The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

The censure Dorothe us geueth of the Prophetes and theyr workes.

AMonge these Prophetes some wrote, and some haue not wrytten, There are twelue of them called the lesse, Osee, Amos, Micheas, Ioel, Abdias, Ionas, Naum; Abacuk, Sophonias, Ag∣ga••••s, Zacharias and Malachias. There are also foure called the greate Prophetes, Esay, Ie∣remie, Ezechiel, and Daniel. All the Prophetes prophecyed vnto the levves, and admonished them of the promises of God made vnto the fathers, wherein he promised to blesse all nations in the seede of Abraham through the saluation that was to come by our Lorde Iesus Christ: a∣gayne howe he with a mightie and out stretched arme broughte them out of theyr bondage in Aegypt and gaue them the land of promisse: Last of all howe they were led captiues into Ba∣bylon by Nabuchodonozor and thence broughte backe agayne with honor. Moreouer howe they were afflicted by Antiochus and the nations founde aboute them, yet for all that, by the prouidence of God they proued conquerours in the end. And to shutte vppe the wholl in fewe wordes, holde he shoulde come accordinge vnto the promises whiche wente before of him, that was looked for and promised of the seede of Abraham to be the Sauiour of the wholl worlde. And this was the common drifte of all the Prophetes. Of whiche number some wrote bookes namelye Dauid, who compiled the booke of Psalmes. And Daniel who was* 1.1 commaunded in the tyme of captiuitie, to wryte such things as were reuealed vnto him by visi∣ons, with certayne others also. As for the reste they wrote not theyr owne Prophecyes, but the Scribes which were in the temple wrote euery Prophets sayings, as it were with supputation of the dayes. And when so euer anye Prophete was sente of God to entreate either of the captiuitie of Ierusalem, or of Samaria, or of other places, either of theyr re∣turne or of Antiochus, or of the borderinge nations, or else of Christ him selfe, looke what he prophecyed euerye daye the same was wrytten seuerallye as the Prophete vttered it. He preached of some certayne matter, and againe when as at an other tyme he prophecyed of an other thinge it was againe wrytten. And suche thinges as were spoken followed after the cha∣piters that went before and had theyr titles layd downe in the beginings, and thus the wholl and perfect booke was made of the diuerse and sundry sermons of that Prophete. By this meanes it cometh to passe that we finde in the bookes of the Prophetes the chapiter noted and applied either vnto the captiuitie in Babylon or else vnto the returne thence, and anone agayne an o∣ther chapiter either toutching Christ, or concerning some other matter, immediatly againe of a••

other thinge and by and by afterwardes of the former watter. And to speake the wholl in one* 1.2 worde, vnlesse a man will reade them with good aduisemente and graue iudgemente, he will thinke them confusely placed and out of order. They wrote not one lye the Prophetes workes in this order by peeces in the temple, but also the bookes of the kinges. Namelye such things as were from the dayes of Saul vnto his raygne, and in the tyme of Dauid, what happened vnder Saul vnto the raygne of Dauid, and thus they wrote the seuerall actes of euerye kinge at seuerall tymes, euen as the Chronicles are layde downe in the raygne of the kinges and so of the contrarye. Moses wrote the fiue bookes called Pentateuchus, to witte the historie of* 1.3 the thinges that were done before his time from the beginninge of the worlde, what happe∣ned in his tyme, and what shoulde come to passe after his dayes. Iesus Naue wrote his owne booke. The bookes of y^• Iudges were wrytten in the temple that is to say in the tabernacle. Euen so was Ruth. Solomon him selfe wrote his owne Prouerbes the Canticle of Canticles and the booke of the preacher called Ecclesiastes. For when he had receaued of God the gifte of wise∣dome, he exhorted all men to liue wisely in this world.* 1.4 He had not the gift of prophecy. We haue rehearsed before such as were inspired from aboue to prophecye of Christ.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The boo•• of Psalmo▪ Daniel. The Scrib•••• as Baruch suche other wrote the bookes of the Pro∣phetes.
• * 1.2

  A••o••e for t•• readinge •• the Pro∣phetes. 4. bookes of the kinges. Pētateuchus
• * 1.3

  Iosue. Iudges. Ruth. Prouerbes. Canticles. Ecclesiastes.
• * 1.4

  An error.