himselfe with the shape of a man was borne of the Virgin and came forth of her wombe both visible Man and God inuisible promised by the Law and the Prophets the master of trueth and cleanser of Idolatrie correctour of malice and renewer of our depraued nature to th end to restore such as beleeued in him to their auncient puritie and innocencie corrupted by the forfaiture of the first man He gaue sight to the blind speach to the dumbe straight going to the lame healed incurable diseases cast out euill spirits fedd with fiue loaues and two fishes fiue thousand persons turned water into wine went safely on the waters as on the land commaunded the sea the winds and the tempests raised the dead to life and liued himselfe againe after he had bin wrongfully crucified and killed by the Iewes By which miracles he shewed himselfe to be the sonne of God establishing his Church and christian Religion in steed of the Mosaical and Pagan Which hath alreadie endured more then fifteene hundred yeares and shall neuer haue end hath passed alreadie to the Antipodes and hath bin manifested to the East and West Indians yea euen amongst the sauages lately discouered towards the South which before were vnknowen to all antiquitie and among the farthest people of the North by meanes of the Sueuians and Moscouites In somuch that at this day we may affirme that his word hath bin heard in all parts of the habitable earth as he had ordained vnto his Disciples enduing them with the grace of the holy Spirite and power to do miracles as he had done before and with the gift of tongues with perseuerance pacience and constancie against all torments and persecutions A thing indeed admirable and the like whereof neuer hapned to any King Law-maker or Philosopher Grecian or Barbarian who contented themselues to set downe and cause to be receiued in their countrie and language the institutions and Lawes which they esteemed good and profitable But Iesus Christ not as a mortall man seruing himselfe with poore fishermen for his Disciples whom he would haue from that time forward to bee fishers of men hath manifested his Gospell by them thorough out the whole world and before all people inioyning them to shew from him the true way of saluation and of beleeuing in GOD the Creatour of all thinges Such was the progresse and aduauncement which they made in their ministerie that in a little time they induced the Nations by their preaching to leaue their auncient idolatries and to receiue Christ as GOD they established schooles and auditories of the Christian doctrine and then were Temples buylt to the Apostles and Martyrs in the most famous Cities of the world at Rome Alexandria and Antioche thorough out Egipt and Lybia Europe and Asia Beginning then when the Romain power was come to his soueraign greatnes and glorie vnder Augustus the peaceable ruler of innumerable Nations when the kingdom of Egipt was extinguished which had endured almost time out of mind and the nation of the Iewes brought vnder bondage and subdued and the Lordships of the Syrians Cappadocians Macedonians Bythinians Grecians Illyrians Africans Spaniards and Gaules were vnder the Romaine Seigniorie which we must think did so fall out by the diuine prouidence of God to the end to make the same worke the more easie which otherwise must needes haue bin verie difficult if all these Nations had remained in diuision and discord But by meanes of the vnion of them vnder one great Monarchie they accomplished with lesse feare and danger their proposed enterprise God preparing them their way and brideling the harts of the superstitious by the terrour of that most mightie Empire Cornelius Tacitus writeth that such had bin the perswasion of men that it was contained in the auncient learning of the Priests that about this time the East should preuaile and that such as came out of Iewrie should raigne which was verified in the spirituall raigne of Iesus Christ whose Ghospell doctrine and religion hath bin preached thorough out the world God then seeing malice infinitely increased and the worshipping of false Gods dispersed thorough all the whole world in such sort that his name was alreadie almost out of the memorie of men and that the Iewes themselues to whom onely his diuine mysteries had bin reuealed and promises made of his holy alliance giuen ouer to vaine superstitions hauing left the true Religion whereunto they refused to returne being reprehended and admonished by the Prophets at this time ordained for the redemption he sent his sonne the Prince of the Angells vnto men to thend to diuert them from wicked and vaine worships and to induce them to know and to reuerence the true God bringing back their soules from folie vnto wisdom from iniquitie to iustice and from impietie to a right beleefe Such and so notable at this time was the mutation both in gouernment and in Religion BVT as the Romains were climed to the top of humane power and wisdome by labour industrie so were they straightwaies corrupted by riches and ouermuch libertie degenerating from the former integritie prowesse learning and eloquence Whereof I can not render any better reason then by their owne authours men of good credit and aucthoritie To thend saith Seneca that ye may vnderstand how much the witts of men do euery day decay and by I know not what iniquitie of nature and procliuitie vnto vice eloquence is gon backe All whatsoeuer the Romain eloquence hath to oppose vnto proud Greece it florished in the time of Cicero All the good wits which brought any light vnto our studies were borne then Sithence that time it hath alwaies impaired either by the loosenes of the time which is most pernitious vnto good wits or that the reward which was proposed for so goodly a thing being lost all the trauaile and paines hath bin bestowed on dishonest exercises or els by some destinie whose enuious law is perpetuall ouer all things so that being come to the highest they returne to the lowest faster then they went vp The good wits of slouthfull youth doe languish and do not applie themselues to any honest exercise Slouth and negligence and dexteritie in things that are pernitious which is worse then either sleepe or negligence haue possessed their mindes The delight of singing and dauncing holdeth the effeminate and of dressing their haire and fitting their speach vnto womanish daliances and exceeding of women in corporal delicacies and tricking themselues with vncleane cleanlynes which is the brauerie of our youth Who is there among the yong folkes ingenious or studious enough or rather man enough Being softned and effeminated they remaine of necessitie as when they were first borne corrupting the chastitie of others and negligent of their owne The Gods will not suffer so much euill as that eloquence should come to such people which I would neuer so much admire if she did not make choise of the minds on which she bestowed her selfe Cornelius
it selfe gaue passage and drowned the Egiptians pursuing after them Iosephus writeth also that the Sea of Pamphylia opened vnto Alexander the Macedonian when hee marched with his Armie against the Persians But the Tartarians being passed ouer their Cham fell sick and died hauing before commaunded concord between his twelue children by the similitude of arrowes which could not be broken altogether but being separate they brake them easilie saying to them that as long as they agreed their Empire should endure and should be ouerthrowen as soone as they were diuided And before his death made his eldest sonne called HOCOTA the best and wisest of them to be receiued as their Lord and his successour who purposing to march further wan the Caspian gates being placed there and continually kept and shut vp to the end to stop the passage into Asia of infinite people dwelling beyond it as it were in an other world Afterward he dispatched three armies and gaue them to three of his sonnes commaunding Iacchis being the eldest to go toward the West Batho toward the North and Tagladais toward the South He himself abounding in men marched with a mightie armie into the East conquering all the Countrie as far as Catay where he established that most mightie and rich Empire which is there at this present and held by those which discended of him He ouercame also the kingdome of Persia in which voiage the Tartarians learned the knowledge of letters the vse whereof was before vnknowen amongst them He fauouring the Latin Christians which raigned at Hierusalem came to succour them But being preuented therof by their ouerthrow before he came he drew towards Bagdet where he took the Caliphe being a Turk by nation whom he made to die of famine and thirst hauing shut him vp into the chamber of his treasures as a man vnworthy to possesse that riches wherby he could not help himselfe TAGLADAIS going into the South caried armes euen into Ethiopia where he had euill successe for being ouercome in battaile by the Ethiopians and driuen into desert countries he lost there the greatest part of his people Then he turned him towards the West and ioyned with his brother IACCHIS who had much afflicted the estate of the Turkes in Persia Assyria and Mesopotamia The voiage of BATHO was more succesful renowmed who hauing in a great battail ouercome Gonata king of the Turks he supplanted eft soones by armes the whole raigne of that nation He vanquished the Rosullanois Lapiges Polaques Lithuanians and pierced euen into Hongary Austrich and Germanie putting all wher he went to fire and sword Such were in a little time the terrible expeditions of the TARTARIANS in the North South East and West thorough the great emotion and mutation of humaine things Wherefore the Christian Princes and the Pope especially fearing their returne sent Ambassadours to their Emperour to thend to pray him that he would acknowledge and worship the GOD of all and Iesus Christ whom he had sent and vse no more such crueltie against the Christians as he had done in Polonia Hongaria and Morauia He aunswered that in fiue yeares he would not molest them After the departure of the Ambassadours of the Christians came those of the Saracens to perswade the Tartarians to receiue the law of Mahomet as easier more conuenient for militarie people Saying that the Law of Christians was of idle effeminate idolaters and worshippers of Images that theirs was full of all commodities and pleasures a conquerer of other religions by force and armes with beating down the proud imposed tribute on such as were humbled That pleased well the barbarous people being of nature couragious and giuen to sensualitie And so they receiued the Law of Mahomet which they obserue at this day They hold much land in Europe ioyning to Russia Lithuania and Polonia In Asia all that lieth from the riuer Tanais and the bounds of Pontus and Bacchu vnto Cathay and Chyna The ZAGATHAINS confining on the Persians are more ciuile sowing planting buylding traficking being gouerned in a kingdome and haue for the seat of their king called CVSILBAS enemie to the Sophi the Citie of Smarcand being meruailous great faire and rich situated in the riuer Iaxartes fower daies iourney from the Caspian sea where the great Tamberlain was borne of whom we will speak hereafter The great CHAM of Catay is also a Tartarian discended of the race of Ghanguis of whom seeing it commeth to purpose we will here intreat albeit he be no Mahometist but hath a religion separate and different from the Mosaical Christian and Saracen It is not without cause that he is called great for he exceedeth in politike gouernment power wisdome reuenew and magnificence all the Princes of Europe Asia and Africk yea euen the Turk himselfe And if all the Christian and Saracen Seignories were reduced vnder one obedience yet could they not be compared vnto his He commaundeth ouer more then seuen hundred leagues of Countrie well inhabited and peopled full of faire buyldings after our maner villages boroughes castels rich and strong townes abundance of vittailes of all sortes and exquisite Artisans The CATHAYANS or men of CHINA haue such an opinion of themselues that they account themselues to be the chiefe men of the world thinking other men to be but halfe sighted as if they sawe but with one eye and that they only see cleerely with both eyes by reason of their subtilitie and dexteritie making such perfect and liuely workes that they seeme not to be made by mans hand but by nature her selfe They haue learning and the sciences in singular recommendation honour and estimation receiuing none to the soueraigne dignitie nor to publike offices but such as are learned Considering that in the distribution of their offices and Magistracies they respect not nobilitie nor riches but learning and vertue onelie OTTOMAN the first authour of the familie of the OTTOMANS and founder of the Turkish Empire which is so mightie at this day hauing againe set vp the name of the TVRKS which before was abolished serued in the warres at the first vnder the great Cham He came but of meane place and was poore in possessions but strong of bodie and of courage audacious Thinking that he had some wrong done him he parted from the Tartarians and accompanied only with fortie horses he seized on some straight in the mountains of Cappadocia Then being holpen by the commoditie of place and opportunitie of time he began to make rodes in the plaines adioyning getting great spoiles To whom there ioyned many theeues multiplying from day to day Then seeing himselfe reenforced with men he did manifestly and in open warre that which he did priuily and by stelth before conquering townes people and countries without any great resistance In such sort that in short space he got a great Seignorie in Asia which hath bin valiantly and happily maintained by his successours discending of him and bearing his name which haue alwaies augmented it
taking the barre in his hand he pulleth as hard as he can vntill the leafe be imprinted on one side on which they bestow halfe the day and the other halfe on the other side yelding in a day twelue hundred and fiftie sheetes or thirteen hundred imprinted But before they do this they make two or three proofes which are reulewed and on this correction continew the rest Two men are requisite about the presse one to take to gather and order the sheetes o◠leaues thother to beate on the fourme which is on the presse and to distribute or bray the ynke on the stone or blocke which could not serue the turne by reason of the great trauaile required therein if they did not drawe the presse one after the other and by turnes Two presses also are needfull th one for the ordinary worke and thother to make the proofes and reiterations More or lesse Compositours that is to say Collectors of letters togither according as they are great or small or in a meane betweene both and sometimes a Founder or melter is requisite to renew the letters The ynke is made of the smoke or sweat of oyle and dissolued in oyle which must be beaten and distributed because of the thicknes and it would not sticke on the paper if it were not wett Others haue thought it better to make letters of copper saying that they are of lesse cost and yet will endure longer But experience hath founde that they are not so commodious and that they pierce the paper This is that which wee haue vnderstoode of this Art vnknowen heretofore amongst the auncient Greekes and Romains wherof the Almains attribute the inuention to themselues Notwithstanding the Portugals traficking on the farthest parts of the East and the North into China and Cathay haue brought therehence books printed in the languag and writing of that Countrey saying that they haue vsed it there a long time which hath moued some to thinke that the inuention hath bin brought out of that countrey through Tartaria and Moscouia into Germany and so after communicated to the rest of Christiandome and yet not receiued of the Mahometistes who superstitiously account it a great sinne to write their Alcoran by any other meane but by the hand of man Almost all nations haue remained a long time without letters which hath bin a cause of making the antiquities and originals vncertain Touching those bookes which we haue there are none of them written aboue 3000. yeres agone except the Hebrew neither is there found amongst the Gentils any authour more auncient then Homer Therefore the Egiptian Priest in Platoes Timeus reprocheth vnto Solon that the Greekes were all yong of vnderstanding hauing no olde opinion deriued from antiquitie nor any aged sciēce And Herodotus in his Terpsichore writeth that the Phenicians arriuing with Cadmus at Berce brought in the letters with them which the Greekes had not before and as Liuy writeth they came but lately into Italy The German toong was not written in auncient time and the Hongarian began not long since to be written The Nomedes of the great Tartaria and some Sauages of the new-found Lands do vse no letters at all But they haue amongst them some matters touching their antiquities not written nor represented by notes which they giue by worde of mouth successiuely the one to thother As the Iewes kept a long time the memory of the antiquities which Moises afterward set downe in writing continued by the successors of Adam and of Noe euen to his time And the verses of Homer before they were gathered in the forme which we see by Aristarchus were learned and song onely by hart And so vsed at the first the Egiptians Chaldees Babylonians Greekes Latins and other nations WE haue said enough of the imposition of names the inuention diuersitie and antiquitie of Letters the maners of writing and matters which are written on and with what instruments and of the Arte of Imprinting now comming againe to our speach of tongues I say that they get reputation by their property elegancy and sweetenes by the sciences which are written in them by power and greatnes of Empire and by the religions by which meanes they are inlarged in many Countries and endure long as also they are soone lost and decaied by their contraries THE GREEKE tongue came in estimation by the elegancie sweetenes and richnes thereof by Philosophy which hath bin handled therein and al Arts and Sciences It hath bin propagated by the nauigations and Colonies of the Athenians and by the armes of the Macedonians which ruling far in Asia and namely in Syria and Egipt made their language to be vnderstood in many Countries In so much as by the saying of Cicero it was in his time red almost in all nations Also the new Testament first written in Greeke hath made it knowen in many places THE ROMAINS no lesse ambitious in amplifying their tongue then their Empire constrained the people which they had ouercome to speak Latin and did not negociate with straungers in any tongue but their owne to th end to spread it ouer all with more veneration as Valerius saith in his second booke of auncient Institutions They made their Prouincials to change not onely their language but also their maners and customes to make them more tractable Afterward the Christian religion passing into the West and vsing Latin in the Churches and Schooles and consequently in publicke instruments and sentences of soueraigne Iudges hath preserued it thoroughout Italy France Spaine England Scotland Germany Poland Prussia Sweden Hungarie Bohemia and part of Slauonia The Christians in the East and South Countries as the Nestorians Iacobites and Maronites vse the Syrian tongue as we do the Latin The Abyssins or Ethiopians vse the Chaldaick in the which they haue al the holy Scripture not giuing credite to any other language whatsoeuer The Iewes wheresoeuer they are thoroughout the world would neuer consent that the old Testament which they vse should be translated but do read and singe it in Hebrew practizing in their contracts the tongues of those Countreys where they dwell Likewise the Mahometists haue not suffred their Alcoran to be red or vnderstood in any tongue but the Arabian in which it was written which resembling the Hebrew Chaldaicke and Syriack is at this day largely spred abroad For although the Tartarians Corasmians Persians and Turkes haue a diuers language from the Arabian the Syrians modern Arabians and Mores a tongue somwhat like it yet so is it that the Arabian-grammer tongue in religion and sciences amongst the learned the Iudges and Priests is common to all the inhabitants almost of Asia Africke and the third part of Europe Amongst all the languages of Europe there is not any more ample and large then the Slauonian vnderstood and spoken by the Seruians Mysians Bosnians Dalmatians Croatians Slauons Carnians Bohemians Morauians Slesites Polaques Mazouites Pomerans Cassubites Sarbians Ruthenians and Moscouites Moreouer the Lythuanians Nugardians
Plescouians Smolnians and Ohalicians begin to speake Slauonian It was also familiar amongst the Mammelucs as it is at this present in the Turkishe Court. In Asia the Tartarian is vnderstoode thoroughout the Northe and a part of the East The Moorish thoroughout Africke and the Brasilian in the newe found Lands YET haue not tongues any better estate then other humane things but euen as buildinges habites maners customes lawes Magistrates maners of liuing both publicke and priuate armes engins and instruments are changed so are wordes and languages which perishe at length not leauing by succession of time any apparance of their manner of writing We haue now no knowledge at all of the Oscian and Hetrurian tongue The Prouencal in times past so much celebrated amongst famous writers is not vnderstood of the Prouencals at this day The auncient Gaulish Spanish Persian and Punick languages are lost THE HEBREW hath lost much of his integritie by the calamitous exiles and often mutations hapned to the Iewes vnder diuers Lords For the Assyrians Egyptians Greekes and Romains raigning ouer the Iewes assaied for the hatred they bare to their religion to distroy the Hebrew tongue and the books of the Law which they caused all to be burned as many as they could get into their hāds namely the Assyrians But they were miraculously restored againe by Esdras or Iesus his sonne the high priest which knew then by hart and changed the Hebrew letters to hinder the Iewes from being mingled with the Samaritans which came of the Gentils in Iury as Eusebius reporteth These letters which the Iewes haue sithence vsed differ onely by figures and points from those of the Samaritans which are those that were giuen asore time by Moyses But being so many times dispersed hither and thither into diuers Countries and mingled with strangers whose Captiues and tributaries they were as they are yet at this present in what part soeuer they dwell they haue kept few words pure amongst which are found some ambiguous signifying contrary things not to be vnderstood but by continuance of the speach or by the addition detraction or inuersion of the points holding the place of vowels Their phrases are obscure and full of metaphors parables and riddles to bee construed diuersly Neuertheles it is profitable for Christians and especially for Diuines to know this tongue as well for the better vnderstanding of the scriptures as to refute more certainly the Iewes if they happen to dispute against them As also the Arabian is necessary for the conuersion of Mahometistes by reason whereof it was ordeined at the Counsell of Vienna that these two tongues should be publickly taught in the chiese Vniuersities of Christendome THE SARAZENS spreading abroad by armes with their religion lordship the Arabian tongue first they destroied the Persian with the letters and learning thereof and by the commandement of their Caliphes they caused the bookes written therein to be burnt imagining that while the Persians contending before with the Greekes in armes and learning should haue these bookes contayning naturall sciences lawes of the Countrey and auncient cerimonies they could not be good Mahometists as before the Christians had indeuoured to abolish the bookes of the Gentils and vtterly to deface the memorie of their diuinitie After these Sarazens going into Egipt they banished out of Alexandria the Greek with the disciplines written therein and out of Africk the Latin as the Romaines before had banished the African tongue with the learning and letters thereof So that nations passing out of one Countrey into another do change the maners tongues religions and dominions the victors spoyling whatsoeuer they thinke good in the land of the vanquished defacing their titles and destroying for enuy that which they cannot cary away to th end to abolish the honour and vertue of others and that none but their owne may be celebrated and spoken off So do the Turkes at this day to the Christians they rule ouer and so did in auncient time the Goths Alans Hunnes Vandales Seruiens Turules and Lombards who diuers times conquering Countries whose languages they disdained neither vnderstanding them nor knowing how to read them corrupted them in making new by mixtion of their own with those which they found insomuch as the poore people remayning after such transmigrations did learne the languages of the cruel and inhumane vsurpers to vse in speach vnto them that they might be thought the fitter subiectes Moreouer these barbarous people referring all vnto warre and contemning all other disciplines burnt the libraries and all the bookes in them vnto which the learned had recommended all their memorials in so much that with the losse of the tongues there ensued also the losse of the sciences which were written in them from whence there arose great ignorance in the world which lasted a long time In this maner of the Grammaticall Greeke proceeded the vulgar Of the Latin the Italian French and Spanish in which are found many Arabian words by reason that the Sarazens held Spaine a long time Of the grammaticall Arabian the Vulgar and Moorish vsed from Syria vnto the straights of Marocco and comming as neere vnto it as the Italian doth to the Latin Of the Almaygne and French the English The Moore which commeth of the Arabian and the Turke of the Tartarian vnderstanding on an other as the Italian and Spanyarde And so of those which are nowe in vse are others made and of them others will bee made in time to come But howbeit they change vncessantly and that in the same Countrey and language there appeareth in short time a difference both in speaking and pronouncing yet euery where there are somethat speake finer and purer then the rest such as were the Athenians in Greece the Romains in Italy and the Tuscans there at this day The Castilians in Spaine the Saxons in Germany The Persians in Asia The Nobles and Courtiers in France whereby the question is decided which hath bin debated betweene some learned men namely whether the auncient Greekes and Romaines had two languages and whether Plato Aristotle and Demosthenes in Greeke and Cicero Salust and Cesar in Latin did write in their mother-tongues It is certaine that in Athens there was but one language and in Rome one other yet the speach of the common people was not so pure as that of men of calling and the ciuiler sort as one may see by the Latin of Vitruuius who was a chiefe Mason and Cicero who was Consull Which elegancie and purity of speech is preserued longer amongst women which conuerse not so much with strangers as the men and commonly are more curious to speake well Tully in the third booke of his Oratour writeth that in his time the learning of the Athenians was lost in Athens only remaining in that towne the school or house of studies which was not cared for of the Citizens and the strangers enioyed it which were drawen thither in some sort by the name and authority of
Chamlet whereunto haue bin added fustians bombasies sarges cloth of Gold and Siluer purple and skarlet with other infinite colours making of these stuffes shirts rochets wimples doublets caps hats hoods gowns coats cloaks cassocks ierkins iackets enriched with ornaments trimmings embroderies and laces after diuers fashions whith change from Countrie to Countrie and from day to day thorough the lightnes of persons Of tanned and coried leather they haue made Ierkins buskins bootes shooes and pantofles and lyned and faced them with veluet They haue applied Carcanets and Chaines to their necks brasselets to their hands rings to their fingers spectacles to their eies paynting to their cheekes iewels to their eares tyres and borders of gold to their heads and garters to their leggs distinguishing by the habits the Princes from the subiects the Magistrats from priuate men the noble from the base the learned from the ignorant and the holie from the prophane What shall I say of the skinns of Wolues Sables Martins and other precious furres fet from the farthest parts of the North which they buy for excessiue prices Plinietelleth it for a wonderfull strange thing and full of great superfluitie that he had seen Lollia Paulina a Romain Ladie widow of the Emperour Caligula at a wedding banquet hauing her head necke and bosome couered and her handes likewise with pearles and Emeraudes ioyned together and enterlaced which iewels were esteemed to bee worth a Million of crownes The Queene Cleopatra comming to meete Antonius in Cilicia put her selfe on the ryuer Cydnus into a boate whose sterne was all of gold the sayles of Purple the oares of Siluer which kept stroke in rowing with the sound of Musicke Touching her person shee was laied vnder a pauilion of gold tyssued decked like the Goddesse Venus and round about her were maruailous odoriferous and sweet smells and perfumes Heliogabalus slept on a tyke full of hares heares and partridge-feathers The bed of Darius the last King of the Persians was sumptuouslie garnished and couered with a vine of golde in maner of a grate or lettice enriched with raisins and grapes hanging in it all of precious stones And at his bedds head there was in Treasure fiue thousand Talents of golde at his bedds foote three thousand Talents of Siluer So much and so deerely he esteemed and valued his nights pleasure that he would haue his head rest on so great cheuisance But yet the excesse in buylding hath bin more outragious for comming out of hollow trees houells bowers cabins and lodges couered with straw and reedes and going into houses buylded with brickes stones and marble cut squared and fastened with morter plaister lyme and varnish hanged with Tapistrie and painted couered with slattes and tyles the roofe hollow with arches and vaults and the flower curiouslie paued and wrought diuided by halles vpper and lower chambers vtter chambers inner chambers with-drawing-chambers bedchambers wardrobes cabinets closets staires entries galleries and terrasses They haue accomodated arts and artificers for the buylding and furnishing of them as Architects masons plaisterers tylers carpenters smithes glasiers tapisters painters grauers cutters caruers melters casters of Images goldsmithes gilders lock-smithes and others buylding pallaices castles townes cities bridges conduicts pyramides sepulchers theaters amphitheaters bathes and porches turning the course of streames and raising of mounts and throwing downe mountains with prodigalitie exceeding all boundes of reason hoping thereby to make their names immortall And whereas it was necessarie for them intertayning that varietie and magnificence to trafique by sea and by land and to haue Cariers on them both to th end to receiue from other places such commodities as they wanted or to send abroad such things as abounded with them to nauigate they hollowed first the bodies of trees after the maner of the Indian Canoes and afterwards made boates schiffes pinacies and gallies with three fower fiue sixe seauen eight and ten Oares on a side yea to thirtie on a side foistes brigantines barkes caruels ships hulks gallions galliasses armadoes and argosies with their tackling and furniture of anchors cabels mastes sayles artillerie ordinance victuals and compas or boxe To receiue keepe and repaire them arsenals portes and hauens To guide and to man them were appointed Pilots mariners sailers rowers and gallyslaues euen as carters wagoners coachmen and horse-keepers were ordayned for trafick and trauaile by land And for both cariages cursitours regraters porters balencers Masters of ports customers controllers reuisitors and serchers To serue which turne with more ease it was needfull to coine money of gold siluer brasse and copper defined in value by the quantitie and waight marked with diuerse figures according to the diuersitie of the Countrie where it is made being not possible to vse permutation in euery thing and therefore were brought in money-tellers and changers Moreouer it was necessarie to haue Notaries or Scriueners to passe the contracts of Markets sergeants huissiers solicitors proctors informers auditors iudges counsailors presidents registers criers and executours of sentences For the expedition of roiall letters Secretaries Maisters of requests Chauncelors or Keepers of seales The Physicians Chirurgians and Apothecaries do serue for health vsing druggs comming for the most part out of strange Countries as Rheubarbe Cassia Aloe Agarike and such others Gymnasts pedotribes athletes fencers wrastlers runners swimmers leapers and tumblers for the exercise of the bodie For pleasure and recreation singers minstrells musicians plaiers on instruments organists dauncers and ballad-makers rymers iesters iuglers barbers perfumers drawers of flowers and curious workes Also not contented with stickes and stones which the simplicitie of nature furnished vnto their Choler they haue inuented infinite sorts of armes and weapons both offenssiue and defensiue long-bowes and crosse-bowes with arrowes and quiuers slings darts iauelins lances pikes partysans halbards swords bucklers rapiers and daggers shieldes targets cuyrasâ—es brigandines headpeeces helmets caskes morions and salads gorgets pauldrons vantbrasses tasses gauntlets cuisses and greues engines to shoote in the field or to batter wals catapults and ramms in old time and of late canons double-canons demy-canons basilisks coluerins sakers faulcons minions and chambers and for smaller shot and maniable muskets caliuers harquebuzes daggs and pistols Seruing for the warres armorers furbishers spurriers sadlers ryders horsebreeders horsekeepers smithes and farriers founders and mounters of great ordinance saltpeter-men powder-makers canoniers Colonels Captains souldiers with their Ensignes trumpets drummes and other Officers Going farther yet they haue found out other estates offices and exercises imploying some about conducting and managing the publick reuenewes as Receiuours Treasorers Masters of accompts Auditours Controllers Others about the counsaile of Princes and of States Others to the establishing and preseruing of the Lawes seeing to the publick gouernment to discipline and correction of maners Then amongst so many commodities idlenesse increasing with ease and wealth they applied themselues to the studie of learning by reason that all naturally desire to know new things strange admirable faire and
had the principall charge vnder him who put him in a golden cage and cast him on a chariot meaning to carry him to Bactria then seeing that Alexander approached caused him to bee killed with darts and Iauelins and left him dead in the midst of the way Such was the end of a king so mighty in people in possessions and reuenews who called him selfe Lord of all the world from the East vnto the West hauing raigned onely sixe yeres in all delicacies exceeding the common magnificence of Princes Which luxurious maner of liuing was cause of his vtter ouerthrow as humane things being variable haue their fatall inclination so ordained by the diuine prouidence to fall then when they are mounted highest and that the Lords thinke themselues to be most assured sleeping therefore in carelesnes and ouerweening conceits For he suffered himselfe to slide so farre into deliciousnes and superfluous riches that he slept alwaies in a chamber betweene two great chambers most richly furnished in such sort that the Kings bed being sumptuously spred in his chamber and couered with a vine of gold in manner of a grate or lettis enriched with precious stones gathered togither in manner of hanging clusters of grapes the beds head was placed towards the wal of one of the great chambers in which ther was fiue thousand talents of gold and this great roome was called the kings beds head whereunto right opposite was the wall of the other great chamber against his beds foote in the which there was alwaies three thousand talents of siluer and was called the kings beds foote which summes are esteemed after our maner to be worth thirty millions of Crownes Going to war he caried with him in his host for his pastime and delight cccxxxix women as Concubines singers dauncers and such as were skilfull in all kinde of Musicke xlvj workmen to set flowers in order and to make garlands nosegaies chapelets and other sweete smelling things cclxxvij cookes xxix potters making euery day vessels of earth to serue the kitchin xiij bakers of tarts and such other licorous and delicate bakemeates Cellerers cupbearers bruers and minglers of wines makers of spiced cupps and of all artificiall lycours and drinkes xvij of th one sort and lxx of the other Perfumers and makers of sweete smelling sauours and odours both wet and dry xl If then the king of Persia vsed so much delicacy being in warr and nourished himself with so many delights in the field what did he wheÌ„ he remained in peace at Persepoli or in Babylon a city abounding in all superfluities and in all vices that proceed of great plenty Yet notwithstanding in the flower of his fortune he being dronken with prosperity and aboundance of goods was spoyled of his riches which had bin heaped togither by many kings his predecessours losing his life and his kingdome which was clymed to the top of the worldy power and felicity where ariseth the spring of pride arrogancy ouerweening and extreme insolency And there is the slippery path whereon standeth the enuy of fortune and where soueraigne felicity falleth headlong into great calamity By this so magnificent victory ouer him ALEXANDER brought vnder his obedience almost al the countries of the East and transported the Monarchy out of Asia into Europe So the Macedonians tooke away the Empire of the East from the Persians and the Parthians from the Macedonians by the conduct of Arsaces a Captaine of an vncertaine birth but of a most approued vertue and no lesse memorable amongst them then Cyrus among the Persians and Alexander among the Macedonians by whose name they called the succeeding Kings because of the reuerence which they bare vnto him They became so mighty that for a time they ruled ouer all Asia possessing not onely the vnmeasurable plaines but also the abrupt dounfals of the mountaines and placing the bounds of their Empire where either the heate or the cold staied them with snowes or immoderate and burning heates They possessed eighteene kingdomes deuiding in this maner their prouinces as hauing respect to the two Seas that is the red Sea towards the South and the Caspian toward the North where of eleuen which were called the superiour or higher began at the confines of Armenia and at the bankes of the Caspian Sea extending euen to the Scythians Thother seauen were termed the inferiour or lower They seemed to diuide the world with the Romaines th one ruling in the East and thother the West Their dominion from ARSACES to ARTABANVS endured cccc yeres which was brought backe againe into Persia by ARTAXERXES and after cccxviij yeres was taken againe from the Persians by the Arabians or Sarazens Amongest whom the CALIPHES residing at Bagdet raigned in the East ccccxviij yeres after them the first TVRKS from the yere of Christ M.L.I. vntill M.cc.xj when the Tartarians came out of their countrey who in a little time seised on the greatest part of the north the East the south of whoÌ„ came the inuincible TAMBERLAN who made the whol habitable earth afraid And since they being retired the Persians who are reputed the ciuâ—lest people of the East being ingenious valiant and there are amongst them excelleÌ„t Philosophers Physitions Astrologers very good Artisans in all misteries occupations Their king is called SOPHI which is as much to say as wise and the Interpreter of God because that ISMAEL the first that was so named vnder the colour of expositions new ceremonies brought in by him into the religion of Mahomet got no longe time since a great Empire in the East hauing driuen away the race of Vsun-Cassanus king of Persia to whom he was allied by his mothers side and made many Princes and Lords of the East his vassals or tributaries The chiefe prouinces vnder his obedience were Armenia the great Persia Media Assyria with iiij capital or head Cities Tauris in Armenia Samach in Persia Scyras in Media Bagdet which was somtimes Babylon in Assyria There are gentlemen amongst them after the maner of Italy France Spaine which vse barded horses in the wars vnto which they go welarmed bearing great lances and good cymeters being also very good archers The Sophi is opposite on the one side to the Ottoman to the Zagathain on thother Thus haue the kingdoms of Asia of the East varied But before we go out of this quarter we must speak of the MAGES which were far different from other natioÌ„s in their religion wisdom They had no temples Images nor altars neither was it permitted by their law to make any esteeming them fools which had them accounting it impiety to inclose the Gods within wals which ought to haue al open free whose temple and house was the whol world For this cause they perswaded Xerxes warring in Greece to burne al the Temples which he should find there And when they would sacrifice they went vp into high mountaines where it was not lawful for him that
should be immortal euen as the CHRISTIANS and SARAZENS beleeue OF THE NOBILITIE AMONGST the Egiptians Persians Assyrians Indians Scythians Thracians and other auncient and moderne Nations THey indeed were reputed noble in Egipt Persia Scythia Iberia Assyria India Thrace and other auncient Nations which made profession of Armes and medled not with mechanicall arts to whom according to the qualitie of the Countrie were appointed lands rents and reuenewes out of the publike for their honest intertainment and to the end they might not be constrained by want to exercise any other questuarie gainfull and base maner of liuing It was not lawful in EGIPT for men of warre called Culasyres and Hermotiuies to vse any other art but militarie which they taught and deliuered from hand to hand and from the father to the sonne LICVRGVS forbad the LACEDEMONIANS all Mechanical arts and occupations yea euen merchandize and traficks accounting such vocations to belong to bondmen or strangers or to men of base condition and putting Armes onely in the hands of his Citizens whom he would haue altogether free and truely militarie HER ODOTVS writeth that the PERSIANS honoured valiant men of warre more then all other Nations and that they made no account of marchandise Moreouer that not onely the Persians but also the Egiptians Thracians Scythians Lydians and almost all the barbarous Nations esteemed artisans the basest of all men yea euen their children and their whole race That the GREEKS also and aboue all the Lacedemonians and Corinthians made little reckoning of the artificers And Plato in the second and eight booke of his Common wealth and in the beginning of his Timaeus willeth the Nobles and men of warre to abstaine from tilling the ground and from Mechanicall artes and other questuarie occupations At this day the ARABIANS do vtterly detest all Mechanicall sciences And the Nobilitie or Gentlemen of FRANCE are forbidden by the auncient ordinances of the Countrie to exercise merchandize or any other questuarie art on paine of beeing depriued of their nobilitie and to pay taxe as those of the common sort The like do the NOBLES and Gentlemen of Spayne Lumbardie Naples England Germanie Hungarie and Poland holding it a thing not onely vnworthy of Nobilitie but also to be an act derogating from the priuiledge thereof to exercise in steede of Armes a mechanicall art or to vse trade of marchandize if it be not of things of their owne growing of which the traficke is permitted them The Nobles of Persia vse it in like maner possessing fees and vnderfees with vassals relieuing of them also landes castels townes and Countries which they hold either by succession of their parents or by giftes and benefites of the SOPHI their Prince for the which they are bound to serue him in his warres furnishing a number of men according to the value of their reuenewes And in INDIA the Naires are held in such reputation as the Gentlemen in these parts being constrayned ordinarily to beare swords targets bowes lances and such other armes vsed amongst them otherwise they should lose the name and priuiledge of nobilitie In TVRKIE there is no distinction of Nobilitie drawen from the auncestours but he onely amongst the Turkes is reputed noble who in matter of warre hath giuen many proofes of his valiancie When the OTTOMAN conquereth any Countrie he extinguisheth the great ones and the nobilitie and sendeth thither his Sangiacques Subassis and Spachis giuing them the fruites of the fees and appointing rents on the reuenew of his lands which are called Timarly Euery SPACHI is bound to haue so many horses and men as he hath fiue or six Aspers a day to spend both of his pay and of his Tymar or yearely rent They cannot make ouer the fees which they hold to their children without the expresse permission of the great SIGNOR And none enioyeth the nobilitie of any father whose sonne he is vntill by industrie he represent the person of his father and not in word None there possesseth any villages castles or townes after the maner of the Persians or of vs or inhabiteth strong houses or dareth to build aboue one storie or higher then a douecote In ENGLAND at this day the Nobilitie do not dwell in castels or houses of strength closed with motes and diches neither haue they any iurisdiction ouer men which is in the kings hand be it high base or meane The dignities themselues as Dukedomes Marquisats and Earledomes are but titles which are giuen at the kings pleasure whereas they which haue them possesse nothing oftentimes in those places whereof they beare the name but haue their lands lying elswhere The Gentlemen in FRANCE possesse in high base and meane iustice villages boroughes townes castels fortresses Baronies Earledoms Marquisats Dukedoms Principalities and Peereships patrimoniall with vassals holding and vnderholding of them bound by faith and homage which iurisdiction notwithstanding dependeth on that of the king and aunswereth at the last appeale to his soueraigne Courts or Parliaments In the ROMAIN EMPIRE the lands were first giuen in reward of seruice to the men of warre for terme of their liues as they are at this day in Turkie after they were made and became patrimoniall and hereditarie to their children And because they were giuen them to liue on in recompence of their seruices they were termed benefits and they which were recompenced in such sort were said to be beneficed or benefited Then by this example the Church comming to be rich by the almesdeeds and foundations of Princes and great Lords they called the Archbishopricks Bishopricks Abbeies Priories and Cures by the name of benefices because the Ecclesiastical persons possessed them after the same maner as the auncient men of warre did their fees and benefices The Emperour ALEXANDER SEVERVS was the first that permitted the heires of those men of warre to inioy theis fees prouided that they followed Armes and not otherwise ordayning most expresly that such heritages should neuer fall but into the hands of such as made profession of armes And a while after him CONSTANTINE the great at the beginning of his Empire gaue to his principall Captaines and to those by whose meanes he thought most to preuaile against his aduersaries a perpetuitie in the lands which were assigned them Whereby one may know that the estate of the Turke resembleth in many things the Romain Empire and the auncient kingdom of Persia in which the whole gouernment was in the disposition of one onely Lord seruing himselfe with meane fellowes which may without danger easily be aduanced to great charges and honours and without tumult or enuie abased withdrawen or put to death But the FRENCH king is placed in the midst of an auncient Nobilitie and companie of Princes Earles Barons and other gentlemen hauing subiects peculier to themselues and holding their preheminence in the kingdom of which they can hardly be depriued without sedition The estates also of lands which were but for life were made perpetuall vnder the last kinges
in old time contended with the Greekes in matter of armes and of learning who surmounted the elegancie of the Greek tongue by subtil breuitie of speech being most ingenious to vnderstand al subtilities and conueiances of talke and readie to aunswere to arguments proposed vnto them in discoursing conueniently of great affaires wherof they gaue pertinent resolutions without difficultie or delaie They vsed also wise prouerbs and profound riddels not that they vnderstood the subtilities of Chrisippus or of Aristotle or that they had learned this knowledge of Socrates or Plato or Demosthenes for they neither studied Philosophie nor Rhetorick but they did it by the naturall goodnes of their mother wit and sharp vnderstanding wherein the Indians were taken to be better then the Persians And the Nomades of Syria and Arabia verie apt and exquisite to find out the trueth and to refute falshood who euen at this time without hauing giuen themselues to learning do speake verie sufficiently of Astrologie alleaging verie apparant reasons of their sayings which they haue vnderstood by long obseruation and deliuer them from the father to the sonne successiuely and augment them continually THE ELOQVENCE Of the Greekes ELoquence was borne in Athens where also it was fostered and bred and brought vp to his perfection In somuch that in that Citie were seen at onetime ten excellent Oratours of whom Demosthenes appeared to be the best As touching strangers they vsed not any Rhetoricke to circumuent the Iudges or to turne them from the trueth but decided the causes by the bills or writings of the plaintife and defendant who might make their replication or reioinder without disguysing the deeds with faire words or cloaking the trueth with affections And when it was needfull to deliberate in counsaile of state on publike affaires they speak their opinions in few not holding or troubling the assemblie with affected and tedious words THE GREEKE POESIE THere is no Nation which hath had more sorts of Poesie nor more or better Poets then Greece For besides the Heroicks which haue written of diuers matters of warres of naturall philosophie Astrologie Physick Bucolicks and Georgicks there hath bin a great companie of Tragicks Gomicks Elegiacks Lyricks Iambicks Dithyrambicks and Epigrammatists such as elswhere haue not bin found the like saue amongst the Romains and Italians who wrote after imitation of them Of whom shall be spoken hereafter in comparing them together THE GRECIAN HISTORIE IT is naturall to all Nations to seeke out their antiquities and to preserue the memorie of publike affaires by reason wherof there are histories found euery where But whereas others haue contented themselues with bare Annals or Chronicles discribing simply the times persons places affaires the Grecians haue added therunto the ornaments of eloquēce Especially Herodotus and Thucydides hauing surpassed all others that euer medled with writing of histories except peraduenture they oppose vnto them Salust and Liuie of the Latines who after them haue worthely acquited themselues in this kind of writing THE NOBILITIE OF AVNCI ent Greece THe Greekes in old time and namely the Lacedemonians and Corinthians accounted the Artisans base as we haue said heretofore and onely those noble which exercised armes Herodotus doubteth whether they tooke this custome of the Egiptians seeing the Thracians Scythians Persians Lydians and almost all the Barbarians vsed the same The Egiptians endeuoured to proue that the Athenians were discended of a Colony of Scytes a people of the countrie of Egipt as is told in the Timaeus of Plato and rehearsed by Diodorus the Sicilian because that in the townes of Greece the people was diuided into three parts according to the custome of Egipt For the first order of the citie was of the nobles who being giuen aboue all others to the sciences were the more esteemed being therein like to the Priests of Egipt The second was of those to whom lands had bin diuided and assigned to th end they might the better giue themselues to armes for defence of their Countrie like vnto those of Egipt who were inuested with fees and which did wage the souldiers for the warres at their charges The third order was of the meaner sort of people and of Artisans who being giuen altogether to Mechanicall arts furnished many necessarie workes for the whole Communaltie THE ARTISANS AND WORKES of the Grecians THe Artisans of Greece were no lesse excellent in their workes then the learned in their professions and many of them did write of their misteries of whom the most famous in diuers arts haue bin before recited Neuertheles Herodotus in his second booke speaking of the Labyrinth of Egipt and of the Pyramides saith that if any one would make comparison of the buildings fortresses works which were then in Greece he should find that they were all of lesse labour and expence then this labyrinth And albeit the Temple of Ephesus and that of Samos deserued to be reckoned of yet the Pyramides exceeded tongue and pen considering that one of them was equall to all the buildings of the Greekes and yet notwithstanding the Labyrinth surmounted the Pyramides But that the artificial poole of Meris neer vnto which it was seated yelded yet greater meruails Moreouer Diodorus the Sicilian affirmeth that the best cutters caruers of Images that were in Greece learned their measures and dimensions of the Egyptians who amongst al other nations did not measure the composition of statues by the eie but did them by compas to th end that the statue might be made of many and diuers stones gathered into one body obseruing the measures proportions A thing in deed worthy of admiration namely that many Artisans in diuers places should so well agree in one measure that one onely Image entier and perfect should be made by them being separated one from another somtimes of twenty somtimes of forty stones The end of the fifth Booke OF THE POWER WARFARE LEAR ning Eloquence Poesie and other excellence of the Romains The Sixth Booke WE will now come to the ROMAINS who in their time obtained the excellence in armes in learning and in all workmanships But euen as after the going of Xerxes into Greece which put the Grecians in the greatest feare that euer they were the war hauing had an other end then was expected they not onely found themselues out of danger but also got great glory thereby growing meruailously from that time forward in all felicity riches and excellency of all arts So the Romains after the second Punick warr and voiage of Hanibal into Italy which troubled them much remayning there sixteene yeres with a mighty army in which time he wan many battails on them and came euen to the gates of Rome where he might also haue entered if he had knowen how to vse the victory the Romains then being brought to the greatest extremity that euer they were being vanquished by the Carthaginians and seeming to haue giuen ouer the glory of armes vnto them yet this long and cruel
Iosephus Historiographers Appian a Poet. Iulius Pollux and Harpocration Grammarians Herodes Atticus and Apolonius Rhetoricians Alexander Aphrodiseus a Peripatetick which made the first Commentaries on Aristotle who before was more praised then vnderstood of the learned Out of whose schoole came Themistius Ammonius Simplicius Philoponus and Olympiodorus all Commentatours on Aristotle About the same time the Mathematickes arose vnto their soueraigne excellencie by the industrie of Claudius Ptolomeus a Mathematician of incomparable knowledge and the best that euer was in this profession who hath surpassed all the auncient Egiptians Chaldeans Persians and Grecians and hath not had his like sithence hauing expounded more diligently then any other the whole discription of heauen of the earth and of the sea correcting the errours of the former and their instruments and declared the whole with verie likely arguments and euident demonstrations The Romains for a time were verie good both in peace and in warre modest iust and valiant especially after the warres which they had against the Tarentines and the king Pyrrhus vntill the third Punick warre There was not then amongst them any dissention of the Nobles or commotion of the people All there care was to augment and increase their Empire without respect of their particular profit At what time there florished in the common wealth Curius Fabricius Coruncanus Metellus Fabius Scipio Marcellus Paulus and Lepidus whose magnanimitie and prudence in warre and moderation in peace was admirable Then the common wealth was verie good and holy for asmuch as pouertie and sparing were then in estimation and the three kinds of gouernment were found there so equally ordained and established so conueniently that one could not say whether the state were an Aristocratie or a Democratie or a Monarchie The power of the Consuls was manifestly monarchical and royal that of the Senatours Aristocratical and the popular estate wholy Democratical And there was such an agreement and band between them against all fortune that one could not any where find a better estate of a common wealth For if any common feare came from abroad and forced them to succour one an other then the power of this common wealth was so great and such that they wanted nothing for their defence and they applied themselues all both in publike and priuate to execute in due season their deliberated enterprises In such sort that they were sometimes reputed inuincible On the contrarie if being deliuered from the publike feare of strangers they became insolent by domestical peace and abundance of goods accustomed themselues to idlenes and delights and that by this means the one part would be Masters ouer the others rule beyond reason They had so well prouided a remedie for it by the mutuall bridle and hinderance which they were one to another that no one could break out of rank or lift vp himselfe aboue the rest but were euery one constrained to remain in his charge But after that by labour and iustice they were increased had ouercome the cruel Nations and mightie kings They were eft soones corrupted peruerting the order wherin they liued before and becomming proud and auaricious exceeding in gluttonie and whordom and dissolute in al superfluities delicacies And then they were diuided into parcialities and factions by occasion wherof they caried armes weapons into the temples publik assemblies killing sometime the Tribunes somtime the Consuls and other principal persons of the city Wherhence ther arose dishonest quarrels without order therhence followed the contempt of lawes and of iudgments And reenforcing the euil day by day they began to plot manifest enterprises against the coÌ„mon wealth to bring the great armies forceably into the coÌ„mon wealth which were gathered of fugitiue condemned persons And although by their saying they did it but against their aduersaries neuertheles in very trueth it was against the coÌ„mon wealth because they inuaded the city as enemies cruelly killed such as they met or persecuted theÌ„ with banishmeÌ„ts abominable proscriptioÌ„s not omitting any detestable deed Which seditions began by the two Gracches Saturnin and Drusus furious Tribunes then were diuers times renewed between Sylla and Marius Pompey and Cesar and continued by Mark Antonie Octauian and Lepidus against â—assius and Brutus and finally being raised againe betweene M. Antonie and Octauian who were brothers in law caused the change of the common wealth into a Monarchie the stoutest amongst the Romains being either slaine in battailes or by proscriptions and the others being wearied with the ciuile warres and greeued with the gouernment of the Senate and of the people thorough the dissention of the Lords and auarice of the Magistrates For as this age nourished most excellent persons in all vertue and knowledge so did it also bring forth more vicious then any time before and authours of execrable mischiefes The age of Cato saith Seneca brought forth many worthy to be borne in Cato his time as there were then as wicked as euer were and vndertakers of the greatest mischiefes It was requisite that there should be of the one and the other To th end that Cato might be knowen it behoued there should be some good men to approue and allow of him and some euill against whom he might proue his force and vertue The same Seneca saith No age hath bin without blame and if one consider the libertie of euery age I am ashamed to tell it but men neuer sinned more openly then afore Cato The same Authour M. Cicero saith he betwixt the Catilines and Clodians betweene the Pompeyes and the Crasses whiles he is tossed vp and downe with the common wealth and the gouernment failing he was caried away and perished therewith Cicero writing of Pompey and of Cesar Thone and thother saith he hath sought to make himselfe Lord and not to make the Citie happie and honest and Pompey neuer left the towne till he could no longer keepe it nor abandoned Italie till he was driuen out of it but he thought at the beginning to moue all lands and seas to stir vp the Barbarian kings to draw into Italie the cruell nations armed Do you not think there might be some agreement made betweene them yes now it might be done but neither th one nor thother hath this end to make vs happie They would both of them raigne And the same Authour Certainly both the one and thother is miserable who haue alwaies had lesse regard to the safetie and dignitie of their Countrie then to their owne domination and priuate commodities And in the same place whose alliance and fidelitie in wicked agreement you see what mischiefe it hath brought forth The same Cicero saith that Cesar was by nature and inclination cruell but that he counterfaited clemencie because that vertue seemed popular And Seneca Neither vertue nor reason saith he perswaded Pompey to vndertake either foreine or ciuile warres but being caried away with a foolish desire of his owne greatnes he caried
murdred in the senate-house Cato Brutus Cassius Antonius were slain by their owne hands Cleopatra the last Queene of Alexandria was strong to death with an Aspe Cicero twice banished and his head and hand cut off with which he had written his Philippicks Mark Varro proscribed Nigidius exiled So many horrible things came to passe at that time that the verie remembrance of them striketh feare and horrour into me THE FALL OF THE POWER Learning and Eloquence of the Romaines THE Romaines then which for a time had meruailously profited liuing in libertie after that by the factions into which they were fallen they were brought into seruitude vnder the rule of one Monarch they waxed worse and worse by little and little decreasing the exercise of Armes and studies of learning And howbeit by the vertue of some good Princes the Empire seemed in some sort to rise againe yet was it the more brought low and afflicted afterwards by the loosnes of others the honour and venerable excellencie of this soueraine dignitie being transferred from the auncient families of Rome to strangers of all nations yea euen to certaine base and vicious persons who came to it by force and by corruption of whom the most part were slaine by the greedie souldiers which had created them and others were ouerthrowen by themselues Which disorders continued till such time as the Empire fatally approching to his end was abandoned for a pray to the barbarous Nations For these Emperours vnaduisedly thinking to fortifie themselues by the mercenarie and auxiliarie armes of strangers whom they sent for to their succour and seruice weakning the proper and naturall forces of the Empire which their auncestours had vsed in the getting of it they drew ere they were ware of it many of the Northren nations into the countries lands and seigniories of their obedience Moreouer by transporting the principal forces and riches from Rome to Bizantium diuiding of the Empire into the East and West they weakned much In such sort that the West was first distroied and then at length also the East which remayning vnited might haue long and almost perpetually resisted all inuasions Then was lost the puritie and elegancie of the Latine tongue the Italians leauing to speak Latin and in like maner the disciplines written therin came to contempt and ignorance and all liberall and Mechanicall arts were corrupted as is easie to iudge by the workes of this time yet remayning of diuers sorts And although in this mingling there fell out great things and strange meruailes yet met they not with men to gather them diligently and to write them worthely but they whole remained either buried in the darknesse of ignorance or wrapped vp in confusion or depraued by barbarisme which endured in Europe about a thousand yeares But howbeit that common weales haue their naturall conuersions fatall periods and prefixed times of continuance It seemeth notwithstanding that the chiefe cause of the ruine of the Romain Empire ought to be attributed to CONSTANTINE surnamed the great who transported the seate thereof out of Italy where it was begon and growen vp chaunged the fourme of gouernement in which it had bin maintained sithence Augustus time casserd the Pretorian souldiours made the fees hereditary which the men of armes before possessed onely for a time or during their life at most created newe Magistrates and ordained newe Lawes altering in a little time all the auncient forme of gouernement For Dioclesian being dead Maximian Maxencius and Licinius slaine who had bin all Emperours at the same time with Constantius associated by them when this CONSTANTINE the sonne of this Constancius and his successour in the Empire sawe himselfe alone peaceable Monarch he bethought him for the perpetuating of his memory and celebrating of it the more to build vpon the straight of the sea and the farthest part of Europe next vnto Asia in the place where Byzantium stood before a great citie equall in all things vnto Rome which he beautified with the same priuileges liberties dignities and honors To the end that by the force thereof the Empire toward the East might bee vpheld against the Persians whose power at that time was great and terrrible as in the west it was maintained against the Germains by the meanes of auncient Rome He would that these two cities should be reputed as one and that the citizens of th one as of the other should in like maner be chosen Consuls of whom th one should be resident here and thother there He ordained that there should be foure prefectures of the pretorie or Courts of soueraigne authority next vnto the imperiall by which all the affaires of the Empire should be ordered two for the west of Italy and of Fraunce two for the East of Ilyrian and of the Orient And in liew of the fifteene legions ordained by Augustus and intertained by his successours for defence of the Empire on the Riuers of the Rhene and of Danubius he there built certaine Castles and Fortresses putting in them but weake garrisons yet thinking neuerthelesse that they woulde bee strong enough to stop the courses of the Northren nations which he tooke to be altogither ouercome by the great victories which he had obtained ouer them Wherin he was greatly deceiued for as much as these barbarous people seeing the frontiers of the Empire weake and euill garded stayed not long from winning them entering into the prouinces of the Empire which they ouerran and inuaded miserably namely the Ostrogoths and Lombardes of Italie the Visigoths Aquitaine and Spaine the Frenchmen and Burguignons the countrey of Gaules the Vandales Bethicke and Africke Finally Rome which was called before the head and light of the worlde and subduer of countries was besieged taken spoyled and destroyed many times Which euils according to the saying of Ezechiel came out of the North which hath alwaies bin so fertile of men that not onely it hath filled with inhabitantes the wast wildernesses and huge Forestes of that quarter but also hath accustomed to cast out innumerable people which haue possessed Asia and Europe ouerthrowing the auncient estates to establish new But I retourne to the Empire which THEODOSIVS the first of that name held last entierly both in the East and West afterwards deuided it between his two sonnes HONORIVS and ARCADIVS vnder whom began the foresaid afflictions by the disloyalty and blinded ambition of Ruffinus and Stilicon their gouernours THEODOSIVS the second son of Arcadius was the last that may truely be called Emperour of the west vntill Charlemaigne Whiles Martian and Valentinian raigned GENSERICVS the Vandale who had intelligence with ATTILA king of the Hunnes made him come out of Pannonia into Gaulewith fiue hundred thousand men where he was fought with by the Romains Goths and Frenchmen It is not red that there were euer two greater armies any where opposed one against the other nor which fought more obstinately in such sort that there were slaine a hundred and fourescore
slaine and taken to mercy two Millions of men fower score and three thousand eight hundred fortie and six and hauing sonke and taken eight hundred fortie and six shippes won a thousand fiue hundred thirtie and eight Townes and Castles and conquered the lands from the marish of Meotis to the red Sea hath made this vow to the merite of Minerua Such is the summarie of his deeds toward the East Concerning the triumphe which he made at the end of September in the yeare when Marc. Messala and Marc. Piso were Consuls the preface was such When we had deliuered all the sea-coast of pyrates and had restored the Empire of the sea to the people of Rome he triumphed of Asia Pontus Armenia Paphlagonia Cappadocia Cilicia Suria the Scythians Iewes Albanians Iberians the Isle of Crete and Basternes Moreouer of the kings Mithridates and Tygranes The top of his glorie as he said himselfe in a great assemblie was this That hauing found Asia the last of the prouinces and farthest he made it one of the midlemost vnto his Countrie If some one on the contrarie would in like maner recite the deeds of Iulius Cesar which seemed greater then his he should reckon all the world which would be an infinite thing A COMPARISON OF IVLIVS Cesar with Alexander the great according to Appian ALEXANDER and IVLIVS CESAR were both of them verie ambitious and warlike aboue all others readie and diligent to execute all enterprises and impetuous in dangers euen to the contemning of their owne liues And their fortune and audacitie was no lesse helpfull to them both then their militarie discipline Of whom th one namely ALEXANDER went in the summer season and thorough countries destitute of waters to the god Hammon and hauing passed the gulfe of the sea of Pamphylia by great hap and felicitie he got the countrie For in his passage ouer the sea it seemed that fortune with-held appeased the raging therof Afterwards at the beginning of winter being on his way he went thorough the rough seas euen to the Indies Moreouer being at the siege of a Towne he was the first that got vpon the wall and then leaped downe all alone amongst his enemies and hauing receiued thirteen wounds yet remayned notwithstanding inuincible in all things He subdued many Nations in Europe and conquered the Greekes by armes which were a verie warlike nation and desirous of libertie and who were neuer accustomed to be subiect vnto any other till such time as vnder colour of presidence they were obedient to Philip the father of Alexander as to their Protectour He vanquished almost all Asia and as one might say ouercame all that he saw And finally as he purposed in his mind to conquer the rest of the world he died in the flower of his age Touching IVLIVS CESAR in the sharpest of winter the Ionian sea was calme and nauigable vnto him He sailed also in the Ocean sea ouer against the Isle of great Britaine and albeit he had not any knowledge of the coast yet he commaunded his Pilots who kept a loose off to put in with their shippes And in an other place hauing by night time alone in a little boate espied the passage hee bid the Master of the shipp set saile to the winde and to put more confidence in the fortune of CESAR then in the sea He entered oftentimes all alone on his enemies when all his people quaked and trembled for feate He fought in pitched field against the Gaules thirtie times and subdued all that Nation which was so terrible to the Romains that whereas by the law of the Priests and of the Auncients they gaue immunities to the men of armes from seruice they alwaies added except it were against the Gaules in which case there was no excuse neither for Priest nor aged person Moreouer CESAR fighting neere vnto Alexandria and seeing himselfe on a bridge abandoned of all his people and enuironed on all sides with his enemies he cast his purple garment on the ground and then leaped into the sea And because his enemies pursued him in the water he kept a long time at the botome without showing himselfe sauing now and then to take breath till he drew neere to one of his ships and then stretching out his hand he made himselfe knowen and by that meanes was saued In the ciuile warres for feare as he said but in trueth for ambition he had against him many great and valiant Captaines of many great armies not onely of Barbarians but of Romains also and he ouer came all his enemies which had surmounted all others in vertue and felicitie in one onely battaile or two But yet notwithstanding his armies were not alwaies inuincible as those of Alexander for his Pretors Cotta ' and Titurius fighting against the Gaules were shamefully defeated and in Spaine Petreius and Afranius inclosed his armie in such sort that they were in a maner besieged Also at Dyrrhachium and in Libia they were about to run away and againe in great feare of the yong Pompey But in as much as concerneth the person of Cesar he was euer without feare and in the end victorious He inlarged the Romain Empire both by sea and by land from the Ocean sea euen to the riuer Euphrates aswell by force and vertue as by his clemencie and benignitie His Empire was more firme better founded then that of Sylla for he shewed himselfe in effect a king to those which would not haue had it so although he abstained from the name and hauing vndertaken a new warre he died as did Alexander Both of them had armies almost alike for their men were quick and hardie louing their chiefes sharpe and fierce in fight often disobedient and readie to mutine against their Emperours because of their continuall labour and notwithstanding after they were dead they lamented and bewailed them greatly and iudged them worthy to be honoured as Gods They were both strong of bodie and excellent in beamie both discended of the line of Iupiter Thone of AEacus and of Hercules and thother of Anchises and Venus Both of them were contentious and rough to such as prouoked them but easie to be reconciled pitiful and gracious to their prisoners and to those which they had ouercome and liberall toward all people without couetousnes of any thing but of the victorie By such vertues and conditions they both attained howbeit by diuers meanes to such great principalitie For when Alexander began to conquer he had alreadie a kingdom which Philip had greatly increased But Cesar of a priuat Citizen though of a noble race without any great patrimonie and without money attained to this great glorie Both of them contemned the great signes that appeared of their death and notwithstanding towards those that foretold their mishap they shewed no tokens of displeasure and their end was almost after one sort because that both of them had twice together infortunate prognostications were either of them at both times in great
They held in most straight subiection all the people of Egypt and of Suria forbidding them to haue any weapons or to ryde on horsebacke They were not aboue sixteene thousand but they intertained many seruants vnder them and being men of great force and hardynesse they had not only tamed many bordering nations and beaten the Arabians but also made many warres against the Turkes enuying their prosperitie of whome they remained often victorious and were seldome or neuer vanquished by them But when as they were deuided and bandded in partalities Selim the Turke defeated them in two battailes killing in the first the SOVLDAN SAMPSON who was gone into Suria with an armie to helpe the Sophi then prosecuting his victory he went into Egypt against him that was chosen SOVLDAN in steed of him that was dead whom hee tooke and made him ignominiously to bee caryed on a poore Camell with his face backwardes all alonge the great streete of Cair and to bee hanged at the gate of that Citie doubling his power by the Conquest of such a state much reuerenced by those of the religion of Mahomet and redoubted because of the valyance of the MAMMELVCS whoe were massacred in suche sorte that there name is almost extinguished There remayne yet other great kingdomes of this time as of NARSINGVE in the Indies and of PRESBITER IOHN in Africke called Lacâ—gue Negus of the ABYSINS being baptized and circumcised Christians and of the MOSCOVITE in the north a Christian also but after the Greeke maner The king of Narsingue which is of the auncient religion of the Bramines yeldeth to no king of the world in riches power and magnificence intertaining forty thousand horsemen of ordinary and foure hundred elephants fitt for war with infinite dromedaries Touching PRESBITER IOHN he commaundeth ouer innumerable nations different in colours and hath vnder him forty kings tributary His landes and seigniories extende toward the West more then twenty daies iourney and he hath gold shut vp in a caue enough to buy the moitie of the world and the quantity is euery day increased and multiplied without taking any thing from it In the spacious kingdome of Ethiopia being so large neuer did the kings sonnes or brothers moue any sedition for the state nor defiled their hands in one anothers bloud but the line of the bloud royall is alwaies conserued by rare hap and neuer yet communicated to any other kingdome whatsoeuer Christian Hebrew Sarazen or Pagan They say it was once reuealed to one of their kings in a dreame that if he desired to haue his kingdome long maintained in peace and vnity he must locke vp all his children which were a great number on a mountaine and that he must keep onely him that he would haue to succeed in his kingdome and this custome remained eternally to his posterity as a thing ordained of the heauens Otherwise that one part of Ethiopia which is so large would come to reuolt against the heire and put him in danger of his life and of his state The king being awaked was meruailously astonished with this nouelty not knowing where he might finde this mountaine Wherefore he had another vision reuealing vnto him that he shoulde marke thorough out al his countrey where he should see goates on the top of rockes so high that they seemed readie to fâ—ll and this should bee the place where he should shut in his children Which the king hauing put in execution the mountaine was found to be of a meruailous height and greatnesse wherein the children of Presbiter Iohn were locked vp and carefully kept for there is no lesse paine to them that come out therehence or which drawe therehence any of those that are shut vp then death hee onely remaining free that ought to raigne by his birth-right or which seemeth the most capable to succeed in that dignity Those which are shut vp doo neuer come forth except it so fall out that Presbiter Iohn depart without heires of his body to inherite the crowne For then they take out him that is next it whome they know to be the worthiest Also the great KNES or king of Moscouie is a great landed man in the North whose dominion is about three monethes iourney in compasse of ground and he possesseth innumerable people nations prouinces duchies principalities and seigniories which the Emperours of Moscouia haue gotten one after another by armes or by other meanes offered them from time to time as Wolodimeria Nouingorod Plescouia Smolenk Tuner Iugaria Permia Viakia Belgaria the lower Nouogorodia Ceruigenia Rozar Volokde Rezomia Rostomi Cazan Ostrakan and others which it woulde be tedious to recite because of the rudenes of their names They say that of all his Lordships there are seuen principall wherehence he can bring forth for a need seuen hundred thousand men of warr all on horsebacke namely out of Plescouia a hundred thousand Nouingorode a hundred thousand Tuner a hundred thousand which are the greatest seigniories that he hath out of Smolenk a duchie vsurped on the king of Poland an other hundred thousand and a hundred thousand out of the Duchy of Moscoâ—ia where is situated the great city of Mosko the seate of the prince The bounds of his empire goe a great way into Asia as far as the Caspian sea neer the lands of the Sophi And hauing won a battaile against the King of Sueuia he is entred into the countrey of Liuonia where Germany beginneth on this side and hath there conquered Riga and Riuallia two great cities pertaining to the maister Duke and Knights of the Teutonian or Dutch order He exceedeth in seuerity and rigour of commanding all the Monarches of the worlde hauing gotten such authority ouer his subiects as well ecclesiasticall as secular that he may dispose at his pleasure of their liues and goods no man daring to gainsay him in any thing They confesse publickly that the will of their prince is the will of God and that all whatsoeuer he doth is done by the diuine prouidence Therfore they name him the Porter of Paradice the Chamberlaine of God and Executor of his will By this meanes is he become so mightie within a little time that all his neighbours which are the Tartarians Sueuians Polonians Liuonians yea and the Turkes themselues doe redoubt him It would be an infinite labour to propose here all the kingdomes and Empires that haue bin or are in reputation But it shall suffice to haue touched such as are best knowen namely those that haue ioyned wisedome with power whereunto this present discourse tendeth The end of the Ninth Booke OF THE POWER LEARNING and other Excellence of this age The Tenth Booke AS the Tartarians Turkes Mammelucs and Sophians haue gotten into the East by their valiancy the glorie of Armes So haue we in these partes towards the West recouered within these two hundred yeares the excellency of Learning and set vp the studies of the scienences after they had long time remained in a manner extinguished
with a little bread halfe baked and rice with the pouder of flesh that is dried in the sunne â—â—eir drink is faire water being forbidden to drink wine in the Campe. Such a law had in ancient time the Carthaginians in war as Plato faith But the Turks besides this politicke discipline haue their religion also which maketh them the more fearefull to offend There was neuer elswhere the like obedience because there is not amongst them any company about x. men but hath his head the inferiours are alwaies obedient to their superiours Their s 〈…〉 in such a multitude is meruailous so many souldiers being kept in order by signes of the hand of the countenance without speaking any word In so much that oftentimes in the night they let their prisoners escape for feare of making noise There is none so hardy as to bring any woman into the army nor to vse the company of any They play not at dicâ— nor cards nor any other plaies of hazard for mony neither do they blaspheme God in any sort but name him at al times with great reuerence The two cases which they punish most greeuously are quarrels and thefts Marching thorough the countrey in the summer season they dare not for their liues to go amongst the come spoil it They despise death thinking that it is predestinate vnto euery man and the day of his death writteÌ„ in his forehead which it is not possible to auoid which maketh them more bold and aduentorous as also the punishment recompence which are present for them that do well or euil For whereas punishment and reward doe vphold al coÌ„mon weals as Solon said honor reproch are the two wings of vertue presently amongst them after the fight is done he that hath acquited himselfe wel is rewarded by increasing of his pay and he that hath done euill hath his head cut off or els remaineth for euer dishonored They neuer lodge in the townes neither when they come neer them do they permit any to goe lye there for feare of iniuries and seditions obseruing military discipline very strictly to th end that while they are in caÌ„pe they be not vsed vnto delicacies which in times past haue destroied mighty kingdoms and corrupted the most warlike Nations Moreouer to auoide ydlenes the Othoman Princes haue accustomed from two yeres to two yeres to make wars in some place to the end to exercise their men of war which otherwise being dispersed here and there in the prouinces would consume and come to be of little worth There is no nation with whom the Turkes haue had any different but they alwaies ouer came them besides the Tartarians Notwithstanding although the great Seignior aboundeth in men and in all things requisite for warres more then any other Monarch of our time yet for all that he aduentureth nothing rashly and obtaineth more victories by dexterity and taking opportunities then he doth by force He knoweth the maners of those with whoÌ„ he hath to deale procureth theÌ„ other enimies to thend to distract to weakeÌ„ their forces causing the situation of the countries to be set downe before him in a model which way he is to march wherto encaÌ„pe with his army to fight or to retire seldome going into any countrey but when it is deuided and that he hath fauour and intelligence with the one partie He accustometh when he goeth about any long or difficult iourney and where the couÌ„trey is vneasie to draw artillerie to cary it in pieces and then towards the bounds of the enemy or when he hath passed the euil way to cast and melt it When he conquereth by armes any new 〈…〉 trey he ouerthroweth by and by all the vnnecessary fortresses destroieth the cities and iourneth them into poore Hamlets extinguisheth wholly the great ones and the nobles suffering the common people to liue in that religion which they had before All his great power consisteth in his 〈◊〉 called commonly spachis and in his footemen which are called Ianisaries The Spachis haue as much pay in time of peace as in warre and are abouâ— the number of two hundred thousande comprehending as well the ordinary ones of the Court and house of the Prince as the subiects or Beglerbeis Moreouer there are threescore thousand aduenturours named Achangis to whom the Turkes and Tartarians do ioine when they are called But there is no strength among the Turkes more assured or more galant then that of the Ianisaries which can after the maner of the Macedonian Argyrâ—spides in old time being disposed into a phalange sustaine and breake all the assaults of the enemies and neuer were ouercome togither Amurath the second of that name first ordayned them and by their helpe wan the great battaile at Varne where Lancelot the king of Hongaria and Polonia was slaine His sonne Mahomet tooke Constantinople by assault and Baiazet Methon Selim vanquished the Sophi the two Souldans Soliman obtained many victories in Asia Africk Europe Their weapons are either â—ows or long harquebuses which the most part handle very wel shorter pikes then those with the Lansquenets and Switzers vse a Cymeter and a little battaile-axe They fight stouâ—ely both by sea and by lande They take the sonnes of all the Christians that are subiect to their Seignior which he commaundeth to be taken from three yeres to three or from foure to foure and maketh them to be brought vp very poorely and to lye on hard ground to th end to harden them to trauaile and accustome them to liue in the field All the Turkes goe with such courage order and alacrity to the warre especially when it is for defence of their religion that when they assemble to go thither one would thinke they were rather going to a mariage then to the campe Scarsely and with much a doo will they stay for the prefixed time of marching but doe commonly preuent it It dislyketh them much to remaine at rest without warr accounting themselues happy when they die not in their houses amidst the teares of their wiues but in fight amongest the Lances and arrowes of their enemies not lamenting for the losse of those which die in that maner but reputing them holy and praying for them in all their assemblies To preuent manslaughters which they haue in great detestation they carieno weapons in the Court nor in the Townes or in campe saue when they are to fight but lay them on camels or mules or keepe them within their tents They care not for the colde of Winter nor the heate of Sommer nor for any other incommodity of the aire or of the weather They feare not the roughnesse of places or length of the waies they content themselues with a little and doe not lode themselues with vnprofitable baggage making great iourneyes without fainting thorough their trauail They showe great staiednesse in their manners auoiding lightnesse in their deedes gestures apparell and speaches There is no curiositie vanitie oâ—
because it is needfull for them to remoue their cattaile from place to place for pasture they are constrained to follow exercising as it were a liuely kind of husbandry Some liue on hunting in diuers sorts as some on their pray others on fishing as they which liue neere vnto lakes pondes and riuers and such as border on the sea others on birds and wild beasts which inhabite neere vnto the woodes The poore thoroughout the wide forests and high mountaines liue on roots akornes and wildfruits notwithstanding the greatest part of men liue of the earth and of such fruits as they finde at home So that the manners of liuing vsed amongst them are pasturage tillage hunting hauking fishing and fouling Others by mingling of these do liue better at ease helping their life which hath need of many things with that which it wanteth to thend to haue sufficient As some vse pasturage and hauking others ioyne tillage with hunting and so the other kinds of liuing according as necessitie constraineth them or delight and pleasure prouoketh them The Canibals euen at this day do eate mans flesh rosted likewise the other Sauages eate their enimies which they haue taken in wars The Arabians feed on Camels and Ostriches bread of Millet and rapeseed pilled The Tartarians on raw flesh indifferently of dogs horses cats snakes and such other beasts which they do only presse betweene two stones to draw out the bloud thereof or els do mortifie it on the backe of a horse when a man is on him They drinke mares milke preparing it in such sort that it resembleth white-wine it is not much vnsauoury nor of ill tast The Cathayans also eate raw flesh cutting it first in small peeces then they conserue it in odoriferous oyles with good spices and then do eate if so prepared Their drink is made of rice with diuers spices which hath a tast more delicious pleasant then wine and they which drink more then enough thereof are sooner drunk then with wine The Medites hauing neither corne nor wine vse great hunting in the summer time taking both of wild beasts and birds wherof they make their prouision to liue in winter And in some places they make bisket of fishes dried and cut in smal peeces which they beate and bray into powder or flower then they temper it with water make past thereof mould it and make it into loaues of bread which they dry in the sunne liue thereof all the yere The people of Calecut liue on rice fishes spices fruits altogether different from ours They drinke wine of palmes and of dates mingled with rice and sugar Throughout al the western Islands they make bread of a kind of wheat called Mahiz and of a roote named Iuca which are ordinary feeding aswel in the Islands as in the maine land They make drinke of certain Pine apples which the call Ya yama which is holsome but because it is to sweet it is not so pleasant to drinke as the drinke of our countries It would be too long tedious to recite here and set downe seuerally all the kinds of liuing receiued of men either for necessitie or for superfluitie and delights Therfore these already rehearsed as the most strange and most different from ours shal suffice at this time But besides the commodities and discommodities of liuing which men haue in their seuerall Countries some abstain from certaine meates either by opinion as the Pythagoreans did from a cow and from a beane or els by religion and that either for a time as from flesh in Lent and on fasting daies amongst the Christians or alwaies as the Charterhouse Monkes and Carthusian Friers On the contrary the auncient priests of Egipt thought it a great sin to eate fishe as Herodotus hath wrtiten The Egiptians abstained also from swines-flesh as the Iews do at this day and the Mahometans who moreouer wil drinke no wine The Malharbians and Guzeras do eate nothing that hath blood neither kil they any thing that hath life Therefore they neither eate greene herbes nor newe fruit thinking that there is life in them and that it is a great offence to make them die They worship Oxen and abstaine from eating them as the Iewes do from swine The others being not so scrupulous do vse indifferently all kind of meates which they can comeby OF THE VARIETY of People IT seemeth that there is in men some natural desire to chaunge their habitations and dwellings hauing a mutable mind impacient of rest and desirous of nouelties By reason whereof they cease not from going one to an other changing of maners tongues letters lordships and religions Few countries are inhabited by the true originaries almost all Nations are mingled In auncient time the Egyptians dwelt in Babylon Cholchis Syria and Greece The Grecians in that part of Italie which is next the lower sea the Tyrians in Afrike the Africans in Spaine the Phocians in Gaule the Gaules in Greece and Asia the Macedonians in Syria and Egipt So haue the Arabians past into Persia Syria Afrike Italie and Spaine So the Tartarians into Scythia So the Spaniards into America to Peru and into the East and West India The excessiue heates and coldes the deepe seas and large riuers the high mountaines the great woodes and deserts can not let them from changing their dwellinges Notwithstanding they remoue commonly out of cold Regions into temperate as the Parthians and Turks haue done on the side of Asia and in Europe the Cymbrians Sicambrians Saxons Gothes Lombards Burgundians Frenchmen Vandales Normans Alanes Hunnes Hungarians and Slauonians which at diuers times going out of the North haue possessed the principall regions of Europe Others hauing long straied and wandered do not make choise of their habitation but stay at the first place where they find themselues wearle being not able to go any farther Others get it by force of armes Some straiers perish bythe way others dwell where their pouertie leaueth them and they haue not all the same necessitie to abandon their Countrie and to seek a new Some by strange armies being beaten out of their owne inuade some other others being oppressed with ciuil sedition others being increased to an ouergreat multitude others by pestilence or by barrennes of their land and others hoping to recouer a better Howsoeuer all vsurpers haue accustomed to abolysh as much as lay in them the dignitie and memorie of their predecessors aswell for enuie hatred and contempt as for ambition to thend to make their name onely from that time forward to flourish as the Medians did vsurping the Lordship ouer the Assyrians the Persians ouer the Medes and Egiptians the Romains ouer the Gaules Spaniards and Africans the Gothes and Vandales ouer the Romains the Arabians ouer the Persians Egiptians Africans which at this day also the Spaniards do in the new found Lands and the Turks in those places which they get on the Christians destroying their buildings titles letters bookes histories
and sciences THE VICISSITVDE of Townes SOme Towns and Cities begin others end others increase others diminish cōming of little to be great of great little some are ouerthrowen by warres others by sedition others by long peace turned into loosenes or by pompe and prodigalitie pernitious to great riches or by casuall chaunces of fire inundation of waters or Earthquakes or els by old age which consumeth all things Niniue so great so faire and sumptuous was distroyed by Arbaces and the Medians Carthage by Scipio and the Romaines By tract of time the greatest part of Babylon hath bin turned vnto tillage and at this day is nothing or els hath chaunged his name Athens is reduced into a little village Troy into Champaigne Ierusalem so famous throughout the scripture hath bin often distroied and reedified Thebes was sometime the fairest Citie not onely of Egypt but of the whole world the magnificence of which was diminished by the increase of Memphis And that of Memphis by the edification and augmentation of Alexandria holden for the chiefe or second Citie in the world Rome began when Babylon ended and Constantinople is growen vp by the spoile of Rome the Empire being transported thither with his chiefe forces and riches Lions first scituated on a hill was burned then reedified below Elice and Buria drowned In auncient time there were in Candie 100. Townes which are now reduced vnto three On the contrarie in Germany there were no Townes there are at this day the fairest the strongest and best gouerned that are any where The Arabians and Tartarians march by great troupes representing great walking cities In other places are seen veriefaire Cities which were not in former time As Cair Alep Tauris Mosko Prague Cracouia Nugradia Antwerp London Lishbon Paris Roan Mexico in Temistiten Venice Cambalu Quinzay Meace in Gyapan Malach and Ormus THE VICISSITVDE OF COMMON Weales Kingdomes and Empires THe first and chiefest forme of Ciuil gouernment is a Monarchie erected naturally which by good establishment begetteth a Kingdom or Roialtie but when a Roialtie falleth into those vices which are neerest i◠as into Tyrannie of their abolition ariseth Aristocratie which is commonlie chaunged into Oligarchie And when the Communaltie reuengeth the iniustice of the Gouernors there followeth a Democratie by the outrages and iniquities whereof is againe erected the Ochlocratie Such is the naturall reuolution of gouernments according vnto which the estate of the common wealth is chaunged and translated and againe returneth to the same Yf the vertue of commaunders were alwaies alike the affaires of men would go better and more certainlie without being transported to and fro and incessantly altered for aucthoritie is easilie maintayned by the same meanes by which it is gotten but where for diligence idlenes for continencie and equitie couetousnes and pride do take place there the fortune chaungeth with the maner of their lyuing Wherefore the Kingdoms and Empires are translated continually from the lesse apt and able to those that more chaunging from familie to familie and from nation to nation As by the variable course of the Moone is gouerned the great Sea mouing or appeasing his waues aduauncing or withdrawing the flowing and the ebbing of the tydes so are by the vnstabilitie of fortune and mens want of wisdom publike states increased diminished exalted abased changed destroied conuerted and put ouer from some vnto others those that are best gouerned hauing their power more assured and durable then the rest and yet none being perpetuall for asmuch as they are corrupted in length of yeares whatsoeuer good orders there are at the beginning if heed be not carefully taken in reforming them often and reducing them as much as is possible to their first integritie We see that a Lordship well founded doth prosper a time by the goodnes of the gouernment and goeth from good to better drawing in a right line towards the midst or the highest of his true politique course afterwards declineth from high to low or from the midst to the extremitie True it is that where th one endeth thother beginneth and is aduaunced by the ruyne of the former or many smal are reduced into one great and that great one diuided into lesser THE VICISSITVDE AND variety of Tongues LIkewise the Tongues words writings and Characters are continually changed hauing no better hap then other humaine things which do change ordinarily with their words namely maners of liuing both publike and priuate customes meates lawes habits and garments edifices buildings armes engines and instruments They haue a beginning continuance perfection corruption and alteration Some are altogether lost others do spring out of the former beeing corrupted and mingled others after they haue bin long time disanulled are restored They are maintayned with their proprietie sweetnes and elegancie with the sciences which are written in them thorough the power and greatnes of Empire and by religions with which meanes they are largely spread abroad in diuers Countries and endure long as also they are lost by the contrarie THE VICISSITVDE of Artes. BY the same order and interchangeable course the Arts and Sciences being small at beginning do augment by little and little and come vp to their perfection whether after they are once come they fall eftsoones and finally perish thorough the slouth of men or by the calamitie of warres long continued or by the tyrannie of barbarous people Then when they haue bin a while let downe they arise againe and successiuelie recouer their former strength Which hath giuen occasion to some excellent Philosophers and Astrologers to thinke that the same Sciences haue sundrie times bin inuented before time out of minde and lost againe as they may be againe also in time to come seeing that power and wisedom leaue not long each other but ordinarily keepe good companie together As I haue obserued within these three thousand yeares to haue falne out fiue or sixe times at certain seasons finding the excellency of armes and learning to haue bin first in Egipt Assyria Persia and Asia the lesser consequently in Greece Italie and Sarasmenia and finallie in this age in which we see almost all auncient liberal and Mechanical arts to be restored with the tongues after that they had bin lost almost twelue hundred yeares and other new inuented in their places Wherein shal be employed all the discourse ensuing depending on the former which we will begin with the Tongues with which are preserued and lost all humaine arts and affaires The end of the first Booke OF THE VICISSITVDE AND varietie of Tongues The second Booke GOD creating Man gaue him for a great and excellent gift the vse of Reason and Speech and by these two prerogatiues hath separated him from other Creatures But reason would little helpe him and would lesse appeare in him if he could not by speech expresse that which before hee had conceiued in his mind for the beastes seeme to yeeld vnto him rather in speech then vnderstanding doing finely and