company of Alexander by the space of xiiii dayes to thentente to haue yssue by hym retourned into her kyngdome and within a whole after de ceased with whom the name of the Amazones vtterly decayed The Scithians in their thyrd viage into Asia when they had bene a seuen yeares from their wy◅es and chyldren were welcomed home with warre by theyr owne seruauntes For theyr wyues beyng weryed wyth longe tarieng for theyr husbandes supposynge that they were not so long deteyned with warres but rather all slayne maryed themselues to theyr slaues whom theyr maysters had lefte ◅t home to looke to their cattell The whyche hearynge o◅ their masters returne with conquest met them in order of battell well appoynted and harnessed to kepe them out of their country as if they had bene straungers The Scithians perceiuing that by battell they lost as much as they won aduised them selues to vse another kinde of fight remembring that they hadde not to doo with their ennemies but with their slaues who ought to be ouercom not by the law of armes but by the law of masters against whom it was more mete to bring whippes into the field then weapons and laying a side swordes euery man to furnishe him selfe with rods and whips and suche other kind of stuffe wher of slaues and bondmen are wont to be afraid This counsell was well alowed and therfore euery man being furnished as was before appoynted whē they aproched to their enemies sodenly they shoke their whippes at them wherwith they so amased them that whome they coulde not ouercome by battell they ouercame with fear of beating made them run away not like enemies ouercome by battell but like runnagate slaues As many of them as were taken were hanged vp The women also that knew them selues gilty of the matter partly by wepon partly by hanging wilfully dispatched them selues After this the Scithians liued in peace vntill the time of Lanthine their kinge to whome Darius king of Persie as is before mentioned because he woulde not geue him his Daughter in mariage made warre and with seuen hundred thousand men in armor entring into Scithia when he saw his enemies would not come and geue him battel fearing that if the bridge ouer the riuer of Danow shuld chaunce to be broken he shuld be enclosed From retourning home againe fearfully retired ouer the water with the los of four skore and x. M. mē The which neuerthelesse was counted as no losse for the exceding great nombre of mē that he had in his host Afterward he conquered Asia and Macedonie and vanquished the Iomans vpon the sea Finally vnderstanding that the Atheniens had aided the Ionians against him he tourned the whole brunt of the warre vpon them Now forasmuche as we be come to the warres of the Atheniens whiche were done in such wise not only as a mā could not well haue hoped for But also farre otherwise then a man wold almost beleue them to haue bene done And forasmuche as the dedes of the Atheniens were greater in effecte then coulde haue beene wished before they came to passe I thincke it conuenient to speake sōwhat euen of their originall beginning because they did not encrease from a base and vile be ginning to the highest estate that could be like as al other nations haue done For they alone may make their vaūt as wel of their verye first beginninge as of their good successe and increasement For it was not straungers nor a sort of raskals gathered here there together that foūded that city but they were bred in the same soyle where they inhabite and the place of their dwellinge is the place of their beginning They first taught the vse of Woll Oyle and wine And wheras men in times paste were wonte to liue by eating of Acorns they taught how to plow y ◠groūd and to sow corn And certenly as for lerning eloquens and all ciuill pollicy and order of gouernaunce may worthelye take Athens for their Temple Before the time of Dencalion they had a king called Cecrops who according to the re port of all the auncient fables hadde two faces because he fyrst ioyned man and woman together in marriage After him succeded Crands whose daughter Atthis gaue the name vnto the country Next him raigned Amphitrion which first consecrated the City to Minerua and called it by the name of Athens In his time a floud of water drowned the grea ter part of Grece only such eskaped as coulde recouer the tops of the mountaines or elsse such as could get ships and sail vnto Dencalion king of Thessalie Who by reson therof is reported to haue repaired made mankind Afterward by order of succession the kingdō descended to Ericthens vnder whom the sowing of corn was found out at Elensis by Tripto lemus In reward of the whiche deede the nighte sacrifices wer i◅tituted in the honor of Ceres aegeus also the father of Theseus raigned in Athens from whome Medea being diuorsed because her sonne in law Theseus was mangrowne departed to Col◅hos with her sonne medus whom she had by aegeus After aegeus Theseus enioyed the kingdō and next to him his sonne Demophoon which aided the Grekes against the Troyans Ther was betwene thatheniens the Doriēs an old grudge displeasure the which the Dorienses entending to reuenge by battel asked coūsel of the Oracles Answer was made that they shuld haue the vpper hād so they killed not the kinge of Athens When they came into the field great charge was geuen to all the Souldiers in anye wise not to hurt the king At the same time king of Athēs was Cadrus who hauing vnderstāding both of thanswer of Appollo of the charge that was geuen among his ennemies laid a side his robes princely apparell and in a ragged cote with a bundle of vineshreds in his necke entred into his ennemies campe There in a throng that stode about him he was slain by a souldier whom he of pretensed purpose had wounded with a hoke that he had in his hād The Dorienses when they knew it was the kinge that laye there slain departed without any stroke striking By this meanes the Atheniens through the prowesse of their captain yelding him self to death for the safegarde of his countrye were deliuered from warre After Codrus was neuer king more in Athēs the which was attributed to his high renown and remembrans of his name The gouernans of the common welth was appoynted to yerely officers But the Citye at that time had no lawes because that hitherto the commaundement of their kinges was accompted as a law Therfore was chosen one Solon a man of meruailous vprightnesse which should as it were make a new citye by his lawes Who vsed suche an indifferency and bare hym self so euen betwene the people and the Senate where as if he made any thīg for
This yere was notable not only because peace was so sodenlye made throughe all Grece but also because the same time the Citye of Rome was taken by the frenchmen But the Lacedemonians being now at rest lying in await for aduaÌ„tage â—…spying the Arcadians from home surprised their castle put a garrison of their owne men therin The Arcadians therfore with the helpe of the Thebaâ—…es came into the field well armed and in good aray to recouer that that they had lost by the sword In the which conflict Archidamus captain of the Lacedemonians was wounded who seing his men beaten downe as vanquished demaunded by an heralt to haue the deade bodies of such as were slain to th entent he might bury them For this is a token amoÌ„g the Grekes of geuing the victory with the which confession the Thebanes being contented blew to the retreit pursued no further with a few daies after neither party atteÌ„pting any displesure when a man wold haue thought they had ben at a truce as it were by a secret consent and agrement amoÌ„g them selues while the Lacedemonians wer busied in other warres against their neighbors the Thebanes vnder the conduicte leading of their captain Epaminondas purposed to haue won their citie ere they wer aware of it Where vpon in the beginning of the night they setforth as closelye as they coulde deuise toward Lacedemon But yet they coulde not take them vnwares For thold men other persoÌ„s vnmeâ—…e for the wars by reson of their yeres hauing vnderstaÌ„ding ofthapproche of their enemies armed theÌ„ selues met them in the very entrance of the gates against xv M. souldiers not aboue a C. old forgrown men put theÌ„ selues to thencounter So much corage strength doth the present sight of a mannes country houshold geue a man so much doth â—…he preseÌ„ce of things geue men 〈◊〉 stomackes theÌ„ the remeÌ„braÌ„ce of theÌ„ being away For when theysaw within what â—… for what they stode at defence they determined either to win 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 die A few old men therfore helde them playe whome ere the next morning all the youth they had was not able to withstand In that battell two of the captains of their enemies were slain In the meane while word was brought that agesilaus was come where vppon the Thebanes retired and it was not longe after but they encountred againe For the yong men of Lacedemon being incensed with the prowesse and valiaÌ„t demenor of the old men could not be with held but that they would nedes try the matter immediatlye in open field when as the victory was all ready the Thebanes And Epaminondas whiles he executed the dutye and office not only of a stout captain but also of a valiaunt souldiour was greuously wounded The which thing being hard of the one party was so striken in feare and the other partye for ioy was so amazed that bothe parties as it were by a peaceable consent departed the field Within a fewe daies after Epaminondas deceased with whom the strength of the common welth decayed For in like manner as if ye break of the edge of a wepon the rest of it is able to doo no great harme euen so this Duke being dead who was as it were the edge of the common wealthe of Thebes the strengthe therof was appalled and in manner dulled in so much that they semed not so muche to haue lost him as altogether to haue died with him For neither before this Dukes time atcheued they any notable conquest nor afterwarde deserued to be spoken of for any famous attempt by them accom plished but only for the slaughters that were made of theÌ„ So that it appereth manifestly that the glory and renown of his country did bothe spring vp with him and die wyth him And a manne is not able to iudge whether he were a better captain and souldiour or a better man of his liuing For alwaies he sought preheminence to his countrye rather then to him self and he was suche a sparer of monye that be wanted wherwith to bury him according to his estate And he was euen as couetous of praise as of monye For authority and offices wer laid vpon him euen vtterly against his wil. And he behaued him self in such wise in his authority that he semed not to receiue but rather to geue honor to the same Furthermore he was so studious of lerning so instructed in the knowledge of philosophy that it was a woÌ„der to se how a maÌ„ bred brought vp in lerning shuld come by such sight experience in feats of war Neither did his death dissent from this his trade of liuing For being brought into his tent half dead when he was come to him self again had receiued his speache he demaunded this one thing of such as stode about him whether his ene mies had taken his shield from him when he was felled or no when he vnderstode it was saued he commaunded it to be broughte to him as the partaker of all his trauels and glory he kissed it Then he enquired again which parte had won the field and hearing that the Thebanes had gotteÌ„ it he said all was wel and so as it wer reioysing for his couÌ„tries sake he gaue vp the ghoste By the deathe of this man the prowesse of the Atheniens also decayed For after the time that he was once gon whose fotesteps they wer wont to fo low now geuing the selues all together to slouth idlenes they lashed out the common reuenues not vpon ships and men of warre as they had don in times past but in feastful daies and holy daies in making preparation for pagiants enterludes gathering theÌ„ selues together into the theaters to behold the famous stage players Poets visitinge oftner the stage then the campe setting more by versifiers and oratoures then by Captaines Then the common tresure wherwith men of war and mariners wer wont to be maintained began to be deuided amonge the people of the city By meanes wherof it came to passe that whyle the Greekes gaue them selues to idlenesse The name of the Macedones which before time was â—…ile and obscure sproÌ„g vp and grew to great honour that Philip who was kept iii. yeres as an hostage at Thebes being enstructed in all feates of armes and cheualry by 〈◊〉 and the Peloâ—… after his returne into his country laid the kingdoÌ„ of Macedony as a yoke of bondage vpon the neckes bothe of Grece and of â—…sia The seuenth Booke MAcedonie in auncient time was called â—…inathia after the name of emathio king of the couÌ„try who was the firste that gaue anye notable profe of his prowesse in those parts As this country encreased slowly by little and little so the boundes therof were very narowe The inhabitauntes were called Pclascians and the Country it self Bcotia But afterwarde throughe the prowesse of the kinges and industry of the people first by subduinge theyr
¶ Thabridgment of the Histories of TROGVS Pompeius Collected and wrytten in the Laten tonge by the famous Historiographer Iustine and translated into English by Arthur Goldyng a worke conteynyng brieflie great plentie of moste delectable Hystories and notable examples worthie not onelie to be read but also to be embraced and followed of all menne Anno Domini M. D. LXIIII. Mense Maâ—… ¶ Imprinted at London in Fletestrete nere vnto Sainct Dunstons churche by Thomas Marshe TO THE RIGHT HONORABL and his singular good Lord and Mayster Edward de Veer Erle of Oxinford L. great Chamberlayne of England Vicount Bulbeck c. Arthur Goldyng wisheth health and prosperitie with furtherance in knowledge and encrease of Honor. RIght Honorable I fynde in peruâ—…yng of auncient wryters that it hath ben the custome of the greatest Estates and Princes in the worlde when they haue had inter mission froÌ„ the serious and weightie affayres of their Realmes to bestowe their ydell tymes in reuoluyng and pervsyng stories For we reade that Artaxerxes surnamed Longimanus the fyfte kyng of Persia vsed to haue the Chronacles bothe of his predecessours and of his own tyme also read before him a nightes when he went to rest And Alexander the greate â—…ad that noble wryter of the famous battell of Troye in such veneration that he neuer went any wher but he had his workes about him nor neuer slept but that he had theÌ„ vnder his pyllowe Moreouer comyng into a schole and fyndyng not Homers workes ther he gaue the Master a buffet with his fyste Meanyng thereby that y e knowledge of Histories was a thyng so necessary to all estates and degrees that it was an offence to be without them For like as in Musike many notes and many tunes make one concent and one Harmonie so also in an History the varietie and multitude of examples tend all to one ende that is thaduauncement of Vertue and the defacyng of Vyce Offryng theÌ„selues as a moste clere and perfect myrror wher in for a man to behold I say not the outwarde portrayture and lineamentes of his bodye but the very lyuely Image and expresse figur of his inward mind enstructyng him how to gwyde and order hymselfe in all things For what can be a greater enforcemeÌ„t to cheualrie then not barely to hear but in a maner presently to behold the sage and graue consultacioÌ„s of expert Captaynes the spedie puttyng in practise of things deuised the pollicies stratagenies in executyng of them the fauorable assistence of fortune to the same with the fame and renowne of valiant enterprises what can be a greater encouragement to Vertue then to se men raised from lowe and base degre as it wer out of the dust vnto high estate honor to se Realmes florish to see common welthes prosper to se good meÌ„ exalted euil meÌ„ suppressed to se peace and tranquillity obserued to se Nacions willingly offer their obediens to se loÌ„g continuaÌ„ce in felicity w t honorable report wishyng for after y e decease On the contrary part what caÌ„ be a greater dehortacion from vice then to haue laid before ones eyes not only the heynousnesse and enormitie of the offence but also the miseries calamities shames and punishmentes worthely ensewyng vpon the same with endlesse reproch and infamie after death and so consequentlie what can be more commodious and profitable then an Historye Agayne what can be more pleasant or more to the satisfying and contentacion of mannes nature which is alwayes desirous of newes and couetous of knowledge then syttyng quietly by himself to receiue tydings of thyngs done through the whole world to behold the places the persons the tymes and the thyngs with thorder and circumstances in doyng of the same to se so many ruÌ„ nyng streames so many high montaynes so many ragyng seas so many wylde forests and deserts so many straunge beastes fowles fyshes serpents herbes and trees so many large contries so many rich and populous Cyties so many welgouerned coÌ„mon wealthes so many good lawes and customes and so many sundry sortes of people togyther with the natures disposicions effectes descriptions situacions coÌ„modities pleasures and displeasures foundacions continuances and decayes beginnynges procedynges and endynges of the same and that in such sort as euery thing may seme not to be reported but to be present ly in doyng Now at such tyme as I had finished my translacion of thistories of Iustine who in so small roume and in so fewe wordes comprehendeth so many and so notable thynges that it is to be doubted whether he be more brief of sentence or copious of matter as I stayed with my selfe as it were to take breath at th end of my race deuisyng to whome I might specially dedicate the same It came to my remembraunce that sithens it had pleased Almighty God to take to his mercy your Lordships noble father to whom I had long before vowed this my tra uell there was not any who eyther of dutie mighte more iustly clayme the same or for whose estate it semed more requisite and necessarie or of whome I thought it should be more fauorably accepted then of your honor For to omit other things wherof this tyme and matter serueth not to speake it is not vnknowen to others and I haue had experience therof myself howe earnest a desire your honor hath natu rally graffed in you to read peruse and coÌ„municate with others as well the Histories of auncient tyme and thynges done long ago as also of the present estate of thinges in oure dayes and that not withoute a certayn pregnancie of witte and rypenesse of vnderstandyng The which do not only now reioyse the hartes of all such as beare faithfull affection to thonorable house of your auncestours but also stirre vp a greate hope and expectacion of such wysedom and experience in you in time to come as is mete and besemyng for so noble a race To the furtheraÌ„ce wher of because I will not be ouer taedious in wordes I will briefly propound vnto your L. no mo but twoo examples which are mencioned among many other of like purport in this boke Th one is of the valiant Epaminondas Prince of Thebe who beyng an expert Captayn and politike in all Martial feates and warlike affaires was neuerthelesse so well lerned that it was a wonder to se howe a man bredde and broght vp in Philosophy should come by such knowledge in feates of Armes or howe a man accustomed to the licentious libertie of the Campe should reteyne suche exquisite knowledge in Philosophie with vnspotted innocencie of lyuynge and conuersacion whose fortune was suche by the consente of all wryters that the strength the glory and the renowme of his countrie dyd bothe ryse with him and dye with him Thother example is of Arymba kyng of Epyre who beyng very yong at the decease of his father was by the aduise and consente of the whole Realme duryng his nouage sente to Athenes to be enstructed
to receiue and kepe men that came out of other countreyes before that garmentes were inuented to defende the bodye from heate or colde or that the faultes of the places were eased with remedies founde out by cunnynge and practise Egypte was alwayes so temperate that neyther the could in the wynther nor the heate of the sonne in the sommer greued the inhabitauntes therof the soyle of the ground so fruiteful that there is no lande vnder the sonne that bringeth mo thynges necessary and meete for mannes vse And that therefore of ryght men ought to be bred fyrste there where with moste ease they myght be best brought vp On thother side the Scithians denyed that the temperatenesse of the ayre made any thing to the proofe of antiquity forasmuche as nature as soone as it had geuen to eche countrey of heate or colde as much as seemed good forthewith also engendred liuing creatures able to endure in those places and thereunto sundrye sortes of trees and fruites in theyr kyndes accordyng as the estate of the countrey required And looke howe much the weather was harder in Scithia then in Egypt so much were the Scithians harder of body and of nature than the Egiptians But if the world which is nowe deuided in partes were sometyme al one whether water at the first beginning ouerwhelmed all the earthe or els fyre possessed all thynges whereof also the worlde it selfe was made the Scithians in both of theym must nedes be the auncienter For if fyre fyrst possessed all the whyche by litle and litle beyng quenched gaue place to the earthe no parte was sooner separated from the fyre by the coldenesse of the winter then the North insomuch that at thys presente daye there is no parte that feeleth more excessine colde where as Egipt and all the East wer a longer season ere they coulde come to anye temperatnesse whyche well appeareth by theÌ„ euen yet in that the vnmeasurable heate of the sonne skorcheth them at this day But yf so be it that all the worlde were sometime drowned with the sea vndoubted it must nedes folow that the higher that any place is the sooner it must be discouered forasmuche as the waters withdrawe theymselues from thence into the lower groundes and there remaine a great while And the soner that any place was dryed vp the sonner it began to engender liuing creatures Furthermore Scithia is so much bigger than al other countreyes that al the riuers that spryng there do fall into the sea Maeotis and from thence into the sea of Pontus and so into the Aegiptian sea But as for Aegipte it selfe which beinge by the costes and charges of so many kynges so manye hundred yeares with so huge and stronge dammes and bankes agaynste the vyolence of the waters renning thereinto strengthened and fortifyed cut and deuided with so many diches and trenches to th entent that the waters beyng in the one receyued might by the other be kept of from going any further could nathe rather be inhabited except the riuer Nilus were excluded can not seeme to be auncienter than all other countreyes but rather what for the great costes that the kynges haue bestowed therupon and what for the gret heapes of mudde that the riuer Nilus leaues behynde hym may seme the last inhabited of all countreyes The EgiptiaÌ„s beyng vanquished by these argumentes y â— Scithians were euer counted most auÌ„cient Scithia stretcheth into the East and is enclosed on th one side with Pontus on thother sid with the mountains Rhiphael on the backe with Asia and the riuer Tanais it is very long and very wyde The people of that countrey haue no boundes betwene man and man For they occupy no tillage neyther haue they anye house or home to resorte to or any certayne dwellyng place As they feede and graze theyr catell wanderyng through the desertes and wylde forestes they carrye theyr wyues and children with them in wagons and chariotes couered wyth hides to kepe out the wynde and weather the which they occupye instede of houses They vse 〈◊〉 and equyte of a naturall â—…ysposycyon and not for feare of anye lawe No offence is counted so heynous among theym as stealynge For consyderynge they haue no houses nor anye place of safegarde and that all theyr ryches consisteth in cattell what shoulde they haue in safetye if it were lawefull for them to steale Golde and syluer they do asmuch despyse as other nacions do couet and desyre it They lyne by Milke and Honny they know not what to dâ—… with woll nor howe to make them selues garmentes therof And although they be vexed wit continuall colde yet haue they nothyng to clothe them selues with but the skynnes of wilde beastes and of myce This temperance causeth them to be so vpryght in theyr lyuing and is an occasion that they couet not other mens goodes For where as ryches be there also is couetousnesse I woulde to God that all other men could vfe the lyke temperance and abstinent froÌ„ other mens goodes Certes then shoulde there not bee so much warre and manslaughter of so longe continuaunce as there is in all landes Neyther shoulde there dye moe of the sworde than of naturall destynye It ys a wonderfull thyng that they shoulde haue that thing gâ—…uen them of nature which the Grekes by thenstructions of their wise meÌ„ and the preceptes of their Philosophers so longe time together conld neuer attayne vnto and that the fyne ciuile maners of the Grekes should be to no pupose at all in comparison of the rude and barbarous Scithians So much more profited in these the ignoraunce of vice than in the other the knowledge of vertue Thryse the Scithians gat the em pire of Asye they them selues remayning all the while eyther vntouched or at the least vnsubdewed of any for reyne power Thei put Darius king of Persia to shameful flight and draue him out of theyr countrey The slewe Cyrus and all his armye After the same forte they vtterlye destroyed zopyron one of great Alexaunders chiefetaynes with al his hoste As for the warres of the Romaynes they hearde of them but they neuer felt them Within a whyle they founded thempires of the Parthians Bactrians people geuen to endure labour and â—…out men of warre of strength of bo dye wonderfull desiring not to win the thiug they thought they could not kepe and in their conquestes seking nothing but honour The first y â— euer offred warre vnto the Scithians was Uexores king of Egipt who sent his ambassadors before to offer them peace condicionally that thay woulde become his bassalles and liege meÌ„ But the ScithtaÌ„s being aduertised before by their neighboures of the kynges commyng aunswered the ambassadours in this wise We can not but maruayle that the ruler of so welthy a people wyll so foolishely moue warre agaynst beggars whyche thynge was rather to haue bene mistrusted on his parte consideringe that the ende of warre is
spend their first yeares not in riotousnesse but in labor and trauel And when they slept they myghte not lay any thing vnder them to rest vpon or eat anye daintye meate al their liues nor retourn into the City before they were men growne He made a lawe that maidens shoulde marrye without dowrye and gaue commaundement that men should chuse their wiues for loue and not for monye thinckinge by that meanes menne woulde more straitlye obserue the dueties of wedlocke when there was no dowrye to let them The greatest reuerens he woulde shoulde be assigned not to rich men and men of authoritye but to aged men accordinge to the degree of their yeares And to say the truthe there is no place in all the worlde wher age is more honoured then in ◅parta Nowe forasmuch as these thinges at the first semed harde to them that before times were w◅nt to liue as they listed he fained Apollo of Delphos to be the author of them and that he had fetched them fro thence at the commaundement of God to the entent that the feare of God might enure them vnto it vntill that custome had driuen awaye all wearinesse Afterwarde to the entent he might ◅stablishe his lawes for euer he caused all the Citye to be sworne not to alter or breake any parte of his lawes vntil he returned againe tellinge them that he was going to the Oracle at Delphos to take counsel what was to be altered put to or taken from his lawes But in very dede he sailed vnto Candy where gladlye he liued the residue of his life like a banished man And when he shuld die he commaunded his bones to be throwne into the sea least if they were caried again to Lacedemon the Spartanes might thinke them selues clere of their othe in disanulling and abrogating of his lawes By meanes of these statutes and ordinaunces the City grew so stronge within a while that when as they made warre againste the Messenians for rauishing certaine of their maidens in a sol◅mpne sacrifice of the Messenians they bounde them selues with a greuous othe and thervnto cursed them selues if they retourned home before they had wonne the City of Messenia so muche did they trust either to their owne strength or to their fortune The which thing was the beginning of discorde and the cheefe cause and occasion of warre in Grece Therfore when contrary to their presumption they had beseged the towne x. yeres and could not take it and that their wiues thinking them selues all this while as widowes sent often to them requesting them earnestly to come home at lēgth fearing least by their obstinate perseueraunce they myght doo them selues more harme then the Messenians For as much as the youth which the Messenians lost was supplied the frutefulnesse of their wiues being daily among thē wheras their own losse during the warres was vnrecouerable for as muche as in the time of their absens their wiues as barraine folke broughte for the no frute at all Ther fore they chose oute certaine yong menne of that bande of Souldiers that came to supplye their noumber after the othe was taken and sent them home to Sparta with free liberty to company with any women whome so euer they woulde supposinge their wiues should sooner conceiue by attemptinge it wyth diuers men They that were so begotten in respecte of their mothers dishonour were called Partheniens who when they came to the age of xxx yeres for feare of pouertye for none of them coulde saye who was his father by whome he mighte hope for anye inheritaunce or liuing tooke to be their Captaine Phalanthus the sonne of Aracus which gaue the Spartanes the forsaid coūsel to send home these yonge men to engender issue To the entent that as of late his father was the authoure of theyr begetting so might they haue the sonne the author of their hope and prosperiti Therfore not so much as once bidding their mothers farewell whose aduoutry they thought soūded greatly to their shame reproche they toke their way to seke them a new dwelling place and after diuers aduen tures being long tossed from post to piller at lengthe they came into Italy where they besieged the fortresse of Tarent the which being wonne by assault they draue out the auncient inhabiters therof and dwelled ther them selues But many yeres after their captain Phalanthus beinge by a tumult driuen into exile went vnto Brundusium whether as the auncient inhabitants of Tarent being expulsed their natiue country had withdrawn them selues When he should die he perswaded them to take his bones the residue of his body being dead and beat them into poulder secretely to cause them to be strowed in the market place of Tarent saying that apollo at Delphos had told him that in so doynge they shuld recouer their country again The Tarentines ◅upposing that to reuenge the displesure don vnto him he had bewrayed the desteny of his citizens obeyed his counsell But the meaning of the Oracle was cleane contrary For it promised by so doing the cōtinual possession of the town and not the losse o◅ it And so through the counsell of theyr banished captain the working of their enemies the Parthenians enioyed the possession of Tarent for euer In remembraunce of the whiche good turne they euer after honoured Phalanthus as a God In the mean time the Messenians beinge not able to be ouercome by plaine force were ouercome by pollicye Afterwarde hauinge by the space of lxxx yeres suffered sore punishmentes of bondage with emprisonment and other miseries and calamities of thraldome captiuity after long sufferance of these mischeues they renued the war again The Lacedemonians also came to the field so muche the more earnestlye because they seemed to fight against their bōdmen The courages of both parties therfore being quickned th one with iniury thother wyth disdain the Lacedemonians demaunded counsell of the Oracle at Delphos to what end the warre should come there they wer cōmaunded to send to the Atheniens for a captē Thatheniens hauing intelligence of thanswer of apollo in despite of the Lacedemonians sent thē a poet called tirteus lame of one fote who being vanquished in iii. battels brought the Lacedemonians to such an afterdele that to suppli their army they were faine to make their bondmen free promise to geue them the wiues of them that were slain so that they shuld succede such as wer lost not only in nōber but also in estate worship But the kinges of the Lacedemonians least by str◅inge againste fortune they myghte brynge more domage vpon their countrye were myneded to haue conueyed home theyr host If Tyrteus had not come in the meane season who sommoning his armye together rehearsed vnto them certaine verses that he had compiled wherin was contained the encouragemente to vertue the comfort of aduersity and the pollicies of warre Wherwith he set his
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
glorying in the Empire of the East the other in thempire of the West the one bringing into the battel with them the auncient and forworne renoume of their predecessors the other the fresh and fragrant flour of their late tried knighthode and cheualry But the Romains had the fortâ—…ne to vanquish the Macedones Phillip being vtterly discouraged by this battel and dâ—…siring peace of the Consull Flaminius retained styll the name of kynge but he was bereste of all the Cityes of Greâ—… as it were the members of his kingdome which were situate without the boundes of the auncient inheritaunce and so he had no more left him but onlye the countrye of Macedones And yet the Aetolians being offended that at their plesure Maceâ—…one also was not taken from him and geuen to them in rewarde of theyr paynes taken in the warre sent ambassadoures to Antiâ—…chus who by flattering him in adâ—…uncing his puissaunce cheualry might enforce him to make warre against the Romains in hope that all Grece would take his part The. xxxi Booke PTolomy Philopater being dead Antiochus kâ—…ng of Syria disdaimng his little sonne because he was so yonge who being the onlâ—…e hope of the posteritye of the Ptolomtes lefte to enherite the kingdome was euen as a pray to his owne subiectes purposed to conquere Egipt Whervpon whâ—…n he hadde inuaded Phenice and the other cities situate in Syria but vnder the dominion of Egipte the Senate of Rome sent an ambassade vnto him willinge hym to abstaine from the Orphans kingdome whiche was committed to their charge by the laste bequest that his father made The whiche being sent away with a 〈◊〉 answeare within a while after came another ambassade which leauing the personne of theyr pupill commaunded him to make restitution with full amendes and satisfaction of the cities that by the lawe of armes appertayned of right to the Romaines Upon his refusall they made their defiaunce the which as he lightly receiued so he as vnfortunately performed The same time the Tirant Nabis subdued manye cityes in Gâ—…ece The Senate therfore least the power of the Romaines shoulde bee entangled in two warres at one instaunte wrate vnto Flamminius that like as he had deliuered Macedone from the bondage of Phillippe so if he thoughte it good he shoulde deliuer Grece from the bondage of Nabis In consideration whereof his authoritâ—…e was proroged For the name of that Hanniball made the warres of Antiochus terrible whome his enuious aduersaries hadde accused to thâ—… Romaines of secreate conspiracye with Antiochus alledginge that hys harte woulde not serue him to liue vndeâ—… a lawe beinge accustomed to beare rule and beinge accustomed to the ouer licentyous liberty of the campe and that he was so weary of the rest and quietnesse of the citye that hee euer more soughte to picke some quarel to th entent to haue occasyon agayn of some newe warres The whiche thinges all be it they were reportâ—…d vppon malice contrary to the truth yet not withstandinge amonge them that stode in dreade of hym they were bâ—…leued for a truthe For the â—…enate beynge strycken with fâ—…are sente Seruilius of ambassade into Affricke to note the demeanor of Hanniball geuing him secreatelye in charge that if it were possyble hee shoulde fynde the meanes to kill him by some of his aduersaries and so deliuer the Romaines from the dreadfull feare of his hatefull name But this secreate working coulde not be longe kepte from Hanniball beinge a wise and expert person in foreseing and auoidynge of daungers and such as looked as well for aduersitye in the time of prosperity as for prosperity in the time of aduerâ—…ye Therefore when he had shewed himselfe all day longe before the eyes of the noble men and of the Româ—…in ambassadoure in the face of the courte euen to the 〈◊〉 in the shuttynge in of the euenyng he toke horseback and rode to a manor that he had in the subburbes neare vnto the sea syde not makynge anye of his seruauntes preuye wher about he went but willed them to wait at the gate til he came again He had at the said manor shippes mariners hidden for the nones in a noke of the sea Moreouer he had there a great sum of monye in a readinesse in the same pece of ground to th entent that if he wer driueÌ„ to such necessity he wold not be letted of his iourney for want of ships or for want of mony There vppon wyth a company of his moste picked seruauntes the noumber of whom was incresed with Italian prisoners he toke ship ping and directed his course toward Antiochus The next day the city waited in the iudgement hal for their prince and the same time their Consul When they hard that he was gone they trembled for feare as if the City had ben taken by the enemy mistrusting that his departure wold tourne to theyr vtter destruction And the Romaine ambassador as though Hanniball had euen then made war again vpon Italy made no more a doo but retourned to Rome and brought y â— sorowful tidinges therof with him In the meane time Flaminius hauing made confederacy with certaine Cities in Grece vanquished Nabis in two pitched fieldes one after a nother by meanes wherof hauing brought him to alow ebbe he lefte him in his kyngdome lyhe a man without life or soule But after that he had withdrawen his garisons out of the cities and coÌ„ueied his host again into Italy Nabis being entised againe for as much as he saw no man to kepe possessyon agaynst him raised a power and sodenlye inuaded manye Cityes Wherwith the acheans being put in fear for doubt least the mischiefe wherwith their neighbors were entangled shuld crepe vpon them determined to make war against Nabis Of the which warres they made lieuetenant general their Pretor Philopemenes a man of excellent actiuity who behaued himselfe so valiantly in that war that by al mennes iudgement he was to be compared to Flaminius the graundcaptaine of the Romaines The same time Hanniball when hee was come to Antiochus was entertained and wellcomed as a gift sent from God and the kynge tooke suche a courage to him vppon hys comminge that he semed not so carefull for the war as howe he myght rewarde him for getting the victorye he thought himselfe so sure of it But Hanniball who knew by profe the prowesse and puissaunce of the Romaines denied that it was possyble to ouercome them but in Italy to the performans wher of he willed him to deliuer him an hundrâ—…d shippes with tenne thousand footemen and thre thousande horsemen promisinge to make as hotte warres in Italye with that little band as euer he had done before so that his maiesty sitting in quiet in asia he woulde either bring him home victory and conquest or elsse indifferent articles of sinall peace and attonement For bothe the Spaniyards were desirous to renue the warres if they had a captaine to set