life by no meanes he coulde saue or preserue Now was Darius ouercome when his power was most strongest with the benefites and friendlinesse of his foe so honouring in his heart his aduersarie that for loue he bare him he could not arange his battaile against him reioysing greatly in himselfe and also saying to his friends If I am ouercome in this warre yet notwithstāding I haue great cause to reioyse that I shall be conquered by so noble a minded prince Wherefore againe he sent his letters to Alexander offering him the greater part of his kingdome to the riuer of Euphrates with his other daughter and for the other captiues he offered three hundred thousand talents But Alexander returned this answere refusing the compositiō saying It was need lessethankes of his enemie for he alwaies had vsed to reuenge himselfe on armed men and on his fighting foe and not vpon hurtlesse women Thus by the hautie courage of Alexander Darius was forced and drawen into the fielde vnwillinglie to fight against his enemie whom he estéemed as a friendly foe notwithstanding there was fought betwixt them a fierce and cruell battaile the Persians in the end being ouerthrowen with great slaughter for that Darius their Captaine could not encourage or stirre them vp to fight against his friend In which conflict certaine of the friends and alliance of Darius séeing the battaile vtterly lost and that Alexander was like presently to be Lord of the field sought to betray their king into the hands of Alexander thereby to pick a thanke or as they say to currie fauour In accōplishing of which thing Darius was sore wounded by his allies notwithstanding he escaped preuented their purpose But Alexander not hearing of Darius sent out seuen thousand horsmen to prosecute after him whō when they could not finde they requested leaue to rest themselues and their ouer wearied horses then one of the souldiers going to water his horse at a certaine riuer thereby by chaunce found out Darius lying in a coach or chariot being mortally wounded with many gréeuous hurtes ready to yéeld vp his life comming néere to the coach he did plainly perceiue that it was Darius and Darius did well knowe that he was one of the crewe or bande of Alexander wherefore he called him to his coache saying My good friend I greatly reioyce that it is my good fortune before I die to haue so fitte a messenger as yourselfe to carrie these my last words not to my enemie but to my good frend Alexander at whose handes I haue founde great fauour say thou my friende that I confesse I die greatly indebted vnto him being altogether vnable to requite the very least of his courtesies shewed to my mother wife and children and that I haue of him a more happier enemie than my kinsmen are frendly For my mother wife and children haue found both fauour and life at the hand of mine enemie and I my selfe am depriued of life by my kinsmen and allies to whom I gaue both life and land Wherefore I wish as great happines to fall on him as he being victor can wish or desire and that I euen now dying doe wholy committe and betake both myself my landes and goods into the hands of so noble a minded prince praying both to the high Gods and also to the infernall powers that he may be victor against whomsoeuer he wageth warre and that all blessings may happen to him according to his owne hartes desire And for the further acknowledging of my vnfeined loue and well wishing desire towardes Alexander my approued friend take here of me this my right hande which thou seest me cut of willingly being aliue and carrie it to thy Lord and master my good friend as a sure seale and firme pledge of my vnfeyned good will and hartie well wishing towards him Thus died Darius when hee coulde no otherwise gratifie and recompence his friendly foe for the great fauoures and courtesies shewed to his familie than by the acknowledging of his clemencie and and gentlenes This friendly fauour of Alexander was soone spred thorow the world and more often repeated to his high praise and commendation than the great and famous victorie which he had against the Persians which was a most wonderfull conquest and remayneth at this day the very chiefe and most principall praise and merite to Alexander Was there not likewise singular courtesie and wonderful gentlenes in King Darius which Alexander conquered For at such time as certaine of his noble men sought to entangle and take him by treason which were of no small account amongst the Persians Darius the King hauing intelligence of their wicked practise thus considered with himselfe and brake it vnto his secrete friend saying Here are diuers noble men which traiterously haue conspired my death if now I shoulde put them all to the sworde there is no doubt but that I should stirre vp against me many of their friends and allies and so be forced to make great effusion of bloud which truely is contrarie and repugnant to my nature The cause surely to me is vnknowen why they should thus wickedly worke my hurt It may be they would be better cōtent with another king to raign ouer them than with me now their present prince yet truely I rather chuse to haue it registred of their disloyaltie toward their Prince by my death than to purchase to my selfe the name of a cruell tyrant by their bloudy slaughters With these considerations he concealed the matter making a shew as though he nothing mistrusted any such thing on a time riding foorth a hunting these noblemen which had conspired against him flocked together hoping now to get some conuenient time and place for their purpose riding with the king to the forrest making a shewe of great ioy and gladnes to the end the king should suspect no euill but he full well knew their intent though he dissembled the matter Thus following their game they trouped together hoping that the king would come that way which they had laide and stauled for him which indéede he did The King séeing their intent and spying their order singled himself from the rest of his companie going directly to the traytors who stoode in ambush redy to fulfill and accomplish that for which cause they came The king boldly rushed into the middest of them saying Now ye traytors dispatch and committe that which ye are determined to doe I haue long time knowē your intent for because I would not be counted a bloudy prince I haue spared you all rather chusing that your handes should be unbrued in the bloud of your giltlesse Prince to your euerlasting infamie and dishonor than my sworde should be stayned with the slaughter of so many Subiectes wishing rather here to die and free your troubled mindes than to liue and remaine such an eyesore to so many noble estates though traytors to their Prince Therefore said he Quid igitur non exequimini id cuius
giue mee that which himselfe wanteth whereof I haue sufficient but I will send him that which hee lacketh and I my selfe haue abundantly and as for threats and menaces I nothing at al regard for if I liue saith he my countrie will bring foorth things sufficiently to furnish my life withall so that I shall not need his rewards as for death I do nothing feare but exceedingly desire it which shall deliuer me from my old withered carkas Thus you may perceiue that this wise philosopher accounted them poore which were not satisfied and those rich which were contented Scho. Sir I doo verie well perceiue my error and doo acknowledge it for it standeth with good reason that the riches of this world is contentment and that a coueting and discontented minde is extreame pouertie therefore if it please you to procéed forward according to your pretence I shall according to my promise be attentiue Fa. Well séeing you are satisfied heerein I will proceede further The Philosopher Diogenes as I said before perceiuing the vnconstancie of vnfriendly fortune the mutability of honour with the vncertaintie of life so much contemned despised the vaine preferments and promotions of this transitorie life that he liued content and satisfied with a small portion of possession which was but his bare tub or tun wherein he was Lord and King without controlment crauing neither territories or confines to inlarge this his quiet kingdom finding this his poore patrimonie so voyd of all incumbraunces vexations and inuasions that he contented himself with this life vntill his end turning his tub in the summer toward the North for the coolenesse and shade from the Sunne in winter to the South for the heate and warmnes thereof making his vaunt merelie that he could rule his Lordship and possession as he listed from the inuasions of his enimies which was the sharpe bitter windes by turning his tumbling pallaice Thus liuing in contentment it chanced that Alexander the great king of Macedony hearing the rare fame of this Philosopher thought good to visit Diognes in his tub to heare his wisedome and the cause of his so solitarie liuing came vnto him being set in his tun saying My friend I haue long desired to see thee and to inrich thee being so a poore a philosopher therefore aske of mee what goods or liuing thou needest and I will inrich thee with it to thy great contentment To whom when Diogenes had giuen thankes for his great courtesie offered he saide If thou wilt doo mee this fauour as thou saist then I pray thee take not that from me which thou canst not giue me but stand from before the mouth of my tun that I may haue the light and warmnes of the Sunne which is to me great riches for now thou detainest that from me and canst not giue me the like therefore do me but this fauour and I will craue of thee no other substāce Then said Alexander My friend how much possession lands and reuenues woulde satisfie and content thee if now I should giue thee thyful contentment to whom Diogenes answered Euen as much Alexander as thou must be thy selfe contented with all in the end But at the first he misconstrued the meaning of Diogenes and thought him wonderfull couetous knowing that he himselfe had nowe most part of the world in possession and dayly striued to get the whole therefore he thought it an vnsatiable appetite of him not to be contented with lesse but after consideration on the cause he perceiued that Diogenes meant his length of ground to be sufficient patrimony for himselfe which in the end the greatest king of the earth must be contented withall then said Alexander to him againe My good friend what thing best contenteth thee in this world to whom Diogenes replied saying That thing sir King which thou art most discontented withall in the worlde which is a satisfied and contented mind to couet for no more than sufficeth which in thee saieth he I finde contrary Alexander was nothing at all offended at the reprehension of the wise Philosopher but rather smelling his owne follie said at that time Truely if I wer not Alexander I would be Diogenes But we see that he was Alexāder therefore he could not be Diogenes he was couetous therefore he could not be contented wherefore it appeareth that Diogenes had the gift of temperance not to couet his owne destruction as Alexander did but being rich in contentment despised fortune for that her force coulde not molest or touch him reiecting honour because of the mutablitie and varietie of the same regarding not life for the vncertaintie of it but liued as a man contented fearing no calamitie nor aduersitie whatsoeuer might happē to him but was readie with patience to digest it Sch. Truly it doth appeare most plaine that this man had the gift of temperance sufficiently and that he was nothing subiect to the wauering wheele of fortune neither passing of her smooth countenance nor louring looke liuing a stranger to her whereby he kept himself free from her force notwithstanding I would faine know if the end and death of him were as worthie as his life for No man is called happie before his end which being answerable I must needs confesse the man deserued merit Fa. Indeed you say true it is good in our conference orderly to proceede for the life of man cannot be so cleare but that it may be much dimmed and dusked by an ill ende making digression from the former life but truely Diogenes continued a sound Philosopher vntill his end at his death it is said that he lying grieuously sicke perceiuing it a thing vnpossible for him to recouer his former health by feeling his aged body so much weakened and hauing in this great extremitie of sicknesse smal friends to comfort or relieue him threw himselfe downe tumbling from the top of a bridge abutting néere to the common place of excercises and commanded the kéeper or ouer-séer of the bridge that when life failed and breath was quite departed hee should cast his carkasse into the riuer Ilissus Adeò pro nihilo duxit mortem sepulturam Diogenes So little regarded Diogenes the inuasion of death or the tranquilitie and quietnesse of his bodie in the graue But I say not that this end was commendable in a Christian for he was long before the incarnation of Christ being an heathen man notwithstanding indued with wonderfull wisdome Againe some report of his death after this sort saying he died when he was 90. yeares olde and being at the poynt of death willed his bodie to bee left vnburied saying That he would not be troublesome to his friends to digge and delue for him who had no pleasure in their paine vnlesse they would doo it to auoide the smell and stincking sauor whereby he were likely to annoy them but when his friends asked him whether he would lie aboue the ground to be deuoured of birds and beastes No friends
it is most certainly reported that Bonosus a Romane Emperour was such an excéeding quaffer and bibber of wine that Aurelius writeth of him in this sort saying that Hee was not borne to lead a life but to lift a pot In the end for his misgouernment by reason of his vnsatiable quaffing he was disinherited of his Empire by Probus who succéeded him for which cause he went and most shamefully hanged himselfe who being beheld of manie they scoffed and flouted at him saying It was a tankard or wine pot did hang there and not a man In like sort Tiberius the 3. Emperour of Rome delighting in such inordinate quaffing and sucking of wine and being so immoderately taken would lie so disorderly drunke that his owne subiects reproachfully and despitefully termed him whose name was Claudius Tiberius Nero to be Caldius Biberius Mero which is a most monstrous quaffer and gréedie deuourer of liquor Also Philip King of Macedonia sonne to Amintas and father to Alexander the great who although he had manie good most singular vertues yet notwithstanding the vice of drunkennesse so drowned all the rest of his good qualities and curteous behauiours that the reproach of one vice was more often spokē of after his death to the great slaunder of his noble acts than all the rest of his most worthie merites could be noted to his euerlasting praise His propertie was being either in garrison or camp after a banquet or merrie making his head somwhat drowned in wine as his common custome was would set out on his enemies and fight with them presently in that braue moode which often turned to his great losse and also made his bodie receiue manie a wound which easely he might haue preuented in his sobernesse In his drunkennesse he was alwayes found a truce breaker kéeping neither promise nor faith which before he had plighted insomuch as on a time being demanded why he kept not the league which he was sworne vnto at Melitus which indéed he had broken being in his accustomed folly and not much better when hee was asked the question Tush said he as children are trained beguiled with trisles euen so are men to be deluded and mocked with oaths Of which dooings and sayings being sober he would greatly repent himselfe and gouerne his procéedings wonderfull wisely For at what time he had gotten a great victorie conquest against the Athenians at Cheronea doubting least that he should grow too proud of this his great good hap prouided a bridle to kéepe vnder such inordinate pride causing a boy euerie day in the morning without fayling to come to his chamber dore calling aloud saying Philip remember thou art a man mortall Thus he vsed to heare the boy thrice euerie morning before he would permit or suffer anie suters or others whatsoeuer to tread ouer his chamber threshold or come néere his presence Hee was also a man of great humilitie and patience for on a time the Athenians sending an Ambassade to him whom he patiently heard and at their departure said Know ye said he anie thing wherin I may be beneficiall to you or your countrey for that I greatly desire both to pleasure your selues and also to doo the Towne of Athens some good Democrates at that time being companion in the Athenian ambassage said Yes mary Philip if thou wilt hang vp thy selfe Which answere sore troubled his companions But Philip most gently and coollie answered saying Say ye to the Athenians that they which for anger cannot abstaine from such words are much prowder of courage than they which suffer it spoken without punishment and doe easilie digest so proud an iniurie He had also like patience at Meton For when he had long besieged the Citie and could not get it at last he gaue a sharpe allarme and fierce assault on the Citie In which conflict he lost his eye to his great griefe and paine But when the Citizens of Meton humbly requested mercie at his hands when their towne could holde out no longer he notwithstanding his gréefe and great iniurie remitted their trespasse vpon their duetifull submission In iustice also when he was sober he was very vpright for on a time sitting in iudgement and hearing a matter in controuersie before him taking at that time litle regard what was spoken and sometime stumbring at the last gaue iudgement against one Machetas who crying out with a lowde voice saide O Philip I appeale Whereat he being sore moued with an angrie looke said To whom doest thou appeale I appeale said Machetas to Philip being thorowly awaked and not to thee O king when thou sleepest Whereat he thorowly awaking himselfe perceiued that Machetas had manifest wrong after that he had heard the matter openly explaned and related geuing thereunto good eare what was spoken Yet notwithstanding by no meanes he would reuerse his iudgement but the summe of money wherein he was condemned he paid it of his treasure himselfe Yet againe in the ende he fell to his accustomed cuppes forgetting himselfe satisfiing his gréedy appetite in vnmeasurable swilling and bibbing insomuch that when Pausanias a lusty young Gentleman came to him to complaine of a great and vile iniurie which he had suffered by one of the kings noble-men when he was but a youth and kept in the Court by reason of his nonage And now crauing for iustice and equitie at his hand and to stand an vpright king and iust gouernour betwixt them both The abuse was Attalus a noble-man in the Court which was then counseller to Philip the king had taken the youth Pausanias being a propper yong boy to his house where he ordeyned a costly banquette vpon purpose making Pausanias dronken and afterward abused his body most filthely after the detestable maner of the Sodomites Which vile villanie the youth tooke gréeuously and now being at mans estate came to the king to complaine of this most mōsterous abuse which Attalus had offered him being but a boye Whereat Philip being at that time as it séemeth somewhat merry in his cuppes deriding and mocking him for his labour with great laughter nothing entering into the cause of the abuse Wherewith Pausanias being sore moued finding no redresse of the king who shoulde haue shewed him true iustice Wherefore he turned his anger from Attalus to the king himselfe and as Philip came walking along in the middest of his friends not once suspecting the matter this Pausanias stabbed him thorow with a sword So that Philip the king of Macedonia forthwith died Thus ended this Prince by not ministring true iustice to his Subiects which especially procéeded by his accustomed folly in such excessiue quaffing who otherwise might well haue béen called the good Prince of Macedonia In like case his sonne Alexander surnamed the great nothing digressing from the steppes of his father Philippe but rather excelled him in this vile and detestable qualitie of quaffing insomuch that it is certainly reported of him being frée and
my patrimonie which my Father left me but be contented therewith and leaue it to my sonne as it was left me Wherewith the king being not content went home sorowing remaining verie pensiue and heauie for that he could not lawfully or without great shame take away the vineyard of Naboth but when Iezabel fully perceiued the cause of the Kings sorowing and heauines she directed letters to y e Rulers of y e place wher Naboth dwelt making them priuie of her bloudie practise wishing and commaunding them to proclaime a fast in their Citie and then to hire and suborne two witnesses that should falsely accuse him before the Iudges and presently therevpon to lead him out of the Citie and stone him to death which cruel doome and execrable murder was forthwith accordingly executed But notwithstāding although for a time reuengement was deferred yet could she not scape vnpunished for so soone as Iehu was annointed King he was straightly cōmanded from the verie mouth of God to persecute the house of King Ahab with great crueltie and not to leaue anie one liuing that should pisse against the wall wherefore he presently warred on the Citie of Iezrael and spoiled the house and frends of Ahab vntill he came where Iezabel lodged who was most cruelly vsed in consideration of her former trespasse for she was throwen and tumbled downe headlong from a lofty window to the hard pauements of the stréete wherewith her bloud sprong about the postes and walles of the stréet so that dogges came and licked vp her bloud and eate her flesh the rest being troden to durt with horseféete and marching souldiers insomuch that there remayned no more vnspoyled and defaced but onely the palmes of her hands Thus was Iezabel most cruelly slaine and miserably vsed by the very commaundement of God for the murdering and sheading of innocent bloud Also Olimpias wife to Philip the Macedonian king and mother to Alexander the great cōmitted diuers most horrible shamefull murthers namely first it was suspected and layd to her charge the consenting to the murther of her husband king Philip who was slaine by the hande of Pausanias For after this Pausanias had trayterously slaine the king her husband had receiued iust punishment for his villanie she openly mourned for the death of the said murtherer And also it was well knowē that she had prouided horses ready against the deede was committed to the end the slayer of her husbande might the better escape Further when his body did hang on the galous she came thether the first night and crowned the dead head of Pausanias with a crowne of gold taking also the carkasse from the trée burying it most nobly and made a famous Tombe in the same place for his remembrance Which causes being thorowly considered can import no otherwise than an accessary and guilty mind This Olimpias after the death both of Philip her husband and Alexander her sonne in the time that the Macedonian Princes and successors to her sonne Alexander did contend and striue for the superioritie and regiment of their dead master came down into Macedon with a great power to warre on Philip king thereof and Euridice his wife who at that time were lawfull inheritors of that kingdome and gaue them battaile In which conflict she tooke the King prisoner and all his whole familie But Euridice his wife fled for her safetie into the Citie Amphipolis where not long after she also was taken Then seised Quéene Olimpias into her hand all the whole Realm of Macedon howbeit she very vngently entreated these her prisoners For first she caused the king and Euridice his wife to be put into a straite prison that they could hardly turne themselues within and had their meat geuen thē in at a little hole but after they had béen there awhile thus miserably dealt withall Olympias perceiuing that the Macedonians for very compassion they had of the said captiues greatly maliced and hated her wherefore she caused King Philip by certaine souldiers of Thrace to be slaine after he had reigned king sixe yeares and foure moneths And for because that Euridice not well digesting her shamefull crueltie in so treacherously betraying her dead husband and also somewhat insolently spake said that she had better right and title to the crowne and realme of Macedonia than Olympias had she therefore either without regard of the late dignitie royall that the sayd Euridice had béen in or yet the common mutability variety of fortune sent her three liberall gifts to make her choyse thereof which was a sword a halter and poyson to end her life withal who of necessitie was forced to take one Thus whē the wofull Queene had receiued this present of Olympias seeing no remedie but that needs she must take and accept of one she said The Gods graunt like choyce to this cruell Olympias and that she may receiue like guerdon for her liberalitie heerein Thus when she had adorned the bodie of her husband Philip slaine in her presence and stopped vp the wounds to couer the deformitie of them then refusing the aforesaid presents of the curteous Queene in the best manner she could with her own girdle strāgled her selfe and so died Yet was not Olympias satisfied with these lamentable and execrable murders but soone after she had thus shamefully put them to death she made Nicanor Cassanders brother to be slaine and spitefully defaced the tombe of Iolas his other brother Ouer and besides this she picked weeded out an hūdred noble men of Macedonie which were frends to Cassander and caused their throates to be cut for which cruell and barbarous deed Cassander being moued gathered an Armie minding to reuenge himself on the Queen for her great crueltie and draue her at the last to the Citie Pidue where hee besieged her long vntil such time that vittaile failed her yet notwithstanding she would not yeeld although both her company and the Citizens dyed wonderfully by famine and greeuous plagues which chanced to them by reason of the dead bodies which lay in the town diches vnburied most horribly stinking insomuch that there dyed daily in the towne through these two causes aforesaid verie many citizens and soldiors Being also forced thorough extreame and miserable hunger to feed on the dead carkasses of the pined men The townesmen seeing theyr lamentable estate yeelded vp the Citie against Olympias will and humbled themselues willingly to the mercie of Cassander Then after this Queen was taken prisoner Cassander caused all the friends of them whom she had murdred to accuse her in the common place of iudgment before the assembly of the Macedonians Which thing they accordingly did where the Macedonians in the absence of Olympias hauing there neither any patrone or aduocate to defend her vniust cause condemned her to death For execution wherof Cassander sent 200. of his trustiest souldiers to kil her which entered her Pallace where she was Streightway so soone as she perceiued them
Sceuola in which when he came to the place hee thrust his right hand willingly into the fire first suffering it to burne to ashes couragiously saying I willingly committe this my hand to the fire which fayled to kill Porsena the tyrant Further affirming at his death that there were thrée hundreth Romanes more redy prest which had also sworne the death of the king if he fayled and would as willingly venture themselues in their Countreys cause as he before them had done and as it were among themselues striuing who first should doe that good seruice to their countrey Which when Porsena had hearde he did not much discommend their faithfulnes towardes their Commonwealth but with all speed remoued his siege and departed from the walles of Rome to the great reioising of the citizens Thus ought euery man to haue a speciall care regard to preserue his natiue countrey and commonwealth For when both Princes and noble estates haue willingly ventured life nay run to present death for the sauegard of the weale publike much more then ought euery priuate person and meane subiect in Prince and Countreyes cause valiantly to venture both life and lim with right couragious mindes in defence of so honest and good a cause Scho. I confesse that euery subiect ought willingly to offer his body in defence of his Prince and natiue Soyle and not to haue so great a care for the preseruation of his priuate person as for the benefit and welfare of his Prince and Commonwealth Were it not a vile reproach and ignomie to those people that should by their cowardlines suffer their king to be slaine in the field and they themselues to remaine aliue and geue the looking on Contrariwise is it not great honor to him that shall hazard his life yea or run to right desperate exploites in the good cause or quarrell of his Prince To conclude it is the part of euery good prince to haue a care of the welfare of his commonwealth and of the preseruation of his subiects and also the part of all honest Subiects to haue a duetiful care to preserue their prince and a manly courage to defend their coūtrey Truely we read in most ancient histories of diuers who by their noble valoure wise policie and manly courage haue defended from the inuation of forrain foes both their weale publique from subuersion their stately townes and cities from ruine and decay also the whole body of their countreymen from most cruel murther and pitifull slaughter and yet in the end haue been most vilely recompenced by their vnkind countreymen Was not Manlius a Roman surnamed Capitolinus who preserued the Capitoll or castle of Rome from the cruell force of the Gaules and did many other noble actes in his Countreis cause throwne down from the top of the same Castle headlong by his owne vnkind countreimen whom he many times both manfully and couragiously had defended and saued Also Miltiades a noble man of Athens which in the field of Marathaon with 10000. Gréekes discomfited and put to flight 600000. Persians and so by his great wisdome and prudent policie saued deliuered his countrey from being ouerrun with such a mighty and huge hoast which otherwise had beene vtterly subdued ouerthrowen but after being cast in arrerage of a certaine summe of mony he was by his vngratefull Countreymen condemned into most cruell prison and there died in fetters and being dead he might not be suffered to be buried vntill his sonne had put on him the giues that his father did weare In like sort Themistocles a noble captain of the same vngrateful town of Athens after he had deliuered his Countrey from the huge terrible power of Xerxes putting him to flight and al his great hoast making y t mightie king by his circumspect wisdome and policie shamefully to flie home in a Fishermans boate vnknowen for the safety and preseruation of himselfe notwithstanding was at the last driuē his Countrey and forced to flie by the vnkinde Citizens to his enemie Xerxes whō before he had driuen from the walles of Athens but Xerxes willingly receiued such a friende with great intertainment and sent him againe with a mighty armie to warre on his owne countrey hoping now that he would be sharply reuenged on his vnkinde citizens But Themistocles being now Lord Generall against his natiue countrey hauing in his power the whole destruction and ouerthrow of his deere commonwealth yet notwithstanding for all that the Athenians had dealt so extremely with him he rather chose to die than any way to hurt his countrey And because he would not shew himselfe a traitor to Xerxes who had put his whole power into his hand and receiued him so courteously in his extremitie nor that he would torment the bowels of his vngratefull citie vnmercifully to spoyle with forraine people his vnkind countreimē to frée himselfe of these two inconueniences hee poysoned him selfe and so died a more faithfull frend to his countreymē than they had deserued After that Demetrius sonne of Philip king of Macedon whom before I spake of had obteined pardon for his father and whole countrey by his great modestie temperance shewed in the Senat of Rome because the Senators did write to his father the king in this maner We the Senators of Rome do not pardō thee for thy owne sake but for the modest demeanor of thy sonne shewed here before vs in the Senate Which thing Philip by the instigation of certaine of his flattering Subiectes did take so displeasantly and gréeuouslie that his sonne was in such estimation and better accounted of than himselfe and therefore so hated his sonne for his great paines and diligent care whereby he preserued both his father and Countrey from the reuenge of the Romanes At whose good hap also certaine of his vnkinde Countreymen with the helpe of his vnnaturall brother Perses so repined insomuch that they procured false witnes to accuse him to his father being willing to heare any cause against his sonne Thus by the surmise of his vnnaturall Countreymen he was condemned to death by his vnkinde father who before had both studied to preserue the honor of his father and also to mainteine the flourishing estate of his countrey Did not the Romanes banish and exile the noble and worthie Cicero by the procurement of Clodius when he had preserued and defended his Countrey from ruine and vtter destruction and saued the noble Citie of Rome from the fury of Cataline euen for because he had put to death the chiefe traytors and enemies of the Common-wealth in that dangerous conspiracie who sought to spoyle sacke take and burne their natiue Citie Rome Was not the same vngratefull Citie Rome found vnkinde to her most deare frend and preseruer the worthie Scipio for when the Romanes were in great distresse thorow the bitter and sharpe warres which the Carthaginians long time most greeuously helde against them being also mightely ouermatched
tended There is an inconuenience which bringeth to man wonderful miseries and manifold calamities which is fond and doating Loue I speake not of that Loue which is commendable and lawfully allowed but of such doating loue as shall hereafter more manifestly be explaned Magna est profecto Latmorum poetarum cohors quae solebant dicere Omnia vincit amor Surely great is the number of Romane Poets which wer wont to say Loue vanquisheth and ouercommeth all things and truely I must néedes confesse great is the force and furie of loue but much to be quallified by the aforesaid gift notwithstanding Hesiodus is of this minde Omnium primum natus est chaos inde terra tartara amor First of all thinges the Heauens were made then the earth then hell and next after loue Parmenides quoque ante deos omnes natum amorem autumat Parmenides also doth affirme that loue was created before the Gods themselues Euripides omnium deorum supremum esse Amorem Loue saith Euripides is the highest of all the Gods Ouid being about to speake of Loue saith Regnat in dominos ius habet ille deos Loue doth raigne and hath a dominion and regiment in the verie Gods themselues All which sayings of the Poets are but to showe the piercing force and ancient antiquitie of Loue faining also that Iupiter being chiefe of al the Gods could not withstand the furie of Loue much lesse then could anie of the inferior Gods but oft did change his shape to haue his pleasure Nam Iouem ipsum modo in Cygnum modo in Taurum transformauit quandoque in aurum conslauit Neptunum equi Mercurium Hirci formam induere coegit Apollinem vt Admeti pasceret armenta compnlit For Ioue transformed himselfe sometime into a Swanne sometime into a Bull and againe sometime into a golden shower Neptune to a Horse Mercurie to the shape of a Goate Apollo that hée might féede the flockes of Admetus did also change his shape and forme If the Gods as the Poets affirme have béen thus enflamed with Loue after so vaine fond a sort then no doubt but mortall men are more entangled in her traps and snares and blindly without consideration doe fall to foolish fancie and doting desire But this no doubt is but foolish babble of the prating Poets rather encouraging fonde men to goe forwarde in their folly for that say they the Gods could not bridle their affections from the force of loue therefore much lesse men Well let this suffice what greater calamity hath hapned to man than such as hath beene procured by inordinate and vnsatiable loue Was not Paris sonne to Priamus king of Troy the very cause by his inordinat loue that brought to passe such cruell wars betwixt the Gréekes and Troyans wherein both his aged father and brethren were slaine his countrey spoyled and the citie of Troy mightely defaced with fire throwen flat to the ground with the slaughter of many thousands of his coūtreymē What was the first occasion of the great warre betwixt the Thebanes and Phoceans which could hardly be ended in ten yeares but y e fonde loue of a certain Phocean who tooke perforce a Theban woman out of the hands of a Theban What also was the cause that Philip king of Macedon so oft and sodainly returned from his warres leauing all as the prouerb saith at six seuen with out order to his reproach and wonderfull losse but only the importunate loue he bare to Cleopater Did not noble Achilles purchase great dishonor by doting loue For when he lay at the siege of Troy because Atridas had taken his swéet loue gréen sléeues from him he would no longer fight in his coūtreis cause which was the death of many a thousand Gréeke vntil his swéet heart Briseis was restored againe or els as some say because Hector had slaine his louing companion Patroclus in his own armour Wise Vlisses was in like sort intangled in the same snare for when Agamemnon and the other captains of Gréece called for him to goe to Troy to reuenge the villanie which the Troyans had offered enrolling his name as a chiefe Peere of the Greekes but Vlisses newly maried to Penelope was not willing to goe to Troy in his countreis cause but to play and daily with his late loue at home insomuch that when the king and captaines of the Greekes were fully prepared and ready to goe to Troy Vlisses fayned himselfe mad and out of his wits and because he would the better perswade them of his madnes hee coupled dogs together and ran with a plowe raging ouer the fieldes sowing salt making as though he were starke mad without either wit or sense but Palamides loathing to loose so fit a mate as Vlysses was tooke Thelemacus the sonne of Vlysses and layd him in the way as his father came running with his plow but Vlysses not so madde but lifted vp the plow and missed the child whereby Palamides perceiued that he dissembled the matter and cried out thy craft and subtiltie Vlysses is bewrayed and found out therefore leaue off thy counterfaite madnes and goe with vs to Troy Thus when Vlysses had disgraced himselfe by his doting follie to his shame and reproch was in the ende forced to goe to Troy with a flea in his eare Hercules that noble champion and Conquerour of the world when he had done many notable and worthie exploites whereof the world at this day beareth witnesse at the last to the vtter defacing of all his former actions he fell to doting in such fond sort that he laid his weapons at the foote of Iole his loue and became her spinning slaue refusing no toyle whereunto she commaunded him which thing notwithstanding his valiant déedes at this day remaineth a vile reproch and blot to his dead carkasse What was the cause that the most valiant Sampson lost his great force and strength but by the peeuish loue he bare to Dalila who had oftentimes attempted his destruction but could neuer bring her purpose to effect vntill such time that he thorough inordinate and doting loue must néedes reueale his secrets which was the chiefe cause of his vtter confusion for these causes did the Poets faine that women are to men an euill yet notwithstanding they owe them this fauour to say they are necessary euilles Homerus saith Vsque adeònihilimprobius velmuliere peius that nothing is more vile or bad than a woman and diuers other Poets Foemina nihil pestilentius esse confirmârunt mulierem omnem esse malam doo affirme that nothing is more pestilent or wicked than a womā and that euerie woman is bad and euill Upon which occasion of the Poets babling this merie iest sprang first Lacon cùm vxorem duxisset perpusillam dicebatè malis quod minimum esset eligendum Lacon when he had married a verie little and small wife did say out of many euilles the least is to be
most excellent things in the worlde that euer were séene or heard of Now when all these ordinances of Alexander were red by Perdicas heard by the Macedonian Princes although they loued their master maruellously yet when they saw his enterprices to be such and of so great charge they all agreed with one consent that nothing should be done therin departing euery man to his Prouince whereunto he was appoynted by the gouernor Perdicas Shortly after they were all departed and seperated one from another Perdicas thought good hauing so fit oportunity to reuenge himselfe on those that first hindered him from being king And for because that Meleager now prince of Lydia whē he was sent ambassador to the footmē did earnestly stād against his desire altogether preuented his intent therefore Perdicas in reuenge first of all other most cruelly slew him with 30. of the most principall souldiers that were against his proceedings The other princes soon had intelligence of the things Perdicas had done fearing he would shew the like crueltie on them hearing also what their master Alexander had said on his deathbed which was that his kingdomes possessions should be possessed of the most worthy wherfore euery of them enioying so large prouinces and territories thought themselues as worthy personages as either Aride the king or Perdicas his gouernor insomuch that the most part of them would be subiect to neither but seniorized their Prouinces to their owne vses chalenging the name and title of kings deuiding themselues taking part one against the other euery one striuing who should bee worthiest Which words of Alexander together with their stately pride was the originall cause that the whole number of Princes and captaines successors to Alexander perished and were vtterly destroyed for they earnestly coueted each others kingdome raising among themselues bloudy war and cruell strife snatching after the most worthy place not forcing of cruell murthers or lamētable slaughters but with eger minds būted after y e goods life of ech other vntil they had vtterly rooted out consumed themselues for Perdicas hauing slaine Meleager and other of his fellow seruitors in Alexanders warres toke vpō him to go into Egypt to dispossesse Ptolome whom before he had placed in that Prouince But there because he behaued himselfe so proudly dismissing his captains vpon small occasions at his pleasure his souldiers set vpon him most fiercely slew him the greatest part of his army being gone to Ptolome King Philip Euridice his wife wer most cruelly murthered by Olympias Alexanders mother Craterus cōming against Eumenes in opē battail was by him slaine Eumenes also was slain in fight by Antigonus Antigonus likewise put to death Python and gaue his prouince to another Antigonus going to batel against Antioch the sonne of Seleucus was himselfe slain by default of his sonne Demetrius It was credebly reported that the night before Antigonus was slaine his son Demetrius dreamed that Alexander who before was dead came stood before him with his sword drawne saying I wil take part with thy enemies against thy father and thee in the morning also when Antigonus aranged his phalange or square battell of footmen comming foorth of his Tent to fight he stumbled and sell downe flat to the groūd and after he was lifted vp againe holding vp his hands to heauen he said I know hard fortune and euill successe drawethny but I pray the immortall Gods rather suffer me to be slaine in this battel than shamefully before mine enemie to flie Also old Antipater falling sick on a surfet which he had takē in these warres deceased and left the kingdome of Macedon to Polispercon his frend and not to Cassander his owne sonne which also caused great controuersie to arise betwixt his sonne Cassander and his friend Polispercon But in the end Cassander expelled Polispercon his fathers kingdome Not long after he himselfe came to vntimely death leauing behind him two sonnes the eldest hight Alexander the other Antipater which Antipater after he had slaine his owne mother sought meanes to driue his brother Alexander out of Macedon For which cause Alexander sent for ayde to king Pirrhus in Cyprus to Demetrius Antigone his sonne in Peloponnesus howbeit Demetrius being so occupied about the estate and affaires of Pelopōnesus whē the Ambassadors of Alexander came that hee coulde by no means help him In the mean time Pirrhus with a great armie came thether and in recompence of his ayde charge took possession of so large a peece of Macedon laying it to his owne countrey of Epyre that Alexander greatly dreaded him And while he abode in this feare he was aduertised that Demetrius was with his whole power comming to his ayde Wherupon he considering the authoritie great renowne of Demetrius and also the worthines of his déedes for which causes he was highly honoured through the whole world did now more than before feare his estate if he entered his realm wherfore he foorthwith went to méet him whom at their first méeting he right courteously and honorably entreated greatly thanking him for his courtesie and trauell in that he would leaue his own affaires of great importance and with so mightie an army come to his ayde further telling him that he already had wel quieted and established his estate so that he should not néede any further to trauell Neuertheles he thought himselfe so much bounde as if he had come at his first sending for or that all things had béen by his meanes quieted To these words Demetrius answered that he was right glad of his quietnes and that he had now no néed of his helpe besides many other louing and gentle words which gréeting ended either of thē for that night returned into his tent During which time there arose such matters betwixt thē that the one greatly suspected the other for as Demetrius was bid to supper with Alexander he was willed to take heede to himselfe for Alexander had practised by treason to slay him notwithstanding he by no mean shewed any countenance of mistrust but meant to go to the banquet to whose lodging Alexander was comming to bring him on his way But Demetrius diuersly detracted the time went a soft easie pace to y e ende his souldiers might haue leisure to arme them and cōmāded his garde being a greater number than Alexanders to enter with him also to waite neer his person but when Alexanders souldiers saw themselues the weaker part they durst not attempt it at that time And after supper because Demetrius would haue some honest cause to depart he fayned he was some what ill in his body therfore foorthwith took leaue of Alexander went thence The next day Demetrius feined that he had receiued letters out of his countrey of great importance so that he with his army must presently return into Peloponnese frō whēce he came praying Alexander to haue him excused offering him
the wilely Greekes doo lurke Also faire Helena her selfe who was the originall cause of that bloudie warre greatly suspected that a troupe of Greekes were secretly inclosed in that hollowe frame insomuch that she her selfe came priuely to the horse beeing before time acquainted with the right voyces of the Ladies of Greece began most artificially to counterfaite their voyces in the Gretian tongue meaning thereby that if there were anie Lords of Greece therein inclosed they wold speake to her whē she did rightly counterfet their Ladies But the subtle Greeks were as mistrustfull as she was wyly refusing to aunswere to her voyce onely Anticlus would haue spoken when as he déemed he had heard the liuely voyce of Laodamia his wife had not Vlysses letted him by laying his hand on his mouth vntill Helena departed whereby Anriclus was strangled and foorthwith died What cause then had the victorious Grecians to reioyce at the ruine and destruction of Troy when as their chiefe Péeres were slaine at the same siege some of them violently being chased at sea so that they returned not home to Greece in the space of 20. yeres some of them also being slain at their returne to Greece by treason which was knowen to happen thorough the occasion of the Troian warre So that there remained aliue of 70. Kings not fully 15. but either they were slain before Troy at their returne by treason or else through dissention for diuiding the Troian spoyles Insomuch that all Greece had as great cause to bewaile the losse of their noble péeres slain by the Troian warre as the vanquished Troians had to mourn at the destruction and subuertion of their aged prince worthie Peeres and stately empire wherefore neither the Gretians Romans Macedonians nor any other countriemen whatsoeuer who by their notable victories haue brought manie Countries vnder subiection that euer had iust cause to ioye ouer their conquest or triumph ouer their great and mightie victories but rather had in the ende good cause to mourne lament sorrowe and hartely repent their achiued victories for that many calamities miseries lamentable losses and pitifull slaughters is as well incident to the victor as vneuitable to the vanquished therefore what gaineth the victor but losse and although it procureth priuat ioy to some yet notwithstanding it purchaseth publique sorrow to many Thus dooth despitefull warre both wast destroy ruinate confound and vtterly subuert the Kingdomes countries stately prouinces and worthie Cities of the conquered and also cruelly spoyle displeasantly voxe and miserably torment the conqueror so that where the vanquished haue cause to bewaile their subuerted state there most commonly the victor lamenteth his losse and hath good cause to complaine on fortunes crueltie That it is both a disgrace and also a foule discredit to Englishmen to chaleng their genealogie of the Troyans or to deriue their pedigree frō such an vnfaithfull stock who were the chiefe causers of their own perdition IT hath béen is at this day amongst Christians a meere folly and wonderfull madnes to deriue and fetch their genealogie and pedegree from the ancient Troyans because for sooth that they would be knowne to descend and spring from the Gods as the old foolish saying is that the Troyans did for it is said that old Anchises begot Aeneas on the goddes Venus and after the fatall subuertion of Troy Aeneas much increased that stock and kindred as hereafter shall more manifestly apeare The proud Troyans the stately Gretians falling into controuercie about their ancient generositie séeking out which of them descended from the most ancientest stock and line the Troyans affirming that Hector was far more worthy then Achilles the Gretians also stoutly mainetaine that Achilles was superior to Hector which thing the Troyans not well digesting vnfould their fond pedegree as followeth Etsi enim Peleifilius Achilles fuit Aeaci verò Peleus Aeacus Iouis sic quóque Hector Priami Priamus autem Laomedontis Dardani Laomedon silius Dardanus quóque Ioue prognatus est Alijgenus Hectoris paulò aliter deriuant Iupiter inquiunt ex Electra genuit Dardanum Dardanus Assaracum Ilium Ilius Laomedontē Laomedon Priamum Priamus Hectorem vide Tortellium after this sort they deriue themselues from the gods but if it be possible that a wicked a peruerse generation should spring and descend from the gods themselues then no doubt but that the Troyans came linially frō the gods and if as they say Dardanus was begotten of a God how soone then did his son Laomedon digres from that sacred genelogie for of him thus it was sayde Laomedon insignis perfidia fiut qui pactam pro constructis Troiae maenibus mercedū neganit Apolloni atque Neptuno violauitque sacram iurisiurandi religionem quae semper abalijs inuiolatè santissiméque habita Laomedon was the vnfaithfullest Prince that liued for hauing borrowed a great summe of money of the priests of Apollo Neptune to reare and build vp againe the decayed walls of Troy which being done the priests craue their money againe he mightily forsweres the debt protesting and vowing by the sacred gods he ought them no such summe therefore he would pay no such debt Wherfore by the iust plague of the Gods their predicessors as they thēselues affirme their citie was part ouer flown with the raging seat by reason where of there arose afterwards in the citie when the water was retired a most miserable deadly plague whereof many thousands of the Troyans died which plague to appease they asked counsaile aduice of the oracle at Delphos how they should satisfie the angrie gods answer was giuen thē that no other waies they could apease their wrath and displeasure but onely by this means by giuing monthly a virgin to a sea monster with should appeare for the nonce at the shore or banck before Troy which custome being obserued and dewly kept y e gréeuous plague seased it hapned in time that the daughter of Laomedon the King whose name was Hesione was chosen by lot and chance to be the virgin that should satisfie the gréedy monster thus when the time drew on that the sea monster was ready waighting at his wonted port crauing his accustomed pray and thus pensiue Laomedon with diuers of the lamenting Troyans came forth with the virgin bound presently to bee giuen to the eager monster to be deuoured in the meane time pitifully be wailing the destressed state of the guiltlesse virgin Hercules by great chance at that time comming from the voyage of Hespere hapned to be against Troy when such a mightie throng of people stoode on the shore wherefore he forthwith drew neere and demanded the cause and why they did so lament then trembling Laomedon told all that is before rehearsed confessing his owne periurie for which all this miserie chanced The noble minded Hercules greatly pittying their their distressed state demanding of Laomedon what he would giue the man that should frée their citie from
the mother did take rest with her children in the morning her two sonnes were founde dead whereby it was gathered that the greatest benefit that man could haue was in the middest of his glory and praise to end his fraile life that the vnconstancie of fickle fortune might not blot out any part of that which he had before gotten Croesus the rich King of Lydia demanding on a time of Solon who was the happiest man that euer he did sée thinking that he would say Croesus for his great riches and wealth but Solon said Tellus a man of Athens who had honest and good sonnes and they also had good children all which he sawe in his life and when he had liued a good time honestly at the last fighting against and vanquishing the enemies of his countrie he died a faire death was in the same place honorably buried of the Athenians When Croesus asked who was most happy next Tellus Solon named those whome hee knewe to liue and die most happiest not naming Croesus at al where at he being abashed said vnto Solon My friend of Athens settest thou so little by our felicitie that thou preferrest before vs these priuat persoÌ„s SoloÌ„ answered Truly Croesus in proces of time many things are seene that men would not see and many things are suffered that men would not suffer and speaking much of mans calamitie at the last he concluded saying Ante obitum nemo supremáque funera foelix No man is happie or thorowly blessed before his last and vttermost end and that the end of euery thing is to be looked on where to it shall come for God plucketh vp many men by the rootes vnto whom he gaue all thinges at pleasure therefore I cannot account any man happy before his end be knowne Croesus made hereto no countenance at al but esteeming Solon for a foole considering hee passed so lightly vpon things which appeared good let him depart A good space after Croesus attempting warre against Cyrus king of Persia was at the last taken of him who caused a great pile of wood to be made redy and Croesus to be gyued and set on the top therof to be burned Then forthwith Croesus remembring the words of Solon that no man liuing was blessed or on all parts happy lamenting cried O Solon Solon Solon which Cyrus hearing caused it to be demaunded of him who it was that he named Croesus with much difficultie told who it was and declared all that was before rehearsed which wheÌ„ Cyrus had heard remembring himselfe to be also a man sore repented that he went about to burne him which was equall to himselfe in honour and riches and commaunded him to be taken from the fire which then began to flame so with great difficultie he was deliuered who coulde not perceiue his own errour before experience had made him wise wherefore in such causes it may aptly be sayd Phryx plagis emendatur he bethought himselfe too late Scho. It is sufficiently apparant by your examples that the life of man cannot be happy vntill his ende and that man ought to liue accordingly to attaine to that happinesse but the nature of men is so farre from that consideration that they rather thinke themselues immortall and without end as doth appeare by their liues most euident for they liue now in these our dayes according as the Agragentines did in times past for the wise Plato said of them They bâ—â—ded as if they would liue euer and fedd as if they should alwayes die because of their costlines in building and their delicatenes in eating the one shewing the immortall minde of man and by the other contrary to their meaning they runne headlong to an vntimely death which surfetting end according to the opinion of the wise Philosophers can not be accounted happy but whereas temperance hath beene the originall ground of our conference it shalbe also expedient that you would make manifest what the want thereof is as well in princes and high estates as in the meanest subiect and what by their vnsatiable coueting they gaine Fa. It is very requisite and necessary truely to shew the vnsatiable appetite of aspiring mindes and what by their inordinate coueting they gaine which commeth by the want of the aforesaid gift whereof I am right wel content my good friend so that you will diligently marke what I shall say herein I will first begin with a king of the Hebrewes whose name was Amasius liued before the incarnation of Christ 853. yeares who although he liued well and contentedly for a space yet in the ende he forgat himselfe and especially he forgat the liuing GOD whom he before had serued which hapned by his successes and innumerable riches where withall he grew so proude that not contenting himselfe he wrote to Ioas king of the Israelites commaunding him his people to be vnder his obedience and gouernement But Ioas after defiance gathered an army and went against Amasius whose people fled before they came to strokes for feare of Ioas himselfe being taken and brought to the king who threatned to kill him except he caused the gates of Ierusalem to be opened that he with his army might enter in there Amasius was forced to breake downe of his owne Citie walles foure hundred cubites by which way his enemie Ioas might enter in being also led as prisoner by his foe into his owne where his aduersary spoyled and robbed him before his face of al the treasure of his house and citie with the treasure of the temple which he commanded to be caried to Samaria and afterward being deliuered his owne people slew him This gained he for his discontentment In like sort Marcus Antonius a noble Roman whome Augustus the Emperour highly fauoured making him companion in the Romane Empire with himselfe vsing him so louingly and friendly that hee wholie ruled and commaunded the Empire so far foorth as Augustus himselfe in consideration wherof Antonius by the lewd enticement of Cleopatra Q. of Aegypt aspired to the whole Empire and to put downe his true and trusty friend Augustus who before had aduanced him to that dignitie for which vnsatiable appetite he was destroyed of his very louing and faithfull friend Also if Caesar Pompey Cyrus Alexander Hanniball and diuers other great Princes had bene coutented with their owne large kingdomes and possessions they had neuer bin driuen to those extreme and shamefull ends as they were so that it may well be prouerbially spoken Aurum Tolosanum habem they died most miserably whose liues and ends I would sufficiently relate and vnfold to the better vnderstanding and perceiuing of the quiet state of contentment and the shamefull fall and destruction of couetous and aspiring mindes but it may be that I shoulde ouer-weary your eares with tediousnesse for where a briefe will serue it were méere folly to make a volume Therefore for the auoyding of the blameable cause of ouer much tediousnesse
in examples I am content in this point to be short referring it to your owne iudgement and consideration Scho. Not so Sir I beséech you for then should you offer me great discontentment in naming the princes which shuld be examples in our aforesaid conference referring them to my iudgement and consideration who as yet am altogether ignorant and vnacquainted either of their liues or endes contentment or discontentment wherefore my consideration herein can be but to small effect vnles I knew the certaintie And although it would séeme tedious and troublesome to the eares of those who before doo know their histories sufficiently yet notwithstanding because of mine ignorance herein for the better perceiuing of the aforesaid difference I am verie desirous to heare you and shall haue great pleasure thereby rather than trouble and let those who are alreadie perfect herein stop their eares vntill you conferre of other causes which shall please and content them better Fa. With verie good will my good friend being also glad that you will not plead perfectnes wherin you are ignorant nor refuse the name of a Scholer to learne further experience for the wise Plato being demaunded how long he would bee a Scholer and learne So long said he as I repent not to be wiser But to our purpose I will procéed according to promise first beginning with the most renowmed Caius Iulius Caesar a most victorious Romane who liued 40. yeres before the Incarnation of Christ and in 10. yeares space made manie mightie Nations submit themselues first winning the whole Countries of Spaine Gallia and Germanie conquering also the Heluetians the Latobrigians Tulingians Sedutians Harudes Tribockes with the Kauratians the warlike Boyans he also ouercame the Marcomans the Sueuians Nemets Seduns Veragrines Ambiliats Venets Diablinters Digerons Farbels and the Naunets in like manner he vanquished the Osisenes Tarrasats Vocats Pretians Flustrates Garites Garumnes with the famous Ansians the Sibusites Cocasats Aulerkes and compelled the stout Viridouix to yéeld himselfe slaying also an infinite number of the Morines Treuites Mennapians Lexobians he also slew the strong and valiaunt Captaine Indutiomares with his owne hand he subdued the Belges the Neruians the Aduatickes with Occo the great Prince of the Senons he beate downe the Condrosces Segemes and Eburons he also overcame the Britons with Cassibelan their King made them become tributaries vnto him Scho. Sir by your patience let me cause you to stay there a while vntill I be certefied in this one poynt the Britones whom Caesar conquered with their King Cassibelan I take to be the English Nation now which at the first time of his comming and inuading their Land if ancient Records may challenge credite gaue him a shamefull repulse and slewe a number of his men causing him also to flie the Land with great spéede into Gallia to saue his life where amongst the Galls hee practised by treacherous meanes to obtaine their Land Which in the ende he easily atchieued for hauing corrupted their Nobles and chiefe States he entred the Land the second time and made a conquest thereof But at his first comming the Britons so fiercely encountred with him that he was caused perforce to flie the Field and therefore where as he was wont to certefie the Senat of Rome by his letters briefly saying and concluding Vt veni vidi vici So soone as I came I saw and I ouercame Thus for breuitie sake certifying the Romanes of his prosperous succes and good fortune meaning thereby that no people or nation did or would withstand him himselfe being present but yéelded themselves to his mercie at his verie first comming Notwithstanding hee was at this time deceiued and caused to stay his letters from Rome for he could not say So soone as I saw I ouercame for the Britons at his first comming had driuen him out of their Countrey ioyning battaile with the Romanes and draue thē back with great slaughter and in the same conflict a Britaine named Nennius matched hand to hand with Caesar and chased him in the field with great hazard and peril of his life for catching the impoysoned sword of Iulius Caesar in his target with the which he caused him to flie the field as a hare before the hound to saue his life but Nennius not preuayling because of the wonderful swiftnes of Caesar retired into the battaile againe and slew the chiefe friend and Legate to Caesar whose name was Labienus with y e sword which he had taken from his Master Also by the reports of Caesars owne pen in his Commentaries that he neuer got Land with more difficultie than he did the Britaine Ile chiefly praysing the Kentishmen both for their courtesie manlinesse and constancie in the aforesaid Commentaries which were written with his owne hand Fa. I must needs confesse it is true yet notwithstanding he was called the victorious Caesar for that he vanquished in the ende whomsoeuer he warred against After the conquest of the Britones he forced the great Catiuulcus to poyson him selfe subduing the noble Lytauicus taking at the same time the great Citie Genabum and the Cities Valundunum Noniodunum battering downe to the verie ground Auaricum and slew in the same Citie 40000. people also he vanquished Theutomatus Camalogeus and slewe Eporidouix where in the same fight Cotus and Canarell were taken prisoners Sedulius prince of Lemnouix was by him slaine at Alexea he tooke a liue Vergasilaunus with three score baners and foure and thirtie thousand prisoners with many a noble man he ouercame Drapes Surus Suturuate and chased so narrowly the noble Prince Luctarius that hee miserably dyed by famishment The great king Etorix also hee made to bee brought by his owne People to him as Prisoner he ouerthrewe great Pompey the Romane Prince in many a battel discomfiting in one day al his power at Pharsalia and caused him to flie in poore aray out of the campe into Aegypt afterward displacing the king of Aegypt and placing his sister Cleopatra in his stead whome he dearely loued Iuba king of Africa and Pharnaces king of Pontus he made submit themselues to his will The sounes of great Pompey which came to reuenge their fathers quarrell in like sort he put to shamefull foile Thus highly fortune fauored him that he marched Conqueror through out all Europa For the hautie minde of Caesar as the auncient Romanes report could abide no equall neither could Pompey abide or tolerate any péere or superior whereby the whole world was troubled by their dissention and strife not onely with the losse of manie thousands of souldiors but also with a great number of woorthy valiant and noble men of great fame and renowme After these great victories huge slaughters of so many thousands Caesar marched home to the gates of Rome with the conquest of 300. seuerall nations and 800. stately townes at the least yet not cōtented with the proy of his victorie nor filled with so many blodie slaughters
spared not but beate down the stately walles of his owne natiue Citie Rome because his countriemen fearing his crueltie at the first would not open the gates of the Citie vnto him for which cause hee made the Romans yéelde themselues on their knées to become his faithfull and true subiectes making himselfe Emperour ouer the Romane State which was neuer subiect to Emperour before his time Thus did the pride of his minde still clime for dignitie not béeing satisfied but catching at the verie heauens if his power had extended so farre being fleshed with so manie bloudie broyles and animated with such lordly statelinesse that no Roman péere or potentate might stirre or speak against his wilfulnes Therfore true is the saying of Tully who saith Quem metuunt oderunt quem quisque odit perijsse expetit Whom they feare they hate whom euerie man dooth hate his death is wished for Which saying was truly verefied in him for he grewe in such detestable hate dayly amongst the Romanes that they continually wished and heartely desired his destruction and confusion which came thorough his great pride and in that he would so much be feared Neither was it vnknowen to him that by his aspiring minde and stately behauior he was growen into deadly hate amongst the Romanes for which cause fearing the destruction of expected hap he made a law and instituted a decrée that no Romane should come into the Senate house with anie weapon at all vnder paine of death which was where he most commonly sate in iudgement and where the States of the Romanes assembled themselues together to conferre and determine of causes yet notwithstanding in the end Cassius Brutus extreamely hating the vnquenchable pride of his aspiring minde brought priuely into the Senate in their pockets and sléeues small bodkins little kniues and such other fit instruments for their purpose and sodainely in the Senate house set vpon him vnlooked for stabbing him into the bodie most miserably vntill he died This was the end of mightie Caesar which happened through the default of Temperance which gift if he had possessed he had not so died Scho. O good God what meant the vnsatiable Caesar by his inordinate coueting and by the vncessant climing for vaine superioritie had he delight and pleasure in such cruell slaughters and miserable murders of so many destressed people was his gréedie appetite so hungrie after honour that his minde could neuer be satisfied would not so manie pitiful murders so manie lamentable chances so manie cruell acts so manie hard escapes in his warres which he both beheld in others also felt himselfe mollifie and abate the hautie pride and loftie courage of his aspiring minde wherein he might haue perceiued himselfe as mortall as the rest Surely I much meruaile how hée could register and set downe with his owne pen the whole discourse of his warres and victories compiled in a volume called Caesars Commentaries without blushing chéeks wonderful shedding of teares and déepe sighes from the heart to thinke that for his owne vaine glorie and pride of heart so manie Nations were subdued so manie stately Townes beaten downe sacked so manie people slain and murdred most lamentably that all Europa stood floating with y e blood of his slaughters He might haue considered the nature of man by the disposition of himself for before their Countrey should be sacked spoyled robbed and destroyed by the inuasions and forces of forreign enemies they will most willingly venter life and runne with desperate minds to death in defence of Countrie and libertie but the wise Cato saith Sic facias alteri quòd tibi vis fieri So doo vnto another as thou wouldest thy self be done vnto Euen such measure as he gaue to others such measure was heaped to him againe For when he had depraued diuers kings of their kingdomes spoyled them of their liues wrested from them their goods in the ende as it séemeth he was in one houre depraued of his Empire which he had made firme to himselfe perforce despoyled of his princely regiment and most miserably murdred by the hands of his owne subiects O most vnhappy end Fa. If wee shall goe forward according to promise it is not conuenient to stand long vpon this one example but to procéed Alexander the Great who was the sonne of Philip King of Macedonie in like manner was one whome fortune highly fauored for being but twentie yeares old when first he began his raigne at which time hee set forward to conquere the whole World and at the first subduing the Athenians Getes Lacedemonians Argeans Thalants with all the whole countrey of Greece from thence he went to Hellespont where he conquered all the countries there about marching from thence into Asia where at the first hee slew in one day of Persians 20200. causing also many Cities and strong townes in the same country to yéelde to his mercie as Sardis Lydia Magnesia Phrygia Ephilos Pamphilia Caria Pysidia Lysia Gordin Helicarnus Melyton Selenas Aucyre Paphlagony Solos Malon Lernesus Islon Sebestus with strong Castabulon Then passing to the large country Cilicia where he tooke prisoners the mother and wife of King Darius putting him to flight sleying of the Persians 100000. compelling also Strato the great King of Arade with all the Kings of Syria to yéeld themselues on their knées to his mercie he put to sacke the stately and strong Citie Tyre that neuer before since the beginning of the World had been conquered then sayled hee into Aegypt and so ouer the riuer Nilo where he subdued all the country marching forward to Araby where hee slew the mightie King Darius with manie thousand of his people from thence he passed to the great Citie Babylon which was presently yeelded to him then he conquered the whole countrey of Armenia Atrapine Persepolis Paralacen marching to the huge Nation of the Mardons where he vanguished the Medes Parthians Spartans Thracians Acabians Boetians Cannians Besyrians Nisans Pisides with many more vntill he was letted by the Caspian seas the countrie of Amazon he also subdued and vtterly destroyed the great Prouince of Dranga compelling their King to flie into India to saue his life he ouercame the whole land of Aracosia sacking the Cities Acadera Bactria Cyroposis Scythia Bubacen Basannes Duhanes and the Maurians from thence hee conueyed his armie into India that neuer was inuaded by any one before but by Hercules passing ouer and conquering the high and stéepe Mountaines of Meroae and Dedala with rich Amzaga Mount Arum hee long besiedged and in the end gat it which Hercules before him could not subdue making the Kings of India Omphis Abiazaris and Gamaxus to yeeld themselues on their knees then passed he ouer Hidaspis streames where he vanquished the great King Porus and slewe all his armie still marching to the Sabians Sugdrians and Mallians which he also conquered then to the Oxidricans whome hee vtterly ouerthrew marching on to the vttermost
being wonderfully beloued of the Romanes and honoured excéedingly for his happie successes in his warres grew in the ende so proud that he disdained anie superiour which ambitious minde caused his shamefull destruction First being but a youth he entered into Africke committing there most horrible slaughters of the Africans subduing their Countrey to the Romane Empire returning to Rome from thence he spéedely marched into Spaine where he ouercame in Battaile the most valiaunt Captaine Sertorius beeing then an Exile in Spaine and before inuincible He also vanquished the great king of Pontus called Mithridates with a mightie number of people For which great victories he triumphed in Rome twise not being filled with these great conquests and murders of distressed people nor satisfied with his stately triumphs but forthwith inuaded and conquered these realmes and nations as Armenia Cappadocia Paphlagonia Media Cilicia Mesopotamia Iudea Arabia Colchis Iberia Albania and Syria for the which also he triumphed in Rome In these warres he gathered a mightie masse of treasure whereby he both inriched the common treasure-house of Rome and also himselfe the gold which he brought to Rome from the spoiles of these wars was 2000. talents which amounteth of our mony to 28026600. pounds beside that which he gaue to euery priuat souldior which was sixe pounds to euery man therefore it is to be thought that in so great an hoast as pertained to the cōquests of so many countries must needs extend to a wonderfull summe of money If then the summe which was preserued did amount to such a mightie masse It is also to be supposed the priuat spoiles and booties of the common souldiors did arise to a great quantitie which was not openly declared Wherefore it is to be considered how that Pompey thorough his vnsatiable appetite did spoile and sacke on infinite number of statelie Cities and rich towns with the sheding of huge streams of bloud in the gathering together of this mucke for which cause also manie thousands of his people lost their liues Returning to Rome with the rich spoiles his haughtie pride much more increased in somuch that no Romane in what office soeuer might be his péere no nor scant his equall and to establish his estate the better he married Iulia the daughter of Iulius Caesar a mightie Roman but this friendship not long continued for Iulia died then coulde not Caesar and Pompey agrée for the stately pride of the one could not brooke or digest the haughty mind of the other whereby there grew amongst the Romans great controuersie and debate insomuch that in the ende it came to bloudie blows and mightie slaughters as wel of Romans themselues as of infinite thousands of strange nations and forren people but at the last Pompey was vanquished and forced to flie priuily by sea into Aegypt where by the conduct of king Ptolomeus he was slaine in a bote his head being stricken off and his body cast on the stround where it was but poorely buried Thus died Pompey when he had liued thrée score yeares spending his time in sheding bloud whose proude minde in his aged time would not suffer his body to rest but in striuing and contending for superioritie he most shamefully lost his life Thus good friend it is manifest what aspiring mindes gaine in the end For further proofe whereof it might more sufficiently be prooued by the fall of diuers other kings and princes which at this time I omit hoping that these few examples shall as well suffice as if I had more amply related or apparantly expressed them by further examples Scho. Sir for your great courtesie herein I yéelde you most hartie thankes not being willing to trouble you any further in these examples for you haue most plainely manifested the reward of discontentment the incident ende of aspiring mindes the imminent perill which doeth dayly hang ouer the climers for superioritie so that first from the beginning being certified of the state of man wherein is shewed that he holdeth nothing proper of himselfe but borroweth what he hath of others by reason of his nakednesse then also what an vncertaine thing life it selfe is in this naked bodie of man so that man being of this bare and base mettell ought not to thinke himselfe immortall then also what was more necessary to gouerne the fraile life and naked bodie of man than temperance showing the quietnesse and happie state to the possessors thereof And now in like sort in these your last examples what troubles vexations perilles and vtter confusion dooth happen and fall consequently to the wanters of the afore saide gift therefore as you haue orderlie begun so my request is that you will accordinglie procéede forward Fa. Truly friend there are many enimies to the life of man which for their pleasantnesse at the first are taken as deere friends for the nature of man is to account that a friendlie pleasure which fullie satisfieth his lewde vaine and gréedie appetite although after it shortly turneth him to destruction The wise Marcus Cato finding out and perceiuing that worldlie muck as heapes of gould and siluer which is but mettle of the earth was one of the chiefest enimies and aduersaries to the quiet state and peaceable rest of man when hee came from the conquest of Spaine hauing gathered a great masse of treasure together First considered to himselfe what inconuenience this money and coyne might purchase either to himselfe or to any of his friends which might possesse too great a quantitie thereof also fearing that if he should bring it into the tresurie of Rome it would trouble and disquiet the whole bodie of the Senat who hauing sufficient before as Cato thought might therewith purchase the death and destruction of many thousands of Romans and other people for as he thought if they had such a huge masse of treasure they would haue prouided to conquer the world if it had bin possible for them Which thing he might well conceiue for that he at that time was commanded and sent by the Senat to make a cōquest of Spaine but wise Cato foreséeing all these euills and expected harmes at his retourne out of Spaine towards Rome gaue to euerie one of his Souldiers which were a mightie number a pound waight of siluer because hee would dissolue and seperate the suspected mischiefe knowing also that the monie was vnreuocable againe out of so many holders hands saying better it were that many should returne to Rome with siluer then a few with golde which as Cato supposeth is one of the most speciallest enimies to the quiet state and gouernement of man bréeding trouble and vexation to the minde which otherwise would be in quiet rest In like manner Crates a Philosopher perceiuing what vnquietnesse the goods of this world bred to the mind of man threw his riches and treasure into the sea because they should neither molest or trouble himselfe nor otherwise infect his friends with auarice saying Packe hence you vngratious appetites
should bee a table prouided and set by it selfe in a place seuerall and that a cubbord should be furnished with dew preparation and swéet perfumes tempered burned and scattered against the comming of the said Menecrates all which costes was expended and laide out to pleasure the fine nosed gentleman who sat solitarie and alone at a side boorde by himselfe whilst all the companie that were bidden guests tasted of the toothsome cheere and sumptuous feast which wanted no varietie of delicates but nothing was serued vnto the table where he sat by himselfe notwithstanding hee held him content for a season and greatly delighted in the worship and honour which was exhibited to him being in a manner regall sauing that he was kept fasting which was after a sorte seruile But after that hunger griped his guts and appetite whetted his stomack insomuch that his téeth watered at the cates he saw brought in and none fell to his share then was he taught by experience that hée was not Menecrates Iupiter but Menecrates mortalis and foorthwith he arose from the table and went his way complayning on the iniurie which he suffered being a bidden guest to that banquet whereof hee not once tasted thus did Philip cut Menecrates his combe and detected the mad mans vanitie with a notable flout King Herod because he stood still to shew himselfe to the people when they magnified him as a God was wonderfullie slaine for his proud minde for when on a time hée had made a certaine oration in the hearing of a number of people he so pleased the companie by his eloquence that they made a great showte and crie saying It was the voyce of a God and not of a man by reason whereof hée was so eleuated and lifted vp with stately pride that he stoode vaunting himselfe before the multitude taking himself to be no lesse than they had termed him For which proud follie the liuing God to shew that he was but man did strike him in the presence of them all in so much that hee died with most grieuous paines liuing wormes issuing out of his body to the great terror of all the beholders thus dooth the immortal God reuenge himself on those mortall earthly gods to make them knowe they are but men and soone shall turne to dust Yet notwithstanding although they are taught by experience and daylie do sée most plaine and euidently that man is mortall both from the Prince and Péere to the poorest people yet for al that when they doo perceiue their mortall carkasses must néeds to the ground perforce they couet to leaue behind them at least their name and fame to be immortall for which cause they striue mightely in their life time And truly so in princes it commeth oft to passe for they are long time remembred either for their vertue liberalitie courtesie patience and constancie which no doubt but is both to the pleasing of God and drawing on of their successors to imitate folow their vertue But if their immortall fame bée purchased by their great tyrannie cruelty vnsatiable appetites dronkennes monsterous pride or such like horrible vices no doubt but they haue registred themselues to euerlasting ignomie and perpetuall infamie But diuers so that they may after their death attaine to perpetuall remembrance care not by what meanes they purchase that immortalitie For Herostratus a priuate Citizen liued not contented for that no man talked much of him wherefore he thought that after his death he shoulde be buried in the graue of obliuion and fully be forgotten In so much as whē he heard the dayly fame of worthy men set forth some for vertue some for valure yea and againe some dayly spoken of for their great crueltie auarice dronkennes and such like vices whose fame be also perceiued to liue after their death grew in the end himselfe so desirous of perpetuall remēbrance that his name might come in question to be as much noted in the Citie as the rest were But when he had long time studied and could not bring to passe any notable thing worthy to be talked of at the last he went priuily and set on fire y e stately temple of Diana in the Citie and vtterly consumed it downe to the ground Thus when the most sumptuous gallant temple was so vilely defaced great inquisition was made in the Citie who should doe that notorious fact talking much of the matter but none did know the mā For which cause Herostratus much repining in himselfe that although the matter was spoken of in euery part of the Citie yet notwithstanding his name was in no admiration amongst them Wherfore he went presently to the Citizens detected himselfe For which cause be foorthwith was most cruelly put to death Then in trueth he was therfore wonderfully spoken of and is in remembrance at this day Scho. In mine opinion he hath very well deserued perpetuall remembrance who was of that mad minde to register such meere folly to his euerlasting reproach and ignomie which is worthie to be noted throughout all ages But it séemeth that the vices of men doe much longer continue and are of more ancient antiquitie than their vertues For a few speciall vices do dimme and ouershadow a great number of good qualities and shall longer be remembred to their reprochfull infamie than the other to their praise and merite We also read of diuers notable Princes who by a few inordinate follies haue drowned a number of their especiall vertues as most plainly appeareth in your last examples For what good vertues are to be picked out of the liues of those that for their madde pride would be accounted as Gods on the earth although indéede diuers good qualities and examples of vertue procéede from them before Yet notwithstanding this most monstrous pride obscured and blotted out their meritorious remembrance shadowing as it were with a thick and darke veile their notable vertues from the face of the earth Therefore I beséech you to vnfold and lay open part of those monstrous vices which are such enemies and so repugnant to vertue which suffereth not the worthie fame of man to rise and flourish but croudeth and thrusteth it downe into the darke graue of obliuion wherein is drowned his worthie merites by the ouerflowing of his foolish follie Fa. There is remaining in man my good friend manie notable vices and sundrie misgouernments which are altogether repugnant to vertue as the vnsatiable pride of the minde which is alreadie spoken of as the most monstrous folly and vice in man The filthie vice of drunkennesse is also most odious detestable and a great enemie to the quiet gouernment of man it bringeth also with it manie vexations troubles enormities great incōueniences being a disturber daily breaker of peaceable amitie and friendly tranquilitie purchasing both reproachfull rebukes and sharpe reprehensions in their life time and also perpetuall infamie euerlasting ignominie after their death For as
at libertie from warre or at least hauing but a time of leasure from his affairs would so continually vse and frequent immoderate swilling and inordinate sucking of wine that a man shuld hardly finde him sober but more like a beast than so noble a King For vpon the first day of one month as the report runneth he drunke so much at Eumenes Mannor that hee was quite ouercome sleeping out his beastly surfet all the next day wherein he did nothing at all but rise a little from his dronken pillowe and gaue commaundement of the morrowes voyage saying that it should be the next morning at the spring of the day The 7. day of the same month in like sort hee feasted at the Lord Perdicas his house at what time he so pampered his panch like an Epicure with choyce of cheere and change of wines ouer drinking himselfe in such vnsatiable sort that al the 8. day next following was consumed in drowsie sleepe Furthermore vpon the 15. he fell to wine bibbing againe and spent the next day after in sleepe to digest his surfetting folly The xxiiii daye of the same moneth he supped at Bagoas table whose Pallaice was distant from the Court aboue 10. furlongs there swallowing wine as swine doo their swill was consequently dronke after a most odious and detestable manner not ceasing vntil his vnmeasurable appetite had abused and ouer loaded his vital senses insomuch that drowsinesse and sleepe followed his intemperance successiuely Againe this is also remembred of him that at what time in the honour of Calanus Brachmanus the Indian Sophister who burned his owne bodie to powder he appointed games of musique games of wrestling and such like spectacles being desirous to shewe the Indians a pleasure Adioyning to those former pageants the vsuall practise of himselfe which was a common game of swilling wine and troling the cup and the can frō hand to mouth wherein hee that did best receiued for reward a whole talent the second receiued for his guerdon 30. li. and the third receiued the summe of 10. li. for a recompence of his labor In this exercise none could carrie away the spurres from him he himselfe was so peerlesse in Poto potaui potatus sum In troll the boale to me But see what consequently followeth such vnsatiable swilling but onely mad drunkennes wherein he oft committed most shamefull and horrible déedes which after hee most heartely repented for at such time as in his warres hee had gotten and atchieued to his glorie manie great and notable victories he commaunded a solemn banquet to be prepared inuiting thether all his Princes and Nobles to reioyce and bee merrie with him for his great and happie successes finding occasion at that time to extol himselfe to the heauens being in his cups in which fond vaine he would not that any man should be compared to his mightinesse but still maintaining his owne proud argument saying that there was no comparison with Alexander to whose arrogancie the most part of the Nobilitie consented after a most flattering and pleasing manner But in the end one of the most grauest counsailors and chiefest Noble man whom Alexander held full déere hearing the great vanitie of his Lord in boasting himselfe after such a ridiculous sort put foorth himselfe and maintained the noble acts and déeds of King Philip father to Alexander his Lord extolling also his praise and worthines meaning therby to make Alexander perceiue that there were or else in time might be as worthie valiant men as himselfe not thinking he should offend the K. his master by setting foorth the praise of his father Philip. But Alexander being in a great rage that he preferred him not before all men so fretted at the cause that he snatched a weapon from one of his gard and there to finish vp the banquet he thrust his olde friend Clitus thorough that hee presently died reioycing ouer the dead bodie of his slaine friend kicking and spurning the carkasse vauntingly saying Now praise my father Philip and extoll his actions and let the merites and worthinesse of Alexander thy master passe But after he had long behelde the body of his deare frend his minde being somewhat quieted and pacified and in the place of mad anger milde and coole cōsideration had entered calling to mind the person whom he had slaine and also the cause why he slew him he at last began greatly to repent the déede in that he had so vilely taken the praise of his father and slaine his olde friend so dishonorably in his dronken mood turning now his anger into repentance taking it so heauely that he would die for sorow there was no remedy being so mightely ashamed of his folly First of all falling into most pitifull wéepings casting himselfe on the carkas of his dead friend imbracing the corps féeling handling the wounds which he had made in his frantique moode filling them with his teares making most pitifull and lamentable moane as if the carkasse should haue heard his sorowfull outcries plucking out the weapon turning it to his owne brest and woulde foorthwith haue slaine himselfe had not the standers by hindered and preuented his purpose Then also came to his minde his Nurse who was sister to this Clitus whom he had so cruelly slain being greatly ashamed that he should requite and recompence her paines for nourishing and bringing him vp with the slaughter of her deare brother by him most shamefully slaine These considerations caused him to remaine in that obstinate minde to die and not to liue any longer for that also at y e same time to increase his sorow he called to minde the slaughter of many other right noble and valiant men which he had before slaine in his dronkennes as namely Parmenion and Philotas Aminthas and Attalus Eurilochus Pausanias with diuers other noble Macedonians the shame and griefe whereof did so gripe and pricke his gilty conscience that by no meanes he would be perswaded but that foorthwith he would die for the great griefe thereof conceiued continuing certaine dayes following in such sorow that he would receiue no foode or sustenance to preserue his life not suffering his noble-men to disswade him from his purpose but remayned in that obstinate minde for a certaine space notwithstanding his whole army came to him with pitifull cries praying beséeching him that he would not so sorow at the death of one as thereby to lose all the rest of his army which he had now conducted and brought so farre from their home into strange Regions and barbarous Countreis amongst fierce and cruell people Yet for all this their humble petitions toke none effect vntill the wise Philosopher Calisthenes who before had been fellow scholler with Alexander vnder Aristotle their Tutor tooke on him with wise precepts of philosophy to alter and turne the mind of the king his deare friend And in the end by his great paynes and industrie brought it to passe thorow
virrute propria ascenderunt non inferiorem laudem merentur quà m qui nobilitate maiorum superbise iactant Maior enim est gloria virtutibus proprijs niti quà m alienis intumescere They which are borne but of meane and base Parents and rise to high honour by their owne proper vertues deserue or merite no lesse praise when they which brag and boast of their right noble Progenitors Therefore far better is that baunt to sticke and cleaue fast to their own proper vertues than ouermuch to swell with the pride of another mās glorie But Iuuenalis reporteth of this mans father otherwise saying Plebeius ab officina gladiorum fuit He was free of the Cutlers and liued by that trade Which also was farre from the credite and calling of his sonne Demosthenes Fa. It is very true indeede such vaunting vanitie remayneth in many but it is very hard to finde such a one as is risen to great honour and dignitie in his Countrey being descended from meane and base parentage to vaunt and brag in causes of controuersie of his poore Progenitors much lesse ought he who is descended and sprong from the stocke of generositie being poore or in base estate ouer proudly to vaunt thereof for that either his fall was by the vicious vice of his predecessors wherof he ought rather to blush than brag Or els it proceedeth of his owne lasciuious or licencious vanitie whereof he ought greatly to be ashamed Well let this suffice that vertue maketh a Gentleman and the want thereof causeth the stock and graffe to wither and fall downe And whereas we haue alredy sufficiently touched the misdemeanors and bad behauiours of noble Peeres and high estates and what they gain by such disordered gouernment now againe we will shew and make manifest how much good gouernment is commended what praise it deserueth and what perpetuall memorie it registreth to the eye of immortall fame and also how farre clemencie courtesie humilitie and mercie in Princes and high estates auayleth and is of force where neither cruelty tyrannie or other rigorous dealing can preuaile First concerning modestie and the fruites thereof Demetrius the sonne of Philip king of Macedon being sent by his father to Rome to answere the greeuous cōplaint of the Grecians who made a great hainous complaint against him to the Romans for certain abuses which he had offered them in Greece when this Demetrius was in the Senate of Rome hearing his father greeuously complayned on would forthwith haue executed the office for which cause he came wherefore he stoode vp and began to answere to the accusations which they so vrgently obiected against his father But the Ambassadors of Greece so vehemently interrupted and interturbed his speach with vnpleasant babbling and rayling insomuch that the young Gentleman could not be heard by reason of their great importunacie for which cause the yong Demetrius being greatly abashed with blushing chéekes in most modest manner sate him down being greatly ashamed at their outragious railing pleaded his cause with silence because he would not be troublesome to the graue Senators he gaue the Ambassadors his aduersaries leaue to scolde and rayle their fill Which when the graue Bench of the Senators perceiued they also commaunded the antragious Grecians to silence and dismissed them the Senate suffering them to returne home to Grece without reformation of their wrongs pardoning the offence of the yong mans Father sending letters into Macedon to this effect Philip King of Macedon we the Senatours of Rome pardon thine offence remit the trespasses of thee done against the Cities of Grece not for thy sake Philip but for the modest behauiour of Demetrius thy Sonne shewed heere in the Senate of Rome before vs to the great wealth and good of thy Countrey and to his perpetuall remembrance What praise and commendation also did yong P. Cornelius Seipio otherwise called Scipio Africanus purchase by his singular clemencie notable curtesie and bountifull liberalitie for at such time as he had taken the Citie of newe Carthage in Spaine with a number of prisoners captiues and also great quantitie of riches and iewells there at that time also was taken among the rest a virgine of rare singular beautie who with diuers other were brought before Scipio after whom the people wonderfully thronged and thrusted delighting to sée her for the rarenesse of her beautie But the noble Scipio enquiring of her of what Countrey she was and of what kindred she was descended and perceiuing by her that shee was betroathed or made sure to a yong Prince of the Celtiberians whose name was Luceius Whereupon when he had committed the other Matrones and Maides to right worthie honest persons to the intent their chastitie might be both honestly and carefully preserued he presently sent for the said yong man and also for her parents At whose comming knowing that the yong Prince was sore enamored of her he thus said to him Sir I being a yong man haue sent for you that are also a yong man to come to me the cause is for that when this yong maide being fianced or ensured to you was brought to me by my souldiers I heard say that you entirely loued her as her beautie witnesseth you had good cause so to doe If I might lawfully enioy her pleasant loue were not otherwise occupied in my minde about the affaires of the Common wealth I could perchaunce beare her my loue and desire to enioy the same But now I will beare fauour to your loue that of right ought to haue her She hath been here with me as well and honourably kept and her virginitie as carefully preserued as though she had dwelled still with her owne parents To this intent I might make of her a present to you most acceptable and also for the preseruation of mine honour And for this my gift I require of you but onely this one reward that is that you from hencefoorth become a louing true and faithful friend to the Romanes and if you esteeme me to be a good and honourable man as my father and vncle before me were reputed to be then thinke that there are in the noble Citie of Rome many like vnto vs and trust me neuer if any people this day can be found on the earth that you will be more glad to haue the loue and friendship of or that you would be more sory to haue the displeasure of The young man after great thankes geuen to him prayed the Gods to reward him for all his goodnes where his power sufficed not Then were the parents of the mayd called foorth who had brought with them a great summe of golde for the raunsome of their childe But when they perceiued that the noble Scipio had geuen her fréely to her husband then they desired him to take and accept a parte thereof as of their gift for the better declaration of their good hearts towards him affirming that his receiuing therof should
restrayned from his accustomed tyrannie two of the most noblest young Gentlemen of the Citie conspired his death venturing their owne liues to deliuer and set free their Common-wealth from such a tyrannous enemie neuer resting vntill they had freed their Countreymen from his cruell tyrannie For Clearchus vnmercifully tormenting his guiltles subiects with most cruell torture sharp punishment and extreame banishment taking pleasure in the vntollerable paines of his distressed people finding out most sharpe and cruell inuentions to plague and torment his miserable Subiects withall At the last these two yong Gentlemen Chion and Leonides being both brought vp vnder the tutorship and gouernment of the wise and learned Philosopher Plato tendring their Countreyes libertie and detesting the cruell tyrannie of the wicked Tyrant fained themselues to be at variance and earnest controuersie in the Kings presence insomuch that they drewe their Daggers one at the other in the Kinges sight so betwixt them both they stabbed the Tyrant to death and deliuered their Common wealth from such a bloudie minded butcher It is also reported that after Pisistratus was dead who vsurped the crowne and raigned by force and crueltie that then his sonne Diocles excelling his Father in all kinde of tyranny was soone after him slaine for his wickednes and especially for that he had dishonourably rauished and with violence intreated a yong Maide whose brother in reuengement thereof slew the King Then raigned his Brother Hippias who also was a most wicked and bloudie Tyrant this Hippias caused the yong man that had slaine his brother to be racked to confesse who were the counsellers of him to that déede who named all the Tyrants frends Whom so soone as they were apprehended were presently put to death as chiefe ayders in the conspiracie whereof they were altogether ignorant and vnguiltie but the youngman appeached them for mainteining the tyrant in his wickednes Thus the tyrants frends being slaine the yong mā was againe demaunded if he knewe anie other that was consenting to the death and murder of his Brother The young man answered No truly Hippias there is none liuing that I would haue dead but thou thy selfe O thou Tyrant Saying further That he greatly reioyced that he had caused one Tyrant to execute tyrannie on another whereby he had freed his Countrey from a great number of them wishing and earnestly exhorting his Countrey men to haue as great a care in wishing well to their Countrey by rooting out of all such Tyrants which déede would sort the common good of their Countreymen as they had or should haue of their owne priuate Estates Did Nero purchase to himselfe the fauor and friendly harts of his Countrie men by such monstrous crueltie as he commōly vsed No truly but their disdainfull hate was thereby obtained He had such care ouer his Countrey and so tendered the welfare of his Countreymen that to satisfie and please his tyrannous minde on a time hee woulde néedes set the stately Citie of Rome on fire to see how rightly it would resemble the burning and ouerthrowe of Troy when the Greekes had taken it by which cruell déed he was the spoyle of manie a thousand Romane for the fire continued burning in the Citie the space of fiue dayes wonderfully consuming the goods and treasure of the Citizens to the great impouerishing of the whole Common wealth For which impious cruelties when he had committed other outragious tyrannies which before are specified he was by the common consent of his subiects condemned to be beaten to death with whips and roddes but the execution was not done accordingly for the preuented their sharp sentence with the murder of himselfe Diomedes the bloudie Thracian Tyraunt scaped not vnreuenged for his monstrous and abhominable murders in giuing to his horses the bodies of liuing men to bee deuoured of those rauenous iades which he kept for the same purpose executing dayly his accustomed tyrannie vpon the poore distressed Thracians his Countreymen delighting to embrewe himselfe in the bloud of his subiects but in the ende the noble Hercules disdaining to suffer so vile a wretch a liue made warre against him and tooke the cruell Tyraunt Diomedes prisoner giuing him to his owne horses who deuoured him as their wonted pray For being before by accustomed manner made fierce and fell in their iadish crueltie they were now the more apt and readie to teare in péeces and plucke lim-meale the bodie of the bloudie Tyrant Also the most odious and detestable Tyrant Phalaris in semblable manner receiued like reward for when he had long time studied and inuented for strange and cruell torments to plague and paine his poore subiects withall at last Perillus a notable and expert workman came to Phalaris hoping to receiue such reward as the Tyrants proclamation before had promised and sayd Sir King I haue inuented and made a most strange rare and cruell punishment to torment whom it shall please you after a most wonderfull and extreame order The engine was like a Bull made and shaped of brasse in euerie respect hauing in the side thereof a dore right artificially contriued to put in naked men which doore being closed vp fast againe with the man in the middle fire should bee put vnder the belly of the brasen Bull and so soone as the Engine began thoroughly to heate it would so scorch and burne the liuing man within that he shuld not choose but mainly and extreamely crie out whose voyce by comming thorough certaine hollowe holes in the Buls throte made for that purpose should séeme like to the cruell roaring of a mad Bull or some other bedlam Beast which was sharply goared or pricked Phalaris beholding this strange deuice greatly reioycing at the rarenesse thereof thought it long vntill he might sée the effect thereof put in execution Wherefore calling to him the running worke man who had taken great paines in framing and contriuing that straunge and rare torment saying Friend Perillus I most heartely thanke thee for this deuice and for because I would saine be satisfied and see some experience prooued in this thy hollowe deuice I commaund that thou prooue the first experience of thine owne handie crafte Which without stay was forced to bee done to the great terrifying of all the beholders Thus was Perillus beaten with his owne rodde for that which hee made for gaine to crucifie land torment others hee first of all tasted himselfe Yet notwithstanding Phalaris was not to be commended herein for that he had no respect to the cause but according to his accustomed manner of crueltie vsed the Engine afterwardes to the punishment of his subiects therewithall to delight and satisfie his tyrannous and bloudie minde vntill his Countrey men detesting such outragious crueltie could not suffer his tyrannie anie longer but rose vp against him and tooke the bloudie Tyrant putting him into the brasen Bull to make him tast the torment of his owne crueltie Thus also died the notable
chosen But surely the vaine babling of the prating Poets in this cause is vtterly to be condemned for vnder the colour that all women are euill they goe about to hide and cloake the foolish follie of mad doting men making women a veile or shadow to hide and couer the doting fondnes of vnsatiable men Indeede the olde prouerbe is Ignis mare mulier tria sunt mala That sire the sea and a woman are three euils Truely a strong reason then may it like wise be said that men are euill for that one man hath killed another and surely by this reason the former three are also euil For if a man will cast himselfe into the fier no doubt but that he shal burne or into the sea where he may be drowned or els into the calamities of such a mariage or otherwise ouer fondly to dote which he well knew before would purchase his trouble and vexation But my good friend my purpose is not to exclaime on or blame faultlesse women who cannot bridle the fond affection of their importunate louers wherefore I will somewhat more amply speake of fonde and doting loue which is as well in the one as in the other and what inconuenience doth consequently follow their doting folly Semiramis being the most amiable Lady of the world by reason of her surpassing beautie was sent for into Assiria to the king of that region that he might satisfie himselfe with the sight of her péerles pulchritude before whose presence she came according to the tenor of his message The king had no sooner cast his wanton eye vpon her passing beauty but was foorthwith inflamed with the fire of affection towards her then after certaine circumstances ouerpassed she required of the doting king a rich reward namely a robe of estate the gouernment of Assiria for fiue dayes continuance and the absolute authoritie in all thinges that were done in the kingdome Which petition of Semiramis was granted by the king no deniall made to the contrary In conclusion when things without exception were in the gripes of her aspiring minde she commanded the fonde king to be slaine whereby he was dispossessed of his dominion and she presently thereupon enioyed the scepter and crowne imperiall ouer all Assiria Did not Candaulus king of Sardis dote in foolish and fonde loue ouer his wife insomuch that he thought her the fayrest creature in the worlde yet not content to satisfie himselfe with her beautie but in fond and doting sort must needes shewe his wife naked to his frend to make him partaker of her surpassing beautie and peereles person and therfore he called his frēd Giges to his chamber and hid him secretely against his wife should come to bed but his frend Giges disswading him from his folly notwithstanding Candaulus would haue no nay in his importunate suite but that his frend should both know see his his priuie benefite so that he was constrayned to obey his fonde request Now when the wife of Candaulus perceiued herself so betrayed by the inuention of her husband for Giges incontinētly discloased himselfe she was mightely abashed wonderfully ashamed for in that countrey it was counted a most wonderfull dishonesty and reproach that a woman should be seene naked of any man sauing of her husband yet for all that she dissēbled the matter for a time meaning in the end to take sharp reuenge on her husband for the great villany he had offered her At the last she called Giges to her chamber who before had séene her naked to the end to haue slaine him threatening him that vnlesse he would presently reuenge the wrong and great abuse which her husband had offered her in his presence which he consequentlie consented vnto for the sauegard of his life with firme oathes solemne vowes which was that he should kil the king her husband and take her to wife with the kingdome hoping that hee would be content to possesse so good a benefite and not to make any other priuie or partaker of that which hee best esteemed Thus whether it were for the sauegard of his life which he stood in perill to lose or for the coueting of so beautifull a Queene large a kingdome which now was offered him it resteth doubtfull but he foorthwith executed the Queenes pleasure on his doting master which happened through his owne fonde follie What inconueniēce also hapned to Artaxerxes king of Persia by such foolish folly in doting ouer his sonne so fondly y t he must make him his master in his life time For being drownd in such fond affection toward his sonne Darius not content himselfe with his scepter and kingdome which he quietly possessed hee presently aduanced him to taste the secretnes and sweete of his kingdome not satisfieng himselfe to be a commander ouer his people but would be a seruant and be commanded by his sonne so it hapned to him as he deserued for this princox his sonne being established in the kingdome by his doting father became at the last so lordly ouer his foolish father that hee woulde commaund him in all causes as his duetifull and obedient subiect it chanced that his father Artaxerxes had married the concubine which he before had taken in his warres who at that time was péerelesse in beautie Now Darius being in possession of his fathers kingdome by vertue of his authoritie he called his father before his presence as a common subiect saying Father as you haue put the kingdome into my hand and made me absolute King thereof so whosoeuer this kingdome containeth is also my subiect and vnder my authoritie therfore sir my pleasure is that you deliuer and yéelde into my handes your wife which was the concubine for she is faire in my sight and therefore I greatly desire to haue her and by vertue of my authoritie I straightly commaund no resistance to the contrarie But Artaxerxes although he had made his sonne King knew that hee was his father wherefore hee contrary to his sonnes minde detained Aspasia his newe married wife which deniall caused his sonne Darius to conspire the death of his resisting father because as he thought hee was not absolute King to commaund as after the death of his father hee should be and also did associate in this his vnnaturall confederacie fifty brothers which were begotten by his owne father Artaxerxes by diuers concubines But this doting King as it chanced although he had made himselfe a subiect to his prowd sonne yet by good helpe of his nobles he detected the cause and found out the treason And in the same day that Darius made account to accomplish his wicked enterprise he was himselfe and all the rest of the confederates taken and fell into the same snare that they had prepared for their aged father for Artaxerxes put both them their wiues and children to the sworde that none of that wicked race should remaine aliue the aged King for verie griefe that he had conceiued
to their owne authoritie But Ninus hath béen so rightly imitated and iustly followed that at this day warre increaseth of trifling causes to most bloudie battaile Did not the cruell warre of the Persians growe of a small occasion and grudge betwixt Menāder Samius and the Athenians Also the bloudie conflict called Praelium sacrum began about the exaction of the iudgement of the Amphictions the Cheronean warre bred of a light occasion betwixt Philip the Athenians Which warres although they sprang but of friuolous causes could not be ended without great slaughters Therefore it is an easier thing to begin war than to end it wherefore a man ought first to haue a care howe to finish that which he taketh in hand or else he runneth blindly to his enterprise hauing also consideration that whosoeuer shal first begin warre sounding the trumpe of defiance vpon small occasions doth as it were open his gate to be spoyled as well of the forren as domestique enemie such misgouernment disorder there is in warre for the rude and vnbridled rascall doth gape after so fit an opportunitie to deuoure spoyle and rob the honest and true subiect boystrously intruding himselfe into the houses arrogantly challenging to be partakers of the goods substance of the quiet people which they haue long time trauelled for with great paines and carefull toyle so that he who cannot be content to enioy and possesse his owne proper goods priuately with quietnes let him proclaime open warre hee shall soone be rid of that griefe Who is so prone to bloudie broyles as such as haue by euillhusbandrie as they terme it spent their lands goods and substance in vaine pleasures and vile follies Was not Rome in great perill to haue béen spoyled by a notable crue of bankrupts For Lucius Sergius Cataline a noble mā of Rome when hee had by riot spend his patrimonie beeing altogether vnable to maintaine his prodigalitie and wanton vaine in immoderate spending went about to spoile sack and destroy his owne natiue citie and countreymen associating to him in this his greeuous conspiracie such outlawes and bankrouts as either stoode in feare of a law or els such vnthrifts as himselfe as had wantonly and most vainly spent and consumed their goods and possessions which presently were as soone allured as himselfe was ready to entise hoping to be made rich by the spoile of their owne countreymen when they had vnthriftely wasted their owne This rable rout of vnbrideled riotors had wrought their mischieuous purpose to such effect that their wicked enterprice had taken place if by the prouident wise foresight of Cicero it had not beene preuented neither was it knowen that any one Roman of good gouernment or any one that liued orderly in the commonwealth without riot or other bad and lewd conuersation was found culpable or gilty in this dangerous conspiracie although diuers principall and chiefe men at the first were suspected notwithstanding they were in the ende cleerely defended and apparantly freed from that slaunderous reproach and ignomie by their owne Citizens Did not Brennus in like manner leade and conduct a mighty huge bande of Gaules who had before spent their goods by ryot prodigalitie and disordering themselues in many bad and vile misdemeanors spoyling and robbing most vnmercifully the countreys as they marched committing sacriledge with a number of most vile villaines to recouer againe their former vaine expēces Did they not in the end after many cruell acts vnsatiable spoyles and shamefull robberies most miserably perish to the wonderfull example of such spoyling outlawes What was the cause that the Troyans inuaded Italie making such hauock and spoyle in what countrey soeuer they arriued but their greedy couetous mindes to recouer their vnthriftie losses For when they had by their own vnfaithfulnes greatly abused their frends the Greekes with a most shamefull abuse the Greekes in reuengement thereof sacked and spoyled their citie slaying and murthering the vnfaithfull Troyans sauing certaine which afterward made warres in Italie which were saved at the destruction of Troy for betraying their king and citie into the hands of the Grecians this remaine of the disloyall Troyans so scoured and pilled the coastes of diuers countreyes to get and take perforce whatsoeuer they could finger arriued at the last in Italy where they made sharp warre spoyling the people and wasting the Countrey vntill such time as they had taken the whole region from the lawfull inhabitors thereof Thus it is most euident that first warre is begun and set forward either by the vnsatiable person or els by the rebell bankrout or outlaw the one to satisfie his vnbrideled appetite plaguing diuers for his owne priuate gaine the other for his misgouernment and disobedience both to Prince and law to whom warre is swéete and most pleasant to answere their gréedy expectation withall But war to the contented person and quiet subiect is a hell and the very scourge of God the name whereof is most odious and terrible to the quiet minde for it bringeth all miseries and calamities to man as namely plague pestilence sodain death murther bloudy battaile cruel slaughters miserable destruction of many towns ouerthrow of stately cities sword fire and famine with a thousand miseries incidert to man by such a spiteful guest The olde prouerbe saith Dulce bellum inexpertis sed acerbum experientibus Warre is sweete and pleasant to the vnskilfull and ignorant but bitter and vnsauerie to the skilful Yet notwithstanding although war be most fierce and cruell yet is it stoutly to be maintained against the vnsatiable and inuading enemie and with might and maine to be folowed to the beating downe and suppressing of such spitefull foes as are euer ready prest and bent to disturbe a quiet and peaceable kingdome being blinded with auarice doe right soone consent to lamentable slaughters and effusion of bloud it is much more easier to defende a kingdome being already possessed and to repell the aduersarie than to inuade other regions or conquere forraine countreis for it is to be thought that the people will fight more couragiously both for their prince coūtrey libertie wiues and children house and familie than the proud inuading enemy who fights to satisfie his vainglorious minde and vnsatiable appetite Was not Xerxes king of Persia when he inuaded Greece with such an innumerable power who also perceiuing the strēgth of his multitude commanded both sea and laud to obey his pleasure driuē back out of Greece by a small companie of the defending Grecians causing him to flie with spéede home to his owne Countrey againe to his great shame and dishonor Was not such inuading the very chiefe and originall cause that the Romanes subdued Carthage for if the proud and vnsatiable Carthaginiās had not first inuaded Italie and the Romanes their owne Citie and commonwealth could neuer haue béene ouerthrowen and subdued For when first the Carthaginians entered Italie minding to make a whole conquest
of the Roman empire without cause at that time offered by the Romanes the Romanes then seeing their Empire in danger their whole state in perill their wiues and children likely to be spoyled the Citie defaced and their countrey vtterly to be ruinated and destroyed they then with manly courage and specially by the good help of the wise and valiant Scipio repelled them Italie draue them home into Affrike in the end to the very walles of their chiefest refuge which was to the stately towne and citie of Carthage there in the last battaile they were ouercome by the Romanes and forced to sue for fauour at the handes of them whom before they had inuaded The noble Scipio considering that in that battaile did consist and depend the victorie and whole ouerthrowe of one of those who stately Empires of Rome and Carthage And thus in this battaile they on both sides were stirred and pricked forward in hope of possessing each others Empire had no other meanes to animate and encourage his souldiers than by repeating and reiterating vnto them the perill of their owne estate and with what cruell and bloudy mindes the greedy Carthagiginians had inuaded them before Promising them futher to the intent to pricke their mindes forward more willingly to fight that if at that time and in that fight they did get the victory theÌ„ they should returne home to their owne countrey carying with them libertie for euer and neuer againe to feare such cruel inuasion as before they had tasted of For saith he Adesse finem belli in manibus esse predam Carthagenis si forte pugnauerint c. The war is euen now at an end the pray and spoyle of the Carthaginians were already in their hands and leaue should be giuen them after this victorie to returne home to their couÌ„trey parents wiues and children and to their houshold Gods So by the encouragement of the worthy Scipio they obteined a most triumphant victorie returning to Rome hauing coÌ„quered the causers of that bloudy war which they could neuer haue done if the Carthaginians first had not made them desperate by inuading their Region Also in the great warres sharp fight betwixt the Medians and the Persians in the time of Cirus and Astiages there hapned a notable thing which in this cause doeth merite remembrance For when the Persians vnder the conduct of king Cyrus were driuen backe and forced by Astiages and the Medes to retire being most eagerly chased by the fierce inuading foe with cruell force and bloudy minds vntill the Persian women rebuked the cowardlines of their flying men in this sort Nam matres vxores eorum obuiam occurrunt orant in prelium reuertantur cunctantibus sublata veste obscoena corporis ostendunt rogantes num in vteros matrum vel vxorum velint refugere The men by this sharpe reprehension of the women went backe againe into the battaile and put vnto shamefull flight those who before had caused them to retire For then they bethought themselues whether they should flie if they lost their owne kingdome thinking it very harde to liue and inhabite vnder the rule and dominions of other when as they could not enioy and quietly possesse their owne patrimony and also when they looked backe toward their women who came vpon them in such vndecent sort as hath before beene shewed they were greatly ashamed considering their own cowardlines who were faine to be stirred vp and put in minde by their valiant women to defend their countrey and familie Therefore the arte of warre is to be exercised and the feates and actes of chiualry highly to be commended not so much for the inuading of others as for the defending of their owne and beating down of the prowde vaunting foe This was an auncient order custome amongst the Romans to set open the Temple gates of Ianus in the time of warre and in peace to close them vp again for when they had thorowly seene the mutabilitie and vncertaintie of frowning battaile and the casualties of cruell warre being ouerwearied and tired with the calamities and miseries thereof at last they erected and buylded a temple in their city placing therein the image and picture of Ianus which was pictured with a bifronce or double forhead looking plainely and sensibly both wayes the temple dores and gates beeing closely bolted locked and shut vp in time of peace tranquilitie and in the time of warre either forrein or ciuill they commaunded to vnlocke and set ope the gates of the same temple to this end purpose that the people of the Citie might thoroughly behold the double face and backward looke of Ianus which signified and represented to the beholder a foresight of future thinges finally to happen aswell as for the prouision of the present state Thus it was continually vsed in peace to be shut and in warres to bée open wherby both the Senators Centurions Captaines and other Officers and Gouernors of the people were put in minde in the time of warre to haue a prouident foresight circumspect care what might happen thereby therein or thereafter as well as what séemed to stand good by their present knowledge Which prudent policie caused the wise Romanes to preuent diuers inconueniences for it is not good ouer blindly to goe forward in such causes trusting to their own force nor to fickle fortune who commonly deceiueth those that trust her It fortuned vpon a time that Dionysius the second and Philip the sonne of Amintas met together and falling into communication of manie matters as the vse and custome is in conference circular talke they harped both vpon this string Philip asked this question of Dionysius Quando cum tantum regnum accepisset à parente non id defendisset conseruasset How it chanced that he hauing receiued so ample a patrimonie of his Father did not defend and maintaine the same Whereunto he made this answere Non mirum quoniam omnia relinquens fortunam solùm qua ea parauerat tutus fuerat pater non mihi tradidit No maruell saith he for my father leauing all things to me in abundance did not deliuer to me withal his flourishing fortune whereby he obtained and maintained the same But truely where fortune most commonly is present and waighteth at will and pleasure there is wanting a satisfied mind which was verefied by the Legates of Carthage For when the Romanes had vtterly ouerthrown and subdued them they were forced to sue to the Senate of Rome for peace in which ambassade their was a graue Father of Carthage who boldly stood foorth in the â—â— the Romanes as thy first motion was rather than to mooue warre which dooth so happely fall out to the great honor of the Carthaginians no Hanno now I warrant thée we shall heare a Senator of Rome speake héere in the Senate house of Carthage most humbly crauing peace at our hands for their distressed Countrey and Commonwealth or
necessaries to be brought them Gracchus then captaine of a band of Romans which lay thereabout waiting if Hanniball would remooue his siege seeing what great extremitie they suffered receiuing letters daylie from them which signified in what lamentable case they stoode and what mortalitie was in the city for want of sustenance so that they were faine to eate their boots and other straps and thongs of leather being much moued with these great miseries also seeing the Citizens to stand on the walls to the end that some dart shot or other weapon might abridge and shorten their griefe yet for all this hee might not fight with Hanniball although hee surelie thought hee might wyth ease haue rescued the Towne for that hee was commaunded to the contrarie by the Dictatour nowe seeing the Citie in such distresse and that he might not fight for their succours he gathered certaine corne and put it into barrels and hogsheads sending priuie word to the towne that the next night he would sende them downe the riuer with the tide willing thē to be ready to receiue the barrels as they came for the riuer came close to their citie Thus at diuers times he beguiled Hanniball vntill at last the craft was bewrayed and then againe the citie disappointed of vittaile Which when the cownesmen perceiued they then had no other shift but secretely to steale out of the towne and get grasse and rootes such as they could finde and bring it in for their reliefe Which Hanniball had soone espied therefore hee caused the ground thereabout to be plowed vp to preuent them of that hope also Then the Citizens séeing there was no way to hold the towne and saue their liues from the fury of the enemie sent word to Gracchus that they perforce must yeelde the citie to Hanniball Whereat Gracchus seeing their great necessitie requested them to haue patience yet for two or three dayes also shewing them that it in case they would follow his his aduice and counsell he doubted not but shortly to free their citie and set them at libertie willing them to take parsnipseede and sowe it on the plowed ground without the Citie defending themselues manfully for that time if need should be They all being willing to try what effect this could worke sowed a great quantitie of parsnipseede on the ground which was plowed vp about the citie Of which thing when Hanniball was aduertised hee foorthwith remoued his siege and departed from the towne saying What shall I stay here vntill these seedes bee rootes that will I not for ten such Cities as Cassilinum is Thinking that they had sufficient in the towne to relieue them in the meane time or els they would neuer haue beene so fonde to sowe their seede Thus was subtile Hanniball drylie flouted himself who in sēblable sort had often beguyled others for the citie could not haue indured the siege foure dayes longer at the vttermost Yong Pub. Cornelius Scipio being made somwhat wise by the subtile sleights that Hanniball had vsed before in Italie remembring the craftie policie which was put in practise to bring Q. Fabius into mistrust with the Romanes by Hanniball now in the end plagued him with such like practise For when the Carthaginians were driuen out of Italie and lost their owne Empire of Affrica and Hanniball their chiefe captaine forced to flie to Antiochus who then had prepared a great armie to warre on the Romanes At the same time this young Scipio was sent by the Senate to Antiochus to know why hee prepared himselfe to warre on the Romanes his friends and being there arriued he perceiued that it was much by the instigation and pricking on of Hanniball their auncient enemie who already had gotten full graunt to leade and conduct halfe the power of Antiochus against the Romanes both for his great wisdome and policie and also for his approued experiēce as well in the countrey of Italie as of the Romanes themselues Which thing yong Scipio diligently noted fearing least the Romanes should be againe troubled with such a cunning warrior and approued Captaine as Hanniball was To preuent which cause he practised this meane He would often frequent the companie of Hanniball falling into friendly conference about the battailes fought betwixt them before in Italie and Affrica feeding and pleasing the humor of Hanniball least that hee might leese his companie and so faile of his purpose for his meaning was by priuie speech and communication with him to bring Antiochus in mistrust of him to the ende he should not committe his power into his hand Thus dayly Scipio vsed the companie of Hanniball comming priuely to his lodging secretly talking and conferring with him making as though Antiochus or his companie should not once suspect him wherfore he would most commonly come in the night yet he woulde euer chuse and picke out such a time that he would be seene by some of Antiochus his friendes to the ende the cause might the more be suspected and also if in the day Hanniball and hee had beene in any conference of causes so soone as he had espied either Antiochus himselfe or any other of his friendes then hee foorthwith would holde his peace sodainly depart as though he woulde not haue them to heare what conference they had which indeede was nothing but what they might haue heard very well without offence This inuention of last fell out accordingly and happy for the Romanes for Antiochus grewe greatly to suspect their priuie meetings and secrete whisperinges fearing least there were some compounded trecheries agreed vpon betwixt them And further for that Scipio had alwaies so praysed the wisdome policie and circumspect carefulnes of Hanniball openly to be both the wisest captaine carefullest Leader and valiantest man that then liued saying Happie were the Souldiers that marched vnder his conduct Which thing Antiochus liked not well of thinking that Scipio did it for this purpose that he should cōmit his armie into the handes of Hanniball and then to be betrayed as their secrete meetings argued Wherfore he would not that Hannibal should bear any charge of his being so cōuersant with his enemie saying he was glad he had so found out their practise before it took effect and that yet it rested in him to preuent their inuention By this stratageme Scipio set frée the Romans from such a politike captain that had so spoyled their coūtrey before which otherwise by quarreliing against him coulde neuer haue been brought to passe but would haue turned y e Romanes to much sorow Also Hasdruball vsed this subtiltie to escape the hands of Appius Claudius the Roman Consal for being inuironed with difficult passages the mouth easiest way whereof the Romanes held and possessed so that Hasdruball his army could not escape out any way without great danger of losing his whole hoast Wherefore he sent to Appius shewing him that if they could agrée vpon certaine articles he would be content to depart the countrey and
render into his hands other townes and castles which he had in kéeping Which thing pleased Claudius well hoping to free that countrey without battail from so dangerous a foe Wherefore he willingly consented to the parle appointing time and place for their méeting where there were bookes and articles drawen betweene them for the assurāce of both their promises Their méeting thus continuing thrée or foure dayes together Appius Claudius suspecting no craft for that the motiō came first by Hasdruball himself thinking that all things were plainly and simply meant without fraude or deceite Now Hasdruball in the meane time euery night sent part of his armie with their grosse cariages ouer certaine straite and perillous places which could neuer haue beene passed if the Romanes had knowen thereof himselfe euery day came foorth of the Campe to meet Claudius where they argued of waighty causes and were at a full composition sauing that their agreements were not confirmed and sealed which Hasdrubal shifted off in this sort saying that he would be so bold with Claudius as to conferre with his frendes the next day in his Campe which day also he sayd was euer kept holy among the Carthaginians and therefore he craued such like fauour at the hands of Appius with this knot also that they might be suffered quietly to peruse and conferre on those couenants agreements without any skirmish or battaile offered for that time promising the like for his part that his armie should neither inuade the Romanes nor trouble any of their frends as that day of truce protesting further that the next day his determination shoulde bee plainly declared to Appius and the Romans Now was Appius well quieted in his minde for that he hoped euery thing woulde effectually fall out yet for all that he gaue no great trust to the promise of Hasdruball for not inuading his men the next day Wherefore he caused watch and warde with good order to bee kept circumspectly in his campe to be ready if neede should require But Hasdruball minded nothing lesse than to inuade the campe of the Romanes but rather sought how to deliuer himselfe and his people out of that dangerous place therefore hee neglected no time in folowing so waightie a cause Insomuch that the same night he stole out of his campe with the rest that remayned behinde as close and priuely without noyse as they might ayding and helping one another ouer those harde passages which was wonderfull difficult to them by reason of the darkenes of the night But in the ende they well escaped the danger and were by the daylight safe inough from the Romanes Appius hauing intelligence in the morning of the escape of Hasdruball did then presently pursue after him but all in vain seeing himselfe thus flouted by Hasdruball then hee thought full well that he might cancell the agreements and burne the bands repenting his follie too late in suffering his enemie so easily to scape out of such a perillous straight L. Silla in the warres against Archelaus Mithridates lieutenant at Pirea perceiuing his souldiors had little courage to fight he so wearied them with continual labour that they were glad to desire to fight that the warres might be ended Also Cyrus king of Persia in the wars betwixt him Astyages king of the Medes minding to stirre vp the minds of his souldiors fiercely to giue battaile to their enemy vsed this policy he wearied them with paineful labour all one day in hewing downe a certaine wood and on the morrow after hee made a plenteous feast for them demaunding in the feast time which day liked them best and when they all allowed the pastime of the day present and yet quoth he this pleasure must be obtained by the other dayes paine for except ye first ouercome the Medes yee can neuer liue in fréedome and at pleasure whereby they tooke great courage to fight When Agesilaus had pitcht his field not farre from Orchomeno a City that was in league wyth him and perceyuing that many of the army had their treasure and cheefe riches in the Campe he commanded the townesmen to receyue nothing into the Towne belonging to his army to the intent his Souldiours might fight the more fiercely knowing they should fight both for their liues goods Gelon king of Syracusa entring warre against the Persians after he had taken many of them brought forth the weakest and most vncomely persons naked in the sight of all his army to persuade them that their enemies were but wretches and men worthy to be despised Epaminondas being ready to giue battell to the Lacedemonians seing the courage of his souldiours began somewhat to quaile he vsed this meane to animate their mindes furiously to fight pronouncing in an oration to them how that the Lacedemonians had determined if they gate the victory to slay all their men to make their wiues and children bond-slaues for euer and to beate downe the City of Thebes flat to the ground With which wordes the Thebans were so mooued and agreeued that at the first brunt they ouercame the Lacedemonians Thus we sée oftentimes that subtile policy auaileth where force and strength can hardly resist therefore it is both conuenient and necessarie that the Stratagems of warre be exercised and studied against néedefull times but in my opinion the force of mony is great in causes of warre and winneth by corruption strong castells and inuincible townes insomuch that the wise Erasmus seeing the wonderfull force of money so strong and auaileable sayth thus thereof Porrò nihil est iam sanctum quod non violari nihil tam munitum quodnon expugnari pecunia possit Nothing sayth he is so holie and sacred but by money it may be violated neither is any thing so strong but by the corruption of mony it may be taken and subdued Philip king of Macedon hauing by practise and experience found out the vnincounterable force thereof at such time in his warres as he minded to take a certaine Citie perforce it was tolde him that the passage thereto was very difficult and hard and the towne by common iudgement inuincible An praesidium tam esset difficile accessu rogauit vt asinus auro onustus accedere non posset Wherevnto he demanded this Whether or no is the way or straight so difficult in passing that an asse being loden with golde cannot passe and enter in making then a trifle of it when he heard that there were but such sufficient passage accounting all things possible enough to be won where onely there were but place for money to passe For sayth he Pecuniae obediunt omnia All thinges are obedient to money Yet notwithstanding it is to be wished that whosoeuer wil violate or breake sacred rites or betray things committed to his charge on trust by corruption of mony or for auarice sake that we had as the olde saying is his skinne full of angells The miserable murders and deadly debates that happened betweene
the euerlasting fame and renowne of the Romans was sufficient to kéepe their minds from mourning their hearts from sorrowfull sobbing not their eyes from bitter teares such was their losses in that warre their Consulls slaine their Senators and chiefe rulers consumed and a mightie nuÌ„ber of their people vtterly perished Hannibal had slaine in fight 5. of their kingly Consuls to wit Flaminius L. Aemilius Paulus Posthumus Marcellus and old P. Scipio that was slaine in Spaine There was also slaine Cneius Scipio brother to this P. Scipio with Titus Gracchus Cneius Fuluius Centenius Penula with diuers other noble Romanes of great fame and authoritie HaÌ„nibal had also slain of the Romane souldiours 300000. in open fight and set field besides the slaughters which were committed in the winning of townes odd méetings skirmishes such other extraordinarie fights betwixt the Romanes and the Carthaginians which by common iudgement was néere comparable to the former number Thus was Italy stained with the bloud of her natiue Romanes and the cruell slaughters of the Carthaginians so that the Romans had no more cause to reioice in their mightie conquest than the Carthaginians had at their lost Empire In the last conflict betwéen Hannibal and Scipio the Carthaginians lost the field before the walls of Carthage with the slaughter of 50000. men the Romanes hauing the victorie lost in the same battaile 54000. worthy souldiers Therfore great was the mourning in Carthage for their vtter subuersion and as great or rather greater was the lamentation in Rome after their victorie for their déere friends chiefe states other mightie losses so that the Empire of the whole world could not withhold them from dolefull moane and pitifull wéepings hauing good cause on both parts to wish that the warres had neuer begun or that their proud mindes had digested the abuses of each other rather than on both sides so to bewaile their remedilesse losses Qui struit insidias alijs sibi damna dat ipse By what meanes ancient Troy was destroyed and why the whole Empire of Phrigia was lost with the lamentable murders aswell of the Troians as the Grecians being victors WHen Paris sonne to Priamus King of Troy was returned from Lacedemon with faire Helena wife to Menelaus whom he had stolne from thence when her husband was gone to dispose the goods of olde Atreus his father lately being dead in Crete the angry Greeks not well contented therewith nor digesting such a proud abuse and shamefull rape at the Troyans hands hauing no reformation of their wrongs when as Palamedes Vlisses and Menelaus himselfe went to Troy to demaund Helena againe by the way of intreatie before they would proclaime warre assembled a mightie Armie determining sharply to reuenge themselues on such a vile and vntollerable act wherefore they with twelue hundred ships of warre being strongly furnished with men and munition sayled towards Troy with the aid and persons of thrée score and ten Kings and kingly Péeres which also in the behalfe of the wronged Greekes had made a vowe against the Troians Priamus in like manner after his son Paris had brought home his long desired loue fortefied his town made strong his wals and was aided with the power and persons of three and thirtie Kings beside manie valiant princes which were his own sons maintaining warre against the fierce Greekes the space of tenn yeares two months twelue dayes to the wonderfull slaughter and mightie murder of them both Notwithstanding after manie cruell fights and bloudie battailes Troy was taken beeing sacked spoyled beaten downe and ruinously defaced with fire by the Greeks who first wer mightely abused at the hands of the Phrigians In reuengement whereof they slewe aged Priamus Father to Paris and King of Troy with thousands of the Phrigian Nobilitie vsing al extremities and finally subuerting that royall Citie Thus when the angrie Gréekes had vtterly wasted destroyed Phrygia burned Troy slaine the valiaunt sonnes of King Priamus slaughtered in battaile of the Troians 656000. beside those that were slaine at the subuersion of the Citie which were a most wonderfull and inestimable number to the great lamentation of the whole world and fully had reuenged the vile villanie that Paris had offered after the most cruell maner then they whom fortune had left aliue returned into Grece with the empire of Asia and all the kingdomes which lately were vnder the subiection of Priamus Yet for all this y e Grecians had no great cause to triumph and reioice in their victorious conquest but rather to lament their mightie losses cruell slaughters and manifold spoyles which they sustained by the Troyan Warre for during the ten yeares siege they had slain of their people by the Troyans 860000. men besides all their chiefe Péeres which were slaine during the time of the siege or else after by occasion of the Troian warre The most valiant Hector sonne to Priamus King of Troy couragiously chased the Greekes in manie battails by the space of 6. yeres but then after Achilles by misfortune had slaine the noble Hector euery thing fel out vnhappely to the Troyans notwithstanding during his life his name was terrible to the Greekes for he had slaine 28. of their chiefe Kings and Princes with his owne hand namely Protesilaus the great King of Philaca with manie thousand more wheÌ„ first the Greekes landed on the Phrigian shore he also slewe Patroclus King of Pythia who had put himselfe in the armour of Achilles Lufor Boetes Archilogus Meron King of Crete with Epistrophus Lepedâ—mon Deipeynor proud Prothenor king of Boetia Dorius Polixenus Zantippus Serpedon with Phidippus the mightie King of ChalcedoÌ„ Polibetes Alpinor Philetes Letabonis Isideus and Leonteus the valiant King of Larissa Menon Humerus Maymentus Palemon Phillis Octaâ—en with Schedius the dreadfull King of Phocis all which beeing mightie Kings were manfully slaine in battaile by the worthy Hector beside manie other noble worthy Greekes of lesse account Agamemnon sonne of olde Atreus King of Mycene the chiefe ringleader of the Greekes against the Troyans was himselfe slaine by the occasion of the Troyan Warre For returning home from the Phrigian Conquest with Cassandra the daughter of unfortunate Priamus his owne wife Chtemnestra conspiring with Aegisteus with whom shee had liued in adultrie in the absence of Agamemnon her husband so that she caused her Lord to assay a garment on his bodie which had no issue for his head and whilest he was striuing therewith Aegisteus thrust him thorough and so stewe him thus was that noble Prince by occasion of his long absence most cruelly murdred at his returne which happened by the Troyan warre Also Achilles after hee had bathed his sworde in the bloud of the Troyans cruelly chasing the Phrigians in sundrie fights and also had slaine Hector and Troylus the valiant sonnes of Priam at the length was himselfe slaine by the subtle inuention of Hecuba mother to these noble youths whom hee
house I higher stept to highest place of state For Pryamus the king of Troy did take me for his mate Who was the stately Emperour of Asia and there Amongst the hautie Phrygians the diademe did weare Then Queene was I of flaunting Troy The Troyans all reioyce That Priamus their Lord and king had made of me his choice There many noble sonnes had I the world doeth witnes beare No Nation vnder heauen that day with me durst once compare In valure with so many sonnes by one brought foorth to sight Each people on the earth as yet will yeeld to them their right That for so many bretheren as I brought foorth poore Queene I say againe that neuer since by any hath beene seene And that I meane to prophesie wherefore I dare be bold To say the like will neuer be while heauen and earth dooth hold But for because I would not wish thou shouldst my name mistake Whom Greekes and Romanes long agoe in dolefull verse did make The world to know and now my selfe shall verefie the same Who called me olde Hecuba so truely was my name A wretched wight too olde indeede for that I liude so long To scape the fire that burned Troy to suffer further wrong O would to God I then had died when Pryamus my mate By Pyrrhus sword receiude the wound but now I wish too late Fell destinie denide me that and sparde me for the nonce To plague me with a thousand woes ten thousand all at once But first to tell my fatall hap and orderly proceede To shew howe that the angry gods against me had decreede And vowed I thinke by one consent to worke me double woe Or else I neuer so had died to please my spitefull foe As after thou shalt knowe but first I wish to ease my minde In shewing how that destinie and haplesse fate assignde To me poore wretch such mischiefe vile as none did euer taste Before nor since though long agoe my miseries were past For first within my body I to my great paine did beare And nourish vp the fruit which was the cause of all my care With childe I was but then vnknowne what fruit I foorth should bring To ioy my selfe or else to please olde Pryam Troyan king My louing mate who vsde me well wherefore I wisht to please His quiet minde by my good will that we might liue at ease But see how froward fortune frownd a dreame did me molest And fearefull fright did trouble me when I was layd to rest Me thought I was deliuered of such a fearefull sight For all was fire which I brought forth and flamde as fire bright With furie great the fire waxt with flames the aire did streame Thus doubtfull dumpe by fright did pierse my breast in dreadfull dreame When that I wakde I tolde the king how Morpheus had delt With me in sleepe and further how what agonie I felt Who presently to oracle would haue no nay but sent To know what by this fierie flame and dreadfull dreame was ment The dreame resolude the Oracle for answere did returne That I a sonne should beare and he should cause strong Troy to burne With fire bright and for his cause olde Pryamus his sire And I his mother should behold our towne to burne with fire And all our people slaine downe right in fighting for his sake A mightie foe for his abuse should sharpe reuengement take Which to preuent the father sought to slay his harmelesse boy For that he thought some mischiefe might by his meanes hap to Troy And for because the Oracle on him vnborne did giue Such sentence which did fright his sire wherefore he might not liue That when his sonne was borne foorthwith the father did betake The childe vnto a trusty friend that he away might make The boy which well I loude but yet such pity did remaine Within my breast that I reserude my sonne which should be slaine And closly spake vnto the man that he my childe shoulde spare And tell the king at his returne that cruell beasts did teare The tender limmes of his yong sonn wherefore he now was free From such suspect as erst before the Oracle did see The aged King was then content and thought all things were well He feared not the prophesie which these things first did tell Thus did I breede and foster vp euen him that did destroy Both parents friends and countrey kinde and sought our great annoy The lad did liue with heard in field and shortly vp was growen So that he for King Pryams sonne by secret signes was knowen Then was the youth callde home againe and Pryam was content To take him for his sonne and did his former acte repent But when sir Paris came to Court for so we callde his name The doting boy began to loue and follow Venus game Enquiring oft when fame would bring newes of a peerelesse peece And passing dame which that ere long had tidings thus from Greece That there the flower of all the world six Menelaus helde The like to her on all the earth no Nation then could yelde For whom vnknowne my sonne did dote in such exceeding sort That he to Greece by sea would passe to see if that report Had blazde a truth but first before to Grecian soile he went He craude of me and Priamus to yeelde him our consent Then shippes were built on seas to saile king Pryam willd it so And mates for him were picked out and hence to Greece they go At Lacedemon he at length a place of Greece so calld Ariude and in their safest rodes his wearie shippes in halld By Menelaus his consent who foorthwith did inuite The Troyans all vnto his court suspecting no such spite As after did betide for that sir Paris did conuay Faire Helen thence his louing wife and so without delay Did hoase vp saile and speedie windes did send him soone to Troy Where many of his friends did wait to welcome his newe ioy But Helen thus conuaide from Greece the angry Greekes waxe mad To see how Paris plaid his prankes when Menelaus had Receiued his guest in frankest sort and did him friendly vse Whose courtesie to recompence the letcher did abuse His honest host by spitefull rape in stealing of his wife Which hatefull cause did soone procure sharpe warre and deadly strife Yet first the Greekes I must confesse like honest minded men Did send to Troy to haue againe faire Helena which then Was brought to Troy and their demaund to end the bloody iaerre Which likely were to followe fast and turne to deadly warre But Priam he with his fierce sonnes their lawfull sute denide For which the Greekes to take reuenge to Pryams Kingdomes hied From Greece they saile to Phrygia land which haughty Pryam held And there arriude in dreadfull sort well armed with speare and sheld The warre began great slaughter was for mightie Mars did raigne Full fierce they fought for ten yeares space yet neither party gaine Such losse
I mourne For remedlesse the cause remaines when Planets all had sworne And haughty gods to worke me woe for Paris filthie sinne Who would to God had dide the death when life did first begin Or would to God I wish too late the waues had beene his graue When he to Lacedemon went faire Helen for to haue O Neptune fierce couldst thou not frowne and Eolus out call With whirling windes to drench his ship his company and all But safely so to suffer him to swimme with gale at will The doting youth in prime of yeres his fancie to fulfill In Simois and Zanthus flood his ships did seeme to saile So quiet was the seas as then because he should preuaile What did ye seaish Gods decree together with consent To plague the Troian state so farre as angrie Pallas ment Ye Gods that rule both land and sea why did ye thus decree That Neptunes towne at first so cald to Greekes a pray should bee If otherwise ye ment at all his ship should not haue past So quietlie through surging seas by helpe of Boreas blast For Triton mild did shewe his face so happilie that day That Paris past with sprouting sailes into the Gretian bay What was become of Palemon did Glaucus hide his head Their swift recourse far from his ship in partiall sort was fled The Strencoucht Antiphates Parthenope was gone That wonted were to keep their course but novv there vvas not one Not Circe nor Calipso vvould their vvonted magike vse Although they knevv the lecher meant Atrides to abuse So Zephirus and Eurus fell with Aquilo did lurke And hid themselues while Boreas with frendly gale did work Nereides were past away Latonas imps did shine Ech thing did smoothly smile that day by help of Gods diuine And all was for the Troyan wracke to plague my sonnes offence For Paris needs to Greece would goe and soon returnd from thence But would to God the brinish seas with raging waues so wild Had drownd that baud that Theseus first in filthy sort defilde And that my sonne had dide with her before he came to shore Then Troy had stood and flourisht still as long it did before But Helen Menelaus wife that was Sir Paris ioy VVas first occasion of our woe and latest fate to Troy O would the tygers first had torne the lims of this my sonne VVhen aged Priam sentence gaue on that which was not done The cause wherof was mine own deed which act I now repent For that the Oracle did shew before the boyes intent But now I know I wish too late the angry Gods had sworn To plague our state for some offence For Paris being born VVhose desteny the Oracle did openly declare And yet to see my hap was such that wicked babe to spare VVho was the cause of this mischaunce and breeder of our woe His death had been to vs a life and life to thousands mo Yet I for pitie sake would not consent that this my boy The tygers brood his tender lims should vtterly destroy VVhat power diuine did hinder me or what infernall fiend VVhat did both heauen and earth to this their vtter forces bend O what offence did we commit that all the Gods should frowne And thus decree with one consent to pluck our Empire downe Did they appoint that I should breed and foster in my lap A scourge to plague the parents sinne and cause of their mishap VVas it king Priams fathers fault that Laomedon bad That builded Troy vvith borovved coyne for he receiued had Of Neptune and Apollos Priests a summe of money great And when the day appoynted came the wretch forsware the debt With mighty vowes the periurde man at altar side did say He borrowed none to buyld his walles and therfore none would pay But whether twere for periurie or for my sonnes offence I cannot tell but well I know it was a recompence For double and for treble sinne so many thousand dide From Nations far the world dooth know the people thether hide In hope of pay to either side great troupes of men did run But what was gaind saue deadly fight or what but death was won Did euer any feel such woe as I poore wretch did tast Did euer Fortune yeeld such lookes as she on me did cast O hauty Gods what hap was mine to feel such bitter paine Did destiny assigne me that to make me thus complaine I would that I had been vnborn or borne I dead had been For then these wofull miseries I wretch had neuer seen Why did the Gods cause me to liue why did they thus decree Was this their will that I should liue with present eyes to see My louing mate and children slaine and Troy to burn with fire If they did will it should be so then they had their desire But fie on that vile destinie O fie on that hard curse The Gods themselues could not deuise how they should plague me worse And then with wringing hands she wept with wayling voice she cride Which griende me sore about I turnd where presently I spide An aged man both graue and grim for that he seemed sad Right father like for grayish haires with Princely robes be clad Vnto the wofull Queen he marchd and thus in modest sort Began to quip her frantike mood as I shall geue report What madnes now hath mooude thy mind quoth he O louing mate That thus thou fretst against the Gods and frantikelie doost prate Can this thy fuming mind redresse or cause the things vndone To be againe No if we liude againe we could not shun The Gods decree wherfore be still shake off such heauines In vaine it is to vexe thy selfe where cause is remedles VVhat shall thy ghost that now should rest in worldly cares still dwell And thinke on things that carst were past O plague far worse than hell Then suffer thou thy ghost to take her quiet ease at last And call thou not to mind againe that vvhich is gone and past Thou knovvest our destinie vvas so vve could it not preuent For that the Gods to plague our sinne for some abusesment What should we kick against the spur or swim against the tide Or striue for that to haue at will which angry Gods denide When I had sent my sonne to death and that he should be kild His life thou sauedst wherfore thou seest that destenie it wild But I to shun Simphlegades on Hebrus lake did light And coasting from Charibdis gulfe on Scilla rock did smite Thus seeking how all dangers great by counsell I might shun Did vnawares ere that I wist to present perils run Was I the cause that Helen faire with Paris came to Troy No sure it was fell destenie or fickle Fortune coy For when the Oracle had told what hap in time should fall I wild to take away the cause For witnes now I call The sacred Gods who knew my mind my sonne I would haue slaine I was content my flesh and bloud the tygers
childe his tender limmes to teare He would by no meanes do the deede but did the infant spare And yet he thought how that ere long the boy must needes be dead But by that meanes he sought to free his hands from vile bloodshed He killde a pig and tooke the heart and brought it to the King And blooded certaine linnen clothes in token of the thing And tolde him that his childe was dead and there he might behold The heart and heart blood of his sonne wherefore he might be bolde To banish feare for this his childe should neuer him molest For he was dead and dead againe and therefore he might rest Now see the hap that to this man did afterward betide For Phorbas king of Corinth soile by chaunce that way did ride VVho spide the child as then aliue which wofully did cry VVith sprauling hands it reachd about full near at poynt to dy He causde his man to take it downe to saue the infants life Right glad he was wherfore foorthwith he brought it to his wife VVho barren was and had no child then this as for her own She did receiue from whence it came to them it was not knowne The child did grow they loude it well and then in course of yeares Of noble linage comes the boy quoth Phorbas it appeares For that the lad vvas dayly geuen to Martiall exercise And did delight to take in hand some noble enterprise At last king Phorbas sends his sonne vvith mighty men of vvar To fight against the Thebane King twixt vvhom there was a iar Sir Oedipus in battell strong did vtterly confound The Thebanes and to their king he gaue a mortall vvound VVherof he presently did die thus Laius had his end The Gods that knew hovv all things vvent such fate to him did send And Oedipus his mother takes and maries her in hast No thing vvas knovven to him as yet that earst vvas done and past Thus Laius dide by his ovvne sonne no botter could he speede It is no striuing with the gods if once they haue decreed Wherefore vexe not O Hecuba let not thy ghost so fret Against the gods for this their doome and further do not three Fell destinie or fortunes frowne for this that they haue done Was for some mighty sinne of ours which fate we could not shunne Or for the sinne of periurie a vile and hatefull deede Which first my father did commit and now vpon his seede The plague did fall deseruedly for such his bad abuse The gods themselues wil not accept for periurie excuse And I likewise a wilfull man as al my deedes did showe My wofull folly was the cause of this our ouerthrowe For when the Greekes did send to haue faire Helena againe I would not hearken to their sute but pufft with deepe disdaine Did flowt and mocke at their request and openly denide Their iust demaund which great abuse the sacred gods had spide When that my sonne had tane away sir Menelaus wife A filthy part the letcher plaid yet they to end all strife Would willingly digest that wrong so that I would restore The Gretian dame that Paris stole from Greece not long before And that no warre should once arise betwixt our Empires stout So gently they did intreat but if I went about To holde her stil they threaten warre and vowed by gods aboue That they would fight to haue againe sir Menelaus loue Whom I perforce vniustly held and stoutly did maintaine So vile a part that would in time cause thousands to be slaine But I did giue them answere thus I minde to holde her still Not Greece nor all the Princes there in this shall breake my will Let Agamemnon do his worst I passe it not a straw Let Menelaus fret his fill my will shall be a law And let them both with all their force against my power fight I mind to holde dame Helen still against all law and right I haue her now and here with me I minde she shall remaine Let them not spare but fall to warre and see what they shall gaine The walls of Troy are strong enough my power is not small I ready am to sight the field when Grecian trumpets call This will of mine was chiefest cause that did procure my smart For I contrary to a lawe maintainde so hard a part No reason would perswade my minde true iustice was away And wilfull follie helde the sword selfe-will did beare the sway The want of iustice was the cause that this our ruine wrought What was the cause that Troy did fall and so consume to naught So many thousand men to die was not my wilfull fact The chiefest cause that Asia by Grecian power was sackt What Empires great and kingdoms wide hath ruine ouer runne For want of iustice and good lawes Or what hath Princes wonne By such default but present death The world doth witnesse well What mortall man that wilfull was but so to him befel The mighty Caesar ruling Rome true iustice was debarde His will was taken for a law and iustice was refarde His gouernement the Roman crew did priuily disdaine They hate him so that he ere long by subiects hand was slaine Could Nero liue when he began to cleaue vnto his will When Rome mislikt his gouernement and found his deedes so ill With one consent the Roman state decreede that he should die Vnworthy for to raigne in Rome his subiects all did crie And he that hated was durst not vnto their mercy stand But slewe himselfe because he would not fall into their hand And Philip King Amyntas sonne true iustice did neglect And how to remed wrong with right the man had no respect He partiall vvas for fauors sake not passing vvhat vvas right For vvhile he liud all Macedon gaue place to vvilfull might The vvrongd might crie for remedy vvhilst he did stop his eare For vvhom he loude vvho durst accuse as plainly did appeare Pausanias vvhen he had sude vnto the King for grace And found in vaine he did complaine his suite could haue no place He turnde his malice from the man that first had done him spite And causde reuenge deseruedly vpon the King to light For vvith his svvord he stabd the King his folly to repres Himselfe vvas cause of this his fall the dooer did confes VVhat vvas the cause that Carthage fell and subiect vvas at last The Empire great of Affrica of Romane force to tast Did not their vvilfull folly first their vvofull state procure The vvant of iustice made the vvar a long time to indure Vntill their Empire cleane vvas lost their chiefest forces spent That Carthage fell for such a fault the vvorld did much lament Did Rome not fall for such offence vvas she not ouerthrovven By Brennus Captain of the Gauls vvhose force each vvhere vvas knovven For Allia brook can vvitnes yet vvhere thousand Romans dide The want of iustice was the cause it will not be denide If Empires thus and Princes fell what
the familiar acquaintance and auncient loue which had been by their long felowship Nowe the couragious minde of Alexander being stirred vp by the good perswasions of his deare friend Calisthenes in so much that he presently againe fell to warre and conquered many kingdomes whereby he grewe to such hautie pride after the maner of the proud Persians and Parthians as is before spoken of for then Non salutari sed adorari se iubet He would no longer be worshipped as a man but adored as a God For which cause when diuers of the noble Macedonians woulde haue disswaded him from that foolish follie he put them to most cruell and strange death and torments But then againe Calisthenes thought to perswade Alexander from such a mighty error bearing himselfe somewhat bolder on the king than y e rest both for his approued wisdome and holesome counsaile which the king often had tried and felt as also on the auncient familiaritie and long acquaintance which had been betwixt the king and him so that he began earnestly to disswade him from this arrogant and fond vaine But Alexander being so puffed vp with pride and desiring so vnmeasurably to be a God that he would not heare the admonition and wise counsell of his approued frend but was wonderfully moued against him for his labour in so much that he caused him who before had preserued and saued his life to be most miserably martyred cutting off his nose lips eares hands and other members of his body to the pitiful paine and great deformitie of poore distressed Calisthenes commaunding him also to be cast into a most vile and stinking dike or pit there to languish vntill he died But the noble Lysimachus greatly pitying the miserable paine foule deformitie of the wise Philosopher gaue him poyson whereby he ended his grieuous smart Wherewith Alexander being greatly offended caused the said Lysimachus to be throwen into the Lyons denne to be deuoured of those cruell fierce beasts Notwithstanding he was deliuered by the mighty hande of God which as the common saying is was no gramercie to the King Scho. O most barbarous and vnciuill déede But what other fruites are to be expected or hoped for at the handes of such immoderate quaffers and vnsatiable suckers of wine than in recompence of their good seruice such cruell and outragious dealings Truely sir as you haue said either he was wonderfully drowned in the pride of the Parthians or els miserably ouercome in his accustomed swilling for otherwise such barbarous crueltie could neuer haue procéeded from temperate gouernment The most wise and learned Erasmus hauing somewhat touched and nipped the monstrous vice of dronkennesse at last to make manifest that such horrible beastlines was vntollerable and mightely detested meaning to quippe the whole companie and crewe of such vnsatiable ale-tasters concluded in the end with this saying Vereor plurimum ne quisobrij sunt operam hanc meam in ebrios dicendi ceu superuacaneam rideant dicent enim sobrijs castigatione hac nihil opus esse Ebrios autem sic vino sepultos vt nullius vocem exaudiant c. I feare me greatly saith he lest the wise and sober will deride and laugh at this my superfluous and needles paines in speaking so farre against dronkards For they may say there needeth no reprehension or castigation to the sober and persons of good gouernment And as for those that are dronke they are so buried in wine and so drowned in their filthie folly by keeping companie with such good cup-companions that they cā heare no mans voice vnderstand no admonition of the wise perceiue no rebuke or sharpe reprehension Therfore saith he as the body of a dead man doth seeme not to be stirred by pricking or sharpe pinching so in like sort no maruell though the mind and sense of a dronken man can by no honest warnings or good meanes be stirred vp or brought to amendment for that his whole pleasure and delight is in such gulling swilling That most commonly as Erasmus saith Neque pes neque manus satis suum officium facit Neither feete nor handes can wel do their office The legs not able to support and beare the weight of his body nor his handes with the help of a staffe able to support himselfe but that he tumbleth and walloweth in his owne vomit and filth more like a beast then man which most filthie vse and order the wise Seneca perceiuing Ebrietatem nihil ait esse quam voluntariam insaniam said that Drunkennesse was nothing else but a voluntarie madnesse and wilfull fransinesse which with good gouernment might easily bee auoyded and shunned saying further that Nothing did more better become and beautifie man than sobernesse so in like maner nothing did seeme more filthie nor more to be detested than a drunken man as alreadie you haue set downe and manifested as it were to the beholders eye showing the wilfull folly desperate madnesse which the vnsatiable bibbers of wine doo ouer rashly commit to their euerlasting reproach and ignomie also in the end to their great sorrow and displeasure for it doth not onely cause their infamie to bee perpetually registred but also their owne hands to commit most horrible and shamefull murders whereby they oft embrewe themselues in the bloud of the innocent and hurtlesse person which no doubt but in the end is most sharply punished on the committers Fa. My good friend first I beseech you to marke diligently our purposed procéedings then shall you right well perceiue to what end our conference tendeth and also to note that hee who liueth not in contentmēt dooth runne headlong to vnsatiable couetousnes from that gréedie appetite to monstrous pride from that intollerable vice to most lasciuious and licentious liuing from that vile and detestable sinne to most odious and filthie quaffing and imimoderate bibbing which bad life and disordered gouernment dooth soone purchase to the practisers thereof most condigne punishment as by our aforesaid conference doth most euidently appeare were it possible that the bloud of the innocent should not be reuenged or that the murthering hand should scape vnpunished No there is no doubt but that the liuing God dooth aswel plague the Prince and péere as the meanest person for such cruell and tyranous déeds will be sharply reuenged on their intemperancie For first it is to be considered that for lack of temperance man runneth headlong to those wilfull murders either by an ouer coueting mind or by desperate quarrelling or otherwise beeing ouercome by inordinate swilling and vnsatiable quaffing of liquor al which proceedeth through the default of the aforesaid gift Iezabel wife to Ahab King of Samaria when y e King her husband had required Naboth to part with his vineyard which lay verie conuenient for his vse profering him as great possession in some other place but Naboth denying his sute as a thing vniust saying God for bid that I should passe ouer
mighty blowes layd on For if my sonne had beene aliue and armed for to fight Achilles durst not come in place nor once be seene in sight But when by chance my naked sonne Achilles launce had payde The eager Greeke to lay on lode was nothing then afraide When noble Hector thus was dead yea dead and dead againe Achilles then to spoyle my sonne began to take some paine I sawe how that he handled him I could not looke beside And if I did yet straight againe my sight that way would glide The tyrant vile the bedlam beast his carkas would not spare Who was a man a valiant man his noble mind was rare Another of king Priams sonnes that day was caught in fight Whose hands chopt off the Greeks sent home to worke vs further spite And wilde him thus to say in Troy and tell his aged sire That Hector now by Grecian launce was payd his earned hire And that Achilles had no doubt but Paris so to slay VVho was the cause of all that warre and bred that bloudy day Thus came my sonne with losse of hands before his mothers face To tell how Greekes had dealt with him a lamentable case And how that Hector now was dead whom Troyans soon should misse VVhich was no newes for that before mine eyes had seene all this And while my boy besmearde with bloud his heauie hap did waile A seruant came and shewde vs how Achilles vile did hale Dead Hector round about the walles in all the Troyans sight VVhich was because his frends should see as easily they might His naked corps in mire drawne at horses taile fast tide And that the doer of the same before did vaunting ride Then came I to the wall to see slaine Hector so misusde From whence I cride for that I knew the Greekes had him abusd VVho was king Priams eldest sonne wherfore against all law In cruell sort to spite his friends his carkasse dead to draw VVith that I strainde my voice and said Achilles let me haue My sonne whom thou hast slayn that I may send him to his graue But he for all my mournfull cries full fierce without remorce Did hale my naked sonne about the Troyan walles perforce VVhich when his aged sire be held from top of lofty wall For griefe conceiude did yeald himselfe in desperat wise to fall Down headlong from the turrets height if friends had him not stayd And throngd about to succour him who then had need of ayd But when at last he did perceiue Achilles cruell hart VVith beckning hand he spake aloud Be sure for this hard part If that I liue thou shalt repent and Gods the same will graunt Thy wicked act and that ere long vile wretch thou shalt not vaunt Of this despitefull fact wherfore I wish thee to restore My slaughtered sonne as I haue done thy slaughtered Greeks before Yet would not fierce Achilles cease from doing Hector wrong For round about the Troyan walls he halde our sonne along And thus did still for four days space euen in his parents sight To work our wo for well he wist he could not Hector spight VVho then was dead whose gaping iawes the durt and grauell fild VVhose whighish skin the muddy mire with filthy spots had hild His beard besmeard with stinking filth to eyes and face did clung Such lothsome stuff as filthy Greeks with durty fists had flung VVas this a sight for parents eye to vew their louing child In such a case as he was then amongst his foes so wild O haples hap O Fortune vile what woman could abide Such pangs of wo from sobbing soule as did to me beside VVe did not cease to sue for grace at proud Achilles feet In yealding wise to haue our sonne although it were not meet A mighty king should stoup so low vnto so meane as state For that vnto the Troyan king Achilles was no mate But yet for all king Priams sute when he did what he might The tyrant would not yeald as yet our sonne should haue his right Of funerall nor that his bones should rest in silent graue VVhen we had made such humble sute his mangled corps to haue Vnburied thus he kept him still for twelue days space at least VVhose flesh was torne and then did will the dogs should haue the rest VVhich when I heard a hell of woes did plague me then aliue O death quoth I my loathed life from miseries depriue Let not me liue to call to mind this Fortunes froward spite Nor see the day wherin againe such heauie hap may light Yet still in hope to haue his corps Polixena I sent My daughter faire to Grecian campe and to Achilles tent Who there on knees with wringing hands before Achilles face With brinish teares made humble suite to find as then such grace As that he would as then restore the corps of this her brother slaine And for which cause to pleasure him she euer would remaine His seruant base or bondslaue vile to satisfie his mind For which if that it pleasd him well she then would stay behind To be a faithfull seruant true to him at all assayes And pray the Gods to prosper him and send him happie dayes With that Achilles stepped foorth and gaue to her his hand In courteous wise he greeted her and wilde her vp to stand Before his face and waile no more and then as she thought best He was content it should be so and graunted her request This did my daughter bring to passe such was her peereles hewe That she a second Helen was within Achilles vewe When Priamus and Hectors wife before had tried in vaine And I myselfe with weeping teares the like could not obtaine Her beautie so did qualifie the tyrants wrathfull ire That Hectors corps was brought by her home to her aged sire Then did I mourne afresh to see there laide before my face The ougly shape of my sweet sonne in such a wofull case That Hectors face I could not know although I knew his name For Hecuba his mother I before had geuen the same Whose corps once washt full well I knew the fauour of my child But pale aspect did alter much that neare I was begilde Twelue dayes at least my sonne had lain abroad in open ayre VVhat time till now to haue againe we euer did despaire The funerals and other rites in order allwell done VVe did prouide the mony which redeemed this our sonne For first before my daughter had the thing she did desire Achilles he a certain summe of mony did require VVhich thing before he had refusde though massie summes were sent But for her sake and such a summe he seemed well content The money now without delay we sent away in hast And willingly did pay the same for daughters promise past O wretch most vile O tyrant bad that thus with Hector delt VVhat stonied heart in brawned breast would this not make to melt The cause of this his furie great and
of such cruell hate Was by Patroclus haplesse death who was his louing mate Whom Hector slewe in open fight with many a Greeke that day And spoylde him of his armor bright that naked there he lay Which armor was the chiefest canse that brought him to his end The angry gods displeasde with vs such haplesse hap did send All things thus done my other sonnes reuenge did vowe to take On vile Achylles for this deede and for slaine Hectors sake That presently vpon the Greekes with mightie force they went And thousands on ech part that day to dreadfull death were sent Thus dayly they did still contend by force of cruell warre And Princes fell on eyther side that thither came from farre The Greekes did waxe the Troyans grew as desperat men in fielde To daunt eche others haughty minde and make eche other yeelde At last againe as fortune woulde Achylles fierce did slay My other sonne sir Troylus who was our chiefest stay A valiant youth the Greekes can tell although he thus did die For that before the proudest Greekes he forced had to flie In turrets tall from toppe of towne my hap was still so bad To see my louing sonne to die a wofull sight most sad For mothers eie still to beholde her louing children so To end their dayes and be abusde by such a spitefull so From loftie walls I then beheld sir Troylus my sonne To course the Greekes on euery side and made them fast to run Vntill that fierce Achylles came who sure I thinke was borne To breede my woe and that the gods against me wretch had sworne To plague with hellish torments vile the plagues of furthest hell Should hap to me and greater paines than any tongue can tell For that what time soeuer I on walls did see the fight Some childe of mine was sure to die within his mothers sight When nowe to turrets top I climde with many Ladies more Whereto I did not once ascend since Hector dide before But then too soone such was my chaunce I thinke the gods decreede That while I did behold the fight no better they should speede Achylles braue on horse did mount whom Troylus had spide To brag amongst the Greekes his mates well mande on euery side But when my sonne had found his foe and thought on Hectors foile Like mighty Mars he layd on lode and made that day great spoile He thrust amongst the thicest throng Achylles out to finde That he might knowe his brothers death as yet he had in mind With couched launce and courage good my sonne did run amaine In hope to haue by manly force his cruell foe there slaine He mist the marke but yet he strake Achylles from his steede And if the Greekes had not giuen ayde he then had done the deede And yet for all the Greekes could do he gaue his foe a wound Thorowe plated thigh he thrust his launce a handful in the ground Achylles horsde by helpe of Greekes and mounted vp anew And then with troupe of armed Knights my sonne he did pursue The wounded Greeke that folowed fast sir Troylus had spide Who turnd his horse and willd his mates his fury to abide With monstrous force the Greekes did fight the Troyans did not flie On either side to lay it on the people fiercely cry At last the Greekes had giuen the horse that then my sonne did beare A mortall wound that paind him so the iade did fiercely fare In plunging sort the horse did play with mighty gyrds at last From setled seate my haplesse sonne the winsing iade had cast In falling downe ah heauy chance his foote the stirrop helde The wounded horse so scard before ran raging in the field And dragd my childe before my face vpon the bloody ground For blood did flow that day ful fresh from many a mortal wound Achylles hauing spide my sonne in such a woful case With piercing speare to him halfe dead he hied him then apace Through backe and side his launce he sent and cride I now am quit With this my wound receiude before and therewithal did hit The staggring horse that downe he fel and there together lay Both man and horse thus fortune vile her froward pranks did play Sir Troylus by chance thus slaine the Greekes from armour stript Whose bowels hung about his feete for they his body ript And naked on a gibe they hang for Troyans there to see Their champion stout whom earst before had made the Greekes to flee Olde Pryamus and I beheld our louing sonne so kinde In vgly sort to hang on high starke naked in the winde Whose corps did waue in swinging-sort which way each wind did blowe And as he hung the angry Greekes at him great stones did throwe Their speares did passe through senselesse corps before him slaine they vaunt So fierce the fooles his carkasse dead with bitter words did taunt Hang here quoth they thou wicked wretch and rue thy brothers deede If he by Grecian fist be caught no better shall he speede For causing of this bloody warre that many thousands rue Their haplesse chance but he himselfe we trust shall haue his due And that ere long wherefore till then feele thou his earned smart We Greekes do hope that Paris proude shal rue his wilful part These words we heard this sight we see the Greekes like mad men rage They threaten stil for Paris deede sharp war with vs to wage A sight ful strange yet not so rare for fortune did present More harder haps to me than this to plague me she was bent A messenger we sent to craue the carkasse of our childe Whose bones were broke and skin from flesh with blows the Greeks had hilde Achylles straight did send my sonne which something pleasde my minde I did not thinke such curtesie at his handes then to finde But with my sonne to comfort me these louing words did send My friend quoth hee tel Hecuba that oft I do intend Such gifts on her for to bestow to breed her further ioy Til such time serue wish her to take of me this mangled boy Thus Troylus was brought to Troy a heauie sight God knows His body foule disfigured with many bloody blows They layde him downe before my face that mothers eies might see Her sonne whom fierce Achylles vsde with such extremitie His martyrde corps I did intoombe though part were left behinde Which Grecian iades did tread to dirt yet al that I could finde To graue was sent the funerals and al things else wel done The Troyans al in woful wise do much lament my sonne That al the towne with houlings sound ech one did waile his fil Him dead I know it was in vaine but that did shew good will Now did the Greekes afresh begin the Troyans to suppresse And they as fierce did fight it out in hope to haue redresse Of former wrongs but al in vaine for Hector now was gone And Troylus my other sonne wherefore there was not one Aliue