DANIEL HIS CHALDIE VISIONS AND HIS EBREVV BOTH TRANSLATED AFTER THE Original and expounded both by reduction of heathen most famous stories vnto the exact proprietie of his wordes which is the surest certaintie what he must meane and by ioyning all the Bible and learned tongues to the frame of his worke Let him that readeth Daniel vnderstand Mat. 24. The vvise vvill vnderstand Dan. 12. AT LONDON Printed by Richard Field for William Young dwelling neare the great North doore of Paules where the other workes of the same author are to be sold 1596. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE LL. OF HER M. MOST HONORABLE PRIVIE COVNSEL THE Prophet Nathan right H. told Dauid of a sonne that should build a temple vnto God and sit vpon a throne for euer touching whom as Daniel penneth all his booke which I present vnto your Lordships I request your pacience to iudge by a short summe what vse my explicatiō may haue in our Church and state That speech of Nathans was commonly vnderstood of Salomon but indeede belōgeth more vnto his brother Nathan to whom Dauid gaue the Prophets name that by it the godly might see from what line he should come which alwayes sate on the right hand of the father And that the Elder sonne of Bathsheba for whom Dauid made the most heauenly Psalme of repētance should not want his dignitie God gaue him praerogatiues verie fit to allure the world vnto higher matters He built by Gods commaundement a temple of Masons worke sate after a sort in Gods speech vpon the throne of the Eternall Yet God spake vnto him for the people and he vnto God before the people wordes touching that his kingdome should not stand And in his whole booke that teacheth how all things vnder the sunne are vanitie the whole drift is to expoūd the truth of the promised throne VVhen his line should end in Ie-Choniah the Eternall Iah sweareth that if Choniah were a signet vpō his finger he would plucke him thence and pluckt his name from the kings and preacheth ô earth earth earth write him childlesse for none of his seede shall sit vpon Dauids throne Him Nebuchadnezar kept in prison 37. y and ouerthrew Salomons kingdome and temple with all the implements that Iudah should looke to the other house of Dauid for the true throne Then Ierusalem was to be taught a new in what sort they should see to peace For them the booke of Daniel is a Commētary handling principal points of their seuentie yeares thraldome seuen times that space vnto Christ his ascention to reigne in the house of Dauid for euer who destroyeth vtterly as with a floud Citie and tēple to shew that such outward things of mans worke could not be fit for to be meant in the most glorious promise vnto Dauid So Ierusalem surprised by the Chaldeā and razed by the Romane is the limites of his story For the middle space he hādled certaine principall heads touching Zorobabels people and the enemies Zorobabel was the onely of Nathan that bare rule and that to build a temple and to receaue the promise of Christ as in Ag. 2. Then his familie hath an expresse declaration what throne belongeth vnto them For they are termed the Sainctes of the high Trinitie who shall possesse a kingdome for euer yea for euer and euer And Daniel sheweth thrones set vp one like the sonne of man comming into the world and againe ascending vnto the king euerlasting and reigning aey ouer all nations And this much is the summe of their comfort Touching the kingdome he nameth the nations that should successiuely take it from thē with open iniurie to their Religion The Chaldeans had begun The Persians cōquering them should continue Next Great Alexander So interchangeably the Seleucidae and Lagidae vnto ten tyrannical kings But afterwardes they should be weakened that Daniels people might hold their own kingdome He nameth the Romanes but not as enemies here vnto their Religion yet toucheth their comming vp that all might know by what nation Christ should be kild when by his birth time the fourth kingdome should fall through the Romanes And they should be the second Babylon to Ierusalem But seeing they medled not with the Iewes vntill they called for their helpe that when the Machabees had vsurped long a kingdome against Iacobs will no lesse enemies to Zorobabels house then the others as their familie perished alike vtterly so the seueritie of God was not to prophecie a comfort against the Iewes calamities called for by their own prophanesse as it were open request For Caesar and Pompey were called into partaking by striuing Machabees and before had made league and friendship with Iudah Therefore comforts in such dealings might not be sent frō heauē The plainnesse of Daniel is great telling of matters that all the world would note Strabo knew Nebuchadnezars greatnes Berosus better Abydenus toucheth his propheticall traunce as hearing of that his Proclamation or Epistle sent vnto all the world Cyrus Conquest of Babel all nations knew Xerxes fall was more in speech Alexāders stories better knowen in most people then their owne his victories ambition of Godhead quick death and ruine of familie And againe his Captaines partitions of spoyles their falling to foure chiefe kingdomes and two of them principall Syria and Aegypt comming vnto perpetuall strife among them selues these heathē obserued who knew likewise the strāge successe of Ptolemie Lagidas the stranger of Seleucus Nicator their league in friendship their sonnes falling out their seeking atonement by that Mariage of Berenice their greater warres vpon her death the ouerrunning of Syria to win the syrname 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a further reuenge in Philopators victory Againe the other sides conquests to syrname Antiochus great his Cleopatras mariage with Ptolemie his inuading Grece his fall by Rome his Church robbing his two sonnes Church robbing their three extraordinarie deathes these matters be most famous amōg the heathē And Antiochus Epiphanes subtiltie in ouerreaching his brother and two nephewes his comming vp in Syria his three inuasiōs of Aegypt his endeuour and crueltie to haue extinguished Iudahs Religiō these matters are the most famous of any in heathen stories VVhen we adde vnto them the iest of Augustus how it was better to be Herods hog then his sonne because of his slaughter at our Lordes birth and Vergils harping at a child comming from heauen noysed doubtlesse by Iewes and the expectation of all the East of a king arising then to rule all the world and Tacitus for Christ Pilate and Christians lastly the manifold writers of Ierusalems fall the last part then we shal haue open all the humane points of Daniels booke VVhen we ioyne from Diuinitie storie Nathans prophecie for Nathan Salomons Eldership in a touch of throne and Temple the threefold charge to write Iechonias
of them as here verse 26. A litle must be spoken of the euening morning 2300. at touching the story Thus Abraham Aben ezra expoundeth it I think this the plaine meaning of it that sixe yeeres and certaine monthes Israel continued in the dayes of Antiochus in great affliction And so it is written in the Greeke storie And beholde this number is of meere dayes and the sense Two thousand and three hundreth morninges or dayes And they make sixe yeeres of the Sunnes yeeres and three full monethes And they are dayes after the Moones yeere neare sixe yeeres and an halfe Therefore the Angel sayd And the vision of the euening the morning is true he meaneth that so it is properly This much Aben ezra confesseth which confession of his will châ—cke all the Iewes further errours for the fourth kingdome Likewise Ralbag holdeth the rest of the speach to be of Antiochus that tormented the Iewes This must be againe touched with the phrase the last ende of wrath vers 19. that the Romans thereby are none of Daniels foure kingdomes Here properly are they named that folow y e head aâ— lion Babel The Ramme iâ— the Kinges of Madai and paras The buck is the Kinge of Iauan the horne betwixt his eyes is the first King Alexander y e foure are the foure Christ Kingdomes one lyâ—le horne iâ— Antiochuâ— Epiphanâ—â— CHAP. 8. Daniel seeth now not in a dreame in the night as in Cha. 2. Cha. 7. oppressours of the Iewes vnnamed but in a vision awaked nations properly termed arising and cut off Madaj and Paras Iauan or Grece And what maner a Greeke shall practise the ende of Gods wrath against the Holy Daniels people This chapter expoundeth the second and the seuenth and telleth by implication the certaintie of Babels fall by the arising of the Persians Remember that in time this matter went afore that of the 5. chapter IN the thirde yeere of the reigne of king Belshazar a vision was seene to mee to mee Daniel after that which was seene to me afore And I saw in a vision and thus it was In the seeing I was then in Susan the palace Royal which is in the Prouince of Elaâ— Now I saw in a vision and when I saw it I was at the Riuer Vlaj Then I lyfted vp myne eyes and saw and beholde a Ramme stoode before the Riuer and he had two hornes and the two hornes weâ—â— high but the one was higher then the other and the highest came vp last I saw the Ramme pushyng VVestwarde and Northwarde and Southwarde and no beastes could stande before hym and none coulde delyuer out of his power but he did as he lysted and became great And as I minded this behold a Goate Bucke came ouer the face of the whole earth and touched not the ground and this Bucke had a notable horne betweene his eyes And he came vnto the Ramme that had the two hornes whom I saw standyng by the Riuer and ranne vnto him in the heate of his strength And I saw him come euen vnto the Ramme and he dealt fiercely with him and he smote the Ram. brake his two hornes And there was no strength in the Ramme to stande agaynst him but he cast him downe to the ground and stamped on him And none coulde delyuer the Ramme from his power And the Goate Bucke became exceeding great and when he was at the strongest that great horne was broken and foure the most notable grew for it towarde the foure windes of the heauens And from one of them came foorth a litle small horne but became great exceedingly towardes the South and towardes the East and towardes the Tzeby And it became great against the armie of heauen and it fell vnto the ground some of the armie and of the starres and stamped vpon them And he would be great agaynst the Prince of the armie and by him was taken away the continuall Sacrifice and the place of his Sanctuarie was cast downe And an armie was set against the continuall Sacrifice for sinne and it cast downe trueth vnto the ground and preuayled and prospered And I heard an holy one speake and an holy one sayde to PALMONI that was speaking How long shall endure the vision of the continuall Sacrifice and of sinne causing desolation to set the Holy and Armie to be stamped vpon And HE said vnto me vnto the euening-mornyng two thousand and three hundreth Then shal the Holy be clensed Now when I Daniel had seene the vision and sought for the meaning beholde there stoode before me like the similitude of a man And I heard the voyce of a man at the middle of Vlaâ— which called and sayd Gabriel make him there to vnderstand the vision So he came where I stoode And when he came I was frighted and fell vpon my face And he sayd vnto me Vnderstande O sonne of Man that for the time of the ende the vision is Now as he was speaking vnto me I fell in a slumber vpon my face to the grounde But he touched me and made me stande vp where I stoode And he sayd Beholde I will shew thee what shalbe in the last ende of wrath The Ramme which thou sawest hauing two hornes are the kinges of Madaj and Paras the hearie Bucke is the king of Iauan And the great horne betweene his eyes is the first king And that being broken the foure that stoode vp for it are foure kingdomes that shall stande vp stoutely from the nation But not in the strength of the other And in the ende of their kingdome when sinners shall come to the full there shall stande vp a King hard faced and mindyng hid thinges And his strength shalbe strong and not by his owne strength And wonderfully shall he destroy and prosper and preuayle and shall destroy the strong and the holy people For through craft he shall cause deceite to prosper in his handes And in his hart he shalbe great and in peace he shal destroy many and he wil stande vp against the Prince of princes But he shalbe broken-downe without hand And the vision of the euenyng and of the mornyng which was tolde is true Now shut thou vp the vision for it shalbe after many dayes And I Daniel was striken sicke certayne dayes and I arose and did the kinges busines and I was astonied at the vision But none could marke it CHAP. 9. At the ende of the 70. yeeres captiuitie Daniel praying for returne is tolde that the deliuerie to Ierusalem is presently graunted him and the eternall by our Lordes death is shewed that it shalbe at seuen times seuentie Y. from the houre of his prayer So long Ierusalem shall haue the prerogatiue to be the holy Citie But then the Heathen shalbe equal in the couenant and al Moses ceremonies must cease For
Eusebius and other Christians vvould draw the Romanes in but vvould also haue heathen Christians to be afflicted here So the Angell is made to speake in the cloudes and all gracious Daniel sealed vp as vnexplicable and the stories drawen beyond Christ afore they reach neare vnto him and Iewes hardened and Christianitie vveakened and all Libraries pestered vvith errours of infinite confusion And vnlesse vve be content to rouoke our erroneous notes for the Romanes in Daniel chap. 2.7 and here 11. and likewise for Ezek. 38. and a little vpon Zacharie 6. for the foure Monarchies vve shall do our selues great iniurie and breake the law which forbiddeth to lay a stumbling blocke afore the blind and I feare be counted of small conscience in Religion He that vvould vvillingly continue an errour to disturbance of the Bible is no better affected then those foure beastes that goe into the riuer of burning fire Herein Printers should specially shew conscience that their actions continue not errour for gaine after blame iust and profitable Of Antiochus Parthian war and breaking without hand chap. 8. and casting into the fier chap. 7. But tydings shall trouble him from the East and from the North and he shall go forth with great heate to destroy and sacke many And he shall plante the tents of his court betweene seas at holy mount Tzeby and he shall come to his end and none shall helpe him CHAP. 12. A further explication of the afflictions vnder Antiochus Epiphanes and notes vpon the vvhole oration ANd at that time shall stand vp Michael the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shalbe a time of trouble such as hath not bene since there began a nation vnto that time and at that time thy people shalbe saued all that shalbe found written in the booke The better resurrection and the worse Eb. 11. to life and to Iudgement Iohn 5. For the many of them that sleepe in the earth of dust shall awake some to life euerlasting and some to all shame to lothsomnesse euerlasting And the wise shall shine like the brightnesse of the firmamēt they that turne the many to righteousnesse like the starres for euer and euer Of keeping close these Prophecies And thou Daniel shut vp the words and seale the booke till the ende of the time Many will search through and this knowledge shall encrease The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hiding of the minde which Daniel vsed ANd here I thinke it not amisse to shew Daniels owne practise in style of sealing vp his sense euen where he vvriteth in the common language the Chalde tongue folowing the order of his Chapters And first of all though he onely handle the first captiuitie yet he vvould not date it from the first of Nebuchadnezar as lothing to haue a prophane king ouer Gods people to beare a date of their thraldome taking vnto himselfe being of Iudahs kings that honour of measuring the captiuitie So vers 1. and last of chap. 1. he must be vnderstood as setting the limites of the 70. yeares In chap. 2.1 he vvonderfully telleth the date from his owne standing afore the king closly comparing himself with Ioseph for the like time and Nebuchadnezar vvith Pharaoh In expounding the Image vvhen he began vvith telling how the feete perish and commeth last vnto the head that perished first this pleased Nebuchadnezar as though he should not soone fall In the same speach vvhen he ioyneth iron brasse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chaspa and Caspa clay and siluer he sheweth his care to please the cruell tyrant and his own readynesse of wit in the allusion besides the depth of the natures that siluer termed Caspa of desire is but Chaspa mere dust And through the whole matter his silence touching Iuda and leauing the oppressed by the iron as though all nations had felt the iron of the legges this holpe his people and the ignorance of his closenesse made 1500. yeares errour in vs. The third and fourth and fift Chapters neither needed nor suffred hiding therein he fully setteth forth the Babylonian shame and Gods glorie So in the sixt he dealt vvith the Persians The seuenth bears his vvit in Belesh-zar shewing that Bel becommeth a fire of sorow from the fierie throne Likewise in speaking first of the last beastes ruine and returning to speake of the former and vsing termes of equiuocation as vve yet mistake them that the Chaldeans could picke no quarell For thus the vvordes might seeme to meane vers 12. Concerning the others beastes they had taken away their dominion yet their liues vvere prolonged for a certaine time and season What the argument calleth for and how the vvordes will abide another sense all may see Like vers 18. Vau signifying And or vvhich the taking one for the other vvould keepe Daniels people from blame and they might see an exposition in the Chapter Therein also his terming of the Iewes the Sainctes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them the holy Trinitie that conteined no danger yet great vvisedome While the kings of Iudah liued Iakim Iackin Zedekias prophane as heathen God vvould shew kingdomes ouer them in no vvorse sort then they vvould vvish to appeare as in the Image and then he gaue his own people no name a bad he might not a good vnder those kings he could not But vvhen Salomons house vvas extinct and our Lordes ancestours right commeth in then it was fit that a name should be giuen them of the highest approbation And all this vvhile he durst aduenture to vvrite in the commonest language of East and South to helpe many and danger none But chap. 8. vvhere Babels fall is gathered by Elam arising and Elam fell by Iauans arising the nations be named Iudah surely described to any Iew and he is commaunded to close it vp then he not onely dissembled his griefe for his people that should fall from being starres but vvriteth in Ebrew and vseth termes that amaze the vnbeedy vnto this day Palmonie Tzeby amazed the vvicked Iewes continually In the ninth he is vvonderfull vvhere while he penneth his own words he plainly teacheth by his stile how ready he was in Moses and the Prophetes When he penneth the Angels he maketh a cloude white towards Israel blacke towards Aegypt Thence a true Israel may looke to our Lordes death forward and turne vnto Moses euen by Sabbates iourneys and thence may see heathen confusion of stories In the tenth he hid his minde not telling vvherefore he fasted because in Persia he might not blame the kings hinderance of the Temple vvhen his griefe is relieued by shewing how foure kings Xerxes campe shall soone fade he knew that Tigris swift vvaters vvere a fit resemsemblance of the speede and knew that they should be punished for the Temple By keeping close his minde he saued his from danger And any that
introductions to his whole summe and Graces and ioyne the kings and Pictures for him pictures afore set in another booke which coming foorth greater with greater lendeth Daniel the former willingly To him they beloÌ„g The summe and graces of Daniel THe holy Prophet Daniel telleth what Kingdomes shall oppresse Dauids house from Iudahs captiuitie vnto the birth of our Lord and endeuour to controll their Religion Also of our Lord he sheweth his continuall protection and payment of his foes his coming into the world his making strong the Couenant for all nations his precious death his glorious ascention and his kingdome ouer all nations And lastly how he will destroy the Citie and Temple finishing the policie which he gaue by Moses that Iewes and Gentiles may be equally Gods people Those kingdomes which Daniel setteth forth are first the Chaldeans who destroyed the Citie Temple Kingdome and house of Salomon and meant in Babel to haue set vp idolatrie The next is a ioynt power of the Medes and Persians who ouerthrew them and would haue made their owne kings as Gods stayed the building of Gods Temple and sought to destroy the Iewes nation The third is compact of all the States of Greeke-land who put downe the former In Alexanders power which King in his pride earnestly laboured to be holden as a God and caused the Leuites to name their sonnes Alexanders and all the Iewes to take their dates from his reigne The fourth and last is of the same natioÌ„ for their Kings called Seleucidae and Lagidae by the first of their houses dwelling North and South from Iuda situated betwixt them both By these Iuda was most vexed and endeuour vsed to haue abrogated the holy Couenant At our Lords birth these nations were fully spoyled of all gouernement and another set vp to whom tribute was payd ouer all the world In plentifull varietie Daniel setteth them forth First in a huge image of foure mettals beaten to powder and he expoundeth the Image so that by a prophane king he is therefore highly aduaunced Long after he seeth them in a sort fit for a spirituall man to iudge of in foure sauage beasts cast into the fire ioyneth a most heauenly exposition and comfort of his nation how from his people an eternall kingdome shall fill all the earth Againe the kingdome of Babel is figured by a Tree touching in height the heauens in breadth the corners of the earth and to that also Daniel affordeth an exposition Likewise the other kingdomes are semblanced by a Ramme and Goat-bucke and both in sundrie hornes and now all the Nations are plainly named who be therein contained So sixe times euery one State is declared all ouer the later declarations adding clearenesse to the former Moreouer the seuenth Narration most plaine as teaching in proper language is not wanting for the coming vp idolatrie chastisement and ouerthrow of these kingdomes A skilfull Reader must fetch from others the dayly dealings which the wisedome of God knew at needlesse to foretell by Daniel and therefore he passeth them ouer in their due places the Reader shall find them marked in obseruations vpon the Prophet The comfort of the holy people is most sweete in this Booke Christ in prophane eyes is a base stone and heathen Kings goodly mettals but he beateth them to dust and becometh a great mountaine In Daniels eâ—en they are beasts cast into fire and the Sonne of man coming in the clouds into the world afterwards going vnto the Ancient of dayes he sitteth on an eternall throne Sundry other heauenly apparations Daniel hath as when the wonderfull Numberer called in Daniel Palmoni calleth an Angel Gabriel and biddeth him teach Daniel the verie dayes from the first of the rage against Moses lawes vnto the last of the Grecians dealing against the Temple And after that his senses had bene acquainted with so exact an accompt vnto the very day for a particular hinderance of the truth he seeth a hand writing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 MENE MENE and soone the former Angel numbreth most exactly the time vnto our Lords death And againe soone after he hath a vision like that of Christ in the Reuelation and of three Angels one silent another teaching him the summe of his booke in plain speeches another asking a question of times and taking an answer with the very particular dayes of two famous neare matters These two confirme the wonderfull accompt of Christ his owne set time for redemptioÌ„ Dan. 9.24 Farther then which the date of times might not go in the Prophets beyond the glorifying of the King but therein it was to rest By like reuolutions men might know that Christ would graunt them the like space to repentance that they losed not their land as he gaue in the wildernesse to prepare them that should enter into the land And so it fell out alike 40. yeares they spent in the wildernesse 40 after our Lords death in the land And so the whole warning that Daniel gaue the Iewes to beware of their Deluge is iust in space the same that Lamech gaue to the old world at Noahs birth 600 yeares afore the flood From Nebuchadnezers first yeare 70 of captiuitie thence 7 times that space in expressed wordes layd downe in Scripture and 40 afterwards not recorded nor to haue bene recorded in scripture but marked of heathen by the euent This is the compasse of Daniels times which they that cast not aright shal be disturbed The state of the world when he wrote and the tongues vvhich he vsed call vs to farther admiration His Prophecie was written in the most distressed times of the world to be such a iewell that being seene it might haue redressed the calamities of those dayes For when the kingdome of Iudah was to be plagued by the tust God all the world was plagued also with more alterations of kingdomes and warres then had bene afore And then God by Daniel writeth first in the heathens language the Syriaque or Chaldy tong which East South best knew In that he sheweth how the Image of the worldly poÌ„pe all the wicked are made as dust before the winde and prophane Empires are as beasts troubling the sea of life perishing at the last in a fierie lake froÌ„ the throne of a Iudge euerlasting with whom there is no shadow of change Also he telleth of the kingdome that cannot be corrupted set vp by one like the Sonne of man coming in the cloudes and going againe vnto the ancient of dayes to sit for euer in glory All this and other matters of the present Age Daniel penneth in the language most knowne of any one that the heathen might be benefited Notwithstanding the Iewes haue in this worke their prerogatiue For in the tongue vsed onely of them he penneth the selfe same matter naming plainly what people he afore spake off and that in sundrie sortes for exact certaintie And he limiteth the
you shew the dreame and the interpretation of it ye shall receiue of me guyftes and rewardes and great honour therefore shew me the dreame and the interpretation thereof They answered the seconde tyme and sayde let the king tell his seruantes the dreame and we wyll shew the interpretation thereof Then the king answered and sayd of a certaintie know I that ye woulde buy the time because you see the thing is gone from me But yf you wyl not make knowen to me the dreame there is but one decree ouer you For ye haue prepared lying corrupt wordes to speake before mee tyll the time be changed Therefore tell me the dreame that I may know if ye can shew me the interpretatiō therof Then the Caldeans answered before the king and sayd there is no man vpon earth that can shewe the thing that the king speaketh off Yea there is neyther King Prince nor Lord that asked such thinges at an Enchanter or Astrologian or Caldean Yea the thing which the king demaundeth is rare and there is none other that can shew it vnto the king except the Goddes whose dwelling is not with flesh Herevpon the king was in anger great furie and commanded to destroy all the Sages of Babel And a decree came foorth and the Sages were killed and they sought Daniel and his felowes that they might be killed Then Daniel stayed the counsell and edict through Arioch the kinges Prouost martial which came forth to kill the sages of Babel He spake and sayd to Arioch the kinges officer Why hasteneth the decree from the king Then Arioch made knowen the matter vnto Daniel So Daniel went and prayed the king that he would giue him time and he would shew the king the interpretation Then Daniel went to his house and made knowen the matter to Hananiah Mishael and Azariah his fellowes That they shoulde beseeche the God of heauen for grace in this secret that Daniel his felowes should not perish with the rest of the sages of Babel Then to Daniel in a vision by nyght was this secret reuealed Then Daniel blessed the God of heauen Daniel spake sayd The name of God be praysed for euer and euer For wisedome and courage are his And he changeth the times and seasons he taketh away kinges and setteth vp kinges he giueth wisedome to the wise and vnderstanding to those that haue vnderstanding He discouereth the deepe and the hid thinges he knoweth what is in the darknes and lyght dwelleth with him I thanke and prayse thee O God of my fathers that thou hast giuen me wysedome and courage and hast made knowen to me now the thing wherfore we prayed to thee making knowen vnto vs the kinges matter Hereupon Daniel went to Arioch whom the king had appoynted to destroy the sages of Babel he came and sayd thus vnto him Destroy not the sages of Babel but bring me before the king and I wyll shew the king the interpretation Then Arioch in all haste brought Daniel before the king and thus sayd vnto him I haue found a man of the captiues of Iudah that wyll make knowen to the king the interpretation Then answered the king and sayd vnto Daniel whose name was Belteshazar Art thou able to make knowen vnto me the dreame which I haue seene and the interpretation thereof Daniel answered before the king and sayd The secrete which the king hath demaunded no Sages Astrologians Enchanters entral-lookers are able to shew vnto the king But there is a God in heauen that reuealeth secretes and maketh knowen to the king Nebuchadnezar what shall be in the dayes folowing The dreame and the visions of thine head vpon thy bed are thus O king thy thoughtes on thy bed ascended what should come hereafter and he that reuealeth secretes maketh knowen to thee what shall come to passe As for me not for any wisedome that I haue more then any other liuing is this secret reuealed vnto me but that the king may knowe the interpretation and that thou mightest know the thoughtes of thine hart O king thou behewest and soe there was a huge Image this Image was great and his brightnesse was excellent it stoode before thee and was terrible to beholde The Kingdomes that ouerruled the holy Ebrewes Babylō .70 yeares Medes Persianes .150 Alexander state .6 Magog Egypt .294 y ◠Image reigned .500 y◠This Image had his Head of fine Golde his Brest and Armes of Siluer his Bellie and his Sides of Brasse His Legges of Iron and his Feete part of Iron and part of Clay Thou beheldest tyll a Stone was cut without handes which smote the Image vpon his feete of Iron and Clay and brake them in peeces Then was broken togeyther the Iron the Clay the Brasse the Siluer and the Golde and became like the chaffe of a sommer batne-floore and the winde caried them away and no place was founde for them and the Stone that smote the Image became a great Mountayne and filled the whole earth This is the dreame and the interpretation thereof wyll we tell before the king O King thou shalt be a King of Kinges For the God of heauen giueth thee a kingdome power and strength and glory And of all places where the chyldren of men dwell the beastes of the fielde the foules of the heauen giueth he into thy handes and maketh thee ruler ouer them all thou art the Head of Golde And after thee shall arise another Kingdome vnder thee of Siluer and another a thirde kingdome of Brasse which shall rule ouer all the earth And the fourth kingdome shall be hard lyke iron For as much as iron breaketh and beateth to powder all thinges Euen as iron bruseth all these shall it breake and bruse Whereas thou sawest the feete and tooes part of the Potters clay part of Iron it shalbe a deuided kingdome and there shalbe in it some of the rigour of Iron as thou sawest Iron mixed with earthy clay As the tooes of the feete were part of iron part of clay the kingdome shalbe partly hard and shalbe partly brittle Also whereas thou sawest iron mixed with earthy clay they shall mingle them selues in the seede of man but they shall not cleaue one to another euen as iron can not be mixed with clay And in the dayes of these kinges shall the God of heauen set vp a kingdome which shall neuer be corrupted and the kingdome shall not be giuen to an other people but it shall breake and finishe all these kingdomes and it shall stande for euer Whereas thou sawest that the Stone was cut out of the Mountaine without handes and that it brake in pecces the Iron the Brasse the Clay the Siluer and the Gold the great God maketh knowne to the king what shall come to passe hereafter Thus the dreame is true the interpretation therof is sure Then the king Nebuchadnezar fell vpon his face and worshypped Daniel
hornes were pluckt away before it And loe eyes like the eyes of a man were in that horne and a mouth speaking presumptuous thinges I behelde till Thrones were set vp and the Ancient of dayes sate His garment was white as Snow the heare of his head like y e pure Wooll His throne was flames of fire the wheeles of it a burning fire A streame of fire issued came foorth from before him a thousand thousandes ministreâ— vnto him and a million of millions stoode before him Iudgement was seated and the bookes were opened I behelde then for the voyce of the presumptuous wordes which the horne spake I behelde vntyll the beast was slayne and his body destroyed and geuen to be brent in the fire Now the rest of the Beastes they had had their dominion taken away as space in lyfe was geuen them for a time and a season I behelde in the visionâ— by nyghâ— and loe in the cloudes of y e heauens came one like the SONNE OF MAN Afterwardes he went to the ancient of dayes and before him they brought him And to him was geuen power and glory and kingdome that all people nations and tongues should serue him His power is a power eternall which can not alter and his kingdome is that which shall neuer be corrupted I Daniel felt my spirite perted within my body and the visions of my head troubled me I approched vnto one of the wayters sought from him the trueth of all this and he spake vnto me and made me know the interpretation of the matters These great Beastes which are foure are foure Kinges arising from the earth But the Sainctes of the highest shall take the kingdome and holde a kingdome for euer yea for euer and euer Then I desired the trueth concerning the fourth beast which was vnlyke to them all exceeding fearefull whose teeth were of iron and his nayles of steele which did eate and brake to peeces stamped the residue vnder his feete Also concerning the ten hornes that were in his head and concerning the last which came vp before which three fell And that was the horne which had those eyes and the mouth speaking presumptuous thinges and his looke was stouter then his felowes I behelde and the horne made battayle against the Sainctes and preuayled ouer them Vntyll the ancient of dayes came and iudgement was geuen to the Sainctes of the most high and the time approched that the sainctes should holde the kingdome Thus he sayd The fourth beast shalbe the fourth kingdome in the lande which shalbe vnlyke to all the kingdomes and shall deuoute the whole lande and shall treade it downe and shall breake it in peeces And ten hornes from the kingdome are ten kinges that shall arise and the last shall arise in the ende of them and he shalbe vnlike the former and shall put downe three kinges And he shall speake wordes against the most High and consume the Sainctes of the most High and thinke to alter the tymes and Law and they shalbe geuen into his hand for a time and times and halfe a time And iudgement shalbe seated they shal take away his kingdome to wast to destroy it vnto the ende And the kingdome and the power and the greatnesse of the kingdomes vnder all the heauens shalbe geuen to the people of the sainctes of the most high His kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome and all dominions shall serue and obey him Hitherto reacheth y e ende of y e matter I Daniel was greatly troubled in my thoughtes my brightnes was changed in me I kept the matter in my hart Here ende the visions of Daniel which the Prophet penned in the tongue knowen ouer the East and South wherein the Iewes are not descried playnely to be the people for whom God plagueth the kingdomes and the Heathen might be drawen to thinke somewhat better of the God of heauen Of the Visions penned in the Iewes proper language HEnce vnto the end of Daniel the visions are penned in the language spoken onely in Daniels owne nation Moreouer the speaches be full of artificiall tearmes knowen onely to the Iewes and some neuer spoken afore yet by their composition easie This was needefull to be done For the Persians would hate the Iewes yf the prophecie of their fall by the Greekes had been published in the tongue knowen ouer the East Also the Greekes would haue raged much more yf their shame had been written in a common language And none could abide the Iewes to clayme onely to be the nation onely good or yet to be capable of heauenly matters to be so familiarly tolde as Daniel had taught them Therefore he was not to giue such pearles to Hogges but to write them in the holy tongue which the Heathen studied not Close phrases vsed in chap. 8. To saue the Iewes from hatred danger these close phrases Daniel vseth For the Sonne of God The Prince of princes Vers 25. And Palmony The wonderful numberer a tearme easie by composition and by the matter proper to God but neuer vsed saue verse 23. And Prince of the armie called Michael from chap. 10. and 12. So Aben Ezra calleth him Michael The Angels name is An holy one And a peculiar name Gabriel a man of the mightie meaning God FroÌ„ these visions the Hebrewes note in Ierusalemy Ros hasana that their Fathers brought Angels names with them from Babel The Iewes are called the Armie of heauen the Starres the Armie and Holy people Their religion the Trueth their Temple the Sanctuarie and the Holy Antiochus dealyng against them the treading of the Sanctuarie and Armie vnder foote Iudea is called Tzeby as in Ezekiel chap. 20. an ornament or Roe of all landes and so in Dan. cha 11 16 41 4â— Therfore I holde it best to haue it a proper name to Iudea Some equiuocations touching Gods enemies were to be spoken in tearmes doubtfull to the vnâ—brâ—â—ed as when the Angel calleth the King whom the Machabees storie sheweth to be the worst that euer the earth had borne a King hard faced and minding hid thinges that is in deede impudent and practising most vnhumane dealinges against women and chyldren and prophannesse against God all religion Atheneus further setteth foorth Antiochus Epiphanes The vnheedy might take the wordes For fierce of countenance and vnderstanding darke sentences For in deede the wordes will abide both But the wittie Daniel woulde maruell that any should misse to giue to an enemie of Gods people the worst that coulde be those attributes which best agreed with his whole dealings spoken in ver 10 11 12 14. And thus for this Chapter and the other we are to weigh Gods counsell why they are vnlike the other visions in Ebrew spoken closely to the Iewes and also why God commaundeth to close some
was turned in me into corruption I reteyned no strength Yet I heard the voyce of his wordes And when I heard the voyce of his wordes I fell in a slumber on my face and my face was towardes the ground Now beholde an hand touched me and set me vpon my knees and vpon the palmes of myne handes And he sayd vnto me O Daniel thou gracious man vnderstande my wordes which I speake vnto thee and stande vpright For now am I sent to thee And when he had spoken this speach to me I stoode trembling Then he sayd vnto me Feare not Daniel For from the first day that thou diddest set thine hart to vnderstande and to chasten thy selfe before thy God thy wordes were heard and I am come for thy wordes But the prince of the kingdome of Paras stoode against me And beholde Michael the first of the chiefe Princes came to helpe me and I remayned there by the king of Paras Now I am come to shew thee what shall befall thy people in the time hereafter For yet the vision is for those dayes And when he had spoken these wordes vnto me I set my face towardes the grounde and I became dum And beholde that resemblance in sight as a man touched my lyppes Then I opened my mouth and spake and sayd vnto him that stoode before me O my Lord by the vision my ioyntes are loosed in me and I retayne no strength And how can this seruant of my Lord talke with this my Lord thus am I since euen now no strength standeth in me nor breath is left in me Than againe he in sight as a man touched me and made me strong And sayd feare not gracious man peace be to thee be strong againe I say be strong And when he had spoken vnto me I was strengthened and sayd Let my Lord speake for thou hast strengthened me Than sayd he Knowest thou wherefore I am come vnto thee And now I will returne to fight with the Prince of Paras and when I am gone away the Prince of Iauan commeth But I will shew thee what is written in the Scripture of trueth And there is none that strengtheneth him selfe with me in these thinges but Michael your Prince CHAP. 11. Gabriel geueth now an exposition of the matters figured by the Image great goodly and tirrible by the beastes that came out of the Sea and by the other that battered at the riuer Vlai in more particuler sort then the former three expositions of those three visions shewed the matter so that this is the seauenth time that the same nations are spoken off thrife figured and as often expounded afore This speach teacheth of their particular dealinges in such playnnes as the Heathen afterwardes penned their doinges He reckoneth how many kinges of Persia shalbe soone cut off or ouerthrowen for hindering the worke of the Temple Thence he passeth ouer to great Alexander and geueth an abridgement of all his stories his arising his fall and his houses of his foure principall successours of the many others lesser then they of two the mightiest whose families should all their time both clayme the kingdome of Iudah And he geueth an historie aforehand of ten Kinges the ten hornes of the fourth Beast shewing in them the rigour of the iron legges and iron teeth how not only they deuoured Iudah in their taxes and other yeerely reuenues but trode it more downe by their continuall camping in it from both their chiefe kingdomes And in Antiochus Epiphanes the last instrument of wrath against the Holy couenant he continueth a long speach as he was chiefly to be looked vnto of his treacherous comming vp in Syria by poysoning his brother of his preparing against Egypt where by the way Iudah felt the beginning of the 2300. dayes oppression of his great successe in his first voyage into Egypt of the seconde with bad successe and his vehementer rage against the Temple by his returne through Iudea which rage helde three yeeres and an halfe of a thirde voyage wherein he spoyled Egypt exceedingly and returned through Iudea to Elymais and of his death by the hand of God All these thinges are handled of him so particularly that all the wyse of those dayes might be confirmed to stande to the trueth seeing aforehand what should be their euent and all of all ages marke in whom the last visions of Daniel ended that the prophecies might draw men vnto Christ and not beyonde him as the Iewes now adayes woulde peruert his sayinges and turne them in most senselesse wyse against Christianitie and to their owne eternall ruine For all this Heathen stories are for vs sure witnesses of the Angels meaning A repetition of Babels fall AND in the first yeere of Darius the Madaj I stoode a strength and a fortresse vnto him ¶ Of 4. Persian kinges plagued for the Temple And now I will tell thee the trueth Yet three kinges stande vp to Paras and the fourth shalbe farre richer then they all and through his strength by his riches he shall stirre vp all agaynst the kingdome of Iauan ⧠Of Alexander and his family Afterwardes a mightie king shall stande vp and beare a great dominion and do as he lyst And when he standeth vp his kingdome shalbe broken shalbe deuided toward the foure windes of the heauen and not to his posteritie nor according to his dominion which he bare For his kingdome shalbe pluckt vp and be for others beside those ¶ Of the two legges ioyned to the belly and sides cha 2. the two kingdomes which remayned of Alexanders Princes which make the fourth beast with ten hornes And the king of the South shalbe strong and an other of his Princes who shalbe stronger then he and beare dominion His dominion shalbe the greatest dominion Of the mixture of Iron and Clay how the two parted Kingdome the two legges Dan. 2. ioyned in mans seede and Mariages cleaueth together as Iron and Clay a daughter of the South king being giuen to the Northren And at the ende of certaine yeares they shalbe ioyned together and the kings daughter of the South shall come to the king of the North to make agreement But she shall not retaine the strength of the arme Neither shall he stand and his arme And she shall be giuen ouer and they that brought her and he that begat her and her strengthener in those dayes But an impe from her roots shall stand vp in his place and he shall come against the army shall come into the force of the king of the North and deale against them and win And their Goddes with their states with their precious vessels of siluer and gold shall he cary into captiuitie into Egypt And he shall stand yeares aboue the king of the North. How Heathen that neuer knew Daniel recorde the
Polybius will serue to shew his spoiling nature here touched How he came by his kingdom and was able to ouerflow Appian aboue shewed that euen by two wealthie kings helpes His pretence of right was the society made with his brother who I thinke is here named the Prince of the couenant or agreement To meane it of Ptolemy Philometor who reigned first sixe yeares after him it may be thought somewhat harder The spoiling and robbing of his owne countrey may well be vnderstood to be for Attalus and Eumenes armies that made him king against the states will who denied him the honor of the kingdomes He began to reigne in 137 of the Greeks 1. Mach. Which account must be taken from Alexanders death and not begin 14 yeares later where men imagine that because then Alexanders family was vtterly rooted out the Captaines were called first kings they fixed their date For if Claudius Ptolemie say true that from the first of Nabonassar 424. Alexander dyed the seuenth of Philometor is thence 574. The first of Philometor being at 142. after Alexanders death his seuenth should be at Antiochus his first and so he could not be set vpon by Antiochus This sheweth what vncertaintie heathen haue in their supposed exquisite particulars And herein Codoman deserueth prayses for amending the common errour from Greekes as we expounde them Likewise the Romanes recordes for Paulus Aemilius go hard whose triumph falleth after Antiochus death by the former recknings My partener Beroaldus herein twise followed the common errour which by the way I was to amend * Seleueus Philopater loued his fathers steps of Church-robbing Iason of Cyren abridged by him which wrote the second of the Machabees sheweth how Seleucus would haue robbed the Temple of Ierusalem Although that booke is full of Rabbique trickes and hath some openly Talmudicall as making Nehemias to be all one with Zorobabel the builder of Altar and Temple as the Babylonian Talmud doth in Sanedrin hath many childish flourishes yet as we vse heathen euen fables for substance of a narration though couered with light stuffe we may cite that author for so much hearing from God by heathen what Seleucus would be His poysoning is here described a breaking not by face to face not by warres So close guile as poysoning must be the third kind Appian in Syriaques sheweth all thus When Antiochus the Great was dead Seleucus his sonne succeeded And he did set free his brother Antiochus from the Romanes hostage yeelding his sonne Demetrius in lieu of him Now when Antiochus returned from hostage and was about Athens Seleucus dyeth by the trecherie of one Heliodorus that was about him That Heliodorus vsurped the reigne but Eumenes and Attalus remoue him and settle Antiochus in it winning that mans fauour being now vpon offences in suspition of the Romanes And so Antiochus the sonne of Antiochus the great obteined the reigne of Syria He had his syrname Epiphanes because the kingdome being catched at by others he cometh to be seene their king Mark how the Angel touched all these matters and moe h With Antiochus dealings against Aegypt his doings against Iudaea fall out it he was to take still in his way His inuasiō of Aegypt is hādled in Liuie booke 45. How he pretended to helpe there one brother against the other two Ptolemies they were and wan all Aegypt but Alexandria and left it to th'elder brother But he had a great garrison still at Pelusium That made the elder brother suspect him and thanke him but onely for a fashion for all his helpe here it is told The brethren agreed Antiochus returned with a fleet by sea and campe by land into Aegypt and requireth Cyprus to be graunted him with Pelusium and the soyle about it Ptolemie craueth the Romanes ayde who then had their fleet neare Popilius is sent with letters from the Romane state commanding Antiochus to depart from Aegypt the king taking the letters said he would consult vpon an answer Then Popilius draweth a circle about him with his staffe and biddeth him consult within that He was fayne to yeeld though it greeued him to the hart Ptolemie thanketh the Romanes as hauing his kingdome by their fauour and Antiochus likewese sendeth to Rome word that they shall in all things commaunde him So we see how these legges draw now to be clay like and how the little horne hath broken once three hornes his brother his sonne Demetrius and his sisters sonne king of Aegypt whereby the mariages make iron to be clay * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed Daniel 1. only and here * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 24 6.5 Is a most oratorious expositiō of the phrase †2. Thess 2 4. Translateth this better then mans wit would * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Pet. 2. * The Angel to Daniel or Iere. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is plain which terme is for God not an Idol Iere. 16.19 He of purpose vseth all hard terms What could be hard vnto a learned Hebrew and who would let enemies know his minde * as chap. 8. ◠Ezek. 20. * The Romanes can not be holdē any of Daniels foure kingdomes * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Moses phrase Num. 24. vsed here made Daniel know by like reuolutiōs that the Romanes here arising shold afflict as these four kingdomes and hold on vnto the end and he knew that they should be the killers of Christ * The blasphemer of Christians Cornelius Tacitus commending this Antiochus saith that if he had not bene hindered by the Parthian warres he had drawen the Iewes from their as the blasphemer spake barbarous superstition As the testimonie of Sathan is cited in the Gospell so may his be hither for this Florus in Liuies abridgement LIX doth touch the warre of Anthiochus king of Syria and Phraates the Parthian But Tacitus commeth neare the wordes To destroy and sacke many Who the many be the next verse doth shew they that dwell betweene seas at holy mount Tzeby Now Tzeby vsed vers 16. and chap. 8.9 in Daniels owne phrase from Ezek. 20. was a plaine designatiō of Iudaea Moreouer the Babyloniā terme of a court Aphadno should argue a Babylonian king The terme hard to Greekes and plainest to Iewes and fittest for the matter to teach and saue them from harme that here beareth a sweet grace in it Moreouer the phrase planting of the tentes of his court is most fit for Antiochus who chasing at Iudas Machabaeus prosperities stayed halfe his army and his sonne with Lysias ruler of all from Euphrates vnto Aegypt to haue destroyed Ierusalem and the Iewes memorie vtterly Now the comming to his end is plaine that of one man not of a Romane Aristocratie all must be vnderstood and the breaking without hand touched in chap. 8. is in effect the same here where all mans helpe is remoued and sicknesse from Gods hand is closly meant 1. Mach. 3. and 6.
done euill into the resurrection of iudgement In like maner S. Paule speaking of the resurrection taketh his phrases partly hence and partly from the Psalme and Gospell 1. Thess 4.16 The Lord will come downe from heauen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is with the voyce of Archangel with the trumpet of God and the dead shal arise Mentioning the resurrectiō which here in Daniel is most clearely taught he could not do better then touch some phrase hence as translating The GREAT PRINCE by ARCHANGEL The Iewes who cite Daniel in their Zohar Talmuds and Commentaries but seldome yet cite this of the resurrection very much as in Ros he sana Perck 1. fol. 14. B. and Sanedrin Perek 21. fol. 92. It were an ambitious labour to quote how often all their other noblest do the same For this cause S. Paule speaking of the resurrection doth by a speciall phrase call them vnto this text of the resurrection according vnto their owne maner and sheweth that the Archangel is God and Lord of the trumpet But our Lord doth presse them more with it shewing himselfe to be the sonne of God Iohn 5. And vsing continuall speeches that expound this of Michael and touch the resurrection here named †Iohn 11. * Gene. 1. †Gene. 3. * Esa 26. †Es 66. vlt. The Scripture of like phrases teach vs to make the force of euerie word here vsed With the naming of life Eternall he toucheth the glorie of it which here is layd before the eyes in shining termes a tast whereof Daniel felt in the glorie of the Angel Gabriel that came to him now chap. 10. Whose brightnesse he could not abide and the description of Christ was more glorious Now all that be faithfull are told here that they shalbe like Angels Our Lord translateth this sentence thus Then the iust shall shine as the sun in the kingdome of their father Here the Angels was to name in troubles for the more stay of the people The wise counsellers and keepers of the people in the holy couenant As Mattathias Iudas that had M. C.B.I. in his standart the first letters of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who is like vnto thee ô Eternal among the Gods Such was Eleazar the old man and valiant Martyr such were the seuen brethren and the mother that suffered together and the holie Ghost doth record their saluation in their hope of the better resurrection that they saw the promise afore hand as they might vnto the verie houre But we may not thinke that any other faithfull be lesse in glory A poore trades mā who in small knowledge ouercommeth Satan fighteth as valiant a combat as Daniel who hath openly the armie of heauen to assist him Now all the iust are of vnderstanding in Gods couenant learned and wise and shew occasion vnto others of the like though some are more employed herein and sooner called and beare longer the burden who haue the timelier ioy In iustice giuen be Christ equall to all we are saued thereby euery one faithfull shall shine as the sunne This Conclusion is heauenly against the persecutions of Antiochus and Daniel might know hence that when our Lord who is acy in the forme of God came in the flesh he would shew a tast of his glorie as he shewed to Peter Iames and Iohn vpon the mountaine which as he commanded the Disciples not to tell vntill his resurrection so Daniel hides it from prophane enemies who would turne all into floures or fables and as hogges rent the holy people for casting pearles vnto them Therefore an holy charge foloweth The like cōmandement was giuen chap. 8.26 Where Elam and Mada◠and Iauan were named Here though they be not named they are so plainly described that any learned heathen would tell rightly what kingdomes must be meant Now that the Prophet should not sorow for closing such profitable matter he is comforted that when these matters out many will search further to abound in knowledge as the Iewes in the Machabees are testified to haue done And Romanes too deale with these matters as Vergil Aeg. 4. Polybius Dion Cassius Tacitus and many others and Porphyrie in Eusebius commendeth the Iewes skill in Prophecie which doubtlesse this booke gaue them to tell euents for these dayes Daniel onely mentioneth the first captiuitie None without marking an allusiō in the Chaldy can euer know why Daniel shold breake the natiue order of speech for clay iron brasse siluer gold * Fiue points of great importance haue bene mistaken in expounding Daniels 7. chap. The name Belash-zar euē of Ebrew Printers the Sainctes of the high who they be who there hold the kingdome the speech of the three former beastes who the fourth beast means and specially all the speeches which in truth are of Antiochus Epiphanes * Arraxasta that granted leaue to go forward with the temples worke doth acknowledge closly why Xerxes campe was ouerthrowē Here in Daniel is the hardest text to translate of any that I know Names of Christ Palmony chap. 8. Messias chap. 9. Michael chap. 10. 12. Also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chap. 3. euen by Midras Rab. Stone cut without hands chap. 2. and one clothed in white linnen c. chap. 20. and 12. and Prince of the armie chap. 8. Michael there by Aben Ezra The Scripture neuer reacheth of any superioritie in created Angels but as aboue earthly Princes Bar Kapra in Ierusalemy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Rabbins saw by Noahs allusion that the new Testament was to be written in Greeke The Iewes to this day looke for a pompous kingdome silly caytifes b The greatnes of these matters here is set forth by the Angels attēdance desire to looke into them likewise the certaintie by the number of witnesses two yea three in all as among men the law holdeth that proofe sufficient That certaintie must needes import plainnesse in the matter The place at Tigris was fittest to betoken dealings in time at those quarters As at Eulai the Riuer Daniel saw Paras and Madai rise and fall Vpon Tigris Seleucus built Seleucia There abouts also this Antiochus after his Church robbing was foyled Moreouer the notation is very fit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sharpe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swift As these dealings vpon Gods enemies should be sharpe and swift Strabo noteth that the Riuers name is an arrow in the Medes tongue and so it is by Curtius in the Persian And both nations seeme to haue the same language either wholly or neare The name and fame of the Riuer is ancient In Adams Paradise it was one of the foure that with it as the first of Ebrew stories began so the last in the Ebrew Prophetes should end God tendereth in all points mans weakenesse to contriue much into a little roome to be easier learned remembred There Babel did set vp a Tyrannie at the towres building and Nemrod of the yongest house began rebellious dealings There Elam sonne of Sem wanne the
and terme them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Darius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Artaxashta Artaxasata or Artaxiasata as Strabo writeth townes named from the kings name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ahashueroth The fourth Daniel 11.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Darius Artaxashta or Artaxasta thorough Ezra from Chap. 7. as the Massorites there note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Darius These three are passed ouer in Nehemiah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Artaxerxes These three are passed ouer in Nehemiah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ochus These three are passed ouer in Nehemiah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Darius Neh. 12. The Greekes whole Alexander the great the notable horne in the forehead of the Goate-bucke His posteritie Hercules and Alexander These with the principall parters of his kingdome make the bellie and the sides of brasse the Leopard with foure heads and the Goate-buckes notable horne and the foure that came vp for it The Greekes parted The Southerne all are in Strabo Geog. 17. Ptolemy Lagides 1. horne the king of the South Dan. 11.5 Ptolemy Philadelphus 3. horne v. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bernice his daughter is married to the king of the North and killed Ptolemy Euergetes her brother 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One that standeth vp from the Impe of her rootes 5. horne v. 7. Ptolemy Philopator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 7. horne v. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He in whose times the lawlesse Iewes will be stirring and perish Ptolemy Epiphanes He had with his wife Cleopatra Syria in dowrie v. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— horne The Northerne all are in Appians Syriac Seleucus Nicator 2. horne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 5. Antiochus Soter who dealt in no special sort against the Iewes and therfore is omitted in Gabriels speech Antiochus Theos 4. horne v. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seleucus Callinicus soone killed Antiochus the great v. 10. 6. horne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee that marrieth his daughter to the king of the South he shall also consume Iudaea Seleucus Philopater 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the taxer 9. horne v. 20. Antiochus Epimanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vile the 10. horne v. 21. These kings make the iron of the two legs and somewhat of the iron and clay thinking by mariages to make attonement for Syria and Iudaea but further falling out These also such as are noted with Hebrew make the ten hornes of the fourth beast and in these dayes the Iewes the high Saintes begin to recouer their kingdome In particularitie Daniel speaketh no further of them The clay weaknes of the Images legs Southerne Ptolemy Philometor and Ptolemy Physcon Ptolemy Lathurus Ptolemy Auletes the Piper Cleopatra Strab. 17. All after the third Ptolemy were corrupt in wantonnesse and ruled cruelly But the seuenth and eighth the Piper specially Northerne two at once Demetrius Soter Demetrius Nicator Antiochus brother to Demetrius he killed himselfe Cleopatra wife to Demetrius killed him she had maried her brother Antiochus and had children by Demetrius Seleucus and Ant. Grypus Seleucus was kild by his mother Cleopatra Grypus poisoned his mother Seleâ—cus he droue out Cyzicen was killed by Antiochus An. Cyzicenus he droue out Grypus Antiochus who maried his mother in lawe Selene Tigranes droue him out And Pompey refused to suffer his sonne to raignâ— Antiochus Eupator Alexander Diodotus who maried Ptolemies daughter Tryphon killed by Antiochus Trogus Pompeius noteth that thus by the discord of the brethren of consanguinitie the East became vnder the people of Rome And so all may see how iron and clay the mixture in mans seed not cleauing together giueth testimonie to Daniels vision Of the times and yeares which these kings raigned WHereas these prophane kings are compared with Scripture we must take heede lest we grant vnto them a longer time of raigne then the holy text hath for the same ages for so we disanull the authoritie of Gods word Yet former ages haue bene in that blame a long time This may be spoken of them in generall that the whole yeares of no kings out of Gods people haue or were to haue their whole summe in holy record Besides heathen are so vncertaine that they agree not for the yeares of any one king betwixt Nebucadnezar and Iulius Caesar Yet when heathen are throughly examined from age to age by particular testimonies and by the liues of most famous men they shall be found to agree very well so with that which Scripture testimonies liues require Though strong errors like hedges of thornes stop the passage of the truth The truth must be confirmed from them for better satisfaction of such as braue more in heathen studies then Diuinitie Of the Chaldeans time of raigne THe Iewes agree vniuersally that from the first of Nebuchadnezar vnto the death of Belshazar the time is seuentie yeares And if Christian Commenters had followed them in that agreement and truth it had bene better with vs. Whereas the second captiuitie by some the third by some others is made the beginning of the seuentie yeares so a great rent is made in the holy storie Of the Persians true times and erronious sleights that deceiued From Darius Hystaspeos age about 20. at Babels fal he liuing but 43. vnto Xerxes warre 6. yeares after his death are 30. yeres Then Artaxerxes raigned at home Herod and Ctes Artaxerxes in all 42. Clem. 1. Storm He died in the seuenth of the Peloponnesian warres Thuc. Ochus 8. cleare y. 16. with his father 11. with his son Artaxerxes 42. Clem. Ochus three Darius about fiue Summe 130. Of the Grecians times from Clemens but Epiphanius differeth in twelue yeares excesse and Maximus Monachus cometh shorter Alexander sixe yeares Ptolemie Lagides fortie Ptolemie Philadelphus seuen and thirtie Ptolemie Euergetes fiue and twentie Ptolomie Philopator seuenteene Ptolemie Epiphanes foure and twentie In this age Iuda recouereth their owne gouernement Ptolomie Philometor fiue and thirtie Physcon nine and twentie Lathurus sixe and thirtie Auletes nine and twentie Cleopatra two and twentie Summe 300. The Romans vnto our Lords death threescore years so arise 490. Thus we may see how they litle examined the heathen who could not see that some agreed most exactly with the Scripture Nowe Suidas hath for all the Greekes times about thirtie yeares lesse then Clemens They who thinke that true may pardon the Greekes thirtie in their fortie of excesse past from Lysanders vnwalling Athens or Phyle stirres in the life of them who sawe it and heard Dinarchus cite their testimony against Demosthenes after Alexanders death of which sort Aeschines and Demetrius Phalereus are cited by them selues and others Such as heard not of Greciaes most moÌ„strous lying may pay the one with the other In sound learning and religion that must stand in summe which best agreeth with scripture for the same times otherwise Greekes disagree for ech kings yeres The Nobles of
and commaunded to offer oblation and sweete odours vnto him The king spake vnto Daniel and sayd Of trueth your God is the God of Goddes and the Lorde of kinges and the reuealer of secretes seeing thou couldest open this secrete So the king made Daniel a great man and gaue vnto him many great gyftes he made him gouernour ouer the whole prouince of Babel and high Chauncelour ouer all the sages of Babel Then Daniel prayed the king and he set Shadrach Meshach and Abednego ouer the charge of the Prouince of Babel Daniel was in the gate of the king CHAP. 3. The king hauing dreamed of the Image soone after maketh an Image of golde wherein thâ— idolatrie of Babel is confuted by Daniels aduanced felowes the angell of God accompanying them in the fyer and the king by decree confirming the honour of their God NEbuchadnezar the king made an Image of Golde whose height was sixtie cubites his breadth sixe cubites He set it vp in the playne of Dura in the prouince of Babel And Nebuchadnezar the king sent to assemble the Princes Dukes and Lordes Iudges Receauers Counsellers Shyrefes all the officers of the Prouince to come to the dedication of the Image which Nebuchadnezar the king set vp Then assembled the Princes Dukes Lordes Iudges Receauers Counsellers Shyrefes and all the officers of the Prouince vnto the dedication of the Image which Nebuchadnezar the king set vp and they stoode before the Image which Nebuchadnezar set vp And an Heralde cryed aloude To you it is spoken O people nations and tongues At what tyme ye heare the sounde of the Cornet Trumpet Harpe Sackbut Psaltery Dulcimer and all instrumentes of musicke fall-downe and worshyp the Image of golde that Nebuchadnezar the king set vp And who so euer falleth not downe worshyppeth the same houre he shalbe cast into the middes of a furnace of burnyng fyre Hereupon at the same time when al the people heard the sound of the Cornet Trumpet Harpe Sackbut Psalterie and al instrumentes of musicke al people nations and tongues fell-downe and worshypped the Image of golde which Nebuchadnezar the king set up Hereupon at the same tyme came certaine Chaldeans and made their accusations against the Iewes They spake and sayd to Nebuchadnezar the king O king lyue for euer Thou O king hast made a decree that euery man that hearrth the sounde of the Cornet Trumpet Harpe Sackbut Psalterie and Dulcimer and all instrumentes of musicke shall fall-downe and worshyp the Image of golde And who so euer falleth not downe and worshyppeth that he should be cast into the middes of the furnace of burning fyre There are certayne Iewes whom thou hast set ouer the charge of the Prouince of Babel Shadrach Meshach and Abednego these men O king nothing regarde thy decree thy gods they serue not nor worshyp the Image of golde which thou hast set vp Then Nebuchadnezar in wrath and choller commaunded to bring Shadrach Meshach Abednego Then those men were brought before the king Nebuchadnezar spake and sayd vnto them Is it of purpose Shadrach Meshach and Abednego Will not you serue my goddes and wyll not you worshyp the Image of golde which I haue set vp Now yf ye be ready that at what time ye heare the sounde of the Comet Trumpet Harpe Sackbut Psaltery and Dulcimer and all instrumentes of musicke ye fall-downe and worshyp the Image that I haue made And yf ye worshyp not the same houre ye shalbe cast into the middes of the furnace of burning fyre And what God is he that can saue you from my handes Shadrach Meshach and Abednego answered and sayd to the king Nebuchadnezar we want not an answere for thee concernyng this matter Beholde our God whom we serue is able to saue vs from the furnace of burnyng fyre and from thy hand O king he wyll saue But yf not be it knowen to thee O king that we wyll not serue thy Gods nor worshyp the Image of golde which thou hast set vp Then Nebuchadnezar was full of choler and the image of his face was changed agaynst Shadrach Meshach and Abednego He spake and commanded to heate the Furnace one seauen-folde more then it was wont to be heat And he commanded certaine valient men of his armie to binde Shadrach Meshach and Abednego to cast them into the middes of the furnace of burning fyre Then those men were bounde in their coates their hosen and their cloakes their other garmentes and cast into the middes of the furnace of burning fyre Hereupon by reason that the kinges commandement vrged haste and the furnace was heat exceedingly those men which tooke vp Shadrach Meshach and Abednego them the flame of the fyre kilde And these three men Shadrach Meshach and Abednego fell bounde into the middes of the furnace of burning fyre Then Nebuchadnezar the king was astonyed and rose vp in hast He spake and sayd to his rulers Did not we cast three men bounde into the middes of the fyre They answered and sayd to the king True O king He spake said Ho I see foure men loose walking in the middes of the fyre and they haue no hurt and the forme of the fourth is lyke the sonne of God Then approched Nebuchadnezar vnto the mouth of the furnace of burnyng fyre He spake and sayd Shadrach Meshach and Abednego the seruantes of the high God come-foorth come Then Shadrach Meshach and Abednego came foorth from the middes of the fyre And the Princes Dukes and Lordes and the Kinges rulers came togeather to see these men because the fyre had no power ouer their bodyes and no hayre of their head was burnt neyther were their coates changed nor any smel of fyre came vpon them Nebuchadnezar spake and sayde Blessed be the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who hath sent his Angel and saued his seruantes that trusted in him and changed the kinges commandement and yeelded their bodyes rather then they woulde serue and worshyp any God saue their owne God And I make a decree that euery people nation and language which speaketh amisse of the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego shalbe cut in peeces and their houses shalbe made a dung-hill because there is not any other God which can deliuer in this sorâ— Then the king aduanced Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the prouince of Babel The storie of the Kinges Ieremie and Ezekiel will shew about 28. yeeres actes done betwixt this and the matters of the next Chapter CHAP. 4. The Golden bead imputeth his victories not to the God of heauen but to himselfe and his God vntill he had been madd seauen yeeres then he proclaymeth Gods power ouer all the worlde NEbuchadnezar king vnto all the people nations and languages that dwell in all the earth peace be multiplyed vnto you I thought it good to shew the signes and wonders that the high God hath wrought towardes mee His signes how great be
euent of this matter THe HeatheÌ„ for this story as in my former of Greeks must be my warraÌ„t Thus it dependeth vpoÌ„ the friendship vvhich vvas betwixt Ptolemie Lagides and Seleucus Nicator vvho ioyned helpe continually to make them selues strong Magas sonne to Ptolemie Lagides brother by mother also vnto Pt. Philadelphus maried the daughter of Antiochus Soter sonne to Seleucus He vndertaking warres against his brother Philadelphus caused his father in law to breake the league vvhich Seleucus and Lagides their two fathers made Therupon Philadelphus sendeth forces into Antiochus countries to busie him at home This much Pausanias recordeth in Atticis This breach wearying both sides might wel force them to seeke a new attonement which here the Angell telleth and Appiane the prophane writer doth recorde for good diuinitie vse in these wordes in Syriac After Seleucus the first successour vvas Antiochus surnamed Soter that is a Sauiour because he droue the French out of Asia He married his stepmother Stratonice like to dye for loue of her the Phisitian Erasistratus told the father Which matter is most famous in many Heathen vvriters and among them infamous And 2. Cor. 5. the H. Gh. seemeth to call his storie into minde Next vnto him vvas Antiochus begotten by that mariage called of the Milesians Theos the God because he did put downe their Tyrant Timark This God vvas poysoned by his wife two he had Laodice and Berenice the DD. of Ptolemie Philadelphus Laodice kild him and after him Berenice and an infant of Berenices In reuenge of that Ptolemie her brother being then king killeth Laodice marcheth vnto Syria and vnto Babylon and now first the Parthians rebell vpon the stirres in the kingdome of the Seleucidae Thou all might see vvho is the true God wheÌ„ the very enemies are sufficient iudges Foretel euents vvithout helpe none but God can Here an Angell from God foretelleth matter most fit for the Iron Clay shewed to Nebuchadnezar 68. yeares ago and â—n heathen is an indefferent recorder of the euent And vve see then vvho be the persons vvhich the Angell speaketh off what daughter of a father king of Egypt is maried and to what king of Syria vvhat successe it had and vvho being an impe from her rootes reuengeth her death and inuadeth the others kingdome how they seeke by mariages to make agreement vvhich cleaueth together no better then Iron and Clay but that the marier and marieâ— dye for it and the killers vvith the killed pay for their doings These be most noble examples to shew the iustice of the Iudge sitting vpon a fierie Throne He that maried his fathers vvife vvhich verie mariage is most famous and infamous among the Heathen first is troubled vvith warres for his owne daughter that his incestuous sonne is driuen for peace to mary vnto the disturbance of all his kingdome and admitting a title of God dyeth not a men but by poysoning from his owne vvife Of Seleucus Callinicus Iustine vvriteth and bestoweth his â—7 Bâ—oke to be a verie fit Commentarie for the storie of this Prophecie and for the iustice of Gods iudgement There Seleucus through Laodices pricking forward beginneth his reigne vvith the death of his stepmother Bernice and her child Ptolemy her brother warreth the Cities in Asia reuâ—â—â— Seleucus fleate vvraâ—â— he scant saued his naked bodie◠〈◊〉 brother Antiochus banked for his kingdome tell robbers kild him Eumenes was much from him Ptolemy and the French spoyled him He dyed by a fall off an house so paying for his murther This the Heathen noteth So the king of the South shall come into the kingdome and returne into his owne land Of Antiochus surnamed the Great .6 horne But his sonnes shall warre and gather a multitude of great forces And the one shall continue voyages and ouerflow and ouer-run shalbe restored and shall warre at the others fortresse Of the great Armies of Antiochus and Ptolemy Philopator Polybius recordeth how Antiochus was put in hazard for all his kingdome beyond Taurus by Molon Alexander two brethren who despising his young yeares meant to haue hold all ChristiaÌ„s must marke that God wil haue his word true besides mans hope His elder brother Sel. Cerannus was soone dispatched But that Gods word may be cleare the other finding his owne mightiest seruants rebels God beside his hope doth bring them to horrible killing of themselues hath his enemies as Theodotus aboue named mightiest traytors for him he represseth being a child his home enemies and also beside hope preuaileth by his forraine so farre as God had foretold But wheÌ„ so much is accomplished then as farre againe beyond mans expectation God peyseth the ballaunce to the other side Ptolemy Philopator fled to Memphis his chief strength Agathocles and Sosibius his chiefe gouernors and counsellers had no better hope of safetie then to seeke delay by sending Ambassadors for peace and stirred the Rhodians Byzantians Cyzicens and Actolos to do the same WheÌ„ce wheÌ„ they came to both kings they found oportunity for Ptolemy to prepare all things needfull for warres Captaines of Greekes of best fame and of all sorâ—â—â— are obtained Souldiers from other bandes called vnto this seruice are dayly practised for all cheualrie and the Ambassadors from Antiochus vnto Ptolemy are â—n Memphis most gently entertained but see not what preparation he maketh in Alexandria Antiochus hauing obtained the most part of Syria and Phoenice had no great care to practise his Armie but thought that he should without warre haue the rest to yeeld and that Ptolemy durst neuer now hazard his whole estate In this hope he thought to match Ptolemies Ambassadours who came to him vnto Seleucia as much by pretence of iustice as by strength Antiochus sayd that his surprizing of Seleucia was no iniurie vnto Ptolemie because those quarters were won from Antigonus Monophthalmus by Ptolemies helpe for Seleucus not for him selfe and that then also Coele Syria by agreement was graunted vnto Seleucus that Ptolemy warred for Seleucus and not for him selfe and that this was the common graunt of all the Kings When Cassander Lysimachus Seleucus ouercame Antigonus they sware that Coele Syria should belong to Seleucus The Ambassadour from Ptolemy spake for their side of great Leage-breach of Theodotus treason of Antiochus inuasion of Ptolemy Lagides possessions saying that Lagides helpt Seleucus vpon this condition that Seleucus should haue Asia and he should hold Coele Syria and Phoenice to himselfe but after long debuting nothing was concluded and thereupon Antiochus prepared to winne the rest of Syria But Gaza is fortified by Ptolemy Sundrie townes Polybius reckeneth that he conquered Through he commeth to Berytos recouering Botrys and Theou Prosopon He burnt Trieris and Calamus by the way Of Sidon he missed but wanne Philoteria set vpon Iordan Thence he commeth to Atabyrion Tabor on a Mountaine fifteene furlongs high and surpriseth it There Hippolochus a Thessalian falleth vnto him from
Antiochus dealings ouer ReligioÌ„s which the Angell termeth against euery God and which phrase S. Paul translateth against all that is called God or vvorship and how he exalteth himselfe against the God of Gods Polybius toucheth the former and the bookes of Machabees the later Thus Polybius in Athenaeus vvriteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In sacrifices and honours about Gods he surmounted all that euer reigned Olympieum in Athens and the huge Images at Delos altar argue that The prophane Polybius might thinke of his Religions vehemencie for the vrging vvhich vvas for the Iewes vnto it vvhich must be countenanced vvith great charges And concerning his exalting of him selfe against God for all the Law dayes 2300. for the temple Ierusalem and Gods people vvith torments and death three yeares and an halfe the Machabees shew that vvhither once for all I referre the reader There it vvill appeare how he did set his hart against the holie couenant how he had intelligence vvith the forsakers of the holy couenant Iason Menelaus and such vvhich were come to the fulnesse of sinne how he by great promises allured to mischief the couenant and much preuailed how he advaunced in honour heathen vvhom he fauoured to rule the many in Iuda and parted the land into a gaine how armes from his polluted the Sanctuarie vvith banquetting harlots and Idolatrous sacrifices and inhibited all Moses Religion and required practise of his heathen and punished the refusers many dayes by sword flame captiuitie spoile how the Machabees vvere holpen vvith little helpe how the teachers by all good example and giuers of true knowledge in holie couenant vvere ouerthrowne As Eleazar their old Scribe vvith his most graue oration and the seuen brethren vvho handled this Angels oration most diuinely all these matters may thence be fetched And specially how he neuer vvas moued vvith the tendernesse of vvomen but tormented them against all nations humanitie for their lawes that is often and much recorded But touching his owne concubines Tarsenses and Malleotae rebell by Theodoret for that their towns were giuen to queanes allowance Now for the God of all might how in his place he honoreth yea a God he honoreth vvhom his fathers knew not Iupiter Olympius and causeth the forces of the God of all might to haue a strange God and maintained by Apollonius the authour of abominations the most lothsome infidels as the lothsome beastes in Leuiticus and souldiers working desolation these points all together may be fetched better froÌ„ the Machabees then here mixed The Angell vvas here to take speciall heed that his phrases should be darke for heathen and cleare for them that knew the Ebrew Prophets style In opening of them a speech somwhat long must come in after their translation And the wicked dealers against the couenant he shall make prophane by guile but the people that know their God shall lay hold and practise And the teachers among the people shall giue instruction to many who shall be ouerthrowen by sword and by flame by captiuitie and by spoyle many dayes And wheÌ„ they are ouerthrowen they shalbe holpen with a little helpe But many shall ioyne vnto them fainedly And some of the teachers shalbe ouerthrowen to be tryed and to be purged and to be whited vnto the times end For the set time is yet to come And the king shall do what he list and exalt him selfe and magnifie himselfe aboue all that is called God and against the God of Gods shall he speake swelling things and prosper vntill the anger be finished for a seuere iudgement is to be executed And vnto the Gods of his fathers will he haue no regard likewise vnto the tendernesse of women or vnto any God he will haue no regard but will magnifie himselfe aboue all As for the God almightie in his place he will honour yea a God whom his fathers knew not will he honour with gold with siluer and with precious stones and with iewelles So he shall deale that the forces of the almightie shall haue a straunge God Whom he fauoreth he shall greatly aduaunce and make them rulers ouer many and shall part the land to be a sale Antiochus his third voyage into Egypt against Ptolemie Philometor And at the end of time the king of the South shal push at him the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind with charet horses and shippes many and shall come through countreys and flow and passe ouer Also he shall come into the Tzeby land and many landes shalbe ouerthrowen But these shalbe safe from his hand Edom and Moab and the chiefe of the sonnes of Ammon Also he shall stretch forth his hand ouer countreys specially the land of Aegypt shall not escape But he shall haue power ouer the hid treasure of gold and siluer and ouer all the iewels of Aegypt and Lubin and Cushim shalbe with his passages How Antiochus bestowed the spoiles of Aegypt and of other countreys as Polybius in Atheneus recordeth as a witnesse vnto the holy Angell I Thinke good to lay downe here Polybius wordes touching Antiochus vvho came vp poorely and saw his father distressed and his brother likewise when both vvere forced to Church-robbing The summe is this that he bestowed infinite cost vpon a triumph to imitate Paulus Aemilius hauing gotten the vvealth by spoiling young Philometor and breaking league vvith him by the contributions of his friendes and by robbing most Churches Wherein he would manifestly be aboue euery God The learned vvill best like the authours owne vvordes neither can our tongue so vvell expresse them Thus Athenaeâ—s bringeth Polybius vvordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This record I hold much worth seeing it agreeth so fitly with the robbing of Aegypt and also might well be the cause of his necessitie proceeding from prodigalitie to spoyle the temple of Persepolis mentioned 2. Mach. 9. An old opinion that the Romanes are one of the foure kingdomes in Daniel made men draw them as enemies to Gods people into this oration They are in the commers vvith shippes from Chittun indeede therein Daniel remembring BalaaÌ„ knew that hence the Romanes might should encrease to afflict Assur and Eber whose chiefe Christ vvas and that they should hold-on vnto the end and specially be the lothsome infidels vvhich should destroy Ierusalem But the Romanes dealt not against the holie Iewes lawes of Religion vvhich matter here was to be handled nor medled vvith the Iewes till the nation by sedition called for them and Gods seueritie vvas not to giue them comfort touching ill called for by their owne loosenesse but against such as by force continued the vvith-holding of their kingdome And no vvord here vvill agree vvith the Romanes vnlesse vve dare make Scripture a nose of vvaxe The Iewes indeede since the dayes of Methargem Ierusalemy would haue the Romanes meant one of Daniels foure kingdomes and yet them selues the onely nation blessed
2. Sam. 7.14 1. Chron. 3.5 Luke 3.31 Psal 51. 1. Chr. 29.23 1. King 9.6 1. King 8.47 Eccl. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iah Choniah made the kings name 2. King 25.27 Chap. 1. 9. Chap. 7. Chap. 7. * AlexaÌ„ders iniurie was in that the Priests for one yeare should name their sonnes Alexanders all Iudah should take their dates from his raigne he their Emperour would be a God Daniels plainnesse * In Theoph. * Euseb 9. Diod lib. 18. and 19. Pausan in Attic. App. in Syri Polyb. 5. Appian Strabo Tacitus Macrob. 2. Aegl Suâ—tonius Tacitus Ben Arama vpon Exod. Ierem. 22. Dan. 7. * R. Akiba vpon Dan. 7 in Sanedrin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan 9.24 Dan. 6. Extra 1. Few wordes containe the whole suÌ„me of Daniel for all his chiefe heads What kingdoms in Daniel oppresse the religion of Gods people * Romanes that medled not with religion How euerie kingdome is seuen times spoken of This vision should haue cut off all doubt for Daniels kingdomes This specially might end all controuersie The degrees of his visioÌ„s The times 2300 dayes Chap. 8. Chap. 5. Chap. 9. * Chap. 1.13 Chap. 12. Three yeres and half and dayes 1290 and dayes 1335 al these are the first from the polluting of the holy Temple vnto the recouerie the other two vnto seuerall comforts against Antiochus which the present Age should marke euen to the exact dayes The whole summe of Daniel is 600 yeares froÌ„ since the Chaldeans tooke Ierusalem vntill the Romans toke it The tongues of Daniel The Zohar noteth this truely and wonderfully A generall knowledg of Law Gospel is taught in Daniel by kingdomes many perishing one standing The phrase of 70 seuens being coÌ„pared with former times wil shew that God ruled al times of Iudah in an order easie to consider Chaldy Syriaque Aethiopian Arabique all foure vse Daniels Syriaque * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 2.26 is in no Chaldy but in the Aethiopian Heb. 2. and 4. c. A wonderful recompence to the Chaldeans for vsing Daniel well Daniels Chaldy caused the Chaldy paraphrastes new honour in our age so perpetuall is the holy mans glorie Elias Leuita moued a question whether the Chaldy could bee brought to Art That GordiaÌ„ knot was cut by breaking all their vncerteinty with Daniels sword by our learned Christians Prophecies in the East tongues for matter recorded in the Westerne should stirre studie honor of studie for both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The planets were their chiefe Gods termed of foretelling as Nabo or of kinghood as Ched is mat 26. in Arabike Mar Dan. 2. Rac. Gen. 42. in Onkelos Shed in Mat. 27. in Arab Sac Ier. 25 and Kimchi in ALN Nego Venus in Rabbines coÌ„monly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * The negligeÌ„t auncient giue Cyrus Cambyses Darius y. spent together before Babel sel the same distinct after and to Darius 46. who liued but 43 Codoman giueth Artax I. 59. fully Plâ—t to Art II. 62. to helpe out the 100 erronious The record of Euripid. 75. in Suid. of Timoth being in those his times in which Philip raigned this will ende the strife heatheÌ„ other liues infinite as Aristides daughters Dem. Phal Lais and Demost acquaintance Platoes Dionys and all commonly then of fame will cut about 40. y. off at a clap * Alexanders Epistle to Darius in Arrianus argueth that Ochus raigned but a litle afore Philips death Yet Olympikes giue him liberally a score of yeares * The ArabiaÌ„s in an Arabike commentarie vpon Gen. 10. haue Suidas iust number at our Lordes birth so belike agreeing here with Suidas * For Zorobabels house the onely then true and right princes of all the world Daniell hath his reuelations and his 490. yeares are to be compared with their liues in two families * The testimonie of Iosephus that Iaduah and Sanballat saw Greâ—â— AlexaÌ„der wherin both Iewes and Gentils hitherto agree that by Ezra and Nehemias personages vtterly coÌ„futes all heathen vsed chronicles * Here consider an easie accompt of Gods prouident gouernement since Moses tymes In the seuenth yeere the lande was parted Thence the first of Samuel falleth in the seuenth Iubilie thence vnto this yeere are seauen seauenties See verse 21. Y. W. 3402. * Esay tolde of this Ch. 39.7 * They had ben all named of God a iudge mercifull and strong That is Belkeepeth treasure but see Cha. 10. how he altereth it § A practise of Leuit. 11. ‡ The effect of Salamons prayer 1. king 8 50. * Or to the Melzar that is Stewarde a name of an office ‡ Therein his whole booke excelleth declaryng the commyng vp idolatry chastisement fall of the Babylonians Medes- -Persians Grekes whole parted and how Christ defendeth the holy Iewes vntyll the redemptioÌ„ § 3407.3471 * Then the 70. of Captiuity ended and the seauen seauenties are told for redemption out of Satans captiuity by our Lordes death erectyng a kingdome ouer al the earth * As Ioseph in the seconde after skil in dreames expoundeth Pharaohs so God disposeth these times alyke the enchanters alyke guydeth aduanceth Ioseph Daniel alike * While the visions are generall and cause the Iewes no danger so farr Daniel writeth in the Syriaque tongue general ouer the east al hence to the 8. chapter But when the oppressors be named Medes Persians and Greekes both whole and also parted about Iuda into Egypt and to the North and the Iewes ar plainly described the people whom god defendeth then the eyght chapter and al after he writeth in Ebrew hath a commandement to keepe close the playne exposition in ch 12.4 * Or in the end of dayes that is vnto Christ as Eb. 1.1 and so Gen. 49. Esa 2. Ezek. 38 * In holy Daniels eyes they are foure beastes which to prophane mens capacity god sheweth as goodly â—owers * Babel alone 70. yeeres not Assur § Medes and Persians two kingdoms here as one agaynst the Iewes 130. yeeres ‡ Great Alexander with the whole power of Greeke states which made him then king for the Persian warre Diod. book 16. syxe yeere †The Legs are in Cha. 11 the successours of Alexander in two the mightiest kingdoÌ„es Egypt and the North the one 294. yeres The errour of taking in hyther the RomaÌ„s is hurtful to al Daniels booke and to all christianity and other stories hath no colour of trueth from Daniel * The Stone is the power of Christ weake base in mens eyes vnles they looke on the fâ—â—â—e throne Dan. 7. ¶ Whom euen the Iewes nation but the wittie prophet hydeth that
which woulde cause them to be more hated of the heathen * In comparisoÌ„ of Iuda and in dealing against them vnto Antiochus Epiphanes or somwhat further § In mariages which are handled in cha 11.6 17. †When the kingdomes of the Selucides and the Ptolomies are fallen ‡ Iohn the Baptist looked to this and our Lord also saying the kingdome of heaueÌ„ is come and so did S. Paul 1. Tim. 1.17 ¶ witty Daniel telleth first how the last shalbe destroyed not how Nebuchadnezars house first should fall So he dealeth in Chap. 7. verse 11. 12. * This was about two yeres afore the captiuity of Iechonias an encoragement for the faythful to go willingly to Babylon their owne nobles being so aduaunced there * Y.W. 3408 * Chaldy officers must be tearmed of vs after ours next theirs in vse notation Seeing onely the captiued with Daniel are accused we may know that this was afore Iechonias captiuitie some yeere or two about Nebucadnezars seauenth yeere * The vnperfect speach argueth his heate * The doubtful wordes in the Heathens spech haue been wel taken of the ancient as they best myght meane * Yet wicked Ioakim would not ceasse to deale amysse in Iudah vntyl he was buried as an Asse and had his carcase made as dung being cast away vnburied Ier. 22. 36. * The common distinction of the chapter here agreed not with the argument wherfore I left it The chastisement of the Idolatrous king ‡ Y.W. 3443. * He had not conquered Egypt vntil after 27. of Iechonias or his owne 34 Ezek 30. Wherefore this vision should be about his 36. Y. And this proclamation about an yeere or two before his death at 45. Y. reigne 8. yeeres after the vision § Y.W. 3435. ‡ This place argueth that he forsooke not wholy his Idolatry * As Salomons Temple that seuen yeeres workâ— of many thousandes was by him destroyed That is He hath numbred he hath weighed and they deuide * We may see many reasons why the Chaldeans coulde not reade this Scripture They knew not God to be one and to rule mens affayres Besides they knew not their owne impietie but sayd in their hart There is no God Wherefore they knew not who should be weighed specially in the Ballance And touching the Medes and Persians now their besiegers they litle thought that they could surprise the strong Babel and bragged how they were victualled for 20 yeeres siege as Xenophon recordeth Thus the matter was hard for them The wisedome of Daniel is rare in his commentaries in telling first the storie of the true God in whom we liue mooue and haue our beeing after of Nebuchadnezars greatnesse and iust fall of worse dealing in Belshazar and therevpon how God numbred the yeeres of his kingdome and how the twise telling imported a numbring with a witnesse and full ending of it and whom specially God weighed and how he maketh the partition by Madaj and Paras who are the Parsin partners he departeth somewhat from the wordes to cleare the matter the better And we are to marke the liuely prouidence touching the families of Scripture Babel the oldest wicked monument which was buylt to the great ruine of all the godly Families by Nimrod the Nephew of cursed Cham to the great griefe of Sem and Iapheth wherevpon Adams one tongue was made 70. which Babel ended the Iewes language the first tongue that it was common in no Kingdome after that This kingdome is ouerthrowen by Madaj of Iapheth and Elam of Sem that all should here remember Noahs time and his speach touching Iapheth and Sem. The kinges of which two Patriarkes are presently called to the fayth ioyned in Conquest and Empire and proclayming of Gods trueth ouer all the worlde and both are taught in the heauenly Oration of Gabriel the cleare summe of both Testamentes from Dan. 9 24. And touching the syllables of Paras Peres as Gods eye regarded the allusion So Madai a Meater or Measurer is more euident and to be as well noted but lesse needed wanting being the playner that we might looke euen vnto Iapheths tongue how God ruled it in the geuing of a name to his thirde sonne Madaj * In MENE MENE †Xenophon had heard how Cyrus entred Babel on a nyght when the Chaldeans kept a great Feast and brake into the Palace when the Courtiers were banqueting kild the King § Darius being â—2 at the fall of Babel which reigned 70. yeeres falleth to be borne at the eight yeere of Nebuchadnezar when he caried the king Iechoniah captiue and all the Nobles and ten thousande valiant men and all Ierusalem and all sauing the base of the land and had caried away all the treasure of the house of the Lord and brake all the vessels of the Temple which king Salomon made Then Madai who with Elam must reuenge the cause of Iudah had a Prince borne Doubtlesse the wyse Iewes woulde tell the Medes of their expectation and the King would better affect Iudah I can not see to what better purpose Daniel should tel the kinges age then how God prouided a remedâ—â— when he strake * Darius Madaj a searcher out and a requiter Ezra the learned Scribe cha 10 16. vseth the worde Darios beside all ordinarie forme of grammer for to search iust in the letters of Darius in searching out impietie alluding vnto the kings name office Psal 10 15. * Y.W. 1471. A wonderfull yere for Babels fal Lionshumblenes the Angels oratioÌ„ two Emperours christian Proclamations a generall subsidy ouer 120 nations for Iudahs returne a Chaldy one but in ver 3 it is playne that principall is meant b When the originall is also our language as 15 tymes y-then or by theÌ„ in this chap. in Daniels tonge it is an ouersight not to marke it § The Chaldy terme of Daniel is also Ebrew from psal 2. in Wherefore did the heatheÌ„ RAGE or keepe a stir And doubtles Daniels spirite thought of Dauid his fathers terme * Chap. 5 13. § Chap. 2 12. a That the wyl of none should seeke further meanes to destroy Daniel b So Bath the Arabique here in Mat. 21 17. is taken Tenath fasting Dacheuâ—n musicque Cauâ—n windowes Bal an hart be Arabique in Daniels termes as Aben Ezra noteth c With a voyce not distressed as that of the king was Chap. 4 1. Chap. 4 6. Chap. 2 44. * Daniel transposeth y e dome-letter Aleph in y e kinges name geuing him closely a notation fit for the vision Bel-she-Azar is Bel is he that storeth ryches But this name is Bel on fire by the enemy God as I touched it afore The Massorites note the diuersitie of the writing vpoÌ„ Dan. 5 and translaters shold not omit that * For Babel destroyed Iudahs kingdome Paras meant once to haue destroyed the whole natioÌ„ in one day Alexander required Iudah to take the date from his conquestes to name the Priestes sonnes Alexanders all
in this Bucke and this is a sweete coÌ„mentarie vpon theÌ„ b So swiftly great Alexander conquered the East in sixe yeeres as flying rather then going on y e earth c As in deede Alexander was y e notablest for his strange successe in wars of any king that euer warred d This place is a sweete abridgment of all great Alexanders coÌ„questes e At Granicon water in his first fought field he did wel f At Issicon the secoÌ„d battel he did better g Thirdly at Gaugamela he killed of Darius men about 600000. and gate y e Empire h So in Eze. 20 6 the land flowyng w t mylke and hony geueÌ„ to Israel is the Tzeby of all landes the ornament pleasure and noblenes or as it were the Roe so much Tzeby signifieth in Dan. 11. Daniel in this phrase putteth Iudah in minde of that oration which God maketh in Ezekiel * Temple a This phrase is taken from Gen. 1 5. The euenyng the mornyng was made one day b The only bare Angel in scripture which hath a proper name geuen here in distinctioÌ„ froÌ„ Daniel to one being like y e similitud of a man his name was told A man of God c Ezekiel and Daniel onely being in visions of angels are so spokeÌ„ to Sonne of man as Aben ezra and Abr Shallum note d This place most strongly ouerthroweth their errour which feigne the Romane Monarchy to be ment by the legges of the Image chap. 2. or by y e fourth beast chap. 7. seeyng that the Greekes are the dealers in the ende of wrath spoken of Daniels people And it had bin a strange thyng that this last vision repeating the former should leaue out the Romans yf they had bin spoken of before Seeyng it were good to haue had that toldâ— and God neuer omitted the good of the Church e Genesis 25 25. f Grecia This place proueth that of Iauan the Greekes come g Great Alexander h Of many kingdomes arysing from Alexander foure in the ende beare the sway and in tyme two whereof the chap. 11. wyl speake a The Angel speaking to witty Daniel a worde beside forme of GraÌ„mer Iagnamednah drawing y e masculine gen into a foeminines place Iod put for Tan in one letter sheweth as much as Daniel saw by the attribute Notable in the foure hornes vers 8. These witty speaches in the seruants of the holy spirite require diligence care to marke them b That is full power ouer the Iewes otherwyse they reigned as long agayne in theyr owne country c Impudent Antiochus Epiphanes spoken in the Machabbes and of heathen very much for impudencie agaynst all diuinity humanity and common wâ—t is here described Of Polyb us he was called Epimanes that is Madde d Eb. Chiddâ—th is properly hyd thyngs as in Psal 78 2. And whereas to vnderstand hard sentences that is a matter of a wyse spirit it can not be that the Angel would so thynke of Epimanes as to make hym vnderstande darke sentences who knew least of any that way Hyd myschiefes he minded not hyd parables e By sicknes and by the hand of God f Proper and needyng no further explication g Aboutes 300. yeares are from the death of Balshazar vnto the death of Antiochus Epiphanes h As I had a commaundement to shut vp the matter so I refrayned my countenance from open expressing of my griefe a After he had been taken out of the Lions denne caused Gods truth to be aduanced generally he prayeth for Ierusalem * Gen. 10. 1 Chro. 1. b Daniel hath the very Ebrew terme of Ieremie Chorboth And by Ieremy he must be expounded Thus stand Ieremies words cha 2â— And this lande shall be-come Chorbah that is a wildernesse an astonishment and these nations shall serue the king of Babel seauentie yeeres In a knowen matter his shortnes of speach was fittest Properly the vtter ruines of Ierusalem was not but 52. yeeres The Geonym the Ebrew Doctors so tearmed sayd that Daniel was deceiued His strictnes of phrase might haue told them that he had Ieremy before his eyes could not be deceiued though he had not bin that Daniel the wyse But tearmeth all Ierusalems state in the captiuity by a terme properly true only in the greater part sending the reader to Ieremy for the full meanyng Also God in Moses Leu. 26 34. vseth the same synecdoche and short speach whom the holy man delighted to folow ‡ Eâ—od 32 31. § Deut. 10 16. * Deut. 7 9. a He keepeth euen the very letters of Salomons prayer 1. king â— 47. * Leuit. 26. ‡ Leui. 26 32. Deut. 30. b He hath the very phrase of Leuit. 16 4. * Deut. 29 28. Leuit. 26. Deut. 28. a This may be the abridgemeÌ„t of Ieremies Lamentations b In Ieremy Chap. 2. an allusion is vsed for in the Ebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shakad signifying both speedy and watchful caring and the almoÌ„d tree that buddeth most speedely of any in which sence the almond tree flourishing is vsed in Ecclesiastes 12. for gray haires soone arising in our shortage Daniels terme here in the Ebrew honoreth and remeÌ„branceth that text c Leuit. 26. If they confesse their sinnes and the sins of their fathers I will remember the couenant with the former how I brought them out of the land of Egypt d Esay 52.1 e Num. 6. vers 25. The blessing of the high sacrificer is in the same speech f Daniels Ebrew hath the very letters of Ezekias prayer Esa 37.17 Esay 38.2 a The cursed Iewes at this day repeat on their expiation feast this prayer often in Cether Malcuth a booke of their coÌ„mon prayers But stop their eares against the Angelles wordes from God touching Christ the true worker of this expiation 490. years exactly froÌ„ the time of this prayer as appeareth vers 24 where our tottering for the meaning of it hath furthered the Iewes destruction and more hardened their hearts b When this Angell telleth Zachary of his name Gabriel and is sent vnto Mary he calleth them to thinke vpon this text that by conference of Moses Num. 4. and Daniel here they might better consider the time of the promise And to haue that cause hodlen in peculiar dignitie by the message of this Gabriel no other Angel being a created spirite hath a proper name Michael is Christ with the best learned Christians no lesse then Iehouah the Angel Iehouah in the words of Zoar many other Ebrew DD. c Oblation had with it prayer and euening prayer time was at their ninth houre our three of the clock as appeareth by Act. 3.1 At the same houre the Lord made himselfe that oblation which here the Angell telleth euen most exactly when it should be performed d His oration containeth an abridgement of the new Testament and a light of the old and Daniel knew all afore but the time which bringeth a greater clearenesse vnto all Therefore the time considered with the
and fiue Laodiceas after his mothers name nyne after his owne Seleucias foure after his wyues three Apameas and one Stratonicea Now the most famous of them were the Seleuciae the one vpon the Sea the myddle Sea and Seleucia vpon Tigâ—is and Laodiciea in Phoenice or the land of Isâ—ael and Antiochia vnder mount Libanus and Apamea of Syria Other cities he tearmed by Grecian or Macedonian cities or by his owne workes or king Alexanders Wherefore you shall finde in Syria and further many of Greeke many Macedonian cities names Berroea Edessa Perinthos Maronea Callipolis Achaia Pellâ— Oropus Amphipolis Arethusa Astacos Tegea Chalcis Larissa Herea Apolonia and in â—â—rthia Sâ—â—â—ra Calliope Charis Hecatompolis Achaia In the Indianâ— Alexandreschata Some are named by victories of Seleucus himselfe Nicephorion in Mesopotamia and Nicopolis in that Armenia which is next to Cappadocia This heathen catalogue of Townes built by one man is a condemnation of the Rabbineâ— that wil not take notice what king and kingdome must be meant by the Angel in this place Aben Ezra confesseth that the king Gog is here meant and it is their common graunt aâ— Kimchi sheweth in many of the Psalmes that when the house of Gog is ouerthrowen the Messias reigneth Then let vs examine Ezekiel with Daniel Ezekiel chap. 38. nameth Gog Magog Meshec Tubal Gomer Togarma the North quarters Paras Cush and Put shall ioyne with them The Greekes there rightly speake for Mosoch as they reade it Tubal and Thorgamâ— that the Nations about Pontus Cappadocians Galathians Iberes and Armenians are meant For in those quarters those sonnes of Iaphet left monumentes in the names of Nations Mountaines or Riuers which argue who left them with lesse change in consonantes and vowelles then Strabo often complaineth that he findeth in Greeke writers for Nations names So that the confession of Aben Ezra and the arguments of many our learned that Seleucidae are meant by Gog in Ezekiel may well be considered here touching the king of the North. And specially Gods goodnesse how by the state of the time all the world might know when Christ was to come into the world and be acquainted with one tongue wherein the Apostles might write Ezekiel telleth that when Gog the Seleucidae were ouerthroweÌ„ the Lord would be glorified ouer all the earth Now seeing the Seleucidae were Greekes and continued their strength by Greekes officers and armies as also the Ptolomies by this meanes the Greeke tongue spread long before ouer the west bare sway also ouer the East South And wheÌ„ Romans whose owne proper language was Latin had ouerrun all those dominions and spake in all their gouernmeÌ„t a strange language in Seleueus townes all might know that Christ was to be borne soone after And to this day the Iewes hold that vpon Gogs fall Christes comming ought to be as Kimchi named by me aboue very often and Rambam in More Nebuchim Christians who make Ezekiel in Gog speake of things to fall out after the comming of Christ vnto the end of the world haue been a great furtherance of many Iewes eternall destruction and entangâ—â—ng also much of this Chapter and their owne ruine a About 70. after AlexaÌ„ders death b The Lagidae and the Seleucidae c Bernice D. to Pt. Philadelphus d Antiochus Theos or the God who had already a wife called Laodice by whoÌ„ he was poysoned Berenice by her sonnes kilde with her child and all her traine Philadelphus soone after this mariage dyed e The states of Asia Iust 27. f Ptol. Euergetes * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word not vsed afore g Seleucus Callinicus h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vnuowelled is either Idols or else high states That maketh Translaters differ And the allusion is pleasant how the Angell comforteth Iuda in that the Idolatrous are as the Idolles with God And extremely taunteth the superstition of Magog or Hierapolis i The name of Egypt in a storie of Alexanders successours must needes cut off all controuersie touching the king of the North and Magog that none but Seleucidae can be the men So that the verie name Egypt being vsed here in the storie which all Heathen would presently acknowledge to set forth Ptolemie surnamed Euergetes that is Gracious Lord for spoyling Syria and againe in the end of the Chapter vers 42. and 43. and in an history no lesse then a Prophecie of Antiochus Epiphanes king of Syria spoyling Egypt this one terme might haue kept both Iewes and Gentiles from bringing the Romans or Turkes to be meant here in these stories opening properly the Image and the Beast But as we bring the prophane Empire into those sayings which are spoken of Antiochus Epiphanes So the Iewes Raloag and Aben Ezra saw no reason why the continuers of the Empire Constantine and other Christians and the Turke might not be brought in If once men graunt that these matters fall out in the last dayes and not as reason required drawe vnto Christ his first comming And because it is euident that Christ was not to come vntill these matters fell out vpon a false supposit on borrowed from vs they continue a leprosie of the worlde A sufficient preseruatiue against which the Angell left one word euen Egypt vsing it once twise thrise So one word spoken in due forme is like Apples of gold and wittie workes of siluer Prou. 25.10 * Diodorus booke 17.18.19.20 Which falleth out after the death of Soter and not long before the death of Philadelphus * Brennus from Britanie and Fraunce then did warre into the East Deut. 32. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The not marking of this point hath postered all libraries with books giuing strength vnto Iewes and Turkes to make ChristiaÌ„s thought senslesse and condemning their owne selues in far the greatest part of our own writings The learned of late see it The vnlearned should not striue To the legs of the Image these matters belong a If by seditioÌ„ at home he had not bene called home he had easily won all the kingdome of Syria Iust 27 b Seleucus Ceraunus and Antiochus the Great Of them Appian Alexandreus wrot thus After Theos Seleucus the sonne of Theus and Laodice reigneth in Syria syrnamed Callinicus After Seleucus two sons of Seleucus either according to his age Seleucus and Antiochus Seleucus being weake and poore vnable to rule his armie was poysoned by his friends and reigned onely two yeares Antiochus was syrnamed Megas or the great and reigned 37. yeares These be the two kings which here be meant And an heatheÌ„ indiffereÌ„t eueÌ„ AppiaÌ„ sheweth vnto vs why the Angel â—hould name theÌ„ in the plural nuÌ„ber soone turne â—o the singular Polybius recordeth to the same effect Booke 4. in these words Antiochus was the yonger sonne of Seleucus Callinicus He vpon his fathers death wheÌ„ the kingdome came to his brother at the first led a priuate life in the higher part of the kingdome Soone after wheÌ„ his brother passed ouer the
Mount Taurus with his forces and was killed by guile he obteined the kingdome being then not past fifteene Also for the time Polybius writeth thus About one time Ptolemy left this life by sicknesse Ptolemy called Philopator succeeded in the kingdom At the same time Seleucus fitz Seleucus Callinicus or Pogon departed this life Antiochus his brother succeeded in the kingdome of Assyria This was by his account about 100. yeares after Alexanders death These be thou are good coâ— enters for this too as for all the rest c Antiochus continued voyages and ouerflowed with prosperouâ— successe Now he was restored aâ— the Angel telleth Polybius vnwares expoundeth Daniel Booke .5 He sheweth how Diodotus Lieutenant to Philopator in Coelesyria wherein Iudea is euill recompenced for good seruice agreed with Antiochus to yeeld vnto him the Cities in Coelesyria He willingly accepted that hope and the matter was put in speedy execution By the way he wan Seleucus his anceâ—tourâ— strongest hold situated betwixt Cilicia and Phoenice vpon the sea that is betwixt Cyprus and Phoenice which Euergetes wanne from his father and Philopator held Presently Diodotus sent him word that he held Ptolemais himselfe for him and Tyrus by one Panaetolus One Nicolaus from Philopator besieged Diodotus but Antiochus campe raised the siege wan both Townes well furnished for warres Then lesser townes yeelded without resistance When Ptolemy openly betrayed neither could nor sought to help So Antiochus recouered the most places of Syria and Phoenice Here we may see how the counsell of God is brought about in mans coÌ„fusioÌ„ that Iudaea should be stil vexed betwixt two kingdomes mightie North and South the legs of Daniels Image beare a proportioÌ„ from him which proportioned all the earth This particular naming of places neare Iudaea may serue to many good purposes beside the present argument of shewing what special care the gracious goodnes of God had for to make these matters cleare which might allure all the world vnto Christ * In th'Arab Geogr. it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is standing high after the Arab. is the fittest notation * The Angel vseth Daniels terme Cha. 8.7 spoken no elsewhere shewing his notice reuerence and loue to Daniel d Polybius liuing with Scipio the noble warrier in this age recordeth this warre in more particulars then Penelope saw the description of the Troian where was Simois where Priamus palace where Achilles where Vlysses tents and all other affaires He describeth Raphia where they fought how it is the next Citie to Egypt after Rinocolura and neare Gaza He reckeneth the chieftaines of what nation they were what companies and what nations they had vnder them of what number as Ptolemies footemen 70000. Horse 5000. Elephants 73. Antiochus footmen 62000. Horse 6000. Elephants 102. Also he telleth all the fighting where at the last beyond all hope Philopater hath a great victorie and such an hand ouer Antiochus that if he could haue pursued with courage he might haue spoyled him of his kingdome The 12. v. may well containe the pride of Philopater against God and destruction of the Iewes handled Mach. 3. And as well may be applied vnto the greatnesse of his victorie and licentiousnesse thereupon which Iustine booke 30. doth note to haue bene the beginning of the decay of his court Also Polybius noteth that Cleomenes king of Sparâ— being with him a prisoner seeing his behauiour vpon aduantage slue him e All these matters may best be haÌ„dled together proceeding in one tenor of victories We may see here most liuely howe Iudaea is wasted by the fourth beast which hath teeth of iron steely weapons how it treadeth vnder foote that which it doth not eat Ioseph Ant. 12.3 toucheth the most of all this How Antiochus wanne Iudea how after Philopaters death Antiochus Epiphanes sent Scopas into Syria who recouered many townes and by warres ouercame Iudea how Antiochus not long after ouercame Scopas destroyed a great part of his armie how the Iewes yeelded vnto him willingly and holpe him to besiege Ptolemies garrisons which held the castle For all this Polybius booke 16. is cited of Iosephus that the heathen stil may be iudges of Daniel Also he recordeth the placing of his daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy Epiphanes yeelding vnto him Coele Syria Samaria Iudea Phoenice in the name of a dowrie Moreouer he recordeth what fauour he shewed vnto the Iewes for their willingnesse of subiection and affording victuals vnto his armie how he restored Ierusalem left almost voyd of men so it was wasted by his armies afore and warres of contrarie victors and how he graunted many immunities for the Citizens and the Priests All this from the verie Decree of Antiochus Moreouer he touched Lydia Phrygia reigned by Antiochus and how from Mesopotamia and Babylonia he remoued thither 2000. families of Iewes as the most trustie of all his subiectes fittest to represse all stirres there that the Lagidae made vpon losse of those countreys And for proofe of his narration he bringeth an whole Epistle of Antiochus written to his Generall Zeuxis That record testifieth how manie Iewes resisted the king of the North. Now touching them which were caried away by Philopaters allurements to be lawlesse and to forsake religion Antiochus Decree graunting all Iudah their owne lawes containeth also in effect the rooting out of the other and plaine reason would tell that Iudah would stirre him vnto that Their allurements from religion is touched Machab. 3. how the king of Egypt entised Iewes vnto Atheisme Appian also in his Syriaques toucheth much of this how Antiochus wanne from Ptolemy Syria and Cilicia and came with an exceeding great armie how he pretended the giuing of his daughter in mariage to Ptolemy and yet thought to haue inuaded Egypt and missing of that hope gaue to Ptolemy his daughter and Syria in dowrie This much the heathen knew The Angell telleth euen his heart and counsell that by his daughter he thought to haue dispatched Ptolemy Philometor and noteth his dulnesse how when he meant to dispatch the other his action tended rather to destroy her But that she tooke another safer course Also for the Isles that is Greekes countreys and the beginning of falling out with the Romanes Appian doth record that He nameth Hellesponteos Aeoleas Ionas Phocaea Euboia Delos Samos conquered by him and also his going ouer vnto Thrace And how Smyrnaei with Lampsaceni and otherâ— resisting him sent Ambassadours vnto the Romane Proconsul who debated the matter with Antiochus why he should come from Media to Hellespontus with so great an armie and why he tooke Syria and Cilicia from Ptolemie how after many other Ambassages nothing toward peace falling out Antiochus raigning ouer many and mightie nations set vpon the sea coasts and Romanes being killed and captiued in Delos the Romane warres brake out and Lucius Scipio the Consulâ—s ordained General The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or state here
named To whom the famous warrior Scipio Africanus the first is ioyned an assistant Now Annibal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his aduersarie the Carthaginian was with Antiochus yet that Gods counsel might stand he could not rule Antiochus with his best counsels to haue inuaded Italie and haue wasted it as Annibal had done But in Graecia he fought and vpon small losses he fled voyd of all counsell leauing strong holds full of treasure armour and victuals whole for the enemie still complaining that God was against him and dealing as one from whom God had taken away all iudgement He sought after this peace with great offers but liked not of refusall and fought againe and was put to extreme shame as the Angel here doth terme it These were the conditions That he should relinquish all Europe and all Asia vnto the Mount 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the greatnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which name sheweth the East tongues much alike through the East it reached He might not come further West besides he should yeeld vp all his Elephants and so many ships as he should be commaunded should giue twenty hostages such as the Generall should prescribe and for the charges of the warres forthwith 500. Euboica Talents and in 12. yeares twelue hundreth by equall yearely portions and restore all captiues These conditions of shame he was faine to take And among the pledges Antiochus his sonne was one who being of as bad disposition as an Antichrist starteth hereafter from Rome to be ouer the people of God that we should lesse maruell when the like should arise there againe Appian recordeth these matters for Greekes Liuie more at large for the countreys of Latine studies and Iustine for children that if we had applyed these stories of Cleopatras mariage in Egypt and Berenices into Syria Assyria or Babylonia we might see the legges of Daniels Image expounded and when we marked such sedition springing hence that ouerthrew both kingdomes and the chiefest here handled and all written euen of heathen we might see how sure Daniels words are who saw that as iron could not be mixed with clay so these affinities of one Macedonian kindred should neuer hold sure atonement * Heb. hand †So in Gen. 10. the countreys of Graecia all about Hellespont are termed as Daniel knew heathen should not know f Iustin b. 32. sheweth that Antiochus being prest by the Romanes with an heauie tribute either for couetousnesse or for necessitie as he went to spoyle a temple Dindymei Iouis he was killed Strabo an ancienter speaketh more likely that going about to rob a temple of Bel in Elam the nation did set vpon him and killed him The Angel telleth that his ruine should be in his own land Now the Angels speech He shalbe no more found that toucheth the maner of his death as he was killed by a tumult Barbarian in sacriledge and left voyd of all glorie Thus the sixt horne was broken as the seuenth Ptolemie Philopator by Cleomenes Polyb. 5. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lieu or steed the Angels terme new but plaine in forme * Seleueus Philopater loued his fathers steps of Church-robbing Iason of Cyren abridged by him which wrote the second of the Machabees sheweth how Seleucus would haue robbed the Temple of Ierusalem Although that booke is full of Rabbique trickes and hath some openly Talmudicall as making Nehemias to be all one with Zorobabel the builder of Altar and Temple as the Babylonian Talmud doth in Sanedrin hath many childish flourishes yet as we vse heathen euen fables for substance of a narration though couered with light stuffe we may cite that author for so much hearing from God by heathen what Seleucus would be His poysoning is here described a breaking not by face to face not by warres So close guile as poysoning must be the third kind Appian in Syriaques sheweth all thus When Antiochus the Great was dead Seleucus his sonne succeeded And he did set free his brother Antiochus from the Romanes hostage yeelding his sonne Demetrius in lieu of him Now when Antiochus returned from hostage and was about Athens Seleucus dyeth by the trecherie of one Heliodorus that was about him That Heliodorus vsurped the reigne but Eumenes and Attalus remoue him and settle Antiochus in it winning that mans fauour being now vpon offences in suspition of the Romanes And so Antiochus the sonne of Antiochus the great obteined the reigne of Syria He had his syrname Epiphanes because the kingdome being catched at by others he cometh to be seene their king Mark how the Angel touched all these matters and moe g Here sixe yeares storie is comprised how Antiochus was vile as an hostage prisoner but viler for his manners called therefore Epimanes witlesse of Polybius in Athenaeus in whom his maners are noted to be strange part of them shall be here layd downe He would saith Polybius sometimes steale out of the Court from his seruants into any part of the citie and be a second or a third in any companie often found in golddsmithes shops and a companion with the cōmon sort and the basest strangers that came to towne when he should perceiue any youths minding a drinking together he would steale vpon them with his pot and Musique that the most part would for the strangenesse leaue the company Also oftentimes casting off his royall robes he would walke in a gowne in the courtes crauing an office and taking one by the hand embracing another he would desire them to giue him a voyce sometimes that he might be Steward of the market sometimes Shiriffe and obtaining his office he would sit in an iuorie chaire after the Romanes maner and heare the market bargains with great sadnesse wherby the better sort could not tell what to thinke of him some thought him verie simple some others starke mad Likewise in his gifts he was no wiser He would giue some dise some dates some gold meeting some whom he neuer saw afore he would bestow vpon them vnhoped rewards in sacrifices and honouring the God he passed all that haue reigned The Olympeion of Athens and the huge image at Delos altar shew that He vsed to wash him in the common bathes full of the basest sortes and had tankards of the dearest ointments caried in for him Where when a certaine man sayd Happy are you Kings which vse such sweete sentes he sayd nothing then but on the morow as the other was bathing him selfe he came vpon him and caused a verie great pot of the dearest ointment stacte to be powred on his head that all standing by tombled in ointment some falling downe for the slipperinesse caused laughter as did the King him selfe What infinite thousandes of poundes he bestowed on a Triumph hauing heard of Paulus Aemylius the Romane Generall it would be too long to tell That fell out when he had spoyled Aegypt in his last voyage And this of
superioritie from Senear and Nemrod thence they and two more come against Abraham and fall And as Aegypt in Pharaoh after Babel troubled the Church so in these dealings they do that by admonition of place all might be better wayed Full many be the like reuolutions for places and times in the Ebrew stories which obseruation will helpe much The Angels demaund is like Iohn Baptistes of Christ for his Disciples surenesse not for his owne doubt The matter was shewed to Daniel Chapter 7. There commeth vp in the fourth beast one little horne which brake three hornes had eyes like a humane man but a mouth speaking great matters vntill thrones of iudgement were set vp and for the great words which the horne spake the beast was kâ—ld and the body cast into the fier There that horne made warre with the iholy vntill the auncient of dayes came and Iudgement was giuen to the Sainctes of the holy Trinitie and the Sainctes held their kingdome There the Angel expoundeth it of one king that should abase three which Antioch did first to Seleucus next to Demetrius thirdly to Ptol. Philometor The same should speake wordes against the highest and consume the Sainctes of the high Trinitie and thinke to alter times and law and touching that point they should be giuen into his hand for a time and two times and halfe a time Now the terme time put for a yeare was seene chap 4. in Neb. the Angel could not be ignorant of that But whereas all Antiochus dealings against Moses were 2300. dayes afore the 25 of Casleu to distinguish the whole rage from the remouing of the sacrifice that was to be noted And those dealings are termed wonders Seing the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 continuall sacrifice was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Christes death was the counsell of Christ in giuing that into a Tyrants controlment and the Sabbath which had bene since Adams time and his holy seruants to be tormented this was indeede a great wonder The reason was rendred chap. 11.35 and here vers 10. Christ telleth it in the same termes that the Angel vsed onely he altereth their order as I will shew when I come vnto the verse The answere foloweth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a speech of difficultie to the vnebrewed but plaine by the matter * The attire here the whole persons description chap. 10.5.10.5 sheweth a sacrificer holy and higher then the heauens Moreouer the gesture of standing vpon the waters importeth that of the Psalme how as God calmeth the waters so he calmeth the waues of nations And this vision answereth vnto Iobs speach that God walketh vpon the high waues of the seas The metaphors and visions of the Scripture haue a cleare resemblance of that which is taught for mens affaires Besides the gesture and oth calleth into minde Deut. 32. a comfort euen for these times I kill and make aliue I strike and I make whole and none can take away from my hand When I lift mine hand vnto heauen and say as I liue for euer if I whet the blade of my sword and my hand lay hold on iudgement I will requite vengeance vnto my aduersaries pay my foes I wil make drunke my arrowes with bloud and my sword shall eate flesh from bloud of slaine and captiue from the head of vengeance vpon the enemy Reioyce ô heathen with his people For he will reuenge the bloud of his seruants and pay vengeance vnto his aduersaries and be reconciled vnto his people The wordes of Moses begin their execution in this place and hold on vnto the full calling of the heathen So the gesture of lifting vp the hand and swearing calleth all this vnto Daniels minde The summe of the matter here conteineth two things the rage of Gods enemies and the punishment The rage is for three yeares and an halfe So the terme Time by synecdoche in Dan. 4. as I told was taken and Greekes commonly at this day call an yeare a Time and three yeares three 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 times This time was noted by Iosephus in Bell. Iud. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is Antiochus syrnamed Epiphanes surprised Ierusalem by force and held it three yeares and six monethes is cast out of the countrey by the sonnes of Chashmonai that is the Machabees He presently hindred the continual offring when his Idolatrous garrisons being abominations through Idolatry and desolaters by trade held the holy temple Iosephus also here handleth the brusing of the hand set vpon the holy people vnder the casting of Antiochus out of all the countrey The Rabbines commonly note the same euen in the Babylonian Talmud Rambam writeth a common place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iohn 10. vpon the recouerie of the temple There also the driuing out of Antiochus is handled The Iewes testimonie should be strong against them selues good for our surenesse for fame of matter here told Thus RaÌ„bam writeth in his first Tome in Megilah Chanucha Perek 3. Tremellius nameth his worke Talmud In the time of the secoÌ„d temple Iauan gaue decrees ouer Israel and abrogated their Policie and suffred them not to studie the law and commaundementes and layd hold vpon their substance and their daughters and they went into the temple and made breaches and polluted the cleane And Israel was in great distresse through them which oppressed greatly vntill the God of our fathers pitied them and saued them out of the others hand and deliuered them and the Chashmonaim The Machabees the high Priests kild them and saued Israel from their hand set vp a king of the Prists more then 200. yeares afore the secoÌ„d desolation And when Israel preuailed against their enemies and destroyed them it was the 25. of Chasleu and they entred into the temple c. and for this cause the wise men of that generation ordeined that eight dayes beginning from the 25. of Chasleu should be celebrated with gladnesse and songes and they kindled candels in the euening at their houses doores euery night of the eight And these dayes are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dedication and they admit no mourning nor fasting as the dayes of Purim Thus the goodnesse of God forced them to keepe a famous memorie of their deliuerance from their persecution Vpon which storie they should looke into the Prophecie which none can denie to be for a vehement persecution and common reason would tell them that the first which fell out in the vehemency here told must needes be meant by this The consideration of this storie with the Prophecie would haue taught them of the person the teller of the time the high sacrificer who would himselfe suffer in like sort three yeares an halfe all gaine saying of sinners teaching that which these visions declared They held their owne kingdome about 150. yeares in reasonable quietnesse but they to whom Christ gaue victories disdisdained the office of white linen and continuall sacrifice and
they and his wonders how mighty are they his kingdome is an euerlastyng kingdome and his power from generation to generation I Nebuchadnezar being at rest in mine house and floryshing in my palace Sawe a dreame which made me afrayde and the conceytes vpon my bed and the visions of myne head troubled me Then I made a decree to bring all the Sages of Babel before me that they myght make knowen vnto me the interpretation of the dreame Then came the Enchanters the Astrologians the Caldeans and the entral-lookers and I colde the dreame before them but they could not make knowen to me the interpretation thereof And at the last came before me Daniel whose name was Belteshasar according to the name of my God who hath the spirite of the holy goddes in him and before him I colde the dreame O Belteshasar Prouost of the Enchanters of whom I know that thou hast the spirite of the holy goddes and no secrete is hard to thee tell the visions of my dreame that I haue seene I meane the interpretation thereof Thus were the visions of my head vpon my bed I behelde and loe there was a Tree in the middes of the Earth and his height was great The Tree was great and strong and his height reached to the heauens and his shewe to the endes of all the earth His leaues were fayre and his fruite much and in it was meate for all vnder it were shadowed the beastes of the feelde and in his branches dwelt the foules of the heauen and from it was fed all flesh I behelde in the visions of my head vpon my bed and loe a watcher and an holy one came downe from heauen He cryed aloude and sayde thus Cut downe the Tree and croppe of his branches shake of his leaues and scatter his fruite Let the beastes flee from vnder it and the foules from his branches But leaue the stumpe of his rootes in the earth and that in a bande of Iron and Brasse in the tender grasse of the feelde and let it be wet with the deawe of heauen and let his portion be with the beastes in the grasse of the earth Let his hart be changed from mans let a beastes hart be geuen to him and let seauen seasons passe ouer him Babel is a tree Dan 4. as before Assur had bene Ezek. â—1 Nabucadnezâ—r driue from his Kingdome liueing with beastes 7. yeares restored to his honour da. 4 This dreame I king Nebuchadnezar haue seene therefore O Belteshasar tel the interpretation therof for as much as all the Sages in my kingdome are not able to shew me the interpretation But thou art able for the spirite of the holy Gods is in thee Then Daniel whose name was Belteshasar was astonied for an houre his thoughtes troubled hym The king spake and sayd Belteshasar Let neyther the dreame nor the interpretation therof trouble thee Belteshasar answered and sayd My Lord the dreame be to them that hate thee and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies The Tree that thou sawest which grew and got hardnesse whose height toâ—ched vnto the heauen and his shew through all the earth Whose leaues were fayre and his fruite mirch and in which was meate for all vnder which the beastes of the helde dwelt and 〈◊〉 branches of which the foules of the heauen kept Thou art it O King who art great and strongâ— for thy greatnes is growen and waâ—heth vnto heauen and thy power to the 〈◊〉 of the earth And whereas the king saw a Watcher an Holy one that came downe from heauen and sayde Cut downe the Tree destroy it yet leaue the stumpe of his rootes in the earth that in a bande of Iron and Brasse in the grasse of the fielde let it be wet with the death of heauen and let his portion be with the beastes of the fieldâ— tyll Hauen â—easons passe ouer it This is the interpretation O King and the decree of the most high which is come vpon my Lorde the king and they haue brought the vessels of his house before thee and thou and thy nobles thy wyues thy concubines haue drunke wine in them hast praysed Goddes of Silver and Golde Brasse Acon Wood and Stone which see not nor heare nor understande But thou diddest not honour God in whose hand thy breath standeth and whose are all thy wayes Then the peece of an hand was sent from before him and this Scripture written And this is the Scripture which is written MENE MENE TEKEL V-PARSIN This is the interpretation of the matter MENE God hath numbred thy kingdome and finished it TEKEL thou art weighed in the ballance and art founde wanting PERES thy kingdome is parted and geuen to Madaj and Paras Then commaunded Belshazar and they cleathed Daniel with Purple and a chaine of Golde about his necke and made a proclamation concerning him that he shoulde beare rule the thirde in the kingdome The same nyght was Belshazar king of the Chaldeans slayne And Darius ‡ In that there were Parsin partâ—â—s not of Madai onely but also of Elam we must know that Cyrus king of Paras or Elam was fâ—lâ—â— in Empire with Darius And of that we haue expresse warrant in 2. Chr. 36 20. where the Iewes are seruantes to the Chaldeans vntill Paras reigneth And there Cyrus telleth that the Eternall the God of heauen had giuen him all the kingdomes of the earth Which kingdomes if he had gotten them by inheritance quietly had not bin so in speciall sort sayd to be geuen him And this vniting was knowen to the heathen Greekes in whom the Persian armies are called Medes Aesch con Ctes and accordingly the 70. Translaters put for the Hebrew text Paras the terme Medes in this text 2. Chr. 36 20. applying themselues to the prophane Greekes kinde of phrase But Daniel here nameth Darius onely because matter touching him onely of the two Kinges foloweth in the next Chapter that the Reader shoulde not be troubled with any further questions touching Cyrus Whereas yet Arrianus noâ—eth that Cyrus was by Law-worshipped as a God No lesse then the decree folowing here geueth that honour to Darius in Cha. 6. Madai receiued the kingdome being about threescore and two yeeres olde CHAP. 6. The idolatrie of Madaj and Paras in making their Kinges Goddes with brutish penaltie vpon the contemners confuted by Daniel and iudged by the Lyons euen vnto a publique imperiall honour by decree for Daniels God The Chaldy wherein this Chapter is written by Daniel is mixt with Arabique which tongue the Persians here seeme to haue much vsed AND Darius thought it good to set ouer the Kingdome an hundreth and twentie Princes which should rule the whole Kingdome And ouer these three Stewardes of whom Daniel was principall to whom those Princes should giue accompt that the King should haue no damage Than this Daniel vsed authoritie touching the Stewardes and Princes as the