John Trapp on Job 1:3

Verſe 3. His ſubſtance alſo] Heb. his Poſſeſſion or Acquiſition, Poſſeſſio maximè pecuaria. Nomen dictum eſt ab acquirendo. Merc. that ſtock and ſtore which he had gotten, and was rightly poſſeſſed of, conſiſting very much in cattel, great and ſmall, for mony was not then in ſo great requeſt as now, when it is become the Monarch, and bears the Maſtery, Regi[illegible: 2 letters] pecu[illegible: 1 letter]i[illegible: 1 letter], as he ſaith; In precio precium nunc eſt, ſaith another. We read not of Jobs gold, ſilver, tapeſtry, rich furniture (ſaith Origen) and other accouſtrements, now much uſed and valued, but not ſo of old. Heretofore in this Iſland of our[illegible: 1 letter] (ſaith Hollingſhead) in a good Farmers houſe, 'twas rare to find four pieces of pewter: and it was accounted a great matter, that a Farmer could ſhew five ſhillings or a Noble together in ſilver: and if the good man of the houſe had a mattreſs or flock bed, and a ſack of chaſſe to reſt his head on, he thought himſelf as well lodged as the Lord of the town &c. Hollingſhead further ſaith, that ſome old men he knew who told of ſuch times in England, no longer ago!

Was ſeven thouſand ſheep] He had moſt of that moſt profitable creature, good both ad eſum, and ad uſum; therefore alſo in ſacrifices was no creature ſo frequently offered.

And three thouſand Camels, and five hundred ſhe aſſe[illegible: 1 letter],] ſ[illegible: 1 letter] to carry his ſervants, and his baggage, to export and import commodities: for Net verò terra ferra omnes omnia poſſunt.

And five hundred yoake of oxen] To plow his ground with, for great men were an [illegible: 1 letter]iently much addicted to husbandry (as Ʋzziah, 2 Chron. 26.10.) which Socrates called Amaltheae corn[illegible: 1 letter], the horn of plenty [illegible: 1 letter] and the Romans reckoned, that corn was with them never ſo cheap, as when men were fetched from the plough taile,Plin. to govern the Common-wealth, quaſi gaud[illegible: 3 letters]t terra [illegible: 1 word] vomere, & aratro triumphali. But now the caſe is otherwiſe, as Beza upon this text complaineth; that husbandry and [illegible: 1 span], are left for the ba[illegible: 1 letter]eſt and ſimpleſt men, and for ſuch as all others might prey upon. And this b[illegible: 1 letter]ingeth into my mind, ſaith he, that which once I ſaw painted in a table, where the Noble-man had this poſie, By my ſword I [illegible: 1 word] you all: the Clergyman, By my prayers I preſer[illegible: 2 letters] you all▪ the Country-man, I [illegible: 1 word] you all. Laſtly, the Lawyer, I [illegible: 1 word] you all. P[illegible: 1 letter]llican noteth here, that Job had no [illegible: 1 span] lived lovingly with his neighbours, not warring upon any: the horſe is a warlike [illegible: 1 span], prepared for the day of battle. But Beza noteth, that in that [illegible: 1 word] they [illegible: 1 span] of [illegible: 1 span] to beare burdens, and Aſſes [illegible: 1 span].

And [illegible: 1 span] ] Great ſtore of ſervants he had about him, and himſelf [illegible: 1 span] according to that of the Greek Po[illegible: 1 letter]t, (wherewith Luther was ſo taken, that be tranſlated it in certain rithmes.)

[non-Latin text not transcribed].

Some render it, He had very much husbandry; others, he had great doings in the world; the more was his trouble, (it is not the great cage that maketh the bird ſing, and abroad, the ſingeth not on the ground, but when got in the aire, or on the top of trees. So is it with the Saints) and the greater was his praiſe, that he could handle his thornes, and not prick his fingers: have ſo much to do with the world, and yet not grow worldly minded.

— Difficile eſt opibus non[illegible: 1 letter]tradere mores. Et vom tot Cr[illegible: 2 letters]ſos viceris, eſſe Numam.

So that this man was the greateſt &c. A King; ſome ſay, the firſt King of Edom, but that's uncertain; he might be a private man, and yet a very rich man: ſuch as was Pythias, who was once able to entertain Xerxes and his two millions of men for three dayes, and yet died a beggar, and was famiſhed. He was impoveriſhed by his own folly and prodigality, but Job, by the immediate hand, and good pleaſure of God, for his trial, and for exerciſe of his patience. This commendeth unto us Jobs conſtancy and magnanimity, which is ſo much the mo[illegible: 1 letter]e wonderful, by how much this change was not only not ſelf-acquired, but altogether unexpected; his ſun went down ſuddenly, at high-noon; and when he doubted leaſt, he was made a mirrour of miſ-fortune; as if God and men, heaven and earth were ſet againſt him. In him it appeared, that mor [illegible: 1 letter]ality was but the ſtage of m[illegible: 2 letters]ability, and that, Omnia ſunt homi[illegible: 3 letters] [illegible: 1 span] filo; Et ſubito caſu, quae [illegible: 2 letters]l[illegible: 1 letter]ere, r[illegible: 1 letter]unt.