire all their people slaine with the sword the Hebrewes tooke all the spoile and all the pray both of men and beasts and Moses was angry with the Captains of the host for sparing the women as Samuel was with king Saul for sparing Agag king of the Amalekites and Elizeus with Achab for sparing Benhadad and caused all women that had knowne men carnally to be slaine with the sword and to saue those that were virgins that knew no man which were two and thirtie thousand whereby it appeared that innumerable was the slaughter of men women and children in this battell where two and thirtie thousand virgins were found and reserued to liue whereby also the spoyle and pray was very rich in this battell to the Hebrewes In this battell was not one slaine of Ioshuas souldiers All the Captains and Colonels of the Army came before Moses saying thy seruants haue taken the number of all the men of warre which are vnder our authoritie and there lacketh not a man of vs. This was a stratagem of Ierusalem in the battels of the Lord that not one man died of the army in so great a victory The Lacedemonians reioyced much that Archidamus had obtained a great victorie got great spoile and slew many of his enemies without the loosing of one of his souldiers and therfore called it Bellumsine lachrimis Yet the Hebrewes for their three former victories at Riphidim at Horma and in the plaine of Moab were vnthankfull vnto the Lord and murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron and after against Ioshua Caleb as at Taberah where they so murmured against Moses their Generall that the Lord was so displeased with them that he executed martiall lawes vpon them for the fire of the lande burnt them and consumed the vtmost part of theyr Army because of their disobedience Moses sister Myria for that she spake against the Generall and began to rebel in the campe martiall laws were executed vpon her she was not spared for that she was Moses sister nor Moses himselfe when he had offended the Lord at the water of Meribah shee was made leaprous and shut out of the host seuen dayes vntill shee had due punishment for her seditious mutinie and prayers made by Moses before she was receiued into the host Againe Coreh Dathan and Abiron conspired and rebelled against their Generall with two hundred and fiftie souldiers that were famous in the Congregation and men of renowme but the lawe of armes was most terribly executed the ground claue asunder vnderneath them and opened her mouth and swalowed them aliue with all their treasures and wealth and all their families Againe they murmured against Ioshua and Caleb that the whole multitude would haue stoned Ioshua Caleb so seuere was the Lord against his owne people the Hebrewes for their disobedience and murmuring that he vsed martiall lawes vpon them that all they that came out of Egipt sixe hundred thousand for their disobedience against the Lorde and rebellious mutinies from time to time from place to place at Horeb at Taberah at Massa at Riphidim at Meribah died in the wildernesse for the Lord accepteth obedience more then sacrifice And therefore Noah for that he obeyed the Lord in
Scypio Affrican for their victories to their countrey though they were compared to Hanibal for the harm hurt which they had done to their countrey Had Ieroboam harkned to the counsell of Abiah king of Iudah vpon mount Zemaraim he had saued fiue hundred thousand Israelites which were slaine at the battel If the Beniamites had taken counsel of their bretheren the Israelites and to yeeld vnto them the wicked mē that abused the Leuites wife the whole tribe of Beniamin had not bin destroied It was the ouerthrow of Iudas Machabaeus by Bacchides at the battell of Laisa for that he would not be perswaded by his friends to refraine the battell for that time Had the Prophet Ieremy beene heard of Zedechiah and the princes of Iudah Zedechiah had saued the liues of his owne children slaine in his sight and had likewise saued his owne eyes in his head which presently were pulled out after he saw his children slaine and himselfe caried captiue and blind vnto Babilon Ierusalem destroyed and the kingdome of Iudah subdued by Nabuchodonozer so it may be said of Saul refusing the counsell of Samuel and so of Iosias disobeying the counsell of Necho After the great victorie that Iudah had ouer Israel by Abiah king of Iudah his sonne Asa fought with Zerah king of Aethiopia an Infidel who brought an host of ten hundred thousand men three hundred chariots from Aethiope to Iudah and came to Maresha a citie of Iudah Asa the king of Iudah came with an army of fiue hundred and foure score thousand into the valley of Zephatah and both the kings set the battel in a ray But Asa began with praiers cryed vnto the Lord by praiers for the victorie putting no trust in his own power or pollicie neither fearing the strength of the multitude of his enemies so with full confidence in the Lord he set vpō the Aethiopians the Lord smote them before Asa and before Iudah that the Aethiopians fled and the army of Iudah followed and pursued them vnto Gerer for the Lord had striken the Aethiopians with such fear that there was no life in them that the slaughter was exceeding great the spoyle exceeding much of camels sheepe and cattell And Asa after the victorie which he had giuen him by the Lord returned to Ierusalem and gaue the Lord thankes who giueth all victories so as all good kings and generals ought to pray to the Lord before they enter into battell so ought they also to giue thankes after the battell for their victories This victory was a requitall and a full reuenge vpon the Aethiopians for the sacking and spoyling of Ierusalem and of the great slaughter of the people by Shesak king of Egipt In like maner as Abiah beganne with prayers before he beganne to battell so did king Asa his sonne follow his fathers rule and order in seeking helpe and aide at the Lords hand which euery King Generall or Captaine should doo So Iosaphat Asas sonne did when it was tolde him that the Moabites Ammonites Edomites came with an infinit number to fight against him he set himselfe to seeke the Lord and to aske counsell of him and all Iudah with him prayed vnto the Lorde to aide and strengthen him to fight the Lords battel wherby hee got a maruellous victorie ouer his enemies for before he went into the battell Iosaphat caused a Psalme of thankesgiuing to the Lord to be sung before the men of armes and so entred the battell and the Lord laide ambushments and shewed such stratagems against Ammon Moab and Edom that euery one helped to destroy another and the Lord turned euery mans sword to kill his fellow Where the Lorde leadeth the armie the victorie is soone gotten so Iosaphat putting his whole trust confidence in the Lord slue all his enemies that none did escape and the spoyle was such of golde of siluer and pretious Iewels that they were three dayes in gathering and in carrying the spoyle away and then they assembled together after the victorie by Iosaphats commaundement to giue the Lord thankes for the victory and called the place where they got the victory Berachab and they returned to Ierusalem with violls harpes and with trumpets These three battels of Abiah Asa and Iosaphat were battells of the Lord and as the Lord had done at that battell at Michmash to Ionathan so the Lord did now at the battell at Beracha to Iosaphat and so the Lord in all the battels of the good kings of Iudah and Israel shewed alwaies his diuine stratagems for the defence of Ierusalem as in Egipt by Moses against Pharao by Elias at the brooke Kyson against Baals prophets by Elizeus at Dothan against king Benhadads souldiers The Gentiles in like sort commence no warre enter no battell before they sing a song vnto their gods as the Lacedemonians brought vp onely in warre from seuen yeares old vsed before they went to the warres to make solemne sacrifice to the Muses to the goddesse Feare with a song to Castor Pollux The Thrasians sing a song to their god Mars and bragge much of Mars for that he was borne in Thracia Others made vowes when they went to any warres As among the Romanes their wiues their children and their friends should make vowes and cause the same to be written in tables and to be set on that gate through the which they went out of the citie to warre that vpon their return home they might see and read their vowes and performe them The three hundred Fabians which were slaine at the battell at Crimera the gate that they went through out of Rome then was euer called after that Porta Scelerata So did the Romains likewise call the field where one of the Vestal virgins called Minutia for her incest carnall fault was buried in the field was called Sceleratus Campus according to the Romain lawes made for the Vestal virgins that so offended We leaue the prophane marching of the Romanes and the Greekes and we will returne to the marching of Israel vnder king Asa and king Iosaphat his sonne who both by praiers obtained great victories as all the Israelites preuailed more by praier then by fight As by praier Ioshua made the Sun to stand stil ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon By praier Elias made the cloudes to fall raine By praier Moses made his enemies to flie Elizeus raised the dead to life Solomon obtained wisdom So long as the Lord taketh not away thy praying so lōg he doth not take away his grace mercy from thee for a wicked man cannot pray well and he that praieth wel cannot liue wickedly And therfore praiers are compared to Sampsons haires for as Sampsons strength laie in his haires so our strength lieth in praiers Ester praied to haue that to come to proud Ammon which Ammon wished to haue done to Mardochaeus and the
ciuill warres Is domo patria fortunisque omnibus careto he should be banished from his friends and from his countrey Timoleon compared to Pau. Aemilius two noble captaines and worthy members of their countries the one so esteemed in Syracusa that whatsoeuer Timoleon said was taken for a lawe among the Syracusans the others fortune was so great in Rome that hee enriched the Romane treasurie with the wealth and riches of two kingdomes Macedonia and Illyria and brought to the Empire of Macedonia all the olde monuments of the auntient Kings of Macedonia and of Alexander the great vnto Rome Philopomen also was compared to Titus Quint. both great benefactors to their countries both at one time in Greece Philopomen being the last captaine of the Grecians that defended Greece and Titus one of the first Romane captaines that first subdued Greece and after enlarged them and restored to them their lawes and liberties at what time crowes fell downe to the ground by the sound of mens voices when Titus proclaimed peace and libertie vnto the Grecians at the games of Isthmia And so likewise in Rome when Pompey the great restored the Tribuneship vnto the people which Sylla tooke away the like happened that the people being so many and their ioyes so great the sound of the people pearcced the ayre that many crowes fell downe in the market place at Rome as they did in Greece at the games of Isthmia Hauing compared some Greeke and Romane captaines in their warres and victories one with the other it were not amisse to touch the sundry militarie instruments and warlike soundes which all Nations vsed in going to the warres and of their watch-word in their warres Among the olde auntient Romaines they vsed the sounding of diuers trumpets and hornes together going to any warre or battell with the Romane legions The Egiptians cannot abide the sound of ttumpets for that it doth resemble the crying of an asse for there is nothing so odious among the Aegiptians as is the noyse of an asse and so odious that if any man do call a man an asse in Egipt an action may be had against him by the lawe of Bochoris they vsed brazen tymbrels and hornes for trumpets when they goe to warres The warlike Lacedemonians sound neither trumpets nor hornes when they goe to their warres but flutes which yeeldeth so sweete and plausible a sound that they march proportionably with their feet keeping measure with their instrument This was set downe to the Lacedemonians by Licurgus The Parthians in their warres vse great hollow kettles and pannes and great brazen pottes and a number of little belles like the lowing of many wilde beastes with such terrour and noyse to feare the enemies The Lydians come to their warres with diuers kinds of pipes as howboies recorders bagpipes and diuers other such The Cymbrians with diuers kinde of dried skinnes drawne hard round about their chariots and coaches in forme and maner like great and huge drums which they beate and strike which makes such an horrible sound much like the great thunders The Indians in theyr warres vse Cymballes and Belles for it was not lawfull among the Indians to vse Flutes but in the Kings house when the King went to bed As the king of Cicilia vsed harpes and chirping notes of birds to make the king sleepe Among the people of Creete they vsed flutes and harpes in their warres and thus in all countries they vsed their proper warlike instruments when they marched into their battels The Hebrues in the warres which they had with the Canaanites vsed trumpets and rammes hornes for Moses was commaunded by the Lorde to make two siluer trumpets and to sound them to call the armie together when they marched against their enemies So was Ioshua at the battell at Iericho likewise commaunded that the Priests should sound rammes hornes These Hebrew battels were the only examples to the Gentiles in their warres for as the trumpets hornes are most auncient so after among all nations they inuented diuers warlike instruments as in steede of trumpets in theyr warres and diuers kindes of variable sounds The Phrygians sounded most lamentable and pittifull notes the Lacedemonians sweet pleasant notes the Lydians mournfull and planctiue the Ionians merry pleasant notes the Dorians warlike notes In so much that when Timotheus the trumpeter sounded that Doriā warlike note Alexander the great streight called for his armor it so kindled and inflamed Alexanders minde to armes Hannibal neuer vsed sound of trumpets nor warlike notes but secret stratagems without further notice or knowledge to his enemies but only his tents couered with red the very selfe same day that he would haue his souldiers readie to fight It seemed that Hanibal imitated Alexander the great herein who vsed to set vp certaine red banners and flags about his tents in his warres against Darius king of Persia. And Darius himselfe in the selfe same warre against Alexander had vpon his tent the Image of the Sunne set in Christall that shined ouer all the whole campe especially in the night time So vsed the Romanes aswel as the Greekes in the sea fight euery captaine to hang vp in theyr ship some marke or other to be knowne as Lysander hangd vp in his ship a brazen target as a signe to be knowne to the rest of the nauies Brutus in his warres against Mar. Antonius at Philippus had a round circle that his nauy might be knowne from others Mar. Antonius in his battell against Octauius Augustus at Actium gaue purple sailes to his Praetorian nauies as signes of his pride and hope of his victories but soone forsaken for he was glad to flie follow after Cleopatra Alexander the great when he sailed to India vsed diuers colours of sailes in his nauies wherby one captaine might know the other and himselfe in his owne shippe had purple sailes The Romaines vsed to haue painted vpon their ships banners and flagges the pictures Images and names of their Emperours and Generalls The Grecians vsed also to paint write the names of their nauies according to the names of those Iles where they were made Others the Image pictures of their gods of the countries as the Greekes Neptune and the Troians Minerua Now that you haue read what military and warlike instruments all nations vsed in their warres you shall also read the watchwords of great Generals noble captaines which they vsed in their greatest warres Cyrus the great king of Persia vsed this sentence for his watchword Iupiter belli socius Dux Clau. Caesar imitating Cyrus vsed a whole sentence for his watch-word to his souldiers Virum vlscis◅ decet Others for the most part both of Greekes and Romanes vsed onely to giue one word to their souldiers as Iulius Caesar gaue for his watch-word in some battels Victoria in other battels his watch-word was Faelicitas In some other of his
not when Thermutes laide the diademe vpon the childes head which Moses being but a very childe with both his handes tooke the diademe from his head and threw it to the ground and treaded it vnder his feete whereat the Priestes of Egipt were so astonished that they told the king that that childe shoulde bee the ouerthrow and destruction of Egipt they all counselled Pharao to take away the feare of Egipt and the hope of the Hebrewes Notwithstanding Moses as he was by the prouidence of God preserued saued from killing drowning being a childe so likewise then was he kept from the enuy and malice of the Priestes and of the Egiptians who sought to kill him as the Iewes thought to kill Paul but as Paul preuailed ouer the Iewes so Moses preuailed ouer the Egiptians and marched forward with this Hebrew army towards Aethiope gaue them two great battels ouerthrew them chased them and daunted the courage of the Aethiopians that they were brought lower by the Hebrewes then the Egiptians were before by the Aethiopians The Aethiopians thus being brought lowe Moses brought his armie and besieged Saba the chiefe citie of Aethiope at what time the king of Aethiope his daughter named Tharbis hauing hard such great report of Moses fortitude and prowesse went vp on the walles of the citie to behold the armie of the Hebrewes where she saw Moses manfully and valiantly fighting before his armie she much admired his courage and wondred at his prowesse doubting much the destruction of her countrey she sent some of her chiefe seruants vnto Moses by whom shee opened her fauour her loue towards Moses offering her selfe to him in marriage and to cōclude peace between the Aethiopians the Egiptians which Moses accepted vpon her oath that the citie Saba should be yeelded vp into Moses hand and peace concluded betweene Aethiope Egipt which presently was yeelded vp and the marriage performed notwithstanding Moses at his returne to Egipt his seruice was more maliciously accused and suspected then thankfully accepted such hatred malice grew in Egipt towards Moses by meanes of the Priestes and the king himselfe suspected him for his greatnesse and successe of his victories ouer the king of Aethiopia that Pharao doubted that Moses might doo the like in Egipt by these meanes traps and snares were laide to destroy Moses that Moses was in such feare of his life the rather for that he kild an Egiptiā that abused an Hebrue that he was forced secretly to flie through the wildernesse vnto the Madianites where he maried Zephora Iethro his daughter and there continued fortie yeares from whence he was called by the Lord to lead his people from Egipt to Canaan whose greatnesse then was more knowne then before as is set downe in Exodus so that Appian with his Egiptian Authors with their fained fables against Moses are worthie to be scoft at for their impudent lies for Moyses was brought vp with Thermutes the kings daughter heire of Egipt and married to Tharbis the kings daughter of Aethiope But let vs omit Appian with his fellow lyers and come to Moses marching with his Hebrew campe CAAP. IX Of certaine military lawes and marshall exercise of the Hebrewes vnder Moses in the wildernesse AFter that Pharao and the Egiptians were drowned in the red sea the Hebrewes had such rich spoyles by their dead bodies found on the sea shoares that now the Hebrewes became from poore shepheardes called Hicsos in Egipt to be rich souldiers that neither Phillip king of Macedonia had such spoyle in Delphos nor his sonne Alexander in Babilon nor Nabuchodonozer in Ierusalem as the Hebrewes had of the spoyle of the Egiptians vpon the shoare For now the Egiptians paie them their hires for the seruice and bondage of foure hundred and thirtie yeares So Philo said that the borrowing of Iewels of siluer and Iewells of Golde was nothing else but to paie the due debt vnto the Hebrewes for their long bondage and seruice So Rupertus saide the wages and hires which the Egiptians kept so long vniustly from the Hebrewes by an honest guile the Hebrewes obtained their long deteined due for the Lord commanded the Hebrues to borrowe Golde and siluer of the Egiptians and the spoyle which is gotten of the enemies is due by the lawe of armes The Hebrewes marched vnder Moses with Egiptian weapons with songs of hymnes and Psalmes for the victorie vnto the Lord. Myria Moses sister the women and virgins of Israel with violls harpes and tabrets and with great melodie gaue thankes vnto the Lord so that it was afterwardes a custome among the Virgines of Israel to sing Psalmes and Songes to thanke the Lorde for their victories and withall to aduaunce the fame of the Generalls and Captaines as they did to Saul and Dauid The Lorde sets downe certaine martiall lawes to Moses to gouerne and to rule his people commaunding him to make two siluer Trumpets to assemble the armie to call the congregation and for the remouing of the Campe and charged the sonnes of Aaron to sounde out the trumpets in any seruice onely the Priests were appointed by the lawe to sound the trumpets to carry the arke which was their office for euer When thou goest out with the host against thy enemies keep thee then from all wickednes be clean from pollution in the night for the Lorde may not abide in the hoste any souldier that is any way vncleane before he be washt with water and purified and when a souldier must serue the necessitie of nature amōg other weapons he must haue his paddle staffe to dig the earth and after to couer his excrement for the Lord would haue his people pure and holie both in soule and bodie for the Lord walketh in the midst of the campe among his souldiers The Hebrues were also commanded whē they went to any battell that the Priest should stand before the whole armie being called together with the sound of a trumpet to exhort the armie and to encourage them to feare nothing the multitude of their enemies but to fight valiantly the battels of the Lorde assuring them that the Lorde would be their Captaine and goe before them and therfore not to doubt of the victorie So the Lord promised and said to Moses I will goe before thee to Egipt against Pharao So the Lord said to Ioshua that he would goe before him and his armie to Iericho So the Lord with the like words spake to Nabuchodonozer when he went against Ierusalem And euen so he spake to Cyrus when he went against Babilon All battels victories are mine saith the Lord. As the Lord promised not only to Moses to Ioshua and to others but also to Nabuchodonozer Cyrus Heathen Princes to goe before them in his own battels and therefore the Heathen kings made their souldiers beleeue that the Gods taught them stratagems to ouercome their enemies Archidamus vsed a
stratagem against the Arcadians commaunded secretly in the night time certaine horses to goe round about his campe and in the morning hee shewed his souldiers the steps of the horses saying that it was Castor Pollux that would be readie in the next battell to take their parts and to fight with them against the Arcadians So did Epaminandas he caused the armor which did hang in the temples and were dedicated to their Gods secretly to be taken downe by this stratagem he perswaded his souldiers that the gods promised to be in those armors themselues to fight in the battell Pericles Generall for the Athenians vsed the like policie caused a comely tall man of great stature all in purple to sit on a high stately chariot drawne with goodly white horses standing in a thicke wood consecrated to Pluto where both the armies might behold him vntill the signe of the battell were giuen then he called to Pericles and willed him to goe forwards and said that the gods of Athens were at hand by this stratagem Pericles got a great victory for the enemies fled before the battell began The Gentiles the Heathens beleeued confessed that all victories good successe came to them by seruing of their gods and all their ouerthrowes calamities fell vpon them by offending their gods so much stood the Heathens in awe and feare of their gods And like as Ioshua Iosaphat Dauid returned to giue thankes to the Lord with violls harpes trumpets for their victories so the Lacedemonians with trumpets and flutes crowned with garlands made of all kinde of flowers and with a song to Castor Pollux for any victories which they had obtained The Romanes also and the Grecians not only with building of Temples and Aultars but with the great sacrifice Haecatombae did please their Gods for theyr victories In Hercules Temple in Sparta the Armours that were hanged vp and consecrated to Hercules seemed to make a sound and and a noise and at Thebes in the Temple of the same Hercules the gates of the Temple being shut were suddenly of themselues opened and the shields and the targets that were hanged vp in the roofe of the Temple dedicated to Hercules fel downe were found vpon the ground which foreshewed to the soothsayers the destruction both of Sparta and Thebes Now to the Hebrewes The Lord commaunded that hee that buildeth a new house and had not possessed it a yeare should be spared from warre Hee that planted a vineyard and not receiued the fruites thereof should also be spared from warre And he that betrothed himselfe to a wife and had not married her might in like case be spared from war After the Priest had ended his exhortation to the souldiers the Generall of the Army proclaimed that if any timerous or fainthearted souldier were within the Army hee should returne home least hee through his cowardlinesse should disanimate or discourage the rest of his Army Hence the Gentiles had the first instruction to vse the like long after this time for the lawe of Armes which the Lord gaue vnto his people the Hebrewes in the wildernesse were in all countries of the Gentiles afterwards imitated in all their warres As among the Romaines the Priestes Faeciales in like sort as the Hebrewes exhorted and encouraged the Romanes manfully to fight for their Countrey repeating the lawe of Armes of the Hebrewes So the Athenians before they cōmenced any battel their Priests called Mantes stood before the army made a speech to the souldiers of the iust cause of theyr wars and would bee further instructed by their Oracles to know of their victories The Persians likewise would take no warre nor battell in hand before they had consulted with their soothsayers which were their wise men called Magi. CHAP. X. Of the camp of the Hebrews of their exercise in the wildernesse and of the whole Army deuided vnder foure principal standarts and of placing of the Arke in the midst of the Camp THe Lord commaunded at the setting out of the Army vnto the battell that the Arke should be carried by the Leuites which Ark signified the presence of God the figure of Christ at what time Moses vsed alwaies these words at the lifting vp of the Ark rise vp Lord let thy enemies be scattered and let them that hate thee flee before thee And when the Arke rested Moses alwaies said these words Returne ô Lord to thee many thousands when the Arke was caried a cloude couered the Arke and where the cloud stayed there the Arke would rest and when the cloud remoued the Arke was also to be remoued for by the remouing of the cloud the Arke was also to be remoued The Lord commanded in the wildernesse of Sinai to Moses and Aaron with the twelue Princes of the Tribes of Israel to take muster to number thē that were able to goe to the wars frō twentie yeares vpward hence frō the Hebrewes the Gentiles tooke their instructions in numbring and mustring their souldiers Moses numbred the people and found six hundred three thousand fiue hundred fiftie able men to go to wars in the camp of the Hebrews beside the Leuites which were appointed to attend the Tabernacle For the Leuites were numbred three seuerall times the first time they were numbred at a moneth old when they were consecrated vnto the Lord The second time at 25. yeares olde when they were appointed to serue in the Tabernacle The third time at 30. yeares old to bear the burthens of the Tabernacle and to serue in the Tabernacle vntill 50. yeares and then to cease from bearing such heauie burthens and painful seruice But after that they should minister in the Tabernacle singing hymnes Psalmes instructing counselling keeping of things in order After that Moses had brought the Hebrews frō Egipt instructed them with military discipline giuen them martiall lawes then the Lord would not haue Moses to bring his people straight way to the land of Canaan but to lead them too and fro in the wildernesse to keep thē in cōtinual exercise to teach them military discipline by the law of Arms appointed for they might within 3. daies as Philo writeth haue passed frō Egipt to the lād of Canaan but that the Lord would haue thē to endure labour to be exercised in martiall discipline to become good souldiers therfore suffred the Amalekites Moabites Edomites the Philistines to be with thē as needles in their eies thornes in their sides being their professed enemies to warre to fight and to keepe them still in practise and exercise of armes The Lord suffered the Camp of the people to wander too and fro in the wildernesse backward forward to learne to endure cold and heate and all kind of hardnesse remouing their campe too and fro 42. mansions before they came to the land of Canaan Cai. Marius perceiuing his
souldiers readie to yeeld for want of drink shewed them a Riuer behind the enemies saying if you will drinke you must drinke in yonder Riuer that I shewed you either you must win it of your enemies or loose it Cyrus King of Persia brought his souldiers to a certaine wood and caused them all day to hewe downe trees vntill they were wearie the next day he prepared for them great feasts and liberall banquets and in the midst of their good cheare Cyrus demaunded of them whether they thought better of their paine and trauell in hewing of wood the day before or of their feasting and banquetting that day they preferred feasting before hewing of wood But said Cyrus you must come to the one by the other vnlesse you fight valiantly ouercome the Meades you cannot enioy the pleasures and good cheare of Persia. So Moses brought the Hebrewes to the wildernesse and said you must take paines and exercise militarie discipline to learne to fight with the Canaanites Edomites Moabites Philistines the enemies of the Lord before they should passe ouer Iorden and enioy the pleasures of Canaan the land of milke and honey for as these Nations were left as prickes and needles to vexe the Hebrewes so Satan is now left to vex to tempt and to be an enemie to Gods people withall the stratagems he can No doubt the Chaldeans the Assirians the Persians and other Nations had their first military discipline frō the Hebrews and were taught to exercise their souldiers to endure labour as it seemed the Gentiles vsed it by imitation from one Empire to an other Moses being the onely generall of so great an Army being continually vexed and molested without any vnder officers to aide him the Lord taught him and after his father in law Iethro to choose from amōg the whole army 70. wise religious valiant and iust men to rule and gouerne the people as magistrates and officers vnder Moses to guide lead them into all seruice For among the Hebrewes no Generall was chosen without consultation of Vrim and Thummim after Moses and Ioshuas time Marke the discipline and martiall lawes of the Lord to his people The Hebrews were commanded euery man to stand in his place vnder his standart throughout the whole Army of the Hebrewes but the Leuites should pitch their tents round about the Tabernacle who were three and twentie thousand in number and when any victory was gotten by the Hebrews ouer the enemies the first part of the spoile was yeelded to the Leuites who attended the tabernacle the second to the souldiers that fought in the field the third to them that remained in the campe The whole Army was deuided vnder foure generall and principall standarts The first standart vnder Iudah the second standart vnder Ruben the third standart vnder Ephraim the fourth standart vnder Dan. Euery Tribe should stand and campe by his standart and vnder euery standart were three Tribes ouer the three Tribes three captains and the number of the souldiers of the three Tribes vnder their Captaines The Tribe of Iudah had seuentie foure thousand and six hundred souldiers vnder their Captaine The Tribe of Isacher had foure and fiftie thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their captaine The Tribe of Zabulon had seuen and fitie thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their captain These three Tribes were appointed to stand by the standart of Iudah and the whole number of the host of Iudah were one hundred foure score and sixe thousand and foure hundred souldiers vnder their three captaines and the standart of the host of Iudah was appointed to camp on the East side of the Tabernacle Of the South side of the Tabernacle was the standart of the Tribe of Ruben the Tribe of Simeon the Tribe of Gad with their three captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Ruben were one hundred fiftie one thousand foure hundred and fiftie souldiers and this was the second principall standart The third standart of the campe of Ephraim was towards the west with the Tribe of Ephraim the Tribe of Manasses and the Tribe of Beniamin with their seuerall captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Ephraim was one hundred eight thousand and one hundred The fourth standart of the host of Dan was on the North side of the Tabernacle with their three Tribes the tribe of Dan the tribe of Asher and the tribe of Nepthali with their three captaines and the whole number that marched vnder the standart of Dan was one hundred fiftie thousand and sixe hundred In this most solemne and royall sort marched the campe of the Hebrews 40. yeares in the wilnernesse vnder these foure principall standarts where their garmēts and cloathes were not worne nor any thing they had decayed heauen gaue them bread the foode of Angels Manna and euery rocke in the wildernesse gaue them drink the Lord fed thē otherwise they were simply and slenderly prouided for so great an army but marching in the wildernesse amōgst serpents venemous beasts and yet without daunger or harme but had all things at their wils that were necessary to the wars frō the Lord. Notwithstanding all these blessings the Hebrewes wished stil to haue staied in Egipt and made diuers profers of return at any touch or triall of them they longed for the flesh pots of Egipt of which they made often mention of the oynions melons and garlecke but they made no mentiō of the slauery bondage and seruitude which they endured for 430. yeares in Egipt If you looke into the maiestie state of the Hebrew campe of the presence of the arke of the placing of their standarts of the solemnitie of their marching of their orders lawes that in a wildernesse where they had neither castles townes cities or forts to defend thē and yet they far excelled Xerxes with his innumerable army in his voyage against the Greeks the sailed on land marched on seas much doubting whether Hellespont had sufficient roome and Greece had land inough for his souldiers or the ayre had place inough to receiue his shot The Hebrew Campe farre exceeded Alexander the great who after he had subdued all Greece and the Persians tooke in hand to conquer the whole world and wept because hee heard there was two worlds Yet neither Xerxes nor Alexander the great might bee compared with the Hebrewe Campe for state and maiestie euery Tribe marching vnder his Captaine and euery Captaine vnder his standard euery standard placed to stand about the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle was placed in the midst of the camp because it might be in equall distance from each standard that all might indifferently haue recourse to the Arke where the Lord instructed Moses and instructed him frō the mercie seat for at the doore of the Tabernacle it was commaunded to Moses what he might do
making the Arke saued himselfe and his family from the deluge Abraham for that he obeyed the Lord and was readie to offer and to sacrifice his sonne Isaac the whole world was blessed in his seed therefore the Lord said to Salomon If thou do all that euer I shall commaund thee thy throne shall be established for euer in Ierusalem The Lord commends the Rechabites for their obedience to Ionadab their father because Ionadab said Non bibetis vinum Mattathias his children answered Antiochus messenger saying Wee had rather obey the lawes of the Lord giuen to Moses and to our fathers then to obey the king So the seuen brethren answered that they had rather die then disobey the lawes of the Lord. The Prophet saith Fire haile snow Ise obey the commaundements of the Lord hee commaunds seas and windes and they obey the Lord he commanded rauens to feede Elias and they obeyed Cyrus King of Persia obeyed the Lorde for Cyrus confest that hee was commaunded to set forwards the Iews to build vp the temple in Ierusalem and as obedience is vnto the Lord most acceptable so is disobedience euen in the least things extreamly punished He that gathered sticks vpon the Sabboth day was stoned to death And the man of God for that he eate bread in Bethel against the Lords commaundement he was deuoured of a lyon and Ionas the Prophet for that he fled from the presence of the Lord he was throwne for his disobedience into the sea and swallowed vp of a whale And Moses the seruant of God with that rod that strooke the rocke that water gushed out with that rod which diuided the red seas that turned all the riuers and waters of Egipt to blood that turned all the dust of Egipt into Lice brought Frogs Flies Grasse-hoppers and wrought so many wonders in Egipt yet for that Moses disobeyed the Lord at the water of Meribah the Lord was so offended with Moses Aaron for their incredulitie and disobedience before the people that the Lord told them that they should not enter into the land of promise and that Moses should die in mount Nebo and Aaron his brother in mount Hor such was the exact iustice of the Lord and his seuere punishment against wilfull and disobedient people that he spared none no not Moses his owne seruant Aaron his owne Priest Ionas his owne Prophet nor Israel his owne people CHAP. XIIII Of the martiall lawes and military discipline of the Gentiles IN all Countries among all Nations where militarie discipline was not obserued there martial lawes were executed As among the Egiptians the Souldier that brake militarie rules to forsake the ranke to goe out of the campe and would disobey the chiefe magistrates officers captaines of the armie and would any waies offend the martiall lawes he should be displaced from his place were he either Serieant Lieutenant or any other officer and be placed in the meanest place of the armie and if he should bewray the counsell of his captaine or speake any thing against the generall he should haue his tongue cut off and sowed vpon his helmet Among the Persians there was a martiall law written that if any cowardly souldier should steale secretly from the campe and become a vagabound or a runnagate frō place to place he should being taken be cloathed in a womans apparell and be chained fast with an Iron manicle vpon his hands sitting with both his legs in a paire of stocks in the midst of the campe to be flouat and scoft at of all the whole armie which in like sort the Thrasians obserued and after hee should be taken for a woman and not for a man The Romanes were somewhat more seuere against disobedient souldiers especially against seditious fugitiue souldiers and against them that forsooke theyr standart and turned their backes to the enemies and from the camp to flee to the enemie these amongst the Romanes were punished with death The law in Sparta was if any soldiers of theirs should in any great and shamefull faultes in the warres offend they should be so noted and defamed that they might not borrow so much as a cup of water or a brand of fire with their next neighbors nor light a candle besides it was not lawfull for any man that met thē in the streets to speak to them These punishmēts far differ from the former punishmēt of the Lord fire frō heauen the opening of the earth the throwing into the feas deuouring by lions such of which I shall speake in another place Now to the marching of Ierusalē vnder Ioshua to whō a charge was giuen of a new army which was borne in the wildernesse after their fathers came out of Egipt to whom the Lord said Moses my seruant is dead as I was with Moses so will I be with thee and will neuer leaue thee nor forsake thee be strong and bold feare not and shewe thy selfe stout and valiant therefore obserue and do according to all the lawes which Moses my seruant commaunded thee What is spoken here to Ioshua was spoken after Ioshua to Iudah and after Iudah to Gedeon to Dauid and others so carefull was the Lord ouer his people that they should not choose them a Generall without the consultatiō of Vrim Thummim to guide and gouerne the armie to fight the battels of the Lord. So among all nations in all ages they were very carefull to haue and to choose wise stout and skilfull Generalls For as the Romane captaine Fabritius said that it was Pirrhus skil that ouercame Leuinus the Consull and not the Epirotes the Romanes and besides the straunge sight of the Elephants which the Romanes neuer sawe before that battell at Heraclea which the Romanes called Boues Lucanias Fabritius thought it a scorne that the Romanes should be ouerthrowne by any nation in the world if they had discreet valiant stout generals The like imaginatiōs the Romanes supposed that they were ouerthrowne at the battels of Trebeia Trasimen Cannes either by the subtill and deceitfull policie of Hannibal or else for that their gods were offended with them and not by the strength of the Carthagineans nor the Affricans But Pirrhus after foure yeares warres with the Romanes was constrained to forsake Italy after his ouerthrow at the battel of Arusina to leaue his Elephants behinde to beautifie Curius Dentalus tryumphe which was the first sight of Elephants in Rome for before nothing could be seene in Rome in former tryumphes but cattels of the Volscians flocks of beasts of the Sabines broken weapons and old armour of the Samnites coaches and couerings of the old Gaules Hannibal the greatest enemy that euer the Romanes had yet after seuenteene yeares warres hee was forced to retire from Italy to Carthage and there in his owne countery to be ouerthrowne at the battell of Zama by Scypio Affrican Hannibal so straightly
besieged the citie Casselina that the Romanes could by no meanes send a conuoy to relieue the souldiers the Romains deuised this stratagem to fill certaine tunnes some with flower and some with meale and to let them goe downe vpon the riuer Vulturnus but the riuer being chained ouer by Hannibal this stratagem was preuented In another stratagem the Romanes deceiued Hannibal they scattered infinite numbers of Nuttes and let them goe downe with the same selfe riuer Vulturnus which neither Hannibal himselfe nor his chaine could preuent so that the souldiers of Casselina were relieued and refreshed for a time with these Nuttes Such a stratagem vsed Hircius to relieue the poore Romane souldiers in Mutina being besieged by Mar. Antonius who wanted chiefly salt Hircius let go infinit numbers of great close bowls made like litle tuns full of salt to swim downe the riuer Saniturnus so relieued Mutina So should we vse such stratagems against Satan that if Satan shuld ouerthrow vs in the first we should arme our selues with spirituall weapons to ouerthrow him in the second Againe to Ioshua The Lord commaunded Ioshua to march forward to vanquish the Canaanites because the cōquest might not be assigned vnto man the Lord commaunded Ioshua all the strong men of warres to goe round about the walls of Iericho once a day for seuen daies and seuen priests to beare seuen trumpets of Rammes hornes before the Arke and to compasse Iericho the seuenth day seuen times and then commanded the priests to blowe the trumpets and all the men of warre without shot or sword to shout with a loud great shout and then the walles of Iericho should fall flat downe to the grounde this was the Lordes stratageme at his battell at which time Ioshua saw a man stand ouer against him with a naked sword in his hand who being asked of Ioshua what he was said I am the Prince of the Lordes host and am therefore comen now to be a Captaine of the Lordes people and Ioshua bowed himselfe worshipped him and thereby acknowledged him to be Christ the sonne of God Now Ioshua being instructed of the Lorde what to do the priests and the warriours by Ioshua the walls being fallen flat downe went vnto the citie destroied both man and woman young and old oxe and sheepe with the edge of the sword after burnt the citie with fire and Ioshua cursed that man before the Lord that would build vp Iericho again to the destruction of himselfe and both his sonnes That captaine that went before Ioshua to the battell at Iericho and was present at the fall of Ierichos wall went likewise before Cyrus as himselfe said to Cyrus I will goe before thee to Babilon and I will breake their brazen gates and crush in peeces their iron barres I wil humble the glorious people of the earth in thy presence The same captaine spake to Nabuchodonozer as hee spake to Cyrus I wil send Nabuchodonozer as the staffe of my wrath and the rod of my punishment and he shall tread my enemies downe like the myre in the streets so that all victories come from the Lord euen to all good kings and to tyrants After the ouerthrow of Iericho the Lord commaunded Ioshua to besiege the citie of Ai where hee slew all that dwelt in Ai and left not one to liue and tooke their king aliue and hangd him on a tree vntill the euening and the citie was burnt and twelue thousand slaine for the Lord said to Ioshua stretch out the speare that is in thy hand towards Ai in tokē of the victory Now mark the victories of the Lord in his battels the victory at Riphidim was had by holding vp of Moses hand the victory of Iericho by sounding of Rams hornes the victory of Ai with the lifting vp of Ioshuah speare the victory at Aphec by shooting of Ioas Eastward the victory ouer the Madianites by Gedeon with the sounding of trumpets and breaking of pitcher pots these are stratagems which are often seene in the battels of the Lord. So also the Lord strengthened many of his people to vanquish ouercome their enemies in seuerall combats one man to ouercome many as Sampson with the iaw bone of an asse slue a 1000. Philistines Samgar with an oxe goade slue 600. Philistines Dauid with his fling litle stone slue the monstrous blasphemous Gyant Golias Who knoweth not that Moses rod Ioshuahs spear Gedeons pitcher pots Sampsons iaw bone Samgars goade or Dauid with his sling litle stone had bin but weake meanes to ouerthrow so many enemies had not the Lord strengthened the meanes by the men These were battels of the lord which were not fought with swords shots nor weapons but armed with spirituall armours and fought with weapons of faith vanquished theyr enemies But such victories were onely graunted to the souldiers of the Lord the people of Israel which victories at that time were to them onely peculiar The great victorie which the Lord gaue vnto Samuel by meanes of thunderboltes lightnings and earthquakes that therby the Philistines were so amazed that Samuel vnlooked for fell vpō thē slew them ouerthrew them and chased them til they came to Cortaeos which is Bethgar such stratagems vseth the Lord against his enemies as thunderboltes lightnings and earthquakes Mar. Aurelius hauing warres with the Germains and Sarmatians his Army being like to be lost for water requested the legion of Christian souldiers to pray vnto their God for helpe and they were heard of the Lord the Emperor confessed the goodnesse of God naming him Iupiter at what time their enemies were stricken with lightning and fire that they perished and therfore these souldiers were called Legio fulminea the legion of thunder by the Emperour himselfe Cornelius a Captaine of an Italian band in Caesaria a iust and a deuout man was by an Angell warned to goe to Ioppa to bee baptised of Peter and to become from a Heathen a Christian Captaine to fight in the battels of the Lord. So likewise the Centurion which was at the death of Christ Iesus in Ierusalem seeing the myracles that were then done confessed him to bee the Lord and glorified God these two were called both to be Christian Captaines In the battell that Iudas Machabaeus had with Gorgias the gouernor of Edumea where the victorie fell to Machabaeus they found vnder the coates of them that were slaine Iewels consecrated to the Idols of the Iamnites but as the Lord commaunded the Hebrewes to burne such Idolatrous Iewels destroy their gilded Images and the gods of the Gentiles and not to take the siluer and golde that is on theyr gods as Achan did against the lawe at the Cittie of Ai and dyed for it by the lawe I will proceed for to shewe in olde time in what sort and after what manner euery Nation entered into battell I thinke it not amisse as well for varietie of
wherevpon he besieged Ephron tooke it destroied it and spoiled it and slew as many as were males within the Citie Diuers kings assembled themselues against Ioshua hearing how Ioshua and the Hebrewes had conquered two great Cities Iericho and Ai fiue kings came together to fight against Ioshua at Gibeon for they feared exceedingly the report of the great battels and wonders that Moses before Ioshua had done vnto the Arabians Madianites Amalekites others for the Lord promised to send the feare and dread of the Hebrews vpon all people vnder heauen and all the Nations of the world should tremble and quake at the fame and great glorie of the Hebrewes and therfore came these fiue kings with all their Armies most strongly against Ioshua but it was the battell of the Lord for the Lord discomfited them before the Hebrewes and slew them at Gibeon with a great slaughter and the Hebrewes chaced them from Gibeon to Bethoron and the fiue kings fled with the rest that were vnslaine but the Lord cast great stones downe from heauen vpon them that more of them died by the stones that fell from heaue◅ then the Hebrues slew with the sword in the field and the fiue kings that fled into a caue in Makedah were brought before Ioshuah and he called the captaines and chiefe men of the Army and commaunded them to set their feete vpon the necks of these kings signifying vnto them that they should so ouercome all nations and vanquish all their enemies in the battels of the Lord. This Ioshuah did to encourage his captains in the setting of their feet vpon the fiue kings necks that conquerors may do what please them of kings conquered So did Sapor king of Persia vse Valerianus the Romane Emperour as a blocke to lay his foote vpon his necke to mount on horsebacke The like did Tamberlane to the great Turk Pazaites at mount Stella where he ouerthrew him and tooke him prifoner There also Pompey the great ouerthrew Mithridates K. of Pontus before where Tamberlane gaue the ouerthrow to the great Turke tooke him and kept him in a cage vnder his table and carried him about with him to his warres Obserue how the kings of the Canaanites Edomites Maobites Ammonites and Philistines knit themselues together against the Hebrewes feeling in themselues such inward fear of them as the Macedonians the Persians and all Asia were fearfull of the Romanes as you read before of Mithridates king of Pontus Tygranes king of Armenia and Iugurth king of Numidia and yet preuailed not for the Lord had determined to take the Monarchie out of the Macedonians hands giue it to the Romanes as he gaue it before from the Persians to the Macedonians Cratippus the Philosopher could say so much to Pom-Pey the great after he was ouerthrowne by Caesar at the battell of Pharsalia Pompey being desirous to know what should happen of the Empire of Rome Cratippus answered that all Kingdomes and Empires are fatall And as Sirach saith Regnum non trasferetur nisi ob in iustitiam regni regis so the kingdomes monarchies of the world passed one vnto another by the Lord appointed Now Ioshua proceedeth forward to his last battell at the waters of Merom where diuers and sundrie kings gathered together with all the force and power they had to fight with Ioshuah with as many people as the sand that is on the sea shore for multitude of men horses and chariots for in this battel al the kings ioyned their force and power together against Ioshuah at the waters of Merom for to fight against the Hebrewes but the Lord gaue them into Ioshuahs hands for they were so slaine that they fell before Ioshua and fled before the Hebrewes vnto Sidon and vnto the valley of Mispech Such a great victorie did the Lord giue vnto Ioshuah ouer these kings that the Sunne stayed ouer Gibeon and the Moone ouer Aialon vntill Ioshuah had full victorie ouer the Canaanites hauing subdued one and thirtie Kings These are the stratagems of the Lord in the behalfe of Ierusalem What stratagems hath not the Lord vsed to saue his people from their enemies enuironed with so many nations against them in the wildernesse and readie to bee deuoured of so many Kings about them in Canaan for the Canaanites thought it more straunge that Ioshua should come into the land of Canaan with his poore Hebrew Army called Hicsos in scorne among the Egyptians then the Babylonians thought of Cyrus to come to Babilon with his most inuincible Persian Armye or the Carthagenians of Scypio to come to Carthage and Affrica with his Romane armie Both Cyrus Scipio vsed stratagems to winne these victories Decius Brutus being so straightly besieged by Mar. Antonius at the citie Mutina to whom Hircius the Cōsull deuised a stratagem to write certaine letters vpon lead and to send them tied about souldiers neckes that swam down the riuer Scultenna to Mutina by the which he was certified of the Consuls minde Another stratagem of Hircius who tied certaine letters about tame Doues neckes which hee kept to that purpose hungry without meate and in darknesse which were sent by some of his souldiers in the night time as nigh as they could to the citie Mutina and then to let them flie the Pigeons being hungry fled straight to the Towers and high buildings of the towne which were brought to Brutus Brutus being now instructed with this stratagem of Hircius vsed the like himselfe to feede Pigeons within the citie Mutina and to let them flee which were for a time carriers of letters betweene Hircius the Consull and Brutus It is not read that the Hebrues reuolted during the whole time of Ioshuah the Hebrues needed not to doubt of victories if they would serue the Lorde hauing the Arke in the midst of their campe where the Lord presented himselfe to giue them Oracles and therfore they might boldly commence warre or enter any battell being imboldned by the Lord as hee promised to Moses and to Ioshua that hee would goe before them with such miraculous stratagems some in the seas as against Pharao some in the Sunne Moone as against the Canaanites some with fire from heauen as against Baals false prophets and priests Some with the opening of the earth in swallowing rebellious Iewes And other such stratagems with stones lightning and thunderbolts to destroy the enemies of Ierusalem CHAP. XVI Of the order and manner of the Gentiles how they brought their wiues and concubines how they ware their best apparell and how they brought the dearest and preciousest Iewels they had in the sight of the campe before they entred into any battell because they should more manfully and couragiously fight THe kings of Asia souldiers whē they went to fight any great battel they brought into the field their most dearest things and preciousest Iewelles which they ware about them to signifie how willing glad they
the Towne to his father Though the Israelites fell to Idolatrie after Ioshuahs death who during the time of Ioshua serued the Lord and neuer forsooke him yet the Lorde at all times though they alwaies offended him deliuered them frō their enemies when they cryed vnto him for his ayde and helpe So being now vexed with their euemies the Lord sent Ehud as a Iudge and Captaine to leade them and to gouerne them as their Generall beeing a stout and a valiant Captaine who was wont to say to his souldiers follow me went boldly to Eglon king of the Moabites vsed this stratagē told the king that he had some secret from the Lord to tellhim wherevpon the chamber being auoyded and the doore shut hee out with his dagger slew Eglon the king and came out and shut the doore after him and after slew ten thousand Moabites at that time yet Ehud was left-handed and vnable to fight and therefore it was a stratagem of the Lord. Iabin king of Canaan an other enemie of the Israelites sent his generall Cisera a mightie captain with nine hundred chariots of Iron and a huge Army of souldiers to fight against Israel yet the Lord still prouided for his people and deliuered the Canaanites into the hand of Deborah a woman and Barac euen the whole Army of the Canaanites at the battell at Meroz where euen the starres in their courses from heauen fought against Cisera as Deborah confessed in her song of thanksgiuing to the Lord for the victorie For all the battels that the Lord had fought for Israell yet they sinned more and so offended the Lord that they were deliuered seuen yeares into the hands of the Madianites for their wickednesse that Israell made themselues dennes and caues in the Mountaines for feare of the Madianites and Amalekites whose tents were as thicke as Grasse-hoppers in multitude so that they their cattels and their camels were without number Yet the Lord when Israell cryed for helpe raised vp sound Iudges as Othoniel Ehud Barac and Deborah who ouercame their enemies and had many victories ouer them but still Israel offended the Lord and therefore the Lord left Sidonites Canaanites and Philistines to afflict and vex the Israelites for that they still offended the Lorde Hee left these Nations among them with their gods and Idols that should be as snares vnto Israel and as thornes in their sides and needles in their eies to trie them and to force them to call vpon the name of the Lord. The Hebrewes as they offended the Lord so were they punished by the Lord who often gaue them ouer into their enemies hands for their rebellious sedition and disobedience and therefore the Lord made choise of a wise and discreet generall whom he strengthned to rule his people sent his messenger to Gedeon a husbandman threshing his corne to bee their captaine before them who with the three hundred souldiers that laped the water by putting their hāds to their mouthes as the Lord had commaunded him by that signe and had appointed the number for him to take the Lords battel in hand to let the rest which were one and thirtie thousand and seuen hundred returne to their home which were by proclamatiō discharged The generals that the Lord made choise of to rule his people were but shepheards heardmen and husbandmen as Moses Ioshua Gedeon Saul and Dauid and of the like men he made choise for his Prophets Gedeon obeyed the message of the Lord called at the Lords hand for strength and courage to fight his battel and after deuided the three hundred men into three seuerall bands and vsed this stratagem gaue euery man a Trumpet in his hand with an emptie pitcher and lampes within the pitchers signifying by these weake meanes which the Lord vsed that the whole victorie should come from the Lord and not from man So Gedeon their generall comming to the side of the enemies with his threee bands he commaunded all the souldiers at once to sound al the trumpets together to break their pitchers and to shout crie the sword of the Lord and of Gedeon the enemies were so frighted the Lord set euery mans sword vpon his neighbour and caused the Madianites to kill one an other He made the Moabites the Ammonites Edomites in like sort one to destroy an other They tooke in that battell two Princes of the Madianites called Oreb and Zeb whom they slew and brought their heads to Gedeon from beyond Iorden as they fled from the sword of Gedeon The slaughter was an hundred and twentie thousand that were slaine with three hundred men as the Lord had commaunded Obserue the stratagem of Gedeon who commanded his three hūdred souldiers at once to sound al the trumpets together to breake their pitchers and to shout and crie the sword of the Lord and of Gedeon It so amazed the Madianites that the victory was Gedeons Ioshuah in like sort was by the Lord commaunded after he had carried the Arke round about Iericho seuen times vpon the seuenth day that the Priests should blow the rammes hornes and all the souldiers to crie aloude and to shout out all together at once that the walles of Iericho fell With a stratagem also Ioshua deceiued the king of Ai who came out of the Citie to fight with Ioshua who tooke vpon him to flye from the king but hauing laide ambushes vpon the way and about the Towne the Lord gaue both the Towne and the King to Ioshuas hand So did the Israelites deceiue the Beniamites with the like stratagems as Ioshua did who tooke vpon them to flye to draw the Beniamites from the Citie to the high wayes vntill they were compassed round about with the Israelites who destryed 25. thousand and 100. men These are diuine stratagems and to be attributed vnto the Lords doings Pericles generall of the Athenians besieging a certain Citie in Greece who vpon the sudden in the night time caused all the Trumpets to be sounded at once and all the souldiers to shout and cry as loud as they could it so terrified the Citizens within that they ranne from all parts of the Cittie vnto that place where Pericles commanded the trumpets to be sounded and that loud crye to be made thinking thereby that the enemies had entred the Citie Pericles without resistance made an entrie into the Citie in an other place Antiochus vsed the like stratagem against the Ephesians commanded certaine Rhodians which were of his Army to shout out loud and to make a sudden out crie in the dead time of the night their feare and terror was such that all went to defend that place of the Towne and left the other side of the Towne without defence to let Antiochus enter in Luc. Cornelius after he had besieged and taken many Townes in Sardinia he vsed this stratagem to take a populous strong Citie made a great number of
his souldiers to hide themselues in ambush he hauing but fewe souldiers prouoked them of the Towne to come out faining himself to flye the enemie following with great furie after Luc. Cornelius with all his hidden souldiers returned vpon the sudden with such a terrible crye that the enemies turned theyr backes and fled to the Towne and the Romanes followed after them close at the heeles and entred the Towne with them all together So Pompey the Consull Generall for the Romaine Army in Albania perceiuing the enemies both in horsmen and in footemen to be farre more in number then the Romanes practised this stratagem placed his footemen behind the horsemen being in a straight and commaunded his horsemen to couer their helmets least by the sight of the helmets they should be seene of the enemies and to take vpon them to flye to draw the enemies forwards into the midst of the Army of footemen and then the Romane horsemen to turne backe and deuide themselues and to set on both sides of the enemies By this stratagem Pompey got a great victorie ouer the Albanians Iphicrates the Athenian compared an Army in this sort the light horsemen to the hands the men of armes to the feete the battel of footemen to the stomacke and breast the captaine to the head But the Hebrewes for all the victories of Ioshuah of Iudah and of Gedeon were still vnthankful and wrought wickednesse in the sight of the Lord for all the battels that the Lord fought for them they were so well acquainted with the gods of the Gentiles yea they serued the gods of Acron the gods of Sydon the gods of Moab and the gods of the Philistines and forgat the god of Israel they serued straunge gods and attributed victories vnto their Idols and honoured them and gaue no glory vnto the Lord of Israel and therefore the Lord gaue them ouer and solde them to their enemies and were eighteene yeares sore tormented and vexed by the Ammonites and Philistines and the enemies proudly went ouer Iorden to fight against Iudah against Beniamin and against the house of Ephraim but they cryed vnto the Lorde according to theyr custome in extremitie and were aunswered by the Prophet from the Lorde Let the Gods whome you serue saue you and whom you trust vnto defend you for you waigh not me neither will I defend you and then they put away their straunge gods from among them Thus the Israelites did not onely rebell vpon the death of Ioshuah but also vpon the death of Iudah Ehud Deborah and others neither did they esteeme the victories which they got by Deborah a woman and by Gedeon a Husbandman who with three hundred souldiers slew a hundred and twentie thousand but euer forgetfull and vnthankefull to the Lord more willing to returne to Egipt to be slaues vnto Pharao then to stay in Canaan to serue the Lord. The name of Leonidas was famous among the Lacedemonians for his victorie at Thermopyle where Leonidas with three hundred ouerthrew twentie thousand of Xerxes Army being innumerable The Athenians gloried much for theyr great victorie at Marathon by Milciades and Callimachus hauing but 10000. Grecians in their army ouerthrew the generall of king Darius Army and made a great slaughter of the Persians to the number of two hundred thousand The Romanes bragge much of the victorie of Marius with fewe souldiers ouer the Cymbrians at the riuer of Xextas of Sylla ouer Mithridates at the battell of Orchomenon and of Lucullus ouer Tigranes king of Armenia being three great victories with infinite slaughter with the losse of fewe Romanes The very Schythians can boast and bragge of the ouerthrow of Cyrus hauing two hundred thousand in his Army and that by a woman which encreased the fame of the Scythians to the greatest infamy of the Persians All Nations can bragge and boast of theyr victories and be thankfull vnto their Idols and to their gods with sacrifices with vowes with games and playes with rearing of Aultars and building of Temples but the Hebrewes and the people of the Lord who had greatest cause and occasions to remember theyr victories and triumphes that they had ouer so many Kings and so many Nations before they came to the Land of Canaan by fire haile-stones thunder and great stones from heauen and though the Lords presence went before them in the Arke and the Arke among them in the midst of the campe yet were the Israelites stiffe necked people euer offensiue to the Lord seditious against theyr leaders and enuious one towardes an other so the Lord cryed out against them and said I haue nourished and brought vp children and they are fallen away from me the Oxe knoweth his Lord and the Asse his Maisters stall but Israel knoweth not me wicked children sinfull people a froward generation which are ouerladen with blasphemies Nothing could instruct them to obey the Lord neither the Arke of couenant neither the Tabernacle of Moses neither the pillar of fire where the Lord appeared vnto them and after the vse of the Tabernacle neither the Temple of Salomon nor the Prophets to whom the Lord manifested himselfe in Ierusalem yea euen in Samaria among the wicked Samaritans they had the Prophets of the Lord Elias and Elizeus to instruct them CHAP. XVIII Of Iepthas victories ouer the Ammonites and Ephraimites the ciuill warres the tyrannie of Sylla and Marius in Rome Of the slaughter of the Philistians by Sampson the reuenge of pulling out his eyes and of the battell of Saul at Mich-mash NOw after Gedeon the Lord sought out Ieptha beeing fledde and chased by his bretheren from his countrey to the Land of Tob from whence hee was called by the Lord who alwayes appointed a generall ouer Israell while they serued him to leade his people against the Ammonites which the Lord deliuered into Iepthas hand At that time Ieptha made a rash vowe to the Lorde that if hee should haue victorie ouer the Ammonites that which came out of the doores of his house when he returned home in peace shal be the Lords and he wil offer it vp a burnt offering He foolishly performed that which he rashly vowed Though some of the Rabines do excuse Ieptha that his daughter died not but was seperated to dwell by her selfe from common conuersation in a solitary place to bewaile her virginitie according to the custome and manner of the virgins of Israel to liue in prayers and to consecrate her selfe vnto the lord Yet some of 〈◊〉 best diuines as Augustine Ambrose which both were of a cōtrary opiniō that she was sacrificed according to Iepthas vow But the Lord gaue the victory to Ieptha ouer the Amonits with the ouerthrow of twentie cities and with exceeding great slaughter Ieptha againe after his first victory ouer the Ammonites had another victory ouer the Ephraimites who enuied the former victory of Ieptha most ambitiously as they before did vnto
So by these meanes Dauid and Ioshua before him brought the Moabites the Edomites and the Philistines and all theyr enemies round about to be vnder their gouernment So after Dauid all nations did the like a principall point in all good Generalls to strengthen themselues with garrison in strong places Herein the Remanes excelled all nations that whersoeuer or whosoeuer they subdued there they placed Romane Magistrates to gouerne As Scypio and Pompey the great did in Asia Titus and Sylla in Greece this made the Romanes to be feared and dreaded among all nations of the worde For after the Romaines had subdued the Carthagineans they made Carthage a prouince to bee gouerned vnder a Proconsull of Rome After they had subdued Numidia and Lybia they were made prouinces and gouerned vnder a Consul of Rome So Egipt and Mauritania were in like sort gouerned vnder Romane Presidents So Sardinia Cicilia Achaia and many others were made Praetorian prouinces and gouerned vnder the Romanes But wee will proceede forward with the warres of Dauid euery where vnder his Generall Abishai Ioabs brother who slue eighteene thousand of the Edomites in the salt valley and he put garrion in Edom and all the Edomites became Dauids seruants so that Dauids enterprises and his battels which hee fought against the enemies of the Lord had wheresoeuer he went good successe Dauid euer vsed martiall lawes vpon the Lords enemies when Rabbah was taken by Ioab he was presently commaunded by Dauid the king to put all the people to cruell death and for that they were malicious enemies vnto the Lord he put them to such tortures as vnder sawes Iron harrowes Iron axes and cast them into the tylekilne so cruell and greeuous were the punishments of the Lord vpon the cities of the Ammonites The fame of Dauid grew so great that all the kings about him enuied him much that Hamnon king of the Ammonites prepared an army against Dauid vnderstanding that Dauid would reuenge the iniury hee did vnto his Embassadors whome Dauid sent to Hamnon of meere kindnesse and courtesie the cause was that Dauids Embassadours by the King of Ammon and the counsell of his Princes and Lords had the halfe of their beards shaued and their garments cut off in the middle euen vnto their buttockes and so sent them away which among the Israelites was the greatest reproach that might be Thus the Embassadors of Dauid against the law of armes were disfigured to make them odious vnto others but they were commaunded by Dauid to stay in Iericho to auoid the obloquy of so fowle a fact vntill they were prouided for Alcibiades Generall ouer the Athenians laying siege to the chiefe citie of the Aggregentines which was so strongly euery way defended with forts and trenches that Alcibiades deuised a new stratageme and thereby sought meanes to haue a conuenient place of parley to talk with them before he would lay siege to the towne which being graunted Alcibiades appointed certaine captaines while hee held the Aggrentines in parley of peace to take the citie Ionathan after that Iud. Machabaeus his brother was slaine in the field by Bacchides and after that the children of Amri tooke Iohn Ionathans brother he vsed this pollicie to reuenge his brother vpon the mariage day of a daughter of one of the noblest Princes of Canaan Ionathan his men hid themselues and laie in ambush vnder the couert of a mountain that when the children of Amri came out of Medeba with tymbrels Instrumēts of musicke and great pompe Ionathan set vpon them slue the most part and the rest fled so that their mariage was turned into mourning and the noyse of their melodie to lamentation thus Ionathan reuenged his brother at Medeba Cymon the sonne of Milciades a noble Greeke Captaine at the besieging of a citie in Caria vsed this stratagem to burne the temple of Diana which goddesse the Carians most religiously worshipped the temple being builded without the walles of the towne all the citie ranne to defend Dianaes temple from burning Cymon with his Athenian armie entered and obtained the citie while they were busie about the temple The like policie vsed Demetrius to deceiue Ionathan who hearing that Ionathan came in the night time with his men armed Demetrius and all his armie feared and trembled in their hearts and kindled great fires in theyr Tents and fled away which Ionathan suspected not that they fled because they saw the fire burning in the tents and so Demetrius by this strageme of fire passed ouer the flood Eleutherus and escaped from Ionathan Many such stratagems haue bene vsed by fire to deceiue the enemie as Hannibal by fire tyed to Oxens hornes in the night time against the Romaines Sampson by tying of firebrands to Foxes tayles to burne the corne of the Philistines So Absolon vsed the like stratagem against Ioab with many such Now hauing heard that Ioabs chiefe captains came in that Dauid was comē ouer the riuer Iorden fiue kings came against Ioab and pitched their tents before Medeba a citie of the Tribe of Ruben but when the battell ioyned together the Ammonites and the Aramites fled and fell before Israel so that the victorie was Ioabs and yet had they two and thirtie thousand chariottes and fiue kings set in battell-raie to fight against Dauid but it was the Lords battell and therefore too fewe if they had had tenne times as many And therefore the Aramites the Ammonites were sore greeued at the good successe of Dauid that they gathered their whole force and power together and sent messengers beyond Iorden to draw all the enemies of Israel to fight another battell against Dauid and Dauid hearing of their great armies came ouer Iorden to Hel◅ and fought with them and the Aramites fled before him and Dauid destroyed of the Aramites seuen hundred chariots fortie thousand footemen and killed Sophach Generall of the hoste Dauid at length made a generall conquest of the Philistines destroyed the Ammonites and theyr chiefe citie Rabbah slue their King and Princes and cut the people in peeces with sawes with harrowes of Iron and with axes and Dauid requited fully the spitefull malicious wrong they did vnto his Embassadors And as Ioshua brought them ouer Iorden and placed them in Canaan and destroyed their enemies before them and gaue the Hebrewes the possession of Canaan so Dauid rooted these nations out and made a full conquest of them and left Israel in peace and quiet to his sonne Solomon and Salomon to his sonne Rehoboam so that the Edomites Moabites and Ammonites became Dauids seruants and paied tribute vnto Solomon during his whole life CHAP. II. Of tributes paide to the kings of Egipt And what manner of tributes the old Romanes and Persians receiued The rewards of adultery SO Ioseph made a lawe in Egipt that the first part of all the land of Egipt should be as a yearely
the Tarentines So Pirrhus in the like was almost taken by the Romanes but he was driuen to forsake Tarentum and glad to his losse to flie from the Romanes though he was the most renowned warriour in the world at that time and to say that the Romanes had their Pirrhus as Hannibal said after 17. yeares warres with the Romanes that the Romanes had also their Hannibal and that Rome could hardly be subdued but by Romanes for both Pirrhus and after him Hannibal found the Romanes to be an inuincible nation For after that Cineas Pirrhus Embassador had returned from Rome being demaunded of Pirrhus of what state the Romaines were in Rome what rules what lawes and what kinde of gouernment the Romanes had Cineas answered that the Senate of Rome appeared to him a counsell house of many Kings and euery man seemed to him in Rome to be such as King Pirrhus was in Epyre. At that time Pirrhus said to Cineas were I king of Rome or had I Romane souldiers I should soone be an other Alexander For Pirrhus was by Hanibal adiudged to be the second souldier at that time in the world after Alexander Pirrhus was a man so full of courage and valour that when he was chalenged into a combat by a Generall of the Army and though hee was wounded in the battell yet bloudie as hee was hee could not endure the challenge but aunswered his challenger and killed him Marc. Seruilius for priuate challenges in combats excelled all who had bene a Consul and had fought in his owne person 23. challenged combats of life and death and slew as many as he fought withall For among the olde Romanes and the Grecians when two armies met together they vsed to chalenge combats to saue bloud betweene one and one as Marcellus and Britomarus betweene three and three as the Horatians and Curatians betweene three hundred and three hundred as the Lacedemonians and the Argiues For-at the great battell betweene Marcellus the Romane Consull and Britomarus King of the Gaules who challenged Marcellus to fight a combate betweene them both in the battell at Chastidium to spare bloud and to yeeld the conquest where the victorie fell The combat being performed and the king slaine by Marcellus in the field both the armies ioined their forces together and fought it out that foure score thousand were slaine of the Gaules and their King which honor happened to none of the Romans besides but to Romulus who killed Acron King of the Caeninians in the like combat and also to Cornel. Cossus who slew Tolumnus generall of the Thuscanes The Romanes were so ioyfull of this victorie of Marcellus that they caused a massie cup of gold to bee made of the spoile and to be sent to Appollo Pythian in Delphos So did Xerxes the great king of Persia in his voyage against the Grecians dranke a cup of wine to Neptune and after his draught threw the cup into the middest of the sea as a sacrifice to please Neptune yet had not hee such good successe as Romulus and Marcellus had for at that time Xerxes leuied so great an army into Greece that sixe hundred thousand bushels of corne was daily spent in Xerxes Army thinking to conquer all Greece with terrour and feare of such an Army for that Greece at that time was busie in setting forth their Olympicall feast He came to Thermopyla where hee was met by Leonidas a noble Greeke with sixe hundred Grecians and was put to flight with the losse of twentie thousand Persians This was one of the most samous victories and rarest battels that euer the Grecians had ouer the Persians though the battell at Artemisium and Salamina by Themistocles and the battell at Marathon by Milciades were farre greater battailes with such slaughters as Xerxes lost three hundred thousand Persians yet none was fought with such a resolute courage as noble Leonidas did to the last man at Thermopyla Such was the courage of Leonidas that when it was tolde him that the Army of the Persians were innumerable and so many that they couered the Sunne as it were with a cloude with the multitude of theyr Archers we shall fight the better said Leonidas in the shadowe Xerxes Armie beeing ouerthrowne first by Leonidas at Thermopyla and after by Themistocles at Artemesium after much slaughter of the Persians Themistocles souldiers thought to take away the bridge to preuent those Persian souldiers that sought by flight to escape through the bridge But Themistocles forbad the contrary saying I had rather haue the Persians willing to depart out of Greece then to force them desperately to fight in Greece against their wills this time vsed Themistocles a subtill stratagem he sent to Xerxes a secret messenger and faigned himselfe to be Xerxes friend by the messenger and tolde him what danger he was in vnlesse he would make hast out of Greece Many vsed these kinde of stratagems as Caesar did against the Germains and Agesilaus against the Thaebans for it was one of Pirrhus precepts left to his souldiers in writing not to resist the violence of the enemy being desperately vrged to fight The like stratagem vsed Lu. Martius Generall ouer the Romane army against the Affricans hauing compassed round about the army of the Affricans that eyther they must fight valiantly or die Martius knowing well that all men will fight desperately in extremities commanded his souldiers to giue them way inough for passage and to hide themselues out of sight and presently to fall vpon them in their flight disordered so that the poore Affricans being glad to flie were miserably slaine of the Romans without any slaughter of the Romans Clau. Nero after he ouerthrew the Affrican army and their generall Asdrabal comming to Italy to aide Haniball his brother but being preuented his army was ouerthrowne and slaine and his head cut off and sent to his brother Haniball on a pole for a present which so daunted Hanibals courage and his army that he had no longer list to stay in Italy then Xerxes had to stay in Greece So Lu. Sylla sent the heads of Marius captaines which were slain in the field vpon poles to discourage his enemies being besieged by Syllas captaines at Praeneste The very like did Arminius generall of the Germains caused the heads of those souldiers that he slew in the field to be sent cast in the trenches or rampiers of the enemies strange sights and strange reports doth much discourage the enemies for Q. Sertorius stabd a souldier for that he said that Herculeus one of his great captaines was slaine in the field least hee should discourage the souldiers these are kind of stratagems which great captaines vse to terrifie the enemies and to encourage their owne souldiers So Iugurth said that he killed Cai Marius with his owne hand in the warres of Numidia And Leuinus said that he killed Pirrhus with his owne hand in the warres at Tarentum
or the field of Mars in Rome these places were appointed where Greek and Romane captaines were buried with their pompe and pride together Abraham the Patriarke had care for the buriall of the faithfull and bought a field therefore in Hebron for the burial of him his wife Sarah his children and posteritie So Iacob did commaund his sonne Ioseph to bring his body from Egipt to Hebron The like charge gaue Ioseph to his children when he died We read of certain kings of the Gentiles who had such care of their buriall as Menedes king of Egipt imitating Abraham appointed a place of burial for himselfe the kings of Egipt that lineally succeeded him of his name and stocke which continued the raigne of 17. kings successiuely after king Menedes In like manner Perdica king of Macedonia shewed to his sonne Argaeus a place where he himselfe and his posteritie after him should be buried for he was instructed by an Oracle that as long as they buried the kings of Macedonia in that place the kings should continue in one stocke and family which continued three hundred and three score yeares vntill the time of Alexander the great who died in Babilon out of Macedonia and was buried in Alexandria in Egipt This much I wrote to proue the Hebrewes to be fathers of all antiquities and now to Athens and to theyr souldiers where with such care they were looked vnto after any victory that their haires should be curled and trimmed vp with siluer fillets others were crowned with a knot like the rowle that women weare on theyr heads others were decked with garlands of mirtle In this the Athenians seemed equall to the Romanes that they brought all the Images and statues of their gods and all the whole state of Athens with such solemnitie pomp came crowned with Oliues Mirtle and Iuye to meet the cōqueror at their gates with the song of Paeana at what time the Orators Poets contended vpon theaters to excell one an other in the praise of the conqueror and his captains as they did of Demetrius and others For amōg the Grecians diuers places of exercise were appointed for Orators Poets as at Thesius graue at Helicon where some in Comedies some in Tragedies contended for victories where Sophocles was iudged to bee victor in his Tragedies ouer Aeschylus for the which he was rewarded with a Bucke Goate Againe in the second games and playes the Poets met in the Citie of Elis where Menander was ouerthrowne by Philomene in the contention of Comedies for the which Philomene had in reward a Bull. So Theopompus Isocrates scholler had the garland giuen him by consent of all the Iudges Hesiodus in verses cōtended with Homer had at that time onely the garland giuen him for the victory therof Hesiodus wrote an Epigram vpon a pillar in memorie of his victorie ouer Homer in Helicon Among all these Poets Orators there was one woman called Corinna so excellent in verse that shee was named Musca Lirica and contended with Pindarus the Poet in Thaebes in verses had 5. seueral victories for the which victories she was 5. times crowned with garlāds And because Corinna shall not be alone without fellows Arete Aristippus the Philosophers daughter shal be the second who after her fathers death ruled and gouerned Aristippus schollers read philosophie in Athens So Leonitum as a third fellow though light yet so learned that she durst write that in Atticall phrase against that great Philosopher Theophrastus Agamemnon Generall of all Greece in the warres of Troy so rewarded Aiax for a combat that he fought with Hector hand to hand with the sacrificing of an oxe with gilt hornes and rewarded Achilles for that he killed Hector in the field with tenne talents of gold twelue horses and seuen faire women of Lesbia that was the olde custome and manner of auntient time in that countrey to reward such champions So Themistocles was crowned with a crowne of the sacred Oliue tree and gratified with a rich triumphant chariot by the Lacedemoniās for the deliuery of Greece at the battell of Marathon from the inuasion of the Persians Horatius Cocles had a statue of marble to him erected in the pallace of common meetings for that hee resisted the army of the Hetruscans being but himselfe standing on a bridge of wood ouer Tiber. The reward of souldiers among the Scythians was to drinke out of the Kings cup as oft as they had brought an enemies head to the campe and might by the law of Scythia make claime to drinke of the kings cup as oft as any souldier slew an enemy in the field and brought his head to his captaines tent It was the maner and custome among the Scythians that the kings cup should be carried vp downe in the field to honor those noble captaines that had wel deserued by seruice to drink out of it So among the Indians the souldier that had brought the head of an enemy to his captain should haue for his reward a black horse a blacke bull which colour was farre more esteemed in India then any colour else CHAP. VIII Of triumphes tropheys and victories and of military lawes and aduancing of souldiers NO victorie was gotten in Rome without feasts sacrifices and triumphes made to annimate the generalls captaines and souldiers valiantly to stand in the face of their enemies For Pompey the great in his three triumphes ouer Affrica Asia and Europe carried captiue three hundred thirtie and nine kings kings children princes peeres and noble men brought as prisoners and pledges with him to Rome In this Pompey was compared by Plutarch to Alexander the great for his triumphes ouer three quarters and parts of the world Others brought in their triumphs withall pomp and solemnitie crowned with Lawrell and with Oliue garlands the formes likenesses and pictures of mountains hills woods cities townes and riuers scituated in those regions whom they conquered Lu. Cornel. Scypio after he had put Antiochus the great to flight he carried into Rome in his triumphe the likenesse form of an hundred and thirtie cities townes which he conquered in Asia and therefore was surnamed Asiaticus Luc. Sylla in like manner carried in his triumphe all the Citties of Greece which were set out very liuely in large ensignes and painted brauely in banners and flags So did Marcellus carrie the citie of Syracusa in his triumph set out on long tables So did Caesar carrie the likenesse and forme of the riuer Nilus and the riuer of Rien in long tables painted with the picture of Scypio and Cato Pau. Aemilius triumphed ouer Persius king of Macedonia and his children whom hee conquered and brought them captiues and prisoners into Rome In this triumph Aemilius brought all the olde auntient monuments of the Kings of Macedonia and the greatnesse of Alexanders Empire which was brought by
and trauell and long exercises of warres that Alexander with an army of thirtie thousand after he had vanquished Darius king of Persia he proceeded forwards without any resistance but by yeelding of all the Kings of the East countries It is not read that Alexander vsed any stratagemes as his father Philippe did The like hardinesse and courage was found in Masinissa king of Numidia being foure score yeares old that he in the cold winter and hard frost bareheaded would march before his souldiers ouer mountaines through woods and desart places with such paine and trauell with such hunger and thirst as hee beeing a king and a captain marching before heauie and laden with armors the souldiers were kindled with great courage to follow after being driuen therevnto for very shame to imitate such a valiant captaine Well therefore Lysander said that a Lyon before three hundred Deares was better then a timerous Deare before three hundred Lyons And as well did Iphicrates the Athenian captaine compare the whole band of an army to the whole body of a man for as the head gouerneth ruleth the whole body so the Generall ruleth and gouerneth the whole army Fabius Max. would neuer suffer his souldiers to be either sloathfull or idle but before they should take any ease he would stil remoue his whole camp from place place to keepe his souldiers in exercise of seruice and to auoyd sluggishnesse and idlenesse which idlenesse was the first beginning of Hannibals ruine in Italy and as after followed the whole ouerthrow of all his Affrican Army in Campania for they still tooke their ease and pleasure in Capua without military trauell of exercise For we read that Epaminondas that famous Thaehan captaine finding one of his souldiers idle and sleeping in his tent did runne him through with his speare and turning to his army said wee left this souldier as wee found him The like did 〈◊〉 Caesar finding one of his army asleep caused him to be bound to a poste and he himselfe with his Lieftenants and Captaines shot him to death speaking loud to his captains and souldiers we must purge our army with the sacrifice of such dead souldiers for said Caesar Frater euim mortis somnus est Therefore Scypio Affrican was wont to say to idle lazie souldiers that the souldiers that would not haue their swords and speares imbrewed with the bloud of the enemies like valiant souldiers should be diggers and deluers like slaues in their shirts with dyrtie mattockes and spades in lewe of swords And so Caesar said that the souldiers that could not vse their swords and shields should vse the mattock and spade Bochoris decreed a military lawe against sloathfull and idle souldiers in Egipt that would not obey theyr captaines or forsooke their standart they should be reremoue from the place where they serued and become agrarij milites base souldiers as they began first and if any souldier would open any secrets to the enemies he should haue his tongue cut out of his head by the lawe of Bochoris The fatte and full fed souldier among the Romanes that neither could nor would take paines on foote or on horse the captain might take his horse from vnder him and giue him to an other So Agesilaus did in the Peloponesian warres in Greece for when he sawe young braue souldiers of Asia in his campe which had more pride in their apparell then care of their seruice more like to women then to men Agesilaus tooke their braue and fine apparell from them and gaue it to those souldiers that better deserued it and forced them to serue very bare and naked vntill they knew better how to become souldiers So the Romanes vsed to take the speares from those souldiers that were giuē to idlenesse and sloathfulnesse though before through seruice they wonne them and deserued them They also vsed to open a vaine vpon the forehead of a wilde rash and disobedient souldier to let him bleed to become sober The Gaules vsed to put a marke vpon the souldiers girdle which if the souldier through idlenes would not keepe himselfe within that marke he should be straightly kept in prison with thin dyet vntill the marke of his girdle would serue him The olde Gaules had an other lawe that hee which came last to the muster should be slaine in the presence of the multitude for that hee seemed vnwilling to come to be with the first to answere for himselfe and for his countrey It was so also among the Romanes that hee which would not answere to the first call at any publike muster of souldiers should be noted as a great offender to his country and banished out of his countrey as a man not borne nor fit for his countrey Eumenes a noble captaine a souldier of Alexander the great to take that sluggishnesse from his souldiers that grew by idlenesse did acquaint them with trauell and paine to keepe them in breath sometimes marching forwards faire and softly and then retiring with great haste vpon the sudden much like to the Parthians in theyr fighting taking vpon them to flee for feare from the enemies to drawe the enemies after them and then to returne vpon the sudden againe to fight with their enemies so did Eumenes by his souldiers which made them readie in seruice as well backwards as forwards which many captaines vsed as stratagems Fabius Max. thought good to reclaime the faults of an euil and ignorant souldier by lenitie and gentlenesse and wished no captaine to vse his souldiers more sharply then the husbandman vsed his Figge trees Oliue trees and wilde Pomegranates which by pruming and good handling of them do alter their hard wilde nature Charondas made a lawe to punish those souldiers that loytred in their countrey and refused to goe to warres for their countrey and also those souldiers that were in the warres that brake any martial order by leauing their ensigne and their company the souldier that so offended should be cloathed in a womans apparell and bee brought into the midst of the campe and there to stand in the sight of all the army three seuerall daies together So Artaxerxes vsed cowardly souldiers in Persia with the same selfe lawe as Charondas did And therefore Attil Regulus passing with his Army from Samnium to Lucerna met with the enemies vnexpected his souldiers being taken vpon the sudden began to flye Regulus commaunded certaine of his captains to kill those souldiers that fled from the enemies The old Romanes for the greatest punishment they had for their slaues in Martius Corilianus time was to carrie a limmer on his shoulders that is fastned to the axeltree of a coach called Furea and compelled to go vp and downe in that sort among his neighbours and after to be called Furciser Certaine military punishments by law of Armes set downe Castigatio Pecumariaemulctae numerum indictio militiaemutatio gradus dciectio ignominiosa missio
into prouinces some into Toparchies as Syria some into Tetrarchies as Paphlagonia Some into Tribes and some into Ethnarchies as France Gasgoyne and Brytaine were diuided into eighteene prouinces and gouerned vnder Praetors Hispaine in sixe prouinces two of them vnder Consuls gouernment the other foure vnder Proconsuls Macedonia was diuided into seuen prouinces Thracia into sixe and Illyria into seuen prouinces This might seeme strange that Consuls of Rome being but one citie should rule gouerne so many kingdomes that after they had subdued Affrica the most part of Europe before they came to Asia and had established Affrike Europe vnder Romane gouernors And as by the death of Alexander the great all the East kingdomes were left without a king that they that were then but Alexanders Souldiers diuided all the kingdomes of the East as booties and praies between them Macedonia to Antipater Egipt to Ptolomeu Asia the lesse to Antigonus and so other kingdomes were diuided betweene others of Alexander his souldiers and they that could agree vnder one captaine as fellowes friendes and souldiers of one countrey fell to ciuil warres within themselues that one destroyed another that by this meanes the Romanes subdued the kings of Asia as they subdued the kings of Affrica and Europe After the Romanes had subdued Italy their countrey-men and next neighbours they graunted to the Volsces the Tyrrhens the Samnites Lucans Tarentines Thuscans the Romane lawe called Ius Latij So did the Romanes in Cicilia which was the first people subdued and made the first prouince vnder the Romanes they had Iura Latinitatis In Carthage Leptis and diuers other cities in Affrike and Hispaine they had their freedome libertie againe and the lawes of Italy graunted them by Alexander Seuerus the Emperour so that in Affrica were fifteene Romane cities where no magistrate might gouerne but a Romane citizen and that Per ius Latinitatis The like law made Pompey in Armenia in Pontus and other cities of Asia that Romain magistrates should gouerne them as they did in Hispaine and in Affrica All Hispaine were so subiect to the Romaines that thirtie townes were made free to vse their liberties and lawes named Romane cities in one part of Hispaine and one hundred twentie townes that paid anuall stipend to the Romanes The Athenians Thessalians and all Greece were restored to their lawes liberties by diuers Emperors of Rome as by Pau. Aemilius Ti. Flaminius Lu. Silla others But other kingdomes and countries were not so For though the Romains excelled and exceeded all nations in prowise in conquests and victories yet made they all kingdomes and countries their friendes and consederates which they subdued So was Masinissa king of Numidia euer a friend to the Romanes against Hannibal while he liued and at his death made the Romane Empire his heire And Attalus king of Asia for the friendship that he found with the Romanes committed his kingdome into the Romanes tuition and made also the Empire of Rome his heire as Masinissa did And though the Cappadocians were a free nation gouerned by their owne lawe yet sought they freedome and libertie of the Romanes and would be gouerned by them onely forsaking their owne libertie so that they were ruled as the Egiptians were by Romaine knights for that the Romane knights and the Senators were of equall power at that time For no Consull Proconsull Praetor or such as had Serieants or Tipslaues before them might in no wise come into Alexandria or any part of Egipt for that the Romanes had an olde prophesie that their dignitie and iurisdicton should cease in Alexandria and also in Egipt when any Romane officer came to Alexandria hauing Serieants with Maces before them The Romanes beeing now Lords of the most part of Affrica Asia and Europe grew so proud of their fortunes of their triumphes their victories and greatnesse farre from Rome that they through ambition and enuie began one to spite an other in Rome so that there was nothing in Rome but as it was in Athens seditions tumults enuie and malice and as Iugurth spake of Rome that it was Vrbs venalis si haberet emptorem a towne soone sold if it had a chapman So Demosthenes spake of the three monsters of Athens the people the owle and the dragon these were the causes that ouerthrew Rome and Athens The Israelites in like sort as the Romanes before they conquered the Canaanites they agreed and ioyned their force together and the Lord prospered theyr warres when they serued him that from Ioshuahs time who brought them and gaue them the possession of the land of Canaan vnto Dauids time who setled the Israelites as the Lords ouer the Canaanites that the Moabites Ammonites and other nations about payed tribute to Dauid and to his successors and that there was no king no nation but feared and trembled at the name of Israel And as you heard before of the ciuill warres of the Macedonians betweene Alexanders seruants and of the Romanes so Israel likewise fell to ciuill warres which was the cause of the destruction of the Persians the Macedonians the Romanes the Israelites and others for the Hebrewes beeing the onely auntientest people which were brought vp in the military discipline of the Lord their lawe giuer and Generall of their Army vnder whom Moses Ioshua Dauid and others kept and executed the same whose fame grew so great thereby that all the kings and captaines of the earth trembled thereat The Gentiles in their warres with their enemies tooke not onely counsell of their Oracles and Soothsayers but also made their simple souldiers to beleeue that they were instructed by some diuine power sent from Iupiter or from Appollo As Sertorius a captaine no lesse famous in Affrike then Sylla was in Asia which did by a white hinde vse many stratagems whom he taught to follow him euery where euen into his bed chamber making his souldiers to beleeue that hee would consult with this white hinde in some secret place before hee would take any warres in hand and after he had consulted with this white hinde hee certainly assured his souldiers of victorie this hee vsed to encourage his souldiers in all his warres in Affrica Hereby he ouerthrew Cotta the Consull in a battell on the sea and also ouerthrewe Domitius the Romane Proconsull in Hiberia and constrained Metellus to his loss many times to yeeld vntill Pompey the great came with his legionarie army from Rome to aide Metellus against Sertorius with whom Pompey had somewhat to doo before hee ouerthrew Sertorius Thus hee encouraged his souldiers in Affrica by reason of his white hinde as Lucius Sylla did practise manye such Stratagemes in Asia who did make his souldiers beleeue by looking on the picture of Appollo which he carried about his neck in a litle close tablet that he was instructed by Appollo to take such battels in hand that Sylla
reioyced in his great victorie ouer Darius at Arbela and his conquests ouer kingdomes and countries had hee knowne hee should haue bene poysoned in Babilon Caesar had neuer taken the ciuill warres in hand against Pompey the great had hee knowne that hee should haue beene murthered before Pompeys Image in Rome Priamus had hee knowne the slaughter of himselfe his wife his children the last destructiō of Troy his citie had not resisted the Greeks nor denied their lawfull request in restoring Helen and therefore saide Cicero Multò melius est nescire futura quam scire Ignorance is better then knowledge of thinges to come but these had no Ephod no Vrim Thummim nor prophet to tel them of things to come as Ioshua Dauid Gedeon and others had and yet Alexander had his soothsayer Aristander Caesar had Spurina Priamus was warned by his daughter Cassandra but euer when they escaped one danger they fell into another as Iob said Fugiet impius armaferrca irruet in arcum aereum So superstitious grew the Gentils with such abhominable Idolatry that in Persia by a cock in Egipt by a bull in Aethiope by a dog they tooke soothsaying in Beotia by a beech tree in Epyre by an oake in Delos by a dragō in Lycia by a wolfe in Ammon by a ramme they receiued their oracles as their warrant to commence any warre to enter any battell or to attempt any enterprise And therfore Alexander the great went to the oracle at Ammon to know the successe of his warres in India And Licurgus went to Delphos to be instructed to make lawes in in Sparta Some went to the graue of Amphiraus sacrificed a Ramme and couered the graue of Amphiraus with that Ramme skinne and sleeping vpon the same skinne all night all things should be shewed to them by oracles But to such men as come to dead mens graues to seek helpe might be spoken that which Semyramis spake to Darius king of Persia. For Semyramis had written vpon her graue that what Prince soeuer had wanted money or golde should open her tombe and be satisfied Darius being greedie of money opened her tombe and found this sentence written vpon a table O couetous wretch vnlesse thou hadst bin an vnsatiable Prince thou wouldst neuer haue opened the graue of the dead for money The like was spokē to Xerxes that opened Belus graue and found nothing but an emptie glasse with this writing on a pillar If any would open Belus graue and not fill the emptie glasse with oyle he should be vnfortunate Which being read of Xerxes he willed straight to fil the glasse with oyle which would hold oyle no more then Belides buckets held water Xerxes departed sad therefore imagining some ill lucke to come thereby as within a while after it came to passe that he was slaine in his owne pallace at Persepolis by Artabanus The Prophets of the Lorde Esai Ieremy and the rest tooke no oracles from flying of fowles from starres and such but from the mouth of the Lord saying Thus saith the Lorde giuing more certaine oracles to the Israelites then the Persians Egiptians and Grecians had by Swallowes Rauens Eagles and Cockes The Prophet Dauids manner was when he went to any battell to know of the Lord whether hee should goe or no against the Philistines Canaanites and other enemies of the Lord. So the Israelites would take no warre in hand against the Beniamites before they asked counsell of the Lord. When the Moabites denied Ioshua and his army passage through the land Ioshua was commaunded by Moses to muster a thousand of euery Tribe and to giue them battell For it was lawfull in iust warres to vse any policies stratagems and snares against the enemie as Abraham did in rescuing Lot made after the foure kings fought with them ouerthrew them and brought Lot backe againe to his owne house where he dwelt in Zodom And so Gedeon did to the men of Sucoth and to the men of Phanuel for that they denied to giue some bread to relieue his three hundred faintie souldiers at his returne from the victorie hee tare the flesh of threescore and seuenteene Elders and chiefe men of Sucoth with briers and thornes and brake downe the Tower of Phanuel and slew the men of the Towne according to his promise before tolde But let vs returne to the oracles and soothsayings aswell of the Gentiles as of the Iewes The Athenians in euery publike counsell that they tooke in hand without their Priests called Mantes were present in place to sacrifice and to offer oblations vnto their Idols nothing should be done among the Athenians Among the Lacedemonians in like manner the authoritie of soothsaying was such that in all consultations among the Senators they would conclude vpon nothing in matters of doubts without warrant frō their soothsayers The credite and existimation of soothsayers was such among the Romanes that they could dispossesse any Senator from the Senate any Consull or Praetor from their offices as is said before for the soothsayers were called in Rome Nuntij interpetres Iouis the messengers of Iupiter and his interpreters So the latter Iewes serued and sacrificed to the Idols of the Gentiles neither would they attempt any thing without oracles from Chemosh the Idoll of the Moabites from Nesroch the Idoll of the Assyrians and from Dagan the Idoll of the Philistines yet Senacherib was slaine praying in the Temple before his owne god Nesroch by his owne sonnes and the fiue Lords of the Philistines at the great feast which they made to their god Dagon were slaine by the fall of the house where they feasted Yet Israel would take no example thereby but forgat the lawe of the Lord which they obeyed vnder Ioshuah Iudah Gedeon and others but they would haue new kings new lawes to gouerne them an other forme of a common-wealth then the Lord had appointed and a new kinde of religion to serue straunge gods otherwise then the Lord had commanded them and to seeke helpe and aide of other nations which the Lord forbad them saying The strength of Pharao shall bee your shame and your trust to the shadowe of Egipt shall deceiue you neither the gods whom you serue shall saue you neither the nations whom you trust vnto shall defend you As the Ethnikes vsed dreames lots prophesies oracles soothsayings and charmes to instruct them in their warres so Nabuchodonozer consulted with his oracles asked counsel of the soothsayers and obserued the liuer of a beast for the destruction of Ierusalem but they are cursed in Gods booke that would vse sorcery or seeke helpe by any other meanes then by the Lord for what haue the faithfull to do with Infidels which were forbidden to goe to Iupiter at Hammon or to Appollo at Delphos where the Gentiles came to offer gold pearles iewels chaines crownes shields targets and Images to hang there in the temple of Appollo that
Philip king of Macedonia at the spoile thereof had as great a pray as Alexander his sonne had of Babilon or Nabuchodonozer of Ierusalem CHAP. VIII Of sanctuaries allowed to the Hebrewes and of the multitude of sanctuaries among the Gentiles SAnctuaries were priuiledged among all Nations not onely for souldiers that fled from the warres and seruants that fled from their maisters but also for those that by chance kild any man or had committed such capitall crimes without proofe these might bee succoured in sanctuaries vntill the truth were knowne and proued and therefore the Hebrewes had sixe citties of refuge by the lawe of Moses where if any man had slaine vnwittingly or vnwillingly a man he might flee to any of these sixe Cities as to a sanctuary of refuge but they that had killed a man willingly and had committed any capitall crime purposely should not onely be taken away from the sanctuarie but bee pluckt away from the aultar as Ioab was for killing of Abner and Adonias though hee pretended treason before against Salomon yet had hee the priuiledge of the sanctuarie for that fault by Salomon but when hee sought to haue Abizaig to his wife he was pluckt from the Aultar as Ioab was Those that were lawfully succoured by Moses lawe in the sanctuary it was not lawfull for them that fled thither to returne home vnlesse it were at the death of the high Priest which was a shadow of the death of Christ by whose death the regenerate turne to their eternall home The Gentiles imitating the Hebrewes had too many licentious sanctuaries with the like libertie and priuiledge in so much that in continuance of time it grew that Temples Aultars Images of Emperours and Kings and graues of dead men were allowed for sanctuaries as if any that would flye vnto the Temple of Diana at Ephesus and claimed by the right of a sanctuarie to be defended hee was made free and had his libertie graunted vnto him and that continued a sanctuarie from the time of Alexander the great who amplyfied the Temple of Diana the quantitie of a furlong which temple was burnt before by Herostratus vpon the very day that Alexander was borne vntill the time of Augustus Caesar three hundred yeares after Alexander by whom the wickednesse of that sanctuary was was abrogated and quite taken away Cadmus as some write at the building of Thaebes was the first in Greece that gaue any priuiledge to sanctuaries Others thinke that some of the posteritie of Hercules erected vp in Athens the temple of mercie where euery man might flee for succour fearing least they should be punished and plagued for the iniuries that Hercules their predecessor did to others and the Athenians made a decree that none that fled to the aultar of mercie should be pulled away Romulus imitating Cadmus at the building of Rome for the encrease of his citie graunted impunitie to all such wicked men that came to Rome whose example all other Gentiles followed after in so much that kings and kings sonnes fled vnto sanctuaries so great was the priuiledge of sanctuaries that king Pausanias fled to the Temple of Minerua in Sparta and king Cleombrotus fled to the Temple of Neptune in Taenero and Adonias King Dauids sonne fled to the Temple in Ierusalem Likewise a souldier taken in the warre if he had fled from thence to the statue of any King Emperour or great captaine he was to haue his libertie The liberties and abuse of sanctuaries grew so great among all nations that where sanctuaries were allowed chiefly first for those that slew any man by chaunce against their will for captiue souldiers that fled from prison for poore distressed seruants that were abused by their maisters in time it became dens for theeues stewes for wicked men and leawd women that whatsoeuer was done if they came to the Temple of Osiris in Egipt or to the Temple of Diana in Thracia or to the Temple of Venus in Pâ—…hos they were freed might there take their libertie but poore Demosthenes was taken from the Temple of Neptune by the tyrant Archyas and brought to Athens before his onely enemy Antipater Sanctuaries grew so common that not onely souldiers but also any offenders might fleee from theyr liberties especially in Greece to the graues of Achilles Thesius and Aiax in other places to the graue of Hercules In other places the offender if he had fallen downe at the feete of Iupiters Priest of Mars or of Vulcan at the gates of their temples he should goe free Though the old auntient Romanes could not abide a souldier taken in the wars they would neither redeem him nor allow him sanctuarie yet Agesilaus king of the Lacedemonians allowed any temple of their gods to be a sanctuary for souldiers that fled for succour So did Cyrus proclaime sanctuaries for all banished bond men in Greece in all Asia leuied therby a huge army to fight against his brother Artaxerxes So did Sertorius one of Marius sect proclaime sanctuaries to all the Romaine fugitiues in Hispaine in Affrike that he as much harmed Rome being a Romaine borne and now out of his countrey as eyther Sylla or Marius did in their countrey Hauing sufficiently spoken of these kinde of sanctuaries of theyr too much libertie that grew thereby in all kingdomes as among the Hebrewes by Ieroboam in the battell at Mount Zemaraim among the Persians by Cyrus at the battell at Conauxa among the Romanes by Cinna and among the Affricans by Scotorius who all proclaimed sanctuaries and liberties to all fugitiue and banished souldiers we leaue sanctuaries which were appointed as a refuge for those that fled thither for succour and helpe vntill the truth were knowne and speake not of those that abused sanctuaries as a cloake of their tirannie and wickednesse You heard before how Adonias and Ioab were taken from the Aultar for they had abused the sanctuary for the Lord commaunded that his lawes should be seuerely kept and that no part thereof should be broken for King Oza vsurping the Leuites office against the lawe was striken with sudden death for the vnreuerent handling of the Arke which was the Leuites office Ozias the King was striken with leprosie for burning incense against the lawe which was the Priestes office Abihu and Nadab Aarons sonnes for that they both tooke Censors in their hands put fire therevpon and incense therein offered straunge fire before the Lord contrarie to the Lords commaundement fire from heauen destroyed them for the priests were commaunded to take no fire but from the aultar neither might they offer vncleane bread vpon the Lords table nor sowe cockles for corne in the Lords fields for the Lord will be more sanctified in his ministers then others and therfore he spared not Oza for handling the Arke nor Ozias for burning incense though they were both kings for transgressing one iot of his lawes
the Gyants who challenged Iupiter and the rest of the gods to battell but though this be fabulous cōcerning the Gyants yet the building of Babel is written by Moses that Babel was builded so high by Nimrod both to auoyd a second deludge and to reuenge his stock and family destroyed in the first but the Lord saw their folly confounded their workes by a confusion of one language into many Philo might aske a questiō aswell now why the Lord did not ouerthrow the tower of Babel with winde tempest and thunderbolts as he did aske why the Lord did not destroy Egipt with Lyons Tygres Beares and such But as Philo answered his owne question that it was to fright them with Frogges Flies Grashoppers and suche simple vermines to shewe his mercie and to saue them to repentance and not to destroy them with wilde beasts And so with the like reason Philo or any man for Philo may now answere that the Lord would not destroy the Tower of Babel with tempest and wind to destroy the people but by diuiding of one tongue into many that they might acknowledge the Lord to be God and to confesse their owne folly If Nimrod had confessed his sinne and said I haue sinned as Dauid spake to Nathan the Prophet or with Daniel who said Peccauimus iniquitatē fecimus or with Nehemias who said I and my fathers house haue sinned to whom the Lord shewed mercy Wicked Pharao also said to Moses I haue sinned against the Lord and the Lord is iust I and my people are wicked Saul said I haue sinned and haue done foolishly So Iudas the traytor said I haue sinned in betraying innocent blood but the Lord accepteth not the fained confession of wicked men CHAP. XIII Of securitie of Generalls in warres Of celetitie in victories Of diuers dreames and names giuen TWo much securitie was in Pompey his souldiers after he had giuen two repulses to Caesars souldiers at Dyrachium as Caesar said himself the victory might haue bene Pompeys if he had followed his good fortune So againe if Pompey had followed his good lucke and had not staied the Romane youthes being fierce to goe forwards at the battell at Pharsalia he had put Caesar to greater daunger then he was at Dyrachium So Hannibal was toucht with that fault by Hamilcar the Affrican that if he had gone forwards and brought his armie after the battell at Canne before Rome as Scipio after his ouerthrow of Hannibal brought his force before Curthage Rome might haue bene in as great a daunger as Carthage was Nothing abused Pompey so much as his owne captaines flattering him and calling him the great Agamemnon king of kings by Domitius Scypio Spinther and others after the victory at Dyrachium assuring themselues soone to ouerthrow Caesars armie and contending in brauery for offices at their return to Rome drawing lots who should be Consuls Praetors Quaestors or high Bishop which Caesar himselfe was at that time It should seeme that Pompey and his captaines made no doubt of the victory for when his campe was taken his tents and pauilions were full of nosegaies and garlands of mirtle and their coaches all couered with flowers their tables full of bowles of wine as men more readie to doo sacrifice for ioy before the victorie then armed and prepared to fight for the victory At Fortuna vitrea cum splendet frangitur So also Tigranes king of Armenia was flattered with his Leiftenants Captaines and other Parasites who scoffed and flowted the Romanes they sported and made a May game of Lucullus army some deuiding the spoile and drawing lots before the battell began much like to the Cherussians the Sueuians and the Sycambrians who gathered themselues together in a great army they likewise like the Armenians little esteeming the Romaines deuided the Romane spoiles betweene them before they fought for it the Cherussians would haue all the Romane horses the Sueuians would haue all the gold siluer of the Romanes the Sycambrians all the Romain captiues taken prisoners in the wars Thus had they fully concluded before the battel began but it fell out otherwise for Drusus the Romaine Captaine ouerthrew them that their horses their cattels their chaines their gold and siluer and they themselues were a spoile and a pray to the Romanes Incerti exitus pugnarum Mars communis said Cicero it was euer found in all warres that Nimia fiducia semper noxia The like victorie had Lucullus ouer Tigranes king of Armenia whose captaines before scoffed and flowted Lucullus army deuiding the Romane spoyles before the battell beganne but they were ouerthrowne by Lucullus to the slaughter of a hundred thousand footemen and the most part of the horsemen slaine and the king himselfe hardly escaped and for that so many were slaine of the enemies and so fewe of the Romans Plutarch saith that the Sun saw not the like ouerthrow that such varietie of shews were seen of Chariots Coaches and of infinite number of Cartes that carried the spoiles of Armours of Ensignes of battering peeces besides twentie cupbords full of siluer plate thirtie cupboords full of golden vessels eight Moiles laden with golde a hundred and seuen Moiles loaden with siluer coine Crassus at the sight of this Lucullus triumph was afterwards when he was Consul with Pompey the great so beyond all measure most desirous with all celeritie to take his iourney against the Parthians with more haste then good speed In like sort the sight of Milciades triumphe mooued Themistocles in his youth to say that he could not sleepe in his bed before he had obtained the like triumph and so he proued among so many great captaines in Greece one of the greatest for he was being but a young youth at the battell at Plataea being the first battell and the first victorie that the Grecians had ouer the Persians Hee was also at the battell at Marathon with more commendatiō then he had at Plataea but in the battels at Salamina and Artemisium all Greece gaue him the honour and fame the one by sea the other by land he did all thinges with such celeritie that Themistocles himselfe would say that whatsoeuer hapned to him well hapned by celeritie But it seemed that Themistocles with all celeritie missed to borrowe money in the I le of Andria though he brought two great and mightie gods with him from Athens the one called the God of Loue the other the God of Force requesting the Andrians to lend some money to please to satisfie the want of their Gods But he was answered by the people of Andria that there were two as great goddesses with them in Andria as there were in Athens the which commaunded the Andrians neither to lend nor to giue any money to Themistocles gods saying our goddesse of Pouerty weigheth not for loue neither doth the goddesse of Impossibilitie weigh for force The Lacedemonians were not so religious as
the Athenians were for Agesilaus tooke another course thē Themistocles did when he wanted money he went to the confines of Persia to spoile and to plague the Persians for the Persians euer feared the greatnesse of Agesilaus and yet was he but a litle lame man of stature that hee was satisfied with golde and siluer to returne to his countrey that Agesilaus would often iest and say that thirtie thousand Archers did driue him out of Asia which was the Persian coine that was stampt with the print of an Archer with these Archers the Persians caused oftentimes Agesilaus to returne frō Persia into Greece againe The like iest did Gilippus seruant he told the Ephories of Sparta that his maister Gilippus had vnder the roofe of his house more Owles then all Athens for the coine of Athens was stampt with the print of an Owle as the Persians was with the print of an Archer for Gilippus had taken from his maister Lysander much money and hidden them vnder the shield of his house and so by his seruant was in a iest betraied Thus leauing Agesilaus with his Archers and Gilippus seruant with his Owles I will returne to Themistocles to whom Marcellus shall be compared in celeritie of whom Hannibal said that Marcellus could not be quiet neither with good fortune nor bad neither victor nor conuicted Scypio Affrican with such celeritie after he had conquered Hannibal at the battell at Zama soone subdued Carthage Pau. Aemilius with great celeritie subuerted the whole Empire of Macedonia and brought their king Persius and Gentius king of the Illyrians both prisoners vnto Rome in his tryumphe Pompey the great vsed such celeritie that within fortie daies he vanquished all the Pyrates who had a thousand ships on the seas and taken aboue foure hundred townes they robd and spoyld all marchant venturers rifled and destroyed all the Ilands and townes vpon the sea coast and destroyed many Temples they feared no force neither weighed for kings nor subiects and grew so strong that they ruled both land sea without lawe But Pompey had such victory ouer them that after the great slaughter in the battell at the citie Coracesium he tooke twentie thousand persons prisoners and thus in lesse then three moneths Pompey ended and quite vanquished the Pyrates Caesar in all his warres excelled all men in expedition and celeritie in the which he had such wonderfull good successe against Pompey in Pharsalia against his sonne in Affrica against Affranius in Hispaine against Cato in Vtica with such expedition that he became as you read being one that was denied to be Consul to be Perpetuus Dictator and the first Emperour of Rome Clau. Nero the Consul considering that Italy was plagued by Hannibal in Lucania and by Asdrubal his brother in Vmbria made such secret great hast that before Hannibal knew he went out of his campe in Lucania he was in Vmbria and before Asdrubal knew he was in Vmbria he was with his fellow Consul at the battell of Metaurus where Asdrubal was slaine his armie ouerthrowne and his head sent to his brother Hanibal in Lucania so that by one Romane stratagem the two great Romane enemies Hanibal and Asdrubal were ouerthrowne the one slaine at the Riuer Metaurus and the other driuen from Italy into Affrike Celeritie vpon deliberation is most necessarie at all times therefore the chiefe guard about Romulus person were called Celeres for their quicknesse and celeritie in executing Romulus commaundement Dauid king of Iudah had such resolute men called Cerethites about his person readie with such celeritie to effect any thing the king would commaund them that when they heard the king longing for some water out of the well of Bethelem they presently ventured theyr liues through the campe of the enemies and brought water to the king from Bethelem before the king missed them but Dauid sacrificed the water vnto the Lord and would not drinke of it because his men offered theyr liues for it Caleb vsed such expedition after he had viewed and trauelled all the land of Canaan that he returned within fortie dayes to the Hebrew campe with a full resolution perswading Ioshua to take the warres in hand Ehud one of the Iudges of Israel who was wont to say to his souldiers follow mee went fully resolued to Eglon king of Moab an enemie of the Lord and therefore slew him in his chamber Many souldiers of the Lord are resolued through faith to effect many things with celeritie and zeale so Phineas slew Zimri the Israelite Cosbi a Lords daughter of the Madianites for that they offended the Lord in the campe and therfore Phineas thrust them through both with his speare Iehu though a wicked man yet much commended for his resolute zeale for that he ouerthrew Achabs house slew Baals prophets and destroyed Baals temple and his aultars The great kings of the world are resolued to hazard theyr liues to winne fame and glory eyther by parasites or flatterers moued therevnto or by oracles of theyr Idols or by visions and dreames especially as Astiages king of the Meades dreamed that his daughter Mandanes which was Cyrus mother made water that ouerflowed all Asia Astiages dreamed the second time that a vine grew out of his daughters wombe whose braunches couered all Asia therefore hee called all his wise men and soothsayers of his kingdome together to interpret him these two dreames who tolde him that his daughter should haue a sonne that should bee such a king that hee should rule ouer all Asia which made Cyrus so ambitious and proud that he could not be content with all the kingdomes of Asia but must goe to be slaine in Scythia The like dreame sawe Xerxes before his voyage in to Greece that in his dreame hee thought hee sawe an Oliue tree crowned whose boughes and braunches couered the whole earth and withall suddenly vanished away The same Author writeth that Iulius Caesar dreamed that he lay with his mother and by these meanes he was flattered by his soothsayers that hee should subdue the whole earth Euen so Hamilcar Generall of the Carthagineans thought hee heard in his sleepe a voyce that hee should the next night suppe in Syracusa but he was so glad of his speech that he was deceiued of his hope and yet he supt in Syracusa not as a conqueror but as a prisoner but was deceiued as Xerxes was by the hope of his crowned Oliue or as Caesar was by his mother Hannibal after the taking of Saguntum dreamed that Iupiter should call him into councell with the goddes where hee was commaunded to take warres in hand against the Romanes there hee seemed that Iupiter had giuen him a captaine to goe before him euen from the councell house one of the company of the gods and looking behinde him hee thought he sawe a terrible monstrous Serpent which Hannibal in his sleepe asked Iupiter what monster that was
3. cap. 37. Polycarpus The persecution of the seueÌ„ bretheren 2. Machab. cap. 7. The seuenth plague Liui. 35. Q. Curtius lib. 4. The seuenth persecution Great plagues and sicknesses vpon the Romanes The eight plague Hypocrisie of Pharao Pericles made a decree in Athens against strangers Strangers not long entertained in Carthage The eight persecution vnder valerianus Valerianus the Emperor of Rome vsed as a blocke by Sapor king of Persia. The ninth plague The dissimulatioÌ„ of Pharao The ninth persecution Christ denied among the Romanes A goldeÌ„ target sent by the Senators The euill end of cruel Emperours The tenth plague The Lord useth all things by meanes The tenth persecution When persecutioÌ„ ended heresie begaÌ„ Arrius the first of his sect Euseb. in many of his bookes especially in the fourth at large writes of these masters Saturninus The 4. generall councels Hicsos The marching of Pharao after the Hebrewes A stratagem of the Lord. The drowning of Pharao in the red sea Appins impudent lies against Moses Appolonius Thianeus This storie is reported otherwise in the life of Apollonius The education of Moses in Egipt Moses chosen captaine for Pharao Ioseph lib. 2. cap. 5. de antiq Iudaic. Moses death sought by the Priests of Egipt The victories of Moses in Aethiopia The marriage of Moses to Tharbis Ioseph lib. 2. cap. 5. Appians lies Hicsos Philo. Exod. 12. The lawe of armes The 2. lawe of armes The 3. lawe of armes Front lib. 1. cap. 11. The strata gems of Archidamus Epaminandas and Pericles Ioshua c. Castor and Pollux Cic de diuin lib. 2. Ioseph lib. 4. cap. 8. The lawe of Armes The Priests Faecials in Rome The Priests Mantes in Athens Magi in Persia. The remouing of the Arke 1. Number The nuÌ„bring and mustring of the Hebrew Army by Moses The Hebrews were left in the midst of their enemies to practise Armes 42. MansioÌ„s Stratagems of Marius and Cyrus Front lib. 1. cap. 2. 70. Gouernors chosen vnder Moses Exod. 18. The Leuites tents about the tabernacle The foure standarts of the Hebrewes The tent of Iudah on the East The standart of Ruben on the south side The standart of Ephraim on the West side The standart of Dan on the North side The marching of the Hebrew câ—…po The state of the Hebrew campe Xerxes great Army Alexander The Tabernacle placed in the midst of the camp The Tabernacle 30. cubits long and 12. broad Exod. 26. A cubit of the Greekes two foote of the Romanes a foote and a halfe Chiefe and strong forts of the Gentiles Tygranes Iugurth Mithridates The standarts of Egipt The Hebrewes named of the Egiptians Hicsos The standarts of Persia. Viget lib. 2. cap. 6. The standarts of the Romanes Athenians Thabans The old Germaines Anubis Caesar. The setting vp of the tabernacle The dedication of the altar The multitude of altars in Athens Straunge altars in Delos Diod. fic li. 3. cap. 7. The lawes of Numa Hypaethra Open Temples aboue in the toppe Temples builded of the Gentiles Cynosarges Superstitioâ—… fondnes of the Gentiles Mount Oliuet The victories of Moses ouer diuers kings The battell of Riphidim The battell at Horma The ouerthrow of the Canaanites and Arad their king by the Hebrues Psal. 56. The vowes of the Persians The vowes of the Egiptians Appian de bello punico Caesar. lib. 〈◊〉 de bello gallâ—… Plut. in Coriliano Liui lib. 1. The vowes of the Grecians The vowes of the Ro manes The feast Bendidia The first Consualio Ancyllia Tabilustria The feast Metoichia The feasts of the Greekes in memory of their captaines The feast called Agonolia Timoleon Espialls sent by Ioshua to Canaan Caleb Fearefull reports in wars are daÌ„gerous The Stratagem of Tullius Front lib. 1. cap. 12. Varro The battel of Antemna Milciades Themistocles The Romans stratagem Front lib. 3. cap. 15. Clearchus Front lib. 3 cap. 5. Reba Eui Reken Zur Hur. DisobedieÌ„ce punished Archidamus The vnthank fulnesse of the Hebrews Nomb. 11. ca. Nom. 12. Martiall punishment Nomb. ca. 16 Six hundred thousand died for disobedience in the wildernesse Gene. 6. 3. Reg. 9. Iere. 35. Obedience of the Rechabites 1. Machab. 2. Great obedience of creatures to God Psal. 148. 3. Reg. 17. Cyrus Lib. 1. Esdr. 1. cap. 3. Reg. 13. Ionas 2. The offence of Moses Aaron at the water of Meribah The martiall lawe of Egipt The martiall lawes of Persta The martiall lawe of the Romanes The martiall lawe of Lacedemonians The charge of a new armie giuen to Ioshuah Commendaâ—…n of Generalls Pirrhus forsooke Italy Elephants first seene in Rome Hannibal Front lib. 3. cap. 14. Amiraculous ouerthrow of Iericho Ioshua cap. 6. Esâ—… 10. The destruction of Ai. Signes giuen of victories The victories of Ioshuah others in the Lords battels 1. Reg. 7. cap. Mar. Aurelius Euseb. 1. Legio fulminea In. Machab. Deut. 7. The simplicitie of souldiers in olde time Homer Illiad The strange fashions of diuers natioÌ„s in their wars Veget. lib. 3. cap. 24. Pirrhus brought Elephants to Lucania in Italy Plyni lib. 8. cap. 2. 6. Veget. lib. 1. cap. 20. Plut. in Mario The account of the Hebrews for their souldiers The custome of the PersiaÌ„s for their souldiers going to wars The maner of the Romanes for their souldiers Cyrus could name all the souldiers in his armie Mithridates could speake 22. languages to his souldiers The battel of Iahaz Deut. 28. 3. The battel of Edrei Ephron destroyed Fiue kings ioined against Ioshua The victory of Ioshua at Gibeon Sapor Oros. lib. 7. cap. 22. Tamberlaâ—…nus Monarches Cratippus saying to Pompey The last battell and victorie of Ioshua ouer the Canaanites The sunne staied ouer Gibeon The Moone ouer Ailon Front lib. 3. cap. 13. Stratagems The souldiers of Asia The souldiers of the Persians The stoutnes of the Romanes The Lacedemonians Amphictions The temple of Ianus Consilium Panaetolium Panaegyris Xantippus sent from Sparta to Carthage Pirrhus Pericles Aratus Pelopidas Philopomen Agesilaus and Epaminondas Timocheres Phillips speech Byzantium now called Constantinople Conons stratagem Front lib. 4. cap. 4. Epaminondas Front lib. 3. cap. 2. The old custome of the Romrnes and the Persians in choosing their kings Alex. Neopol lib. 4. ca. 23. Saul Xerxes Agesilaus â—…ame Darius long handed Caesars baldnesse Moses tall and slender Phryg in vita Moses Ioseph Gen. 39. Elias rough and hairie 4. Reg. 2. ca. Iudah the third captain ouer Israel The battell at Beseck The tyrannie of Adonizebech Lu. Flor. li. 2. cap. 6. 5. Oros. ca. 4. A cruell act of Fabius the Romane The figne of Periander sent to Thasibulus Dyonis lib 7. cap. 4. The stratagem of Ehud Iudge and generall of Israell Iudges 3. ca. Eglon king of Moab slaine The victory of Debora ouer Cisera at Meroz What kinde of men were generals and Iudges amoÌ„g the Hebrues Gedeon choseÌ„ Iudge in Israell Gedeons stratagem Iosua 8. Iud. 20. Pericles stratagem 〈◊〉 lib. 3. cap. 9. Antiochus stratagem Front lib. 2 cap. 3.
hee was called but Agesilaus without any surname of addition among the Grecians neither other great captaines of Greece as Milciades Themistocles Cymon and others had no such surnames by their victories as the Romanes had The Hebrues also had but proper names some had their fathers name added vnto it so our Sauiour in the Gospell named Peter Simon the sonne of Ionas so was it oftentimes spoken to Esay the Prophet Esay thou sonne of Amos so all the Iewish Rabines were named after their fathers names as Iuda the sonne of Dama Simeon the sonne of Gamaliel Ismael the sonne of Elizei but among the old Hebrewes as you heard they were so named as pleased the mothers The Egiptians vsed also Greeke additions to their names as Pto. surnamed Euergetes for his good deeds and benefites to his countrey Pto. surnamed Ceraunos that is to say lightning for his quicke dispatch Pto. surnamed Aetos an Eagle for his swiftnesse and celeritie and so Philadelphus and other kings and great men of Egipt added to their own proper names Greek surnames The surnames of the last kings of Egipt began from a souldiers name who grew so great among the Egiptians that he strengthened and established the countrey being subdued and ouerthrowne before by the Persians that the Alexandrians so hououred him after his death that all his successors the kings of Egipt were called after his name Ptholomei for as all the first kings of Egipt were called Pharaones so were the last kings of Egipt called Ptolomei So Arsaces a poore Scythian borne a great souldier with a great armie of poore banished men of the Parthians ouerthrew king Zaleucus and restored the Parthians to their libertie for the which benefites he was made king and all the kings his successors were named Arsaces after his name These men seeke name and fame on earth where they haue no citie nor place permanent but houses made of clay and forget to builde immortalitie and eternitie in heauen they make sumptuous and durable tombes for their bodies like the Egiptians which make pyramides for their dead bodies to dwel for euer Some againe like the Agrigentines which build them such strōg houses as though they shuld liue alwaies and yet eate drinke as though they should die the next day But we leaue these builders that build towers in the aire with Nimrod and Iuorie houses with Achab and would lose immortalitie with Vlisses for Ithaca his country and come to Paul who would be losed from the bodie and be with Christ and with Ioshua to fixe our triumphes and tropheys in Heauen with the euerlasting Ioshua Christ Iesus the sonne of God who purchased vnto vs eternall habitations and went in bodie before vs to prepare for vs a dwelling place to him therefore with the father and the holy Ghost be all honor glory and praise for euer FINIS A Table containing a briefe summe of the whole Booke Matters contained in the first Booke THirtie nine kings ouerthrown by Moses Ioshua page 2 Of diuers combats pa. 3 Of the vow of Cherim pa. Ead. Adam rescued by the seed of the woman pa. 5 Elizeus leadeth the army of Benhadad blinde pa. 6 They that mourned in Ierusalem were marked with the letter Tau Ead. Of diuers and seuerall markes pa. 7 The time that barbours were first seene in Rome pa. 9. Abraham the first man marked pa. Ead. Abrahaham feared Abimelech and Pharao for his wife pa. 10 Abraham read Astronomie in Egipt pa. Ead. Abraham rescued the fiue kings and Lot his nephewe pa. 11 The victory and stratagem of Gedeon ouer the Madianites pa 12 Dauids victory at Bezor in rescuing his two wiues pa. Ead. Three Angels feasted at Mambre with Abraham pa. 13. Foure named before they were borne pa. Ead. The Ismaelites would not bee called Agareni of Agar but Sarazeni of Sarah pa. 14. The Tower of Babell builded by Nimrod pa. 15 Ninus the first Monarch pa. ead Alexanders voyage to India pa. Ead. Zoroastes laughed at his birth pa. 16. The first Idolatry by Ninus pa. ead Baall the first Idoll pa. 17 The male children of the Hebrews throwne to Nilus pa. 18 The tyrannie of Pharao pa. Ead. A comparison betweene the Egiptians and the Romanes pa. 19 The armies of the Lord in Egipt vnder Moses pa. Ead. The first plague of Egipt pa. 20 The comparison of the first plague with the first persecution vnder Nero pa. 21 Nero slew himselfe pa. 22. The second miracle and triumph of Moses in Egipt pa 23 The blasphemy of Nicanor punished pa. Ead. Domitianus Image set vp in the Temple at Ierusalem pa. 24 Domitianus slain in his owne house by his seruants pa. 25 Iamnes and Iambres Phoraos soothsayers pa. ead The third persecution vnder Traiane pa. 26 Philo was not heard of Nero. pa. ead The fourth army of the Lord in Egipt was swarmes of flyes pa. 27 The fighting of the Iewes with wild beasts pa. 28 The yeelding of tyrants pa. 29 Pharao and Esau compared pa. 30 Septimus and Antiochus murthered pa. 31 The tyrannie of Antiochus against the Iewes pa. ead Antiochus cōfessed the great wrong he did to the Iewes at Ierusalem pa. 32 The fable of Manetho and others concerning Moses whom he named Osarphis pa. 33 The persecution of the seuen bretheren pa. 34 The seuenth plague of Egipt 35 The comparison of the seuenth persecution vnder Decius with the seuenth plague pa. 36 Great plagues and sicknesses vpon the Romanes pa. 37 Hipocrisie of Pharao pa. ead Pericles made a lawe in Athens against straungers pa. 38 The eight persecution vnder Valerianus pa. ead Valerianus the Emperor of Rome vsed as a blocke by Sapor king of Persia pa. 39 The ninth plague of Egipt pa. 40 The dissimulation of Pharao pa. ead The ninth persecution vnder Aurelianus pa. ead Christ denied among the Romanes pa. 41 A golden target sent by the Senators pa ead The euill end of cruell Emperors pa. ead The tenth plague of Egipt pa. 42 The tenth persecution vnder Dioclesian pa. ead When persecution ended heresie began pa. 43 Arius with diuers crewes of heretiques pa. ead The foure generall Councels pa. 44 The marching of Pharao after the Hebrewes pa. 45 The drowning of Pharao in the red sea pa. ead Appians impudent lies against Moses pa. 46 The education of Moses in Egipt pa. 47 Moses chosen captaine for Pharao pa. ead Moses death sought by the Priests of Egipt pa. ead The victories of Moses in Aethiopia pa. 48 The marriage of Moses to Tharbis the king of Aethiope his daughter pa. ead Appians lyes pa. 49 Philo his speech of the Hebrewes pa. 50 The law of Armes set downe by the Lord to Moses pa. 51 The stratagems of Archidamus Epaminondas and Pericles pa. 52 Of the lawe of Armes pa. 53 Of the Priests Mantes in Athens c. pa. 54 The remoouing of the Arke pa. ead The numbring and mustering of the Hebrew army by Moses pa. 55 The Hebrewes