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Show ~ThefecondBikebarpart.Gunvihg ---- schron,35. . j P er P hi leaucto paile along by Iudea,protefting that he directed him{elfe againft the Affyrians only, without all harmefull purpofe againit Zofias ; yet all fufficednot, but the King of Iftael would needs fight with him. ib Manyexamples there were, which taught, what little good the friendfhip ofEgypt could bring to thofethat had affiance therein: as that of Hofea the laft K ing of Ifrael, who when hefell from the dependance of the Affyrian, and whollytrufted to Sabacus, or Sous King ofEgypt, was vtterly difappointed of his hopes, and in conclufion loft bothhis life & eftate,whichthe Affyrian {0 rooted vp andtarein pieces,as it couldne. uer after be gathered together or replanted. The calamities alfo that fel vponIndainthe thirteenth and fourteenth yeares of Exeksa,whileft that good king andhis people relied vpon Sethon ;and more lately,the imprifonment ofAanajfes, were documentsof{uff yg cient proofe,to fhewtheill aflurance,that was in the help ofthe Egyptians, who (neare neighbors thoughthey were)were alwaies vnready,when the neceilities oftheirfrien ds required theirafliftance. The remembrancehereof might be théereafon why Necedid not {eeke, to haue the Iewes renewtheir ancientleague with him, but only craued that they weuld be contentedtofit ftill,and behold the paftime between him andthe Aflyrians. This wasancafie thing to grant; fecing that the countenanceoffitch an Army,as did, fooncafterthis, out-face Nabula/ar vpon hisowne borders , leftvnto the Tewes,a lawfullexcufe offeare,had they forborneto giueit any checke vponthe way. Wherefore I belecue, that this religious and vertuous Prince Lofies, was notftirred vp only by 29 politick refpects, to top theway ofNeco;but thoughthimfelf boundinfaith & honour, todohis beft in defence ofthe Babylonian Crowne ; wheruntohis Kingdome was liged,cither by couenantmadeat the enlargement of Manaffes,or by the gift offuch obas he held in the Kingdome ofthe ten Tribes. Asforthe Princes and peopleof part Iuda, they hadnow'a good occafionto fhew, both ynto the Babylonians,ofwhat importance their friendfhip was, and tothe Egyptians what a valiant Nation they had abandoned, and thereby made their Enemy. Somethinke; that this aGtion ofJofizs,was contrary to theaduice of Jeremy the Prophet;which I doe notfinde in the Prophecy of Jeremy,norcan finde reafonto beleeue. Others hold opinion, that he forgatto aske the counfell of God: and this is very likely; 30 feeing he might beleeue thatan enterprize grounded vponfidelity and thankfulnefle Gue to the king of Babel,could not but be difpleafing vnto the Lord. But the wickednes ofthe people (in whom the corruptions offormer times had taken fiach roote, asall the Care of Jofias.in reforming the Land, could not pluckevp) was queftionleffe farre from harkening how the matter would ftand with Godspleafure, and muchfartherfrom ¢tquiringinto his fecret will,wherein it was determined that their good King, whofelife ftood between them andtheir punithment,thould now be taken ftom among them,an thatin fuch fortas his deathfhould giuean entrance to the miferies enfuing. So lofia go leauying all the ftrength he could make neare vnto Megiddo, inthe halfe Tribe of Me waffes,encountered Neco: and there he receiued the firoake of death', whichlingring abouthimtill hecameto Terufalem, brought him to the Sepulchres of his AnceftorsHis loffe was greatly bewailed ofall the People and Princes of Iuda, efpecially athe Prophet: whoinferted a forrowfull remembrance thereof in his Booke oflee of Lamentations, HhHae Neco that fought with lofias : Of Tehoahaz avd Ichoiakimxings of 50 VACL. ©): thefe warres,and particularly of this victory, Heredotus hath mention, among the acts ofWeca. Hetels ys of this King,tharhe went aboutto make a channell, whereby Ships might paile, out of Nilus into the Red Sea. It fhould haue rea ched aboue an hundred miles in length, and been wide enough fortwo Gallies to ro¥ in front; hae the benefit of of the Fiiftory of the World, £% and leauieda great Army, wherewith he marched againft the king of Babel. In this ex- pedition he viedthe fernice,as well of his Nauy;asof his land-forces 3 but no particular exploits ofhis therein, are found recorded, faue only this victory againft lofizs, where Heredotus cals the place Magdolus,and the Iewes Syrians ; whichis a {mall ettor,feeing that Iudeea was a Prouince of Syria, and Magdolus or Magdala is taken to hauebinthe fame place (though diuerfly named) in whichthis, battell was fought. After this,vecss lof. Aat.lud it tookethe City of Cadytis,which was perhaps Charchemith, by Euphrates, and made IO.LAD,7, himfelfe Lord,in a maner,ofall Syriajas Zofephus witneffeth. Particularly wefind,that the Phoenicians,one ofthe moft powerful Nations in Syria, Heradsgy ro Were his Subiects , & that by his commandthey furrounded all Africa,fetting faile from the gulfe ofArabia,fo paffing alongallthe Coaft,whereon they both landed, asneed required, and fowedcorne for their fuftenance; inthat long veyage which Jafted three yeares. This was the firft Nauigation about Africa, wherein that great Cape, nowcalled Of-good hope,was difcoucred;whichafterwas forgotten, yntil Vafio de Gamath e Portingall foundit out, following a contrary courfetothat which the Phoenicians held, for they, beginning in theEaft, rannethe way of the Sun,South and then Weftwar d,after which they returned home bythe pillars & ftreights of Hercules (asthe name wasthen ) called now the {treights ofGybraltar, hauing. Africke ftill on the right hand : but the Postingals, beginning their voyagenotfarre fromthe fame ftreights, leaue Africke on 20 the Larboord, and bend their courfe vnto the Eaft. That report ofthe Phoenicians, "which Herodotws dur{t not beleeue, how the Sun in'this iournie was on their right hand, thatisjon the Northfide of them,is a matter ofneceflary truth:: & the made hereof,makes methebetterto belecue,thatfucha voyage wasindobfernation then eed performed. But leauing thefe difcourfes ofNeco his magnificence,let vs tell what he did, in matters moreimporting his Eftate. The people ofIuda, while the Egyptians were bufie at Carchemith, had made iehosbaz theirKing, in the roome of his father Jofias. The Prophe t derempcalls thisnew King Shallum, by the nameof his youngerbrother; alluding per- 1er.22:32) hapstothe fhort Reigne ofShallam King ofthe ten‘Fribes : for Shallim hed but onemoneth; Zehoahax no more than threes He wasnotthe eldeftof Ifrael reigfon of lofias: 30 Wherforeit may feem that he wasfet vpasthe bet affected ynto the King ofBabel tet of his houfe being moreinclined to the Egyptian, as appeares by the fequele.;the Ana Kings 34 3% (dolater he was,and thriued accordingly. For when as Weco had difpatchedhis bufines inthe Northparts ofSyria,thendid he take orderfor the affaires:ofIudza, This Counsty Was nowfo far from niaking any refiftance, that the King himfelfé came from Rib{ah inthe landof Hamath,where the matter went foill on his fide,thatwveco did cat him into bonds, and carry himprifonerinto Egypt, gining away his Kingdome to Eliakina his elder brother,to whomof right it did belong. The City of Riblath, in after times called Antiochia,was a place vnhappyto the Kings and Princes of Iuda, as may be ob- ferued in diners examples. Yet here /ehoiakim, together with his new name;gothis 40 Kinodome ; anill gaine, fince hee could no better vfe it. But how-euer Iehoiakin thris ued by the bargaine,. Pharao {ped well, making that Kingdome Tributary, without any ftroke ftricken; which three moneths before was taoftout to giuehim peace, when hee cliredit. Certaineit is, that in his march outward, Wece hada greatertaske lying vpon his hands,th an would permit himto wafte his forces vpon Iudza: but nowthe reputati- onof his goodfucceffe at Megiddo,andCarchemifh, together with the diffention ofthe Princes lofias his fonties (of whomthe eldeft is probably thought to haue ftormedat S11; But.in the middeft ofthe workesan Oracle foretoldthatthe Barbarians Cuar.28.902. thou! it, which canfed Neco to defift when halfe was done. There were confumedin this toylefome bufineffe twelue hundred thoufand Egyptians; alofle greet cnoughto the King forfakehis enterprize, without troubling the Oracle foradMonition, make Howfoeueri t were, he was not amanto beidle ; therefore he builta Fleet, and the preferment of his yongerbrother) gaue him powerto doe, euen what flrould pleafe himifelfe, Yet he did forbeareto makea conqueft ofthe Land ; perhaps vpon the $0 peete which had made him fo earneft, in feeking to hold peace withir. Forthe fame Iewes lad fuffered much, in ‘the Egyptians quarrel; and ‘being left bythefetheirfriends, in time of need, vntoall extremities, were driuen of neceffity toforfakethat party, and 10 Joyne with the enemies , towhom if they fhewed themf{eluesfaithfull, who could ame them ? It was therfore enoughto reclaime them; feeing they were fuch a people 5 Would Hot vpon euery occafionfhift fide, but endure more, than Pharaoh,in the pride ; 'S Victories, thoughtthat any henceforth fhould lay ypon them: fo good deed ee 0 bevnto'them., Neuertheleffe helaid vpon them a Tribute, a Patron a an hans fent fLomefrui a filuet,a one Talent of gold; that fo hee might both reape atthe pre = nd Feat t of his paines taken; and leaue ¥nto them {ome documentin the future,o f greater |