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.

Ver. 4.

The chariots shal rage in the streetes: They shall runne to and fro in the high wayes: they shall seeme like lamps: they shall shoote like the lightning.

* 1.1AN amplificatiō of the former feare, which those chariots of the Chaldees shall strike into the Assyrians. Whereof is to be ga∣thered, therefore the Assyrians shall easily be ouercome by their e∣nemies, how mighty and warlike soeuer they seeme now for to be. For then they shal not be able to beare the assault and force of their enemies weapons. In a word, it is true that the Chaldees were more skilfull then other nations in this kinde of warlike furniture here mentioned by our prophet. And then is euery nation most chief∣ly feared, when as he fighteth with those weapons, wherein he ex∣celleth aboue others, as the French in horsemanship, the Heluetian in footemanship, the English with the bowe, the Scot in skirmish∣ing. These warlike chariots therefore of the Chaldees shall be feare∣full, and they shall make an exceeding great slaughter both by meanes of the cunning and skilfulnesse the which the Chaldees haue, to rule them: & also by reason of the manner of their making, so that whereas other chariots are vnprofitable, there these not∣withstanding do very great seruice.

* 1.2These chariots of the Chaldees shall rage in the streetes, so great a slaughter doubtles shall the Chaldean enemies make with them, when as they are once entered into the citty. For C. Caesar lib. 1. de Bello Alexand. about the end writeth that the most valiant souldiars are troubled with these kinde of chariots. They shall run two and fro by the high wayes, namely they shall be so cunningly ru∣led and feately made, that these chariots may be driuen & turned by the Chaldees sitting vpon them, euen in those places, which are wont to be straight and narrow.

They shall be like burning lamps, and the sayd chariots shal shine, being so scoured, so yroned, to wit they shall be all ouer so bright

and shining. And this so glistering a shew doth dazell the eyes of those that looke against them, that men can scarse be able to a∣bide it: or else the eyes are so dimmed that they can not see to a∣uoyd the strokes. So Anniball in the fight at Cannae turneth the Sunne vpon the eyes of the Romanes. Finally, they shall strike the eyes like lightnings, and with their sparkling and light they shall glister, and they shall dimme the light and hinder the sight of the Assyrian enemies. To be short: the feare of the Assyrians shall be great by meanes of them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An amplificati∣on of the former feare.
• * 1.2

  The Chaldees shall make a great slaughter with their cha∣riots.