Miscellanies Christian and Judaical, Chapter 1 – Chapter 12

Miscellanies Christian and Judaical · Chapter 1 – Chapter 12

OF KNOVVLEDGE OF GOD.

CAP. I.

OMNE tempus te puta perdidisse, &c. saith one: All time is lost that is not spent in thinking of GOD. To bee full of …houghts of him, is a lawfull and holy …rodigality: And to spend time in such …editations, a gainefull lauishing. For …is end were the Scriptures giuen to …ade vsus to meditate of God, by medi…ting in them day and night, Psal, 1.2. …erein those faile that neuer thinke of p. 2God at all, and those also that thinke not of him aright. The Prophet makes this the marke of wicked men, that God is not in all their thoughts. That like the Iewes they murder (Zechariah) the remembrance of God euen betweene the Temple and the Altar.

Commendable in some sort was the deuotion of the Philosopher, that in so many yeares spoke more with the Gods then with men. Had his religion beene towards the true God, what could hauehave beene asked of him more? I would Christians hearts were so retired towards their Creator, that so hee that made the heart, might hauehave it.

The Heathens thought there was a God, but knew not what to thinke of him. They prayed and sacrificed and kept a stirre to something, but they might well hauehave marked their Churches, Altars and Prayers, with the Athenian Altar motto foreign to the vnknowne God, Act. 17.

Plato attained to the thought of on… p. 3…ely God, the Persians thought hee …uld not be comprehended in a Tem…e, and Numas thought he could not … represented by an image: and for …is (saith Clem. Alex.) hee was hel…ed by Moses: foreign &c. Clem. Alex. Strō. 1. p. 131.yet came all these farre …ort of the knowledge of God. Na…re when shee had brought them …us farre, was come to a non vltra, …d could go no further. Happy then … wee, if wee could but right-prize …ur happinesse, to whom the day spring …om an high hath risen, and the Sonne of …ghteousnesse with healing in his wings, …on whom the noone-tide of the Gos…ell shineth, and the knowledge of God … its strength. Euen so O Lord let it be …ill told in Gath, and published in the …reets of Ascalon, to the rankor and sor…ow of the vncircumcised, that God is …nowne in Brittaine, and his Name is …reat in England.

p. 4CAP. II. Of the Names of GOD vsed by Iewes and Gentiles.

NO Nation so barbarous saith Tull… that hath not some tincture of kno… ledge that there is a Deity. And yet many, nay most People of the world fa… short of the right apprehension o… God, through three reasons. First when they cannot carry their minde further then their senses:Aug de Trin. lib. 1. cap. 1. and so think… God hath a body as they hauehave that i… coloured, &c. Secondly, when the… measure God by themselues & so mak… him passionate like man. For men no… able to conceiue what God is, what his nature, Arnob con. lib. 7.what his power, &c. fall into such opinions, that they frame Gods of themselues: and as is their owne humane nature, so they attribute to God the like▪ for his will, actions & intentions, saith Arnobius. Thirdly, when they mount aboue p. 5nature and sense, and yet not right, feigning that God begat himselfe, &c. Hence came the multitude and diuersitie of Deities among the Heathen, minting thousands of gods to finde the right, and yet they could not. Hence their many names, and many fames made by them, that it seemes, thought it as lawfull to make gods, as it was for God to make them.

At first they worshipped these their deities without any representation on…y by their names: Caelites, Inferi, Heroes, …umani, Sangui, and thousands others, …he naming of which is more like con…uring then otherwise. Nature it selfe …aught men there was something they …ust acknowledge for supreame super…tendent of all things. This light of …ature, lead them to worshippe …mething, but it could not bring …em to worship aright. Hence some …dored bruit beasts, some trees, some …rres, some men, some Deuils. Some … images, some without, some in p. 6Temples, some without. Thus was Gedeons fleece, the heathen peece of the world all dry: set in the darkenesse of the shadow of Death: But in Iury was God knowne, and his Name great in Israel: By his name Iehouah he exprest himselfe when he brought them from Aegypt, and his glory hee pitched among them. They knew him by his names and titles of Elohim, Adonai, El, Shaddai, Elion, and his great name Iehouah, as the Iewes do call it. There the Scriptures of the Law and Prophets did teach them, yet they thus neerely acquainted with the true God, forsooke him, so that wrath came vponupon Israel.

The Rabbinicall Iewes beside Scripture words hauehave diuerse Phrases to expresse God by in their writings. As frequently they cal him Hakkadhosh baruchhu, the holy blessed he, in short with foure letters foreign. Sometime they vse El iithbarech, the Lord who is, or be blessed. Sometimes Shamaiim, Heauen, by p. 7a Metonomy, because there hee dwelleth. The like Phrase is in the Gospell, Father I hauehave sinned against heauen Luk. 15.18. The like Phrase is frequent in England, The heauens keepe you. Shekinah they vse for a title of God, but more especially for the Holy Ghost. So saith Elias leuita in Tishbi. Our Rabbins of happy memorie call the Holy Ghost Shekinah gnal shew shehu shaken gnal hannebhiim, because he dwells vponupon the Prophets. Accordingly saith our Nicene Creed, I beleeue in the Holy Ghost who spake by the Prophets. Shem, a name or the name they vse for a name of God, and Makom a place they place …or the same, because hee comprehendeth all things, and nothing compre…endeth him. Gebhurah Strength is in …he same vse. They are nice in the vt…erance of the name Iehouah: but vse …iuerse Periphrases for it, as Shem shel …bang, the name of foure letters. Shem …aminhhadh the proper name and o…ers. One in Eusebius hath eloquently p. 8expressed it thus:

foreign

foreign.

foreign

foreign.

Seuen sounding letters ring the praise of me

Th' immortall God, th' Almighty Deity:

The Father of all, that cannot weary be.

I am th' eternall violl of all things

Whereby the melody so sweetly rings

Of Heauens musicke which so sweetly sings.

What these seuen letters are, that do thus expresse God, is easie to guesse that they be the letters of the name Iehouah, which indeed consisteth but of foure letters, but the vowels must make vp the number. Of the exposition of this name Iehouah thus saith Rabbi Salomon vponupon these words: I appeared to them by the name of God omnipotent, but by my name Iehouah I was not knowne to them, Exod. 6.3. Hee saith vntounto him (saith the Rabbin) I am Iehouah, faithfull in rendering a good reward, to those that walke before me: and I hauehave not sent thee for nothing, but for the establishing of my words which I spake to their fathers: And in this sense we finde th… p. 9word [Iehouah] expounded in sundry places, I am Iehouah faithfull in auenging, (when he speakes of punishing) as, and if thou profane the name of thy God, I am Iehouah. And so when hee speaketh of the performing of the Commandements, as, And you shall keepe my commandements and do them, I am Iehouah faithfull to giuegive to you a good reward: thus farre the Rabbin.

The Alchymisticall Cabalists, or Cabalisticall Alchymists hauehave extracted the name foreign or number whether you will, out of the word Iehouah after a strange manner. This is their way to do it:

foreign

foreign

foreign which great mystery is in English thus. Ten times ten is an hundred, fiue times fiue is twenty fiue, behold 125. Six times six is thirtie six, behold 161. and fiue times fiue is twenty fiue, behold foreign or 186. Thus runneth their senselesse multiplication, multiplying numberlesse p. 10lesse follies in their foolish numbers, making conjectures like Sybills leaues, that when they come to blast of triall, prooue but winde. Irenaeus hath such a mysticall stirre about the name Iesu: which I must needs confesse I can make nothing at all of, yet will I set downe his words, that the reader may skan what I cannot. Nomen Iesu (saith he) secundum propriam Hebraeorum linguam, &c. The name Iesu according to the proper speech of the Hebrewes consisteth of two letters and an halfe, as the skillfull amongst them say: Signifying the Lord which containeth heauen and earth: For Iesu according to the old Hebrew signifieth heauen, and the Earth is called Sura vsser. Thus that father in his second booke against Heretickes, Cap. 41. on which words I can criticke onelyonly with deepe silence. OnelyOnly for his two letters and ½, I take his meaning to bee according to the Iewes writing of the name Iesu: foreign who denie him the last letter of his name foreign, because p. 11they deny him for a Sauiour. So the Dutch Iew Elias Leuitae saith in expresse words. The Christians say that their Messias was called foreign by the commandement of the Angell Gabriel, because he should saue all the world from Gehinnom, but because the Iewes doe not confesse that hee is a Sauiour, therefore they will not call him foreign Ieshuang, but they leaue foreign the last letter out, and call him foreign Iesu. After this kind of writing as Irenaeus saith, the word consisteth of two letters foreign and halfe a letter, that is, which may be so called, because it is so little.

The Chaldee writes the name of God with two Iods aboue, and a vowell vnderunder thus foreign. From hence some hauehave picked an expression of the Trinity: In the two letters, the Father and the Sonne, and in the vowell, the Holy Ghost proceeding from both: And from the aequidistance of the letters and vowell, they gather the distinction of the Persons, and by the p. 12neerenesse of all, the vnity of Essence. Such another conceit hath Bonfinius in his Hungarian Historie. When the Heresie of Arrius (saith he) had got head almost ouer all the world, and was dilated as well by persecution as by disputation: a towne in Gaule was besieged, because it held the Orthodox faith of the Sons coequalitie with the Father: God to confirme this their faith shewed this miracle. As the Priest was at high Masse at the Altar, behold three drops of blood fell from heauen vponupon the Altar; lying a while in an equall distance one from another, to shew the distinction of the three Persons, at last, in sight of all the People, they met together, to shew the vnity of Essence, so the story. But we hauehave a more sure word of Prophecie: That there are three that beare record in Heauen, the Father, the Word, and the holy Spirit, and these three are one.

The Chaldee sometimes vseth the word foreign Dehhila and foreign Dahhalah, feare or terror, for God: because of the p. 13feare that is due to him. So Iacob comming from Syria, and being to sweare to a Syrian, sweares according to this Syrian or Chaldee Phrase, By the feare of his father Isaac: Gen. 31.53. or by the God that Isaac feared: as Onkelos and Ionathan render it.

CAP. III. Of the Phrase The Sonnes of God, Gen. 6. and Iob. 1.

ALL take this Phrase in Iob, to meane the Angells, and truely: in which sense while they hauehave taken it in the sixt of Genesis, they spoile all: For hence they think, that Angels lay with women and begat children. So can Iarchi almost find in his heart to think, and so Tertullian, Lactantius and others. Some tell what euill Arts these Angells taught women, and how they begat mighty children of them. How p. 14farre this conceit is from true Philosophie, let Aristotle censure. Merlin in Geffry Monmouth is recorded to be such another hatch, beleeue it who list. His veine of Prophecying can make Alanus de Insulis thinke it is so, but I must needs confesse, it comes not into my Creed. As some conceit that the fallen Angels, or Deuills here begat children of women; so the Iewes most wickedly fable, that Adam begat children of Deuills. Those hundred and thirtie yeares say they that Adam was separated from Eue, Deuills came to him and he ingendred with them, and begat Deuills, and spirits, and fiends. And againe: Foure women are the mothers of Shedhim or Deuills, Lilith, Naamah, Ogereth and Mahlath. I beleeue both these alike, for I beleeue that neither is likely. Both the Chaldees Onkelos and Ionathan render the sonnes of Elohim the sonnes of the Potentates or Iudges, taking the word Elohim in the same sense that it is taken, in the middlemost verse of p. 15the booke of Exodus Cap. 22.28. Thou shalt not curse Elohim, or the Iudges. This opinion is farre better then the former, but Christians hauehave a better then this. That the house and progenie of holy Seth, are the sonnes of God or the Church: and the brood of Cains females were the Daughters of men. Cypriano di valera in his Spanish translation of Gen. 4. and the last verse, translates it thus, Entonces commenciaron llamarse. Then begun men to be called by the name of God, or by the name of the Lord: And in the margin hee explanes himselfe thus, that then the men of Seths house, began to bee a publike Church, and to be distinguished from Cains family, and to be called the sons of God: Gen. 6.2.

p. 16CAP. IIII. Of the Phrase Sonnes of Man.

THis Phrase is frequent in Scripture, and Rabbin Hebrew, but most frequent in Chaldee and Syrian. Bene Anasha: & Bar nosho: In the latter of which the Syrian vsually writeth foreign but leaueth out the first letter: as that tongue doth frequently in other words vse the like ecclipsis, writing not as they reade, as it is said of the French: Ezekiel in his Prophecie in Scripture Hebrew is frequently called sonne of man. Why so often he and no other Prophet should be so stiled, reasons are giuen by diuerse: To mee (though farre inferiour to all them) the groundworke seemeth to bee, because his Prophecie was written in Chaldean captiuitie, hee vseth the Chaldean Phrase, Sonne of man, that is, O man. The same Phrase Daniel vseth in Chaldaea, Dan. 10.16.

p. 17CAP. V. Of Iaphets plantation by his sonne Iauan.

IAuan is generally held to be Greece. And the Greeke tongue is by all Hebrewes called the speech of Iauan. The Arabians do so stile the same language. The Syrian in Romans the first chapter verse 16. calls the Grecians foreign vponupon what reason I cannot imagine. Iauan the sonne of Iaphet is held to hauehave planted or peopled this country, in memorie of whose name the Iones are famous monuments: Moses saith hee had foure sonnes, Elisha, Tarshish, Cittim, & Dodonim: which it is likely planted all the country of Greece as farre as into Italie. Elisha and Dodonim dwelt at first neere together, and so did Tarshish and Cittim, but their posteritie scattered farre and neere. The Ierusalem and Babilon Targums doe almost p. 18resolued vsus of these foure mens plantation: For Ionathan reades the fourth verse of the tenth of Genesis thus. And the sonnes of Iauan, Elisha, Elis, Tarsus, Acacia and Dardania. Ieruselamy thus: And the sonnes of Iauan, Elisha, and the names of their Prouinces, Alastarasom and Dodonia. Which last word Alastarasom I take to be mistaken, by joyning two words together and missing the last letter foreign Mem for foreign Samech, which is easily done they bee so like. The word Alastarasom should without doubt, be Alas or Elis Tarsus. Elis frequent in all Authours: Eilision in Homer in Baeot. Elensine in Plutarch in Theseo, are places in Greece bearing the name of their old planter Elisha. Dodonim is registred in the name of old Dodona. Tarshish left a memoriall of himselfe in Cilicia: in the Citie Tarsus. Which was as Pliny saith vrbs libera a free Citie, nat. hist. lib. 5. and Saint Paul is free of that Citie: Act. 22.

Tarshish in Gen. 10. is the name of a p. 19man, in Ionah 13. in Chald. Par. it is vsed for the sea. In Exod. 28. for a **The pearle tarshish in Ex. 28.20▪ is rendered in English a Beril: in the Chalde translations it is kermū iamma, a pearle of the sea: Pliny speakes of keramides a pearle neere that name Terus: Targū thinkes Tarsh…sh was Ashers stone: but Ionathan that it was Zebulons: And more likely, for a pearle of the sea is not vnfit for Zebulō a dweller by the sea, Gē. 4….1….Exod 28:20pearle; in Act. 22 the name of a Towne. I thinke I may safely suppose that the towne tooke the name from the man, the sea from the towne, and the pearle from the sea.

Cittim got into the Ile Cyprus neere his brother Tarshish: from him that Iland in old time was called Cethin as Ant. di Gueuara nameth it in Relox de los princip. And the men of Cyprus acknowledged Cythnon quendam, one Cythnus (or Cittim) for their predecessor as saith Herodotus lib. 7. That Iland sent out colonies further to replenish the Westerne world: who bare the memorie and name of their father Cittim with them all along as they went. Macedon or Macetia is called Cittim, 1. Mac. 1.1. At last they ariued in Italy which is called Cittim. Num. 24.24. and so rendered by the Chaldees. Thus Iauans posteritie grew great in Greece and Italy, and at last sent vsus p. 20men ouer into these Isles of the Gentiles.

CAP. VI. Of Iewish Learning.

THe Iewes chiefe studies are about the Scriptures or about the Hebrew tongue, but some hauehave dealt in other matters. Their tongue is their chiefe learning, which is indeed the ground of all sacred knowledge. In it some are most ignorant, and some againe as accurate. They value it so highly, that the mistaking of a letter in it say they, destroyes the world. He that in this verse En kadosh caihouah, foreignreadeth Beth for Caph makes it there is no holinesse in Iehouah, and destroyeth the world. He that will may see most copious worke of this nicety in Tauch. on Gen. 1. How nimble textualists and Grammarians for the tongue the Rabbins p. 21are, their Comments can witnes. But as in Chaucer the greatest Clarkes are not the wisest men, so among them, these that are so great textualists, are not best at the text. In humane Arts some of them hauehave practised Kimchi and Leuita for Grammar, Rabbi Simeon for logicke, and others in other things, as Buxdorfius in his collection of Iewish Authors will fully satisfie.

CAP. VII. Of the Talmud.

WHo so nameth the Talmud, nameth all Iudaisme, and who so nameth Mishneh, and Gemara, hee nameth all the Talmud: And so saith Leuita Hattalmudh nehhlak, &c. The Talmud is diuided into two parts, the one part is called Mishneh, and the other part is called Gemara, and these two together, are called the Talmud. This in the Iewes p. 22Councell of Trent, the foundation and groundworke of their religion. For they beleeue the Scripture as the Talmud beleeues, for they hold them of equall authority: Rabbi Tanchum the sonne of Hanilai saith, let a man alwaies part his life into three parts. A third part for the Scriptures, a third part for Mishneh, and a third part for Gemara. Two for one, two parts for the Talmud for one for the Scriptures. So highly doe they, Papist-like, prize the vaine traditions of men. This great library of the Iewes is much alike, such another worke vponupon the old Testament, as Thomas Aquinas his Catena aurea is vponupon the new. For this is the summe of all their Doctors conceits and descants vponupon the law, as his is a collection of all the Fathers explications and comments vponupon the Gospells. For matter it is much like Origens bookes of old, vbi bene nemo melius, &c. and where they write well, none better, and where ill, none worse.

p. 23The word Talmud is the same in Hebrew, that **Elias Leu. in Tisbi.Doctrine is in Latine, and Doctrinall in our vsuall speech▪ It is (say the Iewes) a Commentary vponupon the written law of God. And both the law and this (say they) God gaue to Moses, the law by day, and by writing, and this by night and by word of mouth. The Law was kept by writing still, this still by tradition. Hence comes the distinction so frequent in Rabbins, of Torah she baccathubh, and Torah she begnal peh, the law in writing and the law that comes by word of mouth, **Pi…k. Abhoth Per. 1.Moses (say they) receiued the law from Sinai, (this traditionall law I thinke they meane) and deliuered it to Ioshuah, Ioshuah to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets to the men of the great Synagogue. And thus like fame in Virgil, creuit eundo, like a snow-ball it grew bigger with going. Thus doe they father their fooleries vponupon Moses, and Elders, and Prophets, p. 24who (good men) neuer thought of such fancies, as the Romanists for their Traditions, can find bookes of Clemens, Dionysius, and others who neuer dreamed of such matters. Against this their traditionall, our Sauiour makes part of his Sermon in the mount, Matth. 5. But he touched the Iewes freehold, when he touched their Talmud, for greater treasure in their conceits they had none: like Cleopatra in Plutarch, making much of the Viper that destroyed them.

CAP. VIII. Talmudisme.

TO omit the time when it was written, and the distinction of Ierusalem and Babilon Talmud: the chiefe end of them both (as they thinke) is to explane the old Testament. The titles of the bookes shew p. 25their intents Pesachin about the Passeouer, Sanhedrin about the high Courts: Beracoth about thankesgiuing. Sometime they comment, sometime they allude, sometime controuert, sometime fable▪ For this booke containes their common law and ciuill, and commonly some things aboue all law and ciuility. To instance in one or two, that by Hercules foot ye may guesse his body.

Iudges 9.13. It is said by the vine, shall I leaue my wine which cheereth God and man? How doth wine cheere God? Rabbi Akibhah saith, because men giuegive God thankes for it.

There also they question or controuert, whether a man should giuegive thankes, or say grace for his meate and drinke before he taste it?

And otherwhere, whether a man may blesse God for the sweet smell of incense which hee smells offered to Idols?

Whether a man may light a candle at another candle that burnes in a p. 26candlesticke that hath images on it.

Whether a man at his Deuotions, if a Serpent come and bite him by the heele, may turne and stoppe to shake her off, or no? which question Rabbi Tanchum answers very profoundly, that they must not so much as shake the foot to get a Serpent off, and giues a huge strong reason: For (saith he) such a one was praying, and a Serpent comes and catcheth him by the heele: Hee holds on his Deuotion, and …tirrs not, and presently the Snake falls away starke dead, and the man not hurt: Legenda aurea hath not the Art of this coyning beyond them.

For their allusions, take a piece out of the booke Mincha, which I hauehave transcribed and translated into our owne tongue full of true Talmudisme.

Our Rabbins teach, Israel is beloued, because God hath fauoured them with the commandement of Philacteries, vponupon their heads and vponupon their armes, p. 27fringes vponupon their garments, and marks vponupon their doores. And concerning them, Dauid saith: Seuen times a day do I praise thee, because of thy righteous Iudgements: At the time that Dauid went into the bath, and saw himselfe stand naked, he said, woe is me that I stand naked without the **Heb. Mitsuah or without my Philacteries.Commandement, but when hee remembred the Circumcision in his flesh, his mind was at quiet. Afterward when hee went out, he made a song of it, as it is said: To him that excelleth vponupon Sheminith (or an eight) a Psalme of Dauid: because of the circumcision that was giuen on the eight day. Rabbi Eliezer the sonne of Iacob saith, whosoeuer hath Philacteries vponupon his head, and Philacteries vponupon his arme, and fringes vponupon his garments, and a marke on his doore, all this will **From this conceit it appeares they were called Philacteries, that is keepers.keepe him from sinning, as it is written, A threefold coard is not easily broken. And he saith, the Angell of the Lord pitcheth round about those that feare him to deliuer them, &c. p. 28Qui Bauium non odit, amet, &c.

CAP. IX. Of the Cabalists.

THese should be men of great account, for their trading is chiefly in numbers: but the effect of their studies proue but fetches nullius numeri, of no reckning. Their strange tricks & sleights of inuention, how to pick out a matter of nothing, out of a thing of no matter, is so intricate, that I do not much care if into these secrets my soule do not come. Their Atbash is a strange crotchet beyond the moone: it is described by the great Buxdorfius in his Abbreuiaturae.

Their Rashe & Sophe tebhoth, their Notericon, and Geometria, whether to call them Cabalisticall, Masoreticall, or Phantasticall I know not: they hauehave paid the margin of the Bible p. 29with such conceits. I could giuegive examples by hundreds, but it were but foreign a present worse then none at all.

CAP. X. Gedeons Armie. Iosh. 7.

GEdeons Armie represents the Church visible and inuisible: for as in his Armie all the companie marched alike, and vsed the same militarie discipline, and yet two and twenty thousand were cowards, and returned from him for feare, at the well Harodh, which it may be was called Harodh, or feare, from their fearefulnesse; so in the Church visible, men vse the same word, the same sacraments, and the same outward profession, yet are many of them but cowards in Christs warfare when it comes to the triall. Gedeons triall of p. 30his souldiers by lapping water, and kneeling to drinke was a good peece of militarie discipline: for those that lapped in their hands, shewed their nimblenesse in march, who could drinke and not stay, but those that kneeled downe, made a stop in their marching.

Gedeons fight is much like Ierichoes fiege, that with trumpets, this with trumpets and lampes, his conquest like Abrahams, with 300. men he ouerthrowes an Armie as Abraham did with 318. Saint Austen keepes a deplorable stirre about allegorizing this number 300. by the Greeke letter T tau, to make it resemble the signe of the crosse: And so he runnes both besides the language and the matter: charitie to the good man makes me ambiguous and doubtfull whether that fancie be his or not.

p. 31CAP. XI. A Ierusalem Tenet, ex Kimchio in Praefat. to the small Prophets.

OVr Rabbins of happy memory say, (saith he) that eueryevery Prophet whose name and his fathers name is set downe in his Prophecy, it is certain that he was a Prophet, and the sonne of a Prophet. He whose name, and not his fathers name, it is certaine that he was a Prophet, and not the sonne of a Prophet. He whose name and the name of his City is set downe, it is certaine that he was of that City. He whose name and not the name of his City, it is certaine that hee was a Prophet of Ierusalem. And they say, that he whose father and fathers fathers name is set downe in his Prophecie, was a greater man of Parentage, then hee whose father is onelyonly named. As in Zephaniah. Cap. 1. ver. 1.

p. 32CAP. XII. Nun inuersum foreign Num. 10. & 11.

IN the tenth of Numbers and the thirtie fifth verse, in these words, foreign And when the Arke went forward, the letter Nun is written wrong way, or turned backe thus foreign, to shew (say the Hebrewes) the louing turning of God to the People: And in the eleuenth chapter and first verse, in these words, foreign And the People became as murmurers, &c. The letter Nun is againe written wrong or turned backe thus, foreign To shew (say they) the peruerse turning of the People from God: and thus are these two Places written in eueryevery true Bible in the world. If the Iewes doe not here giuegive any one satisfaction, yet doe they (as Erasmus speakes of Origen) set Students on worke to looke for that which els they would scarce hauehave p. 33…ought for. Such strange passages as …hese in writing some words in the Bi…le out of ordinary way (as some let…ers aboue the word, some letters lesse, …nd some bigger then other) obserued …onstantly by all coppies and bookes, …annot sure be for nothing: If they …hew nothing els, yet this they shew vsus, that the Text is punctually kept, and not decayed, when these things (that to a hasty ignorant beholder might seeme errors) are thus precisely obserued in all Bibles.