Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A52789
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The lives of illustrious men written in Latin by Cor. Nepos and done into English by several hands.; Vitae excellentium imperatorum. English
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Nepos, Cornelius.; Finch, Leopold William, 1663?-1702.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing N428; ESTC R7830
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121,520
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330
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order to an Accommodation And the War being thus ended Autophradates went into Phrygia But the King hated Datames so implacably that when he saw his destruction could not be accomplish'd by any open Force he endeavour'd by some secret Methods to take him off But he defeated several of their designs of which the most remarkable was this He had intelligence that some about him and such as were reputed his Friends had contriv'd his Death this he thought because it came from his Enemies was neither to be over-much credited nor perfectly slighted but being willing to see the reality of the thing he went to the very place where he was told they intended the Assasination To one that exactly resembl'd him for shape and stature he likewise gave his Habit and commanded him during the Journey to represent him by riding in his place He himself was Accouter'd like a Common Soldier and Rid amongst His Guards And charg'd all the Company to observe his motions and second them When the Conspirators saw the Company they were deceiv'd by the place and dress and assaulted the Counterfit which when Datames perceiv'd he presently threw out his Darts and the rest according to the Sign doing so too they were all kill'd upon the spot Yet at last this sagacious Man was over-reach'd by a project of Mithridates the Son of Ariobarzanes who assur'd the King of his Death upon condition he might act as he pleas'd with impunity The liberty being granted and the Promise according to the Custom of the Persians confirm'd by the Hand he pretended an open Defiance of the King rais'd Forces besieg'd his Towns and vext his Provinces by Agents desir'd a correspondence with Datames and after a Distribution amongst his Soldiers complemented him with a Present of rich Spoils By these Actions he perswaded Datames that he had engag'd himself in an everlasting Quarrel with the King but however to prevent the least suspition of his designs he neither desir'd a Conference with him or an Enterview but manag'd his false Friendship so well at distance that nothing should seem to be the foundation of it but their common Hatred of the King When he thought he had sufficiently setled him in this opinion he sent him word that it was necessary they should prepare greater Forces and engage themselves in an Actual War with the King himself and if he approv'd the Proposal that he would meet him at any place he should chuse to consult farther about it The time and place being appointed Mithridates going thither some days before with one that was his Confident hid several Swords and nicely observ'd how they lay When the day came which they had fix'd upon they both sent some Servants to view the place and then met according to the agreement After they had spent some time in the debate and were parted Mithridates that he might not be at all suspected before he was got to his Company return'd to the same place and sat down where he had buried one of the Daggers as if he had design'd only to rest himself But having taken up the Weapon and conceal'd it under his Clothes he sent for Datames under pretence that he had forgotten some important matter and told him that as he pass'd along he had ' spy'd a very convenient place for their Camp Datames turning and looking with some earnestness upon the place which he shew'd him was immediately stabb'd in the Back and dy'd before any one could come up to his assistance Thus he that had over-reach'd many by generous Stratagems but none by any base Treachery was at last deceiv'd and ruin'd by the plausible pretences of Friendship THE LIFE OF EPAMINONDAS Done into English by Mr. Lane Fellow of Merton Coll. Oxon. EPAMINONDAS the Son of Polymnius was a Theban But before we begin our account of him it seems necessary to desire the Readers that they would not make an Estimate of other People's Manners by their own nor suppose that things of small value with them bear the same rate amongst all the rest of Mankind Musick we know according to our sentiments is below the Dignity of a Prince to Dance the mean Employ of Slaves yet amongst the Grecians these are Gentile Accomplishments of great repute Epaminondas's Character deserves to have nothing omitted that may conduce to the knowledg of so great a Man wherefore we shall in the first place discourse of his Parentage in the next of his Education then of his Manners and Disposition and if there be any thing else on those heads worth relating and in the last place concerning his Actions These are the great concern of life and are by most preferr'd before all the solitary Habits of a lazy Virtue His Father's name you have heard before His Family was Gentile yet such as might receive not give a lustre Poverty seem'd entail'd upon him from his Ancestors yet never was Theban more Gentilely Educated He learnt to play on the Lute and to Sing from Dionysius whose Fame in Musick was not less then the celebrated Names of Damon or Lamprus Olympiodorus taught him the Flute and Calliphron to Dance His Tutor in Philosophy was Lysis the Tarentinian of the Pythagorean Sect He was so great an Admirer of this old Man that his reserv'd severe Conversation pleas'd him better then the gay Company of his Equals Neither would he leave him till he had so far outgone his Fellow-Pupils that it was apparent his Excellence in other Arts would be proportionate to his happy success in these If you give a judgment according to our Customs these things may seem mean and contemptible and not proper Theams of Praise yet were they anciently in Greece of as great concern as good Breeding could make them After he was fifteen years old he betook himself to the Academy for the Exercises of the Body where he did not so much aim at greatness of strength as nimbleness in motion The first he knew might gain applause in a Ring the other was of the greatest use in War Therefore he design'd to himself such a perfection in Running and Wrastling as he might be able while he was standing on his Feet to grapple and close with his Enemy but neglected the other tricks of these Exercises which were perform'd by the Parties tugging and tumbling one another on the Ground These were his Recreations Arms were his serious bus'ness This Strength of Body thus gain'd was attended with a more numerous train of the Goods of the Mind He was modest prudent grave in his Behaviour of great Address and none more wise in managing each juncto of time to the greatest advantage He was well Skill'd in the Art of War Valiant in the Duties of it and of an undaunted Courage So severe a Lover of Truth that he would not Lye in Jest Chast compassionate and patient in an eminent degree easily forgiving not only the Injuries of the Multitude but of his Friends Above all things careful to conceal
Secrets committed to him which sort of Silence is sometimes of as great advantage as the clearest Eloquence He thought the readiest way to Learn was to Hear therefore when he came to any place in which Debates were held either in Politicks or Philosophy he never departed until the Discourse was at an end Poverty was so easie a thing to him that Glory was the only advantage he made of the Commonwealth In his Necessities he was perfidiously deserted by his Friends yet was his Kindness so constant to others in their Wants that one would guess his Principle was That Friends have all things in Common Thus when any of his Country-men were taken Captive or any of his Acquaintance had a Daughter Marriagable who could not be preferr'd for want of Fortune he call'd a Consult of Friends allotted to every one according to the proportion of his Estate what he should give and when the design'd sum was made up he would not himself receive it but introduc'd the person who was to receive the benefit to collect it that he might know how much he ow'd to every one's kindness He gave a brave experiment of his Integrity in the repulse of Diomedon the Cyricenian who at the request of Artaxerxes had undertaken to corrupt Epaminondas in pursuit of this design he comes to Thebes with vast Sums of Gold and with a Present of five Talents brings over to his Party Micythus a young Man whom Epaminondas dearly lov'd Micythus addresses himself to Epaminondas and acquaints him with the Gift he had receiv'd and the reason of Diomedon's coming whereupon he sent for Diomedon and thus speaks to him There is no want of Money for if the King desires such things as are for the Interest of Thebes I am ready to comply with him without the Bribe of a Reward But if they are of another nature he has not Silver and Gold enough For the Love of my Country weighs more with me then all the Riches of the Universe That you who did not know me and thought me like your self made this Attempt upon my Virtue is no wonder and I forgive you But haste you hence Such Temptations may prevail on others tho they can't on me And you Micythus restore him his Money which if you do not presently do I will deliver you up into hands of Justice Diomedon dejected at the resolute Honesty of the Man now only desires to return safely Home and carry his Treasures along with him You shall replies Epaminondas not for your sake but my own lest if your Money should be taken from you any one should suspect That I accepted that as a Spoil which I had before refus'd as a Gift and did not so much contemn the Bribe as hate the Obligations of it Then he ask'd him whither he would be convey'd and Diomedon answering to Athens he gave him a Guard to conduct him thither and not content with this he took care by his Friend Chabrias the Athenian whom we have mention'd before that he should securely take Shipping there I suppose this is a sufficient testimony of his unshaken Honesty We might produce a great many more of the like nature but we must deny our selves that liberty because we design in this one Volume to comprehend the Lives of many Illustrious Persons upon each of whom other Writers before us have bestow'd large Commentaries He was the most eloquent of the Thebans nor less acute in extemporary Repartee than perswasive in continued Discourses One Meneclides was his profess'd Enemy always opposing him in the Government of the Commonwealth He was a Man ready and bold in Discourse that is he was a Theban to which Nation Nature seems to have allotted more of Strength then Wit When this Man found that Epaminondas's Conduct in Military Affairs gain'd him â—eputation he began to advise the Thebans To lay aside the thoughts of War and enjoy themselves in Peace This he did not out of any Love to his Country but to stifle the occasions of Epaminondas's Glory To this Epaminondas replies War indeed is a dismal Word and 't is the Sound alone that you make use of to affright our Citizens from their interest 'T is Ease that you pretend but Slavery is meant for the Foundations of Peace are best lay'd by the Sword and they that propose to themselves an undisturb'd and flourishing Tranquility must be well Disciplin'd in War Therefore O Thebans would you raise your State above the rest of Greece This Glory is to be gain'd in Camps not Schools of Exercise At another time when this same Meneclides objected to him that he was never marry'd and had no Children and principally insisted on this as a great height of insolence that he durst compare his own Actions with those of Agamemnon's He answer'd Meneclides do not object the want of a Wife for I should in that affair sooner take any Man's advice than yours for Meneclides lay under the suspition of a very incontinent Fellow But you are mistaken if you think it my Ambition to reach Agamemnon's Glory for he with the Assistance of all Greece scarcely at last in ten years time took one City whereas I on the other side with the single Forces of one City and in one day routed the Lacedaemonians and deliver'd all Greece from Slavery When he went to the Convention of the States of Arcadia to engage them in a League with the Thebans and Argives he found there Callistratus the Athenian Ambassador to oppose his designs who was esteem'd the best Orator of his time he very bitterly inveigh'd against the Thebans and Argives who were then Confederates and amongst the rest of the Invectives were these That the Arcadians should consider what kind of Men both Cities had produc'd and from thence give a judgment of the rest Orestes and Alcmeon were Argives and these wickedly murder'd their Mother O'dippus was born at Thebes who when he had Kill'd his Father Marry'd his Mother and had Children by her When Epaminondas had answer'd the rest of his Speech he came at last to his Railing and said He wonder'd at the Folly of the Athenian Orator who did not consider That these Men were born Innocent but when they had contracted Wickedness enough to be Expell'd their own Country were yet thought good enough to be Receiv'd and Caress'd at Athens But then did his Eloquence most eminently appear when before the Battel of Leuctra all the Ambassadors of the Confederates were met at Sparta Here in this great Assembly he so clearly set forth the Tyranny of the Lacedaemonians that his Discourse did as much shake the Greatness of that State as the Battel at Leuctra for then it was which appear'd afterwards that they were depriv'd of the Assistance of their Allies That he was a very forgiving Man and thought it unlawful to be angry at or revenge the Injuries of his Country take the following instances When Envy had so far work'd him out of the Affections of his Citizens