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592 [592]

K. Richard. 2. The story of Walter Brute with his declarations.

dent persōs shalbe hiddē. And soone after it foloweth in þe same place. Yet a litle while & Libanus shall be turned in to Charmell, MarginaliaLibanus, & Charmel, 2. hils, the one in Phœnicia, fruitfull & pleasaunt: the other in the borders of Iewry, barren and vnpleasaunt, which is Charmel. Daniel. 2.& Charmell compted for a cops or groaue, and in the same day shal the deafe folkes, heare þe wordes of this booke, and the eyes of the blinde (chaunged from darkenes and blindnes) shall see.

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Nabuchodonozor enquiring of Daniell sayd, Thinkest thou, that thou canst truely declare me the dreame that I haue seene, and the meaning therof? And Daniell said: As for the mystery wherof the king doth aske, neither the wise men, magicians, southsayers, nor inchanters can declare to the king: But there is a God in heauen, that discloseth mysteries, who will declare to thee (O king Nabuchodonozor) what thinges shall come to passe in the laste times of all. To me also is this sacrament or mysterie disclosed (not for any wisedome that is in me more then in all men liuing) but to that the interpretation might be made manifest to the king, and that thou shouldest know the cogitations of thy minde.

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It was also sayd to Daniell, and thou Daniell, shut vp the wordes, seale vp the booke, vntill the time appointed. Very many people shall passe ouer, and manifolde knowledge shall there be: And Daniell sayd to the man that was clothed with linnen garmentes, who stoode vpon the waters of the floud: How long will it be before the end shall come of these marueilous thinges? And I heard the man that was clothed in linnen apparell who stoode vpon the waters of the floudes, when he had lifte vp his right hand and his left hand into heauen, and had sworne by him that liueth for euermore: that for a time, tymes, and halfe a time. And whē the scattering abroad of the hand of the holy people shalbe accomplished: then shall all these things be finished. And I heard and vnderstoode not, and I sayd: O my Lord, what shall be after these thinges, and he sayd: Goe thy wayes Daniell, for this talke is shut and sealed vp, vntil the time that is before appointed.

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MarginaliaDaniel. 12All these thynges haue I written to shewe, that he þt hath the key of Dauid, who openeth & no man shutteth, shutteth and no man openeth: doeth (when and how long it pleaseth hym) hide the mysteries, and the hid secrets of the Scriptures, from the wise, prudent, and righteous: and other whiles at his pleasure, reuealeth þe same to sinners and laye persons, and simple soules, that he maye haue þe honor & glory in all things. Wherfore as I haue before sayd, if you shall finde any good thing in my writings, ascribe the same to God alone: If you shall finde otherwise, thinke ye the same to be written of ignorance and not of malice. And if any doubt or errour be shewed me in all my writinges, I wyll humbly allow your information and fatherly correction.

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But why that such maner of matters ar moued touching the disclosing of Antichrist in this kingdom, more then in other kingdōs, and in this time also more thē in tyme past: The answer, as cōcerning the tyme of þe motion is, that it is the last coniunction of Saturne and Iupiter in the sign of þe Marginalia* In Signo Gemeni.
Marke here (good reader) by this astronomical coniunctiō of these 2. planets in Gemini, he meaneth couertly the schisme betwene the 2. popes which lasted 39. yeares, by the which coniunction, his meaning is, that God would haue Antichrist to be disclosed, & his churche to be reformed.
* Twins, which is þe house of Mercury, being the signifier of the Christian people: which coniunction semeth to me to betoken the second comming of Christ  

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This use of astrology in the exegesis of the end times may militate against Walter Brut being Walter Bryt, the astronomer. Note how Foxe, who was outspokenly critical of astrology, but who admired Brut's apocalyptic beliefs, seeks, in a marginal note, to interpret Brut's astrological passages as allegorical.

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, to reforme his church, and to call men agayne by the disclosing of Antichrist, to the perfection of the gospel, from their Heithenish rites and waies of the Gentiles. By whom the holy citye was trampled vnder foote, for. 42. monethes, euen as the coniunction of the sayd two planets being inclosed in the signe of the Virgine, which is also the house of mercury: did betoken the first comming of Christ, for the saluation of all people that were perished of the house of Israel, whereby to cal them through the same comming, to the full perfection of the Gospell. As touching this calling of the Heathen, speaketh Christ inthe Gospell, I haue also other shepe, that are not of thys folde, and those must I bring, and they shall heare my voyce, and there shal be one shepefold, and one shepherd. For although the Gentiles be conuerted, from the infidelitie of their idolatry, to the faith of Christ: yet ar they not conuerted to the perfection of the law of Christ. MarginaliaBy this perfection (I suppose) he meaneth the reformation of the church beyng out of the way.And therfore did the Apostles in the primatiue church, lay no burthen vpon the Gentiles, but that they should abstain from haynous thinges, as from thinges offred to idols, and from blood, and strangled, and fornication. As touching this secōd comming, speaketh Esay: On that day, the roote of Iesse whyche standeth for a signe or marke to the people, to hym shall the Heathen make their homage and supplication, and his sepulchre shall be gloryous: and in that day shall it come to passe, that the Lord shall the second time put to his hand, to possesse the remnant of his people. &c. MarginaliaEsay. xi.And he shal lift vp a token toward the nations, and he shall assemble the runnagate people of Israel that were fled, and those that were dispersed of Iuda shall he gather together from the. iiij. quarters of the earth. And the zealous emulation of Ephraim shal be broken to peeces, and the enemies of Iuda shall come to nought. Paule to the Thessalonians sayth: We beseche you brethren, by the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ, and of our gathering together before hym: that you be not soone remoued frō your vnderstanding, neither þt you be put in feare as though the day of the Lord were at hande, neyther as it were by letter sent by vs, neyther by spirite, nor yet by talke. Let not anye bodye by any means bryng you out of the way, or seduce you: For except there shall first come a departyng, and that the man of sinne, the sonne of perdition shalbe disclosed, whiche maketh resistance, and is aduaunced aboue all thing that is called God, or that is worshipped: MarginaliaThe reuelyng of Antichrist.so that he doth sit in the temple of God, showyng him selfe as if he wer God. Do ye not remēber that whilest I was as yet with you, I told you of this: and now you know what kepeth him backe, that he may be vttered in his due tyme: For euen nowe doth he worke the mysterie of iniquitie, onely that he whiche holdeth, may holde still vntill he be come to lyght: and then shall that wicked one be disclosed, whom the Lord Iesus shall slaye with the breath of his mouth, and shall destroye with the brightnes of hys comming, euen hym: whose commyng is accordyng to the woorkyng of Sathan, in all power, with signes, and lyeng wonders, and in all deceatfull leadyng out of the truth towardes those that do perish, because that they receiued not hartly þe loue of truth, þt they might be saued.

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Christ being demaunded of the Apostles, what should be the token of his cōmyng, and of the end of the world: sayd vnto them. There shall come many in my name, sayeng, I am Christ, and they shall seduce many. Also he telleth thē of many other signes, of batailes, famine, pestilence, and earthquakes. But the greatest signe of all he teacheth to be this. MarginaliaThe abhomination of desolation.When you shall see (sayth he) the abhominaciō of desolation standing in the holy place, he that readeth, let him vnderstande. But Luke 21 in hys Gospell speaketh more playnly hereof. When you therfore shall see Ierusalem to bee compassed about with an army, then know ye that the desolation therof shal draw nygh. And afterwarde it foloweth: And they shall fall by the face of the sword, and shalbe led away captiue to all nacions, and Ierusalem shalbe troden vnder foote of the heathen, vntill the times of the naciōs be fulfilled. MarginaliaLuke. 21.Now, in Daniell thus it is written of this matter. And after. 72. weekes, shall Christ be slayne, neither shall that bee his people, that will deny him. MarginaliaDestruction of the Iewes temple.And as for the Citie and sāctuary, shall a people (with his captaine that will come with them) destroy the sayd citie & sanctuary, & hys ende shalbe to be wasted vtterly, to it be broughte to noughte, and after the end of the warre, shall come the desolacion appointed. In one weeke shall he confirme the couenant

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to
Dd.iiij.