The seconde tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testament conteynyng the epistles of S. Paul, and other the Apostles : wherunto is added a paraphrase vpon the reuelacion of S. John.

The texte.

¶ And in those dayes shall men seke death, and shall not fynde it, and shall desire to dye, and death shall flye from them. And the symilytude of the locustes was lyke vnto horses

prepared vnto battayll, and on their heades were as it were crounes, lyke vnto golde and their faces were as it had bene the faces of men. And they had heere as the heere of wemē. And their teeth were as the teeth of lyons. And they had habbergions, as it were habber∣gions of yron. And the sounde of their wynges, was as the sounde of charertes, whē many horses runne together to battayle. And they had tayles lyke vnto scorpious, and there were stynges in their tayles. And their power was to hurte men fyue monethes. And they had a kynge ouer them, whiche is the angell of the bottomlesse pyt, whose name in the He∣brew tonge, is Abadon: but in the Greke tonge, Appollyon that is to saye, a destroyer. One woe is past, and beholde, two wooes come yet after this.

These locustes or gresshopers shall be strong and myghtye in the churche, and shall greuously vexe and oppresse all faythfull professours of the gospel, which can not abyde nor beare their false religion. And they shal be so afflycte and per∣secuted of them, that they shall wyshe a thousande tymes rather to be dead than alyue. For the griefe and sorowe of suche as be tormented in their conscience, is vnspeakeable. And that all men maye the better knowe suche locustes, these to∣kens are to be marked. They syt vpon horses hauyng vpon their heades, as it were crounes garnysshed with golde and precious stones, and haue faces lyke vnto mens faces, louyng lowly & amyable in wordes & in outwarde pretence, but in effecte, vertue, and strength lesse and weaker thā any woman, garnysshed with pleasant heere euen for nothynge els but for a very token of hypocrysye. And besydes this, they haue terryble teth, whiche sygnifyeth, y^• they are myghtye to hurte, euen lyke Lyons, without feare & not able to be resysted. For as muche as they are armed with habbergions of yron, hangynge together with their Chaynes and Behemoth knottes, byndinge and knytting them selues together with their Councels and Decrees, that they seme inuyncible, and not able to be ouercome of the whole world. They thunder with their cursynges, suspensions, and excommunicacions, and all, to maynteine their pompe, euen lyke a fearfull army, whiche in warre fare woulde make all the worlde afrayde. They flye with their pardons and bulles, euen as it were with wynges ouer hylles and dales, ouer sea and lande and poyson more noysomly vnto death, than they should doe with very bodyly weapons: And yet whan their bulles and parchement wil not helpe, they wyll vse the prycke and sworde also. And the kyng or gouernour of this people hath no nother proper name but Appollion, that is to say, destroyer, and the very incarnate deuyll, lyke as his aduersarye Christ, is bothe in name and in deede, a sauiour and preseruer. This is an heuy woo and mysery to hap∣pen vnto the churche of Christ. But there shall come yet .ii. other besydes this.