The second tome of homilies of such matters as were promised, and entitled in…The second tome of homilees of such matters as were promised, and intituled in…

For the Moabites and Idumeans, being two great nations, proud people, stout and mighty, God brought them under, and made them servants to the Israelites, servants I say, to stoop down, to pull of their shoes, and wash their feet. Then Moab is my washpot, and over Edom will I cast out my shoe, is as if he had said: The Moabites and the Idumeans, for all their stoutness against us in the wilderness, are now made our subjects, our servants, yea underlings to pull of our shoes, and wash our feet. Now I pray you, what uncomely manner of speech is this, so used in common phrase among the Hebrews? It is a shame that Christian men should be so light headed, to ⟨p. 302⟩toy as ruffians do of such manner speeches, uttered in good grave signification by •he holy ghost. More reasonable it were for vain men to learn to reverence the form of Gods words, then to gaud at them to his damnation. Some again are offended to hear that the godly fathers had many wives and concubines▪ although after the phrase of the scripture, a concubine is an honest name, for every concubine is a lawful wife, but every wife is not a concubine. And that ye may the better understand this to be true, ye shall note that it was permitted to the fathers of the old Testament, to have at one time mo wives then one, for what purpose ye shall afterward hear. Of which wives some were free women borne, some were bond women and servants. She that was free borne, had a prerogative above those that were servants & bond women. The free borne woman was by marriage made the ruler of the house under her husband, & is called the mother of the household, the mistress or the dame of the house after our manner of speaking, and had by her marriage an interest, a right, and an ownership of his goods unto whom she was married. Other servants and bond women were given by the owners of them, as the manner was then, I will not say always, but for the most part, unto their daughters at that day of their marriage, to be handmaidens unto them. A[…]ter such a sort did Pharaoh king of Egypt give unto Sara Abraham's wife, Hagar the Egyptian to be her maid. So did Laban give unto his daughter Lia, at the day of her marriage, ⟨p. 303⟩¹Zilpah, to be her handmaid. And to his other daughter Rachel, he gave another bondmaid, named Bilham.