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 liberall Gift As he was travelling through the Deserts of Persia himself and his Army were in great straits for want of water One of his Souldiers having two Sons ready to die of thirst sought up and down and at last found a little water wherewith he filled a leather Bottell 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 an other King Alexander hearing this gave him the water again and bid him carry it to his Sons Alexander in his younger dayes was so moderate and temperate that he would often open his chests and look upon his Garments to see if his mother had not provided him either delicate or superfluous Apparell Also when the Queen of Caria to shew her great love to him sent him daily variety of Dishes and Dainties and at last sent her Cooks and Bakers to him he returned them back again saying That he had no need of their service for his Master Leonidas had provided him better Cooks by teaching bim to dine and sup Frugally and sparingly Also when he had any rare and dainty Fruits or Fishes sent him from the Sea he used to distribute them amongst his Friends reserving very little or none for his own use One craving a small gift of him he gave him a whole City and when the Poor man said That it was too much for him to receive Yea said Alexander but not for me to give As he was advanceing to Conquer a Kingdom in India Taxilis who was King thereof came and met him saying O Alexander What need we fight if thou comest not to take away my food and water for which its only fit for wise men to fight If thou seekest after Riches if I have more than thou I will give thee part of mine if thou hast more than I I will not refuse part of thine Alexander being much taken with his speech said to him Go to I will contend with thee in bounty and so they mutually gave and received many Gifts At last Alexander gave him a Thousand Tallents which much grieved his Friends and rejoyced the Barbarian He shewed an admirable Example of his Chastity in the heat of his youth when having taken the Mother Wives and Daughters of Darius women of admirable beauty yet neither by word nor deed did he profer them the least indignity thinking it a greater honour to overcome himself than his Adversaries And when he looked upon other Captive Ladies that excelled in stature and beauty he merrily said Persides oculorum dolores esse That the Persian women were a disease of the eyes and yet he looked on them but as one so many Statues When he was informed that two of his Captains under Parmenio had ravished two of the Persian Ladies he wrote to him to enquire after the matter and if he found it true he should cut off their Heads as of Beasts born for the hurt of mankind He also sent him word that himself was so far from contemplating the Beautâ— of Darius his Wife that he would not so much as suffer her to be commended in his presence and that he was so carefull of their Chastity that they lived in his Camp shut up in their Tent as if they had been in a Temple At the Death of Ephestion his Favourite he did not only clipp the haire of his Horses and Mules but plucked down also the Battlements of the City walls that they might seeme to mourne for his Miâ—ions Death shewing now deformity instead of their former Beauty Porus an Indian King fighting valiently against him received many wounds and at last being overcome and falling into his enemies hands they brought him to Alexander who hearing of his coming went forth with some of his Friends to meet him and asked him what he would have him to do for him Porus answered My only desire is that thou use me like a King Alexander admiring his magnimity replyed This I will do for my own sake but what wouldest thou have me doe for thine Porus answered That all was contained in his former demand of Kingly usage Alexander was so pleased with this that he restored him to his Kingdom and gave him an other bigger than his own FINIS THE LIFE DEATH OF CHARLES THE GREAT KING of FRANCE AND EMPEROR of GERMANY By Sa. Clarke sometime Minister in St Bennet Finck London LONDON Printed for William Miller at the Gilded Acorn in St Pauls Church-yard near the little North Door 1665. THE LIFE DEATH OF CHARLES the GREAT King of FRANCE and Emperor of GERMANY PEPIN sirnamed The short the 23d King of France a wise and valiant Prince had two Sons Charles and Caroloman and five daughters Birthe who was maried to Milon Earl of Mans by whom she had great Rowland Hiltrude maried 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 Publike affairs and now grown Old that he might imploy his last dayes in the maintenance of Justice and Peace the burden of War he laid upon his Eldest Son Charles a wise and a valiant young Prince of whose modesty and obedience he was well assured And then retiring to Paris he was not long after surprised with sicknesse in which he recommended his two Sonnes to the Estates of France to give them portions at their pleasures and so ended his dayes 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 Patterne 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 humors who had certainly ruined each other by this equality of power had not the death of Caroloman within three years after divolved the Goverment of the whole Realm upon Charles Charles was endowed with singular gifts both of Body and Mind which
of the Flood and in the Ebb they were left on the dry ground and on the Sandy banks in the River wherewith the Macedonians were much amazed But after he had a few days observed the course of the Sea he passed out of the Rivers mouth some few miles and then offering Sacrifice to Neptune he returned and the better to inform himself he sent Nearchus and Onesicritus to discover the Coast towards the mouth of Euphrates Neer the out-lets of this River he spent some part of Winter and from thence in eighteen days march he recovered Gredosia in which passage his Army suffered such misery through the want of food that of one hundred and twenty thousand Foot and twelve thousand Horse which he carried into India not a fourth part returned alive From Gredosia Alexander led his Army into Caramania and so drawing neer to Persia he gave himself wholly unto Feasting and Drinking imitating the Tryumphs of Bacchus And though this Swinish vice be hateful enough in it self Yet it always inflamed this King to cruelty For saith Curtius the Hangman followed the Feast For Haspastes one of his Provincial Governours he commanded to be slain so as neither did the excess of Voluptuousness quallifie his Cruelty nor his cruelty at all hinder his Voluptuousness While he refreshed his Army in these parts there came a new supply to him of five thousand Foot and a thousand Horse which were conducted to him by Cleander and his fellows that had been impolyed in the murther of Parmenio Against these murtherers great complaints were made by the Deputies of the Provinces in which they had commanded and their offences were proved to be so outragious that Alexander was perswaded that had they not altogether despaired of his return out of India they durst not have committed them All men were glad of the occasion remembring the Virtue of him whom they had slain The end was that Cleander and the other chief together with six hundred Souldiers who had been the instruments of their ravages were delivered over to the Hangman Every one rejoycing that the wrath of the King was at last powred out upon the Ministers of his Anger Nearchus and Onesicritus were now returned from searching the Coast and made report of an Island they had discovered rich in Gold and of other strange things whereupon they were commanded to make some farther discovery after which they should come up Euphrates and meet the King at Babylon Alexander drawing neer to Babylon went to visit the Sepulchre of Cyrus in Pasagardes where he was presented with many rich gifts by Orsanes one of the Princes of Persia of the race of Cyrus But because Bagoas an Eunuch who was in speciall favour with the King was neglected he suborned some loose fellows to accuse Orsanes for robbing Cyrus his Tomb for which he was condemned to die and Bagoas assisted the Hangman with his own hands to torment him At this time also Alexander caused Phradites to be slain suspecting his greatness Hence saith Curtius he began unreasonably to shed blood and to believe false reports Indeed he took the way to make all men weary of him and his Government seeing tyranny is more dreadfull than all adventures that can be made against it About this time Calanus the Philosopher burnt himself having lived seventy three years and Historians say that before his Death he foresaw and foreshewed the Death of Alexander promising to meet him shortly after at Babylon From Pasagardes Alexander went to Susa where he Married Statira the Eldest Daughter of Darius giving her younger Sister to his beloved Ephestion and eighty other Persian Ladies to other of his Captains To his wedding Feast he invited six thousand Guests to each of which he gave a Cup of Gold Unto this place came to him three thousand young Souldiers out of his Conquered Provinces whereat the Macedonians greatly murmured Harpalus his Treasurer in Babylon having lavishly consumed the mony in his keeping fled with five thousand Talents and six thousand hired Souldiers But when he came into Greece he was there slain Alexander much rejoyced at the fidelity of the Greeks who would not be corrupted with Harpalus his Bribes Yet he sent a command to them that they should receive their banished men again whereunto they all for fear yielded except the Athenians though they saw that it was a manifest preparation to their bondage After this there followed a marvellous discontent in his Army because he had resolved to send into Macedonia all those old Souldies which could no longer endure the travell of the War and to keep the rest in Asia He made many Orations to satisfie them but all his words were in vain during the height of their fury Yet when their first passions were evaporated they became more tractable And with such as were licenced to depart he sent Craterus to whom he gave the Lieutenantship of Macedonia Thessaly Thrace which Antipater had Governed from the time of Alexanders departure out of Europe who during that time had subdued the rebellious Greeks discharged the trust committed to him with great fidelity and sent him from time to time so many strong supplies into Asia Certainly if Alexander had not taken counsell of his Cups he would have cast some better colour upon this alteration and given Antipater some stronger reasons of his remove than to imploy him in conducting a new supply of men to Babylon the War being now at an end For Antipater could make no other construction of this remove but that he had a purpose to send him after Parmenio and the rest The truth is the King notwithstanding his undantedness had no great mind to grapple with Antipater Alexander having thus sent for Antipater made a journey into Media to settle things there were Ephestion whom he loved and favoured above all others died The King greatly lamented his loss hanged the Physician that could not cure him and built him a Monument that cost twelve thousand Talents After which he returned to Babylon Thither Antipater came not but sent and that not to excuse but to free himself And if we may believe Curtius he suborned his Sons Cassander Philip and Jolla who were Alexanders Cup-bearers to give him poison Thessalus who was one of the conspiracy having invited him to a Drinking-Feast for that purpose Others say that by his inordinate drinking he fell into a Feavour whereof he died A little before his Death his Friends about him asked him to whom he would leave his Empire He answered To the most worthy man Then asked they him when they should give him Divine Honors He answered When they themselves were happy which were the last words that he spake and so he died having lived not all out thirty three years nor reigned thirteen As soon as he was Dead his great Captains sought to inrich themselves by his Spoils and whilst they were sharing
the World amongst themselves his dead Body lay many days in that hot Countrey unburied stinking above ground A notable Embleme of the Vanity of all earthly things Besides this his vast Empire was divided amongst his great Captains To Ptolomaeus Lagi was allotted Egypt and Affrica To Laomedon Syria and Phoenicia To Python Media To Eumenes Paphlagonia and Cappadocia To Antigonus Pamphilia Lycia and Phrygia the Greater To Cassander Caria To Menander Lydia To Leonatus Phrygia the Less To Lysimachus Thracia with the neighbouring Countries To Antipater Macedonia and the neighbouring Nations But these men not contented with their shares fell out amongst themselves making War one upon another to their own destruction For Perdiccas warring upon Egypt was slain by his own Souldiers Antipater died Eumenes was betrayed by his own Souldiers and slain by Antigonus Olympias the Mother of Alexander was slain by Cassander Cleopatra sister to Alexander was slain by the treachery of Antigonus Antigonus himself was slain in Battel by Cassander 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 Seleucus and Seleucus 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 mutuall contentions came most of them to untimely ends When the dead Body of Alexander had layen seven days upon his Throne at last the Chaldaeans 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 Pennants and Banners and other Emblems of his high State and Honour The care of his Funerall 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 ado about it canst not now have that which every poor man hath a little Earth and Buriall 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 Caesar down Where Macedonian Philips 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 anights 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 Knowest 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 a 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 shew 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 Robs 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 comanded his servants and slaves to do so He clothed 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 Eunuches with Musicians Jesters Singing women c. He spent whole dayes 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 Schoolmasters said to him O Alexander wben thou hast Conquered those Countries wherein these odors grow then thou maist be so liberall 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 Liberall in his service of the Gods He was of so bountifull 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
enjoyment of the latter which came thus to passe Leo was at this time Pope of Rome against whom there was strange sedition raised by Syluester 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. Laurence 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 loâ—g 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 Fraâ—â— whom he found full of Troubles He complained 〈…〉 of the Romans sought to usurp his power into their hanâ—â— 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 grosse Crimes Charlemagne dismissed them both and promised to be at Rome within a few moneths and accordingly prepared for his journey In December Anno Christi 800. Charlemagne was received in Rome with all shewes 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 Campulus 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 daies 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 Emperor but before I speak of that I must represent you with a brief view of the present estate and condition of the Emperor 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 Easterne Provinces After which all the West being full of new Guests who had expelled the Romanes 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 Emperor 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 yeares together about bringing Images into the Churches The Bishops would needs bring them in But the Emperors 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 surnamed Copronimus and to Leo the Fourth Son to the said Constantine This filled all the East with infinite scandalls 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 protect oÌ„ of Images held a Councel of many Bishops for the defence thereof But the people growing into a mutiny by force expelled them from Constantinople where their Assembly was held But Irene being resolved to carry on her design assembled another Councel at Nicea City of of Bithinia honored for having intertained 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 himâ—â—â—â— or some other by his Command did write a small Treatie against this Councel the which beares 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 Councel 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 yeilding 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 up on it herself And indeed the authority which her Son had left her and the free accesse which she had unto his Person gave her oportunity for the execution of her design For having corrupted such as had the cheif 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 herself 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 marrâ—â—â—â— For at that time Festrude was dead with promise to consent that he should be declared Emperor 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 dispossesse her This Woman the unnatural murtheress of her own child being thus publickly hated and