Menasseh ben Israel's Mission to Oliver Cromwell: Being a reprint of the pamphlets published by Menasseh ben Israel to promote the re-admission of the Jews to England, 1649-1656Manasseh ben Israel
History
Menasseh ben Israel's Mission to Oliver Cromwell: Being a reprint of the pamphlets published by Menasseh ben Israel to promote the re-admission of the Jews to England, 1649-1656
Manasseh ben Israel
Jews -- Great Britain
_Those men are somewhat scorched by the Sun, some of them weare their
haire long, downe to their knees, other of them shorter, and others of
them much as we commonly cut it. They were comely of body, well
accoutred, having ornaments on their feet, and leggs, and their heads
were compassed about with a linnen cloath._
Montezinus _saith, that when he was about to be gone, on Thursday
evening, they shewed him very much courtesie, and brought him whatever
they thought fit for him in his journey, and they said, that themselves
were well provided with all such things_, (sc. _meats, garments, flocks,
and other things_) _which the_ Spaniards _in_ India _call their owne_.
_The same day, when they came to the place where they had rested, the
night before they came to the River_, Montezinus _said to the_ Indian;
_You remember_ Francis, _that my Brethren told me, that you should tell
me something, therefore I entreat you, that you would not thinke much to
relate it. The_ Indian _answered, I will tell you what I know, only doe
not trouble me, and you shall know the truth, as I have received it from
my fore-fathers; but if you presse me too much, as you seeme to doe, you
will make me tell you lyes; attend therefore I pray, to what I shall
tell you_.
_Thy Brethren are the Sons of_ Israel, _and brought thither by the
providence of God, who for their sake wrought many Miracles, which you
will not beleeve, if I should tell you what I have learned from my
Fathers; we_ Indians _made war upon them in that place, and used them
more hardly then we now are by the_ Spaniards; _then by the instigation
of our Magicians_ (_whom we call_ Mohanes) _we went armed to that place
where you saw your Brethren, with an intent to destroy them; but not one
of all those who went thither, came back againe; whereupon we raised a
great Army, and set upon them, but with the same successe, for againe
none escaped; which hapned also the third time, so that_ India _was
almost bereft of all inhabitants, but old men, and women, the old men
therefore: and the rest who survived, beleeving that the Magicians used
false dealing, consulted to destroy them all, and many of them being
killed those who remained promised to discover somewhat that was not
knowne; upon that they desisted from cruelty, and they declared such
things as follow_:
That the God of those Children of _Israel_ is the true God, that all
that which is engraven upon their stones is true; that about the end of
the World they shall be Lords of the world; that some shall come who
shall bring you much good, and after that they have enriched the earth
with all good things, those Children of _Israel_ going forth out of
their Country, shall subdue the whole World to them, as it was subject
to them formerly; you shall be happy if you make a League with them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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