OCR Text |
Show ee Thethird Booke of thejirftpart . aan ‘Cuarin$.7. for fixe'and twenty,as for three and twenty,or perhapsimodreeafie. For,the omiffion of the fecondfigure; wasas likely the one-way as the other) and the Character' 5 fgnifying 6. hath aneerer refemblanée.of6 that ftands for 2/than hath y Whichis viedfo} } Sothat the nunierall notes @5.exprefling 26.were not fafe enoughfrom being miftaken inthe true copie} ‘and might bealtered, asill written; if-fome crooked hand, otéther saifchance not ynufuall, had omitted the firkt ftroke of the former letterjoraddedadah oftheHiftorieofthe World. plainely thew, thatifhe followed Terufalem, the fame nineteenth yeare ofNabuchodonoJor,iat éfame, or avery like fortune. The particularities, which doubtlefle were memotablein the iffue offo great and laborious afiege, are ina manner veterly loft. Thus muchwefinde, That the Citizens perceiuing the Townvnableto hold out, embarked themfelues, and fleddeinto the Ifle of Cyprus, Neucrtheleffeit feemies thatthis euafion to the latte) which might caufe themto feeme not twodiffcrent figures , buttheone, ferued only the principall men, who efcaping with their goods, abandoned the poorer fort vnto the enemies turie. For, not onely {uch peopleof Tyreas dwelt on the Conti- not well perceite. As for the Arithmeticall figures nowin vfe, they were long-after thetime of Zo/epbus brought in by the Arabians, and therefore doe not appertaine vn- 7 cution was donein the ftreets,into which, withexceffiue labour,the Affyrian made way correction of the other ; which howit could bee fuppofedin gy ftanding for 23. Idoe to this bufineffe ; vnleffe wee fhould gheflethat his workes were corrupted in that vn: learned age, which following the Saracen conqueft, ‘was little occupied inthe udies of' huinanitie jbutin a fort wholly gineh onerto the doctiine of Arsfotle, Ifthis will {erueto make Berofas our friend, foletitbee ; ifnot, I will not purchafe the fauourof his authority, by forfaking /eremre and Danict, when they feeme to'be his oppofites, nent,(who are called her Daughters in the field)wereput to the {word; but the like exezo forhis Horfes and Chariots. Thus Nabuchodonofor caufed his Armieto ferueagreat fer » wiceagainst Tyrus , wherein enery head was made bald , and eutry{boulder was made bare, t bad hee wo wages, nor his Armie , but was faine to reft. contented withtlie Honour of hauing deftroyed that Citie; which in all mens iudgements had beencheld inuincible. The deftruction ofthefetwo great arid powerfull Cities,hauing madethe name ofthe Chaldeans dreadfullin the eares ofall the Nations thercabout,Wabuchodonofor vfedthe aduantage ofthat reputation whichhe had obtained. byvictories already gotten,to the SoV IT Of the vitlories which Nabuchodonofor obtained. betweeee the defiraction of terafalen and conquest of Egypt: * Ith what aGionsthis timeof 7.0. years was entertained by the Babylonian VY \ ] kings, few haue written, or little ts remaining in record. Whichtayper- aduenture haue been fomecaufethat the timeit felfe was,andis yetfoughe to beabridged, as not hauitig left fufficient matterto witneffe the lengthof it. But by fachan argument we mightas well deny: to many people euen their being. For eucry Nation (know. not. whom I fhould except) berweenethe beginning and laf end.ofit, hathin fome flothfull age rather dreamt away the time, than {pentit. Ibis therefore no masuell, if the pofteritie ofNabuchodenoforsfinding all things ready to their handjwhich their hearts could haue defired,betooke themfelues to thein eafe and pleafisres,thinking;, perhaps, likerhe prodigal! fonsiofgreedy fathers,their own wifedome oreater, which " knew-how to enioy, than that oftheir Anceftors,whichwearied away their daies inthe reftlefe trauell ofpurchafing ; ‘Though indeed the reione of Nabuchodave/or was fo diuided; thar his youthfull and ftronget yeares having beenexercifed in viGorious ames, no:{mall part ofhis life was remaining to be fpentin eftablifhing what wasgotte gathering the fruit of his worthie labouis pait.' The nineteénth yeare of hisxe z Was, whendeftroying vtterly the great and:mighty Citic of Ierufalem, hee enriched himfelfe with abundanceofifpoyle,-andtetrified all that Syould offerto refilt hiny by thacféarefiill example... Fromothat time forwatd, hee; yntill-his three and twentieth yeate; laboured inthe conqueft.of thofe adioyning Régions; which-God had expoftd4 vato ‘his fword,, iand commanded to.wearehis yoke's namely, the Edomites, Moa bites, Ammonites,‘ Tyriansy Sidonians, wand Egyptians,|though fome ofthefewere already kecome his followers,and feruedivrider him, when Ierufalemwas beaten dow? antburnt.. Burithe Tyrians, whofe Ciriewas founded.on.an Ifland, fafe enough trom any danger of akand-armic,.and whofe flet/was fo ftrong;-that they needed notte getting ofmore, and moreprofitable, with lefle paine. The Kingdome of Egypt vvas thematkeat which he aimed ; a Country fo aboundingin all riches and pleafures, that jit might well hauetempted any Prince,finding himfelte ftrong enoughto feck occafion ofquarrell againft it ; and fo farrean enemie.to the Grown of Babylon, that hadit bin poor yet either it muft haue beene fubdued, or the conqueft of Syria could ill have eeneltablifhed. Neuertheleffe it was needfull, that before hee entredinto this bufi- nefle , the Countries adiacent fhould be reduced into fuch termes, that either they thould wholly ftandat his deuotion, orat leaftbe vnableto worke himany difpleafure: Andherein the decreeof God concurred, as inall profpetous enterprifes, withreas fonofftate. For,the people of Moab, Ammon, Edom; Damafcus, Kedar, Hazar, and other adioyning Regions, whom God fortheir finnes had condemnedtofall vnderthe Babylonian fwords, werefuch, as regarding only their owne gaine, hadfome of them, golike Rauens, followed the Chaldean Armie, to feed vpon thekarcaffes thatfell by the ctueltiethereof.; Others taking aduantage of their neighbours miferies, occupied the Countries which were by his victories belonging to Nabuchodonofer: all of themthin- king,that when theAffyrian hadfatisfiedhis fury,he fhould befaine to forfake tho/edefolate parts, and leaue the poffeffion to thofethat could lay hand vponit. Particularly the Edomites and Philiftims had fhewed much malice to the Iewes whentheirCitywas;Excch.25,12.6 ss taken. What good feruice they had done tothe Chaldeans, ] finde not; ifthey did any, itis likely. to haue been with reference totheir ownepurpofes, wherein they were dif- appointed. The Ammonites were not contendedto reioyce atthe fall of Ierufalem,but z<ecb.25 3. prelently they entered vponthe Country of Gad,andtookpoffeflion, as if not the Aily- TetAgts hans, but they, had fubduedIfrael.. Neither can perceiue what other ground that pra- ice had ofBaalss kino ofthe Ammonites, whenhe fent //mae/,a Prince ofthe bloud of Tuda, tomurther Gedalia, whom the King of Babel hadleft Gonernour ouer thofe that femainedin Iftael,and.to carry captiue intothe Ammonites Country the peoplethat a- feare any enemicarfea,were neither danted\withthe fall oftheir neighbour Cities, bodein Mizpah, than a'defire of embroiling Nabachodonozor with fo many labours at once, as thouldmake him rerire into his owne Countrey, and abandonthofe wafted 1er,40.14.0° fubuerfion. theMoabites did exercife-, whofe pride and wrath were madefrnftrate by God, & their" wich the obftinaterefolutiom of this mighty Prince) imploying all his power tothe! ii _oPhatthe Giti¢ of, ‘Lyre was rather well:pleafed, thahany way difconraged v w onPASTOReTee had held the famelcourfe chat Tyrusdid, andcendure Erxth.26.2. Cuaras7.; is 5° d e-quarrellagainft theconhmopencmie) it appeares by the which Exekted condenineth:as the common voeyce of Tres s Ahas thee broken,it 4turned unto mes fon fecing{hess defolete, Ifoallbe replenifh ds f th ¢Cuenin the nineteenth yearof. Nabuthodonofor, hat ¢reanworke ofhis,w already, ipoken, began to appeare aboue the wate s; and-threaten them mifchiefe: Butthofe prophecies ofJeremie ahd of£fay,which appointyntothis defolation o! thefametcmeof 70. years, that was preferibed-vntothefeign of the Chaldzans Landsto himfelfe and others, for whomtheylay conueniently, Suchorthe like policy: 4: Alien condemned, as notdoing right... $00n detat ey attons had theart of rauening,which isfamiliartofichas line or order y a their the as andnow the time afforded them occafion to fhéew the vettermoft cunning * faddaeawits. But Nebuchadwezzar did cut afunder all their deuices by fharpe 3 1 accordingcrrouet-whelming them with ynexpected rine, as it were ip one as iw ica ae mate the prophecies of Efay; Ieremic, and Exekiel, who foretold, sith itt ee ife Efty 16.14. thea we the greatneffe and {wiftnefle of the miferie that fhould a pos laf whine dich of them he firtt began, I finde not 3 it feemes that a i i @ threatning aie hand: for fo doe many good:Authors interpret theprop ae i he year follows; Gal with deftruction after three yeaves, as hauing reference to thet ui ang the ruine ofIerufalem ; the next yearafterit being {pent in theEgypriatt Tii 2 expedition. |