in law that shuld haue maried her daughter had taken vpon her to kil her husband and make her peramor king If her daughter had not bewrayed all her mothers whordome and priuye conspiracies to her father Theolde man therfore being deliuered out of so many pearils died leauing the kingdome to his eldest sonne Alexander who in the verye entraunce of his raigne made peace with the â—…yrians and deliuered his brother Philip in hostage In pro cesse of time also by the same hostage he entred a league of peace with the Thebanes the which thinge was a greate furtherans vnto Philip in all princely vertues whervnto he was meruelously enclined of nature For being 〈◊〉 as an hostage iii. yeres at Thebes a city of auncient seueritye he passed his childhode in the house of the moste renoumed captain and Philosopher 〈◊〉 Ere it was loÌ„g after Alexander was surprised and slain â—…y the treson of hys mother Eurydice whom Amyntas hauing taken her wyth the fault had before pardoned for the Childrens sake that he had by her not knowing y â— in time to com she wold be their vtter destructioÌ„ His brother Perdicas also was by like tre sonpreuented It is an abhominable thing y â— for filthy lusts sake the mother shuâ—…d work the death of her own childreÌ„ at whose coÌ„templation she was saued from the punishmeÌ„t that her wickednesse had deserued The murther of Perdicas semed so much more heinous in that not so muche as his litle childe could finde any mercy at his cruell mothers hand Philip therfore a long time tooke not vpon 〈◊〉 as king but as protector of the infant But when the country was sore oppressed with warre and that it wold be to late to tary for help vntil the childe came to age he was coÌ„pelled of the people to take the kingdom vpon him Assone as he begoÌ„ his raign al meÌ„ conceiued great hope of him both for his wit which in manner all redy declared that he wold proue a great man And also for the ancient Prophecies of Macedonie which said that while one of the sonnes of amin tas raigned thestate of Macedone shuld be most florishing the which hope and prophecies to fulfil there wer now no mo left aliue through the wickednesse of their mother but only he In the beginning of his raign when on thoue side the murder of his brothers vnworthely slain on the other side the multitude of his enemies on a nother side the fear of treson and on another side want of mony artillery the realme being in manner wasted and consumed with continuall warre disquieted the minde of this yong souldioure that sondry nations out of diuers places at one tyme flocked together as it wer by a common conspiracy to the entent to oppresse Macedonie by battell For as muche as he was not able to matche them all at once he thoughte it conuenient to dispence with them some he toke truce with vpon reasonable Articles â–ª some he bought of for mony and suche as were weakest he assailed by force by vanquishing of whome he did bothe strengthen the faint hartes of hys souldiers and tooke awaye the disdaine that his ennemies had at him The first encounter that he had was with the Atheniens whome he ouercame by policy and for feare of a worser afterclap wheras he might haue slain them all he sent them all safe home without raunsome After this he turned hys power against the Illyrians of whom he slew many thousandes and toke their head city called Laryssa Next not so muche for couetousnesse of praye as for dâ—…syre to ioyne the Thessalian horsmen to his fotemen therby to encrease the strength of his army he conquered the country of Thessaly â—…re anye hostilitye or warre was looked for and so of theyr horsemen and his owne fotemen made one bodye and inuincible army The which thinges comminge luckelye to passe he tooke to wife Olympias the Daughter of Neoptolemus king of the Molosses The maker of this marriage was his brother Arimbas king of the Molosses vncle to tâ—…e maid by the fathers side who had the bringinge vp of her had taken in mariage Troas 〈◊〉 of y â— said Olympias which was the cause of muche mischiefe vnto him and finallye of his destruction For wheras by the affinity of king Philip he hoped to haue had his kingdom enlarged he was by the same Philip depriued of his owne Realme and compelled in his olde age to liue a banished man These thinges thus brought to passe Philip could not nowe content hym selfe to repulse iniurye offered by others but prouoked and distroubled suche as sate still in quiet As he besieged the city of Methon one threwe a dart at him from the wall as he passed by and strake out his right eie For y â— which wound he became neither the slouthfuller in his enterpryse nor the angrier againste his ennemies In so muche that within few daies after wheÌ„ they desired peace be grauÌ„ted it and vsed the victory against them not only modestlye but also mercifully The eyghte Booke THe cities of Grece while euery of them sought to beare rule were euery chone brought vnder subiection For after the time they coulde not with holde them selues â—…ut that they must seke eche others destruction they were vnuanqui shed of all men and brought to confusi on None but suche as were oppressed did fele the losse and smart hereof For Philip king of Macedone lying in a wait like a spy out of a watch toure to surprise them all of theyr liberty by nourishing debate betwene City and City and by supporting the weaker side compelled both the conque red and the conquerors to become his vassals and subiects The originall cause of all this mischiefe were the Thebanes who hauing the soueraignty and wanting discretion to vse their good fortune arrogantly accused at the common couÌ„sel of Grece the Lace demonians and the Phocenses whome they had vanquished in battel as thoughe the slaughters rauish ments that they had abidden had beene to little punishment for them It was laide to the Lacedemonians charge that they had taken the towre of Thebes in the time of truce and to the Phocenses that they had wasted the couÌ„try of Beotia as thoughe that after warre and battell they would haue the lawes also to worke their forâ—…e IudgemeÌ„t being executed according to the plesure of the conquerors they were condempned in suche a summe of mony as was not possible to be paide The Phocenses therfore when they shoulde haue bene bereft of their landes their children and their wiues compelled therby to vtter necessity chose one Philomelus to their captain and as men offended with God him selfe inuaded the Temple of Apollo at Delphos Herevpon being enriched with gold and other mony they waged an army of souldiers straungers and made warre to the Thebanes This dede of the Phocenses although all men abhorred
comming oute of Asia entred the mouth of Tyber ioyned amitie with the Romayns From thence they went by water to thuttermoste coast of Fraunce and there among the Liguriens the cruell Frenchmen 〈◊〉 buylded the cytie Marsielles and dyd many noble actes bothe in defendyng themselfes by the sworde agaynst the sauage Frenchmen also in assailyng those that had assayled them before For the Phocenâ—…es by reason of the barrei esse and sterilitie of their contrie were compelled to set their myndes more earnestlie vppon the water then vppon the land and so they lyued by fishyng by traffike of merchaÌ„dyse and oftentymes by rob bing on the sea which in those days was coÌ„ted for a praise By meanes wherof they adueÌ„tured to thuttermoste border of Thocean arriued vppon the French coast by the ryuer of Rone with the plasauntnes of which place they were so taken in loue that at their returne home they re ported what they had sene and procured mo of their contrymen to go thither with them The Captaynes of their flete were furius Peranus Who with their company presented 〈◊〉 before Senanus kyng of the Segoregians in whose territorie they coueted to buyld them a cytie desyring his amitie frendship By chaunce the very same day the king was occupied in preparacion for the mariag of his daughter Eyptis whome accordyng to the custome of the countrie he purposed to marry to suche a one whome she herself at the feast would chose to be her husband Among other that were bydden to the Mariage the straungers of Grece were desyred to the feaste also Anone the yong lady was brought in who beyng coÌ„manded by her father to reache a cup of water to him whome she wold haue to her husband passed ouer all thother gestes turnyng herselfte the Grekes gaue the water to Peran Who by this meanes beyng made of a straunger the kynges sonne in law obteyned of his father a ploâ—…te to buyld a Cytie vppon So was the Cytie of Marsielles buylded hard by the mouthe of the riuer of Rone in an out nooke as it wer in an angle of the sea But the Ligurians enuying the prosperitie of the Cytie distroubled the Grekes with their continuall warres Who through valeaunt defendyng of themselfes became so renoumed that after they had vanquished their enemies they buylded many cyties in the groundes that they toke froÌ„ them At theire handes the Frenchmen lerned a more ciuill trade of liuynge throughe the whiche ' theire Barbarousnesse was layde a syde and as it were tamed togither with the tyllage of the grounde and the wallyng in of their cyties Then they framed themselfes to lyue by lawes and not by force then they lerned to shred theire vynes then they lerned to plant and graffe their olyues fynally bothe the men all other thynges were so exquisytely polyshed that Grece semed not to be remoued into Fraunce But rather that Fraunce was transformed into Grece After the death of Senanus kyng of the Gegoregians by whome the place to buylde the cytie vppon was graunted his sonne Comanus succedyng him in the kyngdome was inuegled againste the Massiliens by one of his Lordes alledgyng that the tyme would come that Marsielles shoulde be the destruccion of the people that were next neigâ—…bors about it wherfore it was to be suppressed now in y â— very rising therof least afterward being suffred to grow stronger it might oppresse him For the further manifestacion wherof he recited this fable how vppon a tyme a bytâ—…h beyng great with whelpe desyred a shepeherde to lende her houseroume to whelpe in the whiche beyng obteyned she desyred of hym eftsones to respite her so longe but tyll she mighte brynge vp her whelpes at length when they were full growen she and her whelpes were so strong that she chalenged the place to her selfe for euer In lykewise the Massilians whiche then semed to be but soieourners would perchaunce hereafter become Lords of the couÌ„trie The king beyng prouoked by this instigacion deuised how to surprise the MassiliaÌ„s So vppon a so lemne feastfull day of the Goddesse flora he sent a greate sorte of strong stout men into the Cytie as it had ben to make merrie causyng a great number mo to be coÌ„ueyed in cartes and wagens hyddeÌ„ with rushes and leaues and he himself with his host lay in ambushe in the next moun taynes to th entent that in the night when thother had set open the gates he might comme with all spede to the performance of his prepensed pollicie put the cytie to the sworde as they were dead a slâ—…pe or elles eatyng and drinkyng But a kynswoman of the kynges bewrayed this treason who beyng wonte to playe the goodfellowe with a certayn yong man of the Grekes as she embraced him hauing pytie on him for his beautie vttered the mat ter vnto him counselled him to auoyde the daunger He forthwith tolde the matter to the Officers of the Cytie By meanes whereof the treason commyng to light the Liguriens were layd hand on and they that laye hydden in the rushes were pulled oute by the heles The whiche beyng euerichone â—…layne the treason was turned vppon the kynges owne head for the Massilians slewe the kyng himselfe and seuen thousande of his souldiers with him From that day forward the Massiliens vppon their feast full dayes kept their gates shutte made good watche set men to warde vppon the walles serched all straungers tooke good hede and euen as yf they had had warre so kept they the Cytie in tyme of peace So well is good order kept among them at al tymes not so much in time of nede as vpon custome of doyng well Afterward thei had sore warres with the Ligurians with the Frenchmen The which thyng bothe encreased the renoume of the city also by atcheuing so many victories made the knight â—…ode â—…heualry of the Grekes famous redouted amoÌ„g their neighbors Moreouer thei diuerse times vanquished the armies of the Carthaginenses When they warred vpon theÌ„ for taking of their fisher botes gaue the peace at their pleasure like conquerors With the Spanyardes they entered in leage of amitie with the Romayns they made a continuall confederacâ—…e aliance almost from the fyrst laying of the foundacion of the cytie the whiche they obserued moste faithfullie and to thuttermoste of theire power ayded theÌ„ as their coÌ„federates in al their warres The which thyng both made theÌ„ to be bolder to trust to their own strength also purchased theÌ„ peace of their en nemies Therfore at such time as Marsiels florished most in renowme of cheualrie in abundance of riches was in the chief flower of her strength sodaynly al the people bordering about theÌ„ gathered theÌ„selfes together to rote vp the name of the Massiliens as it had ben to ertinguish some coÌ„mon fyre A noble man called Caramandus was by a coÌ„mon consent chosen to be
into hys kyngdome Mardonius is vanquished in Beotia Them istocles hath the pro rogatiue for his prowesse Athens is buylded agayn the Lacedemo nians make warre vppon the Persians Pausanias is condemned of treason Xerxes proclaymeth open warre agayn agaynst Grece he is ouercomme by Cymo duke of Athenes bothe on sea and land and returneth into his kyngdome The conteyntes of the thyrd Boke XErxes and his sonnes are slayne by the treason of Artabanus Artaxâ—…xes reuengeth the death of his father The Lacedemonians and Thatheniens fall at varians Lycurgus maketh lawes willyngly vannisheth hymself the Lacedemonians make warre vppon the Messeniens the Partheniens place themselfs at Tarent in Italy Messene rebelleth and is subdued warre is renued betwene the Lacedemonians and Thatheniens the Lacedemonians breake the truce the notable demeanor of Pericles truce is taken agayn and broken by the Lacedemonians The conteyntes of the fowerth Boke THe description of Sycill with the wonders therof â—…olus taketh vppon him the crowne of the same after whome euery eytie hath his Tyrrant among whome Anaxilaus contendeth agaynst thothers crueltie with Iustice and Equitie The men of Rhegium are cruelly dispossessed of their Cytie by their con â—…ederates The Cathanenses and Syracusans fall at debate the Athentens ayde the Catanenses truce is taken broken by the Syracusans Ahatheniens succor the Catanenses agayne 〈◊〉 rescoweth Syracuse vanquisheth the Atheniens bothe by sea and by lande and vtterlie destroyeth bothe their men and shyppes The contyentes of the fyft Boke ALâ—…ibiades willyngly bannisheth himself and compelleth the kyng of Lacedemon to warre vpon ThathenieÌ„s the which Darius kyng of Persia furthereth also 〈◊〉 causeth the cyties oâ—… Asia to reuolte from Thathentens the Lacede monians lye in wayt to kyll him he escapeth by the admonition of the wyfe of kyng Agis and flyeth to 〈◊〉 kyng Darius lyeuetenaunt in Lydia whome he withdraweth from the Lacedemonians the Ambassadors of Athens come vnto him he is reuoked into his countrie and made admirall he ouercommeth the Lacedemonians and is ioyfully receyued of his Cytizens he receyueth a losse by ouâ—…rsyght and bannisheth himself agayn 〈◊〉 are brought to vtter distresse Conon their Captayn flyeth to Cyprus the cytie is yelded vp to the Lacedemonians thyrty Tyrants haue the gouernaunce therof Darius kynge of Persia dyeth Dionyse the yonger is expulsed oute of Sycill Alâ—…biades is burned in hys lodgyng 〈◊〉 expulseth the xxx 〈◊〉 tenne others are placâ—…d in their stead â–ª Pauianias kyng of Lacedeuion commaun deth them out of the cytie and gyueth peace to the Atheniens the Tyraunâ—…s makyng warre agaynste Athenes are taken and put to death Artaxerxes sucâ—…edeth hys father Darius in y â— Persian kingdome Cyrus rebelieth agaynst his brothâ—…r Aâ—…xerxes and is slain the Grekâ—… that came to his ayde returne into their countrye vnvanquished The contentes of the syxte Booke THe Lacedemonians couet Th empyre of Asia â—…nes is displaced of his office of Lieuetenauntship Conon of Athenes is made Admyrall of the Persian flete the Lacedemonians send for ayde into Egypte 〈◊〉 is sent agaynst Conon Conon ouercommeth Lysander vppon the sea Athens is set at lybertie agayn Epamynondas ouercommeth the â—…a cedemonians and sleath Lysander Agesyiaus wresteth the victory from the Thebanes the Atheniens sende Iphicrates with an host to chayd of the Thebans y e Lacedemonians are broght to 〈◊〉 dispayre Conon is receyued with great ioye of his cytizens Athenes is repayred Aâ—…axerxes proclaymeth a generall peace through all Grece and setteth all the cyties at lybertie he maketh warre against Egypt Rome is taken by the Frenchmen warre ryseth betwene the Lacedemonians and Arcadians and is ceased of their owne accord Epamynondas Duke of Thebes inuaded Lacedemon and is repulsed by the olde menne Agesylaus encountereth with hym Epaminondas is slayne with whome the prowesse of the Grekes decayeth The conteintes of the seuenth Boke HE entreateth of 〈◊〉 and of the kynges thereof â—…ranus followyng a herd of goates wynneth the cyâ—…ie Edyssa he turneth the name therof maketh it the head of Macedone and subdueth diuers kyngs after him 〈◊〉 Perdicas and prophecieth of his posteritie Argeus taketh his place and 〈◊〉 the crown to his son Europâ—… the Macedones ouercome the Illyrians 〈◊〉 succedeth whose son Alexander kylleth the Persian Ambassadors sent by Darius of whome mencion is made in the fyrst and seconde bokes Bubares marryeth Alexanders syster Amynthas succedeth Alexander the mother kylleth her owne children Philyp is brought vp at Thebes and afterward he is crowned kyng he vanquisheth his borderâ—…rs conquereth the â—…ens maryeth Olympias the mother of great Alexander winneth Methone The contentes of the eyght Boke THe Lacedemonians Phocenses are condemned in a great sum of mony the Phocenses robbe the Temple of Delphos Philip is chosen Captayn generall agaynste them and vanquisheth them the which beyng doone he spoyleth the Thebanes whome he came to defend he stealeth the kyngdome of Cappadocia destroeth Olynthe in Thrace inâ—…th the goldmynes in Chessaâ—… the syluet â—…es in Thrace spoyleth the two kyngs of Thrace of their kyngdome maketh peace with Chateâ—…ens geueth sâ—…le aunswers to Chaâ—… of Grece breaketh premis with the Phocenses remoueth whole nacions and Cyties from countrie to countrie sâ—…th the Dardamerans dâ—…seth Arymba kyng of Eâ—…yre geuyng the kyngdo me to Alexander the brother of his 〈◊〉 Olympsas The contentes of the nynethe Boke PHâ—… besiegeth Constantinople duryng the which he wiâ—… neth many cyties â—…f Chersonesus feighteth vnprosperously agaynst the Tryballes he maketh warre to the â—…niens wynneth the Soueranity of Grece executeth strâ—…ghte Iustice vppon the Thebanes somoneth a Parlament at Cormthe prepateth for warre astaynst the Persians is sâ—…ayne by Pausâ—…ras at his daughters maâ—…ge The description of his nature and condicions with a comparison betwene him and his sonne Alexander The contentes of the tenthe Boke THe natural affection of Artaxerxes Mnemon toward his sonne Darius his treason against his father y â— punishmeÌ„t of Darius his fyfty brothers the cruelty of Ochus the prowesse of Codoman for the which he is created kyng by the name of Daius The conteyntes of the eleuenth Boke THe disquietnesse of the Macedones after the death of Phylype the whiche Alexander appeaseth Alexander putteth his kynsfelke to death suppressed rebellioÌ„s goeth forward with the warres that his father purposed againste the Persians â–ª pardoneth the Atheniens 〈◊〉 Thebes entereth into Asia vanâ—… 〈◊〉 ouercommeth diuers of his Lieuetenantes goeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cytie 〈◊〉 and vntyeth the knot of the wayne a digression to thaâ—…yres and the kynges of Phrygia Alexander maketh haste to Châ—…us in Cilicia is reâ—…ered of a daungerous disease ouercommeth Darius agayne taketh the mother wyfe and daughters of Darius prysoners maryeth one of his prisoners called Barsiue sendeth Parmenio to inuade the â—…ersian flete and other of his noble 〈◊〉 to receyue the Cyties of Asia maketh abdolominus a kyng of a Gardiner winneth the 〈◊〉 Cyrus perforce goeth to
of her empyre but rather broughte her in greater admiration of all menne that she beynge a woman had surmounted in prowesse not only women but also men She buylded Babilon and enclosed it with a wall of brycke enterlayed with sand and Bytamen which is a kynd of slymye mortar yssuyng out of the ground in diuers places of that countrye Many other noble enterprises this Queene atchieued For beyng not content to maynteyne the state of th empyre and boundes of the same as her husbande lefte it vnto her she subdued Aethyop thereunto And besides that she made warre vpon Indie whereunto there was neuer any that durst geue the aduenture sauyng she onely and great Alexander At the last vnnaturallye desyryng to company with her owne sonne she was by him slayne whē she had reygned xlii yeares after the death of her husbande Ninus Her sonne Ninus beyng contented with the countreyes wonne by his parentes layeng asyde all Chiualrye and knighthoode as though he had chaunged nature with his mother was seldome seene of men but spente hys tyme among a sorte of women His posterity also followynge his example gaue aunswere to the people to ambassadours by messengers The Empyre of Thassirians whyche afterward were called Syrians continued 1300. yeres The last kyng that reigned amonge theym was Sardanapalus a man more vicious than any woman Unto whose presence Arbactus whom he had made lyeuetenaunt ouer the Medes beyng by long suyte had much intreataunce hardly at length admitted which thing was neuer graunted to any man be fore found him amonge a sorte of concubines spinning purple on a rocke in womans apparayle passyng all the womē there in softenesse of body and nycenesse of countenaunce and weyeng out to eche of them theyr taske At the whiche light Arbactus disdayning that so manye men shuld be subiect to such a woman and that so many valiaunte knyghtes and men of warre should be slaues to a woman went forth and tolde his peres what he had sene sayeng he coulde not fynde in his hart to serue and obey such a one as had rather be a woman then a man Whereupon the Lordes confedered them selues together and had him battell Who hearing thereof not like a man entendyng to defend his kyngdome but as women are wont to do for feare of death first sought a corner to hyde his head and soone after with a few and out of aray he came into the felde where beynge vanquished he retired into his pallace there makyng a great bonefire cast him selfe and all his ryches thereinto plainge the man in this only poynt After this Arbactus the worker of his confusion which before was lieutenaunte ouer y e Medes was instituted made kyng And he translated the empire frō the Assirians to the Medes In processe of tyme after many kynges by order of descent the kyngdom came vnto Astyage This man hauing done issue sauing one onely daughter dreamed that he sawe spryng out of her priuye members a vine whose braunches shadowed all Asia The interpretours of dreames and wonders beyng asked theyr iudgement and aduice in the matter made aunswere that hys daughter shoulde brynge hym fothe a nephewe whose greatnesse was by his vision declared before and that by him be should he deposed from his kingdome The kyng being not a litle abash◅d with this interpretacion maryed hys doughter neyther to a Noble man nor to one of his owne countrey least the nobilitie of the parētes should aduaunce encourage his nephewe to take much vpon him but vnto a man of meane estate and liuing of the countrey of Persia which in those ◅ayes was reputed as a base countreye and of no regard or estimation Neuerthelesse beyng not by this acte quite dispatched of the feare of this dreame he sent for his doughter beyng great with childe that as soone as she were deliuered he myght see the babe kylled ▪ Assoone as the childe was borne it was deliuered to be ◅layne vnto Harpagus one of y e kinges priuye counsaile Harpagus fearing that if after the decease of the kyng because he had no yssue male to succede him the kingdome should descend vnto his doughter she would reuenge the death of her chylde vpon him being a subiecte which she could not do vpon her father ▪ deliuered the childe to the kinges herman commaū ding him to cast it away By chaunce the verye same tyme the herdman him selfe had a sonne newlye borne Whose wife hearing of the casting away of the kynges childe earnestly besought her husbande to fetche the childe vnto her that she myght see hym The shepeherd ouercome with the earnest intreataunce of his owne wife returned into the wood where he founde a bytche geuing the childe sucke and defending it frō foules and wilde beastes Then beyng moued with pitie to see the bytche so naturall and pitifull he tooke vp the childe bare it home to his cottage the bitche folowing him egerlye all the waye Assoone as the woman tooke the babe in her armes he smiled and played with her as though he had knowen her and there appeared in him such a chearfulnesse as it were a certayne smiling and flattering countenaunce that she desyred the shepeherd herhusbande to cast awaye his owne childe and suffer her to bryng vp that in the sted of it such was the good fortune of the childe or els the hope that she of hym conceyued And so the destinye of the two children beyng chaūged the kinges nephewe was brought vp for the shepeherdes sonne and the shepeherdes sonne was cast away for the kynges nephewe the nources name was afterward called Sparcon bicause the Persiās do cal a bytche so in theyr language The childe beyng broughte vp amonge the shepeherdes was named Cyrus And in the meane tyme beyng chosen kynge amonge children as they were a playeng when in sporte he whypped suche as wer stubbourne agaynst him the parentes of the children made thereof a great complaynt to the kyng sayeng it stoode not with their honour that their children should be beaten like slaues of the kynges bondman The kyng sendynge for ◅he chylde demaunded of hym whye he dyd so He aunswered without any chaungyng of countenaunce at all for the mat ter that he had done as it became a kynge to do The kyng maruayling at his audacitye came in remembraunce of his dreame and the interpretacion thereof and so when bothe the countenaunce of the chylde and also his lykenesse vnto him selfe the time of his castyng away and the examinaciō of the shepeherd agreed in one he acknowledged him to be his nephewe And for bycause he thoughte him selfe dispatched of his dreame in as much as the childe had played the kyng among the shepeherdes the cruell hart that he bare toward the child was clerely thereby relented But to his frende Harpagus he became so deadly an enemy for sauing of his nephewe that to reuenge his
made lieuetenaunte of the Armenians In processe of time after y ◠death of king Ochus in remēbrans of hys former prowesse the people created him kyng And to th entent nothing shuld want in him that appertained to thestate of a king they called him by the renowmed name o◅ Darius Who afterward with great prowesse held warre a long time with greate Alexander somtime to his gaine and sometime to his losse At laste beinge vanquished of Alexander and slain of his own kinsmen he ended his life to gether with the Empire of the Persians The eleuenth Booke IN tharmy of Philip as there were sondry sorts of people Euen so after y ◠time that he was slain their mindes wer diuersly moued For some that were oppressed with wrongfull seruitude comforted them selues with hoope of libertye Others wearye of the warfares so far frō their natiue country reioysed to thinke y ◠the viage shuld be broken vp and they dismissed Manye were sory to see the Tapers y ◠were made to set before the daughter at her mariage stand vpon the herse of the father His frēds also wer not a litle amased at so sodain mutation of things considering how Asia was lately chalenged Europe scarsly yet cōquered and howe the Illyrians Thracians Dardanians other barbarous nations wer of minde vnconstāt and vnwauerig of promise vnfaithful not to be trusted to All the which people if they should forsake their obediens rebel all at ones it were not possible by any meanes to resist them Unto all these mischeues the comming of Alexander was as it wer a presēt salue Who in an oration so c◅forted forted encoraged al the people for the time y ◠he bothe exempted al fear out of their harts and made them to conceiue good hope expectation of him self He was then xx yeres old in the which he promised many things of him self wyth suche modesty y ◠it appered he wold do more when it came to the profe then he spake of He gaue the Macedones a quite discharge of al things sauing he wold not exempt them from the warres by the which dede he purchased him selfe such at al mens hands y ◠they said they had changed the body of their king but not his vertues the first chiefest regard y ◠he had was to enter his father accordinge to his estate In executing wherof before al other things he caused all such persons to be put to death vpon his fathers tombe as wer accessary to the same Only he pardoned Alexander of Lyncests his brother reseruing in him the good fore token of his own estate for as much as he was y ◠firste that saluted him by the name of a king Moreouer he caused Caranus his mother in lawes sonne his brother in law to be put to death as one that loked to be a partner with him in the kingdom In the beginning of his raigne he subdued many countries that rebelled and suppressed manye insurrections euen in the very rising Whereby beinge greatlye encouraged he went leiserly into Grece wher after the example of his father sommoning the Cities to appeare before him at Corinthe he was substituted captaine general in his stead And thervpon he went immediatly in hand wyth y ◠wars against the Persians which his father had begone While he was busy in the furniture therof tidinges was brought him that the Atheniens the Lacedemonians and the Thebanes were reuolted from him to the Persians that the author of this reuolting was the orator Demosthen◅s corrup ted by ◅he Persians for a great sum of golde who auowed before the people that the king of Macedone wyth all hys hoste was slaine of the Tribales bringinge the tales man in open audience who to make good the matter sayde he was wounded hym selfe in the same battel that the kynge was slayne Uppon the whyche reporte the minds almost of all the Cities were chaunged and the Garrisons of the Macedones besieged The whyche motions intendynge to preuent he entred into Grece with an host well aparelled and in good order with suche celerity that they skarse beleued their owne e◅es when they sawe him because they hearde not of his commynge In hys waye thither warde he exhorted the Thessalians to keepe their allegiaunce putting them in minde of the benefites of his father Phillip toward them and of the kinred that was betwixte hym and them by his mothers side which came of the stocke of A◅acus The Thessalians were glad to heare those wordes of him and thervpon made him lieuetenaunte generall of al their country as his father had bene before and rendred vnto hym all the tributes and reuenues that he was wont to haue But the Atheniens as they were the firste that reuolted so were they the first that repented turnyng the disdaine of their ennemy into admiration and wondremēt and extollinge the childehode of Alexander whyche before they had in despite aboue the prowesse of the auncient captaines Therfore they sent ambassadors desiringe pardon and that they mighte haue peace Whom Alexander hard and with greuous rebuke graunted them their request From thence he turned his power toward Thebes intending to haue shewed like mercy if he had found like repen taunce But the Thebanes went to it with force of armes and not with intretaunce and submission Beinge therfore vanquished they suffred most greuous punishment of miserable captiuity When the matter came to debatinge in counsel as concerning the d◅truction of the citye the Phocenses the Platecenses the Thespienses and the Orchome◅ians Alexanders companions in armes and partakers of his victory rehersed the crueltye of the Thebanes in destroyinge their Cities and the good wil that they alwayes bare to y ◠Persians not only at that time but also of old time to the open preiudice and domage of the liberty of Grece whiche thing was not to be borne withall In consideration wher of they were worthelye hated of all people ▪ for the proofe wherof there neaded none other triall nor witnesse then this that they all bounde them selues with an othe to rase Thebes assone as euer they hadde ouercome and made an end with the Persians Furthermore they tolde what enterludes had bene made of their former noughtinesse in so muche that there was wel nie no stage wheron they made not open showes therof to the entent they should be hated and abhorred not only for their presēt vnfaithfulnesse but also for their olde follye and madnesse Then Eleadas one of the prisoners hauing liberty geuen him to speake said that the Thebanes had not reuolted from th◅ king in as much as they hard say he was slain but from the kings heirs In which doing if there were anye trespasse it was rather to be imputed as an ou◅rsight for being so light of credit then as a promise br◅aking or vnfaithfulnesse and yet if it were so they had all redy suffred great
y â— Alexander came to visit coÌ„fort when they saw the harnessed men they embraced one another made great lamentation as though they shuld haue died by and by Then they fel flat at Alexanders fete beseching him not for pardon of their liues but only respite of their deathes for a time to th entent they might bury Darius body Alexander being moued with pity at the tender affection of the women told theÌ„ that Darius was yet aliue and bad them be of good comfort for they shuld not die coÌ„maunding that they shuld be estemed as Quenes so to be called Furthermore he willed Darius daughters to trust to him that he would see them bestowed in mariage to no persons of baser estate then was for their fathers honor After this when he saw Darius richesse his precious orna ments his iewels and apparel they were so muche that he wondred to behold them Then began he first to make riotous bankets sumptuous feastes then began he for her beauty and fauor to fall in loue with one of his prisonners called Bersine of whom afterward he begat a sonne whom he named Hercules Notwithstandinge remembringe that Darius was yet a liue he sente Parmenio to inuade the Persian flete and other of his frendes to receiue the Cityes of Asia Which hearing of his great victory came with their lieuetenaunts that were appoynted by Darius who with a greate summe of golde yelded them selues vnto the conqueror and submitted them selues vnder his subiection Then set he forward into Syria wher he met with many kings of the East with crownes on their heads Of whom as eche of them had deserued some he toke into fauor and some he deposed setting vp kings in their steads Amongst all other Abdlominus whom Alexander made king of Sydon is worthy to be spokeÌ„ of Him wheras before time he was wont to be hired to cast ponds and water gardens leadyng his life miserably Alexander created king setting aside the noble men least for their birth linage they might rather haue semed to chalenge it of duty and not accept it as a fre gift The citezens of Tyre sent their ambassadoures wyth a crown of gold of great waighte vnto Alexander for ioye of his good successe who thankfully acceptinge their present said he wolde go to Tyre to performe his vowes to Hercules Thambassadors said he might do that better in olde Tyre in the old temple desiring he wold not enter into the new towne Wherat he toke so sore displeasure that he threatned to destroy the citye and there vpon forthwith he brought his army to the Iland whome the couragious Tyrians for the trust they had in the Carthaginenses entertained with battel For thexample of Dydo greatly encoraged the Tyrians who after that she had builded Carthage conquered the thirde parte of the worlde Thinkinge that it were a foule shame for them if their women shuld haue more hartes in conquering then they had in defending of their liberty Wherfore they sent away all such as wer not mete for the warres to Carthage and brought succors in their stâ—…ad Neuerthelesse ere long time after they wer surprised taken by treson Here vpon Alexander receiued the Rhodes Egipt and Cilicia without any stroke striking Then tooke he hys iourny to Iupiter 〈◊〉 of purpose to enquire of the chaÌ„ce of thinges to come and as concerning his own birthe For his mother Olympias confessed to Philip her husbande that she conceiued not Alexander by him but by a Serpente of wonderful bignesse And Philip him selfe a little before he died did openlye report that he was not his sonne Uppon which cause as though he had known her to haue plaid the miswoman he put away Olympias Alexander therfore be ing desirous to fetch his pedegre from God and also to deliuer his mother from slaunder of the world sent messengers priuelv before to the priestes to geue them instructions what answer he would haue them make Assone as he entred into the temple the prelates saluted him by y e name of the sonne of Hammon He being glad of this adoption of the God gaue commaundement that all men shoulde take him for his father Then he demaunded whether he had punished all suche as were gilty of the murderinge of hys father or no. They made him answer that his father could neither be killed nor die but as for the death of king Phillip he had sufficiently punished all the doers therof To his third demaund they answered that he shuld get the vpper hand in all battels and shoulde be owner of all the whole worlde To suche also as attended vppon him they gaue charge to honor Alexander as a God and not as a kyng Herevpon he grew to suche an hautinesse and so wonderful an arrogancy was rooted in his stomacke that the gentlenesse which he had learned by the literature of y â— grekes and the enstructions of the Macedones was quite rased out of his thought As he returned froÌ„ HaÌ„mon he builded AlexaÌ„diâ—…a and peopled it with Macedones ordeining it to be the hed city of Egipt Darius being eskaped to Babilon sent his letters to Alexander desiring him of liberty to ransome the women that wer his prisoners and for their raunsom he profered him a great sum of mony Howbeit Alexander would not take a piece of mony for their ransome but the whole kingdome Within a while after came a nother letter froÌ„ Darius to Alexander wherin he proferred him one of his daughters in mariage a portion of his kingdoÌ„ Alexander wrot vnto him again y â— those things that he offred him wer hys own alredy wherfore he willed him to come submit himself to put thordering of his kingdom to the discretion of his so uerain Then being past al hope of peace Darius adressed himself again to the warres and with 40000 fotemen a 10000. horsmen marched toward Alexander In his iourny newes was brought him that his wife was departed of de liuerance of a childe before her time and that Alexander wept for her death and also followed courteously after her corse to burial the which thing he had done not for that he was in loue with her but only for curtesy and humanities sake For he neuer saw her but ones in all his life wheras he wold ofteÌ„times visit his mother his litle daughters to coÌ„fort them Then Darius thinking himself clerely vaÌ„qui shed seing y â— after so many battels his enemy had ouercom him With kindnesse also thought it did him good sythe he could not get thupper hand y â— it was his chance to be vanquished of so worthy a conqueror Wherfore he wrate the iii. letter vnto him geuing him thankes y â— he had not shewed any extremity against his prisonners Offring hym the greater part of his kingdom euen vnto the riuer Eufrales with a nother of his daughters to wife and for the reast
into his handes Emnenes hearing of this practise attempted wyth a few to eskape by flight But being set backe againe seynge no hope of recouery as the multitude flocked aboute him he made request that he might yet ones ere he dyed speke vnto his army Being willed to say his minde when â—…lence was made and his bondes losed â–ª he stretched forthe his hande fettered as he was and shewed it them saying Beholde my souldiours the apparel and ornaments of your captaine whyche none of his enemies hath put vppon him For that were a comfort to him But euen you your selues you haue made me of a conqueror a vaÌ„quished persoÌ„ you haue made me of a captain a captiue four times within this twelue month you haue sworn to be true to me but I will let that passe For it is not mete for â—…en in aduersity to vpbraid others This only one thing I require at your hands that if Antigenus be so fullye bent to take my heade from me as in whose death al his affaires and purposes shuld be finished you wil let me die among you For I am sure he cares not after what sort or where I die so I be dead neyther doo I passe greatly for my life so I might be deliuered froÌ„ thys slaunderous death If you will graunt me this request I discharge you of your othe wherby you haue bound your selues so often vnto me Or if ye be ashamed to slea me your selues then reach me a weapon and geue me leaue to do that thing for you without conscience of breaking of your othe which you haue sworne so oftentimes to do for your captain When he saw he coulde not obtaine his request he left intreatance and fel to anger Now the Gods quod he the iust reuenger of periury looke vpon you you false forsworne kaitiues and geue such endes vnto you as you haue geuen vnto your captaines For it is not longe a go since you polluted your selues with the bloude of Perdicas practising to haue done the like with Antipater yea and that that is worst of all you oftentimes troubled euen Alexander himself with your seditions and mutinies doing your best to haue slain him if it had beene possyble for him to haue died of mannes hand And nowe I laste of all whiche shal be offered as a sacrifice by you false forsworne wretches do pray God that these curses maye lighte vpon you that being beggers and outlawes you may spend all your life time in this warfare like banished people neuer to retourne to your country againe and your owne weapons deuour you with the which you haue consumed mo captaines of your owne then of your ennemies This spoken in a greate rage and anger he commaunded hys keners to go before him to Antigonus campe The army fâ—…lowed after to betray their own captain and he being prisoner led as it were a triumphe of him self vnto the camp of his conquerour Deliuering vp into the conqueroures handes both them selues and all the antesignes of kynge Alexander together with the honour and renowne of so many conquestes And for because there shoulde want no pompe the Elephantes also and the suc câ—…urs of the East folowed after So much more glorious wer these thinges to Antigonus then vnto Alex ander all the conquests he atcheued in that where as Alexander conquered the East Antigonus ouercame them by whom the East was conque red Antigonus therfore dispersed those conquerours of the world into his host making restitution vnto them of such things as he had takeÌ„â—…m them at the time of their ouer throw And for because he had in times past had familyer acquaintaunce frendship with Emnenes he would not for shame suffer him to come in his sight but assigned him ii kepers In the mean season Eurydice the wife of king aride us vnderstanding that Polyperchon was retourninge out of Grece into Macedone and that he had set for Olympias being thervpon striken with womanly malice abusyng y â— weaknes of her husband whose office authority she toke vpon her wrate to Polypercbon in the kings name that he should deliuer vp the host to Cassander as into whose hand the king had put the whole order and gouernment of the Empire The like coÌ„maundement she sent also to antigonus into asia By which benefite Cassander being bound vnto her did euery thing after her rash vnaâ—… uised coÌ„maâ—…nde ment Then went he into Grece made war against ma ny cities at the â–ª destruction of whiche as of a fire neare at hand the spartanâ—…s being afraid both contrary to the aunswers of the oracles contrary to 〈◊〉 renown of their ancestors distrusting their owne chiualry enclosed their city with a strong wall the whiche euer before that time they had ben wont to defend by force of armes and not by strength of wals So much wer they degenerated froÌ„ their aâ—…cestors y â— wheras many C. yeres before the prowesse of the citezens was the wal of the city now they thought they might not liue in safety onlesse they myght hide their heds within walles While these things wer a doing the estate of Macedone was so troubled y â— Gassander was fain to return thither out of Grece For when Olym pias the mother of king Alexander the great came out oâ—… Epyre into Macedone accompanied with acacida kynge oâ—… the Molosses and that Eurydice and arideus the king went about to prohibit her from entring into the realm the Macedones whether it wer for remembrance of her husbaÌ„d king Phillip or in respecte of the greatnesse of her sonne Alexander or that they were moued at the vnworthy demeanor gathered them selues vnto Olympias at whose commaundement Eurydice and the king were both slaine wheÌ„ he had raigned vi yeres after Alexander â–ª But Olympias her self raigned not long For when she prâ—…ceaded to make slaughter of her noble men peres more like a tirant then like a Quene she turned her fauor into hatred Therfore when she hard of Cassanders coÌ„ming putting distrust in the Macedones with Roxane her daughter in law Hercules her nephew she conueyed her self into the citye Pictua She had also in her traine deidaâ—…ia the daughter of king aeacidâ—… and her daughter in law Thessalonice a Ladye much set by for her father Philips sake with many other noble mennes wiues a company more gorgious the profitable When these things wer reported to Cassander immediatly he cam in al hast to Pictua enuironed the town with a strong siege Olympias being constrained w t sword famin wery of the long continuance of the siege yelded her selfe the liues of her hers onlye saued But Cassander assembling the people together to aske theyr aduise what they woâ—…d haue don with Olympias priuely suborned y â— pareÌ„ts of such as she had put to death who putting on moâ—… ning apparel shuld come complain of her great cruelty by whom
the coun trye not deliuered For Satir the brother of Clearche after the same sort toke vpon him the tiranny aud the Heracleans many yeres after by degre of descent were vnder subiection of Tirannes ¶ The. xvii Booke ABout the same time well nie ther hapned a maruelous great earthquake in the countries of Hâ—…llespont and Chemesosus and the Citye Lylimachia being builded by Lyâ—…imachus not past a two and twenty yeres before was ouerthrowne the which wonder betookened horrible misfortune to Lysimachus and his ofspring with the decaye of his kingdome and the destruction of those countries that were vered therwyth And loke as was betokened therby so cam it to pas For within a short time after Lysimachus conceiuing a deadly hatred not only beyoÌ„d the course of a naturall father but also beyond all manhode and humanity against his sonne Agathocles whom he had proclaimed heir apparent of his kingdom by whom he had atcheued many battels prosperously by the mean and working of his stepmother Aâ—…syrice he poysoned This was the first sore of the mischief that was towards him this was the beginning of y â— ruin that hung â—…uer his head For after the murthering of his own sonne he fel to killinge of his noble men whome he executed for none other oâ—…fence then because they bewaâ—… led the death of his son By meanes wherof such as were chief officers in his campe reuolted by plumpes vnto Sâ—…leucus whom being of himself prone thervnto vpoÌ„disdaâ—… enuy at thother mannes glory they compelled to make war against Lysimacbus This was the last contention betwene them that had serued Alexander in the warres as it were a match reserued by fortune for exaÌ„ples sake Lysimachus was lxxiiii yeares olde and Seleueus â–ª lxxvii but in this age there was none of them both but he hadde a yong mannes â—…art and an iâ—…satiable desyre of dominion For when as they two alone held the whole worlde betwene them yet they thoughte them selues enclosed in a straight measuring the terme of their life not by the length of their yeres but by the boundes of their Empyre In that battell Lysimachus hauing loste before by dyuers chaunces xv children now dying manfully lastlye made himself the full and finall decaye of his owne house Seleucus reioysâ—…ng in so great a victory and that which he thought to be a greater matter then the victory that he onlye of Alexanders retinew remained and became conqueror of the conquerors bosted that it was not the work of maÌ„ but the very gift of God being vâ—…terly ignoraunte that it should not be long after ere he himself should become an example of the frailty of man For about vii moneths after by the pollicye of Ptolomy who had taken the syster of Lyâ—…machus in mariage he was surprised and slaâ—…ne and so with his life lost the kingdome of Macedone that he had taken from Lysimachus Ptolomy therfore being very diligent to curry fauour with the comminalty in remembraunce of his father Ptolomy the Great and for reuengâ—…g y â— death of Lysimachus fyrst of all determined to win the sonnes of Lysimachus vnto him and thervpoÌ„ made sute to their mother Arsinoe his sister to haue her to his wife promisinge to adopt the 〈◊〉 to th entent that when he had succeded in their roume what for reuerence to their mother or for the name of father they should not be so bolde as to attempt any thing agaynst him Moreouer he earnestlye sued by his letters to haue the fauor of his brother y e king of Egipt protestinge that he bare him no displeasure for takyng his fathers kingdome from him and y â— he woulde not any more sâ—…ke the thing at his brothers hand whiche he had with more honor gotten at the hand of his fathers enemy Furthermore he sought all the meanes he coulde deuise to winde him selfe into fauor with Emnâ—…nes and Antigonus the sonnes of Demetrius and with antiochus the soÌ„ne of Seleucus with the which he was like to â—…aue warre to â—…ntent he would not haue to do with iii. enemies at ones Nether omitted he Pâ—…rrhus king of Epyre as one that was like to be no small furtheraunce to what parte so euer he enclined himself who also coueting to set them all beside the sadle made fair countenaunce and set himselfe as it were to sale to them al. Therfore when as he was about to aid the Tarentines againste the Romaines he desyred of antigonus to lend him shippes to conuey ouer his armye of antiochus who was better furnished with rychesse then with men of warre he requested to borow a pece of mony of Ptolomy he demaunded to send to his ayd a crewe of the souldioures of Macedone But Ptolomy who by reason of his owne weaknesse was not able to bear with him long lent him fiue thousand footemen foure thousande horsemen and fifty Elephantes for no lenger time then ii yeres In consideration wherof taking the daughter of Ptolomy in mariage â–ª Pyrrhus left him for protectoure of hys kingdome But forasmuch as we fall in remembrance of Epyre I thinke good to entreat a little of the originall of the same First of all the Molosses raigned in that region Afterward Pyrrhus the sonne of achilles hauynge loste hys fathers kingdome by being absent at the battell of Troy reasted in the same countrye which after his name were first called Pyrrhides and after Epyrotes But Pyrrhus when he came into the Temple of Iupiter of Dodone to aske counsell rauished there anasa the nece of Hercules by whom afterward takinge her to wife he begate viii children Of the whiche some of theym beynge verye gentle and beutifull younge Ladies he marryed to the kynges that were his neighboures by meanes of whiche aliaunces he purchased great power and richesse And so leauyng the kingdome of the Chaonians with andromache the wife of Hector which in the diuision of the boty at the winnynge of Troye fel to his lot to be his wife vnto Helenus the sonne of king Priâ—…mus for his singuler knowledge in Prophecy within a while after by the treason of Orestes the sonne of Agamemnon he was slayne at Delphos euen before the aultare of the God After him succeded his sonne Pylates At lengthe by order of successyon the kingdom descended to Arymba Ouer whome because he was fatherlesse and that there were no moo alyue of that noble race but he of verye earnest desyre that the whole realme had to preserue him and bring him vp there wer certain protectoures appoynted by the common consent of the realm to haue the ouer syght and gouernance of hym Furthermore he was sente to Athens to schoole and looke howe muche he was better learned then hiâ—… predecessoures so much also was he better beloued amonge his subiectes For he was the fyrste that made lawes ordained a counsell appoynted yearely officers and established the estate of the common
certain of his most trusty frends exhorted them to the deliuerance of their country from bondage When he perceiued how they stoke to put them selues in daunger for the sauegard of the whole realme and that they demaunded leisure to take aduysement in the matter he called his seruaunts to him commaunding them to lock in the dores and to bear word to the Tirant that he shuld send immediatly to his house to apprehend traitors that had coÌ„spired against him threatning vnto each of them that seing he could not be the author of deliueraunce of his country he wold at least wise finde the meanes to be reuenged vppon them for wythdrawing their helpe from it Then they being circumâ—…ted with the doutful danger chuâ—…ing the honeâ—…er way of both sware the death of the Tyrant and so Aristotimus was dispatched the fifth moneth after he had vsurped the kingdome In the meane season Antigonus beinge wrapped in many warres at ones bothe of king Ptolomy and the Spartanes besides the hoste of the Frenche grekes which newly became his enemies left a few souldioures in his campe for a shew against the other two and went himself with his whole power against the Frenche men The French men hearinge therof made them selues redy to the battel and slue sacrifice for thobtaining of good successe in that encounter By the inwardes of the which beastes perceiuing that there was toward them a great slaughter and the vtter destruction of them all they wer there vpon turned not into feare but into madnesse For in hope to pacify the wrath of the Gods by the bloudshed of theyr owne people they killed their wiues and chyldren beginning to perfourme through their own slaughter the euill lucke that was manased them by y e warres So extreme a madnesse was entred into their cruell hartes that they spared not the yonge children whome euen the enemy would haue spared but that they made deadly and mortall warre with their childreÌ„ and the mothers of them in defence of whome menne are wonte to make warres Therfore as though they had by their vnspeakeable wickednesse purchased them selues bothe lyfe and victory bloudy as they were after the freshe slaughter of theyr wiues and children they proceded into battel with as good successe as foretoken For as they were fighting the remorse of their owne consciences for their vnspeakable slaughter the ghostes of theÌ„ that they had murdered wauing before theyr â—…ies first and formost discouraged them ere they were oppressed by the enemy and so they were â—…aine euery mothers chiid There was made so great a slaughter that it shuld seme the Goddes had conspired with menne to the vttâ—…r destruction of those murderers After the good and fortunate chaunce of this battell Ptolomy and the Spartanes eschuing the victorious army of their ennemy Antigonus retired into places of saue garde and defence Antigonus when he saw they were retired while his meÌ„ wer yet freshe and couragious by reason of their late victory made warre to the Aâ—…heniens Nowe whiles he was occupied in the same in the meane time Alexander kyng of Epire coueting to reuenge the death of hys father kinge Pyrrhus inuaded the borders of Macedone Againste whome when Antigonus was retourned oute of Grece all his souldioures reuolted from him and so he lost both the kingdome of Maâ—…done and his army His sonne Demetrius being a verye childe leuyinge a power in the absence of his father not only recouered Macedone that his father had lost but also berest Alexander of his kingdom of Epire. So great was either the vnstedfastnesse of the souldiours or elsse the 〈◊〉 of fortune that kinges by course euen now banished men and anene kinges againe Alexander therfore beinge fled to the arcadians was as wel by the fauor of the Epyrotes as by the healpe of hys confederates restored into his kingdome againe Aboute the same time deceased agas kyng of Cyrene who before his last infirmity to the entent to cease and end all stryfe with his brother Ptolomy betrouthed his only daughter Beronice to his sonne But after the deathe of kinge Argas Arsinoe the mother of the maid to th entent to breke the mariage that was contracted against her wil sent for Demetrius the brother of king Antigonus out of Macedone to take vpon him the mariage of the maide and the kingdome of Cyrene who also was begotten of one of Ptolomies daughters And Demetrius made no taryaunce Therfore when as through prosperous wynde he was spedely arriued at Cyrene vpon trust of his beauty through which he began to like his mother in law to wel by and by after his comming he bare himself very proud ly and outragiously in the courte and against the men of warre and he cast his desyre of pleasing from the daughter to the mother The which thing being espted was ill taken first of the maid and also of the commoÌ„ people and of the greate noumber of the souldioures Wher vpon all mennes mindes were tourned to the sonne of Ptolomy and the deathe of Demetrius was conspired For as he was in bed with his mother in lawe men were sent in to kil him But Arsinoe when she hard the voyce of her daughter standing at the chamber dore and geuinge theÌ„ charge to spare her mother couered and defended her peramour a while with her own body Neuerthelesse he was slaine and so Beronice with safetye of her naturall loue and duty did bothe reuenge the dishonourable aduoutry committed with her mother and also followed the determination of her father in taking of her husband ¶ The. xxvii Booke AFter the decese of Antiochus king of Syria his sonne Seleucus succeding in his roume by the inâ—…igation of his mother Laodice whi che ought to haue with helde hym from doing any suche thinge began his raigne with murder For he put to death his mother in law Beronice the sister of Ptolomye king of Egipt with his little brother begotten vpon her By doing of the which wickednesse he both brought him selfe in a foule slaunder and infamye and also entangled himself in the warres of Ptolomye Furthermore when Beronice vnderstode that men were sente to kill her she kept herself close in a pleasaunt manor of her fathers called Daphnâ—… When the cities of Asia harde that she her litle sonne were there besieged in remembraunce of the dignity of her father and of her ancestors and for pitye to se her so vnworthely intreated they sent aid vnto her Her brother Ptolomy also being stirred with the pearil of his sister left his owne kingdome and came in all haste to her reskue withall the power he was able to make But Beronice before her rescowes came at her where as she could not be taken by force was surprised by pollicye and put to death It semed a cruel and horrible act to all men Wherfore when al the cities that made iniurrectyon had made a great nauy sodainly beinge
warre ought to be made or no but whether it ought to be doone to their owne behofe or to the behofe of the Romaynes For the warres were begonne betwene him and them from the time that they toke from him in his nonage the lesser Phrygâ—…a with they had gyuen vnto his father in reward for aydyng them in the battell agaynste Aristonicus the which countrie Seleucus Callenicus also had gyuen in dourie with his daughter to his great graundfa ther Mythridates what should a man say to that they coÌ„maunded him to depart oute of Paphlagonia was it not an other kynde of defyaunce The whiche realme fell to his father not by force of armes nor by conquest but by adoption and Legacie of laste will and testament but by the death of the rightfull kynges and so consequenlie by lawefull inheritaunce wheras neuerthelesse all his hum ble obedience to their bitter decrees coulde not one whit mitigate them but rather was an occasion that they bare themselfes more cruellie agaynst him for what submission could they deuise but he vsed it towardes them dyd be not let go Phrygia and Paphlagonia dyd he not with drawe his sonne out of Cappadocia which he had conque red and therefore was his by the lawe of armes and yet his conquest was taken out of his hande by them which â—…aue nothyng of their owne but that whiche they holde by the sworde dyd he not for their pleasure kyll Creston kyng of Bythinia agaynste whome the Senate had proclaymed warre and yet notwithstandyng what so euer Gordius or Tygranes hath done was imputed altogyther to hym Moreouer in despight of him the Senate had of their owne voluntarie will set Cappadocia at lyberty which thyng they themselfes had taken from other Nacions Afterwarde when the people of Cappadoria thankyng theÌ„ for their lybertie sued to haue Gordius to theyr kyng it might not be grauÌ„ted and that for none other occasion but bycause he was counted his frende Nicomedes at their commaundement made warre vppon hym and bycause he coulde not be reuenged vppon hym as he woulde they themselfes had taken the matter in hande Wherevppon partly grew thoccasion of his warres with them namely because he woulde not sytte styll lyke a cowarde and suffer that dauncyng Damoselles sonne Nycomedes to teare him in peces at his pleasur For it was not the faultes of kinges that they were offended with or sought to redresse but with their power and Maiestic 〈◊〉 they sought to suppresse The which cautel and pol licy they dyd not vse agaynst him onely but agaynst all other kynges After the same maner his graundtfather Pharnar by right of kynred appoynted as heyre and suâ—… cessor to Eumenes kyng of Pergamus and agayne Eumenes himself in whose shyppes they were fyrst brought ouer into Asia by the help of whose men of warre more then by theyr owne puissaunce Fyrst they conquered the greate Antiochus and the FrenchmeÌ„ in Asia and anone after kyng Perses in Macedone they vttered as an ennemie forbiddyng him to come within Italye and whiche they thought they myght not doe to hym for shame made warre vppon his sonne Aristonicus There was neuer none that deserued more at their hande or that had done more for them theÌ„ Massinissa kyng of Numidie To him they imputed the ouercommyng of Hannyball him they thanked for the takyng of Syphax to him they imputed the destroying of Carthage him they registred among the two Affricanes as the thyrd preseruer of their Cytie and yet with the same mans nephew they euen this other day had made warre in Affricke so deadlye cruell that after they had vanquished him they coulde not fynde in theiâ—… harts for their graundfathers sake to pardoÌ„ him but that they emprysoned him and led him through the Cytie in maner of Triumphe and made him a gazyng stock to all the world Thus had they made a lawe to themselues to beare continuall hatred agaynste all kynges verelie bycause they had such kynges themselfes whome they may be ashamed to heare spoken of that is to say eyther shepe herdes of Thaborigines or soothsayers of the Sabynes or outlawes of Corynthe or els which is the honorablest name that euer was among them proued men and as they themselues reporte suche founders as a wolfe gaue sucke to which may well be in that all the ofspryng of that people haue wolues hartes vnsaciable of blood gredie of Dominion and raueners of riches whereas hymself for his owne person yf comparison should be made be twene him and theÌ„ as touchyng nobilitie was of a more famous lynage then that ragged heape of rascalles for he dyd fetch his pedegre on the fathers syde from Cyrus and Darius the fyrste founders of the Monarchie of the Persians and on the mothers syde from greate Alexander froÌ„ Nicanor and Selencus the fyrst founders of them pyre of Macedone or if he should compare his people with theirs he sayd he was ruler of those Nacions whiche not only are able to match the Romayne Empyre but had also withstood the Empyre of Macedone For there was none of the nacions of whome he was Ruler that had ben subdued vnder forreyne Princes or that euer submitted themselfes to anie kyng but if he were of their owne countrie chose whether they would name Cappadocia or Paphlagonia agayn Pontus or Bythinia Armenia the greater or Armenia the lesse of the which countries ney ther Alexander euen he that conquered all Asia nor any of his successors or posterity euer touched anie as for Scithia there were neuer but two kynges before hym name lie Darius and Philyppe that durst so much as enter into it who being not able to make anie conquest had much a doe to wynde himself oute agayne with their lyues froÌ„ whence he had a great parte of his strength agaynste the Romaynis wherfore he had more cause to be afrayed and mistrustfull when he entred into the warres of Pontus at suche tyme as he hymself was but a yonge nouice and a fresh water souldiour Nor the Scythians besydes that they be well harnessed and well harted they are also fen sed eyther with desertes and wast groundes or els with colde whiche bydde the souldiour loke for greate trauell and perill among the which distresses there was not almoste any hope of rewarde to be gotten of the waÌ„dering enemie hauyng not onely no mony but also not so much as a house to hyde his head in But nowe he was entered into a farre other kynde of warrefare For neyther was the ayre more temperate in all the worlde then in Asia nor the soyle more fertyle nor more plentie of fayre and pleasaunt Cyties so that they should spend a great parte of the â—…yme not as in warfare but as in feastyng and it was to be doubted whether the warre shoulde be more easie or profytable whether they woulde aduenture vppon the ryches of the kyngdome of Attalus nexte vnto them or vppon Lydia and Ionia so greatly renoumed for their