plenty of gold and silver in those days in Jerusalem as stones or sycamores that grow in the field, and horses were brought to him from Egypt and Chao.  What shall I all day write of the riches, glory and magnificence of King Solomon?  It was so great that it cannot be expressed, for there was never none like to him, ne never shall none come after him like unto him.  He made the book of the parables containing thirty-one chapters, the book of the Canticles, the book of Ecclesiastes, containing twelve chapters, and the book of Sapience containing nineteen chapters.  This King Solomon loved overmuch women, and specially strange women of other sects; as King Pharaoh’s daughters and many other of the gentiles.  He had seven hundred wives which were as queens, and three hundred concubines, and these women turned his heart.  For when he was old he so doted and loved them that they made him honor their strange gods, and worshipped Ashtareth, Chemosh and Moloch, idols of Zidonia, of Moabites, and Ammonites, and made to them Tabernacles for to please his wives and concubines, wherefore God was wroth with him, and said to him:  Because thou hast not observed my precepts and my commandments that I commanded thee, I shall cut thy kingdom and divide it and give it to thy servant but not in thy day, I shall not do it for love that I had to David thy father; but from the hand of thy son I shall cut it but not all, I shall reserve to him one tribe for David’s love, and Jerusalem that I have chosen.  And after this divers kings became adversaries to Solomon, and was never in peace after.

It is said, but I find it not in the Bible, that Solomon repented him much of this sin of idolatry and did much penance therefor, for he let him be drawn through Jerusalem and beat himself with rods and scourges, that the blood flowed in the sight of all the people.  He reigned upon all Israel in Jerusalem forty years, and died and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Rehoboam his son reigned after him.

THE HISTORY OF REHOBOAM

After Solomon, reigned his son Rehoboam.  He came to Sichem and thither came all the people for to ordain him king.  Jeroboam and all the multitude of Israel spake to Rehoboam, and said:  Thy father set on us an hard yoke and great impositions, now thou hast not so much need, therefore less it and minish it, and ease us of the great and hard burden and we shall serve thee.  Rehoboam answered and said:  Go ye and come again the third day and ye shall have an answer.  When the people was departed, Rehoboam made a counsel of the seniors and old men that had assisted his father Solomon whiles he lived, and said to them:  What say ye? and counsel me that I may answer to the people, which said to Rohoboam:  If thou wilt obey and agree to this people, and agree to their petition, and speak fair and friendly to them, they shall serve thee always.  But Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, and called the