Of the horyble and woful destruccion of Ierusalem And of the sygnes and tokens that were seene before it was destroied: which distruction was after Christes assension .xlii. yeares.
To the tune of the Queenes Almayne.
AN Emperour Vaspasian
Some tyme in Rome there was,
Through whom much dolors then be gan
Of mortall wars alas,
With in two yeares that he did rayne
He put the Iewes to myckill payne
With fyer and sword both take and slayne,
His power brought so to passe,
His Sone Tytus hauing no dread
His army ouer Iudae spread
The people to the Citie flead
Hoping to haue redresse.
¶Before Titus Vaspasians sonne
Vnto this warres dyd goo
Was after Cristes assencion,
Longe .xl. yeares and two
Then did the Romayns with suche pride
Be set theyr land both far and wyde,
And hemd them in, on euery side
To theyr great payne and wo,
They brought the Iewes in such a case
The prophesye, to bryng to passe,
Spoke by our Lord when he here was
The scripture doth saye so.
That prudent Iewe Iosephus sayes
Who did no wryte in vayne,
That he was present in those dayes
And sawe this mortall payne,
When that Tytus both bold and stout
Be set Ierusalem a bout,
That none mought in, nor Issue out,
No waye but to be slayne.
For Tytus his chyef capteyn was
The seige when he had brought to passe
Great was the cry woe and alas,
The story doth saye playne.
¶He stopt their pypes and Conduyts all,
That no water mought passe:
With famyne they were in great thrall,
Moste wofull was their case,
They were constraynyd in such need
With Horsse, and Asse, them selues to feed
Both Dogg, and Catte, this do I reed
Most ougle meate it was,
The honger ther it was so great,
Ones vomit was anothers meate
Ther was no waye for to intreate
But present death alas.
Sixe mounthes the siege it did holde on
A bout that Citie great,
Whearin was manie a mothers sonne
Did starue for lacke of meate,
The famous Ladies of that towne
That weare before of hie renowne,
For fault of foode fell in a sowne
Ther was nothinge to geate:
The storye this doth specifie,
The mothers moste vnnaturally,
They slewe their Children rufully,
And Rostyd them to eate.
This Titus then of hye renowne
Most valyently and bold,
The walles so stronge he did cast downe
Resystaunce waxyd colde,
The people in the streetes laye dead,
They had no Succour drynk nor bread
Muche was the blood that then was shead,
Alas lament wee should:
The Romains entred with suche might,
With Polare, speares, & swerdes so bright
They slew all that came in their sight
No mercie they did hold.
The Gates that couered were with golde
They threw them to the ground,
That famous Citie to behold
For sinne it was confound,
A leuen honderid thowsande slaine
Through honger, swerde & pestelent paine
In this the storie doth not faine,
Of manie a blooddy wound,
The stinke of carkas in the streete,
The feble soules that could not fleete
For faint with honger skarce could creepe,
Full heauie was their sounde.
Then Titus gaue this sentence bliue
Which Romayns lykyd well,
As many as you fynd a lyue,
After this Rate them sell,
As Crist was sold for thyrtye pence,
By Iudas and his false pretence,
So Titus made their recompence
The storie thys doth tell,
XXX. Iewes for a penie bougt,
As manie more were solde for nought
Ther owne confusion thus was wrought
Because they did rebell.
And manie prisoners mo I weene
To Egipt they weare send,
Fowerscore thousand, and seuenteene
In prison all their ende,
And Titus in his companie
Tooke manie suche as were worthie,
And lead them bounde all captiuelie,
To Rome with him to wend:
Ther was no helpe for to reuoke,
As Ihosephus saith in his booke
His Chronicles who liste to looke,
On truth they do depend.
Thirtie years God gaue them space
That they mought yet repent,
Their liues amend and call for grace
For them Christ did lament,
This louinge Lord oft did them call
By sundrie signes as heare you shall
Before his wrath on them did fall
Or anger fullie bent,
Twelue dayes eclipsed was the moone,
That they mought bee conuerted soone,
But they wist not what to bee doone,
But sinne still did augment.
Before the seige or anie warr,
the space of all one yeare
Ouer that towne was seene a starre,
Most blasinge bright and cleare
So like a sworde in shape it was,
Wher at great feare and wonder was,
Yet left they not their wickednes,
when these signes did appeare:
More ouer in the ayre so light,
In plate of maile and armore bright,
Were seene men redie for to fight,
To shewe theyr time was neare.
A festifall daye, in Apriell,
To halowe they were dight,
And sodainlie amongest them fell
A merueylous straunge light,
So bright and cleare with suche aleame,
Passing the sonne as it did seeme,
But what it ment no man could deeme.
But were all in sore flyght
And whyle the pristes did this in dure
To offer a Calfe they did their cure,
Whiche Calfe a thinge against nature,
Brought forth a Lambe in sight.
Suche manie tokens contrarie
Whiche doth Prognostikate,
And to the Iewes did signifie
Their wofull fall and fate,
Before that Titus warr be gan
Fower yeares of space, this proue I can,
How that the sonne of one rude man,
Ananias lowe of state,
He ran the streates in suche a rage
Beinge a child of tender age,
To call and crie he did not swage
Repente eare it be late.
But for his paines he was well beat
This had he for his hire,
For truthe they did him euill in treate
Against him did conspire,
But yet he cried and would not blen,
While he was able yet to ren,
Sayenge wo be to Ierusalem,
For kindling of Gods yre:
Wo be to thee and to thy land
Thou art be set in wofull band,
Thy dayes of sorowe is at hand
Of famine swerd and fyer.
This was that famous Citie then
Distroyed with fier and sword,
That mightie towne Ierusalem,
The Citie of the Lorde:
Because their God they would not knowe
Christ being .xxx. yeares belowe
His word to them plainlie did shewe
This scripture doth recorde,
That they mought be his chosen firste
To liue and raigne a mongst the iust,
And to no other for to truste
But to belyue his word.
Nowe seinge that this Ierusalem,
As scripture doth tell true
Was plaguyd for the sinnes of men,
Which Romaines ouer threw,
What shall that Lorde to vs expresse
That so doth liue in suche excesse,
Of whordome, Pride, and couitousnes
More now then did the Iewe,
Therfore is our example this,
A mend the thinge that is a mysse
That we maye haue eternall blisse,
By Christe our Lorde Iesue.
Finis
Qd. Iohn Barker.
¶Imprinted at London, in Fleetestreate Beneath the Conduit, at the signe of S. Iohn Euangelist, by Thomas Colwell.