other Doctors of the Church He resided also at Paris that he might have opportunity of conferring with learned men There he erected a goodly University which he furnished with as learned men as those times could afford and endowed it with great priviledges For he had an exceeding great care to make it a Nurcery for the holy Ministry that from thence the Church might be supplied with able Teachers whence also grew so many Colleges of Cannons with sufficient revenues annexed thereunto Thus Charlemagne spent three years happily in the only care of his Soul leaving an illustrious example to all Princes to moderate and ennoble their greatness with Piety and so to enjoy their Temporal estates as in the mean time not to neglect their eternal concernments and to think of their departure out of this Life in time Foreseeing his Death whereunto he prepared himself by these exercises he made his last Will and Testament leaving his Son Lewis the sole Heir unto his great Kingdoms and bequeathed to the Church much Treasure But all things and Persons in this World have an end His Testament was but the Harbinger to his Death for presently after he was taken with a pain in his side or Plurisie and lay sick but eight days and so yielded up his Spirit unto God that gave it Anno Christi 814. and of his Age seventy one and of his Reign forty seven including fifteen years of his Empire His Body was interred in a sumptuous Church which he had caused to be built in the City of Aquisgrave or Aix la Capelle where he was born and his memory was honoured with a goodly Epitaph He was one of the greatest Princes that ever lived His virtues are a pattern to other Monarchs and his great successes the subject of their wishes The greatness of his Monarchy indeed was admirable For he quietly enjoyed all France Germany the greatest part of Hungary all Italy and a good part of Spain At the time of his Death he was in peace with the other Kings of Spain as also with the Kings of England Denmark Bulgary with the Emperour Leo of Constantinople and with all the Princes of that time This Noble Prince was endued with so many excellent Virtues that we read of very few in antient Histories that excelled him so that he may be justly compared with the best of them For in Martial Discipline in Valour in Dexterity in Feats of Arms there are none that exceeded him He obtained as many Victories fought as many Battels and subdued as many fierce and Warlike Nations as any one we read of and that both before and after that he was Emperour He was tall of Stature very well proportioned in all his members passing strong of a fair and grave countenance valiant mild merciful a lover of Justice liberal very affable pleasant well read in History a great Friend of Arts and Sciences and sufficiently seen into them and a man who above all loved and rewarded Learned men He was very charitable in his Kingdoms yea in his very Court he harboured and relieved many Strangers and Pilgrims In matters of Faith and Religion he was very zealous and most of the Wars which he made were to propagate and enlarge the Christian Faith He being mis-led by the darkness of the times wherein he lived superstitiously honoured and obeyed the Church of Rome and the Pope that was Bishop thereof together with other Bishops and Prelates commanding his Subjects also to do the like He was also very devout and spent much of his time in Prayer Hearing and Reading In his Diet he was very temperate and a great enemy to riot and excess and though he was Rich and Mighty yet fed he his Body with what was necessary and wholesome not rare costly and strange And yet his Virtues were not without their blemishes as the greatest commonly are not without some notable Vices For in his younger dayes he was much given to Women adding Concubines to his lawful Wives by whom he had divers children but this was in the time of his Youth For afterwards he contented himself with his Wife and for a remedy of this imperfection though he was three or four times a Widower yet he ever married again the Daughter of some great Prince or other To conclude all he was an excellent Emperour that loved and feared God and died when he was very Old and full of Honour leaving Lewis the weakest of his Sons the sole heir of his great Empire but not of his Virtues So that this great building soon declined in his posterity He had engraven upon his Sword Pro Deo Religione For God and Religion He used to set his Crown upon the Bible as our Canutus sometime put his Crown upon the Rood both of them thereby intimating that as all honour was due to God so true Religion was the best Basis of Government and that Piety was the best Policy The Epitaph which I spake of was this Sub hoc conditorio situm est Corpus Caroli Magni atque Orthodoxi Imperatorisqui Regnum Francorum nobiliter ampliavit per annos Quadraginta septem foeliciter tenuit Decessit Septuagenarius Anno Domini 814. Indicti one 7. Quinto Calend. Febr. Under this Tomb lieth the Body of Charles the Great and Catholick Emperour who most Nobly enlarged the Kingdom of the French and most happily ruled it for the space of forty and seven years He died in the seventy and one year of his Age In the year of our Lord eight hundred and fourteen the seventh Indiction on the fifth Calend of February He had five Wives the first was called Galcena the Daughter of the King of Galistria by whom he had no Children The second was Theodora the Sister or as others say the Daughter of Didier King of Lombardy whom he kept not long but repudiated her for sundry reasons The third was Hildebranda Daughter of the Duke of Suevia whom he loved exceedingly and had by her three Sons viz. Charles his Eldest whom he made King of the greatest and best part of France and Germany Pepin his Second whom he made King of Italy Bavaria c. Lewis his Youngest to whom he left the Empire intire his Brothers being both dead in their Fathers Life time This Lewis was sirnamed Debonaire or the Courteous He had also three Daughters the Eldest was called Rothruda the Second Birtha and the Youngest Giselia who would never marry His fourth Wife he had out of Germany called Fastrada And his fifth and last was also a German Lady called Luithgranda of the Suevian Race by whom he had no Children He shewed his love to Religion by having one during his Meal-times that either read to him some part of the Holy Scriptures or else some part of Saint Augustines Books especially that De Civitate Dei or some History He was also a great Friend to Learning and therefore erected three
in his Breast by Cyrus One of his Eunuchs therefore called Satribarzenes ran up and down to see if he could get any Water for him and as he ran here and there he met with same poor Slaves of the Caunians amongst which one had in an old ragged Goats Skin about eight glasful of stinking naughty Water This he presently carried to the King who drank it up every whit and his Eunuch asking him afterwards if that naughty Water did him no hurt The King swore by the Gods that he never drank better Wine nor sweeter Water than that was nor that pleased him better and therefore said he I beseech the Gods if it be not my hap to meet with this man that gave thee this Water to reward him that yet it will please them to send him good Fortune As the King was thus talking with the Eunuches the thirty men with Torches returned who assured him of the death of Cyrus Multitudes also of his Souldiers gathered about him so that he began to be couragious and with an infinite number of Torches and lights about him he went to the place where the Body of Cyrus lay and caused his Head and right hand to be stricken off and taking the Head by the Hair he shewed it to his men who were yet flying they taking courage hereby so flocked about the King that in a short time he had seventy thousand Souldiers about him with whom he returned again towards the Camp of Cyrus which he rifled and there met with a Concubine of Cyrus a woman famous for wit and beauty She was a Phocaean born in Ionia her name at first was Mitto but Cyrus called her Aspasia She was brought bound to the King for which he was so angry that he imprisoned those that bound her and ever after esteemed her above all the Harlots he kept who were in number three hundred and sixty all choice beauties and most doted on her The Brigade of Grecians not knowing what had befallen Cyrus kept on fighting still and had beaten Tisaphernes and all his power But the King coming with the main of his Army to the relief of Tisaphernes fell upon the Grecians Camp and rifled it yet when they returned from the pursuit they recovered it and beat the King out again and lodged Supperless in it that night as well as Dinnerless the day before Artaxerxes after this Battel sent rich Gifts unto the Son of Artagerses whom Cyrus had slain with his own hands He caused also the poor Caunian Slave that had given him the stinking Water to be sought out and of a poor wretch and unknown before he made him a rich Nobleman He punished such severely as had offended against martial Discipline And one Arbaces a Median who at the first ran over to Cyrus and after his Death he returned to Artaxerxes again for punishment he compelled him to carry a whore on his back stark naked all day long about the Market place and for one who had yielded himself to his enemies and yet falsly boasted that he had slain two he caused his Tongue to be boared through in three places Artaxerxes thinking that himself had slain Cyrus and being desirous that all others should think so too he sent Presents to Mithridates who had first hurt him in the fore-head commanding the Messenger to tell him from the King The King sends thee these Presents because thou didst first find the Caparisons of Cyrus his Horse and broughtest them to the King The Carian likewise that had cut Cyrus his hamm which made him fall to the ground asked his reward also which the King gave him and bad the Messenger tell him The King gives thee this because thou wast the second Person that brought him the good news of the Death of Cyrus Now Mithridates though he was not well pleased with the message said nothing for the present but the unhappy Carian in a foolish vain being overjoyed with the rich Presents said that he would not take them as a reward for bringing the news but called the Gods to witness that he was the man and the onely man that slew Cyrus and that he did him great wrong to take that honour from him The King was so incensed hereby that he commanded some presently to strike off his head But Parysatis the Queen-Mother said Let me alone with the Villain I will chastise him well enough and withall she sent Serjeants who hung him in chains for ten dayes together then caused his eyes to be pulled out of his head and lastly poured molten lead into his ears and so killed him Not long after Mithridates was invited to a Fcast where many of the Kings and Queen-Mothers Eunuchs were and Mithridates fat in the Golden Gown which the King had sent him and after Supper as they were drinking freely one of the Queen-Mothers Eunuchs said to him Mithridates the King hath given thee a rich Gown Goodly chains and Carckenets of Gold and every Rich so that every one thinks thee a happy man with them Mithridates answered What meanest thou by this Sparamixes I deserved better than these when the Battel was fought Why said Sparamixes what so valiant an act was it to take up a Caparison of a Horse that fell to the ground and to carry it to the King Mithridates being a cholerick man and his brain heat with wine answered You may talk as long as you list of a Caparison of a Horse but I tell you plainly that Cyrus was slain with my own hands and with no mans else For I hit him not in vain as Artagerses did but full in the forehead hardby the eye which pierced through his head of which blow he died The envious Eunuch at his departure told this to Parysatis who went presently and told it to the King He was marvellously angry to lose the thing that was most honourable and that best pleased him in his Victory For he desired that all the world should believe that though his Brother hurt him yet he slew his Brother with his own hand He therefore commanded that Mithridates should suffer the Death by Boats which was thus They took two Boats of equal size and laying the offender in one of them upon his back they covered him with the other and fastned both Boats together that his feet hands and head came out at holes made on purpose then they gave him meat as much as he would eat which if refused they thrust awls into his eyes to force him and when he had eaten they gave him Honey and Milk to drink pouring it also all over his face and turned his face full into the Sun which was covered over with Flyes sucking at it In his excrements also that came from him Worms did breed which devoured his Flesh And when they see the man is dead they take off the upper Boat and find all his flesh devoured to his very intrails Mithridates thus miserably languished
Tetrarchy but he gave the Kingdom to his Son Archelaus To his sister Salome he gave Jamnia Azotus and Thasaelis with five hundred thousand Drachmaes To the rest of his Kindred he gave money and yearly Pensions To Caesar he gave ten Millions of Drachmaes of silver and all his Plate as well of Gold as of Silver and a great quantity of precious moveables and to Livia Caesars Wife and some certain Friends he gave five Millions of Drachmaes Having thus ordered these things five dayes after Antipater was put to death he dyed himself having enjoyed the Kingdom 34 years after the death of Antigonus but from the time that he was declared King by the Romans 37 years about the 25th of our November in the year of the world 4001 and after the Birth of Christ about two years THE LIFE and DEATH OF HANNIBAL THE GREAT HANNIBAL the Son of Amilcar was about twenty six years old when he was chosen General of the Carthaginian Forces in Spain He was elected by the Army as soon as Asdrabal their late General was dead and the election was approved and confirmed by the Senate or Carthage wherewith Hanno and his faction was nothing pleased This was now the third of the Barchine Family so called of Amilcar whose surname was Barcas that commanded in chief over the men of War Hanno therefore and his Partizans being neither able to tax the Virtue of their enemies nor to perform the like services to the Common-wealth had nothing left whereby to value themselves excepting the general reprehensions of War and cautelous advise of not provoking the Romans but they were little regarded For the Carthaginians saw apparently that the Oath of the Romans to the Articles of Peace was like to hold no longer than till the Romans could find some good advantage to renew the War It was therefore rather desired by the Carthaginians that whilst they were in a fit condition the War should begin rather than in some unhappy time of Famine or Pestilence or after some great loss in their Army or Fleet they should be driven to yield to the impudent demands of their insulting enemies This disposition of his Citizens Hannibal well enough understood Neither was he ignorant that in making War with the Romans it was no small advantage to get the start of them Could he but bring his Army into Italy he hoped to find Friends and assistance even from those People that helped to encrease the Armies of the Romans But his design must be carried privately or else it would be prevented He resolved therefore to lay Siege to Saguntum in Spain where he now was with his Army which might seem not greatly to concern the Romans and would highly please the Carthaginians Having resolved hereupon nevertheless he went orderly to work beginning with those that lay next in his way First therefore he entered into the Territory of the Olcades and besieging Althaea in a few days he became Master not only of it but of all the other Towns in their Country and the Winter coming on he rest his Army in New Carthage or Carthagena imparting liberally to his Souldiers of the Spoils that he had gotten in his late Conquests In the Spring he made War upon the Vaccaei and with little difficulty wan first Salamanca and after it Arbucala though not without a long Siege and much difficulty But in his return he was put to the height both of his Valour and Prudence For all such of the Vaccaei that could bear Arms being made desperate by the spoil of their Country with divers others that had escaped in the late overthrow joyning with the Toletans made up an Army of one hundred thousand able men waiting for Hannibal on the Banks of the River Tagus They knew that he was very adventurous and had never turned his back upon any enemy and therefore hoped that having him at such an advantage they should easily have foiled him But at this time our Great Man of War knew as well how to dissemble his Courage as at other times to make good use of it For he withdrew himself from the River side as seeming fearful to pass over it aiming thereby to draw over that great multitude from their Banks of advantage The Spaniards as Hannibal expected and desired thinking that he retreated out of fear thrust themselves in a disordered manner into the River to pursue him But when Hannibal saw them well near over he turned back his Elephants to entertain them at their landing and thrust his Horsemen both above and beneath them into the River who by the advantage of their Weapons slew almost all of those in the River without resistance and then pursued the rest who being amazed fled and so he made a very great slaughter of them The Saguntines perceiving the strom drawing near to them hastened their Ambassadours to Rome who complained that they were like to be undone only for their Friendship to the Romans This so moved the Senate that some would have War presently proclaimed both by Sea and Land and the Consuls sent with Armies one into Spain the other into Africk But others went more soberly to work according to the Roman gravity whereby it was concluded that Ambassadours should be sent into Spain to view the State of their Confederates These Ambassadours found Hannibal at Carthagena where they had Conference with him who carried himself so reservedly that they departed as doubtful as they came But whilst they were passing to and fro Hannibal prepared not only his Forces but some Roman pretences against Saguntum For the Tudetani who were Neighbours to the Saguntines complained to him of sundry wrongs that they had received from them of Saguntum Probably Hannibal himself had hatched some of them Having therefore such an occasion he sat down with his whole Army before Saguntum The Romans were glad of the Quarrel as hoping that Carthage with all belonging thereto would in short space become their own Yet were they not hasty to threaten before they were ready to strike but meant to temporize until they had an Army in readiness to be sent into Spain where they intended to make Saguntum the seat of War In the beginning of Hannibals Siege his Carthaginians were much discouraged by reason of the brave Sallies which the Saguntines made upon them in one of which Hannibal himself received a dangerus wound in the Thigh that made him unable to stir for many days Yet in the mean time he was not unmindful of his business but gave order to build certain movable Towers that might equal those upon the City Walls and to prepare to batter the Curtains and to make a breach These being sinished and applied had soon wrought their desired effect A large breach was made by the fall of some Towers whereat a hot assault was given But it was so gallantly defended by the besieged that the Carthaginians were not only beaten from the breach and out
gave direction and was very diligent in all things touching Justice Customes Religion and publick buildings so as in all things his Reign was happy peaceable and quiet during all his Life Yet in this so happy a time some People and Nations still affecting Liberty laboured to shake off the Roman yoke and thereby molested and disquieted the Empire as the Spaniards the Inhabitants of Illyricum and the Pannonians In Spain the Cantabrians the Asturians and part of Gallicia passing their bounds began a War against the Empire Augustus being informed hereof judging it to be a doubtful War and of importance commanded the Temple of Janus to be opened and determined to go against them in Person and to send other Captains to follow his other Wars And accordingly Augustus went into Spain and with three Armies made War against the People aforementioned which proved very doubtful and desperate and lasted five years and though he suppressed the Cantabrians and Asturians and drave them to their Rocks and Mountains yet before he could wholly subdue them he was fain to bring a great Navy upon the Coast of France to invade the Sea coasts of Cantabria and Galizia by which means he drave them to such extremities by Land that they were at last forced to submit to his obedience Augustus his great favourite Agrippa served him faithfully in this War whom therefore he married to his Daughter Julia who was the Widow of his Nephew Marcellus the Son of his Sister Octavia And thus he brought all Spain into subjection to him above two hundred years after the Comans began to make their first Wars there So as no Province cost Rome more Treasure more bloud nor more time than Spain This long and doubtful War being so happily finished Augustus was so pleased with it that he gave commandment that the Temple of Janus should again be shut and came to Rome in great Triumph But this Temple continued not long shut for some Nations of the Germans rebelled so that it was again opened These were the Inhabitants of Noricum now Bavaria and the Pannonia's now Austria and Hungary and the two Missia's now Bulgary and Servia as also Illyricum now Sclavonia and the Province of Dacia now Transylvania and Walachia and some others though at several times Against these Augustus sent his Generals and Armies amongst which were his Sons in Law the Sons of Livia Tiberius Nero who succeeded him in the Empire and his Brother Drusus Nero of whom Livia was with child when Octavian married her and these two Brothers though the War lasted somewhat long vanquished those Nations and obtained great Victories in Germany and the confines thereof especially Tiberius who in three years space subdued the Pannonia's Illyricum and Dalmatia for which Victories he afterwards entred into Rome in an Ovation Triumph with great Pomp and Honour Marcus Crassus also overcame and put to flight the Missians a People who had never seen the Romans before And when they were ready to give Battel they said Tell us who you are that seek to molest and disquiet us We are said they Romans the Lords of Nations whereupon they replied It shall be so if you overcome us which fell out accordingly But Augustus obtained not these Victories without some crosses For in these Wars died his Son in Law Drusus who was highly esteemed for his Noble acts and great Victories for the loss of whom both Augustus and Livia were much afflicted But yet his grief was greater for the mishap which befell Quintilius Varro who was General of three Legions in Germany and being careless was surprized by the Almans and himself his Legions and all his Auxiliaries were slain and two Standards with the Imperial Eagles taken for which he was so immoderately grieved that he knocked his Head against the Wall and cryed out unadvisedly Quintilius Varro Give me my Legions again For certain months also he suffered the hair of his Head and Beard to grow carelesly And the very day of this unhappy accident he did every year observe mournfully with sorrow and lamentation Of his Son in Law Drusus there remained two Sons Germanicus and Claudius which he had by Antonia Augustus his Neece and Daughter of his Sister Octavia and Mark Anthony of which Claudius was Emperour And Germanicus married Agrippina the Daughter of Julia Augustus his Daughter by whom he had Caius Caligula who also was afterwards Emperour Augustus after many notable Victories compelled his Enemies at length to sue for Peace whereupon again he commanded the Temple of Janus to be shut up and from thenceforth all things succeeded prosperously with him The Subjects of the Empire were now very obedient to him and all other sent their Ambassadours seeking his Favour and Friendship The Indians in the remotest parts of the East and the Scythians that inhabited the North and the Parthians an untamed People sent their Ambassadours to him giving security to keep the Peace and restoring to him the Standards and Eagles which were taken when Marcus Crassus was slain There came also Kings who were Friends and Subjects to the Roman Empire to do him Homage laying aside their Ensignes and Royal Robes and many of them bult Cities to his Name and for his Honour calling them Caesaria So did Herod the Great in Palestine King Juba in Mauritania and others The World being thus at Peace and quietness forty and two years being expired since that Augustus after the Death of Julius Caesar came to Rome In the time of this general Peace was the Prince of Peace our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ born in Bethlem of the Virgin Mary Herod being King of Judea placed there by the Romans of whose blessed Life and bitter Death as also of the order of his Ministry and Miracles see his Life published by me Anno Christi 1664. At which time there came forth a command from Caesar Angustus that all the Roman World should be taxed which taxing was first made when Cyrenius was Governour of Syria Luk. 2. 1. Out of which a little Book was made by Augustus in which all the publick riches were contained as also how many Citizens and Allies in Arms what Navies How many Kingdomes and Provinces what Tribute and Customes there were what necessary charges and Pensions went out Shortly after Augustus was called Lord by the People but he did not only refuse that Title but forbad it by a publick Edict Augustus enjoying so great prosperity was yet nothing altered in his qualities and behaviour as often it happens in other Princes but rather became more mild just and affable more courteous liberal and temperate He established very good Laws and Orders for the reformation and abuses and evil customes He erected both within and without Rome many stately and sumptuous Edifices which made him to boast concerning Rome Latericiam inveni Marmoream reliqui I found it built with Brick and left it built with Marble He bestowed great gifts
and favours upon all sorts of People He delighted the People with Feasts and Playes of sundry kinds going himself in person to honour them He sent Colonies into sundry parts and Provinces He made excellent good Orders for the Governours and Government of the whole Empire The like he did also for the Wars and Martial Discipline He shewed himself loving and sociable to his Friends and Familiars whom he honoured and loved much Some conspiracies against him which were discovered he punished without rigour being more prone to pardon than to punish Of murmurings and defamatory Libels he never desired to know the Authors but answered them with gravity giving satisfaction and purging himself from those things which were charged upon him He was much addicted to and affected with Learning and himself was very Learned and Eloquent and compiled some notable Books He much honoured and rewarded Wise and Learned men yet he escaped not the tainture of some Vices growing through humane frailty and his great liberty especially he was much given to Women though in his diet apparel and ornaments he was very sparing and modest He gave himself also excessively to play at Dice and other Games then in use Thus though in many things he was very happy yet besides his troubles and dangers he was very unhappy in his Children and Successours For by his four Wives to whom he was married he had only one Daughter called Julia by his third Wife Scribonia and she proved exceeding wanton and unchaste yea she left nothing undone in Luxury and Lust that was possible for a Woman to do or suffer accounting every thing lawful that pleased her Yea she came to that height of lasciviousness that she kept her Feasting even in the Courts of Justice abusing those very places with lascivious acts in which her Father had made Laws against Adulterers Hereupon her Father was so enraged that he could not contain his anger within his own House but published these things yea and communicated them to the Lords of the Senate He kept himself also a long time from company for very shame He had thoughts of putting his Daughter to death but at last he banished her into Pandataria an Island of Campania her Mother Scribonia of her own accord accompanying her in her banishment Julia being at this time thirty eight years old For want of Sons to succeed him Augustus first adopted his Nephew Marcellus the Son of his Sister Octavia to whom he first married his Daughter Julia and Marcellus dying without Issue he then married her to his Favourite Agrippa who also left her a Widow but yet he had by her three Sons and two Daughters Two of these Sons having been adopted by Augustus died before him whereupon he adopted the third who bore his Fathers Name Agrippa the which adoption he afterwards revoked for some displeasure conceived against him and lastly he adopted his Son in Law Tiberius Nero and made him his Heir whom also he married to his Daughter Julia the Widow of Agrippa yet this he did more through the importunity of his mother than for any good liking that he had of him being sorry that such an one should succeed him Not long after the first Letter of his Name that was upon the Inscription of his Statue that was set up in the Capitol fell down being struck with a flash of Lightning whereupon the Southsayers foretold that he should live only one hundred dayes after which was denoted by the Letter C. and that he should be Canonized for a God because Aesar which remained of his Name in the Hetruscan Tongue signified a God Hereupon he wrote a Catalogue of his doings which he appointed to be engraven in Tables of Brass and to be set over his Tomb. Things being thus done Caesar Augustus being now seventy six years old and odd dayes having Reigned above fifty six and being the best beloved and the best obeyed Prince in the World Death overtook him which was occasioned by a Flux which held him for some dayes and so Augustus died at Nolla in Campania in the same House and Chamber wherein his Father Octavius died being the nineteenth day of August upon which day he was first made Consul and in the fifteenth year after the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He was generally lamented and there was a universal sorrow and heaviness over the whole Empire for him For he did wisely and uprightly Govern that Monarchy which he had gotten by force and fraud He was of a mean stature of a very good shape and proportion of Body of an exceeding fair face mixed with modesty and gravity His eyes were very clear and bright He was very advised in his speeches and loved to speak quick and briefly His last Will and Testament was written a year and four moneths before he died and left in the custody of the Vestal Virgins In his life time he vvas very desirous to reform abuses in Rome and in the first place he corrected some disorders in the Senate vvhom he reduced to the number of six hundred He reformed vvhat vvas amiss in their Playes and Games in the Knights and in their manner of suing for publick Offices He set Fines upon their Heads that vvould not marry and bestovved much upon those that had Wives and Children He gave unto Hortensius tvventy five thousand Crovvns to procure him to marry that he might raise up issue to that Noble Family of the Hortenses He ordained that Maids should be at least twelve years old before they married and suffered them to kill Adulterers that were taken in the fact and condemned the Sodomites without pardon He gave order that none should be put in nomination for Offices but such as were vertuous and of good repute He tied not himself to any certain hours for his meals but used to eat when he was hungry and that which he fed upon was neither dainty nor delicate and he drank little Wine Instead of a Looking-glass he used to read or write whilst his Barber was trimming him He never spake to the Senate or people or to his Souldiers but what he had first written and premeditated though he had words at command He delighted to read good Authors but gathered nothing more than sentences teaching good manners and having written them out word for word he gave Copies thereof to his familiar Friends and sent them about to the Governours of Provinces and to the Magistrates of Rome He was too much addicted to Divinations and was marvellously afraid of Thunder and Lightning Our Saviour christ being born all the Devils Oracles ceased and the Oracle of Delphos was fain to confess it and ever after remained Dumb whereupon Augustus being astonished caused a great Altar to be set up in the Capitol with an Inscription signifying that it was the altar of the God first born To prevent the great abuse of Usury which undid many Families he put into
and very observable that at Christs coming and at the first preaching of the Gospel the Devil in this and in all other his Oracles became speechless From the Temple of Hammon Alexander returned to Memphis where among many other learned men he heard the Philosopher Psammones who understanding that he affected the Title of Jupiters Son told him that God was the Father King of all men and refining the Pride of this haughty King he brought him to acknowledg that God was the Father of all mortal men but that he acknowledgeth none for his Children save good men The charge of the several Provinces of Egypt Alexander gave to several Governours following therein the Rules of his Master Aristotle that a great Dominion should not be continued in the hands of any one man Then gave he order for the building of Alexandria upon the most Westernly branch of Nilus and thus having setled as he could the State of Egypt with the Kingdoms of the Lesser Asia Phoenicia and Syria he Conducted his Army towards Euphrates which passage though the same was committed to Mazeus to be defended by him yet did he abandon it and Alexander without resistance passed it From thence he marched towards Tygris a River for the swiftness thereof called by the Persians The Arrow here might Darius easily have repelled him for the violent course of the stream was such as it drave before it many weighty stones and those that moved not but lay in the bottom were so round and smooth by continual rolling that no man was able to fight upon so slippery a standing Nor were the Macedonian Footmen able to wade through the River otherwise than by joyning their hands and interlacing their Arms each in others making thereby one intire and weighty Body to resist the impetuousness of the stream and besides this the Channel was so deep towards the Eastern Shore where Darius should have opposed him that the Footmen were enforced to lift their Bows Arrows and Darts over their Heads to keep them from being made unserviceable by the Water Indeed it cannot be denied that as all Estates of the World by the surfeit of misgovernment have been subject to many grievous and sometimes mortal diseases So had the Empire of Persia at this time brought it self into a burning Feavour and thereby became frantick and without understanding foreshewing manifestly the death and dissolution thereof But Alexander had now recovered the Eastern Shore of Tygris without any opposition but what the Nature of the River made where Mazeus who had the charge to defend the banks both of Euphrates and it presented himself to the Macedonians being attended with certain Troops of Horsemen as if with uneven forces he durst have charged them upon even ground when as with a multitude far exceeding them he forsook those advantages which no valour of the enemy could easily have overcome But it s commonly seen that timorous and cowardly Persons do ever follow those ways and counsels whereof the opportunity is already lost It s true that he sets all provisions on fire wherewith the Macedonians might be assisted in their passage over Tygris thinking thereby greatly to have distressed them but the execution of good counsel is fruitless when unseasonable For now was Alexander so well furnished with carriages that no conveniences were wanting to the Army which he conducted Those things also which Mazeus now sought to destroy Alexander being in sight by his Horsemen saved and recovered them This Mazeus might have done some days before at good leasure yea at this time he might have done it with so great a strength of Horsemen as the Macedonians might not have dared to pursue leaving the Body of their Foot out of sight and so far behind Darius upon Alexanders first return out of Egypt had assembled all those Forces which the Countries next to him could afford and now also were the Arians Scythians Indians and other Nations come to him Nations saith Curtius that rather served to make up a number than to make resistance Some reckon them to amount to the number of ten hundred thousand Foot and four hundred thousand Horse besides armed Chariots and some few Elephants Curtius numbers them but two hundred thousand Foot and about fifty thousand Horse which is more probable And yet seeing Darius had more confidence in the number than in the Valour of his Souldiers probably he had brought together some three or four hundred thousand of all sorts with which he hoped in those fair plains of Assyria to have overborn the small number of the invading Army But it s most true That in every Battel skil and practice do more towards attaining the Victory than multitudes and rude audacity Whilest Alexander rested and refreshed his Army after their hard passage over Tygris their happened an Eclipse of the Moon at which the Macedonians being ignorant of the cause and reason of it were much troubled taking it as a certain presage of their ruin and destruction insomuch as they began not only to murmur but to speak boldly that to satisfie the ambition of one man and of such a one as disdained Philip for his Father and would needs be called the Son of Jupiter they should all perish For he enforced them not only to War against a world of enemies but against Rivers Mountains and the Heavens themselves Hereupon Alexander who was now ready to advance made an halt and to quiet the minds of the multitude he led before him the Aegyptian Astrologers that by them the Souldiers might be assured that this Eclipse of the Moon was a sure presage of his good success But they never informed them that it came to pass by natural causes but reserved that as a secret fit to be kept among themselves These Astrologers gave no other reason for it than this That the Grecians were under the Aspect of the Sun and the Persians under that of the Moon and therefore the Moon losing her light did foreshew that the state of Persia was now in danger of falling and their Glory of being obscured This being noised through all the Army every man was satisfied and quieted and their courage redoubled As Alexander drew near the Persian Army certain Letters were intercepted written by Darius to the Grecians proffering and promising them a great sum of money if they would either kill or betray Alexander But these by the advice of Parmenio were suppressed About this time also Darius his beautiful Wife being oppressed with sorrow and wearied with travel died which accident Alexander seemed to bewail no less then Darius who upon the first report of it suspected that some dishonorable violence had been offered to her but being satisfied by an Eunuch of his own that attended her of Alexanders kind and Kingly respect towards her from the very time of her being taken he prayed the immortal Gods that if they had decreed to set a new Master over the
the world and themselves are wont to be allured to wit Riches Honour and Safety Now the day following Darius plainly discovered the purposes of Bessus and being overcome with passion as judging himself unable to make head against these ungrateful and unnatural Traitors he prayed Artabazus his faithful Servant to depart from him and to provide for his own safety In like manner he discharged the rest of his Attendants all save a few of his Eunuchs For his Guards had voluntarily abandoned him His Persians being most base cowards durst not undertake his defence against the Bactrians though they had four thousand Greeks to assist them who of themselves were able to beat both the Parties But it 's most true That him that forsakes himself will no man follow It had been far more man-like and King-like to have dyed in the head of those four thousand Greeks who offered him the disposal of their Lives to which Artabazus also perswaded him than to have lain upon the ground bewailing himself and suffering himself to be bound like a Slave by those Ambitious Monsters that laid violent hands on him whom neither the consideration of his former great estate nor the Honour he had conferred upon them nor the trust he had reposed in them nor the world of benefits he had bestowed on them could move to pity No nor his present adversity which above all things should have prevailed with them could pierce their viperous and ingrateful hearts Darius thus forsaken was bound by them and laid in a Cart covered with Hides of Beasts that he might not be discovered and to add despite and derision to his adversity they bound him with Chains of Gold and so drew him amongst their ordinary Carriages For Bessus and Naburzanes perswaded themselves that they might redeem their lives and be setled in their Provinces that they held either by delivering him Prisoner to Alexander of if that hope failed to make themselves Kings by his murther and then to defend themselves by force of Armes But their expectations were frustrate in both For it was against the Nature of God who is most just to suffer such villany to go unpunsihed yea though against an Heathen King and an Idolator Alexander hearing that Darius was retreated towards Bactria not daring to abide his coming hastned after him by a violent march and because he would not force his Footmen beyond their strength he mounted on Horseback certain select Companies of them and those which were best Armed and with six thousand other Horse he rather ran than marched after Darius Now such as hated the Treason of Bessus secretly forsook him and gave intelligence to Alexander of all that had happened informing him of the way that Bessus took and how near he was unto him Hereupon Alexander again doubled his pace and his Vant-guard being come within sight of Bessus his Rear Bessus brought a Horse to the Cart where Darius lay bound perswading him to mount thereon and to save himself by flight But the unfortunate King refusing to follow those that had betrayed him they cast Darts at him and gave him some mortal wounds they wounded also the Beasts that drew him and slew two poor servants that attended his person This done they all fled that could and left the rest to the mercy of the Macedonians Polystratus a Macedonian in his pursuit after Bessus being extream thirsty as he was refreshing himself with some water that he had found out espied a Cart drawn by wounded Beasts that were now scarce able to go whereupon he searched it and there found Darius bathed in his own bloud and by a Persian Captain that Polystratus had he understood that it was Darius and was informed of that barbarous Tragedy Darius also seemed greatly comforted if dying men ignorant of the living God can be comforted that he vented not his last sorrows unheard but that by this Macedonian Alexander might be informed of the truth and take vengeance on those Traitors who had dealt no less unworthily than cruelly with him recommending the revenge thereof to Alexander by this messenger beseeching him to pursue the Traytors not for Darius his sake but for his own Honour and for the safety of all that did or should hereafter wear Crowns He also having nothing else to present to Alexander rendred him thanks for his Kingly Grace and Favour used to his Wife Mother and Children desiring the immortal Gods to subject to him the Kingdom of the whole World As he was thus speaking importunate Death pressing out his few remaining spirits he desired a little Water which Polystratus presented unto him after which he lived but to tell him that of all the good things which of late he was Master of he had nothing remaining but his last breath wherewith to desire the Gods to reward his compassion The Macedonians began now to hope that their Travels were near an end and therefore every man was preparing for his return whereof when Alexander was informed he was much troubled at it For the bounded Earth sufficed not for his boundless Ambition Many Arguments he therefore used to draw on his Army farther into the East But that which prevailed most was that Bessus a base Traitor to his Master Darius having at his Devotion the Hircanians and Bactrians would in a short time if the Macedonians should now return make himself Lord of the Persian Empire and reap the fruit of all their former Travels In conclusion Alexander won their consents to go on Which done leaving Craterus with certain Regiments of Foot and Amyntas with six thousand Horse in Parthia he entred not without some opposition into Hyrcania For the Mardons and other barbarous Nations defended certain passages for a while But at last prevailing he passed the River of Zioberis which taking its rise in Parthia empties it self into the Caspian Sea It runneth under the ledge of Mountains which bound Parthia and Hyrcania where hiding it self under ground for three hundred furlongs it then riseth again and follows its former course as is said before In Zadracarta the Metropolis of Hircania Alexander rested fifteen dayes Banquetting and Feasting therein About this time Pataphernes one of Darius his greatest Commanders with some others of his followers submitted themselves to Alexander and were restored to their places and Government But above all other he Graced Artabazus most highly for his approved and constant Faith and Loyalty to his Master Darius Artabazus brought along with him ten thousand and five hundred Greeks the remainder of all those that had served Darius He treated with Alexander for their pardon before they came but in the end they rendred themselves simply without promise or compostion Alexander pardoned all but the Lacedemonians whom he imprisoned their Captain having slain himself He was also prevailed with though to his great dishonour to pardon Nabarzanes that had joyned with Bessus in the Murther of Darius Here as some
enough in it self Yet it alwayes inflamed this King to cruelty For saith Curtius the Hangman followed the Feast For Haspastes one of his Provincial Governours he commanded to be slain so as Neither did the excess of Voluptuousness qualifie his Cruelty nor his Cruelty at all hinder his Voluptuousness While he refreshed his Army in these parts there came a new supply to him of five thousand Foot and a thousand Horse which were conducted to him by Cleander and his Fellows that had been employed in the murther of Parmenio Against these murtherers great complaints were made by the Deputies of the Provinces in which they had commanded and their offences were proved to be so outragious that Alexander was perswaded that had they not altogether despaired of his return out of India they durst not have committed them All men were glad of the occasion remembring the Virtue of him whom they had slain The end was that Cleander and the other chief together with six hundred Souldiers who had been the instruments of their ravages were delivered over to the Hangman every one rejoycing that the wrath of the King was at last poured out upon the Ministers of his Anger Nearchus and Onesicritus were now returned from searching the Coast and made report of an Island they had discovered rich in Gold and of other strange things whereupon they were commanded to make some farther discovery after which they should come up Euphrates and meet the King at Babylon Alexander drawing near to Babylon went to visit the Sepulchre of Cyrus in Pesagardes where he was presented with many rich Gifts by Orsanes one of the Princes of Persia of the race of Cyrus But because Bagoas an Eunuch who was in special favour with the King was neglected he suborned some loose fellows to accuse Orsanes for robbing Cyrus his Tomb for which he was condemned to dye and Bagoas assisted the Hangman with his own hands to torment him At this time also Alexander caused Phradites to be slain suspecting his greatness Hence saith Curtius he began unreasonably to shed blood and to believe false reports Indeed he took the way to make all men weary of him and his Government seeing Tyranny is more dreadful than all adventures that can be made against it About this time Calanus the Philosopher burnt himself having lived seventy three years and Historians say that before his Death he foresaw and foreshewed the Death of Alexander promising to meet him shortly after at Babylon From Pesagardes Alexander went to Susa where he married Statyra the Eldest Daughter of Darius giving her younger Sister to his beloved Ephestion and eighty other Persian Ladies to other of his Captains To his Wedding Feast he invited six thousand Guests to each of which he gave a Cup of Gold Unto this place came to him three thousand young Souldiers out of his Conquered Provinces whereat the Macedonians greatly murmured Harpalus his Treasurer in Babylon having lavishly consumed the money in his keeping fled with five thousand Talents and six thousand hired Souldiers but when he came into Greece he was there slain Alexander much rejoyced at the fidelity of the Greeks who would not be corrupted with Harpalus his Bribes Yet he sent a command to them that they should receive their banished men again whereunto they all for fear yielded except the Athenians though they saw that it was a manifest preparation to their bondage After this there followed a marvellous discontent in his Army because he had resolved to send into Macedonia all those old Souldiers which could no longer endure the travell of the War and to keep the rest in Asia He made many Orations to satisfie them but all his words were in vain during the heigth of their fury Yet when their first passions were evaporated they became more tractable And with such as were licenced to depart he sent Craterus to whom he gave the Lieutenantship of Macedonia Thessaly and Thrace which Antipater had Governed from the time of Alexanders departure out of Europe who during that time had subdued the rebellious Greeks discharged the trust committed to him with great fidelity and sent him from time to time so many strong supplies into Asia Certainly if Alexander had not taken counsel of his Cups he would have cast some better colour upon this alteration and given Antipater some stronger reasons of his remove than to employ him in conducting a new supply of men to Babylon the War being now at an end For Antipater could make no other construction of this remove but that he had a purpose to send him after Parmenio and the rest The truth is the King notwithstanding his undauntedness had no great mind to grapple with Antipater Alexander having thus sent for Antipater made a journey into Media to settle things there where Ephestion whom he loved and favoured above all others died The King greatly lamented his loss hanged the Physician that could not cure him and built him a Monument that cost twelve thousand Talents After which he returned to Babylon Thither Antipater came not but sent and that not to excuse but to free himself And if we may believe Curtius he suborned his Sons Cassander Philip and Jolla who were Alexander Cup-bearers to give him poyson Thessalus who was one of the conspiracy having invited him to a Drinking-Feast for that purpose Others say that by his inordinate drinking he fell into a Fever whereof he died A little before his Death his Friends about him asked him to whom he would leave his Empire He answered To the most worthy man Then asked they him when they should give him Divine Honours He answered When they themselves were happy which were the last words that he spake and so he died having lived not all out thirty three years nor reigned thirteen As soon as he was Dead his great Captains sought to inrich themselves by his Spoils and whilst they were sharing the World amongst themselves his dead Body lay many dayes in that hot Countrey unburied stinking above ground A notable emblem of the Vanity of all Earthly things Besides this his vast Empire was divided amongst his great Captains To Ptolomaeus Lagi was allotted Egypt and Africa To Laomedon Syria and Phoenicia To Python Media To Eumenes Paphlagonia and Cappadocia To Antigonus Pamphilia Lycia and Phrygia the Greater To Cassander Caria To Menander Lydia To Leonatus Phrygia the less To Lysimachus Thracia with the neighbouring Countries To Antipater Macedonia and the neighbouring Nations But these men not contented with their shares fell out amongst themselves making War one upon another to their own destruction For Perdiccas warring upon Egypt was slain by his own Souldiers Antipater died Eumenes was betrayed by his own Souldiers and slain by Antigonus Olympias the Mother of Alexander was slain by Cassander Cleopatra Sister to Alexander was slain by the treachery of Antigonus Antigonus himself was slain in Battel
and gave him Battel by Sea and after endured a Siege by Land Yet after a while they besought him to receive them to mercy yielding themselves their Towns and Islands which they had strongly fortified into his hands Thus was this War ended and all the Pirats within less than three Months space driven out of the Seas Pompey won also a great number of Ships and ninety Gallies armed with Copper Spurs As for those whom he had taken who were in number about twenty thousand lusty Men and good Souldiers he would not put them to Death but planted them in inland Countries in certain small Towns of the Cilicians that were scarce inhabited who were very glad of them and gave them Lands to maintain them and whereas the City of the Solians had not long before been destroyed by Tygranes King of Armenia he replenished it again by placing many of them there He bestowed others of them in the City of Dyma in the Country of Achaia which lacked Inhabitants and had great store of good Land belonging to it though many of his Enemies greatly blamed him for it Before Pompey was chosen General against the Pirats young Metellus was sent Praetor into Creet who finding it to be a Den of these Thieves he took many of them and put them to Death the rest that escaped being straightly besieged by him sent unto Pompey craving pardon and desiring him to receive them to mercy Pompey accordingly pardoned them and wrote to Metellus requiring him to give over that War commanding the Cities also that they should not obey Metellus He sent also Lucius Octavius one of his Lieutenants who entered into the Towns besieged by Metellus and sought against him in the behalf of the Pirats This act of Pompey procured him much ill will for that he fought for the common Enemies of the World who had neither God nor Law and that only to deprive a Roman Praetor of his Triumph who had done such good service against them Yet Metellus left not off his Wars for Pompey's Letters but having taken the Pirats he put them to Death When the news came to Rome that the Piratick War was ended and that Pompey had no more to do but to go from City to City to visit them one Manlius a Tribune of the People brought in another Law that Pompey taking the Army from Lucullus and all the Provinces under his Government with all Bythinia which Glabrio kept should go and War upon Tygranes and Methridates and yet reserve in his hands all his jurisdiction and Army by Sea in as royal a manner as he had it before which was to make him an absolute Monarch over all the Roman Empire The Senate stuck not so much at the injury offered to Lucullus depriving him of the honour of his doings and giving it to another but that which most grived them was to see Pompey's power established into a plain Tyranny Hereupon they encouraged one another to oppose it to the uttermost yet when the day came for the passing of this Law they all drew back for fear of angring the People and none durst oppose it Only Catulus inveied against it a long time together But say what he could the Decree passed by the voices of the Tribes And thus was Pompey in his absence made Lord of all that which Sylla with much effusion of blood had attained to with great difficulty When Pompey by Letters from Rome was informed what Law the People had past in his behalf he seemed to be much grieved that such great Offices and charges should be laid upon him one in the neck of another and clapping his hands on his Thigh he said O Gods shall I never see an end of these troubles Had it not been better for me to have been a mean Man and unknown than thus continually to be ingaged in War What! shall I never see the time that breaking the neck of spite and envy against me I may yet once in my life live quietly at hone in my Country with my Wife and Children His Friends that were about him were much displeased with this his deep dissimulation knowing that his ambitious desire to rule made him glad at heart to be thus imployed the rather because of the contention between him and Lucullus which his deeds forthwith discovered Hereupon he sent forth his Preceps into all quarters requiring all Souldiers immediately to repare to him and caused all the Kings and Princes within his jurisdiction to attend him and so going through all the Countries he changed all that Lucullus had before established He also released the penalties that were imposed upon them and took from them all the favours that Lucullus had granted them Lucullus finding himself so hardly dealt with Friends on both sides mediated a meeting betwixt them that they might talk together and accordingly they met in Galatia having their Sergeants and Officers with Rods wreathed about vvith Lawrel carried before them vvhich shevved that Pompey came to take Lucullus's honour from him Indeed Lucullus had been Consul before Pompey and was the older man yet Pompey exceeded him in dignity having Triumphed twice At their first meeting they discoursed very courteously each commending the others deeds and each rejoycing at the others good success but at parting they fell to hot words Pompey upbraiding Lucullus's covetousness and Lucullus Pompey's ambition so that their Friends had much ado to part them Lucullus when he was gone divided the Lands in Galatia which he had conquered and bestowed other gifts upon them Pompey on the other side camping hard by him commanded the People every where not to obey him He took his Souldiers also from him leaving him only sixteen hundred choosing out such as he thought would do him small service He blemished his Glory also telling every one that Lucullus had fought only with the shadow and pomp of those two Kings and that he had left him to fight with all their force and power Lucullus on the other side said that Pompey went only to fight with such as himself had subdued and that he sought the honour of Triumph over Armenia and Pontus as he had formerly practised to Triumph for overcoming a few Slaves and Fugitives Lucullus being now gone Pompey sent strong Garrisons into all the Sea coast from Phoenicia to the Bosphorus and then marched towards Methridates who had in his Camp thirty thousand Footmen and two thousand Horsemen yet durst he not fight but encamped upon an high Mountain till he was forced to leave it for lack of Water He was no sooner gone but Pompey seized upon the place and setting his Souldiers to dig he found Water enough for all his Army Then he encamped round about Methridates besieging him in his own Camp Methridates endured it forty five days and then slaying all the sick and impotent in his Camp with the choise of his Army he escaped by Night Another time Pompey found him by the