to a Pomgranate cut in the middest to which there is annexed and groweth a round couer as if turned and framed on purpose hauing those eminent clefts as I said like to the midst of a Pomgranate resembling the pointed and sharp thornes and pricking blades Now it contayneth a certaine fruit vnder the couer and in the whole cup is like to the seed of the herbe Sideritis his flower is not much vnlike that which springeth from the poppey Such was this crowne about the necke and the two Temples for these cups came not neere the front or brow For on the same there was as it were a bend of gold on which the name of God was engrauen Such were the ornaments of the high priest I cannot therfore but greatly wonder at the strange and causelesse malice which other nations haue conceiued against vs as if we were iniurious against the diuine maiestie which they say they so much honour For if a man marke the composition of the Tabernacle and examine the habit of the high priest and consider all the necessaries which we vse in celebrating the diuine seruice they shall find that our lawmaker was a man of a diuine spirit and that we without any desert are iniuried by other nations For if without partialitie a man will duely examine it he shall find that all things haue beene done to represent and figure the world For the Tabernacle is of thirtie cubits diuided into three parts whereof two are left for the sacrificers as a place prophaned and common signifying the land and sea wherein all sorts of creatures are conuersant But the third part is sequestred and reserued for God alone in like sort as the heauen is vnaccessible by men The table on which the twelue loaues were placed signifieth the yeare diuided into twelue moneths The candlestick made of seuentie pieces signifieth the twelue signes thorow which euery one of the seuen planets passe the seuen lampes that were therein represented the seuen planets The vailes made of foure seuerall kinds of stuffes resembled the foure Elements For the linnen seemed to represent the earth from whence it was drawen and deriued The purple resembled the sea because the purple colour is made of the bloud of a shell fish called Murex The Hyacinth signifieth the ayre and as touching the Scarlet it signifieth the fire The tunicle likewise of the high priest demonstrateth the earth for it is made of linnen The Hyacinth sheweth the pole the Pomgranates resembled the lightning as the bels the noyse of the thunder The sircot sheweth that the whole world is compassed of foure Elements resembled in his foure colours to which gold is annexed as I interprete it for that light is annexed to all things Essen also is planted in the middle thereof in such sort as the earth obtaineth the middle place of the world Likewise the girdle wherewith he is girt resembleth the sea which enfoldeth and begirteth all things The two Sardonix stones set as buttons or loops in the high Priests garment signifie the Sunne and Moone the number of the gems are alluded to the number of the moneths or the twelue houses or the equall number of the parts of that circle which the Graecians call the Zodiacke he shall not much erre that followeth eyther the one or the other of these opinions The cap likewise hath an allusion to heauen by reason of his azure or Hyacinthine colour for otherwise the name of God might not be placed therein For it was beautified with a crowne of gold to signifie the light wherein God highly delighteth Let this suffice for the present for that which we shall discourse hereafter will furnish vs with sufficient and ample matter to shew and set out the vertue of our lawmaker CHAP. IX Of Aarons priesthood and the lawes which appertaine to the feastes and sacrifices AFter these things abouesaid were finished and left as yet vnconsecrated God appeared vnto Moses commaunding him to establish Aaron his brother in the priesthood who in respect of his vertue deserued that title of honour aboue all the rest For which cause Moses assembling the congregation discoursed vnto them his vertues and discouered his good affection and reckoned vp vnto them how many daungers he had suffered in their behalfe whereof each of them gaue ample testimonie declaring the forward zeale and loue they alwaies bare vnto him whereupon he spake vnto them after this manner The worke is now brought to such an end as it hath pleased God and hath beene possible for vs and for that you know we are to receiue him into this Tabernacle we ought aboue all things to haue an especiall care in the election of such a one who shall make sacrifice and supplication for vs. Touching my selfe if the matter depended on my priuate choise I should esteeme no man more worthy then my selfe to execute this function both for that naturally men loue themselues and for that I am well assured how many trauels I haue supported for your safetie sake But God himselfe hath iudged Aaron worthy of this honour and hath chosen him for his high priest and sacrificer in that he excelleth all other of vs in equitie and iustice commaunding that he should be inuested with the robe consecrated to God and that he should take charge of the altars and sacrifices He shall make prayers for you vnto God who will heare them willingly by reason that he hath care of your race and will receiue them proceeding from a personage whom he himselfe had elected These words of his were gratefull vnto the people and they all of them approued the election which God had made For Aaron was more capable of that honour then any other both by reason of his race as also in regard of the prophecing spirit and vertue of his brother he had at that time foure sonnes Nadab Abihu Eleasar and Ithamar But whatsoeuer remained of those things which were gathered for the building of the Tabernacle was employed to make vailes to couer the Tabernacle Candlesticke Altar and the other instruments to the end that in their trauaile they should not be soiled eyther by raine or dust And hauing once more assembled the people together he commaunded them to offer euerie one of them halfe a sicle now the sicle is a kind of Hebrew coyne that is as much in value as foure Athenian drammes whereunto they obeyed willingly so that the number of them that offered was sixe times one hundreth thousand fiue hundreth and fiftie and they that brought this money were such as were of a free condition and betwixt the yeares of twentie and fiftie and that which was receiued was imployed in the necessaries of the Temple Then did he purifie the Tabernacle and the priests in manner and forme following He tooke the waight of fiue hundreth sicles of chosen Mirrhe and the like quantitie of Ireos of Cinnamon and of Calamus which is a
altar and to conduct him to the iudgement seat that he might in that place iustifie his actions But Ioab said that he would neuer abandon the Temple but that he had rather die in that place than in another When Banaia had certified the king of this his answer he commanded him to cut off his head in the same place according as he required and that in that sort he should be punished by reason of the two murthers which he had cursedly committed vpon the persons of Abner and Amasa commanding that his bodie should be buried in the same place to the end that his sinnes should neuer depart from his race and that both Dauid and Salomon might be held guiltlesse of the death of Ioab This commaund of his Banaia executed and was afterward made generall of all the men of warre Moreouer the king established Sadoc soly in the place of Abiathar whom he had deposed He commanded Semei also to build him a house in Ierusalem and to keepe himselfe therein without passing the floud of Cedron for if he chanced to breake that commaundement the penaltie which he should incurre should be no lesse then death and to the more serious performance of this his iniunction he tied him by a solemne oath Semei thanked Salomon for the charge he had imposed on him and swore that he would fulfill the same so that forsaking his owne countrey he came and dwelt in Ierusalem where after he had soiourned for the space of three yeeres it hapned that he had newes that two of his fugitiue slaues had fled and retired themselues in Geth whereupon he went to finde them out and no sooner returned he backe againe with them but that the king had intelligence that he had neglected his commandement and that which is more that he had broken that oath which he made vnto God wherewith he was wroth For which cause calling him vnto him he spake after this manner Hast thou not sworne said he that thou wilt no waies abandon or issue out of this Citie to depart into an other Truely thou shalt not escape the penalty of thy periurie but I will see iustice done vpon thee for the same and for those outrages thou didst offer vnto my father during his flight at which time thou didst shew thy selfe to be a wicked man in all things to the end that thou maiest vnderstand that the wicked receiue no priuiledge although that their punishments be for the present deferred but at such time as they suppose themselues to be assured because they haue suffered no punishment their punishment is augmented and made more grieuous then it had been if they had presently beene executed for their offences Whereupon Banaia slew Semei according as he was commanded From that day forward Salomon had his royall estate secured and after that his enemies had receiued condigne punishment he tooke to wife the daughter of Pharao king of Aegypt and afterwards builded the walles of Ierusalem farre greater and more stronger then they were before and all the rest of his life he gouerned his common-weale in peace so that his youthly yeeres hindred him not from the obseruation of iustice and the maintenance of lawes neither excluded the remembrance of that which his father had charged him at the houre of his death but behauing himselfe in all things exactly he executed the affaires of his kingdome with that circumspection that such as excelled him in yeeres and were aduanced in prudence could not surpasse him CHAP. II. Of the wisedome prudence and riches of Salomon and how first of all he builded the Temple in Ierusalem AS soone as he came to Hebron he determined to pay his vowes vnto God on that brazen altar which was erected by Moses and sacrificed thereon in burnt offrings a thousand head of cattell which honourable deuotion of his was most acceptable vnto God For the very same night after he had appeared vnto him in a dreame he commaunded him to aske whatsoeuer blessing as he imagined sufficient to recompence this his pietie But Salomon required a most high and excellent thing which God doth most liberally bestow and men in like sort very happily receiue For he demanded neither gold nor siluer nor any otherkind of riches such as a youthly man would require for these are onely affected by the common sort when the other are onely worthy of the diuine magnificence But giue me said he O Lord a ripe iudgement and a good vnderstanding to the intent that by these meanes I may administer iustice to this people with truth and equitie With this demaund of his God was greatly delighted and promised him to giue him all other things wherof he had made no mention namely riches and glorie and aboue all these such an vnderstanding and wisedome as no one man either king or priuate hath had before him Moreouer that he would continue the kingdome in his family for many ages if so be that he continued in the waies of iustice and obeyed God in all things and walked in his fathers waies in imitating his chiefest vertues After that Salomon had receiued these blessings from God and was made happy by these promises he forsooke his bed and worshipping God returned vnto Ierusalem where he offered great sacrifices before the Tabernacle and magnifically feasted all those of his houshold About the same time a verie difficult iudgement was brought him to decide the resolution whereof was very hard to bee discouered And I haue thought it necessarie to declare the occasions whereon at that present the debate was grounded to the end that the readers may vnderstand the difficultie of the cause in question and that if they happen at any time to be assistant in such like affaires they might draw as it were from the counterfeit of this kings wisedome a perfect modle whereby they may directly shape an answere to such demaunds as shall be offered them Two women of loose and lustfull conuersation came vnto him one of which who seemed to haue suffered the iniurie began after this manner I O king said she and this woman dwell togither in one chamber but so it fortuned that both of vs on one day and at the same houre bare each of vs a sonne some three daies after we were brought a bed this woman lying by her infant hath in sleepe ouerlaid it and stifled it and hath taken my childe from betweene my knees and laid it by her and setled the dead childe whilest I slept in my bosome Now on the morrow when I thought to offer the teate vnto mine infant I found not mine owne but perceiued that her child lay dead by me for I knew it because I had exactly marked it This my childe I haue redemaunded at her hands and because I could not recouer it I haue made my recourse vnto your maiesties iustice O king for in that we were sole women and she is obstinate and feareth not to be
to keepe in their remembrance those meanes by which the benefits they possessed had bin gotten assuring them that by the same they should retaine continuance increase and multiplication thereof For they ought to thinke that they receiued them not but for their pietie and iustice and that it was all one for men to get that which they wanted and to keepe that which was gotten without defaulting in any thing When the king had spoken after this manner vnto the people he dismissed the assembly hauing first of al accomplished the sacrifices both for himselfe and the people by offring vp twelue thousand oxen and sixscore thousand sheepe For then first of all was the temple embrued with the bloud of the slaughtered sacrifices and all the Hebrewes with their wiues and children were banqueted therein The king also feasting with the whole people celebrated the solemnitie of the Tabernacles for the space of fourteene daies in great pompe and magnificence And when as all things were sufficiently performed and nothing was deficient that concerned the seruice of God euerie one dismissed by the King departed to his owne dwelling place giuing him heartie thankes for the care he had of them and for the workes he had done for them praying God that it might please him to grant their king Salomon a long life And thus they returned home with ioy praising and singing hymnes vnto God so that they rid their way and returned to their families with great pleasure and without any trauell After then that they had conducted the Arke into the temple and had beheld the greatnesse and beautie of the same and had celebrated most excellent sacrifices and made great solemnities they returned euerie one vnto his Citie But a vision that night appeared vnto the king during his sleepe which gaue him assurance that God had heard his prayer and that he would keepe his temple and dwell in the same for euer if so be his posteritie and all the people addicted themselues to liue vertuously promising himselfe in especiall that if he continued in the obseruation of those aduertisements which his father had prescribed him he would raise him to the full infinitie of felicitie and those of his posteritie should obtaine the royaltie ouer all the countrey ouer the tribe of Iuda but if he forgot the exercises of pietie and exchanged them for the seruice of strange Gods he would pluck him vp by the roots without leauing any remainder here to raigne after him Neither should the people of Israell remaine vnpunished but should be exterminate by infinit wars and aduersities and be cast out of the countrey which he had giuen vnto their auncestors and become banisht men and runnagates in a forraine land And as concerning the Temple which is builded at this present I will said he deliuer it to the enemies to ransacke and burne it and the Citie shall be destroied by the hands of the enemies and their miseries shal be so notorious thorow the world and to such extremitie shall they be driuen as it shall hardly be beleeued so as their neighbours round about them hearing tidings of their calamities shall be astonished and shall seeke out the cause why the Hebrewes are thus hated by God who before times haue beene so aduaunced by him in riches and honours and they shall vnderstand thereof by those that suruiue in hearing them confesse their sinnes and the transgressions they haue committed against the ordinance of their forefathers These things that were declared vnto him in a dreame are registred in the sacred letters Seuen yeares after the Temple had beene thus builded as it hath beene heretofore declared he began the building of his Pallace which he scarcely finished in thirteene yeares space for he was not so intent and earnest in building thereof as he was in the structure of the temple For although the temple were very great and of incredible and meruailous magnificence yet so it is that God for whom it was made assisting the workemen it was thorowly finished within the terme of the yeares aforesaid But the royall Pallaces being farre lesser then was the temple were builded more slowly because the stuffe had not beene prepared so long time before neither with so great affection and the rather because the pallaces that were builded were not for God but for kings Notwithstanding this house was builded verie magnificently according as the wealth of the countrey and the power of the Hebrew king required But it shall not be amisse if I declare all the order and disposition of the same house that by the description thereof the reader may both gather and consider the whole amplitude thereof It was a great goodly lodging sustained by diuers pillars prepared to receiue containe much people at the time of their assemblies wherein they intreated of affaires and held pleas It was a hundreth cubits in length and in bredth fiftie and in height thirtie comprised vnder sixteene square pillars couered with Corinthian work with staires of the like measure and carued gates both pleasant for sight and fit for fortification In the midst of this space and hard by the temple there was another square Pauilion thirtie cubits large sustained with strong pillars within which there was a magnificent tribunall on which the king sate to giue iudgement vnto which there was annexed an other pallace prepared for the Queene All the chambers as well those that were ordinarily in vse as those for recreation after he retired himselfe from publike affaires were adorned with planckes of carued Cedar and were builded partly of stone ten cubits square partly of curious marble and verie rarely and cunningly wrought such as are wont to adorne Temples and pallaces and are found out by the most curious and cunning Masons And that which made it more beautifull were three panes of tapistrie and the fourth admirable for the artificiall engrauings for the work-men had made therein trees and plants of diuers sorts shadowed with their branches and leaues hanging in such sort that to behold them a man would haue thought that they shooke the workmanship was so exquisite and curious that couered the stone The rest as farre as the roofe was enchaced and flourished with diuers antiques and pictures Furthermore he builded other places of pleasure with verie long porches to beautifie the pallace amongst which there was one most magnificent to make banquets and feastes in which altogether was adorned with gold and all the necessaries belonging thereto and to the entertainment of those that banquetted were of gold It is a great matter to number the hugenesse and varietie of these royall lodgings both greater and lesser of those that were hidden vnder the earth as of those which being lifted vp in the aire did most apparantly manifest their beautie The pleasant arbors likewise delightfull to behold and most contenting in sommer for that they were couered and warranted from the
with their circumcised children whom according to the Kings commaund they hung about the neckes of their parents who were crucified And if in any place they found any sacred scripture they defaced burnt it and they with whom it was found were put to a most cruell death The Samaritanes seeing this affliction of the Iewes claimed them no more for their kinsmen and called their temple of Garizim no more the temple of God but as we haue heretofore declared they shewed their own corrupt and vnconstant natures and chalenged their descent from the Medes and Persians as in effect they were for which cause they sent embassadours to Antiochus with letters to this effect To King Antiochus the mightie God the suggestion of the Sidonians that dwell in Sichem Our ancestors enforced by the continuall pestilence that raunged in their countrey and induced by a certaine auncient superstition haue beene accustomed to obserue that day as festiuall which the Iewes call their Sabbath and hauing builded on the mount of Garizim a temple and dedicated it vnto a god who hath no name haue offered vp in the same diuers and solemne sacrifices But since that you haue inflicted punishment on the Iewes according as their wickednes deserueth the commissaries of the King supposing that we were tied to their customes by reason of some alliance betweene vs couple vs with them and charge vs with the same accusations whereas we are borne Sidonians as it appeareth by the rowles of our commonweale We therefore beseech you who are our benefactor and Sauiour to commaund your gouernour Apollonius and your steward Nicanor not to molest vs any more by charging vs with those accusations which appertaine vnto the Iewes who neither are tied vnto vs by alliance neither accord with vs in maners but that our temple which hath not hitherto born the name or title of any God may now be called the temple of Iupiter of Greece by which meanes we shall be deliuered from all trouble and being at libertie to intend our affaires we may the easier and more willingly pay you greater tributes To this request of the Samaritanes the King answered sending them backe their owne letter King Antiochus to Nicanor Health The Sidonians of Sichem haue sent vs this suggestion which wee annexe vnto these our letters Since therefore they who were sent vnto vs to this intent haue sufficiently approoued both to vs and our counsel of friends that they are vtterly strangers vnto those crimes wherewith the Iewes are charged and are desirous to liue according to the lawes of the Graecians we absolue them in as much as concerneth this cause and their temple which hereafter shall be called by the name of Iupiter of Greece we haue written to the like effect also to Apollonius our Magistrate Giuen the fortie and sixe yeere and the eleuenth of the Moneth Hecatombaeon which signifieth August CHAP. VIII Antiochus forbiddeth the Iewes to vse their lawes onely Matthias the sonne of Asmonaeas contradicteth him and obtaineth the victory against Antiochus captaines AT that same time there dwelt a certaine man in Modin a village of Iury whose name was Matthias who was the sonne of Iohn and who was the sonne of Simon the sonne of Asmonaeus a Priest of the ranke of Ioarib borne in Ierusalem This Matthias had fiue sons Iohn called Gaddis Simon called Matthes Iudas called Machabaeus Eleazar named Auran and Ionathas called Apphus This Matthias oftentimes complained vnto his sonnes as touching the miserable estate of their commonweale the sacke of their Citie the sacriledge of the temple and the miseries of the people telling them that it were better for them to die for the law then to liue in ignominie When as therefore the commissaries deputed by the King came vnto the Borough of Modim to constraine the Iewes to performe that which was enioyned them and to commaund them to sacrifice according to the ordinance requiring Matthias who surpassed the rest in honour and other qualities but in especiall in excellency of descent and nobilitie to begin first of all to offer sacrifice to the end that the rest might follow him and be induced by his example promising him that in so doing the King would honour him greatly Matthias answered thereunto that he would in no sort commit that idolatrie assuring them that notwithstanding al other nations of the world either in respect of loue or for feare of iustice should obey the edicts of Antiochus yet that neither he nor any of his children could or would be induced to forsake their fathers religion Now as soone as he had returned this answere and held his peace a certaine Iew stepped forth to offer sacrifice according to Antiochus ordinance wherewith Matthias was in such sort displeased that both he and his sonnes fell vpon him and with their swords hewed him to peeces He slew Apelles the kings captaine likewise with certaine other soldiers who would haue withstood him And not content herewith he ouerthrew the Altar crying out with a loud voice If said he any one be affectioned to the lawes of his fathers and the seruice of God let him follow me and this said he sodainly retired himselfe into the desart with his sons leauing the borough vtterly dispossessed The rest doing the like retired themselues into the desart with their wiues and children and made their habitation in certaine caues The Kings captains hauing intelligence hereof gathered those forces that were at that time in the Cittadel of Ierusalem and pursued the Iewes into the desart And hauing ouertaken them they laboured first of all to make them submit themselues and to make choice of that which stood with their profit rather then to indaunger themselues and inforce them to chastice their disobedience with bloud in warre But the Iewes respected them not a whit but contradicted them in their demands who had alreadie concluded and resolued among themselues rather to die then commit such an impietie For which cause they who omitted no oportunitie assailed the Iewes on a Sabbath day and burned them within their caues who neither resisted their enemies nor so much as closed vp the mouths of their caues And therefore abstained they from all defence by reason of the day resoluing with themselues in no sort to violate the Sabbath day for we are commaunded to cease from all labour on that day There were therefore about some thousand stifled in their caues accounting both men women and children Yet notwithstanding diuers escaped who ioyned themselues with Matthias whom they appointed likewise for their captaine who declared vnto them that they ought to fight on the Sabbath daie assuring them that if they did it not but scrupulously obserued the law they themselues should be enemies vnto themselues if perhaps the enemy should assaile them that day and should not stand vpon their garde for by that meanes they should be destroyed without resist By these words he perswaded them to doe as he