THESE Lamentations, in Greek called Threni, and by the Hebrew Rabbins entitled Cinoth, were written by Jeremie before the greatest part of his other Prophecies (as seemeth most probable to S. Jerom) and were first sung at the death of Josias King of Juda. [2. Paral. 35. v. 25.] Again when King Sedecias with many others were taken captives, many also slain, and the Temple and city of Jerusalem destroyed. But most especially he prophesieth the Jews' miserable estate, and just cause of Lamentation after Christ's coming, and their rejecting him. And therefore his Church singeth the same in the Anniversary, or Commemoration of his Passion and Death, and most piously inviteth all sinners, both Jews and Gentiles, to return unto Christ our Redeemer, saying: Jerusalem, Jerusalem convertere ad Dominum Deum tuum. In this little book the diligent reader will easily observe many doleful pathetical speeches, poured out from a pensive heart, as in great calamities it commonly happeneth, with little connexion of sentences, but otherwise four whole chapters are very artificially compiled in verse, not by number of times, with measure of long and short syllables, as the Greeks and Latins use, but after the Hebrew manner, observing number of syllables, and beginning every verse with a distinct letter, from the first to the last in order, with some small variety, of the Hebrew Alphabet. Doubtless with great mysteries, as S. Jerom judgeth, and therefore explicateth the significations, and certain connexions of the two and twenty Hebrew letters: as we have noted upon the 118^th Psalm: but above the capacity of our understanding. In the last chapter the Prophet omitting the observation of initial letters, in twenty-two verses prayeth lamentably, as the whole people shall pray in captivity.