THE Jewes Message TO Their Brethren in HOLLAND; AND A New Letter touching their further Proceedings sent from the Kingdom of Scotland: With the arrive of some of them near Aberdeen, in a small Ship, whose Sails were white branched Sattin, their Ropes and Tackling Silk of the same Colour; and their Food on Board only Rice and pure Honey.
Also, another Letter from Dr. Serarias, [...]o Doctor Homes; The Rendevouzing of Sixteen Hundred Thousand in the Turks Dominions; and Threescore Thousand come into Europe; The Great Turks sad and fearful Dream; and strange Miracles performed by the Captain-General of the Wandring Israelites; A Description of their Persons, Habits, and Weapons; the granting of Liberty of Conscience to all excepting Infidels; A Prophecie touching the Downfal of Babylon in 66, and the Year of Reformation for the Gospel to be preached throughout all NATIONS.
Printed for George Freem [...]n, Anno Dom. 1665.
A New Letter sent from Scotland, concerning the further Proceedings of the JEWS.
HAving received a more full account of the proceedings of the Jews, I shall here present you with such Occurrences, in this juncture of time, wherein scarce any thing else, is either talkt of, or lookt after, in comparison of them. The whole World we see is out of order, nothing to be expected but Intestine Broils, and whether the Lord will be pleased in the midst of these Combustions to call in his Antient People, and magnifie his Name in them, He onely knoweth. On the 23 of October, by the foulnesse of the weather and storms, put into Aberdeen a Ship, from whence she came, 'tis uncertain; but the Professour of that City, of the Tongues and Languages, having Notice thereof, went down unto them, and by their Discourse perceived they spoke broken Hebrew, and bound for Amsterdam, as was intimated by a Letter in High-Dutch, to have Correspondence with their Brethren (the Jews) there: Which Letter further relates, That there is Sixteen hundred thousand of them together in Arabia, and that there came into Europe Sixty Thousand more; withall, that they have had many Encounters with the Turks, defeating several Bodies, and killing many Thousands, none being able to stand against them. They give Liberty of Conscience to all, except the Turks, endeavouring the utter Ruine and Extirpation of them. But for the ship, the Sails thereof are white branched Sattin, and all their Ropes are Silk of the same Colour; and in the Sails was this Inscription in fair Red Characters,
Which was to discover them to be Jews: Their Food on board was onely Rice and Honey: Their Habit [or Cloathing] Black [Page 2] Black and Blew. It seems they have sent to most of the chief Cities in the World to their Brethren, to give them Notice of their Proceedings, to the end they may come and joyn with them. The Great Turk having had a Dream, that a Jew had taken the Crown from his Head, resolved to put all to death within his Dominions; but his Council disswaded him from that Bloody Design. The Jewish Host are sai [...] to increase daily, and that many of them believe in the true Messias, and that it was the Saviour of the World that was crucified at Jerusalem.
This was sent in a Letter t [...] Oxford, Dated from Scotland, Novemb. 15.The following Letters were s [...]nt from Dr. Ser [...]rias, to Dr. Homes, Mr. Bruce, and others.
SInce my last of the Proceedings of the Israelites, We have had Expresses not onely from Jerusalem, but Tunnis also; That this Year no Carrivan is to go to Mecha, by reason the City is besieged by the Israelites, who appear in great Numbers, and are said to be sent by the Ten Tribes to be the Fore-runners:
From Jerusalem we have received very good News, and likewise many of our Christian Merchants have received the like from Alexandria, The Particulars of which is, that the Bashaw of Alexandria, with the King of Arabia, made use of a Carravan, that is, an Army of Sixty Thousand Men, and marched toward Mecha, and being within one days Iourney of the Citie, sent out a Troop to take notice how things were, which Troop having seen this People lying in Tents about the Citie, and hearing that they profest themselves to be Israelites, reported this to the Bashaw who for all that resolved to march on with his Forces and coming within sight of the City, discovered an innumerable Multitude of People coming out of their [Page 3] Tents. Whereupon the Turks advanced up against them, gave fire, & discharged several Volleys of round shot; but after a little fighting a pannick fear took them and terror seized on them, making them cry out Who is able to fight with these People, seeing our Arrows and Shot return back upon our selves. So the Turks leaving off fighting, [...]eturned Home, and the Israelites into their Tents without pursuing them. This Affront caused the Bashaw and King of the Moors, thorow-out all Egypt and Arabia, to impose on the Iews in all their Dominions a new Tax five times greater then it was before. And the Bashaw, the better to inform himself what this People were sent ten Iews to them who found them to be Israelites, and that they spake Hebrew, saying, they were sent before to remain at Meka till the rest of their Brethren came, for that the time was now come, that they should return unto their own Land of their Fore-Fathers, which others had usurped and taken from them. Another Letter saith, that the Commander of Meka sent 4 Troops to oppose them, but not one returned and that divers Caravans and great Bodies have bin wholly defeated by the said Israelites; and that twelve thousand Turks coming from a City called Metai, near Meka were also routed, and eight thousand slain upon the Place, their own Swords and Muskets turning against themselves. Of the ten Iews that were sent, six remained with their Brethren, and but 4 returned to the Turks. As for the great Prophet in North-Skilton, Doctor Collonest hath bin at his House in a Town called Long-Ditch, where he heard these things out of his own Mouth. That in the Year 1661. he meditated on the Scriptures speaking [...] [...]e La [...]ter Times; [...] [Page 6] of the great Multitude: yet withall heard of other Jews that several of them spake the Holy Tongue; and that whosoever goeth to contend with this People in Battel, are presently vanquished, and slein.
They have already possest themselves of several Places and Cities, putting all the Inhabitants to the Sword, the Jews onely excepted. They are a People of a middle stature, their Bodies comely, their Complexions fair: This Party saw no Woman amongst them, nor any other Arms, besides those above-mentioned; their Horses are many, their Attire blew, and their Tents black. From the aforesaid City of Sus, the whole Host of them might be plainly and distinctly viewed the whole Week, and might see their Fires and Smoak ascending; but on the Sabbath, neither of both could be discerned throughout the whole Camp, or Host.
Several of them being commanded up to a [...] [...] to [...] for a Brass-Tamber, or Trumpet; and upon the finding it, three times to sound it, and then all Nations to be gathered into one Universal Church: their Leader is of an extraordinary discerning Spirit for no sooner doth he see a Man, but he knows his Mind, and the thoughts of his Heart, treating them with very much humility and respect. And coming to a River not Foordable he consulted with his Officers and unanimously resolved to implore the great [...]od by Petition and Prayer, to deliver them as he had [...]ne their Fore-Fathers, and to shew them some Mira [...] to evence them of the truth of the great Messias born of a Virgin, to be the Saviour of the World: whereupon, so great and wonderful a Work was wrought, that the great Waters immediatly divided, as soon as they had ended Prayers, and the whole Army in [...]cked over even as it were upon dry Land.