Pilgrimage, Book 1 · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
Of the Syrian kings, and alteration in Gouernment, and Religion, in those countries.
SYria quickly grew into peoples and kingdomes, although Time hath long since deuoured both them and their memories. Of Menon the husband of Semiramis (mentioned by Diodorus) is spoken before. Adadezer was in Dauids time, king of Aram Zoba, which some take for Chobal in Syria, some for Sophene in Armenia, and some for the Nubei: whatsoeuer they were, Dauid made them tributarie Anno mundi. 2903. Benhadad, Hazael, and others the scripture also mentioneth: but certaine succession we finde not recorded of these Syrian kings, til the time of Alexander, which conquering all from Macedonia, to India, by his inexpected death, left his huge Empire to bee shared among his chiefe followers. Seleucus, the sonne of Antiochus, a Macedonian, first, maister of the Elephants; then Tribune; after that Deputie of the Babylonians, at last obtained the kingdome of Asia, Anno M 3638. of whome Appianus thus vvriteth: The first King of Syria after Alexander vvas Seleucus, called Nicator, because hee was of very great stature; and as a wilde bull had in a sacrifice of Alexander broken loose, he helde him with both his hands. Hee built 16. Cities, called by the name Antiochia, of his father Antiochus: and fiue Laodicea's, in memory of his mother Laodice: nine Seleucia's of his owne name: three Apamea's, and one Stratonicea, after the names of his two wiues. He prospered in his warres, tooke Babylon, subdued the Bactrians; pierced to the Indians, which had slaine Alexanders gouernours (placed amongst them) after Alexanders death. He slew Lysimachus, and seuen monethes after was circumuented and slaine of Ptolomie (whose sister Lysimachus had married) being seuenty three yeeres olde.
To him succeeded his sonne Antiochus, surnamed Soter. A. 3667. who had obtained Stratonice his mother in lawe, of his father (moued thereunto by his sonnes violent louelove, and his Physitians subtile perswasion.) His sonne Antiochus Thees was (contrarie to his name) poisoned by his wife: whose sonnes Seleucus, Callinicus, and Antiochus succeeded: and after them Antiochus Magnus, the sonne of Callinicus, who much enlarged his Empire, adding thereto Babylonia, Egypt, and Iudea: but inuading Graecia, prouoked the Romans against him, with whom hee compounded on base and meane conditions: He did yet comfort himselfe for his losse among his friends, saying, that he was aVal.Max.l.4.c.1.beholden to the Romances, that eased him of so weighty a burthen, and lessened his cares of gouernement; (for they had coped him in a corner of his kingdome beyond Taurus.) After this he was shine: exhibiting in himselfe a true example of the worlds falshood, that playeth with Scepters, and vieth Diademes, vsing men like Counters or Figures, in numbring and casting accounts, where the same, with a little difference of place, is a pound, shilling, or peny, one, 10. or 100. And yet as earthly happines herein comes short of heauen, that it is neuer meere and vnmixed, but hath some sowre sauce to rellish it: so falleth it as farre short of hell, that not onelyonly hope, but the most miserable hap, hath some glumpse of comfort.
But to come to our historie. Antiochus his sonne, surnamed Epiphanes, and after Epimanes for his furious insolence, (who began his raigne A.M.3774.) was first sent to Rome in hostage, for securitie of his fathers faith: and after that Seleucus, his brother (which sent b2.Mac.3.Heliodorus to rob the Temple at Ierusalem) had a while warmed the throne, succeeded in the Syrian kingdome. Of him and his tyranny Daniel had long before prophecied in the interpretation of Nahuchodonosors Image, cDan.2.whose legges are interpreted to be this Syrian, and the Aegyptian kingdomes, both heauy and hard neighbours to the Church in Iudes lying betwixt them: but more especially in his visions in the 7. chapter. dDan.724.Where, after other things, he fore-telleth of the 10. hornes, eTrem.Iun. in Dan. D.Downam of Antichrist. D.Willet on Dan.4.c.7.which are the eight kings aforenamed, and two Aegyptian Ptolomies, Euergetes, & Philopater, in their times preuailing in Syrio, and infesting Iudea. And the last shall subdue three Kings, which were Ptolomey of Aegypt, driuen out of Syria, Seleucus his brother, and Demetrius, to whom, after Seleucus, the right of the Scepter belonged. His policie, and blasphemie, and tyranny, are also by Daniel plainely fore-signified, and in their euent as fully in the historie of the Maccabees related. There you may reade his wicked life, and vvretched death: Hee tooke Ierusalem fCalu…s.Anno M. 3781, and slew 80000. people, robbed the Temple of 1800. talents, and of the holy vessels; polluted the Temple; forbade the Sacrifice; named it the Temple of lupiter Olympius; forced men by tortures from their religion; with other execrable outrages, which vvould require a iust volume to describe.
As he was thus madde and raging against the true religion: so gAtb.l.5.c.4.Athenaus sheweth his vanitie in his owne, whose pompous solemnitie at the Daphnean feast hee thus relateth. Antiochus, in emulation to Paulus Aemilius, proclaimed this solemne festiuitie in the Cities of Greece, and performed it at Daphne. First passed in order 5000. men, armed after the Roman manner: next followed 5000. Mysians, and 3000. Cilicians, with crownes of gold: of Thracians, 3000. of Galatians 5000. of whom some had shieldes of siluer. 20000. Macedonians, and 5000, with shieldes of brasse: after these, 240. couples of champions which should fight in single combate. There followed 1000. Pisaean horse-men, and 3000. of the Citie, the most whereof had crownes and vials of gold, others trappings of siluer: Next came the band, called Socia, nothing inferiour in pompe or number: then 1000. extraordinarie, and another thousand in the band called Agema. Lastly, the barded horses 1500. all these in purple vestures, which many had embroidred, or embossed with gold: Chariots drawne with 6. horses, ICO. & 40. drawne by foure; one drawne by Elephants attended with 36. other. The rest of the pompe is incredible and taedious: 80O. youthes with golden crownes: 1000. fat Oxen, and 300. persons to attend the sacrifices: 800. Elephants teeth. There were also the Images of all the gods, & Heroes that can be reckoned, some gilded, some clothed with golden vestures, their fabulous histories being with great pompe annexed. After all these, the Images of 'Day, Night, Earth, Heauen, Morning, and Noone. Then came a 1000. boyes, each hauing a peece of plate of a 1000. drams: 600. with vessels of gold: 80. women were carried in chaires footed with gold, and 500. in others footed with siluer, very sumptuously attired: 200. of them out of basons of golde strewed sweet odours. These spectacles lasted 30. dayes. A thousand (and sometimes 1200.) halies or dining roomes, vvere furnished for bankets, the king himselfe affecting too officious familiarity therein, visiting the tables of the baser people. So base is the pride of Ambition, tempeting a confused distemper; according (in a strange harmonie) the harshest discord of proude-aspiring, and deiected basenesse; where a base and seruile minde begetteth pride, and pride produceth a seruile basenesse, a changeling, which the doting world fathereth on Humilitie.
Of the death of this Antiochus, the former & second books of the Machabees seeme to disagree: and, which is more strange, the second booke in the first chapter saith, he and his company were destroyed in the temple of Nanaea in Persia: and in the ninth chapter saith, that in Media, at Ecbatana, he was smitten with an vncouth disease, and a fall from his Charlot, whereof he died. Some hMel.Canus, loc.l.2.C..11that would hauehave this history Canonicall, apply it to two Antiochi, as Lyra and Rupertus, and after them Canus: but Bellarmine iBel de ver. L.I.C 15.seeing that they will not agree with the times of any other, but Epiphanes, proueth himselfe Epimanes, and runneth madde with louelove of that Trent-minion: affirming that in the temple of Nauaea he fell, but escaped as kGen 14.16.Lot when he was captiued, and after parished, as is in the after-part of the historie expressed; whereas it is there said, that they shut the doores on him, and cut him and his fellowes in peeces, and made them shorter by the heads: who yet after this (forsooth) could goe into Media, and there hauehave a fall from his Chariot. They must hauehave no delicate stomackes, that vvill bee Iesuites, any thing must downe, vvhen they vvill vp, especially, if Trent or the Vatican commaund, though manifest reason and sense (that I say not, Religion) countermaund. I enuie not the red hat vvith these labels. Well fare that modestie of the Authour l2.Macc. 15.39that confesseth his vveakenesse: but Anathema to their Anathema's, that enact mConc. Trident.contradictions to bee Canonicall.
I omit the successours of Antiochus, to wit, Antiochus, Dometrius, Alexander, (who tooke away the golden Image of Victoria out of the temple at Antioch, in his necessitie: iesting that Iupiter had lent him victorie, and when hee would hauehave added Iupiter nIustin.1..33.to his sacrilege, was chased away by the multitude, and after slaine by Grypus.) The rest with the times of their raigne are before expressed. oSupra tap.12Pompey set an end to these Seleucidan Kings: and the Romanes enioyed the countries of Syria, till the Saracens dispossessed them: whose historie you may reade pl.3.c.2.in their due place. The Turkes displaced those Saracens: the Christians of the West, by warre, made those parts Christian: but were expelled againe by the Turkes, and they by the Tartars. The Mamaluke qLib.6.c.6.slaues, and their Aegyptian Soldan after, held the Syrian dominion, vntill Selim the great Turke subdued it to the Ottoman Empire, vnderunder which it still groneth. Of these things this our historie will acquaint you in the proper reports of these Nations.
Aleppo, is now chiefe Citie of Syria: but Damascus both in elder and later times hath borre the greatest name, being the head of Aram, as rEs.7.8Esay affirmeth: called of Iulian the Citie of Iupiter, and eye of the whole East, Holy and Great. It is interpreted drinking bloud, by sHier Com.in Ezec.l.8.Hierom, who telleth (from the Hebrewes tradition) that in this field Kain slewe his brother: tChytr. Oilomastic.Chytreus expoundeth it saccus sanguinis, uWolphij com. i.l2.Ke.16.Wolphius deriueth it of two words, signifying bloud and to spoile: which in the times of Hazael and Benhadad, and of Resin it performed: but neuer so much as when the Saracens made it the sinke of bloud and spoyle, which they executed on the Christians: and Noradine, Saladine, and the Turkes, sitting themselues and this Citie to the name, before the Aegyptian Sultans, and Ottoman Turks were Lords of it. Stephanus ascribeth the name to one Ascus a gyant, which cast Dionysius there into the riuer: Or because Damascus, the sonne of Mercurie, comming hither out of Arcadia, built it: or because Dionysins their fleyd of the skinne of Damascus, which had cut vp his Vines.
The Turkes now call it, as Leunclanius and Chytreus testifie, Scham, and so is the whole region called in the Arabian Chronicle, whose extract you may finde xx l.3.in our Saracenicall historie.
The Armies of Dauid, Ahab, Teglath-phalasar preuailed much against it: The Babylonians subverted it: After that the Ptolomeys repaired it: Pompey wanne it: Paul hallowed it: The Saracens (as is said) polluted it. The Christians in vaine besieged it, in the yeere one thousand one hundred fortie and seuen. yCh. Adrichom. …beatrum Terrae sanct. Ty…bell. Sanst. libr.17. Herold contin.6.Haalon the Tartar, one thousand two hundred threescore and two, obtained it, and about one thousand foure hundred Tamerlane besieged it; and as hee had done at Aleppo, filling the ditch with the bodies of captiues and slaine carkasles, cast wood and earth vponupon them, and at last forced it and the Castle. Hee spared the Citie for the Temples sake, which had fortie Porches in the circuite, and (within) nine thousand Lampes of gold and siluer. But the Aegyptians by a wile possessing it, hee againe engirt it, and recouered it. Hee commaunded Mahomet, the Pope or Chalife, and his priests, which came to meete him, to repaire to the Temple, which they did with thirteene thousand Citizens, where he burnt them all: and for monument of his victorie, left three Towers erected of skulles of dead men. The Aegyptians regained and held it till Selim the Turke dispossessed them 1517.
Now in thus many alterations of State, who doubteth of diuersitie in Religions in Syria: First, the true Religion in the time of Noab, and the first Patriarkes. Next, those superstitions of Rimmon, and the rest before related, in the Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian, and Roman gouernements: After which long night, the Sunne of Righteousnesse shone vntounto the Syrians, and made a more absolute Conquest then all the former, not by Legions and Armies, but by a handfull of Fishermen, (manifesting his Power in their weakenes) the Reason of Men, and Malice of Deuils, not being able to withstand their Euangelicall weapons, which a2.Cor.10.5.were mighty through GOD to cast downe holdes & bringing into captiuitie eueryevery thought to the obedience of CHRIST, bActs 11.20.insomuch, that hence the Christianworld receiued first that name. And, how sweete would thy name remaine. O Syrian Antiochia, euen now in thy latest fates, which first wast christned with the name Christian, hadst thou not outliued thy Christanitie, or rather; (after the soule departed) remained the carkasse of thy selfe; which ceasing to be Christian, hast long since ceased to be, had not the Diuine hand reserued a few bones of thy carkasse to testifie this his iustice to the world! And what harmonie could hauehave beene more gratefull to the Gentiles eares, then thy memorie (Damascus) where the Doctor of the Gentiles was first taught himselfe, and made a Teacher of others? But in thee was the Chaire of Pestilence, the Throne of Sathan, the sincke of Mahumetan impictie to the rest of the world, infecting with thy contagion, and subduing with thy force more Nations then euer Paul by preaching conuerted. Syria, first in the first and principall Priuiledges of Mankinde, embracing in her rich armes (if some bee right Suruciours) the promised Possession (the Seale of a further and better Inheritance) was with the first subdewed to Saracene seruitude: vnderunder their Caliph, vnderunder the Turks, vnderunder the Christians from the West, vnderunder the Tartars from the East, vnderunder the Mamalukes from the South, and from the North the Ottoman, by new successions and vicissitudes of miseries and mischiefes, become a common Stage of bloud and slaughter.
And in all these later changes of State, and chaunces of Warre, Religion was the life that quickened those deaths, and whetted those murthering swords: no crueltie or sacriledge against GOD, or man, so irreligious and inhumane, but Religion was pretended to be the cause, and bare the Standard to Destruction; a new Religion alway erected with a new Conquerour. The rest of which, as professing their owne peculiar rites, hauehave their peculiar standing in this field of our Narrations assigned them: this one (which followeth) as a confusion and gallymaufry of diuers, I thought fittest here to insert.
The Drusians are accounted reliques of the Latin Armies, which here warred against the Turkes for recouerie of the Holy Land: These cGiv.Bo.Ben…,are circumcised as the Turkes, they take the liberty of Christians, in drinking Wine, and the licentiousnesse of beasts, in incestuous copulations with their owne daughters. They serue their owne Lords, and are not subiect to the Turkes. Their habitation is not farre from Damasco. Knolles in his Turkish History saith, That the right Drusians are not circumcised, otherwise agreeing with the former report; and addeth: That they follow one Isman a prophet of their owne. A friend of mine, one master Iohn Pountesse, who hath been acquainted with them, saith they are circumcised. Selim and Amurath laboured to depriue them of their freedom, which was in part by Turkish policy, and their own discords, atchieued by Ebratm the Turkish Bassa Anno 1585. OnelyOnly Mon-ogli or Ebneman, a Drusian Lord, kept himselfe out of his hands, and deluded his subtile practises: And thus these Drusians. with some Arabians in the middest of the Ottoman Empire, retaine some freedome from the Turkish thraldome.
Maginus saith, That Tyrus, now called Suri, or Sur, is an habitacle of those Drusian Robbers. Some place them betweene Ioppa and Damasco: I though this the fittest place therefore for their mention, as being accounted to Syria, and neighbors to Damasco, and of this hotch-potch Religion.