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Show 450 ~~ Lhefecond Bookeof thefirst part = ; : Cuar.2i§., CHAP. XXIL Of Athalia, and whofe Sonne be was thatfuccee ded her, §..1. OfAthalia her vfarping thie Kingdomie, anil whatprerémcesfle mightforge. Frerthe death of hazia, it is faidthat his houfe was notable ting retaine the Kingdome: which note, andthe proceedings of Athee lia vpon the death of her fonne, haue giuen occation todiuers opinions concerning the Pedegrec of ./os, who reigned thortly after. For Athalia being thus difpoyled of her. fonne, ynder whofe name fhee had ruled at her pleafure, did forthwithlay hold vponall thePrinces of the bloud,andflew them,thatfohe might occupie the Royall Throneher felf,andrcigneas Queen, rather than linea Subiect.. Shee had before-hand. put intogreat place, & made Counfellors vnto herfon, fuchas were fittelt for Bet porpodesds cy i at all timesto execute her will:that fhe kept a ftrong guard:about hes sit is veryli ely; 0 as likely it is that the great execution doneby dehoram,vponthe Princes,& many of the Nobilitie,had made the people tame,and fearfultoftir,whatfocuer they faw.or heard, Yetambition, howviolent focuerit be,is feldomeor neuerfo fhameleffe as boselule the cémoditie ofgoodly pretencesoffering themfelues ; but rather fcrapes togetherall that will any way-ferueto colouriher proceedings. Wherforeit were not abfurd forvs to think,thatAthalia,whenthe faw the Princes of the Royal bloud,all of them in aman- ner,flain by her husband,and afterwards his own children deftroyed by the Rhine beganeuen then to play her owne game,reducing byartificiall practice,into faire lke i hoods, thofe pofiibilities wherewith her husbands bad fortune/had prefentedher. ue withoutgreat fhewofreafon, either by her ownemouth, or by fome truttic cee ¢ 30 hers,mightfhe giue him to vaderftand,how needful it were to take the beft order ¥ * as yet he might,for feare of the worft that might happen. Ifthe iffue of Deine nowremainedonly in his Family,thould by any accident faile(as woful cpr Cuaran§.2, voftheElforieoftheWorl. derfot heraffaires before-hand!) For thoughthee had no reaforto fufpecbo rfeare thie fiiddett death ofher fonne, yer iit was the wifet way to prouide! betimes againft all that might happen,whileft her husbandsiffie by othet women was yong and Voableto refift. Weplainely:finde thatthe Brethren or Nephewes ofcxzbazsa, tothe number of twoand fortie,were fent tothe Coutvof:Iftdel; onlyto falute'the children ofthe King, and thelchildren of the Queen? The'flenderioccationof which longiourny; cénfider ed rogether with thie qualitie ofthele perfons (beingin effect all the Rockelo t harjue that could bee growne'toany ftrength)makes it very {ufpicious, thar'theirentertainement in Jexabels houfe:wouldonely: hatebeene more formally bur little diffeting:in fubftance; sofronmthat which they found atthe hand of vehas ‘Heethat lookesiato the eourles held both before and after by-thefe two Queenes, willfinde caufe enoughitothink ene Jefe; Of fuch as haueafpired vnto Lordfhips norbelonging tothem|and thru out the tighe Heires by pretence of Teltamients; that had nocothervaliditiethanthe (word of fch as claimed:by them could gine, Hiftoti€s of lates yea of many Aigtsyiafford plentifol l examples: the Crown from his nathrallHeires; Dastdhad giuen proofe;burthefeh ad good ground oftheir doings.They which followlexamples that pleafethempwill neglect willingly thewing whatthey may:doe)than acknowledging-why-swomox flewhis brother that had begunone rebellion; arid was entring into another: Tehoram flew all his's brethren', which werebetter thanhees Danid purchafed-che kingdome,: and'might the inore freeli-difpofe of itpyet he difpdfed ofirag theLord appoint ed : if"haramavho badloftimuychandgotten nothing, «thought that hee mightalien the remainderiat his plealiiresor ifAhazia foughttocut offthe fucceffiom of his brethrenjot oftheirif ue: ei. ther of thefe was to beeanfweéred with the words! which ‘Iehéiada the Prieft v{edafters wardssimdéclaring'the title ofJenfh :-Behold,the Kingsifonne muft reigne sas the Lordhath Saidof the fonnes of Davids Wherefore though Ihold itvery probable, that arheljz did 30 pretend fome tithe, whatfocuerit might'be, tothe CrownofIuda 3 -yetit is moft cer- taine that fhec had thereunto noitightatall,:-but onely'gotirbyitreachery, murder; and openviolence ; and fofhe helditfixe whole yceresjanda partofth e feauenth; ini good ieemingfecuritie. : choofea King of fome newftocke, a popular feditious man peraduenture, onc chatto Crownemight neuer be fubie& to any rifling , but remaine in the difpofition of them thatloued him beft, ifthe worft that might be feared comming to pafie,his ownpot i ritie could not retaine it. Such perfwafions being vrged,andearneftly followed,by the importunate lo"licitation of her that gouertied his affections,were ableto makethe iealousTyrant thinksthat, the onely wayto fruftrate all deuices of fuch.as gaped after a change, wasto maken Heire the laft and yongeft ofhis houfe, whomit moft concerned,as being the Qué" pee Mother, tovpholdthefirtandeldeft. If Athalia took nofuch courfe as this in her husbands timés, yet mightfhe doit if - ‘§ fonnes. For Ahazia (befides that he was wholly ruled byhis mother) was not likety' : take much care for the fecuritie of his halfe-brethren,ortheir children ; as accounts his Fathers other wiues,in refpect ofhis owne-born-Mothcr, little betterthan Con bines,andtheir children bafely begotten. But ifthis mi{chicuous woman forgat her e fo farin her vvickedpolicie, that fhe loft all opportunitie which the weakenelle oF " 2 husband and fonne did afford, of procuring vntoher felfe fome feeming Tit ¢ "J could thee afterwards faine fome fuch matter, as boldly thee might : being fare t hone would aske tofee hereuidence, for feare of being fenttolearne the ce a aH of herfonne or husband in another World. But I rather thinkethat thee t0o**" thé reafons 20 ofthofe examples, ifthey pleafe then: notjand refticontentediwithithé practic es more already thewed what mightafter come topafle)the people of luda were not volikely to countenance his owne vnworthineffe,would not care what afperfionshelaid por that Royall houfe,whichwas fallen downe..And who could affure him, that fomeambit ous{pirit, fore-feeing what might bee gotten thereby,did not already contriue the : ftruction of him, andall his feedez Wherfore it were the wifert way to defigne by : authoritie; not only his {ucceffour, but alfo the reuertioner, and fo to prouide,thatt " sand the rule of Salomowis true: Is there\any thing whereof One Ayfay, BE octees. hold, thisisinew Put hath beene alreadyin the oldsimerthus mightfhed his brothers bloud,was proued bySalomonyvpo wassbefove vss Thar King Mae nddowiassthavhemisht alien Scr. How lehu{pent his time in ifracl, fo that-he contd not mole Athalia . ie all this time Ie6u did neuer gocabout to difturbe her ; whichin reafon hee was likely to defire, being an efiemic to her whole Houfe. But hee was occupied atthe 40 ~ irtt in eftablifhing: himfelfe, rooting out the pofteritie of 24bab, and reforming tomewhatin Religio n : afterwards in warres againftthe Aramite, wherein hee wae fo farou tcharged, thar hardly he could retaine his ownymu chleffe attempt vpon others. Of theline of Ahzd there were feutntie lining in Samaria out 6f which number Jehu by letter aduifedthe Citizens to fer vp fome one 2s King, andto prepare themfelues to fight invhis defence. Hereby might theyga therhowconfident he was;whichthey well vnderftood toproceede from greater power about him, than they could'gather to refit him. ‘Wherefore they tooke exam ple bythe twoKings whom lichad flain, and being exceedi ngly affraid of him, they offered him their feruice ; wherein theyfo readily thewed themfelues obedient, that in'leffe than onedaies warning, ‘they {ent himthe o heads of all thofe Princes; as they were inioyn ed bya fecondletter fromHim: "After this hefurprizedall the Priefts of Baal-by a fubtiltic , faining a great facrifiee to their god, by which meanes hee drewther alrogeth cr-into one Temple, wherevhéeflew them : andin the fame zealeto Godvtterly demolithed all the monunye nrs ofthat impictie, Concerning the Id. latrie deuifed by erobozm, io king ofIfrae l had euer gteatet tea eft it. For he needed not to feare left'the people fhould beé allured t Dawidsit was(in appearance)quitétooted vp,and the Crown 6f luda efiton ofa cruell Tyranneffezh¢ had receined his kingdom by the viiexpected grace chrozux 3. |