doubtfull and no rewarde though he wanne the victory but apparant losse if he were ouercome Wherfore let him not thinke that the ScythiaÌ„s will wayte for his comming hyther seyng there is in their enemye so much worthe the fetchinge and goynge for but they will with all their hartes go and mete him As they had sayde so did they in dede When the king vnderstoode that they made towardes him with suche spede he fled for feare and leauing behynde him his hoste and all hys furniture for the warres he fearefullye retyred into his kyngedome The Scithians coulde not pursue him into Egipt because of the fennes As they retourned from thence they conquered al Asia and put them to a litle tribute rather in token of their conquest than in reward of their victorye Fyftene yeares they taryed in pacifieng and setting a staye in the countreye From whence they were called home by the importunat requestes of their wiues whiche sent them worde that if they hyed theym â—…ot home the sooner they would lye with their 〈◊〉 to haue fruite by them and not suffer the 〈◊〉 of the Scithâ—…s to decay throughe their default Thus was Asia tributary to them by y â— space of 1500 yeres Ninus kyng of Thassirians made an end of paying thys trybute But in the meane tyme amonge the Scithians tâ—…o yong gentlemen of the bloud royall named Plinos and Scolopythus being through debate among the noble meâ—… driuen out of their couÌ„trey led with theÌ„ a great noumber of youth and setled them selues in the borders of Cappadocia about the riuer Thermodoon and kept al the fieldes about the citie Themiscira There many yeares together being wont to robbe their neyghboures at the last the people prfuily conspired together and sette vpon theym vnwares and by a trayne slewe them eueryechone The wiues of these men perceyuing that besides their banyshement they were also made widowes armed theym selues and defended theyr borders first by standing in their owne defence and afterward by making warre vnto others Moreouer they had no mind to marry any more with their neyghbours calling it a bondage and not maryage A singular example for all ages to looke vpon They encreased theyr common wealth withoute men and defended theym selues euen in despyght of men And to thentente some of them should not thinke them selues in better case then the rest they killed their husbands that were left aliue at home Furthermore in reuengement of the deathes of their husbandes they destroyed theyr neyghbours also Thâ—…n hauing by warre gotten peace and tranquilitie they sente for theyr neyghbours and companied with them If any male children werâ—… borne they were killed The women chyldren were brought vp not in ydlenesse â–ª nor to spinning and carding but in feates of armes ridinge of horses and huntinge as the custome is to bringe vp men And forbycausâ—… theyr shooting and throwing of dartes should not be hindered theyr righte pappes were seared of while they were children whereupon they were named Bamazons They had two queenes the one called Marthâ—… the other Lampedo the which deuiding their hoste in two partes and growinge to great welth and richesse made warre by turnes the one cir cumspectely defending the countrey at home while the other made warre abrode as theyr turnes came about And oâ—… th entent to be the more renowmed in all their enterprises affaires they proclaymed theym selues the doughters of Mars Wherfore hauing conquered the greater parte oâ—… Europe they subdewed also manye cities of Asia Where hauing builded Ephesus and diuers other cities parte of theyr armie being sent home with a great bootye the rest whych taried styll to defend thempyreof Asia were by a sodaynâ—… â—…ssault of the barbarous people with their queene Marthesia all slayne In whose roome secceded in th empyre her daughter Orithia Who besydes her singular actiuitie in feates of warre was as a myrrour to all women for preseruyng of her maydenhed â–ª and virginitye while she lyued Through the prowesse of her the honour and renowne of the Amazones was so greatly auaunced that the kyng for whose pleasure Hercules atchieued xii daungerous aduentures commaunded him as a thing impossible to fetch him the armour of the Queene of Amazonie Hercules therfore accompanyed with many of the yong lordes and noble meÌ„ of Greece arriuing with nyne galleyes assayled them vnwares At the same tyme the kyngdome of Thamazones was gouerned by two of the foure systers atiope and Orithia Of the whiche Orithia was makyng warre in forreyne countreyes by reason whereof there was but a slender company about the queene Antyope when Hercules arryued at the shore of Amazonye bycause there was no suche thyng mistrusted nor any enemye thought vpon Wherefore it came to passe that those fewe beyng raysed with the sodayne alarme armed theym selues and gaue theyr enemies an easie victorie For many wer slayne and many taken amonge whom were two of Antiopes sisters Mâ—…alyppe taken by Hercules Hippolite by Theseus Theseus maried his prisoner of whom he begate Hippolitus But Hercules after the victory restored Menalâ—…ppe to her sister and for her raunsome tooke the queenes armoure And so hauyng accomplyshed his charge retourned to the kyng Orithia hauyng knowledge that warre was made agaynst her systers and that the prynce of Athens had ledde awaye one of them perforce exhorteth her companye to bee reuenged affirmyng that all their conquestes in Poâ—…us and Asia were to no purpose if they should take suche a foyle at the handes of the Greekes as to suffer not so muche the warres as the rauishementes of Thatheniens And thereupon she sent for succour vnto Sagillus kyng oâ—… Scithia Alledging that she her people wer by discent Scithians borne declaringe furthermore the losse of their husbandes whereby they were constrayned to take armoure vpoÌ„ them and what was the cause of the warres whyche they nowe tooke in hande sayeng that through theyr prowesse they had brought to passe that the Scithians myghte seme to haue as valiaunt women as men The kyng beyng moued with the honour of his house sente to her ayde hys sonne Penaxagoras with a greatbande of horsemen But before the battell beyng by meanes of dissention sodaynly fallen betwene them forsaken of their succoures and so lefte destitute of thelpe and ayde of them the Atheniens put them to the worser Neuerthelesse the campe of the Scythians was a refuge vnto theym â—…y whose helpe they retourned into their countrey vntouched of other nacions After Orithia Penthesilea obtayned the soueraynetye Who lefte behynde her a noble remembraunce of her worthie actes in that famous assemble of valiaunt men in the defence of the Troianes against the Greekes Finally Penthesilea beyng slayne and her armye wasted those sewe that remayned with muche a doe scarcely defendyng them selues agaynste theyr neyghbours continued vnto the tyme of great Alexander Whose Queene Minothea otherwyse called Thalestris after she had obteined the
richesse in old tyme the which they should not nede to go to fyght for but to go to take possession of For Asia was so desyrous of their commyng that she called cryed to them a loude to make speade So greate a hatreded toward the Romayns hadde the greadie rauenousnesse of their Proconsultes the pollyng and shauing of their tolle gatherers the wrongfull delyng in sutes and controuer lies of the lawe of their officers rooted in the hartes of them all Wherefore he willed them to doe no more but followe him manfully ponder with themselfes what so great an army might be able to doe hauyng such a Capitayne as he was whome they themselfes had sene without the helpe of any of his souldiers by his own industrie onely slea the kyng of Cappadocia seyze his kyngdome who onely of all the men that euer lyued conquered all the countries borderyng vppo◅ the sea of Pontus Scythia also the whiche before his tyme no man could trauel through no nor go vnto in sauftie As for his own Iustice and lyberalitie he woulde not refuse that his souldiers which had had sufficient tryall and experience of them should beare wytnesse to the same as of the whiche these were manifest tokens that he only of all kyngs enioyed not onely the kyngdomes that his father possessed before him but also for his bountie and magnificence was adopted to be heyre of other forreyne Realmes as Colchos Paphlagonia and Bosphorus whiche he nowe peaceablie helde ▪ When he had thus encouraged his souldiers after the. xxiii yere of his reygne he entered into warre agayn◅ the Romayns At that tyme in Egypte after the death of P◅olomy kyng of Cyrene both the kyngdome and the Quene Cle◅patra his syster to be his wy◅e ▪ ◅lomy was glad in that he had recoured his brothers king dome without battell the which he knewe his mother Cleopatra and certeyn of the noble men went preuelye about to assure vnto his brothers sonne But assone as b◅ came vnto Alexandria to the great displeasure of all the Cytie he caused all such as fauored the chylde to be put to death The chylde himself also he slew in his mothers armes the very same day that he maried her in the myd des of all the feastyng and solemne ceremonies of wed◅cke And so he wēt to bed with his syster all bestayned with the blood of her sonne After the whiche dede he became euen as meke to his other countreymen that had called him to the kyngdome For he gaue his souldiers which were straungers leaue to kill whome they wold so that daylie all places were on a gore blood and he put away his syster and toke to wyfe her daughter a fayre yong mayden hauyng firste rauished her per force with the which thynges the people wer so dysmayed that they shronke away so◅e one whether and some another forsakyng theire natife countrie like banished folk for dread of death Ptolomy beyng left alone with his souldioures in so greate a Cytie when he sawe howe he was a Kynge of emptie houses and not of men made proclamacion that straungers shoulde come and inhabite the Cytie after whose resor thyther he went forth to mete the Romayn Ambassadors Scipio Affricanus Spurius Mumius and Lucius Metellus which came to see howe the Realmes of their confederates wer ordered But loke howe cruell he was to all his owne countriemenne so much was he a laughyng stocke to the Roma◅ns For he was yll visaged a dwarfe of stature he had such a fat paunche that he semed more lyke a beast then a man the whiche fouldnesse and deformitie his smal shyrle voyce and his thinne garmentes dyd more encrease as thogh of set purpose he had set oute the thynges to be sene which he that had any regarde of shame oughte with all care and studie to haue hydden moste secretlie After the departure of Thambadoures of the whiche Affricanus whiles he behelde the Cytie was himselfe a spectacle to the Alexandrians Ptolomy beyng nowe hated euen of his Alientes also fledde preuely oute of the Realme with his sonne whome he had begotten of hys syster and with his wyfe her owne mothers paramour for feare of treason and hauyng gotten an hoste of hyred souldiours he made warre bothe agaynst his syster and agaynst his owne countrie Afterwarde he sent for his eldest sonne from Cyrene for bycause the Alexandrians shoulde not make him kyng agaynste him he putte hym to deathe Then the people in despyght of him brake doune his ymages and tare doune hys pictures The which thyng thynkyng to be doone by the procuremente of hys syster he slew the sonne whome he hadde begotten uppon her and then cuttyng hys bodie in gobbettes closed it vp in a Casket and sent it for a present to the mother as she was makyng feast and great chere vpon the day of her byrth The whiche was a bitter and sorowfull syght not onelie to the Quene herself but also to all the whole Cytie and it cast such a grief vppon that ioyfull feast that sodaynlie in all the Court was nothyng but mournyng and lamentyng The noble men therfore turnyng themselfes from feastyng to funeralles shewed to the people the mangled bodie declaryng what hope they oughte to haue of theyr kyng who hadde so cruelly murdered his owne chylde Cleopatra after that the sorow for losse of her sonne was ceased perceyuyng herselfe to be sore infested by her brothers warre Demaunded help of Demetrius Kyng of Syria by his Ambassadors whose chances were strange and worthie to be spoken of For Demetrius as it is shewed before makyng warre agaynst the Parthians gettyng the victorie in manie encounters was sodaynlie sur prised by pollicie and besydes the losse of his armie was also himself taken prysoner Whome Arsaces kyng of the Parthians sent into Hyrcanie and of his noble and Royall courage not onely gaue him enterteynement lyke a kyng but also gaue him his daughter in mariage promisyng moreouer to restore him the kyngdome of Syria which Tryfo hadde vsurped in his absence After whose death Demetrius beynge past hope of returnyng into his kyngdome and beyng not able to away with captiuitie beyng wearie of his priuate lyfe though he lyued neuer so welthelie assayed a faithfull frende to steale home into his owne kyngdome His counseler and companyon in this enterprise was a frend of his called Callimander who after his Maisters captiuitie hyryng guydes for mo ny himself disguysed in Parthian apparell came oute of Syria through the deserts of Arabie vnto Babylon But Phrahartes which succeded Arsaces sent oute post horses after him who made such spede by gayner ways that they ouertoke him and brought him back agayn When he came before the kyng Callimander was not only par doned but also highlie rewarded for his faithfulnesse towards his Master But Demetrius with a great rebuke was sent agayn to his wyfe into Hyrcanie and ther
into hys kyngdome Mardonius is vanquished in Beotia Them istocles hath the pro rogatiue for his prowesse Athens is buylded agayn the Lacedemo nians make warre vppon the Persians Pausanias is condemned of treason Xerxes proclaymeth open warre agayn agaynst Grece he is ouercomme by Cymo duke of Athenes bothe on sea and land and returneth into his kyngdome The conteyntes of the thyrd Boke XErxes and his sonnes are slayne by the treason of Artabanus Artaxâ—…xes reuengeth the death of his father The Lacedemonians and Thatheniens fall at varians Lycurgus maketh lawes willyngly vannisheth hymself the Lacedemonians make warre vppon the Messeniens the Partheniens place themselfs at Tarent in Italy Messene rebelleth and is subdued warre is renued betwene the Lacedemonians and Thatheniens the Lacedemonians breake the truce the notable demeanor of Pericles truce is taken agayn and broken by the Lacedemonians The conteyntes of the fowerth Boke THe description of Sycill with the wonders therof â—…olus taketh vppon him the crowne of the same after whome euery eytie hath his Tyrrant among whome Anaxilaus contendeth agaynst thothers crueltie with Iustice and Equitie The men of Rhegium are cruelly dispossessed of their Cytie by their con â—…ederates The Cathanenses and Syracusans fall at debate the Athentens ayde the Catanenses truce is taken broken by the Syracusans Ahatheniens succor the Catanenses agayne 〈◊〉 rescoweth Syracuse vanquisheth the Atheniens bothe by sea and by lande and vtterlie destroyeth bothe their men and shyppes The contyentes of the fyft Boke ALâ—…ibiades willyngly bannisheth himself and compelleth the kyng of Lacedemon to warre vpon ThathenieÌ„s the which Darius kyng of Persia furthereth also 〈◊〉 causeth the cyties oâ—… Asia to reuolte from Thathentens the Lacede monians lye in wayt to kyll him he escapeth by the admonition of the wyfe of kyng Agis and flyeth to 〈◊〉 kyng Darius lyeuetenaunt in Lydia whome he withdraweth from the Lacedemonians the Ambassadors of Athens come vnto him he is reuoked into his countrie and made admirall he ouercommeth the Lacedemonians and is ioyfully receyued of his Cytizens he receyueth a losse by ouâ—…rsyght and bannisheth himself agayn 〈◊〉 are brought to vtter distresse Conon their Captayn flyeth to Cyprus the cytie is yelded vp to the Lacedemonians thyrty Tyrants haue the gouernaunce therof Darius kynge of Persia dyeth Dionyse the yonger is expulsed oute of Sycill Alâ—…biades is burned in hys lodgyng 〈◊〉 expulseth the xxx 〈◊〉 tenne others are placâ—…d in their stead â–ª Pauianias kyng of Lacedeuion commaun deth them out of the cytie and gyueth peace to the Atheniens the Tyraunâ—…s makyng warre agaynste Athenes are taken and put to death Artaxerxes sucâ—…edeth hys father Darius in y â— Persian kingdome Cyrus rebelieth agaynst his brothâ—…r Aâ—…xerxes and is slain the Grekâ—… that came to his ayde returne into their countrye vnvanquished The contentes of the syxte Booke THe Lacedemonians couet Th empyre of Asia â—…nes is displaced of his office of Lieuetenauntship Conon of Athenes is made Admyrall of the Persian flete the Lacedemonians send for ayde into Egypte 〈◊〉 is sent agaynst Conon Conon ouercommeth Lysander vppon the sea Athens is set at lybertie agayn Epamynondas ouercommeth the â—…a cedemonians and sleath Lysander Agesyiaus wresteth the victory from the Thebanes the Atheniens sende Iphicrates with an host to chayd of the Thebans y e Lacedemonians are broght to 〈◊〉 dispayre Conon is receyued with great ioye of his cytizens Athenes is repayred Aâ—…axerxes proclaymeth a generall peace through all Grece and setteth all the cyties at lybertie he maketh warre against Egypt Rome is taken by the Frenchmen warre ryseth betwene the Lacedemonians and Arcadians and is ceased of their owne accord Epamynondas Duke of Thebes inuaded Lacedemon and is repulsed by the olde menne Agesylaus encountereth with hym Epaminondas is slayne with whome the prowesse of the Grekes decayeth The conteintes of the seuenth Boke HE entreateth of 〈◊〉 and of the kynges thereof â—…ranus followyng a herd of goates wynneth the cyâ—…ie Edyssa he turneth the name therof maketh it the head of Macedone and subdueth diuers kyngs after him 〈◊〉 Perdicas and prophecieth of his posteritie Argeus taketh his place and 〈◊〉 the crown to his son Europâ—… the Macedones ouercome the Illyrians 〈◊〉 succedeth whose son Alexander kylleth the Persian Ambassadors sent by Darius of whome mencion is made in the fyrst and seconde bokes Bubares marryeth Alexanders syster Amynthas succedeth Alexander the mother kylleth her owne children Philyp is brought vp at Thebes and afterward he is crowned kyng he vanquisheth his borderâ—…rs conquereth the â—…ens maryeth Olympias the mother of great Alexander winneth Methone The contentes of the eyght Boke THe Lacedemonians Phocenses are condemned in a great sum of mony the Phocenses robbe the Temple of Delphos Philip is chosen Captayn generall agaynste them and vanquisheth them the which beyng doone he spoyleth the Thebanes whome he came to defend he stealeth the kyngdome of Cappadocia destroeth Olynthe in Thrace inâ—…th the goldmynes in Chessaâ—… the syluet â—…es in Thrace spoyleth the two kyngs of Thrace of their kyngdome maketh peace with Chateâ—…ens geueth sâ—…le aunswers to Chaâ—… of Grece breaketh premis with the Phocenses remoueth whole nacions and Cyties from countrie to countrie sâ—…th the Dardamerans dâ—…seth Arymba kyng of Eâ—…yre geuyng the kyngdo me to Alexander the brother of his 〈◊〉 Olympsas The contentes of the nynethe Boke PHâ—… besiegeth Constantinople duryng the which he wiâ—… neth many cyties â—…f Chersonesus feighteth vnprosperously agaynst the Tryballes he maketh warre to the â—…niens wynneth the Soueranity of Grece executeth strâ—…ghte Iustice vppon the Thebanes somoneth a Parlament at Cormthe prepateth for warre astaynst the Persians is sâ—…ayne by Pausâ—…ras at his daughters maâ—…ge The description of his nature and condicions with a comparison betwene him and his sonne Alexander The contentes of the tenthe Boke THe natural affection of Artaxerxes Mnemon toward his sonne Darius his treason against his father y â— punishmeÌ„t of Darius his fyfty brothers the cruelty of Ochus the prowesse of Codoman for the which he is created kyng by the name of Daius The conteyntes of the eleuenth Boke THe disquietnesse of the Macedones after the death of Phylype the whiche Alexander appeaseth Alexander putteth his kynsfelke to death suppressed rebellioÌ„s goeth forward with the warres that his father purposed againste the Persians â–ª pardoneth the Atheniens 〈◊〉 Thebes entereth into Asia vanâ—… 〈◊〉 ouercommeth diuers of his Lieuetenantes goeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cytie 〈◊〉 and vntyeth the knot of the wayne a digression to thaâ—…yres and the kynges of Phrygia Alexander maketh haste to Châ—…us in Cilicia is reâ—…ered of a daungerous disease ouercommeth Darius agayne taketh the mother wyfe and daughters of Darius prysoners maryeth one of his prisoners called Barsiue sendeth Parmenio to inuade the â—…ersian flete and other of his noble 〈◊〉 to receyue the Cyties of Asia maketh abdolominus a kyng of a Gardiner winneth the 〈◊〉 Cyrus perforce goeth to
the temple of Haâ—…o in Egypt â–ª buyldeth the cytie Alexandria receyueth letters twyse from Darius and replyeth to thesame mourneth for the death of Darius wyse 〈◊〉 the thyrd letter from 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 thereunto 〈◊〉 Darius and 〈◊〉 the Monarchie of the 〈◊〉 with th empyre of Asia rewardeth his souldiers and fyndeth â—…eadyng riches in the cytie 〈◊〉 Da rius is bounde by his â—…wne 〈◊〉 found by a souldier half dead and sore wounded 〈◊〉 whome he 〈◊〉 his mynde and dyeth and Alexander causeth him to be 〈◊〉 accordyng to his estate The conteyntes of the twelueth Boke ALexander buryeth his souldiours sumptuously Agis kyng of 〈◊〉 maketh insurreccion in Grece and is 〈◊〉 â–ª Alâ—…xander kyng of Epyre warreth in Italy is 〈◊〉 to death â—…yron with his hoste is slayn by the Scythâ—…s Alexanders souldiours beyng in Parthia desyre to returne home he subdueth Hyrcanie and the mardes Thalestris Quene of â—…hamazones companyeth with Alexander he vsurpeth the maners of the Persians frequenteth feastyng licenceth his souldiers to mary their prysoners outrageth agaynst his noble menne conquereth the people that inhabite the foote of Cancasus in the which tyme Bessus that kylled Darius is brought bounde vnto him whome he deliuereth to be punished to Oxatres the brother of Darius he buyldeth Alexandria vppon Tanais kylleth Clytus at the table falleth in great dispayre for the same receyueth countries by composicion putteth Calisthenes and other noble men to death gyueth his souldiers syluer Bucklars entereth into Inde where a Quene called Cleophis yeldyng herself and her kyngdome vnto him recepueth it agayne at his hande ouercommeth kyng Porus. buyldeth two cyties subdueth fowâ—… Nacions is desyred by his souldieurs agayne to return home vanquisheth the Euâ—…ytes â—…ceyueth by coÌ„posicion the Gessones Asybanes conquereth the Ambres SycaÌ„bres is sore wounded in the citie of y â— Dpydrakes preserueth his host from poysoned woundes by thadmonishment of a dreame buyâ—…deth a Cytie in the mouthe of the ryuer Indus returneth to Babylon putteth the Lieuetenauntes of diuers countries to deathe punisheth a 〈◊〉 among his souldiers mourneth for the death of 〈◊〉 on enterteyneth thambassadours of Carthage Spayne Fraunce c. is poysoned by Antipater comforteth his souldiers makyng 〈◊〉 tumult for his death deliuereth his ryng to Perdiccas and dyeâ—… The contentes of the thirtenth Boke THe mother of Darius dyeth for sorrowe Aridens is made kyng th empyre is dâ—…utded among the noblemen of Alexander Thatheniens and Aâ—…tolians dryue â—…ntypater oute of Grece Perdiccas makeâ—…h warre agaynst 〈◊〉 kyng of Cappadocia the noblemen of Macedone fal at varians among themselfs the foundacion of the cytie 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 Perdiccas is hated for his pryâ—… and Eumenes wynneth two fieldes â–ª The contentes of the fourtenth Boke EUmenes preuenteth the policies of his enemies he is beseged by Aâ—…tigonus rescowed by Antipater resorteth to the Aâ—…gyraspides for succor is ouer come by Antigonus and is betrayed by his owne souldiers Cassander is made Regent of Grece the Lacedemonians enclose their Cytie with a wal Eurydice and Arideus are slayne at the commaundement of Olympias Cassander lykewyse putteth Olympias to death and â—…prysoneth the sonne of Alexander The conteyntes of the xv Boke THe Conquerours fall at debate for partyng of the pray the Abderties are dryuen out of their countrey with frogges myce Cassander putâ—…eth the sonnes of Alexander to death Ptolomy is vanquished on the sea by Demetrius Alexanders Lieuetenauntes proclay me theâ—…es kynges Lysymachus taketh part with Cassander agaynst Antigonus a discourse of the doynges of the sayde Lysimachus the wonderfull 〈◊〉 of Seleucuâ—… with his par takyng agaynst Antigonus and his conquestes in the East Sandrocotte deliuâ—…th the Indians from the subiection of Macedone and oppressed them with Tyrannie himself â–ª Antigonus is slayne his son Demetrius put to flight the Conquerors â—…al at barâ—…ans agayne among themselues and Cassander dyeth The conteyntes of the. xvi Boke â–ª THabominable murder of Antipater the sonne of 〈◊〉 for the which his brother Alexander proclayâ—…th warre agaynste him Demetrius slayeth Alexander and vsurpeth his part of Macedone Lysimachus yeldâ—…h vnto him the porcion of Antipater also Ptolomy Lysimachus Seleucus Pyrrhus yoine themselfes in league agaynst Demetrius Pyrrhus dryueth Demetrius oute of Macedone Lysimachus putteth his son in law Antipater to death in whome the house of Cassander is extincted Demetrius yeld â–ª th himself prisoner to Seleucus Ptolomy dieth debate falleth betweÌ„ Lysimachus Pyrâ—… he expulsâ—…th Pyrthus out of Macedone â–ª the buyldyng of the Cytie Heraciea in Ponâ—…us the gâ—…es of the Heracleans their courâ—…e towarde their enemies their miserable oppression by tyrannie the bolde enterpryse of Chion and Leonides and the death of them The conteyntes of the. xvii Boke THe horrible Earthquake in Hellesponte and Chersonesus the crueltie of Lysimachus to his owne children by thinstigacion of their â—…tepmother Arsyrice the last warre betwene the succâ—…ssoro of Alexander wherein 〈◊〉 is slayn by Seleucus who also within a while after is slayne by Ptolomy the kynges brother of Egypt Pyrrhus aydâ—…th the â—…tynes agaynst the Romaynes a discourse of the Realme of Epyre with a declaracion of thactes of the kynges thereof The contentes of the. xviii Booke PYrrhus 〈◊〉 the Romayns Mage Duke of Carthagbryngeâ—…h ayd to them and is sent home agayne the Romayues take a truce with Pyrrhus the whiche is â—…ynged by Appius Claudius â–ª Pyrâ—…us takâ—…th vppon him the kyngdome of Syâ—…l the foundacion of Sydon and Tyre with a declaracion of thâ—…re Histories Dydo buyldeth Carthage and sleath herself The Carthaginenses 〈◊〉 abhominable kynde of sacrifice they suâ—…er losse by warre and pâ—…ens Macheus Duke of Carthage 〈◊〉 hys owne 〈◊〉 winneth Carthage is accused of treason and 〈◊〉 put to death The conteyntes of the. 〈◊〉 Boke MAgo Duke of Carthage dyeth his sonnes Hasorâ—…ball Hamilcar succede the Carthaginenses are ouercome by the 〈◊〉 â–ª fres and pay the rent for their cytie sâ—…ill they make warre in Sardynia and Sycill themessage of the Ambassadours of Darius to the Earthaginenses the Afres are compelled to releace the rent â–ª the army of Hamilco perisheâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pescilent influence of the star res the remnant whereof he bryngeth home and kylleth hymself The contents of the. xx Booke DEnnys the elder dryueth the Carthagineâ—…ses out of Sycill and maketh warre in Italy a declaracion of the fondacion of the cyties in Italy the warres betwene the 〈◊〉 and the Locrenses the lyfe doctrine and death of Pythagoras Dennys is ouercomme by the Croteniens and concludeth a league with the Frenchemen the doynges of the Frenchemen in Italy Dennys re turneth into Sycill agaynste the 〈◊〉 and is slayn by his owne men The contentes of the. xxi Boke THe yonger Dennys exercyseth all kynde Tyranny is expulsed the realme exercyseth moste vnspeakable tyranny at Locres in Italy â–ª is dryuen from thence and taketh Syracuse Hanno goeth about to oppresse the coÌ„mon weale of Carthage is â—…rayed twyse and put to death Dennys deposeth
them about but assone as night shoulde serue their turn to set vpō their enemies making mery without care in their tēts For conquerors could no where die more honorably then in the camp of their enemies It was no hard matter to perswade thē that wer al redy bent to die Forth with they armed them selues being but vi C. men in all brake into the cāp of v. C. M. and forthwith went vnto the kings pauilion of purpose either to die with him or elsse if they wer ouerlaid to die in especialli in his tent Al the cāp was on a rore The Lacedemonians when they could not find the king ranged through all the camp like cōquerors slaying throwing down al things as men that knew that they fought not in hope of victory but to reuēge their own death The battel was prolonged frō the beginning of the nighte vntill the more parte of the next day was spent At the last not vanquished but wery of vanquishing they fell down dead amōg the heapes of their dead ennemies Xerxes hauing receiued two iosses in battell on the land entended to try his fortune But Themistocles the captain of the Atheniens when he vnderstode that the Ion◅s in whose quarel the king of Persie made all this war wer come to the aid of the Persians with a nauy of shippes he entended to draw thē to his part if he could And because he could haue no opportunity to talke with the he caused these words to be engraued in stones set at the places wher they shuld ariue How mad are ye O ye Ionians what mischief intend you now to do purpose ye to make war against your first founders now of late your new reuengers haue we builded your wals to th entent they shuld destroy oures I put the case we had not this occasion of war firste with Darius and now with Xerxes seinge we forsoke you not when ye rebelled why do ye not come out of that siege into this our cāp Or if ye thinke ye may not do so without danger when the battel shal be ioyned step you aside draw back your ships depart out of the battel Before they shuld encoūter vpon the sea Xerxes had sent iiii M. men to Delphos to spoil the tēple of apollo as though he had made warre not only with the Grekes but euen with the gods immortal which bād of men was vtterly destroid with tempest lightnynge to th entent he might vnderstande that the more that God is wroth displesed with man the lesse power or rather none at all hath man against god After this he burned the cities of Thespie Plate Athens but ther wer no men in them because he could not haue the men to kil in his displesure he wreked his teme vpon their houses For the Athenies after the battel of Barathon by the counsell of Themistocles which gaue the warning that victory won of the Persians was not at end but rather a cause of greater warre made them a flcte of two hundred shippes Therfore when Xerxes was comming toward them they asked counsell of the Oracle at Delphos wher it was aunswered that they must prouide for their sauegard in wodden walles Themistocles deming it to be spoken and ment of shippes perswaded all the people that their Countrye was not the walles but the men and that the Citye was not the houses and buildinges but the Citizens and inhabitauntes Wherfore it was better for them and more for theyr safegard to betake them selues to shippes then to abyde in the towne whervnto God himself semed to counsel them The counsell was well liked and thervpon abandoning the Citye they conueyed their wiues and children with all theyr preciousest stuffe and iewels into secrete Ilands and there bestowed them in safety whiche beinge doone they armed them selues and tooke shipping Other Cities also folowed the example of the Atheniens Therfore when all the whole fiete of their complices and parrakers were assembled together in the narow seas by the I le of Salamine to th entent they mighte not be enclosed of Xerxes greate multitude as they were consulting how to maintaine the warres vpon the sea sodenly sprang a variaunce betwene the princes of the Cities euery man deuising how to breake vp priuely to steale home to defend his own Themistocies fearing least by the departure of his Companions his strength shoulde be abated sent woorde vnto Xerxes by a trustye seruaunte that now was the time that he myght easly take al Grece together in one place wheras if euery man were dispersed home to his owne Citye as they wer about to doo it shuld be more to his paine to pursue them one by one Thorough this pollicy he caused the king to geue a sign of battel The Grekes also being preuented with thapproche of their ene mies layed their power together ioyned battell During the time of thencounter the king as a loker on no medler with certaine shippes lay still at the roode But Artemysia the Queene of Halicarnassus whyche came to the ayde of Xerxes foughte fierslye euen amonge the formest Captayne in the battell So that as in Xerxes was to be sene a kinde of femine fearfulnesse so in her was to be seene the kynde of manlye couragiousnesse In the whottest of the battell the Ionians according to the commaundement of Themistocles began by litle and litle to withdraw them selues out of the prease Whose departure discouraged al the rest The Per sians loking about which way to eskape were put out of a ray sone after being vanquished were put to open flight In the whiche discomfiture manye shippes were drowned and many were taken But mo fearing more the kinges cruelty then their ennemy stale away and went home The king Xerxes beinge striken in great feare by reason of this slaughter and knowing not what to do Mardonius cam vnto him counselling him to depart into his kingdōe with as muche spede as might be least the brute of the discomfiture might cause any insurrection or he cam there which commonly is wont to make more of thinges then they be in dede Leauing him 0000. thousand of the tallest men picked souldiers of all his host with the which company he promised either to his great honour to subdue al Grece or if it were his misfortune to be ouercome he woulde wythout infamy or dishonor to his Maiesty geue place to his ennemies The counsel of Mardonius was well allowed Whervpon the said nomber of men wer to him deliuered and the remnaunt of his hoste the king him selfe purposed to conuey home again But the Grekes hearing of the kinges flight consulted together to breake the bridge whyche he as Lord of the sea had made at Abydus to the entent that his passage being cut of he might either with his army be vtterlye destroyed or elsse be brought to suche an exigent that as clerely ouercome
he should be compelled to desyre peace at their handes But Themistocles fearing least his enemies being stopped of their passage should tourn theyr despair into hardines and seing none other remedy make them selues way with their swordes told them that there were enemies ynough and to many all ready in Grece the nomber wherof ought not to be encreased by keping them against their wils ◅ut when he perceiued his counsel pre uailed not be sent the same seruaunt againe vnto Xerxes aduertising him of their entent purpose and willing hym to get him away with spede if he entended to eskape The king being striken in fear with this message deliuered his souldiers to be conueied home by their captains he with a few went toward abydos wher finding the bridge broken with the tēpests of the winter he feried ouer fearfully in a fishers bote It was a thing worth the beholding and as in consideration and valewing of mannes ◅ckle welth prosperity a thing to be wondred at to beholde him now lurking in a litle boat whome lately before skarse all the Sea was able to receiue and to se him destitute of all attendās seruice whose army by reson of the huge multitude therof was euen a burden to the earth Neither had the army whom he had assigned to captains any luckier or more for tunate iournying by land For besides their daily trauell as surely there is no rest to such as be in fear they were al so afflicted with hunger Furthermore the ◅ant of victels brought vpon them the pestilence by meanes wherof they died so thicke that the waies were couered with their dead carkasses in so muche that the beastes and foules allured with desire of pray followed the hoste In the meane tyme Mardonius toke Olynthus in Grece by assault Also he entreted with the Atheniens to sue to the kinge for peace and frendship promising to build vp their city which he hadde burnt larger and fairer then euer it was before When he saw they wold not sel their liberty for any worldly good he set on fire that which they had begō to build again from thence he passed with his army into Bo◅ thither folowed also the host of the Grekes which was a hundred M. men there was a battel fought But the chaunging of the captain chaunged not the kinges fortune For Mardonius being ouercōe eskaped with a few as it wer out of shipwrak His ◅entes replenished withall kinde of richesse after the princeliest sort that could be wer taken riffled Whervp on first of al among the Grekes when they had parted the gold of the Parsians among them grew excesse and riot By chaunce the same day that Mardonius host was destroyed there was another battell fought vpon the sea against the Persians in Asia hard by the mountaine Mycale Ther before the encounter as the two fleetes stoode in order of battaile one againste another a fame came vnto bothe the armies that the Greekes had gotten the vpper hande and vtterly slaine all Mardonius host So great was the swiftnesse of fame that the battel being foughte in Boetia in the mornynge by noone tidinges was broughte of the victorye into Asia ouer so many seas and ouer so muche grounde in so short a moment of time When the warres were fynished and that consultation was had how euery Citye shoulde be rewarded by iudgement of them all the Atheniens were demed to haue don mooste valiantlye Amonge the Captaines also Themistocles was by the verdite of all the Cities iudged chefe and soueraigne to the great renowne of his countrye The Atheniens therfore beinge increased as well in richesse as in honor began to builde their City new oute of the grounde When the Lacedemonians heard how they had enlarged the walles of their Citye and sette them further out then they were before they beganne to haue them in a gelowsye wiselye forecastinge what they were like to growe vnto hauinge ones made their Citye stronge and defensyble whiche by the decaye of their Citye had gotten so much as they hadde Wherefore they sent Ambassadoures admonishynge them not to buylde Fortresses for theyr ennemyes and holdes for the Warres that were lyke to ensue hereafter Themistocles perceiuing them to grudge and to repine at the raising of his city thinking that it stode him in hand to beware that he did nothing vnaduisedly answeared the ambassadors that there shuld certain go with them to La◅mon fully authorised to entreat and conclude with thē as concerning that matter So when he had dispatched the ambassadours of Sparta he exhorted his Citezens to make spede in their work and he him selfe within a while after went of ambassade In the which iourny what by faining him self sicke and what by putting fault in the slacknesse of suche as were in commission with him without whome he saide he was able to doo nothing by vertue of his commissyon he draue of still from day to day and all to th entent that they might haue leisure to furnish their woorke During which time it was reported at Lacedemon that the woorke went f◅r warde a pace at Athens Wherevpon they sente Ambassadoures agayne to see if it were so or no. Then Themistocles by a Seruaunte of hys sente a letter to the hyghe Magystrates of Athens willing them to hold the Spartane ambassadours in safe keping as pledges least otherwise then wel might be doon or committed against him at Lacedemon Then he wēt boldly before the Lacedemonians declaring that Athens was now throughly fortified and that it was able to withstand the force of enemies not only by the sword but also by the strengthe of their walles and if they entreated him otherwise then wel for the matter their ambassadors were kept as pledges for the same purpose at Athens Then he gaue them a great rebuke in that they soughte to make them selues strong and to obtain seueraignty not by their own power but by the weaknesse of their fellowes So beinge dismissed in manner triumphing ouer the Lacedemonians he was ioyfully receiued o◅ his own Citezens After thys the Spartanes least their strength shuld decay through idlenesse and to reuenge them selues vppon the Persians whyche twise before hadde made warre vpon the Grekes of theyr owne accord in◅aded the borders of their Empire They chose for captaine bothe of their owne army and of the army of the adherents one Pansanias who beinge not content with the Captainship but coueting in stede therof to make him self king of all Grece priuely conspired with Xerxes In reward wherof he should haue the kinges daughter in mariage and because the king should haue the more confidens in him he sent home the prisoners skot free without raunsome Moreouer he wrote vnto Xerxes that what messengers so euer he sent vnto him he shoulde putte them to death to the entent their purpose should not by talk be bewrayed But Aristides the
souldiers on suche a courage that taking more thought for their burial theÌ„ for their liues euery manne put aboute his righte arme a bracelet wherin was grauen his owne name and the name of his father to the entent that if they had so ill fortune as to be all slaine in the battel and that by continuaunce of time their bodies shuld rotte oute of fashion by the markes of their bracelets they might be knowen and buried When the kinges sawe the hoste so minded they caused the matter to be showed to their ennemies The Messenians wer therwith nothing abashed but rather made more earnest Therfore they mette with suche courage that there hathe not lightlye a bloudier battell beene harde of Neuerthelesse at the laste the Lacedemonians gotte the vpper hande In processe of time the Messenians made insurrection the third time In the whiche amonge other the Lacedemonians sent for aid to the Atheniens Whom they hauinge in distruste made an excuse that as at that time they shoulde not neade to trouble them and so sâ—…nte them home agayne The Atheniens takinge thys matter in displeasure fetched from Delos to Athens the mony whiche was there laide by all Grece for the maintenaunce of the warres against the Persians leaste if the Lacedemonians shoulde breake the league they might take it as a botye or as their own gotten good But the Lacedemonians could not be in quiet For beinge entangled in the warres wyth the Messenians they waged the Peloponnesians to make warre against the Atheniens The Atheniens wer as then able to raise but a small power by reason they had sente a nauy of ships into Egipt Wherfore in a battel vppon the Sea they were vanquished with small a doo Wythin a while after when their flete was come home beynge encreased both in noumber of shippes and in strength of men they rered the warre a new And at that time the Lacedemonians leauinge the Messenians tourned them selues against the Atheniens long time the victory hong in doubtful balance sometime the one winninge and sometime the other At the last they departed of euen hande The Lacedemonians being called againe to the warres of Messenia because they wer loth that the Atheniens should be idle hauing nothing to do in the meane while couenanted with the Thebanes to restore to them the kingdoÌ„ of 〈◊〉 whych was taken from them in the time of the Persian warres vpon condition that they should make warre to the Atheniens So mad were the Lacedemonians that being all ready entangled in two warres at ones they passed not to take the third in hand and only to stirre vp ennemies to the Atheniens The Atheniens therfore to withstand the great tempestes of warre that were like shortlye to ensue chose two captaines Pericles a man of tried vertue and Sophocles a wryter of tragedies the whiche with two sondry armies wasted the territories of the Spartanes and subdued manye cities of Achaia to thempire of Athens The Lacedemonians being all together discouraged with these misfortunes tooke a truce for xxx yeres But their priuy grudge coulde not suffer them to abide so long in reast Therfore ere xv yeares were fullye accomplished they brake the truce and in despite of God and man inuaded the borders of Athens And because they wold not seme so greatly to haue sought the pray as the encounter they bad them battell But the Atheniens by the counsel of their captain Pericles delaid the reuengment of this wastinge their countrye vntyll more conuenient time and occasion thinckinge it but a follye to trouble them selues as then consideringe they mighte ere long after be reuenged more to their profit and les to their displesure Within a few daies after they embarked them selues or euer the Lacedemonians wist therof wasted forraged al the couÌ„try of Sparta caried away a great deale more theÌ„ before they had lost So that in comparison of the domages the reuengement was much greater theÌ„ the displesure This viage of Pericles was counted very honorable but much more honorable was the despising of his patrimony inheritans For whe the Spartanes wasted the country of Athens spoiled all other mennes landes they left his vntouched hoping either to bring him in daunger throughe enuy or elsse in a slaunder vppon presumption of treason The which thing Pericles foreseing before haÌ„d told the people how it wold come to passe to auoide the brunt of enuy he gaue the lands for a gift to the common wâ—…ale And so by that meanes the thing whervpon mooste hurte and daunger was wrought against him turned most of all to his renown and honor Wiâ—…hin a fewe daies after there was a battel fought vpon the sea in the which the Lacedemonians beinge vanquished fled And from that time foreward they ceased not to slea and kil one another bothe by sea and by land as fortune enclined or bare fauor to anye of the sides Finally being wearied with so many domages losses theâ—… toke a truce for fifty yeres the which they kept no lenger then fixe yeres For the truce which they hadde taken in their owne name they brake vnder couloure and pretence of aiding their fellowes as thoughe they shoulde lesse haue committed periurye in fightinge in the maintenaunce of the quarel of their complices then in making open warre After this the warre was remoued into Sicil but or euer I entreat therof I wil wryte somewhat of the situation of the Iland The fourth Booke MEn say that Sicil cleued somtime vnto Italye and that it was as it were rent from the body by violence of the vpper sea which withal the force of his waues coÌ„meth thither The earth of it selfe is fine and brittle so holowe with holes pipes in the grounde that in manner it liâ—…s wide open to euery blast of wind And besides that the nature of the soyle is suche that of it self it engendreth and nourisheth fire For the molde within is after a brimstonâ—… and rosen by meanes wherof it commeth to passe that the winde striuing with the fire in the innermost parte of the earth ofteÌ„times and in many places casteth out somtimes flakes of fire soÌ„times vapors and somtimes smoke thervp on also groweth the fire of the mountain Aetna continuinge so many C. yeres And when ther is any great wind in the forsaid holes great heapes of sand arâ—… cast out of theÌ„ The next promontory ouer against Italy is Rhegium so called be cause the Grekes in their language do term thinges brokeÌ„ of by that name It is no meruel though in olde time there went many fables tales of this place in the which are coÌ„ueyed so many straunge things First formest there is no narow sea in all the world so raginge as it not onlye by the swiftnesse of the waues but also by the violent meting of the tides so that it is terrible not only to theÌ„ that try it
encounter in Wher being twise put to the wors at the third encounter he slue Lamachus put â—…is ennemies to flight and raised the siege But when gylippus perceiued that the Atheniens remoued from the lande to battell on the Sea he sent for the nauye of Lacedemon to aide him the which thing being knowen at Athens they also to supplye the rowme of the captaine that was slain sent Demosthenes and 〈◊〉 with a newe furniture of souldiers The Xeloponesians also by a common decree of all the Cityes â–ª sente great aid to the Syracusanes and all the power that either parte coulde make was sent thither as thoughe the warre had bene remoued oute of Grece into Sicilie Therfore at the first encounter vpon the Sea the Atheniens wer vanquished their tentes also with all their Treasure priuate and common were taken Besides al these mischeues wheÌ„ they were ouercome vpon the lande also then Demosthenes began to counsel them to depart out of Sicilie betimes before their matters which all ready were in great hasarde were not yet all together brought to vtter despaire Saying it was not good to peâ—…uer and lenger in the warre so vnluckely begone and that there was sorer and perchance more vnfortunate warre towarde at home in theyr owne countrye for the defence and withstandinge wherof That furniture of the City ought to be reserued Nicias whether it were for shame of his ill successe or for feare of his owne Citizens disapoynted of that they loked for or that hys destenye compelled him there vnto made all the meanes he might to abide still Whervpon eftsones was renued the warre by sea and for all the stormes of their former misfortune yet they toke courage to encounter againe But throughe the vnskilfulnesse of their captaines that set vppon the Siracusanes keping them selues in the straights they were lightly ouercome The captain 〈◊〉 fighting very valiantly in the foreward was the first that was slaine The xxx shippes wherof he hadde the charge were set on fire Demosthenes and Nicias beinge also vanquished did set their men a lande supposing by that waye the better to eskape The hundred and xxx shippes whiche they lefte behinde them Gylippus inuaded and afterward pursuing them as they fled some he slue and some he tooke prisoners Demosthenes when he had loste his armye deliuered hym selfe from bondage by wilfull sleing of him self with his sword But Nicias hauyng not the hart to doo by him selfe as dyd Demosthenes dishonourably encreased the slaughter of his men by yelding him self vnto shamefull captiuity The fifthe Booke VUhile the Atheniens warred in Sicilie by the space of ii yeares with more gredinesse then successe in the meane season Alcibiades the stirrer and chieftaine therof in his absence was accused at Athens to haue published the misteryes of Ceres and the night sacrifices done in her honoure whiche are by no meanes so highly solempnized as by silence And being sent for from the warres to aunswer to hys complainte whether his conscience gaue him to be giltye or that he could not abide such a reproche to his honor he made no woordes but went as a banished man to Elis. Afterward when he vnderstoode that he was not onlye condempned but also accursed by the priestes of all the orders of religion he wente to Lacedemon and there perswaded the king to warre vppon the Atheniens nowe auexed and troubled with their misaduentures in Sicilie Immediatly whervppon all the kingdomes of Grece gathered them selues together as it had ben to quench some common fire so great hatred hadde the Atheniens gotten through their vnmeasurable desire of bearing rule Darius also the king of Persians remembring the hatred that hys father and graundfather bare to this City entred in leage with the Lacedemonians by Tyssaphernes lieuetenaunte of Lydia and promised to bear the charges of the warre This was the pretence of entraunce in leage with the Grekes but in verye deede he doubted least when the Lacedemonians had ouercome the Atheniens they would set vppon him What wonder is it then if the estate of Athens were so flourishinge since that to oppresse that one Citye all the power of the whole East bent them selues together Yet notwithstandinge they were not as cowardes ouercome wythout great bloudshed but fightinge to the vttermost and some whiles also getting the vpper hand they were at lengthe rather by vnstablenesse of fortune consumed then by plain force vanquished In the beginning of the warre not so muche but euen their owne fellowes forsooke them as it is daily sene that wheras fortune semeth to fauor thither also do mennes harts encline Alcibiades also furthered this warre that was moued againste his countrye with all the power he might not like a common souldier but like a puissaunt captain For taking with him x. shippes he sailed into Asia and there by the authoritye of his name compelled the Cities that were tributary vnto the Atheniens to tourne to the Lacedemonians For they knew wel that he was a man of great power in his owne countrye and they thought he was not the lesse by reason of his banishmente supposing him not to muche to be taken from the Atheniens as to be deliuered for a captain to the Lacedemonians and so they set his winninges against his losses But amoÌ„g the Lacedemonians Alcibiades greate prowesse and â—…aliantnesse wan him more enuy then thank Therfore when the Princes laid wait secreatly to kill him by treason as an ennemye to their glory and renowne Alcibiades hauynge knowledge therof by the wife of king agis with whome he had committed aduoutry fled to Tissaphernes kinge Darius lieuetenaunt with whome through his curtesy and lowly behauior he quickly wound him self in For he was then in the florishing time of his youth and for his beautye personage and eloquence amonge all the Atheniens was none like vnto him But he was better in winning frendshippe then in keepinge because that euer at the firste vnder the faire shadowe of eloquence were cloked his euill manners and conditions Therfore he perswaded Tissafernes that he should not alow to muche wages and viand to the fleete of the Lacedemonians and that the Ionians ought to be called to part of the charges for whose libertye when they payed tribute to the Atheniens this warre was first begonne Moreouer that the Lacedemonians oughte not to haue to much helpe consideringe he prepared for another mannes victory and not for his owne wherfore the warre ought so farre forthe to be maintained that it be not broken vp for want of things necessary For as long as the Grekes were thus at debate amoÌ„g them selues the king of Persia shuld alwaies be an indifferent iudge bothe of peace and warre at his owne pleasure And he should ouercome them wyth their owne power whome he could not ouercome with all the power he was able to make of his owne And assone as the warre were
ended whiche waye so euer the gole went he should be compelled to haue warre with the conquerors Wherfore it wer good to suffer the Grekes to busy them selues in wasting their own country to the entent they haue no leisure to inuade forain countries To the performance wherof either parte oughte to be maintained in strength able to match his aduersari and the weaker to be aided with new succors For it was not to be thought that the Lacedemonians would be in rest if they might get the vpper hand considering they had professed and proclaimed them selues all redy the defenders of the liberty of Grece This Oration liked Tissaphemes very well whervppon he allowed them not so liberall expenses neither sent he forth all the kings flete least he shuld either geue them the victorye oute of hande or elsse constraine them to breake vp the warres In the meane season Alcibiades did thus muche for his country men that when the Atheniens sente their ambassadors vnto him he promised to get them the kinges fauor if so be it that the administration of the common welth wer remoued from the people and put into the senatours handes Hopinge there by that if the Citye agreed well he shoulde be chosen captaine of the warre by their common assent or els if there arose any variaunce betwene the two estates he shoulde be called to the ayd of the one part But the Atheniens seinge the daunger of the warre that they were wrapped in had more respect of their safegarde then of their honoure Therfore with the good wil of the people the gouernance of the common wealth was put into the hands of the senators The which because that through a certain pride natu rallye engraffed in that estate they dealed with the people â—…om what cruelly euery man taking vpon him to be a lord the souldioures called home the banished alcibiades made him admirall of the Sea Whervppon immediatly he sent woord to Athens that he woulde incontinently come thither with an host of menne and take the gouernment out of the CCCC Senatoures handes whether they woulde or no onlesse they surrendred it vp of their owne accorde before he came The greate menne of the City being sore froâ—…hled with this message first attempted to betraye the Towne to the Lacedemonians whiche thing being not able to bringe to passe they willinglye forsoke their Countrye and became as banished men alcibiades therfore hauinge deliuered hys countrye from inwarde sedition furnished his ships wyth all diligence possible and so proceded into warfare against the Lacedemonians Nowe Mindarus and 〈◊〉 the Captaines of the Lacedemonians with their shippes furnished likewise awaited his comminge The battell being soughte the victorye fell to the Atheniens In thys conflicte the greater parte of the armye and almooste all the captains of their enemies wer slain and lxxx shippes takeÌ„ Within a fewe daies after the Lacedemonians remouing from the Sea vnto the lande were eftsones in another encounter put to the worse The which discomfiture beynge greatly afflicted and discouraged they sued for peace The which was letted to be graunted through their mean es had aduaÌ„tage and gain by the warres In the mean season the Carthaginenses made war in Sicil by reason wherof the Siracusanes wer fain to call home their succors to defeÌ„d their own The LacedemoniaÌ„s being therby destitute of al aid comforte Alcibiades with his victorious nauye wasted and spoiled the coaste of Asia foughte battels in diuers places and euery wher getting the victorye recouered the Cityes whiche were tourned from the Atheniens and diuers he won of newe and subdued them to the dominion of the Atheniens also And so hauinge recouered his auncient renowne and honor in battel on the sea with thencrese and augmentation therof by his conquestes on the land he returned to Athens to the great reioycement of all his Citezens In all these battels were taken of their enemies two C. shippes and a great pray To beholde this triumphante retourne of the army all the people came out of the Citye by heapes praising highlye all the souldioures but in espetially wondring at Alcibiades On him all the City gased on him they earnestlye fastned their eies as thoughe they could neuer haue seene inough of him him they behelde as one sent from heauen and as it wer the victory it self they praised his noble actes done for his countrye no lesse extolling the thinges which he did against the same in the time of his banishment makinge his excuse them selues as that he did them in his anger and prouoked there vnto It is a meruelous thing to see that there should be in one manne suche power and valure as to be the onlye cause of the ouerthrowe of so mighty a kingdome and of the settinge vp of the same againe victory euer folowing that side that he tooke and that fortune should so wonderfully alwaies encline that way that he went Wherfore they honored hym not as a man but as a God they striued with them selues whether they had banished him more spitefullye or called him home again more honourablye They broughte theyr Goddes with them for ioy to welcom him home by which not long before they had accursed hym And whome of late they had forbidden all mannes help now and if they could they would haue set him in heauen Recompensing the despite with honour his harmes and losses with giftes and rewardes and his curses with blessings There was no wordes among them of the battels that he loste in Sicil but of the victories that he woâ—…e in Grece There was no speaking of the shippes that he hadde lost but of the shippes that he had taken The Syracusanes were forgotten and there was no talke but of his conquestes in Ionia and Hellespont Thus was Alcibiades neuer meanely hated nor meanely honoured and exalted of his country men While theese thinges were a doing amonge the Lacedemonians Lysander was made Captaine generall of the warres bothe by sea and by land and in steade of Tissaphernes Darius kinge of Persians hadde made his sonne Cyrus lieuetenant of Ionia and Lydia who aided the Lacedemonians in such wise both with men and mony that they doub ted not to recouer their former estate Beinge therfore thus encreased in strength and hearing that Alcibiades was gon into Asia with a nauye of a C. shippes whiles he was there wasting and spoiling the country which was grown riche by reason there had bene no warre of a long time be fore and toke no hede to his souldioures but suffred them for couetousnesse of booties to disperse them selues where they lifted as thoughe there had bene no treason to be feared they sodenlye came vppon them and assailed them ere they could gather them selues together And they made suche a slaughter amonge them as they were skatred that the Atheniens toke more losse and hurt in that one battel then they had done to their ennemies in all the
in law that shuld haue maried her daughter had taken vpon her to kil her husband and make her peramor king If her daughter had not bewrayed all her mothers whordome and priuye conspiracies to her father Theolde man therfore being deliuered out of so many pearils died leauing the kingdome to his eldest sonne Alexander who in the verye entraunce of his raigne made peace with the â—…yrians and deliuered his brother Philip in hostage In pro cesse of time also by the same hostage he entred a league of peace with the Thebanes the which thinge was a greate furtherans vnto Philip in all princely vertues whervnto he was meruelously enclined of nature For being 〈◊〉 as an hostage iii. yeres at Thebes a city of auncient seueritye he passed his childhode in the house of the moste renoumed captain and Philosopher 〈◊〉 Ere it was loÌ„g after Alexander was surprised and slain â—…y the treson of hys mother Eurydice whom Amyntas hauing taken her wyth the fault had before pardoned for the Childrens sake that he had by her not knowing y â— in time to com she wold be their vtter destructioÌ„ His brother Perdicas also was by like tre sonpreuented It is an abhominable thing y â— for filthy lusts sake the mother shuâ—…d work the death of her own childreÌ„ at whose coÌ„templation she was saued from the punishmeÌ„t that her wickednesse had deserued The murther of Perdicas semed so much more heinous in that not so muche as his litle childe could finde any mercy at his cruell mothers hand Philip therfore a long time tooke not vpon 〈◊〉 as king but as protector of the infant But when the country was sore oppressed with warre and that it wold be to late to tary for help vntil the childe came to age he was coÌ„pelled of the people to take the kingdom vpon him Assone as he begoÌ„ his raign al meÌ„ conceiued great hope of him both for his wit which in manner all redy declared that he wold proue a great man And also for the ancient Prophecies of Macedonie which said that while one of the sonnes of amin tas raigned thestate of Macedone shuld be most florishing the which hope and prophecies to fulfil there wer now no mo left aliue through the wickednesse of their mother but only he In the beginning of his raign when on thoue side the murder of his brothers vnworthely slain on the other side the multitude of his enemies on a nother side the fear of treson and on another side want of mony artillery the realme being in manner wasted and consumed with continuall warre disquieted the minde of this yong souldioure that sondry nations out of diuers places at one tyme flocked together as it wer by a common conspiracy to the entent to oppresse Macedonie by battell For as muche as he was not able to matche them all at once he thoughte it conuenient to dispence with them some he toke truce with vpon reasonable Articles â–ª some he bought of for mony and suche as were weakest he assailed by force by vanquishing of whome he did bothe strengthen the faint hartes of hys souldiers and tooke awaye the disdaine that his ennemies had at him The first encounter that he had was with the Atheniens whome he ouercame by policy and for feare of a worser afterclap wheras he might haue slain them all he sent them all safe home without raunsome After this he turned hys power against the Illyrians of whom he slew many thousandes and toke their head city called Laryssa Next not so muche for couetousnesse of praye as for dâ—…syre to ioyne the Thessalian horsmen to his fotemen therby to encrease the strength of his army he conquered the country of Thessaly â—…re anye hostilitye or warre was looked for and so of theyr horsemen and his owne fotemen made one bodye and inuincible army The which thinges comminge luckelye to passe he tooke to wife Olympias the Daughter of Neoptolemus king of the Molosses The maker of this marriage was his brother Arimbas king of the Molosses vncle to tâ—…e maid by the fathers side who had the bringinge vp of her had taken in mariage Troas 〈◊〉 of y â— said Olympias which was the cause of muche mischiefe vnto him and finallye of his destruction For wheras by the affinity of king Philip he hoped to haue had his kingdom enlarged he was by the same Philip depriued of his owne Realme and compelled in his olde age to liue a banished man These thinges thus brought to passe Philip could not nowe content hym selfe to repulse iniurye offered by others but prouoked and distroubled suche as sate still in quiet As he besieged the city of Methon one threwe a dart at him from the wall as he passed by and strake out his right eie For y â— which wound he became neither the slouthfuller in his enterpryse nor the angrier againste his ennemies In so muche that within few daies after wheÌ„ they desired peace be grauÌ„ted it and vsed the victory against them not only modestlye but also mercifully The eyghte Booke THe cities of Grece while euery of them sought to beare rule were euery chone brought vnder subiection For after the time they coulde not with holde them selues â—…ut that they must seke eche others destruction they were vnuanqui shed of all men and brought to confusi on None but suche as were oppressed did fele the losse and smart hereof For Philip king of Macedone lying in a wait like a spy out of a watch toure to surprise them all of theyr liberty by nourishing debate betwene City and City and by supporting the weaker side compelled both the conque red and the conquerors to become his vassals and subiects The originall cause of all this mischiefe were the Thebanes who hauing the soueraignty and wanting discretion to vse their good fortune arrogantly accused at the common couÌ„sel of Grece the Lace demonians and the Phocenses whome they had vanquished in battel as thoughe the slaughters rauish ments that they had abidden had beene to little punishment for them It was laide to the Lacedemonians charge that they had taken the towre of Thebes in the time of truce and to the Phocenses that they had wasted the couÌ„try of Beotia as thoughe that after warre and battell they would haue the lawes also to worke their forâ—…e IudgemeÌ„t being executed according to the plesure of the conquerors they were condempned in suche a summe of mony as was not possible to be paide The Phocenses therfore when they shoulde haue bene bereft of their landes their children and their wiues compelled therby to vtter necessity chose one Philomelus to their captain and as men offended with God him selfe inuaded the Temple of Apollo at Delphos Herevpon being enriched with gold and other mony they waged an army of souldiers straungers and made warre to the Thebanes This dede of the Phocenses although all men abhorred
by reason of their sacriledge yet notwythstaÌ„ding it procured more enuy to the Thebanes by whom they were driuen to this extremitye then to them And therfore bothe the Atheniens and the Lacedemonians set forth men to their aid At the first encounter Philomelus turned the Thebanes out of their campe at the next fighting valiantly amongste the thickest he was the firste that was slain and so with his wicked bloud did worthely abye for committing sacriledge In his sted Ornomarchus was created Captaine against whom the Thebanes and Thes salians chose for their captain not one of their owne country men for fear least if he gate the victory he should bear him self so Lordly that no man were able to abide hâ—…m but Philip king of Macedonie willingly submitting theÌ„ selues vnder the subiection of a forrener whiche was the thynge they most of all feared in their own country men Phillip therfore as though he had bene the reuenger of sacriledge and not of the Thebanes commaunding all his souldiours to put garlandes of Laurel vpon their heades and in thys wise as hauing God the chiefe Captaine of his enterpryse he marched into the field The Phocenses at the sighte of the cognisaunce of the God striken with inwarde remorse of conscience for their offences â—…ast downe their wepons toke them to flight And so with their owne bloud slaughter of them selues suffred worthy punishmeÌ„t for violating of religion Ye wil not beleue what glory and renown Phi lip won among al nations for executing this dede As who wold say he was the punisher of sacriledge he was the reuenger of religion he only was worthy to compell offenders to make satisfaction to the execution where of all the world ought to haue put theyr helpe Therfore they honored him next vnto the Goddes by whome the maiestye of the Goddes was defended But the Atheniens hearyng of the aduenture of the war to th entent that Philip shoulde not passe into Grece toke the straights of Thermopyle in like maner after the same sort as they had done before against the coÌ„ming of the Persians but nether with like corage nor for like quarel For then it was for the libertye of Grece but now it was for open sacriledge then in the defâ—…nce of the temples against the inuasions of the ennemy now in the maintenaÌ„ce of churchrobbers against the right 〈◊〉 reuengers Making them selues bolsterers and bearers out of that hainous offeÌ„ce wherof it was a shame for theÌ„ that any other theÌ„ theÌ„ selues shuld haue ben the punishers Quite forgetting that euen in their moste aduersitye they had vsed that God as their chefest counseller that by hys guidance they had finished so many battels with conquest builded so many cities with fortunate successe attayned so great an Empire both by sea laÌ„d And finally atcheued no thing either in publike or priuate affairs without the ma iesty of his Godhed Certesse it is great pity that such fine wits so exquisitely polished withal kinde of learning traded in so goodly lawes institutions should be so far ouerseene as to commit so heinous an act that of right they can haue no cause here after to be offended with the barbarus nations for doing of the like But Philip him self kept not euen touch with his felowes For as it wer to th enteÌ„t hys enemies shuld not go beyond him in committing sacrilege the cities wherof a litle before he was captain whiche had fought vnder his standerd which had reioysed in him and which had holpen him to the victory like an vtter ennemy he inuaded sacked The wiues childreÌ„ of them al he sold by the drom He spared not the teÌ„ples of the Gods immortal not the houses of religion not the common nor priuate houshold gods vnto whoÌ„ a litle before hâ—…â—…ntred as a guest so that it might euideÌ„tly appere he sought not so muche to haue punished sacriledge as to procure fre liberty to perpe trate the same From thence as though he had accoÌ„plished al things to his honor he passed into Cappadocia where making war with like falshod hauing taken and slain by policy the kings that wer the next borderers he brought all the whole prouince vnder thempire of Macedonâ—… Then to abolyshe the shamefull brute that went of his doynges through the which he was more spoken and talked of then anye other man in those daies he sent into the kingdomes and moost welthy Cities into the Churches and temples certain to raise a rumor and to put it into folkes heds that king Philip would bestow a great masse of monye in building walles about the Cities and in makinge of Churches and temples and that maisters of the worke should be pro cured by proclamation The whiche when they came into Macedone being driuen of with diuers delaies for feare of the kinges displesure were faine to get them away againe and make no mo woordes After this he assailed the Olynthians For when they saw that Philip had put one of hys brothers to deathe for verye pities sake they receiued two other of his brothers borne of his stepmother whome as partners of his kingdome he soughte by all meanes to dispatch out of the way Therfore vppon this occasion he vtterly destroyed that auncient and noble citye and put hys brothers to the deathe that he had before determined appoynted for them enioying therby both a greate pray and also his wicked lust in slaying of his brothers Whervpon as though al things had ben lawful that he purposed in his mind he sesed vpon the gold mines in Thessaly and vpon the siluer mines in Thrace And to the entent no law nor righte should be left vnuiolated he determined to be a rouer on y â— seas These things being thus accomplished it fortuned by chance that ii brother 's both kings of Thrace being at variaunce betwixt them selues not in respect of his indiffereÌ„cy iustice but for fear least he shuld help to support either of the parties chose him to be iudge of their controuersies But Philip according to his accustomed nature proceding to iudgement as if he shuld haue gone to battel came sodeÌ„ly vpon the brothers ere they wist therof with his men in battel ray and not like an vpright iudge but like a craftye thefe wicked kaitife spoiled theÌ„ both of their kingdomes While these thinges were a doing the ambassadors of Athens came vnto him to require peace whome he heard sent him selfe other ambassadoures to Athens with Articles of peace and there to the commodity of both parties a peace was concluded Oute of other Cities of Grece came ambassaders also not so muche for desire of his frendshyp as for feare of warre For the Thebanes and Beotians of very rancor and malice that boyled in their stomackes requested him to shew him selfe as captaine of Grece against the Phocenses according as he had professed him self to be So sore
were they inflamed with hatred againste the Phocenses that vtterly forgetting their owne slaughters they had rather pearishe them selues then to suffer them vndestroyed and had rather to abide the cruelty of Philip which they knew all redy by experience then by anye meanes to for bear their enemies On the contrary part the 〈◊〉 wyth thambassadours of Lace and Athens besought hym that he would not make warre the whyche they hadde all ready iii. times bought of at his hand with their monye Surely it was a foule and miserable sight to behold Grece which euen yet at that time bothe in strength and dignity was princesse of the whole world alwaies a conqueresse of kinges and countries and as yet the Lady of many cities daunsing attendaunce in a forain land and there entreting for warre or peace to put her hed vnder a nother mannes girdle And that the reuengers of the whole world should be brought to that poynte through their own discorde and ciuil warres that they were glad to fawne and hang vpon their sleues who not longe before were accompted as the vilest part of their retinue and hangers on ▪ and that in espe cially to be don of the Thebanes and Lacedemonians who lately before ruled the whole rost betwixt them and now in the time that Grece bare the souerainty wer enemyes one of anothers estate Philip in the meane season for the aduauncement of his owne glory debated as concerninge the preheminence and estate of so mighty cities deuising of which he were best to make most accompt And therfore when he had seacreatly heard thambassades of both partes seuerally he promised the one to discharge them of the warres taking an othe of them not to bewray his answer to anye man On the contrary part he promised the other to come and helpe them geuing both parties straight charge and commaundemēt not to fear or prepare for any warre Through this variable answer it came to passe that while euerye man kepte him self in quiet he toke the straightes of Thermopile Then first of all the Phocenses perceiuing them selues entrapped by the pollicy of Philip fearfully tooke them to their weapons But they had no leisure either to surnish their owne battels or to send for succor to their neighbors And Philip threatned he would vtterly destroy them onlesse they yelded incontinent Being therfore ouercome with necessity they yelded them selues simply their liues only saued But euen of as muche force was this composition as was hys promise before to discharge them of the warres Therfore they were euery wher slain and spoiled The children wer not left to their parents nor the wiues to their husbands nor the Images of the Goddes in the temples One onlye comfort had this wretched people that wheras Philip defrauded his owne companions of their parte of the praye they saw nothing of theirs in their enemyes hands When he was returned into his kingdome like as Grasiers shift their cattel somtime into one layer sometime into another according as the season of the yere requireth euen so remo ued he at his owne pleasure whole countries and Cityes according as he thought the places mete to be replenished or forsaken It was a miserable sight to behold in al places and in respect euen like to a desolation For this feare was not like as when the ennemy approcheth or when men of warre run vp and downe a Citye or when two hostes encounter vielently in the fielde nor when men are slaine in the stretes their goods taken away perforce but a secret sorow mourning fearing leaste euen their forced teares shuld be taken for contimacy the grief encresed by the cloking therof so much the depelier persing the hart as it had lesse liberty to vtter it selfe Somtime they considered the sepulchres of their ancestors somtime their old housholde gods somtime the houses wher they were begotten had begotten children them selues Bewailing eft their owne case in that they had liued to that day eft the state of their children y ◠it had not bene their fortune to be borne after y e time Some people he placed in the vtmost boundes of his kingdom euen in his enemies mouthes other he set in the furthermost borders of all his realme other some that wer mete for the warres he put in garrison in cities as nede required And so of many kindes of people manye nations he made one entire kingdom one people The affaires of Macedonie being set at a stay through fraud pollicy he toke the chief of the Dardamans other borders and subdued their coūtries Nether withheld he his hand frō his own kinred For he determined to put Arymba king of Epyrus his wife Olympias neare kinsman from his royalty And thervpon he sent for Alexander his sonne in law brother of his wife Olympias a boy of excellent beuty in his sisters name to com vnto him into Macedonie And ther by al meanes possible ha uing entised him with hope of the kingdom vnder pretens of counterfet loue abused him in most filthy buggery thin king that either shame and remorse of his own conscience or elsse the making of him king should cause him to be the more at his commaundement Therefore when the chylde was come to xx yeres of age he toke the kingdom from Arymba and gaue it to him being a very boy playinge a wicked part with them bothe For neither delt he like a natural kinsman with him from whome he toke the kingdome and him to whome he gaue it he made a harlot before he made him king The ninthe Booke VUhen Philip was come into Grece allured with the sacking of a few cities the spoil of a few smal townes ther vpō gathering in his minde how great wer the richesse of them all he determined to make warre against all Grece To the furtherance wherof he thought it wold greatlye aduauntage him if he myghte bring in his subiection the noble hauen town of Byzance as a refuge for his hostes both by-sea lād The same because they shut their gates against him he besieged This Citye was builded at the first by Pansanias kinge of the Spartanes by him was possessed by the space of vii yeres ▪ Afterward as victory enclined to either part it belonged eft to the Lacedemonians and eft to the Atheniens The which vncertain possession made it to stand stiflye in the defence of her own liberty forasmuch as neither partye succored or rescued it as their owne Phillip therfore hauing spent his treasure with the long continuaunce of his siege made a shifte to get mony by rouing on the Lea. And hauing taken lxr shippes laden with marchaundise he refreshed his gready necessity for a while Furthermore because so great an army shoulde not be deteined aboute the siege of one city he went with a nomber of the stoutest of his souldioures and wan manye cities of Chersonesus Moreouer he sente for hys
againe Of the whiche sorte he made three hundred iudges and rulers of the City Before whome when all the greatest men of the Citye were araigned as giltye of their wrongfull banishment they were of suche constancye that they all confessed them selues to haue bene authors therof in deede Affirmynge y ◠it was better with the common wealthe when they were condempned then when they were restored again It was out of doubte a meruelous audacitye ◅or prisoners to geue sentence on their iudges that sate vppon their life death as who would say they disdained to be acquite at their ennemies handes and for asmuch as they coulde not reuenge them selues in worke to vsurpe their libertye in woordes When Phillip had set thinges at a staye in Grece he commaunded all the cityes to sende ambassadors to Corynthe for the reformation of the thinges that were a misse Ther he enacted a statute of peace for al Grece accordyng to the deseruinges of euery City and he elected oute of them all one Counsell and as it were one Senate Onlye the Lacedemonians despised bothe the king and his lawe accōpting that peace but as a seruitude or bondage which was not agreable to the cities them selues but was geuen at y ◠pleasure of the conqueror Furthermore euery city was apoyn ted what manner of men they should setforth to y ◠warres if the king should haue neade either to assiste him when he wer assailed by foraine power or els to make warre vnto others vnder him For it was to be thoughte none other but that all this great preparation was made to assayl the Empire of the Persians The summe of al his succors was two hundred thousand footemen and fiftene hundred horsemen Besides this nomber was also the hoste of Macedone and other barbarous nations bordering ther vpon whom he had subdued In the beginning of y ◠spring he s◅t ouer before into Asia which belōged to the Persians thre captains Parmenio Amyntas Attalus Whose sister hauinge put away Olympias the mother of Alexander vpon suspition of aduoutry he had lately taken in mariage In the meane season while his succors were assemblynge out of Grece he solemnized a mariage betwene his daughter Cleopatra and Alexander whome he had made kynge of Epyre. That day was great solempnity and feasting according to thestate of the two kings th one geuing his daughter thother taking her in mariage And there wanted no kinde of royall showes and pageauntes that coulde be deuised to see the which as Philip was going forth withoute any gard in the middes betwene the two Alexanders hys sonne and sonne in law A noble yong manne of Macedone called Pansanias mistrusted of no man where aboutes he w◅nt stept vpon the king in a strait and as he would haue passed by slue him turning the day into sorowe and heauinesse that was appoynted to mirth and pleasure This Pansa◅as in the first prime of his youthe had suffered Attalus perforce against his wil to abuse him moost filthely wherwith being not contented he offred him this villanye besides He brought him into a banket and there making him dronken cōpelled him like a st◅king strompet to sustaine not only his beastly lechery but also the shamelesse and abhominable lust of al y ◠guests wherby he madehim a laugh ing stock to all men when he came amonge hiscōpanions Pansanias being with this his doinge sore agreued did oftentimes make complainte therof to the kinge At whose hand being with diuers delaies put of not without a mock for his labor and perceiuing his aduersary to be aduaunced furthermore to a captainship he turned his wrathe vppon the king him self and for because he could not be reuenged vpon his aduersary he reuenged him vpon the wrongfull iudge It is thoughte that he was sent by Olympias the mother of Alexander and that Alexander him self ◅as pre uy to his fathers murthre For it is not vnlike but that Olympias toke ber deuorcement and the preferment of Cle opitra as greuously as Pansanias did his abusing and that Alexander feared his brother begotten of his stepmother as an enemy of his kingdome Whervpon it came to passe before this time that he fell at woordes at a banquet fyrste with Attalus and after with his father In so muche that his father pursued him with his sworde drawne and hys frendes had much a doo to entreate him to holde his hande from killing him Uppon which occasion Alexander wyth his mother fled vnto his vncle into Epyre and frō thence went to the kinge of Sclauonye and would skarse by anye meanes be reconciled to his father when he sente for hym in so muche that his frendes coulde not in manner by anye intretaunce compell him to returne agayne Olympias al so was procuring her brother Alexander king of Epyre to raise warre against Philip and had obtained her sute if he had not preuented him with the mariage of his daughter and made him his sonne in lawe These thinges therefore were as spurres vnto Pansanias iust displeasure prickyng him forward to the accomplishment of this acte vpon hys complaint sorowing to be so shamefully abused and coulde haue no redresse This is certaine that Olympias had laid poste horses to conuey him awaye when he had striken the king Afterward when she hard of the murder of the king she came to his funerals the same night vnder pretence of doing obsequies to him and there the very same night that she came she set a crowne of golde vpon Pansanias hed as he ◅ong vpon the galowes the which thing no body durst haue bene so bold to haue doone but she Philip hauynge a sonne a liue And within a few daies after she toke downe the body of Pansanias and burned it vppon her husbandes ashes and builded him a tombe in the same place causyng yerely certaine Ceremonies and obsequies to be doone for him wherby she draue a superstitiō into the peoples heds This doone she compelled Clep◅tra for whose sake Phillip had diuorsed him self frō her hauing first killed her daughter euen in the mothers lap to hang her self and in beholdinge her howe she hong enioyed the reuengement vnto which she made so muche hast by the murder of her owne hus◅and Last of al she consecrated the sword wherwith the kyng was stain vnto Apollo by the name of Myrtalis for that was Olympias name when she was a litle one Al y ◠which things wer don so openlye that it was to be thoughte she shoulde haue feared least her doing wold not be alowed or rather as though she cared not who knew that she had doone the dede ▪ Philip deceased of thage of xlvii yeares when he had raigned xxv yeres He begate of Larissa a daunsing damosel a sonne named Arideus that raigned after Alexander He had many other sonnes begotten of diuers women as the manner of kings is of whome some died of theyr naturall death
punishment therfore For the youth of the City being put to the sword ther remained none but a sorte of women and children and olde folke which as they were feble so were they able to doo no harme the which notwithstanding had bene so vexed with rauishmēts and other displesures and reproches that they neuer felt thing so bitter to them in all their liues Wherfore he made intercession not for his Citezens wherof ther were so few left but for the innocent soyle of his countrye and for the towne it self which had brought vp and engendred not only men but also Goddes Moreouer he alledged a priuate superstition to entreat the king withal how that Hercules was borne among them from whome the house of the A◅acides do fetch their petigry and howe that hys father Philip passed his childhode at Thebes beseching him to spare that City whiche honoured some of his auncestors that were borne among them as Gods and had sene some other of them that were brought vp among them ryse to the royall estate of kinges But the wrathe was greater then that any entretaunce could preuaile The Citye therfore was rased the landes d◅uided among the conquerors the prisoners sold vnder a garland whose price was set not to the aduauntage of the biers but according to the hatred of thenemies The Atheniens thought it a miserable sight and therfore they opened their gates for the refuge of such as eskaped by flying contrary to the kinges prohibition The which doing Alexander toke so greuously that at the seconde time when their ambassadors came to entreate for peace again he remitted their offence vpon condition they shuld yeld into his hands their captains and orators vpon trust of whom they did so often rebell The Atheniens being redy to fulfil his commaundement because they wold not be constrained to haue warre with him the matter was brought to this issue that they should kepe still theyr orators and banishe their captaines who incontinently taking their way to Darius did not a litle encrease y ◠strength of the Persians When ◅e shuld setforth toward y ◠warres in Persia he put to death all his mother in lawes kinsmē whom Philip had aduaunced to great promotions made rulers of coūtries neither spared he such of his own kinred as semed mete to bear rule least any occasion of rebellyon shuld remain in Macedone while he was making warre a far of Such kings also as wer tributaries y ◠wer of any wis dom and pollicy he toke with him to the warres leauing y ◠old men to gouern his kingdō at home Then when he had gotten his men of war together he fraighted his ships and embarked his host Out of y ◠which beholding Asia a far of he was wonderfully enflamed in his corage made xii altares to the Gods as a vowe for prosperous successe in hys warres All thinheritans y ◠he had in Macedone Europe he parted among his frends saying y ◠Asia was inough for himself Before y ◠any sail departed fro the shore he slue sacrifices making his prayer for victorye by battell as by the which he was left to be the reuenger of Grece so oftētimes before assailed of the Persians whose monarch had cōtinued now long inough was come to his perfect ripenesse therfore it was high time for other to take the roum that could serue the turne better Neither was his army of lesse courage then the king him self For they al forgetting their wiues children and y ◠they shuld make war far frō home made as sure accōpt of the gold of the Persians and of the richesse of the whole East as if it had ben their owne al redy thinking nothinge of the daungers of the warre but of the great richesse Assone as they were come to land Alexander first of all threw a dart as it wer into his ennemyes land and in his armor lept out of his ship in maner of dansing and so killed his sacrifices praying the goddes y ◠those countrics might willinglye receiue him as their kynge In the same place also he did obsequies at the tombes of them that were slain at the battel of Troy Then soughte he for his enemy straightly charging his Souldioures that they made no wast in the country of Asia saying it was but reson to spare that that was their own and y ◠they ought not to make hauock of those things that they came to possesse In his army wer two and xxx thousand foote men iiii ◅ and v. C. horsemen and a C. foure skore and two ships It is to be doubted whether it were more to be wondred at that with so small a handfull of men he conquered y ◠who le world or that he durste ones geue thenterprise to attempt it considering that to so dangerous a warfare he chose not lusty yong men and such as wer in the flour of youthe but old worn souldiers and such wherof many by reson of their yeres wer priueledged exempted from the wars whiche had serued vnder his father and vnder his vncles so that a man would haue thought he had not picked out souldiers but rather masters of cheualry ◅oreouer none hadde the leading of any band that was not lx yeares old So that if ye had beheld the chief officers of his campe ye wold haue said ◅e had sene the senate of some auncient cōmon welth Therfore there was no man that thought of rūning away but of getting the victory nor there was not anye that put his trust in his legges but in his armes On the other side Darius king of Persia trusting in hys own strength wold do nothing by pollicy affirming that it was not beseminge for him and his to deuise with them selues to steal the victory nor yet to keepe his ennemy out of the borders of hys kingdom but rather to receiue him into the bowels of hys realme thincking it should be more to his honor to expulse ◅im perforce then not to suffer him to enter The firste encounter therfore was in the plaines of adrast In the hoste of the Persians were DC M. fightinge men the which being vanquished as muche by the pollicye of Alexander as by the puissaunce of the Macedones tourned their backes and fled Great therfore was the slaughter of the Persians Of Alexanders hoste wer slain ix footemen and a C. and xx horsmen Whome the king the more to encourage the residue of his souldioures sumptuously buried and set vp their Images on horsback on their tombes and gaue great fraunchises and priuiledges to their kinsfolke After this victory the more parte of Asia fel vnto hym He fought many battels also with the lieutenants of Darius whome ◅e now vanquished not so muche by force as with the terror of his name While these thinges were a doing in the meane time Alexander was informed by the confessyon of a prisoner that Alexander of Lyncestes the
sonne in law of antipater whome he had left his vicegerent in Macedone went about to worke treson against him For which cause fearing that if he should put him to death there wold rise summe commotion in Macedone he put hym in safekeping This doone he marched towarde the citye Gordis the which is situate betwene the greater and the lesser Phrygia The desire that Alexander had to get this city into his possession was not so muche for the spoyle of it as for because he hard say that in that City in the temple of Jupiter was the yoke of Gordius waine the knot wherof whosoeuer could vndoo should be king of all Asia as the auncient Oracles had prophesyed The occasion and originall hereof was this As one Gordius was going to plough in the country with Oxen that he had hired birdes of all sorts began to flie about him Whervppon as he went to aske counsell of the Southsayers of the city therby in the gate he mette with a maid of excellent beautye and demaundynge of her what Southsayer he were best to goo to When she heard thoccasion wherfore he woulde aske counsell beinge seene her selfe in the science by thenstruction of her Father and mother she answered that it meaned he should be a kinge and there vpon offred her selfe to be his partaker bothe of wedlock and of the kingdom y â— was behighted He thought himself happy to haue suche a faire offer at the first entrye of his kingdome After the marriage the Phrygians fell at discord among them selues And when they asked counsell of the Oracle how they mighte bringe it to an end answer was made that they could not end their controuersies with out the healpe of a king Demaunding again as touchinge the person of their king what manner of man he should be commaundement was geuen them to marke whom they saw first after their returne ridinge into the temple of Iupiter in a cart and to take him for their king The first man that they met was this gordius where vppon immediatlye they saluted him by the name of king The cart whâ—…rin he rode when the kingdome was laid vppon him he set in the temple of Iupiter and consecrated it for an offeringe as kinges are wont to doo at their coronation After this man raigned his sonne Midas who being traded vp by Orpheus in manye superstitious Ceremonies filled all the realme full of sectes of religion by the whyche he liued more in safegarde all his life then by his chiualry Alexander therfore hauinge taken the Towne when he came into the temple of Iupiter immediatlye enquired for the yoke of the Waine the whiche being broughte before him when he sawe he coulde not finde the end of the thonges that wer bidden within the wrethes constraining the Oracle to the vttermooste he cutte the wrethes a sonder with a sworde and so when he had losed the wreathes he found the endes of the knottes wythin the braides As he was a doing this tidinges was broughte him that Darius approched with a great hoast of men Whervpon fearyng to be enclosed within the straightes he passed the mountaine Taurus with all spede possible in the whiche haste he ran CCCCC furlonges When he came to Tarsus beinge muche delighted wyth the plesantnes of the riuer Cydnus which runneth through the mids of the city he cast of his harnesse and full of duste and â—…wet as he was threw him self naked into the cold wa ter wherwithall suche a nomnesse and stifnesse by and by strake through all his finewes that he lost his speche in so much that men thought he should not only neuer recouer it but also loked he shuld haue died presently Onlye there was one of his Phisitians named Philip which wold take vpon him to warrant to make him whole again And yet the same Phisition was had in great mistrust by reason of the letters sent the daye before oute of Cappadocia from Parmenio Who knowing nothing of Alexanders mischaunce wrote vnto him to beware of Philip the Phisition for he was corrupted by Darius for a great summe of mony Yet notwithstanding he thought it more for his safegard to coÌ„mit himself to the phisition though he more then halfe suspected him of treason then to abide the daunger of his disease wherof ther was no way but death Therfore be toke the drinke that the Phisition had made him and deliuered him the letter and as he drank he beheld his face stedfastly to se what countenance he wold make at the reding of it When he sawe him vnabashed he was glad of it and the iiii day after recouered his healthe Darius therfore wyth CCC M. fotemen and a C. M. horsmen proceded into battel This huge nomber of his enemies somwhat moued Alexander when he beheld howe fewe in respect he had hym self But then again he called to minde what great enterprises he had atcheued how mighty countries he had sub dued with that smal nomber Wherfore when hope had ex pulsed fear he thought it daungerous to delay the battell And to th entent his men shuld not be discoraged he rode a bout from band to band with sondry orations spake vnto eche kinde of people He encoraged the Illirians 〈◊〉 with promesse of richesse and substance The Grecians he set on fire with putting theÌ„ in mind of their batels in time past of the continual hatred that they had with the Persi sians The Macedones he admonished of Europe by theÌ„ all redy coÌ„quered of Asia now chalenged bosting of theÌ„ that there wer not y â— like men of power strength as they wer in al y â— world Of al which their trauels this battell should be y â— final end to their high renown estimatioÌ„ As he had said these words he coÌ„mauÌ„ded his battels to staÌ„d stil again to th entent y e by this pausing they might enure theÌ„ selues to behold y â— huge noÌ„ber of their enemies with opeÌ„ eies Da rius also was not behinde the haÌ„d in ordring of his battels For wheras it beloÌ„ged to the duty of his captains to haue don it he weÌ„t himself in proper person froÌ„ rank to raÌ„k exhorting theÌ„ al to play the men putting the in remeÌ„braÌ„ce of thanciet renown of the PersiaÌ„s of the perpetual possession of thempire geuen theÌ„ by the gods immortal This don both tharmies with great corage buckled together In the which battell both kings wer wouÌ„ded the victory huÌ„g in doutful balaÌ„ce so loÌ„g vntil Darius forsoke the field Then ensued the slaughter of y â— Persians ther were slain of fotemeÌ„ lx one M. of horsmen x. M. and xl M. wer taken prysoners Of the Macedones wer killed a C. xxx fotemen a C. l. horsmen In the teÌ„ts of the Persians was fouÌ„d much gold other riches AmoÌ„g others wer takeÌ„ prisoners Dari us mother his wife which also was his sister and ii of hys daughters WhoÌ„ when
and that it was hys chaunce to be better entreated of his ennemy then of hys owne kin For wheras his enemy had geuen his wyfe and children life his kinsfolk to whome he had geuen both lyfe and kingdoms had vnnaturally bereft him of his life For the which his doinges he rendred him suche thankes as he himself hauing the victory listeth to accept This onlye one thing which lay in his power to do for him nowe lyinge at the poynt of death would he do for Alexander as inrecom pence of his good turnes that is to pray to the powers celestiall and the powers infernall and the Gods of kinges to geue him victory and dominion of the whole worlde As for himself he desired nothing but that it might be his plesure to graunte him buriall as of righte he oughte to haue without grudge And as touching the reuengement of hys death it was now no parte of his care but for exāples sake the common case of all kinges the whiche to neglecte as it should be dishonorable to him so might it turne to hys vtter perill For on the one part this case concerneth his Iustice and on the other it toucheth his owne vtility and profit In token wherof as an only pledge of the faith and honor of a king he gaue his right hand to cary vnto Alexander At those words he stretched out his hand and gaue vp the goste The which when Alexander hard of he came to see his body as he lay dead and he wept to beholde so worthye an estate come vnto so vnworthye a death Wherfore he caused his body to be entred with all solempnitye like a kinge and his reliques to be conueyed into the Sepulthres of his auncestoures The twelfthe Booke ALexander bestowed great cost in buryinge of his souldiours that were slaine in pursuing Darius to the residue of his companye he departed wyth xv M. talēts The greater part of his horses was foundred with heat and such as remained were able to do no seruice The whole summe of the mony gotten alate by this victory was a hundred and thre and fifty thousand talents wherof Parmcnio was made treasurer Whyle theese things wer a doinges letters were brought from Antipater out of Macedone the tenor wherof contained y ◠wartes of Agis king of the Spartans in Grece of Alexander king of Epire in Italy and of his lieuetenaunt Sopyron in Scithia The which made him somewhat to muse Neuerthelesse when he had wel disgested the natures of the ii kings his enuiers he was more glad of the losse of them then sorye for the losse of his armye and his captaine Sopiryon For after that Alexander had taken his iourney almoos◅e all Grece fell to rebellion in hope to recouer their liberty ensuinge the ensample of the Lacedemonians whyche alonelye forsooke the peace and despised the orders taken bothe by Phillip and Alexander Captaine and ringleader of thys Commotion was Agis kinge of the Lacedemonians The whiche tumulte Antipater suppressed with suche power as he had raised euen in the very risinge therof Yet notwithstandinge there was great slaughter on both partes King Agis when he saw his mē put to flight to the entent that all be it he coulde not haue as good fortune as Alexander he mighte not seeme inferioure to him in courage sent awaye his garde and him selfe alone made suche slaughter of his ennemies that sometime he put to flyghte whole bandes at ones At the laste althoughe he were oppressed by the multitude yet he wan the glory and renoun from them all Furthermore Alexāder king of Epyre being set into Italy for to aid the Tarentines against the Brutianes toke y ◠viage vppon him with so good a will as thoughe the whole worlde should haue beene deuided and that Alexander the sonne of his sister Olympias shoulde haue had the East for his part and himself the West entendinge to haue no lesse a doo in Italy Affrike and Sicil then the other shuld haue to do in Asia amonge the Persians And besides thys lyke as the Oracle at Delphos had prophesied vnto great Alexander that his destruction shuld be wrought in Macedone euen so the Oracle of Iupiter of Dodone had told this Alexander that the city Pandose and the riuer acheruse shoulde be his fatall end Nowe for as much as bothe of them were in Epyre not knowing that they were in Italy also to th entent to auoyd the daunger of his desteny he gladly enterprysed warre in a straunge land Therfore when he came into Italye the firste warre that he had was with the Appulians but when he vnderstode the destenies of their City he entred a leage and amity with their king For at that time the head City of Appulia was Brunduse the which was founded by the Aetolians vnder the conducte of Dyomedes that famous captaine for hys renowmed actes at the battell of Troye But being expulsed by thappulians they asked counsell of the Oracles Where answer was made that they shoulde possesse the place that they required for euer Here vppon they required thappulians by their ambassadors to render their Citye againe or elsse they threatned to make sharpe warre vpon them The Appulians hauynge knowledge of the answer of the Oracle slew the ambassadoures and bucied them in the Citye there to haue their dwellinge for euer and so hauing dispatched the meaninge of the Oracle they enioyed the City a great time The which dede when Alexander of Epyre knew of for reuerēce to the destinies of so long continuaunce he made no more warre to the Appulians Then made he warre with the Brutians and Lucanes won many cities of theirs Also he concluded a peace and frendship with the Metapontines Rutilians and Romains But the Brutians and Lucanes hauing gotten hope of their neighbors fiersly renewed the warres againe There the king neare vnto the citye Pandose and the riuer Acheruse was wounded to deathe not knowing the name of his fatall place besore he was slaine and when he should die he perceiued that in his own country was no nead for him to fear death for the whiche cause he had forsaken his countrye The Tyrians raunsomed his body at the charges of their city and buried it honorably While these things wer in doing in Italy Zopyrion also whome Alexander the great had lefte president of Pontus thinking himself dishonored if he laye still and attempted nothinge raised an army of xxx M. souldiers and made war to the Scythians Where being ◅aine wythal his hoste he suffred due punishment for making war so rashly againste an vnhurtfull kinde of people When tidinges of these thinges were brought vnto Alexander into Parthia he made himself very sory for the death of his cosen Alexāder and commaunded al his host to morne for him by the space of iii. daies After this as though the warre had ben ended in the death of Darius when all men loked to returne into their
his sonne that he shoulde not truste anye man sauing Thessalus and his brothers For this cause therfore was the bankette prepared and dressed in the house of 〈◊〉 Philip and 〈◊〉 which wer wonte to be the kynges cuppe bearers and his tasters had the poyson in colde water the whiche water they tasted and caste it vpon the drinke The fourthe daye after Alexander perceiuing there was no way with hym but death sayde he acknowledged the desteny of the house of his 〈◊〉 For the Aeacides for the mooste parte dyed 〈◊〉 they came to xxx yeres of age Then he appeased hys souâ—… dioures whiche began to make an vprore mistrusting the kinge to be killed by treason and beinge borne vp into the highest and openest place that could be founde in all the cityâ—… and there laide for the vpon a couch he admitted them all to his presence and put forthe his righte hand to them to kisse as they stode wepinge about him And wheras all the company wept to beholde him in that case he not onlye shed forthe neuer a teare but also was withoute any kinde of token ofsorowe or 〈◊〉 in so much that he comforted certayne of them that made greate sorowe and lamentation for the matter Unto some he gaue commaundements and errands to doo to their frendes from him So that like as hys harte was inuincible toward the enemy so was it inuincible also againste deathe When he had sente awaye his souldioures he demaunded of hys frendes as they stode about hym whether they thought they shuld finde the like kynge againe or no. Euerye man holdynge his peace he sayde that as he knew not that so he perfectly knew and prophesied yea and in maner saw it presently before his eies how much bloud Macedone shoulde spende in that quarel and with how greate slaughter occision of men it should do obsequies for him after his departure At the last he willed his body to be buried in the Temple of Hammon When hys frendes sawe him drawe on they asked who shoulde be heir of hys Empyre He aunswered the worthiest So greate was the courage of hys harte that wheras he left behinde him hys sonne Hercules hys brother Arideus and his wife Roxanes great with chylde for gettinge all 〈◊〉 and aliaunce hee denounced him to be his heire that was worthyest As thoughe it hadde not beene lawfull for anye man to succeade a valiaunt manne then as valiaunte a man as he or to leaue the richesse of so great a kingdome to any other then to such as were tride men with thys word as though he had blowen a trompet among his noble men or sowne the sede of mischief and delate euery one became enemy to other in his hart wyth colourable flattery priuely sought the good wils and fauor of the men of warre The vi day wheÌ„ his speche was gon he tooke a ringe of his finger and deliuered it to Perdicas the which thinge appeased the dissention of his frendes all ready beginning to bud For allbeit he were not pronounced heir by word by mouthe yet notwithstanding it semed it was his minde he should be his heire Alexander deceased of the age of xxxiii yeares and one monthe a man endued with stoutnesse of courage aboue the power of mannes fraile nature The same nighte that his mother Olympias conceiued him she dreamed she had to do with a great dragon neither was she deceiued of God in her dreame for out of all dout she bare in her wombe a piece of worke exceding the frailnesse of mannes nature And althoughe she were renowmed bothe for the house of Aeacus froÌ„ whence by auncient descent of so many C. yeres â—…he was lineallye â—…xtract and also because her father her brother her husbaÌ„d and all her auncestors and progenitoures were kinges yet was she in none of all those respectes so muche to be estemed as for her owne sonne Many wondrous foretokens of his greatnesse appered euen at his birth For the same day that he was borne two Egles stode all day vpon the toppe of his fathers house representing a token of his dowl Empire of Europe and Asia And the very same daye also hys father had tidâ—…nges broughte him of two victories the one of a battell against the Illyrians the other of the gamynge at the mountaine Olympus vnto the which he hadde sent his chariots The whyche was a token that the child shuld be conqueror of all countries Duringe hys childehode he was brought vp straightly to his learning when he grew towarde mannes estate he encreased in knowledge vnder Aristotle the 〈◊〉 teacher of al Philosophers Aâ—…terward when he had taken the kingdome vpon him he proclaimed himself king of all landes and of the whole world and so behaued himself among his souldiers that if he 〈◊〉 with them there was no enemy could make them afraide although they had beane naked them selues Therfore he neuer encountred with any enemy but he ouercame him he neuer besieged city but he wan it nor neuer entred any country but he subdued it And yet at the last he was ouercome not by force of the enemy but by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 treason of his owne subiectes The thirtenthe Booke ALexander y â— great being dispatched out of the way in the very floure of his age and of his conquests al men were striken in so heauye dumpes and in especially all the citye of Babilon But the nations whome he had subdued could not geue credite to the reporte because that as they beleued him to be inuincible so also they thoughte him to be immortall calling to remembraunce how often he had bene deliuered from present death and how oftentimes when he had loste his weapon sodainly he shewed himself amonge hys men not only safe and sound but also gettinge the vpper hande But when they were throughlye perswaded that he was dead in dede all the barbarous nations whom he had conquered a litle before mourned for him not as for an ennemye but as for a father Moreouer the mother of Darius whome after the losse of her sonne beinge her selfe fallen from the stage of so highe estate it repented not of her lyfe vnto that day for the great clemency and fauoure that she found in â—…er conqueror when she hard of AlexaÌ„ders death did rid herselfe oute of this life not because she sette more by her ennemy then by her own sonne but because she had found the naturall loue of a sonne in him whome she toke for her enemy On the other part the Macedones cleane coÌ„trary mour ned not for him as for their countryman or as for a kinge of such a maiesty but reioysed as if they had lost an enemy cursing his ouergreat seueritye and continuall ieoperdies that he put them vnto by his warres Besides this the princes gaped for the pertition of his kingdomes and prouinces and the common souldioures for his treasures and for a great masse of gold as a
in armour in the field by the consente of them all he called certaine seditious personnes oute of euerye bande and caused them priuelye to be put to death The whiche done he returned againe and deuided the prouinces amonge the princes to the entent he myght send out of the way suche as wer his backe frendes and al so make them all to thinke that it was throughe hys goodnesse that they obtained suche authority First of all Egipt with a part of Affricke and Arabie fell by lot vnto Ptolomy whome Alexander for his manhode and valia◅tnesse had promoted from a raskall souldioure And to pntte him in his office was appoynted Cleomenes which builded Alexandria The next prouince adioyninge thervnto which was Syria was cōmitted to Laomedō of Mytilene Phylotas his son toke Cylicia Sclauonie Ouer the greater Media was made ruler Acr◅pat ouer the lesser Alcet the brother of Perdicas The country of Susa nie was assigned to Syno the greater Phrygia vnto Antigonus the son of Philip Learchus chaunced by lot vpon Lycia and Pamphylia Cassander vpon Caria and Menan der vpon Lydia Unto Leonatus happened the lesser Phri gia vnto Lysymachus Thrace the countries bordering vpon y ◠sea of Pontus Cappadocia with Paphlagonia wer geuen vnto Emnenes The marshalship of the campe fortuned to Seleuchus the sonne of Antiochus Cassander the sonne of Antipater was made captain of the kings garde In the further Bactria and in the countries of Indie the former lieuetenants wer cōmaunded to kepe their offices stil sauing that Taxilles had the gouernaunce of all y ◠lays betwene the two riuers of Hydaspes and Indus And that Phyton the son of Agenar was sent to haue the rule of the new townes that were builded in Indie Ariarches tooke vpon him the gouernment of the Parapomenians people that inhabite the vttermost parts of the mountain Cancasus Statener toke to gouern the Dracans and Argeans Amyntas the Bactrians Scythens obtained the Sogd◅ās Nicanor the Parthians Phillip the Hyrcanians Phrataphernes the Armenians Neoptolemus the Persians Pēcestes the Babylonians Arthius the Pelasgians and Archesilaus Mesapotamia This pertition like as it chaunced to euery one of them as his fatall charge so was it vnto ma nye of them the grounde and foundation of their encreasement and prosperity For ere it was any longe time after as though they hadde deuided kingdomes and not lieuetenauntships so being made kings of lieuetenaūts they not only got greate richesse to them selues but also lefte them to their posterity While these things were a doing in the Ea◅te the Atheniens and the Aetolians renued y ◠warres in Grece withall the power they wer able to make which they had all redy begon while Alexander was aliue The occasion of this warre was because that Alexander at hys retourne from Inde wrote his letters into Grece by the whiche all suche as were banished out of their natiue coun tries of what city so euer they were suche as were attainted of murder onlye excepted were restored to their countries againe The which being openly red in the presens of all Grece at the marte of Olympus caused much busines because that diuers of them were banished not by order of law but through discord and partaking of the princes fearing y ◠if they shuld be reuoked again they might bear grea ter sway autority in the common welth thē they Whervpon euen then many cities murmured saying opely that it wer mete to set them selues at liberty by the sword But the chefe doers and ringleaders in this quarell wer the Atheniens and the actolians Wherof assone as alexander had knowledge he enioyned his confederates to finde hym a thousande gallies to make warre withall in the West pur posing by the way to make a rhode againste athens and to destroy it vtterly The atheniens therfore hauinge raysed an army of thirty thousande souldiers two hūdred ships made warre with Antipater to whome the gouernmente of Grece fel by lot whom for as much as he durst not geue them battel in the field but kept himself within the walles of the city Hiraclea they besieged The very same time De mosthenes the orator of athens who beinge before banished his country for his offence in taking a bribe of Harpa lus that fled for fear of alexanders crueltye because he had moued the city to warre againste him by chaunce liued as an outlaw at Megara hearing that the atheniens had sent Hyperides of ambassade to moue the Pelopomiesians to take their part in these warres folowed him and with hys eloquens perswaded Sycion argos and Corinthe and all the other cities to ioyne them selues with the atheniens For the which his doing the Atheniens sent a ship for him and called him home out of exile In the meane season at the siege of Antipater Leosthenes captaine of the Atheniens was slaine wyth a Darte throwne at him from the wall as he passed by The which thinge gaue suche encouragemente to Antipater that he burste open his barriers and aduenture into the Trenche of his enemies Neuerthelesse he was fain to send his messengers to Leonatus for succour The Atheniens hearing that he was comminge towarde them with an hoste went to meete him in order of battell where amonge the horsemen he receiued so sore a wounde that he died for thwyth Antipater allbeit he sawe his reskowes put to flyghte yet notwithstanding he was gladde that Leonatus was dead For by meanes therof he was bothe rid of a backe frende and also encreased in strengthe by attaininge of his hoste Therfore assone as he had receiued his armye being nowe able to matche with his ennemies in plaine field they raised their siege and he departed into Macedone The Grekishe hoste also hauinge driuen the enemy oute of the borders of Grece went home euerye man to his owne citye In the meane while Perdicas making warre againste the innocent Ariarathes king of Cappadocia and gettinge the vpper hand in the field won nothing therby but woundes and pearils For his enemies retiring out of the battel into the city slue their wiues and children and set their houses and all that euer they had on fire Moreouer when they had throwen there into all theyr richesse they caste them selues also hedlong after them to the entent their enemy hauing gotten the victory shoulde enioy nothing of theirs more then the beholdyng of y ◠fire After this to th entent that to thestablishment of his strēgth he might get himself thautority of a king he entended to mary Cleopatra the sister of great Alexander and some time the wife of the other Alexander not without the con sent of her mother Olympias But first of al he coueted to surprise antipater vnder pretence of ioyninge aliaunce with him And therfore he pretended to desire his Daughter in mariage to th entent he might the more easly obtain a sup plement of yong souldiers oute of
his person that in hautinesse of courage in knowledge of Philosophy and in strength of body he farre excelled all them by whome the Easte was conquered For when Alexander the greate being very fore moued to anger against Callysthenes the Philosopher for speaking agaynste the adoring of him after the manner of the Persians had appeached the said Callysthenes of treason and there vpon cruelly mangled him by cuttinge of his eares hys nose his liâ—…pes that all menne pitied and lamented to behold howe miserablye he was handled and moreouer caried him about with him shutte vp with a dogge in a cage to the terrible ensample of all other Then Lysimachus who was wont euer before to hear Callysthenes and to receiue enstructions of vertue at his hand taking pity and compassion to see so worthye a manne punished not for anye fault but for vsinge his libertye in speakinge gaue hym poyson to ridde him out of his calamities Wherwith Alexander was so sore agreued that he commaunded hym to be cast vnto a fierce Lion But when the Lion at the first sight of him came running with open mouthe vpon him Lysimachus wineding his arme in a Towell thruste his hand into the Lyons mouth and pulling out his tong killed the beast The which thing when it was declared to the kyng he thought it such a wonder that he was appeased towardes him and euer after sette more store by him for his so great stedfastnesse in vertue Lysimachus also with a noble courage toke the despight that the kynge had doone to him as mekely as if it had bene done by his owne father Finally putting quite oute of his minde the rememberaunce of this displeasure Afterwarde in Inde as the kyng pursued certaine of his ennemies that were dispersed when he hadde throughe the swiftnesse of hys horse lost the companye of all his gard This Lysimachus alone ran foote by foote with him and kepte him company by his horse side through vnmeasurable fieldes of dry sande The whiche thinge his brother Philippe attempting before to haue doone died betweene the Kynges handes But as Alexander alyghted from his horse hee wounded Lysimachus so sore in the fooreheade wyth the poynt of his speare that the bloude coulde not otherwise be stopped but that to bynde vp the wound wythall the kyng was fain to take the Drademe from hys own hed and set it vpon his the which was then firste of all a fortunate fortoken that Lysimachus should after aspire to the estate of a kinge And after the death of Alexander when the prouinces were deuided among his successoures the cruellest natyons were assigned to Lysimachus as to the valiantest person of all others for farre did he by the consent of al men excede all the residue in manhoode and prowesse Before the battell shoulde be foughte betwene Ptolomy and hys adherentes against Antâ—…onus Seleuchus departing sodenly out of the greater Asia became a new ennemye vnto antigonus This mannes prowesse also was notable and his begetting wonderfull For his mother Laodice beinge maried to Antiochus a noble manne among the captaynes of king Philip dreamed in her sleepe that she conceyued and was greate with childe by apollo and that in recom pence for lying with him the God gaue her a Kynge in the stone wherof was engraued the lykenesse of an Aâ—…ker commaundinge her to geue it to her sonne whome she should bryng forth This vision was wonderful both for the ringe of the same engrauinge that was feunde in her bedde the next morning and for the figure of the anker which was founde in the thighe of Seleuchus beinge a little Babe when he was newly borne and so continued and grewe with him Wherfore Laodice when Seleucus should go with great Alexander to the warfare agaynste the Persians enforming him of the maner of his begetting gaue him the ringe Wheras after the deathe of Alexander obtaining the Empire of the East he builded a City and there consecrated the memoriall of the original of the stone For he both called the Citye Antioche after the name of hys father and also dedicated the fieldes about the city to Apollo The token of his begettinge remained also with his posterity For his children and childrens children had an Anker in their thigh as a naturall marke of their linage He made many battels in the Eastafter the deuision of the kingdome of Macedone amonge the pieres of the realme First he toke Babilon by force then being encrease din power by reason of that victory he conquered the Bactrians Afterwarde he made an enteraunce into Inde whiche after the deathe of Alexander hauing as it were caste of the yoke of bondage from their neckes had slaine all his lieuetenauntes The author of this libertye was one Sondrocotte but after the victorye he turned this pretence of libertye into seruitude For by vsurping vppon him the kingdome he oppressed wyth hys owne tiranny the people whome he had deliuered from foraine subiection This man was borne of lowâ—…degree but driuen to take the kingdom vpon him by the present aid of God For when he had vpon a time offended Alexander with his malapertnesse and that the king had com maunded him to be put to death he saued his life by swift nesse of his fete After the which being very wearye and lying fast a sleepe A Lyon of maruelous hugenesse came to him as he slept â–ª and with his tounge licked of the swet that issued from him and when he awaked went gentlye away Bâ—…ing by this wonderfull foretoken firste moued to hâ—…pe of the kingdome he gathered together anoâ—…ber of robbers and stirred the Indians â–ª to rebellyon Afterward as he was makinge preparation for the warres against â–ª Alexanders lieuetenaunts a wylde Elephant of maruelous bignesse offred hymselfe to him of hys owne accord and as though he had bene tame mekely receyued hym vppon hys backe â–ª and he became a valiaunt captain and a notable warryoâ—…re Sandrocotte hauynge thus gotten the kyngdome the verye same time that Seleucus layed the foundation of the greatnesse that he after grew vnto held all Inde â–ª with whome Seleucus enteryâ—…ge a league and hauing set his affaires at a stay in the Easte came to the warres set against Antigonus The armyes therfore of the confederates beinge assembled together there was a field fought In the whyche Antigonus was slayne â–ª and hys sonne Demetrius put to flyghte But the confederates after they had by battell dispatched theyr â–ª enemies fell together by the eares againe amonge them selues and for because they could not agree in parting of the pray they sundred them selues into two partes Seleucus ioyned himselfe with Demetrius and Ptolomy with Lisimachus Cassander being deceased his sonne Philippe succeded him And so new warres sprong vp a fresh agayn in Macedone ¶ The. xvi Booke AFter the deathe of Cassander and hys sonne Philip one immediatly ensuinge the other Thessalonice the Quene and wife
of Cassander ere it was long time after entreatynge for her life eâ—…en by she wynge her brestes to moue him to pitye was crueâ—…ly slain by her sonne antipater The cause of the murther was this by reason that after the death of her husband when the kyngdome should be deuided she semed to be more fa uourable to Alexander The whych act apeared so much the more heynous in all mennes eyes by reason the mother ment no deceipte in the matter And yet to saye the trouthe there canne be no cause alledged iustly to excuse one for killing their father or theyr mother Alexander therfore vpon this occasyon entendynge to make warre vpon hys brother to reuenge hys mothers death desired healpe of Demetrius And Demetrius was easye to entreat in hope to inuade the kingdome of Macedone Of whose coÌ„ming Lysimachus being afraid perswaded hys son in law Antâ—…pater to fal to agremeÌ„t with his brother rather then to suffer his fathers enemy to enter into Macedone Demetrius perceiuing that a reconcilement was entreted vpon betwene the. ii brethren slew Alexander through great treson inuading the kingdome of Macedone to the entent to excuse himself of the murder before his men of war he called them together There he aledged y â— Alexander had lien in wait for him before and that he hadde not committed but only preuented the treason Saying it was more reson he himself shuld be kyng then the other bothe for because of his yeares he was of more discretion experiens and also for other consyderations For his father had accompanied both king Phillip grâ—…at Alexander in all their warres and afterwarde had serued Alexander as a captain in pursuing the rebels Where as on the contrary parte Antipater the graundfather of these yongmen was alwaies a more roughe gouernoure of the kingdome then the kinges them selues And Cassander the father of them the roter vp of the kings house spared neither women nor children nor neuer ceased vntill he had vtterly destroyed all the ofspring of the kings posteritye The reuengement of these milcheues for because he could not execute it vpon Cassander him self he said was transferred vnto his children Wherefore both Phillip and Alexander if the dead haue anye perseueraunce woulde not that the roters out of them and their issue but rather the punishers of those traitors should enioy the kingdome of Macedone The people being by this meanes mitigated proclaimed him king of Macedone Lysimachus also beinge entangled with the warres of Dromychet king of â—…hrace to y â— entent he would not be constrained to haue battel the self same time with Demetrius also yelded to him thother part of Macedone that fell to the lot of his sonne in law Antipater and made peace with him Demetrius therfore being furnished with the whole power of all Macedone when as he was mineded to conquere Asia Ptolomy Seleuchus and Lysimachus hauing tried by the former conflict what a strength concord was of entred in league againe and ioyning their hastes together remoued the warres into Europe against Demetrius Pyrrhus kinge of Epyre hoopinge that Demetrius might as easly and lightly forgoo Macedone as he cam by it ioyned him self with them as a fellowe and companion in their war And his hope deceiued him not For he fouÌ„d the meanes to corrupt his army with rewardes whereby he put him to flight and seised the kingdome of Macedone into his owne handes While these thinges were a doing Lysimachus put his sonne in law Antipater to deathe because he repined and 〈◊〉 that the kingdome of Macedone hys â–ª rightfull inheritaunce was taken from him throughe the falshod of his father in law And because his daughter eurydice toke her husbands part in making like exclamatioÌ„ he put her in pryson And so al the house of CassaÌ„der part ly by murder and partly by execution suffred due punishment in the behalfe of great Alexander whether it were for working of his death or for destroying of his issue and posterity Demetrius also being ouercharged with so many hostes wheras he might haue died honorablye chose rather to yeld himself to Seleuchus shamefully When theese warres were ended Ptolomy with great renowme of hys actes and enterprises died He contrary to the coÌ„mon law of all nations somewhat before he fell sycke had resigned the kingdome to the yongest of his sonnes and of hys so doing he rendred a reason to the people who fauored the sonne no lesse for receiuing the kingdome then the father for deliuering of it Amonge other examples of naturall loue and affection shewed on both partes betwene the father and the sonne â–ª this thing wan the hartes of the comminalty to the yoÌ„g man that the father after the time he had openly surrendred the kingdome vnto him executed the office of one of the garde and serued the kinge as an other priuate person sayinge it was far more honorable for a man to be father to a kinge then to be a kynge hym selfe But discorde the continuall mischief among pieres stirred vp strife betwene Lysimachus and Pyrrhus a litle be fore fellowes and confederates agaynste Demetrius Lysimachus getting the vpper hand droue Pyrrhus oute of Macedone and toke it into his owne haÌ„d After this he made war against Thrace and then against the city Heraclea y â— original end of which city wer wonderful both of theÌ„ For vpon a time wheÌ„ the Beoâ—…ans wer afflicted wyth a sore plage answer was geuen them at thoracle of delphos y â— they shuld build a city in the country of Pontus dedicate it vnto Hercules Now when as for fear of the long perillous sayling desiring al to die in their own country rather then to enterprise so loÌ„g a iourny the matter was omitted y â— Phocenses made war against theÌ„ By whoÌ„ being diuers times put to Y e worse they ran to the oracle again for couÌ„sel Answsr was made them y â— the same thing y â— shuld remedy â—…he pestilens shuld remedy y â— war Wher vpon gathering a litle noÌ„ber of men they sailed into Metapont builded the city Heraclea And forasmuch as thes had ben brought thither by thordinance of god w tin short space after they grew to great welth In proces of tyme this city had many battels with their neighbors much mischefe among theÌ„ selues through ciuil dissetioÌ„ Among other honorable dedes this in especially is worthye to be remeÌ„bred At suche time as the Atheniens bare the souerainty and hauing vanquished the Persians had raised a taxe bothe in Grece Asia for the maintenaunce of theyr flete wheras all other to saue theÌ„ selues harmlesse gladly gaue theÌ„ their asking onlye the Heracliens for the fauor they bare to the kings of Persia refused to be coÌ„tributary to y â— taxe Malachus therfore being sent froÌ„ Athens wyth an army to take perforce the thing y â— was denied whyles he weÌ„t abrode to wast
〈◊〉 y â— fields of Heraclea lost hys ships y â— he left at rhode w t the greater part of his armye by force of a sodain teÌ„pest y â— put them al to wracke Therfore wheÌ„ he could not return by sea hauing lost his ships nor durst return by laÌ„d with so slender a coÌ„pany through so many sauage nations the Heracliens thinking it more honor to vse this occasion to shewing geÌ„tlenes then to re uengemeÌ„t furnished theÌ„ with victels safe condited theÌ„ home making accompt y â— the wasting oftheir couÌ„try was wel bestowed if they might therby win their enemies to be their frends AmoÌ„g many other euils they suffred also tirannye For when the common people vppon â—… wilfulnesse outragiously and importunately exacted to haue all dettes clerely released and the landes of the richmen par ted among them the matter hanging longe tyme in question in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and commâ—…n iudgemente place and after that of Epaminondas captain of Thebes againste the comminalty that were growen to such a welthines throughe ouer much ease and idlenesse But hauinge denyall at both their handes they wer faine to flie for succor to Clearche whome they them selues hadde banished before So great an ertremity did their calamities driue them vnto that whome they had erewhile forbidden his country eueÌ„ him were they faine to call againe to the defence of the same But Glearche beinge by his banishmente made more wicked then he was before and takinge the dissention of his country men as a mete accasion for him to vsurpe and make himself king firste of all commoned priuelye wyth Mythridates the ennemye of his Citezens and entringe in league with him compounded that when he were called againe into his country he should betray the citye to him and he to be made chiefe ruler of it for his laboure Yet afterward the treason that he hadde purposed agaynste hys country he turned vppon Mythridates him selfe For when he was retourned out of erile to be as an indiffereÌ„t iudge for the determination of ciuil controuersies the same time that he had appoynted to betray the town vnto Mythridates he toke him and his â—…rendes and for a great summe of mony let him go again And like as towards him he made him self of a frend a sodain enemy euen so of a defendour of thestate of the senate he sodainly became a protector of the comminalty and against the authors of his power preheminence by whome he had beene reuoked into hys country by whome he had bene placed in the toure of hys royalty he not onlye incensâ—…d the commons but also exercised all kind of most vnspeakeable tiranny and crueltye For he sommoned the people together and told them that he woulde not anye more assist the senators vsynge them selues so rigorously againste the comminaltye but that he would rather be a meane betwixt them if they continued in their accustomed tiranny and if they thought them selues able to make their party good against the crueltye of the senatoures he would depart with his men of warre and not entermedle himself in their ciuil discordes But if they distrusted their owne strength they should not wâ—…t his helpe for that that he was able to doo for them And therfore aduise them selues whether they were better to bid him goo his way or to tary as a partaker and supporter of the quarell of the commons The comminaltye being stirred with this talke made him their chiefe gouernour and so while they were offended at the authority of the senate they yelded them selues with their wiues and children in bondage vnder the subiâ—…ction of a Lordlye tiraunt Clearche therfore apprehended lx of the senatours for all the â—…est were fledde and cast them in prison The people reioysed to see the Senate destroyed and that in espetially by the captain of the Senatours and that contrary to all likelihode their help was turned to their vtter confusion Upon whom by threatning death to them all in generall he set the hier price For Clearche receiuing a great summe of mony of them as who should say he entended priuely to deliuer them from the peoples displeasure when he hadde robbed them of all theyr goodes he spoyled them also of their liues Afterward vnderstaÌ„ding that those that were fled hauing moued the cities of pity and compassion to helpe them prepared warre agaynste him he set their bondmen at libertye And to the entent there should want no kind of misery in those honourable houses and that he might make the slaues more faythfull to himself and more enemies to their masters he compel led the wiues and daughters of those noble men to marry with their slaues vppon paine of death if they refused so to do But those sorowfull weddinges were greuouser then sodain death to the honorable Ladies And therfore many of them before their mariage and many in the very time of their mariage killing first their new husbands slew them selues and by the vertue of their natural womanhode and shamefastnesse was a fielde soughte in the which the Tiranne gettinge the vpper hande drewe the senatoures as prisoners in manner of triumphe through the face of the city After his retourne into the citye some he cast in bonds some he racked and som he put to death and no place of the city was fre â—…rom the cruelnesse of the tiran With this outragiousnesse he became proude and with his crueltye â—…e became arrogante for throughe hys continuall good successe in prosperity he would somtime forget himself to be a man and sometime be wâ—…ulde call himself Iubiters sonne When he went abrode he wold haue an Eagle of gold borne before him as a token of his begetting He vsed to wear robes of purple and to goâ—… in buskens after the manner of kings in tragedies wyth a crown of gold vpon his headâ—… Moreouer to the entent to scorne the gods aswel in â—…ames as in counterfait gesture abhominable leasings he named his sonne Ceraunos Two noble yongmen called ChioÌ„ Leonides disdaining to se him do these things entending to set their country at liberty conspired to kil the Tiran These men wer the disciples of the Philosopher Plato who couetinge to bestow vpon their country the vertue vnto the whiche they were furthered by the moost perfect instructions of theyr master laid in an ambush fifty of their kinsmen whome they had gotâ—…en to be of their retinew They them selues counterfetting to be at defiaunce againste another made toward the Castie to the Tiran as to their king y e shuld decide theâ—…r controâ—…ersies and being ther admitted to his presence as they that were well knowen â—…hyles the tirant gaue autentiue eare to the fiâ—…st mannes tale the other stept within him and kild him But by reason theyr company was not quick inough in comming to their rescue they were slaine by the garde By meanes wherof it came to passe that the Tiran was slain but yet
the coun trye not deliuered For Satir the brother of Clearche after the same sort toke vpon him the tiranny aud the Heracleans many yeres after by degre of descent were vnder subiection of Tirannes ¶ The. xvii Booke ABout the same time well nie ther hapned a maruelous great earthquake in the countries of Hâ—…llespont and Chemesosus and the Citye Lylimachia being builded by Lyâ—…imachus not past a two and twenty yeres before was ouerthrowne the which wonder betookened horrible misfortune to Lysimachus and his ofspring with the decaye of his kingdome and the destruction of those countries that were vered therwyth And loke as was betokened therby so cam it to pas For within a short time after Lysimachus conceiuing a deadly hatred not only beyoÌ„d the course of a naturall father but also beyond all manhode and humanity against his sonne Agathocles whom he had proclaimed heir apparent of his kingdom by whom he had atcheued many battels prosperously by the mean and working of his stepmother Aâ—…syrice he poysoned This was the first sore of the mischief that was towards him this was the beginning of y â— ruin that hung â—…uer his head For after the murthering of his own sonne he fel to killinge of his noble men whome he executed for none other oâ—…fence then because they bewaâ—… led the death of his son By meanes wherof such as were chief officers in his campe reuolted by plumpes vnto Sâ—…leucus whom being of himself prone thervnto vpoÌ„disdaâ—… enuy at thother mannes glory they compelled to make war against Lysimacbus This was the last contention betwene them that had serued Alexander in the warres as it were a match reserued by fortune for exaÌ„ples sake Lysimachus was lxxiiii yeares olde and Seleueus â–ª lxxvii but in this age there was none of them both but he hadde a yong mannes â—…art and an iâ—…satiable desyre of dominion For when as they two alone held the whole worlde betwene them yet they thoughte them selues enclosed in a straight measuring the terme of their life not by the length of their yeres but by the boundes of their Empyre In that battell Lysimachus hauing loste before by dyuers chaunces xv children now dying manfully lastlye made himself the full and finall decaye of his owne house Seleucus reioysâ—…ng in so great a victory and that which he thought to be a greater matter then the victory that he onlye of Alexanders retinew remained and became conqueror of the conquerors bosted that it was not the work of maÌ„ but the very gift of God being vâ—…terly ignoraunte that it should not be long after ere he himself should become an example of the frailty of man For about vii moneths after by the pollicye of Ptolomy who had taken the syster of Lyâ—…machus in mariage he was surprised and slaâ—…ne and so with his life lost the kingdome of Macedone that he had taken from Lysimachus Ptolomy therfore being very diligent to curry fauour with the comminalty in remembraunce of his father Ptolomy the Great and for reuengâ—…g y â— death of Lysimachus fyrst of all determined to win the sonnes of Lysimachus vnto him and thervpoÌ„ made sute to their mother Arsinoe his sister to haue her to his wife promisinge to adopt the 〈◊〉 to th entent that when he had succeded in their roume what for reuerence to their mother or for the name of father they should not be so bolde as to attempt any thing agaynst him Moreouer he earnestlye sued by his letters to haue the fauor of his brother y e king of Egipt protestinge that he bare him no displeasure for takyng his fathers kingdome from him and y â— he woulde not any more sâ—…ke the thing at his brothers hand whiche he had with more honor gotten at the hand of his fathers enemy Furthermore he sought all the meanes he coulde deuise to winde him selfe into fauor with Emnâ—…nes and Antigonus the sonnes of Demetrius and with antiochus the soÌ„ne of Seleucus with the which he was like to â—…aue warre to â—…ntent he would not haue to do with iii. enemies at ones Nether omitted he Pâ—…rrhus king of Epyre as one that was like to be no small furtheraunce to what parte so euer he enclined himself who also coueting to set them all beside the sadle made fair countenaunce and set himselfe as it were to sale to them al. Therfore when as he was about to aid the Tarentines againste the Romaines he desyred of antigonus to lend him shippes to conuey ouer his armye of antiochus who was better furnished with rychesse then with men of warre he requested to borow a pece of mony of Ptolomy he demaunded to send to his ayd a crewe of the souldioures of Macedone But Ptolomy who by reason of his owne weaknesse was not able to bear with him long lent him fiue thousand footemen foure thousande horsemen and fifty Elephantes for no lenger time then ii yeres In consideration wherof taking the daughter of Ptolomy in mariage â–ª Pyrrhus left him for protectoure of hys kingdome But forasmuch as we fall in remembrance of Epyre I thinke good to entreat a little of the originall of the same First of all the Molosses raigned in that region Afterward Pyrrhus the sonne of achilles hauynge loste hys fathers kingdome by being absent at the battell of Troy reasted in the same countrye which after his name were first called Pyrrhides and after Epyrotes But Pyrrhus when he came into the Temple of Iupiter of Dodone to aske counsell rauished there anasa the nece of Hercules by whom afterward takinge her to wife he begate viii children Of the whiche some of theym beynge verye gentle and beutifull younge Ladies he marryed to the kynges that were his neighboures by meanes of whiche aliaunces he purchased great power and richesse And so leauyng the kingdome of the Chaonians with andromache the wife of Hector which in the diuision of the boty at the winnynge of Troye fel to his lot to be his wife vnto Helenus the sonne of king Priâ—…mus for his singuler knowledge in Prophecy within a while after by the treason of Orestes the sonne of Agamemnon he was slayne at Delphos euen before the aultare of the God After him succeded his sonne Pylates At lengthe by order of successyon the kingdom descended to Arymba Ouer whome because he was fatherlesse and that there were no moo alyue of that noble race but he of verye earnest desyre that the whole realme had to preserue him and bring him vp there wer certain protectoures appoynted by the common consent of the realm to haue the ouer syght and gouernance of hym Furthermore he was sente to Athens to schoole and looke howe muche he was better learned then hiâ—… predecessoures so much also was he better beloued amonge his subiectes For he was the fyrste that made lawes ordained a counsell appoynted yearely officers and established the estate of the common
weale And like as Pyrrhus fyrste gaue the people their dwelling so Arymba brought them first to the trade of ciuil ordinaunce and liuing This mannes sonne was Neoptolemus who did beget Olympias the mother of great Alexander and Alexander that after hys decease enioyed the kingdome of Cpyre and dyed in the warres of Italy among the Brutians After his departure his brother Aeacides succeaded in the kingdome who by wearying his subiectes with daily and continuall war againste the Macedones gate â—…uche a displesure among them that they banished him y e reaâ—…me leauing behinde him in the kingdome a childe of 〈◊〉 yeres old called Pyrrhus who being sought for also by the people to be put to death for y â— hatred they bare to his father was priuely conueyed awaye and borne into Illyria and deliuered vnto Beroe the wife of king Glaucia to be kept vp the which Beroe also was extract of the house of Aeacus There the kinge whether it were that he pityed hys misfortune or that he weâ—… allured with his childish flateringes did defend him a great while againste Cassander king of Macedone demaunding him with great threats that he would make sharpe warres vppon him onlesse he deliuered him and besides this protection of him he also adopted him to be his sonne With the which thinges the Cpyrotes being moued tourninge their hatred into compassyon called him into the realme againe beinge of the age of eleuen yeres appoynting protectoures to haue the ouersight and gouernment of him and his kingdom vntill he came to mannes estate Afterwarde when he was ones past childhode he sought manye battels he began to be counted of suche power wisdome and pollicye that men thoughte no man able to maintain the Tarentines against the Romaines but only him The. xviii Booke PIrrhus king of Epyre therfore when as the Tarentines had sent their ambassadors to him the second time and that the Samuits Lucanes who al so had then neade of aide againste the Romaines made earnest sute and request vnto him for succor not so much moued with the entretance of his suters as induced with hope to inuade the Empire of Italy promised to come with an armye Unto the whiche thing after that his minde was ones enclined the examples of his auncestoures draue him hedlonges forwardes to the entent he wold not seme inferior to his vncle Alexander who hadde defended the sayde Tarentines agaynste the Brutians or to be of lesse courage then great Alexander who hadde made warre so sarre from his owne countrye and subdued the East Where vppon leauinge his sonne Ptolomy of the age of xv yeres as regent of his kingdome he landed his armye in the hauen of Tarent leadynge with him hys two yonger sonnes Helen and Alexander to beare him company in his farre expedition Of whose arriuall the Romaine consull Valerius Leunius hearing making haste to encounter with him before the aides of his confederates were assembled broughte hys men into the field neither did the king although he had nothing so many men of warre as his ennemies detracte the encounter But where as the Romaines had gotten the vpper hand and were at the poynt to haue putte hym to flight he constrained them at the vglye shape of the Elephants first to stande as amased and by and by after to forsake the field and so the straunge monsters of Macedone sodainly vanquished them hauinge all readye gotten the victory Neuerthelesse he obtained not the victorye without much bloudshed For Pyrrhus himselfe was sore woun ded and a great part of his Souldioures slaine so that he gate by that victory more honoure then cause to reioyce Many cities following the fortune of this battell yelded them selues to pyrrhus Amongest others also the Locrines betraying the Romaine garrison reuolted to pyrrhus Of that pray Pyrrhus sent home two hundred Romaine souldioures scotfree to Rome to the entente that as the Romaines had knowen of his puissaunce so they might also knowe of his liberalitye Within a few daies after when the hostes of his confederates were come he foughte an other battell with the Romaines in the whiche the fortune was like vnto the former battell In the meane season Mago captaine of Carthage beynge sent to the ayd of the Romaines with a hundred and tweÌ„ty shyppes came before the Senate sayinge it greatlye greued the Carthaginenses that a foraine kynge shoulde be suffred to make warre in Italy For whiche consideration he was sent that for as much as they were assailed by a foraine ennemy they mighte be rescued by for raine succoures The Senate gaue the Carthaginenses hartye thankes and sent away their succoures againe But Mago accordinge to the nature of a man of affricke wythin a fewe dayes after as though he ment to procure peace for the 〈◊〉 went secreatly to pyrrbus entending to feele his minde and to learne what he purposed as concerning Sicill whether it was reported he was sent for For the Carthaginenses sent aid to the Romaines For noone other occasion but that Pyrrhus mighte haue so muche to doo with the Romaines in Italy that he myghte haue no leysure to passe into Sicill While theese thinges were in doing Fabritius Lucinus being sent ambassadoure from the Senate of Rome coÌ„cluded a peace with Pirrhus for the confirmation wherof Cyneas beinge sent from Pirrhus with great giftes and rewardes could finde no man that would ones open his doore to receiue a reward Another example like vnto this continency of the Romaines hapned almost the very same time For the Senate sent ambassadoures into Egipte to whome Ptelomy the kynge sent riche presentes the which they vtterly refused with in a day or twaine after they were bidden to supper and crownes of goulde sent them the which at that time they receiued for honour of the kinge and the next daye after they set them vpon the kinges Images Cyneas therfore when he had brought word howe the peace with the Romains was infringed by â—…ppius Claudius being demauÌ„ ded of Pyrrhus what maner of thiâ—…g Rome was he aunswered that it semed to him to be a City of kinges After this came vnto him the ambassadoures of the Sicilians rendering into his handes the right and 〈◊〉 of the whole Iland whiche was then vexed with the continuall warres of the Carthaginenses Therfore leauynge his sonne Alexander at Lorres and hauynge well manned the other Cities with strong garrisone he wasted ouer his army into Sicill And for as much as we be come to entreat of the Carthaginenses I must speake a 〈◊〉 as concerning theyr originall repeting somewhat what deper the dedes of the Tyrians whose chaunces also wer much to be lamented The nation of the Tyrians was founded by the Phenicians who being troubled with an earthquake forsaking their natiue soyle inhabited fyrst the lake of Assyria and anone after the neâ—…te â—…ea coaste buildinge in the same place a Citye whiche of the aboundaunce of Fyshe
they named Sydon For the Phenicians call a Fyshe Sydon Manye yeares after being subdued by the king of the Ascalonites they tooke shippinge and arrâ—…ued in the same place where they builded Tire which was done the yore before the destruction of Troye There they were oftentimes and diuersly assaâ—…ed with warres by the Persyans but euer they had the vpper hand But when theyr power was once wasted theyr bondmen aboundinge in multytude and noumber delt out â—…giouslye and cruellye wyth theym For they made a conspiracye amonge them selues and killed all the fre borne people with their maysters also and so hauynge the citye at wyll they entered possessyon in their maisters houses they inuaded the common weale they maried wiues and that whiche they theym selues neuer were they begatte free children There was one among so manye thousand slaues who being of a meke and honest nature for pity of the fortune of thold man his master and his yong sonne did not of beastly cruelty murther them but of mercyfull compassion and manhode saued them Wherefore when as he had hid them out of the waye as if they had beene slaine and that the bondmen consulting vpon the estate of the common weale thought it good to create theym a kinge of theyr owne corporation and him in especially to be the person as a man most acceptable to the Gods that first should see the sunne rising he declared the matter secreatly to his master Strato for y â— was his name where he lay hid in a corner Being by him sufficientlye instructed what to dod when they were all assembled into the field by midnight whiles all the reast stoode gapynge into the East he only alone looked aduisedly into the west At the 〈◊〉 all the resydue thoughte it a madnesse to looke for the rysinge of the Sunne into the West But assone as the day began to breake and the East beganne to glister vppon the hyghest toppes and pynnacles of the toures and temples of the Citye while all the other gased for to see the Globe of the Sunne he 〈◊〉 of all syewed vnto them all the brightnesse of the Sunne shynâ—…ge vpon the toppe of the Citye this seemed to be doone of a greater reason then was in a sâ—…aues heade Wherevppon they enqutred who gaue hym the counsell and be coâ—…essed as touching his master Then it was perceiued what difference there is betwene the wit of a slaue and the wit of a gentleman and that 〈◊〉 excell in maltce but not in wisdome Therefore the old man and his sonne were pardoned and forasmuche as they thoâ—…ght theym to be preserued by the deuine 〈◊〉 of God they created Strato kinge After whose decease the kingdome descended to his sonne and so forth to his posteritye This was a notable aâ—… of the slames and a terrâ—…le example to the whole worlde Wherfore Aleraâ—… he great when as a long time after he made warre in tâ—…e East as a reuenger of the common tranquillity hauing wonne theâ—… Citye perforce al of them that remained after the battel in remembraunce of the murther doone in olde time by their predecessours he crucified Only the kinred of Stâ—… he preserued vnuiolated and restored the kyngdome to hys of spryng makynge newe inhabitauntes that were free 〈◊〉 and vndefiled wyth the like offence in the Ilande to the 〈◊〉 that the seruile seede and slyppe being vtterly roted oute the ofspring of the Citye mighte be as it were planted of new again The Tyrians therfore being in this wyse by the meanes of Alexander newe founded throughe they owne sparing and trauell in getting grew stâ—…oÌ„g agayne wythin a short space Before the siaughter of the masters when they abounded 〈◊〉 in richesse and in noumber of menne they sent a company of youth into Affricke and â—…ded Utâ—…a when as in the meane while the kinge of Tire deceased ordayninge for his heires his sonne Pygmalion and his daughter Elisa a mayde of very excellent beauty But the people deliuered the kingdome to Pygmalion beinge a verye childe Elisa also was marryed to her vncle Sycheus the prieste of Hercules the whiche Rome is of greatest honoure next vnto the kynge Thys manne hadde greate richesse but no manne knewe wher they were and for feare of the kinge he had hidden hys golde not in houses but in the grounde The whiche thinge though men knew not of certaintye yet it was commonlye so reported with the whyche brute Pygmalion being incensed forgetting all bonde of nature and humanity without any respect of godlynesse killed his vncle being also his brother in lâ—…e 〈◊〉 dâ—…sting her brother a greate while after for doynge of thys wicked acte at the last dissemblinge her inwarde hatred and bearinge a faire countenaunce towardes hym for the tyme practised priuely to flye away and takinge into her companye certaine of the noble men whom she knew to beare like hatred to the kinge and to haue like desyre of flyinge away she came to her brother with a pollicye she fained that she would remoue out of her owne house and come dwell with him to the entent the sighte of her husbandes house should not continually renewe her sorowe and mourninge for him whiche she coueted to forget and to the entent the bitter remembraunce of him should not any more ware before her eies Pygmalion was wel contented to hear his sister say those words because he thought she wold bring her husband Sycheus gold with her But Elisa caused the kinges seruaunts that wer lent her to help to remoue her stuffe to goo into shippes and car â–ª her richesse with them in the shutting in of the euening and when she had them a good waye from the shore she compelled them to throwe certain bagges and cofers ful of sande into the sea making them beleue it was monye Then she her selfe weping with piteous veyce besought her husband Sycheus willingly to receiue his own richesse which he had lefte behinde him and that he woulde take them for an offeringe like as they had beene the cause of his death Which doone she turned her self to the kinges seruauntes â–ª sayinge the time was come that she herselfe should receiue the death that she so sore had longe before desired and that they should abide bitter tormentes and greuous punishmentes because they had made away the richesse of her husbande Sycheus for couetousnesse of the which the king committed murther that he myghte not haue them to satisfy his gredy appetite wythal WheÌ„ she hadde put them all in this feare they were contented to beare her company in her flighte and to goo awaye with her Moreouer a great nomber of the nobility beynge in readinesse for the same purpose set forth with her and so hauing made sacrifice againe vnto Hercules whose Priest Sycheus was they forsoke their countrye to get theÌ„ a new dwelling place The first lande that they arriued at was the Isle of Cyprus where as the priest of â—…piter wyth hys
wife and children by the commaundement of the God offred himselfe to Elisa as a companion and partaker of all her fortune makinge a couenaunt with her that he and his posterity should for euermore enioy the honour of the priesthode The condition was accepted as a manifest token of good lucke It was the manner of the Cyâ—…ans to send their maidens before they shoulde be married to the seas side there to earne their mariage mony certain dais with the abuse of their bodies and to make offeringes to Venus for the preseruation of their chaâ—… all theyr lyues after Of these sort of women Elisa commaunded her meÌ„ to rauishe toureskore or there aboutes that wer virgins and to put them in the shippes to the entent her younge 〈◊〉 might haue wiâ—…es and the city â—…ase of issue While these thinges were a dooinge 〈◊〉 knowing of the flying away of his sister when as he went about to pursue her wickedly with battel he was hardly perswaded by the entretance of his mother the threatnings of the Gods to be in quiet To whoÌ„ the Prophets being enspired with the spirit of prophesy declared y â— he should not â—…skape vnpunished if he wente aboute to hinder the aduauncement of a City so fortunate as the like was skarse to be founde againe in all the world By meanes wherof they that sled had sufficient leysure and time to eskape 〈◊〉 Elisa therfore arriuinge in the coastes of Affricke moued to frendship the inhabitauntes of the place reioysinge at the comming and entercourse of marchaundise of straungers Afterward purchasing a piece of ground â–ª as muche as might be compassed about with an Oxe hide wherein she might refresh her company weary of their long iourney vntill she shoulde take her iourney again she caused the hide to beicut into long and slender 〈◊〉 by meanes where of she had a greater piece of grounde then she demaunded where vpon euer after the place was â–ª calleâ—… Byrsa Afterward by the 〈◊〉 of the neighbours of the places there aboutes which for couetousnesse of gain brought many things to sell to the strauÌ„gers and builded them houses to dwel among them at lengthe there was such a resort of men thither that it was euen as good as a city Moreouer the ambassadoures of Vtica brought pre sents to them as to their kinsfolke encouraging them to build a Citye in the selfe same place where they had purchased a dwelling the afres also were desirous to detayne the straungers still Wherfore by the good consent of all parties Carthage was builded paying a yerely rent for the ground that the city standeth vpon In the first foundation digginge was founde an Oxe heade the whiche was a signifycation that it shoulde be a verye frutefull and plentifull lande but that the Citye shoulde be alwayes labouring and alwayes in bondage Where vppon the Citye was remoued to another place There they founde a horse heade whiche signifyed that the people shoulde be warlicke and of greate power and so in that place they builded the Citye with good lucke Then shortlye after by the concourse of the Countryes there â—…boutes resorting thither for the good opinion they hadde of the newe citye it became a greate and populous towne At suche tyme as Carthage was mooste flouryshing in estate and richesse Hiarbas king of Mauritane callinge to him tenne of the Princes of the Afres commaunded them to fetche Elisa to be his wyfe anâ—… to tell â—…er that if she refused so to doo he woulde compell her by force The whiche message the ambassadoures beinge afrayde to doo to the Queene wente to woorke wyth her craftely after the nature â—…f Afres declaringe that theyr kynge demaunded some personne that could learne hym and his Afres more ciuill manners and trade of liuynge but he coulde fynde none that would vouchsafe to forsake his owne kinsfolke to go among suche barbarous people that liued after the manner of brute beastes Then beinge rebuked of the Quene that they woulde shonne anye harde kinde of liuinge for the saue garde of their Countrye for the whyche euen the very life it selfe oughte to be spent if neade shoulde so require they vttered the king their maisters commaundement saying that she must doo thâ—… selfe same thinges her selfe that she taughte others to doo if she desâ—…red the safetye of her Citye Beinge surprised by this 〈◊〉 after the time she had a great while together called vâ—…pon the name of her husbande Sycheus with manye teares and lamentable com plaint at the last she answered she would goâ—… whether as her owne destiny and the destiny of her 〈◊〉 called her Uppon this matter taking iii. monethes respit she caused a great fâ—…re to be made in the vttermost part of the city as it had bene to pacify the ghoste of her fyrst husbande and to doo sacrifice to hym before she shoulde marrye agayne Whâ—…re after the 〈◊〉 of manye beastes takynge a sword in her hand she went vp to the top of the 〈◊〉 that was set on 〈◊〉 and so loking toward the people she sayd she would go to her husband according to the kings commaundement and w th that word she thruste the sworde to her hart As longe as Carthage â–ª was vnuanquished she was worshipped for a Goddesse This Citye was builded threscore and twelue yeres before Rome whose puâ—…ssans as it was notable in the warres so in the time of peace the state was distroubled with sondry misfortunes and ciuil debate Furthermore when that amoÌ„g other mischeues they were sore vexed with the plague for the remedy therof they vsed a bloudy kinde of religion and abhominable â—…ickednesse For they offered men in sacrifyce and they killed vpon the aultares the innocent younglynges which age is wont to prouoke euen the enemy to pitye seking to paciâ—…y the Goddes with the bloude of them for whose life the Goddes are wont moost of all to be prayed vnto Therfore the Goddes being worthelye wrathe and turned from them for â—…o great w ckednesse wheÌ„ they had made warre a long time in Sicill to their vtter destruction and thervpon translated the warre into 〈◊〉 there hau ng lost the greater part of their hoste they wer vanquished in a sore fought battell For the which occasion they banished with the few that remained of his armye theyr captain Machaeus vnder whose guidance they had conqâ—…ered part of Sicill and 〈◊〉 manye greate aduentures against the afres The which thinge the men of warre taking in great displeasure sent ambassadours to carthage fyrst entreating for retourne into their countrye and for pardon of theyr vnfortunate warrefare and yet to tâ—…l theÌ„ neuerthelesse â–ª that if they might not obtaine 〈◊〉 â—…equest by entretaunce they would win it by the swordâ—… When the Ambassadoures could get nothinge neyther by fayre meanes nor by foule within a few daies after they toke shipping and came to the City all in 〈◊〉 There they protested before God and man that their
shut vp the temples of the Goddes were shut vp all ceremonies were omitted all priuate duty was laide aside they went out all to the gate and made inquisition for their frendes of those few that remained from the plague as they came oute of the shippes after the time they perceiued what was become of them for vntil then they hung betwene hope and feate not knowing of certaintye whether theyr frendes were all dead or no then a man might haue hard ouer all the coast the sorowâ—…ull sighes and sobbes of suche as lamented the pitifull howling and shriking of the vnhappye mothers and the lamentable outcries of all men on all sides Amonge these thinges comes out of his ship the poore captaine Hamilco in a filthy and beggerlye cloke girte aboute him at the sight of whome the mourners as they stoode in rankes clustered about him He him self also holding vp his hands to heauen bewailed eft his own misfortune and eft the misfortune of his countrye sometime he cried out vpon the Goddes which had taken from him so great honour attained by his warres and so great ornaments of his victories which they them selues hadde geuen him whiche after the winning of so many Cities and after the vanquishing of so many ennemies so oftentimes both by sea and by land had destroyed that victoryous army not by battel but by pestilens Wherin yet not withstanding he said he brought no small 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 countrymen in that their enemies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vaunt them selues of their calamities For thâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 able to say that they that were dead were â—…lain by them nor that they that were retourned were put to flyghte by them As for the praye that they founde in their desolate camp and caried away it was no suche that they myghte bost of it as of the spoyl taken from the vanquished ennemy but as of thinges falling into their mouthes vnloked for which they entred vpon hauinge none owner by the sodain deathes of the right owners In respect of the enemy they had come away conquerors in respect of the pestilence they wer come away vaÌ„quished And yet nothing greued him more then that he might not die amoÌ„g those most valiant men that he had bene reserued not to liue plesantly but to be as a gâ—…sing stocke for his calamities How beit assone as he had conueyed home the remnaunt of his wretched hâ—…ste vnto Carthage he wold also foloâ—… his fellowes that were gon before Wherby his counâ—…ry should perceiue that he had not liued to that daye because he was desirous of life but to the entent he wouâ—…d not by his death betray those few that the vnspeakable pestilens had spared by leauing them without a guide as besieged in the mids of the hostes of their enemies Entring into y â— city with suche an outcry â—…one as he came home to hys owne house he dismissed the multitude as the laste time that euer he purposed to speake to them and barringe in the dores to him suffring no man to come at him no not so much as his own sonnes he killed himselfe The. xxi Booke DEnnis hauinge expulsed the Carthaginenses oute of Sicill and taken the gouernment of al the whole Iland into his hand thinking it both a burtheÌ„ to the realme to kepe so many men idle and also a daungerous matter to suffer so great an army to lie stil slouthfully and do nothing conueyed hys hoste into Italy partly of purpose to quicken the strength of his souldioures by continuall laboure also to enlarge the bouÌ„ds of his Empire The first war that he had was against the Grekes that inhabited the next sea cosâ—…e of Italy The which being subdued he assailed euer the nexte vnto them and finally he proclaimed opeÌ„ war against all that bare the name of Grekes dwelling in Italy the whi che sort of people held not one part but almost al Italy at that time And ther be many cities which after so long coÌ„tinuaunce do yet at this day shew manifest tokens of the Grekish cuâ—…ome For the people of Thuscane which possesse the coast of the nether sea came out of Lydia And y t Uenetians who as we se are inhabiters of the vpper sea came vnder Antenor from Troy after the taking and destruction therof Adria also whiche is next to the Illyrian sea which gaue the name to the Adriatick sea is a greke city so is Apros the which Diomedes builded after the ouerthrow of Troy being cast vp in the same pâ—…ace by ship wrack Moreouer Pise in Lumbardy had Grekes to their founders And among y â— Thuscanes the Tarquines fetch their beginuing from the Thessalians and Spinambres And the Perusines from the Acheans What shall I say of the city Cere what shall I speake of the latine people which seme to be founded by Eneas Now the Falisces the Iapygians the Nolanes the Abelanes wer they not somtime enhabiters of Chalcis what is all the coaste of Campanie what are the Brutians Sabines what are the Sabines what are the Tarentines who as it is left in wrytinge came from Lacedemon and were called bastardes They say that Philâ—…ctetes builded the city of the Thurines whose tombe is to be sene ther at this day and the shafts of Hercules in the temple of Apollo which wer the destiny of Troâ—…e The Metapontâ—…es also haue yet to shewe in the people of Minerua the iron tooles of Epeus their firste founder wherwith he made the horse that destroyed Troy For the which cause all that parte of Italy is called the greater Grece But in the beginning of these foundations the Metapontines with the Sybarites and Crotoniens wer determined to driue all thother Grekes out of Italy Assone as they had taken the city Siris in y â— winning therof they killed before the very aultare of Minerua fifty yongmen embracing her image and her priest veiled in thattire accustomed in her ceremonies Herevpon being â—…exed with pestilens and ciuil sedition the Crotonienses went first to thoracâ—…e of Dâ—…lphos Answer was made to them that the mischief shoulde cease if they had ones appeased Minerua for working so wickedly against her Godhed and the ghostes of them that they had slaâ—…n Therfore when they had begon to carue images to set vp to the yongmen of the same bignesse that they wer being aliue and in especially vnto Minerua The MetapoÌ„tines knowing of the Oracle of the Gods thinkinge it good to work spedely in the pacifying of their ghostes and in pacifying of the gods set vp litle images of stone to the yoÌ„g men and appeasedthe Goddes with bread sacrifices And so while the one parte striued in costlinesse and the other part in swiftnesse the pestilence was ceased on both parties The Crotoniens hauing recouered helth abode not long in quiet Therfore taking displesure that in the siege of Siris the Locrines came to fighte againste them they entred vpon them by force of armes The
Millain Come Brixia Uerone Bergome Trident and Uincent The Thuscanes also with their captain Rhetus hauing losâ—…e their owne countrye tooke the Alpes and after the name of their captaine founded the nation of the Rhetians But Dennis by meanes of the tomming of the Carthaginenses into Sicil was dryuen to retuâ—…ne home for they had repaired their army wyth a greater power renued the warres which they had brokeÌ„ vp by constrainte of the pestilence The captaine of this war was Hanno of Carthage whose enemy Suniator a man at that time of the greatest power one of them in all Affricke in despyte of him wrate familierly in Greke vn to Dennis aduertising him of the comming of the army and of the cowardise of the captain but his letters were taken by the way whervpon he was condemned of treason and an act of Parliament was made that no man of Carthage should here after learne Greke letters or study the Greke tounge to the entent he should not talke wyth the ennemy or wryte vnto him without an interpretor ere it was longe after Dennis whome a litle before neither Sicilie nor Italye were able to hold being ouercome with continuall warres in battel and brought lowe at laste was slayne by the treson of hys owne subiectes The. xxi Booke AFter the time that â—…he Tiran DeÌ„ 〈◊〉 was sâ—…aine in Sicill the men of warre placed in his roume hys eldest sonne named Dennis also bothe because he was a man growen also because they thoughte the kingdome should be the stronger if it remained stil inone mans hand rather then if it shuld be deuided among his sonnes in many portions But Dennys in the beginnyng of hys raygne coueted sore to haue put to deathe hys brothers vncles as enuiers of his estate and prouokers of the children to demaund a partition of the kingdome Where vppon he dissembled his desyre a while setting his mynde to procure the fauoure of his commons thincking to doo it with lesse blame if all menâ—…e shâ—…ulde fyrste conceiue good opinyon of his doinges And therfore he let three hundred offenders out of prysonne and released the people three yeares subsidie alluringe theyr mindes by all kynde of counterfet gentlenesse that he was hable to deuise Then goynge in hande with the mischiefe he had so longe purposed he slewe not onlye his brothers kynsfolke but also hys brothers them selues in so muche hat whome he ought of righte to haue made partners of his kingdome he suffred not to be partakers of life and breth beginning to execute his tiranny vpon his owne kinred ere he proceded to worke it against straungers When he hadde dispatched hys brothers of whome as of his enemies he stode in fear he fell to slouthfulnes and throughe excessiue â—…edynge he became fatte and coarsye and gate suche a disease in his eyes that he was not able to abide the Sunne nor the dust nor finally the glistering of any light For the which causes beleuing himselfe to be had in disdaine of all men he executed moste extreme cruelty not filling the gails with prisoners as his father did but replenishing the city with slaughters for the whychthinges he was not so muche disdained as hated of al meÌ„ Therefore when he perceiued that the Syracusanes were mineded to rebel against him and bid him battel he was in doubte a great while whether it were better to depose him selfe or to withstande them by force but his men of warre in hope to haue the spoyle and sacking of the citye compelled him to stand to the triall of it by battel where beinge vanquished and attemptinge fortune the seconde time with like successe he sent ambassadoures to the Syraâ—… promising to depose himselfe from his tirannye if they would send their commissioners vnto him authorysed to conclude an agrement with him They sent y â— chief men of their City for the same purpose whome be put in custody and so sodainly ere any man 〈◊〉 therof or feared that he ment any such mischiefe against them he sent his army to destroy the city Whervppon ensued a sore and doubtfull encounter euen within the verye Citye but by reason the townes men were farre mo in noumber Dennis and his men were put backe Who fearing to be beseged if he abode in the Castle priuely fled into Italy with all his princely apparell treasure and houshold stuffe being in his banishmente receiued by his confederates the Locrines as though he had bene their rightfull kyng he tooke their fortresse and there exercised his accustomed cruelty He commaunded the noble mennes wiâ—…es to be broughte from their husbandes perforce that he myghte haue his pleasure of them the maidens when they shuld be maryed he fetched away and when he had abused theÌ„ sent theym to their spouses againe The richest and welthiest personnes eyther he draue out of the Citye or elsse caused them to be put to deathe and seised theyr goodes And when he sawe there was no more for him to catche conueniently he compassed all the whole city by a subtle inuention At such time as the Locrines were oppressed w t the warres of Leophron king of Rhegiâ—…n they made a vow that if they wan the vpper hand they wold vpon a feastfull daye of Venus set their virgins in the open stewes for all men to abuse The which vow being left vnperfourmed hauing vnfortunate warres with the Lucanes Dennis called them together before him and there exhorted them to send their wiues daughters as gorgeously apparelled decked as they could into the temple of Venus out of the which ther should be a hundred drawen by lot to perfourme the common vow the whiche for religions sake should stand in the stewes for the space of one month all their husbandes being before sworn not to haue to do with any of them And to th entent the maidens thus per forming the common vow should not be hindred therby they should make a decre that none other maid should be ensured to any husband before those other were maryed This counsel was wel alowed as in the which prouision semed to be made both for the performans of their superstitious vow allo for the preseruation of the chastity oâ—… their virgins Whervpon al the women asseÌ„bled into the teÌ„ple of Venus so gorgeously costly attired as who might be best among whom Dennis sent his men of war stripped them euery one conuertinge their iewels sumptuous ornameÌ„ts to his own gain and proâ—…it som of their hus bands being very welthy men he killed and some of the women he put to the torture to make the confesse where their husbands mony lay When he had with these such like suttleâ—…ies raigned by the space of vi yeres the Locrines conspired against him and draue him out of the city from whence he returned into Sicil and there by treson no man mistrusting any thing after so long continuauns oâ—… peace
liberty all the bondmen that were of yeres mete for the warres and toke an othe of them and put them with the mooste part of his other souldiours into his ships thinking that forasmuche as he had made them all one in estate and degre there wold be strife among them who might behaue himself most manfully All the reast he left to the defence of his country This done the seuenth yere of his raigne hauinge in hys companye his two sonnes Archagathus and Heraclida noone of his souldioures knowinge whether he wold go he directed his course into Affrick wher as all his men supposed they shuld haue gon a forraging either into Italy or elsse into the Isle of Sardinia he neuer made them priuy where about he went vntill he had set his host a land in Affricke and then he tolde theym all what he was mineded to doo He shewed theym in what case Syracuse stode for the helpe wherof there remayned none other meane but to do to their enemy as he had don to them For warres wer to be haÌ„dled otherwise at home then abrode At home a man could haue none other help then his country is able to auorde him abrode the enemy myghte be vanquished by his owne power by reason the adherents and partakers being weary of their long continued Empire would commonlye faile them and looke for the helpe of forayne Princes And to the furtheraunce hereof the cities and castels of Affricke were not enuironed with walles nor situatein mountaines but set vpon the plaine ground in open and champion fieldes without any munition or defence all the whych for feare of being destroyed woulde easely be entreated to take theyr parte in the warre Wherfore the Carthaginenses should haue whotter warres at theyr owne dores out of Affrick then oute of Sicâ—…l and aide woulde assemble from all partes against that one city grâ—…ater in name then in power wher fore he should finde the strength there which he broughte not with him Moreouer the sodain fear of the Carthaginenses shoulde be no small furtheraunce to his victorye which being amazed at the wonderful audacitye of theyr enemies wold tremble and quake for feare Besydes this to thencrease of the same they should behold the burning of their villages the beatinge downe of theyr castles and holdes the sacking of the stoburne cities and finallye the besiegement of Carthage it selfe by all the which things they should well fele that they them selues laye as open to the warres of other men as other men lay open to the warres of them By the which meanes not only the Carthaginenses might be vanquished but also Sicill be sette at liberty For their ennemies woulde not lie styll at the siege there when they should hear that theyr owne were in ieoperdy Wherfore they could not haue deuised where to haue founde a more easy warfare nor a more ryche and 〈◊〉 praye For had they ones taken Carthage the conqueroures shoulde haue all Affricke and Sicill in reward for their labour And the glorye and renowne of so honourable a warfare shuld be so great as that it might neuer be forgâ—…tten while the world stands so that it shuld be said that they only hade beene the men whyche hadde turned the warre vpon their enemies heades which they could not out stand at home in theyr own country which of theyr owne accord had perased and pursued vpon theyr conqueroures and whiche had besieged the besiegeâ—…s of their citye Therfore they oughte all with valâ—…aunte and chearfull harts enterprise that â—…atre then the whiche there could a neither any greater rewarde be geuen them if they wan the victorye nor more honorable monument if they were ouercome With these and suche like enforcementes the harts of his souldiers were greatlye encoraged But the sight of a wonder that happened troubled theyr mindes because that as they sailed the Sunne was Eclipsed Of the which thing the kinge was as carefull to geue them a due reason as of the warre affirmynge that if it had hapned before theyr setting forth it might haue bene thought that the wonder had manased them that wer to set forth But now for as much as it chaunced after they wer com forthe it threatned them againste whome they wente Furthermore the Eclipsing of the naturall Planets dyd alwaies alter the present estate of thinges Wherefore there was none other thinge mente but that the estate of Carthage florishinge in welth and richesse and his estate oppressed with aduersitye muste suffer an alteration and exchaunge When he had thus comforted his souldiours by the consent of his army he set all his shippes on fire to th entent they might all knowe that seinge there was no helpe in running away they must either win or elsse dye Afterwarde when that they bare downe all that came in their way which way so euer they went settinge townes and castels on fyre Hanno captaine of Carthage met theÌ„ with thirty thousand Afres in the which encounter was slain of the Sicilians two and of the Carthaginenses iii. M and the captain him self through his victory the harts of the Sicilians were strengthened and the hartes of the Carthaginenses discouraged Agathocles hauing vanqui shed his enemies wan cities and holdes toke greate booties and prayes and slue many thousand of his enemies Then he pitched his campe about v. miles of from Carthage to th entent they might behold from the vâ—…ry wals of the city the losse of their dearest thinges with the wasting of their fieldes and the burning of theyr villages In the meane time there went a great brute ouer all Affricke of the ouerthrowe and slaughter of the Carthaginien army and of the cities that were won Wherat euery man was amased and wondered how so great an Empire should haue so sodain an ouerthrow in espetially by an enemy all ready vanquished This wonderment turned by little and little into disdaine of the Carthaginenses For ere it was long after not onlye Affricke but also the chefest cities there aboutes folowing this sodain alteration reuolted to Agathocles and aided hym both with victual and monye Besides these aduersities of the Carthaginenses to the augmentation of their miserable cala mities it hapned that their captain withal his army was vtterly destroyed in Sicil. For after the departure of Agathocles oute of Sicill the Carthaginenses became more siouthful and negligent in their siege at Syracuse which thing Antander the brother of king Agathocles espyinge issued out vpon them and sâ—…ue them vtterlye euerychone wherof sorowful tidinges were broughte to Carthage Therefore for as muche as the Carthaginenses had like misfortune abrode as at home here vpon not only the tributary cities but also the kings that were in league and amity with them waying freship by fortune and not by faithfulnesse reuolted from them Amonge others there was one Ophellas king of Cyrene who vpon a wycked hope gapinge for the dominion of all Affricke entered in
to liue vppon the spoyle made the country so hot that no man almost durste stirre abroade Dennis therfore king of Sicil being in manner wearyed with the continuall complaintes of his confederates sent ouer syre hundred Afres to suppresse them whose castle by the treason of a woman called Brutia they won and there builded a city which was soone peopled by the confluens of the shepheardes resorting thither vpon hope of the new city and they called them selues Brutians after the name of the woman The firste warre that they had was with the Lucanes the authors of their begynninge With the which victory being encouraged and hauynge concluded an equall and indiâ—…erent peace with theÌ„ they conquered their other neighbours by the sword and they gat so great richesse and power within a while that they seemed pernitious and able to doo displeasure euen vnto kinges Finally A lerander king of Epire comminge into Italy with a great hoste to the aid of the Greke Cityes was wythall his army by them vtterly destroyed Wher vppon their cruelnesse being enflamed wyth contynuall successe of prosperity became terrible to their neighbors a long time after At the last Agathocles beinge called to help in hope to enlarge his kingdome passed out of Sicilie into Italy As he was comming toward them for fear of his puissaunce they sent their ambassadoures to hym requesting him of peace and frendship Whome Agathocles biddinge to supper to the entent they shoulde not see the shippinge of his armye appoynted to common wyth them the next day and so in the meane while toke shippe priuely and stale ouer from them But the ende of thys fraude was not to be reioâ—…sed at For within a few daies after he was constrained to retourne into Sicill by the force of a disease wherwith he was taken ouer all his body â–ª the pestilent humor spreding it self throughe euery sinew and ioynt as thaugh that euery member had ben at ciuil war one against another Of the whiche no hope of recouery appering there arose war betwene his sone and his nephew eche of them chalenging the kingdome as if he had bene dead all redy in the which his son was slain and his nephew vsurped the kingdom Agathocles therfore when he saw the grief of his disease the thought of his minde stil greuouser and greuouser eche encreasyng by the furtherance of the other being vtterly in despair caused his wife Theogen to take his two litle soÌ„nes that he hadde begotten of her withal his treasure housholde houshold stuffe and princelye furniture appertaining vnto him of which no king was better stored then he was and to saile into Egipte from whence he tooke her to hys wife for feare least his nephewe who had robbed hym of his kingdom shuld also play the enemy with them How be it his wife entreted him earnestly a great while that she mighte not be drawen from him in his sicknesse least her departure might be worthely likened to the murther done by his nephew and men might reporte that she had as cruelly abandoned her husbande as he had supplanted his graundfather saying that when she was marryed to him he toke her not to be his companion and partaker of prosperitye onlye but of all other fortune what so euer should happen Wherfore it should not greue her to loose her life so she mighte tarye with her husband to the laste gaspe and according to her duty as she was bouÌ„d of loue and womanhode to do see him honorably entred whyche thing were she ones gone no man would take vpon hym to do When the litle ones should goo away they embraced their father and held him aboute the necke wepynge and crying oute on the other side the wife as she that neuer loked to se her husband more had neuer done kissyng him And it was a lamentable thing to se how pitâ—…ouslye thold man wept the children bewailing the father ready to die and the father moning his banished children The one sorowing to leaue their sicke and diseased olde father all alone as desolate the other lamentinge to leaue hys sonnes in penury whom he had begotten to inherite his kingdome Moreouer all the palace range with the noyse of such as stode about weping and sorowing to se â—…o cruel a deuorce and departure At the lengthe the necessitye of their forced departing was the end of their wepyng and the death of the king ensued immediatly vpon the departure of the children While these thinges were a doinge the Carthaginenses hauing intelligence howe the world went in Sicil thincking good occasion to be geuen theÌ„ of recouering the whole Iland sailed thither with a greate power subdued manye cities The same time Pyrrhus made warre against the Romains who as is said before beinge desired to come to the ayde of the Sicilians when he came to Syracuse and hadde subdued many Cityes he was proclaimed king of Sicil like as he was of Epyre. In the prosperous successe of which things greatly reioysing he appoynted that his sonne Heleu should be king of Sicil as in the righte of his graundfather for he was begotten of king Agathocles daughter and his sonne Alexander should be king of Italy After this he foughte many prosperous battels with the Carthaginenses Wythin a while after there came ambassadors from his conâ—…ederates in Italy bringing him word that it was not possible to make resistens againste the Romaines but that they must nedes yeld onlesse he reseued them Being troubled with so doutful a daunger and not knowing what to do or which of them he might rescue fyrst he toke spedy aduice as concerning both For the one side the Carthaginises assailed him and on the other side the Romaines so that it semed a daungerous matter not to passe his army into Italy and yet more daungerous to lead his hoste 〈◊〉 of Sicil least the one should be lost for want of succoure or the other by withdrawing his helpe from them In this rage of daungers the sureâ—… hauen of all other counsels and aduises semed to be fyrst with al his power to try the matter in Sicil and then hauing vanquished y â— Carthaginenses to transport his victorious army into Italy Therfore all be it he gate the vpper hande in that battel yet notwithstanding for as muche as he went hys way out of Sicil he was accompted to run away as a vaÌ„quished person and therefore his alies and confederates reuolted from him By meanes wherof he lost the kyngdome as lightly as he came by it easly Furthermore finding no better successe in Italye then he had in Sicill be retired into Epire. The wonderfull chaunce of bothe is to be noted for ensample For euen as before throughe prosperous fortune all things flowing beyond his desire and expectation he had gotten the Empire of Italye and Sicill with so manye victories againste the Romaines so now when fortune had chaunged her copy as it were
in Asia in the meane season beinge vanquished in Sicill by the Carthaginenses in a battel on the sea sente his ambassadoures to Antigonus kinge of Macedone for a freshe crewe of souldioures sending him worde that if he sent them not hee should be constrained to retire into his kingdome and to seeke to make that conquest vpon him whiche he was about to make vppon the Romaines Whan hys ambassadoures brought him word he shuld none haue he fained an excuse and sodenly departed from thence Wylling his confederates to lay for the warres in the meane season he betoke the keping of the castle of Tarent to his sonne Heleâ—… and his frend Milo Assone as he was returned into Epyre forth with he 〈◊〉 the borders of Macedone with whome Antigonus met with an hoaste of men and being put to the worse was faine to 〈◊〉 And so all Macedone yelded vnto Pyrrhus Whervpon as if he had recoÌ„pensed the los of Sicil Italy with the gain of Macedon he sent for his sonne Heleu his freÌ„d Milo that he had left at Tarent Antigonus whâ—… was fled with a few of his horsmen being sodenly bereft of al thornaments of fortune to th entent to marke what wold become of his kingdom y â— he had lost conueyed himselfe into the city Thessalonica that if occasion serued he might hire the french souldiers and renue the war from thence But being vtterly vanquished again by Ptolomy the son of king Pyrrhus eskaping with no mo but only vii of his retinue he neuer hoped to recouer his kyngdoÌ„ but sought caues and wildernesses where to saue his life Pyrrhus therfore being enstalled in the siege royall of so great a kingdome not content to haue attained to that that he could scarsly haue wished for begaÌ„ to practise how to win thempire of Grece and Asia Neither toke he any more plesure of his Empire then of his warres neyther was ther any manable to withstand the force of Pyrrhus whoÌ„ he once assailed But as he had no pier in coÌ„quering of kingdoms so did he as lightly for go them when he had ones won them gotten them So much did he more study endeuor to win kingdoms then to kepe them Ther fore when he had transported his army ouer from Chersonesus ther receiued him thambassadors of th Athenies the Acheans and the Messenians Yea and al the Grekes for the renoun of his name for that they wer astonied at his noble dedes against the Romains CarthagineÌ„ses awaited his comming there The first war y â— he had was with the Lacedemonians where he was receiued wyth greater valiantnesse of the women then of the meÌ„ Ther he lost his son Ptolomy the strongest part â—…f all his army For when he assaulted the town such a sort of womeÌ„ came running to the defence of the citye that he was not more valiantly vaÌ„quished theÌ„ shamefully driueÌ„ to retire Furthermore his son Ptolomy is reported to haue bene so couragious and so stout a man of his hands that wyth lx men he toke the city Corcyra by force And also in a batel vpon the sea out of a cock bote he lepte with vii of hys men into a gally and won it And last of all in thassault of Sparta he brake with his horse into the mids of the city ther was ouerpressed with the number of his enemies and slain Whose body when it was brought to his father Pyrrhus it is reported he should saye that he was slayne somwhat later then he loked for or then his owne folishe hardinesse deserued Pyrrhus when he had taken the repulse at Sparta went to Argos Ther whiles he endeuâ—… red to get Antigonus into his hands whom he had besieged in the city as he fought moost valiantlye among the thickest he was slain with a stone throwen from the wal His hed was cut of and brought to Antigonus who vsing the victory gentilly sent home his sonne Helen with hys Epyrotes which wer yelded vnt ohim into his kingdom without raunsome and deliuered him his fathers body y â— lay vnburied to cary home with him into his country It is a constant report amongste all authors that there was not any kinge either in those daies or in the latter tymes before worthy to be compared vnto Pyrrhus and that it was a hard matter to finde any not only among kynges but also among other famous men either of more holy liuing or of more tried approued iustice and as for know ledge in cheualry and feates of armes there was so much in him that wheras he had continuall warres with Lystmachus Demetrius and Antigonus kinges of so greats power and puissaunce yet was he neuer ouercome by any of theÌ„ neither was he euer brought to so low an ebbe but that he was able to matche the Illyrians Sicilians Romaines and Carthaginenses at all times yea and som times to get the vpper hand of them By meanes whereof throughe the fame of his noble actes and the renownâ—… of his name he made his country famous and renoumed ouer all the worlde beinge of it self before his time bothe small and of no reputation â–ª The. xxvi Booke AFter the death of Pyrrhus there arose very great and troublesome warres not onlye in Macedone but also in Asia and Grece For the Peloponnesians being betraied vnto Antigonus and according as men wer either striken in fear or els prouoked to gladnesse lyke as euery city hoped for succour at Pyrrhus hande or stode in dreade of him euen in like case either they entered in leage with Antigonus or els vppon malice and hatred fell together by the eares amonge them selues In the time that the prouinces were in this turmoyle Arystotimus a noble man of the realme toke perforce the chiefe citye of the Epyrotes and made himself king who after that he hadde put many of the head menne to deathe and driuen 〈◊〉 of them into exile when as the Aetolians required by their ambassadors that he should restore vnto the banished meÌ„ their wiues and children at the fyrst he denied to doo it Afterward as thoughe he had repented him he gaue all the Ladies and gentlewomen leaue to goo to theyr husbandes and appoynted a day when they shuld take theyr iourny The Ladies as they that thought to liue all their liues in exile with theyr husbands toke al the preciousest iewels and best thinges that they had with theym But assone as they were all come to the gate of purpose to go in one company together he spoyled them of all that euer they had slue the litle children in their mothers bosomes threw the mothers them selues into prison and rauyshed the maidens All menne beinge amased at this hys cruell 〈◊〉 a noble manne of the realme named Helemate being an old man and without childre as one that in respect of his yeres in that he was childlesse was voyde of al fear called home to his house
put in greate feare at the contemplation of his excessiue cruelty and to reuenge the deathe of her whome they purposed to haue defended they yelded them selues to Ptoloâ—…y Who doutlesse subdued all the kingdome of 〈◊〉 if he had not ben driuen to retire home to suppresse an insurrection in Egypt So great hatred did that wicked and abhominable murdering of his owne brother purchase the one party the vnworthy death of his sâ—…ster so cruelly killed purchase fauor to thother party After the departure of Ptolomy Seleucus hauing gathered together a great flete against the cities that had reuolted soâ—…enly as it were by the vengeans of the Gods for his horrible murder by meanes of a grâ—…at tempest loste all his flete by 〈◊〉 And of all that great furniture for the warres fortune lefte him not any thing at all more then his naked bodye and his life and a few companions eskapinge with him from shippewracke It was surelye a miserable case but yet suche a one as Seleucus coulde not haue wished the lyke for hys owne behofe For the cities which for hatred y â— they bare towards him had reuolted vnto Ptolomy as though they had bene satisfied with the punishmente that the Goddes as indifferent iudges had laid vppon him throughe a sodain mutation of â–ª theyr mindes being moued to pity him by reason of his shipwracke submitted them selues vnder his dominion again Where vpon â—… eioysinge in his happy aduersity and beinge made richer by his losses as one now able to match him in power and strengthe he made warre against Ptolomy But as if he had beene borne for none other purpose but for fortune to make her laughing stocke of him or as if he had recouered so great welth and power of the kingdome for none other entent then to lose them again he was vanquished in battel and eskapynge from the fielde not muche better accompanied then after his shipwrack fearfully conueyed himself into antioche From theÌ„ce he directed letters to his brother Antiochus wherin he besought him of his help offeringe him in reeompence of his pains all Asia that 〈◊〉 wythin the precinct of the mountaine Taurus Antiochus beinge of the age of xiiii yeres but yet couetous of dâ—…minion aboue his yeres toke thoccasion ere it came to the ground not with so frendly hart as it was offered For the boye couetynge like a theefe to berene his brother of all his whole kyngedome was as bolde and hardy in executinge his wâ—…ckednesse as if he hâ—…d bene a man Whâ—…vpon he was 〈◊〉 named 〈◊〉 because he spente his life in takinge othâ—…r mennes goodes away wrongfully not after the manner of a man but after the manner of a Gosse â—…auke In the meane time Ptolomye hearinge that Antiochus came to reskew Seleucus to 〈◊〉 he 〈◊〉 not hâ—…ue warre with two at once toke a truce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. yeres But the peace that was geuen by his enemy was brokeÌ„ by his brother â—…ho hiring an hoste of the french souldioures in stead of helpe vrought warre and in steade of a brother shewed himself an ennemy â—…n thâ—…t battel throughe the puissaunce of the french men â–ª Antiochus gate the vpper hand But the frenchmen supposing thaâ—… Seleucus haâ—… beene slaine in the batâ—…ell tourned theyr weapons againste 〈◊〉 himselfe thincking to waste the country of Asia the more frely wythout feare or checke if they mighte vtterlye destroye the bloude royall whiche thinge when Antiochus ones perceiued hee was faine to raunsome himselfe for monye as if it had bene from râ—…bbers and entered in league of society with his hired souldiers In the meane season Emnenes king of Bythiâ—…a perceiuâ—…ng the brothers to be consumed and dispersed throughe intestiue â—…cord among them seluâ—…s intending to inuade tâ—…e wanderinge possession â—…f 〈◊〉 assailed the conqueror antiochus and his frenchmen and by reson that they wer yet sore and wearye of theyr late conflicte and his menne stronge and lusty he easely put them to the worse For at that tyme all the warres thatwere made tended euer to the destruction of asia euerye manne that coulde make him self strongest 〈◊〉 vpon asia as his pray The. ii brothers eleurus and antiochus made warre for asia Ptolomye kinge of Egipte vnder pretence of reuengynge his sisters deathe gaped for asia On the one sode Emnenes kynge of Bythinia and on the other syde the french menne the common hire lynges wasted asia but among so many robbers there was none to be found that would once set in his fote to defende Asia After that Antiochus was vanquished and that Emnenes had seysed into his handes the mooste parte of Asia the brothers could not yet agree for all y â— the pray was loste for which they striued so sore but leauynge the forain ennemy they renued the warre one to destroye another In the whyche Antiochus being againe vanquished and wearyed wyth flying many dayes together at length came to his father in lawe Artamenes kinge of Cappadocia Of whome at the fyrâ—…e he was gently entertained But within a fewe dayes after vnderstanding that he went about to entrap him for the sauegarde of his life he fledde agayne from thence Therfore when he saw he could not rest in safetye in no place he was fayne to resort for succoure to hys ennemy Ptolomy whose faith he thoughte to be more stedfast then his brothers considering eyther what â—…e would â—…aue done to his brother or what he had deserued at hys brothers hand But Ptolomye by this his yealdynge and submission made not so much his frend as his ennemye commaunded him to be kept in straighte prisonne From thence also antiochus eskaped by the healpe of a certayne harlot with whome he had had familiare companye but hauing eskaped from his kepers as he fled theues mette him and killed him Seleucus wel nie about the same instant hauing lost his kingdom fell of his horse and brake hys necke So bothe the brothers as it were by lyke miffortune like outlawes after the losse of their kingdomes suffered due punyshements for theyr vngratious doinges The. xxviii Booke OLympias the daughter of Pyrrhê° king of the Epyrotes hauing lost her husband alexaÌ„der which was also her owen brother when she had taken vpon her the bringyng vp and keepinge of Pyrrhus and Ptolomy the sonnes whom he had begotten by her and the gouernement of the realme she was compelled by the aetolians whiche went aboute to take perforce from her a part of acaruania whiche she being mother and protector of the children had receiued to helpe to maintaine the warres withall to resorte for succoure to Demetrius kinge of Macedone and vnto him hauynge a wife all readye the sister of antie chus kinge of Syria she gaue her daughter Phithia in mariage to the entent she might get the help at his hand by right of affinity which she could not get for pity and compassion The marryage therfore was
was not any man that spared his life in the battel there was not any woman that wept for the losse of her husband The olde men commended the deathe of theyr sonnes and the sonnes reioysed that theyr fathers were slaine in the fielde Euery man lamented hys owne chaunce that they had not died for the libertye of theyr countrye The fathers and mothers receyued into theyr houses all suche as were wounded healed suche as were wounded healed suche as were hurte and recomforted suche as were stricken downe And in all thys busynesse there was not in the city any outcry or any wringyng of handes there was not any trembling for feare euery maÌ„ bewailed more the common misfortune then hys owne priuate case While these thinges were in doinge Cleomenes theyr king after he had made a great slaughter of his enemies being all on a gore bloude as well with hys owne woundes as with the bloud of his enemyes came among them and â—…hen he was entered the citye he sate not downe to rest him he called not for meat nor drinke no nor ones put of his harnesse but leaninge hys backe to a wall when he saw there remained no mo but only iiii thousand of his men from the battel he exhorted them to reserue themselues to some other time when thei might be able to doo theyr countrye better seruice And then with his wife and children He went his way into Egipt to king Ptolomy of whome he was honorably entertained and liued a long time in great fauor and estimatyon with him like a king But at the last after the decease of Ptolomy he and all his houshold were slain by his sonne Antigonus hauing made so greate a slaughter of the Lacedemonians toke pity of the misfortune of so worthye a city and therfore would not suffer his souldiours to sacke it but pardoned all that remained aliue protâ—…stynge that he made the warre against Cleomenes and not agaynst the Lacedemonians whome for as muche as he had dyscomfited and put to flight all his wrathe was at an ende wherfore he thought it should stand more with his honor to saue their city then to destroy it Nowe seing there remained no mento shew his mercy vpon he said he wold shew it vpon the soyle of the Citye and vpon the houses It was not longe after but that Antigonus dyed and left his kingdome to Phillip a childe of xiiii yeres of age The. xxix Booke ABout the very same season there happened an alteration almost in all the kingdomes of the worlde by the successyon of yong kynges For in Macedone Philippe after the decease of his protector Antigonus who also was his father in law toke the kingdome vpon him being but. xiiii yeres olde In Asia Seleucus being slaine Antiochus as yet vnder the age of xiiii yeares was made kynge The kingdome of Cappadocia was surrendred by his father to Ariarathes beinge a verye childe Ptolomy who for the wickednesse of his offence was in derision surnamed Philopater slue his father and mother and vsurped the kingdome of Egipt But the Lacedemonians in stead of Cleomenes subrogated Lycurgus And for because there shoulde be store of alterations in those times Hannibal being as yet skarse manne growen was made captaine of Carthage not because there was skarsity of men of more yeres and experience but for the natural hatred that was knowen to be rooted in him againste the Romaines euen from his verye childhode born to the vtter destruction not so muche of the Romaines as of his own countrye of affricke Nowe allbeit theese children kinges had no auncient and graue protectors appoynted to haue the 〈◊〉 of them â—…et notwithstanding euery one of them so ententiuely pursued the steps of their auncestors that there was great likelihode of prowesse and actiuity in them Only Brolomy as he was wicked in vsurping the kingdome so was he also â—…outhful and negliget in gouerninge of the same The Dardanians other people that were borderers who â—…are as it were an immortal hatred to the kinges of 〈◊〉 disdaining Phillip by reason he was so yong troubled him continuallye On the contrary part Phillip when he had put his enemyes to flight being not content to haue defeded his own purposed to make war against the aetolians As he was imagining and deuisinge howe to enterprise the matter Demetrius king of Iliyria being lately vanquished by Paul câ—…nsul of Rome came to him as an humble suter making complaint of the wrong that the Romaines had done vnto him who being not content to kepe them sclues within the boundes of Italy but of a wicked desire coueting thempire of the whole world made war withal kinges Alledging that for the like couetousnesse of the Empyre of Sicil of Sardinia of Spain and consequently of all affricke they had entered into war with Hannibal and the Carthaginenses and that they had made war vpon hym also for none other occasion but only y â— he was next neigh bor vnto Italy as though it were not lawful for any king to dwell neare the borders of their Empire Wherfore it was good for antiochus to take ensample how to beware by other men whose kingdome the nobler and nearer it was to the Romaines so muche should he finde them his fiercer enemies Moreouer he professed that he was contented to surrender his right and title to him of the king dome whiche the Romaines hadde by force taken from him Saying it should lesse greue him and that he coulde better finde in his hart to se his neighbour and his frend rather then his enemy enioy the possession of his kingdoÌ„ With this and suche other like talke he perswaded Phillip to leaue the aetolians and to tourne the brunte of the warre against the Romaines so much the rather because he thought they shoulde be the lesse able to resist him by reason as he hard say they had lately before bene vanqui shed by Hannibal at the lake of Thrasymenus Therfore because he would not be charged with manye warres at ones he made peace with the aetolians not as that they shoulde thincke he did it to the entent to make warre in another place but as thoughe it had bene for some great regard that he had of the quietnesse of all Grece y e which he affirmed was neuer in the like pearill and ieoperdye by meanes of the newe Empires of the Romaynes and Carthaginenses latelye risen vp in the west whyche had none other let or stop to kepe them out of Grece and Asia but only this while they were trying by the sworde which of them should beare the soueraintye For whiche party so euer gate the vpper hand the same would imme diatlye vpon the victorye passe directly into the East Therfore he saw suche a cloude of cruel and bloudye war rising out of Italy he saw suche a roring and thundering storme comming out of the west that into what parte of the world so euer
the violent force of the victorye shoulde driue the tempest therof it was like to washe all thinges with a terrible and bloudy shour He said that Grece had oftentimes before suffered great trouble by the war◅es somtime of the Persians sometime of the frenchmen and sometime of the Macedones but they shoulde fynde that all that euer is paste was but a sporte If those armyes which now were fighting in Italye shoulde once spreade them selues into Grece For he sawe well inoughe howe cruell and bloudy bothe with puissaunce of hostes and policye of captaines those two peoples made warre one against another The whiche rage certainly coulde not be ended in the only destruction of one of the partyes wyth out the ruine and decay of suche as were next neighbors Wherefore Grece had more cause a greate deale to be afraid of the cruelty of whether party so euer gate the vpper hand then Macedone both because Macedone is further of from them and of more strength to defend it self And yet he knew for a certaintye that those that encountered now with so great puissaunce would not be conten ted to end their conquest so but that he himself shuld haue cause to sear least he be driuen to haue to doo with them that should get the vpper hand Hauinge vnder this pretence broke vp his ◅age against the Aetolians minding nothing saue the warres of the Carthag◅enses and Romaines he waied with himself the power and abilities of them bothe Neither were the Romaines all be it the Carthaginenses and Hannibal were then in manner rea dy to light vpon their necke voyde of feare of warre out of Macedone also For they stode in dreade of it bothe for the auncient prowesse and actiuitye of the Macedones for renowne of their conquestes in the East and also for Philip himselfe who was enflamed with an earnest desyre to become equall to Alexander in knighthoode and cheualry and whome they knew to be forwarde and actiue in feates of armes Phillip therfore when he vnderstode that the Carthaginenses hadde vanquished the Romaines again sent his open defiaunce vnto them and began to builde a fleete wherin to transport his armye into Italy Furthermore he sent an ambassador with letters to Hanniball to conclude a league and society with him Who being taken by the way and brought before the senate was sent away withoute anye harme or displeasure done vnto him not for any good wil they bare to the king his master but to th entent that of a suspected frende they would not make him an open ennemye But afterwarde when it was reported that Philip was transporting hys armye into Italye they sent the Pretor Leuinus wyth a nauye wel decked and furnished to stoppe him of his passage Who after he was arriued in Grece with hys faire and large promises compelled the Aetolians to take war in hand against Phillip And on the other side Phillip did what he could to perswade the Aetolians to make warre against the Romains In the mene time the Dardanians began to waste the borders of Macedone and hauing led away xx M. prisoners ▪ constrained Philip to retire home from inuading the Romaines to the defence of hys owne kingdome While those thinges were a doinge the Pretor Leuinus entring in league with kinge Attalus wasted the country of Grece With the whiche losse and destruction the cities being stricken in fear sent diuers am bassades to Philip desiring aid of him The king of Illyria also his next neighboure bordering vppon the one side of Macedone made incessant sute that he should perfourme his promise Besides the Macedones called vpon him instantly to reuenge the wasting of his own country with the which so many and so waightye matters he was sore enuironed and as it were besieged at ones that he wyste not which to remeady first Yet notwithstanding he promised to se◅d succors to eury one of them ere it wer-lōg But because he was hable to perfourme as muche as he promised but to th entent that by putting them in hope of comfort he might kepe them his frendes stil. But y ◠first viage that he toke in hand was against the Dardanians who watchinge the time to finde him from home determined to take their aduaūtage and to inuade Macedone with a greater puissaunce in his absence Also hee made peace with the Romaines and so being contented to haue delayed the Romaine warres againste Macedone for the time he laid wait to entrap Philopemenes Duke of the Acheans who as it was reported to him stirred the Romaines and the mindes of his confederates against him But the Philopemenes hauing knowledge therof and so auoiding the danger of the same compelled the Acheans by his authoritye to rebelle against him The. xxx Booke DUringe the time that Phillippe w◅s earnestly occupied aboute greate and ◅aightye affair◅s in Macedone Ptolomy behaued himselfe cleane contrary wise in Egipt For after he had obtained the kingdome by murtheryng of bothe his parentes and that he had moreouer killed his owne brother as thoughe he hadde afchieued all thinges prosperously he gaue hym selfe to ryot And all the realme followed the steppes of theyr king By meanes wherof not onlye hys noble men and Officers but also all his men of warre laying a side the exercise of cheualry and feates of armed vtterly wasted and spoiled them selues wyth slouthe and idlenesse Antiochus kinge of Syria who therof beinge prince through a certain old grudge betwene those two raised a power sodainly and wan many cities from him and entred forceably into Egipte Ptolomy trembled for feare and besought Antiochus by his ambassadours that he would respite him but so long as he mighte raise a power Afterward hauing hired a great host out of Grece he fought a prosperous battel and he had vtterly berefte Antiochus of his kingdome if he had anye thinge furthered his good fortune wisdome and audacity But he was content with the recouery of the Cities that he ▪ had lost and so concluding a peace desirously tooke the occasion of quietnesse when it was offered him and so wallowinge againe into his olde accustomed ◅outhfulnesse he sl◅we his wife Eurydice beinge hys owne syster through the enticementes of a harlot called Agathoclea with whom he was taken in loue And so forgetting quite the renoume of his nauy and the maiesty of his kingdome he spent the nightes in lechery and the daies in feastinge and bankettinge Besides this the more to encrease and enflame his lecherous appetite withall he had at his feastes musicall drincking and dansing Neither could the king nowe content himselfe to beholde and heare others but also like a master of naughtinesse would play vppon instrumentes and daunce to the same These were the fyrst plagues and preuy maladies which afterward were the ruine and decay of the kinges house For within a while after they grewe to suche a licentious libertye and the harlot waxed so bolde that the
walles of the court were not able to holde her Whome being of herselfe proud and arrogant inough thvnspekeable lechery that the king vsed daily with her brother Agathocles a strompet of more beauty then was requisite in a man made yet more stately and arrogant And to the encreasemente thereof made also her mother Euanthe whiche with her daliaunce and enticementes had so allured the kinges harte vnto her that he had begotten two children of her By meanes wherof beinge not contente with the kinge now they helde the kingdome also nowe they muste come abrode to be seene in the open face of all the world now they must be saluted now they muste be waited vpon Agathocles sitting cheke by cheke with the kinge ruled the citye at his owne pleasure The women disposed marshalships of the hoste lieuetenanâ—… shippes of prouinces and captainships as pleased them so that ther was no man in all his realme that could do lesse then the kyng him selfe At the length he died leauing a sonne behinde hym of fiue yeres old by his sister Eurydice But whiles the women went about to spoile the treasure and made confede racy with the wickeddest personens that could be picked out to the entent to depriue the righte heire of his kyngdome his death was kept secrete a greate while after he was dead Neuerthelesse assone as y â— matter cam to light the people ran vpon Agathâ—…cles and sâ—…ue him and the women in reuengement of Euryâ—…ice were hanged vp vpon gibets The notorious inâ—…amy of the realme being thus purged and put away by the death of the king and the punishment of the harlots the men of Alexandria sente ambassadors to the Romaines desiring them to take vppon them the protection of their OrphaÌ„ king and the gouernment of the kingdome of Egipt the which they auouched that Philip and aâ—…d had already bought and solde betwene them selues entending to part it betwixt them The Romaines wer vâ—…ry glad of that ambassade as they that soughte occasion of war against Phillip to be râ—…uenged for his lying â—…n wait to do them displesure in the time of their warres with the Carthagiâ—…enses Besides this after the time they had subdued the Carthaginenses and driuen away Hanniball they feâ—…red no mannes pâ—…ssans more then Phillips râ—…counting with 〈◊〉 selues what a stir â—…yrrhus had kept in â—…taly with so small a handfull of Macedones and how great aduâ—…ntures and enterprises y e Macedones had atchiâ—…ued in the East Herâ—…vpon ambassadors were sent to Antiochus and Phillip willing them not to medle with the kingdome of Egipt Furthermore M. Lepidus was sent into Egipt to take vppon hym the protection of the childe thadministration of the realme While these thinges were a doing â–ª the ambassâ—…doures of Attalus kingâ—… of Pergaâ—…us and the ambassadors of the Rhodians came to Rome to complain of the wrongs that king Philip had don vnto them The which thing caused the Senate to goo in hand with the warres of Macedone forthwith For vnder pretence of aiding their coÌ„federates war was decreed against Phillip and a consull was sent with an army into Macedone And ere it was long after all Grece vpon truste of the Romaines rose against Phillip in hope to recouer their â—…uncient liberty made war vpon him By meanes wherof the king was so assaulted on euery side that he was constrained to desyre peace When the articles of peace should be propounded by the Romains both Attalus the Rhodians the Acheans the Aetolians demauÌ„ded restitution of that that had ben theirs On thother side Philip graunted y â— he could finde in his hart to be ruled bi the Romains but he said it was an vnsemely matter that the Grekes being vanquished by his predecessors Philip and Alexander subdued vnder the yoke of the Empire of Macedone should like conquerors prescribe him articles of peace and not rather be driuen to a strait accoÌ„pt for their disobediens or euer thei ought to chalenge any libertye Neuerthelesse at lengthe by much intretaunce they graunted him truce for ii moneths In the which time the peace y â— could not be agreed vpon in Macedone might be requested of the Senate at Rome The same yere betwene the Ilands of Theramene Therasia in the mid way betwene both shores ther was a great earthquake in the sea By means of y â— which to the great admiration of such as sailed that way sodeÌ„ly out of the depe floted vp an Iland with hot waters And in Asia the very same day another earthquake shaked the Rhodes and many other cities throwing downe the houses and buildings wherof some wer swalowed vp whole At the which wonder all men wer sore afraid the soutâ—… sayers prophesied that the Romain Empire then beginning to spring vp shuld deuour thold Empire of the grekes and Macedones In the meane season the peace was reiected by the senate whervpon Phillip sollicited the tyrant Nauis to take his part against the Romains and so wheÌ„ he had brought his host into the field his ennemyes standing in order of battel against him he began to encorage his men rehersing how the Macedones had conquered and subdued the Persians the Bactrians the IndiaÌ„s and to be short all Asia euen to the vttermooste border of the East Sayinge that so muche more force and courage ought to be shewed in this battel then in the other as liberty is a thing of greater price then dominion Flaminius also the Romaine Consull in like manner encouraged his men to the encounter by puttinge them in rememberaunce of the thinges atchieued latelye before Shewing them how on the one side Carthage and Sicil wer conquered and on the other side Italy and Spain recouered by the prowesse and puissance of the Romaines and that Hanniball was nothinge inferioure to great Alexander who being ones driuen oute of Italye they had subdued Affricke the third part of the world And yet the Macedones were not to be esteamed by the auncyent renowâ—…e of theyr predecessoures but accordinge to the power and strength that they were of at that present For they shoulde not encounter with greate Alexander who was reported to be inuincible nor with his armye that conquered all the East but with Philip a child yet skarce come to yeres of discretion who had much a do to defend his kingdome againste his nerte neighboures and wyth those Macedones which but euen thother day almooste were spoiled and led away prisoners by the Dardanians who wer able to talk of nothing saue the renoumed acts of their ancestors wheras the Romaines might worthely report the dedes done by them selues and theyr souldiours For it was none other hoste that had subdued Hannibal and the Carthagineâ—…ses and almoste all the West then the very same souldiers whom he had ther standing in battel ray with these encouragements the myndes of bothe armies being enflamed ran fierslye to the encounter the one part
them a woorke and he himselfe was better acquaynted with Italy now then he had beene in foretimes Moreouer he knewe that Carthage woulde not syt at reast but adi◅yn herself as partaker of his enterprises out of hand The king lyked the counsel wel and there vppon one of Hanniballes retinue was sente vnto Carthage to stirre them to the warre beinge of them selues all readye desirous there of declarynge vnto them that Haniball wold shortlye come thither with an army Neuerthelesse he was charged to saye nothinge to the factions but only that the Carthaginenses wanted hart for asia shoulde fynde them bothe men and mony When newes hereof came to Carthage the messenger was apprehended by the enemies of Hanibal and being brought into the Senate and there examined to whome hee was sent he aunswered like a suttle afre that he was sente to the whole Senate In as muche as this matter was not the peculier case of anye one of them but appertained in generall to them all While they were debating of the matter in coūsel many daies together whether it were best for dischargynge of their own consciences to send him to Rome ther to make his purgation or no he toke ship priuely and returned to Hannibal Whervpon the Carthagi immediatly sent an ambassador to Rome The Romaines also sent ambassadors to antiochus the which vnder the coloure of ambassade should bothe marke and note the kynges furnyture for the warres and also eyther reconcyle Hannibal to the Romaines or elsse through their daily and continuall cōmoning with him bring him in suspitiō and hatred with the king Thambassadors therfore when they were come before y e king antiochus at Ephesus de◅yuered him the◅r commission from the Senate Duringe the time they laye there geuing attendaunce for theyr answer daye by daye they were euer in hand with Hannibal saying that there was no cause why he should haue fled so fearfullye out of his country ▪ seing the Romains withall faithfulnesse obserued the peace concluded not so muche with the body of the common weale of Carthage as with him cōsideryng they knew he had made war againste the Romaines not so much for ill wil he bare towardes them as for the loue he bare towardes theym as for the loue he bare towarde his owne country in the whiche quarell euery good man ought to spend his life For the occasyon of those warres grew vpon the displesure that the one country bare openly against the other and not vpon anye priuate quarell of the captaines amonge them selues Herevpon they too◅e occasyon to commend his noble actes the which communication so greatlye delighted him that hee was desyrous to talke with the ambassadors oftner not foreseinge that for the familiarity he had with the Romaines he shoulde purchase himself the kings displesure For antiochus vpon this ◅is daily communication thinking hym to be reconciled and faln in fauor with the Romaines wold not aske his deuise as he was wont to do nor make him preuy to any part of his doinges but hated him as an ennemy and abhorred him as a traytoure The whiche thing laide a water all that great furniture for the warres after the time that the policy of the graūd captaine was thus dashed out of countenaunce Theffect of the commissyon was to commaund Antiochus in the name of the Senate to be contente with the boundes of Asia onlesse he would driue them to enter into asia whether they would or no. Antiochus making light there of answered howe he was fullye resolued before not to receiue warre at theyr handes but to make warre vppon them When he had oftentimes debated with hys counsell and his captaines as concerning this warre not making Hannibal preuy there to at the last he sent for him not to th entent to doo any thinge after his deuise but to th entent he wold not seme to haue vtterly despysed him and there vpon when euery man had said his minde lastly he asked him ◅is aduise The whiche thing Hanniball vnderstanding wel inough said that he perceiued he was called not because the king thought himself to haue nede of his counsel but onlye to supply the noumber of sentences Neuerthelesse for the hatred he bare to the Romains and for the good will hee bare to the kinge as in whose courte onlye he had had safe refuge in the time of hys banishment he wold discusse what way he were best to enterprise his warres Thervpon he desired pardon in that he should speake so largely for he said he liked no part of their counsels nor opinions in that behalf as that Grece should be appoynted the place of the warre seing that Italye was better for the maintenaunce of the same For the Romains might not be vanquished but by their own weapons nor Italye otherwise bee subdued then by her owne power For those kinde of people were of a cleane contrary nature from all other menne and therefore the warres were to be ordered farre otherwise against them then agaynst all other men In other warres it is wonte to be a great furtheraunce and healpe for a man to haue taken some aduauntage of the place or of the tyme to haue wasted the fieldes or to haue wonne some Cityes But with the Romain whether ye haue gotten anye aduauntage before or whether ye haue ouercome him ye must be faine euen then to wrestle with him when he is vanquished and lyeth at your fote Wher◅ore if a man assaile them in Italy he might ouercome them with theyr owne weapons their owne richesse and theyr owne power like as ◅e himselfe had doone But if anye man shall suffer them to enioye Italye as the well springe of theyr strength he shal be as sore deceiued of his purpose as if a man woulde goo aboute to driue backe a riuer agaynste the streame or to dry it vp not beginninge to stoppe it at the heade but at suche place as the waters were deep◅st and mooste encreased This he saide was his opi◅yon in himself whervpon he was mineded to haue offered hys seruice and aduise vnrequested the which he now hadde vttered in the presence of al his frendes to th entent they mighte all vnderstande howe to make warres with the Romaines who out of theyr own country were inuincible and at home at their owne doores weake and easy to be ouercome In so much that it was an easyer matter to set them beside Rome then beside their Empire and to driue them out of Italy then out of their prouinces For their city had bene sacked by the frenchmen they them selues almost vtterly destroyed by him and yet he neuer vanquished before he departed out of their country But assone as he was retourned to Carthage immediatlye w t the place was also aultered the fortune of the warres ▪ The kings councel held as muche against this aduyse as could be not waying the vtility of the mater but for
confederates â–ª iudginge it a greater reward to the Romaines to haue honoure and renowue then possessyons gotten by force For he said it was mete for a Romaine to chalenge glorye and fame and to leaue the superflouity of richesse to his partakers The xxxii Boke â–ª THe Aetolians which hadde prouoked Antiochus to warre againste the Romaines after the time that he was onercome remained all only againste the Romaines both 〈◊〉 to match them in strength and also destitute of all healpe and comforte By meanes where of within a 〈◊〉 after they were vanquished and lost their liberty the which they all only among so manye cities of Grece had reteined vntouched against the dominion of the Atheniens and Lacedemonians The which estate of bondage was so much the bitterer vnto them as it was later or it came â–ª râ—…oltynge with them selues those times in the which with the only power of theyr owne countrye they had withstoode and burne oute the greate force and power of the Persâ—…ans in the which they hadde repressed the violence of the 〈◊〉 men so terrible to Asia and Italye in the batâ—…ell at Delphos the glorâ—…ous remembraunce of which things kindled in them a 〈◊〉 desire of liberty While these thinges were a doing in the meane time the Messenians and the Acheans fâ—…ll â—…irst at conteâ—…ion anone after to plain sighting for the sâ—…raigntye In that battel Philopenienes the noble graund captain of the Acheans was takâ—…n prisoner not through his own defaulte because he 〈◊〉 not fyghte for sauynge of hys life but as he was about to bringe his men in araye that were sâ—…attered in the leapinge of a ditche his 〈◊〉 ouerthrew and so his enemies clustered about him and tooke him ere he coulde râ—…couer vp againe And yâ—…t the Messenians when they foâ—…nd him ouerthrowen whether it were for fâ—…are oâ—… his prowessâ—… or for reuerence of hys estate durst not kill him Therfore as though by taking of hym they had finished all the warre they led him like a prisonner about all the citye in manner of a triumphe the people ruuninge out by heapes to meete hun as if their own captaine and not the captaine of their enemies had bene comming And I beleue the Acheans would not haue ben more desirous to haue sene him if he had gotten the vpper hande then were the Messenians his enemies to beholde him being a prisonner For they led him into a Theatre to the entente tâ—…ey mighte all beholde him whome they thought an vncredible and vnpossâ—…ble mâ—…tter to be taken From thence they couueyed him to prysoÌ„ wher for shame of the villany they had offred to such a worthy estate they gaue him poyson the which he drancke with as mearye a cheare as if he had wonne the victory Demaundyng first of all whether Lycortas the lieuetenante of the Acheane whome he knewe to be the manne of best knowledge in feates of armes nerte vnto hymselfe hadde eskaped in safetye or no. When he vnderstoode that he was eskaped he sayde the world goeth not alltogether against the Acheans wyth that word he gaue vp the ghoste But ere it was longe after the warre was renued in which the Messenians being vanquished suffered worthy punishment for putting Philopemenes to death In the meane season Antiochus kinge of Syria beinge sore ouercharged with the tribute that he should pay to the Romaines and seinge hymselfe vanquished and burdened whether it were that he were compelled for want of mony or that he were allured with couetousnesse because he hoped that vnder pretence of the necessity the whiche he was put to for the payment of the tribute he should be held the better excused if he committed sacriledge he assembled an armye and in the nyghte time assaulted the temple of Iupiter of Dodon the which attempte was bewrayed and he withall his hooste was slayne by the inhabitauntes of the countrye that resorted to the reskue At Rome when many cities of Grece were come thither to complaine of the iniuries that Phillyppe king of Macedone hadde dâ—…one vnto them and that there was great contention in woordes in the senate house betwene Demetrius the sonne of Phillippe sent thither by his father to make satisfaction as the Senate shuld think righte and the ambassadoures of the Cities the yonge man beinge confounded with the noyse and exclamatyon of the appellantes sodenly helde his peace Then the Senate being moued with his modest shamefastnesse for the whiche he had bene well beloued of all men before times when he lay in hostage at Rome gaue iudgement on hys syde And so Demetrius obtained pardone for his father not by defending his righte but by the helpe of his modesty and shamefastnesse The which thinge was signifyed vnto him by the decree of the senate to th entent it should appeare that the kinge was not acquited as giltlesse but rather pardoned for his sonnes sake the whiche thynge purchased vnto Demetrius not thanke for his behauiour in that ambassade but hatred through the maliciousnesse of backebyters For with his brother Perses who sought by al meanes to surprise him it procured him enuy and with his father when he knew the occasion of his acquitall it procured him displeasure disdaininge that â—…he person of his sonne shoulde be of more force or strengthe with the Senate then the authority of the father or the estimation of his estate being a king Perses therfore per ceiuing his fathers disease made complaintes daily vnto him of his brother Demetrius and first he broughte him in mistrust with him and shortly in vtter displeasure obiecting against him that he sought the freudshippe of the Romaines to betray his father At the last he surmised that he went about trâ—…ason for the prouse where of he broughte in recorde and suborned false witnesses to vphold â—…he crime that he charged hym wythall By meanes whereof he compelled his father to murder his owne sonne and brought all the courte in sorow and heauinesse After Demetrius was thus put to death the party being dispatched out of the way whome he feared as his enemye Perses beganne to be not onlye more slacke in doing his duety but also more stubborn against his father behauing himselfe not like an heire but like a kinge Phillip beinge sore offended with his misdemenor bewailed the deathe of Demetrius verye vnpaciently from day to daye Where vppon mistrustynge hym self to be deceiued by cautele and treason he put the wytnesses and record bearers to torture Throughe whyche hauing boulted out their treason he was vexed as much with the wickednesse of Perses as with the vndeserued death of Demetrius And he hadde punished him for hys laboure had not death preuented him of hys purpese For shortly after throughe very sorow and pensiuenesse of hart he fell sicke and died leauing behinde hym greate furniture for the warres against the Romaines the whiche Perses afterward vsed Moreouer he had allured the Frenchmen called Rascians to
take his part was mynded to haue made greuous warres vppon the Romaynes yf he had not dyed For the FrenchmeÌ„ after the vnfortunate battell at Delphos in the which the wrath of God dyd them more displeasure then the puissance of their enemies hauyng lost their Captayne Brenne fled lyke owtlawes some into Asia some into Thrace From thence they retyred into their natiue countrie by the very same way they came oute A certeyn of them rested at the metyng of the ryuers of Danow and Say called themselues Rascians The people of Languedocke beyng returned into their olde countrie of Tolouse and there stryken with a Pestilent murreyne could not recouer their health vntil such tyme as by thadmonishment of their Southsayers they had throwen into the lake of Tholouse all the golde and Siluer that they had gotten in the warres by the robbyng and spoilyng of Temples All the which Cipio the Romayn Consull long tyme after toke away euery pennie There was of golde a hundred and tenne thousand pound weight of syluer fiftie hundred thousande pound weight the which sacrilege was afterward the confusion of Cipio and his hoste Furthermore there followed anone after the warre of the Cymbrians agnynst the Romayns as it were to punish them for takyng away of the holly mony A great noÌ„ber of the people of Languedock beyng enticed with the swetenes of the praye as men wonte to liue altogether vppon the spoyle went into Illyria and there hauyng syoyled the Istrians rested in Pâ—…nnonie It is reported that the nacion of the Istrians descended from the men of Colchos that were sent by Kyng Aetis to pursew the Argonantes and Iason that ledde away his daughter by force who enteryng oute of the Sea of Pontus into the ryuer of Istre and so directlie into the ryuer Say followyng the Argonantes at the hard heles caried their â—…ippes vppon their shoulders ouer the toppes oâ—… the mountaynes â—…uen vnto the shore of the Adriatike sea the which thyng they vnderstoode that the Argonantes for the length of thâ—…ire shippe had donne before them But when the men of Colchos could not synde them whether it were for feare of the kyng or for tediousnesse of the longe sayling they setteled them selfes nere vnto the Citie Aquiuerlera and called them selues IstriaÌ„s after the name of the ryuer into the which they first entered oute of the sea The Daces also are the yssue of the Getes who with Dlor their kyng beyng van quished in battell by the Bastarnes were put to this penance for theire cowardyse that when they shoulde take their slepe they should lay their headdes wher their fete shoulde lye and serue their wyues in suche sorte as their wyues were wonte to serue them the whiche penaltie layd vppon them by the commaundement of their kyng they shoulde not be so bolde to infringe before they had by their manhode and prowesse put awaye the schlaunder and ignominie purchased by their former siouts and cowardyse Perses therfore beyng crowned kyng in his father Philyppes stead styrred all these nacions to take his part agaynste the Romaynes In the mâ—…ane whyle there arose warre betwene Prusias vnto whome Hanniball was fled after that peace was concluded betwene Antiochus and the Romaynes and Eumenes the which warre Prusias breakyng the league vppon trust that he had in Hanniball dydde first moue For when as the Romaynes among other articles of peace put in the deliueraunce of Hanniball for one the kyng gaue him warnyng of it and he fled into Candie In the â–ª whiche Ile when he had lyued quietâ—…ie a long tyme and sawe that men repyned and grudged at hym for his greate wealth and rychesse he fylled pottes with leadde and set them in the Temple of Diana as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the preseruacion of his lyfe and verie gooâ—… 〈◊〉 By meanes where of the Citye hauinge no feare nor infstruste of his dooinges in as muche as they beleued that they had his richesse for a pledge he went to Prusias carying all his golde with hym poured into Images of timber least if his richesse should be espied he might happen to be put in ieoperdy of his life for them Afterwarde when Emnenes had ouercome Prusias in battel vpon the lande and that Prusias would try the aduenture of the sea Hannibail by a new deuise was the occasion that he gate the victory For he caused of all kindes of Serpentes to be put into earthen pots the whiche in the middes of the battell were caste into the enemyes shippes This stratageme semed at the first to the menne of Pontus to be but a mockerye to leaue weapones and fyghte wyth earthen pottes But when the Serpentes began to swarme about them in the shippes they wer so troubled wyth the doubtfull daunger that they wist not what to do and so they gaue their enemy the vpper haÌ„d When fidinges hereof came to Rome the Senate sente ambassadoures to cease the strife betwene bothe the kinges and to demauÌ„d to haue Hannibal yelded vnto them But Hanniball hauynge knowledge of the matter poysoned hym self and dyed ere the ambassadour could come by him This yeare was notable for the deathes of three of the mooste puissaunte captaines in all the whole world that is to saye of Hanniball Philopemenes and Scipio Affricanus Of the whiche it is well knowen that Hanniball neither in the time that al Italy quaked to see him thunderinge like a tempest in the Romaine Empire nor wheÌ„ he was returned to Carthage and helde the soueraintye did euer sytte downe to his meat or drynke aboue a pinte and a halfe of wine at a meale And as for chastitye hee kepte it so immaculate and vndefiled amonge so manye prisonners as he hadde that a man would sweare he had neuer bene borne in Affricke Certesse he was of that modâ—…stye and gouernmente that all be it had sundrye kindes of people to rule in hys hoste yet his souldioures neuer wente aboute to betraye him neither coulde he be entrapped by any policye both the whiche thinges his ennemies full often attempted â—…gainst hym The. xxxii Boke THe Romains accoÌ„plished the warres of Macedone with farre lesse trouble the they did the warres of Carthage â–ª but the warre was so muche the more honourable as the Macedones excelled the Cartâ—…aginenses in renoâ—…ne estimation For they were furthered partly with the glory of the conquest of the East and inespecially with the ayd and helpe of all kynges And therfore the Romaines made for the a greater noumber of men of warre and also sent for succâ—…ur to Masinissa king of Mundie and to all other their confedecates Furthermore they charged Emnenes king of Bythinia to helpe them wyth all the power he was able to make Perses besides his hoste of Macedones who by the opinion of all men were accompted vnuincible had in his treasury and in his store houses where with all to mainetaine ten yeares warre
prepared before hande by hys father By meanes whereof being puffâ—…d vp with pride and forgettynge what chaunce hys father had before hym he willed his men to consider the auncient renoune of Alexander The first encounter was of horsmen in the which Perses getting the vpper hand procured himselfe the fauor of all men which before stode in doubte what way to encline because they wist not which way the world wold go Neuertheles he sent Ambassadors to the Romain Con sull to request peace as they had before graunted to his father beyng vanquished promisyng to pay the charges of the warre as yf he had ben ouercomme But the Consull Sulpitius propounded as sore condicions as if he had ben vanquished in dede While these thynges were a doyng the Romaynes for dread of so dangerous a warre created Aemilius Paulus Consull and made him extraordinarily Lieuetenaunt of the warres in Macedone Who assone as he came to the armie made no longe delay ere he encountered with his enemies The night before the battell should be fought the Moone was Eclypsed All men iudged it to be a sorowfull for token to Perses as the which signified that Th empyre of Macedone drew fast to an ende In that conflict M. Cato the sonne of Cato the Drator as he was feightyng among the thickest of his enemies fell of his horse and was faine to feight a foote for when he was downe a band of his enemies enclosed him about w t an horrible nâ—…yse to haue killed him as he lay on the grounde But he recouered himself quicklye and made a great slaughter among them the whyle his enemies came clusteryng about him on all sydes to oppresse him being but one man alone as he strake at one of their noble men his sword flew oute of his hand into the mids of his enemies to recouer the which he couered himself with his target and in thopen syght of both the armies thrust himself in among his enemies weapons and hauyng recouered his sworde with the receipte of manie woundes returned to his owne fellowes with a greate showte of all the whole fielde The residewe of his compaâ—…e ensewyng his bold example wan the victorie King Perses fled out of the field and with tenne thousand Talentes sayled to Samothrace Whome Cneus Dâ—…auius being sent by the Consul to pursewe hym toke him with his two sonnes Alexander and Philippe brought them ners to the Consull Macedone from the tyme of Caranus who first reigned there vnto Perses who was the last had thirtie kynges vnder whose gouernaunce it con tiâ—…ued by the space of nyne hundred twentie and three yeres but it helde the Souerayne Monarchie no lenger then a hundred 〈◊〉 and twelue yeres When it was once brought in subiection to the Romaynes Officers were appoynted in euery Citie and it was set at libertie receyuyng of Paule the Lawes which they vse at this day The Senetours of all the cyties of Aetoly with their wyues and children which hitherto had remayned as neuters were sent to Rome and there they were deteyned a long tyme to th entent they should not worke anie alteracion in their countrie vntill at length after manie yeares entreatans by often Ambassades sent from the Cities to the Senate of Rome euery man was dismissed into his owne countrie The. xxxiiii Boke THe Carthaginenses and Macedones beyng subdued and the power of the Aetolians weakened by the captiuity of their noblemen the Acheans onely of all Grece semed as yet to the Romayns to be at that tyme of to much power and authoritie not for the ouer great wealthe of euery citie by themself but for the earnest agrement of them all togither For although the Acheans be deuided by Cyties as it were into members yet they haue one Corporacion and one kynde of gouernement and yf anie wrong be offred to anyone cytie straight wayes all the 〈◊〉 make all power they can to redresse it Therfore as the Romaines sought to finde some quarell to make warre against them by fortune a coÌ„plainte was brought against them in due season by the LacedemoniaÌ„s whose fieldes for a mutual hatred betwene the two peoples the Acheans had forraged The Senate made answer to the Lacedemonians that they wold send ambassadors into Grece to se how their confederates were delt wythall and to defend them from taking any wronge But thambassadors had priuely in charge besides to dissolue the agreable consent of the Acheans and to set euery city fre from other to th entent they might the easlier be brought in subiection and if anye cities shewed theym selues so stout that they woulde not they should be compelled by force The ambassadoures therfore callinge the princes of all the cities before them to Corynthe recyted the decree of the Senate declaryuge what they woulde counsell them to do They said it was expedient for them all that euery Citye shoulde be gyuerned by their owne lawes and by theyr owne customes When thys was ones notifiee to them all they were in suche a rage that lyke mad men they kylled all the forreine people within the realâ—…e Yea and they had doene as muche to the Romaine Ambassadours them selues also yf they had not had intelligens of the hurlye burly and shyfted for them selues by flight Assone as tydinges her of came to Rome forth with the Senate appoynted Mnmmius the Consull to make warre against the Acheans Who without further delaye conueyinge thyther his armie and hauinge vigilantly puided for all thinges before hand offered his enemies battell But the Acheans as though they hadde take a matter of no importans in hand by making warre against the Romains so they loked and cared for nothing at all for they were so myndfull of the pray and so careles for the battel y â— they brought chariots wagous witâ—… them to lade home with the spoile of their enemies set their wiues children in y â— mouÌ„tains to behold y e conflict But when they came to hande strokes they were slayne ryghte downe before theyr frendes faces where by they gaue them a sorowfvll sight the rememberaunce wherof might greue them all the dayes of theyr life after Theyr wiues and children also beinge of lookers on made captiues were a pray to the enemy The chiefe citye Corinth was beaten downe Al the people were sold by the drum to the entent that by the ensample therof the other cities myghte be a fraid to make any trouble or insurrection While these thinges were a doinge Antiochus kinge of Syria made warre vppon Ptolomy the elder hys syslers sonne king of Egipt geuen all together to slouthe and so feble and vnlusty through daily and continuall ryot that he not only committed all thinges appertaining to the estate and office of a king but also by meanes of ouer much pamperinge vp of him selfe was in manner voide of that reason whiche oughte to be in man Being therfore driueÌ„ out of his kingdome
commyng of Tygranes Ariobarzanes conueying away all his stuffe gat him streight to Rome so by y â— meanes of Tygranes Cappadocia was again vnder y â— dominioÌ„ of Mithridates Thesame time died Nicomedes whose son named Nicomedes also was dryuen out of his kingdom bi Mithridates who resorted to Rome for succor vpoÌ„ whose huÌ„ble sute it was decreed by y e Senate y â— both be Ariobarzanes should be set in possessioÌ„ of their kyngdomes agayne For the perfourmaunce whereof Aquilius Manlius and Malthinius were sent to be Lieuetenauntes of the warre Mythridates hauyng knowledge hereof and enteÌ„dyng to make warre with the Romains alied himself with Tygranes And it was couenaunted betwixt them that Mythridates should haue for his parte the cyties and landes and Tygranes should haue for his share the men and cattell and whatsoeuâ—…r els was moueable After this Mithridates 〈◊〉 what a warre he had taken in hande sent out his Ambassadours some to the Cymbrians some to the Frenchegrekes some to the Sarmatians and some to the Bastarnes to request them of their ayde and help For all these Nations had he allured a good while before by shewyng them â—…endshyp and pleasure diuers wayes euer synce he fyrste purposed warre agaynst the Romayns Moreouer he raysed an host of men in Scythia and armed all the East agaynste the Romayns It was no great matter for hym therefore to ouercome Aquilius and Malthyne hauyng none but the men of Asia about them after the discomfiture of whome and of Nicomedes all the cyties were glad to seke his fauor There he found great plentie of gold and syluer laid vp in store by the kynges in tymes past and much furniture for the warres the which for as muche as they made greatlie to his furtherance he released the cyties all their dettes as well publike as priuate and exempted them frelie from all charges as well of the warres as of trybutes and taxes for fyue yeres space Then assembled he his souldiours before him and encouraged them with â—…iuers exhortacions to the warres of y e Romains otherwise cald the wars of Asia The copi of which Oracion I haue thought worthie to be put into this worde albeit I coâ—…et to be short in the same maner as PoÌ„peius â—…rogus hath indirectly set it forth because he fyndeth fault with â—…iuie Salust for putting Oracions in their works directly as they were spokeÌ„ so doyng exceded y â— bouÌ„ds of an history He said he would gladly haue wished that he might haue consulted vpon this poynt whether it wer better to haue warre or peace with the Romaines but nowe there was no remedy but to go through with the matter and not to feare them yea thoughe there were no hope of victorye at all For all men would draw their wepons vpon theues thoughe they were not able to defende them selues yet to reuenge theyr deathes But for as muche as he purposed not to debate whether it were mete to be in quiet considering they were not only ennemies in hart but also had encountered like enemies in open field he woulde fayne knowe by what meanes and vpon what hope they shuld maintaine the warres that they had begone Neuerthelesse he had good hope of the victorye if so be it they hadde good hartes That the Romaines might be ouercome his souldiers that vanquished Aquilius in Bythinia and Mal thinius in Cappadocia knewe as well as he But if hee thoughte the examples of other menne could moue them more then theyr owne triall and experiens â—…e harde saye that Pyrrhus king of Epyre hauyng no mo but fiue thou sand Macedones in his host vanquished the Romaines in thre pitched fieldes He heard saye that Hanniball by thâ—… space of xvi yeres abode in Italy like a conqueroure and â—…ad taken the city of Rome it selfe had not the preuy malice and enuy of his owne country men ben a greater hinderaunce to him then the power of the Romaynes He hard say that the Frenchmen inhabiting on the other side of the Alpes entered into Italye and there placed theym selues in moste of the welthiest cityes of all the countrye seisynge into theyr possession somewhat a larger piece of ground euery way then that which they had gotten in Asia for all it is counted so weake and cowardly Moreouer that the said French men hadde not onlye vanquished the Romaines but also taken their city in so muche that they left theÌ„no more in all the world but one hill from whens whence they were saine to remoue theyr ennemye not by battel but by raunsome The which Frenchemen whose name had alwaâ—…es ben so terrible to the Romaynes he had to strenghten him in his host For there was no differeÌ„ce betwene the Frenchmen that inhabit Asia and the Frenchmen that inhabit Italy but onely the distance of their dwellyngs asunder As for their originall their prowesse and their maner of feightyng was all one sauyng that these in Asia musâ—… nedes be of so much more pollicie and witte as they haue comme a wore longe and â—…edious youâ—…ney through Sclauany Thrace beyng a farre paynfuller matter to make themselues waye through those countries then to place themselues where they nowe inhabit Furthermore he heard say that Italy it selfe was neuer yet well pleased with Rome synce it was fyrst buylded but that continuallie froÌ„ yere to yere incessant warre had ben made by some for their libertie and by other sâ—…m for the right right of th empyre insomuch that by report manie cyties of Italie had vtterlie destroyed the Romain Armies by the sworde and some with a new kynde of reproche had compelled them shamefullye to crepe vnder a yoke And forbycause he should not seme to make long tarians in matters of old tyme euen the very same present all Italy was rysen to warre ioyntlie togyther with the marses not to demaund lybertie but Societie in Th empyre and in the Cytie itself Neyther was the Cytie oppressed more by the warres of their neighbours in Italie then by the partakyng of her owne noblemen at home so that the Ciuil warres were farre more dangerous then the forren warres of Italy besydes that the Cymbrians that vnmeasurable and moste fyltierable of sauage and vnmercifull rascalles were swarmed oute of Germanie and ouerwhelmed all Italy lyke a storm Of al the which forenamed nacions although the Romayns mighte perchaunce be able to withstande the brunt one after an other yet by all at once they must nedes be oppressed and that so sone that they should haue no leasur at al to think vppon his warres wherfore occasion ought to be taken when iâ—… was offered and good holde ought to be layed with spede vppon the iucreasment of their strength least yf they now sate still whiles thother were busie and had their handes full anone after they haue might haue more a doe with them when they were in quiet had nothyng els to dooe For it was not in question whether
kept more straightlie then he was before In processe of tyme when it was to be thought he would haue taryed for his chyldrens sake that he had by his wyfe accoÌ„panied with his foresayd frende he stale away agayn But euen with lyke infelicitie as before he was apprehended nere vnto the lymites of his owne kyngdome and beyng broughte backe agayn vnto the kyng was commaunded out of his presence in great displeasure Neuerthelesse beyng then also graunted his wyfe and children he was sente agayne into Hyrcanie his olde place of penaunce and was rewar ded with a payre of dyce of golde in exprobration of hys chyldishe lightnesse But this so gentle and fauorable demeanor of the Parthians towarde Demetrius proceded not of any mercie naturally engraffed in that nacion or in respect of Aliance and affynitie but bycause they coueted the kyngdome of Syria entending to vse Demetrius as an instrument agaynst his brother Antiochus accordyng as eyther the matter the tyme or the chaunce of warre should requyre Antiochus hearyng therof thoght it wysedome to preuent the warre and there vppon led his his host whiche he had hardened through manie viages and battelles agaynst his neyghboures agaynste the Parthians But he made preparacion as much for ryot as for warre For wheras he had eight hundred thousand men of warre there wer besydes thre hundred thousand others that followed the host of the which the moste part were Cokes bakers and mynstrels players of enterludes Surely of gold syluer ther was so great abundaÌ„ce that euen the coÌ„mon souldiers ware their hosen enbroydered with golde trode vnder their fete the metall for loue of which other people were wonte to fyght and kyll one another Moreouer all the furniture of kytchens wer of cleane syluer as though they had gone to banquetting and not to battell At Antiochus fyrste commyng manye kyngs of the East mette him yelded themselfes their kyngdomes vnto him vtterlie detestyng the pryde of the Parthians It was not long ere it came to thencounter Antiochus gettyng thupper hand in thre fought fieldes and thervppon winnyng Babylon by force began to be counted great By meanes whereof all countries reuolted so fast vnto him that the Parthians had nothyng left them more then the bare soyle of their owne Realme of Parthia Then Prahartes sent Demetrius into Syria with an host of Parthians to inuade the kyngdome to thintent that by that pollicie Antiochus might be enforced to withdrawe himself out of Parthia to the defence of his owne Realme In the meane whyle bycause he could not ouercom Antiochus by force he sought meanes to surprise him by pollicie Antiochus by reason he hadde such a multitude dispersed all his army into the Cyties duryng the wynter season the which thyng was his vtter vndâ—…yng For the Cyties felyng themselfes greued with victailyng of hiis hoste also with the iniurious demeanour of the souldiers reuolted agayn to the Parthians and on a day appointed for the nones all at one tyme by trayterous conspiracie set vppon the hoste as it was deuided among them seuerllie to th entent they shoulde not be able to rescowe one another when tydinges herof came to Antiochus he assembled suche as wyntered with him went to rescow them that were nerest But in his way he met with the kyng of Parthians against whome he fought more valiauntlie himself then dydde his hoste Notwithstandyng at the laste forasmuche his ennemies were of more force and courage his men for feare forsoke him and so he was slayne For whome Phrahartes made a royal herce dyd exequies after the maner of Prynces and moreouer beyng taken in loue with the daughter of Demetrius whome Antiochus had broght with him he toke her to wyfe Then it repented him that he had let go Demetrius he sent oute menne in post after him to fetche him backe But Demetrius dreadyng the same thyng before hand had made such spede that they founde him in his owne kyngdome so beyng frustrate of theire trauell expectation they returned to the kyng The. xxxix Boke AFter that Antiochus with all hs army was thus destroyed in Parthia his brother Demetrius beyng delyuered from captsuitie of the Parthians and restored to his kyngdome when as all Syria as yet mourned for the losse of the armye as though the warres that he and his brother made in Parthia in the whiche th one was taken prysoner and thother slayn had had prosperous successe he purposed to make warre in Egypt at the request of Cleopatra his wifes mother who promysed to gyue him the kyngdome of Egypte in recompence yf he would helpe to support her agaynste her brother But whyles he went about to get that that was another mans he lost his owne by meanes of a sodayne insurrection in Syria For first the Cytizens of An tioche throgh the instigacion of their Capitayne Tryfo 〈◊〉 the kynges pryde which by his conuersacion among the cruell Parthians was becomme intoierable and anone after the Apameniens with all the rest of the Cyties followyng their ensample toke occasion vpon the kynges absence and rebelled against him Ptolomy also kyng of Egypt against whome the sayd Demetrius made warre when he vnderstode that hys syster Cleopatra had shypped all hhr goods treasur and was sled into Syria to her daughter her 〈◊〉 in lawe Demetrius he suborned a certayn yong men of Egypte the son of Merchantman called Protarchus to chalenge the kyngdome of Syria by bâ—…ttell forging a pedegre as though Antiochus had adopted him into the blood royall And the Syrians cared not who were theyr kyng so they might be delyuered from the pryd of Demetrius So the yong man was proclaymed by the name of Alexander great succor was set to him oute of Egypt In the meane while the bodie of Antiochus slayne by the kyng of Parthia was sent into Syria in a coffyn of syluer to be buried the which was receyued with great reuerence by all the Cyties but chiefly by Alexander himselfe to th entent to make men oredyte the tale that he was adopted to be his heire The which his doyng wann him much fauor of the commonaltie all men thinkyng no lesse but that he ment good faith without dissimulacion in his sorowfull mournyng Demetrius beyng vanquished by Alexander and being enuyroned on all sydes with vnauoydable dauÌ„gers was at the last forsaken of his own wyfe childreÌ„ being therfore left desolate sauyng a fewe seruaunts as he was purposed to haue fled to the temple of Tyrus there to re gistre himself as a sanctuarieman yf percheunce the reue rence of the place might saue his lyfe when he went out to lande he was slayne by the commandement of the Ma ster of the shyppe The one of his sonnes whose name was Seleucus bycause he crowned himself kyng without his mothers conset was by her slayn Thother of his sonnes who for the greatnesse of his
he brought Syrie into the forme of a Prouynce and by lytle and lytle through the discorde of the blood Royall the Easte came in subiection to the Romaynes The. xli Boke THe Parthianes in whose hande the whole worlde beyng as it were denided betwene them and the Romains Th empyre of the East as than was were banished men of Scythia The which thyng the verie name of them bewrayeth for in the Scythian language bannished men are called Parthians These in the tyme of Thassyrian Median Empyres were of all the peoples of the East moste base After warde also when Th empyre was translated from the Medes to the Persians they were as a sorte of Rascalles without name and a continuall pray to the Conquerors Lastely when the Macedones ruled the East lyke triumphant conquerors they were in subieccion vnto them in so much that there is no man but woulde wonder to see howe by their prowesse and actiuitie they shoulde aspyre to so great felicitie as to haue dominion euen ouer those kynges and kyngdomes â–ª vnder whose Empyre they serued sometyme as rascall slaues Furthermore beyng assayled of the Romaynes in three battels by Capytaynes of great experience actiuitie in the chefest tyme of their prosperitie when they florished moste in the renowme of onelie they onelie of all Nacions were able not onely to matche them but also to conquer theÌ„ Although in dede it may be counted a greater glory that thei could ryse and put vp their head from among those Empyres of Assyria Media and Persia that were so renoumed in tymes past and also from vnder that moste ryche and wealthie Empyre of Bactria that had a thousand cyties vnder it then to haue vanquished the force of traungers so farre from them Furthermore whyle the Scythians were sore vexed with the continuall warres of their neighbours and in maner oppressed with the continuance of daungerous encounters these Parthians beyng through domesticall dissention expulsed oute of Scythia toke by â—…telth the desertes betwene Hyrcanie and the Daces the Areans and the Spartanes and the Maianes In continuance of tyme fyrste without let or interrupcion of theire neighbours and afterwarde maugre their headdes dooe the best worst they coulde they dilated the borders of their countrie so farre that they posfessed not onely the wyde fyeldes bottomes of all the champion countrie but also the cragged clyffes and the the toppes of the high mountaynes whereby it commeth to passe that moste places within the coast of Paâ—…a are eyther excessinely whoâ—…e or extremely colde by reason that the 〈◊〉 are commonly infested with snow and the open â—…yelds with the heate of the sunne After the decay of th eÌ„pyre of Macedone the countrie was gouerned by kinges Next vnto the Mayestie of the king is the state of the commonaltie for out of it are chosen Capitaynes in tyme of warre and magistrates in time of peace Their language is a meane betwene the Scythian and Median mixed indifferentlie of them bothe They had sometyme a fashion of apparell peculiar by them selfes but after the tyme they grewe ryche it became fyne and full of clothe after the maner of the Medes They kepe the same order in their warres and in feightyng as doe the Scythians their ancestours Their armie is not as other nacions be of free men but for the more part of bondmen Thâ—… which sorte of people forasmuch as it is not lawfull for anie man to set anie of them at libertie and therevppon all are bondemeÌ„ borne daylie multiplieth and encreaseth enstructing them with great diligence to ryde horses and to shote Accordyng as euery man is of welthe so fyndeth he the kyng mo horsemen to the warres Finally when Antonie made warre agaynst the Parthians of fyftie thousand horsemen that met him in the fyelde there were but eight hundred of them that were fre borne They cannot skyll of feighting at hand in the battell nor of wynnyng Cyties by siege They feight eyther runnyng right forth with their horses or els retiryng backe oftentymes also they wil make as though they sled to th entent their enemie pursewyng them vnaduisedlie may ly more open to receyue a wonde of theÌ„ when they shall ioyne battell they vse not to sound a trumpet but a Tympane neyther can they endure to feight any long whyle But if they wer of lyke force and as good in continuance as they are at the fyrst brunt no Nacion in the worlde were able to abyde them For the moâ—…e part euen in the whotest of the skyrmysh they forsake the fyelde and anone after they turne agayne begynne the battell a freshe in so muche that when a man thynkes himself moste sure of the victorie then standes he in moste hasarde of discomfyture Theire armour as well for themselfes as for theire horses are made all of plates of stele ouerlayd with fathers wherwithall both of them are keuered from top to toe Golde and syluer they occupye not but in their Armour Euery man for de light y â— they haue in sensualitie hath many wyues a piece and yet thâ—…y chastire no offence so sore as aduoutrie and whoredome Wherevppon they vtterlie forbid women not onely the conuerfacion with men but also coÌ„municacion for once to loke vppon a man They eate no flesh onlesse they catch it in huntyng They are caryed on horseback at al tymes On horseback they feight w t the enemy on hrsebacke they feaste on horsebacke they execute all affayres as well publike as priuate on horsebacke they gooe from place to place on horsebacke they bye and fell and on horsebacke they talke one with an other Fynally this is the difference betwene a gentleman and a slaue that the slaue neuer rydeth nor the genleman neuer goeth on fote Their common buryall is eyther to be deâ—…oured with dogges or to be eaten with byrdes and when the bones are left bare they to burye them in the earthe They are all a lyke maruelous superstitious in doyng honor and reuerence to the Goddes The natur of the people is arrogant seditious deceitful and malapart For they thynke that boysterousnesse is mete for menne and mekenesse mete for women They are euer vnquiet gyuen to quarrell eyther with straungers or els among themselfes of nature close and secret more readie to dooe then to talke and therfore whether they spede wel or yl they make no boaste of They obey their rulers for feare more then for shame to sensualitie they are altogyther prone and enclyned and yet they are but small feders There is no trust to be gyuen to theire wordes for they will kepe promyse no further then is for their owne profyte After the death of great Alexander when the kingdomes of the east were diuided amongest his successouâ—…s There was none of the Macedones that would vouchesafe to take vppon him the kyngdome of Parthia By meanes whereof it
comming oute of Asia entred the mouth of Tyber ioyned amitie with the Romayns From thence they went by water to thuttermoste coast of Fraunce and there among the Liguriens the cruell Frenchmen 〈◊〉 buylded the cytie Marsielles and dyd many noble actes bothe in defendyng themselfes by the sworde agaynst the sauage Frenchmen also in assailyng those that had assayled them before For the Phocenâ—…es by reason of the barrei esse and sterilitie of their contrie were compelled to set their myndes more earnestlie vppon the water then vppon the land and so they lyued by fishyng by traffike of merchaÌ„dyse and oftentymes by rob bing on the sea which in those days was coÌ„ted for a praise By meanes wherof they adueÌ„tured to thuttermoste border of Thocean arriued vppon the French coast by the ryuer of Rone with the plasauntnes of which place they were so taken in loue that at their returne home they re ported what they had sene and procured mo of their contrymen to go thither with them The Captaynes of their flete were furius Peranus Who with their company presented 〈◊〉 before Senanus kyng of the Segoregians in whose territorie they coueted to buyld them a cytie desyring his amitie frendship By chaunce the very same day the king was occupied in preparacion for the mariag of his daughter Eyptis whome accordyng to the custome of the countrie he purposed to marry to suche a one whome she herself at the feast would chose to be her husband Among other that were bydden to the Mariage the straungers of Grece were desyred to the feaste also Anone the yong lady was brought in who beyng coÌ„manded by her father to reache a cup of water to him whome she wold haue to her husband passed ouer all thother gestes turnyng herselfte the Grekes gaue the water to Peran Who by this meanes beyng made of a straunger the kynges sonne in law obteyned of his father a ploâ—…te to buyld a Cytie vppon So was the Cytie of Marsielles buylded hard by the mouthe of the riuer of Rone in an out nooke as it wer in an angle of the sea But the Ligurians enuying the prosperitie of the Cytie distroubled the Grekes with their continuall warres Who through valeaunt defendyng of themselfes became so renoumed that after they had vanquished their enemies they buylded many cyties in the groundes that they toke froÌ„ them At theire handes the Frenchmen lerned a more ciuill trade of liuynge throughe the whiche ' theire Barbarousnesse was layde a syde and as it were tamed togither with the tyllage of the grounde and the wallyng in of their cyties Then they framed themselfes to lyue by lawes and not by force then they lerned to shred theire vynes then they lerned to plant and graffe their olyues fynally bothe the men all other thynges were so exquisytely polyshed that Grece semed not to be remoued into Fraunce But rather that Fraunce was transformed into Grece After the death of Senanus kyng of the Gegoregians by whome the place to buylde the cytie vppon was graunted his sonne Comanus succedyng him in the kyngdome was inuegled againste the Massiliens by one of his Lordes alledgyng that the tyme would come that Marsielles shoulde be the destruccion of the people that were next neigâ—…bors about it wherfore it was to be suppressed now in y â— very rising therof least afterward being suffred to grow stronger it might oppresse him For the further manifestacion wherof he recited this fable how vppon a tyme a bytâ—…h beyng great with whelpe desyred a shepeherde to lende her houseroume to whelpe in the whiche beyng obteyned she desyred of hym eftsones to respite her so longe but tyll she mighte brynge vp her whelpes at length when they were full growen she and her whelpes were so strong that she chalenged the place to her selfe for euer In lykewise the Massilians whiche then semed to be but soieourners would perchaunce hereafter become Lords of the couÌ„trie The king beyng prouoked by this instigacion deuised how to surprise the MassiliaÌ„s So vppon a so lemne feastfull day of the Goddesse flora he sent a greate sorte of strong stout men into the Cytie as it had ben to make merrie causyng a great number mo to be coÌ„ueyed in cartes and wagens hyddeÌ„ with rushes and leaues and he himself with his host lay in ambushe in the next moun taynes to th entent that in the night when thother had set open the gates he might comme with all spede to the performance of his prepensed pollicie put the cytie to the sworde as they were dead a slâ—…pe or elles eatyng and drinkyng But a kynswoman of the kynges bewrayed this treason who beyng wonte to playe the goodfellowe with a certayn yong man of the Grekes as she embraced him hauing pytie on him for his beautie vttered the mat ter vnto him counselled him to auoyde the daunger He forthwith tolde the matter to the Officers of the Cytie By meanes whereof the treason commyng to light the Liguriens were layd hand on and they that laye hydden in the rushes were pulled oute by the heles The whiche beyng euerichone â—…layne the treason was turned vppon the kynges owne head for the Massilians slewe the kyng himselfe and seuen thousande of his souldiers with him From that day forward the Massiliens vppon their feast full dayes kept their gates shutte made good watche set men to warde vppon the walles serched all straungers tooke good hede and euen as yf they had had warre so kept they the Cytie in tyme of peace So well is good order kept among them at al tymes not so much in time of nede as vpon custome of doyng well Afterward thei had sore warres with the Ligurians with the Frenchmen The which thyng bothe encreased the renoume of the city also by atcheuing so many victories made the knight â—…ode â—…heualry of the Grekes famous redouted amoÌ„g their neighbors Moreouer thei diuerse times vanquished the armies of the Carthaginenses When they warred vpon theÌ„ for taking of their fisher botes gaue the peace at their pleasure like conquerors With the Spanyardes they entered in leage of amitie with the Romayns they made a continuall confederacâ—…e aliance almost from the fyrst laying of the foundacion of the cytie the whiche they obserued moste faithfullie and to thuttermoste of theire power ayded theÌ„ as their coÌ„federates in al their warres The which thyng both made theÌ„ to be bolder to trust to their own strength also purchased theÌ„ peace of their en nemies Therfore at such time as Marsiels florished most in renowme of cheualrie in abundance of riches was in the chief flower of her strength sodaynly al the people bordering about theÌ„ gathered theÌ„selfes together to rote vp the name of the Massiliens as it had ben to ertinguish some coÌ„mon fyre A noble man called Caramandus was by a coÌ„mon consent chosen to be
made lieuetenaunte of the Armenians In processe of time after y ◠death of king Ochus in remēbrans of hys former prowesse the people created him kyng And to th entent nothing shuld want in him that appertained to thestate of a king they called him by the renowmed name o◅ Darius Who afterward with great prowesse held warre a long time with greate Alexander somtime to his gaine and sometime to his losse At laste beinge vanquished of Alexander and slain of his own kinsmen he ended his life to gether with the Empire of the Persians The eleuenth Booke IN tharmy of Philip as there were sondry sorts of people Euen so after y ◠time that he was slain their mindes wer diuersly moued For some that were oppressed with wrongfull seruitude comforted them selues with hoope of libertye Others wearye of the warfares so far frō their natiue country reioysed to thinke y ◠the viage shuld be broken vp and they dismissed Manye were sory to see the Tapers y ◠were made to set before the daughter at her mariage stand vpon the herse of the father His frēds also wer not a litle amased at so sodain mutation of things considering how Asia was lately chalenged Europe scarsly yet cōquered and howe the Illyrians Thracians Dardanians other barbarous nations wer of minde vnconstāt and vnwauerig of promise vnfaithful not to be trusted to All the which people if they should forsake their obediens rebel all at ones it were not possible by any meanes to resist them Unto all these mischeues the comming of Alexander was as it wer a presēt salue Who in an oration so c◅forted forted encoraged al the people for the time y ◠he bothe exempted al fear out of their harts and made them to conceiue good hope expectation of him self He was then xx yeres old in the which he promised many things of him self wyth suche modesty y ◠it appered he wold do more when it came to the profe then he spake of He gaue the Macedones a quite discharge of al things sauing he wold not exempt them from the warres by the which dede he purchased him selfe such at al mens hands y ◠they said they had changed the body of their king but not his vertues the first chiefest regard y ◠he had was to enter his father accordinge to his estate In executing wherof before al other things he caused all such persons to be put to death vpon his fathers tombe as wer accessary to the same Only he pardoned Alexander of Lyncests his brother reseruing in him the good fore token of his own estate for as much as he was y ◠firste that saluted him by the name of a king Moreouer he caused Caranus his mother in lawes sonne his brother in law to be put to death as one that loked to be a partner with him in the kingdom In the beginning of his raigne he subdued many countries that rebelled and suppressed manye insurrections euen in the very rising Whereby beinge greatlye encouraged he went leiserly into Grece wher after the example of his father sommoning the Cities to appeare before him at Corinthe he was substituted captaine general in his stead And thervpon he went immediatly in hand wyth y ◠wars against the Persians which his father had begone While he was busy in the furniture therof tidinges was brought him that the Atheniens the Lacedemonians and the Thebanes were reuolted from him to the Persians that the author of this reuolting was the orator Demosthen◅s corrup ted by ◅he Persians for a great sum of golde who auowed before the people that the king of Macedone wyth all hys hoste was slaine of the Tribales bringinge the tales man in open audience who to make good the matter sayde he was wounded hym selfe in the same battel that the kynge was slayne Uppon the whyche reporte the minds almost of all the Cities were chaunged and the Garrisons of the Macedones besieged The whyche motions intendynge to preuent he entred into Grece with an host well aparelled and in good order with suche celerity that they skarse beleued their owne e◅es when they sawe him because they hearde not of his commynge In hys waye thither warde he exhorted the Thessalians to keepe their allegiaunce putting them in minde of the benefites of his father Phillip toward them and of the kinred that was betwixte hym and them by his mothers side which came of the stocke of A◅acus The Thessalians were glad to heare those wordes of him and thervpon made him lieuetenaunte generall of al their country as his father had bene before and rendred vnto hym all the tributes and reuenues that he was wont to haue But the Atheniens as they were the firste that reuolted so were they the first that repented turnyng the disdaine of their ennemy into admiration and wondremēt and extollinge the childehode of Alexander whyche before they had in despite aboue the prowesse of the auncient captaines Therfore they sent ambassadors desiringe pardon and that they mighte haue peace Whom Alexander hard and with greuous rebuke graunted them their request From thence he turned his power toward Thebes intending to haue shewed like mercy if he had found like repen taunce But the Thebanes went to it with force of armes and not with intretaunce and submission Beinge therfore vanquished they suffred most greuous punishment of miserable captiuity When the matter came to debatinge in counsel as concerning the d◅truction of the citye the Phocenses the Platecenses the Thespienses and the Orchome◅ians Alexanders companions in armes and partakers of his victory rehersed the crueltye of the Thebanes in destroyinge their Cities and the good wil that they alwayes bare to y ◠Persians not only at that time but also of old time to the open preiudice and domage of the liberty of Grece whiche thing was not to be borne withall In consideration wher of they were worthelye hated of all people ▪ for the proofe wherof there neaded none other triall nor witnesse then this that they all bounde them selues with an othe to rase Thebes assone as euer they hadde ouercome and made an end with the Persians Furthermore they tolde what enterludes had bene made of their former noughtinesse in so muche that there was wel nie no stage wheron they made not open showes therof to the entent they should be hated and abhorred not only for their presēt vnfaithfulnesse but also for their olde follye and madnesse Then Eleadas one of the prisoners hauing liberty geuen him to speake said that the Thebanes had not reuolted from th◅ king in as much as they hard say he was slain but from the kings heirs In which doing if there were anye trespasse it was rather to be imputed as an ou◅rsight for being so light of credit then as a promise br◅aking or vnfaithfulnesse and yet if it were so they had all redy suffred great