The history of the world

§. V. Of Aegyptian Kings whose names are found scattering in sundrie Authors, their times being not recorded. The Kings of Aegypt, according to CEDRENVS. Of VAPHRES and SESAC. [unspec 30]

MAny other names of Aegyptian Kings, are found scattered heere and there; as Tonephersobis, of whom Suidas deliuers only the bare name and title; Senemures, or Senepos, mentioned in Macrobius, who per∣haps was the same that by Suidas is called Senyes, or Euenes, noted by occasion of a great Phisicion that liued vnder him; Banchyris, recorded by the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Suidas, for his great justice; and Thulis, of whom Suidas tells great mat∣ters; as that his Empire extended to the Ocean Sea; that he gaue name to the Isle of Thule, which some take to be Iseland; and that he consulted with the Deuill, or (which is all one) with Seraphis, desiring to know, who before him had beene, or af∣ter him should be so mightie as himselfe. The answere or confession of the Deuill [unspec 40] was remarkable; which I finde Englished in the translation of Plessis his worke, Of the truenesse of Christian Religion. The Greeke Verses are somewhat otherwise, and more imperfect in those Copies that I haue of Cedrenus and Suidas, but the sense is all one; which is this:

First GOD, and next THE WORD, and then THE SPRITE, Which three be ONE, and joyne in ONE all three: Whose force is endlesse. Get thee hence fraile wight, The Man of Life vnknowne excelleth thee.

I should haue thought that Suidas had borrowed all this of Cedrenus, had I not [unspec 50] found somewhat more in Suidas, than Cedrenus hath hereof; as the forme of inuo∣cation which Thulis vsed, and that clause, of his giuing name to the Iland: though in this last point I hold Suidas to be deceiued; as also Cedrenus is, or (at least) seemes

to me, in giuing to this King such profound antiquitie of raigne. Indeede the very name of that Booke, cited often by Cedrenus, which he calls Little Genesis, is alone enough to breede suspition of some imposture: but the Frierly stuffe that hee al∣ledgeth out of it, is such as would serue to discredit himselfe, were it not otherwise apparant, that he was a man both deuout, and of good judgement, in matters that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 within his compasse. I will here set downe the List of olde Aegyptian Kings de∣liuered by him, and leaue the censure to others.

The first King of Aegypt that he sets downe, is Mizraim, the sonne of Cham. Af∣ter him hee findes many of a new race, deriuing their pedegree thus: Nimrod, the sonne of Chus, was also called Orion; and further, tooke vpon him the name of the [unspec 10] Planet Saturne, had to wife Semiramis, who was of his owne Linage, and by her three sonnes; Picus, surnamed Iupiter, Belus and Ninus. Picus chasing his father out 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Assyria into Italie, raigned in his stead thirtie yeeres, and then gaue vp that King∣dome to Iuno, his sister and wife, and to Belus his sonne: after which Belus, who raig∣ned onely two yeeres, Ninus had the Kingdome, and married his owne mother Se∣miramis. But Picus went into Italie, to visite his olde father Saturne; Saturne forth∣with resigned the Kingdome to him. Picus Iupiter raigned in Italie threescore and two yeeres, had threescore and tenne Wiues or Concubines, and about as many children: finally died, and lyes buried in the Isle of Crete. The principall of Iupi∣ters sonnes were Faunus, Perseus, and Apollo. Faunus was called by the name of the [unspec 20] Planet Mercurie: hee raigned in Italie, after his father, fiue and thirtie yeeres: and then (finding that all his brethren conspired against him) he went into Aegypt, with abundance of Treasure; where, after the death of Mizraim, hee got the King∣dome, and held it nine and thirtie yeeres. After Mercurie, Vulcan raigned in Aegypt foure yeeres and a halfe. Then Sol, the sonne of Vulcan, raigned twentie yeeres and a halfe. There followed in order Sosis, Osiris, Orus, and Thules, of whome we spake before: the length of their seuerall raignes is not set downe. After Thules, was the great Sesostris King twentie yeeres. His successor was Pharao, called Narecho, that held the Crowne fiftie yeeres, with which there passed from him the surname of Pharao, to a very long posteritie. [unspec 30]

These reports of Cedrenus I hold it enough to set downe as I finde them: let their credit rest vpon the Author.

Others yet we finde, that are said to haue raigned in Aegypt, without any certaine note, when, or how long: about whome I will not labour, as 〈◊〉〈◊〉 more to be reprehended of vaine curiositie, in the search made after these already rehearsed, then of negligence, in omitting such as might haue beene added.

Vaphres, the father in law to Salomon; and Sesac, the afflicter of Rchoboam, leade vs againe into faire way, but not 〈◊〉〈◊〉. The name of Vaphres is not found in the Scriptures; but wee are beholding to Clemens Alexandrinus and Eusebius for it.* 1.1 These giue vs not the length of his raigne; but we know, that he liued in the times [unspec 40] of Dauid and of Salomon. He came into Palestina with an Armie, tooke Gezar from the Canaanites, and gaue it to his daughter, Salomons wife: though for her sake per∣haps* 1.2 it was, that in time following either he, or (as I rather take it) Sesac his sonne did fauour the enemies of Salomon, who kept so many Wiues and Concubines, be∣sides this Aegyptian Princesse. In the life of Rehoboam all hath beene written that I finde of Sesac, excepting the length of his raigne, which must haue 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 and twentie yeeres, if he were that Smendis with whome Eusebius beginnes the one and twentieth Dynastie.

Now forasmuch as it would serue to no great purpose, that wee knew the length of Sesac his raigne, and of theirs that followed him, vnlesse therewithall we knew [unspec 50] the beginning of Sesac, vpon which the rest haue dependance; this course I take. From the fourth yeere of Iehoiakim, King of Iuda, in which Pharao Neco was slaine, I reckon vpwards the yeeres of the same Neco, and of his predecessors, vnto the be∣ginning of Sesac: by which acommpt, the first yeere of Sesac is found, concurrent

with the twentieth of Salomons raigne, and the twentie sixt of Sesac with the fift of Rehoboam: wherein Sesac spoyled the Temple, and died, enjoying the fruits of his Sacriledge no longer, then Ioas the Israelite and Crassus the Romane did; who, after him, spoyled the Temple of 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

To fill vp the time betweene Sesac and Neco, I haue rather taken those Kings that I find in the Greeke Historians, than them which are in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his Catalogue. For of these that are deliuered by Eusebius, wee finde no Name nor Act recorded elsewhere, saue onely of Bocchoris, who is remembred by Diodore, Plutarch, and o∣thers, much being spoken of him, that makes him appeare to haue beene a King. Hereunto I may adde, that the succession is often interrupted in Eusebius by Ae∣thiopians, [unspec 10] which got the Kingdome often, and held it long: whereas contrariwise it appeares by the Prophet Esay, that the Councellors of Pharao did vaunt of the long and flourishing continuance of that house, insomuch, that they said of Pharaoh, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 am the Sonne of the Wise, I am the Sonne of the ancient King. But that which ouer∣throwes* 1.3 the reckoning of Eusebius, is, the good agreement of it with his mistaken times of the Kings of Iuda. For though it please him well to see how the raignes of Iosias and Neco meere by his computation, yet this indeede marres all; the raigne of Iosias being misplaced. This error growes from his omitting, to compare the raignes of the Kings of Iuda with theirs of Israel: by which occasion, Ioram, King of Israel, is made to raigne three yeeres after 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Iuda; Samaria is taken by Sal∣manassar [unspec 20] before Hezekia was King: and in a word, all, or most of the Kings, haue their beginnings placed in some other yeere of their collateralls than the Scriptures haue determined.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Clem. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. l. 1 Euseb. de Praep. Euang. l. 9. c. 4.
• * 1.2

  1. King. 9. 16. & 11. v. 18, 19, &c.
• * 1.3

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 19. 11.