Itinerarium totius Sacræ Scripturæ. Or, the trauels of the holy patriarchs, prophets, iudges, kings, our sauiour Christ, and his Apostles, as they are related in the Old and New Testaments. With a description of the townes and places to which they trauelled, and how many English miles they stood from Ierusalem. Also a short treatise of the weights, monies, and measures mentioned in the Scriptures, reduced to our English valuations, quantitie, and weight. Collected out of the workes of Henry Bunting, and done into English by R.B.

Of the places to which he trauelled.

Of Susan.

SVsa or Susan, is so called from a sweet smelling floure; but chiefely a Rose or a Lillie, because it is scituated in a faire and pleasant place. It was a goodly citie, lying on both sides of the ri∣uer Eulaeus, some 200 furlongs (that is, 25 miles English) about, as Policletus saith. And of this citie all the country round about is called Susana: bordering towards the North vpon Assiria, to∣wards the West vpon Babylon, towards the South vpon the Gulph of Persia, and joyneth vpon the East part of Persia to∣wards the East. There are but two cities that are eminent in it, that is this, and another called Tariana. The aire in the Winter season is very temperate, at which time the earth bringeth forth many pleasant floures and fruits; but in the Summer it is ex∣treme hot, by which heate all things are scorched and burned a∣way, and by reason of the putrifaction of the aire (as some think) in that season there doe breed toads, lyzards, and other noysome serpents in great abundance; so that the inhabitants are constrai∣ned (partly because of the heat, partly because of the loathsome and dangerous creatures) to build their houses all of earth, long and narrow, the walls and roofes being at least a yard thicke, that so the heat might not pierce through them, or serpents breed in them, Strabo, lib. Geograph. 5. saith, that one Tython (the brother of Laomedon king of Troy) did first build this citie, about such time as Thola judged Israel. After him his sonne Nemmon beautified it with a faire and goodly castle, calling it after his own name Mem∣non. (Of this man Homer speaketh.) This castle was such a good∣ly thing, that a long time after his death, the towne was called Memnon, as Strabo obserueth: but in Hester and Daniels times, it was called Susa, and the inhabitants Susans. The Persian Empe∣rors

in those times keeping their courts there for the most part, and did greatly beautifie the citie with faire buildings. The first of these Emperours that liued here was Cyrus, who after hee had conquered Babylon, Assiria, and many other Kingdomes and countries lying neere to the citie Susa; that he might with more ease and better safety retaine them in his gouernment, remoued his court from Persepolis (which lay vp in the East part of Per∣sia) to this towne, where all the Winter season, for the most part, he liued, and in the Summer went to Egbatan the chiefe citie of Media, because there at that season, the aire was very temperate: His successors after him obseruing the same course for their bet∣ter conueniencie, and to make euident their greater magnifi∣cence, repaired the Castle of Memnon, joyned to it many faire and goodly buildings, and close by it planted a pleasant orchard of diuerse and sundry sorts of trees and hearbes. It is reported that the gate whereby they entred into this orchard, was very curiously built, supported with pillars of polished marble, imbos∣sed with siluer and gold very rare to looke vpon: ouer it was a banqueting house, beautified with liuely pictures, costly furni∣ture and beds of gold and siluer couered with rich tapestry, wrought with silke, siluer, and gold; vpon these they vsed to eate their banquets: it was paued with Porphire Marble, and Hya∣cinths, in such sort, as it greatly delighted such as beheld it. The Queene had a priuate garden to her selfe. In which were great abundance of trees of diuers kindes, and many sweet floures and herbes: In which garden Ahashueras walked to qualifie the heat of his wrath ihat he had conceiued against that wicked and perfi∣dious Hamon, who through enuie and ambition sought the destru∣ction of the whole nation of the Iewes; lest by giuing place vnto anger, he should transgresse the bounds of clemencie and justice: wherefore it becommeth euery King, Prince, and Iudge, to imi∣tate the example of this Emperor, who in the heate of his anger, would determine nothing of so wicked a man: for long and often deliberation becommeth euery wise man before he doth any thing, Est. 7.

Not farre from the Emperors pallace, in a faire and pleasant Garden, there stood a colledge of the Magi, that is, such as the

Persians accounted wise and learned men: these were of such ac∣count for their knowledge and vnderstanding, amongst that peo∣ple, that some of them in succeeding ages were chosen for Kings and gouernors in that countrie. They studied for the most part the Mathematickes History, Philosophie, and Diuinitie, and as many haue thought, the Prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel and others: wherefore as is said before, many are of opinion, That the Wise men which came into Iudaea to see Christ, were of this Colledge and towne, because it stood East from Ierusalem. It is at this day called Cusistane, as Ortelius and Sebastian Munster witnesses, and in their times was vnder the gouernment of one Caliphus Emperour of the Saracens. This Caliphus was strongly besieged by one Al∣lan the great King of Tartaria, in this Towne, Anno Dom. 1250. But because of his exceeding couetousnesse and parcimony, he lost the citie and was famished to death.

Of the Riuer Eulaeo.

VLai, which Stra. li. 15. calleth Eulaea, passed through the city of Susa, and as Pliny saith, lib. 6. cap. 27. tooke the beginning at Media, and so fell into a whole or cauerne of the earth, & passed vnder the ground till it came neere to the citie Susa, where it brake forth againe, and compassed about the tower of Susa, and a temple in that city dedicated to Diana. The inhabitants hold this riuer in great estimation, insomuch as the kings drink of no other water, and for that purpose carry it a great way. Strabo according to the testimony of Polycletus, saith, That there are two other Ri∣uers of good account, which passeth through Persia, viz. Choa∣spes & Tigris, but neither of them are in like estimation as this is.

Of Elam.

PErsia in antient times was called after this name, from Elam the sonne of Sem. But after Perseus had obtained a large and spacious gouernm••nt in that country, it was after his name called Persia. Elam signifieth, a youth, or a young man.

Of Egbatana or Egbatan.

THis is the metropolitan city of the Medes, and is distant from Ierusalem 1136 miles towards the Northwest, built by Dei∣oce King of the Medes, as Herod. lib. 2. saith, Here Daniel built a faire Temple, of which you may reade more in his trauels. Of this towne you may reade more in the trauels of Iudeth.

The typicall signification of Daniel.

DAniel signifies the Iudge of God: tipically representing Christ who is appointed by that eternall Iehouah to be Iudge of all things both quicke and dead, and rescueth his Church, which is (as a rose compassed ahout with thornes) oppressed with the ty∣ranny and cruelty of euil and wicked men, casting those false iud∣ges and mercilesse gouernors into eternall exile and the pit of de∣struction. And as the Prophet was innocently condemned, cast into the Lyons den, and had the dore sealed vpon him, and to the judgement of man, no hope of life, or meanes to escape was left him, yet by the prouidence of God was deliuered out of this danger, and came thence safe and vntoucht, Dan. 6. so our Sauior was innocently condemned, cast into the graue, sealed vp among the dead, and to common judgement left as a man out of minde; yet early in the morning at the appointed time, by the power of his Deitie he raised himselfe vp from this pit of hell (the graue) and gloriously triumphed ouer it and Death.

Of the Prophet Hosea.

THis Prophet Hosea was borne in a towne called Bemeloth, or Bethmeloth, (as Dorotheus sometime Bishop of Tyre saith) which was a towne in the Tribe of Issacher, not farre from Bethulia, some fiftie two miles from Ierusalem toward the North, neere to which place Holofernes afterward pitched his Tents, extending thence to the field of Esdrelon, and the towne Chelmon, from whence it seemeth this towne taketh the name.

He prophesied in Israel eight hundred yeares before Christ; his name signifieth, A Sauiour, being deriued of Hoschiag, the third conjugation of Iaschag, that is, He hath saued, Mat. 2.

Of the Prophet Ioel.

IOel signifies, Gods owne, as Saint Ierome expoundeth it. He prophesied eight hundred yeares before Christ, both in Israel and in Iudah. He was borne in a village which was called Bo∣thomeron, not farre from Sichem, in the tribe of Manasses, as Do∣rotheus the Bishop of Tyre sayeth.

Of The Prophet Amos.

THis mans father dwelt at Tekoa, a poore man, one that kept kine, and vsed to gather wilde figges, as appeareth in the first and seuenth chapters of Amos. In this towne Amos was borne, and followed the profession of his father, but the Lord called him to be a Prophet; and then he went to Bethel, which was twelue miles distant. Here he reprehended Ieroboam King of Israel, for Idolatry, and worshipping the golden Calfe; after, hee was accused by Amasia the chiefe priest of the Idols in Bethel, and bound in chaines, and at length Vria the sonne of this Amasia stroke him vpon his head with a speare, whereby he was mortally wounded.

From Bethel, being sicke, hee was carryed backe to Tecoa, which was twelue miles: where a little after he died, as Saint Ie∣rome witnesseth: in whose time his monument was to be seene.

Amos signifieth, A burthen, as indeed he was to the wicked Isra∣lites, he so sharpely reprehended them in his sermons of the law. He liued eight hundred yeares before Christ. So his trauels were 24 miles.

Of the Prophet Obediah.

OBediah signifies, Gods obedient seruant, of Abad, he hath serued, or been obedient. He liued six hundred yeres before Christ, about the time of the captiuitie of Babylon. Saint Ierome saith, that in his time there were to be seene in the citie of Samaria, the monuments of three Prophets, that is, of Elisha, Obe∣diah, and Iohn Baptist. But some thinke that Obediah the Prophet lay not buried in Samaria, but rather it was the sepulchre of that Obediah which liued in the time of Ahab, that hid a hundred of the Lords Prophets, 50 in one caue, and 50 in another, betweene which there were 300 yeares difference.