Hectors harnesse quite was of supposing none so nie When great Achilles watcht in place in Hectors face to flie And with his speare hée thrust him through from Hectors side to side Thus famous man and Phrigian Prince thus Troyan Hector died ¶ Thimistocles death THat noble Gréeke Themistocles by Artaxerxes forcde To fight agaynst his natiue soyle in harnesse braue was horsde But marke a valiaunt minde beholde a famous déede To hurt his soyle this noble Gréeke did féele his heart to bléede To voyde this wrath of Perseans Prince hée bloode with poyson dranke And so to die that so did liue hée gladly God did thanke ¶ Marcellus death MArcellus in his glorie great triumphant Uictor oft The Spurre of Rome and Romane guyde in state aduaunced loft Who by the Senate sage was sent to Massinissa King And charged that from Africk fieldes an aunswere he shoulde bring On surging Seas of wambling waues vnto his busines bent Dame Fortune doth with flattering feates such loftie mates preuent ¶ Nero his death IN lust who leadeth life with Tyraunt Nero here Must with Nero ende his life as did in Rome appere Who slue his Mayster Seneca who did his mother kill Who spoyled all who spared none who last him selfe did spill Whose death as ioyfull was to Rome as Rome his life detest That into Tiber he being deade the Romans threwe this beast ¶ Hercules death WHich Dragons Lions Tigers wilde which beastes so fierce did tame Which Castles Countries Townes and Towres loe death subdued the same What Hercules hadde at Nessus hande the same with flames did frie Wherein that ofspring great of Goddes and impe of Ioue did die ¶ Herods death WHen Herode raigned in Iuda King his lothsome life to ledde On sucking babes and infantes bloode this cruell tyraunt fedde To séeke our Sauiour Christ he kilde the babes of Iuda lande And thought our God coulde not escape his fomie blodie hande Of Wormes this Herode was deuourde of vermin loe and mise His bones his fleshe was all consumde and eaten vp of Life Seleucus king of Siria his death SEleucus King of Siria lo Antiochus sonne the great To whome in middest of ioyfull state did fortune vse this feate That mounted high on stately stéede with princely port to ride From pompe from pride from horse he fell and there Seleucus died That earst in Siria had such fame and liued long in mirth With crawling créeping wormes hée lieth starcke naked in the earth Traians death WHen twentie yeares had Traian rainde in Romane Empire lo In Citie called Seleucia died from Persea comming fro Whose noble dayes and happy yeres while yet in Rome hée dwelt Both Rome and Romanes then reioycde no griefe in Rome was felt He rightly ruled Rome by lawe he Romane safegarde sought To punish vice and hate eche sinne Plutarchus him hath taught King Anceus death WHo thinkes to ioye shall hap to wo who thinkes to liue shall die Who thinkes to spéede shall often misse thus fortune friendes doth trie As Anceus King of Samos sought to slea a sauage Bore Was by the Bore he thought to kill constraynde to die before ¶ Heliogabalus Emperour of Rome his death BEholde another Gorgon grim a monster Cyclop lo Whose lothsome life and wicked wayes all Rome did feare I know The sincke of sinne the shape of shame the beast of Rome was calde The cruelst scourge the sorest plague that euer Rome haue stalde This monster murthered in a iakes and halde through Rome in stéetes And after throwne to Tibers streames shut in his shrowding shéetes FINIS ¶ Of Memorie and Obliuion SOme hold that opinion that in the auncient tyme whiles yet the worlde florished not in learnyng that memorie then was moste sette by and esteamed for what so euer was seen or heard was then committed vnto Memorie and not recorded in bookes whiche Socrates saied after the vse of letters were had the vertue of Memorie decaied for the care whiche then was in harte and memorie with feare and diligence to obserue is of all now put in bookes that now our memorie is put in writyng and then was it fixed in minde in so muche that noble Athenian Themistocles passyng by Simonides schoole who as some suppose taught firste the arte of Memorie beyng demaunded whether he would learne the arte and facultie of Memorie answered that he had rather learne how to forgette thynges then to keepe thynges in Memorie for I can not saied he forgette what I would and I haue thynges in Memorie whiche faine I would thei were out of Memorie Seneca doeth so report of hymself that he was of suche perfect Memorie that he could reherse after one by hearing twoo huÌ„dred verses yea a greater maruaile of Memorie he could recite twoo thousande names of men beyng repeated once before hym with as good a Memorie as he that firste named them The like we read of Aelius Adrianus a capitain that hauing a greate armie vnder hym of soldiours if any were absent in any place about any businesse he had in Memorie the name of the persone the name of the place and the cause of his businesse Of this excellent Memorie to their perpetuall fame was kyng Cirus and Scipio the one a Persian the other a Romain whiche had this fame by Memorie that either of theim could seuerally call their soldiours by name euery one after an other whiche is moste rare yea moste maruailous hauyng so many alwaies vnder them as both Rome and Persia were chiefly in their daies by them defended to be able to name so many soldiours as either of them both had in armie Their Memorie was suche thâ—n that thei maie not be forgotten now Iulius Caesar was as muche renowmed for that Plinie reported that he could dooe suche thynges by Memorie as in readyng in talkyng in hearyng and in aunsweryng at one tyme that no fault could be founde in either of these fower qualities at one tyme practised whereby he deserueth no lesse praise by his Memorie then fame by his actes Diuers excelled in tyme paste in Memorie as Horâ—ensius a noble Oratour of Rome was able to speake in any place any thing which he premidated priuatly without studie openly he had more truste in his Memorie then in bookes Carmides of Grece was so famous for this facultie that he neuer heard any readyng but he could repeate it worde by worde without writyng were the writyng or readyng neuer so long he would not misse a sillable Cyneas a noble and a famous Oratour one of the counsailours of kyng Pirrhus beyng sente from Epire vnto the Senatours of Rome as an Ambassadour he but once hearyng the names of the Senates before he came vnto the Senate house where when he came he named them orderly by name euery one after an other that all the Senatours were in a greate admiration of his Memorie in repeatyng so many names in openyng so many matters in coÌ„cludyng so
benifite my countrie to pleasure my friendes and to shewe my selfe more willing than able in performing the same and though I in my rashenesse presume to write of the liues of Princes yet I trust in gathering the fragments broken sentences as a beginning vnto others that are better stored it vvill be of the vvise and learned considered though of others defamed and taunted For there is no booke sayth Plini so simple but it profiteth some body for in bookes sayde Chilo the Philosopher are the fame of vvorthie men eternized and the veritie of thinges etere vnknovvne wvritten vvhich tvvo thinges neyther time can consume nor fortune destroy and for this cause were the bones of Homer sought and contended for of seuen Cities in Greece to be buried and kept as a monument of so great a vvriter and for this vvas Euripides dying in Macedonia sent for by embassadors of Athens to bee hadde in memorie as a prayse vnto Athens by his buriall For the Greekes supposed the greatest honour of all to haue educated such men as vvere studious and carefull for their countrie For greater is the attempt of any simple booke writer to hazarde himselfe to present perill to encounter with diuers men with a pen in his hande then that that valiaunt Perithus with Cerberus or Theseus vvith Minotaurus yea or Hercules with Antheús iollie champions vvith swordes drawne for that they fought vvith one a peece and that before their faces the simple writer with thousandes and they behinde his backe slaunder him Architas the Philosopher whome the Tarentines made a general in their warres sixe seueral times he I saye vvas in no such daungers in his vvarres as hee was resisted for his rules and lawes in Tarentum Plato vvas not in such perill at the besieging of Tanagra and Corinth amongst all his enimies as he vvas enuied in Greece by Zenophon and Aristotle his ovvne schollers by his Philosophie Neyther vvas Socrates in such hazarde of life being in armes in Delphos as he vvas in Athens by vvriting of bookes put to death by the Greekes Zeno the poore Philosopher coulde resist the violence of the great king Antigonus Demosthenes could vvithstand the force of Philip and yet neyther of them coulde auoyde the snares of those that defamed their labour enuied their diligence in vvriting and making of bookes Simple men must not therefore be discomfited to vvrite bicause the vvise and learned vvere herein euill spoken For the Gimnosophistes in India the Prophetes in Egypt the Sages in Persea the Ephori in Lacedemonia the Chaldeans in Babilon and the Philosophers in Greece are novv more famous and renovvmed being deade then they being a liue vvere enuied and slaundered their vvritinges and bookes more read novve than alovved or knovvne then they rtrauell novve is commended though their liues then vvere despised And therefore I vvish all learned Claâ—kes vvere as vvilling to vvrite as the most part of ignoraunt are studious and carefull to finde faultes VVherfore crauing the good vvill of the learned reader as a bovvlster and defence to my simple trauell I ende vvishing that both the Printers faultes and mine might lesse mooue occasions of offence ¶ CHRISTOFORVS CARLILVS IN FLODVM GEstiunt Musae Charites triumphant Gestit insignis lituis Apollo Pallas ac Orpheus monumenta Flode Cernere tanta Ipse ne ditem videar beare Aureis nummis Calabrosue pomis Vel redundantem Bromeum racemis Dicere cesso Est opus dignum solido Cupresso Et Cedro suaui simul atque laude Maxima Flodi celebrate famam Anglica pubes Si legis librum furiosa philtra Non tâ—bi possunt nâ—camara Circes Vasa non atrox rabies Megerae Vlla nocere ED. GRANT IN LOD. FLO. QVae a tûere difuruis immersa tenebris aeduntur patrijs condecorata sonis Quae prius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fuerint bene cognita paucis nunc venient cunctis percipienda viris Postera Floyde tuam nascentia secula laudem cantabunt praesens nomen in astra feret Quicquid est in mellis quicquid liberiste lepôris continet omne tuum laus tribuenda tibi Liuide mendaces compescito Zoile voces tela licet vibres non violabis opus Inclita mordaci non laedes facta libello florescit Floydus docta perora virum ¶ IN LIBRVMDE PRINCIPVM periginatione Iohannis Coci scholae Paulinae magistri hendecastichon cum versu quodum Homerico ad lectorem STato domi nullis terre iactatus in oris quem patrium subijt noscendi sola libido Sin mores hominum varios tibi nosse voluptas ingenijque vagas ediscere nobilis artes Non perigrinanti deerunt monimenta laboris que memtemque manumque parent ad talia promptas Quod liber hic regum referens quae facta priorum tuta domi cupido praestabit vota manendi Hinc licet ingenij praesignes discere cultus quos aditu regum prouisa pericula monstrent Nam liber hic peragrans tibi quae viscenda fuissent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ¶ IN LAVDEM LODOVICI FLODI Thomas Dranta Archdiachonis Leuuicensis PRincipibus placuisse viris non vltima laus est sic ais summis placuisti leuis horati Principibus placuisse viris si tam bona laus sit Principibus fuisse viris precepta quid hoc est Atque ipsos mutos ipsos formare loquentes consilium totis sanumque adscribere vitis Hoc tu Flode facis quedam tua dogmata vidi caetera cum visis si quadrant congrua membra â–ª Quod facile credo quid tmultis te tibi tollam es bonus ingenioque bis bonus argumento ¶ THOMAS CHVRCHYARD Gent. of Lodo. Fl. IF learning had no laude mans lyking vvoulde decaye avvay And fevv vvould vvrite or knovvledge seke if praise vvere pluckt The laborer hath his hier to quite his carefull paines The noble minde for vvorthie vvorkes a crovvne of glorie gaines The horse toyles all the daye at night some rest to finde The havvke in hope of vvished praye full hie doth beare the vvinde Than hee vvho made this booke of right must reape renoume Sith through the trumpet he hath blovvne a famous fact doth soune He shevves by learned lines our painefull pilgrimes state And hovve the Prince and people both driues out their dreery date A pilgrimage vve goe in pathes of perilles great And through the shades of suerties shoe vve passe to burning heate That all consumes by flame of deepe desire in brest VVhose kindled cooales like Aethna smokes in sulphur voyde of rest VVhose sparkes doe flee so farre they cannot quenched bee Except that vvisdome vvater cast vvhen fier most hote vve see VVhat humour leades me thus I meant to prayse this man As farre as penne and skill may stretch that first this vvorke began And though the svvelling svvannes that svvimes in povvting pride By skovvling brovves tels vvorld that they this vvorke cannot abide I carelesse stande of that and vvishe those birdes so vvell In greatest glorie
a pilgrimage for fortune I remember of a worthy Historie of one Rhodope a faire and a gorgeous strumpet in Egypt which fortune so fauoured for her beautie that she being a washing her selfe in a well an Eagle fled with one of her shoes vnto the famous City of Memphis where then the king of Egypt kept his Courte named Psamnetichus before whom the Eagle let the shoe fall The king dismaide at the beautie of the shoe amazed of the working thereof musing muche howe nature myght frame so fine a foote made open proclamation throughout all Egypt to séeke suche a woman whose foote serued that shoe and being found to bring her to the king and being brought to the king she was maryed vnto the king Thus from a cōmon woman fortune appointed an Eagle to make her a Quéene in Egypt If fortune fauoured suche that was naught of life slaunderous of report ignominious and infamous in all Egypt to be a Quéene in that kingdome where she was a queane who should make much of suche a dame in whom neither constancie was euer founde or trueth euer tryed I iudge that man most fortunate that is of all least fortunate and sith fortune is deceitfull to her owne friendes she can not be true vnto her foes therefore very learnedly did wise Bion aunswere being demaunded what was most daungerous in the worlde to be most fortunate Phocion that learned Athenian was woont to say that better it were to lie carelesse vpon the grounde safe and sounde then to lie carefully vnder cloth of states in daunger and perill A certen wise prince before he should be crowned king tooke the Crowne firste as Valerius saieth in his hande saying after looking musing a while O Crowne more noble than happy whose peryll to enioye if men knew no man woulde take thée vp from the grounde though thou diddest offer thy selfe What felicitie happened vnto Alexander the great which fortune so aduaunced to be a King of kinges a conquerour of conquerours yea to be worshipped as a god and to be called the sonne of Iupiter whose fame compassed the whole earth in so muche that Thalestris Quéene of the Amazons came from Sythia vnto Hircania with thrée hundred thousand women to lye with Alexander thirtie dayes to be with childe by him and yet in Babylon that fortune that so exalted him did likewise oppresse him being in his chief fame but thirtie two yeres poysoned by his kinsmen and friendes left and forsaken of all men that he was thirtie dayes vnburied as a begger not as a king as a beast not like Iupiters sonne The lyke fortune serued Iulius Caesar whiche after thundring clang of the lyke fame was in his owne Citie of Rome and in the Senate house amiddest his Councellours slayne and murthered so tyrannouslye with Bodkins and Daggers of his most trustie friendes Brutus and Cassius that he had twentie and thrée woundes in his body Thus was the misfortunate end of so fortunate a beginning How did fortune deale with famous Zerxes whose huge armies dryed vp riuers whose infinite numbers of Nauayes couered ouer the Ocean Seas whose power and force all Gréece trembled at fortune that promised al Gréece vnto him at a becke she I saye gaue him ouer to the handes of Pericles his enimie to bée vanquished vnto the force of Artabanus to bée slaine A litle better she vsed Mithridates King of Pontus after many victories in diuers countreyes noble tryumphes sundry times which fortie yeres and moe she mainteyned against the inuincible Romanes to the great detriment and losse of Rome and at length to his great discomfort after he had lost wife children and all his friendes lefte him in his olde age a pray vnto Pompeius This is the friendship of fortune to plague to punish those which oftentimes she sheweth her selfe most curteous vnto Therfore was Plato woont to thank God that he was borne a man not a beast in Gréece not in Barbary thanked fortune that he was a scholler vnto Socrates which wayes despised fortune and her force for fortune neuer doth a good déede but she requiteth y e same with an euill turne Pyrrhus that valiant king of Epyres whom so famously fortune guided that he was counted by Hanibal the seconde souldier and Prince for his magnanitie and courage vnto Alexander the great whose ende by fortune was such that a siely simple argiue woman kilde hym with a litle Tilestone Hanibal whose name was so terrible vnto Rome by fortune .xvj. yeres was by the same driuen to exile a banished abiect from his coūtrey and wéery of his life ended his dayes with poyson in Bithinia Alcibiades which fortune so fauoured one way that hée excelled all men in personage and birth in wisdome and honour in strength and wealth and in all kinde of vertues surmounting all Gréece againe was brought to suche banishment and penurie to suche infamie and reproche that hée was compassed and taken of his enimies burned in his bed with his whore called Timandra Cambises and Nero whose cruell and vnhappy dayes both Rome and Persia long time felt their fawning fortune after much tyranny bloodshed of others was such that beyng wéery in murtheryng others they siue them selues that was the ende of their fortune Polycrates who euer sayled with prosperous windes of fortune that hée was taken and named fortunate Polycrates at length so serued of fortune as other Princes were he was hanged by one Orontes an officer of king Darius in open sight of Samos where he a long time florished and in the ende hanged on a high hyll named Mycalensis mount These euyls happen by fortune yet wée sée them not she gripes vs with her handes yet we féele not she treadeth vs downe vnder her féete and yet we wyll not know it Happy is he that accompanieth not with fortune though diuers thinke them selues happy that be fortunate as Giges Cressus two Kinges of Lydia so wealthy that they iudged no man as happye as they were and yet was Aglaus the poorest in all Arcadie Byton the simplest of all Gréece the one by the sentence of Solon the other by the oracle of Apollo iudged farre more happy then they The very tyraunt Dionisius being banished from his kingdome of Corinth woulde often say in his miserie that happy twise were they that neuer knew fortune whose fawning face in the beginning doth purchase cruell death in y ◠end◠Wherfore a certaine Lacedemonian saide Diagoras who being in the games of Olimpia in Gréece hauing his children his childrens children crowned with Garlandes of fame for their vertuous actes and qualities that time that it were great happe vnto him to dye presently at such a sight of his childrens fortune and being asked the cause he sayde that fortune neuer pleased that man so much with fame but she woulde in time displease the same as muche
oute of the towne came and offred his schollers vnto Camillus saying by this meanes you maye doe what you will vnto Philiscus for here be theyr children whome I know to redéeme they wyll yéelde vp the towne Camillus hauing regarde to the fame of Rome and loathing much to shewe villanye rewarded the Schoolemayster after this sort hée did set him naked before his schollers fast bounde with his handes on his backe and euery one of the schollers with a rodde in his hand saying vnto the boyes bring him home to your parentes and tell your friendes of his falshoode and the poore boyes hauing a good time to requite olde beatings were as gladde as he was sorrowfull laying on loade girckt him with so manye stripes as loytering Treuauntes maye best be boulde to number vntill they came vnto the Citie where they toulde their parents the cause thereof which wayde the clemeccie and humanitie of Camillus to be such that they gladlye and â–ª willingly yéelded themselues and theyr Citie vnto the handes of Camillus knowing well that he that woulde vse them so being hys enimies and foes coulde not vse them yll by yéelding all vnto his courtesie who might haue had all by tiranny Nowe sith this vertue was often séene in diuers Quéenes Ladies Gentlewomen and others I may not omitte the pilgrimage of their liues We reade of two Quéenes of the Amahones a countrye of Scythia Penthesilaea the first and Hippolite the second the one so valiaunt against the Gréekes at the destruction of the noble Citie of Troy that in open fielde she feared not to encounter face to face with that valiaunt Gréeke Achilles the other so hardye that shée shrinkt not at the force and stoutnesse of that renowmed Champion Theseus which being conuicted by Theseus for hir singuler stoutnesse and courage maried hir whiche certainelye had happened vnto Penthesilia had shée not béene conuicted by Achilles Camilla likewise Quéene of the Volskans beside hir princely profession of sacred virginitie which she vowed vnto Diana was so famous for hir magnanimitie that when Turnus and Aeneas were in wars for the mariage of Lauinia King Latinus daughter she came bellona lyke vnto the fielde resisting the violence and puissaunce of Troyans with the Rutiles as an ayde vnto Turnus That noble Zenobia the famous Quéene of the Palmireians a Princes of rare learning of excelent vertues of most valiaunt enterprises after that hir husbande named Odenatus had died tooke the empire of Syria and attempted the magnanimitie of Romanes that a long time shée withstoode in warres that noble and renowmed Emperour Aurelian by whome the Emperour was woont to saye when it was obiected vnto him that it was no commendacions for a prince to subdue a woman that it is more valiaunt to conquer a woman being so stout as Zenobia than to vanquishe a King being so fearefull as Zerxes The auncient Gréekes as Herodotus doth witnesse were much amazed at the magnanimitie of Artimesia Quéene of Caria after that the king hir husbande died did shewe such fortitude against the inhabitauntes of Rhodes that being but a woman she subdued their stoutenesse shée burned their Nauies wasted theyr wealth vanquished and destroyed the whole I le entered into the Citie of Rhodes caused hyr ymage to be made and set vp for a monument of hir chiualrie and pertuall memorie of hir victorie O renowmed Ladies O worthye women that with feaminine feates merited manlye fame Howe famous Teuca Quéene of the Illiryans gouerned hir subiectes after the death of hir husbande king Argon which being warred on diuers times by the Romanes infringed theyr force broke theyr bonds discomfited their armies to hir perpetuall fame commendacion shée gouerned the people of Illeria no lesse wisely then she defended the puissaunt force of the Romanes stoutly shée liued as histories report as soberly and chastly without the company of man as shée gouerned hir countrie wisly and stoutelye without the councell of man it were sufficient to repeate the auncient histories of two women to prooue fullye an euerlasting prayse and commendacion vnto all women the one written by Herotus in his first booke of Queene Tomyris of Scythia the other mencioned by Valerius and Iustine of Cleopatra quéene sometime of Aegipt The first after that Cirus had trespassed muche in hir kingdome of Scithia killing destroying and burning without regarde to princely clemencie or respect vnto a womans gouernement yet vnsufficed though hée slue the Quéenes owne sonne named Margapites thirsted more and more for bloude that then the valiaunt Quéene being muche moued to reuenge Margapites death waying the gréedie rage of Cirus came Lion lyke to fielde eyther to loose hyr owne life or else to reuenge hir sonnes death prest vnto Cirus more lyke at that time to a grimme Gorgon than to a sillie Scythian slue him in the fielde haled him vp and downe the field cutte of his heade and bathed it in a great Tunne full of bloudde appoynted for that purpose saying Nowe Cirus drinke thy belly full of that which thou couldest neuer haue ynough this valiaunt Tomyris reuenged tyranny requited the death of one Scythian Margapites with the death of two hundred thousand Persians The other Quéene Cleopatra after that Iulius Caesar was murthered by Brutus and Cassius and that Marcus Antonius being by Augustus warred on for his periurie fasâ—oode shewed vnto his Uncle Caesar shée I saie Cleopatra hauing the most part of Arabia and Siria confederated with hir friende and louer Antonius against Augustus being then the seconde Emperour of Rome that shee ayded him a long time vntill that she perceyued that Augustus preuayled and that Antonius was vanquished then least shée shoulde be conquered by Augustus shée conquered hir selfe yéelding rather hyr bodye a praye vnto Serpentes than a subiect vnto Augustus Hanniball could no more but to poyson himselfe rather then to yéelde to Scipio Well let Semiramis with hir valiaunt force and stoutnesse be commended at Babilon where shée raigned fortie yeares a wydowe after King Ninus hir husbandes death Let noble and famous Atalanta with hir Bowes and Speares and feates of armes be praysed in Archadia â–ª Let Hipsicratea that followed hir husbande Kinge Mithridates vnto warres as a Lackie vnknowne be extolled in Pontus Let Helerna Ianus daughter with all hir fortitude be spoken of in Latine And let Delbora be famous amongst the Isralites These women were no lesse famous for theyr pilgrimage then the worthye Conquerours and Champions of the world they were in no point inferiour vnto men in diuers poyntes farre excelling Princes and Kinges eyther the worlde then was very weake or slender or else women then were valiant and stoute And to omitte perticulerly to touch women I will open and declare the nature of Countries the women of Lacena woulde togither with their husbandes go vnto the fielde yea they went souldiour lyke vnto Missenios to fight in
fielde The women of Cimbria woulde kill those that first fledde the fielde though they were nigh friends or kinsemen vnto them The women of Saca had this custome eyther at their mariage to be conquered by theyr husbande 's the first daye or else to be conquerours ouer their husbandes all the dayes of theyr life theyr combat sayth Aâ—lianus was for victorie and not for lyfe The women of Persea woulde méete theyr housbandes and sonnes flying the fielde lifting vp theyr clothes shewyng their priuities saying Whither flée you O Cowardes will you againe enter into your mothers wombes will you créepe into your wiues bellies as they did in the warres betwixt Cirus and his Grandfather Astyages The women of Sparta woulde go vnto the fielde to sée in what place theyr Husbandes and friendes were wounded if it were before they woulde with gladnesse and ioye shewe the same vnto euerye man and burie the bodie solemnely if their woundes were behinde they woulde be so ashamed of the same that they left them vnburied in the fielde The women of Scithia called Amazones liued as conquerours ouer men and not conquered by men vntill Alexander the great destroyed them and theyr countrey which before were so valiaunt that they wayed not to encounter with Hercules in the fielde and after with Theseus in open battayle they blusht not to méete the valiant Gréekes at the destruction of Troye Magnanimitie which was then for defence of countries is nowe tyrannye to destroye that at their banquettes and drinkinges they had their Garlandes on their heades for as the worlde grewe in wealth so it grewe in sumptuousnesse for the triumph of Romulus was farre inferiour vnto the gorgeous triumph of Camillus and yet Romulus was a king Camillus was but an officer Time bringeth thinges vnto perfectioÌ„ In time Rome waxed so wealthy y â— Camillus I say was caried in a chariot al gilded wrought ouer with golde hauing all white horses trimly deckt a crowne of pure golde on his head all the Senatours and Consuls of Rome going a foote before him vnto the Capitoll of the Citie and thence vnto the temple of Iupiter where to honour the triumph further they slue a white Bul as sacrifice vnto Iupiter and thence to bring him triumphantly through the Citie of Rome vnto his owne house euen so in Greece and in Carthage in time grewe vnto suche pompe sumptuous triumphes that there was as much studie to inuent braue shewes and solempne sightes in triumph as there was care and diligence to haue moued the enimies When Epaminondas ruled stately Thebes When Hanniball gouerned proude Carthage when Laeonidas bare sway in warrelike Sparta then Greece and Lybia were acquainted with solempne and braue triumphes In Ninus time triumphes were in Assyria In Arbaces time the triumphes flourished amongst the Meedes In Cyrus time the triumphes were in Persea In Alexanders time it was in Macedonia In Caesars time it was in Rome and thus alwayes from the begynnyng of the worlde triumphes folowed victories And here I meane a litle to entreate of the triumphes of the Romanes whiche farre diuers wayes surmounted the rest whose fame was spred ouer all the worlde And yet imitatyng in all things the Gréekes insomuch that Rome alwayes had Athence as a nource or a paterne to frame their lawes for when their Kings were banished aswell in Athence as in Rome yet they ruled triumphed more by Oratours in Athence by Consuls in Rome then by Kings Therefore as Plini saith they exercised suche feates of armes they practised suche pollicies of warres they vsed suche solempnitie in triumphes that Rome then was noted to be the lampe and lanterne of Mars They had I saye diuers garlandes made onelye for the triumph of warres Plini compteth seuen sortes of garlandes which the Romanes hadde the first made of pure golde appoynted onely for the triumphes of Princes the seconde of Laurell which of all was most auncient in Gréece in Italie appoynted for the triumphes of Pallas souldiours the thirde of all kinde of swéete flowers made appoynted to him that restored Cities vnto theyr liberties againe the fourth made of Oaken leaues to him that defended Citizens from death These two garlandes were of great honour in Rome and specially in Gréece the one Cicero ware in Rome for his inuectiues against the conspiracies of wicked Catelin the other Fabius Maximus did weare for that he saued Rome from the seconde warres of Carthage where Haniball was Capitaine The sift Garlande was appoynted for him that assaulted the walles of the enimies first and entered the towne the sixt for him that first attempted the tentes of the enimies the seauenth bestowed vpon him that boorded first the Name of the enimie These thrée last Garlandes mencioned for the skaling of walles the boording of shippes and attempting the tentes were made all of Golde and giuen by the Princes or Senators to the aforesayde souldiours There was likewise in Rome concerning the triumphes that none might triumph vnlesse he had bene before some officer in Rome as Dictator Pretor Consuls or suche like and if any without they were sent by the Senators had wonne any victories though there conquest were neuer so great and their victorie neuer so famous as Pub Scipio for all his victories in Spaine and Marcus Marcellus for all that he tooke captiue Siracuse bycause they were not sent nor appoynted by the Senators they might in no wise by lawe made clayme triumphes thereby Then Rome florished then Rome was defended from diuers offered iniuries saued from enimies At what time M. Curius triumphed ouer the Samnites Mae Agrippa triumphed ouer the Sabines Pauâ—aemilius ouer the Lygurians Marius ouer the Numidians Pompeius ouer Armenia and Pontus Scypio surnamed Affricanus ouer Carthage and al Lybia Iulius Caesar ouer all Europe and Affrike then Rome was feared of all the worlde and nowe Rome is dispised Then Rome might say Roma vincit nowe Rome may say Roma victa Then Roma armata nowe inermis Then Roma nowe Ruina but time consumeth all things That victorie that was not manfullye gotten and â—aliauntlye wonne by force of armes in the fielde was rather counted among the Romanes tyrannie then victorie for when Lucius Pius in a banquet that he made had filled the people of Sarmatia full of Wine and made them so drunken that all the nobles and captaynes of Sarmatia yéelded them selues as subiectes vnto the Empire of Rome for the whiche Lucius Pius at his returne home to Rome required accordyng to the custome to haue a triumphe done vnto hym for the victorie of Sarmatia whiche when the Senatours had fully hearde of the victorie howe and after what sort Lucius Pius subdued the Sarmatians he was openly beheaded by decrée of all the Senate and a slauÌ„derous Epitaph set vpon his graue to manifest the deceit he vsed in stéede of magnanimitie to deceyue them by Wine which he ought to subdue by
Suetonius that hée suffred in frée Cities townes frée tongues Philippe King of Macedonia when certaine Embassadours of Athens came to him he requiring them if he might stande in any stéede to Athens to certefie him of the same to whome Demochares one of the Ambassadours aunswered that the greatest pleasure that he coulde do to Athens was to hange himselfe The King most pacient in such skoffes and tauntes sayde The reprochefull sclaunder of the Athenians doe make King Phillippe better able to reuenge theyr malice by warres then to mooue him to aunswere theyr backebiting in wordes A Prince not onely pacient in hearing but also wise in aunswering As sometime the Emperour Alexander Seuerus in Rome when it was signified vnto him after Antonius was dead that the barbarous nations were ready to enter the Citie of Rome and that he was muche rebuked of the people and blamed of the Senators for the slender care he had vnto the Citie hée as Herodianus affirmeth aunswered that it belongeth to Princes to reuenge the good and not to aunswere the euill for wisemen will speake euill of no man in the beginning least they shoulde be iudged fooles in the ende where into all thinges are directed and whereby all thinges are prooued So pacient was Anaxagoras when it was toulde him that his sonne was deade to aunswere merily I knowe my sonne was mortall So pacient was King Antigonus being certefied of his sonne Alcionus death to aunswere I lookt no other than for his death So pacient was Pericles when he hearde that both his sonnes dyed in one daye to kéepe his countenaunce merrie his chéere vnchaunged and his businesse about the state of his countrie not delayed But Harpalê° was of passing patience being bydden of Astiages King of Persea to supper where he had two sonnes of his readye drest and laye in a siluer dishe before him on the table to be eaten of their owne father The king nay the tyraunt marked the countenaunce of Harpalus perceyuing him not to be mooued much at the matter asked him howe hée liked his supper he without alteration of colour chaunge of countenaunce framed himselfe to aunswere the King merily commending much the supper as one that knewe that patience was the onely remedy in tirannie A second Iobe in pacience he passed Iobe for Iobe knewe how his God did suffer Satan to punish him for loue he had to Iobe but Harpalus perceyued that this tyraunt did this to him of tyrannye and euill will farre from christianitie for in this vale of misery wée count him wise and certayne we may call him most wise that can in prosperitie be gentle and in aduersitie be pacient Both these examples were séene in one man in one daye at Rome Paulus Aemilius hauing his two sonnes the hope of Rome and comfort of the father the one deade foure dayes before the triumphs of Macedonia the other thrée daies after y e triumph returning from Macedonia with that noble victory with such triumphes vnto Rome that no man coulde finde in his heart to tell this noble Romane of the heauinesse in Rome and of the death of his childreÌ„ a ruthfull thing it was to ioyne to such great ioyes victories and triumphes such wofull chaunce sadnesse and mourning but fortune accompanieth the one with the other This noble Romane perceyuing the people of Rome to be so sadde and he so merrye they so heauy with sobbes and sighes hée so glad of his triumphes and victories demaunded the cause but being at length knowne he then comforted them that shoulde comfort him saying I thanke the Goddes more to gyue me victories ouer my enimies to the glorye and fame of Rome then I accuse fortune to spoyle me of my children which by nature were borne to dye though much it be to my gréefe yet wish I the gods to tender y e like to the father as they did to the sonne so that the like conquest and glorie happen to Rome In this was both magnamitie and patience Some men are pacient in thinges as in a corporall paine some in tormentes another is pacient of iniuries done I commende them both but to be pacieÌ„t in al kind of afflictions aduersitie heauen earth commendeth him That is a kinde of pacience which Plini applyed to Anarchus saying Of all men one man Anarchus Augustus most patient in tormentes Of all women Laena to kéepe silence So were the Egyptians people of great patience they had rather die in tormentes with patience than to betraye any man The Gimnosophistes of India were so patient that from Sunne rising vntill night vpon the hote sande without meate and drinke sayth Plini from one seate to another to beholde the heauens the Sunne the Moone c. The Lacedemonians most pacient in trauayle payne winde weather and warres The people of Sparta at what time certaine men of Chios come to pilgrimage vnderstanding the wise men of Sparta called Ephori to be in all things most pacient to mooue them to anger they vomited before them and then went where Ephori sat in iudgement and vsed it as a coÌ„mon stoole to discharge and â—ase nature When they came to Chios againe they sayde that the wise men of Sparta were fooles and blockes that they could not mooue them to be angry but not so angrie as they were beastly In this kinde of patience was Mithridates King of Pontus was Agesilaus King of the Lacedemonians was Masinissa king of Numidia most pacient So pacient was that Emperour Augustus that he suffered a younge man of Sicilia to aunswere him as bouldly as he had demaunded merily that where the Emperour asked him being lyke in countenaunce and preportion whether euer his mother had béene in Rome meaning thereby that he might be his father if she had bene there but the younge man perceyuing the sleight of Augustus aunswered boldely and sayde My mother was neuer in Rome but my father hath béene diuers times in Rome meaning that the Emperour might be his brother rather that way then he to be his sonne the other way by his mother Bicause pacience is better knowne by reading of diuers Princes anger and wrath I will them to reade the chapter of anger where they shall sée what hurt was done what wickednesse was committed by impaciencie which might haue béene redressed and saued by patience wherefore auoyding prolixitie it shall be spoken in the one what wanteth in the other reade sayde he that seueritie waxed vnto tyranny and tyranny in a Prince worketh his destruction and that lenitie is the most soundest state in a Prince who séeth not the experience thereof Certenly Nero Caligula and Heliogabolus were neuer so cruell as these thrée noble Emperours Augustus Trâ—ian and Seuerus were gentle and méeke Alphonsus the great king of Aragon geuyng care a long wâ—ile to his fréendes to finde fault with his often pardonyng and forgeuyng those that offended much his owne person
want than that they shoulde not shewe mercie according vnto his custome to the comfortlesse Zerxes the great King of Persea with lenitie and gentlenesse towardes his brother Arimenes with whome before he was a great enimie made his foe his friende brought his enimie before to be his naturall brother then Porus a famous Prince of India being conquered by Alexander the great fearing that pittie might not haue place in the heart of such a great conquerour sought nothing else of Alexander which willed him to aske any thing and he shoulde haue it but clemencie this vertue long wayted vpon Alexander vntill pride the roote of al mischiefe corrupted his gentle heart vntill he was by the Medes and Perseans perswaded to be the sonne of Iupiter So gentle before that King Darius did wishe eyther to conquer Alexander bicause he might shewe curtesie vnto Alexander or else to be conquered by Alexander Aeneas Siluius was woont to saye the saying of Sigismonde the Emperour that happie are those Princes that foster vp clemencie in Court and prudent is those Princes that vseth humanitie in their cities It was no small proofe of humanitie in the Senatours of Rome at the buriall of Siphax King of Numidia which being taken by the Romanes and kept in Tiberius house according to marshall lawe and before he was raunsomed by the Numedians dyed at Rome where suche solemnitie honour pompe was shewed at his funerall such giftes giuen such liberalitie vsed as if Siphax had died amongst his owne subiects hée might haue wanted to haue such glorious buriall in Numantia being their king as he had in Rome being their Prisoner That is worthy humanity that is shewed vnto meÌ„ in aduersity and that is méere clemencie that is done vnto those banished straungers as the Romaines sometime did vnto Prusias king of Bithinia who being driuen to exile by hys sonne Nicomedes came vnto Rome where humanitie and clemencie were fostered and nourished in the Senate being mette at Capua a Citie sometime by Hannibal conquered of Scipio and Cornelius and brought vnto Rome not like a banished man but lyke a noble Prince with such triumphes and honour done vnto him with such passing curtesie and liberality of Senators that though he was banished Bithinia his kingdome and by Nicomedes his owne sonne yet was he receyued vnto Rome of straungers and that to the fame of Rome Thereby the Romanes grewe to that admiration with all people that for their lenitie and surmounting curtesie they were of all men beloued and for their valiauntnesse and magnanimity they likewise were of all the worlde feared For as vnto Siphax and Prusias woonderfull clemencie and humanity were by the Romanes tendered so vnto Ptholome King of Egypt being of his owne brother banished and by the Romanes receyued and restored againe vnto his kingdome the like was shewed Rome then was called the hauen of succour the Anker of trust the keye of curtesie where all succourlesse Princes and noble Cappitaines fledde Rome florished then while pittie and mercy continued Rome prospered while humanitie and clemencie were fostered Rome excelled all men in gentlenesse and pittie When Marcellus and Matellus the one Capitaine of Siracusa the other in Celuberia The noble Capitaine Marcellus was so pittifull that after his souldiours had conquered Siracusa with great slaughter and murther of men women and children he mounted vp into a high Tower of the Castle and there with wéeping and lamenting the ruefull sight of Siracusa more like to one conquered than a conquerer to a Prisoner than a Prince that anye that sawe him theÌ„ might rather iudge Marcellus a Siracusan captiue than a Romane Capitaine Happie was Siracusa sith fortune was no better to happen on such a gentle conquerour which was so glad for his owne victorie as he was sorrowfull for the fall of Siracusa That renowmed Romane Maetellus besieging the great City Centobrica in the countrie of Celtiberia wheÌ„ he perceyued theyr bulwarkâ—s broken theyr walles ready to faâ—l and victorie nigh at hande hée began to be mooued with pittie and mercie possest chiefe place in his heart that when the women of the Citie brought their children on theyr armes to craue mercy at Maetellus hand he auoyded the calamitie and misery that was redy to fall on Centobrica spared the Citie remooued his campe being with pittie and mercie of the ruthfull women and innocent children quite conquered Thus gentle Maetellus where he might haue bene a Conquerour ouer men he suffered himselfe to be conquered by little infantes O Rome happie were those golden dayes wherin through clemencie and gentlenesse thou wast as much loued and honored as thou hast béene by valyaunt Capitaines trembled and feared at Pompeius the greate when Tigranes King of Armenia being by him conquered had knéeled before Pompeius face yéelding his crowne and scepter at Pompeius his foote and himselfe vnto his gentlenesse as a captiue Tooke him in his armes embraced him put his Crowne on his heade and restored him to the kingdome of Armenia againe The like courtesie vsed he towarde Mithridates King of Pontus being deade for his royall buriall though the knewe well the great hatred that Mithridates had fortie yeares against the Romanes yet in stéede of iust reuengement Pompeius vsed princely clemencie The gentlenesse that was then vsed in Rome yea betwixt foes was such that Iulius Ceasar that valiaunt Emperour and Conquerour was as willing to reuenge the death of his great enimy Pompeius vpon Photina and Bassus who slue Pompeius and sent his heade vnto Caesar as L. Paulus was courteous and fauorable to his most mortall foe Persen Hanniball though he was counted the most and greatest enemye that euer Rome felt yet mooued with that clemencie that he won more commendations for the buriall of P. Aemilius Gracchus Marcellus these noble Romanes then he wan fame by ouercoming thrée thousande Romanes in fielde The chiefe fame that Hanibal was worthy of was for humanity and gentlenesse as proued by these two noble Romanes before mentioned which Hanibal caused their carkasses diligently to bée sought for in the feelde and solempnely to bée buryed with honour and renowme though they were his enimies and as Hanibal was much commended in Rome and wel-beloued of the Romanes onely for humanity so was he feared much in Rome for his prowisse and valiaunt déedes of armes Polycrates that tiraunt of Samos was chéefely commended for his gentlenesse and curtesie shewed towardes women which were the wiues and mothers of the dead souldiers in restoring them vnto libertie in geuing them wealth to liue great charge that no man shoulde do them any wrong Augustus the Emperour when hée behelde in the Citie Alexandria the sworde wherewith Marcus Antonius slewe him selfe coulde not refraine teares to shewe his humanitye in opening his clemency of nature vnto his enemie commaunded he should be honourably buryed with his deare fréende Cleopatra in one graue
foorth his hande and sayde Haue mée recommended vnto Alexander and bryng him this my right hande and tell him that Bessus kylled Darius whom thou didst sée dying Which when it was tolde by Polystratus vnto Alexander hée much lamented his death caused his body to bée brought with great honour and precious clothes and with all solempnitie that might bée made vnto his mother named Sisigambis Thus worketh clemency and humanity that those two famous Princes Alexander and Darius two mortall enemies alwayes and yet not forgetting eche others courtesie at deathes doore either of them in loue with the other For their humanitie one to another Darius at his death repeating Alexanders gentlenesse towardes him and Alexander requiting Darius gentlenesse being dead The greatest fame or commendation that may happen vnto any man is to bée counted gentle and curteous therein are diuers vertues knitted and ioyned in fréendship as pitie mercy wisedome and affability with others so that the property of those men are alwayes though they can hurt yet neuer to hinder It is proper to an euill man to offende so is the nature of the good and gentle to forgiue Pisistratus shewed both wisedome and curtesie vnto certaine dronkardes who hauing in theyr drinke vsed wanton spéech vnto his wife and being sober the next morning came to Pisistratus to aske him forgiuenesse for theyr lewde talke vnto his wife hée gently sayde learne to be more sober another time I knowe my wife was not out of hir house yesterdaye excusing his wife wisely and pardoning them gently Howe gently dyd Alexander Seuerus vse Camillus though he rebelled against him and by sleight thought to be Emperour of Rome and for that being condemned to die by the Senate yet he was pardoned by Alexander Howe courteous was Fabius Maximus to forgiue Marsius one of his chiefe Capitaines his treasons and snares that he vsed against his mayster Fabius with the enimies Such gentlenesse did Zerxes the great shewe vnto certaine Gréekes who were as espialles to vew the hoste and power of King Zerxes sent from Athens and being taken and brought before the king he not only gently dismissed them without any punishment but shewed them courteously all his hoste and force of souldiours The greatest victorie is lightly alwayes gotten by gentlenesse as Alphonsus King of Aragon by gentlenesse wonne Careta Marcellus wonne Siracusa Metellus Seluberia as you haue hearde before mencioned Plutarch resiteth a passing historie of great curtesie and humanity in king Belenus towarde his sonne Antigonus who being maried to a fayre woman fell in loue with his fathers wife for his mother was deade and his father maried the daughter of Demetriê° King of Macedonia named Estrabonica a younge woman of excellent beautie for this therefore the Kings sonne languished in loue that he was lyke to die vnknowne vnto his father which when his fâ—ther knewe of hée caused his owne wife to be maried vnto his sonne Antigonus rare clemencie and great gentlenesse for a manne to giue his wife to please his friends Pittie accompanieth this excellent vertue clemencie that we reade in holy scriptures that diuers good men ceassed not to bewayle and wéepe euer the state of their enimies I néede not here to recite Pericles the Athenian who willed that the deade souldiours shoulde be buried in the warres of Peloponesus nor of Hanibals curtesie in the warres of Carthage for the buriall of Romane enimies But Moyses that man of God brought with him from Egypt the boanes of Ioseph Tobias and Machabeus mercifull men commended likewise solemne buriall for the deade souldiours And Iehu King of Israell caused his enimie Iezabelem to be honorably buried but as white is better discerned by the blacke than by any colour else so shall humanitie and gentlenesse most appéere excellent in reading the title of tyranny where by conferring both togither the excellencie of the one is manifest the terrour of the other is odious The gentlenesse and pittie that our Sauiour Iesus Christ shewed vnto Marie Magdelen the lewde woman vnto the prodigall childe vnto Peter that denied him vnto the Théefe that hanged with him vnto Daniell in the denne to Susanna in the fire to Ionas in the water was nothing else but examples left for our learning â–ª to be gentle one vnto another euen as Iesus Christ was vnto vs all thus ending as Cicero sayde of Caesar that Caesar extolling Pompeius being deade and setting vp his pictures did extoll his owne name so that the clemencie that menne vse to shewe vnto others doth aduance their owne fame ¶ Of sober and temperate Princes and where temperaunce and sobrietie vvere most vsed SO much was this noble vertue of temperaunce estéemed with auntient people that they thought the greatest plesure the happiest life was to abstaine from desired meate and drinke So muche was this sobrietie of life commended of learned Philosophers that Anacharsis that famous Scithian was woont to write about the painted pictures of Princes this little lesson Rule lust Temper tongue And bridle the bellie Whereby the Philosopher diligentlye perswaded Princes to be temperate of life to be sober in talke and to abstaine from filthy féeding For to subdue appetites to vanquishe luste to suppresse pleasure is a worthie conquest He is a worthie Uictour a famous conquerour a puissaunt Prince that can ouercome his owne affections for euen as Fishes are taken with hookes so men sayth Plato are alured with pleasure It is the greatest vertue that can be in man sayth the Poet to abstaine from pleasure To auoyde these baytes these swéete pleasures wise Princes haue lothed banquetting and drinking in so much that Iulius Caesar that famous Emperour of Rome for his singuler sobrietye and passing temperaunce the verye lampe and lantorne of Europe for his abstinence the onely mirrour of Italy who by ouercomming of himselfe ouercame all Europe Of this Emperour woulde Cato of Vtica say though he was a mortall enemie vnto Caesar for that Caesar vsed the companie of Cato sister Seruâ—lia that one sober Caesar should subdue Rome his abstinence was such sayth Plim that most rare or neuer woulde this Emperour drinke wine Agesilaus king of the Lacedemonians passing through the countrey of Thasius being met with the nobles and saluted the people with diuers dainties and rare banquets to welcome the king vnto the countrie notwithstanding he touched not their daineties fedde onely with breade and drinke to satisfie the expectations of the Thasians And being earnestly requested and humblye sought and in maner enforced least he shoulde séeme vngratefull not to eate their meates he commaunded his footemen and slaues Helotes to féede if they woulde on suche â–ª chéere saying that princes might not so pamper theÌ„ selues with damtie chéere and wines but with abstinence and temperancie The one is incident sayde he vnto vice and shame the other a nource vnto vertue and fame for in eating and drinking lyeth hidden that sucking Serpent named
and so long that King Gentius wondred no lesse at his pacience than he honored him for his silence O rare silence O passing patience and that in a Prince Isocrates an excellent Orator sometime of Athens lest he should be ashamed of his schollers by their spéeche and talke for tongues bewraye the heart hée woulde neuer receyue vnto hys schoole but those that woulde pay double hyre first to learne silence and then to learne to speake and to speak nothing but that whiche they knewe moste certaine and that which of necessitie must be spoken this was the order of Isocrates Schoole If silence was of suche dignity of such estimation that it possest place in princes heartes that Tiberius Caesar Emperour of Rome woulde often saye that Princes ought not to import their secretes nor to make any priuie to their councell considering how harde is silence to be obserued If silence was of such credite of such force that Metellus vsed to be so close in the warres of Macedonia that if he knewe his owne coate to be priuie of his secretes hée woulde strayght cast of his coate and burne it for in him to whome secretes of life are reuealed in the same also is daunger of death for in committing secrete is lyfe and death also committed Had not that famous Hercules the impe of great Iupiter and ofspring of Goddes reuealed hys counsayle and opened hys heart vnto his wife Dianira Hadde not that mightie Sampson so greatly in Gods fauour that he was a Iudge in Israell shewed his secrets vnto his wife Dalida they had not béene conquered by two women which Serpentes Dragons Lyons yea all the whole worlde coulde not annoye The iust punishement of Princes for tongue talking Conquerours of the world of kingdomes of countries and yet conquered by a woman yea by a lesser thing than a woman a litle member neuer séene but alasse two often hearde the tongue onely Tantalus is punished in hel for that he opened the councell of the goddes after this sort Daintie meates pleasaunt wines before his face and yet maye not touche them hauing sight of all things and yet tasting nothing the hungrier he is the better and brauer his banquet before him shines the more desirous he is to eate the further hée is from his victualles Ixion for his telling of tales vppon Iuno is no lesse tormented in turnyng of his whéele in Hell than is Sisiphus in rowlyng of his stone or Danaus daughters in fillyng of their emptie Tubbes The paine of Prometheus in Caucasus the punishment of Titius is duely appoynted and of the Goddes saye the Poetes prouided truelye to those that be braggers and boasters of secrettes I must in this place not forget a worthy historie of King Demetrius Antigonus sonne ▪ which being sent by hys father vnto Pontus where Mithridates was king being sworne by his father to kéepe councell of that which◠vision mooued him that he sowed golde in Pontus and that Mythridates shoulde reape it and therefore commaunding him with his armie to passe vnto the kingdome of Pontus and without any worde to kill Mythridates His sonne Demetrius verye sorrye for the great friendeship which was of late sprong betwixt Mithridates and him obeying his father went vnto Pontus commaunded his people to staye vntill he went to knowe where Mithridates was who when he came in place he wrote with the ende of his speare vpon the earth in dust Flee Mithridates straight turned vnto his souldiours spake nothing vnto the King according to hys othe for kéeping silence but wrote a warning to flée whereby he kept his fathers councell one way maintayned faythfull friendeship towardes king Mithridates another way A young man of Helespont prating much in presence of Guathena a strumpet in Gréece shée demaunded of him whether he knewe the chiefe citie of Helespont to the which the young man sayde Yea forsooth What me thinketh you knowe not the name of it for it is Sigaeum which is the Citie of silence a méete taunt for such tongue talkers Aelianus doth write when the Cranes from Sicila take their flight to flée ouer mount Caucasus they stop their mouthes with stones to passe with silence the daungers of the Eagles ¶ Of liberalitie and liberall Princes TO deface further the vice of auarice I meane to shewe the vertue of liberalitie To put the churlishe couetous out of countenaunce I will extoll the liberall which in taking is shamefast in gyuing ioyfull for a measure in taking and in giuing is the true nature of liberalitye Neither can hée that taketh all thinges though he giue much be named liberal in nothing Agesilaus King of the Lacedemonians so obserued the lawes and rules of Licurgus that he was wont to speake vnto the Citizens of Sparta that giftes are more daungerous sometime to be receyued than hurtefull to be refused Which Phocion the whole credite of Athens at what time Alexander the great hadde sent him great giftes welthie presentes Iuels and treasures from Persea did shewe an Example thereof in refusing the same saying I will not learne to take least I forget to giue The like aunswered Zenocrates the Philosopher to the selfe same Alexander when that he did sende great sommes of gould and siluer for loue and affection vnto Zenocrates he sayde he wanted neyther golde nor siluer which when it was toulde vnto Alexander hée sayde hath Zenocrates no friendes that want money Alexander hath more friendes then eyther the substaunce of Darius or the welth of Persea can suffice A question to be demaunded whether of them both was most liberall the Prince in giuing or the Philosopher in refusing When certaine Embassadours of the Samnites came vnto Rome and being at Eabritius house at soiourne they perceyuing the liberalitie of Fabritius to be such as shoulde want welth to so noble and franke a Gentleman at their retourne from Rome vnto their countrie not forgetting the frée dealing of Fabritius at Rome these Embassadors thought to gratifie Fabritius with the goulde of Samnites did sende giftes and presentes very riche vnto Rome for their noble entertainement which being refused with an aunswere that Fabritius had rather rule and gouerne them that were ruled by goulde then to be subiect vnto goulde alleaging the aunswere of M. Curius vnto the Embassadours of Macedonia offering large giftes and treasurs after the like sort that to possesse much is no welth but couetousnesse to desire nothing and to giue is perfect wealth and liberalitie A sounde proofe of two liberall gentlemen When such ruled Rome then the Romaines excelled all the worlde franke frée vnto most beneficiall vnto all couetous vnto none When L. Lucullus house was a common hospitall to all the poore Gréekes that trauayled from Athens Sparta Thebes yea from all Gréece vnto Rome Then Rome was liberall When Pompeius Atticus did send vnto Cicero béeing banished two hundred thousande sesters vnto Volumnius
of their goddesse Thâ—se bookes with great diligence and care were not only commaunded to be kept but also in all pointes to bée obserued The other were Gréeke bookes entituled Disciplina sapientiae the rule of wisedome which for that they tasted of Philosophye and contempned the vaine superstitious religions of their goddesse â–ª Petilius fearing lest by reading of wisedome and Philosophie their folly and religion shoulde bee destroyed being then praetor in Rome at what time Cornelius and Bebius were Consuls by aucthority of the Senate in open sight of all the citie of Rome burned the Gréeke bookes for the olde and auncient men woulde haue nothing kept within their citie that might hinder their Goddes for before all thinges their goddes and their religions they preferred and so honoured their Priestes their sacrifices and their vestall Uirgines before the Emperours and Senatours as it appeareth by a History in Valerius that when Rome was taken and conquered first by the Frenchmen and the vestal Uirgines enforced euery one burthened with sacred things belonging vnto the goddes Uesta to beare those thinges away shifting more for the sacrifices and rites of their religion in carying their bookes their garmentes their goddes and their thinges belonging therevnto they cared for their countreys friendes children and gooddes Insomuch that L. Aluanius when he sawe the Uestall Uirgins taking paines to maintaine the honour of Vesta vndefiled her sacrifices vnpoluted in sauing the ceremonies and religion of their Goddes froâ— the enimies as one that had more regarde and respect to their vaine religion then carefull of his wife and children whiche then being in a Chariot to be caried and conueyed from Rome commaunded by Aluanius to come downe from the Chariot and go a foote where he placed where his wife was and his children the Uestal Uirgins with all their burthens belonging vnto Uesta their sacrifices and other necessaries and brought honorablye vnto the countrie of Créete where with great honor thei were receaued and for memory hereof vntil this time the people of Créete for that they did succour the vestal Uirgines in aduersity Vesta the goddesse recompensed them no lesse for their humanity in receauing of her maydes vnto their towne then she gratified Aluanius for his consideration waying of her religion In so much that the coches where her Uirgines and her sacrifices were caryed was afterwarde more honoured and estéemed than any triumphant or imperiall chariot In the selfe same time and perturbation of Rome when the Capitoll was besieged with the enemies Caius Fabius perceauing how religion was then estéemed girded himselfe like a sacrificer caryed in hande an host to bée offered vnto Iupiter was suffered to passe through the middest of his enemies to mount Quirinal where solempnities and sacrifices were done vnto Iupiter and being accomplished he likewise went vnto the Capitol through the middest of the armie with all his company and by this meanes got the victory ouer his enimies more by religion then by strength So much was superstition and idolatry honored obserued euerywhere that the Perseans sayled with a thousande Nauyes to â—o sacrifice and solempnity vnto Apollo at Delos â–ª The Athenians slue and destroyed all those that enuied oâ— repugned their religion Diagoras was exiled for that hée wrote that hée doubted whether any gods were or no and if gods were what were they Socrates was condâ—mpned for that hée went about to translate their religion and speake against their Goddes Phidias that noble and cunning workeman was no longer suffred at Athens but all the while he wrought the picture of Minerua in marble for that it was more durable than yuorie which when Phidias thought to drawe hir in yuorie he was threatned to death to vilipende so great a goddesse to make hir in yuorie which was woonte to be honored in marble The Romanes made lawes at the distructioÌ„ of Canna for that great slaughter of Romans which at that warre happened that the matrones of Rome bewayled and lamented the deathes of their husbandes their children their brethren and friendes incessantly that they shoulde not passe thirtie dayes in mourning least the Goddes woulde be angrye ascribing all fortunes good and badde vnto their Goddes Wherefore it was decréede by the Senatours that the Mothers and Wiues the sisters and the daughters of them that were slaine at Canna at the thirty dayes ende shoulde cast awaye theyr mourning apparelles and banishe their teares and come altogither in white garments to doe sacrifice vnto the Goddesse Ceres for it was thought and trulye beléeued among the Gentiles and Heathens that the Goddes woulde iustly reuenge those that woulde at any time neglect their sacrifices and religions Apollo for that stout Brennus went to Delphos and spoiled his temple and neglected his godhead was plagued gréeuously and worthyly reuenged euen as king Zerxes whose Nauyes couered the whole Seas whose armies of men dryed vp riuerrs shadowed almost the whole earth for that he sent foure thousande souldiours vnto Delphos to robbe Apollo hée was therefore discomfited in his warres forsaken of his souldiours prosecuted of his enemies and compelled to flée like a vagabonde from hyll to hyll vntyll hée came vnto his kingdome of Persea vnto his great infamie and shame The like in Carthge when the Cittie was oppressed by the Romanes his Temple neglected and hee him selfe not estéemed Apollo reuenged the same for the first that layde hande vppon him lost his hande and his arme Thus in Delphos and in Carthage did Apollo reuenge his iniuries His sonne Aesculapius a great god in diuers countreys for that Turulius chéefe ruler of the Nauyes of Antonius hewed his wooddes which was consecrated vnto his temple Aesculapius reuenged it after this sort When Antonius and Caesar were at warres after that the hoast and armye of Antonius were vanquished and Caesar a victor hée brought Turulius to bée murthered vnto that place in the wooddes where hée neglected Aesculapius Ceres when the citie Mileton was taken by Alexander the great and her Temple therein spoyled and robbed of the souldiours she threw flames of fire into their faces and made as manye blinde as neglected hir godhead and maiestie Dionisius king of Siracusa for that he spoyled the temple of the goddesse Proserpina and robbed this goddesse of her golden garments flouting and scoffing her rites and ceremonies nothing estéeming her sacrifice And againe for that hée commaunded his souldiers to pluck and take away Aesculapius beard in Epidaurus a Citie in Peloponeso in Gréece because his father Apollo had none Hée was brought by the goddes from a king in Siracusa to bée a poore scholemaister in Corinth and wretchedly to ende his life by the iust indignation of the goddesse Proserpina Iuno shewed her anger vpon Fuluius Flaccus for that when he was Censor of Rome hée caused the Marble Tiles to bée brought from the Temple of Iuno in Lacinia vnto the Temple of fortune in
the Senatours vnto the market or common Hall of Rome Then the seconde day hée should bée caried by certen young noble men vnto Martius fielde where a Tabernacle was made much like a Towre all of drie Wood and there after much solemnity and ceremonies done hée that succéeded him as an Emperour shoulde first put fire in that worke and then all men busie to sée the body burned And when they had burned him vnto ashes they woulde let an Eagle flée from the top of some high Towre which as they supposed shoulde cary his soule into heauen The Assyrians did vse to annoynt the dead bodyes with honye and waxe and with studie and care to reserue it from any putrifaction Such straunge order of buriall was in India that the women of that countrey thought no greater fame nor worthier renowme then to bée burned and buried togither with their husbandes The Thracians are much to bee commended herein which at the birth of any of their fréendes children they wéepe and waile the misery of and calamity that hée is borne vnto and at the death of any of their fréendes they so reioyce with such mirth and gladnes that they past these werldly miseries that at the buriall therof euen when the corps doth go out of the house they altogither say with one voyce Farre well fréende go before and we folow after And so the corps goeth before and all his fréendes folow after him with trumpets musicke and great mirth for ioy that hée is gone out of this vale of misery Plato that deuine Gréeke and noble Philosopher made the like lawes in Athens that when any of the chéefe officers shoulde die hée appointed that no mournyng wéedes shoulde bée there but all in white apparell and that fiftéene young maides and fiftéene young boyes shoulde stande rounde about the corps in white garmentes while the Priestes commended his life vnto the people in an open Oration then he shoulde bée brought very orderly to the graue all the young children singing their countrey Hymnes they with the auncient men folowyng and the graue shoulde be couered with faire broade stones where the name of the dead with his vertuous commendations and great praise were set vpon the stone The like graue the Italians vse at this day and diuers other countreys And as these others had the like ceremonies to the praise and commendations of the dead So others litle estéemed and regarded such things in so muche that the Perseans were neuer buried vntyll Fowles of the ayre and Dogges should eate some part therof The Massagetes thought it most infamous that any of their fréends should die by sicknesse but if the parentes waxed olde the children and the next kinsmen they had should kyll them and being kylled to eate them vp supposing that their fleshe was more méete for them to eate than of wormes or any other beastes to bée deuoured The people called Tibareni those that they loued best in youth those woulde they hang in age Euen so the Albans certaine inhabitants about mount Caucasus thought it vnlawfull for any to care for the deade but straight buried them as the Nabathaeans doe burie their kinges and and rulers in dunghilles The buriall of the Parthians was nothing else but to commend them vnto beastes of the fielde and foules of the ayre The Nasomones when they burie their friendes they sette them in the graue sitting But of all cruell dealings the Caspians and the Hircanians wich kil their parents their wiues their brethren their kinsemen friends and put them in the hie waye halfe quicke halfe deade for to be deuoured of birdes and beastes The fashion custome with the Issidones rude people of some part of Scithia as Plini in his fourth booke affirmeth is to call their neyghbours and friendes togither where the dead lie and there merili◠singing and banqueting they eate the fleshe of the deade and make the skull of the deade a drinking cuppe all couered with golde to drink with all Againe the people called Hyperborei thinke no better graue for their friendes when they be olde then to bring them to some hie banke of water or great rocke and thence after much feasting eating and drinking in the middest of their mirth their owne friends throw them downe vnto the water headlong To séeke and to search histories to manye such burials might be founde amongst such rude and beastly nations Notwithstanding in diuers regions so estéemed that the greatest infamie the seuerest punishment was for any offender was not to be buried this the Athenians vsed towarde those that were traytours to theyr countrey And the Egiptians if any lyued a misse he shoulde be caried dead to the wildernesse to be deuoured of wild beastes The Perseās likewise brought y e bodies of men condemned to be eaten of dogges The Lybians thinke them most worthy of solemne buriall that died eyther in warrs or were kyld by wyld beastes The Macedonians had great care in burning the dead souldiers that died in fielde Amongst the Gentiles there were certaine daies appointed for mourning after the death of their frends Licurgus lawe amongst the Lacedemonians was that they shoulde mourne but eleuen daies Numa Pompilius decréed that the children after their parentes death the wiues their husbands c. shoulde mourne tenne monethes though by the Senatours it was enacted at the warres in Canna that the Romans shoulde mourne but thirtie dayes Amongst the Egiptians they had a custome to mourne after theyr kinges thréescore and twelue dayes but generallye the most custome was to bewayle the dead nine daies In some places mourning was forbidden at their buriall as at Athens by the lawe of Solon in Locretia in Thracia in Cous in Libia and in diuers other places The diuersitie of mourning was such that amongst the Gréekes they shaued their heades and beardes and threwe it to the graue with the deade Amongst the Lacedemonians when the kinges of Sparta died certaine horsemen were appoynted to trauayle ouer all the whole kingdome certefiyng the death of the king and the women in euery cittie doe beate their brasen pottes and make great heauye noyse for the same The Egyptians doe mourne after this sort they rent their clothes they shut their temples they eate no meate they sméere theyr faces with dirt and thus abstaining from washing their faces thrée score and twelue dayes they lament and bewayle the death of their kinges and friendes The Carthagineans cut their heares of mangle their faces beate their breastes The Macedonians likewise shaue their heares to mourne the death of their fréendes as wée reade of Archelaus king of Macedonia who shaued his heares at the buriall of his friende Euripides The Argiues the Siracusans accompany the dead to the graue in white clothes be spotted with watter and claie The Matrones of Rome threw of their fine apparell their ringes and cheynes and did weare
vision warned to make himselfe readie to die at Philippos where hée was enforced in the wars betwéene Augustus Caesar and him to kill himselfe Thus â–ª were they alured and entised by shifting dreames to order and rule all their dooings for as the Poet Aeneus sayth what they studied and pondered in the daye time the same dreamed they in night time Dreames mooued them vnto tyranny for L. Silla the firebrande of Italy his owne countrey was warned in sléepe by Bellona the goddesse of warres to murther kill and destroye all that euer hée might finde in his waye giuing him in his hande fire in token he shoulde burne and ouercome Rome and Italy Likewise Eumanes King of the Lacedemonians hauing warres with Antipater King of Macedonia was fully perswaded by a dreame to obtaine victory for hée dreamed that two Alexanders were with great host and armie of men readie in fielde to fight the one hauing the goddesse Minerua as a leader the other hauing the goddesse Ceres as their Capitaine which after long conflictes and much murther of both parties hée thought that the souldiours of Ceres had the victory and that they were crowned with the eares of corne in the honor of Ceres which is the goddesse of corne and bicause the countrie of Lacedemonia was more fertill than Mocedonia the wise sages opened the dreame said that Eumenes should haue the victory ouer Macedonia Besides these dreames they had a kind of credite in Fowles of the ayre in beastes of the fielde in winde and weather and in diuers other things where soothsaying oracles and consultations were had When Zerxes the great king of Persea with so many miriades of men had purposed and decréed with him selfe to destroy all Gréece vntyll a Mare a stout and a proude beast had brought foorth a Hare the fearefullest thing out whereby it presaged the flight of Zerxes from Greece with shame and reproche And afterwarde purposing againe before hée woulde lay siege vnto Athens to destroy Sparta and all the countrey of Lacedemon a straunge warning hapned vnto this Prince at supper for his wine before his face was conuerted vnto blood as it was filled in the Cuppes not once but twise or thrise Whereat hée being amazed consulted with wise men of whom hée was then admonished to forsake his first entent and to geue ouer the enterprise which hée tooke in hande against the Gréekes Midas being yet in his cradle the Antes were séene to carye greynes and victuals to féede him withall whose parentes being desirous to know the effect therof were certified by the soothsayers that hée should bée the wealthiest and richest man in all the worlde hée shoulde bée the most monyed Prince that euer shoulde raigne in India Plato that noble and diuine Philosopher while hée was an infant in lyke sort in his cradle the Bées with hony fed his sugred and swéete lippes signifiyng the eloquence and learning in time to come of Plato They were not Bées of mount Himettum where honye as writers thinke was first founde but rather of Helicon where the Muses and Ladyes of learnyng delighted to dwell This was that Plato of whom his maister Socrates before hée knew him dreamed of that hée helde fast in his hande a young Swanne which fledde from him away and mounted the Skies whose swéete voyce and songes as a woonderfull melody and harmony replenished the whole Skies They thought it a sufficient admonition to sée any thing happen betwéene birdes or beastes as a sure and certaine shewe of their owne fortune to come M. Brutus when he was in campe against Caesar and Antonius and sawe two Eagles fighting togither the one comming from Caesars tent the other from his owne Hée knewe well when his Eagle tooke flight and was vanquished that he should loose the victorie Cicero vnderstanding well ynough his death to be at hand when the Rauen heald him fast by the hem of his gowne and made a noyse and euer pluckt at hym vntill the souldiers of M. Antonius came vnto the very place where he at that time was beheaded by Herennius and Popilius For in the night before Cicero dreamed being banished from Rome that he wandred diuers straunge countries where Caius Marius a noble Romaine as he thought mette him demaunding of Cicero why and what was the cause of his sadde countenaunce and wherfore he trauailed such straunge countries the cause being knowne vnto Marius hée tooke him fast by the right hande and brought him to the next officer where hée thought in his sléepe hée should haue died So that Zerxes by a Hare hadde warning King Mydas was by Antes admonished Plato by Bées Brutus by an Eagle Cicero by a Rauen Themistocles by an Owle of death Pericles by the head of a Ramme was fully perswaded taught by the soothsayers that hée should win the people of Athens from Thucidides with whome then he was in controuersie And was not Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus with all the Princes of Gréece certefied by the Dragon that climmed a trée where hée slue a shée Sparrowe and eyght young ones beside signifiying that they shoulde be nine yeares in wars with the Troyans and that the tenth they should destroye and quite vanquish Ihon. And was not Iulius Caesar admonished of his wife Calphurnia by a dreame that if he woulde vnto the Senate that daye hée should dye And was not that mightie Monarch Alexander warned by a vision to take more regarde vnto hys life then he did to take héede of Antipater who afterward poysoned him And was not Alcibiades that noble Gréeke certified by a dreame of his miserable death howe he and his hoore Timandra might diuers times sée before what after folowed if they had had so great a desire in folowing good things as they were bent and prone to séeke euyll Such prodigious sightes such straunge miracles were séene that might well allure them to more perfect life The Sunne the Moone the starres and all the hostes of heauen wrought great miracles to reduce Princes from euill enterprises and to giue warning vnto others to auoyde the tyranny of wicked Princes For the heauens appeared blouddy at that time when Philip king of Macedonia with tiranny inuaded Gréece At what time Augustus Caesar after his vncle Iulius was murthered â—ame vnto Rome as the second Emperor there were séene starers wandering about the circle of the Sunne great lightnings strange impressioÌ„s like men fighting in the skies yea and birdes fell downe deade in the Citty of Rome and Liuius writeth that an Oxe spake vnder plowgh these woordes vnto the plowman that not only corne should want â–ª but also men should perish and therefore said the Oxe thou â—egest me in vaine to trauell and his horse abstayned from foode When that wicked tyraunt Nero began his Empire in Rome trées pastures medowes and certen grounde about the Citie a straunge miracle altered places
hir wine and in eating of his hart vnto hir body saying though bodies be departed yet our hartes shall neuer be a sunder That noble Gréeke Laodamia looued hir husbande so well that when shée hearde that hir husbande Prothesilaus was slaine by Hector at the siege of Troye shée desired onely of God that shée might sée his shadowe or likenesse once before shée died which when shée sawe embrasing the lykenes of Prothesilaus as shée thought in hir husbandes armes shée then presently dyed We reade that Quene Ipsicratea loued hir husbande king Mythridates so entirely that shée shaued all the heares of hir heade and ware mans apparell and followed him like a Lacky for that hée shoulde not know hir to be his wife shée had rather go vnto the wars with hir husbande like a lackie than tary from hir husbande in Pontus lyke a Quéene Paulina when shée hearde that hir husbande Seneca was put to death by that cruell Emperor and Tyraunt Nero whome Seneca sometime taught him in his youth Philosophie and at the length requited him with death which when I say Paulina harde thereof she enquired what kinde of death hir husbande suffred which béeing knowne shée ministred the like playster vnto hir selfe as was appoynted for Seneca hir husbande Likewise that noble Portia daughter vnto Cato and wife vnto Brutus hearing that hir husbande was slaine at Philippos for that she might not spéede of a knife shée choked her selfe with coales The like historie is reade of Triata which when she knewe by letters that hir husbande Vitellius was so enuironed of his enimies and no waye able to escape his wife rushed into the Campe and prest néere hir husbande readie to die or to liue in fielde with him What can be so harde to take in hande but loue will hazarde it what can be so perillous but loue will venture it neyther water can stay it nor fire stop it Sulpitia the wife of Lentulus the daughter of that worthy Romane Paterculus when shée perceyued that hir husband was appointed by the Magistrates of Rome to passe vnto Sicilia as an Embassador and there to continue for a season though hir mother had great charge ouer hir very carefull studious she was to comfort hir daughter in the absence of hir husbande yet she deceyued hir mother shée chaunged hir apparell caused hir two maides likewise to be disguised toke two men in the like apparell and went all by night from Rome vnto Sicilia Aemilia the wife of Affricanus and mother vnto that noble Cornelia which was mother vnto those famous Romances called Gracchi shée perceauyng her husbande to bée in loue with one of her maydes in the house and often to vse the mayde as his wife though Aemilia knew wel of it yet she neuer hated the maide nor opened it to her husbande but after that her husbande died she gaue to this maide a great summe of money and maryed her wealthyly in Rome A rare thing in a woman founde To speake of Penelopes loue in Gréece towardes her husbande Vlisses or to shewe the constancie of Lucrecia in Rome towarde her husbande Collatinus the one twentie yeres was prooued of diuers noble Gréekes and yet remayned she true vnto Vlisses the other through force being rauished by proud Torquinius sonne named Aruntiê° would not be false vnto Collatinus but opened the same reuenged it with hir owne death Now againe to prooue how well did Quéene Tomiris loue hir sonne Mesgapites the death of great Cirus King of Persea with two hundred thousande of his souldiours beside can testifie or howe Ageus loued his sonne Theseus which when he hadde perceyued the black sayle contrary vnto promise made before when Theseus went vnto Créete to the monster Minotaurus that his as he supposed was slaine in Labirinthus he threw him ouer a high rocke into the sea What shoulde I molest the reader herein sith an ende can scant be founde but onelye recite one worthy hystorie out of Valerius of a seruaunt vnto one named Panopion that hearing that certaine souldiours came vnto the City of Reatina in purpose to kill his Mayster he chaunged apparell with his mayster and conueyed his Mayster first a waye safe and sounde from the enimies and he went vnto his Maysters bedde as though he had béene Panopion and suffred himselfe to be slaine in stéede of his Mayster A man woulde thinke that greater loue coulde be founde in no man then a man to die for his friende and truth it is But to finde such loue in beastes towardes men a meruell great it were Insomuch that in Leucadia a Peacock loued a young Uirgin so well that when shée dyed the Peacock also dyed And Plini sayth that in the Citie of Seston an Eagle being brought vppe by a young mayde loued the mayde so well that it woulde flée a broade and kill foules and bring them whome to the young mayde and when the Uirgine died the Eagle flewe vnto that same fire where the mayde was appoynted to die and also died with hir The Perseans were woont for fauour and affection they had vnto their Horses to burye them and the people named Molossi made braue sepulchres for their dogges Alexander the great made a tombe for his horse Bucephalus So did Antiochus and Caesar likewise Such tryed loue and faythfull trust was found in Dogges that the great King Masinissa of Numidia neuer went to bedde but had a dosen dogges in his great chamber as his garde to kéepe and watch him from his enimies for sure he was that money might not corrupt them friendshippe might not alure them threatnings might not feare them There was a Dogge in Athens named Caparus vnto whome the tuition of the temple Aesculapius was committed with all the wealth and treasure therin which being in a night trayned vnto a snare the temple was robbed the substaunce and the richesse thence was stolne but in the morning the dogge founde out the falshoode thereof and made all Athens priuie of the théeues by reueng and running towardes them Wée reade in Plini that Vlisses Dog which Vlisses left at home when he went with Agamemnon vnto Phrigia to the wars of Troye and being twentie yeares absent he founde Penelope his wife and his dog faithfull and louing at his returne That noble Gréeke Lismacê° had a dog named Durides that loued him so well that euen at Lismachus death the Dogge died also Hiero had another Dogge that died euen so ran willingly vnto that flame of fire where his mayster did burne to die with him I might well speake of Alcibiades Dogge which where so euer hée came no man might or durst speake any euill of Alcibiades in presence of his Dogge Titus Sabinus Dogge neuer forsooke his mayster in prison and when anye man gaue him breade or meate hée brought it vnto his Mayster in prison and when he was throwne into the riuer
of the Citie could not heaue vp the coffin at length came foure of his owne science I meane Usurers and easilie tooke vp the Coffin and bare it to whome one of the Cittie sayd Beholde foure Diuels can carie the fift easilie and being brought to church the Priest knowing his lewde life and wickednesse sayd that he shoulde not be buried in the Churche for that the Churche is the house of God and not a graue for wicked men his friendes caried him vnto the â—ye way thinking to make his graue there there the Kinges officers withstoode that and sayde that the Kings hie waie was not méete to bury any man In striuing betwéene them selues the Deuill appeared and sayde If they woulde giue leaue he would beare him vnto a méete place they being well contented therewith the Diuell tooke him out of sight and buried him where he vseth to burie in his chiefe Chappell in hell AN Usurer dying in suche a countrye as was not lawfull to burie any man without some commendations of his life béeing a long time stayed without buriall for that no man knewe howe to prayse him A Barbour at length sayde surely I prayse this man for one thing I neuer saw softer heares to shaue then this man was woont to haue by this commendation of the Barbour he was buried hauing according vnto the custome that Epitaph vpon his graue ¶ Examples of honour SInce money sayde Seneca possest the seate of honour true honour was banished A certen King being enuied of his nobles because he much estéemed poore men therefore willyng to shew his nobles and counsellours the difference betwéene one man and another caused two Coffers to bée made in one place in the one hée did put great substaunce and wealth and couered the same with a simple or ragged couer in the other hée put nothing in but couered it with cloth of golde and precious vesture called his counsellours and nobles before him demaunded of them which was the better Coffer they iudgyng the braue and gorgeous Coffer much to excell the other the King laughing at their folly opened both the Coffers and sayd Beholde howe much you estéeme the outwarde man and howe litle you regarde the inwarde vertues AMongst the Romanes was certâ—n discorde or variaunce betwéene two families the one called Columnenses the other named Vrsini The common people vnderstanding the familie of Columnenses to be of greater honour and of more power and wealth than Vrsini were cryed out with the stronger part as they had thought with these sayings Viuant Columnenses moriantur Vrsini But being conuicted by the simpler sort by the familie of Vrsini and throwne vnto subiection The next fielde the people cryed cleane contrary to their first crye saying Viuant Vrsini moriantur Columnenses But then according vnto fortunes custome the victors before were vanquished then which when the people saw in the thirde cumbat fraryng the slippery state of honour cryed out Viuant qui vincant naming neither of the families but where it woulde happen honour and victory there to extell and commende Euen like the Lion when hée waxeth olde hée is of all beastes that honoured him before despised and hated And when hée is in force and strength he is feared and obeyed of all other beastes ¶ Examples of enuie TWo seruauntes in seruice with one man hauing obtayned of their maister that whatsoeuer they woulde aske they shoulde haue it vpon condition that what the first demaunded that should bée double vnto the last These seruauntes being felowes the one being couetous woulde not aske first for that the other shoulde haue twise as much the other being enuious wylled for very enuye vnto his felowe that one of his eyes should be pulled out that both his felowes eyes might be put out also according vnto promise made And thus the maister knowyng the natures of couetousnes enuy like a wise Philosopher promised that liberally in worde which he knew should not be hurtfull or chargeable in déede A Poore man after the like sort willyng to beare certen fruites vnto Frederick the Emperour that the Emperor was woont to loue well The Porter being couetous said vnto the poore man that he would not suffer him to come within the gates without hée would promise him halfe the gaine that the Emperour would giue him the poore man being vrged to demaund some benifits for his good wil of the Emperor vnderstanding that halfe the gaine must be giuen according vnto hys promise vnto the Porter for very enuie asked in a gift of the Emperour a hundred stripes that the Porter being so couetous shoulde receyue the halfe hundred the Emperour Frederick knowing well the matter made the Porter to be well laide on for his couetousnesse and the man that brought the fruites for his enuie somewhat gently to be handled ANother example how two fellowes seruing one man one of them being enuious vnto y e other for â—hat his mayster made much of him perswaded with his fellowe that his breath did stincke and that his maister might not abide the smell thereof the young man being loth to displease his Lorde at any time when hée gaue his mayster his cuppe to drinke did turne awaye his face least his breath shoulde annoy his Mayster and tolde his Mayster likewise that no man coulde abide his fellowes breath and that he willed his Mayster to marke him when hée reacheth him the cuppe how hée turned his face awaye his mayster the next time vnderstanding howe hée turned his face a side when hée gaue him drinke consulted with his other seruaunt what he shoulde doe hée being full of enuie toward his fellow councelled his Mayster to send him vpon some message vnto certen Colliers in the woode which burned wood to make coales sending word vnto them that the first man that should come vnto them the next they shoulde throwe him into the fire this man caused hys Maister to call his fellow very earely to go to the wood and being sent hauing occasion to staye in a certayne Church by the waye all seruice time the enuious Seruant came after very gladde of the chaunce thinking his fellowe had béene gone a long time before and that hée was throwne into the fire as his mayster willed came first him self vnto the place where he himselfe tasted of that sauce which hée had prouided for his felow ¶ Examples of couetousnesse A Rich man very penciue and sad taking thought who shoulde possesse his wealth after his death being a very couetous man hard a voice saying thy goodes shall Troilardus the Kitchin Boye haue and also thy wife and so cleane contrarie vnto couetous expectation thinges happen as one a couetous man dyd hide in a Church a great potte besought God alwayes in his prayers that he shoulde not die before he had filde that pot with money which prayer obtayned hée dyed leauing the potte full of money behinde him An other marying his wife and finding by chaunce this money
is written in the liues of the fathers that a young man seruing an Hermet being sent of his maister vnto a village harde by where a certen great Usurer and a vicious man being dead was caryed honorably and buried with solempnitie with the Bishop of that Diocesse which when the boy saw hée wept out that so euyll a man so wicked an Usurer should haue such solemne buriall and returning whom hée founde his maister deuoured of a Lion which so mooued him almost to bée beside him selfe saying The wicked Usurer dieth with greate honour and is buried with great pompe that liued all the dayes of his life in sinne and wickednesse My maister being fifty yeres in the wildernesse an Hermet is eaten vp and deuoured of a Lion whiche studied and traueyled to fight with sinne and with the deuyll An angel appeared vnto the boy saying The deuyll can no more hurt thy maister for hée hath done his worst and now thy maister hath conquered the deuyll The deuyll spared the Usurer in his life time that hée might possesse him after his death SOcrates therefore dying héeing constrayned for that hée refused their gods and sayd that hée would rather worship a Dogge than the gods of Athens and to drinke his last draught perceyuing that his wife wept demaunded the cause of her wéeping his wife aunswered and sayd the innocencie of Socrates death is the cause of my wéeping Nay rather sayde Socrates laugh and reioyce at that and wéepe at him that deserued death The like examples haue wée of King Antigonus and Anaxagoras the Philosopher hearing both that their sonnes dyed in the warres the one sayd I knowe I hadde my sonne borne to die the other without vexation or chaunge of countenaunce made him be buried out of hand saying It is no straunge thing to heare of death aswell vnto Princes as vnto poore men happened A Great King being admonished by his Phisitions of death began to lament much his state saying Alasse Myser that I am howe many princelye Pallaces regall Courtes howe manye Kingdomes and countries must I depart from and go vnto those quarters I know not where Howe manye Princes coulde I commaunde to come with mée anye where Howe many Noble men might I cause to go before to prouide my places and seates and nowe not one poore man in all the worlde will beare mée company to my graue saying thou worlde enimie of my soule ¶ THE DEATHES OF CERTEN Noble Princes in english verse ¶ Alexander the great his death WHat sounde assurance is of man what certaine lotte of life When Atrop cuts which Lachese spinnes with cruell cursed knife Hée yesterday renowmed Prince and King of Kinges so braue To daye in mouldred mossie mire layde in his fatall graue Yesterdaye the sonne of Ioue might all commaunde at will To day starcke naked in the earth with wormes his belly full ¶ Iulius Caesars death I Long that ruled Rome at will in middest of Rome am spilde And in the Senate house amongst the Senators I am kilde Who Countries Kingdomes Castles strong who Europe all did quell To Brutus hande and Cassius snares vnwares I Caesar fell With Bodkins Daggers Swordes and Staues I Caesar there was slaine Of fostered foes which friendeshippe fainde as Abel was of Cain ¶ Cirus King of Persea his death WHat Kesar King or Prince thou art that passes here this way Suffer Cirus seauen foote to rest his Corpes in clay Whose gréedie minde and raging race whose fortune frowning wild That Cirus shoulde be in Scithia slaine by Tomyris Quéene in fielde Whose heade was off and bathed in bloode to whome the Quéene spake first Drinke cruell Cirus bloode ynough that long for bloode did thirst ¶ Agamemnon his death WHome tenne yeares warres in Phrigian fieldes nor Troyans force subdue Who me winde nor Seas nor tempest hurt this Clitemnestra slue This famous Prince and Capitaine graunde of all the Géekes in fielde Whome fame in Phrigia so aduaunced his onely spouse him kilde Thus fortune friendly flowed fast and fauored fame to sounde Till frowning fortune foylde the state which fawning fortune founde ¶ King Pirrhus his death HEre Pirrhus Prince of Epire lyes whose force Tarentum knew At Argos was by a woman slaine with a Tilestoone that shée threw ▪ Whom thousande Princes coulde not hurt nor Romanes all annoy Whom shot of Gunnes ne dreadfull dart might Pirrhus Prince destroy This seconde souldier counted was to Alexander King A sielie Argiue woman lo to graue did Pirrhus bring ¶ Hanibal his death THe fostered fame the glory great that was in Carthage coast The honour long that Lybia had againe in time was lost He that was the scurge of Rome and Romanes oft offend He that saued his natiue zoile and Carthage did defende The same at last to Siria fled to craue Antiochus ayde Unto Bithinia thence he went to Prusias King dismayde And there to voyde Flaminius force he poyson dranke did die Thus hauty Hanibal ended life and there his bones do lye ¶ Pompeius death POmpeius fléeing Pharsalia fieldes from Caesar life to saue Whome then Photinus fayned friende to Egypt soyle did laue And there by slaightes of faythlesse frindes for golde and siluer loe Pompeius heade was sent to Rome to Caesar for to shoe His bodie left vnburied lieth in Egypt slimy sandes Who sometime King of Pontus prest and all Armenia landes ¶ Cicero his death WHome Cicero saued off from death the same did Cicero kill Pompilius prowde to please the rage of Mar. Antonius will Whos 's heade was sette in sight to sée Antonius minde to please Whose tongue did Fuluia pricke with pinnes Hir stony heart to ease Who when hée was for Clodius sake exiled Rome to raunge Twentie thousande Romanes mournde in mourning wéedes the chaunge Hée thrée times Consul was in Rome now in Caieta slaine Whose noble name and lasting fame shall styll on earth remaine ¶ Demosthenes death THe sugred sappe the solace long the guyde of Athens then That stoute withstoode king Philips force in spite of Philips men Of whome king Philip in his warres was forcde to say at length Hée feared more Demosthenes tongue then all the Athinians strength Such is the ende of mortall wightes such is the miserie of men That howe to die the time the place he knoweth not where nor when ¶ Achilles his death THe hope of Gréece and countries care Achilles strong of force Like stoute Alcides fought on foote like Mars himselfe on horse But last that ruled Goddes sometimes did then Achilles mooue To walke to Troye to féede desire for Priamus daughters loue Who by a Dart that Paris driude Achilles had his ende Whose worthy actes and marshall feates in Homer well is pende ¶ Hectors death HEctor stoute whose strokes full sterne the Gréekes did girde so grim And foyled foes in Phrigian fieldes death happened thus to him In spoyling of Patroclus king Achilles faythfull friende Came strong Achilles to the place to sée Patroclus ende Then
as by experience we see all things to haue a care of his owne life The Lion when he feeleth hym self sicke he neuer ceaseth vntil he féedeth vpon an Ape whereby he maie recouer former health The Gotes of Creet féedyng on high vpon the mountaines when any of them is shot through with an Arrowe as the people of that countrey are most excellent archers they seeke Dictamum and hearbe assone as they eate any thyng of the same the arrowe faleth downe and the wound waxeth whole incontinent There are certen kyndes of Frogges in Aegypt about the floud of Nilus that haue this perseueraunce that when by chaunce they happen to come where a fishe called Varus is whiche is a greate mourtherer and a spoyler of Frogges they vse to beare in their mouthes ouerthwart a long réede which groweth about the bankes at Nilus whiche when this fishe doth gape thinkyng to feede vpon the Frog the réede is so long that by no meanes can he swallowe vp the Frogge and so saue their liues If the Gotes of Creet If the frogges of Aegypt haue this vnderstanding to auoide their enemies how muche more ought men to be circumspect of his life which hath I saie millions of enemies nether séen nor knowen We reade in the first boke of Aelian that the rude swine if at any tyme by chaunce they eate of that hearbe called Hioscyamus which draweth by by the vaines together that skant thei can stirre yet they striue for remedie sake to goe vnto the water where they feede vppon yong Crabbes to recouer health In the same booke ye maie reede of a Sea Snaill whiche from the water doth come vnto lande to breede and after she hath egged she diggeth the yearth and hideth her egges and retourneth vnto the sea again and there continueth .xl. daies and after .xl. daies she commeth vnto the same self place where she hidde her egges and perceiueth that thei are ready to come out of the shell she openeth the shell and taketh her yong ones with her vnto the sea And thus haue they care charge not onely of their owne states and liues but also of others and by some shewe of sence thei amende that which is most daungerous and hurtfull for the sely and simple mise haue this kynde of fore knowledge that when any howse waxeth olde and ruinous they forsake their olde dwellyng and creepyng holes they flee and seeke refuge in an other place The little Antes haue foresightes that when penury and want of relife draweth nier they waxe so painefull and laborious toilyng and trauailyng in gatheryng together victualles as maie serue them duryng the tyme of famine If these smale crepyng wormes seely and simple beastes prouide for them selues what shall wee saie of man the kyng and ruler ouer all beastes who hath not onely a bodie to prouide for but also a soule to saue More happie are these wormes and beastes in their kinde then a nomber of Princes are For that they by nature onely are taught their foes to auoide neither we by nature neither by God the cause of all goodnes can loue our frendes Therefore verie well it is saide of the wise man that either not to be borne or els beyng borne streight to die is the happiest state that can chaunce vnto man For liuyng in this vale of miserie wee sée the Pilgrimages and trauell of life to be such that better farre it were be a poore quiet man then a busie proude Prince And sith death is the last line of life aswell appointed for princes as for poore men who in reading the liues of Emperours Kinges and Princes the nobles of the worlde seeth not their vnhappie states whiche commyng vnto the worlde naked and departyng from the same naked yet like proude pilgrimes busie one to destroye another not coÌ„tented with countries and kingdomes go from one place vnto another from one couÌ„trie vnto another like Pilgrimes to bee acquainted with miserie and to seeke death Alexander the great conquerour takyng his voiage from his kyngdome of Macedonia vnto India to destroie all the worlde hee was in the citie of Babilon preueÌ„ted by Antipater and Iola his taster and kinsman with poison and there he died Philopomen a greate Emperour sometyme in Greece beyng in prison in Messena taken in the warres and beyng so cruelly handled that he besought Dinocrates whiche then was Prince of that countrie and conquerour ouer hym one draught of poison he coulde not be coÌ„tent to be Emperour and ruler of Greece but moued to seeke death in a straunge countrie amongest his foes Ladislaus kyng of Apulia endeuouryng to subdue the Florentines and séekyng to bee kyng ouer the Florentines he loste the kingdome of Apulia For by them was hee at length poisoned and so berefte from his owne kingdome and life with this vnhappie kinde of death wer many princes preuented no lesse thretened are these princes of their owne houshold frendes then of foren foes no lesse do their childreÌ„ their wiues brethren and kinsmen studie to destroie them sometyme for the kingdomes sake some tyme for hatered hidden and most ofteÌ„ prouoked of these to spoile them as it is written that Claudius Caesar an Emperour of Rome was poisoned of his owne wife Agrippina Antiochus king of Siria was poisoned of his Queene Laodice for that hee was in loue with Berenices Kynge Ptholomeus sister Constantine the Emperour the soonne of Heraclius beeyng but one yere a ruler of his empire was poisoned by his mother in lawe named Martina The verie cause of the Emperour Conradus death whiche was Frederikes soonne was the Empire and rule of Rome whiche Manfredus his successour made the phisicions for money to poison him that then hee beyng the successour of the empire might beare rule O vnhappie state of Princes whose liues are desired of frende and foe How sore was L. Vectius set on of Caesar to betraie Pompeius the greate whiche for the loue and zeale that Pompeius had in Rome Caesar began to malice Lucullus Curio Cato and Cicero for their priuate loue towarde Pompeius no lesse daunger it is to be in fauour with princes sometime then perilous to bee princes wee reade of a Quéene named Rosimunda the doughter of kyng Cunimunda of Gepida after that she poisoned Albonius king of Longobardes hir first housebande she maried a prince of Rauenâ—a named Helinges which likewise she thought to poison but beyng warned in y e middest of his draught he caused his wife to drinke the reste whiche drinke was the cause of both their death howe manie noble Princes in the middest of their Pilgrimages died that death as Diocletian the Emperour of Rome Lotarius kyng of France Carolus the eight of that name with diuers others as Hanibal prince of Carthage Aristobolus king of Iuda and Lucullus Emperour of Rome Princes and noble men doe sometyme poyson theimselues lest they should
be enforced of their foes to doe what thei would as Themistocles beyng banished froÌ„ his countrie Athens when he did deserue wel life and honor beyng in seruice with Artaxerxes kyng of Persia poisoned hym self with the bloud of a Bulle in presence of all the Persians lest he should be compelled to fight in warres againste Grece his countrey Euen so Aratus Prince of Sicionia perceiuyng Philip the yonger should banishe and exile hym out of his countrey was enforced to drinke his owne death out of his one hande Euen after this sort after long administration of common wealth after greate honour had and after Princely dignities possessed with worthie renowme and same receiued did noble Socrates learned Anaxagoras worthie Seneca famous Demosthenes poison them selues Thus their pilgrimages were ended and their liues finished their honor and dignitie their fame and renoume did purchase them death Happie theÌ„ are those whom the worlde knowe not ne yet desire to be acquainted with the worlde but quiete and contented doe trauaile their Pilgrimage Had not Iugurtha thrusted for the kyngdome of Numidia he had not slain his two brethren Adherbales and Hiemphales which wer partakers of the croune for the whiche vengeance sell vpon hym he had not comen vnto cruell Marius hande to bee subdued neither had he died in prison Had not king Syphax thursted the Empire of Rome he had neuer been taken captiue and prisoner with Tyburus where he at lengthe out of his kyngdome died in prisone Henry the thirde was of his owne soonne named Henry again putte in prison where he died Aristonicus for all his businesse and greate doynges was vanquished by the Consull Aquilus and put in prison where likewise he died In prison diuers princes ended life in foreine countries diuers kindes of deathes sondrie plagues happen vpon princes more then vpon man els as orderly I meane to proue by their Pilgrimages and liues Some by fire as the Emperour Phalaris of Agrigentin who was burned with all his children and his wife in the brasen Bulle whiche Perillus made for others and when Perillus firste assaied this newe inuented worke before all others and after him the Emperour hym self was put therein By fire was the Emperour Valentine burned of the Gothes by fire was that famous Gréeke Alcibiades destroied in Phrigia burned in bedde with his woman Tymandra after he had ruled Athens and all Grece a longe while thus was his ende Sardanapalus that greate kyng and laste prince of Assiria fearyng to fal vnto the handes of Arbactus and detestyng to die by his enemies made a solempne fire where he after long leude life wantoning in luste and followyng his desire burned hym self it was the ende of that renoumed man Hercules whiche conquered Monsters subdued Serpentes Lions Dragons and wilde beastes to dye by wearyng of Nessus therte the Centaur whiche burned hym a liue To speake of Prince Boges the deare frende sometyme of kyng Xerxes which when he knewe that he could not escape the hande of Cimon and the power of Athens he made greate fire where he caused his wife and concubins his children and familie to be burned and then his gold siluer and treasure and last of all burned him self Empedocles Catulus Luctatius Asdrubal and Portia died this death I maie not be tedious in recityng to many names but some to shewe and to write that did take a part of sondrie plagues diuers deathes So desirous wer men alwaies to become princes so ambitious of honour so gready of wealthe that hauyng the name of a king thei thought to auoide and escape that whiche alwaies waâ—teth harde at the heeles of Princes I meane death were not Princes hanged of their owne subiectes whiche is the vilest and moste ignomious death that can bee Achaeus kyng of Lidia for that he troubled his subiectes with newe taskes and Subsidies he was hanged of his owne Subiectes ouer the riuer Pactolus Bomilchar a Prince of Libia beyng suspected of his owne countrey men the Carthaginians that he had conspired with Agathocles vnto the annoyaunce of the subiectes was hanged in the citie of Carthage in the middest of the Markette Policrates who was supposed to bée the happiest Prince that euer reigned in Samos who neuer sustained any losse by Fortune at length was by Oroetes the Persian kyng Darius generall hanged in open sight of Samos Herodotus dooeth affirme that Leonides that famous kyng of Sparta that long ruled the Lacedemonians with great fame and renowme was by Xerxes kyng of Persia after his heade was smitten of commaunded notwithstandyng to be hanged Trogus dooth write of Hanno a Prince of Carthage whiche flourished in the tyme of kyng Philippe father to Alexander the greate whiche for his prosperous successe Fortune and lucke that he had in all his attemptes he waxed to be suche a tyrauÌ„t that his owne people firste bounde hym with coardes whipt hym with roddes pluckt out his eyes brake his legges cutte of his handes and at laste to recompence his Tyrannie thei hanged hym vp in Carthage These were no meane men that thus were hanged in their owne Countrey of their owne people But honoure which is alwaies ambitious doeth bryng this to passe euery where These Princes were in the middeste of life arrested by death and by diuers kindes of death Some as you haue heard with poison some with fire some with hangyng haue ended their Pilgrimages some againe were deuoured of their owne horses as Diomedes kyng of Thracia was foode hym self vnto those beastes whiche before he fedde with mennes bodies The kyng of Eubaea for his tyrannie in Boaetia was giuen by Hercules to be eaten of his owne horses Lucinius the Emperour at what tyme he had appointed his doughter Herina should bée giuen vnto his horses to be eaten he hym self ministryng her as fode vnto theim was torne in péeces It happened that Neocles the sonne of that noble Greeke Themistocles was by a horse likewise deuoured This plague was not straunge vnto Princes for thei were alwaies subiecte vnto all kinde of deathes After that famous Prince Metius Capitaine of the Libians had broken with the Romains promise of truce and amitie he was afterward as Liui doeth witnesse taken and drawen of fower greate horses a liue at the commaundemente of Tullus Hostilus beyng then kyng of Rome Kyng Theseus soonne Hippolitus beeyng then falsely of his Mother in lawe Quéene Phaedra accused fliyng to auoide the furie and rage of his Father at the requeste of the Quéene was torne in peeces of wilde horses But let vs passe further and then we shall reade that some againe euen as thei afore saied Princes were deuoured of horses were of Serpentes stonged vnto death as Laocon that worthie Troian was in open sighte of twoo Serpentes destroied yea that famous and warlike woman Cleopatra Queene of Aegypt after her louer and frende
Marcus Antonius was conuicted by Augustus Caesar the Emperour she had rather to bee ouercomed with Serpentes then subdued by Caesar. With this death was Opheltes Lycurgus sonne kyng of Menea vanquished Again some of wilde Bores and ragyng Lions perished as Anceus kyng of Sâ—mos and Paphages kyng of Ambracia perished in the like miserie the one by a Boore the other by a Lion Some by Dogges as Linus Apollos sonne Plini in his seuenth booke maketh mention of a Quéene in Bythinia named Cosinges kyng Nicomedes wife whom her owne dogges slue and tare in péeces Euripides that learned Greeke commyng in the nighte tyme from Archelaus kyng of Macedonia with whom he had béen at supper was by an ill willer of his mette named Promerus whiche set his dogges to mangle hym vnto death EueÌ„ so were Heraclitus and Diogines bothe Philosophers by dogges likewise deade I maie not forget so greate a Prince as Basilius the Emperour of Macedon which in huntyng emongest his lordes and nobles yea emoÌ„gest thousandes of his Commons he onely meetyng a Harte in the chase was prickt in the legge and so died As for Seleucus kyng of Siriae soone vnto Antiocus surnamed the GOD and Bela kyng of Pannonia thei were bothe throwen by their horses and so died If these mischaunces happen vnto princes in the middest of their glorie and state what is it then but miserie of mortalitie and pilgrimages of Princes sithe nothyng expelleth fate nor can auoide death Some so wearie of life some so fearfull of death that thei threwe them self vnto waters to be drouned others for all diligente feare watchyng for death were moste shamfully notwithstandyng by death preuented Fredericke the Emperour marchyng towardes Ierusalem after that he had taken Cities and Tounes in Armenia in passyng through a little riuer he was drouned Decius that noble and stoute Kyng enforced to take his flighte from the Gothes with whom he then was in warres was drouned in the Marishe grounde Marcus Marcellus after that he had been a Consull in Rome three tymes before the thirde warres betwixte the Romains and the Carthagians was likewise by a shipwracke cast awaie Howe many noble Princes were drouned with Pharo kyng of Aegypte in the redde sea we rede in the sacred scriptures How many again that seas and waters spoiled from life wee reade of whiche altered the names of the seas and waters when thei were drouned with their owne names As by Aegeus kyng of Athens death the sea Aegeum was called By Tirrhenus death king of Lidia the sea was called Tirrhen And so kyng Tyberinus altered the riuer named Aelbula by his death to be the Riuer of Tiber. Againe the Sea HellespoÌ„t by a woman named Helle. The sea Hesperides by the maides called Hesperides So by Icarus and Myrtilus the sea of Icarus and the Sea Myrton were spoken To many wer by waters spoiled as we se daily by experience As for honger diuers Princes againe died yea compelled to eate their owne fleshe as Erisicthon and Neocles a Tyraunt of Scycioma whiche for his cruell tyrannie vnto Athens he tasted of the same feaste hym self It is written in Curtius that Queene SysigaÌ„bis kyng Darius mother died of honger Who so readeth Chronicles shall finde diuers mischauÌ„ces happen vnto princes from tyme to tyme for that thei bee enuied at for Vlixes the Greke leste any ofspryng of Hector should rise in Phrigia to reuenge the falle of Troye and his countrey caste Hectors sonne Astianax ouer the walles a liue EueÌ„ as somtime Lycurgus king of Thracia was of his owne Subiectes throwen headlong vnto the sea for that he first mingled water with wine How many famous and noble princes were stoned and by stones deade as valiaunte Pyrrhus kyng of the Epirotes beyng in warres with Antigonus was slaine by an olde woman with a Tile stone at Argos PyraÌ„der at what tyme the Athenians warred against Eumolpus for that he feared famine hidden the wheat from his souldiours was therefore of theim stoned to death Euen so was Cinna the Romain at the warres betwixte the FreÌ„chemen and Rome for the like thing stoned vnto death stoute Cebrion king Priamus sonne was slaine by a stone of Patroclus at the siege of Troy so was Cignus of Achilles at the same time O vnstedfaste Fortune that little stones should ende so many famous liues of Princes O vnprudente Princes that knowe not how nigh alwaies ye are vnto death How many did God punishe and plague with sodaine death for their offences and misliuyng as Mythridates kyng of Pontus Nicanor the soonne of Parmenio kyng of Macedonia as Curtius in his v. booke dooe write died sodainly Sertorius was slaine sodainly at a banquette by Vpenna The Emperour Heliogabalus was killed vpon his stoole at his easemente and throwen vnto Tiber Carbo a noble Romaine after that sorte while he was easyng hym self vpon his stall was commaunded to bee murthered by Pompeius That renowmed and famous Conquerour Iulius Caesar was in the middest of the Citie of Rome where he was Emperour yea in the Senate house murthered and maÌ„gled of Brutus and Cassius Diuers Consuls in Rome died this death as Fabius Maximus Gurges the Senatour and Manlius Torquatus eueÌ„ at his supper died presently Thus some with Thunderboltes did God likewise punishe as Prince Capaneus slaine at the warres of Thebes Tullius Hostilus kyng of Rome was with a Thunderbolt for his insolencie and pride â—laine Zoroastes king of the Bactrians the firste inuentour of Magique was likewise by that kinde of death ouer taken Pride in princes was the onely cause of their falles in so muche the Poetes faine that the greate monstrous and huge Giaunt named Euceladus for his proude enterprise againste Iuppiter was throwen with a Thunderbolte vnto the bottome of Aetna a fierie and flamyng Mountaine The vncertaine state of Princes the flattrie before and the enuie behinde is seen and tried by their death Who liueth so shorte a tyme as a Prince Who dieth so straunge a death as a prince Who liueth in care Who dieth liuyng but a prince was not Sergius Galba and Commodus the sonne of Marcus surnamed Anbilius twoo Emperours of Rome the one by Otho strangled in the Markette place of Rome the other by Marcia his owne Concubine after he ruled Rome xiij yeres Was not I saie Lentulus beeyng taken in conspiracie with that wicked Cateline slaine and mangled at the commaundement of Cicero who then was CoÌ„sull at Rome Likewise Cethegus Gabinius Ceparius and Stabilius for that thei rebelled with Catelin were appoincted by the Senatours to bée strangled in prison Nothyng so vncertaine as the state of princes nothing more deceiptfull then princes again as well proued by histories For Minoes kyng of Crete trauailyng after Daedalus vnto Sicilia was there of his great freÌ„de kyng Cocalus as
reuenged her old loue and requited his seruice then after this sorte She threwe a greate stone after hym and there killed hym and straight for sorowe callyng to minde the old amitie and hidden loue betwene them hāged her self The reuengement y t Cleonimus that noble famous Lacedemonian who hauing his owne wife in suche admiration of impacient loue that he was as muche hated of her as she of hym was honoured and estemed for she loued onely kyng Acrotatus sonne so deare that her housebande Cleonimus vnderstandyng the same went to Epire to kyng Pirrhus perswadyng hym earnestly to come to Peloponesus and to moue warres against kyng Acrotatus wherby he might reuenge the spite doen of his wife in killyng hym whom she loued beste a greate reuengemente as he thought vnto her then to reuenge vpon her owne persone to spoile hym whom she loue better then her self Valerius Torquatus for that he might haue Tuscus doughter in mariage moued warres out of hande and reuenged the same with bloud For what cause did Progne king Pandions doughter of Athens kill her owne sonne Itis and gaue hym to bee eaten vnto his father and her housebande kyng Tereus of Thrace nothyng but to reuenge her sister Philomela whom her housebande defloured her Why did Nero that cruell Emperour kille Seneca his maister and teacher in all his youth for nothyng but to reuenge olde stripes whiche he receiued at his maister beyng a boie For what purpose did Cateline Silla Damasippus Marius and other take quarelles to plage Rome to punishe all Italie to destroie the coūtrey for nothyng but for that thei could not abide one aboue an other Darius after that he had taken the Citie of Babilon he reuenged his old malice after this sort as Herodot in his third booke affirmeth He made thre thousande of the beste within the Citie bee hanged Attila Kyng of Pannonia slue a leuen thousande virgines at the besiegyng of Colonia So diuers wer reuengemēt emongest menne so cruell yea so foolishe that Xerxes and Cirus twoo greate kynges of Persia that when the water of Hellespont molested Xerxes and troubled his soldiours he forth with commaunded that the sea Helespont should haue three hundred stripes and willed three hundred paire of Featters to bee throwen vnto Hellespont to binde the sea Euen so did Cirus for that the riuer Gindes did droune one of Cirus beste geldynges he made his souldiours to deuide the riuer vnto a hundred and fower score small partes to reuenge Gindes rage towarde Cirus thinkyng that by breaking of the greate rage of so greate a streame that he well and worthely requited the iniuries of Gindes These are cruell reuengers too many are of these in so muche that women reuenge their malice after this sorte As Tomiris Queene of Scithia who to reuenge her soonne Mergabites death slue kyng Cirus and twoo thousandes of his soldiours Too great a slaughter for one mannes death and not yet satisfied vntill she bathed Cirus heade in a greate vessell full of bloudde This Beronice Pollia and diuers cruell women beside could dooe the one is dooen with anger and synne the other is dooen with vertue and aduisemente For princes muste vse aduisement in reuenging must vse wisedome in sufferaunce For as Frederick the Emperour was often wonte to saie that Princes that reuenge hastely and specially wrongfully are like faire markes for good archers to shoote at High towers and loftie buildynges are soner fiered with lightenynges then lowe houses and small cottages For Tiberius Caesar Emperoure of Rome beyng in the Senate house to punishe those euills and to reuenge those harmes that were by some of the citie threatened toward his estate God forbidde saied he that Tiberius should haue so muche idle tyme to heare euill spoken muche lesse to reuēge euill doen. Antigonus kyng of Macedonia besiegyng a Castle in Grece wherein a nomber of bolde Greekes vsed for their pastyme and sporte to scoffe this kyng knowyng the situation of the Castle to bee in suche a place that might not bee subdued Thei therefore laughyng hym to scorne as well for his enterprice therein ▪ as also for his slender persone and croked nose whiche kyng Antigonus had saied he would reuenge all their doynges with sufferaunce and hoped thereby to moleste the enemies double Diuers Heathen princes wer acquainted with this reuengement as Lisander Agesilaus and others for vnto God onely belongeth vengeaunce I will not speake here of suche reuengyng of Princes of Countreis of frendes that al men knowe But of rare reuengement whiche Philosophie taught vnto Socrates towarde Xantippe who beyng at supper hauyng a straunge geste named Enthidemum his wife Xantippe beganne to take her housbande vp with tauntyng and opprobrious wordes whiche because he would not auswere and be moued by her chidinges she ouerthrewe the table with all the meate and the Cuppes whiche whē Enthidemum sawe he was amazed at the ragyng of Xantippe beholdyng Socrates in the face to see how he thought of the matter but Socrates vnderstandyng that his geste did maruaile at his wife saied haue not you sometyme at home a Henne that will after longe clockyng with a sodaine flight throwe doune your cuppes with her wyng wherewith Enthidemum was fully satisfied with the wise aunswere of Socrates in reuengyng so greate a faulte Phocion a learned man of Athens was wont to saie that he had rather suffer iniurie wrongfully then to reuenge iniurie sometyme rightfully This man Phocion by whom Athens long flourished at what tyme he was putte to death moste wrongfully of the Athenians euen a little before he should die beyng demaunded whether he would commaunde any thyng vnto his soonne standyng thereby to see his father ende Spake vnto his sonne after this sorte My sonne saied he this I charge and require thée and moreouer beseche that thou will neuer reuenge the wrongfull death of thy father Phocion vpon the Athenians Solon a noble learned Athenian was wont to reuenge his wronges with these wordes If the fissherman suffer the salte water of the Sea to sprinkle vpon his face and vpon his clothes to weate hym for to take Fishe how muche more ought Solon suffer to speake to winne thē to be frendes Surely these three Philosophers deserue more praise and commendation I meane Socrates Phocion and Solon for the reuengyng of the euill with goodnes and vertue Then euer Alexander the Greate or Iulius Caesar or Theseus whiche reuenged euill with euill Wherefore Chilon the Lacedemonian beyng one of the officers called Ephori in the Citie of Sparta his brother demaundyng why he might not bee likewise one of the fiue Ephori as well as his brother saied vnto his brother because I can suffer wronge and thou canste not Therefore princes ought not to doe wrong nor yet reuenge wrōg with wrong but with paciente sufferaunce and goodnesse and doyng good for euill thei shall
one of the conspiratours and beeyng digged vp teared his bodie in smale péeces and beyng torne in péeces gaue it to the birdes of the aire Suche anger was in Marcus Antonius towarde Cicero that he was not contented of Ciceros death but commaunded his heade to bee sette before hym on the Table to feede his wrathfull harte and gréedie eyes and his wife Fuluia shewed her anger pulled out his toungue pinned it vnto her Bonnette and weare it on her heade in token and open shewe of her cruell and Tigrishe harte The noble romaine Maetellus was muche inflamed for to shewe suche hatred and anger vnto Pompeius for at what tyme Pompeius the greate was appointed by the Senatours of Rome to succéede Maetellus in his office of proconsulship in Spaine Maetellus perceiuyng that he was discharged and Pompeius charged they brake for verie anger all the furnitures of warres he destroied all the victualles he famished the Elephantes he permitted his Souldiours te doe what iniurie they coulde againste Pompeius so muche was his anger againste Pompeius that to hinder onely Pompeius he iniuried his natiue citie of Rome The propretie of anger is to hurte diuers in seekyng to offende one As hee is not wise that can not be angrie so is hee moste wise that can moderate anger The fame and renoume that both Themistocles and Aristides in vanquishyng their anger one towardes an other for beyng sent both as embassadours for the state of Athens trauailyng ouer a high hill like wise men that subdued affection and conquired anger Themistocles saide vnto Aristides shall we both burie our anger in this hill and go as frendes and not as enemies and there though the cause was greate at Athens they became frendes one vnto an other forgetting and forgeuing one anothers fault Anger and wrath are the only poisons of the words wher hidden hatered doeth proceade for to norishe the one is to feede the other Therfore it is written that hidden hatered priuate wealth and young mennes counsell hath been the verie cause of diuers destructions Manlius Torquatus after he had conquered Campania and triumphed ouer the Lateus retournyng vnto the Citie with noble fame and renoumed victories though the Senatours and Elders of the Citie mette hym in a triumphe and honour of his victories yet the younge men of Rome more disdainefull then courteous more odious then louyng more willyng to haue his death then desirous of his life kept them rather his enemies lurkyng in Rome towardes hym then frendes the cause is knowen in Valerius Hidden hatered whiche beare swaie in diuers places enuie and malice whiche procede from anger and maintained with hidden hatered is all the mischief of the world I wil omit to speak of Caligula whose anger and hatred was suche that he wished Rome but one necke that with one stroke he might strike it of Neither I will recite Heliogabalus whiche emoÌ„gest writers is named the beast of Rome and not the Emperour of Rome The histories of Catelin Silla and Appius for their hatered and anger towardes their countrey and natiue citie are extante in Plutarch and Salust by this anger and wrath proceded inuectiues and decleratioÌ„s and then enuie and malice beganne to builde their bowers by their chief CarpeÌ„ter anger then one mischief and vengeaunce doeth alwaies depende of the other And because anger is the onely cause of all euill and mischief I will speake of those two monstrus Gorgons as thinges incident and alwaies hidden in anger I meane enuie and malice and therfore I applie to Enuie and Malice whiche might be spoken here ¶ Of Periurie and Faithe and where either of these were honored and esteemed SIthe Faithe is the foundation of Iustice and Iustice the chiefe meanes as Aristotle saieth to preserue a publique weale for we se after muche fomyng and frettyng of seas after clustryng cloudes after longe lowryng lookes there doe often appere calme weather cleare aire and gentle countenaunce whiche to obserue and to maintaine Iustice is the worker therof and to note how faithfull and iuste some haue been and how wicked and false others shewed them selues for the commoditie and benefite of that one and for the discommoditie and iniuries of the other good it were to shewe the examples thereof There are not so many vertuous in one but there bee as many vices in an other For some from foes become frendes as Clodius and Cicero twoo greate enemies a long tyme and yet in tyme twoo faithfull frendes Tiberius likewise and Affricanus from mortall foes grewe to bee suche perpetuall frendes that Affricanus gaue his onelie daughter Cornelia in marriage vnto Tiberius Euen so some again from frendes became foes yea from tried frendship vnto mortall enemitie as Dion of Siracusa of his moste assured frende as he thought with whom alwaies before he founde frendshippe and faithe was slain and cruelly killed of Callicrates Polimnestor likewise though kyng Priamus supposed greate trust and confidence in hym that he committed his owne soonne Polidorus vnto his custodie yet falsely slue hym and murthered hym though beside frendshippe he was his nigh kinseman How well saieth Socrates that faithefull frendes doe farre excell Gold for in daunger faithe is tried and in necessitie freindes are knowen Suche is the secrete force of Faithe and suche is the hidden subtiltie of falsehode that the praise and commendations of the one shall bee seen and proued in a historie of Sextus Pompeius soonne and heire vnto Pompeius the Greate the slaunder and shame of the other shall bee manifestly knowen by Hanibal Arâ—â—lâ—ar sonne of Carthage The Faithe and Iustice of Pompeius at what tyme he had appoincted a banquette for Augustus Caesar â–ª and Marcus Antonius vpoÌ„ the seas was well tried for beyng moued of diuers at that tyme to reuenge his fathers death Pompeius the greate and specially often stirred by his frende â–ª and Maister of the Shippe Menedorus to requite olde malice for killyng of Pompeius to destroie Caesar and Antonius whiche Sextus in no waies would suffer saiyng that Faithe and Iustice ought not to bee tourned vnto periurie and falshed for as it is periurie to omitte faithe and promise made vnto these Emperors so this is tyraÌ„nie and not iustice to reuenge my fathers death vpon innoceÌ„cie And true it was that Augustus Caesar was then but a boie brought vp in Schoole in Apulia when his vncle Iulius Caesar vanquished Pompei And as for Marcus Antonius rather a freinde he was vnto Sextus Father then a foe and therefore no lesse Faithfull was Sextus in performyng then iuste in waiyng innocencie Farre vnlike vnto falâ—e Haniball whiche vnder pretence of peace with the Romaines sente Embassadours vnto Rome to entreate thereof where thei were honourablie receiued but well requited he the courtesie of Rome toward his Embassadours For wheÌ„ that noble Romain Cornelius came from Rome as an Embassadour vnto Haniball his welcome was suche â–ª
verye terrible to trust if it might be knowne with as many heades as Hidra to inuent wickednesse with as many handes as Briareus to commit euill with as many eyes as Argos to beholde vengeaunce with as swift legges as Thalus to go to naughtinesse entering into euerye mans house with a tongue as swéete as honey hyding in euery mans hart as bitter as gall of whome the olde poeme is spoken Mel in ore verba lactis fel in corde fraus in factis Of whome Antisthenes that learned Athinian was woont to saye that he had rather haue Rauens in house with him than flatterers for Rauens sayd hée deuoure but the carkasse being deade but the flatterer eateth vp the body and soule aliue For euen as tyranny is hidden in the secret bowels of enuie so is enuie cloked vnder filed phrase of flattery and very wel compared to the Crocodils of Nilus or to the Cirenes of y e seas the one wéeping mourning the other singing laughing the one with mone the other with mirth study how to annoy y e poore Mariner The flattering Parasite as Ouid saith denyeth with the negatiue and affirmeth with the affirmatiue wéepeth with him that is sad and laugheth with him that is mery as sometime Clisophus when his maister Philip King of Macedonia and Father vnto Alexander the great woulde hault bicause hée had the gout he would hault likewise when the king would be mery at his drinke Clisophus woulde not be sad In fine what soeuer Philip tooke in hande the same Clisophus did maintaine Aristippus the Philosopher coulde better please King Dionisius with adulation then Dion the Syracusan coulde pleasure him with trueth Cleo coulde better accomplish the desire lust of Alexander with forged flattery then Calisthenes his Counsellour coulde satisfie him with Philosophy and trueth Who might mooue Caesar to do any thing asmuch as Curio the Parasite not Pompeius his sonne in lawe nor yet his onely daughter Iulia nor all the Senators of Rome might make Caesar friende or foe as muche as Curio Flatterers are daungerous vnto the most part hurtful vnto all profitable vnto none and yet of Princes most accepted In Court like furious Centaures by formed Scilles huge Ciclops grime Gorgons fretting Furies and monstrous Harpeis yea with thousande more deformities vnder the shape of humanitie the swaye and rule For who is more made of than hée that ought least to bée estéemed who is trusted more than hée that deceyueth sonest who is hearde more at all times than hée that ought least to come in sight at any time who hath more of all men than hée that deserueth least of all men In fine who is more beloued any where than he that ought most to be hated euery where The common people of the Meedes and Perseans for that they knéeled vnto Alexander and made him the sonne of Iupiter were more estéemed for their flatterie therein than the nobles of Macedonia for their truth and plaine dealing What is it but flattery bringeth to passe That which the famous and renowned Prince Agamemnon with all the force power of Gréece could not with ten yeres siege subdue I meane Ilion in Phrigia that noble city of Troy one suttell Sinon a simple a sillye Gréeke allured the minde of King Priamus deceyued with flattery the nobles and entised the Citizens through adulations to their vtter destruction last confusion That auncient and renowmed Citie of Babylon which King Darius with all the power of Persea with long warres and losse of men yea when all his strength fayled him and all his force neuer able to vanquish any part of that noble Citie one Zopirus a Citizen borne in Babylon through forged faith and fyled flattery I say betrayed his natiue Citie vnto King Darius That famous citie of Olinthus which the valiaunt Conquerour and puisaunt Prince Philip king of Macedonia coulde neuer destroy with his great armie and strong hoast yet one dessembling Lasthenes with flattery conquered them and gaue them vnto the enimies hande king Philip. To speak of the auncient Lacedemonians the most famous and worthiest people in the whole world for their wars whome neyther Meedes Perseans Macedonians nor all Gréece againe might vanquishe before Phrinicus with flattery deceyued them The people of Samos were deceyued by false Apollonius Menelaus was beguiled with the flatterie of Paris Dion of Sirecusa was slaine by his flattering friende Calicrates O sucking serpent of cancred malice whose small fruict is terrible death If King Antigonus hadde knowne the flatterye of his fained friende Apollophanes he had not béene deceyued as he was If king Astiages hadde throughly knowne Harpagus his seruaunt hee had not béene slaine of king Cirus If that noble famous Romaine Crassus had not wayed the flattery of Carenus he had not bene so shamfully murthered amongst the Perthians What flatterie was betwéene Iason and Medea what deceit followed what adulation was betwixt Theseus and Ariadne what falshood ensued the one king Oetes daughter of the land of Cholcos helping Iason vnto the golden fléece the other king Minos daughter of Créete deliuering Theseus out of the dreadfull dennes of Labirinthus from the monster Mynotaurus but both deceyued by flattery howe the Troyan Prince Aeneas deceyued Quéene Dido with flatterie how the Grecian Demophon beguiled Quéene Phillis with adulation howe diuers such Quéenes Ladies and others haue béene allured and entised by fayre spéech the daylye experience with pollicie and practise therein is a certaine and sure proofe of the same which bicause they are common histories I will omitte to speake of But passe we forwarde in the pilgrimages and affayres of Princes Who murthered Caesar that worthy Emperour in the Senate house of Rome Brutus and Cassius those flatterers that Caesar loued most who poysoned that mightie Conquerer Alexander in the midst of his triumphs at Babilon those that flattered him most his owne cup taster Iolla and his kinseman Antipater Who betraied that famous Romaine Cicero vnto his méere enimie Marcus Antonius euen hée whome Cicero before defended and saued from death Pompilius Finallye who betrayed Christ both God and man vnto the Scribes and Pharisées his pursebearer that flattering Iudas with fayre spéech saying Aue rabbi embracing and Kissing him as flatterers vse to doe Where is their greater tiranny shewed then where flattery is most vsed Where is there greater deceyt practized than where curtezie is most tendered Where is more falshoode tryed then where trust is most reposed The first thing that deceyued man was flatterie which the Diuell the serpent put in vre to deceyue Eue flattering hir saying if thou eate of this fruite thou shalt know good and euill and you shall be as Goddes on earth As the Diuell is the only aucthor of all lies so is hée the only father of flatterie attempting alwayes the best and not the worst accompanying the hiest and not
wide worlde was as riche as he and there after long bragges of his Kyngdomes and vaine ostentations of wealthe an aunswere was made vnto hym by Apollo out of the secrete place of the Temple that Aglaus a poore manne of the Countrey of Arcadia was farre richer and more fortunate then he was Thus are thei mooste misers noted of wise men hauing all thinges and yet hauyng nothyng for that thei are neuer contented with any thynge When Alcibiades had muche bragged of his fortune wealth and substaunce boasted very muche of his landes in Athens a certaine Philosopher shewed a little Table wherein the whole Countrey of Athens was described in a verie little roume desiryng Alcibiades to shewe hym there his liuynges and landes in Athēs whiche when Alcibiades mighte not nor could in any wise shewe the same No more saied the wise Philopher can any coueteous manne shewe any parte of his substance for that thei haue nothyng though thei haue muche Thus Craesus and Giges though thei wer most wealthie kynges in Lidia yet wer thei both by Apollo and Solon adiudged misers So odious was vsurie and coueteousnes that when it was demaūded of Cato the wise what vsurie was he answered what is to murther a man It robbeth and killeth poore men it murthereth innocentes This is that false felowe that wil sell all thinges with Simō This is he that wil betray Christ with Iudas To this it is saied that soner a Camell shal go through the eye of a Nedle then he should goe vnto heauen Wherefore the memorie of death is better to hym that hath pleasure in possessions ¶ Of Prodigalitie and Dronkennes THE greate delight the Epicureal felicitie that Princes haue had in excesse of eatyng and drinkyng from tyme to tyme in all places are not onely in prophane Histories regestred but also in Deuine Scriptures ▪ mencioned The Poetes make songes of prodigall Princes the Histriographers defame theim the Philosophers abhorre their companie howe could the Poet Sidonius omit the prodigal draught of Cleopatra Quéene of Aegypt without a song howe might Plinie forget the sumptuous excesse of the Empresse Poppea without a taunt How should Martiall let passe the impudencie of proude Bassa without worthy scoffes of hir too muche prodigalitie The first preparyng a banquet to hir frende and louer Antonius where one dishe of meate stoode hir in two hundred thousande Crownes The seconde so sumptuous and prodigal to set showes of glisteryng Gold vnder hir Horses feete The thirde most proude and impudent to appoint vessels of Gold wrought with Precious stoanes to receaue hir excrementes in stead of hir stoole of ease Their sumptuous prodigalitie excesse and pride must not be vnspoken to shewe the horror therof as an example to other proud prodigall Princes Therefore to matche these sumptuous Ladies I wil trauel no further then the citie of Rome where thrée Emperours one succéedyng in a maner the other not onely comparable to these dainty dames but farre surmountyng theym in eche respect Caligula the only Dregges and Faex of Emperours and Princes for prodigalitie and excesse spending and spoilyng the whole reuenewes of the Empire of Rome vpon Hoores and Queanes a Sacriledge of churches a spoiler of the Citie a robber of all the Countrey so filthy was this Emperour so odious for his excesse that hee wished that all Rome had but one necke that hee with one stroke might strike of the head to the end he might haue to suffice his prodigalitie his Actes perticulerly to touch it were tedious for he neuer did a good tourne to the Citie of Rome The seconde Nero surnamed the tyraunt Caligula his sisters sonne moste like his owne sonne for that he was knowen to be nought with Agrippina his sister Neros mother this Emperour past Caligula his vnckle in all excesse of glotonie and dronkennes wasting spendyng with strumpets and queanes consuming daie night with riotous and infamous persons vsing the cōpanie of Minstrels frequentyng feastinges and banquets accompanyng the felowship of Theues and Tyrauntes that Nero hymselfe was called the firebrande of Rome The thirde Heliogabalus the verie sincke of shame the onely rotten member of the worlde who past all the slaues of the world in prodigalitie tearyng all to péeces in brauery Precious clothes commaundyng Nauies to sink before his face in the riuer of Tyber his house with all precious odours and sweetnes his Galeries strowed ouer with Saffron his Stoole of Gold his Chamber pottes of Onix stoan his Slippers wrought with precious Margarites I will omitte to speake of his monstrous lecherie of his cruell tyranny of other prodigious and terrible actes but let the learned reade Suetonius of Heliogabalus life let the vnlearned iudge of his life by his death who beyng kilde on a Iakes and throwen to the Riuer Tiber lest any ofspryng might succéede hym the Citizins of Rome through his mother Scemides aliue to beare hym companie for that shee brought vp suche a Gulfe of mischief I am amazed to thynk wherin the wide world I might finde his mate bicause that all writers doe agree that in excesse and dronkennesse only for that fault Alexander the great the conquirour of the whole worlde is much defamed I am vrged amongest so many vertues that Alexander had this onely filthy and abhominable vice to note wherin he had great delight makyng certen garlands and braue Crownes of Gold appointyng greate gifts and rewardes for them that excelled in drinkyng Calanus when he should die at the gorgeous pompe of his funerall and solemne exequies he desired Alexander to make a memoriall of his death by some sacrifice of drinkyng whiche Alexander accomplished made three Garlands of pure golde the best valued lxxx poundes The seconde .xxx. Pounde The thirde .x. Pounde And then prepared a sumptuous feaste with suche Diriges of drinkyng for Calanus that Alexander wan the beste and first Garlande Promachus the seconde ▪ The third a hundred made claime by lawe Thus Alexander hauyng such felicitie in dronkennesse Androcides a gentleman of Greece wrote vnto Alexander being in Babilon perceiuing the prone and propensed mind of this Prince to win a letter wherein was a Table written one with this little Sentence in letters of Golde Remember Alexander when thou doest drink wine that thou doest drinke the blood of the yearth he neuer hurted any but in his wine famous in al things infamous in that exteemed and honoured of all in all thinges lothed and abhorred in that thyng in all the world Such crueltie he shewed in dronkennesse that hee slue his owne sisters brother Clitus killed Calisthenes his philosopher and councelour murthered his deere frende Lisimachus Cambises kyng of Persea and Father vnto Cirus the greate suche tyrannie he woulde commit in dronkennesse as beyng either spoken or counceled hee woulde rewarde with death and tormentes At what tyme Praxaspes one of his councelours willed hym to abstaine from wine
poore and therefore I feare no manne who séeth not the daunger of the one and the surenesse of the other for Arison was wont to saie that pouertie was as it were a Lantarne to beholde the wickednes of the worlde for pouertie is the true Nourse of all good vertues Licurgus beyng demaunded of certaine Citizins of Sparta howe might men auoide their enemies hee answered by pouertie wherefore Licurgus made lawes and decrees amongest the Lacedemonians that no Soldiers should spoile the enemies though they were dead in the filde for he feared lest wealthe should bee the distruction of Sparta For wealthy men are enuied at and hated and euery where sought by snares to be destroied whiche pouertie escapeth That wise Greke Solon was wont to saie that wealthe was the mother of excesse excesse the mother of luste luste the mother of violence and violence the mother of tyrannie Therefore saieth Pithagoras that wealth muste bee ruled with wisedome as the wild horse is tamed by the bridle Simonides when he was demaunded which was better wealth or wisedome he saide after this sorte I doubte muche said he for I sée so manie wise men frequentyng the riche mannes companie that I knowe not whiche ¶ Of Death DEATH is the laste line of all thyng the discharge of all couenauntes the ende of all liuyng Creatures the onelie wishe of the good and the verie terrour of the wicked And for that the life of man is diuers so is Death variable of sonderie sortes and fashions as by experience seen and knowen in all Countries Nothyng is surer then death nothyng more variable then Death For Pindarus that wise and sage kyng of the Liricans beeyng demaunded of certaine Beotians what might beste happen vnto manne in this worlde euen that saied he whiche chaunced vnto Trophoniuâ— and Agamedes meanyng Death For these men after thei had builded a newe temple vnto Apollo demaunded of God Apollo the beste reward that he could giue vnto them thei thinkyng to speede of some dignitie or some worldly substaunce were rewarded within seueÌ„ daies after with death The like we reade in the firste booke of Herodote where the mother of Biton and Cleobes twâ—o yong menne of Argos kneelyng before the Image of Iuno besoughte the Goddesse to bestowe some excellent good thyng vpon her twoo soonnes for their paine and trauaill that thei shewed toward their naturall mother in drawyng the Chariot tenne miles in steade of horses but the Goddesse willyng to shewe the beste thyng that could bee giuen vnto manne the nexte night followyng quietly in bedde as thei slepte died Wherefore very well did Aristippus aunswere a certaine manne whiche asked how Socrates died Euen in that order that I wishe my self to die â–ª Giuing to vnderstande that any death is better then life That noble Philosopher Plato a little before he died as Sabellicus doeth write did thanke nature for thre causes the firste that he was borne a manne and not a beast the seconde that he was borne in Greece and not in Barbarie The thirde that he was borne in Socrates tyme who taught hym to die well Hermes that great Philosopher of Egipte euen diyng so embraced death that he called vpon that diuine spirite whiche ruled all the heauens to take mercie vpoÌ„ hym beyng right glad that he passed this toilyng life Suche is the snare of death that some in halfe their daies in middest of their fame and glorie die As Alexander the greate in Babilon Pompeius in Egipte and Marcellus whiche beyng a yonge man of greate towardnesse and soonne by adoptioÌ„ to the Empire of Rome died Euen Albius a Romaine knight in flourishyng yeres ended his race And M. Caelius one of Ciceros scholers a very eloqueÌ„t Oratour and of greate fame beyng in a maner a boie died It is straunge to see the shiftes of death in how diuers and sondrie fassions it happened vnto Princes alwaies that some merie in their bankettes and drinkyng wer slaine As Clitus of Alexander the greate beyng his sisters brother and his chief frende Ammon of Absalon being bidden vnto a banquette was slaine of his owne brother yea all the Embassadours of Persia were coÌ„maunded to bee slaine euen drinkyng at the Table by kyng Amintas soonne of Macedonia Some ende their liues wantonnyng with women and plaiyng in chambers as that renoumed Greke Alcibiades beeyng taken in Uenerie with Timandra was slaine of Lisander EueÌ„ so Phaon Speusippus the Philosopher died likewise Some bathyng theim self were choked by their owne wiues As Agamemnon that famous Greke by his wife Clitemnestra And Argirus Emperoure of Rome by his wife Zoe Diuers in prison as Captiues died as Aristobulus Emnenes Aristonicus Marius Cleomenes Iugurth Siphax famous and renowmed Princes Diuers in Iacques slain as that beast Heliogabolus whom Rome so hated that he fledde vnto a Iaques and there was killed and after drawen thorowe the streates and throwen vnto the Riuer Tiber Gneus Carbo a manne of great dignitie and power of Rome was commaunded that he should bee slaine as he was sitting on his stoole of ease by Pompeius in the thirde tyme of his Consulshippe in Rome Thus shamfull diuers died and thus famously others died The snares of death the hookes of tyme the ende of manne was alwaies vnknowen Patroclus knewe not that he should bee slaine of Hector Hector neuer thoughte he should bee killed of Achilles Achilles neuer doubted his death by Paris Paris neuer iudged that he should be vanquished by Pirrhus Neither Pirrhus was certaine that he should bee ouercomed by Orestes so that no manne knoweth his ende where howe and when he dieth and yet all menne are certaine and sure that thei haue an ende that thei muste needes die The feare of death hath muche ouercome the stoutest and worthiest souldiour â–ª Wee reade that Asdrubal of Carthage a noble and a famous Capitaine a longe tyme and yet at length beyng conuicted by Scipio he for feare of death kneled before Scipio embracyng his feete and so fearefull that his owne wife was ashamed of his doynges Yet had this noble Capitaine rather bee a laughyng stocke vnto the Romains a bonde manne vnto Scipio runnyng a foote like a lackie before his triumph then to die manfully in the behalfe of his Countrie whiche valiauntly for a tyme he defended Perpenna likewise a famous Romaine beyng taken in Spaine after Sertorius was deade by the Souldiours of Pompeius in a wooddie place full of Groues fearyng leste at that instante he should be slaine by Pompeius souldiors made them beleue that he had diuers thinges to speake vnto Pompeius that the enemies had in hande to bryng to passe against Pompeius rather had Perpenna betraied his frendes and his fellowes yea and all his Countrie vnto his enemie PoÌ„peius then that he should bée in the feare of death A greater feare of death we read in that booke of
Fulgosius of that noble Vitellius who after he had vanquished and slaine diuers nobles and shewed greate wronges vnto the Emperour Otho and vnto Sabinus brother vnto Vespasian the Emperour beyng in feare of his life by Vespasian and being taken by the souldiors he besought leste he should die presently he might bee kepte saufe in prison vntill he might sée and speake with Vespasian the Emperour Suche was his feare that he did hide hym self in a chest like a wretch leste vpon a sodaine he should die So fearfull was Caligula and Caesar of death euery where that he would neuer goe abroade at any Lightenynges or Thonder but with his heade couered with all kinde of thynges whiche mighte resiste the violence of Thounders and Lightenynges Misa kyng of the Moabites and Ioram kyng of Iewrie beyng besieged by the enemies and in daunger of death thei inuented all giles all policies and inuentions right or wronge to saue life thei sacrificed their children to mitigate the rage of the Goddes leste thei should die The loue that diuers had vnto life and the feare the same self had vnto death were to bee noted worthily consideryng howe sore men are vexed with the fear of death ▪ Antemō was so desirous to liue and so fearfull to die that skante would he trauaill out of his house abrode any where and if he wer compelled to goe abrode he would haue twoo of his seruauntes to beare ouer his heade a greate brasen Targatte to defende hym from any thyng whiche mighte happen to doe hym hurte Theagenes in like sorte would not goe out of his house without he had consulted with the Image of Hecates to knowe what should happen to him that daie and to vnderstande whether he might escape death or no Commodus the Emperoure would neuer truste any Barbour to shaue his bearde lest his throte should bee cutte of Masinissa kyng of Numidia would rather committe his state and life vnto Dogges then vnto men as his garde to keepe and defende hym from death To speake of Bion of Domitianus of Dionisius of Pisander of thousandes more whiche so feared death that their chief care and studie was how thei might auoide the same The feare of death causeth the soonne to forsake the father the mother to renoūce the doughter the one brother to deny an other and one frende to forsake the other In so muche Christ himself was forsaken of his Disciples for feare of death Peter denied him and all the reste fledde from hym and all for feare of death Behold therefore how fearfull some are how ioyfull others are How lothsome some how willyng others haue been to die Some desperately die beyng wearie of life As Sabinus Iuba Cleomenes some hangyng thē self some burnyng them selues some drouning thē selues thus with one desperat ende or other thei died But fith euery man muste die it were reason that euerie man should prepare to die for to die wel is nothing els but to liue again Wherfore certen Philosophers of India called Gymnosophistae beyng of Alexander the great cōmaunded to certain hard questiōs whiche if thei could absolue they should liue otherwise thei should die the eldeste of their cōpanie was made a iudge in that matter by the said Alexander The first question was demaunded to know whether there wer more liuing or dead to the whiche the first philosopher saied that the quicke are more in nomber for that the dead haue no being no place no nōber The second question was whether the lande engendered more or the Sea to this answered the second philosopher and said the Land did engender more for that the Sea was but a portion of the Lande The thirde question was to knowe what beast was most subtill that beast answered the thirde Philosopher that man can not discerne Fourthly it was demaunded why they beeyng Philosophers were so induced to perswade the Sabians to rebellion bicause saide the Philosopher it is better to die manfully then to liue miserablie The fifte question was whether the daie was made before the night or the night before the day to the which it was answered the daie The sixte was to vnderstande howe Alexander the greate hym selfe might get good will of the people in shewyng saied the sixte Philosopher thy self not terrible vnto the people The seuenth to aske was whether life or death wer stronger and it was answered life The eight was to knowe howe longe a manne should liue vntill saied the eight Philosopher a manne thinketh death better then life The last question was proposed of Alexander to knowe how might a mortall man be accompted in the nomber of the Gods In dooyng greater thynges saide all the Philosophers then man is able to dooe For that they knewe this proude Prince would be a GOD and that he would learne of the sage Philosophers how he might voide mortalitie he was answered sharpely for that hee should knowe hym to be a man and beyng a manne he should make himself readie to die for death is the rewarde of sinne and death is the beginnyng of life againe vnto the good as Aulus Posthumius in an Oration whiche he made vnto his Souldiours said It is geuen both to good and bad to die but to die Godly and gloriously is onely geuen vnto good men For so Hector speaking in Homer said vnto his wife Andromacha that she should not be sory for his death sith all men must die Though some with the Galathians dooe contempne death that thei fighte naked and are perswaded with the Pythagoreans that they shall neuer die but passyng from one bodie vnto another yet some die ioyfully as the brethren of Policrita beyng taken captiue by Diognitus ▪ Emperour of Milesia she beyng vsed verie ill at the Emperours hands did sende Letters to Naxus vnto hir brethren at what tyme the people of Milesia were Feastyng Drinkyng and Banquetyng at their greate solemne feast Then the brethren of Policrita came and found the Emperour drinkyng and all his people ouer charged with wine slue the most parte of theim prisoned a nomber and brought their sister home to Naxus where assone as they came home died for Ioye of the victorie Euen as Philarchus somtime in his great triūphe criyng out O happie howres and ioifull daies was taken in suche a Feuer that brake his vaines at that verie instaunt for gladnes He is coumpted moste wise that knoweth hymself To ioye to muche in prosperitie to be aduaunced and extolled when fortune fauours without all feare of ill happes to come is follie To be vanquished and subdued in aduersite without hope of solace and goodnes to come is méere madnesse Therefore the Sages and Wisemen knowyng that death was the last line of life did endeuour in their liues how they might die well briefly for examples of liues I meanes to note fewe sentences of these wisemen whiche they vsed as their Poesies and thought good to shewe
and Brutus as much then Rome was beneficiall When the Senatours restored Faucula and Oppia two poore women of Campania not onelye vnto their auncient libertie but dubled their wealth and richesse for their true meaning and seruice to the Romanes the one praying and sacrificing for their good successe the other toyling and trauailing about the souldiours businesse at the siege of Capua where Fulinus was Capitaine then Rome was mercifull Liberalitie in noble persons is most commended for in liberall giuing and beneficiall doings are princes compared vnto Goddes Fabius Maximus hauing certaine of hys souldiours taken by Hannibal in the wars of Carthage dyd sende vnto the Senatours of Rome for money to déeme from Hannibal according vnto Marshall lawes the Romane souldiers which being denied of his suite commaunded his sonne straight to go to Rome to sell all the landes and liuings that he then possest about the Citie of Rome and to bring him monie The money being brought payd Hannibal redéemed his souldiers brought them franke and frée vnto Rome vppon his owne charges and being blamed of the Senatours that he soulde his land aunswered that hée had rather want patrimonie in his countrie than loue towardes hys countrimen hée had rather be without liuing in Rome than to want good will vnto the poore souldiours Alphonsus the great king of Arrogon was wont to reioice more of one litle sentence that Titus Vespasianê° would often saye than of all the reading hée did all the daies of his lyfe This Emperours goulden sentence was that daye to be vnhappie in the which he neyther gaue or graunted any thing to no man saying that no manne ought to depart from a Prince sadde He iudged time lost when no body fared the better by him and thought no time shoulde escape without some benefites doone or giftes giuen to some or others Liberalitie doth purchase to the Prince fayth and loue to the noble man seruice and homage vnto all men benefittes and good tournes Wherfore Alexander y e great not so desirous to take as willing to giue was woont to say to any that demaunded where his treasures wealthes and substaunce that he got in the warres were kept hée poynting with his finger his friendes it is hidden sayde hée in the hartes of my subiectes What can be more commended in a subiect towardes his Prince than fayth and truth what may be more praysed in a Prince towarde his subiectes than liberalitie and lenitie The liberalitie of the poore is good will A poore scholler somtime of Gréece bring in Rome thought good to salute Caesar the Emperour comming from the Capitoll towarde his pallace in a fewe Gréeke Uerses thinking thereby his penurie shoulde be somewhat lookt vnto of Caesar but Caesar surnamed Augustus aunswered the scholler in writing againe the like in Gréeke Uerses which when it was deliuered to the poore Gréeke hée delighted much in the reading commended highlye the verses and approched vnto Caesar where he was in his Chariot opened his purse gaue vnto the Emperor .iiij. single halfepence saying Hold not according to thy dignitie and calling but according vnto my abilitie and pouertie I giue this rewarde Certaine the poore scholler was more commended for his small gift to the Emperour then the Emperour himselfe was praysed for his liberalitie of all people in Rome The poore Poet Antilochus was as liberall in his power for his Uerses made vnto King Lisander as Lisander was in his calling to giue him his hatte full of siluer Simple Sinaetes was as liberall in offering a handefull of water of the riuer Cirus vnto the great King Artaxerxes of Persea for want of better abilitie as Artaxerxes was princely in giftes benefitiall vnto Sinaetes in rewarding liberally the liberalitie of Sinaetes with Phiala aurea cum mille Daricis Chirilus had no better present for a proofe of his liberalitie towarde Alexander the great than to shew his good will vnto him in writing whereby hée shewed him selfe more willing than able which being accepted and liberally rewarded for euery seuerall verse a péece of goulde What greater gift can any man giue than that which procéedeth from the heart Of all treasure sayth Aristotle the minde of a man ought most to bée estéemed the Mite of the poore woman offered vnto Christ was no lesse made of and estéemed than the goulde Mirre and Frankencense of the great Sages of the worlde for the gift maketh not the giuer liberall but the giuer maketh the gift liberall Wherefore a poore Student of Paris going home to his countrey Sicilia and being vrged through penurye wanting monye to go to a great learned mans house as though he might go to some of the Bishops of Englande tarying there a long while without either meate or drinke perceyuing the house to be gorgeous fayre and braue without and full of hunger thirst coulde within wrote with a coale on the waule a sentence of Cicero Non domo Dominus fed domus Domino honestanda est As though he might say fayre buildings want more liberall dwellers then liberall Lordâ—e fayre houses for the house is praysed by the man and not the man by the house Fayre houses and welth doe scant make men liberall It is sayde that fayre thinges are coupled with pride and welth ioyned with couetousnesse In the beginning all men were liberall vntill priuate wealth began to practise with money coueteousnesse was not knowne for as money did encrease so couetousnesse grewe In Rome sayth Plini money was not séene foure hundred yeares and more after the building of Rome Then was Rome true and benefitiall by reason of liberalitâ— which after waxed welthye and false by meanes of couetousnesse That Cittie was most famous chiefelye for hir liberalitie wherein Rome excelled all the world If the death of Princes of noble men yea of all men can sufficiently beare witnesse of their lyues considering vertue and fame shall prooue that by death which lyfe scant may vtter for no man is well knowne during lyfe The death of Epaminondas that most renowmed Prince of Thebes and Conquerer of all Gréece was a sure and a certaine show of his liberall lyfe The laste days of P. Aemilius which triumphed in life time ouer the proude Macedonians and â—igurians was a true token of his franke and frée dealing in life In like maner of Maenenius Agrippa Scipio Affricanus the one victor ouer the Saminites the other triumpher ouer Carthage and Numantia whose renowmed liues made their deaths famous whose worthy deathes doe reuiue their noble liues Their beneficiall dealing and liberalitie in life was well knowne by their deathes so liberally they liued that their friendes founde no money hidden no goulde kept no treasure preserued no Iuell in store no hurded muck in Coffers In fine no wealth at all though diuers times by victorie and triumphes by conquest and fortune they possessed
kingdomes and countries in life The greatest Prince in his time Cirus the first king that brought the Monarchy vnto Persea slayne by Tomyris hadde on his graue an Epitaph made being buried in Scithia in no gorgeous Temble hauing no sumptuous tombe but in an open fielde and a stone vpon his graue with this Epitaph Here lyeth Cirus the great King of Persea contented nowe with seauen foote which coulde not be satisfied some time with seauen kingdomes what Kesar King or Prince so euer thou art spare this place vnto Cirus Which when Alexander the great passing with his armie vnto Scithia and India had read this Epitaph and perceyuing the slipperie state of Princes the vncertaintie of lyfe and mutabilitie of fortune he muche doubted the state of his owne life howbeit at that voyage he quite forgat by meanes of Mars the Epitaph of King Cirus vntill he returned from India from hys warres vnto Babilon where he maried Statyra King Darius daughter whome before he conquered where such liberallitie was shewed such magnificencie done such giftes giuen such banquettes kept that Alexander vpon his owne charges maried the most part of the nobles of Macedonia vnto the Ladies of Persea the feastes during fiue dayes surmounted vnto the some of thrée and twentie thousande Talentes euery Talent valued at fourescore poundes repeating oft the Epitaph of Cirus woulde suffer none though diuers Princes were present to bée at any charges but him selfe onely saying that which fortune giueth vnto Alexander the same will Alexander giue vnto his friendes for Cirus graue is appoynted vnto Alexander in this Alexander passed all Princes in taking all and giuing all Priuate faultes may not depriue open vertues euery man hath a fault Alexander was knoweÌ„ to be a drunkard Iulius Caesar was noted to be ambicious Antiochus the great King of Siria blamed for lecherie Alcibiades of pride Pirrhus of incredulitie Hanniball of falshoode Dionisius of tyranny and so of infinite Princes which for one vice maye not be forgotten for their diuers vertues Uertue must not be hidden for that vice is manifest Phrine a Courtezaune sometime of Gréece though of hir slaunderous lyfe worthie reprehention yet for her liberalitye ought she well to be remembred for after Alexander the great had subdued that famous Citie of Thebes and made the walles thereof euen with the grounde shée offered to redifie the same vpon this condicion that vpon euery gate of the Cittie this sentence shoulde be sette This Citie Alexander the great threvve dovvne and this Citie Phrine the Curteizaune builded vp againe The like of Quéene Rhodope sometime a Curtezaune and a lewd woman made vp a braue and sumteous worke called Piramides in Egypt where such liberalitie she vsed suche franke and frée dealing of money that for hir noble liberalitie she was well worthy to be commended though for vicious liuing otherwaies shée was to be blamed Men and women were desirous then to be liberall Then Princes were as liberall and benefitiall with suche lenitie and humanitie vnto the poore as they grewe afterwarde to be harde and couetous with seuerity and cruelnesse Therefore Anaxilaus a liberall Prince was often woont to saye that the chiefest commendacions and noblest vertue coulde be in a Prince was not to be ouercommed in beneficiall doings Attalus King of Asia languishing in sicknesse and readie to die bequeathed his Kingdome and Scepture of Asia vnto the noble Romanes by testament for that they were so liberall and benefitiall somtime towardes him while yet fortune fauoured hym not fully and fréely to bestowe to whome hée woulde A liberall Prince can not be voyde of loue Antigonus was wont to aunswere Aristodemus one of his councel brought vp of a boye in his Kitchine when he spake any thing against princely giftes and found faulte with Antigonus liberalitie that his talke did smell of the Kitchin a méete reprehension for suche a sawsie seruaunt who lette Kinges to doe good and moue Princes to doe euill I woulde suche Sycophantes shoulde be so aunswered of Princes as Aristodemus was of King Antigonus Worthy of perpetuall memorie was Artaxerxes for his passing liberalitie towardes the poore souldiours that came from Lacedemonia to warre with him he made them that came a foote vnto him to goe home a horsebacke he that came a horsebacke he did sende him home in a Chariot and he that had a village before hée came vnto him hée gaue a Cittie at his going away from him A Prince worthie of subiectes and a Capitaine most fitte for fitte Souldiours What made Iulius Caesar beloued of his souldiours What caused Alexander to be honored of all men magnificencie and liberalitie The one in the great warres at Pharsalia at what time hée conquered Pompeius the great hauing all the treasures and substaunce of Pompeius brought before him tooke nothing from the souldiers but Pompeius letters The other after he had vanquished King Darius hauing a great chest full of treasure where hee founde in present coyne two hundred thousande pound beside other inestimable treasures and iuels tooke nothing from his souldiours but a little booke named the Iliades of Homer wherin hée delighted more in reading the noble actes of Gréekes the worthy feates of Troianes than in all the wealthes of Persea This liberalitie maintayned their fame Thus their magnificente benefites spredde forth their noble names that happie was he that coulde be a souldiour vnto Caesar or to Alexander I remember me of a certaine King in Siracusa named Ihero vnderstanding the liberalitie of the Romanes and perceyuing the penurye of victuales which then the Romanes sustayned in the warres of Thrasimenos did sende thrée hundred thousand bushels of wheate two hundred thousande of barly with great sommes of golde and siluer to ease the Romane souldidours and fearing that his giftes woulde not be taken nor his presentes receyued considering the nature and liberalitie of the Romanes hée willed the Embassaders to saye that it was an homage and seruice of good wyll sent to honor the Romanes from Ihero King of Siracuâ—a O passing pollicie to practice beneficence with manifest examples of a liberall heart O Rome howe happy hast thou béene that through thy liberalitie haste wonne the heartes and good will of all kingdomes and countries Untyll Ninus time all thinges were common no diuision of grounde no hurding of money no couetousnesse knowne no gréedinesse of kingdomes no desire of welthes in fine for the space of two hundred and fifty yeres for the simplicitie innocencie true dealing of people worthily called the goulden worlde and then a man coulde not find a couetous person and now a man can not finde a liberall friende then no manne knâ—we to doe euill and nowe no man knoweth to doe good then no man did take and nowe no manne doth giue in fine then one for another nowe all for themselues What made Cimon a liberall gentleman of Athens
also a water called Albula that healed gréene woundes In Sicilia the riuer called Cydnus was a present remedy vnto any swelling of the legges Not farre from Neapolis there was a Well whose water healed any sicknesses of the eyes The lake Amphion taketh all scurâ—es and sores from the body of any man What shoulde I declare the natures of the foure famous floods that issue out of Paradice the one named Euphrates whom the Babylonians and Mesopotamians haue iust occasion to commende The seconde is called Ganges which the Indians haue great cause to praise The thirde called Nilus which the countrey of Egypt can best speake of And the fourth is called Tigris which the Assyrians haue most commodity by Here might I be long occupied if I shoulde orderly but touch the natures of all waters The alteration of the Seas and the woonders that therof appeare as ebbing and flowing as saltenesse swéetenesse and all things incident by nature vnto the Seas which were it not that men sée it dayly practiseth the same hourelye and marke thinges therein continuallye more woonders woulde appeare by the seas then skant reason might be aleaged for sauing that God as the Prophet sayth is woonderfull in all his workes The fiue golden Riuers which learned and auncient writers affirme that the sandes thereof are all glistering gemmes of golde as Tagus in Ispaigne Hermus in Lydia Pactolus in Asia Idaspes in India and Arimaspus in Scythia these I say are no lesse famous through their golden Sandes which their weltering waues bring vnto lande in these foresayde countreys then Permessus in Boetia where the Muses long were honoured or Simois in Phrygia where Venus was conceyued by Anchises To coequat the number of these fiue last and pleasaunt riuers there are fiue as ougly and painfull as Styx in Arcadia whose property is to kil any that will touch it and therfore founde of the Poets to be consecrated vnto Pluto for there is nothing so harde but this water wyll consume so colde is the water thereof Againe the riuer of Phlegeton is contrary vnto this for the one is not so colde but the other is as whâ—t and therfore called Phlegeton which is in English fiery or smoky for the Poets faine likewise that it burneth out in flashing flames of fire Lethes and Acheron two riuers the one in Affrica the other in Epire the one called the riuer of forgetfulnesse the other the riuer of sadnesse The fift called Cocytus a place where mourning neuer ceaseth These fiue riuers for their horror and terrour that procéeded from them for the straunge and woonderous effectes therof are called infernall lakes consecrated and attributed vnto King Pluto which Virgil at large describeth Diuers welles for the straungenesse of the waters and for the pleasauntnesse thereof were sacrificed vnto the gods as Cissusa a Well where the nources of Bacchus vsed to wash him and therfore consecrated vnto Bacchus so Melas vnto Pallas Aganippe vnto the Muses so foorth not molesting the reader further with natures of water but briefely I meane to touch the straunge nature of the earth Plini affirmeth that there was neuer man sicke in Locris nor in Croton neyther any earthquake euer hearde in Licia after an earthquake they had fourtie fayre dayes By Rome in the fieldes called Gabiensis a certaine plotte of ground almost two hundred akers would tremble and quake as men rode vpon him There are two hilles of straunge natures by the floudde called Indus the nature of the one is to drawe any yron vnto it insomuch as Plini saith that if nailes be in any shooes the ground of that place draweth the sole of There is a piece of grounde in the Citie Characena in the countrey of Taurica where if anye come wounded hée shall bée straight healed And if any enter vnto diuers places as in a place called Hirpinis where the temple of Mephis is builded or in Asia by Iheropolis they shall incontinently die Againe there are places by the vertue of grounde in that place that men may prophesie Diuers where we reade that one péece of grounde deuoured another as the hill Ciborus and the Citie harde by called Curites were choked vp of the earth Phaegium a great mountaine in Aethiopia and Sipilis a hie hill in Magnesia with the Cities named Tantalis and Galanis There is a great rocke by the Citie Harpasa in Asia which may be moued easie with one finger and yet if any man put all his strength therevnto it will not stirre To speake of mount Aetna in Sicilia of Lypara in Aeolia of Chimaera in Lycia of Vesbius and Aenocauma fiue fierie mountaines which daye and night bourne so terrible that the flame therof neuer reasteth If anye man will sée more of these merueylous and woonderous effectes of Elementes let him reade the seconde booke of Plini where he shall haue aboundance of the like examples There he shall sée that in some places it neuer rayned as in Paphos vpon the temple of Venus In Nea a towne in Phrigia vpon the Temple of Minerua and in diuers places else which is the nature of the grounde About Babilon a fielde burneth daye and night In Aethiopia certaine fieldes about mount Hesperius shine all night like stars as for earthquakes and woonders that thereby happened I will not speake for that it is forced of matter but of those strange groundes that neuer alter from such effectes afore mentioned beside the mettalles the stones the hearbes the trées and all other thinges are so miraculous and straunge that Plini in diuers places doth speake of And as for fire it is to great a woonder that the whole worlde is not burned thereby sith the Sunne the Starres the Elementarie fire excell all miracles in kéeping the same from damage and hurt vnto manne if God had not preuented yea appoynted that the heate of the Sunne should not kindle strawes stubbles trées and such like which the heate thereof as we dayly sée burneth stones leade and the moste hardest substaunce out sith speciallye that fire is in all places and is able to kindle all thinges insomuch that the water Thrasimenos burneth out in flames which is vnnaturall and straunge that fire kindleth in water And likewise in Egnatia a Cittie of Salentine there is a stone which if any woode touche it will kindle fire In the Well called Nympheus there is a stone likewise whence flames of fire from the stone it selfe burneth the water A greater woonder it is that the fire should be kindled by water and extinguished by winde Fire flashed about the heade of Seruius Tullius being then a boye in sléepe which did prognosticate that hée shoulde be a king of the Romanes Fire shined about the head of L. Marcius in Spaine when he encouraged his souldiours to reuenge manfullye the deathes of those noble and famous Romanes
named Sipians The meruellous effectes of fire are most woonderous and most straungest ¶ Of the worlde and of the soule of man with diuers and sundrie opinions of the Philosophers about the same AMongst diuers Philosophers and learned men grewe a great controuersie of the beginning of the worlde some of the best affirming that it had no beginning nor can haue ende as Aristotle and and Plato applying incorruption and perpetuall reuolution to the same Some with Epicurus thought the world shoulde be consumed Of this opinion was Empedocles and Heraclitus Some of the other side did iudge with Pithagoras that so much of the worlde shoulde be destroyed as was of his owne nature Thus helde they seuerall opinions concerning the making the beginning the ending and the numbers of the worlde Thales sayde there was but one worlde agréeing with Empedocles Democritus affirmeth infinite worldes and so iudged Metrodorus the Philosopher worldes to be innumerable What child is of this age but smileth at their folly reasoning largly one against another in applying the cause and the effect of thinges vnto their owne inuentions And as they haue iudged diuersly of the worlde concerning the frame and nature thereof so were they as farre from the true vnderstanding of the creation of man Some grosly thought that mankinde had no beginning Some iudged that it had a beginning by the superiour bodyes And for the antiquity of mankind some iudge Egypt to be the first people some Scythia some Thracia some this countrey and some that countrey with such phantasticall inuentions as may well appeare vnto the most ignoraunt an errour And alas howe simple are they in finding out the substaunce of the soule what it shoulde bée where it shoulde be and by what it shoulde bée some say that there is no soule but a naturall moouing as Crates the Theban some iudge the soule to bée nothing else but fire or heate betwéene the vndeuidible partes Others thought it an ayre receyued into the mouth tempered in the heart boyled in the lights and dispersed through the body Of this opinion was Anaxagoras and also Anaximenes Hippias iudged the soule of man to be water Thales and Heliodorus affirme it to be earth Empedocles is of opinion that it is hote blood about the heart so that they varye in sundry opinions attributing the cause thereof eyther to the fire or else vnto water eyther vnto the earth or vnto the ayre and some vnto the complexion of the foure Elementes others of earth and fire others of water and fire Some againe reason that the substaunce of the soule is of fire and of the ayre And thus of approued Philosophers they shewe themselues simple innocentes How ignoraunt were they in defining the soule of man so far disagréeing one with an other that Zenocrates thinketh againe the soule to be but a number that mooues it selfe which all the Egyptians sometime consented vnto Aristotle himselfe the Prince of all Philosophers and his maister Plato shewed in this their shifting reason which both agrée that the soule is a substaunce which mooueth it selfe Some so rude and so farre from perfection in this poynt that they thought the heart to bée the soule some the braine Howe ridiculous and foolishe séemeth their assertion vnto this age concerning the soule and as childishly they dispute reason againe about the placing of the same where and in what place of the bodie the soule resteth For Democritus iudgeth the heade to be his seat Parmenides in the breast Herophilus in the ventricles of the braine Strato doth thinke that the soule was in the space betwéene the eie browe yea some were so foolishe to iudge it to be the eare as Zerxes king of Persea did Epicurus in all the breast Diogines supposed it to be in a hollowe vaine of the heart Empedocles in the bloode Plato Aristotle and other that were of the best and truest philosophers iudged the soule to be indifferent in all partes of the bodye Some supposed of the wisest that euery péece and parcell of the bodie hadde his proper soule In this againe they were much in séeking a proper seate for the soule deceyued euen as before they erred shamefully and lied manifesty about the essence and substaunce of the soule so now were they most simplye beguiled in placing the soule as you haue hearde And now after I haue opened their seuerall opinions concerning what the soule is and where the soule is you shall here likewise heare whither the soule shall go after death according vnto the Philosophers which as diuersly vary and disagrée in this as you before hearde their diuersitie of opinions concerning the substance the place And first to begin with Democritê° who iudgeth y e soule to be mortall that it shall perish with the body to this agrée Epicurê° Plini Pythagoras iudged that the soule is immortall and when the body dieth it fléeth vnto his kinde Aristotle is in this that some partes of the soule which haue corporall seates must dye with the body but that the vnderstanding of the soule which is no instrument of the body is perpetuall The people called Drynda were of this iudgement that soules should not discende vnto Hell but shoulde passe vnto another worlde as the Philosophers called Essei which suppose that the soules of the dead do liue in great felicity beyonde the Ocean Seas The Egyptians auntient people iudged with Pythagoras that the soules of men shoulde passe from one place vnto another and then to enter vnto another man againe The Stoicks are of that opinion that the soule forsaketh the body in such sort that the soule which is diseased in this life and aduaunced by so vertuous death together with the body but they iudge it if it bée adurned with noble and heroicall vertues that it bée accompanied with euerlasting natures Diuers of the Pagans holde that the soule is immortal but yet they suppose that reasonable soules enter into vnreasonable bodyes as into Plantes or Trées for a certen space There were againe some friuolous Philosophers as Euripides and Archelaus which say that men first grew out of the earth in maner of Hearbes lyke vnto the fables of Poets which faine that men grew of the sowen téeth of Serpentes Some againe very childishly affirme that there bée nine degrées of punishment or rather nine Mansions in Hell appointed and prepared for the soule The first seate is appointed for young Infantes The seconde for idiotes and fooles I feare that place wyll bée well filled The thirde for them that kyll them selues The fourth for them that bée tormented with loue The fift for those that were founde gyltie before Iudges The sixt appointed for strong men and champions The seuenth is a place where the soules bee purged The eight seate is where the soules beyng purged do rest The ninth and last is the pleasaunt fielde Elisâ—us And to
hée onelye ought to die They both striuing which of them shoulde die the murtherer in déede béeing in place séeing the perfit amitie of these two young men merueyling muche thereat was compelled of loue to confesse the murther and that hee kilde the man The Iudges musing much at the amitie of these men pardoned them all thrée A Young man passing through wildernesse where wilde beastes were hired a skilfull felowe which promised suche amitie that he woulde bring him safe and sounde without perill of limbe and life being in the middest of the woode a Beare came towardes them the fellow that profest him friendeshippe tooke his féete and ranne and climmed vp to the top of a hye trée The straunger perceyuing that his friende was fledde and that he himselfe as not able to escape fell downe vnto the grounde vpon his bellye for it is sayde that the Lion or the Beare will spare their yéelded praies and specially the Beare if a man hold hys breth as though he were deade This man taking vpon him to die the Beare felt and smelt about his mouth and his eares whether any breath were in him or no perceyuing at last that he was deade the Beare went awaye The other that was in the toppe of the trée asked him when he came what did the Beare speak vnto him in his eare when hée came vnto him Marie sayde hée that I shoulde not trust such a Knaue as thou art to go with in companie where daungers were ¶ Examples of flattery KIng Zerxes marching towarde the Gréekes with a huge army of souldiers called his counsellours vnto him demaunded of them what was chéefely to bée feared in that iourney one of them sayde I feare most of all that when the Gréekes do heare of your power force and magnanimitie that they wyll flée and not abide your bande The seconde sayde that ho doubted most that all Gréece was not able to lodge them or to receyue them vnto their Citties The thirde sayde that he feared most the Ocian seas was not ynough for his nauies to passe ouer The fourth feared that the ayre had not rome ynough for their arrowes that they would shoote off The King being puffed vp with pride hearing his councellers pleasing him so well demaunded at last of a certen Philosopher named Damaserê° which he caried with him what he doubted most in that wars I feare chiefely sayd the Philosopher lest you be shamfully deceyued by these filthie flatterers ¶ Examples of gluttonie KIng Cirus going vnto Scithia where Quéene Tâ—myris raigned vnderstanding the pouertie of that Countrie and the beggerie to be such that he caused all his souldiours to flée from their tentes leauing their meate and victualles behinde them vnto the Scithians which for gréedinesse more vnto the meate then desirous to pursue King Cirus applyed their bellies so much that Cirus being in ambushement for the nonce knowing how well that it shoulde come to passe came vppon them sodainelye as they were eating and drinking and slue and murthered them like Dogges Exampels of rape and spoyle DIonides a Pirate vpon the Sea being taken by Alexander the great and asked of the same why he robbed vppon the Seas aunswered in this sort why robbest thou vpon the landes I bycause I am a young Pirate vpon the Seas am called a théefe and thou which dooest robbe lande and seas art called a king and a Conquerer I steale a little in the night time thou spoylst all things in the night and day time I am enforced to steale to liue and thou doest willingly steale to destroy Dionides cannot haue worse fortune nor Alexander cannot haue better for that I hope daylie better and better and thou hast néede to feare worse and worse A Certen poore woman came vnto a couetous Iudge to demaund iustice at his hande complayning a long time very pitteously at length the Iudge sayde that he was deaffe the poore woman hauing a supplication made the next time came againe to tender the same vnto the Iudge vnto whom the Iudge sayde I am blinde the woman perceyuing his minde came the thirde time and brought twentie Florentine Counters in hir hande saying softlie My Lorde sayde shée I praye you shewe me fauour here is twentie Crownes for you to by a saddle The Iudge as soft as shée sayde it hearde hir and stretching foorth his hande receyued the Counters which assone as hée sawe hée sayde that they were no golde but Counters My Lord sayde the woman nowe I knowe well that there is great vertue in Golde that can make deaffe Iudges to heare and blinde Iudges to sée A Byshoppe passing through a great Citie â–ª a poore man begged one pennie of him for Goddes sake which he coulde not obtaine the poore man perceyuing that he coulde haue neuer a pennie at the Byshoppes hande desired the Byshoppe to blesse him The Byshoppe straight vp with his hande and blessed him A woman séeing howe franke the Byshoppe was of his blessing and how harde hée was of a pennie sayde merilie Alasse poore man saide she if his blessing had béen worth a pennie thou hadst not had it but bicause it was nothing worth thou hast it ¶ Examples of mercie TIgranes King of Armenia béeing vanquished and taken by Pompeiê° the great when that he came in place before Pompeius hée threwe downe his Crowne vnto the grounde and knéeled at Pompeius féete saying Mercie I craue straight Pompeius tooke him vp by the hande and put his Crowne on his head and sayde I take it more honorable to make a King than to destroy a King ¶ Examples of Loue. A Poore scholler begging his dombe at a Noble womans gate besought the Porter for the loue of God a péece of meate The Porter hauing shewed vnto his Lady that a poore scholler was at the gate begging some meate for Goddes sake The Lady sayd he shoulde haue nothing there for his sake The scholler then desired for our Lordes sake some meate hée was againe denied The thirde time hée prayed to haue some meate for his owne sake The Ladie then commaunded hir Porter to bring the Scholler vnto hir chamber which when shée perceyued him to be ragged and not séene of hir before shée asked him why hée was so boulde to aske meate at hir gate for his owne sake which was not knowne of no man bycause sayd the scholler you haue denied me for Goddes sake being the Creator of all thinges I thought to aske for mine owne sake being the simplest wretch of all men A Young Uirgin refused to haue a welthie husbande which hir parentes had ordayned hir being demaunded the cause why shée so young a mayde denieth to leade hir life in mariage sayd when I am maried my husbande and my children will clayme that loue at my hande then which nowe God onlye hath at my hande and therefore I will not mary Surelye in my opinion that was perfect loue to the Creator aboue any creature ¶ Examples of death IT