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¹ Wo to that bloudthursty cite, which is all full of lyes and robbery, & wil not leaue of from rauy?shinge.² There a man maye heare scourginge, ru?shinge, the noyse of the wheles, the crienge of the horses, & the rollinge of the charettes.³ There the horse men get vp with naked swerdes, and glisterynge speares: There lyeth a multitude slayne, and a greate heape of deed bodies: There is no ende of deed coarses, yee men fall vpon their bodies:⁴ And that for the greate and manyfolde whordome, of the fayre and beutifull harlot: which is a mastresse of wychcraft, yee and selleth the people thorow hir whordome, and the nacions thorow hir wichcraft.⁵ Beholde, I wil vpon the (saieth the LORDE of hoostes) and wil pull thy clothes ouer thy heade: that I maye shewe thy nakednes amonge the Heithen, and thy shame amonge the kingdomes.⁶ I wil cast dyrte vpon ye, to make the be abhorred, and a gasynge stocke:⁷ Yee all they that loke vpon the, shal starte backe, & saye: Niniue is destroyed. Who wil haue pyte vpo the? where shal I seke one to conforte the?

⁸ Art thou better then the greate cite of Alexadria? that laye in the waters, and had the waters rounde aboute it: which was strongly fenced & walled with the see?⁹ Ethiopia and Egipte were hir stregth, & that exceadinge greate aboue measure. Aphrica and Lybia were hir helpers,¹⁰ yet was she dryuen awaye, & brought in to captiuyte: hir yonge children were smytten downe at the heade of euery strete, the lottes were cast for the most awncient men in her, and all hir mightie men were bounde in chaynes.¹¹ Euen so shalt thou also be droncken, and hyde thy self, and seke some helpe agaynst thine enemy.¹² All thy stronge cities shal be like fyge trees wt rype fyges: which whe a ma shaketh, they fall in to the mouth of the eater.¹³ Beholde, thy people with in the are but women: the portes of thy londe shal be opened vnto thine enemies, and the fyre shal deuoure yi barres.¹⁴ Drawe water now agaynst thou be beseged, make vp thy stroge holdes, go into the claye, tempre the morter, make stronge bricke:¹⁵ yet the fyre shal consume the, the swerde shal destroye the, yee as ye locuste doth, so shal it eate the vp. It shal fall heuely vpon the as the locustes, yee right heuely shal it fall vpon the, euen as the greshoppers.¹⁶ Thy marchauntes haue bene mo then the starres of heaue: but now shal they sprede abrode as the locustes, and fle their waye:¹⁷ Thy lordes are as the greshoppers, & thy captaynes as the multitude of greshoppers: which whe they be colde, remayne in ye hedges: but when the Sonne is vp, they fle awaye, and no ma can tell where they are become.¹⁸ Thy shepherdes are aslepe (o kinge of Assur) thy worthies are layed downe: yi people is scatred abrode vpon the mountaynes, and no man gathereth them together agayne.¹⁹ Thy wounde can not be hyd, thy plage is so sore. All they that heare this of the, shall clappe their handes ouer the. For what is he, to who thou hast not allwaye bene doynge hurte?