44 PROPHECY OF ISATAH. 



LIB. i. which followeth is easie to interpret, viz., &quot; They which. 

 procure Salvation shall ascend the hill of Sion to iudge the 

 mount of Esau&quot;. For wee may say they vnite themselves 

 to the doctrine and strength of the holy Church, which 

 seeke to breake and disperse the prophane errors of the 

 Gentiles, for that may be interpreted to iudge the mount of 

 Esau, whereby it folio wes that in those daies the Realme 

 shall neyther bee for the Spaniards nor for them of Europe, 

 but for lesus Christ our Saviour. Whosoever shall expound 

 the Prophecie of Abdias 1 in this sort ought not to be blamed; 

 being most certaine that the holy Spirit did vnderstand all 

 secrets long before. And it seemes j there is great reason to 

 beleeve that mention is made in the holy Scripture of a 

 matter of such importance as the discoverie of the Indies, of 

 the new world, and their conversion to the faith. Isaias 



ta^oin- sa ^h in these wordes : t: Oh the wings of ships which come 



p. from the other part of Ethiopia.&quot; 2 Many learned Authors 



hold that al this Chapter is vnderstood of the Indies ; and 



y. ixvi. that same Prophet in an other place saith : &quot; Those which 

 shall escape out of Israel shal goe farre off to Tharsis and to 

 remote Hands, where they shal convert many Nations vnto 

 the Lord.&quot; Amongest the which hee names Greece, Italie, 

 Affricke, with many others ; the which without doubt may 

 well bee applied vnto the conversion of the Indies. Being 

 most certaine that the Gospel shall be preached generally 

 throughout the world, as our Saviour hath promised, and 

 then the ende of the world shall come. It followes then, 

 and so we ought to vnderstand it, that there be many 

 Nations vpon the face of the earth to whom lesus Christ 

 hath not yet been preached. Whereby we may gather that 

 there remained a great part of the world vnknowne to the 

 Ancients, and that yet at this day there is a good part to 

 discover. 



1 Obadiah. 



2 &quot; Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers 

 of Ethiopia.&quot; Jaaiah xviii, 1. 



