bootes All vermine and the dung of Fowles and Beasts Were these poore wretches miserable feasts Things loathsom to be nam'd in time of plenty Amongst the staru'd distressed Iewes were dainty This famine ran beyond all Natures bounds All motherly affection it confounds No blood or birth with it compassion won It forc'd a Woman kill hir onely Son She rip'd him and dis-ioynted lim from lim She drest she boyld she broyld and rosted him She eat him she interr'd him in hir wombe She made his births place his vntimely tombe From hir by Nature did his life proceed On him vnnaturall she hir selfe did feed He was hir flesh hir sinewes bones and blood She eating him hirselfe hirselfe made food No woe hir miserie can equallize No griefe can match hir sad calamities The Soldiers smelt the meat and straight assemble Which when they saw with horror made theÌ„ treÌ„ble Each one with staring haire and ghastly looke Affrighted and amaz'd the house forsooke This horride action quickly ouercame These men whom force of man could neuer tame Thou that dost liue like to a fatted Brawne And cramst thy guts as long as thou canst yawne Thou that dost eat and drinke away thy time Accounting Gluttonie a God no Crime Thou must haue Fowle as high as heau'n that pearc'd And hast the bowels of the Ocean search'd And from all places neere so far remore Hast dainties for thy all-deuouring throat Whose pamperd paunch ne're leaues to feed quaff Till it be made a Hogs trogh filld with draff Thinke on Ierusalem amidst thy Riot Perhaps t will moue thee to a temp'rate diet And you braue Dames adorn'd with Iems Iewels That must haue Cawdles Cullisses and Grewells Conserâ—'s and Marchpanes made in sundry shapes As Castles Towers Horses Beares and Apes You whom no Cherries like your lickrish tooth But they must be a Pound a pound forsooth Thinke on Ierusalem amidst your glory And then you 'le be lesse dainty and more sorry What there auaild their bewty strength or riches Three things which all the spacious world bewitches Authoritie and Honor help'd them not Wrong trod downe Right and Iustice was forgot Their greatest chiefest only earthly good Was t was no matter how they got it Food One little peece of bread they reckond more Then erst they did of bags of Gold before One scrap which full fed crops away do fling With them had bin a ransom for a King The loathsom garbadge which our Dogs refuse Had been a dish of state amongst the Iewes Whilst Famine playd the Tyrant thus within The Romane Army striu'd the walls to win Their Enginers their Pioners and all Did mine and batter and assault the wall Ierusalem had three strong walls of stone And long t was ere the Romans could get one The dearth and death of sword and famine spread The streets that liuing trod vpon the dead And many great mens houses full were filld With carkases which the seditious killd That with the stench of bodies putrifyde A number numberles of people dyde And buriall to the dead they yeelded not But where they fell they let them stinke and rot That plague and sword and famine all three stroue Which shold most bodies from their soules remoue Vnsensible of one anothers woes The soldiers then the liueles Corpses throwes By hundreds and by thousands o're the walls Which when the Romans saw their dismall falls They told to Titus which when he perceiu'd He wept and vp t'ward heau'n his hands he heau'd And calld on GOD to witnes with him this These slaughters were no thought or fault of his Those wretches that could scape from out the Citie Amongst their foes found both reliefe and pittie If the seditious any catcht that fled Without remorse they straightway stroke him dead Another miserie I must vnfold A many Iewes had swallow'd store of gold Which they supposd should help them in their need But from this Treasure did their bane proceed For being by their en'myes fed and cherisht The Gold was cause that many of them perisht Amongst them all one poore vnhappy Creature Went priuately to do the needs of Nature And in his Ordure for the Gold did looke Where being by the stragling soldiers tooke They ript him vp and searcht his maw to finde What Gold or Treasure there remain'd behinde In this sort whilst the soldiers gap'd for gaine Was many a man and woman ript and slaine In some they found Gold and in many none For had they Gold or not Gold all was one They were imbowelld by the barb'rous foe And search'd if they had any gold or no. But now my storie briefly to conclude Vespasians forces had the walls subdude And his triumphant Banner was displaide Amidst the streets which made the Iewes dismaid Who desp'rate to the Temple did retire Which with vngodly hands they set on fire Whilst Noble Titus with exceeding care Entreated them they would their Temple spare Oh saue that House quoth he ô quench oh slake And I will spare you for that Houses sake Oh let not after times report a storie That you haue burnt the worlds vnmatched glory For your owne sakes your Children your wiues If you do looke for pardon for your liues If you expect grace from Vespasians hand Then spare your Temple Titus doth command The Iewes with hearts hard offred mercy heard But neither mercy or themselues regard They burnd and in their madnes did confound King Salomons great Temple to the ground That Temple which did thirty Millions cost Was in a moment all consum'd and lost The blest Sanctum Sanctorum holiest place Blest oft with high Iehouahs sacred Grace Where at one offring as the Text saies plaine Were two and twentie thousand oxen slaine One hundred twenty thousand sheep beside At the same time for an oblation dide That house of GOD which raignes aboue the thuÌ„der Whose glorious fame made all the world to wonder Was burnt and ransackt spight of humane aide And leuell with the lowly ground was laid Which when Vespasian and yong Titus saw They cride kill kill vse speed and marshall Law The Roman soldiers then inspirde with rage Spard none slew all respect no sex or age The streets were drowned in a purple flood And slaughterd carcasses did swim in blood They slew whilst there were any left to slay The ablest men for slaues they bare away Iohn Simon and Eleazer wicked fiends As they deseru'd were brought to violent ends And from the time the Romanes did begin The siege vntill they did the Citie win Sedition sword fire famine all depriues Eleuen hundred thousand of their liues Besides one hundred thousand at the least Were tane and sold as each had been a beast And from the time it was at first erected Till by the Romanes it was last deiected It stood as it in histories appeares Twentie one hundred seuenty and nine yeares But yet ere GOD his vengance downe did throw What strange prodigious wonders did he show As warnings how they should destruction shun And cause them to repent for deeds misdon First in the Firmament Th' offended Lord Shewd them a Commet like a fiery sword The Temple and the Altar diuers nights Were all enuiron'd with bright burning lights And in the middest of the Temple there Vnnat'rally a Cow a Lambe did beare The Temples brazen gate no bolts restraine But of it selfe it open flew amaine Arm'd Men and Chariots in the Ayre assembled The pondrous Earth affrighted quak'd treÌ„bled A voyce cride in the Temple to this sense Let vs depart let vs depart from hence These supernat'rall accidents in sum Foretold some fearefull Iudgment was to come But yet the Iewes accounted them as toyes Or scarcrow bugg-beares to fright wanton boyes Secure they reuelld in Ierusalem They thought these signes against their foes not theÌ„ But yet when warre and death had all perform'd When ruine spoyle and furious flames had storm'd Who then the desolated place had seen Would not haue knowne there had a Citie been Thus Iuda and Ierusalem all fell Thus was fulfilld what Christ did once foretell Sad desolation all their ioyes bereft And one stone on another was not left FINIS ERRATA In the 23 staffe of Vrania line 7 for adornd read ador'de In the 30 staffe lin 5. for Cretian read Cretan In the 39 staffe lin 1. for Memory read Memory's In the 40 staffe lin 2. for truth read troath In the 45 staffe lin 5. for slings read flings In the first part of Ierusalem pag. 6. lin 17. for shooke read strooke
number Misvnderstanding tongues did there incumber Thus he that sits in Heau'n their plots derided And in their height of pride their tongues deuided For in this sudden vnexpected change The wife and husband Sire and sonne were strange The Brother could not vnderstand the Brother The Daughter stands amazed at hir Mother By euery one a seuerall part is acted And each vnto the other seems distracted Thus by the Iustice of the Lord of Hosts Each seuerall tongue was driu'n to seuerall coasts And GOD peculiar to himselfe did chuse His most beloued yet hard-hearted Iewes Iehouahs honor with them then did dwell His Name was only knowne in Israel Salem his habitation was of yore In Sion men his glory did adore Th' Eternall trine and trine Eternall one In Iurie then was called on alone The sonnes of Heber were th' adopted stocke Gods onely Chosen holy sacred flocke Amongst all Nations them he only lik'd And for his owne vse them he culd and pik'd Them his sin-killing sauing word he gaue T' instruct thē what condemn'd what wold saue To them he gaue his word his Couenants band His Patriarks his Prophets and his hand Did blesse defend instruct correct and guide The Iewes and no one Nation else beside For them a world of wonders hath he done To them he sent his blest begotten Sonne On them a Land he freely did bestow Where milke and honie plenteously did flow With them he was till they from him did turne And wilfully against his blessings spurne All heau'nly earthly Soules or Bodies good They lack'd no temp'rall or eternall food His Temple builded in Ierusalem Where he had daily sacrifice from them Where though their seruice was defect and lame Th' Almighties mercy did accept the same For though Mans sin is great God hath decreed To take his best endeuour for a deed And whilst they in his loue and feare abode They were his people he their gracious God But when impieties began to breed And ouergrow old Iacobs sacred seed When they from good to bad began to fall From ill to worse from worst to worst of all When GODS great mercies could not them allure And his sharp threatnings could not them procure When each ones body was vnto the soule A loathsom dungeon to a prisoner foule When sin all shameles the whole land o're spreads Then God threw dreadfull vengance on their heads And for their heynous heaping sin on sin Ierusalem hath oft assaulted bin First Shishack Egypts King with might and maine Made hauock there in Rehoboams Raigne The Citie Temple Golden vessells Shields All as a prey to the Egiptians yeelds Next Ioas came the King of Israel In Amaziahs daies with furie fell He brought Iudea to Samariaes thrall King Kingdom Princes Peeres and people all Then thirdly Rezin King of Aram came In Ahaz time with sword and furious flame Th' Assirian great Zenach'rib was the next By whom good Hezekiah was perplext But when blasphemous Pagans puft with pride Contemptuously the GOD of Gods defide The Lord of Lords whom no power can withstand Tooke his owne gracious glorious cause in hand He vsd no humane Arme or speare or sword But with his All-commanding mighty word One Angell sent to grisly Plutoes den A hundred eighty and fiue thousand men Then fiftly was Ierusalem subdude In Iudaes blood th' Assirians hands imbrude Manasses Godles glory did expire All yeeld vnto th' insulting foes desire Vsurping Conquest all did seaze vpon The King in chaines-bound sent to Babylon Till he Repenting to his GOD did call Who heard his cry and freed him out of thrall Then sixtly Pharaoh-Necho Egipts King To great distresse all Iudaes Land did bring With fell confusion all the Kingdom fill'd And with a dart good King Iosias kill'd The Shepheard for his wandring sheep was shooke The godly Prince from godles people tooke So this iust zealous and religious Prince Whose like scarce euer Raign'd before or since Th' Almighty to himselfe did take agen As knowing him too good for such bad men Nabuchadnezer next made them obay When Zedekiah did the Scepter sway King Kingdom Peeres and People all o'rethrowne All topsie-turuy spoyld and tumbled downe The curst Caldeans did the King surprise Then slew his Sons and next pluck'd out his eyes Then vnto Babilon he was conuayde In Chaines in Prison and in Darknes layde Till death his Corps did from his soule deuide He liu'd a slaue and sadly gladly dyde The Citie and the Temple burnt and spoyld With all pollution euery place was soyld The holy vessels all away were borne The sacred Garments which the Priests had worne All these the Caldies voide of all remorce Did carry vnto Babylon perforce Which seuenty yeeres in slauerie and much woe They kept and would by no meanes let them goe Till Persian Cirus did Earths glory gaine Who freede the Iewes and sent them home againe He rendred backe their vessells and their store And bad them build their Temple vp once more Which many yeeres in glorious state did stand Till Ptolomie the King of Egipts band Surprisde the Iewes and made them all obay Assaulting them vpon the Sabboth day Next after that from Rome great Pompey came And Iudaes force by force perforce did tame Then did the Caesars beare the earthly sway The vniuersall world did them obay And after that the Romane power did place The Idumean Herods graceles Grace Him they created Tetrarch demy King Gainst whom the Iewes did boldly spurne and fling For they had sworne that none but Dauids seed In the seat Royall euer should succeed But Sossius and King Herods armies strength Did ouer-run them all in breadth and length By hostile Armes they did them all prouoke To beare the burthen of their awfull yoke And lastly them the Romanes ouer-run By valiant Titus old Vespasians sonne Then fell they to an vnrecouer'd wane They all in generall were or slaine or tane Then was the extirpation of them all Their iust worst last most fatall finall fall Thus mercy being mock'd pluckd iudgmēt down Gods fauour being scorn'd prouokes his frowne Aboue all Nations he did them respect Below all Nations he did them deiect Most vnto them his fauour was addicted Most vpon them his furie was inflicted Most neere most deere they were to him in loue And farthest off his wrath did them remoue He blest he curst he gaue and then he tooke As they his word obayde or else forsooke How oft Iehouah seem'd his sword to draw To make them feare his precepts and his Law How oft he raisd them when they headlong fell How oft he pardond when they did rebell How long did Mercy shine and Iustice winke When their foule crimes before Gods face did stinke How oft Repentance like a pleasing sauour Repurchasd GODS abused gracious fauour When he did blessings vpon blessings heape Then they ingratefull held them meane cheape Their plenty made them too too much secure They their Creators yoke would not endure They
Graceles fell from goodnes and from grace And kick'd and spurn'd at Heau'ns most glorious face The Prophets and the Seers that were sent To warne them to amendment repent They ston'd they killd they scorn'd they beat they bound Their goodnes to requite their spight did wound The Prophets came with loue and purchasd hate They offred peace and were returnd debate They came to saue and were vniustly spilld They brought them life and were vnkindly killd No better entertainment they afford Vnto the Legates of their louing Lord. Thus were the Lab'rers in GODS Vineyard vsde Thus was their loue their care their paines abusde Their toyles and trauailes had no more regard Bonds death and tortures was their best reward At last th' Almighty from his glorious seat Perceiu'd his seruants they so ill intreat No more would send a Prophet or a Seer But his owne Sonne which he esteem'd most deere He left his high Tribunall and downe came And for all Glory enterchang'd all shame All mortall miseries he vnderwent To cause his loued-loueles Iewes repent By Signes by Wonders and by Miracles By Preaching Parables and Oracles He wrought and sought their faithles faith to cure But euer they obdurate did endure Our blest Redeemer came vnto his owne And 'mongst them neither was receiu'd or knowne He whom of all they should haue welcom'd best They scorn'd and hated more then all the rest The GOD of principalities and powers A Sea of endles boundles mercy showres Vpon the heads of these vnthankfull men Who pay loue hate and good with ill agen Their murdrous-minded-malice neuer left Till they the Lord of life of life bereft No tongue or pen can speake or write the storie Of the surpassing high immortall glory Which he in pittie and in loue forsooke When he on him our fraile weake nature tooke To saue Mans soule his most esteemed Iem And bring it to the new Ierusalem From Greatest great to least of least he fell For his beloued chosen Israel But they more mad then madnes in behauiour Laid cursed hands vpon our blessed Sauiour They kill'd th' eternall sonne and heyre of heau'n By whom and from whom all our liues are giu'n For which the great Almighty did refuse Disperse and quite forsake the faithles Iewes And in his Iustice great omnipotence He left them to a reprobated sence Thus sundry times these people fell and rose From weale to want from height of ioyes to woes As they their gracious GOD forsooke or tooke His mercy either tooke them or forsooke The swart Egyptians and the Isralites And raging Rezin King of Aramites Then the Assirians twice and then againe Th' Egiptians ouer-runs them all amaine Then the Caldeans and once more there came Egiptian Ptolomy who them o'recame Then Pompey next King Herod last of all Vespasian was their vniuersall fall As in Assiria Monarchy began They lost it to the warlike Persian Of Nimrods Race a Race of Kings descended Till in Astiages his stocke was ended For Cirus vnto Persia did translate Th' Assirian Soueraigne Monarchizing state Then after many bloody bruzing Armes The Persian yeelded to the Greekes Alarm's But smoake-like Gracian glory lasted not Before t was ripe it did vntimely rot The worlds Commander Alexander dyde And his Successors did the world deuide From one great Monarch in a moment springs Confusion Hydra-like from selfe-made Kings Till they all wearied slaughter'd and forlorne Had all the earth dismembred rent and torne The Romans tooke aduantage of their fall And ouer-ran câ—ptiu'de and conquerd all Thus as one nayle another out doth driue The Persians the Assirians did depriue The Graecians then the Persian pride did tame The Romanes then the Graecians ouercame Whilst like a vapour all the world was tost And Kingdoms were transferd from coast to coast And still the Iewes in scattred multitudes Deliuer'd were to sundry seruitudes Chang'd giuen bought sold from land to land Where they not vnderstood nor vnderstand To euery Monarchy they were made slaues Egipt and Aram Caldea them out braues Assiria Persia Graecia lastly Rome Inuaded them by heauens iust angry doome Foure Ages did the sonnes of Hâ—ber passe Before their finall desolation was Their first Age aged Patriarks did guide The second reuerend Iudges did decide The third by Kings naught good bad worse and worst The fourth by Prophets who them blest or curst As their dread GOD commanded or forbid To blesse or curse eu'n so the Prophets did Our Sauiour weeping on the Mount did view The Cittie and foretold what would ensue And in his tender pitty vnto them Said oh Ierusalem Ierusalem Thou killst the Prophets and to death didst ding Those that were sent thee heau'nly grace to bring How oft and oft would I for your owne good Haue gathered you as doth as Hen hir brood But you would not and therefore to you all Your houses shall to desolation fall Which came to passe according as he said Which in the second part is here displaide The last and most lamentable Destruction of the Ancient famous and memorable Cittie and Temple of Ierusalem being destroyed by Vespasian and his Sonne Titus COnfusion Horror Terror dreadfull Wars Domesticke forreine inward outward Jars Shafts shot at Iuda in Iehouahs ire Infectious plague war famine sword and fire Depopulation desolation and The finall conquest of old Iacobs Land These are the Theames my mournfull Muse rehearses These are the grounds of my lamenting Verses Iosephus wrote these things in ample wise Which I thus briefly do Epitomize Which worthy Author in large scope relates His Countries alterations and estates The Bookes of his Antiquities do tell How often times th'arose how oft they fell How oft God fauourd them how oft his frowne From height of greatnes cast them headlong downe The Seaueuth booke of his Warrs declareth plaine How Roman Conquest did the Kingdom gaine How death did tyrannize in sundry shapes In sword in fire in famine and in Rapes Who loues to read at large let him read his Who likes compendious briefes let him read this Since Hebers sons the country first enioy de Six times it hath bin wasted and destroyde Twice three times spoyld and thirteen times in all Wars force or Composition made it thrall Compare all wars that chanc'd since the Creation They all are nothing to their desolation No storie or no memorie describes Calamitie to match old Isrels Tribes For if each Land their bloody broyls recount To them 't were but a mole-hill to a mount All which for sin in the Almighties furie Was heap'd vpon the sinfull Land of Iurie And almost sixteen hundred winters since Did great Vespaesian Romes Imperiall Prince With braue yong Titus his stout valiant son Iudeaes Kingdom spoyle and ouer-run And with an Army Royall and renownd They did Ierusalem beleaguer round With force with stratagems with warlike powers With Rams with Engines scaling ladders Towers With all the Art of either might or sleight The Romans vpon each aduantage wait