bought their
possessions
?
Warner - World's Best Literature - v14 - Ibn to Juv
By little and little their
matter showed itself to them more plentifully; their words an-
swered, their composition followed; and all, as in a well-ordered
family, presented itself in the place. So that the sum of all is,
ready writing makes not good writing, but good writing brings
on ready writing: Yet when we think we have got the faculty,
it is even then good to resist it, as to give a horse a check some-
times with a bit, which doth not so much stop his course as stir
his mettle. Again, whither a man's genius is best able to reach,
thither it should more and more contend, lift, and dilate itself;
as men of low stature raise themselves on their toes, and so oft-
times get even, if not eminent. Besides, as it is fit for grown
and able writers to stand of themselves, and work with their own
strength, to trust and endeavor by their own faculties; so it is
fit for the beginner and learner to study others and the best.
For the mind and memory are more sharply exercised in com-
prehending another man's things than our own; and such as
accustom themselves and are familiar with the best authors shall
ever and anon find somewhat of them in themselves: and in the
expression of their minds, even when they feel it not, be able to
## p. 8347 (#559) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8347
utter something like theirs, which hath an authority above their
own. Nay, sometimes it is the reward of a man's study, the
praise of quoting another man fitly; and though a man be more
prone and able for one kind of writing than another, yet he
must exercise all. For as in an instrument, so in style, there
must be a harmony and consent of parts.
ON SHAKESPEARE
From "Timber, or Discoveries Made upon Men and Matter)
D'
»
E SHAKESPEARE NOSTRAT[1]. — I remember the players have
often mentioned it as an honor to Shakespeare, that in his
writing, whatsoever he penned, he never blotted out a line.
My answer hath been, “Would he had blotted a thousand;
which they thought a malevolent speech. I had not told pos-
terity this, but for their ignorance who chose that circumstance
to commend their friend by wherein he most faulted; and to
justify mine own candor, for I loved the man, and do honor his
memory on this side idolatry as much as any. He was indeed
honest, and of an open and free nature; had an excellent fancy,
brave notions, and gentle expressions, wherein he flowed with
that facility that sometime it was necessary he should be stopped.
“Sufflaminandus erat,” as Augustus said of Haterius. His wit
was in his own power: would the rule of it had been so too.
But he redeemed his vices with his virtues. There was ever
more in him to be praised than to be pardoned.
TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED MASTER, WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE
Tº
NO DRAW no envy, Shakespeare, on thy name,
Am I thus ample to thy book and fame;
While I confess thy writings to be such
As neither man nor Muse can praise too much.
'Tis true, and all men's suffrage. But these ways
Were not the paths I meant unto thy praise:
For silliest ignorance on these may light,
Which, when it sounds at best, but echoes right;
Or blind affection, which doth ne'er advance
The truth, but gropes, and urgeth all by chance;
## p. 8348 (#560) ###########################################
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BEN JONSON
Or crafty malice might pretend this praise,
And think to ruin, where it seemed to raise.
These are, as some infamous bawd or whore
Should praise a matron: what could hurt her more?
But thou art proof against them, and indeed
Above the ill fortune of them, or the need.
I therefore will begin: Soul of the age !
The applause! delight! the wonder of our stage!
My SHAKESPEARE rise! I will not lodge thee by
Chaucer, or Spenser, or bid Beaumont lie
A little further off, to make thee room:
Thou art a monument without a tomb;
And art alive still, while thy book doth live,
And we have wits to read and praise to give.
That I not mix thee so, my brain excuses,
I mean with great, but disproportioned Muses;
For if I thought my judgment were of years,
I should commit thee surely with thy peers,
And tell how far thou didst our Lily outshine,
Or sporting Kyd, or Marlowe's mighty line.
And though thou hadst small Latin and less Greek,
From thence to honor thee, I will not seek
For names: but call forth thundering Æschylus,
Euripides, and Sophocles to us,
Pacuvius, Accius, him of Cordoua dead,
To live again, to hear thy buskin tread,
And shake a stage; or when thy socks were on,
Leave thee alone for the comparison
Of all that insolent Greece or haughty Rome
Sent forth, or since did from their ashes come.
Triumph, my Britain! thou hast one to show,
To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe.
He was not of an age, but for all time!
And all the Muses still were in their prime
When, like Apollo, he came forth to warm
Our ears, or like a Mercury to charm!
Nature herself was proud of his designs,
And joyed to wear the dressing of his lines!
Which were so richly spun, and woven so fit,
As, since, she will vouchsafe no other wit.
The merry Greek, tart Aristophanes,
Neat Terence, witty Plautus, now not please;
But antiquated and deserted lie,
As they were not of nature's family.
## p. 8349 (#561) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8349
Yet must I not give nature all: thy art,
My gentle Shakespeare, must enjoy a part.
For though the poet's matter nature be,
His art doth give the fashion; and that he
Who casts to write a living line, must sweat,
(Such as thine are) and strike the second heat
Upon the Muses' anvil; turn the same,
And himself with it, that he thinks to fame:
Or for the laurel he may gain a scorn;
For a good poet's made as well as born.
And such wert thou! Look how the father's face
Lives in his issue: even so the race
Of Shakespeare's mind and manners brightly shines
In his well turned and true filed lines;
In each of which he seems to shake a lance,
As brandished at the eyes of ignorance.
Sweet Swan of Avon! what a sight it were
To see thee in our water yet appear,
And make those flights upon the banks of Thames
That so did take Eliza, and our James!
But stay: I see thee in the hemisphere
Advanced, and made a constellation there!
Shine forth, thou Star of poets, and with rage
Or influence, chide or cheer the drooping stage;
Which, since thy flight from hence, hath mourned like
night,
And despairs day, but for thy volume's light.
FROM (SEJANUS)
Scene :
The Garden of Eudemus in Rome. Enter Sejanus, Livia, and
Eudemus.
EJANUS
Physician, thou art worthy of a province
For the great favors done unto our loves;
And but that greatest Livia bears a part
In the requital of thy services,
I should alone despair of aught like means
To give them worthy satisfaction.
Eudemus, I will see it, shall receive
A fit and full reward for his large merit.
But for this potion we intend to Drusus, –
No more our husband now,- whom shall we choose
Livia -
## p. 8350 (#562) ###########################################
8350
BEN JONSON
As the most apt and abled instrument
To minister it to him ?
Eudemus-
I say, Lydgus.
Sejanus — Lydgus? what's he?
Livia –
An eunuch Drusus loves.
Eudemus - Ay, and his cup-bearer. .
Sejanus — Send him to me; I'll work him. - Royal lady,
Though I have loved you long, and with that height
Of zeal and duty, like the fire, which more
It mounts it trembles, thinking naught could add
Unto the fervor which your eye had kindled, -
Yet now I see your wisdom, judgment, strength,
Quickness and will to apprehend the means
To your own good and greatness, I protest
Myself through rarefied and turned all flame
In your affection: such a spirit as yours
Was not created for the idle second
To a poor flash, as Drusus; but to shine
Bright as the moon among the lesser lights,
And share the sovereignty of all the world.
Then Livia triumphs in her proper sphere,
When she and her Sejanus shall divide
The name of Cæsar, and Augusta's star
Be dimmed with glory of a brighter beam;
When Agrippina's fires are quite extinct,
And the scarce-seen Tiberius borrows all
His little light from us, whose folded arms
Shall make one perfect orb.
[Knocking within. ]
Who's that? Eudemus,
Look. 'Tis not Drusus, lady; do not fear.
[Exit Eudemus. ]
Livia Not I, my lord: my fear and love of him
Left me at once.
Sejanus
Illustrious lady, stay —
Eudemus within-
I'll tell his Lordship.
Re-enter Eudemus
Sejanus —
Who is it, Eudemus ?
Eudemus — One of your Lordship's servants brings you word
The Emperor hath sent for you.
## p. 8351 (#563) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8351
Sejanus -
Oh, where is he?
With your fair leave, dear princess, I'll but ask
A question, and return.
(Exit.
Eudemus
Fortunate princess!
How are you blest in the fruition
Of this unequaled man, the soul of Rome,
The Empire's life, and voice of Cæsar's world!
Livia - So blessèd, my Eudemus, as to know
The bliss I have, with what I ought to owe
The means that wrought it. How do I look to-day?
Eudemus -- Excellent clear, believe it. This same fucus
Was well laid on.
Livia
Methinks 'tis here not white.
Eudemus Lend me your scarlet, lady. 'Tis the sun
Hath given some little taint unto the ceruse;
You should have used of the white oil I gave you.
Sejanus, for your love! his very name
Commandeth above Cupid or his shafts —
Livia —
Eudemus
Livia -
Eudemus
Livia -
Eudemus
[Paints her cheek. ]
Nay, now you've made it worse.
I'll help it straight-
And but pronounced, is a sufficient charm
Against all rumor; and of absolute power
To satisfy for any lady's honor.
What do you now, Eudemus?
Make a light fucus,
To touch you o'er withal. Honored Sejanus !
What act, though ne'er so strange and insolent,
But that addition will at least bear out,
If't do not expiate?
Here, good physician.
- I like this study to preserve the love
Of such a man, that comes not every hour
To greet the world. —'Tis now well, lady, you should
Use of this dentifrice I prescribed you too,
To clear your teeth; and the prepared pomatum,
To smooth the skin. A lady cannot be
Too curious of her form, that still would hold
The heart of such a person, made her captive,
As you have his; who, to endear him more
In your clear eye, hath put away his wife,
The trouble of his bed, and your delights,
Fair Apicata, and made spacious room
To your new pleasures.
## p. 8352 (#564) ###########################################
8352
BEN JONSON
Liria
Eudemus
Have not we returned
That with our hate to Drusus, and discovery
Of all his counsels ?
Yes, and wisely, lady.
The ages that succeed, and stand far off
To gaze at your high prudence, shall admire,
And reckon it an act without your sex:
It hath that rare appearance.
Some will think
Your fortune could not yield a deeper sound
Than mixed with Drusus; but when they shall hear
That and the thunder of Sejanus meet, -
Sejanus, whose high name doth strike the stars,
And rings about the concave; great Sejanus,
Whose glories, style, and titles are himself,
The often iterating of Sejanus,-
They then will lose their thoughts, and be ashamed
To take acquaintance of them.
Re-enter Sejanus
Sejanus -
I must take
A rude departure, lady: Cæsar sends
With all his haste both of command and prayer.
Be resolute in our plot: you have my soul,
As certain yours as it is my body's.
And, wise physician, so prepare the poison,
As you may lay the subtle operation
Upon some natural disease of his;
Your eunuch send to me. I kiss your hands,
Glory of ladies, and commend my love
To your best faith and memory.
Livia
My lord,
I shall but change your words. Farewell. Yet this
Remember for your heed: he loves you not;
You know what I have told you; his designs
Are full of grudge and danger; we must use
More than a common speed.
Sejanus —
Excellent lady,
How you do fire my blood !
Livia
Well, you must go?
The thoughts be best, are least set forth to show.
[Exit Sejanus.
Eudemus. - When will you take some physic, lady?
Livia -
When
I shall, Eudemus: but let Drusus's drug
Be first prepared.
## p. 8353 (#565) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8353
SOLILOQUY OF SEJANUS
D
ULL, heavy Cæsar!
Wouldst thou tell me thy favors were made crimes,
And that my fortunes were esteemed thy faults,
That thou for me wert hated, and not think
I would with winged haste prevent that change
When thou mightest win all to thyself again
By forfeiture of me? Did those fond words
Fly swifter from thy lips, than this my brain,
This sparkling forge, created me an armor
T'encounter chance and thee? Well, read my charms,
And may they lay that hold upon thy senses,
As thou hadst snuffed up hemlock, or ta'en down
The juice of poppy and of mandrakes. Sleep,
Voluptuous Cæsar, and security
Seize on thy stupid powers, and leave them dead
To public cares.
FROM THE SILENT WOMAN)
Enter Morose, with a tube in his
Scene: A Room in Morose's House.
hand, followed by Mute.
-
M
Let me
OROSE — Cannot I yet find out a more compendious method
than by this trunk, to save my servants the labor of
speech, and mine ears the discords of sounds ?
see: all discourses but my own afflict me; they seem harsh,
impertinent, and irksome. Is it not possible that thou shouldst
answer me by signs, and I apprehend thee, fellow? Speak not,
though I question you. You have taken the ring off from the
street door, as I bade you? Answer me not by speech, but by
silence; unless it be otherwise. [Mute makes a leg. ] Very good.
And you have fastened on a thick quilt or flock bed on the out-
side of the door: that if they knock with their daggers or with
brickbats, they can make no noise ? - But with your leg, your
answer, unless it be otherwise. [Mute makes a leg. ] Very good.
This is not only fit modesty in a servant, but good state and
discretion in a master. And you have been with Cutbeard the
barber, to have him come to me? [Mute makes a leg:] Good.
.
And he will come presently? Answer me not but with your
leg, unless it be otherwise: if it be otherwise, shake your head
XIV-523
## p. 8354 (#566) ###########################################
8354
BEN JONSON
or shrug. [Mute makes a leg: ] So! Your Italian and Spaniard
are wise in these: and it is a frugal and comely gravity. How
long will it be ere Cutbeard come ? Stay: if an hour, hold up
your whole hand; if half an hour, two fingers; if a quarter, one.
[Mute holds up a finger bent. ]
finger bent. ] Good: half a quarter ? 'Tis well.
And have you given him a key, to come in without knocking?
[Mute makes a leg:) Good. And is the lock oiled, and the
hinges, to-day? [1/ute makes a leg. ] Good.
[Mute makes a leg. ] Good. And the quilting
of the stairs nowhere worn out and bare ? [Mute makes a leg:]
Very good. I see, by much doctrine and impulsion it may be
effected; stand by. The Turk, in this divine discipline, is admir-
able, exceeding all the potentates of the earth: still waited on
by mutes; and all his commands so executed; yea, even in the
war, as I have heard, and in his marches, most of his charges
and directions given by signs, and with silence: an exquisite art!
and I am heartily ashamed, and angry oftentimes, that the princes
of Christendom should suffer a barbarian to transcend them in
so high a point of felicity. I will practice it hereafter. [A horn
winded within. ] How now ? oh! oh! what villain, what prodigy
of mankind is that? Look — [Exit Mute. Horn again. ) Oh!
cut his throat, cut his throat! what murderer, hell-hound, devil
can this be ?
Re-enter Mute
Mute — It is a post from the court -
Morose — Out, rogue! and must thou blow thy horn too?
Mute — Alas, it is a post from the court, sir, that says he
must speak with you, pain of death -
Morose~ Pain of thy life, be silent!
Enter Truewit with a post-horn, and a halter in his hand
Truewit — By your leave, sir, - I am
am a stranger here,- is
your name Master Morose ?
is your name Master Morose ?
Fishes! Pythagoreans all! This is strange. What say you, sir ?
Nothing ? Has Hypocrates been here with his club, among you?
Well, sir, I will believe you to be the man at this time; I will
venture upon you, sir. Your friends at court commend them to
you, sir
Morose - Oh men! Oh manners! was there ever such an
impudence ?
Truewit - And are extremely solicitous for you, sir.
## p. 8355 (#567) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8355
.
Morose - Whose knave are you?
Truewit - Mine own knave, and your compeer, sir.
Morose Fetch me my sword —
Truewit - You shall taste the one-half of my dagger if you
do, groom; and you the other if you stir, sir. Be patient, I
charge you, in the King's name, and hear me without insurrec-
tion. They say you are to marry; to marry! do you mark, sir?
Morose – How then, rude companion ?
Truewit - Marry, your friends do wonder, sir, the Thames
being so near, wherein you may drown so handsomely; or Lon-
don bridge at a low fall, with a fine leap, to hurry you down the
stream; or such a delicate steeple in the town as Bow, to vault
from; or a braver height, as Paul's; or if you affected to do it
nearer home, and a shorter way, an excellent garret window into
the street; or a beam in the said garret, with this halter [shows
him the halter] which they have sent,- and desire that you would
sooner commit your grave head to this knot than to the wedlock
noose; or take a little sublimate, and go out of the world like a
rat; or a fly, as one said, with a straw in your body: any way,
rather than follow this goblin Matrimony.
Morose — Good sir, have I ever cozened any friends of yours
of their lands?
bought their possessions ? taken forfeit of their
mortgage ? begged a reversion from them?
What have
I done that may deserve this?
Truewit - Alas, sir, I am but a messenger: I but tell you
what you must hear. It seems your friends are careful after your
soul's health, sir, and would have you know the danger. (But
you may do your pleasure for all them; I persuade not, sir. ) If,
after you are married, your wife do run away with a vaulter, or
the Frenchman that walks upon ropes, or him that dances a jig,
why, it is not their fault; they have discharged their con-
sciences, when you know what may happen. Nay, suffer valiantly,
sir, for I must tell you all the perils that you are obnoxious to.
If she be fair, young, and vegetous, no sweetmeats ever drew
more flies; all the yellow doublets and great roses in the town
will be there. If foul and crooked, she'll be with them.
If rich, and that you marry her dowry, not her, she'll reign in
your house as imperious as a widow. If noble, all her kindred will
be your tyrants.
If learned, there was never such a
parrot; all your patrimony will be too little for the guests that
must be invited to hear her speak Latin and Greek.
If
## p. 8356 (#568) ###########################################
8356
BEN JONSON
9
precise, you must feast all the silenced brethren once in three
days; salute the sisters; entertain the whole family or wood of
them; and hear long-winded exercises, singings, and catechizings,
which you are not given to, and yet must give for, to please the
zealous matron your wife, who for the holy cause will cozen you
over and above. You begin to sweat, sir! but this is not half,
i' faith; you may do your pleasure, notwithstanding, as I said
before: I come not to persuade you. —[Mute is stealing away. ]
Upon my faith, master serving-man, if you do stir, I will beat
you.
Morose – Oh, what is my sin! what is my sin!
Truewit — Then, if you love your wife, or rather dote on her,
sir, -oh, how she'll torture you, and take pleasure in your tor-
ments!
That friend must not visit you without her
license; and him she loves most, she will seem to hate eagerliest,
to decline your jealousy;
she must have that rich gown
for such a great day; a new one for the next; a richer for the
third; be served in silver; have the chamber filled with a succes-
sion of grooms, footmen, ushers, and other messengers; besides
embroiderers, jewelers, tire-women, sempsters, feathermen, per-
fumers; whilst she feels not how the land drops away, nor the
acres melt; nor foresees the change, when the mercer has your
woods for her velvets: never weighs what her pride costs, sir,
so she may
be a stateswoman, know all the news, what
was done at Salisbury, what at the Bath, what at court, what
in progress; or so she may censure poets, and authors, and styles,
and compare them, - Daniel with Spenser, Jonson with the t'other
youth, and so forth; or be thought cunning in controversies or
the very knots of divinity; and have often in her mouth the
state of the question; and then skip to the mathematics and
demonstration: and answer in religion to one, in state to another,
in folly to a third.
Morose -Oh, oh!
Truewit — All this is very true, sir. And then her going in
disguise to that conjurer and this cunning woman: where the
first question is, How soon you shall die?
dence she shall have by her next match ? And sets down the
answers, and believes them above the Scriptures. Nay, perhaps
she'll study the art.
Morose -- Gentle sir, have you done ? have you had your pleas-
ure of me? I'll think of these things.
.
What prece-
## p. 8357 (#569) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8357
Truewit — Yes, sir; and then comes reeking home of vapor
and sweat, with going afoot, and lies in a month of a new face,
all oil and birdlime; and rises in asses' milk, and is cleansed
with a new fucus: God be wi' you, sir. One thing more, which
I had almost forgot:
I'll be bold to leave this rope with
you, sir, for a remembrance. — Farewell, Mute!
[Exit.
Morose — Come, have me to my chamber; but first shut the
door. [Truewit winds the horn without. ] Oh, shut the door,
shut the door! Is he come again?
PROLOGUE FROM (EVERY MAN IN HIS HUMOUR)
T
HOUGH need make many poets, and some such
As art and nature have not bettered much;
Yet ours, for want, hath not so loved the stage
As he dare serve the ill customs of the age,
Or purchase your delight at such a rate
As, for it, he himself must justly hate.
To make a child, now swaddled, to proceed
Man, and then shoot up in one beard and weed
Past threescore years; or with three rusty swords,
And help of some few foot-and-half-foot words,
Fight over York and Lancaster's long jars,
And in the tyring-house bring wounds to scars.
He rather prays, you will be pleased to see
One such to-day, as other plays should be:
Where neither chorus wafts you o'er the seas;
Nor creaking throne comes down, the boys to please;
Nor nimble squib is seen, to make afeard
The gentlewomen; nor rolled bullet heard
To say, it thunders; nor tempestuous drum
Rumbles, to tell you when the storm doth come:
But deeds and language such as men do use;
And persons such as comedy would choose,
When she would show an image of the times,
And sport with human follies, not with crimes.
## p. 8358 (#570) ###########################################
8358
BEN JONSON
SONG TO CELIA
D
RINK to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I'll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine:
But might I of Jove's nectar sup,
I would not change from thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honoring thee
As giving it a hope, that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
And sent'st it back to me:
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee.
SONG – THAT WOMEN ARE BUT MEN’S SHADOWS
F
OLLOW a shadow, it still Alies you,
Seem to fly it, it will pursue:
So court a mistress, she denies you;
Let her alone, she will court you.
Say, are not women truly, then,
Styled but the shadows of us men?
At morn and even shades are longest;
At noon they are or short or none:
So men at weakest, they are strongest,
But grant us perfect, they're not known.
Say, are not women truly, then,
Styled but the shadows of us men ?
SONG FROM (VOLPONE)
CO
OME, my Celia, let us prove,
While we can, the sports of love;
Time will not be ours forever,
He at length our good will sever:
Spend not then his gifts in vain;
Suns that set may rise again;
## p. 8359 (#571) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8359
But if once we lose this light,
'Tis with us perpetual night. .
'Tis no sin love's fruits to steal;
But the sweet thefts to reveal,-
To be taken, to be seen,-
These have crimes accounted been.
AN EPITAPH ON SALATHIEL PAVY
WP
EEP with me, all you that read
This little story;
And know, for whom a tear you shed
Death's self is sorry.
'Twas a child that so did thrive
In grace and feature,
As heaven and nature seemed to strive
Which owned the creature.
Years he numbered scarce thirteen
When fates turned cruel,
Yet three filled zodiacs had he been
The stage's jewel;
And did act, what now we moan,
Old men so duly,
As sooth the Parcæ thought him one,
He played so truly.
So, by error, to his fate
They all consented;
But viewing him since, alas, too late!
They have repented;
And have sought, to give new birth,
In baths to steep him:
But being so much too good for earth,
Heaven vows to keep him
ON MY FIRST DAUGHTER
H
ERE lies, to each her parents ruth,
Mary, the daughter of their youth;
Yet all heaven's gifts being heaven's due,
It makes the father less to rue.
At six months' end she parted hence
With safety of her innocence;
## p. 8360 (#572) ###########################################
8360
BEN JONSON
Whose soul heaven's Queen, whose name she bears,
In comfort of her mother's tears,
Hath placed amongst her virgin train:
Where while that, severed, doth remain,
This grave partakes the fleshy birth;
Which cover lightly, gentle earth!
FROM (CYNTHIA'S REVELS)
Enter Hesperus, Cynthia, Arete, Timè, Phronesis, and Thauma.
Music accompanied. Hesperus sings
Q
UEEN and huntress, chaste and fair,
Now the sun is laid to sleep,
Seated in thy silver chair,
State in wonted manner keep:
Hesperus entreats thy light,
Goddess excellently bright.
Earth, let not thy envious shade
Dare itself to interpose;
Cynthia's shining orb was made
Heaven to clear, when day did close:
Bless us then with wished sight,
Goddess excellently bright.
Lay thy bow of pearl apart,
And thy crystal shining quiver;
Give unto the flying hart
Space to breathe, how short soever:
Thou that mak'st a day of night,
Goddess excellently bright.
THE NOBLE NATURE
I"
T is not growing like a tree
In bulk doth make man better be;
Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,
To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere:
A lily of a day
Is fairer far in May,
Although it fall and die that night:
It was the plant and flower of Light.
In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be.
## p. 8361 (#573) ###########################################
8361
JOSEPHUS
(37–100 A. D. )
BY EDWIN KNOX MITCHELL
OSEPHUS the Jewish historian was born at Jerusalem of Jew-
ish parentage in 37 A. D. He belonged to a distinguished
priestly family, and was himself early put in training for
the priesthood. At the age of fourteen his knowledge of the law
was so minute and profound as to attract the attention of the high
priests and chief rabbis of the city. But dissatisfied with such attain-
ments, he began at the age of sixteen a pilgrimage of the various
schools of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. Failing to quench
his thirst for knowledge, he withdrew into the wilderness and sought
the guidance of the hermit Banus, with whom he lived for three
years. Returning thereupon to Jerusalem, he openly espoused the
cause of the Pharisees and rose rapidly in their favor. In 63 A. D. ,
being then twenty-six years of age, he went to Rome to secure the
release of certain priests, who were near relatives of his and who
had been imprisoned upon some trifling charges. The Jewish actor
Alityrus introduced him to the Empress Poppæa, who obtained the
release of the prisoners and loaded Josephus with rich presents for
the journey home.
Soon after his return, in 66 A. D. , the Jewish revolt against the
Roman rule began; and after the first decisive battle, Josephus joined
the revolutionary party and became one of its leaders.
He was
intrusted with the chief command in Galilee, where the conflict had
originated, and he set himself at once to fortify certain towns and
to organize and discipline his army. He has left us in his "Wars of
the Jews' a minute account of his leadership, down to the time of his
capture a year later upon the fall of the fortress of Jotapata. When
carried before Vespasian he prophesied, two years in advance of the
event, that general's elevation to the throne. Vespasian now kept
him near at hand; and when the Palestinian legions fulfilled Jose-
phus's prophecy, the new Emperor granted his distinguished prisoner
freedom. According to custom, Josephus now assumed the name Fla-
vius, and proved his gratitude by remaining with the Roman army
when Titus was intrusted with the command in Palestine. During
the siege of Jerusalem, Josephus often endangered his life, at the
## p. 8362 (#574) ###########################################
8362
JOSEPHUS
more
1
command of Titus, in trying to persuade the Jews to surrender the
city. And when the end came he was permitted to take whatever
he wanted, and by his intercession many prisoners who were his
personal friends obtained their freedom. He now went with Titus to
Rome, and Vespasian assigned him a palatial residence, bestowing
upon him the rights of Roman citizenship and granting him a yearly
stipend. He was also presented with a large estate in Judæa; but
he preferred to reside at Rome, where he continued to pursue his
studies and to prosecute his literary work amid the unbroken favor
of the successive Emperors. He died in the early days of Trajan's
reign.
WORKS. - The literary labors of Josephus, which covered
than a quarter of a century, resulted in the production of the follow-
ing works:--
(1) The "Wars of the Jews. This consists of seven books, and
was originally written in Aramaic, but was soon rewritten in Greek,
and obtained the hearty indorsement of both Vespasian and Titus.
The first two books sketch quite fully the history of the Jews from
the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, 175-164 B. C. , down to the first year
of the war, 66 A. D. The remainder of the work is taken up with a
detailed account of the war down to the destruction of Jerusalem
and the complete demolition of the Jewish State in 70 A. D. The
later books are the account of an eye-witness and a participant in
the events narrated, and are by far the best record we have of those
eventful years.
(2) The Antiquities of the Jews. Upon the completion of the
former work, near the close of Vespasian's reign, Josephus seems to
have given himself to the stupendous task of narrating the history
of the Jewish people from the earliest times down to the outbreak
of the war with the Romans. This occupied him for some twenty
years, and resulted in the composition of the Antiquities of the
Jews,' in twenty books. The first ten books reach down to the
Babylonian captivity, and the narrative runs parallel with the Bibli-
cal account; the eleventh book carries the history down to Alex-
ander the Great, who died in 323 B. C. ; the twelfth to the death of
Judas Maccabæus, in 161 B. C. ; the thirteenth to the death of Alex-
andra, in 69 B. C. ; the fourteenth to the commencement of Herod the
Great's reign, in 37 B. C. ; the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth are
devoted to the reign of Herod, 37-4 B. C. ; the remaining three books
bring us down to the outbreak of the Jewish war in 66 A. D. The
chief aim of the author was so to present the history of the much
despised Jewish people as to win for them the respect of the cultured
Greeks and Romans of his own day. To this end he does not hesitate
to modify or omit the more offensive portions of the Old Testament
## p. 8363 (#575) ###########################################
JOSEPHUS
8363
>>>
narrative, or to strengthen the Biblical account by quotations from
non-canonical writers. He uses his extra-Biblical sources still more
freely: quoting, epitomizing, elaborating, and often controverting their
statements. For the period from 440 to 175 B. C. he is almost wholly
dependent upon the Alexander legends and the pseudo-Aristeas; for
175 to 135 B. C. the First Book of Maccabees is the principal source,
which is supplemented by Polybius and others; for 135 to 37 B. C.
the chief authorities are Strabo and Nicolas of Damascus, whose ac-
counts are supplemented by oral tradition. For the history of Herod,
37-4 B. C. , Nicolas of Damascus is the principal authority, with a
possible use of the Commentaries of King Herod. This last period
is described with great fullness and particularity; but the narrative
thereafter is scanty till we reach the reign of Agrippa I. , which is
elaborated with oral traditions. For the remainder of the Antiqui-
ties) Josephus relied upon his personal recollections and living wit-
nesses.
(3) Autobiography. Instead of being a life, this brief work
is really a defense of the author's conduct of the Galilean campaign
in 66-67 A. D. There are short biographical notices, which form an
introduction and a conclusion to the personal apologia. Justus of Ti-
berias had written an account of the Jewish war which represented
Josephus as the author of the revolt in Galilee, and thus compromised
his standing with the Romans. The so-called Autobiography' is a
vituperative attack upon Justus and a pitifully weak reply to his
charges.
The 'Treatise Against Apion. This is the last of the extant
works of Josephus, and it followed closely upon the publication of
the preceding. The title as given is defective, and is certainly not
the original one. The grammarian Apion is not the chief object of
attack, but rather the violent and ofttimes absurd prejudices against
the Jewish people and their religion. The historian makes an able
and skillful defense, in which he seeks to prove the great antiquity
of the Jews and their superiority over other nations, especially the
Egyptians and Greeks. He maintains that the latter derived their
best laws and highest wisdom from Moses and other inspired writers;
and he then charges the Greeks with all manner of injustice, immo-
rality, stupidity, and sacrilege. The Jewish religion is ably defended
and expounded, and the personal beliefs of Josephus can be fairly
well determined.
CHARACTER. — Josephus was a man of strong individuality; but he
was vain, opinionated, self-seeking, and duplicitous. It is unfair to
charge him with the betrayal of his nation, for he only prudently
submitted to the inevitable. But it cannot be denied that he accom-
plished the transference of his personal allegiance to the Romans
## p. 8364 (#576) ###########################################
8364
JOSEPHUS
with unbecoming equanimity, and with an eye single to his own
immediate safety and future prospects. Contrast this conduct with
that of an older contemporary, St. Paul, who was willing to be
accursed if he might thereby save his people. It is interesting to
recall that Josephus was born about the time of St. Paul's conversion;
both were trained in Jerusalem as Pharisees; both went to Rome
about the same year, where they may have learned to know each
other: but later, while the former was dexterously compromising with
the Romans, the latter was refusing to betray his cause and conse-
quently suffered the death penalty. The faults of Josephus as a his-
torian are, as might have been expected, the faults inherent in his
character as a man. He was learned, but he was at the same time
opinionated; he was a keen observer, but he was vainglorious and
ever seeking to justify himself or his cause; he had a clear percep-
tion of the forces which mold events, but he was lacking in integ-
rity and candor. His writings are accordingly full of perverted
accounts, ludicrous exaggerations, and dexterous apologies. But it is
not so difficult to detect these defects; for they are often glaring, and
they almost always bear the marks of personal prejudice or racial
bias. The Antiquities' were written to glorify the history and
character of the Jewish people; the Wars) and Autobiography) to
glorify and shield their author; and the Treatise against Apion to
glorify and defend the Jewish religion. But notwithstanding these
radical defects, there is perhaps no other ancient historian whose
works have come down to us, who has covered so wide a range of
human events and has left us more valuable historical details. For
the period intervening between the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures,
and for a knowledge of the New Testament times, the works of Jose-
phus are indispensable.
Ecurie Mun Vuitkell
MOSES AS A LEGISLATOR
From the Preface to the (Antiquities)
09
NE who will peruse this history may principally learn from it,
that all events succeed well, even to an incredible degree,
and the reward of felicity is proposed by God: but then it
is to those that follow his will, and do not venture to break his
excellent laws; and that so far as men any way apostatize from
## p. 8365 (#577) ###########################################
JOSEPHUS
8365
the accurate observation of them, what was practicable before
becomes impracticable; and whatsoever they set about as a good
thing is converted into an incurable calamity. And now I exhort
all those who peruse these books, to apply their minds to God:
and to examine the mind of our legislator, whether he hath not
understood his nature in a manner worthy of him; and hath
not ever ascribed to him such operations as become his power;
and hath not preserved his own writings from those indecent
fables which others have framed, although by the great distance
of time when he lived he might have securely forged such lies,
- for he lived two thousand years ago, at which vast distance of
ages the poets themselves have not been so hardy as to fix even
the generations of their gods, much less the actions of their
men or their own laws, As I proceed, therefore, I shall accu-
rately describe what is contained in our records, in the order of
time that belongs to them,
without adding anything to
what is therein contained, or taking away anything therefrom.
But because almost all our constitution depends on the wisdom
of Moses our legislator, I cannot avoid saying somewhat concern-
ing him beforehand, though I shall do it briefly; I mean, because
otherwise those that read my books may wonder how it comes
to pass that my discourse, which promises an account of laws
and historical facts, contains so much of philosophy. The reader
is therefore to know that Moses deemed it exceeding necessary
that he who would conduct his own life well, and give laws to
others, in the first place should consider the Divine nature; and
upon the contemplation of God's operations, should thereby imi-
tate the best of all patterns, so far as it is possible for human
nature to do, and to endeavor to follow after it; neither could
the legislator himself have a right mind without such a contem-
plation; nor would anything he should write tend to the promo-
tion of virtue in his readers: I mean, unless they be taught first
of all that God is the Father and Lord of all things, and sees all
things; and that hence he bestows a happy life upon those that
follow him, but plunges such as do not walk in the paths of vir-
tue into inevitable miseries. Now when Moses was desirous to
teach this lesson to his countrymen, he did not begin the estab-
lishment of his laws after the same manner that other legislators
did, -I mean, upon contracts and other rights between one man
and another, but by raising their minds upwards to regard God
and his creation of the world; and by persuading them that we
## p. 8366 (#578) ###########################################
8366
JOSEPHUS
men are the most excellent of the creatures of God upon earth.
Now when once he had brought them to submit to religion, he
easily persuaded them to submit in all other things; for as to
other legislators, they followed fables, and by their discourses
transferred the most reproachful of human vices unto the gods,
and so afforded wicked men the most plausible excuses for their
crimes; but as for our legislator, when he had once demonstrated
that God was possessed of perfect virtue, he supposed men also
ought to strive after the participation of it; and on those who
did not so think and so believe, he inflicted the severest punish-
ments. I exhort, therefore, my readers to examine this whole
undertaking in that view; for thereby it will appear to them that
there is nothing therein disagreeable either to the majesty of
God, or to his love for mankind: for all things have here a ref-
erence to the nature of the universe; while our legislator speaks
some things wisely but enigmatically, and others under a decent
allegory, but still explains such things as required a direct expli-
cation, plainly and expressly.
Whiston's Translation.
SOLOMON'S WISDOM
From the 'Antiquities)
Nº"
.
the sagacity and wisdom which God had bestowed on
Solomon was so great that he exceeded the ancients, inso-
much that he was no way inferior to the Egyptians, who
are said to have been beyond all men in understanding; nay,
indeed, it is evident that their sagacity was very much inferior
to that of the King's. He also excelled and distinguished him-
self in wisdom above those who were most eminent among the
Hebrews at that time for shrewdness.
He also composed
books of odes and songs a thousand and five, of parables and simil-
itudes three thousand — for he spake a parable upon every sort
of tree from the hyssop to the cedar, and in like manner also
about beasts, about all sorts of living creatures, whether upon the
earth, or in the seas, or in the air; for he was not unacquainted
with any of their natures, nor omitted inquiries about them, but
described them all like a philosopher, and demonstrated his exqui-
site knowledge of their several properties. God also enabled him
to learn that skill which expels demons, which is a science useful
## p. 8367 (#579) ###########################################
JOSEPHUS
8367
and sanative to him. He composed such incantations also by
which distempers are alleviated. And he left behind him the
manner of using exorcisms, by which they drive away demons so
that they never return: and this method of cure is of great force
unto this day; for I have seen a certain man of my own country,
whose name was Eleazar, releasing people that were demoniacal,
in the presence of Vespasian and his sons and his captains and
the whole multitude of his soldiers. The manner of the cure
was this: He put a ring that had a root of one of those sorts
mentioned by Solomon, to the nostrils of the demoniac, after
which he drew out the demon through his nostrils; and when the
man fell down immediately, he adjured him to return into him
no more, - making still mention of Solomon, and reciting the
incantations which he composed. And when Eleazar would per-
suade and demonstrate to the spectators that he had such power,
he set a little way off a cup or basin full of water, and com-
manded the demon, as he went out of the man, to overturn it,
and thereby to let the spectators know that he had left the man;
and when this was done, the skill and wisdom of Solomon was
showed very manifestly.
Whiston's Translation.
ALEXANDER'S CONQUEST OF PALESTINE
From the Antiquities)
A
BOUT this time (333 B. C. ) it was that Darius heard how
Alexander had passed over the Hellespont, and had beaten
his lieutenants in the battle of Granicum, and was proceed-
ing farther; whereupon he gathered together an army of horse
and foot, and determined that he would meet the Macedonians
before they should assault and conquer all Asia. So he passed
over the river Euphrates, and came over Taurus, the Cilician
mountain; and at Isis of Cilicia he waited for the enemy, as
ready there to give him battle. Upon which Sanballat was glad
that Darius was come down; and told Manasseh that he would
suddenly perform his promises to him, and this as soon as ever
Darius should come back, after he had beaten his enemies; for
not he only, but all those that were in Asia also, were persuaded
that the Macedonians would not so much as come to a battle
with the Persians, on account of their multitude. But the event
## p. 8368 (#580) ###########################################
8368
JOSEPHUS
proved otherwise than they expected, for the king joined battle
with the Macedonians, and was beaten, and lost a great part of
his army.
His mother also, and his wife and children, were
taken captives, and he fled into Persia.
matter showed itself to them more plentifully; their words an-
swered, their composition followed; and all, as in a well-ordered
family, presented itself in the place. So that the sum of all is,
ready writing makes not good writing, but good writing brings
on ready writing: Yet when we think we have got the faculty,
it is even then good to resist it, as to give a horse a check some-
times with a bit, which doth not so much stop his course as stir
his mettle. Again, whither a man's genius is best able to reach,
thither it should more and more contend, lift, and dilate itself;
as men of low stature raise themselves on their toes, and so oft-
times get even, if not eminent. Besides, as it is fit for grown
and able writers to stand of themselves, and work with their own
strength, to trust and endeavor by their own faculties; so it is
fit for the beginner and learner to study others and the best.
For the mind and memory are more sharply exercised in com-
prehending another man's things than our own; and such as
accustom themselves and are familiar with the best authors shall
ever and anon find somewhat of them in themselves: and in the
expression of their minds, even when they feel it not, be able to
## p. 8347 (#559) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8347
utter something like theirs, which hath an authority above their
own. Nay, sometimes it is the reward of a man's study, the
praise of quoting another man fitly; and though a man be more
prone and able for one kind of writing than another, yet he
must exercise all. For as in an instrument, so in style, there
must be a harmony and consent of parts.
ON SHAKESPEARE
From "Timber, or Discoveries Made upon Men and Matter)
D'
»
E SHAKESPEARE NOSTRAT[1]. — I remember the players have
often mentioned it as an honor to Shakespeare, that in his
writing, whatsoever he penned, he never blotted out a line.
My answer hath been, “Would he had blotted a thousand;
which they thought a malevolent speech. I had not told pos-
terity this, but for their ignorance who chose that circumstance
to commend their friend by wherein he most faulted; and to
justify mine own candor, for I loved the man, and do honor his
memory on this side idolatry as much as any. He was indeed
honest, and of an open and free nature; had an excellent fancy,
brave notions, and gentle expressions, wherein he flowed with
that facility that sometime it was necessary he should be stopped.
“Sufflaminandus erat,” as Augustus said of Haterius. His wit
was in his own power: would the rule of it had been so too.
But he redeemed his vices with his virtues. There was ever
more in him to be praised than to be pardoned.
TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED MASTER, WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE
Tº
NO DRAW no envy, Shakespeare, on thy name,
Am I thus ample to thy book and fame;
While I confess thy writings to be such
As neither man nor Muse can praise too much.
'Tis true, and all men's suffrage. But these ways
Were not the paths I meant unto thy praise:
For silliest ignorance on these may light,
Which, when it sounds at best, but echoes right;
Or blind affection, which doth ne'er advance
The truth, but gropes, and urgeth all by chance;
## p. 8348 (#560) ###########################################
8348
BEN JONSON
Or crafty malice might pretend this praise,
And think to ruin, where it seemed to raise.
These are, as some infamous bawd or whore
Should praise a matron: what could hurt her more?
But thou art proof against them, and indeed
Above the ill fortune of them, or the need.
I therefore will begin: Soul of the age !
The applause! delight! the wonder of our stage!
My SHAKESPEARE rise! I will not lodge thee by
Chaucer, or Spenser, or bid Beaumont lie
A little further off, to make thee room:
Thou art a monument without a tomb;
And art alive still, while thy book doth live,
And we have wits to read and praise to give.
That I not mix thee so, my brain excuses,
I mean with great, but disproportioned Muses;
For if I thought my judgment were of years,
I should commit thee surely with thy peers,
And tell how far thou didst our Lily outshine,
Or sporting Kyd, or Marlowe's mighty line.
And though thou hadst small Latin and less Greek,
From thence to honor thee, I will not seek
For names: but call forth thundering Æschylus,
Euripides, and Sophocles to us,
Pacuvius, Accius, him of Cordoua dead,
To live again, to hear thy buskin tread,
And shake a stage; or when thy socks were on,
Leave thee alone for the comparison
Of all that insolent Greece or haughty Rome
Sent forth, or since did from their ashes come.
Triumph, my Britain! thou hast one to show,
To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe.
He was not of an age, but for all time!
And all the Muses still were in their prime
When, like Apollo, he came forth to warm
Our ears, or like a Mercury to charm!
Nature herself was proud of his designs,
And joyed to wear the dressing of his lines!
Which were so richly spun, and woven so fit,
As, since, she will vouchsafe no other wit.
The merry Greek, tart Aristophanes,
Neat Terence, witty Plautus, now not please;
But antiquated and deserted lie,
As they were not of nature's family.
## p. 8349 (#561) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8349
Yet must I not give nature all: thy art,
My gentle Shakespeare, must enjoy a part.
For though the poet's matter nature be,
His art doth give the fashion; and that he
Who casts to write a living line, must sweat,
(Such as thine are) and strike the second heat
Upon the Muses' anvil; turn the same,
And himself with it, that he thinks to fame:
Or for the laurel he may gain a scorn;
For a good poet's made as well as born.
And such wert thou! Look how the father's face
Lives in his issue: even so the race
Of Shakespeare's mind and manners brightly shines
In his well turned and true filed lines;
In each of which he seems to shake a lance,
As brandished at the eyes of ignorance.
Sweet Swan of Avon! what a sight it were
To see thee in our water yet appear,
And make those flights upon the banks of Thames
That so did take Eliza, and our James!
But stay: I see thee in the hemisphere
Advanced, and made a constellation there!
Shine forth, thou Star of poets, and with rage
Or influence, chide or cheer the drooping stage;
Which, since thy flight from hence, hath mourned like
night,
And despairs day, but for thy volume's light.
FROM (SEJANUS)
Scene :
The Garden of Eudemus in Rome. Enter Sejanus, Livia, and
Eudemus.
EJANUS
Physician, thou art worthy of a province
For the great favors done unto our loves;
And but that greatest Livia bears a part
In the requital of thy services,
I should alone despair of aught like means
To give them worthy satisfaction.
Eudemus, I will see it, shall receive
A fit and full reward for his large merit.
But for this potion we intend to Drusus, –
No more our husband now,- whom shall we choose
Livia -
## p. 8350 (#562) ###########################################
8350
BEN JONSON
As the most apt and abled instrument
To minister it to him ?
Eudemus-
I say, Lydgus.
Sejanus — Lydgus? what's he?
Livia –
An eunuch Drusus loves.
Eudemus - Ay, and his cup-bearer. .
Sejanus — Send him to me; I'll work him. - Royal lady,
Though I have loved you long, and with that height
Of zeal and duty, like the fire, which more
It mounts it trembles, thinking naught could add
Unto the fervor which your eye had kindled, -
Yet now I see your wisdom, judgment, strength,
Quickness and will to apprehend the means
To your own good and greatness, I protest
Myself through rarefied and turned all flame
In your affection: such a spirit as yours
Was not created for the idle second
To a poor flash, as Drusus; but to shine
Bright as the moon among the lesser lights,
And share the sovereignty of all the world.
Then Livia triumphs in her proper sphere,
When she and her Sejanus shall divide
The name of Cæsar, and Augusta's star
Be dimmed with glory of a brighter beam;
When Agrippina's fires are quite extinct,
And the scarce-seen Tiberius borrows all
His little light from us, whose folded arms
Shall make one perfect orb.
[Knocking within. ]
Who's that? Eudemus,
Look. 'Tis not Drusus, lady; do not fear.
[Exit Eudemus. ]
Livia Not I, my lord: my fear and love of him
Left me at once.
Sejanus
Illustrious lady, stay —
Eudemus within-
I'll tell his Lordship.
Re-enter Eudemus
Sejanus —
Who is it, Eudemus ?
Eudemus — One of your Lordship's servants brings you word
The Emperor hath sent for you.
## p. 8351 (#563) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8351
Sejanus -
Oh, where is he?
With your fair leave, dear princess, I'll but ask
A question, and return.
(Exit.
Eudemus
Fortunate princess!
How are you blest in the fruition
Of this unequaled man, the soul of Rome,
The Empire's life, and voice of Cæsar's world!
Livia - So blessèd, my Eudemus, as to know
The bliss I have, with what I ought to owe
The means that wrought it. How do I look to-day?
Eudemus -- Excellent clear, believe it. This same fucus
Was well laid on.
Livia
Methinks 'tis here not white.
Eudemus Lend me your scarlet, lady. 'Tis the sun
Hath given some little taint unto the ceruse;
You should have used of the white oil I gave you.
Sejanus, for your love! his very name
Commandeth above Cupid or his shafts —
Livia —
Eudemus
Livia -
Eudemus
Livia -
Eudemus
[Paints her cheek. ]
Nay, now you've made it worse.
I'll help it straight-
And but pronounced, is a sufficient charm
Against all rumor; and of absolute power
To satisfy for any lady's honor.
What do you now, Eudemus?
Make a light fucus,
To touch you o'er withal. Honored Sejanus !
What act, though ne'er so strange and insolent,
But that addition will at least bear out,
If't do not expiate?
Here, good physician.
- I like this study to preserve the love
Of such a man, that comes not every hour
To greet the world. —'Tis now well, lady, you should
Use of this dentifrice I prescribed you too,
To clear your teeth; and the prepared pomatum,
To smooth the skin. A lady cannot be
Too curious of her form, that still would hold
The heart of such a person, made her captive,
As you have his; who, to endear him more
In your clear eye, hath put away his wife,
The trouble of his bed, and your delights,
Fair Apicata, and made spacious room
To your new pleasures.
## p. 8352 (#564) ###########################################
8352
BEN JONSON
Liria
Eudemus
Have not we returned
That with our hate to Drusus, and discovery
Of all his counsels ?
Yes, and wisely, lady.
The ages that succeed, and stand far off
To gaze at your high prudence, shall admire,
And reckon it an act without your sex:
It hath that rare appearance.
Some will think
Your fortune could not yield a deeper sound
Than mixed with Drusus; but when they shall hear
That and the thunder of Sejanus meet, -
Sejanus, whose high name doth strike the stars,
And rings about the concave; great Sejanus,
Whose glories, style, and titles are himself,
The often iterating of Sejanus,-
They then will lose their thoughts, and be ashamed
To take acquaintance of them.
Re-enter Sejanus
Sejanus -
I must take
A rude departure, lady: Cæsar sends
With all his haste both of command and prayer.
Be resolute in our plot: you have my soul,
As certain yours as it is my body's.
And, wise physician, so prepare the poison,
As you may lay the subtle operation
Upon some natural disease of his;
Your eunuch send to me. I kiss your hands,
Glory of ladies, and commend my love
To your best faith and memory.
Livia
My lord,
I shall but change your words. Farewell. Yet this
Remember for your heed: he loves you not;
You know what I have told you; his designs
Are full of grudge and danger; we must use
More than a common speed.
Sejanus —
Excellent lady,
How you do fire my blood !
Livia
Well, you must go?
The thoughts be best, are least set forth to show.
[Exit Sejanus.
Eudemus. - When will you take some physic, lady?
Livia -
When
I shall, Eudemus: but let Drusus's drug
Be first prepared.
## p. 8353 (#565) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8353
SOLILOQUY OF SEJANUS
D
ULL, heavy Cæsar!
Wouldst thou tell me thy favors were made crimes,
And that my fortunes were esteemed thy faults,
That thou for me wert hated, and not think
I would with winged haste prevent that change
When thou mightest win all to thyself again
By forfeiture of me? Did those fond words
Fly swifter from thy lips, than this my brain,
This sparkling forge, created me an armor
T'encounter chance and thee? Well, read my charms,
And may they lay that hold upon thy senses,
As thou hadst snuffed up hemlock, or ta'en down
The juice of poppy and of mandrakes. Sleep,
Voluptuous Cæsar, and security
Seize on thy stupid powers, and leave them dead
To public cares.
FROM THE SILENT WOMAN)
Enter Morose, with a tube in his
Scene: A Room in Morose's House.
hand, followed by Mute.
-
M
Let me
OROSE — Cannot I yet find out a more compendious method
than by this trunk, to save my servants the labor of
speech, and mine ears the discords of sounds ?
see: all discourses but my own afflict me; they seem harsh,
impertinent, and irksome. Is it not possible that thou shouldst
answer me by signs, and I apprehend thee, fellow? Speak not,
though I question you. You have taken the ring off from the
street door, as I bade you? Answer me not by speech, but by
silence; unless it be otherwise. [Mute makes a leg. ] Very good.
And you have fastened on a thick quilt or flock bed on the out-
side of the door: that if they knock with their daggers or with
brickbats, they can make no noise ? - But with your leg, your
answer, unless it be otherwise. [Mute makes a leg. ] Very good.
This is not only fit modesty in a servant, but good state and
discretion in a master. And you have been with Cutbeard the
barber, to have him come to me? [Mute makes a leg:] Good.
.
And he will come presently? Answer me not but with your
leg, unless it be otherwise: if it be otherwise, shake your head
XIV-523
## p. 8354 (#566) ###########################################
8354
BEN JONSON
or shrug. [Mute makes a leg: ] So! Your Italian and Spaniard
are wise in these: and it is a frugal and comely gravity. How
long will it be ere Cutbeard come ? Stay: if an hour, hold up
your whole hand; if half an hour, two fingers; if a quarter, one.
[Mute holds up a finger bent. ]
finger bent. ] Good: half a quarter ? 'Tis well.
And have you given him a key, to come in without knocking?
[Mute makes a leg:) Good. And is the lock oiled, and the
hinges, to-day? [1/ute makes a leg. ] Good.
[Mute makes a leg. ] Good. And the quilting
of the stairs nowhere worn out and bare ? [Mute makes a leg:]
Very good. I see, by much doctrine and impulsion it may be
effected; stand by. The Turk, in this divine discipline, is admir-
able, exceeding all the potentates of the earth: still waited on
by mutes; and all his commands so executed; yea, even in the
war, as I have heard, and in his marches, most of his charges
and directions given by signs, and with silence: an exquisite art!
and I am heartily ashamed, and angry oftentimes, that the princes
of Christendom should suffer a barbarian to transcend them in
so high a point of felicity. I will practice it hereafter. [A horn
winded within. ] How now ? oh! oh! what villain, what prodigy
of mankind is that? Look — [Exit Mute. Horn again. ) Oh!
cut his throat, cut his throat! what murderer, hell-hound, devil
can this be ?
Re-enter Mute
Mute — It is a post from the court -
Morose — Out, rogue! and must thou blow thy horn too?
Mute — Alas, it is a post from the court, sir, that says he
must speak with you, pain of death -
Morose~ Pain of thy life, be silent!
Enter Truewit with a post-horn, and a halter in his hand
Truewit — By your leave, sir, - I am
am a stranger here,- is
your name Master Morose ?
is your name Master Morose ?
Fishes! Pythagoreans all! This is strange. What say you, sir ?
Nothing ? Has Hypocrates been here with his club, among you?
Well, sir, I will believe you to be the man at this time; I will
venture upon you, sir. Your friends at court commend them to
you, sir
Morose - Oh men! Oh manners! was there ever such an
impudence ?
Truewit - And are extremely solicitous for you, sir.
## p. 8355 (#567) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8355
.
Morose - Whose knave are you?
Truewit - Mine own knave, and your compeer, sir.
Morose Fetch me my sword —
Truewit - You shall taste the one-half of my dagger if you
do, groom; and you the other if you stir, sir. Be patient, I
charge you, in the King's name, and hear me without insurrec-
tion. They say you are to marry; to marry! do you mark, sir?
Morose – How then, rude companion ?
Truewit - Marry, your friends do wonder, sir, the Thames
being so near, wherein you may drown so handsomely; or Lon-
don bridge at a low fall, with a fine leap, to hurry you down the
stream; or such a delicate steeple in the town as Bow, to vault
from; or a braver height, as Paul's; or if you affected to do it
nearer home, and a shorter way, an excellent garret window into
the street; or a beam in the said garret, with this halter [shows
him the halter] which they have sent,- and desire that you would
sooner commit your grave head to this knot than to the wedlock
noose; or take a little sublimate, and go out of the world like a
rat; or a fly, as one said, with a straw in your body: any way,
rather than follow this goblin Matrimony.
Morose — Good sir, have I ever cozened any friends of yours
of their lands?
bought their possessions ? taken forfeit of their
mortgage ? begged a reversion from them?
What have
I done that may deserve this?
Truewit - Alas, sir, I am but a messenger: I but tell you
what you must hear. It seems your friends are careful after your
soul's health, sir, and would have you know the danger. (But
you may do your pleasure for all them; I persuade not, sir. ) If,
after you are married, your wife do run away with a vaulter, or
the Frenchman that walks upon ropes, or him that dances a jig,
why, it is not their fault; they have discharged their con-
sciences, when you know what may happen. Nay, suffer valiantly,
sir, for I must tell you all the perils that you are obnoxious to.
If she be fair, young, and vegetous, no sweetmeats ever drew
more flies; all the yellow doublets and great roses in the town
will be there. If foul and crooked, she'll be with them.
If rich, and that you marry her dowry, not her, she'll reign in
your house as imperious as a widow. If noble, all her kindred will
be your tyrants.
If learned, there was never such a
parrot; all your patrimony will be too little for the guests that
must be invited to hear her speak Latin and Greek.
If
## p. 8356 (#568) ###########################################
8356
BEN JONSON
9
precise, you must feast all the silenced brethren once in three
days; salute the sisters; entertain the whole family or wood of
them; and hear long-winded exercises, singings, and catechizings,
which you are not given to, and yet must give for, to please the
zealous matron your wife, who for the holy cause will cozen you
over and above. You begin to sweat, sir! but this is not half,
i' faith; you may do your pleasure, notwithstanding, as I said
before: I come not to persuade you. —[Mute is stealing away. ]
Upon my faith, master serving-man, if you do stir, I will beat
you.
Morose – Oh, what is my sin! what is my sin!
Truewit — Then, if you love your wife, or rather dote on her,
sir, -oh, how she'll torture you, and take pleasure in your tor-
ments!
That friend must not visit you without her
license; and him she loves most, she will seem to hate eagerliest,
to decline your jealousy;
she must have that rich gown
for such a great day; a new one for the next; a richer for the
third; be served in silver; have the chamber filled with a succes-
sion of grooms, footmen, ushers, and other messengers; besides
embroiderers, jewelers, tire-women, sempsters, feathermen, per-
fumers; whilst she feels not how the land drops away, nor the
acres melt; nor foresees the change, when the mercer has your
woods for her velvets: never weighs what her pride costs, sir,
so she may
be a stateswoman, know all the news, what
was done at Salisbury, what at the Bath, what at court, what
in progress; or so she may censure poets, and authors, and styles,
and compare them, - Daniel with Spenser, Jonson with the t'other
youth, and so forth; or be thought cunning in controversies or
the very knots of divinity; and have often in her mouth the
state of the question; and then skip to the mathematics and
demonstration: and answer in religion to one, in state to another,
in folly to a third.
Morose -Oh, oh!
Truewit — All this is very true, sir. And then her going in
disguise to that conjurer and this cunning woman: where the
first question is, How soon you shall die?
dence she shall have by her next match ? And sets down the
answers, and believes them above the Scriptures. Nay, perhaps
she'll study the art.
Morose -- Gentle sir, have you done ? have you had your pleas-
ure of me? I'll think of these things.
.
What prece-
## p. 8357 (#569) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8357
Truewit — Yes, sir; and then comes reeking home of vapor
and sweat, with going afoot, and lies in a month of a new face,
all oil and birdlime; and rises in asses' milk, and is cleansed
with a new fucus: God be wi' you, sir. One thing more, which
I had almost forgot:
I'll be bold to leave this rope with
you, sir, for a remembrance. — Farewell, Mute!
[Exit.
Morose — Come, have me to my chamber; but first shut the
door. [Truewit winds the horn without. ] Oh, shut the door,
shut the door! Is he come again?
PROLOGUE FROM (EVERY MAN IN HIS HUMOUR)
T
HOUGH need make many poets, and some such
As art and nature have not bettered much;
Yet ours, for want, hath not so loved the stage
As he dare serve the ill customs of the age,
Or purchase your delight at such a rate
As, for it, he himself must justly hate.
To make a child, now swaddled, to proceed
Man, and then shoot up in one beard and weed
Past threescore years; or with three rusty swords,
And help of some few foot-and-half-foot words,
Fight over York and Lancaster's long jars,
And in the tyring-house bring wounds to scars.
He rather prays, you will be pleased to see
One such to-day, as other plays should be:
Where neither chorus wafts you o'er the seas;
Nor creaking throne comes down, the boys to please;
Nor nimble squib is seen, to make afeard
The gentlewomen; nor rolled bullet heard
To say, it thunders; nor tempestuous drum
Rumbles, to tell you when the storm doth come:
But deeds and language such as men do use;
And persons such as comedy would choose,
When she would show an image of the times,
And sport with human follies, not with crimes.
## p. 8358 (#570) ###########################################
8358
BEN JONSON
SONG TO CELIA
D
RINK to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I'll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine:
But might I of Jove's nectar sup,
I would not change from thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honoring thee
As giving it a hope, that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
And sent'st it back to me:
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee.
SONG – THAT WOMEN ARE BUT MEN’S SHADOWS
F
OLLOW a shadow, it still Alies you,
Seem to fly it, it will pursue:
So court a mistress, she denies you;
Let her alone, she will court you.
Say, are not women truly, then,
Styled but the shadows of us men?
At morn and even shades are longest;
At noon they are or short or none:
So men at weakest, they are strongest,
But grant us perfect, they're not known.
Say, are not women truly, then,
Styled but the shadows of us men ?
SONG FROM (VOLPONE)
CO
OME, my Celia, let us prove,
While we can, the sports of love;
Time will not be ours forever,
He at length our good will sever:
Spend not then his gifts in vain;
Suns that set may rise again;
## p. 8359 (#571) ###########################################
BEN JONSON
8359
But if once we lose this light,
'Tis with us perpetual night. .
'Tis no sin love's fruits to steal;
But the sweet thefts to reveal,-
To be taken, to be seen,-
These have crimes accounted been.
AN EPITAPH ON SALATHIEL PAVY
WP
EEP with me, all you that read
This little story;
And know, for whom a tear you shed
Death's self is sorry.
'Twas a child that so did thrive
In grace and feature,
As heaven and nature seemed to strive
Which owned the creature.
Years he numbered scarce thirteen
When fates turned cruel,
Yet three filled zodiacs had he been
The stage's jewel;
And did act, what now we moan,
Old men so duly,
As sooth the Parcæ thought him one,
He played so truly.
So, by error, to his fate
They all consented;
But viewing him since, alas, too late!
They have repented;
And have sought, to give new birth,
In baths to steep him:
But being so much too good for earth,
Heaven vows to keep him
ON MY FIRST DAUGHTER
H
ERE lies, to each her parents ruth,
Mary, the daughter of their youth;
Yet all heaven's gifts being heaven's due,
It makes the father less to rue.
At six months' end she parted hence
With safety of her innocence;
## p. 8360 (#572) ###########################################
8360
BEN JONSON
Whose soul heaven's Queen, whose name she bears,
In comfort of her mother's tears,
Hath placed amongst her virgin train:
Where while that, severed, doth remain,
This grave partakes the fleshy birth;
Which cover lightly, gentle earth!
FROM (CYNTHIA'S REVELS)
Enter Hesperus, Cynthia, Arete, Timè, Phronesis, and Thauma.
Music accompanied. Hesperus sings
Q
UEEN and huntress, chaste and fair,
Now the sun is laid to sleep,
Seated in thy silver chair,
State in wonted manner keep:
Hesperus entreats thy light,
Goddess excellently bright.
Earth, let not thy envious shade
Dare itself to interpose;
Cynthia's shining orb was made
Heaven to clear, when day did close:
Bless us then with wished sight,
Goddess excellently bright.
Lay thy bow of pearl apart,
And thy crystal shining quiver;
Give unto the flying hart
Space to breathe, how short soever:
Thou that mak'st a day of night,
Goddess excellently bright.
THE NOBLE NATURE
I"
T is not growing like a tree
In bulk doth make man better be;
Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,
To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere:
A lily of a day
Is fairer far in May,
Although it fall and die that night:
It was the plant and flower of Light.
In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be.
## p. 8361 (#573) ###########################################
8361
JOSEPHUS
(37–100 A. D. )
BY EDWIN KNOX MITCHELL
OSEPHUS the Jewish historian was born at Jerusalem of Jew-
ish parentage in 37 A. D. He belonged to a distinguished
priestly family, and was himself early put in training for
the priesthood. At the age of fourteen his knowledge of the law
was so minute and profound as to attract the attention of the high
priests and chief rabbis of the city. But dissatisfied with such attain-
ments, he began at the age of sixteen a pilgrimage of the various
schools of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. Failing to quench
his thirst for knowledge, he withdrew into the wilderness and sought
the guidance of the hermit Banus, with whom he lived for three
years. Returning thereupon to Jerusalem, he openly espoused the
cause of the Pharisees and rose rapidly in their favor. In 63 A. D. ,
being then twenty-six years of age, he went to Rome to secure the
release of certain priests, who were near relatives of his and who
had been imprisoned upon some trifling charges. The Jewish actor
Alityrus introduced him to the Empress Poppæa, who obtained the
release of the prisoners and loaded Josephus with rich presents for
the journey home.
Soon after his return, in 66 A. D. , the Jewish revolt against the
Roman rule began; and after the first decisive battle, Josephus joined
the revolutionary party and became one of its leaders.
He was
intrusted with the chief command in Galilee, where the conflict had
originated, and he set himself at once to fortify certain towns and
to organize and discipline his army. He has left us in his "Wars of
the Jews' a minute account of his leadership, down to the time of his
capture a year later upon the fall of the fortress of Jotapata. When
carried before Vespasian he prophesied, two years in advance of the
event, that general's elevation to the throne. Vespasian now kept
him near at hand; and when the Palestinian legions fulfilled Jose-
phus's prophecy, the new Emperor granted his distinguished prisoner
freedom. According to custom, Josephus now assumed the name Fla-
vius, and proved his gratitude by remaining with the Roman army
when Titus was intrusted with the command in Palestine. During
the siege of Jerusalem, Josephus often endangered his life, at the
## p. 8362 (#574) ###########################################
8362
JOSEPHUS
more
1
command of Titus, in trying to persuade the Jews to surrender the
city. And when the end came he was permitted to take whatever
he wanted, and by his intercession many prisoners who were his
personal friends obtained their freedom. He now went with Titus to
Rome, and Vespasian assigned him a palatial residence, bestowing
upon him the rights of Roman citizenship and granting him a yearly
stipend. He was also presented with a large estate in Judæa; but
he preferred to reside at Rome, where he continued to pursue his
studies and to prosecute his literary work amid the unbroken favor
of the successive Emperors. He died in the early days of Trajan's
reign.
WORKS. - The literary labors of Josephus, which covered
than a quarter of a century, resulted in the production of the follow-
ing works:--
(1) The "Wars of the Jews. This consists of seven books, and
was originally written in Aramaic, but was soon rewritten in Greek,
and obtained the hearty indorsement of both Vespasian and Titus.
The first two books sketch quite fully the history of the Jews from
the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, 175-164 B. C. , down to the first year
of the war, 66 A. D. The remainder of the work is taken up with a
detailed account of the war down to the destruction of Jerusalem
and the complete demolition of the Jewish State in 70 A. D. The
later books are the account of an eye-witness and a participant in
the events narrated, and are by far the best record we have of those
eventful years.
(2) The Antiquities of the Jews. Upon the completion of the
former work, near the close of Vespasian's reign, Josephus seems to
have given himself to the stupendous task of narrating the history
of the Jewish people from the earliest times down to the outbreak
of the war with the Romans. This occupied him for some twenty
years, and resulted in the composition of the Antiquities of the
Jews,' in twenty books. The first ten books reach down to the
Babylonian captivity, and the narrative runs parallel with the Bibli-
cal account; the eleventh book carries the history down to Alex-
ander the Great, who died in 323 B. C. ; the twelfth to the death of
Judas Maccabæus, in 161 B. C. ; the thirteenth to the death of Alex-
andra, in 69 B. C. ; the fourteenth to the commencement of Herod the
Great's reign, in 37 B. C. ; the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth are
devoted to the reign of Herod, 37-4 B. C. ; the remaining three books
bring us down to the outbreak of the Jewish war in 66 A. D. The
chief aim of the author was so to present the history of the much
despised Jewish people as to win for them the respect of the cultured
Greeks and Romans of his own day. To this end he does not hesitate
to modify or omit the more offensive portions of the Old Testament
## p. 8363 (#575) ###########################################
JOSEPHUS
8363
>>>
narrative, or to strengthen the Biblical account by quotations from
non-canonical writers. He uses his extra-Biblical sources still more
freely: quoting, epitomizing, elaborating, and often controverting their
statements. For the period from 440 to 175 B. C. he is almost wholly
dependent upon the Alexander legends and the pseudo-Aristeas; for
175 to 135 B. C. the First Book of Maccabees is the principal source,
which is supplemented by Polybius and others; for 135 to 37 B. C.
the chief authorities are Strabo and Nicolas of Damascus, whose ac-
counts are supplemented by oral tradition. For the history of Herod,
37-4 B. C. , Nicolas of Damascus is the principal authority, with a
possible use of the Commentaries of King Herod. This last period
is described with great fullness and particularity; but the narrative
thereafter is scanty till we reach the reign of Agrippa I. , which is
elaborated with oral traditions. For the remainder of the Antiqui-
ties) Josephus relied upon his personal recollections and living wit-
nesses.
(3) Autobiography. Instead of being a life, this brief work
is really a defense of the author's conduct of the Galilean campaign
in 66-67 A. D. There are short biographical notices, which form an
introduction and a conclusion to the personal apologia. Justus of Ti-
berias had written an account of the Jewish war which represented
Josephus as the author of the revolt in Galilee, and thus compromised
his standing with the Romans. The so-called Autobiography' is a
vituperative attack upon Justus and a pitifully weak reply to his
charges.
The 'Treatise Against Apion. This is the last of the extant
works of Josephus, and it followed closely upon the publication of
the preceding. The title as given is defective, and is certainly not
the original one. The grammarian Apion is not the chief object of
attack, but rather the violent and ofttimes absurd prejudices against
the Jewish people and their religion. The historian makes an able
and skillful defense, in which he seeks to prove the great antiquity
of the Jews and their superiority over other nations, especially the
Egyptians and Greeks. He maintains that the latter derived their
best laws and highest wisdom from Moses and other inspired writers;
and he then charges the Greeks with all manner of injustice, immo-
rality, stupidity, and sacrilege. The Jewish religion is ably defended
and expounded, and the personal beliefs of Josephus can be fairly
well determined.
CHARACTER. — Josephus was a man of strong individuality; but he
was vain, opinionated, self-seeking, and duplicitous. It is unfair to
charge him with the betrayal of his nation, for he only prudently
submitted to the inevitable. But it cannot be denied that he accom-
plished the transference of his personal allegiance to the Romans
## p. 8364 (#576) ###########################################
8364
JOSEPHUS
with unbecoming equanimity, and with an eye single to his own
immediate safety and future prospects. Contrast this conduct with
that of an older contemporary, St. Paul, who was willing to be
accursed if he might thereby save his people. It is interesting to
recall that Josephus was born about the time of St. Paul's conversion;
both were trained in Jerusalem as Pharisees; both went to Rome
about the same year, where they may have learned to know each
other: but later, while the former was dexterously compromising with
the Romans, the latter was refusing to betray his cause and conse-
quently suffered the death penalty. The faults of Josephus as a his-
torian are, as might have been expected, the faults inherent in his
character as a man. He was learned, but he was at the same time
opinionated; he was a keen observer, but he was vainglorious and
ever seeking to justify himself or his cause; he had a clear percep-
tion of the forces which mold events, but he was lacking in integ-
rity and candor. His writings are accordingly full of perverted
accounts, ludicrous exaggerations, and dexterous apologies. But it is
not so difficult to detect these defects; for they are often glaring, and
they almost always bear the marks of personal prejudice or racial
bias. The Antiquities' were written to glorify the history and
character of the Jewish people; the Wars) and Autobiography) to
glorify and shield their author; and the Treatise against Apion to
glorify and defend the Jewish religion. But notwithstanding these
radical defects, there is perhaps no other ancient historian whose
works have come down to us, who has covered so wide a range of
human events and has left us more valuable historical details. For
the period intervening between the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures,
and for a knowledge of the New Testament times, the works of Jose-
phus are indispensable.
Ecurie Mun Vuitkell
MOSES AS A LEGISLATOR
From the Preface to the (Antiquities)
09
NE who will peruse this history may principally learn from it,
that all events succeed well, even to an incredible degree,
and the reward of felicity is proposed by God: but then it
is to those that follow his will, and do not venture to break his
excellent laws; and that so far as men any way apostatize from
## p. 8365 (#577) ###########################################
JOSEPHUS
8365
the accurate observation of them, what was practicable before
becomes impracticable; and whatsoever they set about as a good
thing is converted into an incurable calamity. And now I exhort
all those who peruse these books, to apply their minds to God:
and to examine the mind of our legislator, whether he hath not
understood his nature in a manner worthy of him; and hath
not ever ascribed to him such operations as become his power;
and hath not preserved his own writings from those indecent
fables which others have framed, although by the great distance
of time when he lived he might have securely forged such lies,
- for he lived two thousand years ago, at which vast distance of
ages the poets themselves have not been so hardy as to fix even
the generations of their gods, much less the actions of their
men or their own laws, As I proceed, therefore, I shall accu-
rately describe what is contained in our records, in the order of
time that belongs to them,
without adding anything to
what is therein contained, or taking away anything therefrom.
But because almost all our constitution depends on the wisdom
of Moses our legislator, I cannot avoid saying somewhat concern-
ing him beforehand, though I shall do it briefly; I mean, because
otherwise those that read my books may wonder how it comes
to pass that my discourse, which promises an account of laws
and historical facts, contains so much of philosophy. The reader
is therefore to know that Moses deemed it exceeding necessary
that he who would conduct his own life well, and give laws to
others, in the first place should consider the Divine nature; and
upon the contemplation of God's operations, should thereby imi-
tate the best of all patterns, so far as it is possible for human
nature to do, and to endeavor to follow after it; neither could
the legislator himself have a right mind without such a contem-
plation; nor would anything he should write tend to the promo-
tion of virtue in his readers: I mean, unless they be taught first
of all that God is the Father and Lord of all things, and sees all
things; and that hence he bestows a happy life upon those that
follow him, but plunges such as do not walk in the paths of vir-
tue into inevitable miseries. Now when Moses was desirous to
teach this lesson to his countrymen, he did not begin the estab-
lishment of his laws after the same manner that other legislators
did, -I mean, upon contracts and other rights between one man
and another, but by raising their minds upwards to regard God
and his creation of the world; and by persuading them that we
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JOSEPHUS
men are the most excellent of the creatures of God upon earth.
Now when once he had brought them to submit to religion, he
easily persuaded them to submit in all other things; for as to
other legislators, they followed fables, and by their discourses
transferred the most reproachful of human vices unto the gods,
and so afforded wicked men the most plausible excuses for their
crimes; but as for our legislator, when he had once demonstrated
that God was possessed of perfect virtue, he supposed men also
ought to strive after the participation of it; and on those who
did not so think and so believe, he inflicted the severest punish-
ments. I exhort, therefore, my readers to examine this whole
undertaking in that view; for thereby it will appear to them that
there is nothing therein disagreeable either to the majesty of
God, or to his love for mankind: for all things have here a ref-
erence to the nature of the universe; while our legislator speaks
some things wisely but enigmatically, and others under a decent
allegory, but still explains such things as required a direct expli-
cation, plainly and expressly.
Whiston's Translation.
SOLOMON'S WISDOM
From the 'Antiquities)
Nº"
.
the sagacity and wisdom which God had bestowed on
Solomon was so great that he exceeded the ancients, inso-
much that he was no way inferior to the Egyptians, who
are said to have been beyond all men in understanding; nay,
indeed, it is evident that their sagacity was very much inferior
to that of the King's. He also excelled and distinguished him-
self in wisdom above those who were most eminent among the
Hebrews at that time for shrewdness.
He also composed
books of odes and songs a thousand and five, of parables and simil-
itudes three thousand — for he spake a parable upon every sort
of tree from the hyssop to the cedar, and in like manner also
about beasts, about all sorts of living creatures, whether upon the
earth, or in the seas, or in the air; for he was not unacquainted
with any of their natures, nor omitted inquiries about them, but
described them all like a philosopher, and demonstrated his exqui-
site knowledge of their several properties. God also enabled him
to learn that skill which expels demons, which is a science useful
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JOSEPHUS
8367
and sanative to him. He composed such incantations also by
which distempers are alleviated. And he left behind him the
manner of using exorcisms, by which they drive away demons so
that they never return: and this method of cure is of great force
unto this day; for I have seen a certain man of my own country,
whose name was Eleazar, releasing people that were demoniacal,
in the presence of Vespasian and his sons and his captains and
the whole multitude of his soldiers. The manner of the cure
was this: He put a ring that had a root of one of those sorts
mentioned by Solomon, to the nostrils of the demoniac, after
which he drew out the demon through his nostrils; and when the
man fell down immediately, he adjured him to return into him
no more, - making still mention of Solomon, and reciting the
incantations which he composed. And when Eleazar would per-
suade and demonstrate to the spectators that he had such power,
he set a little way off a cup or basin full of water, and com-
manded the demon, as he went out of the man, to overturn it,
and thereby to let the spectators know that he had left the man;
and when this was done, the skill and wisdom of Solomon was
showed very manifestly.
Whiston's Translation.
ALEXANDER'S CONQUEST OF PALESTINE
From the Antiquities)
A
BOUT this time (333 B. C. ) it was that Darius heard how
Alexander had passed over the Hellespont, and had beaten
his lieutenants in the battle of Granicum, and was proceed-
ing farther; whereupon he gathered together an army of horse
and foot, and determined that he would meet the Macedonians
before they should assault and conquer all Asia. So he passed
over the river Euphrates, and came over Taurus, the Cilician
mountain; and at Isis of Cilicia he waited for the enemy, as
ready there to give him battle. Upon which Sanballat was glad
that Darius was come down; and told Manasseh that he would
suddenly perform his promises to him, and this as soon as ever
Darius should come back, after he had beaten his enemies; for
not he only, but all those that were in Asia also, were persuaded
that the Macedonians would not so much as come to a battle
with the Persians, on account of their multitude. But the event
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JOSEPHUS
proved otherwise than they expected, for the king joined battle
with the Macedonians, and was beaten, and lost a great part of
his army.
His mother also, and his wife and children, were
taken captives, and he fled into Persia.
