The exposicion of Daniel the prophete gathered oute of Philip Melanchton, Iohan Ecolampadius, Chonrade Pellicane [and] out of Iohan Draconite. [et] c. By George Ioye. A prophecye diligently to be noted of al emprowrs [and] kinges in these laste dayes

☞ Then shall there stande vp a strong* 1.1 kinge and obtayn the most mighty empe∣rye / and shall do what he lyft. And when his kingdom hath stonden / it shalbe bro∣ken and diuided into the. 4. clymats of y^e worlde / but not to his owne posterite / nor

yet with that maiestie and power wher∣with* 1.2 himselfe ruled. For his kingdome shalbe minisshed and distributed to other kinges besydes these 4. or vnto strangers By these wordis / the aungell describeth the flourishing encreace and destruccion of great Alexander: For vnder the Gre∣kis / the Iewes shuld suffer yet many pla∣ges.* 1.3 For Alexander himself thought to destroye Ierusalem / but the hyghe bishop coming forth ayenst him mekely with the Ceuitis so iently moued and entreated y^e kinge that he was right beneficiall with greate giftis vnto them. This mighty* 1.4 Alexander to rule & conquire al y^e worlde was called before the gret horned flying gote. Him to do what he lysteth / is to ha∣ue a prosperouse successe in all his affay∣ers and victories. For he beinge but. 20. yeres olde / ere he was full. 33. had subde∣wed all the worlde.

The verifying of these prophecies de∣clare them to be spoken of god which one∣ly as present foreseeth althinges to come And where he promiseth vs delyueran∣ce / he sheweth himselfe to tender vs that enbrace his prophecies. The godly ther∣fore are confirmed left they fall bak from their profession. But the last part of this chap. perteyneth to the last parte of this

Monarchie and to this age of the world declaring what persecucion cristis chir∣che hath and shall yet suffer vnder the cruel seculare & spiritual anticristis & at laste vnder the turke Mahumete / the spi ritualtye yet lordely reigning a••tir a pro∣phane proude haithē fassion / persecuting the doctrine of cryst & quenching y^e lyght of the gospel / of the trwe inuocacion in faith and confidence in the sone of God / defending by their seculare armes idola∣try, fighting burning & fageting for their idols and for their prodigiouse lecherou∣se lustis / slayinge innocents for the trwe doctrine. For vnto their spiritual tyrāny y^e seculare emperour & princes adde their furiouse merciles blod sheding, bothe by persecucion of the gospel and by batails, whose pryde and riches be the sp••rres vn∣to all this tumult where in good studies and letters / gospell and cryste shalbe ne∣glected & at laste a new derkenes & fye••∣cer furies withe the miserable mutaciō•• of kingdome nowe begune & in brewing. These affliccions wold god / men wolde* 1.5 consyder / and before all / aske of god to pre∣serue gouern norissh & encreace his chir∣che. And if ther be any prices which may heale these woundis / let thē now do their office / leste cryste in his laste iugement

now at hande accuse them gilty dampna∣nacion. Nowe shulde emperowr and prin∣ces setforth the byble and defende good prechers. Now shuld the crysten lerned men be sought out to teche crystes worde of saluacion. Now it behoueth princes to defende the gospel of cryste teching peace and not banissh and burne the worde of peace commanding the trwe faithful pre∣chers to sylence and restraining the scrip∣tures and godly bokis forboden of them to be redde of the cristen good peple so de syerouse to reade them for their counfor∣te in these troublos dayes. Take ensam∣ple at the said kingis whiche solonge as thei gaue lycence to the iewes to buyld their temple / god gaue them noble victo∣ries and rest as ye see it in Salomons da∣yes / but whē thei restrained and forbode the buildig therof thei had their handis full of warre and themselues miserably slayne. A lyke terribly and trobles face is there this daye of the worlde / for inhibi∣tinge the buylding of the chirche of cryst God sent them his aungel cryste to helpe them whylis thei were content the iewes to edifye their temple. And when thi inhi ted or neglected that good worke he pro∣uoked one kinge to destroye another as y^e stories declare it, There be nowe merue∣lous

subtyle craftinesses excercised in courtes / insidiouse wylinesses / couetu∣ose* 1.6 counsels / priuey studies for promo∣ons and one king to destroy another faith les fauor flatery &c. Whiche all is cal∣led polityk prudence and pleasauncie but it muste all shortely be turned into misery folisshes and into a calamitouse destruc∣cion.* 1.7 But retourne we to Alexander the beginner of the .3. monarchie and let vs set him as a glasse before all emperowrs & princes to see themselues in him. ye haue herde of his good fortunes and successe in so shorte a tyme / whiche translated the monarchie of the persies vnto the Gre∣kis / as the prophecie was then verifyed with in .200. yeres folowing. But the sa∣me prophecie yet tuneth vnto this daye vpon lyke Alexanders in a perpetual pa∣the to be verified vpon all the crysten em∣pires and kingdome which haue so blas∣phemosly persecuted and quenched the worde of their saluacion so mercilesly she∣ding the innocent blode for the Gospel. Some kingdōs haue felt the stroke of this worde & moo be lykely to fele the chāgys of their kinges stocke. Let al other bewa∣r•• of lyke heuey mutacions inminent: the bore is now opened / shut it if ye can. God had endewed mighty Alexander with

greate and cleare giftis. It was a great beutyfull glorye to him / in that he was feared and sought to of all other kinges / endewed* 1.8 he was with imperye / ryches and many noble victories / and delyuered from many heuey chaunces and perels of his owne subiectis. He was also of natu∣te very stronge / hardy / and in counsell he passed the wysest / he could iuge and fore∣see what was euer for the beste / he was prudent / comely / princely / affable ientle / and amiable / he loued iustice and punis∣shed the malefactors. No prince lyke him in vertewe morals so long as he was in a right mynde. But he aknowleged not god to be the auctor of them. And therfore of pryde and wealynes gaue himselfe vp vnto his owne lustis as to eating & drin∣king delicately and immoderately & vn∣to voluptuosnes of his bodye to be pam∣pered vp to satisfye his lybidinose fleshe. And beinge dronken / he sl••we his moste entyre and necessarye frendis / and was most cruell ayenst them / which did him most faythfull seruice. Then he polluted himselfe with lecherye vnto these fowle crymes he added contumelyes and cruel∣ty ayenst god / he beleued himself to haue a certeyn diuyne prerogatiue and power aboue all men and god to (as wold yet so∣me

pestelent flateringe fryers and prela∣tes put it into emprours and kinges hea∣dis) he aknowledged not himself to haue had done so noble actis and escaped so greate perels by goddis helpe onely / but attributed this glory & prosperite to his owne wysedom dignite royall / to fortune and to his owne policie / powr and ryches He wolde come forth some tymes disgoi∣sed lyke Iupiter Hammon all in glyte∣ring ye low golde / and eft sone as Diana wolde he daley most lasciuiously and fyl∣thely emong women. Wherfore there fo∣lowed the most heuey punishments. For ere his kingdom was set in ordir he dyed in his dronkenes bantkettinge with his* 1.9 whore. And at this his wretched fall / all his familye and kinred was also throne downe. For anon aftir / Olympias his mother / his sister and his two wyues and his two lytle sonnes were slayne of his owne minniōs and playe felowes. What ensample of manis inconstancie can be clerelyer setforth? For this so mighty & clear a kinges stock and familye cold not fynde a faythfull frende to defende his / aftir his death / no not one in all the worl∣de / no not among them vnto whom him∣self had geuen so many giftis and prouin ces / and whom he had brought vp & pro∣moted.

For Cassander the sonne of Anti∣pater which was brought vp of a chylde / and promoted of Alexander slewe Olym pias Alexanders mother / & aftir he sle∣we Roxonem & his sonne called Alexan∣der and his tother sonne Hercules borne of Bersine. The gouerner of y^e Sardins slewe Cleopatram his syster. These ca∣lamitis came not to Alexander and his* 1.10 house of chaunce / but of the wrath of god and all to monissh lyke king is in tyme. Many synnes god punissheth in this ly∣fe / let vs thinke vpon the iugement to co∣me where eternall paynes be prepared if we amende not. The transitory shortnes of this lyfe shuld mo••e princes to bewa∣re and repente and set the feare of Gods maiesty before their eyes. Remember mor tall princes / ye be but dust. you be no gods God will shortely intercept your brethe / whose rewarde is euerlastinge dampna∣cion / if ye repent not.

Alexander raigned .7. yearis after he had slayne Darius the laste kinge of the Medis and Persies. And then the Gre∣ke Monarchie susteyned greate batails trouble and slaughters and was torne and rente (as hath the text) into many and sondre dominions of strange kinges / Alexanders posterite elene extinct.

Then there arose blodye batails betwixt the kingis of Asia and Syria and Egypt all in the same Monarchie / neuer ceas∣singe cruelly shedinge eche others blode vntyll the Romans wexinge stronge / be∣gane to set in fote / and so at last cōquired the Grekis / the Assyrions and Egypciōs And thus was the worlde .47. yeris befo∣re crystis birthe deuolued into the fourth Monarchie called the Romane and last empyre. From Darius Longimās death to the begininge of the Romane Monar∣chie / which was .409. yeres / but especial∣ly from a non aftir the death of Alexan∣der when the kinges of Syria and E∣gypt thus cruelly destroyd eche other: yea* 1.11 maye be sewer the Iewes had euyll reste: For their lande laye in the midde waye betwixt Egypte which is sowth from Sy ria. So that the Iewes were euer ouer∣runne and depopulated of both y^e hostes / now of the Egypcians and then of y^e As∣syrians & Grekis. Alexanders kingdom / aftir his death was broken and diuided into the .4. partis of the worlde / or win∣dis of the heuen / subuerted and distribu∣ted to aliaunts / that is into Syriam / E∣gypt / Asiam and Grece. By the strange dukes and kinges of these .4. kingdoms which serued Alexander are vnderstan∣den

Seleucus king of Syria / Antigonus of Asia / Ptolomeus of Egypte / and Ari∣deus of Grece / yea they diuided all the prouinces of the hole Monarchie emong themselues / and then they faught who shuld haue all / thus was his kingdome broken and dispersed. So greate calami∣ties were there aftir Alexanders death by the reason of so many perpetuall ba∣tails / that Demades very aptly cōpared the powr and hostes of dead Alexander to the dygged out eye of Cyclopus.

These examples I reherche / that siche punisshments might warne princes and moue them to modestie and to feare god. Remember that cryst sayd: Withoute me can ye do nothing. Amende therfore your lyues and be mercyfull to the poore inno∣cents / or els loke for no fauore / but for the vengeance of God to be powered forth shortly vpon you. Darius Longiman rai∣gninge at Babylon / whylis his brother xerxes faught in Europa ayenst y^e Gre∣kis / gaue licence and commandement to the Iewes to returne and finisshe their citie and temple. (For it apereth Esdras & Nehemias to be of his cheif counsell) And therfore his fortune agreed with his vertew. For God defended that modeste and beneficiall kinge vnto his chirche /

helping him in his gouernāce and defen∣ce of his realme. Let emperours and kin∣ges folowe this godly kingis fact in reedi∣fying gods cite and temple / which is his chirche by settinge forth trewe prechers and teachers to reedifye the walles of Ie∣rusalem. The text* 1.12

Notes

• * 1.1

  Text.
• * 1.2

  Here be∣gyneth y^e •• monar∣chye.
• * 1.3

  The vp∣springe & fall o•• A∣lexader.
• * 1.4

  Chap. 8.
• * 1.5

  What nowe shuld y^e cristen princes do.
• * 1.6

  the face of cour∣tis.
• * 1.7

  Alexan der y^e be∣giner of y^e thirde Monar∣chie.
• * 1.8

  Alexan∣ders gif∣tis.
• * 1.9

  Alexan∣ders death.
• * 1.10

  And now ye kings beware be wyse.
• * 1.11

  The situ acion of Iudea.
• * 1.12

  Psal. 51.