MarginaliaThe prophecies of Methodius, concerning the Turkes.had multiplied in theyr generations to an infinite and innumerable multitude, in the desert aforesayd, they came out of the wildernes of Arabie, & entred into the habitable land, and fought with the kinges of the Gentiles, which were in the land of promise, and the land was filled with them. And after 70. weekes, and halfe of their power, wherewith they haue subdued all the kingdome of the Gentiles, their hart was exalted, seyng them selues so to haue preuailed, and to haue conquered all thynges. &c. And afterwarde it followeth of the same matter in this sorte:  

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It shall come to passe that the sayd sede of Ismaell, shall issue out and obteine the whole world, with the regions therof, in the entryng of peace, from the land of Ægypt, vnto Ethiopia: and from the floude Euphrates, vnto India: and from the ryuer Tigris, to the entryng of Nabaot the kingdome of Jonithus, the sonne of Noe: and from the North, vnto Rome and Illyricum, Ægypt, and Thessalonica, and Albania, and so forth to the sea Ponticum, which diuideth the sayd kingdomes from Germany and Fraunce: and their yoke shall be double vpon the neckes of all nations, and gentles: neither shall there be nation or kingdome vnder heauen, whiche shall be able to stand agaynst them in battaile, vntill the number of viij. weekes of yeares. &c.MarginaliaViii wekes of yeares: countyng euery weeke for a sabbate of yeares, that is, euery day for a yeare, cōmeth to 56. yeares.

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Briefly, as in a grosse somme, this shall suffice, to admonishe the reader, touching the meanyng and methode of Methodius Prophesies: Which Methodius first describyng the long & tedious afflictiōs of Christes Church, maketh mention of the sede of Ismaell,  

whiche comming out of the partes and desertes of Arabie, shall destroye (sayth he) and vāquishe the whole earth, MarginaliaThe fyrst state or alteration of times concerning the comming of the Saracens.so that the Christians shalbe geuen of God, to the handes of the filthie Barbarians, to be slayne, polluted, and captiued: Persia, Armenia, Capadocia, Cilicia, Syria, Ægipte, the East partes, Asia, Spayne, all Grecia, Fraunce, Germania, Agathonia, Sicilia, The Romanes also shall be slayne and put to flight: also the Ilandes of the seas shal be brought to desolatiō, & to captiuitie, & put to the sworde. MarginaliaChristians plaged by the Saracens.The which tribulation of the Christians shalbe without mercy or measure: the raunsome of golde and siluer and other exactions, intolerable, but especially the dwellers of Ægipte and Syria shall be most in the affliction of those tymes: And Hierusalem shall be filled with multitudes of people brought thether in captiuitie, from the iiij. wyndes, whiche are vnder heauen. So that beastes also, and foules, and fishe in the water, and the waters of the sea shall be to them obedient. Cities and townes, whiche were before full of people, shall be layd wast. Wemen with child shall be rypt: their children stickete: infantes take from the mothers, and cast in the streates, and none shall bury them. The rulers and sage of the people shall be slayne, and throwen out to the beastes. Churches shall be spoyled: the priestes destroyed: virgines defloured, and men compelled to sell their children, and the comming of thē shall be chastisement without mercy, and with them shall goe these iiij plages: captiuitie, destruction, perdition, & desolation, with much more, which for breuitie I ouerpasse And this afflictiō sayth he, shall last. 8. weekes, or Sabbats of yeares, which I take to signifie. 8. hundreth yeares. &c.  

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MarginaliaThe second state or alteration of the Christians releued of their plagues and tribulatiōs.Secondly, after these terrible plagues thus described by Methodius, vpō þ^e Christians, which he saith shall fall vpon them for their wicked abominations recited in the first and. 2. cap. of S. Paul to þ^e Romaines: MarginaliaChristians abusing Gods benefites.the sayd Methodius afterward,  

in this great distresse of the Christians, beyng out of all hope and cōfort of reliefe, declareth and speaketh of a certaine kyng of the Greekes or Romanes, whiche shall restore peace agayne to the Christians. In whiche peace they shall reedifie their Cities and mansions againe: the priestes shall be deliuered frō their greuaunces, and men at that tyme shall rest from theyr tribulations, and then shall the kyng of the Romaines dwell in the Citie, of Hierusalem a weeke or sabbate and a halfe of tymes. &c.

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MarginaliaThe thyrde alteration by the comming of the Turkes.Thyrdly, duryng the tyme of this peace, the sayd Methodius sayth, that mē shall fall into licentious securitie, and careles life: and then, according to the worde of the Apostle, saying:  

When they shall say, peace, peace, so-deine destruction shall fall vpom them: then (sayth he) shall be opened the gates of the North, and the beastly people shall breake in, whiche king Alexander the great, did close vp within ij. mountaines, making his prayer vnto the Lord God, that he would bynd vp that bestiall and execrable people, lesse with their filthie and detestable pollutions, they should come out and pollute the holy lande. Whose interceßion beyng heard, the Lord God commaunded them to be inclosed within ij. moūtaines, in the North parts, to the depenes of xij. cubites (which signifieth perauenture xij. hundreth yeres) so that neither by witchcraft, nor by any meanes, they could get out, or any might come vnto them, vntill the tyme of the Lord appointed, which are (sayth he) the latter tymes: And then, accordyng to the Prophecie of Ezechiel in the latter tyme of the consummation of the world, Gog & Magog out from the North, shall come forth into the land of Israell, and shall worke all this mischief agaynst the Christians, aboue recited.MarginaliaThe reigne of Christiā kings in Hierusalem, lasted 88. yeres, an. 1187. And then (sayth Method. proceding in his prophesies) shall the king of Romanes, after he hath reigned in Hierusalē a Sabbate of times, & a halfe, that is, sayth Methodius, x. yeres & a halfe, take the crowne from his head, and yeld it vp to the crosse in Golgotha where Christ was crucified, MarginaliaBy thys resigning vp the crowne to the crucifixe in Golgotha, is signified, the ceasing of the reigne of the Christians in Hierusalem, till the cōming of Christ.and shall dye. And the crosse with the crowne shall be taken into heauen, whiche shall not appeare agayne before the commyng of the Lord.

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Fourthly, it foloweth then moreouer in the Prophesies of Methodius whiche declareth, that when þ^e weeke or sabbate and halfe weeke of tymes shall ende, and whē the kyng of Romanes shall geue vp his crowne in Hierusalem, and dye,  

Then immediatly shall Antichrist the sonne of perditiō begin to appeare, & be borne, in Iewrie, of the tribe of Dan, wherof also came Iudas Iscarioth, & he shall be borne (saith Method.) in Chorosaim, & shall be bredde in Bethsaida, & shall reigne in Capernaum: MarginaliaBy thys tribe of Dan & the Citie Chorosaim, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, is signified Gods great malediction vpon Antichrist.to the which 3. cities, Christ þ^e Lord gaue his 3. Væ. And whē great tribulation shall increase and multiplye in the dayes of this Antichrist, and all Lordship and dominion shall be destroyed, the Lord shall sende his ij. faithfull and deare seruauntes, Enoch and Hely, to reproue and detecte the false seducyng, and lyeng forgeries of this Antichrist, openly before all men: so that the people seyng thē selues falsely begiled, and seduced by this sonne of perdition, cōmyng out of the temple dissemblyngly, to the destruction of many, shall leaue and fley from him, and ioyne thē selues to the sayd ij. holy Prophetes. Whiche sonne of perdition and Antichrist seyng his procedynges so to be reproued, and brought into contempt, in his fury and anger shall kill the two Prophetes of God. MarginaliaThe destructiō of Antichrist.And then shall appeare (sayth Methodius) the signe of the commyng of the sonne of man, and he shall come in the cloudes of heauenly glory, and shall destroye the enemy with the spirite of his mouth. &c.

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MarginaliaThe interpretation.To these Prophesies and testimonies of Methodius, what credite it is to bee geuen, I leaue it to the reader.  

But if the meanyng of his Prophecies go by such order of tymes, as is set and disposed in his booke: he semeth to describe vnto vs iiij. principall states and alterations of tymes to come. MarginaliaThe cōming of the Saracens.The first state or alteration is by Mahumet and the Saracens, whiche be the ofspringes and sonnes of Ismael commyng out of Arabie, in the tyme of Heraclius Emperour of Constantinople, an. 630. which rebellyng agaynst Heraclius, increased & preuailed still more and more agaynst the Christians, both in Asia, and Africa, and also in many places in Europe, especially in Spayne, and Italy.

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MarginaliaThe comming of the Turkes.The second state and alteration hee prophesieth to come by the Turkes, whiche first commyng out of the farre partes of Scythia, that is, out of the North, first ouercame the Saracens, subdued the Persians, and afterward ioynyng together with the Saracens, conquered the kyngdome of Hierusalem, about the yeare of our Lord. 1187: thē subdued Syria and most part of Asia. &c. And these be they, whiche Methodius semeth to meane of, speakyng of the vile and miserable people closed vp of the Lord God, at the intercession of Alexander the

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