they which from their birth were called to Sovereignty should be used both to Cold and Heat and should be exercised to Arms betimes and not be brought up idly and delicately reprehending those which brought him up for using him so tenderly asking them if they meant to make a Woman of his Son They replying that he was tender If he be not born said he to be strong and valiant he will not be worthy to succeed me for he must not be an effeminate Prince that must preserve the Parthian Empire About this time his Empress was brought to bed of another Son at Samercand for joy whereof he made Feasts with Tiltings and Pastimes fifteen dayes together Then did he visit all the Sea-Towns near to Quinsay hunting all manner of Games yet often saying That the Recreations which he used were only helps to ease him in the pains of his publick affairs which God had called him to And when Prince Axalla told him that that City was a fit place for his abode O my friend said he it is not so For it 's a Maxime that the Lord of this great City must not come to it above once in ten years and when he is here he must temper his Actions as if he were upon a stage with Gravity and a good grace before the people who are apt to receive good or evil impressions according as their Princed eporteth himself Having setled his affairs in that part of his Empire he returned to Samercand where three times a Week he administred Justice publickly unto the meanest of his Subjects as well as to the greatest which made him much beloved of all over whom he did command On other dayes he gave secret audience and disposed of the affairs of his estate which were concluded daily in his presence In his Council he used such severity that none durst deal untruly or passionately in his presence Yet shewed he such courteousness in his conversation that he was both beloved and feared of his people He never changed his Servants except they committed some great faults against him All the servants of the late Emperour his Uncle he never changed one of them but increased their Pensions making them sensible of his liberality in that change The like bounty he used to strangers thereby to oblige them to him He drew great store of money yearly from the Muscovite by way of Tribute which yet he distributed in the same Country to maintain his authority there winning those to him who otherwise might have hurt him He had great care of his Revenues wherein he was so expedite that in one hours space he could see his Estate from three months to three months together with his ordinary and extraordinary expences they were presented to him so well digested But after all his publick affairs so well managed and his private businesses so well ordered Sickness arrested and Death conquered this Great Conquerour leaving his Empire to Sautochio his Eldest Son now nineteen years old who was proclaimed Emperour within two hours after his Fathers death Tamerlane from his childhood was well instructed in the Arabian learning wherein he was very studious insomuch as when they thought him to be in the Baths wherein they are very curious in that Contrey being their chiefest delight he was retired to the contemplation and study of Heavenly things He had within his eyes such a Divine beauty and radiancy full of Majesty that one could hardly endure the sight of them without closing of his eyes so that some that talked with him and beheld him were stricken dumb for the present which caused him with a comely modesty to abstain from looking upon them that talked with him All the rest of his Visage was courteous and well-proportioned He wore his hair long and curled contrary to the custome of his Countrey-men who used to shave their Heads He went almost alwayes bare-headed saying that his Mother came of the Race of Sampson who therefore advised him to honour long hair His hair was of a dusky colour inclining somewhat to a Violet the most beautiful that any eye could behold His stature was of a middle sort somewhat narrow in his shoulders He had a fair and strong leg his bodily strength and agility was such as none did surpass and often on Festival dayes he made trial of them with the strongest yet did he it with such a Grace mixt with Humanity that he whom he overcame held himself therein most happy though it was a great disgrace amongst the Tartarians to be thrown to the ground in wrestling In the time of his Wars against the Turks a Souldier of his found buried in the ground a great Pot of Gold which he brought to Tamerlane who asked him if it had his Fathers stamp upon it But when he saw that it had the stamp of the Romans he would not own nor meddle with it THE LIFE and DEATH OF CHARLES the GREAT King of FRANCE And Emperour of GERMANY PEPIN sirnamed The short the twenty third King of France a wise and valiant Prince had two Sons Charles and Caroloman and five Daughters Birthe who was married to Milon Earl of Mans by whom she had great Rowland Hiltrude married to Rene Earl of Genes by whom she had the renowned Oliver Rohard Adeline Idubergue Ode and Alix Pepin being toiled out with great Wars much broken with the care of publick affairs and now grown Old that he might imploy his last days in the maintenance of Justice and Peace the burden of War he laid upon his Eldest Son Charles a wise and valiant young Prince of whose modesty and obedience he was well assured And then retiring to Paris he was not long after surprised with sickness in which he recommended his two Sons to the Estates of France to give them portions at their pleasures and so ended his days Anno Christi 768. He was a Religious Prince wise moderate valiant loving to his Subjects and beloved of them happy in his Father and his Children and in his Government An excellent Pattern for other Princes who by his Example hold it for an undoubted Maxim That the strongest Fortress and best security for a Prince is the love of his Subjects and the surest bond of his Authority a respect gotten and preserved by virtue Pepin being dead the Estates of France assembled together and by their joynt consents divide the Kingdom betwixt his two Sons Charles and Caroloman by equal portions Brother 's these were of divers humours who had certainly ruined each other by this equality of power had not the death of Caroloman within three years after divolved the Government of the whole Realm upon Charles Charles was endowed with singular gifts both of Body and Mind which were much improved by the sedulous care of his Prudent Father manifested in the virtuous education of him For which end he procured Paul of Pisa a
under their Leader Zorobabel the Son of Salathiel and Nephew to King Jeconias and Joshua the Son of Josedech the High Priest were about fifty thousand And as soon as they arrived at Jerusalem they built an Altar to the living God and sacrificed thereon according to their Law and afterwards bethought themselves how to prepare materials for the building of the Temple Cyrus having set all things in order at Babylon returned through Media into Persia to his Father Cambyses and his Mother Mandanes who were yet living and from thence returning again into Media he married the only Daughter and Heir of Cyaxares and for Dowry had the whole Kingdom of Media given him with her And when the Marriage was finished he presently went his way and took her with him and coming to Babylon from thence he sent Governours into all his Dominions Into Arabia he sent Megabyzus into Phrygia the greater Artacaman into Lydia and Ionia Chrysantas into Caria Adusius into Phrygia Helle spontiaca or the less Pharmicas But into Cilicia and Cyprus and Paphlagonia he sent no Persians to Govern them because they voluntarily and of their own accord took his part against the King of Babylon yet he caused even them also to pay him Tribute Cyrus having spent one whole year with his Wife in Babylon gathered thither his whole Army consisting of one hundred and twenty Thousand Horse and two Thousand Iron Chariots and six hundred Thousand Footmen and having furnished himself with all necessary provisions he undertook that Journey wherein he subdued all the Nations inhabiting from Syria to the Red Sea The time that Cyrus enjoyed in rest and pleasure after these great Victories and the attainment of his Empire is generally agreed upon by all Chronologers to have lasted only seven years In which time he made such Laws and Constitutions as differ little from the Ordinances of all wise Kings that are desirous to establish a Royal power to themselves and their Posterity which are recorded by Xenophon The last War and the end of this Great King Cyrus is diversly written by Historians Herodotus and Justin say That after these Conquests Cyrus invaded the Massagets a very Warlike Nation of the Scythians Governed by Tomyris their Queen and that in an encounter between the Persians and these Northern Nomades Tomyris lost her Army together with her Son Spargapises that was the General of it In revenge whereof this Queen making new levies of men of War and prosecuting the War against Cyrus in a second sore Battel the Persians were beaten and Cyrus was taken Prisoner and that Tomyris cut off his Head from his Body and threw it into a Bowl of Blood using these words Thou that hast all thy time thirsted for blood now drink thy fill and satiate thy self with it This War which Metasthenes calls Tomyrique lasted about six years But more probably this Scythian War was that which is mentioned before which Cyrus made against the Scythians after the Conquest of Lydia according to Ctesias who calleth Tomyris Sparetha and makes the end of it otherwise as you may see before The same Ctesias also recordeth that the last War which Cyrus made was against Amarhaeus King of the Derbitians another Nation of the Scythians whom though he overcame in Battel yet there he received a Wound whereof he died three dayes after Strabo also affirmeth that he was buried in his own City of Pesagardes which himself had built and where his Epitaph was to be read in Strabo's time which he saith was this O Vir quicunque es undecunque advenis neque enim te adventurum ignoravi Ego sum Cyrus qui Persis Imperium constitui pusillum hoc Terrae quo meum tegitur Corpus mihi ne invideas O thou man whosoever thou art and whensoever thou comest for I was not ignorant that thou shouldst come I am Cyrus that founded the Persian Empire Do not envy me this little Earth with which my Body is covered When Alexander the Great returned from his Indian Conquests he visited Pesagardes and caused this Tomb of Cyrus to be opened either upon hope of great Treasure supposed to have been buried with him or upon a desire to honour his dead Body with certain Ceremonies when the Sepulchre was opened there was found nothing in it save an old rotten Target two Scythian Bows and a Sword The Coffin wherein his Body lay Alexander caused to be covered with his own Garment and a Crown of Gold to be set upon it Cyrus finding in himself that he could not long enjoy the World he called unto him his Nobility with his two Sons Cambyses and Smerdis and after a long Oration wherein he assured himself and taught others about the Immortality of the Soul and of the punishments and rewards following the ill and good deservings of every man in this life He exhorted his Sons by the strongest Arguments he had to a perpetual Concord and Agreement Many other things he uttered which makes it probable that he received the knowledge of the true God from Daniel whilst he Governed Susa in Persia and that Cyrus himself had read the Prophesie of Isay wherein he was expresly named and by God pre-ordained for the delivery of his people out of Captivity which act of delivering the Jews and of restoring of the Holy Temple and the City of Jerusalem was in true consideration the Noblest work that ever Cyrus performed For in other actions he was an Instrument of Gods power used for the chastising of many Nations and the establishing of a Government in those parts of the World which yet was not to continue long But herein he had the favour to be an Instrument of Gods goodness and a willing advancer of his Kingdom upon Earth which must last for ever Cyrus had issue two Sons Cambyses and Smerdis and three Daughters Atossa Meroe and Artistona At his Death he bequeathed his Empire to his Eldest Son Cambyses appointing Smerdis his younger Son to be Satrapa or Lieutenant of Media Armenia and Cadusia He reigned about one and thirty years and died aged The Greek Historians wholly ascribe the Conquest of Babylon to Cyrus because that he commanded the Army in Chief yet the Scriptures attribute it to Darius King of the Medes whose General Cyrus was For when Babylon was taken and Belshazzar slain It 's said Dan. 5. 31. that Darius the Median took the Kingdom being about sixty two years old It was Darius also that placed Officers over the several Provinces thereof as we read Dan. 6 1 2. It pleased Darius to set over the Kingdom an hundred and twenty Princes which should be over the whole Kingdom and over these three Presidents of whom Daniel was the first c. And thus was it Prophesied by Isay long before Behold I will stir up the Medes against them c. And by the Prophet Jeremy The Lord hath raised up the Spirit of the King of
perform promise with thee He perswaded him also that it was not a like repulse to Ochus to be denied that which he looked for as it was for him to be turned out of all that ever he had gotten For said he if it please Ochus to live as a private man he might do it safely and no man will trouble him but for you who are already proclaimed King you must of necessity make your self King or else you cannot live Now besides these perswasions the largeness of the Empire and the fear Darius stood in of his Brother Ochus much prevailed with him infomuch that he flatly conspired against his Father Artaxerxes together with Tiribazus and both of them drew many Conspirators to joyn with them But one of the Kings Eunuchs smelling it out ran presently and told the King all and how they had determined suddenly to assail him and to kill him in his Bed in the night Artaxerxes having received this intelligence thought it not safe to be careless in a matter of so great importance as was his Life and yet that it would savour of too great lightness so suddenly to believe the Eunuch without better proof of the matter He therefore commanded the Eunuch to keep Company still with the Conspirators and to follow them whithersoever they went and in the mean time he caused the wall behind his Bed to be beaten down making a door in the place and Tapestry Hangings to be put up before it When the time was come as the Eunuch had advertized the King that the Conspirators intended to execute their Design Artaxerxes being laid on his bed rose not up till he had seen every Traytor in the face that came to kill him But when he saw them coming towards him with their Swords drawn he suddenly slip't under the Hangings into the inner Chamber and shut the door after him crying Murther Murther The Traytors hereupon fled the same way that they came failing of their purpose and bad Tiribazus save himself because he was known so they dispersed themselves and fled But Tiribazus was taken and after he had slain many of the Kings Guard fighting valiantly yet at last one with a Dart afar off slew him Darius also was taken and together with his Sons was brought Prisoner before the King The King referred him to be judged by his Peers and withall he commanded his Secretaries to set down all the Tryal in writing together with the opinion and sentence of every one of the Judges and to bring it to him In conclusion they all cast him and condemned him to dye Then the Officers laid hold on him and led him into a Chamber of the Prison where the Hang-man came with a Razor in his hand with which he used to cut mens throats who were so condemned But when he came into the Chamber he saw it was Darius whereupon his heart so failed that he durst not lay hands on him but went out again The Judges that were without bad him go in and do it unless he would have his own throat cut Then went he in again and took Darius by the hair and made him hold down his head and so cut his neck with the Rasor Artaxerxes being informed hereof went and worshipped the Sun and then turning to his Lords that were about him he said unto them My Lords God be with you and be merry at home in your Houses and tell them that were not here that the great God Oromazes hath taken revenge upon those that practised Treason against me Now Darius being dead Ochus stood in good hope to be next heir to the Crown and the rather through the means and assistance of his Sister Atossa But of his legitimate Brethren he most feared Ariaspes who was only left of all that were legitimate and of his Bastard Brethren he feared Arsames Not for that Ariaspes was elder than he but because he being of a soft and plain name the Persians desired that he might be their King And for Arsames he was wise and valiant and Ochus saw that his Father loved him dearly Now Ochus being subtle and malicious first shewed cruelty upon Arsames and then his Malice upon Ariaspes his Legitimate Brother For knowing him to be simple and plain he daily sent some of the Kings Eunuchs to him who carried him threatning messages as from the King telling him that he determined to put him to a cruel and shameful death These things being daily buzzed into his ears as great secrets did so terrifie poor Ariaspes as that being put in despair of his life he prepared a Poison and drank it to prevent a worse Death King Artaxerxes being informed of his Death took it very heavily and began to suspect the cause that made him thus destroy himself yet being grown very old he neglected to search it out But the Death of Ariaspes made him to love Arsames the better making it to appear that he had a better opinion of him than he had of Ochus and therefore made him privy to all his affairs Ochus seeing this could no longer defer his revenge and he therefore suborned Harpaces the son of Tiribazus to murther his Brother Arsames which accordingly he accomplished Now Artaxerxes being almost spent with age when he heard that his dearly beloved Son Arsames was Murthered was not able to bear it any longer but took it so to heart that he died of grief having lived fourscore and fourteen years and reigned threescore and two When he was dead the Persians found that he had been a good and a gracious Prince and one that loved his People and Subjects especially when they came to have tryal of his Successor Ochus that passed all men living in cruelty For when his Father was dead he dealt so with the Chiliarchs and Eunuchs that were about him that his Death was concealed for ten Months together in which time he dispatched away Letters signed with the Kings Seal into all parts of the Empire commanding them to receive Ochus for their King And when all men had acknowledged him and sworn fealty to him he then made known his Fathers death and commanded a publick mourning to be made for him after the Persian manner and assumed his Fathers name Artaxerxes And then filled and fouled his Court with the bloud of his Kindred and Nobles without respect of Age or Sex amongst whom he caused his own Sister whose Daughter he had married to be buried alive with her heels upward He also caused an Unkle of his with above a hundred of his Children and Grand-children descended out of his loyns to be put into a court and there shot to Death with Arrows This Artaxerxes following herein the example of Cambyses caused certain unjust Judges to be flead alive and their skins to be hung up over the Judgment-seats that they which sat therein seeing what hung over their heads might be the more careful to do Justice
with a Dart with such force as breaking the Wood he left the Iron Head sticking in his Body Having received this deadly wound he fell immediately to the ground But then was there a more cruel fight about him than ever there was before which occasioned great Slaughter on both sides till the Thebans by fine force made their enemies to flie for their lives and when they had pursued them a while they returned back to their Camp that they might keep the dead Bodies in their Power which was a certain Sign that the Victory was theirs and then they sounded a retreat and so the Battel ended Both sides challenged the Victory and made Triumphs for it The Lacedemonians did it because the Athenians had slain those of Negropont that were sent to seize upon the Hills before mentioned and kept their bodies in their power The Thebans on the other side having overcome the Spartans had the bodies of them that were slain in the Battel in their power which was by far the greater number wherefore they said that they were the Victors Thus both standing upon their tearms it was a good while before either would send a Trumpet or Herauld to the other for leave to bury their dead Yet at last the Lacedemonians sent first and then they all betook themselves to give the dead an Honourable Burial And as for him that had killed Epaminondas he was highly esteemed and honoured for his Valiant Act and the Lacedemonians gave him many rich Presents and made him and his Posterity free from all publick Taxes and contributions in the Common-wealth As for Epaminondas he was brought yet alive into his Tent howbeit his Physitians and Surgeons being called together to dress his Wounds they all concluded that so soon as they plucked the Head of the Dart out of his body he must needs die And truly he made a most noble and worthy end For first he called for his Target-bearer who was always at his hand in the Battel and asked him Is my Target safe He brought it straight Then he asked Who had the Victory The Boeotians answered the Target-bearer Then he commanded them to bring to him Diophantus and Jolidas they told him they were both dead Upon this he advised his Citizens to make Peace with their enemies for that they had not any Captain of skill to lead them to the Wars And now said he it is time for me to die and therefore pluck the Dart Head out of my Body At this word all his Friends that were about him fetched grievous sighs and even cryed out for sorrow and one of them weeping said unto him Alas Epaminondas Thou diest now and leavest no Children behind thee Yea said he that I do For I leave two fair Daughters behind me whereof the one is the Victory at Leuctres and the other this of Mantinea So they pulled out the Dart and immediately he gave up the Ghost without shewing any sign that he was at all troubled at it He used often to say That War is the Bed of Honour and that it is a sweet Death to dye for ones Country He was one of the bravest Captains that ever we read of For whereas others excelled in some one or two Virtues by which they made their Fame great and glorious he excelled in all the Vertues and good Parts that could be desired in a Grave Politick and great Captain to make him compleat in all things that could be expected in an Heathen In his time he advanced his Country to the Principality of all Greece But after his Death they soon lost it and not long after Alexander the Great utterly brake them in pieces made Slaves of those that survived and razed their City to the very ground As in his life time he had always detested covetousness so after his Death the Thebans were faign to bury him at the common charge of the City because they found no mony in his House to defray the least part of the Funeral expences THE WICKED LIFE AND WOFUL DEATH OF HEROD the GREAT In whose time Our LORD CHRIST was Born HEROD sirnamed the Great was the Son of Antipas or Antipater an Idumaean a prime man both for birth and wealth amongst them His Mothers name was Cyprus born at an eminent place amongst the Arabians so that when this Herod acquired the Kingdom of Judea that Prophesie of old Jacob was fulfilled Gen. 49. 10. The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his feet until Shiloh come This Antipater riding his circuit about the Province of Judea whereof Julius Caesar had made him Governour repressed them who were desirous of innovation both by threats and counsel telling them that if they would be content with their Prince Hyrcanus whom Caesar also had confirmed in the High-Priesthood they might live happily in their own possessions but if they promised themselves new hopes and thought that they should gain much by innovations they should have him a Master instead of a Governour and Hyrcanus a Tyrant instead of a King and Caesar and the Romans bitter enemies instead of Princes for that they would by no means suffer any thing to be altered from what they had setled But Antipater perceiving Hyrcanus to be dull and idle he settled the state of the Province as himself pleased making his elder Son Phasaelus Governour of Jerusalem and the Countries adjoyning and to Herod his second Son being then a very young man he committed the care of Galilee Herod being Praefect of Galilee there was one Esekias a Jew who associating to himself many other lewd persons exercised thievery and used to make incursions into Syria in Troops These Herod pursued and having taken Esekias he put him to Death which fact of his gat him much favour with the Syrians which Province also was then under his Government The violence and bold nature of Herod who was desirous of the Tyranny much terrified the Princes of the Jews wherefore they addressed themselves to Hyrcanus and openly accused Antipater but especially they complained of Herod for that he had put to death Esekias with many others without any Commission from Hyrcanus in contempt of their Laws by which no man ought to suffer though never so wicked unless he were first condemned by the Judges The Mothers also of them that were killed ceased not daily in the Temple to weary both the King and the people with their continual exclamations desiring that Herod might be made to give an account of these his doings before the Sanhedrim whereupon Hyrcanus moved herewith commanded Herod to be called before the Council and to plead his own cause Herod having ordered the affairs of Galilee as he thought best for his own advantage being fore-warned by his Father that he should not come into the Council as a Private Person he took with him a moderate but yet a sufficient Guard not too great lest he should
Souldiers and sent them home well rewarded by which means he procured the love of the Citizens but the greater hatred of the Tyrant Shortly after Antigonus the Son of Aristobulus Brother to Hyrcanus invaded Judea being assisted by Ptolomei the son of Menaeus and Fabius the Governour of Damascus and Masion the Tyrant of the Tyrians who adhered to him for the hatred that he bore to Herod whom Herod meeting when they had scarce entred the borders of Judea overcame them in Battel and drave them thence whereupon Hyrcanus honoured him with Crowns as soon as he returned to Jerusalem For he was already accounted as one of the Family of Hyrcanus being to marry Mariamne or Mary the daughter of Alexander the Son of Aristobulus the Brother of Hyrcanus and of Alexandra the daughter of Hyrcanus M. Anthony having overcome Brutus and Cassius there met him Ambassies from all Nations in Bythinia and amongst the rest some of the Rulers of the Jews to accuse Phasaelus and Herod alledging that Hyrcanus ruled only in shew but in truth all the power was in the two Brothers Yet Anthony highly honoured Herod who was come thither to wipe of all those objections whereby it came to pass that his Adversaries were not so much as admitted to speak with Anthony and this Herod had obtained by his Bribes Yet not long after there came an hundred of the most honourable amongst the Jews to Daphne near Antioch in Syria to Anthony to accuse Phasaelus and Herod having chosen out of their whole number the most Eloquent to manage their business But Messala undertook the defence of the two Brothers with whom also Hyrcanus joyned who had betrothed his Grand-daughter to Herod Both Parties being heard Anthony asked Hyrcanus whether of the two parties were fittest to Govern a Commonwealth who speaking for the young men Anthony that loved them for their Fathers sake his old Friend he made them both Tetrarchs leaving to them the Government of all Judea writing his Letters to the same purpose and clapped fifteen of their Adversaries into Prison and would have put them to death had not Herod intreated for them But when the People did nothing but rail upon Herod Anthony in displeasure slew them all Antigonus the Son of Aristobulus hired the Parthians to translate the Kingdom from Hyrcanus to himself and to kill Herod who coming along with him and some Jews also joyning themselves to him he came to Jerusalem and they set upon the Kings House But Phasaelus and Herod defended it against them and in the Market place overcoming them in a fight forced them to fly into the Temple where they shut them in and placed sixty men in some adjoyning houses to prevent their flight but the people hating the two brethren set fire on those Houses and burnt the men in them which so inraged Herod that he slew many of the people and each laying wait for the other every day some were murdered The day of Pentecost being come many thousands of men as well armed as unarmed gathered together about the Temple from all parts of the Country and seized upon the Temple and City all but the Kings House which Herod kept with a few Souldiers as Phasaelus did the walls These brothers assisting each other assaulted their enemies in the Suburbs forced many thousands of them to flie some into the City and some into the Temple and others into a rampire that was near the City Hereupon Antigonus desired that Pacorus the General of the Parthians might be admitted to make peace between them which Phasaelus assented to and Pacorus perswaded him to go with him as an Ambassador to Barzapharnes another General of the Parthians laying an ambush for him by the way Phasaelus assented though much against the mind of his Brother Herod and was willing to go with Pacorus and took Hyrcanus along with him Pacorus leaving two hundred Horsemen with Herod and ten whom they called Eleutheri went along with the Ambassadors And as soon as they were come into Galile Barzapharnes entertained them with a cheerful countenance and bestowed gifts upon them but watched an opportunity to intrap them and so Phasaelus was brought with his Company to a place near the Sea-side called Ecdippon where Ophellus a rich Syrian understanding of the treachery intended against them offered Phasaelus some Ships to carry him away But he unwilling to leave Hyrcanus and his Brother Herod in danger expostulated with Barzapharnes about the injury offered to them who were Ambassadors who swore that these things were not true and presently went to Pacorus No sooner was he gon but Hyrcanus and Phasaelus were clapped up in Prison much detesting the perfidiousness of the Parthians and an Eunuch also was sent to Herod with a command to surprize him if he could get him out of Jerusalem Herod having intelligence what had happened to his Brother taking with him such forces as he had in readiness and his Mother Cybele his Sister Salome his Wife Mariamne and his Wives Mother Alexandra the Daughter of Hyrcanus and his yougest Brother Pheroras with their Servants he privately by Night took his flight into Idumaea In their journey his Mother by the overthrow of her Coach was in great danger of death and Herod fearing least the enemies should overtake them whilest they stayed there drew forth his Sword thinking to kill himself But being restrained by those which stood by he went towards Massada a very strong place which is seated in Arabia and Palestine by the nearest way that he could possible The Parthians first and also the Jews pursuing him by that he was sixty furlongs from the City but he repelled them both in fight The next day after Herod had fled from Jerusalem the Parthians plundered the City and the Kings House only the Treasure of Hyrcanus which was three hundred Talents remained untouched A great part also of Herods substance which he had not carried away with him they siezed upon and not satisfied therewith they harrized all the Country also and razed the rich City of Marissa Antigonus being thus setled in Judaea by the Parthians he received into his custody Hyrcanus and Phasaelus who were Prisoners yet he was much grieved that the Women were got away whom he had intended to deliver to the Parthians together with the money which he had promised to give them Being afraid also lest Hyrcanus should again by the favour of the People be restored to his Kingdom and Priest-hood he cut off his ears thereby rendring him unfit for the Priest-hood the Law forbidding that any one who wanted a member should approach to the Altar Lev. 21. 17 c. Phasaelus knowing that his death was determined sought to lay violent hands upon himself but being hindred by reason of his chains he dashed out his brains against a stone Yet before he was quite dead hearing by a Woman that his Brother Herod was escaped he
and considered it will plainly appear that in none of those things aforesaid nor in any other that may be said of him there hath been any Heathen King or Captain that ever excelled him And setting apart his Ambition and desire of Rule he was onely noted and blamed for being too much given to Women Caesar was thus slain in the fifty sixth year of his Age a little more than four years after the Death of Pompey in the seven hundred and tenth year after the building of Rome and about forty and two years before the Incarnation of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Caesar left behind him neither Son nor Daughter legitimate at that time of his Death For though he had been four several times married yet he had but one only Daughter named Julia that was married to Pompey and died before him Wherefore by his last Will he adopted for his Son and made his Heir in the Dodrant that is in nine parts of twelve of his goods his Nephew Octavius Caesar afterwards called Octavianus Augustus who was the Son of Acia his Neece and of Octavius Praetor of Macedonia which Octavius at this time was by the commandment of his Uncle in the City of Apollonia in the Province of Epirus where he applied himself to his studies staying for him there thence to go with him to the Parthian War being now about seventeen years of age Caesar being thus slain the news of it ran presently all over the City and the tumult therein was so great that no man knew what to do or say All Offices ceased the Temples were all shut up and every man was amazed Caesars Friends were afraid of those that slew him and they as much feared his Friends Brutus Cassius and the other Conspirators and others that joyned with them seeing the great tumult durst not go to their Houses nor prosecute their other designs for fear of Mark Anthony and Lepidus whereof the one was Consul and the other General of the Horsemen but presently from thence they went to seize upon the Capitol crying by the way as they went Liberty Liberty and imploring the favour and assistance of the People The rest of that day and all next night Mark Anthony and Lepidus who took Caesars part were in Arms and there passed sundry messages and treaties between them and the Conspirators At last it was agreed that the Senate should sit whither Brutus and Cassius came M. Anthonies Sons by the perswasion of Cicero a great lover of Liberty remaining as Hostages for them In the Senate they Treated of Peace and concord and that all that was past should be buried in perpetual oblivion whereunto Anthony who was Consul and the whole Senate agreed and the Provinces being divided there was a great likelihood of Peace For the Senate approved and commended the murther and the People dissembled their thoughts For on the one side the authority of Brutus and Cassius and the name of Liberty seemed to give them some content and on the other side the hainousness of the fact and the love they bare to Caesar did move and excite them to hate the murtherers and so all was quiet for the present But Mark Anthony who affected the Tyranny took every opportunity to incense the People against them and Caesars Testament being opened wherein besides the adopting of his Nephew Octavius and making him his Heir besides other bequests he bequeathed to the People of Rome certain Gardens and Lands near to the River of Tiber and to every Citizen of Rome certain Gardens and Lands neer to the sum of mony to be divided amongst them which being known much encreased their love to Caesar and made his death more grievous to them Caesars Funeral being agreed upon his Body was burnt with great solemnity in the Field of Mars and Mark Anthony made the Funeral Oration in his Praise and took the Robe wherein Caesar was slain being all bloody and shewed it to the People using such Speeches as provoked them both to wrath and commiseration so as before the Funeral solemnity was fully finished they all depart in great fury taking Brands in their hands from the fire wherein Caesar was burned and went to burn the Houses of Brutus and Cassius and if they could have found them and the rest of the Conspirators they would certainly have slain them and in their fury they unadvisedly slew Elius Cinna by mistaking him for Cornelius Cinna who was one of the Conspirators This tumult put Brutus and Cassius and their confederates into such fear that they all sled from Rome into several parts and though the Senate having appeased the tumult inflisted punishment upon some of the seditious and had already committed some of them to Prison yet Brutus and Cassius durst not return to Rome but after a while went into Greece to Govern those Provinces which Caesar in his Life time had allotted unto them which were Macedonia to Brutus and Syria to Cassius And truly this was very remarkable that within the space of three years all the Conspirators died and not one of them a natural death Caesar in his fifth and last Consulship made an Edict that thanks should be returned to Hyrcanus the High-Priest and Prince of the Jews and to the Nation of the Jews for their affection to himself and the People of Rome And decreed also that the said Hyrcanus should have the City of Jerusalem and repair the Walls of it which Pompey had beaten down and should Govern it as he pleased himself He also granted to the Jews that every second year there should an abatement be made out of their rents and that they should be free from Impositions and Tributes His Name of Caesar was so honourable that all his successors to this present day have assumed it into their Title and esteemed it an honour to be called Caesars THE LIFE and DEATH OF OCTAVIANUS AUGUSTUS In whose Raign our LORD CHRIST WAS BORN OCtavius Caesar who was afterwards called Octavianus Augustus was by the Fathers side descended of the Antient Family of the Octavij which was of great account in Rome even from the time of Tarquin their King By the Mothers side he was descended from the Regal Line His Mother was Accia the Daughter of Accius Balbus and Julia the Sister of Julius Caesar which Accia was married to the Father of Octavius He was born in the year of the Consulshp of Cicero and Caius Antonius He was but four years old when his Father dyed and at twelve years old he made an Oration at the Funeral of his Grand-mother Julia. When his Uncle Julius Caesar was Warring in Spain against the Sons of Pompey Octavius though he was but young followed him thither through many and great dangers and when that War was ended Julius Caesar intending to take him with him to the Parthian War sent him before to the City of Apollonia where he plyed his Book very diligently and on
and favours upon all sorts of People He delighted the People with Feasts and Playes of sundry kinds going himself in person to honour them He sent Colonies into sundry parts and Provinces He made excellent good Orders for the Governours and Government of the whole Empire The like he did also for the Wars and Martial Discipline He shewed himself loving and sociable to his Friends and Familiars whom he honoured and loved much Some conspiracies against him which were discovered he punished without rigour being more prone to pardon than to punish Of murmurings and defamatory Libels he never desired to know the Authors but answered them with gravity giving satisfaction and purging himself from those things which were charged upon him He was much addicted to and affected with Learning and himself was very Learned and Eloquent and compiled some notable Books He much honoured and rewarded Wise and Learned men yet he escaped not the tainture of some Vices growing through humane frailty and his great liberty especially he was much given to Women though in his diet apparel and ornaments he was very sparing and modest He gave himself also excessively to play at Dice and other Games then in use Thus though in many things he was very happy yet besides his troubles and dangers he was very unhappy in his Children and Successours For by his four Wives to whom he was married he had only one Daughter called Julia by his third Wife Scribonia and she proved exceeding wanton and unchaste yea she left nothing undone in Luxury and Lust that was possible for a Woman to do or suffer accounting every thing lawful that pleased her Yea she came to that height of lasciviousness that she kept her Feasting even in the Courts of Justice abusing those very places with lascivious acts in which her Father had made Laws against Adulterers Hereupon her Father was so enraged that he could not contain his anger within his own House but published these things yea and communicated them to the Lords of the Senate He kept himself also a long time from company for very shame He had thoughts of putting his Daughter to death but at last he banished her into Pandataria an Island of Campania her Mother Scribonia of her own accord accompanying her in her banishment Julia being at this time thirty eight years old For want of Sons to succeed him Augustus first adopted his Nephew Marcellus the Son of his Sister Octavia to whom he first married his Daughter Julia and Marcellus dying without Issue he then married her to his Favourite Agrippa who also left her a Widow but yet he had by her three Sons and two Daughters Two of these Sons having been adopted by Augustus died before him whereupon he adopted the third who bore his Fathers Name Agrippa the which adoption he afterwards revoked for some displeasure conceived against him and lastly he adopted his Son in Law Tiberius Nero and made him his Heir whom also he married to his Daughter Julia the Widow of Agrippa yet this he did more through the importunity of his mother than for any good liking that he had of him being sorry that such an one should succeed him Not long after the first Letter of his Name that was upon the Inscription of his Statue that was set up in the Capitol fell down being struck with a flash of Lightning whereupon the Southsayers foretold that he should live only one hundred dayes after which was denoted by the Letter C. and that he should be Canonized for a God because Aesar which remained of his Name in the Hetruscan Tongue signified a God Hereupon he wrote a Catalogue of his doings which he appointed to be engraven in Tables of Brass and to be set over his Tomb. Things being thus done Caesar Augustus being now seventy six years old and odd dayes having Reigned above fifty six and being the best beloved and the best obeyed Prince in the World Death overtook him which was occasioned by a Flux which held him for some dayes and so Augustus died at Nolla in Campania in the same House and Chamber wherein his Father Octavius died being the nineteenth day of August upon which day he was first made Consul and in the fifteenth year after the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He was generally lamented and there was a universal sorrow and heaviness over the whole Empire for him For he did wisely and uprightly Govern that Monarchy which he had gotten by force and fraud He was of a mean stature of a very good shape and proportion of Body of an exceeding fair face mixed with modesty and gravity His eyes were very clear and bright He was very advised in his speeches and loved to speak quick and briefly His last Will and Testament was written a year and four moneths before he died and left in the custody of the Vestal Virgins In his life time he vvas very desirous to reform abuses in Rome and in the first place he corrected some disorders in the Senate vvhom he reduced to the number of six hundred He reformed vvhat vvas amiss in their Playes and Games in the Knights and in their manner of suing for publick Offices He set Fines upon their Heads that vvould not marry and bestovved much upon those that had Wives and Children He gave unto Hortensius tvventy five thousand Crovvns to procure him to marry that he might raise up issue to that Noble Family of the Hortenses He ordained that Maids should be at least twelve years old before they married and suffered them to kill Adulterers that were taken in the fact and condemned the Sodomites without pardon He gave order that none should be put in nomination for Offices but such as were vertuous and of good repute He tied not himself to any certain hours for his meals but used to eat when he was hungry and that which he fed upon was neither dainty nor delicate and he drank little Wine Instead of a Looking-glass he used to read or write whilst his Barber was trimming him He never spake to the Senate or people or to his Souldiers but what he had first written and premeditated though he had words at command He delighted to read good Authors but gathered nothing more than sentences teaching good manners and having written them out word for word he gave Copies thereof to his familiar Friends and sent them about to the Governours of Provinces and to the Magistrates of Rome He was too much addicted to Divinations and was marvellously afraid of Thunder and Lightning Our Saviour christ being born all the Devils Oracles ceased and the Oracle of Delphos was fain to confess it and ever after remained Dumb whereupon Augustus being astonished caused a great Altar to be set up in the Capitol with an Inscription signifying that it was the altar of the God first born To prevent the great abuse of Usury which undid many Families he put into
Nebuchadnezzar Cyrus Artaxerxes Alexander Epaminondas Herod Hanibal Pompey Iulius Caesar. Augustus Charlemain Tamberlain THE LIVES DEATHS Of most of those EMINENT PERSONS WHO By their VIRTUE and VALOUR Obtained the Sirnames of MAGNI OR THE GREAT Whereof divers of them give much Light to the Understanding of the Prophecies in Esay Jeremiah Ezekiel and Daniel concerning the three first Monarchies And to other Scriptures concerning the Captivity and Restauration of the Jews The Second Edition Corrected and Enlarged By Samuel Clark Minister of the Gospel Longum iter per pracepta breve per Exempl Hierom. LONDON Printed by J. R. for W. B. and are to be sold by Tho. Sawbridge at the three Flower de Luces in Little Britain and by W. Birch at the Peacock at the lower end of Cheap-side 1675. THE LIFE and DEATH OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE GREAT First Emperour of the CHALDEANS NEbuchadonazar or Nebuchadnezzar was the Son of Nebuchadonazar or Nabopolaser of Babylon who was made General of the Army by Saraco King of Assyria and Chaldea after whose death Nabopolaser took into his hands the Kingdom of Chaldea which he held by the space of one and twenty years At the same time Astyages was made Governour of Media by Cyaxares his Father and the better to strengthen themselves they entred into affinity by Astyages his giving his Daughter Amytis to Nebuchadnezzar the Son of Nabopolaser and thereupon joyning their Forces together they took Ninive together with Seraco the King thereof placing a Vice-Roy in his stead Shortly after the Governour of Coelosyria and Poenicia revolting from Nabopolaser he sent against him his Son Nebuchadnezzar having first associated him with himself in the Kingdom of Babylon with a great Army which was in the latter end of the third and the beginning of the fourth year of Jehoiakim King of Juda as appears Dan. 1. 1. compated with Jer. 25. 1. Nebuchadnezzar was no sooner thus associated with his Father in the Kingdom but the things which he was to act were presently revealed to the Prophet Jeremy the first whereof was the overthrow of the Egyptians First at the River Euphrates then in their own Country Jer. 46. The first of these came to pass presently Pharaoh Necho's Forces which he had left at Carchemish being cut off by Nebuchadnezzar in the fourth year of Jehojakim Jer. 46. 2. The second was not till after the taking of Tyre in the seventeenth year of the Captivity of Jechonia Ezek. 29. 17 18 19. In the third year of Jehoiakim Nebuchadnezzar the second his Father being yet alive entred Iudaea with a great Army who besieging and forcing Ierusalem made Iehoiakim his Vassal in despight of Pharaoh Necho who had made him King and took with him to Babylon for Pledges Daniel who was yet a Child with Ananias Misael and Azarias He took also part of the Treasures belonging to the Temple but stayed not to stayed not to search throughly for all For Necho hasted with his Army to the relief of Iehoiakim hoping to find Nebuchadnezzar in Iudea But this great Babylonian had no mind to hazard himself and his Army against the Egyptian Iudaea being so ill affected towards him and himself far from all succour or sure place of retreat If he had as may be supposed any great strength of Scythian Horsemen it was wisely done of him to fall back out of that rough Mountanous and hot Country into places that were more even and temperate And besides these reasons the Death of his Father happening at the same time gave him just occasion to return home and take possession of his own Kingdom before he proceeded in the second care of adding more unto it And this he did at reasonable good leisure For the Egyptian was not provided to follow him so far and to bid him Battel until the new year came in which was the fourth of Iehoiakim the first of Nebuchadnezzar and the last of Necho In this year the Babylonian lying upon the Banks of Euphrates his own Territories bounding it on the North-side attended the coming of Necho there after a cruel Battel fought betwixt them Necho was slain and his Army forced to save it self by a violent retreat wherein it suffered great loss This Victory was so well pursued by Nebuchadnezzar that he recovered all Syria and whatsoever the Egyptians held out of their proper Territories towards the North. The Egyptians being thus beaten and altogether for the present discouraged Iehoiakim held himself quiet as being in heart a Friend to the Egyptians yet having made his peace with the Chaldeans the year before and Mebuchadnezzar was contented with such profit as he could there readily make he had forborn to lay any Tribute upon the Iews But this cool reservedness of Iehoiakim was on both sides taken in ill part Whereupon the Egyptian King Psamnis who succeeded Necho began to think of restoring Iehoahaz who had been taken prisoner by his Father and carried into Egypt and of setting him up as a Domestical enemy against his ungrateful Brother But to anticipate all such accidents the Iudaean had put in practice the usual remedy which his fore-fathers used For he had made his own Son Iechonia King with him long before in the second year of his own Reign when the Boy was but eight years old As for this rumour of Iehoahaz his return the Prophet Ieremy foretold that it should prove a vain attempt saying He shall not return thither But he shall die in the place whither they have led him Captive and shall see this Land no more Jer. 22. 11 12. The Egyptians having lost their Mercenary Forces and received that heavy blow at Carchemish had more Gold than sharp Steel remaining which is of small force without the others help Besides the Valour of Necho was not in Psamnis Apries who reigning after Psamnis did indeed once adventure to shew his face in Syria but after a big look he was glad to retire without adventuring the hazard of a Battel Wherefore this declining Nation fought only with brave words telling such frivolous tales as men that mean to do nothing use boasting of their former glorious acts against Iosias and Iehoahaz And truly in such a time and case it was easie for Iehoiakim to give them satisfaction by letting them understand the sincerity of his affections towards them which appeared in time following But Nebuchadnezzar went more roundly to work For he sent a peremptory message to Iehoiakim requiring him not to stand upon any nice points but presently to acknowledge himself his subject and to pay him Tribute Adding thereunto such terrible threatnings as made the poor Iudaean lay aside all thoughts of adhering unto Pharaoh and to yield to do as the more powerful would have him Thus he continued in Obedience to Nebuchadnezzar three years During which time the Prophet Jeremy cryed out against the Impiety of the Jews putting them in mind that he had
his Mother a Mede of whom this very Nebuchadnezzar at the hour of his Death uttered this Prophesie There shall come a Persian Mule who shall make use of your Devils as his Fellow-Souldiers to bring you into Bondage He calls Cyrus a Mule because he was to be born of a Father and Mother of two divers Nations THE LIFE and DEATH OF CYRUS THE GREAT The First Founder of the PERSIAN EMPIRE CYRUS was the Son of Cambyses King of Persia by Mandanes the Daughter of Astyages King of Media He was so named by the Prophet Isay almost two hundred years before he was born Isa. 45. 1 4. Thus saith the Lord unto Cyrus his anointed c. Cyrus his first Education was under his Father Cambyses with whom he lived till he was twelve years old and somewhat more at which time he was sent for together with his Mother Mandanes by his Grandfather Astyages into Media In Media he served Astyages first as one of his Halberdiers and then as one of his Armour-bearers till he was called home into Persia by his Father Cambyses when as yet he had one year to spend at School and when he had spent seventeen years at School amongst Boyes he spent ten years more amongst youths When Cyrus was now almost sixteen years old Evilmerodach the King of Assyria being about to marry a Wife called Nicotris made an in-rode with a great Army of Horse and Foot into the borders of Media there to take his pleasure in hunting and harrassing of the Countrey against whom Astyages and Cyaxares his Son and Cyrus his Grand-child who then first began to bear Arms being but about fifteen or sixteen years old marched out met with him and in a great Battel overthrew him and drave him out of his borders Indeed the Death of Nebuchadnezzar the Father of Evilmerodach gave courage to those that had found him a troublesome Neighbour to stand upon prouder terms with the Babylonians than in his flourishing estate they durst have used But Evilmerodach being too proud to digest this loss which he had received by the Medes and their Allies the Persians under Cyrus he drew unto his party the Lydians and all the people of the lesser Asia with great gifts and strong perswasions hoping by their assistance to overwhelm his enemies with a strong invasion whom in vain he had sought to weary out by a lingring War The issue of these great preparations made by Evilmerodach against the Medes was such as opened the way to the fulfilling divers Prophesies which were many years before uttered against Babel by Isay and Jeremy For the Babylonians and their Confederates who trusting in their numbers thought to have buried the Medes and Persians under their thick showers of Arrows and Darts were encountred with an Army of stout and well trained men weightily Armed for close fight by whom they were beaten in a great Battel wherein Evilmerodach was slain After which that great Empire that was raised and upheld by Nebuchadnezzar was grievously shaken and enfeibled under his unprosperous Son and left to be sustained by his Grand-child Belshazzar a man more like to have overthrown it when it was greatest and strongest than to repair it when it was in a way of falling Xenophon relates the matter thus When the Babylonian had enlarged his Empire with many Victories and was become Lord of all Syria and many other Countreys he began to hope that if the Medes could be brought under his Subjection there would not then be left any Nation adjoyning able to make head against him For the King of the Medes was able to bring into the Field sixty thousand Foot and ten thousand Horse to which the Forces of Persia being joyned made an exceeding great Army Considering therefore the strength of such a neighbour he invited Croesus King of Lydia a Prince very mighty both in men and Treasure and with him other Lords of Asia the less to his assistance alledging that those Eastern Nations were very powerfull and so firmly conjoyned by League and many Alliances that it would not be easie no nor possible for any one Nation to resist them With these suggestions backed with rich Presents he drew to himself so many adherents as he compounded an Army of two hundred Thousand Foot and sixty thousand Horse Of which ten thousand Horse and forty thousand Foot were brought by Croesus who had great cause of enmity against the Medes for that they had made great Wars against his Father Allyattes Whereupon Cyrus was by his Father Cambyses and the Council of the Kingdom made General of the Persian Army and sent away into Media with thirty thousand Souldiers and one thousand Commanders all of equal Authority under him and when he came thither he was also made by his Uncle Cyaxares who had sent for him General of the Median Forces and the management of the War against the Babylonian was wholly committed to him With this Army he marched against Evilmerodach and his associates and in a very bloody Battel overthrew them In which defeat Evilmerodach King of Babylon being slain so many of his Subjects revolted that Babylon it self could no longer be secured but by the help of Mercenaries waged with great sums of money out of Asia the less Egypt and other Countries which new levied Forces were also defeated and scattered by Cyrus who following his advantage possessed himself of a great part of the lesser Asia Those Persians which followed Cyrus and were by him levied are reckoned to be thirty thousand Foot of which one thousand were Armed Gentlemen the rest of the common sort were Archers and such as used the Dart or Sling Croesus notwithstanding the men lost and the Treasure spent in the quarrel of the Babylonians yet did he Conquer Aeolis Doris and Ionia Provinces possessed by the Greeks in Asia the less adjoyning to his Kingdom of Lydia He gave Laws also to the Phrygians Bithynians Carians Mysians Paphlagonians and other Nations He also enforced the Ephesians to acknowledge him for their Lord He also obtained a signal Victory against the Sacaeans a Nation of the Scythians All which he performed in fourteen years And being now confident by reason of his good successes and withall envious at Cyrus his Fame and Prosperity doubting also that his great Victories might in the end grow perillous to himself he consulted with the Oracle of Apollo whom he presented with marvellous rich gifts what success he might hope for in his undertakings against Cyrus from whom he received this ambiguous answer Croesus Halym penetrans magnam pervertet opum vim Croesus passing over the River Halys shall dissolve a great Dominion For the Devil being doubtful of his success gave him this Riddle which might be construed either way to the ruine of Persia or of his own Lydia Hereupon Croesus interpreting it as he most desired resolved to stop the course of Cyrus his progress
with his Army marched towards Caria and Pisidia still giving it out that some Persons in those parts were grown unruly He had in his Army a great number of his own besides thirteen thousand Grecians when news of his approach was brought to the Court all was strait in an uproar Many accused the Queen-Mother as having a hand in it and all her Servants were vehemently suspected But that which troubled Parysatis most was Queen Statyra her Daughter in Law who stormed exceedingly when she saw this War begun against her Husband and cryed out on the Queen-Mother for it Parysatis hereupon being a cruel and malicious Woman so hated her hence forwards that she sought her Death by all means Cyrus in the mean time came on without resistance even to the City of Babylon And whereas Artaxerxes had determined to retire into the farthest parts of Persia Tiribazus was the first that durst tell him that he should not shun the fight lerving to his enemies the Kingdomes of Media Babylon and Susa considering that he had a greater Army than Cyrus and far more skilful Captains which words made the King to alter his mind and to resolve to give Battel so soon as he could Cyrus coming with his Army to the River Cayster received money from Epiaxa Wife to Syenesis the King of Cilicia wherewith he paid his Army full four months Wages and by her perswasion her Husband Syenesis gave him also a vast summ of money towards the maintenance of his Army and like a wise man at the same time he supplied Artaxerxes with necessaries for the War and having two Sons he sent one of them to Cyrus with a competent number of men for his service and the other he sent privily away to Artaxerxes to let him know that having such an Army come upon him he durst not but keep fair with Cyrus nevertheless that he continued a true Servant in heart to Artaxerxes and would fall to him so soon as he had opportunity At Tarsus the Grecians who were eleven thousand Corselets and two thousand Targateers told Cyrus plainly that they would march no farther but by the wisdom of Clearchus they were perswaded to go on and so they came to Issus the utmost City of Cilicia where Cyrus's Fleet met him bringing great supplies to him and the Straights of Syria being abandoned Cyrus marched without any stop to the place where the fight shortly after was Cyrus besides the Grecians before mentioned had in his Army one hundred thousand fighting men and two hundred hooked Chariots Of Artaxerxes his part there were four hundred thousand men and fifteen hundred hooked Chariots The place where the fight was was called Cyanaxa five hundred furlongs from Babylon Cyrus his men were marvelously astonished when they saw the Army of Artaxerxes in such excellent good order whereas themselves were dispersed here and there stragling without any order and ill armed trusting too much to themselves and dispising their enemies So that Cyrus had much ado to set his men in Battel array and yet was it with great noise and tumult But of all others the Grecians wondred most when they saw the Kings Army march in so good order of Battel without any noise for they thought to have seen them in great disorder and confusion and supposed that they would have made such a noise as one could not have heard another whereas Artaxerxes had marshalled his Army excellent well He had placed before his Battel his best Chariots armed with Sithes and drawn by the strongest and biggest Horses he had hoping by their fierceness and fury to disorder the ranks of his enemies Before the Battel began Clearchus General of the Grecians advised Cyrus to keep behind his Squadron and not to hazard his Person amongst his own men To whom Cyrus answered What saist thou Clearchus What wouldst thou have me who strive to be a King to shew my self unworthy to be a King But Clearchus himself committed as great if not a worse fault whenas he would not order his men directly against the Battel of the enemy where Artaxerxes was but pent them up by the Rivers side for fear least they should be compassed in behind whereas if the Grecians had been set in opposition to the King he had never been able to endure their charge but had either been slain or forced to fly wherefore if Artaxerxes would have chosen or wished a place where the Grecians might have done him less hurt he could not have devised a fitter place that was so far from him and from whence the Grecians could neither see nor hear what was done in the place where he was as afterwards appeared Cyrus being mounted upon an hot and hard mouthed Horse the Governour of the Province of the Caducians spyed him afar off and clapping spurs to his Horse he came with a full career to him crying out O Traytor and most unfaithful man Thou dishonourest the name of Cyrus for that thou hast brought such valiant Grecians upon so wicked an enterprise to spoil the Persians Goods and to destroy thy Soveraign Lord and only Brother who hath an infinite number of Slaves and Servants that are honester men than thy self and that thou shalt presently know by experience for thou shalt die before thou seest the Kings face and therewithall he threw his Dart at him with all his force But the Armour of Cyrus was so good that it pierced not yet the blow made him stagger on his Horse back Artagerses having given him this blow presently wheeled about But Cyrus threw a Dart at him so happily that he slew him the head of his Dart passing quite through his Neck Cyrus hereupon presently slew upon those that were neerest to the Kings Person and came so near the King that he flew his Horse under him But Tiribazus presently mounted the King upon another Horse and Cyrus clapping spurs to his Horse threw another Dart at the King and hit him But at the third charge Artaxerxes told them about him that he could not abide this and that he had rather die than suffer it and thereupon he spurred his Horse to charge Cyrus who also came fiercely against him and threw his Dart at him as also did all those that were about the King and so was Cyrus slain in this conflict Now after Cyrus was dead Artasyras one of the Kings Eunuchs passing by found his dead Body whereupon he gallopped apace to the King and with a smiling countenance told him the news Artaxerxes was so joyful that he would needs go to the place to see it But he was advised not to go in Person for fear of the Grecians who carried all before them and were killing those that had fled before them Upon this advice the King stayed and sent thirty men with Torches in their hands to seek him out The King was very ill both by reason of the great thirst he suffered as also by reason of a wound that he had received
for seventeen dayes together and then died with much torment Now Parysatis to satisfie her revenge had only Mesabates to râ—ak her teen on who was one of the Kings Eunuchs who at his command had cut off Cyrus his Head and Hand But he was so wary that she could get no advantage against him wherefore she invented this device She was very skilful in playing at Cards and Dice and finding the King one day at leisure she enticed him to play at Dice with her for a thousand Daricks and was contented willingly to lose them and paid them down Then she prayed him to play with her for one of his Eunuchs the King was contented but they agreed that each of them should name five of the chiefest whom they would except and then the loser should presently deliver to the winner the choice of all the other Eunuchs they had Now did she play so warily and cunningly that she wan the Game and then required Mesabates to be delivered to her being none of those whom the King excepted And when she had him she delivered him to the Hangman commanding him to flea him alive and then to nail him to a Cross and crucifie him and to hang his skin by him which was done accordingly The King was marvellously angry when he knew it and was grievously offended with his Mother But Queen Statyra spared not to tell the Queen-Mother plainly that it was wickedly done of her to put the Kings true and faithful Servant to so cruel a Death for Cyrus sake Yet Parysatis laughed it out saying to her Son Indeed it becomes thee well to be angry for an old Gelded Villain whereas I lost a thousand Daricks and said never a word for it In brief she would never be out of her Sons sight but as little as might be and would let his Wife Statyra have as little time with him as possible that she might Govern him as she would because she hated her of all Creatures living as also for that she would bear the greatest sway and credit about him Tisaphernes having deceived Clearchus and the other Captains of the Greeks by falsifying his word and promise given to them he sent them bound to the King who cast them into Prison and though Parysatis was an earnest suitor to the King her Son for them yet at the perswasion of his Wife Statyra he put them all to death but Menon Parysatis had for a long time born implacable and inveterate hatred against Statyra for that she had more love and respect from the King than her self so that she determined that either her self or her Daughter in Law must dye Now Statyra had a Maid called Gingis or Gigis who was very gracious with her and whom Parysatis made use of in poysoning Statyra There is a little Bird in Persia called Rhindaces that hath no excrements at all but all her guts are stuffed full with fat One of these Birds as she sat at Table with Statyra she or one of her maids took and cut in two with a knife that was poysoned on the one side and so gave that half which was towards that poisoned side to her Daughter and did eat the other her self shortly after which the Queen died in extream torments And the King presently suspected his Mother for it knowing her cruel and implacable disposition and he caused her Servants and Carvers to be examined and wracked about it But Parysatis kept Gingis a long time in her own chamber and though the King required her yet would she not give her up to Justice till at last Gingis her self desiring to steal to her own lodging in the night she was apprehended and punished as a Poysoner As for his Mother the King neither did nor said any hurt unto her But when she desired to retire her self to Babylon the King gave it her but withall swore to her that while she lived he would not come thither Artaxerxes for his good service in the War gave to Tisaphernes all the Governments which his Brother Cyrus had held besides what he had before he heaped also many other large gifts and favours upon him and above all gave him his own Daughter to Wife and ever after used him as his most confident Friend and Servant Now Artaxerxes having done the utmost he could to overcome those Grecians whom his Brother Cyrus had brought into the heart of his Dominions yet could he never prevail against them For though they had lost Cyrus who entertained them and all their Captains that led them yet did they choose other Captains whereof Xenophon was one and made their retreat in spite of all the Power of Persia whereupon all the other Grecians waxed bold and despised those Barbarous People and the Lacedemonians thought it a great shame to them if they did not deliver the Grecians that dwelt in Asia from the slavery and bondage of the Persians For which end they sent thither their King Agesilaus who passing into Asia with his Ships began presently to make hot War against the Persians and in the first conflict he overthrew Tisaphernes and caused most of the Cities of the Greeks in those parts to rebell against him Artaxerxes being informed hereof considered seriously how he might prevent this mischief and at last resolved upon this as his only course He sent into Greece one Hermocrates a Rhodian with a very great sum of Gold and Silver which he was bountifully to bestow amongst the Nobility and chief Rulers of the Cities of Greece to provoke them to rise up against the Lacedemonians This Hermocrates so wisely managed his business that he made the chiefest Cities of Greece to rebell against the Lacedemonians so that all Peloponnesus being in Arms the Ephori at Lacedaemon were enforced to send for Agesilaus home again Agesilaus being sorry that he lef Asia said unto his Friends that the King of Persia had driven him out of his Dominions with thirty thousand Archers and this he said because the Persian coin was stamped on the Reverse with an Archer having a Bow in his hand Artaxerxes also drave out the Lacedemonians from all their jurisdiction by Sea by the help of Conon the Athenian Admiral whom Pharnabazus one of his Lieutenants had procured to take his part This Conon having been overthrown in a Battel at a place called the Goats River kept ever after in the Isle of Cyprus as being the meetest place to slay in till the Wars of Greece were ended He knowing that himself lacked power and that Artaxerxes wanted a man of Judgment to be employed he wrote Letters to him wherein he advised him what to do These Letters were delivered to Artaxerxes by Ctesias who was presently sent to assist Conon And it fell out that after Artaxerxes had through the conduct of Conon and Pharnebazus won the Battel by Sea near to the Isle of Gnidus and thereby had driven the Lacedemonians from their Lordship of the Sea
all Greece had him in marvellous great estimation so that he gave to the Grecians such conditions as he pleased whereupon that famous Peace called Antalcid as Peace was concluded This Antalcidas was a Citizen of Sparta who favouring the affairs of Artaxerxes procured by this Treaty of Peace that the Lacedemonians should leave to Artaxerxes all the Grecian Cities in Asia and all the Isles belonging thereunto and to cause them to pay him Tribute at his pleasure This Peace being concluded with the Grecians King Artaxerxes though he extreamly hated the Lacedemonians yet he loved Antalcidas very well and entertained him honourably when he came to him into Persia. One day the King took a Garland of Flowers and wet it in the most precious and sweetest Oyl of perfume that was prepared for the Feast and sent it to Antalcidas Indeed he was a meet man to follow the vanity and curiosity of the Persians Shortly after the Lacedemonians lost the Battel at Leuctres and therewith the Principality which they had kept so long over all Greece When Sparta flourished most and was chief of all the other Grecian Cities so long did Artaxerxes continue to make much of Antalcidas and called him his Friend But when the Lacedemonians had lost the Battel at Leuctres having received so great a blow and wanting money they sent Agesilaus into Egypt and Antalcidas into Persia to King Artaxerxes to pray him to aid and assist the Lacedemonians But he made so small account of him and disdained him so much denying his request that he returned to Sparta with shame and dishonour And there also seeing that his enemies did mock him and fearing that the Ephori would commit him to Prison he killed himself with Famine About the same time the Thebans having under Epaminondas won the Battel at Leuctres sent Ismenias and Pelopidas into Persia to King Artaxerxes where Pelopidas did nothing unworthy himself But Ismenias being commanded to kneel to the King let fall his Ring at his feet and stooped to take it up whereby some thought that he did it to kneel to the King At another time Artaxerxes liking well a secret advertisement sent him from Timagoras the Athenian he gave him ten thousand Daricks by his Secretary Belluris and because he had a sickly Body and was forced to drink Cows milk to restore him the King therefore sent him eighty milch Kine that he might have fresh Milk every day He sent him also a Bed with all things belonging thereto and Grooms of his Chamber to make his Bed saying That the Grecians knew not how to make it He also sent him men to carry him upon their Arms to the Sea-side because he was sick and whilst he was at Court he entertained him very honourably and bountifully But the Athenians afterward condemned Timagoras to dye because he had taken Bribes of the King of Persia. But Artaxerxes though he had in many other things vexed the Grecians yet he did one thing that pleased them exceeding well when he did put Tisaphernes to Death who was the greatest enemy they had Parisatis the Kings Mother did help to bring this to pass aggravating the accusations which were brought against Tisaphernes out of the hatred which she did bear him for her Son Cyrus his sake For the King did not keep his anger long against her but sent for her from Babylon knowing that she had an excellent wit and was fit to Govern a Kingdom Besides there was nothing now to hinder their coming together his Wife being dead And now Parysatis applyed her self to feed the Kings humour in every thing seeming to mislike nothing that he did By this means she grew into so great credit with him that he denied nothing that she asked She perceiving that the King was extreamly in love with one of his own Daughters called Atossa which hitherto he had dissembled chiefly for fear of her Parysatis having found out this began to make more of his Daughter than she did before and in her Fathers presence sometimes she praised her beauty another time her grace and good carriage saying That she was like a Queen and Noble Princess so that at length she perswaded him to marry her openly though before he had her Maidenhead not passing for the Laws and opinions of the Grecians considering that he was to establish Laws to the Persians to determine of right and wrong good and bad Hereupon he married Atossa and loved her very intirely insomuch as though she had a grievous disease that ran all over her Body yet he loved her not the less for it and prayed continually for her to the Goddess Juno and fell on his knees before her Image and sent to her so many offerings that all the way from the Court Gates to Juno's Temple which was sixteen furlongs off was full of Gold Silver rich Purple Silks and Horses which were sent thither About this time Artaxerxes made War against Aegypt by Pharnabazus and Iphicrates the Athenian but they did no good because they fell out betwixt themselves wherefore himself went in Person against the Caducians with three hundred thousand Foot and ten thousand Horse Their Country was very rude which he invaded alwayes dark and cloudy the earth brought forth nothing that was sowed by man and the Inhabitants lived upon Pears and Apples and such like fruit yet the men were strong and lusty When he was entred far into this Country his Army fell into great straits for want of Victuals for his Souldiers found nothing that was fit to eat neither could they come by Victuals from any other place because of the naughty and craggy wayes so that they were forced to live upon their own Beasts and that was sold very dear for an Asses head was sold for sixty Silver Drams Yea the Famine was so great that the King himself wanted food and now there were but few Horses left Now Tiribazus though he was at this time out of favour with the King yet he invented this Stratagem whereby he saved the King and all his men In this Countrey there were two Kings with their Armies in the Field and each of them camped apart from the other Tiribazus after he had imparted his Project to the King himself went to one of these Kings and at the same time sent his Son to the other and told either of them that the other had sent Ambassadours unto King Artaxerxes to make Peace with him unwitting to his Companion and therefore he counselled them if they were wise one of them to seek to prevent the other with all the speed that possible he could Both the one and the other Kings believed these words either of them mistrusting the other So that speedily the one sent his Ambassadours to Artaxerxes with Tiribazus and the other also his Ambassadours with his Son But Tiribazus tarrying somewhat long in the Journey Artaxerxes began somewhat to suspect him His enemies also accused
him in his absence and the King grew angry and was sorry that he had trusted him so far But at length he returned and his Son also and either of them brought with him the Ambassadours of the Cadusians and so Peace was concluded with them both Then was Tiribazus highly in favour again and so departed with the King Artaxerxes at this time made it evident that cowardliness doth not always proceed from Pomp and curiosity which some think to effeminate mens hearts but rather from a base and abject mind that commonly follows evil and the worst counsel For neither the Jewels of Gold nor Kingly Robe not other sumptuous Ornaments which the King ever wore about him valued at twelve thousand Talents did hinder him at that time to travel and to take as much pains as any man in all his Army For he himself marched on foot the fore-most man carrying his knapsack in a scarf upon his Shoulders and his Target on his Arm with which he travelled over high stony Mountains so that his Souldiers seeing the Kings courage and the pains that he took they marched so nimbly as if they had wings about two hundred Furlongs a day At length the King by hard travel came to one of his own Houses where were stately Arbours and Parks with goodly Trees curiously planted but all the Countrey beside was naked and barren having no other Trees near and the weather was very cold the King therefore suffered his Souldiers to hew down the goodly Pines and Cypress Trees in his Parks and to embolden them he himself took an Axe in his hand and began to hew the goodliest Tree of them all The Souldiers seeing that fell every man to work so that in a short time they had wood enough and the Parks were filled with fires by which the Souldiers sat all night In this expedition Artaxerxes lost many valiant men and most of his Horses wherefore thinking that his men would mock him for his miscarriage he grew distrustfull of all and suspected the chiefest Nobles about him so that in a rage he put many of them to death and yet was not satisfied therewith For there is nothing more cruel nor a greater Bloud-sucker than a cowardly Tyrant as on the contrary there is nothing more courteous and less suspicious than a valiant and couragious man After this King Artaxerxes being grown very old heard that there were great contentions between his Sons which of them should inherit the Kingdome after his Death and that the same was diffused amongst his Kindred and Nobles The wisest of them desired that as he himself came to the Kingdom as his Fathers eldest Son so that he also should leave it to his eldest Son called Darius But the younger who was called Ochus being valiant and of a stirring nature had some in the Court that took his part and himself hoped to obtain the Crown by the means of his Sister Atossa whom he much loved and promised to marry her and to make her Queen if he came to the Kingdom after his Fathers Death Now Artaxerxes because he would put Ochus out of all hope to succeed him lest his expectation might put him to go about to practice that which Cyrus did and by this means his Realm should fall into factions and Civil Wars he proclaimed his Son Darius who was now fifty years old King after his Death and gave him leave from henceforth to wear the point of his Hat upright as the Persian Kings used to do Moreover the custome in Persia was that when any came to be proclaimed Heir apparent to the Crown that he should request a gift of him that Proclaimed him his Successor which the other grants whatsoever it be if it be possible Darius then asked his Father for his Concubine Aspasia who was first Concubine to Cyrus but now the King kept her for his own use She was born in Ionia of Free Parents and was brought up virtuously and amongst other beauties she was brought one night to Cyrus as he was at Supper those others without making nice of it sat down by him and were glad when Cybegan to play and be merry with them answering him pleasantly again But Aspasia stood on her feet by the Table and spake never a word and though Cyrus called her yet would she not come at him And when one of the Grooms would have forced her to him The first said she that shall lay hands on me shall repent it whereupon all that were present said she was a foolish thing and meanly brought up and knew not what belonged to Courtship But Cyrus being glad of it passed it over with laughter and said to him that brought them to him Dost thou not see that of all those that thou hast brought me there is not an honest woman but she After this Cyrus made much of and loved her very well and called her Aspasia the wise She was taken in the Camp of Cyrus amongst his spoils after his overthrow and now Darius begged her of his Father who was very angry in his mind for it For the Persians of all other things were very jealous of their Women and he was to be punished with Death that durst but speak to or touch any Concubine of the Kings though but in sport yea if they come near them or near their Coaches as they went abroad The Kings Daughter Atossa whom he had married against the Law was yet living and besides her he had three hundred and sixty Beautiful Concubines and yet when Darius asked Aspasia of him the King answered that she was a Free-woman born and if she would he was content that he should have her but if she was unwilling he would not by any means have him to force her So Aspasia was called and she was asked with which of them she would choose to be She answered with Darius This was contrary to the expectation of Artaxerxes who both by custome and Law was forced to let him have her But shortly after he took her from him again saying that he would place her in a Nunnery of Diana in the Country of Ecbatane there to serve the Goddess and to live chaste all her dayes Darius took this very impatiently either for that he was deeply in love with her or because he thought that his Father mocked him Tiribazus perceiving it he laboured to aggravate Darius his anger and he every day buzzed it in his ears that it was in vain for him to wear his hat upright if his affairs also went not right forward and that he deceived himself much if he did not know that his Brother by means of the women he kept secretly aspired to the Crown and that his Father being so inconstant as he was he must not expect to succeed him in the Kingdom For said he he that for a Grecian woman hath broken and violated the holiest Law that was in Persia thou must not think he will
to his People He also it was who intending to make War upon Egypt that he might have the more assistance therein from the Grecians he sent his Ambassadours into Greece to induce them to make a general Peace among themselves upon these terms that every City should from thenceforth live according to their own Laws and should have no Garrisons amongst them This motion all the Cities of Greece embraced save only the Thebans as you may see in the Life of Epaminondas THE LIFE and DEATH OF ALEXANDER the GREAT KING OF MACEDONIA A LEXANDER surnamed the Great was the Son of Philip King of Macedonia and of his Queen Olympias He was born on the sixth day of our June called by the Macedonians Lous Upon the very same day that the Temple of Diana in Ephesus was burned down whereupon the Priests Magicians and South-sayers ran about the City crying that some great Plague and mischief to Asia was surely born that day Three Messengers came to King Philip presently after he had won the City of Potidaea upon the same day who brought him great News the first that Parmenio his General had won a notable Battel of the Illyrians the second that his Horse had won the prize at the Olympian Games and the third that his Wife Olympias had brought him a Son that was named Alexander born at Pella in Macedonia Philip being marvellous glad to hear these Newses the South-sayers much added to his joy assuring him that his Son that was thus born should be invincible He had naturally a very fair white colour mingled with red which chiefly appeared in his face and breast His Skin had a marvellous sweet savour and his breath was very sweet which sheweth his excellent constitution He was naturally hot and Cholerick which made him to be addicted to drink and hasty and yet was chast withall His Father was very careful of his Education and therefote gat for him excellent Tutors as Leonidas which had the chiefest Government of him Then Lysimachus an Acarnanian and Aristotle the Best Philosopher of his time to whom Philip allowed a very honourable stipend He delighted much in hunting divers kind of wild Beasts and playing at the Staff On a time while he was young Ambassadors were sent to his Father from the King of Persia and it fell out that Philip was in some journey out of his Kingdom Alexander therefore intertained them familiarly not using any childish questions to them nor enquiring about trifling and trivial matters but what distance it was from one place to another and which way they went into the higher places of Asia Also about the King of Persia himself how he behaved himself towards his enemies and what power he had c. insomuch as they were ravished with delight to hear him judging him to be of great Courage and of a Noble mind and one that was like to attempt great enterprises When at any time news was brought him that his Father had taken some famous City or had won some great Battel he was no whit glad to hear it but would say to his Play-fellows Sirs My Father will do all I shall have nothing left me to Conquer with you that will be ought worth Upon a time Philonicus a Thessalian brought a brave Horse called Bucephalus to sell unto king Philip demanding thirteen Talents for him and they went into the Field to try him But the Horse was found to be so unruly and churlish that they which should have ridden him said that he would never be made serviceable For he would let no man get upon his Back nor abide any of the Gentlemens voices that were about Philip but would yerk at them with his heels whereupon Philip being afraid bad them take him away as a wild untamable and unprofitable Beast which they had done accordingly had not Alexander that stood by said O Gods what a Horse do they turn away for lack of skill and courage to handle and break him Philip heard what he said but held his peace Alexander often repeating those words and seeming sorry that the Horse should be sent back Philip said Why doest thou control them that have more skill and experience than thy self and that know better how to handle a Horse than thou doest Alexander answered and yet me-thinks I could handle him better than all they have done But if thou canst do no more than they replied Philip what wilt thou forfet for thy folly I am content said Alexander to forfeit the price of the Horse Every one laughed to hear his answer and the match was made between the Father and the Son Then ran Alexander to the Horse and took him by the Bridle and turned him towards the Sun It seems he had observed how mad the Horse was to see his own shadow which was before always before his eyes as he sturred too and fro Then Alexander speaking gently to the Horse and clapping him on the back with his hand till he had left his fury and snorting softly let fall his Cloak from him and lightly leaped on his back and so gat up without any danger and holding the reins of the Bridle hard without striking or stirring the Horse made him to be gentle enough And when he perceived that the fury of the Horse was calmed he put him forward and began to Gallop Then he put him to his full carrier spurring and switching him Philip at first seeing his Sons confidence began to fear lest he should catch any hurt But when he saw him readily to turn the Horse at the end of his carrier and shewing bravery for what he had done all the Spectators gave a great shoot for joy and the Father fell a weeping for joy and when Alexander was alighted from the Horse his Father went and kissed him saying O Son thou must have a Kingdom that is meet for thee for Macedonia is not sufficient for thee Considering also that he was not to be rigorously dealt with and that by gentle means and perswasions he could make him do what he would he ever sought rather to perswade than to command him what he would have done Alexander in these his younger days was very mild and of a patient disposition insomuch as being told that some of his Friends used in secret to speak against him he said Regium est malè audire câ—m benefeceris It s a Kingly thing to hear ill when one doth well King Philip being dead his Son Alexander succeeded being a Prince no less Valiant by Nature than by Education being well instructed and inriched with all sorts of Learning He began his Reign in Macedonia four hundred and seventeen years after Rome was built being himself about twenty years old Upon this change of the King the neighbour Nations whom Philip had oppressed adventured to endeavour the recovery of their former liberty by force of Arms the young years of Alexander giving some hope of prevailing and his
Poet saith See how these Great men cloath their private hate In these fair colours of the publick good And to effect their ends pretend the State As if the State by their affection stood And Arm'd with Power and Princes Jealousies Will put the least conceit of discontent Into the greatest rank of Treacheries That no one action shall seem innocent Uea Valour Honour Bounty shall be made As accessaries unto ends unjust And even the service of the State must lade The needful'st undertaking with distrust So that base vileness idle Luxury Seem safer far than to do worthily Now the King following the advice of Craterus had resolved the next day to put Philotas to the Torment yet in the very evening of the same night in which he was apprehended he called him to a Banquet and discoursed as familiarly with him as at any other time But when in the dead of the night Philotas was taken in his lodging and that they which hated him began to bind him he cried out upon the King in these words O Alexander the malice of mine enemies hath surmounted thy mercy and their hatred is far more constant than the word of a King Many circumstances were urged against him by Alexander himself and this was not the least not the least offence indeed against the Kings humour who desired to be adored as a God that when Alexander wrote unto him concerning the Title given him by Jupiter Hammon he answered That he could not but rejoyce that he was admitted into the Sacred fellowship of the Gods and yet he could not but withall grieve for those which should live under such a one as would exceed the nature of man This said Alexander assured me that his heart was estranged and that he despised my Glory Philotas was brought before the multitude to hear the Kings Oration against him He was brought forth in vile Garments and bound like a Thief where he heard himself and his absent Father the greatest Captain in the World accused and also his two other Brothers Hector and Nicanor who had lost their lives in these Wars wherewith he was so overcome with grief that for a while he could utter nothing for tears and sorrow had so wasted his Spirits that he sank between those that led him In the end the King asked him in what Language he would make his defence He answered In the same wherein it had pleased the King to accuse him which accordingly he did to the end that the Persians as well as the Macedonians might understand him But hereof the King made this advantage perswading the Assembly that he disdained the Language of his own Countrey and so withdrawing himself he left him to his merciless enemies This proceeding of the Kings Philotas greatly lamented seeing the King who had so sharply inveighed against him would not vouchsafe to hear his answer For hereby his enemies were emboldned against him and all the rest having discovered the Kings mind and resolution contended amongst themselves which of them should shew the greatest hatred towards him Amongst many Arguments which he brought for his own defence this was not the least that when Nicomachus desired to know of Dimnus of what quality and power his partners in the Conspiracy were seeming unwilling to adventure himself amongst mean and base Companions Dimnus named unto him Demetrius of the Kings Bed-Chamber Nicanor Amyntas and some others but spake not a word of Philotas who being Master of the Horse would greatly have graced the cause and encouraged Nicomachus And to make it more clear that he knew nothing of their intents there was not any one of the Conspirators that in their torments would accuse him Yet at the last himself being put to extream torments by the device of his professed enemies Craterus Cenus Ephestion and others Philotas accused himself hoping that they would have slain him immediately But he failed even in that miserable hope and suffering all that could be inflicted on flesh and blood he was forced to confess not what was true but what might best please them who were far more merciless than Death it self Cruelty is not a humane vice It is unworthy of man It 's even a boasting rage to delight in bloud and wounds and casting away the nature of man to become a savage Monster Now whilst Alexanders hands were yet died in blood he commanded that Lyncestes Son in Law to Antipater who had been three years in Prison should be slain The same dispatch had all those that were accused by Nicomachus But Parmenio was yet living Parmenio who had served with great fidelity as well Philip the Kings Father as himself Parmenio that first opened Alexanders way into Asia That had cast down Attalus the Kings enemy That had alwayes and in all hazards the leading of the Kings Vaunt-guard That was no less prudent in Counsel than successful in all his enterprizes A man beloved of the men of War and to say the truth he that had purchased for the King the Empire of the East and of all the Glory and Fame which he had attained to That he might not therefore revenge the Death of his Son though not upon the King for it was unlikely that he would have stained his fidelity in his old age having now lived seventy years yet upon those who by base Flattery had possessed themselves of the Kings affection It was resolved that he should dye also and Polydamus was employed in this business a man whom of all others Parmenio trusted most and loved best Who to be short finding him in Media and having Cleander and other Murtherers with him slew him as he was walking in his Garden and reading the Kings letters This was the end of Parmenio saith Curtius who had performed many notable things without the King but the King without him did never effect any thing worthy of Praise These things being ended Alexander marched on with his Army and subdued the Araspitans and made Amenides sometime secretary to Darius their Governour Then he Conquered the Arachosians and left Menon to command over them Here the Army that was sometime led by Parmenio found him which consisted of twelve thousand Macedonians and Greeks with whom though with much difficulty he passed through some cold Regions At length he came to the foot of the Mountain Taurus towards the East where he built a city which he honoured with his own Name and peopled it with seven thousand of his old Macedonians worn out with age and the travels of War The Arians who since he left them were revolted he again subdued by the industry and valour of Caranus and Erigius and now he resolved to find out the new King Bessus in Bactria who hearing of his coming prepared to pass over the great River of Oxus which divides Bactria from Sogdiana Bessus having now abandoned Bactria Alexander made Artabazus Governour of it and himself marching forward with his Army they
by Cassander and Lysimachus Roxane the beloved Wife of Alexander together with her Son Alexander and Barsine another of his Wives which was Daughter to Darius were all slain by Cassander And presently after the whole Family of Cassander was rooted out Ptolomy died in Egypt Lysimachus was slain by Seleuchus and Seleuchus himself presently after by Ptolomy So that all the Family of Alexander within a few years after his Death was wholly extirpated and all his Friends and great Captains by their Ambition and mutual contentions came most of them to untimely ends When the dead body of Alexander had lain seven dayes upon his Throne at last the Chaldeans and Egyptians were commanded from thenceforth to take the care of it But when they came about it they durst not at first approach to touch it But anon after saying their Prayers that it might be no sin unto them being but mortals to lay their hands upon so Divine a Body they fell to work and dissected it the Golden Throne whereon he lay being all stuffed with Spices and hung about with Pendants and Banners and other Emblems of his high State and Honour The care of his Funeral and of providing a Chariot wherein to carry his Body to the Temple of Jupiter Hammon was committed to Aridaeus who spent two whole years in making provision for it which made Olympias his Mother seeing him lye so long unburied in great grief of heart to cry out and say O my Son Thou that wouldst needs be accounted amongst the Gods and keptest such adoe about it canst not now have that which every poor man hath a little Earth and Burial Long after when Julius Caesar had Conquered Pompey and was idle in Egypt Lucan tells us that he visited the Temples and the Cave wherein the Body of Alexander the Great lay In these Verses Vultu semper celante timorem Intrepidus Superum sedes Templa vetusti Numinis c. Then with a look still hiding fear goes he The Stately Temple of th' old God to see Which speaks the Ancient Macedonian greatness But there delighted with no Objects sweetness Nor with their Gold nor Gods Majestick dress Nor lofty City Walls with greediness Into the burying Vault goes Coesar down Where Macedonian Philip's mad-brain'd Son The prosperous Thief lies buried Whom just Fate Slew in the Worlds Revenge Alexander was very Learned and a great Lover of Learning and Learned men insomuch as he rewarded his Master Aristotle with eighty Talents for his History of Living Creatures He so prized Homers Iliads that in all his Wars he carried it in his Pocket and laid it under his Pillow a nights He loved his Master Aristotle as if he had been his Father and used to say We have our being from our Parents but our well-being from our School-Masters His Mother Olympias was very severe and morose in her carriage and once Antipater his Vice-Roy in Europe wrote large Letters of complaint to him against her to whom he returned this answer Knowst thou not that one little tear of my Mothers will blot out a thousand of thy Letters of complaint When he heard the Philosophers conclusion concerning the unity of the World he wept because there were no more Worlds for him to Conquer but one An evident note of his great Ambition which also manifested it self hereby That when he came to the Tomb of Achilles he fell as weeping considering that Achilles had a Homer to sing his Praises and to perpetuate his memory whereas he had no such Poet to set forth his Commendations Also he commanded that no man should draw his Picture but Apelles the most exquisite Painter in the World and that none should make his Statue in Brass but Lycippus the most excellent Workman in that kind Alexander used to carry his Head on one side inclining to the left wherein his Court-Parasites to ingratiate themselves with him imitated him One desiring to see his Treasures and his Jewels he bad his Servants shâ—w him not his Talents of Gold and Silver and such other precious things but his Friends When he had overcome Darius and gotten possession of all his Dominions and Treasures he began to degenerate into the Asian Luxury His Chastity and Moderation were turned into Pride and Lust. He judged his Country manners and the Discipline of the former Macedonian Kings too sordid and mean for him He imitated the Pride of the Persian Kings he made him a Crown and Robes like unto Darius He grew so proud and insolent that he suffered his Souldiers to fall down and worship him like a God Yea he commanded his Servants and Slaves to do so He cloathed his Captains and Horse-men like unto the Persians which though they disliked they durst not refuse He gat him three hundred sixty five Concubines of the beautifullest Virgins that could be found in Asia after the manner of the Persian Kings one of which lay with him every night He had his Troops of Eunuchs with Musicians Jesters Singing women c. He spent whole days and nights in profuse Feasting and Revelling All which was very offensive to his old Captains and Souldiers When he was a Boy he took both his hands full of perfumes and cast them into the fire as he was Sacrificing whereupon Leonidas one of his School-Masters said to him O Alexander when thou hast Conquered those Countries wherein these odors grow then thou maist be so liberal but in the mean time be more sparing Afterwards when he had conquered Arabia Foelix he sent to Leonidas a hundred Tallents of Myrrhe and five hundred of Frankincense bidding him to be hereafter more liberal in his service of the Gods He was of so bountiful a disposition that it was a greater trouble to him not to be asked than not to give He wrote to Phocian that he would make use of his friendship no more if he refused his Gifts Serapion a young Boy that used to play at Ball with him gat nothing because he asked nothing whereupon the next time he played he threw the Ball to all but Alexander the King marvelling at it asked him why he threw not the Ball to him Forsooth said Serapion because you asked it not Alexander laughing at the jest sent him a liberal Gift As he was travelling through the Desarts of Persia himself and his Army were in great straits for want of water One of his Souldiers having two Sons ready to dye of thirst sought up and down and at last found a little water wherewith he filled a leather Bottel and was running with it to his Sons but meeting Alexander by the way he filled it out into a dish and profered it to him Alexander asked him whither he was carrying it the man told him that his two Sons were ready to die with thirst But said he pray you Sir do you drink it For if my Sons die I can get more but if you die we shall not have such
Onesicratus Diodorus Siculus Trogus Pompeius Justin Quintus Curtius with divers others Lycippus the Painter made Alexanders Picture looking up to Heaven with this Motto Jupiter asserui Terram mihi tu assere Coelum O Jupiter I have taken the Earth to my self Take thou Heaven with which Alexander was so well pleased that he published a Proclamation that none should draw his Picture but Lycippus Apelles drew Alexander's Picture with a Thunderbolt in his hand to shew his admirable celerity and unresistableness in his Conquests This bloudy man lived not out half his Dayes and not long after his Death all his Posterity was rooted out His Posterity and Kindred that he left behind him were his Mother Olymtias his Unkle Pyrrhus King of Epirus His Brother Arideus and his Sister Cleopatra His two Wives with their two Sons Roxane with Alexander and Bursines with Hercules Olympias caused Arideus to be Killed Cassander thereupon took occasion to put Olympias to death being almost fourscore years old and then he poysoned both Alexanders Sons Alexander and Hercules with Roxane Alexanders Wife Cleopatra Alexanders Sister the Governour of the Sardians who was base Brother to Philip Alexanders Father procured her to be killed therein thinking to gratifie Antigonus And last of all Pyrrhus was vanquished by Antigonus the Son of Demetrius by whom his Head was cut off THE LIFE and DEATH OF EPAMINONDAS THE GREAT CAPTAIN OF THE THEBANS THE Father of Epaminondas was Polymnis who was descended of one of the most ancient and renowned Families amongst the Thebans the most part of which Noble linage had upon their Bodies for a natural Birth-mark the resemblance of a Snake This Polymnis had two only Sons Caphisias and Epaminondas whom he educated very carefully and had them very carefully and had them very well instructed in all the liberal Arts and honest Sciences especially Epaminondas who had the more stayed wit and was most inclined to Virtue desirous to learn humble obedient and wonderful docible and of one Dyonisius he learned to be very skilful in Singing and Musick And for Philosophy it happened well for him that he fell into an excellent Masters hands by this means The Colleges of the Pythagorian Phylosophers that were dispersed through the Cities of Italy were banished by the faction of the Cylonians yet such as still kept together met in a Councel at Metapont to consider of their affairs But some seditious Persons rose up against them and set the House wherein they were on fire and burnt them all only Phylolaus and Lysis being lusty young men escaped through the fire Phylolaus fled into the Country of the Lucanians and resided there with his Friends But Lysis got to Thebes where Polymnis intertained him intreating him to undertake the Tuition of his Son Epaminondas who though he was but a young Boy yet was he of good capacity and of very good Hopes This Phylosopher accordingly applied himself to manure this noble and quick wit of Epaminondas and in a short time made him perfect in all Sciences and Virtue so that it was hard to find a more wise grave and virtuous Person than he was When he was but fifteen years of age he gave himself to all manner of exercises of the Body as to run wrestle use his Weapons and all feats of Arms and having quickly attained to skill in these he applied himself to his Book He was naturally silent fearful to speak but never a weary to hear and learn whereupon Spintharus the Tarentine being familiarly acquainted with him in Thebes used to say that he never knew any man that knew so much and spake so little as Epaminondas If he fell into any company that discoursed of Philosophy or of State matters he would never leave them till the matter propounded was at an end He was of a pleasant disposition and so witty that he could break a jest as well as any man Lysis after he had lived long in Thebes died and was honourably buried by his Scholar Epaminondas Not long after Theanor one of the Pythagorians in Sicily was sent to bring Lysis thither but when he came to Thebes he found him dead and buried therefore going to Epaminondas after salutations he told him that his Companions who were rich willed him to give Polymnis and his Chidren a good sum of mony in recompence of that curteous entertainment which they had given to Lysis Epaminondas after pleasant excuses made told him that none could be received saying further Jason a Captain of the Thessalians thought that I gave him a rude and uncivil answer when he having earnestly entreated me to receive a good sum of Gold I sent him word that he did me wrong and began to make War with me for that he aspiring to make himself a Lord would corrupt me with mony who am a plain Citizen of a free Town and living under the Law But for thee Theanor I commend thy good will because its honest and virtuous but I tell thee thou bringest Physick to them that are not sick Admit that thou hearing we had been in Wars hadst brought us Arms to defend us and when on the contrary thou hadst found us quiet and at peace with all our neighbours thou wouldst not have thought fit to bestow these Arms and leave them with those that had no need of them Even so thou art come to relieve our poverty as though it were a burden to us whereas on the contrary it s an easie and pleasant thing to us to carry and we are glad we have it in our Houses amongst us and therefore we have no need of Arms or mony against that which doth us no hurt at all But tell thy brethren that they use their goods very honestly and also that they have Friends here which use their Poverty as well and as for the intertainment and burial of Lysis he hath himself fully recompenced us having taught us amongst many other good lessons not to be afraid of Poverty nor to be grieved to see it amongst us Theanor having made some reply about the good and evil of Riches and told him that as Poverty was not evil in it self so neither was Riches to be had in contempt and dispised No truly said Epaminondas yet considering with my self that we have a World of covetous desires some natural that are born with us and bred in our flesh by the lusts pertaining to it Others strange to us grounded upon vain opinions which taking setling and becoming an habit in us by tract of time and long use through evil education oftentimes do draw us down and weigh our Souls with more force and violence than those that be connatural to us For reason through daily exercise of virtue and practice thereof is a means to free us from many of those things that are born and bred with us Yet we must use continual force and opposition against our concupiscences which are strangers to us to quench them
Alexandra the Daughter of Hyrcanus the Wife of Alexander the Son of Aristobulus and Mother-in-Law of Herod took in ill part for that Aristobulus her Son and Brother of Mariamne was neglected and another from a strange place should be made High-Priest whereupon she wrote to Cleopatra Queen of Egypt and Anthonies darling that she would procure the High-Priesthood of Anthony for her Son Cleopatra neglected her request but shortly after Dellius a friend of Anthonies coming into Iudea perswaded her to send the Pictures of her Son Aristobulus and of her Daughter Mariamne to Anthony who then would deny her nothing This she assented to and sent them by Dellius who told Anthony that they seemed rather to be of a Divine than of a humane race Anthony was much inflamed herewith yet thought it undecent to send for a Lady that was married to Herod shunning also the jealousie of Cleopatra whereupon he wrote to Alexandra to send her Son to him under some honest pretence But these things coming to the ears of Herod he thought it not safe that Aristobulus now in the flower of his age being but sixteen should be sent to Anthony the most potent man amongst the Romans and very much given to his Lusts. Wherefore he wrote back that if the youth did but step out of the Kingdom all the Country would be up in Arms the Iews hoping for some innovations under a new King and by this means he satisfied Anthony Herod being continually molested with the intreaties of his Wife Mariamne that he would give the High-Priesthood to her Brother Aristobulus it being his right he called a Council of his Friends to whom he inveighed against his Mother-in-Law Alexandra as if she had privately wrought Treason against his Kingdom and had endeavoured by Cleopatra's means to translate it to young Aristobulus yet lest he should seem to neglect both his piety to her and the rest of that Kindred he told them he would now restore the Priesthood to her Son which hitherto Ananelius had supplied by reason of the young mans tender years Alexandra being herewith overjoyed and withall grieved that she was suspected fell a weeping clearing her self of those accusations and gave him many thanks for her Sons honour promising that hereafter she would be most obedient unto him And thus Herod in the life-time of Ananelius gave the High-Priesthood to Aristobulus being then but seventeen years old Yet Herod fearing lest his Mother-in-Law Alexandra should seek occasion to raise new troubles confined her to the Palace and commanded her to do nothing by her own authority yea he set so strict a guard over her that nothing was concealed from him of all she did to the very expences of her Table This she took very heavily and wrote to Cleopatra complaining of her hard condition and desired her to yield her assistance Cleopatra advised her with her Son to fly to her into Egypt which she liked and therefore provided two Coffins the one for her self the other for her Son commanding her servants that were privy to the plot to carry them out by night and to convey them to a ship that was ready prepared to carry them into Egypt This business Aesopus one of her servants blabbed to Sabbation a friend of Alexanders supposing that he had known all before which as soon as Sabbation knew though hitherto he was an enenmy of Herods as being suspected to have been in the plot of poysoning his Father Antipater he took this occasion of being reconciled to the King by discovering the matter Herod being thus informed of the plot dissembled the matter till it was in execution and then surprized her in her flight and brought her back Yet did he pardon her fault not indeed daring to punish her lest thereby he should discontent Cleopatra that was willing to take any occasion against him wherefore under a colour of a magnanimous spirit he made shew as if he pardoned her out of meer clemency The Feast of Tabernacles being now come the new High-Priest Aristobulus being just past seventeen years old was to offer Sacrifice according to the Law and being clad in his Pontifical attire he came to the Altar and performed the Ceremony with all Decency whose excellent beauty and stature being higher than was usual for his age and carrying in his countenance the honour of his Lineage drew the eyes and love of all the multitude upon him every one calling to mind the worthy and memorable actions of his Grand-father Aristobulus and therefore as overcome with affections towards him they were so over-joyed that they could not contain themselves but openly prayed for him and wished him all joy and that more freely than was meet in those jealous times under such a King proclaiming openly both the memory and thanks they owed to the Family for all the benefits they had received from it As soon as the Feast was ended Aristobulus was entertained at a Banquet by his Mother Alexandra Herod also pretended favour to him and enticed him into a convenient place to sport with him after the manner of young men and when they were hot and weary and left their sport they walked out to the Fish-ponds which were near the Court to take the fresh air where also they beheld some of the servants that were swimming At last by the perswasion of Herod Aristobulus undrest himself and went in amongst them Then they who were suborned by Herod as it were in sport and jest ducked him as he was swimming holding him under water and never left off till they had drowned him This was the end of Aristobulus in the eighteenth year of his age and in the first year of his High-Priesthood which immediately returned to Ananelus The report of these things coming to the Women they were all on an uprore and did nothing but weep and howl over the body of the young man Yea sorrow overspread the whole City every one bewailing the calamity as if it had been his own But Herod endeavoured by all means to make the people believe as if it had faln out by chance without his privity not only feigning sorrow but tears and grief also and that he might the more comfort the Women he buried the body in a most magnificent manner being liberal in prodigality in adorning his Monument and in perfumes and other precious things But his Mother Alexandra knowing the Treason though she was oft ready to lay violent hands upon her self yet repressed her passion seeming not to be suspicious till an opportunity of revenge might offer it self And shortly after she wrote to Cleopatra of the treachery of Herod and of the lamentable death of her Son Cleopatra pitying her misfortune took a particular care of this business as if it had been her own and never rested from perswading Anthony to revenge the young mans death telling him that it was an unpardonable crime that he who by his help enjoyed
be his Guard and restored to him that part of his Country which Cleopatra had seized upon and added to his Kingdom Gadara and Hippon and Samaria and by the Sea-side Gaza and Anthedon and Ioppa and the Tower of Straton which added much splendour to his Kingdom In Caesars return through Syria Herod conducted him as far as Antioch At his return for the space of a whole year suspicions increased daily between him and his Wife Mariamne she neglecting his carasses and oft upbraiding him either with the death of her Grand-father Hyrcanus or her Father Aristobulus so that Herod could scarce refrain from striking her and Salome by the noise perceiving that Herod was much moved she sent in the Butler whom long before she had suborned for that end who told Herod that he was solicited by Mariamne to deliver him a love potion which he had by him but what it was he knew not Herod hereupon examined the most faithful servant of Mariamne by torture being assured that she would attempt nothing without his privity who not enduring the torments confessed that she was offended for something that Sohemus had declared unto her which when the King heard he cryed out that Sohemus had declared unto her which when the King heard he cryed out that Sohemus who had ever been most faithful both to him and the Kingdom would never have spoken of these things had there not been some more secret familiarity between them than was fitting and thereupon he commanded Sohemus to be apprehended and put to death and having called his Friends to Counsel he accused his Wife for practising to poyson him which he so aggravated that all that were present perceived that he had a mind that she should be condemned which was accordingly done by the general consent of them all and whereas they thought that the execution should not be over speedy but rather that she should be secured in some of the Kings Castles Salome exceedingly urged the King that she should presently be put to death for fear lest there should be some commotion among the People she being alive and in Prison and thus was Mariamne brought to her death When her Mother Alexandra saw her going to execution and considered that she must look for the same at Herods hands that she might not seem to be guilty of the same crime she began to upbraid her Daughter as being wicked and ingrateful towards her Husband saying that she deserved death who durst attempt so hainous an act Whilst she counterfeited these things and made as if she would have pulled her Daughter by the hair they that were present condemned her hypocrisie but she that was led to death returned her no answer but refelled the false accusation with a resolute countenance and mind and underwent her death without fear She being dead Herod began to be more inflamed with love towards her often calling upon her Name and lamenting her death beyond decency and although he sought to divert his grief by pleasures feastings and drinking yet all availed nothing Whereupon he cast off the care of his Kingdom and so far gave up himself to sorrow that he would bid his Servants call Mariamne as though she were yet living As Herod was thus tormenting himself there came a great Plague which swept away a great part both of the Nobility and Commons every one judging that this Plague was sent by God for the unjust death of the Queen The Kings discontents being increased hereby he at last hid himself in a solitary Wilderness under a pretence of hunting where still afflicting himself he fell into a great sickness which was accompanied with an inflammation and great pain in his Neck so that he began to rave neither could any applications ease him but rather made the disease more painful so that those about him began to despair of his life and his Physicians partly because of the stubborness of the disease and partly because in so great danger there was not any free election of diet they gave him leave to eat whatsoever he would Herod lying thus sick in Samaria and Alexandra being at Jerusalem she endeavoured to get the two Castles of the City into her hands the one adjoyning to the Temple the other situate in the City For which end she sollicited the Governours of them to deliver them up unto her and to the Children of her and Mariamne lest that Herod being dead they should be seized upon by others But they who had ever been faithful to Herod were now much more diligent in their Office both out of an hatred of Alexandra and because they thought it a great offence to despair of the recovery of their Prince Hereupon they presently sent Messengers to Herod to acquaint him with Alexandra's attempt who thereupon commanded her to be slain At length overcoming his disease he recovered his strength both of body and mind but grew so cruel that upon the least occasion he was ready to put any one to Death Salome Herods Sister having been married to Cossaborus an Idumean a difference now arising betwixt them she contrary to the custom of the Iews sent him a Bill of Divorce and came away to her Brother Herod telling him that she preferred his love before her tye to her Husband the reason which she pretended was that Cossaborus had practised some innovations with Lysimachus Antipater and Dositheus confirming it from this because he had privily kept in his Country the Children of Bebas now for the space of twelve years from Herods taking of Ierusalem As soon as Herod heard this he sent some to their hiding places and killed them with many others to the intent that none should remain of the kindred of Hyrcanus He also took out of the way all such as excelled in any dignity that he might do whatsoever seemed him good there being none to resist him Herod by these practises growing more secure he began to degenerate more and more from his Country fashions violating them by forreign inventions For first he instituted Wrestlings every fifth year in the honour of Caesar for the exhibiting of which he began to build a Theatre in Ierusalem and an Amphitheatre in the plain both of them very sumptuous for the Workmanship but clean contrary to the Iewish customs Yea he would have this solemnity to be inrolled and to be proclaimed in the neighbouring Countries and to remoter Nations and by propounding greater rewards he invited not only those those were skilful Wrestlers but also excellent Musicians and such as Played on several Instruments Yet that which above all troubled the Iews were the Trophees which being covered with Armour they thought to be Images forbidden by their Law but Herod to satisfie them commanded the Armour to be taken off and shewed them that they were meer stocks of Wood whereupon all their anger was turned into laughter Herod having many ways provoked the Jews ten
not hear his Ambassadours but dismissed them without an answer The Trachonites and Arabians taking hold of this occasion molested the Garison of the Idumaeans that Herod had set over them but Herod being affrighted with Caesars anger was fain to connive at it About this time Obodas King of Arabia Nabathaea dyed and one Aeneas succeeded him who changed his name into Aretas which Syllaeus hearing of at Rome endeavoured by false accusations to have him thrust from the Kingdom and to get it to himself bestowing much money upon the Courtiers and promising great things unto Caesar whom he knew to be offended with Aretas for assuming the Kingdom without his consent In the mean while Aretas sent Letters and rich presents unto Caesar and amongst them a Crown worth many Talents But Caesar would not hear his Ambassadours and scorned his Presents and dismissed them without any thing done Herod being continually vexed with the insolencies of the Arabians sent Nicholas Damascene to Rome to see if by the mediation of his Friends he could get Justice from Caesar But in the mean time the discord with his Sons that he had by Mariamne was greatly heightned by the artifices of Eurichus a Lacedemonian which occasioned Herod to find out their supposed Treachery to put to death by various torments many both of his own and of his Sons Friends yet could he find no other evil by them but some too free complaints of improvident young men concerning their Fathers immoderate cruelty and his too easie hearkning to base pick-thanks of the wicked deceits of their Brother Antipater and of the faction that was combined against them and that to free themselves from these mischiefs they were said to think of flying to Archelaus King of Cappadocia which thing indeed they did not deny Hereupon Herod cast them into Prison as if they had been convicted of Treason against their Father resolving to punish them according as his affairs went at Rome and concerning this business he sent Letters to Caesar by Volumnius the Roman General and Olympius his Friend At Rome Nicholas Damascene joyned himself to the Arabians that came to accuse Syllaeus professing that he was his accuser also before Augustus and not Herods defender and this he did lest he should be repulsed as others had been before him When by this means he had gotten access into Caesars presence he indeed laid open many of Syllaeus his crimes and withall added that Caesar was circumvented with his lyes in the cause of Herod which he confirmed by certain authentick records This so prevailed with Caesar that he condemned Syllaeus and remanded him into the Province that when he had satisfied the debt he might be punished From this time Augustus was reconciled to Aretas and Herod and then received the Presents that before he had so often rejected and confirmed the Kingdom of the Arabians to Aretas He advised Herod also by his Letters to call a Council of his Friends at Berytus and joyning the Presidents of Syria with Archelaus the King of Cappadocia by their joynt advice to determine of the business about his Sons About this time the Angel Gabriel who long before had foretold to Daniel the coming of the Messias by a certain number of Weeks appeared at the right side of the Altar of incense to Zachary the Priest of the course of Abia telling him that there should be born to him now in his old age his Wise Elizabeth also being well stricken in years and barren a Son Called John a Nazarite and the forerunner of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias which he not believing was made dumb Luke 1. 5. 22. Herod having received Augustus his Letters rejoyced exceedingly both because he was returned into his favour and for that he had granted him power to do what he would with his Sons and hereupon he convened by messengers all those that Caesar had appointed to Berythus except only Archelaus and kept his Sons not far from the place in a City of the Sidonians and the Case being opened Saturninus one that had been Consul delivered his opinion but moderated with circumstances that Herods Sons were to be condemned but not to be put to death After him his three Sons that were his Lieutenants delivered their opinions to the same purpose But Voluminus pronounced that they were to be punished with death whose opinion the major part followed and so the Council being ended Herod took his Sons with him and meeting with Nicholas Damascene at Tyrus they went together to Caesarea Here whenas a certain old Souldier named Tyro had smartly reprehended Herod for his wickedness determined against his Sons and told him that three hundred more of his Captains were of the same opinion Herod commanded him to be cast into Prison Trypho the Kings Barber taking this occasion accused Tyro for that he had often sollicited him to cut the Kings throat with his razor as he was trimming him and immediatly both Tyro and his Son and the Barber were tortured and Herod bringing those three hundred Captains and Tyro and his Son and the Barber accused them before the People against whom the people throwing any thing that came next to hand slew them every one Then were Alexander and Aristobulus led to Sebaste and there strangled by their Fathers command and their bodies were buried in the Castle of Alexandrion where Alexander their Grandfather by the Mothers side and many of their Progenitors had been buried Antipater when his Brethren were now dead intended to remove his Father also out of the way and knowing that he was hated by many in the Kingdom he endeavoured by Bribes to get the good will of his Fathers Friends both at Rome and in Judea but especially of Saturninus the President of Syria and of Pheroras and Salome the Brother and Sister of Herod At this time Herod sent home Glaphira the Widow of his Son Alexander to her Father Archelaus the King of Cappadocia and gave her a Dowry out of his Treasury lest some controversie should arise concerning it and withall he took great care of the young children of Alexander and Aristobulus which Antipater took very heavily fearing lest when they should come to age they would hinder his designs he sought therefore their destruction and he so overcame Herod by his flatteries that he suffered him to marry the daughter of Aristobulus and his Son to marry the daughter of his Unkle Pheroras About this time Herod invited Zamaris a Babylonian Jew and gave him a Countrey in Trachonis to inhabit and this he did that he might be a guard to that Countrey against Thieves and Zamaris coming with five hundred Horse and an hundred of his Kinsmen erected Castles in divers places of that Country by which means he secured the Jews that came from Babylon to the Feasts at Jerusalem from the Thieves Antipater working Treason against his Father drew in his Unkle Pheroras and some
of the Kings women that were most addicted to the Sect of the Pharisees except Salome who constantly adhered to her Brother Herod These Pharisees were a crafty people arrogant and enemies to Kings and they only of the whole Nation of the Jews refused to swear allegiance to Herod and Caesar and were about six thousand For which cause Herod fined them and the Wife of Pheroras paid their fine for them to whom by way of requital they foretold that the Kingdom should be taken from Herod and his children and be transferred upon her Husband and Her and their children these things Salome made known to Herod who examining the business put some of the Pharisees to death and with them the Eunuch Dagoas and his darling Carus who was commended to him for his handsomness and besides these all the rest of his Family whom he found to have conspired with the Pharisees Herod having punished the Pharisees called a Council of his Friends and before them began an accusation against the Wife of his Brother Pheroras and when Pheroras though to gratifie his Brother would not forsake her he forbad Antipater Pheroras his company and Antipater that he might remove all suspition from himself procured by his Friends that his Father should send him immediately to Augustus and accordingly Herod sent him with great Presents and his Will in which he declared that Antipater should succeed him in the Kingdom But if he died before him then his Son that he had by Mariamne the Daughter of Simon the High Priest In the sixth moneth after John was conceived the Angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth in Galilee to the blessed Virgin Mary betrothed to Joseph of the same Tribe with her viz. of the stock of David and declared to her that she should bring forth the Son of God and call his name Jesus and she being more fully taught of his admirable conception by the power of the Holy Ghost overshadowing her with great Faith said Be it to the Handmaid of the Lord according to thy word Luk. 1. 26 38. and presently after she went into the Hill-Countrey into a City of Judah viz. Hebron a City of the Priests scituated in the mountains of Judea Josh. 21. 10 11. where when she entred into the House of Zachary and saluted her Cousin Elizabeth the Babe sprang in her womb and she being filled with the Holy Ghost declared that Mary was blessed c. Luk. 1. 39 56. Herod banished his Brother Pheroras into his Tetrarchy because he would not part with his Wife who swore that he would never return till he heard of Herods death so that a little after Herod falling sick and often sending for him to receive some private instructions he refuled to come for his Oathsfake When Elizabeths time was come she brought forth a Son who was called John and Zacharies speech being restored to him he prophesied saying Blessed be the Lord God of Israel c. Luk. 1. 57 58. and Joseph finding his betrothed wife to be with child thought of putting her away privily but being warned by God in a dream he took her to wife Mat. 1. 24. Pheroras falling sick and Herod beyond expectation being recovered went to visit him and very kindly sought help for him but he died within a few dayes after whose Body was brought to Jerusalem and interred by Herod who honoured him with publick mourning At this time two of Pheroras's freed men declared to Herod how he was killed by poyson given him by Doris the Mother of Antipater which whilst Herod enquired into by little and little he found out greater Villanies and the manifest Treasons of his Son Antipater who when he went to Rome had delivered a deadly poyson to Pheroras that was sent him out of Egypt from his Unkle Theodore the Brother of Doris wherewithall to make away his Father that so the suspition of the Parricide should not lye upon him being so far absent Hereupon Herod put Doris out of the Palace and took from her Jewels that were worth many Talents He also put from him his Wife Mariamne the Daughter of the High Priest as a Partner of all these secrets and blotted her Son out of his Will and deprived her Father of the High Priesthood and substituted in his room Matthias the Son of Theophilus that was born at Jerusalem Presently after came Bathillus Antipaters freed man from Rome who being tortured confessed that formerly he had brought poyson and given it to Doris and Pheroras that if the first proved too weak they should be sure to dispatch Herod with the second There came also Letters from his Friends at Rome to the King written by the entreaty of Antipater in which Archelaus and Philip Herods Sons were accused for often complaining of the death of Alexander and Aristobulus pitying the misfortune of their murthered Brethren For these young men were studying at Rome and their Father had now commanded their return whereupon Antipater by great gifts corrupted those Friends that by their Letters they might make the young men suspected to their Father who if they lived might be an hindrance to his hopes About this time Augustus taxing all the Roman world our Lord Christ was born Luk. 2. 4 5. Shortly after there came Wise men from the East the Star being their guide to Herod at Jerusalem and there being taught that the birth-place of Christ was Bethlehem of Judea thither they went and entring into the house which was shewed them by the Star that stood over it they found the Child and fell down and worshipped him c. Mat. 2. 1. 12. After the Angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph in a dream warning him to fly into Egypt where he remained till the death of Herod Mat. 2. 13 14 15. Herod thinking that the Child was still at Bethlehem that he might destroy him amongst the rest killed all the children which were in Bethlehem and in all the Coasts thereof from two years old and under according to the time of the Star first seen in the East that he had enquired of the Wise men Mat. 2. 16. Herod receiving Letters from Antipater from Rome in which he signified that having dispatched all his business according to his own mind he would shortly return into his own Countrey he wrote back to him again dissembling his anger that he should make haste lest any thing should befall him in his absence that he should not like of and also gently complaining of his Mother he promised that he would remit all differences at his return Antipater heard uo news all this while either of the death of Pheroras or of those things that were on foot against him though there were seven months space between the wickedness proved against him and his return For in his journey at Tarentum he met with a Letter of the death of Pheroras and in Cilicia those Letters of his Father that
called him back so hastily and when he came to Celenderis a Town of Cilicia he began to doubt of his return hearing of and being extream sorrowful for the disgrace of his Mother yet failing forwards he came to Sebaste a Port of Caesarea where being saluted by none he went to Jerusalem It happened that Quintilius Varus was the same time at Jerusalem being sent as Successor to Saturninus into Syria and then called thither by Herod to assist him with his Counsel in those his weighty affairs As they were sitting both together in comes Antipater not knowing any thing and in his purple Garment that he used to wear entring the Palace but himself being entred the Guards suffered none of his followers to come in with him As he was coming near his Father thrust him from him reproaching him with the murther of his Brethren and his intention of poysoning his Father telling him that the next day Varus should hear and determine all things betwixt them and accordingly the next day Varus and the King sitting in Judgment his Father himself first began the accusation and left the prosecution and confirmation thereof to his old Friend Nicholas Damascene one that knew all the business and when Antipater could not clear himself from the crimes objected against him Varus commanded the poyson that he had prepared for his Father to be brought forth which being given to a condemned main killed him immediately after which Varus rose from the Council and the next day went to Antiochia but Herod cast his Son into Prison and signified so much by Letters to Caesar sending also messengers who by word of mouth might acquaint him with the cursed Treason of Antipater As these Messengers were posting to Rome Herod fell sick and made his will leaving his Kingdom to his youngest Son Herod Antipas being exasperated against his two elder Sons Archelaus and Philip by the false accusations of Antipater Judas the Son of Sariphaeus and Matthias the Son of Margalothus two of the most Learned of the Jews and best Interpreters of the Law knowing that the Kings sickness was incurable perswaded some young men that were their Scholars to throw down the Golden Eagle that was set up by Herod over the great gate of the Temple who accordingly going up at noon day pulled and hewed down with their axes the Eagle a great multitude being in the Temple and beholding it which as soon as it was told the Captain he came with a strong Band of Souldiers and laid hold upon some forty of the young men together with their Masters and brought them to Herod These constantly defending what they had done Herod commanded them to be bound and sent them to Jericho Then calling for the Rulers of the Jews into whose Assembly he was brought in a Litter by reason of his weakness he complained to them not so much of the injury done to himself as to God as he said These denying that it was done by their order somewhat pacified him only he took away the High-Priesthood from Matthias whom he suspected not to be a stranger to that fact and made his Successor Jazer the Brother of his Wife Mariamne the Daughter of Simon the High Priest but he burned alive the other Matthias that was the author of this sedition and his companions Herods disease began now to grow worse for he was burned with a slow fire which was not perceived so much by the outward touch as by the inward effects of it which burnt up his very Bowels He had also the disease called the Bulemia or Dog-like appetite which provoked him to a continual desire of eating and yet nothing would satisfie him He was also continually tormented with ulcers in his Bowels and pains of the Cholick His feet swelled with a moist phlegm and his thighs also His members rotted and were full of worms which occasioned an intolerable stink He was no less troubled with a Priapisme and moreover was vexed with grievous convulsions and difficulty of breathing And though he was so grievously tormented that every one judged that he could not be able to endure it long yet he hoped that he should break through it being very careful to send for the ablest Physicians and sought medicines from every place He went also beyond Jordan to the Hot Baths at Callirhoe which run into the Asphaltite Lake which beside the medicinal virtue are pleasant and good to be drunk There being by the advice of his Physicians set into a Bathing tub of oyl he seemed to them to be giving up the Ghost yet by the sudden crying out and lamentations of his Friends he came to himself again and now seeing no hope of recovery he commanded fifty Drachmaes to be given to every Souldier and having shewed much liberality to his Captains and Friends he returned again to Iericho Augustus being told that amongst the Children which Herod had caused to be slain at Bethlehem there was a Son also of his own slain He said That it was better to be Herods Hog than his Son Herod an Edict called together to Iericho all the most Noble of the Iews and when they came he shut them all up together in a place called the Hippodrome giving command to his Sister Salome and her Husband Alexus that as soon as He was dead they should cause his Souldiers to slay them all that so the people might have cause of sorrow who otherwise he feared would rejoyce at his death At this time Letters came from Rome from the Ambassadours whom He had sent to Caesar wherein they certified him that the Emperour left Antipater to his Fathers pleasure either to banish or to put him to death Herod hearing this was a little cheared but presently his torments returning and being greedy of meat He called for an apple and a knife to pare it intending with the knife to have stabbed himself which also he attempted but Archelaus his Nephew prevented him and holding his right Hand called for help This accident caused much sorrow fear and tumult through the whole Palace as if Herod had been dead Antipater perceiving the noise thought verily that his Father was dead and thereupon began to tamper with his Keeper about letting him out promising him great Rewards both for the present and for the future when it would lye in his power amply to reward him This his practice the Keeper told to the King who for indignation cryed and though he was so near death yet did he raise up himself on his Bed and commanded one of his Guard to go presently and kill Antipater and to bury him in the Castle of Hyrcanion without any honour which was done accordingly Then did He make a new Testament for Antipas whom before he had made Successor to his Kingdom he made Tetrarch of Galilee and Petrea To his Son Philip he assigned the Regions of Gaulanitis Trachonitis Batanaea and Pancada the name of a
Tetrarchy but he gave the Kingdom to his Son Archelaus To his sister Salome he gave Jamnia Azotus and Thasaelis with five hundred thousand Drachmaes To the rest of his Kindred he gave money and yearly Pensions To Caesar he gave ten Millions of Drachmaes of silver and all his Plate as well of Gold as of Silver and a great quantity of precious moveables and to Livia Caesars Wife and some certain Friends he gave five Millions of Drachmaes Having thus ordered these things five dayes after Antipater was put to death he dyed himself having enjoyed the Kingdom 34 years after the death of Antigonus but from the time that he was declared King by the Romans 37 years about the 25th of our November in the year of the world 4001 and after the Birth of Christ about two years THE LIFE and DEATH OF HANNIBAL THE GREAT HANNIBAL the Son of Amilcar was about twenty six years old when he was chosen General of the Carthaginian Forces in Spain He was elected by the Army as soon as Asdrabal their late General was dead and the election was approved and confirmed by the Senate or Carthage wherewith Hanno and his faction was nothing pleased This was now the third of the Barchine Family so called of Amilcar whose surname was Barcas that commanded in chief over the men of War Hanno therefore and his Partizans being neither able to tax the Virtue of their enemies nor to perform the like services to the Common-wealth had nothing left whereby to value themselves excepting the general reprehensions of War and cautelous advise of not provoking the Romans but they were little regarded For the Carthaginians saw apparently that the Oath of the Romans to the Articles of Peace was like to hold no longer than till the Romans could find some good advantage to renew the War It was therefore rather desired by the Carthaginians that whilst they were in a fit condition the War should begin rather than in some unhappy time of Famine or Pestilence or after some great loss in their Army or Fleet they should be driven to yield to the impudent demands of their insulting enemies This disposition of his Citizens Hannibal well enough understood Neither was he ignorant that in making War with the Romans it was no small advantage to get the start of them Could he but bring his Army into Italy he hoped to find Friends and assistance even from those People that helped to encrease the Armies of the Romans But his design must be carried privately or else it would be prevented He resolved therefore to lay Siege to Saguntum in Spain where he now was with his Army which might seem not greatly to concern the Romans and would highly please the Carthaginians Having resolved hereupon nevertheless he went orderly to work beginning with those that lay next in his way First therefore he entered into the Territory of the Olcades and besieging Althaea in a few days he became Master not only of it but of all the other Towns in their Country and the Winter coming on he rest his Army in New Carthage or Carthagena imparting liberally to his Souldiers of the Spoils that he had gotten in his late Conquests In the Spring he made War upon the Vaccaei and with little difficulty wan first Salamanca and after it Arbucala though not without a long Siege and much difficulty But in his return he was put to the height both of his Valour and Prudence For all such of the Vaccaei that could bear Arms being made desperate by the spoil of their Country with divers others that had escaped in the late overthrow joyning with the Toletans made up an Army of one hundred thousand able men waiting for Hannibal on the Banks of the River Tagus They knew that he was very adventurous and had never turned his back upon any enemy and therefore hoped that having him at such an advantage they should easily have foiled him But at this time our Great Man of War knew as well how to dissemble his Courage as at other times to make good use of it For he withdrew himself from the River side as seeming fearful to pass over it aiming thereby to draw over that great multitude from their Banks of advantage The Spaniards as Hannibal expected and desired thinking that he retreated out of fear thrust themselves in a disordered manner into the River to pursue him But when Hannibal saw them well near over he turned back his Elephants to entertain them at their landing and thrust his Horsemen both above and beneath them into the River who by the advantage of their Weapons slew almost all of those in the River without resistance and then pursued the rest who being amazed fled and so he made a very great slaughter of them The Saguntines perceiving the strom drawing near to them hastened their Ambassadours to Rome who complained that they were like to be undone only for their Friendship to the Romans This so moved the Senate that some would have War presently proclaimed both by Sea and Land and the Consuls sent with Armies one into Spain the other into Africk But others went more soberly to work according to the Roman gravity whereby it was concluded that Ambassadours should be sent into Spain to view the State of their Confederates These Ambassadours found Hannibal at Carthagena where they had Conference with him who carried himself so reservedly that they departed as doubtful as they came But whilst they were passing to and fro Hannibal prepared not only his Forces but some Roman pretences against Saguntum For the Tudetani who were Neighbours to the Saguntines complained to him of sundry wrongs that they had received from them of Saguntum Probably Hannibal himself had hatched some of them Having therefore such an occasion he sat down with his whole Army before Saguntum The Romans were glad of the Quarrel as hoping that Carthage with all belonging thereto would in short space become their own Yet were they not hasty to threaten before they were ready to strike but meant to temporize until they had an Army in readiness to be sent into Spain where they intended to make Saguntum the seat of War In the beginning of Hannibals Siege his Carthaginians were much discouraged by reason of the brave Sallies which the Saguntines made upon them in one of which Hannibal himself received a dangerus wound in the Thigh that made him unable to stir for many days Yet in the mean time he was not unmindful of his business but gave order to build certain movable Towers that might equal those upon the City Walls and to prepare to batter the Curtains and to make a breach These being sinished and applied had soon wrought their desired effect A large breach was made by the fall of some Towers whereat a hot assault was given But it was so gallantly defended by the besieged that the Carthaginians were not only beaten from the breach and out
wherefore he went and besieged Locri the best City in Italy that held for the Carthaginian bringing all sorts of Engins to promote the work But Hannibal was not slow to relieve the City at whose approach Crispinus rose and retreated to his fellow Consul Thither followed Hannibal to whom the Consuls offered Battel He refused it yet dayly entertained them with Skirmishes waiting for some advantage and reserved his Army to a time of greater imployment when his Brother Asdrubal should come into Italy Marcellus was not well pleased with this and therefore sought to force him to fight for which end he commanded a Navy by Sea and the Garrison of Tarentum again to besiege Locri But Hannibal had an eye behind him and by the way laid an Ambush for those of Tarentum slew three thousand of them and made the rest to fly back into Tarentum As for the Consuls Hannibals desire was to wast them by little and little Betwixt him and them was a little Hill overgrown with Bushes amongst them he hid some Numidians willing them to attend every advantage To this Hill the Consuls thought fit to remove their Camp thither therefore they rode to view the place taking with them the Son of Marcellus a few Collonels and other principal men and about two hundred Horse The Numidian Centinel gave warning of their approach and the other discovered not themselves till they had surrounded the Consuls and their Company The Consuls defended themselves hoping to be quickly relieved from the Camp that was neer at hand But all their Horse save four forsook them and fled Marcellus was slain with a Lance Crispinus had his deaths wound and young Marcellus was wounded yet got to the Camp the rest were all slain Hannibal gave an honourable Funeral to Marcellus bestowing his ashes in a Silver pot covered with a Crown of Gold and sent it to his Son to be interred where he pleased Then Licinius the Roman Admiral laid hard Siege to Locri wherefore Hannibal went thither again but as soon as his Vant-couriers appeared the Romans ran in confused heaps to their Ships leaving all their Engins and whatsoever was in their Camp to Hannibal C. Claudius Nero and M. Livius were chosen Consuls at which time Asdrubal was already come into France and was approaching towards Italy Livius would not stir against him but with a considerable Army and those of the choisest men and Claudius with another Army was sent against Hannibal By this time news came that Asdrubal was passing the Alps and that the Ligurians and those about Genoa were ready to joyn with him When all was ordered according to the Consuls minds they went forth of the City each his several way The Citizens were full of fears there being another Son of Amilcar come into Italy and one that in this expedition seemed to be of more sufficiency than Hannibal For whereas in that long and dangerous march through so many Barbarous Nations over great Rivers and Mountains Hannibal had lost a great part of his Army Asdrubal in the same Journey had increased his descended from the Alps like a rowling Snowball far greater than when he came over the Pyrenes This made the People wait upon their Consuls out a Town like a pensive train of Mourners Asdrubal at his first coming into Italy set upon Placentia but there he lost a great deal of time and yet was faign at last to leave it whereby he gave the Roman Consuls leasure to make ready for him and caused his Brother Hannibal to make no hast to meet him knowing that Placentia would not be taken in hast Nero made what speed he could to meet with Hannibal and stop him from joyning with his Brother He had with him fourty thousand Foot besides Horse with which he oft offered Hannibal Battel and in diverse Skirmishes had the better of him At Grumentum Hannibal fought with him but was worsted yet gat he off and marched away to Venusia vvith Nero still at his heels Thence he vvent to Canusium and sat dovvn there near the place where he had obtained his most memorable Victory There also Nero sat down by him thinking it enough to hinder him from joyning with his succours There was he advertised of Asdrubals approach by Letters that were going to Hannibal which he intercepted wherefore he resolved that it was better to run some desperate adventure than to suffer them to joyn together He therefore took six thousand Foot and a thousand Horse all of his choisest men and away he posted as fast as he could to assist his Fellow Consul Livy at that time lay encamped neer to Serea Gallica and Asdrubal within half a Mile of him In six days Nero finished his journy thither and by the way his company was encreased by some voluntaries The next day after his coming they consulted together and resolved to fight the Enemy Asdrubal perceiving that both the Consuls were now together and thereupon feared that Hannibal was slain and though before he was forward to fight yet now he thought it no shame to retreat farther from them So he dislodged secretly by Night intending to get over the River Metaurus but being misled by his Guides he had not gone far before Nero was at his heels with all the Horse which hindred him from going any farther and the other Consuls followed with the Legions in order of Battel Asdrubal seeing a necessity to fight omitted no care or circumspection His Gauls he placed in the left Wing upon a Hill which the Enemy could not ascend without much difficulty In the right Wing he stood himself with his Africans and Spaniards His Lygurians he placed in the midst and his Elephants in the Front of the Battel On the Romans side Nero had the right Wing Livius the left and Portius led the Battel Livy and Portius found strong opposition and with great slaughter on both sides prevailed little of nothing Nero laboured much in vain against the steep Hill where the Gauls stood out of his reach wherefore taking part of his Forces he led them round behind Livy and Portius and charged Asdrubal in the Flank which made the Victory incline to the Romans For Nero ran all along the depth of Asdrubals Battel and put it to rout Of the Spaniards and Africans the greatest part were slain the Ligurians and Gauls saved themselves by flight Of the Elephants only four were taken alive the rest were slain most by their Riders the Guide having in readiness a mallet and a chissel wherewith he gave a stroak between the Ears in the joynt next the Head wherewith he killed the Beast upon a sudden Asdrubal strove with great Patience and against many difficulties and performed all the duties of a worthy General and stout Souldier and when he saw the loss irreparable he rode manfully into the thickest of the Enemies where fighting bravely he was slain The number of the slain on both sides is variously
the Romans others by their own Countrymen that were of the contrary faction Many threw themselves down headlong from the Rocks others setting their Houses on fire burnt themselves not enduring to behold those things that were done by the Enemy Here fell twelve thousand of the Jews whereas of the Romans there were but few slain though many wounded Amongst the Captives that were taken was Absolon the Uncle and Father in Law of Aristobulus the Son of John Hyrcanus Upon the same day and in the same month was the Temple taken by Pompey as it had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar five hundred and forty three years before and it fell out also to be on their Sabbath about the twenty eight day of our December Pompey entered into the Temple and many others with him and there beheld those things which were not lawful to be seen by any but the High Priests only And whereas there were in the Temple the Table and Candlesticks with the Lamps all Vessels for Sacrifice and the Censers all of pure Gold and a huge heap of Spices and in the Treasuries of sacred mony above two thousand Talents yet Pompey medled not with any of these but the next day he commanded them which had the charge of the Temple to purifie and cleanse it and to offer their solemn Sacrifices unto God Pompey then restored the High Priesthood to Hyrcanus both because he had shewed himself so forward all the time of the Siege as also for that he hindred the Jews that were in all the Country from joyning with Aristobulus and together with the Priesthood he gave him the Principality also only forbidding him to wear a Crown Then did he put to death those that were the chiefest cause of the War and made the Jews Tributaries to the Romans and the Cities which they had formerly conquered in Caelosyria he took from them commanding them to obey their own Governours and the whole Nation of the Jews formerly advanced through prosperity he contracted within their ancient bounds The King of the Arabians that dwelt at the Castle of Petra that never before made any account of the Romans was now greatly afraid and wrote to Pompey that he was at his devotion to do what he commanded Pompey to try him brought his Army before his Castle of Petra and lodged them for that day and fell to riding and mannaging his Horse up and down the Camp In the mean time Posts came riding from the Realm of Pontus with Letters of good news as appeared by their Javelins wreathed about with Lawrel the Souldiers seeing that flocked about the place to hear the news but Pompey would make an end of his riding before he would read the Letters whereupon many cryed to him to alight which he did But then he wanted a high place to stand upon and the Souldiers were so impatient to hear the news that they would not stay to make one they heaped Saddles one upon another and Pompey getting up upon them told them that Methridates was dead having killed himself because his Son Pharnaces rebelled against him and had wan all which his Father possessed writing to him that he kept it for himself and the Romans Upon this news all the Camp rejoyced wonderfully and Sacrificed to the Gods with great mirth Pompey finding this troublesome War to be so easily ended presently left Arabia and by speedy marches he came to the City of Amisus There he met with great Presents which were sent him from Pharnaces and many dead Bodies of the Kings Kindred and the Body of Methridates himself who was known by certain scars in his Face Pompey would by no means see him but to avoid envy he sent him away to the City of Sinope He much wondered at his rich Apparel and Weapons The Scabbard of his Sword cost four hundred Talents His Hat also was of wondrous Workmanship Pompey having here ordered all things according to his mind he went homewards with great pomp and Glory Coming to Mytylene he eased the City of all Taxes for Theophanes his sake and was present at certain Plays the subjects whereof were the great acts of Pompey He so liked the Theater where these Plays were made that he drew a moddle of it to make a statelier than it in Rome As he passed by the City of Rhodes he heard the Rhetoricians dispute and gave each of them a Talent The like he did at Athens unto the Philosophers there and towards the beautifying of the City he gave them fifty Talents At his return into Italy he expected to have been received very honourably and longed to see his Wife and Children thinking also that they longed as much to see him But God so ordered it that in his own House he met with occasion of sorrow For his Wife Mutia in his absence had played the Harlot Yet whilst he was a far off he made no account of the reports which were made to him of her But when he drew neer to Italy he was more attentive to them whereupon he sent her word he would own her no more for his Wife There were also rumours spread abroad in Rome which much troubled him it being given out that he would bring his Army strait to Rome and make himself absolute Lord of the Empire Crassus hereupon to give more credit to the report and to procure the greater envy against Pompey conveyed himself Family and Goods out of Rome But when Pompey came to Italy calling his Souldiers together he made an Oration to them as the time and occasion required and then commanded them to disband and every one to return to his own home and to follow his business till the time of his Triumph As he passed such was the love of the People to him that multitudes of them accompanied him to Rome whether he would or no and that with a greater power than he brought with him into Italy so that if he had been disposed to have made Innovation he needed not the assistance of his Army therein At this time there was a Law that no man should enter into Rome before his Triumph wherefore Pompey sent to the Senate requesting them to defer the choise of Consuls for a few days that he might further Piso who sued for the Consulship that year But through Caetoes means they denyed his request Pompey marvelling to hear of his boldness and free Speech was very desirous to make him his Friend So Cato having two Neeces he desired to marry one himself and to have the other for his Son but Cato flatly denied him though his Wife and Sister were angry that he refused to make alliance with Pompey the Great After this Pompey being desirous to prefer Afranius to be Consul he caused mony to be given to the Tribes of the People which being reported abroad made every man speak evil of him as having put the Consulship to sale for money whereas himself had
them but when they saw they were past their reach they let them go Then striking off Pompeys Head they threw his Body overboard where it was a miserable spectacle to all that desired to behold it Philip his infranchised Bondman stirred not from it till the Aegyptians had glutted themselves with looking upon it Then having vvashed it with Salt water and wrapped it up in an old Shirt of his own he sought about the Sands and at last found a piece of an old Fisher-boat scarce enough to burn all the Body and as he was gathering the pieces of this Boat together there came to him an old Roman who in his Youth had served under Pompey saying O Friend what art thou that preparest the Funerals of Pompey the Great Philip answered that he was a Bondman of his infranchised Well said he thou shalt not have all this honour alone Pray thee let me accompany thee in this devout deed that I may not altogether repent me that I have dwelt so long in a strange Country where I have endured much misery but to recompence me let me have this good hap to touch Pompeys Body and to help to bury this most famous Captain of the Romans The next day Lucius Lentulus not knowing what had happened coming out of Cyprus sailed by the shore side and perceiving a Funeral fire and Philip standing by it he asked him whose Funeral it was But straight fetching a great sigh alas said he perhaps it is Pompeys the Great Then he landed a little and was presently slain This was the deplorable end of Pompey the Great Caesar not long after came into Aegypt where there were great Wars at which time Pompeys Head was presented to him but he turned aside and would not see it abhorring him that brought it as a detestable Murtherer Then looking on his Signet Ring whereon was engraven a Lion holding a Sword he burst out a weeeping Achillas and Photinus he put to death King Ptolomy being overthrown in Battel by the River Nilus vanished away and was never after heard of Theodotus escaped Caesars hands and wondred up and down Aegypt in great misery dispised of every man And afterwards Marchus-Brutus who slew Caesar when he conquered Asia met with this Theodotus by chance and putting him to all the torments he could possibly devise he at last slew him The Ashes of Pompeys Body were afterwards brought to his Wife Cornelia who buried them in a Town of hers near the City of Alba. THE LIFE and DEATH OF JULIUS CAESAR The First FOUNDER OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE JULIUS CAESAR by the Fathers side was of a very Noble and ancient Family and by the Mothers side he descended from the Kings of Rome who were extracted from the Trojan Aeneas When he was a youg man Sylla having gotten the Lordship of Rome would have had him put away his Wife Cornelia who was the Daughter of Cinna the Dictator but he could not prevail with him either by promises or threats to do it whereupon he took away her Joynter from him Sylla being very busie in putting to Death many of his Enemies yet passed by Caesar whom he contemned for his youth And Caesar was not contented to retire in safety in those stormy times but came and made suit to the People for the Priesthood which was then void when he had scant any hair on his Face but by Syllâ—s means he suffered a repulse who was so irritated hereby that he determined to have killed him and when some of Syllas Friends told him that it was to no purpose to put so young a man to Death he answered That they did not consider that there were many Marius 's in that one Boy Caesar being informed of his danger secretly fled from Rome and hid himself a long time amongst the Sabines wandering from one place to another yet at length he fell into the hands of a party of Syllas Souldiers who sought for him but he bribed their Captain with two Talents and so escaped Then went he unto the Sea side and taking Ship he passed into Bythinia unto King Nicomedes And after a while he took Sea again and fell into the hands of some Pirates who at that time kept all the Sea-coast with a great Fleet. They asked him twenty Talents for his Ransom Caesar laughed them to scorn as not knowing what a man they had taken and of himself promised them fifty Talents and sent some of his men to get him this mony so that he was almost left alone amongst these Thieves which were the cruellest Butchers in the World having only one of his Friends and two Slaves with him Thus he continued thirty eight days amongst them not as a Prisoner but rather waited upon as a Prince by them For he boldly exercised himself amongst them in their sports He would make Orations and call them together to hear them and if they seemed not to understand or regard them he would call them Blockheads and Beasts and laughing would threaten to hang them and they took all in good part thinking that it proceeded from his Boyish simplicity When his Ransome was come he paid it them and so was dismissed and presently arming and manning some Ships out of the Haven of Miletum he followed these Thieves and finding them yet at Anchor he took most of them and got a great Booty and carryed their Persons to the City of Pergamus and there imprisoned them whilst himself went to Jumus the Governour of Asia to whom the execution of these Pirats did belong But he desiring to get the mony because there was good store of it said that he would consider of theâ—e Prisoners at better leasure Caesar hereupon returned back to Pergamus and there hung up all the Thieves openly upon the Cross as he often had threatened that he would do when they thought that he was but in jest When Syllas power began to decay Caesars Friends wrote to him to return to Rome But he first went to Rhodes to study there for a time under the Tuition of Apollonius an honest man and excellent Rhetorician whose Schollar also Cicero had been Caesar had an excellent gift to speak well naturally which was much holpen by his Studies so that he was very Eloquent and might have been second to none but that he applied himself rather to follow the Wars and to mannage great matters than to pleading of causes When he was returned again to Rome he immediately wan the good will of the People by his Eloquence and courteous speaking to every man being more ceremonious in his deportment than could be expected from one of his years Besides he ever kept a good Table and fared well and was very liberal which much encreased his estimation with the People And his Enemies presuming that when he could not hold out that charge and expence the favour of the People would quickly decay they suffered him to go on
all the Ships and Gallies that possibly he could together with those whom Cassius had brought he therein shipped as many of his men as they could contain and passed into the lesser Asia where being advertised that Pompey had been in Cyprus he presumed that he was gone into Aegypt wherefore he steered the same course taking with him two Legions of old Souldiers only When he arrived at Alexandria he understood that Pompey presuming upon the many benefits and good entertainment which the Father of this King Ptolomy had received in his House had sent to this Ptolomy to harbour and assist him which accordingly the King promised and Pompey coming upon his safe conduct in a small Boat was by the false Kings commandment basely murthered thinking thereby to win the favour of Caesar. He understood likewise that Cornelia the Wife of Pompey and his Son Sextus Pompeius were fled from thence in the same ship wherein they came Caesar being landed and received into the City they brought him for a present the Head of the Great Pompey but he turned away and would not see it and when they brought him Pompeys Ring with his Seal of Arms he wept considering the end and success of the great adventures and properties of Pompey who with such honour and fame had Triumphed three times and been so many times Consul in Rome and had obtained so many Victories abroad When Caesar was landed in AEgypt he found the Country imbroiled in Civil Wars there being great discord between young King Ptolomy and his Sister Cleopatra about the division and Inheritance of that Kingdom wherein Julius Caesar as being a Roman Consul took upon him to be an Arbitrator For which cause or because their guilty consciences accused them for the treacherous murther of Pompey Fotinus the Eunuch who had contrived the said murther and Achillas who had been the actor of it fearing that Caesar inclined to favour Cleopatra sent for the Kings Army that lay near the City consisting of twenty thousand good Souldiers purposing to do by Caesar as they had done by Pompey so that within a few days there began between Caesar and his small Army both in the City and in the Harbour where the Ships and Gallies lay the most cruel and dangerous encounter that ever Caesar met with for he was often forced to fight in his own Person both within the City whereof the Enemies held the greater part and also in the Harbour with his Ships and was sometimes in so great peril and danger that he was forced to leap out of the Boat into the Water and by swimming to get one of the Gallies at which time he held his Commentaries in one hand above Water and carry his Robe in his teeth and to swim with the other hand But when his other Forces were come to him from Asia and other parts he at the end of nine months for so long these Wars lasted became Victorious as in all other his enterprises he had been and the young King Ptolomy was slain in fight In this War Caesar did such exploits and behaved himself so gallantly that for the same only he well deserved the fame and name of a brave Captain The Pride of the Aegyptians being thus tamed Caesar put to death the murtherers of Pompey and established the fair Cleopatra the Queen and Governess of Aegypt whom during his stay there he intertained for his Friend and had a Son by her called Caesarion And when he had quitted and settled all things in Aegypt he departed thence into Asia and travelled through Syria now Soria being informed that during his troubles in Aegypt King Pharnaces the Son of that mighty King Methridates thought it a fit time whilst the Romans were embroiled in Civil Wars to recover what his Father had lost For which end having overthrown Domitius whom Caesar had sent to govern those parts and having taken by force of Arms the Provinces of Bithynia and Cappadocia expelling thence King Ariobarzanes a Friend and Subject of Rome and beginning to do the like in Armenia the less which King Deiotarus had subjected to the Romans Caesar I say being informed hereof went with his Army sooner than Pharnaces imagined though he expected him and had intelligence of his appproach so that in few days they came to a Battel in which the King was soon overthrown and put to slight with great slaughter of his People yet himself escaped Caesar was very joyful for this Victory because of his earnest desire to return to Rome where he knew that many scandals were raised and many insolencies were committed for want of his presence He knew also that Pompeys eldest Son had seized upon a great part of Spain and had raised great Forces of those which Marcus Varro had left there and of his Fathers Troops He also understood that in Africa many Principal Romans who had escaped from the Battel of Pharsalia were gathered together whereof M. Cato surnamed Uticensis was the chief and Scipio Pompeys Father in Law and that these went thither with the greatest part of the Ships and Galleys which belonged to Pompey and with the greatest power that they were able to leavy and that joyning with Juba King of Mauritania they had subdued all that Country and had a great Army in a readiness to oppose him having chosen Scipio for their General because that Cato would not take that office upon him and for that the Name of Scipio had been so fortunate in Africa Caesar having intelligence of all these things within the space of a few days with great celerity and diligence recovered all that Pharnaces had usurped and chasing him out of Portus he regained all those Countries and so leaving Celius Minucius for General with two Legions to guard that Province pacifying the controversies and contentions in the rest and rewarding the Kings and Tetrachs which continued firm in their Leagues and amity with the Romans without any longer aboad he departed out of Asia and in a short space arrived in Italy and so passed to Rome within little more than a year after he went thence which was a very short time for the performance of so great matters and so long a Journey Presently after his comming to Rome he caused himself to be chosen Consul the third time and reforming so much as the time and his leasure would permit all disorders in Rome being troubled and not able to endure that his Enemies should possess Africk with great expedition he prepared all things necessary and from Rome took his way towards Africk commanding his Army to follow him First he went into Italy from whence taking Ship he passed over into Africk and though neither his Navy nor his Army arrived with him trusting to the valour of those that he had with him and his own good Fortune he landed with small Forces near to the City of Adrumentum and from thence marched to another City called Leptis
into which he was received and after some conflicts that passed his Legions being come to him and certain other Troops of Horse and Companies of Foot he began the War which continued four months He first began with Petreius and Lubienus and then with Scipio and King Juâ—a who brought to those Wars eight thousand men the one half whereof were Horse In this War were many encounters and Battels in which Caesar was in great danger but at last his good Fortune still attending him he overcame them in a great Battel wherein there were slain of the Enemies ten thousand and Caesar remained Master of the Field and in a short time after subjected all the Country to him Scipio and all the chief Captains with him died sundry deaths and Juba escaping by flight from the Battel finding no place of security Afranius and he resolved to dye fighting one against the other in which combate King Juba being the stronger man slew Asranius and then commanded one of his Salves to kill him and so he died desperately Marcus Cato who was in the City of Utica hearing that Caesar was marching thitherward though he knew that he would not put him to death but but rather had a desire to pardon him and to do him honour yet resolving neither to receive life nor honour from his Enemy he slew himself In whose death there passed many remarkable accidents recorded by Historians Florus saith thus of it Cato saith he hearing of the death of his Partners he dallyed not at all but joyfully hastened his end For after he had embraced his Son and his Friends and bad them good night and then rested a while upon his bed having first perused Plato's Book of the immortality of the Soul then about the relieving of the first watch he got up drew his Sword and therewith thrust himself through after which the Phisicians applied plaisters to his wounds which he indured whilst they were in the room but then he pulled them away and the blood following abundantly he left his dying hand even in the wound Scipio who had been General in this War escaped also from the Battel by flight entered into some Gallies which being met with by Caesar Navy that he might not fall into his Enemies hand after he had given himself some wounds he threw himself into the Sea and so vvas drowned Caesar having obtained so great and absolute a Victory spent some few days in settling and ordering the Provinces of Africa making the Kingdom of Juba a Province and then marched to Utica vvhere he imbarked June the third and came to the Isle of Sardinia and after some short stay there he arrived at Rome the tvventy fifth day of July At his comming thither there vvere granted unto him four Triumphs First for his conquests and Victories in France in vvhich vvere carried the Portraictures of the Rivers of Rhodanus and the Rhine vvrought in Gold The second Triumph vvas for the conquest of Aegypt and of King Ptolomy vvhere vvere set the River of Nilus and the Pharus burning The third vvas for the conquest of Pontus and of King Pharnaces vvherein in regard of his speedy Victory vvas placed a vvriting vvith these vvords Veni Vidi Vici I come I savv I overcame The fourth Triumph vvas for the Province of Africa vvherein King Jubas Son vvas led Captive and in this Triumph vvere given Jevvels and Armes to Octavius Caesars Nephevv vvho succeeded him in the Empire As for the Battel vvherein he conquered Pompey he vvould not Triumph because it vvas against a Citizen of Rome These Triumphs being ended he gave great revvards to his Souldiers and entertained the People vvith Feasts and bountiful gifts and then caused himself to be chosen the fourth time Consul And so to the end that there should be left no place wherein he would not be obeyed he resolved to go for Spain hearing that Gneius Pompeius the Son of Pompey was retired with the rest of the Army which had escaped out of Africk to go to his Brother Sextus Pompeius who was in possession of a great part of Spain as we heard before together with the famous Cities of Sivil and Cordova and many others of those parts many Spaniards also comming to their aid Caesar in this Journey carryed with him his most valiant and most experienced Souldiers and made so good speed that in few days space he arrived in Spain in which Journey his Nephew Octavius followed him Entering into Spain he came to the Province of Betica now Andaluzia where were Sextus Pompeius with his Brother Gneius and such Legions and Souldiers as they had gotten together and there began betwixt Caesar and them a most cruel and bloody War the end whereof was that neer to the City of Munda Caesar and Gneius Pompeius for Sextus was then at Cordova joyned Battel which was one of the most obstinate and most cruel fights that ever was in the World For Caesar being a most excellent Captain and the Souldiers which he brought with him most brave and valiant men and fleshed with so many Victories held it out with great resolution and on the other side the bravery and courage of young Pompey and his men was such and they fought in such manner as Caesars Squadrons began to give ground and were ready to forsake the Field and at the very point to have been wholly overthrown and the matter came to this issue that Caesar was about to have slain himself because he would not see himself overcome Yet taking a Target from one of his Souldiers he rushed into the midst of his Enemres saying with a loud voice If ye be not ashamed leave me and deliver me into the hands of these Boyes For this shall be the last day of my Life and of your Honour with which words and his example his Souldiers took heart in such manner that recovering the ground which they had lost the Battel became equal which lasted almost a whole day without any sign of Victory to either party sometimes seeming to incline to the one sometimes to the other side until at the length Caesar and his men did so great exploits as that the evening being come his Enemies began to faint and fly and the Victory was apparently Caesars There died of the Enemies above thirty thousand in this Battel and Caesar lost above a thousand men of account besides common Souldiers Caesar esteemed so much of this Victory and so gloried in the danger which he had escaped that ever after he used to say That in all other Battels he had fought for honour and Victory and only that day he fought for his life Young Pompey after he had performed all the offices of a Prudent General and Valiant Souldier was foreed to fly and wandering through many places was at last taken and slain by some of Caesars Friends who carried his head to Caesar. His other Brother Sextus Pompeius fled from Cordova and
a time having a mind to see Theogenes a learned Astronomer he calculated his Nativity and promised him great matters which made Octavius conceive great hopes of himself and in memory thereof he caused certain Medals to be coined and would often boast of what Theogenes had told him Octavius in the sixth month after he went to Apollonia having intelligence from his Mother of the Death of his Uncle Julius Caesar he hasted out of Epirus to Brundusium where he was received by the Army that went to meet him as the adopted Son of Caesar and without any further delay he assumed the name of Caesar and took upon him to be his Heir and that so much the rather because he had brought with him good store of mony and great forces that were sent him by his Uncle and so at Brundusium adopting himself into the Julian Family he called himself Caius Julius Caesar Octavius To this very Name as though he had been his true Son there came great store of partly of his Friends partly of freed-men slaves and Souldiers by whom being more strengthened and imboldned by the multitude of them that flocked to him and by the authority of the Caesarian name which with the common People was in great reputation he took his journey towards Rome with a great train which daily increased like a Floud On the fourteenth Kalends of May he entered into Naples where he gave Cicero a visit From thence as he was going to Rome there met him a vast company of his Friends and as he entered the City the Globe of the Sun seemed to compass his Head round like unto a Bow as it were putting a Crown upon his Head who afterward was to be so great a man and at night calling together his Friends he commanded them to be ready the next morning with good store of followers to meet him in the Market-place which was done accordingly and he going to Caius the City Praetor and Brother to Anthony he told him that he did accept of the Adoption For it was the Roman custom in Adoptions to interpose the authority of the Praetor which acceptance being Registred by the Scribes from thence he presently went to Mark Anthony the Consul who behaved himself proudly towards him and scarcely admitting him into Pompeys Gardens gave him time to speak with him Octavianus had a great mind to revege the Death of Julius Caesar but by his Mother and Philip his Father in Law he was advised to conceal his purpose for a time both because the Senate had approved his Death and because Mark Anthony who was principally to assist him therein did not shew himself very friendly to him Octavianus understanding that Mark Anthony had in his custody all the Treasure that was left by Julius Caesar he desired him to command it to be delivered to him therewith to pay his debts and to distribute it as Caesar had appointed in his Will But Anthony with greater Pride than Octavianus could well bear not only refused what he demanded but reproved him for desiring it whereupon discords presently arose betwixt them and Octavianus strengthened himself with the Counsel of Cicero a great Enemy to Anthony and one whose authority at that time by reason of his Wisdom and Eloquence was very great Anthony being Overseer of those things which Caesar had commanded to be done what by corrupting the Notes and changing them at his pleasure did what himself listed as if it had been the appointment of Caesar by this means gratifying Cities and Governours and heaping vast sums of money to himself selling not only Fields and Tributes but freedoms and immunities even of the City of Rome and that not only to particular Persons but to whole Provinces and of these things there were Tables hung up all over the Capitol Octavianus being nineteen years old at his own charges gathered an Army and sought the favour of the People and prepared Forces against Anthony for his own and the Commonwealths safety He allo stirred up the old Souldiers who by Julius Caesar had been planted in Colonies so that Anthony being afraid of him by the mediation of Friends had a conference with him in the Capitol and they were for the present reconciled but within a few days through the whisperings of some their enmity brake out again and Anthony not thinking himself strong enough and knowing that the Legions of Macedonia were the best Souldiers and six in number with whom also were many Archers light harnessed men and Horsemen these he sought to draw to himself who because of their neerness might presently be brought into Italy and thereupon he caused a rumour to be spread that the Getae wasted Macedonia by their inrodes and upon that occasion he demanded an Army of the Senate saying that the Macedonian Army was raised by Caesar against the Getae before he intended the Parthian War whereupon he was chosen General of those Forces and he obtained a Law for the change of Provinces whereby his Brother Caius Anthony challenged Macedonia which before by lot fell to Marcus Brutus On the seventh of the Ides of October Anthony went to Brundusium there to meet four of the Macedonian Legions whom he thought to draw to himself by money Thither also Octavianus sent his Friends with money to hire these Souldiers for himself and himself posted into Campania to engage those Souldiers which were in Colonies to take his part and first he drew to him the old Souldiers of Galatia then those of Casilinum on both sides of Capua giving to each man five hundred pence by which means he gat together about ten thousand men who marched with him under one Ensign as a guard In the mean while the four Legions of Macedonia accusing Anthony for his delays in revenging Caesars Death without any acclamations conducted him to the Tribunal as it were to hear an account of this matter and there continued silent Anthony taking this ill upbraded them with their Ingratitude and complained that they had not brought to him some disturbers of the Peace who were sent from that malapert young man for so he called Octavian and to ingratiate himself with them he promised an hundred pence to each of them which niggardly promise was intertained with laughter which he took so ill that being returned to his Quarters in the presence of his most covetous and most cruel Wife Fulvia he put to death some Centurions out of the Martian Legion When those of Caesars party that were sent to corrupt the Souldiers saw that they were more exasperated by this deed they scattered Libels about the Army wherein they disgraced Anthony and extolled the liberality of Caesar And when some sided with Octavian and others with Anthony the Army as if it had been set to sale at an outcry addicted themselves to him that would give most And because that Decius Brutus who commanded Gallia Cisalpirea now Lombardy opposed Anthony he went to
time Pope of Rome against whom there was strange Sedition raised by Sylvester and Campul men of great credit in the Court of Rome These men with their adherents upon a solemn day of Procession seized upon Leo before St. Lawrence Church whom they stripped of his Pontifical Robes cast him unto the ground trod him under their feet and bruised his face with their fists and having dragged him ignominiously through the dirt they cast him into Prison where yet he stayed not long being freed by a Groom of his chamber called Albin and so having recovered St. Peters Church he sent to Vingise Duke of Spoleto intreating him to deliver him from this miserable Captivity Vingise failed him not but came to Rome and carried the Pope along with him to Spoleto where yet he stayed not long but from thence went to Charlemagne into France whom he found full of troubles He complained that many of the Romans sought to usurp his Power into their hands and advised the King to exact an Oath of Fidelity of them Paschalis was there soon after him and accused the Pope of Adultery and other gross crimes Charlemagne dismissed them both and promised to be at Rome within a few months and accordingly prepared for his Journey In December Anno Christi 800. Charlemagne was received in Rome with all shews of Honour and within eight dayes he went into St. Peters Church and in the presence of all the People and Clergy he asked who had any thing to say against Pope Leo Paschalis or Paschasires and Campalus had published the Popes crimes by Writ but knowing how Charlemagne stood affected towards both parties they appeared not so none prosecuting these crimes against him the Pope was absolved upon his Oath wherein he swore by God and the four Evangelists that all these things were false which they layed to his charge Whereupon the King declared him innocent and condemned his accusers and within few dayes three hundred of them were beheaded in the Lateran Field for their presumption and affectation of liberty on the eighteenth of December and shortly after Charles was chosen Emperour But before I speak of that I must represent you with a brief view of the present estate and condition of the Emperour of Constantinople The seat of the Roman Empire since the time of Constantine the great remained at Constantinople a City of Thrace situated in a convenient place for the Guard of the Eastern Provinces After which all the West being full of new Guests who had expelled the Romans the name authority and power of the Empire remained in the East where now the State was in a strange confusion the Mother being banded against her Son and the People amongst themselves Constantine the Son of Leo the Fourth was Emperour at this time who from his Infancy was governed together with the Empire by his Mother Irene But being now come to the age of twenty years he assumed the Government into his own hands There was then a great division in the East which had been continued from Father to Son for fourscore years together about bringing Images into the Churches The Bishops would needs bring them in But the Emperours together with the greatest part of the People opposed themselves against them This contention had its beginning under Philip Bardanes was continued under Leo Isaurus and from him was derived to his Son Constantine sirnamed Copronimus and to Leo the Fourth Son to the said Constantine This filled all the East with infinite scandals The same fire of contention continued in the minority of our Constantine who was yet governed by his Mother a Woman of a violent spirit who had undertaken the protection of Images and held a Counsel of many Bishops for the defence thereof But the people growing into a mutiny by force expelled them from Constantinople where there Assemhly was held But Irene being resolved to carry on her design assembled another Councel at Nicea City of Bithinia honoured for having entertained the first general Councel under Constantine the Great the first of that name where it was Decreed that Images should be placed in Churches for devotion But Charlemagne did not allow of this Decree and either himself or some other by his Command did write a small Treatise against this Councel the which bears this Title A Treatise of Charlemagne touching Images against the Greek Synode This crafty Woman made choise of the City of Nicea that the name of the ancient first Council held there might honour this new invention with the pretext of Antiquity For there are some that confound the first Council of Nicea with the second and Constantine the fourth with the first Constantine continued in the hereditary hatred of his Father and Grandfather against Images so as being of age and in absolute possession of his Empire he disannulled all these new decrees and caused the Images to be beaten down in all places Yet did he make all shews of respect to his Mother yielding unto her a good part of his authority and command which respect was the cause of an horrible Tragedy For this Woman being transported for two causes both by reason of her new opinion and for despight that she had not the whole Government in her own power grew so unnatural that she resolved to dispossess her Son of the Empire and to seize upon it herself And indeed the authority which her Son had left her and the free access which she had unto his Person gave her opportunity for the execution of her design For having corrupted such as had the chief Forces of the Empire at their command and won them to her with her Sons Treasure she seized on his Person put out his eyes and sent him into Exile where shortly after he died of grief and took possession of the Empire These unnatural and Tragick furies were practised in the East whiles that Charlemagne by his great Valour built an Empire in the West Irene in her Son Constantines life time would have married him with the eldest Daughter of Charlemagne but this accident crossed that design After the Death of Constantine Irene sent to Charlemagne to excuse her self of the murther disavowing it and laying the blame upon such as had done it as she pretended without her command And to win the good liking of Charlemagne she caused him to be dealt withall about marriage for at that time Festrude was dead with promise to consent that he should be declared Emperour of the West and that she also would resign unto him the Empire of the East But Charlemagne would not accept of her profers The Nobility and People of the Greek Empire did so hate Irene as having suffered her the space of three years in the end they resolved to dispossess her This Woman the unnatural murtheress of her own Child being thus publickly hated and detested Nicephorus a great and Noble man of Greece assisted by the
other Doctors of the Church He resided also at Paris that he might have opportunity of conferring with learned men There he erected a goodly University which he furnished with as learned men as those times could afford and endowed it with great priviledges For he had an exceeding great care to make it a Nurcery for the holy Ministry that from thence the Church might be supplied with able Teachers whence also grew so many Colleges of Cannons with sufficient revenues annexed thereunto Thus Charlemagne spent three years happily in the only care of his Soul leaving an illustrious example to all Princes to moderate and ennoble their greatness with Piety and so to enjoy their Temporal estates as in the mean time not to neglect their eternal concernments and to think of their departure out of this Life in time Foreseeing his Death whereunto he prepared himself by these exercises he made his last Will and Testament leaving his Son Lewis the sole Heir unto his great Kingdoms and bequeathed to the Church much Treasure But all things and Persons in this World have an end His Testament was but the Harbinger to his Death for presently after he was taken with a pain in his side or Plurisie and lay sick but eight days and so yielded up his Spirit unto God that gave it Anno Christi 814. and of his Age seventy one and of his Reign forty seven including fifteen years of his Empire His Body was interred in a sumptuous Church which he had caused to be built in the City of Aquisgrave or Aix la Capelle where he was born and his memory was honoured with a goodly Epitaph He was one of the greatest Princes that ever lived His virtues are a pattern to other Monarchs and his great successes the subject of their wishes The greatness of his Monarchy indeed was admirable For he quietly enjoyed all France Germany the greatest part of Hungary all Italy and a good part of Spain At the time of his Death he was in peace with the other Kings of Spain as also with the Kings of England Denmark Bulgary with the Emperour Leo of Constantinople and with all the Princes of that time This Noble Prince was endued with so many excellent Virtues that we read of very few in antient Histories that excelled him so that he may be justly compared with the best of them For in Martial Discipline in Valour in Dexterity in Feats of Arms there are none that exceeded him He obtained as many Victories fought as many Battels and subdued as many fierce and Warlike Nations as any one we read of and that both before and after that he was Emperour He was tall of Stature very well proportioned in all his members passing strong of a fair and grave countenance valiant mild merciful a lover of Justice liberal very affable pleasant well read in History a great Friend of Arts and Sciences and sufficiently seen into them and a man who above all loved and rewarded Learned men He was very charitable in his Kingdoms yea in his very Court he harboured and relieved many Strangers and Pilgrims In matters of Faith and Religion he was very zealous and most of the Wars which he made were to propagate and enlarge the Christian Faith He being mis-led by the darkness of the times wherein he lived superstitiously honoured and obeyed the Church of Rome and the Pope that was Bishop thereof together with other Bishops and Prelates commanding his Subjects also to do the like He was also very devout and spent much of his time in Prayer Hearing and Reading In his Diet he was very temperate and a great enemy to riot and excess and though he was Rich and Mighty yet fed he his Body with what was necessary and wholesome not rare costly and strange And yet his Virtues were not without their blemishes as the greatest commonly are not without some notable Vices For in his younger dayes he was much given to Women adding Concubines to his lawful Wives by whom he had divers children but this was in the time of his Youth For afterwards he contented himself with his Wife and for a remedy of this imperfection though he was three or four times a Widower yet he ever married again the Daughter of some great Prince or other To conclude all he was an excellent Emperour that loved and feared God and died when he was very Old and full of Honour leaving Lewis the weakest of his Sons the sole heir of his great Empire but not of his Virtues So that this great building soon declined in his posterity He had engraven upon his Sword Pro Deo Religione For God and Religion He used to set his Crown upon the Bible as our Canutus sometime put his Crown upon the Rood both of them thereby intimating that as all honour was due to God so true Religion was the best Basis of Government and that Piety was the best Policy The Epitaph which I spake of was this Sub hoc conditorio situm est Corpus Caroli Magni atque Orthodoxi Imperatorisqui Regnum Francorum nobiliter ampliavit per annos Quadraginta septem foeliciter tenuit Decessit Septuagenarius Anno Domini 814. Indicti one 7. Quinto Calend. Febr. Under this Tomb lieth the Body of Charles the Great and Catholick Emperour who most Nobly enlarged the Kingdom of the French and most happily ruled it for the space of forty and seven years He died in the seventy and one year of his Age In the year of our Lord eight hundred and fourteen the seventh Indiction on the fifth Calend of February He had five Wives the first was called Galcena the Daughter of the King of Galistria by whom he had no Children The second was Theodora the Sister or as others say the Daughter of Didier King of Lombardy whom he kept not long but repudiated her for sundry reasons The third was Hildebranda Daughter of the Duke of Suevia whom he loved exceedingly and had by her three Sons viz. Charles his Eldest whom he made King of the greatest and best part of France and Germany Pepin his Second whom he made King of Italy Bavaria c. Lewis his Youngest to whom he left the Empire intire his Brothers being both dead in their Fathers Life time This Lewis was sirnamed Debonaire or the Courteous He had also three Daughters the Eldest was called Rothruda the Second Birtha and the Youngest Giselia who would never marry His fourth Wife he had out of Germany called Fastrada And his fifth and last was also a German Lady called Luithgranda of the Suevian Race by whom he had no Children He shewed his love to Religion by having one during his Meal-times that either read to him some part of the Holy Scriptures or else some part of Saint Augustines Books especially that De Civitate Dei or some History He was also a great Friend to Learning and therefore erected three
the Gauls His Policy He overcomes the Belgae A Battel His Policy He overcomes the Germans He passes over the Rhine And went into England Julias death He beats the French The French rebel Caesar overcomes them Non vult Caesarve priorem Pompeiusve parem Disorders at Rome Pompey sole Consul Pompey deluded Factions 〈◊〉 Rome Caesar goes against Pompey He passes Rubicon Pompey flies and the Senate Caesar pursues him He is Lord of all Italy And went to Rome He went into Spain And conquered Pompeys men And other places He takes Marcelleis His Captains had ill success Pompey prepares for War Caesar goes against him Now Brindez Skirmishes betwixt them Caesars rashness Caesar is beaten Caesars policy Pompeys good resolution Pompey beaten and slain Caesars clemency He pursues Pompey He comes into Aegypt Vanity of vanities His Wars iâ—â— Aegypt His danger His Victory He passes into Asia Overcomes Pharnaces He comes to Rome He passes into Africk He overcomes Scipio Cato kills himself He returns to Rome His Triumphs He goes into Spain A cruel Battel His Victory He returns to Rome His power His clemency and Magnanimity Discontents arise Base flattery His great projects His Pride His dissimulation A Conspiracy against him His Death foretold He is slain His Character His Will Peace concluded A tumult He favoured the Jews His Parentage His first imployment He comes into Italy Many resor to him He comes to Rome M. Anthony's Pride And falshood Caesar raises 〈…〉 Anthony leaves Rome His Parsimony Caesars Policy Anthony declared an Enemy Caesar overcomes him He flies into France Caesar makes himself Consul A Triumvirate efected Many proscribed Ingratitude Cicero flies And is slain Horrid cruelty Sons unnatural Sons dutiful and good Wives good Wives bad Servants bad Servants good A good Son A Jezabel Base Covetousness Valour Oppression They go against Brutus and Cassius Prodigies A Spectrum Brutus beats Caesar. M. Anthony beats Cassius Brutus beaten Kills himself Anthony with Cleopatra Troubles in Rome Caesars Victory Anthony comes into Italy Peace made betwixt them Anthony marries Octavia They are reconciled with Sextus Pompey The Parthians beaten Caesar envies Sextus Pompey Wars against him Caesar marries Livia Pompey beaten Caesar beaten Pompey beaten And flies And is slain Caesars dangers He falls out with Lepidus Caesars Policy Lepidus overcome Caesar returns to Rome Anthony besotted with Cleopatra Caesar seeks a quarrel with him Caesars new troubles Quarrels betwixt them Preparations for War Anthony imprudence Caesars message Anthonys answer They meet They prepare to fight A Battel Anthony flies His mens fidelity His Army yields to Caesar. Anthony lives privately Casar highly honoured Anthony prepares for War Caesar pursues him into Aegypt Prodigies Cleopatras treachery Anthony kills himself Caesar bewails his Death Caesar pardons the Aâ—gyptians Cleopatras Passion She kills her self Caesars Triumpas Caesars commendations Flatâ—â—ry Janus Temple shut up New troubles Spain subdued Augustus his crosses Many Ambassadours come to him Our Saviour Christ born His Prudence and Justice His Vices His Crosses A Prodigy His Death His Character He was a Friend to marriage His temperance His Prudence The Devils Oracles dumb His Charity His Parentage His Fathers peaceable disposition He resigns his Kingdom to his Son Tamerlanes war against the Muscovites His Victory His merciful disposition His Battel with the Muscovites His Victory He is wounded in the Baâ—tel Ally slain Tamerlanes Piety The Articleâ— of Peace His marriage to the great Chams Daughter His Prudence His agility and strength His Piety His Justice His preparations against the King of China The King of China's Pride His Piety towards his Father His sickness His Policy The Rebellion of Calix The Rebels subtilty Tamerlanes Prudence His march against Calix Calix leaves Cambalu The number of Calix Army Tamerlanes Prudence The Battel between Tamerlane and Calix Calix beaten and taken prisoner Calix condemned and executed Tamerlanes march into Cathay Cambalu yielded to him His departure from Cambalu His Policy Odmars good Counsel Tamerlanes Speech to his Army His Piety His march towards China A Chinois Lord comes to Tamerlane His Speech to Tamerlane Calibes speech to Tamerlane Tamerlanes confidence of success Forces sent into Chini The wall forced His first victory in China The King of China's fear The King of China's superstition The wall beaten down Tamerlanes courtesie His gratitude His Policy He besieges Paguinfou Formerly taken from the Tartars A Suburb taken by storm The wall won Tamerlanes Prudence The City surrendred Axallas modesty Tamerlanes Piety The riches of the Chinois Tamerlane prepares for the Battel The Battel begins The Scythians charge the Chinois Tamerlanes Constancy Calibes wounded retreats The Parthians chargethorow The Foot charge Axalla valour Tamerlane chargeth The King of China beaten Tamerlanes temperance His humility and modesty His Piety The King of China brought before him The King of China's proud speech Tamerlane's Courtesie The riches of China Quantou besieged Odmars policy The King of China's brother overthrown Quantou surrendred Tamerlanes Policy The Ambassadours proposals Tamerlane's proposals Peace concluded The King of China delivered Odmar made Governour Tamerlane's gratitude His Prudence His possessions in China His return into Tartary His liberality His entertainment at Cambalu His presents to the old Emperour He is stirred up against Bajazet He sends Ambassadors Bajazets proud answer Tamerlanes preparations against him Tamerlanes speech His entertainment at Samercand Envy attendâ— vertue His march towards Bajazet His Auxiliaries His Prudence The Georgians assist him His strict Discipline His huge Army Bajazets Pride Bajazet advanced towards him Tamerlanes moderation He passeth the River Euphrates Turkish Pride Turks beaten Sebastia taken Bajazets arrogance Note Tamerlanes favour to the Christians Bajazets approach Sennas surprized by Tamerlane His Policy An Ambush Two thousand Turks overthrown The Bassa of Natolia taken His Speech to Tamerlane Tamerlanes reply His release He commendâ— Tamerlane Preparations for the Battel Tamerlanes prudent practice His prudent Speech His direction for the Battel The Battel begins Bajazets great Army The Prince of Ciarchan slain A furious Battel Tamerlane himself chargeth Many revolt to Tamerlane The Turks overthrow Bajazet wounded Bajazet taken The valour of the Christians The Despot of Service Speech Tamerlane releaseth him Bajazets proud behaviour Leoncla in edit Annal. Turk Note Lex Talionis Tamerlanes Piety The dead buried Tamerlanes Policy The number of the slain The uncertainty of worldly greatness Bajazet kept in a Cage Pride goeth before destruction Tamerlane prosecutes his Victory The Turks fly Prusa taken The Greek Emperour â—ends Ambassadours The Greek Empire yielded to Tamerlane It 's refused by him Tamerlanes fidelity The Ambassadours dismissed The Greek Emperour comes to him Tamerlane goes to Constantinople He highly commended it He sends his Army to thei◠〈◊〉 quarters Bajazets Pride Tamerlan's Justice He marcheâ— towards Egypt His battel with the Sultan The Sultan beaten flyeth Damasco taken by storm Tamerlane goes to Jerusalem His Piety He marcheth into Egypt Damietia taken Tamerlane marched to Cair Caire besieged Tamerlanes policy Caire stormed Axalla enters Caire taken The Sultan â—lyeth Tamerlane pursueth A brave retreat of the Mamelukes Fidelity rewarded Caire plundered Tamerlane goes to Alexandria The Sultan flyes Axalla pursues him Many Kings submit to Tamerlane Tamerlane desires to return home He secures his new conquests Calibes made Governour Tamerlane goes to Jerusalem Bajazet's Character Tamerlanes Devotion He enlargeth Samercand His love to his Souldiers He goeth towards Quinsay Odmar's Victory in China Tamerlane gives him his sister in marriage The old Emperour buried His Son brought up at Quinsay The King of China comes to him Tamerlane's â—lain apparel Quinsay described It was one hundred miles in compass His directions about the breeding of his Son His second Son born Recreations rightly used His Prudence His return to Samercand His Justice His love to his servants His bounty His frugality His Death His Character Note Pepins Children Pepins Death His Character Charles made King His Education His Valour and other vertues His Endowments Carolomans Envy The State of Rome Several Popes chosen Steven confirmed Didiers Policy The Popes Secretaries hanged The Pope sends for King Charles Troubles in Guienne Charles subdues Hunalt Charles his Policy and Glemency Charles his marriage Carolomans death Charles his second marriage Pope Adrian Didiers Policy He makes War against the Pope Hunalts ingratitude The Pope sends to Charles for aid Charles Arms against Didier Didier prospers in his Wars Charles calls a Parliament Enters Italy and heats Didier Charles besieges Pavia and Verona The Italians submit to him Veronaâ— taken And Pavia Didier taken Prisoner Charles his moderation A Counsel at Rome New troubles in Italy But suppresed Charles his Wars with the Saxons The cause of it Charles calls a Parliament The Saxons overcome And converted Charles his Wars in Spain Charles circumvented Charles calls a Parliament His great preparations His entry into Spain Pampelune taken Milon defeated Aigoland entred France Charles returns Aigoland's Policy Aigolands dissimulation Charles returns into Spain Aigoland overthrown and slain The Sarazins rally A Gyant slain A Treaty of Peace A Traytor Charles returns into France Rowland assaulted His Valour His Death Charles overcomes the Sarazins Returns into France A Rebellion in Italy His Wars in Bavaria His Victories His education of his children A Sedition in Rome The Pope freed out of Prison Flies to Charles Charles goes to Rome Clears the Pope upon his Oath The State of the Eastern Empire Contention about Images A Counsel from them Charles against Images An unnatural Mother Irene trears with Charles Irene hated and deposed Nicephorus succeeds her He treats with Charles His large Dominions His Title to the Empire Naucler An Agreement betwixt Charles and the Pope Charles is envied Zonas Nicephorus is slain The Saxons oft rebell Charles his Prudence Crantz in Saxon. Bishopricks erected Troubles is Italy War with the Venetians Charles makes his Will He gives Laws to his Subjects Infidels beaten And the Bohemians and Polanders His War with the King of Denmark Pepin dies And Charles New enemies rise up His love to the Church He called five Councels His Ecclesiastical Constitutions A Counsel at Frankfort His Temperance His Exercises His Charity His last Wars His preparation for Death He makes his Will His virtues His large Dominions His Character His Zeal His blemishes His Epitaph The time of his Death His Wives and Children His Devotion His care of his Children His League with Scotland