¶Circa annū mundi .v.M.lix. Et ante xp̄i natiuitatem .C.xl.
MAthon sone to Sadoch of the lyne of Cryst gate Iacob (vt patet Mathei .i.) ¶Symon sone to mathias was bysshop .viii yere. Thys Symon was a very wyse man / & from youth vntyll his aege was euer of good conuersacyon / euer more vertuous. And at ye last he was slayne of his brother Elay. (vt pʐ .i. macha) ¶Iohannes Hircanus sone to Sy¦mon / was after his fader .xxix. yere / a noble man as al the kynrede was before hym. This man after his decesse left his wyf a very wyse woman & his fyue sones to gouerne the Iury of the eldest was called Aristobolus an vnpa∣cyent man & an vnhappy. Hys owne moder with thre of his yonger brethern he prysoned & slewe them thrugh hungre & soo alone he ly∣ued kynge & bysshop one yere (Vide plaura li. Machabeo{rum}) ¶Publius Lucimius. Lucius Emilius. Lucius Lucinius. Lucius Consori∣nus were Consules att Rome. In whoos ty∣me the Cartagynes & the Romayns warred strongely· But the Romayns subdued them / entendynge to haue destroyed ye Cartagynes vtterly. But among the Romayns ther was a notable wyse mā called Scipio Nauta. And amonge many notable coūseylers two he ga•• specyally to be had ī minde. The fyrst that Car¦tago sholde not be destroyed that thrugh the occasyon of for and bataylles / a In warde cō∣corde sholde abyde amonge the Romayns / & a perpetuell strength for contynuell excercyse of batayll. The seconde. That in no wyse the other sholde be buylded in Rome. For he sayd that was the moost enmye that myght be to ye people that vsed warre For that place nourys¦shed slouth and prouoked lechery ¶And how wysely this notable man gaaf counseyll / the tymes folowyng declareth (vide plca in Aug. dei ciuite dei libro .iiii.) ¶yet for all this coun∣seyll that noble cyte of Carcago was destroy∣ed of Cipio & the Senatours. And it brente .xvii. dayes contynuelly Many men there we∣re solde / & many men ranne in to the fyre wyl¦fully. ¶Corinth{us} this same yere was destroy¦de of the Romayns / the whyche was the ry∣chest countree of the worlde. ¶Ptholomeus this tyme regned in Egypte / & was famylyer wyth the Romayns. And so longe he & his pre∣decessours regned as they kept fydylyte to the Romayns. And knowe euery man that there was none other cause that the power of ye Ro∣mayns encreased so strongly abue other peo∣ple / but vertue / the whyche habundanly ryg∣ned in them / & namely reght wysnesse whiche aboue all thynge they vsed. And as longe as they kept mesures & loued ryght wysnesse / soo longe they were neuer ouercome And as sone as they were corrupted / it is radde / they were ouercomē. ¶It is had in a certayne reuelacy¦on of god shewed to saynt Brygyte that oure lorde god bereth wetnesse to these olde Roma∣yns.