OCR Text |
Show Lhe third Booke ofthefistparsCaarag.s, nha ee ‘ be - see expedition.This:is manifeft,thatallthe principal Townesin thefé Regions were burnt, and the peopleflaine, or made flaues,few excepted; whobeing preferued byflight, had notthe courage toreturne totheirhabitations ouer-haftily, muchleffe to attemprany thing againitWabachodonofer,but lined as miferable ontslawes,oratileaft oppreflediwrer. ches,yotill the end ofthe feuenty yeares, which God hadprefctibed vnto thé defolation oftheir Countries, aswell as of the Landof Iuda, ofche.Elyftorieof theorld. y had reigned two and twenty yearcs, This authority were enoughi¢yetnot more than enoygh)to informe, vs of .Aprées his hiftory, ifgreater authority didnot‘contradi@ ir. Butth¢ deftruction ofEgyprby the Babylonian,foretold by the Prophets; which'hath no coherence with thefe relations, hath greater forceto compell our Beliefe,than haue thetraditions of Egyptian Priefts (which the. Grecke,Hiftorians followed) and greater probabilities to perlwade thofe that looke onely into humanereaforis: For £/ay prophe- r.29.ver, 1 cied longbefore ofthe fhamefull. captiuity of the Egyptians; whomvhe King of A fhur ¢6. fhould carry away naked,young &¢.old,in fuchwife, thatthe lewes, whorfled vnto them §.V I. i for deliuerance from the Affyrian:fhould be afhanied oftheir ovine vaine confidencein menfoynable to, defend themfelues, That Egypt was conquered, atthe King therein reigning flaine by Nabuchodonofoiy coxtrarietothe opinion of moft Authors : who,following Herodotus ad Diodorus,relate it otherwife. VW= by along courfe ofvidtory Nabachodenofér had broughtinto fubiectionallthe Nationsof Syria,& the borderingArabians,in fuch wife,thatno enemy tohimfelfe, norfriend ofthe Egyptian, was'left athis backe, that might giue impedimentvato his proceeding,ortake aduantage ofany misfortune; then did he forth-with take in hand the conqueft of Egypt himfelite,ypon whichthofe other Nationshad formerly bin depending. Ofthis expedition,and the vi@orious iffiether- *° of, thethree great Prophets, E/ay, Ieremie, and Ezekiel, have written fo plainely, that Thold it altogether needleffe to looke after more authoritie; ot to cite for proofe halfe of that which may bealleaged out ofthefe. Neuertheleffe, weefinde many and good Authors, whofollowing Herodotus, and Diodorus Sieulas, are well contented to fitaine thefe Propheciesiwith vnreafonable diligence vnto fucka fenfe, as gines to Wabuchodssofor little more than the tionour of hauing done fome fpoylein Egypt, omitting the conqueft of that Land by the Babylonian, and referting the death of Aprief dit Hophra toachancelong after following, which hadno coherencewiththefe timesof affaires: So prepofteronsisthe delight which many mentake in the meanes. and fecond helpes conducing to their purpofe, that oftentimes they doe-preferre' the Commentator be- 3° forethe Authour; and to vpholda featence, gining teftimony to one claufe, doe catelefly ouerthrowthe hiftorie it felfe , which thereby ‘they fought!to haue ‘maintained. Thereports of Heredotus and Diedorus, concerning the Kings of Egypt,‘ whichreigned aboutthefe times, are already reheafed in theformer booke 5! but chat' which they haue {pokenof Apries, was purpofely referued! ynto this place. Cuarag.d. Herodotus doth Heredlnerls sfhrme that he was a very fortunate King; but wherinhetelleth not- (vnleffé we fhow { voderftand that he was victorious in theWarre,which he is faidto lane made vpon Tyrus and Sidon) that he reigned fiueand twenty yeares, and was finallytakenand putt? deathby his owne Subiects '; who did fet vp Amafisyas King, which preuailec him. The rebellion of the Egyptians ‘he imputeth' toa great lofle whichthe inan expedition againtt theCyrenians,by whomalmofttheir wholeArmy we edi This calamitie the people of Egypt thought tobe well pleafingto their King, wh had fent them on their dangerous expedition, with'a purpofe to‘haue them:confumec, thatfo he might withgreaterfecuritie reigneouerfuchas ftaicdat'hoine. So they wh?fe efcaped, and the friends offuch aswere flaine, rebelled againft Apries; ywho'fe mafis to appeatethe tumult; but vama/is became Captain oftherebels,and was | chofen King, | Finally, the whole Land confentéd yntothis newEleétion' +! ¥! Apries was dyiuentotruk vatohis forraine Mercenaries the Ion ari whom hekept continually in readineffe thirty thoufand zood Suuile hantlyfor him; butwereat leagth vatiquifhedby thegreat numberof tl Ces, amounting vnto twohundredandfiftiethoufand, which were all by birth ¢ation men of Warre. 4pries himfelfe being taken prifoner, Was centlyintr Amafis for'a while, vntill' the Egyptians, exclaiming vpon Phaicty a : mictothe Land, got him deliuered ihto thei hands, and fttariplec Diedsierea Hit honourable buriall:' Such is the report of Herodotus withwhom) t Dioasr# fus doth neerely agree;telling vs that w4pries did vanquith theCy/prian in battell at Sea, tooke-by force and demolithed Sidon; -Wanne Phornicia, and the [feof Cyprus, and finally, perifhed as is before reheat fed, 40" But Ezekiel & feremy,as their, prophecies were neerer tothe time of execution, fo they handledthis argument more precifely, For, Ezehie/telleth plainly; that Egypt fhould be gitien to Nebuchadnezzar, as wagesfor the feruice whichihe hadidoneat Tyre s Allo £xech.29.ver, heerecountethparticularly allthe chiefe Cities in Egypt, faying, That thefe by name a a ie thouldbedeftroyed,and goeinto captiuity, yea, that Pharaoh andall his Armyfhowldbes *"?* Siaine by theford. \Wherefore it muft neédes bea violent expofition ofthefe Prophecies, which by applyingthe iffue.of fuchthreatningsto aninfinredionand rebellion, concludes all, without any other alteration in Egypt, than changeof the Kings perfon, wherein Amafis did fucceed ‘ynto Apries,, by forcéindeed, ‘biit'by the vniforme confent ofall the people. Certainely,, if thar notable:place of Ieremy., wherein hee forctellethhow the lewes. in Egypt thould fee. P+arao Hophre deliuered into the hand ,,,,,ene: Of his enemies, as Zedekia had beene, wereto be referred vnto the time ofthat rebel terem.43-10. lion, Whereof Heredatus hath fpoken, as thegenerall opinion hathouer-tuledit ; then Was itvainely done ofthe fame/Prophet (which God forbid'that any Chriftiah {hould thinke, {ecing hee didit by theappointment'ofGod himfelfe)rohide ifthe clay ofa Buicke-hill | thofe very ftones; vpon which the Throneiof wabachodono/or thould bee {tt and hisPauilion {pred. Yea. then.wasathat prophecy no other thanfalfe, which exprelledthe end ofPharaoh thus': Behold, 1wilkwifitothe commonpeoiile of No, and Phar orem Pep oltoh, andEgypt, with their gods and their kings, enen-Pharioh and al that trust in bim: did Lyvill delinier themintotbe hands of thofethaty feck theirbines\andinto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babel, andintothebandsofh. sermaets. The'eléareneffe ofthis 25.c26. Prophecy being fuchras.could-not buvrefutethat interpretation ofmatiy other places, Whichrcfetred alltotherebellion of Amafis,ic caufed me to wonder what thofe Commentatorswould fay to it,who areelfewherefo diligenvin fitting all to the Greeke Hi- ftorians. Wherfore looking vponZunivswho hadin anotherplace taken the‘enemics Of 1; Pharaoh Hophrato bee Amajis and his followerss\i: founchbita here acknowledging that «44. the Egyptian Priefts had notably.deluded. Herodotus witlilies,coyned vpon a vain-glo- tous purpofe of hiding their owne difgrace'and bondage. Andfutely it may well bee gohought, that the hiftory.ofNebachadvezxar;was better kniowne'to the lewes, whom it yniccthed,than to the Greekes,tharifcarcely. at any time head of histame. ‘Therefore Ice ng caufe whywefhouldnot rather beléeue Yo/erhus; reporting that Nebuchodewo/or inthe three and,twentieth yeare ofhis reigne,arid the fiftyeare ofthe deitruction ofIeaensid conquer Egypt,killithe King thereofjand appoint anotherin his ftead,than tabour ve Piodores who being: meére {trangets tc this bufineffe,had 10 Breat reafon'to Pricth {n'Jearching ont the truth, but might 'reft cotitented with afy thing thar-the Ss Would tell them,. Nowif fetting afidealladuantage of authority, we fhould dn- Mishgeet therelations.ofo/epbye patid of the Greeke Hiftorians, "as either of them a se ited ofit felfe by apparantcincumftances;without reflecting vponthe HeS°Btoued ah sts,.or EgyprianPriefts methinkes the deatlr of Aprses can DO way 3 ve ihitis auingbeene wrought byiconfentofthe people, but affords great matter of Stent §syeasthough no man had oppofedthe reports of Hero toravand Diotore.For the vai . Oue & honor which the Egyptians did beare vate thei? Kitigs;is otorious by The sfepp,amtig wa Rit SCR, of all others that'haue:handled the matters ‘of that Courittey 5 AS Ind.L10.0.51. pris oe ge reporr ofDiedorehitnfelfe. Howthen'can we'thinke it probable; that Aapeople Aerts great victories, »did forone onely loffe fall into thehatred ofall his weenieht: " may ferue torperfwadevs, thata King ofEgypt would feeke,or fo ae f th elf, that hemight bethought to feck thedeftruction of his fattitall {ubiects? that Anny. ofthirty thoufand fouldiers; Carians ‘and Tonians; which the ee lii 3 of |