not only confeffed it before the lord Lexington, upon promife of having his life fpared, but owned it to be an ufual cuftom among them to do fo every year, if they could procure any fuch children. The king, upon his coming from the north of England, being informed of all, highly blamed that nobleman for promising to spare fuch a villain's life, and revoked his pardon; upon which Copin was dragged at a horfe's tail, to the place of execution, where he was hanged in chains, or, as our author words it, his body and foul were made a prefent to the damons of the air. Their condition was ftill more defperate all the time of the league and civil wars which happened during that prince's reign; wherein, let which fide foever get the better, they were fure to be crushed by it; at least Their - we find that the leaguers feized on their fynagogue at Linnagogue coln, and from thence paffed into the Ifle of Ely, and made dreadful havock among them. And it is likewise pretended A. C. that Henry III. did at length banish them by a perpetual 1267. edict (C). feized, IT 2 TRIVET Chron. A. C. 1257. Specil. tom. viii. BASNAG ub. fup. §. 18. : ; of pain that they convened an (C) This banishment is variously related by historians, as well as the motives of it. The Jews affirmed it to have happened A. M. 5020 (of Chrift 1260); which our learned Selden (40) juftly looked upon as a palpable mistake, and that the former date ought to be 5050; which would be more probable, if that error had not been in more authors than one; but as it is the fame in most of them (41), it is more likely that they have either defignedly or inadvertently antedated the difafter by 30 years. Accordingly, an infcription was found ingraven, in Hebrew letters, on a tone in Winchefter goal, where probably the Jews of that county had been confined to this purpofe (42): " The com 66 (39) M. Paris, fub. A C. 1255. p. ibid. 190. (41) Shalfheleth Hakkabalab, fol. 112. Temach, p. 142. (43) Seldon, ub. fup. monalty of the Jews were ar (40) De Jure Gent, lib, îì. c. 6. p. Solom. Ben Virg. p. 139. Ganiz "refted It is however, agreed by moft Chriftian authors, that this Their final edit was published against them about the latter end of the expulfion 13th by king 66 "refted and imprifoned A. M. 5047." So that they could not have been banished either in the year of the world 5020, or 1260. Befides, the leaguers being defeated by king Henry, feized on the fynagogue of Lincoln above named, A. C. 1267. From which it is evident that they were fill in the kingdom, and had their public meetings about the latter end of that monarch's reign. We may add, that none of our English annalifts have made any mention of the perpetual edict, but, on the contrary, observe that his fon Edward I. caufed the Jews to be imprisoned A. C. 1287, and to be all banished three years after. The annals of the Dominicans of Colmar affirm, that this happened an. 1291 (43); which is the more probable, because the council that was held in London, and caused their banishment, bears date 1291. The occafion of the banishment is likewife variously related. One Jewish writer pretends, that they had been falfely accused to king Henry of counterfeiting his coin, and by thofe very rogues who had done it; and that the profecution was carried on with fuch vehemence against them, that the king, who faw through it, ordered them to be banished, to fave them from a more cruel punishment (44). Another tells us, that a priest being fallen in love with a beautiful Jewess, and not being able to obtain her by any other means, fubmitted himself to be circumcifed, and abjured Christianity; which being foon after known, the zealots infifted that all the Jews in London fhould be burnt alive; but that the king only caused thofe to be burnt who had a hand in that fact, and banished the reft (45). But in neither cafe is it credible that he would, for the crime of a few private perfons, banish a whole nation which had fo often filled his coffers. A third pretends that his fon Edward, feeing the country almoft ruined by famine and peftilence, was eafily perfuaded that the incredulity and wickedness of the Jews had drawn down thofe two dreadful punishments on the whole nation; upon which they were all called upon to turn Christians. But that not having removed the famine, they began to afcribe the continuation of it to the violence they had offered to their confciences. Upon which the king ordered two pavilions to be reared near the fea-fide, the one with a red cross over it, into which the fincere profelytės, and the other with the law of Mofes in it, into which the diffatisfied converts, were bid to repair. But many of the latter, fufpecting fome private defign against them, forbore to go to the Mofaic booth; and well it was for them; for thofe that did (43) Ap. Vurft. Hift. Germ. tom. ii. p. 25. Vid. Bafnag, ub. fup. 1. ix. c. 22. §. 18. (44) Solom, Ben Virg. p. 140. Shalfheleth, fol. 113, (45) Id. ibid. were Edward, 13th century t, which is farther proved by public records, A. C. found in fome chanceries. Trivet affirms, moreover, that 1291. king Edward, who banished them out of his kingdom, granted Jews in them money to tranfport them into France, and afterwards confifcated their effects. Walfingham fays much the fame thing; and Polydore Virgil tells us, that this edict was enacted by a council that fat at London, A. G. 1291, and being defirous to fever the goats from the lambs, ordered the Jews to leave England in a few days, but with a permiffion to take their effects with them d. He adds, that they obeyed, and that the nation, which was then very numerous in England, took their final leave of it, and ftill removed from place to place till they all perished; whofe lofs, fays he, needs not be much regretted, provided they leave behind thofe facred books, without which it would be difficult for us to preferve our religion for the future (D). It is plain our author had no great belief in thofe prophecies which affure us that they will be actually recalled before the end of the world. However that be, it is plain they never more appeared in a body in this kingdom, from that time, till they were recalled to it, in the time of Oliver Cromwell, as will be feen in its proper place. It is therefore time to pafs on to thofe of Germany, Hungary, and other northern regions. WHETHER the Jews were really more wicked in GermaGermany, ny than in other countries, or the people more fuperftitiously zealous against them, there is hardly a kingdom where they A. C. have been accufed of more enormous crimes, and of greater &c. 1222. A. C. 1241. number and variety of them, during these two centuries. We have already taken notice of their having encouraged the invafion of the Perfians and Tartars, under a false Messiah, and of the joy with which they, especially thofe of Cologn, were ready to receive them, had not their project proved abortive. Notwithstanding which disappointment, and the bad effects it brought upon them, they feem to have been no less flushed at + Vid. SELDEN, ub. fup. lib. ii. e. 6. Chronic. fub. an. 1290. Hypodign. Neuftr. per T. WALSINGH. Hift. Angl. lib. xvii. p. 327. were immediately maffacred, (D) The reader may remém- ac fame decree against them in all his French dominions, on count of their corrupting the faith and practice of the Chriftians there (46) Cordofo Las Excellencias, p. 382. # See before, p. 319. a fresh a fresh irruption of Tartars, who had already penetrated into Hungary, infomuch that the emperor Frederic himself was beyond measure alarmed at it. But what seems to justify them from the imputation, was that even that monarch was fufpected, as well as they, of having invited those barbarians; Accufatiwhich fcandalous furmife was, it feems, invented by the pope ons agains and his clergy, whom he had disobliged, and was foon after them. wiped off by the effectual repulfe which he gave them. They were perhaps more juftly accufed, in the fame year, of having obstructed the conversion of a young man of their nation; for in such cases the Jews loft all patience, and the feeing of their children or relations taken from them, and abjure their religion, feldom failed of driving them into fome extravagant violence. On the other hand, the zealots who were extremely fond and proud of fuch converfions, could not brook the least oppofition, without double retaliation. This is what happened at Francfort, upon fuch an occafion, Afad fire and where their fury on both fides ran to fuch a height, that and flaugh they took up arms; feveral Chriftians loft their lives, and about ter at 180 Jews perished in the flames they had kindled. Half of Francfort, the city was confumed by them, and the Jews all in danger of A. C. being facrificed to the refentment of the populace; to avoid 1241. which, fome of the most politic, to the number of 24, turned Christians, and among them the chief of their fynagogue, whom our author abfurdly calls their bishop: for the Jews had no dignity which answered to that. e THEY were likewise often accused of murdering and crucifying the children of the Chriftians: the first time was at Haguenau, in Lower Alfatia, where three of them were found dead in a Jewish house. Complaint of it was made to the emperor, who not being inclined to believe those idle ftories, dismissed the plaintiffs with an illusory answer (E), which e Addition. ad LAMBERT SCHAFENABURGH, German. PIStom. ii. p.257. BASNAG, ub. fup. §. 4. TOR. (E) He told them, it feems, that those children must be buried, fince they were dead; for which our author, a zealous monk, makes no fcruple to accuse that monarch of having been bribed by the Jews, and to damn him into hell for it (47). But another, of more (47) Richen, Chronic, Senon, lib, iv.c. 32, & 33. Specil. tom. iii. p. 401. But which still more exafperated the people; but as the fact could not be proved, they obtained, by means of a confiderable fum, a favourable judgment from him. They did not meet with fo kind a judge at Munich in Bavaria, where an old woman having confeffed that she had fold a child to the Jews, whofe blood they had drawn for fome facrifice or forcery, Massacred the people, without ftaying for a farther trial, massacred all in Bava- that caine in their way. The town officers having in vain ria, A. C. endeavoured to fupprefs the tumult, advised the rest of the 1286. Jews to retire into their fynagogue, which was a stone building; which they did, but were all burnt and destroyed in it, notwithstanding all the efforts of the duke himself, and all his officers, to appease and disperse them f. Much fuch another accufation was brought against the Jews of Wurtzburgh, At Bern, and Bern, where they were massacred in the fame manner, and the two children killed by them canonifed for martyrs, and miraculous faints 3. &c. Learned ny. NOTWITHSTANDING all these persecutions, and bitter zeal rabbies in against them, Germany produced feveral great and learned Germa- rabbies, during these two centuries. The town of Germerfheim gave birth to two of them, who took their furname from it, as it began about this time to be the custom to do; viz. Baruc and Eliezer de Germerfheim (F). That of Vienna produced the famed R. Isaac, author of The light fown, and a great transcriber of Jewish books, which he difperfed among the fynagogues of Germany, more exact and correct than the common ones. He had several learned difciples particularly R. Meir de Rottemburgh, who exceeded him in learning, and became the judge and chief doctor of the German Jews (G). They likewife f AFENTIN, Ann. Bojor, lib. vii. p. 441. Ann. RENON fub. an. 1288. Hift. German. tom. vi. p. 396. g Id. ibid. vid. & Fafcicul. Tempor. Ætas vi. Hift. Germ. Piftor. tom. iii. fol. 83. But as they could produce no- (F) They were both great of older date, fince he is faid to have taught the Cabbalah to Mofes Nachmanides; who, as hath been formerly mentioned, died an. 1260, aged 66 years. (G) This rabbi was at length taxed by the emperor in a large fum, and imprisoned for nonpayment; whereupon one of his difciples became bound for (48) Auct. incert. Fragm. Hiftor. ante Albert Argentinenf. Chron, ap. Vurß, som. ii. p. 91. (49) Gantz Txemach, fub. an. |