displease their creator For it is better to be ignoraunt in the trueth then to teache errour Therfore to coÌ„clud as Macrobie writeth there is but one God subiecte to no mutabilite of all naturall thynges one eternal of all naturall thynges the cause principal whiche saieth by his Prophet Esaie I am God afore me there was no other neither shalbe after me with out beginnyng onely euerlastyng of whom Virgil writeth thus Heauen and yearth and the vvater large The bright circle of the heauenly sphere The spirite all fostereth and hath ful charge Passyng through all to guyde it euery vvhere AND Plato saieth there is but one God and affirmeth that this worlde was created by him and was called God bycause he geueth frely to men all thynges good profitable and is of all goodnesse in this worlde the cause principal fountain and spryng The .ii. Chapiter ¶ The principles of natural thinges ALBEIT it was coÌ„uenient to haue begonne this present treatise of declaryng the principles of naturall creatures and so consequently to haue expounded the originall of the Goddes forsomuche as they haue their beginnyng of the same thynges yet the reuerence that I haue to the true God whiche was afore all other creatures moueth me to begynne at hym as the cause principal of the rest Therefore as concernyng the causes of thinges I wyl shewe fyrst the myndes of the Philosophiers that be moost probable vntyl I come to the trueth self Thales one of the seuen wyse men of Grece holdeth opinioÌ„ that water was matter of all thynges Contrary wyse Heraclitus an Ephesian and Hippasus suppose al to be procreated of fire Empedocles saieth the foure elementes wer the causes of thinges as Lucretius writeth Of vvater earth aire firye glede All thinges natural duely procede Anaximenes thynketh al thynges to haue their beginnyng of the ayre Metrodorus affirmeth the vniuersal worlde to be eternal without beginnyng or end Epicurus one of Democritus disciples putteth two causes Atomos or Motes vacuite or emptines of these he saieth y e foure elemeÌ„tes come These are the opinions of the Philosophers y t were men without the knowledge of God but as Moses Iosephus recorde the scripture concludeth that God made all thinges of nothing in the beginnyng as s Iohn saieth al thing was made by him And therfore as Lactantius writeth let no maÌ„ be curious in searching of what stuffe God made these great and wonderfull workes for he fourmed theÌ„ al of nothyng by the power of his mightie worde For as Dauid the prophet singeth he spake the worde and they were made he gaue coÌ„maundement and they were created Of the same opinion is Plato in his booke called Tymaeus The .iii. Chapiter ¶ The procreacion of man the diuersitee of languages and diuision of nations THE most famous writers of naturall hystories as Diodorus recordeth spake of two soÌ„dry maners of birth and fyrst stocke of mankynd For they whiche contend that the world was vngenerate and with out any daunger of corrupcion saye also that man hath bene in a certaine perpetuite without beginnyng Of this opinion were Pythagoras Architas Xenocrates Aristotle with other Perâ—patetekes affirmyng that al thinges in the eternal world whiche haue bene or shall hereafter come to passe be by generation endles and without beginnyng and haue onely a circuite and course of generacions wherin both the birth natural resolucion of thynges may be perceyued Other that suppose this worlde had both an originall cause of beyng and shal also sustein an end by putrifaction hold opinion that man had a time of his generacion For this cause the Egyptians report that men wer fyrst borne among them aswell by reason of the fruitful rankenes of the soyle and seasonablenes of the ayre as by cause of the riuer Nilus whiche for the lustye fatnes of the slyme dothe procreate diuerse kyndes of beastes hath in it selfe naturally a certeyn power nutratiue For in the countree of Thebais Mice be engendered of the mudde Wherfore men of those parties merueil muche when they be holde the fore partes of them to the brest walowe moue sensibly in the mire and the hinder partes as yet nothyng fashioned but all out of shap Neuerthelesse Psammaticus their kyng desiryng to knowe in what couÌ„trie men were fyrst begotten deuised this meane He caused .ii. yong infantes newe borne to be deliuered to his herdmen to be brought vp among his cattel coÌ„maunded that no maÌ„ shuld speake any word to them because he would know what word they would speake fyrst Then two yeare after when the herdmen opened the doore where they were norished they stretched out their handes and cryed Becos which in the Phrigians laÌ„guage signifieth breade Thus it was knowen that the Phrigians were the eldest linage and fyrst borne The Ethiopians of this coniecture thynke them selfes to be the fyrst because no man would come out of any other place into that region and they of that partie bee by a general consente called home bread and as Diodorus sayeth it is probable that those vnder the Meridional equator should be the auÌ„cientest of al. For seyng the heate of the sunne dryeth vp the moysture of the yearth and hath also of it selfe a power to geue and preserue the life of thynges it is like that the place whiche marcheth nerest to the suÌ„ne shuld bryng furth y e fyrst liuyng creatures For that cause Anaximander taught that men fyrst sprong of water and yearth warmed with liuely heate Empedocles in a maner coÌ„firmeth the same where he writeth that euerye particular membre was seuerally made proporcioned of the yearth as a mother and so to haue bene compacted and coÌ„glutinated by heate and moysture into the perfecte figure and shappe of a man Democritus thinketh menne were fyrst made of water and mudde tempered together Zeno iudgeth the cause of mankynde to haue proceded of the newe worlde And menne to be onely begotten by the ayde and comfort of the diuine fyre that is the prouidence of God As for the Poetes some faine howe man was made out of softe claye by Prometheus some say that they sprong of the hard stones that Deucalion and Pyrtha cast and thus muche is of y e vaine opinioÌ„s of GeÌ„rilitee But to speake the truth as scripture teacheth y e beginnyng of manne was in Iurye For God when he had finished the worlde did create the fyrst maÌ„ Adam of the yerth in the felde of Damasce as some thinke Thus AdaÌ„ made by God mariyng his wife Eue was auctour and beginner of the whole posterite and linage But forsomuche as God fourmed but one man and indued him w t one kynd of speche onely to vtter and declare the thynges that he conceyueth in his mynde men perchaunce wyl merueile what the cause should be that there be at this daye so many
Shippes lxxx Shomakers crafte lxix Shroueâ—wesday ciii Sycles lix Silke lxix Silla xli Siluer lviii Siluer coyned in Egina lix Siluester commaunded that a prieste should haue but one wife C.v. Simony C.l. Simonides iii Singyng psalmes by course C xix Syngyng to the lute â—xiiii Syngle liuers ix Sithes xlix Siues sarces lxvi Slynges xlix Smityng fire with woode lix Smithes forge lviii Socrates xxiii Solicitours C.xlix Soll. xliiii Solle masse daie C. and xxvii Somners C.xlix SoÌ„nes of Noha vii SoÌ„nes of Seth fouÌ„d the letters xiii Sotheryng of Iron lviii Speares xlviii Speakyng of the nature of God is dauÌ„gerous lii Spyndelles lxix Spinnyng lxviii lxix Spirites xxxiii Spirituall priestehod lxxxviii Spurius Caruiliê° x. Squire lxxviii Stacions C.xlvii Stallyng a bishoppe xci Staâ—es xlviii Steples lxxiii lxxiiii Stephen is martyred lxxxiiii Sterres of what power thei bee xxvi Stewes lxxxi Stithee lviii Stockes xli Storye of a Kynges daughter ix Strikyng of y e clocke xliiii SubdeacoÌ„s lxxxviii Subsydes and taxes xli Succession in priestehoode lxxxviii Sundery deuision of the daie xlv Supersticion turned into religion C.xix Supplicacions C.xxx Susanna lxxxi Swearyng xcvi Swyne commended in sacrifices lxvii Swordes xlviii Sworde plaiers liii T TAbles li. Akyng of housell at Easter C.xiiii Talus li. Tapers C. Targettes xlviii Taxes or Subsidye that thei paie which haue benefices C.xlix Taxes or Subsidies xli Telesphorus did appoyncte Lente to be kepte afore Easter C.xix Tennis li. Tentes lxxii Textes prouyng confession C.xvi. Thales ii xlii Theatres lxxviii Themistocles xxiii Theodosius coÌ„maunded that no Crosse should be grauen on the grounde C vii Theseus first tyrante xxxix Thessaly vsed Magike xxxiii ThraciaÌ„s fashion of buriyng lxxiii Thre strynges in the harpe xxiii Three partes of philosophie xxv Thre masses on Christemasse daie C.xiii. Three partes of phisike xxx Thre kyndes of lawes xxxvi Three powers of the starres xxvi Tyle and slate lxx Tyrians were connyng Carpenters lxxix Tysias gaue rules of Rhethorike xxi Tithes C.xxxii Titles of Bishoppes of Rome C.xlviii Tonges lviii Towers lxxi Tragidies xvii Tragos xvii Transfiguracion C. and xxiiii Tribunes xl Triumphes lv Tryx xviii Trewe faste C.xix Truse for yeres liii Tubalcain xxii xlviii and lviii Turnyng oure faces Eastward C.ix. Two kyndes of prophesiyng xxxv Twoo partes of graÌ„mer xiiii V. VEnus lii Enus a commen woman lxxxi Vermilion lxi Vigilles C.xx Visers wer found by Echilus xviii Voyces xxxix Vowes C.xxix and. C.xxxv. Vse of Scotlande ix Vses in the seruice C.xviii Vulcanus lviii Vultursii lii Vxor ab ungendo x. W WAggons l. Alles of houses lxx and .lxxi. Washing of feete on maundy Thursday xcviii Washyng dedde bodies C xxvii Watche woordes xlviii Watches Wardes xlviii C.xx Water is cause materiall iiii Water diall xliiii Weightes and measures xxix Weuyng lxviii Wethercockes xxviii Whitsondaie lxxxvii What men were deified i. Wymble lxxviii Wyndes xxvii Wine lxvi Wyne tauernes Ivi Winter garlaÌ„des lvi Wolle lxix Women had commeÌ„dacioÌ„s in Rome lxxv Women maye not bare their heddes in the churche xcvii Women of Inde lxxiiii Woorkes due on the holy daies C.xxii. Worlde made of naught iiii World was made by meter xvi Wrestlyng li. Writyng in Egypte lxxvi Writyng tables C.i. X. X Letter xiiii Xamolxis xxv Xerxes li. Y YAwnyng C.xxx Ere who founde it xlii Ymages lxi Ymages of the wyndes xxviii Ymages of waxe C. Yokyng oxen lxv Yron lviii Yuye xxxii Z. ZEno vi Oroastes found Magike xxxiii ⧠The ende of ⧠the Table IMPRINTED at London vvithin the precincte of the late dissolued house of the grey Friers by Richard Grafton Printer to the princes grace the .xvi. daie of Aprill the yere of our Lorde 1546. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum Ephe. vi Good angels Oracles doubtful What men were deified Isis Neptunus Faunus Pallas Apollo Iupiter Belus Opinions of the philosophiers Thales Cleanthes Anaxagoras Chrysippus Diagoras Protagoras Epicurus AnaximaÌ„der The Egyptians Saturnus father of the goddes To speake of the nature of God is dauÌ„gerous Simonides One God what God is Water is cause material Fyre Foure elementes Ayre Atomos The worlde was made of naught Plato Two opinions of the birth of man The second opinion The Egiptians opinion of man Mice engendred of the mudde The story of Psammaticê° Ethiopians opinion of man Aborigines AnaximaÌ„der Democritus zeno Poetes God made man â–ª Adam the fyrst man Diuersitee of speches Religion Babilon Deuision of nacions Sonnes of Noe. Auctours of the names of countries Institucion of wedlocke Mariage beganne in paradise Cecrops The maners of diuers nacions in mariages Massagites Arabians Punishment for aduoutry A storye Biyng of wiues Nasamones The vse of Scotland Malcolme kyng of the Scottes Single liuers DeuorcemeÌ„t Spurius Seruilius Moses ordeined deuorcementes Rites of mariages â–ª Fyre and water geuen in token of chastitee Maydes of Rome and Grece Vxor abvn gendo Occasion of Idolatry Images of kynges Melissus Belus Ethiopians Ianus Cadmus Orpheus Cecrops Cain Abel Enos Letters Diodorus Menon The Egyptians letters Plinie Cadmus founde .xvi. letters Palamedes added foure letters Epicarmus Cadmus Eumolphus â–ª Moses Sonnes of Seth found the letters Hebrue letters Euander brought letters into Italy Demaratus taught the Hetrurians letters The letter f. was taken of the Aeolians F. for u. consonant q. letter x. letter Two partes of grammer Epicurus taught grammer first Crates taught grammer in Rome Antonius Enipho a scholemaster Poetrie Poetes be called holy of Ennius Hebrues were auctours of Poetry Moses Dauid The Psalteâ— of Dauid Salomon Iob. Orpheus Linus Liuius Andâ—onicus The worlde was made by meter Dyuerse kindes of meter Heroical verse Archilocus found iambê° Daphnis founde y e sheperdes carols Tragedies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vysâ—rs were founde by Eschilus Famous tragedies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Tragedie A comedie Archilaus A satyrâ— Two sortes of Satires Lybeâ—ye of the old satyre New Comedye Menander Satires wherof they were named Hystories Cadmus wrote the story of Syrus Moses dyd write the fyrst storye Priestes of Egypt wrote stories Pheresides Prose Greke stories Latin stories Rhethoryke Marcurie Empedocles Corax and Thisias gaue rules of Rhethorike Dâ—mosthenes Cicero Partes of Rhethorike Oratoure Rhethoricien Declamator Orpheus Fynders of Musike after diuers authours Dionisius zethus Amphyon Archadiens Marcurye found the coÌ„cordes Cubalcain Nature gaue musyke â–ª to men Labourers passe the time with songes Musyke maketh men effeminate Socrates Themystocles Salii martiâ— Dauid Harpe Marcurâ— â–ª Thre strynges in the harpe Amphyon Goddesses of sauoure Shalmes Dardanius Trezenus Pype Singyng to the Lute Δ Regalles Nables Dulcimers Brasen troÌ„pe Dyrceus capitayne of the Lacedemonians Moses fouÌ„d the trompe Archadiens brought instrumentes into Italy Lacedemonians maner in warre Drumslades in warre Pypers and Fidlers Philosophie Magiciens Chaldees Gymnosophistes Druides Ochus Xamolxis Orpheus Atlas Hebrues were auctours of Philosophie Pythagoras calleth him selfe a Philosophier Thre partes of Philosophie Fiue partes Dialoges Thre power of the sterres Obseruyng of daies Chaldees Astrologie Egiptians Mercury
displeased then he sayd to them Why doate you so can y e byrde whiche knoweth not of her owne death tel vs the casual aduentures of oure iourney For if she had had any fore knowledge she wold not haue comon hether to haue bene kylled of me Castyng of lottes Numerius Suffusius deuised fyrst at Prenest The expouÌ„dyng of dreames Plinie ascribeth to Amphiction but Trogus assigneth it to Ioseph sonne to Iacob Clement sayeth the Telmessians fouÌ„d it But al these were inueÌ„ted to seduce men with supersticious errour and for the commoditee of them that vse it ⧠Here endeth the abrydgement of the fyrst booke ¶ The fyrst Chapiter ☞ The original of lawes and who made the fyrst lawes LAVVE IS a constant and perpetuall good thyng without whiche no house no cytie no countre no state of meÌ„ no naturall creature not the worlde it selfe can coÌ„sist ferme and stable For it obeyeth God and al other thinges ayre water laÌ„d man be in obedience to it Chrisippus calleth it a knowledge of all diuine and humayne matters coÌ„maundyng equitee and expulsyng wickednes and wrong ¶ There be of lawes three kyndes one natural that is not onely appropried to man but also it concerneth al other lyuely thynges either in the yearth sea or ayre As we perceiue in all kyndes of liuyng creatures naturally a certayne familiaritee of male and female procreacion of issue and approcliuitee to norishe the same the whiche ê“cedeth of a natural law engraffed in the heartes of euerye of them nature her selfe that is God was auctour of this ¶ The second is named the law that al men vse generally through all the worlde as to shewe a man the way to communicate to men the commoditee of the elementes water and fyre to this kynde apperteineth the lawe of armes and it is called in Latyne Ius gentium Ciuile lawe is the pryuate lawe of euery countree or cytie as of the Romaynes Lacedemoniens and Atheniens This coÌ„sisteth in decrees of princes statutes and proclamacions The chiefe principal lawes were promulgate by God confyrmed after the moost depured and perfect maner that natural equite could deuise or coÌ„ceyue and be in stable constance and subiecte to no transmutacion After the example of these man hath inueÌ„ted lawes to defende preserue good men and to punishe kepe euyll persons in offyce and good order Suche lawes Ceres made fyrst as Diodorus supposeth but other thiÌ„ke it was Rhadamanthus afterward other in diuers couÌ„tries deuised and ordeyned lawes as in Athens Draco and Solon in Egypte Mercurie in Crete Minos in Lacedemony Licurgus in Tyre TharaÌ„des in Argos Phoroneus in Rome Romulus in Italy Pythagoras or after y e mynde of Dionisius the Archadians that were vnder Euander as their souereigne lorde and chiefe capitayne Not withstandyng the very true authoure of lawes was God whiche fyrst planted in vs the law of nature and in ê“cesse of tyme when that was corrupte by Adam and his posteritee he gaue by Moses the lawe writen to reduce vs agayne to oure fyrst state and true instincte of nature whiche was afore all other as Eusebius declareth ¶ The .ii. Chapiter ¶ Who ordeyned the fyrst gouernaunce of a coÌ„minaltie tyranny with other constitucions THE administracion of a common weale is after thre sortes as Plato deuideth it Monarchie where one ruleth Aristocratie when the best menne gouerne Democratie or popular state where the coÌ„mon people haue a stroke in rulyng the publyke weale Principalitee or a kyngdome was fyrst begonne by the Egyptians whiche could lyue no while without a kyng or rular there reigned fyrst as Herodotus sayeth Menes and theyr maner was to chose him among the Priestes of their religion if it fortuned that any straunger obteyned the realme by conquest he was compelled to be coÌ„secrated priest and so was the election legittimate when he was kyng priest The Diademe that was the token of the honoure royal had it beginnyng by Liber Bacchus The Atheniens fyrst ordeyned the state of a publike weaâ—e that was gouerned by the whole commons as Plinie thynketh albeit they had also kynges whereof Cecrops Diphyes which reigned in Moses time was the fyrst For as Iustine wryteth euery cytie and nacion had at the beginnyng a kyng for theyr chiefe gouernour whiche attayned to y e dignitee by no ambicion or fauoure but by a syngular wyt and sober modestnes and reigned with suche loyaltee that he seamed onely in tytle a kyng in deede a subiecte Ninus kyng of y e Assyrians contrary to the olde ryte and custome of an ambicious desyre that he had to beare rule fyrst arrogantly vsurped thempyre of al Asia except Inde As coÌ„cernyng the institucion of the common wealth where the coÌ„mon do all thynges notwithstaÌ„dyng the mynde of Plinie I suppose it beganne among the Hebrues whiche were ruled by a popular state many yeares afore that Athens was builded The fourme of polycie whiche is gouerned by the best as y e Romaynes common wealth was I can not well tel where it had it original oneles I should assigne it to the Thebanes whiche in the tyme of Ninus ruled the Egiptians whose rule because the valiant and noble bare the auctoritee was called a power or potencie whiche was the thre thousand C.lxxxv yere of the worlde Plinie writeth that after Theseus Phalaâ—is was the fyrst tyrante whereby it appereth that he thinketh Theseus was auctour of tyranny but NeÌ„roth of the Image of Noe not long after the flud vsed tyranny ¶ Bondage as Plinie taketh it begaÌ„ne in Lacedemonye and was theyr inuencion neuerthelesse I finde that it begaÌ„ne among the Hebrues had the original procedyng of Chanaan y e soÌ„ne of Cham whiche because he had laughed his father Noe to scorne as he lay dissolutely wheÌ„ he was droÌ„ke was punished in his sonne Chanaan with penaltee of bondage and thraldome a thyng to them very straunge and to his posteritee greuous ¶ The ordre of manumission in olde tyme was in this maner the lorde or maister toke the bondmaÌ„ by the head or some other part of his body saiyng I wyl this felowe be free put him furth of his haÌ„des The couÌ„cel of the Areapagites whiche were called so of the court or strete of Mars were instituted by Solon to iudge of life and death their custome was to vse suche seueritee and entegritee in iudgemeÌ„t that they hearde all causes and matters in the night not in the day to the entent they should haue no occasion to regarde the parties but onely haue their eye and respecte earnestly to the thyng that was brought afore theÌ„ Voyces whiche be vsed and occupied in consultacions iudgemeÌ„tes and elections were fyrst ordeined by Palamedes ⧠The .iii. Chapiter ¶ The .iii. maner of regimentes in Rome the beginnyng of ornamentes royal with other matters perteinyng to a
to Saturnus and Phillara was the fynder and deuised also salues for woundes soores and byles albee it some thynke it was Appollo some referre it to his sonne Aesculapius whom Chiron brought vppe some to the Samothracians But I suppose they attributed the inuencion of it to Chiron bycause he founde the Herbe Centaurie wherewith he healed the wouÌ„d that he had by Hercules shafres fallyng on his foote as he was haÌ„dlyng of his weapons notwithstandyng Celsus saieth that the arte of Phisike is verye aunciente but he maketh no mencion of the authoure of it onely he sayeth Asclepiades whiche was an excellente Phisicion dyd abholishe the vse of it for somuche as it annoyed the stomacke and engendered euil humours Mercurie founde the vse of Moly Achilles Yarowe Esculapius Panace and sondery menne founde sonderye Herbes Medicines of Hony Sol the sonne of Oceanus inuented and beastes taught men certayne Herbes necessarie for medicines As the Harte striken with an arrowe driueth it out with Detany if he be stynged with a Spider he healeth him selfe with eatyng Pilles or a certayn herbe named Cancer Selandyne that is a soueraigne herbe for the sighte was perceyued by the Swallowes whiche heled the eyes of their yong ones with it The Snaile or Torteise redy to fight with the Serpente armeth him selfe with Sauery or Maioram The Bore in his sickenes cureth him selfe with the Iuye Of the water Horse in Nilus menne learned to let blodde For when he is coarsye vnlustye he seketh by the ryuer syde the sharpest reede stalkes and striketh vayne in his legge against it w t great violence and so easeth his bodye by suche meane And when he hath done he couereth the wound w t the mudde The Ibis a byrde muche lyke the storke of the same countree taught Phisiciens to minister clysters For when she is ful she purgeth her selfe with her croked beake at the foundament The wesyl in chasyng the serpente preserueth her selfe with Rue and the storke with Organye In Grece Orpheus Museus Dioscorides in Rome Marcus Cato Pompeius Leneus wrote of the nature of herbes In this tyme Plinie thinketh that this arte was fyrst receiued among the Romaynes ¶ The .xviii. Chapiter ¶ The beginnyng of Magike Driuyng out of spirites Charmes prophesiyng in sundry maners MAGIKE had it beginnyng of medicine was the inuencion of Zoroastres kyng of the BactriaÌ„s whiche reigned .viii. C. yere after the siege of Troy the same tyme that Abraham and Ninus reigned aboute thre M.C.lxxxv yeres after the creacion of the worlde Lactantius and Eusebius thynke it was set furth among other deuelishe sciences by the euil spirites and Plinie calleth it of al artes the moost deceytful It is compacte of medicine or phisike supersticion and the mathematical artes The ThessaloniaÌ„s most specially were slaundered with the frequent vse practisyng of this facultie The writer of this art was Hosthanes And Pythagoras Empedocles Democritus Plato w t diuers other sayled in far couÌ„tries to learne it wherin Democritus was most famous CCC yere after the cytee was builded in whiche time Hippocrates published the facultie of Phisike ¶ The maner to dryue oute spirites out of men that were possessed with them and charmes to heale corporal maladies kyng Salomon taught as Iosephus witnesseth and he sawe it doone by Eleazar in his tyme afore Vespasianus then emperour The maner to heale them was suche He put to the nose of the possessed man a ryng wherein was enclosed a roote that Salomon had shewed so dreue out the spirite and straight way the man fel doune then he coniured him with suche orisons andeâ—orcismes as were appointed by Salomon to banishe the spirite out of y e Demoniake The sages or wyse men of Persye whiche in theyr language bee named Magi beyng wholy addict to the honoryng of their false goddes came to suche extreme folye that they professed openly that they could not onely by the obseruacion of y e sterres know thynges to come but also by other pretensed artes and mumblyng of a fewe woordes they could do bryng to passe auye thyng that they would ¶ Of them were inuented these sixe kyndes of Magike Necromancye whiche is by raisyng vppe of deade men as in Lucane one raysed from death telleth the aduentures of the battaile of Pharsalus Pyromantie that telleth thynges by the fyre and lightnyng as Tanaquilla the wyfe of Tarquinius Priscus prophesied that Seruius Tullius should be kyng of Rome because she se the fyre enuiron his head The findyng of this Plinie referreth to Amphiaraus ¶ AeÌ„romantie that is a kynd of propheciyng by the ayre as by fliyng fedyng singyng of byrdes and strauÌ„ge tempestes of wynd hayle Hydromantie was propheciyng by water as Varro writeth that a childe did se in the water the Image of Mercury whiche in C. and fiftie verses told al the chauÌ„ce of warre against Mythridates kyng of Pontus Geomantie was a diuinacion by openyng of the yearth ¶ Chiromantie is a coniecturyng by beholdyng the lynes or wryncles of the haÌ„des called coÌ„monly Palmistry All whiche dayne illusions false persuasions it becoÌ„meth al true christiens to eschewe and abhorre ¶ The .xix. Chapiter ¶ Two kyndes of diuinacion sothsaiyng castyng â—â—ttes and readyng of dreames CICERO maketh .ii. kindes of diuinacions one natural and another artificial Natural is y t which procedeth of a certeine coÌ„citacion stirryng coÌ„mocion of the mynde that chaunceth sometyme to men when they be in dreames or slepyng sometymes when they prophesye in a maner of fury rauishyng of mynde as it dyd to Sibilla diuerse other religious persons Of this kind were oracles of Apollo and Iupiter HaÌ„mon Albeit they were often false because thei came of a deuilishe polycie mans subteltye but suche as come of the holye ghost and not of a phrenetike madnes be true ¶ The artificiall consisteth in those thynges whiche come of coniectures olde consideracions and obseruaunces of the entrailes of beastes fliyng of byrdes castyng of lottes ¶ The regardyng of the bowels of beastes beganne among the Hetrusâ—ians For as it fortuned a manne that plowed to rayse vp a deaper sorowe then he was wonte to do all sodeynly arose out of the yearth one Tages that taught theÌ„ al the feates of sothsaiyng but Plinie sayeth one Delphus found it The diuinacions by lokyng on the fedyng of byrdes Theresias a Thebane deuised Caras fyrst marked the chitteryng of them and Pythagoras obserued theyr fliyng Orpheus added the diuinacion by other beastes What store we ought to set by suche diuinacions Mossolanus a Iew techeth vs. When he was in the warres a certaine prophete coÌ„maunded euery man to stand styll tyl he had taken a coniecture of the bird that flowe by but Mossolanus toke priuely a bowe and shafte and kylled the byrde wherewith the wysarde diuerse other were
one day thre M. men and women And by the myracle of healyng the lame mā at the beautyful gate of the temple he stayed and confirmed them strongly in the fayth albeit he suffered persecucion greatly for the same And Stephyn for his faythful testimony was stoned to death Philip conuerted and baptised the Samaritanes and a certaine eunuche of Candaces quene of Ethiopia the eunuch turned the quene with her famylye and a great parte of that countree to the fayth of Christ After in Antioche the faythfull named them selues Christians Thomas preached to the Parthians Mathew in Ethiopia Bartholomew in Ynde Andrew in Scytia Iohn in Asia Peter in Galatia Pontus Capadocia Peter was borne in Bethsaida a cytie of Galile brother to Andrew He was by shyppe of Anthioche .vii. yeares and conuerted many people of Asia and after went to Rome in the tyme of Claudius there shewed the Gospel with great encrease at the same tyme Mari the virgine and mother of oure sauioure Iesus Christ dyd chaunge her lyfe and was Assumpted into the nombre of blessed spirites whiche was the yere of our saluacion .xlvii. Not long after Paule beyng conuerted from his phantasticall tradicions to a preacher of Christes Gospel was brought to Rome where he preached boldly the Gospel notwithstandyng the great persecutions that he suffered for it and afterwarde suffered death by the way of headyng at the cōmaūdement of Nero the same day that Peter was crucified on a crosse Thus dayly the cōgregacion of christians encreased more and more as the Actes of the Apostles and other histories doth declare at ful Albeit there was great trouble and persecucion in euerye place yet God by his power contrary to theyr expectacion turned theyr cruelnes to the furtheraunce of his worde confirmacion of the faythfull and confusion of them that vsed tyranny The .ii. Chapiter ¶ The institucion of circumcision and baptisme GOD whiche hadde made promyse to Abraham y t he should be father of many nations and that al the world should be blessed in his seede that Christ willyng to stay his farth in y e same promise appointed the couenāt of circumcision betwene him Abraham saiyng euery male shalbe circūcised and the fleshe of his fore skinne shalbe cut round about for a signe of the leage confederacy that I make with the. Vpon this cōmaundement Abraham then beyng .xcix. yeares of age dyd cut his fore skyn his sōne Ismales beyng then .xii. yeares olde whom he begatte by Agar his bondmayde and al his men seruauntes For this cause as s Cyprian saieth that he might haue the fyrste fruites of the blod whiche should afterward shede his holy blod for the redemption of manye yea of all that beleue in him The fashion of it was to cut the fore skynne of a mānes yarde with a knyfe of stone as God commaunded Iosue that he should make knyues of stone to circumcise all the Israelites the second tyme and Moses dyd circumcise his children with a sharpe stone Chrisostome calleth circumcision the fyrst and most auncient commaundement for there is no nacion that gaue any preceptes or rules to lyue by afore Abraham or Moses therfore it is to be supposed that other countries toke example at the Hebrues to circumcise their chyldrē as the Pheniciens and Arabiens the Sarrocenes the Ethiopians the Egyptiens and the Colchians This circumcision of y e fleshe was a fygure to vs of the circumcision of the heart and cuttyng away of al superfluouse luste carnal desyres and importeth a moderacion and mortifiyng of the affectes concupicences of the olde Adam I meane the sinnefull body he that had not this signe was banished out of the nōber of the people of God had no par◠in the promyses made to Abraham Baptisme wherein is lefte to vs a significacion bothe of the mortificacion of y e fleshe and diyng to the world that we may walke in a newe lyfe and also of the washyng away of our sinnes by Christes blod and is the token that we be of the body of the cōgregacion of the faythful was instituted by s Iohn sonne of zacharye the .xv. yere of the Emperoure Tyberius reigne in the wyldernes besyde the famoose riuer of Iordane wher he baptised muche people This baptisme and washyng was in the water to signifye the washyng away of our sinnes that shuld be by Christ whiche baptised in the holy ghost fyre There was signes of baptisme in the olde lawe as the cloud the red sea y e riuer of Iordain The fyrste that was christened of the heathen was Cornelius of Cesaria and the eunuchus of quene Cādaces Christenyng of enfantes was institute among vs as cyrcumcision of chyldren was of the Iewes celebrated the eight day Iginius bishop of Rome ordeyned fyrste that chyldren whiche should be Christened should haue a godfather and a godmother for to be wytnesse of the sacrament y t it was receiued And Victor bishop there dyd institute that one might be christened either by a lay man or woman in tyme of necessitie bycause enfantes were often in daunger There be thre maner of baptismes as Cyprian diuideth it One in water wherof Iohn was auctour another in the holy gost fyre wherof Christ was institutour the third is in blod wherein the children y t Herod slewe were Christened It was also the maner in old tyme that they whiche were growen in age should be baptised in white apparel and that was wont to be at Easter or Whitsonday only necessitie cōstrayned otherwise In the meane tyme tyll those daies came they were taught the misteries of the religion of Christ whiche they should professe Of that custome I suppose the sondaye after Easter is called the white sonday The .iii. Chapiter ¶ Of the priesthod of the Hebrues and degrees of the same LYKE as in y e christen cōmon welth there be two sortes of men one called the laytie to whō apperteyneth the ministracion of the publike wele and all temporl affayres the other is the Clergie to whō belongeth the cure charge of ministryng y e word of God sacramentes other decent ceremonies so in the olde lawe of y e Hebrues there were two iurisdictions one of thē was capitaynes gouernours of the cōmons the other was the priesthod that did offre vp the sacrifices other oblacions Of this degree of priestes Aaron and his sonnes were the fyrst ordeyned and cōsecrated by Moses at the cōmaūdement of God The maner and fashion of halowing of thē and their vestures is declared at large in the booke of Exodus As for Noe whiche made the fyrst alter Melchisedech Abraham Isaac and Iacob dyd make their offeryng rather of a naturall deuocion then any priestly auctorytee After that the Leuites whom we vse to cal deacons were