and favours upon all sorts of People He delighted the People with Feasts and Playes of sundry kinds going himself in person to honour them He sent Colonies into sundry parts and Provinces He made excellent good Orders for the Governours and Government of the whole Empire The like he did also for the Wars and Martial Discipline He shewed himself loving and sociable to his Friends and Familiars whom he honoured and loved much Some conspiracies against him which were discovered he punished without rigour being more prone to pardon than to punish Of murmurings and defamatory Libels he never desired to know the Authors but answered them with gravity giving satisfaction and purging himself from those things which were charged upon him He was much addicted to and affected with Learning and himself was very Learned and Eloquent and compiled some notable Books He much honoured and rewarded Wise and Learned men yet he escaped not the tainture of some Vices growing through humane frailty and his great liberty especially he was much given to Women though in his diet apparel and ornaments he was very sparing and modest He gave himself also excessively to play at Dice and other Games then in use Thus though in many things he was very happy yet besides his troubles and dangers he was very unhappy in his Children and Successours For by his four Wives to whom he was married he had only one Daughter called Julia by his third Wife Scribonia and she proved exceeding wanton and unchaste yea she left nothing undone in Luxury and Lust that was possible for a Woman to do or suffer accounting every thing lawful that pleased her Yea she came to that height of lasciviousness that she kept her Feasting even in the Courts of Justice abusing those very places with lascivious acts in which her Father had made Laws against Adulterers Hereupon her Father was so enraged that he could not contain his anger within his own House but published these things yea and communicated them to the Lords of the Senate He kept himself also a long time from company for very shame He had thoughts of putting his Daughter to death but at last he banished her into Pandataria an Island of Campania her Mother Scribonia of her own accord accompanying her in her banishment Julia being at this time thirty eight years old For want of Sons to succeed him Augustus first adopted his Nephew Marcellus the Son of his Sister Octavia to whom he first married his Daughter Julia and Marcellus dying without Issue he then married her to his Favourite Agrippa who also left her a Widow but yet he had by her three Sons and two Daughters Two of these Sons having been adopted by Augustus died before him whereupon he adopted the third who bore his Fathers Name Agrippa the which adoption he afterwards revoked for some displeasure conceived against him and lastly he adopted his Son in Law Tiberius Nero and made him his Heir whom also he married to his Daughter Julia the Widow of Agrippa yet this he did more through the importunity of his mother than for any good liking that he had of him being sorry that such an one should succeed him Not long after the first Letter of his Name that was upon the Inscription of his Statue that was set up in the Capitol fell down being struck with a flash of Lightning whereupon the Southsayers foretold that he should live only one hundred dayes after which was denoted by the Letter C. and that he should be Canonized for a God because Aesar which remained of his Name in the Hetruscan Tongue signified a God Hereupon he wrote a Catalogue of his doings which he appointed to be engraven in Tables of Brass and to be set over his Tomb. Things being thus done Caesar Augustus being now seventy six years old and odd dayes having Reigned above fifty six and being the best beloved and the best obeyed Prince in the World Death overtook him which was occasioned by a Flux which held him for some dayes and so Augustus died at Nolla in Campania in the same House and Chamber wherein his Father Octavius died being the nineteenth day of August upon which day he was first made Consul and in the fifteenth year after the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He was generally lamented and there was a universal sorrow and heaviness over the whole Empire for him For he did wisely and uprightly Govern that Monarchy which he had gotten by force and fraud He was of a mean stature of a very good shape and proportion of Body of an exceeding fair face mixed with modesty and gravity His eyes were very clear and bright He was very advised in his speeches and loved to speak quick and briefly His last Will and Testament was written a year and four moneths before he died and left in the custody of the Vestal Virgins In his life time he vvas very desirous to reform abuses in Rome and in the first place he corrected some disorders in the Senate vvhom he reduced to the number of six hundred He reformed vvhat vvas amiss in their Playes and Games in the Knights and in their manner of suing for publick Offices He set Fines upon their Heads that vvould not marry and bestovved much upon those that had Wives and Children He gave unto Hortensius tvventy five thousand Crovvns to procure him to marry that he might raise up issue to that Noble Family of the Hortenses He ordained that Maids should be at least twelve years old before they married and suffered them to kill Adulterers that were taken in the fact and condemned the Sodomites without pardon He gave order that none should be put in nomination for Offices but such as were vertuous and of good repute He tied not himself to any certain hours for his meals but used to eat when he was hungry and that which he fed upon was neither dainty nor delicate and he drank little Wine Instead of a Looking-glass he used to read or write whilst his Barber was trimming him He never spake to the Senate or people or to his Souldiers but what he had first written and premeditated though he had words at command He delighted to read good Authors but gathered nothing more than sentences teaching good manners and having written them out word for word he gave Copies thereof to his familiar Friends and sent them about to the Governours of Provinces and to the Magistrates of Rome He was too much addicted to Divinations and was marvellously afraid of Thunder and Lightning Our Saviour christ being born all the Devils Oracles ceased and the Oracle of Delphos was fain to confess it and ever after remained Dumb whereupon Augustus being astonished caused a great Altar to be set up in the Capitol with an Inscription signifying that it was the altar of the God first born To prevent the great abuse of Usury which undid many Families he put into
to him But these his fair shews continued not long There was at this time at Rome a Governour for the Eastern Emperour called Paul Ephialte him Didier corrupted and the administration of Justice being in his hands he made use of him so cunningly as that in the presence of Pope Steven he caused him to seize upon two of his chief Secretaries Christopher and Sergius whom Didier accused of some pretended crimes and presently to hang them in an infamous manner Their greatest offence was because they favoured the French Neither did he rest here but caused all the principal Citizens to be banished whom he observed to be of the French faction that so having removed all hinderances he might be Master of Rome in despite of the Pope Steven was not so dull but he discovered the Lombards practice exceedingly to tend to his prejudice whereupon he sent to Charlemagne beseeching him to prepare an Army against Didiers force This Charlemagne easily assented to and fully resolved upon But Didier had provided a divertisement in France by the means of Caroloman to stop Charles his passage into Italy making work for him in Guienne where there arose a perilous War upon this occasion Though the Country of Guienne depended upon the Crown of France yet were there many Tumults raised by the practices of some Noblemen of the Country who frequently stirred up the people mutinous enough of themselves to Rebellion The cause of these Troubles was the abuse of the former Kings Clemency and Bounty who suffered such people as he conquered to enjoy their priviledges and liberties Eudon a Nobleman of Guienne began first under Martel Jeffery and Hunalt his Children and heirs of his discontent had continued it under Pepin and Jeffery being now dead Hunalt succeeded him with the like hatred which Caroloman fomented that he might imploy him against his Brother Charles Guienne was a part of Charles his portion But Hunalts design was to withdraw that Country wholly from the Crown of France and for that end he pretended a Title to the Dukedom thereof labouring to procure the people to Elect him having the promise and assistance of Caroloman to further him therein Indeed the countenance of Caroloman could do much but the wisdom and courage of Charlemagne prevailed more For being advertised of Hunalts practice and of his Brothers secret designs he armed with such speed as that he surprised the Towns of Poictiers Xante and Angoulesm and all the Country adjoyning Hunalt who had reckoned without Charles finding himself thus prevented fled to a Noble man of that Country called Loup whom he held not only to be firm to his faction but also his trusty and affectionate friend Charlemagne being informed hereof sent presently to Loup requiring him to deliver Hunalt into his hands who was guilty of high Treason and in the mean time he built a Fort in the midst of the Country where the Rivers of Dordonne and Lisle do joyn which he called Fronsac the better to secure his Country against such Invaders Loup not daring to refuse delivered up Hunalt and all his Family into the hands of Charles who pardoned Loup and all that obeyed him thus ending a dangerous War without blows And to Hunalt he granted life and liberty and the enjoyment of his goods leaving a memorable example to all Princes how to carry themselves in a Civil War preventing a mischief by prudence and diligence and not to thrust their vanquished Subjects into despair by rigour Caroloman seeing his practices against his Brother to succeed so ill undertook a journy to Rome with an intent to cause some alterations there which yet he covered with a pretence of devotion He also took his Mother Berthe along with him and in their passage they were hourably entertained by Didier King of the Lombards where Berthe treated and concluded a marriage between her Son Charlemagne and Theodora Sister or Daughter to this Didier who was one of the greatest enemies to her Sons good fortune Yet Charlemagne to please his Mother received his Wife but soon after put her away as neither suiting with his affects or affairs and so that which was intended as a cause of love bred a greater hatred betwixt these two Princes Caroloman having affected nothing at Rome answerable to his desire but only discovered his foolish and malicious jealousie too apparent under his feigned devotion returned into France and there soon after died Anno Christi 770. Leaving the intire Kingdom to his Brother who had how no Corrival Charlemagne having put away his Wife Theadora upon suspition of incontinency he married Hildegard or Ildegrade Daughter to the Duke of Sueve his Vassal by whom he had Charles Pepin and Lewis and three Daughters Rotrude Berthe and Gille who were the Nursery of his Noble Family But Carolomans jealousie died not with him but survived in his Wife Berthe who being impatient of her present condition and thrust headlong with a spirit of revenge against her Brother in Law Charles retired with her two Sons to Didier King of Lombardy as to the most bitter and irreconcilable enemy of her Brother Charles Didier intertained her and her Children very courteously hoping by them to promote his design But it proved the leaven of his own destruction His practice together with the Widows was to procure the present Pope who Steven being dead was one Adrian a Roman Gentleman to Crown and confirm the Sons of Caroloman for Kings of France wherein the Lombard had two designs First by this means to bring the Pope in disgrace with Charlemagne that he might the easilier suppress him being destitute of the French aides whereon he chiefly relyed and Secondly to set France in a flame by setting up new Kings in it Didier therefore earnestly besought the Pope to grant this favour to the Sons of Caroloman for his sake besought the Pope to grant this favour to the Sons of Caroloman for his sake But Adrian well acquainted with the Lombards humour was so resolute in denying his request as that they fell into open hatred And Didier being much displeased with this repulse took Arms and with his Forces entred into the Exarchy being a Signory under the Popes jurisdiction and besieged Ravenna the chief City of the Exarchy Whereupon the Pope sent his Nuncio to him to expostulate the cause of this so sudden War against his Subjects desiring him to restore what he had taken and not to procced in this Hostile manner without any reasonable cause and that upon the pain of Excommunication At the same time there fell out a great occasion to encrease the hatred between Charlemagne and Didier For that Hunalt who had been before vanquished in Guienne and to whom Charles had shew'd so much favour very ingratefully retired himself to Didier who did not only receive him courteously but honoured him by making him General of his Army which he had raised against the
Persian Empire that then it would please them to confer it on so just chast an enemy as was Alexander to whom once more before the last tryal by Battel he offered these conditions of peace That if he would marry his Daughter he would deliver and resign up to him all Asia the less with Egypt and all those Kingdoms between the Phaenician Sea and the River Euphrates That he would pay him for the Ransom of his Mother and other Daughters thirty thousand Talents and that for performance thereof he would leave his Son Ochus in Hostage and they sought by sundry Arguments to perswade Alexander to accept hereof Alexander causing the Ambassadors to withdraw advised with his Councel yet heard no man speak but Parmenio who was the very right hand of his good Fortune and he perswaded him to accept of such fair conditions He told him that the Empire between Euphrates and the Hellespont was a large addition to Macedonia That the retaining of those Persian Prisoners was a great cumber to him and that the Treasure offered for them was of far better use than their Persons with divers other Arguments yet Alexander rejected all though it was very probable that if he had followed his advice and set bounds to his ambition within those limits he might have been as famous for his virtue as he was for his great successes and might have left a successor of fit age to have enjoyed his estate which afterwards indeed he much enlarged rather to the greatning of others than himself who to assure themselves of what they had Usurped left not one of his issue alive within a few years after Besides Alexander by going so far into the East left behind him the reputation which he brought with him out of Macedonia of a just and prudent Prince A Prince temperate advised and grateful and learned by abundance of prosperity to be a lover of Wine of Flatterers and of extream cruelty But the Persian Ambassadors waited for their answer which was to this effect that what curtesies soever he had bestowed upon the Wife and Children of Darius proceeded from his own natural clemency and magnanimity without all respect to their Master but thanks to an enemy was improper That he made no Wars against adversity but against those that resisted him Not against Women and Children but against armed enemies And also that by the reiterated practices of Darius to corrupt his Souldiers and by great sums of money to debauch his Friends to attempt something against his Person he had reason to doubt whether the peace offered were really intended yet could he not were it true and faithful resolve in hast to accept of it seeing Darius had Warred against him not as a King vvith Royal and over forces but as a Traytor by secret and base practices Besides the Territories which he offered him were already his own and if Darius could beat him back again over Euphrates he would then believe that he offered him something that was in his power to give Otherwise he propounded to himself as a reward of his enterprizes all those Kingdoms which Darius as yet had in his possession wherein vvhether he was abused by his own hopes or no the Battel vvhich he meant to fight the day following should determine And in conclusion he told them that he came into Asia to give Kingdoms and not to receive them That the Heavens could not hold two Suns and therefore if Darius could be content to acknowledg Alexander his Superiour he might perchance be perswaded to give him condition fit for a second Person and an Inferiour The Ambassaders being returned with this answer Darius prepares to fight and sent Mazeus to defend a Pass which yet he never dared so much as to hazzard Alexander consulting with his Captains Parmenio perswaded him to force the Camp of Darius by night that the multitudes of his enemies might not affright his Macedonians being comparatively but a few But Alexander replied that he scorned to steal a Victory and resolved to bring with him Daylight to witness his Valour Indeed the success commended Alexanders resolution though the Counsel given by Parmenio was more sound Yet when he came to view the multitude of his enemies he began to stagger and entrenched himself upon a Ground of advantage which foolishly the Persians had abandoned And when as Darius for fear of a Camizado had stood with his men in Armour all the day and forborn all sleep in the Night Alexander on the contrary gave his men rest and store of food knowing that Souldiers do better stand to it in fight if they have their bellies full of meat and drink for hunger within fights more eagerly than steel without The numbers which Alexander had were about forty thousand Foot and seven thousand Horse which were of the Europaean Army And besides these he had Aegyptians Syrians Judaeans and Arabians which followed him out of those Countries He used but a short speech to his Souldiers to encourage them neither need he For one Victory begets another and puts courage into the Conquerors and taketh away spirits from those that have been beaten Some make large descriptions of this Battel fought at Gaugamela but in conclusion they tell us but of three hundred of Alexanders men that were slain and some say less but of the Persians there fell forty thousand But what can we judg of this great encounter other than as in the two former Battels at Granick and in Cilicia that the Persians upon the first charge ran away and that the Macedonians pursued them For if that every man whom Darius brought into the Field had but cast a Dart or a Stone the Macedonians could not have bought the Empire of the East at so easie a rate as six or seven hundred in three such notorious Battels Certainly if Darius had fought with Alexander upon the Banks of Euphrates and had Armed but fifty or sixty thousand of this great multitude only with Spades for most of his men were fit for no other Weapon it had been impossible for Alexander to have passed that River so easily much less the River of Tygris But as a man whose Empire God was putting a Period to he abandoned all places of advantage and suffered Alexander to enter so far into the bowels of his Kingdom as all hope and possibility of escaping by retreat being taken from the Macedonians they were put to the choise either to Die or Conquer to which Election Darius could no way constrain his men seeing they had many large Regions to run into from their Invaders Darius after the rout of his Army fled to Arbela that Night better attended in his flight than in the fight and to them that fled with him he propounded his purpose of retreating into Media perswading them that the Macedonians who were greedy of spoil and riches would rather attempt Babylon Susa and other Cities filled with
purchased it by his Noble and Valiant deeds The time for his Triumph being come the stateliness and magnificence was such that though he had two days to shew it yet lacked he time to produce all For there were many things prepared for the shew which were not seen and would have set forth another Triumph First the Tables were carried wherein were written the Names of the Nations for which he Triumphed as the Kingdoms of Pontus Armenia Cappadocia Paphlagonia Media Colchis Iberia Albania Syria Cilicia and Mesopotamia As also the People that dwell in Phoenicia Palestina Judaea and Arabia And all the Pirats that he had overcome by Sea and Land In all these Countries he had taken a thousand Castles and neer nine hundred Towns and Cities Of Pirats Ships eight hundred Moreover he had replenished with Inhabitants thirty nine desolate Towns These Tables also declared that the Revenue of Rome before these his conquests arose but to five thousand Myriads but now he had improved them to eight thousand and five hundred Myriads Besides he now brought into the Treasury to the value of twenty thousand Talents in Silver Gold Plate and Jewels besides what had been distributed already among the Souldiers of which he that had least had fifteen hundred Drachma's for his share The Prisoners that were led in this Triumph were the Son of Tygranes King of Armenia with his Wife and Daughter The Wife of King Tygranes himself called Zozime Aristobulus King of Judaea The Sister of Methridates with her five Sons And some Ladies of Scythia The Hostages of the Iberians and Albanians as also the Kings of the Commagenians Besides a great number of Marks of Triumph which himself and his Lieutenants had won in several Battels But the greatest honour that ever he wan and which no other of the Consuls ever attained to was that his three Triumphs were of the three Parts of the World to wit his first of Africk his second of Europe And his third Asia and all this before he was forty yeards old But from this time forward Pompey began to decline till with his Life he had lost all his Honour Lucullus at his return out of Asia was well received by the Senate and much more after Pompey was come to Rome For the Senate cncouraged him to deal in affairs of State being of himself slow and much given to his ease and pleasure because of his great Riches So when Pompey was come he began to speak against him and through Catoes assistance gat all things confirmed which he had done in Asia and which had been undone by Pompey Pompey having such an afront put upon him by the Senate had recourse to the Tribunes of the People the vilest of whom was Clodius who closed with him and had Pompey ever at his Elbow ready to second what motion soever he had to make to the People He also desired Pompey to forsake Cicero his ancient Friend but Clodius his utter Enemy By this means Cicero was brought into danger and when he required Pompey's assistance he shut the door against him and went out at a back-door whereupon Cicero was forced to forsake Rome At this time Julius Caesar returning from his Praetorship out of Spain laid such a plot as quickly brought himself into favour but tended to the ruin of Pompey He was now to sue for his first Consulship and considering the enmity between Pompey and Crassus he considered that if he joyned with one he made the other his Enemy he therefore made them Friends which indeed undid the Commonwealth For by this means Caesar was chosen Consul who strait fell to flattering of the People and made Laws for their advantage distributing to them Lands which embased the Majesty of the chief Majestrate and made a Consulship no better than the Tribuneship of the People Bibulus his Fellow Consul opposed him what he could and Cato also till Caesar brought Pompey into the Pulpit for Orations where he asked him whether he consented to the Decree which he had set forth Pompey answered That he did und that he would defend it with the Sword This gat him much ill will Not many days after Pompey married Julia the Daughter of Caesar formerly betrothed to Servilius Caepio and to pacifie Caepio Pompey gave him his own Daughter in marriage whom yet he had promised to Faustus the Son of Sylla Caesar also married Calphurnia the Daughter of Piso. Afterwards Pompey filling Rame with Souldiers carried all by force For as Bibulus came to the Market place accompanied with Cato and Lucullus they were basely abused and many were wounded and when they were driven away they passed the Act for dividing of the Lands as they pleased The People being encouraged hereby never stuck at any matter that Pompey and Caesar would have done And by this means all Pompey's former Acts were confirmed though Lucullus opposed what he could Caesar also was appointed to the Government of both Gauls with four whole Legions Then were chosen Consuls Piso Father in Law to Caesar and Gabinius Pompey's great flatterer Pompey now so doted on his young Wife that he suffered himself wholly to be ruled by her and leaving all publick affairs he went with her to Country Houses and places of pleasure which encouraged Clodius a Tribune of the people to despise him and to enter into seditious attempts For when he had driven Cicero out of Rome and sent away Cato to make War in Cyprus and Caesar was occupied in Gaul finding that the people were at his beck because he flattered them he then attempted to undo some things that Pompey had established Amongst others he took young Tygranes out of prison and carried him up and down with him and continually picked quarrels against Pompey's Friends Pompey coming abroad one day to hear how a matter of his was handled this Clodius having gotten a company of desperate Ruffians about him gat up into a high place and asked aloud Who is the most licentious Captain in all the City They answered Pompey And Who said he is he that scratched his head with one finger They again answered Pompey clapping their hands with great scorn This went to Pompey's heart who never used to be thus abused and he was yet more vexed when he saw that the Senate was well pleased with this his disgrace because he had forsaken and betrayed Cicero Upon this a great uprore was made in the Market place and many were hurt whereupon Pompey would come no more abroad whilst Clodius was Tribune but advised with his Friends how he might ingratiate himself with the Senate they advised him to put away his Wife Julia to renounce Caesars Friendship and to stick again to the Senate Some of these things he disliked yet was content to call home Cicero who was Clodius his mortal Enemy and in great favour with the Senate Hereupon Pompey brought Cicero's Brother into the Market place to move the matter to
gave direction and was very diligent in all things touching Justice Customes Religion and publick buildings so as in all things his Reign was happy peaceable and quiet during all his Life Yet in this so happy a time some People and Nations still affecting Liberty laboured to shake off the Roman yoke and thereby molested and disquieted the Empire as the Spaniards the Inhabitants of Illyricum and the Pannonians In Spain the Cantabrians the Asturians and part of Gallicia passing their bounds began a War against the Empire Augustus being informed hereof judging it to be a doubtful War and of importance commanded the Temple of Janus to be opened and determined to go against them in Person and to send other Captains to follow his other Wars And accordingly Augustus went into Spain and with three Armies made War against the People aforementioned which proved very doubtful and desperate and lasted five years and though he suppressed the Cantabrians and Asturians and drave them to their Rocks and Mountains yet before he could wholly subdue them he was fain to bring a great Navy upon the Coast of France to invade the Sea coasts of Cantabria and Galizia by which means he drave them to such extremities by Land that they were at last forced to submit to his obedience Augustus his great favourite Agrippa served him faithfully in this War whom therefore he married to his Daughter Julia who was the Widow of his Nephew Marcellus the Son of his Sister Octavia And thus he brought all Spain into subjection to him above two hundred years after the Comans began to make their first Wars there So as no Province cost Rome more Treasure more bloud nor more time than Spain This long and doubtful War being so happily finished Augustus was so pleased with it that he gave commandment that the Temple of Janus should again be shut and came to Rome in great Triumph But this Temple continued not long shut for some Nations of the Germans rebelled so that it was again opened These were the Inhabitants of Noricum now Bavaria and the Pannonia's now Austria and Hungary and the two Missia's now Bulgary and Servia as also Illyricum now Sclavonia and the Province of Dacia now Transylvania and Walachia and some others though at several times Against these Augustus sent his Generals and Armies amongst which were his Sons in Law the Sons of Livia Tiberius Nero who succeeded him in the Empire and his Brother Drusus Nero of whom Livia was with child when Octavian married her and these two Brothers though the War lasted somewhat long vanquished those Nations and obtained great Victories in Germany and the confines thereof especially Tiberius who in three years space subdued the Pannonia's Illyricum and Dalmatia for which Victories he afterwards entred into Rome in an Ovation Triumph with great Pomp and Honour Marcus Crassus also overcame and put to flight the Missians a People who had never seen the Romans before And when they were ready to give Battel they said Tell us who you are that seek to molest and disquiet us We are said they Romans the Lords of Nations whereupon they replied It shall be so if you overcome us which fell out accordingly But Augustus obtained not these Victories without some crosses For in these Wars died his Son in Law Drusus who was highly esteemed for his Noble acts and great Victories for the loss of whom both Augustus and Livia were much afflicted But yet his grief was greater for the mishap which befell Quintilius Varro who was General of three Legions in Germany and being careless was surprized by the Almans and himself his Legions and all his Auxiliaries were slain and two Standards with the Imperial Eagles taken for which he was so immoderately grieved that he knocked his Head against the Wall and cryed out unadvisedly Quintilius Varro Give me my Legions again For certain months also he suffered the hair of his Head and Beard to grow carelesly And the very day of this unhappy accident he did every year observe mournfully with sorrow and lamentation Of his Son in Law Drusus there remained two Sons Germanicus and Claudius which he had by Antonia Augustus his Neece and Daughter of his Sister Octavia and Mark Anthony of which Claudius was Emperour And Germanicus married Agrippina the Daughter of Julia Augustus his Daughter by whom he had Caius Caligula who also was afterwards Emperour Augustus after many notable Victories compelled his Enemies at length to sue for Peace whereupon again he commanded the Temple of Janus to be shut up and from thenceforth all things succeeded prosperously with him The Subjects of the Empire were now very obedient to him and all other sent their Ambassadours seeking his Favour and Friendship The Indians in the remotest parts of the East and the Scythians that inhabited the North and the Parthians an untamed People sent their Ambassadours to him giving security to keep the Peace and restoring to him the Standards and Eagles which were taken when Marcus Crassus was slain There came also Kings who were Friends and Subjects to the Roman Empire to do him Homage laying aside their Ensignes and Royal Robes and many of them bult Cities to his Name and for his Honour calling them Caesaria So did Herod the Great in Palestine King Juba in Mauritania and others The World being thus at Peace and quietness forty and two years being expired since that Augustus after the Death of Julius Caesar came to Rome In the time of this general Peace was the Prince of Peace our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ born in Bethlem of the Virgin Mary Herod being King of Judea placed there by the Romans of whose blessed Life and bitter Death as also of the order of his Ministry and Miracles see his Life published by me Anno Christi 1664. At which time there came forth a command from Caesar Angustus that all the Roman World should be taxed which taxing was first made when Cyrenius was Governour of Syria Luk. 2. 1. Out of which a little Book was made by Augustus in which all the publick riches were contained as also how many Citizens and Allies in Arms what Navies How many Kingdomes and Provinces what Tribute and Customes there were what necessary charges and Pensions went out Shortly after Augustus was called Lord by the People but he did not only refuse that Title but forbad it by a publick Edict Augustus enjoying so great prosperity was yet nothing altered in his qualities and behaviour as often it happens in other Princes but rather became more mild just and affable more courteous liberal and temperate He established very good Laws and Orders for the reformation and abuses and evil customes He erected both within and without Rome many stately and sumptuous Edifices which made him to boast concerning Rome Latericiam inveni Marmoream reliqui I found it built with Brick and left it built with Marble He bestowed great gifts
Nebuchadnezzar Cyrus Artaxerxes Alexander Epaminondas Herod Hanibal Pompey Iulius Caesar. Augustus Charlemain Tamberlain THE LIVES DEATHS Of most of those EMINENT PERSONS WHO By their VIRTUE and VALOUR Obtained the Sirnames of MAGNI OR THE GREAT Whereof divers of them give much Light to the Understanding of the Prophecies in Esay Jeremiah Ezekiel and Daniel concerning the three first Monarchies And to other Scriptures concerning the Captivity and Restauration of the Jews The Second Edition Corrected and Enlarged By Samuel Clark Minister of the Gospel Longum iter per pracepta breve per Exempl Hierom. LONDON Printed by J. R. for W. B. and are to be sold by Tho. Sawbridge at the three Flower de Luces in Little Britain and by W. Birch at the Peacock at the lower end of Cheap-side 1675. THE LIFE and DEATH OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE GREAT First Emperour of the CHALDEANS NEbuchadonazar or Nebuchadnezzar was the Son of Nebuchadonazar or Nabopolaser of Babylon who was made General of the Army by Saraco King of Assyria and Chaldea after whose death Nabopolaser took into his hands the Kingdom of Chaldea which he held by the space of one and twenty years At the same time Astyages was made Governour of Media by Cyaxares his Father and the better to strengthen themselves they entred into affinity by Astyages his giving his Daughter Amytis to Nebuchadnezzar the Son of Nabopolaser and thereupon joyning their Forces together they took Ninive together with Seraco the King thereof placing a Vice-Roy in his stead Shortly after the Governour of Coelosyria and Poenicia revolting from Nabopolaser he sent against him his Son Nebuchadnezzar having first associated him with himself in the Kingdom of Babylon with a great Army which was in the latter end of the third and the beginning of the fourth year of Jehoiakim King of Juda as appears Dan. 1. 1. compated with Jer. 25. 1. Nebuchadnezzar was no sooner thus associated with his Father in the Kingdom but the things which he was to act were presently revealed to the Prophet Jeremy the first whereof was the overthrow of the Egyptians First at the River Euphrates then in their own Country Jer. 46. The first of these came to pass presently Pharaoh Necho's Forces which he had left at Carchemish being cut off by Nebuchadnezzar in the fourth year of Jehojakim Jer. 46. 2. The second was not till after the taking of Tyre in the seventeenth year of the Captivity of Jechonia Ezek. 29. 17 18 19. In the third year of Jehoiakim Nebuchadnezzar the second his Father being yet alive entred Iudaea with a great Army who besieging and forcing Ierusalem made Iehoiakim his Vassal in despight of Pharaoh Necho who had made him King and took with him to Babylon for Pledges Daniel who was yet a Child with Ananias Misael and Azarias He took also part of the Treasures belonging to the Temple but stayed not to stayed not to search throughly for all For Necho hasted with his Army to the relief of Iehoiakim hoping to find Nebuchadnezzar in Iudea But this great Babylonian had no mind to hazard himself and his Army against the Egyptian Iudaea being so ill affected towards him and himself far from all succour or sure place of retreat If he had as may be supposed any great strength of Scythian Horsemen it was wisely done of him to fall back out of that rough Mountanous and hot Country into places that were more even and temperate And besides these reasons the Death of his Father happening at the same time gave him just occasion to return home and take possession of his own Kingdom before he proceeded in the second care of adding more unto it And this he did at reasonable good leisure For the Egyptian was not provided to follow him so far and to bid him Battel until the new year came in which was the fourth of Iehoiakim the first of Nebuchadnezzar and the last of Necho In this year the Babylonian lying upon the Banks of Euphrates his own Territories bounding it on the North-side attended the coming of Necho there after a cruel Battel fought betwixt them Necho was slain and his Army forced to save it self by a violent retreat wherein it suffered great loss This Victory was so well pursued by Nebuchadnezzar that he recovered all Syria and whatsoever the Egyptians held out of their proper Territories towards the North. The Egyptians being thus beaten and altogether for the present discouraged Iehoiakim held himself quiet as being in heart a Friend to the Egyptians yet having made his peace with the Chaldeans the year before and Mebuchadnezzar was contented with such profit as he could there readily make he had forborn to lay any Tribute upon the Iews But this cool reservedness of Iehoiakim was on both sides taken in ill part Whereupon the Egyptian King Psamnis who succeeded Necho began to think of restoring Iehoahaz who had been taken prisoner by his Father and carried into Egypt and of setting him up as a Domestical enemy against his ungrateful Brother But to anticipate all such accidents the Iudaean had put in practice the usual remedy which his fore-fathers used For he had made his own Son Iechonia King with him long before in the second year of his own Reign when the Boy was but eight years old As for this rumour of Iehoahaz his return the Prophet Ieremy foretold that it should prove a vain attempt saying He shall not return thither But he shall die in the place whither they have led him Captive and shall see this Land no more Jer. 22. 11 12. The Egyptians having lost their Mercenary Forces and received that heavy blow at Carchemish had more Gold than sharp Steel remaining which is of small force without the others help Besides the Valour of Necho was not in Psamnis Apries who reigning after Psamnis did indeed once adventure to shew his face in Syria but after a big look he was glad to retire without adventuring the hazard of a Battel Wherefore this declining Nation fought only with brave words telling such frivolous tales as men that mean to do nothing use boasting of their former glorious acts against Iosias and Iehoahaz And truly in such a time and case it was easie for Iehoiakim to give them satisfaction by letting them understand the sincerity of his affections towards them which appeared in time following But Nebuchadnezzar went more roundly to work For he sent a peremptory message to Iehoiakim requiring him not to stand upon any nice points but presently to acknowledge himself his subject and to pay him Tribute Adding thereunto such terrible threatnings as made the poor Iudaean lay aside all thoughts of adhering unto Pharaoh and to yield to do as the more powerful would have him Thus he continued in Obedience to Nebuchadnezzar three years During which time the Prophet Jeremy cryed out against the Impiety of the Jews putting them in mind that he had
under their Leader Zorobabel the Son of Salathiel and Nephew to King Jeconias and Joshua the Son of Josedech the High Priest were about fifty thousand And as soon as they arrived at Jerusalem they built an Altar to the living God and sacrificed thereon according to their Law and afterwards bethought themselves how to prepare materials for the building of the Temple Cyrus having set all things in order at Babylon returned through Media into Persia to his Father Cambyses and his Mother Mandanes who were yet living and from thence returning again into Media he married the only Daughter and Heir of Cyaxares and for Dowry had the whole Kingdom of Media given him with her And when the Marriage was finished he presently went his way and took her with him and coming to Babylon from thence he sent Governours into all his Dominions Into Arabia he sent Megabyzus into Phrygia the greater Artacaman into Lydia and Ionia Chrysantas into Caria Adusius into Phrygia Helle spontiaca or the less Pharmicas But into Cilicia and Cyprus and Paphlagonia he sent no Persians to Govern them because they voluntarily and of their own accord took his part against the King of Babylon yet he caused even them also to pay him Tribute Cyrus having spent one whole year with his Wife in Babylon gathered thither his whole Army consisting of one hundred and twenty Thousand Horse and two Thousand Iron Chariots and six hundred Thousand Footmen and having furnished himself with all necessary provisions he undertook that Journey wherein he subdued all the Nations inhabiting from Syria to the Red Sea The time that Cyrus enjoyed in rest and pleasure after these great Victories and the attainment of his Empire is generally agreed upon by all Chronologers to have lasted only seven years In which time he made such Laws and Constitutions as differ little from the Ordinances of all wise Kings that are desirous to establish a Royal power to themselves and their Posterity which are recorded by Xenophon The last War and the end of this Great King Cyrus is diversly written by Historians Herodotus and Justin say That after these Conquests Cyrus invaded the Massagets a very Warlike Nation of the Scythians Governed by Tomyris their Queen and that in an encounter between the Persians and these Northern Nomades Tomyris lost her Army together with her Son Spargapises that was the General of it In revenge whereof this Queen making new levies of men of War and prosecuting the War against Cyrus in a second sore Battel the Persians were beaten and Cyrus was taken Prisoner and that Tomyris cut off his Head from his Body and threw it into a Bowl of Blood using these words Thou that hast all thy time thirsted for blood now drink thy fill and satiate thy self with it This War which Metasthenes calls Tomyrique lasted about six years But more probably this Scythian War was that which is mentioned before which Cyrus made against the Scythians after the Conquest of Lydia according to Ctesias who calleth Tomyris Sparetha and makes the end of it otherwise as you may see before The same Ctesias also recordeth that the last War which Cyrus made was against Amarhaeus King of the Derbitians another Nation of the Scythians whom though he overcame in Battel yet there he received a Wound whereof he died three dayes after Strabo also affirmeth that he was buried in his own City of Pesagardes which himself had built and where his Epitaph was to be read in Strabo's time which he saith was this O Vir quicunque es undecunque advenis neque enim te adventurum ignoravi Ego sum Cyrus qui Persis Imperium constitui pusillum hoc Terrae quo meum tegitur Corpus mihi ne invideas O thou man whosoever thou art and whensoever thou comest for I was not ignorant that thou shouldst come I am Cyrus that founded the Persian Empire Do not envy me this little Earth with which my Body is covered When Alexander the Great returned from his Indian Conquests he visited Pesagardes and caused this Tomb of Cyrus to be opened either upon hope of great Treasure supposed to have been buried with him or upon a desire to honour his dead Body with certain Ceremonies when the Sepulchre was opened there was found nothing in it save an old rotten Target two Scythian Bows and a Sword The Coffin wherein his Body lay Alexander caused to be covered with his own Garment and a Crown of Gold to be set upon it Cyrus finding in himself that he could not long enjoy the World he called unto him his Nobility with his two Sons Cambyses and Smerdis and after a long Oration wherein he assured himself and taught others about the Immortality of the Soul and of the punishments and rewards following the ill and good deservings of every man in this life He exhorted his Sons by the strongest Arguments he had to a perpetual Concord and Agreement Many other things he uttered which makes it probable that he received the knowledge of the true God from Daniel whilst he Governed Susa in Persia and that Cyrus himself had read the Prophesie of Isay wherein he was expresly named and by God pre-ordained for the delivery of his people out of Captivity which act of delivering the Jews and of restoring of the Holy Temple and the City of Jerusalem was in true consideration the Noblest work that ever Cyrus performed For in other actions he was an Instrument of Gods power used for the chastising of many Nations and the establishing of a Government in those parts of the World which yet was not to continue long But herein he had the favour to be an Instrument of Gods goodness and a willing advancer of his Kingdom upon Earth which must last for ever Cyrus had issue two Sons Cambyses and Smerdis and three Daughters Atossa Meroe and Artistona At his Death he bequeathed his Empire to his Eldest Son Cambyses appointing Smerdis his younger Son to be Satrapa or Lieutenant of Media Armenia and Cadusia He reigned about one and thirty years and died aged The Greek Historians wholly ascribe the Conquest of Babylon to Cyrus because that he commanded the Army in Chief yet the Scriptures attribute it to Darius King of the Medes whose General Cyrus was For when Babylon was taken and Belshazzar slain It 's said Dan. 5. 31. that Darius the Median took the Kingdom being about sixty two years old It was Darius also that placed Officers over the several Provinces thereof as we read Dan. 6 1 2. It pleased Darius to set over the Kingdom an hundred and twenty Princes which should be over the whole Kingdom and over these three Presidents of whom Daniel was the first c. And thus was it Prophesied by Isay long before Behold I will stir up the Medes against them c. And by the Prophet Jeremy The Lord hath raised up the Spirit of the King of
the Medes for his device is against Babylon c. Jer. 55. 11. And again verse 28. Prepare against her the Nations with the Kings of the Medes the Captains thereof and all the Rulers thereof and all the Land of his Dominion But certain it is that the Honour of that great Victory over Babylon was wholly given to Cyrus who was the Instrument pre-ordained and forenamed by God himself not onely for this Action but also for the delivery of his Church Yet Daniel makes it plain that himself not onely lived a great Officer under King Darius but that he continued in that estate to the first year of Cyrus which was not long after which also was the year of Daniels Death As for the Age of Cyrus we are beholding to Tully for it who in his first Book de Divinatione Cites it out of one Dionysius a Persian Writer in this manner The Sun saith Dionysius appeared unto Cyrus in his sleep standing at his feet which when Cyrus thrice endeavoured to take in his hands the Sun still turned aside and went away and the Magi who were the most learned men amongst the Persians said that by his thrice offering to take hold of the Sun was portended to him that he should reign thirty years which came to pass accordingly For he lived to the Age of seventy years and began not to reign till he was forty In the first year of Belshazzar Daniel had the Vision shewed him of the four Beasts signifying the four Monarchies and of God delivering over all power and Sovereignty to the Son of man Dan. 7. In the third year of Belshazzar the Vision of the Ram and Goat foreâ—â—ewing the destruction of the Persian Monarchy by Alexander the Great and the great misery which Antiochus should bring upon the People of God was shewed to Daniel living then at Susa in the Province of Elam upon the Bank of the River Ulai which environed the Castle of Susa and parted the Provinces of Susa and Elemais Dan. 8. whence we may collect that at that time the Province of Susa was not in the hands of the Medes and Persians but of the Babylonians under whom Daniel then lived Darius the Mede son of Cyaxares or Ahasuerus the Son of Astyages took upon him the Kingdom which was delivered over to him by Cyrus the Conqueror Dan. 5. 31. and 9. 1. The Angel in this first year of his Reign is said to have confirmed and strengthened him in his Kingdom Dan. 11. 1. After which he reigned two years Towards the end of the first year of Darius the Mede the seventy years of the Babylonish Captivity expired which began under Jehoiakim in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar at which time God promised that they should return into their own Countrey Jer. 29. 10. Thus saith the Lord that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you and perform my good word towards you in causing you to return to this place Upon consideration of which very time now so near approaching it was that Daniel poured out that most fervent Prayer for the Remission of his own sins and of his Peoples and for that promised deliverance out of their Captivity Whereupon the Angel Gabriel brought him an answer not only concerning this but also for the spiritual deliverance of the Church to be wrought at last by the Death of the Messias uttering that most famous and memorable Prophesie of the seventy Weeks Dan. 9. 12 c. The Samaritans by the means of some Courtiers about Cyrus whom they had bribed for that purpose disturbed the Jews in their building of the Temple Ezra 4. 5. Whence proceeded that three weeks mourning of the Prophet Daniel which Fast he begun about the third Day of the first Moneth in the third year of Cyrus Dan. 10. 1 4. After which upon the four and twentieth Day of the first Moneth that Vision of the Kings of Persia of Alexander the Great and his Successours and their Kingdoms was shewed and revealed unto Daniel as he stood upon the Bank of Hiddikel or Tygris All which is contained in the three last Chapters of Daniel which as may be collected out of the close thereof was the last Vision that ever he had and that but a little before his Death THE LIFE and DEATH OF ARTAXERXES MNEMON One of the Great MONARCHS OF PERSIA THere were two Artaxerxes's that were Monarchs of Persia the first was called Artaxerxes Longimanus or Long-hand because his right hand was longer than his left The second whole Life we are now setting forth was called Artaxerxes Mnemon from his excellent Memory This Artaxerxes was the Son of Darius Ochus begotten by him on the Body of Parysatis before he came to be King And Parysatis was the Daughter of the first Artaxerxes Darius had by his Wife Parysatis four Sons of the which the eldest was this Ataxerxes the second was called Cyrus the two younger Ostanes and Oxathres This Artaxerxes before he came to the Kingdom was called Arsaces but after he came to the Kingdom he assumed the name of Artaxerxes Darius Ochus raigned Nineteen Years and dyed at Babylon When he lay on his Death-bed his Son Artaxerxes asked him by what Wisdom and Policy he had maintained his State so long To the end said he that having learned by you I may follow your steps therein To whom Darius answered That he had done it by doing right to God and man Cyrus from his Childhood was of an hot stirring disposition and Artaxerxes on the contrary was alwayes mild and gentle Wherefore Parysatis always loved her Son Cyrus more than the Elder and therefore often urged her Husband Darius Ochus to follow the example of Darius Hystaspes to leave him to succeed in the Kingdom who was first born after he came to be King and not him who was born before This indeed did help Xerxes to the Kingdom Wherefore she urged this Example to induce her Husband to leave the Kingdom to Cyrus who was born after his Father was Crowned King and not unto Arsaces who was born before Yet could she never prevail For Darius by his last will gave the Kingdom to his eldest Son Artaxerxes and made Cyrus Governour of Lydiae and the King Leiutenant General of all the lower Countries of Asia next to the Sea side Shortly after the Death of Darius the new King Artaxerxes went unto Pasargades there to be Consecrated and Aâ—ointed King by the Priests of Persia At this place was a Temple dedicated to Minerva where the new Kings must be Consecrated after this manner When he came into the Temple he must put off his own Gown and put on that which the first and great Cyrus wore before he was King Then he must eat of a certain Tart or Fricacy made of Figs with Turpentine Then he must take a Drink made with Vinegar and Milk besides some other secret Ceremonies which none knew but the Priests themselves
him in his absence and the King grew angry and was sorry that he had trusted him so far But at length he returned and his Son also and either of them brought with him the Ambassadours of the Cadusians and so Peace was concluded with them both Then was Tiribazus highly in favour again and so departed with the King Artaxerxes at this time made it evident that cowardliness doth not always proceed from Pomp and curiosity which some think to effeminate mens hearts but rather from a base and abject mind that commonly follows evil and the worst counsel For neither the Jewels of Gold nor Kingly Robe not other sumptuous Ornaments which the King ever wore about him valued at twelve thousand Talents did hinder him at that time to travel and to take as much pains as any man in all his Army For he himself marched on foot the fore-most man carrying his knapsack in a scarf upon his Shoulders and his Target on his Arm with which he travelled over high stony Mountains so that his Souldiers seeing the Kings courage and the pains that he took they marched so nimbly as if they had wings about two hundred Furlongs a day At length the King by hard travel came to one of his own Houses where were stately Arbours and Parks with goodly Trees curiously planted but all the Countrey beside was naked and barren having no other Trees near and the weather was very cold the King therefore suffered his Souldiers to hew down the goodly Pines and Cypress Trees in his Parks and to embolden them he himself took an Axe in his hand and began to hew the goodliest Tree of them all The Souldiers seeing that fell every man to work so that in a short time they had wood enough and the Parks were filled with fires by which the Souldiers sat all night In this expedition Artaxerxes lost many valiant men and most of his Horses wherefore thinking that his men would mock him for his miscarriage he grew distrustfull of all and suspected the chiefest Nobles about him so that in a rage he put many of them to death and yet was not satisfied therewith For there is nothing more cruel nor a greater Bloud-sucker than a cowardly Tyrant as on the contrary there is nothing more courteous and less suspicious than a valiant and couragious man After this King Artaxerxes being grown very old heard that there were great contentions between his Sons which of them should inherit the Kingdome after his Death and that the same was diffused amongst his Kindred and Nobles The wisest of them desired that as he himself came to the Kingdom as his Fathers eldest Son so that he also should leave it to his eldest Son called Darius But the younger who was called Ochus being valiant and of a stirring nature had some in the Court that took his part and himself hoped to obtain the Crown by the means of his Sister Atossa whom he much loved and promised to marry her and to make her Queen if he came to the Kingdom after his Fathers Death Now Artaxerxes because he would put Ochus out of all hope to succeed him lest his expectation might put him to go about to practice that which Cyrus did and by this means his Realm should fall into factions and Civil Wars he proclaimed his Son Darius who was now fifty years old King after his Death and gave him leave from henceforth to wear the point of his Hat upright as the Persian Kings used to do Moreover the custome in Persia was that when any came to be proclaimed Heir apparent to the Crown that he should request a gift of him that Proclaimed him his Successor which the other grants whatsoever it be if it be possible Darius then asked his Father for his Concubine Aspasia who was first Concubine to Cyrus but now the King kept her for his own use She was born in Ionia of Free Parents and was brought up virtuously and amongst other beauties she was brought one night to Cyrus as he was at Supper those others without making nice of it sat down by him and were glad when Cybegan to play and be merry with them answering him pleasantly again But Aspasia stood on her feet by the Table and spake never a word and though Cyrus called her yet would she not come at him And when one of the Grooms would have forced her to him The first said she that shall lay hands on me shall repent it whereupon all that were present said she was a foolish thing and meanly brought up and knew not what belonged to Courtship But Cyrus being glad of it passed it over with laughter and said to him that brought them to him Dost thou not see that of all those that thou hast brought me there is not an honest woman but she After this Cyrus made much of and loved her very well and called her Aspasia the wise She was taken in the Camp of Cyrus amongst his spoils after his overthrow and now Darius begged her of his Father who was very angry in his mind for it For the Persians of all other things were very jealous of their Women and he was to be punished with Death that durst but speak to or touch any Concubine of the Kings though but in sport yea if they come near them or near their Coaches as they went abroad The Kings Daughter Atossa whom he had married against the Law was yet living and besides her he had three hundred and sixty Beautiful Concubines and yet when Darius asked Aspasia of him the King answered that she was a Free-woman born and if she would he was content that he should have her but if she was unwilling he would not by any means have him to force her So Aspasia was called and she was asked with which of them she would choose to be She answered with Darius This was contrary to the expectation of Artaxerxes who both by custome and Law was forced to let him have her But shortly after he took her from him again saying that he would place her in a Nunnery of Diana in the Country of Ecbatane there to serve the Goddess and to live chaste all her dayes Darius took this very impatiently either for that he was deeply in love with her or because he thought that his Father mocked him Tiribazus perceiving it he laboured to aggravate Darius his anger and he every day buzzed it in his ears that it was in vain for him to wear his hat upright if his affairs also went not right forward and that he deceived himself much if he did not know that his Brother by means of the women he kept secretly aspired to the Crown and that his Father being so inconstant as he was he must not expect to succeed him in the Kingdom For said he he that for a Grecian woman hath broken and violated the holiest Law that was in Persia thou must not think he will
Onesicratus Diodorus Siculus Trogus Pompeius Justin Quintus Curtius with divers others Lycippus the Painter made Alexanders Picture looking up to Heaven with this Motto Jupiter asserui Terram mihi tu assere Coelum O Jupiter I have taken the Earth to my self Take thou Heaven with which Alexander was so well pleased that he published a Proclamation that none should draw his Picture but Lycippus Apelles drew Alexander's Picture with a Thunderbolt in his hand to shew his admirable celerity and unresistableness in his Conquests This bloudy man lived not out half his Dayes and not long after his Death all his Posterity was rooted out His Posterity and Kindred that he left behind him were his Mother Olymtias his Unkle Pyrrhus King of Epirus His Brother Arideus and his Sister Cleopatra His two Wives with their two Sons Roxane with Alexander and Bursines with Hercules Olympias caused Arideus to be Killed Cassander thereupon took occasion to put Olympias to death being almost fourscore years old and then he poysoned both Alexanders Sons Alexander and Hercules with Roxane Alexanders Wife Cleopatra Alexanders Sister the Governour of the Sardians who was base Brother to Philip Alexanders Father procured her to be killed therein thinking to gratifie Antigonus And last of all Pyrrhus was vanquished by Antigonus the Son of Demetrius by whom his Head was cut off THE LIFE and DEATH OF EPAMINONDAS THE GREAT CAPTAIN OF THE THEBANS THE Father of Epaminondas was Polymnis who was descended of one of the most ancient and renowned Families amongst the Thebans the most part of which Noble linage had upon their Bodies for a natural Birth-mark the resemblance of a Snake This Polymnis had two only Sons Caphisias and Epaminondas whom he educated very carefully and had them very carefully and had them very well instructed in all the liberal Arts and honest Sciences especially Epaminondas who had the more stayed wit and was most inclined to Virtue desirous to learn humble obedient and wonderful docible and of one Dyonisius he learned to be very skilful in Singing and Musick And for Philosophy it happened well for him that he fell into an excellent Masters hands by this means The Colleges of the Pythagorian Phylosophers that were dispersed through the Cities of Italy were banished by the faction of the Cylonians yet such as still kept together met in a Councel at Metapont to consider of their affairs But some seditious Persons rose up against them and set the House wherein they were on fire and burnt them all only Phylolaus and Lysis being lusty young men escaped through the fire Phylolaus fled into the Country of the Lucanians and resided there with his Friends But Lysis got to Thebes where Polymnis intertained him intreating him to undertake the Tuition of his Son Epaminondas who though he was but a young Boy yet was he of good capacity and of very good Hopes This Phylosopher accordingly applied himself to manure this noble and quick wit of Epaminondas and in a short time made him perfect in all Sciences and Virtue so that it was hard to find a more wise grave and virtuous Person than he was When he was but fifteen years of age he gave himself to all manner of exercises of the Body as to run wrestle use his Weapons and all feats of Arms and having quickly attained to skill in these he applied himself to his Book He was naturally silent fearful to speak but never a weary to hear and learn whereupon Spintharus the Tarentine being familiarly acquainted with him in Thebes used to say that he never knew any man that knew so much and spake so little as Epaminondas If he fell into any company that discoursed of Philosophy or of State matters he would never leave them till the matter propounded was at an end He was of a pleasant disposition and so witty that he could break a jest as well as any man Lysis after he had lived long in Thebes died and was honourably buried by his Scholar Epaminondas Not long after Theanor one of the Pythagorians in Sicily was sent to bring Lysis thither but when he came to Thebes he found him dead and buried therefore going to Epaminondas after salutations he told him that his Companions who were rich willed him to give Polymnis and his Chidren a good sum of mony in recompence of that curteous entertainment which they had given to Lysis Epaminondas after pleasant excuses made told him that none could be received saying further Jason a Captain of the Thessalians thought that I gave him a rude and uncivil answer when he having earnestly entreated me to receive a good sum of Gold I sent him word that he did me wrong and began to make War with me for that he aspiring to make himself a Lord would corrupt me with mony who am a plain Citizen of a free Town and living under the Law But for thee Theanor I commend thy good will because its honest and virtuous but I tell thee thou bringest Physick to them that are not sick Admit that thou hearing we had been in Wars hadst brought us Arms to defend us and when on the contrary thou hadst found us quiet and at peace with all our neighbours thou wouldst not have thought fit to bestow these Arms and leave them with those that had no need of them Even so thou art come to relieve our poverty as though it were a burden to us whereas on the contrary it s an easie and pleasant thing to us to carry and we are glad we have it in our Houses amongst us and therefore we have no need of Arms or mony against that which doth us no hurt at all But tell thy brethren that they use their goods very honestly and also that they have Friends here which use their Poverty as well and as for the intertainment and burial of Lysis he hath himself fully recompenced us having taught us amongst many other good lessons not to be afraid of Poverty nor to be grieved to see it amongst us Theanor having made some reply about the good and evil of Riches and told him that as Poverty was not evil in it self so neither was Riches to be had in contempt and dispised No truly said Epaminondas yet considering with my self that we have a World of covetous desires some natural that are born with us and bred in our flesh by the lusts pertaining to it Others strange to us grounded upon vain opinions which taking setling and becoming an habit in us by tract of time and long use through evil education oftentimes do draw us down and weigh our Souls with more force and violence than those that be connatural to us For reason through daily exercise of virtue and practice thereof is a means to free us from many of those things that are born and bred with us Yet we must use continual force and opposition against our concupiscences which are strangers to us to quench them
Souldiers and sent them home well rewarded by which means he procured the love of the Citizens but the greater hatred of the Tyrant Shortly after Antigonus the Son of Aristobulus Brother to Hyrcanus invaded Judea being assisted by Ptolomei the son of Menaeus and Fabius the Governour of Damascus and Masion the Tyrant of the Tyrians who adhered to him for the hatred that he bore to Herod whom Herod meeting when they had scarce entred the borders of Judea overcame them in Battel and drave them thence whereupon Hyrcanus honoured him with Crowns as soon as he returned to Jerusalem For he was already accounted as one of the Family of Hyrcanus being to marry Mariamne or Mary the daughter of Alexander the Son of Aristobulus the Brother of Hyrcanus and of Alexandra the daughter of Hyrcanus M. Anthony having overcome Brutus and Cassius there met him Ambassies from all Nations in Bythinia and amongst the rest some of the Rulers of the Jews to accuse Phasaelus and Herod alledging that Hyrcanus ruled only in shew but in truth all the power was in the two Brothers Yet Anthony highly honoured Herod who was come thither to wipe of all those objections whereby it came to pass that his Adversaries were not so much as admitted to speak with Anthony and this Herod had obtained by his Bribes Yet not long after there came an hundred of the most honourable amongst the Jews to Daphne near Antioch in Syria to Anthony to accuse Phasaelus and Herod having chosen out of their whole number the most Eloquent to manage their business But Messala undertook the defence of the two Brothers with whom also Hyrcanus joyned who had betrothed his Grand-daughter to Herod Both Parties being heard Anthony asked Hyrcanus whether of the two parties were fittest to Govern a Commonwealth who speaking for the young men Anthony that loved them for their Fathers sake his old Friend he made them both Tetrarchs leaving to them the Government of all Judea writing his Letters to the same purpose and clapped fifteen of their Adversaries into Prison and would have put them to death had not Herod intreated for them But when the People did nothing but rail upon Herod Anthony in displeasure slew them all Antigonus the Son of Aristobulus hired the Parthians to translate the Kingdom from Hyrcanus to himself and to kill Herod who coming along with him and some Jews also joyning themselves to him he came to Jerusalem and they set upon the Kings House But Phasaelus and Herod defended it against them and in the Market place overcoming them in a fight forced them to fly into the Temple where they shut them in and placed sixty men in some adjoyning houses to prevent their flight but the people hating the two brethren set fire on those Houses and burnt the men in them which so inraged Herod that he slew many of the people and each laying wait for the other every day some were murdered The day of Pentecost being come many thousands of men as well armed as unarmed gathered together about the Temple from all parts of the Country and seized upon the Temple and City all but the Kings House which Herod kept with a few Souldiers as Phasaelus did the walls These brothers assisting each other assaulted their enemies in the Suburbs forced many thousands of them to flie some into the City and some into the Temple and others into a rampire that was near the City Hereupon Antigonus desired that Pacorus the General of the Parthians might be admitted to make peace between them which Phasaelus assented to and Pacorus perswaded him to go with him as an Ambassador to Barzapharnes another General of the Parthians laying an ambush for him by the way Phasaelus assented though much against the mind of his Brother Herod and was willing to go with Pacorus and took Hyrcanus along with him Pacorus leaving two hundred Horsemen with Herod and ten whom they called Eleutheri went along with the Ambassadors And as soon as they were come into Galile Barzapharnes entertained them with a cheerful countenance and bestowed gifts upon them but watched an opportunity to intrap them and so Phasaelus was brought with his Company to a place near the Sea-side called Ecdippon where Ophellus a rich Syrian understanding of the treachery intended against them offered Phasaelus some Ships to carry him away But he unwilling to leave Hyrcanus and his Brother Herod in danger expostulated with Barzapharnes about the injury offered to them who were Ambassadors who swore that these things were not true and presently went to Pacorus No sooner was he gon but Hyrcanus and Phasaelus were clapped up in Prison much detesting the perfidiousness of the Parthians and an Eunuch also was sent to Herod with a command to surprize him if he could get him out of Jerusalem Herod having intelligence what had happened to his Brother taking with him such forces as he had in readiness and his Mother Cybele his Sister Salome his Wife Mariamne and his Wives Mother Alexandra the Daughter of Hyrcanus and his yougest Brother Pheroras with their Servants he privately by Night took his flight into Idumaea In their journey his Mother by the overthrow of her Coach was in great danger of death and Herod fearing least the enemies should overtake them whilest they stayed there drew forth his Sword thinking to kill himself But being restrained by those which stood by he went towards Massada a very strong place which is seated in Arabia and Palestine by the nearest way that he could possible The Parthians first and also the Jews pursuing him by that he was sixty furlongs from the City but he repelled them both in fight The next day after Herod had fled from Jerusalem the Parthians plundered the City and the Kings House only the Treasure of Hyrcanus which was three hundred Talents remained untouched A great part also of Herods substance which he had not carried away with him they siezed upon and not satisfied therewith they harrized all the Country also and razed the rich City of Marissa Antigonus being thus setled in Judaea by the Parthians he received into his custody Hyrcanus and Phasaelus who were Prisoners yet he was much grieved that the Women were got away whom he had intended to deliver to the Parthians together with the money which he had promised to give them Being afraid also lest Hyrcanus should again by the favour of the People be restored to his Kingdom and Priest-hood he cut off his ears thereby rendring him unfit for the Priest-hood the Law forbidding that any one who wanted a member should approach to the Altar Lev. 21. 17 c. Phasaelus knowing that his death was determined sought to lay violent hands upon himself but being hindred by reason of his chains he dashed out his brains against a stone Yet before he was quite dead hearing by a Woman that his Brother Herod was escaped he
slain Antigonus being in a rage caused the dead body of Joseph to be whipped though Pheroras his Brother offered fifty Talents to have redeemed it After this loss the Galileans revolting from their Governours drowned those that were of Herods party in the Lake In Idumaea also there were many innovations Anthony having made peace with his enemy commanded Caius Sosius to assist Herod against Antigonus with two Cohorts When Herod came to Daphne the Suburbs of Antioch he heard of his Brother Josephs deah which caused him to hasten his journey and coming to Mount Libanus he took thence with him eight hundred men and one Cohort of the Romans and so came to Ptolemais from whence in the night he passed with his Army through Galilee Here his enemies met him whom he overcame in fight and forced them into the Castle from whence they had issued the day before Them he assaulted but was compelled to desist by reason of the extremity of the weather and to retreat into some neighbouring Villages but upon the coming of another Cohort from Anthony they in the Castle were so affrighted that they forsook the same by night Herod then hastned to Jericho purposing to revenge his Brothers death and being come thither he feasted his Nobles and the feast being ended and his guests dismissed he retired into his chamber and presently the room wherein they had supped being now empty of company fell down without hurting any which made many to think that surely Herod was beloved of God who had so miraculously preserved him The next day six thousand of the enemies came down from the Mountains to fight with him and their forlorn-hope with darts and stones so terrified the Romans and some of Herods Souldiers that they fled and Herod himself received a wound in his side Antigonus desiring to have his strength seem greater than it was sent one of his Captains named Pappus with some forces into Samaria whilst himself went against Machaeras In the mean time Herod took in five Towns and therein put two thousand of the Garrison Souldiers to the sword and setting the Towns on fire he went against Pappus and was strengthened by many that came to him out of Jericho and Judea yet was the enemy so confident that he would joyn battel with him but in fight Herod overcame them and being inflamed with a desire to revenge his Brothers death he pursued them that fled slew many of them and followed them into a Village and there slew many more of them who retreated into houses the rest fled After which Victory Herod had presently gone to Jerusalem and put an end to the war had not the sharpness of the Winter hindred him for now Antigonus bethought himself to leave the City and fly elsewhere for safety Herod in the evening when he had dismissed his Friends to refresh themselves as yet hot in his Armour went into a chamber attended with one only servant to wash himself wherein some of his enemies armed whom fear had forced thither were hidden and whilst he was naked and washing himself first one and then a second and a third ran out armed with naked swords in their hands so astonished that they were glad to save themselves without profering the least hurt to the King The next day Herod amongst others cut off Pappus his head and sent it by way of revenge for his Brothers death to his Brother Pheroras for it was Pappus that with his own hand had slain Joseph Herod in the beginning of the third year after he had been declared King at Rome coming with an Army to Jerusalem encamped near the City and from thence removing to that place where the Walls were fittest to be assaulted he pitched his Tents before the Temple intending to attempt them as Pompey had done in times past and having encompassed the place with three Bulworks by the help of many workmen he raised his batteries fetching materials from all places thereabouts and appointing fit men to oversee the work and then himself went to Samaria to solemnize his Marriage with Mariamne the Daughter of Alexander the Son of Aristobulus who was formerly betrothed to him The Marriage ceremony being over Sosius came with an Army of Horse and Foot being sent by Anthony to the aid of Herod and Herod also took a great party with him from Samaria to Jerusalem so that the whole Army being come together consisted of eleven Legions of Foot and six thousand Horse besides the Syrian Auxiliaries which were very many and so they pitched on the North-side of the City Over this great Army were two Generals Sosius and Herod who purposed to displace Antigonus as an enemy to the people of Rome and to establish Herod in the Kingdom according to the Decree of the Senate The Jews being gathered together out of the whole Countrey and shut up within the Walls made a valiant resistance boasting much of the Temple of the Lord and saying that the Lord would not forsake his people in the time of danger By secret sallies also they burnt up and spoiled all provision without the City both for Man and Horse whereby the Besiegers began to be pinched but Herod provided against their excursions by placing ambushments in convenient places and sending parties to fetch in provision from afar off so that in a short time the Army was well furnished with all necessaries By reason of the multitude of Workmen the three bulworks were soon finished it being Summer time so that no untemperateness of weather hindred them and with his Engines Herod often battered the Walls and left nothing unassayed but the besieged fought valiantly and were every way as active and subtile to make void his endeavours often sallying forth and firing their Works both those that were finished and others that were but begun and coming to handistrokes with the Romans they were nothing inferiour to them but only in Martial skill The Sabbatical year now coming brought a Famine upon the besieged Jews notwithstanding which they built a new Wall within that which was beaten down by the battering Rams and so countermined the Enemies mines that many times they came to Handystrokes under ground and making use of despair instead of courage they held it out unto the last though Pollio the Pharisee and Samias his Disciple advised them to receive Herod into the City saying that they could not avoid his being their King by reason of their sins They held out the siege for five moneths space though there was so great an Army before the City but at length twenty of Herods choicest Souldiers got upon the Wall and after them the Centurions of Sosius So that the first Wall was taken on the forti'th day and the second on the fiftieth and some Galleries about the Temple were burnt down which Herod charged though falsly upon Antigonus thereby to bring him into hatred with the people When the outward part of
Alexandra the Daughter of Hyrcanus the Wife of Alexander the Son of Aristobulus and Mother-in-Law of Herod took in ill part for that Aristobulus her Son and Brother of Mariamne was neglected and another from a strange place should be made High-Priest whereupon she wrote to Cleopatra Queen of Egypt and Anthonies darling that she would procure the High-Priesthood of Anthony for her Son Cleopatra neglected her request but shortly after Dellius a friend of Anthonies coming into Iudea perswaded her to send the Pictures of her Son Aristobulus and of her Daughter Mariamne to Anthony who then would deny her nothing This she assented to and sent them by Dellius who told Anthony that they seemed rather to be of a Divine than of a humane race Anthony was much inflamed herewith yet thought it undecent to send for a Lady that was married to Herod shunning also the jealousie of Cleopatra whereupon he wrote to Alexandra to send her Son to him under some honest pretence But these things coming to the ears of Herod he thought it not safe that Aristobulus now in the flower of his age being but sixteen should be sent to Anthony the most potent man amongst the Romans and very much given to his Lusts. Wherefore he wrote back that if the youth did but step out of the Kingdom all the Country would be up in Arms the Iews hoping for some innovations under a new King and by this means he satisfied Anthony Herod being continually molested with the intreaties of his Wife Mariamne that he would give the High-Priesthood to her Brother Aristobulus it being his right he called a Council of his Friends to whom he inveighed against his Mother-in-Law Alexandra as if she had privately wrought Treason against his Kingdom and had endeavoured by Cleopatra's means to translate it to young Aristobulus yet lest he should seem to neglect both his piety to her and the rest of that Kindred he told them he would now restore the Priesthood to her Son which hitherto Ananelius had supplied by reason of the young mans tender years Alexandra being herewith overjoyed and withall grieved that she was suspected fell a weeping clearing her self of those accusations and gave him many thanks for her Sons honour promising that hereafter she would be most obedient unto him And thus Herod in the life-time of Ananelius gave the High-Priesthood to Aristobulus being then but seventeen years old Yet Herod fearing lest his Mother-in-Law Alexandra should seek occasion to raise new troubles confined her to the Palace and commanded her to do nothing by her own authority yea he set so strict a guard over her that nothing was concealed from him of all she did to the very expences of her Table This she took very heavily and wrote to Cleopatra complaining of her hard condition and desired her to yield her assistance Cleopatra advised her with her Son to fly to her into Egypt which she liked and therefore provided two Coffins the one for her self the other for her Son commanding her servants that were privy to the plot to carry them out by night and to convey them to a ship that was ready prepared to carry them into Egypt This business Aesopus one of her servants blabbed to Sabbation a friend of Alexanders supposing that he had known all before which as soon as Sabbation knew though hitherto he was an enenmy of Herods as being suspected to have been in the plot of poysoning his Father Antipater he took this occasion of being reconciled to the King by discovering the matter Herod being thus informed of the plot dissembled the matter till it was in execution and then surprized her in her flight and brought her back Yet did he pardon her fault not indeed daring to punish her lest thereby he should discontent Cleopatra that was willing to take any occasion against him wherefore under a colour of a magnanimous spirit he made shew as if he pardoned her out of meer clemency The Feast of Tabernacles being now come the new High-Priest Aristobulus being just past seventeen years old was to offer Sacrifice according to the Law and being clad in his Pontifical attire he came to the Altar and performed the Ceremony with all Decency whose excellent beauty and stature being higher than was usual for his age and carrying in his countenance the honour of his Lineage drew the eyes and love of all the multitude upon him every one calling to mind the worthy and memorable actions of his Grand-father Aristobulus and therefore as overcome with affections towards him they were so over-joyed that they could not contain themselves but openly prayed for him and wished him all joy and that more freely than was meet in those jealous times under such a King proclaiming openly both the memory and thanks they owed to the Family for all the benefits they had received from it As soon as the Feast was ended Aristobulus was entertained at a Banquet by his Mother Alexandra Herod also pretended favour to him and enticed him into a convenient place to sport with him after the manner of young men and when they were hot and weary and left their sport they walked out to the Fish-ponds which were near the Court to take the fresh air where also they beheld some of the servants that were swimming At last by the perswasion of Herod Aristobulus undrest himself and went in amongst them Then they who were suborned by Herod as it were in sport and jest ducked him as he was swimming holding him under water and never left off till they had drowned him This was the end of Aristobulus in the eighteenth year of his age and in the first year of his High-Priesthood which immediately returned to Ananelus The report of these things coming to the Women they were all on an uprore and did nothing but weep and howl over the body of the young man Yea sorrow overspread the whole City every one bewailing the calamity as if it had been his own But Herod endeavoured by all means to make the people believe as if it had faln out by chance without his privity not only feigning sorrow but tears and grief also and that he might the more comfort the Women he buried the body in a most magnificent manner being liberal in prodigality in adorning his Monument and in perfumes and other precious things But his Mother Alexandra knowing the Treason though she was oft ready to lay violent hands upon her self yet repressed her passion seeming not to be suspicious till an opportunity of revenge might offer it self And shortly after she wrote to Cleopatra of the treachery of Herod and of the lamentable death of her Son Cleopatra pitying her misfortune took a particular care of this business as if it had been her own and never rested from perswading Anthony to revenge the young mans death telling him that it was an unpardonable crime that he who by his help enjoyed
fearing storms the Winter noâ— drawing on he hasted to sail into Jonia both he and his Friends having been honoured with great presents by Herod As soon as the Spring came Herod hearing that Agrippa was going with an Army to Bosphorus made hast to meet him and taking his way by Rhodes and Chios he came to Lesbos thinking there to find him But Agrippa being driven back by contrary North-winds Herod stayed at Chios to whom many came privately to salute him upon whom he bestowed many princely gifts and when he perceived that the Gate of the City that was thrown down in the War against Methridates as yet lay buryed in its ruins and that by reason of the poverty of the Inhabitants it could not by them be restored to its former beauty and greatness he bestowed upon them so much mony as would abundantly suffice to finish it and exhorted them to hasten the restoring of their City to its former beauty and grandure As soon as the wind served he left Chios and sailed to Mytilene and from thence to Byzantium and there understanding that Agrippa had already passed the Cyanian Rock he followed him with all speed and overtook him at Sinopi a City in Pontus where beyond Agrippa's expectation he arrived with his Navy His coming was yery grateful to him and they embraced each other with singular affection Agrippa looking upon it as an evident argument of his fidelity and friendship that leaving his manifold occasions he would come to him in so seasonable a time Wherefore Herod still abode with him in the Army was Companion with him in his labours and partaker of his counsels He was also present with him when he went to be merry and was the only man that he used in difficult matters for the love that he bore unto him Agrippa having forced the Bosphorans to lay down their Arms in his whole journey thorough many Countries and Cities he gratified Herod in many things and at his intreaty relieved the necessities of many If any one needed an Intercessor to Agrippa Herod was the only man by whom he could obtain his suit and assisted many in whatsoever they had need of When they were come into Jonia a great multitude of Iews that inhabited that Country complained of the great injuries that they suffered from the Jonians who would not permit them to live after their own Laws but that upon their Festival days they haled them before their Tribunals and forbad them to send holy money to Ierusalem which also they perverted to secular affairs contrary to the priviledges granted them by the Romans Herod took care that Agrippa should hear their complaints and allowed them Nicholas Damascene one of his Friends to plead their cause which when he had largely performed before Agrippa many honourable Romans and some Kings and Princes being present the Grecians denyed the thing excusing themselves that the Iews were troublesom to them But they on the contrary proved that they were free-born Citizens and that they lived according to their own Laws without injuring of any wherefore Agrippa answered that both for his Friend Herod's sake as also because that which they demanded was just he would gratifie them therein He ordered therefore that the priviledges which were formerly granted them should remain inviolable and that none should molest them for living after their Country Laws Then Herod rose up and gave him thanks in the name of them all and so after mutual embraces they took their leave each of other and departed from Lesbos Herod in a few days after having a prosperous Gale arrived at Caesarea and from thence went to Ierusalem where calling all the People together he gave them an account of his Journey and told them what immunities he had procured for the Jews in Asia and to win them the more to his friendship he professed that he would remit to them the fourth part of his Tribute with which bounty they being exceedingly taken wished him all happiness and departed with great joy Presently after his return he was greatly incensed by the false accusations and artifices of his Sister Salome and his Brother Pheroras against his two Sons that he had by Mariamne Alexander and Aristobulus whereupon to take down their spirits he began to use them more hardly and publickly he put hopes of the Kingdom into his Son Antipater whom he begat when he was a private man his Mother also being a woman of mean Parentage whom formerly he had banished the City in favour to his two other Sons and writing often unto Caesar for him privately he gave him great commendations and at the intreaties of Antipater he recalled also his Mother Doris whom he had put away when he married Mariamne Agrippa after his ten years Government in Asia being now to depart Herod sailed to salute him taking with him of all his Sons only Antipater whom he delivered to Agrippa with many gifts to be carried to Rome and to be brought into Caesars favour Antipater was much honoured at Rome being commended to all his Friends by his Fathers letters and though he was absent yet desisted he not by writing to incense his Father against the Sons of Mariamne pretending his great care of his Fathers safety but in truth to make way for his succession in the Kingdom About this time Agrippa died and being brought into the Market-place of Rome Augustus commended him in a Funeral Oration Herod being now incensed against his Sons Alexander and Aristobulus he sailed with them to Rome to accuse them before Augustus and not finding him there he followed him as far as Aquileia before whom he accused them of treachery against him but the young men satisfied all that were present by their Apology for themselves mixed with prayers and tears so that they were reconciled to their Father After which giving thanks unto Caesar they departed together and with them Antipater also who pretended much joy that they were received into favour again A few days after Herod gave Caesar three hundred Talents and again Caesar gave him half the revenues of the mettal Mines in Cyprus and the other half also he committed to his oversight and having honoured him with other gifts of Hospitality he gave him leave to choose which of his Sons he pleased to be his successor or if he liked it better to divide his Kingdom amongst them which when he vvas about to do Caesar told him that he vvould not suffer but that he should have his Kingdom during his life in his ovvn povver as vvell as his Sons In Herods absence there vvas a rumour spread in Judea that he vvas dead vvhereupon the Trachonites revolting fell to their old trade of Thieving but by the diligence of his Captains that he had left in his Kingdom they vvere subdued and forty of the chief of them being terrified by the punishment of those that vvere taken left their Country and fled
into Arabia Nabathaea vvhere they vvere entertained by Silaeus vvho vvas an enemy to Herod because he had denyed him his Sister Salome to Wife vvho gave them a place to dvvell in that vvas vvell fortified Herod and his Sons sailing homvvard arrived at Sebaste in Cilicia vvhere they met vvith Archelaus King of Cappadocia vvho courteously entertained Herod much rejoycing that his Sons vvere reconciled to him and that Alexander had fairly ansvvered the crimes that vvere objected against him and so giving royal gifts each to other they parted Herod being returned into Iudea called the people together and told them what he had done in his Voyage and declared to them that his Sons should Reign after him first Antipater and then Alexander and Aristobulus that he had by Mariamne About this time in the year of the world 3994 Agrippa the first King of the Iews of that name was born who dyed when he was fifty four years old being struck by an Angel Act. 12. 23. Also that lame man was now born who being above forty years old was healed by Peter at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple Act. 4. 22. Herod having finished Caesarea Stratonis in the twenty eighth year of his Reign he dedicated it with great solemnity and many sports and pastimes After which he began to build another Town in a field called Capharsala which he called Antipatris after his Fathers name and a Castle also which he called Cyprus after his Mothers name In honour also of his dead Brother he built in Ierusalem a very fair Tower not inferiour to the Egyptian Pharos and called it Phasaelus and afterwards he built a Town of the same name in the Valley of Iericho from whence the Countrey thereabouts is called Phasalus Herod having wasted his wealth by his great Prodigality and now wanting mony after the example of John Hyrcanus in the night without the knowledg of the people he opened Davids Sepulchre where though he found no money yet he found great store of precious things and ornaments of gold which he took away for the expiation of which fact he afterwards built a most sumptuous Monument of white Marble at the entrance of the Sepulchre Antipater suborning other men falsly to accuse his Brethren Alexander and Aristobulus takes upon him their defence that making a shew of good will to them he might the easier oppress them and by these subtilties he so wrought upon his Father that he thought him to be his only preserver Hereupon Herod commended his Steward Ptolomy unto Antipater and communicated all his Counsels with his Mother Doris so that all things were done as they pleased and still the King was imbittered against those whom it was their profit that he should be angry with About this time Pheroras Herods Brother fell so madly in love with his own servant that he refused marriage with Cypros the Kings Daughter that was offered him by his Brother He also accused Herod to his Son Alexander as if he had been greatly in love with his Wife Glaphyra for both which Herod was highly displeased with him In the year of the world 3996 he began to be diseased who lying at the Pool of Bethesda was after thirty eight years restored to health by Christ Joh. 5. 5. Alexander by the subtilties of his adversaries being even driven to desperation was at this time reconciled to his Father by Archelaus King of the Cappadocians who came to Jerusalem to visit Herod and being accounted one of Herods chief Friends received great gifts from him and when he departed Herod brought him as far as Antioch Not long after Herod went a third time to Rome to visit Caesar in whose absence those Thieves of Trachonis whom Sylloeus had entertained with their inrodes infested not only Judaea but all Coelosyria Syllaeus affording them both impunity and security Herod being returned from Rome celebrated the Dedication of the Temple re-edified by him in the space of nine years and a half on the very Birth-day of his Kingdom which he was wont to celebrate with great joy at which time he Sacrificed unto God three hundred Oxen and other of the people offered an innumerable company of Sacrifices every one according to his ability Herod finding that in his absence his People had sustained much dammage by those Thieves of Trachonis and seeing he could not subdue them being under the protection of the Arabian he therefore entred Trachonis and destroyed their Families which yet did but incense them the more so that contemning all dangers they molested Herods Countries with continual excursions driving and carrying away the peoples Goods Herod hereupon sent to the Presidents of Syria Saturninus and Volumnius desiring that he might have the punishing of the Thieves of Trachonis who by their incursions had often wasted his Country They when they heard hereof being increased to the number of a thousand began to waste both Fields and Villages cutting the throats of all that fell into their hands wherefore Herod demanded those Thieves to be delivered over to him and withall required the sixty Talents that he had lent Obodas upon Syllaeus his security who had thrust Obodas from the Government and now ruled all himself But Syllaeus denied that the Thieves were in Arabia and deferred also to pay the money whereupon the business was debated before Saturninus and Volumnius and in conclusion it was determined by them that within thirty dayes space both the money should be repaid and the runawayes of both Countries should be delivered up and Syllaeus swore by the Fortune of Caesar before the Presidents of Syria that he would perform what was enjoyned But when the time was expired Syllaeus being unwilling to stand to the agreement went to Rome and in the mean time Herod by the permission of Saturninus and Volumnius to punish those obstinate people raised an Army entred Arabia and marched as far in three dayes as they used to do in seven and when he came to the Castle where the Thieves kept he took it at the first assault and demolished a Fortress also called Raeptu and when a Captain of the Arabians came to their aid they joyned Battel in which few of the Herodians were slain but there dyed twenty five of the Arabians together with their Captain whereupon the rest â—led Being thus revenged of the Thieves he brought three thousand Idumaeans into Trachona to restrain the Thieveries committed there and certified the Roman Generals that he had only used that power which they had granted against those obstimate Arabians which upon enquiry they found to be true There were Letters posted away to Rome to Syllaeus that related matters far otherwise aggravating every thing after their manner by which Lyes Caesar was so much incensed against Herod that he wrote threatning Letters to him because he had marched with an Army out of his own Kingdom without his leave and he was so far provoked that he would
not hear his Ambassadours but dismissed them without an answer The Trachonites and Arabians taking hold of this occasion molested the Garison of the Idumaeans that Herod had set over them but Herod being affrighted with Caesars anger was fain to connive at it About this time Obodas King of Arabia Nabathaea dyed and one Aeneas succeeded him who changed his name into Aretas which Syllaeus hearing of at Rome endeavoured by false accusations to have him thrust from the Kingdom and to get it to himself bestowing much money upon the Courtiers and promising great things unto Caesar whom he knew to be offended with Aretas for assuming the Kingdom without his consent In the mean while Aretas sent Letters and rich presents unto Caesar and amongst them a Crown worth many Talents But Caesar would not hear his Ambassadours and scorned his Presents and dismissed them without any thing done Herod being continually vexed with the insolencies of the Arabians sent Nicholas Damascene to Rome to see if by the mediation of his Friends he could get Justice from Caesar But in the mean time the discord with his Sons that he had by Mariamne was greatly heightned by the artifices of Eurichus a Lacedemonian which occasioned Herod to find out their supposed Treachery to put to death by various torments many both of his own and of his Sons Friends yet could he find no other evil by them but some too free complaints of improvident young men concerning their Fathers immoderate cruelty and his too easie hearkning to base pick-thanks of the wicked deceits of their Brother Antipater and of the faction that was combined against them and that to free themselves from these mischiefs they were said to think of flying to Archelaus King of Cappadocia which thing indeed they did not deny Hereupon Herod cast them into Prison as if they had been convicted of Treason against their Father resolving to punish them according as his affairs went at Rome and concerning this business he sent Letters to Caesar by Volumnius the Roman General and Olympius his Friend At Rome Nicholas Damascene joyned himself to the Arabians that came to accuse Syllaeus professing that he was his accuser also before Augustus and not Herods defender and this he did lest he should be repulsed as others had been before him When by this means he had gotten access into Caesars presence he indeed laid open many of Syllaeus his crimes and withall added that Caesar was circumvented with his lyes in the cause of Herod which he confirmed by certain authentick records This so prevailed with Caesar that he condemned Syllaeus and remanded him into the Province that when he had satisfied the debt he might be punished From this time Augustus was reconciled to Aretas and Herod and then received the Presents that before he had so often rejected and confirmed the Kingdom of the Arabians to Aretas He advised Herod also by his Letters to call a Council of his Friends at Berytus and joyning the Presidents of Syria with Archelaus the King of Cappadocia by their joynt advice to determine of the business about his Sons About this time the Angel Gabriel who long before had foretold to Daniel the coming of the Messias by a certain number of Weeks appeared at the right side of the Altar of incense to Zachary the Priest of the course of Abia telling him that there should be born to him now in his old age his Wise Elizabeth also being well stricken in years and barren a Son Called John a Nazarite and the forerunner of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias which he not believing was made dumb Luke 1. 5. 22. Herod having received Augustus his Letters rejoyced exceedingly both because he was returned into his favour and for that he had granted him power to do what he would with his Sons and hereupon he convened by messengers all those that Caesar had appointed to Berythus except only Archelaus and kept his Sons not far from the place in a City of the Sidonians and the Case being opened Saturninus one that had been Consul delivered his opinion but moderated with circumstances that Herods Sons were to be condemned but not to be put to death After him his three Sons that were his Lieutenants delivered their opinions to the same purpose But Voluminus pronounced that they were to be punished with death whose opinion the major part followed and so the Council being ended Herod took his Sons with him and meeting with Nicholas Damascene at Tyrus they went together to Caesarea Here whenas a certain old Souldier named Tyro had smartly reprehended Herod for his wickedness determined against his Sons and told him that three hundred more of his Captains were of the same opinion Herod commanded him to be cast into Prison Trypho the Kings Barber taking this occasion accused Tyro for that he had often sollicited him to cut the Kings throat with his razor as he was trimming him and immediatly both Tyro and his Son and the Barber were tortured and Herod bringing those three hundred Captains and Tyro and his Son and the Barber accused them before the People against whom the people throwing any thing that came next to hand slew them every one Then were Alexander and Aristobulus led to Sebaste and there strangled by their Fathers command and their bodies were buried in the Castle of Alexandrion where Alexander their Grandfather by the Mothers side and many of their Progenitors had been buried Antipater when his Brethren were now dead intended to remove his Father also out of the way and knowing that he was hated by many in the Kingdom he endeavoured by Bribes to get the good will of his Fathers Friends both at Rome and in Judea but especially of Saturninus the President of Syria and of Pheroras and Salome the Brother and Sister of Herod At this time Herod sent home Glaphira the Widow of his Son Alexander to her Father Archelaus the King of Cappadocia and gave her a Dowry out of his Treasury lest some controversie should arise concerning it and withall he took great care of the young children of Alexander and Aristobulus which Antipater took very heavily fearing lest when they should come to age they would hinder his designs he sought therefore their destruction and he so overcame Herod by his flatteries that he suffered him to marry the daughter of Aristobulus and his Son to marry the daughter of his Unkle Pheroras About this time Herod invited Zamaris a Babylonian Jew and gave him a Countrey in Trachonis to inhabit and this he did that he might be a guard to that Countrey against Thieves and Zamaris coming with five hundred Horse and an hundred of his Kinsmen erected Castles in divers places of that Country by which means he secured the Jews that came from Babylon to the Feasts at Jerusalem from the Thieves Antipater working Treason against his Father drew in his Unkle Pheroras and some
of the Kings women that were most addicted to the Sect of the Pharisees except Salome who constantly adhered to her Brother Herod These Pharisees were a crafty people arrogant and enemies to Kings and they only of the whole Nation of the Jews refused to swear allegiance to Herod and Caesar and were about six thousand For which cause Herod fined them and the Wife of Pheroras paid their fine for them to whom by way of requital they foretold that the Kingdom should be taken from Herod and his children and be transferred upon her Husband and Her and their children these things Salome made known to Herod who examining the business put some of the Pharisees to death and with them the Eunuch Dagoas and his darling Carus who was commended to him for his handsomness and besides these all the rest of his Family whom he found to have conspired with the Pharisees Herod having punished the Pharisees called a Council of his Friends and before them began an accusation against the Wife of his Brother Pheroras and when Pheroras though to gratifie his Brother would not forsake her he forbad Antipater Pheroras his company and Antipater that he might remove all suspition from himself procured by his Friends that his Father should send him immediately to Augustus and accordingly Herod sent him with great Presents and his Will in which he declared that Antipater should succeed him in the Kingdom But if he died before him then his Son that he had by Mariamne the Daughter of Simon the High Priest In the sixth moneth after John was conceived the Angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth in Galilee to the blessed Virgin Mary betrothed to Joseph of the same Tribe with her viz. of the stock of David and declared to her that she should bring forth the Son of God and call his name Jesus and she being more fully taught of his admirable conception by the power of the Holy Ghost overshadowing her with great Faith said Be it to the Handmaid of the Lord according to thy word Luk. 1. 26 38. and presently after she went into the Hill-Countrey into a City of Judah viz. Hebron a City of the Priests scituated in the mountains of Judea Josh. 21. 10 11. where when she entred into the House of Zachary and saluted her Cousin Elizabeth the Babe sprang in her womb and she being filled with the Holy Ghost declared that Mary was blessed c. Luk. 1. 39 56. Herod banished his Brother Pheroras into his Tetrarchy because he would not part with his Wife who swore that he would never return till he heard of Herods death so that a little after Herod falling sick and often sending for him to receive some private instructions he refuled to come for his Oathsfake When Elizabeths time was come she brought forth a Son who was called John and Zacharies speech being restored to him he prophesied saying Blessed be the Lord God of Israel c. Luk. 1. 57 58. and Joseph finding his betrothed wife to be with child thought of putting her away privily but being warned by God in a dream he took her to wife Mat. 1. 24. Pheroras falling sick and Herod beyond expectation being recovered went to visit him and very kindly sought help for him but he died within a few dayes after whose Body was brought to Jerusalem and interred by Herod who honoured him with publick mourning At this time two of Pheroras's freed men declared to Herod how he was killed by poyson given him by Doris the Mother of Antipater which whilst Herod enquired into by little and little he found out greater Villanies and the manifest Treasons of his Son Antipater who when he went to Rome had delivered a deadly poyson to Pheroras that was sent him out of Egypt from his Unkle Theodore the Brother of Doris wherewithall to make away his Father that so the suspition of the Parricide should not lye upon him being so far absent Hereupon Herod put Doris out of the Palace and took from her Jewels that were worth many Talents He also put from him his Wife Mariamne the Daughter of the High Priest as a Partner of all these secrets and blotted her Son out of his Will and deprived her Father of the High Priesthood and substituted in his room Matthias the Son of Theophilus that was born at Jerusalem Presently after came Bathillus Antipaters freed man from Rome who being tortured confessed that formerly he had brought poyson and given it to Doris and Pheroras that if the first proved too weak they should be sure to dispatch Herod with the second There came also Letters from his Friends at Rome to the King written by the entreaty of Antipater in which Archelaus and Philip Herods Sons were accused for often complaining of the death of Alexander and Aristobulus pitying the misfortune of their murthered Brethren For these young men were studying at Rome and their Father had now commanded their return whereupon Antipater by great gifts corrupted those Friends that by their Letters they might make the young men suspected to their Father who if they lived might be an hindrance to his hopes About this time Augustus taxing all the Roman world our Lord Christ was born Luk. 2. 4 5. Shortly after there came Wise men from the East the Star being their guide to Herod at Jerusalem and there being taught that the birth-place of Christ was Bethlehem of Judea thither they went and entring into the house which was shewed them by the Star that stood over it they found the Child and fell down and worshipped him c. Mat. 2. 1. 12. After the Angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph in a dream warning him to fly into Egypt where he remained till the death of Herod Mat. 2. 13 14 15. Herod thinking that the Child was still at Bethlehem that he might destroy him amongst the rest killed all the children which were in Bethlehem and in all the Coasts thereof from two years old and under according to the time of the Star first seen in the East that he had enquired of the Wise men Mat. 2. 16. Herod receiving Letters from Antipater from Rome in which he signified that having dispatched all his business according to his own mind he would shortly return into his own Countrey he wrote back to him again dissembling his anger that he should make haste lest any thing should befall him in his absence that he should not like of and also gently complaining of his Mother he promised that he would remit all differences at his return Antipater heard uo news all this while either of the death of Pheroras or of those things that were on foot against him though there were seven months space between the wickedness proved against him and his return For in his journey at Tarentum he met with a Letter of the death of Pheroras and in Cilicia those Letters of his Father that
called him back so hastily and when he came to Celenderis a Town of Cilicia he began to doubt of his return hearing of and being extream sorrowful for the disgrace of his Mother yet failing forwards he came to Sebaste a Port of Caesarea where being saluted by none he went to Jerusalem It happened that Quintilius Varus was the same time at Jerusalem being sent as Successor to Saturninus into Syria and then called thither by Herod to assist him with his Counsel in those his weighty affairs As they were sitting both together in comes Antipater not knowing any thing and in his purple Garment that he used to wear entring the Palace but himself being entred the Guards suffered none of his followers to come in with him As he was coming near his Father thrust him from him reproaching him with the murther of his Brethren and his intention of poysoning his Father telling him that the next day Varus should hear and determine all things betwixt them and accordingly the next day Varus and the King sitting in Judgment his Father himself first began the accusation and left the prosecution and confirmation thereof to his old Friend Nicholas Damascene one that knew all the business and when Antipater could not clear himself from the crimes objected against him Varus commanded the poyson that he had prepared for his Father to be brought forth which being given to a condemned main killed him immediately after which Varus rose from the Council and the next day went to Antiochia but Herod cast his Son into Prison and signified so much by Letters to Caesar sending also messengers who by word of mouth might acquaint him with the cursed Treason of Antipater As these Messengers were posting to Rome Herod fell sick and made his will leaving his Kingdom to his youngest Son Herod Antipas being exasperated against his two elder Sons Archelaus and Philip by the false accusations of Antipater Judas the Son of Sariphaeus and Matthias the Son of Margalothus two of the most Learned of the Jews and best Interpreters of the Law knowing that the Kings sickness was incurable perswaded some young men that were their Scholars to throw down the Golden Eagle that was set up by Herod over the great gate of the Temple who accordingly going up at noon day pulled and hewed down with their axes the Eagle a great multitude being in the Temple and beholding it which as soon as it was told the Captain he came with a strong Band of Souldiers and laid hold upon some forty of the young men together with their Masters and brought them to Herod These constantly defending what they had done Herod commanded them to be bound and sent them to Jericho Then calling for the Rulers of the Jews into whose Assembly he was brought in a Litter by reason of his weakness he complained to them not so much of the injury done to himself as to God as he said These denying that it was done by their order somewhat pacified him only he took away the High-Priesthood from Matthias whom he suspected not to be a stranger to that fact and made his Successor Jazer the Brother of his Wife Mariamne the Daughter of Simon the High Priest but he burned alive the other Matthias that was the author of this sedition and his companions Herods disease began now to grow worse for he was burned with a slow fire which was not perceived so much by the outward touch as by the inward effects of it which burnt up his very Bowels He had also the disease called the Bulemia or Dog-like appetite which provoked him to a continual desire of eating and yet nothing would satisfie him He was also continually tormented with ulcers in his Bowels and pains of the Cholick His feet swelled with a moist phlegm and his thighs also His members rotted and were full of worms which occasioned an intolerable stink He was no less troubled with a Priapisme and moreover was vexed with grievous convulsions and difficulty of breathing And though he was so grievously tormented that every one judged that he could not be able to endure it long yet he hoped that he should break through it being very careful to send for the ablest Physicians and sought medicines from every place He went also beyond Jordan to the Hot Baths at Callirhoe which run into the Asphaltite Lake which beside the medicinal virtue are pleasant and good to be drunk There being by the advice of his Physicians set into a Bathing tub of oyl he seemed to them to be giving up the Ghost yet by the sudden crying out and lamentations of his Friends he came to himself again and now seeing no hope of recovery he commanded fifty Drachmaes to be given to every Souldier and having shewed much liberality to his Captains and Friends he returned again to Iericho Augustus being told that amongst the Children which Herod had caused to be slain at Bethlehem there was a Son also of his own slain He said That it was better to be Herods Hog than his Son Herod an Edict called together to Iericho all the most Noble of the Iews and when they came he shut them all up together in a place called the Hippodrome giving command to his Sister Salome and her Husband Alexus that as soon as He was dead they should cause his Souldiers to slay them all that so the people might have cause of sorrow who otherwise he feared would rejoyce at his death At this time Letters came from Rome from the Ambassadours whom He had sent to Caesar wherein they certified him that the Emperour left Antipater to his Fathers pleasure either to banish or to put him to death Herod hearing this was a little cheared but presently his torments returning and being greedy of meat He called for an apple and a knife to pare it intending with the knife to have stabbed himself which also he attempted but Archelaus his Nephew prevented him and holding his right Hand called for help This accident caused much sorrow fear and tumult through the whole Palace as if Herod had been dead Antipater perceiving the noise thought verily that his Father was dead and thereupon began to tamper with his Keeper about letting him out promising him great Rewards both for the present and for the future when it would lye in his power amply to reward him This his practice the Keeper told to the King who for indignation cryed and though he was so near death yet did he raise up himself on his Bed and commanded one of his Guard to go presently and kill Antipater and to bury him in the Castle of Hyrcanion without any honour which was done accordingly Then did He make a new Testament for Antipas whom before he had made Successor to his Kingdom he made Tetrarch of Galilee and Petrea To his Son Philip he assigned the Regions of Gaulanitis Trachonitis Batanaea and Pancada the name of a
Tetrarchy but he gave the Kingdom to his Son Archelaus To his sister Salome he gave Jamnia Azotus and Thasaelis with five hundred thousand Drachmaes To the rest of his Kindred he gave money and yearly Pensions To Caesar he gave ten Millions of Drachmaes of silver and all his Plate as well of Gold as of Silver and a great quantity of precious moveables and to Livia Caesars Wife and some certain Friends he gave five Millions of Drachmaes Having thus ordered these things five dayes after Antipater was put to death he dyed himself having enjoyed the Kingdom 34 years after the death of Antigonus but from the time that he was declared King by the Romans 37 years about the 25th of our November in the year of the world 4001 and after the Birth of Christ about two years THE LIFE and DEATH OF HANNIBAL THE GREAT HANNIBAL the Son of Amilcar was about twenty six years old when he was chosen General of the Carthaginian Forces in Spain He was elected by the Army as soon as Asdrabal their late General was dead and the election was approved and confirmed by the Senate or Carthage wherewith Hanno and his faction was nothing pleased This was now the third of the Barchine Family so called of Amilcar whose surname was Barcas that commanded in chief over the men of War Hanno therefore and his Partizans being neither able to tax the Virtue of their enemies nor to perform the like services to the Common-wealth had nothing left whereby to value themselves excepting the general reprehensions of War and cautelous advise of not provoking the Romans but they were little regarded For the Carthaginians saw apparently that the Oath of the Romans to the Articles of Peace was like to hold no longer than till the Romans could find some good advantage to renew the War It was therefore rather desired by the Carthaginians that whilst they were in a fit condition the War should begin rather than in some unhappy time of Famine or Pestilence or after some great loss in their Army or Fleet they should be driven to yield to the impudent demands of their insulting enemies This disposition of his Citizens Hannibal well enough understood Neither was he ignorant that in making War with the Romans it was no small advantage to get the start of them Could he but bring his Army into Italy he hoped to find Friends and assistance even from those People that helped to encrease the Armies of the Romans But his design must be carried privately or else it would be prevented He resolved therefore to lay Siege to Saguntum in Spain where he now was with his Army which might seem not greatly to concern the Romans and would highly please the Carthaginians Having resolved hereupon nevertheless he went orderly to work beginning with those that lay next in his way First therefore he entered into the Territory of the Olcades and besieging Althaea in a few days he became Master not only of it but of all the other Towns in their Country and the Winter coming on he rest his Army in New Carthage or Carthagena imparting liberally to his Souldiers of the Spoils that he had gotten in his late Conquests In the Spring he made War upon the Vaccaei and with little difficulty wan first Salamanca and after it Arbucala though not without a long Siege and much difficulty But in his return he was put to the height both of his Valour and Prudence For all such of the Vaccaei that could bear Arms being made desperate by the spoil of their Country with divers others that had escaped in the late overthrow joyning with the Toletans made up an Army of one hundred thousand able men waiting for Hannibal on the Banks of the River Tagus They knew that he was very adventurous and had never turned his back upon any enemy and therefore hoped that having him at such an advantage they should easily have foiled him But at this time our Great Man of War knew as well how to dissemble his Courage as at other times to make good use of it For he withdrew himself from the River side as seeming fearful to pass over it aiming thereby to draw over that great multitude from their Banks of advantage The Spaniards as Hannibal expected and desired thinking that he retreated out of fear thrust themselves in a disordered manner into the River to pursue him But when Hannibal saw them well near over he turned back his Elephants to entertain them at their landing and thrust his Horsemen both above and beneath them into the River who by the advantage of their Weapons slew almost all of those in the River without resistance and then pursued the rest who being amazed fled and so he made a very great slaughter of them The Saguntines perceiving the strom drawing near to them hastened their Ambassadours to Rome who complained that they were like to be undone only for their Friendship to the Romans This so moved the Senate that some would have War presently proclaimed both by Sea and Land and the Consuls sent with Armies one into Spain the other into Africk But others went more soberly to work according to the Roman gravity whereby it was concluded that Ambassadours should be sent into Spain to view the State of their Confederates These Ambassadours found Hannibal at Carthagena where they had Conference with him who carried himself so reservedly that they departed as doubtful as they came But whilst they were passing to and fro Hannibal prepared not only his Forces but some Roman pretences against Saguntum For the Tudetani who were Neighbours to the Saguntines complained to him of sundry wrongs that they had received from them of Saguntum Probably Hannibal himself had hatched some of them Having therefore such an occasion he sat down with his whole Army before Saguntum The Romans were glad of the Quarrel as hoping that Carthage with all belonging thereto would in short space become their own Yet were they not hasty to threaten before they were ready to strike but meant to temporize until they had an Army in readiness to be sent into Spain where they intended to make Saguntum the seat of War In the beginning of Hannibals Siege his Carthaginians were much discouraged by reason of the brave Sallies which the Saguntines made upon them in one of which Hannibal himself received a dangerus wound in the Thigh that made him unable to stir for many days Yet in the mean time he was not unmindful of his business but gave order to build certain movable Towers that might equal those upon the City Walls and to prepare to batter the Curtains and to make a breach These being sinished and applied had soon wrought their desired effect A large breach was made by the fall of some Towers whereat a hot assault was given But it was so gallantly defended by the besieged that the Carthaginians were not only beaten from the breach and out
the Romans others by their own Countrymen that were of the contrary faction Many threw themselves down headlong from the Rocks others setting their Houses on fire burnt themselves not enduring to behold those things that were done by the Enemy Here fell twelve thousand of the Jews whereas of the Romans there were but few slain though many wounded Amongst the Captives that were taken was Absolon the Uncle and Father in Law of Aristobulus the Son of John Hyrcanus Upon the same day and in the same month was the Temple taken by Pompey as it had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar five hundred and forty three years before and it fell out also to be on their Sabbath about the twenty eight day of our December Pompey entered into the Temple and many others with him and there beheld those things which were not lawful to be seen by any but the High Priests only And whereas there were in the Temple the Table and Candlesticks with the Lamps all Vessels for Sacrifice and the Censers all of pure Gold and a huge heap of Spices and in the Treasuries of sacred mony above two thousand Talents yet Pompey medled not with any of these but the next day he commanded them which had the charge of the Temple to purifie and cleanse it and to offer their solemn Sacrifices unto God Pompey then restored the High Priesthood to Hyrcanus both because he had shewed himself so forward all the time of the Siege as also for that he hindred the Jews that were in all the Country from joyning with Aristobulus and together with the Priesthood he gave him the Principality also only forbidding him to wear a Crown Then did he put to death those that were the chiefest cause of the War and made the Jews Tributaries to the Romans and the Cities which they had formerly conquered in Caelosyria he took from them commanding them to obey their own Governours and the whole Nation of the Jews formerly advanced through prosperity he contracted within their ancient bounds The King of the Arabians that dwelt at the Castle of Petra that never before made any account of the Romans was now greatly afraid and wrote to Pompey that he was at his devotion to do what he commanded Pompey to try him brought his Army before his Castle of Petra and lodged them for that day and fell to riding and mannaging his Horse up and down the Camp In the mean time Posts came riding from the Realm of Pontus with Letters of good news as appeared by their Javelins wreathed about with Lawrel the Souldiers seeing that flocked about the place to hear the news but Pompey would make an end of his riding before he would read the Letters whereupon many cryed to him to alight which he did But then he wanted a high place to stand upon and the Souldiers were so impatient to hear the news that they would not stay to make one they heaped Saddles one upon another and Pompey getting up upon them told them that Methridates was dead having killed himself because his Son Pharnaces rebelled against him and had wan all which his Father possessed writing to him that he kept it for himself and the Romans Upon this news all the Camp rejoyced wonderfully and Sacrificed to the Gods with great mirth Pompey finding this troublesome War to be so easily ended presently left Arabia and by speedy marches he came to the City of Amisus There he met with great Presents which were sent him from Pharnaces and many dead Bodies of the Kings Kindred and the Body of Methridates himself who was known by certain scars in his Face Pompey would by no means see him but to avoid envy he sent him away to the City of Sinope He much wondered at his rich Apparel and Weapons The Scabbard of his Sword cost four hundred Talents His Hat also was of wondrous Workmanship Pompey having here ordered all things according to his mind he went homewards with great pomp and Glory Coming to Mytylene he eased the City of all Taxes for Theophanes his sake and was present at certain Plays the subjects whereof were the great acts of Pompey He so liked the Theater where these Plays were made that he drew a moddle of it to make a statelier than it in Rome As he passed by the City of Rhodes he heard the Rhetoricians dispute and gave each of them a Talent The like he did at Athens unto the Philosophers there and towards the beautifying of the City he gave them fifty Talents At his return into Italy he expected to have been received very honourably and longed to see his Wife and Children thinking also that they longed as much to see him But God so ordered it that in his own House he met with occasion of sorrow For his Wife Mutia in his absence had played the Harlot Yet whilst he was a far off he made no account of the reports which were made to him of her But when he drew neer to Italy he was more attentive to them whereupon he sent her word he would own her no more for his Wife There were also rumours spread abroad in Rome which much troubled him it being given out that he would bring his Army strait to Rome and make himself absolute Lord of the Empire Crassus hereupon to give more credit to the report and to procure the greater envy against Pompey conveyed himself Family and Goods out of Rome But when Pompey came to Italy calling his Souldiers together he made an Oration to them as the time and occasion required and then commanded them to disband and every one to return to his own home and to follow his business till the time of his Triumph As he passed such was the love of the People to him that multitudes of them accompanied him to Rome whether he would or no and that with a greater power than he brought with him into Italy so that if he had been disposed to have made Innovation he needed not the assistance of his Army therein At this time there was a Law that no man should enter into Rome before his Triumph wherefore Pompey sent to the Senate requesting them to defer the choise of Consuls for a few days that he might further Piso who sued for the Consulship that year But through Caetoes means they denyed his request Pompey marvelling to hear of his boldness and free Speech was very desirous to make him his Friend So Cato having two Neeces he desired to marry one himself and to have the other for his Son but Cato flatly denied him though his Wife and Sister were angry that he refused to make alliance with Pompey the Great After this Pompey being desirous to prefer Afranius to be Consul he caused mony to be given to the Tribes of the People which being reported abroad made every man speak evil of him as having put the Consulship to sale for money whereas himself had
was contrary to an express Law But when he perceived that many of the Senators being Caesars Friends favoured his request he cunningly sought all he could to prevent them whereupon Caesar resolved rather to give over his suit for the Triumph than to lose the Consulship So he came into the City and outwitted all but Cato His device was this Pompey and Crassus were the two greatest Persons in Rome and at jar between themselves Caesar affecting to make himself greater than either of them sought to make them Friends and thereby to get the power of them both For indeed they both affected his Friendship that by his help they might supplant one another And in the end by his endeavours a peace was concluded betwixt them yet being still jealous one of another and fearing to lose Caesar they both sought to gratifie him and by this means he made himself equal to either of them and that power which they two had formerly usurped was now divided between three and in the end Caesar hereby got the sole command This league being made betwixt them Caesar demanded the Consulship being brought into the Assembly for the Election betwixt these two Noble Persons and was there chosen Consul together with Calphurnius Bibulus without the contradiction of any And when he was entered into his Office he began to put forth Laws meeter for a sedicious Tribune than for a Consul because by them he preferred the division of Lands and distributing Corn to every Citizen Gratis and all to please the People And vvhen the Senators opposed it he took the advantage Protesting that the Senate by their austerity drave him against his will to cleave to the People and thereupon he asked Crassus and Pompey in the open Assembly if they gave their consents to his Laws They answered yea Then he prayed them to stand by him against those that threatned to oppose him with the Sword Crassus said he would and Pompey did the like adding that he would come with his Sword and Target both against such which gave great offence to the Senate but the common People much rejoyced Caesar to oblige Pompey more to him gave him his Daughter Julia in Marriage who was made sure before to Servilius Caepio promising him in her stead Pompeys Daughter who also was made sure unto Faustus the Son of Sylla And shortly after Caesar himself Married Calphurnia the Daughter of Piso whom he caused to succeed him in the Consulship Cato then cryed out and called the Gods to witness that it was a shameful thing that they should make such havock in the Commonwealth by such horribly Bawdy matches hereby dividing amongst themselves the Government of Provinces and great Armies And Bibulus perceiving that he did but contend in vain Caesar being too potent for him and that his Life was in danger for opposing these Laws he kept his House all the rest of his Consulship Pompey having married Julia he filled the Market-place with Souldiers and by open force authorised the Laws which Caesar had made in favour of the People He procured also that Caesar had both the Gauls and all Illyria with four Legions granted him for five years and when Cato stood up to speak against it Caesar bad his Officers to lay hold on him and carry him to Prison thinking that he would have appealed to the Tribunes but Cato said no more but went his way And Caesar seeing that not only the Nobility but the Commons also were offended at it out of respect to Cato's virtues he secretly prayed one of the Tribunes that he would take Cato from his Officers which was done accordingy Many of the Senators refused to be present in the Senate under him but left the City because they could not endure his doings whereupon one Considius an old man told him that the Senators durst not meet because of his Souldiers Why then said Caesar dost not thou also keep home out of the same fear Because said he My age takes away my fear from me for having so short a time to live I care not to prolong it further Caesar preferred Clodius a base fellow to be Tribune who sought the Office for no other end but to destroy Cicero who had discovered his Villanies and Caesar would not go to his Province till he had set them two together by the ears and driven Cicero out of Italy Yet did he deserve the name of as brave a General as any that went before him if we consider the hard Countries which he adjoyned to the Empire of Rome The multitude and power of the Enemies whom he overcame The rudeness and Valour of the men with whom he had to do whose manners yet he molliâ—ied and civilized His courtesie and clemency to those whom he overcame His great bounty and liberallity to those that served under him As also if we consider the number of Battels that he fought and the multitude of Enemies that were slain by him For in less then ten years he took by assault above eight hundred Towns He conquered three hundred Nations and having at several times above thirty hundred thousand Souldiers against him he slew a Million of them and took as many more Prisoners He was so intirely loved of his Souldiers that to do him service and to advance his honour they were invincible As appears by the example of Acilius who in a Sea-fight before the City of Marseiles boarding one of the Enemies Ships had his right hand cut off and yet he ran upon his Enemies thrusting them in their faces with his Target on his left hand and so prevailed that he took their Ship One Cassius Scaeva also in a fight before the City of Dyrrhacium having an eye put out with an Arrow his shoulder stricken through with a Dart and his thigh with another having received thirty Arrows upon his Shield called to his Enemies as if he would yield to them but when two of them came running to him he cut off one of their armes by the shoulder and wounded the other in the face and made them give back till he was fetched off by some of his fellows In Brittain also when some of his Captains were driven into a bog full of mire and dirt the Enemies fiercely assaulting them there Caesar viewing the Battel he saw a private Souldier thrust in amongst the Captains where he fought so valiantly that at length he forced the Barbarous People to fly and thereby saved the Captains who otherwise had perished there And then this Souldier being the hindmost of all the Captains marched through the bog sometimes swimming and sometimes on foot till he gat to the farther side only he lost his Target Caesar wondring at his valour ran and imbraced him But the poor Souldier hanging down his head with tears in his eyes fell at Caesars feet begging pardon for leaving his Target behind him In Africk also Scipio having taken one of Caesars Ships slew all
and considered it will plainly appear that in none of those things aforesaid nor in any other that may be said of him there hath been any Heathen King or Captain that ever excelled him And setting apart his Ambition and desire of Rule he was onely noted and blamed for being too much given to Women Caesar was thus slain in the fifty sixth year of his Age a little more than four years after the Death of Pompey in the seven hundred and tenth year after the building of Rome and about forty and two years before the Incarnation of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Caesar left behind him neither Son nor Daughter legitimate at that time of his Death For though he had been four several times married yet he had but one only Daughter named Julia that was married to Pompey and died before him Wherefore by his last Will he adopted for his Son and made his Heir in the Dodrant that is in nine parts of twelve of his goods his Nephew Octavius Caesar afterwards called Octavianus Augustus who was the Son of Acia his Neece and of Octavius Praetor of Macedonia which Octavius at this time was by the commandment of his Uncle in the City of Apollonia in the Province of Epirus where he applied himself to his studies staying for him there thence to go with him to the Parthian War being now about seventeen years of age Caesar being thus slain the news of it ran presently all over the City and the tumult therein was so great that no man knew what to do or say All Offices ceased the Temples were all shut up and every man was amazed Caesars Friends were afraid of those that slew him and they as much feared his Friends Brutus Cassius and the other Conspirators and others that joyned with them seeing the great tumult durst not go to their Houses nor prosecute their other designs for fear of Mark Anthony and Lepidus whereof the one was Consul and the other General of the Horsemen but presently from thence they went to seize upon the Capitol crying by the way as they went Liberty Liberty and imploring the favour and assistance of the People The rest of that day and all next night Mark Anthony and Lepidus who took Caesars part were in Arms and there passed sundry messages and treaties between them and the Conspirators At last it was agreed that the Senate should sit whither Brutus and Cassius came M. Anthonies Sons by the perswasion of Cicero a great lover of Liberty remaining as Hostages for them In the Senate they Treated of Peace and concord and that all that was past should be buried in perpetual oblivion whereunto Anthony who was Consul and the whole Senate agreed and the Provinces being divided there was a great likelihood of Peace For the Senate approved and commended the murther and the People dissembled their thoughts For on the one side the authority of Brutus and Cassius and the name of Liberty seemed to give them some content and on the other side the hainousness of the fact and the love they bare to Caesar did move and excite them to hate the murtherers and so all was quiet for the present But Mark Anthony who affected the Tyranny took every opportunity to incense the People against them and Caesars Testament being opened wherein besides the adopting of his Nephew Octavius and making him his Heir besides other bequests he bequeathed to the People of Rome certain Gardens and Lands near to the River of Tiber and to every Citizen of Rome certain Gardens and Lands neer to the sum of mony to be divided amongst them which being known much encreased their love to Caesar and made his death more grievous to them Caesars Funeral being agreed upon his Body was burnt with great solemnity in the Field of Mars and Mark Anthony made the Funeral Oration in his Praise and took the Robe wherein Caesar was slain being all bloody and shewed it to the People using such Speeches as provoked them both to wrath and commiseration so as before the Funeral solemnity was fully finished they all depart in great fury taking Brands in their hands from the fire wherein Caesar was burned and went to burn the Houses of Brutus and Cassius and if they could have found them and the rest of the Conspirators they would certainly have slain them and in their fury they unadvisedly slew Elius Cinna by mistaking him for Cornelius Cinna who was one of the Conspirators This tumult put Brutus and Cassius and their confederates into such fear that they all sled from Rome into several parts and though the Senate having appeased the tumult inflisted punishment upon some of the seditious and had already committed some of them to Prison yet Brutus and Cassius durst not return to Rome but after a while went into Greece to Govern those Provinces which Caesar in his Life time had allotted unto them which were Macedonia to Brutus and Syria to Cassius And truly this was very remarkable that within the space of three years all the Conspirators died and not one of them a natural death Caesar in his fifth and last Consulship made an Edict that thanks should be returned to Hyrcanus the High-Priest and Prince of the Jews and to the Nation of the Jews for their affection to himself and the People of Rome And decreed also that the said Hyrcanus should have the City of Jerusalem and repair the Walls of it which Pompey had beaten down and should Govern it as he pleased himself He also granted to the Jews that every second year there should an abatement be made out of their rents and that they should be free from Impositions and Tributes His Name of Caesar was so honourable that all his successors to this present day have assumed it into their Title and esteemed it an honour to be called Caesars THE LIFE and DEATH OF OCTAVIANUS AUGUSTUS In whose Raign our LORD CHRIST WAS BORN OCtavius Caesar who was afterwards called Octavianus Augustus was by the Fathers side descended of the Antient Family of the Octavij which was of great account in Rome even from the time of Tarquin their King By the Mothers side he was descended from the Regal Line His Mother was Accia the Daughter of Accius Balbus and Julia the Sister of Julius Caesar which Accia was married to the Father of Octavius He was born in the year of the Consulshp of Cicero and Caius Antonius He was but four years old when his Father dyed and at twelve years old he made an Oration at the Funeral of his Grand-mother Julia. When his Uncle Julius Caesar was Warring in Spain against the Sons of Pompey Octavius though he was but young followed him thither through many and great dangers and when that War was ended Julius Caesar intending to take him with him to the Parthian War sent him before to the City of Apollonia where he plyed his Book very diligently and on
himself following with the other Fleet did the like About this time Octavian divorced himself from Scribonia though he had a Daughter by her called Livia and then he married Livia Drusilla Wife to Tiberius Nero by whom she had a Son called also Tiberius hereupon Tiberius was forced to leave her to please Octavian though at this time she was with Child of a Son This Livia he loved dearly and continued with her till his Death Agrippa assaulted and took in some places in Sicily which Pompey hearing of departed from Messina with one hundred and seventy five Gallies to relieve them and Agrippa being advertised of his coming prepared to meet him his Gallies being almost equal in number and so they joyned Battel which for a time seemed to be equal but at last Agrippa prevailed and Pompey retreated in time his Gallies and Foists withdrawing themselves into some Rivers near at hand whither Agrippa with his bigger Vessels could not follow them In this fight Pompey lost thirty of his Gallies Agrippa the next day went to a City called Tindaria thinking to surprise it by reason of intelligence which he had with the Citizens and Pompey in the Night gave secret order to his whole Fleet to retire to Messina Octavian in the mean time imbarked a great part of his Army which he landed in Sicily and set them on shore under the command of Cornificius little thinking that Pompey had been so near who if he had taken this opportunity might have defeated Octavian But loosing it Octavian imbarking again intended to determine the quarrel by a Battel at Sea leaving Cornificius with his men fortified on the Land Then did Pompey sail out of Messina with his whole Fleet and neither Parties refusing it they came to a Battel in which Octavian was overcome and all his great Fleet scattered and lost and himself driven to flie into Italy in a Brigandine where through many dangers he at last came to the Army whereof Mesalla was General and being nothing discouraged with this loss he presently took order for all that was needful To Rome he sent his intire Friend Mecenas to take order that this news should breed no alteration there and then presently sent to Agrippa the Admiral of his other Fleet that he should with all speed succour Cornificius and his Army in Sicily and to Lepidus he sent to desire him to make his present repair to the Isle of Lippari which is between Sicily and Calabria His diligence and good order about these affairs was such that in a short time by the help of Lepidus and Agrippa in dispite of Pompey he landed all his Forces in Sicily and joyning with Lepidus he encamped near to Messina where began a most cruel War both by Sea and Land wherein the power and sufficiency of Pompey did wonderfully appear in that he was able to grapple with so potent adversaries Yet seeing himself oppressed he sent a challenge to Octavian that to avoid the further effusion of blood he would try it out with him in a Naval fight so many Ships and Gallies against so many Octavian delayed him at the first but afterwards they agreed that with three hundred Ships and Galleys on either side they would meet in such a place and there fight it out and accordingly they prepared for the Battel Octavian leaving Lepidus with his Land Army embarked himself in his Fleet and Pompey did the like and so they joyned Battel which was one of the cruellest that ever was considering the Commanders and the strength on either side where Pompey after he had performed all the Offices of a good and Valiant Captain and after the slaughter of multitudes on both sides was overcome by Octavian and all his Fleet was burnt and sunk or taken saving sixteen sail which escaped by flight and he in one of them and these entered into the Haven of Messina And though the City was sufficiently fortified and Pompey knew that Plinius his General was coming to his rescue yet in a dark night he imbarked and with those sixteen Ships which had escaped he fled into the East to Mark Anthony hoping to find relief from him But after much toil and many accidents which happened to him he was slain by one Titius at the command of Mark Anthony and in him failed the House and memory of his Father Pompey the Great In this War Octavian escaped many dangers For having transported part of his Army into Sicily and sailing back to fetch the rest he was suddenly surprised by Demochares and Apolaphanes two of Pompeys Captains from whom he escaped with much difficulty with one only Ship Then travelling by Land to Rhegium he saw some of Pompeys Gallies near to the Shore and supposing them to be his own he went down to the Sea side where he had like to have been taken by them and then seeking to escape by unknown passages he met with a slave of Aemilius Paulus who remembring that he had proscribed his Master Paulus Father to this Aemilius he attempted to kill him Octavian having obtained this great Victory aforesaid though with very great loss he went to Land with the remainder of his Ships and Army commanding Agrippa to joyn with Lepidus and to go to Messina whither Pliny Pompeys General had retired himself But not thinking good to stand upon his defence now that his Master was fled he yielded himself to Lepidus with all his Legions This made Lepidus so proud that affecting to have Sicily to himself he contended with Octavian about it and entering into the City of Messina he placed a Garrison in it to hold it for his own use The like he did in many other places of the Island and when Octavian came he desired to speak with him greatly complaining of his proceedings But in Rule and Dominion equallity is intollerable whilst either of them coveted this Isle for himself they fell at variance and Octavian made his Navy to draw neer to the shore So that both Armies began to stand upon their guard the one against the other and many messages passed between them yet could they not agree But Octavian was far better beloved and esteemed by the men of War for his many vertues and Nobility and for his Name-sake Julius Caesar then the other and the Souldiers began to lay all the fault upon Lepidus Octavian understanding this laboured secretly to corrupt Lepidus his Souldiers to draw them to himself and one day with a great Troop of Horse he rode neer to Lepidus his Camp and parlying with his Souldiers justified himself and laid all the fault upon Lepidus insomuch that many of them began to come over to his side Lepidus being informed hereof caused an Alarm to be given and commanded his men to sally out against Octavian but when they came forth most of them joyned with him so that Lepidus seeing himself in danger of being forsaken of his whole Army
the Exchequer twenty five hundred thousand Crowns and suffered private men to take of it for three years without Interest putting in good security for the paying back of the principal and condemned such Usurers as had taken more than the Law allowed to pay four times as much to those who had been oppressed by them THE LIFE and DEATH OF TAMERLANE THE GREAT WHO FLORISHED ANNO CHRISTI 1400. TAMERLANE was born at Samercand the chief City of the Zagatajan Tartars His Father was called Zain-Cham or as others will Og Prince of the Zagatajans of the Country Sachithays sometimes part of the famous Kingdom of Parthia third in descent from Zingis the great and successful Captain of the Tartars which Og being a Prince of a peaceable nature accounting it no less honour quietly to keep the Countries left him by his Father than with much trouble and no less hazard to seek how to enlarge the same long lived in most happy peace with his Subjects no less happy therein than himself not so much seeking after the hoording up of Gold and Silver things of that Nation not regarded nor valued as contenting himself with the encrease and profit of his Sheep and herds of Cattel then and yet also the principal revenues of the Tartar Kings and Princes which happily gave occasion to some ignorant of the manner and customs of those Northern Nations and Countries to account them all for Shepherds and Herdsmen and so also to have reported of this mighty Prince as if he had been a Shepherds Son or Herdsman himself vainly measuring his Nobility by the homely course of life of his People and Subjects and not by the honour of his House and Heroical Vertues hardly to be paralelled by any Prince of that or the former Ages His peaceable Father now well stricken in years and weary of the World delivered up his Kingdom to this his Son not yet past fifteen years old joyning unto him two of his most faithful Councellours Odmar and Ally to assist him in the government of his State whom Tamerlane dearly loved whilst they lived and much honoured the remembrance of them being dead The first proof of Tamerlanes Fortune and Valour was against the great Duke of Mosco or Emperour of Russia for spoiling of a City which had put it self under his protection and for entring his Country and proclaiming War against him whom he in a great Battel overthrew having slain twenty seven thousand of the Muscovites Footmen and between fifteen and sixteen thousand Horsemen with the loss of scarce eight thousand Horsemen and four thousand Footmen of his own After which Battel Tamerlane beholding so many thousands of men lying dead upon the ground was so far from rejoycing thereat that turning himself to one of his familiar Friends he lamented the condition of such as commandâ— over great Armies commending his Fathers quiet course of life accounting him happy in seeking for rest and such most unhappy which by the destruction of their own kind sought to procure their own glory protesting himself even from his heart to be grieved to see such sad tokens of his Victory Alhacen in his Arabick History of Tamerlane makes this Narrative of the Battel The Muscovites saith he had a great Army which he had gathered together out of sundry Nations and Tamerlane intending not to put up such wrongs and indignities assembled all his Forces and those of his Allies The Muscovites forces were such as had been well trained up in the Wars For having lately concluded a Peace with the King of Poland he had from thence ten thousand very good Horsemen There were also with him many Hungarian Gentlemen under the conduct of one Uladislaus who brought with him more than eight thousand Horse so that he had in his Army about eighty thousand Horse and one hundred thousand Footmen Tamerlane had in his Army about one hundred and twenty thousand Horse and one hundred and fifty thousand Foot but not so good Souldiers as the Muscovites for his Subjects had been long trained up in peace under his peaceable Father and though they had been sometimes exercised yet they wanted the practical part of War Tamerlanes order in his march was this He caused all his Army to be divided into Squadrons each consisting of six thousand Horse save his own which consisted of ten thousand so that he made eighteen Squadrons besides his own The Avantguard was conducted by Odmar who led eight Squadrons which were flanked by forty thousand Footmen divided on the right and left sides who shot an infinite number of Arrows The Battel was conducted by Tamerlane who with his own led ten Squadrons and fifty thousand Footmen the best and choicest Souldiers of his whole Army The Prince of Thanais his Kinsman led the Arereward with six Squadrons of Horse and forty thousand Foot his forlorn Hope consisted of some three thousand Horse adventurers The Muscovites fought by double Ranks with Lances and they seemed to be a greater number than Tamerlanes making a great noise but Tamerlanes skill and multitude at length overcame the force and valour of the Muscovites the Victory bending to the Parthians side which they pursued hotly In this Battel Tamerlane was hurt on the side of the left Eye and had two Horses slain under him and indeed that day Odmar was the safeguard of the Prince but he lost Ally who was slain with an Arrow The Battle being ended Tamerlane returned thanks to God publickly for his Victory and the next day reviewing his Army he found that he had lost between seven and eight thousand Horsemen and between three and four thousand Footmen The Muscovites lost about twenty seven thousand Foot and fifteen or sixteen thousand Horse The Prince slacked no time after so great a Victory but marching on came into the borders of the Muscovites whom he enforced this agreement That they should become his Tributaries paying yearly one hundred thousand Duckats That the great Duke should defray all the charges of the Wars amounting to three hundred thousand Duckats That he should withdraw his Army and send back all the Prisoners and that for the performance hereof he should give pledges which should be changed every year All which being agreed to he returned with great content and glory to his Father Shortly after the great Cham of Tartary his Fathers Brother being grown old and out of hope of having any more Children moved with the Fame of his Nephew after this Victory sent him divers presents and withal offering him his only Daughter in Marriage sent him word that he would proclaim him Heir apparent to his Empire as indeed in right he was being his Brothers Son and the Daughters not using to succeed in those Empires Which so great an offer Tamerlane gladly accepted and so the marriage was afterwards with great Triumph at the old Emperours Court solemnized and consummated and our Tamerlane
like a Deluge threatned to over-run all Christendom I shall intermit the former till I have spoken something of this latter that I may proceed with the more clearness in the remainder of this History The motive of the Spanish War was more upon pleasure than necessity But Zeal of Religion gave a colour and shew of necessity to the Heroical designs of Charlemagne who sought to enlarge the limits of the French Monarchy by his Arms. But this his Spanish War as it was undertaken upon lighter grounds so was it more painful more dangerous and less successful then that of Italy whereunto necessity and duty had drawn Charlemagne yet did his wise and wary proceeding in the action warrant him from all blame The occasions which moved him to bend his Forces against the Sarazins in Spain were the assurance of good success the quiet and peace of his Realm that he might have opportunity to imploy his Souldiery the hate of the Spaniards against the Sarazins and the general fear of all Christians least these Caterpillars should creep further into Europe This was the estate of Spain at this time The Sarazins had conquered a great part of it and were divided under divers Commands which had the Title of Kingdoms Yet these divers Kings being apprehensive of their common danger resolved to unite their forces against Charlemagne their common enemy and foreseeing the Tempest they sought to prevent it and to cross the designs of Charlemagne For which end they suborned King Idnabala a Sarazin being a very subtile and crafty man to insinuate himself into the acquaintance and familiarity of Charlemagne which stratagem prevailed more then all their power and forces Charlemagne was much quickned to this War by Alphonso surnamed the Chast King of Navar and by the Aâ—turians and Gallizians Christian People of Spain who suggested to him that the War would be easie profitable and honourable and therefore most worthy the Valour and Fortune of Charlemagne This Idnabala also under a shew of friendship laboured to hasten him to the execution of this enterprise from which he knew well he could not divert him that he might the better betray him by discovering his Counsels to the Sarazins Charlemagne being well-affected of himself and thus excited by others assembled a Parliament at Noyon and there concluded a War against the Sarazins in Spain The Army which he employed in this action was very great both for number of men and Valour of Commanders and Chieftains being the most choice and Worthy Captains in all Christendome amongst whom these were of the chiefest note Milon Earl of Anger 's Rowland the Son of Milon and Berthe Sister to Charlemagne Renald of Montaubon The four Sons of Aymon Oger the Dane Oliver Earl of Geneva Arnold of Belland Brabin and many others The Valour of which Persons hath been fabulously related by the Writers of those dark times who for the most part were Friars concerning whom the Proverb was A Friar a Lyar with the addition of a thousand ridiculous tales so that the truth is hardly picked out from the midst of so much errour Yet what is most probable and can be gathered out of the most authentick Authors shall here be set down They say that Charlemagne to make this undertaking more honourable in shew did at this time institute the Order of the twelve Peers of France Charlemagne being entred into Spain with his brave Army found no object for them whereon to exercise their Valour For the Sarazins resolving to make a defensive rather than an offensive War had withdrawn themselves into their Cities which they had fortified strongly The most renowned of the Sarazin Kings at this time were Aigoland Bellingan Denises Marsile and Idnabala But this last as was said before made shew of much Friendship to Charlemagne and of open hatred against the other Sarazin Kings with whom notwithstanding he held secret and strict intelligence to betray Charlemagne unto them The first City that the French attempted was Pampelune in the Kingdom of Navarr the which they took by force but with much pains danger and loss Having sackt this City and put all the Sarazins in it to the Sword they marched to Saragoce which yielded to them upon composition as did also many other small Towns being terrified with the example of Pampelune This prosperous beginning encouraged Charlemagne to advance forward relying on his wonted Fortune and good success But as he passed through the Provinces of Spain like a Victorious Prince without any opposition he divided his Army and gave part of it to be conducted by Milon of Anger 's his Brother in Law who in his march near unto Bayon was set upon by Aigoland the Sarazin King who in this common danger had thrust an Army into the Field and now assaulted Milon and his Troops little expecting any Enemy and took him at such an advantage as he defeated him This loss was very great For Writers say that forty thousand of the French here lost their lives Milon himself being also slain for a confirmation of the Sarazins Victory Charlemagne was at this time afar off and so not able by any diligence to prevent the loss Yet he suppressed his grief and trouble least he should discourage the whole Army and so hastening thitherward he gathered up the remainder of those broken and dispersed Troops withall keeping the conquered Cities and such as were Friends in their due Obedience But after this there fell out another accident Aigoland being puffed up with Pride through his late Victory marched with his Army into Gascoine and besieged Agen to divert Charlemagne from his pursuit and to draw him home to defend his own Country So as Charlemagne fearing least his own absence and the Sarazins late Victory should cause any alteration in the minds of them of Guienne being then Subjects of whom he had no great assurance he returned into France Aigoland had now continued some moneths at the siege of Agen yet had prevailed little but only in over-running the Country which he did freely without any considerable resistance even unto Xaintonge the Country-men in the mean time retiring into the Walled Towns expected the return of Charlemagne their King Aigolands Army was very great and puffed up with the remembrance of their late Victory So as Charlemagne returning with his Forces from Spain well tired he maintained his Countries more through his authority than by present force yet did he give life to the courage of his Subjects with his presence and bridled the proud Sarazin who could not be ignorant with whom he had to deal nor where he was being environed with the enemies on all sides and in an enemies Country Hereupon Aigoland pretending an inclination to Peace gave Charlemagne to understand that he had been the first Invader and that his own comming into France was only to draw his Enemy out of Spain and to cause him to leave to the
other Doctors of the Church He resided also at Paris that he might have opportunity of conferring with learned men There he erected a goodly University which he furnished with as learned men as those times could afford and endowed it with great priviledges For he had an exceeding great care to make it a Nurcery for the holy Ministry that from thence the Church might be supplied with able Teachers whence also grew so many Colleges of Cannons with sufficient revenues annexed thereunto Thus Charlemagne spent three years happily in the only care of his Soul leaving an illustrious example to all Princes to moderate and ennoble their greatness with Piety and so to enjoy their Temporal estates as in the mean time not to neglect their eternal concernments and to think of their departure out of this Life in time Foreseeing his Death whereunto he prepared himself by these exercises he made his last Will and Testament leaving his Son Lewis the sole Heir unto his great Kingdoms and bequeathed to the Church much Treasure But all things and Persons in this World have an end His Testament was but the Harbinger to his Death for presently after he was taken with a pain in his side or Plurisie and lay sick but eight days and so yielded up his Spirit unto God that gave it Anno Christi 814. and of his Age seventy one and of his Reign forty seven including fifteen years of his Empire His Body was interred in a sumptuous Church which he had caused to be built in the City of Aquisgrave or Aix la Capelle where he was born and his memory was honoured with a goodly Epitaph He was one of the greatest Princes that ever lived His virtues are a pattern to other Monarchs and his great successes the subject of their wishes The greatness of his Monarchy indeed was admirable For he quietly enjoyed all France Germany the greatest part of Hungary all Italy and a good part of Spain At the time of his Death he was in peace with the other Kings of Spain as also with the Kings of England Denmark Bulgary with the Emperour Leo of Constantinople and with all the Princes of that time This Noble Prince was endued with so many excellent Virtues that we read of very few in antient Histories that excelled him so that he may be justly compared with the best of them For in Martial Discipline in Valour in Dexterity in Feats of Arms there are none that exceeded him He obtained as many Victories fought as many Battels and subdued as many fierce and Warlike Nations as any one we read of and that both before and after that he was Emperour He was tall of Stature very well proportioned in all his members passing strong of a fair and grave countenance valiant mild merciful a lover of Justice liberal very affable pleasant well read in History a great Friend of Arts and Sciences and sufficiently seen into them and a man who above all loved and rewarded Learned men He was very charitable in his Kingdoms yea in his very Court he harboured and relieved many Strangers and Pilgrims In matters of Faith and Religion he was very zealous and most of the Wars which he made were to propagate and enlarge the Christian Faith He being mis-led by the darkness of the times wherein he lived superstitiously honoured and obeyed the Church of Rome and the Pope that was Bishop thereof together with other Bishops and Prelates commanding his Subjects also to do the like He was also very devout and spent much of his time in Prayer Hearing and Reading In his Diet he was very temperate and a great enemy to riot and excess and though he was Rich and Mighty yet fed he his Body with what was necessary and wholesome not rare costly and strange And yet his Virtues were not without their blemishes as the greatest commonly are not without some notable Vices For in his younger dayes he was much given to Women adding Concubines to his lawful Wives by whom he had divers children but this was in the time of his Youth For afterwards he contented himself with his Wife and for a remedy of this imperfection though he was three or four times a Widower yet he ever married again the Daughter of some great Prince or other To conclude all he was an excellent Emperour that loved and feared God and died when he was very Old and full of Honour leaving Lewis the weakest of his Sons the sole heir of his great Empire but not of his Virtues So that this great building soon declined in his posterity He had engraven upon his Sword Pro Deo Religione For God and Religion He used to set his Crown upon the Bible as our Canutus sometime put his Crown upon the Rood both of them thereby intimating that as all honour was due to God so true Religion was the best Basis of Government and that Piety was the best Policy The Epitaph which I spake of was this Sub hoc conditorio situm est Corpus Caroli Magni atque Orthodoxi Imperatorisqui Regnum Francorum nobiliter ampliavit per annos Quadraginta septem foeliciter tenuit Decessit Septuagenarius Anno Domini 814. Indicti one 7. Quinto Calend. Febr. Under this Tomb lieth the Body of Charles the Great and Catholick Emperour who most Nobly enlarged the Kingdom of the French and most happily ruled it for the space of forty and seven years He died in the seventy and one year of his Age In the year of our Lord eight hundred and fourteen the seventh Indiction on the fifth Calend of February He had five Wives the first was called Galcena the Daughter of the King of Galistria by whom he had no Children The second was Theodora the Sister or as others say the Daughter of Didier King of Lombardy whom he kept not long but repudiated her for sundry reasons The third was Hildebranda Daughter of the Duke of Suevia whom he loved exceedingly and had by her three Sons viz. Charles his Eldest whom he made King of the greatest and best part of France and Germany Pepin his Second whom he made King of Italy Bavaria c. Lewis his Youngest to whom he left the Empire intire his Brothers being both dead in their Fathers Life time This Lewis was sirnamed Debonaire or the Courteous He had also three Daughters the Eldest was called Rothruda the Second Birtha and the Youngest Giselia who would never marry His fourth Wife he had out of Germany called Fastrada And his fifth and last was also a German Lady called Luithgranda of the Suevian Race by whom he had no Children He shewed his love to Religion by having one during his Meal-times that either read to him some part of the Holy Scriptures or else some part of Saint Augustines Books especially that De Civitate Dei or some History He was also a great Friend to Learning and therefore erected three