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Show rn, ci 446 Lhe Jecond Booke of thefirst part Cuar.igg 4, Romanes the Auxof Watres andthat the prouifions wihich they found, together with the Arts which-they,learned,in-one fubdued Prouince; didm ake them ak le ands fall in purfuing their coaqueft,and going on into Regions‘fat remoucd from them. At day hauing loft in effeétall chat they had gotten, {ich ofthem as ling in Arabia it fel eood horfemen,butilhappointed; very dangerous paflenge ts,butvaableto deale with goodSouldiers, as riding ftarke naked, and rather trufting in the fwiftnetleof their horfes, than.in any other, meanes of reliftance; whetethey arew ell oppofed. And fch, or little better,may they feemeto haue been,that{poyled Iudaain thetimeot i. horam. For their Countrie- was alwaies barten and defert,wanting manual! Arts wher. byto fupplythe naturals with furniture: neither are théefe bands named.as chiefin that 10 action,but rather adherents of the Philiftims. Out ofthis we mayinfe r,that one halfe, yea,or one quaxter of the numbers foundin theleaft mutterof dada and Beniaminvnder Zebofaphat (wherin were inrolled three hundredand eighty thoufand fighting men) had beene enough to haue driven away far greater forces than:thefp enemiesare likelyto haue brought into the field, had not the people beenevaableto deale with them, for lack ofweapons, which werenowkept fromthembytheir Princesiecalou Caarig§.s. "Hot {ped fo wellthe laft time,that they thould willingly run thither againe,vnleflethey a wereveryfairely intreated. J 3 The atts.ofthis wicked man I haue thought good to handle the more particularly (purfuing the examination of all occurrences, ds farte as'the'circumftances remembred inholy Scripture, would guide'meebyt heir directions) to theend that it might more plainely appeare, howthe corrupted affections ofmen;impugning the revealed will of God, accomplith. neuertheleffe, his hidden purpofe, and withoutmiraculous meanes, confound, themfelnes.in the feeming-wife denices of their owne folly : as likewifero the end that all men mightlearne,to {ubmit their iudgements to the ordinance of God, rather than to think, that they.mayfafely. di{penfe with his comandements, and follow "the pradenc conceits which worldly wiledome diGateth yatothem. Forin fuch kind of ppie fubtilties, itis manitelt that Arhalie was ableto furnifaboth her Husband and her Sonne; buttheiffue of them:partly hath appeared already, and partly will appeag, in that which immediately followeth, §. Vy time bythepolicie of the Philiftims. Ttmayfeemethat the houfe of the King whichthefe inuadersto face in Terufalem,but rather fome othet houfe of his abroadin the Co Wiues and childrenat that time lay fortheir recreation: becaufe wex did facke the Gity, or {poyle the Temple, which would haue inuited themasamore commodious bootie, had they got pofleffion thereof. Yet perhaps they too it felfe by furprize,the people being difarmed,and the Kingsguards too weaketokeep them out; yet had notthe courage to hold it, becaufe it was folarge and populous: and therefore hauing done what {poyle they could, with-drew themfelues with {uch purchafe as they were able fafely to conueigh away. : The flaughter committed by Iebz on the twoandfortie brethren of Abazia, or(0s theyare called elfewhereyfo many ofhis brothers fons, andthecruel in all the Royall feede perifhed' (onely Zoas excepted). vnderthetyra following within two yeetes afterthis inuafion of the Philiftims,andAra {eemle probable,that the fonnes of /ehoram were notallflaine at once; bu therfirfkmurtherbegannein his owne time, and was feconded by many other h blowes, wherewith his:houle wasinceflantly ftriken;-vntill iewas in a mat hewed downee:, ked King, fmiting him with a grieuous difeafe,in his bowels, which'left hisguts fell outjiand his wretched foule departedff people of the Land,as they liad fall caiife of comfo good manners to'pretend forrow forhis death ; wherefi usiall among his:Ahceftors the Kings of Tuda, thougt wit inthe Kingdome;' whowas guided by the fame fpirits tha uis E Angels. Arhelizhad othermattersto troubleher head, than the pompous acdead husband: "Shee was thinking Row to prouidé forthe future; to 2 Chrd.2gge owne greatneffe, to retaineherfauourites in their authoritie, and ‘to'plac Sohne fuch Counfelours of the houfe of Abab, as were fitteft for her tus fhe thoughtit vnfeafonableto make much 4-doe about'a thing of nothit the peoples eyes, witha ftarelyfunerall of aman by.them detefted': butt tt to let the blameofthings paffed be laid vponthe dead, than toprocureanill ypin of hei:felfeand-hers; which itnow did concerneé het to auoyd. Suchtisthe qt wicked Inftigators; hauing made greedy vie of bad impléyme $; torcharg with his ownvices, butwith'their faults alfé,the man wholecuil inclinations th¢ {ter counfailes hane madeworfe, when once he is gonéahd'can-profirthem no K Thedeath of /¢horamfel out indeed inabnfietinie: When‘his friend'& coutint oI lite,who had the fame name,wasentangledin-a difficule warre againft the Ar therfore could haue had no better leafuré to help Athalia,inferting ofthing to het owne ntinde;:than hee hdd (perhaps through the fame hinderance) t husband,when hee was diftreffed bythe Philiftims. Yearather heeneeded thealliftance of themen of Luda, for the taking inof Ramothi Gilead, whete : Ofthe reigne of Ahazia, and his bufine{fe with the King ofIfrael, Chazia, or Abaxia, thefonne of Ieheramand Athalia, begannchis reigne oucs fudainthe twelfth yeere of sehoramthe{on of Ahab KingofLrael,and reigned but one yeere. Touchinghis age, itisa point of much morediticultie than importanceto know, it ; yet bath it bred much.dif{putation, whereof I {ee no more.probableconeluifion,than that of Tornjel/usalleaging theEdition ofthe Septuagint at Rome; ZaneDomini-1588. whichfaith that he was twentyyeeres old in the beginning ofhis Kingdome; andthe Annotationsthereupon, which citeother, Copies; that doe giue himsivoyeeres more. Like enoughheis to haue beene yongue,: for he was gouerned by his Mother, and her Minifters, who. gaue him .counfaile, by which hee perifhed, In matterofReligion healtered none of his fathers:courfes, In matterof ftatehe like= Wwifevp-held the league made with the houfe of -4baé. Hee was much bufied in doing , little, and that withill fucceffe.. Hee accompanied his Coufin the Ifraclite againft Ramoth Gilead,which they wan,but not without blowes: fortheAramites foughtfo well, thar the King of Ifrael was faine to aduenture his owne perfon; which f{caped notyn- wotindeds bo: After thefé calamities; the hand of God was extended againft the bod vofithe-Fyforieofthe World: ; Che Townebeing won was mannedftrongly,in expectation of fomeattemptlikely emideby Hazael king of Aram: which done, /choram king of Itael with-drew {elfetotheCitie ofIzrael,where with more quiet he mightattendthecuring ofhis wounds;and Abazia returnedto Ierufalem.It feemes that he was but newly comehome for hereignedinall {cantly one yeere, whereof the former expedition,with the pre. parations forit, had taken vp agreat part, whenhe did make anew lourney, as it were ., or goodmannersfake, to vifitthe King ofIfrael, who lay fore ofhis wounds. Belike ‘4* Athaliawas brewing fomenew plots, which his prefence would haue, hindered, and therefore fought euery occafion to thruft himabroad: for otherwife it was but a vain: piece of worke foto leaue his kingdome, hauing no other:bufinefle than by way o! complement togoe feeone whom he hadfeen yefterday.. Certaine it is, thatthe Lorg had refoluédat this timeto put in execution that heauie iudgement, which he had laid by themouth of E4a the Prophet vponthe houfe of Ahab. And hereuponat this time had he defpofed nog only the concurrence ofall other things, ;which in mans eyes might feeme to haue been accidentall ; but the yery thoughts and affections of fuch pertons, as intended nothing leffe than the fulfilling, of his high pleafure. Of thefe Athalia 50 doubtleffe was one; whofe mifchieuous purpofesit will fhortly bee needfull for explanation ot dome difficulties arifing, that wediligently confider,and examine, |