University of Virginia Library

Celestiall Bull] It is said of Joseph, Deut. 33. 17. His glory is like the firstling of his Bullocke. Upon which Junius and Tremellius: Hee performed the duty of an Oxe (whereof Prov. 14. 4.) when he nourished his Fathers Family in Egypt. Wherefore the Egyptians are said to have placed the image of an Oxe next unto the image of Joseph, because that the Oxe in tillage doth cooperate with man.

The neighbouring Ramme] But if from the Egyptians the first signe of the Zodiacke tooke the figure of a Ramme in honour of Cham, or Jove Ammon, who, to signifie his power, was represented with Rammes hornes: What hinders, but that wee may believe the second signe of the Zodiacke to have took from them the figure of a Bull; and that thereby they understood either the son of Cham, Osiris, the same with Mesoris or Mizraim: by whom the Egyptians were taught tillage (the Oxe being the symbole of tillage) or the Patriarch Joseph, who for having preserved Egypt in a great Famine, did deserve the symbole of an Oxe, and at length came to have divine honours. And in this conjecture concerning Joseph you may see the most illustrious and greater then all praise Hugo Grotius going before me in his Sophompaneas, a Tragedy, where Pharaoh is brought in by him thus speaking unto Joseph:

Which verses I rather recite, because out of that Poem; which as for the argument and handling it is the love and admiration of all good and learned men, is so much more ardently affected, as it is meet it should bee esteemed by mee, unto whose, though undeserving name, that excellent man would have it dedicated and come forth into the light. Vos. Idolol. l. 2. p. 501.

Your Majesty] Our Author hath Your goodnesse. The first part of divine worship is to believe that there are Gods. The next, to render unto them their Majesty, to render unto them their goodnesse, without which goodnesse there is no Majesty. Seneca Epist. 99. And Junius in his Notes upon Exod. 33. 18, 19. (where Moses doth beseech the Lord to shew him his glory, and is answered: I will make all my goodnesse passe before thee, &c.) observes, that the goodnesse of God is his glory.

Heliopolis] Which signifies the City of the Sunne. It is the same, which is called On in the Scriptures, Gen. 41. 45. Vossius. See the Note upon Asenath, in the first Chorus.

The cause is not there express'd, but by comparing that Text with Gen 46. 34. and Exod. 8. 26. it appeares that the Egyptians did abhor a Shepherds life, and them who fed upon Oxen, or other cattle; or did sacrifice those creatures which they worshipped for Gods. Jun. & Tremell.

And this my head, &c.] Moreover it was an ancient custome to sweare by naming other things and persons [besides God] whether they did imprecate that they should be hurtfull to them [for perjury] as the Sun, the Earth, Heaven, the Prince; or whether they desir'd to be punish'd in them, as in their head, their children, their country, their Prince. Neither was this the custome only of prophane Nations, but also of the Jews, as Philo teacheth us. For hee saith, that wee ought not, when we would swear, to run for every thing presently, to the Creator and Father of the Universe; but to sweare by our Parents, Heaven, Earth, the World. The like whereunto is noted by the Interpreters of Homer, that the ancient Greeks did not lightly swear by the Gods, but by other things at hand, as by their Scepter: and that this was ordain'd by the most just King Radamanth is deliver'd by Porphyry, and the Scholiast upon Aristophanes. So Joseph is read to have sworne by the life of Pharaoh, Gen. 42. 15. from a custome receiv'd among the Egyptians, which Aben Ezra there notes, Elizæus by the life of Elias, 2 Kin. 2. 2. Neither doth Christ, Mat. 5. as some think, meane that these oathes are lesse lawfull then what are made by the expresse name of God: but whereas the Hebrews did lesse regard them, through a certaine opinion not unlike his, who said, He thought his Scepter not to be the Gods, hee sheweth that even these are true oaths. For also Ulpian hath said very well: He who sweares by his owne life, seemes to sweare by God, for he swears with a respect of the Divine Deity. So Christ shews, that hee who sweares by the Temple, sweareth by God that dwelleth in the Temple, and hee that sweareth by Heaven, by God, who sitteth thereon, as his throne. But the Hebrew Doctors of those times thought, that men were not bound by oaths made by things created, unlesse, &c.—Grat. de jur. bell. ac pac. l. 2. c. 13. De Jurejurando.

Israel a wife shall take from Ægypt.] That is, Solomon shall marry Pharaohs daughter.

A new plantation] And all the people both small and great, and the Captaines of the Armies arose, and came to Ægypt, 2 Kin. 25, 26.

Safe to him an infant exile] Our author in his Christus Patiens.

Pure Religion] Give me leave to remember a few verses not impertinent, out of that Divine Poet Mr George Herbert in his Church Militant.

Partakers of so great a good] The King of Ethiopia (said by Geographers to bee one of the greatest Monarchs in the world) is commonly called Prester John, and in the Ethiopick Language Negush Chavvariavvi, which (saith Jos. Scaliger l. 7. de emendat. temp.) doth signifie, The Apostolike Emperor, or the Christian King. It is very probable, the Gospel was early planted there, even (as histories report also) by that honourable person the Eunuch, of so great authority under Q. Candace, and her Treasurer, who was baptized by the Apostle Philip. Act. 8. 38 Of Ethiopia likewise, Du Bartas by Sylvester.