power hurt Rome so much as their hidden hatred betwéen themselves did Again Alexander the great Cyrus the valiant Xerxes the famous most mighty Conquerors with all their strength of wars could not annoy Greece half so much as their inward Envy betwéen the Cities of Gréece What caused Julius Caesar to war against his son in law Pompey Ambition What made Adrian the Emperor to despise the worthy fame of Traâ—an Envy What moved Cato surnamed of Vtica to kill himself Envy to Caesar Hidden hatred working for private gain and rash counsel of flattery which is heard most often in the envious mouth have destroyed Kingdoms Envy first entred into the hearts of Princes arrested the worthiest Conquerors waded into the bowels of the wise and blushed not to attaint the learned Philosophers in the middest of Athens Hercules in killing the great Dragon that watched in the garden of Hesperides in destroying the ravening birds Stimphalides in conquering the raging and furious Centaurs in vanquishing terrible monsters as Gâ—rcon and Cerbeâ—us in overcomming the Lion the Boar and the Full in overtaking the gilded Hart and lastly for his conquest of the huge and prodigious Hydâ—a in the fens of Lerna won no lesse envy of some then he justly deserved fame of others Theseus to imitate the haughty attempts of Hercules overcame Thebes slew Minoâ—â—mus in the dens of Labyrinthus subdued Caâ—on the Tyrant with divers other large enterprises as one more willing to envie the fame of Hercules then desirous to deserve fame by lenity and quietnesse So might I speak of Julius Caesar that envied Alexander the great and Alexander likewise that envied Achilles And thus alwayes Envy was fostered by Princes With the wise and learned envy bare great sway as betwixt Plato and Xenophon the best and gravest philosophers in their time betwixt Demonsthenes and Aeâ—â—ines betwixt Aristotle and Isocrates one despising the other Such slaughter grew of Envy that one brother killed another the son the father and the father likewise the son as Romulus slew his brother Remus through envy lest he might be King in Rome Cambyses King of Persia killed his brother Mergides as Herodotus doth write through envy Envy caused Anachaâ—sis the Philosopher to be slain by his own brother Cadvidus King Jugurth murthered both his brethren Hiempsalis and Adherbales that he onely might reign King in Numidia Cain did kill his brother Abel the scripture doth testifie because his sacrifice was not accepted Thus envy was known and seen to be betwixt brethren betwixt parents and their children The like we read that envy committed horrible and terrible murthers as well betwixt the husband and the wife as in the children towards their Parents as in short examples is verified Clicenmestra slew her own husband Agamemnon and she again was slain by her son Orestes Queen Semiâ—ams killed likewise her husband King Ninus and she was killed even so by her son called Ninus Agrippina murthered her husbaÌ„d Tiberius she was also murthered by hâ—r son Nero O cruel tyranny that envy should ever cause such unnatural murther as one brother to kill another the father to destroy his son the son to slay his fathsr the husband to murther his wife the wife to make away her husband We read in Pliny of a certain King in Thebes named Athamas that gave both his sons the one named Learchus the other Euriclea to be devoured by ravenous Lions So many monstrous tyrants have been brought up in the school of envy so many deformed Centaures that all countries have been full of them When Antiphiles saw Apelles in great favour with King Ptolomy he so envied the matter that he told the King in spight to Apelles that Apelles was the very cause of the long wars between the Tyrians and Egypt to discredit Apelles for very envy that he was great with the King but the matter being known and his envy weighed Apelles was rewarded by the King with a hundred Talents and Antiphiles for his envy commanded afterward all the daies of his life to be the slave and bonomen of Apelles Themistocles was so grieved to see Miltiades so honoured for his great conquest and triumph in Marathon that being demanded why he was so sad he answered Mitiades triumphs will not suffer Themistocles to be joyfull There was no countrey but envy bare sway in it there was never any great vertue but it was accompanied with envy Caesar was envied in Rome by Cato Turnus was envied in Rutilia by Drances Ulisses was envied in Gréece by Ajax Demetrius was envied in Macedonia after King Cassander died What envy M. Crassus bare toward Pompey is sufficiently known What hidden hatred Pollio had toward Cicero may be read in Brusonius the third book the seventh chapter where Pollio saith to Messala that he could not endure the voice of Cicero The like we read of Aristotle who envied Isocrates so much that he was wont to say It were a shame to Aristotle to hold his peace and let Isocrates speak For as there is no light saith Pliny without a shadow so there is no vertue or glory without envy The wavering state of the vulgar which always ruled Rome and Athens was so mutable and uncertain that after wise and sage Socrates was condemned to die being dead the Athenians repented his accusers were banished and Socrates now being dead had his pictures erected which being alive the rude and uncertain people estéemed nothing Even so was Aristides and Themistocles banished into Persia Iphicrates into Thrace Conon into the province of Corporos Chabrias into Egypt and Cares into Sigeum men of excellent vertues of noble service of renowned fame yet by the envious people they were banished their own countreys to range abroad the world Again Homer was envied by Zoilus Pindarus by Amphimanes Simonides by Timocreon yea learned Maro and Horace were envied and backbiten by Maevius and Suffenus What do I speaking of envy Why wast I time to write of envy Wherefore seem I so fond to touch a general subject being so common with all men so nourished in all countreys being known from the beginning of the world and being first practised by the Devil who envying mans state the felicity joy and pleasure hee was in lest man should possesse the place where somtime the Devil reigned as an Angel he deceived man This envy took root then in the first Age for Cain envied so his brother Abel that he slue him for that God accepted the sacrafice of Abel and refused his Joseph was by his own brethren sold into Egypt for envy that he was better beloved of his father then they were Saul did envy King David that he gave his daughter Michal in marriage to David for that she being his daughter might betray her husband to the Philistines Dathan and Abiram had great envy toward Aaron Daniel was much envied in the Palace of King Nebuchadnezzar What should I be long in this The Apostles the Prophets the Martyrs yea Christ himself
Illiads which Homer Alexander the great so esteemed by the reading of the atchievements of Achilles being brought up in school in his fathers days with that learned Phylosopher Aristotle that he never went to bed but he had Homer under his pillow and there fell in love with the prowesse of Achilles honoured his life and magnified his death insomuch that he went unto Illion in Phrygia where that famous City of Troy sometimes stood to sée the grave of Achilles where when he saw the worthy monuments of his martial chivalry his famous feats and renowned life depainted about the Temple which invironed round his sumptuous Tomb he brake out into tears beholding the tomb and said O happy Achilles who had such a Poet as Homer that so well could advance thy fame And thus Alexander being moved by Homer to imitate Achilles minded nothing else but magnanimity and courage of mind as Curtius and Diodorus Siculus can well testifie whose life though it was but short was a mirrour unto all the world that being but twenty years when he began to imitate the acts and feats of Achilles in twelve years more which was his whole time of life he became King over Kings a Conquerour over Conquerours and was named another Hercules for his prosperous successe in his enterprises insomuch that Julius Caesar the first and most valiant Emperor that ever was in Rome after his great conquests entring into the Temple of Hercules in Gades and reading the life of Alexander painted round about the Temple his worthy fame declared his noble déeds set forth his victories and conquests in every place described such monuments and mirrours in memory of his noble life every where expressed he fell into the like tears for Alexander as Alexander did for Achilles Thus was one in love with another for magnanimities sake each one so desirous of others fame that Caesar thought himself happy if he might be counted Alexander Alexander judged himself renowned if he might be named Achilles Achilles sought no greater fame then Theseus Theseus ever desired the name of Hercules Therefore Agesilaus King of the Lacedemonians wondered much at the singular magnanimity and prowesse of Epaminondas sometime Prince of Thebes who with one little City could subdue all Gréece This Epaminondas having wars with the Lacedemonians people no lesse renowned by war then justly feared by Epaminondas after great victories and triumphs was after this sort prevented by Agesilaus in the wars of Mantinia that all the people of Sparta were counselled either to kill Epaminondas or to be killed by Epaminondas whereby the whole force and power of Lacedemonia was fully bent by commandment given by Agesilaus their King to fall upon Epaminondas where that valiant and noble Prince by too much pollicy was wounded to death to the utter destruction of all the people of Thebes and yet being carried unto his tent alive he demanded of his souldiers the state of the field whether Thebes or Sparta was conquered being certified that the Lacedemonians fled and that he had the victory he forthwith charged the end of the spear to be taken out of his wounded side saying Now your Prince Epaminondas beginneth to live for that he dies a Conqueror We read not of Epaminondas his parralel who being compared unto Agamemnon for his magnanimity was angry therewith saying Agamemnon with al Greece with him was ten years about one town the City of Troy Epaminondas with little Thebes in one year conquered all Gréece An order was observed amongst the Lacedemonians before they did go to the wars they were by their Laws charged to make solemn sacrifice unto the Muses And being demanded why they so did sith Mars hath no society with the Muses Eudamidas then their King answered For that we might obtain as well of the Muses how to use victory gently as Mars to become victors manfully These Lacedemonians were so valiant that having banished their King Cleonimus for his extraordinary pride and violence did make Arcus King in his place Who being in Creet aiding the people of Corcyra in wars with the most part of the Citizens of Sparta Cleonimus their exiled King consulted with Pyrrhus King of Epyre and perswaded him then or never to conquer Sparta considering Areus was in Creet and that Sparta was not populous to defend any strength of invasion they both came and pitched their field in the open face of the City of Sparta assuring themselves to sup that evening at Cleonimus house The Citizens perceiving the great Army of Pyrrhus thought good by night to send their women unto Créet to Areus making themselves ready to â—ie manfully in resisting the hoast of the enemie and being thus in the Senate agréeing that the womankind should passe away that night lest their nation at that time should be quiet destroyed by Pyrrhus a great number of women appeared in armor amongst whom Archidamia made an Oration to the men of Sparta wherein she much blamed their intent and quite confounded their purpose saying Think you O Citizens of Sparta that your Wives and Daughters would live if they might after the death of their Husbands and destruction of Sparta Behold how ready we are how willingly the women of Sparta will die and live with their Husbands Pyrrhus shall well feel it and this day be assured of it No marvel it is that the children of these women should be valiant high in their resolution If Demosthenes who was so much esteemed in Athens had said in Sparta that which he wrote in Athens that they who sometime ran away should fight again he should have the like reward that Archilogus had who wrote in his book that it was sometime better to cast the buckler away then to die for which he was banished the confines of Lacedemonia At what time the noble city of Sagunâ—um was destroyed the Senate of Carthage having promised the contrary the renowned Romans though the league was broken and peace defied yet the Senators did send Fabius Maximus as their Embassador with two tables the one containing peace the other wars which were sent to Carthage either to choose peace or wars the election was theirs though the Romans were injured Hardie then the Romans were when Scaenola went alone armed unto the Tents of Porsenna King of Hetruria either to kill Porsenna or to be killed by Porsenna greater fortitude of mind could be in no man a more valiant heart also was séen in no man then in Cocles who alone resisted the whole army of King Porsenna and when the draw bridge was taken up he leaped in all his harnesse from his enemies into the midst of the river Tybur And though he was in divers places sore wounded yet neither did his fall hurt him nor his Armour press him neither the water drown him neither thousands of his enemies could kill him but he swam through the river Tybur unto Rome to the great admiration of King Porsenna and excéeding joy of Rome so that one
long frequented The force of Grammer chiefly consisteth in Histories and Poetry for Poetry is so commended that both Moses that mighty ruler of the Hebrews and David that wise Prince of Israel the one in reducing the people from Egypt the red Sea opening a way and giving place unto Moses to passe through made Exemetron verses in good méeters to thank God for his good successe and fortune the other with divers Hymns in méeter and swéet songs did asswage the just anger of God for his offences In Poetry Homer and Hesiodus excelled for antiquity the one in setting forth the fame of Mars I mean wars the other in commending the pains and diligence of Ceres which is husbandry though Lynus Orpheus Marcellinus and others were of great antiquity yet not of so great a fame Histories and the profit thereof were found as Plyny writeth by Cadmus Mylesius the first History that was written by any Phylosopher was by Xenophon but the excellent and worthy fame of Historiographers in Gréece afterward was justly noted in Thucidides and Herodotus as it was amongst the Romanes in Livi and Salust Thus from a rude beginning came famous and learned writers As for Rethorick it was first invented by Mercury as Horace saith but as Aristotle and Quintilian do think it was by Empedocâ—es then from time to time from age to age it came unto that perfection at length that Rethorick was as necessary to be taught every where as it was profitable to be used any where The Prince of this faculty in Gréece was Demosthenes who with his eloquence long guided Athens Isocrates Aeschines and others flourished in great fame by this art in Gréece In Rome Cicero and Salust were the fountaines of all sugred eloquence For the beginning of Musicke divers opinions and sundry assertions are made where Musick was first found The Gréeks suppose that Dionisius found first Musick The Hebrews think that Tubal Polibius saith that Musick first was found in Arcadia Solinus saith that it was first in Créet The most do agree and judge that Orpheus and Linus were the inventors of it some again think that Amphyon found Musick but how where and when it was first found it is uncertaine But unto that perfection at length Musick came that the Gréeks thought that man not well learned unlesse he had some skil in Musick As for the golden study of Phylosophy which as Cicero saith searcheth wisedome hateth folly the only seeker of vertues and the scourge of vices some suppose that it was first from the barbarous people brought unto Greece for amongst the ancient Egyptians Philosophy was first studied and opened by Vulcanus Amongst the Persians it was found by them that were called Magi. Amongst the Indians by Gymnosophistes Amongst the Babylonians and Assyrians by the Caldeans which as Laertius doth witnesse were called all wise men This art was sought with great industry and much honoured in all the world for that it contained all sciences and faculties in it self as well the life and manners of men as also the obscure and difficult nature of things with the subtil search of the same in the disputation thereon Great was the contention of the Astrologers who was he that first found the orders and motions of the heavens some attributing the first invention thereof unto Prometheus some unto Belus some unto Atlas as Plini in his seventh book affirmeth wherefore the poets fain that Atlas doth sustain the heavens upon his shoulders some attribute it unto Mercurius some unto Actinus And thus every country contendeth about the antiquity thereof The Egyptians brag of their antiquity upon this subject the Assyrians boast no lesse of their knowledge in this art The course of the Moon was first found by Endimion The eclipse of the same by Anaxagoras Thus first nature sought such means as might set forth her desire by séeking and travelling for knowledge And physick is not so little to be estéemed but it might here well be mentioned considering the common profit thereof and how painfully the same was studied by others in time past Phisick is either healing with diet medicine or sugery In the first Apollo was most honoured in the last Aesculapius was chiefly commended whom the Gréeks supposed to be the first that healed wounds Afterwards Hippocrates born in the Isle of Coos made a law that whosoever recovered health should write his name in the temple of Aesculapius whereby it séemeth that Aesculapius was one of the first Phisitians The first phisitian that ever came to Rome did come from Peloponesus named Archagathus when L. Aemilius and Marcus Livius were Consuls in Rome when he came first to practise phisick there he was called for the rare sight thereof first a butcher at last a murtherer To repeat several hearbs by sundry men found out in this art it were over long But we will touch on nothing but the first inventers and searchers of arts and so come unto Magick which was found as Plini saith by Zoroastes first King of the Bactrians eight hundred years before Illion was builded This saith Plini might have béen better unsought then found for that we see every man desirous to be acquainted with Divels and to be taught of Simon the secret counsels of Divels insomuch that women go unto school with Circes or Calipso to learn sorcery of them The Egyptians had great felicity in this art insomuch that Pharao commanded the priests to shew some feats before him deriding Moses and his doings In presence of Moses they converted a rod into a Dragon which when Moses saw to suppresse vain incantations and to shew how much the one did excel the other he threw his rod unto the ground and it was converted unto a Snake and devoured the Dragon that the Egyptians inchanted Solomon the wise whom at the beginning God so advanced and favoured made and invented ways to expell Divels Eleasalus as Josephu doth write used a ceremony in expelling and conjuring of Divels from any man to put a ring in his nosethrils having a certain herb or a root appointed and named of Solomon within the ring which root with his smel drove out Divels and he conjured them not to return to that man any more This art in short time grew to that credit and at this time is in divers places in such honour that a conjurer is more estéemed then a Preacher There are such branches in this art that do well merit praise for there are divers kinds of these Magicks whereby men say they are able to do any thing and that by it they know all things The first part or rather kind of Magick is called Nigromancy which is a kind of conjuring the dead bodies to tell things to come as at the wars in Pharsalia betwixt Caesar and Pompeius it was foreshewed by the ghost of a dead man unto Sextus the whole chance and event of that war and how his father Pompey should lose his head The second kind of Magick is
forget what I would and I have things in memory which feign I would they were out of memory Seneca doth so report of himself that he was of such a perfect memory that he could rehearse after one by hearing two hundred verses yea to a greater marvell of his memory he could recite two thousand names of men being repeated once before him with as good a memory as he that first named them The like we read of Aelius Adrianus a Captain that having a great army of souldiers under him if any were absent in any place about any businesse he had in memory the name of the person the name of the place and the cause of the businesse Of this excellent memory to their perpetuall fame was King Cyrus and Scipio the one a Persian the other a Roman which had this fame by memory that either of them could severally call their souldiers by name every one after another which is most rare yea most marvellous having so many alwaies under them as both Rome and Persia were chiefly in their days by them defended to be able to name so many souldiers as either of them both had in their armies Their memory was such then that they may not be forgotten now Julius Caesar was much renowned for that Pliny reported that he could do such things by memory as in reading in talking in hearing and in answering at one time that no fault could be found in either of these four qualities at one time practised whereby he deserveth no lesse praise by his memory then fame by his acts Divers excelled in time past in memory as Hortensius a noble Oratour of Rome was able to speak in any place any thing which he premeditated privately without study openly he had more trust in his memory then in books Carmides of Greece was so famous for that faculty that he never heard any reading but he could repeat it word by word without writing were the writing or reading never so long he would not misse a syllable Cineas a noble and a famous Oratour one of the counsellours of King Pyrrhus being sent from Epire unto the Senatours of Rome as an Embassadour he but once hearing the names of the Senatours before he came unto the Senate house he named them orderly by name every one after another that all the Senatours were in a great admiration of his memory in repeating so many names in opening so many matters in concluding so many things which when he came unto King Pyrrhus he recited not onely his doings and orations but also their answers and replies every word by word as then was spoken done or written by the Senatours This Cineas was not so excellent of memory but also of passing eloquence of whom King Pyrrhus was wont to say that he got more Cities Towns and Kingdomes by the eloquence of Cineas then with all the force and strength of the Epirots beside It is written in Laertius in his eighth book that Pythagoras had charge of God Mercury to ask what he would saving immortality and he should have have it and he willed to keep in memory all things that he heard and saw and to forget nothing being dead of that which he saw being alive which being granted the soul of Athalides being slain by Menelaus entred in Euphorbus secondly took place in Hermonius thirdly in Pyrrhus fourthly into Pythagoras which had such memorâ— thereby that he could describe the state of the living the dead Divers were famous for memory amongst the Greeks as Archippus Lysiades Metrodorus Carneades Theodectes and others Many amongst the Romans were renowned for their memories as Julius Coesar L. Scipio Portius Claudius Hortensius with infinite number What great fame had Mithridâ—tes King of Pontus that having as Pliny and Gellius both report xxii strange nations that were souldiers alwaies in wars under him against the Romans he could speak xxii languages without interpreter to open his mind unto them A strange thing it is now to find a man in this our ripe years that can speak half a dozen languages If a man can but smatter in six or seven languages he is noted to be a rare fellow and yet King Mithridates had xxii A note of great memory for some there be in learning for one language that they hardly know they forget another that they know That worthy man Lucullus is remembred of Cicero in his fourth book of Academical questions for his passing and noble memory The Egyptians used notes and figures for their memory insomuch that they noted the well memoried man with a For or a Hare for that the Hare heareth best and the For is of greatest memory and if any wanted memory they compared him to the Crocodile We read of Esdras a Priest that he had all the laws of the Hebrews upon his finger end We read of Portius that he never forgot any thing that he once read before He again would never read that which once he wrot but straight out of hand his memory was such he would speak it and pronounce it in order even as he wrote it before Memory therefore is likened to a Net which taketh and stayeth great fish and letteth through the little fish and even as books that be not occupied wax rusty and did cleave together so memory that is not occupied saith Seneca waxeth dull and oblivious as we oftentimes see how forgetfull men wax either with sicknesse age or such like that letteth the memory of man as Orbilius by extremity of age forgot his Alphabets and letters Hermolaus had a friend which in his youth was a perfect Grecian and yet in his latter years waxed so oblivious that he could not read Gréek Plini saith Messala surnamed Corvius waxed so forgetfull by long sicknesse that he forgot his own name And Seneca doth write of one Calvisius that was so weak of memory that he did forget the names of those that he was daily in company with as Achilles Ulisses and Priamus whom he knew very well What is it else for a man to want memory but to want the name of his knowne friend for hee is no man that knoweth not that man as Augustus Caesar sometime Emperour of Rome his beadel having forgot when he should come unto the Senate demanded of the Emperour whether he would command him to do any thing that he could do why said the Emperour take this letter with thee that men may know thée for thou knowest no man for thou wantest memory Cicero doth make mention of Curio that was so oblivious being a judge that he forgot the cause which he should give judgement upon Likewise Articus the son of Sophista was of so frail memory that he could never keep in mind the names of the four Elements Bamba a certain King of the Goths by a draught of drink given by Heringeus his successour lost his memory It may well be that drink cutteth off memory For the Poets fain that there is a river named Lethes
at the change of every dish every man again commanded by a law to go to his woman And thus from meat to women from women to meat they beastly and brutishly entertained their Epicurial lust wherein these Gorgons reposed their chief felicity Certainly if Quéen Semitamis of Babylon had been matched with Heliogabulus Emperour of Rome it had béen as méet a match if time had served as one beast should be for another for he was not so filthy but she was as shameless not onely in procuring divers to lie with her but in alluring her own son Ninus to lust and as writers report being a beast matched her self with a beast a horse Had Pasiphae Quéen of Creet been well matched she had forsaken King Minos and come to the Emperour Caligula where she might have been as bold with others as she was with Minotaurus father Had the Empresse Mestalina been deservedly according to her life married she had been more meet for Nero then for Claudius for his life and her life did well agree together for she passed all the Courtesans of Corinth all the strumpets of Athens and all the whores of Babilon for she was onely mistresse and ruler of all the stews and brothel houses in Rome What wickednesse procéedeth from lust what ungodly incest is brought to passe by lust what secret vengeance commeth by lust Lust assured Queen Cleopatra to use her brother Ptolomy as her husband Lust deceived King Cynar to lie with his daughter Myrrha Lust brought Macarius to his sister Canaces bed By lust did Menepron defile his own mother Lust stayeth the purpose of all men hindereth and hurteth all kind of persons Lust stayed King Antiochuâ— of Syria in Chalâ—idea a whole winter for one maid he fancied there Lust stayed Hannibal in Capua a long season to his great hurt Lust stayed Julius Caesar in Alexandria a long time unto his infamy Lust was the first cause of wars between the Romans and the Sabines for Romuâ—us had hardly built Rome but he lusted to ravish the women and to steal the Sabine maids to Rome whereby the war first began The great wars between King Cambyses of Persia and King Amasis of Egypt wherein was a great slaughter and murther of men grew by lust to one woman The ten years betwixt the Thebans and the Phoceans was for the lust of one young man in Phoca towards a young woman in Thebes The cruel conflicts that was between the Troyan Prince Aeneas and stout Turnus was the lust which either of them did bear to Lavinia King Latinus Daughter What bloud what tyranny was between the Egyptians and the Assyrians betwéen Ptolomy and Alexander the one King of Egypt the other King of Assyria and all for one woman Cleopatra Augustus the Emperour made long wars for Octavia his sister whom Antonius abused to the spoyl and murther of many Romans Had Hesione King Priamus sister not lusted to go with Telamon from Troy to Greece had likewise Helen the wife of Menelaus not lusted to come with Paris from Greece to Troy the bloudy wars and ten years siege between the Greeks and the Troyans had never been writâ—en by Homer Had not lust ruled the five cities called Pentapolis where Sedom and Gomorrha were they had not been consumed with fire and brimstone from heaven to the destruction of all the people saving Lot his children If lust had not ruled all the world the deluge of Noah had not drowned the whole earth and all living creatures saving Noah his wife and children Thus lust from time to time was the onely Monster and scourge of the World And in this our Age lust is nothing diminished but much encreased and though we shall not be plagued again with Water according to promise yet to be punished with Fire most sure we be unlesse we detest and abhor this vice There is a History in Justine worthy to be noted of Princes that will not punish these offences Pausanias a Noble Gentleman of Macedonia being a very fair young man whom Attalus by lust abused and Attalus not contented to handle the young man so wickedly and ungodly did bring him also to a banquet where Attalus would have used him as before making all men privy how Pausanias was his paramour as a woman The young man being ashamed of it often complained unto Philip King of Macedonia and after many and divers complaints having no redresse but being rather flouted and scoffed at by Philip Pausanias took it so grievously that after this sort he requited his shame and injuries At the marriage of Cleopatra King Philips daughter with Alexander King of Epirus in great triumphs and pomps King Philip in the midst of his joys walking between his own son Alexander the great who then was but young and Alexander King of Epirus his son in law being married then to his daughter Cleopatra Pausanias thrust him into the heart saying Minister Iustice and punish Lust Thus died that mighty Prince as well for the bearing of Attalus fault as also for his own wickednesse using the same sin sometime with a brother in law of his natural brother to his first wife Olympias Lust and intemperancy do never escape without just punishment and due vengeance Amnon the son of King David for that he misused his own sister Tamar was afterward slain Absalom for that he did lie with his fathers Concubines died for it David was plagued for Uriah's wife The two Elders that would ravish Susanna were put to death This sin is the onely enemy of man For all sin saith St. Paul is without the body but uncleannesse and lust sinneth against the body Had not Olofernes séen the beauty of Judith yea marked the comelinesse of her slippers he had not lost his head by it Had not Herod séen Herodias daughrer dancing he had not so rashly granted her John Baptists head Had not Eve séen the beauty of the Apple she had not eaten thereof We read in Genesis that when the sons of men viewed the beauty of women many evils happened thereby By sight was Potiphars wife moved with lust toward Joseph her servant By sight and beauty was Solomon allured to commit Idolatry with false Gods By sight was Dina the daughter of Iacob ravished by Shechem These evils procéed from sudden sights therefore saith the Prophet Turn away thine eys lest they sée vanities The Philosopher likewise saith That the first offer or motion is in the eye from sight proceedeth motion from motion election from election consent from consent sin from sin death Wherefore with the Poet I say resist the violence of the first assault I mean the eys The evil that happened thereby too long it were to write Lust again hath its entrance by hearing as Justine in his twelfth Book doth testifie of Thalestris Quéen somtime of the Amazons who having heard the great commendations the fame and renown of Alexander the great ventered her life to hazard to come from Scythia to Hircania which
men There is nothing neither can there be any thing more ugly to behold then mans face when he is angry nor to be feared because he hath no rule over himself All the painters of Persia had much to do to draw in colours the terrible countenance and fiery face of Queen Semiramis when she heard that her City of Babylon was besieged by the enemies being then dressing of her head she came with her hairs hand flying in the wind half amazed at the news Her picture in this discontent and fury stood as long as Babylon continued as a monument and a terrible mirrour to posterity We read of the like history of Olimpias whose anger was such when she thought of her son Alexander that she straight ways like a raging Lion or a cruel Tiger digged up the body of Iolas Alexanders murtherer and tare his body in small pieces and gave it to the birds of the air Such anger was in Marcus Antonius towards Cicero that he was not contented at Ciceroes death but comanded his head to be set before him on the Table to féed therewith his wrathfull heart and gréedy eys and his wife Fulvia to shew her anger pulled out his tongue and pinned it to her hood and ware it on her head in token of her cruel and Tigrish heart The noble Roman Metellus was so inflamed against Pompey for at what time he was appointed by the Senatours of Rome to succéed Metellus in his pro-consulship in Spaine Metellus perceiving that hee was discharged he brake for very anger all the furniture of wars and dedestroied all the provision he famished the Elephants and permitted his souldiers to do what injury they could against Pompey so great was his anger that to hinder Pompey he injured his native City of Rome The property of anger is to hurt divers in séeking to offend one As he is not wise that cannot be angry so he is most wise that can moderate anger The fame and renown that both Themistocles and Aristides got in vanquishing their anger one towards the other was great for being sent both as Embassadours for the stâ—te of Athens travelling over a high hill Themistocles said unto Aristides shall we both bury our anger on this hill and go as friends and not as enemies and there though the cause was great they became friends one to the other forgetting and forgiving one anothers fault Anger and wrath are the onely poison of the world whence hidden hatred doth procéed for to nourish the one is to féed the other Therefore it is written that hidden hatred private wrath and young mens counsel hath béen the very cause of divers destructions Manlius Torquatus after he had conquered Campania and triumphed over the Latins returning into the City with noble fame though the Senatours of the City met him in triumph yet the young men of Rome more disdainfull then courteous were more willing to have his death then desirous of his life the cause is known in Valerius I will omit to speak of Caligula whose anger and hatred was such that he wished Rome had but one neck that with one stroke he might strike it off Neither will I recite Hâ—logabalus who amongst writers is named the beast and not the Emperour of Rome The histories of Catelin Silla and Appius for their anger and hatred towards their country and native City are extant in Plutarch and Salust by this anger and wrath proceeded invectives and declarations and then envy and malice began to build their bowers by their chief Carpenter anger and mischief and vengeance doth alwaies depend upon them And because anger is the onely counsel of all mischief I will speak of those two monstrous furies incident alwaies to anger I mean Envy and Malice and shall referre that to Envy and Malice which might have been spoken on this subject CHAP. XLI Of Perjury and Faith and how Princes have been honoured and punished accordingly FAith is the foundation of Iustice and Iustice is the chief means as Aristotle saith to preserve a Publick Weal We will therefore note how faithfull just some Princes have béen how wicked and false others have shewed themselves there are so many vertues in the one and vices in the other For some from foes become friends as Clodius and Cicero two great enemies a long time and yet before two faithfull friends Tiberius likewise and Affricanus from mortal foes grew to be such perpetual friends that Affricanus gave his onely daughter Cornelia in marriage to Tiberius Even so some again from friends became foes yea from tried friendship to mortal enmity as Dion of Siracusa was killed by Calicrates his most assured friend as he thought with whom alwaies before he found friendship and faith Polimnestor likewise though King Priamus reposed such great trust and confidence in him that he committed his own son Polidorus to his custody yet he falsly slew him and murthered him though beside friendship he was his near kinsman How well saith Socrates do faithfull friends far excell all Gold for in danger faith is tried and in necessity friends are known Such is the secret force of truth and love and such is the hidden subtilty of falshood as may be proved in a history of Sextus Pompeius son and heir unto Pompey the great The faith and justice of Pompey at what time he had appointed a banquet for Augustus Caesar and Marcus Antonius upon the seas was well tried for being moved by divers at that time to revenge his fathers death Pompeius the great and especially at that time being prompted to it by his friend and master of the ship whose name was Menedorus Sextus in no wise would suffer it saying that faith and justice ought not to be turned into perjury and falshood for said he as it is perjury to omit faith and promise made to these Emperours so this is tyranny and not justice to revenge my fathers death upon innocence And true it was that Augustus Caesar was then but a boy and brought up in school in Apulia when his uncle Julius Caesar vanquished Pompey And Marcus Antonius was rather a friend to Sextus father then a foe and therefore no lesse faithfull was Sextus in preserving then just in weighing innocency Far unlike was false Hannibal who under pretence of peace with the Romans sent Embassadours unto Rome to treat thereof where they were honourably received but well requited he the courtesie of Rome to his Embassadours For when that noble Roman Cornelius came from Rome as an Embassadour unto Hannibal his welcome was such that he never went alive unto Rome again for most cruelly and falsly was he slain by Hannibal In this falshood and perjury was Hannibal much defamed whose vertues were not so much corrupted by the vilenesse of his own nature as by the falshood and corruption of the Countrey which alwaies in this was not to be trusted of which it is proverbially spoked Poeni perfidi the Carthaginians are false for
passing with his army unto Scithia and India had read this Epitaph and perceiving the slippery estate of Princes the uncertainty of life and mutability of fortune he much doubted the state of his own life howbeit at that voyage he forgot by means of Mars the Epitagh of King Cyrus untill he returned from India from his wars into Babylon where he married Statira King Darius daughter whom before he conquered where such liberality was shewed such magnificency done such gifts given such banquets kept that Alexander upon his own charges married the most part of the Nobles of Macedonia unto the Ladies of Persia the feasts during five days amounted to the sum of thrée and twenty thousand Talents every Talent valued at fourscore pounds he repeating oft the Epitaph of Cyrus would suffer none though divers Princes were present to be at any charges but himself onely saying that which fortune giveth unto Alexander the same will Alexander give unto his friends for Cyrus grave is appointed unto Alexander in this Alexander passed all Princes in taking all and giving all private faults may not deprave open vertues every man hath a fault Alexander was known to be a drunkard Julius Caesar was noted to be ambitious Antiochus the the great King of Syria blamed for lechery Alcibiades of pride Pâ—rrhus of incredulity Hannibal of falshood Dionifius of tyranny I may number up infinite Princes who for one vice may not be forgotten for their divers vertues Vertue must not be hidden for that vice is manifest Phrine a Courtisan sometime of Gréece though for her slanderous life worthy reprehension yet for her liberality she ought well to be remembred for after Alexander the great had subdued that famous City of Thebes and made the walls thereof even with the ground she offered to re-edifie the same upon this condition that upon every gate of the City this sentence shall be set This City Alexander the great threw down and this City Phrine the Courtisan builded up again The like I have read of Queen Rhodope sometime a Courtisan and a lewd woman who made up the brave and sumptuous work called the Pyramides in Egypt where she used such liberalliry such a vast expence of money that for her noblenesse she was well worthy to be commended though for vitious living she was otherwise to be blamed Men and women were desirous then to be liberal Then Princes were as liberal and beneficial with such lenity and humanity unto the poor as they grew afterward to be hard and covetous with severity and cruelnesse Therefore Anaxilaus a liberal Prince was often wont to say that the chiefest commendations and noblest vertues which could be in a Prince were not to be overcome in beneficial doings Attalus King of Assa languishing in sicknesse and ready to dy bequeathed his Kingdome and Scepter of Asia unto the noble Romans by testament fully and freely to bestow it on whom they would for that they were so liberal and beneficial sometime towards him whilest yet fortune favoured him not A liberal Prince cannot be void of love Antigonus was wont to answer Aristodemus one of his Councel who was brought up of a boy in his Kitchin when he spake any thing against princely gifts and found fault with Antigonus liberality that his talk did smel of the Kitchin A fit reprehension for such a saucie servant who hindred Kings from doing good and moved Princes to do evil I would such Sycophants should be so answered by Princes as Aristodemus was of King Antigonus Worthy of perpetual memory was Artaxerxes for his passing liberality towards the poor souldiers that came from the Lacedemonian war with him he made them that came on foot unto him to go home on horseback he that came on horseback he sent him home in a chariot and he that had a village before he came unto him he gave him a city at his going away from him A Prince worthy of Subjects and a Captain most fit for Souldiers What made Julius Caesaa to be beloved of his souldiers What caused Alexander to be honoured of all men Magnificence and liberality The one in the great Wars at Pharsalia at what time he conquered Pompeius the Great having all the treasures and substance of Pompeius brought before him took nothing from the souldiers but Pompeius letters The other after he had vanquished King Darius having a great chest full of treasure where he found in present coyn two hundred thousand pound beside other inestimable treasures and jewels took nothing from his souldiers but a little book named the Illiads of Homer wherein he delighted more to read the noble acts of the Gréeks and the worthy feats of the Troyans then in all the wealth of Persia Thus liberality maintained their fame Thus their magnificent benefits so spread forth their noble names that happy was he that could be a souldier unto Caesar or to Alexander I remember a certain King in Syracusa named Hiero who understanding the liberality of the Romanes and perceiving the penury of victuals which then the Romans sustained in the wars of Tharsimenos did send three hundred thousand bushels of wheat and two hundred thousand of barley with great sums of gold and silver to ease the Roman souldiers and fearing that his gifts would not be taken nor his presents received considering the nature and liberallity of the Romans he willed the Embassadours to say that it was an homage and service of good will sent to honour the Romans from Hiero King of Siracusa an excellent policy to practise beneficence with manifest examples of a liberal heart O Rome how happy hast thou been through thy liberrlity and good will hast won the hearts of all Kingdomes and countries Vntill Ninus time all things were common no division of ground no hoording of mony no covetousnesse known no greedinesse of Kingdomes no desire of wealth in fine for the space of two hundred and fifty years for the simplicity innocency and true dealing of people it was worthily called the golden world and then a man could not find a covetous person and now a man cannot find a liberal friend then no man knew to do evil and now no man knoweth to do good then no man did take and now no man doth give in fine then one for another and now all for themselves What made Cimon a liberal Gentleman of Athens to be so famous in Greece his liberality amongst nigards he onely counted liberal and all Athens besides covetous whereby he deserved renown and glory amongst so many nippers of money he onely shewed himself bountifull and liberall What caused Flaminius to be so much spoken of amongst the Romans his liberal gifts amongst so many greedy takers his open benefits amongst their privat wealth and hidden hatred What moved the Agrigentines to honour so much the manly Gillias to advance his fame to extol his name his liberality Such covetousnesse then was in Athens Rome and Agrigentum that then worthy were these of admiration
called Pyromancy which is a certain divination by fire thus Tanaquil Tarquinius Priscus wife when she saw thâ— flames playing about Servius Tullius head she affirmed thereby that he should be King in Rome The third is Aeromancy which useth to prognosticate things by the air as by flying of Fowls and tempest of weather as when it rained Iron in Lucania it did presage said they the death of Marcus Crassus amongst the Parthians or as Livi writeth when it rained stones in Picen at the second wars of Carthage it was to shew the slaughter and murther that Hannibal should do in Italy The fourth is Hydromancy to judge things to come by fight of water as Varro doth report of a boy that saw the picture or image of Mercury in the water pronouncing and reciting all the wars of Mithridates King of Pontus that should follow in verses There are two other kinds of Magick the one named Geomancy to declare and expound things by the opening gaping and moving of earth the other Chiromancy to judge by the lines of hanâ—s called Palmistry these are they that Cicero maketh mention of in his first book of divinations where he saith Cum semitam ipsi nesciant alijs tamen monstrant viam they will teach others that way that they know not themselves They will teach others how to have money and substance and yet they are themselves poor beggars always in the house of Codrus hanging at the fléeve of Irus There is again a kind of Soothsaying which was first practised in the land of Hetruria where when a certain Husbandman ploughed in the field called l'arquimen a certain man appeared in sight who sprang up from the ground which then was plowed named Tages in face and countenance much like a young child but in wisedome and discretion far surmounting any sage Philosopher This Tages taught all the land of Hetrmia Plini saith that one Delphos first invented Soothsaying and Amphiaraus first invented soothsaying by fire Polydorus describeth another sort of Soothsayers who were wont to conjecture and foreshew by beasts slain to be sacrificed whether the heart the liver or such like did perish as Caesar which when he sacrificed an Oxe unto Jupiter which had no heart thereby the Soothsayers prognosticated the infelicity and mishap of Caesar Likewise King Xerxes in his wars against the Gréeks a Mare being a stout and warlike beast brought forth a Hare a timerous and fearfull thing whereby they declared the overthrow of Xerxes and his huge army and the flight and cowardize thereof Again there is a kind of sooth saying by lightning thunders and tempests The folly of men was such that they thought nothing to be in the world but had hidden knowledge concerning man they would take nothing in hand without some Oracles of Jupiter or Apollo they reposed more trust in flying fowls in their chirping notes concerning any attempts which they took in hand then in their own force and strength they had more confidence in beasts of the field and trusted more in elementary sights In fine there was nothing almost but they had more respect either unto the colour the voice the proportion and such like toys then they had in themselves as is before mentioned in the worshipping of their Gods and institution of Religion These foolish toys were first observed amongst the Chaldeans from Chaldea they came to Gréece from Gréece to Hetruria from Hetruria to Rome and from Rome to all Europe they were scattered Wherefore Moses that wise Hebrew and the singular instrument of God for his people commanded that no man should consult with those wicked and abominable faculties saying unto his people You shall not beléeve Sooth-sayers neither shal you trust unto dreams The Iews were so addicted to observe these augurations that they would not go to war at any time without some warnings and conjectures had by some bird or beast insomuch that one Mossolanus a Iew born a wise man noted in his Countrey making his voyage unto wars as Josephus in his first book of Antiquitie doth write was commanded with all his hoste to stay untill a certaine southsayer would go to counsel and know the successe of the wars which then he took in hand with a bird hard by the army Mossolanus perceiving how they were inclined and wholly bent to be instructed by divination he took his bow and an arrow and slew this bird whereat the souldiers were so amazed and the soothsayer so angry that had not Mossolanus perswaded the people wisely he had béen like though he was their Captain to have béen by his own souldiers slain but after long tumult made Mossolanus spake after this sort unto his souldiers Do you think that birds beasts and such like dumb things can foreshew things to you which know nothing of themselves for behold the bird which you trusted most unto and likewise your soothsayer could not sée to avoid my purpose when I slue him Do you trust that creature for your lives which is ignorant of his own death O blindnesse of people which yet remaineth in this age Thus having briefly past the inventers of sciences in sundry countries men were much given to find other necessaries to live by and studious to make things profitable for their countries and carefull to augment the state and life of man to full perfection For the Cyclopians were the first workers of Iron work the Lacedemonians the first inventers of harnesse spears swords and bucklers for wars people thereby most renowned the Athenians taught first to plant trees and Vineyards the Phrygians made first the chariots and waggons the Lydians used first to dresse wools and so the people of Caria practised first bows and arrows and the Phenicians the Crossebow then other particular matters were likewise sought out by divers speciall men in speciall countries for the use of man as oyl and honey by Aristeus Keys by Theodotus the Samian Ships to sail by Jason silver by Ericthomus gold by Cadmus Thus every where each man in his pilgrimage did something worthy of memory Thrason was renowned for his lofty walls and his towers Danaus for his wells and for his digging of water Cinira for finding out Copper Brasse Lead and such other metals Ceres for sowing of Corn and Bacchus for planting the Vine thus the world in time waxed not onely populous but it grew also skilfull in things and plentifull of laws for the redresse and safeguard of man CHAP. XIIII Of Patience of Kings and Princes PAtience is a vertue saith Cato the wise in all adversities the best medicine to a sick man the surest plaister to any sore it comforteth the heavy it rejoiceth the sad it contenteth the poor it healeth the sick it easeth the painful it hurteth no man it helpeth all men therefore said the wise man Byon that that the greatest harm that can happen unto man is not to be able to sustain and abstain For this was Tiberius Caesar much commended of Suetonius that he
others and of the vertue and commodity thereof SOcrates a famous Philosopher and Master unto that noble and divine Plato was wont to charge his schollers to honour and to embrace these three excellent vertues Silence of tongue shame fastnesse of countenance and wisedome of heart vertues appointed most fit for such noble persons The wisedom of a fool lies in his tongue which is the key of his councel the tongue of the wise lies hid in his heart for of the abundance of the heart the tongue wil speak so that silence in tongue is a proof of wisedom of heart Wherefore that learned Philosopher Zeno said that nature appointed two ears to hear much and one tongue to talk little In ancient time the Egyptians thought silence such a vertue unto people that they caused an image to be made saith Pliny with her finger on her mouth and a table written on her breast with this sentence hear sée and say nothing to represent silence The renowned Romans so esteemed silence saith the same Pliny that she was saâ—rificed unto once a year in Rome imitating the old Egyptians erecting an image and named it Angerora as a great Goddesse to honour for silence sake The Persians honoured nothing so much as silence and hated nothing so much as inordinate spéeth The famous Lacedemonians had silence in such reverence that their wise men named Ephori at what time they met in places to be merry fearing in drink to forget silence the elders did speak to the company before they sate down at drinking and pointed to the door with their finger Let nothing done or spoken at this table pass yonder door O worthy order and renowned law to think of that before sitting that should do them no harm after rising up The Lacedemonians used such short spéech that when one demanded of Charillus why did not Lycurgus appoint more laws then he did unto his country he answered to few words few laws will serve The silence of Mary Magdalen and the woman found in adultery pleased God much for that they went not with words but with sobs sighs and silence they came to Christ Better saith Zeno it it is to fail from foot or horse then to lie in tongue Even so the learned Athenians held silence in such estimation that though Athens was counted the Well of wisedome the flower of Philosophy where all the world came to speak yet learned they silence also in such sort as that worthy Gréek Themistocles at that time he was banished Athens and inforced to go into Persia where he was much esteemed and honourably received being intreated of the King to shew the state of the country he besought the King to grant him one year to learn the Persian tongue then the king should be certified in all points that he would demand of Themistocles O famous Gréek though banished from Athens yet obâ—erved he the law of Athens forgot not silence which was â—o honoured in Gréece but knew he was in Persia a place â—aith Curtius where silence was so magnified that sharp punishment was provided for talkative persons The people of Sparta wece noted as men given most unto silence hating so superfluous words that when the Ambassadours of the Abderites as Plutarch maketh mention had made a long and tedious Oration before Agâ—s King of Sparta and after much time spent and many words in vain bestowed as vaine bablers do did take their leave of Agis willing to have an answer to their King of Abderits salute your King faith Agis from me tel him as long as you spake so long held Agis his peace letting them to understand their much folly in babling The like answer received the Embassadors of Samos after a loÌ„g oration of Cleomenes king of the Lacedemonians saying the first part of your oration I have forgot the second part I understand it not and the third part I do not well allow The Taylor is not expert that maketh Hercules hose to a childs leg neither can that Shoemaker be good saith Agâ—silaus that frameth Titormus shoe to little Molons foot Neither may he be counted wise that speaketh much to none effect Wherefore the first thing which that ancient and learned Pythagoras taught his schollers was carefully to kéep silence It was Pythagoras law that none of his schollers might speak any thing in five years space after their their first comming unto School Pythagoras was no less careful to teach them silence than it was painfull for them to learn silence Most hard and most difficult is that silence unto a young man that one Messius used who pined and tormented himself three years as Plini saith for silence sake But Simonides said sometime to a silent man amongst a number of wisemen If thou be a foole said he thou doest the part of a wiseman to hold thy peace but if thou be wise thou art a fool that thou doest not speak to wisemen and so I end silence in a fool is great wisedom and silence in a wise man is méer folly Cleanthes therefore being desired of a Gentleman some short wise sentence to instruct his son withall said learne only this word to thy son Sige that is silence That noble and renowned Phylosopher Zeno at what time he had prepared a banquet in Athens to receive the Ambassadours of Antigonus King of Macedonia where certain learned Philosophers and eloquent Oratours were present after many large and subtill disputations and great ostentation of Rhetorick betwixt them had at supper Zeno being demanded of the Ambassadours why he kept silence all that while answered that to keep silence is greater knowledge than to speak for silence said Zeno is most difficult to obtaine and most hard to kéep and therefore most rare to be found A Gentleman in that company then named Agatho hearing Zeno so commend silence being no lesse desirous to learn silence then having learned it to keep it prepared a great stone and held it in the roofe of his mouth three yeare to avoyd idle words and superfluous talk and to learn sober silence and vertuous taciturnity Alexander the great when his mother Olimpias did send letters from Macedonia unto India where then he was at wars wherein were written much concerning the state of Macedonia and great complaints made of Artipater with divers more secret counsels sealed he reading this news his friend Aephestion who knew all the secrets of Alexander looking and reading the letters with the King unto the end Alexander tooke his signet from his finger after perusing of those letters and joyned it close to Aephestions mouth saying since in friendship you fail not in silence break not Thus was silence in Alexander honoured but ot Princes which honored silence Julius Caesar most esteemed the same he may justly chalenge for sobriety in drinking and medesty in talking the garland of praise Who after long warres with Pompeius the great sometime his special friend yea and who married Julia Caesars daughter being
answered nippingly the party saying so many things have so long béen hid in my heart that being putrified there they stink I would all men had such a breath that by long kéeping of silence it might taste therof Cato the wise Roman perceived the vertue of silence to be such that one of the thrée things as he himself would say that he most repented him off was to tel his counsell unto another Plini doth commend of all men one man named Anaxarchus of all women he praysed one woman named Laeena whom the tyrannt Nycocreon with all the torments and punishments that he could possibly devise could not enforce to speak that out which they thought should be kept in but Anaxarchus chose rather to dye by torments then to break concealed words spitting in the tyrant Nicocreons face and saying spare not Anaxarchus carkasse thou troublest no part of my minde Epicharis amongst other conspiratours against that cruel Nero being diversly tormented to open the treason against Nero's person would by no means break counsel no more Laeena for all that tyrany used towards her would betray the secrets of Harmodius and Aristogiton which only was the cause that she had her picture erected in Greece In like manner Pompey the great being sent as an Embassador from the Senators and being charged by the King named Gentius who prevented Pompey in his Message to declare the secrets of the Senators and councel of Rome he stretching forth his arm held his finger in the flame of the candle saying When I draw my finger from the candle I will break the counsel of the Senators and so stedfastly he held his hand and so long that King Gentius wondred no less at his patience then he honoured him for his silence O rare silence O passing patience and that in so great a Commander Isocrates an excellent Orator sometime of Athens lest he should be ashamed of his schollers by their spéech and talk for tongues bewray the heart would never receive unto his school but those onely who would pay double hire first to learn silence and then to learn to speak to speak nothing but that which they knew to be most certain and that which of necessity must be spoken This was the order of Isocrates school Yea silence was of such dignity of such estimation that it possest place in Princes hearts that Tiberius Caesar Emperor of Rome would often say Princes ought not to impart their secrets nor to make any privy to their counsel considering how hard is silence to be observed Silence was of such credit and of such force that Metellus who used to be close in the wars of Macedonia would say that if he knew his own coat to be privy to his secrets he would straight cast off his coat and burn it For in him to whom secrets of life are revealed in the same also is danger of death for in the committing of secrets is life and death also committed Had not that famous Hercules the imp of great Jupiter and off-spring of the gods revealed his counsell and opened his heart unto his wife Deianira Had not that mighty Sampson so great in Gods favour that he was a Iudge in Israel shewed his secrets unto his wife Dalila they had not been conquered by two women whom Serpents Dragons Lyons yea all the whole world could not annoy The just punishment of Princes for frivolous talking Conquerours of the world of Kingdomes of countries and yet conquered by a woman yea by a lesser thing then a woman a little member never séen but alas too often heard the tongue onely Tantalus is punished in hel for that he opened the counsel of the Gods after this sort Dainty meats and pleasant wines before his face and yet may he not touch them he hath sight of all things and yet tasteth nothing the hunarier he is the better and braver his banquet shines before him the more desirous he ie to eat the further he is from his victuals Ixion for his telling tales of Juno is no lesse tormented in turnling of his whéel in Hell than is Sisiphus in rowling of his stone or Danaes daughters in filling of their empty tubs The pain of Prometheris in Caucasus the punishment of Titius is duely appointed and of the Gods say the Poets provided truly to those that be braggers and boasters of secrets I must not in this place forget a worthy history of King Demetrius Antigonus son who being sent by his father to Pontus where Mithridates was King being sworn by his father to keep counsel of a vision that he sowed gold in Pontus and that Mithridates should reap it was therefore commanded with his army to passe unto the Kingdom of Pontus and without any word to kill Mithridates His son Demetrius very sorry for the great friendship which was of late sprung betwixt Mithridates and him obeying his father went unto Pontus and commanded his people to stay untill he went to know where Mithridates was who when he came in place he wrote with the end of his spear upon the earth in the dust Flee Mithridates and streight turning to his souldiers he spake nothing to him according to his oath for kéeping silence but wrote a warning to flee wherby he kept his fathers counsel one way and maintained faithfull friendship with King Mithridates another way A young man of Helespont prating much in presence of Guathena a strumpet in Gréece she demanded of him whether he knew the chief city of Helespont to the which the young man said Yea forsooth What said she me thinketh you know not the name of it for it is Sigaeum the City of silence a just reproach for such vain praters Aelianus doth write when the Cranes from Sicilia take their flight to flee over mount Caucasus they stop their mouths with stones to passe with silence the dangers of the Eagles CHAP. XVIII Of Age and the praise thereof BY on that wise man would say often that age was the Haven of rest for that it was the end of misery the gate of life and the performance of all pilgrimages And since age is wished of all men what folly is it to hit any man in the téeth with that which he chiefly desireth Wherefore when king Archelaus had appointed a great feast for his friends amongst other discoveries then at the table Euripides declared the great love which he bare unto Agathon an old tragicall Poet. Agesilaus demanding why should an old man be so well esteemed of Euripides he said Though the spring time be pleasant yet the harvest is fertile though flowers and hearbs grow green in the spring yet wax they ripe in harvest The age of man are compared unto the four seasons of the year his growing time unto the spring his lusty time unto the Summer his wit time unto the Harvest and his old time unto the Winter which doth make an end of all things Frederick Emperour of Rome after he had appointed an old
all the lewd women in brave garlands decked with all kind of flowers in gorgeous apparel and this was done in the moneth of May. The Goddess Câ—â—â—â— began then to be famous for she had her feasts and sacrifices named Cerealia by the Priests appointed she was thus honoured The Priests in white garments and with lanthorns and fire-brands in the night time would come to the Temple they abstained from wine and avoided venery for a certain time they appeinted every fifth year a great fasting Minerva likewise began to have such honour in Rome that she had thrée several kinds of sacrifices one of a Bull the second of a Crane the third of a Weather The Romans did celebrate in the beginning of the spring such feasts and sacrifices to Berecynthia called the Mother of the Gods that every man did offer of the chiefest things that he did possess to pleasure this Goddess There were divers other kinds of sacrifices and vain superstitious ceremonies observed then in Rome whose beginnings procéeded from the invention of Devils which of long time were honoured as Gods for then men sought no help but of their Gods which were rather Devils As Polidorus in his fourth Book affirmeth of a certain rich man in Rome who had thrée of his sons sore sick of the plague this man was named Valesius who every night at home in his house besought his houshould Gods called Penates to save his children and to plague him for the fault of his sons Thus every night praying to his Gods for the health of his children a voice was heard that if he would go with his thrée sons to Tarentum and wash his sons with the water which was consecrated to Pluto and Proserpina they should recover their health Valesius thought the way was far yet for health to his children he took his journey and being ready shipt in Martius field hard by the river Tyber he was desired of the master of the ship to go to the next village called Tarentum for a little fire for the fire was out in the ship and the mariners busie about other things When Valesius heard the name of Tarentum he knew straight that it was that place that his Gods appointed him to go to for the city of Tarentum was in the furthest part of all Italy in the country of Calabria he willingly went and brought both fire with him for the Master of the Ship and water for the children which being given to his sons they recovered health Wherefore in memory of this he recompensed his Gods with this sacrifice he in the night appointed solemn playes to honour Pluto and Proserpina to each severall nights every year for so many sons as he had that recovered health erecting up altars and offering sacrifices in honour and solemnity of Pluto These were the Oracles and divine answers which the Divels were wont to give in Idols to deceive men withal these I say were they that allured the people to idolatry Cicero saith that the chiefest Priests of Rome the Bishops for that the sacrifices and feasts the ceremonies and rites belonging to new made Gods grew to such a number that they appointed thrée men called Triumviri to be rulers of the sacrifices and appointed other thrée that should kéep the sacred Oracles of Sybilla The Oracles of Sybilla were written in books to which they resorted oftentimes for counsel and admonition fiftéen men were appointed to know what was to be done in any peril or necessity as at the wars betwixt Caesar and Pompey such prodigious sights were séen such unnatural working of the heavens such terrible sights on the earth such portentuous miracles then seen in Rome that the Senators came to Sybilla to know the effects and ends of these monstrous shows and to be instructed of the state of the City Vnto whom she gave six letters in writing three of R. and three of F. to be exponded of their wisemen whereof the meaning was found the thrée of R. were these Regâ—um Roma Ruet and the thrée of F. were Flamma Ferro Fame that is as much to say that the monarchy of Rome should perish with fire sword and hunger Dionisius in his fourth book saith that an aged woman brought nine books to Tarquinius Superbus being the seventh and last King of the Romans which she would have sold for three hundred Crowns to the King letting Tarquinius understand that those books were full of Oracles and divine answers but he making a jest of her books did burn three of them before her face demanding of her again what he should pay for the other six she answered Thrée hundred Crowns then he burned thrée more and asked what he should pay for the thrée books that were left She answered as before Thrée hundred Crowns The King marvelling much at the constancy of the woman bought the three books for three hundred Crowns and after that time that woman was never seen in Rome wherefore it is thought of the Romans that she was Sibilla Therefore these three books were preserved in Rome as aforesaid under the custody of three men appointed for the purpose and she so honoured and worshipped that sacrifice upon sacrifice was offered to Sibilla in Rome Thus the Oracles of Sibilla in Rome the Oracles of Apollo in Delphos the Oracle of Jupiter in Ammon were the instructors to the Gentiles and teachers of the Greeks Moreover they had such solemnities of feasts and celebration of banquets either called pontifical feasts for that it was ordained by Priests or else triumphant banquets after victories made of the Emperors and given to the people or else funeral feasts where honour and solemnitie was had for the dead As for games and plays to sacrifice and to honour their Gods they had Lupercalia Floralia Bacchanalia Cerealia with divers and sundry others to pleasure their Gods and to mitigate their fury and wrath For in the days of Tarquinius the proud for that divers women of Rome being great with children got sufeits in eating of Bulls flesh they appointed certain sacrifices to the Gods infernals called Tauâ—â—lia to appease their anger therein again for them that were sick Valerius Publicola who was the first Tribune in Rome appointed banquets and feasts in the temple of the Gods to asswage likewise their fury as Jupiter Juno and Minerva who were with banquets reconciled to restore health to the sick The homages and services the sacrifices and solemnities the banquets and feests the mirth and melody the pastime and sport the great games and plays that alwayes Greeks and Gentiles have used towards their Gods were almost infinite The honour and reverence that Jupiter had in Creet the worship and fame that Apollo had in Delphos the sacrifices and ceremonies that Mars had in Thracia are in books written and by authority recorded and I fear they be in the hearts of men too deeply printed Pallas had her seat in Athens Juno was enshrined in Samos Diana in Ephesus
consecrated to his temple Aesculapius revenged it after this sort When Antonius and Caesar were at wars after that the Army and Host of Antonius were vanquished and Caesar a victor he brought Turulius to be murthered unto that place in the Grove where he neglected Aesculapius Ceres when the City of Mileton was taken by Alexander the great and her temple therein spoiled and robbed by the souldiers she threw flames of fire into their faces and made as 〈◊〉 blind as neglected her Godhead and Majesty Dionisius K. 〈◊〉 Siracusa for that he spoiled the temple of the Goddesse Proserpina robbed this Goddesse of her golden garmēts flouting scoffing at her rites ceremonies nothing esteeming her sacrifice again for that he cōmāded his soldiers to pluck take away Aesculapius beard in Epidaurus a City in Peloponesus in Gréece because his father Apollo had none he was brought by the Gods from a King in Siracusa to be a poor School-master in Corinth and wretchedly to end his life by the just indignation of the Goddesse Proserpina Juno shewed her anger upon Fulvius Flacchus for that when he was Censor of Rome he caused the Marble Tiles to be brought from the Temple of Juno in Lacinia unto the Temple of Fortune in Rome He having his sons in Illyria at the wars the one of them by the wrath of Juno was slain the other by her command was plagued and tormented to death he himself having news hereof died for sorrow and grief and the Senatours knowing the cause returned the Marble Tiles by their Embassadours unto Lacinia again The wrath of Juno was the cause of the unhappy successe of that noble Consul Varro in the wars of Canna Hercules forgot not to revenge the contempt and despising of his ceremonies and rites by Pontius which once he and his name received as their God but being by Appius perswaded who then was Censor in Rome to neglect he was destroyed he and all his name which were in number above thirty and Appius for his counsel was made blind Thus the Gentiles and Heathens thought that nothing could escape unrevenged of their Gods This made Masinissa King of Numidia to send back the Ivory téeth that the Master of his Ships brought from the Temple of Juno in Meleta unto Meleta again This made the Senatours of Rome to send back again the money which Pleminius the messenger of Scipio took away from the temple of Proserpina again fearing the anger and displeasure of the Goddesse Thus were the people blinded with vain ceremonies of the Priests Bishops and Magistrates Thus were the rude people deceived by dissimulations of the Potentates as Numa Pompilius one of the first Idolaters that was in Rome would make the people beléeve that he had warnings and admonitions from the Nymph Aegeria to whom he said he had accesse in the night time to be instructed in the ceremonies of Rome Lycurgus the law-giver amongst the Lacedemonians perswaded the people that what law soever he made it was done by the Oracle of Apollo Zaleucus made the Locresians believe that his doings and proceedings were done by the counsel of Minerva Pisistratus deceived the people of Athens through dissimulations by a woman named Phia whom hee dressed like Pallas he was brought often times by this woman into the Castle of Pallas and the rude people thought that she was Pallas her self and judged thereby that Pisistratus might do what he would and have what he craved of Pallas Minos King of Créet was wont every ninth year to go unto a secret place by himself and there staying to consult with Jupiter what law he should make to the people of Creet as he informed the people and so deceived them craftily Thus we see how Licurgus amongst the Lacedemonians Zaleuchus amongst the Locresians Pisistratus amongst the Athenians Numa amongst the Romans and Minos in Créet have deceived the ignorant people with counterfeit talking with Gods making them to beléeve that the Gods counselled them Thus by craft they invented false Gods framed ceremonies and observed vain orders Sertorius that famous Sabin and ruler long in Rome was wont upon the high rocks of Lusitania to consult with a white Hart of whom he was warned to avoid things and to do things to take things and to refuse things insomuch that to blind the people he would attempt nothing till he had consulted on the Rock with this white Hart. L. Sylla when at any time he went unto wars would in open sight of the souldiers imbrace a certain remembrance a sign which he brought from Delphos with him to Italy requiring that to kéep promise as Apollo had commanded him Scipio would never take any publick affairs in hand before he had gone to the Capitol to the secret Alter of Jupiter and there continued a while to deceive the people Thus were they thought to be the Of-springs of Gods by the common souldiers whom they deceived with false shews and to this effect that the people should flatter and obey them in all things And as Liberius did use to féed Julius Caesar with flattery saying that mortal men ought to deny nothing unto those to whom the Gods do grant all things so did these forenamed Princes hunt for such honour as Caesar or Alexander had Mahomet a great Prophet and a mighty God amongst the Gentiles whose laws till this day the most part of the world observe had such a beginning as aforesaid and dissembled with the people that a Dove that he taught to come every day upon his shoulders to féed on certain grains of wheat which he alwaies did bear in his ears was the holy Ghost and perswaded the people that his doings and laws were appointed by the holy Ghost which dayly came to instruct him and to make orders amongst the people We read in divers places of the scriptures that the men of Iuda did build altars and make Idols upon every high hill and under boughs of trées The Idolatry of the people of Israel with the daughters of Moab using their sacrifice and worshipping their false Gods was such that God the true Messias did loath and abhor them Such Idolatry I say grew among the Israelites that Jeroboam commanded two Golden Calves to bee made and to be worshipped saying Behold O Israel behold thy Gods which brought thée out of the land of Egypt These were those Iews whom God most estéemed and they least regarded it these were his own people and yet they sought other Gods saying to Aaron Make us Gods to go before us Manasses King of Iuda erected and made altars to Baal to go before him Holophernes said that there was no God but Nabuchadonosor Nabuchadonosor commanded that all people and nations should knéel and worship the Golden Image Solomon having received so great wisedom of God that no Prince in Israel had the like fell in his latter years to Idolatry to worship the Gods of strange women Antiochus commanded Idols to be worshipped altars
delighted in Barbers and next to him was Augustus Caesar successor of Julius Caesar Besides these countries and famous kingdomes divers others there were that so made of their hair that to observe orders and to avoid the dangers in the wars they did shave divers parts of their head much against their will yet for custome sake the Maxiâ—s a people in Affrica do use to shave the right side and let the hairs grow on the left Again the people which Strabo called Anases do shave their hair upon their foreheads and yet they make much of the hinder part of the head where they suffer their hair to grow very long The Maceans shave little hair upon the crowns of their heads and yet suffer all their hair to hang down in order about their faces Herodotus in his fourth book doth name a people who are called Machleis and Abantes which for that they be warriours and always in the field face to face with their enemies they shave their hair before and suffer it to grow behind The Euboians likewise did let their hair grow behind upon their backs very long and yet were enforced of necessity to cut it before for fear of the enemies It seemed that either Barbers were scant or not known in those days or else long hair was much set by and esteemed of all men For Sueronius that writ the lives of the Emperors doth report that the Emperor Caligula was wont for envy to those he met to shave their hair off behind knowing well that nothing might molest them so much as to have their hair off for he was so envious that if he saw any that had fair golden hair he would have it off straight with his own hand Beards were so much set by and so estéemed was hair in those days that women were forbidden by the Law of the twelve fables to shave any part of the face to prove whether hair might grow or no. Occasions were ministred to them said they by their long hair and beards to know themselves and the state of their bodies For an old man in the City of Sparta being asked why he did wear his beard so long he answered That in beholding the gray hairs in my beard I may do nothing unséemly nor unworthy of such gray hairs for a good man is always admonished to live vertuously Demonax was known by his beard to be some grave Philosopher by him that demanded of him what kind of philosophy he professed not knowing him otherwise then by his beard The tyrant Dionisius to spight the Citizens of Epidaurus took the golden beard of Aesculapius away out of the temple to move them to greater displeasure At what time Aristippus was brought to Simus house the Phrigian which was so dressed with cloth of Arras and precious hangings that the very floors so gorgeously shined that he could not find in the house a place to spit without some offence he spit in his handkercher and threw it into Simus face who was all bearded he being angry therewith demanded the cause why he so little esteemed him Because said Aristippus I saw not in all the house so fâ—ul a place as that which should have béen most clean meaning his beard And though it was merrily done of Aristippus yet it was not so merrily thought of Simus who more estéemed his beard then Aristippus esteemed all his precious cloaths and golden hangings The like did Jeronimus sirnamed Rhetris make of his beard for when I sée said he my beard then I know right well that I am a man and nor a woman and then knowing my self to be a man I am ashamed to do any thing like a woman either in word or déed Much more might be here alledged for the authority of beards and for estéeming of long hair for there is no countrey be if ever so civil but it is addicted to some peculiar qualities neither is there any man be he ever so wise but doth glory in one thing more then in another As the wise man in his wisedome the learned man in his knowledge the ignorant man in his folly the proud man in his person the self-lover in some part of his body more then in other either in his face body leg middle foot hand or hair and specially many do make much account of their beard combing decking handling and setting it in order always But because people are mutable and full of change and that time altereth all things we will no further procéed in this though men may mis-judge of others concerning their long hair and beards yet I say judgement is not safe in this point for it may be that they prefer the country Poet Hesiodus before the warlike and eloquent Homer as Panis King of Calcides or as Mydas did judge Pan the Piper before Apollo the God of Musick Hard it is to judge of men whether the bearded man or the beardless man is to be preferred whether the long hair or the short hair most to be esteemed for under strange habits are concealed hidden qualities and under a ragged cloak as the Greek proverb is lyeth wisdome as secretly as under a Velvet gown CHAP. XXIIII Of divers and sundry fashions of burial amongst the Gentiles THe ancient Egyptians weighing the shortnesse of mans life little esteeming the time did provide such sepulchres against they died that they accounted their graves an everlasting habitation Wherefore in life time they studied how to make such gorgeous graves as should be perpetual monuments after death Insomuch that thrée hundred and thréescore thousand workmen were twenty years in building a huge and stupendious work to bury their bodies which for the bignesse thereof was counted one of the seven wonders named at this day the Pyramides of Egypt Pliny saith that thrée Pyramides were made in Egypt betwixt the City of Memphis and Delta And King Ceopes as Herodotus affirmeth began to make the first and as Diodorus saith his brother Cephus began the second and the third King Mycerinus as both Herodotus and Diodorus do affirm Some say that Rhodope a harlot being married to King Psamneticus and left a widdow did make third Pyramide but to this effect they were made as common sepulchres to receive dead men as guests to dwell always therein with such ceremonies first that being dead they filled the scull of his head with swéet odours and then they opened his body with a sharp stone of Aethiopia which the Egyptians have for the purpose and purged it and then having embalmed it with fragrant odours and sweet spices they sow up the body which being done they did put it in fine sindon cloth having the likenesse thereof made upon a hollow work wherein they put the body with many other such ceremonies onely to save the body from any putrefaction For they think as the Stoicks so long say they shall the soul flourish and live as the body is unputrified and as the bodies perish so doth the Egyptians beléeve that the souls
Whereby straight he was informed that he was not onely delivered from all dangers but also should be sought for by all Greece to the encrease of his fame and augmentation of his honour Brutus clean contrary after much good successe and prosperous fortune after he murthered Caesar at length he was in his sleep by a vision warned to make himself ready to die at Philippi where he was enforced in the wars between Augustus Caesar and him to kill himself Thus were they allured and entised to uncertain dreams to order and rule all their doings For as the Poet Ennius saith what they studied and pondered in the day time the same dreamed they in the night time Dreams moved the Heathen to tyranny for L. Sylla the Firebrand of Italy was warned in his sleep by Bellona the Goddesse of wars to murther kill and destroy all that ever he might find in his way giving him in his hand fire in token he should overcome Rome and Italy Likewise Eumenes King of the Lacedemonians having wars with Antipater King of Macedonia was fully perswaded by a dream to obtain victory for he dreamed that two Alexanders were with great hosts and armies of men ready in the field to fight the one having the Goddesse Minerva as a leader the other having the Goddesse Ceres as their Captain and after long conflicts and much slaughter on both parties he thought that the souldiers of Ceres had the victory and that they were crowned with ears of corn in the honour of Ceres which is the Goddess of corn And because the country of Lacedemonia was more fertil then Macedonia the wise Sages declared the dream said that Eumenes should have the victory over Macedonia Besides these dreams they had a kind of credit in fowls of the ayr in beasts of the field in wind and weather and in divers other things where Soothsaying Oracles and consultations were had When Xerxes the great King of Persia with so many Myriades of men had purposed and decreed with himself to destroy all Greece a Mare being a stout and a proud beast brought forth a Hare a most fearfull and timerous creature whereby the flight of Xerxes from Greece with shame and reproach was presaged And afterward before he would lay siege to Athens resolving with himself to destroy Sparta all the country of Lacedemonia a strange warning happened to this Prince at supper for his Wine before his face was converted into Bloud as it was filled in the cups not once but twice or thrice whereat he being amazed consulted with Wise men of whom he was then admonished to forsake his first intent and to give over the enterprize which he took in hand against the Greeks Midas being yet in his cradle the Ants were séen to carry grains and victuals to féed him withal whose parents being desirous to know the effect thereof were certified by the Soothsayers that he should be the wealthiest and richest man in the world and the most monied Prince that over should reign in India Plato that noble and divine philosopher while he was an infant in like sort in his cradle the Bees with honey fed his sugred and swéet lips signifying his eloquence and learning in time to come They were not Bees of mount Himettum but rather of Helicon where the Muses and Ladies of learning delighted to dwell This was that Plato of whom his master Socrates before he knew him dreamed that he held fast in his hand a young Swan which fled from him away and mounted the skies whose sweet voice and songs as a wonderfull melody and harmony replenished the whole skies They thought it a sufficient admonition to see any thing happen between birds or beasts as a sure and certain shew of their own fortune to come M. Brutus when he was in Camp against Caesar and Antonius and saw two Eagles fighting together the one comming from Caesars Tent the other from his own he knew well when the Eagle that came from his side took flight and was vanquished that he should lose the victory Cicero understood well enough his death to be at hand when the Raven held him fast by the hem of his Gown and made a noise and ever plucked at him till the souldiers of M. Antonius came to the very place where he at that time vvas beheaded by Herennius and Popilius For in the night before Cicero dreamed that he vvas not onely banished from Rome but that he vvandred divers strange countries vvhere Caâ—us Marius a noble Roman as he thought met him demanding of Cicero vvhy and vvhat vvas the cause of his sad countenance and vvherefore he travelled such strange countreys the cause being knovvn to Marius he took him fast by the right hand and brought him to the next Officer vvhere he thought in his sléep that he should have died Thus you sée that Xerxes by a Hare had warning King Mydas was by Ants admonished Plaro by Bées Brutus by an Eagle Cicero by a Raven Themistocles by an Owl of death Pericles by the head of a Ram was fully perswaded and taught by the soothsayers that he should win the people of Athens from Thucidides with whom then he was in controversie And was not Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus with all the Princes of Gréece certified by the Dragon that climbed a trée where he slew a she Sparrow and eight young ones beside that they should be nine years in wars with the Troyans and that in the tenth they should destroy and quite vanquish Ilium Was not Julius Caesar admonished by his wife Calphurnia in a dream that if he would go to the Senate that day he should die And was not that mighty Monarch Alexander warned by a vision to take more regard to his life then he did and to take héed of Antipater who afterward poysoned him Was not Alcibiades that noble Greek certified by a dream of his miserable death by which he and his Concubine Timandra might divers times see before hand what followed after had they had but so great a desire in following of good things as they were bent and prone to seek after evil such prodigious sights such strange miracles were seen that might well allure them to a more perfect and upright life The Sun the Moon the Stars and all the host of Heaven wrought great miracles to reduce Princes from evil enterprizes and to give warning unto others to avoid the tyranny of wicked Princes For the Heavens appeared bloudâ— at that time when Philip King of Macedonia with tyranny invaded Greece At what time Augustus Caesar after his uncle Julius was murthered came to Rome as the second Emperor there were seen stars wandering about the circle of the sun great lightnings and strange impressions like men fighting in the skies yea and birds fell down dead in the City of Rome and Livi writeth that an Ox spake under the plough these words to the ploughman that not onely corn should be dear but also men should
perish and therefore said the Ox thou urgest me in vain to travel When that wicked tyrant Nero began his Empire in Rome trées pastures meddows and certain grounds about the City a strange miracle altered places and changed seats one with another the ground moving from one place to another Even â—o it harned at the exilement of King Dionisius after much tyranny and bloudshedding when he was banished from his Kingdome the salt sea the same day that he was driven from Sicilia altered his saltness to sweetness These two tyrants Nero and Dionisius the one comming to his Empire what wonders shewed the earth it self the other departing from his Kingdome what miracles shewed the Sea When Darius besieged the City of Babylon a voice was heard out of the strong walls of Semiramis that Babylon should be conquered at what time a mule should engender at the which the souldiers of Darius were discomfited and Zopyrus his mule accomplished the foreshewed Oracle Likewise when Pompey was vanquished by Caesar a grâ—â—n bough grew in the temple of Victory under the image of Caesar and hives of Bees darkened the ensign of Pompey foreshewing he should be subdued at Pharsalia The City of Rome had these warnings a little before the first Civil wars there were seen fires â—ining suddenly abâ—ut men Spiders Mice and Worms consumed the gold and substance of their temples Ravens devoured and did eat their young ones the noise and sound of trumpets were heard in the ayr with such other terrible warnings as might well move amazement and amendment Again before the second wars of Carthage an Ox spake and said Rome take thou héed to thy self It is noted likewise when Tarquinius the last King of the Romanes was driven away from Rome and banished the Kingdome that a dog then spake and a serpent barked Too many of these examples are to be read if we read histories for signs and tokens were séen and marked in the heavens according to the natures and doings of Princes for when Tiberius came to the Empire of Rome there happened such great earthquakes that twelve famous Cities in Asia fell prostrate to the ground two mountains moved and ran and fought together in a place by Rome called Mutina field It is written that in the City called Sagunthus before it was conquered by Hannibal a child in the time of the delivery of the mother entred again into his mothers womb And in Plini Clepidus beareth witnesse that trées spake And though it séem fabulous to divers that such things by nature should speak yet we sée the tryal of this clean contrary to set forth the wonderfull works of God whereby he might the more be magnified by these his creatures For we read in the sacred scriptures that an Asse spake whereby the more credit may be given to Pâ—utarch Pliny and Livi which mention that dogs trées oxen serpents and other creatures of God did speak for a wonder and a warning as well of things to come as things past For before the famous City of Ierusalem was destroyed by Vespasian the Emperor there appeared a star in manner of a sword in the skie there were likewise seen Chariots running up and down the skies and men in harnesse fighting in the clouds right over the City Divers wonders by nature were wrought which for the rarenesse thereof are worthy to be noted as Caecilius Agrippa the first day that he was born of his mother did go on foot without help Likewise Zoâ—oastres when all children cry at their birth he the self same time laughed It was strange that Telephus the son of Hercules was nourished of a Hart. Romulus the first King of Rome fostered by a Wolf Cyrus the first King of the Persians brought up by a Bitch Alexander and King Priamus by a Bear Jupiter by a Goat Mydas by Ants and Plato by Bees and so divers others But certainly more strange it was that little beasts yea small creeping worms should be able to vanquish and destroy famous Cities and Countreys As in Spain a City was unâ—ermined by Coneys in France a City was destroyed by Frogs in Thessaly a City was overthrown by Mouldwarps In Affrica a City was spoiled by Locusts Gyara an Isle of twelve miles was consumed by Mice and Abdera a City in Thracia by Mice likewise and Amyclas by Serpents Peradventure these séem not credible to divers readers the learned may read the same in the righth book of Plini and twenty and ninth chapter where he may be satisfied The works of nature were so wonderful in all places at all times that learned writers for memory of the same do recite the effect thereof It is written that Ammonius the Phylosopher had an Asse frequenting his school with Porphirius to hear his lecture In the Isle called Coes in the ground of a certain tyrant named Nicippus a shéep brought forth a Lion instead of a Lamb. Plini doth witnesse that he saw in a City of Affrica a man changed to a woman in the same day he was married whose name was Cofficius a Citizen of Tiâ—dria Pontanus and divers authors affirm that Tiresias the Theban Ceneus and Iphis were changed from men to women from males to females by alteration of kind Again some think that as Anaxagoras never laught so Zenophantes never wept things wonderfull and strange to nature and as L. Pomponius never belcht so Antonia never spit There was a Poet sometime dwelling in Coos of such small growing and slender body that lead was put in the sole of his Shoes least the wind should bear him from the ground and blow him into the air And as he by nature was small and light of substance so by the self-same nature was found in a certain hill of Créet the body of Orion which was forty and six cubits in length What Albertus Magâ—us wrote of the secrets of nature I will omit better it is I suppose to be ignorant in some things then to be skilfull in all things He saith among other things that there was a woman in Germany that had thréescore sons side every time at one burthen and there was another woman named Agrippina in Colonia that did neither eat nor drink for the space of thirty days Besides these there was a man named Philinus that never eat nor drank all the days of his life but milk onely Cicero saith that all the Iliads of Homer were written and placed within the shell of a Nut. Plini reports that there was an hearb called Acheminis that if it were cast or thrown amongst the enemies they streight would take their flight thereupon Mermecides made a Wagon so artificially and so small that a Flie might cover it with her wing Strabo did sée so well that he could discry the ships that departed from Carthage from a from a promontoâ—y in Sicilia which was above a hundred and thirty miles Cornelius Agrippa in his first book of hidden Philosophy writeth a history of one Cippus King in Italy
much given to soft clothing gay apparel and delicate fare as Aristotle the Prince of Philosophers delighted to go brave in gorgeous apparel with rich Chains and Kings and had herein great felicity Demosthenes and Hortensius two famous and noble Oratours the one of Athens and the other of Rome went so fine in their cloths with such neat and wanton gesture that L. Torquatus would often call Hortensius the son of Dionisia for that she had great pleasure in dancing and light gesture of bodie But I will omit such examples and speak of dissembling persons who thinking to hurt others destroyed themselves as that strong Golias who contemning all Israel for force and strength David a weak man overcame him Hammon was hanged upon that gallows that he prepared for Mardocheus even so Absalon going about to destroy his father King David was hanged by the hairs of his head by Gods appointment CHAP. XXXIII Of Famine CIcero in his first book of Tusculans questions doth note the saying of Socrates that hunger was the best sauce to meat and thirst the best occasion to drinke Wherefore King Dioniusis the tyrant hearing much report of the Lacedemonians hard fare and specially of their pottage which was called Jus nigâ—um the black pottage he took a Cook of that Countrey to be his servant to dresse his diet in the ordinary way of the Lacedemonians the Cook having taken much pains in making the foresaid pottage he brought a messe thereof unto the King who much longed for it but assoon as he tasted of it he spit it again out of his mouth and was vâ—ry angry with the Cook saying is this the pottage that the Lacedemonians so much brag of my dog said Dâ—onisius should not eat it the Cook perceiving the gluttony of the King said O Dionisius whensoever thou art to eat of this pottage thou must bring fit sauce for it which is a Lacedemonians stomack for the Princes of Sparta have more pleasure in this kind of fare then ever King Mydas had in his golden banquets What maketh any meat swéet hunger What causeth man to féed pleasantly hunger Or what makes any drink pleasant thirst For at what time Darius was enforced of méer thirst to drink of a lake all defiled with stinking carcases of dead souldiers being then in the field and compelled to take his flight he said after his draught that he never drank swéeter drink in his life Though this King was a proud Prince over the Persians and had all kind of wines at commandement yet his want and penury now and his thirsty stomack was the onely cause of this noble drink which he so much commended and preferred before all the wine that ever he drank before Even so affirmed King Artaxerxes in his wars when his victuals and all were spoiled by the enemies of a few dry figs and of a piece of a barley loaf upon which he fel so hungerly that he spake after this sort O good Lord of how great a pleasure have I béen all this while ignorant Lisimachus likewise being in wars in Thracia against Domitianus the Emperour where he and all his souldiers were kept so long without drink untill he was so thirsty that he was inforced with all his host to yeeld as captives to the Emperour Domitianus and now being in captivity having a draught of drink of the Emperour he said O God that I should make my self from a King to be a captive from a noble Prince of Greece to be a bondslave unto the Romans for one draught of drink See what hunger and thirst is how it hath made Kings to yeeld and Princes to be vanquished Yea it hath made King Ptolomy in his own Kingdome of Egypt to commend a piece of bread which was given him in a poor Cottage and to say that he never eat better meat nor more comfortable chear in all his life then that piece of bread was It was the custome of that noble Emperor Julius Caesar in all his wars more with famine then with sword to vanquish his enemies For this famous warriour would often say that even as the physitian would use his patients so would he his enemies the rule of the physitian is to make his patient fast to recover his health The order of Caesar was to kéep the enemy from victual to make them yéeld Great is the force of Famine And by Histories we read that when King Cambyses marched towards the Ethiopians he endured great scarcity of victuals and such penury and want of food was among the souldiers that they agréed with themselves to kill the tenth throughout all the host to asswage hunger and the Famine continued so long that Cambyses the King was in great fear lest the Lot should at length happen upon him and so to be eaten of his own souldiers Sagunthus a City in Spain as Eutropius doth witnesse in great amity with the Romans was besieged by the Carthaginians so long that all the City was brought unto such famine that the Lords and the Captains of the City made a great fire in the Market place and there brought all their wealth and substance and threw it into the fire and after made their Wives and their Children to enter into the fire and last of all the chief Lords and Captains ended their own lives in it lest they should come into the enemies hand So great was that Famine that it was before prognosticated by a Woman in the time of her delivery whose child his head being out entred into his Mothers womb again The like calamity happened in Caligurium a City where Quintilian was born which being likewise long besieged by Cneius Pompey to bring them in subjection and to kéep promise with Sertorius they lacked victuals and waxed so hungry that all kind of beasts whatsoever being slain they were constrained to eat their own Wives and Children It was séen in Ierusalem when that it was destroyed by Vespasian the Emperor of Rome that the mothers were compelled to eat their own children for very hunger whose small and tender bones were left as a shew and token of their calamity Pliny in his eighth book of Natural Histories saith that when Hannibal laid siege to the city Casilinum the Roman souldiers were in such hunger that one Mouse was sold for two hundred pieces of silver and he that sold the Mouse died himself for hunger The Athenians likewise were brought unto such hunger by Sylla who afterward was Dictator of Rome that one bushel of Wheat was sold amongst the souldiers for a thousand Drachmes the common souldiers being poor for want of money on the one side and sore plagued with hunger on the other were compelled to eat the gréen grasse of the fields about the City of Athens and to gather the mosse off the walls of the City and did eat it This City of Athens was oftentimes brought to that misery as by King Demetrius by King Philip and by his son Alexander the great So
Cibeles in Phrigia Venus in Ciprus Ceres in Sicilia Again Pan was in reverence amongst the Arcadians Osiris amongst the Egyptians Bacchus in the Isle of Naxus Vulcan in Lemnos In fine blocks and stones dogs and cats oxen and calves were honoured and worshipped as Gods Thus they wandred in this vale of misery like pilgrims far from the countrey that we ought to travel to where that true and living God is the God of salvation and health which is without end to be worshipped He is the God of all men and yet of the fewest worshipped he is the Saviour and yet he is neglected yea and more rejected of us that be Christians then the blocks and stones that were honored of the Gentiles And for proof hereof I mean to shew the severe laws that were both in Athens and Rome the two lights of the world for observing of their Gods and Religion Neither the Philosophers in Athens nor the Senators in Rome nor the Magistrates and Princes of the world then would in any wise permit injuries towards the Gods or suffer any evil report toward their religion in such care were they lest they should offend their Gods and break their laws Certain husbandmen found in the lands of L. Petilius by plowing therein two stones whereupon an Epitaph of Numa Pompilius was written in one in the other were found fourteen books seven latin books entituled Jus pontificum the law of the Priests concerning religion and sacrifices of their Gods these books with great diligence and care were not onely commanded to be kept but also in all points to be observed The other were Greek books entituled Disciplina sapientâ—ae the rule of wisedome which for that they tasted of Philosophy condemned the vain superstitious religions of their Gods Petilius fearing lest by reading of wisedome and Philosophy their folly and religion should be destroyed being then Proe or in Rome at which time Cornelius and Bebâ—us were Consuls by authority of the Senate in open sight of all the City of Rome burned the Greek books For the old and ancient men would have nothing kept within their city that might hinder their Gods For before all things they preferred their Gods and their religions and so honoured their Priests their sacrifices and their vestal Virgins more then they honoured the Emperours and Senators as it appeareth by a History in Valerius that when Rome was taken and conquered by the Gauls and the vestal Virgins were enforced to bear those things away shifting more for the sacrifices and rites of their religion in carrying their books their garments and their Gods then they cared for their countrey friends children and goods Insomuch that L. Alvanius when he saw the vestal Virgins taking pains to maintein the honour of Vesta undefiled her sacrifices unpolluted in saving the ceremonies and religion of their Goddesse from the enemies as one that had more regard and respect to their vain religion then carefull of his wife and children which then being in a Chariot to be carried and conveyed from Rome he commanded his wife and children to come down from the Chariot and to go a foot and placed in their room the vestal Virgins with all their burthens belonging to Vesta their sacrifices and other necessaries and brought them honourably to the countrey of Créet where with great honour they were received and for memory hereof till this time the people of Creet for that they did succour the vestal Virgins in adversity were by the Goddesse Vesta recompensed no lesse for their humanity in receiving of her maids into their town then she gratified Alvanius for his reverence to her religion insomuch that the coach where her Virgins and her sacrifices were carried was afterward more honoured and esteemed than any triumphant or imperial chariot In the self same time and troubles of Rome when the Capitol was besieged with the enemies Caius Fabius perceiving how religion was then estéemed girded himself like a sacrificer and carryed in his hand an host to be offered to Jupiter and was suffered to passe through the middest of his enemies to mount Quirinal where solemnities and sacrifices were done to Jupiter and that being accomplished he likewise went to the Capitol through the middest of the Army with all his company and by this means got the victory over his enemtas more by religion then by strength So much was superstition and idolatry honoured and observed every where that the Persians sailed with a thousand ships to do sacrifice and solemnity to Apollo at Delphos The Athenians slew and destroyed all those that envied or repugned their religion Diagoras was exiled for that he wrote that he doubted whether any Gods were or no and if Gods were what they were Socrates was condemned for that he went about to traduce their religion and speak against their Gods Phidias that noble and cunning workman was no longer suffered at Athens then while he wrought the picture of Minerva in Marble for it was more durable then Ivory which when Phâ—dias thought to draw in Ivory he was threatned with death to vilipend so great a Goddesse and to make her in Ivory which was wont to be honoured in Marble The Romans made a law at the destruction of Canna for that great slaughter of the Romans which at that war happened that the matrons of Rome who bewailed and lamented the deaths of their husbands their childrenâ— their brethren and friends incessantly should not pâ—â—se thirty days in mourning lest the Gods should be angry ascriving all fortunes good and bad to their Gods Wherefore it was decreed by the Senatours that the Mothers and Wives the sisters and the daughters of them that were slain at Canna at the thirty days end should cast away their mourning apparel and banish their tears and come altogether in white garments to do sacrifice to the Goddesse Ceres For it was thought and truly believed among the Gentiles and heathens that the Gods would justly revenge those that would at any time neglect their sacrifices Brennus for that he went to Delphos and spoiled Apollo's temple and neglected his Godhead was plagued grievously and worthily revenged So King Xerxes whose Navies covered the whole Seas whose Armies of men dried up rivers and shadowed almost the whole earth because he sent four thousand souldiers to Delphos to rob Apollo was therfore discomfited in his wars forsaken of his souldiers prosecuted of his enemies and compelled to flee like a vagabond from hill to hill till he came to his Kingdome of Persia to his great infamy and shame The like was in Carthage when the City was oppressed by the Romanes Apollo's temple neglected and he himself not esteemed he revenged the same for the first that laid hand upon him lost his hand and his arm Thus in Delphos and in Carthage did Apollo revenge his injuries His son Aesculapius a great God in divers countreys for that Turulius chief ruler of the Navies of Antonius hewed the Groves which were