creation for if it had not been by him and for him God would haue created nothing for the means being taken away the end was also taken away Touching the second the humanity of the word wanteth weight he cannot be weighed for all the Saints being put in one balance and the sonne of God in another it would bee that that a drop of water is in respect of all the water which is in the world Who is hee which can be weighed with Christ or bee compared with the least of his merits If before his sight the heauens be not cleane how dare any saints be weighed with him Concerning the third the humanity of the word cannot bee measured because that the grace which was giuen to him alone was so much that neither in heauen nor in earth there is found any measure for it How can there bee found any measure in the sonne of God seeing that it is hee with the which is measured all humane and Angelicall nature Wee may gather of that which wee haue said that seeing Christ hath remoued from himselfe number weight and measure yet that it is a folly and a rashnesse to thinke to find an end in his greatnesse We speak all this because that considering that there is two natures in Christ one diuine and the other humane wee will not talke immediately of his diuine essence but of his humane as it is compared to the diuine and so wee shall vnderstand somewhat of Christ although we cannot comprehend all that doth belong vnto him Suscepit de manu demini duplicia sayth the Prophet Esayas chap. 40. speaking of that which the eternall Father had giuen his only sonne as if hee should say All other creatures receiued single fauours and only the son of God receiued them double for all other besides himselfe were nothing but bare men but he was man and God God and man Duplicia suscepit de manu domini because hee was more than that which he seemed to bee and hee was more than that which was hidden because his diuinitie was hid and his humanity did appeare and to his diuinity was vnited his humanity He receiued two gifts of our Lord seeing that vnder that earth is hidden a precious pearle and vnder that rough couering is enclosed the heauenly cloath of gold He receiued double fauour at our Lords hands seeing that vnder the penitent weed we shall find the great king of Niniuy and vnder those dead skins wee shall find the good Patriarke Iacob aliue He receiued two things at our Lords hāds for if wee take away the couering wee shall see all the diuine essence and if we breake the vaile of the Temple wee shall know the heigth and the purest part of the heauen He receiued two singularities of our Lord seeing hee alone and no other is at one time a traueller and at his iournies end at one time with the superior portion enioieth and with the inferior suffereth He receiued two gifts seeing it was giuen to him and to no other to be passible and impassible visible and invisible mortall and immortall temporall and eternall Suscepit de manu domini duplicia seeing it was giuē vnto him alone to be the end of the vnhappy Synagogue and the beginning of the catholicke church and to be him who doth inflict punishment vpon the bad and giueth glory vnto the good Behold then how Christs humanity is a perfect image a high resemblance such as is not to be found neither in heauen nor vpon earth because it is made to the liuely likenesse of God and because it is alwaies like his mould and type which is the Word Hilarius in his second book of the Trinity saith Euen as a glorious body vnited vnto a glorious soule is as it were spirituall and hath spirituall conditions so the humanity of the diuine word being vnited vnto God hath the same conditions and qualities as he vnto whom he is vnited Damascen in his sentences sayth As it was commaunded that all should be giuen to the noble dame Iudith which did belong to Holofernes seeing that she had ouercome him so vnto the man Christ it was giuen and attributed that all that should be said of him which was said of the Word seeing that hee did also ouercome the diuell And because wee may the better see what conformity there is betwixt the humanity and the diuinity we wil speak one word vpon euery word of that which S. Iohn did put in the beginning of his holy Gospell speaking of the eternall Word In the beginning was the Word sayth S. Iohn speaking of the eternal generatiō of the son of God Wherein he giueth vs to vnderstand that that eternall word hath his being by the first internall emanation of the Father seeing that hee proceedeth of him by the way of vnderstanding which is the first emanation and before the will seeing it is presupposed That which we say of the diuinity we may also say of the humanity seeing that it was in the beginning of God by an Hypostaticall vnion in the word and by an excellency of perfection aboue all that which God created And the word was with God saith also S. Iohn as if he should say Because thou maiest see that the person of the Father is not the person of the sonne nor the person of the sonne the person of the Father if I haue said that In the beginning was the word I say now that neere vnto God was the same word in so much that that which is neere vnto mee is without all doubt distinguished from me The humanity is so neere vnto the diuinity that it is one person with it and thereupon it is that as in the Father and in the sonne there is but one essence although they be two persons so in the word of God and in the humanity of Christ although there bee two natures there is but one person and this diuine and not humane S. Iohn saith further And God was the Word which may also be said of the humanity well vnderstood as of the diuinity by the high communication of diuine and humane qualities which are in Christ because there are many things in Christ by grace which are in God by nature Vpon those words In quo habitat omnis plenitudo diuinitatis S. Ambrose sayth The diuinity of the word doth dwell so perfectly in the humanity of Christ that because that is so neerely vnited and deified which is contained it taketh the name of that which containeth it and hee sayth further Quod factum est in ips◠vita erat The which hee speaketh because that being as he is God the fountaine of all life and that of his onely will dooth proceed all life it is certaine that all that should be in him should be life S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth As all things in God shall be called life because they are accompanied and ioined in him so in his holy humanity all things are life
which hee suffered and the shame which he had to aske Hunger did bid him to aske and shame did bid him to forbeare in so much that there passed very few daies in the which his stomacke was not very hungry or his holy face couered with shame Ginomius the Philosopher being asked what pouerty was answered That pouerty of his owne nature was very euilly conditioned because it giueth no contentment vnto the person in whome it is no sauour at the table no tast in the cup no warmth in the gowne nor any life in the purse What contentment can a poore man haue seeing they scorne him before his face What sauour hath he at his table seeing that oftentimes it is time to haue dined before the fire be made in his house What tast can he haue in his cup seeing that sometime hee doth not send once a weeke vnto the tauern What trust can a poor creature haue in his purse seeing that his purse did cost him more than that which is in it Christ had great reason to say that hee vvas brought vp poorely and with great paine from his infancy seeing that he was borne poore liued poore and died poore insomuch that as hee was the most holiest of all holy men so was he the poorest of all poore men Exaltatus autem humiliatus conturbatus which is the second complaint which the sonne maketh of the Father And it is as if he would say Besides that my Father hath brought me vp in pouerty great misery he hath remembred to giue me honour the better afterward to diffame me and to exalt mee to throw mee afterwards downe in so much that my fame hath beene spread abroad throughout all this kingdome and my infamy hath flowne afterward throughout al the world This is a very pittifull complaint and a very deepe speech and therefore it is necessary for vs to expound it well and read it vvith great heed Seneca in his second booke of Anger saith Laetiores reliquit fortuna quos nunquam aspexit quà m ques aspexit postea deseruit as if he would say It was better with them and they were more merrier which fortune did neuer exalt nor neuer thought on than with those whom fortune had once lifted vp to great honour and afterward thrown down again Boetius in his first booke of Comfort sayth In falicissimum genus infortunij est hominem fuisse faelicem As if he would say There is no torment in the world to bee compared vnto that that when a man doth remember that hee hath beene happy in time past and that he is fallen from that estate because such a mans heart doth bewaile his present misery and sigh after the felicitie which he was wont to enioy What griefe can he take for honour who neuer knew what it was Macrobius in his Saturnales sayth That if wee want any thing all that we can doe is to desire it but if we doe once obtaine it then lose it the heart is not content with desiring it only but doth also lament the losse of it because it is a farre greater griefe to lose that which once we haue enioied than that which we neuer had although we doe desire it neuer so much The son of God did complaine on his owne father because he had exalted him and afterward throwne him downe because there was neuer sonne more honored by his father than Christ nor neuer sonne so much abased as Christ was afterward on the Mount of Caluary The better to vnderstand this speech exaltatus humiliatus wee must suppose that God did neuer giue nor neuer will giue vnto any those graces and preheminences which hee gaue vnto his welbeloued sonne because there is no creature worthy to receiue them nor any Angell of that capacity that he is able to haue them imparted vnto him The sonne was exalted by his Father seeing hee gaue him his owne diuine essence and power and in that his flesh should be vnited vnto that diuine nature and because the holy Ghost was the maker and framer of all that mystery and because he should take flesh of a Virgine and she remained a Virgine The sonne was highly exalted by his father considering that hee gaue him so much power vpon earth as hee had aboue in heauen The sonne of God was highly exalted by his father considering that hee gaue him the most excellent soule that euer was or shall bee created and gaue him power to cast out diuels and authoritie to raise the dead and power ouer al the elemeÌ„ts also gaue him license to pardon sinnes The sonne of God was greatly honoured when hee gaue him himselfe for his father a pure Virgine for his mother holy Ioseph for his maister the great Baptist for his embassadour the great Euangelist for his Secretary holy Peter and Saint Paule for his Preachers Christ was highly honoured by his Father considering that he made Iohn baptize him in the riuer of Iordan and caused the holy Ghost to bee present with him and his glory to shine there vpon him and openly acknowledge him to bee his welbeloued son Behold then how the sonne of God was exalted and honoured by his father but alasse as hee endeth his speech with exaltatus he sayth presently that he was humiliatus conturbatus that he was throwne downe and troubled so that according vnto this prophecy the end of his honour was the beginning of his infamy Christ was abiected and abased by his father because that from his young tender infancy his father began to hold a rigorous hand ouer him for in the first three and thirty years which he liued he neuer gaue him license to shew his power nor employ his knowledge nor set forth his learning nor win credite and fame in the world Christ was abiected and made low by his father seeing that of God he made him a man of eternall temporall of one that was inuisible visible and of one that was immortall mortall of one who was strong mighty weake and of a free man a bondsâ—aue according to his humanitie The sonne of God was abased and abiected by his father considering how he suffered the Pharisies to persecute him by malice the Priests by enuy the Scribes by couetousnesse the Gentiles through ignorance and the Synagogue by obstinacy Christ was brought low and abased by his father seeing he gaue his enemies leaue to point at him as if hee had been an enchanter diffame him as an Idolatour accuse him of blasphemy rebuke him of sedition and condemne him for a Traitor CHAP. II. How Christ doth complaine vpon his father because he doth breake all his anger vpon his body IN me transierunt irae tuae terrores tui conturbauerunt me saith Dauid as if he would say Thou was not content O my Father thou wast not content to bring mee vp in such great misery as thou didst thou wast not content to exalt mee and throw mee downe againe but
gouernours were Romanes who were Gentiles and Pagans How was it possible that there should bee any good in a Commonwealth which was gouerned by such naughty gouernours As in the vnfortunate Samaria they had no kine nor calues left so also the Synagogues Patriarkes and Prophets were at an end and that which was worst of all was that as Samaria was constrained to feed vpon asses heads so the Synagogue was forced to bee gouerned by naughty and wicked men Wee doe not say much in saying that they were gouerned by wicked men for wee might with good reason call them asses seeing they had no discretion to know that vvhich was good nor wisedome to eschew that vvhich vvas naught Doest thou not thinke that Pilate the iudge vvas a very asse seeing hee confessed before them all that hee found no cause to put Christ to death and yet Tradidit illum voluntati eorum Thou doest confesse Pilate that Christ was vvithout fault and yet doest thou condemne him to die Was not the High-priest Cayphas a very asse to say that Christ blasphemed because hee said that hee would come to iudge the vvorld Art thou iudge of the vvorld which is not thine and vvilt thou not let him iudge the vvorld vvho hath created it Was not thinkest thou King Herod a great asse for clothing Christ in fooles apparrell because Christ vvould not giue him an answere seeing that for that act hee should rather haue accounted him wise than otherwise Wherein could the sonne of God haue better showne his discretion and patience than in not answering vnto any iniury and in not misgouerning himselfe in any word Was not all the vvhole congregation and counsell of the Iewes a very asse in thy opinion in that they did crie for libertie for Barrabas and procured that Christ should die The Synagogue did not buy Barrabas life so good cheape as Samaria did the asses head because the asses head was bought for money but Barrabas life did cost Christ his bloud It was not worth so much and yet they gaue more in Samaria for an asses head than they did for Christs bloud in Ierusalem seeing they gaue but thirty peeces of money for Christ and fourescore for the asses head To speake morally then men buy the asses head deerely when they chuse for the gouernour of a Commonwealth or Prelate a simple and vndiscreet man because that in all canonicall elections the learned is to bee preferred before the simple and the wise before the vndiscreet There must needs be a great famine in that monastery in which they chuse for their head such a one as is light in behauiour base in linage a foole in his iudgement an asse in his conscience The Prophet did not say in vaine Cum sancto sanctus eris cum peruerso peruerteris For a wise man can bring vp but wise men a wicked man nothing but wicked men and an asse none but asses O thou whosoeuer thou art who doest hear or read this doe not thinke that we call those asses who haue but small or no learning but those which haue no conscience nor no bringing vp for he is often fitter to gouern who hath great experience discretion than hee who is full of knowledge folly We do not call him an asse who is ignorant in Logick Philosophy and Diuinity because that in Vniuersities men learn rather to dispute than gouerne make Sillogismes than rule subiects When a Prelate is vnpleasant in his conuersation hard in charity variable in his opinion slacke in iustice negligent in praier these we call asses and vnworthy of such a calling for for my owne part I had rather my Prelate should be experienced in gouernement than skilfull in learning and knowledge CHAP. XII Christ complaineth vnto his Father that all other martyrs had their paines and troubles inflicted vpon them at diuers times and he his all at once EGressus est frater eius in cuius manu erat coccinum quem appellauit Zaram Genesis 38 cha As if he would say Thamar brought foort◠two children at one birth and both aliue of the which the one they called afterward Zaram which was the last of the two and was borne with a scarlet thred tied at his finger which for a certaine was a strange thing to behold and deepely to be considered of If wee will curiously seeke out the meaning of this figure we shall find that it containeth a deepe mysterie pertaining directly vnto our purpose because it sheweth how soone our redemption began in Christ That two children haue been borne at one birth wee haue seene often and that one should be borne before the other we haue also heard but that the one should haue his finger tied and not the other is a thing that hath neuer been seene nor hard of and therefore by how much the thing is more rare by so much it is the fuller of mystery and secret Deepely then expounding this sigure who were the two children born at one birth but only the humane diuine nature which saued the world The two children whose names were Phares and Zaram did know no other mother but Thamar and the diuine and humane nature did acknowledge no other father but God for as it is an easie matter for a father to haue many childrē so it is a hard impossible thing for Christ to haue many fathers Although those two children were very naturall and neere brothers the one to the other and of one belly yet they were neuer sovnited together as the diuine and humane nature was vnited in Christ because these two were neuer seperated in Christ in his life nor seuered at his death vpon the crosse And as one of these two children was borne before the other so the redeemer of the world was first God before hee was man and was first born of his Father according to his diuinity than he was of his mother according to his humanity We know well that of the two brothers Phares and Zaram the one was born after the other but the diuine birth was so farre before the other that we find no beginning of it because it was Ab aeterno Of these two brothers the first of thē was borne in health pure and cleane and without any marke at all to giue vs to vnderstand that Christs first birth which was his diuinity did returne againe as whole faire and clean to heauen as it came from heauen because it is the natural condition of the diuine essence that how much the straiter his power is ioined vnto it so much the stranger and further it is from all kind of suffering What did it mean that the other brother was born with a coloured thred tied about his finger but that Christ should shed his bloud for the redemption of all the world O good Iesus O redemption of my soule thou doest see well that to come out of thy mothers wombe with thy finger tied is nothing else but to
benches of the Temple If there were no greater matter contained vnder this complaint and rebuke and if the sence were not of greater weight than the letter and the thing figured worthier than the figure it was no new thing nor rare fault to drinke of another mans wine or cast himselfe vpon some cloke laid to pledge or to sleepe in the holy Temple That which God speaketh here and that which our Lord complaineth of reacheth further than it seemeth for and dooth draw vs vnto a deeper mystery than outwardly it appeareth for if we marke it well God did neuer speake vnto the Synagogue but it did redound afterward to some mystery in the church First the Prophet in this place maketh mention of certain garments secondly that those garments were a pawne and pledge thirdly that they were laid neere vnto an altar fourthly that drunkards lay vpon them fiftly that they dranke there much wine sixtly that that wine was the wine of condemned persons and then that they dranke within the holy Temple What one of these words dooth want his mystery or what circumstance is there not worthy of deepe consideration In the selfesame sort that this was prophecied by Osee it was fulfilled by Christ for wine being brought for Christ to drinke of and also the other theeues the Iewes did not onely not giue it them but did themselues drinke it then being very dronk they took Christs clothes and cast them on the ground and sate vpon them When the Prophet sayth that they dranke the wine lay down vpon the garments hard by the altar hee sayth most truly for the first church that euer was in the world was the Mount of Caluary the first altar was the crosse the first sacrifice offered vp for the redemption of man was his own body to be crucified on good Friday vpon the same altar of the crosse the first faithfull were the Virgine and Saint Iohn with the other Apostles and secret disciples In that holy Temple and by that sacred altar who were they which leaned were cast down vpon the garments but onely the vnhappy and vnfortunate Iewes Thinke it is a great mystery that the Prophet did not see those of his Synagogue sitting but leaning neere vnto the altar to let vs vnderstand that they be neither open Christians nor conceiled Iewes for Christians they could not bee because they will not beleeue in Christ and if they will bee Iewes they haue no Temple where to Iudaize Robertus sayth Vntill this day the Iewes are not prostrate before the altar which is Christ to beleeue him nor yet on their knees to worship him nor on foot to defend him nor embracing him in signe of loue but leaning to offend him because their intention is to tread his holy garments vnder feet and keepe off Iesus Christ from them with their elbowes Taking this prophesie in another sence it is to bee noted that oftentimes in Scripture by good garments are vnderstood good works and by torne garments naughty workes and therevpon it is that as the body is clad and fostered with a new garment so the soule is decked and garnished with holy workes And because that the curious Reader may not thinke that we speak at randome we will proue our saying by Scripture What was the meaning that Saint Iohn saw Christ Vestitum ponere which was to see him with a long garment but to see him loaden with vertues from the head to the foot Hee that went to the wedding not hauing his nuptiall garment but because hee was vncomely clothed was carried to prison who is represented vnto vs but hee who although he doe lead an euill life yet dooth dare to enioy Christian liberty When God doth command in the Apocalips Omni tempore vestimenta tua sint candida let thy garments be white alwaies what doth he signifie but that we should be all cleane and vertuous When the Scripture saith that Iacob made his sonne Ioseph Tunicam polymitam that is an embrodered garment downe to the ground What was the meaning that his garment did reach so low but that the sonne of God should be perfite in all vertues What did it signifie that the Iewes did cast clothes vnder the asse feet to goe ouer and the Apostle put them vpon the asse which Christ rode vpon but that he misliked all that the Synagogue did and approoued all that the church did S. Augustine sayth Because in holy writ by the garments which wee weare are vnderstood the works which wee doe wee may truly say that no man goeth well clothed but the vertuous man nor no man with a torne coat but the wicked and naughty sinner Christ did vse but two garments in this world the one next his skin which was without seame the other an vpper garment which serued him for a cloke coat in so much that Christ did shew the perfection of his pouerty not only in his diet but also in the simplenesse of his apparell Barnard sayth The sonne of God did teach vs not onely to liue but also to apparell ourselues because his holy garments were few in number vild in colour small of price good in profite but cleane in vse Hylarius sayth Although the garments which the sonne of God ware were but few vild torne yet the Scripture dooth much esteeme of them not for the value vvhich they are vvorth but for the great mysteries which they did signifie Origen in an Homily sayth What vvere the garments vvhich the sonne of God vvent alwaies clad vvith but his diuine and humane nature wherof he was made His coat without seame and in which there neuer entred needle nor scissers was his diuine nature in great purity glorious from the beginning in the which there was no beginning nor shall bee no end for that nature is now as it was from the beginning and shall be for euer as it is at this instant By the other coat vvhich vvas sowne and cur is vnderstood Christs sacred humanity vvhich vvas formed by the Holy-ghost and borne of the Virgine Mary and therefore Christs vvearing of these two coats doth signifie that hee and no other is God and man and the sonne vvhich vvas incarnate Before that Christ tooke flesh hee had but one coat to couer selfe withall which was his diuinity but after that hee came into the vvorld he put on another coat vvhich vvas his humanity and by that means he did lend vs his coat to make vs holy and vvee did lend him ours to make him a man Saint Chrisostome sayth The one of Christs coats to wit that vvhich vvas vvithout seame continued vvhole and vntorne in his passion but his vppermost garment vvas rent and torne to giue vs to vnderstand that although his enemies had power to lay hands vpon his sacred humanity yet they had none at all to touch his diuinity Damascen sayth One of Christs coats fell vvhole and entire vnto the knights and the other torne and ragged
because there are vnited in him all the goodnesse of glory and grace As all that which is made in the word is life al that which is out of it is death so all that which is wrought in Christ for his honour and glory is life and all that which is not done in him and by him is all death S. Iohn goeth forward and sayth And the life was the light of men which he speaketh for the light of reason which hee did imprint in the soules which were blind by sinne the which blindnesse was remedied with the light of the humanity of Christ the which although it do not shine like vnto the most simple diuine light yet it was sufficient to lighten all humane nature and hee addeth further That the light doth shine in darkenesse Et tenebrae eum non comprehenderunt which words may be no lesse verified of the humanity of Christ than of the diuinity of the word Hilarius vpon those words sayth In respect of the diuine clearnesse all other creatures may bee called darkenesse because it is impossible that the diuine should not alwaies shine but the humane hath euery houre need of light God doth shine in the darkenesse of our sinnes seeing that none but hee can forgiue them and in this point it is no other thing to say Tenebrae eum non comprehenderunt but that his most great mercy cannot be made empty S. Barnard in a Sermon sayth God is mighty in forgiuing sinnes but he is most mighty in forgiuing those which are often committed wherein is shewed his infinite mercy seeing that he is not comprehended by them nor limited in pardoning them but hee doth pardon them when he will how he will and vnto whom he will In that that hee is man Christ hath also darkenesse where he may shine that is to wit all pure creatures be they neuer so holy and chosen seeing that of themselues they haue no light at all if they doe not receiue it of the sonne of God S. Ierome sayth The perfection and light of Christ is so great that being compared vnto that which other Saints haue it seemeth that it maketh them somewhat vnperfect which is to bee vnderstood not because there is any want in them but because there is a great abundance of excellency Irenaus in a Sermon sayth Although God tooke from the spirit of Moyses to giue vnto those elders which should be iudges with him yet notwithstanding Moyses continued wiser than they so it is in Christ from whom how much grace so euer the holy men doe take or haue taken yet they did neuer draw his grace drie nor at any time compared themselues with him We haue vsed all this long discourse to prooue how well the Apostle said of Christ Quod CoÌ„summatus factus est seeing that by these words it doth appeare that he had all perfections in him and by his Consummatus est which he spake vpon the crosse that all our wickednesse is now finished and at an end CHAP. IIII. Herein is entreated of the greatnesse and wealth of Salomons temple and how that in the sacred and holy temple of Christs humanity the holyghost hath bestowed greater workmanship riches and spirituall gifts then were in the temple which Salomon did build EDificauit Salomon domum domini consummauit eam 3. Reg. chap. 6. that is King Salomon builded a house for our Lord hee made such speed in the building of it that he neuer ceassed vntill he had finished it Origen vpon this place sayth The loue which God beareth mankind is so great that it pleased him to make himselfe a neighbor and an inhabitant of this world and therfore he would haue Salomon build an house here vpon earth where he might with ease communicate with euery person And because that this materiall temple was a figure of the true temple which was Christ and because the Scripture sayth of the one Quod consummauit eam and Christ also sayth of his Consummatum est we will first tell you how magnificent Salomon was in building of his and then wee will declare vnto you how liberall the holy Ghost was in framing that of Christ The case thnâ—estandeth thus that in the yeare foure hundred and fourescore after that the Iewes went our of Aegypt and in the fourth yeare after that Salomon inherited the kingdome in the second month of that yeare which was in Aprill the building of the Temple began and was finished in all perfection in the seuenth yeare There were alwaies busied in the working of that temple a hundred fiftie and three thousand and sixe hundred workmen and all this in time of peace for otherwise in time of warre it might haue been that some should haue builded and others defended Of this great number of workmen fourescore thousand brought stones out of the mountaines and seuenâ—y thousand carried burdens on their shoulders and the three thousand and sixe hundred were as it were ouerseers and commanders The vassales of the king of Tyrus are not compreheÌ„ded vnder this number who did cut wood on the Mount Lybanus and yet they were many in number as it may appeare in that Salomon did send them at one time twenty thousand load of corne and twenty thousand of barley and twenty thousand quintales of oile and forty thousand measures of wine Neither are there included in this number the Marriners which brought timber nor the engrauers which engraued images nor the goldsmithes which wrought in siluer which were a great number seeing that the metall which they wrought was much The Scripture maketh no mention of the siluer that was spent there but he sayth only that there was such abundance of it in Salomone house as there are stones on the earth What shall wee say of the gold that was spent there which would seeme incredible to all the world Before that king Dauid died he left three thousand measures of gold for the building of the Temple which hee offered of his owne and not of that which he had taken in warre All the nobles of the Realme did offer also for the building of that holy edifice fiue thousand measures of gold besides others mettals of lattin copper and tinne whereof there is no waight laid downe because the quantity of it exceedeth number What riches was spent there may bee easily gathered in that that the Temple was all couered with gold from the top vnto the bottome that not of plain gold like a painted table but curiously cut kerned In this prowd building this word gilding is sildome vsed but this word clad with gold and enterlaced with gold and couered with gold is oft spoken and therefore that which Salomon did of pure gold is more theÌ„ now adaies is wont to bee gilded The Glosse sayth That the floore of the greatest place which they called Sancta and the floore of the lesser which they called Sancta sanctorum were both paued with fine gold and all this for the