euery one to be his own iudge for censure is a gifte of art and experience but to moderate his opinion by coherence comparisons infallible reasons which if they be not allowed by the maior partie let him neuer be ashamed to change his determination For as those which will spend their verdicts vpon Pictures their dimensions lineaments colours wherin the skilfullest eie is often cozened and deceiued ought not to bee ignoraunt of Symmetry to giue true iudgement So is it necessarie for him that will distinguish betweene the sufficiency and insufficiencie of Historie not onelie to bee well read in the Arts but also much conuersant in humaine occurrances Of Writers in this kind there are three sorts the first whereof being wel qualified by nature but better by learning haue bin called vnto Magistracie The second sort haue wanted learning and yet proued verie sufficient by the adiuncts of Nature and experience and the letter being somewhat helped by Nature and wanting experimentall imploiment haue notwithstanding by their industrie and integritie in their collection of Historie euen equalled those who haue spent the greatest portions of their daies in the Counsell-house of Princes Of euery one of these you shall find infinite variety so much the greater by how much euerie one sauoureth of more or lesse integrity learning and experience The best are those which are best seene in all these and free from passion I adde passion because it is harde for an vpright conscience discoursing of an euill subiect to abstaine from hard language or on the other side to attribute vnto good actions a moderate commendation For the inserting medestly in praise of the good and dispraise of the wicked hath giuen no smal ocasion for the amplifying of Historie Whereof â—f good Authors ought to be noted what shall we say of Euill No slight consideration must therefore be taken whether our Historiographer hath written of himselfe or of others of Fellow-Citizens or Strangers of Friends or Enemies of Militarie discipline or Ciuill Gouernement of his Equals or Inferiours and lastly of his owne time or of sore-passed ages For iudgement in this imployment Secretaries Priuy-Counsellors and Presidents in Courtes of Iustice are verie sufficient for by these three the state is ballanced but more sufficient is heâ— who alone sitteth at the Helm but most of al he that adioyneth much reading of Law and Historie to dailie experience To the perfection whereof two things are most requisite Bookes and Trauaile without the former whereof the difficile management of imployment in any kind is hardly attained to and the date of mans life is ouerâ—short to compasse it by trauaile and wandering obseruation as of olde time did Licurgus Solon and Vlisses The last of whom Homer pronounced wise For that he had seene the maners of many people and the customes of diuers Citties In these daies many dote vpon sight of strange countries the Natures of liuing Creatures and plants the Fabrickes of Palaces and Pyramides with the ouerworne sculptures of Ancient coines but the misteries of publicke Gouernment and their alterations they neuer regard Next vnto Bookes of humanitie and experiments of Trauaile I commend insight in Lawe For those that are to determine suits and contentions saith Arcadius knowe all sortes of misdemeanors and not misdemeanors onely but their contraries without the indifferent apprehension whereof the one and the other cannot be pried into and preuented For in discerning between good and euil consisteth the fulnesse of human wisedome Whereuppon wee are to gather that of all sorts of Historiographers those are worst to bee liked of which with impure handes as the Prouerbe is presume to write of History being both vnexperienced in affaires of importance and veterly vnlearned Of these is my chiefest Caue at in choise of Historie The next to beware of is a rayling or a passionate Writer for you shall not find all Authors free from this humor and him suspect of flattery by praising himselfe his fauourites and Country men and bitterly taunting his opposites or enemies But when you meet with an Authour who giueth his enemy his due commendation read him with trust and beleefe and the rather if he bee a stranger to both parties esteeme him as litigious persons do of Vmpiers in Abitrementes voyd of partiality For it is aparant that Dionisius Hallicarnasseus a man of no eminent place in Gouernment wrote the History of the Romans with better faith and more vprightnesse then Fabius Salust or Cato men aduanced to wealth and honour in their Common-weales For Polibius a Graecian in many places doth tax Fabius Philenus of falshood the one a Roman the other a Carthaginian and both writing vpon the Punicke warres the one giuing all the honour to the Romans the other to the Carthaginians These are the words of Polibius Philenus avoucheth that the Carthaginians behaued themselues valiantly and the Romans baselie and cowardly But Fabius by the censure of Polibius was a man of approued honesty wisedom to whom the proiects of the Romans nor the counterplots of the enemy were hidden or vnreuealed Yet both Orator like were very wary to say or do any thing to their own irreputations But let not any thinke that in an History he can discharge both the part of an Orator Historiographer For I cannot allow of those writings which in praises and flattery are copious in reprehension of vices briefe and penurious this maxime being most iustifiable that euen the man of best discretion and vprightnesse committeth manifold errors Wherein Equinard and Acciolus haue so magnified Carolus Magnus Eusebius Constancie Nebrensis Ferdinand Iouius Cosmo Medices Phillostratus Apollonius Procopius Bellisarius Staphilus and Leua Charles the fift that heerein they haue rather merited the sirnames of Orators then of Historiographers And therefore let the iudicious Censurer suspend his iudgement not by the scale of Friends and Countreymen but by the verdict of enemies also Against Phillip Comines in praising of Lewes the XI let him oppose Meir and not Meir onely but Paulus Aemilius because the one is excessiue in commending the other as farre gone in discommending the third in a meane Meir tearmeth him periurious and fratricide whose desire was aboue al things without regard of the Lawes of God or man to become sole Tyrant of the state The same Author calleth Comines himselfe Traitor and Fugitiue And therefore in these alterations I wish neither of them to be belieued because the one was highly aduanced and inriched by the King the other a professed enemy and had his pâ—n deeplier dipped in gall then was seeming for an Historiographer Aemilius was neither friende nor foe for he was of Verona and wrote grauely and modestly in these words The Duke saith he did enuy the King accusing him with the death of his Brother to haue corrupted his Brothers children and to work them to poison their Father Hee affirmes nothing rashly he omitted not repugnant reports They wrote in the life
like For whereas the Latines neglected things triuiall as Sacrifices Playes Triumphs Ensignes of Magistracies the generall gouernment of the state Subsidies Auguries Parliaments and the difficile diuision of the people into wards and Tribes Lastly the potencie of the Senat the priuiledges of the Commons the Authoritie of Magistrates and the power of the people be in my iudgement hath best performed them of anie man liuing And to make them the more easie to bee vnderstood hee hath compared the customes of the Greeks with the Lawes of the Latines deriuing the priuiledges of Clyents which Romulus instituted and which Caesar noteth to be common amongst the Gals from the Athenians and Thessalians The Roman Dictator to be of equall power to the Haumoste of the Lacedemonians to the Archon of the Thessalians and the Aesynmet of the Mytilens yea had it not hin for this mans labours the Lawes of Romulus Numa and Seruius together with the Original discent of the Romans had bin long since buried in forgetfulnesse through the pride of the Romans who accounted omitted these remembrances as base vulgar A fault almost common with al Authors as if they were as well knowne to strangers as to Natiues The like diligence almost vsed Plutarch in his Roman Antiquities Plutarch what censure is to be giuen of him I thinke euerie man knoweth For seeing he was the Schoole-maister of that excellent Prince Traian an ancient Courtier and at last Gouernour of Istria there is no question to be made but he ioyned practise and experience to his great wisedome Hee wrote the Historie of the two most famous people of the world not methodically and in order but abruptly and by way of Comparison All that I admire in him is his so free opinion in al matters that to me he seemeth rather a censurer of Princes then an Historiographer yet with this submission to his worth that if any man may be thought a fit Vmpire in businesse of such weight I hold him to be Plutarch or no man For vvhat could be vnknovvne to a man of so high a reach so deepe a iudgement Which are verie remarqueable in his most graue disputations of a Republicke and his profound Philosophie The Originall occasions of wars their openings their progressions ouerthrowes and victories he handleth like an excellent Commander And sometimes he discendeth to matters of meanest moment euen of houshold affaires as is that remembraunce of Cato the Censor who of purpose set enmitie betweene his seruants Least by their ouermuch licentiousnesse they should busie their braines about proiects of farre worse consequence The like he remeÌ„breth of Pericles who accustomed to sell to the vtmost aduantage the reuenues of his domaines and to buy by the penny his daily prouision Oftentimes hee relateth thinges incredible and meerely fabulous but he vseth the worde Phasi to forewarne rash beleefe As in the life of Licurgus he writeth That a Lacedemonian Lad suffered the Rack euen to death rather then he would reueale the theft of a Fox And that Agesilaus was amerced by the Ephori for populer dependancy That he sometimes committed an ouer-sight in the Antiquity of the Romans for that being a Graecian and not perfectly vnderstanding the Latine tongue as himselfe confesseth in the life of Demosthenes he is to be borne withall As where he writeth that in Iudgements Gracchus by the Law Sempronia equalled the Gentlemen with the Senators when as by the same Law that prerogatiue was taken from the Senate and absolutely transferred to the Gentlemen as Velleius Appian Asconius Tacitus and Florus testifie It is apparant that he mistook Legem liuiam pro Sempronia and Gracchus for Drusus The like fault he committed in valewing the Drachma with the Roman Denarius and the Mina with Libra in the liues of Fabius and Anthony which Budeus fâ—llowing soone slipped into error As hee could not choose the quotient being false c. Dio For Dio who can make question of his excellency and sufficiency beeing a man that spent his whole time in affaires of the state and running through all the degrees of Office was twice chosen Consull and after that Proconsull wherein he gouerned the Prouinces worthily no doubt ioyned experience to his great learning He it was that collected the order of their Dyets their Magistracies the course of their proceedingâ— in law the inauguration of their Princes and the policies of their state Yet seemeth he to striue of purpose to maintaine the factions of Caesar and Anthony against Pompey and Cicero And those prodegies which hapned in the borders of the Marconrani he attributeth to Arnulphus the Egiptian not to the Christians whereat Turtullian Eusebius Orosius Iustine Paulus Diaconus and Marcus Aurelius himselfe contested in his letters to the Senat. Many are of opinion that Diodorus was matcheable vnto him Diodorus many that he deserueth precedencie for my part I see no such reason either for phrase theÌ„ which nothing could be penned more vulgar or for method of History That whereof he meaneth to relate he disposeth of truely orderly and briâ—fely in the beginning of euery booke The proofe whereof you may find in his first booke wherein he diuideth his whole worke into fortie Bookes and in six includeth all the former time before the Troian war The eleuen following beginning at the Troian warre end with the death of Alexander the last four and twenty discend to the wars of the Gals The which computation amounteth to about one thousand one hundred and thirty yeares besides the reports before the Troian war which the Ancients deemed fabulous From whence to the return of the Heraclidae according to the account of Apollodorus he numbreth XC yeares from thence to the first Olimpiad CCCXXVIII from the first Olimpiad to the war of the Gals DCCXXX Likewise he only of al the Ancient adiâ—ynd vnto his history the times wherin the most eminent Philosophers Poets and Historiographers flourished As in his fourteenth Book he witnessâ—th that Ctesias began his history at Ninus Lysiades being Archon He also collected together six bookes of this Author concerning the Empire of the Assyrians and as many of the Persians for the most part generallie discenting from Herodotus Whose Authorities Plutarch Pausanias Athenaeus and almost all the Greeke Authors do also follow To vs is nothing remaining but an Epitome Thucidides Thucidides he saith began his history Charites being Archon Q. Furius and M. Papirius Consuls viz. from the restoring of the Heraclidae to the taking of Perinthus TheopoÌ„pus Theopompus began at the first year of Phillip King of Macedon Calimedes being ArchoÌ„ in the hundred fiue Olimpiad C. Genutius L. Aemilius being Consuls And for that which Diodorus reprehendeth in Theopomp for the same may another reprehend Diodore Of eight and fiftie Bookes saith he since are suspitious So saith Viues of sorty of Diodors we haue scarse twelue remaining fiue whereof are stuffed with such idle matter That nothing was euer written more fabulous
Spaine thou hast reuiued the remembrance of our deceased Progenitors Masâ—inissae qui claruit sub Hasdrubaie Aboue all a worke most difficult thy Vertues haue ouertopped Enuy. And now for that I perceiue that my life draweth towardes an end I admonish and adiure thee by this right hand and the allegiance which thou owest to thy countrey Quam ad tunc tenuit that thou estrange not thy loue and seruice from these thy kinsmen whom by fauor and adoption I haue created thy Brethren neither couet thou in gouernment to admit of strangers rather then of those who are allied vnto thee in blood and parentage Loyall friends not the armed Souldier nor the Richest Treasure are the surest guards of Kingdomes True friendship which thou canst neither allure by practise nor buy with gold is purchased by respect fidelity And who I pray thee should be more indeered then one Brother to another Or what stranger shall that man find confident who proueth a Traytour to his owne blood Surely if you continue vertuous I bequeath you a strong Kingdome if yee turne euill a weake Patrimony By Vnity small thinges are multiplyed by Dissention the greatest kingdomes are ruinated Beleeue me Iugurth it is thy Office for that thou art eldest in yeares and experience to take care that nothing happen contrary to these my latest Counsels for in all controuersies the man that is most powerfull though hee receiue an iniury yet will it be supposed that he hath giuen it because he is best able to do it Againe you my sonnes see that you Honour and aduance this your worthy Kinsman Imitate and out-strippe hins in vertue least it be said by me that I haue adopted brauer Children then I haue begotten Although Iugurth conceited that the King spake not this from his heart hauing his mind busied vpon farre higher different cogitations yet for the present he gaue courteous and gracious language Within a fewe dates after Micipsa dyed CHAP. 2. 1. The Roytelets assemble about partition of the Kingdome 2. Hiempsal disgraceth Iugurth 3. His reuenge 4. And preparation to warre 5. His course after victory 6. Adherbals Accusation 7. Iugurths excuse 8. Order taken to content both Parties 9. The yssue AFter the three Roytelets according to the custome of their Auncestors had Royally interred the body of Micipsa they apointed a time of meeting ther to take order for their further affaires Where Hiempsal the youngest of three but by Nature the proudest now as before time scorning the base discent of Iugurth by his mother tooke place vpon the right hand of Adherbal that Iugurth might not sit in the midst which amongst the Numidians is accounted the most Honourable place Neither could he by his Brothers earnest importunity without apparant discontent be perswaded to remoue on the other hand Where amongst many particulars proposed of gouernement Iugurth affirmed that whatsoeuer Micipsa had decreed fiue yeares before his death ought to be of no validity for that by reason of his aged years during those times his sences had failed him Wherewithall Hyempsal was well pleased for within the space of these three yeares last past quoth hee you were adopted as co-heire into the Kingdome Which words tooke deeper impression in the heart of Iugurth then any man present would haue suspected 3 This disgrace from this time forwarde prouoked Iugurth irresolute betweene wrath and feare to study and plot in his minde how to surprize Hyempsal by Treason Which determination working but to slow effects and his inraged passion nothing the lesse by time asswaged he now resolueth to dispatch it vpon any occasion At their first meeting shewed you before to auoide all causes of contention they tooke Order to diuide the Treasure and to limit out euery man the bounds of his portion A time certaine is set downe to perfect both these Decrees but with order to haue the diuision of the money first dispatched Whereuppon the Roytelets seuerally remoue to places neerely adioyning to that place where the Treasures were stored Hiempsal tooke vp his lodging by great chaunce in his house who was Captaine of the Guard to Iugurth a man very inward and gracious with his maister Him by fortune thus making a fit Instrument for Treason Iugurth solliciteth by massie promises corrupteth without deniall importuneth to forge and deliuer him the counterfeit keyes of his house for the true keyes were nightly carried vp into Hiempsals Chamber The remainder as occasion serued himselfe with his armed retinue would take order to dispose of The Numidian speedily executeth his masters commands and according to his instructions at night giueth entrance vnto Iugurths Souldiers who were no sooner in possession of the house but they disperse themselues some to seeke the King some to murder Hiempsals seruants others to make good their entrance in case any person made resistance This done they left no secret place vnransaked they broke vp Presses and diued into euery blind corner confounding all places with noise and vprore and at last lighted vppon Hiempsal hidden in the lodging of a poore Maide-seruant whether the sudden apprehension of feare and ignorance of the place in the beginning of the tumult had frighted him to flye vnto The Murderers as they had in commaund strike off his head and present it to Iugurth The fame whereof in a trice flyeth ouer all Affrique 4. Adherbal and the Subiects of Micipsa stand astonished at the report of so haynous a treacherie The people in generall fall to partes-taking The greater number continue constant to Adherbal the men of Warre follow Iugurth Whereupon without further delay he raysest the strongest forces he can hee seizeth vppon Townes some by force and some by faite speeches hee vniteth them to his former portion and casteth in his mind how to become sole-Lord of Numidia Adherbal notwithstaÌ„ding that he had sent his messengers to Rome to informe the Lordes of the Senat of the death of his Brother and his particuler misfortunes yet seeing himselfe well accompanied with armed troopes he doubteth not the aduenture of his welfare vpon the hazard of a battell But comming vnto tryall his army was defeated himselfe glad to flye into his owne prouince from whence he tooke his way towards Rome 5 Now Iugurth being Maister of his desires peaceable Lord of al Numidia reuoluing in his mind the future scandall of this heynous murther saw none of whom he should need to stand in feare of but the Roman people To mitigate whose wrath no hopes remained but such as Mony and the auarice of the Nobilitie afforded Wherfore to preuent stormes on that side hee within a few dayes after dispatcheth his Ambassadors towards Rome plentifully loaden with Gold and Siluer giuing them instructions First to present his ancient acquaintance Secondly to drawe in New And lastly to bee sparing towardes no man so hee were in place to countenance his practises So ariuing at Rome according to the direction of their Lord
of Lewes this man an hundred yeares after impossible at that timâ— to bee possessed with expectancy of grace feare or enuy So Tacitus did avowe the actions of Tiberius Claudius Caius and Nero reported in their life times to be full of flattery through feare and after they were dead as full of despight and both false And therefore it was his first protâ—station that he would write them without Enuie or Flattery as in a time of more securitie For hee wrote an hundred yeares after their deaths and peraduenture had read the saying of Aristotle that New Histories were as fabulous and distatiue as those of deepest Antiquity Surely those thaâ— will write of the present can hardlie write truly but they must touch the crediâ— and reputation of some men And therefore Cicero in his Catalogue of all the best Orators remembred not one liuing least they which by chance or negligence were forgotten or omitted as himselfe speaketh should conceiue displeasure Who would then seeke for truth amongst Authors conuersing with such times Wherein to write what a man would not was accounted dishonest to write what he would dangerous The best course is therefore without all fear to dedicate our Papers to posterity or if any think so well of his workes that he will publish them in his life time let his History consist of times past collected out of the best CoÌ„mentaries publicke priuate and Ancient As did Lyuy Tranquillus Tacitus Arrian and Dionisius Hallicarnasseus all most approued Authors and the last of most credite because he wrote of another state not of his owne and sawe all mens Commentaries and secrets of state by publique permission Polibius In this ranke also are Polibius Plutarch Metasthenes Ammianus Polidor Ctesias Aemilius Aluaresius and Lodowick Roman But of those which haue nothing in theÌ„ but reports ek toon aloon akroamatoon as Polibius speaketh and haue not seene publicke Registers let them be of no Authority For the better Authors to induce better beleefe avouched their authorities from publique remembrances as Ammianus vvho brought to light the Originall of the Galles from their Publicke Monuments So likewise Arrians writeth in his preface That he read the Commentaries of King Ptholomy an eiewitnesse of the Acts of Alexander neuer before set forth Appian had the like Fortune with the papers of Augustus Metasthenes and Ctesias with the Libraries of the Persians Diodorus with the Arcana of the Egiptians Onasicratus and Aristobulus the Lieutenant of Alexander avow those things which they sawe with their eyes in Egipt and India Not that I dare avouch that the truth of History is to be sought for in the Commentaries of Kinges for they are giuen to speake largely of their owne praises but to make vse of those Obseruations which are little or nothing interessed in their praise or disgrace as the Computations of times the largenesse and scituation of Prouinces the Gouernment of Citties the ages of Princes their raignes and successions and in especial their Policies wherein the end of reading all in all consisteth For as Metasthenes affirmeth All men that writ of Princes are not to be beleeued but especially the Priests to whose fidelity and custody the publicke Annals were incredited Such a one was Berosus who collected the raignes of the Assyrians out of the Annals of his predecessors This Metasthenes Secondly if a History haue such and so many witnesses as cannot be contested it hath the greater apparancie of truth yea in seeming incredulities especiallie if it suffer examination and triall For vvho would beleeue that the Roman Senate at the motion of a Clowne who dreamed that Iupiter called vnto him in his sleepe and willed him to admonish the Senate that they should renew the plaies because he that lead the dance in the former shawes had daunced falsie The Senate assented One man perchance in relating this triuiall accident would not be beleeued but heerein Plutarch Lyuy Dionisius Valerius and Pliny do all agree who in so vniforme a consent of the Senate and people could not relate a falshood But methinkes I heare one say the latter was deceiued by the error of the former and so each after other Surely and so it may be not onely in the Historie of humanitie but also of Nature For the olde world reported that Swanâ— approching their ends would sweetlie sing their Funerall farewels a tradition not onely receiued from the times of Eschilus by Poets and Painters but likewise by the chiefest of the Phylosophers Plato Aristotle Chrisippus Philostratus Cicero and Seneca And yet Pliny and after him Athenaeus report vppon proofe that it is but a Fable and so to this day it yet remaineth But as for naturall Historie the validitie thereof whereof we meane not to discourse it soone experimented which in humaine for their infinite confusions can neuer be examined As for example Many good Writers and not one or two but almost twentie wrote that the Duke of Orliance was beheaded for Treason and that at Paris and yet it was apparant that XXX yeares after his imprisonment in England he returned into France and there peaceably died For which rashnesse my Countrey-man G. Bellay doth sharpely reprehend those Historiographers who will audaciâ—uslie commit to publique beliefe the flying reports of fame and the vulgar Of this fault Strabo taxed Possidonius Erastosthenes Metrodorus They deliuered for true history saith he the reports of the most inconstant people But Possidonius vsed the Authoritie of C. Pompey so that I thinke hee could write nothing vnaduisedly Therefore when Authors disagree amongst themselues I take it the safest course to beleeue the latest at leastwise if their reasons co-here necessarily and their Arguments are strong â—o proue what they say For such is the Nature and obscurity of truth that vnlesse it be raked from auncient and fundamentall Originals it will hardly appeare like it selfe but best then when the reports the flatteries and passions of the vulgar are buried with their bodies As to Religion because the Controuersies betweene the professions and professors thereof are so irreconciable I woulde not aduise a man to seeke out the Opinions of the Heathen among the Iewish Writers nor of the Iewes amongst the Christians nor that of the Christians amongst the Moores or Mahumetans but to read the Authors of euerie sect and Religion by themselues to weigh the credit of the writer and the validitie of the thing written and how they agree or disagree amongest themselues So much concerning this Argument as hath beene set foorth by diuers Authors I will rather blanch with the imputation of mistaking and ignorance in Antiquities then with the foul Title of vntruth euen as the old Graecians dealt with the Romans and the Celts and the Romaines with the Caldeans and Iewes eaâ—h one being ignorant in the Antiquities of either Nation In reading the disgraces of an enemy let our assertion bee suspended vntill we haue examined the worth of the writer for an aduersaries report is not