A fruitfull commentarie vpon the twelue small prophets briefe, plaine, and easie, going ouer the same verse by verse, and shewing every where the method, points of doctrine, and figures of rhetoricke, to the no small profit of all godly and well disposed readers, with very necessarie fore-notes for the vnderstanding of both of these, and also all other the prophets. The text of these prophets together with that of the quotations omitted by the author, faithfully supplied by the translatour, and purged of faults in the Latine coppie almost innumerable, with a table of all the chiefe matters herein handled, and marginall notes very plentifull and profitable; so that it may in manner be counted a new booke in regard of these additions. VVritten in Latin by Lambertus Danæus, and newly turned into English by Iohn Stockwood minister and preacher at Tunbridge.

Vers. 2.

And they couet fields, and take them by violence, and hou∣ses, and take them away: so they oppresse a man and his house, e∣uen man and his heritage.

* 1.1AN explanation, and making more plaine of the former matter. For that which he had said generally before, he doth now make plaine, and lay open by setting downe of certaine examples. And the same are two, the which doe declare partly their passing coue∣tousnes, and partly their cruelty and fiercenes against their neigh∣bours and those of their owne stocke and kindred.* 1.2 Their coue∣tousnes, and the same vnfilable, that so soone as they haue once coueted within themselues other mens goods, yea and that of their poore neighbours, they shamelesly take them by violence, and carie them away boldely: neither is it a little portion of the goods of their poore neighbours that these so couet and take away: but their ground or ••••eldes, and whole houses, that is to say, the selfe same things, which are the foundation and stay of the whole liuing of the poore, and all their nourishment and maintenance. They spoyled them therefore of their farmes both in the countrey and al∣so in the citie, that is to say, of their grounds, which brought them corne, of their vineyards, Oliue gardens, and the goods of their fa∣thers and grandfathers. Such an example there is of Achab towards poore Naboth 1 King. 21. And the Prophet Isai pronounceth a woe against such greedi-guttes cap. 5. ver. 8. saying: Woe vnto them that ioyne house to house, and lay fielde to field, till there bee no place, that ye may be placed by your selues in the midst of the earth. And these doings of both the Israelites, and also the Iewes either prin∣ces or priuate persons doe declare their vnrecouerable couetous∣nesse.

* 1.3As for their cruelty and vnmercifulnesse this verse sheweth,

that, for because these selfe same persons doe oppresse their neigh∣bours with their hand, and by violence: and not one or two alone: but the housholders with their whole families, that is, euery man with his portion, to wit, not being content to haue done wrong or violence to one or twaine: these barbarous and cruel persons de∣sire to ouer-runne by violence, and to destroy his whole kindred, whome they oppresse. And this appeareth to be a cruel parte, euen when it is done vnto bruite beasts, by that precept of God which forbiddeth to take, or eate the damme with her young ones Deut. 22. vers. 6. If thou finde a birds nest in the way, in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young, or egges, and the damme sitting vpon the young or egges, thou shalt not take the damme with the young, but shalt in any wise let the damme goe, and take the young to thee, that thou mayest prosper and prolong thy dayes. Further, as here in this place the Prophet hath ioyned couetousnes and violence together as fellowes, and brother sinnes, so likewise doth Paul couple them 1. Thes. 4. vers. 6. when he willeth, That no man oppresse or defraude his brother in any matter.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The former matter made more plaine by two examples, declaring
• * 1.2

  1. Their couetous∣nes that can neuer be satis∣fied.
• * 1.3

  2. Their vnmer∣cifull cruelnes.