Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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A02897
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An Æthiopian historie written in Greeke by Heliodorus: very vvittie and pleasaunt, Englished by Thomas Vnderdoune. With the argumente of euery booke, sette before the whole vvoorke; Aethiopica. English
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Heliodorus, of Emesa.; Underdown, Thomas.
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1569
(1569)
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STC 13041; ESTC S106061
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229,084
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308
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not to charge them He had scante sette his menne in araye but his Spialles gaue him warninge that the Persians were cominge in Battayle raye with Banners displaied Oroondates mustred a great Army at Eliphantina but when he sawe that the Aethiopians were so néere and he looked not for them so soone he was forced to take Siene with a fewe Souldiers where he enclosed on euery side for all that he sued for saftie and obteined it accordinge to Hidaspes promise yet was he the falsest man aliue who caused twoo Persians to goe ouer with the Aethiopians vnder coloure that they shoulde enquire and know howe they of Eliphantina would make peace with Hidaspes but in déede to vnderstand whether they made them selues ready to Battaile if he by any meanes could escape whiche fraudulente and guilefull deuise he put then in practise And when he founde them well prouided he leadde them foorthe straighte and protracted no time til he came to his enimies puttinge all his hope in celeritie if he mighte take his enimies vnprouided By this time either Armye had fighte of other and he tooke the fielde firste with al the Persian brauery so that it glistered with theire siluer and gilte Armoure as if all the place had benne on fire For then the Sunne arose and shining vpon the Persians gaue such a wonderful brightnesse from their complet Harneys that it rebounded vpon those that were a greate waie of In the right winge of his Army he placed the Medes and Persians that dwelled not farre of in the Forfrunte whereof wente those that were surely armed the Archers that were lightly Harnessed came behinde them that they might shoote the better beinge defended by them In his left winge were the Egyptians and Aphricanes placed and Slingers and Archers with them too them he charged ofte to breake out and assaile the side of their enimies Battayle Him selfe was in the middest of his maine Battaile sittinge in a Chariote very brauely enclosed therewith rounde about for his better safety before whom were his barde Horsemen vpon truste of whome he ventured to ioyne with his enimies For this is a valiaunt crue and is set before the other Army as if it were a walle that might not be battred They are armed thus A picked fellowe of greate strength putteth vpon him an Helmet accordinge whiche is as sitte for him as if he should put on a Visarde in a Maske this couereth all his head downe to his shoulders sauinge that there be holes left for him to looke out at in his right hande is a greate staffe bigger then a Speare with his lefte hande he ruleth his Horse by his side hangeth a Swoorde and all his body is couered with a Iacke And a Iacke is made thus with pieces of Brasse and Iron as bigge as the palme of a mans hande they make a coate as it were of seales layinge the ende and sides of eche of these vpon other so that the neithermost parte of one goeth ouer the toppe of the other and so they sowe them togeather and this lieth vpon euery parte of the body without any adoo it compasseth euery iointe and neuer letteth a man either to straine out his limmes or drawe them in for it hath sâ—éeues and reacheth from the necke downe to the knées sauing that necessitie forseeth that it be cut of betwixte the thighes as one should sitte vpon his Horse and suche is a Iacke whiche beateth of all Dartes and kéepeth of all manner of blowes Ouer there legges to their knées they pull on a Boate whiche is tied to their Iacke Like vnto this doo they arme theire Horses too aboute his legges they tie Bootes and couer his heade with Frontales of sâ—éele from his backe downe beneath his belly hangeth a clothe with diuerse wreathes of Iron which dothe bothe Arme him by reason of the space that is betwéene it hindreth not his course at all Beinge thus appointed and in a manner throwen into his Armoure he sitteth vpon his Horse mary he leapeth not vp him selfe but other helpe him he is so combred with the waight of his Armoure And when the time of Battayle commeth he geueth his Horse the Raines and spurreth him with his heeles and so faste as he can he rideth vpon his enimies like a man made of Iron or an Image fashioned with hammers His great staffe at the fore end is tied to his Horse necke with a corde and the hinder ende is made faste to the buttockes of the Horse so that in the conflicte it flieth not backe but helpeth the Horsemans hande which doth but guide the same arighte and by that meanes geueth the greater blowe so that it ruÌ„neth through euery man that it hittes and oftentimes it beareth through too menne at one blowe With suche a Troupe of Horsemenne the Persian Army thus appointed the Deputie set forwarde toward his enimies leauinge the fludde euer behinde him foreseinge because he was farre inferiour to the Aethiopian in number that the water shoulde be in stéede of a Wall to him that he might not be compassed aboute with his enimies Likewise Hidaspes broughte on his Army and placed the Souldiers that came from Moroe beinge very cunninge in fightinge hand to hand againste the Persians and Medes in his enimies righte winge He set moreouer against them who were in his enimies lefte winge the Trogloditae whiche came from that Countrie where the Cinamon groweth being light harnished Souldiers and excellente swifte of foote and cunninge Archers But againste the middell warde whiche he hearde was the strongest he set him selfe and his Elephantes with Towres on their backes and the Souldiers that came from the people called Blemmies Seres whome he instructed what they shoulde doo when they came to fight When the token was geuen in the Persian Army with Trumpette but in the Aethiopian with Drumme and Timbrell Oroondates set forwarde as faste as he could but Hidaspes at first went as softely as possible he might by this meane prouidinge that the Elephantes shoulde not be farre from those that shoulde rescue and defende them and that the Horsemen in the middell of his enimies Army should be tired before they came to strokes as soone as they were within daunger of shotte and the Blemmies perceiued that the Horsemen were hasty to comme vpon them did as Hidaspes commaunded and leauing the Seres to sée to the Elephantes they ranne a greate waie before their fellowes towarde the Horsemen that those who sawe them woulde haue thought they had benne madde that beyng so fewe durst incounter with so many and so well Armed Herewithal the Persians spurred their Horses faster then they did before taking their boldenesse in manner for a vantage and thought without more adoo at the firste dashe to dispatche them Then the Blemmies when they were almost come to hande strookes and in a maner stocke vpon their Speares suddainely all at once fell downe crepte vnder
the Horses and knéelinge with one knée vpon the grounde layed their heades shoulders vnder the Horses without any harme sauinge that they were troden a little with their féete But they did a wonderful strauÌ„ge thinge for contrary to all mens opinion they wounded the Horses and thrust them in the bellies as they paste by them wherwith a great sort fel downe by reason that their Horses for griefe would be ruled no loÌ„ger so cast them Whom as thei laie on heapes the Blemmies wounded vnder y e thighes for y e Persian Horseman is not hable to sturre if he wante his Horse They whiche escaped with their Horses whole fel into the Seres handes They as soone as their enimies came neare stepte behinde the Elephantes as behinde a greate Tower and moste sure Couerte There was a greate slaughter so that theire Horsemen were almoste all slaine For their Horses beinge afraide of the greatenesse and straunge sighte of Elephantes shewed to them on the suddaine some turned backe other ranne aside and caused the maine Battaile to breake theire Araye straighte They who were vpon the Elephantes because euery Towre had sixe men in itso that on euery side twoo fought saue behinde shot so continually and so straighte as thoughe they had shot at somme marke out of their Towers and as if they had benne in somme steady Casâ—le so that the thickenesse of their Arrowes was like a Clowde to the Persians especially for that the Aethiopians makinge theire enimies eies theire marke as thoughe they foughte not alike for life but contended whether were the better Archers did so hit theire marke that those who were striken ranne here and there with the Arrowes as if they had benne Pipes in their eies If any of them came againste theire willes out of the Araye because their Horses woulde not be ruled they fel emong the Elephantes where they died there being ouerthrowen of the Elephantes and troden vnder their féete or els killed of the Blemmies and Seres who ranne out vpon them as if they laie at receipâ—e behinde the Elephantes wounded some with Arrowes and other they killed when their Horses cast them to the grounde To be shorte who so euer escaped did nothing woorthy talke nor hurte the Elephantes any whit for that the Beaste is couered with Iron when he commeth to Battaile if he were not he hathe of Nature so harde a scale ouer his body that no Speare can enter therinto Lastly when all that remained aliue were put to flight the Deputie with shame yenough foresooke his Chariot and got him on Horsebacke and fled and the Egyptians and Aphricanes who were in the lefte wingâ— knewe nothing hereof but fought manfully and tooke more hurte a greate deale then they did mary they bore it out valiantly For the Souldiers of the Countrie out of whiche the Cinamon commeth being set againste them charged them soare and draue them to suche shiftes that they knewe not what to doo because when they set vpon them then woulde they flée and runninge a greate waie before would turne their Bowes behinde them and shoote as they fledde but if they fledde then woulde they pursue them neare and either with Slinges or litle Arrowes impoysoned with Dragons bloud anoye theÌ„ greiuously for euery one of them hathe a rounde Wrythe vpon his head in which their Arrowes are set in order they turne the feathers towarde their heades and suffer the Arrow heades to hange out like the beames of the Sunne then in skirmishe doo they take out their Arrowes as readily as if they had a Quiuer and leapinge and daunsinge in and out Satyre like them selues beinge vnarmed shoote at theire enimies and haue no Iron heades vpon theire shaftes For they take a bone out of the Dragons backe whereof they make theire Arrowes an ell longe This donne as wel as they can they sharpen the same and make a naturall head thereof so called perhaps y e boanes that comme out of Greece The Egyptians mainteined the Battaile and kepte their order a greate while and receiued the shot vpon their shieldes either for that they be of nature greate sufferers and make their boaste not so profitable as arrogante that they care not for deathe or els fearing to be pounished if they shrunke from their Standardes But after they hearde that the Horsemen which was the chiefe strength and greatest hope of their battaile were put to slighte and the Deputy gonne and that the Meades and Persians which were the best Souldiers had donne no notable feate but a litle damage to the men of Meroe againste whom they were placed and receiued a great deale more and that euery man els was fledde they beganne to leaue fightinge and turne theire backes too Hidaspes séeinge this not able Victory out of his Tower as wel as if he had ben on the top of an high Hill he sente Heraultes to them that folowed the chase not to kil any moe but take as many as they could aliue and aboue all other Oroondates whiche was donne For the Aethiopians drawinge their maine battailes alonge yet so that their Aray was very thicke turned y e winges rounde aboute and so enclosed the Persian Armye and lefte no place for them to flée but through the Riuer into the which when many fell and were in greate daunger emong the Chariottes and other multitude of men theÌ„ perceiued they that that policie whiche the Deputie vsed in the conducte of his Army was very foolishe and to no pourpose because at the firste when he feared least his enimies shoulde beset him rounde aboute and therefore so leadde his Army that Nylus was euer at their backes he marked not that he left no place for him selfe wherby he mighte flée There was he him selfe taken at suche time as Achemenes Cibeles Sonne who by this time hearde what newes were at Memphis wente aboute in that broyle to kill him selfe for he repented that he tolde any thinge of Arsace nowe séeinge that all argumentes whereby he mighte proue the same were taken awaye and yet was deceiued and had not geuen him a deadly wounde but he him selfe straight paied for it being stroken through with an Arrow of an Aethipian who knew the Deputie and desired to saue him as the charge was geuen and was offended that any man in flight from his enimies should so shamefully set vpoÌ„ his owne felowes and take that oportunitie which fortune profered a time to be reuenged of his priuate aduersary When he was brought by him that had taken him prisoner Hidaspes sawe him ready to sownde and soare blodyed whiche he caused to be stinted straighte with suche thinges as were prouided therefore because he determined to saue him if he mighte he comforted him thus I graunte you youre life with al my harte for it is a greate praise to subdewe the enimie in the fielde as longe as he withstandeth by manhoode but when