BISHOP AYLMER. 159 



&quot; if men would decide matters hanging upon antiquity, CHAP. 

 &quot; they must not only counsel with the Bible, but exercise . XIL 

 &quot; themselves in ancient stories.&quot; And then mentioned 

 Philip Melancthon, whom he called one of the princes of 

 learning at that day, that he travailed more in those his last 

 years in reading, gathering, and setting forth of histories, 

 than in any other kind of learning ; &quot; and not without 

 &quot; reason, added he ; for histories, as he alleged out of 

 &quot; Tully, be the witnes of time, the candle of truth, the 

 &quot; life of memory, the lady of life, and the register of an- 

 &quot; tiquity.&quot; 



Then he shewed that no antiquity ever debarred the 

 heirs female of their right and title of inheritance, whenso 

 ever it fell to their lot to succeed their parents ; as though 

 it had been unlawful, ungodly, and unnatural for that sex 

 to govern. And he proved the reign of women out of the 

 histories of the Jews, Ethnics, and Christians: that in 

 many countries, and under every monarchy, women have 

 not only ruled, but happily and well; and that one shall 

 find none, or very few, in whose reign their country was 

 the worse for their government, but much the better. 



First, for the Jewish history; here he mentioned Deborah; 

 and out of the latter Jewish history he produced Johannes, 

 Ruler of the Jews four hundred and seventy years after the 

 captivity of Babylon, who at his death left his wife Queen 

 and Governess. Aristobulus also left his wife Queen. 

 Alexander left Alexandria his wife Queen of the country. 

 The sister of Antigonus, and Salome the sister of Herod : 

 one was Queen of Hyrcania, and the other appointed by 

 Augustus Caesar to rule over Jamnia, Azotus, Pharsalides, 

 and Ascalonia; which she after left to Julia, Tiberius^s 

 mother, and Augustuses wife. This was enough to shew 

 that the Jews were sometimes ruled by that sex. 



Then he proceeded to profane history among the Gen 

 tiles, who were led by the law of nature, to shew that this 

 was not against that law. Berosus, he said, who followed 

 no fables, but the records of the Chaldees, writ, that Noah, 

 which was called Janus, (for 11*1 Jain, signifieth wine, 



