The suruey of popery vvherein the reader may cleerely behold, not onely the originall and daily incrementes of papistrie, with an euident confutation of the same; but also a succinct and profitable enarration of the state of Gods Church from Adam vntill Christs ascension, contained in the first and second part thereof: and throughout the third part poperie is turned vp-side downe.

CHAP. I. Of the originall of the monarchie and succes∣sion in the same.

GOd most mightie and most faithfull, for his power doth whatsoeuer plea∣seth him; and for his promise sake, hee vndoubtedly accomplisheth whatsoe∣uer he hath said. He suffered the Iews his peculiar people to be long afflicted by the Babilonians; but after that 70. yeares were fully complete and expi∣red, according to his promise, Isai. 45 1.48.20. He with great ioy wrought their deliuerance. He ap∣pointed king Cyrus to set them at libertie, whom for that pur∣pose he called his annointed, Es. 45.1. Which Cyrus hauing conquered the kingdome of the Medes against Astyages, left the said kingdome to Darius his vncle, by whose aide he tooke Babylon, and so transported the Monarchie of Babylon to the Persians.

Cyrus deliuered the Iewes from captiuitie, the very same yeare that he took Babylon. He also gaue them great treasures to build the temple of Hierusalem, and sent them home againe vnder the conduct of Zorobabel, Esd. cap. 1. cap. 2. 2. Par. 36. ver. 23. Esd. 7. v. 15.* 1.1 He commaunded to giue them of his own reuenewes day by day, so much as should be necessary. Esd. 6. verse 8.9.* 1.2

Cyrus king of Persia brought forth by the hand of Mithri∣dates the treasurer, all the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nabuchodonosor had taken out of Hierusalem, and pla∣ced in the house of his false God. Cyrus numbred them vnto Sesbazer the Prince of Iuda. To wit, 30. Chargers of gold: a

thousand chargers of siluer; 29. kniues, thirtie basons of gold 410. basons of siluer, and of other vessels 1000. all which with other rich gifts, the king bestowed on the Iewes, to build vp againe their Temple, Esd. 1. 2. Par. 36.

The building of the Temple was hindered by the aduersa∣ries of Iuda and Beniamin, that is,* 1.3 the inhabitants of Sama∣ria (whom the king of Assyria had placed in the stead of the ten tribes,) which ten tribes he had carried away vnto Ashur, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the riuer of Gozan and in the citie of the Medes:* 1.4 for at that time the Medes and Persi∣ans were subiect to the Assyrians; which vexation & hindering of the Iewes in building their Temple,* 1.5 continued about the space of thirtie yeeres; that is, vntill the sixt yeare of Darius the sonne of Histaspis surnamed Assuerus, and Artaxerxes, indifferently, Esdr. cap. 4.

The difficultie.

The Prophet Daniel (who liued euen in the time of the captiuitie of Babylon) affirmeth constantlie, that the same night in which Balthasar the king of the Chaldees was slain, Darius King of the Medes tooke the kingdome, being 62. yeares of age, Dan. cap. 5. vers. 31. and the said Daniel saith, that he vnderstoode the time of the captiuitie by the bookes of Ieremy, in the first yeare of Darius sonne of Assuerus, who was of the seede of the Medes, Dan. 9. vers. 1. but Esdras writeth plainely, that Cyrus was king of Babylon, and gaue the Iewes leaue to build their temple: to whom also he gaue great treasure, as is alreadie saide, Esdr. 1. Esdr. chap. 6. vers. 3.

The answere.

I say first with Saint Hierome vppon Daniel, that Cy∣rus gaue the title of honour to Darius as well in respect of his olde age, as for kinred sake. I say secondly, that Cyrus went about warres in other Countreyes, and so had not the

title, though he were king indeed. I say thirdly, that Darius died the same yeare that he and Cyrus wan Babylon, so as the Monarchie of the Medes, Persians and Babylonians, descen∣ded wholly vnto Cyrus.

The names of the kings of the Per∣sian Mo∣narchie

• Darius A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 9 monethes
• Cyrus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 30 yeares
• Cambyses A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 8 yeares
• Smerdes magus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 7 moneths
• Darius Histaspis aliàs Ar∣taxerxes, alias Assuerus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 36 yeares
• Xerxes A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 20 yeares
• Artabanus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 7 monethes
• Darius Artaxerxes (Longimanus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 40 yeares
• Zerxes A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 2 monethes
• Sogdianus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 7 monethes
• Darius Nothus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 19 yeares
• Artaxerxes Mnemon, aliàs Memnon A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 40 yeares
• Darius Ochus aliàs vagosus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 26 yeares
• Arsames sonne of Ochus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 4 yeares
• Darius Arsami filius, aliàs Arbelas or Melas. A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 6 yeares

The first obseruation.

It is to be obserued, that Artaxerxes was the commō name of all kinges of Persia, as Pharaoh was the common name of all kinges of Egypt, and as Caesar was the common name of all the Emperours of Rome.

The second obseruation.

The custome of the Persians was this, that when anie king went to warre against any strange nation, hee left his sonne, or the next of the bloud royall, to bee king in his place.* 1.6 Cyrus therefore when hee had warre against the Scythians, and marched towarde them, appointed Cambyses his sonne king of the countrey in his absence, according to the custome of the Persians. Xerxes likewise the sonne of Histaspis succeeded his father, but left his kingdome to his sonne Lon∣gimain when hee went to warre against the Greekes; in re∣garde heereof, sundrie writers doe not place Cambyses and Xerxes in the lineall order of succession, which point must bee well obserued to auoide obscuritie, and to reconcile the dissen∣ting historiographers.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 5.8.
• * 1.2

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 7, 2.
• * 1.3

  An. mundi. 3300
• * 1.4

  4. King. 1••▪
• * 1.5

  The Hebrewes call Darius As∣suerus. Bergom. lib▪ 5. p. ••••1.
• * 1.6

  The custome of the Persians.