bitter Starre turning Iudgement into Gaule of Aspes falne from Heaven Signifying the losing of his Keyes pride will haue a fall for which hee was cast out of the presence of God God and Mammon cannot be served together here hath hee the command of the bottomlesse Pit smoaking with Heresie and ignorance The Keys of the Kingdome of Hell which trust so much hee boasteth of given him by the Dragon the Divell to deceiue them that dwell vpon the Earth saying in the sight and opinion of men Let it be knowne this day that I haue done all these things at thy word that these are thy Keyes I am thy Apostle and if I be the man of God let fire come downe from Heaven and consume all those that obey not my orders and Lawes and at what time yee heare the sound of my Instruments fall downe and worship the Image that I NABVCHANDNEZAR haue set vp whose breath is in my hand and whole are all my wayes to glorisie mee and who so falleth not down c This Baals Prophet the last Beast having devoured and broken in peeces the Roman Empire exercising all the power of him whose Rome he vsurpeth the Lord saying I that forme the Light and create Darknesse I that make Peace and create evill I will strengthen the Armies of the King of Babilon and put my Sword into his hand But I will breake PHAROAHS Arme and and he shall groane before him with the groaning of a deadly wounded man Moreover thus saith the Lord of Hosts that keepes backe no mans pay The King of Babilon caused his Army to serue a great seruice against CHILDRIC King of Tirus euery head was made Bald of his Race and euery shoulder peel'd yet had hee no wages for his Armie Therefore the Land of Egypt shall bee his for his labour because they wrought for mee saith the Lord for there shall be no more a Prince in Egypt whose brightnesse was Excellent and the forme thereof terrible to all the world But rather a painted Image a Vassoll that the working of the poysoned Potion in the golden Cup the mysterie of iniquitie bee not hindred A base Kingdome the basest of all Kingdomes neither shall it exalt it selfe any more aboue the Nations for I will diminish them it shall be no more the confidence of the house Israell Having now the spoyle of the Land for his Armie and the Sword and Ballances in his owne hand to make a prey of mercy and truth with his Hornes and heeles as weapons to warre and weare out the Saints given into his hand vntill a time and times and the deviding of times Three dayes and a halfe Two and fortie Moneths Three yeares and a halfe halfe the mysticall weeke vntill the Day of sudgement to make Merchandize of euery thing that no man may buy or sell without his Marke marked with his fiends foote which is his Seale the signet of the Fisherman that beareth the name of the Beast The nomber of his name is then the nomber of a man which is the nomber of his Age or Dayes but this is the nomber of his Moneths Naturall Beasts not living so long the yeares being not so many as the dayes are to few As one saith the nomber of his Moneths are with the Lord Also halfe the mysticall Weeke is delivered by the same measure The latter Six Moneths added to the former Six hundred making as compleat Fiftie as Threescore make Fiue yeares Here is Wisdome the counsell of times and seasons revealed according to the eternall purpose which the wisedome of the Father put in his owne power God hath numbred thy Kingdome and finished it thou art weighed in the ballances thou tyrant that boastest of thy wit and art found wanting graines innumberable thy Kingdome is divided and given to the people of the Saints of the most Highest whose Kingdome is an everlasting kingdome c. Therfore let him that readeth count this number well and well marke the marke of the Beast is the Signet of the Fisherman which men take in their right hand wherewith his Band are branded in the foreheads and this is the Caractor and colours that distinguisheth his Traine-Souldiers from the followers of the Truth Therefore thus saith the Lord to the King of Babilon Antichrist thy dayes be few The great day of my wrath is at hand even for the Elects sake and the Soules that rest vnder the Altar crying for Execution and Vengeance vpon thee whose Bodyes thou hast beheaded burned and buryed aliue slaine for the Testimony they held the time is shortned thy Bishoppricke shall bee voyde and become a habitation for Divells and because thou remembrest not to shew mercy by swift destruction thy memorie shall be cut off from the Earth thy Damnation slumbreth not as a theefe in the night and as a snare it shall come shortly vpon thee Thou hast loved cursing in blessing thou hast not delighted but as a cloake for Covetousnesse selling to thy Marchants for money those foule oyntments to fill thy Bagge calling and crying from thy Exchange and darke shoppe if any man Thirst to commit Whoredom spirituall or carnall Treason or Murther let him come to mee and drinke of my Golden Cuppe Incest or Parricide Hoc misterium firmiter profitemur what doe yee lacke wee can sell you for Gold Silver and pretious stones thin Wood Brasse Iron and Marble all manner of Vessells in Nunneries or Stewes what will yee giue These execrable odors and thy Brazen browed Bulls casting flakes of Fire and fulminations in the sight of men from their noysome Nostrills and Thundring throates as with a Garment thou hast cloathed thy selfe thou hast robbed mee even of this whole Nation therefore prepare thy selfe thou cursed for everlasting fire prepared for the Divell and his Angells which shall enter into thy Bowells like water and soake with thine oyntments as oyle into thy Bones and mingle with thy marrow thus let the Enemies of the Lord bee rewarded yea in the meane time let them be their own executioners let one IVDAS with Poyson burst out the Bowells of another let their hope be as the giuing vp of the Ghost and their righteousnesse wherein they trust in thy remembrance as water that passeth away Let them curse but Blesse thou ô Lord to whom vengeance belongeth shew thy selfe lift vp thy selfe thou Iudge of the Earth and to this proude man of Sinne render a reward let him not haue the vpper hand sitting vpon the Throne of Iniquitie in thy Temple shewing himselfe that hee is God Consume him ô Lord with the Breath of thy mouth and destroy him quickly with the Brightnesse of thy comming Lastly this Beast his habitation is compared to a woman for Sorceries shamelesnesse and gorgious trimming arrayed in Purple and Scarlet the Virgin daughter of the King of Egipt is become the Whore of the King of Babilon the faithfull Citie is become a Harlot hauing in her hand a Cuppe full of abominations Witchraft
Angell given to a Mortall man in this Prophesie yet to satisfie as well the Envious as the Ignorant they shall finde the Sonne of God sometimes called by the name of the first ADAM DAVID who shall feede his Flocke like a Shepheard and gather his Lambes with his arme and carry them in his bosome stiled a man after Gods owne Hart and in another place from his owne Mouth holding it no derogation to his Divine Nature to apply to himselfe by Parables the properties of an austere Master a Cruell vsurer or the vniust Iudge May by the same Authoritie giue the name of MICHAEL or like vnto God in some respects vnto this Prince who fought the battell of the Lord more like an Angell then a Mortall Man as to the other the name of Dragon because he spake as a Dragon As this young Dragon hath acted his part his Syer or Damme the old Dragon his markes may not be forgotten whose Hornes haue beene formerly mentioned in a Miter and Diadem his seaven Heads are so many Rulers as it were Husbands or severall sorts of Magistracy governing that Common-wealth and the seaven Crownes are seaven Hundreth yeares beeing the time from Romes foundation to the first Emperour Equaeua polo Eterna Antiqua Caput Mundi Celsa Deum locus Coelestis Names of Blasphemie DANIEL CHAP. XI DARIVS THE MED I DREAMED THVS BEsides this Prince of victorious and blessed memory who came to helpe the King of Kings that sate vpon the white Horse whose name is the word of God to fight the Battell in Heaven against the Prince of the Kingdome of Persia here is an other of like happy memory that hath the Honour to haue his name Recorded in this holy antient Prophecie CONSTANTINE the Great named DARIVS the Mede raigning thirtie yeares In the first times of which renowmed Monarchy the Lord stood to confirme and strengthen him After whose time three Kings stood vp together in Persia dividing the Empire which breach made way for the fourth the fourth Beast corrupted with Riches and libertie Farre richer then they all By whose strength through his riches Christian Princes were stirred vp against MAHOMET growing not a little great by their ruines And a mighty King shall stand vp the great King of Tyre the absolute Monarch thereof and all the dependences Northward that shall rule with great dominion and doe according to his owne will and when hee shall stand vp the fundamentall Lawes of his Kingdome shall bee broken and infringed And the Kingdome shall be divided towards the foure windes of Heaven and not to his posterity nor according to his Dominion which hee ruled for this Kingdome shall be pluckt vp even for others besides those that were planted therein his naturall subiects by a dispensation being freed from their oath of obedience Caroli Magni Christianissimi Romanorum Imperatoris Corpus hoc conditum est sepulchro After this the King of the South was strong and he was strong aboue the King of the North and he had dominion and his Dominion is a great dominion These two Kings the King of the North and the King of the South parting the ten Hornes the Princes of Tyre and Ethiopia In the end of yeares they shall ioyne themselues together for the Kings Daughter of the South shall come to the King of the North to make an agreement but shee shall not retaine the power of the Arme neither shall he stand nor his Arme or they shall be Childlesse and she shall be given vp And they that brought her sent away destitute of a Father and for saken of her Brother But out of a branch of her rootes which are her Father and her Mother signifying their Incestuous Mariages One shall stand vp in his Estate very hardy and shall come with an Armie and shall enter into the fortresse of the King of the North or the King of Tyre and deale against them and prevaile And shall carry Captiues into Egipt their Gods and their Prnices and with their Pretious Vessells of Silver and Gold and hee shall continue more yeares then the King of the North in the Monarchy So the King of the South or the King of Ethiopia shall returne into his owne Land the Land of Dust and Ashes where his worst Enemies doe not envie his quiet possession But his Sonnes who succeeded each other in the Monarchy shall be stirred vp against the King of the North and shall assemble a great multitude of Forces and one of them shall certainly come and overflow with a floud of Fury and shall passe through and prevaile against them of the Holy Covenant but after that hee shall returne and be stirred vp even to his Fortresse or best Fenced place by them And the King of the South or one of these Brothers shall be provoked with Choller and shall come forth and fight with the King of the North who shall set forth a great multitude but the multitude shall bee given into the hands of his Enemies and himselfe shall be his Prisoner carried a Captiue into Ethiopia And when the King of the South or this Persian King hath taken away the multitude his heart shall be lifted vp against God and he shall cast downe many of his servants Tenne Thousands but neither hee nor those that come after shall bee strengthened thereby For at the end of Yeares which are now expired there shall certainely come a King of the North and hee shall set forth a multitude greater then the former a great Army and with much riches and hee shall doe according to his owne will c. And in those former dayes there shall many stand vp against the King of the South also the Robbers of the Christians these Extortioners shall exalt themselues to establish the Vision of the Prophets and the Figures of the Law which Prophecied vntill IOHN for the first things that are but shadowes are now vanished away to establish the second but they shall fall So the King of the North shall come and cast vp a Mount and take the most fenced Cities and the Armes of the South shall not withstand neither his chosen People neither shall there bee any strength to withstand But hee that commeth against him shall doe according to his owne will and none shall stand before him and hee shall stand in the glorious Land which by him shall be consumed Hee shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole Kingdome and vpright ones with him thus shall hee doe And hee shall giue him the Daughter of Women or a Queene by decent whose Royall blood was corrupted and stayned by the vsurping authority of a Tyranous Husband but she shall not stand on his side neither before him for hee dying shee was brought home and shortly after Married to another After which agreement dissolued and the League broken his Successor shall turne his face vnto the Brittish Iles and shall take many Prisoners but a Prince for his owne
Beare that is bereaued of her Whelpes I will teare the Kall from your harts and devoure you But to the faithfull I will bee a King a Saviour as an Eagle stirring vp her Nest fluttering over her young bearing them vpon the wing So I will preserue mine inheritance my Portion as the Apple of mine eye These are the words of the First that was like a Lyon his strength shall overcome the rest and take their Dominion away having no number or finite parts expressed the time of whose vndeuided Kingdome is infinite and alwaies As his yeares haue no end his Crownes are many This is the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah having of Flesh a tender hart a mans hart was giuen vnto it The Prince of the Kings of the Earth the first and the last And because he is the roote and made of the seed of DAVID Hee is here accompted amongst these Beasts This is hee that sate vpon the white Horse the Circle of the Earth to iudge and make War beholding the Inhabitants like Grasshoppers and a Bowe and a Crowne was giuen vnto him Hee is the Lord of Lords the King of Kings and of his Kingdome there is no end The second Beast like a Beare the Seauenth head that had Three ribbes in the Mouth betweene the Teeth of it signifying Three hundred yeares this is the deuouring Raigne of the Heathen Romaine Emperours which lasted so long licked by the Diuell In the infancie of which Empire the Sonne of God was Crucified and the Citie of Ierusalem destroyed wherein the yearely Sacrifice or feast of the Passouer was solemnized that in her might be found the Blood of Prophets and Saints and of all that were slaine vpon the Earth in which first seuentie yeares the Apostles and seuentie finished their testimony what they had seene and heard after which followed the ouer-spreading of abomination spoken of by our Sauiour making the Sanctuary desolate defiled with Carkasses which can neither see heare nor walke abominable carrion the house of Prayer made the Gallery of the Diuell for his deuices to stand in And this is hee that sate vpon the Red Horse Hauing a great Sword giuen vnto him to make Warre with the Church of God deuouring much Flesh Burning Scorching it with fire Haile mingled with Blood destroying Trees and all greene grasse smote euery Herbe and brake euery Tree and here ended the first Woe with this second Beast all fire and horrible Cruelty such as there was none like it in all the Land of spirituall Egypt since it became a Nation and shortly after began the next Woe where the fire is not mentioned because the smoake is so great thicke darkenesse or heresie false doctrine extinguishing the Light of truth which shall continue vntill the third Woe Hell fire and Brimstone or Blasphemy issuing out of their Mouthes a great crye from him that sits vpon the Throne when Rednesse shall be turn'd into Palenesse to the Maide behinde the Mill the Captaine in the Dongeon free and bond because of the last Plague the second Death The third Beast that was like a Leopard or halfe a Lyon an Ape betweene Man and beast whose feete or first footing were as the feete of a Beare that had vpon the back of it foure Wings like a Fowle or painted Bird Two of the Eagle and two of the Dragon signifying his time Foure hundred yeares before the comming in of Antichrist then came the King of Babylon to Ierusalem and besieged it taking the advantage of the Night what Linkes or Torches brought him thither I reade not but Moon-light there was little though hee were on his way or Wing but letted Two hundred yeares before Bearing also foure heads foure standing vp for it shewing the deuision of the Empire into so many parts being then too large and great for the gouernment of one man This is the Dragon of Egipt that Monarchy that began with the Christian Emperours whose deadly wound Death to the Soule was washed in the Blood and healed by the Stripes of the heauenly Samaritan There is now no healing of the Bruise it is putrified the Wound is grieuous the Leopard cannot change his spots binde thy Tyre vpon thy head forbeare to cry O Virgin daughter of Egipt in vaine shalt thou goe vp into Gillead and take Balme or vse Medicines thou dost runne in vaine And this is hee that sate vpon the blacke Horse the Ethiopian cannot change his skinne lesse man then the Minataure more Monster then a Centaure ingendred of black Cloudes carried about of every Winde to whom is reserued the Blacknesse of Darknesse for ever Blacke will take no other hew hauing a payre of Ballances given into his hand without respect of persons to measure to all men rich and poore free and bond a measure of Wheate for a penny and three measures of Barley for a penny Hoe every one that thirsteth and hee that hath no money Come buy and eate giue not your money for stones in stead of Bread say not Ignorance is better then Knowledge Neither hurt the Oyle and the Wine Touch not a Lords annointed and doe his Prophets no harme that Nourish you with truth and vnderstanding The last Beast the fourth that is the Eight and was Seven heads and is not and is of the Seven and goeth into perdition that had great Iron Teeth that devoured and brake in peeces and stamped the residue with the feete thereof and was divers from all the Beasts that were before it having a Miter of Tenne hornes signifying also though the Crownes be not here expressed so many hundred yeares his Limitted time the Tenne dayes of tribulation in the Apocalips wherein the Divell shall haue power to cast the faithfull into Prison After the Tribulation imediately of those dayes Two shall be in the field c. Nine of which number are expired and some part of the last hundred but how many are to come by these hornes precisely cannot be aymed at without the Art or Science of Chronologie This is Iudas the Divell the King of Babilon and Egypt the raigne of Antichrist Pope of Rome count the Letters of his name for it is the nomber of his time whose name is Death hated mortally of his time whose name is Death hated mortally the King of Rome and Italie This is hee that sate vpon the Pale Horse the sonne of Perdition of all Complexions the darkest neerest to corruption threatning alone a hart charged with so much wickednesse and malice as the Red Horse all the sanguines in the Rayne-bow and the Sword cannot set out more of Bruitish crueltie had he winges to his will and of time length to the height and bignesse of his insatiable minde NERO TITVS DOMITIANVS these beasts of the Earth their hearts and policies parraleld would seeme but a Curre coupled or compared with this greedy Woolfe A Bull as bloudy as the Beare Whose land is covered with Locusts and Darknes even darknes that may bee felt
Plague is come The Thrones of these Earthly Kingdomes cast downe the auncient of dayes shall appeare his long Traine and the great white Throne whereon he sate from whose Face the Earth and the Heavens vncleane in his sight fled away in whose presence ministred Thousand thousands and Ten thousand times Tenne Thousands also the Two Witnesses are brought forth the Books of the Law and the Prophets to Iudge every man by his workes or according to his faith for if they beleeue not the writings of MOSES how can they beleeue his words of whom MOSES wrote These Bookes shall accuse them the witnesses which God the Father beareth of his Sonne The other Booke is the Booke of Life written with the names of Saints that shall liue for ever To whom the iust Iudge shall deliver the possession of that Kingdome that shall never passe away to be destroyed but remaineth for ever even for ever and ever The foule Beast some of his purtenances will be wanting if his hornes be not farther Considered foure came vp out of the North part of his head the French Emperours of the South side sixe Spanish before whom there were Three of the first their Race pluckt vp by the Rootes amongst these came vp an other little Horne about the midst of the time in this Horne were eyes like the eyes of a man in workmanship striuing to set Nature a patterne curious in all Arts and doing honour to vertue but wanting the gift of grace opened a fearefull Mouth the King of the East whose looke is more stout then the highest of his fellow Hornes Hitherto is the end of the matter of these earthly Monarchies and the day of Iudgement hath beene also declared the matter of the end The Story is yet but chalked out Therefore in these following Visions is contained more at large the occurrence of theose dayes before mentioned even to the end of the world Wherein my desire is not as hee that rowleth a stone to returne vpon himselfe but to make it a twisted Threefold Cord to draw vp the weight that presseth so hard of infidelitie The Prophet beheld till the auncient of dayes did sit to Iudge the quicke and the dead and the Beast cast aliue into the Lake Fire his Body destroyed and given to the Burning flame to be tormented day and night for ever and ever DANIEL CHAP. VIII IN the third yeare of BELSHAZZER a Vision appeared vnto DANIEL alone even to himselfe and hee heard a mans voyce that called saying GABRIEL make the man vnderstand the Vision so he came neere vnto him and said O Sonne of man the time of this Vision extends to the end of all things behold therefore I will make thee know what shall come to passe euen to the last day the great day of Wrath and Indignation for at the time appointed the end shall be MEDES AND PERSIANS THE ROVGHE GOATE SEND MEE SPANIARDS THE GOTHE ROAGVE The first matter giuen him to vanderstand is the breaking in peeces of the Roman Empire which spiritually is called Sodome and Egipt where also the members of our Lords Body are Crucified signified by the Ram the Hee Goate is the Turke The Roman Emperours the Two hornes in the East and West are also signified by the Kings of Media and Persia The foure Kingdomes standing vp out of that Nation are the Isles of Great Britaine France Spaine and Turky Lastly the Goate himselfe shall be hunted by a King of a fierce Countenance not regarding the person of the old nor shewing fauour to the young casting downe some of the hoast of PHAROAH and of the Starres to the ground For the transgression against the daily Sacrifice was the Hoast given over A King vnderstanding darke sentences which are some part of the holy Scriptures through policie and supposed wisdome he shall cause the craft of the Divell to prosper for by Peace and affected pittie and satisfying the ambitious mindes of some Christians he shall not only draw them to denie the faith but many others following their example Not by his owne power but by the Divells policie he shall be mighty whose looke is more stout then his fellowes But by the great day of the Lord he shall be broken without hand Now in those dayes when the Goate was come close vnto the Ramme and had cast him downe and stamped vpon him The Prophet that beheld as by a perspectiue these remote things heard also one Saint speaking and an other Saint said vnto that certaine Saint that spoke how long is the time for this Vision to the end of the world that the holy Citie of God and his chosen People be no longer trodden vnder foote And hee said vnto mee vnto Two Thousand Three hundred dayes Then shall the Sanctuarie bee cleansed and the holy People Iustified The dayes bee so many yeares to the end of the world beginning at the Vision which was about the yeare of the world 342.5 Of the certaine Saints speaking or the nomber of wonderfull secrets I omit to speake that to the most part might appeare being in this Land and these late dayes but some tale of a Phenix though to bee testified of more then fiue hundred men and women besides my selfe DANIEL CHAP. IX AFter these Visions in the first yeare of DARIVS the Son of AHASHVERVS the Prophet vnderstood by Bookes and Computations the nomber of yeares whereof the world of the Lord came to IEREMIAH the Prophet concerning the desolation of Ierusalem that seventie yeares should be accomplished And whilst hee was speaking in Prayer and presenting his supplication before the Lord for the holy Mountaine the People of God euen for the holy Citie the Church that to the end of the world must be trodden vnder foote whereof that ruinons place the Citie of Ierusalem is a figure trodden downe at this day Yet was this Hebron built seaven yeares before Zoan in Egipt The man GABRIEL which was caused to flie swiftly touched him and said alluding to the former matter of his studie and meditations as of troublous appetites and Cogitations somtimes Dreames are deriued O DANIEL I am come vnto thee againe to giue thee more skill and vnderstanding Seuentie weekes are determined vpon the holy Citie signifying the time not onely when the Sonne of God by his suffering should make reconciliation for sinne but a time and times and part of time three dayes and a halfe halfe the mysticall Weeke to make an end of Sinnes to finish transgression and to make a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth everlasting righteousnesse to seale vp the Visions and Prophecies with the Seale of assurance that all these things are past and true and to annoint the most holy King and Kings and Lord and Lords the first and the last And here againe the Angell GABRIEL willeth him to know and vnderstand the things of which he shall informe him The first is this that from the going forth of the Commandement which is the beginning
behalfe rather then the honour of God of a happy daring shall cause the reproach offered to cease without his owne reproach hee caused the shame to turne vpon him that opposeth and exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God The Lord sometimes providing the remedy before the sore as carefull Physitians haue Drugs in store for all diseases preparing the disobedience of VASTHI and the vnlawfull divorce for the preservation of the Iewes to hang proud HAMMON and all his wicked Sonnes so this Prince throwing vnder foote his Cappe of Maintenance whose visage was vnmask'd by a Munke not long before those Babel Monasteries vnmeete Cages for such Craignes Ostriges and chanting Owles digesting not only all the thorney Choaking Heresie of false Prophets but the rusty Purgatory fictions of Heathen Poets The doings of these vncleane and hatefull birds Though as the eating of doung I loathe them in my Mouth yet since our Saviour and Lord himselfe vouchsafed to cast his Eye towards those secret privie places bidding vs take heed of their Deserts I may not stop my Nose or Mouth for nicenesse but rather thinke it my part to empty such houses of office it weakenesse did not prevent and hinder my willingnesse Yet with mine owne hand according to my might God willing I will throw one stone at this Thracian Witch the wicked Prophet If I cannot breake his head I will breake his Harpe if I can before hee passe headlong downe to Hell the streame Neither will omit her Holinesse though her natiue Soile and Sex may challenge some fauour how they shall walke then Inseparably hand in hand togither And as certaine of their owne Poets mention her vntimely Death stung by the false Scorpion that lurk'd so close in the grasse of his gamesome villany This Beast or rather Divell for so hee seemes by his description by the stamping of his Oxe feete Long teeth of Iron nayles of Brasse and ten Hornes or at least some horrible Monster in his likenesse takes vpon him to giue by his Marke to all the world most cursed Dispensations To please HEROD it shall be lawfull to Marry his Daughter to her Husbands owne Brother the Vncle to his Neece Thus vnnaturall he is not satisfied in most prodigious manner to abuse himselfe but others must doe Incestuously by his Example These vomited things are now savory meate neither can Sathan cast out Sathan Then it is granted they can Erre which Cunning lesson had he not learned of his lying Father his Kingdome long since had beene divided and broken in pieces Bee it never so vnlawfull like the Law of the Medes and Persians the Decree may not be changed Thus out of the sentences of the holy Scripture this Spider sucks somtimes his poyson saying in his Hart All the Kingdoms of the Earth are mine My Father the Divell hath given them vnto me and rather of my Estate then abate a button I will teach men as many lyes to damne them as wee can both inuent that with the breath of my Mouth I blow in and out the fire of Purgatory where People beleeue some Soules are blood-raw others rosted to death that I make the Creator sacrifice and sell their Saviour which puts me in minde of Iudas my Brother whose hanging I could heartily lament had hee not like a passionate foole so ill playd his last part Admit of his weaknesse he did repent is a wise man the Trumpet of his owne shame to say he had Err'd to be his owne accuser what did he gaine by this some say forsooth This Confession of friends and foes might be to leaue the subtill Elders and their generation the Iewes without excuse though wee eate both of one Sop I like not the Example I meane the manner It is olde and weake and lame Arguments will follow fast enough Idle Confessions are no secrets to me I like not his tragicall speech it was timorous had it beene by boasting scoffing or to advance his service as it proued carnest more might bee said in his defence I doe the same my selfe but let it passe my plot was no pen to blot his name and had it prevailed the fire is witnesse his frailtie had never flowne so farre When I call to minde my predecessors no small puffe can blow my pride downe shall I degenerate or not follow their steps IUDAS the Apostle and IULIANUS the Emperour no Ring-leaders of that Nazaren poore Sect that leaue the certaine Blisse of this world to beleeue 0253 200 Scripture promises made to the Fathers had I beene in their dayes though they were couragious both faithlesse and false enough I can lift my heele as high as theirs I had gone before them in their owne craft Yet since it was not remorce of Conscience but the vngratefull answer of the chiefe Priests and all his hopes frustrate this cast the Man away my Pardon as beneficiall to him as to others shall cost him nothing this accident vpon that ill advised answer WHAT IS THAT TO us LOOKE THOU TO THAT was the first motiue that made me coine Absolution which passeth now for currant Silver being all the Fees the desperate Traitors get of mee towards their hanging this ditch-water I giue the poore soules for Aqua-vitae when they goe to the Gallowes If some will say this stone is cast too far I say but a Dreame of like or lesse horror would haue started or as throughly awakened themselues to behold so great a Tyrant a Prince so gratious good his Kingdome with so much pride and spitefully invaded All his naturall Subiects become disobedient Rebells except a Remnant of some few forsaking their liues that lou'd not their liues to the Second Death suffering for their loyalty loue vnexpressable fiery exquisite bloody torments his Cittizens amongst whom hee Inhabited with one voyce Crying out all at once Away with this Man saying we will not haue this Man to raigne over vs himselfe ô gentle Doue dumbe as a Sheepe before the sheerer hanged by the hands as an off-scouring set vp like a Marke for an Arrow reviled made a derision as their Musicke to his People sweating drops of blood downe to the ground the barres of sorrow preventing the passage of Teares all in vaine in so strong and Agony more for griefe and anguish of them and their Children then his owne feare of those vnspeakable paines and torments Crying with a lowde voice vnable to conceale that passion MY GOD MY GOD VVHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN MEE my tongue cleaveth to my jawes thou hast brought me into the dust of death through his tender Mercy shedding from his pierced side blood from the wound for a sensible Testimony of a true Sacrifice and water to Baptise and wash them whose hard hearts could not weepe for themselues He wiste the Spirit of the Lord was departed from him Stones rent the Earth quaking not Ghosts walking but Graues opening and dead Bodyes amazed and awaking The whole Globe Mourning in Sable blacknesse except Man