fauor the SYRACVSANS by reason of the goddesse Proserpina protector and defendor of the citie of SYRACVSA to requite her for that she gaue him Cerberus the dogge porter of hell and that he did malice the ATHENIANS besides bicause they tooke the AEGESTAENS partes who came of the TROYANS whom he much hated for breaking their promise and saith with him whose city him selfe had ouerthrowen in reuenge of the wrong that Laomedon king of TROY had offered him Howbeit Timaeus shewes as much wit and iudgement in deliuering vs such toyes in an history as he doth in correcting the stile of Philistus or in condēning and railing of Plato and Aristotle But in my fansie this ambition contention to wryte or to speake more clerkely then others sheweth alwayes a base enuious minde like a scholler full of his schoole pointes But when it striueth with thinges that are past all chalenge correcting then is it extreame follie and madnes Sence therefore I may not passe ouer nor omit certaine thinges which Thucydides and Philistus haue already set downe and especially those wherein they lay open Nicias nature and qualities which the variety of his successes and fortune did couer I must lightly touch them and reporte so much as is necessary conuenient least men condemne me for slouth and negligence And in the rest I haue endeuored to gather and propounde thinges not commonly marked and knowen which I haue collected as well out of sundry mens workes auncient recordes as out of many olde antiquities and of them all compiled a narration which will serue I doubt not to decipher the man and his nature Of Nicias therefore may be sayd that which Aristotle hath wrytten of him that there were three famous citizens of ATTHENS very honest men which fauored the cōmunalty with a naturall fatherly loue Nicias the sonne of Niceratus Thucydides the sonne of Milesus and Theramenes the sonne of Agnon But of the three this last was of smallest accompt for he is flowted as a forrenner borne in the I le of CEOS and chalenged besides for inconstant inresolute in matters of state and gouernment and inclining somtimes to one faction sometime to an other he was called Cothurnus a kinde of buskin indifferently seruing for both legges and in old time was vsed of common players of tragedies Of the other two Thucydides being the elder did many good actes in fauor of the nobility against Pericles who alwaies tooke parte with the inferior sorte Nicias that was the younger had reasonable estimation in Pericles life time for he was ioyned Captaine with him and oftentimes also had charge by him selfe alone without him After Pericles death the nobility raised him to great authoritie to be as a strong bulwarke for them against Cleons insolency boldnes and with all he had the loue of the people to aduaunce and preferre him Now this Cleon in troth could do much with the people he did so flatter and dandle them like an olde man still feeding their humor with gaine but yet they them selues whome he thus flattered knowing his extreame courtousnes impudency and boldnes preferred Nicias before him bicause his grauity was not seuere nor odious but mingled with a kinde of modesty that he seemed to feare the presence of the people which made them thereby the more to loue and esteeme him For being as he was of a fearefull mistrustfull nature disposition in warres he cloked his feare with good fortune which euer fauored him alike in all his iorneys and exploytes that he tooke in hande where he was Captaine Now being much affrayed of accusers this timorous manner of his proceeding in the citie was founde to be popular whereby he wanne him the good will of the people and by meanes thereof rose daily more and more bicause the people commonly feare those that hate them aduaunce them that feare them For the greatest honor nobility can doe to the communalty is to shewe that they doe not despise them Nowe Pericles who through his perfit vertue only and force of his great eloquence ruled the whole state common wealth of ATHENS he needed no counterfeate colour nor artificiall flattering of the people to winne their fauor and good willes but Nicias lacking that and hauing wealth enough sought thereby to creepe into the peoples fauor And where Cleon would entertaine the ATHENIANS with pleasaunt toyes and deuises and could feede the people humor that way Nicias finding him selfe no fit man to worke by such encounter crept into the peoples fauor with liberality with charges of common playes and with such like sumptuousnes exceeding in cost and pleasaunt sportes not only all those that had bene before him but such also as were in his time There yet remaine monuments of his consecrating vnto the goddes as the image of Pallas in the castell of ATHENS the gilt being worne of and the chappell which is vnder the festiuall table of Bacchus for he many times had the chiefe prise in Bacchus daunses neuer went away without some game And touching this matter there goeth a reporte that at certaine playes whereof Nicias defrayed the charges one of his men came forth apon the players stage before the people apparelled like Bacchus being a goodly tall young man without any heare on his face the ATHENIANS tooke such pleasure to see him so attired that they made a clapping of their hands a long time together for ioy Therewithall Nicias stoode vp and told them that it were a shame for him to leaue the body of a man in bondage that openly was esteemed as a god and thereupon foorthwith made this young slaue a free man Men wryte also of certaine sumptuous and deuout acts he did in the I le of DELOS where the daunsers and singers which the cities of GRAECE sent thither to singe rimes and verses in the honor of Apollo were wont before to arriue disorderly and the cause was for the numbers of people that ranne to see them who made them singe straight without any order and landing in hast out of their shippes they left their apparell and put on such vestements as they should weare in procession and their garlands of flowers on their heades all at one present time But Nicias being commaunded to go thither to present the singers of ATHENS landed first in the I le of RENIA hard adioyning to the I le of DELOS with his singers his beastes for sacrifice and with all the rest of his traine carying a bridge with him which he had caused to be made at ATHENS vpon measure taken of the channell betwext the one and thother I le set out with pictures and tables with gilding with nosegayes and garlandes of triumphe and with excellent wrought tapistry which in the night he set vp vpon the channell being not very broade and the next morning by breake of the day caused his singers to passe ouer apon it singing all
the gate Thereuppon the gates were opened they comming in their gownes went vnto his bed side to see him That selfe day Python Seleucus were appointed by the kings friends to go to the temple of the god Serapis to knowe if they should bringe king Alexander thither The god aunswered them that they should not remoue him from thence The eight and twenty day at night Alexander dyed Thus it is written word for word in manner in the houshold booke of remembrance At that present tyme there was no suspition that he was poysoned Yet they say that six yeares after there appeared some proofe that he was poisoned Whereupon his mother Olympias put many men to death and cast the ashes of Iolas into the wind that was dead before for that it was said he gaue him poyson in his drinke They that thinke it was Aristotle that counselled Antipater to do it by whose meane the poyson was brought they say that Agnothemis reporred it hauing heard it of king Antigonus owne mouth The poyson as some say was cold as Ise and falleth from a rocke in the territory of the citie of NONACRIS it is gathered as they would gather a deawe into the horne of the foote of an asse for there is no other kinde of thinge that wil keepe it it is so extreme cold percing Others defend it say that the report of his poysoning is vntrue for proofe therof they alleage this reason which is of no smal importance that is That the chiefest Capteines fel at great variance after his death so that the corps of Alexander remained many dayes naked without buriall in a whot dry contry yet there neuer appeared any signe or token apon his body that he was poysoned but was still a cleane and faire corps as could be Alexander left Roxane great with childe for the which the MACEDONIANS did her great honor but she did malice Statira extreamely did finely deceiue her by a counterfeat letter she sent as if it had comen from Alexander willing her to come vnto him But when she was come Roxane killed her and her sister and then threw their bodies into a well and filled it vp with earth by Perdiccas helpe and consent Perdiccas came to be king immediatly after Alexanders death by meanes of Aridaeus whom he kept about him for his gard and safety This Aridaeus beeing borne of a common strumpet and common woman called Philinna was halfe lunaticke not by nature nor by chaunce but as it is reported put out of his wits when he was a young towardly boy by drinkes which Olympias caused to be geuen him and thereby continued franticke The end of Alexanders life THE LIFE OF Iulius Caesar. AT what time Sylla was made Lord of all he would haue had Caesar put away his wife Cornelia the daughter of Cinna Dictator but when he saw he could neither with any promise nor threate bring him to it he tooke her ioynter away from him The cause of Caesars ill will vnto Sylla was by meanes of mariage for Marius thelder maried his fathers own sister by whom he had Marius the younger whereby Caesar he were cosin germaines Sylla being troubled in waightie matters putting to death so many of his enemies when he came to be cōqueror he made no reckoning of Caesar but he was not contented to be hidden in safety but came and made sute vnto the people for the Priesthoodshippe that was voyde when he had scant any heare on his face Howbeit he was repulsed by Syllaes meanes that secretly was against him Who when he was determined to haue killed him some of his frendes told him that it was to no purpose to put so young a boy as he to death But Sylla told them againe that they did not consider that there were many Marians in that young boy Caesar vnderstanding that stale out of ROME and hidde him selfe a long time in the contrie of the SABINES wandring still from place to place But one day being caried from house to house he fell into the handes of Syllaes souldiers who searched all those places and tooke them whom they found hidden Caesar bribed the Captaine whose name was Cornelius with two talentes which he gaue him After he had escaped them thus he went vnto the sea side and tooke shippe and sailed into BITHYNIA to goe vnto king Nicomedes When he had bene with him a while he tooke sea againe and was taken by pyrates about the I le of PHARMACVSA for those pyrates kept all vppon that sea coast with a great fleete of shippes and botes They asking him at the first twentie talentes for his ransome Caesar laughed them to scorne as though they knew not what a man they had taken of him selfe promised them fiftie talents Then he sent his men vp and downe to get him this money so that he was left in maner alone among these theeues of the CILICIANS which are the cruellest butchers in the world with one of his frends and two of his slaues only and yet he made so litle reckoning of them that when he was desirous to sleepe he sent vnto them to commaunde them to make no noyse Thus was he eight and thirtie dayes among them not kept as prisoner but rather waited vppon by them as a Prince All this time he woulde boldly exercise him selfe in any sporte or pastime they would goe to And other while also he woulde wryte verses and make orations and call them together to say them before them and if any of them seemed as though they had not vnderstoode him or passed not for them he called them blockeheades and brute beastes and laughing threatned them that he would hang them vp But they were as merie with the matter as could be and tooke all in good parte thinking that this his bold speach came through the simplicity of his youth So when his raunsome was come from the citie of MILETVM they being payed their money and he againe set at libertie he then presently armed and manned out certaine ships out of the hauen of MILETVM to follow those theeues whom he found yet riding at ancker in the same Iland So he tooke the most of them had the spoile of their goods but for their bodies he brought them into the city of PERGAMVM there committed thē to prison whilest he him selfe went to speake with Iunius who had the gouernment of ASIA as vnto whom the execution of these pirats did belong for that he was Praetor of that contrie But this Praetor hauing a great fancie to be fingering of the money bicause there was good store of it answered that he would consider of these prisoners at better leasure Caesar leauing Iunius there returned againe vnto PERGAMVM and there hung vp all these theeues openly vpon a crosse as he had oftentimes promised them in the I le he would doe when they thought he did but ieast
the bare name of a gouernor But in deede the perfect good and honest man should neuer couer outward glory but as a meane to bringe him to noble attempts whereby he might procure the better credit of his doings And for a younge man that coueteth honor by vertue giue him leaue a litle to glory in his well doing for as Theophrastus sayth vertue buddeth and florisheth in youth and taketh fast roote by prayses giuen as wit corage groweth in them But ouermuch praise is daungerous in euery person but chiefly in ambicious gouernors For if they be men of great power it makes them commit many desperat partes for they wil not allow that honor proceedes of vertue but that honor is vertue it selfe But in deed they should say as Phocion did vnto Antipater that requested an vnlawfull matter of him Thou canst not said he haue Phocion a friend and a flatterer both This or the very like may be sayd vnto the people you can not both haue one a Maister and a seruaunt that can commaunde and obey together Or els the mischiefe spoken of in the tale of the Dragon must needes happen which was the taile on a time fell out with the head and complained saying it would an other while go before would not alwaies come behind The head graunted the taile which fell out very ill for it not knowing howe to guide the heade and besides that the head thereby was tormented euery way beeing compelled against nature to follow that part and member which could nether heare nor see how to guide it The like matter haue we seene happen vnto many which in the administracion of the common wealth did seeke to please the humors of the multitude For when they haue once put their heads vnder their girdles to please the common people which without cause reason doe soone rebell they can by no possible meanes afterwards bridle their furie insolencie Now the reason that made vs to enter into discourse against the ambition and vaine glorye amongest the people was the consideracion I had of their greate power remembring the misfortunes of Tiberius and Caius Gracchi bothe the which comming of a noble house and hauing bene maruelous well brought vp maneging also the affayres of the common wealth with a good desire were notwithstanding in the ende cast away not so much through couetousnes of glorye as for feare of dishonor which came also of no base mind For they hauing receiued great pleasures and friendships of the people were ashamed to be indetted to them and therefore earnestly sought to exceede the people in good will by new decrees and deuises which they preferred for common benefit and the people also for their partes contended to honor them the more by how much they striued to shewe them selues thankefull So with like strife on either side they go gratifie the common people and the people also to honor them were vnwares so entangled with publike causes that they could no more follow the common prouerbe which sayth Although our deedes discent from equitie Yet can vve not desist vvith honestie This thou shalt easily finde by the declaracion of the historie With these we doe compare two other popular men both kinges of LACEDAEMON Agis and Cleomenes For they as the Gracchi seeking to increase the power of the common people and to restore the iust and honest gouernment againe of the common wealth of LACEDAEMON which of long time had bene out of vse did in like manner purchase the hate of the nobilitie which were loth to lose any part of their wonted couetousnes In deed these two LACONIANS were no brethreÌ„ borne but yet did both follow one selfe course forme of gouernment which had beginning in this sort After that couetousnes of gold and siluer crept againe into the citie of SPARTA and with riches couetousnes also and miserie and by vse voluptuousnes and licentious life SPARTA then was void of all honor and goodnes and was long time drowned in shame and dishonor vntill king Agis and Leonidas came to raigne there Agis was of the house of the Eurytiontides the sonne of Eudamidas the sixt of lineall descent after Agesilaus who had beene the greatest Prince of all GRAECE in his time This Agesilaus had a sonne slaine in ITALY by the MESSAPIANS called Archidamus before the citie of MANDONIVM Archidamus had issue two sonnes Agis and Eudamidas that was king who succeeded his brother Agis whom Antipater slue before the citie of MEGALIPOLIS and left no children behind him Eudamidas begat Archidamus which Archidamus begat another Eudamidas which Eudamidas also begat Agis whose life we now write of Leonidas also the sonne of Cleonymus was of the other familie of the Agiades the right of succession after Pausanias who slue Mardonius the kings Lieuetenant general of PERSIA in a battell fought before the citie of PLATâ—â—S This Pausanias had a sonne called Plistonax and Plistonax also an other called Pausanias who flying from SPARTA vnto the citie of TEGEA his eldest sonne Agesipolis was made king in his fathers roome who dying without issue his yonger brother Cleombrotus succeeded him in the kingdoÌ„ Cleombrotus had two sonnes Agesipolis and Cleomenes of the which Agesipolis raigned not long king and dyed without issue Then Cleomenes his brother who was king after him had two sonnes Acrotatus the elder that dyed in his fathers life time and Cleonymus the yonger which suruiued him and was not king but one Areus his Nephewe the sonne of Acrotatus This Areus dyed before the citie of CORINTHE who hauing an other Acrotatus to his sonne he succeeded him in the kingdome He also dyed at a battell before the citie of MEGALIPOLIS and was slayne there by the tyrant Aristodemus leauing his wife great with childe She beeing brought to bedde after his death of a sonne whome Leonidas the sonne of Cleonymus taught and brought vp the childe dying very young the crowne by his death was cast apon Leonidas him selfe Howbeit his maners conditions neuer liked the people For though all men generally were corrupted through the coÌ„mon wealth and cleane out of order yet Leonidas of all other exceeded deforming most the auncient LACONIAN life bicause he had bene long time brought vp in Princes houses followed also Seleucus Court from whence he had brought all the pride and pompe of those Courts into GRAECE where law reason ruleth Agis on the contrary part did not onely farre excel Leonidas in honor and magnanimitie of mind but all other almost also which had raigned in SPARTA from the time of Agesilaus the great So that when Agis was not yet twenty yeare old and being daintily brought vp with the finenes of two women his mother Agesistrata and Archidamia his grandmother which had more gold and siluer then all the LACEDAEMONIANS els he began to spurne against these womanish delights pleasures in making him selfe fayer to
very well brought vp in the LACONIAN discipline and better then any man of his yeares Cleomenes did loue him dearely and commaunded him that when he should see he were dead and all the rest also that then he should kill him selfe last of all Now they all being layed on the ground he searched them one after another with the poynt of his sword to see if there were any of them yet left aliue and when he had pricked Cleomenes on the heele amongest others and saw that he did yet knit his browes he kissed him sate downe by him Then perceiuing that he had yelded vp the ghost imbracing him when he was dead he also slue him selfe and fell vpon him Thus Cleomenes hauing raigned king of SPARTA sixteene yeares being the same manner of man we haue described him to be he ended his dayes in this sort as ye heare Now his death being presently bruted through the citie Cratesiclea his mother though otherwise she had a noble minde did notwithstanding a litle forget her greatnes through thextreame sorow she felt for the death of her sonne and so imbracing Cleomenes sonnes she fell to bitter lamentacion But the eldest of his sonnes no man mistrusting any such matter found meanes to get out of her handes running vp to the toppe of the house cast him selfe headlong downe to the ground that his head was all broken and splitted yet died not but was taken vp crying and angry with them that they would not suffer him to dye This newes being brought to king Ptolomy he commaunded they should first flea Cleomenes and then hange vp his body and also that they should put his children his mother and all her women wayting on her to death among the which was Panteas wife one of the fayrest and curteousest women in her tyme They had not beene longe maried before when these mischieues lighted apon them at what tyme their loue was then in greatest force Her parents then would not let her depart and imbarke with her husband but had locked her vp and kept her at home by force Howbeit shortly after she found the meanes to get her a horse some money and stale away in the night and gallopped towards the hauen of Taenarus where finding a shippe ready bound for AEGYPT she imbarked and went to seeke her husband with whome she gladly and louingly ledde her life forsaking her owne contry to liue in a straunge Realme Now when the Sergeaunts came to take Cratesiclea to put her to death Panteas wife led her by the arme carying vp her traine and did comfort her although Cratesiclea otherwise was not affraid to dye but onely asked this fauor that she might dye before her litle children This notwithstanding when they came to the place of execution the hangman first slue her children before her eyes and then her selfe afterwards who in such great griefe and sorowe sayd no more but thus Alas my poore children what is become of you And Panteas wife also being a mighty tall woman girding her clothes to her tooke vp the slayne bodies one after another and wrapped them vp in such things as she could get speaking neuer a word nor shewing any signe or token of griefe and in fine hauing prepared her self to dye and plucked of her attyre her selfe without suffering any other to come neare her or to see her but the hangman that was appoynted to stryke of her head In this sorte she dyed as constantly as the stowtest man liuing could haue done and had so couered her body that no man needed after her death to touche her so carefull was she to her ende to keepe her honestie which she had alwayes kept in her life and in her death was mindefull of her honor wherewith she decked her body in her life tyme Thus these LACEDAEMON Ladies playing their partes in this pitifull tragedie contending at the time of death euen with the corage of the slayne SPARTANS their contrymen which of them should dye most constantly left a manifest proofe and testimonie that fortune hath no power ouer fortitude and corage Shortly after those that were appoynted to keepe the body of king Cleomenes that hong vpon the crosse they spied a great Serpent wreathed about his head that couered all his face insomuch as no rauening fowle durst come neare him to eate of it whereuppon the king fell into a supersticious feare being affrayd that he had offended the goddes Hereuppon the Ladyes in his Court began to make many sacrifices of purification for the cleering of this sinne perswading them selues that they had put a man to death beloued of the gods and that he had something more in him then a man The ALEXANDRINIANS thereuppon went to the place of execution and made their prayers vnto Cleomenes as vnto a demy god calling him the sonne of the goddes Vntill that the learned men brought them from that error declaring vnto them that like as of oxen being dead and rotten there breede bees and of horse also come waspes of asses likewise bitels euen so mens bodies when the marie melteth and gathereth together doe bringe forth Serpents The which comming to the knowledge of the auncients in olde tyme of all other beastes they did consecrate the Dragon to Kinges and Princes as proper vnto man. The end of the life of Agis and Cleomenes TIBERIVS AND CAIVS GRACCHI NOW that we haue declared vnto you the historie of the liues of these two GRAECIANS Agis and Cleomenes aforesayd we must also write the historie of two ROMANES the which is no lesse lamentable for the troubles and calamities that chaunced vnto Tiberius and Caius both of them the sonnes of Tiberius Gracchus He hauing bene twise Consul and once Censor and hauing had the honor of two triumphs had notwithstanding more honor and fame onely for his valiantnes for the which he was thought worthy to marye with Cornelia the daughter of Scipio who ouercame Hanniball after the death of his father though while he liued he was neuer his friend but rather his enemy It is reported that Tiberius on a tyme found two snakes in his bed and that the Soothsayers and wysards hauing considered the signification thereof did forbid him to kill them both and also to let them both escape but one onely assuring him that if he killed the male he should not liue long after and if he killed the female that then his wife Cornelia shoulde dye Tiberius then louing his wife dearely thinking it meeter for him also that he being the elder of both and she yet a younge woman should dye before her he slue the male and let the female escape howbeit he dyed soone after leauing twelue children aliue all of them begotten of Cornelia Cornelia after the death of her husband taking vpon her the rule of her house and children led such a chast life was so good to her children and of so noble a minde that euery man
was in suche a rage withall that he rescued his brother by force on of the Sergeaunts hands and from the Tribunes of the people And they report beside that Tiberius Gracchus one of the Tribunes complayning first that the authoritie of the Tribuneship was troden vnder feete by a priuate person he afterwardes letting fall all the malice and enuy he bare vnto the Scipioes defended their cause bicause the Tribunes should rather seeme to be ouercome by a Tribune then by a priuate person They sayd moreouer that the selfe same daye the Senate supped in the Capitoll he perswaded the AFRICAN to let Tiberius Gracchus mary his younger Daughter This promise was no sooner made but P. Scipio comming home to his house tolde his wife that he had bestowed their Daughter Whereuppon she being angry told him againe that he should not haue married her without consent of her mother though he could haue bestowed her vpon Tiberius Gracchus This aūswer liked Scipio maruelous wel when he saw that his wife was of his mind touching the mariage of their Daughter I knowe it is thought of some that it was attributed to Tiberius the sonne and to Appius Claudius his father in lawe For Polybius and other auncient writers affirme that Cornelia the mother of Caius and Tiberius Gracchi was maried vnto Gracchus after the AFRICANS death For Scipio AFRICAN was maried vnto AEmylia the Daughter of L. Paulus AEmylius Consul that was slayne at the battell of CANNES By her he had two Daughters of the which the eldest was maried vnto P. Cornelius Nasica and the younger vnto Tiberius Gracchus either before or after the death of his father Nowe towching his sonne there is litle mention made of him in writing that a man may write of certainty to be true We haue spoken of his younger sonne that was taken by king Antiochus and afterwards franckly sent vnto his father of whome notwithstanding afterwards I find no mention in writing sauing that some say he was afterwards Praetor and that he came to this office by meanes of Cicercius his fathers Secretary There appeareth in writing also that the younger AFRICAN was adopted by the sonne of P. Scipio Cicero in his booke intituled Cato Maior sayth how weake sayd he was the sonne of P. AFRICAN that adopted thee his sonne And in his sixth booke also de repub AEmylius the father exhorteth Scipio his sonne to follow iustice and piety as his grandfather Scipio AFRICAN had done And touching the death of P. Scipio AFRICAN writers doe diuersly varye for some say that he dyed and was buryed at ROME And for proofe thereof they doe bringe forth the monument that was set vp for him by the gate Capena ouer the which stoode three statues or images two whereof were the images of P. and Lucius Scipio and the third was of Q. Ennius the Poet. And surely that which Cicero wrote seemeth to confirme it true our Ennius sayd he was maruelously beloued of AFRICAN the great and therefore it is thought that he was buryed in Scipioes tombe Other authors write also and surely they agree best with the common report that Scipio AFRICAN dyed at LINTERNVM and that there he was buried at his owne appoyntment bicause his contry so vnthankfully acknowledging his seruice should do him no honor at his death and that there they set him vp a tombe and his statue vpon that the which afterwards was blowen downe by a tempest of wind and the which Liuie him selfe witnesseth he saw Furthermore by CAIETA this Epitaphe was grauen in a plate of copper set in a marbell tombe The man that vanquishe Annibal and conquered Carthage tovvne And eke increast the Romanes both in Empire and renovvne Lyes heere a beape of dust and earth bid vnderneath this stone His deedes his provvesse and his life are altogether gone VVhom mother Europe could vvithstand nor Africk in time past Behold mans frailtie heere he lyes in litle roome at last Now touching the time of his death hauing made great searche for it I haue found in certaine Graeke Authors that the AFRICAN liued foure and fifty yeares and dyed shortly after Furthermore he was a noble Captaine and worthy of all commendacion for martiall discipline and besides excelled in all other vertues the which did so delight his mind that he was wont to say he was neuer lesse idle then when he tooke his ease nether more solitary then when he was alone For some times he would withdraw him selfe out of the assembly from all mens company and thought him self safe when he was alone The fame of his noble deedes was so great that wheresoeuer he went all fortes of people would come and see him The common report went that when he was at LINTERNVM there came certaine rouers vnto him to see so famous a man and to losse that so faithfull and victorious a hand For vertue hath great force and power with all sortes of people bicause it doth not onely make the good but the euil also to loue and honor it THE COMPARISON OF Annibal with P. Scipio African NOW let vs compare Annibal and Scipioes deedes together as touching their ciuill discipline First if we remember their deedes in warres it is manifest that both of them haue bene great and famous Captaines in warre and that they haue not onely bene comparable with the noblest Kinges and Princes in their time being also in that age when warres florished most but with those also that were before their time One thing maketh me wonder much at them that they hauing great and heauy enemies in their contry who sought to ouerthrow all their doings and enterprises could possibly goe thorough with so great matters and to obtayne such happie and famous victories in straunge and forreyne warres Therefore passing ouer all other matters what a doe had P. Scipio before he could obtayne to be sent into AFRICK to make warre with the CARTHAGINANS Fabius Maximus and other noble men of the citie being greatly against it Againe what enemy had Annibal of Hanno who was Prince and head of the contrary faction against him Now they both hauing ouercomen such great troubles at home did notwithstanding bringe thinges to end worthy perpetuall memorie not by chaunce as it hapneth vnto many but through their industrie great wisedom and counsell So diuers doe wonder greatly at Annibals corage and noble mind who after he had sacked the citie of SACVNTVS came boldly from the furdest part of the world into ITALY and brought with him a great army of footemen and horsemen and came to make warre with a great state and common wealth the which his predecessors alwayes dreaded and after he had wonne many battells and slayne sundry Consuls and Captaines of the ROMANES he came and camped hard by the citie of ROME it selfe and procured straunge kings and farre nations to make warre with the ROMANES He that was able to doe so great things as these men can
that Theseus also should enioye it after his death Whereupon they determined to make warre with them both and diuiding them selues into two partes the one came openly in armes with their father marching directly towardes the cittie the other laye close in ambushe in the village GARGETTVS meaning to geue charge vpon them in two places at one instant Nowe they brought with them an Heraulde borne in the towne of AGNVS called Leos who bewrayed vnto Theseus the secret and deuise of all their enterprise Theseus vpon this intelligence went forth and dyd set on those that laye in ambushe and put them all to the sworde The other which were in Pallas companie vnderstanding thereof dyd breake and disparse them selues incontinently And this is the cause as some saye why those of Pallena doe neuer make affinitie nor mariadge with those of AGNVS at this daye And that in their towne when any proclamation is made they neuer speake these wordes which are cryed euery where els through out the whole countrye of ATTICA Aconete Leos which is as muche to saye as Hearken O people they doe so extreamely hate this worde Leos for that it was the Herauldes name which wrought them that treason This done Theseus who woulde not liue idelly at home and doe nothing but desirous there withall to gratifie the people went his waye to fight with the bull of Marathon the which dyd great mischieues to the inhabitants of the countrye of TETRAPOLIS And hauing taken him aliue brought him through the citie of ATHENS to be seene of all the inhabitants Afterwardes he dyd sacrifice him vnto Apollo Delphias Nowe concerning Hecale who was reported to haue lodged him and to haue geuen him good enterteinment it is not altogether vntrue For in the olde time those townes and villages thereaboutes dyd assemble together and made a common sacrifice which they called Hecalesion in the honour of Iupiter Hecalian where they honoured this olde woman calling her by a diminutiue name Hecalena bicause that when she receyued Theseus into her house being then but very younge she made muche of him and called him by many prety made names as olde folkes are wont to call younge children And forasmuche as she had made a vowe to Iupiter to make him a solemne sacrifice if Theseus returned safe from the enterprise he went about and that she dyed before his returne in recompence of the good chere she had made him she had that honour done vnto her by Theseuscommaundement as Philochorus hathe written of it Shortely after this exployte there came certaine of King Minos ambassadours out of CRETA to aske tribute being nowe the thirde time it was demaunded which the ATHENIANS payed for this cause Androgeus the eldest sonne of king Minos was slayne by treason within the countrye of ATTICA for which cause Minos pursuing the reuenge of his death made very whotte and sharpe warres vpon the ATHENIANS and dyd them greate hurte But besides all this the goddes dyd sharpely punishe and scourge all the countrye aswell with barrennes and famine as also with plague and other mischieues euen to the drying vp of their riuers The ATHENIANS perceyuing these sore troubles and plagues ranne to the oracle of Apollo who aunswered them that they shoulde appease Minos and when they had made their peace with him that then the wrathe of the goddes woulde cease against them and their troubles should haue an ende Whereupon the ATHENIANS sent immediately vnto him and intreated him for peace which he graunted them with condition that they should be bounde to sende him yerely into CRETA seuen younge boyes and as many younge gyrles Nowe thus farre all the Historiographers doe very well agree but in the reste not And they which seeme furdest of from the trothe doe declare that when these yonge boyes were deliuered in CRETA they caused them to be deuowred by the Minotaure within the Laberinthe or els that they were shut within this Laberinthe wandring vp and downe and coulde finde no place to gett out vntill suche time as they dyed euen famished for hunger And this Minotaure as Euripides the Poet sayeth was A corps combynd vvhich monstrous might be deemd A Boye a Bull both man and beast it seemd But Philochorus writeth that the CRETANS doe not confesse that but saye that this Laberinthe was a gayle or prisone in the which they had no other hurre sauing that they which were kept there vnder locke and keye coulde not flye not starte awaye and that Minos had in the memorye of his sonne Androgeus instituted games and playes of prise where he gaue vnto them that wanne the victorie those younge children of ATHENS the which in the meane time notwithstanding were carefully kept and looked vnto in the prisone of the Laberinthe and that at the first games that were kept one of the Kings captaines called Taurus who was in best creditt with his master wanne the prise This Taurus was a churlishe and naughtie natured man of condition and very harde and cruell to these children of ATHENS And to verifie the same the philosopher Aristotle him selfe speaking of the common wealth of the BOTTIEIANS declareth very well that he neuer thought that Minos dyd at any time cause the children of ATHENS to be put to death but sayeth that they poorely toyled in CRETA euen to crooked age earning their liuing by true and painefull seruice For it is written that the CRETANS to satisfie an olde vowe of theirs which they had made of auncient time sent somtimes the first borne of their children vnto Apollo in the cittie of DELPHAS and that amongest them they also mingled those which were descended of the auncient prisoners of ATHENS and they went with them But bicause they coulde not liue there they directed their iorney first into ITALIE where for a time they remained in the realme of PVGLIA and afterwardes from thence went into the confines of THRACIA where they had this name of BOTTIEIANS In memory whereof the daughters of the BOTTIEIANS in a solemne sacrifice they make doe vse to singe the foote of this songe Lett vs to ATHENS goe But thereby we maye see howe perilous a thing it is to fall in displeasure and enmitie with a cittie which can speake well and where learning and eloquence dothe florishe For euer sence that time Minos was allwayes blased and disgraced through out all the Theaters of ATHENS The testimonie of Hesiodus who calleth him the most worthie King dothe nothing helpe him at all nor the prayse of Homer who nameth him Iupiters famillier friende bicause the tragicall Poets gott the vpper hande in disgracing him notwithstanding all these And vpon their stages where all the tragedies were played they still gaue forth many ill fauored wordes and fowle speaches of him as against a man that had bene most cruell and vnnaturall Yet most men thincke that Minos was the King which established the lawes and Radamanthus
them neither haue they done any vnseemely thing but haue passed the rest of their life like wise constant and vertuous men For it is not loue but weaknes which breedeth these extreme sorowes and exceeding feare in men that are not exercised nor acquainted to fight against fortune with reason And this is the cause that plucketh from them the pleasure of that they loue and desire by reason of the continuall trouble feare and griefe they feele by thincking howe in time they maye be depriued of it Nowe we must not arme our selues with pouertie against the griefe of losse of goodes neither with lacke of affeâ—tion against the losse of our friendes neither with wante of mariage against the death of children but we must be armed with reason against misfortunes Thus haue we sufficiently enlarged this matter The ATHENIANS hauing nowe susteined a long and troublesome warre against the MEGARIANS for the possession of the I le of SALAMINA were in the ende wearie of it and made proclamation straightly commaunding vpon payne of death that no man should presume to preferre any more to the counsaill of the cittie the title or question of the possession of the I le of SALAMINA Solon could not beare this open shame and seeing the most parte of the lustiest youthes desirous still of warre though their tongues were tyed for feare of the proclamation he fayned him selfe to be out of his wittes and caused it to be geuen out that Solon was become a foole and secretly he had made certaine lamentable verses which he had cunned without booke to singe abroade the cittie So one daye he ranne sodainly out of his house with a garland on his head and gotte him to the market place where the people straight swarmed like bees about him and getting him vp vpon the stone where all proclamations are vsually made out he singeth these Elegies he had made which beganne after this sorte I here present my selfe an Heraulde in this case vvhich come from Salamina lande that noble vvorthy place My minde in pelting prose shall neuer be exprest But songe in verse Heroycall for so I thincke it best This Elegie is intituled SALAMINA and conteineth a hundred verses which are excellently well written And these being songe openly by Solon at that time his friendes incontinently praysed them beyond measure and specially Pisistratus and they went about persuading the people that were present to credit that he spake Hereupon the matter was so handled amongest them that by and by the proclamation was reuoked and they beganne to followe the warres with greater furie then before appointing Solon to be generall in the same But the common tale and reporte is that he went by sea with Pisistratus vnto the temple of Venus surnamed Coliade where he founde all the women at a solemne feast and sacrifice which they made of custome to the goddesse He taking occasion thereby sent from thence a trusty man of his owne vnto the MEGARIANS which then had SALAMINA whom he instructed to fayne him selfe a reuolted traytour that he came of purpose to tell them that if they would but goe with him they might take all the chief ladyes and gentle women of ATHENS on a sodaine The MEGARIANS easely beleeued him and shipped forthwith certaine souldiers to goe with him But when Solon perceyued the shippe vnder sayle comming from SALAMINA he commaunded the women to departe and in steade of them he put lusty beardles springalles into their apparell and gaue them litle shorte daggers to conuey vnder their clothes commaunding them to playe daunce together vpon the sea side vntill their enemies were landed and their shippe at anker and so it came to passe For the MEGARIANS being deceyued by that they sawe a farre of as sonne as euer they came to the shore side dyd lande in heapes one in anothers necke euen for greedines to take these women but not a man of them escaped for they were slayne euery mothers sonne This stratageame being finely handled to good effect the ATHENIANS tooke sea straight and costed ouer to the I le of SALAMINA which they tooke vpon the sodaine and wanne it without much resistaunce Other saye that it was not taken after this sorte but that Apollo Delphicus gaue Solon first such an oracle Thou shalt first vvinne by vovves and sacrifice the helpe of lordes an demy goddes full bright of vvhose dead bones the dust engraued lies in vvesterne soyle Asopia that hight By order of this oracle he one night passed ouer to SALAMINA dyd sacrifice to Periphemus to Cichris demy goddes of the countrie Which done the ATHENIANS deliuered him fiue hundred men who willingly offered them selues the cittie made an accorde with them that if they tooke the I le of SALAMINA they should beare greatest authoritie in the common weale Solon imbarked his souldiers into diuers fisher botes and appointed a galliot of thirtie owers to come after him he ankred hard by the cittie of SALAMINA vnder the pointe which looketh towards the I le of NEGREPONT The MEGARIANS which were within SALAMINA hauing by chaunce heard some inckling of it but yet knew nothing of certaintie ranne presently in hurly burley to arme them and manned out a shippe to descrie what it was But they fondly comming within daunger were taken by Solon who clapped the MEGARIANS vnder hatches fast bounde and in their roomes put aborde in their shippe the choycest souldiers he had of the ATHENIANS commaunding them to set their course direct vpon the cittie and to keepe them selues as close out of sight as could be And he him self with all the rest of his souldiers landed presently and marched to encounter with the MEGARIANS which were come out into the fielde Now whilest they were fighting together Solons men whom he had sent in the MEGARIANS shippe entred the hauen wanne the towne This is certainly true testified by that which is shewed yet at this daye For to keepe a memoriall hereof a shippe of ATHENS arriueth quietly at the first by by those that are in the shippe make a great showte and a man armed leaping out of the shippe ronneth showting towardes the rocke called Sciradion which is as they come from the firme lande and hard by the same is the temple of Mars which Solon built there after he had ouercome the MEGARIANS in battell from whence he sent backe againe those prisoners that he had taken which were saued from the slaughter of the battell without any ransome paying Neuertheles the MEGARIANS were sharpely bent still to recouer SALAMINA again Much hurte being done suffered on both sides both parts in the ende made the LACEDAEMONIANS iudges of the quarrell But vpon iudgement geuen common reporte is that Homers authoritie dyd Solon good seruice bicause he did adde these verses to the number of shippes which are in the Iliades of Homer which he rehearsed before the iudges as if they
with melancholie And thus we see that counsells and iudgements are lightly caried awaye by prayse or disprayse if they be not shored vp with rule of reason and philosophie and rest confounded in them selues And therefore it is very requisite and necessarie that not only the acte be good and honest of it selfe but that the resolution thereof be also constant and not subiect vnto chaunge to the ende we maye doe all things consideratly Lest we be like vnto likerous mowthed men who as they desire meates with a greedy appetite and after are sone weary disliking the same euen so we do soddenly repent our actions grounded vpon a weake imagination of the honestie that moued vs thereunto For repentaunce maketh the acte which before was good naught But determination grounded vpon certaine knowledge and truthe of reason doth neuer chaunge although the matter enterprised haue not allwayes happy successe And therefore Phocion the ATHENIAN hauing resisted as muche as in him laye certen things which the generall Leosthenes dyd and which contrarie to his minde tooke good effect and perceyuing the ATHENIANS dyd open sacrifice vnto the goddes to geue them thankes for the same and muche reioyce at the victorie they had obteined I would haue reioyced to sayed he if I had done this but so would I not for any thing but I had geuen the counsell And after that sorte but more sharpely dyd Aristides LOCRIAN a very friend and companion of Platoes aunswer Dionysius the elder tyrante of SYRACVSA who asked his goodwill to marye one of his daughters I had rather see my daughter deade sayde he then maried vnto a tyranne And within a certayne tyme after the tyranne put all his sonnes to deathe and then he asked him in derision to greeue him the more if he were still of his former opinion for the marying of his daughter I am very sorye sayed he with all my harte for that thou hast done but yet I doe not repent me of that I haue sayed That peraduenture proceeded of a more perfect vertue But to returne againe to Timoleon Whether that inwarde sorowe strooke him to the harte for the deathe of his brother or that shame did so abash him as he durst not abide his mother twenty yeares after he neuer did any notable or famous acte And therefore when he was named to be generall of the ayde that shoulde be sent into SICILE the people hauing willingly chosen and accepted of him Teleslides who was chiefe gouernor at that time in the citie of CORINTHE standing vppon his feete before the people spake vnto Timoleon and did exhorte him to behaue him selfe like an honest man and valiant Captaine in his charge For sayd he if you handle your selfe well we will thinke you haue killed a tyranne but if you doe order your selfe otherwise then well we will iudge you haue killed your brother Nowe Timoleon being busie in leauying of men and preparing him selfe letters came to the CORINTHIANS from Icetes whereby plainely appeared that Icetes had caried two faces in one hoode and that he was become a traytor For he had no sooner dispatched his Ambassadors vnto them but he straight tooke the CARTHAGINIANS parte and dealt openly for them intending to driue out Dionysius and to make him selfe king of SYRACVSA But fearing least the CORINTHIANS would send ayde before he had wrought his feate he wrote againe vnto the CORINTHIANS sending them worde that they shoulde not neede nowe to put them selues to any charge or daunger for comming into SICILE and specially bicause the CARTHAGINIANS were very angrie and did also lye in wayte in the way as they should come with a great fleete of shippes to meete with their armie and that for him selfe bicause he sawe they taried long he had made league and amitie with them against the tyranne Dionysius When they had red his letters if any of the CORINTHIANS were before but coldely affected to this iorney choller did then so warme them against Icetes that they franckly graunted Timoleon what he would aske and did helpe to furnishe him to set him out When the shippes were ready rigged and that the souldiers were furnished of all thinges necessary for their departure the Nunnes of the goddesse Proserpina sayed they sawe a vision in their dreame and that the goddesses Ceres and Proserpina did appeare vnto them apparrelled like trauellers to take a iorney and tolde them that they woulde goe with Timoleon into SICILE Apon this speache onely the CORINTHIANS rigged a galley they called the galley of Ceres and Proserpina and Timoleon him selfe before he would take the seas went into the citie of DELPHES where he made sacrifice vnto Apollo And as he entred within the Sanctuarie where the aunsweres of the Oracle are made there happened a wonderfull signe vnto him For amongest the vowes and offerings that are hanged vppe vppon the walles of the Sanctuarie there fell a bande directly vppon Timoleons heade imbrodered all about with crownes of victorie so that it seemed Apollo sent him already crowned before he had set out one foote towardes the iorney He tooke shippe and sayled with seuen gallyes of CORINTHE two of CORPHVE and tenne the LIVCADIANS did set out When he was launched out in the mayne sea hauing a francke gale of winde and large he thought in the night that the element did open and that out of the same there came a maruelous great bright light ouer his shippe and it was much like to a torche burning when they showe the ceremonies of the holy mysteries This torche did accompanie and guide them all their voyage and in the ende it vanished away and seemed to fall downe vppon the coast of ITALYE where the Shippemasters had determined to arriue The wise mens opinions being asked what this might signifie they aunswered That this wonderfull sight did betoken the dreame the Nunnes of the goddesse Ceres dreamed and that the goddesses fauoring this iorney had shewed them the waye by sending of this light from heauen bicause that the I le of SICILE is consecrated vnto the goddesse Proserpina and specially for that they reporte her rauishement was in that I le and that the whole realme was assigned vnto her for her ioynter at the day of her mariage Thus did this celestiall signe of the goddes bothe encorage those that went this iorney and deliuer them also assured hope who sayled with all possible speede they coulde vntill such time as hauing crossed the seas they arriued vpon the coast of ITALIE But when they came thither the newes they vnderstoode from SICILE put Timoleon in great perplexitie and did maruelously discourage the souldiers he brought with him For Icetes hauing ouerthrowē the battell of the tyranne DIONYSIVS and possessed the greatest parte of the citie of SYRACVSA he did beseege him within the castell and within that parte of the citie which is called the Ile where he had pent him vp and inclosed him in
this young maide went somewhat boldly by the chamber of young Cato to go into his father the young man sayd neuer a word at it yet his father perceiued that he was somewhat ashamed and gaue the maide no good countenaunce Wherefore findinge that his sonne and daughter in lawe were angry with the matter sayinge nothinge to them of it nor shewinge them any ill countenaunce he went one morninge to the market place as his maner was with a traine that followed him amongest whome was one Salonius that had bene his clearke and wayted vpon him as the rest did Cato calling him out alowde by his name asked him if he hadde not yet bestowed his daughter Salonius aunswered him he had not yet bestowed her nor woulde not before he made him priuie to it Then Cato tolde him againe I haue founde out a husbande for her and a sonne in lawe for thee and it will be no ill matche for her vnlesse she mislike the age of the man for in deede he is very olde but otherwise there is no faulte in him Salonius tolde him againe that for that matter he referred all to him and his daughter also prayinge him euen to make what matche he thought good for her for she was his humble seruaunt and relyed wholly vppon him standinge in neede of his fauor and furtheraunce Then Cato beganne to discouer and tolde him plainely he woulde willingely mary her him selfe Salonius therewith was abashed bicause he thought Cato was too olde to mary then and him selfe was no fitte manne to matche in any honorable house speciallie with a Consull and one that hadde triumped howebeit in the ende when he sawe Cato ment good earnest he was very glad of the matche and so with this talke they went on together to the markette place and agreed then vpon the mariage Now while they went about this matter Cato the sonne taking some of his kinne and frendes with him went vnto his father to aske him if he had offended him in any thinge that for spight he shoulde bringe him a steppe mother into his house Then his father cried out sayd O my sonne I pray thee say not so I like well all thou doest and I finde no cause to complaine of thee but I do it bicause I desire to haue many children and to leaue many such like citizens as thou art in the common wealth Some say that Pisistratus the tyran of ATHENS made such a like aunswere vnto the children of his first wife which were men growen when he maried his seconde wife Timonassa of the towne of ARGOS of whom he had as it is reported Iophon and Thessalus But to returne againe to Cato he had a sonne by his second wife whom he named after her name Cato SALONIAN and his eldest sonne died in his office beinge Praetor of whome he often speaketh in diuerse of his bookes commendinge him for a very honest man And they say he tooke the death of him very paciently and like a graue wise man not leauing therefore to do any seruice or businesse for the state otherwise then he did before And therein he did not as Lucius Lucullus Metellus surnamed Pius did afterwards who gaue vp medling any more with matters of gouernment and state after they were waxen olde For he thought it a charge and duety wherevnto euery honest man whilest he liued was bounde in all piety Nor as Scipio AFRICAN hadde done before him who perceiuing that the glory fame of his doings did purchase him the ill will of the citizens he chaunged the rest of his life into quietnes and forsooke the citie and all dealings in common wealth and went dwelt in the contry But as there was one that told Dionysius the tyran of SYRACVSA as it is wrytten that he could not die more honorably then to be buried in the tyranny euen so did Cato thinke that he could not waxe more honestlie olde then in seruing of the common wealth vnto his dying day So at vacant times when Cato was desirous a litle to recreate and refresh him selfe he passed his time away in makinge of bookes and lookinge vppon his husbandry in the contry This is the cause why he wrote so many kindes of bookes and stories But his tillage and husbandry in the contry he did tende and followe all in his youth for his profit For he sayed he had but two sortes of reuenue tillage and sparinge but in age whatsoeuer he did in the contry it was all for pleasure and to learne some thinge euer of nature For he hath wrytten a booke of the contry life and of tillage in the which he sheweth howe to make tartes and cakes and how to keepe frutes He woulde needes shew such singularity and skill in all thinges when he was in his house in the contry he fared a litle better then he did in other places and would oftentimes bid his neighbours and such as had lande lying about him to come and suppe with him and he would be mery with them so that his company was not onely pleasaunt and likinge to olde folkes as him selfe but also to the younger sorte For he had seene much and had experience in many thinges and vsed much pleasaunt talke profitable for the hearers He thought the bord one of the chiefest meanes to breede loue amongest men and at his owne table woulde alwayes praise good men and vertuous citizens but would suffer no talke of euill men neither in their praise nor dispraise Now it is thought the last notable acte and seruice he did in the common wealth was the ouerthrow of CARTHAGE for in deede he that wanne it and rased it vtterly was Scipio the seconde but it was chiefely through Catoes counsell and aduise that the last warre was taken in hand against the CARTHAGINIANS and it chaunced apon this occasion Cato was sent into AFRICKE to vnderstande the cause and controuersie that was betwene the CARTHAGINIANS and Massinissa kinge of NVMIDIA which were at great warres together And he was sent thither bicause king Massinissa had euer bene a frend vnto the ROMAINES and for that the CARTHAGINIANS were become their confederates since the last warres in the which they were ouerthrowen by Scipio the first who tooke for a fyne of them a great parte of their Empire and imposed apon them besides a great yearely tribute Now when he was come into that contrie he founde not the citie of CARTHAGE in miserie beggerie and out of harte as the ROMAINES supposed but full of lusty youthes very riche and wealthie and great store of armour and munition in it for the warres so that by reason of the wealth thereof CARTHAGE caried a high sayle and stowped not for a litle Wherefore he thought that it was more then time for the ROMAINES to leaue to vnderstande the controuersies betwext the CARTHAGINIANS and Massinissa and rather to prouide betimes to destroye CARTHAGE that hadde beene euer an
gouernment as is sufficiency which beinge a contentacion in it selfe and desirous of no superfluous thing it neuer withdraweth a man from following his businesse in the common wealth that enioyeth the same For God is he alone who simply and absolutely hath no neede of any thinge at all wherefore the chiefest vertue that can be in man and that commeth nearest vnto God ought to be esteemed that which maketh man to haue neede of least thinges For like as a lusty body and well complexioned hath no neede of superfluous fare and curious apparell euen so a cleane life and sounde house is kept with a litle charge and so shoulde the goodes also be proportioned accordinge to vse and necessity For he that gathereth much and spendeth litle hath neuer enough But admit he hath no desire to spend much then he is a foole to trauell to get more then he needeth and if he do desire it and dare not for niggardlines spende parte of that he laboreth for then is he miserable Now woulde I aske Cato with a goodwill if riches be made but to vse them why do you boast then you haue gotten much together when a litle doth suffice you and if it be a commendable thing as in troth it is to be contented with the breade you finde to drinke of the same tappe workemen and laborers do not to care for purple dyed gownes nor for houses with plastered walles it followeth then that neither Aristides nor Epaminondas nor Manius Curius nor Caius Fabricius haue forgotten any parte of their dueties when they cared not for gettinge of that which they would not vse nor occupy For it was to no purpose for a man that esteemed rootes and parsenippes to be one of the best dishes in the worlde and that did seeth them him selfe in his chimney whilest his wise did bake his bread to talke so much of an Asse and to take paines to wryte by what arte and industry a man might quickely enrich him selfe For it is true that sufficiency and to be contented with a litle is a good and commendable thinge but it is bicause it taketh from vs all desire of vnnecessary thinges and maketh vs not to passe for them And therefore we finde that Aristides sayd when riche Callias case was pleaded that such as were poore against their willes might wel be ashamed of their pouerty but such as were willingly poore had good cause and might iustly reioyce at it For it were a mad parte to thinke that Aristides pouerty proceeded of a base minde slothfulnes since he might quickely haue made him selfe rich without any dishonesty at all by taking only the spoyle of some one of the barbarous people whome he had ouercome or any one of their tentes But enough for this matter Furthermore touching the victories and battells Cato had wonne they did in maner litle helpe to increase the Empire of ROME for it was already so great as it could almost be no greater But Aristides victories are the greatest conquestes and noblest actes that the GREECIANS euer did in any warres as the iorney of MARATHON the battell of SALAMINA and the battell of PLATâ—ES And yet there is no reason to compare king Antiochus with king Xerxes nor the walles of the citie of SPAYNE which Cato ouerthrewe and rased vnto so many thousands of barbarous people which were then ouerthrowen and put to the sword by the GREECIANS as well by lande as by sea In all which seruices Aristides was the chiefest before all other as touching his valliantnes in fighting notwithstanding he gaue other the glory of it that desired it more then him selfe as he did easily also leaue the gold siluer vnto those that had more neede of it then him selfe Wherein he shewed him selfe of a nobler minde then all they did Furthermore for my parte I will not reproue Catoes manner to commende and extoll him selfe so highly aboue all other since he him selfe sayth in an oration he made that to praise himself is as much folly as also to dispraise himselfe but this I thinke his vertue is more perfect that desireth other should not praise him then he that commonly doth vse to praise him selfe For not to be ambitious is a great shew of humanity necessary for him that will liue amongest men of gouernment and euen so ambition is hatefull and procureth great enuy vnto him that is infected withall Of the which Aristides was cleare and Cato farre gone in it For Aristides did help Themistocles his chiefest enemie in all his noblest actes and did serue him as a man would say like a priuate souldier that garded his persone when Themistocles was generall beinge the onely instrument and meane of his glory which was in deede the onely cause that the city of ATHENS was saued and restored againe to her former good state Cato contrariwise crossing Scipio in all his enterprises thought to hinder his voyage and iorney vnto CARTHAGE in the which he ouercame Hanniball who vntill that time was euer inuincible and so in the ende continuing him still in iealouzy with the state and euer accusinge of him he neuer left him till he had driuen him out of the city and caused his brother Lucius Scipio to be shamefully condemned for theft and ill behauiour in his charge Furthermore for temperaunce and modesty which Cato did euer commende so highly Aristides truely kept them most sincerely But Catoes seconde wife who maried a maide that was neither fit for his dignity and calling nor agreeable for his age made him to be thought a lecherous man and not without manifest cause For he can not be excused with honesty that beinge a man past mariage brought his sonne that was maried and his fayer daughter in lawe a steppe mother into his house and but a clearkes daughter whose father did wryte for money for any man that woulde hyer him Take it Cato maried her to satisfie his lust or else for spite to be reuenged of his sonne bicause his sonne coulde not abide his younge filth he had before either of these turneth still to his shame as wel the effect as also the cause Againe the excuse he made to his sonne why he maried was also a lye For if he had grounded his desire in deede to haue gotten other children as he sayd that might be as honest men as his eldest sonne then surely he had done well after the death of his first wife if he had sought him an other wife soone after that had bene of an honest house and not to haue lien with a young harlatry filth til his sonne had spied him and then when he saw it was knowen to goe and mary her and to make alliance with him not bicause it was honorable for him to do it but was easiest to be obtained The ende of Marcus Catoes life the Censor THE LIFE OF Philopoemen IN the city of MANTINEA there was a citizen in old time called Cassander one
desirous to bring his men safe home againe who most of loue had followed him beganne to marche away through narrow bushy places him selfe being in the rereward and turned oftentimes vpon his enemies skirmished with them onely to driue them away from followinge of the rest of his company and not a man that durst once set apon him for they did but cry outaloofe and wheele as it were about him Howebeit Philopoemen sundry times venturinge farre from his company to geue these young noble men leasure to saue them selues one after an other tooke no heede to him selfe that he was alone enuironned on euery side with a great number of ennemies Notwithstandinge of all his enemies there was not a man that durst come to hande strokes with him but still slinging and shooting at him a farre of they draue him in the end amongest stony places betwene hewen rockes where he had much a doe to guide his horse although he had spurred him that he was all of a gore blood And as for his age that did not lette him but he might haue saued him selfe for he was strong and lusty by the continuall exercise he tooke but by cursed happe his body being weake with sickenes and weary with the long iorney he had made that day he founde him selfe very heauy and ill disposed that his horse stumbling with him threwe him to the grounde His fall was very great and brused all his head that he lay for dead in the place a great while and neuer sturred nor spake so that his enemies thinkinge he had bene dead came to turne his body to strippe him But when they saw him lift vp his head and open his eyes then many of them fell all at once apon him and tooke him and bounde both his hands behinde him and did all the villany and mischiefe they could vnto him and such as one would litle haue thought Dinocrates would haue vsed in that sorte or that he could haue had such an ill thought towardes him So they that taried behinde in the city of MESSINA were maruelous glad when they heard these newes and ranne all to the gates of the city to see him brought in When they saw him thus shamefully bounde and pinnioned against the dignity of so many honors as he had receiued and of so many triumphes and victories as he had passed the most parte of them wept for pitie to consider the mishappe and ill fortune of mans nature where there is so litle certainety as in maner it is nothing Then beganne there some curteous speeche to runne in the mouthes of the people by litle and litle that they should remember the great good he had done vnto them in times past and the liberty he had restored them vnto when he expulsed the tyran Nabis out of MESSINA But there were other againe howbeit very few that to please Dinocrates sayed they should hang him on a gibbet and put him to death as a daungerous enemy and that would neuer forgiue man that had once offended him and the rather bicause he would be more terrible to Dinocrates then euer he was before if he escaped his hands receiuing such open shame by him Neuertheles in the end they caried him into a certen dungeon vnder the ground called the treasury which had neither light nor ayer at all into it nor dore nor half dore but a great stone rolled on the mouth of the dungeon and so they did let him downe the same and stopped the hole againe with the stone and watched it with armed men for to keepe him Now when these younge noble ACHAIAN horsemen had fled vppon the spurre a great way from the enemy they remembred them selues looked round about for Philopoemen finding him not in sight they supposed straight he had bene slaine Thereuppon they stayed a great while and called for him by name and perceiuing he aunswered not they beganne to say among them selues they were beastes and cowardes to flie in that sorte and how they were dishonored for euer so to haue forsaken their Captaine to saue themselues who had not spared his owne life to deliuer them from daunger Hereupon ryding on their way and enquiring still for him they were in the end aduertised how he was taken And then they went caried those newes through all the townes and cities of ACHAIA which were very sory for him and tooke it as a signe of great ill fortune toward them Wherupon they agreed to send Ambassadors forthwith to the MESSENIANS to demaunde him and in the meane time euery man should prepare to arme them selues to go thither and get him either by force or loue When the ACHAIANS had thus sent Dinocrates feared nothing so much as that delay of time might saue Philopoemenes life wherefore to preuent it as soone as night came and that the people were at rest he straight caused the stone to be rolled from the mouth of the dungeon and willed the hangman to be let downe to Philopoemen with a cuppe of poison to offer him who was commaunded also not to goe from him vntill he had dronke it When the hangman was come downe he found Philopoemen layed on the grounde apon a litle cloke hauinge no lift to sleepe he was so grieuously troubled in his minde Who when he sawe light and the man standing by him holding a cuppe in his hande with this poison he sate vpright vpon his cowch howbeit with great paine he was so weake and taking the cuppe in his hande asked the hangman if he heard any newes of the horsemen that came with him and specially of Lycortas The hangman made him answer that the most of them were saued Then he cast his handes a litle ouer his head and looking merely on him he sayd it is well seeing we are not all vnfortunate Therewith speaking no moe wordes nor makinge other a doe he droncke vp all the poison and layed him downe as before So nature straue not much withall his body being brought so lowe and thereupon the poison wrought his effect and rid him straight out of his paine The newes of his death ran presently through all ACHAIA which generally from high to low was lamented Whereupon all the ACHAIAN youth and counsellors of their cities and townes assembled them selues in the city of MEGALIPOLIS where they all agreed without delay to reuenge his death They made Lycortas their Generall vnder whose conduct they inuaded the MESSENIANS with force and violence puttinge all to the fire and sword so as the MESSENIANS were so feared with this mercilesse fury that they yelded them selues and wholly consented to receiue the ACHAIANS into their city But Dinocrates would not giue them leasure to execute him by iustice for he killed him selfe and so did all the rest make themselues away who gaue aduise that Philopoemen should be put to death But those that would haue had Philopoemen hanged on a gibbet Lycortas
they had made solemne sacrifice vnto Iupiter Martiall in a certaine place in the prouince of MOLOSSIDE called PASSARON to take their othe and to be sworne to the EPIROTES that they would raigne well and iustly accordinge to the lawes and ordinaunces of the contry and to receiue the subiectes othes interchaungeably also that they would defend and maintaine them in their kingdome according to the lawes in like maner This ceremony was done in the presence of both the kinges and they with their frendes did both geue and receiue presentes eche of other At this meetinge and solemnity amonge other one Gelon a most faithfull seruaunt and assured frend vnto Neoptolemus who besides great showes of frendshippe and honor he did vnto Pyrrus gaue him two payer of draught oxen which one Myrtilus a cuppebearer of Pyrrus beinge present and seeinge did craue of his master But Pyrrus denyed to geue them vnto him whereat Myrtilus was very angry Gelon perceiuinge that Mytilus was angry prayed him to suppe with him that night Now some say he sought to abuse Myrtilus bicause he was fayer and younge and beganne to perswade him after supper to take parte with Neoptolemus and to poyson Pyrrus Myrtilus made as though he was willing to geue care to this perswasion and to be well pleased withall But in the meane time he went and tolde his master of it by whose commaundement he made Alexicrates Pyrrus chiefe cuppebearer to talke with Gelon about this practise as though he had also geuen his consent to it and was willinge to be partaker of the enterprise This did Pyrrus to haue two witnesses to proue the pretended poysoninge of him Thus Gelon beinge finely deceiued and Neoptolemus also with him both imagininge they had cunningly sponne the threde of their treason Neoptolemus was so glad of it that he could not kepe it to him selfe but told it to certaine of his frendes And on a time going to be mery with his sister he could not keepe it in but must be pratling of it to her supposing no body had heard him but her selfe bicause there was no liuing creature neere them sauing Phoenareta Samons wife the kinges chiefe heardman of all his beastes and yet she was layed apon a litle bed by and turned towards the wall so that she seemed as though she had slept But hauing heard all their talke and no body mistrusting her the next morning she went to Antigona king Pyrrus wife and told her euery worde what she had heard Neoptolemus say to his sister Pyrrus hearing this made no countenaunce of any thing at that time But hauinge made sacrifice vnto the goddes he bad Neoptolemus to supper to his house where he slue him being well informed before of the good will the chiefest men of the realme did beare him who wished him to dispatch Neoptolemus not to content him selfe with a peece of EPIRVS only but to follow his naturall inclination being borne to great thinges and for this cause therefore this suspition fallinge out in the meane while he preuented Neoptolemus and slue him first And furthermore remembringe the pleasures he had receiued of Ptolomie and Berenice he named his first sonne by his wife Antigona Ptolomie and hauing built a city in the PRESCQVE an I le of EPIRVS did name it BERENICIDA When he had done that imagining great matters in his head but more in his hope he first determined with him selfe howe to winne that which lay neerest vnto him and so tooke occasion by this meanes first to set foote into the Empire of MACEDON The eldest sonne of Cassander called Antipater put his owne mother Thessalonica to death and draue his brother Alexander out of his owne contry who sent to Demetrius for helpe and called in Pyrrus also to his ayde Demetrius being troubled with other matters could not so quickely go thither And Pyrrus being arriued there demaunded for his charge susteined the citie of NYMPHAEA with all the seacoastes of MACEDON and besides all that certaine landes also that were not belonginge to the auncient crowne and reuenues of the kinges of MACEDON but were added vnto it by force of armes as Ambracia Acarnania and Amphilochia All these the young king Alexander leauinge vnto him he tooke possession thereof and put good garrisons into the same in his owne name and conquering the rest of MACEDON in the name of Alexander put his brother Antipater to great distresse In the meane time kinge Lysimachus lacked no good will to helpe Antipater with his force but being busied in other matters had not the meane to doe it Howbeit knowinge very well that Pyrrus in acknowledginge the great pleasures he had receiued of Ptolomie woulde deny him nothinge he determined to wryte counterfeate letters to him in Ptolomies name and thereby instantly to pray and require him to leaue of the warres begonne against Antipater and to take of him towardes the defrayinge of his charges the sumine of three hundred talentes Pyrrus opening the letters knew straight that this was but a fetch and deuise of Lysimachus For king Ptolomies common manner of greeting of him which he vsed at the beginning of his letters was not in them obserued To my sonne Pyrrus health But in those counterfeate was king Ptolomie vnto king Pyrrus health Whereupon he presently pronounced Lysimachus for a naughty man neuerthelesse afterwardes he made peace with Antipater and they met together at a day appointed to be sworne vpon the sacrifices vnto the articles of peace There were three beastes brought to be sacrificed a goate a bul and a ramme of the which the ramme fell downe dead of him selfe before he was touched whereat all the standers by fell a laughinge But there was a Soothsayer one Theodotus that perswaded Pyrrus not to sweare saying that this signe and token of the gods did threaten one of the three kings with sodaine death For which cause Pyrrus concluded no peace Now Alexanders warres beinge ended Demetrius notwithstanding came to him knowing well enough at his comming that Alexander had no more neede of his aide and that he did it only but to feare him They had not bene many dayes together but th one beganne to mistrust thother and to spie all the wayes they could to intrappe eche other but Demetrius embracing the first occasion offered preuented Alexander and slue him being a young man and proclaimed him selfe king of MACEDON in his roome Now Demetrius had certaine quarrells before against Pyrrus bicause he had ouertunne the contry of THESSALIE and furthermore greedy couetousnes to haue the more which is a common vice with princes and noble men made that being so neere neighbours the one stoode in feare and mistrust of the other and yet much more after the death of Deidamia But now that they both occupied all MACEDON betwene them and were to make diuision of one selfe kingdome Now I say began the matter and occasion of quarrell to grow the greater betwene them
sacrificed to the Muses and to the GREECIAN Graces that is to say that he had knowen the Greeke tongue to so many famous and glorious deedes as he did both in peace and warres he had to ioyned so vnfortunate and miserable an end as he made through his choller and extreame ambition at such yeares and through an vnsatiable couetousnes which like boysterous windes made him to make shipwracke of all in a most cruell bloody and vnnaturall age The which is easily knowen in reading the discourse of his doinges First of all he was of a meane house borne of poore parents by father mother that got their liuings by sweate of their browes His father as him selfe was called Caius Fulcinia was his mother And this was the cause why he beganne so late to haunt the city and to learne the ciuility and manners of ROME hauing bene brought vp alwayes before in a litle poore village called CIRROEATON within the territory of the city of ARPOS where he led a hard contry life in respect of those that liued pleasauntly and finely in the cities but otherwise well reformed and nearest vnto the manners of the auncient ROMAINES The first iorney he made vnto the warres was against the CELTIBERIANS in SPAYNE vnder Scipio AFRICAN when he went to besiege the city of NVMANTIA where his Captaines in shorte time found that he was a better souldier then any other of his companions For the did maruelous easily receiue the reformation of manners and the discipline of warres which Scipio aduaunced amongest his souldiers that were ill trained before and geuen ouer to all pleasure And they say that in the sight of his Generall he fought hand to hand with one of his enemies and slew him vpon which occasion Scipio to make him loue him did offer him many curtesies and pleasures But specially one day aboue the rest hauing made him suppe with him at his table some one after supper falling in talke of Captaines that were in ROME at that time one that stoode by Scipio asked him either bicause in deede he stoode in doubt or else for that he would curry fauor with Scipio what other Captaine the ROMAINES should haue after his death like vnto him Scipio hauing Marius by him gently clapped him apon his shoulder and sayd peraduenture this shal be he Thus happely were they both borne the one to shew from his youth that one day he should come to be a great man and the other also for wisely coniecturing the end by seeing of the beginning Well it fortuned so that these words of Scipio by reporte aboue all things else put Marius in a good hope as if they had bene spoken by the oracle of some god and made him bold to deale in matters of state and common wealth where by meanes of the fauor countenaunce Cecilius Metellus gaue him whose house his father and he had alwayes followed and honored he obtained the office of Tribuneshippe In this office he preferred a law touching the manner howe to geue the voyces in election of the Magistrates which did seeme to take from the nobility the authority they had in iudgement And therefore the Consull Cotta stepped vp against it and perswaded the Senate to resist that lawe and not suffer it to be authorised and therewithall presently to call Marius before them to yeld a reason of his doing So was it agreed vppon in the Senate Now Marius comming into the Senate was not abashed at any thing as some other young man would haue bene that had but newly begonne to enter into the world as he did and hauing no other notable calling or quality in him sauing his vertue only to commend him but taking boldenes of him selfe as the noble actes he afterwards did gaue show of his valor he openly threatned the Consull Cotta to sende him to prison if he did not presently withdrawe the conclusion he had caused to be resolued apon The Consull then turning him selfe vnto Caecilius Metellus asked him how he liked it Metellus standing vp spake in the behalfe of the Consull and then Marius calling a sergeaunt out commended him to take Metellus selfe and to cary him to prison Metellus appealed to the other Tribunes but neuer a one would take his matter in hand so that the Senate when all was done were compelled to call backe the conclusion that before was taken Then Marius returning with great honor into the market place among the assembly of the people caused this law to passe and be authorised and euery man held opinion of him that he would proue a stowt man and such a one as would stoupe for any feare nor shrinke for bashfullness but would beard the Senate is fauor of the people Notwithstanding he shortly after chaunged opinion and altered the first by an other act he made For when an other went about to haue a law made to distribute corne vnto euery citizen without payment of any penny he was vehemently against it and ouerthrew it so that thereby he came to be a like honored and estemed of either party as he that would neither pleasure the one nor the other to the preiudice of the common wealth After he had bene Tribune he sued for the chiefest office of AEdilis Of the AEdiles there are two sortes the first is called AEdilitas Curulis so named bicause of certaine chayers that haue crooked seete vpon which they sit when they geue audience The other is of lesse dignity and that is called AEdilitas popularis and when they haue chosen the first and greater AEdilis at ROME they presently proceede the same day also in the market place vnto election of the lesser Marius seeing plainely that he was put by the chiefest of the AEdiles turned againe straight yet to demaund the second but this was misliked in him and they tooke him for too bold too shameles and too presumptuous a man So that in one selfe day he had two denyalles and repulses which neuer man but him selfe before had And neuerthelesse all this could not cut his combe but shortely after he sued also for the Praetorshippe and he lacked but litle of the deniall of that yet in the ende being last of all chosen he was accused to haue bribed the people and bought their voyces for money And surely amongest many other this presumption was very great that they saw a man of CASSIVS SABACON within the barres where the election is made running to and fro amonge them that gaue their voyces bicause this Sabacon was Marius very great frend The matter came before the iudges and Sabacon was examined vpon it Whereunto he aunswered that for the great extreame heate he felt he was very dry and asked for colde water to drinke and that this man had brought him some in a potte where he was howbeit that he went his way as soone as euer he had dronke This Sabacon was afterwardes put out of
yet I am forbidden and kept from tearing murdering this captiue body of mine with blowes which they carefully gard and keepe onely to triumphe of thee looke therefore henceforth for no other honors offeringes nor sacrifices from me for these are the last which Cleopatra can geue thee sith nowe they carie her away Whilest we liued together nothing could seuer our companies but now at our death I feare me they will make vs chaunge our contries For as thou being a ROMANE hast bene buried in AEGYPT euen so wretched creature I an AEGYPTIAN shall be buried in ITALIE which shall be all the good that I haue receiued by thy contrie If therefore the gods where thou art now haue any power and authoritie sith our gods here haue forsaken vs suffer not thy true frend and louer to be caried away aliue that in me they triumphe of thee but receiue me with thee and let me be buried in one selfe tombe with thee For though my griefes and miseries be infinite yet none hath grieued me more nor that I could lesse beare withall then this small time which I haue bene driuē to liue alone without thee Then hauing ended these doleful plaints and crowned the tombe with garlands and sundry nosegayes and maruelous louingly imbraced the same she commaunded they should prepare her bath and when she had bathed and washed her selfe she fell to her meate and was sumptuously serued Nowe whilest she was at dinner there came a contrieman and brought her a basket The souldiers that warded at the gates asked him straight what he had in his basket He opened the basket and tooke out the leaues that couered the figges and shewed them that they were figges he brought They all of them maruelled to see so goodly figges The contrieman laughed to heare them and bad them take some if they would They beleued he told them truely and so bad him carie them in After Cleopatra had dined she sent a certaine table written and sealed vnto Caesar and commaunded them all to go out of the tombes where she was but the two women then she shut the dores to her Caesar when he receiued this table and began to read her lamentation and petition requesting him that he would let her be buried with Antonius founde straight what she ment and thought to haue gone thither him selfe howbeit he sent one before in all hast that might be to see what it was Her death was very sodaine For those whom Caesar sent vnto her ran thither in all hast possible found the souldiers standing at the gate mistrusting nothing nor vnderstanding of her death But when they had opened the dores they founde Cleopatra starke dead layed vpon a bed of gold attired and araied in her royall robes and one of her two women which was called Iras dead at her feete and her other woman called Charmion halfe dead and trembling trimming the Diademe which Cleopatra ware vpon her head One of the souldiers seeing her angrily sayd vnto her is that well done Charmion Verie well sayd she againe and meete for a Princes discended from the race of so many noble kings She sayd no more but fell downe dead hard by the bed Some report that this Aspicke was brought vnto her in the basket with figs that she had cōmaunded them to hide it vnder the figge leaues that when she shoulde thinke to take out the figges the Aspicke shoulde bite her before she should see her howbeit that when shew would haue taken away the leaues for the figges she perceiued it and said art thou here then And so her arme being naked she put it to the Aspicke to be bitten Other say againe she kept it in a boxe and that she did pricke and thrust it with a spindell of golde so that the Aspicke being angerd withall lept out with great furie and bitte her in the arme Howbeit sewe can tell the troth For they report also that she had hidden poyson in a hollow raser which she caried in the heare of her head and yet was there no marke seene of her bodie or any signe discerned that she was poysoned neither also did they finde this serpent in her tombe But it was reported onely that there were seene certeine fresh steppes or trackes where it had gone on the tombe side toward the sea and specially by the dores side Some say also that they found two litle pretie bytings in her arme scant to be discerned the which it seemeth Caesar him selfe gaue credit vnto bicause in his triumphe he caried Cleopatraes image with an Aspicke byting of her arme And thus goeth the report of her death Now Caesar though he was maruelous sorie for the death of Cleopatra yet he wondred at her noble minde and corage and therefore commaunded she should be nobly buried and layed by Antonius and willed also that her two women shoulde haue honorable buriall Cleopatra dyed being eight and thirtie yeare olde after she had raigned two and twenty yeres and gouerned aboue foureteene of them with Antonius And for Antonius some say that he liued three and fiue yeares and others say six and fiftie All his statues images and mettalls were plucked downe and ouerthrowen sauing those of Cleopatra which stoode still in their places by meanes of Archibius one of her frendes who gaue Caesar a thowsande talentes that they should not be handled as those of Antonius were Antonius left seuen children by three wiues of the which Caesar did put Antyllus the eldest sonne he had by Fuluia to death Octauia his wife tooke all the rest and brought them vp with hers and maried Cleopatra Antonius daughter vnto king Iuba a maruelous curteous goodly Prince And Antonius the sonne of Fuluia came to be so great that next vnto Agrippa who was in greatest estimacion about Caesar and next vnto the children of Liuia which were the second in estimacion he had the third place Furthermore Octauia hauing had two daughters by her first husband Marcellus and a sonne also called Marcellus Caesar maried his daughter vnto that Marcellus and so did adopt him for his sonne And Octauia also maried one of her daughters vnto Agrippa But when Marcellus was deade after he had bene maried a while Octauia perceiuing that her brother Caesar was very busie to choose some one among his frends whom he trusted best to make his sonne in law she perswaded him that Agrippa should mary his daughter Marcellus widow and leaue her owne daughter Caesar first was contented withall and then Agrippa and so she afterwards tooke away her daughter and maried her vnto Antonius and Agrippa maried Iulia Caesars daughter Now there remained two daughters more of Octauia and Antonius Domitius AEnobarbus maried the one and the other which was Antonia so fayer and vertuous a young Ladie was maried vnto Drusus the sonne of Liuia and sonne in law of Caesar. Of this mariage came Germanicus and Clodius of the which Clodius afterwards
kill him a thing so damnable wicked and cruell of it selfe that he hardlie deserued to haue bene pardoned though he had killed Cicero to haue saued his Vncles life Nowe where they falsefied and brake their othes the one making Artabazus prisoner and the other killing of Alexander Antonius out of doubt had best cause and iustest colour For Artabazus had betrayed him and forsaken him in MEDIA But Demetrius as diuers doe reporte deuised a false matter to accuse Alexander to cloke the murther he had committed and some thinke he did accuse him to whom he him selfe had done iniurie vnto and was not reuenged of him that woulde doe him iniurie Furthermore Demetrius him selfe did many noble feates in warre as we haue recited of him before and contrarilie Antonius when he was not there in person wanne many famous and great victories by his Lieutenauntes and they were both ouerthrowen being personallie in battell but yet not both after one sorte For the one was forsaken of his men being MACEDONIANS and the other contrarily forsooke his that were ROMANES for he fled left them that ventred their liues for his honor So that the fault the one did was that he made them his enemies that fought for him and the fault in the other that he so beastlie left them that loued him best and were most faithfull to him And for their deathes a man can not praise the one not the other but yet Demetrius death the more reproachefull For he suffered him selfe to be taken prisoner and when he was sent away to be kept in a straunge place he had the hart to liue yet three yeare longer to serue his mouth and bellie as brute beastes doe Antonius on the other side slue him selfe to confesse a troth cowardly and miserably to his great paine and griefe and yet was it before his bodie came into his enemies hands THE LIFE OF Artaxerxes ARtaxerxes the first of this name of all the kinges of PERSIA a noble and curteous Prince as any of all his house was surnamed long hand bicause his right hand was longer then his left and he was the sonne of king Xerxes But the seconde whose life we presentlie intend to wryte was surnamed Mnemon as muche to say great memorie and he was the sonne of the daughter of the first Artaxerxes For king Darius and his wife Parysatis had foure sonnes of the which the eldest was this Artaxerxes the seconde Cyrus and two other younger Ostanes and Oxathres Cyrus from the beginning bare the name of the former auncient Cyrus which in the PERSIAN tongue signifieth the sunne But Artaxerxes was called before Arsicas although Dinon wryteth that he was called Oarses Howebeit it is vnlikelie that Ctesias although his bookes otherwise be full of fables and as vntrue as they are founde should forget the name of the Prince with whom he dwelt whom he serued and continuallie followed both him his wife and children Cyrus from his cradell was of a hotte sturring minde and Artaxerxes in contrarie manner more mylde and gentle in all his actions and doinges He was maried to a verie fayer Ladie by his father and mothers commaundement afterwards kept her against their wills being forbidden by them For king Darius his father hauing put his sonnes wiues brother to death he woulde also haue put her to death but her husband with teares made suche humble sute to his mother for her that with muche a doe he did not onely gette pardon for her life but graunt also that she shoulde not be put from him This notwithstanding his mother alwayes loued Cyrus better then him and praied that he might be king after his fathers death Wherefore Cyrus being in his prouinces of ASIA by the sea side when he was sent for to come to the Court at what time his father lay sicke of the disease he dyed he went thither in good hope his mother had preuailed with his father that in his will he would make him his heire of the realme of PERSIA For his mother Parysatis alleaged a matter very probable and the which in old time did helpe king Xerxes in the like case through Demaratus counsell She said that Arsicas was borne before her husband Darius was king Cyrus after he was crowned king All this could not preuaile For her eldest sonne Arsicas surnamed Artaxerxes was assigned king of PERSIA Cyrus gouernor of LYDIA and the kings Lieutenant generall of all the low contries of ASIA toward the sea side Shortly after king Darius death the new king Artaxerxes went vnto Pasargades there to be consecrated and annoynted king by the Priestes of the contrie of PERSIA The place of this Pasargades is a temple dedicated vnto Minerus the goddesse of battells as I take it where the newe king must be consecrated and when he commeth into the temple he putteth of his gowne and putteth on that which the old auncient Cyrus ware before he was king Furthermore he must eate of a certaine tart or fricacie made of figges with turpentine and then he must drinke a drinke made with vineger and milke There are also certeine other secret ceremonies which they must keepe and none doe know but the verie Priestes them selues Now Artaxerxes being readie to enter into all these ceremonies Tisaphernes came vnto him brought him one of the Priestes that had bene Cyrus schoolemaister in his youth and had taught him magicke who by reason shoulde haue bene more offended then any man else for that he was not appointed king And this was the cause why they beleued him the better when he accused Cyrus For he layd that Cyrus had conspired treason against the king his brothers owne person that he ment traiterously to kill him in the temple when he should put of his gowne Some doe reporte that Cyrus was apprehended vpon this simple accusacion by word of mouth Others write also that Cyrus came into the temple and hiding him selfe he was taken with the maner and bewraied by the priest So as he going to suffer death his mother tooke Cyrus in her armes and wounde the heare of her heade about his necke and tyed him straightly to her and withall she wept so bitterly and made suche pitiefull mone vnto the king her sonne that through her intercession the king graunted him his life sent him againe into his contrie and gouernment But this satisfied not Cyrus neither did he so muche remember the king his brothers fauor vnto him in graunting him his life as he did the despite he had offred him to be made prisoner Insomuch that for this grudge and euill will he euer after had a greater desire then before to be king Some wryters alleage that he entred into actuall rebellion against his brother by force of armes bicause he had not sufficient reuenue to defray the ordinary expence of his house howbeit it is a meere folly to say so For though he had
was many tymes also out of fauor as at that present tyme when he had no authoritie nor estimation he deuised a stratageame whereby he saued the king and all his campe In this contry of the CADVSIANS there were two kinges in the field with their armies both of them camped a sonder one from the other Tiribazus after he had spoken with king Artaxerxes and had tolde him what he ment to doe he went vnto one of the kinges and at the selfe same tyme also secretly sent his sonne vnto the other king and told either of them that the other king had sent Ambassadors vnto Artaxerxes to make peace with him vnwitting to his companion and therefore he counselled him if they were wise one of them to seeke to preuent another with all the possible speede he could and promised them both one after another to helpe them the best he could Both the one and the other of the kings gaue credit to his wordes either of them both mistrusting one another so that the one speedily sent his Ambassadors vnto king Artaxerxes with Tiribazus and the other also his Ambassadors with his sonne But Tiribazus tarying long in his iorney king Artaxerxes beganne somewhat to suspect him his enemies also did accuse him in his absence and the king grewe very chollerycke and repented him that he had trusted him so farre and was willing to heare euery man that spake against him Howbeit Tiribazus at length returned and his sonne also and either of them brought with them the Ambassadors of the CADVSIANS and so peace was taken with them both Then was Tiribazus aloft againe and in greater credit then euer he was and so departed with the king The king then shewed plainely that cowardlines proceedeth not of pompe and curiositie as some take it beleuing that it doth effeminate mens harts but rather of a vile base mind that commonly followeth euill and the worst counsell For nether the iewells of gold the kingly robes nor other sumptuous ornaments which the king euer ware about him worth twelue thousand talents as it is reported did not hinder him at that tyme to trauaile and to take as much payne as any man in all his army For he him selfe marched a foote the foremost man carying his owne trufle in a scarfe vppon his shoulders and his target on his arme and trauelled through highe stony mountaines So that his souldiers seeing the corage and payne the king him selfe tooke they marched so nymbly that it seemed they had wings for he dayly marched aboue two hundred furlongs Now the king at length by sore trauell came to one of his owne houses where there were goodly arbors and parkes with goodly trees passingly sette forth but all the contry besides was naked and barren so that there was not a tree a great way from thence and it was maruelous cold The king suffred his souldiers to hewe downe the goodly pynes and cypres trees in his parkes and bicause they durst not presume to touch them he him selfe as he was tooke an axe in his hande and beganne to bewe downe the goodliest tree there The souldiers seeing that fell euery man of them also to hewing so that in a very short tyme they had prouided themselues well with wodde and made them great fires in euery place and so past ouer the night quietly by the fires side This notwithstanding he lost a great number of valliant men in this voyage and almost all his horses Therefore thinking his men would mocke him bicause he did fayle of his purpose he beganne to growe mistrustfull and to suspect the chiefest noble men he had about him so that in a rage he put many of them to death but much more of them remayned whome he mistrusted For there is nothing more cruell nor a greater bloud sucker then a cowardly tyrant as in contrary manner nothing is more curteous and lesse suspicious then a valliant and hardy man And therefore brute beastes that be neuer made tame nor mastered are commonly cowardly and timerous and the other to the contrary that are noble and coragious are bold straight and doe come to knowe a man bicause they haue no feare nether doe they frie from their clapping and making much of them as they doe Afterwards king Artaxerxes being growen very olde heard that there was great sturre and contencion betwene his sonnes which of them should be heire after his death and that this contencion fell out also amonge his friends and men of great calling The wisest of them wished that as he him self came vnto the crowne as his fathers eldest sonne so that he likewise should after his death leaue it vnto his eldest sonne called Darius But the younger which was called Ochus being a valliant man and of a whoe stirring nature had some in the Court also that tooke his parte and hoped to attayne to his purpose by the meanes of his sister Atossa whome he loued and honored promising to mary her and to make her Queene if he might come to be king after his fathers dissease And besides there went a report abroad that in their fathers life time he secretly kept her howbeit Artaxerxes neuer vnderstoode it Now bicause he would betimes put his sonne Ochus out of all hope to succeede him in the kingdom least this expectacion might make him to goe about to practise that which Cyrus did and that by this meanes his Realme should growe into faction and ciuill warres he proclaymed his eldest sonne Darius being fiftye yeare olde king after his death and furthermore gaue him leaue from thenceforth to weare the poynt of his hat right vp In PERSIA the custome is that when any commeth to be proclaymed successor and heire apparant to the crowne he should require a gifte of him that proclaymeth him successor The which the other doth graunt him whatsoeuer it be that he asketh so it be not impossible Darius then asked his father a concubine called Aspasia who was first with Cyrus in greatest fauor with him aboue all the rest but then was for the kings own bodye She was borne in the contry of IONIA of free parents and being vertuously brought vp she was brought one night vnto Cyrus as he was at supper with other women who sate them downe without too curious bidding hard by him and were verie glad when Cyrus offered to play and be merie with them geuing euerie one of them some pleasaunt word and they made it not coy But Aspasia stoode on her feete by the table and sayd neuer a word and notwithstanding that Cyrus called her she woulde not come at him Moreouer when one of the groomes of his chamber would haue taken her to haue brought her to him the first saith she that layeth hands on me shall repent it Thereuppon all those that were present said she was a foolish thing and simply brought vp and could not tell what was comely for her Howbeit Cyrus being
graunt the most straungest and oldest opinion of this which sayth that there be euill spirites which enuying the vertue of good men to withdraw them from their godly mindes doe make them affrayed with these fearefull sights intising them to forsake their godlynes least that persisting therein they should be rewarded with better life in the world to come then theirs is But let vs referre this disputacion to some other booke and now in this twelfth couple of these famous mens liues compared let vs first begin to write the life of him that is the elder of these two men we speake of Dionysius the elder after he had the gouernment of SICILIA in his handes he maried the daughter of Hermocrates a citizen of SYRACVSA But yet not being throughlie settled in his tyrannie that SYRACVSANS did rebell against him did so cruellie and abhominablie handle the bodie of his wife that she willinglie poysoned her selfe So after he had established him selfe in his gouernment with more suretie then before he maried againe two other wiues together the one a straunger of the citie of LOCRES called Doride and the other of the contry it selfe called Aristomaché the daughter of Hipparinus the chiefest man of all SYRACVSA and that had bene companion with Dionysius the first time he was chosen Generall It was sayd that Dionysius maried them both in one day and that they could neuer tell which of them he knewe first but otherwise that he made as much of the one as he did of the other For they commonly sate together with him at his table and did either of them lye with him by turnes though the SYRACVSANS would haue their owne contrywoman preferred before the straunger Howebeit the straunge woman had this good happe to bring foorth Dionysius his eldest sonne which was a good countenaunce to defend her being a forreiner Aristomaché in contrarie maner continued a long time with Dionysius without frute of her wombe although he was verie desirous to haue children by her so that he put the LOCRIAN womans mother to death accusing her that she had with sorceries and witchcraft kept Aristomaché from being with child Dion being the brother of Aristomaché was had in great estimation at the first for his sisters sake but afterwards the tyran finding him to be a wise man he loued him thē for his owne sake Insomuch that among many sundrie things pleasures he did for him he commaunded his Treasorers to let him haue what money he asked of them so they made him acquainted withall the selfe same day they gaue him any Nowe though Dion had euer before a noble minde in him by nature yet muche more did that magnanimitie increase when Plato by good fortune arriued in SICILE For his comming thither surelie was no mans deuise as I take it but the verie prouidence of some god who bringing farre of the first beginning and fundation of the libertie of the SYRACVSANS and to ouerthrow the tyrannicall state sent Plato out of ITALIE vnto the citie of SYRACVSA and brought him acquainted with Dion who was but a young man at that time but yet had an apter witte to learne and redier good will to follow vertue then any young man else that followed Plato as Plato him selfe writeth and his owne doinges also doe witnesse For Dion hauing from a child bene brought vp with humble conditions vnder a tyran and acquainted with a seruile timerous life with a prowde and insolent reigne with all vanity and curiositie as placing chiefe felicity in couetousnes neuerthelesse after he had felt the sweete reasons of Philosophie teaching the broad way to vertue his hart was enflamed straight with earnest desire to follow the same And bicause he found that he was so easelie perswaded to loue vertue and honestie he simplie thinking being of an honest plaine nature that the selfe same perswasions would moue a like affection in Dionysius obteined of Dionysius that being at leasure he was contented to see Plato and to speake with him When Plato came to Dionysius all their talke in maner was of vertue and they chiefely reasoned what was fortitude where Plato proued that tyrans were no valliant men From thence passing further into iustice he told him that the life of iust men was happy and contrarily the life of vniust men vnfortunate Thus the tyran Dionysius perceiuing he was ouercomen durst no more abide him and was angrie to see the standers by to make suche estimacion of Plato and that they had such delight to heare him speake At length he angrily asked him what businesse he had to doe there Plato aunswered him he came to seeke a good man Dionysius then replied againe what in Gods name by thy speache then it seemeth thou hast founde none yet Now Dion thought that Dionysius anger would proceede no further and therefore at Platoes earnest request he sent him away in a galley with three bankes of owers the which Pollis a LACEDAEMONIAN Captaine caried backe againe into GRAECE Howbeit Dionysius secretlie requested Pollis to kill Plato by the way as ouer he would doe him pleasure if not yet that he would sell him for a slaue howsoeuer he did For said he he shall be nothing the worse for that bicause if he be a iust man he shall be as happie to be a slaue as a freeman Thus as it is reported this Pollis caried Plato into the I le of AEGINA and there sold him For the AEGINETES hauing warre at that time with the ATHENIANS made a decree that all the ATHENIANS that were taken in their Ile should be sold. This notwithstanding Dionysius refused not to honor and trust Dion as much as euer he did before and did also sende him Ambassador in matters of great weight As when he sent him vnto the CARTHAGINIANS where he behaued him selfe so well that he wan great reputacion by his iorney and the tyran coulde well away with his plaine speach For no man but he durst say their mindes so boldly vnto him to speake what he thought good as on a time he reproued him for Gelon One day when they mocked Gelons gouernment before the tyrans face and that Dionysius him selfe sayd finely deskanting of his name which signifieth laughture that he was euen the verie laughing stocke him selfe of SICILE the Courtiers made as though they liked this encounter and interpretacion of laughture passingly well But Dion not being well pleased withall sayd vnto him for his sake men trusted thee whereby thou camest to be tyran but for thine owne sake they will neuer trust any man For to say truly Gelon shewed by his gouernment that it was as goodly a thing as coulde be to see a citie gouerned by an absolute Prince but Dionysius by his gouernment on thother side made it appeare as detestable a thing This Dionysius had by his LOCRIAN wife three children and by Aristomaché foure of the which two were daughters the
one called Sophrosynè and the other Areté Of them Dionysius eldest sonne maried Sophrosynè and Areté was maried vnto his brother Thearides after whose death Dion maried her being his Nece Now when Dionysius her father fell sicke not likely to escape Dion would haue spoken with him for his children he had by his sister Aristomaché Howbeit the Phisitions about him to currie sauor with the next heire and successor of the tyrannie would neuer let him haue any time or oportunitie to speake with him For as Timaus writeth they gaue Dionysius the elder as he had commaunded them a strong opiat drinke to cast him in a sleepe and so thereby they tooke from him all his sences and ioyned death with his sleepe Notwithstanding in the first counsell and assemblie holden by his frendes to consult about the state and affaires of the younger Dionysius Dion moued matter so necessarie and profitable for that present time that by his wisedom he shewed they were all but children and by his bold and franke speach made them know that they were but slaues of the tyranny bicause they beastly and cowardly gaue suche counsell and aduise as might best please and feede the young tyrannes humor But he made them most to wonder at him when they fearing aboue all other thinges the daunger Dionysius state was in by reason of CARTHAGE he did promise them that if Dionysius would haue peace he would then goe foorthwith into AFRICKE and finde the meanes honorablie to quenche the warres or if otherwise he better liked of warre that he woulde furnishe him at his owne proper costes and charges fiftie gallies readie to rowe Dionysius wondered greatlie at the noble minde of Dion and thanked him muche for the good will he bare vnto him touching his estate But all men else taking Dions noble offer to be a reproach of their auarice and his credit and authoritie and impaire vnto theirs they presentlie vpon this liberall offer tooke occasion to accuse him not sparing any reproachefull wordes against him to moue Dionysius to be offended with him For they complayned of him and sayd that he cunninglie practised to possesse the tyrannie making him selfe strong by sea going about by his gallies to make the tyrannie fall into the handes of the children of Aristomaché his sister But the chiefest cause of all why they did malice and hate him was his straunge manner of life that he neither woulde keepe companie with them nor liue after their manner For they that from the beginning were crept in fauour and frendshippe with this younge euill brought vp tyranne by flattering of him and feeding him with vaine pleasures studied for no other thing but to enterteine him in loue matters and other vaine exercises as to riot and bancket to keepe light women companie and all suche other vile vicious pastimes and recreacions by the which the tyrannie became like iron softened by fire and seemed to be verie pleasaunt vnto the subiectes bicause the ouergreat Maiestie and seueritie thereof was somewhat milder not so muche by the bountie and goodnesse as by the follie and rechlesnes of the Lorde Thus this litle care and regarde increasing more and more still winning way with the young tyran did at length melt and breake a sunder those strong diamond chaines with the whiche Dionysius the elder made his boast that he left his Monarchie and tyrannie chained to his sonne For sometime he would be three dayes together without intermission still banketing and being dronke and all that time his Court gates were kept shut vnto graue and wise men and for all honest matters and was then full of dronkards of common playes dauncinges maskes and mommeries and full of all suche tromperie and dissolute pastimes And therefore Dion vndoubtedlie was muche enuied of them bicause he gaue him selfe to no sport nor pleasure whereupon they accused him and misnamed his vertues vices being somwhat to be resembled vnto them As in calling his grauetie pride his plainnes and boldnesse in his Oration obstinacie if he did perswade them that he accused them and bicause he would not make one in their fonde pastimes that therefore he despised them For to say truelie his manners by nature had a certeine hawtinesse of minde and seueritie and he was a sower man to be acquainted with whereby his companie was not onely troublesome but also vnplesaunt to this younger Dionysius whose eares were so fine that they could not away to heare any other thing but flatterie And furthermore diuers of his verie frendes and familiars that did like and commend his plaine manner of speache and noble minde they did yet reproue his sternenes and austere conuersation with men For it seemed vnto them that he spake too roughlie and delt ouerhardlie with them that had to doe with him and more then became a ciuill or curteous man And for proofe hereof Plato him selfe sometime wrote vnto him as if he had prophecied what shoulde happen that he should beware of obstinacie the companion of solitarinesse that bringeth a man in the ende to be forsaken of euerie one This notwithstanding they did more reuerence him at that time then any man else bicause of the state and gouernment and for that they thought him the onely man that coulde best prouide for the safetie and quietnesse of the tyrannie the which stoode then in tickle state Now Dion knew well enough that he was not so well taken and esteemed through the good will of the tyran as against his will and for the necessitie of the state and time So Dion supposing that ignoraunce and want of knowledge in Dionysius was the cause he deuised to put him into some honest trade or exercise and to teache him the liberall sciences to frame him to a ciuill life that thencefoorth he shoulde no more be affrayed of vertue and shoulde also take pleasure and delight in honest thinges For Dionysius of his owne nature was none of the worst sort of tyrans but his father fearing that if he came once to haue a feeling and conceite of him selfe or that he companied with wise and learned men he would go neere to enter into practise and put him out of his feate he euer kept him locked vp in a chamber and woulde suffer no man to speake with him Then the younger Dionysius hauing nothing else to do gaue himselfe to make litle chariots candlesticks chaires stooles and tables of wodde For his father Dionysius was so fearefull and mistrustfull of euerie bodie that he would suffer no man with a paire of barbers sissers to polle the heares of his head but caused an image maker of earth to come vnto him and with a hotte burning cole to burne his goodly bush of heare rounde about No man came into his chamber where he was with a gowne on his backe no not his owne brother nor sonne but he was driuen before he coulde come in to put of his gowne and
the garde of his chamber to strippe him naked whatsoeuer he was and then they gaue him an other gowne to cast vpon him but not his owne One day his brother Leptines going about to describe vnto him the scituacion of some place he tooke a halberd from one of the garde and with the point thereof beganne to drawe out a platte of the same vpon the ground Dionysius was terriblie offended with him and did put the souldier to death that gaue him his halberd He sayed he was affrayed of his frendes yea and of the wisest of them bicause he knewe that they desired rather to rule then to be ruled and to commaunde then to obey He flewe one of his Captaines called Marsyas whome he had preferred and had geuen him charge of men bicause he dreamed that he killed him saying that he dreamed of this in the night bicause that waking in the day he had determined to kill him Now Dionysius that was so timerous and whose mind through fearefulnes was still miserablie occupied he was notwithstanding maruelouslie offended with Plato bicause he did not iudge him to be the noblest and valliantest man aliue Dion therefore seeing as we haue sayd the younger Dionysius cleane marred and in manner cast away for lacke of good education perswaded him the best he coulde to geue him selfe vnto studie and by the greatest intreatie he coulde possiblie make to pray the Prince of all Philosophers to come into SICILE And then when through his intreatie he were come that he woulde referre him selfe whollie vnto him to th ende that reforming his life by vertue and learning and knowing God thereby the best example that can be possible and by whom all the whole world is ruled and gouerned which otherwise were out of all order and confused he shoulde first obteine great happines to him selfe and consequently vnto all his citizens also who euer after through the temperance and iustice of a father would with good will doe those thinges which they presentlie vnwillingly did for the feare of a Lorde and in doing this from a tyran he should come to be a king For the chaines of a diamant to keepe a realme in safetie were not force and feare as his father Dionysius helde opinion neither the great multitude of young souldiers nor the garde of ten thowsand barbarous people but in contrarie manner that they were the loue and good will of their subiectes which the Prince obteineth through vertue and iustice the which chaines though they be slacker then the other that are so hard and stiffe yet are they stronger and will last longer time to keepe a realme and kingdom in safetie And furthermore the Prince sayd he is not desirous of honor neither is a man that deserueth greatly to be praised and commended that onely studieth to weare sumptuous apparell and that glorieth to see his Court richelie furnished and him selfe curiouslie serued and in the meane time doth not frame him selfe to speake better to be wiser and to carie a greater maiesty then any other meane or common person not esteeming to adorne and beawtifie the Princely pallace of his minde as becommeth the royall maiestie of a king Dion oftentimes rehearsing these exhortacions vnto Dionysius and otherwhile enterlacing betwene some reasons he had learned of Plato he graffed in him a wonderfull and as it were a vehement desire to haue Plato in his companie and to learne of him So sundry letters came from Dionysius vnto ATHENS diuers requestes from Dion and great intreaty made by certaine Pythagorian Philosophers that prayed and perswaded Plato to come into SICILE to bridle the light disposition of this young man by his graue and wise instructions who without regard of reason led a dissolute and licentious life Therefore Plato as him selfe reporteth blushing to him selfe and fearing least he should geue men cause to thinke that it was but the opinion men had of him and that of him selfe he was vnwilling to do any worthie act and further hoping that doing good but vnto one man alone who was the only guide of all the rest he should as it were recouer all SICILIA from her corruption and sickenes he performed their requests that sent vnto him But Dions enemies fearing the chaunge and alteracion of Dionysius they perswaded him to call Philistus the Historiographer home againe from banishment who was a learned man and had bene brought vp and acquianted with the tyrans facions to th end he should serue as a counterpeace to withstande Plato and his Philosophie For this Philistus from the first time that the tyrannie beganne to be established did shew him selfe verie willing and conformable to the stablishment thereof and had of long time kept the castell and the voyce went that he kept the mother of Dionysius the elder and as it was supposed not altogether without the tyrans knowledge But afterwardes Leptines hauing had two daughters by one woman whom he intised to follie being an other mans wife he maried one of these his daughters vnto Philistus and made not Dionysius priuie to it before The tyranne therewith was so offended that he put Leptines woman in prison fast locked vp and draue Philistus out of SICILIA He being banished thus repayred vnto some of his frendes that dwelt about the Adriaticke sea where it seemeth he wrote the most parte of all his historie being then at good leasure For he was not called home againe during the life of Dionysius the elder but after his death the malice the Courtiers bare vnto Dion caused them to procure Philistus calling home againe as we haue told you as the man they thought would sticke stowtly in defense of the tyranny So Philistus no sooner returned but he stowtly began to defend the tyranny others in contrary maner deuised accusations to the tyran against Dion accusing him that he had practised with Theodotes and Heraclides to ouerthrowe the tyrannie of Dionysius For Dion in my opinion hoped by Platoes comming to bridle and lessen a litle the ouerlicentious and imperious tyrannie of Dionysius and thereby to frame Dionysius a wise and righteous gouernor But on the other side if he saw he would not follow his counsell and that he yeelded not to his wise instructions he then determined to put him downe to bring the gouernment of the common wealth into the handes of the SYRACVSANS not that he allowed of Democratia to wit where the people gouerne but yet certainly thinking that Democratia was much better then the tyrannie when they could not come vnto Aristocratia to wit the gouernment of a few of the nobilitie Now things being in this state Plato arriued in SICILE where he was maruelously receiued and honored by Dionysius For when he landed on the shoare leauing his galley that brought him there was readie for him one of the kings rich and sumptuous chariots to conuey him to the castell and the tyran made sacrifice
Aratus by the hand as if by force he had cast him out of the castell and had also taken the citie of MESSINA from him sayd vnto him come on then lette vs euen take that course But after that time Aratus came as litle to the Court as might be and so by litle and litle left Philippes companie For when he went to make warre in the realme of EPIRVS he was earnestlie in hand with Aratus to goe that iorney with him But Aratus prayed him to hold him excused and so remained at home being affrayed to be brought into an euill name with Philippes doings For Philippe afterwards hauing shamefullie lost his armie by sea against the ROMANES besides hauing had also verie euill successe in all other his affaires he returned againe to PELOPONNESVS thought once more to haue deceiued the MESSENIANS But when they founde his practise then he beganne with open force to spoyle their contrie Aratus then flatlie fell out with Philip and vtterly refused his frendship for that he perceiued then the iniurie he had done his sonnes wife the which grieued him to the harte but yet he made not his sonne priuie to it bicause he coulde gette no other amendes then to knowe what iniurie had bene done to him considering that he had no way nor meanes to be reuenged For king Philip was maruelously changed and from a curteous and chast young Prince becomen a vitious and cruell tyran the which to speake truely was not a chaunge or alteracion in nature but a manifest declaracion when he was no more affrayed of any man of his wicked and deuelish mind the which through feare had of long time bene kept secret Now to prone that Philips first loue and good will he bare vnto Aratus was also mingled with feare and reuerence that which he did afterwards vnto him did plainly shew it For he being desirous to put Aratus to death not thinking him selfe free so long as he liued neither king nor tyran he durst not goe about to kill him him selfe but procured one of his Captaines called Taurion and commaunded him to make him away as secretly as he could possible specially with poyson in his absence This Taurion fell in frendship with Aratus and poysoned him with no violent poyson but so tempered qualified it as it did by litle and litle heate the bodie and procure a pretie coffe which brought him into a consumption Aratus knewe he was poysoned but bicause he sawe it booted not to bewray it he bare it pacientlie and made no words of it as if he had had some naturall disease about him Yet on a time one of his chiefest frends being in his chamber with him who wondred to see him spit blood as he did he told him frēd Caephalon mine this is the reward of a kings loue So he died of this poison in the city of AEOIVM being the seuenteenth time chosen Generall of the ACHAIANS who would haue had him buried in the selfe same place and haue made some honorable monument for him worthie of his noble life But the SICYONIANS thinking them selues dishonored if his body were buried any where else but in their owne citie they so perswaded the counsell of the ACHAIANS that they suffered them to take Aratus bodie with them Yet was there an auncient law that forbad buriall within the walls of the citie of any maner of person whatsoeuer and besides that law they had a certaine superstitious feare in them that made them they durst not Whereuppon they sent to Apolloes temple at DELPHES to aske counsell of his Nunne that gaue the Oracles who made them this aunswere Thou happie soile of Sicyon Aratus natiue place VVhereas thou askest counsell in that noble Captaines case For keeping of a yeareminde and for making feastfull dayes In honor of that vvorthie vvight to last henceforth alvvaien If any hinder your intent through fondnes or through spight Both sea and land and heauen it selfe vvill punish that same vvight This Oracle being brought all the ACHAIANS were maruelous glad of it but the SICYONIANS speciallie who presentlie chaunging their mourning into publike ioy they caried the bodie from the citie of AEGIVM brought it home as in maner of procession in white robes and garlands of flowers on their heades singing hymnes and songes of ioy and daunsing till they came to the citie of SICYONE And there they chose out the chiefest place and buried him as their founder father and sauior of their citie and the place is called at this present time ARATIVM There they yearely make two solemne sacrifices the one the fift of Nouember at which time he deliuered the citie of SICYONE from tyrannie they call this sacrifice Soteria as much to say as the feast of health and the other on his birth day as it is reported For the first sacrifice that was done by the Priest of Iupiter the sauior The second sacrifice also was done by Aratus sonne who was girt about with a cloth not altogether white but mingled with purple colour So during the sacrifice they song hymnes vpon the harpe in praise of him and the maister of the Musitians made a procession round about being accompanied with boyes and young men of the citie after whom followed the Senate crowned with garlands of flowers and other citizens that were disposed to goe a procession How beit the most part of the honors that were appointed to be done vnto him were left of by processe of time chaunge of things that followed afterwards Thus you see what the life of Aratus the father hath bene as we find in histories Now Philip being a wicked man and cruell of nature caused his sonne Aratus also to be poysoned not with a deadly poyson but with such poyson as troubleth a mans wits so that through their deuelish receit he becometh a starke foole without any wit at all and maketh him to attempt straunge and abhominable things and to haue certaine shamefull and detestable desires insomuch as his death though he dyed in the pryme of his youth could not be thought miserable but rather a happy deliuerance to him of all his miseries and mishappes But Philip afterwards so long as he liued payed vnso Iupiter protector of all iustice and frendship the punishment his wicked life deserued For after he was ouercome in battell by the ROMANES he was compelled to yeelde him selfe to their mercy by whome he was depriued from all the rest of his landes and dominions he had and of all his shippes but fiue only and condemned besides to pay a thowsand talents for a fine and to giue his sonne in hostage and they only left him for pities sake the kingdom of MACEDON with all the appertenaunces And there he daily putting to death the chiefest of his nobilitie and neerest of blood vnto him he filled his realme with crueltie and mortall hate against him Furthermore
Emperour that they kept him not from killing him selfe for their sakes So there was not a man of them that left his body though the enemies were hard at hand but hauing honorably buryed him and prepared a great stacke of wodde they conueyed him armed to the fire of his funeralls euery man thinking him selfe happy that coulde first set his shoulders to the coffyn to helpe to cary him Others comming to it kneeled downe on their knees and kissed his wound Others tooke and kissed his handes Others that could not come neare him honored him and did reuerence him a farre of and some there were also that after the stacke of woode was set a fire slue them selues hard by the fire who had neuer receiued benefit by him that was dead at the least to any mans knowledge nether had they any occasion to be affraid of him that was Conqueror And truely me thinkes neuer king nor tyrant was so ambitiously giuen to raigne as they vehemently desired to be commaunded by Otho and to obeye him considering that their desire left them not euen after his death but was so liuely rooted in their mindes that in the ende it turned to a deadely hate vnto Vitellius But of this we will speake more hereafter in time and place Now when they had buried Othoes ashes they did set vp a tombe for him nether for magnificence of building nor forglorious epitaphe subiect vnto enuy For I haue seene his tombe in the citie of BRESSELLES a meane thing and the epitaph vpon it translated out of Latine sayeth no more but this This is the tombe of Marcus Otho He dyed being but seuen and thirty yere olde and was Emperor but three moneths there were as many famous men that commended his death as they that reproued his life For though he liued not much more honester then Nero yet he dyed farre more honorably Furthermore when Pollio one of the Captaines would haue compelled his souldiers presently to haue taken their othes to be true to Vitellius they fell out with him and vnderstanding that there were yet remayning some Senators they would not medle with them but onely troubled Verginius Rufus For they came to his dores armed and called him by his name commaunded him to take charge of them and to goe as Ambassador to intreate for them Howbeit he thought it were but a fond part of him to take charge of them that were already ouercome considering he refused it when they had ouercome and also he was affraid to goe Ambassador to the GERMAINES bicause he had compelled them to doe thinges against their willes Therefore he went out at his backe dore and saued him selfe So when the souldiers heard of it they were at length contented to be brought to be sworne vnto Vitellius and so ioyned them selues with Cecinnaes souldiers so they might be pardoned for all that was past THE LIVES OF ANNIBAL AND SCIPIO AFRICAN Translated into French by Charles de la Sluce and englished by Thomas North. Annibal IF we doe call to mind the first PVNICK warre the CARTHAGINIANS had with the ROMANES we shall find many Captaines who by the glorye of their noble deedes haue left great same and renowme vnto their posteritie Howbeit amongest all the Captaines of the CARTHAGINIANS none are found more worthy of fame and so commended of all Greeke and Latine Authors then Hamilcar Annibals father otherwise surnamed Barcha a valliant man doubtles and in his time a skilfull souldier as any was The same Hamilcar first of all made warre with the ROMANES a longer tyme in SICILIA then was looked for who had done greate hurte to his contrye and common wealthe After that also in the warres of AFRICK at what tyme the mercenarye souldiers through their rebellion did put the contrye of CARTHAGE in great daunger he did so valliantly appease the insurrection that to euery mans iudgement he was reputed the onely preseruer of his contrye Then he was sent Gouernor and Captaine into SPAYNE and caryed with him at that tyme as it is reported his sonne Annibal beeing but a younge boye where he did noble seruice In fine in the nynth yeare of his aboade there in that prouince he dyed fighting vallyantly agaynste the VETHEONS After his deathe Hasdrubal his Sonne in lawe whom the CARTHAGINIANS through the ayde friendship of the BARCINIAN faction had made generall of all their armye remayned gouernor there the space of eight yeares This Hasdrubal sent for Annibal into SPAYNE after his father Hamilcars death against the minds of the chiefe of the contrary faction to th end that as he had bene trayned from his youth in the discipline of warres in his father Hamilcars life euen so in like manner that now being come to mans state he should the better harden his body to away with the paines and daungers of the warres Now although at the first the remembraunce of his father was a great helpe vnto him to winne the loue and good will of the souldiers Yet he him selfe afterwards through his diligence and industrie so handled the matter that the olde souldiers forgetting all other Captaines they onely desired to choose him and none other for thier gouernor For they found in him all the perfections that could be wished for in a noble Captaine or generall He had a present and ready wit to giue counsell what was to be done in most greatest attempts besides he lacked nether manhood nor industry to put it in execution He had a valiant and inuincible mind euen in greatest daungers and aduersities of bodye the which are wont to staye others from performing their indeuors and duety He would watche and warde as any priuate souldier and was quicke and ready to doe any kind of seruice either like a valiant souldier or a good Captaine In this sort Annibal continued in seruice in the warres the space of three yeares vnder the conduct of Hasdrubal In that time he so wanne the hartes of all the army that immediatly after Hasdrubals death he was chosen to be Lieuetenant generall with the common consent of all the souldiers this honor was layed vpon him without contradiction of any of the CARTHAGINIANS through the friendship and good will of the BARCINIAN faction Annibal was now six and twenty yeare olde when the souldiers made him their Lieuetenant generall For at what time his father Hamilcar brought him into SPAYNE he was then but nyne yeare olde from that time vnto Hasdrubals death according to Polybius declaration it was seuenteene yeares more So he was no sooner made Lieuetenant generall of all the campe and his contry but he bent him selfe to make warre with the ROMANES hauing long before determined it For first of all he chiefly mainteyned almost a common hate of all the CARTHAGINIANS against the ROMANES bicause of the losse of SICILIA and SARDINIA Besides also he bare them a secret malice in nature as a thing inheritable from
the Megarians Athenians for Salamina Iliad lib. 2. The manner of burial with the MegariaÌ„ the Athenians Solon defendeth the cause of the teÌ„ple of Delphes Epimenides Phaestus taken for one of the 7. sages excluding Periander Solon pacified the sedition at Athens The miserie of dett and vsurie Solons equitie and vprightnes Solon by subtiltie set order betwext the poore rich Solon chosen reformer of the lawe and chief gouernour Salt refuseth to be a tyranne Tynnondas and Pittacus tyrannes Solens aunswere for tyrannie Excellent temperature Things hatefull made pleasaunt with sweete wordes Cleering of detts Solons first lawe Vsurie forbidden vpon gage of the bodie The value of money cried vp by Solon Lawes would be kept secret till they be published Ill consciences by craft preuent LaweÌ„ A good lawemaker beginneth to doe iustice in him selfe Solons absolute authority in the common weale Solon tooke awaye all DracoÌ„s lawes Solon â—ateth euerie citizen at a certen surname Pentacosiomedimnes Zeugite Thetes The darknes of the lawe increased the authoritie of the iudge The counsell of the Areopagites 3 Counsells erected in Athens Other lawes of Solon A lawe against neawters An acte for matching with inheritoâ—s Solon forbiddeth iointers and dowries Dionysius saying of mariages A law forbidding to speake euill of the dead * Drachmeâ— A lawe for willes and testaments marg A lawe for womens going abroade Craftes and occupations aduaunced The authoritie of the courte and counsaile of the Areopagites * Drachmae The tribes of the AtheniaÌ„s howe they were called An acte for welles An acte for planting and setting of trees Drachmae Feasts for townes men in the towne hall of AtheÌ„s Axones Cyrbes Thesmothetes SoloÌ„s trauell Clarius fl AEpia called Soles Solon saâ—e king Croesus in the cittie of Sardis Croesus question to Solon touching happines Solon esteemed Tellus a happie man. Cleobis Biton happy meÌ„ Solon commeÌ„deth the meane No man happie before his endâ— AEsope saying to Solon Solons aunswer to AEsope King Croesus wordes of Solon hanging vpoÌ„ a gibbeâ— to be bâ—ant Riches are but wordes opinion Sedition as AtheÌ„s in Solons absence Solon returneth to Athens Pisistratus wicked crasie subtiltie Thespis a maker of tragedies Solon reproued Thespis for lying Solons libertie constancie A good lawe for reward of seruice The house of P. Valerius Tarquinine Superbus Valerius Brutus companion in expulsing the Kings Lucius Brutus Tarquinius Collatinus Consuls The first embasâ—iâ—e of king Tarquine for recouering his Realme Another embasstate from Tarquine demaunding his goodes Good counsell of Minutius Tarquines ambassadours practise treason The Aquilij and Vitellij with Brutus sonnes traytours to their countrie The confederacy coÌ„firmed with drinking of maÌ„s bloud Vindicius heareth all their treason The conclusion of their treason Vindicius bewrayeth the treason vnto Valerius Titus Valerius Brutus sonnes Brutus seeth his â—ame sonnes punished executed Brutus praised reproued for the death of his sonnes Collatinus softnes perileus Valerius boldly appeacheth Collatinus of iniustice Collatinus resigneth his Consulshippe 〈…〉 departeth 〈…〉 S. Vindicta so called by reason of Vindicius Tarquines flied coÌ„secrated to Mars Vhereof the holy Iland came in Rome that lieth betwene both bridges Tarquine coÌ„meth with a great power of the Thuscans to wage battell with the Romaines Arsia silua AruÌ„s Brutus encountered and slue eche other The victory of the Romaines against the Thuscans Valerius the first Consul that euer triumphed vpon a cherres The first beginning of funerall oration amoÌ„g the Romaines Anaximenes sayeth Solon was the first that instituted prayses for the dead Valerius stately house staÌ„ding on mouÌ„t Velia Valerius a good example for magistrates Valerius ouerthrew his stately house The temple called Vicus Publicus VVhy Valerius was surnamed Publicola Publicolath actes and lawes VVhereof Peculium was called The first Quastores Publius Veturius Marc. Minutius Lucretius Publicola Consuls Publicola Marcus Horatius CoÌ„suls How oft a Iupiter Capitolins temple was burnt and built againe How much was spent in building the Capitoll Domitians mad building humor Personae proclaimeth warres with Rome Publicola Thus Lucretius Consuls Horatius Cocles why so called Good seruice rewarded Publicola Consul The noble acte of Mutius Secuola How Mutius come by the name of Secuola Publicolae maketh Porsena iudge betwext them and the Tarquines Peace graunted the Romaines by Porsena The boldenes of Claelia and other Romaine virgines The liberalitie of king Persona to the Romaines Marcus Valerius Posthumius Tubertus Consuls Marcus Valerius the brother of Publicola triumpheth of the Sabynes Appius Clausus goeth to dwel at Rome The familie of the Claudians The Sabynes slaine The death of Publicola His funeralles Publicola happie Publicola erected the office of Quaestores A politicke precepâ— Cynosargos a place of exercise dedicated to Hercules Thermistocles towardness Themistocles was Anaxagoras Melissus schollar Mnesiphilus Phrearian VVhat wisedome at in olde time Nowe the name of Sophisters came â—â— Themistocles youthe The priuie grudge betwext Themistocles and Aristides Aristides a iust man. Themistocles ambition Themistocles persuaded his contriemen to make gallyes The AtheniaÌ„s beÌ„t their force to sea by Themistocles persuasion Themistocles a good husbaÌ„d to looke for his profit Themistocles extremely ambitious A wise saying of Themistocles Themistocles made Aristides to be banished Epicydes an orator sued to be generall Arthmius defamed for bribing Themistocles generall of the AtheniaÌ„s against Xerxes The coast of Aretemisivm Themistocles straâ—ageame VVodden walles signifie shipps The Athenians forsake Athens by Themistocles persuasion doe goe to the sea Xanthippus dogge The dog goe graue Aristides renorneth from banishement by Themistocles decree Notable aunswers of Themistocles The Sleue is a fishe facioned like a sworde Themistocles stratageame by the which he wanne the ba'tell at Salamina Themistocles Aristides consent together to geue battell Xerxes king of Persia had a thousand ships Ariamenes Xerxes admirall The Grecians victorie of the Persians â—aâ—y by sea Aristides counsell vnto Themistocles for the breaking of Xerxes bridge Themistocles stratageame Themistocles honored aboue all the Grecians Themistocles ambition noted A prety tale of Themistocles Themistocles saying of his sonne Themistocles buylt againe the walles of the cittie of Athens A subtle fetche of Themistocles The hauen of Piraea fortified The equitie of the Athenians Themistocles goddes Loue and Force The AndriaÌ„s goddesses Pouertie Impossibilitie Themistocles banished for fiue yers Pausanias reuealeth his reason vnto Themistacles Themistocles suspected of treason Themistocles fled into the I le of Corphv The manner of supplicatioÌ„ among the Molossians Themistocles dreame The Persian iealous of their wiues Howe Themistocles was conueyed to the king of Persias courte The Persians honour their King as the image of the god of nature Themistocles talke with the â—ing of Persia An excellent comparison of Themistocles Themistocles honoured of the king of Persia. Demaratus fond demaÌ„do of the King. Themistocles had the reuenue of three citties allowed him for his dyet Themistocles escaped murder by a
then power to ayde him The army power of Octauius Caesar against Antonius Antonius dominions Octauius Caesars dominions Antonius we which ruled by Cleopatra Antonius rode at anker at the head of ActioÌ„ where the citie of Nicopolis standeth * The grace of this taâ—â—â—it can not properly be expressed in any other tongue bicause of the equivocation of this word Toryne which signifieth citie Albania and also a Ladell to scoome the pot with as if she ment Caesar sat by the fire side scomming of the pot Domitius forsaketh Antonius goeth vnto Octauius Caesar. Amyntas and Deiotarus do both reuolt from Antonius and goe vnto Caesar. Antonius in daunger of taking as Actâ—um Antonius regardeth not the good counsell of his souldier Battel by sea as Actium betwixt Antonius and Caesar. A lucky signe vnto Octauius Caesar. Eutychus Nicon fortunate Conquerer Cleopatra flyâ—th The soule of a louer liueth in another body Antonius flyeth after Cleopatra Antonius lycenceth his friends to depart and giueth there a shippe loden with gold and siluer Antonius nauy ouerthrowen by Caesar. Antonius legions doe yeld them selues vnto Octauius Caesar Lucilius spokâ— of in Brutus life The fidelitie of Lucilius vnto Antonius The wonderful attempt of Cleopatra Antonius followeth the life and example of TimoÌ„ Misanthropus the Athenian Plato Aristophanes testimony of Timon Misanthropus what he was The epitaphe of Timon Misanâ—hropus Antonius rioting in Alexandria after his great losse ouerthrew Toge virilis Antillus the eldest sonne of Antonius by his wife Fuluia An order erected by Antonius and Cleopatra called Synapothanumenon reuoking the former called Amimetobion Cleopatra verie busie in prouing the force of poyson The property of the biting of an Aspick Antonius and Cleopatra send Ambassadors vnto Octauius Caesar Alexas treason iustly punished Pelusium was yeelded vp to Octauius Caesar. Cleopatraes monuments set vp by the temple of Isis. Straunge noises heard and nothing seene Antonius nauie doe yeeld them selues vnto Caesar. Antonius ouerthrowen by Octauius Caesar. Cleopatra flieth into her tombe or monument Eros Antonius seruant slue him selfe Antonius did thrust his sword into him selfe but died not presently Antonius caried vnto Cleopatraes tombe A lamentable sight to see Antonius and Cleopatra The death of Antonius Octauius Caesar lamenteth Antonius death Proculeius sent by Octauius Caesar to bring Cleopatra aliue Cleopatra taken Caesar tooke the citie of Alexandria Caesar greatly honored Arrius the Philosopher Philostratus the eloquentest Orator in his time for present speech vpon a sodaine Antyllus Antonius eldest sonne by Fuluia slaine The saying of Arrius the Philosopher CaesarioÌ„ Cleopatraes sonne put to death Cleopatra burieth Antonius Olympus Cleopatraes Phisition Caesar came to see Cleopatra Cleopatra a martired creature through her owne fassion and fury Seleucus out of Cleopatraes Treasorers Cleopatra bet her treasorer before Octauius Caesar Cleopatraes wordes vnto Caesar. Cleopatra finely deceiueth Octauius Caesar although she desired to liue Cleopatraes lamentation ouer Antonius tombe The death of Cleopatra Cleopatraes two waiting woman dead with her Cleopatra killed with the biting of an Aspicke The image of Cleopatra caried in triumphe at Rome with an Aspicke biting of her arme The age of Cleopatra and Antonius Of Antonius issue came Emperors The power of Demetrius Antonius Demetrius Antonius ambition to gouerne The liberalitie and bountie of Demetrius and Antonius Demetrius Antonius time Canobus and Taphosiris fl Demetrius Antonius wiues Antonius the first Romane that euer maried two wiues together Demetrius lasciuiousnes Dogges not suffred in Athens castle bicause of bitcherie The loue and impietie the faith falsehoode of Demetrius and Antonius Demetrius Antonius acts in warres The pareÌ„tage of Artaxerxes Mnemon The diuersâ—â— of natures betwixt Cyrus and Artaxerxes Arsicas surnamed Artaxerxes assigned to be king of Persia The maner of the consecrating of the kings of Persia as Pasargades Cyrus accused vnto his brother Artaxerxes Cyrus lay in waite to kill Artaxerxes Note the flatterie and dissimulation of a woman Antaxerxes curteous and easie to haue accesse vnto Artaxerxes liberalitie to apoore man that gaue him a litle water Tiribazus lightnes and Artaxerxes liberalitie Statira king Artaxerxes wife Cyrus maketh warre against his brother Artaxerxes Cyrus wonderfull promises Artaxerxes army of nyne hundred thowsand fighting men against his brother Cyrus Xenophon the Historiographer excellently describeth this battell betwixt Artaxerxes and his brother Cyrus Safetie in a generall requisite in battell Clearchus cowardlines reproued Pasacas Cyrus horse Artagerses the gouernor of the prouince of Cadusia giueth charge vpon Cyrus Cyrus slue Artagerses Dinons report of Cyrus death The Cariens be called cocks bicause they weare crests on their headpeeces Ctesias report of Cyrus death Artaxerxes hurt by Cyrus Cyrus hurt Cyrus miserable destiny King Artaxerxes being a thirst dranke stincking puddle water and sayd he neuer tasted sweeter The manner of the Persians in 〈…〉 against a traitor to the king Plutarch reproueth Ctesias for a lyer How Artaxerxes 〈…〉 the good and also punished the euill The punishment of them that slue Cyrus Parysatis straunge crueltie praising the Carian in 〈…〉 See the perill of bastâ—es rash aunswer The terrible death of offenders in boates or troughes among the Persians The miserable death of Mithridates The deuelish craft of Parysatis her great skill cunning at dyce Parysatis craft and cruelâ—ie Tisaphernes betrayeth the Captaines of Graece Clearchus other Captaines of Graece put to death by king Artaxerxes Ctesias vanity The cause of Parysatis hate vnto her Daughter in law Statyra Parysatis practiseth to poyson Queene Statira Ryntaces a bird of Persia that hath no excrements How Statira was poysoned The punishment for poysoners in Persia Agesilaus king of Lacedaemon maketh warre with the Persians The Persian coyne how it is stamped Artaxerxes dâ—aue the Lacedantonians from all their dominion by sea Gnidus Ins. Antalcidas peace Antalcidas Lacedaemonian greatly esteemed of Artaxerxes The persians full of vanitie and curiositie The death of Antalcidas Lacedaemonian Timagoras Athenian brybed by king Artaxerxes Timagoras was put to death for taking brybes and gifts of the king of Persia. King Artaxerxes killeth Tisaphernes Artaxerxes fell in againe with his mother Parysatis sent for her to come to the Court. Artaxerxes maried his eldest Daughter Atossa King Artaxerxes iorney against the Cadusians The contry of the Cadusians very barren Great famyne in Artaxerxes army Tiribazus stratageame saued Artaxerxes and all his army Note that soft apparell and riches maketh not a men cowardly and effeminate but a vile base mind that followeth euill aduise and counsell The corage of king Artaxerxes his great paynes in marching King Artaxerxes curtesie to his souldiers Darius and Ochus king Artaxerxes sonnes Artaxerxes proclaymeth his sonne Darius king Aspasia IuniaÌ„ one of Artaxerxes concubines The barbarous people can not 〈…〉 with â—inalitie in loue Tiribazus incruseth Darius against his father Artaxerxes Tiribazus maners and condicions Darius conspireth against Artaxerxes his father A
deuise of Artaxerxes how to preuent the conspirators and to saue him selfe Tiribazus the traitor slaine Darius condemned to dye and executed King Artaxerxes sonne The death of king Artaxerxes Artaxerxes was 94 yeres olde at his death Dion Brutus both Platonians Plato de virtute How mens acts should be famous in the coÌ„mon wealth A wicked spirite appeared vnto Dion Brutus Dionysius maried Hermocrates daughter Dionysius wiues Doride of Locres Aristomaché of Syracvsa Hipparinus daughter and Dions sister Dion kindred with Dionysius Plato came out of Italie vnto Syracvsa Dion Platoes schollar Plato and Dionysius the elder talke together Dionysius malice vnto Plato Plato solde in the I le of AEgina Dions boldnes in speaking plainly to the tyran Gelon signifieth laughture Sophrosynè and Areté the daughters of Dionysius by Aristomaché Dion marieth his Nece Areté the daughter of Dionysius of his sister Aristomaché The death of Dionysius the elder Flattering Courtiers do intense Dionysius the younger to hate Dion The vices of Dionysius the younger Dions maners too graue and seuere Obstinacie follow and companion of solitarines Dionysius the elder a maruelous timerous suspitious man. Dionysius dreame Dion persuadeth the younger Dionysius to fall to study The assured gard of Princes is the loue of their subiects Plaâ—â— goâ—th into Sicilia to teach Dionysius the youngeâ— Philistus the Historiographer Philistus the Historiographer banished out of Sicilia by Dionysius the elder Democratia the gouernment of the people Dion allowed not popular state Aristocratia the gouernment of a few of the nobilitie Plato came into Sicilia vnto Dionysius the younger The chaunge of Dionysius vpon Platoes comming Philistus accusations against Dion Dions letters vnto Carthage Dion sent away by Dionysius into Italie Dions wealth Dionysius tyrannicall loâ—â— to Plato Dionysius sent Plato from home Dions life in Graece Dions vertues and honors done vnto him by the Graecians Archytas a Pythagorian Philosopher Dionysius sendeth againe for Plato to come into Sicilia Platoes third iorney into Sicilia Aristippus saying of Dionysius Helycon a Mathematician Aristippus diuination Architas requireth Plato of Dionysius Dionysius maried Dions wife to an other man. Polyxenus maried Thesta his father Dionysius sister The noble answere of Thesta vnto her brother Dionysius the elder Dion beginneth to make warre against Dionysius The Philosophers aduanced Dions warre Aristotles dialogue de anima Dions army Dions sumptuous fare in feasting The eclipse of the Moone and cause of the eclipse VVonders shewed vnto Dion VVonders appearing vnto Dionysius Dions preparation Pachynus the foreland of Sicilia A tempest on the sea against Dion Synalus Captaine of Minoa for the Carthaginians Dion wanne Minoa Dion goeth to Syracusa A straunge chaunce happened vnto the Messenger sent to Dionysius A woulfe caried away the Messengers portmanteau Anapus ti Dionysius picke thankes slayne Dion receiued into Syracusa Dion restoreth the Syracusans to libertie Dionysius clocke The predictions of the Soothsayers Dionysius seÌ„t Ambassadors vnto Dion Dion fighteth with Dionysius Dion hurt Dions victory of Dionysius Hipparinus Dions sonne Dionysius craft vnto Dion Heraclides what he was Heraclides returneth to Syracusa The Syracusans do choose Heraclides Admirall to spight Dion Heraclides a dissembler practising to make the people to rebell against Dion Sosis a wicked man moueth sedition against Dion Dion cleareth Sosis accusation against him Sosis condemned to death Philistus slain Timaus and Ephorus the Historiographers reproued Dionysius flyeth from Syracusa Apollocrates the eldest sonne of Dionysius the yonger Signes appearing to the Syracusans Dion departeth out of Syracusa The cowardlines of the Syracusans The Leontines doe receiue Dion The negligence and troubles of the Syracusans The Syracusans doe send for Dion againe Dions oration vnto his souldiers perswading them to ayde the Syracusans The inconstancy of the Syracusans Syracusa set a fire by Dionysius souldiers Dions fight in the citie of Syracusa Nypsius compelled by Dion to flie into the castell Dions mercy to his enemies the great profit he tooke by study in the Academy at Athens No maÌ„ should be worse by an others wickednes The frowardnes of the Syracusans against Dion Heraclides againe stirreth vp the Syracusans to rebell against Dion Gaesylus Lacedaemonian commeth to Syracusa to be generall of the Syracusans Gaesylus maketh Dion Heraclides friends again The castell of Syracusa surrendred vnto Dion The words of Aristomaché vnto Dion at his entry into the castell of Syracusa Dion taketh his wife Areta againe which had forcibly bene maried vnto another man. Dions temperance and thriftines Heraclides conspireth againe against Dion Dion sent to the Corinthians to stablish a common wealth to the Syracusans Dion ment to abolish Democratia and to aduaunce Aristocratia The authoritie of the people resembled by Plato to a fayer or market The common wealth of the Corinthians The murther of Heraclides Callippus Athenian conspireth against Dion Note the suttletie of tale bearers A spirite appeared vnto Dion The lamentable death of Dions sonne Apollocrates Dionysius sonne The great oth of the Syracusant Dion slaine by Callippus Athenian Dions wife brought to bed of a sonne in prison The punishment of Callippus * 〈…〉 in corrupt speech signifieth a knife to scrape or cut cheese which it truelier called 〈…〉 Iulius Pollux lib. 10 cap. 24. Callippus slaine with the same dagger that slue Dion The crueltie of the Syracusans vnto Dion and his posterity The pareÌ„tage of Brutus Brutus maners Seruilia M. Brutus mother Brutus parentage by his father Seruilia Catoes sister Brutus studies Brutus followed the olde Academyks Empylus an Orator wrote a booke of Caesars death and intituled it Brutus Brutus maner of wryting his Epistels in Graeke A briefe letter to the Samians Brutus followed Cato into Cyprus * Or Canidius Brutus taketh parte with Pompey Brutus exercise in Pompeys campe Brutus studied in Pompeis campe Iulius Caesar carefull of Brutus safary Iulius Caesar loued Seruilia Brutus mother Brutus saued by Iulius Caesar after the battell of Pharsalia * This king was Iuba howbeit it is true also that Brutus made intercession for Deiotarus king of Galatia who was depriued notwithstanding of the most parte of his contrie by Caesar and therefore this place were best to be vnderstanded by Deiotorus Caesar made Brutus Gouernor of Gaule on this side the mouÌ„taines Brutus and Cassius contend for the Praetorship of the citie Cassius maried Iunia Brutus sister The first cause of Cassius malice against Caesar. Caesar suspected Brutus Caesar saying of Brutus Cassius incenseth Brutus against Caesar. Cassius Lions at Megara Cassius an enemie of tyranâ— How Brutus was incensed against Caesar. Cassius praieth Brutus first to helpe him to put downe the tyran * In an other place they cal him Quintus Brutus maketh Ligarius one of the coÌ„spiracie They do hide the conspiracy against Caesar from Cicero Ciuill warre worse then tyrannicall gouernment The wonderfull faith and secrifie of the Conspirators of Casars death Porcia Catoes daughter wife vnto Brutus Bibulus booke