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Show The thirdBooke ofthe,frepart OF .C.5.0.08 IZ 13. DAh2.495 Cuarit.§.s- Cusp.leS 50 «ofthe Hiftorie\ofthe World. ryflrange conceit, whichrather than I would entettaine, I.can well be contented, to butayoithgiman ; andion¢ of Darius his Pages threefcore yearsiafter this ; »as by other 1s . circimftances ofhis.imprifonment it felfe. OfBeHacertorwhomn Scaliger giues the next'fiue yeares ; naiing him'alfo Lebore/edréochs {1 {honid wonderwhy‘he calls him Webwokgdeezzars daughters fonne ; were it fot that-herein I find him very caréfull tohel pe out Bere/as,by thifting inihis Nirighyfa- by coniectures of late Writers... For the endurance ofthe captiuity being 70. yeares, roor, ashusbatid ito sWebuchadnezzars daughter; and Protedorofhis fon foure of thefe were Davici, Now tothinkethataman.offuch accountandplace as Daniel had held; could.intwo yeares haue been worn¢ out of remembrance, were inmy iudgementa vee thinkethe whole ftorie (thus velatedja part of Avnius his impoftures. Out ofthefe reportsof Jo/éphws, Bero/ws, and others, many newopinionsare framed, and thefe yeares extending vnto thefirft ofCyrws,in which courfe oftime Nebuchadnexzar,his fon and grand-child, muft haue reigned ; it hath feemed needfull to fupply the yeares of thefe thtee defcents, byinferting fome, whofereignes mightfill yp thewhole continuanceof the captiuity ; with whichthetimeallotted by Bcro/us andothers, to ro Euilmerodach and Balthafar,ioyned ynto the yeares following the nineteen ofNebachad- nexzar, (wherein Jerufalem.waslaid defolate) are nothing enen. Therfore Mercator, and others following him, fafhion the yeares of Eailmerodach in this fort. They fay, thatthe 18. yeares giuen to him by Jo/éphus inthe tenthof his An- tiquities, fhouldbe read and-numbred 28. yeares, andthe two yeares that Bero/iw hath allowed to Ewilmeredach fhould be written 23. inthesfirft number the figure of(1/ismiftaken for the figure of (2.).and in thelater there fhould haue bin added the figure of(3) tothat of (2 :) this granted (to wit) that Ewi/merodach regned 28. yeares, whereoffive together withhis father, and 23. after his death, and the f{amenumberof 23. addedto the25.which Nabuchedonoferlined after the deftruction of verufalems, make 48 ; then 4.4 years ofWiglifar according to Bero/us,9. moneths of Laba/fardach his fon, and 17.years ycatésy by whichmeanes there remaines about one yeare to Belfazer alone', agreeing nearely with theninemoneths :affigned by Bére/ws tothe fonne of Wighfar. But Jeremy hathtoldvsthatitwas to Nebuchadnezzarand tohis fon, andtohis fons fon(nottohis 10dayghtersfonfie) thatthe Empirewaspromifeds'whichdifficulty,if sea/igercouldndt helpe,ic was:well done of him to paffeit ouer with filence. Nabonidus the laftofthefe, whom ethers (défirous to reconcile Berofustothe Scriptures) haueiudged tobeall one with Beltha/ar,is by Scaliger thoughtto be Darigsof' the Medes, But herein Scaliger is no firme Berofian-for Berofus makes himof thefameftocke orracea Babylonians'I:{peake not this to difgracethe trauaile of tharmoft'learned man (forit highly commends his diligence and indgement;that he was notfo wedded toany author,as affected with the loue oftruth) but to thew: that hee' himfel fe hauingiry fome points difliked thofe' Writers, whonvin genefall heap prouethy might with greater rea- fon hatewholly reformed thembythe Scriptures,wherin canbe no error. Two things 2° thereare whichchiefly did breediot confirme this opinion in:Seatiger, that he whom Berofascalls Wabonidus, wasthe fameWwhom Daniel had called Davis ofthe Aiedes-: Firft, of Labonidys,orBalthafar, make vp thenumberof 70, yeares tothefirft of Cyrus. But the phrafe of Scripruve,which fignifies'vnto-vs,that Darivstéokthekingdome, not {ay- whether by errourin figures, or in words, the numbers be vtterly miftaken in all copies ingthathe wanneit by force ofiarmes': Secondly, a fraginent of Mega/thenes found in extant; vpon how weaka foundation dothey build,who hauing nothingtohelpethem, faueonely the barenames.oftwo vnknowa Kings,found in Authors manifeftly cortupted, and fuchas if they had been entirely extant, were not worthy to hauethat place of Teremy called into difpute.inregard oftheir authoritie? Sea wrens §.V. A moreparticular examination ofone opinion touching the number,perfons, andreignes of the? Babylonian Kings. Q Ther {uppofitions,little different in fubftance from thisof Mercator, purpolely forbeareto rehearfe, as falling vnderthe fameanfwer. That of 1o/eph Sca4ger I may not forget, as deferuingto be confidered apart from thereft.. Hee glues to Nebuchadnezzar 4.4,ycars, to Euilmerodach two, to Belfazerfue : and to Nabe widus t7.So.that fromthe 19.0fNabuchadnezzar,in which lerufalemwas deftroyedyntothe time ofcyr#,heaccounteth only 5 seSAS ; beginning (as many. do) the captiuity 11.years fooner,fromthe tranfportatio n ot Ie‘chenia. Buthereof enough hath beenfaid already. That which we are-nowto confider,is his diftribution of the time running be- 49 tween the 19.0fNabachadwezzar,and the fall ofthe Caldean Em pire: wherein if he haue erred,then isall further inquifition friuolous. Concerning the length of Wabachadnezzars reigne, I fhall hereafter vpon better 0% cafion deliver my opinion. Thetimewhich he giues to Exilmeradach,is very {hort, 40 more precifely agreeing with Berofusthan with the Scriptures... For.we finde.in Jem that this Euilmerodach in the firtt ofhis reigne,fhewing all fauour to Lechonia, did,among other things,take orderforhim athis tablesand that hedid continually cat bread be ore himall the dayes.ofhis life, His portion was a:continuall portion giuen him ofthe king, teemsaunf, OfBabel, cuery day a certaine,all the dayesof his life vntill he died. The veryfoundo! 33: 34. thele wends(whichiis more tobe efteemed,than the authority ofBero/us., were he pet. fedly extahtyimports afarce longer time than two yeares, wherein. Jechonias vader thls4 gentle Princeyenloyed the comfortfent by. God,whofe commandementhe had obeye snvieriding him{elte to Wabwchadnexzar. Indeed how long dechonig did liue, it cannot Bees 3 but plaineit is.|hereby,thacall his remaining dayes he did eate bread before lee Now,that he.lined:not fo fhortawhile after this.as:2, yeares; itis more han ce1Y 5 TOL he Was but.55.years old when he wasfet at liberty, hauing bin 37.y.¢44 es 10 €prifon, whereinto he was.caft at the age of 18.yeares ; after which time iticem" plaine that he begat Salathiel,as well by theage of Zorebabel, whois faid to haue beene our Evfebins;whoreinthis Nbonidas iscalled:the azedian. Touching the word.ofthe Originall, orofthe Greek tranflation,which exprefingno foice of armes,doth only fignifie that Dari#s tooke dr veccined the kingdome Ifeenoreafon why we fhould thereupon lnierre,that the next King centred by Bleétion :'feein Daniefselateth notthemeans and circumftances ofBalthafars death,but onely the fwiftaccomplifhmentof his owne proPhecy. ‘Neither conlditindeed haneproperly beene faid (if Daniel had cated to vie the 2° moft exprefiuetermes) that Dariusof the Atedes breaking intothe City, did winne the kinedome ; feeing this was performed by Cyras in the abfence of Darius, though by his forces, andto his vfe. Now concerning the fragment of Megafthemes, true it is, that in Exfebias his workes printed at Bafile, inthe yeare 1559. I finde only thus much of A4e~ SAphenes,cited out of LAlpheeus ; That Nabuchodonofer was more valiant than Hercules < that he fabduedall Lybiaand the reftof Afia as farre as tothe Armenians sandthat,asthe Chaldeans report,being returnedinto his kingdome,andrapt witha diuinefury,, he cried With aloud yoyce : O Babylonians, /forctell ye ofa great calamity that foallcome vpon ye which neither Bely:zior any of the gods (ballauert:There willcomea Perfians balfe a 40 es thatballbringflanery upon yee:and that, this and the like whenhe had fpoken, he anithed.oFall this Fbeleeuc little or nothing,fauing that Webuchadono/or knew before= caine his Empire fhould betranflatéd,as Daniel had foretold,fromthe golden head; ois*it Bucthat hewanne all Africa or Lybia, doe boldit neither true nor a re copyof. Ew/ebius werethe moreperfect, out ofwhich Megafshenes tells'vs leffe sand edonofor wanne both Africke andSpaine, I beleeue the fragment fo much the sad naen as little moued with the authority ofit; wheréit callsa Median the pride yas whereit tells ofNebuchednexzar his owne vanifhofthe Affyrians ing away aa rv he jeNbededhac fametitle of halfean Affe,by which hevcalleth Cyras,makes me him 2 the fable as cunningly forged out of Apollo his Oracle, :wherein he termeth 50 _ a Male, becaufe his parentage was more noble onthe mothers fide; than ‘on the'fa- pind aoe are begotten by 4/és vpon Mares.And thus muchin anfiver ofthe ad Fence ca oe whereonthisiopinion is built. Asfortheconcinnity and coheBion - bie had within ic felfes Feafily allow it. Butthis proues wre! ee fs shia wanted thefe commendations : neither can any man be A en ee felfein >aie and deepely learned asi/ofeph Scaliger ; would ouer-fhoot himtnowreneehe repugnancies. aaa wee hick torexamine the agreement of this withithe Sefipturésytrom which } thereisn o appeale. And herein it feems that Sealiger well knowing his own fufficie ncy, hath : a |