by the carelessness of the kings, his predecessors,
as well as all that part which had been thrown down by the king of
Israel, when he took his father Amaziah prisoner, and entered with him
into the city. Moreover, he built a great many towers, of one hundred
and fifty cubits high, and built walled towns in desert places, and put
garrisons into them, and dug many channels for conveyance of water. He
had also many beasts for labor, and an immense number of cattle; for his
country was fit for pasturage. He was also given to husbandry, and took
care to cultivate the ground, and planted it with all sorts of plants,
and sowed it with all sorts of seeds. He had also about him an army
composed of chosen men, in number three hundred and seventy thousand,
who were governed by general officers and captains of thousands,
who were men of valor, and of unconquerable strength, in number two
thousand. He also divided his whole army into bands, and armed them,
giving every one a sword, with brazen bucklers and breastplates, with
bows and slings; and besides these, he made for them many engines of war
for besieging of cities, such as cast stones and darts, with grapplers,
and other instruments of that sort.

4. While Uzziah was in this state, and making preparation [for
futurity], he was corrupted in his mind by pride, and became insolent,
and this on account of that abundance which he had of things that will
soon perish, and despised that power which is of eternal duration [which
consisted in piety towards God, and in the observation of the laws]; so
he fell by occasion of the good success of his affairs, and was carried
headlong into those sins of his father, which the splendor of that
prosperity he enjoyed, and the glorious actions he had done, led
him into, while he was not able to govern himself well about them.
Accordingly, when a remarkable day was come, and a general festival was
to be celebrated, he put on the holy garment, and went into the temple
to offer incense to God upon the golden altar, which he was prohibited
to do by Azariah the high priest, who had fourscore priests with him,
and who told him that it was not lawful for him to offer sacrifice, and
that "none besides the posterity of Aaron were permitted so to do."
And when they cried out that he must go out of the temple, and not
transgress against God, he was wroth at them, and threatened to kill
them, unless they would hold their peace. In the mean time a great
ear