to many, and within halfe a weeke that the offering and sacrifice cease. And in the temple shal there be the abominacion of desolation, and euen vnto the ende shall the desolacion cōtinue. And elswhere in Daniell, thus it is writē: Marginalia1290. dayes, in Daniel expounded.From the time that the continuall sacrifice shalbe offered, and that the abhominacion shalbe placed in desolacion, there shalbe. 1290. dayes. Nowe, if any man will beholde the Chronicles, he shall find that after the destruction of Ierusalem was accōplished, and after the strong hād of the holy people was fully dispersed, and after the placing of the abhominacion, that is to say, the Idoll of desolatiō of Ierusalem, within the holy place, where the tēple of God was before, there had passed. 1290. dayes, taking a day for a yeare, as cōmōly it is taken in þ^e Prophetes. And the times of the heathen people are fulfilled, after whose rites & customes God suffered the holy citie to be trāpled vnder foote for 42. monthes. MarginaliaFor these 42. monthes, looke pag. 493.For although the Christian church, which is the holy citie, continued in the fayth from the Ascention of Christ euen till thys time: yet hath it not obserued and kept the perfection of the fayth all thys whole season. For sonne after the departure of the Apostles, the fayth was kept with the obseruation of the rites of the Gentiles, and not of þ^e rites of Moyses lawe, nor of the lawe of the Gospell of Iesus Christ. Wherfore seing that this time of the errour of þ^e Gentiles is fulfilled: it is likely that Christ shal call þ^e Gentiles from the rites of their gentilitie, to the perfection of the Gospell, as he called the Iewes from the lawe of Moyses to the same perfection, in his first cōming: that there may be one shepefolde of the Iewes and Gentiles, vnder one shepeherd Christ. Seing therfore þ^t Antichrist is knowen which hath seduced the nations: thē shall the electe after that they haue forsaken the errours of their Gentilitie come, through the light of Gods word, to the perfection of the Gospell, and that same seducer shall be slaine with the sworde of Gods worde. MarginaliaWhy rather at this tyme, then any other, the matter of Antichrist is moued. And why rather in thys kingdom, then in an other.So that by these things it doth partly appeare vnto me, why that at this time rather then at an other time, this matter of Antichrist is moued. And why that this motion is come to passe in this kingdome rather then in other kingdomes: me thinkes there is good reason  

, because that no nation of the Gentiles was so soone cōuerted to Christ as were the Brytons the inhabitauntes of this kingdome. For, to other places of the world there were sent preachers of the fayth, who, by the working of miracles & continuall preaching of the word of God, & by greuous passion and death of the body, did conuert the people of those places: MarginaliaThe first receyuing the fayth in this realme by the BritonsBut in this kingdome, in þ^e time of Lucius king of the Brytons, and of Eleutherius bishop of the Romaines, did Lucius heare of the Romanes that were infidels (by the waye of rumours and tales) of the Christian fayth, which was preached at Rome. Who beleued straightwaies, & sent to Rome to Eleutherius for mē skilfull to informe him more fully in þ^e very fayth it self: at whose cōming he was ioyfull, and was baptised w^t his whole kingdome. And after þ^e receauing of þ^e fayth, they neuer forsoke it, neither for any maner of false preachinges of other, neither for any maner of torments, or yet assaults of the Paynims, as in other kingdomes it hath come to passe. MarginaliaBritaynes by the speciall election of god called to fayth.And thus it semeth to me þ^e Britons amōgest other nacions, haue ben, as it were by the spirituall election of God, called and conuerted to the fayth. Of them as me semeth, dyd Esay prophecie, saying: For they did see to whom there was nothyng tolde of him, and they did behold, that had not heard of him. And againe, behold, thou that call a nation which thou knewest not: and nacions that haue not knowen thee, shall runne vnto thee: for the Lorde thy GOD, and the holye one of Israell, shall glorifie thee. MarginaliaThe calling of the gentiles to fayth.Of this kyngdome, did S. Iohn in the Apocalips prophecie, as me semeth, where he sayd. The Dragon stode before the woman, whiche was about to be deliuered of childe, to the intent that when she had broughtMarginaliaApoc. 12it forth into the world, he mighte deuoure vp her sonne: and she brought forth her childe which was a māchilde, who should gouerne all nacions with an yron rod. And the same sonne was taken vp to God, and to his throne. MarginaliaThe womā fed in the desert, 1260 dayes.And the womā fled into the wildernes, whereas she hath a place prepared of god, that they may feede her. 1260. dayes. And agayne in the same chapter, after that the Dragon saw that he was cast out vpon the earth, he did persecute the womā, which brought forth the man child. And there were geuen to the woman twoo wynges of a great Eagle, that she might flee into the wildernes into her place, where as she is fostered vp for a tyme, tymes, and halfe a tyme, from the face of the Serpent. And the Serpent did caste as it were a floud of water after the woman, to the intent þ^t he might cause her to be drawen by the floud: and the earth opening her mouth did heare the womā and did swalow vp the floud which the Dragon did cast out of his mouth. Let vs see, how these sayinges may be applied to this kingdome rather then to other kingdomes. It is well knowē that this kingdome is a wildernes or a desert place, because that the Philosophers and wisemē did not passe vpon it, but did leaue it for a wildernes and desert, because it is placed without the clymates. Vnto this place fled the woman, MarginaliaThis place of the desert in the scripture semeth here something hardly expounded.that is to say the church (which by faith did spiritually bring forth Christ into the worlde) where as she was fed with the heauenly bread, the flesh and bloud of Iesus Christ, for 1260. dayes, seing that for so many daies, taking a day for a yeare, the Brytons continued in the fayth of Christ, which thing can not be found so of any Christen kingdome, but of this desert: and well is it said, that she flew to this place. MarginaliaFaith came into Britanie frō the east, not frō Italye or Rome.For, from the east came the faith into Britain, not by walking in iourney nor yet by sayling: for then should it haue come by Rome, Italie, Almaine, Fraunce, which can not be found: and therfore she flew ouer those places, and rested not in them, euen as a bird flieng ouer a place, resteth not in the same: but rested in this wildernes for a time, tymes, and halfe a time, that is, 1260. yeares from the first comming of the fayth into Britaine vntill this present. MarginaliaA tyme, Tymes, Half a time expounded.In saying for a tyme, times, and halfe a time, there is a going forward frō the greater to the lesse. The greatest time that we name, is a thousand yeres, there is a time: and the next time that is lesse in the singular number, is one hūdreth yere. In þ^e plurall nūber times signifie þ^t ther be mo hundreths thē one, at least ij. hundreth yeares. Wherfore if they be put vnder a certaine nūber, it must nedes be þ^t they be ij. but þ^e same ij. cānot fitly be called some times, except they be hundreths. For in that, þ^t there is a goyng down frō the greater to þ^e lesse, whē as it is sayd, a time, times, & half a tyme, and that the nomber of a thousand is likely assigned for a tyme: it must nedes folowe that tymes must be taken for hundrethes, and halfe a tyme for 60. because it is the greater halfe of an hundreth yeares, though that 50. be the euen halfe. And when that the serpent sent the water of persecution after the woman to cause her to be drawen of the floud: then did the earth, that is to wit, the stablenes of faith helpe the woman, by suppyng vp the water of tribulation. For in the most cruell persecution of Dioclesian MarginaliaPersecution in Dioclesians tyme swalowed vp looke page. 109and Maximiane agaynst the Christians, when as Christianitie was almost euery where rooted out: yet did they in this kyndome stande continually in the faith, vnmoueable And so, consideryng that the Britones, were conuerted to þ^e faith of Christ, as you would say, by an election and pyking out amongest all the nations of the heathen, and that after they had receiued the faith, they did neuer start backe from the faith for no maner of tribulation: It is not to be meruailed, if in their place, the callyng of the Gentiles, bee made manifest to the profeting of the Gospel of Iesus Christ, by the reuealyng of Antichrist. But besides this, me semeth that Ezechiell doth specially speake of them, whereas he speaketh

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