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THE
FLOWERS OF HISTORY,
XSPKCIALLT SUCH AS B.KLATE TO
THE AFFAIRS OF BRITAIN.
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD TO THE YEAR 1307. COLLSCTBO BT
MATTHEW OF WESTMINSTER.
• • ^ • • • • • V .
TRANSLATED FROM THR ORIOINAJ.; • • * ^ '\'*t
•••• • ' •»> '
c. D. YONGE, B.A. \ ::>•:;,
IN TWO VOLUMES., VOL^
B.C. 4004 TO A.D. I066
LONDON: HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COYENT GARDEN.
MDCCCLIII.
• • • • • .*.
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
Thb author of the following Chronicle was a Benedictine Monk, who flourished probably in the early part of the fourteenth cen- tury, though some place him near the end of it. It begins with the creation of the world, and continues to the end of the reign of Edward the First. In his Preface, the Author speaks as if he intended to write the history of the whole world ; but after the time of the Heptarchy, he very rarely mentions the affairs of any country except Grreat Britain. The early portion of the work is merely an abridgment of the Bible : then he gives us a brief sketch of Eome, making little mention of Greece, except where its history is connected with that of the Jews or Eomans. Of OUT own early times he gives us the fabulous traditions of Brutus (whom he represents as the great-grandson of iElneas), and Pan- drasus, and CorinsBus, and Camber; rektei the sad story of Lear, the prophecy of Merlin, and so conducts us through the wars of Vortimer and Vortigem, &c., to the times of compara- tively certain history. It is, of course, after this point that his work begins to be really valuable ; for he was not only a careful observer, and a great master of plain and simple narrative, but, what was even more unconunon in the days in which he wrote, he paid great attention to order and chronology. As might be ex- pected, he is very credulous on the subject of the miracles attested by the Soman church, as performed by the early martyrs, dead and alive ; of which he gives us copious accounts : but the frequent recurrence of such marvellous stories ought not to' diminish our confidence in him when relating facts, where there was no room for ascribing them to supernatural agency ; for we must recollect that the belief in such events was common in his time ; and not only have we no right to quarrel with him for not being in advance of his age on such points, but we may derive some in-
U TBAN8LAT0B 8 FBSFACE.
struction from seeing what in those days the most learned mon could look upon as matters of sober history. In the reigns of our kings after the Conquest, he is exceedingly minute acici careful ; and as such, is constantly referred to by Hume and other historians. . His account of the troubles of the reigns of John, and Henry the Third, bears internal marks of accuracy and fidelity ; and in his relation of the wars of Edward, he shows no small power of vivid description.
He is said to have formed his work very much upon the plan of that of Matthew Paris, who lived in ^e preceding century ; and both were largely indebted to Eoger of Wendover, as far as his history extended, which was to a.d. 1238. For the last seventy-two years of his work, he appears to have drawn on his own resources and industry. On the whole, there ean be no doubt that he is one of the most valuable authorities for the times of which he treats, and well deserving the reputation which he has earned among modem historians.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME h
PREFACE i
THE FIRST AGE OF THE WORLD. F&OM B.C. 4004 TO B.C. 2849.
The Creation — ^Adam is driven fi:t>m Paradise^ Cain and Abel—' Noah 3
THE SECOND AGE.— Faom b.c. 2348 to b.c. 1921.
The Delnge — The descendants of Noah — The different diyisions oi the Nations— The reijps of Belus, Semiramis, Ninas, Astyages, Cyrus, Darius — The divisions of the world into Europe, Asia, and Airica — The colonization of Europe — ^The tower of Babel ... 7
THE THIRD AGE^From b.c 1921 to b.c. 1055.
The call of Abraham— The birth of Isaac and Ishmael— The fons- dation of Argos, by Mkchus — ^The story of Esau and Jacob — ^Apis arrives in Egypt— The history of Joseph— The Exodus — Moses a contemporary of Cecrops — ^Joshua a contemporary of Bacchus — Busiris^ Cadmus, Europa— Apollo is bom — The Jewish Judges — Paris carries off Hden-r-Triptolemus — The Minotaur — Ampheon — (Edipus — Danae — Fall of Troy, and arrival of iEneas in Italy — Brutus, son of Silvius, is banished into Greece — ^An oracle warns y him to go to Albion— Description of Albion — Brutus founds ^ London in the time of Saul— Descendants of Brutus— David is king • 13
THE FOURTH AGE.-t-From b.c. 1055 to b.c. 606. ,
Bbrancus founds York— Solomon builds the temple — ^The division of the Jewish Tribes— Elijah— Bladud, king of Britain, is contempo- rary of Elijah— Shishack plunders Jerusalem — Sardanapahis — End of the kingdom of Assyria — History of king Lear— Rome is
IT CONTENTS.
PAOS
founded by Romulus and Remus — The old kings of Italy, Janus, Saturn, Jupiter — Early history of Alba and Rome — Kings of Pome after Romulus — Constantinople is founded in the time of Tullus Hortnius — Story of Lucretia — Nehemiah is a contemporary of Spurius Cassius — Story of Esther — Regulus — List of the Jewish kings — The prophecy of the Sibyls — The Jews are carried off to Babylon 37
THE FIFTH AGE.— From b.c. 606 to b.c. 4.
Account of Babylon— Kings of Babylon — Jerusalem is restored — List of the kings of Britain — Kings of Persia — Brennus^ king of EngUnd, makes war upon Rome— Alexander subdues Persia — Division of the kingdom of Alexander — Antiochus — Ptolemy — The Punic wars — Other ¥rars of the Romans — The High Priests of the Jews, Onias, Jason, &c. — ^Wars of the Maccabees — Cssar invades Britain, is defeated by Cassibelaunus — ^Augustus Caesar — Herod — Joseph is espoused to Mary 79
THE SIXTH AGE. CHAP. L— From b.c. 4 to a.d. 14. The birth of Christ — Question when the Sixth Age of the world is properly said to begin— Circumstances attending the birth and early age of our Saviour — Invective against the Heathen Philoso- phers and their theories— The wise men of the East — Herod's massacre of the Innocents — ^Account of Josephus — Violence of Herod to his own family — Treachery of Antipater — Cymbeline and his sons in England— Death of Herod — His kingdom is divided — Trogus — ^Archelaus— Death of Augustus Caesar . . . .116
CHAP. II.->FaoM A.D. 15 to a.d. 38.
Reign of Tiberius — Livy— Ovid— A great earthquake in Asia Minor —The invention of glass— Death of Cymbeline — History of Pilate — The preaching of John — The principal events in our Saviour's life— Judas Iscariot — ^Letter of Caesar to the Senate about Christ — The Apostles — Saint Stephen— Saint Paul— Portrait of our Saviour— Death of Pilate 129
CHAP. III.— From a.d. 39 to a.d. 117.
Herod is deprived of his kingdom — Caligula— Claudius — Saint Peter is made Pope — Saint Mark — Gjiiderius and Arviragus, kings of Britain — Famine at Rome — ^Nero — festus — Saint James — Mary Magdalene— Simon Magus — Nero sets fire to Rome — Galba— Otho — Vitellius — Vespasian persecutes the Jews — Titus takes Jerusalem — John, Simon — livius succeeds Peter as Pope — Arvi- ragus dies— The Picts, under Roderic, arrive in Britain— The Scots — Marius, king of Britain — Domitian — Saint John is banished to Patmos — Quinctilian — Clement is Pope — Trajan's reign, victories, persecution of the Christians, and death 143
COSTSIXTS, CHAP. lY.— From ad. 118 to a.d. 284.
PAOK
Hadrian succeeds Trajaii'-^Rebiiilds Jerasslem — Lucius, king of Brrtain — Antoninus Pius — The heresy of Valentinus — Galen- Dispute about the day of £aster--^Polycarp-^Marcus Antoninus — Two Emperors at a time—Commodus — ^Irenaeos — ^The Britons are converted to Christianity by Faganus and Derurianus — Pertinax — Seyerus — He comes to Britain— Is slain there — ^Tertullian — Bas- sianus — Macrinus — ^Alexander — The heresy of Sabellius — Origen — Maximus—Gordian— Philip — ^Decius — Galhis — Valerian — Galli- enus— Cyprian— Claudius — Aurelian — Tacitus— The heresy of the Manicheans — Probus — Carus 158
CHAP, v.— F»oM A.D. 286 to a.d, 340. Diodetian'-s reign — Caraudus in Britain — Constantius — Galerius, Maximian— The empress Helena — The persecution of Diocletian — Amphibolus— Saint Albanus— Diocletian and Maximian abdicate the throne*— C<»stantine is made emperor in Britain — Comes to Rome — Octarius — Silvester— The Arrian heresy— Death of Con- stantine 176
CHAP. VI.— From a.d. 341 to a.d. 434.
Constantius — Death of Arrius — The bones of Saint Andrew and Saint Luke are taken to Constantinople — Julian — Eusebius dies — Saint Hilary — The bones of John the Baptist are collected — Alaric — Valentinian and Valens — Octarius, king of Britain, dies — Gratian — Maximianus becomes king of Britain — Conan — The Franks — Pharamond— Death of Athanasius — Gregory Nazianzen— Basil — Theodosius — Arcadius — Maximus, king of Britain — Death of Maximus — Rufinus — Stilicho — Saint Ambrose dies — ^The Pelagian heresy — Saint John Chrysostom — Saint Augustine — Honorius — The Nestorian heresy — ^The Romans abandon Britain— The Scots and Picts invade it 193
CHAP. Vn.— Faom A.D. 435 to a.d. 464.
The Britons receive a king from Brittany— Attila — Vortigern — Saint Germain — Wars between the Britons and the Picts and Scots —
'y The Saxons are invited into Britain — Meroveus, king of the Franks — The Saxons arrive in Britain — Are defeated by Vortigern — ^The Councl of Chalcedon — Vortimer — Horsa — Hengist— Death of Vortimer — Return of Hengist— The Saxons destroy the British Churches— Meriin .208
CHAP. VHL- From a.d. 465 to a.d. 498.
Prophecy of Merlin— The red dragon— The white dragon— The Revolution in Britain — Aurelius returns to Britain— Death of Vortigern— Of Alaric — Odoacer, king of the Goths — Theodoric, king of the Goths— Au elius defeats Hengist, and puts him to
Yi coirrsKTs.
PAGB
death— Restores the Churches — Saint Patrick in Irdand^^Ua, king of the South Saxons — Cedric, king of the West Saxons — Death of AnreUns— Birth of Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon . 226
CHAP. IX.— From a.d. 499 to a.d. 585.
Clovis enriches the Church^-The Saxons become nearly masters of Britain— They are defeated by Uther Pendragon— 011a, king of the Saxons> dies — Uther Pendragon dies-^King Arthur is crowned — His Tictories over the Saxons — Justin, emperor of Rome — Boethins — ^The Saxons again invade Britain, and are defeated — Arthur's sword, Caliban, and other arms — He restores the Churches — Marries — Justinian, emperor of Rome— Saint Anthony-^Saint Denis— Saint Benedict— lotila—Artkir kills Mordred, and is mortally wounded^-Clothaire, king of the Franks— The Saxons become masters of Britain— The Heptarchy. .... 250
CHAP. X.— FaoK a.d. 586 to a.d. 621.
The Britons retreat to Wales — ^And to Cornwall— The whole island of Britain obtains the name of Anglia— Gregory becomes pope- Saint Augustine is sent to England— The English become Chris- tians— ^The Church of Rome is declared the chief of all the churches — Death of Ethelbert — ^Wars between t&e different kings in Eng- land— Chosroes, king of Persia 270
CHAP. XI.— FkkOK A.D. 622 to a.d. 676.
The heresy of the Monothelltes— The Saracens attack the Boman Empire — Mahomet — His wife Cadgah — Pope Honorius— King Ed- win becomes a Christian — Heraclius becomes a Monothelite — Cadwallan, king of Wales^ — Oswald, king of Northumberland — Oswy — The heresy of the Monothelltes is condemned — King Louis violates the tomb of Saint Denis— Cadwallan dies . . 289
CHAP. XII.— From a.d. 677 to a.d. 704.
Disputes and Ecclesiastical affairs in Britain— Wilfrid is deposed from his Bishopric— Saint Etheldreda— Saint Hilda— A Council is held at Hatfield — Saint Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfame — Eg- frid is killed — Gadwallader is baptized — Dies — ^The , Histories of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Caradoc of Lancarban, William of Malmes- bury, and Henry of Huntingdon— Pepin, king of France — Part of the true cross is found at Rome-^A Dead Man is restored from purgatory in Northumberland— The Bishopric of Winchester is divided 318
CHAP. XIII.— From a.d. 705 to a.d. 742.
Death of Ethelred — ^The See of Worcester is founded — Saint Guth- lac of Croyland-^regory is Pope — Ina, king of the West Saxona, defeats and kills Eadbert — ^Bede writes his Histoiy — Schism of the Iconoclasts — Wars of Ethelbald, king of Mercia— Death of Bcde— His character— Death of Gregory 341
C01STKST3. VU
CHAP. XIV.— From a.d. 743 to 802.
PAOK
Wan in Britam — ^Miracles wroagfat at the tomb of Benedict — Oflk, king of Merda — Charlemagne makes war upon the Saxons and on the Lombards — AlHes himself with Offa — Honoars paid to the body of Saint Alban— Ethelbert, king of the East Angles and Mar- t7r--0ffa goes to Rome— Dies — Charlemagne goes to Rome — Egbert socceeds to the throne of the West Saxons ... . 358
CHAP. XV.— From a.d. 803 to a.d. 870.
Egbert begins to subdue the other kingdoms of the Heptarchy- Charlemagne summons five councils in France — Dies — Egbert be- comes sole king of England — Subdues Wales ~The Danes land at Sheppey — Are defeated by Egbert — He dies — They return a se- cond time — Constant wars between them and the English — ^AlAred, son of Ethelwolf, is bom — Story of the old woman of Berkeley — Ethelwolf devotes a tenth part of his kingdom to the service of God— He takes Alfred to Rome— Ethelwolf dies— Saint Swithun — Alfred marries — ^The Danes overrun England and Scotland — Death of King Edmund 389
CHAP. XVI.— FaoM a.d. 871 to a.d. 900.
The Danes invade the West Saxons — Reach Reading — Battles with Alfred — King Ethehred dies and is succeeded by Alfred — The youth and education of Alfred— His wisdom — His wars — Britbred, king of Northumberland and Mercia — ^The body of Saint Cuthbert is brought from Lindisfame — A truce is made between Alfred and the Danes— It is broken — Alfred besieges Exeter and builds a fleet — The Danes ravage '^^tshfre — Alfred retires to Athelney — King Gytro becomes a Christian — An account of John or Dun Scotus — Alfred defeats the Danes — Story of a vision of the emperor Charles about purgatory — Alfred becomes king of all Britain — ^A List of the kings of the Heptarchy — Alfred founds monasteries— Appoints governors throughout his kingdom — Story of RoUo, duke of Nor- mandy—Death of Alfned 420
CHAP. XVII.— From a.d. 901 to a.d. 941.
Edward the E]der succeeds Alfred— A great council of the English Church is held — Edward wars against the Danes — RoUo becomes a Christian — ^The Danes continue their ravages — Many towns are built throughout the kingdom— Edward dies — Athelstan succeeds him— Saint Dunstan flourishes — ^Treaty of peace between Athel- stan and Robert of Normandy — Athelstan puts his brother Edwin to death — His wars with Constantine, king of Scotland, and An- laf» king of Ireland — Otho becomes emperor of the Romans — Athelstan dies, and is succeeded by Edmund- England is divided between Edmund and Anlaf 455
Vm CONTENTS.
CHAP. XVIII.— From a.d. 942 to ad. 975.
PA6B
Anlaf dies — ^William, duke of Normandy, is murdered — Death of kio^ Edmund — Edred succeeds to the throne^His courage and death — Edwy succeeds— Dunstan is banished — Edwy is banished, and Edgar made king — Dunstan is recalled — Simony in the Church — The wisdom and power of Edgar — He dies, and is succeeded by Edward 472
CHAP. XIX.— From a.d. 976 to a.d. 1016.
The death of Edward the Martyr—Ethelred succeeds to the throne — Death of Dunstan— Quarrel between Ethelred, and Richard of Nor- mandy— Tribute is paid to the Danes — Death of Richard — Story of Silvester or Gerebert— Ethelred builds a fleet— Slaughter of the Danes — Sweyn, king of Denmark, subdues England — Ethelred Hies to Normandy — Death of Sweyn — Return of Ethelred— He dies, and is succeeded by Edmund Ironside — Edmund's victories — His peace with Canute — His death 487
CHAP. XX.— From ad. 1017 to a.d. 1042.
Canute becomes sole king of England — Banishes the nobles — Marries Emma, sister of Richard, duke of Normandy — A conference at Ox- ford establishes the laws of Edward — Character of Canute — His liberality — He subdues Norway — Birth of William of Normandy — He succeeds to his father's dukedom— Death of Canute — Corona- tion of Harold — Hardicanute is set up in opposition to him by God- win, and is crowned king — Dies, and is succeeded by Edward the Confessor 517
CHAP. XXI.— From a.d. 1043 to a.d. 1066.
King Edwin marries earl Godwin's daughter — Godwin and his sons become enemies to Edward — Death of Godwin — Siward defeats Macbeth, and Malcolm is made king of Scotland — Edward sum- mons from Hungary his nephew Edward to become his successor — The story of Lady Godiva — A singular piece of sorcery is detected at Rome — An agreement is made ^between Harold and William of Normandy — Harold ravages Wales— Saint Oswin — Quarrel between Tosti and Harold — Death of Edward — Harold is crowned king of England — ^William of Normandy invades England — ^The Battle of Hastings 533
THE
FLOWERS OF HISTORY
BSPSCIAIXT SUCK AS
EELATE TO THE AFFA.IES OF BfilTAIN.
FROM THE .BEGINNING OF THE WORLD TO THE YEAR 1307.
COLLECTED BT
MATTHEW OF WESTMINSTER.
PREFACE,
We have thought M to set forth, the chief accidents of the times, and the series of eyents from the beginning of the world to the present hour, and also the successions of certain kingdoms and monarchs, for the instruction of future ages ; in order that an attentive reader may, firom our brief notices^ be led to gather a fuller knowledge of the facts related.
But what are we to say in reply to certain dull auditors, who, in a spirit of detraction, say, " What occasion is there to commit to writing the lives and deaths of men, and different eyents which happen to mankind ? Why perpetuate by written records the recollection of prodigies in heaven and earth, or those which affect the other elements ?" Let them know that the good lives and virtuous manners of men of old time, are recorded to serve as patterns for the imitation of subsequent ages ; and that the examples of the wicked are set forth, not that they may be imitated, but that they may be shunned. But prodigies and portents, in past time, threaten the faithful
YOL. I. B
2 FBSVi.CB.
with famine, or mortality, or other sonrces of supreme yen- geance. Therefore, the recollection of these eyents is handed down in hooks, that if at any time similar occurrences should take place, sinners who recollect that they haye hy ajoiy means incurred the wrath of God, may flee to the remedy of repen- tance, and appease God hy such means.
It is on this account^ therefore, (not hut what there are other sufficient reasons likewise) that Moses, the lawgiyer, sets before us, in his Diyine History, the innocence of Abel, the enyy of Gain, the simplicity of Jacob, the craftiness of Esau, the malice of the eleyen sons of Israel, the goodness of the twelfth, to wit, Joseph, and the punishment of the five cities which were consumed by fire and brimstone ; in order that we may imitate the good, and ayoid being followers of the wicked, and by shunning all temptations to sin, we may radically weaken it ; and this is the effect produced in us not only by Moses, but by aU the authors of the Holy Volume, both in their historical and moral works, where they commend yirtue, and show their detestation of yice, and so teach us at the samev time to fear and to loye God.
Those men, then, must not be listened to, who say that books of Ghronicles, and especially those published by Gatholics, ought to be neglected ; since by the study of them a diligent enquirer may be able to discoyer by his memory, to under- stand by his intelligence, and to set forth, with eloquence, all that is necessary for human Hfe, and for human safety.
BOOK I.
THE FIRST AGE OF THE WORLD.
FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO THE DELUGE.
B.G. 4004—2349.
THE CBBATI017 — ADAK IS DIUYS17 FBOK FABADISB— OAIK AND ABEL— KOAH.
Ch, I.— The Creation of the World. Ik six days Gk)d accomplished the creation of the woild.
On the first day he made the light.
On the second day he poised the firmament of heaven in the midst of the waters : the waters themselves, and the earth, to- gether with the npper heaven, and those virtues which enabled them to praise their maker, having been created before the be- ginning of these six days.
On the third day, having collected the waters, which had previously covered everything, into their place, he bade the dry land appear.
On the fonrth day he placed the stars in the firmament of heaven, and that day, as &r as we can now coUect, by a cal- culation of the equinox, was the twelfth day of the calends of April (March 21).
On the fifth day he created all swimming and fiying and breathing creatures.
On the sixth day he formed the terrestrial animals, and the man Adam himself, in the district of Damascus ; and Arom the side of Adam, while he was sleeping, he produced Eve, the mother of all living. And the day on which he did this, was, according to the most credible conjecture, the tenth of the calends of April (March 23). From which circumstance, it is deservedly believed, (unless some more probable opinion shall'be maintained hereafter,) that on this same tenth day of the calends of April the Lord was crucified. For God ap- pointed that on one and the same day, not only of the week, but also of the month, the second Adam, having been con-
B 2
4 MATTHEW OJP WESTMINSME. B.C. 4003.
demned to the sleep of death, for the ohject of the life-giYing salvatioii of the human race, and having produced the heavenly sacraments out of his own side, shall sanctify to himself the church as his spouse, on the same day on which he had originally, himself, created Adam, and, taking a rib out of his side, had formed a woman, by whose assistance the human race might be propagated.
Ch. II. — Adam is driven out of Paradise.
Adam having been transferred into Paradise, from whence the four rivers^ arise, after he had given names to his wife and to all the other animals and things, yielded to his wife in the matter of eating the apple. After this, having made girdles because of their feelings of shame at their nakedness, they are driven by the Lord out of Paradise, and in the sweat of their brow do they seek bread out of the earth, which has been cursed. After this, cherubim armed with a flaming sword are placed by the Lord before the gate of paradise, and not only our first parents, but their whole posterity, are driven out from the delights of paradise. '
Ch. III. — The birth of Cain and Abel, and the death of Abel.
Adam knew his wife, not indeed while in Paradise, but after he was guilty, and banished from it. And although the law- giver Moses has given us a brief list of the generations of Adam, as he was hastening on to the times of Abraham, the father of the Hebrews, still he has passed over the named of many sons and daughters of Adam.
But Methodius, the martyr, when he was in prison, prayed to God, and the revelation which he prayed for, concerning the beginning and end of the world, was given to him by the Holy Spirit. And he has left us a written statement, (drawn up indeed in a simple style) saying that they both, to wit, Adam and Eve, were virgins when they departed from Paradise.
^ The names of these rivers are thus given in the Bible, Genesis ii. 11 — 14. ** The name of the first is Pison, that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah : where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good : there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon ; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of ^Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hlddekel : that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.*'
B.C. 3000. THE BESCEinxOrTS OF CAHT. 5
And in the fifteenth year of the life of Adam, Cain' was bom to him, and also his sister Calmana. Fifteen years later« Abel was bom to him, and also his sister Delbora. Then in the hundred' and thirtieth year of his (that is of Adam's) life, Cain slew Abel, and Adam and Eve mourned for him a hundred years, and then Seth was bom to him in the thirtieth year of the first Chiliad, that is to say of the first age.^
Ch. IV. — Cam becomes a W^mderer, Caik the husbandman, grieving that his own offerings were rejected, while those of Abel were not, slew his brother, al- though for the action he was reproved by the Lord, and destined to be punished by a sevenfold^ sin. Subsequently lie was made a vagabond and a houseless man upon the face of the earth, after he had been cursed by the Lord.
Ch. V. — The DeaeencUmia of Cain. Cain knew his wife Calmana, and she brought him forth Bnoch; Enoch begat Irad; Irad begat Mamael;^ Mamael begat Matusael ; Matusael begat Lamech ; Lamech had two wives, to wit, Adah and Zillah. By Adah he had a son named Jabaal;' by Zillah he had Tubalcain and Naamah. This Lamech was the first man who introduced bigamy ; and when he had slain a man to his wounding, and a young man in his envy, he foretold to his wives that on this account there was a seventy-fold punishment due to him.''
' The date of Cain's birth as at present believed, and inserted in the margin of the Bible, is the year after the Creation of the World, viz. 4003. Abel's birth is supposed to have followed immediately ; the death of Abel is by the same authority placed in the year 3875.
' This is not very plain ; the year of Seth's birth is usually given as 3769 B^., 235 a.u., and, by the account of our author himself^ it would be the two hundred and thirtieth, or thirty-first of Adam's life,
^ This seems to refer to Gen. iv. 15. ** And the Lord said unto Cain, therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven- fold." See note on chap. v.
* The name in the Bible is Mehigael.
0 The Bible tells us that Adah had two sons, Gen. iv. 20, 21. " And Adah bare Jabal ; he was the father of all such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal ; he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ."
^ This refers to Gen. iv. 23, 24. ** And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice ; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech ; for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt : if Cain shaU be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and seven fold."
6 llATTHEW OF IfESTMINBTEB. B.C. 2349.
Jabaal, having inyented portable tents for sbepberdsy was tbe first man who distingoisbed flocks according to their quality, and breed and age. Jabaal was the father of those who play on the organ and the harp, that is to say, he was the inventor of the art of music, and he engraved a description of his art on two pillars, one of brick and the other of marble* as a durable record, in case of fire or flood.
Tubalcain was the inventor of the smith's art ; he was a fabricator of works of sculpture in metals ; and it was by the sound of his hammers that Jabaal was delighted, and so was the first person to lay down rules for the harmony of sounds derived from these hammers.
Ch. YL— The de»eendants of Seth.
Adak, as has been already mentioned, begat Seth ; Seth begat Enos ; Enos begat Canaan ; Canaan begat Malaleel ; Malaleel begat Jareth ; Jareth begat Enoch. This Enoch pleased God, and being translated to Paradise, dwells there with Elias. And Enoch, as some kind of letters had been invented^ wrote a book (as is stated in the Epistle of Jude).' And in his time Adiun is believed to have died.
Enoch begat Methusaleh ; Methusaleh begat Lamech ; L&- mech begat Noah.
But Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years ; Seth nine hundred and twelve ; Enos, nine hundred and five ; Canaan, nine hundred and ten ; Midaleel, eight hundred and ninety- five ; Jareth, nine hundred and sixty-two ; Enoch, three hun- dred and sixty-five ; Methusaleh, nine hundred and sixty-nine ; Lamech, seven hundred and seventy-seven. When Noah was five hundred years old* he begat Shem, Ham, and Japhet.
Hebe vkdb the Fibbt Age — Containing, according to the Hebrews, 1656 years; according to the Seventy translators of the Bible, 2242.
* This icfen to Jude 14. " And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints.''
BOOK 11. THE SECOND AGE OF THE WORLD.
B.C. 2448 — 1921.
THE DELUGE — THE DEBCElTDAirrS OP KOAH — THE DIYISIOITB OP THE KATIOKS — THE EEIGNS OP BELUS, BEMTB A MIS, THSTIB, ABTTAGE8, OTBTTB, DABITTS — THE DIVI8I0NB OP THE WOBU> INTO BUEOPE, ASIA, AND APEICA — THE COLONIZATION OP ETTBOPE — THE TOWEB OP BABEL.
Ch. I. — The Deluge, and Life and Death of Noah.
In the hundredth^ year of his life, Noah, now that the flood covered the earth, entered the ark with seven souls, which ark he had finished twenty years before, as God had conversed -with him for a hundred years. And the waters increased upon the earth for a hundred and fifty days, the Lord raining upon it for forty days and nights ; when, on the twenty-seventh' day of the seventh montii, the ark rested on the mountains of Armenia ; aO«r forty days, Noah sent out a raven, and after that a dove bearing an olive branch, and at last, on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, he went forth out of the ark, the year having come round again to the very same day on which he had entered it ; when the moon had entered the seventeenth day of the second month.
And the sacrifice of Noah was accepted, and he received permission to eat flesh, provided it was without blood ; and the rainbow was placed in heaven, as a covenant the deluge
> This clearly means the hundredth year of Noah's life, after the birth of Shem, Ham, and Japhet ; that is to say, when he was six hundred years old. See, however, note on chap. vii.
' Our author is not quite correct here ; the flood began on the Mvm- teenih day of the second month (Gen. vii. 11), and on the seveHieenth day of the seventh month the ark rested on Ararat (Gen. viii. 4). On the twenty-seventh day of the second month he left the ark (Gen. viii. 14). Moreover, he did not send out a dove bearing an olive branch ; but he sent forth the dove, and she returned to him in the evening, ** And lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked o£f " (Gen. viiL 11).
8 HA.TtrHXW OF -WSSTMHTSTEB. B.C. 2250.
was passed and should not retom, and that what should here- after come was a conflagration.
He got drank with wine, of which he was the first inyentor, and was mocked by Ham ; on which account he cursed him, but blessed his other sons. And so he died.
Ch. II. — The Generations of Noah,
Thxbb are seventy-two' generations catalogued of the three sons of Noah. To wit, fifteen of Japhet, thirty of Ham, and seventeen of Shem. And these men were scattered over the world. Shem obtained Asia, Ham Africa, and Japhet Europe ; and the ancients distinguish their genealogies in this manner. Shem, the eldest of the family, came into Asia, and ar- ranged tiie provinces in this manner.
Ch. III. — The Divisions of the Nations — the Reigns ofBelus, Semiramis, Ninus, in Assyria ; AstyageSy Cyrus, and Darius in Persia. As the people increased after the flood, there arose four prin- cipal kingdoms ; that of the Assyrians in the East, where the first king was Belus ; that of the Sicinii in the West, where the first king was Egialeus; that of the Scythians in the North, where the fiirst king was Tanus ; that of the Egyptians in the South, where the first king was Myneus. Belus was succeeded by his wife Semiramis, who made the district of Babylon the metropohtan district of her kingdom. She was succeeded by Ninus, who was the inventor of idols, making an image in honour of his father Belus. At length came Sardanapalus, from whom Arbaces wrested the kingdom and transferred it to the Medes. And after a time, Astyages be- coming long of the Medes, gave his daughter to a prince^ of the Persians, who became the father of Cyrus, by whom
' There b again some error here. Fifteen, thirty, and seventeen make ■ixty-two, not seventy.two ; nor do the numbers exactly coincide with the list of names given in the Bible, wherp (Gen. x.— 1 Chron. i.) we find the names of fourteen descendants of Japhet, thirty of Ham, and twenty, seven of Shem.
* Our author is mistaken here. Cambyses, the father of Cyrus, was not a prince, though of a good family (occliic ityaOiiC' Hdt. i. 107). ^d Parius did not reign as the colleague of Cyrus, but succeeded to the kingdom on the death of Smerdis the Magus, seven or eight years after the death of Cyrus (b c. 36), and he was the son of Hystaspes, not of Astyages (Hdt. iu. 75).
B.C. 2250. BIYTSIOirS OF THB IfOSLD. 9
Astyages was conquered ; and when he died, the sovereignty was transferred to the Persians, and Darius, die son of Asty- ages, reigned with this same Gyrus as his colleague.
Ch. IV. — The Divisions of the World; Europe, Asia, and Africa — The Colonization of Europe.
This hahitable world of ours, which is surrounded on all sides by the ocean, has three principal divisions. To wit, Asia, Africa, and Europe; but Asia is the largest. In it there are the following countries : — India, Parthia, Syria, Persia, Media, Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Palestina, Armenia, Cilicia, Chaldsea, Biffamia, Lydia. In Africa there are these provinces : — Lybia, Gyrene, Pentapolis, -Slthiopia, Tripohtania, Egypt, Ghetnlia, Natabna, Numidia, the greater and the lesser Syrtes.
In Europe there are these countries : — ^Italy, Spain, Ger- many, Macedonia, Thrace, Dalmatia, Pannonia, Gaid, Achaia, the greater and the lesser Britain, Ireland, and the Northern Isles beyond the ocean.
The first man of the race of Japhet who came to Europe was named Alanus, and he came with his three sons, whose names are as follows : Isicion, Armenion, and Negno. Isi-^ cion had four sons; they are these: Francus, Bomanus, Alemannus, and Brito. Armenion had five sons, as follows : Gothus, Yalagothus, Gaebidus, Burgundus, and Longobardus. Negno had four sons, whose names are these: Wandalus, Saxo, Bogarus, and Targus. From Isicion, the first-bom of Alanus, sprang four nations : the Latins, the Franks, the Germans, and the Britons. From Armenion, the second son, are descended the Goths, the Valagoths, the Csebidi, the Bur- gundians, and the Lombards. From Negno, the third son« are derived the Bogari, the Vandals, the Saxons, and the Tharinci. And these nations are scattered over the whole of Europe.
But Alanus was, as they say, the son of Frethevit, the son of Ogomun, the son of Thay, the son of Boyb, the son of Simeon, the son of Mayr, the son of Athach, the son of Aurtaach, the sonof Gephet, the son of Gozech, the son of Abrech, the son of Ra, the son of Ezra, the son of Isram, the son of Bach, the son of John, the son of Jabach, the son of Japhet, the son of Noah.
Of Asia and Africa we will speak in another place.
10 MAiTTHEW 07 MTESTlCDrBTKB. B.C. 2247.
Ch. \.—The Tower of Bahel^The Descendant* of Shem, down to Thare or Terah,
Seek was a hundred years old when he begat Arphaxad, which happened two years after the flood. Ai|)haxad begat Sale, or Cainan. Sale founded a city, which he called after his own name, Salem, and he was the father of Heber, firoin whom the Hebrews (Hebrsei) derive their name, or else they are called so from Abraham, as if they were Abrahai. Heber begat Phaleg, in whose time the sons of the sons of Noah, not having faith in the covenant of God which he had made with Noah, to the effect that there should not again be a flood, put together bricks for stones, and bitumen for cement, in order to build a tower, the height of which should reach to heaven ; in order that if a flood should inundate the earth, they mieht remain safe on its summit. And since they thought that tney might be able by their own skill to escape all danger, from either flood or "fire, there was caused in that very place^ to wit, in the land of Shinar, a division or confusion of tongues, so that no one of them could understand the lan- guage of his neighbour ; therefore the Lord scattered them over divers countries, and they left off building the tower. And the name of that place was called Babel, that is to say, confusion, because there the language of the whole earth was confused.
And Phaleg, in whose family the Hebrew language re- mained, which is the most ancient of all languages, was on that account called Phaleg, that is to say, divided from the others. Phaleg begat Ragau, Kagau begat Saruch, who begat Nachor ; that Nachor, when he had departed from Chaldsea, married a wife named Melcha, the daughter of his brother who was dead, and dwelt in Charran of Mesopotamia. His father having died there, and Abraham having taken up his abode as a sojourner in Canaan, Nachor begat these three brothers : Huz, Buz, and Bathuel, with Ave others, from one of whom, namely. Buz, was descended Balaam, who, accord- ing to the Hebrews, is the same person spoken of in Job as Elihu the Buzite.^
That Nachor begat Thare, who, not being able to bear the injuries that were inflicted on hhn in the matter of adoring * Job xxzii. 6.
B.C. 2075. BSIOir AlTD CHABACTSB OF BXMISAJaB. 1 1
fire in Chaldaea, where they put to death his fint-hom son, Aian, travelled away with Abraham and Nachor, and the fiunily of Aran, to Charran in Mesopotamia, where Thare* died, at the end of two hundred and five years.
Ch. VI. — The Reign and Character o/Semiramu — Duration
of the Assyrian Monarchy. Ik the times of Thare reigned Ninus, the most powerfnl king of the Assyrians, the son of queen Semiramis. She, a woman of manly strength of mind, governed the kingdom of the Assyrians with great power, for two and thirty years. And in order to resemble a man more closely, she clothed her legs and arms in the dress of a man, and wore a tiara on her head. And that she might not by any chance be supposed to con- ceal any secret design under this unusual garb, she ordered the people in general to wear the same dress, and ever since the whole nation retains that fashion.
She performed great exploits ; and as she was a woman of manly courage, she was not content with the boundaries of her dominions, which had been acquired by her husband, and to which she had succeeded, but she overwhelmed Ethiopia with war. She carried her arms into India ; a country which no one before her had ever subdued.
She it was who built the city of Babylon, and surrounded it with a wall, and appointed it to be the metropolis of the kingdom of the Assyrians. At last she was slain by her own son ; and when he had succeeded his mother, he, being con- tent with the kingdom as it had been made by his parent's toil, laid aside all thoughts of war ; and, as if he had changed sexes with his mother, seldom came into the sight of men, but grew old amid the bands of women. And his posterity followed his example so far, as to give their answers to people by the intervention of messengers.
After Ninus, thirty-six kings, in continual succession, pos- sessed the monarchy of the Assyrians, for a period of thirteen hundred years, down to the time of Sardanapalus.
Ch. VII. — Generations /rotn Noah to Abraham.
But Noah lived after the deluge' eight hundred and fifty
« Called Tenth, in Genesis.
7 There ii a difficulty here : if he means that Noah lived after the
12 HATTHEW OF WSSTMHrSTEB. B.C. 1921.
years. Shem lived six hundred years. Arphaxad lived three hundred and thirty-eight years. Heher lived four hundred and sixty-four years. Sale lived four hundred and thirty- three years. Phaleg lived two hundred and thirty-nine years. Ragau, or Beu, lived two hundred and thirty-nine years. Sarug lived two hundred and thirty years. Nachor lived one hun- dred and thirty-nine years. But Thare lived seventy years, and hegat Abraham in the forty-third year of the before-mentioned Ninus king of the Assyrians.
In Thare, the Second Age of the world terminates, consisting, according to the Hebrews, of 1292 years. According to the seventy transktors of the Bible, of 1072 years.®
deluge, and died at the age of eight hundred and fifty years, our author is wrong, for Noah's age was nine hundred and fifty years (Gen. ix. 29). If he means that he lived eight hundred and fifty years after the flood, that would make him out as having lived to the age of 1450. But, hy com- paring the statement in the first chapter of tUs hook, it appears possible that the writer may have fancied, by some mistake, that the flood took place in the hundredth year of Noah's life, instead of the six hundredth.
8 The real date of the death of Thare, or Terah, was b.c. 1921. A.H. 2083.
BOOK III. THE THIED AGE OF THE WOELD.
B.C. 1921—1055.
THE CAIJi OF ABBiLHAM—- THE BIBTH OT ISAAC AJO) ISHICAEL — THE TOimDATIOlT OP ABGOS BT MAOHUS — ^THB STOBY OP ESAir AM) JACOB — ^APIS ABBITES IN EGYPT — THE HISTOBY OP JOSEPH — THE EXODUS — MOSES A CONTEMPOEABY OP CBCBOPS — ^JOSHITA A COKTEMPOEABY OP BACCHUS— BUSIBIS, CADMUS, EUBOPA — APOLLO IS BOBIT — THE JEWISH JUDGES
^PABIS CABBIES OFP HELEN — TEIPT0LEMU8 — THE MINO-
TAUB — ^AMPHIOK — ^DIPUS — DASTAE — PALL OP TBOY AND ABBITAL OP -ZBKEAS IN ITALY — BBUTUS, SON OP 8YLTIUS, IS BANISHED INTO OBEECE — AN OBACLE WABNS HIM TO GO TO ALBION — DESCBIPTION OP ALBION — ^BBUTUS POUNDS LONDON IN THE TIME OP SAUL — ^DESCENDANTS OP BBUTUS — DATED IS KING.
Ch. I. — The Travels of Abraham^The chief events of his Life — The Birth and Marriage of Isaac — The Birth of Esau and Jacob.
Thabe, as has been already said, begat Abraham, Aran, and Nacbor. Aran begat Milcah, Lot, and Sarah. When Lot had departed from Sodom, after the destruction of the five cities, he begat these two sons, Moab and Ammon, on his two daugh- ters, haying been made drunk by them.
Nachor begat Huz, Buz, and Bathuel, and their mother was Milcah, the daugther of Aran. Bathuel begat Laban and Rebecca.
Abraham had a wife by name Sarah, the daughter^ of Aran his brother. He had also two handmaids, Hagar, an Egyptian, and Cethura. By Sarah he became the father of Isaac ; by Hagar of Ismael ; by Cethura of Madan and Madian. Ismael begat
1 The Bible speaks of Sarah as the daughter of Terah. Abraham says to Abimelech (Gen. zx. 12), " And yet indeed she is my sister ; she is the daoghter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother ; and she be- came my wife.*'
16 MA.TTHSW Of WESTMIKSTEB. B.C. 1747.
and he crossed the ford of Jaboch» and m thfi morning he wrestled with an angel and injured his sinew. And then, having had his name changed, he sent forward gifts to his hrother, and, being in great alarm, met him. Afterwards, when his daughter Dinah had been injured by Sichem, and the Sichemites had been treacherously slain, by the command of God, he erected an altar at Bethel, and puri£ed his house.
Esau was a hairy man and a hunter ; he sold his birthright as the elder for a mess of pottage, and from the red pottage he got the name of Edom. He married some Canaanitish wiyes, Judith and Basemath, and though he had been supplanted by his brother in the matter of his blessing, he met Jacob peace- ably as he was returning from Mesopotamia with four hundred men.
Moreover, it was Bliezer, the servant of Abraham, who brought the mother of Esau and Jacob, namely Biebecca, to Isaac, from Mesopotamia, and she was the sister of Laban, and the daughter of Bathuel.
Ch. IV. — Of the Edomites and Balaam,
Is the time of the sons of Isaac, as some authors relate, the second king of Edom was Job, of the race of Huz, the son of Nachor, called afterwards Balak, who is also called in Genesis Jobab, the great grandson' of Esau. But the Hebrews, as we have already mentioned, assert that he was descended from Huz, the first bom son of Nachor.
At the same time Balaam was born, who in the book of Job is called Elihu ; he was descended from Buz, and being hired by Balak the king to curse Israel, blessed him, his ass having previously spoken to him ; and he prophesied about the rising of the star and of the Saviour.
Ch. Y.—Tke Birth of the Patriarchs.
BtJT the before-mentioned Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs, from whom the twelve tribes of Israel derive their origin. For he had by Leah, who was also called Weakeyed, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zabulon, and Dinah his daugh- ter, who is recorded to have been ravished by the Sichemites. Jacob saw these (the angels) » he said this is God's Hosts. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim." (Gen. xxxii. 2.)
" The steps of this genealogy, as given in Genesis (c. xxxvi.), are Esan, Revel, Zerah. Jobab.
B.C. 1729. XTB3ITS XET THB LI7JB OT JTDAH. 17
By Bala^ he had Dan and Naphtali ; by Gelfa^ he had Oad and Asser. By Rachel, who was called the Beautifal, he became the father of Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph begat Manasseh and Ephraim> each of whom makes a tribe by himself, the tribe of Levi being removed from the lot of inheritance.
Ch. VI. — Apis comes into Egypt ^ and is deified. About the same time Apis, the son of Phorceus, king of the Argives, came by sea into Egypt. And after he had died in that country, he was called Serapis, the greatest god of all the Egyptians. And he is called Serapis, not Apis, because the Egyptians call a sarcophagus Soros, And they began to worship him while buried in a sarcophagus, before they built him a temple. His son was Argus, from whom the Argi derive their name. C11.VII. — Joseph is sold by his Brethren — The/amine in Egypt —
Jacob comes down to Egypt, and dies. But when Joseph was fifteen years of age, he fed the flocks with his brethren, while he himself was still a boy ; and he was with the sons of Bala and Zelfa, the wives of his father. And as he had accused his brethren before his father, and had related many dreams which he had dreamt to his brethren> they envied him, and sold him to the Egyptians.
But while Joseph was sojourning in Egypt, in the second year of the famine, Jacob also came down tibither with seventy- two souls, and dwelt there ; and also died there, blessing all his sons in regular order.
Ch. YUL— Events in the life o/Judah. JuDAH, the son of Jacob, had a wife named Shuah, and begat Er, Onan, and Zela ; by Thamar he had Phares and Sai^. Judah had given Thamar as a wife to his two sons Er and Onan successively ; and when they had perished^ owing to their shameful wickedness, he sent her back to heV father's house, fearing to give her to Zela, as he ought to have done, for the sake of raising seed. And afterwards, as she was sitting in the road, Judah, going with Iram his shepherd, to the sheepshear- ing, after the death of Shuah his wife, begat Phares and Sarah, who were twins, thinking that Thamar was a harlot. And afterwards, when she was being led to the stake as having been detected in adultery,^ she delivered herself by the display « Called Bilhah and Zilpab in the Bible. VOL. I. c
18 MATTHEW or WSBTHTVSTBB. B.C. 1531.
of his ring and staff and annlet which she had received as a pledge.
Ch. IX. — The descendants of Jacob are oppressed in Egypt — Moses is bom — The Egyptians are lost in the Red Sea — God leads the Israelites through the wilderness.
BtJT after that Israel had died in Egypt, and had been carried into Canaan, and buried there, the people of the Hebrews increased wonderfully for many years, until the Egjrptians became jealous of their increase, and till their very fecundity became troublesome to them. Then they began to oppress them with many labours, but at length the Diyine pity had regard to the people. For in these days there went forth a man of the house of Levi, by name, Amram, who, having re- ceived a wife of his own family, by name Jochabeth, begat Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. Afterwards, when Moses had grown up under the favour of the Lord, he led forth his people from Egypt by great portents and prodigies, and they crossed the Red Sea with dry feet. And when the king of Egypt pursued them, being moved by repentance for having permitted them to depart, he himself, with his chariots and his horsemen, entered the middle of the dry sea ; but suddenly the whole mass of water was poured back upon him from be- hind, and he was overwhelmed there with his entire army. And even now there exist on that shore the most undoubted traces of this miracle ; unto this day the tracks of the wheels and the footsteps of the horsemen and foot-soldiers are beheld there, and if by ^ny chance they are disturbed, they are re- paired again at sunrise by Divine interposition.
But a&r the people of the Hebrews had passed the Red Sea, they were in the desert of Sinai forty years ; in the first of which years, they received a law from God by the hand of Moses. Nevertheless, during all these years none of their shoes or garments became worn out, nor did their hair or nails grow long, so as to inconvenience them. But, as if immortality had been restored to them, their simple integrity preserved the form of man unchanged. And a column of light preceded them by night as a guide to their road, which by day bore the appearance of a cloud, and defended them from any injury from the heat, so that the vast solitude might not overwhelm them with weariness.
B.C. 1490. THE a?BIB£S 07 ISBAEL. 19
Ch. X. — The founding of Athens-r-Cecrops — Atlas — Mercury,
But Moses led this people out of Egypt, in the latter days of the life of Cecrops,king of the Athenians^who founded the city of the Athenians, in honour of Minerva, and called the Attics Atheni- ans, from her name.^ For Minerva is called in Greek ^A&amrri UapSevtiy that is to say, ' Immortal Virgin,' since Wisdom, of which she is the goddess, can neither die nor be seduced. She is said to have appeared of the age of puberty in the times of Ogygius, at the lake which is called Imtonis. Owing to which circumstance she was thought a goddess, the more easily in proportion as her real origin was less known.
The Athenians are reported to have been the first to teach the neighbouring nations the art of spinning wool, and the use of oil and wine. It is also related of Cecrops, that he was the first person who sacrificed an ox to Jupiter. More- over, at this time they say that he formed men out of xlay, because he was a most excellent teacher of wisdom. His brother was Atlas,^ who was himself also a consummate as- tronomer.
At this time also. Mercury, the grandson of Atlas by his daughter Maia, is said to have lived, a man who was an in- ventor of many arts.
Cecrops was succeeded by Gamao, in whose time the de- luge of Deucalion took place. To this time is also ascribed the fabulous conflagration of Phsethon.
Ch. XL — The numbers of the Tribes of Israel.
Whele the children of Israel remained^ in the desert, the Lord ordered Moses and Aaron to number them by pedigrees, and houses, and families, and to count the names of each per- son of twenty years of age and upwards, of the male sex, who was able to go out to war.
And there were found to be of the tribe of Reuben, the first-bom son of Israel, forty-six thousand four hundred men.
' The Greek name of Minerva is 'Adj^vij.
* This does not agree with any account that has come down to us. There is no mention made of any parent of Cecrops, who is represented as earth- bom ; while Atlas, according to Hesiod (Theog. 507), was son of Tarpetus and Clymene.
20 MATTHXW OF WBSTKnrSTXB. B.C. 1491.
Of the tribe of Simeon/ seventy thousand three hundred. Of the tribe of Gad* forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. Of the tribe of Judah, seventy-four thousand six hundred. Of the tribe of Issachar, fifty-four thousand four hundred. Of the tribe of Zebulon, fifty-seven thousand four hundred. Of the tribe of Joseph, that is, of the sons of Ephraim, forty thousand four hundred; and of the tribeof Mana8seh,thebrother of Ephraim, thirty-two thousand two hundred. Of the tribe of Benjamin, thirty-five thousand four hundred. Of the tribe of Dan, seventy-two thousand seven hundred. Of the tribeof Asser, forty-one thousand five hundred. Of the tribe of Naphtali, fifty-three thousand four hundred. And the sum of all the children of Israel was six hundred and three thousand five hundred and forty. The Levites were not numbered with the rest, but by the command of God, they were appointed to bear the tabernacle of the testimony, and all its utensils, and were attached to the service of the tabernacle, and pitched their camps around the circuit of the tabernacle.
Ch. XII. — The different resting-places of the Israelites in the wilderness.
Ik the first year of their wanderings, the first resting-place of the people of Israel in the desert was Bameses ; the second, Succoth ; the third, Echam ; the fourth, Phiairoth ; the fifth, Marah ; the sixth, Helem ; die seventh, the wilderness of Sin ; the eighth, Dephea ; the ninth, Altis ; the tenth, Baphidim ; the eleventh, the wilderness of Sinai. In the second year, their first resting-place was the Tomb of Concupiscence ; the second was Mount Sepher; the third. Mount Seroch; the fourth, Rechima ; the fifth, Remon Phares ; the sixth, Lebna ; the seventh, Eessa : the eighth, Chelata ; the ninth, Arada ; the tenth, Maceloth ; the eleventh, Chaach ; the twelfth, Mare ; the thirteenth, Melcha ; the fourteenth, Esmena ; the fifteenth, Bameca Cham ; the sixteenth. Mount Golgay ; the seventeenth, Rechalathar ; the eighteenth, Ehrona ; tihe nineteenth, Asion
^ These numbers are not quite consistent with the account in the Bible (Numbers i^) or with themselves. The number of Simeon's tribe is stated in the Bible at 59|300 ; of Ephraim, at 40,500 ; and of Daq, at 62,700. And the total amount of the numbers mentioned in the text is not 603,540, as it is stated, but 624,450.
11.0. 1450. JOSHUA. SXrOCESDS HOSES. 21
Gaber ; the twentieth, Cades. In the third year their first resting-place was Mount Hor ; the second, Sahnana { the third, Phenon ; the fourth, Oboth ; the fifth, Jeabarim ; the sixth, Gibon Gad ; the serenth, Hemon ; the eighth, Blatsim ; the ninth, Abarim ; the tenths the plains of Moab."
Ch. XIII. — Jo9hua succeeds Moses — The story ofAchan — Of the Gibeonites — Jericho and At are taken — The sun and moon are stopped in their course,
Aeteb Moses died, Joshua, the son of Nun, succeeded him in the leadership of the people of Israel, at the command of €rod ; and he, having sent spies to Jericho, Sethim, after seven days, crossed over Jordan with all the people with dry feet. He brought twelve stones out of the bed of the river on to the dry land, and also a second set of twelve out of the bed of the river on to the dry land ;' and he renewed the people by a second circumcision in Gilgal. He compassed the city of Jericho for seven days, the priests clangins with trumpets, and on the seventh day he oestroyed it. He stoned Achan, who had stolen a wedge of gold and a purple garment from the offerings, because the Lord, being angry thereat, had slain thir(T-six men before Ai. He took the city of Ai by ambush, and burnt it, and received the Gibeonites as slaves to hew wood and draw water. He slew five kings who had besieged Gibeon, having lengthened the space of day, the sun and moon stand- ing still ; he also slew twenty-four kings who were with Jabin. Having built an altar on Ebal, he ordered blessings and curses to be proclaimed, and divided the land, giving it to some by concession, to others by tradition. He dismissed two tribes and a half, which, on their return after fourteen years, had built an altar^ by the borders of Jordan ; and he wrote in a book an account of his covenant with the people about wor- shipping God, which was entered into with the efiusion of water.*
8 Tbese wanderings of the Isnelitei are recorded Numb. xi. xii. xx. xxi. But the gtester part of the names given here differ from those in the Bible.
' This is a mistake ; the second set of stones were *< set up in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of ihe covenant stood.'' (Josh. iv. 9.)
1 See Josh. xxii. 1(K > See Josh. xxiv. 14, 26.
22 MATTHEW or WESTMIK8TKB. B.C. 1425.
Ch. XIV. — Mention is made of Bacchus, Cadmus, Apollo, Perseus, ^c.
In the time of Joshua, Liber Pater is said to have revealed the vine to his host in Greece. Also, about this time, Europa is said to have been carried off, and her sons were Rhodoman- thus, Sarpedon, and Minos. In these days also, hved Busiris, a son of Neptune and Lybia, the daughter of Paphus, who used to sacrifice his guests to his gods.
Phosnix and Cadmus having come from Thebes, a city of Egypt, into Syria, reigned in the countries of Tyre and Sidon. But 88 Cadmus migrated into Greece, the whole country got the name of Phoenicia, from Phcenix.
Jupiter got possession of Europa, the daughter of Phoenix, and Danaus by the means of his fifty daughters, slew the sons of his brother ^gisthus,' one only being left alive, who suc- ceeded him in the kingdom.
About this time Latona brought forth Apollo, not that Apollo whose oracles used to be consalted, but the one who with Her- cules became a slave of Admetus ; and he nevertheless was accounted a god, so that many believe that he was one and the same Apollo with the other.
Moreover at this time also Liber Pater warred in India ; and it is said that he had many women in his army, who were called Bacchse, celebrated not so much for their virtue as for their madness.
About the same time also Perseus and his wife Andromeda are said to have been received into Heaven.
Ch. XV. — The Judges of Israel from Othniel to Sampson,
Afteb the death of Joshua, the son of Nun, who succeeded Moses, the people of the Hebrews continued under judges for many years ; and the names of the judges are these : — Othniel, Aioth, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Mola, Jair, Jephtha, Abesan, Aldon, Samson, Eli, and Samuel, who anointed Saul to be king. .
The above mentioned Othniel slew Carrathsepher, by which exploit he gained his wife Achsah, who asked of her father
3 This is a mistake of our Chronicler for iSgyptus ; JEgisthus is known aa the paramour of Clytsemnestra.
B.C. 1161. THX JXTD6ES OX* ISILLEL. 23
the upper springs and the lower springs. He judged Israel forty years.
He was succeeded by Aioth/ who had equal use of both his hands, and slew Eglon, a fat king, and so deliyered Israel, and himself defended Israel, and died the same year. He judged Israel.
Eighty years afterwards, Shamgar slew six hundred men with a ploughshare.
Deborah, the wife of Barachor Lapidoth, Sisera having been slain hj the hand of Jael, the wife of Abner* the Kenite, who gave Imn a cup of milk, at length slew Jabin, whose general Sisera was, and sang a song oyer him. Deborah judged Israel forty years.
Gideon haying been saluted by an angel to whom he offered flesh on Petra, and who was called Jerubbaal from haying^ destroyed an altar, haying received a sign by means of a fleece, with three hundred men who lapped water hke dogs, with broken pitchers and clanging trumpets, overthrew four kings, Oreb, Zeb, Zeba, and Salmana.
Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal by his concubine, being made king in Sichem over the Sichemites, slew his seventy brothers, leaving only one surviving, who told the Sichemites a parable about the brier, the fig tree, the vine and the bram- ble. He also destroyed this same Sichem, with Gaal, its king, by means of Zebul, and died himself in the town of Thesbe, luiving a millstone thrown upon him by the hand of a woman. Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, reigned over Israel three years.
Thola succeeded Abimelech, and judged Israel twenty-three years.
Jair judged for twenty-two years.
Jephthah, who had been discarded by the children of Israel aa illegitimate, and who abode in the country of Thob, was afterwards made prince over them ; and, having bound himself by a vow, in consequence of his victory over the Ammonites, he sacrificed his daughter, after giving her two months and forty days to bewail her virginity. Chechoiat* slew forty-two thousand of Ephraim by Shibboleth and Sibboleth, trying them at the fords of Jordan. Jephthah judged Israel six years. After him Abesan judged Israel seven years.
« Called in the Bible Ehud. > Called in the Bible Heber.
• Called in the Bible GUead.
24 HATTHSW OF WESTMIKSTEB. B.C. 1120.
Ailon judged Israel ten yean.
Abdon, or Labdon, judged eight years.
Sampson judged Israel twenty years. This Sampson was the son of Manoah of the tribe of Dan, and his birth was foretold by an angel. He was a Nazarite, and he married a wife in Tim- nath ; and he proposed a riddle about a Hon to guests, which was solved by the treachery of his wife. He burnt the com crops of his enemies by tying fire to the tails of fpxes. He slew a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass, which gave him water in Ramathlesbi. He carried the gates of Qazah to the mountain. At length, by the treachery of Dalikh hia hair was cut, and he was blinded by the Philistines^ and compelled to grind corn ; but when his hair grew again, he, in the tem- ple of Dagon, slew more men when dying than he had slain while aUve.
Cn.XVl.^Oftherape of Helen— The Minotaur, the Centaurs^ and other monsters of Bellerophon^ Amphion, Ganymede, Danae, S^c,
DtTBiNG these years, in which the people of the Hebrews after the death of Jehu or Joshua, were subject under judges to the alternatives of humiliation and distress, of prosperity and comfort, Alexander, called also Paris, carried off Helen; and the kingdom of the Argives was transjferred to Mycenae, where Agamemnon reigned. About the same time also some fables were invented, which are celebrated among the grammarians. To wit, the fable of Triptolemus, that he, at the command of Ceres, being borne on the wings of serpents, bore corn, as he flew, to die earth which as yet had none.
The fable of the Minotaur : how that it was a beast shut up in a labyrinth, which When men had entered, they were in- volved in inextricable wanderings, so that they could not escape.
The fable of the Centaurs, that their nature was one com- bined of that of horses and men.
That of Tricerberus, that he is a three-headed dog in the shades belo'vir*
That of Phrixus and his sister Helle, that they were borne on a ram, and so flew.
That of the Gorgon, that she had serpents for hair, and turned those who beheld her into stone.
Thatof Bellerophon, that he was bomeon a flying horse^ which was named Pegasus.
B.C. 1184. THI TALL 07 TBOT. 25
That of Amphion, that by the sweetnesa of his harp he soothed stones and drew them after him.
That of Dsedalus, the artist, and his son Icaras> that they flew by means of wings which they fitted on.
That of (Edipusy tluit he compelled a certsin monster which was called the Sphinx, a quadruped with a human face, by solving a riddle which she was in the habit of proposing as unanswerabk, to perish by a fall from her own precipice.
That of Antseus, whom Hercules slew, which relates that he was a son of the earth, and that consequently whenever he fell to the ground he rose up more vigorous.
That of Ganymede» a boy carried off for lustful objeeta, a crime which is said to have been committed in reaUty, not by Jupiter to whom it is ascribed, but by Tantalus the king.
Danae too is said to have lain with Jupiter hims^, who descended in a shower of gold, by which fable it is imphed that the chastity of the woman was corrupted by gold.
Ch. XVIL— The fall of Troy—^neaa arrives in Italy— Ascanius, Sylvius, Brutus. <
Ik this third age of the world, when Labdon had judged Israel three years, the destruction of Troy took place, four thousand nineteen vears having been accomplished since the beginning of the world, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven years since the Deluge, fourteen hundred and three since the birth of Abraham ; eight hundred and thirty-five since the age of Ninas king of the Assyrians.
It was also four hundred and four years since the founda- tion of the city of Alba, and four hundred and six before the first Olympiad.^ And ^neas, the son of Venus and Anchises, escaping from the destruction, came into Italy, in the third year after that destruction. He fought with Tumus, the son of Daunus, king of the Tuscans, and slew him ; and married his betrothed wife Lavinia, daughter of king Latinus.
iBneas reigned as king of the Latins three years. And when he died Ascanius succeeded to the kingdom, being the son of ^neas, whom he had bom to him in Troy, being the son of his wife Creusa, and whom, when lie came into Italy,
^ Oar lustoriaii probably refers to tbe institution of the Olympic games by Hercules, toot to theOIympiadofCoebus, from whence chronolog^sts date B.C. 776. The inoonaisteiicy of the previoos datei it ia hardly necessary to point out.
26 UATTBXW OF WESTKDTSTSIU B.C. 1100.
he brought with him. Ascaxiiua built Alba on the Tiber, and begat a son whose name was Syhius. He, indulging in further love, married a granddaughter of Lavinia, and caused her to be with child. And when the day of her deliyery arriyed the woman brought forth a son, and died herself at his birth. The boy is given to the midwife, and called Brutus. Afterwards, when fifteen years had elapsed, the youth was accompanying his father out hunting, and by an uninten- tional, wound of an arrow, he slew his father instead of a wild beaat. And after his death he was driven out of Italy, his relations being indignant at his having committed such a crime.
Ch. XVIII. — Brutus goes to Greece — CoUects the Trojans around him — Pandrasus.
BBI7TTTS, therefore, being driven into exile, went to the land of Greece, and there he found the posterity of Helenus, the son of Priam, who were held in slavery under the power of Pandrasus, the king of the Greeks. The fact was, that Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles, after the overthrow of Troy, had carried off with him in chains the before-mentioned Helenus, and many other persons ; and had ordered them to be kept in prison, that he might avenge on them the death of Ins father.
Brutus now, recognising the pedigree of his ancient fellow- citizens, remained among them. And he became so eminent for military renown and for honesty, that he was beloved both by the kings and princes beyond all the youth of the country. For he was wise among the wise, impetuous among the war- like, and whatever gold or silver or ornaments he acquired, he gave wholly among the soldiers. Therefore, as his fame had spread abroad among aU nations, the Trojans began to flock to him^ entreating him to become their leader, and to deliver them from their slavery to the Greeks, which they asserted might easily be accomplished, as they had already multipUed in the land to such an extent, that they were reckoned at seven thousand souls besides women and children. There was also a certain youth of the noblest blood in Greece, by name Assaracus, who favoured the cause. . For he was bom of a Trojan mother, and placed the greatest confidence in the Trojans, so that by their assistance he resisted the unquiet
B.O. 1100. BBlTTirS DEFEATS PAITDBASUS. 27
spirit of the Greeks. For bis brother was accusing him for the sake of three castles which his father, when dying, had given to him, and he endeavoured to take them from him, because he was the son of a concubine. But his brother was a Greek on both the father's and the mother's side, and he had won over the king and all the other Greeks to favour his party.
Brutus, therefore, beholding the multitude of the men, and the castles of Assaracus, which were open to him, agreed to their request the more fearlessly. Accordingly, being raised to the office of their general, he collects the Trojans from all quarters, and fortifies the castles of Assaracus. But he him- self, and Assaracus, with the whole multitude of men and women which adhered to them, occupied the woods and hills. Then he sent letters from himself to the king, entreating his Highness and Mightiness to permit the people to migrate to other lands and nations, or else to return to their pristine dignity in their own country. On this, Pandrasus, being inflamed by great anger, collected a vast army to pursue the Trojans and subject them to still more rigorous slavery. But as he was marching by the city of Sparata, towards the desert places in which he conjectured that they were assem- bled, Brutus sallied out with three thousand men, and attacked him quite suddenly, while he was expecting nothing of the sort, and routed the whole of his army, and put Che chief part of it to the sword. But at last, as Mars turned out favourable to him, he took Antigonus, die mother of the king, and Anacletus his companion, a]\d put them in chains.
Ch. XIX. — Brutus defeats Pandrasus and takes him prisoner.
Bbutus having gained this victory, fortified his city with six hundred soldiers, and delivering his prisoners to guards, again sought the more secret parts of the woods. £ut Pan- drasus, being anxious, on account of his own defeat and the captivity of his brother, employed his leisure in re-uniting his distracted people, and when he had accomplished his object, he proceeded to besiege the town. For he thought that Brutus had thrown himself into it with Antigonus, and the rest of the prisoners whom he had taken. When ^ere- fore he came near the walls, he ordered some of his troops to cut off all egress hpm the garrison, which was blockaded ;
28 KA^TTHEW OF WBSTMIKSTXE. B.C. 1100.
others to turn the coarse of the river ; others to loosen the fabric of the walls by frequent blows of the battering-ram and other warlike engines. But Brutus desiring to bring aid to the besieged, arranged to attack the camp of the Greeks on the following night, in order that he might inflict a miser- able slaughter on the Greeks, who would be weary in the labour, heavy in sleep, and secure, as they fancied, firom the attack of the enemy, and afterwards might reduce them to subjection to his will.
When therefore his forces were arranged, Brutus, with his companions, boldly pierced the wedges of the enemy, and penetrated to the king's tent, which, above aU things, he desired to reach. Having done this, they instantly draw their swords, they enter the bed-chambers of the sleepers, they redouble their deadly blows, and, showing no pity, they traverse the whole camp in this manner, cruelly slaughtering every one they meet.
Pandrasus himself, deprived of all comfort, was detained as prisoner by Brutus, who ordered him to be bound and pre- served with all respect.
Cn. XX. — Brutus marries the daughter of Pandrasus.
But Brutus, being delighted at his victory, asked his friends what they would advise him to demand of Pandrasus, while they, influenced by different passions, were recommending different things : Mantritius rose, a man of great eminence for wisdom, and having commanded silence, said, " To slay a king from a desire of ruling, appears to me to be impious, as it is lawful for all men to fight for their country. But I recommend that we should demand of him his daughter in marriage for our general, and gold and silver with her, and ships, and com, and all other things which may be necessary for our march, in order that we may be able to proceed to some desert country, where we and aU our posterity, for ever, may be able to reign by ourselves." And when this opinion had gained the assent of them all, the king, at the command of Brutus, was brought, with great respect, into the middle : and when he had been informed of their proposal, he answered with a lowly voice ; '* Since the hostile gods have deUvered me and my brother Antigonus into your hands, I must comply with your request, lest I lose my life, which can be
B.C. 1100. BBunrs bits bah. to bbbk ▲ home. 29
either taken away from or granted to ihe at your pleasure. Accordingly I give to your general my daughter Imogene ; I give gold and silver, com and wine and oil, and whatever you think necessary for your march."
Accordingly, his daughter having been married to Brutus, and everything else having been properly performed, the king was released from prison, and the Trojans, having suc- ceeded in their wishes, escaped from his power.
Ch. XXI. — Brutus sets sail in qu^st of a home — Consults the oracle of Diana.
Bbtttus, then, and his comrades having sailed two days and one night with a fair wind, came to a certidn island called Leogicia, which having been laid waste in old time, was inhabited by no one. Disembarking from their ships they came to a certain deserted city, in which was a temple of Dianaj^'aud they found an image of the goddess herself, which gave answers if any question was put to it by any one. His comrades suggest to the general to visit the temple, and having offered propitiatory ^fts, to enquire of the deity what country would give them an abode and a secure resting-place. Brutus acquiescing in their advice, stood before the altar of the goddess, holding in his right hand a sacrificial vessel full of wine and the blood of a white doe, and broke the silence with these words : —
Thb Qubstign put bt Brutus to Diana.
Queen of the groves, of all wild beasts the foe,
You who through heav'n and shades below can roam ;
Eeveal, I pray, the future fates, and show What land shall give us a safe, lasting home.
Where I may kindle you a sacred fire,
And build a temple for your virgin choir.
When he had repeated this nine times, he walked round the altar four times, and poured forth the blood and wine which he held on the altar, and lay down on the skin of the doe, which he had stretdied before the altar, and thus, having invited slumber, he fell asleep. It was then about the third hour of the night, when mortals are sunk in the most pleasant sleep ; then it appeared to him that the goddess was standing before him, andaiddressinghim in this manner : —
30 MA.TTHBW OF WSSTUINSTSB. B.C. 1100.
Amswbk of Diana.
In the far west, beyond the Gallic shore,
A seagirt isle in that vast ocean lies ; A seagirt isle, which whilome giants bore.
Now desolate, invites your band's emprise. Seek that, for it shall be your lasting home,
Your flag shall on a second Troy be unfurlM ; There, of your blood shall mighty monarchs come.
And to their mighty sway subject the world.
Ch. XXII. — Brutus proceeds on his voyage — Joins Corinaus — A battle with Goffravius — Bravery of CoriMSus and Tumus.
The leader being awakened by such a vision as this, reported what he had heard to his companions ; they being elated with great joy, immediately return to the ships. Passing over the sea, after a voyage of thirty days, they came to Africa. From thence they came to the altars of the Philseni, and to the lake of Salivse, and sailed between BuBcitada and the mountain Azara. Then crossing the river Malua, they went towards the pillars of Hercules, and the Tyrrhenian sea, where, near the shore, they found four families of Trojan exiles, which had accom- panied Butinor in his flight. Their leader was Corinseus, a man of great wisdom, boldness and virtue. Brutus united him, and the people which he governed, to himself. From thence they proceeded to Aquitania, and entering the mouth of the Lijer,^ they examined lie situation of the country. Co- rinseus himself, disembarking from the ships, with two hun- dred men, collected suppHes with great bravery. And when the news of that proceeding was brought to Croflfrarius, who at that time reigned in Aquitania, he came against him with the Gauls and Aquitanians, and endeavoured to wrest their booty from them. So a battle began, and a contest of great fierceness on both sides ensues. But Corinseus, with a dense phalanx, forces his way through the squadrons of the enemy, and put them to flight ; and as he had lost his sword by accident, he vrielded a battle-axe. One man's hand arm and all he cuts off; another's shoulder-blade he separates from his body ; another's head he cuts off at one blow ; another's legs he cuts asunder from their union ; all were rushing at him, and he by himself was rushing against all. And Brutus, per- « The Loire.
B.O. 1100. BBVTUS ASBIYl&n IS BBITAIIT. 31
Geiving this, inflamed with love for the man, came with one squadron, and put Goflrarius the king, with the Pictayians* and Gaols, to ^ht.
There was in the battle a Trojan, of the name of Tumus, a nephew of Brutus, than whom there was no one more bold or fearless, except Corinseus. He with his single sword slew six hundred men, but, alas ! was slain sooner than he deserved to be, by the attacking Gauls. And from his name the city of the Tumi^ derived its appellation, because, as Horner^ bears witness, he was buried there. And, although so important a victory filled Brutus with the greatest joy, still he was also afflicted with great grief, because he had lost his nephew, a youth of such great excellence.
Without delay, he sought his fleet, with the consent of all his companions, filling it with all the booty which he had acquired, and embarking on board his ships, he approached the promised island with a fair wind, and anchored on the Istonesian' coast.
Ch. XXIII. — Brutus comes to Britain — Divides it among his chief comrades.
The name of the island was at that time Albion, and it was inhabited by no one except a few giants. Nevertheless, by its pleasant situation, and the abundance of its rivers full of fish, and the beauty of its groves, it inspired Brutus and his companions with a desire of taking up their abode in it ; accordingly, having traversed certain provinces, they drive the giants whom they find into the caverns in the mountains ; they divide the country, which their leader gives them, by lot ; they begin to cultivate the land ; to build houses ; so that in a short time you would have supposed that the island had been inhabited from the earhest ages.
Lastly, Brutus calls the island Britain, after his own name, and calls his comrades and Mends Britons. For he wished to leave behind him a perpetual recollection of himself, by such a derivation from his name ; with which view subse- quently, the language of the nation which was formerly called Trojan, or crooked Greek, was now called British.
* The inhabitants of the district of Poictiers. ^ Now Tours.
^ This must be some mistake of the good monk. There is no such
place or people mentioned in Homer. * ^ear Thionyille, in Belgram.
32 MATTHEW OP WSSTKHTBTIB^ B.C. IIOO.
But Corinieiis called that portion of the kingdom which fell to his lot Corinaea, after his own name ; and his people he called Corinaean, following the example of his leader. And the reason why he especially chose that district, which, from being the horn (comu) of Britain, is called Cornubea,^ was, because above all things he was eager to fight the giants. For there were a greater number of them there, than in any other of the provinces which were distributed among his com* panions.
In sooth, as it is read in the history of the Britons, he him- self engaged in a personal combat with one of the giants, by name of Gogmagog ; whose stature was twelve cubits high, and putting him on his shoulders, he carried him down to the sea- shore, and throwing him down over the precipice, he dashed him to pieces.
Ch. XXIV. — Brutus founds London.
At length, having divided the kmgdom, Brutus was desirons to found a city. Accordingly, proceeding to execute his wish, he travelled round the whole country till he came to the river Thames, where he found a situation suitable for his purpose. Accordingly, he built a city there, and called it Troja Nova, which name afterwards got corrupted, and was called Trinovantum.* Then he dedicated it to the citizens who were to live in it, and he gave them a law under which they might hve peaceably.
At that time the sons of Hector were reigning in T^y, having expelled the posterity of Antenor.
Sylvius ^neas was reigning in Italy, the son of .^neas, and grandfather, in the third degree, of Uie Brutus of the Latina.
Eli the priest was reigning in Judeea ; and the ark of the covenant was taken by die Philistines, about the same time.
Ch. XXV.— 0/ the priesthood of the tribe of Levi-^Of Corah, Dathan^ and Abiram — Of the taking of the ark and death of Eli. It has been already mentioned, that by the command of the Lord, the tribe of Levi was separated from the allotment oi inheritance, for the purpose of ministering in the tabernacle of the covenant, and of offering sacrifices and victima for sb. That Levi begat Caath ; Caath, by his wife Jochabeth, became the father of Ishar and Amram; Ishar, the first- ♦ Now Comwa]l. * Now London.
B.C. 1491. THE 8T0BT OF XLEJLETAH, SAMITSL, ETC. 33
bom, begat Dorah ; Amram begat Aaron and Moses. This Moses led the children of Israel out of the Egyptian bond- age, as has been already mentioned. Aaron begat Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The above-mentioned Corah strove with Aaron in the wilderness about the priesthood, be- cause he was the son of Ishar, the elder brother of Amram. And on this account he perished by fire from heaven, with two hundred and fifty of his followers. Also Dathan- and Abiiam, and Nadab and Abihu were destroyed at the same time.
The priests descended from Eleazar down to the time of Christ, according to the appointment of the judges, kings and prophets. Eleazar waa succeeded by Phineas, Phineas by Abisve, Abisve by Boezi, Boezi by Ozi, after whom the priest- hood was transferred from the line of Eleazar to Eli, who was the son of Thamar, and Azariah, Meraioth, Amariah, and Achitob were deprived of the priesthood. But Eli was luke- warm in correcting his sons, Hophni and Phineas, who, to- gether with him, dhscharged the duties of the priesthood, and treated the sacrifices at tibie altar with irreverence, and there- fore it is related that he was rejected by the Lord. And when he heard of the slaughter of his sons, and that the ark of the Lord vras taken by the Philistines, he fell down from his seat, and broke his neck, and died. And he judged Israel forty years.
Ch. XXVI. — The story ofElkanah, Samuel, and Saul.
Iir those days there was a man named Elkanah, descended through Corah from Ishar, and he had two wives, Peninah who was fruitful, and Hannah who was barren. And Hannah having made a vow, that if God would grant her a male child^ she would make hiin a Nazarene, brought forth Samuel, who was both prophet and judge. And he delivered Israel from the Philistines by a lamb, which he slew on the stone of Help, which was placed on the borders of the land, with reference to the petition of Israel.'
> The Bible account (1 Sam. vii. 12.) is, that Samuel sacrificed, ** and the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines
and discomfited them, and they were smitten before Israel Then
Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, [The stone of hefy. Margin.] saying, hitherto hath the Lord helped us^"
VOL. I. D
34 MATTHEW OP WESTmHrSTSB. B.C. 1095.
He anointed Saul, who was pointed out to him hy the Lord, )dng over Israel, confirming his anointing by three signs, and giving him an injunction, for transgressing wnich, subsequently he was rejected by the Lord, and placed in such straits that he tried to raise Samuel from the dead, by the assistance of the magic art of a Pythoness. King Saul was descended by many successions from Abel, through Sxe tribe of Benjamin, of whose descendant Cis, he was the son. Saul begat Jonathan, Joshua, Melchisiah, and Ishbosheth, and two daughters, Merob and Mishcol.
Ch. XXVn. — Brutus dies^-^His sons divide his idngdom — The invasion and death of Number — The fate of EstrUdM—Lacrimu marries Guendolen — Homer flourishes.
While that Saul reigned in Judaea, Brutus, the kuig of Britain* became the father of three sons by his wife, Imogene ; and their names were Locrinus, Albanactus, and Camber. These men, after their father departed this life, in the twenty-fourth year of his reign (and he was buried in the city which he had built), diyided the kingdom of Britain among them, and departed each to his own place. Locrinus, who was the first- bom, possessed the middle portion of the island, which was afterwards called Loegria, after his name. Camber took that part which is beyond the river Severn, and which was after- wards called Cambria, from his name; being the country which is now called Wales. Albanactus, who was the youngest, had that part which is now called Scotland, and he called it Albania, from his own name.
These men reigned a long time in peace and unanimity with one another, till Humber, the king of the Huns, invaded Albania, and in a great battle with Albanactus, slew him. Therefore Locrinus, his elder brother, uniting with his brother Camber, came to meet the king of the Huns on this side of the river which is now called the Humber, where a battle took place, and they put Humber the king to flight, who fied as far as the river and was drowned in it, and bequeathed his name to the river.
After this rictory Locrinus carried off three maidens, one of whom, by name Estrildis, was of wonderful beauty ; and she was the daughter of some king of Germany. So Locrinus being attracted by love for her, wished to unite her to himself in
B.C. 1050. THE BBIGN AlTD DEATH 0¥ MADDAN. 35
marriage. And when Gorinseus heard this, he was exceedingly indignant, because Locrinus had agreed to marry his daughter. He therefore went to the king, and, partly by threats and partly by caresses, compelled Locrinus to perform what he had promised. Accordmgly he married the daughter of Cori- nseos, whose name was Guendolen ; but he did not for all that forget his love for Estrildis, but haying made a subterraneous cave in the city Trinovantum, he was content to enjoy stolen pleasures with her in that. In the mean time Estnldis be- came with child, and brought forth a daughter, whom she called Habre. And Guendolen too being pregnant, brought forth a son, whom she called Maddan. But when Corinseus died, then Locrinus forsook Guendolen, and made Estrildis his queen : and in consequence, Guendolen became beyond all measure indignant, and went to Cornwall. There she col- lected an army and laboured to disturb Locrinus : and when a battle took place near the river Styra, Locrinus received a wound from an arrow, and died wnen he had reigned ten years.
Then Guendolen, raging with a firenzy equal to that of her father, orders Estrildis and lier daughter Habre to be thrown into the river, which was at the time called Habre, from her name, but it is now corrupted into the pronunciation Sabrina,^ for she was willing to give her the lionour . of an eternal memory, because her husband had begotten her.
At this time Homer lived, who was accounted an illustrious orator and poet, and Samuel the prophet flourished in Judasa.
Ch. XXYIIL — MaddafCs reign and death.
Mapdait being invested with the crown, begot two sons, Mempu- lius and Malas, and administered the kingdom in peace for forty years. When he died a quarrel arose between the above-men- tioned brothers, because each of them wished to possess the whole island. But Mempulius having slain his brother, be- haved with such cruelty to the nation, that he laboured to put to death nearly every man of the highest birth in the kingdom. However, in the twentieth year of his reign, when he was out hunting, he went out by himself and quitted his companions, and was devoured by a troop of furious wolves.
' The Severn,
36 MATTUXW OF WXBTKIirSTSB. B.C. 1045.
Ch. XXIX. — Of the genealogy of our Saviour — the story ofRdhdb,
The line of the genealogy of the Saviour took its rise from Abraham, in this third age of the world.
Abraham (as it has been said before) begat Isaac, Isaac begat Jacob, Jacob begat Jndah and his brethren ; Judah begat Pharez and Zarah by Thamar, Pharez begat Esrom, Esrom begat Aram, Aram begat Aminadab, Aminadab begat Naasson. This Naas- son departed from Egypt and was the prince of the tribe of Judah, and that became true which God foretold to Abraham in (renesis ; that in the fifth generation, reckoned according to the royal family, so that we mean by generations, not persons, but successions, the children of Israel depart from Egypt ; as you may see if you calculate from Judah to Naasson. For in that list the word *' begot " occurs ^^^ times. But if that succession is limited to the fourth generation in the sacerdotal tribe, then those who make the calculation must proceed from Levi to Eleazar.
Naasson begat Salmon, Salmon married Rahab the harlot, who received the spies in Jericho, and hid them under straw of flax, and let them down over the wall, and dehvered her own house by a scarlet thread, which she placed in the. window, while Jericho was being destroyed. By Bahab Salmon became the father of Boaz. In the days of Boaz, Elimelech, a man of Bethlehem, with his wife Naomi, and his sons Mahlon and Chelion, came at a time of famine into Moab, where he ob- tained wives for his sons, to wit, Ruth and Orpah. And when he and his sons died, Naomi returned with Ruth the Moabi* tess, and by her Boaz became the father of Obed, raising up seed to his dead kinsman. And Obed begat Isai or Jesse, for he had two names ; and Jesse begat David and his brethren.
This David Samuel the prophet anointed to be king, when Saul had been rejected for disobedience.
The End of the Thibb Age oe the Wobld, wluch ends in Saul, consisting, according to the Hebrews, of 942 years ; according to the seventy translators, of 940.
BOOK IV.
THE FOURTH AGE OF THE WORLD.
B.C. 1055—606.
EBRAlirCVS FOmrDS YORK — SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMFLB — THE DIVISIOlSr OF THE JEWISH TRIBES — ELUAH — BLABUD, KTSQ OF BBITAIK, IS GOKTEMPOBABY OF ELIJAH — SHISHAK PIiUlTDEBS JEBUSALEM — SABDAKAPALUS — END OF THEEXEfG- DOM OF ASSYBIA — HISTOBY OF KDSQ LEAB — BOME IS FOTTITDEB BY BOMULTTS AKD BEMUS — THE OLD Kn^QS OF ITALY, JAKUS, SATUBK, JITPITEB— EABLY HISTOBY OF ALBA ASn> HOME — ^KINGS OF BOME AFTEB BOMULUS — CONSTANTI- HOPLE IS FOUNDED IK THE TIME OF TULLUS HOBTILIUS — 8T0BY OF LFCBETIA — ^NEHEMIAH IS A COKTEMFOBABY OF aPUBniS CASSIUS — STOBY of ESTHEB — BEOTTLUS — LIST OF THE JEWISH E1K0S — THE PBOPHECY OF THE SIBYLS — THE JEWS ABE CABBIED OFF TO BABYLON.
Ch. I. — €f the reign of David — SauVs visit to kim-^The rebellion of Absolom — J3[is death and character.
Dattd, as it has been already flaid, though the youngest of his breduen, was elected king by the Lord, and anointed by Samuel in Bethlehem, as a token of his being king. After that, he reigned in Hebron over the tribe of Judah seven years and six months ; and thirdly, he reigned over the whole of Israel thirty-three years. After the death of Goliah he soodied the mind of Saul, by playing on the harp ; he gained the affec- tiona of Jonathan, and became the king's son-in-law. But the king coneeived. envy against him because of the praises which the virgins bestowed on him ; David, however, frustrated his designs against him, and brought him a hundred foreskins ; and avoided a blow from a lance which Saul aimed at him while he was playing the harp ; and also he escaped from the treacherous attadk of his guarda by the device of Michol, who
38 MA.TTHBW OI- WlfcSTMUfSlOSB. J8.C. 1055.
placed an image in his bed instead of him. By the kindness of Samuel he saw Saul prophesying in Naioth, without receiving any injury from him. And he made a treaty with Jonathan, who practised shooting arrows.^ In Nob he ate the priests* bread, having pretended to be mad at Achish.
Abiatiiar was the only one of the priests who escaped when the rest were slain by Doeg, after which David slew the robbers and delivered Keilah. Once, while Saul was asleep, he privily took away a pitcher of water and his spear, and forded the river, delivering his lord the king from the enemies that were coming against him. 'Afterwards, when Saul pursued him he cut ofif the skirt of his garment. When Nabal, who was a foolish man, died, he married his wife Abigail. Returning from Achish to Ziklag, he smote the Amalekites, and slew the man who brought him news of Saul's death, and composed a mourn- ful elegy over him, and lamented him.
After Ishbosheth died he reigned alone in Jerusalem, which was formerly called Solema, casting the Jebusites out of it ; and he built Mello. Having defeated the Philistines in Baal- pharosin, the ark of the Lord is brought back to Jerusalem, and David danced before the ark, for which he is laughed at by Michal. Posterity is promised him, but he is forbidden himself to build a house for the Lord. He measured the Moabites vrith a line and smote them, and overthrew the Philis- tines and Edomites in the valley of Salt, and delivered Israel out of their hands. He distributed official dignities, and slew Uriah by the hand of the Ammonites. He fled before Abso- lom, who had at first been rejected by him, and who after- wards pursued him ; and when he was slain, and when Ahi- tophel had hanged himself, he returned to Jerusalem, aiid by numbering the people brought the anger of God upon himself.
David was both king and prophet, bom of the tribe of Judah, the son of Jesse, bom in Bethlehem : as a boy he was a keeper of sheep, he was the youngest of his brothers, but superior to them in genius. He was called by the Lonl to the kingdom, and anointed king by the prophet. In war he was brave, for personal courage he was conspicuous, he triumphed gloriously : he was a veteran in victory, patient in
* Jonathan gave notice to David of Saul's disposition towards him by shooting arrows, see 1 Sam. xx. 20. > David cat off Saul's skiit
before he took his spear and cruse, 1 Sam. uiv. 4 ; xxiv. 12.
B.C. 1055. 80I.0M0K BT7IIJ)S THE TSHFLS. 39
adreraity, pmdent amid dangers, grieying for his own sins* mournful for the deaths of others, prone to repentance, swift to pardon, gentle as a companion, inclined to mercy, inasmuch as he did not injure the king who was hiis enemy, when he might have done so ; and he did not only save him when he was in his power, hut he avenged him after he had been slain. He slew a lion and a bear without a sword ; he drove away an unclean sj^irit by the sweetness of his Wp- playing, and he slew the giant.
Therefore he ended his life in the fiftieth year of his reign and the seventieth of his life, and was buried in his city of Bethlehem, which is called also by another name Ephrata, where also our Lord Jesus Christ was bom after the flesh, and where also Bachel died after she had brought fprth Benja- min ; where also the tomb of Jesse the father of David is shown.
And this town is in the tribe of Judah, six miles from Jerusalem, on the south, in the road to Hebron.
Ch. II. — Ebrancus founds York — Brutus 11. — Lei^L
At the same time that David reigned in Judeea, Membritius, the king of the Britons, died, and Ebrancus his son succeeded to the kingdom, and reigned forty years in it. He was the first king since Brutus, who directed his fleet towards Gaul, and he returned victorious. After that he founded a city on the other side of the Humber, which he called after his own name Gaerbranc, that is, the Gity of Ebrancus. (At that time Sylvius Latinus was reigning in Italy.) He also built the city of Alched towards Scotland, and the town of Mount Agnel, which is now called the Castle of the Maids. He begat twenty sons and ithirty daughters, all of whom he sent into Italy to Sylvius Alva, who succeeded Sylvius Latinus in the kingdom, and there they became the wives of the noble Trojan. After him, Brutus, sumamed Green Shield, took the helm of the kingdom and reigned twelve years. He was succeeded by his son Leyl.
Ch, III. — Solomon builds the temple — Dies — Leyl founds Carlisle — Dies, and is succeeded by Rudhudibras, who founds Canterbury.
Afteb the death of King David, in the fourth age of the world, Solomon his son succeeded him, having been anointed
40 1U.TTHXW OX* WXSTMINBTIB. B.C. 975.
king by Nathan the prophet, and by Zadok the priest After that, Joab being shun, and Shimei, and Adonijah his brother, Solomon, haying received wisdom from God after a sacrifice which he offered, began to build a temple to the Lord at Jerosalem, in the fourth year of his reign, and the five hundred and second year after me Exodus of Israel from Sgypt ; on the thousand and twentieth^ year of the arrival of Abraham in the land of Canaan from Mesopotamia in Syria, and the fourteen hundredth year after the flood.
In these days also, Leyl, king of the Britons, who was mentioned in the last chapter, buSt a city and called it after his own name Carhsle, that is to say, the city of Leyl. He reigned twenty-five years. After him, his son Budhudibras took the kingdom ; he founded Caerceynt, that is, Canterbury, and Caerguyent, that is, Winchester, and the town of Moont Paladin, which is now called Septonia.^
Solomon the son of David was the son of Bathsheba» and bom in Jerusalem. And before he was bom it was pro- nounced that he should be the wisest of men. He dedicated the temple of the Lord ; he was prosperous in his empire, though not so warlike a king as his father : he was beloved by God, discreet in judgment, just in giving sentence, pacific in his administration, one who begged for wisdom and gained it to such a degree as to know the entire arrangement of the world, the virtues of the elements, the power of the different minerals and herbs, the nature of all animals and the thoughts of men. His beginning was good, and his end evil. For after wonderful glory on account of his virtues, he became conrupted by hisjove for women, and lost the wisdom that he had received, and sank in the deepest idolatry, which was his ruin. He reigned forty years and lived fifty-two.^ Then he ended his life and his reign ; and he was buned in Bethlehem, in the city of his father.
^ These dates are not quite correct, or quite consistent. The flood took place B.C. 2349. The call of Abraham, 1921. The Exodus, 1491. The .distance of tune between the call of Abraham and the departure fiom Enrpt being 430 years, not 518.
3 Now Shaftesbury.
> This is not quite correct. Solomon was bom b.c. 1033 ; Dayid died 1015 ; Solomon died 975, so that he was fifty-eight years old, not fifty- two.
B.C. 1004. DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 41
Ch. rV. — Solomon dedicates the Temple — The reign of Rehohoam — The separation of the kingdoms of JudaA and Israel,
The temple, as it has been mentioned, having been bnilt by Solomon, he consecrated it with great solemnity on the tenth of September. The house of the forest of Lebanon, aitd the royal palace, were built in a wonderful manner. The queen of Sheba was received with great honour. But his praisewoJrthy life was miserably stained by iUicit love.
After Solomon, his son Rehoboam became king, against whom there rose up Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim, and he separated the ten tribes from Judah, and from the house of David, which happened, not by chance, but by the decree of God, on account of the ofifence of Solomon, who, after he had built that most noble temple at Jerusalem, was seduced by the blandishments of women, and fell into idolatiy. But the pitying and merciful God would not deprive him of the kingdom of his father before his death, on account of David his servant.
Afterwards, when each part, as it is written, began to have its separate king, there remained with the tribe of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe of Levi also, which was the tribe of the priesthood, dedicated to the especial service of the Lord. And after this time, these three tribes were caUed the kingdom of Judah, and the other tribe had the name of the kingdom of Israel. There adhered also to the people of Israel the two tribes Manasseh and Ephraim, which are not of the twelve tribes. For Joseph, who was one of the twelve patriarchs, did not make one tribe like the other patriarchs, but two, namely, those which we have just named.
Jeroboam being a man of perverse mmd, established idola- try in Samaria and throughout all his kingdom. For he was afraid lest, by coming to the temple of Qtod which was in Jerusalem, and to which, according to the divine command, the whole nation was bound to come for the purpose of sacrificing, his people should be reduced and restored to the rale of the race of David, as being the royal family. On which account, as has been already said, he polluted the whole people of Israel with wicked impiety. For he lived by the advice of Abdo the prophet, and did not forsake his evil ivays, and
42 lCA.TTfiSW OT WXBTMIKBTEB. B.C. 850.
accordingly he receired a seyere announcement of his impend- ing desolate condition from Ahijah at Shiloh, transmitted to him by his wife, who consulted the prophet about the safety of her child. After this he died« and he reigned twenty-two years.
Ch* v. — Different hinge reign in Israel '^Elijah the TisAbite flourisheth—Hie actions — Prophecies about Antichrist — Bla- dud succeeds Rudhudibras in Britain — He is succeeded by Leyr^-'Ahab reigns in Israel and Jehu — Elisha flourishes — His Character and Actions — The Israelites are carried into Assyria by Tiglath, Pileser, and Shalmaneser.
AocoBBiKOLT, after the kingdom was divided, Jeroboam was succeeded by Nadab his son, who reigned over Israel in Samaria for two years. This Nadab besieged Gebbithon, a city of the Philistines, and was slain by Baasha who succeeded him, and reigned twenty-four years. This Baasha was re- proved by Jehu the prophet, and nevertheless he built Rama as a fortress against Asa, and being hindered by Benhadad he died. But this Benhadad was one of the ancient kings of Syria, who were always hostile to the kingdom of Israel. Baasha Was succeeded by Hela his son, and he reigned two years ; and then becommg tipsy or drunk, he was slain by Zimir. Zimir reigned in his stead for seven days, and then being besieged by Omri, he was burnt alive in Titzah. ^ Omri succeeded mm, and reigned twelve years. This Omri, three years before he became sole king, was at war with Thebit, and he built Samaria, and then he died. He was succeeded by Ahab his son, who reigned after him twenty-two years.. At this time flourished the prophets Elijah, Michaiah, and Oba- diah.
Elijah the Tishbite, a great priest and prophet, and a dweller in the desert, a man full of faith, and of the greatest devotion, brave in enduring labours, dean and industrious, of excellent abihties, strict in the practice of discipline, constant in holy meditation, and fearless of death, scourged tyrants, put sacri- legious persons to death, and was eminent for many acts of virtue. Moreover, he closed up the heaven so that it should not rain, and caused a drought for three years. Again he prayed, and the heaven gave forth rain. He raised from death
B.C. 750. . ELIJAH THS TISHBITS. 43
the son of the woman whose Tirtue he had rewarded^ by pre- venting her measure of meal from wasting, and by keepine her cruse of oil flowing in a perpetual stream. At his word fire from heaven descended on a sacrifice. He burned two companies of fifty soldiers with their commanders, by fire from heayen. When crossing Jordan, he divided the waters by a touch of his mantle. After this, he was carried off in a fiery chariot, and ascended into heaven; being about to come again, according to the prophet Malachi, at the end of the world, and to precede Christ, and to announce his last advent, with great wonder and prodigious portents ; so that Antichrist will wage war against him, and he shall conquer him, and slay him. And Sie carcasses of these men shall lie unburied in the streets. After that, a great kingdom shall be raised by the Lord, and shall smite the kingdom of Antichrist. After this the Lord shall come, and shall slay Antichrist with the sword of his mouth, and all those besides, who have worshipped him ; and the Lord shall reign with all Ins people in everlast- ing glory.
In the days of this Elijah the prophet, Bladud, the son of Bodhudibraa, succeeded to the kingdom of Britain, and held it for twenty years. He built the city of Caerbodun, which is now called Badonia (Bath) ; and he made in it warm baths fit for the use of mankind, which he committed to the presi- dency of Minerva ; in whose temple he established an ever- lasting fire, which was never to bum away to ashes ; but as soon as the fiame gets feeble, it is turned into globes of stone. He also taught necromancy throughout the kingdom of Britain. And he was incessantly doing marvellous tricks, till at last he made himself wings, and endeavoured to go through the air ; and fell down on a temple of Apollo, just below Uie city Tri- novantum, and was dashed to pieces.
He was succeeded by Leyr, his son, who reigned forty years. He founded a city on the river Sora, which is called in the Bri- tish language, Caerleyer ; and in the Saxon language, Leicester. At the same time that Elijah slew the priests of Baal, Aha- ziah, his son, succeeded Ahab, and reigned two years. Ahaziah was succeeded by Joram, his birother, who reigned twelve years. Jehu slew Joram, having been anointed by the cUsciple of Elisha, for the purpose of scattering the family of Ahab, ac- cording to the prophecy of Elijah. And Jehu reigned twenty-
44 1U.TTHBW OF WXSTXUrSTXB. B.C. 7S0.
eif hi yean. He was aucceeded by Joacbam, his aon, who reigned aeventeen yean. In his reign, Eliglia the prophet died, a man of a Tery illustrious life, and very glorious for his miracles ; and he was buried in Samaria.
Elisha, the disciple of Elijah, was a native of the town of Amehnoth, and of the tribe of Reuben. At his birth, a golden calf, which was in Gilgal, lowed ; and its yoice sounded in Jerusalem. Then a prophet, being inspired, said, '' This day is bom in Jerusalem a man who shall destroy all idolatry." He being glorified with a double portion of Elijah's spirit, was distinguished by many important actions, and disph&ys of vir- tue. He divided Jordan, in order to pass through it, and having checked the watera, he then turned them back to their course. He threw a pitcher into the barren watera of Jericho, and BO embued them with fertility. By a single word, he gave up some boys who mocked him to wild beasts. He made watera run with blood, so as to cause the slaughter of his ene- mies. By a word, he made a woman fruitful who before was barren ; and when her son died, he raised him from the dead. And he so'^tened the bitterness of some men's food. He fed the people with ten loaves, and collected fragments that wen left afterwards. He cleansed Naaman of the stain of leprosy, by washing in Jordan ; and he inflicted the leprosy upon ms disciple, whom he cursed. He made the iron of an axe which fell into the Jordan to float, by throwing a piece of wood into the water. He smote the host of Syria wiUi blindness ; he predicted death to one who did not believe him. He put the enemy to flight by the sound of chariots ; he dispersed a besieging force ; he warded off a famine. After his death, he restored life to a dead corpse, and his sepulchre is shown to this day in the city of Sebastia, deserving, indeed, of all honour, and held in great veneration.
Joachim, the king of Israel, was succeeded by his son Joash, who reigned sixteen yearo. After Joash, his son Jeroboam reigned for forty-one yearo. In his time, the prophets Hosea, Amos, Joel^ and Jonas prophesied. Jeroboam, the king, was succeeded by his son Zechariah ; he reigned six months^ and was slain by his servant Shallum. After Shallum, who r^jgned only one month, Menahem succeeded him, and reigned ten yean. This Menahem gave a thousand talents to Pul, the king of the Assyrians, in order to let him depart from his kingdom ;
B.C. 700. THE KLS&B OY JTTBAH. 45
bat proToked his anger by a gift of sonf^ false calves. After Menahem^ there reigned Pehahxah, his son, for two years. Pehahiah was succeeded by Pekah, the son of Remaliah, under ^whom Nahum the prophet flourished; and Pekah reigned twenty years.
But he could not resist Tiglath Pileser, or prevent his taking prisoners two tribes and a half, and as many out of the tribe of Zabulon and Naphtali as were equivalent to half a tribe more. He was succeeded by Hoshea, who was taken prisoner hj Shalmanezer, king of the Assyrians, who removed the Israelites into the country of the Assyrians, settling them in the cities of the Medes, near the river Gk>za. Under the same Hoshea, although he had granted permission for them to go thrice a year to Jerusalem, the ten tribes were taken by Shalmaneser ; and among them was Tobias taken, whose his- toiy is well known.
Samaria having been besieged for three years, was filled with Gutheans,' or Jacobites, or Samarians ; but though they reoeived the law from fear of lions, they did not cast away their idols.
Ch. VI. — Of the Kings of Judah — Edom revolts — Character of Sardanapalus — Abastue revolts from him — The Empire of the Assyrians is transferred to the Medes — Amalius and Numitor flourish in Italy.
Wb are now about to treat of those kings who were con- temporaries of the kings of Israel ; and we will begin with Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. This Rehoboam, when the Lord had divided the kingdom, and when ten tribes followed Jeroboam, retained only two with the tribe of Levi ; and his kingdom was called the kingdom of Judah. And as their sons provoked the Lord, Shishak, the king of Egypt, came to Jerusalem, and despoiled the temple of the Lord. And he toodc away the golden shields, and left brazen ones in their
s *'And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sephairaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria, instead of the children of Israel ; and they pos- sessed Samaria and dwdt in the cities thereof, A And so it was at the be- ginnuAg of their dwelling there, that they fearelnot the Lord ; therefore the Lord sent liont among them, which slew some of them." (2 Kings zfn.24,25.)
46 MATTHXW 07 lOSTMHTSTIB. B.C. 700.
place. At this timer prophesied Ahijah, J^Am, Amos, Jioel, Zachariah, and Elijah who was carried off by the Lord, and was nowhere seen afterwards. Behoboam reigned seven- teen years, and was succeeded by Abijah, who reigned three years ; Asa succeeded Abijah. This Asa fortified the cities of Giboah and Masphat with the stones and timber which Baasha had collected in Rama, and was reproved by Jehu, because he had placed his hope in Benhadad ; and so he died of a disease in the feet, the same which he had brought upon the prophet by putting him in prison. He reigned fifty-one years, and was succeeded by Jehosaphat. He reigned twenty- five years ; and after Jehosaphat Joram reigned for twenty- seven years ; while he was king, £dom revolted, and shook off its allegiance to Judea, and appointed a king for itself.
Joram was succeeded by Othoziah, who reigned one year, and he was also called Oziah and Azariah. And this Azaiiah, with his son Joash, and his grandson Amaziah, the evangelist Matthew has omitted from his genealogy of Christ. After Azariah, AthaUah reigned for six years ; and after her, who making a good beginning, but a most wicked ending, slew Zachanah tiie son of Jehoiada the priest, between the temple and the altar ; and he reigned forty years. After Joash came Amaziah, who reigned twenty-nine years.
About this time, Sardanapalus was king of the Assyrians, a man more profligate than any woman. He always lived among the women ; and when, on a certain day. Ax bastus, his prefect, whom he had appointed governor of the Medes, had obtained admittance to him, he found him among troops of harlots, dressed in woman's apparel, spinning purple on a distaff, and distributing their tasks to the virgins, while he sur- passed all the women who were in his company in the effemi- nacy of his person, and the wanton carriage of his eyes. And when Arbastus had seen this, he returned to his companions, and related what he had seen, and declared that he could no longer obey one who preferred being a woman to being a man. So a conspiracy of the Medes is quickly excited against the nation of the Assyrians, and war is proclaimed against Sardanapalus ; and he, when he was no longer able to resist the revolted nations, retired into his palace, where he had had a funeral pile built ; and having set it on fire, he burnt him- self and all his riches ; and so Sardanapalus, the king of the
B.C. 700. THB 8T0BY OF LXTS AKD HIS DAUGHTXBS. 4/
As83^riaii8, died, after he had reigned thirty-six years. And the kingdom of the Assyrians was transferred to the Medes, by means of Arbastus, the prefect of the Medes.
After this, the kingdom of the Medes ran on through a succession of ages and of kings, till the time of Astyages, the grandfather of Cyrus, a period of three hundred and fifty years. But the kings of the Medes are not reckoned in the number of illustrious kings^ until we come to the before^ mentioned Cyrus, although they were aH possessed of the power of the ChaLdaeans, and were illustrious, too, from the name of Babylon.
We must at the same time note this, that the kingdom of the Assyrians was transferred to the Medes by the Arbastus already spoken of; at the same time that Boras was king among the Latins, being the father of Amuhus and Numitor, and the grandfather of Rhea SylTia, who was ^e mother of Romulus and Remus.
Ch. VII. — The conduct of King Leyr to his daughters — The ingratitude of the two elder, and the affectum of Cordelia — Leyr dies — Cordelia succeeds him.
About this time, Leyr, king of the Britons, being very old, and having no son, determined to marry his three daughters to noble husbands, and to divide the kingdom among them. But in order to know which of them was most worthy of the best portion of his kingdom, he collected them all together, putting questions to them, to see by which of them he was most beloved ; and when two of them had answered that they loved their father more than their own selves, the third, who was the youngest, perceiving the flattery of her sisters, said, '* 1 have always loved you as my father, and in no other man- ner, and if you wish to extort anything more from me, I tell you, that as your wealth is, so is your influence, and I love you in that degree." And when the king heard this, he answered with great indignation, " Since you have despised my old age so greatly, in proportion as I have loved you more than the others, I shall, for the future, be ashamed to love you at all, nor diall you have any share in my kingdom with your sisters." So when he had said this, he married the other two girls whom I have mentioned, to the dukes of Cornwall and Scotland, giving them each a half of Britain, in such a
48 KATTHIBW or TTESTMIKSTEB. B.C. 650.
way, that after his death they were to enjoy the dominion of the who'le island. At length, when a report of this had reached the ears of Aganippus, king of France, he immedi* ately sent ambassadors to the before-mentioned king, entreat- ing him to give him his younger daughter, whose name was Cordelia, for his lawful wife. But the king persisting in his indignation which I have spoken of, answered thus, " That he wuold willingly give her to him, but it must be without land, or money, or eold, or silver." And this was done. Then, after some time, when king Leyr began to grow feeble from old age, the before-mentioned dukes, to whom he had given his daughters and all Britain, made an insurrection against him, and took the kingdom and all his royal power from him. Therefore, the king, not knowing what to do, decided, at length, to betake himself to his daughters, among whom he had divided his kingdom, in order that, if possible, they might support him as long as he lived, and forty soldiers, whom he kept about him. But they, taking his words out of his mouth with great indignation, said that he was an old man, a dotard and a beggar, and not worthy of the noble family to which he belonged; but if he chose, he might remam with one soldier, provided he dismissed all the rest.
But the king, when he was thus recalled to a recollection of his former dignity, wept, and uttered a groan, saying, *' 0 my daughter, Cordelia, how true are those words which you replied to me, to wit, ' As your wealth is, so is your influence, and I love you in that degree.' So while I had wealth, I had power ; now I have no wealth, therefore I have no power. From which it is plain that it was not myself that you loved, but my gifts." Resolving these and similar thoughts fre- quently in his mind, he at length determined to visit his daughter -who was in the countries across the sea, in order, in his miserable and destitute condition, to try the disposition of her whose kindness he had not all deserved. Accordingly, he embarked on the sea in haste, and arrived on the odier side of the sea, having had a prosperous voyage. So he came to Caricia, where his daughter was, and sent his messenger to her to tell her to what a state of misery he was reduced. But Cordelia, when she heard it, was much affected, and with tears asked how many soldiers he had with him. And when the messenger told her that he had come with only one soldier
B.C. 650. BBtGir AKD BBXTH OF COBDSlLi. 49
and one armocur-bearer, she iimoediAtely gave orders that he should conduct her fkther to another city, and give him a bath there and cherish him, and clothe him in royal apparel. She also commanded that he should take forty soldiers with noble equipments, and then announce to Aganippus, king of France, that he had arrived. When this had been done, he sent a messenger to the king and to his daughter, to in- form them that he had been driven from the kingdom of Britain by his sons-in-law, and that he had come to them, in order, by their aid, to recover his kingdom. But they came to meet him with their magistrates and nobles, and received him with great honour ; and sending ambassadors throughout the whole of France, they commanded all soldiers, and all who'oould march to battle, to meet as speedily as possible, with horses and arms, in order to invade Britain, with the father of the queen. And when this was done, Leyr took with him hk daughter, with the multitude of warriors who had been col- lected, and fought with his enemies, and gained the victory. And when he had reduced both his sons-in-Uw under ius power, he died in the third year after. Aganippus, the king of France, died also. Therefore, Cordelia, the daughter of the king, succeeded to the helm of the kingdom, and buried her father in a subterraneous cave, which she had commanded to be made in Leicester, beneath the river Sera.
Ch. VIII. — The reign and death of Cordelia — She is attacked by her Nephews — They defeat her — They quarrel with one another — Cunedagius becomes sole king.
Wniar, therefore, Cordelia had governed the kingdom peaoe- ably for five years, the two sons of her sisters, Marganus and Canedagius, began to disquiet her ; and they were the sons of her sisters, by Mi^laurus and Henorinus, the dukes of Cornwall and Albany, and the young men themselves had the character of being men of admirable virtue. Maglaurus was the father of Marganus, and Henorinus of Cunedagius. These youths then, when, after the deaths of their fathers, they had succeeded to their dukedoms, felt indignant that Britain should be subject to a woman. Accordingly, having collected armies, they rose up against the queen, and would not desist from their ferocious hostility, until, d%er laying waste several pro- vinces, they met her in batUe. At last, she was taken, and TOL. I. «
50 UATISXW 03P WXSTMINSTXB. B.C« 650.
thrown into prison by them ; where, being overwhehned with grief, on account of the loss of the kingdom, she slew herself.
After this^ the young men divided the i&limd between them; that part wiiich is on tibe other side of the Humber, extending towards Catanesia, fell to Marganus, and the other part, which is on the other side of the river, and looks towards the west, became subject to Cunedagins.
At the end of two years, some persons, who were desirous to cause disturbances in the kingdom, came to Marganus, and worked upon his mind, saying, that it was base and shameful for him not to be lord of the whole island, as he was the first- born. And when he had been excited by these and other argu- ments, he led an army through the provinces of Cunedagius, and began to lay them waste with Gie; therefore, quarrels sprung up between the kings, and Cunedagius came to meet him with all his forces, and a battle took place, in which he in- flicted great slaughter upon Marganus, and put him to flight. Then, as he fled, he pursuied him from province to province, and at last slew him, in a viUage of Cambria, which, after his death, was called by the people of the vUlage Margan, after his name, and retains the appellation to this day. ^erefore, Cunedagius having gained the victory, obtained the sove- reignty of the whole island, and governed it gloriously for thirty-three years.
Cfl. IX,— ^ Rome is foutided by Bomulus and Renma — The former Kings of Italy, Jan%ts, Saturn, Picus, Faunus, Lati- nus — JEneas, his descendants; AmuUus, Numiter — Birth of Romulus and Remus — The institutions of Romulus — The Senate — The Rape of the Sahines — Union of the Romans and Sabines — Death of Remus and of Romulus.
About the same time the celebrated city of Rome was founded by the twin brothers, Bomulus and Bemus, the origin of whose kingdom I will proceed to explain in a few words, in such a manner as not to exceed the moderate limits that I have allotted myself.
Of a surety, that nation carried its arms so extensively over the world, that they who read the account of their exploits and power, as it really was, are learning the history not of the nation, but of the whole human race. For virtue and fortune appear to have laboured in unison to buHd up their empire.
B.C. 750. VOBKEB EIKGS OF ITALY. 51
According to some accounts, the first king who reigned in Italy was Janns ; then came Saturn, who fleeing out of Greece from his son Jupiter, came to a city which was called Satumia, from his name, the ruins of which are seen to this day on the borders of Tuscany, not far from Rome ; and because Saturn ky hid (latuit) in Italy, the country was called Latium^ from that fact. He taught the people, who as yet were quite un- civilised, to build houses, to cultivate the land, to plant vine- yards, and to live in such fashion as became men, when pre- viously they had been half savage, supporting life only by the nourishment derived from acorns, and living in caves or huts, roofed with leaves and twigs. He also was the first to teach men the use of brazen money, in return for which services he was called a god by the ignorant and barbarous multitude. ,
After Saturn his son Picus reigned in Italy. And there is a fable told about him, that because he despised the love of a very celebrated sorceress named Circe, he was changed by her into a bird of the same name, which is called pica (the wood- pecker), to punish his disdain. After Picus, Faunus his son became king ; he was the father of Latinus, whose mother, Gannentis Nicostrata, is beheved to have been the inventress of the Latiu letters, in reference to which, some one has said —
*< To wise Carmentis all our books we owe."
In the reigns of these sovereigns, a hundred and fifty years are said to have elapsed.
During the reign of Latinus, who Corrected the Latin lan- guage and called the people Latins after his own name, Troy
1 This is the etymology given by the purest Latin writers. Virgil says, —
'* Primus ab sethereavenit Satumus Olympo, Anna Jovis fugiens, et regnis exul ademptis. Is genus indocile ac dispersum montibus altis Composuity legesque dedit : Latiumque vocari Maluit, his quoniam latuisset tutus in oris." — ^n. viii. 323.
Which is thus rendered by Dryden —
** Then Saturn came, who fled the power of Jove, Bobb'd of bis realms and banish'd from above ; Themen, dispersed on faills to towns he brought. And laws ordain'd and civil customs taught, And Latiium called the land where safe he lay From his undateous 8<», and his usuri^g 8w&y."^Ibid. 430.
X 2
52 MATTHEW OF WZSTMIlTSTXfi. £.C. 1100.
was* taken by tlie Greeks in the eight hundred and forty-third year after the birth of Abraham, eight hundred and thirty-four years after that of Ninus, king of Assyria ; forty-four years before the foundation of Rome, and forty-six before the first Olympiad. When therefore Troy was taken, as has been said before, iBneas, the son of Venus and Anchises, came into Italy. In the third year after the fail of Troy, he fought with Tumns, and slew him. But Tumus was the son of Danaus, the king of the Tuscans ; and Lavinia, the daughter of the king Latinus, had been betrothed to him. She was now married to ^neas, who called the town which he had founded Layinium, after her name. iBneas reigned over the Latins for three years after he obtained the kingdom. After him Ascanius, who is also called Julius, the son of ^neas, became king ; he left Sylvius Pos- tumus his heir, being his own brother and the son of ^neas by Lavinia, whom he had brought up with great affection. Then Ascanius begat Juhus, from whom the family of the Jnlii de- scended : but he was only a child when Ascanius died, and unequal as yet to govern his fellow-citizens. When Ascanius had reigned thirty-eight years he died, and Sylvius Postumus succeeded him in the kingdom, and reigned twenty-nine years. And he was called Postumus, because he was bom after (post) the death of his father, and Sylvius because he was bred up in the country and in the woods (sylvis). And all the Alban kings were called Sylvius from him. Sylvius Postumus was succeeded by ^ueas Sylvius, who reigned thirty-one years. After him Latinus Sylvius reigned fifty years.
About this time David the king of the Jews flourished.
Latinus Sylvius was succeeded by Alba Sylvius, who reigned thirty -nine years. Alba Sylvius was succeeded by ^gyptiis, or Atis, his son, who reigned twenty-four years. He again was succeeded by Capys Sylvius, the son of the preceding king, who i^eigned twenty-eight years, and founded Capua, in Campania. Carpentus Sylvius, the son of Capys, succeeded him, and reigned thirteen years. The next king was Tyberi- nus, the son of Carpentus : his reign lasted nine years ; and it was from him that the river Tyber derived its name, because he was drowned in it ; as it had been previously called the Albula. After him, Agrippa Sylvius reigned forty years.
About this time. Homer is said to have flounshed in peace.
Agrippa Sylvius was succeeded by Aremus Sylvius, his son,
B.C. 1100. OBieiN OP THE BOMAN EMPISE. 53
who reigned nineteen yean. He built a fortress for the Albans amongst the mountains, where Rome now stands ; and being a wicked man, was slain by a thunderbolt, for his wicked- ness. Aventinus Sylvius succeeded him« and reigned thirty- seven years ; and died and was buried on that mountain, which is now part of the city of Rome, and he left his name for ever to the place. Then Procas Sylvius, the son of Aven- tinusy took the kingdom, and reigned twenty-three years.
About this time, Phedon, the Argive> invented weights and measures. Also, among the Hebrews, Zechariah was king of Judah, and Jeroboam of Israel.
The successor of Procas Sylvius was Amulius, his elder son, who reigned forty-three years ; and was succeeded by Numitor, the youngest son of king Procas, who having been driven from the kmgdom by his brother, Amulius, lived on his own estate. Rhea Sylvia, the daughter of Numitor, had been appointed a Vestal virgin, with the object of preventincr her from having any children. And as, in the seventh year of her uncle's reign, she had tvmis, she was buried alive in the earth, in accordance with the law which at that time ex- isted. But Faustulus, the shepherd of the royal flbek, took the children, who had been exposed near the banks of the river ; and brought them to Alia Laurentia, his wife, a woman who, on account of her beauty, and the rapacity with which she made money of it, was called Lupa (wolf) by the neigh- bours. And from her, even down to our own time, the harlots' houses are called Lupanaria. When the children had grown up, they collected a powerful band of shepherds and banditti, to slay Amulius in Alba, and restore their grandfather, Numi- tor, to the kingdom.
Thawfore, the Roman Empire, than which Qone in the whole world can be recollected by human memory, which was either smaller at its beginning, or more mighty in its increase, derived its origin from Romulus, who, being the son of Rhea Sylvia, and, aa it was thought, of Mars, was bom at one birth with his brother Remus. Romulus hved as a bandit among the shep- herds, and when he was eighteen years old, he founded a small dty on the Palatine hill, on the tenth c^ the calends of May (April 21), in the third year of the sixth olympiad, the four hundred and nineteenth after the destruction of Troy, or the four hundred and fourth as Rosins says, and six years before
54 MATTHEW OF WXSTMIK8TSB. B.C. 720.
the ten tribes were carried off to the mountains of the Medes,* by Sennacherib, kmg of the Chaldeans. When then he had bnilt the city, which he called Boma, after his own name, and from which name the citizens were cafled Romani, he acted in the following manner. Having bnilt a temple, which he called Asylum, he promised freedom from punishment to all who fled to it ; by which means he collected a multitude of people from the neighbouring nations, who had got into any trouble in their own country, and who now fled to hun, and were received as citizens in his new city. The Latin and Etruscan shepherds, and the Iriges from across the sea, who had come to Italy under iBneas, and the Arcadians, who had come with Evander, all flocked to that place, and in this way, as it were, composed one body out of various elements, and made one Roman people.
He chose a hundred of the elders as a coun'cH, whose advice he might take on every matter, and whom he called Senators, by reason of their age (Senectus), and Fathers, from the resemblimce of their care to that of a father. He also chose a thousand (mille) fighting men, whom he called Milites (soldiers), from their number. Then, as neither he nor his people had any wiyes, he invited all the nations which were neighbours to the city of Rome, to a spectacle of games. And he carried off all their virgins, in the fourth year after the building of Rome. And one of the virgins, who was the most beautiful of all, is given by acclamation on the part of all the ravishers, and by the gift of Romulus, to the general Thalassus : on which account, at the nuptial solemnities they commonly cry out " for Thalas- sus," meaning that the bride is beautiful enough to be worthy of Thalassus. As war was stirred up on account of the injuiy done by carrying off the virgins, he conquered the people of Ceecina, of ^tennse, of Crustumium, the Sabines, the people of Fidene, and the Brizantes, all which tribes sur- round the city. Then also, the virgin Tarpeia was crushed by the shields of the Sabines, on the hill, which from her name was called the Tarpeian Mount, and on which the Capitol was subsequently built.
However, the Romans made a treaty with the Sabines,
' This is not quite correct ; it was Shalmaneser, and not Sennacberit), who defeated Hoeea, took Samaria^ and carried the Israelites away to Assyria^ B.C. 724.
B.C. 715. THE BSIQK OF HITMA POMMLIirB. 55
▼hose danphters they had carried off, and a lasting friendship, 80 that Tatins, the king of the Sabines, reigned jointly with Ro- mnliis, and with equal power. And the Sabines and the Romans became one people, and the Romans, to confirm the union, placed the names of the Sabines before their own ; and in like manner the Sabines prefixed Roman names to theirs ; and from this time forth the custom prevailed, that no one of the Ro- mans was without a preenomen. It was from this union of the two nations that Romulus got the name of lUirinus, as, after the fashion of the Sabines, he used to carnra spear, which in the Sabine language is called " Quins." And the Romans too were called Quirites, either from the Quins, that is to say, from the spear,^ or from Qnirinus.
Afterwards, Remus, the brother of Romulus, was slain by Fabius, the general of Romulus, by a shepherd's rake; whether by the consent of Romulus or not, I know not. The cause of his death was this : that he found fault with the ram- part, as being insufiicient for the protection of the new city, and leapt over its scanty defence.
But Romulus having in the thirty-ninth jrear of his reign disappeared near the Caprean Marsh, was beheved to have been translated to the gods, and was worshipped under the name of Qnirinus. After that the senators ruled at Rome, each govern- ing for five days ; and their successive governments occupied one year.
Ch. X. — The reigns of Numa, Tullus, Aulus, Tarquinius, Servius — The first census is taken — Tarquinius the Proud — Constantinople is founded, and Marseilles — Arion flourishes — Nabuchodonosor takes Jerusalem — Belshazzar — Daniel — Cyrus.
Afteb Romulus, Numa Pompilius was created king over the Romans, at the same time tiiat Hezekiah was king over the Jews. He carried on no wars, but he did not less good to the state than Romulus had done. For he, like anoUier Moses, gave laws and customs to the Romans, who, from their constant wars, hitherto appeared mere robbers and semi-barbarians^ He also divided ike year into ten months, which had pre- viously been confused, and left destitute of any accurate com- putation, and he established an infinite number of sacrifices and temples at Rome ; or, accordbg to some accounts, he
56 MATTHSW OF WESTKIKSTEB. B.C. 672.
added two monUui, January and February, to the year ; as there had been only ten months in the system established amone the Romans by Romulus. He also built the Capitol from Its foundations, being especially devoted to religion and sacred things, and he taugfht his people the observances of sacrifices and ceremonies, and the whole worship of the gods.
He instituted the pontiffs, the augurs, and the other ranks of the priesthood, and some other secret pledges of the em- pire ; and the worship of Janus with two faces. He was the first who delivered the sacred flame of Vesta to the virgins to be taken care of by them, in order that a flame kindled ^m the stars of heaven might watch for ever over his image, as a guardian of the empire. For he was so much led away by vanity, that he made many laws at the dictation of the devil, which afterwards he perceived would be very injurious if they ever came to the knowledge of men : but as he was afraid to bum them, he buried them under ground secretly, near hia own tomb, where he thought that no one would come. But in process of time, a certain countryman found these books, while ploughing in that place. He brought them to the Prsetor, and the Praetor laid them before the Senate. But the Senate, when it saw them, was filled with detestation, and shuddered, and committing them to the flames burnt them, lest the curiosity of any one should reveal such guilt and such diabolical wick- edness to the knowledge of man. Numa died of disease in the forty-first year of his reign.
In the reign of Numa, Glaucus invented the way to solder iron together. Also in his time, the prophets Isaiah and Hosea flourished.
The successor of Numa was TuUus Hostilius, who established all the details of military discipline and of the art of war, and he was the first of the Roman kings who wore the purple, and used the fasces.
In his time Manasseh was king of Judah.
TulluB also enlarged the city by the addition of Mount CaeliuB. When he Iwd reigned thirty-two years, he was struck by Ughtnin^ and burnt in his palace.
About this time the city of Byzantium, which was afterwards called Constantinople, was founded.
After him Aucus Martius, the grandson of Numa Pom- ^ Meaning the AncUia.
B.C. 550. KUMA AlTD HIS 81TCCESSOB6. 57
pilius by his daughter, succeeded to the kingdom, while Josiah was king over the Jews. He built the city of Ostia, at a dis- tance of sixteen miles from the city, at the spot where the river and sea unite ; he fought against the Latins, and he added the Aventine mount to the city, and also the Janiculan mount.
During his reign Epidamnus, which was afterwards called Dyrrachium, was founded. . He died of disease in the twenty- tlurd year of his reign.
After him, Tarquinius Priscns became king. He doubled the number of the senate, he conquered the Sabines, and joined no small quantity of land, which he took from them, to the territory of the city ; and he was the first person who celebrated a triumph in Bome. He built walls and towers, he began the Capitol,' and subdued twelve tribes of Etruria. In the thirty-seventh year of his reign he was slain by a son of his predecessor Aucus.
In his reign Arion of Methymna is said to have been carried by a dolphin to Tsenarus. About the same time, Marseilles was founded; also, Jerusalemwas subdued by king Nabuchodonosor.
After him, Servius Tullius reigned thirty-four years.
In his reign Belshazzar was king of the Chaldeeans, under whom Daniel read the mystic writing on the wall, and inter- preted it.
This Servius Tullius finally subdued the Sabines, and added three hills, namely the Quirinal, Verrinal and Esquiline, to the city. He was the first man who instituted the census. In his time a census took phiceat Rome, and there were found to be eighty-seven thousand men capable of bearing arms. At lasty Servius Tullius was slain by the wickedness of Tarquin the Proud, his son-in-law, and the son of that king whom he himself had succeeded, and of his own daughter, who was Tarquin' s wife.
After him, Lucius Tarquin the Proud, the seventh and last of the kings, seized upon the kingdom.
' Our author has said above, that Numa built the Capitol ; the truth is, that Numa built a small temple, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, on the Esquiline Hill, which was not called Capitolium till after the foundation of that which was built by Tarquin, and then it was distin- guished as Capitolium Vetus, while the great Capitol, the temple of Jupiter Opt. Max., was founded by Tarquinius Priscus, in consequence of a vow made by him during (he Sabine wars, and was finally completed by the second Tarquin, though not dedicated till after his expulsion by M. Uoratius.
58 MATTHXW Olf "WBBTKDXfnSR. B.C. 510.
In his time, by the indolgence of Cynu, king of Persia, forty-two dioosand four hundred Jews returned to Jerusalem.
Tarquinwasthefirstinventor of the different modes of torture, such as scourges of oxhide, dubs, red-hot plates, prisons, chains, fetters, exile, working in mines. He completed the temple of Jupiter, in the Capitol ; afterwards, while besieging Ardea, he was expdled by the Romans, and lost his kingdom. For the younger son of this Tarquin had violently ravished a most noble matron of the Roman state, by name Lucretia, the wife of CoUatinus, and a relation of Brutus, a man of most noble birth ; and she, having complained to her husband Collatinus, and to her father, and to Brutus her kinsman, and to her other friends and relations, of the injury done to her, and having bound them by an oath to avenge her, chastising in her own own person the foul crime which had been committed against her, slew herself before them all.
And in this way seven kings reigned at Rome, for a period of two hundred and forty-three years.
Ch. XI. — The Consular Government is established at Rome — The war with Porsenna — The Dictatorship — The wars of Camiilus — Rome is taken by the Gauls — History of Esther and Mor- decai^Torquatus — Corvinus — Alexander the Great — Wars with the Sammies — Papirius Cursor — The Caudine Forts — War with Pyrrhus — Cineas — Fahridus — Death of PyrrhuA — The first Punic war-^DuiUus' s naval victory — Regulus's death,
Afteb this, two consuls began to be created instead of one king ; with this view, that £f one of them chose to be a bad ruler, the other, who had equal power with him, might re- strain him; and it was determined that they should retain their office more than one year, that they might not be made insolent by a long duration of power. The consuls in the first year were Lucius Junius, and Brutus,' who had been the main instrument of the expulsion of the Tarquins. And it was determined that no one should remain in tlie city who bore the name of Tarquin.
> Our author is mistaken here ; it was Brutus whose pnenomen was Junius, and not Lucius Collatinus his colleague ; but I shaJl not think it necessary, except in very important instances, to point out the variations between the account given in these chronides and that which is more usually received.
B.C. 450. OAMIIiLirS DSLIVSBS HOME FBOlf THE GAX7LS. 5d
In the ninth year after the expulsion of the kings, when the son-in-law of the younger Tarqain, Porsenna, king of £tciui% had collected a numeroos army, with the object of ayenging the injury done to his father-in-law, a new office was created at Rome, which was called the Dictatorship, being a magis- tracy of greater power than the consulship. In the same year, also, the master of the horse was created, who was to be under the orders of the dictator. Nor can there be mentioned a more lofty magistracy than the ancient dictatorship in the whole history of the Roman empire, especially when Octavi- auus Augustus, and Caius Csesar before him reigned under the name and honours of the dictatorship. The first dictator at Rome was Largus,^ and the first master of the horse was Spurius Cassius, who was created sixteen years after the expul- sion of the kings.
The Roman people rose in a formidable sedition, on the plea that they were oppressed by the senate and consuls. And at that time Spurius Cassius created tribunes of the people, as if they were to be judges and defenders of himself, so that by their means he might be protected from the enmity of the senate and the consuls.
About the same time, by the permission of Xerxes, king of Persia, Nehemiah arriyed in Judeea, and restored the walls and the city. In the three hundred and second year after the building of Rome, the consular form of goyemment was put an end to, and instead of the two consuls, ten magistrates were appointed, who should exercise supreme power under the name of decemyirs. In the three hundredth and fifteenth year after the building of Rome, the people of Fidenee reyolted and attacked the Romans ; but they were defeated by them, and submitted, and twenty years afterwards they reyolted a second time ; but Furius Camillus, the dictator, was sent against them, and defeated them, and after a long siege he took their city, which was yery ancient, and afterwards he took FaJisci, which was another city of equal renown.
After this, the CkiUi Senones came against Rome and took it, nor could any thing be defended except the Capitol. And when they had besieged this last fortress for a long time, Ca- millus, who was in banishment in a neighbouring city, came upon the Gauls and defeated them with enormous slaughter. * This should be L^ins.
60 MATTHEW 07 WX8TMINSTEB. B.C. 4C0.
And 80 CamiUus entered Rome, and was called a second Romulus, as being the deliverer of his country.
At this time Uie illustrious queen Esther flourished, and also Plato the philosopher. Queen Esther, daughter of the brother of Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin, was a captive, and was taken from Jerusalem to Susa, and on account of her beauty and her very celebrated virtue, while only a girl, she was united in marriage to the king of Persia. She ex- posed herself to death, in order to deliver her people, and she persuaded the king to crucify a friend of his, who was advising wicked measures against the people of God, on a cross, which he had prepared for Mordecai. And so she saved a free nation from destruction, and delivered them ^m slavery. She is buried in Susa, a city of the Medes, in which she was queen. In the three hundred and sixty-fifth year after the foundation of Rome, military tribunes were created instead of the two consuls, and imder them the Roman afibirs began to prosper. The following year, an immense gulf, reaching down to hell, suddenly opened in the middle of the city, and as it remained a long time, and alarmed every one, and as the soothsayers declared that it demanded the burial of a living man within it, Marcus Curtius mounted his horse, and in complete armour plunged into the gulf; and thus it was dosed. In the mean time, Titus Quintius the dictator was sent against the Oauls, who had invaded Italy ; but the Gauls were encamped four noiles from the city, on the other side of the river Anio, where a young man named Lucius Manlius, one of the most nobly bom of the whole senate, went forward and slew a Gaul, who challenged him to single combat, and having stripped him of his golden chain (torquis), and placed it on his own neck, received in triumphiut manner the name of Torquatus, for himself and his posterity. Then the Gauls were put to flight, and were also defeated soon after by Gains Sulpicius.
Another time, a certain Gaul challenged the bravest of the Romans. Then Marcus Valerius, a military tribune, offered himself, and having gone forth in armour, a crow (eormts) settled on his right arm. Presently, when he was fighting with the Graul, Sie same crow with his wings and talons battered the eyes of the Gaul, so as to prevent him from look- ing straight forward. And so he was slain by the tribune
B.C. 360. THIS BOMAVfi WAB WITH THE SAIOTITXB. 61
Valerius, and gave him not only a Tictorv, but also a name ; for he was afterwards called Corvinns, and on accoimt of this exploit he was made consul, though he was only twenty-three years old. About this time, the night was lengthened on one occasion, and was seen to be extended over a great part of the following day. And stones fell from the clouds.
About the same time Alexander the Gh%at was bom.
Now the Romans began to be a powerful people, for a war was carried onby them a hundred and thirty mUes from the ^ty, against the Samnites, who are a people between Picenum Campania and Apulia. If you enquire about their wealth, they wear arms inlaid with gold and silver, and garments embroidered down to the very edge. If you enquire about their skill in manoeuyres and ambushes, you must know that that nation owed its power to its defiles, and to the facilities afforded by its mountains for manceuvres. If about their rage and madness, know that they hastened to the destruction of the world with their sacrilege and human sacrifices. If you would understand their obstinacy, think of that treaty which they broke six times oyer ; so that their pertinacity was even more violent than their enmity. Therefore, the Romans under- took war against the Samnites on behalf of the Campanians and Tidicini.
The district of Campania is the most beautiful of all the regions, not in Italy 'oidy, but, I may almost say, in the whole world. Lucius Papirius Cursor was despatched to that war, with the appointment of dictator. And as he wished to return to Rome, he left Fabius Maximus, his master of the horse, in command of the army, with orders not to engage the enemy in his ahsence. Fabius, however, having an oppor- tunity offered huq|i, fought a most successful battle, and utterly routed the Sammtes, on which account he was con- demned to death by the dictator, because he had fought with- out his permission ; but he was dehvered by his great popu- larity with both the soldiers and the people, as such a sedition was excited against Papirius the dictator, that he was nearly killed himself. Afterwards the Samnites defeated the Romans in the consulship of Titus Yeturius and Spurius Pdstu- mius, when they were hemmed in, in a narrow strait at the Candine Forts, with great disgrace. And their general Pontius employed the security which his victory gave him, in consult^
-62 MATTHEW OF WESTlCnrSTSB. B.C. 290.
iDg his &ther Herennius whether he should slaijighter them, hemmed in as they were, or spare them now that they were subdued. He erentually chose to keep them alive to disgrace them. For he compelled the whole Roman army, which was disgracefully taken prisoners, stripped of their arms, and even of &eir doling, only one single covering of the most trifling nature being left them to cover their persons for modesty's sake, to make a long procession, passing under the yoke, and submitting to an act of slavery. Then having taken six hun* dred Roman knights as hostages, he sent back the rest loaded as they were with ignominy, and the consuls too, stripped of their arms, under such conditions of peace as the Samnites chose to impose. And if the Romans, when subjected to the Samnites, had preserved that faith in their treaty with them, which is expected to be observed towards them by those who become subject to them, there would either be no Romans at this day, or they would be subjects to a Samnite master.
But the next year, at the command of the senate, the peace which had been made with the Samnites was broken, and Lucius Papirius sent against them as consul. For he had at that time such a reputation as a soldier, that when it was said that Alexander, king of Epirus, and brother of Olympia the mother of Alexander the Great, was preparing to invade Italy, the Romans chose him, as the chief of all their generals, to resist his invasion. Accordingly the Samnites were defeated in a battle with Papirius, seven thousand of them were made to pass under the yoke, and Papirius celebrated a triumph for their conquest.
About the same time Appius Claudius the Censor made the Claudian aqueduct and the Appian road.
About this time also, Jadaua the Hig)i Priest flourished at Jerusalem, whose brother Manasseh built the temple on Mount Gerizim.
The Samnites having renewed the war, defeated Quintns Fabius Maximus, with the slaughter of three thousand of his men. Afterwards, when his father Fabius Maximus had been given him as his lieutenant, he defeated the Samnites and took several of their towns. After that, Publius Cornelius Rufinus and Marcus Curius Dentatua, being both consuls, were sent against the Samnites, and defeated them in great battles, destroying the very ruins of their cities to such a degree, that
B.C. 280. WAB.DXGULXEB AaASSTST TH£ TABENTTITES. 63
to this yery day the town of Samnium is sought for in the district, and cannot easily be found. And so the war, which had been carried on against the Samnites for forty-nine years, was put an end to, nor was there any enemy le& in Italy to give any more trouble to the Roman valour.
About the same time war was declared aeainst the Tarentines, who are a people at the extreme end of Italy, because they had insulted the ambassadors of the Romans. They entreated the aid of Pyrrhns, king of Epirus, who traced his descent from Achilles, against the Romans. H.e immediately inyaded Italy, and that was the first occasion on which the Romans fought with an enemy from beyond the sea. Against Pyrrhus was sent the Consul Publius Valerius Lnq^vinus ; who, when he had taken Pyrrhus's spies, ordered them to be led durough the camp, and desired idl the Roman army to be shown to them, in order that they might tell Pyrrhus what was being done by the Romans. Afterwards a battle took place, and Pyrrhus, when on the point of being routed, restored the battle, and defeated the Romans by the aid of his elephants, of whom the Romans were afraid, because they were quite strange to them. But night put an end to the battle : and during the night, Leevinus retreated. But Pyrrhus took eighteen hundred Romans prisoners, and treated them with great honour, burying the dead : and when he saw the corpses with all their wounds in front, lying, even after death, with fierce countenances, he is said to have raised his hands to heaven, with these words, " That he could become the master of the world if he had such soldiers as them." After that Pyrrhus marched towards Rome, and laid the whole country waste with fire and sword, ravaged Campania, and came to Prseneste, which is only eighteen miles from the city. But presently, from fear of the army, with which the consul was pursuing him, he retreated into Campania. The ambassadors who were sent to him to treat about ransoming the prisoners, were honourably treated by him, and he restored the captives to the Romans without any payment ; one of the ambassadors of the Romans, by name Fabricius, he admired so greatly, that, knowing him to be a poor man, he sought to tempt him by the offer of a fourth part of his kingdom, to come over to him, but his offers were despised by the Roman, and at last, as on all these accounts, he was possessed by a great admiration for
64 MATTHEW OF WISTMIirSTEB. B.C. 280.
the Romans, he sent an ambassador, one of his chief men, whose name was Cineas, to propose peace on equal terms, provided Pyrrhus might be left in possession of tiiat portion of! Italy wluch he occupied with his army. Cineas, lus am- bassador, the very next day after he arrived in Rome, addressed the whole order of the knights and all the senators by their names.^ The peace, however, which he proposed was not agreed to, and he was sent back to Pyrrhus by the senate, with the answer, that there could be no peace between him and the Romans unless he withdrew from Italy.
Then the Romans ordered all the prisoners whom Pyrrhus had restored, to be accounted infamous for having permitted themselves to be taken prisoners with arms in their hands^ and decreed that they should not be restored to their former condition, till they had brought back victorious spoils from enemies whom they had slain. And so the ambassador of Pyrrhus returned, and when Pyrrhus asked him what sort of place he had found Rome, Cineas, the ambassador, replied that *' he had seen a country of kings, and that nearly every one there was equal to what Pyrrhus alone was thought in Epirus and the rest of Greece."
So an army was again sent against Pyrrhus, under Publins Sulpicius and Decius the consuls. A battle took place, in which he was wounded, some of his elephants kille<( twenty thousand of the enemy slain, and five thousand of the Romans. Pyrrhus was driven back to Tarentum. After an interval of a year, Fabricius, who had formerly rejected the offers of Pyrrhus when he tried to bribe him with a fourth part of his kingdom, was sent against Pyrrhus. And as he and king Pyrrhus had pitched their camps near one another, the physician of Pyrrhus came to him by night, offering to take off Pyrrhus by poison if he would promise him a reward. But Fabricius put him in chains, and ordered him to be led back to his master king Pyrrhus, and ordered the king to be informed of what his traitorous physician had offered against his life. On which the king, struck with admiration, is reported to have exclaimed, *' Fabricius is a man whom it is more difficult to
> This fact is alluded to by Cicero,Tu8C. Disp. i. 24,vhere he is speaking of the memory of Cineas, and is expressly mentioned by Seneca, who, however, substitutes for '* the knights/' ** every one of the common people of the city that flocked round him/' '* Omnium urbanam circumfusam
B.C. 260. THE ATBIOASB SEBD KAIICF8 BBOULU8 TO BOH^. 65
turn from the path of honour, than it is to divert the sun from its course." Then Pyrrhus the king went to Sicily : Fabricius having defeated the Tarentines, celebrated a triumpn ; but Pyrrhus, on his return to his own country, was killed at Argos, a city of Greece.
About this time, among the Jews, Simon, the son of Onias, flourished as high priest, he who was sumamed the Just.
At this time blood flowed from the springs in many places^ and milk fell firom the clouds in the form of rain.
Up 'to the four hundred and seventy-seventh year of the city, though the name of Rome was by this time illustrious, stiU its arms had never been carried out of Italy. Therefore, that it might be known what was the amount of the forces of the Bomans, a census was taken, and there were found to be two hundred and ninety-^o thousand and three hundred and thirty-four citizens, although wars had never ceased since the first foundation of the city.
War was now commenced against the Africans, and in the first and second year of it triumphs were celebrated for vic- tories gained over them in Sicily. DuiHus also defeated the admiral of the Carthaginians m a pitched battie ; he took thirty-two ships and sank twenty-four ; took seven thousand of the enemy prisoners, and slew three thousand ; nor was there any victory which caused more dehght to the Bomans, because being previously invincible by land, they henceforth were very powerful by sea also. At this time Aulus Regulus killed a serpent of wonderful size near the river Bagrada ; its skin was a hundred and twenty feet long, and it was brought to Borne, where it was for a long time an object of astonish- ment to all beholders. About this time sUver money was coined at Rome for the first time.
About the same time the Africans, after a battie with the Bomans, requested Marcus Regulus, tiie Roman general whom they had taken prisoner in the war, to go to Rome and obtain peace for them from the Romans, and efiect an exchange of prisoners. When he arrived in Rome he was introduced into the senate ; but he refused to act as a free Roman. For he said, that ever since the day on which he had fallen into the hands of the Africans, he had ceased to be a Roman ; and in order to confirm his assertion, he removed his wife from his embrace. And he advised the senate not to make peace with
VOL. I. F
66 ICATTflBW OF WBSTMnrSTSB. B.C. 250.
the Africans ; for he asserted that they wens ao mnch broken by their disasters that they had no hope of recovering them- selyes, and that it was not for the advantage of the Romans that so many thousand prisoners as they had should be restored for the sake of himself, who was but one old man, and the few Roman prisoners besides, whom the Carthaginians had taken. And so he carried his point ; for no one of the Romans voted for the admission of the African ambassadors who had come to ask for peace. And after he had given that advice he was not compelled by the Romans to return to the Carthaginians, since they strove to detain him byforce,but because he hadswom to the Carthaginians, he fulfilled his oath of his own accord. Regulus having returned, announced to the Carthaginians the answer of the Romans. But the Carthaginians put him to death with unheard-of and horrible tortures. For they fastened him in a narrow frame of wood in which he was com- pelled to stand, which frame was filled on all sides with sharp nails, so that he could not bend himself in any direction with- out the most terrible su£fering, and then, cutting off his eye- lids, they murdered him by excessive want of sleep.
About the same time the river Picenus flowed with blood, and in Tuscany the sky was seen to be on fire, and there was an extraordinary light visible at night, three moons appearing in the heavens at tbe same time.
Ch. XIL — 2T^ kings of Judaa — Shalmaneser carries off ike ten tribes — Pharaoh Necho carries offJehoahaz to Egypt — Nebu» chadnezzar carries offZedekiah to Babylon — Daniel — Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego — End of the kingdom of Judah. Hayikg now explained these matters briefly, our pen must turn back to the Jewish history. After the reign of Amaziah, king of Judah, whom I have already mentioned, the people remained without a king for thirteen years, as is proved by the books of the Kings, and by a comparison of the years or the kings of Judah and of the kings of Israel. After tiiat interreg- num, 'Ozias reigned fifty-two years, and after him Jotham ^ Ozias, (called by this name also, Matth. i. 8) who is also called in the Old Testament Uzziah, 2 Kings xv. 13, and Azariah, 2 Kings xv. 1. But our Chronicler appears to be mistaken as to the interr^num, which had no existence ; he was misled by 2 Kings xv. 1, where the twenty- seventh year of Jeroboam's reign is spoken of, but that refSers to Us partnership in the kingdom with his father ; it was only the sixteenth year of his reign as sole monarch of IsraeL
B.C. 750. THX KUTGS 07 JI7D.SA. ^7
reigned sixteen yean. He bnilt the gate of the House of the Lord, irhich in the Acts of the Apostles is called Beautiful, hj the Hebrews the Gate of Jotham, and by others the Tower of the Flock. At this time the prophets Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, and Jonah prophesied in Judea.
Aflter Jotham, Ahaz reigned sixteen yean ; after Ahaz, Heze- kiah reigned twenty-eight yean ; and in the sixth year of his reign, Shalmaneser the king of the Assyrians descended into Samiaria and carried off the ten tribes of Israel, and made them dwellen in the land of the Assyrians ; and into their country he introduced in their stead the people who were called Ghusseans. And as they began to serve other gods in that land, the'Lord sent lions among them, who devoured them; and when king Shalmaneser hrard this, he sent one of the priests, who were his prisonen, to teach them the doctrines of the law of Israel, and to convert them to the wonhip of the €k>d of that land, in hopes that by that remedy this annoy- ance or curse might be removed from them. But they received indeed the pentateuch of Moses, but did not desert the gods of their fathen : and moreover, they erected an altar on Mount Geiizim, and would never enter the temple which was at Jerusa- lem, which they were enjoined by the law to go to, and in which they were bound to pay their vows to GU>d. And we read that these people were called Samaritans firom Samaria, and the Jews abstained from all intercoune with them.
The yean during which Israel was divided from Judah and from the house of David were three hundred and sixty.
After Hezekiah, Manasseh reigned over Judah for thirty-five yean. After Manasseh, Amon reigned two yean. After Ainon, Josiah reigned thirty-one yean. He fought with Necho, king of Egypt, and was slain in the plain of Megiddo. About this time Jeremiah, Oldah, and Zephaniah prophesied in Judsea. After Josiah, Joachaz reigned in Judaea three months ; and be- fore the end of these months, Necho the king of Egypt, who has been already mentioned, came to Jerusalem, and took Joachaz prisoner, and carried him into Egypt, and set Eliachim, whom he called Joachim or Jeconiah, the son of Josiah, over his kingdom. And he condemned Judaea to pay a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. In the eleventh year of Eliachim, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jemsalem, demanding from him the tribute which he had
F 2
68 MATTHEW 07 -WXSTMIKSTXB. B.C. 610.
been accustomed to pay to the king of Egypt, and which he for three years was not ashamed to pay. But in the third year, hearing that the Egyptians were about to make war upon Babylon, he postponed making the payment. On which ac- count Nebuchadnezzar put him to deadi aa a rebel, and led three thousand men of Jndah captive to Babylon, among whom was the prophet Ezekiel, who was as yet a boy ; and then he set Joachun, who is also called Jeconiah, oTer them as king.
But not many days after, Nebuchadnezzar, in the deTenth year of his reign, took Jeconiah, who was coming to meet him with his modier and some of his people, and earned him to Babylon, and instead of him he set Zedekiah, his unde, whom he also called Mattaniah, oyer Jndah and Jeruaalem. But this Zedekiah, not long after, began to rebel against Nebu- chadnezzar, who had adjured him by the Lord, and to act with hostility against his liberal benefactor. And then again Nebuchadnezzar returned, to wit, in the eleventh year of the reiffn of Zedekiah, and carried him away captiye to Babylon, ana threw down tiie wall of the city, and burnt the temple, and carried off all the yessek of the house of the Lord with him, and placed them in the temple of his own god. Daniel also, and the three children, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael* who were of the royal blood, were carried off as captives, whom Nebuchadnezzar of his liberality caused to be instructed in the literature of the province and also in that of the Chaldeea.
Moreover the fire of the altar of burnt-offerings was taken away by the priests, and hidden in a deep and dry well, and there preserved with great diligence. There too Jeremiah the prophet caused the tabernacle of the covenant and the ark, and the altar of incense, to be taken with him to mount Abaris, which Moses had once ascended, that he might see the inheritance of the Lord ; and Jeremiah found a cave there, and he placed those things in it, offering the sacrifice of the consummation of the temple. Then he blocked up the mouth of the cave, and all those things are hidden there to this day. But in the ark were contained the golden pot which held the manna, and the rod of Aaron which had blossomed, and the tables of the covenant.
The kingdom of the nation of Judah remained there up to the present devastation and destruction of the temple, nine hundred and fourteen years and six months and ten days.
B.C. 600. FB0PHB0XX8 OV TBI 8IBTL. 69
And this devastadon is said to have been eommitted not in the presence of Nebnchadnezzar himself, bat by the agency of Nabnzardan, the chief of his anny. For he» after the retom of the king into Bgypt, was sent to Jerusalem by him, and utterly destroyed the temple, and threw down the wall of the city, and led Uie people who remained there, captiye to Baby- lon. In this Zedeldah the kingdom was terminated, which had lasted, according to Josephus, five hundred and fourteen years, seven months and ten days ; but according to the books of the Kings, not quite five hundred years. Four hundred and eighty years, six months and ten days had elapsed since the bmlding of the temple. A thousand and seventy-two years, six months and ten days since the departure of the people from Egypt.
After this the administration of the state was in the hands of the priests, subsequently to the return from the captivity, except that about the time of Christ there were a few kings, who are recorded hereafter, after the priests.
Ch. Jin.— List of the Priests.
Thb priests in this fourth age of the world were sixteen, ac- cording to the account of Hegesippus. Abiathar, Zadok, Achi- maah. Azariah, Eleazar, Oziel, Jehoiada, Azariah, Amariah, Achitob, Zadok, Shallum, Elkiah, Azariah, Saraiah, Josedech. These are called not only priests, but high priests ; and they occupy a period of three hundred and ten years. For the temple was overthrown in the four hundred and thirtieth year after its foundation.
Ch. XIY. — An account of the Sibyl-^Prodifies seen at Rome.
Thebb was also a sibyl, the daughter of king Priam, her mother's name was Hecuba, and she was called in the Greek lan- guage Tyburcina, but in Latin Albunea. She, traversing the different renons of the east, prophesied in Asia, Macedonia, Herostsea, ramphilia, Agalgudea, Cilicia, and Galatia. And when she had filled all this part of the world with her pro- phecies, she went from thence into Ethiopia, Oabaon, Babylonia, Africa, Libya, Peutapolis, Maritima, and Palestine. Through- out all these provinces she, being inspired with proj^hetic spirit, prophesied good things to the good, and evil thmgs to the evil, as the Lord had commanded her ; and we know that in her prophecies she announced true things, and foretold what
70 MATTHEW OF WESTMnrSTEB* B.C. 1000.
would come to pass in the latter times. Accordin^y^ the Romans hearing of her fame, told all these things to their leader ; he therefore, in accordance with a vote of the Senate, sent ambassadors to her, and inviting her, with great honour caused her to be'ccmdncted to Rome.
It happened at that time that a hundred Romans of the Senate saw a wonderfnl dream ; all seeing one and the same vision on the same night. They saw in a vision of the night nine suns shining in heaven, each of which bore a different appearance in its face. The first was brilliant and shining over the whole earth. The second was more brilliant, and larger, being of a remarkable brightness. The third was of a blood-red colour, fiery and terrible, and sufficiently brilliant. The fourth was red with blood, and four lines branched off from it towards the south. The fifth was dark, having doors in it, as in a dark thunder-cloud. The sixth was dark, and had a sting in it like the tail of a scorpion. The seventh, was dark, terrible, and of the colour of blood, having a stained sword in it. The eighth was suffused, having a hue of blood in the centre. The ninth was dark, having only one bright ray.
And when the sibyl entered Rome, the Romans, beholding her, admired her exceeding beauty ; for she had a beautiful face, an elegant person, was graceful in her gestures, copious in eloquence, pouring forth to her hearers an acceptable dis- course, fraught with proofs of great wisdom.
The men, then, who had seen these dreams came to her, for her fame had been widely spoken of and celebrated ; and they say, ''0 mistress and queen, we entreat you by the great beauty of your person, and by the wisdom of your mind, and by the eloquence of your mouth, such as we have never found in any other woman, to explain and interpret to us a certain wonderful dream, in which we all, a hundred in number, saw separately in one night, and to set before ns what it indicates of futurity." The illustrious virgin answered and said to them, '^ It is not proper to reveal a sacred mys- tery in a dunghill or a place which is polluted with all sorts of contamination." (For after she had heard the before- mentioned dream related to her by them all, one after another, she felt her spirit agitated, and was amazed at the strangeness of the matter.) "Come, then," she added, ''and let iia
B.C. 1000. UrrSBPBBTATIOK OF THE SXITATOSB' DBXAM. 71
ascend the Ayentine hill, and there I will foretell to yon what shall happen to the Roman state." And they did as she said. And a second time the virgin demanded an account of the vision from them ; and they, reciting it to her, did not vary from their previous account ; and she said, " The nine suns which yon saw are nine different ages among the -sons of men.'*
Ch. XV. — The interpretation of the Dream of the Senators.
The first sun is the finit generation; and men shall be simple, frank, loving liberty, veracious, gentle, kind, com- forters of the poor, sufficiently wise.
The second sun is the second generation. Men shall live splendidly, increasing in riches, fearing the Lord, living on the earth without wickedness.
The third sun is the third generation ; and nation shall rise against nation, and there shall be many battles in Rome.
The fourth sun is the fourth generation ; and men shall deny the truth ; and in these days a woman shall arise, Mary by name, having a husband whose name is Joseph, and she shall bring forth a child, and she shall be a virgin before her delivery and a virgin after her delivery. But the child that shall be bom of her shall be very God and very man, as the prophets have predicted. He shall fulfil the law of the Jews blamelessly, and shall add thereto laws of his own, and He shall reign for ever and ever. Amen.
And when he is bom there shall be a host of angels on the right hand and on the left, saying, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will." And when he is baptised in the water by John, his forerunner, a voice shall come from heaven, saying, *' This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; liear ye him." But there were then some of the priests of the Jews who heard these words, and who were indignant at them, and said to her, *' These are terrible things; let not the queen speak thui^." The Sibyl answered, and said, "0 Jews, it is inevitable that these things must come to pass ; but you will not believe in Him." *• We do not believe," they reply, " because he has given His everlasting word and covenant to our holy nation that He will not take his protecting hand from us." She answered them, a second time, and said, ''The God of heaven is bom the
72 Hi.TTHBW 07 WX8TMIK8TXB. B.C. 1000.
Son of a Virgin, as it is written ; and he aball be like bia Father, and he shall grow up in his age as a young child, and the kings and princes of the earth shall rise up against him. In tibose days the kingdom shall belong to Caesar Augustus, and he shall reign in Rome, and subject all the earth to himself. After these things, the priests of the Hebrews will rise up against the Lord himself and against the man whose name will be Jesus, because he will perform many miracles, such as have never been heard of nor seen before ; Imd they will take him, and give Aim slaps with hostile hands, and will spit poisonous spittle at his sacred face, and they will inflict stnpes upon his holy back, and he shiall receive their buffets in silence. They sludl give him gall for meat, and vinegar to satisfy his thirst ; and, at length, they shall hang him on the tree, and shall slay him ; and these things shall avail them nothing ; because, on the third day, he shall rise again, and shall show himself to his discij^les, and in their sight he shall ascend into heaven ; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
And to the chiefs of the Romans she said, the fifth sun is the fifth generation ; and the Lord Jesus will choose himself two fishermen of Galilee, and he will teach them his law, saying, " Qo ye and teach all nations the doctrine which you have received from me, and teach all nations in seventy-two languages."
Tbe sixth sun is the sixth generation ; and the men shall besiege this city for three years and three months.
The seventh sun is the seventh generation ; and men shall arise and shall cause many persecutions in the land of the Hebrews, on account of the Lord.
The eighth sun is the eighth generation ; and Rome shall be a prey and a desolation, and men shall struggle, shall howl in tribulation and pain, saying, " Do you think we shall live till the time of the delivery?"
The ninth sun is the ninth generation ; and princes of the Romans shall arise to the destruction of many. Then shall arise two kings out of Syria, and their army shall be increased to a countless multitude, as the sand of the sea ; and they shall be masters of the cities, and prorinces, and countries of the Jews as far as Macedonia, and then there shall be much shedding of blood. All the people of the East shall fear at
B.C. 1000. DTTSBFEETATIOir OV THS SXITATOBS' J>£SAM. 73
their comings and Bhall be scattered. And, after these things, there shall arise two kings from Egypt, and shall conquer four kings, and shall slay them and all their army, and shall reign for tliree years and six months. After them shall arise a king, C. by name, mighty in war, and he shall reign thirty years, and he shall bnild a temple to the Lord, and shall fulfil the law, and shall do justice in the earth for the sake of the Lord. And after him shall arise another, and shall reign a short time, and barbarian nations shall conquer him and slay him.
After him shall arise a king, B. by name ; and from B. shall proceed Andon, the king; and from Andon shall proceed another A. ; and from A. shall proceed a third A. ; and from him shall descend a fourth A., and he shall be of a too warlike disposition and a yictorious warrior. From him shall descend a kmg, by name B., and to R. shall be bom L., and he shall have power over nineteen kings. After him shall arise a Salic king in France, by name B. He shall be great, and very pious, powerfid, and merciful, and he shall execute judgment, and do justice to the poor ; and so great shall be the power of the virtue that is in him, that, as he goes on his way, the tops of mountains and of trees shall bow before him, water shall stop when it meets him, and there has been no king before him equal to the Boman power, neither after him shall there be any. After him shall come a king, by name L., and, after him, B., who shall reign for twenty-three years upon the earth. From B. shall descend A., and he shdl be brave in battle and of a warlike disposition ; and though he shall go a great deal over sea and land, he shall not be given into the hands of his ene- mies, but he shall die as an exile from his kingdom, and his soul shall be in the hand of God. Then there shall rise up another, Y. by name, being in one part a Salic, in another part a king, in another a Lombard, and he shall have power on euth, and he shall die in battle against his enemies.
In those days there shall be one of the name of 0. ; he too shall be very powerful, and brave, and good ; and he shall do justice to the poor, and shall judge righdy. And from this 0. shall proceed another 0., a most powerful king ; and under him there shall be battles between the Pagans and the Chris- tians, and their blood shall be shed, and his heart shall be in the hand of GU>d, and he shall reign for seven years. And of
74 HATTHsw or WEvnasvrwu b.c. looo.
his wife shall be bom another king named 0. ; he will be a bloody and wicked man, destitute of faith and truth ; and by hiB means many evils will exist, and there will be great blood- shed, and cities too will be destroyed by his power. For there will be much tribulation and many battles in other countries than his. Then nation shall rise up against nation in Gappadoeia, and in Paraphilia ; and nations wUl be made cap- tiye in his time ; because he did not enter the sheepfold by the door : and he will reign four years. After him shall arise a king whose name is H., and in like manner in his days flhsll there be many battles. He shall conquer Syria, and he shall become master of Pentapolis by taking it, being himself a king of the race of the Lombards. Then shall there arise a king named C, and shall subdue the Lombards, and there shall be wars and battles.
And the Salic king will be braye and powerful, but his king- dom will endure but a short time. Then will arise Hagarenes, and tyrants, and will take Tarentum and Barro ; and will plunder the cities and will be eager to go to Rome, and will rage, nor will there be any one to resist mem, except the God of Gods and Lord of Lords. Then the Jews will come to Persia, and will lay it waste, so that the cities that they plun- der shall not recover. And the Persians hastening forwards will pitch their tents near the ditch towards the East, and will take Rome, and will obtain peace for a while. And there will enter a warlike king of the Greeks, and will destroy the temples of the idols ; by name Hierapolim. And locusts and worms will come and will devour the trees and the crops of Gappadoeia and Gilicia. And the people will be tormented with famine, and afterwards there will be such things no more.
Then will there rise up another Salic king, a brave man and a warrior, and many of his neighbours, powerful nations, will be indignant with him. In those days, brother will de- liver brother to death, and father will deliver son. Brother shall marry sister, and one man's wife shall go with another man ; fathers and sons and the whole family will work detes- table works on the earth ; old men will lie with virgins, and priests of evil with deluded maidens. Bishops will be fol- lowers of evil deeds ; and there will be shedding of blood in the earth ; the temples of the saints will be polluted and there will be iUthy fornication, and the wickedness of Sodom in
''' B.C. 1000. INTEBPBETATIOK OF THE SEITATOBS' DBXAK. 75
*^ the people. So that the sight of them will be manifest in their '^ insnlts, and there will be men rapacious, insolent, hating jua- ^' tice, and loving falsehood, and the Roman judges will be ^ changed. If they judge one thing to day, they will alter it the ^ next day for a bribe which they look to receiye ; and they ^ will not judge what is true, but what is false. ^^ In these days there will be perjured, rapacious men, loving ^'^ the rewards of falsehood, and law will be destroyed, and truth. # ^ And there will be earthquakes in diyers places, and the cities r- and regions of islands will be submerged; and there will be i'' in many places pestilences of men, and the earth will be de- ^' solated by enemies. And their vanity will not be able to com- •' fort them.
^ After these things, there will arise a king by name H., in whose time there will be wars, and he will reign two years. ^ After him, there will arise another king by name A. ; and - he, when he comes, will obtain the kingdom for a time, and will come to Rome and take it. And his rival shall not be ^ mortified in the hands of his enemies. In the days of his Hfe he will be good and great, and he will do justice to the poor ; and he will live a long time. After him will arise another king by name H. ; and from this H. will proceed twelve more. ' He will be a Lombard by birth, and will r^ign an hundred
years. And after him, there will arise another king H. by name, and he will come from France. This shall then be the beginning of sorrows, such as have not been since the beginning of the world ; and in those days there shall be wars, and the tri- bulation of many, and bloodshed, and earthquakes in cities and in countries. And many cities will be taken, and there will be no one who can resist the enemy, because God will at that time be angry with the earth. Rome will be in striking, and in the sword ; it will be stormed and taken in the hand of the king himself. And men will be rapacious, covetous, tyrants, hating the poor, oppressing the mnocent, and saving the guilty, and they will be unjust, wicked, condemners of the in- nocent. They shall be taken from the borders of the earth, and there shall be no one on the earth who can resist them, or destroy them on account of their wickedness and covetousness. Then there will arise a king of the Greeks, whose name will be Constans ; and he will 'be king of Greeks and Romans. He will be tall of stature, and beautiful in countenance ; splen-
76 HATTBXW OP intBTMIKSTBB. B.C. 1000.
did in appearance ; well made in all tlie outline of bis limbs ; and his reign will be ended in a hundred and tweWe years.
In his days there will be great riches, and the earth will yield its fruit in abundance, so that a bushel of wheat shall be sold for one penny, a measure of wine for one penny, a mea- sure of oil for one penny. And he will be king, keeping the scripture before his eyes ; and the king of the Greeks and • Romans will claim all the kingdoms of Christendom for his own. He will lay waste all the cities and islands of the rebels, and will destroy all the temples of the idols ; and will invite all the heathen to baptism, and the cross of Jesus Christ will be erected throughout all temples. Then Egypt will pass through jSlthiopia to submit to God. But they who do not adore ti^e cross of Jesus Christ shall be punished by the sword. And when a hundred and seyenty years are fulfilled, the Jews will be converted to Jesus, and lus sepulchre will be glorious in the eves of aU men. In those days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell fearlessly.
Ch. XVI. — Continuation of the SibyVs prophecy — 0/ Anti- christ— The different SibyU,
Is that time shall arise a prince of the tribe of Dan, who ahall be called Antichnst ; he will be the son of Perdition, and the teacher of error, the fulness of wickedness ; who will subyert the world, and will do prodigies and great miracles by fiilse pretences, and will delude many by false pretences, and magic art. So that he will appear to send fire from heaven, and the years will be diminished like months, and months like weeks, and days like hours. Then too there will arise foul nations from the north (which Alexander hemmed in), and Gog and Magog. These are the twenty-two kings whose number is like the sand of the sea. But when the king of the Romans comes, having collected an army, he will subdue diem and crush them to their utter destrucdon. And after that he will come to Jerusalem, and having there laid down the crown from off his head, and all his kingly ap- parel, he will leave his kingdom to God the Father and to Christ his Son.
But during his reign, two most illustrious men will come forth, Elias and Enoch, to announce the arrival of the Lord Christ ; and Antichrist will slay them, and after three days they will be raised again by the Lord. Then there shall be a
B.C. 1000. THE DUTEEENT SIBYLS. 11
great persecution, such as never was before, and shall not be afterwards. The Lord will shorten those days for his elect's sake, and in the virtue of the Lord, Antichnst will be slain on Mount Olivet, by Michael the Archangel.
When the Sibyl had prophesied these and many other fatore events to the Romans, as signs by which the Lord might be known to be coming to judge the world, she pro- ceeded in her prophecy, saying : —
J udgment shall make the earth to drip with sweat.
£ ternal God shall then from heaVn descend—
S wift, to decide the fate of quick and dead ;
U pright and wicked men shall fear alike ;
S o shall each soul before its judge appear.
C lose darkness shall overwhelm the savage world ;
H ot flames shall scorch the earth, and sea, and heay'n.
R estore the dead, and all their wealth, 0 grave—
I nquiring souls shall burst the gates of hcJL
S afe, holy light shall to all flesh he given,
T h' undying flame shall bum the guUty men,
U nveiling every secret act, and each thought
S urveyed beneath the light of God's pure word.
G rief shall make aU men gnash their teeth in vain :
0 ne darkness shall envelo'p earth, sea, sky,
D im shall all the sunbeams be, and lost the stars ;
T he hills shall sink, t)ie vallies shall uprise.
H ere shall no heights, no eminence be seen,
£ ach mountain with the plain shall levelled be.
S eas shall their billows check, the earth shall melt ;
A U fountains dry, all rivers bum with flame—*
V ainly lamenting human guilt and toil ;
1 mpetuous trumpets a sad note shall pour,
O Id earth shall gape, and hell's wide gulf display,
U nder the Lord's dread glance all kings shall stand
R ound that great throne which with £ead lightnings beams.
These things were spoken of the nativity, passion, resurrec- tion, and second coming of Christ ; and are found to have in Greek in their first letters the words 'IijtfoD; X^&rog uTog :&(ur^i, which is also seen when they are translated into English, except that the propriety of the Greek letters could not be so exactly observed.
Generally speaking, all female prophetesses are called Sibyls in the Greek langui^, for the word fihg in the iBolic dialect means God ; and the jSouX^ is the Greek for mind or intention ; so that the name means the mind of God. And so they were called Sibyls because they were interpreters of
78 HATTHEW 07 WSSTMnTSTSB. B.C. 1000.
the will of God. And as-we call all men who prophecy pro- phets or seers, so every woman who prophecies is called a Sihyl. And by credible authors there are said to have been ten sibyls. The iGirst of whom came from the Persians ; the second was an African ; the third was a Delphian, bom in the temple of the Delphian Apollo ; she it was who predicted the Roman wars. The fourth was the Cumsean Sibyl, in Italy. The fifth was an Erythrsean, by name Eriphile, and bom in Babylon; and she it was who prophesied to the Greeks when they were engaged in the expedition against Troy, that Troy would fall, and that Homer would write lies. The sixth was a Sa- mian, who was called Femonote. The seventh was a Cumsean, called Amalthea. The eighth was a native of the Hellespont, bom in the Trojan territory, and it is related that she hved in the time of Solon and Cyrus. The ninth was Phrygian, who pro- phesied at Ancyra. The tenth a native of Tibur, named Albanea.
There are verses of all of these prophetesses extant, in which they are most evidently proved to have written about Grod and Christ, and the heathen. But the Erythrean is said to have been more celebrated than the rest, and she, in Greek, ' was also called a native of Tibur, as has been previously men- tioned. And some relate that she prophesied at the time when Rome is proved to have first began to flourish ; when Ahaz, or, as some say, when Hezekiah, who succeeded him, reigned in Judea. And she wrote some prophecies manifestly relating to Christ, as has been already mentioned. And a most illustrious man, and most acute interpreter, Flaccianus, has shown some verses of hers in a Greek manuscript, the first letters of which make up the words *Ifi<fovi Xehrog uhg Soir^^, which, in English, is Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Saviour ; and these verses, the first letters of which give the sense, some one, namely. Saint Augustine, has translated in Latin verses, which are still extant.
And besides all these, they say that there was another Sibyl, who adored and worshipped the wood of the cross, which was for a long time despised by all men, and trampled on and looked disdainfully on in Jesusalem.
HxBE E5DS THE FoFBTH Age OF THE WoBLD ; Consisting, according to the Hebrews, of four hundred and seventy-three •years ; according to the seventy translators of the Bible, of four hundred and eighty-four.
BOOK V.
THE FIFTH AGE OF THE WORLD
BEQUrS TS THE ITENTH TEAB 07 KEBUCHADNXZZAS, EIKO
OF BABTLOK^ WHO LITSD ATTEB THIS OTESTHBOW
TWBNTT-MVB TEJLBS.
B.C. 696—4.
ACCOTJITP OP BABTLOir— KINGS OP BABTIiOlT — JEBXTSAIiEM 18 BEBTOHED — LIST OP THE KINGS OP BEITAIN — KINGS OP PEBSIA — ^BBENNITS, KING OP ENGLAND, MAKES WAB UPON BOME — ALEXANDEB STIBDUES PEBSIA — DIVISION OP THE KINGDOM OP ALEXANDEB — ANTIO0HU8 — PTOLEMT— THE PUNIC WABS^-OTHEE WABS OP THE BOMANS — THE HIGH PBIE8TS OP THE JEWS, ONIAS, JASON, ETC. — ^WABS OP THE MACCABEES — C-ffiSAB INTADES BBITAIN, IS DEPEATED BY CASSIBELANITS — AUGUSTUS C^SAB — HEBOD— JOSEPH IS ESPOUSED BY MABY.
Ch. I. — Babylon, its situation, Sfc, — Crcestis-'^Belshazzar'-^ Cyrus — The rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem — The restoration of Babylon — The successors of Cyrus — Nehe^ miah.
AiTEB the destruction of the temple of the Lord, in the manner akeady spoken of, and the carrying away at the same time of the people of the Jews to Bahylon, they remained there seyenty years, at the end of which, Jeremiah had pro- phesied that the captivity of the Jews would be terminated. During which time there reigned over Persia, after Nebuchad- nezzar, four kings, to wit, Evilmerodach, Labosardach, Egesar, And Belshazzar, nor had the Jews any hope of escaping from Babylon, which at that time was the strongest and richest, and liighest of all cities. In its Circuit w&s four hundred and eighty-six furlongs. And it was built in a plain, and in the ^enesa of a camp, arranged with walls of equal length, so as
80 ICATTHBW OP WBSTMIK8TBB. B.C. 550.
to form a square. And the width of those walls was fifty cubits; and their highest was four times as great as their width, and on the face of the walls were a hundred brazen gates. And through the middle of the city ran the river Eu- phrates, and outside the walls was a fosse of great width, like a riyer, completing the entire circuit of the city.
The citadel, which commanded the city from within, is that tower, which was began to be built after the flood of Nimrod, a most famous giant, being in height five thousand one hun- dred and seventy-four paces. And its width is well known to be four thousand paces. There were besides, other houses in the city, consisting of eight towers piled one upon the other, so as to be of a wonderful height, so that it seemed incredible that such a city could ever be destroyed by human valour.
Crcesus, the king of Lydia, had come thither, a king of great renown for his riches, in order to assist the Babylonians, with many other kings and princes. And when Belshazzar had completed the seventeenth year of his reign, thinking the prophecy of Jeremiah a vain one, in which he had prophesied that after the seventieth year the captivity of the Jews should be terminated, he caused the sacred vessels of the temple of the Lord to be displayed on his own table, and contrary to all divine and human law, he drank out of them. But CyruSy the grandson of king Astyages, being instigated by a divine oracle, exacted punishment for this wickedness.
Cyrus had been educated among the Persians, and when he grew up, having collected a powe^ul band of Persians he pro- claimed war against his grandfather, and, having come to a battle with him, he routed his army, and took Astyages him- self prisoner. But he took nothing from him but the kingdom, tlierefore Cyrus transferred that dignity from the Medes to the Persians, and he subjugated Syria and Scythia ; and when he had done this he then besieged Babylon ; and so Cyrus, ac- cording to the prophecy of Isaiah, the prophet who had pre- dicted that these things would hereafter come to pass, put to flight the king and lus defeated army, and entered the city. And when he began to arrange the a&rs of the city, he f^ lazed the captivity of the Jews and permitted nearly fifty thousand men to return to Judaea, restoring to them the gold and silver vessels of the temple of the Lord, which were five thousand and forty in number. He aho commanded Josedech
B.C. 500. SEBUELDIKG OF THE TEMPLE. 81
the Priest, of the race of Aaron, who had heen carried away with his fathers to return to his country, in order that the ancient rites of the sacred worship might he re-estahlished by the experience of an experienced priest.
The Jews therefore returning to Jerusalem, began to re- build the temple of the Lord. But as the Samaritans hindered them, the work was interrupted, till at last it was completed under Darius, in the second year of his reign ; and we must remark that at one and the same time that Babylon was taken, by Babylon Rome was deliyered from the arrogant domination of the profligate king Tarquin.
Moreover, after Uie haughtiness of ancient Babylon had been chastised by that most mighty monarch Cyrus, he built in the same spot the city which is at present inhabited under the name of Babylon, rejecting all the superstition of the ancient Babylon ; and so the old Babylon, according to the prophecy of the holy prophet Isaiah, was reduced to the waste condition of a desert. At this time the prophets Haggai, and Zachariah and Malachi, flourished in Judea.
Cambyses, the son of the before-mentioned Cyrus, is called Nebuchadnezzar the Second. In his time, the events which are contained in the history of Judith are supposed to have happened. After his death two Magi reigned for eight years ; and after their death, Darius,^ the son of Antipastes, was ap- pointed king, who had married the daughter of Cyrus the king, and had secured to himself the kingdom by his marriage with the royal family, so that the kingdom did not appear to be transferred to another house, but rather to be brought back again to the family of Cyrus. And in the second year of the reign of this Darius, as I have already said, the rebuilding of the temple was completed in the forty-sixth year, that is, after it was begun to be rebuilt. On which account, the Jews in the gospel are reported to have said to our Lord, that " this temple was forty and six years in building," &c. &c.
^ A great deal of this account is evidently taken from Herodotus i. 178, who, however, does not mention the enormous and impossihle height of the tower here spoken of. Our author is mistaken in saying that the taking of Babylon, which took phice b.c. 536, was the same year as the expul- sion of the Kings, b.c. 5U9. Also only one Magus, named Smerdis, reigned after Cambyses, and he only reigned a few months. The name of the father of Darius was Hystaspes, not Antipastes.
VOL. I. O
82 HATIHEW OF WSSTMIITSTEB. B.C. 460.
DarioB was succeeded by Xerxes his son. In the seyenth year of whose reign Ezra, the scribe of the law of God, went up from Babylon to Jerusalem, bringing to the temple of the Lord the sacred money, namely, six hundred and fifty talents of silver, i^id yessels of silver of the weight of a hundred talents, and vessels of gold of the weight of twenty talents ; and he celebrated the solemn feast of tabernacles. Nehemiah also, who had been the cupbearer of the king himself, returned from the camp at Susa, in the twentieth year of the same king's reign ; and he rebuilt the walls of the city with the greatest care.
Ch. II. — Of the kings of Britain — RitoalUts, GurgustuSy For- rex, Molmutius — The kingdom is divided between Belimts and Brenmus.
About this time Cunedagius, king of Britain, was succeeded by BiwaUus his son, in whose time a shower of rain fell on ' the earth, and lasted three days. He was succeeded by his son Gurgustius, and he again by Sisillins, who was succeeded hy Jago, the grandson of Gurgustius, he by Cunarus the son of SisilHus, and he by Gorbonego. This last monarch had two sons, namely, Terrex and Porrex, between whom a con- test arose, after the death of their father, as to which of them should obtain the sovereignity of Britain. But Porrex laying an ambush for his brother, slew him ; and when their mother became acquainted with this circumstance, she was exceedingly enraged at the death of her son. Accordingly, watching die opportunity when Porrex was asleep, she with her hand-maidens cut him in many pieces in a cruel manner.
After this, civil discord oppressed the people for a long time, and the kingdom fell into the hands of five kings, who harassed one another with mutual disasters. At length, as time wore on, Hurom excited a young man, the son of Clotho, king of Cornwall, who is called Molmutius by Dunwall ; and he, when he had succeeded to his father's kingdom, rose up against the kings of Loegria, and Wales, and Scotland, and slew them, and from thenceforward he reigned by himself. He established the Molmutine laws, which to this day are celebrated among the EngUsh. Moreover, he enacted that the temples of the gods and their cities should have such dignity, that whatever fugitive or criminal took refuge in them, he might be allowed to depart unhurt through the midst of his
B.C. 460. XEBXES IS SLAIK. 83
enemies. He also made a law that the arahle lands of the farmers, and the roads which led to the hefore-mentioned tem- ples or cities, should he conlGirmed in the same privilege.
After this, when he had maintained the kingdom forty years in peace he died, and was huried in the city Trinoyantum, near the temple of Concord, which he himself had huilt, for the porpose of giving confirmation to his laws.
After that, his two sons, Belinus and Brennius, divided the kingdom between them, in such a way that Behnus had Loe- gria, Wales, and Cornwall ; and Brennius, who was the younger, had Northumberland and Scotland.
Ch. III. — The succession of the kings of Persia — The expedition of Xerxes against Greece -^Vashti — Esther — The war between Artaxerxes and Cyrus — Aristotle,
Aftes the before-mentioned Darius, son of Antipastes, Xerxes, a most powerful monarch, and one of great riches and power, reigned in the country of the Persians. He is said to have had seventy thousand armed men, and three hundred thousand auxiliary troops, in the army with which he marched to attack Greece. He had also twelve hundred ships of war, and three thousand transports. Biit all this great army was without a