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. 18.

Thy shepherds doe sleepe, O King of Asshur: thy strong men lye downe: thy people is scattered vpon the mountaines, and no man gathereth them.

AN Apostrophe, or turning of speech vnto the King of Assyria himselfe, whom the Prophet sheweth shall be forsaken of his owne Captaines and Princes, to the end their feare and dastardli∣nes in forsaking the rest of the common people may bee the better confirmed and knowne. For if there be any whom in the perill and danger of warre all men would haue to bee saued, this is onelie the King in especiall, who when as he is forsaken of the Captaines of the Armie, much more shall the rest also be forsaken. Vaine there∣fore is the hope which the Niniuites shall conceiue of these Cap∣taines. And hereby also is confirmed the threatning of the destruc∣tion of this Niniueh: nay, of the ouerthrow of the whole kingdome of Assyria, for that they which haue the rule & authoritie to defend it, shall not execute their office and charge: they shall then sleepe, when it behoued them most especially to be awake. Finally, they shall lye either in their beds, or els drowned in their delights and pleasures, when as they were to thinke vpon the defending of the kingdome. This doe the historians report of Sardanapalus, whom they make the last king of the Assyrians, namely that he was at that time in the midst of his banquets, and flockes of his harlots, ouerta∣ken and drunken with wine, when as Niniueh was besieged of the enemies. Reade Dan. 5. ver. 30. what fell out vnto Balthafar King of the Babylonians, whose like negligence, sluggishnes, and careles∣nes is there described.

Further, this verse hath two parts. The first containeth the negli∣gence of the Rulers, Presidents, and great men of the kingdome of

Assyria. The second sheweth the feare and fleeing away of the whole people into the mountaines. The ouermuch sluggish and shamefull negligence of the gouernours of the kingdome appea∣reth in this, That they are sayd that they shall at that time sleepe, [unspec 1] & be in their beds, at what time they ought especially to be waking, to wit, at the comming of the Chaldees, nay, at their breaking into the kingdome, and besieging of Nimuch the head citie thereof. For vnto such great Peeres and Nobles the defence and garding of e∣uerie kingdome doth especiallie appertaine, who are of greater au∣thoritie and power in the same, and vnto whome chiefly belongeth the hope of the kingdome. Who if they bee slouthfull and negli∣gent in defending of the same: much more sluggish will the other subiects bee in defending thereof, vnto whose benefite and duetie this matter doth lesse appertaine. But here commeth that to passe, the which God hath foresayd should come to passe, when as he wil haue any kingdome to runne presently into ruine and decay, name∣ly, that the Protectors or Defenders and Princes thereof shall be as it were women, that is, most fearefull and cowards, and giuen vnto pleasures, or careles and sluggish, at such time as they ought most especially to be occupied in warres, & to be in armes in the Camp, Isai. 2. As for the people and other subiects, when these princes are sleeping euen in the danger of the life of their King, [unspec 2] they doubtles will runne away for feare. And to the end that he may shewe the carelesnes of these Princes to bee the more filthie, that is, the more shamefull, and their negligence the more vnhonorable, he doth as it were poynt out with the finger, and declare the place, vnto the which this people shall flye, namely, The people shall flye into the mountaines, the which are both neere vnto the citie it selfe, and al∣so vnto the borders of the kingdome. These mountaines which he noteth are the Caspian mountaines, into the which the Assyrians being ouercome did flye, and lye hid, as before ver. 11. Againe, This people shall be scattered or abound, the which shal flee, and the which is thy people, that is, the which is to be defended by you, & by thee being King, and by whom thou diddest hope that thou thy selfe shouldest haue been defended. They shal not be then a small com∣panie, but many, who if they were gathered together, would make a good armie, and would hold some part of the Empire: or at least wise saue themselues and the King Whereby the negligence of these princes appeareth to be the greater, who saued not so manie subiects that remained and were left: or did not muster them, and

gather them together to fight, as Darius the last king of the Per∣sians did, who thrise gathered together the remnants of his armie, and fought against Alexander the great. Thirdly, there is added, There is no man which gathereth together these remnants, albeit that many, and a great number of them be left aliue, & a very great ma∣nie haue escaped the slaughter. So then all things at that time shal be as it were desperate, and as it were betrayed by their princes, so that thereby may appeare, that the hope is vaine which is put in them. Let vs then follow the counsel of the Psalmist, who Psal. 146 ver. 3.4.5. teacheth vs, saying: Put not your trust in princes, nor in the sonne of man, for there is no helpe in him. His breath departeth, and he returneth to his earth: then his thoughts perish. Blessed is he that hath the God of Iaacob for his helpe, whose hope is in the Lord his God.

Notes

• What the fi∣gure Apostro∣phe is, see Amos cap 8. vers. 4.
• Sardanapalus.
• Two parts of this verse.
• 1. The negligence of the gouer∣nours.
• 2. The feare and flying of the people.
• They shall flye vnto the moun∣taines.
• They shall flye in great a∣boundance.
• Darius.
• No man ga∣thereth them together.