A20217:216
The ruin of RomeThe ruine of Rome
The ruin of Rome: or An exposition upon the whole Revelation Wherein is plainly showed and proved, that the popish religion, together with all the power and authority of Rome, shall ebb and decay still more and more throughout all the churches of Europe, and come to an utter overthrow even in this life before the end of the world. Written especially for the comfort of Protestants, and the daunting of papists, seminary priests, Jesuits, and all that cursed rabble. Published by Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God at South-Shoobery in Essex.The ruine of Rome: or An exposition vpon the whole Reuelation Wherein is plainly shewed and proued, that the popish religion, together with all the power and authoritie of Rome, shall ebbe and decay still more and more throughout all the churches of Europe, and come to an vtter ouerthrow euen in this life before the end of the world. Written especially for the comfort of Protestants, and the daunting of papists, seminary priests, Iesuites, and all that cursed rabble. Published by Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God at South-Shoobery in Essex.
London: printed by T. Creede for Simon Waterson and Cuthbert Burby, 1603London: printed by T. Creede for Simon Waterson and Cutbert Burby, 1603
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
By the black horse, famine and dearth is signified: for the black colour, is a mournful and sad colour: and what maketh men more pensive & sad then famine and extreme hunger. For it is a thing untollerable: and therefore the holy Ghost saith; They be better that are killed with the sword, 1then they that die of famine. He that sitteth on this horse hath a balance in his hand, which signifieth great penury and scarcity of all things, but specially of victual: in so much that men must be pittanced & stinted in their victuals, and their bread and drink must be delivered out by weight and measure, as it fareth in straight & sore sieges of cities, when victuals wax scarce.2 This is it that God threateneth in Leviticus and Ezekiel, that he would break the staff of bread, and that ten women should bake in one oven, and deliver bread by measure. Now to declare the grievousness of this famine, a voice cometh from the throne, and from the Angels, vers. 6 that a measure of wheat should be for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny: the measure here spoken of is a Chenix, which some writers say, was so much as would serve a man for bread corn for one day. And the Roman penny under Domitian, was almost seven pence of our money. And at that time the labouring man did work for a penny a day, which would do little more then ⟨p. 67⟩buy him bread corn. How then should his wife and children do? Whereas it is said: Wine and Oil hurt thou not, I take it that it should rather he translated, In Wine and Oil thou shalt not do unjustly: as the word will bear it. And the sense is, that in the state of corn and victual, they shall deal conscionably and mercifully, not selling at the highest, but rather at the lowest rate now in the times of extreme scarcity.
By the blacke horse, famine and dearth is signified: for the blacke colour, is a mournfull and sad colour: and what maketh men more pensiue & sad then famine and extreame hunger. For it is a thing vntollerable: and therefore the holy Ghost saith; They be better that are killed with the sword, 1then they that die of famine. He that sitteth on this horse hath a ballance in his hand, which signifieth great penury and scarsitie of all things, but specially of victuall: in so much that men must be pittanced & stinted in their victualls, and their bread and drinke must be deliuered out by waight and measure, as it fareth in straight & sore sieges of cities, when victualls waxe scarse.