being thus in possession of Jerusalem, having the king in his hands, his enemies' forces broken, and his own entire, could be so contented to depart quietly with a little spoil, when he might have seized upon the whole kingdom. The reign of Athaliah had given him cause to hope that the issue of David might be dispossessed of that crown; his own nobility, being the son and grandchild of kings, together with the famous acts that he had done, were enough to make the people of Juda think highly of him; who might also have preferred his form of government before that of their own king's, especially at such a time, when a long succession of wicked princes had smothered the thanks which were due to the memory of a few good ones. The commodity that would have ensued upon the union of all the twelve tribes under one prince is so apparent, that I need not to insist on it. That any message from God forbade the Israelites (as afterwards in the victory which Peka the son of Romelia got upon Ahaz) to turn his present advantage to the best use, we do not read. All this makes it the more difficult to resolve the question, why a prince so well exercised as Joash had been, in recovering his own and winning from his enemy, should forsake the possession of Jerusalem, and wilfully neglect the possibilities, or rather cast away the full assurance of so fair a conquest as the kingdom of Juda.

But concerning that point which of all others had been most material, I mean the desire of the vanquished people to accept the Israelite for their king, it is plainly seen, that entering Jerusalem in triumphant manner, Joash was unable to concoct his own prosperity. For the opening of the gates had been enough to have let him, not only into the city, but into the royal throne, and the people's hearts, whom by fair entreaty (especially having sure means of compulsion) he might have made his own, when they saw themselves betrayed, and basely given away by him whose they had been before. The fair mark which this opportunity presented he did not aim at, because his ambition was otherwise and more meanly busied in levelling at the glory of a triumphant entry through a breach. Yet this error might after

wards have been corrected well enough, if, entering as an enemy, and shewing what he could do by spending his anger upon the walls, he had within the city done offices of a friend, and laboured to shew good-will to the inhabitants. But when his pride had done, his covetousness began, and sought to please itself with that which is commonly most ready to the spoiler, yet should be most forborne. The treasure wherewith Sesac, Hazael, and the Philistines, men ignorant of the true God and his religion, had quenched their greedy thirst, ought not to have tempted the appetite of Joash, who, though an idolater, yet acknowledged also and worshipped the eternal God, whose temple was at Jerusalem. Therefore when the people saw him take his way directly to that holy place, and lay his ravenous hands upon the consecrated vessels, calling the family of "Obed Edom (whose children had hereditary charge of the treasury) to a strict account, as if they had been officers of his own exchequer, they considered him rather as an execrable church robber than as a noble prince, an Israelite, and their brother, though of another tribe. Thus following that course which the most virtuous king of our age (taxing it with the same phrase) hath wisely avoided, by stealing a few apples, he lost the inheritance of the whole orchard. The people detested him, and after the respite of a few days, might, by comparing themselves one to one, perceive his soldiers to be no better than men of their own mould, and inferior in number to the inhabitants of so great a city. It is not so easy to hold by force a mighty town entered by capitulation, as to enter the gates opened by unadvised fear. For when the citizens, not being disarmed, recover their spirits, and begin to understand their first error, they will think upon every advantage, of place, of provisions, of multitude, yea of women armed with tile-stones, and rather choose by desperate resolution to correct the evils grown out of their former cowardice, than suffer those mischiefs to poison the body, which in such half conquests are easily tasted in the mouth. A 1 Chron. xxvi. 15.

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more lively example hereof cannot be desired than the city of Florence, which, through the weakness of Peter de Medices, governing therein as a prince, was reduced into such hard terms, that it opened the gates unto the French king Charles the Eighth, who, not plainly professing himself either friend or foe to the estate, entered the town with his army in triumphant manner, himself and his horse armed, with his lance upon his thigh. Many insolencies were therein committed by the French, and much argument of quarrel ministered between them and the townsmen; so far forth, that the Florentines, to preserve their liberty, were driven to prepare for fight. To conclude the matter, Charles propounds intolerable conditions, demanding huge sums of ready money, and the absolute seignory of the state, as conquered by him, who entered the city in arms. But Peter Caponi, a principal citizen, catching these articles from the king's secretary, and tearing them before his face, bade him sound his trumpets, and they would ring their bells; which peremptory words made the French bethink themselves, and come readily to this agreement, that for forty thousand pounds, and not half of that money to be paid in hand, Charles should not only depart in peace, but restore whatsoever he had of their dominion, and continue their assured friend. So dangerous a matter did it seem for that brave army, which in few months after won the kingdom of Naples, to fight in the streets against the armed multitude of that populous city. It is true that Charles had other business (and so perhaps had Joash, as shall anon be shewed) that called him away; but it was the apprehension of imminent danger that made him come to reason. such cases the firing of houses usually draws every citizen to save his own, leaving victory to the soldier; yet where the people are prepared and resolved, women can quench as fast as the enemy, having other things to look unto, can set on fire. And indeed that commander is more given to anger than regardful of profit, who, upon the uncertain hope of destroying a town, forsakes the assurance of a good com

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position. Diversity of circumstance may alter the case: it is enough to say, that it might be in Jerusalem as we know it was in Florence.

How strongly soever Joash might hold himself within Jerusalem, he could not easily depart from thence with his booty safe, if the army of Juda, which had been more terrified than weakened in the late encounter, should reinforce itself, and give him a check upon the way. Wherefore it was wisely done of him to take hostages for his better security, his army being upon return, and better loaden than when it came forth; for which causes it was the more unapt to fight.

Besides these impediments, within the city and without, serving to cool the ambition of Joash, and keep it down from aspiring to the crown of Juda, it appears that somewhat was newly fallen out which had reference to the anger of Elisha the prophet; who, when this Joash had smitten the ground with his arrows thrice, told him that he should no oftener smite the Aramites. The three victories which Israel had against Aram, are by some, and with great probability, referred unto the fifth, sixth, and seventh years of Joash, after which time, if any losses ensuing had blemished the former good success, ill might the king of Israel have likened himself to a stately cedar, and worse could he have either lent the Judæan one hundred thousand men, or meet him in battle, who was able to bring into the field three hundred thousand of his own. Seeing therefore it is made plain by the words of Elisha, that after three victories Joash should find some change of fortune, and suffer loss; we must needs conclude, that the Aramite prevailed upon him this year, it being the last of his reign. That this was so, and that the Syrians, taking advantage of Joash's absence, gave such a blow to Israel as the king at his return was not able to remedy, but rather fell himself into new misfortunes, which increased the calamity, we may evidently perceive in that which is spoken of Jeroboam's son: for it is said, that the Lord saw the exceeding bitter afflictions of Israel, and that having not decreed to put out the name of Israel

from under the heaven, he preserved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. This is enough to prove, that the victorious reign of Joash was concluded with a sad catastrophe; the riches of the temple hastening his misery and death, as they had done with Sesac, Athaliah, and Hazael, and as afterwards they wrought with Antiochus, Crassus, and other sacrilegious potentates.

Thus either through indignation conceived against him by the people of Jerusalem, and courage which they took to set upon him within the walls; or through preparation of the army that lay abroad in the country to bid him battle in open field, and recover by a new charge the honour which was lost at the former encounter; or through the miseries daily brought upon his own country by the Syrian in his absence, if not by all of these, Joash was driven to lay aside all thought of winning the kingdom of Juda; and taking hostages for his quiet passage, made all haste homewards, where he found a sad welcome, and being utterly forsaken of his wonted prosperity, forsook also his life in few months after, leaving his kingdom to Jeroboam the second, his fortunate and valiant son.

SECT. X.

The end of Amaziah's reign and life.

ANY man is able to guess how Amaziah looked when the enemy had left him. He that had vaunted so much of his own great prowess and skill in arms, threatening to work wonders, and set up anew the glorious empire of David, was now uncased of his lion's hide, and appeared nothing so terrible a beast as he had been painted. Much argument of scoffing at him he had ministered unto such as held him in dislike, which at this time, doubtless, were very many : for the shame that falls upon an insolent man seldom fails of meeting with abundance of reproach. As for Amaziah, (besides that the multitude are always prone to lay the blame upon their governors, even of those calamities which happened by their own default,) there was no child in all Jerusalem but knew him to be the root of all this mischief.